#Amy speaks Nonsense

[infamous-if]

dev update (august 9th 2023)

I'm really bad at doing these, I apologize. I find I prefer just dropping things without much notice haha but since chapter 2 is out I do want to do better at these sort of weekly log things.

Anyway, with the Patreon out I've been having a lot of fun dropping stuff. I have a whole folder of deleted scenes and extra bits that I kept aside collecting dust so that's been fun. I've done a lot with August so far so I'm determined to keep up that momentum, especially since I'm deep in G's POV right now.

I started picking away at Part II. Luckily, I feel it may be shorter than Part I so it won't be too long until I'm dropping it. I'm going to make sure not to change any variables until after it's published so people can just play from where they finished off. Hopefully...if I can avoid it. If I speed run through Part II I feel like I can drop it next month or late this month. I'm not making any promises but if I do, I'll be giving myself a huge pat on the back lmfao.

Since Part I dropped, I've been getting a lot more asks and suggestions. Many people have been suggesting certain choices and reactions and dialogues which is great. People tend to catch things that I don't catch or have ideas that don't come to me so it helps when I go back to rewrite. I can't promise I'll add it but so far I've been getting a lot of good suggestions. I don't respond to them just so I can keep them in one place, so don't think I'm ignoring you! I do read all my questions I just tend to be picky with answering them so as not to flood the dash. I was having a wild idea to make a side account just to answer questions because I wake up to so many that I can hardly handle it and my inbox gives me a bit of a fright every morning lololol I currently have 3.5k questions and I feel terrible every time because I feel like I'm ignoring people.

As I said before, once Part 2 is out I'm going to go through the entire demo with a fine tooth comb and pick it up bit by bit. Improve on it, add dialogue, choices and just fix it up. It won't be a rewrite lol since I like what I have but I think I can improve the prose and the overall...cleanliness? of my writing!

I'm always taking suggestions or anything that may make the game better. I can't do everything but I do try. I'm also always taking song suggestions for the master playlist. I do listen to it when I write so that's fun lol

This was a non update but I do like keeping everyone up to date on what I'm doing! If anyone has suggestions for something August related to do this month, I'm all ears!

[tardxsblues]

just watched the angels take manhattan

how do doctor who fans not just combust on the regular?

even back in the peak superwholock era, i really only saw gifsets of ten and eleven being adorable goofs, and i vaguely knew of the various companions and their shenanigans, but ive been out here for years thinking it was a silly little space show (i now know how very wrong i was)

the heartbreak you go through on a regular basis with this show?? i don’t think i have ever shed more tears while watching something than i have with doctor who, and i am only on season 7

please forward support group links and helpline numbers, thanks

[waughymommy]

MOTHER OR CHILD

Chapter 3

            “Heather, sweetheart, it’s time to wake up,” Jack said as he gently rubbed her back. Heather slowly came to. She realized she was sucking her thumb. She noticed the empty baby bottle lying on the bed and was shocked that she had switched to her thumb while she napped. The room was darker and she reckoned it was probably early evening.

            “There’s my baby girl. How was your nap sweetie?” Jack asked dotingly. Heather recoiled when as her brain registered who was sitting next to her. Her grogginess immediately turned to panic. She removed her thumb from her mouth and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Then she remembered that she was in a wet diaper. There was no escaping this situation. Jack noticed her panic and attempted to sooth her.

            Heather began to sob. “I’m so sorry Jack. I have never felt more embarrassed and I’m so sorry I kept this from you all these years. I understand if you don’t want me anymore.” Her sob grew more intense.

            “Quit that nonsense out right now. Leave you? Are you kidding me? Not in a million years. I will admit when I saw you this morning, I was shocked. I needed time to process it all which is why I called your mother to come look after you. But what I realized was how peaceful you looked. You have given me everything and been my rock. You have never wavered in your support and love for me and its time that I pay it back to you. Not to mention, you looked so damn cute,” Jack smiled as he finished the last sentence and tried to tickle her belly through the blanket.

            Heather looked up and saw the genuine love in his face. Her fears started to subside. She still felt embarrassed and had no desire to reveal the state of her diaper to him. But, then again, she probably didn’t have a choice in that matter.

            “So I have a proposition for you. You can become the baby you so clearly want to be. Now this would mean quitting your job and you would be a baby full time. What that means is that I will treat you just like a two-year-old. You will use your diaper. You would be fed, clothed and bathed like any toddler would be. I even want you to get in the habit of speaking like a child when you are at home. I would be your daddy. Now, whenever we are out, I will make sure that your outfits do not draw any unnecessary attention, but you will still be diapered. Your mother has already agreed to babysit you during the week while I’m at work. And I’ve already found some plans to build you some special furniture so that we can convert the den into a nursery. So how is this sounding?” Jack’s tone was serious, but gentle.

            Heather’s head started to spin. She had no idea what to say. She had so many questions, but she couldn’t utter a word.

            “I know the first question is whether or not we can afford to do this and the answer is yes. I ran through the budget and we will be just fine. The other thing of course to discuss is Amy,” Jack added. Heather’s eyes dimmed. She didn’t think it would be fair to subject her daughter to seeing her mother act like an infant. The offer Jack was making seemed like a dream, but could she ask that of her daughter?

            “You may be mad at me, but I called Amy on my way home and told her my proposal. Her words, not mine, ‘mom deserves all the happiness in the world and if this is what she needs, so be it.’ She asked me to tell you that she shouldn’t feel even the slightest bit of guilt or embarrassment because she loves you so much,” Jack said. “But what that means is that she will have authority over you and that includes diaper changes. I want you to think of her as your big sister. Since she knew that we were having this conversation tonight, she is staying over with a friend.” Jack added.

            Heather began to cry again. Jack seemed to have this all laid out. But was she ready to return to infancy? She would have no control, but how could she say no? It would be a major adjustment and the first weeks would be incredibly embarrassing.

            “So what do you say sweetheart?” Jack asked. Heather sat silent for a moment, but then she wiped her tears and looked up at Jack and replied, “Yes daddy.”

            “That’s my girl. So tomorrow, I want you to deliver your two-week notice. I know you are off this week, so you will complete the following week and that will be that. This will also give us time to get your nursery ready and transition to your new life. And one more thing. Tonight, I’m taking you out so that we can celebrate the start of this new chapter,” Jack said with exuberance in his voice.

            Heather smiled from ear to ear and wrapped her arms around her husband, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

            “Of course baby girl. But before we go out, we need to get you out of that wet diaper,” Jack whispered. Heather blushed. “You better get used to it sweetie, but tonight you can be a grown up,” Jack added.

            Jack pulled out some wipes and pulled the blanket offer her and examined the state of her diaper. “You really soaked this,” he chuckled. “Let me just clean you up little bit and then you can go get dressed.”

            “Um daddy?” Heather asked timidly.

