#I know this entire post could’ve been summed up in a one-sentence question but I needed my supporting arguments okay?

[the-unconquered-queen]

So I have a question about ILitW

Specifically, about Connor and MC

Okay, so it’s been established that MC is 18 when the events of ILitW kick off. Connor is canonically two years older, making him 20, reiterated when he’s 21 in the one year later epilogue. This means that back when he was in school, he would have been two grades above MC, so he would’ve been a junior when they were a freshman and a senior when they were a sophomore.

And then the story makes it seem like the whole main gang all kept going to the same schools as they grew up (rather than just ending up in the same hs after being in different schools prior to that), which makes sense, since the town isn’t huge, but we can assume that if Stacy went to the same schools as MC, so did Connor, because kids with more narrow age gaps (such as Connor and Stacy’s 2 years) tend to go to the same schools, because it makes more sense to enroll them in the same place, and since we know Connor went to the same high school as his younger sister, we can assume that the two of them were in the same elementary/middle school, which would’ve been the same one(s) MC attended.

So given that there were two years of overlap in which Connor and MC went to the same high school (and that they most likely attended the same school(s) prior to that), how come that encounter on the side of the road is their first time seeing each other in ten years?

Because hear me out, while it’s clear that it’s their first interaction in all that time, they still would’ve seen each other in the halls for at least two years (because I highly doubt that in all that time, they had never seen each other even once), and while I don’t expect two students with a whole grade between them to take much notice of each other, it doesn’t change the fact that their paths must have crossed, so then Connor would’ve said something earlier, wouldn’t he?

This guy was preoccupied with driving a car, saw MC from behind, made a split second of eye contact when he drove by them, and in that split second knew he’d seen them somewhere before and that made him stop, so I don’t get why that didn’t happen previously when they were in high school together. Especially since when the pieces clicked and Connor realized who MC was, it wasn’t “oh, that one kid I remember occasionally walking past in the hallways, whom I additionally know from way before that”, but rather “yeah, MC, my sister’s childhood friend from ten years ago”, so his memory immediately takes him to when he was a kid, rather than to more recent times, like when they went to the same hs up until two years before that reunion or all the years they would’ve gone to school together before that. Because yeah, right now I wouldn’t recognize someone who was two grades above or below me in high school if I never interacted with them during that time, but that’s not why Connor recognizes MC in the book, which is what makes no sense to me, because if he recognized them on the road, he would’ve recognized them at school too.

Going back to the part where he saw them from behind while driving, I am adding that my MC at least had the purple hair, which is a striking trait and one that clashes very obviously with what he would remember from when they were kids, while he notes that MC kept the same walk he remembered them having back then (impressive recall), so if his subconscious memory is so good that he can tell that this random stranger he locked eyes with for .1 second, who’s got different physical traits than he remembered, is someone he’s familiar with to the point where he stops the car to talk to them and try to figure out who they are, wouldn’t their reunion have taken place earlier?

And another thing is that if he and MC went to the same school(s) before that, he’d have vaguely seen MC grow up from afar, so he wouldn’t have had much trouble placing who they were, when in the book it wasn’t until Stacy was talking about the pep rally that he put the pieces together, which means that the whole mystery of how they knew each other wouldn’t happen because they’d have been seeing each other from a distance for years, which would’ve been enough to recognize each other all along. (Unless we’re saying that MC and Connor both changed so much during Connor’s first two years of hs while MC was still in middle school that they didn’t recognize each other at all when MC started hs, or that they changed so much in those two years after Connor graduated, but first of all, we saw MC a year before the events of ILitW in the Dan scene and they looked the exact same, so another year wouldn’t mean much difference, and also if they’d both changed so much, they wouldn’t have recognized each other on the road either.)

Oh, and this isn’t even going into the part where he said he was attracted to MC when he first saw them on the road, which would bring back the question of why then?

Anyway, I know I’ve been rambling and super redundant but this is something I’ve been wondering about for ages so yeah, I’m really curious as to what’s up. Maybe I missed something in the book? I dunno.

