#Government Man Ep 8

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #71

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction - practically first drafts - posted daily and sometimes written with the express intention of being terrible… but, you know, in an endearing way. Please enjoy.

Government Man shivered in his uncomfortable folding chair. It, like many others in this room, was placed along the contours of a circle, facing inward. It was a large room, one with scarcely any cover if a gunfight were to break out. It made him uncomfortable.

Others filtered in. A postal worker, a plumber, a theater usher, and more made their way to their seats and bit by bit haphazardly filled in the circle. It was nearly six PM.

A messy-haired man with glasses rushed in, carrying a backpack.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” he said, despite being perfectly on time. “My last class ran a little long.”

He took his seat in a prominent position, directly opposite Government Man’s chair, and quickly noticed that GM was unfamiliar.

“Is that a new face I see?” He asked. “Welcome to Adversaries Anonymous!”

The group murmured with a vague air of echoed welcome.

“Let’s go ahead and get started. As we always do, let’s begin with our first names and the answer to an icebreaker: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re off work? I’ll go first. I’m Cody, and when I’m not teaching college classes, I like to sit down with a good book and some tea.” He gestured to his left.

“Uh…” The baker rubbed his forehead. “I’m Pablo, and uh… I like to… watch TV?” He looked at the next person in the circle - the theater usher.

“I’m Deborah, annnnd… you’d think I’d like to watch movies at home, but I actually like painting.”

Next up, the plumber. “I’m Richard, and I… ah, hell, might as well be honest. I enjoy watching Drag Race.”

The whole group snapped in applause, as a reward for his honesty. Richard smiled, but hid his face. Government Man was next.

Everyone was staring at him now. He ceased shivering and now he could feel the sweat built up in his armpits. He wanted to run away. Or perhaps vomit. Maybe both, though in which order he couldn’t quite decide. He felt his face turning green.

“Are you alright, newbie?” Cody leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. “We can come back around to you if you need some time.”

“No, I…” Government Man broke the seal on his throat and found himself able to speak again. “My first name is classified.”

“Oh…” Cody leaned back in his chair. “What is it that you do?”

“That is also classified.”

“Huh.” Cody rubbed his goateed chin. “That might make things a little hard…”

“You can call me Government Man. That is what people usually call me. Or GM for short.”

Deborah interrupted. “Like a General Manager?”

“Please, Deborah,” Cody said calmly. “Let’s not interrupt him during his introduction.” He looked at Government Man again. “What do you like to do when you aren’t at work?”

Government Man searched his brain for an answer, any answer of any sort, and came up with nothing. At this point, he wasn’t sure he remembered the last time he left work.

“I enjoy gardening.” He said, having no recollection of ever planting, fertilizing, or even watering even a single plant. He couldn’t recall the feeling of dirt under his fingernails at any point in his life. Something about that sentence felt true, but he wasn’t sure what or why. Mostly he was glad to have said something so he could be left alone.

“Thank you, Government Man. We’re very glad you’re here.” Cody gestured to the next person around the circle.

The postal worker spoke. “You know, I work for the government too. It’s rough, huh?”

Government Man nodded slowly.

“Anyway, I’m Fred. Postal Fred as everyone calls me, but you can just call me Fred. When I’m home, I like to pop bubble wrap, because it’s about time it gets what’s coming to it, you know?” He pointed at Government Man. “This guy gets it. I know this guy gets it.”

Government Man nodded again, but had no idea whatsoever what he was agreeing with.

The soldier was next. “I’m Roberta. When I am not on duty, I enjoy baking bread.”

“Easy for you to say…” Pablo muttered under his breath.

“Alright, everyone, thank you so much for introducing yourselves!” Cody pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Today, I’d really like to just check in with all of you and see how your recovery journeys are going. I know not all of us have had the time to work on ourselves yet, but I think it’ll be good for us all to see what kind of progress is possible and put things in perspective. Who would like to go first?”

To be continued tomorrow! Same Government time, same Government blog!

[mephistopheleswasrobbed]

I'm back with episode 4 of Peaceful Property and our boys are starting to be quite solid, so let's go!

1

They're not fighting anymore this week (although I suspect they might bring that back next week when things get personal for Peach) but they're still doing their good old couple bickering.

(I wish to personally congratulate whomever came up with this line. It's perfect.)

2

Pangpang's commenters are also still shipping, though they were mostly preoccupied with criticizing her and the government, this week.

3

They keep just being around each other. Sitting closer than neccessary, standing closer than neccessary.

They clearly find comfort in each others presence and constantly seek it out, sticking together for large parts of this episode.

They were this close to cuddling on that couch while the others were doing their own stuff. (And Home is truely not disproving the bi allegations with the way he's sitting? here)

Even when Peach cooks, Home, instead of helping/bothering the others is, of course, sticking with Peach (and racking up the ghost's energy bill)

4

Peach laughs at Home's stupid joke. That's like THE ultimate sign of a crush (or so I'm told).

5

In general they're so touchy this episode.

Starting off by holding hands when running from the alledged ghost.

(Btw, can we talk about the way Home looks at Peach here, because damn)

And after Peach injuries his ankle they get even touchier. Home is immediately the one who keeps carrying Peach around but even when he's not doing that they've got their hands on each other,

he's got a hand on Peach's back,

or an arm around his shoulder.

Through all of it Home's so gentle with Peach. Very sweet.

(And don't think I didn't catch your hand when you were checking on Peach ('s peach), Home!)

6

Discussing Pangpang's recent behavioural changes while casually fighting over a blanket. It seems they have taken her comment about them being the parents to heart. Also Home is the one who brings it up which goes to show that he's really been paying attention, trying to learn about his new companions just like shady uncle told him to in ep 2.

Appropriately, their fight ends with them sharing the blanket, so.

7

They're both so protective of the other this episode.

Peach especially. He's so far been mostly cowering behind his sister or Home, but this episode he kind of takes on the role of protector. He is, after all the only one who has experience seeing ghosts, so now that the other three are seeing a "ghost" for the first time and are quite distressed by it, he steps up to take charge of the group. Deciding when to leave situations and making sure everyone's safe. Notably he physically pulls Home (and only Home) along to run away TWICE this episode. The first time in the aforementiond hand holding moment and the second time when they run away, shortly before the shelf incident.

Home gets his turn to be protective after Peach gets hurt. I've already discussed how he immediately takes it upon himself to carry Peach around and sticks to his side for the rest of the night, but he's also not about to just let it go that Mr. Magician hurt his man, even after he tells them his (admittedly very sad, even my reservations about Foei couldn't stop me from shedding a couple of tears) sob-story.

(Sure Home, "friend")

8

Peach has become somewhat of a chaotic-rich-boy handler.

They're functioning as a team now, complementing each other and Peach is here to bring the level-headedness when Home get's a little too worked up. Cause if Home is going to listen to anyone, it's Peach.

9

They have achieved the crucial step in relationship closeness of nonverbal communication.

