#this is the weakest of the 3 season openers by far

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

Finally saw the season premiere of The Mandalorian.

More first/gut/spoiler reaction thoughts under the cut. I might have more thoughtful thoughts tomorrow (or never) but these are just my initial impressions. My opinions only, don't @ me.

that cannot be how jon dave favloni decided to explain away din's Season 3 goal. YOU DIDN'T THINK PEOPLE WOULD HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SCENES THEY KNOW NEVER HAPPENED IN SEASON 2?????????????

did no one vet this fucking planet or was the armored gator part of the ritual please someone fucking explain this shit to me like i'm five.

i see them gendered visors and i will never have peace (i understand from a design perspective but it's the 21st century, we should be moving away from this already)

WHERE IS THE "DIN DJARIN GETS A SHARD OF MANDALORE FROM A JAWA" ADVENTURE JON DAVE FAVLONI YOU CAN'T JUST THROW THIS SHIT AT US AND THINK IT'S OKAY

how did the jawa get their hands on it anyway how did it get off mandalore who went to mandalore

i am weak for space whales i am weak for all whales but that's just about it because i never watched Rebels

Nevarro is Disnehyland. Nevarro is Space Renn Faire. Nevarro lost everything that made that city/world so fucking interesting. They fucking gentrified it.

i get genres and i saw a wonderful glimpse of it in the confrontation with the pirates... the pirates fucking ruined the vibes tho. how dare.

actual serious thought: the whole thing with IG-11 is actually fucking grotesque and disgusting and I can't believe Jon Dave Favloni thought this was a good fucking idea. it's so gross. i can't get over it, especially when IG reverted to default programming and went after Grogu like it's Season 1 all over again.

it's fucking gross. it's so gross. what the fuck.

pirate designs were cool. the dialogue was not. who voices that pirate king. i swear i know that VA

Jon Dave Favloni out here fitting 3 whole episodes into 30 fucking minutes by cramming in a short scene with Bo-Katan and explaining why she's sitting around all depressed and alone with a droid standing watch outside

this is not a good look for mandalorians in general. i'm not getting the best impression here. getting strong Monty Python english peasants vibes. they'll follow just about anyone with a crackling black sword.

3 whole episodes into 30 fucking minutes Jon Dave Favloni have you ever heard of pacing. talk to the ghibli people. they know when to let a story take a deep, deep breath.

Episode 2 better slow down a bit and fucking tell a fucking story I swear.

the Volume was really strong in this one. I actually never paid too much attention to what effect Volume was having on these shows but when I started studying the screen caps for my most recent art post, it because pretty obvious what was going on and now I can't fucking unsee this shit

Episode 2 had better be better because omigod I feel like I've been clowned on. how old am i. what the hell even was this episode. who was it made for. what even are the stakes here.

re comparisons to Andor: no, i don't want this show to be exactly like Andor. we don't need every star wars show to be so steeped in politics and social commentary and have such a tense grim tone. what i wish is that every star wars show is handled with the same care and respect Andor's people show both to the star wars and to the fans and watchers. maybe that's why Andor consistently had the smallest audiences but the majority of the tweets, comments, and posts i've seen really appreciated what the show was doing. you can have a fun space western and also have some thoughtful commentary on diaspora and post-war societies! you can eat your cake if you just try!

that's it, that's the first reactions post

[diana-rose-25]

— Let's Dance

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3

Style Inspiration

pairing/s: BEBE! Bada Lee x Jam Republic! Reader x Wolf'Lo! Chocol

warnings: None so far, an unrealistic description of being an exchange foreign student, might confuse some words in ballet (as most of them are only through research and not based on experience).

description: A professional ballet dancer in Street Woman Fighter Season 2? (Y/N) Bae, a 23-year-old ballet and dance prodigy enters the fighting arena alongside the infamously known crew, Jam Republic. Making the team's aura far more intimidating despite being clad in soft pink and white clothing, adorned with astonished faces and friendly smiles. As the young woman entered the arena with curious eyes and small smile, the other teams couldn't help but awe at her beauty and elegant aura, unknowingly capturing the eyes of two charismatic dancers.

word count: 9.3k

status: unedited

now listening to:

"Monika, our fight judge. What will be your criteria today?" Kang Daniel, the host, asked Monika once the commotion has died down. 

"Honestly, some of the dance leaders here have been a dance contest judge for a long time. So, I dare say, I'll be cruelly objective and consider only what I see here. I won't consider my seniors' achievements in the past but only by result."

Shownu followed up next. “Based on what I’ve learned in my music career, and my sincere love for this show, I’ll evaluate your dance honestly.”

“Everybody in here is a professional. I don’t need to tell you that, and it’s going to be whoever’s day it is today. I have much respect for all of you guys. I’ll do my best to be a perfect judge for you today.” Mike Song concluded. 

(Y/N) nodded and clapped in appreciation. The fact that the judges said their objectives loudly and unapologetically made her breathe a sigh of relief. Especially since her senior and former teacher, Baby Sleek, is a participant of this competition. In her mind, and mostly the minds of the others, Baby Sleek is untouchable on the dance floor. 

Her heart dropped at the thought of battling one-on-one with her former teacher. She is confident in her skills and talent on the dance floor, but facing off against Baby Sleek – she’ll be lucky if she even gets one vote from the judges. Everything she learned about freestyle dancing and hip hop stems from her. 

The final person to be introduced was none other than DJ SOM before the rules of the challenge were explained. Each dancer will be given 40 seconds to dance. When it’s over, the judges will hold up their cards to decide the winner. But if two or more judges ask for a rematch, the two dancers will dance at the same time to determine the winner. According to the results, the crew will get a chip to put it on the crew board and count the wins and losses. 

“No Respect, Battle with the Weakest Dancer. We’ll begin Round One!” The room burst into cheers once again when Kang Daniel announced the official start of the battle. 

(Y/N) held up her interlinked hands with Ling and Emma as she cheered and stomped her feet in excitement. “Let’s go!” 

“Oh my gosh, it’s starting!” Ling exclaimed, turning from side to side to warm up her body.

“I’m so nervous right now,” Emma admitted and leaned against (Y/N). The older girl giggled at her team mate and wrapped her arm around her. Running her hand up and down against the younger one’s arm to soothe her nerves. 

“I know! Me too, but this is all so exciting!” 

“Easy for you to say,” Ling nudged her. “You’re the most experienced freestyle battler in here other than Emma.” 

“That doesn’t make it any less nerve-wrecking, Ling.” She nudged the girl back and squeezed her hand. They turned their attention back to the MC as he’s about to announce who will open the first dance battle of the season. “Who do you think it’s going to be?” 

(Y/N) shrugged, “I don’t know. Hopefully they start out the season with a bang.” 

“The first dancer for the first battle is…” 

Jam Republic leaned in their seats in anticipation, holding their breath for as long as Kang Daniel trailed off. Hearts throbbing against their chest.

“From 1MILLION, Redy.” The 1MILLION crew immediately stands up from their seat to cheer their fellow member on. A tall girl clad in white cap, white long-sleeved clothing, and dark jeans stands up and makes her way down the seats. 

From what (Y/N) could recall from the evaluation, Redy started dancing at 16 years old with a unique style. To her surprise, Redy was older than her by 2 years despite looking so young. 

“I wonder who her No Respect Dancer is,” (Y/N) thought as she leaned back in her seat. “Do you think it’s one of us?” 

“Doubt it,” answered Emma. “she might pick someone whose style is completely different from her. Or pick someone she has a bad blood with, it’s not uncommon.”

(Y/N) hummed in agreement, feeling her body relax. What Emma said earlier was true, it isn’t uncommon when it comes to dance offs. Some people tend to choose their opponents based on their past. Personally, she finds the means distasteful and unprofessional; but, it can’t be helped. She, herself, had experienced to being picked for the same reason when she was on competitions. 

“If she picks someone she has beef with, do you think she’ll give us a good fight or not?” Emma shook her head in response. 

“Probably not, it’s usually not a good idea to pick someone from the past. Emotions and tensions could rise and get in the way of a good freestyle.” 

“That’s true,” (Y/N) nodded as she watches Redy walk in front to the center of the arena with a microphone between her hands. 

As Redy started to speak, she walked towards the space of Wolf’Lo, surprising them and (Y/N). “Oh my gosh is she picking one of them?” The girl held her hand up to her mouth in shock when the girl clad in white continued to walk towards the orange team.

“The No Respect Dancer, I choose…” Redy trailed off once again and (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at her braveness if she ever picks one of the dancer from Wolf’Lo. 

She then turned to the other way, making (Y/N) puff out her cheeks in disappointment. As heavy as the tension is right now, one member of Wolf’Lo couldn’t help but grin at her adorable (from what she noticed so far) mannerisms. 

Jam Republic watches as Redy takes a u turn and walks to the other side of the arena as she announces who her No Respect Dancer is, “it’s Bada of BEBE.” 

The arena erupted in cheers. (Y/N) shoots up from her seat with a squeal and watches as Bada nods her head and stands up, flipping the bottled water in her hand as she did so. 

“That was so cool,” she whispered with a quiet, girlish giggle. Ling and Emma laughed at their team member and joined her as she stands up, wanting to see the commotion clearly. 

“Bada isn’t even dancing yet,” Ling teased to which (Y/N) just hushed her. 

“She’s the famous, trendy choreographer right?” The ballet dancer nodded to Emma’s question.

“Her strongest link is making choreographies. Most popular K-pop dances was made by her. Since she’s more known for her choreographed works, I’m excited to see her freestyle.”  

The two dancers began pacing around in the dance floor. There was a noticeable heavy tension in the air as they both prepare for the fight. Everyone is talking about their past, making the atmosphere heavier than it already was. 

“Redy of 1MILLION, you chose Bada of BEBE as your No Respect Dancer.” Kang Daniel started. 

“I don’t respect you, that’s it.” Redy stated bluntly. Bada placed a hand to her ear as she talks, mockingly insinuating that she’s listening closely to what she says. The room erupted in cheers, even judge Mike has his jaw on the floor. 

“Not Redy, Soo Bin!” Bada exclaimed, using Redy’s real name. “You’re still an eight-grader to me.” 

(Y/N)’s eyes widened at the drama that was unfolding right in front of her, wishing she has something she can chew or sip on as she watches their back and forth. A shocked laugh escaped her mouth when Bada called her an eight-grader. 

“Wait, what did she say?” Ling questions when her ear piece stops working momentarily, unable to catch the insult Bada threw at her opponent. Her expression turned to shock immediately after (Y/N) translated it to her. “Oh, damn. She’s a gangster right?” 

“Yeah,” Latrice said, “I like her energy.” 

Jam Republic laughs as Redy mimicked a baby by placing her thumb to between her lips. (Y/N) claps her hands in excitement as Kang Daniel announces the first attack to be made by Redy followed by Bada.

“Let’s go!” She shouts, bouncing on her toes. 

“The two dancers’ battle begins now. You guys ready?!” (Y/N) claps even harder when she heard the infamous line. “Fight!” 

Music filled the arena and the lights dimmed, the 40 second timer appeared on the huge screen and all dancers are hyped to watch the fight. The first beats of the music started and Redy started grooving into the music, her members cheering her on from behind her. 

(Y/N) watched with keen eyes as Redy danced. The older girl was flexible, that’s for sure, and she is hitting the beats. Redy’s style was certainly unique. However, in her opinion, it lacks in any form of wow factor. 

She still cheered and clapped her hands afterwards and the music switched, signalling Bada’s turn. Her voice increased in volume when Bada spins and comes up to Redy’s face, standing tall to enunciate their height difference without the use of words. 

“I hate it when people use their height!” She giggled when she heard Chocol whined. 

“Oh my gosh!”

“Oh my gosh, she’s so tall!” Ling and (Y/N) exclaimed at the same time. The latter girl hides her face in her hand, parting her fingers so she can still see the battle as she feels them become hot. Their eyes momentarily meets for a second and she swore the corners of Bada’s lips curved up for a second. 

The eye contact didn’t last long when Bada suddenly swats the air on the top of Redy’s head. (Y/N)’s eyes stayed glued to Bada’s dancing, mesmerized at the clean and sharp moves she does. She couldn’t help but cheer at the way Bada hits each beat of the music and the way she grooves. Bada’s time comes to an end as she spits the piece of paper in her mouth. The room erupted in cheers and claps and at the end of the battle. 

“What the heck,” Ling said in astonishment as they sit back down. 

“That was so good,” (Y/N) said. “A great battle to start off the season.”

Everyone returned to their respective seats as Redy, Bada, and Kang Daniel stands at the center for the announcement of the results. When the cards flipped, 3 blue cards appeared at the judge’s hands. 

Team BEBE cheered as they secured their first win, and Bada certainly secured a title for herself as one of the most talented and skilled individuals of the show. The dancers returned to their seats as the judges tells their thoughts about the battle. 

