#this post reminded me of why i just prefer to gif scenes

[patrickblancos]

BBC GHOSTS +  “certainly not a bot” tumblr description generator (insp.)

[lunerna21]

I FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO THE UPDATE FOR BOOK 7 AND I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED WITH HOW MUCH I ENJOYED IT

***SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 JPN SERVER AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!***

***ALSO SLIGHTLY LONG POST AHEAD! MY APOLOGIES!***

UM CAN I MENTION HOW HARD I LAUGHED WHEN SILVER WAS TELLING THE STORY ABOUT FLOYD GRABBING RIDDLE'S HAIR TO SEE IF IT WAS HOT?!

AND JADE HYSTERICALLY LAUGHING WHILE AZUL IGNORES THEM!!!!

If they ever animate that scene, I'm gonna hurl from seeing Floyd just being catapulted off screen and Jade enjoying himself 😂

Floyd being so bored of his dream and just him swaying like the seaweed was freakin hysterical 😂

It just reminded me of this for some reason:

I mean it makes sense since Floyd is always up for a challenge and isn't afraid of basically anything, so of course Malleus's vision for Floyd's dream wasn't going to be very exciting

ALSO WE CAN TALK ABOUT FLOYD HAD THE BALLS TO FIGHT MALLEUS, LEONA AND EVEN FUCKING CATER?! CATER WIPED THE FLOOR FIGHTING FLOYD BUT I WASN'T EXPECTING CATER TO KICK ASS

HELL YES CATER!!

.......And then we jump into Jade's dream...

....The moment I saw how Jade imagined both Azul and Floyd...

AND THEN SOMEONE POSTED THIS ON TWITTER AND I ABSOLUTELY LOST IT

JADE BY FAR IS THE MOST HYSTERICAL CHARACTER IN TWST AND I CAN'T BELIEVE FLOYD HAD TO SEE HIS DOOFY LOOKING FACE LIKE THAT

I don't blame Floyd for duking it out with Jade I would feel the same if thats how my siblings imagined me lol

And finally, Azul's dream!!

First of all, AZUL WAS SOMETHING ELSE DURING HIS DREAMS

Azul being a coral rush player?! AND KINDA BEING JOCKY?! I wasn’t prepared for that! 😂

(special shoutout to Idia for throwing shade at his first image of a cocky player, that was 👌🏻)

JADE JUST GRABBING POOR IDIA'S TABLET AND GETTING AZUL'S SIGNATURE ON IT 😂👏🏻👏🏻

AND IDIA JUST SLOWING MOVING OFF TO THE SIDE THIS POOR GUY HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH 😂

When the mermaids started harassing everyone and knocked us over, I WASNT READY FOR AZUL TO CARE WHEN WE GOT HIT

I WAS A FREAKING MESS IM SO DELUSIONAL AND I KNOW HE'S NOT ALWAYS NICE BUT AHHHHHHHH HE WAS SO CUTE HERE (Ignore me I'm delusional and I've missed Azul so much 🥺❤️)

It was so bizarre to see Azul playing a jocky player and being popular in school, but once Idia explained that any negative moments or lessons Azul had to face (bullying, losing the contracts) were no longer a thought because of it only being a dream with no negative emotions

It’s still mind boggling how detailed everyone’s dreams are but terrifying like damn Malleus has so much power and yet he can juggle so many of them

After Azul invited us to the party and was INCREDIBLY NICE for someone like him, and Idia got suss:

I knew something was up, especially after he made everyone wear the anenomes for the party AND GRIM SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER HE WENT THROUGH THIS BEFORE WHY DID HE BELIEVE THIS

Floyd and Jade bouncing off Azul being a bully was soooo worth it

It's kinda scary how I preferred the old Azul, considering he wasn't a cocky jock straight from a manga/book ICK ICK ICK

AND THEN AFTER AZUL FELL INTO THE BLOT, HE WAS A PAIN IN THE BUTT TO CORNER I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE PLANNING AND HOW WE HELPED DESTROY THE CONTRACTS ONCE AGAIN

But this devastated me 😭

It still must've felt pretty shitty having to go through that again, but I started to cry I'm just so happy Azul woke up from his dream 😭❤️❤️❤️

Azul's battle with himself! *chefs kiss* I love how they reference it similar to the battle from The Little Mermaid and how Azul's blot form began to grow

But let me tell you something:

I WOULD DIE IF I COULD FRAME THIS!! JUST SEEING THE GLOWING EYE AND AZUL DOING THIS POSE! PERFECTION!!!

ITS SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK AZUL!!!❤️

This chapter was such a fun trip, and I'm so glad we're slowly getting closer to releasing everyone from their dreams

BUT ONE LAST THING! TWST INTENTIONALLY DID THIS TO HURT MY FEELINGS!

HOOOOOWWWWW DARE TWST FOR SHOVING THIS IN MY FACE I WANT MY BEST FRIENDS BACK SO BADLY AND THE FACT THAT THEY DO THIS CONSTANTLY AND ALSO GRIM BRINGING THEM UP IS JUST AWFUL

I MISS THEM SO MUCH I NEED TO SEE THEM AGAIN

NEXT UP, SAVANACLAW!! (RUGGIE I MISS YOU SO SO MUCH!!)

Enjoy the weekend~~!!!❤️

(Screenshots from https://youtube.com/@gasmask01?si=lpin67yaOvHDdg_c )

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: The Announcement

Still here! - 6x13 "Mixed Feelings"

I've posted several times about how 6x13 was the finale for me since the rest of the season COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN YEETED TO THE SUN AND OBLITERATED but I digress.

The video above includes two scenes, one from 6x9 "Red Flag" and the other from 6x13 "Mixed Feelings". I've combined them to illustrate how they might be related. When Buck joined the team while they were sitting on the rooftop in 6x9, Eddie asked him, "Would you prefer an announcement?" and Buck replied, "Uh... I would" with the first scene from 6x13 when Bobby said, "Over here guys" because it seems like these were subtexts for the announcement of Buck & Eddie.

I've already completed two posts; one for 6x8 regarding the comment Buck made about "Raining Men" (linked here) and one that includes all six scenes of Buck and Eddie, Buck and Chris and the Buckley-Diaz Family for 6x13 (linked here). Also, I've mentioned before how I've watched 6x13 numerous times and each time I've watched it, I've noticed something new. The last time it was Bobby's comment of "Over here guys" that caught my attention because it reminded me of Eddie's question to Buck in 6x9 about if he wanted an announcement that prompted this post. It appears it may have been included as part of "the announcement" for Buck and Eddie too in addition to the "Raining Men" subtext that was included in 6x8, 6x9, 6x10 and 6x13.

Some may be asking, why is this important?

Well... it's important because IIRC, Buck and Eddie have NEVER entered the scene of a call LATE when they were with the 118. The entire team arrives at scenes together, they always have. The only time Buck and Eddie showed up to a call "late" or "just in time" was in 4x13 "Suspicion" but reminder, Buck wasn't in uniform and the 118 wasn't there since Eddie called it in and the 133 was dispatched 👀. Therefore, that scene was eliminated from this analysis.

Also, Captain Mehta was in 6x13 too (exactly two years later following the shooting - detailed post about Captain Mehta in 6x13 linked here) and I've been wondering why he was there if all they wanted him to do was play poker.

I've never believed that was it because reminder, Captain Shore was the 133's captain in 5x16 "May Day" and if the show wasn't trying to tell the audience something, she would have been at the poker table with Chief Williams (another person the audience hadn't seen since season 2 during the earthquake).

Eddie's and Buck's "late" arrival prompted A LOT of unanswered questions for me and I've listed some of them below.

Why were they late?

Where the heck were they?

Were they together? (Since they entered together, I think they were.)

What were they doing? 👀👀

Why didn't they enter the scene with everyone else?

Did Bobby know where they were?

If so, why didn't he call for them sooner?

Is it possible the way Bobby called them along with the way they entered the gym was the announcement about them becoming a romantic couple?

Based on the way season 6 ended, it seemed like the "RUSHED" and messy bridge collapse wasn't supposed to end the way it did and I've often wondered why Bobby was underneath the rubble instead of SOMEONE ELSE (based on the first set of BTS pics that were released, I have an idea of who it should have been but for some reason, it was all changed. Goodbye FOX network and hello ABC) especially since Bobby was trapped under Metro Dispatch's roof in 5x16. The storyline shouldn't have been for him because the team had already worked to get him out of the rubble in season 5 and it was significant then but not so much at the end of season 6. None of the rest of the season made any narrative sense and it's possible it never will if they continue the mixed up and forced narrative they threw in at the last minute for season 7.

It would have been easier if 9-1-1 would have just told the audience what they wanted them to know instead of expecting people to do mental gymnastics to figure things out but... anyway. Was Buck's and Eddie's entrance in 6x13 part of "the announcement" regarding them becoming a CANON couple? Only the showrunner(s), writers and producers know the answer to that question and HOPEFULLY it will be answered in season 7.

[gege-wondering-around]

I hope your world is a happy one at the moment! 🩵I was wondering: what are some of the things that never fail to make you smile?

Hi darling, so sorry it took me so long to answer you! hope you are having an amazing day!💗

I've been thinking about your question since it first caught my eyes a few days ago and between thinking about the answe and dancing between drivers ed and working on my WIP i got lost in time!

Anyway!

my WIPs:

Something that never fails to make me smile are surely my WIPs! Ant time i work on them (rn only on one of'em) i get so happy with myself!

I have a very horrible memory so whenever i re-read something i wrote even a week ago, i don't remeber much of it and i get always surprised by what i wrote and by how much i like it (it's also the reason why sometimes i read the same fics without even noticing it till the end!)

I was always the kinda person who preferred to write than to speak, so I've been writing (poetry, little scenes without any connections, little works maybe never finished from when i was in middle school, and my WIPs now) for basically all my life! the major reason of why i started writing a while back was to express myself, my pain and my thoughts while i was going through a hard time in my life, but now I got to enjoy this as a way of being alive and it brightens my day to be able to write such wonderful things (I'll post a fic soon, so i promise there'll be some ground for this info in a little while).

here's a little thing i wrote in my latest fic (coming soon probably)

So, I basically love writing! I also learned english because i like writing and i never like writing in my native language...

my cat:

big old boy here is my good old pal Bounty! (nobody calls him that, but whatever ahah)

He is clumsy, fat, friendly, a ball of fur and a basic dork! He loves nothing more than to give and recieve love and he has an obsession with his food (he meows as loudly as possible when he wanna eat) and he has been by my side for 8 years now, from when i first got down a bad road to now (where i'm all better) and he has never left me!

Kindness:

It's not very tangible but it just makes me glad to have fought so i'm able to witness how kind people can be! It reminds me the world isn't just cruel and unfair, but it can be kind and caring especially when we are towards each other!

and to give you an example of kindness, i'll bring out a passion of mine i dont really talk about here...

big old pal here comes from an anime called Trigun, his name is Vash.

buddy had no other goal than to be kind to everyone in every way possible despite everyone was against him cause they thought he was the bad guy cause he was different than them (let's say, he is the personification of what keeps humanity going in the show) and buddy here wanted nothing more than to help and despite carrrying this huge big boy here

he didn't use to shot to anyone, his aim was always towards the bad guys' weapons to make them drop 'em and his air the excellent!

to me, old pal above is one of the many examples of kindness i can think about but i think i can give you another we are both familiar with...

(from pinterest)

i mean, if he isn't a symbol of kindness without pulling in any "big ones" of kindness (and by this i mean a more popular person), i don't know what else to say...

my spotify playlist of the moment:

just love these songs and i just sing them all day

and here they are!

those never fails to make me smile!

hope you're having an amazing day and im about to run to your ask box to ask the same cause im too curious now to know your answer to this🫂✨

forgive any typos <3

[aprillikesthings]

It's Fridayyyyy

TIME FOR MORE SHE-RA

s1 ep11 Promise

oh shit I remember this one it's a heartbreaker

(good stuff for my fic though)

Hey remember when I swore up and down I wasn't going to liveblog my entire rewatch? Good times.

