#weirdly it feels similarly to when someone you love dies

[campingwiththecharmings]

one thing i hate about online friendships is the lack of closure you have when someone leaves.

[saturn-sugar-saturn-spices]

my favorite romance prompts/scenarios 🫶

like. ohhh my gosh when i read these i just go FERAAAAAAAAAAL 👹 and to think i’ve never even been in a relationship?? (i’m aroace loll) anyway, here you go!

cw: suggestive, sexual tension

A waking up and B’s face is so close to them, and their hand is on their forehead, and they’re just smiling in a slightly teasing way that makes A wonder if they know what they’re doing and oh gosh they feel hot all over nooow—

hand kisses with a smirk and direct eye contact and wet lips

one person grabbing the other’s chin

they don’t know the other person wears glasses and when they see them wearing them they’re just. SHOCKED. because they’re SOO PRETTY.

one person getting a new hairstyle or haircut and the other person is just thinking. woah

^^ similarly, a person who usually has it tied lets their hair down for the first time in front of another person (or vice versa) and they feel embarrassingly flustered (bonus points if they’re alone so it feels weirdly intimate)

(last appearance related one i swear) FORMAL WEAAAR, suits (pulling someone by their tie oh gosh), gowns, dresses, formalwear but with unbuttoned buttons and messy hair…

one person finds the other person begins influencing their interests and work, like they begin absentmindedly painting them, writing about characters similar to them, singing a song while suddenly thinking of them, etc. (i love it when this happens platonically, too 🥹)

sensitive spots on a person’s neck that the other discovers and won’t stop kissing and nipping at and biting—

one person making soft noises during a kiss and then blushing like crazy, and the other one notices and kisses them so much more intensely that by the end they’re pretty much the same color as a tomato

an oldie but certainly a goodie: “shut up” “make me”

^^ similarly: “ooooh you wanna kiss me so bad” , and the other person either starts angrily blushing or actually kisses them (or they angrily blush and then kiss them…)

cliché but still effective, one person trips and the other stops them from falling by holding onto their waist

“[name] kissed like they needed it to survive”

when they’re laughing together but as their laughter slowly dies down, they make direct eye contact, glance at the other’s lips, it feels like time slows down for just a minute…and then they meet in the middle

arguing and one person just shuts up the other by kissing them ; it’s just a soft, chaste one, but then the person who got kissed rushes back in

one person who’s awfully cocky keeps trying to get the other flustered by constantly firing pickup lines and saying flirty things to them, but one day they actually respond and suddenly they’re not so cocky anymore because fuck they’re hot

“pretty boy” / “pretty girl” BUT with a smirk and narrowed eyes

lingering touches like a hug or a comforting arm pat — it lasts for only a few moments but when it stops the other person immediately feels the loss of warmth and just wants to lean back in

[andypantsx3]

shoto and 'when i find out who is responsible for this...' IM A SUCKER FOR OVERPROTECTIVE SHO LMAO

This one was one of my faves to write, I really hope you like it!

Damage | Todoroki/Reader

Prompt: “When I find out who is responsible for this...” Word Count: 1600 words Tags/Warnings: SFW, ye olde quirk accident trope Notes: Special thanks again to my lady love @bobawithpomegranate for beta-ing me!! Also, for anyone who hasn’t suffered a corporate job: KPIs = key performance indicators, which are a set of business metrics used to measure success in certain areas.

The first sign that something was wrong should have been in line for security. 

Ayako—your favorite member of the Todoroki Agency security team—was waving a detector wand over your clothes when she asked casually, “How’s it going?”

Any other morning, your response was something along the lines of, “Oh, it’s going. How are you?” This morning, however, you blurted, “Good! Except that I bumped someone on the train and spent ten minutes trying to get a coffee stain out of this shirt, and I feel a little sick when I think about leading the KPIs review because Shouto’s property damage numbers are up again which doesn’t look great, so I skipped breakfast but honestly I’m super hungry right now, that was a bad choice, and—”

You cut yourself off, utterly bewildered. Ayako looked similarly nonplussed, raising a slim brow. 

“Uh, nevermind. I’ll just be going,” you said, and hared off to the rest of the security checkpoints before she could give commentary.

So you might have known that something was wrong even before you let yourself into Shouto’s manager’s office, armed with your monthly spreadsheets and performance slide decks. But you hadn’t given it more thought since then, a move which proved to be a complete mistake.

Shouto was already there, lounging in the set of chairs in front of his manager’s desk, looking less like a hero waiting for a meeting and more like some airbrushed ad for his dark turtleneck or his close-fit grey slacks. Your heart shot into your throat at the sight of him, like it usually did, and you had to remind yourself to relax.

Though he was unbearably handsome to the point of distraction, Shouto was relatively easy to get along with, something that should have made you calmer in his presence. He was straightforward, possessed of very little ego, thoughtful, and a very linear and strategic thinker—you’d worked extremely well with him the past couple of years, and Shouto, though he had less to do with the daily operations of the agency, had helped push your promotion last year to Director of Public Relations. It should have added up to an easy and uncomplicated work partnership, but his personality only made your unfortunate crush on him even worse.

He was so horribly, horribly perfect. And you were an awful little metrics gremlin, called in to roast him over the open flame of public opinion once a month. Really not something Shouto might be interested in.

“Y/N,” he said, looking up from his phone and fixing you with an intent look. Your heart stuttered under those heterochromatic eyes.

“Hi, Shouto,” you said, setting down your bag and digging out your laptop for something to take your attention off of him. “How are you?”

“I’m well,” he answered in his deep tone. “How are you?”

And that was it. The damning question that sent it all to hell.

“My heart feels like it could explode any second, and I feel kind of faint, weirdly weak, and incredibly distracted,” you answered, naming the symptoms of his very presence.

There was a beat of silence. You froze, crouched over your bag, laptop halfway out of it. Then it hit you what had just been said, and you slapped a hand over your mouth in horror. 

Shouto was up out of his chair in the blink of an eye, kneeling in front of you with cool fingers on your face, angling it towards him.

“You’re not well?” he asked, those eyes locking on you with an alarming intensity.

His attention only made things worse. “I feel like I might pass out,” you said, cringing even as the words left your mouth.

Fuck, what the hell were you saying? You were making it sound like you were some Victorian maiden, ready to swoon in the mere company of a gentleman. And why were you saying this shit? You’d worked with him for years and you’d never let slip the effect he had on you—what was wrong with you this morning?

You thought back to the coffee incident on the train this morning, the way the girl whose drink you had spilled had startled, the way she had weirdly apologized to you even as you were in the midst of your own apology.

A sense of foreboding settled over you. 

Oh.

Oh fuck.

“I think I’ve been hit with a quirk,” you blabbed.

Shouto’s features shuttered, a hard look you’d never really seen before entering his eye. He went over to his manager’s desk, dialing a number on her office phone, and then he was talking in low tones, asking someone from medical to come up to her office immediately.

Then he was back at your side, easing you carefully to the floor like you actually were in danger of passing out, and not just a huge idiot with an incredibly fat crush that made you say the world’s most ridiculous things.

“When I find out who’s responsible for this,” he uttered, low and dangerous, “they might never be able to use a quirk again.”

For some reason, the threat warmed you, even as it sent a little shiver down your spine. Was it weird to find him hot when he was angry?

You clamped your mouth firmly shut, lest you tell him exactly what illness prevailed you, but your silence was all for naught.

Because when one of the medical staff made it up to the office, pressing a quirk testing strip to your skin, she pronounced, “A truth quirk.”

Shouto caught your hand before it could smack into your forehead, looking surprised that he had done so. And then even more surprised at the pronouncement.

“A truth quirk,” he echoed, looking down at you curiously. His fingers were gentle where they held your wrist.

You squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

“But then, you’re still not well,” he said. He looked up at the medical staffer. “She’s feeling faint, and having problems with her heart.”

“She’s fine,” the staffer confirmed, holding up a scanner with your vital readings. They were embarrassingly perfect—incredibly, perfectly, damnably normal.

You could have died. You literally could have died.

Shouto looked down at you with a little wrinkle on his perfect brow, obviously wondering how you could admit symptoms like that given a truth quirk, only for there to be no physical sign of them. You tried to hold down the truth, but another question from him doomed you.

“But how?” he asked, clearly concerned, cool fingers smoothing over your cheekbone.

“I have an insanely huge crush on you,” you blurted. Then you unleashed a string of colorful swears, flushing so hot you thought you might catch fire.

Those heterochromatic eyes went a little round at the edges.

The medical staffer looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh as she bade a quick farewell. She was out the door before you could catch her sleeve and hold her like a shield against Shouto’s incredibly penetrating stare.

“I’m. Um. You know, sorry and everything,” you added. “I won’t let it interfere with work. I mean, I haven’t, any of the past couple years—fuck, oh my god, I just said that—”

Shouto was watching your mouth like he couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of it.

“Say it again,” he said.

You paused, staring at him. “What?”

“Tell me how you’re feeling.”

“My heart feels like it could explode any second, and I feel kind of faint, weirdly weak, and incredibly distracted,” you answered obediently.

“Because of me,” he said, like it was a wonder.

You gave him an annoyed look. Obviously because of him, who the fuck else did he think wielded that combination of attractiveness and straightforward appeal like an S-class quirk of its own?

Shouto choked on a laugh, and you realized with some horror that you’d said all of that out loud. 

Damn the fucking truth quirk.

“I don’t know,” Shouto said, sounding amused. “I think I rather like it. When I find out who is responsible for this, I might have to thank them instead.”

This stopped you short.

He what now?

“I’m sorry, what?”

Something a little like a smirk curled the corner of Shouto’s mouth. “It is generally gratifying to know one’s feelings are returned, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I wouldn’t know—” you started, feeling annoyed with him again. Then you choked when the implication of his words sank in.

Shouto’s fingers slid down to cup your chin, and suddenly it felt like every nerve ending in your body was concentrated there, the touch magnified a thousand-fold into an all-consuming sensation. 

“Would you like me to kiss you?” he asked lightly, looking smug.

“Oh my god yes—” The answer was out of your mouth before he’d even finished the question.

Shouto laughed, and then he was leaning in. You could feel the smile still on his mouth when it met yours. Shouto’s kiss was careful and attentive, but you could sense something deeper beneath, the same kind of restrained sort of passion that underlaid his quirk. Having that kind of controlled intensity turned on you was something you could have never prepared for.

The kiss became deeper and more heated, and Shouto was just easing you backwards again, still pressed firmly to you, when the door opened and his manager blew in.

“This is a fucking office,” she said, stepping over the two of you like you were a grimy puddle in the street. “Now hurry the fuck up, we have KPIs to review. Shouto—don’t think this will derail me from your property damage numbers increasing.”

Shouto huffed into your mouth, slumping against you.

You couldn’t do anything but laugh.

Current event masterlist in pinned!

[dr3amofagame]

Dream thought that he can bring server together, he thought that they can be one big family... Well at least he really bond them, even if they bonded to fight against him. Even if that mean he's not part of this server anymore.

right,, the one big happy family thing always destroys me

bc it’s really the driving force behind everything he’s done, the reason why he’s cut off everything he’s ever loved, moved forwards despite everything he’s ever lost. it doesn’t make what he does right, by any means, but c!dream’s longing for a better past, his clinging to a family he loved and lost - it’s so desperately, painfully human and is very much the cherry on top of his whole tragic story. it’s something that tugs at my heart every time i think about it - especially how in the end, pretty much nobody knew what drove him to the lengths he went to, and how everyone still sees him as being motiveless, or doing it all for personal gain and power. it’s reasonable, with their limited povs, but oh man does it hurt when we know his real reasoning.

this,, ended up weirdly long haha but oh man was it fun. have some dream team angst as i cry abt c!dream for the millionth time 

tws: death, grief, off-screen murder, implied mental deterioration

Two weeks after Dream dies, Sapnap asks George if he wants to come to the vault.

He almost says no. It’d be an early journey if they want to get out without anyone seeing, and he’s just- tired. He’s been tired for months even though he spends most of his time sleeping, usually can’t even find the energy to pull himself out of bed. The weird dreams hadn’t helped in the slightest, though they’ve been gone for a few weeks, and he’s not seen XD in a long time, save for a few minutes after he first heard the news. In all honesty, he doesn’t want to deal with the mental strain of anything to do with Dream at all.

But- Sapnap is still his best friend, even if they’ve grown apart ever since that fateful night with Dream, and he still knows the Netherborn better than nearly- well, everyone, now, with Dream gone. As much as Sapnap tried to put on a strong front, Dream’s death had taken its toll.

Killing Dream had taken its toll.

He’d been asleep (again) when it all went down, but he knows that somehow, Dream had escaped prison. Somehow, it ended with Sapnap’s sword stabbed hilt-deep in Dream’s chest, an unmarked grave in the forest behind the Community House that he knows Sapnap visits when he thinks nobody’s watching.

So when Sapnap asks, dark bags under his red-rimmed eyes, if he wants to come with him to see what belongings they can find in Dream’s old blackstone-brick vault- he says yes.

“There,” Sapnap gestures over the crest of a netherrack cliff above a bubbling lava lake, and George strains to look at what the other is pointing at. There, settled over a small outcrop of netherrack and gravel, a messy bridge of various blocks leading from it, lies the signature black and purple silhouette of a nether portal. “It’s just across that.”

George hums in acknowledgement, and they clamber down in sync. It’s been a while since he’s spent time one-on-one with Sapnap like this; George had half-forgotten what it feels like, to work with someone so different and yet know them so well. Years and years of teamwork means they fall in step almost without thinking, Sapnap easily sliding forward to block a skeleton’s arrow while George nocks one of his own to shoot it through the skull. It is a partnership built on years of bickering and banter and deep-set trust, of having to face a stronger, more agile opponent together through wind and rain and snow.

He missed it, though he’ll never admit that to anyone but himself.

He hesitates in front of the nether portal, pulling Sapnap back automatically by his sweater sleeve. “You sure the other side is safe?”

“Yeah, yeah- it should be,” Sapnap pulls his arm away, lets him enter the portal first before stepping into the frame himself. “Not a manhunt.”

“Mm,” George laughs, tired. “Just checking.”

The portal hums, purple creeping into the corners of George’s vision and filling it until it’s all he can see, and he rubs at his eyes to clear his vision as he stumbles out the other side. Sapnap walks out, seeming unfazed - it’s always been something that George has envied in the other, how unaffected he is by portals, but he’s also always had worse portal sickness than most- “We’re here.”

The place is - put lightly, a wreck, wooden planks scattered all over the floor and inch-deep water sloshing around his shoes. “What’s with the water?”

“I don’t know, someone must’ve come here after for something,” Sapnap frowns, points across the room to a chute leading upwards, filled with a crude spiral staircase of oak. “We’re going up there.”

