#IT'S ALSO JUST SUUUCH NICE CONTINUITY

[raisinchallah]

god the cinematography and editing in sin trade as well is just sooooo good its also i think suuuch a smart choice in it being kind of the third huge xena backstory episodes after like destiny and the debt which both took a bit more of a linear approach i think to continue that vibe forever would perhaps wear thin or just feel like endless backstory getting pulled out of a hat but the way it mixes dreams and reality and cuts between current and past events in these disorienting ways and leaves all these unfinished hanging threads to think about forever where both destiny and the debt felt like they had distinctive beginning middle and ends to her backstory portions that felt like specific eras of her life this feels like entirely a transitory page no beginning no end and xena forever changed by experiencing lao mas power so she goes to horrifying ends to try and recapture it i also love how it approaches spirituality and ritual like tho xena seems to be surprisingly receptive to these crazy powers when she often doesnt seem to fully believe in or think she can access such things but having tasted that with lao ma shes desperate to get it back and justify to herself that her path of violence and destruction is the only one for her and in general i think it offers a really interesting take on these sort of hard to understand vague mysterious powers that dont necessarily have some clean cut lore or specificity is a really nice flavor the show rarely takes with its explicit god powers and tip toes into christianity theming.. and then of course all this desperate belief being just all present xena can hold onto in the face of gabrielles death and all these rituals and nesting memories and her overwhelming grief really again episode of all time

[folkinsomnia]

thoughts on 1989 TV?

I've not yet actually listened to the whole thing because of life hectic-ness, namely foot surgery that has made fun things like Consuming Music I Love suck a lot. So I'm listening all the way through today while I do some scanning for work! This is gonna be a sort of "live react" stream of consciousness thing that I'll ideally edit before bombarding you with my Thoughts :-)

In general, everything sounds so much crisper and I am LIVING

I've always been kinda meh towards style aside from the last chorus, but there's something sooo much better about style tv!! Haven't listened to the OG 1989 in ages, so I'd need to compare to really explain it (and it might be obvious, but I'm not the greatest at remembering the little details from pre-reputation albums bc rep was my first as a a Fan™️)

Her matured and vastly improved vocals are to die for and have been throughout the ~taylor's version~ journey. MWAH!

OOTW is already a gorgeous song, but tv is, again, just so...!!!!!

AYHTDWS is already one of my favorites, so the rerecording has me EMOTIONAL it's so beautiful. Hold me I listened twice (which I consider a sin on full listen-throughs of albums, though I AM a horrid sinner, so)

I still hate shake it off, but this one's much better. Milder hate, more like distaste now, sort of like a mushy thing on the bottom of my shoe instead of the bottom of my sock

IWYW makes me sprint thru the streets at 5 AM even with my recently removed stitches owie

WHAT IS THE SECRET SAUCE HERE?? Do the drums sound better? Idk!

I know bad blood is considered cringey but listen. It's also so fun and the cringe makes us free. Maybe the harmonies on the chorus have more parts?? Gdi i need to do one to one comparisons with all of these. Already salivating over the Kendrick Lamar version at the end of the album I'm excited for him

It's official that 1989 tv has made me really like songs I've been ambivalent or mildly positive towards (like style and wildest dreams now), so that's like actually huge imo

Everything is so pretty! (I'm half asleep now help I'm at WORK)

I Know Places is one of those TS songs I rarely listen to and then I listen and am like "why the fuck aren't I listening to this one daily" and IKP tv has me feeling that More Intensely

Clean is yet another fave and clean tv makes my very soul tremor. Don't look at me for a week

Wonderland continues to be a fucking transcendental experience that electrocutes my spinal column <3 the bridge is even MORE earth-shattering than it was in the original. please see my original thoughts from 4.5 years ago

these feelings re: Wonderland still stand and always will

The first chord of YAIL kind of sounds like the first chord of Give Great Thanks by Dorian Electra lmao

Still not crazy about YAIL but the lyrics and the ****** lore...phew!

New Romantics tv is suuuch a good example of how gorgeous tayla's lower register has gotten. It's so much richer and I guess more well supported?

I've heard that Slut! is actually emotional af...not ready

"I might as well be a joke in love" HOO BOY I SEE NOW WHAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

"Got lovesick all over my bed" is SO !!!!!!

Okay yeah Slut! is so fucking good

Say Don't Go has me reeling. I can see why it didn't make the final cut (she is just a little too unlike her brethren to the point that, imo, she wouldn't fit well into the original album as well as the songs that made it do), but it's soooo ggoooooOOOD!!! It gives me almost like...cousin of 1989 and Lover and Midnights vibes?

Now That We Don't Talk...!!!! These vault songs fucking rule, dude.

The end of NTWDT 🤝 Mastermind??

The I broke my own heart 'cause you were too polite to do it ⏩️ I broke his heart 'cause he was nice pipeline and how it rejects the continuation of a cycle of passivity while simultaneously continuing the emotional burden carried by women in their relationships!! And also a cycle of cruelty! These are half-baked thoughts but they ARE thoughts I'm having!! An english degree was wasted on me because my textual analysis skills are still so juvenile,,

Is It Over Now Boo From Fleabag Moment

I WAS RIGHT THE KENDRICK LAMAR BAD BLOOD VERSION IS SO FUCKING AJGKDHAGXGBX AHHHHHH (dats me yellin)

[obstinaterixatrix]

omg I thought the zero dies arc was ep 12 but it’s actually a couple eps early, right on the second disc, love love LOVE this arc

[rexismycopilot]

I love everything you write, and as long as you want to write, one shots, continuations of fifty shades, original a/o, kink a/o, whatever, I'll gladly read it all! You seem like such a nice and caring person, and it is awesome that you share all of this with us. Getting an AO3 notification that you have posted something new always makes me smile.

I'm not really active in fandom, besides likes and kudos, it makes me anxious to post or commit, but I just wanted to express my great appreciation for you. Your work makes me feel less alone and self-conscious about how I am and what I like, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Not to just tack this on at the end, but I'm not sure I'll get the nerve up to do this again, so do you have any thoughts on changing Ahsoka leaving into just not that, lol? Do you think enough has changed in the world you built for that arch to play out differently? I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be great, canon can just make me so sad all the time sometimes, it's nice to imagine things playing out differently. But no pressure to change anything or write that arch at all.  Thank you again for all that you do, and I hope your week has improved and that your cat is doing better/on the mend. 

Anon, this was so so so so sweet. I really appreciate this really lovely message and absolutely no worries if you don't want to comment. I completely understand.

I'm so happy that I can help make you feel a little more comfortable with who you are and what you like! I've genuinely enjoyed writing these kink dynamics because it's helped me feel more comfortable about it too! I had come to terms with it before writing fanfic, but the shame was definitely more prevalent. Now I feel a lot less ashamed of it and a little more confident.

Writing about kink dynamics in established relationships are always going to hold a special place in my heart.

As for your Ahsoka ask! I've had a couple people ask me about that arc and I agree with you that it makes me sad all the time. I kind of go back and forth on it a lot because Obi-Wan is in suuuch a precarious position - being a council member but then also Anakin's partner. (Not that he isn't in canon too, but more so in the a/o series)

I don't want her to leave because that whole thing just... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

But I've got to put in some real thought about how I want that to play out (or maybe i just skip over it and it never happens and they all live happily every after the end)

[descendantofthesparrow]

Encore - Part of your World - Harry Hook x Reader - part 18 - quiet

suuuch a fluffy chapter lol 

=

You slowly woke up as beams of sunlight hit your face, you cracked open your yees and groaned, sitting up slightly to avoid the sun.