(this is admittedly where still images can't fully capture my point but trust me bro, it's happening) (also admittedly, there's no exclusivity here. Some nonverbal communication is happening between many constellations of their team this episode, showing that they've all gotten closer. But it's an important milestone in their relationship nontheless so I'm bringing it up)

10

Home notices Peach shaking when cooking and he's worried about him. (He had already witnessed the shaking last episode when Peach was making noodles in their office so he knows it's a pattern and not a one-time thing) It is in fact his biggest worry right now, as we find out when he's talking to Kan on the phone, and Suradech in the bath for some reason.

Speaking of that scene, he does get a little flirty with Kan over the call but even he admit's he's joking.

What he's not joking about is that he's happy that their group has clicked and from what we see this episode and the fact that he goes immediately back to worrying about him, I think it's safe to say he's mostly thinking about Peach when he says this.

In the first place, there was never really any major problem between anyone else, so it truely is this newfound closeness between Home and Peach that brings harmony to their little family.

11

Of course, while her brother and Home are off in their own world, Pangpang sticks with Kan. She is unfortunately a little too busy with her own insecurities to get much flirting done this week, but you can't convince me she wasn't a little turned on by Kan when she threatened to sue the "ghost".

12

Again, this week we leave the episode with a little nugget of extra Home and Peach sitting very close, bickering and flirting in the credits.

TayNew's chemistry is coming through in full force in these moments. I'm half convinced the director told them to just be themselves when they filmed the end credit bits.

[socra-time]

Naruto Episode Comments, Ep 31-40

Ep 31:

-again, I like that other characters are doing the title voiceover instead of Naruto (it’s Lee this time)

-god the writer is really doing Sakura so fucking dirty

-I love Lee so much, he’s my cringefail but also badass son

-Neji was NOT having any of Team 10’s bullshit

-the way Sakura says Lee’s full name makes it sound like she’s saying “broccoli”

-I like that even though Neji is kinda an edgelord and clearly looks down on others, he’s still more cooperative with his team than Sasuke is. It’s clear that he’s more experienced than Sasuke

-at this point Lee has had two fights and Sakura has still had zero. Justice for Sakura

Ep 32:

-finally Sakura gets to do something hoorayyyy. -The hair-cutting moment was nice actually

-little Ino’s hair is so cute, she should’ve kept it short

-why do Ino and Sakura have more of a compelling relationship than Sakura and Sasuke do lmao

Ep 33:

-the soundtrack switchup into more upbeat music was kinda jarring ngl

-I love how Shikamaru and Choji don’t even object to Ino calling their team “Team Ino”

-Shikamaru’s shadow possession is one of the cooler powers we’ve seen so far, I’m curious to see if there’s anything besides immobilization he can do with it

-aw I actually like Team 10 more than I thought I would

-I love how it’s this big deal that Sasuke was going to kill someone when a couple episodes ago Kiba, Shino, and Hinata literally trapped people with man-eating leeches

Ep 34:

-Lee is so pure of heart, dumb of ass. I feel like I might not have liked him as much if I watched this show as a kid but I actually adore him

-awwww the kiddos are bonding

-Neji needs to get his antisocial ass down from the trees and talk to the others

-Akamaru is such a lil babyyyyyyy I wanna give him hug

-Kiba wanting to steal more scrolls has its pros and cons but he’s kinda right? As people with good tracking abilities, Team 8 kinda has an advantage in this phase of the exam, so they might as well press that advantage and pick off a bit of the competition

-lmao not Kiba calling Gaara tiny-

-the implications of Kiba smelling blood in Gaara’s sand are so fucked-up. Like he’s killed so many people with the sand that there’s just blood mixed in there

-Jesus fucking Christ Gaara

-Gaara has officially won the edgelord competition and it’s not even close

Ep 35:

-I fully thought the Heaven and Earth scrolls would be blank ngl

-Naruto and Sakura should have consulted with Sasuke before deciding to open their scroll, it should have been a team decision

-Naruto really sucks at all aspects of being a ninja that don’t involve duking it out with enemies

Ep 36:

-I like the muffled vocal effect on the illusions guy

-Naruto is one tenacious fucker lmao

-and Sasuke continues to not be able to catch a break

Ep 37:

-Iruka is so fond of Naruto and it’s so cute

-Lee and Gai continue to be peak characters

-this government system sounds kinda sus ngl

Ep 38:

-there were a lot of “secret” conversations in this episode that were in blatant earshot of other people. Like Anko was literally yelling at Kakashi about how dangerous the curse mark was in front of all the genin

-I don’t think I like that Sasuke goes in the first match, it cuts some of the hype buildup

-and as usual Sasuke can’t catch a fuckin break

Ep 39:

-to the surprise of absolutely no one, Sasuke won

-the sharingan is so fucking broken and ngl if I had to work super hard to train my jutsu and then here comes Sasuke fucking Uchiha who just… copies it, I’d be pissed as hell

-Sasuke really should have told Naruto about the curse mark. Like he says it’s because they’re a team and he doesn’t want Naruto to worry, but also they’re a team so he should TELL HIS TEAMMATES what’s going on with him

-the theme that plays when Orochimaru reveals himself to Kakashi goes so hard

Ep 40:

-Shino is so fucking cool but also I would never ever ever want to fight him

-“Orochimaru stop taking advantage of vulnerable hurt children by offering them power” challenge: failed epically

[lycankeyy]

Okay here's the whole thing I filled out with boyf in-character enjoy his one total braincell if he's lucky. I'm putting zero effort into formatting this bc tumblr is glitchy on my phone blank template is here

(cw: sexual humor. also a bunch of intentional typos and gratuitous swearing)

-

1. Okay, first question: what’s your name, age, and gender?

- they call me boyfriend im 19 and i sap the gender out of the music

2. How would you describe yourself, personality-wise?

- fuckkk man idk. im p chill i think ig im pretty cool. pretty swag pretty gamer

3. What’s a typical day like for you?

- welll I wake up at like. 11 usually at earliest and I hang out w one of my partners sometimes I watch movies w em or work on music. not a lot going on usually

4. How do you wind down at the end of the day? Do you even wind down?

- most of the time i literally just wait until i crash out sometimes gf and peeks gotta drag me to bed lol

5. What is your earliest memory?

- UHHHHH oh god uhhh. I think. When I was like five we went to a festival or smth and we went on one of those twirly things and I made my dad spin the thing so hard I threw up LMAO

6. What is/was your relationship with your parents?

- i mean p good i think but we dont rly tlak anymore thats mostly my fault tho

7. What do you do when you’re bored?

- succumb to the madness mostly

8. Do you regret anything you’ve done?

- i mean not like currently

9. Do you dress to be functional or fashionable?

- bro i wear the same exact fucking outfit every day to be honest with you lol. It's not like I'm fuckin going anywhere

10. Who are your best friends? How did you meet them?

- DUUUDE assuming my partners don't count gotta shout out my man darnell we've been workin on a collab ep recently it goes hard as fuckkkkk. we met back in the stupid therapy program back in middle school he introduced me to pico n nene

