#Because it's not that serious I guess. And it's supposed to be serious all da timeee

[anothermonikan]

Today's one W: playing viddy games with friends actually cleared my processes a bit and it was revealed to me what was bothering me so badly. So I then decided that what was bothering me was actually really silly and decided I shouldn't be bothered by it anymore because there's nothing I can do about it. Yay <3

[the-ace-with-spades]

(I adore fics where Johnny’s family loves Ghost from day one, but, you know…angst)

Soap and Ghost had been together for almost two years. They never name the relationship, really, but it's serious and they both know it.

Thing is, Johnny's seen Ghost's face a total of four times, counting Las Almas.

Well, he sees parts of it regularly, more than others. Ghost will either roll the balaclava up when they're reading together in bed or when they're eating. Sometimes, when Soap wants to go out and Ghost indulges him, he goes in public in just either a face mask or a gaiter and Soap can see his short wavy blonde hair sticking all over the place and 

The four times he had seen Simon’s face in it’s whole — obviously, Las Almas; one time when he was unconscious and bleeding from a head wound and Johnny had to check; one time when they took a shower together, Simon stayed with his back toward him through most of it, but when they finished, he let Johnny dry off his hair; one time, when Johnny asked him to see him for his birthday presents, a few minutes after midnight.

Johnny wasn’t sure why exactly Simon didn’t want to show him his face. It wasn’t a trust thing — he trusted Johnny with more than his own life — and it wasn’t like he was ugly — he was downright sinful. He never drilled the topic because he didn’t care, if SImon wasn’t ready, then he wasn’t ready, but if he had to guess, it was all to do with identity and being seen. No one knew his face — people could know his name, Simon “Ghost” Riley, but they wouldn’t know the man behind the mask. Wouldn’t know the people behind Simon “Ghost” Riley.

(Johnny wasn’t completely off on the assumption — Simon didn’t want anyone to know his face because faceless people weren’t missed. Faceless graves — like his own — didn’t have people to leave behind, and faceless soldiers didn’t have loved ones to find and he was both. No one could get hurt if he remained faceless. Or at least that’s what he’d been telling himself.)

And Johnny is okay with that — if Simon never showe him his face again, he’d still love him all the same. Johnny’s family? Not so much.

They’re supposed to be in Glasgow for five days total, leaving after Boxing Day. Johnny gives them all a warning, that Ghost is a bit shy and doesn’t like showing his face, he’ll most likely stay covered the whole time, he might be wearing a balaclava, or a mask, he probably won't eat at the table.

When they arrive at his parents house, it almost seems like everyone forgot. Like everyone thought it'd be more mild or that Johnny was exaggerating.

There are looks. There is silence. People can't stop staring.

His mam takes one look at Simon’s balaclava once they enter the living room and looks funny at them. “Ah thooght Ah tauld ye boays tae strip doon.”

“Mam, lea him alane,” he tries but he can tell that Simon is getting tense and his mam is getting tense.

His mam, who is usually the sweetest person ever, is uncharacteristically quiet and curt whenever Simon is around. Simon doesn't really know how to make it better — Johnny's never seen him so silent outside of stealth missions, he just stands there like a sore thumb, not making anything less awkward. He didn't expect him to — Simon's social skills are lacking and he loves him that way — but he expected his own family to not make such a big deal out of that mask.

His da is stern and silent, which is as disapproving as he gets. His sisters are a bit weirded out, but mostly focused on teasing Johnny, even making fun of the mask. With a stupid grin, his older sister asks, “Does he keep it oan in bed?”

Johnny doesn't say anything to that, even though his face feels red. His sisters stop laughing.

“He does?” When Johnny tries to step out of the room and avoid the conversation, his sister’s tone changes. “Hae ye e’en seen his face?”

“O’ coorse Ah hae,” he spits out. He doesn’t specify it was only four times — he doesn’t think it’d help. “And ‘s a bonnie ane, alricht.”

It doesn’t save the situation and his sisters are also weirded out and wary from then on.

 The kids do not care — they ask maybe two questions, tilts their head as Simon explains and that’s it — and Johnny breathes a little easier as soon as his nieces push Simon outside to help them build a snowman.

The judgment doesn’t stop. Johnny’s blood boils any time it shows and even though Simon says it’s all fine, he can’t stop feeling angry about this. They just can’t get past the mask.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are difficult to Simon and Johnny knows it. He’s given him the option to omit the family dinner on both those days if he’s not feeling alright enough to spend those days in crowdy house filled with a flock of loud and cheery people of all ages.

Simon knows this. He also knows that if he says he wants to stay at Johnny’s flat for the time being, Johnny is going to insist he doesn’t have to go either, that he’d prefer to stay in with him and not go for the Christmas dinner. Which he also knows is bullshit — Johnny loves Christmas, loves spenidng time with his family, that was basically why he kept on insisting Simon couldn’t stay alone at the base for Christmas another year in a row. It was the main reason why he agreed to go with Johnny in the first place, he was pretty sure if he didn’t go with him, Johnny would insist he stays, too. 

So Simon stays in for Christmas Eve — or rather goes to a pub while Soap spends the day with his parents — but insists they go to Christmas dinner. 

His family is disappointed to see him there, to the point the usual manuevering around politeness and disapproving go onto a backburner.

“John said yer nae a fan o’ Christmas,” Johnny’s mum says to him pointedly.

“That’s right.”

“And yet ye’r ’ere,” she notes.

Johnny is far away from the earshot and he doesn’t want to lie to her so he admits, “If I didn’t come, Johnny would insist on keepin’ me company.”

“How come ye dinnae try to hae a bit mair cheer fur th' holidays then? Put a bit mair effort in for ma baby.” 

Johnny notices and soon enough, he’s next to him, their arms brushing, Johnny’s hand on the small of his back. “Lea him alane, mam.”

“It’s fine,” he says even though it’s not fine. They deserve an explanation, even just to know what they son is getting himself into. “My family was murdered on Christmas Eve. I’m—I’m trying.”

The silence falls over the room — Johnny’s mum, dad, his sister, all present, not looking at them. Simon closes his eyes, tries to breathe.

Johnny rubs his back. “Let’s gae home.”

“I’m not ruining Christmas for you, Johnny,” he says. Before Johnny can deny it — and he knows he’d try — he tries to placate, “Let’s just have ourselves a minute to calm down.”

Maybe it’s the way his voice is perfectly levelled or the way his hand trembles as he squeezes Johnny’s, but he lets him leave the room.

He steps outside — to the backyard. Sits down on the step to the garden and lets the snow soak through his jeans and the top o his balaclava.

The kids come outside, tripping over Simon’s legs. They were all oblivious to the trails and errors of Simon’s integration into the family, so they approach him as always

“Whit's wrang?”

There’s just something so innocent in having a six-year-old girl covered from head to toe in pink and glitter worry about you. Simon would never admit it in front of Johnny, but he finds the accent cute.

Simon takes off the mask.

The kids all look at him and look at him, a bit unsure maybe a bit fearful — it can be a scary sight, he admits, the elongated, jagged smile that sticks to him no matter the mood, makes him more crazy than he already is — but only one of Johnny’s niece keeps her eyes on Simon’s face. 

Shily, she asks, “Does it hurt?”

“No,” he replies. When she smiles, he smiles back.

Not anymore.

This is Johnny’s family. Simon can deny it all he wants, but Johnny’s seen him as family, as someone he’d leave behind, and it hadn’t been unrequited. He can’t hide behind a mask forever and maybe this was the kick he needed.

He steps back inside when his hands turn numb. He doesn’t put the mask back on.

Johnny’s eyes widen. “Simon?”

Simon just—smiles. He can feel the scars pulling on the corners of his mouth, the stiffer skin, but he’s not faceless. He’s not been faceless for a while.

Edit (29/03/24): This is now a WIP for a minimum 15k fic, titled don't shoot me, santa, that will have 4 chapters and will be posted (hopefully) later in the year

[fallstaticexit]

Prev / Next / Beginning

TW: Internalized Homophobia / Transcript / AN under the cut

AN: Here we are, just one more post before we conclude part 1 of this bittersweet story. As I've mentioned before, this story consists of three parts- Part One - Youth | Part Two - Uni | Part Three - Wife.

