#I finally gonna watch the last 4 episodes chill and draw

[princesscallyie]

Man this shot is so sick

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

AAAALRIGHT

I am SO tired, my brain feels fried and I think i’m starting to have the beginnings of a headache but heck it this is the last ep until the special and my bros wanna watch it and i need a pick-me-up so LETS GO

I’ve been told i”m supposed to find a version with the theme song so lemme just YUP FOUND ONE

Okay okay  Monkie Kid season 4 episode 10  The Jade Emperor TIIIMEEEEE

so given that people were insisting I find the theme song I assume there were some changes. My bro’s and I were talking about it and I think our guess was Azure had swapped with the Jade Emperor for evil villain bit of the theme, OH AND my youngest bro suggested ink stuff was replaced by azure and the bros so right at the end there its mk and the crew facing off against them instead of inky versions of themselves TIME TO SEE IF WE’RE RIGHT ABOUT EITHER OF THOSE THINGSGLKSDFJSDF

heck

I

I pressed play and ;-;

gosh

I missed this theme song so much

MY BELOVED MONKIE KID THEME

SEROTONIN AT ITS GREATEST

mk still got swk’s shadow right at the start so that’s not different

Okay mostly the same so far

I’m about to ry over the fact i haven’t heard the theme in so long LOOK MAN THE EPS ARE JUST NOT THE SAME IF YOU DON’T LISTEN TO THE THEME EVERY TWO EPS IT JUST DOENS’T HIT AS HARD

o

oh ;-;

Ao Lie

Beloved |;-;/

it he

ok so that bits different and I miss him every day so much i will cry right hecking now

KAY HANG ON I HAVEN’T WATCHED THE THEME SONG ENOUGH THIS SEASON I’VE ONLY SEEN IT TWICE AND MY BRAIN IS FUZZY RN I NEED A REVIEW OF WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE PIGSY AND SANDY ARE NOW IN THE BACKGROUND AS THEIR CHILLED OUT JTTW SELVES— YEAH OKAY I CHECKED AND YUP I LOVE THAT I WILL CRY

OOP

SKIPPED OUT ON THE AZURE LOOKING UP AT WUKONG

OKAY

YEAAAAHHHH THERE IT IS

AZURE REPLACING THE JADE EMPEROR AS THE SUPPOSED VILLIAN LIKE

NOW THAT YOU KNOW CONFIRMED HE’S THE VILLIAN OF THE SEASON HERE HE IS

TOOK UNTIL EP 10 FOR IT BUT Y’KNOW JLFJKSDF

WELL THAT’S FUN

everything about the same there

AHA

AHA

I KNEW IT

well technically i didn’t guess it this time my bros did but WHAT A CALL

WE WAS RIGHT

NICE THEME LOOKING SHARP EVERYBODY 10/10

also I think it’s illegal how Azure’s the new macaque in the sense you can just SEE the animation and the way he’s drawn makes him the favourite you can SEE it and its SO FUNNYGHSLK;FJSDF

OKAY OKAY HERE WE GO

HECK I’M EXCITED

s

stop

STOP NO

NOGNG;KLSNDFAWFBO;AIWNFEO;GOA;WEFOAMF

EXCUSE ME

WHAT IS THIS

WHATGBS;KFLMA;OWIGWEBFS;FMF

I’M

HEGFNFSD;MAWE WHEEZING

I’M CHOKINGBF;LKAM;OWAENGO;IAMF

DID MACAQUE MAKE THIS HISMELF?? THIS IS WHAT HE WANTED TO SHOW MK?? I’M ON THE FLOOR??

THE BADLY DRAWN ABS

THE ANIME EYES

THE EDGY HAIR

THE DORITO PHYSIC

IM GBB;ASDMFAOWIEFBF;KLMSDL;KASDF

THIS IS

THIS

HELPGMN;LASKFMASF

HE FR MADE HIS OWN GAME HUH

WHGHSDFKLJASDF

WHY

HOW

THE LOW QUALITY AUDIO

S IR ???

HIS EYEBROWS PLEASE;LKM;AOEWF

MK IS LITERALLY ME

WHAT AM I LOOKING AT RN

THE BLUSH???

HELP??

THE STARS AND SPARKLES;GMASFEW

I’M DYING;DSLKFMAWE F

MACAQUE’S FLAT EXPRESSION SITTING ON THE CHAIR

IT FR IS A LOW BUDGETHGS;LFJS HELPGJLSDFJSD

THE MONKEY ON MACAQUES HEAD I’MGNS;DLKFMWE

“on your joinery, you’ll see its the choices yOU make, that determine who you are” NICE ADVICE I’MGNSDLFKM

OH THIS IS EXCITING WE’RE FINALLY GONNA SEE A BIT OF MACAQUE TEACHING WHEN HE’S NOT TRYING TO STEAL POWERS, SO REAL ACTUAL TEACHING FROM HIM LETS GOOOO

heck

Mk ;-;

I

I CANTNGKSFMAOWEIF

“You know what— just play the game.” BRUHS REALLY “look kid, you’re a mess. just play the game.” ALSO I’M SORRY WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO DRAW MACAQUE THAT FLOOFY THERE

TAHT IS EXTRA FLOOFY MACAQUE

HE SOUNDS SO SMUG WHEN HE SAYS HE PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS

I’MBG;SDKLFMAF

HE DID MAKE IT

MACAQUE MADE THIS HIMSELF I’M DYING;LSDKFMWEF

HE DREW HIMSELF LIKE THAT I CANTNGSKMDFAIEMF

“oh no yeah i can DEFINITELY see that” I’MGNSD;FMKSDF

OH OKAY

WHIPLASH THEN

GOING FROM MK AND MACAQUES INCREDIBLE VIDEO GAME TO FIGHT IN THE CELESTIAL REALM OKAY

UH UH OKAY UH

EVERYONE’S DOWN BUT NEZHA AND RED SON MAYBE?

I JUST WANT SOME FIRE FIGHT SCENES PLS

I feel like i need to go back and re-address whatever the heck is Macaque’s video game because mY GODS

Okay nah we’re in mid battle

UM

AZURE IS WAY TOO HYPE WITH THIS SCROLL ON HIS SIDE HE CAN JUST SNIPE EVERYBODY WITHOUT MOVING

ALSO ARE THEY ALL GONNA GET SUCKED IN AND RUN INTO MONKEY KING?? THAT’D BE FUNNY

I KNOW HIS PIECE IS BROKEN I’M JUST HGSLJFSDF

“STAND YOUR GROUND” AS EVEYRONE’S RUNNIGNGNL;SKMFDS

(side-note did macaque make that game just for mk?? I’MGNSD;FKML)

OH

OH HELLO WAIT

ARE WE GONNA GET A NEZHA REACTION??

PLS I BEG OF YOU

REACT TO

HECK YOU DIDN’T REACT TO THE SWK THING

NOOOOOOOOO

RED SOOOOOOONNNN

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NEZHAAAAAA

SCREEAAAMSSS

HECK OKAY

IT KEEPS ZOOMING IN ON MONKEY KINGS BROKEN PIECE, BUT NOBODY HAS REACTED TO IT WHY KEEP ZOOMING IN SO MUCH IF NOBODY’S GONNA HECKING REACT YOU ARE KILLING ME HERE

why’s azure so op man JHG;LSDKJFSDF

HECK BRO THERE GOES RED SON

OH WOW HE WAS SCREAMING NO WHEN HE WENT IN THERE THAT’S WILD

HECK RIGHT THREE DIFFERENT THINGS TO VISIT

HECK WE’RE A MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS IN AND WE’VE ALREADY VISTED ALL THREE GROUPS HECK DANG

OKAY

I

.

s

hang on i need to go back to re-watch that bit i was too busy staring at SANDYBGDS;LKFMAWOEF

SHIFU PLEASE

HE’S ABSOLUTELY COVERED IN STARS I’M CRYINGSDFLK;MAE

AW

AW I’M SO PROUD OF PIGSY HE HAS THREE

TANG HAS TWO HE’S DOING SO GOOD

I’M GUESSING MEI HAS NONE I’M JUST

OH THESE BELOVEDS

oh can Mei like sense something is happening?? LIKE WAIT THAT WAS GOLD CAN SHE FEEL EVEYR TIME MK FLICKERS?????

OH THAT’D BE SO NEAT WAIT

;-; no stars for Mei

OH WOW MEI READY TO FIGHT HIM HUH

I GET THE FEELING

SORRY I’M NARRATING NOTHIGN ELSE MY HEAD IS SO EMPTY

BUT LITERALLY I GET THE FEELING EVERY TIME SANDY OPENS HIS MOUTH HE GETS ANOTHER STAR I’M CRYINGNSDF;LKAM;FOWEF

MEI NOOOOOOO

I’M ALL FOR HELPIGN BUT NOOOOO

SHIFU ACTUALLY SEEMS TO KNOW A THING OR TWO COME BAAAACK

hm maybe she’ll figure out what he was trying to teach after they get the crap beaten out of them… I DUNNO GUESS WE’LL SEE

IT’D BE NEAT IF SHE HAS A MOMENT OF LIKE “now seemed like the right time for action” AND SAVED THE DAY MOMENT IN THE SPECIAL OR SOMETHIGN

HECK WELL ANYWAY MOVING ON

I’m telling you the star on Tang’s head? he got a headpat and that’s how it got thereHGLKSAJDF

oh OH IS MEI GONNA DO MACHINE MOMENT? :D

WHOAH WAIT WABG;LSDKFMAWE

WHAT

W HAT WAITGJLKDSF

HIS STARSGSL;DKFMWE

OUT OF GNSFMLSKF

HJELP

I THOUGHT IW AS GONNA BE MEI WAITBGSDFM;AFOMWEF

CHOKINGL;SKDFMSDF

FR JUST MADE SOMETHING OUT HIS STARSGSJLDF

YEAAAHHH SANDY STYLING SUNGLASSES

.

oh yeah that’ll be slow

OH???

OH TANG???

OH THEY’VE GOT THIS

THEY FR GOT SOME SKILL

OH YEAH NO BUT THEY’RE DEAD

HELPGMLSDFD

THANKS FOR THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE SHIFU

LOVE YOU

ALSO I LOVE THEM ALL GETTING THEIR OUTFITS BACK ON AND MEI’S SIGH OF RELEIF AND COMFORT I’M ALL GOOD TOTALLY FINE

CALLING NEZHA DEMON CHILD YEAH OOF

HECK ARE THOSE FEATHERS??

HECK U AZURE

YOU AND YOUR SELF RIGHTEOUS “pLeAsE lIstEn I’m RiGhT” SHUT UR BLUE GUM BALL MOUTH

oh wow

heck bro Nezha sure is Nezha

its worth four more of that SURE IS A LINE

HE SURE AINT’ STOPPING

OH NO

HELPGMSDLFMSD

NEZHA’S JUST W HA  T

MEI’S NARRATION

HELPGNMXLFKEM

STEPPED HIM IN TEH FACEGN;LSDKFMD

I’M WHEEZINGNS;DLFKMAWOEF

YEAH

GET HIIM ABCK

GET HIM BACK

YOU’RE NOT GONNA IN I JUST WANT AZURE’S HANDS OFF OF MONKEY KING

WHAT AN ENTERENCE THO HECK HOLD UP

PIGSY AND SANDY ACTUALLY BLOCKED THOSE GUYS HECK

THE ANNOUNCER VOICE

THE BLIMP

I’MGNSD;FKMSDF

PLEASE

MEI STANDING ON TOP OF IT LIKE THAT

HECK OKAY YES BACK TO

TANG HELPING NEZHA

SORRY MY BRIAN I SO SLOW AND IT FEELS LIKE THERE’S SO MUCH I’M MISSING COMMENTING ON GHDFLKJSDF

I’M SURE THEY’LL BE FINE

HELP THEM TAANG

NOOOOOOOOO

oh he stepped over it okay

i just don’t want him to touch it

HECK NEZHA

HECK BRUH

HE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO BLOCK THE SCROLL BITS THO THAT’S IMPRESSIVE CONSIDERING LITERALLY NO ONE HAS MANAGED TO DO THAT YET

MEI STEPPING ON AZURE’S FACE IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY MONTH THANK YOU

NOGHFKJLSDF

HELP

BACK TO MACAQUE’S GAMENGLSKDMFAOGNW;AFM

IM

I’M CHOKING WHAT THE CRAPGBDFLK;MAOEBNOFAWEM

W

WHAT

HELPGMLKDFMAWE

WHAT KINDA

HELPGNSDLKFMAOWEF

I’M

HELPGNSLD;KFM;AOWEF

THE I HAVE A FAMILY MOMENT FR HGSDLKFJ;AOWIEFMSAF

THE EVIL MONKEY BACKGROUND?? YOU BECAME EVIL MOMENT?? HELP?? IS THIS SUPPSOED TO HELP THE LAD I’MGNSD;LFKMAOWEF

M A C A Q U E UGSDFSALDKFJ

I THINK I SEE WHAT HE’S DOING HERE LIKE, WATCH WHO YOU THINK IS THE VILLIAN BUT ALSO WHAT IS HAPPENIGN RN

whoever drew that evil mk there tho went OFF i’d like to shake their hand

MK FR LIKE

B R O

YOU SAID THIS WOULD HELP ME FEEL NOT LIKE A MONSTER AND IT IS LITERALLY TELLING ME I AM ONE OVER AND OVERBGKDSMFAWOE

PLEASE

MACAQUE MAN WHATCHU DOINGNGL;KDMFDS

HELPGN;SDKFMA;WOIEFBAWEM

HEYYYY UR FINALLY GETTING IT

I SEE WHAT HE’S DOING

BUT ALSO

ITS SO FREAKING FUNNY

AYYY ITS BEEN HOURS OF FEELING LIKE YOU’RE FAILING BUT THAT’S THE POINT, YOU’RE ALWAYS GONNA FAIL SO WHY CARE RIGHT? JUST DO YOUR BEST? IS THAT THE LESSON? I’M JUSTBGSD;KLFMAWEO

PLS

PLEEEAASSE

CONGRATS MACAQUE YOU WENT THROUGH MORE EFFORT THAN USUAL TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DIRTY DIRTY DIRT DIRT

THE APPLAUSE ON THE WAY OUT

I’M WHEEZINGSLDKFMD

Snarky mk is actually everything to me GO OFF MAN GET SOME OF THAT OUT YOU DESERVE THAT AFTER EVERYHTING MY GOODNESS

WHATS WITH THAT EYE ROLL MACAQUGBSDLKFMWEF

YOU CAN’T ROLL YOUR EYES AT HIM YOU’VE GASLIT, MANIPULATED, BETRAYED AND HARMED HIM OVER AND OVER YOU CAN’T BE ROLLING YOUR EYES WHEN HE DOESN’T IMMEDEATELY GET THAT YOU’RE ACTUALLY TRYING OT HELP THIS TIME WATCH YOSELF OLD MAN

HELPGHLSD;FJS;DAF

ALRIGHT MISERY KID

THE BANANA

MACAQUE PLEASEKLMGAEFW

they’re totally on flower fruit mountain chilling rn Macaque did you just move in to Monkey Kings place i’mGN;LAWKMEF

“you’re SUPPOSED to realize”

kind of a weird convoluted way to make a point don’t you think? I’MGNL;DSKMFAOWF

YEAH YOU GOT A POINT

this is so funny

The way they’re writing macaque rn feels like older brother vibes, y’know what i mean? I’m not saying i assign him older brother moment it’s just the way its kay well you didn’t learn it yourself here’s the answer do better sheesh why so grumpy like, mildly annoyed at him because he’s rolling his eyes at a very traumatized lad who he helped truamatize but its neat a very interesting approach they’r going for here

and if i had enough brain rn, i’d be like trying to analyze more of how Macaque teaches but he seems a bit impatient, but at the same time its nice that he’s giving the answer? but also the answer often sticks better when the student figures it out on their own, still, BRUH REALLY MADE MK FEEL LIEK A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR A COUPLE HOURS HUH IG THAT’S ONE WAY TO DO IT MACAQUE PLEASELGMASOFEW

H

HELLO?????

THE ART ON THE ROCK???

HELP???

I’M???

WHEBG;KMF;AOWEFO;IAGMEWF

WELL THAT’S CUTE THAT ALSO TELLS ME MONKEY KINGS AN INCREDIBLE ARTIST AND HE DID INDEED MAKE HIS OWN GAME HE DREW ALL THAT Y’ALL IF MACAQUE DREW HIS AND THAT’S HIS ARTSTYLE THAN I STRAIGHT UP THINK MONKEY KING ACTUALLY MADE ALL HIS THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY ACTUALLY I LOVE TAHT HE’S GOT A CREATIVE OUTLET IF THAT’S THE CASE BLESS

you don’t wanna fight azure because people might get hurt, you don’t wanna not fight azure because people might get hurt, so DO SOMETHING ELSE

ALSO ITS SUCH A SILLY FRIEND MOMENT TO DRAW YOURSELVES ON A ROCK HANGING OUT I’MGNSFL;KMSDF

actually mans got a fair point

think outside the box other people drew around you moment

good advice!

not sure what else he can do other than fight but i’m looking forward to finding out!!

HECK I’M ONLY JUST OVER HALFWAY DONE I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN HERE FOR HOURS PLEASEL;KGMAOFE

THIS SHOW AGES ME YOU GUYSGBDF;LKMSDF

I LOVE IT BUT HECK DUDE

okay so the flickering at the start with Mei was the celestial realm battle and not Mk, gotcha gotcha

the way they draw Mk this season is just ;-; heck bro

yeah tho Mk’s so afraid of doing something wrong and being assigned a thing its only you can decide what you are. WELL, Macaque, as you can see that worked out great for Monkey king- jHGL;SKDJFASDF ACTUALLY NAH UYEAH I’M THINKING ABOUT THAT, CAUSE HE’S TRYING SO HARD TO DECIDE WHO HE IS AND NOTHIGN HE DOES EVER GOES RIGHT BY THE LOOKS OF IT I’M JUST HECK BRUH  might not be as good advice as i’m assuming here actually especially if Mk gets treated anything like monkey king, SORRY BRAIN FUZZY I DN’T KNOW HALF OF WHAT I’M SAYING RN MOVINH ON

OKAY BACK TO THE BATTLE

WHO’S ALL GETTING SNIPED

heck the “he cannot” MAN

THEYR’E ALL TRYING

mei looks pretty fine actually

NEZHA FR JUST DOING HIS BESTNGKMF

OH CRY

I WILL CRY

I SOB MOMEMNT

OH OH OH OKAY PAUSE TIME OUT TAP OUT WIAT WAIT

PAUSE

PAUSE

I NEED TO WAIT WAI T WAITBSEMKAW

STIM FOR A SEC

SHAKING

POKAY

OKAY

THAT WHOLE DIOLOGUE EXCHANGE WITH NEZHA DEFENDING THE EMPEROR IS SO GOOD

HECK

HECK

HECK HECK

OKAY

THINKING

OKAY STAY CALM

MK TIME

HE’S SO FAST

I’M GONNA SCREAM

IS THAT MK????? ?

BECAUSE DANG

DANG

DANG BRUH

YEAAHHHNSDFK

OH I’M SCREAMING

OHHHH AZURE GOT SONIC ROAR MOMENT

SCREAMIGN FR THE CLOUD

HE SNATCHE CLOUD OH MY GODS

OH HE’S STILL FLICKERING

JUST GO FULL MONKEY MK

“even you” WHY DOES HE

heck this is like mac all over again but slightly to the left SIR WDYM EVEN YOU HE’S JUST SOME KID HOW’D YOU GET ATTTATCHED TO HIM SO FAST-

oh actually nah i get it it’s mk he’s very wonderful and you can’t help but like him immediately i get it please continue

NOT HERE TO FIGHT YOU AFTER YOU PUNCHED HIM LIKE THREE TIMESMGLSDKFAWEF

COME ON AZURE I’MGNL;DFKMA

WHEEZING

HE ALWAYS LOOKS SO DEVESTAED THIS LION GUY

WON’T STOP HIM THO

HE’S IN THE RIGHT AFTER ALL

kay

relaaax i can be relaxed and calm

HECK BRO

WHO DREW THAT AZURE YOU KNOW THE ONE

MESSY HAIR LIKE THAT SCRUFFY LOOKING WHO’S RESPONCIBLE FOR THISNGSL;KMFAWOEF

OKAY YEAH NICE THROW LIFE AWAY MOMENT

HECK MR.TANG MK HOW DOES HE KONW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT NEZHA ARE YOU ALL BEING TRANSPORTED AWAY WHATS THE PLAN HERE YOU CAN’T JUST DIP CAN YOU??

BIG BOOM SWORD

HECK CRACKED OPEN

AZURE LITERALLY BLASTED HIS BROS BACK

WELL THEY’RE ON THEIR FEET NOW

O H

OH THEY MADE IT???

IS THE JADE EMPEROR ACTUALLY GONNA GET SNIPED??

.

they can’t do that can they??