[hoekaashi]

3 am Talks - hq pt 3

a/n: almost done, two more left!! i’m not sure why, but these ones were really fun for me to do and i had to cut myself off before i wrote whole fics for each one. also thank you to my wifey for helping me with akaashi, idk why his was so hard for me to do ): pairings: bokuto x reader, akaashi x reader, ushijima x reader, tendou x reader, semi x reader warnings: some spoilers for post timeskip, minor cussing, a bit suggestive (ushi) taglist: @babydabi​, @suckersuki​, @bakugoustanaccount​, @animoozies​ part 2 | part 4

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

⇾ definitely someone who talks about the first things that just pop into his mind ⇾ would literally change topics in the middle of his sentence ⇾ “did you see my last spread, I was centerfold Tsum-Tsum was not happy but when I offered to trade places with him, it made him even more mad - I just got an email saying my new knee pads have been shipped YES - babe are you hungry? Let’s go to the convenience store and get some snacks” ⇾ all over the place ⇾ but the second sleep starts to hit him, he become even softer than he already is ⇾ this baby would def be asking for validation without outright asking for it - we all know he lives to be praised but as he gets older, he stops asking for it directly ⇾ i feel like he just becomes more self-conscious after he realizes that being on a national team means that now the entire WORLD is scrutinizing him ⇾ i could keep going on about him imma stop

“I couldn’t help it, I started laughing.” Even hours later, Bokuto was trying to hold in laughter from the memory of the event. “I think that’s why he’s mad at you Kou.” Bokuto pouted. “I offered to help him up.” “Yeah, but you were also red from laughing so hard and wiping the tears from your eyes. I don’t think he appreciated that.” Bokuto got quiet and you knew what that meant. “But at the end of the day, the pictures came out amazing. You look amazing.” His smile, although soft compared to his usual grin, came back. “You think so?” You hummed. “If volleyball doesn’t work out, you could be a model. I already know one of my friends has a shrine dedicated to you. Which honestly feels weird, but hey, if it’s harmless why should I care?” you said, going off on a tangent. Bokuto brushed off the compliment that normally would’ve stroked his ego. “Nah, I don’t think I could handle the pressure.” You cocked an eyebrow. “People constantly judging you and criticizing you. You know me, I thrive with praise and…” “Become emo with criticism?” He let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah. I’m trying to change.” You reached over and caressed his cheek. “There’s a difference between growing up and mellowing out and changing who you are. You’ve done the growing up part and you’re slowly mellowing out as much as you can. But please don’t change.” “But people keep saying -” “Forget what they say. I love you the way you are now.” Bokuto’s full grin returned to his face. “I love you more.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ more of a listener he learned his ways from babysitting bo ⇾ he would just enjoy listening to whatever you had on your mind ⇾ one to add his own commentary and thoughts to whatever you were saying ⇾ if he were to talk though, he would reminisce  ⇾ talks of bokuto and his old team, things he misses ⇾ but speaking of bokuto, he would go off on how proud he is seeing his former ace doing so well for himself now - even if he still isn’t a normal player ⇾ depending on how open he’s feeling, he might even wander into his insecurities and childhood, things he doesn’t really open up about unless he feels really close to you

“And then I booked it out of there,” you finished your story. Akaashi hummed. “What about the other girl who was still working?” “Look, she never sticks around to help me when I have extra work, I wasn’t going to stick around to help her.” He cracked a smile at your pettiness. “Wait, didn’t you have lunch with Bokuto today?” “Yes. It was nice.” You waited a moment thinking that Akaashi would add more. “That’s it? It was nice?” “Well, you know how he is. But it was nice to see him trying to change himself. Well, improve himself.” You rolled over from your back onto his chest and reached up to play with his hair. “We talked a lot about playing during high school and what the others are doing these days. Everyone is so busy now, it’s hard to keep up. I’m proud of them.” You didn’t let the smile on Akaashi’s face go unnoticed, commenting on how it always seemed to be there whenever he talked about his former ace. “Leave me alone, I’m happy with how far he’s come on his own. I can’t but smile when I think about the people I love.” “Do you smile when you think about me?” “Of course I do, you idiot,” he replied before kissing your forehead.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ i very strongly believe he would talk about parallel universes ⇾ he would go into the existence of them but also like ‘what if there was a way for people in a parallel universe who could watch me as if my life was a movie’ ⇾ if he was in a more serious mood, like if he had a big match coming up or sum, he would talk more about his goals ⇾ the things he hopes to accomplish in the future, the outcomes he wants in life ⇾ if he was tired, it would be more like akaashi - more listening, less talking ⇾ i feel like he would always want to know what’s happening in your mind so he would ask you the most random questions or just want to listen to you talk as he drifts off to sleep