“I was impressed by both of you,” Shownu started, “Redy of 1MILLION shocked me. But, I reckon that Bada’s move suited the song more and she was more relaxed.” 

“I’ll be honest to help you improve, you’re still and eighth-grader even from my point of view.” Emma, Ling, and (Y/N)’s mouth parted in shock at Monika’s comment, feeling bad for the 1MILLION dancer. “But, Bada is certainly out of this league.” 

“Damn,” was (Y/N)’s only comment – watching as BEBE place their first chip on the win score board and Bada attach the chip on the lose side of 1MILLION’s board. 

⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾

A short break was conducted after the first battle between Bada and Redy. Jam Republic sat around in a circle as they debriefed about the event earlier. As they talked however, (Y/N) couldn’t help but point out the several eyes that is currently looking in their direction. More specifically: 

“You got a lot of eyes on you Kirsten,” she whispered towards her leader. “Not just the dancers, but the judges as well.” 

“Really?” Kirsten smiles before she looks around. Sure enough, there were several dancers looking at her direction, even Monika and Shownu. 

The rest of the team giggled when Kirsten smiled giddily at them, feeling a burst in her confidence. 

“I think they’re looking forward to see you dance,” Latrice tapped her shoulders. They returned to their original positions when Kang Daniel came back to the center. 

“The next dancer to participate in the one-on-one battle is,” he pauses for dramatic effect. “Jam Republic’s Kirsten!” 

The room once again erupted in cheers and claps as the most anticipated dancer of the season smiles and makes her way towards the middle. 

“Hello,” the leader greeted with a chuckle. “No Respect Dancer that I would like to defeat…”

As she trailed off, the dancers’ eyes shift from side-to-side in anticipation with a touch of agitation and intimidation. They could feel Kirsten’s intimidation aura, and most of them are terrified at the thought of going one-on-one with her. 

“Waackxxxy.” She said, gesturing to the said dancer who grinned from her seat. 

The teams and even Monika acclaims in delight as they are about to witness a great battle between two, strong dancers. 

From the evaluation, Waackxxxy is a phenomenal dancer with powerful moves and an unmatched energy. Kirsten immediately picked her as her No Respect Dancer to push herself. Jam Republic and Mannequeen members stands behind their respective dancer who will compete on one-on-one. 

“When I watched the video, you were world-class and I would love to take you on. Let’s Battle.” Waackxxxy nodded her head in appreciation. The other dancers and Monika praised Kirsten for her admirable action to take on a strong battler. 

“Thank you so much for liking my video and class, but, I’ll show you my dance. Okay, let’s go.” (Y/N) clasped her hands in front of her and rests her chin on top of it, hyped for the battle between her leader and the well-known international dancer, Waackxxxy. 

“Let’s go Kirsten!” She cheered. 

“The world-class choreographer and the world-class waacking dancer. The battle of the two dancer begins now. You guys ready? Fight!” 

The DJ starts the music and Waackxxxy of Mannequeen goes first. From the get-go, everyone could see the charisma and the reason why Waackxxxy is considered as a world-class battler. Her body control and energy is so insane that Jam Republic couldn’t help but also hype her up. 

Waackxxxy ended her time with a strong side-eye on Kirsten’s direction. When the switch was announced, (Y/N) started jumping up and down as she cheered loudly for her leader. 

“Come on, Kirsten! Bring it!” Latrice yelled. 

The screams increased when Kirsten and Waackxxxy circled each other, following the beat of the music. 

“That was fu- insane!” Ling and Latrice laughed hysterically when a curse word almost escaped (Y/N)’s mouth. 

Jam Republic continued to cheer their leader on as the battle went on. (Y/N) was so hyped that she slipped and lost her footing momentarily. Luckily, someone immediately stabilizes her before she could fall. 

(Y/N) looks up to thank the person who caught her, only to blush brightly as her eyes met Bada’s shadow-covered eyes and a concerned face. 

“Are you okay?” Bada asked, still holding onto her elbow. 

She hummed and flashed her a grin. “Mhm, thank you!” 

They stared at each other for a few moments with a small smile and blush dusting their faces without saying a word. It’s as if it was just the two of them in the room together as the noises seem to quiet down, fading into the background. 

(Y/N) snapped out of it when Kang Daniel announced the end of the battle, immediately turn to find Kirsten walking towards their side. She thanks Bada one last time before rushing to her leader’s side to congratulate her for the amazing battle. 

Bada remained standing there, running her hand on the back of her nape to will her pounding heart to calm down. A grin makes it way to her face as she returns to her seat, not noticing Lusher who saw the whole interaction and is hiding a smile behind her hand. Making a mental note to tease her leader about it later. 

The judges showed their cards. Monika and Mike holds both cards for Jam Republic and Mannequeen, signalling a rematch between both dancers.

The rematch starts and both dancers still held their ground as they showed two variation of dance style. It ended up with another rematch when Monika showed 2 cards, much to the surprise of everyone. 

“I can only choose one?” She asked exasperatedly, clearly in distress to choose between the two when Kang Daniel nodded and held up one finger. “That’s insane. I can’t do that!” 

“Whoever you pick will be the winner. The victory lies in your hands.” 

(Y/N) feels her heart pound against her chest, holding her clasped hands against her and prayed for Jam Republic’s first win. “Please, please, please, please.” She muttered underneath her breath. 

“Here I go,” Monika concluded. The count down started until finally, she held up a pink card. 

Kirsten cemented Jam Republic’s first win. 

Jam Republic cheered while Mannequeen slumped their shoulder in dejection. 

“Great job, Kirsten!” (Y/N) cheered as she gave Kirsten a side hug and a grin. 

“That was insane!” 

“Good job!” They praised their leader. 

Across the room, Waackxxxy is visibly enraged and disappointed with the results of the battle. 

“In this last round, both dancers were at the same level.” Mike Song stated. “But Kirsten grabbed my attention a little more.”

“That was such a great battle. It was so energizing. The reason I chose Kirsten at the end, was that she made the song come alive a bit more and I weighed that more importantly. Rather than being too serious, I had no choice but to give it to the person expressing the song. That’s why I hope you understand my decision. Although it was a very difficult one.” Monika concluded. 

(Y/N) clapped enthusiastically as Kirsten place a winning chip on their score board. That happiness didn’t last long however, when Kang Daniel announced the next opponent. Another member of Mannequeen, Yoonji. 

From the dancer’s expression, the anger was obvious from the way stomped down the seats and towards the middle. 

“I’m so scared,” Ling said and Emma agreed. 

“She seems crazy.” The younger one replied, feeling on edge because of Yoonji’s attitude. 

(Y/N) sits stiffly on her seat, eyes narrowed and feels goosebumps crawl up her arms and neck. “She looks like she’s plotting revenge,” she stated lowly. 

They watch as Yoonji paced around back and forth in agitation.

“I’m very angry right now,” she confessed, still pacing around. “Mannequeen has come here as the crew known to be the strongest in battles. I think it’s time we showed that.” 

(Y/N) smirked at her insinuation, finding it a tad difficult to believe since Baby Sleek and her crew is also a part of this competition. 

“I’ve said this already, but who’s the one chewing up and spitting out battles lately?” Yoonji said, making a beeline towards 1MILLION and standing in front of Lia Kim. 

“This battle. I can show you later.” (Y/N) let out a sharp laugh when Yoonji left Lia Kim alone as soon as she got there. She’s certainly entertaining. 

“Kirsten, come out girl,” Yoonji suddenly stated quite forcefully as she gestured Kirsten to come out. The woman mentioned gave a small smile to Yoonji as she stands up and place her jacket on her sear. 

(Y/N) couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side and bit her bottom lip in annoyance, feeling rather protective of her leader. 

“I’m going to take revenge for my sister. Come out, girl!” 

(Y/N) huffed as she immediately followed her leader and stand 2 feet directly behind her, eyes narrowed and focused on Yoonji. The other members of Jam Republic soon followed with nervous smiles on their faces, but the latter members face was devoid of any emotion. 

“I’m going to show you who is the hottest girl in South Korea!” Yoonji exclaimed as her crew cheered her on. “You know, girl? I’m going to show you.” 

When (Y/N) saw Yoonji walk towards Kirsten and got near her face, a small smile graced her lips – devoid of any humour, as she too walked towards Kirsten, standing directly behind her and held her elbow. She stands tall in front of Yoonji and looks down at her, taking inspiration from Bada Lee and uses her height for advantage, to which Team BEBE squealed. 

The other crew also howled in astonishment as she did so. 

“Bada-unnie you influenced her already?!” Tatter exclaimed as she shakes her leader’s arm back and forth.

“What is it with tall people and comparing heights?! I’m so jealous right now!” Bada laughs as her members whined. She leaned forward in her seat with her hands clasped together, feeling oddly satisfied with the way (Y/N) seemed to copy her move. 

While Kirsten nodded gracefully at her opponent, (Y/N) snickers when Yoonji’s gaze flickered upon her for a moment before going back to the other side where her crew is. 

(Y/N) slightly pulled Kirsten back and leans down to whisper in her ear, “you okay?” 

Kirsten, not the slightest bit intimidated, just nodded at her with a grin. “Word, she says ass fat.” The taller girl laughed at her leader when she stuck her tongue out. 

“(Y/N) is so scary now!” 

“She’s giving off protective older sibling vibes oh my gosh!” Mina Myoung exclaimed, watching as (Y/N) now jokes along with the other members. “Look at how she switches! She’s back to being all smiley now!” 

“What were you teaching her Baby Sleek?!” Haechi asked after witnessing it. The older girl said nothing but gave her a shrugged shoulder and a proud smile. 

Chocol said nothing but continues to watch with a small smirk, loving the feisty and protective attitude of the taller girl of the pink team. Hoping that after the show, she’ll come running to Baby Sleek so she can have an excuse to finally introduce herself. 

Or maybe, she’ll have the chance to introduce herself on the dance floor. Maybe flirt a little as well. 

“I’m going to show you who is the queen!” Mannequeen cheered as Yoonji yelled before mocking the moves of Kirsten earlier by swaying her hips from side-to-side. The yellow-team crew member gives her a side-eye, looking up at her up and down in a condescending manner. 

Kirsten, unbothered, just smiled at her opponent. The same can’t be said towards her ballet dancer member who was seething in annoyance. 

“I’m excited,” Kirsten started. “Let’s see. We’re here in Korea now, so, let’s see.” 

The members of the crew once again stood behind their respective member competing. Yoonji and Kirsten paced around as they prepare themselves. 

“We have Yoonji from Mannequeen going first.” Kang Daniel announced. Yoonji immediately went to the front and strike up a pose. “Jam Republic’s Kirsten will go in second.” 

(Y/N) sat beside Latrice and Ling as the host began, “the next battle between these two dancers, are you guys ready?! Let’s go! Fight!” 

Yoonji moves her body as the first beat of the music starts, starting off strong and fierce. (Y/N) bites her lip out of irritation when she mockingly hits Kirsten with her elbow, to the point where she almost believed it hits her leader when Kirsten played along. 

The Mannequeen dancer ended her dance strong when she made her way towards where the judges are, much to the delight of everyone. 

“She’s a great dancer, but I think she got a tad bit overemotional,” (Y/N) whispered towards Latrice as she claps after her performance. The latter girl nods in agreement before standing up in excitement when the host announces the switch, meaning, its Kirsten’s turn to perform. 

(Y/N) bounces on her toes with a huge grin on her face as she watches her leader dance. Even more so when she dances around Yoonji’s figure without touching her, showing the immense amount of body control she has. Jam Republic watched with a face of impress and admiration, shouting in delight when Kirsten snaps her hips. 

“That was insane!” She exclaimed once the battle ended. It wasn’t long before the judges showed the cards of the winning result of the battle. 

And three yellow cards were faced. 

Mannequeen cheers loudly for the victory while Jam Republic claps their hand. Sure, the battle didn’t end up in their favour, but it is understandable since Yoonji conveyed a lot through her dance. 

Once the emotion of frustration simmered down, Yoonji shakes Kirsten’s hand with a smile and pulls her for a hug. Thanking her for the battle and saying I love you to her. 

On their way to their seats, (Y/N) wrapped her arm around Kirsten’s shoulder and congratulated her, saying the same to Yoonji when they passed her by. Although the battle was intense and heated, there was no point in starting unwanted rivalry outside of the dance floor. 

⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾

Another break was conducted after a few battles from Jam Republic and other teams. Emma, Latrice, Audrey, and Ling had already participated in their own respective battles. Ling battled against Cera which takes her by surprise, both of them had chosen her as their No Respect Dancer to push themselves. (Y/N) is the only Jam Republic member who have yet to battle anyone.

“(Y/N) has yet to dance, right?” A member from Deep N’ Dap says, looking at the direction of the Jam Republic who was talking animatedly with her team. 

“Mhm, I’m really excited to see her dance though.” Another member responded. 

However, the long wait is about to be over. 

“The next challenger of the battle, Cera of Mannequeen.” 

