#I'm starting to relate to Randy more and more with each day...

[loupy-mongoose]

Hi. I'm a little confused about how your Mews, Mewtwos and Randell are related to each other, after seeing the Randell holding momo and Midas comic.

What's their stories? I'm a bit new to your comics.

Hello, new viewer, now and future! I'll try my best to explain the relations here! There's also a bit of a rundown on my pinned post, but it may not be enough to help you. So here's a more detailed look!

To start, I'll say that Randall, Akoya, and Lavender all have a human and a Mew form. (Or Mewtwo, in Lav's case.)

The protagonist, Randall (Randy) Linden, is a human who had his memory taken in by his friend, a Mew named Mo. Now Mo, with his own memories erased, lives Randy's life in his place.

Before that happened, Randy met Akoya, a shiny Mew from an uninhabited island in Hoenn. She and him became friends--Borderline lovers, but Randy stopped the relationship short of that due to his own values. (He didn't want to have a human/Pokemon romance, nor force Akoya to permanently become human.)

With research help from Randy and the facility he was working at, Akoya was artificially impregnated. However, the people there experimented on her, resulting in the baby being born a Mewtwo, which Randy named Lavender. (She is biologically not related to him, and she knows that, but she fully sees him as her dad.)

Three weeks after Lav was born, Randy was "transferred" into Mo's body. Later, after learning and adjusting to this fact, Randy decides he wants to be Akoya's mate. She goes a step further and offers to marry him, hence why Randy (and Akoya's human form) is shown to have a wedding ring. Marriage isn't a thing in Mew culture, but she was devoted to him enough to act on his culture and values.

Once he was comfortable enough as a Mew, Randy was open to trying for a kid with her. But after Lav's birth, Akoya had a lot of fear having any more kids--Lav's birth was arduous and nearly killed Akoya.

Eventually, Akoya was ready to try, and they had the twins Monique and Midas--Monique also goes by Momo.

Persim, nicknamed Perzi, is Akoya's half-brother from her island colony. She has several half-siblings, with a shared father.

And that's where the present day is. I'll continue to tell the past stories, as well as moving forward.

To hopefully further explain, here's a little family tree.

I hope this helps people understand better! I know that this story, especially now that babies are involved, will be very bizarre if caught at the wrong time. If it's not for you, I completely understand! But I ask that you respect my artistic decisions and either look deeper into it or move on--there's a LOT of other great options out there!

[apalapucian]

5, 6, 10, 11, 12 & 19 for the fic year in review pls!

hi haley thanks so much for these and im so terribly sorry for the lateness!!!

5. what ships captured your heart? jily, but no surprises there. this year i think - and i wouldn't say it captured my heart, but - what piqued my interest was prongsfoot. and i blame all the randy jily writers on my dash for that one lol.

6. what characters captured your heart? more than jily, because that's default, this year it was sirius! and regulus also.

10. what fic was the most satidfying to finish writing? egos practically wrote itself, especially the ending. that's a rare thing to happen, so i was v happy and satisfied about that. i hope it happens more in 2025.

11. what fic was the most difficult to write? for reasons both writing-related and personal-life-related, i really really trudged through the last two chapters of bad day wall. i surprised even myself when i managed to finish it.

12. what fic was the easiest to write? the entire concept for no questions asked appeared in my head slowly but surely for one of those prompt games i was sent this year. when i started writing it, it also just flowed on its own. compared to the other fics i wrote, it's more scenic and vibes-based and abrupt (much like one last), more like connected flashes of something instead of a whole laid out story, which is always the easiest to write. i really like that one. i wanna make more of it in the future.

19. share your favorite piece of dialogue.

okay so. from bad day wall, this text exchange (james is bold and lily in italics):

let's just say she doesn't like me very much

did she tell you that?

yes. in many creative ways. really creative. if it wasn't at my dignity's expense the creativity would have been awe-inspiring

ah. condolences :(

:(((( so what do i do, do you think?

if she already turned you down (many creative times), then nothing. i think you should respect that.

damn. you couldn't have drawn it out a little? don't give up, she'll come around, she just needs a little more prodding???

well just that if it were me i wouldn't want more prodding

you wouldn't change your mind? ever? if it's you.

i'm not saying i wouldn't EVER, but it just might take some time. and space. and perspective?

so much physics

such is love, i'm afraid

___

a couple of director's cut tidbits from this:

i just found it funny that lily was saying "if it were me" without knowing it's ACTUALLY her like it was so amusing to write

james suddenly punctuating properly in "you wouldn't change your mind? ever? if it's you.' was deliberate, like, in my head, when he starts typing properly, it means he's talking about something he feels serious and deeply about. and i did this in the entire fic i think, like when he got a bit more serious and solemn, he stops writing like he's making a tumblr shitpost. whch he goes back to in "so much physics", hoping for cool and unfuckwithable, but the way lily says "such is love, i'm afraid" is like, it's corny, but it's true, and she believes in it, and they're both talking about something serious and true and validating each other's feelings but also through a fucking wall and they don't know each other and they don't know it's about each other sjhfdsidfj anyway i just love this bit from BDW personally.

"time and space and perspective" is also what happens in the next chapter, when they spend some time and space apart, james trying to move on in the beginning of summer and lily trying to build a little life post-moving out, and then new perspectives when they start spending summer together in the gryffin.

also james, a pureblood, being into and knowing enough about physics, a muggle thing, to make a reference, is really hot lmao, and also a reference to completely human james. there is a draft of that chapter where lily pauses to speculate that the stranger must be muggleborn because of the physics thing, but i couldn't put it in without getting too wordy and ruining the momentum of their conversation, so i just cut it. but yeah! james and physics. hot.

sorry this got so long lol thank you and happy new year, haley!!! 💜

[the-acid-pear]

just finished (finally) playing through Dialtown (started in January or February, but didn't get around playing it again until last night and today). How Am I Supposed To be Normal Again After That

anyway firstly: Randy and Oliver my beloveds <3 I Wanna Date Them Both (love Karen Bigfoot and Norm too!! those two are just my favorites)

secondly, because this Always happens when i'm into two or more things at the same time:

Dsaf-Dialtown Crossover (of sorts) Au

except instead of like. Dsaf in Dialtown, it's Dialtown in Dsaf.

specifically thought of Gingi just kinda. Existing.

so this happens in a sort of "Things Are Mildly Better; Dee And Peter Are Still Dead, But Dave's Less Murdery And Is Helping Jack, So. There's That" timeline. Dave and Gingi are sort of "cousins" species-wise. like. y'know how they say dogs, foxes, and wolves are all kinda related to each other in a species way? so. Dave and Gingi aren't RELATED-related. but like. their Species are, y'know?

so like. Henry just kinda. walks into the Saferoom at Fredbear's one day

and there's this Big, green cryptid just kinda curled up in there.

at first he's got questions. mostly "How The Fuck Did This Thing Get In Here Without Me Knowing"

then this thing wakes up.

Gingi, who just kinda sneaked in through the vents the previous night to find a warm, dark place to sleep (and probably a place to lay their eggs, considering how close they were to laying them), takes one look at Henry, and just lets out a hiss.

not like a cat hiss. a more...reptile-like hiss.

Gingi stands up, and it's tall. like, close to around eight feet tall, if not slightly taller than that.

taller than Dave, who's around like. seven foot five inches.

Gingi's very fucking confused. to be fair, they kinda sorta thought the place was abandoned. like, the place was empty, dark...okay, look, they don't really understand 100% how humanity works, how were they supposed to know??

eventually they clock that Henry's not a threat (for the moment, anyway), and relax a bit. then they start to briefly explain their situation: it's pregnant, and like. anywhere from a few hours to another day away from giving birth, and they kinda need a place to make their nest.

