#Or whatever the book version of binging something is

[rainiskyz]

Ya'll... am I the only one who will read like a chapter and a half of a book a day, and then get to the final third and read all the rest at once?

I have done this twice in a row, and now it's 11 at night and I have a headache.

I just need to know, am I the only one who does this???

[blonndiec]

🍃 Of Murphy's Law (of Destiny), Grieving and the Duality of Luck 🍃

With the re-release of Murphy’s Law (of Destiny) and gearing up for Yuuri’s day one-shot, I figured it’d be a good time to share how this story came to be and what inspired it. You could say that this is part of my creative process, as sometimes my brain works as if creating a 365 pitch or putting together a mood-board with colliding ideas to create a concept.

Some of the context: I officially joined the fandom this January (unofficially, it’s been about a year), and in March, something massive hit. Everything I knew felt like it shattered, and I turned to writing and making art as a way to get through it.

Murphy’s Law (of Destiny) came out of that moment—a really low point, the lowest in all this life process. It was the time when I kept thinking —and hoping, desperately— about how sometimes the absolute worst days might actually be leading to something way bigger and better, like the universe’s twisted version of a “double butterfly effect.” That whole concept of the worst things happening before something better was a bit of hope I held onto. But at the same time, life, as cruel as it may seem, just keeps moving on for the rest of the world while you’re stuck in this phase, going through it. To some other people, what feels like your lowest point could even be their best time, and feels like you’re watching their joy on the other side of a glass. It’s so crude, yet it’s real—life doesn’t stop, and that reality can be both harsh and grounding.

I was in the thick of grieving, constantly thinking about those concepts and life experiences, especially because you have no control, and it feels totally random.

Writing was my way of handling the mix of numbness and tangled-up thoughts I was feeling. I tried to get a grip on my emotions by grounding everything in logic—facts, science, data, numbers...whatever made sense—because what was happening inside was a mess of thoughts and empty feelings that didn’t.

This contrast of grounding something as abstract as “destiny” in logic isn’t new to me, either. I grew up binge-watching documentaries and reading science books (it’s also how I learned English, go figure). At the time, looking at destiny through a scientific lens just made sense—like a buffer against all the chaotic feelings I was dealing with.

Murphy’s Law (of Destiny) became my way to explore this idea: sometimes, the worst things in life are just one side of the coin, leading to something better on the flip side. By examining fate through logic, Viktor’s world is reframed as a series of catalysts and reactions, making even the worst experiences stepping stones toward an unseen “other side.” Viktor’s chaotic day, filled with humiliating stumbles and unforeseen disasters, symbolizes a struggle to piece together meaning from seemingly senseless pain.

What surprised me most was how much people resonated with it.

Since writing Murphy’s Law, I’ve been working on stories about “the other side of the coin”—how I’m slowly finding my way out of that dark place and noticing the bright spots again. There’s something comforting in realizing that even the worst moments we go through can end up opening doors we didn’t know were there. So if Murphy’s Law (of Destiny) resonates with you, maybe it’s because sometimes, what feels like a disaster might just be the start of something you end up grateful for, even if it’s wrapped in the messiest package.🌠

Have you ever had a moment that felt like that, only to realize later it opened up something unexpectedly positive? 💖 I’d love to hear your thoughts on those 'other side of the coin' experiences. 💖

Also, if you haven't read it yet, you can read Murphy’s Law (of Destiny) here.

[thepalaceofharuhime]

Hmmm…

Looking at your fandoms, I can’t help but think some sort of Bingqiu in Spy X Family (or a SxF Xianxia fusion) could be super fun!

The question is… what would their roles be.

Assassin Luo Binghe, or spy Luo Binghe… and which of them gets gender swapped. 🤔

Oh!! Maybe Shen Yuan was meant to be an ally of the female half of the main duo, Liu Mingyan, but through shenanigans he somehow ends up with her role instead, and the System demands he fake marry Binghe anyway. 😂

This is exactly the kind of prompt i was hoping for! TY!!! 🙏

The way i see it Binghe would definitely be the assassin, Shen Yuan is too big of a softie not to mention one who so easily put on the mask of another man before so he would definitely be the spy.

But also being oblivious to feelings yet a capable badass, bad in the kitchen, feeling inadequate as a partner? All Shen Yuan. Binghe with his protagonist Halo meanwhile would fit better with Mr. All around perfect Husband. So i guess it'd be a little like Yor and Loyd had switched professions.

Shen Yuan's over protective brother in a position of power? I wonder who that would be? Enter Shen Jiu haha. Rather than secret police he'd be a detective looking in to all the murders rather than keeping state secrets from spies though. To keep that rivalry between him Binghe. The family member Binghe became an assassin to provide for? His mom. The gardener AKA the guy who hired him and hands him his missions? Meng Mo. Franky,the spy's funny informant and gadget supplier, occasional babysitter and not to mention bestfriend? Shang Qinghua.

I dont know if i should replace Fiona with Liu Quinge as Fiona's character really would fit Binghe better. But Liushen is a weakness of mine even if onesided and those two were just made for coworker romances. Maybe I should give Binge someone trying to woe him too? Sha hualing? Then if i dont go with your other idea of having SY transmigrate in to Liu Mingyan (which i am saving up in my head because i absolutely love the idea) then i can add something in the background with her and Sha hualing. I'm positive i could find a way to write in Mobei for SQH or i could go with Scumplane and have him end up Shen Jiu and actually yeah that would work, need to distract SJ long enough for Bingyuan to get it on afterall. Oh what about SQH x SJ x LQG? Or should Shen Yuan get a second husbandafterall? Alternatively imagine LQG crying over a bowl of icecream.

Next question is if SY didnt transmigrate into LMY then who is he? What about Ning Yingying? Who could be SJ's little sister in this world? Or he couldve just been put in there as a female version of himself. Or like it was with Shen quingiu a character who vaguely resembles him and has a similar name. She just happens to be a woman though. Or maybe go with the mulan aproach and have him crossdress? But then how does he explain to his brother that he's suddenly - he could say that he's in love with binghe and the only way to marry him was fake his papers to pretend to be a woman since queer marriage isnt yet allowed in their fictional country. Like no one cares if they date its just they havent gotten to the legalisation of marriage yet. And if SJ asks why they had to get married so suddenly anyway (cuz no way in hell is SY getting away with saying he forgot to tell him for a year) he could say that they had to so they could adopt their daughter. Who in this case scenario could be Ning Yingying, should she still have Anyas powers? damian could be Ming fan or the little palace girl or whatever (im not yet far enough in the books to now her and the old man that well so id have to check the wiki) and i could make the palace master donovan desmond and have SY and LBH team up to take him down in the end.

Anyways yeah these are just some ideas, and again thanks for the prompt! I can't wait to write this! Maybe i'll draw something for it later too. ❤️

[theteasnake]

Michael Myers: Yay Halloween

His favorite word is no. It was also his first word.

Was given a whiteboard to write on and was taught sign language. Refuses to do both. Just to be difficult.

Had his first kiss with Danny. Hated it. Then proceeded to stab him for it. He tried kissing with Amanda afterwards and found he still hated it. He gave her a hug as an apology.

Aroace king. Is probably fine with being in a romantic relationship, but just... doesn't care? His head is empty except for evil thoughts.

He loves juice boxes, especially apple juice. Fruit punch is a second favorite. But if it's in a box or pouch with a straw, he will chug that shit then proceed to blow up the container before sucking in the air for a good minute.

He's very protective over the people that are close to him, and that protectiveness trickles down to people that are close to his people.

He's very aggressive towards Danny, yes. But that's only because he's over heard Danny talk about how he'd thank certain killers for choking him (including Michael). If he knows Danny wouldn't be okay with it, he wouldn't be so physical (borderline abusive).

Give him a coloring book and he's tamed for a good few hours.

I find it funny that The Entity didn't mean for him to show up, she just took Laurie and he wen't "it's a two for one package deal" and just showed up. I'm also pretty sure the Entity doesn't have any control over him, he just does whatever the fuck. However, he's a polite man and follows her rules. He may be evil but he's not ill mannered.

Give this man some Mac and cheese, and not the mushy shit.

Ate a dog once. Didn't like it. 0/10, would not recommend.

He really likes Halloween, like a lot. Aside from the fact it was the day he first committed murder, he also just really likes the spooky season. The Entity gifts him pumpkins before October so he can carve them and place them around.

Has trauma with doctors. He's attempted to kill the Doctor various times because of it.

Chucky has attempted to sneak up on him to attack him. It just led to him being kicked across the room.

Michael keeps his hair short. It's a hassle to take off and put on his mask with longer hair. He once had it longer, but immediately requested it to be chopped off as soon as it got past his ears.

One of his favorite things to do is to just say no when someone asks him to do something then just do it. Danny taught him that and Amanda is not impressed, but Michael thinks it's funny.

Lets Amanda paint his nails black to match her and Danny's.

You gotta let this man watch his cartoons. Even the Entity is too scared to see what would happen if he couldn't watch his cartoons. He likes Scooby-Doo. Especially the episode with the Spooky Space Kook.

Knows how to walk in high heels. Don't ask him how he knows. He won't tell anyone. But he can.

Frequently mumbles words or phrases to purposefully trigger Danny's echolalia.

Michael: bing

Danny: bing bong

Michael: bing

Danny: bing bong

Michael: bing

Danny: bing bo-

Amanda: can you two shut the fuck up?!

Is also probably on the spectrum? I've been seeing that head canon pop up a lot as well.

He doesn't laugh or smile. Never has. Never will. At least not outwardly. Inwardly? He does it all the time.

Dino nuggets are superior than any other shape of nuggie, and he will die on that hill.

Has once spoken to the Entity. It scared the shit out of her to suddenly hear him talking to her. She swears she almost had her version of a heart attack. And he knows this. And he is amused.

Michael: boink

Danny: bonk

Michael: boink

Danny: bonk

Michael: boi-

Amanda: oh my fucking god!