Howls and cheers rang through the arena, everyone had witnessed the intense and captivating performance of Cera earlier when she battled Ling. The member of Mannequeen adorned in her iconic green dress made her way towards the center with a smirk on her face, her members cheers as they follow closely behind her. 

 A mic was handed to her, the crowd became silent, and she walks around. 

“The No Respect Dancer I chose to battle…” she trails off, making her way towards 1MILLION. 

“From 1MILLION?” Mini questioned as she watches Cera stop right in front of the white team. The members looked up at her with their hearts on their throat, terrified of the idea that one of them has to face off against her. 

“My No Respect Dancer…” she trails off again, but this time, she walks towards the next team. “Is Jam Republic’s (Y/N). Come on.” 

Everyone’s lost their minds as Cera called out the Jam Republic dancer. 

“Yehey!” Audrey cheered – shooting up from her seat with a bounce on her step. 

“Wah! This is like the battle of the Prima Ballerina’s!” Harimu yelled from her stand.

(Y/N)’s cheeks puffed as it’s filled with water, Cera called her in the middle of her taking a sip, but she didn’t complain. It’s just hard for her to grin with all the water in her cheeks. Though, everyone can still see the joy in her eyes. 

She gulped down everything and stands up with a clap, grinning from ear-to-ear as she bows in greeting to Cera, holding her hands against her chest. They make their way to the center of the arena with their team following closely behind them. The two dancers stand in between Kang Daniel, standing tall with microphones handed to each of them. She bows one more time towards Cera before standing tall with a smile on her face, excited to battle one of the strongest battlers in the show.

Her opponent clad in green dress bows along with her before standing up straight and switched her face into battle mode – a stoic face with an arched brow, as if wanting to end her. (Which, not gonna lie, (Y/N) 100% will let her). 

“Cera of Mannequeen,” Kang Daniel began, “why did you pick (Y/N) as your No Respect Dancer?” 

“It’s not that I don’t respect (Y/N) as a dancer,” Cera started, holding the mic to her lips with one hand. “Quite the opposite actually, but, it’s time to show the people who the best ballerina battler is.” 

The whole arena cheers and awes at what Cera said whilst (Y/N) just giggled and nodded her head. If there was one thing she always takes pride in, it’s her dancing skills and techniques in ballet. 

“Cera-unnie, first of all, thank you for choosing me as your No Respect Dancer.” She bows down again, “however, if I am to prove anything to everyone here today – is that ballet is my style, and I am one of the best out there.” 

Amidst the loud roars of the others dancers in the background, Ling, Kirsten, and Audrey’s cheers seems to be the loudest among them. 

Cera smirked at the determination of her opponent keeping eye contact with her, and (Y/N) didn’t back down. 

The two dancers briefly walked back to the side where their crew members are at for a warm-up, and (Y/N) takes this opportunity to remove her sneakers to change into the dance shoes. 

“Is she changing her shoes for this battle?” Monika questioned – perplexed and intrigued. Mike Song just grins widely as he leaned forward, excited at the intense battle that is about to happen. 

“Wah, she’s changing her shoes,” Bada commented, looking at the Jam Republic dancer who is currently leaning to one of her members while adjusting her shoes. “She’s putting her best foot forward for this battle.” 

Tatter and Lusher agreed, keeping their eyes trained on the ballet dancer, eager to watch her dance. 

“You got this girl,” Latrice said. Offering her arm for (Y/N) to stabilize herself as she changes her shoes. “Show her and everyone what you’re made of.” 

“Thank you,” (Y/N) replied. Jumping in her place to feel the shoes beneath her feet. 

“Kill everyone who doubted you with your dance.” Jam Republic laughed at the seriousness in Audrey’s voice, taken aback by her. 

The lights dimmed once the two dancers made their way towards the center, Kang Daniel exchanged glances with the two women in the middle of the dance floor with a smile on his face. 

“The battle between two ballerina dancers will begin now. You guys ready?!” Kang Daniel announced. Cera and (Y/N) eyed each other up and down, one with a stoic, daring look, standing tall and elegantly, while the other is currently sporting a small smile on her lips as she cracks her head from side-to-side. 

“Let’s go (Y/N)!” 

“Show them what you’ve got!” 

“Kill this battle (Y/N)!” 

The other Jam Republic members cheers can be heard from all over the room before the battle can even begin. 

“Fight!” 

The music started playing as soon as Kang Daniel said the word. Cera starts her iconic slow walk while keeping her eye-contact with (Y/N). It’s quite intimidating, but (Y/N) held her ground, admiring the determination in Cera’s eyes. 

Cera started moving her arms at each beat of the music, before adding her own twists and turns before she does her iconic leg move. (Y/N)’s face scrunched up in disgust, indicating a sick and impressive move done by her opponent as she hits every beat of the music. 

The Mannequeen dancer comes close to you, pointing at you with a single finger and pointing it up and down your figure. (Y/N) bit her lower lip as she arched her brow and titled her head. Leaning her head down a bit to stare at Cera with lidded yet seductive eyes. 

The whole crowd went crazy with her looks. 

She can’t deny the charisma and confidence of Cera in this battle, the latter really is showing years of experience in battling and the undeniable musicality she seemingly naturally possess. 

As Cera’s time comes to an end, you used a sign language taught to you by Baby Sleek and signalled her to hurry up – much to the surprise of the other members of Wolf’Lo. 

“She knows how to use it?!” Yeni asks in surprise, bringing her hands up to her head. Baby Sleek is the only one looking focused at the battle, eager for you to showcase your dance while the others had their jaws dropped. 

Kang Daniel counts the last 3 seconds of Cera’s time, the woman comes close to your face and circled you whilst flipping your hair – just like what she did to Ling, before walking back confidently to the side of her team. 

“3, 2, 1, switch! (Y/N) of Jam Republic!” 

The members of Jam Republic screamed once the opening of Partition by Beyonce starts playing. (Y/N) smirks, stepping slowly forward towards the middle, mimicking a seductive wave after she flips her hair once the “hey, Ms. Carter” starts playing. 

Everyone went wild once the beat drops – along with (Y/N) as she suddenly drops down to her knees and starts to doing some sensual floor works. The judges and competitors alike went ballistic at her opening moves, and it was just beginning. 

(Y/N) kept her eyes on Cera the whole time, still with that lidded gaze. She slowly stands up, spinning fast with the beat in an insanely clean and controlled manner. She then did some popping and locking, showcasing her prowess in other styles of dancing other than ballet much to the delight of the judges and her team mates. She hits every beat of the song while sometimes taking the lyrics into account of her movements – showing a great control of her body and unparallel musicality.

“This is so crazy!” Monika yells as she keeps her eyes trained at (Y/N). 

Chocol couldn’t look at anywhere else once (Y/N) started dancing. She has her arms crossed against her chest as she watches intensely with a impressed smirk plastered on her face. She walks down the steps to have a better view of the dancer dancing before her. 

She finds it impressive at how she uses various techniques and moves of ballet and other styles to incorporate it in her moves. It looks complicated, but she makes it look so seemless and effortless. 

Bada, on the other side of the arena, finds it hard to contain her emotions as she watches the Jam Republic dancer. She’s constantly shouting, impressed by the moves executed by the young dancer. She holds onto her cap as her jaw drops once (Y/N) did an aerial. 

She claps and screams along with the rest of her team as she continues to watch her with a starstruck gaze and jaw dropped. Lusher takes one glance at Bada before she bursts out laughing. 

“Oh my gosh your totally whipped Bada-unnie!” She laughs, slapping Bada’s arm as she threw her head back. 

Bada immediately flushed red and attempted to cover it with a cough, but it still wasn’t enough to tear away her gaze from the performing dancer of the pink team. 

While (Y/N) remained oblivious to the pairs of eyes staring at her, she focused on ending her battle with a bang. As Kang Daniel signals the last 5 seconds of her time, she makes her way towards Cera – mimicking the way she circled around her earlier, but with her own seductive walk. She stopped in front of her, bending down to her eye level whilst blowing a kiss with a wink, wiggling her fingers in a goodbye motion before walking back to her team with a smile and playing with her hair as she shakes her head from side-to-side. 

(Y/N)’s members hyped her up as she walks towards them. She laughs as Audrey and Ling jokingly bows down to her like a royalty, making the others follow soon after. She covers her laughs underneath her hands to also hide the redness that’s painting her cheeks. 

Everyone went ballistic. Screaming their heads off at the intense yet entertainingly fun battle between the ballerina’s of Mannequeen and Jam Republic. 

She then turns back around to face Cera who has a smile on her face, bowing down at her in gratitude for the battle. She continued bowing to everyone who was still in shock by the battle – her heart swelled with pride once she sees Monika standing up with a shocked smile on her lips as well as Mike Song and Shownu who were clapping. 

“Good girl, (Y/N)!” Baby Sleek yells, clapping her hands. The mentioned girl heard it and snaps her head towards her, holding her hands to her chest before bowing deeply. She can feel tears well up in her eyes but she shakes her head to avoid them from falling down. 

Her former teacher praised her loudly and openly. The highest compliment she could ever receive from this competition. 

“That was intense!” Lusher exclaimed, sitting back down in her seat once the commotion started dying down. 

“They really showed their battling skills. Their confidence is through the roof!” Mini exclaimed. “Honestly, whoever wins this deserves it.” 

(Y/N) and Cera makes their way back to the center of the dance floor. Breathing heavily after the intense battle they shared. 

“Fight judges,” Kang Daniel starts, “cards open.”

(Y/N) could hear her heart ponding against her chest and in her ears as she fiddles with her fingers. All the judges visibly look like they’re having a hard time deciding on their choices. She reminds herself that whatever the outcome of the battle is, she gave it her best. Yet, she still wants to secure a win for her team. 

And then, the cards are flipped. 

And everyone cheered. 

Monika holds two cards – pink and yellow. 

While Shownu and Mike Songs holds a single, pink card. 

(Y/N) almost drops to the ground because of relief. 

Cera and Mannequeen sighs in defeat and in dismay while the Jam Republic members – specifically Audrey, Ling, and Kirsten, cheers loudly. 

(Y/N) makes her way towards Cera and offers her hand, “you are amazing! I love your dance! You are simply amazing out there and thank you for the wonderful battle. It was an honour to compete with you. I hope we can be good friends in the future because you are simply just amazing!” 

Cera coos at the adorable ramble of her opponent and pulls her to a hug. “Thank you, thank you too for that battle. I love you, you’re amazing too out there! We must definitely meet up sometime after this.” 

(Y/N) grins and pats her back before they separate. “We should do this more often!” Cera laughs before she and her team makes their way towards their seats.

“Way to go (Y/N)!” Kirsten exclaims as she holds onto her arm. 

“You really killed it out there!” 

“Thank you guys, that was so great. I really want to be close friends with Cera now.” Ling giggles at her comment.

The rest of her team continues to praise her with compliments and congratulations on their way back to their seats. As (Y/N) makes eye contact with her former teacher, she flashes her a grin and a thumbs up. Baby Sleek returns her gestures with a wink and a nod. 

Kirsten adds a win chip to their board while (Y/N) makes her way towards Mannequeen to place a lose chip on their board, bowing down at the members and thanking them for a wonderful fight. 

“I can’t even be mad at her,” Yoonji starts, “she’s too polite for me to be mad at us loosing.” 

“The whole team is,” Redlic agrees. 

“Judge Mike Song, why did you choose (Y/N) as the winner?” Kang Daniel asks once everyone settled down to their seats. 

“First of all, the two dancers are very powerful and seasoned in battles – they showed it to us! It was one of the very entertaining and very fun battles this day that’s for sure, and for that, I want to thank the two of you.” 

(Y/N) and Cera bows their head in gratitude with huge smiles on their faces and everyone claps. Kirsten and Latrice pats their team mate of her shoulders with a grin on their faces. 

“Choosing between the two of you is almost torture!” Mike Song jokingly sighs with a shake of his head, causing everyone to laugh at his dramatic tone. “However, the reason I chose (Y/N) at the end is because of the versatility she showcased us. The body control, the movements, the flow of each step was like water! It was so fluid and she did it with such grace and confidence. So, (Y/N), I hope to see more of you in this competition, because you really killed it out there.”

(Y/N) couldn’t help but stand and bow deeply towards Mike Song and thanked him. The rest of the crews claps and awes at the high praise the member of Jam Republic received from one of the respectable judges. 

“That’s one of the highest praise someone got from the judges today,” Mina Myoung commented. “Looks like Kirsten is not the only force of nature in Jam Republic.” 

“Their team just got a lot more intimidating.” Nob commented, looking at Jam Republic. 

“I entered this show so sure of my preference and sexuality, but tell me why Bada and (Y/N) are making me question it?” Deep N Dap members laughs at the unexpected comment Downy made. 

⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾

It wasn’t long before Mike Song’s request for more battles came true. 