George nods, letting him take the lead. The staircase is rickety, the bottom steps waterlogged; Sapnap grimaces the whole way up, makes some comment under his breath about how unsafe it all is, but they continue without much issue. The top of it is surprisingly unassuming - there’s really nothing around, just a small hollowed out space carpeted by savannah grass, shorn short. Sapnap tosses him a pickaxe.

“He respawned up here, that day - he’s gotta have a bed up here somewhere.” He gestures at the plain stone walls surrounding them, “My guess is that it’s just behind one of these walls. Just mine two or three blocks in all the way across, I’ll start from this side.”

“Whatever, Snapnap,” George takes the pickaxe anyway, walking over to the other side of the room and ignoring the protests Sapnap throws at his back. Mining the stone is simple, methodical; it’s a steady rhythm of the pick hitting stone and blocks falling into his inventory; if he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend that they’re in the middle of a manhunt, and Dream has holed himself into the wall as he always does for them to find him. He doesn’t, because thinking about manhunt does nothing but make something cold and choking claw up his throat, almost like guilt, almost like regret, and he doesn’t have the energy for that in the slightest.

His next swing rings oddly hollow, and when the block drops neatly away the wall opens to a narrow corridor. He calls Sapnap over.

“Here.” Sapnap moves with large, heavy strides, face tightening into a foreign expression of grim determination when he catches the darkness behind the one-block hole George mined, “I found it.”

“Well, obviously,” he rolls his eyes as he takes out the bottom block, looking at George from the corner of his eye. “Nice observation, genius.”

“Hey! You told me to find it, and I did, unlike you- you should be thanking me, Sapnap.”

“Whatever, Gogy,” Sapnap sighs, looking into the corridor, feet settling against the ground into a wide stance that George recognizes as the one he’d usually use in a fight. It makes something long-forgotten ache in his chest, joining the dull ball of hurt that has been there for what feels like months, “You ready?”

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up, will you?” The retort rings hollow, dying on his lips even as he says it, and George watches as Sapnap turns his head away and pretends not to notice.

“Let’s go.”

The hallway is dark, dusty, a hastily made thing as shown by the rough gouges made on either side by a quickly working pickaxe. It opens into a tiny room, similarly carved into the mountain with roughhewn walls of stone; George’s lips thin and press against each other as he takes a closer look at the room, stepping in behind Sapnap.

“This place is a mess,” he states drily, scuffing his foot against the floor and cringing at the trail it leaves in the dust. There’s a bed left in the corner, a thin little thing with the covers thrown off, lying halfway on the floor, and a few chests and furnaces scattered aimlessly against the walls and making the whole thing look more cramped. There are papers strewn over the floor and chests, piles of coal and wood left to collect dust in the corners. It looks like a whirlwind swept through the place, and it’s almost eerie to see this room, completely untouched since the twentieth, a snapshot in time of Dream in the middle of his spiral into madness.

Sapnap kicks at one such pile with a humorless scoff, “That’s an understatement.”

“You looking for anything in particular?” George jabs his thumb at the mess in front of them, “Because I’m not cleaning all of that up.”

“I guess- just look through the chests?” Sapnap’s face darkens visibly even despite the dim lighting, and George stifles the urge to poke fun at how the younger clearly didn’t plan this far ahead, per usual. “Just look for anything useful, worth taking back I guess.”

“Mmhm.” He moves to the left-most chest as Sapnap moves to the right, watching from the corner of his eye as the other strikes up a torch to place in the middle of the room. The lid creaks open, and he rummages through the contents, vaguely surprised when his hand meets row after row of glass bottles. He pulls one out, squints at the contents. “Hey Sapnap, is this a regen?”

Sapnap looks over. “Yeah,” he says, rolling his eyes when George pockets it. “Seriously- you know Sam literally has an automatic potion brewer, right. You can just steal from that instead.”

“Or I could just steal from here,” he closes the lid, moving to the next chest. “That’s just his pots chest. He really stacked up, didn’t he?”

“Well, you know Dream. Always had to plan for the end of the world.” Sapnap closes the chest that he was hunched over, tossing over something in a flash of gold, “Was just his food chest. Don’t know why someone needs eight stacks of gapples, but whatever. We can split the god apples later.”

“Sure,” George nods, distracted as he fiddles with clasp of the next chest. This one, unlike the last, seems more worn over the bottom edge of the lid, the wood almost seeming to bear dents where fingers had pressed into the areas right by the clasp again and again. The lid eases open, and he frowns at the chest’s contents; there’s no rhyme or reason to them at first glance. There’s a half-stack of stone in the top left, a couple pieces of leather thrown in the bottom corner, a low-durability crossbow, unenchanted, that he briefly runs his hands over before throwing it back into the chest. He rummages through it for another second, about to dismiss it as a junk chest, when a well-worn book near the back of the chest catches his eye.

He pulls it towards him with careful hands, breath having caught in his throat. The cover is leather, scuffed and scratched in several places, not bearing the dull shine of a book that’s been signed and preserved magically. It doesn’t seem to be titled, no ink against the usual places on the front cover or spine, but the whole thing looks well-loved, the thread of the spine slightly frayed the leather heavily creased from where the cover had been eased open again and again.

He opens the front cover, and sucks in a breath through his teeth.

“Sapnap? I think I found something.”

There, nestled between the front cover and the first page, lays a pile of photographs. Unlike everything else in the room, these are clearly well-loved, well-cared for, the corners are sharp, the surfaces shiny, despite how often they must have been thumbed through and looked at. He plucks the first one off the top of the pile - it’s one that was taken from the inside of the old community house before the floor was replaced with crafting tables, string lights hanging from the ceiling in an impromptu party, Alyssa’s legs dangling from where she’s sitting at the edge of the spiral staircase, Callahan leaning against the wall with a slice of cake held between his hands. Sapnap’s sitting in the middle of the floor across from himself, both of their faces glowing softly in the flickering light - his own face is caught in a grimace, Sapnap bent over himself in laughter- Sapnap walks up behind him, gasps at the sight.

“What are-”

George passes over the photo wordlessly as he moves to the next; there’s Sam, grinning at the camera with a newly tamed Fran by his side, tail a white blur against the green of the grass; Bad, hands clutched around a bucket as he yells at someone off the frame, a salmon head poking slightly out the top; Ponk, sitting proudly in the top branches of his first lemon tree.

His breath catches at the next; it’s dim, the sky a pretty blend of purple-pink from the last remaining dregs of light of a sunset, hovering over the dark edge of the ocean stretching out towards the horizon. They’re sitting in boats, the bottom edges lit softly from the coral sitting in the shallow waters below them, brilliant halos of reds and pinks and yellows and oranges and blues dotted with the soft lights of sea pickles painting the wood in muted rainbows. Sapnap’s smiling from one in the back, head tipped to the side cheekily, right hand lifted in a cocky two-fingered salute. George is sitting in the back of a boat in the foreground, glasses lifted to his forehead, eyes mid-roll even as he grins obligingly at the camera-

And then, in the front, there’s Dream.

His mask is pulled to the side of his face, exposing his freckled skin and brilliant green eyes; he’s smiling widely, all teeth, hair wet and sticking up in a ring of untamed swirls and spikes. His eyes are crinkled at the corners, cheeks red, arm stretched forward off-frame from where he’d held the camera in front of them to take the selfie. George’s thumb brushes over the photo, pressing lightly against the dusty mess of hair framing Dream’s face, pausing at the sight of his pure, unadulterated joy.

What had happened to them?

A soft, choked sound comes from behind him, and George tucks the photos away, pressing them between two random pages in the book. His eyes flicker to the book’s contents, finally, finding Dream’s familiar, looping scrawl written on the first page. The words are big and messy, all capitalized and underlined several times, the last four circled roughly.

REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE DOING THIS: ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY.

He snaps the book shut.

“George-”

“Let’s go home, Sapnap.” He throws one last look at the room, at the messy, desperate edges, the remnants of a man lost in his own reckless belief that he could build something beautiful out of blood and ash. He swallows, blinks back the image of a brilliant smile, freckled cheeks ruddy with laughter, at the golden glow of memories long-forgotten that threaten now to burn him with their warmth. He can imagine Dream, settled in the middle of this mess, pressing himself closer to the fire contained in these photographs, these memories, and not realizing how he’s being burned, can nearly see a ghost of him tucked in these shadowed corners, haunting the hopes that he had clung to against all reason with the promise that it could all be worth it.

Sapnap frowns at him tiredly, photos pressed against his own chest. “George,” he says, cautious, and George’s shoulders hunch defensively.

“Let’s go home,” he stands up, hearing more than seeing as Sapnap does the same. “Whatever closure you’re looking for- you’re not finding it here.”

[wdwmarveldisney]

Request

I didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much.” with Luke Patterson/ Charlie gillespie

Matchmakers

Luke Patterson x reader- slight Reggie Peters x oc

Requested

Prompt-"I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much,"

Summary: Reader is trying to match Reggie up with her new ghost friends and convinces Luke to help her. When planning, something happens that changes the way they look at each other for the rest of their ghost lives.

Masterlist

A/N: Ok so I got this request a little while ago and I have fully finished. Hope you like it. Also if you’re name is Kay, just change it. Not proofread.

(Gif isn’t mine)

You watched as they played, a smile finding its way to your lips as the three appeared around Julie. You sat next to Flynn watching as she jumped in shock at the sight of them and chuckled lightly at her expression. Of course, she didn't even know you were there because you were dead and you didn't appear like the boys. She only knew you existed through Julie who had quickly become someone you spent a lot of time with since you couldn't always deal with the boys. You also hung out with a ghost called Kay, a sweet girl who was a couple years older than you and had died in the 1940s. She had been very helpful sine you met her, similarly like Willie was to Alex except you two were just friends. You'd even spent a few hours in the garage with Kay who Reggie had taken a liking too. She reminded you of him in some ways and you were quick to try play matchmaker but it soon became clear to you that it wasn't a one person job. So you had roped Luke into it.

He had promised that after this rehearsal you two would head up to the small space in the garage because that was the only place where you wouldn't get interrupted and he also had to change his shirt apparently. As they practiced Edge of Great for the fifth time, you smiled to yourself, nodding along and mouthing the words. You saw a flash from outside and was quick to jump up and rush to the door to see Kay in her ripped jeans and Star Wars sweatshirt that she had stole from a shop down the road the other day when taking you to get a change of clothes. you had more opted towards black leggings, a red crop top and a navy leather jacket with your usual trainers. "Hey," She had pulled you into a quick side hug before the two of you headed inside to watch them finish rehearsal and as the boys disappeared from Flynn's view. Julie was quick to drag Flynn inside to get a drink and some food whilst you were quick to shove Kay towards Reggie, the two immediately starting a conversation about Star Wars with Alex sitting with them. The blonde sent you a smug look which confused you until you face where he kept glancing to and see Luke on the stairs staring at you. With a smile and a hate for stairs, you simply blip up to the area already sitting down on a a small stool. A grin found its way to your lips when Luke glared slightly as he appeared in front of you.

"Okay so, Reggie and Kay-" you started but shook his head lightly making you stop and raise an eyebrow in curiosity and annoyance. "What did you think? About the song?" Almost subconsciously, your arms cross as you lean forward ever so slightly, "You said you'd be a matchmaker with me," he pouted in that cute little way that made your heart soar and sagged his shoulders slightly. "Y/N," you rolled your eyes at his voice before giving in, nodding your head slightly as your features relaxed, "You guys were great, as usual," That made him grin like mad and you completely forgot what the conversation was about in the first place as he sat up taller. "Yeah?" You nod, before you backtracked remembering exactly why the two of you were sitting there. "Hey, stop distracting me!" He just laughed in response, searching through bags to his right for any clothes.

"Reggie and Kay, together. How do we do that? Ideas?" Luke's face contorted to one of concentration as he stared at the shirt he held and you sighed, knowing he wouldn't pay much attention. "How about a picnic date? And they could have a blanket," you paused, grabbing the old blanket from a box and laying it out between the two of you, not taking note of how all Luke's attention went to you at the word 'date'. "They can't have a picnic. They can't eat," You rolled your eyes, sitting down on the blanket and pulling next to you. "Well, they can go for a walk and sit on the blanket in the park and talk," Luke chuckled, shaking his head which made you raise an eyebrow at him. He noticed and, though it seemed impossible, his grin grew bigger, "Just thinking of all the people who'll stare at the floating blanket and then when its laid down. Great plan," You shoved his shoulder and almost in protest of your action, he wrapped his arm round your shoulders, "They can do it without the blanket," He suggested making a small smile appear on your face, "Yeah,"

"Hey, Kay, where did you get the scar on your palm?" Both you and Luke looked through the wooden banister to watch after hearing Alex's question. "Oh, I picked up a piece of hot charcoal when I was little," Kay looked down to her hand, running her thumb over the weirdly shaped mark as she spoke and the answer confused them all except Reggie, who simply said, "Cool!". Alex leaned forward ever so slightly, pulling a face as he mumbled, "That....okay," You laughed at your blonde best friend's reaction whilst Luke just smiled before he pulled you back next to him so you could continue to talk. "Alright, so we invite them to the park and then don't show up so they're left alone together and they walk, we watch," Luke stopped your explanation with a chuckle that made you look to him with a panicked expression, "What? What's wrong?"

"We're going to spy on them?" You rolled your eyes at the question, like it was a ridiculous question because essentially it was. "Yes, of course we're spying on them! We need to make sure it works," Luke just laughed, shaking his head as he looked away from you but somehow managed to shift closer. "Well, I'll probably be writing so I don't know if I'll make it," Just by the look on his face, the way he held back this massive grin and how he shrugged his shoulders, you knew he was messing with you. His face had scrunched up a little before the grin finally broke out and, just to annoy him back, you reached across and squeezing his cheek with a forced smile on your face, "You'll be there," He hit your hand away with a frown etching its way onto his face which made you chuckle. "I guess I could move a few things around," You nodded and it was a second before you both burst out laughing like two crazy people.

And then you noticed it. The lack of space between you two made panic begin to bubble in your stomach, anxiety kicking in. Luke hadn't seemed to notice it, talking about the plan but you had drowned out his voice unintentionally and instead was scanning his features. You bit your lip, trying to stop yourself from saying anything but you noticed how his lips stopped moving and how he now stared at you with just as much focus as you him. "I'm about to something," the whispered words had fallen from your lips without much thought and you took a deep breath before continuing, "And I don't know how it's going to go," and then you did it.

Fireworks felt like they were exploding in your stomach. Even with your current status as dead, you'd never felt more alive or more like a decision you made was right. It just fit and everything just worked out and... Oh my god, he's kissing back. He's actually doing that, lips melting against yours in the sweet gentle kiss that made you feel like you were cloud nine or that you had passed on. It's so amazing and scary and amazing and your brain can't seem to keep up with it. Well, apart from the fact you were kissing him. And he was kissing back.

