#TJ is still up for debate

[crowroboros]

would sydney be the boyest of failures if the echo lake incident never happened? (btw personally his pirate and boxing interests were his hyperfixations and also about kicking the fuck out of his dad- pirates dont follow the law and boxers-kick- punch the fuck outta people so he probs fixated on those because he wanted to teach and change his father.)

Alive Sydney AUs are always interesting to think about but a common pitfall I see people take is just not thinking about the full extend of what changes occur and the circumstances surrounding the change. I think we need to first figure out when the timeline splits for our hypothetical scenario. Are we following a timeline in which Sydney just didn't go with the rest of the group to Lake Emma? Are we following a scenario in which Mr. Bronson didn't die the way he did and thus Sydney didn't get possessed by the Samulation? Or is it that in this timeline Mr. Bronson never accidentally killed Sam Ayers? And thus he was never possessed? Cause I think that this will end up greatly impacting how Sydney turns out.

Cause if we're going under the idea that everything up until the Lake Emma incident is the same then I do not see things going well at all for Sydney. It's noted that ever since his father died and during the months leading up to his own death that Sydney would switch between his typical normal self and extreme aggression — implied to be due to the Samulation. If this kept up through his teenage years then I could see Sydney getting into serious trouble because of this. He was said to have caused some physical injuries to his friends during this time period by getting too violent with them when playing around and getting into these aggressive episodes. If this is like Chase's experience with the Samulation then I expect this to end up being thought of as a mental health issue which won't end up getting addressed due to its paranormal origin. And if that happens I wonder if the Samulation's hold on Sydney would worsen and if his aggression and violent tendencies would increase in severity and frequency. And if that happens then I fully expect it to cause issues for Sydney. Flynn's Samulation-induced hallucination at the end of his route is probably the closest thing we have seen to what Sydney would go through if he didn't die then, but even that was based on Flynn's own personal thoughts on what Sydney was like and how he'd turn out.

If we're saying that Mr. Bronson doesn't die on that hunting trip and Sydney never gets possessed then I think that this timeline is more akin to what a lot of Alive Sydney AUs depict, with a generally happier and more healthy dynamic between the group. I think that there is a solid chance that this timeline's Sydney is a goofy boyfailure, yes. Like a Reyn Xenoblade-esque kind of guy. A rambunctious, fun-loving, boyfailure who loves wrestling, ninjas, pirates, who hates his dad and maybe possibly gets into Situations with Flynn and Leo depending on the AU and headcanon about Sydney. I don't think he'll be as happy and as healthy as some depict him, especially with how his father was, but I do think he'd probably be better off than if he was possessed.

Now that last possibility is arguably the most interesting. What happens if Mr. Bronson never accidentally kills Sam? If that happens then it is likely, if not guaranteed, that Mr. Bronson doesn't get possessed by the Samulation. And if that's the case then maybe he doesn't turn out to be such a shitty father. And if what you say about Sydney's interests are true, then would Sydney in this timeline still enjoy those things? Would Sydney even exist at all in this timeline? Cause Sam's death strained Mr. Bronson and Janice's relationship and is part of the reason they split so maybe in this timeline Mr. Bronson and Janice never break up and so Mr. Bronson and Eliza wouldn't get together and have Sydney.

There are so many possibilities with Alive Sydney timelines depending on when things split from the main Echo timeline. I think it'd be cool to see specific instances of what makes these AUs differ from the canon timelines utilized to explore Sydney's character and dynamic with Flynn and the others rather than a vague "Sydney is alive!" sort of AU. Especially with Chase, cause if Chase doesn't get possessed then he never has that more subdued "rock-like" personality that he has in the main game. I wonder how Chase and Sydney would interact if Chase still had his more judgmental and snarky traits like he does as a kid and when the Samulation stops possessing him in Flynn's route.

[mrshapeandmrshifter]

What your favorite Echo character says about you

TJ Hess

You repeat this word everyday "Babyboy must protect, Babyboy must protect" your often protecting your babyboy and babying them even if they are a 25 adult who married and has a kid thier still is your babyboy

Carl Hendricks

You have close relationship with one of your homies you are chill together did a lot of things together and pretty talk about everything together if the two of you are single in your 30s just married each other

Leo Alvarez

You either believe that Leo did nothing wrong and deny every single red flags he has or you just think that red flags are fashionable or quirky you probably have gone on internet fights defending him and his actions mostly about him and Jenna

Jenna BeGay

You admire Girlbosses you support women rights but you especially support women wrongs you want to be dominated by someone stronger than you and probably shorter than you, also you go to internet fight defending her character and debate on who worse between Leo or Jenna

Chase Hunter

You love people who are totally useless, a absolute mess and a complete fuck up if they at least do the dishes it doesn't do it for you. You love the Chunter moment where just randomly insults people like Micha or Julian

Flynn Moore

You absolutely hate what the writers did to him in the end of TJ and his route you and ready to fight God himself to give Flynn a happy ending he deserves. Chances are you have a type for tsudere and you like a lot kinky fuck up shit in bed or you like fishing maybe both

Sydney Bronson

Your either the most straightest gay man ever or the gayest straight man ever either which you like manly things, have a grinder account and wish you could break a twink in half

[risetherivermoon]

because i have a lot of headcanons to do with the kiddads given they are npcs that we dont tend to get much information on, especially in season 2, heres a shit load more! a lot of these are sad because these guys make me sad