“The next challenger of the battle,” Kang Daniel began, pausing once again for the dramatic effects. “Is Chocol from Wolf’Lo.” 

“Oh right! Let’s go!” Haechi cheers, shaking Chocol by her shoulders as the older dancer makes her way down the seats. Per usual, her crew follows close behind her. 

“I wonder who she chose,” Emma comments after taking a sip from her water, “her team is kinda scary.” 

(Y/N) and Ling hums in agreement, watching the crew in front of them in silent. Silently terrified at the thought of battling against one of them. Though (Y/N) is confident in her skills and unafraid to show them, Wolf’Lo is just on another level. 

Chocol takes the microphone that’s handed to her, licking her lips as she starts to walk around.

“The No Respect Dancer I choose,” she began, making her way towards Lady Bounce who tenses up from their seats. 

She gave a slight smirk to Nob and Biggy who visibly gulps down the saliva stuck down their throats. Chocol enjoyed teasing them, making them think that she’s choosing one of them, but then, she skipped backwards without looking back before suavely turning around and jogs lightly towards the pink team. “Is Jam Republic’s (Y/N)” 

“My god my heart,” Nob says. Holding onto her chest as she breathes out a sigh of relief and leans backwards. 

(Y/N) smiles, standing up from her seat from the top and sets down the Jam Republic banner in her hand. Before she can take a single step down, she saw a hand in front of her. When she looks at who the hand belongs to, it leads down to Chocol, waiting for her at the bottom with her arm outstretched. 

“Oh, okay,” Kirsten said teasingly as she and Latrice moved to the side to make way for (Y/N).

“Special treatment, I see you.” Latrice added.

Everyone awes at the action, more so when (Y/N) places her hand on Chocol’s with a smile before descending down the seats. 

“It’s like a prince charming guiding a princess,” Redy said, leaning forward with her hands on the bottom of her chin. “I’m so jealous right now.” 

“What in the story book cliché is this?” Yoonji stomps her feet jokingly, “why didn’t I get that kind of treatment?” 

“Yah, you threatened her leader earlier to a dance battle with a scary façade and you expect the others not to be afraid of you?” Buckey jokingly replies which made everyone burst out laughing and Yoonji to pout. 

“Tsk.” Bada clicked her tongue as she watches Chocol guide (Y/N) to the dance floor with their hands still intertwined with narrowed eyes. “Honestly, this is a serious competition. Why is she being nice to her opponent?” 

Lusher hears what her leader grumbled underneath her breath, causing her to giggled and comfortingly pat her back. “Don’t worry unnie, no need to be jealous.” 

Bada snaps her head towards her sub-leader with a glare and a slight pout. “Who said anything about jealousy?” 

Lusher holds her hands up with wide eyes and downturned smile. “Nothing, nothing. I’m just teasing you.” 

Bada clicks her tongue once again in annoyance before looking back to the front with her arms crossed against her chest. Lusher and Tatter made eye-contact from each sides of Bada with knowing looks and teasing smiles. The other members of Team BEBE heard the conversation laughs silently, watching as their leader sulks down on her seat. 

“Chocol, why did you choose (Y/N) as your weakest dancer?” Kang Daniel asked. 

With their height difference, Chocol had to tilt her head up ever so slightly to make eye-contact with her opponent. She adjusted her cap with one hand as the other holds the mic to her lips. 

“Originally, I chose her because I want to see what that pretty face can bring. But from the battle earlier, we all saw it. So now, I want to see if she can bring that fire come to life again, but this time, more closely and upfront.” 

“Is she flirting with her or what?” Debby whispered to Harimu with a slight giggle. 

(Y/N) nods and rolls her tongue against her cheek, bowing her head down slightly. She tosses her hair back before answering with her now famous lidded-eye look, “if it’s fire you want, then I’ll gladly burn the stage in here, baby.” 

Everyone screams once they heard (Y/N) talk in that low-flirty way as combat against Chocol’s remarks in full English:

“Why was that so hot?!” 

“I don’t speak and understand English very well but damn!” 

“See! I told you she’s making me question everything!” 

“I understand you perfectly well now, Downy!” 

(Y/N) laughs as she hears the comments, giving the mic to her Kirsten who is now looking at her with a teasing face. 

“You better burn the stage baby,” she mimics. (Y/N) rolls her eyes at her before teasing pinching her arm. Kirsten laughs as she dodges her hand. 

(Y/N) faces her opponents team, the team of Baby Sleek. It would be a lie if she says she isn’t downright petrified right now. This is the crew with the most skilled freestyle battlers – but she was trained by the best of them. This is her chance to solidify and prove herself once again to one of the most respected teachers she had. 

Chocol bounces on her feet, preparing for the battle. (Y/N) has her hands stretching above her head as far as she can as she glances at her opponent who teasingly winks at her. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the playful nature of Chocol. 

Bada grumbled even more at the exchange. She doesn’t even know why she’s feeling this ugly feeling in her chest. Hell, she didn’t even have a conversation with the dancer yet, or even introduce herself! That doesn’t mean she won’t find away later, maybe she’s just bitter that someone got to befriend her before her. Yeah, maybe that’s it. She just wants to forge a friendship with the dancer first, you know, just cause.

“The battle between Wolf’Lo’s street dancer and the ballerina of Jam Republic will begin now. You guys ready?!” 

Cheers erupted from both teams and the rest of the teams, curious to see the outcome of the battle between two very different styles of dance between the two dancers.

“Fight!” 

Music filled the loud speakers of the room. Chocol nods her head to the beat to get into the groove as her team mates cheers her on. When the beat drops, she comes close to (Y/N)’s space and sways her body to the music. 

It was a bold start, (Y/N) admits, and the way Chocol moves is nothing short of hypnotic. Her body moves so fluidly yet with power as she hits every beat of the song. She definitely knows how to control body on command, if there is one thing she can describe her dance overall, it’s classic hip-hop. Effective yet timeless when it comes to battle. 

(Y/N) smirks as Chocol comes close to her face, mimicking the flying kiss she did to Cera earlier. Wanting to continue this banter, she “catches” the kiss mid-air and pretends to keep it in her pocket. 

She lets out an impress shout at Chocol’s body articulation. She began hyping her up, moving her body along with the beat while staying still in her position. Chocol’s performance is nothing short of impressive, but her competitive side is coming out, and now she wants to do better. 

As Chocol’s timer comes to an end, she once again closes in on (Y/N)’s space, this time, ending her dance by mockingly pointing at her figure up and down and another flying kiss which caused another uproar from the side of Deep N Dap

“That should be me!” Someone shouts. 

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, switch! Jam Republic’s (Y/N)!”

A familiar laugh echoes through the room, before the beginning lyrics of Gangsta by Kehlani plays. (Y/N) lets out a wide smirk and tilts her head to the side. 

My turn.

Audrey began screaming her head off once the familiar music fills the air. She danced with (Y/N) before during her time of travelling the world to learn new styles of dance, and if there is one thing Audrey knows for certain, (Y/N) dances very well to dark themes. 

“You got this (Y/N)! Eat. This. Up!” 

With that, the Jam Republic dancer ran her hands across her body to get into the feel of the music – which isn’t that hard. She began walking forward slowly, just like what Cera did, but with a tad bit more of sensuality. 

When the beat starts going down, her expression and articulation changes to every beat, mimicking the craziness Harley Quinn did in the movie in which the song was made of. Everyone can see where she’s going with the dance and is excited yet again. Bada and Chocol keeps their gazes focused solely on her. 

In this dance, (Y/N) focuses more on interpreting the lyrics of the song yet still hitting the necessary beat from time to time, just taking on a more contemporary approach. In contrast to Chocol’s hip-hop, she chose a genre she excels in.

Chocol smirks as she goes down towards the floor once again, expecting another floor work from her. She did, but a lot shorter and takes everyone by surprise once again. 

(Y/N) did a middle spilt before crouching down, but she didn’t get up. Instead, she takes a hold of her left foot, before initiating a single hand cartwheel – still holding onto the foot, down to a split and stands up without the use of her hands. 

Screams can be heard once again, thoroughly impressed by the never-ending amount of techniques and tricks the Jam Republic dancer seem to possess. Jam Republic members sported a disgusted looks as they cheer their fellow member on, some jumping on their places purely from the amount of adrenaline they are getting just by watching (Y/N) dance. 

They are not the only one’s though. Bada, with her cool and mysterious look she once sported, almost disappears by how much she is now yelling. Watching (Y/N) dance only increases her determination and will to befriend her and possibly collab with her and her team in the future. Bada watches with awe as (Y/N) stays true to her word: she really is setting the stage on fire. 

(Y/N) can hear her time coming to an end, she laid down on her stomach with her legs up in the air as she drags her finger to her lips, smirking seductively at Chocol. The said girl only tilted her cap and bites her bottom lip in acknowledgement.

(Y/N) held onto that pose for a few seconds, taking in the cheers and the screams of the other dancers before grinning brightly and standing up. 

“How can she possess that duality?! One moment she’s all smiles and elegant looking the next moment its as if she’s seducing me!” Downy exclaimed as she watches (Y/N) makes her way to her team with a bright smile.    

“She’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” Mini said, clapping her hands after patting and congratulating Chocol on the battle.

“You were on fire baby!” Emma cheers, patting the heaving girl on the shoulders. 

“Harley Quinn definitely possessed you for a moment there!” Ling exclaims. 

“Thank you,” (Y/N) smiles at her members before turning around to face the judges on the middle. 

Chocol is one of the oldest and seasoned battlers they have, and Wolf’Lo doesn’t have a lose chip to their board yet, so, (Y/N) is prepared and had already accepted her fate that she lost this battle. 

“Fight judges,” Kang Daniel announces, “card open.”

It was a surprise that the judges seem to have their pick already and confidently, however, the result of the battle left everyone even more surprised. 

Three pink cards. 

(Y/N)’s hands flew to her mouth in shock, and this time, she actually fell to the floor in shock. Jam Republic immediately went to her side and cheered her on while Wolf’Lo nods their head in defeat but claps nonetheless. She makes her way towards Chocol to shake her hand, but before she can do that, Chocol takes her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles, causing her to grin and flush bright red. 

Everyone who saw the interaction began teasing and cooing at the couple, some because of jealousy, others because of the *kilig. Well, most of them. A particular leader of the blue team scoffed loudly before chuging down the contents of her bottle before crushing the bottle with one hand. As she grumbles in her seat, her members are secretly watching her in amusement, never expecting their leader to act this way. 

“Thank you for the amazing fight, Chocol.” (Y/N) began, taking her hand back with a smile still painted on her lips. 

Chocol shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly with a smirk, stuffing her hands on her pockets. “Don’t worry about it, darling. I had fun.”

“Yah, what do you mean darling?!” Baby Sleek scolded playfully as she slaps the back of Chocol’s head and drags her back by her arm, causing the younger woman to pout. 

“Stop flirting with her and get back to our seats! “Darling,” your face.” Jam Republic just laughs at the dynamic of the orange team. 

The rest of the crews are still in shock that the first and only person so far to break the winning streak of Wolf’Lo is the ballerina of the pink team. 

“Wow, (Y/N) really is amazing.” Rena of Tsubakill said, still in awe of the Jam Republic member who is now currently walking back to their seats.

“She only had two battles so far and she’s already proving herself as one of the strongest dancers here.” Akanen replied. 

“Fight judge Monika, why did you pick (Y/N) as the winner of the battle?” Kang Daniel asked.

“I’m going to keep it short and frank, (Y/N) did not only dance, she told a story.” Monika says while looking at the dancer. “She told a story while embodying a well-known character of the movie which is insane because it’s as if you really are her for a second. You brought colour to the dance – no, you brought fire to the dance.”

Jam Republic claps at Monika’s comment. 

“(Y/N),” she adds, “you took me by surprise. You really are one of a kind.” 

(Y/N) swears she could sob at the high regard. She stands up and bows deeply towards Monika like she did too Mike Song. She then stands up 

“It’s like a main character moment,” Biggy said, watching as Kirsten place a win chip to their board. “Are we the side characters?” Lady Bounce laughed at her. 

As (Y/N) places the first and only lose chip on the board of Wolf’Lo, Baby Sleek reaches up her hand and pats her head. 

“Well done, (Y/N),” she says. “You really have gone far now. I’m proud of you.”

*kilig - causing or characterized by a feeling of exhilaration or elation.

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note: initialized names can't be tagged. I'm sorry 😭😭😭

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[griffinswitch]

Some headcanons for Griffin, Faragonda and Saladin

I have some headcanons about Saladin, Griffin and Faragonda. All three of them have been "cursed" (not cursed per se, I'm using the word 'curse' as a metaphor for their trauma) during the Company of Light era.

Saladin prides himself in his powerful abilities as a wizard, especially in his strength.