11. Have any siblings? If so, what is your relationship?

- yea got a big sister and a lil bro. they're both sweet but kinda clueless tbh. technically got other stuff goin on too but im kinda worried that ill get like the government on my ass if i talk abt it

12. What is your job? Is it tiring or difficult?

- closest thinf ive got to a job is music ig and nah. really wouldn't rather be doing anything else even if it payed more tbh. when I get burnt out I wanna die but thafs not a big deal lmao

13. When you’re going through a rough time, do you seek help or consolation from others?

- on a scale of liek paper cut to nearly died how rough are we talking

14. How easy is it for others to gain your trust?

- ive been told im pretty trusting but i feel like any person whos meant to hurt me was pretty upfront abt it so ┐(´∀｀)┌

15. What is your sexuality, if you don’t mind me asking?

- all the time all the time

16. Do you have a significant other? What are they like?

- "a" singular. lol. lmao even. bros asking if I got one singular partner lmao try two bitch and thyere the best most important people in the world

17. Have you ever lost a loved one?

- not like perminently

18. How often do you act on impulse? Does it ever backfire?

- lsiten if i do it all the time then like statisicly it only backfires like 40% of the time okay

19. Do you believe in ghosts?

- I believe in everyone bro

20. How about aliens?

- aliens are hisyorically very mean to me but ig i can just then believe that they can be better people. or aliens

21. What traits do you value the most in others?

- uhhh probably like being just nice ig? idk i think it can take a lot more effort than people think to be considerate and stuff I appreciate when people are nice even if they have a reason not to be

22. Do you dream often? What are your dreams like?

- i used to not to but somethings happened and now I get them all the time. don't really want to talk about it they're mostly just weird

23. Are you a light or heavy sleeper? Do you sleep in?

- my partners say im such a heavy sleeper that one time i slept through gf falling off the bed in the middle of the night but I was asleep so I can't cofnirm

24. Okay, this is a bit personal, but… Have you ever (uh) “done the do”?

- dude like u wouldn't believe

25. Do you have any pets?

- nah but I think it would be cool to have a guinea pig they seem chill and I appreciate their vibes

26. Ever been drunk before? How often do you drink?

- i try not to toooooooo much but i think i have a hard time telling when too much is too much. dont tell my parents

27. Are you respectful to authority figures?

- they only have as much authority as you give them. manipulate a landlord today

28. What kinds of movies do you like you watch?

- https://youtu.be/HgjyQ0_coJo?si=L5Bzhey5cxaoNpWU

29. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

- ██████ █████ █ ███████ ████ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ████████████ ██ ███ ███ ████ ██ one time nene found it in my dresser and I almost DIED wait was this question not about sex stuff

30. What would you say is the happiest memory of your life?

- ohh thats hard uhh. happiest is hard to qualify i think. I think I'm happiest whenever I think abt waking up next to my partners

31. How about your worst memory?

- thats a good question

32. What did you aspire to be when you were young? Did that dream change as you grew up?

- i didn't think I'd be fuckign anythang

33. How far would you be willing to go to get what you want?

- u gotta quantify what I want here tbh. is it like a chocolate bar or one billion dollars. cuz id kill someone for a billion dollars. honestly i might also kill someone for a chocolate bar but like not as badly

34. What is sure to ruin your day?

- idk nearly dying again probably

35. Do you have any nervous habits?

- uhhh sometimes i mess with my hair and when i get rly upset i pull at it til it hurts. i used to scratch my face a lot when i was upset too but it freaks ppl out so i try not to if i can help it

36. Play video games often?

- i tryyyyy but i get distracted so fast i play a game and im like oh shit this reminds me of another thing i was gonna play n then i go play that and then I never FINISH ANYTHIGN

37. What kind of things do you laugh at?

- https://youtu.be/47EOSLWu-EI?si=kuzPv2Vndl91Oj3C

38. Favorite genre of music?

- BROOOO ok gonna be basic as shit and say breakcore. also a huge fan of speedcore and drill & bass but breakcore is my home. i wishhh it wasn't called this but my favorite like subgenre of breakcore is probs lolicore not for any fuckin weird reason but just bc the way the vocals are usually mixed scratches my brain sooooooo fuking good. listen to various types of ads by loli in early 20s and youll get it. i fucking love experimental breakcore my favorite album rossz csillag alatt született mixes breakcore+dr&b w classical and it's sooooo fucking good it's SO good i need to learn more fuckin instrument plug ins so I can make shit like that. in general i just love music that feels like it's fuckin drilling it's way into youre brain and rewiring it i want the music to fuckin labotomize me fr

39. What do you think your spirit animal would be if you had one?

- idk maybe a rat i like rats. dude imagine if i was a rat like ritz we could have cheese together. we can do that anyway but it would be more awesome

40. Have an accent of any kind?

- yea autism

41. Chess or checkers?

- checkers i have no idea how to play chess but it sounds convoluted as fuk

42. Do you feel sentimentality toward a particular object?

- i love my laptop even if I get a new computer and this thing breaks completely im keeping this laptop ily laptop

43. Are you generally pretty secretive, or are you an open book?

- im like accidentally secretive i dont even try like wtf do you mean im supposed to talk about shit

44. What are you most embarrassed about?

- i feel like this was addressed in the nene thing

45. What are your deepest fears?

- have you ever seen that fuckin brony stuff where people get teleported to pony world as horses gf is obsessed with that kinda thing but that's TERRIFYING if i woke up as a horse id fuckin die of a heart attack

46. How desperate would you have to be to lie to, steal from, injure, or murder another person? Do you do any of those things regularly?

- i like the implication that i would admit to murdering ppl on a regular basis

47. Do you have any scars? How did you get them?

- it's so fucked up i got this scar on my face and it's so bad bc I don't even scar that easy like i get into fights my entire life but i only got one scar just bc some weeb tried to kill me. like ok

48. Say someone has mistreated you in some form. Would you immediately lose your temper, hold a grudge, or simply let it go?

- you wouldnt believe my epic power to do all of those simaltaneusly

49. How do you deal with physical and mental pain?

- max volume noise nothing can hurt me if the Loud

50. What is your ideal place to live?

- never thought abt it tbh ig anywhere with my partners

51. What was your childhood like?

- just 18 years of stupid therapy programs and stupid special ed classes and ppl telling me how to think and how to act and like I was 4 years old forever i don't careeee

52. What is your favorite kind of weather?

- i think snow is pretty

53. How important to you is friendship? What about romance?

- i think they're both pretty great but idk i feel like urself should be most important bc idk shit happens and ppl leave so if you dont like yourself youre just gonna be stuck with some miserable loser who doesnt have any friends as ur only company

54. Have any disabilities, weaknesses, or allergies?

- i feel like in a hypothetical situation i would be pretty weak to godzilla

55. What’s your favorite thing to eat?

- SPICY FOOOOOOOD my spice tolerance fucks hard i will drink hot sauce. right now holdbon

56. Do you have kids? If not, do you picture yourself ever having them?

- could you fucking imagine.