He is very chaotic evil. Much more than he lets on.

Will sometimes tell jokes. With a straight face. People thinks he's not joking, but he is. Not to make them laugh, oh no, it's so he can watch their confused expressions.

"God damnit, Michael!" "Michael, no!" "Michael, stop!" Are all common phrases said by both killers and survivors.

He's not fully mute. He can talk, it's just a lot of energy and he views it as a waste of time sometimes. It could also be because of the isolation he experienced in the hospital, that he's just used to not having someone to talk to.

Any sorta of doctor? Dead on sight. Doesn't matter if you're just called a doctor cause of your degree. Slap Dr in front of your name and he's hunting you down.

Occasionally will join PH in elementary school to just sit next to each other, in silence, to space out. Both of them view it as 'hanging out' but neither have spoken a word to each other. Michael just sat next to him one day and they both just accepted it as a normal thing. Sometimes they'll turn to each other and share a grunt.

He has to be forced to bathe, otherwise he'll stay a stinky boy. He also has to be forced to change clothes and clean his janitor outfit.

When he eats, he has to sit in front of the tv. Like, crisscross apple sauce on the ground, right in front of it.

Sometimes when he has a survivor cornered, and it's just them with no one else in sight, he'll just flip them off. Cause he knows if they say something about it to everyone else, no one will believe them.

[popculturebuffet]

Supermay! Finale: Legion of Super Heroes Episodes 1-4 (Man of Tomorow, Timber Wolf, Legacy, Phantoms) (Comissioned by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy legionarres and welcome to the grand finale of supermay, my monthlong tribute to the man of steel. Before we begin this final entry i'd like to thank all of you for reading this one: some reviews have done well, some not so much but your all appricated and i'd like to thank Kev, Emma, and Brotoman for their support. This event was enough of a success you can expect it back next year and please feel free to comment with things you'd like to see. Even a major cold wasn't enough to end this event on a down note.

In fact we're ending with , thanks to the schedule shakeups, one of my favorite pieces of superman lore and one I hope to revisit if this review does well, the Legion of Super Heroes!

For those less familiar a quick refresher: the Legion of Super Heroes were initially created as supporting characters for Superboy, at the time the man of steel when he was the boy of steel having adventures as a teen, and proved so successful they'd soon take over Superboy's stomping grounds of adventure comics once the boy of steel got his own book.

The Legion are a group of teenagers from a thousand years from now, idealistic teens inspired by the heroes of our present, paticuarlly superboy and later superman, all coming together from across dozens of planets. They were possibly the first teen superhero team and certainly the most succesful of their time. They've been rebooted four times, technically five, been through the wringer a lot and currently are twisting in the wind a bit, but the legion endures and I have faith they'll come back to promience eventually. They may not be one of DC's most prominent teams due to their unique setup, but their easily one of my faviorites and i'm happy I got to celebrate them this super may.

As for how it was easy: I choose the 2006 cartoon, one of the best versions of them and one of DC's best cartoons from my memory binging it over a decade ago, and i'm proud to say it held up beautifully.

The cartoon came about because, much like Superman the Animated series a decade prior.. Warner Bros wanted a tie in for it's latest superman movie.. which this time for better or worse, actually got finished: Superman Returns. Something good had to come out of that I suppose. So they wanted a series with a younger superman and luckily for us producer James Tucker was able to succesfully pitch a legion of superheroes series, which fit the criteria they wanted: focus on a younger superman fresh out of smallville, and that fit perfectly with the legion recruting a younger clark, updating that concept for a modern age as it hadn't been part of superman lore in a while and was just on it's way to being restored to continuity.

Intrestingly the cartoon was originally meant for Cartoon Network, where most other DC shows had gone at this point, but they passed for whatever reason.

But thankfully kids WB picked it up for two great seasons before it's sad collapse, and the result was one of my faviorite superhero teams got a cult classic tv show. Also just to be clear, as it's a rumor so prevelant James Tucker clearing it up shows up on the wikipedia page, while it's oft rumored the show was retooled from a DCAU version seemingly set up by a legion centric episode in Justice League Unlimited.. that was never the plan. The Kara episode was it's own thing, the timing was concidental, let's move on.

LOSH blends pieces from the first two legion of superhero continuites. The legion has FIVE diffrent continuties: the original which went away then was brought back, a soft reboot that was later deemed non canon, a full on reboot in the 90's that's wonderful and sadly stopped being collected by dc, a second reboot in the 2000's that was a bit more radical and finally a reboot a few years ago by Brian Michael Bendis

This one uses the idea of superman being recruited as a teen and being the inspiration for the group that was foundational to the original continuity, as well as the delightfully cheesy silver age names I adore, while using characterizations more in line with the more fleshed out 90's cast , as well as the more fleshed out versions of their home worlds. The result is a cartoon with silver age wonder, a well built world, and some really awesome redesigns I wish the comics would pick up, giving us a stylish well done cartoon that sadly was gone way too soon. You can see what I mean under the cut as we look at the first four episodes and see how Clark Kent Became superman.. again.

Man of Tommorow:

Man of Tommorow opens mid action, with the Legion getting their asses kicked and one of them, Lightning Lad wondering "Wher'es superman when you need him"

We cut to hours before this, centuries before this in smallville, with a young Clark played by Ben 10 and Spider-Man himself Yuri Lowenthal, who does a fantastic job. Clark is at this point a shy nerd whose unsure of his place in the world and is getting ready to start his job at the daily planet as a copy boy. Sadly in this timeline he does not have a whimsical college roomate or feisty love intrest to help push him out of his comfort zone.

He does however have the local fair which he's going to... and which Ma reminds him to be careful at as "your not like other people"

I'll admit this characterization isn't nearly AS bad as say Man of Steel. Mostly because how could you possibly worse than "You should've let them die clark instead of possibly exposing yourself and i'll throw myself into a tornado to prove it", but I hate versions of the kents that make clark feel.. bad for being different. It's one thing to caution him to not overuse them, it's another to make him feel terrible for having them or constantly remind him "your not normal". He knows ma. He knows. The Kents work best to me when their totally loving and accepting, that they worry for their boy sure.. but they love him just the way he is.

After a bit of Clark almost hitting a thing only not to hit a thing at the county fair, we get introduced to our first Legionarres, a small party sent to go recruit clark: our initial trio are Braniac 5, played by former child star Adam Wylie who really shoudl do more voice work as he's terrific here, Saturn Girl, played by voice acting legend Kari Whalgreen and Bouncing Boy, played by voice actor and ocasinal actor Micheal Cornacchia who does great work here and I wish did more voice work.

This is a slight rework of how, traditionally, Clark's recurited to the legion in the comics, but it's one that works. In the original the three founders of the legion went: Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and Cosmic boy, something Superman the Animated Series would do something similar to later as would Smallville. I ahven't seen smallville but you'd best belivie I know when the legion shows up in something.

Here it's reworked to better fit the cast: Cosmic Boy isn't a main character and is thus off on a mission and while Lightning Lad is, he's a bit of a bullying prick, so sending him on a recruitment mission, one he outright scoffs at later, would've been a terrible move. Instead they shift to a party that makes more sense: Brainy came up with the idea in this continuity, we'll get to the why later, and like in the original comics is the team's time travel expert and being one of the main cast and one of the most prominently used legionarres, it only makes sense to have him be one of the first to show up.

Bouncing Boy isn't as prominent, but still makes sense: He's friendly, personable, and like Brainy a tech expert, something we'll get more into in episode 2. It makes since to bring him on a recruitment mission, and on a mission where if something happens to Brainy they need someone to fix their little robot child.

Speaking of which Braniac 5 is changed a bit here, and I feel it works: instead of an alien like the original, he's robotic, ala the dcau braniac, with Colluians as a whole followint suit. This not only makes his issues with emotions a bit more literal, but also allows him to be a bit more dynamic in combat. In the original comics, he's not useless, having a powerful forcefield, but his brain is really his superpower. Here he has telescopic limbs to go with his genius, being essentially a robotic boy child reed richards.

The three head to the fair to find clark and soon find him trying to stop a faris wheel. While Clark is put off by three strangers who suddenly know his deepest secret, they prove invaulable in stopping it and we soon get a showcase of all their powers: Brainy we've covered, so let's move on to my boy, Bouncing Boy. Bouncing boy has a truly rediculous and truly wonderful power.. he turns into a giant bouncing ball. This power was seen as a tad goofy in the 90's and thus he was reduced to a non powered supporting character. The series splits the diffrence: he's still a pilot like he was in the reboot and an ace mechanic.. but he also still has his bouncing ball powers and is a reminder that said powers, as wonderfully goofy and unique as they are.. are also dangerous and useful. Here he uses them to prop up the hweel by inflating, but it's easy to forget that a gaint bouncing ball that's pretty invunerable is actually pretty damn threatning in the right circumstances. No one will call him the legion's power house, but put some respect on the name: bouncing boy can be dangerous and shows jojo levels of turning a seemingly inccous power into a threat.

Finally we have Saturn Girl, whose people are telepathic, and is thus a super taleneted telepath. The series finds clever uses for this but here she's mostly useful for tracking Clark and for crowd control. The heroes save the day but clark runs off in fear. Irma tells them not to follow as she gets Clark KNOWS he has a responsiblity and will listen to their offer more later. I love the show's version of Saturn Girl/Irma, as she's a telepath.. but rather than be closed off because of it uses it to be empathetic and kind, being the heart of the team while still being stoic on the surface.

The trio stalk clark to his house, and make their pitch: The future needs him, clark is better than he knows, and they can use him. Why they choose him at this point in his life is vauge, but I assume Brainy knew they both had a better chance of recruting him and they could HELP him become the superman he's destined to be. Stable time loop and all that.