            “Yes?” he said as he ripped open the tapes.

            “Um, can I wear a diaper underneath my clothes?” Jack just smiled. He tenderly changed her and patted her diapered bottom as she got up to get dressed. Jack had no clue when he woke up that morning that he would be changing diapers once again, but it was worth it to see his wife happy. Life was about to be a whole lot different.

[theocddiaries]

Tails: I'm going out. I may come home, I may not. Sonic: Well, I may care, I may not. No, wait, I actually don't care. Tails [rolls his eyes and leaves] Shadow: Seriously, neither of you is going to back down over this nonsense? Sonic: I know him. He's playing the game of chicken. Let him be; I bet he'll come home earlier than ever today. [In the middle of the night, Sonic is pacing around the living room while Shadow is on the phone with several of his contacts, crossing names off a list as they confirm they haven't seen Tails.] Shadow: Neither have you? Okay, thank you, Amy… Yes, it's because that nonsense about washing his hands of him… Yes, he also said the stupid thing about the chicken game.[hangs up] Sonic: How could I have washed my hands? Why didn't you speak up? Why didn't you second guess me? I thought that was our foundation. I run full speed ahead even if there's a cliff in front of me, and you stop me. Shadow: Honestly, if you were literally running toward a cliff right now, I’d let you keep going. And I did all of those things. You convinced me it was alright because you've known him longer. Sonic: Why? Why now? Why did you decide now was a good moment to trust me judgement? I don't know what I'm doing. You know that better than anyone. You should've third guessed me. I refuse to stand here any longer; I'm gonna kick down every door of every house I come across, I’ll tear down every tree and lift every stone until I find him, and if he isn't dead I'm gonna fix that myself. Knuckles [comes in the living room]: Hi, guys. Sonic: … What the hell are you doing? Knuckles: Grabbing some grapes. Sonic: What's wrong with you? Knuckles: I'm hungry. Sonic: No! I mean why are you so calm?! It's 2am and Tails is nobody knows when with who knows who-- Knuckles: What? Tails is in his room. He's been here since like 8.30. Sonic and Shadow: … [Sonic and Shadow zoom off to Tails room. Sonic opens the door brusquely and Tails jumps in his bed, the book in his hands falling] Tails: Don't you know how to knock? Shadow [goes to check on him]: And don't you know how to talk? Why didn't you tell us you were home? Tails: Why shoudl I? You washed your hands of me, remember? Sonic: Well, from this moment on, they're unwashed. And if you ever sneak into this house at 8.30 again, without telling someone who isn't Knuckles, I swear I'll--I'll… [sighs and hugs him tightly] Tails [returns the hug] [After a moment, Sonic and Shadow leave Tails' room] Sonic [closes Tails' bedroom door. He sighs]: See? I know what I'm doing. He came back home earlier than ever. I don't know why you're always second guessing me. Shadow: …

[billpottsismygf]

Space Babies! Weird episode, but it had a charm. I had already prepared myself for the fact that RTD's era was notoriously camp and weird, and that I would for the first time be experiencing new episodes by him as an adult rather than as a 9-13 year-old, so it's not news to me that there would be some campy nonsense with a deeper message, and that this might be more jarring than I'm used to. The deeper themes were really thrown out (refugees, anti-abortion hypocrisy, genocide, capitalism) without being dwelt on, but that's not necessarily a problem.

The babies themselves were... a little unnerving? The mouth movements were quite uncanny, along with their voices and the general "I love you, Ruby!" of it all. I've just now made the connection that the latter puts me in mind of adverts for baby dolls.

The gunky snot monster felt very early 2000s British children's TV. If you weren't there for that, just know there was so much slime; think Slitheen exploding. I am very glad it got rescued. Nice message with the Doctor not usually running from things just because they look scary and, even though this is a creature specifically manufactured to be scary, it still deserves a shot at life.

It feels like a strange story to start with because I suspect it'll have mixed reviews. I would think you'd want a slightly more solid episode to draw people in with. Anyway, there was still a lot of thought put into making this a proper jumping off point with all its Doctor Who 101 stuff. Funny for a long-time viewer hearing it all rattled off in record time, but important to establish for new people, and I do think it's important for the show to remain accessible to people who haven't been obsessing over it for twenty years or more.

As a jumping off point, it very specifically reminded me of The End of the World. There's the big observation deck on a space station where the new companion, in her second episode and first off-world adventure, gets her phone updated so she can call her mum, in particular. The parallels to Rose are interesting, especially with the lecture the Doctor gives Ruby about how they can't travel back to meet her missing parent(s).

Speaking of that, there's some intrigue there with the snow appearing and the memory changing. I didn't like the Doctor doing a DNA scan of Ruby without her knowledge. It feels very 11th Doctor, especially when he literally scanned Amy and withheld medical information, but also the way he treated all his female companions as mystery boxes to solve without telling them. I guess we'll see what that's all about at a later point.

I'm still not completely sold on Millie Gibson, but Ncuti Gatwa is wonderful, and I do really appreciate their chemistry.

Small things:

Jocelyn was a good character, and the Nan-E filter made me laugh several times.

That place name before the Doctor turned the translation circuits off was absolutely not in English. Slightly weird way to phrase that line if it's going to be called Pacifico del Rio.

This is a very early point in the series for Ruby to get a TARDIS key! We're really speedrunning the usual steps here.

[shadamyheadcanons]

I can see Shadow being a girl dad, he'd be the type to pull out a gun whenever a adult gets too close to his kid but also be the one to dress up as a fairy princess for her tea party.

I’ve always loved this, too! Shadow just gets along super well with women and girls. I don’t know of any time when he’s had a proper conversation with Cream, but wholesome fanart of him babysitting her and wearing flower crowns she made for him is everywhere.

I interpret Shadow’s protectiveness in a specific way. He’d stand between his kids and a threat whenever necessary, especially when the kids are young, but I think he’d ultimately prioritize teaching them to defend against any threats themselves. I see him as less of a “mess with my kids and I’ll make you pay” dad and more of an “if anyone messes with you, sweetheart, don’t hold back” dad. He doesn’t have to worry because he’s made sure they’ve got it covered. Every shadamy kid gets a gun, a hammer, or both, and his respect for women means he wouldn’t hesitate to arm them. None of this “girls are delicate flowers” nonsense from Shadow. Martial arts are on the table, too; with Amy, Shadow, Knuckles, and Rouge all being close by, she’d be a threat even without a weapon.

In all seriousness, he’d want to be absolutely sure the kid is battle-ready even when he’s not around because he knows better than anyone what the consequences could be otherwise. That’s one thing I think he’d love about Amy, too; he knows she’s made herself a contender in her own right, and they’ll both look out for the ones they love. Together. Battle Couple, Battle Family.

Toonsite has a couple really cute comics about Shadow babysitting Cream that fit this motif...