WELP

I

I’m sorry

Azure right there “I do not care by which means you meet your demise old man” HE SOUNDS LIKE AN EDGY RUNAWAY TEEN?? I’M SORRY HE SOUNDS LIKE THE EDGY TEENAGER WHO STORMED OUT ON THE PARENT AFTER A FIGHT STRAIGHT UP GHBDSFAKMFEW

HOOOLY CRAP

WHAT IS THAT

WHAT’S WITH THE

LOOK HOW TERRIFED PENG AND YELLOWTUSK ARE

HECK ???

ppppppfffooo

w o w

THE JADE EMPEROR

DANG

THAT WAS

D A NG

WOW THAT EXCHANGE WAS SOMETHING

THE MAN

BRU H

THE WAY EVERYHTIG SHOOK WHEN HE TOOK HIS SWORD OUT

WOW THAT WAS WILDIN

HECK BRO

HECK

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEYR’E GONNA DO WITH ALL THIS

AWWW MAC HANGING OUT WITH THE MONKEEEYYYY

that’s cute good for you man, you moved in to Flower Fruit mountain fr HGLSDK;FJ

OKAY NEZHA’S PROBABLY GONNA BE MAD

GROUP HUG

I’M WILL CRY

INSTANTLY

NO HESITATION

HE IS SCOOPED

HE LOOKS SO STARTLED

PLS PIGSY IS SO SQUISHED

SH

SHUT UP

SHUTUPSUTGNFKWEM

I’M

S O N

HE SAID THE THING I’M GOING TO CRY

HE CALLED HIM SON

MK JUST

CRYING TO SEE HIS SON

SMILIGN

HECK

I’M NEVER OKAY

I’M NOT OKAY

THE FIRST THING PIGSY DOES WHEN HE SEES HIM AGAIN AND HAS A MOMENT IS CALL HIM SON THE FIRST THING HE DOES IS CALL HIM SON YOU GUYS I AM MENTALLY UNWELL

HE FR DIDNT’ GET A CHANCE TO SAY IT WHEN HE JUST DIPPED AND JUST HECK HE’S PROBABLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT

Y’ALL ITS DADSY FOR THE WIN AND NOBODY ELSE

OH YUP NEZHA MAD

ITS OKAY MAN MK DOES HAVE A POINT

YOU WOUDL HAVE JUST DIED AND WE ALL WOULD HAVE BEEN SAD

OKAY

OKAY

OKAY

BE CALM BE COOL BE CHILL

MONKEY KING MOMENT

PLEASE OKAY SO EPS ALMOST OVER THEY ENED TO GET INTO THE SCROLL AND GET MONKEY KING

HECK

HECK THEY MIGHT AHVE TO HYP[E HIM UP I’LL BE HE’S FEELING AWFUL

ECK HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET HIM OUT

HECK HECK EHCK

MONKEY KIIIIINGGG

CRIES SOBS

WOW HE’S NOT DEFEATED WITH ONE BLOW IS HE???

BRUH???

OH COME ON

OH WOW

EVERYBODY FELT THAT ONE

OH WOW

AZURE GETS?? POWERS???

DANG??????

CRACK IN THE PLACE

WHAT THE CRAP I SALL THIS

WOW

BRUH FR WENT FOR THAT MUCH CLEAVAGE HUH

THEY FR JUST KILLED THE JADE EMPEROR???

DID NOT SEE THAT COMING

U H

WELL

MONKEY KING GO GET HIM

I AM

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME SOME MONKEY KING THOUGHTS

LIKE PLEASE HAVE THEM NEEDING TO TALK HIM INTO DOING IT BCAUSE HE’S SO CRUSHED RN PLEASE I NEED TO HEAR FROM MONKEY KING HOW HE’S DOING SO HE STOPS BEING MADE INTO A MASTER WU TYPE CHARACTER WHO’S JUST THE MENTOR WHO KEEPS MKAING THIGNS WORSE I JUST NEED YOU TO SHOW AND NOT TELL US ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHAT HE IS SO THAT I CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT BECAUSE IT IS DOING A NUMBER ON ME AS A MONKEY KING ENJOYER TO HAVE HIM BASHED SO MUCH P L E A SE

also WHO’S GONNA BE THE NEXT JADE EMPEROR AFTER THEY DEFEAT AZURE?? MK??? MONKEY KING??? NEZHA??? LIKE?? WHATS THEIR PLAN HERE????

THEY FR JUST SNIPED EVERYHTING HUH

WELL DONE WITH THE WHOLE GOTTA PICK OPTOINS OUTSIDE THE BOX BECAUSE LITERALLY I AHVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY’RE GONNA DO NEXT HECK

YOU BETTER GIVE ME A HYPE UP MONKEY KING MOMENT PLEASE I BEG OF YOU I NEED HIM SHOWN AS AN ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED MAN COME O N

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BRAIN AFTER THIS????????

HOW DID AZURE BEAT HIM IN ONE HIT???

WHAT IS HAPPENING??????

Heck bro okay

WELP

I’M CAUGHT UP NOW

IG YOU’LL BE SEEING MORE OF ME POSSIBLY NOW THAT I AM

MAYBE NOT I’M SO DRAINED FROM FAMILY STUFF THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING BUT MY G O D S

WHAT WAS THAT ??? ???? ?? ? ?? ? ? ?? ?

WHAT WAS THATBGSDLFKMAOWEF

ARE THEY LIKE?? ALLOWED TO KILL THE JADE EMPEROR OFF LIKE THAT??? IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS FIGURE JUST SNIPED??? MONKIE KID????? IS THAT ALLOWED??????

ARE THEY GONNA BRING HIM BACK???

U H?????

OKAY WELL

I DUNNO WHAT THAT WAS

I ENJOYED IT?? I THINK?? MY MIND IS ALL OVER THE PLACE RN ITS HARD TO TELL

I WANNA SEE MORE MONKEY MK

MK ON THE CLOUD I DIDN’T APPRECIATE THAT ENOUGH EHCK

WE DIDN’T GET ANYONE TO REALLY REACT TO MONKEY KING BEING HECK

H E C K

|;A;/

I DUNNO WHATS HAPPENIGN ANYMROE AND I’NM NTO SURE WHAT TO FEEL

U H  

EVERYTHING IS FINE

HOW ARE THEY GONNA FIX ALL THIS IN THE SPECIAL???

HEY I HAVE FAITH IN THE CREW, THEY CAN CRAM A SUTPID AMOUNT OF STUFF IN AN EP SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THEY’RE GONNA NAIL THIS I’M JUST

HOW ARE THEY GONNA MANAGE THIS??

AND WILL THEY EVEN MANAGE IT?? CAUSE I DUNNO WHERE THEIR FOCUS IS HECK EHCK BSD;FKMWE

THOUGHTS SCATTERED, HEAD EMPTY I’M GONNA NEED TWO DAYS TO RECOVER WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT KNOX OUT

[dorky-thighchi]

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT DAISUGA AND CANON MOMENTS

Let’s appreciate these two for leading the team to the nationals (long post ahead)

1. Their goals and hard work for the team:

They’re always shown together planning for the team. When Asahi stopped playing volleyball, Noya got suspended, former coach Ukai stopped coaching. I felt bad for these two, they went through hard times as their captain and vice captain it’s their obligation to unite and guide the team. During their first year and second year they were used to failure and called flightless crows. Their expectations crumpled but they did not give up. It’s Daichi and Suga’s job to bring back the name of Karasuno to the nationals with the help of coach Ukai and Takeda, finally they made it to nationals, that’s why their former captain was so proud of them because they followed his words. When they didn't have their coach yet, they behaved as Karasuno’s temporary coaches (thank goodness Takeda’s an angel). Daichi was shown coaching the team in the first few episodes and Suga helped Tanaka bond Kageyama and Hinata. Suga questioned Daichi’s plan about the weird duo (Daichi’s a matchmaker) but after what Daichi said he helped the two bond and honed their skills.

In the HQ light novel “Melancholy of the third year student”, Asahi stated “with Sawamura leading the team and Sugawara taking care of the members, what could i possibly do to contribute” he witnessed Daichi and Suga walking together in the hallway; Asahi was impressed because of their dedication to guide the team to the nationals despite they’re in college prep class still they gave their best in guiding the team. Tanaka also acknowledged his senpais hard work that’s why he extremely respects his senpais, he was always there supporting the two. Coach Ukai madly respects Suga because he gave his setter position to Kageyama for the sake of the team and Daichi because he’s the best in motivating the team. 

2. They know each other so well: 

Daichi has this proud mode when he talks about Suga. When he told the team that Suga’s an experienced setter he had this “Yes that’s my amazing setter” face and when Suga did that amazing spike he jumped like a kid. In the HQ light novel “Sugawara’s decision” this happened during the first training camp. Suga was anxious to tell Daichi of his plan to give his setter position to Kageyama. When Suga finally told Ukai about his decision, Daichi and Asahi overheard their conversation and promised to win any match as much as they can. When Suga stated “I think in order to win, the person we need right now is Kageyama” Daichi and Asahi expressed their concern because the three promised to step on the court together (i get so emotional when the 3rd yrs play together). Daichi was worried and he told Suga that they can do something about it. THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE HQ LNs because of what Suga thought after their discussion “He was glad to have sawamura who accepted him the way he is, as his teammate” AND I FUCKIN LOST IT HQ LN SHOULD BE ANIMATED. Daichi supported Suga’s decision for the team, “Daichi was very certain of Suga who had been with him for the past 3 years”, he even stopped Tanaka from interrupting Suga’s monologue telling him to listen. 

Remember when Ukai announced the first lineup for dateko vs karasuno match and the shot was focused to Suga and back to Daichi; you can see Daichi did this weird eye thing glancing at Suga. Daichi’s proud moments of Suga were “I think you’ve revived too Suga” and “I’m glad you still want to fight” when he told Daichi “I do wish my tosses could’ve played a part in the victory”. When Asahi and Noya stopped coming to the team, the only members left were Suga, Daichi and the 2nd years. Suga also took the blame and Daichi was there for him. He was shown secretly listening to Yamaguchi and Suga’s conversation about the mop (and comforted him that he shouldn't blame himself. I’m kinda disappointed they didn't include this in the anime). These panels show their trust and respect for each other.

He cant even dare to hurt Suga (but lets Suga punch him anytime) and he knows when Suga goes to overthinking mode. Also Suga knows Daichi so well i think i’m gonna cry. Scolding Daichi when he was not vocal during the game; Suga’s known for being the only one who can lecture Daichi. When Daichi told Suga and Asahi that it’s better to hand over the team to the 2nd yrs, Suga knew Daichi didn't mean that; Daichi felt hopeless because they lost again. He knew Daichi wanted to stay and play volleyball and step on the orange court. 

He’s also used to Daichi’s stern mode. Daichi was also shown being the one who can keep Suga in control like “Suga please calm down”. Their relationship isn’t fully conveyed in the anime but i’m thankful that creators created drama cds, light novels, extras, spin-offs and haikyuu stage play to let us know more about the characters.

 3. The team parents: 

They always discuss about their team members like Suga asking Daichi about Kageyama and Hinata (kagehina bond ep) and Tsukishima. In the haikyuu drama cds “what if karasuno’s manager isn’t shimizu kiyoko” and “the reason behind the t-shirts” they were worried about entrusting the manager’s job to Tanaka, Noya and Hinata. When the team was hungry because Kiyoko wasn’t there, Suga told Daichi to take action so he assigned the weird duo to buy foods for the team and they were the ones who planned for the names of the shirts with the help of Noya, Kiyoko was pissed at the two because they were busy thinking of their own shirts. In the haikyuu light novel “the last summer vacation” (Sources: 1|2) Suga watched the team with worry on his face because it was so hot so he approached Daichi and expressed his concern that the team will get sick from the heat. Coach Ukai overheard the discussion and called a meeting. They’re usually seen together in every scene in the anime, stage play, haikyuu light novel, extras, manga, spin-offs and drama cds, scolding Tanaka, Noya, Hinata, Kageyama and Tsukishima; discussing volleyball stuffs; and buying pork buns for the team. In the lets haikyuu and extras (hq spin-off) it’s actually semi-canon they’re karasuno’s team parents. They also have this karasuno christmas bonding tradition.

It was also STATED BY THE DIRECTOR IN THE HQ MAGAZINE AND THE VOICE ACTORS THAT DAICHI AND SUGA ARE THE TEAM PARENTS AND TANAKA’S THE BIG BROTHER (here are the links: 1| 2|3) 

IT’S CANON!!!!!! IT’S DAMN RIGHT CANON!!!!!TEAM PARENTS DAISUGA IS CANON!!!!!!

 4. Teasing, bickering and just them being dorks: 

Suga teasing daichi is my jam. In the HQ LN “Yachi’s delivery mission” (Sources 1|2), this conversation frickin made me squeal like a mouse with laryngitis. After practice the team was thirsty and wanted something cold to eat. “It’s indeed hot, lets get ice pops before we head home” daichi stated then frickin SLY/LIL SHIT SUGA JUST CASUALLY SAID THIS REMARK “Oh that’s not a bad idea, are you going to treat us Daichi-san” HE FRICKIN ADDED -SAN. So the team didn't let the opportunity go away they screamed with joy and thanked Daichi. After what happened Daichi just glared at Suga who was smiling at him. Daichi’s a softie when Suga’s involved. Suga got Daichi to buy ice cream for the team.  I REPEAT HQ LN SHOULD BE ANIMATED. 

Daichi knows when Suga’s about to do something stupid and his antics. They argued about this. When Suga was mad at Daichi because he was implying that the last year shrine visit was nothing; he was so pissed he started fuming at daichi. Suga also told Daichi that steak just being steak is better over diced steak.  Hyped suga and daichi trying to calm him down is the cutest shit. In the HQ LN “Tokyo Expedition: Captains’ Meeting”(Sources: 1|2), Daichi warned Suga about Kuroo because he knows how to read minds and loves mind games and Suga was like ‘you need to chill Daichi’. When it was Suga’s turn to pick a card from Daichi’s deck he picked the joker and twitched his brows, Daichi whispered at Suga telling him whenever he drew the joker his brows twitch so Suga massaged his brows. I REPEAT AGAIN THIS SHOULD BE ANIMATED. The other captains and vice captains are competing against each other but look at these frickin idiots they are helping each other. DAICHI OBSERVING SUGA THEN WARNED HIM ABOUT HIS TENDENCY OF TWITCHING HIS EYEBROWS. IM GONNA FRICKIN DO A BACKFLIP. Also Daichi and Suga love to make fun of asahi but when you frickin hurt asahi these two will frickin punch you in the face. Frickin daisugasting dorks.

 5. They are always together and in sync:

In the manga, anime, extras, stage play, light novel, drama cds and official art/merchandise they’re usually frickin together and always in sync, same reactions and thoughts. Remember when Daichi looked at Suga (S1 ep24) like he was asking for approval then Suga nodded. That was so cute ugh.

Extras: 

Suga is 6 months older than Daichi. June 13 and December 31. Their birth dates makes me go WAIT WHAT. 

Suga and Daichi’s name meanings are compatible.

During the christmas bonding time, Suga received daichi’s gift, a daruma. Daichi bought it as a gift because it weighs like a volleyball (he’s such a volleyball nerd) and he told Suga that they should draw the eye together. (Source link)

Suga thought that Daichi was jealous of his t-shirt because the phrase on his shirt was cooler than his. (Source link)

Suga’s first synchronize attack was a success and he tossed it to Daichi. Coach Ukai assigned these two along with Tanaka to learn synchronize attack.(Remember when Daichi told Suga he borrowed coach ukai’s tablet so they can watch the videos together)

The way they look at each other like there’s nothing else to look at. 

What I truly love about these two is their relationship and trust for each other.They complement each other, which makes them a good combination. They went through obstacles and look THEY MADE IT TO THE NATIONALS, kiyoko witnessed their progress and asahi thanked suga and daichi because they welcomed him again in the team, remember when asahi was not sure if they’d accept him to the team but daichi and suga were just laughing and made fun of him. 

Their vice captain and captain interaction isn't fully expressed in the anime and i hope that everyone will appreciate them more! They made it to nationals! And them being proud of Hinata and Kageyama in the hq time skip is one of the best treasures Furudate sensei gave to us. 

Lets talk about these two. Daisugasting volleyball idiots. 

I rest my case.

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep 14: So If You Put a Fraction Into a Duel Disk, the Card Explodes

We left on quite the cliffhanger last episode, so I’ll fill you in:

I did not get the haircut.

Like I seriously considered getting a Zigfried for a cool 3 or 4 minutes there, but then I decided to wait a couple of days and I basically forgot.

But, back to the arc finale, Seto has decided to walk, not run, to the Kaiba lab in order to fix the virus rapidly eating his entire company.

I just want to point out that Zigfried went through a LOT of work to get Seto Kiaba to go “uggggh” turn around, and pretend to calmly walk away. I’m used to Seto losing his nut kind of a lot and blowing things up but this season he’s like “be chill be chill be chill” so that the entire world doesn’t think he’s a spaz on TV.

And little aside about Seto’s design choices here, I fell down a hole of interior design videos, and can I just say: apparently these wood frame things on the wall are back in style? Good on you, 2002(3?) Seto Kaiba. Don’t think that current designers are painting them purple but...we’re halfway there to Yugioh fashion.

Meanwhile, Pharaoh decides to remind everyone that these stakes are hella low. The worst that happens is that Zigfried deletes the plane that Yugi needs to fly home...which would be an impressive virus.

Like it’s hard to tell if Yami even has a solid concept of “capitalism” and whether or not he cares about or understands the makeup of Seto’s company (which up till now has operated like a small country and not a business...which is a little more Pharaoh’s understanding. Either way...hard to tell if Yami would shed two tears for the loss of Kaiba corp.)

And, despite what I say in the caps, I feel like Leon and Zigfried are the first villains we’ve ever had that Yugi and Pharaoh didn’t unintentionally disclose that they are 2 people to. Zigfried and Leon are just...completely oblivious to how effed up Yugi’s bean is. They think that’s just a normal kid and lol no dudes...y’all got distracted by Seto Kabia but you have a literal Egyptian God just hovering around in the background and dating 3 people by accident.

Like when the show shelves the main storyline, it is very funny how it’s all “And we’re gonna put the Pharaoh crisis on hold--just put a pin in it. No one will notice this child is two nervous wrecks stitched together” and then Yugi and Yami just kinda hold it in and watch all patiently until it’s their turn to get off the bench.

(read more under the cut)

In the giant computer tower, Seto Kaiba shouts out a string of orders and numbers, admired the many sonar detector looking windows open on every monitor, and then sat down at his desk to like...check the firewall, I guess?

The virus is past the firewall. It’s um...it’s inside the firewall, pretty sure that was the point, but youknow, it’s a kid’s show so they’re just throwing out computer stuff that has no meaning to the writers of this show.

Mokuba thinks fondly of how Seto Kaiba has never screwed him over (which I mean...maybe not on purpose, ((except for that one time he did screw him over on purpose to get Gozaburo Kaiba to accidentally give Seto Kaiba the company, but you could say that was a grander scheme that he knew Mokuba would see through, which...)) but Seto certainly has screwed Mokuba over accidentally. At least once.)

And meanwhile, Yami fixes everything through card shenanigans.

So here’s the shenanigan this episode: I don’t go over cards here but this one requires a limited amount of explanation.

So every round the golden castle deletes half of Yugi’s cards. So he was like...I’ll just draw down to one card. They can’t delete half a card...so that means the card must delete one of the two cards on the field which means it must delete itself.

...which is like the closest Yugioh will probably ever get to abusing a glitch to do a speedrunning tactic like GDQ.

Anyway, like I stated in the title: there are no fractions allowed in Yugioh. If you do that to your priceless one-of-a-kind card you got from winning one of Pegasus’ murder tournies, it will irreparably bust the card.

I’m sure at least one of you will correct me with the proper way to insert a fraction into your duel disk. Cuz like...as I say multiple times so we never forget, I barely pay attention to this card game and I’m just flying by the seat of my pants.

I want to say Seto and Mokuba were in the hacker chairs for like...3 minutes maybe before they realized “oh...Yugi fixed it...” and walked the half a mile back to the duel arena.

and also, as I’m looking at Seto’s glasses here, I just realized...all of Kaiba’s team wears sunglasses all the time. Inside, outside, night, or day...

They haven’t outright said this...but what if those aren’t sunglasses?

Is Roland and that other Roland wearing fancy cyber glasses? They are, right? Because they wear them indoors?

Damn, they can’t take a piss without being on call with Kaiba Corp, can they?

Now the problem is...Yugi played all of his cards (he has two in front of him face down, but none in his deck) and after milling himself, this means he’s now basically a sitting duck for Leon to take the title of “King of Games.”

Leon insists that he defend whatever scraps are left of his card honor and not duel a person who is carrying no cards and Yugi was like “COME AT ME BRO THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I KNOW I’M ALIVE.”

He didn’t even have to do a horror on Leon, he just...played cards good? I skipped it, I’ll be honest, but overall Leon’s card honor was...saved? Maybe? I mean he also go destroyed when his competitor had not a single card in his duel disk so...

...Leon will have to work on his card honor off screen because he’s pretty well humiliated at this point.

But stumbling onto the playing field like he’s half dazed/daydrunk, Zigfried is like “You forgot I already won, bastards!”

Which is when we find out that Zigfried’s “delete all” virus failed to press “enter” and deleted basically nothing. Just like when my Mom attempts to send something in Gmail but doesn’t press “Send” and tells me that Google is down and broken.

Sorry my bro has informed me that he ALSO has had to help my Mother locate the “Send” button and I just...I know she absolutely did that but I’m in denial that this Riddle of the Sphinx has happened to her multiple times.

Honestly, the pep talk we get from Leon at the end to cheer up his bro was a whole lot of “we will pick ourselves up and we’ll do better next time. Together.” and sure you can translate that as “we’ll be honest next time” or you can translate that as “next time we will be not nearly as obvious about inserting a virus into their computer until it is done doing the job, bro.”

Just like Dartz, we didn’t really get a whole lot of retribution or closure when it comes to Zigfried. But, unlike Dartz, Zigfried didn’t do too much murder, so I guess this is fine. He tried to cheat in a card game...

...and I guess tried to delete Kaiba Corp but youknow...

...people let him have that. The police saw the ticket of “this man tried to delete Kaiba Corp” and they just...didn’t arrest him. The judge saw that ticket and didn’t put out a warrant. They just let Zigfried have this, almost like “better luck next time, ya?”

And then Roland clocked out for the day and went home, thus ending this arc.

Look at all these characters, most of which we never saw duel even one card.

We also got one shot of Mai for some reason although she was not in this arc.

AAAHHHH. Every time I’m like “the show is done screwing geography” we get another freakin geography spook!

But we went back to California in order to get a scene of these guys in an airport to get a flight to Japan...

which means Rex and Weevil just...were they shipped home by the Kaibas? Because way to ditch getting arrested by the American Government, hot damn. They are...literally terrorists who destroyed a Caltrain in a plot to kill everyone in the world so like...really surprised Rex and Weevil are in public...but maybe all the FBI were dead at the time so they just didn’t know?

Meanwhile, Duke has to go back to Death Valley and call a tow truck for his car, RIP.

I sure hope he got PTO during this stunt and isn’t going home to a pink slip.

I’m not sure of Dukes life or anything going on with Duke. I’m sure the thing about Serenity is him joking because we have all forgotten about that girl by this point...but also...is Duke...still living in the Tenderloin? The crime rate is very, very high and the ground isn’t solid, so it will liquefy if there’s an Earthquake, but it is one of the few places in the Bay Area that doesn’t light on fire every year. He has that going for him.