Clark reluctantly agrees, aassured he'll be back in time for chicken and dumplings. With that our heroes go to the future where the rest of the legion are waiting.. or our main cast anyway. A nice touch I like from the series is much like the comics, they already have a pretty sizeable roster: Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet and Cosmic Boy are all mentioned later and we see Element Lad, Blok and Tyroc in the next episode along with them. The legion in the comics usually has around 25 people max. The reason for this size orignally was simply silver age writers kept introducing more legionarres so the team kept growing and given the characters were interchangable personality wise, there was no real need to whittle it down.

They later found a clever workaround that later comics picked up on: since the team's in the future, the bulk hailing from various indvidual worlds which gave them their powers (though a few did get theirs by accident as per superhero standard), and were later confirmed to be duly deputized by the united planets, the future's highest governing body, it made sense the legion was spread out galactically. As such characters could be said to be "on mission" somewhere else in the galaxy, and thus whittle the team down to whoever was needed for a story. If the whole of the legion was involved, it was for bigger stories that were dire as hell. Stories often used squads of whoever the writer wanted to use at that moment for missions which makes sense.

The series uses this well: the team has other members, showing off it's scope and how many worlds bought into the concept, but focuses on a core cast on earth at Legion HQ: Superman, Braniac 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, Triplicate Girl, Bouncing Boy and one more we'll meet next episode. They still go across the galaxy, the adventures are still cosmic in scope, but it helps narrow focus so we can flesh out who we have.

So speaking of which our other three members. First up is Lightning Lad, a founding member as mentioned, and in this continity an egotistical hot headed asshole. He's good at what he does, being great with his powers and easily the second strongest member of the core cast, but has a MASSIVE chip on his shoulder. This is a slightly exagerated version of his reboot version, who was also a bit of a hot head but not quite the ass. It still works as he makes a good contrast to the more humble and kind clark, whose friendly to the guy despite waving his dick around constantly. Garth is voiced by Andy Milder, a voice actor and recurring actor who also voiced Jay Garrick Flash in Batman Brave and the Bold. Good for him. Like the rest of the cast he's fantastic.

Next is Phantom Girl. Phantom Girl here is the sassy one of the group, quick with a sarcastic remark, but also understanding, quickly bonding with clark in episodes after this. She may joke but it's clear she cares for the team even if she busts chops constantly and we love her for it. Easily one of the highlights of the show. She's from the planet Btzl, a phantom planet parallel with earth. As such she can phase in and out of our plane and into hers, allowing her to phase through objects, people and disappear and reappear. She's played by Heather Hogan. Hogan mostly does video game work, and I haven't seen her in much personally though she was great as Clorica in Rune Factory 4.

Finally we have Triplicate Girl, one of my faviorite legionarres as the comics have found intresting thigns to do with the idea of a person who can split in three in the reboots: the 90's one had her have a distinct personality for each, and be considered abnormal because of it, with RJ BRande, the legion's backer formally adopting her as a result, and the 2000's one had her able to clone indefintely but down to the trio as three of them left the planet.. and found the others didn't accept them when they went back. Here.. she's just .. there in a go go outfit. The design, like all of these is clever, with her having tri colored hair and when split each duplicate takes on a diffrent shade (or two shades when just doing two0, and having martial arts based on their cloning technique.. but otherwise they don't... do much with her this season. Next season gets a pass as the execs told them to focus more on stuff boys would like and less on the girl characters

But here she's just... in the background. They didn't really know what to do with her. Outside of Chain of Command she dosen't get to do much plot wise and it's a shame.

The three welcome their new teammate.. and Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl are less than impressed though to her credit Phantom Girl's just a tad confused. Lightning Lad's a full on asshole doubting brainy got it right and generally being a dick.

Naturally being a dick he puts clark to the test with a bit of testing machinery to test clark's strength. Clark eventually fails and runs off upset and Saturn Girl berates Garth for being at a 10 on the douchemeter when they need a 2 and poitns out clark was lifting 500 tons.

So Saturn Girl goes to fetch Clark who while running away as fast as he can found the Superman Museum. The Museum is taken straight form the comics but adds the nice touch of using some silver age style panels to represent supes. Clark's finally found out WHY they choose him at all and what h'es destined to be, with Irma encouraging him he can become this and has it in him. She also explains when prompted why they need him so bad, something Phantom Girl covered earlier when Lightning Lad insisted they didn't need help: The Fatal Five.

The Fatal Five are on of the legions greatest threats, a group of the five deadliest criminals in the galaxy. In the comics they were brought together for a desperate mission and decided they were deadlier as a unit. Here

They are Mano, a skelington in a bubble helemet whose touch equals death, Tharok, a genius cyborg, Validus, a hulking monstrosity, Emerald Empress, a sorceress weidling the powerful emerald eye of ekron, an artifact similar to what the green lanterns use but powerful, evil and able to brainwash people and Persauder.. .he's an axe man, oh my god he's an axe man. The five are just sort of a vaugely ominous force here, still VISUALLY intresting but mostly there to provide a threat big enough to warrant clark. I haven't rewatched their other apperances to see if they get fleshed out better and in the comics I haven't read a ton of their apperances period.

So Clark heads back though Lightining Lad is reluctant to use him. Not out of jackassery for a change, but because he's genuinely concerned: Clark HAS seen action but "not like this".. and he's not wrong. Earlier it was clear clark did anonomus rescues before becoming superman, a trait i've always liked when he's not outright superboy: it fits the character and is something he should be doing. But this.. is outright combat.

Seconds into the fight Clark bounces out, seemingly abandoing the team to get smacked around. While they beat the fatal five the last time... that was with the full roster and BARELY. This time they TRIED to get reinforcements but Shrinking Violet was undercover, they seemingly coudln't reach the others, and Cosmic Boy could be there, but was far away enough he woudln't make it.

The legion seems beat.. Luckily clark was instead warming up. Granted he might of thought of doing this BEFORE but it's a fair fear response: it's one thing to say you can fight supervillians, it's another to see them. So he heads off going up up and... very slowly and awkwardly before getting his barrings, a joke I love.

He can fly though and confronts the fatal five and his sheer power gives them a chance with Saturn Girl, one of the only two still not brain zapped by emerald empress (The other being lightning lad who, douche canoe he may be DID prove himself by being the final one to go down), and encourages them to fight.

And fight they do as the ensuing fight is a gorgeous shocwase of what everyone can do, from Phantom girl nabbing persuader's axe to allow Triplicate girl to kick him in the face, to Lightning Lad teaching clark about his freezing breath, to Saturn Girl hyjacking Validus. It's an awesome fight, and ends with the five defeated. In paticualr superboy held off empress. They escape, of course, but they still won the fight and made it so they won't try that shit again. Brainy offers to take clark back but he decides to stick around... he realizes the legion can help him grow as a person and as a hero, and well. they CAN return him right where he left, so he's not exactly in a hurry. Clark adds the legion crest to his belt and gets his flight ring.

The Flight Rings are one of my faviorite legion things and weirdly I don't have a replica yet, simple golden rings that allow the user to well.. fly, and serve as proof of legion status. It means anyone in the legion can fly though some like superman CAN fly on their own. Also he's man instead of boy here, rights issues.

The Man From Tommorow is a decent episode... but is hampered by it's run time. It really needed more than the standard 20 some minutes as it had a LOT of ground to cover, and as such feels rushed: Clark grows comfortable with himself fast, the team goes down and recovers fast, and the episode could've badly used a second part to help slow it down, flesh out the rest of the legion and the story. It's still a decent opener, getting across the legion as a concept, clark's characterization for the series as an unsure rookie, and most of th elegions personaliteis to a degree, but it needed more time in the oven to truly be a great story. Thankfully the series only picks up from here and with this one doing most of the table setting, the rest of the season just leaps into the concept full speed case in point...

Timber Wolf:

The first episode was decent but the second. .is the show I remembered, with well done characters, intresting stories and balls to the walls action way ahead of it's time for this kind of show. The last part was present in the first ep but this one really let's us get to know the cast.. and adds one last member to our main roster.

The legion is on a space mission, standard stuff, with some fun banter as Superman dosen't clear it up right away because Lightning Lad wanted to "teach him something" , showing this clark has a sense of humor and a small but fun michevious streak. The team for this mission is Supes, LL, Brainy, Bouncing Boy, and Saturn Girl.

We also get to know Bouncing Boy better and get a fun b-plot with him and brainy as the two bicker: Brainy wants Bouncing Boy to use the compensators he installed and BB would prefer to fly himself. It's a nice clash of styles: Brainy is stuck to logic and routine and BB prefers human intution. Classic sci fi stuff that works great here and dosen't feel too stale as it feels rooted in character.

The Legion gets a distress call from a disant planet: Dr. Londo needs their help as a creature has gotten loose and our heroes naturally toucfh down on a spooky planet to deal with it. The doctor explains he does biological research and the creature got loose and killed his son and he needs it recaptured.

This episode is nicely horror coded, with a nice atmosphere that helps boost the story.

As you could probably guess from a mile off... the Doctor isn't being completely honest. The fact he told B and B to stick to the hangar is a clue and Bouncy learns the hard way when he eventually storms off after getting tired of Brainy micromanaging him and not trusting his ability to improvise. I also can't help but love the possibly unintetional autisim coding brainy gets, ala spock: Brainy is obnoxious in his need to order.. but genuinely dosen't get WHY he pissed his friend off when he's, in his mind right. On the spectrum myself i've been in that position before, if not to this degree and it's honestly more accurate than some attempts to tackle autisim outright i've seen.

Bouncing Boy gets mobbed by robots just for going off course, an entirely responable and not stupid security thing. Brainy rescues him as, while Bouncing Boy isn't helpless he is outnumbered, the two make up and decide to go snooping as something is clearly very wrong. Villian Pro Tip: NEVER overdo your security when your trying to keep heroic guests away from your creepy shit. Villian Pro Tip 2: Maybe don't call down super heroes to grab your son and expect it to end well for you.

And yup, while it's not the biggest twisty twist, that's what the creature is. We find out after said creature skirts saturn girl away.. but turns out, in classic monster movie fashion, he's sapient and allows Irma to pick his brain. Naturally lightning lad fucks it up, attacking him and accidnetly knocking her out leading to LL and Superboy caputting him. Thankfully by this point the brainy subplot has reached the snooping stage, and I love the gag of Bouncing Boy just.. shouting for them to join the party.