Part of me is like: I would get through these so much faster if I didn't insist on screenshotting them and commenting and making jokes

But the rest of me knows damn well I probably just wouldn't bother watching them?? This way feels a bit like watching it *with* someone, which I always prefer to watching things alone.

Also tbh if I did just marathon them while knitting or something I wouldn't remember anything!! Which would defeat the point!! So here I am.

If you're new to these posts: I am doing a rewatch of She-Ra with the specific purpose of taking notes for a fic I'm working on--but because this is me we're talking about, I also post a ton of screenshots with the purposes of commentary, squeeing at specific scenes, and making jokes. Because it's a rewatch, I don't comment on every plot point and I often mention things that happen later in the show--in other words, these might be confusing if you haven't seen the show yet.

EDIT: yeah this was another one where I hit the image limit, will have to reblog to finish it

I know people have figured out the "alphabet" of the first ones what does this sayyyyy

I mean wouldn't they all be portable in some sense? The one that recharges Glimmer could be taken down and moved somewhere, couldn't it? We know the one from Scorpia's kingdom was taken and moved to the Fright Zone, for instance.

"Query not recognized."

Adora's frustration here is exactly why I don't use Siri, like, ever.

Light Hope reminds me of a specific model? actress? from the 1980's but I can never remember who and it drives me CRAZY

*does some googling*

GRACE JONES I AM THINKING OF GRACE JONES

TELL ME I'M WRONG

Grace Jones also did disco music, TIL

back to cartoon lesbians

yeah that couldn't have been important for anything no worries it's fine

you didn't notice anyone else there until She-Ra destroyed something lolol

ehehehehehehh

Look I know it's the point of the whole show but I grin every time they're supposed to be on opposite sides and one saves the other's life (Does Adora do it more than Catra does? surely someone kept count)

don't mind me

little shit

🎵BUT YOU DID IT ANYWAYYYYYY🎶

"how many times are you going to make that joke" well how many times does Catra say it lolll

"where are your friends?" "you mean the ones you KIDNAPPED and CURSED???" "uh, yeah?"

lol

I just like the art style here

Okay so I can't screenshot audio, but that little moment of Catra saying "Adora? Adora???" where the tone goes from "hey look at this" to that almost-panic and then she turns around and it's kid!Catra is just so, SO well done.

ugh these scenes are such a punch in the gut

I'm not getting emotional at cartoon characters remembering the happier bits of their shitty traumatic childhood together, YOU ARE

;_;

man this shot is just good, ugh, you can see so much of their characters on display: Adora's self-righteousness vs Catra's sullen defensiveness

anyway they should've made out

lol

they're 1:1 so far this episode

(even though this cliff probably isn't even real)

"Did you really think I'd just let Shadow Weaver erase your memory like that?" oh so she DID know

Adora: "I don't know, probably" I mean I thought she would

I've been CALLED OUT lol

Adora: "Can you blame me? Catra: "*scoffs* Not really"

😏

John Cena.gif

BABIES (okay a little older like maybe 13)

(still babies)

I mean, true

I'VE HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT FOR THIS POST lol I knew I would

gonna post and reblog

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #17 Redone

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 2, The Clue, (Job minisode; Crowley has a permit)

...

Introduction

Well, I said I would decide when the time came, and the time has come. So fine, here we are. As I said way back on my post about Before the Beginning, I have a high preference for present day Crowley as it is.

The whole story and its set of games include various challenges, and the minisodes are no exception, especially when it comes to analyzing Crowley's hair.

Surprisingly, the present day sideburns are still broadly solvable without the minisodes. If anything, they are a guide for trying to figure out the minisodes themselves by telling an audience player to seriously consider the spaces as the hair changes.

I've already admitted these things are a bit over my head when it comes to these memories, but I'll go over the how and why of it a bit more.

A good place to start is The Magic Trick You Didn't See theory I've referenced before, most notably in Post #8.

Reminder, the core theory there is that the Metatron has access to the Book of Life and has been editing it the whole time. More to the point, he's been editing mostly Aziraphale's memories and maybe Crowley's as well.

Now, something I have not said explicitly in my posts from that theory is that the author themself says Good Omens 2 has bad writing in it, presumably on purpose.

Sorry, but it does.

You know what? I'm not a professional author or even much of a reader, but that resonates.

Their idea is that the bad writing is a clue that the Metatron is editing the Book of Life, and he is a bad writer.

Well, I still think the Book of Life is actually in that matchbox, but otherwise, the idea strikes me as quite plausible. Well, sort of. You really shouldn't be able to edit someone's memories. I personally don't think that's a good story-telling device. What's the limit? What are the rules? Why not just write the story exactly as you want it to play out or the person exactly as you want them to be? Unless it's a game?

But I'm not a professional writer, especially Neil Gaiman, and I do believe the "Crowley storming out" sequence is meant to be an obvious story edit.

But not by the Metatron. That was a team effort. This effort suggests the "rules" of such a game would then entail that the Metatron isn't allowed to be the only being that can edit the story (or memories).

The Earthly Objects game is being played, and this game is powerful stuff.

As I've said, Earthly Objects itself might be a book that is a game. So, combining these ideas, Earthly Objects might still then be a book that the Metatron himself can edit, instead of the Book of Life. He still has to play the game at the end.

And certain players of a high enough caliber can make their own edits.

Then we approach what I think is a tricky question for this story.

What is the character point of view?

This question feels like a trap because of the spaces acting like a point of view within the game. People are going to ask the question anyway, especially with this episode giving at least three hints as to who was remembering a scene and who is about to remember a scene.

But since the Earthly Objects game exists, the Metatron could be editing parts, and Crowley and Aziraphale themselves can also be editing parts, an audience player is going to have a very hard time finding the answer.

My understanding is that the memories we see aren't just a person's memories.

These memories are stories, and the spaces in these memories still have readings of Crowley based on various factors though those factors aren't so easily and plainly paralleled to the present day ones.

The stories themselves, I believe, are embellished and contain hidden messages between Crowley and Aziraphale, even if they have to deal with the Metatron intruding on those memories and trying to separate them in the end.

For whatever it's worth to anyone on the character point of view question, I do think Crowley is the closest thing we can have to that.

Aziraphale is the surface-level point of view and messenger.

Crowley is the layered-level point of view and messenger.

On my first viewing, the Good Omens 2 story felt more like Aziraphale's story. It was disappointing and felt quite lacking on Crowley's end of things.

But when I dug deeper and found the games, things changed. I can't see the extent of Crowley's point of view on the story without playing the games. I can't speak for other people, but that's how I feel. The story is amazingly and beautifully different with the games. Since I have played them, I do think finding 6 Threshold Tricks is a big deal, especially with my limited understanding of how much The Pocket Trick affects so much else.

The Threshold Tricks help make the bookend nature between Crowley and Muriel scenes stand out. In turn, Crowley himself having bookend solo cuts for the season stands out more too. He's who we saw first in Before the Beginning. He's who we will see last before the credits slide his cut over to the side and start rolling. He "pockets" the story before those credits start.

So, that's why I have a hard time with the hair in the minisodes and understanding the character point of view. I'll still pass along my limited understanding throughout these posts.

...

Episode Title

This episode has got some nerve being titled The Clue!

It has the first "touch" of The Bigger Thresholds Trick, two more touches for The Sunglasses Trick, and the first two touches of The Pocket Trick. The Pocket Trick starts this episode—The Pocket Trick!!!

The Pocket Trick is loaded with so many clues, such as the most likely place to discover the existence of the Tied Hands.

This episode also has a reflection of Aziraphale in Crowley's sunglasses as a clue for The Window Trick.

There's like 10 million clues in this episode!

If the challenge is to guess The Clue that is not the record but to pick the most special clue of the clues or something, my answer is the Pocket Frame touch point in The Pocket Trick, Triple Part 2. That Pocket Frame is for capturing the Green with the rainbow. It happens before Aziraphale even "proposes".

Here is the video frame in question:

I will go over it more when I get to that part of the episode.

But anyway...

I'm using Crowley's name as a general preference and figuring I can get away with it because the official subtitles do.

Images are brightened as I see fit.

...

Hairstyle Notes

Crowley's hair is shorter than what's going to appear later, but in this minisode, short does not necessarily trend human as it does compared to the present day storyline. It doesn't necessarily mean Crowley's point of view or Aziraphale's point of view either.

This length goes down mostly to his shoulders. When he bows his head with the scroll, some skin can be seen at the neckline of his cloak.

The hair is not just short though. The sides of Crowley's hair are more fluffy and curly than what's going to be shown when he has shorter hair around Job and Sitis.

What's worth considering about the space?

Earth is a lot younger.

This reading looks more like "open" because of at least two factors that aren't Aziraphale or the goats or Crowley himself.

There are no humans in this scene.

Not only are there no humans, there are no human-built or human-inhabited structures with thresholds visible. I keep looking in case I missed it somewhere, and I'm not finding them.

The space is wide, open, and vast. There is a ravine in the background.

I still can't find any humans or human-built structures.

I can find goats, water, plant life, and rocks. There is also a supernatural ball of fire active during most of the scene though it is not formed until after the scene starts and dissipates before the scene's end.

In this particular story within the story, a stronger curl or fluff in the hair is associated with what most closely matches a "supernatural" reading later when human-built structures are involved.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

Crowley touches one of the goats. Aziraphale touches a rock by eventually going to stand up on a specific one. Crowley touches the scroll.

Neither addresses the other by direct name though Crowley is addressed as "Demon" by title initially. The names said are Almighty God, Almighty, God, Satan, and Job.

Questions include "Ah, shall we begin?" and "Where was I?"

Time to pay attention to the pockets.

With the changed costume, there are no present day Tied Hands. However, quickly in their place are threads on Crowley's chest that form pockets over him already.

Crowley creates a pocket between himself and the goat just by grabbing it.

He is pocketed between goats just before he creates the large supernatural ball of fire. Not only that, he briefly crosses his left arm horizontally above his right arm when "Land of Uz" appears on screen.

With his right-side snake tattoo being more evidently visible on his face than in preceding cuts, Crowley crosses his arms upward, then uncrosses them as his means to create the giant fireball.

When Aziraphale shows up, Crowley creates pockets between his arms and his head before fully lowering his arms. As a general guess, that helps keep the ball of fire where it is above him.

The scroll itself creates a massive pocket over the landscape with a small opening between Crowley and Aziraphale themselves::

Crowley is maintaining position under his fireball until he unleashes it. It's like his own temporary supernatural roof.

Aziraphale is notably touching his own robe at times during the scene.

When the crows appear, they are visually pocketed between Aziraphale's and Crowley's heads.

My tangential reading to improve my play has me at finishing Pyramids by Terry Pratchett and starting on Guards! Guards!, which is the book I've found most commonly recommended for reading first instead of going by published order. Yes, I still chose publishing order anyway. Pyramids has a funny-but-cruel "short-handed" joke, which is not a pun I've thought of yet, so I'll be keeping it in mind.

I'm also on The Sandman Volume 2 by Neil Gaiman. I'm in the early part of it but The Threshold was heavily emphasized with the introduction of Desire, and I've been emphasizing thresholds as quite important for this Good Omens 2 story in my own theories.

...

Story Commentary

The opening immediately gives us a year, 2500 BC, with some film grain on the cut as a visual alert that we have entered a story within the story we are watching. This part also helps alert us to something like a movie and different than the sign boards used in season 1. Between Crowley and Aziraphale, Crowley is the one the story tells us who likes movies. He'll mention a "Richard Curtis film" later this episode and was at a movie theater while waiting out whenever Hell would come for him in season 1.

In other words, when looking for a point of view, that's a likely clue, especially since much like Before the Beginning, Crowley is shown first, and he is alone.

Once Aziraphale arrives, does the scene shift to his point of view?

If so, I think it's shared because the stories themselves are like coded messages written between the players, mainly Crowley and Aziraphale, with some potential Metatron invasive edits.