Transcript

Nancy Narrates: [As a treat for the few students who stayed behind, the nuns took us into to the city to shop on Christmas Eve]

[It was the first time Vanessa and I spent alone time together since I started dating Geoffrey]

[I’ve never been happier]

Nancy: [blushes] What?

Vanessa: [whispers] Do you feel like we’re being watched?

Nancy: Oh, Sister Agnes? [gulps] She’s right behind me, isn’t she?

Vanessa: [laughs] I’m serious! Let’s ditch the group.

Nancy: And risk getting a mark? Or worse, sent back home?

Vanessa: [shudders] Having to spend the rest of the break with my father? No thanks. Guess I’ll behave myself- for now anyway.

Vanessa: Sooo, what did you get your boyfriend for Christmas? A thong? One of those string thingies for his glasses?

Nancy: [snorts] I got him a broach.

Vanessa: You’re fucking with me, right?

Nancy: What? It was really nice, and very expensive.

Vanessa: Sure, if he’s your grandfather, Nancy!

Nancy: [sheepishly] I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I don’t know if I’m even doing this right. Shouldn't it...feel like something?

Vanessa: What do you mean?

Nancy: Holding hands and kissing. I thought it was suppose to feel like fireworks, like everything is burning and achy. I only felt it once...the first time, at that party.

Vanessa: Oh.. [looks away] Maybe he just needs practice...

Nancy: Maybe... Vanessa, I wa-

Vanessa: Hey! Let’s get some hot cocoa!

Nancy Narrates: [I wish she knew how much I missed when it was just me and her]

[No matter what, she will always be the sun to me]

Vanessa: So, are you going to tell me what’s in those bags?

Nancy: Maybe you should Guess?

Vanessa: Very funny, Blondie. I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts?

Nancy: [pouts] Does that mean you didn’t get me anything?

Vanessa: That’s because we said we weren’t when we were shopping! I could have gotten you something!

Nancy: [chuckles] It’s ok! You really didn’t have to get me anything. I just wanted to get you something I think you’ll like alot.

Nancy: Ta-da! I wanted to officially welcome you into the League of Blondes.

Vanessa: [cackling] No fucking way! This is the best Christmas gift ever, are you kidding!! [digs through bag] What are the scissors for?

Nancy: I was hoping you’d cut my hair. We can both have a new look.

Vanessa: You’re full of surprises, Landgraab. Let’s do it!

Vanessa: You’re being sooo quiet but your thoughts are sooo loud. What are you thinking about right now?

Nancy: Sorry. It’s nothing...

Vanessa: Tell me. Please.

Nancy: No, it’s fine.

Vanessa: Come onnn, please?

Nancy: What happened with Angela?

Vanessa: [huffs] Ah. I was wondering when you’d ask about that.

Nancy: Then why didn’t you just tell me about her?

Vanessa: There’s nothing to talk about. Pretty sure you heard the story.

Nancy: Sure, from everyone else but not from you. I want to hear your side.

Vanessa: [sighs] My side. We were best friends. We did everything together. I loved her a lot. All eyes were on us... so, I guess that’s how everyone noticed how close we were. People were saying things about us, and I was scared my father would find out and think I was like that. So, I turned on her. I called her names. I shunned her. I ruined her life...

Vanessa: It got so bad that she left the school. I never heard from her again. [voice cracks] You have to understand... if my father thought I liked girls, he would kill me. I could never let anyone think I’m like that! I’d rather they all thought I slept around with all the boys in school than think that. I had to do it...

Nancy: Do you?

Vanessa: [sobs] W-what?

Nancy Narrates: [My heart was racing. It just slipped out. And then I said it again, and that time, it felt like I was asking myself]

Nancy: Do you like girls?

Vanessa: [whimpers] I...no!! I’m not...I’m not a lesbian! I swear, Nancy! Please, believe me.

Nancy Narrates: [All that time...I had thought I was the one terrified of what it meant to love her. She was terrified of loving me too]

[This is what kissing should feel like]

Vanessa: [softly] Will you stay in my room tonight?

Nancy: Yes.

Nancy Narrates: [I had so many questions I wanted to ask her. So many things about myself I wanted to share, but there was one thing I wanted more]

[mimisplayground]

Soft Hands and Softer Whispers ＼＼\٩(๑`^´๑)۶//／／

Tags: Soft!Ghost, Oral, Hes so sweet to you, Gentle Sex, AFTERCARE KING, domestic life, he convinces you to move in, SOFT!!, not really touched on but clingy!ghost

guys uhmmmm leave a request if u wanna see him be rough and mean :3

——————

Ghost was, by all accounts, the best sex but the worst hookup.

He knew how to leave your legs trembling and your breathing ragged, with fingerprints on your hips, neck, and jaw. He left you with a limp for days to come and he knew all the right spots to press his lips when he felt nice enough to push his mask up. The perfect mix of rough and gentle that would leave any man, woman, and inbetween falling at his feet.

He did NOT know that when the sex was over, the hookup usually left the same night or morning after. Breakfast in bed and royal treatment (because no matter what you are, he’s treating ypu like royalty after demolishing your insides), while they were all nice, they weren’t hookup behavior. Holding your hand and grunting out that you were his was sexy in bed, but felt a touch more romantic than you felt it should when he extended it to the baths he ran for you while he washed your body.

He would show up at your place after he got back from deployment everytime without fail. Spending weeks and months there while making jokes that sounded a bit too serious at times. “Just move into my place, lovely. Be nice havin’ ya around.” You giggled about it, leaving the answer in the air.

Until one day you’re watching him carry boxes into a shitty one bedroom apartment, that had little to no decorations, a key in your hand, and as he grabs his deployment, he pats your shoulder and says “give it some flare.” And with that you’re left alone for the next few months in an apartment of a hookup.

And when he came back, he showered, grabbed you up off the couch, laid you down on his bed that now had soft fluffy duvet to cover the top, and ate you out like a man starved.

He grabbed your hips when they tried to twitch away from overstimulation, and the slurps coming from him were downright sinful. You felt your eyes roll back and the knots in your stomach snap again and the liquidy burst that came from you had you blushing with tears leaving your face. “Si…quit it…” You huffed with big crocodile tears rolling down your cheeks. He climbs up and kisses away the tears for a moment, rubbing the back of your head.

And you sigh when you feel him push inside, hushed whispers of “mine, all mine, my sweet thing” chanted out of his gravelly voice. He’s so sweet and gentle with you. Rolling his hips firmly while kissing all over your face.

It was in the bathtub as he scrubbed your back that you said aloud “this seems a little too…romantic for a hookup.” There was a silence that overtook the bathroom before Ghost huffed and wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into an embrace. “We ain’t just hookin’ up anymore, are we?”

You hummed for a moment, your hand reaching back to feel his stubbly beard and lean into him. “No, I guess we aren’t just hooking up anymore.” You left a small kiss on his temple and you feel him smile.

You suppose it was fine Simon didn’t know hookup etiquette. If he did, then you wouldn’t have a boyfriend who was great at sex AND aftercare.

————-

errmmmm sry its not da usual jjk content i just luv luv luv soft ghost

anyways asks and requests AND commissions are open guys pls leave stuff for me to do

[remnantsofthepast-if]

What exactly you didn't like in new da, if you don't mind asking? <3

Oof, where to start? There're quite a lot of things, not gonna lie, but most of them are spoilers so I'm going to stick to the non spoilery ones.

Let me begin by saying that I do like the game despite its clear flaws, and I understand that it must have been a tricky development with covid happening in between and a lot of important people who worked on previous games leaving. As a (somewhat of a) developer myself, I sympathise with that, but as a consumer I have to judge the end result I bought, and after waiting for a decade I just expected something more than what we got.

Putting my opinion under the cut because I get passionate about it. Hope you have time to spare, lol!

For starters, this game gets rid of the Keep and only has three choices to import. While most of the things in the Keep are not really important (especially since the game takes place in the north), that's already a bad start and rises serious concerns, mainly with the returning characters.

It also butchers half of the already existing lore, and contradicts another bunch of events that happened in previous games, like the Well of Sorrows. Harding talks about how the Inquisitor went to the altar of Mythal (which only happens if the Inquisitor drank from the Well), but then, during a conversation between Taash and Emmrich, they talk about how Morrigan turned into a dragon during the events of DAI (which only happens of she drank from the Well)

The pacing of the first half of the game is excruciatingly slow. There are a lot of parts that are there only to lengthen the game unnecessarily, and it can get very boring very fast.