Irma has them free the monster, explaning they were idiots and with his consent getting the full story.. and helping Brynn Londo, the doctor's not dead at all son, assume a more humanoid form and maintain it and his ablility to speak.

The bad doctor shows up wanting his property back, the legion say fuck no to that and they stop him, with Brynn chasing his dad. They win the day, helped by the fact the various monsters unleshed on our heroes.. are not very fond of the bad doctor.

The Doctor brags, pointing out this isn't United Planets Space, so our heroes can't touch him. Also hammer can't sue. But his son gets the last laugh, not only pointing out what a monster his dad is but then destroying his equipment so he can't do this shit to someone else. While his dad TRIES to bait him with "how long wil you keep this form up"... it backfires as Irma vows to help and the Legion welcomes a new member. He gets a spiffy outfit I absolutely love and in a very nice touch recites the legion oath, with cameos from the other legionarres. I like getting to see my boy blok.

We stand Blok in this mojo dojo casa house.

Timber Wolf is a sharp improvement to what wasn't a bad episode, but badly needed mor echaracter. The rest of the legion gets fleshed out, the atmosphere is great and the twist, while obvious is still unsettling and provides a nice setup for Timber Wolf to join the team.

Legacy

Legacy features an intresting spin on an old foe of Supermans: Lex Luthor. It asks the bold question: What if Lex and Clark were into one another. A riddle for the ages. This being the 2000's it uses lex's female descendant but the question still stands and the episode still slaps.

While out flying around Clark rescues Alexis, a red headed thrill seeker. When he gets back to the gang their all happy he met someone. Even Brainy, which good for him not being jealous.. yet. More on that in a moment. They all soon find out he rescued Alexis, the richest girl to ever rich girl and the biggest celebrity in new metropolis apparently. Phantom Girl says she outs mopey rich girls her, which is saying something. Lightning Lad says he could never, Brainy says Superman cat get it, and Clark is convicned he won't see her again.. only to be proven wrong when she asks him out that night.

Brainy is a bit nettled though as that was their patrol night and thus

Yeah we really can't talk the legion of superheroes cartoon, this episode or brainy without addressing the elephant in the room: Brainy has a MASSIVE crush on superman. He's possibly not aware of it, emotional awareness and social awareness are not things the boy is good at and I can relate, but it's there. The producer admitted as much during an anniversary panel, citing that "some things" had to be gotten past the censors while Brainy's voice actor Adam Wylie at least flat out thinks Brainy was in love with him. Even back then when I was bad at picking up on gay subtext in cartoons, I could tell.

It's also ahead of it's time to have this so blatant.. .it's not super emphasized because network jackassery, but the fact one of the main characters is attracted to men and i'ts not hidden at all is amazing to me.

Brainy is sore because he and clark were supposed to patrol, and while part of it is again, he wants to stare at his crush for several hours, being brainy he also set out a logical pattern of patrols as the Scavengers are out there. The legion asks what we're thinking

Brainy DID send them a briefing.. but being Brainy made it 134 pages so no one , even Clark, read it. And when you can't get future journalist clark kent to read your whole ass document, you done messed up. I also like this detail with brainy: that he IS a strategic genius.. but he also over does it so much. It's better than 80 "in english poindexter" jokes". We get a few of those, it's only fair, but I like having a variety to how much Brainy overthinks things with his 12th level intellgence.

He explains: the scavengers are techno pirates, sadly not with matching costumes, and he wants to be on the lookout. However he can't resist a sad boy so he agrees to let Clark go on his super date, provided he keeps the coms on, and Clark promises to do two patrols in a row to make it up to him.

Unfortuantley Brainy once again messes up as he keeps calling every two minutes. Might want to take about ten percent off there Squirrely-ac five. His report.. is there's nothing to report so Clark eventually mutes him. The Legion Communicators PROBABLY shoudln't have a mute button, but they probably only due because of this.

Clark feels out of place with all the judgy rich people but Alexis arrives and really just wanted to put in an apperance and hang out with her boy. The two sneak into her lab at Luthor International. I like to think Maxwell Lord made a deal with Luthor's daughter and the companies merged.

AT any rate Alexis does relate to clark, as she's not sure what she wants to do with her life and like clark has a lot of pressure to be great NOW. While Clark's romancin and relatin, the rest of the legion gets slammed by the scanvengers. They do fine AT FIRST.. but eventually are overwhelmed and clark dosen't answer and OH NO BRAINY'S ARM GOT SHOT OFF

and... OH NO.... it's.. fine the next scene as he easily repairs it. The Legion's a bit miffed, ESPECIALLY Brainy.. but Clark genuinely apologizes and explains... and they all instantly forgive him aside from Brainy. Turns out even when Brainy dosen't have a crush on you he dosen't know how not to overmessage. Again can relate. But I like this nuance. That it wasn't "oh they can go without you one night" from alexis or clark making a mistake: Clark had a reson to turn his badge on silent and shoudln't have, but Brainy did abuse the coms and overthink it in a way he apparently does a LOT. Clark is genuinely sorry and cancels plans for tommorow.

Alexis is able to talk him into an hour of fun, but Clark is upset he's late and has to go. He misses patrol, brainy's upset, but Clark's gneuinely contrite.

Alexis.. then takes things a step too far as she fakes an attack to get Clark's attention. To his credit. while Clark DOES try to just let the sp handle it to not annoy brainy.. brainy tell shim to go save her. It's what superman would do. But Clark is rightfully pissed: the legion NEEDS him and while he would like to hang for days he simply can't and Alexis is too lonely and isolated and to a degree selfish to get that saving the world comes first. So she decides fine if he has to pick one.. she'll take away the other option. It's like super great grandpap always said from his perserved brain in the basement always said: if they love something else, kill it , kill everything else they love so they only have you.

So Alexis teams up with the scavengers, gives them an upgrade, and lures clark away so she can siege the legion's clubhouse. Unfortuantely for her, Brainy is not only as smart as her, but the legion aren't pushovers and while she does get them on the ropes , Clark arrives having figured out the ruse and a fight breaks out, cumilating in Alexis deciding "if I can't have you i'll just kill you" just like super great grandpap would, and ending up bald like him.

In Jail Alexis reassembles Woodhouse.. because of course her robot is named woodhouse, and plots revenge... then we never see her again because the execs decided the show needed more BOYSSSS SAND TO APPEAL TO BOYS AND APPEAL TO ALL THE BOYSSSSS. God I wish Warner Bros execs werne't grown in a lab somewhere.. and that they let David Zaslav finish baking.

Legacies is an excellent episode, tapping into clark's need for normalcy, giving us a truly standout villian, and having some great jokes. The last part isn't important to an action show like this but I do like it. Tara Strong gives a stand out performance as Alexis and it's a damn shame we didn't get to see her again. Speaking of Cool Villians we never saw again..

Phantoms:

Our final episode for the day and this one's a bit intresting as it's actually 6th in production order, the 4th is the 6th aired episode fear factory. I would've kept it there but this is another superman centric one and it IS superman month, so it made sense. if this review does well, I might do the next batch including fear factory in october.

Clark has been visting the superman museum a lot, trying to find some clues about who he'll be. It's.. not super healthy. Also at the Museum is someone I forgot to mention during the first museum scene in the pilot, Booster Gold. Yes in a nice Cameo Booster is there... probably going to steal that legion ring eventually. That's how he flies. We also get a cameo from either lobo's descdeant or the main man himself in the previous episode as Alexis steals his bike.

Clark finds something and figures if it's his museum he can touch things: the Phantom Zone projector.. and accidently unleashes a prisoner.

It's here we meet Drax, vocied amazingly by character actor Greg Ellis, and his two pets, Eeny and Meany. Drax trashes the place with the awesome line "I see the altar but where's the god" and escapes. Lightning Lad is naturally the one to berate clark , but the rest of the legion is kind enough not to rub it in. The bigger issue is another kryptonian is now loose and he's bad.

Drax is an intresting character, in part because of what we know about him: he was created by Zod, something heavily implied by the z on his suit and the fact Zod is a terrible father every damn time, so it's no suprise he genetically eneeered a son just to murder superman, constantly has thoughts pumped into his head that he's evil and always has been always will be and said thoughts pump in with sharp pain if he gets off course trying to kill superman. You can see WHY the guy is such a monster when he hasn't really been given the choice not to be. He instead doubles down. He also has a swagger that's just.. unedeinable. I don't know what it is abotu Superman and british villians but it just works.

The episode is mostly the team tracking Drax down, but the cat and mouse works as their chasing someone as strong as superman, with no morals and two pet monsters. The ep is largely a showcase for the series great fight coreography

It does have some godo character stuff as we get the start of the sorta romance between Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf. They never offically hook up, but the tension is there as he spends the episode trying to protect her and she proves she can handle herself, but also has to learn in a team it's okay to have someone watch your back... just in moderation. The two weren't a thing in the comics.. but it works really well here, his blunt nature matching hers and his less than happy background nicely contrasting her being richer than god and her mom being president of the united planets.

The other notable runner in the episode is the science police: their the police but you know, science, present in every legion incarnation..a nd here their just the plain worse. Which tracks for police but begs the question why we still have them. THey don't like the legion which isn't a new take: the 90's version didn't exactly care for them either, and even preboot there was some friction, it just slowly lessened as some of the legion dated some of the science police. As you do. Here.. THEY FIRE ON THE LEGION WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT to try and kill the monsters

But wait this is somehow dumber! Not only are they firing on teenagers, if implied to be older teens mostly.. but as this episode mentions, Phantom Girl... is the president's daughter. If that wasn't enough, while it's not mentioned directly in this episode, the legion is formally sponsored by the united planets here, as they are in most versions, and unlike the UN the UP is more of a galactic senate and thus has a LOT of power. So their not just shooting at teens.. but teens who shooting at could cause a dipolmatic incident, and teens who outrank them!