[x] [x]

...and ChocomilkAmy has a funny one with a shadamy fankid:

[x]

And although I love the idea of Shadow having a daughter, he’d of course love his kid regardless of gender. Which gives me an excuse to link Rhael’s wonderful, adorable little mini-comic of human!Shadow holding his newborn son:

[x]

I’m not crying, you’re crying :’)

And speaking of kids and family stuff...

@multishipingriy

I think Amy would be the one to ask for a first date, but Shadow would be the one to propose. Amy initiating the relationship matches her bold personality and lines up with my recent theory about their feelings. I also sometimes wonder if Shadow would be insecure about romance or feel she “deserved better,” so he’d hesitate to act first, but she’d break down those walls and pump up his self-esteem straight away. A few years in, he’d definitely have the confidence to propose. It’s not that Amy wouldn’t, but more that I feel she’d forever cherish a romantic proposal, and he’d want to do that for her. Shadow knows what he wants, and if that’s Amy, he’ll make it happen. Because they both deserve it.

The topic of children is one that I think is unique to their situation because Amy’s already made it clear she wants them, even this early in her life. Sonic Battle was particularly brazen about it...

(Sega made Cream a rabbit when they should have made her a GOAT.)

...but if that seems like too much because it is, I’ve organized this before, too:

Amy’s already nurturing. Once she gets older, I believe her existing behavior would bend in a more motherly direction, and it would be so clear that she wants to be a mom that she wouldn’t even need to formally clarify it. The onus would be on Shadow, I think, to speak up once he feels comfortable with the idea. I suggested some of his potential reservations in headcanon #167.

I think he’d be great at it. If you’re curious why I feel that way, check out my Father’s Day headcanon from a few years ago.

[missamyrisa2]

Miss Amy, how would you react to stumbling upon a ticklish girl in a sticky situation? Say she’s gotten herself stuck through a trap door, with her arms and head through one side and the rest of her body through the other. And uh oh, she’s nude and oh so sensitive all over her body…just begging for tickles. Would you make her gigglegasm over and over again, would you taunt her and coo little teases at her.

Just curious👀

Why of course I'd do exactly what an adorable stuck cutie needs and that's to come around to your blushy helpless face and give you all my faux concern. "Awww what happened here huh? You got your little booty stuck in that mean ol' trap door? Oooh such a meanie, that thing is always catching cutie patooties with the cutie tushies. Now, the thing is, we can't just pull you free noooo. That wouldn't be good for you and wouldn't be good for the door either. Yes, we love our precious door. And so there is a way to get you out lickey split and we're gonna do that. So first I neeeed ahhh~" I grin as I talk fast through the explanation, reaching seemingly to nowhere and returning with a stiff white feather. "Let's start here, shall we? Ooh look at this one, this is a good feather mhmm. Soo soft on the edge yet stiff enough to make all the difference." I run my fingers over my tool and snicker squeak at the sensation before I turn it towards you, pointing at your silly self in the trap door. "Now now now we can't have you stuck in here and the only way you're gonna wriggle free is with some, ahem, unorthodox treatments. Now tell me, are you ticklish?"

I probe and inquire yet don't give you time to respond as I draw the feather tip up along face to your ears, quickly picking up another to taunt your other side and neck. "Coochie coooo ~ just let it all out now." I murmur matter of fact as I work my feathers all over your face and upper chest, sketching ticklyy masterpieces on your lovely sensitive skin. Upon unceremoniously dropping my feathers, I dart back to the table of tools and in a fluid motion show you the softness of the fluffy duster and head quickly to your other side to begin employing my new tool between your legs.

"Tickles, doesn't it?"

With a knowing smile I flutter my tool across your thighs while I reach under and tickle at your kneepits. "ticklish ticklish legsssss" I speak so sweetly, working the feathers all over your belly and waist and thighs, just trying to get arousal going. And once I've grown attired of the duster, I toss it aside and return to the front so I can grin so tauntingly at you as I produce a container of massage oil and an ultra supple body brush. I carefully open the oil and begin oiling up my brushy. "You know where it's goin~" I snicker making sure you see alll the preparation before I scamper around to your backside again.

"Ahhh ahhhhh ~ that does ittttt~" With careful precision my brush begins going up and down your royal parts, gliding with the soft oils all the way upppp to your button, all the wayyy downnnnn~

"Coochie cooooo~" I laugh it out loud, rolling the wand along your undies while I lean in and start peppering you with kisses though not before making you select the shade of the tinglyyyy lip prints~~

"There we goooo look at youuuuu pretty girl ~ making all those sparkles for your tickle mama mmmmh?"

Your first gigglegasm only encourages me further, as come back around and oil up my fingers in front of you ~ and I raise the speed and taunt your feet with skittery tickles. "Tickle tickle tiiiickle" I taunt, reaching up further on your legs before departing a moment only to return with a vengeance skittering your hips to your sides to your waisttt. "Let's seeeee how many sparklyyy fireworks we can make tonight hmmm?"

(note~~ I'm on so little sleep, through a stressful week which is already starting into another stressful week so if anything here is nonsensical that's whyyyy I had to stop and trim off a lot of times which I don't usually dooo but this post kept getting eaten by thoughts of kings and queens and warriors in the dark, getting stuck somehow in homes and restaurants ~anywayyy all the loves for you loves and I'm hoping to have more time sooon ~<33)

[chronicbeans]

Wally Darling with a Restoration Project Reader (part 2)

You found a picture of the boi!

TW: Scopophobia/Eye Imagery

🗞️ Daniel gasps in excitement, shocking everyone in the little circle you made on Finn's living room floor. He shows everyone a picture that was restored by Amy, saying "Look! We finally have a picture of just Wally Darling! Nothing is obscuring him, either! We have a good idea of what exactly he looked like!"

🗞️ He passes it around, with you being the last to hold and look at it closely. A large blue pompadour, yellow skin, a colorful outfit made primarily of primary colors. He has a smile on his face, which isn't surprising, to be fair. He also doesn't have a nose, which you think makes him stand out a little bit more than he already does compared to the rest. Something seems off about his eyes, though... Not as though they were restored properly, just... Something.

🗞️ Amy speaks up, chuckling "He has big hair, like Julie! Maybe they are kinda like a duo? The big hair crew! There was a picture that mentions that he and Barnaby are best friends, though, right? So that little guess might be wrong." Finn nods "Yep. Wally and Barnaby are best friends. (Y/N), can I ask something? (Y/N)? Earth to (Y/N)!"

🗞️ You shake your head in shock, looking over to him. You didn't even notice he was speaking to you for a moment. "Yeah, Finn?" Finn shakes his head slightly, muttering with a playful chuckle "Always spacing out..." He then speaks up, looking at you with a serious expression "Well, I have noticed how your mom hasn't been acting too kindly about all this, especially after you mentioned it was to restore Welcome Home. Do you... Think she knows something? Maybe you can take that picture to her after we photograph it and put it on the website?"