He pulled away first, you chasing his lips before a small pout formed on your own when his wasn't there. He laughed, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours. At some point, your hands had gone to his shoulders and his to your cheeks. "I'm about to say something and I don't know how it's going to go," you smiled at him, that seemingly being enough encouragement for him, "I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much,"

“Not even Alex?”

“Shut up,” Safe to say you did but only because his lips met yours in another breathtaking kiss. And also it would be a good assumption that Reggie and Kay’s set up date went well and you two were terrible spies and that they knew all along.

[goatsandgangsters]

Hi! I know you have probably answered this before, but I was wondering how you think meyer and lucky got together (in boardwalk empire)? I think about it a lot, and I just can never fully grasp what I feel about it, especially because this was in the 1920s

yeeeeeeeEEEEeeeeSSSS oh I’m so glad you asked, I’m gonna have so much fun! So YES I do have specific headcanons for how they got together, though I don’t know if I’ve ever actually laid them out explicitly? (also I’m saying “my” headcanons but I wanna acknowledge that they originate from Friend Conversations that happened a number of years ago, to the point where I don’t even know who originally said what but the idea of it is just lodged in my brain now. BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, I don’t want to present this as This Is The Fanon We Agreed On, Everyone Has To Think This, because fandom should never operate that way. ANYWAY)

TL;DR: I think Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City was an instigating event for them to get together, because it shakes them enough to act on their feelings. Plus, it coincides nicely with Vince and Anatol becoming more comfortable around one another as actors in a way that lends itself to that reading. BUT I AM NOT THE EXPERT OR THE ARBITER ON THIS MATTER, and I think any interpretation is perfectly wonderful!

So the headcanon I operate with is that they got together after the near-death experience in Emerald City. That originates from a Watsonian vs. Doylist perspective on Vince and Anatol’s acting. They’re not quiiiiite in sync with each other in the first few eps they share, which I’m sure in actuality is them finding their groove and their dynamic as actors. But from a Watsonian perspective, it’s really easy to read their earlier scenes as pining. Like in their first scene together in Home, they’re both constantly looking at each other, but never quite meeting each other’s eye. It’s like that thing where you have a crush on someone, so you keep looking at them, but oh god they saw me and you look quickly away. And they both keep doing it!

Some of their other early scenes—like with the D’Alessios while Charlie’s playing pool, or that weirdly staged scene earlier in Emerald City where Meyer’s sitting way farther away at the table—they may exchange looks, but there’s a fleetingness to it. But then you watch the scene at the end of season 1 where they’re talking to AR with the umbrellas AND THE PSYCHIC BOND HAS ARRIVED. They are having those telltale Full On Conversations with their glances! They are synced up. They’re a team, they’re a unit, they’ve hit that dynamic that they have for the rest of the show.

And in actuality, probably it was Vince and Anatol finding their footing with each other as actors. But if you read into that textually, they go from “staring at the other but constantly dodging eye contact, like they’re afraid to be caught looking” to “we’re having an entire conversation in one look” and you’ve gotta think: what changed?

Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City, conveniently enough, happens in the middle. And I think that works well as an instigating moment for them, because it’s BIG. Meyer almost died, in another state—in goddamn New Jersey!—and that’s enough to make anyone act on things they wouldn’t otherwise act on or reevaluate life and relationships.

In terms of their feelings for one another and when those developed and how, my usual interpretation is that… I mean Charlie was heart-eyes from the jump, but not in a romantic way, whereas Meyer was the first to develop full-on pining feelings feelings. Because obviously Charlie was not like “I have feelings feelings for this tiny child” when they first met, but he DID very much imprint on Meyer like a little baby duckling and was like HEY I LIKE THIS KID, WE’RE GONNA BE FRIENDS, CAN I FOLLOW YOU HOME whereas Meyer was like “um, what the fuck.” Classic “enthusiastic puppy befriends sulky cat” dynamic. But then when the FEELINGS FEELINGS come into it, I think of Meyer as having been harboring feelings for Charlie for a while. (also basically all of this is from @meyerlansky, because we successfully tag-teamed on headcanons by one of us wanting to hyperanalyze Meyer and the other wanting to hyperanalyze Charlie and then we just shared!) I mean, you know, Charlie’s good-looking and they’re friends and Charlie’s so casual about flinging his arm around Meyer’s shoulders or roughhousing with him and Meyer’s insides do a little flip that they shouldn’t be doing, but they’re getting older and Charlie’s starting to sleep around with girls and that stings and bothers him in a way that It Shouldn’t, but also It Is What It Is, there’s nothing he can do about it, they’re friends and they’re business partners and that should be enough and it’s all it’ll ever be so focus on the task at hand and ignore the flip in his stomach.

For Charlie, I’m not actually sure WHEN he realizes there are feelings for Meyer. I don’t have a solid, definitive default interpretation for that. But in early season 1, pre Meyer-getting-introduced, he’s definitely enamored and smitten with Gillian, and he’s similarly moonstruck towards AR. I think that can read as, “trying really hard to distract yourself so you don’t acknowledge that maybe you’re in love with your best friend.” Whether he’s doing that consciously or unconsciously, I could also go either way on that.

A lot of this interpretation is based around the simple fact that Charlie was introduced and established in the show before Meyer, so I wonder how my headcanons would have been different if they’d been introduced together from the start. But with how the show unfolds, the change as Anatol and Vince find their groove as actors, plus a near-death experience to make someone act on something they wouldn’t otherwise act on—it all lends itself nice and neatly to Emerald City being the get-together point.

(I know a number of people have worked that headcanon into their own fics and written post-Emerald City get-together, which I can rec you. Though again, by no means do I want this to come across as “this is what the fandom has decided, you have to think it too” because that’s never how fandom should operate. No one is the arbiter of When Did Charlie and Meyer First Kiss. I love get-togethers in general, so I will always be happy reading any get-together fic that happens at any point in time, with any instigating factor, in any way, because that’s just delightful!)

Here are some get-together and/or pining fics that I can recommend:

born once of flesh, then again of fire, i am reborn a third time (a post-Emerald City get-together)

Contact (another post-Emerald City get-together by @rubecso)

Making Accommodations (by @transdracosmalfoy, the post-Emerald City genre lives on!)

to see God in the skyline (by @lurusciutelumare a sprawling masterpiece of chapters intertwining Charlie and Meyer’s childhood and growing up. It takes a while to reach the get-together point, but the whole thing is well worth the read. The entire fic is set pre-Boardwalk Empire)

beg dead trees for money next (by @meyerlansky, a pre-Boardwalk fic of Meyer realizing he has feelings for Charlie which is one of my faves for a lot of reasons)

(also I’m sorry if I missed anyone’s get-together fic. I tried to wrack my brain but I’ve been in this fandom for, uh, a while and it’s hard to remember back sometimes. Feel free to add yours in if I did!)

Also re: getting together in the time period and how it being the 1920s shapes things, there would definitely be added concerns and dangers, though I don’t think it’s necessarily a black-and-white thing. I don’t think the wider attitudes of society towards queerness would have impacted them as much in comparison to the specific culture of lower Manhattan and the criminal spheres they operated in.

Because on the one hand, in the criminal world in which they were operating, it likely would have been dangerous for anyone to know that they’re queer. It probably would have hurt their business and their reputation among their peers and rivals, and—because of how masculinity and queerness interconnect and operate—would look like weakness to others. But in terms of “well can Charlie make a move, because it’s dangerous if Meyer doesn’t reciprocate or reacts badly” (or vice versa), it would reflect equally bad on both of them? Like, if Charlie made a move and Meyer was like “nah,” he can’t very well go gossiping to the whole Lower East Side about it, because it hurts his reputation too, it hurts his business, and they were also close enough as friends that even if there wasn’t reciprocation, neither one of them would do anything to damage the other’s reputation like that.

As far as how they feel about it on an internalized level, I definitely don’t think they… care from a legal and/or moral standpoint. I don’t think Charlie’s like “oh god I’m going to hell for liking men,” because by the time he and Meyer kiss, he has DEFINITELY KILLED PEOPLE. They already break a lot of laws all the time. So that wider societal stigma from a moralizing perspective probably doesn’t matter to them much, because wider society already thinks they’re an “undesirable criminal element,” they’re already “dangerous immigrants,” so what’s it matter if they also bang on top of doing crimes and killing people? Charlie and Meyer are already outside the Predominant Ethical Framework of Society by virtue of their class background and criminal enterprises (and class and queerness have huge intersections historically in terms of what the experience was like). Being in an urban area in the 1920s (especially New York), queer sexuality is something they would have known about; it probably wouldn’t have been any more shocking than any other “vice” they grew up around in that area.

If they do have any concerns or guilt about what they’re feeling for one another, for Charlie I think it all has to do with masculinity and with the machismo he’s grown up around. It’s also something he’s already touchy about, given the emasculation that happened being called Sal (which, at the time, was common nickname for Sally) and historically he has a history of experiencing sexual violence. So I can see him struggling with conflating that together—as well as worrying that his feelings for Meyer are unwanted and similar to what he experienced. Meyer, I would say, cares less about the performance of masculinity, but I do think he sees himself as an eventual family man in a way that Charlie does not. @meyerlansky also has more thoughts on Meyer + sexuality + being a-spec.

I’M SORRY FOR MY LONG TANGENTS!! I literally do not have the ability to be succinct.

IN SUMMARY, I think Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City was an instigating event for them to get together, because it shakes them enough to act on their feelings. Plus, it coincides nicely with Vince and Anatol becoming more comfortable around one another as actors in a way that lends itself to that reading. BUT I AM NOT THE EXPERT OR THE ARBITER ON THIS MATTER, and I think any interpretation is perfectly wonderful!

As for the time period and being the 1920s, it definitely has ramifications on how they conceive of themselves—particularly in relation to their ethnic and class identities—but that also the history of sexuality is very non-linear and I think queerness is less shocking and scandalous to them than it would have been to someone more upper-class who didn’t grow up in the Lower East Side, or to someone more rural, or to someone who was more “inside” the social framework of the time, as opposed to being forced outside of it already by class, ethnicity, and criminality.

Finally, and most importantly, they should KISS!!!!

[trashcatsnark]

WHY THE FUCK WERE UP SO LATE??? FUCKING UR SO LUCKY I CANT BEAT UR ASS OTHERWISE ITD BE KNUCKLE CITY

anyway, speaking about johnny boy i was thinking about him + nibbles and our like collective desicion that he is essiently a cat and it is really weirdly fitting that it just makes me like ???? so like cats themselves are a reoccuring motif within the game from the start, when u go to viks, when ur chatting up takemura and at the end with the rooftop that also doubles as like the millionith matrix reference. they follow v and they take up the role of the bakeneko, which i think in the game is defined by them appearing near death ? or just disaster. the obvious thing is that it is to do with v's inpending death and their whole sitation but like the general point is like the cat symbolises the death that follows v as the cat follows them. this puts johnny in an interesting sitation from his catlike nature to how he seems to like and get along with nibbles, he is linked with cats. he is also the parasite that is killing v. he is V's bakeneko. their signal of death. the events start because of his relic, jackie dies for him, and soon does most of the cast from act 1, and a large part of the death from then on is a direct result of them trying to solve the relic and johnny's whole presence is a signal for hey v ur fucking dying. he is death for them. the bakeneko.

makes me wonder if his catlike attributes were intentionally done cause that boy aint right or we just accidently walked on a really thematic fitting landmind

Spoilers within, again, also leave my sleeping schedule alone, I do not function. Additionally, I have a lot to say about Nibbles, omens, cats, and pets then how they all relate back to Johnny so congrats on opening a flood gate my friend!

 think the thematic thing with Johnny and cats and the bakeneko has to 1000000 percent be intentional, because he even sees a cat when Alt is kidnapped. And that goes back to Cyberpunk Red. Like that was used and utilized and then became such a large part of the story. 

Johnny is clearly meant to be a bakeneko; he’s actively next to the cat in that conversation, leaves when it does, see the same cat before Alt’s death, and is again the visual representation of what is happening to V. He is the symbol of their death, whether he wants to be or not. 

I think it’s also interesting to note, the Bakeneko, which is described as an omen of death and misfortune isn’t the only way we see cats used thematically within the game. Albeit, this way is more subtle and perhaps intentionally so. We also see the maneki-neko; the lucky cat statues are everywhere in game. In V’s apartment, Misty’s shop, Vik’s clinic. Everyyyyyywhereeeeee. 

So, we see two mythological cats from Japanese culture. One brings misfortune and one brings good luck. And Johnny exemplifies both. 

Johnny is a visual representation of all that is destroying V. His mere existence and presence a constant reminder that their death is around the corner. An ever present omen that V’s clock is ticking. He also often pops up to have a comment just before massive relic malfunctions and disasters. The end of every main game quest is punctuated with a relic malfunction and a lecture from Johnny. 

But without the chip and by extension Johnny, V would already be dead. If the chip hadn’t been the exact right place to be damaged and activated by the gunshot; it would have killed V right then and there. And while this wasn’t an active choice on Johnny’s part, he is the visual representation of the chip. Even then, he later does make an active choice to save V’s life. When V is hit with the worst malfunction yet; Johnny grabs them, “you aren’t dying yet, I got you” and he takes them to safety. He refuses to watch V seize and die in a puddle of their own sick in the middle of nowhere (for me it’s always at the sunset hotel, idk if this changes based on the order you do the events tho) So, he takes control, he eases their pain and takes them somewhere safe, somewhere that means something to him, and swears to die for them. 

Luck both good and bad. Fortune and misfortune. A sign of better days and an omen of death. A maneki-neko and a bakeneko. The time bomb in V’s head and the guy who saved their life. He is both. 

Now, stepping away from the mythological aspects. Lets talk about Nibbles the cat, Johnny, and pets within Cyberpunk 2077. Animals and by extension pets are considered a luxury in Night City. They’re taxed to fuck and back, generally only the wealthy can have them. Its also often brought up that real friends and family who stick by you are very difficult to come by. V becomes through Nibbles one of the rare people to have a pet. One of the other people who had a pet is, Barry their neighbor. 

Barry and his mission is one of the first you can unlock and see in the game. He’s V’s downstairs neighbor and his story is played out so fucking similarly to V’s. Barry lost his best friend, he’s quit his job because he can’t handle the weight of the NCPD’s corruption, and he’s thinking of taking his own life.  V has lost Jackie, its stated in game they get less work than usual because of Konpeki (cant be put on a crew), and very early on can say to Misty “be better off putting in my head”. 

But for Barry that friend ends up being a pet tortoise. And its clear what that tortoise represents; a constant companion, a safe place, and a comfort. Something Barry couldn’t find among his peers until later on when they learn just how much he’s been hurting. And this is treated as such a tragedy, that he only has a pet to turn to. 