The dialogues are... okay-ish, I guess? It's very obvious that they wanted to be socially correct. Way too much, in fact. They seemed so focused on being inoffensive that there’s little real conflict between characters or in the plot. There's a part where two characters apparently argue? Except that there's no real argument. I only knew because the game told me, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed because again, nothing really happened. And they were completely fine with one another after one conversation two minutes later.

All the companions feel rather dull to me, and some are incredibly annoying. For example, there was a series of quests regarding Solas that I enjoyed at lot, and the companions would get together to comment on it. It was a serious and very interesting subject, but then one of the characters would jump out of the blue to (try to) make some witty remark that only managed to take me out of the story.

Plus, the childish dialogue most of them have (all of them, really) doesn't help at all. Another problem of being socially correct in a game that's supposed to be dark. Most of the time, conversations with them feel more like talking to teenagers than adults.

And don't even get me started on how awful Taash's character is... And no, the problem is not their gender identity, but how it was handled. This ask I got about Albert/Lavina describes perfectly my problem with Taash.

Also, and this only happens with the spanish translation, why the fuck did they translate Harding's name? Why is the text calling her Encaje instead of Lace!? God, that pissed me off so much I ended up changing the text to english, lmao!

Lastly, what they did to some of the returning characters... Poor Isabela, smh. Thank goodness Morrigan doesn't have that big of a role, and that there's zero mention of the Warden and Hawke.

---

It's not as bad as I read in early reviews (thankfully!), and I'm still having fun with it. But I expected to get so invested that I'd end up making several runs like in previous games. Now I'm only playing once and probably forget about it for a long while. Hopefully when (if) I replay it I won't ditch it like I ditched my second run of MEA.

Anyway, TLDR: Mediocre at best. Good individual game, but pretty bad sequel. The only good thing this game does as a sequel is give those Inquisitors who romanced Solas a happy ending. That's pretty much it.

The name "Dragon Age" weights heavily on it. Probably the reason why I'm judging it so harshly.

Thanks for the ask, btw! That was entertaining xD Shame on me for spending more time writing this than a chapter of my story, lol!

[someprettyname]

Whoses your favorite hq character so far?

OH MY (͡⁠°⁠‿⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

*gets hysterical* OH NOOOOOOOO

Why must you ask me this questions when you very well know every character is written SO WELL???

.

.

.

Just kidding.

*rolls up sleeves* oh this is going to be long

I was waiting to finish S2 first before answering this so i could see all the seijoh players and my understanding of them mature a bit more before I go on and yap about them. I still haven't properly processed the vs Aoba Johsai match because. What. The. Hell. Wasthat? 🧍🏻‍♀️

ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS the point being, i really do like every character. Genuinely. It's not the "Ah. I don't think they are necessarily bad so i like them yeah 🤷🏻‍♀️." It's the "My goodness, even a side character is so well written, what? How am I supposed to forget you after I understood you and your story? 🥹" Kinda like.

Now that it's established that i adore every character and team that showed up on the screen we can now discuss the characters that have caught my attention so far :3 [keep in mind that I've only watched 2 seasons so far so there might not be enough kenma and shiratorizawa players :D]

Okay starting off with team karasuno ->

GUESS WHO WAS THE FIRST EVER CHARACTER TO CATCH MY EYE IN THIS WHOLE SERIES?

🥁

🥁

🥁

Ta-Da!

It was NISHINOYA!!!!

Oh my god WHAT A SWEETHEART.

WHAT WOULD I EVER DO WITHOUT HIM BEING IN THE MATCH/COURT? *Sniffles*

I saw that shine in his eyes and I was SOLD. HAVE ALL MY MONEY. I LOVE THIS CHARACTER ALREADY. AND HIS VOICE? MY GOODNESS. It's very specific but there's this huskiness in his voice that's absolutely divine to my ears. His dynamics with hinata and asahi is something i look forward to ALWAYS! I mean this adorable boy here is a sight to behold every time he shows up, so need i explain more? He's like a ball of sunshine, he has magical cheering up powers. I love him so MUCH. I'M IN TEARS.

*clears throat* *collects oneself*

Moving on, Daichi is an amazing character. He isn't the most flashy charcter but without him - the captain - it's empty and on the edge of falling apart. Captures the essence of his role quite accurately, nein? Pillar of maturity and calmness. That's how I see him and it's beautiful.

Then it's Asahi. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MWAH CHEF KISS. His character development is gorgeous. GORGEOUS.

Next up is Kageyama of course. My famous infamous opinion of him is that he's seriously a serious silly goober your honour 😌

When I was watching their second official match with seijoh for a moment i really thought "Ah. Kageyama is going to win but as a team isn't it? Oikawa would still be superior to him as a setter, isn't it? That's how it's going to balance out?" Guess I was wrong. My mind was ABSOLUTELY blown when their last set was the same as the one in their previous match with seijoh. And then he was standing in front of oikawa WHILE I WAS GOING CRAZY. DAMN IT.

His character development and him learning to move past being the "king of court" is amazing. I feel like a proud mom lol.

If I'm talking about kageyama i HAVE to talk about Hinata but I'll sleep on that for now because lol. It's quite obvious. Maybe i should yap about why I wanna pull his cheeks some other day. This is getting long as it is.

Coming to TEAM AOBA JOHSAI :

I'd really like to yap about oikawa but he's one character who gets me thinking. I have so many thoughts about him but it's quite a blur, he's a complex character. That much i have understood. I mean, everytime i see a character i have this immediate impression of them and everything they do afterwards usually builds up on that without contradicting my first impression. That's how it usually goes. But he was one character who keeps... surprising me? Somehow? Does that make sense? So yeah, i would like to re-watch stuff and form a stronger opinion before I yap. He's a complex and beautifully written character, i don't want to disrespect him with him half assed opinions lol.

He intrigues me, that's for sure :)

Then it's Iwaizumi i.e iwa-chan~ because WHY THE HELL NOT. I teared up over him afterall. Damn it. So yeah, i definitely like him.

honourable mention : shinji watari!

Then comes the honorable mention of Yuji Terushima from TEAM JOHZENJI. Whenever I think about that team and it's essence his face pops up in my mind, rightfully so. He has a cool character design, so that too.

That team to me personally is really memorable because my personality IS like them upto a lot extent LOL. So throughout the match I was secretly rooting for them a lot. And when they said "Ah. I was just getting started. I wanted to play more." I found myself thinking the same. And when that happens, you as a viewer know this match was well written. I also love how author captured their story and feelings in just an episode. Definitely a memorable match :D

HEHEHEHHEH NOW COMES THE CHARACTER FROM TOKYO POWERHOUSE PRACTICE ARC.

Ah. So many memorable characters ahaha xD

*sighs reminiscingly*

Anyways. Kuroo, Kenma, Lev, Bokuto. I'll hold yapping about them too much too simply because they haven't be explored too much yet. But my GOD. THESE 4 CHARACTERS? I'M SOOOOOOO SOOO CURIOUS ABOUT THEN. I wanna see how it all turns out and how they grow! Specially Lev!! If he gets better at other areas too he's going to be a challenge for Karasuno isn't it? That'd certainly be fun to watch.

Also i want to squish kenma, put him in a container and shake him violently then put him in a jar and GRIND him. Hahahahahakwiehhehehehehhh 😈

What? Don't look at me like that. He has a very squishy soft warm kinda character design. It's not my fault ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Lastly, I'd like to say i love Bokuto's energy 😌↕️😌↕️ and OF COURSE! HIS SILLINESS AHAHHAH XD

He's so dramatic oh my god 😂 but I also love how he taught hinata to be so much better 🥹 so far, as per my perception of him, he's a simple, optimistic and silly guy who wants good competition. And I'm all here for it 😌↕️😌↕️

OH MY GOD CAN KARASUNO HURRY UP AND PLAY FUKURODANI ALREADDYYYYYY 🥹

Ending this huge ass ted talk [which you probably didn't expect, and if you didn't, I'm sorry to put you through this] with the last honourable mention : Ushijima. Of course. First of all, why is built like a Hollywood character? Second of all, i wanna watch him play sooo bad oh my god. 🥹

....but I'll probably end up rewatching S2 before that. LOL 😂😭

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s4 ep6: The Raven

A backstory episode for Seven, which I think helped to humanize her quite a bit. Even back in the day, when I was pretty prejudiced against her for replacing Kes, I still appreciated this episode for giving us some background and character insight for her.