You yawned and rubbed your eyes, smacking your lips together and dropping your hands on the sheets covering your legs.

Glancing at the clock you sighed.

7:37 am.

You hated waking up early on your days off, but you were still exhausted from the night before so you hopped out of bed, closed the shades to the window, and walked back over to your bed. flopping back down into the mattress and curling up underneath the sheets, turning your back to the window.

You fell back to sleep, face buried into Harry's pillow.

Harry stepped into the room minutes later, taking off his hat and tossing it onto the chair in the corner of the room.

He sighed, shaking his head and running his head through his sweat-soaked hair.

He was glad Uma had enchanted the lost revenge 2.0 with a constant temperature of 70°, so no matter how hot it was outside the ship, it was always comfortable.

A smile broke out on Harry's face as he spotted your sleeping form on the bed, the blankets curled around your form. He took tentative steps towards the bed and leaned over you, pressing a kiss to your exposed forehead.

He stood up straight and walked over to the bathroom, stripping out of his sweat-soaked clothes and tossed them into the hamper.

You woke up to the sound of the shower and sat up, blearily looking around the room.

You noticed Harry's shirt hanging halfway out of the hamper and his boots just outside of the bathroom door.

‘Harrys back from dock work’ you thought, stretching your arms, groaning as your back popped and hopped out of bed, walking over to your dresser and getting out some clothes for the day.

You stopped as the light from the reopened window hit your new ring, the ruby shining in your face. You smiled and brought your hand close to your face, biting your lip as you remembered Harry's sweet proposal.

Deciding to dress comfortably for the day, you grabbed one of Harry's tank tops and a pair of black leggings.

You tossed them on the bed and opened the top drawer, digging out a red sports bra and some socks, tossing those on the bed.

Mentally deciding on your black converse you turned and walked over to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

“come in!” Harrys muffled voice echoed back. You opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind you. “hi love” Harry purred, poking his head out from behind the shower curtain.

“hi~” you chirped, tiptoeing over to him and pressing a kiss to his lips “you’re wet”

“im takin’ a shower” Harry chuckled, slicking his long bangs back and shaking his head at you. He dipped back behind the curtain and continued to wash his hair.

You turned to the sink and did your morning routine.

A couple of minutes later the shower stopped, harry stepping out of the shower, and standing behind you, he leaned over you and kissed your cheek, giggling as you squeaked and smacked his shoulder.

He backed up and grabbed a towel drying off his hair before wrapping it around his waist. “thought yeh were gonna sleep in?” Harry asked, raising his brow at you as you tried to talk with toothpaste in your mouth.

“ughgh” you spit the paste out into the sink, turning to pout at Harry. “you woke me up”

“aw im sorry love” Harry chuckled, walking out of the bathroom and over to your shared dresser. As he got his clothes out you finished your routine, patting your face with a towel and walking out of the bathroom, a smirk growing on your lips as you passed by Harry who was leaning over the dresser.

*SMACK*

Harry stood straight, a small yelp ripping from his lips as he spun around, his cheeks a blazing red “(y/n)!!” he yelled, mouth gaping open in shock as he watched you giggle to yourself.

“i-im sorry!” you looked back at him, scrunching your nose “I couldn’t resist~ you just got too good of a butt to not smack it!”

Harry pouted at you and shook his head, turning back to his dresser and grabbed the rest of his clothes for the day.

You bit your lip as he dropped his towel and pulled out a pair of boxer-briefs, covering up that sculpted butt of his “yer staring” Harry chuckled, glancing at you from the corner of his eye, his now too long bangs hanging over his eyes.

“im your fiancée” you snorted, rolling your ryes “I have a right to stare at your butt and you need a hair cut, hey that rhymed!” Harry blew his bangs out of his eyes and sighed.

“aye right,” he muttered, turning to you and walking over to the bed, setting his clothes next to yours. “ so what's the plan fer today?” Harry asked, shrugging on a tight white t-shirt, accenting his biceps.

“well, you already filled your quota for today for Uma and it's my day off, soooooo…..date day?”

“date day” Harry confirmed, leaning over and pecking your cheek, hopping into his pants and sitting down next to you to get his socks and shoes on.

Harry tied off his shoes and turned to you, raising his brow as he looked at your still pajama-wearing self “uh, yeh gonna get dressed?”

You perked up, looking down at your clothes “oh, I was just going to go like this? Problem?”

Harry chuckled and shook his head “well I wouldn’t have a problem” he eyed your exposed thighs “buuuut-“

“Alright alright,” you snorted, pushing his face away, breaking his eye contact with you “im getting dressed.”

=

Harry swung your hands between the two of you as you walked the path of the enchanted forest, his other hand holding his chocolate shake.

The two of you decided on a simple date for the day, get breakfast, hang out at the lost revenge watching movies, get lunch, go to the enchanted lake through the forest and just chill watching videos on your phone.

To you, it was perfect, just spending a day with the love of your life.

You finished off your shake as you arrived at the lake, you released Harry's hand and skipped down into the grotto, hearing Harry chuckle behind you as he followed.

Harry set down the fast-food bag on the ground, settling down next to it and pulling off his backpack, he took out a root beer and (fav soda/drink) and set them down next to the bag.

He watched you as you took off your shoes, rolled up your leggings, and wadded into the water, starting to dig around the rocks.

“yee” you grinned, standing up with a nice shiny black and clear crystal rock “I think it's obsidian and quarts!” Harry tilted his head at you as you wadded towards the grotto “yeh sure?”

“I said I think, not that it is” you snarked, lifting yourself onto the grotto platform and shaking your legs to rid of the excess water “you sure you got your hearing ears on?”

“ouch” Harry snorted, grabbing the food bag and clutching his chest “no food fer yeh then”

“bitch I paid for it! give me my food!” you dropped to your knees next to harry, reaching for the bag as he cackled and leaned away from you, lifting the bag in the air.

“no~” he sang, yelping as you lifted your leg and placed your knee in his hip, halfway straddling him and grabbing the bag “hey!” you mocked his laugh and kissed him on the nose, turning around and sitting on his thigh.

Harry let out a small huff and buried his face in the crook of your neck, watching as you took out the food from the bag.

You set down Harry's burger and took out your (preferred fast food item) and started to eat, rearranging yourself to let Harry eat.

It was quiet as you ate and listened to the music coming from Harry’s phone and the waterfall in the distance.

You finished your food and crumbled the wrapper and tossed it in the bag, sipping at your drink as you leaned back against Harry.

“so,” Harry started, licking his lips “when’s an appropriate time ta talk ‘bout weddin’ stuff?”

“anytime really” you muttered, closing your eyes and resting your head on Harry's shoulder.

“soooo” Harry hummed, letting his cheek rest against your head “um, cake?”

“my aunts already on it” you chuckled “she offered to do it free of charge but I said we would pay her”

“of course” Harry smirked “she's a damn good baker, can't let her efforts going unpaid”

“Yep yep” you laughed “Evie offered to make my dress, and im gonna let her do that but im designing it mainly” you muttered with a slight tone of nonchalance.

“Is this about those Mal and Ben wedding stuff from yer world?” Harry asked, glancing down at you.

“yeah” you groaned “those designs were not Disneys best, nor were they Evie’s, so im designing and Evies making”

Harry nodded, grabbing his root beer and taking a sip “um, is she also-“ “yeah” you interrupted, glancing up at harry “shes also making yours”

“alright that takes care of tha’” Harry muttered, “where?”