I just really hope Duke moves out of the Tenderloin one of these days, he needs a better life.

Meanwhile, Rebecca does one last crime.

This is like a post-epidemic reaction to a hug, but in 2002(3?).

I don’t think I’ll miss Rebecca too much. Wanted to like her more, but she was under-utilized, like most of the characters on Yugioh. Not even just talking girl characters here--most characters on Yugioh are super under-utilized, just Tristan Wallflowers doing nothing, but also being selectively OP as hell about very specific things they never, ever need to do.

Speaking of the devil:

Yugi...just saved his entire company...

But Mokuba is just has to make sure to make it seem like they owed Mokuba and not the other way around. Just in case.

So off they go on this massive plane. It’s probably more to do with the length of the trip as to why the plane is so big but also...

This plane is overcompensating.

But before we analyze that, lets close the book on Seto Kaiba’s very short therapy arc. Overall, it was a nice distraction, but I can see why people call it a filler arc, as it really doesn’t affect...anything going on in the major plotlines, which makes me think it could have been a movie or a game or something. But overall, it’s not bad, it’s just not what you’d expect if you were a Western audience.

Like I’m preaching to the choir, but typically, Western stories are entirely plot focused, and so our arcs always give or take away from that plot. But in a Eastern story arc, it may instead be character focused, where the climax is a character evolving or coming to some sort of cathartic realization, which this arc was, in a big way. We still had some plot, because this is a Shonen, but overall it was about characters, and specifically whether or not Leon and his bro would reconcile or change--which they did.

We did get to see a little more growth on Seto in that he...didn’t go bonkers and hallucinate during a card game. It’s been a while since we’ve had him not do that. Seto was very chill this arc, which makes sense, it was a very chill slice of life arc for everyone involved.

So, next we move on to the next one, which bro has informed me...is

still not Bakura.

According to Bro, the next arc didn’t even air in the Japanese version of the show? Like he’s got a lot of spicy Yugioh headcanons so he could be wrong (He did tell me that he thought that Zigfried was Seto Kaiba’s ex boyfriend when he saw this as a kid which...that sure is a way to interpret this arc, and it probably wasn’t just my little brother who went down that thought tube there...)

(Bro Note: To be fair, I didn’t watch much of this arc as a kid.)

But he says the next arc was originally a movie. But they released it in the States as episodes to be part of S5, just to put more episodes in there. Which, if he’s correct, makes it seem like we’re getting like the Mulan 2 experience kind of shoved in between this arc and the next

But um..

according to bro it has virtually no card games.

.......

I’m so used to only capping 10 minutes an episode, what?

Anyway, until then, here’s the link to read the rest of these from the start in chrono order:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

I’m kinda itching to do a Season Zero, it’s been a hot minute--so those take a little longer to do, especially since I need to go to a different site I haven’t...checked out yet...I’ll be back...eventually? I just know that at some point in Season Zero they fight it out with yo-yo’s and I want to see it.

[thethirdwheel404]

Med Rewatch Series (#5)

S3 e3: Trust Your Gut. From what I remember this is a big one. I just remember this episode title honestly but we’ll see what happens.

-look at that! ava’s just casually in this scene, minding her own business, doing her job! you would never guess that this is a character who would later have a psychotic break and commit suicide.

-that’s really the point i’m trying to make. I hate all those posts where they’re like ‘i hated ava before, but season 4 has finally shown her true colors’ like not even?? no??? we’re trying to prove that that was never even a thing. i want to eliminate the possibility of s4 happening from your minds. nothing from s3 should ever be used as foreshadowing. that’s what the rewrite is about, ava being a good character. ava was never going to commit suicide. she was never gonna go psychotic. that should be ingrained in everyone’s minds.

-anyways, back to the episode.

-connor takes everything like a personal attack. relax

- i never realized how fun stoll was. like obviously not in the story but as a character he’s hilarious. unattached by everyone else’s drama

-awww. this maggie interaction is amazing. tapping sarah on the shoulder (neck actually but whatever) just to say hi. adorable. and sarah is already super jumpy. come on. her anxiety is already setting in. they really gave sarah two huge storylines in the same season.

-maggie... no one else would ever slash sarah’s tires. i mean honestly

-WHY DOES CONNOR HAVE TO CONTROL OF EVERYTHING - honestly ava was just reading off the chart and he can’t even let her do that he has to take over just to say the same things.

-and the way ava just takes it with her smug smile

-she is such a strong character there is no reason she would have gone crazy over connor she literally needs nothing from him.he has not ever had anything that she needed. 

- SHE’S JUST ROLLING HER EYES, SMIRKING, AND SHAKING HER HEAD AT THIS INSECURE MAN ava I love you.

-okay there’s no way i can explain it but after rolling her eyes at connor Ava turns and looks at the patient and instantly her face changes and you can see such pure concern in her eyes?? s4 ava could never (can someone please rb with a picture of what i’m talking about? it’s uncanny and so so sincere.)

- she’s in control of her emotions. she cares so much for her patients so don’t even try to play that card. the only thing connor has done literally since she got here is get in her way.

-AND CONNOR LOOKS AT HER WITH SUCH DISTRUST AND CONTEMPT. TELL ME HOW. this is insane. exasperating.

-and the way she smiles and comforts the patient. i mean come on. she’s just so amazing. AND COMFORTING. if ava really was as heartless as people say, she wouldn’t take the effort to do that. connor didn’t even do that, he just scowls at ava.

-which just proves my point, ava is only ever mean to people who she thinks deserve it. and, the more that I think about it, she’s never really actually mean. sure, she’s blunt and rude, but never cutting. she’s nice to her patients (and I know what you’re going to say, it’s not because she has to be. she’s a doctor, she still wants to help people). but when her patients are dicks, she’s not nice to them. she’s as snarky with as she’s professionally allowed to be.

-like, take this guy. he seems nice enough. he’s funny, polite, comes across charming, so ava is nice and is polite back to him.

-let’s move on.

-why is connor always so suspicious of ava. come on. he’s the one who should be sus. she literally said ‘Don’t worry, Ray, we’ll take good care of you’ and he’s giving her this weird side eye.

-ethan and will being in this board meeting is really adorable to me. like, just, bros.

-oh godddd sarah please relax. sweetie. please.

-sarah fucking tranqed him oh my god

-oh my god noah asking people for help literally shut the fuck up

-straight people are gross. not to hate but how does anyone sit through manstead

-connor literally needs to chill. I know this bit (they’re arguing over menial things in surgery) plays more to them just picking on each other, pulling each other’s pigtails on the playground if you will (i didn’t like that analogy but I used it anyway), but if you look at it, ava was only trying to help connor (suggesting a wider possible target and an easier to handle stitch) and connor took it wayyy to personally. sure the second bit of advise is just poking at him, but she suggested a better spot on the base and he shut her down without any thought.

-and then latham points out that there is no point in arguing, to which ava defers, then connor snidely says ‘Thank you, Doctor, Now, how about from here on out we keep the background noise to a minimum’ and ava just shakes her head, scoffing.

-at this point ava just likes annoying connor because its fun. it’s entertaining. he gets so upset. everyone’s done that, just be annoying for fun (its bad to say but i mean come on everyones done it)

-another point, ava immediately deferring to latham might read to some as her being a suck up but that’s not what it is.

-ava really likes seeing how close to the line she can get. she goes right up to it, but she never crosses it. the same is true with her interactions with other people outside of surgery.

-I really like this story of the girl who passed out and hit her head, and her brother’s a wreck, and her parents obviously think the brother’s a disappointment. and it was finals week so of course she wasn’t taking care of herself. and the brother knew that, and you can tell he cares so much and feels so bad. it’s nice

-complication on the surgery they were working on. ava comes in with a solution (off of connor’s mistake during surgery after not following her advice) but I have a sneaking suspicion that by the end connor will be back on top

-the effort it took connor to say ‘it’s a good idea’ come on man just fucking let it go

-i’m glad we’ve all agreed that connor’s just a dick

-aw look at that she even held the door for him. connor would never

-i don’t want to overly push the ‘med is sexist’ thing but how is it that in a storyline between nat and ethan, characters who have never been romantically involved, they still pull the woman thinks one thing, man refuses to believe it and is right dynamic. i mean come on med seriously. what the fuck is wrong with you.

-the look of annoyance and disbelief on ava’s face that connor hadn’t actually messed up. comedic, but also i get your pain.

-glad that latham sides with ava, ava advocating for a riskier procedure so they could ensure the blockage is removed)

-(something could be said about ava’s high-risk, high-reward ideals. you could even draw the parallel to events in s4 and s5, even though I really don’t want to. it’s an interesting and notable character trait to say the least)

-YOOOO I FORGOT HOW METAL THE PSYCH STORY GETS

-dude straight up cuts his abdomen open and his intestines spill out

-the fear and shock and emotion on sarah’s face make me feel so bad for her

-WAIT IS THIS THE EPISODE WHERE SHE LOSES THE END OF THE INSTRUMENT? IS THAT WHAT THIS IS? i am not prepared to watch an ava bekker breakdown rn.

-the shock on ava’s face when connor said nice job.

-ava actually tried to apologize to connor. well, not apologize but she feels a little bit bad for just how abrasive she’s been to connor. (connor didn’t necessarily have to make it super competitive). Ava said “Look, I know i have the tendency to step on toes. it’s nothing personal”

-and now they’re not arguing and are this close to actually working like a team

-and i cannot believe connor’s big one-liner is ‘Murphy’s law’

-the emotion on april’s face when the girl’s parents won’t even let her brother grieve for her. I feel it. astounding. its so painful omg

-ava: “your optimism is enchanting.” when i was writing earlier I was worried I wasn’t being accurate with her dialogue and making it sound too overly formal but i guess I nailed it. also, this line reinforces how much I love her (so does every other line)

-connor just refusing to give ava anything, no credit, no nothing. doesn’t even give her credit for earning the surgery saying “you may have elbowed your way onto the case, but he is still my patient” (I JUST TRANSITIONED INTO A QUOTE SO SMOOTHLY WHY CANT I DO THAT IN MY LANG RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAYS YOU’RE KIDDING)

-hey it’s joey!

- i can appreciate him so much more when he’s not chasing after reese

-do you remember their first meeting? bickering over who gets the last splenda? (real meet cute amirite)

-dr. charles remarking how all the scientific advances can’t beat human instinct, nice little tie in to the episode title

-ava just smiling while connor waits for her to apologize. she. takes. no. shit.

-i literally hate connor’s face so much. it fucking looks predatory like stop looking at her like that. it’s almost like you were planning her psychotic break

-ava’s cunning, saying ‘we’ instead of ‘i’ when talking about the decisions being made. she’s smart. she knows what to do. She knows how to present herself. (and yeah, a little hypocritical that she said to connor ‘when you fail, I will make sure that it is noted that it was your fault and not mine,’ but like I said, she just knows how to present herself)

-latham: “Dr. Bekker seems to enjoy this discordance.”

-rhodes’ face when changing his mind and saying ‘maybe I do’ when asked if he enjoyed it too - he literally makes the dumbest faces. please. stop. (is it a straight people thing?)

Alright. Another episode down. 17 to go. This was actually a pretty good episode all around. Ava took none of connor’s shit and you’d have to squint to find any sort of romantic subtext in their interactions, which is huge win in my book. reese’s storyline wasn’t too bad, she didn’t go through too much trauma, which, the bar for watching med is incredibly low i guess. This was a really good episode for ava. like I said before, very little romantic subtext, and she had a redeeming quality in the way she obviously cared for her patient at the beginning of the episode.

The main point is something I’ve been reiterating again and again. Ava cares about her patients. Ava is mean to connor because she knows someone needs to put him in his place, and she is glad that it is her.

All in all, this was a pretty good Ava episode. Very happy.

thanks for sticking with it.

-

read the rest here:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Extra

[jimins-melaninfilter]

🔥 PINK PANTHER 🔥

** SMUT WARNING **

After a long busy day at work Y/N just finished up the last bit of paper work for her annoying boss Mr.Scott .

Y/N : Ughh finally now he can get off my back about this damn work .

Y/N gets ups from her desk with a pile of papers and heads to her boss office

Y/N : *knocks on Mr.Scott office door * Hello Mr.Scott I’m finally done with everything you asked me to

𝗱𝗼

here you go .

Mr.Scott : Ahh yes thank you Y/N you know you’re my best worker in the office you’re really amazing you worked really hard go enjoy your weekend

Y/N : Thank you Mr.Scott I really appreciate that I will you enjoy yours as well

Y/n turns around and rolls her eyes while walking out Mr.Scotts office closing the door

Y/N : * starts mimicking Mr.Scott * Blah Blah anyways * Y/N cell phone starts ringing it’s her bestfriend Michelle *

Y/N : Hello

Michelle : Hey girl you off yet or you still being a lap dog for Mr.

𝗪

cott

Y/N : * starts laughing * I’m getting my stuff and leaving now and it’s Mr.Scott your crazy ass

Michelle : Girl you tryna

𝗴𝗼

hang and do something tonight

Y/N : And whats that ?

Michelle : GO TO THE PINK PANTHER BITCH DUH !!

Y/N : ahh I’m to tired I’ll see plus I don’t have nothing to wear

Michelle : Girl you say that boring ass excuse every weekend I’ll be to your house in about 15 mins so hurry up take a shower we are going to find you something to wear !

•

Clicks the phone hangs up *

Y/N : Hello ? Hello ? Ughh Crazy bitch Fine !!

•

Time skip to Y/Ns House *

Y/N : ughh my nice comfortable bed I should really get my ass up and get in the shower because 15 minutes for Michelle means 5 for me the girl drive like a bat out of hell

•

shower time *

Y/N : now I feel a lot better

•

knocking at door *

Y/N : nobody but Michelle * walking towards front door * Comingg

Michelle : Why you not dressed yet girl did you lay down first

Y/N : yes you know me to well , just sit right here and I’ll be ready in 5 mins

Michelle: yea sure grandma Daisy

Y/N : I am not a grandma shut up

Michelle : Hm whatever anyways whatchu got to eat in here * checks cabinets and fridge * just absolutely nothing that’s great girl you need to be in jail cause you aint got shit to eat what the hell you be doing ? starving your damn self ?

Y/N : No I don’t starve myself dumb ass I cook when I feel like it

Michelle: Ugh girl anyway

Y/N : I’m ready let’s go

Michelle: Finally lets go Miss Daisy so we can hurry up and find you something sexy

•

Time skip to the mall •

Michelle: oohh lets go in Agaci they got some cute ass clothes

Y/N : yess thats my favorite store lets hurry so we can go to the food court

Michelle: yea I bet you are hungry cause you aint got shit to eat in that house but crumbs and dust

Y/N : Girl shut up, I do got food it’s just i haven’t cooked it yet , but you wouldn’t know about that since all you do is burn ramen

Michelle: get out my business

•

both girls started laughing •

Michelle : Ouuu girl that rose gold dress is sexy as fuck hold it so you can try it on and this and this and this

Y/N : ok girl damn

Michelle : Oops Sorry

•

both girls start laughing •

Y/N : * stomach starts growling * Uhh * giggles * let’s just try these 5 dresses on

Michelle : Excuse me maam don’t be so rude umm , excuse me do you have any dressing rooms open ?

Store clerk: yes right this way

Y/N : thank you

Michelle : here call me if you need help

Y/N : Will do

•

Starts trying on clothes *

Y/N : ouu this fits nice but I really don’t like it

•

Next dress •

Y/N : Nope hate it

•

next dress •

Y/N : now this is the dress this is damn perfect ! And I have the perfect heels for it

•

Y/N picks the short skintight spaghetti straps that crosses in the back draw string on one side Rose Gold Dress

•

•

Y/N : Now let’s take this off so I won’t mess it up

•

Gets dress and exit dressing room •

Michelle : took you long enough and I’m shocked you didn’t call me

Y/N : I was fine anyway let’s go check out I’m starving

Michelle: Yea lets do that

•

leaving the store •

Y/N : So what are you wearing at the Pink Panther

Michelle: ouu girl I got this nice ass red dress with some cute ass black heels and my makeup is going to be hitting its going to be a sight for the boys

Y/N : ayeeee yess maam we definitely gonna bring life to the party I can’t wait can you do my makeup too ?

Michelle: you know I gotchu girl cause you need a man in your life all you do is work and go home do you even talk to niggas , no sneaky links , like damn you need to get back out there bestfriend you need to get them cheeks clapped for god sakes not a fuck buddy in sight just you and your damn cat

Y/N : Uhh you in my business , dont do that * starts laughing * anyways when I find someone again then I will right now I’m just chilling and leave my damn cat alone

Michelle: girl all I’m just saying is that that just chilling mess waits for nobody next thing you know yo ass just chilling in your damn rocking chair patting that damn cat and watching Golden Girls

Y/N : Aye bitch now wait cause aint nothing wrong with Golden Girls !

Michelle: I know it ain’t cause I watch a couple episodes here and there

•

Both girls start laughing again •

•

while walking to the food court Y/N kept hearing this laugh from somebody a happy cute laugh so she looked and she saw these 3 boys sitting at a table chatting and laughing

•

one of the boys caught her eye but she didn’t want to stare and make it obvious so she kept walking once Y/N and Michelle got their food they finally sat down and ate

Michelle: bitch this food was life a lady was hungry I don’t think I can get my ass up

Y/N : * laughing * you so damn extra this food was hitting but we do need to get up before we be sleeping at the damn mall cause they are about to close girl lets go .

•

time skip back to y/n house •

Michelle : Wheew bitch Ima take a nap before we start getting ready

Y/N : you know that don’t sound too bad I am a lil beat girl

Michelle : * snoring sounds *

Y/N : Ugh she get on my damn nerves

•

while Michelle was sleeping Y/N started to doze off as well but she couldn’t help to think about what Michelle was saying in the mall telling y/n to get back out there and have fun . Previously Y/N had bad luck with relationships and guys although her last fling wasn’t but 4 months ago so it wasn’t that long ago since she had sex or anything •

•

Alarm starts going off @10 pm •

Michelle: Ok bitch wake up lets get fine cut some music on lets go

Y/N : ouu you heard that new Megan

•

starts playing Megan the Stallion •

•

Time Skip to wear Y/N is putting on her dress and heels both girls are done getting ready •

Michelle: Ouuuu bitch now you know you know damn you aint got no business being this fine and I’m serious girl you look good

😌

Y/N : you see me bitch

😜

Bitch that red dress is cute as fuck omg we did a bomb ass job with everything we need to take pictures !

Michelle: a wise man once said A Beat Face starts a Case , Free The Titty Protect The City

Y/N : * starts laughing * Girl who the hell told you that crazy ass shit anyways lets go

•

Club time

😎

Purpleish Pink lights , Loud music playing and people everywhere •

Michelle: Girl this shit is hitting lets go get a drink and a booth

Y/N : Yes I need a good drink

•

while at the bar Y/N heard the same laugh from the mall earlier and thought is this the same guy Y/N turns around and sees a group of guys the same 3 dudes from the mall they just added 4 more

•

dudes to the group and she sees the same cute guy and they met eye to eye a cute , bunny smile bright eyed guy who was wearing some black pants , black shirt , black leather jacket and and some black shoes Y/N was staring so hard the guy winked at Y/N

Y/N : Girl dont look too fast but its 7 fine ass boys behind us and I caught one their attention and he winked at me

Michelle: omg bitch where

Y/N : behind us !

Michelle : do one of them got on all black

Y/N : yea and he got a cute bunny smile

Michelle: yea

Y/N : yes bitch thats them

Michelle: ouu girl they walking over here

Y/N : well bitch quick turnaround so staring

Michelle: okokok just act normal

•

the 7 boys walked to the bar where Y/N and Michelle were bunny guy leading the pack and approached Y/N

? : Excuse me maam I couldn’t help but to see you looking I think I saw you at the mall earlier

Y/N : uhh yea sorry I didn’t mean to stare , I think I saw you too

? : No its ok I dont mind I was staring back myself

Y/N : Ohh * starts laughing and playing with her hair *

? : I’m sorry I’m Jungkook and these are my friends Tae , Jimin , Hobi , Namjoon , Yoongi and Jin

Y/N : Well hello nice to meet you all I’m Y/N and this is my bestfriend Michelle

Michelle: Hey yall wassup nice to meet you all

•

Michelle and Tae had been blushing and smiling at each other for a while until Tae came and sat by Michelle at the bar •

Tae : can I buy you a drink or something

Michelle : Sure that would be nice thank you

Namjoon : Jungkook you should invite her over to our booth to sit and chill

Jin : Yea go back to our booth before it gets taken , Hobi do you want to dance I made some new dance moves

Hobi : Shit wassup I’m down

Jimin : I’m coming to watch you make a fool of yourself so I can laugh

Namjoon : Yea I think I’ll go to , Tae you coming? Tae , Tae

•

Tae wasn’t paying attention to anyone but Michelle they were flirting at the bar •

Tae : Huh ? No go ahead

Namjoon : * shakes his head * whatever , Yoongi ?