The opening scene with Captain Janeway trying to teach Seven to sculpt in her Da Vinci holodeck program was pretty cute actually, until Seven has a vision of being chased by Borg and a raven.

Seven keeps having this same vision over and over, and the Doctor can't figure out why, so he shrugs and says he'll look into it. But he tells Seven that she's human enough to eat food again, and sends her to the mess hall to find Neelix.

Meanwhile, the Captain is negotiating with some aliens, the Bomar, for passge through their territory, which would take 3 months to go around. But they're pretty uptight and insist on Voyager taking a winding route to avoid all of their populated areas, which would take weeks or months, so idk why they even bother trying to go through Bomar space at that point, since it's gonna be more of a hassle, and take about the same amount of time. (Because plot, I guess!)

(Side note: I kind of hate the Bomar costumes. While the weird wire headgear was a cool idea, the primary colors made it look way too cartoony. I usually hate how grey and beige everything on Trek tends to be, but using primary colors is actually worse. The Starfleet crew already have the primary colors in their uniforms, so if you start having aliens in primary colored uniforms too, it starts to look like a children's show- we don't need to be reminded of the Wiggles of the Teletubbies when we're supposed to be having serious space drama. For such dour, paranoid aliens, the whimsical, silly colored patterns on their outfits didn't make sense, character-wise. The one time I think sticking to grey or beige would have helped, they didn't. Sigh.)

Meanwhile, back in the mess hall, Neelix whips up a plate of something for Seven, (while Seven tells him how the Borg assimilated some Talaxians, who made good drones, which incredibly creepy fact Neelix takes remarkably calmly) and then there's a rather adorable scene of Neelix teaching a skeptical Seven how to eat food, just like a parent teaching a toddler. But then Seven has another vision, and a Borg implant erupts on her hand, and she appears to be reverting to Borg again as she says 'you will be assimilated' and knocks Neelix down as she marches out of the mess hall.

We then have a sequence of Seven prowling through the ship with her Borg body shielding reactivated, so no one can stop her as she takes off with a shuttle to who knows where. There's a lot of odd camera angles that show her walking from every vantage point possible, and considering her insanely tight costume, it just has a kind of gross objectifying feeling- the shape of her body is on full display at every moment, it's all you can see, and it's like, why?? This moment is not about how hot she is- it's supposed to be tense because the audience and the characters don't know what's going on with her, and if she's going to become Borg again after all the progress she's made to be human. Seeing her strutting around in a high heels, a corset, and a catsuit that's so tight it has a divide between her butt cheeks is just like, really uncomfortably missing the point of her character, and actively sabotaging the storytelling. Corsets, high heels and tight clothes force you to move in a certain way, and it's not natural, and it's not something that someone who's never existed in a context where any kind of sexuality, much less the male gaze, existed, would choose to present themselves as. It's purely gratuitous sexualization for the male producers and directors, and jerky men in the audience, to leer over, and it takes me out of the story. All I can think about when I see it is how uncomfortable that must have been for her to wear, and how demeaning it must have been for Jeri Ryan to know that she was there to be hot, and that every inch of her body was being displayed and scrutinized all the damn time. She's an actor, not a stripper for crying out loud. Let her wear regular clothes!!!

But anyway, after she takes off in the shuttle, the Bomar finally leave, declaring that they'll track her down and destroy her shuttle for invading their space, so Voyager have to find her before they do. Tuvok and Tom take a shuttle so they can slip past the Bomar sensors to go find her. When they do, Tuvok beams over to Seven's shuttle to try to talk her down. She's convinced the Borg are calling her home, but Voyager hasn't detected any Borg ships, and Tuvok thinks something else is going on, especially when Seven very un-borgily says she will not assimilate him, and wants him to go back to tell Captain Janeway thank you for trying to help her. Seven has followed a Borg signal to a moon, where she and Tuvok beam down to find the source- a wrecked, partially assimilated Federation ship. Seven has flashbacks when she gets there- she recognizes it as her parents ship, where she was assimilated by the Borg as a child. Tuvok is a wonderfully calm, reassuring presence as Seven reverts to her childhood self while she relives her childhood trauma, and shows a more vulnerable human side than we've ever seen from her. He helps her refocus on the present, as the Bomar attack the ship, and it begins to collapse. They escape, Tom beams them up to the shuttle, and they go back to Voyager.

Back on the ship, Janeway finds Seven running her Da Vinci studio program on the holodeck, and contemplating what Janeway was telling her about the human need for imagination and creativity earlier. She's been imagining what her life might have been like if she hadn't been assimilated, if she had known her parents and been raised by them, which she'd never even thought of before, and which clearly raises disturbing questions she never considered before. Janeway encourages her to read about her parents in the Federation database, which Seven says she might do, in time. Janeway seems to consider this a positive step for Seven. Despite the trauma that Seven has unlocked with this experience, at least she can now begin to process it, and perhaps move closer to her humanity.

Overall, I appreciated the glimpse into Seven's past, and her human side, despite the extremely sad and traumatic subject matter, and the terrible costume choices distracting from and undercutting the story at every turn. Seven and Tuvok's interactions, particularly, were very well done, and I loved Tuvok's calm and nurturing prescence as an anchor to Seven in her confused state. Honestly I think Seven should have started some guided meditations with Tuvok, since she clearly has a lot of repressed trauma that this episode only revealed the tip of the iceberg on. While I actually think it would be impossible to come back to being human after being assimilated at such a young age, we have to go with the conceit that it's possible for the sake of the story, and I think they should have actually leaned into showing her confronting that trauma even more than they did, since in real life that sort of thing is a continuing process. At least they implied that it would be something she'd continue to work through, though I only remember there being one more episode that actually dealt with Seven's past after this.

Tl;dr: An interesting look at Seven's past, and a nice opportunity for Seven and Tuvok to have some great scenes together.

[my-name-is-bunnyfoxy]

For the TMNT Ships Ask Thing:

Caseynardo (Leo x Casey)

and/or

Aprilnardo/Leopril (Leo x April)

I love these 2 ships so much. I know they are kind of rarepairs (though, MM gave a lot of love to Leopril and there has been a lot more Leopril stuff. Which is great!), but I love them.

They are very dear to my heart. Personally.

Caseynardo 2012:

I've never heard of it until long time later

Now I'm just kicking my feet

YESSSSSSS

Silly goofball jock x serious and quiet nerd RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SCREW LEORAI

TO MAKE THIS BETTER LEO IS PRETTY MUCH BI IN THE SERIES (He's stated to have a man crush on Captain Ryan)

THE WAY THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER IN THAT ONE EPISODE

I'm aware they were kind of trash talking big foot in a foot too big but they were STILL bonding!!!

Please read Breaking the Ice by @fabuloustrash05 . I stopped studying for a few minutes to just read it and I'm proud. Disclaimer don't ditch your studies to just read fanfics that is not my message.

Anyways the fnafic solified my love for the ship.

Opposites attract

I can also see them as two friends who act gay but actually aren't or maybe they are.

Or two guys who seem gay but~ (inset bisexuality)

It's amazing. A solid 10/10.

2012 Aprilnardo:

We sadly don't get too much content with them but like-

I remember I was kind of introduced to this ship because I followed one of my idols who shipped it and made fanart of it and it was on DA. This was back before it got deactivated my account.

I LOVE 'Eyes of the chimera' episode. They were basically supporting each other all the way.

Ngl the transfem Leo lovers made me love it even more because I love me some lesbians. TMNT is already filled with some lesbians so why not add more!

I love how April is always by Leo's side and we see how much she cares for him.

I love the idea that April used to be into Space Heroes and then Leo got her back into it.

(For those who headcannon as both autistic) they would so totally talk and rant about their hyperfixation.

I wish though they had more moments together.

They are legit underrated.

The ship will get 9/10 for me.

I'll include rise and the mutant mayhem version cause why not.

