#that it was/is supposed to come out either in december or early this year

[a9saga]

tbt - lil wayne - shooter // we're just gonna ignore the featured artist on this song okay

[16magnolias]

Meet My Encanto OC, Lucía Moreno from Just Your Ordinary, Everyday Miracle on ao3!

Full Name: Lucía María Moreno-Hernandez

Age: 41

Birthday: December 13th

Height: 5'3"

Eye Color: Brown with amber/gold flecks

Hair Color:  Dark Brown

Appearance: Medium brown skin. Long wavy dark brown hair, worn in a braid down her back or wound into a bun at the back of her head. Long thin nose and brown eyes set into a friendly round face. Usually wears a white or cream blouse with a brown, green, or blue skirt and practical shoes.

Memorable Quotes:

“I suppose we should be thankful for small miracles, eh?” Ch. 2

“I don't want an out, Bruno. This may come as a surprise to you, but I actually like you.” Ch. 9

“I want to move forward, but I don't want to forget. Sometimes it feels like everyone else is forgetting.” Ch. 16

 “You’re allowed to forgive yourself for the things you regret.  You know that, right?” Ch. 26

General Information/Personality: Lucía is a kind, practical, 'do-what-needs-to-be-done-with-as-little-fuss-as-possible' type of person. She tends to see the best in people, and her upbringing by two loving parents in the safe and protected Encanto has given her a fairly optimistic view of the world. She's very aware of the pain that can come in life - she is a widow and losing her husband in a tragic accident broke her heart - but she tries to focus on the good she sees in the world instead - and to be some of that good herself. If she sees a need and can meet it, she does. She'll step into a situation without question if she feels she can help, but if someone is antagonizing her directly she avoids them (and conflict) like nobody's business. Her desire to be helpful often directly contradicts (and overpowers) her desire to mind her own business. She's a dreamer and a writer, and her favorite stories are ones that include pirates. Her favorite place to go when she needs time to herself is beneath the old cedar tree in the center of her neighbor's corn fields. Her biggest worry and greatest responsibility in life is raising her daughter Josefina well without her husband Alejandro, but she has a loving family that supports her in her efforts.

History: Lucía’s parents were present at the founding of the Encanto, but Lucía and her younger sister Sofia were not born until around a decade later.  Her father is a printer and does his best to keep literature of both the fiction and non-fiction variety alive in the Encanto, and Lucía followed in her father’s footsteps.  She grew up helping her parents set type and bind books, and reading and listening to various stories and informational texts.  She helps run her father’s print shop and makeshift library and took on a larger role in the shop after her mother died when Lucía was in her early thirties.  Half of the shop houses the printing press, typeset, ink, and paraphernalia associated with printing and bookbinding, and the other half holds several shelves filled with books that her parents either printed or salvaged over the years. She helps set type and print orders and helps maintain the small library they have.  She also hosts a story time for the village kids a few times a week.  Her sister Sofia married Lorenzo Rojas, who runs the stables in the Encanto.

When Lucía was in her early twenties, she married Alejandro Moreno, an up and coming artist who went on to paint a mural of the Madrigals in town.  After they married, they worked together on printing and illustrating a large book of fairytales, legends, and fables, which Lucía still uses during her story times.  They also had one daughter together – Josefina – before he died while roaming the mountains around the Encanto in search of materials for his paints and inspiration for his work.

Alejandro’s death devastated Lucía, and she spent over a month afterward deep in shock, grief, and depression, pushing her family, friends, and even her young daughter away.  It was only with the help of her family that she slowly began to heal from his loss and the mistakes she made while grieving him. She does her best to be a present and loving mother to Josefina and does her best to keep Alejandro's memory alive by speaking of him frequently with her daughter. Three years later she is still in the cyclical process of grieving and healing. The night Casita falls, she's helping clean up her sister's barn when Bruno Madrigal shows up with the hood of his ruana thrown over his head, demanding her ‘fastest steed’. 

Though Lucía is quick to befriend him, their romance is what you would definitely consider a slow burn. It takes both of them time to open their hearts to the possibilty of second chances.

The wonderful art at the top of this post is by the lovely @starfangssecrets. ❤

The rest is mine as I attempt to teach myself to draw. Please excuse variations in appearance and shading as I figure out what the heck I'm doing, lol. 🥰

Thanks so much for hosting this fun event @encanto-extended-edition

[sixminutestoriesblog]

St. Lucia

I'm a little behind on this one. St. Lucia's Day is December 13 but since I didn't realize that until too late, we're going to do this a little bit belated.

St. Lucia's (or Lucy's) celebration is, for the purpose of this post, going to be about the Scandinavian side of things. On December 13th, the shortest day of the year according to the old Julian calendar, young girls dress in white robes with red sashes, set a wreath of holly on their head, crowned with - if they're old enough and trusted enough - lit candles and hand out coffee and sweets, often saffron buns or ginger cookies, to members of their family or nearby neighbors. Cranking it down a few years, small children dressed in white robes carrying, again if they're old enough, candles, also form a parade and sing as they too hand out treats or follow an elected Lucia who does that herself. Lucia means 'light' and this tradition is supposed to help you shore up enough of it for the coming winter months as well as to mark the Winter Solstice.

How did this all come about though? St. Lucia is from the Mediterranean.

Let's start at the beginning.

St. Lucia was a Christian martyr who was born in Sicily and died in 304 at the age of 25. During her life, she brought food to either the poor or the Christian martyrs hiding in the catacombs depending on the story you read. She wore a candle on her head so that both of her hands would be free to carry more food. Her mother arranged a marriage for her, since Lucia's father had died when she was young and the mother, dying herself of bleeding issues, feared for her daughter's future. Lucia however was a Christian woman that had dedicated her virginity to God, something many early female saints seemed to do, and after her prayers brought about her mother's healing, she convinced the woman to call off the engagement. Instead, she dedicated her dowry to Christ and distributed it among the poor. This did not go over well with her ex-fiance who snitched like a little bitch to the governor. Since Christianity was illegal at the time, Lucia's arrest was ordered, with her punishment being service in a brothel for daring to break up with a man. When the soldiers rolled up to take her away however, they found they couldn't move her, even after they'd hitched ox to her to try. Strangely dedicated to their work in the face of the miraculous, they then heaped wood around her and set her on fire.

This, also, did not work.

Finally, some go-getter in the group got creative and ran her through with a sword (or spear).

This worked.

Or it didn't, depending on the story because at least one of them says that she didn't actually die until she'd been given Last Rites. Honestly, whoever gave her Last Rites should have just kept their mouth shut and she'd probably still be around today.

During the period between the 8th and 12th centuries, Scandinavian countries gradually adopted Christianity and St. Lucia came with it. The St. Lucia that became known in Scandinavia however wasn't entirely the woman she'd been in Sicily.

You see - before St. Lucia came to Scandinavia, there was Lussi Lagnatti, Lucy Long-night, and she also claimed December 13th, except she claimed its long, dark hours instead.

If St. Lucia brought hope and healing with her, Lussi brought terror, punishment and the dead with her in the dark of the longest night of the year. On Winter Solstice, everyone stayed locked safely inside their houses where they hung axes, scissors and knives over their doorway and marked crosses on their houses to keep her at bay. During the Winter Solstice the veil between worlds grew thin and things leaked through. Lussi was accompanied on her travels by walking dead, evil spirits, trolls and other shuddery creatures. It was a Wild Hunt of its own, with Lussi as its leader and woe to anyone they found outside. If the victim was lucky, they would be found miles from where they'd started, confused and beaten.

If they were unlucky, they were never found at all.

Lussi, like many winter creatures, had a penchant for naughty children and workers, especially women, that hadn't finished their winter chores by the time of the Solstice. She and her hoard would damage their houses, their barns and sometimes even snatch them up to carry them away forever.

Little wonder that light-giving, hope giving, generous Lucia took her place in the hearts of Scandinavia. Or perhaps Lussi simply reformed into the light side of her dark coin. The young girls that wake up early to dress and feed their family do so before the sun, moving in the darkness of the house after all.

There's one more piece to our puzzle however. Germany also had a white clad woman that wore candles in her crowning wreath and gave out gifts. Her name was Christkind. She was supposed to represent the baby Jesus and was accompanied by Hans Trapp, a stand in for the devil.

So there you have it. Sweden is said to be the start of St. Lucia's Feast in the North, a famine there in medieval times saw a boat miraculously appearing on Lake Varern, headed by a woman of glowing light who handed out food and then vanished with the boat directly after, but it quickly spread to the neighboring countries, even more so in the 1900s. These days Lussi and the Christkind are almost entirely forgotten but St. Lucia still walks the early morning hours, bringing the light with her and giving out her food with both hands, reminding everyone that the winter is long yet but there is also warmth and hope even in these darkest of days.

[hangmansgbaby]

Gunpowder & Lead T W O

Masterlist

Banners are POV changes

This part was entirely written by me with input for @mamachasesmayhem

"Seresin! My office!" I look up to see Chief Beau Simpson leaning out his office door, waiting for me to acknowledge him. "Now!"