“mmmm” you went deep in thought, tapping your chin “well we could to a beach wedding, a forest wedding, a classic cathedral wedding, we could get married on the revenge, anywhere really, im not picky as long as I get to marry you” Harry felt his face flush and he buried his burning face into your neck. “fuuuck I love yeh” he muttered, feeling your hand reach up and run through his hair.

“I love you too harry” you giggled, tuning and kissing his forehead. You relaxed back against him and closed your eyes, smiling as you felt harry grab your left hand and start to mess with your fingers and ring.

“still hard ta believe that this is all real” he muttered, you snorted.

“consider what it's like for me, im from a world where yall are fictional characters, how do I know this isn’t my dream” you hummed, squeaking as harry wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into further into his lap.

“if it was I would scavenge the multiverse to find you” he muttered in your ear.

You felt tears burn at your eyes and you hurriedly wiped your eyes “gosh your such a sap” you sniffed, turning in his lap and pressing your lips to his.

Harry hummed into the kiss and tilted his head, hands trailing up your back and landing on your jaw, thumb brushing your cheek.

You groaned into the kiss as your phone suddenly went off, you leaned out of the kiss and almost fell out of Harry's lap reaching for your phone, if not for Harry's arms falling to your waist to hold you.

You picked up the phone and rose your brow at the id.

-AUNTIE

You pressed the answer button and set it on speakerphone.

“Hey what's up,” you said aloud, leaning back into Harry and tucking under his chin

‘hi hon, just a quick question, and I was busy so that’s why I didn’t just text you, im making some test batches for your cake and I was wondering what your favorite flavors are?’

“Ummm” you glanced up at Harry who nodded at his almost empty shake “harry likes chocolate, you know what I like, ummmm, maybe something light too? Like angel food?”

‘oooh~ angel food, okay thanks hon!’

“bye” you clicked off your phone as the dial tone sounded and set it back down on the ground. You leaned back and rose your brow as harry stared at you “you good?”

“mmhm” he hummed, bumping his forehead into yours and closing his eyes. You smiled at him, closing your eyes and once more relaxed against him.

It was a quiet date, just leaning against each other and watching videos as you spent the next two hours at the enchanted lake.

Around 3 pm you both decided to pack up and head back to the ship, Harry picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, tossing his arm over your shoulder, and walking out of the grotto with you.

“that was nice” you hummed, tossing the black and clear crystal rock in your hands “we should do that more often”

“aye,” Harry nodded, messing with his phone and pocketing it as music started to play. “I have next Tuesday off?”

“same here, then its set, day date next Tuesday!” you cheered, grabbing Harry's hand and swinging it in the air.

Harry chuckled and smiled at you, holding onto your hand and bringing it to his lips. “I can't wait ta be yers”

Your face burned and you let out a nervous snicker, sidestepping into Harry's side and rubbing your cheek into his arm “same”

“same?” Harry laughed, scrunching his nose “that’s all yeh have to say? Same?”

“shhhhhuuut up” you rolled your eyes, pushing away from him and upturning your nose “if you’re gonna make fun of me you can walk on your own” you speed-walked to make some distance.

“noooo” Harry pouted, running after you, a smile breaking on his face as you started to run. “hey!”

You cackled as you ran, “race you back to the ship!” “yer on!”

-end of part 18-

 permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange

@lunanight2012 @daughter-of-the-stars11

@musicarose @rintheemolion

@random-thoughts-003 @remembered-license

@imtryingthisout @verboetoperee 

 taglist that i forgot existed im sorry

@dpaccione​

@Ibuck121 

[m0therflunker]

finally caught up w taz grad!! here are some random thoughts!!

gotta say imo everything Griffin is doing (inc THAT scene from ep16) is just suuuch strong Youngest-Sibling-Energy

I adore Justin's continual frustration when he thinks things are moving too slowly it's just ?? nice to hear he hasn't changed he's all CHOP CHOP MORE PLOT PLZ

also!!! when justin/Griffin make Griffin/Justin crack up?? those shouts of laughter??? wholesome. needed. I love them.

thoughts on the actual plot : WHY WOULD FIRBY CALL FAKE HIERO??? ARH!!

seems like Althea is trustworthy enough (also a lesbian I mean come on)

+!! breeze though the willows!! she back!! what a babe!!

oh my final headcannon based on (based on various other thoughts) I'm saying firbolg is agender aroace because I can and I am those things and I would like to be a 7ft woodland person. so there.

[pinkforyoongi]

The Fake Bodyguard | Jeon Jungkook

pairing: commoner!jungkook x princess!reader

genre: fluff au

word count: 1,4k

warnings: swearing, mentions of suicide

a/n: hi :) i’ve been gone for suuuch a long time. i’ve been busy and focusing on studies and myself in general, but i’ve missed writing :) i can’t promise i’ll keep posting more regularly but here, have this. hope it will suffice for now ♥

part 2 

so you’re a very beautiful princess

and jungkook is a normal commoner

ya’ll don’t know each other (yet) because your castle is very strict with outside contact

but it’s a very well known fact that you’re beautiful and pretty much everyone wants your hand in marriage

in fact a lot of men have already asked for your hand but you’re not looking for a man??? even though your parents the king and the queen tell you you gotta find a suitable husband for yourself

you know- to become the next king of course

so you’ve said no to every single proposal so far

and you’re very known for that too

but apparently it doesn’t stop people from trying their luck

so one day you reject yet another proposal and send the poor heartbroken man home

but this time it’s different

a few days later a messenger comes back from the guys kingdom

and he has a message to deliver

the man had committed suicide after getting rejected by you

apparently he was so in love with you he couldn’t handle it

and of course you and your parents were shocked and devastated by the news

but the messenger also tells that the kingdom got mad and they want their “revenge” on you

so your father freaks tf out

they immediately get better security, more guards all over the castle

and then the king gets the idea to get you a personal body guard

so the king contacts your neighbor kingdom and asks them to send their best body guard

so they send park jimin

as park jimin is arriving to the castle by a horse

a very suspicious jungkook is hiding in the bushes near the castle entrance

he’s looking for a way to sneak in

and when he sees jimin on his way, his eyes focus on a piece of paper jimin is examining

he manages to read the words “castle invitation” and his eyes lit up

so he jumps from the bushes and knocks jimin out

quickly before anyone can see he steals jimins clothes, horse and his invitation paper

he still leaves jimin his old clothes because he isn’t a complete heartless asshole wtf he could die out in the cold

so he hops on the horse and rides to the castle entrance

he introduces himself as park jimin to the unsuspecting guards

and jungkook can’t believe his luck when they let him in

he leaves the horse near the royal stables and soon he realizes he has no idea where he needs to go??

he almost forgot the actual reason he was on his way to the castle

the kids in his village had caught a virus and it was spreading like a damn wildfire

but because a lot of them, including his little brother were poor they couldn’t afford for a proper health care

jungkook got the genius idea to steal from the “wealthy selfish royal pigs”

he always saw your family in a bad light because he thought you should be sharing your wealth with the poor villagers

jungkooks family had been like “you dumbass you can’t steal from them that’s a death sentence!!!”

but jungkook was like “watch me” and left just like that without any kind of plan because he’s a stubborn one

now he was starting to regret the “no plan” part

so he starts to aimlessly roam around your castle hoping to randomly walk in to a room full of gold or some shit

but instead he turns a corner and boom he walks right into you

you had actually seen him coming and immediately noticed he didn’t belong in a place like this

but you were adventurous and curious because you didn’t have lots of friends inside the castle and he looked nice and friendly :) what fun

“hey watch it!” you yell at him

jungkook is about to curse at you but then quickly notices your’re the princess!!!