Henry, on one hand, doesn't want a cryptid's nest in his diner. because like. understandable. on the other...ever since Dave kinda fucking left, he hasn't had a cryptid to experiment on for about five months at this point (because listen. you can't tell me that at least Part of the reason he was dissecting Dave wasn't because he was Mildly curious about whatever the Fuck was up with his biology). and Henry's a bit Curious about this weird ass cryptid that just randomly showed up.

he discovers two problems:

Gingi is far more feral than Dave ever was. makes sense; Dave got "domesticated" in a way, growing up in society instead of in the wild. Gingi has only ever grown up around the edge of society, only having enough contact with humanity to understand human speech (specifically English) and some basic knowledge of how society works (which. Ain't A Lot, let's be real). so of course, when he offered to do some "Totally Legal Medical Procedures Trust Me Bro (Gender Neutral) It's Just To Make Sure You And The Babies Are Healthy :)" Gingi. Wasn't Too Thrilled About That Idea. it got Defensive ("What, do you think there's something wrong with me? Is it the green skin?? 'Cause I've always had it-")

second problem: Gingi...wasn't planning on staying there the whole time the eggs would be incubating for. they wouldn't hatch for a year, and Gingi was just gonna lay them in a (hopefully) safe place, return to check on them periodically, and then return for the nestlings when they hatched. and Gingi has one caveat to leaving them here: Henry has to promise to Not intentionally harm the eggs while they're there and keep them safe from anyone who might desire to. of which Henry is definitely Not going to genuinely promise and then Keep.

so Gingi starts making it clear that No Mr. Weird Pink Man, I'm Not Gonna Let You Do Some Weird "Medical Evaluation" On Me Or My Children, And I'm Not Leaving My Kids Here Unless They'll Be Safe 100%. and then...they start smelling things. Gingi's a cryptid; it was born with more animalistic abilities. and they start smelling things.

first it's "another cryptid": Who is it? There's a lot of them here, clearly...is this why Henry's so hesitant to let them stay around? Cryptids can be territorial, it would know that...but the scent is stale...how long have they been gone?

then it's the cryptid's blood, also stale: Oh, Christ, are they hurt? Were they hurt? Now, Gingi's got self-preservation instincts that are at the forefront most of the time, but...even they can get concerned about how someone else is doing. Is this cryptid okay? Are they hurt? Why do they smell blood?!

then it gets more concerning: the blood of an adult human...the blood of at least three human children. Death: What the fuck happened here?! Oh, God- What happened back in this room?!

by the end of their conversation, Gingi decides it's not worth it. they're not staying here, they sure as fuck aren't laying their eggs here. Gingi leaves, finds a secluded spot in the woods, and lays its eggs there.

a few years later, Henry's still alive and kicking (unfortunately), and Gingi (plus their babies) have found Dave and Jack chilling together (not in Vegas), and realizes "Hey. The Purple One Is A Cryptid!!"

so now Gingi (plus its kids) chills with Jack and Dave. they're trying to teach Dave how to be a cryptid, because y'know. Dave Grew Up Around Humans. Jack is just chilling and trying to comprehend how he gained TWO Cryptid Roommates.

it Is utter chaos, before you ask.

- dogboyjackkennedy

FUCKING OBSEEEESSED I ADOOORE THAT SM SLHFUBDUFHR IT'S. So silly so real. So cute too to imagine Gingi (and the ginglets or whatever) trying to teach Dave being taught to be a cryptid too 😭😭 i do adore the idea of the two being mildly related biologically too it's just so fun to think of tbh. I have to ask tho... Did the true cryptid way of life rub off on jack too? MDHFJBGJG-

[phlurrii]

Okay new crack theory time

Okay, so the facts that Meau hung out with humans and in their civilization once upon a time, that they had their trust betrayed by the same humans, their reaction to Randy, and the fact that they have a significant trauma with their second neck, I definitely could kind of see what happened in the last comic makes sense. But now, seeing how that trauma happened, I'm starting to think that there might've been a separate trauma to creating Noe. Maybe. I'm not entirely convinced, but I keep looking at the post where you introduced Noe's ghost-typing, and the significant glitchy effect on Noe, coupled with Meau's look of concern or surprise or some combo of those, looks like that might've been the moment Noe manifested, or Noe got corrupted. It also kind of looks a little bit like Noe jumped in front of something, now, shielding Meau. I'll come back to that point in a second.

On top of that, I'm wondering if Giratina's violent outburst didn't happen as some form of retaliation for the humans grabbing Meau's second neck. She already looked afraid and frantic, trying to get away from something. Maybe Arceus wanted to leave the humans be, and not slaughter them into extinction (don't think I haven't forgotten about the extinction event you mentioned before) but Giratina wanted to just wipe them out, humans don't just get to disrespect their own species's creator, but also that's Giratina's younger sibling.

Maybe the fight between Giratina and Arceus is so violent that it still creates some kind of extinction event, and Meau tries intervening, which might have helped create/corrupt Noe? Maybe the trauma wasn't necessarily physical in nature (as I had been assuming all this time, with their second neck, since that has extra power in it, as you mentioned in the Shadow Synergy Stone comic). Maybe seeing them fight is traumatic. However, Noe also might be an echo of something, so what if they started as some kind of defense mechanism? Maybe some of the extra attack/energy if Arceus and Giratina fought destructively went for Meau, Noe took the hit, and they became corrupted.

I hope that made sense!

(I'm also toying with the idea that Noe and Meau share a soul or have some kind of Destiny Bond going on between them, but that's a mess for another day lol)

I'm making a bigger job for myself trying to pin-point the extinction event, Noe's origins/Meau's trauma, and Giratina's violent outburst all into one event or events right after each other. I'm probably trying to connect things that are separate history beats XD

Okay I wanted to get that timeline out it before I replied to this so you would have context as well as frankly with the work you’ve put in? You deserve the damn timeline to help with the history beats X3

First bit, again the source citing actually helps me answer these and it’s phenomenal, muah, chefs kiss, anywho! There’s certainly a trauma that lead to Noe’s creation and you are correct that the second neck’s trauma, whatever it was, was not related to Noe’s appearance. However, it does still have a significant tie in to Noe and Meau’s current state.

Second bit, I have words, but these words need more time in the tea kettle before I can properly lay them out without giving things away or putting myself into a corner narratively. For now, I will say, Giratina and Arceus had very conflicting views for how to handle what the humans eventually did.

I can deny that Missingno. did not come from any sort of trauma, for Meau, relating to Arceus and Giratina. While his corruption was due to his own actions, none of which he regrets nor would go back on.

The last bit regarding sharing a soul, it’s… well, for current day… you’re on the right track.

[little-den]

Since i finished the Baxter DLC, i think is time to put out there some scenarios, fic ideas and such i have for Gin and Baxter ✨

Art by Nicole Zepeda in fb

Step 3

I had ideas for some moments ideas hahaha

Night/surprise date (The longer one first):

This one goes after the moment Drinks and Planning. Btw i'll skip over the logistics of some parts here but i have everything thought out hahaha

Gin wants to invite Baxter to a date, after all he invited her to dates but she have not invited him to one until now.

So...other way to plan a surprise instead of doing it at the last moment, is letting others doing it for you. So Gin ask for help of her friends to set up all she needs for that night date, a silly but cute date.

The point is to take advantage of a lot of things, Baxter having a suit and waiting for more chances to use it, having a chance to dance without spectators, Sunset bird is a quiet place at night, there is some parking lots with nice lighting.

Cove, Terri and Randy are setting up everything while Gin is passing time with Baxter so he can't suspect something (she only told him that they are going to a semi-fancy place to eat dinner later). In the late afternoon almost night she takes him to the place, asking him to close his eyes since it's a surprise the place, so when they arrive...

The date is a dinner in a parking lot hahaha But imagine something more pretty haha, a fancy table for two, nice plates, a beatiful vase with fresh white flowers (obviously they have nice meanings but i'm lazy to search which ones hahah) and some background music.

So they have a nice dinner and the chance to dance in fancy clothes in a pretty much a empty space.

Picnic

Gin has a tradition of having a picnic in poppy hill once a month, sometimes she invites other people but is mostly just her. In Baxter route Gin is planning to study overseas so maybe this picnic could be one of the last in a while.

So one afternoon just as Gin is leaving the house ready to go but Baxter is leaving his house at the same time, (both of them going like :o o:). She decided to invite him, and he changed his plans and accepted.

Photoshoot (Short one for the last):

A tour around Sunset bird together, while Gin is taking photos of everything and the ones she wanted to take of herself and Baxter joining in some of them.

Step 4

Summer Soiree again

They decide that re do their first first meeting, so they decide to go to another Summer Soiree in the country club, and even go to the lengths to obtain similar outfits and all.

(The art in this post is reference of this one)

Notes beforehand for some of the next ones:

Gin's full name is Gin Avi Ash, she barely uses her middle name in her day to day but is most common in her job setting.

Gin is manly a wedding photographer (She takes another type of photoshoots but it's not her main focus), so it's almost destined to them encountering each other in a planning of a wedding.

She has her own small studio and all.

So i have some possible reencounters for them (Also i'm a bad person and i'll stop in the fist enconter):

Job related

A couple hired Gin for when one of them proposed and both liked the photos so they want her for the wedding. Also they hire a wedding planner, who happens to be Baxter.

So all starts when a couple arrives to Baxter office and start to see all they need and when he mentions the company has already a photographer, they mentions that actually they want to work with someone else, a photographer named Avi, who worked with them in the past. He ask them to send her contact info after the meeting.