Due to the scenes with the kids later, it's possible the camera angles hint to the point of view, at least sometimes. So, if that's the case, I think that Aziraphale's POV on Crowley is at least the 3/4ths Crowley's left view of Crowley's upper body and face.

That's this general angle:

This particular scene is exaggerated in ways that remind me of a cartoon, such as the scroll rolling its way all over the vast space. That's a clue for someone figuring out the hair about the nature of the space too. That's the type of clue I would expect from Crowley instead of Aziraphale because again, between the two of them, he's the one who is known to watch cartoons.

The scroll appears from nowhere, and once dropped, it doesn't actually go anywhere in the scene itself either. It's not on the ground. It went into that same "pocket" dimension other cartoon items do when items are grabbed for the convenience of a scene.

This scene is a parallel to the closing scene of the minisode, which is far more serious in tone. That makes it the front bookend, or part of an outer pocket, to the minisode itself.

Aziraphale alerts us to how "unreal" the scene is by saying, "This can't be real". The line itself then has two opposing meanings. The memory story can't be real, or isn't quite real, but the contents of the scroll allowing Crowley to destroy everything Job owns is "real".

Hence, maybe things didn't happen this exact way back then, but the messages inside the story are still going to be real enough to hold value to the characters.

In the dialogue, Crowley at one point says, "I am a demon. Maybe I'm lying." I can't find the post I have in mind, but I know there was one where the author remarked that was a signal for Aziraphale's POV since he talks like that in season 1. When Crowley says, "Would I lie to you?" Aziraphale says, "Well, obviously. You're a demon. That's what you do." That tracks...except of course if this memory is how Aziraphale got such notions into his head to begin with. No one ever said the game was fair.

But POV aside, I feel it worth pointing out that this logic works under the premise of "correlation equals causation." As in, the statement implies because Crowley is a demon, he is a liar. With the Rule of Three in Earthly Objects, this logic will repeat two more times during the episode. It will also show that extremely similar literal statements can have strongly different contextual meanings. Here, it means Crowley himself is suspect. Later, it means Crowley was manipulative to use Aziraphale to get him into the mansion and reach the kids. With the concluding scene of the minisode, it will mean a lie to oneself as a shield for admitting loneliness.

As I prefer to interpret the story, Crowley is not a liar because he is a demon. Crowley is a liar because he uses deception as a strategy, for his own side. That can be part of his job as a demon or part of coping with his own existence.

I have to do a lot of questioning for correlation and causation to play the games in the story itself.

In trying to examine how the spaces read Crowley, a few things came up in my notes that are worth mentioning here.

Fire is a relevant element to Crowley himself and occasionally the only visible light source within a scene. That's almost true of this one. Presumably, there is a sun out there somewhere to light the day, but it's never actually shown on screen. Aziraphale's halo—or whatever that thing is surrounding him—also acts as a temporary light source.

However, while the supernatural ball of fire is actively in place, it is shown to affect the lighting on Crowley himself, making his red hair look all the more red, for example.

General reminder, that the quote on the matchbox shown in episode 1 refers to "sparks of fire". I've mentioned I think a lot of things already suggest that link between that quote and Crowley. Fire is going to show up repeatedly.

Another thing that comes up is...hats. Or, in this case, a headband. This headband itself actually changes within the spaces too. Why hats? Why head gear that's not just his sunglasses? Do I have to start paying attention to other head accessories like earrings and regular eye glasses? I don't know. I haven't figured it out. What I have figured out is that at the end of The Door Trick, a symbol of fire can be found to Crowley's right, and a hat worn by a relevant passing human can be found to his left. He is "pocketed" between these two things that keep appearing in the spaces of the minisodes as if they have some meaning. A hat-wearing human was behind him for another crucial part in the preceding cut of Crowley facing the camera.

These are things I can also find in a number of places in season 1 once I know to look for them.

I have mentioned that I suspect Muriel's helmet helps them somehow in their part with The Bigger Thresholds Trick and being unable to fathom how I could ever figure that one out. It's still true.

If I progress further, I will update accordingly as time allows.

Yet another thing that comes up is...roofs. Roofs?!

Yeah, roofs. I was very perplexed at that.

This game is a mind trip, let me tell you. I wrote it out in my notes about my confusion for why the story wanted me to figure out something with the roofs. I know I've seen the roof of the elevator when Crowley and Muriel enter. I know Crowley touches the edge of the roof to his car in The Window Trick.

After reviewing The Door Trick and The Door Catch yet again, but not finding whatever mysterious roof thing I thought I should, I decided to look at the ending credits.

I am not joking that I wrote this in my notes:

"Why am I saving and watching the credits when the elevator roof is still lacking? What does my subconscious sense as relevant that I don't? Is that what's happening? So confused."

And do you know what happened?

Here is what I wrote:

"This game is such a mind trip.

Unbelievable.

My subconscious knew to check that Crowley raised his head enough to make a fucking self-pocket of hair that can be seen in line with the roof of his car when Aziraphale smiles before they are both blurred and disappear from the credits. WTF.

Crowley narrows his eyes when Aziraphale smiles.

That's what my subconscious wanted me to find because of the roof thing!!!"

I can't believe this game!!!

Here's my post about it before publishing this one: If no one ever told you...

Alas, while I have found the fire-and-hat pocket for the end of The Door Trick, I really don't understand why this story thinks those things are worth considering or what they mean. I just know I found a pattern that I suspect is intentional.

Anyway, time to move on...

Muriel

(For reference: Bookend Buddies - Crowley and Muriel (Part 2))

The scroll minisode scene acts as a front bookend to Muriel's one and only minisode scene in the season. Muriel is wearing a headband with some gold. It is not the exact same headband that Crowley wears, but the similarity is nonetheless noted.

I went ahead and made a composite picture to look at both of them their headbands:

The scroll looks very similar to the one Crowley held that disappeared in the preceding scene. Meaning, it's a same-or-similar earthly object they each touch even though they have no other form of interaction during the minisode.

Both Muriel and Aziraphale stand the entire time. Muriel has a desk much like what can be found in the present day scenes, but they have no chair as Michael does. The desk has folders on it too. These things remind of me of the present day form of Heaven since Muriel had a desk and folders there too.

For pockets, Muriel makes one with their hand and the scroll, some pockets between themself and the desk, and some pockets with their own hands.

Satan is brought up in the conversation but not the actual demons working for him. That is to say, Crowley is not named specifically in this conversation.

Muriel has no interaction with Gabriel. The two are not on screen together during the entirety of episode 2. Aziraphale talks to Gabriel and Michael when not with Muriel. When a number of angels show up at the end, Muriel and Uriel are not among them. Whereas both Crowley and Muriel touch the scroll, it is laid out on the floor when Gabriel is on screen, so he never physically touches it.

Crowley's scene is the front bookend to Muriel's scene. Gabriel's scene is the back bookend to Muriel's scene. Meanwhile, Aziraphale is a common thread between all three.

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[sydalelys01]

DAMIAN'S FALSE PATERNITY

Well I'm back just, with something more relaxed,

Today we will talk about the shittyshow, clearly it will not be anything good…. Especially Damian's false paternity…a.k.a the flaccid prince.

Disclaimer: this post is not against the actors, it is not their fault that they were chosen and despite that, they were characterized in the worst way. It's HBO's fault.

Well, starting with clearly that the shitty show Damian is GAY, he is not bisexual or anything, he is GAY. My arguments to say it are these:

Damian only had 3 scenes of a sexual nature in the first season (explicit) because he had others of a “flirtatious” nature but we will talk about those later.

In his first sexual scene, which is with that false attempt by the whore Liseny, who isn't even Liseny, I don't remember where they invented that mysaria came from in the HBO garbage, he doesn't get an erection, the man simply doesn't work, they'll tell me… it's because there are men who sometimes do not have an erection for X reason and it does not mean that they are gay. Ok, let's suppose I buy that pathetic excuse from you.

let's move on to the second scene, which is with Renada in the brothel… No… my life… is not leaving because he has renada's reputation in mind… If I remember correctly what Condal said, it is that he was impotent… in short, he didn't get hard and that's why he leaves her there and goes to drink, assuming that it wasn't because he is impotent and he did it out of "respect" and "protection" to Renada, clearly he could have gone to sleep with a whore to satisfy his desire… of course assuming that his body reacted sexually to Renada's, but NO, he went to drink. For obvious reasons, he had no desire for her.

To go in order, we can talk about his first flirting scene, which was with Laena where he compares her in beauty with HER BROTHER (Laenor), which is true that in the books that phrase is said, it is never mentioned that it was Daemon who He said it, it was a comment that several people made in court, what was the need to do that scene? If not to reveal his interest in men,

His second scene and the most obvious is his flirting scene with his servant in pentos… which he did IN his wife's FACE, plus they say they cut scenes where they were more explicit, where the servant's actor on TikTok came out to confirm that They were lovers.

And it's also good to add that in the book they released to explain the shittyshow they say that Damian was in love with the mummy Viserys and that's why he always sought his approval and walked around like a lapdog after him who even threw an egg tantrum just because he wanted his sweetheart was going to confront him and not forget the scene of jealousy that he made, complaining to him for not being his hand and that he preferred Otto… loving trio in sight……

And good to put the icing on the cake, the scene on the beach with renada………. I don't know how you are able to see love, passion and desire in that scene……. It's just as uncomfortable as the scene with the mummy Viserys and Alisaint, who will tell me you saw there if it works… but let's keep in mind who Damian came from seeing, he came from seeing his sweetheart Viserys's corpse, that's why he It worked, he came excited hahahaha sorry…. Well… not sorry

Well now let's get to the point of the post hahaha, Damian's paternity.

I clarify again, I'm talking about the shittyshow, not the canon.

The twins to begin with don't look anything like him, they are a carbon copy of Laena, pay attention, Laena is mixed and if they are supposed to be from Damian, the girls should have a lighter skin complexion, otherwise be told that Corlys' genetics are pure velaryon!!! Let me remind you that Corlys has Targaryen descent… so knowing the life they showed us that they led in pentos, it is very likely that the twins are not their daughters and they will tell me but Baela has a dragon… come on, dragon seeds have less blood than them and they could still ride dragons…so…

But well, you'll tell me… well, the bastard minis (you don't know how it hurts me to call my children Aegon and Viserys like that even though they're not them… the poor creatures are the most innocent there) came out blonde… but well, their mother is Renada, don't forget it. She could have messed with another guy and this time it turned out well, keep in mind that Renada is going to Dragonstone to live with Damian, and in the series she lived in the fortress before that's why she was more watched by her sweetheart Alisaint, being in dragonstone she could do and undo… so these children could not easily be Damian's children…

But well, knowing Damian's sexuality and that the only time we see that her male apparatus works is after seeing the Viserys mummy… that says a lot…

It is your problem if you attack yourselves and do not want to see the reality of your Damian and Renada.

Sorry not sorry, and don't give me the homophobia card, invent another argument… you are tired… that's all you have in your mouth

kisses.

[inoghmia]

If Carmen and Crackle/Grey are supposed to be a sister-brother relationship, why didn’t the show known for its show don’t tell, show it? What even are they?

Before you say that it was clarified 2 times and that you prefer Julia x Carmen, this is NOT a Redcrackle post, just hear me out. I love Jules and Carmen as much as the next fan, but since season one I couldn’t shake off the weird tension Grey and Carmen have.

I’m not really good at rants and these are just my thoughts and confused feelings I’m trying to understand.

Ok so it was clarified in the beginning that Crackle is “like the big brother she never had”, and in the flashbacks of the academy you can kinda feel that vibe, it’s very reserved but it is there. They’re kinda playful and caring but not to an extent I personally would call it a sibling relationship, but I digress, family bonds come in all forms and some may be more reserved than others. However, having said that, after the academy flashbacks, it’s back to the weird tension in the train. It was really hard for me to describe it, but I feel like the fact I had to repeatedly remind myself of their supposed relationship indicates something about the writing.