- Sparrow starts wearing glasses in Middle School a little after they get back from Faerun, Terry Jr. starts wearing glasses when he gets to his 30's, and Grant started wearing glasses when he was in Elementary school

- When Nicholas starts to remember stuff from the Nick timeline, (basically 'becoming' Nicky if you will) scars he'd gotten from stuff in that timeline start showing up on his body, notably one is a burn scar on one of his hands from him spilling acid on it in s1 ep 34

- Lark has very scarred hands from when he was buried in the rubble in Neverwinter, though his mobility stayed relatively the same because of how quickly the wounds were healed, there was a lot of left behind scar tissue

- Sparrow has a scar across his mouth from when he was latched onto Boreanaz by his teeth when the pyramid fell

- Grant takes video games way too seriously and has in fact made his friends cry over it (Most specifically Sparrow and TJ)

- Terry didn't tell any of the other kiddads how he was going to die, just that he knew how

- Terry also knew Grant was going to be the one to kill him, but he never mentioned it, Grant was very confused on why all of a sudden TJ was becoming distant

- And he found out how he was going to die before he met Veronica, so when he met Scary he almost debated not marrying Veronica, not because he thought it would prevent his death but because he wanted to spare Scary of that pain

- Lark is incredibly confused like half the time (with basically anything) and to cover it up he usually acts stoic and tough

- Nicky is the type of person to do anything if someone phrases it like "bet you wont do *insert thing here*" no matter what it is

- Sparrow has a ton of tattoos that Nicky did for him

- Lark is colorblind but hasn't told anyone because he's too embarrassed to admit it

- For Grant and Marco's one year anniversary the kiddads all got them Titanic themed gifts, (Nicky got them sixteen dvd copies of the movie, they dont own a dvd player)

- Terry was Nicky's best man at his wedding, and Nicky was going to be Terry's best man but the betrayal happened before Terry even met Veronica,

- to add onto the angst none of the kiddads attended the wedding because it was after code purple and after they'd decided not to be involved in eachother's personal lives outside of D.A.D.D.I.E.S.

- to make this at least a little funny Veronica just doesn't think Terry has any friends-

- On the topic of weddings, Lark got so drunk at Sparrow's wedding that for his best man speech he just started reciting the Declaration of Independence (he opened the wrong tab on his phone and didnt notice)

- Grant has claustrophobia (from being inside the chimera)

- Lark used to be way better at pretending to be Sparrow but now he lacks too much spirit and gives up way too quickly for it to be convincing to most people

- Terry Jr. is extremely gullible and is usually the one Nicky would prank and trick the most just because literally everything works on him

- Nicky activated the sprinkler system at D.A.D.D.I.E.S. so much they took it out

- Terry used to talk to Jerry the Whale like he was his therapist

- Nicky would take a bunch of polaroids of the other kiddads all the time, he kept a photo album at his desk at D.A.D.D.I.E.S., it still sits there because none of the kiddads had the heart to clean it out

- Terry had beef with Darryl for a while as a teenager, for literally no reason (it was probably because he still had a lot of emotions and didn't no where to put them so he decided to just hate on his friend's dad)

[thefirst3chapters]

What do you think about how some fans say it would be weird if rory and jess were together because luke and lorelai are now married? Wondering if this could’ve been the actual reason why they didn’t get to end up together as part of gg canon…

This ask arrived at an opportune time because I already had a draft post about this very topic! Lots of rambling ahead:

I really don't think we as the audience are meant to see Luke and Lorelai's marriage as a decisive obstacle for Rory and Jess possibly being together. The main defenses of Literati that I've seen others bring up regarding this concern are that Rory and Jess aren't genetically related and didn't grow up as relatives, and they dated before Luke and Lorelai did. Something else that probably makes being "step-cousins" essentially a non-issue is that there were numerous opportunities for the characters to see this as a problem, but they never did.

Throughout S2/3, Luke supports Rory and Jess's relationship (even enthusiastically so!) while he is pining for Lorelai.

At the end of S4, when Luke has just had the epiphany that he's ready to let Lorelai know how he feels, he eagerly listens to Jess's disastrous "I love you" story and gives him encouraging advice, and Jess witnesses Luke and Lorelai attending Liz and TJ's wedding together and seems happy about it. Neither Luke nor Jess appear to be troubled by the fact that they're both in love with a Gilmore girl.

When Luke and Lorelai start dating, Rory and Jess's previous relationship is never mentioned as an obstacle.

In S6, the infamous Truncheon kiss happens when Luke and Lorelai are engaged to be married, but that doesn't seem to be a concern for Rory and Jess at all, and the scene is completely focused on other problems.

In AYITL, when Luke asks Jess about being "over that," one of them could've said something to the effect of everything working out for the best in this regard if the writers wanted to imply that being step-cousins would impede any chance of a future relationship. Instead of that, though, we get the implication that "it's never over."

There's definitely potential for some awkwardness, but the characters' history suggests that this family link probably wouldn't be that big of a scandal for any of them.