Rise Leo x Cassandra:

Meh not bad

It's okay at best

I do feel like they could have become very close friends if Cass left junior under Leo's care in the bad future.

They are both reckless and over energetic and yet still have a lot of insecurities and issues that they have to cover it up.

Not a bad idea I suppose.

I guess 4.5/10. I don't know. We didn't get much of them so I mean.

Rise Leo x Junior:

ABSOLUTELY NOT

DNI IF YOU SHIP THEM

LEO WAS LITERALLY A FATHER FIGURE TO CASEY

"But I'm shipping the teen version of Leo with junior not adult-" NO. IT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER.

ALSO IMAGINE DATING YOUR FRIEND'S SON. THAT WOULD BE SO DAMN UNCOMFORTABLE.

AGAIN, LEAVE MY PAGE IF YOU SHIP THEM.

Negative 0/10. Get the f out.

Rise Leo x April:

I've seen and been bombared by a ton of art regarding this ship on YT.

Controversial opinion: It's cute.

They both have the same energy and another controversial opinion but, Leo has a way closer relationship with April then Donnie. I've kind of seen more scenes with them together then with her and Donnie.

Though just like last time I prefer her being an older sister figure to him that Leo looks up to.

They both care for each other and love each other no matter what.

April pretty much comforts the turtles about their insecurities so she would do the same with Leo.

Probably a 6/10 or something. Again, prefer them as siblings but don't hate it. I'll kind of indulge in it tbh-

Mutant Mayhem Leo x April:

Better then 2012 Donnie's lmao-

They do have sweet moments

It's sweet they went to prom together

Mah boi was simping real hard

I feel like they should have gotten more scenes

I do feel like maybe April and Leo won't really happen or be cannon though. I don't know man. I'll see how it goes in the Tales of TMNT that will happen in 2024.

I'm really hoping they don't make it into a toxic love triangle or make it creepy or toxic.

I'll take this ship anyway as one of the only few good Leo romances.

It took them after 1987 to finally give Leo a good love interest.

the way he looks at her AHHHHHHHHH

The fanart of them together is really cute and wholesome (that made me remember that I still had that art request from you just sitting in my files- I didn't draw it because I didn't see MM yet- I'll try and get to it at some point I swear-)

Hope we get more scenes of them together

I'm unsure where I sit with this ship just yet. Again I'll see how it goes in the show.

For now, 7/10. I feel like a bit too high but you know what, whatever. The ship is okay so far.

Now...

Is anyone interested in Caprilnardo~?

[aiyexayen]

nie huaisang/zhou zishu

okay look. i know this is supposed to be a mini ficlet but i simply cannot write it. instead let me paint you a scene:

open on bujingshi, zoom in to find nie huaisang and zhou zishu conversing on a stony balcony.

"must you go so soon?" but it's not quite serious, just part of a flirtatious game.

a game that zhou zishu easily joins in on, a good-natured tease and "if i let my disciples run things much longer i'm afraid of the state of my sect when i return."

a faux reluctant agreement and a directive to at least visit again soon, and make sure to bring kexing-ge again.

"are you secretly hoping for a war between our sects?"

nie huaisang asserts that it isn't *that* bad, and anyway, he prefers it when da-ge is furious at anyone else because it keeps him from hounding nie huaisang.

the conversation turns more serious, the twinkle in their eyes clearing in favour of sincerity as zhou zishu genuinely expresses his gratitude for the nie sect taking such good care of him and his troublesome shidi.

after all, we find out, if nie huaisang hadn't advocated for them to his da-ge and if the nie sect doctors hadn't agreed to treat him, zhou zishu certainly wouldn't have been able to recover.

a moment of relative openness, acceptance of gratitude and wishes for good health from now on, the implication that nie huaisang may have gotten more in the agreed-upon exchange than they need vocalise.

and a few exchanged touches that suddenly seem more intimate than one would expect.

eye contact that stretches just a few seconds longer still.

the sense that much more would be happening if they were not in public--that much more may have happened already.

it's broken when zhou zishu turns to face out toward the road, out toward symbolically looming darkness. "i think my health will soon be the least of our concerns."

dialogue that dances around the nature of the oncoming storm, and a mutual understanding that for all their mutual care, they will do anything they need to do to keep their own homes safe.

a moment of quiet,

"where is nie-zongzhu? i would convey my regard to him as well before departing."

but nie huaisang doesn't know--he hasn't heard him shouting at all this morning. him *or* kexing-ge. "do you think they've finally killed one another?"

as if on cue, a sharp, alarming cry sounds from the hall behind them. sharing a brief, concerned glance with nie huaisang, zhou zishu turns and runs toward it. nie huaisang, fan fluttering, follows.

more alarming sounds, crashes, etc. as they walk swiftly down halls to the source.

"FUCK you, you bastard!"

zhou zishu pushes open the door, ready to mitigate an all-out fight, but--

"tch, i don't--*ngh*--think so. i won fair and--*ngh*--square; the only one getting fucked today is--*nghhh*--you."

zhou zishu stares.

nie huaisang stares.

the two vigorously fucking figures against the table across the room full of absolute rubble don't even notice.

slowly, zhou zishu pulls back and closes the door.

"well," nie huaisang says, recovering enough to laugh as he taps his fan against his hand and fiddles with the edge, "i guess you won't be leaving so soon after all."

"wrong." zhou zishu plucks the fan up and waves it in front of his own face in a show of nonchalance as he sets off back down the hall, eyebrows lifting suggestively. "i told lao wen we were leaving today. i greatly look forward to the moment he remembers that means riding a horse."

scene pans up as nie huaisang follows and they walk off together back toward where they came from.

"zishu-ge, you're wicked."

"it's what he deserves."

[laughter]

[musical sting that ends the scene as it fades out]

[g-on-ef]

Helluva Boss season 2 ep 3 review THERE WILL BE SPOILERS

It's been a while a long while since I've done one of these but this is the first episode since episode 5 that hasn't pissed me off in the first five minutes and was able to somewhat enjoy it but omg I said it once and I'll say it again viv does not have one single clue what she's doing wit her characters but we are getting ahead of ourselves so let's start wit the good before we get to the bad.

Genuinely love that this was a Moxxie center episode cause it's about damn time my boy got the attention he deserves and it's not him getting punched every three seconds -_-

I personally love Chazz design I thought he was fun and enjoyable {at first} and I loved that he and Moxxie had a relationship together not gonna lie I was screaming I ship them especially the flashback ^^

Ummmm ...

IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE MY BABY STRIKER ??? !!! YALL IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE MY. BABY. STRIKER ??? !!!

Regardless I'll take whatever crumbs I can get ^^

Baby Moxxie was adorable !!!!

The relationship between him and his mother was adorable I feel like she was the reason for his love for musical I loved her ^^

I also love we got Moxxie saying he's bi it's always refreshing to see characters refer themselves as part of the lgbtq community

No Loona speaking omg I'm so happy we didn't have Loona talking at all because honestly she would've made the episode worse

Now onto the bad parts -_-

Maybe is because English isn't my first language but didn't Moxxie said he was born in Wrath ??? So did he move to Greed ??? If so was it when he was a baby or ??? I'm just confused on that part.

No one not Viv not her crew hell at this point not even SOME people of the Fandom know what to do/think of Millie.

The whole episode she was either a rabid animal or resorted to Moxxies wife/the blood thirsty woman of the show like how is she a main character always getting side line for everyone fuck man even Loona gets better treatment than her and that sucks cause Loona is down right awful

The fat jokes weren't funny the first time and guessed what they aren't funny the 18th time !!!

I get homophobic implications cause its hell 🤪 {every time I say that imma add that face} but umm the dildo jokes ??? Like I genuinely didn't get why that needed to be added but it is what is I guess.

So you mean to tell me both Moxxie and Millie slept wit Chazz but this episode didn't bother focusing on Millie on how they met Like da freak ??? Also while I loved Chazz the first few minutes I got annoyed wit him like really Viv you're gonna make the bisexual character a horny person that fucks everything wit two legs and have his whole personality around sex ??? Also was I the only one disgusted wit Blitz sleeping wit Chazz ??? Like how the freak we got there ??? !!!