Carmen Sandiego as a show is great in “show don’t tell”, the quiet representation of different relationships (lgbtq+ representation my beloved) and atmosphere and even if some aspects are stated, a lot of things are left for interpretation, or it just well shown. The best example I can come up with at 2 am is how we see shadowsan slowly become more and more a part of the family, and even if in the later episodes it’s acknowledged by the characters once or twice, we mostly see the development happen and notice it for our self. It's great writing.

Now I’m mentioning this because Carmen Sandiego did an amazing job at writing family relationships, in which we have a sibling relationship, Zach and Ivy, and they did an incredible job. Some aspects can appear exaggerated, but even I, a lonely child, felt like all their interactions and body language was one of true siblings, it felt right and I never had to question anything.

So WHY (I’m asking this genuinely) do they mess up on Grey and Carmen? You could argue that they both come from very different lifestyles, Grey lived his life presumably lonely and since he doesn’t seem to have any family bonds with any foster family, (assuming all VILE operatives are indeed orphans) and doesn’t have a pet or partner, he doesn’t seem like someone to get acquainted with others. Carmen on the other hand, has been always surrounded by people she sees as family and later on seems to love making new acquaintances. While others may see students at the academy as just that, students, Carmen may have seen them as something like distant cousins you see at family gatherings. It would be understandable if they weren’t very compatible but despite it, they don’t necessarily need a strong bond to maybe be called siblings by Carmen since everyone at VILE is, to quote Coach, family. If you look at their relationship, it truly started off the “mutual enemy” kind of thing, and and idk, I feel like it would be understandable why their vibe was off when calling eachother such endearing names. (Edit Note: I wrote this at like 2am and have no clue what I was going on about for the most part of this paragraph)

They act more like work friends than anything. The lack of intimacy that you’d find in siblings COULD be explained, seeing as Grey may never have had the chance to feel brotherly love for a longer time than a few years (assuming he even had siblings in a foster home to begin with) and Carmen being mostly surrounded by adults and therefore not having a chance to bond with someone her age. Still, personally, I expected SOME intimacy, seeing that they were at the very least best friends, which is to be fair, something we see happen in the academy flashbacks, but like only once (talking here about body language).

In the train scene there’s this tension between them, but it’s not one of seeing your best friend or sibling betray you, it felt more like a coworker letting you know HR is mad, and tbh, I was really surprised when Carmen said she saw Grey as a brother.

(Edit: this was a part written late at night so it’s a bit hasty)

Later on their relationship is hard to describe, it feels uncertain and could range from a random coworker to the dearest person in the world, it’s really confusing imo.

Then the amnesia happens and oh boy. I 100% believe Grayham had a crush on her, I mean, who wouldn’t fall for a random mysterious lady in red that (literally) sweeps you off your feet? Every time I saw them interact I was always expecting a different reaction from Carmen, instead of acting like the supposed younger sister, she acts mysterious, (imo) almost unaware to herself flirty, due to her unnecessary secrecy.

They later on bump into each other and at that point it was SO fucking hard to understand what they were, they were neither acting like siblings, two strangers attracted to each other, nor friend or enemies, the jail scene was so confusing I had to rewatch it a few times and I’m still not sure what I’m meant to understand them as.

After Crackle gets his memory back, I will say it, he acts like a past lover. In all the later episodes I always felt like I was watching two people that had some tragic lovers-to-enemies story which one was still bitter about. I’ve often been considering the possibility it may have been Greys resting fuckboy face, but idk, I don’t think that’s totally it. As I said it feels weird in the grand context of things, but I really would believe they were lovers at some point If I were to watch just the last season. Heck, when Carmen was evil, they lowkey had a power couple vibes, but EVEN THEN it was hard for me to distinguish if they felt romantic, platonic or like siblings.

Tell me I’m not the only one who sees this

(WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?!???)

Here’s my biggest problem tho:

In the last episodes, the moment Grey contacts ACME, was the first time in the show I felt like I was watching a brother fight for his sibling. Idk if it was because it felt like I first ever really saw raw emotion in him or what it was, but I truly understood the sibling implication for the first time. In the scene he’s begging her to come back and Carms about to electrocute him (side note, can we talk abt how she was willing to kill like 3 ppl), I truly felt the sibling dynamic.

AND THEN THE FUCKING HOSPITAL SCENE MAKES IT FEEL LIKE THEY WERE IDK WHAT BUT SOMETHING LOVING, IDK IF IN A PLATONIC, FAMILY OR ROMANTIC WAY BUT IT WAS LOVING AND AWISSFIOASJMDFÖIKJAGJWSIO WHY IS THIS SHOW SO CONFUSING

final conclusion:

I am so fucking confused and its 02:30 am - somebody send help

[giggly-squiggily]

Hi Hello it's midnight for me and I just finished watching Steven Universe and the movie (I haven't watched Future yet- gonna do that this weekend) so now I have thoughts

Spoilers for Steven Universe below the cut!

First of all: I'm kicking myself repeatedly for waiting so long to watch it cause HOLY- 😭🥰 IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I wasn't sure I was gonna be into shows like this (Wasn't massively into Adventure Time- don't get me wrong, it was cute as hell and funny but just kinda..eh?) But I finally gave it a shot and WOW!

My favorite gem is still Garnet; I just- I adore her. She's wise, funny, the whole Sapphire and Ruby ship is so cute ("They were my favorite couple!"- Bismuth my blacksmith queen) and just-GAH! I love how excited she got over fusions and just how lovely she is all around!

My second favorite is Peridot. I loved her- she is the cutest little green dorito EVA! The way she speaks, her mannerisms, her dynamic with Lapis (Who admittedly I still have mixed feelings on but generally I enjoy her alot)- it was all so freaking kfakjerakjkjrakjerkjekjr I can't get over how cute she is HELP!

Really- I found myself loving all the characters! Pearl is cute as heck, Amethyst is an icon (I loved that scene where she refused to put all her problems onto Steven and recognized he had so much on his plate already- it was truly such a growth moment and I'm beyond proud of her. Plus- Smokey Quartz is an icon), and STEVEN! He's a doll! I adore him so much!

As for Beach City- I don't think I have a non-favorite. Everyone is so charming and silly; and even when they were at their worst they managed to bring it back around. Lars becoming a space pirate and Sadie becoming a rockstar- the grandmother becoming mayor and Ronaldo being..well, Ronaldo; it was all so good! I really do love Greg aswell; that Comet song will be forever stuck in my head. Oh! And Connie! I adore Connie!

As for the movie....eh? Don't get me wrong, it was great- and I really like Spinel; but all the endless songs started to get a little much after a while 😅 There was some great ones like Garnet's return song True Love and Steven's Change song- and of course Other Friends and Drift Away are absolutely incredible. It was a good mix of great songs and....kinda meh songs but still incredibly pleasant to listen to. I had a great time. (I also really liked Happily Ever After but I think I prefer Natewantstobattle's version; the rock cover really gives it that extra oomph!)

The DIAMONDS! I kinda don't know how to feel about Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond. I get why she did what she did; it was clear as glass the home life she was living wasn't good to her- but the way she did it certainly wasn't the cleanest. I like how complex her situation is and how Steven navigated it. I also like how the diamonds were presented- not good gems but complex enough that they're enjoyable. (Not to be bisexual on tumblr but Yellow Diamond....👀)

Overall this was a great time all around! I don't know what I'm gonna watch next (post future), my sister and I are thinking either Owl House or Amphibia, but y'all are welcome to leave suggestions! This was a much needed comfort experience during an admittedly crappy time.

(Also I'm almost done with Season 2 of Vinland Saga and y'all it's absolutely incredible but so freaking SAD- ooooo, I got feelings but I'll share them all when I finish the last four episodes)

This is your gentle reminder to sit down and indulge yourself in something comforting! Especially if things are being tough right now- you deserve to treat yourself :)

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek SNW to season 2 finale

Wow, I thought I had written at least one other post here. Turns out the show, like Discovery, is interesting enough that I couldn't watch it while working, which meant it was competing with all my other free time goals. Took me a while to get through them all! But I'll be headed to TOS next, which means I'll be able to watch while working again.

2x3 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

They really like to use timeline fuckery in Trek, don't they?

I had a realization- this Jim Kirk actor was in Army Wives (he was a soldier who tried to marry the general's 17 year old daughter) and one of the brothers in Vampire Diaries and even though I didn't _consciously_ remember either of those parts, that might have had something to do with why I was not a fan initially.

La'an has to shoulder so much. Survivor of gorn, bearer of her name, temporal agent to protect a genocidal murderer... and she can't talk about a lot of it and has nobody to share the burden with.

2x4

Why does the computer specify "officer's quarters" if everyone is officers? I don't know if you can tell, but this still really bothers me. Like... someone mentioned it's because they all have college degrees and are astronauts, etc., but... lots of enlisted have college degrees. That's not what makes you an officer. And AS a former enlisted, to me, it's 'if you work with your hands, you're enlisted'. If you're an officer, your job is more about either managing people or being the mouthpiece. When I see lieutenants and commanders holding tools it bothers me.

"I'm Erica Ortegas and I fly the ship"

2x5 Charades

It's going to bother me if Spock's mannerisms are treated like they're genetic and not cultural. He's not stilted and his language choices aren't because he has Vulcan blood, but because he has grown up on Vulcan around other Vulcans. Changing his DNA to human wouldnn't change how he acts. /sigh I'm trying to be better about recognizing the difference between storytelling device and realism and when one can be sacrificed for the other.

Amanda looked so different here, I needed to look it up to see if it was the same actress.

Charades? Really?

So by the end of the episode, I decided that they handled the mannerisms better than I had expected.

Demiromantic Nurse Chapel?

2x6

Zombie!Hemmer is fucking terrifying.

2x7? Crossover

The crossover was funny, which bodes well for me enjoying Lower Decks when I get to it in about 17 years. It's _AFTER VOYAGER_.

2x8

Digging M'Benga. He reminds me of a character I built once- a war vet who wanted to help instead of hurt. Except where my character was a True Believer on the Enemy Side who sought his own redemption, M'Benga was corrupted by the violence surrounding him and struggles with the consequences of sticking to your principles. It's very compelling.

The scene with the injured boy really spoke to it- you may have the luxury to sit out the fight and be pacifist, but that only means that someone else will be taking up arms in your absence. If you're a better warrior than most, is it ethical for you to put your weapons down when others will die because you weren't there? People who might not have died had you used your talents?

2x9 Subspace Rhapsody

Musical episode. Just when I was thinking that I was surprised Pike didn't sing his intro, the music was acapella.

Were all the bunny lines references to Buffy?

I like the relationship between Una and La'an.

Why exactly was it a two-person job if they're at the same console? I would have expected 'cross-targeting' to be like triangulating, needing to target from two different locations to better identify the target. Preferably from two SHIPS but at least two locations on the same ship.

I don't really like the way the singing was implemented. It feels like over-studio polished lip sync instead of being organic.

Why would they skew the frequencies like that on the UI panel?? future.

2x10 Hegemony

This one snuck up on me. I didn't realize the season was so short OR that it was over after this.

There was another "My God" that confuses me because I thought ST was post-religion.

Pike was willing to risk everything for Wynnona Earp Batel, but is he willing to do the same for his crew?

Does he feel a little invincible because he 'knows' his future? Is he aware of his Plot Armor? If he tried to kill himself prematurely, would it work? Confusing time stuff.

Anyway, I'm off to TOS. I'm not sure yet how I'll handle when SNW comes back.

[marengogo]

Hi! Just read your tattoo post - very well written and informative! I often wonder, (and btw I am a full supporter that the “JM” tatt means exactly that, JM. JiMin- ) do you think JK could’ve got the army tatt and someone said to him in between the J being added that funnily enough it could make all the members initials, if he added a J?

Like you said though, he could have easily found another place for it if he didn’t want the connotation to be that JM = Jimin. So he clearly doesn’t mind:)

Hello Anon,

Glad you found the tattoo post informative! It was quite fun to write and a very interesting topic to research I’m a sucker for research! Now, with regards to your questions. I perceive JK as someone who is very set in his ways and who has had a very graceful growth, considering the environment he basically grew up in, being the KPOP world. He has a very strong sense of self and had things gone even a little bit awry, I feel like he maybe would have risked becoming not very considerate of other people’s emotions or opinions in an alarming way. 