57. How well can you sing?

- idk but i like it

58. Are you particularly confident? Does your confidence level change if less people are around?

- if nobody got me i know i got me

59. Do you like shopping?

- delivery apps were invented for a reason

60. How do you interact with strangers?

- tbh i usually just tune out anyone that's not talking to me LMAO

61. Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved?

- not like perminently

62. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

- don't like this question

63. If you could meet anyone from the past or future, who would it be?

- fuckkkkk my gf isn't home rn can I pick her

64. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would they be?

- money bigass house and then I wouldn't use the last one so we could just vibe forver

65. Do you like attention?

- ask pico

66. Are you glad I’ve run out of questions to ask?

- ig bc im puttin off chores ily though

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E3: Blood

Case: In, ah—one sec... Franklin, Pennsylvania! It's in Pennsylvania, definitely remembered that on my own accord. Anyway, in Franklin, Pennsylvania, a bunch of people are losing their marbles and murdering people in seemingly random attacks. What ties these crimes together is that right before they went murder hobo, they were in a situation that exacerbated their biggest fears, and also they hallucinated technology telling them to kill, which is very entertaining bc it's the fucking 90s, so the technology is very silly on its own, but is even sillier when it says "KILL 'EM ALL" in big red letters, but I digress. Mulder—with continued secret help from Scully on the side, as well as the Lone Gunmen (!!)—begins to suspect that these killings might actually be related to a pesticide the government is testing on people, but you know how the government gets when you try to claim they're involved in some big conspiracy, la dee da, so it goes.

A man gets laid off work, but that's the least of his problems as technology keeps telling him to kill people; a microwave tells a lady to stab Mulder to death; Mulder gives Frohike Scully's phone number; my notes say there is a handsome cop with nice hair, but I don't know who I was referring to or why I wrote that down; and Mulder's work on the case is ALL DONE. BYE-BYE!

Does someone die in the cold open: He got laid off so he's probably dead inside, but physically everyone is alive. (This does not last long.)

Does Mulder present a slideshow: Still no one to watch. Maybe he makes them for himself and plays them alone in his office and cries.

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Mmmmmmm, not sure. My guess is that the government is planning to get rid of any evidence that they were allowing chemicals to be tested on its citizens, but I'm not sure if Mulder held onto anything or not. I mean, he usually doesn't, so probably not, but -shrug emoji-.

Whodunit: Subliminal messaging caused by a pesticide that the Pennsylvanian government okayed to be tested on the town's residents. I think.

Convictions: None, but the government has to stop spraying people with LSD.

Did they solve it: I'll give it to 'em, why not? Mulder knows what caused it; more or less got a confession, or at least got them to stop doing the thing; and I feel like his report would be one of the less annoying ones he's submitted in his time in the FBI. Good job, Mulder! (And Scully, but unofficially.)

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

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Not being a test subject for government issued pesticides. I mean, like... you can try, but in the end, is it really up to you? What is the government testing on you right now? What have you been exposed to against your will? Is it LSD? It might be LSD, but who's to say for certain?  Not being a test subject for government issued pesticides — honestly, you're fucked, so maybe you should just... kill 'em all*... *This company does not endorse homicide, even if those homicidal impulses are the government's fault. Please don't sue us.

***

General Total Stats:

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

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 14 (two in a row!)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 6 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8 ½ (i mean, technically that lady came at him with that knife so i'll give him a half point, but i doubt she would have ever been able to actually mortally wound him) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 13

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (and there were no worms in the body!)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 16 (x come back, bb, i miss u)

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5 (changed stat to specify plot relevancy, so i can get away with not counting it if someone gets beat up and their nose happens to bleed or something. the nosebleed in this one did make that man homicidal, tho, so i will up the stat lol)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 8

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 2!

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 (BUT GUESS WHAT NEXT EPISODE IS???!!! 😀😀😀)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 10½ (shut up) 

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5

[aestariiwilderness]

Bad Batch Season 3 Ep. 8 SPOILERS

Omega can get Crosshair to do absolutely anything and Hunter is taking full advantage of this

Why was this episode about Hunter and Wrecker bug hunting and Crosshair meditating (what the heck that's hilarious) and learning about psychosomatic issues (CALLED IT! Internally, so it doesn't count. But I know.)

"I'VE EXHAUSTED ALL MEDICAL OPTIONS" in a galaxy of super bacta where people can literally walk off broken femurs and lava dunks but childbirth and unspecified nerve damage (??) are just *shrug* Too Much

They forgot to tell Crosshair about Tech's girlfriend?

Actually a good part of this episode was Crosshair deadpanning "Who" -- or, as a friend says, being an adverb-identifying question the entire time with increasing horror ("Who?" "Where?" "WHEN?" "HOW OFTEN???") -- because SOMEONE was being a brat and hanging out with the Empire

"You don't like anything" "True" Amen

Why is everyone so afraid of a tiny Asian woman? If you didn't know she had plot armor we could have strung her up by her toes and shaken her until M-count knowledge fell out of her pockets and not bothered with the bug-zapping and alligator-wrestling in Space Florida. Elite commandos my foot, they're all so homeschooled. JUST BE MORALLY DUBIOUS FOR HALF A SECOND FOR ONCE. IT'S FOR THE KIDS, HUNTER.

Why was Fennec hiding her clones in her closet

Why did Hunter and Wrecker, elite commandos, allow themselves to be stuffed in Fennec's closet

Man, one televised massacre and suddenly no one knows anything about anything to do with Jedi. Didn't half these guys work with Jedi and the other half deal with galactic-wide government-sponsored infant testing for midichlorians for centuries, how does "no one" know what M-count means all of the sudden

Hunter finally -- and kinda late, buddy -- wising up to the fact that we should NOT take the child hunted by the Empire everywhere we go

Echo and Rex: still Sirs Not Appearing In This Season, which is hilarious because it's not like his voice actor is unavailable

Fennec: "THAT'S going to cost you" Crosshair and Omega, coming in clutch with gambling skills: pfft. how much do you want @clawedandcute

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch: 2x11 Look at the Princess Part 1

This three-parter is one of my fave eps and I think classic Farscape: taking the usual scifi trope and remaking it into something unique. On the surface, the set-up is something that has been done before, not just in scifi but in adventure lit of Victorian era: our brave Earthling (or Big Game Hunter, or Aristocratic Englishman) ends up having to pretend/be the groom of local royalty. Because he is so awesomely superior and attractive, of course. See Prisoner of Zenda and 8 million other titles. But this is Farscape, so this is not the case at all. When John is being chased, it’s never anything good  (I keep thinking of the fact that when Farscape finally decided to do the good old ‘hero must have more than one woman’ thing, they had Crichton raped by Grayza. In general, Crichton’s uniqueness brings him nothing but misery.) Here, the ‘other culture’ is far superior to the Earth one in its advancement, it’s powerful and needs no favors from anyone. Moreover, there is no ‘love’ or ‘he is so attractive’ on the part of the ‘natives.’ The reason Crichton works is, precisely, because in this world he is the genetic screw-up so he works as a mate for Katralla whose DNA has been messed with.