And so V gets a cat, because they too are fucking hurting and having a little meowing bundle of skin running around their apartment helps. Something to come home to, something to make that apartment a little less empty, a little more alive. 

So, how does this particular aspect of Nibbles/cats/pets relate to Johnny, I hear you wondering (as well as wondering when Im going to shut up). Well, we know Johnny is linked symbolically with cats and thats the choice of pet for V. And we knows pets have been likened to support without judgement; a companion who you can tell everything too and they won’t abandon you. 

And while Johnny has heaps of judgment and is a dick. He is V’s only constant companion. I know a good junk of people don’t like him or his commentary; but imagine V’s life without Johnny in it through the game events. Imagine how lonely they’d be. 

Johnny is the only one who knows everything and is there with V from the start to the final moments in Mikoshi. 

Vik and Misty know, but they’re no edgerunners, they have no idea everything V is doing out there. Part of why as much as I do love Vik, his frustration with V hurts so much in the end because he talks like V hasn’t done anything to save themselves. Because, Vik doesn’t know what V’s been doing this whole time. 

Each part of the main quests in Act 2 are linked to an NPC; Judy, Panam, and Takemura. And not one of them know or are there throughout the entirety of V’s journey. Judy doesn’t get told the full details of what’s happening until later in and stops helping V one Evelyn is saved. Panam doesn’t learn the full details or anything really about the chip until much later. And her quests become her own personal journey once V finds Hellman. And then depending on V’s choices, Panam can come in to help at the end. Takemura knows V is dying and is there to help with the parade and then he’s gone; either dead or in hiding. He refers to anything that doesn’t involve him as V’s shady dealings and leaves it at that. He’s there to interrogate Hellman but he doesn’t know all V did to find him. None of them know everything, none of them have been there the whole time. And that’s not a condemnation of them, I do not expect them to drop everything to be glued to V’s side 24/7 but, I can’t fucking imagine how alone V feels. 

River has no involvement in any main quests and only finds out anything if V chooses to romance him. Kerry knows what Johnny told him and depending on the ending may even leave V. Again, wanna be clear, that isn’t a condemnation on his character. I understand why he does this and i understand his hurt and how it led him to that. 

But this is about how truly fucking alone V is in all of this. Not a single person there start to finish, not a single person knowing all that they have suffered, all that they have been through and are going through. 

Except Johnny. He tells V in the oil fields, closest to him by far, there 24/7, yet they don’t seem to hate him. And he’s that for V too; there the entire way, their demon never leaving.  Johnny knows everything happening; because he’s part of what’s happening. He’s been there through every struggle, every step, every slap in the face as V’s tried to save themselves. Has felt their pain as they lose themselves, has known the people who’ve had to die for them to get this far, as felt their heart break when all they found was betrayal by the Voodoo Boys, Ai Alt asking how V’s life is her problem, getting recommended a hospice by Hellman. 

And as dickish as he is, his comments help. V always has someone there, as much as he sucks. He always has something stupid or naggy to say to help keep some of that weight off their shoulders. Imagine if they didn’t even have that. If Johnny never talked to them, never showed his face. 

A constant companion, like a supportive pet cat except he can talk and did a lot of meth. 

And this is a sidenote that has nothing to do with cats specifically, but that through Samurai music this isn’t the first time Johnny could be compared to an omen. Its no secret that the music was largely created around the game and as such, many of his songs have direct parallels and messages related to the game. Never Fade Away while in universe written in regards to Alt’s death also has so much in common with his journey with V. This brings me to the song Black Dog.

“Black Dog inside my head, guiding me until the end.”

Black Dogs are figures in Irish Mythology  who much like bakeneko’s are talked about in game; are omens of death and misfortune. I just find it interesting I suppose, like Johnny is either a dirty alley cat or a big mangy dog, but either way he’s here cause someones about to die.

Okay this is well over a thousand words, Imma shut up now. This is probably a mess, but anyone here for coherency is in the wrong place. 

[kinetic-elaboration]

August 28: 3x05 Is There In Truth No Beauty?

Several days later, coming back to write up these Star Trek notes. I feel like I never got to talk this episode through properly, or even think through it properly by myself, because mom went right into watching AHS on Thursday, and I was too tired to even sort through my thoughts and when we talked yesterday, it was… entirely about other things.

So, here at least are my liveblog thoughts, and maybe I’ll remember some more as I write.

Right off the bat, this is such a cool concept: the friendly alien Ambassador who no one can look at because his form is not fit for human eyes.

Love Spock’s silly looking little visor. Not sure I get why he’s wearing it right now, when the Ambassador is in his box, but okay.

Dr. Jones is so beautiful. I love her dress.

I’m sure Spock is thinking “If only all Ambassadors could be put into little boxes like this.”

Okay, Ambassador’s coming! Everybody quarantine!

Right, I JUST remembered the significance of the dress.

Spock has experience with mind links with other creatures—a lot of experience that ho. Is he thinking about the pleasure of connecting to Kirk, that “dynamic individual”?

“My life is here.” With the Captain???

I feel like this episode is implying, all but stating outright, that Spock is very good at mindlinking. Like maybe even more so than the average Vulcan. Which makes sense because he does it so often. And yet he still messes up with AOS!Kirk.

I love the effects for the Ambassador. I’m not even being sarcastic; I think they get across the experience of looking at him quite effectively.

Hmmm, some non-touch telepathy. I know Spock has a little of that. I guess it’s mostly him reacting to Miranda, though.

Gotta get a dig in at Dr. McCoy before he leaves lol. Spock, so predictable.

Kirk’s flirting is off the charts today omg. Tone it down man.

SCOTTY IN A KILT aw yeah.

She learned from the Vulcans how not to read thoughts. Exactly!! Their telepathy is such an underrated part of the whole Vulcan thing, including why they remain ‘emotionless.’

She’s so jealous of Spock.

Honestly this whole scene… there’s a lot going on here! I’m trying to pay attention to the Vulcan telepath stuff but the men won’t stop flirting at 11. Especially McCoy, laying it on extra thick.

She does hold her own very well, though.

A preference for beauty—one of our last prejudices.

“Sleep well.” So cute. (I’ve already forgotten but I’m pretty sure this is Kirk.)

“We’re all vulnerable in one way or another.” KIRK SHUT UP I LOVE YOU.

Girls don’t like guys, girls like Medusan ambassadors.

This guy is so jealous. I barely know who he is lol; this comes out of nowhere.

Interesting angle on the hallway shot. I feel like there are a lot of those in this ep, like these weirdly long shots of the hallways… Maybe I’m just not used to seeing them with one or no people in them.

Kirk and the squad. Work work fashion baby.

“Larry? Marvick? Why?” Okay that is some real Shatnerian inflection there.

SCOTTY FIGHT SCENE.

*Ship veers obviously*

And look at this weird-ass view of the bridge. Like what the hell, where is the camera? On the lift? It’s so disorienting!

Spock needs to fix some stuff, calls for his protégé Chekov, of course.

And this funky music. So bizarre.

WE’LL BE SAFE AT THE BOUNADIRES OF THE UNIVERSE. Drama queen

This is a nutty view, this “unknown void.” Like one would think beyond space there’s… just more space, not a Windows 98 screensaver.

Space time continuum?? They didn’t time travel (again), did they?

“He just simply died.” How convenient.

“An entertaining suggestion, Mr. Chekov, but not very helpful.” Honestly, I do think he’s entertained. Spock has grown so much over the course of the show.. like I know there was controversy with his IC-ness this season but in this case, I really do think it is growth. Compare this to the Corbomite Maneuver, where he had a sense of humor but it was… a little mean, a little arch. There’s a certain warmth to him now.

Her mind must be so engaged that she doesn’t notice the plan for Spock to meld with the Ambassador = Kirk will seduce her. Lol. Of course. Everyone’s favorite honeypot.

He has absolutely NO shame.

The man sure does love his flowers, though.

She’s never been to Earth. So she’s a human born on a colony, I guess? That’s such a throwaway line, but so interesting. Could that be part of how she’s telepathic?

Oh no! A thorn!

“Violent emotion is a kind of insanity.” Can I steal this?

Too ugly to bear or too beautiful to bear?

Let me spell it out for you: this is romantic. (Again, I’ve forgotten what this refers to, but I’m going to assume it’s something Kirk said.)

Lol Bones just dropping truth bombs. How did he know she was blind? Did he recognize the dress or does he have access to her files as the ship’s doctor?

And Kirk accepts it immediately. “Of course! It’s the only reasonable explanation as to why you weren’t attracted to me.”

The Ambassador is brought to the bridge and placed behind a covid wall, I mean, protective barrier.

And now, we meet the Ambassador for real.

“THAT’s Spock!” Bones is so happy. He’s really not comfortable with Spock being all… smiley and flirty. Or rather, someone in Spock’s body, I should say.

Kollos is VERY flirty. And he and Miranda have chemistry for sure. It’s weird, because I don’t get any sense of that between her and Spock (rightly so) but Spock as the Ambassador and it comes right out.

I love the characterization of him. The idea that the Medusans’ thoughts are supposed to be particularly nice to engage with…. I really see how that would be. He’s so soothing.

Kollos is enjoying his time in a human body, I think. Mostly. Not all of it. (I got a little teary at the part about loneliness, ngl.)

Time to go back? So soon?

Noooo the shield! It’s like forgetting your mask when you enter a building.

[Spock wails]

Honestly, even seeing the steps to the upper level of the bridge is really weir. Like, I’ve always known there are steps there… but I’ve never thought about what they look like.

Kirk is so skeptical about all of this. Spock is in danger and his brain immediately goes to the pessimistic scenarios—very unlike him!

He’s freaking out nervous.

“Are we supposed to wake him with a kiss?” Idk, it’s worth a try. Why doesn’t Kirk give it a go?

Does Kirk have a game plan with Miranda here, or is he just honestly freaking out?

…The answer is honestly freaking out, which is rather a disappointment.

Trippy.

Spock has a necklace version of the IDIC symbol this time.

Everyone’s exchanging all these highly formulaic, formal goodbyes and Kirk’s like “Peace.” Wow, really trying hard with that one. Still rattled, I guess.

Also speaking of these formulaic exchanges—this fits very well with the HAICG-verse. Just saying.

This episode was really good! I loved Miranda, I am a huge fan of the underlying sci fi concept, and I though the Spock characterization and the hints of Vulcan culture were very interesting (and very in keeping with my own characterization and world building, imo).

The only thing I didn’t like was Kirk’s characterization. He felt like a stereotype, like who AOS thought TOS Kirk was, rather than himself—the over the top flirting, the dramatic rage, how he didn’t really seem in control of anything or on his game at all.

But, even though he’s my fave, the interesting Spock characterization made up for that, and I really appreciated these insights into him, interacting with someone who, while not Vulcan herself, had a Vulcan cultural background, someone he approached similarly to how he would one of his own people. It was very polite but with a lot of unsaid beneath the surface, which is how I imagine Vulcans are.

The introduction of IDIC truly was pretty random! I did like the idea of Spock trying to compliment her and not really landing it, because that’s just the awkward nerd sort of thing he would do. But it’s weird that the phrase has never been introduced before, and also that even within this episode, it’s only obliquely explained.

I’m not actually sure if I’ve seen the next ep or not. I don’t think so, but it’s possible I did and just don’t remember it very well…

[willel]

On this day, I’d like to talk about my feelings on Season 3.

I know I know. You roll your eyes. You’ve seen me talk about it before. But actually you haven’t. Not totally. If anything, you’ve just seen my inquisitional frustration now and then on how they decided to write it.

Make no mistake, I think Stranger Things 3 is the worst of the 3 seasons. Is it the worst tv ever? Nah.... though this is someone who doesn’t really watch tv other than Stranger Things (more of a reader myself). I usually watch youtubers rip tv shows apart instead.

So based on that, do I think Stranger Things 3 is worse that 13 Reasons Why, Riverdale, or uh.... hm.... oh! the last seasons of Game of Thrones? Well, no.

So how do I truly feel? Weirdly enough, I feel the same as I did when I finished watching it the whole time. I felt like... I was waiting for the ball to drop, episode to episode. I can’t pinpoint exactly what I was waiting for, but whatever it was didn’t come.

I didn’t.... FEEL as much as I did the first 2 seasons? And I felt like that was by design. They didn’t bring in the heartfelt stuff until literally the VERY end and by then, it was too late for me to feel invested in all these characters I genuinely like.

I never truly felt like anyone was in danger, especially not the Scoop Troop. Even as Steve was being tortured and had his daylights knocked out... it was just a *shrug* like moment for me.

Even when Hopper supposedly died.... I was kinda feeling like “meh. I doubt it.”

And I’m not trying to say someone HAS to die for me to feel something. No one died in Season 2 (except Bob) and I was still on the edge of my seat while they were interrogating Will or when they started panicking cause the Mind Flayer found their location. I was concerned that maybe El wouldn’t be able to close that humongous gate and Hopper would get eaten by demodogs before they even made it there. I was worried possessed Will would get loose before they managed to exercise the Mind Flayer and maybeeee he’d die or suffer more or something.

So for months, I guess more than a year now, I’ve just been debating my feelings on things. I’ve come to this conclusion.

Even though I didn’t really like the season overall, there were too many things in the season I did like to make me actually hate it.

Will’s arc that lasted about 3 episodes was off to a great start. I was really looking forward to it until it disappeared.

Murray’s friendship with Joyce... I dunno. I actually really loved that. They’re kinda similarly paranoid investigative people who bother Hopper in their own little way. It’s cute, like they’re long lost siblings.

Even if they laid it on a little thick, El and Max’s friendship was much needed and I’m glad that even though El was still trying to copy Max a little too much, Max was also doing her best to remind El now and then to find herself and no one else.

I like that El is now living with the Byers and that they’re moving away. It makes TOTAL sense that Joyce would pack up and leave Hawkins. Too much shit has gone down there, she needed to go for her and her kids sake + El.

Even though I wish the resolution had been different, Jonathan and Nancy clashing due to their backgrounds (being a woman vs being poor) was very interesting to me. I would’ve loved to have more of it. Not more arguing, just more talking about it other than the apology.

I love love love, first of all, Lucas reaching out to Will multiple times after the huge blow up trying to make amends. Some of it is in the background. And that CUTE HUG AT THE END. I love Will and Lucas. <3 Lucas is such a good friend even with a few screw ups there and there.

Jonathan for at least a second taking the big brother role for El and trying to cut that thing out of her leg. Trying to reassure her it’s gonna hurt but it’s gotta be done. So sweet even if gross

And then there’s the things I didn’t like that just... brought down my mood. Here’s a few.