Shit, he's angry.

Walking quickly over I stand stiffly in front of his desk, watching as he takes a seat behind it. After a long, awkward silence he sighs.  "What is this?" He asks, gesturing to the papers spread out on the desk. 

"The Furies case files, sir?" I respond, glancing down at the large stacks of papers.

"Five years Seresin. Its been five years since you took over the task force." He looks up at me then, his piercing green eyes staring into my soul. "This whole case should have come to end years ago. Instead, all I have is some shitty paperwork filled with bullshit."

"Well sir--"

"December 13, 2018 'Caught sight of Persephone and Hera, no identifying details to note, evaded capture', March 27, 2019 'Shoot out with the furies, sights locked on Persephone, no desirable details to note, evaded capture'." Simpson starts reading every single time Em and the girls evaded us and starts to get more frustrated and red in the face as he continues. "August 8, 2021 'face to face encounter with Persephone, no identifying details to note, shots fired, no blood or DNA located at scene, evaded capture.' and most recently, November 28, 2023 'shots fired towards the Furies, DNA discovered at scene, no connection to criminal records, results inconclusive. Furies evade capture.' Do you realize how this looks Seresin?"

"Yes sir." There's no use in coming up with excuses at this point, either I'm caught, fired, or damn lucky that he isn't as bright as I hoped.

"Are you sure, son? Cause this is making me look incompetent for assigning my supposed best officer to the job and five years later he has come up with nothing." Simpson is nearly read in the face with anger.

"I understand sir."

"Look, I like you Jake. You've been with us a long time and have never let me down. Son I'm giving you 6 months to figure this out or you go back to regular cases." He calms a little and I release a soft sigh of relief. "That being said, I'm bringing in someone to help you out here. She's a Texas Ranger and has a lot of experience in catching vigilantes. Catch her up on the case and keep her informed. She goes everywhere with you, Seresin. If you follow a lead she better be right with you, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, she'll be here within the hour." I nod and stand to leave when Simpson calls me back. "And Jake?" I turn back as he speaks. "Don't let me down again." 

The Texas Ranger in fact did not show up an hour later but rather 15 minutes while I was having lunch with Em at Cora's down the street. Although instead of waiting at the station, Simpson mentioned where I was and here she is, walking towards our table.

"Commander Seresin, I was told I'd find you here." She smiles, stopping at the edge of the table.

"Excuse me?" Em's already not having it with her and neither am I.

"Look, Ranger, I'm on my lunch right now, with my wife. So why don't you march your Walker Texas Ranger sized ego that said you could show up here unannounced back to the station and I'll meet you in 45 minutes, like what was planned." I state, meeting her eyes. 

"Actually, Commander, my 'Walker Texas Ranger' sized ego got the information from the chief and was told to bring all of the files with me. So yea, when you are ready." She states and walks to an empty booth.

"The audacity some people have." Em groans just as a large group walks through the door. "I better go help Birdie, it seems our lunch rush is early today."

"I guess I'll talk with Walker then."

"I love you, honey. See you tonight." Em gives me a quick kiss before running back behind the counter.

"Finally!" The Ranger says as she plops down where Em was sitting. 

"You do not get to come in here a high and mighty Miss--"

"Walker, Ranger Ellie Walker, and my 'Walker Texas Ranger sized ego' is just an ego."

"Right,"  I say sarcastically.  "Well Walker, what do you wanna know?"

Ranger Waker and I sat and talked for nearly an hour before we made our way back to the station so Bob could fill her in on the forensic side. As we started nearing the end of the day, I was anxious to get home to Em and away from Ranger Walker's sarcastic comments about how I run my task force, and then she crossed a line. 

"Well I think I've heard enough for today." Walker says. "Tomorrow bright and early we're strategy planning."

"Uhm, Walker we dont operate on weekends." Bradley speaks up. 

"Correction, did Lieutenant Bradshaw, and you haven't caught the vigilantes in five years. Until these criminals are behind bars you work every day, all day if you have to."

"I don't know where you got the idea that you control us Ranger, but I'm the commanding officer." I state, standing from the conference table she had called my entire team to sit at. "You were called in to assist, not take over. So if you have a problem with the way I do MY job then you can leave."

"Seresin." Nat tries to catch my attention.

"But unless I say so--"

"Seresin!"

"What?" I snap, turning towards her.

"Call just came in for a break in and possible kidnapping." Nat reports.

"Is it a Furies case?"

"No, but Seresin--"

"Then the detectives will have it under control." I interrupt, I turn to continue what I was trying to say when Nat says the few words you never wanna hear.

"Jake, its Em, she's missing."

"Oh god." I groan as I wake up. My surroundings are unfamiliar as my vision comes into focus and the pouring in my head becomes more prominent. I attempt to reach up only to discover my hands secured to the arms of the chair. "What happened?"

"That is indeed the question of the hour, isn't it?"

"Who's there?" I question the voice. Most of the room is dark, and I can't make out who is speaking.

"Hello Persephone." Pete Mitchell's smile is illuminated as he steps into the small light.

"Mayor Mitchell?"

"I knew one day pushing the police department on this case would lead to something, but finding out the lead detective's wife was the one in charge of this vigilante group? Let alone the one who hid my wife and daughter? Well that is not the twist I was expecting." His smile grows even wider. "Though I must say, you have managed to pull off a remarkable job hiding her. A shame though really."

"Why is it a shame?"

"Because you trusted the wrong people to help you pull it off."

"What..."

"Persephone... Emory... when you do what I do, you make a lot of connections and have a lot of people everywhere." Pete chuckles. "But I think these two are my favorite." Two more figures emerge from the shadows and it takes everything in me to not show a reaction as I recognize Addie and Erin standing in the room. "Yes I know, how could your closest friends betray you? Who can you really trust?"

"You were too easy to trick Emory." Erin laughs. "Always too involved in a case, never letting yourself see what was happening around you."

"Like how every woman you thought you helped escape ended up right back in the arms of their abuser." Addie states. 

"Addie, Erin, what are you doing?" I struggle against the restraints.

"Relax Persephone, no one is gonna do anything." Pete says, holding up his hand. "Except convince everyone you love that you're dead. Then, while the entire police department is busy mourning you, we'll be getting everything our customers requested out of the city without being caught."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because, your little vigilantism has made our operation near impossible." Pete groans as he moves closer to me. "And I hope you don't mind but," He tightly grips my left hand and starts to remove my wedding rings off my finger. I can't do much to fight but I try.

"NO!" I yell in pain as they're ripped off. 

"It's alright, don't worry. Just gotta make this a little more convincing." Pete pulls a knife out as he flips my hand to be palm up. Using the knife, he cuts a small line on my palm, dropping my rings into the small pool of blood before plucking them up and placing them into a plastic bag that Erin holds out. "I'll see you later, Persephone." Pete smiles before walking behind me and out a door, Erin and Addie close behind.

"No! Wait! Please!" I cry, pulling harder against the rope. "Erin! Addie! Please!" It's no use to shout, the door is slammed shut and I can hear a lock engage. I'm alone, and with no way to warn the others.

"Gentlemen, you can't go in here." An officer stops Bob and I at the door before we can enter Cora's.

"No, my wife has to be here!" I shout trying to push past. "Emory!"

"Jake- '' Bob pulls me back as he tries to reason with the officer but its only when Simpson gives the order to let us in that I'm able to push past.

We search every inch of the Bakery, shouting their names. Bob is the first down to the speakeasy as I wrap up the back room.

"Birdie!" He shouts and I quickly run over and down behind him, spotting Birdie unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. "Birdie, baby, come on." He wraps her in his arms, trying to wake her.

"Birdie, wake up. Come on, Baby." Bob whispers as he tries to feel her pulse.

"Bob, you gotta lay her down." I say as I pull her from his arms and back to the ground.

"She's not waking up. Why is she not waking up Jake?" I can hear the panic in Bob's voice as I lean down to place my ear by her mouth listening for breath sounds.

"I don't know Bob but you gotta calm down." I grab his shoulders and shake him slightly causing him to look at me.

"Jake, if she doesn't wake up--"

"You cannot think like that." I cut Bob off, shaking my head. "She's gonna wake up. I promise." I have no idea why I promised that. Birdie's breaths are shallow and irregular. I look at Bob and realize his face has paled. I immediately jump into action,  I scoop her up into my arms and immediately climb the stairs. "We need some help!" I shout as I move through the front of the Bakery and outside.

I can see Simpson waving over the paramedics that were nearby and the stretcher is next to me within seconds. 

"What happened?" The paramedic asks us.

"We're not sure, we found her unconscious in the basement." I tell them as they start checking her vitals.

"Any allergies or conditions we should know about?"

"Uh, no, nothing." I stutter and look at Bob who is still pale and just staring at Birdie. "Bob?"