As I've seen other people discuss here, it seems like maybe Rory was never intended to end up with any romantic partner at the end of the show because the central relationship is always Lorelai and Rory's, and the long-planned "last four words" are dialogue that they share and are focused on the "full circle" theme. ASP has expressed some disappointment that audiences focus so much on Rory's romantic life, which perhaps also suggests that the writers didn't want to finish the series with Rory in a relationship. In this Time interview (link) from right before AYITL was released, she said:

The fact that people love them and are excited about them is great. It’s just such a small part of who Rory is. I don’t see people debating “What newspaper is Rory’s working for?” “Did she win a Pulitzer yet?” It’s all about Dean and Jess. Dean was 16 years old when they dated. Everybody should go back and think about their boyfriend at 16 and then reevaluate whether that should be the focus of the conversation.

(That's kind of interesting considering what happens in AYITL. Rory is burned out and grasping at straws professionally, and there's limited mentions of what's been going on with her career in the interim years. Unlike Rory's forgotten boyfriend Paul, who presumably met Rory more recently than her OS boyfriends, Jess and Logan are both key players in the narrative and are both implied to have a significant role in Rory's future, but I digress...)

So anyway, I think there's plenty of hope that Rory and Jess could still end up together even with Luke and Lorelai being married. Thank you for the ask!

[fair-city-inquiries]

Roleplay Information

Randy here, hello!

Okay - this is also out of character but I figured this would be a neat way to introduce not just the roleplay but the character involved with it! So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Wordgirl: What the Future Holds

Lore/Information

The blog technically is an alternate universe nicknamed “What the Future Holds”. In reality, it’s a post-canon universe set after the series finale ‘Rhyme and Reason’. The blog follows title lead, Becky Botsford, who is now in high school as a freshman. The timeline is exactly how it happened in the show, though there might be some differences! Not that it’s entirely necessary to know, to be honest.

This blog is specifically for Becky Botsford, not Wordgirl. What the Future Holds will be focusing on both her time in high school, as well as silly nonsense with headcanons mixed in!

Now, onto information about the character/muse, Becky Botsford!

Becky Botsford

Name: Rebecca Botsford

Nicknames: Becky/Becks (used by friends and/or family), Beckface (coined by Victoria Best), any variant of Becky - Becky Doodles, Beckaroni, etc - (all coined by members of the Botsford family), kid/kiddo (by Dr. Two Brains), dearie/dear/my dear (used by Granny May)

Age: 14 years old!

Birthday: [404.EROR], May 15 (presumed birthday by the Botsford’s)

Allies/Friends: Violet Heaslip, Todd “Scoops” Ming, Rose Franklin, Bob Botsford

Acquaintances: Theodore “Tobey” McAllister III, Victoria Best, Eileen

Enemies: [REDACTED]

Friendly Rivals: Theodore “Tobey” McAllister III

Family Members: [REDACTED], Adoptive - Sally Botsford (Mom), Tim Botsford (Dad), TJ Botsford (Younger Brother), Bob (“pet” monkey)

Backstory

Becky Botsford is the eldest child in the Botsford family. She was taken in and adopted by them when she’d still been a young girl after being found mysteriously in front of their house. An adept reader as she was somehow reading a newspaper while still being very little.

She grew up in Fair City which was rampant with super-villains, although most were stopped by super-heroine Wordgirl. Apparently Wordgirl and Becky have interacted before but of course - that’s as far as it goes. The audience knows otherwise. As a child, Becky attended Woodview Elementary School alongside her best friend, Violet Heaslip, and her first crush Todd “Scoops” Ming. Things were a bit trying with the supervillains in the city, but thankfully - Wordgirl managed to kick butt and send them to jail, and again and again every time they broke out.

Becky would eventually graduate from elementary and middle school. Now the school year has picked up again as she’s exploring her time as a freshman. She’s part of the Debate Team, as well as an honorary member of Book Club (though she also has her moments when she seems to have disappeared-).

Things of course, are about to get very interesting.

Headcanons & Additional Muse Information

⭐️ The Botsford’s are Afro-Latin Americans, much like Becky! Even if she is adopted - she is also Afro-Latina. She’s fluent in both English and Spanish, though who knows maybe she knows other languages~ ;))

⭐️ Becky is an avid reader. Canonically, she’s known for checking out ten books at once from the library! She has a soft spot for light romance-fantasy genres - though she also enjoys crime and mystery thrillers!

⭐️ Her fixation on PPMPPH never went away!

⭐️ Becky is autistic and ADHD, and you cannot convince me otherwise. This is canon now.

⭐️ She’s a bit nervous about juggling [REDACTED] and her high school classes but she’ll be fine. After all, she could handle it in the past… right?

⭐️ Becky and Violet’s friendship strengthened following “Rhyme and Reason”, but it also caused some unfortunate trauma, and that’s all you’re getting for now!

⭐️ She has freckles because I said so

More headcanons will be dropped soon!

If you’re a fellow roleplayer who wishes to interact with the blog, please please - let me know if you want to! 🙏

[ofsupernovcs]

Closed for @fragmcntedsouls

Of course Juri had to ask TJ of all people to deliver flowers. But of course TJ, with a mouth bigger than the state of louisana, fucked it up. Flowers up his ass- TJ really was straight. There were probably a lot more he could have said in that phone call- but dumbass mall cop was enough for today. He'll kick TJ's ass another time.

No he had to focus on Asher Simmons. Asher "hot and cold" Simmons. He swears one moment he says he moved on and the next he says he keeps his books. The witch just remembered healing him that day and leaving promptly. Because he just couldn't bring himself to talk. Hence the flowers because he thought he fucked up.