Yet, thanks to his not-toxic-immediate-environment (being the other members, his immediate family, close friends, and perhaps few other people) he has learned how to react and gauge different types of situation where for example it is okay for him to be himself and not concede (for example, when he was arguing with JM about where the couch would go in ep149 BEHIND THE SCENES of RUN BTS)

from other situations where, depending on the person in question, he will concede his own opinion and seem to prefer to provide support rather than adding to the predicament concerning said person’s expense, which he seems to do a lot when said person is JM btw regardless of everyone else being on with say for example a joke (like during their VLIVE after the 2021 UNGA in September, when he amongst the members he spoke in JM’s defence).

Basically Jeon Jungkook does what Jeon Jungkook wants to do.

What people say is relevant to him only to a certain extent, which is depending on the situation and depending on who you are. ARMY for example is another entity that is very important to JK. He’d do almost anything to make ARMY happy, almost because in itself, though it may not seem so, JK is in fact in a sort of “long term relationship” with ARMY and has long already decided, and se,t his boundaries with us.

Now, let’s take this further to try and answer your questions, which of course can be but be only speculation and educated guessing. Imagine this: You live in SK and tattoos are not exactly the easiest thing to go about parading in your country. They are definitely not, yet your friend comes up to you with a tattoo that clearly spells the name of his fandom, what are your first thoughts? Mine would probably be He’s really crazy for his fans in a maybe weird way, like, you get a tattoo and what you do is tattoo the name of your fandom on your hand? To keep forever? I guess if I’m that big it will make the fans happy … but I don’t know, like, is this for me or them? What? That would be what I’d think in my head, but then I’d look at him and ask “Why?/Really?... but like, whatever makes you happy man!”. I’d basically be so shocked that I wouldn’t even be able to suggest adding any more letters to all of that, as I’m also still getting over the fact that he indeed has a freaking tattoo to begin with and don’t forget that there was also a smiley face and a purple heart … like mate 🥴  

And then I'd be pretend like I never reacted the way I did, like I had always been supportive and i was just a bit shocked at first, when time later he'd come to reminding me how I was doubtful of his first ink 🙄🙄🙄...

We must also remember that JK’s friends are JK’s friends. If you are my friend and the first thing I say after seeing your tattoos is: by the way if you add a J on top of the M, that A looks like an upside down V and you know what you’d then spell? 🎵Kim-Nam-Joon, Kim-Seok-Jin, Min-Yoon-Gi, Jung-Ho-Seok, Park-Ji-Min, Kim-Tae-Hyung, YOU, BTS!🎶? Imma right? Won’t it be sick to have them too? Now, I’ve drawn my brother’s tattoo, but that was only because he begged me to I actually didn’t want to, and in the end he didn’t even get it tsk 😒, if not never in a million years would I even think of suggesting what I‘ve noticed his tattoo could look like if he added so-and-so on his body.

I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but permanent ink is meant to be permanent I mean you can get it off but it is an ordeal and not advisable, you’ve basically sat down and decided, right here, right now, this is what I want to keep forever. And let me add this. A part of me feels like, if he had indeed wanted to tattoo all the members on his fingers he would have not done it in such a way that it could have been left for interpretation. They ARE an important part of him, yet, once again, when you look at that hand, what really stands out is; ARMY across, JM down.

Surely he wouldn’t want his other members to be perceived as an afterthought since the J came after; don’t you think?

Always respectfully yours 💜

Marengo.

[animusiem]

Billboard USA Exclusion Zone Episode 10 (04/29/2023)

This week seems to be pretty busier that one meets the eye. Yes we have some shakeups especially in the top 10 with Idol by Yoasobi surged so high. But, these debuts are just all over the place. Well it's gonna be a blast anyways so let's get to this!

----------------------------------------------------

4. "un x100to" by Grupo Frontera X Bad Bunny

You know since the regional Mexican sound is the biggest musical moment of 2023, I think I will make my stance on the broader genre of Regional Mexican sound. I get the appeal of these type of songs. Yeah it's ramshackled and the mix can be very live version of itself. But, the composition and the instrumentals here reminded me a lot of dangdut or koplo which is the Regional sound of my country. That said, I prefer the accordion one rather than the brass and acoustic bass that Peso Pluma helped popularized.

14. "Daylight" by David Kushner

So apparently this guy is a tiktoker who is making folk pop that wanted to get Hozier to be on this song. All I can say right now is that he's definitely the poor man's Bon Iver with lyrics leftover from Father John Misty's b-side

28. "Chemical" by Post Malone

This is actually quite decent. But, this song is sounded like Fine Line rejects with a bit more inspiration from Tears for Fears.

72. "Princess Diana" by Ice Spice ft. Nicki Minaj

I did listened to Ice Spice debut EP and this is handly the worst song on the album. Getting Nicki Minaj isn't helping this generic ass beat to work y'know. Also I'm kinda mad that In Ha Mood didn't get pushed hard enough.

84. "美しい鰭" by SPITZ

Now we are talking about a veteran alternative rock band getting their first hit ever on the chart. This song is so likeable this is basically why I like J-Pop more that anything else sometimes. The guitar solo is just immaculate as does the production which is I would describe as "RHCP if they chose jazz influence than rap influence".

91. "Peaches" by Jack Black

I will give the Super Mario Bros movie a 7/10 it's a great popcorn movie.

98. "Wish You The Best" by Lewis Capaldi

See this song is the prime example as to why I don't like Lewis Capaldi's writing. There's not enough detail to justify this guy's longing for someone's that he used to love. Glimpse of Us this is not.

138. "El Tonto" by Lola Indigo & Quevedo

I think I can see the differences between Spanish reggaeton and LATAM reggaeton. The main one is the differences in how it's produced. The Spanish one seems to have other influences such as the dance scene in Europe. So that's why you have those sfx sprinkle throughout it.

151. "El Tsurito" by Junior H X Gabito Ballesteros X Peso Pluma

....Huh?????? Why does this sounds like DistantCry made this beat???

157. "See You Again" by Tyler, The Creator ft. Kali Uchis

I'm so glad this song became a viral hit because this is probably one of his best singles ever. The production here has influenced RnB world till this day with the trumpet, the strings, and that heavy hard hitting beat drop. Kali Uchis' breakout performance, the longing from Tyler about his crush is just breathtaking. This is truly one of the best songs of 2017.

170. "Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift

[Insert the "this should've been a singles" jokes here]. But like can you blame Swifties in this? This song is too good for being a deepcut. The production is probably one of Jack Antonoff's best and yeah it's a great song.

181. "Fragil" by Yahritza y Su Esencia X Grupo Frontera

Remember the trio that gotten viral for their song? Yeah they're back with Grupo Frontera with probably the weakest accordion Regional Mexican song so far.

188. "Seu Brilho Sumiu" by Israel X Rodolffo & Mari Fernandez

Now for Brazilian sound...yeah I don't really get it. I think the percussion is not my thing in general here.

189. "Moonlight" by Kali Uchis

Speaking of Kali Uchis. If the vocals were mixed a bit better this could've been a sexy jam. Instead it's just a good one.

I highly recommend everyone to listen to these songs.

[imagine-fight-write]

Random - Review of Dark Side of Dimensions

Hello everyone!

So I’m working through my planned posts, except now I’m going to take a sharp turn to left and talk about YuGiOh! Movies - Dark Side of Dimensions.

*I was going to add Pyramid of Light to this, but this is so long already & it’s been awhile since I watched both movies, so - this is what you get. For now! There will be another post focusing on Pyramid of Light someday hopefully!

I forgot I hadn’t posted this. I am so sorry.

2nd sharp left turn: I just found this thing / video. Hope you enjoy!

Also the 2nd video, because I left the road of plans already.

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Also YuGiOh! Millenium World is the perfect (bang up to the elephant worthy) end to a series + it is so pretty, both the anime & the manga. Just, so pretty. All the lovely gold & Egypt-esk setting & plot . . . it’s really great.

I love Yami’s crown so much.

Now on to YuGiOh! movies. Dark Side of Dimensions 1st.

Neither are perfect movies - I’d honestly take elements from both & mesh them together - but I did enjoy watching both.

Also, they both have great titles & basic plot ideas are great.

Writers take note!

Both also take place after the series has ended, Pyramid of Light I think happens sooner than Dimensions. 

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING FOR BOTH MOVIES.

I highly recommend you watch them before reading this.

I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but I will gush. BE PREPARED.

Dark Side of Dimensions

Good Things & Plot Related Stuff

Of the two, I like Dimensions better overall (the plot moves faster & more naturally & the anime was better quality - Kiba’s tech & duel with not!Atem was such a lovely fan's dream (also the whole basic plot)+ the comment about Atem/Yami/The Pharoah’s hair. (more on that later)

1st, I want to point out, keeping with all the good stuff this movie has to offer, which is a lot -

I really like the character designs of most everyone (apart from 2 which I’ll talk about in the “needs to be improved” section. (I am so angry / disappointed I can’t even.)

(running away from their teacher, LOL.)

Yugi’s character design is great - he looks more similar to Atem!Pharaoh yet still keeps his more gentle aura.

I also liked the designs for Tea / Anzu & Joey / Jonunichi & Tristan / Hiroto.

Anzu’s design & Jounichi’s particularly stood out to me for some reason.

The bright pop of every day scenes really helps, and again, apart from set up from the Aigami (the bag guy) & the puzzle’s discovery by Kiba, it’s mostly giving a quick refresher on who everyone is. Yugi’s goal of running his grandpa’s game store & designing his own game is a great idea, and I really wish we could’ve seen more of it.

Yugi also duels on his own for a good portion of the movie, and it is wonderful. I especially like a lot of his Egyptian themed cards.

Also, Mokuba, much like Tails in Sonic SatAM, is now helping design Kiba’s tech (he also does in Pyramid of Light.) Again, I like this addition to the character.

(And yes, there’s a reason why I haven’t mentioned Bakura or Devlin. Just wait.)

Action scenes were great. Everything was pretty. There was an epic rain scene in the city that set such a mood.

Seriously, the tech is this is lovely & cool. Shout out to the “deprevation mask” Aigmai is forced to wear at one point. If it didn’t deprive a person of most of their senses & had eye openings, I’d wear it.

For a detailed look at the animation, here’s an AMV - there are spoilers, so again, try to watch the movie first.

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I also like everyone’s Japanese names better 

(Joey’s is prob. my favorite of the English names, but I still prefer Jonouchi). Also note for anyone who hasn’t read the manga - everyone has stronger personalities in it. I especially like Anzu. She has guts. Reminds me of most of the side female characters in Yu Yu Hakusho.

We’re introduced to the “bad guy” quite early, which helps keep the tension. His powers are activated with a cool cube thing, are super chilling, and involve lovely and creepy animation. I’m not sure what the ring of ghosts is for, but it’s certainly “I want to run away now.”

“And this is why you must vanish.” - Aigami

Funny, I actually like his fake name Aigami (he pretends to be a student at their school) much better than his actual name - wait for it - Diva. That’s his name.

I just. I just can’t. Can’t take him seriously when he’s named that.

I really like his design, especially how the longer parts of his hair move when he walks and when he switches to his true form they’re bound with gold rings.

He’s very pretty.

Terrible real name aside, there’s a scene where he takes care of some bullies to establish his powers, and it’s suitably creepy.

Also a weird scene where none of the main cast can remember his name or that he’s in their class, and then promptly forget their puzzlement. It’s very creepy.

Not only are his powers creepy, he means to flat out kill Yugi to prevent the Pharoah from returning (which would take his powers away.)

 Or worse yet, he’ll send Yugi to a dimension created by Yugi’s own memories, which will slowly fade away until Yugi himself vanishes. He also refers to Yuigi as the “vessel of the Pharoah” which is both fascinating, rude, & creepy.