The message arrives with the photographer's contact, while he is trying to add it to his contact list, notices that he has already the contact saved, oh no, it's a number he didn't expected to contact again, Gin Ash, the charming neighbor he dated that summer in Sunset bird, the one he sweared to never see again.

He can't turn down the job, he already said yes, and that would be very unprofessional, also his company understands a lot of things but probably not rejecting a job because he didn't want to talk to someone.

So he decides to make the call hoping that Gin doesn't remember him, ignoring the fact that probably it would totally break his heart if that were the case.

Gin is busy working when the call happens so doesn't notice that the call is from a contact she never deleted. She answers and recognized him immediately but doesn't bring anything of the past up, she can't gather the courage to do that, and that being a very clear job call won't do it anyways.

He cannot escape the Holdens hahaha

I talked about this one a bit in Twitter, where i also shared a bit of Gin's sons with Cove (Maureen and Morgan for those interested)

Morgan following her mom's steps but in a different way, works as a live painter in weddings so the first time Baxter sees Morgan he thinks he looks so familiar despite he never seeing the kid before. Morgan says that probably he knew his parents and shows him a photo of them, while mentioning that if that's the case they should meet eachother again or something.

A common contact (This is more general for any MC)

Xavier is the most important piece here!

So imagine you are hanging out with the Suarez brothers and decide to go to Xake for some treats, and pay a visit to Xavier too. Something common since that first time all of you went together.

When they arrive they see Xavier is busy talking with some people, who happens to be Baxter and a couple he is currently working. Xavier stops for a second to greet them, and in that moment Baxter turns and sees you. Similar reaction that the one of the restaurant in the DLC (Deflect, project, redirect, avoid mode activated hahaha), but since he is working he can't totally escape the situation, he barely recovers his working mode and tell you he is busy so he can't talk really that much, and he need to focus on that.

Oh boy, i need to comission someone to write me fics of some of these for me, because i don't have that much energy to do it myself.

[mr-stottlemonk]

Do you have any advice for writing a link story?

I just started writing! Do you have any advice? Or any story plots lol

omg hello! i'm not exactly sure what you mean by link story (so send me another ask to correct me if im wrong, dear!). i'm guessing you mean connected to an episode!

i'd say choose a particular scene; connect it to an emotion that seemed quite prevelant in that scene or one that you wish was explored! eg: for Mr. Monk and The Bad Girlfriend - there's a lot of angst there. so, personally, i go the 'Stottlemeyer is angry and heartbroken. About both Linda and Monk. Linda for hurting him and Monk for being so far out of reach'

best advice i have for characterization is keep (re)watching the episodes. especially s2 and forewards! if you're looking to dive into their relationship more (there's more body language there, more compliments etc).

When I'm writing Stottlemeyer, i try to put myself in the shoes of a man who cares not only for Monk but for his job, for doing the right thing. But also he's a man quickly overwhelmed by anger and worry; he's quick to protect and also assume. He's smitten to his very bones.

With Monk, it's a bit more confusing - he doesn't only think of one thing at a time, and if he does it's to such a concentrated point. When I write Monk i try to put myself in a shoes of a man who is a wreck, he is searching for peace but can't find it, he is constantly overwhelmed and worried. when he isn't its either because he is distracted for the moment or he's in the presence of people he trusts and loves: Stottlemeyer, Natalie, Sharona, Trudy, Randy. He also cares and worries very deeply.

sksksks, i feel like im rambling so i'll put the plot ideas under the cut!

plot ideas!! i have tons...

if you're looking for canon related plot:

-> Monk's feelings after Mr. Monk Makes a Friend

-> Leland's feelings and overprotective behaviour towards Monk after Mr. Monk is On the Run.

-> Possible Stottlemeyer/Monk secret relationship - some detectives either take notice or almost walk in on them (talking, sitting close, kissing or whatever you want)

-> Angst take: Leland is not having a good day and he snaps it out on Adrian. Ends up regretting it big time. Confession time :)

-> The precinct calls Monk in when the Captain is in a bad mood.

-> They have to pretend to be a couple for a case

-> Stottlemeyer heads to Monk's place after a pretty bad date.

-> Monk is having a pretty bad day himself and Leland notices. Takes him home.

-> Dr. Kroger catches something: Monk's increased mentioning of Stottlemeyer.

For aus:

-> Catboy au (if you're in the brain rot along with us, lol)

-> Neighbours au - they're neighbours; thus they meet each other differently

-> Living together - literally any domestic plot (cleaning together, moving in together) or disagreements (Leland keeps forgetting to load the dishwasher or Adrian needs to stop going into Leland's room)

-> blind date au: randy and natalie are good friends who think their respective friends (Stottlemeyer and Monk) may get along so they set up a date for them

-> A/B/O au: Leland's scent is the only thing that doesnt overwhelm Adrian

woah, those are quite a number... i am so sorry if i have overwhelmed you haha. pls excuse my rambling.

anyway. i hope these help!! i am cheering for you dear <3. don't stress too much, have fun! write whatever you want, whatever you wanted to see or add. if you want some references or guidance another great thing to do is read fics for them! so re-read any of the stottlemonk fics you really like and study those.

feel free to send another ask if you'd like. my dms are open too if you're comfortable with that 💕🙇.

[accidental-spice]

Okay, YES. YES to ALL of this

Bless you for splitting it between Chenford and not, cause mood

Randy my BELOVED. "Sit down, German"🤣 gosh, I adore Sergeant Grey. I FULLY support that, it's BRILLIANT

Ohhhhh, I love Celina and Harper together!! And yeah, I totally see what you mean, about Celina kinda being humbled by that

GOSH yes. Poor Aaron. My beloved boy. I'm really hoping we get to see some scenes of him in therapy, I'm really curious about his department therapist. And yeahhhhhh, the whole "not talking about it so he can get out on patrol again sooner" thing is so gonna blow up in his face. Humorously speaking, I'm picturing that scene in Brooklyn Nine Nine where Terry shoots the mannequin while screaming. In all seriousness... I hope he talks about it BEFORE it all blows up in his face. Which I'm not optimistic about

Yyyyyyup. Yup yup. Same. Just. Meh. At least we have Genny and Nolan, in our hearts. And hopefully fanart lol

It WAS rushed!! It was great to see him, buy yeah. I kinda thought that, due to the fact Monica showed up, it'd relate to the whole S5 finale heist thing. Like, why else would she need his phone? But nada. Maybe it'll come back later?

EPIC COP TEAMUP MY BELOVED!!!!! Like. They stopped crime, and they looked GOOD doing it. And like my mom said, it's always GREAT whenever they all team up together to help one of the others, like when they rescued Angela from La Fiera

Right??? I'm wondering that, too!! Yeah. It's a mystery

YES YES WHAT IS THE NAME???? I MUST know

James my BELOVED

That part was SO great🤣🤣 they're the greatest bromance

Oh, I totally agree!! I feel like maybe it started out a little rushed? Actually, scratch that, I was probably just picking up on Bailey's stress lol. But yeah, it was SUPER good!!!! I'm totally rewatching it ASAP

Chenford thoughts!!!!!!!!!!

ADSATGNCECCFKMSAFOLBDSHIJFBCSZAEEXTTVYJNOKFSTJSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SAME SAME SAME

I know, right?? Like, same. Same to ALL of that. I really hope they talk about it, too

SO SO SO GOODDDDDD

I ADORED that scene!!! I'm just watching it, thinking, Tim, this is absolutely payback for that time you got Lucy into a fight on her first day as a rookie🤣 (OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH GOOD POINT)

Hhfdddffd SAME. I'm so not normal about that scene. YES EXACTLY THAT LIKE SHE THOUGHT THE EXACT THING WE ALL DID

*snorts* yyyyup. That's exactly how I feel right after work some days lol

OH YES SIRRRRR

That was SUCH a great scene. SO good

ASTGCHJBHKMDFJ I MISSED THAT IT WAS RANDY'S IDEA I LOVE THAT MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS. And MOOD

It was the actual CUTEST

Ohhh, yeah, absolutely. I liked that, too! It fit well for me, because there was no part of me that thought he was sabotaging her, intentionally or no. Like, he was just doing his Tim thing. And I totally agree that she was seriously projecting there

THEY WERE SO PERFECTTTTTT. And like, @kanerallels pointed out that Tim's kinda pushed most of the big issues so far: the whole "it doesn't feel like pretend" thing, asking her out. So it was nice to see Lucy kinda bring that up first!!