Juri tried again, this time with Asher's favorite candy, sitting at the doorway. He debated just dropping it at the doorstep and run but he couldn't-because deep down he still cared about Asher. More than TJ, Briggs, and anyone else knew. He knocked on the door bracing for the worse.

"It's me." He said, letting his voice indicate who he was.

[semper-legens]

46. In the Lives of Puppets, TJ Klune

Owned?: No, library Page count: 458 My summary: Victor always knew he was different. The son of an android, raised in the woods with no other humans for company, he grew up tinkering with electronics and rescuing other robots from the scrapyards. But when a new android crosses his path, and a whale-like ship descends from the heavens, Victor must brave the outside world to find his father and understand who he is. He can't be the only human left…can he? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Puppets! TJ Klune is an author who's been on my radar since I read The House in the Cerulean Sea, a cute bit of urban fantasy based around a foster home for magical children. I've been meaning to read more of his fiction, but never quite got around to it until this landed in my lap. In The Lives of Puppets is a take on the Pinnochio story, except a little bit more dystopic and set in a robot apocalypse. It's the kind of fairytale narrative I like - clearly inspired by the source material, but not necessarily a retelling or adaptation, using the base story of the source material to craft a new tale with similar themes. It was really interesting and, despite a few hiccups, an incredibly engaging story that I enjoyed immensely.

Victor is a good character. Broadly heroic, devoted to the people (well, robots) in his life, makes smart decisions but isn't perfect. I did have one quibble, which is how clumsily his asexuality was introduced - Klune is himself asexual, but the narrative really wanted you to know that Victor is too, basically doing the narrative equivalent of turning to camera and telling you directly. It's not bad, it's just a bit fumbling. Otherwise, though, he's an engaging protagonist. What I find interesting about him is that, ultimately, he just wants himself and his family to survive - this isn't a 'save the world' plot, this is a story of a boy who wants to keep those he loves together and safe, even if his mission does end in him helping the world at large as a byproduct. He's moral, but he's also uncompromising about his goal, just a kid who wants his dad back no matter what, and I liked that about him.

This is a really interesting take on the core Pinnochio story. There's a few obvious nods here and there - the robot Authority's logo is a cat and a wolf, the airship is called the Terrible Dogfish and looks like a whale, Victor is helped by the Blue Fairy, that sort of thing. But the core story is different. There is no personification of the idea of conscience (well, sort of - I'll get to it), Victor is the only human in a world of automatons rather than the other way around, and the story is less a curious/impetuous boy learning morality and more a coming of age narrative that's also a struggle for survival. One thing that interests me is that exactly who the Pinocchio figure is can be debated. Sure, there's Victor, grown in a lab by a paternalistic inventor, but there's also Hap, the android Victor fixes and gives a heart to who struggles to find his humanity against his background of being a literal killing machine. In the latter reading, Victor is the Jiminy Cricket figure, giving Hap a sense of morality and pulling him back into humanity - as well as providing a moral centre for the other robots, the sociopathic Nurse Ratched and the neurotic Rambo. It's a nice blend because the narrative doesn't give you a straight answer or a straightforward analogue; it's more interested in telling the story that it's here to tell, which I very much admire.

And the theme of humanity runs deep in this novel. All of the characters bar Victor are robots, but they're still very human. Gio, Victor's dad, began life designing machines to kill humans - HARPs, like Hap - but wound up creating a human life almost as a penance for what he had done. Hap was made to kill, but wants to be something more, something better, after seeing life with Victor and the others. Even Nurse Ratched, who seems to despise all living things albeit in an apathetic kind of way, loves Victor and wants him to be happy, and wants to protect him no matter what. There's some interesting symbolism going on with materials; Hap and Gio have both been repaired using wood, because that's the best Victor and Gio had on hand. Them being part-organic isn't brought up in terms of their morality - like humans, every robot has the ability to be moral, they just don't necessarily do it because of their biases. Even the less moral robots are still people! And it would be so easy to demonise even the murderous robots as inhuman, but no, they're the same as Victor, they're just made of wires and metal. Humanity is what you do, not what you are. A good moral for a Pinocchio story.

Next up…I have no excuses to make. It's more FNaF.

[hamiltrash-thoughts]

I literally just created this blog to write about this like I could've written this anywhere else but wanted to talk about this here anyways

Just imagined (actually, it has been on my mind for the past two days) a song between We Know and Hurricane, and it was like----

It's kind of immediate after Burr, Jefferson and Madison exit Hamilton's office, and he's pacing around while having an internal conflict because he doesn't know if he can trust them and be sure they wouldn't try to use his affair with Maria Reynolds against him and his mind is just racing while he's trying to figure out what to do so the situation won't get out of control and his legacy isn't ruined and-

Who appears out of nowhere? BOOM! JOHN LAURENS

(more like his ghost but you get it)

Like, literally in the same spot where he last appeared, in Laurens' Interlude----

They look at each other, Alex kinda shocked like "Laurens????"

And Laurens like "Hamilton.", stoned face while looking at his friend.

Alex is turning away because "You shouldn't be here, you're supposed to be gone."

And John is trying to call his attention because he knows Alex fucked up but by how stressed his friend looked, he had to help him figure out what to do.

And basically most of the song is both of them debating, Alexander saying that he had to do something to guarantee that his enemies wouldn't share his affair with the public and absolutely destroy his legacy, while Laurens is just there trying to convince Ham to leit it go and to not give attention to them because, fuck it, he knew Alex and he knew that, if he were to do anything, he'd end up fucking up everything even more (at least, thinking like this as if Laurens chilled out after his death — after all, it was his own recklessness that got him killed in the first place).