“Do you think they saw me when I tripped over Leo and dropped the dishes?” You remembered when he tripped over the cat the two of you were raising and ended up breaking a few plates. As annoyed as you were that the plates you like broke, it gave you a reason to go domestic shopping with your boyfriend. You sighed. “No Toshi. If they were watching you, it would be when you’re playing volleyball or taking a shower.” “But you’re in the shower with me sometimes. You think they saw what we were doing?” “If they did,” you started with your eyebrows raised, “I hope they enjoy it as much I do.” He chuckled. “Why when I’m playing volleyball?” “Because that’s your job now. What else would they watch you do? Play with Leo?” He didn’t reply as he looked down to the cat in his lap. Petting it, the two of you sat in silence for a while. You finally thought he dropped the topic as you started to drift to sleep. “I wonder if the people watching like me. Or what if they think I’m the villain?” You sat up in bed. “Why would you think you would be a villain in a show about volleyball?” “I don’t know. I could be a side character that no one likes.” His voice got quieter the more he talked. “Aw, Toshi. I’m sure you have many, many fans in this parallel universe who all wish to be dating you. You never intentionally hurt anyone. You tried, in your own way, to work with Oikawa, but it’s not like you sabotaged him or anything.” He nodded. “He should’ve come to Shiratorizawa. We could’ve been that impressive first year duo instead of Hinata and Kageyama.” You rubbed his shoulder. “I know, baby. You remind me of that at least once a month.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ he would get deep ⇾ talks about his childhood where he was bullied to where he is now ⇾ while he has his insecurities, he would still be very proud of himself and how far he’s come and everything he accomplished ⇾ on the topic of being proud, he would never pass up the opportunity to talk up his bff ushi and he would hype him up even though it’s just the two of you ⇾ he wouldn’t forget about the other third years aka his other ‘best friends’ (i use quotes bc he only has eyes for ushi lezbehonest) ⇾ the talk would shift over to you and how lucky he feels to have found you ⇾ half of the things he would say would just to get you all embarrassed and shy so he could tease you about it

You woke up an hour ago because when you went to snuggle with your boyfriend, his body was missing from bed. For the last hour, he talked to you about how much he’s grown over the years, not once stopping to let you say anything. You finally had enough of this monologue. “Satori, how much more can you possibly say? It’s been a whole ass hour. Get your ass to bed so I can snuggle with you and lemme sleep.” Sighing, he walked away from the window where he was using the light from the moon to set the mood of his speech. Getting into bed, he waited until you were satisfied and closed your eyes. “But also, Wakatoshi has gotten so far on his own. I couldn’t be more proud of my best friend.” “Satori, please. For the love of God.” “Babe, you gotta let me air this out. Good communication and all that.” “We don’t have a single problem that needs to be ‘aired out’ right now. I got work in the morning and you like the sound of your own voice.” That still didn’t stop him. “And Semi, I gotta hand it to him, the man finally learned how to dress properly. And his music isn’t that bad either so I gotta find something new to annoy him with now. Reon is still keeping his fighting spirit alive and playing volleyball too. My friends, all doing so well.” Tendou glanced down at you who had fallen asleep to his heart beats. “But you. I’m the most proud of you. I’m so lucky to have found you. Not that I needed someone in my life at the time, but all the happiness you’ve given me on top of the great things in my life. You’re an amazing person, and I appreciate the impact you’ve made in my life.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　-: ✧ :-゜・．

⇾ before we start with semisemi, he plays bass and sings in his band but he also plays the piano and guitar (these are MY OWN hcs, none of this is canon) ⇾ that being said, he would stay up late at night playing his guitar, working on songs and quietly singing lyrics to himself ⇾ his talks would be about purpose - like why he’s on this earth similar to hinata ⇾ aha ha ha so if yall read kuroo’s, you know how i feel about scorpios ⇾ semi babe is not safe from that either ⇾ while he is bad at opening up, he also has a short temper so expect apologies for his random outbursts from him ⇾ imma touch on this more in my semi relationship hcs so i shall stop here

You had been on your computer, finishing up some work of yours that you had been procrastinating on with Semi sitting on the couch, strumming his guitar as he worked on a new song. You hadn’t been paying attention the entire time, not until you closed your laptop and sat back in your chair. “Eita, what’s that song?” Your sudden question caused him to jump a little. “Oh, uh, I didn’t realize you were listening.” “I just heard you singing. What is that?” He rubbed the nape of his neck. “I was hoping to hold out until it was finished.” You walked over to him, draping your arms around his shoulders and leaning your weight on him. You read the lyrics he had so far, your eyes growing bigger with each line. “What… is this?” “An apology.” You pulled away from him. “I know I’m not the easiest boyfriend and that when I have a problem, I should say something rather than exploding on you over the littlest thing. I didn’t really know how else to express this without messing it all up.” “I’ve known you for a long time, I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t figure that much out.” “But still, it doesn’t mean that I should just stay this way. I should be growing with you as a person, not stuck how I am. I really do need to learn to express myself better.” You let out a small chuckle. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.” You had. Four times already. “And this will be the last. Thank you for putting up with me.” Your arms wrapped around him once again. “Next time, I expect an entire album with love songs dedicated to me. Got it?” “Well fuck, I better not mess up. I don’t have enough material for an entire love album.” You shoved him. “Hey! Maybe I will leave your sorry ass.” “I’m just kidding! Babe! Where are you going?!”