Aigami’s cube creatures in his deck are fascinating in terms of design & animation & certaintly fit him. However, I think combining it with an ancient civilization / Ancient Egyptian theme would help make his character stronger. (More on that in the “Could be Improved” section.)

I also put “bad guy” in quotes because, while he does some horrible things, he’s meant to be sympathetic. It’s not a bad character arc but rather forced, I guess to make room for the real bad guy, your favorite, the Millenium Ring Electric Hair Bakura.

Anyway. Some dialogue gems:

“I certainly didn’t go through all the trouble of bringing you here to dance.”

- Kiba to not!Atem before their duel.

“Pharaoh . . . You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to duel you.”

-Kiba, thinking to himself.

“After all, my scars of defeat run deep, Pharaoh . . . Inflict on your enemy an even greater wound - a defeat so resounding it leaves their soul crushed!”

- Kiba, being his typical melodramatic self, to not!Atem

“You can’t stand up to my power.” - Kiba to not!Atem

Atem - “I beg to differ.” (smirks)

“It’s true, I went through a great deal of trouble recreating the Pharoah’s deck, strategies, even his perfectly coiffed hair. In fact, that part is what took the longest . . . [But] it wasn’t the real Pharoah, so I didn’t beat him. And until I do, my scars of defeat continue to burn!” - Kiba, being a Drama Queen again

“Quiet, you sniveling sycophants!” - Kiba, to his poor, hard working staff / research and development team 

*I want to say he isn’t this rude in the original series, but I could be wrong.

Kiba crunches a KibaCorp made water bottle, flings it.

“Fire whoever designed that water bottle. KibaCorp products shouldn’t bend so easily.”

“I’m just sending him away to a dimension he might not enjoy.”

- Aigami

“Good cannot grow from evil.” - Sara, sister of Aigami

“There are no limits when you’re as brilliant as Seto Kiba!”

- Kiba, after he defeats magic through sheer force of will, arrogance, & tech (also, he’s an incarnation of an Egyptian priest)

“You cower from power . . . while I . . . embrace it!”

- Kiba, to Aigami

(perfect encapsulation of Kiba - complete melodramatic-ness & obsession to be the best)

“It’s no monster . . . it’s a god.” - Seto Kiba

When the Pharoah does appear, it’s truly epic. Had this movie combined more ancient Egyptian feels with the slick high tech, + a bag guy with actual evil plan, it’d have been a complete bang up the elephant / perfect in my book.

Seriously, almost everyone was on point. But no movie’s perfect, which brings me to:

COULD HAVE USED IMPROVEMENT SECTION

Except what on earth did they do to poor Devlin and Bakura’s character’s designs? Seriously, they look awful, and they’re 2 of my favorite good looking YuGiOh! characters.

Also, “Plana” is a silly sounding word & should’ve been changed to . . .

IDK, something sounding more harsh, powerful, & / or related to the cube / memory / dimension changing themes going on.

Plana makes me think of plants, or the planet Earth.

Maybe it sounded cooler in Japanese?

IDEAS FOR A GRAND MIXED PLOT OF BOTH MOVIES - Dark Side of Dimensions + Pyramid of Light

Aigami is an ancient enemy kgosi (king) from another empire that often warred with Egypt (Syria? I have to research) & is dressed appropriately.

Aigami wants to drain Atem’s life force to revive himself. Locks Yugi & co. in the Millennium Puzzle. Possibly possesses Kiba. OR Kiba goes in the Puzzle too (has Kiba ever been in the Millennium Puzzle?) Mia flies a helicopter.

OR Atem gets locked inside the Millennium Puzzle & everyone else has to rescue him.

Are Yugi & good!Malik friends?  Because I’d love for a chance for good! Malik to show up.

Pyramid of Light’s evil guy has a long term plan failure.

Actually, the final bad guy in Dark Side of Dimensions does to.

To the tune of, let’s cover the entire world in darkness / destroy it.

Why? Wouldn’t that make it impossible for you to keep existing? And even if it didn’t, wouldn’t such a life be boring?

Like I said, long term failure when it comes to evil plans.

Far better to drain a person’s life force or soul & inhabit their body instead.

[matan4il]

Buddie vs Lone Star meta (3/3)

Notes: LS = 911 Lone Star || OG = original 911 || These three meta posts were written before LS s3 even started... || part 1 || part 2

LS 211

This may seem like a small thing, but I still found it interesting. In this ep, we see the 126 perform a rope rescue, not for the first time. Now, if you’ve been following my meta posts, you know that I LOVE the fact that Buck and Eddie have their own little team going within the 118 unit. In the context of rope rescues, that means that unless there are some unusual circumstances, Buddie almost always get to do them together, and they even have preferred roles, where Buck rappels down and Eddie is the one holding the rope and being his anchor (I even wrote a whole fic around this theme). What I find so interesting when watching the 126’s rope rescues is the reminder that they do NOT have a clearly defined team-within-the-greater-firefighting-team as the 118 do with Buddie. You see a rope rescue, for example, and it could be any combo of firefighters in any role. It’s a reminder that the ‘battlefield boyfriends’ theme that Buddie have going on is not a necessity of this line of work, it’s something that they developed and is so uniquely them.

~ ~ ~

Also, the title for this ep is ‘slow burn’. To the best of my knowledge (and I also checked with a friend who’s a first responder, but please do correct me if this is wrong), ‘slow burn’ is not an actual firefighting term (unlike, for example, ‘flashover’). So where did the show borrow this ep’s title from? I don’t have any other explanation other than that it's borrowed from the world of fandom and shipping, a wink telling us the 911’s Powers That Be are aware of the term, of fandom, of ships and romantic tropes. It’s especially true when this ep and the following one involve Tarlos in the main plot, including a pretty steamy scene between them. So it’s a reminder that when we yell about Buddie being a ‘slow burn’? TPTB know what we’re talking about...

LS 213 This is an ep that builds on the Tommy and Owen friendship which has been growing all throughout LS s2. Not for a second did I think the show was trying to get people to ship them. And it’s not because Tommy is married or Owen is involved with Gwyn at the start of the season, ‘coz I have seen shows starting a ship out like that with the intent for the audience to realize that the partners are the wrong people for the main characters to be with, that they should be together instead. This made me reflect again on why I don’t ship ANY of the friendships on either 911 show, other than Buddie (with the exception of the 3.09238 seconds where Madney pretended to only be friends... but their real feelings  for each other went canon in what, the second ep they shared, as we witnessed that they had a whole routine set up of spending time together? So yeah, Madney being the only other exception actually supports the point I’m trying to make). I think the answer is, because none of those friends are as intensely intertwined into each other’s personal and emotional life as Buck and Eddie are (or as Madney were shown to be in 208, and even that wasn’t as intense as Buddie are). Friends on this show know and care about each other, they’re interested, they’re there for each other, they offer support and help, but they’re not each other’s *main person* like Buck and Eddie are. I’ve written before about different comparisons between OG friendships on the one hand and Buddie (and Madney) on the other, I’m just adding to this growing list the LS friendships which show the same pattern: we have plenty of deep, caring ones, that don’t come across as subtextual romance, proving that it’s not an incapacity for appreciating friendship that drives Buddie shippers, it’s the canonical fodder we’re given that makes them different.

LS 214 Okay, but TK saw Carlos with Tommy’s twins in this ep and you know his ovaries exploded. He didn’t put it quite like that, obviously. He simply agreed when Nancy called it, “adorable” (a little like how Buck didn’t say out loud that he thought Eddie was cute, but that’s what he thought he was agreeing to when talking to Maddie in OG 206). Now tell me that the smitten look TK gets when he sees Carlos with those kids is not exactly like Buck in OG 203, seeing what an amazing dad Eddie is and developing the worst case of heart eyes ever in the history of any crush, ever... Insert “they’re the same picture” meme here!

~ ~ ~

I find it so interesting to see Tommy feeling a little lost as a newly single parent. She has to recalibrate her life and figure out how to navigate parenthood on her own. It threw me back to Eddie in OG 217, where he’s newly widowed. He definitely has to deal with grief and loss, but it’s so noticeable that in comparison, even though Shannon had re-entered his and Christopher’s life and was a part of it for only a few months at that point, her exit doesn’t throw their daily life into complete disarray, with a need to recalculate how to complete even the most mundane tasks. And yes, a part of it is because she had left them once before already, which means that the figuring out how to carry on as a single dad in L.A happened at an earlier point for Eddie. And what helped him get through that? Eps like OG 204, 210 and 312 clearly show it was Buck, coming to Eddie’s aid, introducing him to Carla, and becoming a co-parent to Chris that Eddie could turn to, share experiences with, consult and rely on. After Shannon’s death, Eddie can insist on staying in L.A with Chris, and a part of why is thanks to Buck being there, as well as Carla’s help which Eddie has thanks to him. That means that even before the legal guardianship reveal, it would have thrown the Diaz boys’ daily life into a greater spin if something were to happen to Buck than when something did happen to Shannon. Not because she didn’t matter, but because at that point, she was an outsider visiting in, while Buck had already become Eddie’s real life partner...

~ ~ ~

The second seasons of both OG and LS end with a probie getting to the moment where they’re no longer considered a probationary firefighter. But whereas Mateo’s moment is all about his entire team (a 126 group hug), Eddie’s ceremony is to a great degree centered around two people that give this moment its emotional depth: first Chris and then, Buck (especially because the show establishes in the preceding scene that he’s risking his leg and thus his career to attend, plus they keep beaming with pride and joy at each other, including throughout the first of our onscreen Buddie hugs). Seriously, comparing the way these two shows within the same verse tell similar stories only accentuates the differences and highlights how Buck and Eddie’s stories are inseparable in a way that no two other platonic friends are...

~ ~ ~ Thank you so much to the unbelievable @judsonryder​​​ for making these incredible gifs. She’s been beyond kind, supportive and so generous with her talent! You can find more of my Buddie meta, gifs, humor posts here, and my Buddie fics here. Please feel free to poke me if you need help with anything, and thank you in advance for any show of support, and especially if you reblog and share with others that these posts exist... xoxox

[parkersbliss]

Tough | K. Brekker

pairing: kaz brekker x reader

warnings: blood, cursing, kaz being a simp

wc; 2K

synopsis: mission gone wrong… gone right?

prompts: 028: “hey, hey, hey, I’m right here.” 030: “you could’ve died!”

a/n: I don’t know how I always end up so off track

Masterlist | Taglist | Prompt List

—

“This is ridiculous,” Jesper hisses, looking between you and Inej. “Someone tell him that!”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “Tell Kaz to back out of a job? No way.”

“I prefer to keep my head,” Inej said.

Jesper rolls his eyes. “You’ll lose it either way at this point!”

“Jesper, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not! Do you realize how-”

“Shut up, Jesper,” Kaz scowled through the earpiece.

Jesper mumbles something under his breath, but you don’t catch it.

“How’s everything looking, Kaz?” Inej asked.

“One last round of guards, and then you two can come in.”

You nod, securing your gun in place as you stand up.

“If you two don’t come back, I told you so!” Jesper said.

“If we don’t come back, we probably ditched you,” You quip back.

Jesper scoffs, standing up. “At least I still have Wylan.”

“No, you don’t,” Wylan responded through the earpiece.

Jesper throws his hands in the air, “No one appreciates the voice of wisdom around here.”

“(Y/N), Inej, go.”

Inej takes the lead, climbing the gate and dropping safely on the other side. You follow after and make a run for the main entrance. You hide behind a column, holding your breath as two guards walk back to their posts. A hand sticks out from the opposite column on you, and Inej makes a hand signal that means go.

With what you hope are quiet footsteps, you emerge from behind the column and follow Inej to the hallway to the left. You patiently wait as two Grisha emerge from the bedrooms, and in the span of a few seconds, it takes the door to close; you both rush in.

Inej opens the closet, throwing you a kefta, and you gasp at the softness of the fabric.

“Do you think we can keep these?” You jokingly ask.