Yoongi : Yea I’m coming to watch ans make sure Jin doesn’t hurt his self you know how he is

Namjoon: Yea you do have a point

•

Y/N and Jungkook began laughing at Namjoon and then Jungkook turned to you and asked •

Jungkook: Do you want to come sit with me at the booth and we can get to know each other

Y/N : Yea let me let Michelle know

•

Y/N looks to the side and see that Michelle and Tae are too focused on each other that they not even paying attention so Y/N taps Michelle on the shoulder and says •

Y/N : sorry to interrupt but I’m going to go sit with Jungkook at the booth maybe y’all need to go sit and mingle in private to so y’all can get away from the bar

Tae : * looks at Michelle * how would you like to go sit at booth by ourselves * Smirking licking his lips with his glossy eyes *

[heather-holloway]

how i, kiara heather-holloway, would plan and write the upcoming live action dylan dog tv show (thats being produced by james wan rn):

OKOK first off. my god. this has to be as comic accurate as it can be. this has to be better than the fucking movie or ill literally d*e oh my god. the movie was so bad and was only dylan dog in name and outfit. 

he needs the clarinet. and not for one scene. gotta have that shitty car, hes gotta be broke, hes gotta live on that craven st, hes gotta have the fucked up doorbell nd hes gotta have that p*lice officer backstory (though i dont want them to go too full into the backstories of the main characters cuz that takes away from the main story of the episode, and is really just unneeded)

this shit will be set in london. but as for the time im kinda on a fence? its always had a timeless sorta feeling, esp as of late with the comics only now starting to establish itself in the 21st century, but i would really like for it to be set in the 80s cuz a lot of the classic comic stories r from the 80s and it would fit in with how old timey he is with his car and movie references

i hope they have the budget to actually get the rights to use groucho marx’ likeness cuz like... the biggest thing the movie was missing was groucho nd even though there was a little easter egg in the beginning of the movie with them dressed like him... it wasnt enough bro, it’s not the same without him :(

if they cant get the rights then i hope they go the felix route, by making him act like groucho and shit but hes not like.. actually groucho i guess

i dont know where this show’ll get distributed, but im hoping netflix, since a 10 episode format (which is what it was confirmed to be) would be perfect on there with all their other shows with short seasons. 

im biased bc i love monster-of-the-week type shows but i think it would be perfect, since the comics are exactly that, where the story is self contained within its episode. i guess they could have some small overarcing story (maybe abt morgana and her tie to dylan?) over the season but idk how something like that could also fit in with the amount of story needed for the monsters and shit

id think itd be perfect if they adapted the first comic “dawn of the living dead” for the first episode of the series, since that comic is the introductory comic for dylan and groucho and how his shit works yknow? the audience could be like following sybil for that first episode as shes asking for their services and is just seeing their BullShit at close hand

idk about the rest of the series, but id love if they adapted the anna never story for an episode tbh

the tone id like for the show would be gothic, with european style of horror, but still crackheaded and bullshittery with grouchos and dylans antics and jokes. i hated what they did in the movie, making it a generic american action horror movie with the club scene of vampires vs werewolves. im so tired of vampires vs werewolves. let this represent european horror and bring that style into american culture Blease

idk who id cast for dylan. someone lanky, british accent definitely, early 20′s/25 maybe. i like brandon routh but hes too old for the part now u_u and honestly, though he kinda looked like dylan in face, he didn’t fit into dylans lanky profile at all. i hope maybe he’ll get a small cameo in the show tho😭 he got did so dirty by that shitty movie

the cast would be revolving, with only dylan and groucho and maybe bloch (if hes in the episode) being the main characters. the romantic interests and side characters for the specific story would last for the episode like in the comics.

this is just for me but id love for there to be a throwaway line about dylan and groucho being married at one point, to reference their marriage in the recent comics

also make the show rated r. i think the titties are the most important part of the comics

while id like for it to be set in london, id also like for it to travel to other places in europe, and take it to interesting scenery nd shit like they always do in the comics. idk how id feel about that one werewolf school story thats set in germany being adapted, but id like to see that german forest scenery lol

there needs to be a few groucho, la pistola! moments where groucho tosses him the pistol ok............also there needs to be the classic pistol

oh and dylan has to say dancing judas at least like 4 times ok .. god

umm for the effects of the monsters, i think itd be best if it was practical, rather than cgi. ive seen netflix’s cgi monsters nd while they work...... the practical effects i think would fit really well in the timeless/80s tone by being like various 80 horror flicks with their practical fx. since the comics were inspired by those classic horror films, like night of the living dead and shit

instead of making dylans personality be the cocky action hero that the movie made him out to be, i... would like for him to still be that jokey loner romantic that he is in the comics, getting himself into trouble cuz he accidentally slept with the monster or the killer or whateva. 

like he’s smart with paranormal shit but he only has 1 braincell and neither him or groucho have it most of the time

oh my god i just realized i hadnt even thought of xabaras ok fuck uhhh OK maybe he is part of the overarcing story. maybe yes he gets introduced in the first episode like hes first introduced the in the first comic. but maybe in the end, with the finale he comes back again, after you thought he was dead but noo ho ho hes alliivee and hes always gonna fuck with you dylan you cant get rid of him. whatever fight happens in the finale, it ends in a sort of draw where maybe dylan thinks he defeated him for good, only for the final scene to be xabaras just chilling, clearly not dead, maybe watching over dylan

(if there was to be a season 2, id like for them to do the “i am your father” reveal then, instead of doing all of that in the first season)

(id actually really like for dylans backstory with the time traveling shit and morgana in the second season to be honest now that i think about it)

the first season can be about the monsters of the week and the second possible season could actually focus more on his character story and how he even got into this shit lol

this show really has the potential to be a really great show that breaks out of the usual horror genre and im going to be SO disappointed when it inevitably becomes like riverdale or sabrina the teenage witch’s unnecessary edgy teen adaptions OR just becomes the generic horror franchise shit that james wan usually fucking does with saw and insidious. 

im really fucking praying that he actually pays attention to the source material and accurately brings the more gothic and european style of horror forward with it, introducing it to a larger american audience... blease for my sake .. i cant do dylan dog: dead of night (2010) again...

[onwardintolight]

Han x Leia, ESB, Trip to Bespin, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

Summary: ESB from Leia's POV. A journey from despair to hope, a blossoming, an opening to vulnerability and love.

Warnings: Deals with some heavy themes, incl. working through trauma, depression, self-harm, attempted sexual assault. Each chapter will be individually warned.

Note: I’m currently in the process of reposting the first nine chapters here in full, since when I first wrote this fic, I only shared links to the chapters on AO3 and FFN. I will try to post at least weekly. In the meantime, if you’d prefer to binge-read it, the entire fic is posted in full on AO3 and FFN.