[mittensmorgul]

What have been your favorite destiel moments so far this season, and can you point me to any really in-depth, detailed metas that kinda encompasses the themes, narrative and direction of the show so far this season?

Hi there! *points you toward my whole entire blog, except maybe the crack tags*

(no, there’s even probably some insightful stuff in the crack tags… no, wait, Let me get some coffee and then try this again)

Oh gosh there have been Some Destiel Moments™ this year, haven’t there? Oh my gosh. Just, the whole entire thing of 13.01, Dean’s desperate crushing grief, his bashed knuckles that are pointed out to us early in the episode by an angel-in-disguise but not explained until after said angel was unmasked and we learn her true objectives. How she taunts Dean with the “fact” that Cas was “all the way dead” this time and there’d be no bringing him back, as if she’d KNOWN how and why he injured his hand before, as if she’d heard his prayer to Chuck and then used Dean’s specific grief over Cas like a weapon to best him in that fight. And only after the fact do we get to see that scene where Dean prayed, and it was all literally prefaced on his grief for Cas. Dean alone prepares his body, and throughout the episode he can’t even say the words “Cas” and “dead” in the same sentence.

Just, wow.

It takes us until 13.03 for him to acknowledge it, to not only say it out loud, but to scream it into Sam’s face, that the reason he can’t be okay is because Cas is dead. And again, wow. That whole scene, after an entire episode where Dean was barely holding it together, and we see him struggling to cope on what should be a routine hunt, he finally breaks completely.

But hey, Jack overhearing his rage and grief is what somehow prompts Jack’s power into a cosmic alarm clock that wakes Cas up in the Empty.

(and since we later discover that Jack has no idea he’d had any part in Cas’s return to life, that he had no idea his power had done that, but we’d learned all season long that his power largely acted outside of his logical control, but more on an emotional and instinctual level, and was triggered mostly by Intense Emotional Protectiveness… I mean, y’all do the math here. It’s a pretty simple formula.)

If anyone was confused about Dean’s major emotional trauma this season, 13.04 sort of clears it up by process of elimination. Sam is the one upset about Mary’s loss, but Dean’s largely accepted it. As Samuel once told him way back in 6.10, Dean knows how to live without her. He’s been doing it his whole life. But 13.04 is also a turning point for Dean and Jack, after Jack saved Sam’s life, his power deflecting a bullet… but at the very end of the episode when Sam hopes this means Dean’s finally making some progress toward recovering from his grief, Dean states unequivocally that no, he is not okay, and he’s still essentially hopeless. Sam still does not get it.

This is fine. Everything is fine. *breathes into paper bag*

13.05 shows us Sam desperately doing everything in his power to nudge Dean into all of his (admittedly terrible) coping mechanisms– junk food, drinking, strip clubs, and a hunt with just the two of them… just like old times. Sam can’t accept that Dean is just not bouncing back from his grief this time, despite Dean telling him that his pushing isn’t gonna help either. And we see Dean “going through the motions” one last time, partly for Sam’s sake, but also partly because literally nothing else matters anymore.

(and hi hello opening song of s13, I didn’t need what’s left of my scooped out heart anyway, please just take it already)

(sorry, I was referring to Nothing Else Matters, in case that wasn’t clear :P.)

Dean skips right from discovering the asylum was still filled with the trapped ghosts of the doctor’s victims– and probably a dozen other things they could’ve attempted to find the bodies and free those ghosts– and goes right to Plan Z, shooting his heart full of poison (Thanks for the diy death kit, Dr. Robert). He doesn’t even give Sam a chance to talk him out of it, and then accepts his death with a sort of cavalier “oh well” attitude when Billie shows up and reveals she’s the New Death.