Gotta be honest did not like that Moxxies VA also voiced Crimson I was expecting something more intimidating like something like Striker I guess but that's just me

Also back to the dildo joke ummm someone tell me why we were having a moment that should have build an intimidating moment only to ruin it wit the dildos ... ... ... like I said before Vive has no idea how to handle serious topics without turning it into a joke and have the entire scene lose its importance and value.

Like the build up the dinner scene it was leading up to a serious conflict that was creating tension and hell even the slap had me shocked and Crimson bringing fear into the audience only for it to come tumbling down with the dildos hell even after the threat Crimson gave as Moxxie was leaving I couldn't take seriously because the scene kept showing them.

Hell even wit Moxxie being upset and hurt I couldn't take serious cause of the whiplash that came right after

Can someone please explain why is there a priest in hell ??? Or better yet why is there a jail in hell ??? Like why are we even having Charlie's hotel idea if there's jail and rehab in hell like ??? Does Viv even understand the world she's created ??? Like does she even remember the world she's created ??? Cause why create a hotel that's supposed to help sinners when Hell has REHAB AND A JAILING SYSTEM ??? !!!

ALSO SOMEONE ANYONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THE HIERARCHY OF HELL !!!

Are imps at the bottom ??? The shark demons ??? Like does anyone at Spindle even remember their own rules for the show ??? !!!

Anyways that's it for my complaint of the day but anywhore those are my thoughts and I'm sticking to them !!!

[lucius-morningstar]

Guy Talk

Takes place after episode four. Lucius was obviously not happy when hearing Angel had made his sister cry but he takes a different approach this time around. Anger won't help here, besides Charlie wouldn't be happy with him if he made it worse. So he tries to be as gentle but firm as he possibly can, things turn out.. Differently then he expected but not bad. -------- Lucius: Angel, you got a minute. Angel: For you baby, I got two. Lucius: Outside, come on. Angel: Ooh want a crowd do ya? Lucius: Not a joke, this is serious. Angel: ..Great. ----- Angel: So what'd you want to talk to me out here for. Lucius: It will stop Charlie from getting involved and doing what I need to do. Angel: What's that suppose to mean? Lucius: I heard about what happened at the studio yesterday. Angel: Fuck-.. Look I had to do it okay, you don't know Va- Lucius: Hush, Look Angel I may not know you well but I know the Vees enough. I get why you did it but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. I can't begin to tell you how much I fucking hate it when people make my sister cry, especially when she goes out of her way to help them. Angel: I didn't ask her to help me ya know. Lucius: I know.. But that's who she is. I can't stop her anymore then you could. Believe me, meaner demons in hell have said worse and she still comes back kicking. Angel: So what, you gonna threaten me, yell at me. Knock my ass to the curb. Lucius: The yelling bit was my original idea and threats well I throw those at everyone. Knocking your ass to the curb, I only do that if they lay hands on my sister. It's a deal I made with my mom, I can't use physical violence if it wasn't used on us sorta thing. Angel: Great so can I go- Lucius: No because I'm not done. I'm not here to yell at you but empathize I guess. Angel: Empathize? Lucius: Yeah.. I had a friend who use to work with the Vees, she was real new ya know. Val basically tore her up and spit her out. She was like a hallow shell, no getting through to her and believe me. I tried, Charlie tried and in trying she lashed out. It was all she knew.. Same with drugs and alcohol, eventually she told me it wasn't working anymore. What she did next though, I wish I had seen coming. Angel: What'd she do? Lucius: During the extermination, I usually stay with Charlie because she hates it and I get nervous she'll try to go out and stop it. According to reports though that I got from Clara, she was on the list, someone reported seeing her just standing in the open. Just waiting.. Angel: ... Lucius: So as much as I want to be upset and angry, those feelings don't work on those who are.. Well use to it. You're use to being yelled at and told to do better, so what good would it do me to do that to you as well. I know you we're protecting her, in your own way but you have to understand as her brother I just-.. Seeing her in tears breaks me and knowing I can't help hurts even more. I don't know if you get it but- Angel: I have a sister.. Well I had one, so yea I get it. Lucius: She down here? Angel: *Snorts* Nah, she was a good gal. She's probably up there. Lucius: ...What's her name. Angel: ..Molly. Charlie reminds me of her a lot actually. I think that's another reason I lashed out. Molly-.. She's tried helping me too and a lotta fuckin good that did her. Lucius: Not your fault man- Angel: She felt like she could help me!, how's dat not my fault?! Lucius: Would she have stopped, even if she knew what would have happened. Angel: ..No, I-I don't think she would have. Lucius: Do you think she'd want you blaming yourself over something like this. Angel: No-No but who else can I blame, she got mixed up in my shit Lucius. Lucius: Then blame the people who hurt her, not the one who tried to protect her and before you start thinking about that, she doesn't hate you. Angel: And how da fuck do you know? Lucius: You said she's a lot like Charlie right. Seems pretty obvious to me. Angel: ... Lucius: Don't blame yourself, Molly would want you to get better so you can reunite with her. So how about it, do it for Molly. Angel: And for Charlie..

[kitty-is-writing]

Heads Up 7-Up

wasn't tagged, but found this one on the writer games tag. share 7(ish) lines from one of your works, here's mine!

from the so far untitled Dragon's Teeth sequel

Soris deactivated the training shields and perched next to her on the log. “Okay, serious time. Is everything alright? Have you been struggling with magic since… you know? Josie’s still having trouble with hers, she can barely cast at all without some weird device she channels it through. It’s no shame if you need some help.”

“Yeah, I got the opposite problem. The crap Miller pulled helped me find my spark, but because it was in such a desperate situation it got out of control. Blaise and a couple of the others have been trying to teach me how to master it, but it’s running wild, and Dad’s not helping. I can feel his spark in there encouraging mine to flare up.”

“Well, that was the point of him doing that. His spark was supposed to relight yours,” Soris said. “Maybe Enkarini could help? From what she’s said, she had a similar problem with her shadow magic, it got all fierce and over the top to protect her and she couldn’t keep up with it. That’s what the whole familiar thing was about.”

“Right, I need to turn my spark into a puppy or something. That’s going to help,” Ember snapped.

“Yeah, you could teach it to sit, stay, and roll over. Might want to skip the old play dead trick, though.” He paused, watching a small smile twitch at her lips. “Seriously, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for advice. It might be useful, and you can just ignore it if it’s not.”

Ember let out a long sigh. “I guess. I hate that I got worse at doing magic though, you know? That was the one thing I knew I was good at, that nobody could argue with me about. Now I can’t even cast a simple flame without exploding half my surroundings.”

They were quiet for a moment. “Maybe you’re trying too hard. You always found magic easy before, you said, and now it’s gone all screwy on you. Do you think you’re pushing too fast, expecting too much of yourself? It’s only been four months,” Soris pointed out. “I know Josie’s situation is different, but stuff like this takes time, for anyone. Maybe you just need to go easy on yourself for a bit.”

She stood suddenly, kicking at some loose pebbles and sending them flying into the pond with a splash. “I don’t want to take it easy, I don’t want to wait, I just want things to be normal again! I want to be able to do magic without everything going wrong. I want to be able to sleep at night without waking up screaming. I want… I want my dad back!” She sat just as abruptly as she had stood, folded her arms around her knees and went quiet for a moment. “I know he’s not gone gone, his spark is right here with me, but it’s not the same.”

I'll tag @eli-t-spoon , @leahnardo-da-veggie and anyone else who wants to join in!

[cathalbravecog]

Do you have cathal hcs you'd like to share i am starving for anything cathal related help me

he's like an addiction to my brain, it always wants MORE

MUEUEHAHAHAHA I YOUR LOCAL CATHAL CREAUTRE 'ČISLO JEDNA' (NUMBER ONE). SHALL PROVIDE. NOW, THE THING IS, I THINK I'VE SHARED MOST OF THE THINGS I THINK HERE ALREADY....I PREFER OBSERVING AND LETTING THINGS DEVELOP AS THEY GO. THAT'S MY WEIRD THING WITH CERTAIN BLORBOS I DON'T ALWAYS ACTIVELY MAKE STUFF FOR THEM EVEN IF IM SO SOSOOSOSOS MENTALLY ILL FOR THEM. NOW. SILLY GOOGFY OVER FOR NOW. THIS IS VERY LONG. UNDER DA CUT.....................