Part: Masterlist | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Epilogue

~~~

Soft, blue light bathed the cockpit of the Falcon in an eerie glow. It flickered on and off with a distinctive click.

Nothing. There’s nothing.

Leia had known what she would find as soon as she sat down in front of the astrogation display; she had scanned the nearby solar systems for alternate destinations three times today already. But something kept propelling her to look again.

Threepio had woken up from his self-induced sleep earlier that day, relaying the Falcon’s message that they had just entered the gravitational influence of Bespin’s star. 

They had one more day.

The dream had come back every night, relentless. Han knew when it happened now. She’d wake up panting in fear and curl herself into him, and he’d wrap an arm around her and kiss her forehead, whispering that it wasn’t real.

But it felt so real, and Leia couldn’t convince herself it wasn’t, no matter what the rational side of her brain told her. Dread filled her when she thought of Bespin now. Surely there was some way to change their course; avoid whatever disaster was ahead. Surely there was somewhere else that they could go.

There wasn’t, and their supplies wouldn’t last them long enough to get anywhere else, now, even if there had been.

But she still checked anyway.

It wasn’t only the dream that had her on edge. The closer they crept towards the gas giant and its supposed refuge in the clouds, the more she became aware that no matter what, her time with Han was running short.

Soon, he’d be gone. Would what had grown between them be gone, too?

For a long time after the astrogation display was turned off, she sat in the cockpit, staring motionlessly at the twisting tunnel of light outside.

*****

“Leia?”

She sat up straight, startled out of her thoughts.

“There you are. You gonna come eat with Chewie n’ me?”

She slumped again. “Go ahead. I’ll be there soon.”

Truth was, she wasn’t hungry, and she didn’t feel like socializing. She didn’t feel like sitting here accomplishing nothing, either, but her universe wasn’t exactly teeming with choices right now.

Han’s consternation was so loud that she didn’t have to see his face to know it was there. “You okay?” he asked.

“I’m just….” She grimaced, giving up on trying to find the words. “I’m not hungry.”

“Still thinking about that dream, aren’t you?” He came up behind her and began rubbing her shoulders. “I think you just need to chill out. Worrying about it won’t help anything.”

Leia whirled on him. “You think I just need to chill out? Well, why didn’t you tell me before? That would have fixed everything!”

He winced. “Leia, I—”

“No matter what, things are going to change after we get there, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.” Her voice was cold. “Of course I’m worried.”

Han opened his mouth to retort, but then his eyes softened and he seemed to think better of it. “Sorry, sweetheart. That was a dumb thing to say.”

Leia’s shoulders sagged, deflated from the fight that hadn’t come. For a moment they stood there looking at each other awkwardly. Then Han held out his arms as if they were a peace offering. With a sudden rush of need she stepped into them, feeling the comfort of those arms wrapping around her, stroking her hair, massaging her back. She willed away the sudden tears that loomed like storm clouds. Right now, she was afraid that if she let the rain come, it would never stop.

Han kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure it out together,” he murmured. Leia closed her eyes and tried to believe that everything would be all right.

*****

Han put on some music again after dinner. It was jovial and upbeat, unlike Leia’s mood. She watched, amusement slowly beginning to thread through her worry, as he and Chewie joined hands and boisterously danced around the main hold. They seemed to have formed a conspiracy to make her laugh. To her surprise, she was starting to think it might actually work.

“Oh dear!” Threepio exclaimed, clearly appalled as the pair clattered into a few of the canisters and tools that had been left on the floor. Finally, with a triumphant roar, Chewie lifted Han and deposited him unceremoniously on the floor by the dejarik table.

“Hey!” said Han, pretending to be affronted.

Ignoring him, Chewie turned to her and gallantly offered her his paw. After a split second’s hesitation, she smiled and took it.

To hell with anxiety anyway.

Chewie led her in the same lively dance. Apparently it was a Wookiee favorite, though he explained he’d toned it down quite a bit so as not to hurt his human companions. «The Rhaggghhwr,» he called it. Leia turned to Han for elucidation, but Threepio beat him to it.

“The Wiggle-Hop,” the droid translated pompously. That did make her laugh.

Chewie swept her across the room. Several times, he tossed her up in the air and caught her—not high enough so as to be alarming or make her lose her balance, but enough to give her a thrill of delight. She found herself laughing even more. By the time he tossed her one last time and set her down—a bit more gently than he had Han, and on the dejarik bench, this time—she was completely out of breath, a grin plastered on her face.

“That…” she panted out between breaths, “was… fabulous.”

Chewbacca gave a little flourish.

“So,” she said wryly, leaning back against the seat cushion, “apparently you’re both dancers, and you never told me. I wonder what other talents you’re hiding?”

The Wookiee folded his arms and gave a little shake of his mane. «On Kashyyyk, I was known for my remarkable singing voice.»

“Trust me,” Han said in a mock whisper, “you do not want to hear it.”

“Come on, Han, can it be any worse than yours?”

“Hey, you haven’t even heard my voice!”

“Then who was singing along to The Bloodstripes earlier?” She grinned.

«Perhaps you were hearing my agghghgra reuughhh!» Chewie declared jovially.

Han extended a pointer finger towards Chewie. “Your ‘tones’ aren’t ‘illustrious,’ pal, not by a long shot.” He turned back to Leia and smirked, putting his hands on his hips. “I suppose your royal-high-and-mightiness can do better? I say we hear and decide for ourselves! Whaddya say, Chewie?”

The Wookiee roared his agreement.

“Okay,” Leia reluctantly conceded, raising an eyebrow. “But only if you two take a turn, as well.”

«Deal!» Chewie trumpeted.

“All right, all right.” Han threw up his hands, though clearly he wasn’t at all upset about this turn of events. “You first, Princess.”

Leia stood up, considering her options. She settled on a song from her childhood; it was simple and lovely, and—as it was a lullaby—easy to sing a cappella.

“Mirrorbright shines the moon,” she began, “its glow as soft as an ember. When the moon is mirrorbright, take this time to remember.”

She closed her eyes as she sang. She thought of her mother’s soft voice lulling her to sleep as a young child, of the Alderaanian constellations shining in through her bedroom window, of the distant tinkling of the south terrace air sculpture floating in on the night breeze. She tried not to think too much about the words themselves, and what they meant now, after… after the end.

“….Mirrorbright shines the moon, as fires die to their embers. Those you loved are with you still—the moon will help you remember.”

She opened her eyes. The room was silent for a moment, then Han and Chewie erupted into applause.

“Kriffin’ hell, Leia. You should sing more often!”

“Why, Mistress Leia, I was not aware that your voice was so sonorous! And what a lovely song!”

«You will put us all to shame, little Princess!»

Leia blushed at their enthusiasm. She had never had much voice training, and she was well aware that there was plenty of room for improvement… but their praise was encouraging. Maybe she should take time to sing more often.

Chewbacca was up next, sharing a ballad from his homeworld. Leia found Wookiee singing to be very interesting, if not entirely enjoyable. The scale was like nothing she’d ever heard, and at times it seemed like he was warbling two or three notes all at once. All the same, she was relieved when it was over. Technically impressive or not, the clashing tones of the ballad made her struggle not to cringe.

Han took the easy way out when it was his turn, choosing to sing along to a Grondorn Muse song. His voice, while even less trained than hers, was low and smooth and generally pleasant. She laughed as he hammed it up for them, plucking at an imaginary instrument. “When it’s just you and the stars, with an old bottle o’ booze, singing those old spacer blues!” he crooned, drawing the last note out with relish. He bowed grandiosely at their applause.

When their laughter and cheers had died down, Threepio piped up. “If I may, I have a song to share as well.” He was already striding to replace Han in the middle of the floor.

Han and Leia exchanged a quick look. Oh great, she thought, but just as quickly she scolded herself. She had wanted to treat Threepio better and include him—to a reasonable extent—in their goings-on, and this seemed as good a time as any to start.

“As you know,” he continued, “I am fluent in over six million forms of communication. One of the languages and cultures I am fortunate enough to be familiar with is that of the Lekhar. Their etiquette prescribes that upon greeting fellow Lekhari, they sing a greeting song, one of which I will sing to you now. I think it is rather delightful.”

With that, the droid launched into song. His voice, while a bit tinny, was quite agreeable, and before long Leia found herself lost in the strange syllables and wistful tune. It was longer than she expected a greeting to be, but she guessed from her own experience with languages that this was probably the formal version, and that the Lekhari had a short version for more everyday occurrences.

“Damn, Goldenrod,” Han said once the droid had finished, “you’re not too bad of a singer yourself. And I gotta admit, that was kind of interesting.”

Leia smiled, pleased at Han’s kindness.

The music didn’t end after Threepio. Han and Chewie took to the floor again to sing along to another old Corellian ballad. Then she and Han tried their hand at a duet, and then all of them, including the droid, joined in belting out a classic by Hyperspaze and the Jump Lanes.

It was unexpected and fun and wonderful. Occasionally, Leia remembered the foreboding creeping at the back of her mind, the incongruity jolting her. She felt vaguely guilty for having a good time.

Later, as she clapped along to another musical number courtesy of the Captain and the Wookiee, she paused, the thought hitting her like a ton of duracrete: she couldn’t be so afraid of losing any of this that she forgot to enjoy it.

Joy drives out fear.

The old Alderaanian proverb echoed in her mind. Her anxiety was never wholly gone, and she knew it would soon return in full force, but laughter, friendship, love—these things helped. She could fight the darkness with delight.

What’s more, she realized, these moments of beauty and happiness would always be real. They’d always be with her in some way, because she had experienced them. Loss could take away so much, that was true, but it couldn’t erase these moments any more than losing her planet had erased the precious memories of her beloved family and world.

I need to have more hope, she thought. Not hope based on unfounded optimism, but hope based on this—that joy and goodness would always be real, no matter what may come.

As she watched Chewie and Han belt out the last tenuous notes of their duet, a strange sense of peace washed over her, mingling with the merriment of the moment. Grabbing hold of it with everything she had, she smiled.

~

~

~

Notes:

"Fight back darkness with delight" is a line from a Tenth Avenue North song, Cathedrals. That line struck me like a revelation a few months ago right before I wrote this, and it caused a shift in my own perspective similar to Leia's in this chapter. As always, I write so much out of my own personal journey, and this is just one of many examples of how I was able to take a lesson I was learning and express it through my writing. I hope it encourages others, too. You can't paint over the pain with joy, but joy—and delights both big and small—can be a mighty weapon in the fight.

Also: A thousand thanks to Claudia Gray for Mirrorbright, the proverb, and for inspiring so many other things in this story <3

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Episode 53 “The Test”

mysterylover123

In which not a lot really happens.

We reopen again with Shoot Style. Gotta say, Deku’s costume Gamma is awesome. It’s even cooler than Costume 2. He spends this whole arc just being an irresistably awesome boss and a real snacc, so get used to this mode of talking about him.

Kiri clearly agrees with me and runs over to fanboy over his crush some more, along with Kaminari.

“Feeling all right after nearly killing me a second time, Bakugou?” That’s what Bakugou hears, anyway.

“I’m someone who must be protected now” Oh man.

The new costumes are so cool, even though they’re barely any different from the last ones. Kirishima has SLEEVES now.

Class 1B’s here too you guys.

Great to see the gals all chilling.

Uraraka’s Annoying Crush Counter: 12. Once again, it’s someone else telling her her feelings are romantic, her denying it, and not actually figuring anything out, really, about how she feels. It’s getting exhaustingly repetitive by this point.

Oh, but Mina did suggest it could be Iida, too. Nice job Mina.

This bit I almost like, because it’s a bit of a new twist on the formula of the Crush Counter - it’s almost sweet, that she’s admiring him like this…but then I remember her evil counterpart is Toga, the stalker Yandere, and this was the song they played when Mineta was trying to peep on the girls in Episode 40, and there goes that. Dammit, I almost felt something.

Now to the test day. Aizawa is so good he even comforts Mineta.

INASA YOAROSHI! I’ll admit seeing him gets me hyped just a tad.

Here’s what I literally said, the first time I saw this scene: “Oh, god. Todoroki is the Worf of this show, isn’t he?” (look it up on tvtropes). He totally is.

Ooh Ms Joke! She’s like, one of the most OP female pro-heroes (compulsive laughter sounds horrifying) and a part of me wonders if she’s meant to be a good guy girl version of the Joker. Which would make Aizawa…Batman? Wow, that’s…interesting.

Eraserjoke FTW!

Yo Shindo looks like the BKDK kid from the future. On another note, I love how jealous Todoroki looks that he’s holding Deku’s hands.

Hilariously, his bio reads in the manga that he was Hori’s first attempt to draw an “attractive” male character. So what, he was just stumbling into it with every guy in the series before this?

Although he does look like Deku and Kacchan’s Fusion, so I can attest that he is indeed an attractive male character. Look at him flirting with BKDK and Kamijiro here!

So I guess now is a good time to state that, the first time around through the anime, I hated this arc. Really, seriously hated it. I complained about everything in it, I found something to whine about in every single episode. I hated the slow pacing, I hated the random new characters who got so much focus, I hated Deku getting molested all the time by half naked girls, I hated the repetitive Uraraka Crush Counter thing, I hated that this arc’s premise was boring…

I hated this announcer guy’s stupid bored voice (it’s more annoying in the English dub)

I hated the setup of the exam being so boring (ball tossing!?! really?!?) and nowhere near as creative as things like the Battle Trial and final exam arcs.

I hated the setting (brown, brown everywhere!)

I hated that Bakugou and Todoroki apparently forgot 50+ episodes worth of character development and went charging off on their own like idiots (I got spoiled that they both failed, so I knew this stupidity was gonna get them in trouble and it made me mad that they apparently hadn’t grown up at all.)

I hated how these other schools were convinced they were so all that and gonna give UA a hard time. Psh. As if.

OK so I’ve gotten all my gripes (almost all) out of the way in one little rant now. Most of those were just frustrations I had at the time. The PLE arc was unfortunate for me, because it was the first arc I had to watch week-to-week instead of just binging, so it was easier for me to pick at chunks of it while I waited. On rewetting, there’s a lot of things I like about it. I will say that it’s the rare BNHA arc that’s actually, I think, better in the manga than the anime. There’s no filler, of course, it’s in black and white and it goes faster.

And now to gush over something: SUCK IT YA’LL DEKU HAS LEVELED UP SINCE LAST TIME AND HE’S KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES NOW.

Anyways, that’s episode 53. I honestly think it’s really boring, just a lot of setup for the next arc and character intros, but it’s still HeroAca and it’s still a fun time. Again, not much goes on in this arc, so there’s not a lot to say other than “well, let’s see where this goes.”

BKDK CORNER

Look at Deku doing everything better’n you Kacchan. Getting all the praise. Being the best. Let that simmer beneath the surface, since you’re no longer pissed at him for lying to you your entire lives (he didn’t figure that out until now) and wait to explode in a glorious battle. Let’s check the clock…8 episodes to go.

BEST GIRL OF THE EP: Ms Joke!

RANKER: Favorite Non-UA Students

5 Nagamasa

4 Yo Shindo

3 Saiko Intelli (anime only)

2 Inasa Yoaroshi

1 Camie Utsushimi (the real one)

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Waver 1 - 13 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 1 - 10 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 2wei! 1 - 3

Another (and to be honest, the last) batch of impressions from the Fate/ project.

Waver 1

Well, this’ll be interesting. I’ve been hyping this show up for a while for myself, so let’s see how it goes.

Geez, this intro is like a dang movie! I’d love to see a proper Troyca movie! (<-Says the fan of Troyca.)

Wait, if it’s Kayneth Archibald, then is Archibald relatd to Archisorte? Or am I just making thing up here…? Also note Reines refers to Kayneth as “Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald”, possibly meaning Archibald is the middle name, since El-Melloi is a shared surname (or is that a title…?). That probably means Archibald =/= Archisorte and both are similar-sounding middle names. The fact Reines is Kayneth’s niece also explains things quite a bit.

Why is Waver upside down…? Won’t the blood rush to his head soon? (Sure, it allows me to ogle his hair more, but…logic rules more than my stupid whims, y’know?)

Interesting. You can see that although Waver grew out his hair, there’s two layers to it – the longer one in the front and the shorter one in the back. (I’m just curious because I like the hime cut – which is pretty similar - and long hair on dudes in general, in part because both are fairly rare.)

Okay, that explained my gripe with upside-down Waver. Thanks, Reines. (<-genuine)

Aw, Waver buddy, even at this stage, you’re plenty cute. Don’t ever change! (<- As you can see, I am an easily pleased person in most cases.)

Melvin who now???

Troyca’s comic animation rules! It’s too bad Idolish7 Second Beat is using chibis instead of this…

Professor Kayneth. I forgot he had a formal title. I wonder, does Waver - I mean, El-Melloi II – have that title as well?

I guess I should’ve known Saber had the capability to look scary, but…I never knew Saber could look so scary…

*cut to eyecatch* - *points at eyecatch* Okay, someone tried to save budget here, didn’t they???

Aw, friendship between fiction boys is cute…until it involves the puking up on blood on one end.

Waver is the OG underdog here…don’tcha think?

“…with several demands.” – Uh-oh…this is gonna be bad, isn’t it?

You need a Tuner for Magic Crests? (…Like a tuning fork, but a person?) *brow raised in suspicion*

…is it appropriate for me to say “Oh, good lord!” now? (Okay, I did that rather deliberately, but normally in these notes I’d self-censor it to be “oh, goodness” or something like that.)

Seriously, the black-haired dude in the Ionian Hetairoi is my favourite, even if only because he looks like Waver (and he’s really easy to spot, to boot).

Why is this in first person??? I’ve dropped entire shows based on their usage of 1st person cam! Room Mate and Makura no Danshi basically scarred me for life on that front…and both of those are TV shorts!

Hey, wait a second. This “use a quote on the titlecard” thing is clearly an Ei Aoki sort of thing to do. I mean, it’s in ID: Invaded as well…

Waver 2

*new blonde girl appears* - So this is the rumoured Animusphere girl (Mary), huh?

Bounded field, huh? I’m glad I chose to watch F/Z before this, then. Now I actually understand the (rough) mechanics of how that works.

There’s assassins and then there’s Assassins…*thinks about the Holy Grail War*

As it turns out, astromancy is basically astrology.

The one thing that bugs me about “Modern Magecraft” (there’s a similar concept of New Magic in Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) is…how is the magic “modern”…? Especially in a work like this, where the magic is based in arcane rituals and bloodlines…you really need to establish how the “modern” bit works.

Gray is facing away from the Animusphere girl (Mary), I noticed.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes – Basically, the fact I’ve memorised this quote is one of the lingering impacts of my time in the Detective Conan fandom, as it can be used on things like quizzes, not just mysteries.

Can we please use proper English, Waver??? (Says me to a character whose name I still find nonsensical enough to not be proper English.) As I said previously, “whydunit” is modus operandi or motive…the new bit is “howdunit”, which would be the method.

I do believe the geocentric model was overthrown by people like Kepler.

Gray kind of looks like Saber with that hairstyle, come to think of it.

With the way Gray hides herself under that hood, it’s no mystery as to why guys love her…at least, I know ThatRandomEditor does. Of course, I’m heavily neutral on the whole affair because I don’t swing that way, but…you know…

LEMPC seems to stand for “Lord El-Melloi Production Committee”, if I’m guessing right.

I seem to remember there was a quote somewhere that said the only constant in this world was change…hmm.

Waver 3

They seem to keep calling Japan “the Far East” (or at least, Japan is part of the Far East). That’s a pretty antiquated term for a supposedly “modern” magic anime. I get vaguely peeved by the term “the Far East” because it causes people to take an oriental viewpoint on things and thus it’s kind of like people from the Anglosphere looking down on Asians. (I also get vaguely peeved by the term “Westerners” for much the same reason and “Caucasians” because it implies all people of the Anglosphere come from the Caucasus, which is false…then again, these niggles are specific to international studies, so I have a vested interest in explaining them.)

…Wow, that star-eyepatch girl is…really something, to be thirsty specifically for Waver’s Iron Claw. (Then again, with my weird tastes in things, who am I to critique her?)

Flitz von Erich. I was surprised to learn this guy actually exists…on Wikipedia, at the very least.

“Any lady should know about wrestling.” – I disagree, Luvia.

Blue furry electrical creature…I dunno how the zoology in this show works, but the fantasy series I’m reading as of the time I was typing this comment has a blue creature called a Raiju (literally “thunder beast” in Japanese, so it would suit the “Thunder” in the episode title). If it’s anything like that, I’d laugh myself silly.

This girl on the poster seems to be called Flan Noir (or something similar).

“…yellow, round, fluffy-smelling…” – What? Svin, you have no right to call a girl those words!

When is this series set if people don’t have phones as a standard? *Googles* Okay, if F/SN is set in 2004, then F/Z is 1994. That would make sense, actually. The internet as we know it was first used in 1995 and didn’t become widespread for home use until a few years later, as I remember having computers in 2004 (albeit the blocky ones with the dial-up).

I was looking at images for the source material and I think I know why I like Waver (aside from the fact he has long hair). Normally I like the boys whose appearances are hard to get right, such as En…Waver in the novels and manga for this series sometimes looks grumpy, sometimes he looks constipated and worst of all, sometimes he looks like Snape with a hook nose.

Okay, so I googled Caules to figure out who his sister was…and I got Apocrypha spoilers. See, his sister is Fiore, who is apparently in that series.

The videos got encoded funny again…

There seems to be a mystery around why Svin and Gray can’t be together…well, one deeper than just “Svin is gaga for Gray [for reasons we don’t know at this point in time]”.

Ha, the El-Melloi Class is basically just the Misfit Class from Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.

“Only the flesh was bitten off.”  

This Jupiter gibberish, I assume, is drawing upon the mythology of Jupiter – that is, Zeus – as the god of thunder and king of the gods (thus presiding over living beings).

The English is good on the bill, bar a space between “Mystics of magecraft”.

Norwich is apparently a “faculty” which the Modern Magecraft Theories guys – i.e. Waver – rule over.

Can you imagine Waver swearing? Since I had the volume off, I basically made him say “…if Sir Gueldoa had resorted to brute force, we would’ve been f***ed” in my head…and that was hilarious.

Aw, thanks 7Mononoke. “A cowardly thief sneaks away in the night. If you stride away, bursting with song, you are a conquering king.” That’s a quote from Rider himself.

So the Association has set positions for Masters in the War? Geesh…that must be hard on Waver to find out they’re closed, considering how much Waver pines for Rider.

Waver 4

I finally got the chance to listen to the ED last ep and now it’s the OP I can hear properly. This OP isn’t particularly impressive, considering it’s an instrumental (instrumentals always seem to have less impact for me unless I’m looking for something to chill to), but it does capture the London-esque spirit of the setting very well.

What’s up with this metal (?) maid off to the side, anyway?

“Good thinking to leave the door open…” – For some reason, even though it’s a completely different and much more benign context, this made me think of KyoAni and my heart sunk.  

Atrum Galliasta…I hate that man. He may look hot, but he was nothing but a b*stard to Medea.

Bolo ties…nrgh…Basically, ever since Arima wore a bolo tie, I’ve become fairly bugged by them. That’s why Bram’s bugs me.

Aw, Waver, buddy, plase don’t sacrifice yourself again. I read on the wiki you become a Servant’s vessel (specifically for Zhu Ge Liang), so keep your hopes up.

I’m seriously feeling ID: Invaded vibes from this episode, what with the lightning.

I suspect a locked room murder is going to happen soon, knowing the genre. Either that or some other crime.

Considering Fate/ was an eroge-based thing initially, these sex jokes…there’s probably plenty of them out there.

Well, it seems this series only makes sense in that non-Detective Conan way, i.e. you want to know how it all comes together and can’t necessarily figure it out for yourself until you know how the magic works. I’m randomly going to guess this is more Jupiter-based stuff and call it a day on that front.

Seriously, I never got what was up with nightgowns (or just pyjamas in general) having hats. You don’t need protection for your head at night…that’s what pillows are for, yeah? (The only reason I see a hat-like thing working with nightwear is a onesie and that’s meant to be part of the inherent appeal of the thing.)

Waver 5

I feel like Adashino is meant to be an Irene Adler-type figure…

“Peaceful Fairys” (sic)

Where did Kairi’s scar come from…?

The Black Dog was in Mahoutsukai no Yome as well, but this one looks a lot less inviting, huh?

It seems, like the name Rail Zeppelin implies (as “Demon Eyes Collection Train”), most of the people involved in this case have Magic Eyes (or whatever they’re actually called). I wouldn’t be surprised if Kairi had them as well, considering he’s wearing dark glasses in the middle of a thunderstorm.

“King Arthur is a dude, right?” - *laughs madly* They finally managed to parody their own bulls***! (Well, I’m not counting Carnival Phantasm or whatever else because this is the first time they threw a meta joke in there in the whole of this project, as far as I can remember.)  

Trimmau seems to be the maid’s name…huh. They never mentioned that earlier, I don’t think.

So what’s the difference between Fairy Eyes and Mystic Eyes?

Wait, does that even work…? The entire house is the murder weapon? That’s basically breaking the “secret passageway” thing on a larger scale.

So what’s Trevor’s motive…?

The dogs running towards the Workshop reminded me of the Hunger Games for some reason…must be the climax.

That fairy isn’t emoting much…

Oh cra-Wills is going to sacrifice himself, like Adashino was going to do! That’s the second time I’ve seen that in 2 days (the first was in the Hypnosis Mic manga about the Dirty Dawg).

Uh…Waver’s not particularly fit or fast, is he…?

Can you be paid for your case if your client is essentially dead…?

Adra? I read around and Adra seems to be a way to spell the location (or whatever it is) in the first case…which got adapted into a stage play, but not an anime. That’s probably what he’s (Waver) referring to.

Notably, the title is translated to “lance” but yari means spear…

Waver 6

I seriously wanna slap that pink-haired girl…Update: Her name is Yvette.

This is basically Gray fanservice…

If Gray = Saber and Saber =King Arthur…hmm…does it count as a girl’s party?

Homeland? Since Britain is Saber’s (aka Gray’s) home country, I think they meant “hometown”…I’d hav to listen to the Japanese to make sure, though.

I still think Waver is a stupid, or at the very least false, name for a boy, especially if he did come from Britain. That’s basically my one limitation on him as a husbando.

The red bit of the eyecatch was shapd like an eye…it did catch eyes in a sense, after all.

So Trimmau is sustained by magic.

Locked-room…or rather, bounded field…mystery time!

Luvia did mention wrestling in another episode…

I had to google that, but the Separation Castle is from the Adra case mentioned in episode 5. No wonder I don’t remember it…

“Are you suggesting there were faults…” (from Luvia) - Ooh, I was thinking the perpetrator was caught inside their own bounded field or maybe it was an outsider, but that works too, Reines.

Add calld Luvia out for her extravagance, LOL.

Catch-as-catch-can appears to be “no-holds-barred fighting”, particularly wrestling.