Nor is John someone who falls for the exotic Princess, or heroically rushes to the rescue of the kingdom out of noblesse oblige. He fights being married tooth and nail and then ‘unheroically’ surrenders to it when faced with threat of being turned over to Scorpius, and then saves everything only out of desperation and at the end, he is confronted with loss: his inability to kill Scorpius, the fact that he will never see his future child.

You know, I’ve forgotten how sharp the dialogue in Farscape is and how easily is can alternate between heart-breaking and completely funny. I keep thinking of the scene with John and D’Argo where John talks to D’Argo about hope and how “I have hope or I have nothing” and it’s an utterly heartbreaking scene:

(D’Argo pointing out his alternative is brain dissection by Scorpius is so very on brand - there is never an easy out or a good choice and a bad choice, just a bunch of bad choices.)

But anyway, it’s heartbreaking...

But it segues right into the bit of cultural misunderstanding about what ‘best man’ means and it’s now funny.

(Side note - will always love that D’s objection to what he thinks is John is propositioning him is “I am in a relationship already” and not anything else.)

D is a really good friend to John in this. They’ve come a long way since s1. Only a good friend would tolerate being constantly interrupted in his activities with Chiana (I love that John is so freaked by his future he merely registers her there and continues talking). John needs a friend badly at LATP. He doesn’t know it, but his insanity breakdown has began for real (he tells Aeryn he hears Scorpy in his head and she shrugs it off as paranoia. It must be pretty awful for John to have the one person you fear and hate the most always present). It’s a shudder-inducing scene in retrospect as it would be bad enough if it were PTSD but as is (Aeryn’s asking if 80 years as a statue is better than Scorpius here shows how much she does not yet get just how damaged John got by all of this; she will by the end of s2 but the price will be horrific.)

He is trapped by the Empress (whom I am not a fan of. I understand the necessity, but people who have no problems using other people as pawns are not a fave. And the whole setup is seriously proof as to why monarchy is a bad form of government - they are one bad ruler away from disaster). And then there is Scorpy. I love that John’s reaction to Scorpy is purely visceral, unreasoning. He is terrified and the way he uncontrollably flashbacks to his torture is evident on his face, and he tries to jest and put bravado but it all falls hollow.

He cannot control himself. I don’t think anyone else, not even Crais or Grayza, comes close to eliciting such a reaction out of him. Crais did a number on him physically, Grayza raped his body, and both hunted him assiduously, but Scorpius raped his mind and that’s his most important faculty in the mad world he’s thrust into. (But I love that even with all of that, he still asks Katralla what she wants not just as a last ditch hope of escape but because he does not believe in forcing people.) And now, I want to discuss my favorite stuff: John and Aeryn. I find myself both very frustrated with Aeryn through these eps (until the end of ep 3) and understanding completely where she comes from. She might deny that her wanting this marriage off is jealousy but Chiana can see it. I think in a way Crichton can too, but he needs her to give him something, anything to indicate reciprocity, that she would one day want to have something with him. The worst is when she says she won’t come to the wedding. She pushes a lot and wants a lot but tries to give nothing in return and yes that is very unfair but she is terrified, being with John would be the first real relationship she would have and she cannot handle the exposure, not yet. She can deal with the sex but she cannot deal with feelings. Her ambivalence is totally encapsulated in the first scene: she scents her hair so John would notice and tells him so later but when he does, she freaks and pulls away. He leans in for a kiss and she kisses him back but then breaks off. No wonder John is going insane.  I always die a little of swoon when they discuss the hair oil and she says that she will tell Zhaan he found her oils pleasing and he responds, both frustrated and trying to convince her desperately: ‘It’s you I find pleasing. Oh boy. She desperately needs to make it all about sex (something she is used to and familiar with). Crichton only wants her for sex, he is a walking horndog on legs etc etc, because she wants to deny any of her own feelings and any of his.

After having seen the entirety of Farscape, I melt a little when she sees Crichton interact with the simulacrum of his child and she realizes that he would want a child, that children are important to him. But also - as I mentioned, this is one child Crichton will never meet and he just has to live with it, there are no clean victories (side note, I loved that John was the one who wanted the emotions and the marriage and the baby and Aeryn had to think long and hard; such delicious reversal.)

P.S. Rygel/Aeryn kiss will never cease being funny. But also extra hilarious in light of his becoming her baby’s surrogate later, heeee.

PPS Ain’t it the truth

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 11th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10

eyyy separating them into their gumis! the gentaro and jyushi interaction is cute and i love how worried jyushi is about hifu thats so sweet of him

i love how thats the part that kuko focuses on www

LMAO ramuda's cute

i love how ichiro's accent just slipped out a bit there its cute

hm i still think kaibyakumon is in the right

Hey look at that! we finally got why kenji is so invested in them. would have liked to see more of the three but ill take what i can get

honestly i wanna ship akira and satoru so bad wwww they have so much ship potential

YES. THANK YOU RAMUDA. just let them destroy each other my goodness

idk if this show wants to villainize or humanize kaibyakumon. like on one hand everyone's against him on principle but i don't see why they should be?? Ramuda is right, hes the answer to 90% of the casts outside problems

RIP HITOYA LMAO

i love how samatoki is probably the only consistent character here and just wants to be the one to punch the government in the face www

ugh i really wanted ramuda to have won that argument. it suckksss they really went with the most boring path

poor doppo, i feel so bad for him

even poor hifumi can't stand to watch ripp

i love seeing rio in his element, hes kinda cute like that

lmao rei being waving off his own son as if hes just a brat

man i do hope that they get their just revenge. it would be nice but unfortunately impossible just because of the nature of this sort of anime

LMAO HES SO EXHAUSTED THAT HES HALLUCINATING OH NOOOOOOO i feel so bad for doppo sometimes

wow for all that talk of stealth rio just blew up a whole wall

OOOOO GUMI SONG!!!!!!!!!!

hmm i don't like the last two songs as much but there is intresting wordplay to be found in ciaro's verses, especially one as an anti-governmental piece

damn so it seems like the last three episodes will be just the gumis going to each place and fighting off the others

oooo theres a bit of rio's rap ability on show with that shelter

HAHA DICE PUSHING RIO AWAYYYY

OH FUCK ARE THEY CORRUPTING THE DATA TO THE POINT WHERE THEY"RE KILLING AKIRA AND SATORU??????

ey look at that!! I did sort of predict the mass hypnosis! granted its subliminal messaging but im fine with being wrong once in a while