Billie offers him anything he wants, and he doesn’t even consider asking for his own life back. He asks for the souls trapped in the asylum to be released, because he doesn’t believe Billie will go back on her former ultimatum that the next time he dies will be the last time. I mean, CAS LITERALLY KILLED HER FOR THAT IN 12.09.

And then Cas died in turn in a jarringly on-the-nose, cosmically consequence-y fashion. Which Billie even says to Dean when he wonders how she was even alive, because Cas killed her. Her response of “How’s that working out for him” is like a punch to the stomach for Dean. He’s at such a low point he’s completely resigned himself to his own final death, because not even God, not even Death herself can bring Cas back from where he is.

Except…

(pffft, I was looking for a gif of this shot, of the light blooming across Dean’s face as he realizes that Cas is alive, but this version works) :D

Then we have the fever dream that was 13.06. What the hell was that whole entire thing? NONSENSE, I TELL YOU. I MEAN IT STARTS OFF WITH THIS:

THEN AFTER WATCHING DEAN GROW EVER MORE DESPONDENT OVER FIVE WHOLE EPISODES, IT MOVES ON TO THIS:

And when Sam is confused and questions Dean about this sudden turnaround in his whole entire personality, Dean basically gives 100% of the credit to Cas being back.

Please explain the entire first 5 ½ episodes of the season WITHOUT implying destiel. It’s entirely unpossible. Just… the whole narrative falls apart.

Yes, yes. At this point, folks can try and convince themselves that Dean’s feelings are purely platonic or familial, but then why is Sam’s reaction so markedly different? And not just in regards to Cas. I mean, go back up and read the bits about 13.03 and 13.04, where they each get a chance to voice their grief. Dean’s bursts out of him like a wildfire, and is clarified with words to be JUST about Cas, and it’s literally debilitating levels of grief. Sam’s feelings of loss are almost entirely focused on Mary, as a specifically familial loss. Sam is our exemplar of what losing a family member looks like right now, lampshading just how powerfully Dean has been affected by Cas’s death.

Again, please explain that difference and the intensity of Dean’s grief as a purely platonic thing. The narrative is making it very difficult to dismiss a deeper relationship between Dean and Cas here.

I mean… I’m trying to control myself about adding gifs to this post and I’m having a really difficult time.

13.07 brought back “Don’t do anything stupid,” which in 12.10 got a bucketload of subtext attached to it. Human weakness, and the clarification that Dean’s not mad, he’s worried about Cas. It’s not just a throwaway line, and it’s not just an insult. It’s their version of just come home safe.

And Dean knows something’s not right when he calls Cas, but circumstance prevents them from actually exchanging any useful information. And again, Cas is referred to as “your angel,” by Ketch specifically addressing it to Dean despite the fact that Sam is standing right there too, and the fact that Sam had been the one willing to believe Ketch’s lie throughout most of the episode. Yet, he still addresses this to Dean…

Then we discover that Asmodeus is impersonating Cas on the phone while holding Cas and Lucifer in his prison cells. And that he’s keeping Cas specifically as a bargaining chip to use against the Winchesters. Over the next two episodes, we discover that once again it’s SAM who keeps getting updates from “Cas,” and not Dean. Which is head-scratchingly odd considering all of this ^^. Because Cas is NOT CAS on the phone right now, and it’s easier to maintain the illusion with Sam than with Dean.

Incredible.

So that’s where we are right now. Well, as far as the destiel goes.

Now on to part 2 of your question. Some really in-depth and detailed metas that cover the themes, narrative, and direction of s13 to this point…

Again, this is kind of difficult. I think I summed up the basics here (well, leaving out the stuff setting up Wayward, and the AU’s and Michael and his agenda, and Jack, and Lucifer, and Asmodeus and his agenda, and the angels and their repopulation agenda… okay I apparently left out a lot of stuff… since the first bit of your question was specifically about destiel)

But I tag everything I write or reblog by episode number. The secret formula is this:

spn 13.06 (which translates easily to work for any episode by switching out the number at the end of this: http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/spn+13.06)

Note that there are 32 PAGES of results in this specific tag. That’s over 300 posts. Not all of them are meta, but a goodly portion of them probably are. From there you can probably find other tags that may be of interest in your quest for All The Meta. :D

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Moffat Era Rewatch: The Name of the Doctor

The man who lies will lie no more when this man lies at Trenzalore...  

Warning: Spoilers Sweetie

Like ‘The Wedding of River Song’, this is not one of Moffat’s best finales, but that’s only because his best ones are so mindbogglingly brilliant the simply rather good ones always look a little worse in comparison.  