“s-sorry wasn’t looking”

suddenly he starts sweating because he thinks he’s about to blow his cover

when you cast your eyes down to the invitation paper in his hands

“oh! aren’t you that new body guard? jamin?”

??? so that’s what that guy was here for

“uhh y-yeah. it’s jimin”

“jimin, huh?”

“well... actually... that’s... kinda like my... artist name..? body guard name...? anyway my real name is jungkook”

“junghook?”

“kook! like cookie, not hook”

“oh well nice to meet you kookie, i’m (y/n)! :)”

no, not kookie. jungkook!”

“yeah yeah so kookie what are you doing here the meeting room is in the other direction! come with me or you’ll be late”

as you grab his hand jungkook can’t do anything but go with you or else he’d get into trouble big time so he’s like fml

but then he thinks that if he just goes with jimins identity for a short while he might actually gain access to where ever you hold your money

of course you knew he was full of shit you knew what you were doing

whatever he was after he must’ve been hella determined and not to mention good if he managed to get the official invitation letter from the best body guard in your neighbor kingdom

or then this park jimin guy was actual trash

didn’t matter, you had the chance of a lifetime to mess with this guy for breaking in

you lead jungkook to the meeting room where the king and queen are already waiting for you

“ahh you must be sir jimin!” the king greets him

jungkook isn’t completely sure how to act properly and respectfully in front of royalties so he kinda-

“uh yeah? sup”

you fight the urge to facepalm because what a fucking idiot if he wants to blend in he could at least try

so you kick his foot in secret and jungkooks two remaining brain cells light up enough for him to understand that he has to have manners

he bows and introduces himself

“i’m the royal body guard jung- i mean jimin. it’s and h-honor? to meet your highness”

so during the whole meeting they discuss what his job is and the whole time you could visibly see the life draining from jungkooks eyes

and finally when he hears he’s your personal body guard and he has to stay by your side 24/7 his soul finally leaves his body

“i told them to send their most handsome gentleman to protect our precious daughter. i’m very pleased with the select” the queen suddenly compliments and for a second jungkook gets kinda cocky and smirks at you

but as soon as you raise your eyebrows at him he gets reminded of the actuality of the situation and dies inside again

you almost laugh because... well... he got himself into this so he has to suffer the consequences

although you were not planning on having him there for forever

i mean you knew he wasn’t the actual park jimin you were just here trying your hardest to entertain yourself

you didn’t want to be evil, just tease him a little bit, maybe make him leave the castle by his own choice since he technically broke in

so as the meeting ends, jungkook is asked to escort you to your room

he was told to have the guest room right beside yours

“hey, look, um, your highness?” jungkook awkwardly starts when you two are alone on your way to your room

“please. don’t call me that. i’m (y/n)”

“(y/n), listen... i don’t know how else to explain this, but-”

he’s cut off by you suddenly hugging him

he gets frozen and doesn’t have the time to react before you’ve already pulled away with a bright smile on your face

“what was that for?”

“you’re the first person to ever call me by my name when i’ve asked”

and for a moment he’s like “aww” as you continue walking

you turn back around when he doesn’t follow

“kookie? are you coming or what?”

jungkook shakes his head and scurries after you

he decides to keep his identity a secret for a little longer

“it’s jungkook”

should i continue?

[osmw1]

Dimension Wave   Prologue

—Live another life in an alternate universe. Phase II of Project Second Life is live! Now accepting new participants, but hurry—offer ends soon!

“Whaddya think?”

The characters and background art were so realistic, they almost had me fooled. This feature took up seven pages in this gaming magazine, so it’s gotta be quite popular.

“I don’t know what to say…”

Two girls—actually, my older and younger sister��showed up out of nowhere with grins on their faces. They stuck this video game magazine in my face and hounded me over the article. Honestly, I have no clue as to what they’re trying to do. Well, I’d be lying if I said I had no interest in games. But the write-up seems to be about an MMORPG. I’m more of a fan of games like Harvest M○○n and Animal Cr○ssing. I like that comfy, casual pace.

“Ugh, you’re suuuch a bummer!” “I know, right?!” “…”

What’s with them? They’re so hyper. Even if it’s me saying, I think we get along well. We game together since both of my sisters are very into it. Well, it’s probably because of my influence on them, considering that I’m the only guy of us three.

“So? So? Whaddya think?” my younger sister asks me in a cutesy voice.

Her excitement is almost annoying, but since she’s my sister, I hold my tongue and continue reading the magazine pushed up against my face.

Dimension Wave

Looks like it’s an online multiplayer. Skimming through the pages, it looks like players get to work together with allies to fight off enemies. All their weapons, magic, and monsters are pretty typical too. Oh, you can also go fishing. I like stuff like that. It’s nice and relaxing. There are various races to choose from too. Oh? The description seems kinda odd. What’s this?

—Continuing with the well-acclaimed playstyle of the first phase, Phase II of the game will also not allow players to log out until the session has been completed. This further encourages players to fully experience a second life in the game. However, in-game time differs from real-life time. Though each session will require years of in-game time to be completed, it will translate to 24 hours of real-life time. This means that even players who are in full-time employment will be able to enjoy all of the content. We are now accepting new applicants, so don’t hesitate to sign up! Please visit the address below for details.

So it says. Oh, that’s right. I remember now. It was about a year ago when they caused a big stir. It was the guy who planned to create a whole “second life” thing in a VRMMO world.

And as it says in the magazine, months and years in the game will only be just a few hours in the real world. The game targets young professional. For the sake of giving them the chance to live a second life, players also can’t simply logout until the game is done. Content is released monthly to pretty high praise, save for a vocal minority. Or so I’ve read on a gaming news website. Even my buddies were raving about it after trying it out. Is it really that good though?

The problem is that people’s demeanors change after playing. I mean, if you spend seemingly years in the game, it’s bound to affect your personality. There’s even this disgraceful bastard who not only got a girlfriend in the game but is still going out with her IRL.

Fuckin’ normies!

… I should mention that cost of entry is rather high. Not only do you need special equipment, but the game itself costs a lot. After all, the developers and retailers need to make money. In short, it’s not spare change for a student at the very least.

“So? How are you going to pay for it?”

Honestly, even if you begged Mom and Dad for it, they’ll tell you off…

“Heh heh!”

My older sister remains reasonably excited and brings out an envelope. The Second Life Project is written as the sender’s address.

“No, you didn’t…” “I sure did! Here’s the acceptance letter.” “How did you get this? Who did you have to—” “Remember that tournament I won a while ago? This was the prize!”

She spoiled the answer but also my joke. The license was a prize for winning a tournament for this fighting game, which was made by another company of the same conglomerate. I’ve read that they’re making a lot of money lately. My sister definitely signed up the tournament just so she could get her hands on the license. It’s almost weird being related with these girls.

“Three people can sign up with one of these licenses, ya know!”

Here is my older sister who’s grinning from ear to ear and my younger sister who’s almost physically buzzing with excitement.

“Three people? That’s an odd number, eh?”

Isn’t it normally two or four? I’ve heard stories of couples who played together and came out with a stronger bond than ever. But I’ve heard that the game made things worse for some people too. In any case, it looks like I’m invited too. … wait, hold on.

“Hey, why don’t we put these up on an aucti—boof!”

Before I could finish my sentence, my right cheek encountered my younger sister’s fist.

“No way, you dummy!” “No, hear me out. Selling just one of these would give us enough money for a family vaca—boof!”

This time, it was left cheek, older sister.

“I believe I can leave the whole taking care of Mom and Dad thing until after I become a productive member of society.”