🗞️"Oh! That... I am unsure. I'll show it to her. I just think she doesn't really like my hobby. She's someone who is very... I don't know... Traditional when it comes to jobs? Would that be the right term? You know, doesn't see art as a job, or writing, like I do. You get what I mean?" Amy cringes. "Oooh... Yeah, I get it. I get it. That sucks."

🗞️ Daniel perks up "You write, (Y/N)? I never knew that! Can you help out with the blog? You can write some of the stuff on it about the show. I would myself, but my written English isn't so good..." You tense up, only to nod "Okay... I don't really like my writing, though. Finn is making the blog, right? He can go over what I write." The group seemingly all agrees to it, before you leave to show your mom the picture.

🗞️ As you walk out to your car, you look at the picture, again. Those eyes... something is off. You just know it. You stare at it as you get into your car. You almost can't stop looking. You put your bag on top of the picture, feeling as though you'd just keep staring if you don't cover it.

🗞️ It's a very short drive. Your house is only a fifteen minute drive from Finn's. You go inside, hearing your mother call out from the kitchen "I see that you finally came back! Dinner is almost ready. Come, sit at the dinner table." You take off your coat and boots, walking over to the table and placing the picture on the table.

🗞️ Your mother walks in, placing a tray of food on the table. As she does so, she sees the picture. Her eyes widen as she asks "Sweetie, what is that?" You grin widely, explaining "Oh, it's Wally Darling, from Welcome Home! He's the main guy, I think. Why do you ask? Do you recognize him?"

🗞️ Her face suddenly morphs into a grimace. Her eyes are locked onto the picture as she speaks, her voice sharp "Why are you trying to find out about this Welcome Home nonsense? You'll never know exactly what came before it was forgotten! It's pointless! Even if you find out a lot, you'll never know it all! Why risk your life in search of a puzzle, which will inevitably still have missing pieces?"

🗞️ Your eyes widen "Risk my life? Mom, what are you talking about-?" She cuts you off "If I tell you too much, you'll simply be more intrigued! I know how you are, sweetie! I love you, I really do. I know how harsh I seem sometimes... but I am that way because I know that you will just wander into danger if I don't correct you! So just... stop with this nonsense!"

🗞️ She storms off, crying out "Just eat your food! I already ate, anyways! Don't bother me with this foolishness!" With that, you hear her slam the door to her room shut. The table is now left empty, besides you, the picture, and the dinner she made. You become lost in thought. Risk your life? Over a children's show? What an odd assumption to make over a little mystery. Why does she think that you would be put in danger if you continued searching?

🗞️ She said that if she told you too much, you'd be more intrigued. Well, she already failed. As much as you are now terrified of what could happen, you are still so much more intrigued about this mystery. Looking down at the picture of Wally, you make a silent promise to figure out more about this show, no matter what it takes.

[beevean]

As much as I didn't like Generations' original scene with Amy getting an eye full of Sonic's hand, you have to admit having Sonic outright ignore Amy as she's trying to handing him cupcakes feels ten times worse than if she got the eye full of hand again. Least the eye full of hand showcased Sonic acknowledged what she was doing, unlike the newest scene where he just flat out ignores her to talk to Tails.

Let's not forget how Knuckles' change in words implies Classic Sonic somehow ate the rest of Sky Sanctuary, even though that's dumb and nonsensical when the original simply had Knuckles ask if Sonic 'gained weight'. You know, because it makes more sense for Classic to rub his belly from a jab like that.

Pretty much. I don't like the OG scene either, but this is no improvement. The joke is the same: Sonic finds Amy annoying and not worth his time. Just because he doesn't literally smear chili all over her eyes it doesn't make him look nicer. As you said, it looks like he's purposefully ignoring her shoving her cupcakes right under his nose.

A similar scene changed sloppily is Amy pushing Knuckles into a tree: now she makes him slightly stumble, but the cartoony sound effect is still there and loud. Before one could say that the joke wasn't funny, now there's no joke in the first place.

also yeah you're right why did they change Knuckles' joke about Classic being more rotund than Modern? What, is that fatphobia? Really? We're doing this now? Again, same issue with Amy saying "I'll make up to you next time!" instead of "I was worried I'll never be able to flirt with you again!", you know because it was so cool when Amy said she's no longer a damsel in distress in Frontiers... but Sonic still facepalms to her like she's just so cringe, which made sense when Amy was being pushy but not now that she said a perfectly admirable thing. Why is Sonic such a dick to her?? Even better, in case someone thinks I'm only speaking from a Sonamy perspective, why did you rewrite these lines when they were perfectly fine??? Where is the improvement!

And I know that people will come to me and say "but Beev, you joyless bitch, it's a joke! It's slapstick! It ain't that deep!", well I am allowed to be annoyed by these pointless changes that contribute nothing except generating confusion! Sonic is much meaner than usual! They are putting their hands all over Amy (irony intended) and only Amy! The flow of the dialogue, which was very simple dialogue mind you, is being mangled!

Now I can't even trust them to re-release, for example, Sonic Adventure in case they shit all over the script for no reason other than to "modernize" it!

I don't think I can put into words why this bothers me so much, so this will be perceived as me being annoying over a game. Well, maybe I liked Generations. Maybe I wanted it to be as it was, flaws and all, since this is a re-release and not a remake. Maybe I don't think the current writing is that much better than what we had before. Maybe I don't want older products to be sandpapered for the sake of sandpapering.

[sugdenlovesdingle]

I can't with this storyline anymore! I know many people want John to end up as a villain but there are so many villains now. Ruby’s whole story with abuse right after Belle’s is too much! Would Emmerdale really create another villain/abuser so soon? I don't like this whole Ruby storyline. Why couldn't they just write stories for the characters already here? She is so new and always on! Aaron is a popular/veteran character but is never used and when he is it's for a 2-minute screen once a month. I'm so over it.

I mean i'd be ok with them making john a villain (and acknowledge wendy is scum).

I LIKE Ruby (and Caleb) but starting this abuse story when Belle's isn't even finished yet (and has been dragged out beyond belief) is A Choice. Like is it not enough to bring in the long lost daughter? Does it have to be the dad too? Who has cancer AND turned out to have raped his daughter more than once (young Ruby said "not today" - she knew what was coming) and likely fathered his own grandchild. And on top of that she slept with her brother in law (who is dealing with his wife having a brain tumour) and her father will most likely use that to blackmail her into staying quiet about the abuse.

Then we have the Tom nonsense that I'm sick to death of that has everyone plot stupid. First Amelia and Jimmy, now Angelica - just end it already!

Liam only gets screentime because he's fucking Chas. I used to like them, but after the will they/wont they and nonsense with Ella i'm sick of them.