"She's-- she's pregnant. About 3 months I think." My attention snaps to Bob when he says it. 

"Holy shit, Bob." I whisper.

"We need to get her to the hospital now." One of the paramedics say as they roll her to the ambulance and load her in. Bob follows them in but before they can close the doors I hear my name.

"J--Jake?"

"Hey, baby!" Bob gasps, grabbing her hand.

"Where's Jake?"

"Hey Bird, you gotta go to the doctor."

"Addie and Erin, it was Addie and Erin." Birdie says in a near whisper, most likely still weak. 

"What about Addie and Erin, baby?" Bob asks.

"They... Em. Em-- where's Em?" Birdie jumps up and tries to climb out of the stretcher but Bob and the paramedic stop her.

"I'm gonna find Em, Bird. You go get checked out." I tell her, stepping back so they can close the doors.

"No! I can't leave her!" Birdie shouts and I can hear Bob comfort her as the last door shuts before they drive away, lights and sirens blaring.

Addie and Erin... where are they?

G&L Taglist: @sarahsmi13s @hopip99 @kmc1989

May's Everything Tags: @aviatorobsessed @callsigncurse @teacupsandtopgun @trickphotography2 @thedroneranger @sweetwhispersofchaos @capoteera @hardballoonlove @buckysdollforlife @kmc1989 @seresinhangmanjake @shanimallina87 @dizzybee03 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @lynnevanss @jynxmirage @na-ta-sh-aa @whatislovevavy @dingochef @dempy @dckweed @just-in-case-iloveyou @tgmreader @djs8891 @marvelousnightjengale @soulmates8 @sorchathered

Everything Jake & Bob Taglists: @mariaenchanted @erospecies @els-marvelvsp @dempy @hiireadstuff @atarmychick007 @merishfit

[atlasdoe]

Hello my name is Ace and i'm back on my lab rats bullshit so i'm rewatching the entire show

i've been trying to sort out all of the characters ages in my head since the dawn of time so im using this rewatch as an opportunity to keep record of all the times the characters mention their ages or time as a whole

also i would like to make it known that i have no idea how American schools work

also also I know that this is a kids show and I knew that the timeline had issues way before I started this but it was a fun thing to keep track of as I watched and now I have this information and I have no idea what to do with it so enjoy i guess

Lab Rats

Season 1, Episode 1: Crush, Chop and Burn Part 1

- All of the siblings attend High School meaning that they are from the ages of 13 - 18

- All of the siblings attend the same gym class

Season 1, Episode 8: Bionic Birthday Fail

- It's Leos 14th birthday

- Donald says that he's 38

this particular episode first aired on May the 7th so this could be Leo's date of birth but it's never said what the day is in the episode

also side note but it is cannon that Davenport did not celebrate Adam Bree and Chases birthdays up until this point. Also they don't know who Santa is but do celebrate Christmas with presents and decorations the same as seen in episode 3

Season 1, Episode 14: Chore Wars

- Chase says that 2009 was 3 years ago making the year this episode takes place 2012

Season 1, Episode 15: Dude, Wheres My Lab

- It's summer vacation meaning that it takes place during the months of May, June, July or August

Season 1, Episode 16: Air Leo

- Leo says that he's 14

- The episode takes place in the school meaning that if it was summer vacation in the last episode then it's a new school year in this one. American school years start in either late August or early September

Season 1, Episode 17: Night of the Living Virus

this isn't really anything but it was very obvious to me that this episode was shot before the others. Not only does Chase have his old haircut that he had for the first few episode but the sofa has the old throw pillows that they changed at the end of the second episode. Idk what this means for the timeline of when this episode took place (i believe it's a halloween episode as it aired in October) so idk if this episode is supposed to take place before the other episodes or if the producers just didn't care enough to care about the changes

- Caitlin is at least 16 years old in this episode as they mention her sweet 16

Season 1, Episode 20: Mission Space

- Leo says that Marcus is a Sagittarius

- Bree says that she's also a Sagittarius

Sagittarius have their birthdays between November 22nd and December 21st

Season 2, Episode 1: Speed Trapped

- Leo says he's 14

Season 2, Episode 2: Spy Fly

- Leo says that Davenport is almost 40

- It appears that Adam and Chase are in the same health class since they have the same assighment

- Bree and Leo are both doing the same physics test in the same class

Season 2, Episode 9: Spikes Got Talent

- At the beginning of the episode the siblings talk about the yearbook and about how everyone got a most likely to apart from Chase. This indicates that the yearbooks have just been handed out. When yearbooks come out depends on the school but it's mostly near the end of the school year

Season 2, Episode 12: Trucked Out

- Adam gets his drivers license meaning that he is at least 16 years old

Considering he passed on his first test and Bree, Chase and Leo don't have their licenses we can safely assume that Bree, Chase and Leo are all under the age of 16 in this episode

Season 2, Episode 15: Bionic Showdown Part 2

- Marcus is under the age of 16

Season 2, Episode 16: Memory Wipe

- The siblings erase 24 years of Donalds memory making him think that he's 15. Meaning that in this episode he would've been 39

Season 2, Episode 19: Llama Drama

- It's leading up to the homecoming game. Homecoming usually takes place in late September or early October meaning that it is probably a new school year

Season 2, Episode 20: The Haunting of Mission Creek High

- It's the homecoming dance meaning that it's still late September/early October

Season 2, Episode 21: Perry 2.0

- Adam and Bree seem to have gym class together but they're literally in gym for the entire episode apart from a small scene where they're at lunch so that might've been some special type of sport day or something like that

Season 2, Episode 23: Prank You Very Much

- It's been 150 days since Janelle and Leo first spoke to each other. Janelles first appearance in the show was Season 1 Episode 10: Can I Borrow the Helicopter? meaning that it (should) have been no more then 150 days since that episode. Though this doesn't make much sense since some of the most recent episodes revolves around homecoming which starts at the beginning of the school year and we already had a summer vacation episode last season and there is no way that everyone from "Dude Where's My Lab?" and "Llama Drama" happened within a month

Season 2, Episode 24: 'Twas the Mission Before Christmas

- It's Christmas Eve

- Tasha says that it's their first Christmas together but again like i just said this makes no sense since at least one christmas should've passed

- Bree says that Davenport Industry's have been risking the fate of mankind since 1992. If she hasn't made this year up then that means that if Donald is 39 in this episode and this episode takes place in 2012 like they're suggesting (even tho the episode came out in 2013. If this is their first christmas together it should be 2012) then Davenport Industry's started 20 years ago when Donald was 19

- Chase says that he is 15

Season 2, Episode 25: Trent Gets Schooled

- Part of this episode revolves around taking pictures for the Yearbook. Since Bree mentions her photo from the previous year and yearbook photos were mentioned in Spikes Got Talent this means that the siblings have DEFINITELY been going to school for longer then a year

- Leo and Trent both say that it's not football season. Football season is usually late August/early September to mid/late October meaning that it is not during this time in the episode

- Trent does a test in this episode and after passing he graduates immediately and then becomes the coach. Idk if it's possible for Trent to just immediately graduate at a random point in the school year or if this had to have taken place during the end of the school year

Season 3, Episode 5: Zip It

- Bree, Chase and Caitlin all get a part time job in this episode. In California you have to be at least 14 to work so this doesn't tell us anything about how old they are considering we know that Chase is at least 15 but I'm keeping it in anyway

Season 3, Episode 7: Scramble the Orbs

- Leo, Adam and Janelle have a gym class together

Season 3, Episode 9: Taken

- Douglas is at least 40 years old as he shows Leo a video from his 40th birthday party. This means that Donald has to be over the age of 40

Season 3, Episode 10: Three Minus Bree

- Eddy says that Leo is 16 years old

Season 3, Episode 12: Cyborg Shark Attack

- It's summer as said by Perry and indicated in what the characters are wearing but the school is still open meaning it might be around May - June

Season 3, Episode 13: You Posted What!?! Part 1

- Donald says that he's had Adam Bree and Chase for 16 years meaning that they are all at least 16 years old

Season 3, Episode 14: You Posted What!?! Part 2

- Donald says that he's 43

Season 3, Episode 15: Armed and Dangerous

- Donald says that he and the trio have had 16 years of training

Season 3, Episode 17: Brother Battle

- Bree mentions working a 12 hour shift at Tech Town. According to Google people under the age of 18 can be asked to work for longer then 8 hours a day in exceptional circumstances. They can ask only if no one who's over the age of 18 is available to do the work

Season 3, Episode 20: Merry Glichmas

- It's Christmas

- Leo says he's 16

- In the last Christmas episode Chase says that he's 15 meaning that for this Christmas Chase has to be at least 16. Since Leo says that he's 16 and it's could either be that Chase is only a few months older then Leo or that this episode takes place two years after the last Christmas episode and Chase is 17