However. That one comic writing thing I wanna make... I guess it's a mix of some HCs and observations? I'll talk about it here, without spoiling everything, but giving out he basics!! i can write properly i swear but since im infodumping im gonna be going from writing styles in and out wackily to get my thoughts out LOL It takes place when Cathal first got hired at Cogs INC - (All narrated by himself, by the way ) and what his expectations and thoughts were. What he knew and what he didn't - since Allan would share some things with him, obviously. Even way before Cathal got hired... And eventually it got to Cathal seeing Allan fall off the tower for the first time.

He doesn't think much of it now, just shrugging it off. Perhaps mild annoyance... It's just not worth the time. It's pointless... As he says himself, he finds the Toons VS Cogs thing pointless. And... he isn't too worried, since Allan always gets repaired in the end. Sometimes it's more severe repairs than other days, but, the point stands... No matter what he always gets repaired, and Allan himself also sounds more annoyed about this than anything as well

But this wasn't always the case!

Despite being, well... Really lazy - Cathal is very caring and kind. He cares about the people around him - he politely asks if everyone's had a good lunch, and he heals them. Hell, he can even be slightly scary with this with his "You should've hit someone else that time" line. Like - he does not exactly want to pack a punch, he just sorta has to since the Toons are there... But he's capable!! Even if he doesn't see them as friends, just co-workers, he's very willing to stand up for them if they get hurt...

It's the one thing that does give him the motivation which he usually lacks... He usually just doesn't want to care because it takes too much effort, y'know? But it doesn't make him incapable of things...

So, with him established as caring for other's (that he cares about) wellbeings... Imagine the shock seeing your own dad fall off a tower, with a loud earth-quake like crash... he hasn't been joking or lying after all with all his tales of Toons pushing him off the tower. Cathal never cared for this story... Just ignored it or blocked it out of his mind as Allan's constant stories (Because come on this guy definitely loves talking about things that happened while at work or what he did with The Boys :tm: when he's with Cathal. And wise-versa. He was sooo excited to show Cathal off to the other bosses in A Meeting Of Two Minds)

But like... Those weren't like. Just some stories. Allan was always annoyed about them, but in a "Gah, those darn Toons!" kind of way. (Maybe with an occasional ramble about how that day repairs were more expensive, perhaps, as more damage was caused. Looking at you High Roller ARG. Also makes me wonder just how much money from Cogs INC does go into his repairs... But I suppose insurances for Cogs are canon, and also Sellbots are known to cut corners to save cash, so that extra stuff maybe goes to him....) But, back on track now - It's been happening for YEARS. If we go with how long Toontown has been around - it's been happening for DECADES. You start sounding a bit less serious about it...

Like... Cathal was just shocked. What was he supposed to do?! That's his dad for fuck's sake!!! He may appear unenthusiastic and bored but... It's clear these two care for each other, even if Cathal does not let it be known (With Allan being the exact opposite and he's maybe Too Vocal About It. Me too buddy, me too)

Cathal has lived a life in comfort, basically spoiled by Allan. With love, material things, him letting things be easier for Cathal... He didn't have to worry about a thing. If anything, he probably only ever struggles with his own mind - considering I do headcanon him to have some struggles with motivation and doing things and that he has Cog ADHD. Yes it's projecting. I also sit around lazily for hours but because I can't start anything no matter how much I want. Even if it's a fun activity like... Turning on a video to watch. Drawing. Hopping onto a game. Or literally just getting UP.

He's learned to just... Work with those issues. And, unlike me, he doesn't have things like school and such to worry about, so the big stress factor is gone... So even if he does struggle sometimes and does need motivators, most of the time it's impossible to tell from him just.. Struggling and him being cozy and genuinely lazy... But since he struggles less more often than not it is just laziness and "that's just hard to do" and not a mental block...

Only ever living a life in comfort-like this - Makes you worry ten times as hard when the stressful times do come. He's not equipped to handle this...

In the comic he in panic flew over to check on Allan - who in fact has fallen over and had a bunch of Cogs helping him get back up, and beginning preparations to get him fixed ASAP. It was so organized, everyone knew each other there... This basically happens all the time. They've got to be.

Allan is... Shocked, but very happy to see Cathal there. He is so very proud of his boy being there... That he cares so much about his father to go see him. Cathal does not show affection a lot - but this is the way he did. Allan knows he doesn't show it a lot, which made it ten times more special. Others who knew about Cathal through Allan were shocked, too... Cathal. The Multislacker. Stays in his video room all day, watching the cameras... He... Should be working, but that's aside the point. Despite what Allan says we all know he's a lazy slacker... He doesn't care about others. Does he?

Well... he's here, alright. Worried for his dad, who is hushing him nonchalantly, saying how this happens often. "The boys are gonna get me right back up again soon as always, son!" And how he can get right back to work soon... (And of course, some curses against the Toons.)

Cathal is just... Baffled meanwhile. He's saying the same things he always does!! Isn't he one bit worried...? Well... Like everything else, he has to let it go... And just not worry about it. Allan doesn't, so why should he...? It doesn't stop him being worried a bit longer at the time AND the next few times this happens... At that point he just knows what happens like it's rinse and repeat, like any other day

But the first time was just... Scary. Even if he most likely was caring before (again, mostly outta just... understanding. yknow? man. just wanna chill... he gets it.) - he just... Never showed it much. But after? He began appreciating others around him more. He knows Cogs always get repaired despite... Uh. (Looks at Atticus) THAT ONE TIME, so there isn't really a feel of "time is limited" feeling there... But you still don't want to see people hurt. You want to appreciate their presence. Even if they aren't friends, y'know?

He doesn't see the reason for violence, really. Okay sure, he definitely likes playful banter and messing around - but I mean like... Genuine things, y'know? I mean, as a Cog he's on the side of the Cogs, he doesn't see the motivation the Toons have, or the goal (to have to fight Allan REPEATEDLY. I mean, as an in-game thing it's for unites, but it's canon he gets fought repeatedly regardless, yknow?)

He doesn't get the scope of why Toons fight back exactly, that it's pointless. Because he doesn't have the perspective they have... He is annoyed with them, yes, they burst into his room uninvited and then demand to fight him... And they hurt his co-workers and his dad. But getting too mad is just... Man! Not worth it. Too energy consuming. Not worth getting worked up over...

But even with that he wishes that this didn't have to happen, y'know? he doesn't see the point. And if nobody fights anyone - nobody is gonna bother him and his shows either...

i think i juiced out all my thoughts bc i guess the other stuff would be more cogs only or like personal interactions i imagine between frost and him and perhaps the others... i already established the gamer thing and that he messes around with pace in that regard. one of his motivations is to just be playful like that. maybe pace and him are NOT friends and they demotivate each other in work ways. but i just love the dynamic of not friends. not enemies. just tom and jerry online gaming mischief stuff. and like. gamer graham is really funny to me since hes the sport guy. but also hes jerma to me. you get me . righht. right. i love going from serious headcanon stuff to HEE HEE SILLY. but thats just who i am. thats what you get. (cannot even get too serious about graham hes just too goofy to me) (also has written gut wrenching angst about a guy named spamton g spamton) (is really normal)

anyways. thank you villain w.hos actually a really loving dad trope for being there for me. i have issues. allan plearse adopt m.e

I LAOVEE CARTHAL RA TOBRE BRAVECOOGGGGGGG. i hope any of this makes sense. its not even a headcanon its just a mess of things. but you asked for tism so you get it. this is the best i got after this i have nothing to talk about other than gushing about cathal's design and "oeoutht h the he oh he" and repeat the same points about why hes so nice and swag and cool. but. you get me right. You Get Me

[frostythefrostedfox]

What's your opinion on the recent Frontiers teaser?

Right between "Nothing", "Fucking boring" and "Is this game still a thing?"

Nah I am joking, my serious opinion is that this shit fucking sucks, its ass and I am sad it aint dying faster.

Let's start with the basic problematic stuff of this trailer

Eggman, why in the name of chao is Eggman tired, oh, let me guess, someone had the brilliant idea of "Lets make him lazy hahahaha", but guess what, WRONG, Eggman has been shown to be a fairly strong person, and have quite the physical prowess, where in fuck did this concept of "He uses machines bc he lazy" came from, really, because He has been shown doing physical activity before without breaking much of a sweat.