THE WEDDING YES TO ALL OF THIS!!!!! And the "they're still each other's person" part😍 Okay, this about to become a rant. So, I've been sorta watching Gilmore Girls lately, and I don’t know if you've seen it, but one of the couples got in this huge fight, and one of their parents ended up in the hospital, and the other just... barely showed up, because they needed space. And I know I've never been in a relationship like that, but to me, if you're mad at someone, but something like that happens, you show. Up. So that really bothered me. And Tim and Lucy are so NOT that in this episode, so it filled my heart with joy. Okay, rant over. Sorry about that🤣

Ohhhh, yeah, I totally see that. Yeah, agreed

OHOHOHO EXCELLENT BIT

YUP SAME HERE. It was just. Beautiful. SO good. I'll obsess over that, thank you VERY MUCH

Aaaaaahhhhh, thank you SO much for the rant!!! I loved it!! Brace yourself, I'm probably gonna send you an ask like this after every episode🤣

Hey! So, I know you probably haven't watched it yet, BUT: when you do, I must know your comprehensive thoughts on the latest Rookie episode!?!

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE!!!

Okay, because I'm insane, I'm going to split this into two sections: not-chenford, and chenford.

SPOILERS FOR 6x02 UNDER THE CUT

First up, everything NOT-chenford-related:

Honestly they could have botched it, but it was SO FUN having Randy back for the wedding. "Sit down, German, I got this." i mean???? iconic. Also having him be literally in Pete's place and WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND? even more iconic. I'm a ride or die Randy fan, so all his scenes just made me unreasonably happy :)

it was understandably short, but I loved having Celina ride with Nyla, finally. It was kind of satisfying to see her get humbled in interrogation, because imo Nolan has been kind of lax with her training, letting her get away with things the other rookies would have been fired for. So it's nice that she'll spend some time away from him and with a *ahem* more experienced TO. hopefully. We'll see.

Ugh, my heart breaks for Aaron this season. Kid's traumatized for REAL. And his comment to Celina about not sharing things with the therapist because he wants to get back on patrol, not necessarily get better. That bothered me. I really hope they dig into that a lot. But I also hope nothing horrible happens because of it. He seemed so unstable, even when he wasn't drunk. I'm also very interested to see where this goes with his and Celina's friendship. Just a lot of good stuff that could be a really thoughtful and interesting story if handled right...

Aaaaand this episode confirms that I intensely dislike Bailey. Everything about her character is just trying too hard, like the writers were so tired of having Nolan date and break up a few times, they were like okay fine this one can stay, and even though they have chemistry readings in the negatives, they keep trying to push it even though it feels so wrong. I'd rather have Nolan be single the rest of the show than be in this stale cardboard relationship. But it's fine, they're not going to split them up now, so I'll have to deal with it lol

The whole thing with Oscar suing was SO rushed. Like, so insanely rushed I couldn't even be annoyed at him. I hope they bring him back and do it for real, because that was weird to kind of shoehorn in there just for dramatic effect.

EPIC COP TEAMUP IN SUITS AND TIES MY BELOVEDDDD. Seriously they all looked SO GOOD chasing down bad guys and beating people up. White dress shirts were truly the MVPs of this episode

Will Celina just. be wearing long sleeves the rest of her life? Seriously how long has she been a rookie already?? Most of Angela's pregnancy and maternity leave, so at least 10 months, if not more. Hell, she should be graduating from the program soon. The timeline in this show is absolute trash.

Speaking of-- Baby Wopez name drop when????? poor girl's been nameless for too long

James coming in clutch with the playlist was chef's kiss. I LOVE that man

ALSO JAMES AND WESLEY'S BROMANCE. "I went with a suit." "Me too. Mine has a tie." "Oh my god, same!" I CAN'T WITH THESE TWO. Probably my favorite bromance of anyone ever.

Finally, just in general-- I know some people were put off by how much stuff was jam-packed into 42 minutes (again. how???) but I think they pulled it off reasonably well. There was actually very good pacing, lots of comedy and angst and everything in between. I personally LOVED this episode and I think it deserves a few rewatches just to pick up on everything they threw at us. It has its flaws, but it will definitely be a 100th episode to remember, that's for sure.

AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

Chenford thoughts :))))))

But first let me just get this out of the way real quick-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHLSKDJFOAHGOIJWE;LKTH;SKLJD;LFKHAGLJKSDFA;HLGKJLSKJDKFJDKJFKDJFKJDKFJDKFJKD OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHA;LKGHSJNBMNMCC HELP KJAEHKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG IM HYPERVENTILATING AHGHGHAHSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

okay, anyway.

Here we go!

I'm just a little bit torn on how they decided to approach this. On the one hand, it was nice that they were still able to work together and talk without excessive drama. Although... Tim shutting the door on her did hurt. Yeah. That hurt a lot. But I had really hoped that they would acknowledge that Lucy was in the wrong last episode too. She was being completely unreasonable and like Tim said, she was projecting. But in this ep, it seemed like she was validated and he was the one being unreasonable. While his trauma with Isabel is something they desperately need to talk about (like Lucy said), she was also reacting too harshly to it and being unfair with her accusations. But honestly, it's okay. We still have 8 episodes to sort it out and it seems like they're very much on the right track. I'm hoping they have a really really really intense, tearful, honest, raw, cathartic conversation about the whole thing. Seems like that's the direction they're going, so I won't hold my breath but it is something that needs to happen.

ALL OF THEIR INTERACTIONS were just so. hnnggg. so chewy. so much going on. THE LOOKS DURING THE WEDDING. hang on I'll come back to that in a sec.

The scene with the Hammer was NEXT LEVEL. (Also fun that they named the episode after That Scene, specifically. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........) For some reason I immensely enjoyed watching Tim get thrown around like a rag doll. Not sure what that's about. Never seen that side of myself before.

THE FORESHADOWING. That on-one-knee thing was more than I thought they'd give us, and OMG I ATE IT UP. The little pause, where Lucy's breath kind of catches, and Tim just seems kind of oblivious. THAT'S CINEMA, BABEY.

Kind of insane about Tim just passing out like that. Poor man.

CELINA MENTIONING LUCY'S BACHELORETTE PARTY????? hello even more foreshadowing :))))

The scene cuts back and forth when Lucy is helping with the cake and Tim with the flowers??? THEY'RE TELEPATHIC SOULMATES DON'T TALK TO ME.

And the fact that the lie detector was RANDY'S IDEA? I'm shrieking. "Ein wenig crazy," is definitely something my adhd bilingual ass has said irl

oh my lord how CLOSE she scoots her chair?? i'm melting

I thought it was kind of a nice touch to have Tim be actually surprised by the lie detector picking up his answer to the last question being a lie. Because honestly.... now it makes a little more sense: he's been lying to himself. Which is kind of an angle I didn't see coming. "I guess we do have a problem," sounds to me like he literally hasn't been able to admit to himself that he doesn't want Lucy undercover. Of course he wants her to make detective, that's not a question. Detective doesn't equal undercover. But he's been telling himself probably since day one that he's fine with it, that she's not Isabel, that he has nothing to worry about . . . and now he's finally seeing that he really is terrified. Something she's seen in him all along. And while their argument last episode was about more than just this (I still believe she was in the wrong for projecting so hard and making crazy assumptions about him), I think I can see where the writers were going with it.

THE I LOVE YOUS D E S T R O Y E D ME

Okay, back to the Looks at the wedding. Tim being all 🧍and scanning the crowd for his girl . . . Lucy delivering the Heart Eyes of the century . . . Them still sitting together because even though they're fighting, they're still each other's person, and nothing can change that . . . I'm going into cardiac arrest.

In my book, "We're gonna get through this" is a nice breath of fresh air and a bit of relief, but it doesn't mean they've worked everything out. Again, they need a good solid conversation. One that this episode was never going to give us, sadly. But it'll come!

ALSOOOO that moment when Aaron interrupts them and we see Tim's hand around her waist, I just OOF i need a moment

I AM NEVER GONNA BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS EPISODE. the foreshadowing, the parallels, the pining, the dancing, the fighting, the emotions, EVERYTHING. It was not perfect but it was WONDERFUL. 10000/10, I need to watch all their scenes about five million more times.

AND THERE WE HAVE IT. I'll definitely be posting more thoughts soon, but that's where I'm at for now. Basically I think they set the groundwork for a really solid, healthy relationship going forward. I LOVED their moments in this ep, absolutely top tier. The ANGST. I am eating up every second of it.

2 episodes down, 8 to go!!!

[hooman4ever]

Can you do a poly Sidney, billy, Stu, randy, Tatum x fem reader when they fight over her

Hope you enjoy this and it’s what you were looking for. This prompt was wonderful and I love the chaos that came with it!

Contains: READER IS GENDER AMBIGUOUS, Fighting, Poly Relations, Randy being Randy, Billy suppressing homicidal rage

Lightly Edited so I apologize for any errors. 