LMAO GAMBLER LIFE

damn theyre still gay after death

the "whos gonna answer my questions" has the same vibe as "who else will I eat icecream with?" thing from kingdom hearts wwww

bro i want a season just about these two idiots

hmm intresting design for scuro i do like it

man now i really do like akira and satoru. they're cool. I hate this bc i know in the end they'll die and kaibyakumon will get his ass kicked to preserve the status quo. i do hope that the anime does use this as a jumping off point tho bc the premise is pretty fun

tho they probably won't. as i said status quo as long as the source material still insists on the current status quo of keeping chuuoku in power. The drama CDs do seem like its building towards a conclusion but its not enough for any meaningful change yet.

tho the anime is original content and thus exists in a separate sphere from the CDs. Its entirely possible that they may move ahead and start shaking things up but i doubt it

lol why the dotsuhon ed they got so little screen time this episode ripp them

[will-and-lester-defense-squad]

One of the smaller things they mentioned in ep 8 that I loved so much was when Percy said that Chiron told him the last war between the gods kickstarted WWII down on earth. Because the way I took it, they’re shifting the blame for the war from the demigod children of the big three being on opposite sides of the war (like in the book) to the effects and influence that the gods have on the world, be it from their own pride and power struggles. Like cmon, the gods technically control everything in nature/world and in turn, man’s affairs. You’re telling me if Zeus or Poseidon had a bad day their mood can send storms that can wipe out thousands if not millions of lives. But a war on Olympus wouldn’t have ripple effects into the mortal and mythical world they govern?? It just makes sense. And it happens inadvertently, but then again, the gods don’t really care what happens to the world at the end of the day so, they’re not all that quick to fix or stop it either.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A 23-year-old man is facing a charge of uttering threats after he allegedly threatened to kill two women at an LRT station in the Alberta capital.

Police were called to Government Centre Station (formerly Grandin Station) in downtown Edmonton at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

"It was reported to police that an adult male, unprovoked, approached two female passengers on the LRT train, then asked them if they were Japanese or Asian," Edmonton Police Service spokesperson Scott Pattison wrote in a Thursday news release.

"It is alleged the male then began screaming at the two women threatening to kill them, before exiting the train at Corona Station." [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @abpoli

[cassorpa]

Andrew Palmer my beloved!

Oh Andy you beautiful guy. Lead guitarist of the Pit Fiends. Ricky Montgomery enjoyer. Gay. (Are those last 2 the same thing?) But how did he get here(all of the following content was created quickly and is subject to change).

TW// Alcoholism, Abuse, Suicide, Familial loss, Job loss, Absentee parents

The following is copied and pasted from my loreforge "History" section for Andy:

Andrew Palmer was born on the October 13th 2008. His father Ife(27 at the time) worked in blockbuster and had done so since he left high school in 1997. His mother Sandra(29 at the time) worked in a secretarial job in an office building indistinguishable from all the others. Ife was not a good husband and, as it turns out, he was an even worse father. He resented the fact that his wife earned more than him and worked less hours. As a result of this he spent most of his time in the Black Mule, a pub in Croydon, and would come home late in the night with a thirst for violence followed by an apologetic outburst of self-loathing and depression. He was not a good man. Things only continued to go downhill from here after Blockbuster closed on December 16th 2013. He drank more, and the stuff he drank was stronger than before. He came home so drunk that he couldn't even move with enough strength or dexterity to carry out his usual beatings. It took two months before he hung himself on February 8th 2014.

Sandra Kabelo was a strong woman and she returned to using her maiden name, Palmer, following Ife's suicide. Despite never being able to leave Ife, she managed to protect Andy as much as she could and following her husbands death she began working a second job to provide for her son but as a result she's almost never home meaning Andy can kinda do whatever he wants. As a result of this, for most of his life, Andy did something no kid his age never did… Studied. The absence of both his mother and father caused a large feeling of isolation in Andy's life that after a while he just accepted as normal. Despite this sense of normalcy he still felt something was missing and so he filled the hole with work. He worked day and night researching things he didn't even need to know. He learned all the flags of the world, all the capital cities. He read countless books from the classics all the way to comic books. He received the highest grades in his class, acing every test but still, after everything, he felt empty.

Andy met Felix on 5th April 2022, 2 years prior to main the story's beginning, when he was in Year 8 and Felix Year 10. They go to different schools in different parts of the city however both of them share the same favourite record shop: Historic Records. It's a small place but it gets a lot of business from the local scene due to its strangely wide range of stock; they always seemed to have whatever you were looking for, no matter how niche. They first spoke when Felix noticed Andy checking out the latest album from a small band from Croydon. They started talking and they immediately clicked. Andy was new to the alternative scene and as such didn't have many friends so Felix took him under their wing and showed them the ropes. The best venues, the hottest local bands, the best places to hang out.

A few months later Felix introduced him to Quinn and Sam, with whom they'd been friends for over 2 years by now, and the unlikely quartet of rebellious misfits decided to start a punk rock band called the Pit Fiends. They started off doing covers of popular bands such as My Chem or Pierce the Veil but after a couple months they'd decided to write their own songs.

After a while they released their first EP onto Spotify entitled "To Hell and Back" which dealt with such topics as the state of the UK government, the groups shared journey towards uncovering and accepting their queer identity and, last but not least, cheeseburgers. They started playing a few local shows, those shows where people pay five quid for a night of shit music and deadly mosh pits, with a set comprised mainly of covers with some original songs interspersed.

During his 9th school year and following some confusing and uncertain feelings towards Felix, Andy began to confide in Quinn about the possibility that he may be queer and crushing on his first real friend. This deepened the bond between the two bandmates and Quinn swore herself to secrecy, knowing that Andy did not wish to make his feelings known to Felix just yet.

One time during his 10th school year, Andy and Samantha found themselves stranded in Brighton following a concert that they had not told their parents about. They didn't consider the logistics of their return trip and as such had to spend the night huddled together beneath Andy's jacket on a bench in the train station. Despite the lengthy groundings they both received (and completely ignored) both of them hold it to this day as one of the coolest days of their lives.

Afterword

I also made piccrews for Sandra and Ife. I did consider the morality of making one for Ife considering he's someone's (fictional) dead, abusive father. However, I use piccrews to visualise how a character looks and keep a consistent design both in my head and on the page. Furthermore, I like when people include images of their characters in posts like these so this is for the people like me!!!

[sandybrett]

WOE.BEGONE Episode Summaries, Season 1

As you may have noticed, the episode summaries of WOE.BEGONE are not super informative--understandably so, since any accurate descriptions would likely create major spoilers for first-time listeners. Plus, they're funny! Can't complain about that.

But if you find yourself wanting to re-listen to a few old episodes, it can be very hard to find the ones you're looking for. So I've decided to skim through the early seasons and make short summaries of each episode for future reference.

Ep. 1: Participant Observation WOE.BEGONE. What is it? Why do any references to it disappear off the internet almost as soon as they appear? How do the game-runners know that Mike Walters has an ex-boyfriend, specifically? Mike sets out to document this mysterious online game.

Ep. 2: Reverse Phantom Pain For his second challenge, Mike receives a recording of himself repeatedly saying a sentence he is pretty sure he has never said. And it seems to be telling him to do something... grisly. He also gets a confusing email from another player.