Second, these motherfuckers are so cheap they couldn't even get a few voicelines on the thing? Because I gotta be honest, this entire thing is very devoid of any emotion, it doesn't makes me feel anything, there is music sure, and there are things happening on the screen, but none is making an impact or being meaningful, they just stand there, clench their fists as if any of them was gonna do shit (because in case anyone forgot, the 3 stooges on the left don't have a physical form, Baldy McNosehair on the right aint certainly gonna fight this robot and Alexa 2 in the middle has no control over the robot so she is as useful as the first Alexa by Amazon.)

The fuck is this, really, the fucking flying fuck is this, this has to be the ugliest motherfucker I've seen all day, and I don't mean that as a compliment, is this supposed to be The End's new form? Because it looks like an amalgamation of all the other Titans into one, trying to look menacing and creepy but all it does is look like the failed fusion of Mistral and MG Rex from Metal Gear Rising, it even has Mistral's colour palette lol.

Wasn't The End supposed to signify your deepest fears (assuming for a second that was always a thing and not something someone in sega made up at the last instant to simply justify that awful touhou minigame at the end of the game) so why would this be in any form the physical manifestation of fear?

Again, the design is utter garbage, it only has two arms to the side, the rest are on top of that carapace thing on its back, which renders all arms automatically useless because they are barely able to reach for anything at the ends of it, he can't grab anything with those, they are just there to look menacing and "oh look, he's eeeevil" but they serve no function, besides, what is he gonna grab with it? Because there is only one titan with stuff to grab, and that's Knight, and that is only a sword and a shield, what you gonna use the rest of your arms for? Oh wait, for nothing! Just like I expected you to!

I assume this is the part that you and (literally nobody) everyone wanted me to talk about

This utter waste of screen time and hype-bait.

Why do I call it that? Because that's what it is, is literally what we had before but now the eyes are blue because blue is now the new orange or something like that, that is all that changed.

His transformation into this wasn't anything spectacular, just another burst of energy and ta-da, done. I'm sure 99% of the kiddies that are dying to play this shit aren't even old enough to watch the original dragon ball z, but when Goku turned into Super Saiyan 2 for the first time, not only there was a physical change on his appereance, it truly was something magnificent, you just had to be there; now, why would I compare this to SS2? Because in case anyone forgot, Sonic is just Furry Goku, and if you don't believe me, ask any actual sonic fan, not the newer ones that unironically think this game is well written, the ones that are old enough to consume alcohol, legally, in all jurisdictions of Planet Earth.

Anyways, i am getting sidetracked; this is supposed to be a "Teaser", why in heaven's name would you reveal your biggest card in a teaser? Is like the "Would you kindly" thing from Bioshock 1 was shown in the first trailer, y'all get what I'm saying right? Please don't ever play poker in your life, because you're gonna start jumping up and down when you get a pair of aces. Why the fuck would you show the "wowzers" moment of the update in a teaser, not even a trailer, a teaser.

Second, what purpose does this form serves? Super Sonic is already strong enough to easily conquer the other titans, he was never struggling in any point of the game as super sonic to kill them, he always had this "Imma kill you" expression mixed with "Pathetic" on his face, he killed all four titans without even sweating, why a new one would be a problem? This overhyped tech demo has zero idea of how to escalate a context because it aint escalating, is the same thing we had before, but then again, his new form also is the same one we had before but now featuring big blue evil demon eyes (or some bullshit like that some fans are gonna start calling it in a few days, or maybe they are already because oh my god we've never played a real game in our lives before.)

This form really serves zero purpose, it is just there to pretend like SEGA is trying to get sonic somewhere other than the bank to cash in all of their millions that the "highest selling game in the franchise" gave them while at the same time spending as little money as they can so they can maximize their profit margins; this form is just there to make you look the other way and be all hyped for "look super sonic with blue yes" so you can ignore the blatant problems of this game that are still not fixed and the updates actually added more or made them worse; this form exists so you can look up to big boy sonic team and thank them for the crumbs while at the same time chanting your mantra of "At least it aint forces" and/or "At least it aint 06" while you eat up whatever that is remotely serviceable and praise it to heaven and back not because is good, but because it doesn't sucks like 90% of the content we've gotten for the past 15 years.

But deep down I know all the answers to my questions

This shit was planned from the start, this is the same shit EA does with 90% of their games but everyone hates because is cool to hate EA, this is the same game that many other companies have played before, the whole "thank you for your imput" and then they wait until what people says alligns with what they were gonna do since the beginning so they can either say "look guys, we listened to you" if it comes out good, or "this is what you asked for" if it bombs; this is the same shenanigans we've seen countless times before, but since is SEGA, we must bow to them like they are reinventing videogames, but I guess I expected too much of the average internet user.

Don't think I'll ever forget when I predicted all of this shit almost a year ago and y'all called me "overthinker" and "paranoid".

[when-did-this-become-difficult]

Wow. There was an episode. Finally. Feels like something happening. Kyle finally had the talk with his wife, thank you. He finally had a talk with his brother, thank you. And that prison cell scene...hard to watch for me. How you felt about it? Also thank god Robert is in the next episode because i feel like an addict missing its drug...

Hiya <3 @minamartin!

Honestly I'm a bit meh on the show right now, I feel like every episode is just a string of events with no coherent theme or arc per episode. I like having Bunny's cousin (sort of, I mean, I think it's kinda hilarious that she's annoyed by Mike but also thinks he's hot) but overall idk it's meh for me...The prison cell scene was really upsetting, but it was supposed to be upsetting. And frankly I'm kind of tired of watching Mike just drive around and talk on phones and have no power/make no moves, I'm serious...like he can try and FAIL at something but he's not even really doing anything. Kyle's bits were all right, but not very interesting/impactful to me tbh. I liked Ian's creepy little burgers for bodies conversation and maybe that'll actually give Mike some leverage with the DA, but from the next episode preview, I doubt it. I'm really concerned about Bunny. I also am concerned about Karim, who has grown on me over time. And hurray for seeing like 0.2 seconds of Rebecca, I guess? But...hm...honestly if I hadn't already watched so much of this show I'd probably be out right now

[skywalkerchick1138]

Guess who loves this movie?

Me. I do.

I grew up watching my mom’s VHS copy of this film, it is my favorite version of the Cinderella story ever. I always loved the historical aspect of it; obviously it was still a fairy tale, but the filmmakers added enough detail to make it feel like it had basis in reality.

About a year ago, though, I took some art history and humanities classes as requirements for my art degree, both ranging from the Renaissance to modern era and hoo boy, this movie is all over the place. Da Vinci is a major side character, so obviously this movie is supposed to be right in the middle of the High Renaissance, but when exactly is up for debate. In fact, this movie’s timeline is a bit of a mess specifically because the Renaissance was a pretty short art movement compared to some that came after it (usually placed between 1500-1520.) Danielle’s father gifts her a copy of Utopia when she’s 8 years old (a book that was published in 1516) and she still has it 10 years later (Da Vinci died in 1519), the queen quips about how “divorce is only something they do in England” (implies Henry VIII has already divorced Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, didn’t happen until 1534.) But then I remembered that Da Vinci comments about how “Michelangelo is trapped under a ceiling in Rome”, so if the ceiling fresco is in progress, that gives a time window of 1508-1512.

So to recap: Utopia has not been published yet, Martin Luther has not yet posted his 95 theses, the Protestant Reformation hasn’t started yet, Henry VII has only been king of England for 1-3 years, Leonardo Da Vinci is still alive.

So who could this Spanish Princess in this scene be?

Obviously not Catherine of Aragon, she’s been married off into the Tudor line. The only other prominent Spanish princesses of the time would be her sisters, Maria, Joanna, or Isabella. It can’t be Isabella as she died in 1498. Maria of Aragon has been married to Manuel I of Portugal since 1500. So maybe this is most likely meant to be Joanna of Castile.

Problem:

Joanna of Castile married Philip V of the Habsburg line around 1506 and following his death, she became co-regent for both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire alongside her 4 year old son Charles. France has some serious beef with the Holy Roman Empire specifically because they keep expanding and encroaching on French borders. They would be very unlikely to try and marry their crown prince to the mother of the Holy Roman Emperor.

None of this matters, but it’s important to me that you know this

The most underrated love story of all times