Brenda and Eric split up because he had a flash of insanity thanks to his meds (???) and lost all of their money to bitcoin

Mack and Charity are dealing with Ross coming back

Marlon and Rhona are also dealing with Ross coming back - but via April

whatever the fuck is going on with Kim and Will (I don't really pay attention to that story, they're boring)

Dawn and Billy - the illegal fighting is done? I think? They still have a baby with cancer and constant money problems.

Ella, Leyla, Brenda are all leaving in the next few months (I'm guessing)

Aaron - wasn't at Cain's birthday party, hasn't been involved in any recent dingle nonsense, apparently loves his boyfriend? Not that we've actually seen them together... he's always teaming up with Mack for dodgy deals.

Gail and Ryan - April mentioned them yesterday? but they haven't been on screen in ages, and haven't had a story since... the Oscar thing?

Matty and Amy GOT MARRIED IN MAY, Matty got sent down a few weeks later, then beaten up in prison and magically released again in the span of like - 6 weeks? and then disappeared. Moira having seizures, brain surgery, and now radio therapy... and Amy isn't there supporting her mother in law and her husband? She wasn't at Cain's birthday party, even though he's her husband's step father, and the father of her son.

Vic - no real story to speak of, despite the whole Sugden family revival that was supposed to happen with John.

Jacob, Noah, Sarah, Amelia - apparently Jacob and Sarah start dating soon, Amelia is leaving next week, and Noah... apparently invested money in bitcoin?

Tracy, Vanessa, Suzy, Leyla - No story there. Tracy gets to work in the shop and complain about child care, Leyla is leaving soon, Vanessa and Suzy?? are... still together?? I guess? I don't even remember when Suzy was last on screen.

Laurel, Arthur, Gabby - Arthur got a few lines the other day with April but after the failed hook up with that lad a while ago, he's practically been MIA. Laurel had her fling with Charles and then kind of disappeared again? Gabby and Vinny got together and lived in off screen land ever since.

Paddy and Meatloaf - thankfully very much off screen lately

Jai - the eternal bad guy (and I'm so done with that story)

Charles, Manpreet, Claudette - all mostly off screen thankfully

Rodney - gets to work in the cafe and comment on the Tom of it all from time to time

if they're not Chas/Charity/Cain or adjacent characters, they don't get screentime or a story.

[whump-place]

Adopted.

15-Get well soon.

Masterlist.

Why did everyone have to be so useless, Star wonders.

Liam's been I'll for a few days now, and it's been really bothersome the way he gets all of Master's attention for himself. Can't he at least pretend to have some self respect instead of crying out for some attention?

"Ugh. I hope he dies for good this time."

Star mutters. Master asked for all of them to be in the living room to help Liam around, and took a few days off work to be with him; it's like Liam is the only one that matters.

"Master might hear you..." Amy warns them with a worried expression. She's really good at acting, isn't she?

"No, he won't." This time Leo is the one that speaks up, resting his ching on Star's shoulder. They push him away, ready to hit him if he tries to get close again. "He's at the kitchen. He won't hear anything."

The smile on Leo's face grosses Star out. He can never take anything seriously.

"But, I mean, what about Liam? He doesn't look that well, shouldn't we do something...?" That almost makes Star laugh. Amy looks way too worried, if she's trying to make points with Liam she can drop the act already.

"Amy, would you like some advice? I'm just telling you this because I like you. You are pretty and somewhat nice to be around, so pay close attention to this, okay?"

Star asked with the best voice they could manage. It was like explaining something to a child.

But, oh well, Amy needs to learn how things work around there.

"You are not going to look better if you pretend to care for Liam when Master is not around. You don't have to try so hard."

But when Star turned to look at Amy, they knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Amy was frowning, and the way she looks at them is like they are speaking nonsense. Does she... Does she really worry about Liam?

They realize that they are not the only one confused by this, since when they turn around both Leo and even the scumbag of Ray are staring at her like she had grown a second head.

"Oh-uh. I think she really-"

"Shut up, Leo! Why don't you go find something else to do? I saw a snake around the garden, go and see if you can find it." Star barked at Leo, who felt silent immediately.

Why is Amy worrying about Liam? He's cruel and mean, why would she care about whether he dies or not? He's had worse, a few months ago when Master had to take him a few days to stay at the hospital, and no one had worried that much.

"I thought you two got along-"

"Goodness, no! He's terrible, why would I get along with him?!"

What's she even saying? No one at that house really likes Liam. It's easier to pretend they do, but even Leo hates the way Liam thinks he's better than everyone else. Has Amy not realized that yet?

The day she got home Star saw how smart she was. She got on Liam's good side immediately, and got to be liked by everyone; they thought she was a really good actress. That had to be fake. It couldn't possibly be real, could it? Why?

Liam got better after a week, and Star rushed to his side to help him stand up and walk around since he's still too weak to do it by himself. They can't ignore the way Amy keeps looking at them, and for some reason that feels wrong.

Taglist:

@sola-whumping

@octopus-reactivated

@otter-chaos-violence

@taterswhump

@watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

@risk606

@paperprinxe

@silly-scroimblo-skrunkl

@starfields08000

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[Thanks Amy Siskind]

* * * *

"Bread and circuses" vs. "a debate"

September 10, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

On Tuesday night, ABC will run an entertainment program billed as a “debate.” The notion that the event will be a “debate” in any meaningful sense is fatuous. A debate involves two parties discussing opposing views of the facts. On Tuesday, one party will be unbounded by the truth. If the past is prologue, 100% of the words spoken by Trump will be lies, and that includes the words “a,” “the,” and “and.”

There is no meaningful way for Kamala Harris to engage with a compulsive, shameless liar on the merits of contested policies. Trump doesn’t know what the contested policies are, much less the arguments supporting and against the policies. He is immune to logic. He will engage in personal attacks when Kamala Harris addresses substance in a way that “sounds” to Trump as if he is losing.

And yet, the media will judge the “bread and circuses” spectacle as if it were a debate. Since the rules of logic and persuasion cannot be applied to a pathological liar, the media will apply them to Kamala Harris alone—making any judgment about who “won” or “lost” the debate a nonsensical exercise, like asking how many oranges it takes to land on Mars.

Worse, because there will be no way to compare the substance of the answers from Harris and the lies from Trump, commentators will focus on the shiny objects that are the lifeblood of television: Appearances. How did the candidates “appear?” Did they appear “presidential?” Did they appear “aggressive?” Or angry?—A judgment commentators will reserve only for the Black female candidate. Or shrill?--A judgment commentators will reserve only for the female candidate.

You get the point. It makes little sense to watch the event on ABC as “a debate.” From Kamala Harris’s perspective, it is an opportunity to speak directly to millions of Americans who do not feel as though they know her well enough to vote for her. It will be a worthwhile effort if she can give viewers a sense of who she is as a person.