Season 3, Episode 22: The Rise Of The Secret Soldiers Part 2

- It's given off that Krane began raising the secret soldiers since they were babies behind Douglas back as Douglas says that he had a tone of baby pictures meaning that Douglas and Krane must've been working together for at least 16 years

Season 3, Episode 23: Bionic House Party

- Bree mentions that some of the soldiers used her prom dress for target practice giving the impression that Bree has either already attended prom or was planning to soon. Since Bree is never seen with a stable boyfriend throughout the show it's likely that this was for her own prom. Students who attend prom are the senior class who are aged 17/18 years old. (i just wrote this and played the episodes only for Chase to say that the odds of her using it were very slim. Idk why Bree would have a prom dress if she never intends to go to prom but this could likely mean that she's a senior at the moment and already brought her dress before asking anyone to be her date) (idk use your imagination)

- Leo says that Donald is way older then he claims to be, giving the impression that throughout the show Leo has thought that Donald was younger then he really is because Donald keeps lying about his age. So far Donald has mentioned himself being 43. This would make somewhat sense if it wasn't for the memory wipe episode

- Bree says that Leo found them five friends in three years indicating that the first episode took place 3 years ago and if that episode took place in 2012 then it is currently 2015

Season 3, Episode 24: First Day Of Bionic Academy

- Bree says that she's still waiting on her sweet sixteen party meaning that Bree is at least 16 years old

- Leo has had his bionics for six months meaning it's been six months since the episode You Posted What!?! took place

- Bree mentions how she got stood up by a boy on prom night. this might be calling back to her unused prom dress

Season 4, Episode 4: Under Siege

- Leo refers to the time where Bree and Chase were looking after Kerry (Perrys niece) in the season 2 episode 18: Adam Up as "last year".

- Adam says that Leo is 16 years old

Season 4, Episode 6: Mission Mania

- Leo says he's been going on missions for over a month. His first mission would've been sometime after Rise of the Secret Soldiers

Season 4, Episode 8: Forbidden Hero

- Bree says that she has matured since high school giving off the impression that she did graduate. But it's noteworthy that none of the siblings go to school anymore and with Leo's last confirmed age being 16 he and maybe Chase should at least still be going. I can understand Chase no longer attending because there isn't much for school to teach him and he could've easily graduated early but it's odd for Leo to have just stopped especially since Tasha seems like the kind of mother to put Leos education over his bionic life. Also the last episode where we see the siblings attending school was Season 3, Episode 19: Face Off. In this episode all of the siblings were attending school. The show has never been accurate or cared about the characters ages when it comes to school and what classes they're attending so idk why i keep expecting them to subtly have Adam no longer be a student anymore or something but it was worth a try. Either way i think it's fair to say that school is giving us nothing in terms of finding out how old these characters are supposed to be.

- Also since i'm pretty sure that this is Caitlins last appearance in the show i'll mention now that she should be at least 19 years old since the Season One episode: Night Of The Living Virus mentions her sweet sixteen and with season one taking place in 2012 and this episode taking place in 2015 at the earliest, Caitlin should be at least 19. Although with that being said she was seen in Season 3 Episode 16: Alien Gladiators in school which she should've graduated by then. Again, the school setting seems to be ruining everything for me right now

Season 4, Episode 12: Space Elevator

- Chase says that their bionic secret has been out for a year meaning that it has been at least a year since Season 3 Episode 13/14: You Posted What!?! and it's been at least six months since the Bionic Academy opened

- Chase says that he went to High School for a year an a half meaning that everything that happened between the Season One, Episode One and Season Three Episode Nineteen happened within a year and a half (seems unlikely but okay)

Season 4, Episode 13: Bionic Action Hero Part 1

- Despite the fact that Leo moved up two colours in the last episode he's back to wearing the yellow shirt in this one meaning that this episode could've taken place before the last one but chances are the writers just don't care

Season 4, Episode 15: One Of Us

- We don't see Leo in his uniform in this episode but looking at the extras nobody is wearing the yellow shirt. In Season 2, Episode 12: Space Elevator all of the students moved up a colour and Leo two colours meaning that this episode takes place after the Space Elevator one definitely

- Bree says that she has 30 more years of being really cute. idk what this could tell us about her age currently but i'm taking what i can get

Season 4, Episode 18: The Curse of the Screaming Skull

- It's their first halloween at the Academy

Season 4, Episode 19: On The Edge Part 1

- Leo says that Chase named himself mission leader when he was 14 and Chase corrects him and says that he was 12. This could indicate that the trios first mission was when Chase was 14 and that's why Leo thought he named himself leader then

Season 4, Episode 20: On The Edge Part 2

- It's been two weeks since the last episode

Season 4, Episode 22: And Then There Were Four

- In the episode On The Edge, Leo becomes a mentor but for this episode he is back in his students uniform for whatever reason meaning that this episode could've taken place before On The Edge

- Douglas says that Daniel was just a baby the day that Donald took Adam Bree and Chase from him meaning that when Donald took the kids Daniel already existed

- Daniel is thirteen in this episode WHICH MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE. Donald said in You Posted What!?! that he had Adam Bree and Chase for 16 years. this episode takes place at least a year after that one meaning that it should've been no less then 17 years since Donald took Adam Bree and Chase in. If Daniel already existed when Donald did this (which he did) then he should be at least 17 years old

- Bree refers to her, Adam and Chase as teenagers so they all had to have been under the age of 19 and since it was said before that Donald must've had the trio for 17 years at this point their ages should be Adam: 19 Bree: 18 and Chase: 17

- It's said that the siblings threw Chase a 16th birthday party without inviting Chase (ouch) meaning that Chase is at least 16 years old

Season 4, Episode 23: Space Colony Part 1

- Perry says that she snuck up to space with the rest of the colonists when they were sent up. The colonists have been in space for almost a month and Perrys most recent appearance was in Season 4, Episode 21: Ultimate Tailgate Challenge, meaning that it has been at least a month since that episode took place

Season 4, Episode 25: The Vanishing Part 1

- Leo is back in his mentor outfit

- Bree says that she's a teenager and doesn't even have her drivers licence yet but there's no way i'm believing that she's under the age of 16 so i'm just gonna guess that she didn't have a chance to take any tests yet

Lab Rats Elite Force

Season 1, Episode 1: The Rise Of Five

- Donald says that he used to play in the subway 40 years ago. imma say that this means that he's at least 45 years old

Season 1, Episode 3: Power Play

- Bree says that there's three teenage boys living in the penthouse meaning that Chase, Kaz and Olivier are all still teenagers

Season 1, Episode 8: Coming Through in the Clutch

- The episode is focused on an Olympic send off event where fans can go and meet Olympians before they go to the Olympic games in Rio. They mention the Olympics being the ones held in Rio multiple times throughout the episode. The Rio Olympics were held in 2016 meaning that this episode takes place sometime in the summer of 2016 making this 4 years after the first episode of Lab Rats

- Bob says that he's 14 now meaning that he wasn't during season 4 of Lab Rats

Season 1, Episode 9: The Intruder

- Aj is 10 years old

- Chase says that his birthday is August 5th

Season 1, Episode 13: Sheep-Shifting

- It's Halloween and is implied to be the Elite Forces first Halloween together

- Bree says that she's 17 (idk how)

Season 1, Episode 15: They Grow Up So Fast

- Tasha visits in this episode with Naomi. During the Season 4 finale Tasha tells the family that she's pregnant and that it's a girl. The earliest you have to be to find out the sex of your baby is around 14 weeks but Doctors generally recommend waiting until 19-20 weeks (around 4 months.) Tasha does not seem to be showing at all during the season 4 finale (probably because the actress Angel wasn't pregnant and they didn't see the need to have her wear some kind of fake bump or anything since she wasn't so far in) and you start showing around 16-20 weeks leading me to believe that she was around 14-16 weeks pregnant at the time which is around 3 months meaning that Tasha had around 6 months until Naomi was born. Tasha says that she "hasn't had a moment to herself in 11 months meaning that Naomi is 11 months old in this episode. meaning that it's been around 17 months (a year and 5 months) since Lab Rats ended

- Namoi being 11 months old means that it must've been at least that long since the Elite Force was brought together as during Season 1, Episode 5: Need For Speed Douglas says that Donald isn't with the Elite Force because he wanted to be with Tasha when the baby arrived and during Season 1, Episode 7: The List Donald send the Elite Force a box of their old things as he was turning the lab into a nursery for the new baby. Although they never say if Naomi had been born yet.

Notes

I originally had the idea of making some form of a timeline of events to try to get something out of all of this but I literally did not have enough brain cells to do so. If you want to feel free though

I don't know why I did this. For some reason I just find this fun but I'm sure that we can all agree that this timeline is fucked and makes no sense whatsoever.

Anyways... i hope you got something out of reading all of this if you did *thumbs up emoji*

[edogawa-division]

ARB Birthday Special 2023: Yuriko Kuromiya

~~ December 22nd ~~

“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”

Login Lines:

“Forgive me, I’m a bit too busy to stay and have a chat. So please make it quick.”  