When the time came to face a battle between the Ancestral Witches and their minions during one of the Company of Light’s missions, one of them cursed him to age quickly, which heavily affected his height too, causing him to shrink. It took him a while to adjust to his condition, but despite his curse, he is still able to retain the potency of his magical abilities with some limitations that comes with being cursed, which Valtor in Season 3 insinuates that he is the weakest (obvs he is far from that!) among the three points of magic.

With Faragonda, being able to have better control of her powers is one of the most important things to her. For most part of her childhood up to her early teenage years, she struggled understanding herself and her powers. Growing up from a family of witches and wizards, she was born a witch and because she was unable to control her powers (thanks to the pressure from her parents), despite the help of Griffin when they were younger, she decided to transfer from Cloud Tower to Alfea to become a fairy.

When she switched schools, it had caused a slight rivalry and bitterness between her and Griffin since light magic is the more socially acceptable type of magic. By channeling positive emotions, it has helped her manage and understand her powers better. This also led to an interest in teaching herself convergence at Alfea (which she teaches in the series), particularly converging with dark magic users. With Faragonda's own research in convergence with light and dark magic to fight the forces of evil, she had hoped it would bridge the gap between fairies and witches (especially from Alfea and Cloud Tower), hoped it would bring her and Griffin together like they once were and hoped it would help the Council understand that light and dark can work in unison, and that dark magic users are important to the balance of magic. I'll expand on Faragonda's role, powers and background in my CoL fic later on. Similar to Griffin's own research in my headcanons for her.

Anyway, during Faragonda’s mission to rescue Griffin from the Ancestral Witches' lair in Obsidian, everything was going to plan when Faragonda found herself in a trap set by one of the members from the Wizards of the Black Circle, Yllidith (a character from the comics who we do not see in the show). Long story short, Yllidith plucked Faragonda’s wings in front of Griffin (who was magi-cuffed at the time, also tied to her fate, so she couldn't access her powers as she watched in horror). Hagen and Saladin both came to their rescue and fought off the wizard and other beings of evil. And with all the strength she had left, Faragonda opened a portal and teleported them back to safety despite being severely wounded. Even with the help of her Enchantix fairy dust or any fairy who was at Enchantix level, there had been no cure in growing her fairy wings back.

However, since witches don't need wings to fly, Griffin taught Faragonda to fly with a LOT of trial and error + it had taken Faragonda years to heal from losing her wings. She also had gotten a little better at channeling her negative emotions but she was still better suited as a fairy and was at her best with transmitting positive emotions despite being wingless.

Griffin’s curse is thanks to Valtor for her betrayal during their final encounter with one another. He has cursed her to never know peace. Anything she holds dear somehow gets taken away from her, even momentarily and she's in a constant state of chaos, also most likely from her PTSD from the war(s). (Faragonda helps Griffin cope with and manage her curse, they both do!)

Cloud Tower (CT) is one of the things she holds dear because it is her safe space, not only for herself or the many objects (some rare, dangerous and ancient relics) that is home to it but also for her students who she deeply care for.

The times when CT was invaded by the Trix and with them being related to the Ancestral Witches (AW), you can imagine how triggering it was for her, especially when she’s worked incredibly hard to make sure CT is a school where witches of dark magic can learn how to control their powers for good and help fight evil. She fears that, with the Trix being in control of CT, history might repeat itself and cause an army of dark magic users who uses their powers for evil causing an imbalance in magic.

And let’s not forget when Valtor took control of CT and her students, it had really caused her dearly. He even sent her to prison in her own school, a cruel way to face her punishment for betraying him all those years ago. He had hoped she'd rot in her prison cell for eternity, to be a prisoner of her own mind from her grief and guilt, the same way he did when he was trapped in the Omega Dimension. (Of course, we know what canonically happened in Season 3).

[undead-moth]

So The Bear ends season 2 with Carmy fucking up his pretty serious relationship with Claire. They spent an entire season developing this relationship between Carmy and Claire, and now it's over, and not just over, but abruptly and painfully over. Throughout this same season, they continue to develop Carmy and Syd's relationship, incorporating undeniable nods toward an eventual romance.

Then in season 3, they have Carmy dealing with the fallout of his painful fuckup, that ended a relationship that was, as I said, pretty serious, and was developed over the course of an entire season. They do this while continuing to develop Carmy and Syd's relationship, and while their interactions are mostly tense this season, they continue to incorporate blatant nods toward an eventual romance.

This is happening at the same time they have opened a restaurant, and Carmy is under enormous pressure, pressure that has been made worse by his breakup. Pressure to make the place a success, to live up to his potential, but also to make sure that Tina has an income, that he gives Marcus's mom what she wanted for Marcus, that Ebra, elderly and at the point where he really needs to be retiring, continues to have a job, that he doesn't endlessly waste his uncle's money, and crucially, so that the restaurant can earn that star Sydney is dreaming of, and that Carmy didn't even want.

And yet there are people genuinely criticizing The Bear for not canonizing SydCarmy this season, when...?

The man just went through a devastating breakup -

At the same time he opened a goddamn restaurant -

And is clearly going through the crisis of a lifetime -

And on top of that, he's just quit smoking.

Do you think, in real life, that it's realistic someone in that situation would immediately turn around and start seeing someone else? Do you think the writers would have spent a whole season developing Carmy's relationship with Claire, just for Carmy to shrug it off like it was nothing when it ends?

I'm even more baffled by the idea that SydCarmy not becoming canon this season is because the writers this whole time, have just been, what? Fucking with you? Straight-baiting you? Or do you think that just because they didn't canonize SydCarmy this season that this is indicative that they didn't intentionally allude to a future romance between Syd and Carmy?

I will tell you right now that The Bear is one of the most purposefully written shows I've ever seen. And while I will say that this season might be the weakest so far and wasn't what I was hoping for either - Nothing on that show is an accident. Nothing means nothing.

The writers of The Bear are too good to have accidentally implied SydCarmy was a thing. They are also far too dedicated to their vision for The Bear for them to be throwing things in just to fuck with you.

Have some patience maybe? When was the last time you watched a show that didn't hand you something the moment it was hinted at? Aren't you tired of watching shows that skip to the good part? Which is, as a result, not as good as it would have been?

[scoobydoodean]

am I the only one who thinks the very existence of crossroad demons in canon makes it clear that selling your soul for someone else is not even something that's particularly unhinged? they have people out there making demon deals for far less than bringing a family member back from the dead lol it's just that demons are very invested in fucking with the winchesters and poking at dean's perceived neediness and vulnerability and his and sam's codependency. maybe it's just terminal deangirlism but I have never really bought into him being particularly needy or clingy I think he's baseline normal but everyone else acts like he's smothering them

Context

Copying my tags also:

Dean's main way of saving Sam is by sacrificing himself? And I think a lot of that reflects Dean's struggles with depression and suicidal ideation. Sam isn't the only one Dean has been shown to be willing to sacrifice himself for when he was at a low point. He was ready to die for Layla in 1.12 and he was ready to die in 13.05. Both emotional low points where he was struggling with his own sense of worth. 2.22 is a low point Dean has been building to all season. His worsening depression is very clear. 9.01 is simply... severely misinterpreted in terms of Dean's perspective. He risks his life every day. He stood between max and his mom in 1.14 also with a gun pointed at his chest

And yeah people in SPN make demon deals a lot. Sam says he tried to make a demon deal to get Dean back in 4.01, but no demon would deal. He also tried to re-open the Devil's Gate from 2.22 (which would let out hundreds of demons yet again to wreak havoc on the world). John made a demon deal to save Dean's life, and many fans don't even think he cares about Dean. Bobby made one, Bela made one, etc.

I could go through the whole show to prove Dean being a Needy and Clingy and Smothering person simply is not accurate... or, because I'm tired of making up people's arguments for them and proving a negative by going through a whole show is very annoying (and I am technically already doing that very extensively through a series of searchable tags), I could just say fans who think this way are incorrect.

If they don't think they are, they're welcome to give me examples of Dean actually being a uniquely horribly needy and clingy and desperate and demanding person who forces people to stay with him forever and ever because he doesn't care what they want and desperately wants to control their lives. I've certainly seen people try to make the argument before, but without fail each time they point to examples that are 1) not even remotely unique to Dean (and he's usually the weakest example and I can think of multiple for other characters showing behavior that is objectively more extreme) 2) presented in an intentionally misleading or mind-blowingly out of context manner 3) woefully (and often rather deliberately) mischaracterizes Dean's motivations.

Anyway, feel free to stream related tags I track:

#sams motivations

#taurus sam in the flesh

#In which Sam is not a helpless little waif with his hands cast over his eyes being carried along by the tides of the immutable sea

#sam the hunter

#sams moral compass

#projecting displaced aggression and scapegoating in spn

spn revisionisms

#demons lie

#youre such a control freak

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Hazbin Hotel? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hi!

Thank you for this fun ask :D

FAVOURITE CHARACTERS

1- Lucifer

He's a disaster and I love him :''') He is very well written so far. He has a strong characterization, which combines a comedic side (bumbling dad + airhead) with more serious traits (depression). He is also set up to have a wonderful arc, which ties with important themes for the series, as a whole. Dreams, redemption, freedom and love. His relationship with Charlie is especially sweet: he is very very flawed as a parent, but through his daughter he finds hope again and makes some steps to grow. Plus, he is a mix between Barnum (the greatest show) and Walt Disney, which is very meta when it comes to the themes of creativity and enterteinment.

2- Charlie

Charlie is one of the rare protagonists I adore! She feels both classic (she is a Disney Princess) and original (she is the Princess of Hell). The premise to have such an idealistic character as a high profile demon is both hilarious and very strong thematically. Not only that, but Charlie's conflict is actually pretty deep and layered. On the one hand she genuinelly wants to help Sinners and is right about redemption. On the other hand she is also using her dream to run away from her problems and hide her self-issues. Charlie is deep down a child, who felt abandoned by her parents and who doesn't fit in her own Kingdom. The Hazbin Hotel is a home for both Sinners and herself. A place where she can stay for a while, find familial bonds and grow. On a writing note, I like how active she is. She drives the conflict beautifully in a way which is almost refreshing.

3- Alastor

Here comes another disaster! Alastor is clearly the key character of the series, both when it comes to plot and to theme. He is clearly linked to Lilith's mystery somehow (either because he made a pact with her or because the reason of Lilith's disappearence ties with whoever Alastor made the pact with). He is also a challenge to Charlie in how she believes everyone can be redeemed, but Alastor will try very very hard not to be LOL. And he will probably fail :''') Apart from it, he is very well used in the first season. His mystery is built up and he manages to stay active and move the plot without taking central stage. In a sense, he stays in the shadows, which is fitting for a shadow character.

3- Angel Dust

Angel is a sweetheart, who hides his feelings and goodness out of fear. I like his sibling bond with Charlie and how selfless he is towards his loved ones. His stay at the hotel isn't really about redemption, as Charlie thinks. Rather, it is more about healing, finding a stable environment and escaping a toxic relationship. I like his small step towards independence. His story is just beginning and his arc is just set up, but it has already the potential to be great.

5 - Adam, Sir Pentious, Vaggie, Sera (basically a bunch of characters LOL)

Adam is a villain I enjoyed immensely. He is just fun to hate LOL and I am curious to see if he will gain some depth. Either through coming back or post-mortem. I also like he is a play with School of Rock's Dewey Finn. He is in love with rock and metal and even uses rock rhetoric, like "Stick it to the man". Except that he embodies everything rock isn't. He himself is the man. He is a mediocre authority figure who uses his power against the weakest. Sorry Adam, but Charlie is way more punk rock than you :P

Sir Pentious is adorable <3 His arc is simple, but well done. I love how he slowly opens up to others and his crush for Cherri Bomb is adorable. I am curious to see where his story will go.

Vaggie has a very interesting premise in how she foils Lucifer as a fallen angel (and will probably foil Lilith, as well). The reveal of her background was great and I love her design and her focus in Hello Rosie, where she finds a mentor in Carmilla. Still, I want more of her and feel like her arc is just set-up as for now. It ties with trust, which is a great theme for a love story.

Sera has only appeared once, but I like her characterization. She is sympathetic, but also very clearly in the wrong and the main responsible for the whole conflict (yes, even more than Adam as she wields more power and could have stopped him). I like her bond with Emily and I am curious about her relationship with Lucifer, since what happened to him seems to have scarred her.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS (IN NO ORDER)

More than Anything - Charlie and Lucifer's confrontation

Charlie and Lucifer discovering each other and affirming their familial love is beautiful. Charlie reveals she still adores her father, despite his flaws and neglect. Lucifer finds in himself the drive to dream again.

You Didn't Know - The questioning

The whole courtroom scene is brilliant thematically. The main conflict goes from redemption for sinners to questioning the system. It is poignant how Lute and Adam are stuck in their heads and unable to either ask nor answers questions. Charlie and Emily instead keep interrogating others and themselves. They discover the reality around them is complex, starting with their loved ones (Vaggie and Sera). Still, these doubts will make them stronger in the end.