Good lord. Anyways eventually Drax out manuvers them, using his monsters as a distraction.. while he goes for the Headquaters with only brainy left behind. It's here we find out something intresting: Brainy has a bit of kryptonite. He tries using it on Drax.. but Zod was smart enough to make sure that woudln't work, and Drax.. actually makes a point: That Clark DOSEN'T know about this, and ponders why brainy has this and dosen't tell him. It's understandble to have a fail safe.. much less to not tell him and hints to a darker side to our boy, a more pragmatic one we'll see more of in season 2.

For now the legion arrives.. and Drax finds the projector, using it to send them away. Clark explodes, utterly laying into Drax in a truly awesome fight, slamming the guy down bellow and even grabbing guns. Clark demands answers.. but Drax laughs, realizing Superman REALLY dosen't know and he won't tell him because well dick.

Thankfully while the fight is even the Legion narrowly escape, and in an awesome way as their stranded in the phantom zone at first, where the phantoms can hurt them.. but they can't touch them. Phantom Girl shows her awesomeness as she CAN and judo kicks a bunc hbefore brainy gets them to saftey and they find a hail mary: Brainy uses his shield generator , with a power boost from Lightning Lad, to punch their way home, and Phantom Girl phases them all. This comes with the massive risk of her possibly not being able to phase back.. but they have no other option and she bravely completes the circuit. Drax goes back, the kryptonite thing goes with him and Clark is left unaware... Brainy's happy to be rid of the ball and Clark's happy to find out the answers the fun way.. but there's still the unease that he didn't TELL clark what it was or why Drax was about to use it. That even as much as he loves clark.. Brainy can't ultimately be honest.

Phantoms is a solid episode. It's mostly a LOT of action, but it's fun well paced action and the climax's knock down drag out fight and darring escape is amazing. It's a well done episode with a great villian we sadly don't see again, though in this case it was likely the show getting cut short rather than executives being stupid pod persons.

And with that supermay is done. IT was a fun ride and the bigger likes than usual tells me ya'll would love to see this again next year, so you shall. Until then keep hope for a better world, look up too the sky, and thanks for reading.

[juukeboxx]

General Headcanons - Donatello

We're back at it again with some more general headcanons! This time I have some for my personal favorite: Donatello. Keep in mind these are not for one specific version of Donnie. Enjoy!

Last but not least is Mikey!

Word count: 636

It should come as no surprise that Donnie loves to read. The genre he’s interested in tends to vary from day to day. One day he’ll be reading non-fiction and the next day he’ll be reading fantasy.

Donnie loves getting book recommendations from April or Leo (Mikey and Raph are more into comics). He’ll grab a little stack of books, including some recommendations, and binge read when he has the free time.

Surprisingly, it takes a lot for Donnie to get mad. Sure, he gets irritated when his brothers are pestering him while he's trying to work or sometimes his inventions don't go as planned but like Leo he has a lot of patience. He will never get to the point where he starts yelling at people unless someone finds a way to push him past his limit.

He turns his music all the way up when he's working in his lab, and honestly it could be anything. Like books, Donnie's choice in music tends to vary from day to day. Sometimes he'll turn on some classic rock, other times it will be K-Pop. Really it's whatever he wants to vibe to that day.

Donnie is very simple when it comes to pizza. He's all for a plain cheese pizza, but really loves a good veggie pizza every once and a while. He'll eat pepperoni but he doesn't like all the grease.

He really likes to observe people in their surroundings simply because he finds human life so interesting. It's something he will never get the chance to experience, but his natural curiosity makes him want to know all about it.

Donnie just enjoys being in the company of others. Sometimes he's in his lab for so long he forgets to get out and get some fresh air. Mikey is usually the one that will invite him to play video games or hang out, but Leo and Raph invite him to do things with them too like meditating or getting a workout in.

Oh boy... Donnie is not the best at taking care of himself. He tends to pull multiple all-nighters which seriously messes with his sleep schedule and he has a bad habit of skipping meals. He'll try to drink a protein shake or eat a protein bar to try to get something in his stomach but even then he'll still forget to eat.

He tends to get "tunnel vision" when working on projects or even doing stuff in his free time. And speaking of, Donnie doesn't really make a lot of time for his hobbies outside of reading. For example, Donnie really likes coding. But he won't set aside an hour just to sit and learn a new skill for fun. His mind is always in "work mode."

Donnie sometimes feels like he could be doing more to contribute to the team. He's not the strongest, and he knows that. So in order to try to compensate for it by constantly coming up with inventions or improving things around the lair. He really needs to validation that what he's already contributing is more than enough.

Donnie gets overstimulated pretty easily, even thouh he sometimes doesn't realize it and he thinks that he's just super frustrated at first. However, when he does notice he's getting overstimulated he'll make his way to his room and lay in bed. He really likes super soft things so he has lots of super soft pillows and blankets on his bed.

He knows some different grounding techniques to calm his mind too. Donnie will also find some sort of comfort media to watch, whether that be a movie, TV show, or something on YouTube.

Donnie is genuinely one of the kindest souls anyone will ever meet. He's always looking out for his friends and family in his own unique way.

[bright-and-burning]

thank you for the tag @albonoooo <333

star sign: leo (attention whore signs 4 the win)

favourite holiday: my neighborhood does neighbor day every year and that’s a solid percentage of my favorite childhood memories. my neighborhood is very very close (very much so an “it takes a village” mentality) so i grew up with essentially twenty aunts and uncles. and also like ten dogs and thirteen vaguely cousin-esque figures on my block. anyways it’s like a massive potluck barbecue thing, it goes from like noon to whenever the last person heads in (which can be quite late). think like. potluck barbecue to casual day drinking to big bonfire w smores as the day goes by. as a kid i spent the whole day roaming the neighborhood and coming back every so often to grab food from the tables before heading off again. as an adult i got to get drunk on seltzers with a bunch of 50 somethings and it was incredible

last meal: omg it was my last ohio meal… i got it from this really special like local version of sonic’s (like a drive up food place). they make their burgers w a little bit of brown sugar and mashed banana (they’re the best burgers i’ve ever had). so i had a double hamburger w fries and a mint shake w brownie spindled in. if you’re ever driving through ohio PLEASE hit me up to get this place’s name it’s GLORIOUS. 1980s pricing (admittedly 80s portions too lol). neon signs everywhere. what i will miss the most

current favourite musician: i tend to just hit play on my liked songs so whatever i liked most recently gets played wayyyy more. a lot of the backseat lovers rn

last music listened to: mama’s gun by glass animals (BANGER OF A SONG!!!)

last movie watched: the muppet christmas carol i think . yeah according to letterboxd that lmfao

last tv show watched: i just binged monarch: legacy of monsters w my parents (amazing godzilla tv show but godzilla’s only in it for like. 10 minutes total lol. gay people <3) and then we started lockwood & co tonight on a whim

last book/fic finished: the invisible library by genevieve cogman !!! so good. librarian spy thieves…

last book/fic abandoned: oh gosh. i am such a completionist that i don’t think i ever leave books unfinished. technically i won’t be able to finish the masked city (the sequel to the invisible library) bc it belongs to the library and i am moving. but i will be picking it back up as soon as i have a library card in my new area so? does that even count? yeah i don’t really dnf things

currently reading: the masked city by genevieve cogman technically. lol. i’m trying to read at least a page a day in january. some days that means literally reading a page other days it’s reading 300. since i started the masked city like four days ago ive only made it through 30 pages bc moving is a nightmare so.

last thing researched for writing/art/hyperfixation: hm. technically for the last thing i like posted that would be the drug testing guidelines for f1 (tldr fun fact party drugs are fine out of competition). i read like. 60 pages of legalese. and a bunch of medical stuff and then several wikipedia pages and guides for athletes. the last wikipedia article i opened was for NATO and i have no idea why LOL

favourite online fandom memory: i have the memory of a goldfish… i’m also pretty sure f1 is the first time i’ve been involved w a fandom like. as it’s happening. i’m usually a latecomer . i did enjoy whatever the fuck went down w supernatural and putin that was fun second hand (literally thru a groupchat bc i was in my significantly less terminally online era aka i was in college)

favourite old fandom you wish would drag you back in/have a resurgence: newsies (1992) my beloved… i plotted out a fic that would stretch over like. 40 years. i went INSANE on historical accuracy research. and then i got depressed… someday my magnum opus (slice of life polyamory through turn of the century nyc) will come to fruition

favourite thing you enjoy that never had an active or big fandom, but you wish it did: i feel like there’s been a million times i’ve walked out of a movie (or finished a book, or a tv show) and gone to ao3 and then it has like. 4 works. the rivers of london series by ben aaronovitch only has like . 1k fics on ao3. and not a lot of ppl posting on tumblr. so maybe that?

tempting project you're trying to rein in/don't have time for: all of them tbh… runners au really (it’s spawned into like three different fics of plot lines Plus an epistolary type companion…). i literally constantly come up w ideas (usually hyper specific aus) all the time ask dees it’s a PROBLEM for me. bc i have no time for any of them…

no pressure tags if u wld like <3 @userkritaaay @leclercenjoyer @drivestraight @oscarpiastriwdc @eyes-likepilotlights (i have not paid a ton of attention to who has done this/been tagged sorry)

[choicesbookclub]

A private detective. An exiled royal. A missing woman. Can you crack the case?

Welcome to the Choices Book Club! We are currently beginning a group play through of Crimes of Passion. [Full Schedule Here]

This Week’s Chapters:

Chapter 10: Behind the Mask

Chapter 11: Reasonable Doubt

Chapter 12: Sabbatical

Chapter 13: A Stab in the Dark

** I was hoping to have a COP2 release date to possibly extend our book club by a week to avoid having 4 chapters, but no such luck. So binge all 4 or read 10-11 on Saturday and 12-13 on Sunday!