They sure are loyal to their desires. Well, it’s not the license is mine anyway, so I don’t really have the right to tell her what do with it.

“So, who’s player three?” “Huh?” they simultaneously interjected. “Hmm?”

The two girls stare at me as if I were speaking alien.

“Don’t you want to play too?” “Uhh, not really?”

It does sound interesting, but I’m iffy about VR games.

“And plus, I get kinda woozy from VR setups.”

VR machines and these fully-immersive online games have been sweeping through the gaming industry. Just before, the sci-fi subgenre of cyberpunk was very popular. Fully-immersive online games made a big splash when they first came out as it was almost as if cyberpunk has become reality. A large portion of gamers were very positive about it too.

Firstly—and I think a lot of Japanese gamers can sympathize—is that a lot of these physically-stimulating virtual reality games rub people the wrong way. For example, like how retro-styled games with pixel art are still really popular, people are used to gaming through a big TV screen. It’s hard to transition away from that concept. Even though I was born into a world where beautiful 3D games were the norm, I’m sure there were people who rejected the transition from pixel art to low-poly graphics.

Well, if that’s the case, I shouldn’t be opposed to these fully-immersive games.

Secondly, the games are very affected by the player’s brainwaves. It’s been recently proven that mental output and processing power vary greatly from person to person. In other words, a person’s ability to judge and reason have been proven, which is why fully-immersive VR games—games that depend on those functions—are heavily dependent on the player’s abilities.

To sum it up, there were gamers who were dissatisfied with the apparent unequal starting lines started cropping up. And excluding the small portion of people who physically and mentally fared well, the sales number weren’t so hot. Well, I guess it’s kinda like when touchscreens first hit the market. Those resistive ones weren’t so good and people didn’t love them. But as technology gets better, so will the performance of VR machines, and I’m sure it’ll then be a big hit.

Hmm, I swear I’ve heard someone tell me this before.

“Y’know, big bro, vat-type VR games have built-in brainwave normalizers so that anybody would be fine, right?” “Oh, is that right? I guess that’s why they’re so expensive then.”

Vat-types could be described as high-performance VR machines. They’re different than regular head-mounted display units hooked up to a computer. Vat-types connect the player by immersing them in a vat full of liquid in which humans can breathe. It’s really something straight out of a mad scientist’s lab. And to speak frankly, the reason why vat-types are invitation-only being because this is tech from the near future—it must cost a whole lot of money to operate.

“Well, I get that even I can play, but don’t you two have anyone else you could invite?” “It’s a ticket for three people! It’d be a lot more fun to go as siblings, don’t you think?” “Yup, she’s right!”

It seems like the three of us are closer than I thought. That makes me rather happy, to be honest. And so, that’s why I’ll be participating in Dimension Wave too.

The day has finally arrived. The three of us go to the venue by train.

Even though my sisters rushed me out of the door, a lot of people had arrived already at the event site. We brought a few things with us, including the license and a USB flash drive that was distributed to all the players. Stored in the flash drive was the data of our created characters. It takes quite a bit of time to customize a character, so they got us to do that ahead of time.

I made my macho mountain of muscles about three days ago. Swole characters aren’t ordinarily popular, but I think they’re cool.

Humans, Lycanthropes, Elves, Jewels, and Spirits were available choices for your character’s race and I chose to make a Spirit. Spirits don’t have levels, HP, or MP, so it makes them pretty special among MMOs. They had a bit of information on their official site, but I had to figure most of that out by myself. Jewels seem interesting too, but I ultimately decided on a Spirit.

I like the unique races.

As for my sisters, the older one picked Human and the younger Lycanthrope. I didn’t ask them, but they told me anyway.

“Oh, looks like they’re starting to let people in.”

Even before I had said that, those two were already restless and had begun heading inside. And why am I at the end of the line anyway? Eventually, I handed one of the three passes to a staff member and got in return a key with a blue plastic number tag attached to it. Then, we were split into two lanes—one for men, one for women.

“See you later.” “See ya!”

I waved them a simple goodbye before heading into the men’s changing room. It’s pretty big in here. I opened the locker with my number on it and found a set of clothes inside. Before the event, we were told to send in our measurements along with our authorization codes so that they can get it tailored to us.

I put my valuables inside, though that consists of only my phone and wallet, and put on the special clothes. It looks like a plugsuit straight out of an anime or something. It’s really elastic. The guys beside me are being awkwardly silent changing into their suits. But even without saying, I can tell they’re thinking of the same thing. I think they used to submerge you in the nude, but after some criticism, they came out with these tailored plugsuits. They even contain emergency life-saving measures. That’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so expensive as well. After changing, I double-checked to make sure my locker was locked and then hurried out the door.

“Whoa…”

The vats lined up row by row was really a spectacle seemingly taken out of a mad scientist’s lab. They’re actually pretty big, even though it’s just for one person. It’s as big as my bed at home.

“Let’s see, let’s see.”

There’s a large sticker placed instructing which way to stick the USB flash drive in and how to shut the door. It’s so simple, anyone can get it right with a quick glance. I plug in my flash drive into the port, hopped in the vat, made sure the door was closed, then slowly lied down. There’s still 10 minutes left until it starts. I take the time to think through what I’ll do in the game.

The two of them mentioned that they were picking a combat class, but I had other plans. I’d think I’d like to try the fishing activity that was in the magazine the other day. I know it might be a bit weird to just fish in an MMORPG, but the whole point of this game is to live a second life, right? I’ll live it leisurely. I haven’t thought much about what’s after though. I’m sure I’ll find a goal while I play. Just as I was thinking about that, I suddenly remember that they had an event called Dimension Wave going on, just like the title. I totally forgot about it up until now. I still have to decide on whether or not to participate, but I’m sure my sisters will. I’d like to at least play support for them.

“Oh?”

Time snuck up on me while I was lost in thought. An announcement played as they started to pump the liquid in. It’s green, I thought… but it was just the reflection of a light inside the vat. On second inspection, it’s actually colorless. The vat filled up in a flash. I’ve subconsciously held my breath, but I can naturally breathe in the liquid. What a shock. I really can breathe. Honestly, I wasn’t actually sure until now.

—Reading data 0%・・・100%. —Data import complete. Beginning brainwave normalizer load test.

I can see it. Rather, it’s being projected straight into my brain. A scene prettier than reality appears before my eyes. Lots of people are walking in the streets of this fantasy town. The sound is coming through too. I hear everything from the male voice of the shopkeeper to the noise of shuffling feet and footsteps. In normal VR systems, you get the tiniest hint of lag, even if it’s not much. But in here, not only is it running without so much a hitch, the fidelity is extremely high. That’s specialized equipment for ya.

—Test complete. Game will begin after all processes complete.

It’s a weird feeling. The voice goes directly into your head without me needing to use my ears. I was thinking that I’ve totally entered a sci-fi world, but tech in the real world is more advanced than I thought. I guess you could call it being excited, but oddly, I couldn’t calm down and stop looking around everywhere. But right as I do so, everything disappeared.

“That can’t be good.”

I’m not just talking about vat-type machines, but when any piece of electronic suddenly goes black like if you yanked the plug out, it kinda makes me feel weird. It’s like as if the world that I’ve been living it just suddenly disappeared.

And then—

—Best wishes to your new life!

previously: /ch000/ /next/

(please support me on Patreon or Paypal)

[kevoreally]

#BuffyAt20 - S03E08 “Lover’s Walk”

> OKay, first thing’s first: is it Lovers or Lover’s? Wikipedia has the first one, Hulu has the second. Very confusing.