Lucifer's Big Damn Heroes moment

Lucifer joining the fight to save his daughter is a great conclusion to his arc this season. Plus, he manages to be both badass and hilarious at the same time :''') His short skermish with Adam is pretty funny, as well and it was cool to see his demon form. Plus, we got some more hints to whatever happened in Eden, which is bound to be important for the story as a whole.

Ready for this

This is Charlie's big moment this season. It is when she realizes she can do this. She has within herself the strength to inspire people with her voice, just like Lilith. Rosie and Alastor encouraging her is great, as well. And the whole set-up with a town full of kind and cheerful cannibals is hilarious.

The Show Must Go On - The Finale

The final song is perfect as a conclusion to Charlie's journey this first season. She starts it by singing alone, with everybody dismissing her. She ends it surrounded by her loved ones, with everyone "singing her song". Lucifer and the whole Hotel Crew encourage her not to give up and help her re-build her dream. The hints to future plot-lines (like the Vees and Alastor) are also great.

[super-sidney-bridger]

Legend of Grimrock (2012): An Overlong and Overdue Review

Ah, Legend of Grimrock, a foe that has seemed implacable since I was 14 or 15 years old and it was a relatively recent release. My first and to date only experience with old school grid based dungeon crawlers. If you’re interested in the genre and looking for a simple yea or nay on whether this should be your starting point, then the fact I’ve recommended this title should be enough, but if you want to know a little more then keep reading.

(Beware, there will likely be spoilers ahead. If you care about a 12 year old game with a pretty threadbare plot being spoiled for you then you may want to simply take my recommendation at face value.)

So firstly, I’m going to briefly address any Steam Deck users that may be reading this, since that’s what I used for my recent run where I beat the game after some 10 years of accepting defeat. The game IS playable. It runs fine, doesn’t crash, the UI is readable, and the whole thing plus any mods you might be looking at take up practically 0 of what precious little drive space the Deck has (this game and its sequel come in at less than 2.5gb combined). However, the controls are certainly, let’s say, interesting. You will definitely want to take some time to look at and rebind them to your liking, and even then your actions will likely be significantly more sluggish than they would be with a keyboard & mouse. Still, this issue is both very surmountable and hardly the game’s fault since the Deck literally wasn’t even an idea on paper for years after Grimrock’s 2012 release.

As for PC users, I’m pretty sure that you could make this thing run on your Dad’s Amiga from 1991 if you tried hard enough. Grimrock probably puts less strain on even the weakest of computers than opening Notepad its so tiny.

Legend of Grimrock is, from this genre noob’s standpoint, extremely accessible and very content rich for such a small game. You can save at any time, life crystals (which are an autosave, full heal, and resurrection all rolled into one) are usually easy to reach, and food and healing are common enough that, unless you’re a 14-15 year old girl with no idea what she’s doing and no concept of resource conservation (imagine that? Couldn’t be me.) you will PROBABLY never run into issues with it. Combat is the very definition of simple, but its emphasis on manoeuvring and positioning and a steady drip feed of new enemies is enough to keep it from getting boring. Also, this game is secrets galore. Quite literally secrets within secrets within secrets sometimes, which brings me to a few somewhat spoilery recommendations to help you along in your adventure. Consider it helpful advice from a now slightly more seasoned dungeoneer:

*If you intend to have a ranged rogue character in your back line, make them a Minotaur. Their accuracy penalty does not matter as ranged attacks ALWAYS hit and the damage still scales with strength, making Minotaurs actually the most optimal choice by far.

Make a save called ‘hole’, because you will be jumping into every pit you find and will want to save beforehand. Why? To find secrets of course!

Before doing anything that looks important or going to a new floor you should save. This game LOVES monster closets, often dropping combat on you with little warning up to and including teleporting enemies all around you which, if you are not ready, is DEATH.

Do not be tempted to spread your characters’ skills out too much. Investing in any more than 2 or 3 at once per party member will render them little more than a virtual meat puppet you now have to drag around and feed for the whole game.

At the same time, don’t try to hard spec into one skill. You will not get enough levels over the course of the game to do anything but get that one skill to 50 and you WILL feel the effects of that crippling overspecialisation.

Beware floors 3, 6, 9, and 10. I won’t say why, but be prepared for a hard time and don’t be too proud to look up a guide for them if you get stuck. You can figure it all out yourself, but a couple of these puzzles and encounters require some big logical reaches in my opinion and I just looked up the solutions after 10-15 minutes of frustration.

Lastly, mods. The workshop support for this game is great and you can make and upload your own dungeons, but there isn’t that much on there for this game. Despite that, there is enough good stuff on there to give you plenty to do if you’ve beaten the game, want more, but don’t want to/can’t move onto Legend of Grimrock 2 or some older games like Eye of the Beholder. I’d recommend The Mine of Malen Vael as a solid way of squeezing 2-3 hours of more playtime out of the game. You can even import your own OP endgame party from your last save with all their stats and xp, only to learn it was good equipment that carried you through the end of the main game! The adventure continues!

And so ends this review. I should really manage my time better, huh?

Legend of Grimrock was launched in 2012, published and developed by Almost Human, and is available on Windows, Linux, OS X, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. It is also 75% off on Steam at the time of writing (05/07/2024).

Original review:

[mytalemyworld]

Who shot him could be solved in many ways…here are my thoughts.

I think the spoilers said it was Neslihan who would shoot Serhan which was the most plausible option for me. Because the woman has had enough. How many times did her children suffer at the hands of Serhan? Plus she clearly stated in the beginning of the episode that he would never hurt her children again. She was aggressive, arguing with everybody, didn't seem to show her usual logical side. So I would definitely expect that from her.

However after the show had been renewed, the finale script changed, some parts were cut and we saw Neslihan unconscious. (Well, she still can regain her consciousness though, it's not impossible you know)

The other possibilities:

Why can it be him?

What wouldn't a desperate father do for his son? He doesn't hesitate to kill for his family and doesn't need to carry a gun. He can find one from the sleeping bodyguards. I think they're loaded and Serhan didn't take their guns.

Why can't it be him?

1.) The way Yaman said "what did you do?"

Children don't use formal language when they talk to their parents in Turkish culture however they usually add "dad/mom" at the end of their sentence. It was like Yaman was talking to someone around his age or someone who is close but not his parents.

2.) We didn't hear any car approaching. If the front door is open, the car must enter first. Why did he stop outside? If the front door is closed how can he sneak in without making a sound?

Why can it be him?

Serhan: Don't scream. Only Alaz is left however he is not at home.

1.) This is a bad sign like pointing out an obvious option. Only he can help but he is not there. Well, he might be on the way, evil dad.

2.) Why can't it be Güven? - reason 1.

3.) His motives? He has had enough too. He lost a sister, the love of his life, a child which he doesn't want but still can make him unstable more than he already is. He says he doesn't have any reason to move on. And if he sees his "dear" dad once again is trying to kill his other sibling, well don't expect him to act rationally. He might use the gun that belongs to the bodyguards.

Some poetical karmatic reasons: So, a long time ago in a galaxy far away... there was a scene in one of the best Yabani episodes. (I am sorry for being dramatic, but sometimes it felt like it happened in another universe) Alaz chose Asi over Yaman and almost killed him. So in a way Asi was the reason Yaman almost died. And Alaz was the tool.

In the season finale, Asi assured and promised Neslihan that she would bring Alaz back and nothing would happen to him or he wouldn't do anything bad because she would be with him. But we knew everything went wrong. He didn't stay with her and she shut the door in his face.

So if it really turned out to be him, Asi would be the reason Yaman survived and Alaz, again, would be the tool. A vicious cycle would come to an end.

Little Yaman Ali saved little child Asi, grown up Asi saved Alaz in some ways and Alaz would save Yaman. Every debt would be settled for good.

Hmm, also if the little Leia was still alive, we might see Obi-Yaman-Ali-Wan hiding her from her dad....yeah, a time jump, a darker Yabani...anything can happen.

Why can't it be him?

Because it will ruin him. Because he will be completely lost. Because he will never forgive himself. Because probably this will also affect his bond with his unborn child that exists for now. Because I will call you ruthless if you do so, dear writers.

Sigh, okay, I will be serious.

1-) Why can't it be Güven? - second reason applies him too. If the door is closed he must come from a different way but honestly, this must be shown in a very detailed way, I don't know, except maybe he is already inside which brings to my mind the other options.

Osman or Elif.

I know Osman is asleep but he might have woken up because of the voices. And Serhan was shot from a place where he was sleeping.

Elif would make sense too. But this is the weakest possibility because she is always so useless and whoever shot Serhan seems to be inexperienced. He's shot twice and a police would be more coolheaded I think.

Anyway...Whatever suits the plot and story, they will choose that option. They never try too hard to make it sense however there's a %1 probability that they will think about this a little more than their usual plot lines.

[dawn-of-worlds]

The Great Forest Road

Siarruk turn 5: 5 (remaining) + 1 (non-hoarding bonus) + 6 (roll) = 12 points

The lunar goddess is pleased for a time with the new-made human peoples, their exodus and the convolutions of their languages, but her attention wanders as she does. It turns to the wide open grasslands of the eastern continent, where the horizon stretches farther than the eye can see, and the Abhorrer of the Straight Path forms a plan.

Shape Land x3 (9):

Siarruk draws up a mountain range from the south of the continent, to catch the moisture and the dust of the ocean wind; in the inner lowlands dotted lakes form, and with her urging a vast swath of trees rises up from the earth. The new greenery reaches from the jungles around Zoreinak's horn-lake to the western hill-forests, its whole length lush with life.

CHI A ASH's blood-biting midges and flies spread through the forest, but so do great lift-moths, far fliers who in the middle stages of their life become like flat, undulating ribbons carried on the wind around the world before sprouting their full wings and returning to the trees of their birth. Lush vining plants with berries whose juice, properly extracted, brings calm and relieves exhaustion, grow from the southern jungles, expanding as far as the climate permits. Ravenous red hogs eat anything that falls to the forest floor; in turn, packs of tree-panthers descend to hunt them.

One species in particular she brings forth from the western hills: loggerheads, great beasts (three times as tall as a human, though they hunch at the shoulder) with long claws for digging and rodent-like gnawing teeth. In the autumn, when leaves fall away, they rip whole trees out of the earth and eat them from roots to crown.

In response to the depredations of the loggerheads, the trees grow long boughs; the vines, countless in number, twine between the branches, knitting the forest together. The loggerheads can uproot only the weakest and sickest trees; the rest are held up by the mass of the whole forest.

Thus human stragglers, fleeing the islands, come to find an infinite stretch of close-set trees, by which one could travel from sea to sea wlthout ever touching the ground; and they call it the Great Forest Road. For the time being, they will travel it with the seasons, plucking the fruits of the vine in summer and catching river- and lake-fish in winter.

Siarruk has 3 points remaining.

[destinygoldenstar]

☀️THE SLAY PASS GETS USED☀️ - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 1 Episode 13 “A Heart's Desire” PART 1

(EDIT: Because the episode is so long and there's a lot to talk about, I'm splitting this up in two parts. Ran out of images.)

Part 2 >>

WELP. HERE WE ARE.

THE FINALE OF DISVENTURE CAMP

...Season 1.

I'm actually excited for this. I have been REALLY enjoying reacting to this show and making posts about it.

I mean, yeah, it has problems, that I did complain about, BUT I enjoy watching it and I'm liking it and I think that's what matters more than anything else.

And besides, I never acted like Total Drama was perfect either. I've complained about that too.

It's really interesting how I, as a Total Drama fan, got to this point, you know? I picked up the show when it was on YouTube (the channel is terminated now) during Covid Quarantine to kill the time and get away from my own problems. I was WEIRDED out by the show to say the least when I watched the first season, because I wasn't used to anything like it at the time... but then a couple weeks later I found myself not able to stop thinking about it for the next 3-4 years.

The show was very fun and chaotic and I really enjoy its premise despite its flaws. The show was also responsible for opening my eyes to more psychological research, believe it or not. Because in my fanon mindset that might or might not be canon (depends) the show was about how damaging these reality shows could be to people. So I like to dive into the more interesting characters psyches and how the show changed them for better or worse.

So now that I am grown up, in my 20s, and working to be a producer for indie animation someday, it feels SO RIGHT for me to come across an indie show similar to Total Drama and be invested in it as much as I became. I was NOT recommended this show. I was told to keep my distance because it was bad. But while I do confess there's problems, I DO think the writing in particular is the weakest element of this show, I enjoy it, I've really liked it, and I think that's what matters to me.

I'm definitely going to react to Season 2 & 3 in the future. But before then there's a tier list for every character I want to do, because I have A LOT to say regarding that.

It really does feel like a new era of my Tumblr Blog for me. I started this blog years ago as an advertisement for my writing. But then I took my hobby of making essays about media and started posting here, and because of my Total Drama addiction, I had a lot of people mistaking me for a 'Total Drama Blog'.