But Hamilton's mind is just so confused that he just shouts to make Laurens shut up, and yells at him how he wasn't there for him when he needed the most.

Then there's like a little pause then Laurens sings:

L: I trusted you like I didn't trust my own mind

I could've never find anyone as astonishing as your kind

And I've lived for you until the last day of my life

So I won't let you ruin yours the way I ruined mine.

((if you got the hint YES Laurens is singing the same way as Angelica in "Satisfied" when she talks about Eliza: just to give a sort of "hint" to how Laurens felt about Hamilton when he was alive)

And probably it's just that part of the song where everything is a mess — Hamilton, more specifically — and then close to the end it's basically

H: I can't let this go, how could I ever go on?

H/L (at the same time): I can't let it gooo/You could let it goooo

And there's a little pause, they look at each other, and then Laurens says/sings:

L: I have to go...

And just when he turns away to get off the stage, Hamilton calls for him.

H: Wait! John. You're the last friend that I got.

L: Alexander. Do not throw away your shot.

(they quoting each other from Stay Alive----)

And then Laurens goes away and Hurricane starts as Hamilton seems to be having an even bigger existencial crisis.

So, I did have some inspirations, since Hamilton has this really interesting element (which I love a lot) of bringing previous songs' lyrics to new songs, as if to "reinforce" their meanings.

First off, I would like to say that, for the concept of the song, I was inspired by a cut song named "I have this friend". Unfortunately, it never made it past the draft. But the premise is pretty much Hamilton getting anxious about the affair and having told about it to TJ, JM and AB, and so he runs to Washing(dad)ton asking advice for "a friend" of his (himself. Because, haha, what friend are you talking about, Alex? They're either dead or kilometers away from you, the only thing that lasted for you was enemies). Even though I like the song, I guess it was for the better it remained at how it is. Or else, the timeline would've been too messy, since, in the song, Washington is still president, and "We Know" happens after he steps down. Unless Hamilton went to Washington on Mount Vernon, but I think Alex would've been too stubborn to do all this to talk about it to someone else he trusted. But yeah, you see where I came from. Hamilton getting advices from his dead friend/lover. ♡

Obviously, I HAD to put a "Satisfied" reference in this song because you can't tell me Laurens didn't drink his ass off so he could avoid thinking of the fact his lover was getting married and there was nothing he could do. So, making Laurens sing to "Satisfied" can imply that, in that time, he had the same heartbreak Angelica had when Alex married Eliza. So yeah, gay sadness, yay.

Also, I'm very obsessed with the song "Let it Go" (no, not from Frozen. The cut song from Hamilton), just listening to Washington and Eliza sing to prevent Alexander from doing anything stupid... it's a really good song. I wish Lin had kept this song alongside the original version of Schuyler Defeated in the Broadway version, they are awesome, and explain a lot about Burr's situation, alongside his family's. But I suppose they were cut because of the time, which is a shame. If they actually were in the musical, I swear I would've made this a "Let it Go (Reprise)" (since I think it would fit way better if these two songs were part of the musical, since it would be, like I said, a "comeback" to them, especially with Laurens saying "You could let it go" to Hamilton).

And finally, a special mention to the workshop version of Hurricane, which has brought me to tears every time I listened to it!!!! I understand that it was cut because of the time between Hurricane and The Reynolds Pamphlet (rip Anthony Ramos for having to play the dead gay lover and the son of Hamilton at the same time), but it was such a shameee. Just that single line put so much depth into Alex and John's relationship, simply by saying that Laurens would be the single person that could stop Hamilton from doing the greatest shit of his life. That, for me, says enough for itself.

(Yes, Laurens' saying "Or you could let it go" inspired me in the same line as Let it Go, but I had to mention it because no one talks about it and it's frustrating).

As for what I thought for the song itself, sure, I had to think on a reason to WHY Laurens would have appeared just now, but then, what I had in mind basically was: The song, more than anything, represents the internal conflict Hamilton is going through. Laurens would be a metaphor for Hamilton's more logical side, while Hamilton himself represent his emotional, impulsive side (which we know he is A LOT). Again, his logic claiming for himself to calm down and think straight (something he isn't ahem sorry I swear I'll take this seriously), while his intiscts are SCREAMING for him to do something, because he just KNOWS TJ, AB and JM could take advantage of their "secret" at any moment.

Now, you might ask: "Why Laurens?". Then I'll tell you.

In "Hurricane Workshop", Hamilton sings "The friend who would tell me not to do it is in the ground.".

Laurens represents Hamilton's logical side because Ham KNEW Laurens would say to him NOT to do something so stupid. They were way too close, they knew each other better than anyone could ever imagine. Hamilton knew Laurens would be the only person who could convince him to not write the Reynolds Pamphlet. Or, perhaps, the only person he would at least try to talk about the affair (that is, probably when he feels way too insecure about anyone else finding out, so he trusts his best friend to vent about everything that's happening). He sees in Laurens someone he can rely on, someone he could count at any time, his ride or die, his closest friend, or even more than just that. Since Hamilton never gave himself time to grieve his friend's death, he still imagines, wonders, practically wishes to know how things would be if Laurens was there for him. And when he has no one else to turn, he just... wonders what would his dear friend do. What would he tell him? Would he smack him in the head for being so ridiculous? Would he make him laugh it off? Would he take him to drink and celebrate the freedom they conquered (the freedom John never got to experience)? Would he embrace him and tell him everything would be okay? Would he tell him he loved him---?