Ep. 3: It's Just A Pig Mike is in the lead! He meets with Cannonball, the current runner-up, and they also discuss a philosopher who, in several weeks, will not have existed. Oh, and there's a pig.

Ep. 4: Selfishness, Plain and Simple Mike completes the second half of the third challenge, which also involves a pig, albeit a metaphorical pig this time.

Ep. 5: Takesies Backsies Mike's old friend Anne asks for help with her own third challenge--and the news of how she discovered WOE.BEGONE raises the stakes for Mike.

Ep. 6: ONCE.wav Cannonball wants to work together with Mike to take down the person who knocked him out of second place; unfortunately for Mike, that person is Anne. Mike gets a bonus challenge.

Ep. 7: The Mechanification of Theory: A Plausible Methodology for Retrocausal Informatics Mike examines the writing of Aliza Schultz, meets with Cannonball again, and receives his fourth challenge.

Ep. 8: Limited Hangout Mike tries to figure out what Anne and Cannonball know without letting on what he knows--or is that just what he wants you, the listener, to think?

Ep. 9: Trailhead It turns out that Cannonball isn't who he said he was.

Ep. 10: Tell-All Mike's attempt at getting the better of the WOE.BEGONE game-runners is thwarted by a man he met on Scruff a gay long time ago.

Ep. 11: This is Only Temporary Mike completes the fourth challenge with a little help from his future self.

Ep. 12: Clearance Having proven himself to the WOE.BEGONE game runners, Mike receives a job offer from a mysterious government facility.

[chaseadrian]

i think i’ve talked about this before but i really find it so interesting how in ep. 8 when economos reveals adrian is a bus boy, he says “you’re giving stuff away about my secret identity” and not “true/real identity.”

like this man thinks his government name and daily life is his secret identity, and everything he does and is as vigilante is his real self. i just think it’s a fun little throwaway part of the character.

[xf-cases-solved]

S1E17: E.B.E.

Case: Bro, I watched and (mostly) paid attention to this episode, took notes on this episode, and read the Wikipedia page about this episode, and I'm still not 100% sure I know what happened in this episode. TL;DR, there might have been a UFO spotted, carrying an E.B.E. (extraterrestrial biological entity), and the shadow government might be trying to hide it. Or maybe the shadow government is trying to make them THINK that they're trying to hide it to distract them from ??? Deep Throat is telling the truth. Unless he's lying. Maybe he's telling half-truths. He lies to protect himself. Or maybe he lies to mislead Mulder. Maybe he's physically incapable of lying. Maybe he has never once been able to tell the truth. Maybe there are two Deep Throats and one only ever lies and the other only ever tells the truth and you have to solve his riddle. Whatever. That's for Mulder and Scully to deal with. The actual main purpose of this episode is—LONE GUNMEN INTRODUCTION!!! 

God, I love those sluts.

(Oh, also, at the beginning of the episode, some government officials are trying to get rid of Mulder and Scully, bc that's usually what happens, and instead of trying to be circuitous and Political™️, the guy just sighs, sounding super over it, and says, "Just go away." That's not relevant to the case or anything, I just thought it was really funny.)  

Does someone die in the cold open: Unclear. It's possible an alien was kerploded, but really, who's to say?

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Homie, idek if there was evidence to begin with. I don't even know if there was an actual CASE, or if this was just Mulder dragging Scully along for a fun extracurricular activity. 

Whodunit: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Convictions: lol

Did they solve it: No. They don't even get experience points. Fuck you.

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

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: The Lone Gunmen periodical—your monthly top news source for all things conspiracy. Who killed JFK? What's the government REALLY doing with all those AI devices? Have you checked your twenty dollar bills for any tracking devices lately?

Subscribe today to find out!

***

General Total Stats:

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

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 8 (streak ended)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me" phone calls: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 5 (i'll say that her not running after Mulder and ergo missing the entire scene with Deep Throat counts)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 5

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 6 

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 10 ("i think it's remotely plausible someone might think you're hot." excuse me, sir?? 😳😏 also, "you're the only one that i trust." like damn, use your inside voice. every time these two talk about trust, i feel like i'm watching their amateur porn)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 10 (there was a lot of deep throating in this episode, and no i will never be mature about that name so don't even ask)

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 2 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 1 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 2

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 1 (i might have missed some before this, bc i thought i was tracking this stat already, but apparently i wasn't. we're just gonna pretend otherwise tho, mk?)

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 2

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1 

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 1!!!

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 5½ (whatever. i know part of it took place in i think mb iraq? and then they were at the lone gunmen's house and the hoover building so they had to have been in DC too. so leave me alone 😔)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 4 (at the end of my notes on this episode, i literally wrote down "i have no idea what happened in that episode." and it was tru 😌)

[sailorbryant]

My Top 10 BL's of 2022

Cause why not.

10. Secret Crush on You

The cringe was real, but so was how much I didn't care and just enjoyed the shit out of this thing.

9. Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

It was a battle in my head between this one and Old Fashioned Cupcake, but I'm gonna go with Minato. They were both great shows, but damn the sexual tension between Minato and Shin was just *chef's kiss* and the ending was so freaking satisfying. Add in the cinematography, which I truly believe was off the charts, and you've got a great show that I've re-watched probably three times already.

8. Love in the Air

Was it Mame trash? Sure. Did I still adore it? Yes. I'm easy like that. Give me barely any plot and hand waving sexual assault, but throw in a daddy kink and a man bun, and I fold like a stack of cards apparently.

7. Rak Diao (One Love)

I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this, but here we are. A lot of people didn't watch or didn't like this show and that's fair. But I respectfully disagree. The laugh track blended in for me very quickly. I don't know if it was just the nostalgia factor or the just the surrealness of having a very 'sitcom' BL I do not know, but genuinely enjoyed this, and so sad it didn't get the ratings it deserved.

5. The Eclipse.

Just call me a sucker for a good ol' enemies to lovers, pro-lgbt, anti-authoritarian high school BL. Would probably be higher if the last couple of eps weren't so weird, but deserves to still be here for First crying alone.

6. My Tooth Your Love

Great show. Only complaints are the lack of focus on the side couples, but just genuinely adored the progress of the main's arc. Gonna be a feel good re-watch for a long time.

Therapy Recommendations?? In my BL?? It's more likely than you think!

4. Not Me

I don't know how I couldn't love this show honestly. Enemies to lovers, identity porn w/ twins, rag tag revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the government, Sing as a villain. Just, fuck, it was like it was written with me in mind. I'm glad OffGun are coming back, but damn this would've been a hell of a high note to go out on.

Be gay, do crimes, and steal my heart I guess.

3. Semantic Error

Are y'all starting to realize I have an enemies to lovers thing? Cause damn. Anyway.

People a lot more talented than me have written way longer and better pieces on how great this show was, but yeah, it rocked. I've rewatched it multiple times, and read the manhua (yuck). Only complaint is the same with any Korean show, not long enough, but even what little we got feels like a delicious four course meal.