“A gift for me? Christmas isn’t for another few days…hm? It’s for my birthday, oh it appears I forgot all about it again. Thank you for reminding me.”

Voice Lines:

“Once again, it seems like my birthday has come around and surprised me. I suppose that I never truly celebrated it growing up, so it makes sense that I would forget all about it. Of course, nowadays I have two gremlins who love to celebrate it for me.”  

“35 years old…goodness if you had told me 15 years ago that I’d reach this age I would’ve laughed in your face. …Father’s death sent me spiraling so badly that I took job after job, each one more dangerous than the last. A small, dark part of my mind hoped that one of them would do me in. *chuckles softly* Yet here I am still alive and a mother to boot.” 

“Several of my old mentors called today to wish me a Happy Birthday. Some of them even sent gifts surprisingly. None of them could be said to be the most generous of people. Master assassins aren’t usually the type.” 

“It’s been oddly peaceful lately with no sort of trouble coming from either Kaoru or Kanra. *sighs* Why does that stress me out more than if they were causing chaos? Goodness, I never thought I’d appreciate being born with white hair. I just know that if I had any other color I’d be going gray early.”  

“Speaking of going gray early, You’ve been surprisingly quiet, Kaoru, not even a peep coming from inside your lab, something that is extremely unusual coming from you. So I ask what have you done? …Kaoru, the words “hidden project” do not give me a sense of comfort. Don’t believe giving me a gift is going to distract me. We’re coming back to this Kaoru.” 

“Oh, this is quite elegant, Kaoru. You made this? …What did you do? Only you would turn a watch into a deadly defibrillator, Kaoru, but you do know I don't exactly need it to be dangerous? I suppose I’ll add it to the other “tricks” I have up my sleeve then.” 

“There you are, Kanra. You’ve been pretty quiet recently as well. Want to explain to me where you’ve been? Uh, huh, something tells me you’ve been doing more than that. Oh? Let’s see it then. I can only imagine what you got me to spend so much time saving up money for.”   

“Kanra, where did you even get this? Let alone even afford this?! Even at their cheapest, these still run a person $10,000 easily. You’ve been doing what? That is extremely dangerous, and you could’ve gotten hurt. The point is Kanra, you shouldn’t be fighting anyone for money, let alone in a cage fighting ring. You’re not getting off the hook that easily. You’re grounded, Kanra.”

Kaoru Lines:

“Happy Birthday Yuriko…what do you mean? Oh, so just because I was quiet, that means I did something. Well, if you must know, I've been working on a project of mine hidden on the coast of Edogawa’s portion of Tokyo Bay. Don’t worry about it, Yuriko, but if it makes you feel better, I was working on this for you, too.”  

“You bet I did, and guess what? You know my Spider Bites, right? They function pretty similarly. Just press the dial on the side, and it fires a dart that delivers an electrical shock strong enough to disrupt the cardiac system. I know you don’t need any weapons to be dangerous, but better safe than sorry. Think of it as a hidden trick up your sleeve no one will ever expect!”

Kanra Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Yuriko-san! Oh, just out and about, you know. *smiles* I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve just been here finishing up your birthday cake. Anyway, I got you something for your birthday! It took me a while to save up for it, but I managed to get you this!” 

“Well about that…I might have spent the last few weeks in an illegal cage-fighting ring. What? Not like any of them could ever beat me! Fine, I’ll stop going out to do cage fighting for money. Now let’s have some of the cake I made you! ...Fuck.”

[literaticat]

Should I have any expectation of timely royalty payments? For example, my pub says an accounting period for my book ends Dec 31+ statements go out by March 31. Then does the agent look it over? (This book is with my agent’s old agency, if that makes a difference.) Is there a lot to sort out here? I’ve gotten paid bw late April and early May before. Publishing is slow, I get it, but is is it the publisher or the agency who is most likely to be slow? Both? Thank you!

Short version: Yes, you should be paid any money you are owed in a timely way. Publishers might take anywhere from a week to a month to process all the payments, though, so that's what "timely" means -- if the statement went out by March 31, it might be actually paid any time in April or even the tail end of April / first week of May; As soon as it gets to the agency and clears the bank, they should process it quickly and get it out to you. So late mid-to-late April / early May is absolutely normal, that IS "timely."

Long Version: FWIW, when we get royalties depends on the publisher. Many publishers have a schedule that is like what you describe -- two accounting periods, the first running from Jan-June (paid in Fall of that year), the second running July-December (paid in Spring of the following year). The bulk of Fall payments we get come in October (though there are some outliers that come in late September or early November!), and Spring usually comes in April (though sometimes late March or early May!)

(To be clear, this isn't THE ONLY possible schedule -- some publishers have a "rolling" schedule and different books could have different accounting periods altogether! This is just the most usual one.)

I don't know about any other agency, but at mine, we often get the statements first, and then get the money, or get them both at around the same time. In rare cases we might get a bunch of money first but no statement, in which case we do have to wait until the statements come in... because obvs we have no idea what the money is FOR. But that usually doesn't happen, and if it does, they send the statement quickly after.

Your thing said that the statements "go out by March 31"... but what that means is, they have created the statements and put them on their portal or sent them out -- that does NOT mean they have actually cut all the checks. (kinda like when you get an invoice or bill and it says "pay within 30 days" or whatever -- they have an amount of time in which they are supposed to pay). Payment itself might be fast. Or it might take a couple weeks, or 30 days, something like that. Hence why we are getting payments for the entire month, with some on either side of that month.

As soon as we get the money, we check the statements, OK, is this amount of money for this person, yes, it matches, and we pay them.

We do payments twice a week, so we pay you the same week the money comes to us, unless it comes AFTER we have already done the payments that week, in which case it would be in the following week's first batch.

In fact, I believe we are obligated to pay any money you are owed within two weeks (or 10 days? something like that?) -- like, it's the law, we CAN'T just randomly hold money.

If something looks seriously WONKY*, the amount of money they paid us does NOT match what the statement says, something has clearly gone wrong; in that case we would have to reach out to the publisher and have them reissue the money or whatever, obviously, but for the most part, this all goes smoothly, which actually is kind of surprising given that we have hundreds of clients and THOUSANDS of books, you'd think MORE things would go wrong, but hey. I guess if there IS a problem, there might be a delay, but you'd know about it!

(We also do have a royalties person who does bigger "deep dive" projects where she examines the statements to make sure that all the subsidiary rights that are supposed to be on the statement are on there, that the percentages are all what they are supposed to be, that they aren't holding an excessive amount of reserves, etc -- but those examinations are ongoing throughout the year. So if we realize at some point in February or whatever that, hello, actually it looks like they SHOULD have paid us x-amount and why didn't they, we will go back to them and ask questions about it and if there are changes to be made, they will cut another check at that point. It would absolutely NOT be feasible to do a deep dive on everyone's royalty statements during April or October when they are all coming in at once, nor would it be legal for us to hold money that has come in until that is done.)

[savage-rhi]

Hi hun, I haven't seen you around much and I know things have been super rough lately but I hope you're doing ok ✨

@vodkafolie Hey, hon 💙 Lot's been happening over here in my neck of the woods (literally, lmao). I'm gonna info dump.

I've been doing odd jobs to keep me afloat.

I got selected for another mental health program. The person running it is a well-known psychologist. I applied for this back in late December. Didn't think I'd get in since there were 1800+ candidates going for it, and I'm 1 out of 32 that made the cut. If the sample group of clients I get for the next 8 weeks goes smooth, I'll have a full-time remote job by Summer. I'm not putting my eggs all in one basket, though. I'm still looking for regular work.

The business proposal with the mental health app picked back up. We are supposed to meet sometime next week to discuss further if we're gonna move forward and what the partnership might look like.

I'm speed running through one of my graduate classes and going at a snails pace in the other. The technical jargon is burning me out, but my grades are good.

My college advisor and profs want me to attend summer term for the program, but alas *opens wallet and watches moth fly out* I've been going back and forth with them on how unless they're gonna cover for me, I can't do it until I have stable employment.

I'm meeting a long covid specialist. My secondary PCP discovered I may have undiagnosed POTS, and this fungal blood infection I had in my body last Summer (late August, early September) might be making a comeback. Some symptoms have returned. I'm not surprised. That's how I got it in the first place last year cause of immunity issues post-covid. I had to go on a strict diet for almost 3 months, take some nasty as shit medication, and I lost over 50 pounds. Hindsight, the weight loss was good for me, but if I have to do that again I'm gonna be bones by the end of it this time around.

With all the parasites, fungus's and other nasty shit I've caught and lived through, I'm either gonna be super human immune to everything and my blood will be the universal cure for all horrible shit, or one day I'm gonna be patient zero for something god awful. I've made peace with either option 😂

I got a vendor spot at a convention that's happening in less than a week. I've been prepping for that and hoping I make some money.