> Another fake-out opener where someone is being hyperbolic about the world ending but it’s just grades or something.

> Willow got a 740 verbal on her SATs. Like, I think she’s being too hard on herself, but I get not feeling academically fulfilled by that. I think I got 700? I don’t remember. My math sucked, that’s for sure.

> That Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel reference has endured the test of time.

> What is Xander’s score if it’s close to 740? We joke about his grades a lot but like. Get serious, son.

> Willow, that top is so loud.

> Omigod, I’m looking forward to going back to pretending Xillow never happened soon.

> Cordelia testing well is good continuity with “Band Candy.” And I loved them following up on SAT scores. I think these might have come out a little quick, but it’s fine.

> “That was my sarcastic voice.” “Y’know, it sounds a lot like your regular voice.” “I’ve been told that.” I feel you, Oz.

> Cordelia’s terror at the idea of double dating IS A DANGER SIGN, XANDER.

> I have Buffy’s SAT score memorized: “1430, Buffy, you kicked ass!” (A friend got the same score on her first take.)

> “Now you can leave and never come back.” I actually love Cordy here, a rarity for me lately.

> Pretty sure the shot of Spike crashing into the Sunnydale sign is just a retouched copy of the one from Season 2. Not a problem, just funny.

> I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do my #BuffyAt20 right now but this theme song is giving me life.

> I don’t get Spike’s obsession with Sinatra in this episode but sure.

> Oh man, remember the Factory? It’s a slot on my Buffy Monopoly board.

> Do we feel the flashback to when Dru left Spike that we get in Season 3 keeps in line with what we’re presented here? Dru accusing him of loving Buffy as far back as now? Hm.

> Literally the episode where Cordelia and Xander break up is the episode where it most seems like they’re a happy couple. And even then, they’re horrible to each other half the time. Sigh.

> Oz giving Willow the PEZ Witch is still one of the best things ever. I really wanted a wolf PEZ for Oz.

> Okay, a friend and I recently discussed a fan poll where people voted on their favorite mate for Willow and it made me uncomfortable that Oz was winning. But… I get it.

> There’s a lot of focus on Giles packing in this scene.

> Ooh! Worth noting: the guy who wrote this episode wrote three of my favorite #Daria episodes! He’ll also later write “The Zeppo.”

> This episode laid a lot of interesting potential for Buffy to be able to leave Sunnydale. Not forever, but, even if just for college. It was interesting.

> I wish I could make Buffy Now see how much Giles treated Seventeen Buffy like an adult over this Angel situation. He could’ve been SUUUCH a prick. And their relationship got really awkward for a while there, and I don’t think Buffy was entirely fair to him. Or probably him to her too. Fathers and daughters, man.

> I spent a whole dumb Xillow scene typing that last one. Not sorry.

> I’ve said it before but it’s wild that Buffy’s house never changes once in 7 seasons. The cinematography changes so much that it feels like a different house.

> How does Angel not hear, or even sense, Spike right outside the Mansion? Still recovering from Hell, I guess? Coz otherwise, wtf?

> I do love Spike waking up on fire.

> What happened to Spike’s car between Seasons 3 and 4 anyway? Where’s that story?

> “This is just too much.” Some real gentle language there, Spike.

> The Magic Box is, like, the same SHAPE we see in Season 5. But the layout isn’t totally right. And the back hasn’t been blown out yet. The storefront is the same. They moved the register away from the door. Hmm.

> Ooh, that Spike shot of grabbing the shop owner becomes his credits shot.

> Hey! It’s the Mayor! I forgot he’s in this one. And Allan! He’s pretty cute, tbh.

> “Boats did have canons. And a loose one would cause it to rock.” Lol.

> The way that the Mayor celebrates sinking that putt makes me wonder if he hadn’t been expecting it, haha.

> Where is Angel getting hair gel from in the Mansion? How is this a priority? Then again: same question at Derek Hale sleeping in a train yard.

> I’m not loving the dramatic beat when Angel tells Buffy she should leave. Like. Buff. Shouldn’t you? Sigh.

> Willow is trying to do magic on Xander without his consent. That’s actually an interesting portent for Season 6.

> Xander and Willow, like, really try and hold their own against Spike here. Mad respect.

> Alyson Hannigan shows such amazing vulnerability in the scenes with James Marsters, it’s bonkers. And then how it flips on a dime to be comedic. Wild chemistry, those two.

> OOOH, Dru accused Spike of going soft for teaming up with Buffy, eh? Interesting…

> HA! The “chaos demon, all slime and antlers” line was a favorite among fans, so we loved finally seeing him in Season 5.

> “I haven’t had a woman in weeks.” Blech. “Well, unless you count that shopkeeper.” Double blech.

> “I’m not a real witch, you know.” Heh.

> It. Is. SO. Clever. That Willow sends Spike to Buffy’s house. Holy. Shit.

> You know who else is a good version of Cordelia Chase? Valencia from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Becomes a good person in, like, half the time it’s taking Cordy…

> Ugh, I hate coincidence moments like that. Buffy heard Spike on the phone when her mom happened to call? Sigh.

> YAAS, the Joyce/Spike bond! We needed more of this!

> Joyce Summer is Top 5 TV Mom material.

> “You get out of this house or I will stake you myself.” GEDDIT, JOYCE!

> Lol, remember how Buffy is going to start sleeping with Spike? This show, man.

> Spike just called Angel a “poof.” Nice.

> “What if they were kidnapped by Colombian drug lords?” CORDELIA. STOP.

> Oz smelling Willow is… interesting.

> Buffy is so eager to kill Spike.

> Did Buffy rip off Sookie Stackhouse with this love triangle or vice versa? Angel being Bill, Spike being Eric. Hm.

> Buffy always made kicking in doors look so cool.

> What exactly are we supposed to make of Spike’s observation about Buffy and Angel being in love here? I mean, he’s right. But. Like. What, they needed someone else to tell them?

> “I won, right? Kicked his ass?” “You were real brave. Do you need to barf.” Classy.

> “Give me a third option.” “He’s so drunk he forgets about us and we starve to death.” HA.

> AAAAAnd they kiss, aaaand Oz and Cordy show up, aaaand it’s horrible. AAAAND Oz is the only one who composes himself maturely, like always.

> Cordelia getting skewered was… so weird.

> They’re having this vampire fight, like, in the middle of downtown Sunnydale right now. I get that it’s probably 3am or something but omigod.

> Oh yeah, the storefront is definitely the same a when it’s the Magic Box.

> Seeing Buffy, Angel, and Spike standing side-by-side is a hoot.

> The “let’s give baby a taste” stuff Spike does is… No.

“ “Baby like his supper?” No. No he doesn’t.

> The table Spike stakes this guy on is, like, probably the same table he and Anya bang on in Season 6, haha.

> The holy water bombs are so cool. Why don’t they use holy water more often?

> The resolution of this Spike story is… so Spike. You know, we probably would’ve never seen him again if they didn’t love James Marsters SOOO much.

> Remember when they made us think Cordelia died? Like, right after she found of Xander cheated on her? This story was, like, one of the lowest points of the show. I’m sorry but it was. I remember laughing out loud when we found out Cordy wasn’t dead. That’s not something you wanna get a laugh on.

> What was the point of this story arc, though? “Don’t cheat or someone could die?” This is a ‘Blood on the Pavement’ type parable here. Way more Dawson’s Creek than Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

> I remember thinking Cordelia was going to be blind, because of the “I can’t see you” thing. I don’t know how being skewered would blind her.