It does not matter how the fight started– all I'm saying is Tatum or Stu is winning it. No, I do not take criticism on this matter. (I kidd)

You are just sitting back watching everyone lose their utter minds over you for whatever reason (most likely choosing who gets to sit next to you for movie nights) but suddenly in the middle of the fight, Tatum and Stu become the loudest and eventually the only ones fighting. 

It gets ugly too. 

Tatum is pulling out all the stops digging into Stu’s and everyone else's issues while Stu is just spewing utter nonsense only really half-listening to whatever Tatum is saying. Overall these two will most likely end up with whatever they want with you after the others get tired of their yelling. Could definitely see her getting caught up in the moment and going off on everyone– even you for no reason. 

Sidney is quieter in the situation, trying desperately to maintain peace and find a rational solution while being primarily on your side. Will most likely just end up saying “I’m done,” or sighing and just standing/sitting by you watching everything go down. If it is something of actual importance or something she feels strongly about though all it takes is one yell from her and everyone is silent immediately. 

Randy, now he will be splitting his unconditional support for you and Sidney– unless it’s something Randy also wants in on. Then he’s most likely going to try fighting Stu or Billy while Stu just fights Tatum. Poor Randy is just being ignored no matter how hard he’s trying to join the bickering. Might try to jump on Stu and physically fight someone– not one of the girls though. He had to be a gentleman. Even after Tatum sucker punches him. 

Billy now– this depends on his mood and how his day went. He will either be on Stu’s side. being more of a background puppetmaster. telling Stu what to say and saying little comments, or he will be violent. Billy is a put-together person because he has to be not because he naturally is. Things bother him like everyone else and if you push him far enough he’s pushing you back. Now whether that be metaphorically or literally depends. If Billy however does not get violent or become Stu’s voice in the back of his head he is either the cause for said argument or could care less about whatever is being discussed. 

Now with you. Either you sit back with a bowl of popcorn and soda watching the drama unfold or you get involved yourself. A quick way to stop a fight about you, just stand up and speak up. In the end, if it’s about you it’s really your choice as it would be for anyone in the group if the fight was about them. 

While I do say you all getting into quite a few squabbles, as all couples do, most would end up being small and insignificant easily defusable situations. Just because of the mix of personalities. When you're dating Stu’s with his general lack of filter, Tatums, and her wonderful fiery attitude, Billy, and his homicidal tendencies, Sidney, and her mom group but don't be fooled shell floor a bitch energy, and Randy and his overall leader simp and movie nerd personality you’re bound to find something that someone disagrees about. 

At the end of the day though no matter what the fight was about everyone loves each other– well with Billy you never know– but for the most part, it will be long make-up sessions for whatever fights happen during the daytime. 

The voices around you were loud and angry. It was annoying and threatening to give you a splitting headache. 

Tatum was yelling pointing from you to Stu as venom flew from her lips. Stu on the other hand was almost having a conversation with himself entirely as he simply screamed near unintelligible words that truly contributed nothing but chaos and immature insults to an already ridiculous situation. While this was going on, Billy fumed glaring at Randy from afar who only stood near Stu trying to back up Tatum and Sidney despite the fact that Tatum was capable of defending herself and that Sidney was sitting next to you. She was tired and slouching back letting the sofa consume her with a look of pure confusion on her face as Stu stuck his thumb under his nose and lifted it imitating a pig's nose as he stuck his tongue out at an offended Tatum who audibly gasped. 

“You take that back you fucking dick!” she cried lunging at Stu– Randy barely had enough time to catch her, stopping Tatum from murdering the laughing Stu. 

Sighing you stood, your voice cutting through the anger floating through the air “Enough!” you yelled, the brief silence seeming like paradise to your throbbing head. “I don’t even like them,” you stated throwing your hands up before letting your palms slap back down against your thighs. With that, the entire fight was disbanded. 

Everyone looked at you with surprise and confusion. Suddenly Stu turned to you arms outstretched and knees slightly bent “They don’t like them!” he cheered forgetting the intense battle he and Tatum were previously engaged in. “What don’t they like?” Stu whispered leaning over to Tatum who simply shrugged, equally confused. 

Normal conversations returned and everyone like that was back to their usual selves. 

“I think we need a group cuddle to heal all our hurt–” Stu stated loudly letting out a faux sob a hand over his heart “feelings.” he breaths out wiping away fake tears. 

“Has anyone told you how clingy you are Stu?” Randy asked scoffing as he sat down on the sofa next to you and Sidney. As soon as he was facing Stu’s direction once more the air was knocked from his lungs. “Yes, thanks for volunteering by the way,” Stu chided his long arms wrapping around Randy as he latched onto him. 

Stu let out an over-exasperated sigh of contentment as Billy and Tatum joined the group on the sofa. 

“Real nice of you Randy,” Billy agreed, teasing the brunette.

[south-park-meta]

do you have a description for Kyle's and Gerald's relationship?

just if it's not to much.

I started reading your analysis. I love them. I'm curious to know if you have any thoughts about their relationship.

Aw, thanks! I can try, I just relate to Stan a lot more so I'm probably going to miss some things.

Kyle and his dad seemed to have a fine relationship earlier on in the show. Kyle's key relationship is with his mom vs Stan's being with Randy, so there is less to go off of than with his relationship with Sheila. But I'd say earlier seasons of South Park had both of Kyle's parents supportive of him and willing to talk to him. Kyle in turn often turns to his parents for advice, and believes that going to adults for advice in general is the way to handle situations he can't. His parents encourage getting support through counseling/therapy like Stan's do. They make sure he stays connected to his religion even in a town that has little support. They do quite a bit to encourage him to be connected to people.

There's a few unhealthy components. The first is a family-wide issue that Kyle's guilt is just MASSIVELY higher than it should be. Guilt is a healthy response, but it's been taken to unhealthy levels and often leads to his martyrdom. This is something that's ingrained in both his religion in general and his family specifically.

The more Gerald-specific unhealthy component is that Gerald is self-centered, narcissistic, and materialistic. This can be seen even in the very beginnings of the show, like Chickenpox in S2:

Gerald You see, Kyle, we humans work as a society, and in order for a society to thrive, we need gods, and clods.

Kyle Gods and clods?

Gerald Yes. You see, I spent a lot of time going to law school, and I was able to go because I have a slightly higher intellect than others. But I still need people to pump my gas, and make my French fries, and fix my laundry machine when it breaks down.

Kyle Oooohh, I see. Gods and clods!

Gerald That's right. So Kenny's family is happy just the way they are, and we're all a functioning part of America.

I think marking himself as 'god' in this conversation really shows why Gerald and Kyle's relationship has been growing worse and worse and is now absolutely horrendous. Gerald sees himself as God. All important, especially in a little dinky town like South Park. He has a good image: He has money, he has a nice house, he has a wife, he has 2 kids. The American dream stereotype. All of these things he sees as an extension of himself, a projection of what he wants to be. He doesn't actually care about any of them the way he cares about himself.

He had a better relationship with Kyle earlier on because Kyle was a kid who took his opinion at face value more. Who was more likely to adopt Gerald's opinion as his own, even if they're shitty. 'Oooohh, I see! Gods and clods!' It's coming from his dad so it makes sense in ways it might strike Kyle as wrong coming from anyone else. Kyle is a fitting extension of himself when it counts.

But Kyle gets older. Kyle starts having his own opinion on things. Kyle starts seeing more things Gerald thinks is funny are wrong. Season twenty Kyle wouldn't accept 'Gods and Clods' the way season 2 Kyle does.

in Oh, Jeez, when Gerald facetimes Ike:

Gerald Hi Ike, it's Daddy. Everything OK there? [Ike look around] Listen, buddy, you remember how we talked about trolling and just between us guys we agreed it was pretty funny? [Kyle walks by Ike's room, hears Gerald's voice and stops to look inside] Well it turns out that even the-

Kyle Dad! [runs into Ike's room] Where are you?

Gerald Oh, hey Kyle.

Kyle Dad, what's going on? Mom is freaking out.

Gerald Tell your mom everything's fine, okay? I'm helping out the government. It's top-secret stuff, but everything's finally gonna be okay.

Kyle No, Dad, I need you back home. Please, I-I'm so confused right now.

Gerald Kyle, you've gotta lighten the fuck up, buddy. Every day with you it's "Dad, I feel guilty about this. Dad, I'm so confused about that." You're a kid. You're supposed to just laugh and make fun of shit. [smiles] Stop being such a pussy, okay pal? Fuck. [hangs up, leaving Kyle a bit stunned]

Ike Daddy called you a pussy.