And this one is rather good, if light on plot. It that way it is kind of the opposite of ‘Wedding’. That episode suffered from too much plot, this one from too little. 

“What kind of idiot would steal a faulty Tardis?” A very big one. 

“Gallifrey - A very long time ago...” That’s sure to get everyone’s attention. 

What happened to Time Lord Clara? Unlike the other echoes she could regenerate. Did she eventually become someone we’re more familiar with? 

“I don't know where I am.” Nice callback. 

This sequence isn’t Forrest Gump seamless, but it isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. 

“He has one he will take to the grave. And it is discovered.” 

Of course Strax would love Glassgow. I’m going to miss Moffat’s little digs at his country of birth.

Last scene for the Maitlands. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu.

“My dearest Clara.” Dearest. That’s a bit intimate for someone you only met twice. Technically once. 

“Oh, no. Not the one with the gigantic head?” It’s only that big because its full of spoilers, Strax. 

Hey, Big finish, mind doing a River/Vastra story? Please?   

“How did you do that?” "Disgracefully.” You could apply that to pretty much everything River does. 

Hey, at least the Doctor’s mentioned you by name, River. Most companions aren’t so lucky. 

Trenzalore. That name still gives me chills.

“Sorry, ma'am. So sorry. So sorry. So sorry. I think I've been murdered.” Jenny is so pure she apologises for being murdered.  

 The Whisper Men, another of those Moffat era monsters that are pleasing on a design level, but underused by the narrative. 

“His friends are lost for ever more, unless he goes to Trenzalore.” The  Great Intelligence and his minions are very rhyme-y in this episode. 

The Oncoming Storm, the Predator of the Daleks, the winner of the Time War, outsmarted by two small children. 

“So who was she, the lady with the funny name and the space hair?” Space hair, hehehe.      

Oh god, Matt’s acting in this scene is just so good. Sometimes you forget just how heartbreaking he can be in the role. 

“River would know, though. River always knew.”  *Shipper sad nodding*

The Doctor’s grave. It’s a bit of a shame that this kinda got retconed by ‘The Time of the Doctor’. I liked the idea of knowing when and where the Doctor was going to meet his final end. But the continuation of the show must take precedence.

“They, they cared for me during the dark times. Never questioned me, never judged me, they were just kind. I owe them.”

Welcome to Trenzalore. 

“Take up watercolours or bee-keeping, or something.” Sherlock Holmes references alert. 

The literal fall of the Eleventh. 

“We need to get... River.” He’s seen her (fake) grave and I can’t handle it. *shipper agony* 

And now we learn that this is a post-Library River. 

“Yes, of course. Makes sense. They'd never bury my wife out here.” I smile every time he refers to her as his wife. Sometimes they are sad smiles.

Here’s a classic example of Moffat unburying the gays. 

“The heart is a relatively simple thing.” "I have not found it to be so.”

Who are you calling a pet? 

“...and he will have other names before the end. Storm, the Beast, the Valeyard.” The moment classic fans had a collective freak out. 

“They are unarmed.” "So are we!” “Do not divulge our military secrets.”

“Doctor Who?!”

“Please!” The moment we all wondered if his name was Please. 

“Bodies are boring. I've had loads of them.” 

“But what is the light?” "It's beautiful.” "Should I destroy it?” All three characters perfectly summed up in a sentence each. 

I know she was brought back both times, but did you really need to kill Jenny twice in one episode, Moffat? 

Was killing Strax also necessary? Did Vastra’s gun not have a stun setting? 

“Run, you clever boy. And remember me.” *Ugly crying* 

"You are always here to me. And I always listen, and I can always see you.” *Shipper screaming*

Their last kiss!!!! *shipper epic blubbering*

“Since nobody else in this room can see you, God knows how that looked.”

“There's only one way I'd accept. If you ever loved me, say it like you're going to come back.” “Well, then. See you around, Professor River Song.” *Shipper wailing*

“Spoilers. Goodbye, sweetie.” Shipper crawling in a ball and whimpering*

I know he’ll see her again, but this is probably the last time she will ever see or speak to him. 

So this episode ends with the Doctor and Clara both trapped in his time stream with no obvious way out.  I think I read somewhere that there was a scene where they escaped was scripted, but wasn’t shot because Matt injured himself and they didn’t have time to pick it up later. I don’t blame Moffat for not resolving this cliffhanger in the 50th because that really need to stand as it own separate piece, not the second part of a two-parter, but it is still weird that we never see exactly how they escaped.    