> Okay, CAN WE TALK about the nailed-up broken sheets of wood at the Mansion entrance? It is the weirdest thing, it looks like a child’s tree fort.

> Buffy, if you think you’re fooling Giles and your friends into believing you don’t want Angel, you are sorely mistaken.

> Angel, be a big boy, let the seventeen year old girl go.

> She has to step through his weird cobbled-together wooden doorway! And it’s gone, like, after this episode! Wtf!

> This maudlin montage of all the characters being despondent was, like, the biggest bummer. Why do I love Season 3 so much?? This is such a downbeat point for the show.

> And there’s Spike riding off into the sunset. See you in a year, William.

[evenstevensranked]

#31: Season 1, Episode 2 - “Stevens Genes”

Louis makes the track team! Not only that, he’s poised to be the new star runner! The only problem is that Louis runs as slow as a sloth. Sound confusing? Well, it’s all part of Larry Beale’s plan to set him up for failure and humiliation. 

It’s only the second episode of the entire series and things are already starting to pick up amazingly. This episode is packed with memorable and quotable lines, many of which I still use to this day. This one continues with the theme established from day one: Louis trying to discover something he’s good at. I love this theme. It makes for some awesome character growth and it works really well here! 

It opens with Coach Tugnut rallying up the boys in gym class, announcing that there’s an open spot on the track team. This of course, somehow segues into him worshiping Donnie Stevens and ranting about how much of a legend he is and what an asset he once was to the track team. Well, to every team actually. If Ren is the academic overachiever, Donnie is the athletic overachiever. Tugnut yells at the class army style to turn right and bow their heads. We then get a shot of this giant mural dedicated to Donnie excelling at every sport ever with patriotic music playing in the background. It’s incredible. It also includes one of the greatest unspoken quotes ever: 

Donnie needs to give a TED Talk. Stat. 

While this Donnie praise is happening, they make a point to show Larry Beale -- who I’m assuming is Coach Tugnut’s assistant since he’s not in Grade 7, looking visibly disgusted. He mumbles “Donnie Stevens is over. It’s my turn now” to himself. Oh, boy. 

They head out to the track to do some timed sprints. Of course, Larry is the one with the stopwatch. Larry’s sort of taunting all the kids trying to motivate them to run faster. When it’s Louis’ turn we get a line that always gets a laugh out of me: 

The thought of Louis “running” slow enough to take days to reach point B is great. Gotta love his self-awareness.

To everyone’s surprise, Louis is extremely fast. Even faster than Donnie’s best time. Could this be Louis’ “thing” he’s good at?! Don’t get your hopes up. Larry purposely clocked his time in at 18.25 seconds... which is probably a good 8-10 seconds before Louis actually finished lol. Tugnut is shocked and gives Louis the vacant spot on the team immediately. 

Tugnut is totally kissing Louis’ butt now because he thinks he’s carrying on the Stevens Dynasty. Louis is seriously amazed that he’s so fast!! “I always knew you had it in you!!” Tugnut tells him. And then we get yet another line I love: 

Legendary save, Tugnut. Legendary save. I literally use this quote whenever the opportunity arises.

Louis starts hanging out with Donnie more to get some sports advice. Donnie suggests the most ridiculous things like putting mousse in your hair for aerodynamic-ness and shaving your legs to run like the wind. Which results in a line you’ve undoubtedly heard: “Donnie, I’m running track -- not modeling pantyhose.” 

We see that Ren has been assigned to cover sports for the school newspaper. She discovers that Louis made the track team, and is immediately suspicious. I’d be too, tbh. I mean, this is the same kid who gets cramped up and winded just from tying his shoes. Louis is pretty excited about this new-found talent, though. He’s finally starting to feel like a true member of the Stevens family. Naturally, this goes to his head and he’s already dreaming of becoming a multimillionaire Olympic athlete:

Do athletes just stand in the middle of a packed arena and get handed giant checks for 40 mil? Like... is that a thing? Not to mention, the check is from “Hoop Stars” and clearly shows a basketball player logo. Okay. 

Around this point, we start to see Louis succumbing to peer pressure a bit. This happens a few more times throughout the series. Yet another symptom of desperately wanting to fit into his family. He ditches Tawny and Twitty at lunch to hang out with Larry and the popular jocks. 

Larry is so fake. Louis is so pure. I’m so sad. 

Ren stops by to get a quote from Louis about the big meet against Rockport and he gives the most awkwardly ridiculous and overdramatic statement. That patriotic music we heard earlier kicks in again. It’s great. The cherry on top is when he mispronounces Rockport “Rock-a-por.”

Later that day before practice, Louis takes Donnie’s mousse advice a little too far:

You’ve probably seen gifs from this scene. (Especially the gif version of the photo I chose for the cover picture.) 

He shows up to practice feelin’ all suave with his moussed-to-death hair. There’s a “Staying Alive” knock-off playing as he walks towards the track. I actually love that this show basically never got the rights to use the legitimate songs. It sort of makes everything funnier, imo. That, and Disney Channel is cheap apparently and don’t permanently pay for the rights to popular songs. Dunno if I mentioned this before, but Lizzie McGuire was pretty much the channel’s most popular show and was super trendy/caught up in Early 00′s pop culture. Therefore, that show used SO MANY official songs. 16 years later, almost all of those songs are missing in the reruns and replaced with terrible stock music. An iconic scene like the “Us Against The World” music video is not nearly as impactful or nostalgic because they’re dancing to generic techno music now. It SUCKS. So, thank god Even Stevens never used any. Their stock music sort of works subconsciously. The song used here is totally not “Staying Alive” -- but it’s juuust close enough that it triggers your brain and you remember it as “Staying Alive.” Kinda cool. 

Side note: It’s so difficult to not quote almost every line of this episode. There are so many good ones, I have to keep stopping myself from typing out a freaking transcript. 

Anyway, Ren observes Louis and Larry practicing and it’s crystal clear that Larry is holding back for whatever reason. 

Be a little less obvious, Larry. Also, sorry for all the gifs. I can’t help myself. 

Ren puts the pieces together and figures out what Larry is up to. His plan is to set Louis up to fail big time at the meet. That way when he beats Louis, he’ll be able to gloat about beating “the fastest Stevens of all!” Makes sense. Ren tries telling Louis, but of course, he doesn’t believe her........ WE GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN ONE EPISODE LATER IN WHAT’LL IDOL DO, JUST REVERSED. God. Siblings not believing each other drives me insaaaane. I understand where Louis’ unwillingness to believe is coming from though. He insists that Larry is Ren’s enemy, not his, and he’s just so excited to finally have something to be good at. It breaks my heart. 

Ren later apologizes and tells Louis that she’s proud of him. Louis rants again about everyone in the family having their “thing” and now that he’s found his he’s not gonna let anyone take it away. But, Ren tells him “You HAVE your thing. You’re... funny.” *Cue the emotional piano. Literally.* You can tell those words really mean a lot to him. 

We’ve made it to the big track meet. Coach Tugnut gives the guys possibly the greatest motivational words ever: “Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose -- as long as you come in first.” Perfect. There’s also a great bit here where Donnie is stretching Louis’ leg and asks him when the last time he stretched was. Louis is clearly in pain and says “I don’t have a schedule with me right now... but if I were to guess..... uhh.... NEVER?!” - This is so me. I’ve also used that quote before. 