Question(s) of the Week (reply to this post and/or make your own post/profile and tag the blog)

Let's focus on Marguerite this week! (answer one or all, your choice!)

Do you have a Marguerite FC? Who? Why did you choose them? Do they look like your Trystan FC? Do they have a good fashion sense? Do they look like the sprite? Something else?

Do you have any HCs for Marguerite and your detective?

Do you have any HCs for Marguerite and your Trystan growing up and/or in NYC?

Any Marguerite specific headcanons?

*If you can’t read on June 9, just try to read these three chapters prior to next week’s book club!

How to Participate:

Post reactions, screenshots, videos, ramblings, theories,… whatever comes to you while playing

Create drawings, edits, moodboards, fics, headcanons, songs, poems, etc based on the chapters and/or characters

Create a profile page for your detective and/or royal and submit it for the Detectives’ and Royal’s Profile Page

Share your detective and Trystan choices (the pixel versions and/or face claim versions)

Posts that tag @choicesbookclub and use “#choices book club” will be reblogged here

[Please read the full guide to the event and how to participate here]

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Finished the Peacock & Gamble FUBAR Radio things last week, decided I’ll probably get into other Ian Boldsworth things later, but for now that’s enough of it. Then immediately went back on that as I found the shows he did with Angela Barnes, and have spent the last week listening to those. Which add up, at 8 shows with three hours per episode. Suddenly threw an extra 24 hours on the end of my binge listen, more than I’d really planned. Plus I found an episode with Peacock and Charlie Baker from the middle of the Peacock & Gamble run, when Ed was in the hospital or filming in America or some shit like that.

I think I have now covered the entire run of Ray Peacock on FUBAR Radio from the Peacock & Gamble era, aside from that one episode with Danielle Ward, which may be lost to history, which is unfortunate as it’s up there with what I’d most want to hear. But I got the rest, and got air dates for them, so the completist in me is happy about that. My Peacock & Gamble folder is now up to 225 hours of content, and I’m pleased that I’ve finished listening to everything in it today, just before I go off on my trip. Because I joke about the completist in me, but what I actually mean is “the OCD in me that always has it in the back of my mind, if I’m in the middle of watching/reading/listening to something that I’ve not completed all the way through yet, that will bother me constantly until I finish it”. And I don’t want that bothering me while I’m traveling for the next two weeks.

But that’s all right, I’m caught up on everything. Finished Pierre Novellie’s book, which I enjoyed very much, much more in-depth research than I was expected and I learned some stuff even though I already know quite a bit about autism, I recommend it a lot to anyone who’s interested in learning more, delivered in a funny and interesting way. Taskmaster Australia just finished (though the new NZ one starts soon, I’ll have to catch up on that when I get home). Even The Bugle has just begun its summer hiatus, as if to kindly refrain from adding “stuff to catch up on” into my podcast feed right before I go on a trip. Last Week Tonight came back last weekend with a very strong episode, so I’ll catch up on those when I get home too. And I have my actual news podcasts that I’ve categorically decided I’m putting on hold for two weeks. The world can do what it likes.

And I finished the 8 episodes of Barnes & Peacock, which I’d meant to just dabble in but ended up not being able to stop until I’d run out of them. Three episodes of the regular comedy radio show but with Angela Barnes instead of Ed Gamble, and five episodes of their separate “Do Sex” show, which was meant to be still a funny comedy show but also informative and for serious discussions about many things related to sex, and that was weird, because the main thing I learned from this sort-of educational show is that I’m not mature enough to handle serious in-depth discussions about sex. Actually that’s not true – the main thing I learned from the Barnes & Peacock Do Sex show is that apparently, most of the ideas in The Ray Peacock Podcast were taken directly from Ian Boldsworth’s actual sex life. So that’s good. Glad they found a way to make that podcast even weirder.

Anyway, the Barnes and Peacock stuff was a lot of fun. Put some of the stuff that went on in Peacock & Gamble from the same time in a bit of context, seeing how a different person reacted to the same version of Ray Peacock. I’d say Angela Barnes did at least as well with it as Ed Gamble, which is impressive as she didn’t have the 7 years of history in figuring out how to fit her performance into whatever the hell Ray Peacock was doing.

She really is good, I’d forgotten how much I like her. She used to be one of my favourites on The News Quiz, during the times when the years when I listened to that show every weekend (2009 to 2023, I stopped following it so much when I started listening to The Bugle, which covers a lot of the same ground but without some of the less good guests that the BBC brings in for balance). And she was excellent on Mock the Week, they gave her all those spots for a reason. I know “good on Mock the Week” is not the highest of praise in all circles, something that’s at the front of my mind as I’ve been listening to so much Ian Boldsworth lately. And if Ian Boldsworth wants to call Ed Gamble or anyone else a sellout for Mock the Week (for the record, I have never heard him call Angela Barnes a sellout), he has retained the moral high ground from which to do that, voluntarily or otherwise. But I’ve watched every single episode of Mock the Week (like I said, compulsive completism), and I found Ed Gamble and Angela Barnes both very funny on a lot of them. So I couldn’t call anyone a sellout for that even if I wanted to, which I don’t. I’m aware that it is not always the highest quality of television. I’m aware that it’s a pantomime where people pretend to say things spontaneously that they’ve actually planned out beforehand (but I’ve also been reminded this week of the popularity of professional wrestling, and as long as people are watching that shit, I don’t see why panel shows get singled out as a terrible thing because it turns out this TV show has been written by writers!). It’s still a vehicle where some people were very funny sometimes, particularly Angela Barnes.

Angela Barnes did also have a fantastic special on NextUp last year, Hot Mess, one of my favourite 2023 shows that I’ve had the chance to see. And I won’t get to see her 2024 show in person since she gets to Edinburgh right after I leave, but I’m hoping she’ll film it again somewhere. She also had a great Radio 4 series some years ago, taking back the dead dad show. She’s great. I already knew she was great, I’ve known that for longer than I’ve known about most of these comedians (because I got into a lot of this stuff in 2020, but The News Quiz much earlier), but I’d not thought of her in a while and was pleased to be reminded.

She did a really good job of holding her own with whatever Ray threw at her, moving seamlessly between high and low status, between trying to keep a handle on things and falling apart herself. And Ray was very good at switching places just as quickly, from being the child she has to control to yelling at her for falling apart. A bit like the old Peacock & Gamble ability to seamlessly trade off the straight man role – a dynamic they’d sort of lost by 2024, so it was fun to hear that again.

My Peacock & Gamble folder has sort of blown up into a “all the things Ray Peacock did between 2007 and 2014, which were the Peacock & Gamble years so all of that, but it includes non-Gamble stuff too” folder. Though even that’s not all-inclusive, because it includes a couple of pre-2007 Ray Peacock stand-up clips that I dug up, and a “retrospectives” folder of them both discussing those years post-2014, which, in the interests of honesty, I have subtitled the “celebrity gossip” folder. And I know that after I get back from my trip that’s likely to get broader. I might end up getting into all his post-Peacock & Gamble FUBAR radio stuff. Also I’ve not scratched the surface of his Patreon content. But I still refuse to listen to anyone talk about ghosts.

So that’s what’s going on in my life, in terms of my comedy content journey. I fly to fucking London tomorrow. That doesn’t feel real. I’ve packed some thing. Checked into my flight online. Loaded my phone with a folder of old audio comedy, shows that fit most squarely into my special interests/part of comedy I know the most about, all recordings I've heard before, most of them recordings I've heard multiple times before. Comfort shows. The five albums that David O'Doherty's released, Nish Kumar's 2016 and 2019 stand-up albums, and a selection of Kitson stand-up and radio stuff, mainly from the 00s. Stuff to listen to while traveling that won't activate the "You have to finish listening to this now" part of my brain, because I've heard it plenty before. Stuff that's a fun reminder of why I got so deeply obsessed with the history of 21st-Century Edinburgh Fringe Festival comedy, now that I'm going to go fucking see it.

Oh, have I mentioned that I've added to my schedule? I'm now seeing a Romesh Ranganathan WIP on Sunday evening, the day I arrive (I fly overnight tomorrow). Meaning I've booked comedy for every night that I'm in London - Romesh WIP, Kitson's Collaborator, Brynley Stent's polished 2023 show at the Soho Theatre, Nish Kumar WIP at the Bill Murray because it's not like I'll see Nish Kumar enough other times (I don't actually listen to Pod Save the UK, I have booked into both recordings of it because it's a chance to pay to be in a room with Nish Kumar, in addition to seeing his own show in Edinburgh, in 2022 I drove 8.5 hours to New York City just for a Nish Kumar show and then 2 months later drove 2 hours to Montreal just to see him do the same show I'd already seen, it was totally worth it, you may ask why I don't listen to Pod Save the UK if I want that much Nish Kumar in my life, the answer is I am at max capacity on topical shows and the world is too terrible to add any more), Desiree Burch WIP at ABC. That is a fucking strong lineup. I got very lucky with who's playing while I'm in London. I'm really excited to see Romesh, I've heard some of his recent stuff and it's incredibly funny, to be honest better than I was expecting (not that I'd expected it to be bad, I just hadn't heard his stand-up before and knew he's mostly a TV presenter these days, but it turns out he is very very good at stand-up). I also like the narrative parallel, as Romesh throwing a watermelon on the floor in s01e01 of Taskmaster was the moment, when I first saw it 4.5-ish years ago, that really really hooked me on this stuff. Honestly I was just watching that first Taskmaster episode out of curiosity and I hadn't really "got" it up until that moment, not sure how much longer I would have given it if Romesh Ranganathan hadn't made me absolutely die laughing by going feral on a watermelon. How different my life might be now, if Romesh Ranganathan had not done the funniest thing that's ever been committed to television, which made me 100% sure that I need to watch every episode of that show and also every other thing every person remotely involved in it has ever done. I like that he'll be the first comedian I see when I travel to the UK.