“What I did, I did without choice.” "I know.” “In the name of peace and sanity.” "But not in the name of the Doctor.” 

INTRODUCING JOHN HURT AS THE DOCTOR

The moment the entire fandom had a collective freak out. 

So if Chris hadn’t turned down the offer to return, how would this episode have ended? I can’t imagine the Ninth Doctor being the one to turn around would’ve had the same impact. Sure, it would’ve been a big deal, but as big a deal as “Holy shit there’s another Doctor and he’s John bleedin’ Hurt!!!”. 

Next Time: The Day of the Doctor   

[literarilymanga]

Hi, guys! This blog lives! In an effort to breathe new life into Literarily Manga, I’m gonna be posting new content on at least a weekly basis. To kick things off, I’m gonna start with an interview with webcomic creator J.M. Henry. Read the entire interview after the cut! 

Me: Would you share a little bit about yourself as a creator? 

J.M.: Sure! As a start, I'm the author of the webcomic The Lostland, a webcomic about supernatural psychics in Post-Apocalyptia! I've been working on Lostland for a little more than 5 years now, and it's been both my baby and a massive testing ground for a lot of art/comicing experiments. I've been drawing since I was a kid, around 6-8 or so, and even back then I had hoped to go into comicing as a serious endeavor. These days, I've made it my goal to increase my skills to the point where I can make a decent living doing what I love most! ...But, I'm still pretty far from that! Haha!

Me: Could you give a short summary of The Lostland?

J.M.: The Lostland is an action/adventure webcomic about four characters braving the dangers of the wild wastes--all while one madman plots to cause chaos in an already chaotic Lostland. Lots of bizarre supernatural action and fun adventures ahead!

Me: Could you introduce the readers to your characters? 

J.M.: Gladly!  Our Story starts with:

J.M: Volken: A young Shaper (our post-apoc. psychics) who used to spend most of his time secluded in the old city ruins known as The Divide. That is, until another Shaper hunts our protag. down for unknown reasons, forcing him out into the one place he wanted to avoid, The Lostland. 

J.M. :Meri: Our mischievous Lostland adventurer. She starts out working as an assistant medic in a small town alongside her sister figure, Fiona, but her eagerness to find out who she is(and her hopeless attraction to danger) leads her out into the Lostland on the search for Old World technology. 

J.M. : Rosso: The Lostland's most infamous wanted man, also known as "The 10 Million Chip Man," or "Mr. 10 Million". Normally doesn't care much about what goes on around the Lostland, but the strange death of his long time rival in the "New Arum Incident" catches his interest, and he decides to find out just what kind of trouble his old rival got himself into. 

J.M.: Nero: His story begins after finding out that a tip about a man he's been after turns out to be false. Tracing back that info leads to him being framed for the New Arum Incident. Nero is now known around the Lostland as "The Man in Black".

Me: Who is your favorite character—and why? 

J.M.: I like all of them for plenty of reasons, but I gotta say Volken. I think to most readers, even though they don't say it, Volken is probably the most underwhelming character of the bunch, especially compared to Meri and Rosso. He's weak, even with special powers, spends most of his chapters either getting beat up or getting tripped up by his own luck, but I personally like those things about him, because I know he'll eventually overcome those quirks and become a really cool character by the end of his arc. I won't spoil much from there. 

Me: Who is your least favorite character—and why?

J.M.: Ah... Nero, to be honest. Could've been written a bit better. He's not really seen as a protagonist in the beginning, so it was also pretty tough to make him a likable character. It made him the toughest one to write.

Me: You’ve been updating since 2014. Can you offer insight into how you’ve developed your story and your creative process over the years? 

J.M.: I've actually been working on the comic since 2011. No worries though! I switched site hosts since then. On the writing side, I started with just the concept, the setting, and characters that would fit the concept and setting. After that I spent a lot of time fleshing out who the characters were and how they'd react to their surroundings. It makes writing them into the story I plan a lot easier and their actions feel less like they're serving the plot. At least in some places.  On the writing side, there isn't really a whole lot of it, to be honest, and helps get the art done faster. I map out the major arcs of the story, and then break those down into smaller arcs, and in those arcs, I finally get to writing chapters. On chapters, I usually do very short, single paragraph summaries of them, each scene summed up to one or two sentences. Dialogue and everything else gets worked out in my thumbnails.

J.M.: Honestly, once the summaries are done, I rarely ever need to look at them again, since the volume is usually fully memorized by then.

Me: What is your favorite part of the creative process? The least favorite part? 