We learn that Louis’ main rival is some dude Trevor Dunn. As the runners take off, both Trevor and Larry dramatically fall halfway to the finish line. Victory is within Louis’ reach... If he just keeps running, he’ll totally win! But what does he do?! He runs over to help them instead. The sucky thing is, Larry faked his injury and pulls Louis to the ground like “lol got ya” and wins the race. Louis stays behind and comforts Trevor, who has an actual sprained ankle. What a sweetheart. Louis is cracking jokes (”Talk about the agony of da-feet. Please, no standing ovations.”) and making Trevor laugh pretty hard. So, Trevor casually says “You’re funny.” :’) This time it means so much more coming from someone who’s not his sister. 

Even though Larry won, the entire crowd is cheering “LOUIS, LOUIS!” for his good deed. Larry is fuming. 

The final scene is a sweet mirror talk. I think I’ve mentioned enough how much I love and miss these. This one is a favorite of mine: 

"The best thing that happened to me today? A kid called me funny. And as much as I like being on the track team and hanging out with my brother... I like being funny more."

This is so heartwarming. Because it’s obvious that comedy is truly his "thing." It’s nice to see him accept that. (Even though he still struggles later on.) This is another parallel with Shia, I think. He has suuuch a natural gift for comedy. I want him to embrace it more these days!!! *sigh* Plz god.

Louis also ends up getting Student of the Month and his picture is adorable lol

I really, really like this episode. 

I feel like most people remember this one pretty well. If you watched Disney Channel during Even Stevens’ original run, then you most definitely remember a slew of quotes. Its quotability is the main reason I’ve ranked this towards the higher end of the list. I also have a soft spot for this episode in general and there’s some nice character development as well.

Like I’ve mentioned before, Disney hammers the first few episodes of a show into the freaking ground. I swear I’ve seen the same few episodes of Andi Mack and Raven’s Home on TV every single day since they premiered. That’s basically what they did with Even Stevens, too. It’s part of what makes Season 1 particularly memorable at times. There really isn’t much that I dislike about this one. Like most S1 episodes, it’s just a little slower. Since it’s super early in the series, the overall plot feels very Late 90′s Disney Channel. Similar to All About Yvette. (I feel like I bring that episode up constantly lol) There’s just a certain pure, old school, generic quality to it that simply cannot be accurately explained and somehow makes me feel a little neutral about it.

That being said, this is only EPISODE 2!!!! Considering that, it’s top-notch honestly. Right out the gate, we’re getting to see more sides to Louis Stevens. Naïve, arrogant/head in the clouds, caring, funny. And of course, we ultimately see what a good kid at heart he is. And boy, do I love to see that. :D

Thanks fo’ readin. 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram 

[travellingwithalex-blog]

Mada - Antananarivo and South

Antananarivo a.k.a. Tana

The capital of Madagascar was the first place I arrived to and it’s difficult to use only one word to describe it. Houses packed up on hills, next to rice fields as soon as you get down to anything flat, narrow, winding streets, random foods and markets. This is the first idea one gets of the country, and it tells a tale of colonialism, multi-ethnicity an immigration, and poverty. In Tana, people look remotely Indonesian to my untrained eye, and the city in general feels very far from Africa. Actually, it felt more like a fusion of South America and South East Asia. Honestly though, there’s not that much to do here. Wander around and take in the atmosphere, go to the market, but it’s not that exciting after a day or so. But do not miss out on the amazing food!

My top picks for restaurants were Sakamanga (where we had dinner on NYE, chocolate mousse is fab!), and a place which on google maps is referred to as le carrefour de voyageur (Rue des 77 parlementaires Français Antsahavola), also known as Le Carre. Just superb! I should have spent way more money on food in Tana… But check out Tripadvisor to find more!

Where to stay:

There are couchsurfers in the bigger cities in Madagascar, but I still opted to stay in a hostel in Tana – Madagascar Underground. This place has a really nice vibe, a really nice bar and the most amazing staff! There is karaoke every night and Mushu will sing for you :) It’s simple and a bit chaotic but a great place to meet people, and they can help you with contacts for the rest of your trip. As I passed through Tana many times (the road network makes that pretty much inevitable), I also stayed in Sakamanga, (it’s both a hotel and a restaurant and spa and…) which is luxurious but cheap with European standards and probably one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed in (because I always prioritise budget…).  

South

I decided to first head south, because I desperately wanted to go hiking and had my mind set on Andringitra. This is a mountain range with the highest climbable peak in Mada, pic Boby/pic Imarivolanitra, 2658 masl. It’s a beautiful three-day adventure, the hike is not too difficult so if you are normally fit you will have no problem. And this is totally worth the effort! This park is one of the least visited in the country, and I saw only three other tourists during our days there. The nature is absolutely breath-taking, the peace of the place stunning. And we had fantastic guides and porters that cooked, carried our tents and provided excellent entertainment in terms of music and dance by the campfire every night! We got the phone number of the guide, Mario, at Madagascar Underground.

Where is this wonderland? From Tana, take a taxi-brousse that leaves at 7am (supposedly) to Fianarantsoa (Fianar for short), and there continue to Ambalavao. This should cost around 25000 Ar. We got to Fianar very late, so we ended up having to take a taxi to Ambalavao to get there the same night, which was quite expensive, over 100 000 Ar. However if you have to stay in Fianar, the hotel Raza-otel is a little bit tricky to find (a side road down from a square, that turns into a dirt road) but it’s cheap and cosy!

In Ambalavao, we stayed in a hotel called La residence du Betsileo, and they offer delicious fried cheese for dinner – the owner is French and speaks very little English… Mario met us at the hotel and picked us up from there the morning after, we spent two nights in the Andringitra park and were dropped off at the same place. The whole tour was 320 000 Ar per person, and it was well spent money as it was literally all included, even the local rum!

From Ambalavao, we continued further south to the well-known park Isalo. This is one of the oldest and therefore most well-visited parks in the country. The landscape is so varied on this island, and this our guide presented to us as the Colorado of Madagascar – desert, rock formations and canyons. And yes it is gorgeous, we walked for two days and spent one night at a campsite there, where we were hanging out with lemurs! Both brown lemurs, which is the most common type, and ring-tailed lemurs which are the most well-known ones. Suuuch a nice experience to lie on the ground and look up at 10 of those beautiful creatures, playing and chilling right above you. This campsite apparently gets packed in high season and can have 50 people staying there, but as we were in low season and chose to spend the 25th of December there, it was only my two companions and I!

To get to Isalo, take the Taxi-Brousse that goes from Fianarantsoa to Tuleár (Toliara on Google Maps) – if you are in Ambalavao you need to call and make a reservation so they pick you up, something that Mario (our guide from Andringitra) helped us with. You get off in the city Ranohira, which has the park office to Isalo. This is a fairly pricey park to visit, because there are established guide fees, the park entrance is pretty high etc. In the end we payed something like 240 000 Ar, because we wanted vegetarian food and decided to walk to and from the park instead of taking a car (you really don’t need a car). We went with a young guy, Julio, the first day and with Dady the day after. They were both great guides, explaining a lot about the local cultures, the plants and the geological formations. Recommended! In Ranohira, we stayed in a place called Chez Alice, which has bungalows just on the outskirt of the little community and it’s really peaceful. The receptionist is a nice an funny guy, and the rood in the restaurant is very good! We had dinner here on the 24th and the 26th and there was quite a party going on the last night!

What I didn’t do on my trip, which most others seem to do, was to continue south, to Tuleár. I don’t know how interesting the city itself is, but there’s a little beach town just south of it called Anakao that I would have liked to visit. There is also another place near Ambalavao called Anja (I think?) where you can see hundreds of ringtailed lemurs tanning in the sun, which I didn’t know about when I was in the area but in hindsight wished I could have gone to. However, there was just not enough time…