Gerald's clearly annoyed with Kyle before Kyle even has a chance to talk to him. All Kyle really even says to him is 'I want you home, I need you', and Gerald tells him to fuck off. The kid Gerald WANTS to talk to is the baby, the one who's young enough he thinks he can still get on his side in finding trolling funny. Not the kid who's voicing his own opinions and doesn't even find Terrance and Philip farting in each other's faces funny anymore.

So, yeah. This relationship was only two ways when Gerald could get Kyle to parrot his own thoughts back to him. Now that Kyle's more and more his own person, he's a waste of time. Kyle still loves and wants his dad's attention and help, and Gerald couldn't care less about him. I maybe wouldn't say he despises Kyle or would never help him, but it's clear Kyle lost value to him the more Kyle's moral compass grew.

[frankiefellinlove]

This is it! The whole article where John Landau writes that Bruce “is the future of rock n roll”. Long but so worth the read, to see that quote in context.

GROWING YOUNG WITH ROCK AND ROLL

By Jon Landau

The Real Paper

May 22, 1974📷

It's four in the morning and raining. I'm 27 today, feeling old, listening to my records, and remembering that things were diffferent a decade ago. In 1964, I was a freshman at Brandeis University, playing guitar and banjo five hours a day, listening to records most of the rest of the time, jamming with friends during the late-night hours, working out the harmonies to Beach Boys' and Beatles' songs.

Real Paper soul writer Russell Gersten was my best friend and we would run through the 45s everyday: Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By" and "Anyone Who Had A Heart," the Drifters' "Up On the Roof," Jackie Ross' "Selfish One," the Marvellettes' "Too Many Fish in the Sea," and the one that no one ever forgets, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave." Later that year a special woman named Tamar turned me onto Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour" and Otis Redding's "Respect," and then came the soul. Meanwhile, I still went to bed to the sounds of the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" and later "Younger than Yesterday," still one of my favorite good-night albums. I woke up to Having a Rave-Up with the Yardbirds instead of coffee. And for a change of pace, there was always bluegrass: The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, and Jimmy Martin.

Through college, I consumed sound as if it were the staff of life. Others enjoyed drugs, school, travel, adventure. I just liked music: listening to it, playing it, talking about it. If some followed the inspiration of acid, or Zen, or dropping out, I followed the spirit of rock'n'roll.

Individual songs often achieved the status of sacraments. One September, I was driving through Waltham looking for a new apartment when the sound on the car radio stunned me. I pulled over to the side of the road, turned it up, demanded silence of my friends and two minutes and fifty-six second later knew that God had spoken to me through the Four Tops' "Reach Out, I'll Be There," a record that I will cherish for as long as [I] live.

During those often lonely years, music was my constant companion and the search for the new record was like a search for a new friend and new revelation. "Mystic Eyes" open mine to whole new vistas in white rock and roll and there were days when I couldn't go to sleep without hearing it a dozen times.

Whether it was a neurotic and manic approach to music, or just a religious one, or both, I don't really care. I only know that, then, as now, I'm grateful to the artists who gave the experience to me and hope that I can always respond to them.

The records were, of course, only part of it. In '65 and '66 I played in a band, the Jellyroll, that never made it. At the time I concluded that I was too much of a perfectionist to work with the other band members; in the end I realized I was too much of an autocrat, unable to relate to other people enough to share music with them.

Realizing that I wasn't destined to play in a band, I gravitated to rock criticism. Starting with a few wretched pieces in Broadside and then some amateurish but convincing reviews in the earliest Crawdaddy, I at least found a substitute outlet for my desire to express myself about rock: If I couldn't cope with playing, I may have done better writing about it.

But in those days, I didn't see myself as a critic -- the writing was just another extension of an all-encompassing obsession. It carried over to my love for live music, which I cared for even more than the records. I went to the Club 47 three times a week and then hunted down the rock shows -- which weren't so easy to find because they weren't all conveniently located at downtown theatres. I flipped for the Animals' two-hour show at Rindge Tech; the Rolling Stones, not just at Boston Garden, where they did the best half hour rock'n'roll set I had ever seen, but at Lynn Football Stadium, where they started a riot; Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels overcoming the worst of performing conditions at Watpole Skating Rink; and the Beatles at Suffolk Down, plainly audible, beatiful to look at, and confirmation that we -- and I -- existed as a special body of people who understood the power and the flory of rock'n'roll.

I lived those days with a sense of anticipation. I worked in Briggs & Briggs a few summers and would know when the next albums were coming. The disappointment when the new Stones was a day late, the exhilaration when Another Side of Bob Dylan showed up a week early. The thrill of turning on WBZ and hearing some strange sound, both beautiful and horrible, but that demanded to be heard again; it turned out to be "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," a record that stands just behind "Reach Out I'll Be There" as means of musical catharsis.

My temperament being what it is, I often enjoyed hating as much as loving. That San Francisco shit corrupted the purity of the rock that I lvoed and I could have led a crusade against it. The Moby Grape moved me, but those songs about White Rabbits and hippie love made me laugh when they didn't make me sick. I found more rock'n'roll in the dubbed-in hysteria on the Rolling Stones Got Live if You Want It than on most San Francisco albums combined.

For every moment I remember there are a dozen I've forgotten, but I feel like they are with me on a night like this, a permanent part of my consciousness, a feeling lost on my mind but never on my soul. And then there are those individual experiences so transcendent that I can remember them as if they happened yesterday: Sam and Dave at the Soul Together at Madison Square Garden in 1967: every gesture, every movement, the order of the songs. I would give anything to hear them sing "When Something's Wrong with My Baby" just the way they did it that night.

The obsessions with Otis Redding, Jerry Butler, and B.B. King came a little bit later; each occupied six months of my time, while I digested every nuance of every album. Like the Byrds, I turn to them today and still find, when I least expect it, something new, something deeply flet, something that speaks to me.

As I left college in 1969 and went into record production I started exhausting my seemingly insatiable appetite. I felt no less intensely than before about certain artists; I just felt that way about fewer of them. I not only became more discriminating but more indifferent. I found it especially hard to listen to new faces. I had accumulated enough musical experience to fall back on when I needed its companionship but during this period in my life I found I needed music less and people, whom I spend too much of my life ignoring, much more.

Today I listen to music with a certain measure of detachment. I'm a professional and I make my living commenting on it. There are months when I hate it, going through the routine just as a shoe salesman goes through his. I follow films with the passion that music once held for me. But in my own moments of greatest need, I never give up the search for sounds that can answer every impulse, consume all emotion, cleanse and purify -- all things that we have no right to expect from even the greatest works of art but which we can occasionally derive from them.

Still, today, if I hear a record I like it is no longer a signal for me to seek out every other that the artist has made. I take them as they come, love them, and leave them. Some have stuck -- a few that come quickly to mind are Neil Young's After the Goldrush, Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey, James Taylor's records, Valerie Simpson's Exposed, Randy Newman's Sail Away, Exile on Main Street, Ry Cooder's records, and, very specially, the last three albums of Joni Mitchell -- but many more slip through the mind, making much fainter impressions than their counterparts of a decade ago.

But tonight there is someone I can write of the way I used to write, without reservations of any kind. Last Thursday, at the Harvard Square theatre, I saw my rock'n'roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.

When his two-hour set ended I could only think, can anyone really be this good; can anyone say this much to me, can rock'n'roll still speak with this kind of power and glory? And then I felt the sores on my thighs where I had been pounding my hands in time for the entire concert and knew that the answer was yes.

Springsteen does it all. He is a rock'n'roll punk, a Latin street poet, a ballet dancer, an actor, a joker, bar band leader, hot-shit rhythm guitar player, extraordinary singer, and a truly great rock'n'roll composer. He leads a band like he has been doing it forever. I racked my brains but simply can't think of a white artist who does so many things so superbly. There is no one I would rather watch on a stage today. He opened with his fabulous party record "The E Street Shuffle" -- but he slowed it down so graphically that it seemed a new song and it worked as well as the old. He took his overpowering story of a suicide, "For You," and sang it with just piano accompaniment and a voice that rang out to the very last row of the Harvard Square theatre. He did three new songs, all of them street trash rockers, one even with a "Telstar" guitar introduction and an Eddie Cochran rhythm pattern. We missed hearing his "Four Winds Blow," done to a fare-thee-well at his sensational week-long gig at Charley's but "Rosalita" never sounded better and "Kitty's Back," one of the great contemporary shuffles, rocked me out of my chair, as I personally led the crowd to its feet and kept them there.

Bruce Springsteen is a wonder to look at. Skinny, dressed like a reject from Sha Na Na, he parades in front of his all-star rhythm band like a cross between Chuck Berry, early Bob Dylan, and Marlon Brando. Every gesture, every syllable adds something to his ultimate goal -- to liberate our spirit while he liberates his by baring his soul through his music. Many try, few succeed, none more than he today.