I am NOT a Total Drama blog. There's other stuff, and other media, that I talk about. AnalyzGolden is not limited to what she analyzes XD

So it does feel like a new era reacting to Disventure Camp and wanting to talk about it. Even though I'm not caught up.

So thank you for the support of these posts so far. First and foremost. You guys really have motivated me to do these knowing you enjoy them, and my... interesting personality being on display.

Because my posts are usually so analytic, it's a bit harder to showcase the user's personality with them, and in reaction posts, that's much easier to see. I'm not always this stern objective analytical person who acts all calm the entire time XD. I'm actually very emotional and expressive in personality, so some of my followers are probably gonna see these posts and think "What?! Golden is like THIS?! What is THIS side of her?!"

Anyway, enough stalling. Let's finish this season.

*Gets a grammarly ad*

What a way to start the finale. YouTube is mocking my reaction posts.

"But it's not the professional grammarly way, so your contributions here are quite shit."

"Before we go to the final challenge, we asked the last three campers to tell us about their experience at camp!"

Fiore "I killed people in VR. That was the best experience of my life."

Ellie "I psychologically destroyed a man, and I don't regret it one bit."

Miriam "...yeah, it was nice."

"And I'm in the finale against a six year old girl and a seventy year old woman!"

Heyo, don't underestimate those two. Fiore's a psychopath and Miriam was an athlete back in her day.

"Would I have preferred Alec to be here instead of Ellie or Miriam? Eh."

Do you care about him or not?

I think she DOES care, but she's also so caught up in her own ego that she acts like she doesn't. That's how last elimination happened.

🎵"He had it coming, he had it coming, he only had himself to blame, if you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it, I betcha you would've one the same"🎵

It's an all women finale, what can I say?

Miriam "I support women's rights."

Ellie & Fiore "Well I support women's wrongs."

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"I have the slay pass from Golden! And I'm gonna use it!"

Imagine if she does use it. It'll be my fault.

"What will I be remembered for? Not for anything good... probably for betraying people and ruining things with Tom and Jake..."

"You can eat shit and die."

"You have no right to shame me."

YEP. YOU GOT THAT RIGHT.

I STILL DO NOT FORGIVE YOU.

I mean, I get it. You have a hard life. You're just trying to survive. I understand that...

But you could've just stolen that godforsaken idol from Tom and you wouldn't have had to destroy anyone.

"We also visited the losers hotel so they could give their thoughts on their sweet and maybe not so sweet experiences."

Ooh, here we go.

OH YEAH I FORGOT THE ELIMINATED PEOPLE COME BACK IN THE FINALS...

"My stay at Disventure Camp was a lot shorter than I would have liked..."

...is it bad that I forgot you existed?

🎵"I forgot that you existed"🎵

"I've learned not to be swayed by appearances."

YEAH. I'M GLAD YOU LEARNED THAT.

"After I got voted out, I was able to continue things with Will and... now we're dating!"

WAIT WHAT?!

UM... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?! HUH?!?!?!

And I thought Ripper & Axel were such a crack ship.

This came right out of nowhere! OMG...

I mean whatever. You two aren't bad people, so you can be cute, whatever. I don't really care. Hope you're happy.

"What can I say? I was a bloody fool..."

And?

*cuts away*

That's it? Okay.

Aw, Jake! ❤️

"I haven't talked to Tom since we got kicked out... We've bumped into each other a few times at the hotel, but he doesn't want to talk to me."

Yeah... 😔

I can't say I'm surprised though. Tom DID say he didn't want to talk to Jake ever again, so...

HE GOT THE MOST PTSD FROM THIS GAME. POOR THING.

"I know I deserve it."

😭💗

HONEY. NO...

"What did I learn? Well if you have a job to do just do it, without falling in love with some silly boy who ends up ruining your future!"

DAMN...

DAMN THAT'S COLD.

Yeah, those two are not talking after this show. They're done.

There is no hope for this ship anymore.

I'm eating Toxic Yaoi for dinner tonight.

"I have nothing to say. Get that camera out of my face!"

MOOD.

YOU MAD YOU LOST TO A CHILD?

"Some of them attempted to refuse, but we reminded them it's mandatory."

I expected that honestly XD

Grett would not be here otherwise.

JAKE IS THE ONLY ONE DEPRESSED, AWWWW...

I'm telling y'all, this experience is gonna make him an asshole in season 3 season and make so many enemies out of it.

I mean that would explain why my feed has had a bunch of people despising Jake so much. I'M CHOOSING TO SUPPORT HIM IF HE WANTS TO HATE EVERYONE.

(As a character direction, not 'excusing every bad action ever')

*gets coffee creamer ad*

I guess that's one way to act in a depression episode.

"Ima go down a coffee and overstuff it with cream so I have the energy to CRY MY EYES OUT 24/7. WHAAAAAAAAAA, NO ONE LOVES MEEEEEEEE..."

"Jake maybe don't drink that much, you're shaking."

"I WAS GETTING KINDA USED TO BEING SOMEONE YOU LOOOOOVVVEEEDDD..."

(Why do I enjoy doing my whiny Jake impression?)

"Can someone knock him out? I'm getting concerned."

Miriam supporters. Not surprised Jake & Tom are there.

Course Gabby supports her girlfriend.

How does she feel about what Ellie did... cause uh... that's gonna be something Ellie's gonna have to explain...

Also why is Alec supporting Ellie? She ditched him in a cave and caused his elimination.

You'd think he'd have more cold blood than that.

XD

GRETT is the ONLY Fiore supporter?

That's so funny to me.

Though that IS one that makes sense.

"Yeah, you shot me in the face to get immunity, which was MESSED UP. But you also helped me figure out some things, and I have to acknowledge you for that."

Respect. Respect.

"I'll have you know, I was forced to choose, these three can go-"

OKAY NEVERMIND XD

GRETT I LOVE YOU

"What?! You assholes! Not even you Alec?"

"Um, you DUMPED ME. ARE YOU SURPRISED?!"

Girl, you confessed to hating EVERYONE multiple times!

This is like Velma expecting everyone to like her when she confesses to not caring for anyone and being a dick to everyone. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?!

Fiore's a much better character though.

"A bowl of spoiled potato salad is more likeable than you, girl."

"Thanks for the support, everyone! I didn't think I would get that much."

Miriam, you deserve it.

OH MY GOD WOW.

OH WOW THAT'S COOL

AWWW... that's so sweet. They actually animated all these Patreons.

"By the way if you want to support us making more of these episodes, you can join our Patreon."

Okay that's just a fourth wall break.

The other characters are like "Um... who are you talking to? What's a Patreon?"

"Each finalist will be able to choose one person to help them in the challenge. Who's it gonna be?"

Miriam's probably choosing Jake.

Ellie's obviously picking Gabby.

Fiore's gonna have to pick Grett my default cause there's no other option.

All three of my favs became helpers XD

"Gabby!"

Yep.

"I choose Tom."

OH. REALLY.

Actually, that makes sense cause Tom is more physically capable.

Yeah, I understand that.

"Good decision, Miriam."

Awww

XD

THE FACE.

"YOU DARE COMPLIMENT ME?!?! OH THAT DOES IT!!! YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN SIR!!!!"

Tom hates Jake so much now. It's so sad.

"I guess I choose Grett. She's my only option."

So I got two right.

"And what if I refuse to help you?"

OH DAMN, NEVERMIND

"Fine, I'll give you a part of the prize."

"That's how I like it."

A penny. She's gonna give you a penny.

"She's not getting a penny."

XD

"GOLDEN, I CAN HEAR YOU, AND I CONSTANTLY DISOBEY YOU. You proud of yourself for making Grett broke now?"

"Fiore! We have to work together to slow Ellie down."

Oh, are they sabotaging Ellie?

"I know. She's the most athletic out of us."

I didn't think they'd STILL be working together.

"Keep your enemies closer" I guess.

Plus I did give Miriam a slay pass on Ellie, so...

"A lot has happened since you left..."

"Ever since you left, I worked WITH the people who stabbed you in the back to destroy my friend's relationship! And I gave him death threats!"

"Oh... is that the Ellie I know...?"

"It has been rough. No lie. But let's focus on the positive."

Okay so I guess Gabby isn't gonna have any feelings about it.

"I'm going for the key! Wait for me!"

*Gets a body wash ad*

Ellie the lake is not a bath.

"I don't know how to swim."

"Me neither."

Well you're both screwed then.

Goodbye Fiore.

"Tom, can you go get the keys for both of them?"

Why? Why help her?

Imagine Tom saying he can't swim either XD

"I missed the swimming part of spy school. So uh... yeah I think we're all screwed."

OH THERE YOU GO GRETT

That's one way to slow her down!

"If you do that to Ellie again, I'm going to use that key to gouge your eyes out and shove it down your throat!"

*CHOKES ON BREATH*

OH MY GOD

SHOTS ARE FIRED

"Well Tom, how are things with Jake?"

"What do you think? I hate him now! He fell for someone gaslighting him! That's completely his fault!"

"We haven't talked. I'm still a bit upset about what happened."

A BIT?

"You have every right to be. But I think you'll feel better if you both just listen to each other. Don't let it end on a bitter note."

Awww.

I don't know if Tom will do that, though?

Are they gonna make up?

Please?

"What would I gain from that?"

"Better to have no regrets Not talking to him and never seeing him again after this could leave you feeling terrible about this entire experience."

I mean, I do agree with Miriam, but...

Are they gonna be on good terms at the end? I don't know.

"I know you two are both good people. Trust me as woman who's had many regrets in her long life, if you have an opportunity to change things, you should take it."

👏

"We're in a million dollar challenge! Run more, talk less!"

XD

She's right though XD

Oh you're a bitch.

WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE EXPECT?! WHY DID YOU HELP HER?!

*talking about her plan*

Um, MIRIAM AND TOM ARE IN HEARING RANGE, RIGHT?!

AND THEY CAN SEE YOU WITH THEIR MAP

"The one Grett's holding is Miriams."

"Do you think they'll penalize you for that?"

TOM.

TOM. OMG.

YOU PUT THE MAP IN YOUR POCKET, RIGHT?!?!

WHY ARE YOU NOT QUESTIONING WHY GRETT HAS YOUR MAP?!?!?

WHAT THE HELL?!?!?

"How many times is everyone going to fall for Fiore and Grett's tricks?!"

THANK YOU. THANK YOU DAN.

TO THINK I DISSED YOU.

"Apparently we haven't learned our darn lesson yet..."

MULTIPLE TIMES, AND IT'S SO STUPID.

"How many times we gotta teach you this lesson, old lady?"

"Wait, why are Gabby and Ellie running in the opposite direction?"

OH MY GOD.

Tom, you are a dumbass. NOW you realize?!

Oh yay, the demon child wins...

This is where Miriam goes.

YEAH THIS IS WHERE MIRIAM GOES

THEY'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT

AW, I'M SORRY MIRIAM. I WAS ROUTING FOR YOU.

"Tom... I... I can't go any..."

NO DON'T GIVE UP

"Wait... I need help!"

Wait what's happening?

"Oh... my heart..."

OH NO. WHAT?!??!

WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT?!?!

NO

OH NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

YOU'RE GONNA KILL HER?!??!?!

NO THAT'S SICK. OH MY GOD. NO.

NOOOOOOOOOOO

DON'T KILL HER OFF, I LOVE HER. NOOOOO

NOOOOOOOO MIRIAM, NOOOOOOOO

CPR. DO CPR TOM. PLEASE.

"What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

LADY, YOU THINK?!?!?! SHE'S DYING.

"I can smell that million bucks calling to me."

OH

OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD WHAT

😲

I... I...

*AnalyzGolden.exe has stopped working*

...

... ... ...

So... let me get this straight...

She FAKED A HEART ATTACK TO WIN?!

... ... ...

😂👏

OMG THAT GOT ME

OMG MIRIAM YOU ARE INSANE

AND ELLIE'S OUT

😂👏

You KNOW this was done as revenge for Tom and Jake

KARMA IS A BITCH, ELLIE!!!!!!

Miriam used the slay pass! SHE ACTUALLY USED IT. I HAVE HER SLAY PASS AND SHE USED IT.

😂👏

THAT WAS SO GOOD

"What the hell was that?! After everything that has happened in this game, I lose a chance of fixing my life because of THAT?!"

I want to feel bad for Ellie, but I just DON'T.

OH MY GOD...

*struggling to calm down*

Continued In Part 2>>

[xf-cases-solved]

S1E9: Space

Case: Mulder's astronaut hero is being possessed by a space ghost that is causing him to withhold evidence of sabotage involving space shuttles. It is implied that he could have stopped the Challenger explosion. Sure. Meanwhile, badass Mission Control leader lady who I'm sure had a name just wants her fiance to get back to Earth safely, which is looking less and less likely as the astronauts on the shuttle are having a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. Vague and repetitive flashbacks are utilized. Mulder is a fangirl. I get bored halfway through and get on my phone. Hooray!