That case was both informative and possibly solveable by the audience. Both good qualities for a mystery.

If you summon the spirit again, is it the same Rider with the same memories? Or can you summon a different version of the same Rider with amnesia, much like Rin did with Archer? Update: Oh yeah, I did read this on the wiki at one point but then forgot about it. The next episode (7) confirms that Rider wouldn’t remember Waver if he were summoned again.

Waver 7

…C’mon, admit it, show. The glasses are not only there for plot reasons but to up Waver’s status as megane boy for the rest of this case. Not that I mind – I actually really like megane boys, but I’m nowhere near the love of Meganebu – but in the case of plausibility, I wanna poke holes into it.

Auction for which Mystic Eyes now…?

There’s a guy…with an elephant head…I know I shouldn’t be bugged by it, but I need the MST3K mantra right now.

This is gonna be a Murder on the Orient Express thing, isn’t it? All cases set on trains seem to take cues or make homage to it. (I may not be that proficient on Christie in comparison to Holmes, since Holmes was Conan’s inspiration, but Murder on the Orient Express I have read and I did secure an anthology of 4 Christie novels at one point specifically so that I could improve in this area.)

The main series never explained the bad blood between the Church and the Tower, did they…?

*sweatdrop* Let me guess…when Yvette mentions “multiplay”, she means a threesome, right?

How do anime people see out of those blindfold thing, anyway??? (Or is it that Leandra has Mystic Eyes that were sold off or otherwise tampered with?)

I believe the word is “palate”, Kairi (or subbers).

Anime characters being bagworms with their blankets is always appealing, no matter the gender. It’s funny and/or relatable, after all.

Does Gray get motion sickness…? Update: Seems I spoke about a minute too soon. She does.

Waver 8

How does Waver know that Adashino got the documents about the train? Is it because she was in all those places at all those times and he connected the dots?

This lady has heterochromia. Specifically, one is brown and the other is blue or green.

Hmm? I thought the character design was familiar for this. As it turns out, Jun Nakai (who did the character design for this) also did Gate’s, which explains it.

Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, IIRC. Hephaestion is, as (s)he explained, the confidante of Alexander the Great (had to google this one).

It’s hard to see before the brightly-lit scene where Olga reappears, but as shown, Waver seems to have cut off part of his forelocks on the left side.

What’s an Odo???...ooh, fanservice…*ogles*

The summoning of Hephaestion and Trisha’s murder may or may not be related…we just don’t know how, yet.

I think a Detective Conan Murder on the Orient Express-style mystery would be a good video ga-*googles* There’s at least one of them out there already (albeit only in Japan)...namely, this one. Spoke too soon.

Oh yeah…this is Olga’s new room, isn’t it? I almost forgot about that.

Update: I think this look at the Adra Separation Castle case is interesting. It’s similar to posts I would write, but done by a professional – namely Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku and Anime News Network.

Waver 9

So if there’s a Servant…you have to find the Master.

Olga reminds me of Reines…kind of.

LOL, whoever thought of a zombie cooking show…?

This series really goes all-in on the zombies and the fake-outs thereof, huh? Dangit, Melvin, don’t scare us.

Melvin has a really odd relationship with Waver, huh? If you’re really insisting you’re “the only person to ever be able to hurt Waver”, I don’t quite see how you guys can be friends in the normal sense of the word.

Why would someone have a violin at a time like this…?

Interestingly, they don’t bother to do any fanservice of Caules. That scene with Gray and Yvette was fanservice for those who like them, but the only guy who’s getting to do any fanservice in this series is Waver himself…(what with him being naked and knocked out right now.)

“Sibyl” seems to be a synonym for “virgin”…(*whispers “Awkward…”*)

Update: After reading some of Marth’s posts on this series, I’m inclined to call this “Murders on a Train (with an Exploding Helicopter for Good Measure)”.

Waver 10

For some reason, there’s episode 0 – 9, then 11 – 13 on the service I’m using. Where’s 10?

I think Waver’s relationship with Rider is interesting because of the way I think of relationships myself. Waver has made it clear that he wants to see Rider again so he can basically prostrate at his feet all over again (and maybe win a wish and/or see Oceanus while they’re at it), but – hey, hear this! - I used to believe, when I was still an impressionable kid, all relationships, whether they be between friends, family or even lovers, lasted roughly in the same state basically forever (as in, friends stay friends forever, they’ll never be so far apart that they can’t kep their relationship alive etc. etc.)…Obviously, I was wrong and arguably, this change in thinking, plus the related changes in technology, are where my ability to fleetingly but passionate love both 2D boys and the series they come from comes from.

Wait, so the Child of Einasshe (sp?) is the forest, yeah? I don’t think I got that 100% straight.

I never thought the shield form of a Mystic Code could be used for snowboarding down a mountain/hill…whatever Gray just went down. I didn’t even know Add had a shield form, for that matter.

“[U]sual individual” – LOL. What a way to refer to Waver.

“Wait a minute!” – I’m just imagining Phoenix Wright all of a sudden. A Waver legal mystery series would be boring as all get out – I’m far less interested in the courtroom versions of mysteries and more interested in how the pieces fit together. (Update: Then again, I am a person who likes the action genre and courtroom mysteries don’t have much of that, which might also explain my choice.)

“…lacking the element of motive to begin with.” – Well, Waver’s not wrong…

I’m observing this apple and noticing someone skimped on the detail around the stem. Does anyone still remember Art Academy for the DS? After looking at some promo material for it, I basically learnt how to draw a proper apple (and nothing else, really). If an apple is just drawn as a circle, it doesn’t quite look like an apple up close. (Two of the main things I screw up on when drawing are perception and the colour of highlights, both of which are covered in something like an apple stem and the related indent.)

Oh goodness…I was hoping Karabo would keep his vision (or actual eyeballs)…but that’s gruesome.

I’m guessing, based on the wheelchair, that Waver’s still paralysed or otherwise not able to move around like normal. Update: Spoke too soon.

Someone encoded the video funny again…

Waver 11

What was that crossword thing…? A warding spell of some sort?

Is that an owl in the back?!

Stealth fighter…Rider wanted on, didn’t he?

Every time he appears on screen now, I basically curse Melvin. He’s entertaining to watch, sure, but he’s annoyingly prodigal (= wasteful). He’s basically Dice from HypMic at this stage (aka he’s the sort of person who’d bet away his own clothes, given the chance and incentive).

Look at the way Waver’s hair drags behind him as he walks…it’s gorgeous…

“Residual Image” (as translated in the title) is literally “the left-over image” (zanzou). Not surprising, but I find the exact combo of characters used interesting since it could be short for “nokoru eizou” (where the nokoru’s character is read as zan in the combo, as you can guess).    

Waver 12

Wow…this series really pulled something out of its butt this time, huh? “The guy without a heart”…no viewer would’ve known that actually referred to a character called Dr Heartless unless they knew of his existence somehow (the closest they would’ve been was having an inkling that this pointed to a name of the culprit).

There is an owl in the back of the auction room!

Ay? So what the heck is Pandemonium in this case?

“dotard” �� Turns out this means “an old person, especially one who has become physically weak or whose mental faculties have declined.” You can’t say I don’t enrich my vocbulary through watching anime, huh?

I’m still wondering…why adapt case 7 of this series (Rail Zeppelin)? Why not case 1 (Adra)? Update: I don’t know where I pulled the number 7 from, since this is volume 4 – 5 of the series. Apparently some of the cases were anime-original though.

Waver 13 (FINAL)

Oh, Flat, you stupid…

Waver’s exasperated faces are great. No wonder Reines likes to toy with him…

I can assume Rail Zeppelin is a Ghost Liner, yes?

Can I guess that Adashino ~likes~ Waver…? Update: Turns out that’s not quite the case.

Ooh, Waver without his shirt is se-okay, I’m getting distracted. Seriously though, Waver never showed his Crest in F/Z. I never even knew what it looked like until now! The fact it’s such a simple design in comparison to his Command Seals is…kinda underwhelming, really.

I think there’s a bit of a pattern between Jakurai (from HypMic) and Waver…namely, they suck when it comes to drinking. (Also, of course, the long hair. Don’t forget it, never forget it.)

Shut up, Add!

For some reason, I felt like a lot of that last part, while getting closure for Waver, it almost had connotations of “I’ll meet you on the other side, Rider”…so it felt kind of sad, to be honest. That talk between Reines and Olga I don’t think I’d understand without Apocrypha and Grand Order, but I guess that’s to be expected in such a huge franchise. Anyways, moving right along!

Illya 1

I’ve been a bit worried about what I’ll have to subject myself to for the sake of Magical Girls…

Was that…Taiga?

Who’s Liz…?

Okusama, huh? (Okusama = someone’s wife, although it seems to be used in the plural here since I don’t think Kiritsugu and/or Iri are dead in this timeline.)

The subs I’ve got say Shiro is adopted here too (when it’s not in the Japanese), although I wonder exactly how much of UBW is going to be true in this anime…

Hmm…a bit of digging reveals Luvia’s not a Master. So throwing out Lancer is really just a joke on how Lancer gets roasted early on in Grail Wars, right?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…squick, much…(Thank goodness the source I was using edited out the loli fanservice, so I can tolerate this series a lot more…but still, suggesting you have a romance with your step-brother, even if it’s known you’re not related from the beginning, is…you already know my feelings on that, based on my reaction. Shiro is, what, 15? About twice Illya’s age!) Update: Okay, so he has no confirmed age in Prisma Illya, but he’s 17 in F/SN so I’d assum the same or similar, seeing as he attends the same school. It’s fine if it’s platonic, but this is clearly an Onii-chan, daisuki! thing the likes of which Oreimo throws down! Thank you for calling it out though, Ruby.

Oh my gosh, this looks like the Rhongomynaid (Detective Waver) and Excalibur (or whatever Saber’s Noble Phantasm is called) summoning beam! LOL!

Ruby, you lech! Don’t go praising the angles! *shakes fist* (Seriously, what if magical girl mascots were paedophiles…? *blank face* Welp, considering what’s out there on the internet, I wouldn’t be surprised if a hentai or something had such a concept.)

Hmm? Turns out the word for Servant means something like “celestial hero”. Makes sense.

Nice callback to Saber and Shiro!

Illya 2

I thought Illya would say that her parents are dead…turns out the show’s not that grimdark (to the point where it wouldn’t set the show after Kiritsugu and Iri’s deaths), huh?

Do the sticks have a gender? The subs said “she” for Ruby…

LOL, it’s Rider. I thought Lancer was gonna get his butt kicked all over again (thinking more along the lines of CCS).

It’s Gay Bul-I mean, Gae Bolg! (I’ve been reading TV Tropes again…can you tell?)

This episode was pretty pedestrian. I like it more than the first one.

What’s up with the CGI…?

Oh! Bunbun, who does Yuki Yuna! Update: They only did the illustrations for some of the series. They also did SAO illustrations, although that’s of less significance to me.

Illya 3

The sticks do have genders!!! That’s like claiming Jesus for kakera with Mudae! (Yes, that’s possible. I got him in one server.)

The power of fujoshi…is amazing! How did it get to a girl who’s so young?!

These angles are a bit disturbing…

“Casao”, LOL.

Magical girl nakama, huh?

Illya 4

MST3K mantra!

Whose quote is that again…? “Don’t think, imagine”? Update: It turns out to not be anyone’s quote at all, if Google results are to be believed.

Uh-oh! Saber Alter!

Illya 5

Padding the episode already…?

The mist is a quality of a Berserker, right?

Geez the angles piss me off…

These sticks have brains???

Can you call it teamwork if they’re always complaining about each other?

Illya 6

More padding…

Illya’s UBW!

Geesh, that last-minute shot of Rin and Luvia popping out of the ground scared me for a bit…

Illya 7

*sigh* It’s the sick episode…

I recognise the vacuum cleaner. I have the same one at home.

*sigh* Random fanservice of elementary school girls. This is what gives anime a bad name.

*Sapphire pulls out a USB port* - Ohhkay, is that stick fanservice, in a sense…? Because that’s awkward too.

Maids went out of fashion years ago…

“Lyrical Radical Genocide” - I think this Lyrical Radical things is parodying Nanoha.

Based on the cloak, it’s an Assassin.

“Listen, if you aren’t careful, you’ll die!” – Yep, because people die when they are killed. I almost missed that meme for a bit.

Illya 8

Illya’s still reeling from Miyu’s talk, huh?

I noticed it said tomoda(chi) in the background at one point.

Does Miyu exist in any of the alternate universes?

Ah, there’s yuujou (friendship) in the background as calligraphy.

I think the video got encoded funny again…

Geez, complaining about boobs? The series got worse…oh, I forgot Shiro was around in this series.

…who’s left? There’s been Saber, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, Rider, Caster and…who? Berserker, that’s who.

Illya 9

Ohhhhhhhh brother, not more bath scenes…

Iri looks almost exactly like she does in the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms! (I found those around and watched them today.)

Thank goodness the fanservice is censored…

I never realised Berseker had heterochromia until now…

One thing that I assume makes Saber’s outfit look nice to thos that like girls is the window in the top…but it goes to waste on Miyu, LOL.

I find it interesting Illya has all these concerns – the ones (or similar ones) Iri harbourd in F/Z.

Hey, the bridge! This is the bridge where Rider dies inn F/Z, yeah?

The ED looks different this time…  

Illya 10 (FINAL)

E-Eep…loli fanservice…

Now Miyu is basically what Waver is to Rider, no doubt about it.

Bulls***! Speak of the devil! I was wondering what Waver looked like in the Illya style, because I read on the wiki he makes a cameo in season 2, and…here he is. Didn’t expect him in season 1, though.

Another new ED animation. I find it interesting they’ve never once had to recast any VAs throughout the entire existence of Fate/ anime…not that I know of, anyway.

Hiroyama Hiroshi is the original Illya creator.

Okay, that’s the end of one season. I feel kind of fatigued since I finished the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms today as well, so I’m going to take a break from watching more Illya until it’s necessary to watch again in a few posts’ time.

Now that they’ve collected the cards, I’m wondering what the series intends to do next…

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 1

They clearly skimped on the budget when Shiro was leaving the house…

I keep forgetting Illya is meant to be German…

That bad English…is actually there in the ep. title…

Oh great…schoolgirls talking about erotic swimsuits…

This s*** is what you call “Class-S”! I have no interest in it, because I don’t swing that way! (Sorry, yuri fans…)

The problem with series that aren’t 100% made with you in mind is that your favourite characters might look ugly…that’s especially the case with En, Jakurai and Waver.

Ryudou Temple, eh? Let’s hope Assassin still looks good.

I don’t think I’ve seen that before…namely, being able to hear what’s going on outside the transformation while it’s happening.

Now this 2 Illyas thing…this is new, alright.

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 2

LOL, what a horoscope.

Truck-kun! I don’t think Illya would make a good isekai protag, come to think of it.

Who is this nurse? I feel like she’s from some other part of the Nasuverse… Update: My guess was right. That’s Caren Hortensia, protagonist of Fate/hollow ataraxia and Kirei’s…uh, daughter. I know he had a wife. We never met said wife, but seeing the daughter really drove that fact home.  

Uhhhhhhhh…okay, now the lesbian loli scene just made things go off a cliff for me. I’m not against lesbians or yuri – to each their own – but that scene was clearly meant to be pleasing to a certain audience.

How does anyone kill anything gently…?

Ohhhhhhkay, strike 2 for loli fanservice.

I seem to remember…that’s right, Alice from the [something] no Kuni no Alice series was evaluated on her coffee-making skills (by Julius, I think it was). That’s why I’m thinking of Alice when I see Luvia praising Miyu on something similar.

Wa-hey! It’s Rin’s Azoth dagger!

Well, the mechanics of the transformation are also something you have to think about. I’ll give the show kudos for that.  

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 3

Can we not with the whole “Onii-chan, daisuki!” thing?! That’s it! That’s the last straw! I’m finishing this episode and aborting early so that I can preserve my dignity…and get some proper sleep for once.

The fact Miyu thinks Shiro resembles her brother must not be a coincidence…(I’ve become far too Fate/ savvy, haven’t I?) Update: It seems I was right. Apparently, Miyu was taken in by Kiritsugu in a certain universe, but apparently this is a bunch of spoilers.

Genki na aisatsu was in the back.

This is just getting worse and worse…

So now Kuro’s name is Kuroe (Chloe), huh? Anyways, good riddance, loli fanservice! So long! I won’t miss you one bit!

[familyvisionis2020]

Day 6 - The Drive Home

Today was the last day of tour. I wake up in the morning feeling guilty because I have a groggy memory of waking up around 8 to go to the bathroom, Paul was waiting to go, but when the person came out I just fronted him (a word I just now remember from elementary school, cut in line, but southern), used the bathroom and went back to bed. Rude. I am wiping the cold from my eye, taking in the undecorated walls of the apartment, and Jeremy comes from down the hall and says ‘Did you get the memo? Louisville cancelled. Tour’s over.” I said ‘fuck’ and processed it. I feel sad for Jeremy and John and Kabir because I know they wanted to play this last show in Kentucky. It’s not that I didn’t, but also for the last three months and for especially the last month I have been feeling a tremendous amount of anxiety about this tour, about feeling out-of-control, about being away from loved ones at home, about being available to show up for people in my life, about completing regular routines of hygiene and spirituality and task completion that make me feel boring and comfortable, both. Touring stirs up dredges of the tea leaves that I had let settle into a fine filmy sediment at the bottom of me. I manufactured a jello mold two years ago and poured myself into it: regular 9-5 in the legal field as a means and precursor to law school, then diligent study for 3 years, then a professional career, abandoning the party life, abandoning trespassing in abandoned buildings, abondoning the luxury of resentment and unproductive time, trying to cool and firm into something reliable, serviceable, dependable, available, a resource people could draw from for once, rather than a leech or slug. And when I go on tour I take that jello mold out of the fridge and it holds its shape but also it warms and the longer I’m out the more liquidy it gets and sloshes over the sides and so forth. So I’m ambivalent because I like what I have to offer to this band, I like the physical process of drumming and expressing myself in the context of music and being a member of a band, but also I feel like I’ve kind of chilled enough and it’s time to settle down. And I’m at a way different point in my life than the other guys in the band it seems like, for the most part. So anyways all this to contextualize the fact that the news of tour ending even earlier than early honestly makes me feel relieved, if not happy, and so then I work to temper that boosted mood for the sake of grim decorum befitting a tour taken before its time. 

All our stuff is locked in the venue from last night and we learn we won’t be able to pick it up until 1pm and so we have about 4 hours to kill in the apartment. Phillip puts on a pot of coffee that will turn out to be some of the wateriest on record, but still, a super kind gesture, and then he also puts on The Wire on HBO Go and we just settle in on the couch and watch for awhile. Some of the scenes are familiar, there’s something seductive about this show, and it brings me back to the precise moment of Summer of 2013 right before I moved to Philadelphia right after I got evicted from the squat/music venue I had been living in that winter and spring, I watched all episodes of The Wire on DVD on Matt Martin’s couch at 3 Pomroy and felt deeply depressed. It ranks up there with when I watched all released episodes of The Office in bed in the winter of 2009 after my girlfriend broke up with me, in terms of memorably devestating life phases offset by the amniotic fluid of full-series of TV. So we watch The Wire and I find myself not too inclined to sit and watch and I want to write so I sit at my laptop on the table nearby and write an email to a female (sorry) but I actually do and its purpose is to make her smile and bring some levity and play and purple prose to a moment in her life that, from how she tells it to me, is just so heavy, nightmares and waking horror and a future that feels like it hangs by a thread. so I’m glad to spend time showing up for her in this small way rather than watching The Wire, and also I write yesterday’s blog post, another activity that feels sort of like a pittance but also like: doing-writing is something I have been putting off, in phases and seasons, for my entire adult life, because to me nothing ever matters enough to write about, or if it does my perspective is deficient, or my research inadequate, or my skill incommensurate with the subject matter, or it won’t properly reflect my feelings, or any number of self-sabotaging excuses to not do this thing I so love doing, and love sharing. So for me, writing this blog is a very meaningful and special act of reclamation of a personal mode of expression that constitutes a break in my winter’s depression and what feels like a new phase of happiness, of believing-i-have-a-future, of feeling more authoratative and qualified to know and describe my own experience in a lifetime marred and dampened by dissociation, oblivion, amnesia, and fugue. So it feels like nourishment to get some paragraphs done and to move slow through my days, get them onto the page.

The Wire grows tiresome at some point and Jeremy fires up the PS4 and then the PS3 looking for games but none are multiplayer and so eventually he settles on Skyrim and starts from a new file. Me personally I love watching let’s plays and this is as good as TV. There was a moment last tour when we were in this strange small town in Connecticut called Torrington (the town all touring bands are required to go to, we also joked), in this town Jeremy was describing the sort of surrealness he experienced there and he said he felt like the townspeople in Torrington were like NPCs in a FPS RPG like Skyrim wherein you would go up to people and press A to talk, say ‘What news?” and that I thought was really funny then, I like his sense of humor. Really Kabir and Jeremy and Royal represent this sort of humor that is to me equal parts razor wit, cleverness, timing, accents, absurdity, and broad conceptual placticity, all for the most part very clean too, never or at least rarely blue (you’re gonna inevitably make a D’s nuts joke and that’s just that). And during happy times I am so grateful to be nearby this humor and during less happy times I get self conscious about how great their humor is and how I sometimes feel like I don’t measure up. But that feeling doesn’t weigh for long. Skyrim is fun to watch, it kills some time, we all take turns trying to kill wolves with swords before Jeremy finally does it, there’s a dragon, we loot corpses, discuss Bloodborne and Dark Souls and comparable games. A lot of the main media activity in this group is discussing how a given media relates to another media, Kabir and Jeremy and John know it seems like everything between the three of them when it comes to record labels, band narratives, artist’s hometowns, etc. So we play Skyrim for awhile, and then eventually it’s time to go to the venue and we drive back to The Salty Nut, load in all our gear, do a final sweep, and say our goodbyes and thankyous to Phillip. We return to the Bandido place one last time for one last round of free local Taco Bell which we absolutely scarf and are very vocally grateful to the people for giving it to us for free again, it’s clear they really put effort into being hospitable to touring bands here, at least through Phillip. His band, Thomas Function, was signed on Fat Possum Records, which also had bigger indie acts like Jay Reatard (who Phillip tells a story about him demanding $50,000 in cash for a show fee to feed his coke and heroin habit, Reatard died at age 29 from cocaine toxicity with alcohol also), The Black Keys, Andrew Bird, Wavves and Soccer Mommy, but which Kabir postulates has most of its success due to having signed octogenarian southern blues legends like R.L. Burnside and King Ernest and raking in royalties from what Kabir speculates is due to poor management of the estates of these dead leagends who each had more than a dozen children. It’s truly fascinating for me to hear how deep and complex the analysis of music these guys have is. When I feel insecure, which is often, I tend to veneer these sorts of expertises and shibboleths among music-heads as snobby, elitist, exclusionary, petty and asinine. But I think most of that comes from a fear that I lack the insight, cognitive absorbency, and passionate research skills to collate and catalog data about artists in the way these people do, the way my bandmates do. I feel inspired to take time to dig deeper into the musicans I love, to make them real to me, to get a sense of their story, their lived experience, for the sake of corroding the mediation between us somewhat, or at least polishing the media membrane. 

I volunteer to drive for the first half of what will end up being about a 10-hour drive back from Huntsville to Chapel Hill. We go to a Whole Foods in Huntsville upon Kabir’s insistence where I purchase a nootropic snakeoil energy affair in beverage form, Kabir gets hot coffee and a La Colombe Draft can of latte, Jeremy gets a kombucha made from yerba mate (“best of both worlds” he says), John black coffee as per, and Kabir also buys a slice of Tres Leches cake in a clear plastic to-go clamshell: “they can take away my tour, but they can’t take away my tres leches.” Later he’s eating it in the van and he accidentally spills some on himself and he says “shit…spilled some on myself. oh good, it was only one leche” which to me is so funny and perfect humor and just like kind of a paragon of the kind of joke I so treasure from this friend group. Another is when Jeremy and Kabir are recalling a favorite running joke from two tours ago, wherein they were in Philly, home to the famous Schuykill River (pronounced skoo-kill, at least when i lived there, at least around the non-indigenous people i knew), and while there they would affect this blaring Brooklyn accent, deployed heavily on this trip as well for basically any purpose, but back then they would say “UGH MY SKOYKL IS KILLING ME” like Schuykill was lombago or sciatica and also would say “YEAH LET ME GET A KWATA POUND OF SKOYKL ON RYE” like it was a deli meat, and they laughed and laughed. Also they liked doing rhyming jokes like last night there was a chair nearby the combo amp Tired Frontier was going to use for their set and Kabir goes ‘amp on the chair, tone everywhere’ and then I say ‘amp on the ground, makes a bad sound’ and then I tell Jeremy later how Kabir would put me in good spirits whenever I was describing to someone how my LSAT score is very competitive but my checkered past makes the acceptance process a little less than straightforward, and Kabir would see I was getting kinda down and anxious, and he would say ‘You gotta break the law before you make the law,’ and we all laugh and I love that, the function of humor as balm, salve. I want to wield my humor like that.

The drive back is fine, some sprinkles, nothing major, clear traffic for the most part, I feel like I have a good command of the van, keep it around 75 for most of the trip, feel smoth and confident switching lanes, passing, etc. We do another two NYT Wednesday classic crosswords together, Kabir is getting probably 40% of the clues, me maybe 30% Jeremy and John the other 30%, Kabir will just to YEAHHHHHHHH after getting a clue and I start doing that too after Jeremy says “X down, ‘on the table’ 15 letters,” and I say UPFORDISCUSSION after only a couple seconds and it fits and is correct and I feel like a damn genius and we’re all laughing and kind of praising each other half-jokingly for being strong beautiful geniuses who also we know songs. This is a great passtime and the drive flies by and before I know it we’re in Western NC just outside of Asheville and we make a stop to refuel the tank and get dinner. We decide on a Waffle House across the street, not wanting to venture too deep into Asheville for something healthier and better because of the time and money it would likely eat up, Kabir says that FEMA uses the closing of Waffle Houses as a bellweather to indicate the severity of a given natural disaster. We go inside, the waitress says ‘ya’ll aren’t from around here are you?’ in a way that I take to be hostile and I suggest that to the guys and they seem like maybe slightly offput but not very much and we decide not to abort and I later feel foolish because I think I am doing this thing where I become excessively vigilant or sensitive to a perceived slight to a friend who is brown for the putative purpose of interceding on their behalf against racism but what’s actually happening is if someone was racist to them they could just stand up for themselves and make their own call regarding their own comfort or lack thereof and I would do better to act less motivated by white guilt when avoidable. That passes, it’s fine, we eat hash browns and waffles and eggs and grits and toast and cover everything in tobasco and tip well and get back on the road, John takes over for the final stretch. 