It's five o'clock now -- I write columns like this as fast as I can for fear I'll chicken out -- and I'm listening to "Kitty's Back." I do feel old but the record and my memory of the concert has made me feel a little younger. I still feel the spirit and it still moves me.

I bought a new home this week and upstairs in the bedroom is a sleeping beauty who understands only too well what I try to do with my records and typewriter. About rock'n'roll, the Lovin' Spoonful once sang, "I'll tell you about the magic that will free your soul/But it's like trying to tell a stranger about rock'n'roll." Last Thursday, I remembered that the magic still exists and as long as I write about rock, my mission is to tell a stranger about it -- just as long as I remember that I'm the stranger I'm writing for.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Richest Duck In The World!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Madison Bateman

Storyboard by: Stephanie Gonzaga, Vaughn Tada, Brandon Warren

Directed by: Matthew Humphreys

The calm before the moon-related storm.

Our episode begins with a flashback to the very day when Scrooge McDuck became the richest duck in the world. selling his entire mine of haveyouseenium to a man named Mr. Zee. Because of this deal, he became the richest duck in the world, and he gets surrounded by a pink aura that spreads across the land. No, not the kind of aura that would turn into a stapler, but an aura that will attract a certain "he" that Mr. Zee describes in a rhyming riddle.

Mr. Zee: He cannot be bought, he cannot be fought, though riches you've got, your life will be fraught, until you have earned the one thing you have not!

Scrooge: Who is "he"?

Mr. Zee: The Bombie! So long, no take backs!

I'd talk about who or what this Bombie is, but the episode makes us wait, too. All we see is Scrooge happily dancing, knowing very well that the threat of the Bombie should be nothing to him. He then looks at something that caused the earth to shake, and he makes a face that can only come before the theme song.

After the theme song, we cut to the present day, where Scrooge gets to hear the good news about all the money he's going to get from Louie after his successful plan. That is, none of it! Turns out, the title is not referring to the Richest Duck in the World we all know, but his nephew, who, in the Louie Inc. plot's big payoff, has inherited the McDuck fortune against Scrooge's will! Many would expect, including Zan Owlson in the show itself, that this would lead to a "sea monster ate my ice cream"-level tantrum from Scrooge.

Somehow, that tantrum doesn't happen, as he just walks away laughing at this, telling Louie that he can call him anytime to give back his title. Is this really the same Scrooge that went insane over 87 cents? Sure, he knows where the money went, which is half of the reason why he went insane in that episode, but still, this is Scrooge. Maybe he's just that genre-savvy that this will not last.

While all of this is happening, we finally get something that has some relation to the upcoming Moonvasion, which is still unknown to anyone on Earth. This even includes Della Duck, who is still making space-video-calls to her friend Captain Penumbra, who isn't calling back for some reason. However, nothing can stop Della Duck, so she decides to show off the children that aren't currently doing "complex business deals."

...and Dewey is dabbing. Unfortunately, Mark Beaks is not the only person who is willing to dab in public.

Unfortunately, Dewey ruins the moment, in an intentional-by-the-plot way, not a "why are they doing this" way, even more by knocking into the camera after trying way too hard to do a backflip. Oh, Dewey. This distresses Della, as she really needs to find someone with a camera! Huey and Webby get distressed as well, as Dewey is getting really excited at his own idea...

...a special moon-focused episode of Dewey Dew-Night, with special guest "Mom"! Even in-universe, it doesn’t exactly bring that much excitement to anyone, as her stories of being lonely on the moon for a significant chunk of her life are more downers than knee-slappers.

They go back and forth between this show and the main plot, and all that really happens is that Della is led to wonder if Penumbra is really her friend. Also, Webby tries to bring in a real raccoon. There's a running gag with that.

As the talk show of the century is happening, Zan Owlson gets to learn that going from a manchild to a literal child is not an upgrade. Louie is completely uninterested in her strategies to grow and maintain his newly-gained company. In his new suit made entirely of emeralds, he sits on his giant chair, and trying to find a comfortable position to put his legs.

Suddenly, Johnny and Randy of the Ottoman Empire show up, still mad at each other. That plotline with the Ottoman Empire's breakup does come up once in a blue moon in this season, and while I wasn't expecting a whole episode on the resolution to that, I was wondering if they would resolve it in this season. Turns out, they will, thanks to Louie convincing them to reunite with a heartwarming speech about comradery.

Just kidding, he offers them 100 million dollars, and they just can't refuse that kind of money even if they hate each other. Plotline over!

He then turns on his phone to play a song he definitely invested money into: Mo Money, No Problems! This song doesn't appear to have lyrics. I'd say that might be for the best, but that's still some missed potential.

The vulture capitalists aren't too happy about this recent $100 million dollar investment into the "Bring Back The Ottoman Empire, And Not That One, Djinn" business. Just like they were in the very first episode of this reboot, they suggest cutting funds to the "magical defense" in the unknown-because-Scrooge-struck-it-off-the-maps island in the Herod Sea. Louie agrees, probably just to get these old guys to hush about their nagging.

The very minute they press that button, Owlson shows up to tell Louie that something terrible has happened in the island in the Herod Sea. Louie eventually agrees.

As for the former richest duck in the world, he's going to try to be lazy like Louie. This potential for a plot lasts about a few seconds. As he's watching the fully funded return of the Ottoman Empire, just like Louie would do, he notices that Johnny and Randy are talking about the importance of work. They technically worked for that 100 million plus whatever else they made from being celebrities, as they did have to make that emerald-studded footstool, though they certainly wouldn't tell the audience that most of that is from one little rich kid.

With that speech about work, he almost immediately gives up the laziness, and sets out to remake his fortune. How? By shoe-shining, just like he did to get his Number One Dime. However, he's going to do this in a modern world where few people wear shoes. Even he realizes the problem with this eventually.

Back to Louie's first big adventure as a gajillionaire, he goes to the island with Owlson and Manny, with Launchpad as his pilot. He even convinced Launchpad to color the Sunchaser green. As Louie sits on his specially made footstool, ordering his headless horse to turn the pages on his magazine, they eventually make it onto the island, where Louie makes a big discovery...

...Scrooge was hiding yet another bin! It's the other, other bin of Scrooge McDuck, and Louie assumes Scrooge was hiding yet another fortune. Unfortunately, that bin has a big hole, and there's no money to be found. Launchpad suggests they should ask the green guy what happened to it.

Turns out, that "magical defense" that I thought was a reference to Magica in the first episode wasn't to keep her out, but to keep this guy in! Makes me wonder if that was always the intention for that; considering this show's knack for continuity, I would not be surprised if it was.

This episode introduces Bombie the Zombie to the DuckTales 2017 universe, and to animation in general. The Bombie, as he is called here, originated in the Scrooge McDuck comics as a zombie that gets sent after Scrooge. In this show, his origins are left unknown; he gets treated more like a force of nature that goes against the richest duck in the world.

As they didn't have any weapons to stop this beast, Louie and his employees run away with the help of Louie's plan to fake him out with Manny's fake Louie head. It's just like what he did in the last episode; some tricks are immortal, just like the Bombie is. Speaking of which, Louie decides to do some drastic measures against the Bombie: he calls up Bradford Buzzard, one of the vulture capitalists, to cut funding to the satellites.

This causes a whole bunch of satellites to fall on the island, causing a dramatic explosion. Hopefully those satellites aren't important, I say fully knowing that it will be a plot point in the next mega-episode.

Also, it doesn't work, as he ends up on the wing just like that Twilight Zone episode. Unlike that Twilight Zone episode, the Bombie is not willing to just drive some guy bananas, as he breaks in.

This is the last straw for Zan Owlson, who decides to quit her job just as dramatically as that explosion. She decides she’s going to become a better billionaire herself, and she starts with a plan to get this Bombie off of the plane. She tells everyone to grab a hold of something while he opens the Sunchaser's hatch. This causes the Bombie to fall into the ocean.

Unfortunately, Louie didn’t get the plan in time, as he ends up falling into the water, too. Even though she quit, she still has the heart to try to grab Louie from his watery and/or zombie-caused grave. That’s a neat touch to her character, in the last time we see her in the episode.

Good news: Louie does ends up living, and he even gets to keep his emerald ottoman. Louie is glad to know that the Bombie is probably stuck in the seaweed, leaving him to be to enjoy it.

Well, he is stuck in the seaweed, but that's not going to stop him.

As this threat looms over Louie, Scrooge finally gets one customer. Unfortunately, the customer is the Tenderfeet, who is just as much of a jerk to Scrooge as he was with Louie in that one episode I don't really want to think about.