Hopper was just... look. I don’t hate his character. I see this solely as a writing issue, not necessarily a character issue. I feel we could’ve ended up with the exact same plot if we cut out about 50% of Hopper’s snark. I get being overprotective of El and the old “Dad hates the boyfriend jokes”. Whatever. Would’ve been better if Mike ACTUALLY screwed up all by himself and Hopper was just enjoying the moment rather than Hopper being the cause of it.

And I get the whole Hopper really wanting to date Joyce stuff, but... I just can’t see how we go from season 1 and season 2 Hopper who was ready to throw hands with his deputies for implying Joyce was crazy. And the Hopper that really truly completely understood what Joyce was going through (anxiety,depression, and loss). How did that guy turn into someone trying to rush Joyce’s mourning along (after he mourned for his daughter for like, 6 years) and him being the one implying she’s crazy? It’s just weird. I can’t deal. It’s WEIRD.

No Jonathan and Will scenes. They’re finally on the adventure together and there’s still NOTHING. In the mall, Will is damn near having a panic attack hardly able to keep quiet and JONATHAN DOESN’T EVEN GLANCE IN HIS DIRECTION

No Jonathan and Joyce scenes. Mother and son who?

No Nancy and Mike scenes. They didn’t do it for season 2. Surely they won’t forget this time and give the siblings some screen time??? Nope. Bet 75% of the fandom forgot they’re even related.

No Max and Billy scenes. Not a fan of Billy, but Billy is her step brother. Why the hell wouldn’t the writing put a little more focus on that? Surely Max would be more suspicious of Billy acting weird or even nice to her? Surely they’d give her more moments of showing... something over the fact that her step brother is the big bad?

No Will and El scenes. Obviously I’d be annoyed at this. But you’d think the monster radar and the psychic girl would be butting their heads together a bit more to figure out what’s going on? This ties into Will’s evil senses only working 5 minutes too late. How did he sense the Mind Flayer smoke from 10 miles away, but now he can’t sense the huge flesh monster until it’s a couple meters above him?? No logical sense.

Complete erasure of Kali. I didn’t miss the fact that when El was having flashbacks of her mom, they pretty much cut out any mention or thought of Kali. Surely after that heartfelt goodbye, El would at least think of Kali for a moment and get distracted. She decidedly hid the fact that Kali exists from everyone else, wouldn’t it be nice if we saw her character still thinking about that secret from time to time??

And the final point that I feel like typing out tonight, too much focus on El. And I don’t mean it in the way you’re probably thinking. I mean that basically NO ONE is able to save El. EVER. She has to do everything up until the final moment. Mike and the gang isn’t allowed to save El from Billy choking her out. She ends up having to save them. No one can save El from the flesh eating vagina monster. She has to defend herself completely. Jonathan isn’t allowed to get the worm thing out of her leg, she has to pull it out herself. Mike and Max can’t do anything to protect her from Billy again. They all fail and she yet again has to save herself.

Ok, that’s all I wanted to say.

ST3 is like a..... 45 / 55 scale for me, and the 55 is the bad part.

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 3 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Episode 1: I know in the original series She-Ra was the sister of He-Man so I'm curious how much of that will be carried over to this series. Not saying He-Man has to make an appearance, same as how Batman didn't need to show up in Teen Titans. That was Robin's story, not his, and similarly this is Adora's story, not Adam's. Regardless, it makes sense why Hordak was so annoyed with the baby Adora in Shadow Weaver's flashbacks. To SW, there was something different and special about the baby, but to Hordak, whom seems familiar with the world before Mara separated Etheria from the rest of the universe, including Eternia potentially, Adora is just another "First One" child like he's seen many times before. Special in comparison to those who only know Etheria.

Great clap-back from Catra to Hordak, and not entirely unfounded. It's debatable how much he actually cares about conquering Etheria. He has others leading his forces in his war yet all his focus is on his portal creation.

According to Entrapta, productivity of the Horde is up 400% ever since Catra became Hordak's 2nd in command. I wondering how much of that is Catra's direct doing? Is she genuinely just that good of a commander? Is it because she's properly delegating and Scorpia has been handling most of the load? Or is this just because it's in comparison to Shadow Weaver? Entrapta said Catra's focus on First Ones' tech has been greatly aiding them and SW definitely focused more on magic, which was an aid mostly to herself since everyone else in the Horde seems to fight only with weapons and technology. And most of what she saw of SW while she was Hordak's 2nd was her being obsessed with bringing back Adora rather than fighting the war.

Episode 2: Let's see... Hordak's easily an adult and Entrapta is...[checks google] late twenties, early thirties. Oh good, then let's sail this ship!

But yeah, that was a heck of a backstory for Hordak. This reminds me of a video by a Youtuber named Savage Books comparing the villain Steppenwolf in the theatrical and Snyder Cut versions of Justice League and how, while he still wasn't a great villain, just a small addition made him a much better villain, that being a failure in his past and the desire just to go home. And in this case, Hordak is the much better, or at least way more developed, version of that. One of many clones of Hordak Prime but having a defect that labelled him a failure and had him cast out to Etheria, a "backwards world" as he's called it before. If he can conquer Etheria, perhaps by building a portal that'll bring forward Prime's army, he believes that'll prove to Prime that he is not a failure and that he can return home to rejoin his forces. Just this bit of backstory adds SO MUCH to Hordak, including new insights on his past interactions, and keeps him from being a flat character like theatrical version Steppenwolf. His lack of tolerance for failure makes sense when he himself is trying to prove that he's not. It gives him compelling motivation to want to conquer Etheria beyond just power and greed. Not motivation you're meant to agree with but one you can still understand.

I like the story with Huntara too. It's a nice little tie-in to something Adora was talking about with Glimmer and Bow last episode. Adora defected from the horde, not because she was different but rather very much in spite being very much like every other soldier there. She wanted to believe Shadow Weaver may have at least some goodness in her too and now we have Huntara as a fellow defector who realized the evils of the Horde, even if she chose to stay out of the war entirely after.

Episode 3: I legit thought Catra stabbed the goat lady for a second.

After Scorpia asking her why don't they just stay in the wastes I'm seeing a bit of a parallel between Catra and Hordak. They've both found a place where they can be the top dog, where they can do and have basically anything they want; her with the wastes and him with the Horde. They can be happy. ...But there's still this pull they're feeling to somewhere else. Catra back to the Horde and Hordak back to Prime. Because they feel they have to prove something; prove that they're not failures. They could be happy but they can't let go.

And that scene between Adora and Catra at the end. That was such a great line read from Catra's actor. "She left me for you. Everything that's happened is because of you." I got chills.

Minor note: While I'm only judging off the Mara hologram, which didn't have color, I do think the She-Ra outfit looks better with pants than shorts like Adora's She-Ra form. I think it makes it look sleeker, if that makes any sense.

Episode 4: Catra's spiral has turned into a drill and its taking her down as far as she can go. Though something I had to a laugh a little at myself over was that my biggest "Catra, no!" reaction wasn't to her wanting to open the portal but rather when she lied to Hordak and said Entrapta let the princesses in. She was actually a positive influence on Hordak's life and Catra with one move just destroyed that relationship and all progress Hordak had been making.

I'm guessing there's going to be some kind of long-term effect from Shadow Weaver continuously siphoning off Glimmer's magic. The woman is basically a parasite and the magic she uses is very different from the kind Glimmer does. I can't believe it never occurred to me that since Shadow Weaver trained Glimmer's father there might be a connection there between the two of them later in the story. While we don't know about anything that might've happened after she left, SW clearly had enough affection for Micah still to not kill him. I could see her trying to take Glimmer on as a student later like she did him.

Episode 5: There is something kind of hilarious about it being Scorpia's jealousy of Catra and Adora's closeness that causes her to be the first one after Adora to pick up that something is off.

11 is my favorite of the Doctor Who Doctors so naturally I'm comparing all this to the crack in Amy Pond's bedroom wall. Whatever goes in gets forgotten about and basically never existed. Though does that mean Bright Moon isn't going to remember the Horde? Basically that entire place got sucked up in the collapsing reality. There shouldn't be at war anymore because their enemy literally no longer exists.

Adora and Catra had their own little Star Trek 3 moment there.

Adora: "If we don't help each other, we'll die here!"

Catra: "Perfect! Then that's the way it shall be!"

Catra's just so far down her spiral she doesn't even care about getting her own win, just so long as Adora doesn't get one, despite just minutes ago clearly loving having Adora back in her life and on her side, to the point was trying to resist remembering the old reality. Her "perfect" world was them together again but when given the chance (another of many. I love those cuts to their past woven in there) she slapped the hand away.

I'm sure I'm wrong but I'm starting to theorize Madam Razz is actually Mara and just at some point went kind of crazy and started thinking as and Mara were two different people.

Episode 6:

"You are everything I ever wanted in a son. This... This is everything I ever wanted in a life. ...But I've got responsibilities, Van. And...I have to...go now."

-Superman, Justice League Unlimited: For the Man Who Has Everything

That was my favorite episode of JLU, where Superman is trapped in this world that isn't real but still perfect in every way, and the only way out was to give up everything he'd ever wanted, including a son he remembers watching grow up, even if it never really happened. With a similar premise, this definitely helped elevate Angela up a bit for me, whom I was kind just meh with before. I didn't dislike her but I didn't really care much for her either. This episode gave her a lot to work with though, with the heavy sacrifice she made. Not just saying behind to pull out the sword but just simply forcing herself to accept her husband is gone and not coming back. I was right that they wouldn't remember the Horde, but I definitely didn't think of the full effects of them never existing. They never exist, Bow never becomes a rebel instead of a scholar like his dads wanted. They don't exist, Micah never dies in battle against them. Glimmer gets to grow up with her father in her life. Everyone, most especially Angela, has to reject everything they would love to be real in favor of what actually is.

I'm guessing we're going to have Shadow Weaver taking advantage of this situation, trying to act like a teacher and mother-figure to Glimmer now that she's basically a orphan.

I talked before about how Catra and Hordak seem to have a parallel between them, especially regarding failure. Catra seems like she has a very hard time accepting her own failures and mistakes and thus why she more or less uses Adora as a mental scapegoat for all of it. Nothing is ever really her fault, it's Adora's, or Shadow Weaver's, or Hordak's. It makes for a great moment when Adora finally punches back, both literally and figuratively. She's not going to accept responsibility for Catra's actions anymore. She gave Catra every chance to make the right choice and she didn't, so now she has to finally live with the consequences. Heck of a glare She-Ra gave Catra at the end. Very much a "If I ever see you again..." and it certainly scared Catra, at least for a moment.

Now, someone go save Entrapta from Beast Island!

Season 3 verdict: Easily the best season thus far. I know this was technically the second half of season 2 but even in comparison to the full season 1 there was just so much that happened in this, so much that got revealed, and so, so many moments of emotion or tension. Weirdly I feel kind of disappointed that Hordak Prime is probably going to come in now and be the new big villain. I really like our Hordak's motivation and Prime seems like he might just be the generic conqueror for power that Hordak seemed like he was going to be at first. Not saying those types can't work. I love All For One from My Hero Academia and Frieza from Dragon Ball. Those guys are pure evil and selfishness, but they also have a captivating presence/charisma to them.

Naturally, since I bring her up the most out of all the characters, I'm very curious to see what happens with Catra now. She's basically nuked every positive relationship she had with anyone. Entrapta's gone, she threatened Scorpia, Hordak's not going to trust anyone including her anymore now that he thinks Entrapta's betrayed him, and Adora firmly sees her as an enemy. She has no one (those under her direct command don't count) and it's entirely her own fault.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o0trfz/going_in_blind_watching_season_3_for_the_first/

[tomodachimeter]

Fukigen na Mononokean Chapter 80 Spoilers

This is the worst (best) cliffhanger ever.

Read raws here.

The princess, still coughing, wonders about the progress of their search and where Aoi is.

Leaving the bug net as a marker, Abeno and Ashiya search for the butterfly again, but end up in the same strange loop by coming back to where they started even though they only walked forward. Abeno picks up the net and flatly says they should start searching again. Ashiya sadly notes the lack of energy in Abeno’s voice, and thinking of Sakae’s words and how they were a critical blow to Abeno, yells louder than ever for Aoi.

Back at the Mononokean, Abeno gives it a report, before announcing they finally found a clue to Aoi’s whereabouts, much to Ashiya’s surprise.

Abeno says he has good news and bad news and asks which the Mononokean wants to hear first.  Flustered, the Mononokean can’t decide and asks Ashiya to decide.

Ashiya says he can guess what the bad news is, but asks what’s the good news. Abeno responds that if the butterfly really is Sakae, who’s supposed to have died, then it’s possible that Aoi might also be similarly alive in some other form. And even if it’s not the case, the fact that Sakae said so definitively that Aoi is dead means he either saw the moment of Aoi’s death or Aoi’s remains, and if that’s the case, should know where those remains are.

Cracking his knuckles, Abeno says darkly that after so long without any clues until now, there’s no way he’s going to stop searching just because someone told him to once. And by dangling the single statement “Aoi is dead”, Sakae had some nerve thinking he’d just be satisfied with that. Abeno says he doesn’t know what Sakae was playing at looking down on them since the first day, but he’s going to catch Sakae and make him spit out where Aoi is.

Abeno continues that if it’s all some yokai’s trick, trailing off while his hand lights up, Ashiya frantically asks if he’s planning to make him spit it out with Influence while telling Abeno to let it go since it’s scaring Fuzzy.

Ashiya adds that he understands Abeno’s feelings, but relying on Influence isn’t like Abeno, to which Abeno comes back to himself, although Ashiya says he’s relieved that Abeno hasn’t lost his spirit.

He shoves Fuzzy in Abeno’s face, saying that he must be tired and should recharge with some Fuzzy love, which which Fuzzy happily complies.

Next, Ashiya says he thinks the butterfly will appear again to observe them, and has an idea. He asks Abeno to let him search alone, and during that time, Abeno should...

The next day, Ashiya has been searching by himself for the entire morning already and is starting to get frustrating that it hasn’t appeared, until the sound of waves hits his ears and Ashiya sees the butterfly with a shout, calling him “Butterfly Sakae” (lmao). He tells Sakae not to move because he’s going to chase Sakae to the ends of the forest.

Sakae talks to him again, stating that he told them Aoi is dead, so why are they still searching, and Ashiya is surprised that Sakae answered. Ashiya replies that of course they would, because even if there’s 0 possibility of Aoi being alive, they’re betting on it.

“...Hey.... You know, don’t you? Where Aoi is?”

But Sakae remains silent, to which Ashiya becomes exasperated, asking Sakae to answer.

“You really have no idea about anything, do you?”

With just those words to Ashiya, Sakae begins to flutter away, but Ashiya shouts for Abeno, who’d been hiding and waiting to catch the butterfly the entire morning. Ashiya is happy the plan worked, while Abeno says it tired him out. Ashiya had been afraid Abeno fell asleep because he was so quiet, haha.