I'm taking a break on some of my long fics and writing requests, bbbuuuuttttttt...I also had a batshit crazy idea for a Luis Serra fic, and I'm balls deep invested. It's the only thing keeping me from a full writers block right now.

It's been...a lot, but oddly enough I'm happier than I was. I'm worn out, tired, and still stressed about money, but I'm not depressed like I was. Things are getting better in some ways. I'm trying to self-care the best I can, and reign in the ambition so my body has a chance to recoup.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk 💙🫂😂 I hope you've been doing well hon! I've been re-reading some of your work as of late too. It's been fun for me!

[therebelcaptainnetwork]

Hi, I have two questions I thought y'all might be able to answer for me! First of all, how old is Cassian really? I know when Rogue One came out he was supposedly 26 but now with Andor I'm not so sure...

Second, what's the origin of the ship name Rebelcaptain? I think it's absolutely hilarious but I'd love to know from someone who was there when it was created and why! Also, I assume Rebel refers to Jyn and Captain to Cassian?

Thank you so much for taking to time to anwser my nerdy questions - it's really appreciated! And keep doing what y'all are doing - It's awesome :)



Thank you! Welcome to the fandom, and we're glad you're enjoying TRCN 🧡

Sadly, we're not able to give a definitive answer to either of these questions. The response still got very long, so the rest of it is below a cut...

1) The "RebelCaptain" ship name

The first teaser trailer for Rogue One was released in April 2016. Most fans assume that the "rebel" part came from Jyn's iconic line (which ironically didn't make it into the final cut of the movie): "This is a rebellion, isn't it? I rebel." However, Cassian isn't referred to by name or title in that trailer, so the "captain" part must have come from supplemental promotional materials. 

The earliest stories tagged "rebelcaptain" on AO3 are dated June 2016, but they're orphaned, so we don't know who wrote them. (It's also possible that they were edited sometime after posting to include that tag.) Tumblr's search feature is useless for this purpose, of course, and Google Trends isn't much help either; there's no obvious peak and a few outlier searches long before Rogue One was even in production which muddy the waters. Once the film itself was released in mid-December 2016, the term seems to have taken off immediately.

So if any fan remembers exactly where/when the ship name started or can take credit for coining it, they should step up!

2) Cassian's age

Short answer: it depends which source you choose; long answer: neither age makes perfect sense, so who the hell knows.

Although no ages are given onscreen, when Rogue One was released, Cassian was stated to be 26 and Jyn 21 in official tie-in sources like the Ultimate Visual Guide. (Even at the time, plenty of fans felt that was ridiculous given the actors' ages.) Cassian was also given a few scraps of backstory (born on Fest, Separatist family, etc); if you're curious, images of the relevant pages are at the end of the post.

Then Andor Season 1 came out, and Cassian's backstory was completely altered. Now he's considerably older, likely to avoid (then) 39-year-old Diego Luna playing someone supposed to be in his early 20s. The current Wookieepedia article has a decent rundown of the cumulative evidence for his age in the film now being 33.

This was a controversial choice among longstanding fans, because it significantly delays Cassian's commitment to the Rebellion and makes his statement in Rogue One that he's "been in this fight since [he] was six" much more ambiguous.

Here are a couple of Tumblr posts with fandom reactions:

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

45

I met A when I was 12. That's an age that's a big deal, but nobody really talks about it. 16 gets some press (I met my friend K when I was 16...more about her in a bit). 18 and 21 get a lot (I got close to my friends B and D between these ages...I've talked about them some here). I met J when I was 25. That was a big deal. I had the Boy the year I turned 30. That was a big deal too.

40 is supposed to be a big deal, but I basically got totally forgotten the year I turned 40. Id lost a lot of people I thought were my friends (but not B or D or K or A). My stupid brother picked my 40th birthday to move out of my parents' house, so of course, who gives a shit about Jen when her brother requires attention? I didn't even get a token dinner out at a chain restaurant that year.

All the birthdays since have been meaningless (let's get real...except for my 26th birthday when J proposed and my 16th when A was the only friend who showed up to a party I tried to throw myself, they've all been pretty shitty...before and since 40...I can't remember a 'good' one except for 26...hell, less than a week after my 28th birthday, I lost my first pregnancy in traumatic fashion...not a huge fan of birthdays, honestly). I don't really evaluate the years I've lived on my birthday, but I do think about my age sometimes and I've been thinking a lot about 45 this week.

A died when he was 45 (my age now). And I've of course been thinking of that since it happening early December. But my friend K just had her first baby on Friday, at 45 (she'll be 46 in early May). That's so wild. She texted me this week while we were on the road to tell me the good news. Baby Z is here! 😃❤️💕 As everyone reading can probably guess the road to motherhood for K had a lot of rough patches in it. I'm so grateful she's ok. Baby Z is too. "We can't wait for you to meet her!" I can't wait to meet her either, but I wonder what that's gonna feel like. To see and maybe hold the first baby of my friend who's my age 4.5 months after my friend who's my age died. I wonder how bad this kid is going to be spoiled and protected 😂😂😂😂❤️ K told me she was pregnant (she was waiting until it was a super sure thing this time to tell people, which I get) the Monday after A's funeral. She didn't know he had passed. She felt guilty and shitty about coming at me with euphoric happiness, but I told her I welcomed that (true). I feel guilty that I inadvertently made her think (MORE) about her own mortality, and her partner's, and her friends', because of A.

Anyway this is rambling, but 45 has made it real weird so far. This is hands down my weirdest year. Maybe my saddest, but also oddly still pretty good in a lot of fucked up ways.

[thekoopalingsandstuffs]

HEY YOU GUYS

So I got bored, and started planning stuff to do with characters in the future on this blog. Lots of stuff. I won't go into too much detail, so I don't "Spoil" everything, but I'm very excited about them, and can't wait until the dates they're actually supposed to come out. Without any further ado, allow me to talk at you about it for several minutes.

>First of all--I FINALLY PRACTICED CHARACTER DESIGN WITH THESE LITTLE SHIT-HEADS!!

Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom. Hooray. I'm sure at least one person out there was excited for them to appear.

Unfortunately, these guys aren't going to be part of the cast for a long while. (Unless I get impatient and decide to add them early)

I'm thinking either next school year, since the current school year is coming to an end very soon, or maybe during the Summer? Who knows?

They're twins. As of right now, they're both going to be 13 years old, and in the 7th grade. Again, not to spoil TOO much, but both of them are going to form relationships of some sort with Wendy and Morton. Exciting.

Who will be with whom, and whether or not the relationships will be romantic or not is still a mystery. (I've already decided, obviously, but I'm trying to add suspense-)

>Next on the list of stuff. I don't want to actually straight-up say what the surprise is, but it will be revealed VERY soon, I promise.

Spewart's legal name is not actually Spewart. Obviously. It's a nick-name. But it's not Stewart, either.

What could this mean? Is he an international spy? Trans? Has a secret identity? D.I.D.? Lost his birth certificate? Just has a really dumb name that he wants to keep secret? Who knows?? You can guess if you want to! (Comment-)

>Third of all things--I really need to give Peasley more attention. Like. Lots of attention. He doesn't even have a personality yet-

So I've been thinking. Peasley doesn't have any siblings. He must be lonely. And neither does Motley. They're both only children.

So what if. And here me out.

Ludwig, Lemmy, Motley, & Peasley go on a double date. Ludwig and Lemmy leave for a moment. (Probably to the bathroom, not important-) Leaving Peasley and Motley alone together. They start to talk and get to know each other.

They love each other! (NOT ROMANTICALLY!!) But like. Peasley sees Motley as "The sweet little sister he never had," and she sees him as "The cool older brother she never had."

When suggesting this idea to my sister, we joked that their parents could get together, and they could become step-siblings. This was obviously a joke, but... I mean...

A. Motley's dad abandoned the family to join a circus. So her mom is single.

B. The Broodals are wedding planners.

C. I think I want Peasley's parents to have been, about to be, or in the process of a divorce. (And I think I'll have Peasley's dad go off to rule the Beanbean Kingdom, while his mom, Queen Bean, stays here, so there can be a-

LESBIAN WEDDING!!!

Ahem... of course. This is a big stretch. I might not actually do it if nobody wants me to. But I feel like this could be a really fun event. Peasley & Motley's moms would be such a power couple.

Why am I getting so hyped over this--they haven't even met yet.

>Oh yeah, not as important, but I was looking through my older posts again. Ludwig and Peasley's first date was on December 4th, 2022. So when December rolls around again this year, I sure as hell am going to have some sort of "Anniversery event" planned for them.

>Those are all of the random exciting things I have planned for now

I know that was long. I... got a bit far ahead of myself. Whoops. But seriously, if any of these things excite you, or you definitely did not like something, please let me know!! I am open to compliments, comments, questions, and especially criticism!!

And I really am curious as to what everyone thinks is up with Spewart. I encourage you to guess!! (Please comment your guess!!)

Anyways... that's enough of me rambling. Time to answer some questions!!!