Hamilton never let himself grieve Laurens' death, so Laurens' ghost (whether literally or psychologically, it's up to you) is haunting him to this day. And in a moment of stress like this, when he has no one else to talk to, he just wishes he had Laurens by his side, so he wouldn't have to go through this alone and, ultimately, do something very stupid. Which, guess what, he DID.

And then there's the fact that even if "Laurens" warned him and tried to guide him, Hamilton STILL thought that the only way to get out of this situation was to write about the affair and publish it himself. So you could say Laurens had failed to advise Hamilton, or rather, Ham had interpreted him wrong. I really can imagine John on the other side looking at Alex after he publishes the Reynolds Pamphlet and thinking: "Okay, I told you to not throw away your shot, AND THEN YOU DECIDED TO DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT I TOLD YOU????"

Now, if it's a metaphor involving Laurens, or if it's really his ghost there, it's just something that the public could get their individual interpretations about (if it was in the show). After all, such a complex thing couldn't be simply explained by only visualization. It'd be funny to see people's theories and them catching references from the song. I know this is not even a thing, and it might sound very cliche, but I really liked it :'D

Someone p l e a s e write this song. Or a fanfiction. Idk I just loved this idea for some reason. Maybe because it has been only recently that I've accepted my love for Lams (I have navigated on the "Lams" tag for the past week and I'm obsessed) and I'm finally back to my Hamilton phase.

Yeah, that's my idea, I guess. I know I rambled a lot, but I couldn't hold myself. I hope y'all like it. And English is not my first language, and I'm sure I wrote something wrong, so please, be kind 😅

[paracosmicat]

12 for Andi Mack! 🏀

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Well you know minor character propaganda is not really needed in this very much still alive fandom, but my answer will stay Kira.

You, ninadove, are only on Mt Rushmore or Less so I will refrain from spoilers but everything that happened with her character was seemingly a meaningless method of adding conflict right at the end and I could have really done without it.

More than anything, I want to know how much Disney had control over her writing. I understand that Disney is known for sniping queer content, but I get the sense that with the final season she could have fought harder to bring it out of subtext and that would have made awkward things like the “so you’d rather do a costume with Cyrus than with me?” seem a lot less…up for debate.

I mean, everyone used homophobia as a reason to literally wish death upon her character and sling horrible insults at her, but I hardly picked up on that double meaning and I strongly doubt the kids did either—even though the LACK OF ANGER AT TJ seemed to imply this.

Kira is super strong and confident and she held a big fat mirror in Buffy’s face to show her how to grow, so we can assume she is capable of embodying all of Buffy’s wonderful traits as well. We’ve seen Amber and TJ both go through entire character arcs and it’s natural to assume given enough time and love she could have become just as beloved as those two.

There was a time when her name was literally dirt on the fandom and I just beg I beg anyone who hasn’t let this go to blame the odd writing choices instead!

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 44 Review

Originally posted April 22nd, 2016

Indulgence abounds.

In my review of “Cell Service,” I mentioned that Cell got most of the best jokes in that episode. That’s certainly true, but it’s also a bit of an understatement; Cell was the funniest and most entertaining character in “Cell Service,” and “Cell Reception” takes his character a step further, still relying on him for the best jokes in the episode while expanding the appeal of his charismatic psychosis.

We get to watch as Cell devours a group of fifties-inspired football players, debates with an imaginary virgin city about his plans to devour her, and tears through that city as his destruction is paralleled by the obnoxious samples and sound effects of the local radio hosts, TJ and The Wombat.1

In each of these scenes, Takahata101 brings an infectious energy to Cell that strikes the perfect balance between disgusting and awe-inspiring, while also arguably keeping him grounded; sure, Cell is on a sociopathic quest for perfection, but he’s also petty and emotional, literally getting into a shouting match with a car horn because he doesn’t want to move out of the way of a bus driver. When combined with Cell’s friendly antagonism towards Piccolo in “Cell Service,” he becomes a genuinely affable character who, sure, indulges in petty violence and disregard for others, but is just choosing to fully indulge in his worst tendencies because, let’s face it, they’re fun to indulge in.

Like the spoiled megalomania of Freeza or the compensating egoism of Vegeta, Cell represents our worst qualities without misrepresenting how enjoyable they are to indulge in, and in this way, Team Four Star channels the spirit of Martin Scorsese, letting us indulge in our worst tendencies without shying away from how ugly they can truly be.

The theme of indulgence carries over to the rest of the scenes too: Vegeta yells at Trunks that he “is the hype” after Trunks attempts to challenge his ego, Tien willingly goads Vegeta’s anger despite his tendencies for violent outburst, and Trunks and Krillin make their own sound effects as they shoot lasers (the only innocent pleasure reveled in during this episode).

Even an unconscious Goku indulges himself in a dream sequence that places him as the protagonist in an imagined One Piece Abridged and Naruto Abridged series, which is both a clever jab at obnoxious fans who’ve demanded Team Four Star abridge those other incredibly popular anime, and a sly condemnation of Goku, who chooses to enjoy this dream despite the pleading of Piccolo Zoro2 to wake up and help them in the battle against the Androids.