I return a call from Marty and catch him up about tour being cancelled and we discuss our fears and hysteria and cancellations and reaction and so forth. Marty remarks that he is a gravedigger during the plague, which is the best possible job to have. It’s not a joke because he actually drives a backhoe working for a cemetary and digs actual graves, super weird and eminently punk/goth and kind of a curiosity but really perfect for the lead singer of one of the South’s premiere punk bands, especially after his being fired from the swish cafe he worked at in Richmond before that. I love Marty and catching up and it feels good to hear his voice. After I get off the phone it sort of becomes campfire spooky story time in the van with everyone proffering their take on the panic, market failure, the likelihood of Capitalism as a superstructure to require perpetual growth even at the peril or death of its working class, the superior response to covid that South Korea and Norway seem to have mounted, a lot of fear of financial insecurity. Eventually this digresses to talk of touring, and the guys discuss all manner of various routes throught the South, Midwest, Northeast, plains states, PNW, Mexico City, Jeremy says ‘I can get us a show in Colombia’ which he can, Argentina or Venezuela through a mutual friend, then Europe so long as the label foots the bill for the plane ticket, then Japan, setting up camp on Honshu would make it easy to hit TOkyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya no problem, except where exactly are people playing shows? there’s gotta be somewhere all these Japanese Noise and Hardcore bands are getting gigs, and then from there of course it’s not hard to get to Australia, John knows a band there, and they go all around the world and this is stressing me out a little bit, only because I wonder about how much they think I would be involved or want to go on such a theoretical tour, and the answer is I don’t 100% know. Part of me wants to say this is my last tour, lean all the way in to law school and leave behind this chapter. Part of me feels like it’s better not to make a hard and fast statement like that because what if the economy collapses and for some reason school is a no-go but being in the band becomes the most plausible source of income or something. I get anxious and psych myself out and quiet down and feel foolish and wish to be home. I fantasize about my future life of stability, but I second guess myself because I just don’t know for sure how my life will be, and want to be careful to work toward the goals I think will be the most fulfilling, self-actualizing, spiritually nourishing, healthy for me; I also want to not forsake the friendships and bonds I’ve forged in these weird intimate moments in the van with the guys. I have the wherewithal to know that nobody is requiring me to make a decision right this second, and that as time passes it’s likely that the best course of action will be revealed one way or another if I can keep from panicking. So I watch videos of the 2019 Classic Tetris World Championships on my phone, eat two candy bars, watch videos of a streamer named Wumbotize play the latest Tetris game, Tetris Effect (2018, PS4, PC), and am pleasantly awed by how crazily far the skill curve of that game has shot up. I have some time ahead of me that is completely free, which is so nice. Before I know it I’m back home in my clean apartment which is tidy like a tetris field at the beginning of a new game and I get into my bed and lay down flat and if my bed is the well than the line of me clears and the well is clean, smooth, primed, for whatever falls tomorrow. 

[itsluhsbitch]

friends don’t

a/n: so this is probably the longest thing I’ve written. I really hope you guys like it. I loved writing it. It was based off this song, sorta, if you want to listen to it at all. I think this song is just super adorable.

also the breaks are just little time breaks. hope you enjoy! I love your guys’ feedback !

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

You were curled up in your bed in your apartment feeling like you were dying. All morning you were throwing up, and you kept getting dizzy from not being able to eat anything. Your whole body was aching and your throat was killing you. You were in bed watching New Girl ready to fall asleep at any moment, even if it was only 6:30, when your phone rang next to you. You picked it up to see it was your best friend facetiming you.

You smiled when the line connected and you saw his face.

“hey Lu” you smiled, ‘swallowing’ a bit of spit up back down and shuddering. You hated being sick.

“hey (y/n), I need your opinion on what to wear” Luke asked, a smile on his face, but he had yet to look at his phone.

“seriously?” you let out a light giggle.

“yeah, were going out for drinks tonight and I wanna look good.” Luke spoke

“yeah, cause you always look so horrible” you teased. Luke always looked damn good, and whenever he was clearly trying to look good, whether for an award show or at an interview, you always made sure to compliment him on how nice he looked.

“hey, shut it” Luke smiled at your sarcasm, finally looking at the screen and his smile falling.

“shit, are you okay?” Luke asked, starring at the screen held in his hands now.

“yeah, just a little under the weather.” you answered, flashing a light smile in appreciation for your best friend.

“no offense but you really don’t look that great, what have you ate today?” he asked, concern laced in his voice.

“nothing. I haven’t really had an appetite since last night, I tried to nibble on some crackers earlier like mom used to give me when I was little and didn’t feel good but that didn’t really stay down.”

“Jesus (y/n)”

“it’s fine Lu, really. It’s probably just a little 24 hour stomach bug or something.”

“you’re drinking a lot of water right?” Luke asked, setting his phone down on his bed so you were stuck looking up at the ceiling of his room now.

“yes Luke. I’m fine really.” you spoke, gagging, feeling like you were going to throw up...again.

You got up out of bed, leaving your phone there and headed to your en suite, getting to the toilet just in time to throw up. After about 10 minutes of throwing up your stomach, which was mostly water and a few bits of crackers you shuffled back into your room and into bed.

“hey Lu, sorry ab-” you started, picking up your phone to see the call had ended.

You shrugged, not really upset he had ended the call because you felt like shit, and he was getting ready to go out; maybe he’d lost reception or something, or was getting in an uber and didn’t want to be on his phone for privacy or out of respect for the driver. Luke loved to talk to his uber drivers.

You set your phone on your night stand and pulled your covers up around you, shivering a bit from how cold you were. In no time you were falling asleep.

You woke up to a friendly voice and someone rubbing your arm up and down.

“(y/n), wake up bug.” Luke’s familiar voice filled your ears, your body getting chills.

“what are you doing here?” you muttered, eyes barely open “wait, what time is it?” you asked louder, freaking out you had slept through a full day.

“it’s about 7:15, and I picked you up some soup and some more water. I also have a few dvds we can watch.” Luke answered, finally stopping rubbing on your arm causing you to let out a little whine, and Luke a small chuckle. “c’mon, I need you to sit up so you can try to eat some soup”

You let out a little groan, but still complied, sitting up and Luke handing you a small little bowl of soup and getting up and putting a dvd in before crawling back into bed next to you.

“You’re gonna get sick next Luke if you sit by me.”

“I’ll be fine (y/n)” Luke spoke, eyes focused on the tv and setting up the dvd to play.

“Lu your fans will hate me if I get you sick before your next show or tour or whatever you have coming up next.”

“just shut up and eat your soup” he laughed “I’ll be fine.”

You rolled your eyes and sat quietly eating your soup while the two of you started to watch The First Time.

You had finished your soup (or all that you could) and were now cuddled up in your bed; Luke throwing his arm around you and running his hand through your hair, mostly just twirling the ends around on his fingers.

“I thought you had something going on tonight?” you asked, yawning mid question.

“yeah, but I just cancelled, the boys understood.” Luke spoke, hearing you hum in response, unable to keep your eyes open any longer.

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

Luke was at the house with the boys, strumming his guitar along with Michael, working on something they were starting to write when he heard Ashton say your name out in the hallway, clearly on a phone call.

“yeah, nothing much is going on ‘round here. I think the only thing that’s really happened is (y/n) was really sick.”

...

“yeah she’s fine. Just some sort of stomach bug.”

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

Luke had completely forgot what he was doing when he heard your name. Admittedly, he wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but he just always spaced out on what he was doing when he heard your name, his mind wandering to you what you’re up to.

“Earth to Lucas” Michael all but yelled, clapping his hands in front of Luke to grab his attention, which luckily it did.

“r-right, sorry...where were we?”

Luke and Michael picked up what they were working on, but Luke kept messing up; not that it was a huge deal, as this was just something they were working on that had potential to be big for them.

“you alright mate?” Michael asked after Luke had messed up again.

“yeah...just-I think I need a little break s’all”

“yeah, that’s cool...I could go for a snack.” Michael spoke, getting up from his spot and headed downstairs into the kitchen.

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

It was around 3 in the morning when your phone went off, and normally you would have panicked at whoever was calling you at this hour, thinking it was some sort of emergency, but when you saw the caller id, your heart warmed, used to this happening occasionally.

“hey Lu, everything alright?” you asked

“yeah, just thought I’d call to say hi” he replied, and you could hear the smile in his voice. You let out a little chuckle before talking.

“well hi” you bit your lip to fight your smile. “how was your day?” you asked, turning onto your back and looking up at your ceiling.

“it was good. the boys and I headed into the studio and worked on some lyrics and some musical parts, the usual day. How about your day?” Luke asked.

“probably not as exciting as yours. I just worked a little bit on drawing up some new designs, probably headed into the shop tomorrow to start getting them together.”

“oh, that doesn’t sound too bad, got a wedding coming up or something?”

“well, yeah, and someone’s having a sweet 16 party and she wants a dress done by me. Something about loving my designs and how her friend wore one of mine for her quinceanera and she loved it.”

“well that sounds pretty exciting.”

“hardly, I just sat at home drawing a few things up, tomorrow will be a little more exciting for me.”

“yeah, tomorrow we have another episode of cocktail chats to film and then the evening nothing. so your day will probably be more exciting than mine.” he let out a little chuckle.

“well, if you’re free in the evening, I’ll probably be done at the shop around 3 or 4 if you didn’t have anything else going on and wanted to come over, order in some chinese or pizza, watch a movie or something?” you asked.

“yeah!” Luke said excitedly “or uh-” coughing “yeah” he said in a lower voice “it’ll be nice to hang out with you when you’re not coughing all over me” he teased.

“you knew I was sick!” you played back, defending yourself, a smile on your face.

“yeah yeah, well, I’ll let you get to bed, you probably head into work early” Luke spoke, yawning.

“Yeah, I’ll probably head in at 8ish. Have fun at you cocktail chat thing Lu”

“I will. sweet dreams (y/n), see you tomorrow.”

“goodnight Luke” you smiled, ending the call

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

You had texted him when you got home telling him you were going to take a shower but he could come whenever.  Luke picked up chinese on his way over to your apartment, letting himself in with the key you had given him when you had first moved in, being best friends and all.

You walked into your room, running a towel through your hair, having getting dressed in the bathroom in your pjs; a pair of shorts and a tank top. You smiled seeing Luke sitting on your bed indian style like they do in elementary school and the chinese bag next to him.

“you just make yourself right at home don’t you” you laughed, throwing your towel in your hamper and joining Luke on the bed, digging into the bag while he figured out the dvd.

“yeah, well we’ve been friends for so long what’s yours is basically mine.” he teased causing you to laugh and shake your head.

You two ate your food and made small talk, finishing your food and clearing it from the bed before laying back, Luke throwing his arm around you and pulling you into him, running his fingers along your back while yours traced shapes on his chest, eyes on the movie.

It was almost 11 by the time the second movie had finished and you and Luke woke up from your nap you ended up taking (accidentally) like you two always do.

“shit” Luke groaned sitting up, you following his lead. You two crawled out of your bed, Luke picking up your guys’ chinese that you set on the nightstand, while you got the dvds.

Heading through your apartment Luke took the trash into your kitchen while you stood on the other side of the island, watching him. He turned around and smiled, walking towards you, stopping on the opposite side of the island.

You two didn’t say anything, just talked with your eyes, smiles and head shakes passed between the two of you. He put his hand out and you handed him the dvds.

“thank you” he spoke, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

“you’re welcome. thanks for coming over” you smiled. Luke smiled, and came out from his side of the island, you meeting him. He threw his arms around you, your head buried in his chest, swaying back and forth.

“thanks for having me over, you know I always love hanging out with you” Luke muttered into your head.

“I love hanging with you too Lu”

You two made it to your door, Luke fiddling with his keys, facing one another.

“well..” he drug out.

“well..” you copied, biting your lip looking up at him, mesmerized by his blue eyes.

“I guess I uh-I should be going”

“uh-yeah, I guess.”

Luke opened his arms and you stepped into the embrace, feeling Lukes chin resting on the top of your head. You two stood hugging for a minute or two; your body feeling colder when you two finally broke apart.

“I’ll see ya (y/n), goodnight” Luke spoke, turning the doorknob.

“bye Luke” you smiled, following as he opened the door and stepped into the doorway, he turned to face you again.

“thanks for having me over” he spoke, you smiling up at him in return.

“thanks for coming over” you replied.

You two just stood and smiled at one another for another minute before Luke finally decided to go, you telling him to text you when he got home, which he agreed to of course.

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

You and the boys headed out downtown to grab a few drinks, you breaking out a new dress you got last week. You took an uber to the bar, meeting the boys there with your friend Sophie.

You two walked in, immediately spotting the boys sitting at a booth in the back corner. The two of you walked to the bar and got a drink, heading over to the booth.

“hey Sophie, (y/n), you two look good” Ashton spoke, acknowledging you two first, the other boys noticing you now. You waved at them all, locking eyes with Luke who just stared at you, mouth slightly agape.

You two slid into the booth, Sophie in the side next to Ashton, and you sliding in next to Luke, who threw his arm aroudn teh back of the booth.

As the night went on and everyone drank more, things got more lively. The bar had people dancing and playing pool and darts, and you and Luke were the only two sitting back in the booth, Sophie dancing with Calum, and Ashton and Michael picking up two girls at the bar.

You and Luke were in a fit of giggles, a little more drunk than the others. You were resting your head on his shoulder and he was telling you horrible cheesy jokes and pick up lines.

You were just looking up at Luke now, admiring him. You couldn’t help it. His smile, his eyes, his laugh, his jaw line, his hair you would play with every now and then, his personality, just him as a person.

“what?” Luke asked, catching you staring at him.

“nothing, you just look good.” you smiled up at him.

“me? have you seen yourself? I’m the luckiest guy here to be here with you”

“you’re so cheesy. I love-” you started, catching yourself “it” you finished, not letting it slip.

“well get used to it, you’re gonna be dealing with me for a while”

“oh really?” you hummed, “like how many years you thinking?” you teased.

“all of them” he smiled causing your cheeks to flush.

“well that’s perfect, I don’t think there’s anyone else in this world I could tolerate for that many years” you replied, causing Luke to look down at his lap so you wouldn’t see his rosy cheeks.

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

You had went over to the boys’ place earlier to hang out with them, catching a ride there with Sophie, but she was going to stay with Cal, but Luke had offered you a ride back to your place, even though you were more than welcome to stay there, and you normally would have, but you had a doctors appointment in the morning and the boys had to head to the studio and you didn’t have your car.

When you got in the car, Luke handed you the aux cord, you putting on the playlist you made for when you and Luke drive around anywhere. The music was lowly playing, but you and Luke knew just about every word, so sometimes you would sing quietly, and other times you would just sit back and enjoy listening to Luke.

You smiled as you watched Luke take a turn that wasn’t the way you normally go. Knowing you two were taking the long way. You turned and looked at him and he smiled.

It took you two 30 minutes to get home, when it normally takes you about 12. When you got to your apartment you two sat and finished the song. You smiled, thanking Luke for the ride and saying your guys’ goodbyes.

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

You were sat in your apartment, drawing up another design, but this time, the model was a blonde boy with curly hair and his nails painted and blue eyes. You were supposed to be working on another dress, but you couldn’t get him out of your head. You kept trying to tell yourself nothing was going on, but Sophie constantly was on your case about there being something so clearly going on. Every time you looked in his eyes though, you just couldn’t help but think there was something there.

Luke was coming over, and he was nervous. You were expecting him, but Calum and Sophie had stopped him and asked him what was going on between the two of you, calling bullshit when Luke said you guys were just friends because ‘friends don’t act like you two do.’

Ever since they said that, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sure, he thought you were cute, and in certain moments he thought about how perfect it would to be to kiss you then, but he wasn’t sure that there was something there. He decided he was going to address it somehow tonight, just not entirely sure how, because he didn’t want to lose you, ever.

You and Luke had ate dinner, eating some chicken and veggies you made before heading to your living room. You popped in a movie while Luke picked up your sketch pad, looking at your designs. He admired how talented you were, but when he saw a few doodles of a male that he couldn’t help but think looked like him.

“is this supposed to be me?” Luke asked, causing you to turn around and walk towards him, joining him on the couch.

“oh, uh-yeah” you blushed.

“are you designing something for me?” Luke asked, throwing the pad on the table and pulling you into him.

“I wasn’t really, but I can if you want me to try”

“so you just draw me..sometimes?” Luke asked, you turning to look at him.

“yeah...just when I can’t uh....nevermind” 

“no...tell me. when you can’t what?” he asked, turning to face you more. You had to look away.

“when I can’t uh-” you started, Luke’s hand coming under your chin and making you look him in the eyes. “when I can’t stop thinking about you” you whispered out, you and Luke extremely close.

Your eyes flashed down to his lips, watching his tongue dart across his lips, wetting them, yours copying his actions. Your eyes flicking up to his eyes to see them trained on your lips. 

Both of you started to lean in slowly, your eyes fluttering closed and you swear the second your lips finally met, after years of friendship and a while of the two of you having these unknown, unspoken feelings for one another, your heart skipped a beat.

His lips were soft against yours, and gentle. His hands cupping your face, yours lacing together behind his neck, tugging on his curls, a light groan vibrating across your lips. You hummed against his as you two started to slowly make out, and you swore you wanted to kiss this boy forever.

When you two finally pulled apart, Luke’s hands rested against your hips and yours practically on his collar bone. You bit your lip and looked at him, a dopey smile on both your faces.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” he admitted.

“I’m glad you finally did” you replied.

“get dinner with me tomorrow?” he asked.

“like a date?” you smiled.

“our first one of many yes.” he smiled back at you.

You smiled and kissed him again. “I would love to” you answered, both of you leaning in again.

[hermitknut]

A:TLA watch, part 17 - SERIES FINALE

All of my posts on this are here.  I’ll be putting up a masterlist sometime soon.

*deep breaths*

Okay, it’s time. Time to finish this series. I’m both desperate to find out how it ends and also desperate to stay in the middle of it. It’s been a hell of a ride… here we go!

Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King

Zuko teaching aang is so great, even when he’s getting touchy about it.

BEACH PARTY lol sokka, never change

Appa sand sculpture!!

Nooooooooo zuko I know you have to teach but NOT THE SAND SCULPTURES

Oooo aang wants to wait??

Ohhhh call back to that one war meeting!

Oh shiiiiiiit wiping out the earth nation. Big task. LOVE the shot of him walking over the map and casting his shadow before him.

Omg dragging zuko into the group hug XD

HOW TO REDIRECT LIGHTNING ZUKOOOOOOOO uncle tea would be SO PROUD

“yeah, I’ll just do that” :( aaaaaang.

I am really curious as to how they’re going to handle this (aang potentially killing the firelord)

Omg look at the precious children training I love them so much

God aang :( I love how much weight they’re giving this.

The music as he walks into the night!

Wait. Where did the island aang was heading towards go????

“what? Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with zuko, now it’s my turn” Toph, I sincerely love you

“get out of the bison’s mouth, sokka” XD

“if anyone’s got experience hunting the avatar, it’s you” GOOD POINT

Fire Lord is leaving? Where is he going?

Damn the dynamic between Azula and her father…

“mole? Her skin is flawless” jesus this show XD. Also, yet AGAIN, a logical, perfect call back to an earlier character. The way this show winds this stuff back in really makes the world feel real and solid.

“where are we?” AANG

Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

My dvd player is skipping a bit :/ hope this doesn’t keep happening. Maybe it’s because I keep pausing so much to type stuff. Hmm. I’m gonna try overlapping windows and see if that helps. [edit: it did, though I had to stop the whole thing and give it a rest between episodes. It’s old and cranky.]

“he doesn’t exist” hell of a disappearing act there, aang

ZUKO WANTS TO FIND UNCLE TEA HELL YES

I have been WAITING for the return of Iroh!!!

Oo maybe talking to zuko will help

THE ORDER OF THE WHITE LOTUS RIGHT??? And aang’s friend is one of them!!!!

“new grandfather” XD XD XD holy shit sokka’s so enthusiastic

“all old people know each other” LOL

I genuinely love aang working through previous avatars, trying to get an answer.

“did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse” “no, not really” LOL

SURFING AVATAR

Ohhh how nervous zuko is!

Ooo an air nomad avatar…

“I have to kill the firelord” is it me or is that the first time aang’s used the word “kill”

ZUKO’S CRYING. IROH’S CRYING. I’M CRYING. OH GOD.

“it wasn’t that hard uncle. You have a pretty strong scent.” God XD

THE ISLAND IS A SEA CREATURE I AM UNNERVED BUT DELIGHTED

“the fatherlord” XD

“it has to be you” oh BLESS

“my destiny is to take it BACK” ohhhhhhhhhh

Omg katara and zuko vs azula? I am VERY EXCITED

Here we go, splitting up the forces and starting the plan

Also sokka looks so little in that helmet, I can’t deal with this

Duuuuude the island beast thing!!

Oh boy here comes the comet oh godddddddd that closing shot of aang…

  Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno

God everyone’s worried about aang… so am I…

Azula jesus

Nice SHOT Toph

God this show is so STUNNING the way it pans from the ship they’re on to the lead ship with Ozai on it…

Azula… jesus no one needs to take down azula, she’s going to do it herself XD

TOPH KNOCKING ON THE DOOR AND THEN USING IT AS A METAL SUIT MY MOUTH IS JUST OPEN IN DELIGHT

“I can’t believe the captain remembered my birthday” BAHAHA AMAZING

God azula is just dissolving isn’t she?

Ohhhhh you know it occurred to me that Zuko could use the comet’s power but I hadn’t thought about Iroh, holy SHIT

MOTHER IN THE MIRROR fuck this show is intense

AANG

No glider no momo no appa oh AANG PLEASE BE CAREFUL I LOVE YOU

Airship slice!! Oh gosh folks oh gosh

I’m actually genuinely frightened for everybody

“you’re not going to become firelord today – I am” COME ON ZUKO HELL YES

Ooooo full on formal duel I am HERE FOR THIS

Aang :( I SAID BE CAREFUL

HE CHANNELLED LIGHTNING BUT ONLY JUST

NO AANG AANG AANG YOU’RE FALLING NOOOO

Oh GOD I love the way he caught himself with the waterbending!

I am very concerned by the sad music playing through the zuko and azula fight..

NO SHE’S GOING TO AIM AT KATARA NO  NO NO NO NO NO NO ZUKO NO

AANG HIDING IN THE EGG

QUICK I NEED THE NEXT EPISODE QUICK QUICK QUICK

  Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang

YES YES EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED WE KNOW WE KNOW HURRY UP I NEED ANSWERS

“PREVIOUSLY ON AVATAR” I KNOW I KNOW GET GOING

“you could stand to mention it more” TOPH

JESUS SOKKA YOU’RE SUCH A BADASS

NO NO DON’T DROP TOPH NO

ANOTHER SHIP HIT THEM OKAY

Aang hiding in the egg still, oh boy

Oh god the way it melts away around him

And it HIT THE SCAR

“little boy” oh you are SO FUCKED

AVATAR STAAAAAAAAAAAAATE

HE’S USING ALL OF THE ELEMENTS AT ONCE HOLY SHIT AANG

PLEASE BE OKAY AFTER THIS

Irohhhhhh setting fire to the fire nation flag!! This is great :D

Jesus this entire series has been building to Aang having full control and HOLY SHIT is it worth it!!

Uh oh we’re back to azula and katara and zuko

COME ON KATARA COME ON ZUKO

Katara has an idea!!

WAIT DID SHE FREEZE BOTH OF THEM HOLY

Oh KATARA you GENIUS

I’m worried about zuko but also able to appreciate the symbolism of him having a scar that matches aang’s

Oh god azula shooting lightning with her mouth and losing it entirely :(

Holy shit the BENDING that aang’s doing is BLOWING MY MIND

Was that a gasp of fear from ozai??

“the ultimate price” AANG STOPPED THOUGH

God the slow motion bit where he captures ozai holy SHIT

Is he gonna take the bending away from ozai???

THE LIGHT COMING FROM THEIR FACES FRIGHTENS ME

To bend another’s energy??? I CAN’T HEAR THE TURTLE THING CLEARLY ENOUGH DID HE JUST TAKE OZAI’S BENDING AWAY???

“I took away your firebending” phew I was right

God aang just. summoning the avatar state briefly with a breath and raising the water

i n c r e d i b l e

SOKKA you’re hilarious

“who taught you that” “a giant lion-turtle”

I love that they’re all just taking the piss of ozai like. Valid. You are all incredibly valid.

ZUKO’S GIRLFRIEND IS BACK blesssssss

“but don’t Ever Break Up With Me Again” HA

Oh god it’s ahappily ever after I can’t handle this I CAN’T AHHHHHHH

I am CRYING

Acrobat girl joined the warriors!! Hahahahaha

AANG IN THE YELLOW ROBES

AANG AND ZUKO HUGGING

I CAN’T BREATHE

LOOK AT THE LINES OF PEOPLE AND EVERYONE CHEERING

LOOK AT LITTLE AANG

They better let aang chill for a bit now, jesus, the kid is still twelve XD he needs a HOLIDAY

*screams through fingers* that little beckoning to aang

Zuko talking to his father – OH SHIT HIS MOTHER

LOL AT SOKKA’S DRAWING

Katara – KATARA AND AANG HUGGING awwwwwww

KISS THEY KISSED AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HOLY SHIT

(sidenote: we get different end music randomly on the last episode that’s REALLY PRETTY but also kind of strange lol. I love it)

~

SO WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO UNPACK ALL THAT

BUT I LOVE IT

I LOVE ALL OF IT

HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS

*steadying breaths*

This series is absolutely INCREDIBLE and I am SO GLAD I watched it. I can’t wait to rewatch it in the summer (I’m planning it with a friend) – and next month I’m going to get hold of Legend of Korra to keep me going in the meantime.

Thank you so much to everyone who’s been following along, it’s been really lovely to share this with you!! I am one hundred percent here for anyone who wants to talk (read: let me yell with them) about the whole series now, provided there are no Korra spoilers.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to ramble to myself about how amazing this was until it’s fully sunk in XD

H

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 9: Denial on so Many Fronts

I’ve managed to have a pretty open timeslot this holiday, where I decided I was going to do lots of catch up work. (I have instead filled up my Background Music Playlist with lots of youtube piano covers of Castlevania.)

So of course I find myself back at this blog to fill the leftover time, it being so many weeks (months, actually) since I was able to do a double update weekend (spoiler, I did not finish a second update  :) ).