[merv606]

I just found 'A Seduction' and I wanted to say how much I loved the beginning and Terry's patient planning. It was so heartbreaking Daniel accepting Terry's apology but saying he never wanted to see him again. Totally fair, though. How long did Terry wait before he started working on getting back in Daniel's good graces?

Hi 👋

This was started almost two years ago - something I never realized until it was pointed out - but I think back then my idea was that only a few months had passed.

I’m thinking Daniel is 19 - as his age and timeline is messed up in the movie anyway - as explained in the notes in the first chapter - but it’s a few months after the 1985 tournament - so early 1986 maybe (which as per Daniel’s official birthday of December 18, 1966 makes him 19 in the story, turning 20 at the end of the year).

That’s also the year I’ve been using when googling certain things - like if car trackers existed, cellphones, the hotel in Japan and about the quaaludes etc

Now this was before Terry admitted to being on Cocaine but I supposed that timeline is still doable - a guy with his resources could easily get help without having to wait and has access to the best of the best, and he never did say how bad his cocaine problem was either.

I didn’t want it to be too long after the tournament - I think Terry coming to him quicker would have made it easier to forgive. Sometimes, the more time between you and an event just serves to make you more hardened towards it instead of time healing all wounds type thing- which seems to be the way CK went as evidenced by his reaction to Terry trying to apologize 30 plus year later.

Although everyone else, he accepts their apology. Physical violence, and grievous body harm he can forgive it seems, but not being lied too or manipulated.

Glad you found it and you’re enjoying it - I’m really hoping to get this closed out before the two year mark hits 😂

[justmybookthots]

Clockwork Angel & Clockwork Prince

I am low-key crying.

I should not have ranked my top 30 books of this year so early. But how was I supposed to know that I would love new books in the last week of December? I am literally 3 days away from 2024.

I mean, I knew all along that the Infernal Devices was Cassandra Clare's magnum opus, and I had high expectations of it. Even so, I was convinced I was currently in a reading slump and I wasn't keen on picking this up while in this state. But finally one night I pushed past the prologue to the first chapter and that was it. I got fucking hooked. Colour me shocked because I thought that nothing could take me out of my slump but something about the writing/plot in this book was SO interesting. The beginning where Tessa gets taken by the Dark Sisters and everything it led to had me in a vice. 

I finished the first book in one sitting. Lmao. That night, I finished all 900 pages on my e-reader and I was like: Jesus. Was I ever really in a slump, or were the books I was reading before just not doing it for me? Because I've been reading Two Twisted Crowns (am about 30-40% in?) and I didn't find any fault in the plot, but I couldn't understand why I couldn't focus. 

I need to make one thing straight, though, about this series: I loved it not for the reasons people loved it. I know people laud this series for Will Herondale. I… do not care about Will Herondale. The boy I care about is Jem Carstairs.

It's crazy because I'd read the Infernal Devices before as a teen and while I'd liked Jem more than Will even then, I never really gravitated much to either hero. But this time, I'm obsessed. Absolutely obsessed. He had me kicking my feet and squealing. He was so sweet compared to Will. Some of my favourite parts about him:

Will, Tessa thought, would have been angry if she’d said that to him, but Jem just looked at her intently (We stan a kind, patient and emotionally mature man)

“And you’ve never asked him (William) why?” “If he wanted me to know, he’d tell me,” Jem said. “You asked why I think he tolerates me better than other people. I’d imagine it’s precisely because I’ve never asked him why.” He smiled at her, wryly.

And sooooooo many more scenes of him that I loved in the sequel:

(JEM YOU CAN FOOL TESSA BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL MY CHINESE ASS)

And then later: 

He is such a gentleman, I AM CRYING.

Also, I told myself I would take my time to read the 2nd book because I didn't want to finish it so fast, but idiot that I am, I finished it again (almost) over one night. IT IS INSANE TO THINK I WAS IN A BOOK RUT AND NOW I HAVE TO ACTUALLY STOP MYSELF FROM READING TOO FAST.

Man, I feel so jealous of people who are able to easily enjoy most of their books the way I did this. I rarely enjoy books so much because I am so, so, so picky. And the WEIRDEST part? Ever since I finished Crooked Kingdom and the Stolen Heir (which are my favourites this year), the only books for the rest of 2023 that have made me feel a fraction of this engagement are by Cassandra Clare. I don't understand it. I never liked Cassie as a teen. Why am I enjoying her stuff so much now?

THAT SAID, I don't want to touch the last book in the Infernal Devices right now. T_T This is the angstiest book in the whole series, especially when it comes to Jem. I know his illness took a turn for the worse and he was presumed to have died at the end (though he didn't) but I can't. I can't bear to watch him suffer. I can't bear to watch his engagement with Tessa nose-dive. 

I know this is nothing like my normal reviews because I'm just gushing about Jem and not about the rest of the book (which was GREAT. Do not get me wrong. I loved Charlotte, Henry and Sophie). But my brain is not screwed on straight right now and I… have no words. Nonetheless, I will try to get my thoughts in order. Just some mild complaints:

I think that Jessamine could have had a better arc than what she got. Given her backstory and the trauma she endured as a child, I had hopes for her besides playing the "unlikeable antagonist". Right now, as of the end of Book 2, that is still her primary role in the story. 

I may love Jem and Tessa, but I need to say that the romance for EVERYONE was not very well-done. I found that both Will and Jem developed feelings for Tessa really early, and VERY STRONG ones, and I'm still confused how that even transpired. This was the same problem I had with the Mortal Instruments, but I had assumed it would have been better for this trilogy since it's Cassie's best work. Alas, the same issue occurred.

The twist about who the Magister was was a liiiiiiitle underwhelming. I was hoping for more.

I don't like or dislike Will. I do not care.

Am a little surprised that the ending of the 2nd book was pretty anticlimactic action-wise. The climax was really just about the romance, which… is interesting. 

This is as much cogency as I'm giving this review. I need to recover from this series, thank you. 😣 While I'm too lazy to try to figure out how it fits in the top 30 (which will need adjusting), the books belong there for SURE.

- 29 Dec 2023

[hekate1308]

And That Special Quiet On Christmas Morn, A Destiel Advent Calendar, December 6

Read it on AO3

Masterpost

At first, Dean, in this new weird part of his life, didn’t realize that no one could hear Castiel but him. This was mostly because the painting only ever talked when they were alone, probably because he didn’t want to shock anyone else the way he had Dean. But then Sam came to visit, as he often did in the evenings.

“Are you still working?”

“I was just finishing up” he told him honestly. He was very aware that otherwise, Sam would have told him off. He had already been quite angry when he had heard about the roof since he had seen it as another proof that Dean didn’t pay enough attention to what had to be done when he was in his workshop.

As he put his tools away, he looked at Castiel and wondered if he should introduce them, but he took the decision away from him when he said, “Hello, Sam.”

He didn’t react. Dean looked at the painting again, but there was nothing he could do about it. Sam couldn’t hear him which most likely meant no one else could either.

He was very aware that this was another point in favour ofd the losing his mind theory, but on the other hand, his brother clearly hadn’t noticed anything amiss, and he was the one who knew him best, so he probably didn’t have to be too worried yet.

So he continued to be the only one Castiel had ever spoken to, that was something he supposed. He threw him another glance.

“You do not have to apologize”.

Castiel might not have known much about how the world worked, but he got Dean. It was a really weird thought, especially because he’d rarely clicked with people like that in real life.

“Dean?”

He shook his head. “Sorry. Was thinking about stuff.”

“You work too much.”

And of coruse said old discussion would rear its head.

“You really do spentd a lot of time ihere.”

And now Casti9el was in on it, too. Wonderful. Sam would have appreciated it if he could have heard him.

“I have orders, and the Christmas market is coming up.”

“As if you don’t have enough stuff already.”

“Still… wouldn’t want to disappoint people.”

“Dean, you’ve never disappointed anyone in your life.”

It was one of those things that Sam now and then said that made him uncofmrotabel so he didn’t reply anything, chosing to focus on putting the rest of his toold away.

“And you’re sure the roof is fixed?”

“You know Crowley, he wouldn’t bring anyone but the best.”

Sam frowned, but that was nothing new – his brother nad friend had never gotten along, as a matter of fact, Sam kept telling him that Crowley was sure to eventually go full supervillain because he didn’t get him.

“Woulödn’t let me pay” Dean therefore continued.

He would say that – it was always fun to see Sam struggle to comprehend that Crowley could do a decent thing if he wanted to. “That was nice of him” he forced out.

“Yes, well, mostly I wiush he wouldn’t keep doing that kind of stuff. He just shows up, does what he wants, and leaves.”

“Isn’t that how Crowley operates?”

He shrugged. “I suppose. Anyway, want a beer?”

As they left the workshop, he had to suppress the urge to tell Castiel goodbye, as he had grown used to over the past fgew days.

He really was going insane, wasn’t he.

And yet, after he’d handed Sam his beer, his brother said, “You look well.”