The scene still revels in the fun of the dream sequence though, and the only scene that actually questions this indulgence is when Trunks brings up the morality of killing a fetal version of Cell. This question is quickly diffused by Krillin, who dismisses the idea that Cell’s potential rights are worth considering, simply because it means he’ll finally get to kill a legitimate threat.

This is probably still morally the best decision, which Krillin points out in his justification to Trunks, but it ultimately comes down to Krillin’s desire to actually exert some power. And really, given everything Krillin’s had to go through over the course of this series, I can’t blame him for that in the slightest.

Rating: 5/5

If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1I want to say that Cell’s musical motif is expanded when he calls for them to play “Video Killed the Radio Star,” too, but it seems to me that it was selected solely for the irony of Cell killing radio hosts while it plays, as there’s very little thematic relation between the song’s message and Cell’s character.

2This is itself a clever joke too, referencing the shared voice actor the dubs of One Piece and Dragonball Z had in Christopher Sabat, who played both Piccolo and Zoro. What? I know some things about original anime. By osmosis… Okay, I only know this because I overheard a friend mention it once, but still!

Cell: “So, South City is to the North, North City is to the West, and East City is… also to the North.”

Bus Driver: “I am now going to start applying the horn. I am now going to use it again. I will now continue to use the horn until you politely move!”

Tien: “What are you going to become, a mega-Saiyan? Ultra-Saiyan? Maximum Over-Saiyan!”

Krillin: “I’m dropping the pretense; we’re aborting Cell.”

[crowroboros]

!!! Opinions on: chase.

There is a very solid chance that Chase is my favorite character not just in Echo VN, but in any Echo Project work. He might just be. I just think that he is such a boyfailure in all the best ways. He's such a sopping wet man and he captivates me. I've written and rewritten this so many times because it is so hard for me to even explain why (it's also 3am at the time of me writing this. I'll put it in queue when I'm done)

I think back to how characters in-universe (Chase included) say that he's dull or lacks personality, and I've seen people in the fanbase say that too. And I don't know if I agree with that. Though I do think that his personality is subdued thanks to the presence of the Samulation. He's kind of awkward, easy going, a bit of a pushover, and somewhat friendly. He really is a normal guy. His communication skills are non-existent, especially when he was younger, but he does grow over the course of the VN in most routes. And he seems at least somewhat introspective. A lot of his inner monologue is him reflecting on and being ashamed of his past actions.

Let's talk about those actions. Sydney oh boy oh god. I think a lot of people focus on Chase drowning Sydney but don't look at their relationship leading up to that. It's fucking sad all around. Sydney is said to have considered Chase a close friend, which really just....ow, you know? From all the interactions between Chase and Sydney we see in flashbacks, and from Chase's own words toward the end of Flynn's route, I really don't think Chase liked Sydney but I also don't think he hated him either. I see Chase's thoughts about Sydney and I see a kid going way too far with his efforts trying to protect a friend.

Chase said himself that he was a fucking asshole as a child and I believe him fully. He spread around the rumor that Sydney killed his father, manipulated Carl's fear of ghosts to get what he wants, drowned Sydney, etc. But in the ~12 years since Sydney died he really has grown as a person and I think that's part of what makes Chase so captivating to me and why I like him so much. He did several fucked up things. He was a dick when he was younger and in his teenage years. And to see him during the events of the main game, it's kind of remarkable. Even with that change though, he says himself that he fully believes that Sydney was a danger to TJ and to others and that he's glad he's dead. Yet he still feels a lot of guilt for killing him and has repressed those memories enough to where it is debatable that he even remembers that he did it in the routes where it isn't directly brought up. I find his complexity so intriguing especially when layered with the fact that ever since Sydney died, Chase has been possessed and influenced by the Samulation.

This is hard to write haha. Chase has so much going on that it's just so difficult to get my thoughts in working order to talk about him. Uh to put it simply: I'm a massive Chase fan. I really like this otter. He's so interesting in every way, from his thought-process, to this past, to the little tendencies he has. Fucking love this guy. Maybe I'll make a series of posts talking about different aspects of Chase from his relationships with other characters, to the things he does and the decisions he makes cause there is just SO MUCH to talk about with this otter.

[krillest1]

Week 4: Suburban Pastoralism

PREFACE Hello all my dedicated readers. Speaking vaguely, this week has been strange. I was pretty well isolated for the first half, and spent the second half working and being around people. Too much time alone is undoubtedly a bad thing. Still, I find myself shirking more and more. I feel less and less certain around people, and more and more like I'm using them to make myself feel smarter. I am not smart, however, so the interaction inevitably falls apart. Anyway. I had the dubious pleasure of watching the vice-presidential debate this week. I also had the undubious pleasure of starting the New Testament. So, what can I get from smashing these things together?