Suddenly though, the butterfly begins to go through the net, much to their shock, and when Ashiya reaches out with his hand to catch the butterfly. It disappears into his hand with a puff of smoke.

Abeno is surprised, and then notices Ashiya’s strange silence before Ashiya’s eyes turn gold and he topples over, heedless of Abeno’s shouting of his name.

Ashiya wakes up at an oceanside, grasping Sakae’s arm.

Does anyone else find it weirdly hilarious that Sakae is... a butterfly of all things????

[veronicamarsconfessions]

I was hugely excited by the announcement that a fourth season of teen noir show Veronica Mars was going to be made, nearly fifteen years after the show’s initial air date (and cancellation after three seasons), and five years after the crowdfunded movie came out. As soon as the show dropped on Hulu (or Stan, if you’re in Australia like me) – a week earlier than initially slated, I rushed to watch it. And I was so distraught by the ending that it genuinely took two days for my mood to return to something even vaguely resembling ‘okay’.

For those of you who haven’t seen it *SPOILERS FROM HERE ON*,

season four has Veronica (Kristen Bell) chasing down a serial bomber who seems to be trying to destroy the Spring Break business in Neptune. It turns out that the first bomb was set by property developer ‘Big’ Dick Casablancas, trying to destroy the Spring Break business in order to buy the waterfront properties cheaply, and the subsequent bombs were set by a pizza delivery man, Penn Epner (Patton Oswalt), who fancies himself a detective and is out to find glory after he is initially ridiculed for his public accusation of an incorrect suspect. The season itself had several issues (one of them being some seriously murky motivations behind Epner’s behaviour, like, if he really was that much of a genius, why was he a pizza delivery man?, and that the people ultimately behind the crimes are more or less ‘hidden in plain sight’ all along, which is a disappointing departure from the way the initial seasons cleverly hid the villain until quite late in proceedings). However, the issue for which there is not enough therapy in the world to appease me is the season’s last-minute killing off of reformed bad-boy and Veronica’s long-time boyfriend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), right after they finally got married.

Series creator and showrunner, Rob Thomas, justified this decision by saying ‘I know this seems crazy or harsh but Veronica is at her best when she’s an underdog and I don’t know that there’s much to root for if she’s now got a perfect relationship. I need to keep her fighting and I need to keep her a little bit uncomfortable in order to have a show. There’s nothing funny or interesting about perfection.’

Except that’s a deeply flawed understanding of how relationships function, and a deeply messed up thing to push on to people.

It’s fair to acknowledge that once the ‘will-they-won’t-they’ is resolved, TV shows often decline in quality, or at the very least, significantly depart from the original formula which made them into such beloved hits at their beginning. But there are two significant issues with this: First, the assumption that TV shows must remain the same in order to be good. There are some interesting observations that the job of the sitcom episode (in particular) is to return all characters to more or less their original starting points. While that is broadly true, TV shows, like life, need to evolve in order to stay interesting, and as across seasons, audiences grow alongside the characters they watch evolve and mature.

Nevertheless, it was fair for Thomas to note that the characterisation of Veronica is someone who is embittered and cynical about people’s fidelity and inherent goodness  – after all, when we first meet her at the age of sixteen, her best friend has been brutally murdered, she’s been raped, her alcoholic mother has upped and left, and her adored father and moral compass has been socially ostracised for a) doing his job and b) being not super wealthy. It’s a lot. Veronica’s very understandable trust issues are compounded by the moonlighting she does as a P.I where, to she regularly sees people cheating on one another and generally behaving in unpleasant ways. So it’s reasonable to point out that for Veronica, the notion of the ‘happily ever after’ is a deeply uncomfortable one. But to keep her in the same mindset as she was at aged 16 is to deny her the capacity to grow as a character.

It’s fair that there was a desire to avoid repeating the pattern previously established (withdrawn/bitter etc), but – and here is my ultimate point – that could have been avoided.

Some of the most complex and interesting storylines come from couples who get together and have to navigate relationships; compromising to fit together, find a way to make it work. Think about the evolution of Niles and Daphne’s relationship in Frasier (and leave aside some of the aspects to his earlier infatuation with her that seem distinctly distasteful in a post-#metoo world). While much of the humour between them in earlier seasons was because of his unrealised ardour for her, after they became a couple, the hardships they navigated through being a couple, and the deepening richness of their relationship that was both romantic and based in friendship, produced some truly hilarious moments. Similarly, one of my (and our fabulous Chief Nerd, Elise’s) favourite TV shows, Chuck, *SPOILER* has the two leads get together in season 3. The show was no lesser for that fact because as Chuck and Sarah’s relationship deepened, they explored facets of themselves that they hadn’t previously shown – it provided more material for the writers, not less.

One of my favourite articles on the ending of Veronica Mars, season four, pointed out that Logan has the most interesting character development because he works to better himself – he has come a long way from the miscreant teenager who organised ‘bum fights’, and he had the potential to become an even more interesting character. How this interacted with Veronica’s cynicism could have provided significant fodder for more story.

But, giving full credit to Rob Thomas for a moment here, the show is called Veronica Mars, not Logan Echolls. So the decision to axe Logan was made to push Veronica’s character development forward, especially given the shows position as a gender-flipped noir which so often has the embittered, cynical detective dealing with the ongoing pain of a tragically killed love.

But the problem is that I can’t actually see how this is going to do anything but ossify Veronica’s primary characteristics: bitter, a hardnosed and reckless desire to catch the bad guy at any cost. Moreover, in most of the noir detective stories, this love has died before we meet the hard-bitten detective.

Thomas said to The Hollywood Reporter, “Moving forward, we’re going to really build around [the idea that] the case is the thing and less of the soap opera of Veronica’s life.” Except Veronica Mars is all about character. Her interactions with her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and the genuine bond of affection between them evokes some of the show’s most poignant interactions. Her internal struggle when the pursuit of justice comes up against questions of morality is inherent grounded in her character. One of its most interest aspects across the years is that Veronica is often wrong. She falsely accuses people (including Logan himself), she behaves badly, she takes her friends for granted, and she can be reckless to the point where she endangers herself and someone has to come in and rescue her (case in point: wandering into the base of an Irish gang that had a particular grudge against her father). So to strip away the elements to the story that allow for depiction and consideration of those complexities would be to lose much of the show’s point.

There’s also a part of me that feels the way in which Logan was killed feels personal. Logan and Veronica were never initially meant to get together, but in the first episodes, the chemistry between the characters, and Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring was so profound that it was written in. I might be putting on my tin foil hat to say this, but it feels as though Thomas resented the manner in which LoVe became such a pivotal part of the Veronica Mars ‘brand’. What really underpins that for me is that the way the series sent off other characters was considered, and gave them a certain ‘exit’. The way in which Logan was killed off feels almost like an afterthought, made more so by some of the questions that arise from the manner. How did he know that she would be in it when it actually blew up? Moreover, the convenience of him leaving a voicemail for his therapist about why he wanted to marry Veronica (why exactly would he call his therapist to tell him about his epiphany? Who has that kind of relationship with their therapist?), and this woman’s decision to keep it from Veronica for a year seems weirdly contrived. Because it was.

However, to be fair, one could claim that the season mistreated some of its other characters, too. Tina Majorino who plays Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie specifically noted that she did not want to return because she did not want her character to be sidelined. Similarly, the complexity to Eli ‘Weevil’ Navaro’s character was stripped away, as was the depth of his relationship with Veronica. What’s worse is that this could have been a really interesting storyline; why he decided to walk away from the court case which would have seen him awarded with compensation for what happened to him in the movie. While we are told that his wife left him along with his child, prompting him to return to his old gang-running ways, the depth of his grief and the reputable life he lost were never really portrayed. Honestly, I would have preferred that rather than the convoluted storyline that involved Mexican cartel hitmen.

But beyond my argument as a writer as to why Logan’s death was a totally unnecessary element to bring in, it also feels like a real slap in the face to fans. I’ve previously talked about the relationship this show has with its fans. Realistically, season 4…hell, the movie, only existed because of the love and support fans showed the show.

Any narrative material exists to interact with fans. Obviously, there is a fine line that can cross into blatant pandering, and there is also a trend that offers a ‘gritty’ or ‘sad’ end (ie the tragic death of the lover), but it’s a balance.

The Veronica Mars movie was very much fan service – it was, after all, fan funded. Much of the movie’s contents and storyline were determined by what Thomas was seeing from fan comments on social media, noting “I did have an idea of things people wanted to see, characters I wanted to get an appearance in, whether it felt extraneous or not.” He added, “there’s no way in the world we would have had a fan-funded movie and I would have killed Logan,” he added.

In the same interview, he said, “I fear that leaning into the high school soap that the show started out as is a losing proposition, that it will start feeling nostalgic rather than vital. If Kristen [Bell] and I want to make more of these Veronica Mars mysteries, I think it’s going to survive best as a true mystery show with a badass PI at the center of it, and I think that works better if the PI doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Yet for a show whose who schtick was challenging the noir detective genre, it seems the prospect that someone fundamentally gritty and damaged can also have a relationship that the struggle to be healthy was simply a bridge too far.

And at the crux of it, what really frustrates me – as a fan, and as a writer – is that for Thomas, it simply felt too hard to give Logan and Veronica an enduring relationship, and it if wasn’t too difficult, then he perceived it destroyed some fundamental part of the show by making it emotionally sappy. If that’s the dichotomy in which Thomas thinks, then Veronica Mars is no longer the show which attracted its die-hard following of fans and may as well be a different show with a similar premise.

[rabidfangirlteehee]

Harry Potter rewrite

A lot of the time when I look at fanfiction I kind of think of it as an alternative to read because the original exists. As in I don’t necessarily think Slytherin Harry is better than Griffindor Harry but because Harry is in Gryffindor in cannon Slytherin Harry is fun to explore.

So I started to wonder what would I change about canon if it couldn’t be changed back. If hypothetically I could change the story and what was originally there wouldn’t exist only this book series would exist. What would I do?

So first of all I would give Hermione an arc. There are characters that I think have good setups for arcs but weren’t fully explored. Hermione is one of them. She didn’t technically have an arc over the course of the series. She had an arc in the first book where she learnt that being a good student and clever and respectful of authority isn’t always the most important or valuable thing to be. But despite this her willingness to break the rules is still commented on as if its a big moment for her going against rules and authority. Sure Hermione isn’t the type to vocally sass authority figures like Harry or Ron. But she lit Snape on fire without a second thought in the first book. And has done something or another rebellious on her own accord in pretty much every book. Wouldn’t really say its an arc overall. Often it seems less like she grew or changed but rather you saw a side to her that didn’t exist. Which is fine. But since she does have a good set up for an arc I want to go with it.

Hermione is great but she’s not the best people person. She is usually bad at empathy she tries not to be but it leads her to be accidentally insensitive more so than other kids her age. This can be forgivable if you know where she’s coming from and are understanding of her as a person. But its hard to do that before you know that and kids aren’t always the most understanding bunch. So rather than becoming automatic best friends after the Troll incident what happens is that Harry Ron and Hermione get closer.

They still aren’t the trio yet but the duo with Hermione third wheeling. Her becoming closer to them is an arc with them slowly bonding more with shared experiences and realizing they have more in common than they thought. She is still more involved in their schemes than others but because she’s not automatic best friend she’s not always the one Harry and Ron go to. This also lends a way for Harry and Ron to get close to other students and bond with them too. 

Hermione in the meantime does struggle to get people to understand her better. She’s not the best at communicating her feelings and thoughts and sometimes just does things. She’s most usually right but maintaining relationships aren’t really about who was most right in a situation. But as they get to know her better despite the hiccups she learns to explain herself better and while she never gets the best people skills they grow to understand her better and appreciate her efforts and push others to do the same.

Secondly Draco and other Slytherins. Draco had sorta a redemption near the end by showing he really wasn’t into this Voldemort stuff, and by not telling Bellatrix about Harry in disguise. He also ends up marrying someone in canon whose views go against the views he was raised with and he embraces those views and rejects his parents views. So clearly the intention that he would change for the better but it wasn’t really explored and it happened so near the end it left less of an impact. This is also true for the not all Slytherins are evil idea. I think that was Rowling’s intention but showing good Slytherin’s happens too close to the end so it feels more like exceptions to the rule. So instead we can see moments where Harry sees Slytherins being good decent people and not bigots. So we can acknowledge while some are and they do have influence and power they aren’t all Slytherins or even necessarily most. So we can acknowledge the names of the ones who are bigots and the ones who aren’t the ones who aren’t can even help out Harry occasionally and make temporary groups with Harry for certain issues happening in school. Overtime while Draco maintains a rivilry with Harry you can see him back away from his bigoted beliefs in his behavior, the language he uses, and the friends he has even changing the minds of certain people who used to be bigoted. He might end up either running away from home in his summer over 5th year rather than joining the death eaters. This could also help him parallel Sirius. I personally see Draco in canon as what could have happened to Sirius had he not been exposed to people like James sooner. His exposure to ideas that challenged what he had known as true led him to question more things at an early age.  As a consequence of this Lucius is killed but he Narcissa and Draco discuss it beforehand. That staying is a bad idea that even though there may be consequences they will be fine but despite that Draco should leave. Draco is led to believe they will both survive. He is just a kid he wants to believe that he wants to trust in that so he does. But as they do this Narcissa and Lucius both know that at least one if not both of them will end up dead. Its not that Lucius suddenly decided everything Voldemort stood for was wrong but Voldemort was tyrannical and controlling enough that he didn’t want his son involved despite the fact that tensions were higher between them due to Draco’s beliefs conflicting with his own and that becoming more apparent. Perhaps it was because of that it felt more necessary with beliefs like that Draco was doomed by staying. 

So he ends up running away and when he does Dumbledore has him hide in Grimmauld place. While he might come back 5th year he may refuse to in his 6th year or very occasionally have to leave school due to close calls and hide out at Grimmauld place. To explore more of his similarities to Sirius, Sirius ends up living and mentoring both Harry and Draco somewhat in addition to finally becoming a free man. So he can still be an asset in book 6 and 7 as he survives the war ( as does Remus). Draco is devastated by the consequences of running away but stands by it as if he goes back now his father would have died for nothing.

Next would be Snape. Snape’s redemption in Harry’s eyes always bothered me because it seemed to just be because Snape loved Lilly. I mean perhaps that’s sympathetic. But its lets sympathetic if you consider that its the only reason he went against Voldemort. There is nothing to indicate that his beliefs changed at anypoint. Or that he resented the work he did for Voldemort. Only that he resented Voldemort for killing Lilly.  But to see him as truly sympathetic and to believe that he was redeemed in Harry’s eyes that change in beliefs is very important. 