“Unless you want to be an even bigger target in Ketterdam: I’d advise not.”

“They’re bulletproof and warm,” You said, slipping on the blue kefta with red and yellow detailing.

Inej only hums as she slips hers on, which has green swirls embellished on it.

“Tidemaker,” You said.

“Inferni,” Inej replied. “Suits you.”

You both walk out of the bedroom, the kefta’s making it easier to walk through the palace undetected. The Grisha all automatically assumed you belonged there. They didn’t bother to take a good look at your face.

“Status?” Kaz asked.

“On track,” You said softly, passing by two Grisha’s.

Kaz nods on his side, dressed as a guard inside of the palace. He waits patiently by the door for the two of you. He can just barely spot Wylan in the distance, acting as a servant to the Queen.

She was too stuck up to ever notice or acknowledge any of the servant's names. Similar to the Mercher’s back in Ketterdam.

What snobs they are.

Kaz watches as you and Inej round the corner. The Kefta’s fit both of you surprisingly well. He nods at you two, giving Wylan one last glance before going to unlock the Queen’s room. His fingers and quick, and the lock cracks open in a few seconds.

In those few seconds, someone screams. You can hear Wylan laughing nervously before being pinned down by a guard.

Kaz instantly stops what he’s doing as you all watch the scene unfold. They disarm him, grabbing a remote and throwing it across the floor.

“Get back!” Kaz shouts as the button lands first onto the ground. There’s a moment of silence, utter stillness as you and Inej look toward the Queen’s room, and then it explodes. The blast echoes through the castle and shatters everything. Pieces of rumble rain down as the building begins to shake.

You slam against the adjacent wall, coughing at the dust and groaning. Blood trickles down from your forehead, and your entire body aches.

A low moan catches your attention, and you look up to see a crystal chandelier, cracks surrounding the ceiling it was attached to.

“(Y/N)!” You can hear Kaz scream as it gives way.

You don’t have enough time to get away, you know that. Your vision was still blurry, a loud ringing in your ears. You were too disoriented to even comprehend the idea of being pierced with the decorative piece.

But Kaz isn’t.

He lunges forward, tackling you to the opposite end and shielding you with his body. He’s holding his breath the entire time, counting in his head and reminding himself that it’s just you. If he lets go, then you’ll be dead.

Don’t let go. He repeats it like a mantra inside his head, focusing on the sound of glass shattering as you both skid across the floor.

Sharp glass shards pierce his jacket and skin, but he’s barely fazed by it. It gives him something else to focus on other than the feeling of you.

“Don’t move,” You said quietly, and you can see his eyes widen because by saints he needs to, or he’s going to pass out. “Kaz, if you move, you’re going to push a piece of glass further into yourself.”

He starts shaking his head because the feeling of you breathing under him is overwhelming. Your voice had snapped him out of his daze, and now he was fully aware and fully scared. He doesn't know why. It's you and you were the one person he wishes he could be able to touch, but right now, he can't.

“I can’t,” He whispers.

“Kaz, don’t.”

“Please.”

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m right here,” You assure. “I’m alive, okay? Just breathe slowly until I can get out.”

Kaz closes his eyes and breathes deeply. Every nerve in his body is screaming. It’s worse than the shard of glass sticking out of him. He can’t do it.

“Kaz!” You scream as he rolls off of you and onto the floor.

Almost instantly, the glass pierces through him, and he groans. There’s a huge shard sticking out of his stomach, and you can feel panic surging through you.

Your instincts overwhelm the pain, and your senses come rushing back to you. There’s no way you can grab the glass without cutting yourself in the process, and Kaz would bleed out before you can do anything.

“Kaz Brekker, don’t you dare die on me.”

“I’m not trying to,” He hisses back.

“Inej!” You shout, searching for the Suli girl through the rubble.

“A healer,” Kaz coughs out. “You look Grisha, call for a healer.”

You blink, still amazed how Kaz’s mind is still working, before standing up. “Healer!”

On cue, a girl with a red kefta and silver detailing runs over from the area where Wylan was. You don’t want to imagine how many others are hurt. Behind her is Inej, who nods at you, and you thank the saints for her.

“I need to get the glass out," The healer said.

You look at her, then back to Kaz. “Okay. I can do that. Trust me."

“What you did was stupid,” You said to Kaz, kneeling down by his side once more.

“You were going to die,” he protests weakly.

You slowly grip the glass tightly, trying to ignore the sharp sting of it as the jagged sides cut through your skin.

“You could’ve died!” You scowl, but Kaz could hear the fear in your voice. “You still could.”

“It’s better me than you.”

“No, it isn’t,” You reply, “Kaz, how can you not see it?”

“See what?”

“That I'm in love with you!”

His eyes widen, and at that moment, you grab the glass and yank it out. Kaz screams out in pain, shutting his eyes. “Fuck!”

It’s the first time you’ve ever heard him curse.

The healer jumps into action. She leans over Kaz, and with a single motion of her hand, stitches him up.

She looks at you, and before you can say anything, she heals the cut on your forehead and the gashes on your hands.

“Thank you,” You said.

She nods, and Inej thanks her as well before turning her attention back to you and Kaz. “We need to go, like now. Wylan’s already running out the door as we speak.”

You nod, looking to Kaz. “Okay, can you walk?”

Inej hands him his cane, and he uses it to steady himself. “I can.”

“Okay… can you run?”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Inej said, tugging on your kefta and gesturing to the guards eyeing you down.

“We’re running!” You announce, taking off with Inej and Kaz on your heels. The guards immediately start pursuing you, and you try to lose them in the many hallways.

“Where the hell is Jesper when you need him?”

“Right here!”

“I’m here as well!” Nina shouts, coming to a stop behind him. “The Kefta’s suit you two.”

“Thanks.”

Jesper winks before beginning to fire as Nina drops their heart rate.

“I take it the mission was unsuccessful?” Nina asked, turning to run when the guards become too many.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Jesper said.

“I would,” Kaz seethed.

“Yes, well, you happen to be the most pessimistic person here,” Jesper replied, firing a shot at an approaching guard.

“(Y/N) confessed her love for Kaz,” Inej said through labored breaths, finally reaching the exit.

Nina whirls to face you, “What?”

“About damn time,” Jesper grumbled, ignoring the look Kaz gives him.

You roll your eyes at him, grateful to see your getaway carriage on time.

“And then she pulled a piece of glass out of him,” Inej added, opening the door and hopping into the carriage.

“Oh wow, that’s really the cherry on top of it, isn’t it?” Jesper asked sarcastically.

“You guys are the only people that gossip while being chased down with guns,” Your driver, Matthias, chuckled.

“When else are we supposed to be doing it?” Nina asked, getting into the seat next to him and grabbing the reins.

“Oh sorry, didn’t realize there’s a time and place for it. I’ll stop being a criminal and getting chased now,” You sassily replied, climbing in behind Kaz.

“Just go!”

Nina and Matthias don’t have to be told twice, and you all take off, leaving empty-handed, or so you thought.

Jesper and Wylan sit across from Inej, you, and Kaz. The curly-haired boy holds a bag tightly to his chest, and you’re not oblivious to it.

“What’s in the bag?” Inej asked.

Jesper grins. “Why thank you for asking. Care to share, Wylan?”

The boy rolls his eyes and opens the bag, revealing a crown.

“Oh my god,” You gasp.

“I told you we weren’t leaving empty-handed,” Jesper smirks, leaning back and ruffling his boyfriend's hair.

“How?” Kaz asked.

“Stole it from the queen after the explosion and quite literally ran for my life.”

“We taught him well.”

The ride back to Os Kervo is long, and most of the Dregs fall asleep, except for Nina and Matthias, of course.

Inej rests her head against the window, using her hoodie and scarf as a pillow. Jesper does the same, with Wylan resting on his shoulder.

However, you’re wide awake, not finding a comfortable position to sleep in.

“Did you mean it?” Kaz whispered, turning to face you.

His features stick out more in the moonlight, casting sharp shadows across his face. His blue eyes feel like they're piercing you in a single gaze.

“Mean what?”

“What you said before you yanked the glass out of me, or was it just a distraction?”

“Oh,” You said softly. “I meant it.”

“I mean it too.”

You raise a questioning eyebrow at him.

Kaz realizes he has to say it back. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he felt like a child once again. There were butterflies in his stomach as he speaks. “I love you too.”

“Is that so?” You ask, a slightly teasing tone to your voice, and he knows it.

“I don’t risk my life for just anyone.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.”

“I also don’t offer my shoulder to sleep on to anyone.”

Your eyes brighten. “Kaz?”

He gives you a small smile, “I can take it.”

“Are you sure?”

“If it means both of us get some shut-eye, yes.”

A slow smile spread across your face as you pull up your own hoodie, having shed the Kefta long ago. It was too bulky for you.

You slowly let your head fall onto his shoulder, and his breathing stutters for a brief moment before relaxing again when he can feel your heartbeat. It should freak him out, and it does, but he stays strong. That’s what you do for the people you love.

You tough it out.

That, and Kaz falls asleep a few moments later with his own head resting on yours.

— END —

🏷 Kaz Brekker Taglist: @ms-awkward @kykymyeon @alcottsangel @kaqua

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[sserpente]

A/N: Heyho there my lovelies! I’m finally back! I missed posting so much! This Imagine is based on a TikTok I found and what can I say? It inspired me! After this, next up, will be the 20k Special! Enjoy everyone!

Words: 3205 Warnings: colour-blindness

“What if I never find him?” You murmured, glancing at the fruit bowl with a saddened expression. Yellow bananas, green grapes, red apples. To you, they were all different shades of grey. Dull and boring, like you had been sucked into a 30s black-and-white film. Only you didn’t get a cheesy romance out of it.

You had been born with what doctors today would call a ‘remarkably rare, complicated and fascinating condition’, for you had lost all of your colour vision at the age of twelve. You still remembered what the world had looked like before—bright, rich, intense—then someone flicked a switch overnight and all you could still see was grey, grey, grey and greyer. The colours would only ever come back to you once you found the love of your life—your soulmate.

A sigh escaped your lips. Only a few people still existed with this… defect and to make things worse, you had had no idea you were one of them. Not until your twelfth birthday. Society admired and pitied you all the same and yet, being a hopeless romantic, at the end of the day, you longed to finally fall in love.

Tony chuckled. “Heads up. You’re too young to worry about settling down anyway.” He responded cheerfully and pointed at you with a screwdriver in hand. He had been trying to fix the dishwasher for a solid twenty minutes now and for a man who had built himself a pretty much indestructible suit that could fly, it was utterly amusing he couldn’t figure out why it had stopped working.

You were not an Avenger, mind you. The sole reason you were, as of right now, in the Avengers’ kitchen munching on grey chocolate chips was that your best friend, who in turn was friends with Clint’s wife, had managed to flood your shared flat over the weekend. It was utterly inhabitable now and it would take quite a while for the landlord to get it all dried up again—and since insurance would not cover the cost for staying in a hotel, for the time being, Clint’s wife had suggested you’d stay with them—right until Tony Stark had shown up and you had graciously offered you’d come hang out at the Avengers Tower. Okay, technically you had begged him but either way and needless to say, you had jumped at the opportunity and somehow even hoped that you would learn some dirty superhero secrets—but so far, nothing. Nothing but what superheroes did when they were not out and about saving the world. Truth be told, seeing Thor in Hello Kitty pyjamas and witnessing Natasha Romanoff of all people scream watching an Asian horror film had its perks but you had somehow expected for them to be called in for an urgent mission where they required a skill only you had and then they would rely on your help and you would fight and become an Avenger and… your fanfiction had always sounded too good to be true.

“Are you still there? How is that fruit bowl so interesting?” Snapping yourself out of your thoughts, you blinked.

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that…”

“Tony?” It was Bruce who interrupted you two, peeking his head into the kitchen almost timidly. You waved at him and he nodded, yet he failed to reciprocate your smile. Uh-Oh.

“Did something happen?”

The scientist nodded. “You might wanna put on your suit.”

“What happened?”