And obviously I've changed around my Edinburgh schedule, since I last posted it and said that was the final one. Added Lou Wall on Monday night, because I'd dropped Greg Larsen (only because I learned I'd get a chance post-Edinburgh to hear his 2024 show, no one should drop Greg Larsen otherwise) and I had to do something to keep up the way I'm using my Edinburgh schedule to prove that there are no straight Australian comedians (Lou Wall, Laura Davis, Tom Ballard, Zoe Coombs Marr, Dan Rath - my schedule is surprisingly heavy on Australians). I moved several things around to be able to see Jin Hao Li, because I got to hear a bit of his stuff this week, immediately fell in love with him and decided I was willing to sacrifice other things (specifically, I sacrificed Susie McCabe for this, hopefully she'll film her show like she did last year so I can still see it), if I can pay to hear him say stuff in a room.

I dropped Kiri Pritchard-McLean, which I found difficult because I've read about her show this year and it looks very interesting, about the foster and social care system (in addition to the fact that I've seen three previous Kiri Pritchard-McLean stand-up hours and they've all been excellent). I know there are confidentiality issues with that show, but presumably she's solved them now since I've read interviews in which she talked about it openly, so hopefully she'll still end up filming it in some form, at some point. I really wanted to see it. But the only time I could see it was a time when it would run into Sophie Duker's show, I'd had it set up so I could try to see both, but realized I won't enjoy either if I'm worried about having no time in between. And I really, really want to see Sophie Duker. So I replaced Kiri with Kanan Gill, a comedian from India who got four stars off Chortle for this show at MICF this year, which doesn't necessarily mean anything (Acaster's Heckler's Welcome got four stars off Chortle last year, which is a 5-star show if I have ever seen one, but Jazz Emu's You Shouldn't Have also got four stars off Chortle, which was... I mean I don't want to be too much of a dick about this and I guess some people like that stuff but my God did I ever find that show annoying), but the actual content of the review made me think that show sounded very interesting. So I'll see how that goes. And he can't run into Sophie Duker's show because he's in the same room as her, right before (not just the same venue, the same room, I checked). And then I realized I could slot Stevie Martin right into another gap, and I like the little bits I've seen her do on other things, and I heard her show is one of those interesting ones of the sort that I should see at a fringe festival, so I'll try it.

I think my Fringe schedule, as it stands now, is more focused on taking chances on smaller names/comedians I don't know quite as much about, as it was in the original version. Which is good, for a fringe festival. Particularly in terms of seeing comedians who do offbeat things that don't really work if you're not live in the room with them (Mat Ewins) - it's good to take the opportunity to see that when I'm over there, and I can hear the more straightforward comedy from home. Hopefully that works out. Hopefully I didn't overbook.

Looking at this is odd, right after finishing Pierre Novellie's book, which contained a chapter on autism burnout that I related to very hard. You know, that thing where you try to do too many things at once, particularly things with a lot of people around and a lot of sensory input, with not enough downtime in between, and then you crash physically and psychologically as a result. I listened to that chapter that described something that's happened to me a lot in my life, and I listened to it while booking this schedule.

I do, cautiously optimistically, think it might be all right. It helps that even though I'll be around a lot of people, I won't be expected to do much actual interacting with people. I'll be in control of what I do, I don't have to follow a group's plan. And, obviously, it helps that it's something I really really really want to do. Autism burnout countered by special interests? I mean, that isn't actually how it works, really, but I like to think it could be.

I do feel like one of those kids in a newspaper article about autism. Like the stereotype that all autistic people are 8-year-old white boys who are obsessed with trains, and then you read an article in a tiny local paper about an 8-year-old white boy who's autistically obsessed with trains, and he got to meet a train conductor and go to a train museum and lost his mind with excitement, and it's sweet and heartwarming in addition to having vaguely weird inspirational stereotype energy. I feel like I've read a lot of articles like that, and I am excited to be a protagonist in one. In terms of autism stereotypes, with this vacation I have booked, I am 8-year-old white boy, and these are my trains.

[pullingstraws]

Things to do instead of eat but you're ✨ old and tired ✨

the other versions of this post are really cute but I can't imagine doing some of that stuff so here's a list for the olds

Read at least 3 pages of the book you're trying to finish. If you're not reading a book, pick a new genre (if you need help I can recommend something, ask me. Get PHYSICAL books so your hands have something to do)

Drink water or some of that non-alcoholic beer you've got sitting around

Listen to a podcast and do your laundry, seriously. It needs doing

Pull out Merlin Bird ID, the birdwatching app, and see what birds you've got around. Drive to a park if you've got to. This is WAY more fun than it sounds

Write something. Could be a journal entry, could be fiction, could be a poem, could be a song - whatever. You do not need to be good at writing to write. Writing is a craft, like learning an instrument or knitting. "Good writers" just do it a lot

Watch/do a free online class from Coursera or something. They can be very fun if you like to learn

The last one? Fucking eat, brother. Sorry. Bamboozled. If you're relying on lists like these you should probably eat something small now to prevent a binge later 🤷🏼‍♀️

[tomoemoonbeam]

Favorites Tag

Rules: Answer and tag 9 people you want to get to know better/catch up with.

tagged by @heradion and @maria021015

Thank you both for the tag! This will be my first time doing anything like this since I'm newer to tumblr. Although I'm going to be breaking the rule of tagging 9 people since most of my mutuals have tagged me or already done this :)

1. Favourite colour?

Changes frequently and depends on what it's for really. For clothes, black. In general been vibing with soft pastels like lilac, ballet pink, baby blue, and deep blue based greens and reds lately.

2. Last Song?

It was But Daddy I Love Him by Taylor Swift when I first read the tags, but by the time I got to writting my post, it was

Just went back into a random hyperfocus of how some songs on 1989 were giving me sterek vibes and then essentially mentally mapped them out into an angst with a happy ending storyline where they go from being in love, to breaking up from poor communication, to getting back together with a happily ever after then made a corresponding playlist on Spotify. The ADHD can not be tamed this late at night.

3. Currently Reading?

Mostly fanfiction at the moment, I'm in a bit of a reading slump for traditionally published books right not, I just don't have the mental capacity to take on new characters and need the guaranteed dopamine from reading about my favourite dorks over and over. Plus, it allows me to choose something in length that fits the time I have available since once I start reading, I normally don't stop until I'm done whatever it is. Who need sleep, right?

I technically have the first Cresent City and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas started but couldn't get super into them and finished rereading Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston since that's an old reliable for enjoyment.

4. Currently Wacthing?

Need to finish watching a few series once I have the time to binge them since I have zero self-control and just won't go to bed until I finish them once I get started. Need to finish Teen Wolf, the rest of season 3 of the Witcher and season 2 of Shadow and Bone.

5. Currently Craving?

New York style chocolate ganache cheesecake with a flourless chocolate torte base from a local restaurant called Gusto's. It's heavenly.

6. Coffee or Tea?

I prefer hot chocolate, but I do occasionally enjoy a fruity herbal tea with honey and lemon(essentially hot juice). Love the smell of coffee but hate the taste, can't do the bitterness.

No pressure tag but if you're interested and haven't done so already!

@plotbunnybreeder

[theobot]

You. You. I need you to understand. I left a comment but that's not enough. I need you to know that "The Worst Goddamn Movies Ever Fucking Made" is the best thing to ever exist. I've never binged a fic so much. It ascended quickly to my new comfort fic. The characterization is impeccable. How dare you drop the raw ass quote "I don't think we need a happy ending. I don't know that we need a sad one. Sometimes it's enough just to have watched some absolute bullshit chaos stupidity, wasted a few hours not thinking about life, and then move the fuck on." Fuck. It's 2023 and you've fundamentally changed my life with a davekat fanfic. Fuck you.

Shit.

I swear to fucking jegus or whatever the fuck that your piece of absolute bullshit chaos stupidity is the best fucking thing I've ever read. I'm not even shitting you. I've never smiled so much at something. My vernacular is forever affected by this. I rue the day I was ever dragged into the abyss of enjoying hs in 2023.

Thank you for writing it.

I've never felt the desire to make a fanfic into a book before (not like, writing one; like, i know how to book bind and i love physical copies of things and it would be neat to have a physical copy). But I'm tempted with yours.

Anyway, uh, now that I've rambled in your ask box, yeah.

Thanks. For making such a good fic. I hope you're doing well.

Thank you so much!! Fight me about it 💕

I do hold to that line. I think there's a space between tooth rotting cliche, tragedy, and bullshit that doesn't make any sense, and i like endings that fit right there in the middle lol

i'm really glad you liked the fic! if you end up making a physical version, please send me pics!! (And if you happen to make a second, i'd happily pay you for it >.>)

[fangirleaconmigo]

Hi again! (This is the same anon from a few days ago who asked about your Geralt meta posts ☺️)

first, thank you so much for putting them all in a post — I will absolutely be binge reading them this weekend!

second, I’m not sure if you’ve maybe already talked about this somewhere and I missed it (if so, sorry!) but do you have any music/songs that you associate with Geralt? I’m just super obsessed with music and I love to hear other people’s thoughts on what music comes to mind for characters. I feel like it can give a really interesting perspective! But of course no pressure at all to answer this if you don’t want to — I just thought I’d ask! 😊

I hope you’re having a lovely day/night/whatever time it is where you are! ☺️

Hi Nonny! Glad you popped back in because I forgot to tell you something....Welcome to the fandom! 😀 We always need the newwww blood. (Chants: one of us, one of us)

I hadn't really thought about this, but since you've asked, I did, and it was fun. I’ve made you a little Geralt of Rivia playlist off the top of my head.

*drumroll pls*

A Geralt of Rivia Playlist that I’ve Made For You Just Now

Friends in Low Places, Garth Brooks.

I’ve Been Everywhere Man, Johnny Cash.

(Ghost) Riders In the Sky, Johnny Cash. Tell me this song doesn’t remind you of The Wild Hunt.

The Rockrose and the Thistle, The Amazing Devil. I wrote a fic about Geralt’s PTSD and this is what I titled it. I sprinkled lyrics from this song throughout the entire thing. (Also, since you are new to the fandom, have you found The Amazing Devil yet? Have you heard the good news?)

Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits. The author of the witcher books took the title of the third full novel 'Baptism of Fire' from this song. (Globally popular superstar authors, they’re just like us fic writers! haha) If you read the series, then go back and read the lyrics, you will cry like a lil baby. 

Highwayman, The Highwaymen.

Under Pressure, by David Bowie and Queen. 

Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Smashing Pumpkins.

She Works Hard for the Money, Donna Summer. 

....and now, for something sillier

Body, Megan Thee Stallion. This one is for the tv (Netflix) version of Geralt specifically. Cavill has the booty and the thighs, and there’s nothing wrong wit it.

Best Friend, Saweetie ft Doja Cat. Picture this song blaring every time Geralt and Jaskier walk into ye old tavern.

This was all off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll think of some other more perfect songs the minute I post and I will curse myself, but eh that is the way it is.

Oh and thank you!! I hope you're having a lovely day/night/wherever it is where you are as well.

[sonwar]

Hellooo! I’ve binge read The Mystery of the Pears for the third time lol and I just wanna say ❤️Remus❤️my beloved, this fic portrays him exactly as I imagine so I was wondering if you could give a bit more information about him in your fic? Like we know he’s a 20 year old but what does he do for a living? What’s his favorite book genre? His favorite color? Just whatever :P anyways hope you have a nice week :)

This is kind of a hard one because Remus is a hard character for me point blank, but also because I feel like I don't necessarily portray him true to canon, but rather a warped version of him sort of skewed by my own perception? Or something, but I'll try my best for you anon <3

Something I did sort of appreciate about canon (if appreciate is the right word) was the fact that it was hard for Remus to find a job, partly because I think it makes sense for the character, and partly because I think it helps reinforce the metaphor of the character, so that's definitely something I carried over to tmotp! It's hard for him to find work, which means he sort of ends up with a lot of time on his hands that he didn't ask for, which is why Dumbledore takes advantage of him and sends him to all sorts of different places as his ear on the underground for the war, or to recruit people or whatever. That's how Sirius ends up in Dartmoor with him at the beginning of the fic (conveniently for me, since I didn't know how James was gonna slip that one by Sirius otherwise..)

But, eventually, after the end of tmotp, I sort of imagined Remus picking up work editing other people's writing, or something akin to that! Something bookish that he could do from home, not only because anything else probably takes up too much energy for him but also because that way he doesn't have to make up excuses about time off and can instead work around deadlines, and something that, because it's Remus, probably wouldn't take up all of his time.

(also, surprise surprise, spoiler spoiler, but I also imagined that, once Harry comes along, James and Regulus enlist Remus to take care of him while the two of them are at work. For Reasons, they don't feel comfortable leaving Harry at a daycare until he's a little older, but Regulus wouldn't trust some random nanny to take care of his baby, and both him and James work. Regulus suggests Narcissa first, but James doesn't budge on that one, so they decide on Remus, since he works from home and he and Sirius are across the street anyway...that's just how I think that would go, but personally I think James should have let Reggie have Narcissa...this is all part of the last instalment in this series, by the by, if I ever get around to finishing it...anyway.)

More miscellaneous(?) tidbits: I always imagine Remus as very tall, definitely the tallest out of the four of them, but also to have terrible posture, because he's tired and achy and his bones pop and creak whenever he stands up, which is why I'm always describing him as "crooked."

I think if he'd had to interact with Regulus under any other circumstances, Remus wouldn't actually care for him very much, but because of James and Sirius, he makes his peace with him. I think the same can be said about Regulus, despite what James' perception of the situation may be. Regulus and Remus sort of end up liking each other eventually. Like, friends by forced proximity, or something. In a way, they're sort of in laws, so, you know.

I also think Remus is snotty about tea. Like, he thinks the tea bags don't taste as well or even the same as loose leaf tea or whatever, and he thinks it's weird that Sirius takes his tea so sweet.

I've seen a lot of people mention him in the comments of tmotp, but I'm not sure that Teddy exists in my version of things...I don't know that I see Remus as a parent, necessarily, and I do resent his canon version for the way he handled things with Tonks. I think he's good with kids as long as he can give them back and doesn't have to be held completely accountable for their upbringing. I don't know if that sounds like a blemish on his character, but I don't mean it that way. Raising kids is hard! It's a huge responsibility and I don't think everyone should be making that choice! That's fine!

I don't know what his favorite book genre is, but I imagine he reads whatever he can get his hands on. Muggle books, magic books, history books, classics, poetry, very suggestive poetry that he hides from Sirius because he thinks Sirius will tease him about it but that Sirius always finds anyway...

I also think he and Sirius are constantly writing to each other. Like, even if Sirius is just at work, they send short notes to each other, when Remus would travel for Order stuff they'd write long letters to each other, they leave scraps of papers with notes or reminders scattered across their home, and they both keep all of them in their own ways, like Remus probably has a shoebox hidden under a bunch of sweaters or something, and Sirius probably has a proper box he keeps tucked away on the highest shelf of their closet. Something like that.

I feel like half of these are my own headcanons and half of this is spoilers for a fic I haven't sat down to write yet, so I'm not sure if it's the sort of thing you wanted, but I hope this is enough for you anon! I'm glad you enjoyed tmotp so much (enough to re read, wow, thank you<3) and that you liked my version of Remus, as far away from canon Remus as he may be. Also, sorry I went on for ages, that warning on my inbox is very real! I hope you’re also having a nice week <3<3<3<3<3

[choicesbookclub]

Welcome to the Choices Book Club! We are currently reading Crimes of Passion II as a group. The book releases a new chapter every Wednesday on the Choices App.

This Week’s Chapter: Chapter Seven—The Drakovian Heir

Question(s) of the Week: 

What TV show(s) would your MC and/or Trystan binge-watch by themselves at 2 AM? What about together?

Pin the Crime on the Thorne Poll Last week you voted for Vasili, who will you vote this week? [Vote Here]

Hit or Miss: Premium Outfit Poll [Vote Here]

What do you think of the new information provided by Olivia? (including Juliana's dossier)

What do you think about PB changing Trystan's middle name? Does it mean something or just another error on their part?

How else to Participate:

Post reactions, screenshots, videos, ramblings, theories,… whatever comes to you while playing

Create drawings, edits, moodboards, fics, headcanons, songs, poems, etc based on the chapters and/or characters

Create a profile page for your detective and/or royal and submit it for the Detectives’ and Royal’s Profile Page

Share your detective and Trystan choices (the pixel versions and/or face claim versions)

Catch up on any of the previous week's questions/prompts

Posts that tag @choicesbookclub and use “#choices book club” will be reblogged here

[Please read the full guide to the event and how to participate here]

[alldrinkingaside]

ADDICTION: "The Disease of Emptiness"​ & RECOVERY: Rule #1: "Do No Self-Harm"​

The Hippocratic Oath is The Promise Doctors Make to Themselves and for Their Patients: "First, Do No Harm."

So now, my Hippocratic Oath for Recovery: Rule #1, "Do No Self-Harm."

Let's Dig Deeper:

The harm I did myself and others, here, got interrupted by the image of a teenager cutting themselves with a razor blade. That's the familiar image of Self-Harm that enters my mind. Arms, legs, wherever. It makes me squeamish. But were my addictions something less than Self-Harm?

Painfully slower, yes, "Suicide on the Installment Plan," as I've heard Addiction called.

Self-Harm cuts far deeper for me. Every cigarette, another nail in my coffin. Every drink drowning me in a sea of alcohol. All addictions, take your pick. Mine, alcohol and cigarettes and really, whatever else was available that night and every night... and day. Blackouts, Binge-drinking. 50,000+++ doses.

Self-Harm but called something else.

Denial disguised my dying.

Under the Influence, Self-Harm would not have come to mind until, finally, Addiction had me feeling that I deserved no better.

I thought I would die with a drink in my hand, but trapped by my addictions, never did thoughts of suicide enter my mind. Emptiness pervaded my very core and the only solution, sadly, it seemed, was more of this brutality anesthetizing me. Oh well, this is what my life had come down to, I thought, in some insane acceptance of what certainly seemed my fate.

The harm I was doing myself over my 30 years of daily drinking cannot be understood as less than addiction's total insanity. These Self-Harms called Drinks existed in that alternate universe of Under the Influence. Once I finally got sober, after multiple relapses, my tremors and Aftershock in Early Recovery seemed to go on indefinitely, echoes of that emptiness.

Under the Influence, before I ever got sober, I couldn't have understood Rule #1, "Do No Self-Harm." A Freedom, a Right, a Lifestyle choice. Continuing to defend a losing proposition. Only after I fully lived in Addiction and its Ultimate Emptiness and slowly transitioned in my Recovery could I understand how the Hippocratic Oath might apply to me, transfigured into Rule #1, "Do No Self-Harm."

Addiction: "The Disease of Emptiness" & Recovery: Rule #1, "Do No Self-Harm"

These thoughts have brought me to a quiet place of contemplation, meditation replacing self-medication. Recovery: Start with No Self-Harm and the emptiness will be replaced by living because I know, how well I know, where emptiness will lead, did lead. Let the glass be empty. Let my life be full. So grateful that I've come this far.

There is no room for me at any Bar.

For me, Rule #1 is "Do No Self-Harm."

After that, Everything Else Will Follow.

There is Nothing Else to Swallow.

*****

This Post is excerpted from my NEW, Non-Fiction, BECOMING UNBROKEN: Reflections on Addiction and Recovery (Find it on Amazon here: https://lnkd.in/dkF767RT

You may also wish to explore my Autobiographical Fiction, ALL DRINKING ASIDE: The Destruction, Deconstruction & Reconstruction of an Alcoholic Animal

(Find it on Amazon. Book it here): https://lnkd.in/esP83n-c

Print and Kindle Versions of Both Books are Available.

7,500+ Recovery Tweets: https://twitter.com/JimAnders4