Another thing that bothered me in the series was how the love potion was handled. It wasn’t explored much in story. But it did strike me as odd how casual everyone treated it when it effectively is just the imperius with a dose of infatuation and the imperius is framed as so awful. Actual incidents referring to people using it aren’t that common. Molly mentions using it casually Romilda Vane uses it and its mostly shown in a comedic light till Ron is poisoned. The only way it’s really shown with any importance is with Merope Gaunt.

Merope had a horrific life and wanted and escape. She had the means to use a love potion to make Tom Riddle Sr. be with her so she did. This is pretty much brainwashing. Dumbledore even said both the imperius and love potion were options and that Merope probably used love potion solely because it would have seemed more romantic to her. However what is focused on here is mostly the heartbreak she suffered after she realized the love she was getting wasn’t really loved and wanted the real thing having never received it. And once Tom Sr. rejected her she lost the will to live and refused to use magic. Her pain his highlighted while her victims feelings aren’t really considered at all. Which is a bit yikes. So I would put in a longer first chapter in book 4. It would begin with Tom Riddle Sr coming back after his random romance with this girl no one even knew really existed and people were surprised he eloped with. They weren’t surprised he broke things off with her they couldn’t even explain why he left with her in the first place. Neither could he. But people didn’t bring it up much. He seemed pretty disturbed by the whole relationship. He’d come back changed much less social and more neurotic. It was a weirdly dramatic shift people were sure she’d done something to him but no one could figure out what. He wouldn’t speak of it. He grew withdrawn outside of his family he only communicated with one person. The gardener Frank. He was always very kind to Frank they got along great. So people were horrified when Frank was arrested for killing the Riddle family. Even though he was released people believed he had done it. The shade being thrown wasn’t only for killing his employers who were prolific members of the community but for betraying a broken man who trusted him. After that the end of the chapter plays out similarly with Frank in his old age going to investigate the abandoned Manor coming across Voldemort and Pettigrew discussing the Triwizard cup and being killed by Voldemort.

The last huge arc I would add is Molly. Molly is an overprotective at times controlling Mother whose entire family is involved in a covert war and constantly worries about the death of her family members. Her arc can involve her understanding that she can’t protect her children forever realizing that by trying to keep them safe by being controlling she could push them into rebelling in very dangerous impulsive ways they may have not otherwise have considered.

So firstly Percy doesn’t side with Fudge he sides with Dumbledore. He is very eager of approval and recognition and acceptance from people who he respects. But he respects Dumbledore and his parents more than Fudge and has always been the good child the obedient one. 

Instead of him leaving the Twins leave after having a fight about the direction of their future. Despite the fact that Molly is no longer keen on the Ministry her trying to push them to be something they are not has had an impact. The last summer she did ruin the inventions they’d be working on all summer. That would be a very big deal I think at their age. And she has been against their aspirations which can weigh down on them At home the rest are acting out more.

The more freaked out Molly gets the more controlling she gets to keep the kids safe and fights to stop the younger ones( Ron and Ginny) from getting involved shes also nervous about Bill and Charlie getting involved and has some tension with Bill over Fleur. Harry also rejects her attempt to keep him from Order related information.

But eventually she realizes even in intense times she still cant protect them forever. And by talking to Sirius realizes that by trying to push them away she might make them rebel and do something real stupid. So she reconciles with Fred and George and supports all of her kids joining the fight even if she’s scared she thinks it’s a worthy cause. 

Percy dies and is the only one who didn’t rebel and didn’t push for independence instead pushing for recognition and appreciation from authority figures he respected rather than following his own wishes. So his death will weigh on her on her worst days. She wonders that unlike the rest of them what if he fought only to meet expectations? Its left ambiguous if her fears are founded or not.

I considered killing off Fred too.

If Fred also died she’d have to do her best to stop George from slipping into depression and get involved in the joke shop finally come to understand the twins while the fact that her stubbornness kept her from being able to show this understanding before Fred died would constantly eat away at her. And honestly I kinda just want to give Molly a break here typing this out is honestly making me really depressed. So just Percy not Fred.

Finally we get to the epilogue and romantic relationships. So my main thing with the epilogue was I cared less about who they ended up with or who their kids and more about what their lives were like .

So for Harry I always thought that him becoming the permanent Defense teacher at Hogwarts would be the biggest snub to Voldemort. Since he got to have Hogwarts as his home when Voldemort wanted to but couldn’t and got the position he wanted to and couldn’t. Plus after all that stuff with Voldemort maybe he’d want something peaceful. As for his romantic relationships.

Harry and Cho go out for longer but don’t workout because both just have too many things to work on but they do remain friends. Harry’s love life is left ambiguous you see several people he had chemistry with but it’s unknown who he’s with or if he’s with anyone. Harry and Ginny never become a thing.

Ron and Hermione however do become a couple Ron is an auror Hermione went into Magical Law. Ron with his desire to not be ordinary and ambitious nature chooses to stay as an Auror and doesn’t help out at the joke shop its not necessary anyway Fred is still alive.

The three have become closer friends with Draco and the non bigot slytherin kids he is friends with. You will see them bonding a lot book 5 onwards but Harry Ron and Hermione were still closer to each other than Draco and his friends. Draco becomes a healer who works at St. Mungo’s.

Bill and Fleur still end up together but not Lupin and Tonks.

Tonks like Lupin and Sirius also survives 

Lupin ends up moving in with Sirius permanently and are a confirmed couple. I always thought he and Tonks came out of nowhere and it seemed like their only function as a couple seemed like it was to die so there would be another orphan from the war at least to me. Plus Lupin seemed so hesitant to be with her. Sirius and Lupin on the other hand have a well established relationships lived together for a time period and give joint gifts. Plus I personally love that Draco gets character growth spurred on by them too. Sirius goes on to teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts after Mcgonnigal becomes headmistress ( she can’t do both and who better to teach it than a guy who became an unregistered animagus before he was 15 ). 

Hagrid retires from teaching to become specifically just the gameskeeper and Lupin takes the care of Magical creatures class. Even when he did teach Defense he seemed to have a tendency to explore magical creatures associated with dark arts. Once a month he is out of commission and when he is Charlie Weasely comes by to substitute as a side job.

As for next gen kids Bill and Fleur already have a couple kids in the epilogue but it takes place much earlier than when the canon epilogue does. So they are still very young and not old enough to go to Hogwarts yet. Hermione and Ron don’t have kids but Hermione has recently been very invested in this program about reaching out to magical children with non magical guardians to offer support  and recently they’ve started reaching out to magical orphanages. So its hinted that Ron and Hermione might end up adopting a magical kid.

The rest of the remaining couples and children remain unconfirmed.

Incidentally if I did add a random couple that came out of nowhere with no basis it would be Fred and Tonks who hooked up years after the series ended based on events you never get to see.

[healer-blissey]

since the remaster theory was basically debunked, here’s some things from the original that should be changed if one ever comes out:

all characters introduced post-madarame should have their social links reworked. every single one of them. makoto and haru’s especially bc makoto’s sl doesn’t even revolve around her growing as a person. that whole ‘im not just gonna do what adults tell me to do’ shit is complete bs bc she still does Just That. haru’s confidant is all over the place and weirdly rushed and flip-flops between ‘you should trust people!!’ and ‘not everyone is trustworthy.’

take out all older woman/mc romances. it’s gross, weird, and completely destroys the characterization of everyone involved, especially ohya and kawakami, who are shown to be good people despite being pedos if you take the romantic route somehow 🙃

take out the homophobic caricatures of gay men in shinjuku. its not funny and this game came out 2017 for fucks sake

similarly, give us a gay and female option. women like to play videogames, shockingly enough, and gay people. Exist.

a p4 situation should’ve been what happened for valentines day if you cheated on your gfs so it drives home the point that cheating is wrong and hurts people, despite what others may think

ryuji in terms of him outside his confidant needs to be completely reworked. his characterization during and post-kamoshida are two drastically different people. he went from someone who didn’t give a shit abt other’s appearances and genuinely being a good person to a superficial perv jackass

in general the plot needs a shit ton of refinement:

the nude modelling sub-plot and yusuke’s creepy behavior needs to be completely removed to avoid him coming off as a piece of shit right out of the gate.

makoto’s entire character needs to be reworked or replaced with hifumi bc a school president who doesn’t change at all with the exception of telling kobayakawa to fuck off (and ONLY him, bc after he dies she goes back to being straight-laced and a COP) is not a rebel. she’s what a failed naoto looks like

haru needs more characterization aside from sweet girl. we need to see more of her vicious and cruel side, which has been hinted at, but never fully explored. could be seen in relation to akechi killing her father, which for whatever reason is pushed aside to redeem him despite him not deserving it in the slightest

akechi should not have been redeemed. Full stop. he caused irreversible mental shutdowns, killed wakaba and okumura, and ruined the lives of both futaba and ohya, giving the latter life-long mental issues. i don’t give a shit if he had an absent father, it doesn’t excuse the fact that he willingly went over to shido’s side without any prompting. he was not manipulated or threatened, he even states himself his reason for hating him is that he was an absentee father. this honestly makes his actions worse in hindsight, bc he did this all for the purpose of getting back at him in such a miniscule and utterly insignificant way without giving a shit abt the people he destroyed in the process. akechi did not deserve redemption in any form, and was not a tragic villain - just a stupid one

the conflict between morgana and ryuji is also completely ridiculous, bc morgana is the aggressor for more than half of the situations presented, and ryuji only suddenly becomes a dick for the sake of this conflict despite only responding to morgana’s below-the-belt jabs in the past prior. not to mention his main reason for getting upset is because ryuji compliments futaba for her superior navigation skills...... which is true, bc futaba persona is a fucking navigator. morgana is meant to be a fighter and only took up a navi role bc no one else could, why the hell would he be better than futaba. honestly morgana was such an unlikeable character, i was actually glad he “died” near the end. says a lot abt the writing of the game if i end up hating a cat :/

Btw shido is also a terrible villain bc of how they shoehorned a puppetmaster trope into his character despite not really needing one. he didn’t need to have a connection to madarame or kaneshiro, everything else was good enough. he’s just so underwhelming as a villain :/

give lasting consequences to the characters? P4 and p3 did this way better, with all character deaths (sans morooka) having lasting effects on the characters and even serving as their primary motivations for some, and in p3’s case answering the primary question posed throughout the game (what is the meaning of death?) with the protagonist’s death, as he found the answer and found meaning in his fleeting life through death. when p5 ends, nothing really changes with the status quo, it’s all wordy bullshit that’s never shown to the viewers and only stated through observations by other characters. not a good thing for such an environmentally driven game

there needs to be more team interactions in non-serious settings. just let them be kids, please. not just for me, but bc we don’t really get to see them acting as a family, their strong bond is something that feels out-of-place and unnatural. this is especially true for haru, bc we are introduced to the interesting concept or her not trusting the pthieves at first. have her watch from the sidelines before eventually deciding that they’re good or whatever and formally become a pt in a cool way. Not just ‘now that morgana likes you i like you :)’

for the love of god, don’t romance-code the strength confidant. i shouldn’t need to explain this

also some more bits that are less pressing and more me just nitpicking:

haru’s voice. her japanese va sounds nothing like her english one, and you would be forgiven for thinking she’s 12 with that voice. an entire layer of her character is removed with her cutesy uwu voice bc her regal appearance and demeanor was meant to contrast her vicious attitude and fighting style. get smoked kid also needs to have a va change - kid sounds like he’s a 65 yr-old granny

morgana does not make a good magician, bc all he ever guides us with is in the tutorial, then he becomes the ‘idk what tf is going on either lmao’ guy. yosuke’s role as a guide in p4 was through emotional means, and serving as the connection between city and country life to the protagonist. he is literally your partner. junpei is your guide to living life to the fullest without being tied down to your past - something vital in such a depressing game like p3, with characters whose pasts define their presents with a very much No Fun Allowed attitude.

the fortune confidant being a fortune teller is just... lazy :/ really?

that’s p much it but there’s a lot more to improve that i just didnt mention bc. This post is long enough already :|

[goldenxlovers-blog]

Show Review: Monday Night Raw 15/10/18

MNR Review

Hello! Welcome to my first ever wrestling show review. A few administrative points before we get onto the actual show;

Firstly, this is my first time doing anything like this, so any kind of feedback or constructive criticism is highly appreciated. Secondly, this review is probably going to be quite lengthy due to Raw being 3 hours and there being a lot to discuss/mostly complain about. Lastly, this review is aimed at those who watch the product most weeks, so it is written assuming the reader knows the basic details of the show (commentators, ongoing storylines etc.), and I don’t plan to go through matches spot for spot unless something catches my eye particularly. Alright, lets get into the show!

 We kick off with Michael Cole welcoming us to Philadelphia, PA. The crowd is fired up which seems to be the norm for Philly in my experience, having been at the 2014 Royal Rumble, famous for Roman Reigns being boo’d out of the building. Braun, Dolph and Drew make their entrance together. Seeing someone like Dolph mimic Braun’s mannerisms is always funny to me. Before they start their promo the phrases ‘best in the world’ and ‘world cup’ have been mentioned at least 3 times and I feel this is going to be an ongoing complaint of mine. They cut a pretty standard promo about being the greatest 3 man group in history after beating The Shield last week and we get a replay of McIntyre kicking Ambrose’s head off. I’m starting to not care for The Shield as much but the story with Dean potentially turning and the good in-ring work is just about keeping me interested. Braun talks about his match at Crown Jewel but much like Cole earlier doesn’t mention the location due to the obvious controversy. Drew and Dolph both mention ‘best in the world’ yet again and we get a bit of dissention as they talk about facing off in the finals of the world cup. Seth and Roman finally appear on the stage, Seth drops a cheesesteak reference and after saying nothing of relevance declares he’ll face Drew in a qualifying match for the world cup right now.

 After adverts Drew/Seth kicks off which I’m very excited for since I like both guys a lot. They start with a nice wrestling sequence where Drew displays his obvious power advantage over Seth. Cole drops the ‘best in the world’ line once again and I die a bit inside. Drew gets Seth up for a powerbomb with a deadlift but gets countered. This spot was crazy smooth and I’m loving the ‘new’ McIntyre. Seth goes for the standard suicide dive but gets caught in a belly to belly on the outside. Again I wasn’t planning to go spot for spot but this match has started really hot. Dolph runs down to cause the distraction and Seth gets tossed into the bars beneath the ring, another great spot. After some back and forth including a great falcon arrow counter, Seth takes out both Drew and Dolph with a suicide dive each and Dean runs out to counter Ziggler’s interference. All 4 men fight outside and Drew gets curb stomped leading to a count-out victory for Seth. Great TV match between 2 guys who can certainly go, finish was a bit flat for me but I encourage you to watch this.

 After a break we get a backstage promo from The Shield where Seth slips and calls Ambrose a lunatic. Ambrose talks about only being good for laughs despite always backing up Seth/Roman and it makes me long for the Ambrose turn.