Whether the debate moderators or the media will hold Trump accountable for his lies is beyond our control, so don’t invest time or energy worrying about whether they will act as journalists or gossip columnists.

Lawrence O’Donnell’s “must watch” critique of the NYTimes

On Monday evening, Lawrence O’Donnell critiqued the NYTimes’ effort to correct its “sane-washing” of Trump's lies. As noted by O’Donnell, the Times described Trump's claim that a tariff is a “tax on foreign nations” as a “dubious proposition.”

Trump's assertion is universally rejected by economists. A tariff is not a tax on foreign nations but a sales tax paid by US consumers designed to drive up the cost of foreign goods and make them less competitive in the US market.

There is no sense in which tariffs are a tax on foreign nations—and the Times knows (or should know) that there is nothing “dubious” about that fact. It is a bald-faced lie.

It is worth ten minutes of your time to understand just how deeply the NYTimes has gone down the Trumpian rabbit hole of illogic. I promise you will not regret this investment of your time: The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell 9/9/24 (Start the video at 0:00; somehow, I can’t force the link to start at that point.)

The GOP is a voter suppression machine

Republicans currently control the House—by a few votes. One of the major functions of the House is to originate spending bills that fund government operations. Rather than performing their basic function as stewards of the fiscal operation of the government, Republicans are attempting to use the most recent “must pass” government funding bill to imposes a national voter suppression rider.

The rider, known as Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, imposes national “proof of citizenship” requirements. National voting eligibility has worked for 240 years without a “proof of citizenship” requirement at registration and there has been no uptick in voter fraud based on fraudulent claims of US citizenship. The SAVE Act is based on the same old Republican scaremongering designed to make it more difficult for the elderly, Black citizens, young voters, and disabled citizens to register.

Research by The Brennan Center for Justice, VoteRiders, and other organizations demonstrated that “more than 9 percent of American citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, don’t have proof of citizenship readily available.” See Brennan Center for Justice, Millions of Americans Don’t Have Documents Proving Their Citizenship Readily Available.

The good(?) news is that, as usual, Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to pass a six-month continuing resolution with the SAVE Act rider isn’t going to pass. Speaker Mike Johnson’s government funding plan already crumbling with at least 6 GOP no votes | CNN Politics. The bad news is that the House will likely jam the federal government into a spending crisis before averting a shutdown at the last moment.

The point is that the House GOP caucus is taking advantage of its core function of passing budgets to shoehorn in a voter suppression bill that addresses a non-existent problem while imposing significant obstacles to the voting rights of Black Americans, the elderly, young voters, and disabled voters. The GOP can best be described as a voter suppression machine whose only purpose is to perpetuate its death grip on power. We can break that grip in November by electing Kamala Harris.

JD Vance spreads racist internet rumors

In a dark corner of the internet, a basement dwelling troll started a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating the pet cats of Ohio residents and waterfowl from local parks. Local authorities in the cities where the alleged acts occurred stated that no one had reported any instance of a pet being eaten by anyone, much less than by Haitian immigrants.

The falsity of the rumor and denial by local authorities did not stop JD Vance from posting the false and racist rumor on Twitter. See Vox, JD Vance’s racist, cat-eating conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants | Vox

At root, the claim is a racist slur against Haitian immigrants. A video posted by Keith Boykin, co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, explains the proud history of Haiti and the racist roots of the rumor. Keith Boykin on X: "This new lie about Haitian immigrants eating other people’s cats marks a new low for Republicans!

Of course, the racist slur has been promoted by JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Charlie Kirk, among others.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[cazzyf1]

Quotes I wrote down for my dissertation from the book 'Mon Ami Mate' by Chris Nixon

"When Mike phoned he was asked if he was going to England to see his father. Mike said 'No I am going to Le Mans. Why should I go to England?' Then the Reuters man told him that his father had crashed and was badly hurt. Naturally, Mike was in a terrible state, but I took him to orly and the journalist Bernard Cahier managed to get him a seat on the last plane for London. While we were waiting, Mike called the garage at Farnham and was told that his father had died." - p87

"He had a tube up his old man, draining into a bottle and he told me it was very painful 'because every time you walk into the room I get an erection. It's agony!"' - p104 (this had no relevance to my dissertation I just found it funny)

'Mike was never short of visitors and Moi (partner at the time) was one of the most frequent. "I had long hair in these days and Mike would spend hours brushing it while I sat beside his bed'" - p104

'"He was tottering'", Macklin told Mark Kahn, 'He stood behind me at the table, put his arms on my shoulder and said, 'oh my god Lance, I'm terribly sorry. I bloody near killed you and I killed all those people. I'm really sorry. I'm certainly never going to race again." - p127

'Mike was, indeed, taken to the caravan, where he was looked after by Rob Walker and Tony Rolt's wife, Lois. Rob's memory of Mike's arrival is still vivid. "His first words - and I'll never forget them - were 'It's all my fault, It was all my fault! I wanted to get into the pits before Fangio went by!" Lois and I said "Don't talk such nonsense!" And we put a large brandy down him." - p127

"Mike returned to England and appeared on BBC-TV to talk about he disaster with Rudolf Whlenhaut of Daimler-Benz, the telecast was an unhappy experience for Mike. As Moi Kenward recalls - 'He had to face the music. He came round to my flat afterwards and he was really in a terrible state - he was in floods of tears' - p131

'Leslie Hawthorn blamed himself for all of Mike's National Service troubles. "Will you help me about Mike?" He asked Cardew. "The boy is miserable and pretty bitter. He is never really happy abroad and we have got to settle this call-up trouble, will you write an article in the daily express and let people know the whole story. Blame me for this mess, I advised Mike all along from the time he was sixteen. The boy was always keen to do his national service but I have spent my life in racing - motorcycles in the TT and sports car races - and I thought his future lay in that direction, rather than driving lorries for the army" - p203

"At London Airport he bravely faced the press and TV cameras and gave his eye-witness account, tears running down his face, as the Daily Mail recorded. 'There was a dip' he said, 'we went into that. There was a sharp, short right-hand bend and Peter took it a little too wide and didn't turn into it soon enough. I don't know how fast he was driving. There was just a bunch of us. Tony Brooks was in front. Peter was second. As a driver he was the best, definitely. As a friend...he was my best friend, and that is that." - p227

"Hawthorn could hardly speak. He was asked 'Will you race again?' 'If Ferrari wants me to I will. I am due to race in the Portuguese GP in two weeks, but personally I am not very intrested' Massive, fair-haired Hawthorn crammed a handkerchief against his mouth, 'Dam silly of me' he said, 'So sorry...' He walked blindly along the corridor, took Louise Collins by the hand and drove away." - p228

"The doctor pulled back the sheet and there was Peter, like he was asleep. Mike took one look, turned and went out into the corridor, where he leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. He just sat there, saying nothing." - p336

"For the man who had just become world champion, Mike was decidedly lacking in excitement immediately after the race 'He was quite strange - he didn't want to know anyone,'" - p348

In the future I will either buy this book or rent it from the library again and copy up more quotes because this book is a gold mine for information on Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. But for now I am going to try and reread some of my Mike Hawthorn books and copy up quotes from them.