J.M.: My favorite part of the process is definitely the conceptualization/ brainstorming part. Sometimes, I just come up with some really fun stories while I'm working on something else. I've already got a few that I'd like to try out in the future! Not not sure if it's actually part of the creative process, but trying to get tour stuff up and out to the public is always a pain for me. Sometimes you wind up putting out some of the best work you've ever done, and the ‘net kinda just responds with "eh." Advertising's always been a bit of a bane for me, but again, probably not part of the process.

Me: As you mentioned before, The Lostland is a post-apocalyptic story. What drew you to the genre? 

J.M.: Not much drew me to it except to experiment a bit with an idea: How would characters with special abilities get by in a world where people are mainly struggling to survive? Would they help out? Would they take over and run the place because they have the most power? How would normal people receive them in those circumstances? 

J.M.: I play around with those questions as I write. Haha!

Me: Several of your characters are Shapers, individuals with psychic powers. Do you find it harder or easier to develop characters with supernatural abilities as opposed those that have no special abilities? 

J.M.: I think it's easy to do both fairly well! It would be great to see one normal character reacting to all of this though. I may make it a short story. As for the main characters, the fact that they all have these special abilities works with my experiment a bit, since each views and uses their own powers differently. For example, because of where Volken used to live, a place that was highly paranoid of Shapers, he starts out as being to afraid to use it outside of basic survival. Nero, however, a character used to using his abilities to fight, will usually treat it as his first resort most of the time. Meri and Rosso also have their own reasons affected by the sort of life they've lived, too.

J.M: I also experiment with this outside of main characters, but later into the story!

Me: How have readers reacted to your characters and story thus far? Are there any challenges that you’ve had to overcome when working on The Lostland?

J.M.: I'd say The Lostland's done fairly well, personally. It's not exactly exploding, but it's attracted a crowd of readers who really love what comes out of it. And that feeling of making something that people can enjoy always does a heart good!  As for challenges, I had quite a bit of trouble keeping the message clear in the early parts of the story, but thankfully, that was when I was still new. My biggest challenge right now is trying to get both the art and story to a point I can be satisfied with. There's still all lot I have to improve on my way there!

Me: What do you want readers to take away from your story?

J.M: Hmm... I don't really have any big messages to convey with The Lostland... Maybe "Pencil fights can be fun with a little imagination?" LOL! But seriously, if most people start reading the comic and leave it enjoying the experience, the story, the characters, the world, then I think The Lostland's done its job well!

Me: Who is your “intended” audience? 

J.M.: I was thinking about doing a motion comic in the future, and I'm already working on a game for the comic, but we won't see that for a while... Printing the comic has always been a major goal for me too!

Me: What drew you to the webcomic genre? What made you say, “This is how I want to share my story?”

J.M.: I've always wanted to work on comics since I was a kid, I even tried submitting some of my old work to Tokyopop, back when they were alive [in print]. So when I heard it was not only very possible to self publish comics online, but there were sites that made it easy to do (I started at SmackJeeves way back). I hopped on board! A lack if editors molding your original idea also helped the case for webcomics. LOL.

Me:  Do you have any advice you want to share with other artists and writers?

J.M.: Just two. One: Don't wait too long to start. Sure, take time to plan and improve, but you'll learn faster while you're actually comicing. From personal experience. Two: Don't be afraid to fail a few times or make mistakes. It's all part of the learning process. As a friend of mine once put it, "Don't be afraid to draw it while it still sucks". You won't regret it!

Me: What are your tools of the trade? Any special software? 

J.M.: Mechanical pencil, sketchbook(for thumbnails), Deleter B5 paper. On the digital side, there's my cintiq, Clip Studio Paint, and sometimes GIMP.

Me: Will you be attending any upcoming cons? 

J.M.: I tend to go to Anime Boston almost every year, but not as a seller yet. Feel free to say hey if you see me!

Me: Anything else you want to share? Shout outs? 

J.M: Check out @ComicBookHour if you're a comic creator! Lot of great conversations there!

And that’s it!  You can read The Lostland here on Tumblr or over on Tapastic. Currently, the comic updates every Saturday at 8:00am, but may go back to being updated twice a week in the future. You can follow J.M. Henry’s comic progress on Twitter or Facebook. 

This interview was originally conducted over Twitter. If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed about your comic or comic related venue, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment on this entry or send a message or ask. I’ll get back to you ASAP! 

Don’t forget to check out my previous interview with the Head Librarian at Carolina Manga Library. 

Thanks again for reading!