 We see a replay of DX’s promo from last week followed by a spooky Brothers of Destruction promo. I’m sort of excited for this match but I can’t take Kane seriously with this gear and DX doesn’t really work as a concept when both members are old corporate suits. This promo was completely standard boring nostalgia bait, but I understand some people like that.

 Ember Moon is out next and yells down the camera like a mong ruining her entrance. Nia Jax appears and is apparently Ember’s tag partner. Back from ads and Tamina and Dana Brooke are in the ring. Cole mentions how this is Tamina’s return from injury and she doesn’t even get an entrance. Commentary shill a battle royale for the Evolution PPV featuring some of the best women in the company which I feel is slightly ridiculous. People like Asuka and Ember are far better than a battle royale, even Carmella has been improving leaps and bounds and should be featured more. This match is standard tag fare, when Nia and Tamina are in the ring together it really drags. Dana gets tagged in and eats the Eclipse for 3, thank god. After the match the women do that stupid spot where they throw people over the ropes before a battle royale just to show it’s possible. I’ve very quickly come down from the high of the first match.

 We get a little video package of The Bellas turning on Ronda last week. Ronda makes her entrance smiling ear to ear which I dislike in such a personal feud as this. Once she grabs a mic she stops smiling for a second until the crowd chants for her and she cracks again. Ronda stumbles through her promo and The Bellas appear on the stage. They cut a promo about disrespect which is the second one of the show. According to The Bellas they made the word ‘diva’ mean something. Ronda sort of interrupts but literally just asks if they have anything else to say. She then talks about ‘sister soldiers’ and then rags on the Bellas for leeching off the names of their men which is the best line of the promo. ‘The only door you ever knocked down was the one to John Cena’s bedroom’, brutal. That causes Nikki Bella to spring into action by ripping off her shirt and twirling her arse for some reason. A security team come out and all die by Ronda’s hands. That was arduous. I think Ronda is great in the ring for how little she’s wrestled but my god are her promos awful.

 They show a replay of big gold condom Kurt Angle winning the battle royale from last week which flows into a backstage promo with Kurt Angle in vacation gear. I refuse to believe that man doesn’t take his singlets on holiday. Acting GM Baron Corbin makes a match with Angle against The Authors of Pain later tonight.

 Finally we get another match after suffering through that Bella promo. Luckily for me it’s Ambrose/Ziggler and I suddenly become interested in the show again. Dolph makes his entrance and for some reason he’s wearing a hoodie instead of his cool silver jacket from earlier. Michael Cole once again drops that bloody ‘best in the world’ line and at this point I’m looking for something to hang myself from. Ambrose snapmares Dolph and smacks him with a few crossfaces. I love Ambrose’s new style since his return matching his increased bulk. We get some standard TV match back and forth until Dean goes to the top rope and gets countered into an X-Factor. Dean lands kinda awkwardly on his feet first but the move looks fine and he doesn’t seem to be injured. Weirdly it’s at this point that the crowd die, I’m surprised they held on this long. Ambrose hits Dolph with the Hook and Ladder, a move from his indy wrestling days which he seems to be bringing back, and it looks really good. Drew runs out for some interference similarly to earlier and Rollins follows. Seth ends up distracting Dean and Dolph gets the superkick for the 3 count. This was a good TV match but I’m slightly bias since I love both guys. Ziggler winning was likely the right decision since most of the world cup field thus far was face.

 Post-match Dean walks away but Seth gives chase almost leading to a brawl until Roman separates them. Corbin comes out and makes The Shield versus Braun, Dolph and Drew for the main event, for the 3rd show in a row. Roman stares daggers through Corbin. I’d like these two in a real feud at some point, maybe not for the belt though.

 Mixed Match Challenge competitors Finn Balor and Bayley enter together. Finn is far better than this and I wish they’d do something with him. Backstage we get a little promo with Braun and his squad, basically the same thing as last week with Braun warning them not to screw up. Jinder and his crew are here wrestling Finn yet again. Bayley attempts to get a slow clap going to no reaction at all. Finn mercifully wins a completely nothing match with the Coup De Grace, please never let these two wrestle again. Randomly Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush make their way down to the ring. Lashley does some poses in the corner and Lio Rush spouts some weird lines about nobody smelling like Lashley. Finn literally just leaves without any trouble. Silly me for thinking they’d actually give Finn a decent storyline.

 We come back from the break to Tyler Breeze getting ready to be sacrificed to the giant baby god Lashley. After even more poses from Bobby Breeze actually gets a shot in which surprised me. Lashley hits a Yokosuka cutter which looks really good, weird that he’s randomly switched from the Dominator he used to do to this but I like it.

 Trish and Lita are out next for even more nostalgia. It’s lost on me since I didn’t watch in the Attitude Era but it’s nice for the live crowd if nothing else. Lita says one sentence then Alexa Bliss and Mickie James make their way out. James is dressed like Bliss and it looks like granny is trying way too hard. Alexa is a great promo and it’s no different here but Mickie is just very cringey. Trish and Lita try and appeal to a younger market and say the word ‘practice’ about 50 times. Nothing happens as per usual.

 Some random is wearing Kurt’s big gold condom and wrestling the Authors of Pain. After this guy dies Kurt appears behind Corbin on the stage and barely gets him up for the Angle slam. Their match will probably be fine, but that’s more because I still enjoy Kurt Angle.

 Riott Squad randomly pour condiments over Natalya’s dressing room door and Liv Morgan makes a noise like a dog being kicked. What was the point of this.

 Riott Squad are out after another break. Natalya comes out next holding a microphone and I’m scared. Natalya is completely fine in the ring but should be nowhere near a mic. She cuts a bad promo and brings out Bayley and Sasha Banks as back up. Cole screams ‘IT’S BOSS TIME’ and suddenly I don’t hate the ‘best in the world’ stuff anymore. I’m a big fan of the Riott Squad especially Ruby but I couldn’t begin to care about Natalya or this match. Nattie gets Ruby in the Sharpshooter and all the women brawl with the faces standing tall. I’m conscious that this review may paint me as disliking women’s wrestling as a whole but it’s more than most of the women’s segments on this show have been questionable at best.

 Here’s Elias next, he cuts a promo about the future and John Cena and rags on Philly and what I assume is a sporting mascot of some kind. I love Elias but he’s starting to wear a bit thin for me. I feel like they either need to do something of note with him or not, stop letting him stagnate. Apollo Crews of all people interrupts. He cuts a promo about how he can’t sing and he isn’t that funny and he’s not wrong. Crews is sick of people passing him by, and while I don’t rate him that highly, I’m all for new people getting a chance. Apollo hits an impressive military press causing Elias to flee. Pretty standard stuff here but at least it’s someone new.

 Finally we’re at the main event. Braun, Drew and Dolph make their entrance together same as earlier and Dolph is back to the sick jacket rather than the hoodie. The Shield come out through the crowd and must fight through a sea of twats. Dean and Seth start off doing tag moves like nothing happened until Ziggler pushes Rollins into Dean and the tension starts again. Reigns manages to get a chant for himself while Ziggler is getting heat on him. Philly is not where I imagined Roman would actually get a positive chant. Braun and Drew tag themselves in a couple times and argue giving Reigns time to recover and hit a samoan drop on Braun. After a bit more standard action Roman finally makes a tag and Seth and Dean run wild taking out all 3 opponents. Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds on Drew but Dolph breaks up the pin with Seth’s body. Seth and Dean get into a bit of a brawl as Dolph hits the Zig Zag for a close 2 count. Roman dodges a claymore kick from Drew and sends him flying into Braun. Dolph eats the triple powerbomb for the 3 count and The Shield embrace and leave. After the match Braun yells at Ziggler for screwing up and not carrying his weight and murders him with a powerslam. Drew nails Braun with a claymore kick and stands tall. I think from an in ring standpoint this match was the weakest of the 3 these teams have had but story-wise it was great. I didn’t want to get this deep into all the spots of the match but there was so much story ground to cover I couldn’t really help it.

 Overall this show was a bit of a drag to get through but that’s not shocking from a 3 hour show. Whilst there were many highlights like the Shield storyline and matches, the women’s segments were poorly planned and executed and made the show feel far longer than it was. If I had the choice I’d give this show a miss, definitely not a must-watch Raw.

[sophieebdaily]

For this new series, the pop star recreates a childhood photo with her Blue Peter presenter mother, as they talk clothes, careers and childhood friendships

Born in Hounslow, west London in 1979, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is the daughter of the broadcaster Janet Ellis and the director and producer Robin Bextor. The sunny face of children’s TV – notably Blue Peter – Janet spent most of her career on screen, until releasing The Butcher’s Hook, the first of two acclaimed novels, in 2016. Meanwhile Sophie’s artistic pursuits began as an indie darling in the band Theaudience, before the stratospheric summer hit Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) catapulted her into the mainstream in 2000. During the UK lockdown in 2020, her live-streamed kitchen discos saw her perform songs from her six solo albums. Her memoir, Spinning Plates: Thoughts on Men, Music and Motherhood, is released on 7 October. She lives in London with her husband and their five sons; Janet lives nearby.

Sophie

From the age of five through to seven, before my brothers and sisters arrived, it was just Mum and me. She had just got the job on Blue Peter, and all my peers were watching it. I always hoped she’d bring home whatever they were making, which occasionally she did: there was one really cool Sindy doll bathroom, which even had tiny bars of soap, flannels and towels. I loved it. In the photograph, I am five; I can see the remnants of chickenpox still healing on my face. Weirdly, I can remember the top I’m wearing, the feel of it. That 80s fashion sowed a seed for my wardrobe. I would probably still bid on it if I saw it on eBay.

Having a famous mum was a high-value currency when I was little. People I’d just met would immediately want to be friends. It wasn’t always nice, though. Sometimes they’d say: “Actually, you seem a bit big-headed and maybe you’re showing off about your mum.” I’d sell Blue Peter badges in the playground: 50p for a badge, and if you had £1 you could get a signed photograph, too. I don’t think I actually ever got paid, though; what six-year-old goes into school with spare change? There’s a few people out there who owe me 50p.

By the time I started secondary school, that was old news. I met a whole new group of mates at a private secondary my parents very generously enrolled me in. That was obviously to welcome me into the world of academia. But when I joined a band and said: “I’m not going to uni, I’m going on the NME Brat Bus tour,” they were surprisingly OK about it.

Being in Theaudience was a lightbulb moment for me: “Ah, singing! That’s the thing I want to do!” Of course, the press still brought up my mum a lot. It’s a nifty talking point and I understand why, but after a while I found it frustrating.

It was a blokey time in the media, dominated by men and ladette culture. It often felt as if the Blue Peter reference was used as a slight dig: “Don’t think you can walk in here and be mysterious or your own, credible person.” I remember going on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mum kept on coming up. At first, you sit there go: “Yeah, funny! Hah.” But the joke is they’re going to keep doing it until you break and storm out. Which is kind of bullying, really.

After Theaudience got dropped, I was the last one holding on. Someone in my team ended up telling me: “You’ve got to move on. It’s dead. No one cares. Do a year out, then go to uni.” I thought the biggest success of my career was over and I’d only just hit 20. It was quite scary.

My mum and I had lots of conversations; she kept an eye on how I was coping. But when Groovejet came along, I suddenly had something remarkable to cling on to. I never believed it would get me signed as a solo artist. I just thought: aren’t I lucky that I’m singing again? It was also a way of saying: “Screw you, NME. You can keep your little bitchy banter. I’m sodding off to Ibiza.”

On top of lockdown, we lost my stepdad, John, to cancer in 2020. Making the kitchen disco streams on YouTube was a coping mechanism. When I did the first one, I thought people would take the mickey. I was 41 and wearing a sequined catsuit. The kids were rolling around everywhere. But the reception was incredible. There’s such a vulnerability to it, and I’d often be crying by the last song.

My mum and I now live 10 minutes away from each other. She has a great relationship with all her five grandbabies. Our parenting style is virtually identical: Mum has always kept the conversation very open, but within the parameters of what is appropriate for whatever age I am. Which obviously means everything is fair game now. Not everyone is lucky enough to have this kind of relationship with their mum. She’s my go-to for everything.

Janet

Sophie’s father and I were splitting up around the time this photo was taken. My main focus was making sure she was protected; that things in her world stayed as steady as they could – but not being daft. It wasn’t a question of sitting her down and saying: “Mummy and Daddy have decided …” She’s smart, she knew. It was about keeping things fluid.

I was 23 when I had Soph. None of my friends had had babies yet. I thought I was the cleverest person for getting pregnant. She wasn’t entirely planned; in fact, when I first told the doctor, a funny old chap, that I was feeling a bit off, he went: “Oh! Typical gallstones!”

Obviously, I quickly realised what was happening. I had a pretty easy pregnancy and ate for approximately seven people. Eleven weeks after she was born, I went for an audition for the BBC children’s show Jigsaw. Fortunately, the writer adored babies; I think that’s why he hired me.

I’ve had periods of unemployment; there have been lean times in Sophie’s childhood. But I’ve always felt something would turn up, and luckily it has. I was not the first Blue Peter presenter to have a child when I joined, but you probably can’t name the others because it was not part of the narrative of the programme; our role was the big sister. I still got Sophie on screen, though; she got the rough end of the deal, because she modelled snoods made of dishcloths and once dressed in repurposed bin liners.

When Sophie was eight, she became the target of a lot of older kids, who found her fascinating. But it was all for the wrong reasons. It was because her mum was on telly. I had to say: “Yes, they are lovely people, but let’s invite so-and-so to play instead.” I didn’t want to make her feel as if she’d done anything wrong, but I certainly didn’t want to encourage it.

I was broadly supportive when Sophie joined a band. If it didn’t work out I knew she would figure out the next thing. At the time, people would comment that at least she was entering “a world you understand”, but that was not true. The music industry is so different from anything I’ve encountered. I wrote my first novel late and thought that publishers would laugh at me, but it’s a very welcoming world. Music’s not like that; it’s an industry where you are judged 50% on your looks and 50% on your talent. I never wanted to lecture her, but of course along the way there have been things we’ve had to put right. Misogyny shouldn’t be ignored. I’m always disappointed when women my age do this weird reverse thing of going: “Well, you know, I just dealt with it! He was wanking on the bus! You just had to laugh!” No, that was never fine. It wasn’t right then and it’s not right now.

Sophie and I definitely share a sense of humour, and we decorate our houses similarly. Neither of us could claim to be minimalists. My poor husband John, who died last year, had a single white wall in our house that I was never allowed to put anything on. In Soph, I recognise a kindred spirit. I am categorically not her best friend, but I’m very proud to be her mother. We are always able to catch each other’s eye in a busy room and know exactly what’s going on.

Source: The Guardian