[sakuraswordly]

This is an important scene to me because this is the only hint showing that Sonic knew Shadow just won't admit that he cares about Sonic a lot(Tsundere). Sonic knew this all too well. Sonic also cares and worries about Shadow too. Even Sonic didn't understand what Shadow had been through(with Maria) but Sonic didn't want Shadow to carry the burden in people's shadows. "Live life to the fullest" when Sonic knows Shadow is happy every time Sonic is with him. Sonic never hesitates to beside Shadow as "Brother". Even Shadow said he and Sonic are rivals but Sonic will always be there for Shadow no matter what happens. If you remember Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, Sonic's friends help Shadow include Amy that if Shadow is also Sonic's friend then Sonic's friends will help because Shadow's a part of Sonic's friends or family as well.

Shadow: Why are you still following me? Sonic: I’m the one who needs some answers. When did you become the type of guy who secretly fights for peace for everyone? Shadow: … I’m not interested in peace, Sonic. Do you know what people are capable of doing to one another? I don’t like the fact that there are such foolish people on this planet. Whether it’s the Doctor or anyone else… and that includes you. Make no mistake. Sonic: Ok, I get it. I’ll do my best to be careful. But if something like today happens again, I bet there are quite a few people who would wanna thank you. Shadow: Hmph, that’s crap; that kind of nonsense.

Seeing Shadow didn't care for Sonic but actually cared for Sonic a lot. In Tsubasa of Phantasia, when Shadow found out about Sonic's curse Sonic could die anytime. Shadow hurries and tells Amy to find a cure that can heal Sonic, but this curse can't be healed in the end. This is why Shadow chose to join Syaoran's group because Shadow is very worried about Sonic and can't let him alone. Shadow knew that Sonic always put himself in danger every time that's why Shadow was the only one who could stop Sonic from doing this kind of sort.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Don't Wake Me Up

Follow on from Lost Little Witch, ft @idiotwithanipad 's OC Amy.

-

"Uhh, hi?"

Silver sat upright, turning her head towards the voice. A head has poked itself out from the fridge door; black hair and a chunky pair of earphones framing the face of a girl her own age.

"Woah, sorry, uhm...Didn't mean to disturb you, or if you were planning on sleeping here...on the floor, if that's something you do." The girl apologised when she saw Silver's stricken face, fear clenching in her chest at being discovered.

The Pagan didn't reply. Keep mouth shut. Talking is useless anyway.

"This probably looks weird as fuck, right? Honestly, I don't make a habit of hiding in the fridge. Just that one of the waiters left an open can of Monster in there and I didn't want it to go to waste." The strange girl gave her a crooked smile.

None of those words made much sense. Why were there waiters in the house? Alison could barely afford to have builders on the site, let alone her own staff. What was a monster doing in a can in the fridge?

At least this was beginning to feel more like a regular dream, in that it had moments of complete nonsense.

Silver hugged her knees to her chest and waited for the strange girl to leave.

"Ohhkay, how about we start over." Instead of disappearing back inside the white container, she stepped out, wearing a baggy black hoodie, a blue tartan skirt, ripped leggings and a pretty kickass pair of boots beneath some beige legwarmers. Silver blinked. Her kind of style...

Of course her brain would invent something new but also familiar.

The girl sat on the floor in front of her, crossing her legs.

"I'm Amy. I died here nearly ten years ago. Choked on an energy drink. Trust me, I wish that was a joke." She snorted, then picked at her legwarmers, "I like your boots. They're pretty sick."

Sick? Why would she like them if they were sick? Is she making fun of her, like the girls at school?

Silver wants to compliment her boots. Her mouth opens, but the words die before reaching her tongue.

There was a pause as the other girl seemed to struggle to keep the conversation going one-sided.

"Humphrey said you're a witch? That's awesome. Did you ever, like, curse anyone?" She then bit her lip; "Oh fuck, sorry if that's offensive or anything. I'm just going by what I've seen in movies. You like horror films? They're some of my favorites but most of these guys are proper scardey cats!"

Silver's lip twitched in the corner as a memory threatened to re-emerge from the depths. Movie night. Her choice. Blair Witch Project. Everyone, including Alison and even Robin, cowering behind pillows or the sofa as the protagonists descended into the basement.

Has the girl seen it? There was almost no gore in the film, would she think it tame by some of the other stuff she's probably seen? She should ask. She wants to ask.

Silver takes a breath and opens her mouth.

Then shuts it.

Amy seems to take note of the failed attempt. She shuffles forward. Silver flinches, hands trembling.

"Look....I know you can speak." She said, bluntly.

Silver gasped, frowning.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just heard you whispering while I was in the fridge." Amy said, defensively. "The others all think you just forgot how to but...You can still talk. Can't you?"

Whimpering, Silver hugged her knees and shook her head. No, no, no, no.

How much had she heard?!

"Hey! I get it!" Amy said, raising her hands, "I'm not always the most sociable person either. This is probably the most anyone has got me to talk, so well done. My first week here I barely spoke to anyone and hid in my room because they all kept trying to poke their nose in. Well, you know what they're like."

The Pagan continued to pick and pinch at the sheaves on her hands. Yes. The others could be very...overwhelming. Or they had been to her at first, then she appeared once a month to annoy them all in kind.

"Robin and Kitty are cool though. They're probably my best friends, even if Robin likes to act more like an irritating uncle most of the time." Amy continued, "Kitty's fun but can sometimes be too much energy for me, especially in the mornings. Pat's not too bad. The others, depends what mood I'm in. Mary, I..."

"Ma."

Amy paused for a moment at the single syllable uttered from her new companion.

"Yeah, Mary...I mean she's always been kind, but...I always thought she was quiet. Always looked a little sad when she thought no one was watching. I can see why now." She said, softly.

Guilt twisted inside Silver.

"Ma..." She didn't want Mary to be sad. She shouldn't be sad anymore. Not after all this time. She's moved on, surely. No one would still be crying over her.

"She seems over the moon now though. The moment she saw you in the basement was the happiest she's ever sounded." Amy continued, "Oh! And those guys, the plague ghosts? They're kinda like family to me too. Sometimes I get along with them better than the upstairs lot. We, uhm...have similar health issues. Don't worry, I ain't infected, ha." Amy chuckled, "Not with anything contagious. But they...They get me. But still not as much as Humphrey. Or 'Dad', I should say."