This episode, Yugioh decided to legitimately enter romance territory and y’all it is something. And I don’t mean it in a “Ain’t that something!” sort of way, I mean it in the “That is...something.” Kind of way. And for the first time in forever, I actually have to talk about romance today. For once that is actually something this episode is about. For about 5 entire minutes. It’s staggering.

So lets get into it because the stance the show decides to take against the only valid romantic relationship it’s had outside of Pegasus sure is something.

Duke has managed to get inside Pegasus’ facility/Place Duke works at every single day. Incredible that he finally made it inside of his actual workplace. Whether he just found an open door or Metal Geared up a trash chute is undeclared, since that was all off screen between episodes, but maybe he has to do this like...all the time? Like heaven forbid Duke ever leave his phone at the office because this place seems iron clad and apparently there is absolutely no one he can call to let him in.

Like for reals isn’t Duke upper level management or something? Like a team director for an entire model of card game? Wtv, I guess he got demoted at some point and now he’s at the same level as a Google temp.

Duke used to air on international TV, just throwing that out there. He used to be a very big deal. Course, for all we know, maybe he also got locked out of his game store all the freakin time?

Anyway, he finds some random room he’s decided is the security room and uh...

Starts just mashing buttons.

I assume that he was just mashing the entire time it took for this duel to last, PS, because we all know that password, but does Duke? Is Duke, in fact, the only character left on this show that doesn’t know Pegasus’ password because he wasn’t there in most of S1?

(read more under the cut)

As Joey is playing Mai, he’s noticed that she is freaking out, but only intermittently. She’s going in between personalities like Yugi and Pharaoh.

In the show it makes it seem like she’s “Snapping out of it” as far as the Orichalcos’ effects go. But like...becoming a stumbling crying mess in between card draws is sort of like...not making Joey look like a good guy.

In fact, this episode goes out of their way to try and paint him a hero but they didn’t accomplish that. They start to. It starts to look like that. As Mai is breaking down, she loses her weird Oricalchos ability to no longer feel fear, and Joey takes the opportunity to try and get her to away from the dark side.

Thing is, the duel has already started so it’s kind of moot now since neither she nor Joey really know how to end the duel without killing the other. So it’s like he’s trying to reach out to her the only way he can since this duel wasn’t his choice anyway, but it is in a way that is killing both of them. Symbolism, I guess. 

You know, it seemed like the show just needed a way to put a timer over Joey’s head and this was the only excuse they could give because the right thing to have done is just not play anything.

And that whole thing last episode where Pharaoh was like “there is ONE way out of this situation” I assumed would be about a tie. I kind of just assumed a tie would take place like between Kaiba and Alister...instead...it got weird.

First off, Valon--out of all people, Valon the drug card pusher of the wacky accent--decided to be more heroic than any of our heroes who are currently just gawking at a force field.

It’s been like 4 seasons since Yugi jumped and hung off the edge of a clocktower, only holding on by the point of his pyramid puzzle, and I keep seeing situations where we could see Yugi impress us yet again and instead he keeps his feet planted firmly on the ground while random ass Valon just shoots into the air like a rubber band.

Why didn’t I just assume that when Pharaoh said “I know how to beat this.” he meant to punch it directly in the face?

I’m pretty sure it’s an allusion to the fact that Oricalchos takes away your sense of fear that these three are constantly being huge idiots and jumping off ledges and out of airplanes but like...

...they are wearing a lot of padding, to be fair.

(I joke about Joey getting possessed as if he hasn’t been already)

And so Valon, this evil as hell villain who’s probably killed countless numbers of people up until now just starts freaking out about Mai. Like, a lot for this show. Like we even get a really awkward death squeeze. And like she ain’t even dead.

Almost like Severus Snape in that awkward Harry Potter Movie flashback, but Valon actually dated her once (I could go off about the Harry Potter movies but I’ll spare you.) It’s just every time Mai passes out there will be some man crying over her that she doesn’t even seem remotely aware of when she’s awake.

Like remember how Mai got engaged and she forgot? At the time I thought that was super weird but I’m starting to realize she probably just took a nap or something and then boom.

So although none of this is Raphael’s business, he’s so annoyed at Valon for possibly pissing off Darts that he decides to deflect his anger onto Pharaoh--who wasn’t even participating in this duel.

I mean Raphael wanted to kill Pharaoh anyway but it still feels like kind of a reach.

Speaking of reach...I miss our really good storyboarder. Check out that foreshortened hand. Man Yugioh, the whiplash from good to eh. It’s so much whiplash.

So, in a burst of green light, the three bikers vanish.

And I guess now they can just use Mai’s bike whenever, because it’s not like she’s gonna use it. But I doubt very much Tristan will remember that.

And so, this is about where this episode’s romance goes a little weird because Joey just...

Am I supposed to want Joey to break up Valon and Mai? Like I know one time Joey attempted to take a fireball for her (but didn’t, that was Pharaoh, who isn’t currently crying about Mai despite taking a fireball for her), and then another time Joey dueled Marik for her (and lost.) But like...then Joey lost touch with her for over a year and legitimately didn’t seem bothered until just now when she showed up.

Valon not only seems at least 2 years older than Joey, he’s also stuck around with her for longer than a week, which is much longer than the amount of time that Joey Wheeler has spent with her (while she was conscious). And listen I don’t ship, you know me, but I feel like the show isn’t doing a good job to convince me that Valon is anything but loyal to Mai. Just throwing that out there.

It just comes off that Joey is jealous and unable to cope with Mai being around another guy, when it’s like...Joey...Mai was gone for over a year. You can’t claim dibs anymore. It’s possessive this episode to a degree I don’t think the writers wanted to go. It feels like an accident that they wrote him like this.

I guess, story wise, Joey needs a reason to duel and be on this show--but why must it always gravitate around a girl who’s actually just fine without him?

Like Mai right now is a mess but she wants to be this mess. Personally I think he should respect her decision and give her space but I guess this show really wants to go the angle of “If your friend goes off the deep end, dive after them” to which I would like to say “or don’t.”

Like I think this is all on a case by case basis, but...Mai’s MURDERED people (and a gas station). Although one of them was Pegasus, who doesn’t count, this is still a situation where you should maybe avoid your friend and just call the cops already. If there has been a murder, especially if there’s been over 20 murders, it’s OK to finally call the cops. Mai is a SERIAL MURDERER, which should never mean “she can come back.”

I mean it’s not like any of these kids decided to start hanging out with Marik, right? And I mean they kinda all decided unanimously that maybe they should hold back chilling with Bakura? This should be old hat for them now. They’ve had to deal with the murderous betraying friend so many times. Why must Mai be so special?

But I guess that is Joey’s whole shpeal, isn’t it? That’s Joey’s magical superpower? He wouldn’t be friends with Yugi if he was bothered by his friend occasionally going Pure Asshole. And Joey did have a darker background himself (which is something the show keeps telling me but I have never actually seen because we haven’t seen it in Season Zero. Which honestly means I should do a Season Zero next because how long am I going to wait to watch that Joey backstory?)

So I guess I should stop being so practical about it, this is a fantasy story, and the fantasy of Joey Wheeler is that he can actually try to keep the people in his life from going topside and it actually works. The most magical person in all of Yugioh if that’s true because you ever try and change a drug addict? There’s a reason why they have therapists for that.

Speaking of topside,

Kaiba just shows up in the middle of a Joey meltdown and youknow what? He’s barely even that surprised that these guys are in San Fransisco crying on the floor of his ex-competitor’s lobby. He’s just so used to this.

And so, we’re all going to ignore Joey and just try not to notice Rex and Weevil and instead talk about cards.

Ps in the show Mokuba says his brother “swept the floor” of Alister when like...Seto nearly died multiple times. Mokuba’s so ready to lie his face off to save his brother’s face when like...no one asked. He just volunteered this information.

That and Mokuba might not actually know how this game is played (NO ONE REALLY KNOWS) and legitimately thinks his brother did really good in that card game. We still don’t know entirely what the title “Battle Commissioner” even meant and knowing this company it was probably a secret job made to hide lots and lots of illicit insider trading. Because we all know Mokuba wasn’t playing cards.

So, Yugi remembers that he has this key card that is a card with a key printed on it, and figures...it probably opens a door or something. That maybe they should do that thing they came to California to do, and since all (counts on fingers) 9 of them (10 if you count Pharaoh) are here, they may as well all do it together.

Meanwhile, every animator in that studio cried a single tear over the amount of bad hair they will have to shove into every frame between 9 of these people. Crowd scenes wow.

And what’s great about this next shot is that you have no idea which way Joey’s head is pointed. I dare you. take it in.

And so they all go up to the top floor with Duke Devlin while these two are just...still here.

Rex and Weevil are still here. Despite everything.

(forgive me if this is a joke I forgot I read off of tumblr once. I’ve been reviewing this show so long I just...I don’t remember what jokes I’ve already made)

(Also, I can’t believe they stuck in Rex and Weevil but didn’t put in Mokuba into this shot.)

So they open the cryptic door with the cryptic Keycard and enter...Pegasus’ room of toon suits.

I imagine he just pulls these out whenever there’s an event in the city, just like “Hell yes hell yes it’s Bay to Breakers time to be a parrot with boobs for some reason.”

(fun fact, despite the weather, SF is home to 3 clothes-optional beaches. You can see two of them from the Bridge.)

And so Pegasus decides to tell everybody what we already know. Rex and Weevil have overheard this, but they’re busy like...looking for trading cards in all these mascot suits. Whatever makes it easier for this team of animators. Like you never really think about it, but kid’s shows have just a hell ton of crowd scenes. Worse than a Marvel comic right here.

PS, if you are designing a comic or a drawn story of any degree--just never allow a party to be more than 4 people at a time, Kill off anyone you have to in order to make this happen, you’ll thank me later. Never EVER a draw a crowd scene. Once you do, then other people will think that you can draw crowd scenes, and you never, ever want anyone to know that.

It was nice of Pegasus to let Arthur Hawkin’s take the fame for Atlantis, I guess. But like...Pegasus just...he really doesn’t seem to care about the fate of humanity unless it inconveniences his card game.

Bro brought up “how much do you think Pharaoh even knows about America other than it’s a place across the sea that Rebecca lives? Like do you think that he has a good grasp on there being 7 continents?” and I’m guessing...not much. Course this is like a weird America with mesas and deserts in Napa so...I don’t know if the animators have a good grasp even.

Anyway, where do you think the key is?

And What do you think the key is?

So in the show Kaiba sees this card and goes “It’s a worthless card” (because I dunno maybe he forgot for the zillionth time that this was how he got turned into a playing card) and then Pharaoh replies “Maybe to you it is.” and like...

...You know the thought crossed Pharaoh’s mind.

To just put a little Seto in there.

Youknow, it took me 4 seasons but I can deffo see why and how Pegasus did it. If I were in Pegasus’ shoes, how long would it take me before the Kaiba kids are paper? Like 10-20 minutes tops? Especially with how completely insane Kaiba acts this episode?

And speaking of endless denial, Joey still hasn’t quite caught up to the plot.

He’s getting there, but he’s mentally still crying on the floor of the lobby.

Just Joey going all ham about a girl he hasn’t thought about in over a year. And then from the other side of the room, Kaiba is still coming to terms with Ep 2.

Like you have to hand it to Duke Devlin that not once in this entire series has he had a denial meltdown. Even Yugi had a denial meltdown (at several points) but Duke? Duke’s just winging it. Dukes just has no idea what’s happening or what he’s doing and is just winging it every second he’s been alive. He’d fit right into San Fransisco.

Like remember Duke hangs out in the bad parts of the Tenderloin for some reason, he deals with PG&E just deleting your power willy nilly and still making you pay for it, Comcast, Bay Area traffic, and, of course, the entire North Bay lighting on fire once a year, so he’s totally fine when it comes to cards.

And so Yugi, just unable to think of any solution to Kaiba being a wall just holds this up

And so with that, Kaiba has joined the party. I guess.

Well, back to eating this large stack of holiday cookies. Hope y’all have a good one--happy holidays! 

It’s been a very weird year, but we’ve had some good news here in the States recently, I’m sure you all heard about it, that Inktober is legally unprofitable so now that means there will be nigh an Inktober ever again, and I am so stoked. I am so excited that the decade of hellish Inktobers is finally over.

That and the other stuff that happened but we won’t get into that ;)

Hopefully I’ll do another post before 2020 but I’m sort of in denial that 2020 is happening so I’m doing my best not to look at the calendar.

And if you just got here, this is where you can read my recaps in Chrono order from S1 Ep1

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 90: Restaurant Wars

“Thanks for calling Fish Stew Pizza, we do fries now.”

After a streak of episodes about neglect, mourning, disability, consent, and harassment, I think I’m ready for a goofy one.

Restaurant Wars is the stupidest episode of Steven Universe, and I don’t say that with an ounce of ill will. I do say this with the knowledge that Say Uncle exists: non-canon goofs are what they are, but this story takes place in continuity so it is official that Steven once saved the boardwalk by turning his house into a restaurant and making better food than two food professionals. That will never again be a thing that didn’t happen in his life.

From the start, there’s no attempt to hide the silliness. The conflict begins with Fryman and Kofi screaming “RESTAURANT WAR” at each other and cutting to black. The episode is presented in a series of titled vignettes and never stops treating the Fryman/Pizza feud as seriously as a...

...I can’t even finish that sentence, the principal characters here are named Mr. Fryman and Kofi Pizza. We don’t even know Fryman’s first name, and Kofi’s last name is the word “pizza” and he runs a pizza shop. This is so, so, so dumb. I love it.

A huge strength of this series is its ability to balance depth with humor, the big term serialization with the normal daily life of a magical kid. It sometimes swings hard at plotty episodes, but rarely does it swing this far in the opposite direction. I’m not talking about Restaurant Wars being a townie episode, because plenty of townie episodes affect the overall plot and develop important characters. Steven’s connection to humanity is critical to his status as a child of two worlds, so while alien stuff might be cooler, there will always be a place for the mundane in the actual plot. 

This is a matter of tone, and Restaurant Wars is the tonal opposite of a plot-heavy story that expands the characters and lore. Uncle Grandpa and Log Date 7 15 2 and Kindergarten Kid have a similar devotion to comedy, but we still get arcs for the characters within them. Nobody grows in Restaurant Wars. The conflict’s resolution is about returning to the status quo we saw at the beginning of the episode, not moving forward or learning critical information. The single consequence is that Ronaldo gets dumped by a girlfriend we didn’t even know he had until moments before it happens, which is just deliciously cruel. 

This might actually be my favorite Ronaldo episode, if I’m including episodes featuring him on top of episodes where he’s the focus: it’s not that I revel in watching him suffer (not fully, anyway), but Zachary Steel is really good at making that suffering funny, from his livid “Do you know how much BLOGGING I haven’t been able to do!?” to lasting despair after his surprisingly real girlfriend breaks up with him. It’s a welcome change of pace from his smug buffoonery, and it’s such a surprising and mean joke for the episode to end without throwing him a single bone. This subplot alone is worth the price of admission.

The breakup, like everything else in the episode, borrows its tone from the cheesiest anime melodrama anyone could ask for. There may be a reference to a more specific show, but I’m frankly not huge on slice of life anime, and despite how much I love writing about Steven Universe I draw a line at doing extensive research about friggin’ Restaurant Wars. Regardless, we get the drawn-out gasps, the kabuki emoting, the dramatic camera flashes, the works. It’s not just anime stuff—the vignette titles evoke the sort of Ken Burns parody you’d see in a show like Community, let nobody say Lamar Abrams and Katie Mitroff don’t have eclectic comedy tastes—but even a casual like me can see the Japanese influence here.

This is the sort of episode that only works every once in a while, because it’s so much compared to the general mood of the series. I understand anyone who dislikes Restaurant Wars, because it’s really different and nothing happens and it’s unbelievably stupid. But dammit, I can’t stay mad at it. Its timing is perfect, in the middle of a stretch of Beach City episodes that have been varying levels of stressful. It’s not interrupting anything or wasting your time for a second by pretending to be anything it’s not. The crew just wanted to tell a stupid story about grown men feuding over who gets to make what food, and that’s okay.

It helps that we get a better look at Fryman and Kofi, two adults that Steven understandably doesn’t hang out with very often. We already know Kofi has a temper, but Fryman until now has been defined by his gruff acceptance of how weird the world around him is, and it’s fantastic to see him revved up. My favorite joke of the episode has Steven explain that Fryman’s supposed to do fries by acknowledging his name and absurd hair, only for Fryman to not realize his hair is shaped like fries. These ridiculous names and his ridiculous character design already exist, so they might as well be used for a ridiculous story.

To be clear, this better look doesn’t actually mean much for their characters, because in a normal episode I doubt Kofi would try branding people with an iron. Again, this isn’t an story about growing, so at best we understand by the end of it that these two take their jobs seriously, but that’s something we already knew. Perhaps it would be funnier to use more established characters for something this zany, but I think we benefit from the flexibility that comes with relative blank slates: Restaurant Wars was never going to be believable, but it would be even less believable if people we knew acted this out of character. 

Their kids get a nice amount of focus as well. I love finally seeing Jenny and Kiki hang out with Ronaldo and Peedee, even in this situation. I get why they wouldn’t normally interact, as Peedee is an anxious kid and Ronaldo is Ronaldo, but these are neighboring families that each have two siblings who work in their dads’ food shops. Add in the fact that both families seem to have single fathers (although Jenny and Kiki are lucky enough to have the world’s greatest Gunga) and the Frymans and Pizzas have a lot in common. 

Unlike their parents, we get grounded character moments here that show these four probably have some history together. The highlight is Jenny stage whispering her doubt about Ronaldo’s girlfriend to Peedee, who immediately agrees; these are people who are able to stand the guy enough to hang out with him, but know he’s usually full of it. Jenny gets a sweet moment supporting Kiki, and Kiki’s people-pleasing attitude might be “helpful” here, but her focus on the needs of others above her own will be addressed in our very next episode.

There’s really nothing else to talk about in an outing like Restaurant Wars, but I have two stray thoughts for this stray episode. First, I’m glad it happened after Greg got rich, because even if it’s not mentioned it at least adds some realism into the conversion of Steven’s home. Second, I’m baffled by the pairing of the mundane pizza bagel with the revolutionary fries filled with ketchup, but I’m not exactly gonna be taken out of the moment by a strange plot point here. I’m glad I live in a world where this episode exists. But I'll also be glad to get back to the actual show. 

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

This is by no means a favorite, and it’s not an episode I’m ever gonna rewatch outside of a binge or for reviewing purposes, but come on. It’s not hurting anybody.

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[pixie-mage]

So you want to get caught up with Jack’s 2018 Ego Content before he gets back from tour?

Here’s a summary of the videos you need to watch, in a linear order, without any major spoilers as to what’s in them.

THE VIDEO THAT STARTED IT ALL

At this point, almost everybody is aware that Dr. Schneeplestien has officially returned! It started the night before the first video of the Ego-pocolypse was uploaded, when a new photo appeared on Jack’s instagram feed.

The following morning, Jack uploaded the video:

THE DOCTOR IS BACK | Gastric Bypass, Liposuction Surgery

This one is definitely worth watching all the way through, but if you want to JUST watch the important content, then you can start this video at 18:39.

The next video that you’ll want to watch is three uploads later, and the beginning of the Stories Untold series. In my opinion, this is one of my FAVORITE series that Jack has played, not just because of the Ego content hidden in the videos, but also because the game itself is just phenomenal. So I’d DEFINITELY recommend watching all four of these in their completion. But for now, here’s the FIRST video:

WATCH THIS WITH THE LIGHTS OFF | Stories Untold - Chapter 1

The intros for these videos are all distinct, and you might want to listen to them all...just in case. For this one, if you only want to watch the end clip, start at 21:52.

The video following this one is a weird one.

Barry Has A Secret

It’s a quirky game in which you’re a killer(?) who has to hide a bunch of chopped-off body parts before the police come into your apartment. You really only need to watch the end for this one. Start at 11:55.

THEY ARE LISTENING | Stories Untold - Chapter 2

Again, you’ll want to listen to Jack’s intro for this, because it might be important. Nobody’s really sure yet. The ending for this might just be related to the game and NOT an Ego thing, but....still. We’re including this whole series. If you want to see the ending clip, start at 30:20.

The second upload that day was a game called Yet Another Exhausted Day. The video doesn’t have any real Ego-related stuff but...the reoccurring theme of Sleep and Nightmares is one you should keep in the back of your mind.

The next video?

THEY’RE HERE! | Stories Untold - Chapter 3

Now, this is where things get interesting. In the game, we realize that all four episodes of this tale are connected. The game episodes are connected, the levels themselves. But it definitely carries over to the channel too, because it becomes very very clear that the videos Jack has been uploading are connected too. He and Robin have been very careful in picking games and in telling their story. The games match the story. You’ll want to remember that.

Now, again, watch the introduction for this video. If you choose to skip the rest of the video to ONLY watch the Ego clips, then just know that this particular episode deals with the concept of somebody being in a coma. You NEED to be aware of that. Again, timestamp for the final clip: 40:59. (Morse code at the end spells out “Where Am I?”

On to Episode 4 of Stories Untold.

IT WAS ALL CONNECTED! | Stories Untold - Chapter 4

Intro, again. Like before. And again, I recommend watching these all the way through. But this one - this is a real, legitimate, live-action scene, one a little more in-depth that what we saw with Schneep’s grand return. Jack and Robin have gotten very creative with their filming and editing, haven’t they? ^^ Anyway, to JUST watch the final clip, start at 45:07.

And then, in the next video, we see the returned “sleep” theme brought up again, this time with nightmares. (It’s also important to note that at some point in the day or two before this video went up, Jack posted a rather interesting photo on his Instagram feed that showed him in red lighting, wearing Chase’s shirt, with Marvin’s mask hanging in the background. (Marvin’s mask also appeared in the background of Jack’s stream the next day, as well as a regular video on the channel.)

Try To Fall Asleep!

This video is the one with the most sly easter eggs. I mean, we’re talking secret frames hidden in the static BETWEEN the frames. It’s ridiculous, and major props to Robin for doing all this. You might not catch any of it the first time you watch it. There are so many, it’s hard to link to all of them...so instead I’m going to link to my post where I already compiled all the easter eggs for the video: [That Mask Sure Looks Familiar]

The following day, one of the biggest theories we had in the JSE community was basically confirmed: The Coma Theory. I won’t go into detail, but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions from the video that “Jack” uploaded that day.

TIE - A Game About Depression

At first, the video seems fairly normal...but the further into it you get, the more it starts to feel like Jack isn’t acting like himself. References are made that make it more important to watch the whole thing from the beginning to the end, but if you’re not able to watch videos about depression I can fully respect that. To see only what NEEDS to be seen, you can go ahead and start your video at 9:52.

The video gives us a more clear picture of what’s really been going on in these videos, on the channel, during the Ego storyline. It blew people’s minds - and the reaction it got was only beaten by the next Ego-centric video that Jack uploaded, a full three days after TIE.

Dark Silence

And hoooooly shit was this a good video. While you don’t need to watch it all the way through, there IS a point in the middle that is worth noting and you SHOULD watch. It starts at 12:34 and it changes the visual mood of the rest of the video due to lighting. Good job on that one, Jack! It was so effective! ( ‘ ‘)b Starting at about 18:20 the gameplay changes, from exploring an abandoned gas station to suddenly exploring an abandoned hospital. And this is crucial. If you’re looking to bypass all gameplay, the ending clip starts at 20:35, but I’d recommend starting at the hospital segment of the game. It makes it that much more effective.

The next game...well I might not count it as Ego content, but you never know.

The next morning he uploaded Baldi’s Basics which has kind of gone viral on YouTube recently lol. But the amount of references to parents in it put a lot of theorists on edge, whether it meant anything or not.

The next (and so far, final) Ego-centric video was uploaded four days ago. It was the first upload of the day with a rather unsettling introduction, it ended on a chilling note, and the second upload was a full hour late afterwards. Needless to say people are eager to see what might happen next, but with how close Jack is to leaving for tour I’m not so sure we’ll get anything else before Thursday.

EXPLORING AN ABANDONED HOSPITAL | Exiles

This one, you’ll want to watch all the way through. You won’t want to skip anything here. But if you really ARE just trying to watch the most important parts of these videos, you should watch the introduction, then once Jack starts to play the game with his normal banter, you can skip to 14:21.

UPDATE: Jack, like the little shit he is, uploaded another video with Ego content literally two days after I finished and posted this. So...ya know. Thanks for throwing more Mentos in my Coke bottle, Jackaboy. xD

ANYWAY! The next video:

I AM SO CREEPED OUT BY THIS! | First Winter

In the aftermath of the last video, seeing the normal intro in this one was almost disturbing. Going in I already suspected First Winter would have Ego content, due to Jack’s pattern of playing horror games for Anti-based plot in recent weeks, so I wasn’t surprised by the inclusion of creepy moments. It didn’t make it any less unsettling or impressive though. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the video as a whole, so it’s worth watching it all the way through if you have the chance.

If you’re just here looking for the Ego clip that should be tacked onto the end of this one, that’s gonna be a little harder. See, there really...wasn’t one. Much like in Try To Fall Asleep, the creepy easter eggs were sprinkled between frames of the game, some of them visual and some of them audial. For ease of showing them all in one compilation, I’ll instead link you to a video post created by @redpocalypse where they put all the odd occurrences together for the community’s viewing pleasure. [Well that wasn’t in the game]

Hopefully that wasn’t too long of a post, but still thorough enough for you to follow the trail of videos and catch up. Have fun watching, and have fun theorizing!

- Pixiemage