Does someone die in the cold open: I literally just finished this episode like five minutes ago, and I want to say no—like, I'm 97% certain it's a no—but I don't remember definitively and I have no desire to go back to that episode again to check.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, he was recruited into this case. No time for slideshows.

Does the evidence survive the investigation: I genuinely don't think they really had any concrete "evidence" of anything in the first place. I think they kept a couple X-rays, but there's no way they would ever hold up in a court of law.

Whodunit: Original series Star Trek-ass space ghost. I think.

Convictions: Nah, only person they could have maaaaybe scraped together the weakest case for threw himself out the window to escape the space ghost, so none needed.

Did they solve it: Maybe. Mulder has a guess, but he'll never be able to prove it, and ofc Scully doesn't believe it at all. Dunno where space ghost went. Maybe they're still out there looking for their next host. If they are, I hope we don't have to ever watch another episode of television about them.

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Space ghosts. Moon's haunted. Get your gun.

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 3 (easy come, easy go)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, it's me" phone calls: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 3

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 2

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 3

Total Number of Sexually Charged and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 5 (91% of their interactions in this episode were Mulder explaining space travel lingo to her as a very obvious way to tell the audience what was going on, so there was no time for flirting :( )

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 1

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 4

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 2

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 2 (they said it many, many, many times)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 1 (i made myself pay just enough attention to figure out the plot and the ending—bc, gun to my head, i would not have been able to tell you anything about that episode before today—so i saved myself a trip to wikipedia. that being said, i did not enjoy myself, and am already mentally preparing myself for the suffering that's going to happen next season when i'm forced to watch "3")

[nerice]

winter 2023 anime opinions so far

ars no kyojuu: STUPIDLY INVESTED IN THIS human experimentation is fine but i draw the line at stepping on the baby octopus in the opening shot. evil ppl. cast is fun & i desperately need a wacky fantasy fight show <3 also adopting that cat girls speech pattern for rini immediately lol

trigun stampede: I MISSED TRIGUN vash baby you're doing so well <3 i have zero gripes with this being a reimagine reboot EXCEPT THAT NEW GUY he's annoying. not only can i not forgive them for taking out milly IF they're going this road the least they could have done is let meryl be the experienced journalist and not the rookie who doesn't know shit. she deserves better. envision this: older meryl design, her mentoring some over-eager newbie instead, still w/ her straightlaced paladin mentality 100000/10 i am right studio orange hire me bc rn it just looks like u didn't know what to do w/ the top tier female characters the original series gave u. SALT

nier automata ani: soundtraaaack ;uuuuuuu; genuinely zero thoughts i know every single note of every single song by heart. six yrs ago i played that opening chapter as demo and im feeling Some Sorta Way abt it (the way is NEED TO REPLAY AUTO TOMATO IMMEDIATELY) we all knew putting this into animation would be mid at best n sacrifices were made but they're doing a great job w it all things considered! also DYING that we're getting the extra endings as skits.. when's the fish

revenger: mfw the 利便/revenger word play clicked god i love japanese!!!! extremely good character design & execution excited 2 learn more abt what's wrong w all these people lol

tokyo revengers s2: the other revenge one w. same gripes as last time with the pacing n Reasons For Shit Happen but i have enough distance that i can go into this less annoyed and more intrigued by what kisaki's deal is etc etc.

buddy daddies: the kid's the weakest part of this comedy and every part of it (gun action, accidental dad, stupid comedy) is done better by some other show this season + they gave away that cat so for now that show's on thin ice but im sticking around for a few eps

sugar apple fairy tale: IT'S SO PRETTY!!!!! slow fairy prince shoujo anime exactly as advertised thank u

[redheadgleek]

Books read (July-September)

July: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal. My last of Chris Colfer’s audiobooks and his first book. Not sure that a journal really was the best format, but I’m going to miss his voice. The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. In honor of the 70 year anniversary coming up, I’ve been reading a lot of books on the discovery of DNA. There was some uncomfortable fixation of Rosalind’s sexuality (much like Brenda Maddox books but she came to a completely different conclusion), and I truly loath James Watson now. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. Oooh. A short, dark fairy tale. Highly recommend. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. The last book published (so far) of the Gishaverse. Definitely not a stand alone novel, but overall, a satisfying end to the series and leaving room for more books. On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi. There really aren’t that many good fictional books about being a doctor, much less about going through medical school. This really captured the stress and drama of med school. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrows. Reimagined history, some strong characters (although maybe a wee bit too much of leaning into the maiden, mother, crone archetypes), beautiful story telling. Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus. Audiobook. Fascinating insights into how our ears and brain receive and perceive sound, and how it influences our language and cognitive development, if a bit redundant at times. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. Maybe a little bit of a cheat, since it’s a  episodic podcast, but it was on goodreads. I rewatched Orphan Black this spring and was eager to listen. Tatiana’s voices were amazing and I loved the new characters (her male voices were the weakest. 

August: Heat Wave (The Extraordinaries, #3) by TJ Klune. An excellent conclusion to the trilogy and so much familial love. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I’m not a big horror person, but I adore T’s writing. A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, with some cool biological explanations. A Middle-Earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor  by John Howe. I loved his work for the Lord of the Rings movies, so I thought this would be a good introduction to my next audio project. Lovely sketches, some lovely behind the scenes insights. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter (Season 2). This time, Jordan, Kristian, and Evelyn returned to voice their roles. I hope there’s another. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. A fun little regency romp involving a trans heroine. Lots of feelings. Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall. The story opens with one of my least favorite tropes: lying outrageously and then getting caught and I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because it really had all of the charm of the Great British Bake Off in a novel. Husband Material by Alexis Hall. (All of my library books became available at the same time, so I read three of Alexis’s books in a week period). I had been charmed by Boyfriend Material; it wasn’t the best fake dating book that I’ve ever read, but I was invested enough that I looked for the sequel and I liked it even better than the first one. Laugh out loud hysterical, following the plot of Four Weddings and Funeral while still giving it at twist. Looking forward to Father Material. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis. This will be my listening project for the next year probably. Andy Serkis’s voice is amazing – deep and rich in timbre. I haven’t reread this one since early in college, it was much darker than what I remembered. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Terrible stories, presented in a light-hearted, easy to approach manner. I’m planning on introducing it to my family and friends because it’s a really great way to highlight the pervasiveness of racism.

September The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. I really wanted to like this book as it was written by an emergency medicine doctor about a group of medical school friends. And I didn’t. There were parts that truly resonated, such as when one of the main characters loses a patient, but the drama was so over the top. Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson. Just a sweet little Romeo and Juliet retelling. A fluffy, easy to read romance which was just want I was craving. The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. I checked out all three of her books at the same time, so I was really hopeful that this one would be better. And it was, but it still felt lacking. It also felt like the author was trying too hard to emphasize that “not all Christians” are homophobic, but there was still homophobic and transphobic views (one character was the definition of sassy gay friend) that belied that conclusion. East by Edith Pattou. A reread because I found out that a sequel had been written and it had been literal years. Almost as good as I remembered, an excellent retelling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun West of the Moon. West by Edith Pattou. I’m not sure that East really needed a sequel, but this one was well done and it completed the story. Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches by Harry Cook. My god, did this book need better editors. So many sloppy mistakes. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. I started reading this 2 years ago and got distracted. A practical book, with some great real-time examples, but I’m not sure that it really made it easier to talk about race with some of my white relatives for example. Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin. I almost didn’t read this because I had been so disappointed by her previous books, but I’m so glad that I did because it was the best of the 3. She started writing this book back in 2019, about a pandemic that affected the world, and it was a much deeper, emotional story than the other two (although many of the same characters were in it). George (Melissa’s Story) by Alex Gore. Picked it up as part of Banned Books Week and you guys, I’m just tired of fake outrage. It was cute. The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. Sequel to Thorn, which I read earlier this year. Thorn was good, but this really developed the world. I’m excited for the 3rd book. I may make it to a 100 books this year. *crosses fingers*

[stewyhosseini-bf]

i understand and i still feel like season 3's opening episodes were so far some of the weakest succession episodes, and i still quite liked season 3. i'm going to be tentatively hopeful but the time skip is aggravating

I completely agree, I actually said the same thing! Personally 3x2 is one of my favorite episodes in general but 3x1 was def a bit weak, I kind of forget what even happens in it. And s3 was still phenomenal! So that’s one reason I’m hopeful / not actually TOO worried. But I’m still kinda worried I can’t lie to myself (anymore) lmao. And I agree abt the time skip it’s bugging me lol. I also do think that I just personally have a bit of a problem with the fact that things have changed so drastically from last season, like even just them being in LA gives me anxiety idk why LMAO. They’re not supposed to be in the direct sun that much it’s wrong (jk but not rlly but jk). And again it’s like maybe we‘re SUPPOSED to feel that it’s weird and off bc - well it is. Because everything’s different. But idk. Tentatively hopeful is my feeling rn as well

[jessjustplay]

Ranked: 11 Video Games I Finished in 2022 (New Games Only)

December 19, 2022

I got back into gaming this year and I finished 11 new-to-me games! I'm going to rank them from my least favorite to most favorite. "Finished" means I completed the main story line/main quest.

Note: I'm only including the NEW-TO-ME games that I played and finished for the very first time. In 2022, I also finished Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and Princess Maker 2. I've loved those games for many years and including them would throw off the results.

#11 - Cat Quest (PC)

I really enjoyed this game. Cat Quest is a cute, colorful, cat-centric action-RPG game. I think it had the weakest story of the total list, which is why it gets ranked last. [Click here to read Game Archive]

#10 - Carto (PC)

Carto was a very fun puzzle adventure game with beautiful watercolor graphics. Some of the puzzles were easy, others were more difficult. I enjoyed the seasonal and geographical changes in each area, and I think the story was simple but strong! [Click here to read Game Archive]

#9 - Final Fantasy I (PS1 Classic on PS Vita)

This is a simple, to-the-point RPG adventure and I loved that about it. You always knew what to do next because the NPCs were helpful. Truly a classic and I had a great time! [Click here to read Game Archive]

#8 - Final Fantasy II (PS1 Classic on PS Vita)

The "Town" theme from this game is one of the most beautiful songs in the entire FF franchise. I have nightmares of the last dungeons but it was still very fun and beating the final boss was one of the best moments of 2022! [Click here to read Game Archive]

#7 - Final Fantasy VII (Switch)

The music in this? Fantastic. I am glad I got to experience this beloved game. While not my favorite, it was truly an adventure! Having seen the remake, it's amazing to go back to the OG roots and see how far video gaming has developed over the years. [Click here to read Game Archive]

#6 - Princess Maker 3 (Switch)

I loved Princess Maker 2 when I was a kid. This is the first time I ever played Princess Maker 3 and while it definitely had a learning curve, when I got the hang of it, I had so much fun! [Click here to read the Game Archives]

#5 - Dragon Caffi (Switch)

This was a random purchase, but definitely a great purchase! I didn't know what I was getting into, but it's the cutest adventure. This game is FULL of adorable art - the backgrounds, the characters, and the FOOD! I loved it and can't wait to replay it. [Click here to read Game Archive]

#4 - Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! (PC)

I haven't played a Nancy Drew mystery game in YEARS, so this one was extremely fun and also sentimental. I thought the gameplay mechanics were easy and enjoyable. The mystery was also intriguing! [Click here to read Game Archive]

#3 - Final Fantasy VIII (Remastered, Switch)

This is such a special game. I really like Squall and I enjoyed seeing him open up and develop as a character. The music is wonderful, and there's just an aura to this game that is indescribable. As cheesy as it sounds, it's magical. (Literally?) [Click here to read Game Archive]

#2 - Star Ocean First Departure R (Switch)

Ahh, my first Star Ocean game... and what a game it was. I loved the pixel art in this game. The battle system was so much fun, and the voice acting was excellent. I was always excited to jump on the Switch to play more of this. That's when you know it's a good one! [Click here to read Game Archive]

#1 - Final Fantasy XIII (PC)

Oh gosh - this game. This game is epic. This game is amazing. The storytelling??? PHENOMENAL. You see so many sides to the same story, each character filling you in just a bit more. It's fantastic. And Lightning? Absolutely amazing!! This game is everything! I can't wait to play the other games in the trilogy! [Click here to read Game Archive]

[danthropologie]

Honestly, I can’t see RBR doing a mid-season swap, unless something happened to make a driver unable to race. I think they sort of learned their lesson after Gasly, and swapping out Checo is completely different to rotating your juniors around. But there’s def a performance clause in his contract for 2024, and he’s by far the weakest driver in the top 3 teams. Once RB has more competition in the championships, his position becomes untenable (his pace gap to Max is 😳). For Daniel I do think he needs the full year, 6 months r&r, and then 6 months quietly preparing behind the scenes, private tests etc.

yeah and checo may or may not have the pope on his side as well, which is a whole can of worms i'm not sure even chaos agent christian horner would be willing to crack open 😳😳😳