Silver met her eyes, brow furrowed in confusion. She could let all the other random info wash over her like nonsense but that...was a strange detail.

"Yeah, can you believe it? I died and ended up with a dad." Amy smiled and rolled her eyes, "Not exactly what I imagined I'd get in Heaven but....I never had a dad, so the bar was on the floor. And he's....He's always been there for me. Patient with me, more than most are. So, few years ago, Alison made it all official. Proper certificate and everything. And now I'm officially Amy Bone! Fuck, if I told my friend Shan that I'm now technically a 'Lady', she'd pull a stitch from laughing her arse off."

Silver blinked.

"Humphrey has no daughter."

The words came out as clear as day. Autonomous.

Amy gave her a funny look, "Well, not by blood he don't, no, but as he said, that don't mean anything. He wants to be my dad and I'm cool with that so he's my dad."

"Humphrey has no daughter."

She repeats it. Fact. Break the rules. Disrupt the matrix.

Amy tenses and shuffles back a bit.

"He might not have when you were around but he does now. You got a problem with it?" She asked, defensively; "Or with me?"

Silver slapped the floor beside her.

"You don't belong here."

"What?" Amy startled.

"You shouldn't be here! Wrong! You're all wrong! Wrong! Wrong! You don't belong here! Go away!" Her voice rose with each syllable, her hand slamming on the floor with enough force to crack a tile if she were real.

"Fucking Jesus Christ!" Amy jumped to her feet; "Who the fuck are you to tell me where I belong?! You think I chose to die in this place!? You don't think I tried to escape for the first few years?! Or make myself disappear like you did?!"

Silver gripped her hair and closed her eyes.

"Stop talking! Stop talking! You're not real! None of this is real! It should all be the same, always the same, but you're not, you're new! New and wrong! New and WRONG!"

"Fuck you, you crazy witch bitch! I'm not the one who should leave! You can do us all a favour and go back to the fucking dirt!"

"STOMPY!"

Both girls froze as Robin passed through the wall in time to hear Amy's tirade. She looked at him, her eyes red with angry tears.

Mary followed in shortly after, quickly rushing to where Silver sat.

"Darling girl! You scared the deadings daylights outta me!"

She knelt beside the quivering girl and tried to gather her into her arms.

But Silver continued to glare at Amy, as if she was the main disturbance here. For the tortured Wiccan, she was. She was the anomaly. The house becoming a hotel and Alison moving away were all changes based on things her mind would have caught before. It made sense she would dream about.

But never before has her mind conjured a whole person. A girl with her own backstory and personality. A girl who was trying to be her friend. It was all strange and new enough to be....real.

And it can't be. It can't ever be.

"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" She points a shaking finger at Amy before trying to scramble away from Mary's worried embrace; "Get away, get away, get away, get away..."

Amy grit her teeth, struggling to hold back tears.

"I was trying to be friendly. Fuck that." She scoffed.

Robin's brief anger cooled into sympathy. He wiped her face with his sleeve.

"It fine. Go find dad. We sort this." He told her, gently.

Silver continued to mutter and cry, utterly hysterical, as the girl turned to give her one sad look before disappearing through the door.

Her absence didn't solve anything.

Why isn't she waking up? Why isn't she back in the dirt? How can she feel the warmth of Mary's hands on her face? When Robin comes to kneel beside her, how can she feel his furs?

Stop it. Stop it.

Don't make it real. Don't make her want to stay.

He won't like it if she tries to stay.

[jennycalendar]

OOF, we've started to hit "scenes that have aged like milk with the full context of river's reveal!" the doctor speaking with SUCH condescending certainty that river could never be his equal, could never in the world measure up to him in terms of space-time complexity, when arguably river is That And More...i feel two kinds of ways about this, one very colored by my doctor/river softness, one very colored by my writer brain frustration. i shall start with the first one.

i do think that there exists a way to read this as the doctor continuing to write off river and refuse to admit that she could be A Person to him. he doesn't know her, so he does not know enough to make this call, and to tell her she doesn't know what she's talking about when he Doesn't Know Her is patently absurd. he's been digging himself into defensive anger all of this episode, all while floating around her like a lil satellite, not wanting to admit that he does actually absolutely like her, so i do think he would be off-the-cuff harsh with her in a moment like this! plus of course he has another plan + he is not one to let people sacrifice themselves for him when he can avoid it, so character-wise, this tracks.

but the thing is, river is right! and the fact that the narrative sorta has her put up these garden-variety protestations instead of having her go "you really have no fucking clue what you're talking about" yet again showcases the weakness of shifting all melody pond hints all the way into season six, and making all of these hints so tiny that no casual viewer could conceivably knit them all together! this was a moment that needed a hint, and the fact that it doesn't have one turns it into this brutal and uncomfortable dismissal both upon first watch and rewatch.

first watch, the doctor is flat-out saying "you're not as important as me" to someone he's ostensibly starting a flirtationship with, and he is constantly saying things like this to river -- i'd never trust you, you embarrass me, why did you have to be this, etc. which is just VISCERALLY uncomfortable to sit with when we just do not get nearly enough tenderness between them to counterbalance... all of that! (we get tenderness and flirting and silliness, but none of it really outweighs how awful some of the things he says to her are!)

rewatch, WE KNOW RIVER IS RIGHT. full stop. she is a complicated space time event on a level that gets frankly ridiculous. maybe the doctor's been doing this for longer but i truly don't think (at least in new who, can't speak for classic) that anyone's timeline is as consistently fucked and nonsensical as river's. so when the doctor dismisses her and she just keeps going "but i don't want you to die!!!" that seems wildly inconsistent with river's character (or, at the very least, how the narrative seems to want us to view river) -- she definitely keeps her cards close to her chest, but if the doctor is in danger and she knows that her life will work as well as his, she will Literally Die For Him to preserve the timeline. as has been shown to us in the library. this is a moment where i truly think that a consistently written river would have dug her heels in and brought up, rightly, that he does not know her and does not know enough about her to make that call. (and that in itself would feed so beautifully into the doctor's anger/insecurities around not knowing who she is, and being drawn to her despite that! they could start having another married couple fight in front of the angels! so many things are possible that would make this make more sense!)

i think what i am going to keep coming back to over and over is that we did not get enough time with river to make this story feel consistent and planned. we have the skeleton of a story, but we needed foreshadowing, filler moments, episodes where river is just there kinda fucking around with the crew and establishing a rapport with amy and rory. she is simultaneously incredibly important to the doctor and the ponds and a complete stranger who breezes in here and there, and there's more that could be done with that! maybe with LESS of the doctor being a dick to her. (or, at least, same amount of the doctor being a dick to her, but much more of their loosely sketched s7 dynamic, where it's clear he adores her and always hears her and would give up years of his life just to make her feel a tiny bit better!)