Bruce pursed his lips. “We’ve located Loki.”

-

Your eyes were still widened by the time you rushed after Tony even after he had told you explicitly (three times, to be exact) to stay put and hide until he had been put in custody.

The Loki. God of Mischief, Thor’s brother, Frost Giant, the I-tried-to-take-over-the-planet-guy. It was exciting, somehow, meeting a villain and oh, would it fuel you for your fan fiction. You almost bumped straight into Thor when they all came to a halt all of a sudden, his body a wall of flesh and muscle and making you grunt in pain—you might as well have hit a brick wall. With his hammer in hand, he ensured no one would approach his dangerous brother closely enough for him to try anything funky.

But the fact that Loki was even more handsome in person and the first villain you ever saw in person when he turned around the corner with a proud and arrogant expression on his face despite his shackles, was not what startled you to the core.

All of a sudden, there were colours. Everywhere.

Your lips parted, the impact of all the pigmentation around you making you dizzy. Loki’s armour was black, his cape was green, his eyes were blue, and his hair reminded you of the plumage of a raven. And your surroundings... The compound was silver now, the sceptre they had taken from him golden. Nauseous, you held on to Thor’s muscly arm for support. The God of Thunder frowned in concern. His eyes were blue too, his hair blonde, his cape red… too… many… colours. You suppressed a gag, overwhelmed by the sudden return of your colour vision.

“Are you okay?” Thor asked.

“G-guys… I can see colours.”

Every single head in the room, including Loki’s, turned in your direction so fast you flinched. Tony’s face was the first to fall in response.

“You are joking, right?”

Mutely, you shook your head. Your eyes locked with Loki’s, electricity rippling through you when they did. His blue irises froze you from the inside out, like each and every one of your limbs failed to resist the magnetic pull you felt towards him, and your cells longed for you to throw yourself into his arms—despite the fact he was handcuffed... and for a good reason too. Swallowing thickly, you forced yourself to look away.

Loki was your soulmate. That was impossible; and quite frankly, the god in question appeared to be thinking the exact same thing.

You chewed on your lower lip, anything to distract yourself from your predicament all the while everyone was still staring at you like you had grown two more heads.

“Take him to the cells, I’ll stay with her.” Clint’s hand on your shoulder did little to console you. Part of you still barely resisted the urge to start at Loki like a succubus, the other… the other was terrified and meant to hide in the archer’s embrace.

You could feel Loki’s blue gaze still resting on you when he led you away from the scene, staring daggers into your back and rendering you speechless until you were finally out of sight and Clint shook your shoulder gently.

“Are you sure it’s not one of the security guards that helped bring him in?”

“No… no, I saw them first. Loki was behind them. It’s… I don’t know how to explain it but somehow, Loki was in colour first, you know what I mean? First him and then, a split second later, everything else was colourful too.”

“And now?”

“Now what?”

“Do you still see in colour now?”

“Of course I do.” Clint sighed and buried his face in his hands.

“So what happens if you don’t… act on this soulmate thing?”

“Nothing. Nothing happens.” You said.

“So you don’t have to… stay close to Loki or anything?”

“No. Not that I know of. But Clint—“

“Good. Because he might find a way to use you against us. Stay away from him. Thor’ll take him back to Asgard soon enough. All we need to do first is find the Tesseract.”

Your lips were pursed when he turned to check on them and if Loki was wreaking havoc while they were trying to get him imprisoned.

Stay away from him? Of course… it was the most reasonable thing to do. Loki was dangerous, a criminal… but was that right? Now that you had found your soulmate in him?

-

You couldn’t get him out of your head that night. Screw the danger, you had to see him. And eventually, your curiosity and that inexplicable and strange pull you felt towards Loki got the better of you. With a deep breath, you threw your covers back and let your bare feet hit the cold floor before quietly tiptoeing out into the dark and empty hallway.

Your blood was rushing in your ears, making you hear things your paranoia and imagination cooked up to the point your heart was pounding in your chest so hard and fast you feared it might jump right out of your ribcage. No one could know, of course. Clint would positively kill you—he, along with Tony, somewhat considered himself responsible for you here. You couldn’t really blame them. If something happened to you, they’d never forgive themselves. You were an innocent civilian, after all.

And now you had been tossed into the greatest fanfiction yet. Shivering, for the cold slowly crept into your bare skin and through the tanktop and shorts you were wearing to sleep, you finally reached the corridor leading to the elevator. The prison cells, a rather new addition to Stark Tower, were located at the very bottom, the cellar, or… what you preferred to call it, a modern dungeon.

You found Loki with his back turned to you in his cell, looking pale through the glass pane. Your heart skipped a beat when he suddenly spoke up.

“I expected you would find a way to come and see me at some point. I’d dare say the Avengers have taken quite the precautions to keep you as far away from me as possible.” He mused. He lifted his chin, approaching the glass window.

It was quite ridiculous to assume that this tiny and meagre prison would keep the Trickster at bay after everything he had proven to be capable of. If only he wanted to, he could shatter that glass with but a flick of his wrist or break the heavy metal door posing as the only barrier between you.

If you were to just… unlock that door to touch him… it would be so easy. Blinking rapidly, you shook your head to chase the thought away.

“Who are you?” He asked and for just a brief moment, you believed to see genuine interest and curiosity sparkling in his stunning blue eyes.

“No one, really. You already know my name, I presume but that’s all there is. I’m not special—I mean, I don’t have superpowers. I’m just a regular human with a rare condition.”

“Oh, I see. Surely you had not hoped for a criminal of all people to be your soulmate then? A murderer? A monster?” His expression hardened.

Yes. But you were not going to tell him that. He was still the person to have made you see colours again, regardless of who he was and what he had done. There must have been a connection between you, you felt it after all! And you were certain that he felt it too.

“Thor will take me back to Asgard and the great King Odin,” he continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “will surely have me executed. You will never see me again. So do not worry.”

“I don’t want that.” You finally chirped, barely daring to look him in the eye. His gaze was scrutinising and intimidating… almost as if he was able to see right into your soul with but one single glance.

Loki frowned.

“I bet you’re not happy about this, are you?” A desperate scoff escaped your lips. “I’m not sure I am…” You confessed and sat down on the chair in front of the window. It creaked a little under your weight, the unpleasant sound echoing through the empty hallway.

This man right in front of you was not be trusted and yet, the desire to pour your heart out to him was so strong you felt it like a sea of emotions attempting to drown you.

“You know ever since my twelfth birthday I wondered when I would finally meet my soulmate. Who they would be, what they would be like… and then so many years passed I was beginning to worry I might never see colours again. That I’d be alone and grey for the rest of my life.”

Loki licked his lips and glanced up at you, listening intently to every single word you said.

“Now I met you and they all tell me not to trust you. I mean… I know who you are, I know what you’ve done. I can’t say I’m happy about the fact my soulmate is…” You stopped yourself, breathing in sharply. “What was the universe thinking? You are a god and I’m just… me. We live light-years apart!”

Eventually, after a moment of surprisingly pleasant silence between you, Loki hummed. “The Norns do have interesting ways.” He said, locking his eyes with yours, almost as if he was pondering if… if what? If he could imagine being with you?

“So what should we do? Never speak of it again? Pretend we have never met? I can’t just… come to Asgard with you.” You held your breath when you realised what you were considering here. Loki must have thought the same. He smirked in response—not mockingly but bitterly. “Odin would never allow a mortal on Asgard. If I was to survive my trial, that is.”

“Don’t say that. I don’t care you’re a criminal right now, I just found my soulmate, and I don’t want to lose him again right away, regardless of what happens between us.”

With a start, his face fell. “Nothing will happen between us. That would be unnecessarily cruel, would it not? Your life in the nine realms is but a heartbeat compared to mine.”

“So… this is goodbye?”

Loki hesitated. You noticed by the way his lips slightly parted without a single sound escaping them just yet.

“Yes. This is goodbye.”

-

The fruit bowl had become your new best friend. In the morning, tired and rather absent, you sat at the kitchen table holding on to a steaming mug of coffee all the while studying the different colours of the fruit before you like a complicated Maths formula.

“Did you have a good chat last night?” Clint barked at you when he entered the room, skipping the ‘Good morning’.

“Huh?”

“With Loki?” He probed, raising his eyebrows in an I-already-know-what-you’ve-done manner.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You said, shaking your head and focusing your gaze on the fruit bowl again. Yellow bananas, green grapes, red apples. In colour.

You flinched when Tony spoke your name. “We saw the footage on our security cameras. You sneaked to his cell last night knowing fully well why you should stay away from him, especially with… with… you know.”

Fuck… the security cameras. You had completely forgotten about those! Of course the legendary Tony Stark would have had security cameras installed all over the damn place!

Busted, you shrugged your shoulders as nonchalantly as you could muster. “I just wanted to talk him. I had to talk to him. I know what you’re all thinking—that he’s evil and brutal and cruel and ruthless… and… and you’re probably right? I… I don’t even know but… he is still my soulmate. I can see colours again because of him for Fuck’s sake! I can’t just… ignore that.”

“I get it. We don’t know what it must feel like. But it’s for the best. We don’t want him to hurt you.”

“I am his soulmate, too. He wouldn’t dare hurt me. You know maybe he’s not the monster you all think he is.”

“Are you saying that because you know him so well after last night or because that is what you want to believe?”

Both. “I just… have a feeling.”

“Right.” Tony clapped his hands. Your name left his lips almost like a plea. “You have to trust us.”

Thor nodded. “Loki is dangerous. You should stay away from him at least until we know he is not still plotting the domination of your planet.”

“What do you mean ‘at least until’? You can stop staying away from him when he’s back on Asgard and out of your reach.” Tony snapped.

“We’re just trying to keep you safe.” Steve intervened. You sighed.

“You know what? I’m getting a headache and I’m still tired, so I’m gonna go back to bed.” That wasn’t even a lie—well, at least the fatigue bit wasn’t. Besides, the blackout curtains in the room Tony let you stay in were heaven-sent.

That was until a loud tumult in the Tower woke you up again, even though you were not sure anymore you had actually fallen asleep once your head hit the soft pillow.

“W—“ Your scream of protest was muffled by a cool palm covering your mouth. You struggled briefly, ripping your eyes wide open in a weak attempt to make out who was assaulting you in the comforting darkness of your room when you suddenly heard a soothing voice shushing you.

“It’s me…”

“L-Loki?” You choked out when he removed his hand again. “Did you… did you break out of your cell?”

“It would seem so. Come.”

“What?”

He tilted his head. “I don’t have much time.”

You stood, throwing the covers back when he already reached for your hand and held it tightly, pulling you with him into the hallway and towards one of the more hidden exists of Stark Tower, a flight of stairs illuminated only by emergency lights.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I am proving to you that I am more than just a criminal.”

“Oh… but… um… where are we going?”

Loki smirked. Your eyes widened when he pulled out the Tesseract seemingly out of nowhere, its blue light glowing brightly in the dark and throwing artistic shadows on his face.

“Hold on tight.”

“Loki…”

The God of Mischief pulled you close, making you gasp. Your chest hit his, his arm wrapping around your waist. With his face only inches from yours, you could feel his warm breath on your lips, and suddenly longed to kiss him.

“You are my soulmate. I am not leaving you behind.”

“What happened to ‘goodbye’?” You chirped.

Loki tilted his head almost threateningly. “You are mine. Don’t you think I wanted to leave this place without looking back?” His expression softened. “But I couldn’t. Because of you.” And you might just be the only woman to ever love me in this way, he added silently.

“B-but… Y-you said Odin will never allow me on Asgard and… and…”

“I never said we were going to Asgard, now was I?”

Your lips parted. Could you trust him? The stranger who had finally made you see colours again? If you told him No, would he let go of you? Would he let you run to Tony and Clint and Nat so they could protect you from him? Swallowing thickly, you met his intense blue gaze and nodded.

Loki smirked and winked. “You are in for an adventure.” And you knew he wasn’t lying. Next thing you knew, you were both hurtled through space and into a shared future.

-

A/N: ☕