Eventually, Louie shows up, running away from the Bombie and converging the two plots. Honestly, not much happened with the Scrooge plot anyway. He indirectly gets Scrooge into situations of harm, as he's getting in the way of the Bombie's undying journey to...murder the richest duck in the world? Come to think of it, if he murders the richest duck in the world, wouldn't that mean he would then go after the second richest, the third richest, and so on? Yeah, maybe this curse doesn't make a lot of sense from the viewpoint of the Bombie himself. Maybe whoever made this Bombie never thought of that.

Scrooge tells Louie all about this Bombie, including his name and that riddle he couldn't figure out. He doesn't really question why the Bombie was able to get out of his magical defenses, because he doesn't get the time to think about that.

Eventually, Louie's own billboard advertising the new owner of McDuck Enterprises gets broken off, with the giant Louie picture getting his arm broken in a way that suggests pointing to him. Somehow, this gets Louie to figure out that riddle: he just needs to admit that he can't do something.

Also, Louie offers the Bombie a shoe-shine, which he really needed. That might have been the solution, too. No richest person in the world has figured this riddle out since this "curse" began. Honestly, that is actually believable.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize this means Louie doesn’t want to be the richest duck in the world anymore, and he gives the money back. The aura even transfers over to Scrooge, as if this aura represents more than just the curse of the Bombie. This is a cool bit of symbolism.

The Louie Inc. plot finally reaches its merciful end. I'm not exactly mad, I'm just a little disappointed. I mean, we get a Doofus Drake plot, and a plot where Scrooge loses his money and just kind of accepts it. We did get a good Goldie story out of it, at least.

Oh yeah, and they give us a cliffhanger for the next episode, kind of undoing any drama that happened in the Dewey Dew-Night plot by revealing that Penumbra actually is friendly enough to let Della know that a Moonvasion is going to happen. One of the plots turned out to be pointless, but hey, we got a Moonvasion to get to!

How does it stack up?

Eh, it's okay. This is another case where I considered giving this a neutral. Unfortunately, I'm still considering it right now, as there's no real reason for me not to give it.

Next, the season finale.

← GlomTales! 🦆 Moonvasion! →

[ninawritesastory]

So, I started following you because your posts on Creek are fantastic and have fueled headcanons for days but I've recently stumbled into enjoying Style (I'm new to this fandom) and a tag on one of your recent reblogs leads me to ask: what do you think needs to happen in order for Style to work? What growing up and experience do you think they need? And, in the end, how do you ultimately see them once they've achieved that?

Holy crow, thank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying all of the Creek, and I’m glad you’re getting plenty of headcanons out of it. Half the time I feel like I’m just rambling nonsensically into the void and none of what I’m saying makes any sense, so it’s always nice to hear that it’s making sense to someone! xD

And welcome to the South Park fandom, by the way! I think this is one of the chillest, least toxic fandoms I’m part of (so long as you stay away from. like, the Kyman vs. Style ship wars; maybe it’s calmed down a bunch, but it used to be fairly…interesting) and there are TONS of awesome artists and writers, as I’m sure you’re discovering. I hope you have lots of fun and find some good stuff.

Now, thing about Style is that, after the events of You’re Getting Old/Assburgers in particular, there’s a clear shift in the maturity levels between Kyle and Stan. The main problem here is that, for all intents and purposes, Kyle is a lot like Cartman. The key difference is that Kyle is always convinced he’s morally superior while Cartman doesn’t really give a shit about moral superiority.

There have been multiple instances throughout the show where Kyle has demonstrated a definite lack of emotional sensitivity to the point where I’d consider it largely canon that he has trouble empathizing with others. His treatment of Stan in You’re Getting Old and Assburgers is pretty much what had me pushing back my realm of feasibility for the Style relationship. Kyle can’t empathize with Stan’s developing depression; he outright says that Stan’s worsening mental health is toxic to him. And while I can understand that, to some degree, the fact that Kyle was willing to abandon Stan once his depression was starting to worsen really turned me off from canonical Style.

I have depression myself, and I know from experience how shitty it is to have the people you care about turn their backs on you because you’re no longer smiling and laughing at the same stuff you used to. Depression fucks with you in ways that drastically alter who you are. And if you decide to seek out treatment and keep up with it, who you become as you recover is fairly rarely who you were before you spiraled. If you’ve ever seen Inside Out (which has a FANTASTIC way of showing what depression feels like), think of the Personality Islands going dark and crumbling away. It’s a lot like that: what interested you, what you valued, what you loved, you’re likely to lose your connections to those things and even once you begin recovery there’s a chance that you won’t be able to reestablish those interests, or at least to the same strength that you had them before. Depression more or less chews you up and spits you out, and when you start recovering, you’re essentially a blank slate in terms of your interests.

And Stan…never actually gets any real treatment. Personally, I was really confused when Stan’s obvious descriptions of depression were immediately linked by Mr. Mackey to Asperger’s Syndrome. (Which made it really difficult for me to keep up with the rest of the episode, because it kind of felt like they just wanted to make the Ass Burgers joke and went from a depression-focused storyline to an autism-focused one.) But, the only “treatment” Stan gets at all is alcohol. It’s literally poured down his throat without his consent. Even once the episode comes to a close, Stan never receives any actual treatment and so has to rely on the only “solution” he was exposed to.

But, anyway, from those episodes onwards, there’s been a distinct imbalance in Stan and Kyle’s relationship. Their “Super Best Friends” status is starting to feel more and more superficial. Because Stan is fairly emotionally intelligent. He’s highly empathetic, even if he can be self-centered on a semi-regular basis. And Stan is definitely in the processing of growing up just a little too fast due to his issues with depression, addiction, and substance abuse. He’s taking responsibility for himself at an age when he really shouldn’t have to—at least, not in those areas.

Meanwhile, Kyle doesn’t really have anything pushing him to grow. (Prior to last season, at any rate.) He’s ten and there’s nothing in his immediate experience that is forcing him to think more maturely. The closest he ever comes is with Ike, but since Ike is not someone he has to take care of on a regular basis, any maturity he shows in those moments is fleeting and kind of superficial. Kyle doesn’t have any reason to reevaluate how he relates to people, his empathy is severely underdeveloped, and he has a hard time understanding anyone else’s point of view.

In other words, Stan’s in the process of maturing. Kyle (prior to last season) is nowhere close. It’s possible that Kyle’s experiences with Heiman and the nuking of Canada may help push him into that phase of his development, but I don’t think I can really say that definitively until the next season comes out.

So, for what I feel needs to happen for Style to work. On Stan’s end, he needs to get some actual treatment for his depression. He seems to have gotten the whole addiction and substance abuse thing more or less under control thanks to his chat with Satan, but I’m not sure if his depression has been managed as effectively. I also think he needs to have a Come to Jesus moment in terms of his relationship with his dad. Honestly, I heavily empathized with Stan in Ass Burgers when he was finally making progress in dealing with his mental health only for Randy to yank the rug out from under him at the last minute. I just get the sense that Randy’s presence in Stan’s life is essentially what keeps Stan from progressing in terms of his mental health and development. That whole, “Stick to what you know” thing isn’t going to help Stan because sticking to what he knows involves a flash of booze stashed in his underwear drawer and no actual attempts to seek either medication or psychiatric help. So Stan needs to develop enough to pull himself out from under Randy’s influence.

For Kyle…Kyle needs to mature emotionally. He needs to learn how to empathize with other people and get out of his self-centered focus. I think he may be on the way to that, if he learned his lesson from the M.A.C./Canada nuking situation. I also think that what would help Kyle most is just getting out of South Park and away from Cartman. Everyone says college is pretty much a different world from grade school, and in a lot of ways they’re right. Depending on what college you go to, your likelihood of being in classes with people you know from grade school is slim to none. The structure in college is also different; a lot of it relies on you being accountable to yourself and your coursework. The mix of people you interact with is almost never the exact same sort of mix you grew up with. Which would go a long way to helping Kyle develop the necessary self-awareness needed to make the Style relationship work.

The way I see it, Kyle and Stan having some sort of a falling out in middle school or high school. They don’t hang out that much anymore, their friend groups shift enough that their daily interactions are minimal, and they develop apart from each other for the first time in their lives. They go their separate ways after graduation—Kyle to college and Stan to the military—and don’t really call or talk or anything after leaving South Park. Give it at least a semester, better a year or so, and they reunite during break. Kyle’s done a shit ton of growing up, Randy’s shadow over Stan’s life is drastically reduced, and they’ve have a chance to grown into themselves. Kyle’s got a better understanding of mental health, Stan’s got a firmer grip on his depression, and they’re finally back on even ground. That’s when a romantic relationship between the could work out.