He couldn’t help but blink at him before saying, “I am?”

“That’s not what I meant. You don’t look so run down.”

Once more, he didn’t knbow what to say. “Well, I’m having fun. You know I love my jobn. And Christmas is coming up.”

Sam’s eyes softened. “I know.”

Thesy wer esilnet for a moment as they both remembered the Christmases of their early years that perhaps should not have been called Christmases in the first place. Dean had always tried his hardest to make sure that Sam got a few presents, not that this meant much when one was only seven years old and didn’t understand why one’s dad wouldn’t just go out and get them a tree…

Well, they always had one now, and a big party because if you asked Dean, he had earned that much, and so far people had never complained.

He suddenly wondered what they would say if he announced that he had a magical painting, but decided it was not a good idea.

“Anyway, so what are you up to? I assume there’s another very complicated case you have to deal with.”

“You know that’s not how it works.”

“Close nough for me.”

Sam gave him a bitch face and Dean laughed.

[nickgerlich]

Ready, Set, Shop

Remember when Black Friday signified the beginning of the Christmas shopping season? Yeah, I do, but it is fading fast. There is little reason to camp out overnight at Best Buy these days when all the good sales are done and over with six weeks earlier.

Like what is going to happen starting real soon, a mirror of how the most aggressive (maybe I should say scared) retailers approach the first week of October. The leaves haven’t started turning, much lass fallen, and here they are going for the end zone on the first play of the game.

Once again, Target, Walmart and Best Buy will be dueling it out with Amazon. Target’s blitz starts 1st October, with Walmart on the 9th, Amazon on the 10th, and Best Buy also the same day. If there is an upside, at least you won’t have to wear a winter coat.

But if anything, these early sales once more tell us just how nervous retailers are with the current economy. In a recent blog we looked at holiday sales predictions, which, after accounting for inflation, are flat. It’s just that holiday retailing has started to mimic the old line about voting in Chicago: Vote early, and vote often.

And if we start shopping early, there is hope that we may shop often as well. A retailer can dream, right? Actually, Target is offering a deep discount item every day until Christmas Eve. And Best Buy is offering a $50 reward certificate to be used in December if you spend $500 in October.

But I am already seeing signs of pre-holiday Christmas pricing to try to lure people in. This week at the local Walmart I noticed their house brand 65” TV model for $368. I know, it’s a private label and not rated as highly as a Vizio or Samsung, but good grief, that is cheap. My first 55” TV cost about $1200. Today, they have almost become an impulse purchase.

“Honey, what do you think about getting a big screen for the kids’ room?”

It is in setting patterns like this that consumers will quickly learn that they can cherry pick, because there will almost certainly be recurring sales events every week until Christmas. Adding six weeks to the shopping season may be ridiculous at some level, but then again, it also makes it open season for shoppers. If people are willing to sit tight and make retailers even more nervous, there might be even better deals down the road, and without freezing off your nether regions camping on the sidewalk.

Not surprisingly, I wrote about this last year for my students. I also pointed out my reciprocity rule: One gift for you, one for me. To be honest, I could have been lazy and just dusted off that blog and reposted it, because I said pretty much the same things I am saying here.

I know. It’s not like the six-week lead time happened all at once. Holiday shopping has been inching longer and longer for about a decade. Initially it spread into early November, then late October. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Amazon or the others launching a Christmas-in-September sale next year.

It is when there are economic uncertainties that retailers are the most nervous. The lore is that 40% of a retailers’ sales comes in the six weeks preceding Christmas. This will have to be revised to 12 weeks now I suppose, but it does underscore just how important the holiday season is. Fail here, and you fail the entire year.

There is also the sobering fact that in our consumer-driven economy, we have almost completely lost sight of any religious significance. That is a blog for another day and worth exploring, even without dipping my feet into the pond of any specific religion. When Santa is the reason for the season, you know we have gone a little bit off the rails. It’s like none of the religious super heroes can hold a candle to the man with the white beard.

If I were you, I’d start watching all the sales announcements that will drop in the next week. There might be some great bargains to scoop up, either for your loved ones, or yourself. Reciprocity, you know.

Besides, it’s easy to justify spending money on yourself when it’s on sale. And why wait until Black Friday to venture out? It’s too cold then anyway.

Dr “Ho Ho Ho!” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Sequel Scuttlebutt

Say it ain't so! ELEMENTAL 2 is apparently in the works! TOY STORY 5 is supposed to have Andy show up with his "new family"! Something... Something...

Yeah, um... I looked at the "sources", it's either some podcast with a lot of "I've heard" or a fansite with a very spotty track record. And there's been *plenty* of talk over the latter news, given how divisive TOY STORY 4 was.

How's about we wait for official word from the filmmakers, Disney, and/or Pixar themselves on what's happening? 'Kay? We're still less than a year away from the movie ELIO, and an INSIDE OUT sequel is right after that... Like... C'mon, this is not only quite early for a movie that currently does not have a release date, but also... It's not from the filmmakers themselves.

I'd imagine TOY STORY 5 should be out in about a few years from now. When Disney bought Pixar in 2006, and Pixar finally began production on their TOY STORY 3 - and not some Pixar-less concoction that had been in development prior to that, they announced it right off the bat. And the movie, at first, was set for 2009. It ended up being released in 2010, four years after the initial announcement.

TOY STORY 4 was officially unveiled during a Disney earnings call in fall 2014, with a summer 2017 release date. Overtime, it went back a year, and then another year... So that's about 4 1/2 years out from release.

TOY STORY 5's existence was revealed to us mere months ago. It may come out in 2026, or 2027, maybe even a little later. It's probably deep in development as I type. Again... I'll just wait for its director/writer/whathaveyou, or a studio press release or some announcement from a reputable trade.

ELEMENTAL 2... Yeah, I mean, it *could* happen? Originally, that movie's ending was to have a time-skip, and it ended up getting axed. It's been hinted that the sequel could lengthen what was to be a minute or so long, or something else. The movie is currently up to $478m at the worldwide box office, over 2.3x its $200m budget. $500m would be the classic 2 1/2x breakeven point, but both Disney and Pixar heads seem quite happy with how the movie did regardless of overall total. They're wisely thinking of its legs and good scores. It's a real pick-me-up from how LIGHTYEAR did last year, and in terms of animation all-around, Disney Animation's STRANGE WORLD's disastrous run.

So, yeah, it could get a sequel... But I'll wait till word from the source.

It'd be rather quick, too. Pixar sequels tend to be announced a little while after the first/previous movie debuts. With the exception of TOY STORY 2, and first sequels to movies made before the merger, they tend to wait that out.

CARS came out in June 2006, the sequel was announced in April 2008.

CARS 3 was officially announced in March 2014, nearly three years after CARS 2 came out. Michael Wallis, the voice of the Sheriff in those movies, did let that slip a little while beforehand whether he was supposed to or not. That was in, approx., August 2013.

Again, TOY STORY 4 was announced in October 2014. This was four years after the release of TOY STORY 3.

INSIDE OUT came out in June 2015, the sequel was announced this past September, some seven years after the first one came out.

I'll throw in LIGHTYEAR as well, given that it's TOY STORY-adjacent. TOY STORY 4 came out in June 2019, LIGHTYEAR was announced in December 2020. Over a year and a half later.

So if an ELEMENTAL 2 (ELEMENTWO?) is indeed in the cards, I'd imagine they wouldn't announce it this fast. Maybe in a few years from now.

It'd be interesting to see that movie be the first of the Docter-era movies to get a sequel, after all, it is their first somewhat-financial success in a long while - in the old-school pre-COVID sense.

The movie was greenlit before Pete Docter became Pixar's CCO, but it went full steam ahead after the previous leader's ousting.

It's hard to gauge with the other titles. ONWARD didn't fare too well even before it was cut off by the pandemic, SOUL isn't really a sequelizable movie, LUCA maybe? TURNING RED, maybe? They're very self-contained stories, like most Pixars are. That's not to say they absolutely *can't* have sequels, but it's okay if they don't get them, either. Had LIGHTYEAR not flopped, we would've gotten at least another one of those, given the TOY STORY association. (I also wanted to see a second one, myself.)

I think it's kind of telling that their next sequels are to older movies/legacy favorites. INSIDE OUT turns nine years old when the sequel comes out, that's just wild... I mean, outside of the newer movies and the pre-2010 favorites, there's not much else to do. BRAVE seemed like a decent candidate for a part two, but after everything that went down with that movie? It didn't seem like it had much of a future beyond its solid run in 2012, despite Merida's induction into the "Disney Princess" line. GOOD DINOSAUR lost money, and COCO really doesn't need a sequel.

So they've only got two pools to pull from: Either most of the pre-2010s movies (there's no way A BUG'S LIFE 2 happens), or the post-Lasseter movies.

Also, a Pixar filmmaker retweeted this, which is mocking the rumors...

So, yeah, it seems like a big bowl of bunk to me.