2. KinnPorsche VegasPete

Don't take this as a slight on KinnPorsche, because I adore them, but VegasPete honestly ensnared me body and soul. It may be a symptom of the fact that VP got less screen time than KP, but damn. It's just an obsession I'll probably not going to be getting over any time soon, and I really don't want to.

The not joking around enemies to lovers plot, the daddy issues, the straight up not fucking joking around BDSM. I mean, come on???

WHERE IS SEASON 2 BOC??? WHERE IS IT???

1. Bad Buddy

What's that? Bad Buddy came out in 2021 and barely had any episodes in 2022? Sorry, I've suddenly gone deaf.

But seriously, none of that matters. What matters is that the last episode came out in 2022 and absolutely rocked my world. I took the day off WORK for that episode. I made @bluebladerose block off her calendar at work so as soon as the episode ended I could call her and scream about it uninterrupted (and she, at this point, had not watched the show or any other BL for that matter). I could barely even tell her what had happened, and just proceeded to CRY like a child about it from pure damn joy.

It was joy in the face of pain, it was choosing happiness and love in the face of everything. It was letting all of us little queer kids know that it is possible to keep your family AND the one you love. It said that love was friendship, and happiness, and made you stronger and better and was worth fighting for no matter that it's hard.

It was cathartic and beautiful and everything I ever wanted. I'll never get over it. As far as I'm concerned, the moment Pat opened that door to see Pran on the other side was a cultural reset and nothing else will ever compare.

Honorable Mentions:

Old Fashioned Cupcake. Fantastic. Only one kiss, but it's a doozy

Love Stage!! Probably should be on the TOP 10, but it's been so long since I watched it, and couldn't bring myself to fight for it over any of the other shows.

Cutie Pie. The very definition of PWP in TV form, but who cares when Zee looks like that. Damn.

Unlucky-Kun must Kiss. Cute. Feel good. Did not live up to the High heat promise from the earlier episodes, but still good rewatch value.

Roommates of Poongduck 304. Cute. Loved it being about adults. Loved it.

Triage. Unf. So good.

Between Us & My School President Will be on the Top 10 list for 2023

Dishonorable Mentions that should be burnt in a fire:

The Miracle of Teddy Bear. The only good thing to come from this show was @bluebladerose's increasing horror as I spent four hours I spent explaining the plot to her and also this screenshot which was my background for a week.

(Yes, okay, there were some good parts and I did enjoy the dynamic with the mom as someone who is currently dealing with an aging mother, but also jfc I'm a good person and did not deserve that ending.)

See you all in 2023!

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 140: The Magician and the Politician

Now that Peachy was “Colonel Lawbourne” and almost in control at the precinct, it was time to prepare the final moves of the Landgraab solution.

His next planned step was looping in his great-great-grandfather Don. Ever since seeing Nancy at Don’s wedding he knew the immortal senior Lothario had some past connection to the secret criminal mastermind. Was it a connection that might help shut her down?

Jack’s conversation with Geoffrey at the Winterfest party had confirmed that tie and also revealed a relationship with the family’s ancestral politician Thorne Miller. Peachy decided to hit both angles at once, asking his father to summon Grandpa Thorne while he called Grandpa Don over to visit.

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Don and Thorne were surprised but happy to see one another again. The boys set out some snacks and asked the two ancestors what they knew about the mighty Landgraab matriarch and her long-time spouse. Peachy trusted his great grandfathers and hoped they would be straight with him.

Jack hadn’t grown up thinking of the men as “Grandpa” and had an easier time seeing the human anxiety and embarrassment in the glance the two exchanged as Peachy asked about their past connections with Nancy. There was clearly more to this tale than they usually liked to tell.

Don sighed, saying he’d go first and “get it over with”.

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At that time in his life, Don explained, long before he settled down with Peachy’s great grandmother, he was a bartender. People looking to feel good came to him for a lot more than the usual fizzy drinks, and his supplier and protector had been none other than Nancy Landgraab.

She had a deep stock of advanced mind-altering goods for him to distribute and was shockingly good at keeping law enforcement away. Many wealthy and well-respected Sims forgot their troubles with his assistance, including one budding young politician.

Thorne coughed delicately, admitting that he’d needed a little help to get over leaving his pregnant childhood sweetheart at the alter. The two usually claimed to have met at a charity fundraiser, but really, Don had been Thorne’s dealer of choice, the man who helped keep his sorrows at bay.

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When Geoffrey appeared on Thorne’s campaign trail it had seemed a chance meeting with a fellow believer in his green political platform. Soon the Landgraabs had become key benefactors, managing organizations that let wealthy families and businesses contribute more, under better tax conditions.

Thorne’s jovial demeanor then turned solemn. Nancy had seemed great, but her “research groups” and the special interests that made his policies popular and effective had a dark side that became more and more obvious as he got closer to the position of National Leader. Her support for his ecological reforms required him to support initiatives of hers, initiatives that were sometimes quite complicated and shady.

His attempt to break free of her influence led her to threaten to expose all his regrets, from his abandoned son to secret videos of his substance abuse.

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Thorne was unwilling to throw his old friend and their son into the spotlight and worried that the scandal would undermine his political standing.

He’d gone along with most of Nancy’s demands and found a reliable ally in Geoffrey, who stepped in to keep his wife from insisting on her more problematic ideas and pushed to keep the original environmental goals as a priority. The governing he did, even with Nancy’s unwanted influence, was ultimately something he was proud of.

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Don said he had no idea that Nancy had been blackmailing their clients for using the very same substances she had ultimately been providing.

She was a smooth operator, persuasive and friendly most of the time, but ruthless when she needed to be. Don had gone straight after meeting Violet, and Nancy only let up on the pressure to keep servicing his important clients (including some not so veiled threats about telling his new family about his past) when he “gifted” her a copy of all the details of their business arrangement. He’d said it was to make it easy to replace him, but he knew it also proved he held secrets of hers she might not want to see the light of day.

Strangely, a little threatened dose of her own medicine seemed to strengthen their friendship. Maybe Nancy had spent so long leveraging secrets for power that it was the kind of relationship she trusted most. It was something to bear in mind if they hoped to rein her actions in.

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In the end the two old friends agreed to help Jack and Peachy in their quest, from providing details about Nancy’s shady past they had each learned while in her orbit to helping with any small tasks that might wind up being key to limiting the damage of the Landgraab political and criminal machine.

Thorne also suggested that, when they were ready to take her down, they should make sure Geoffrey understood the trouble they could make for his wife if she didn’t comply. He seemed to love her dearly and Thorne was sure he’d be the sim best able to keep her from lashing out.

When Luigi began to fuss for his midnight feeding the four men said their goodbyes and parted. As they headed to the nursery to soothe their son Jack and Peachy agreed the nights revelations seemed like a key step to ending Nancy’s reign of terror and they couldn’t be happier.

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