THE DEBATE I was impressed by the debate this week. I haven't been keeping up with the "conversation" around it, but I found both men pretty convincing, calm, and interesting. Sure, JD Vance might be hiding some pretty gross shit behind his cute blue eyes, but performance-wise the whole thing was enjoyable. There were several points throughout where both parties agreed, and there was a semi-legit back and forth. One point that was quite interesting to me was both sides insisting that we need to build more housing, quickly and cheaply. While I agree that housing needs to be available, I'm a bit skeptical that the current mode is sustainable [I'm disregarding the less-interesting stuff here i.e. immigrants driving up prices and building on federal land]. During the debate Walz had a nice point about living in the same house his whole life, and going back there 'after Christmas mass.' Kind of cheesy, but I get the sentiment. I, however, grew up in the burbs. The burbs, unlike the city, are disparate. There's no 'center' really, though the [absent] city gets close. The idea of a house, or community, gets a bit complicated in the burbs. We, as good and well-read people, know that third places have disappeared. Some of us, as sickos with too much time on their hands, have read NRx etc. explanations of housing and flight [see: Nick Land's 'Dark Enlightenment', racially upsetting but interesting when it comes to things like doughnut housing]. I don't know what percent of new housing in the country is suburban, (I could just google it, but then I might be wrong...) but to move to a place without center is strange, in some ways. To return to the (first) point, the debate focused on housing as a problem (legit), and promoted more construction, without looking at the form our housing/infrastructure takes. America is unique; I'm open to that, and recognize that what works in one place might not work here. Still, how did we get here (and how can I shoe-horn in the bible?)?

THE PASTURE The New Testament is riddled with Pastoral imagery. A shit-ton of the parables focus on cultivation/herding/not 'pure' nature. The lost sheep is a popular one, lots of vineyard talk, people spend a lot of time laboring in fields. Even the lilies of the field, toiling not, feel like they're cultivated or encountered during grazing. They're certainly placed in the context of working (or not working, lazy bastards). The Christian approach, in short, is a pastoral one. We are cultivated, the world is cultivated. Nature is scary, but Christ can quell it and let us traverse it safely. I don't think I'd like to say that Christianity only works in a pastoral setting or whatever, but the language is steeped in it. TJ (known to non-friends as Thomas Jefferson) was also a big fan of pastoral, or at least rural living. He, famously, added a pretty good amount of land to America so we would remain cultivators, and not get caught up in business. America has moved away from that vision (in a lot of ways), but remains Christian and taken by rural/pastoral narratives. People LARP as trad-wife-based-conservative-home-makers, or something. At this point, I should say: I'm really glad I don't have to live and work like this. It's hard and shitty and lame. I do, however, live in the suburbs and I think we can draw a through-line here. Suburbs were (I think) originally places outside of the city set apart for cultivation/grazing/etc. The Levites got the suburbs, or an undue portion, or something, in the old testament. In some ways, the modern suburb is no different. The Christianity-circuit remains strong out here, and the language of cultivation is still somewhat present. People spend less time growing olives, and more time tending to a lawn. No sheep, lots of dogs. You get the (boring, I'm worried) point. The modern suburb keeps the pastoral dream alive, in some ways. In other ways it's a failure. As mentioned above, there's no center. The city has become too yucky [To de-fang Land]. The suburbanite today is, in some ways, more nomadic than those early Christians. They, at least, had some city center they could live in reference towards, and some church body they helped constitute. Now we go to mega churches and avoid the city, cast into the centerless suburb to cultivate ourselves and an image.

DRAWING TO A CLOSE Don't worry, I'm basically done. Both vice-presidential candidates claim to be Christian, and both adopt a policy towards housing that's rooted in the tradition. Still, things have changed materially, and de-centered. On a more personal note, I'm doing alright. I've been working on less self-hatred, as that sets on in a definite (deficient) place, which is ego. It's also not interesting, and I'm basically living for gratitude in knowing and not knowing. Still, I often act like I'm smart when I am not, and I'm not sure how to relate to people when I'm not trying to be interesting/smart. I had a nice chat with someone recently, and they forced me to re-consider my approach in some ways. I'm grateful for that, but it's hard. I also want to quit my job. This week was, like the others, scattered. I kind of just sit down and write these, so I'm thinking some changes are due. First, I'd like to sketch out some argument/direction I'm moving towards. Second, I'd like to get a bit more relief when I write these things (as they are ignored, so I'd like to feel good afterwards), and Third, I'd like to remain not-caring about this project. Love ya, keep up the good work, and vote I guess maybe.

[justatumblinweed]

[Video ID: A TikTok from user @loewhaley depicting a conversation between coworkers about work hours. The video is titled "The coworker who doesn't respect boundaries." This title remains in the center of the shot, highlighted by a blocky white background, and the word "boundaries" is surrounded by sparkle emoji. Below this are the video's captions, in a font about half the size.

The video opens with a shot of the disrespectful coworker, facing left toward a MacBook with a cover in a misty forest pattern. She is light-skinned and slim-built, wearing a dark blue buttoned suit, a pair of grey-rimmed glasses, several gold earrings, and her straight, dark blonde hair in a bun. She speaks in a clipped, businesslike manner, sits stiffly the entire video, and any questions she asks sound more like statements.

(As a note, she is not named in the video, but for the transcript I'll call her Blue Suit, or BS.)

- BS: (sternly) why have you been signing off at 5pm everyday?

The shot cuts over to the same person facing right. She is looking at the same MacBook, has the same piercings, hairstyle, and makeup, and even appears to be at the same table in the same room, but she wears a different outfit and conducts herself differently to show that she is playing a different character. She is wearing a light tan (perhaps nude) leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, and her glasses are pushed up on top of her head. Whether due to lighting or dye, her hair appears to be a dark brown.

Unlike BS, who keeps a straight poker face that comes across as cold, this character is smiling and speaks in a friendlier, but still professional tone. She gestures freely throughout the video.

(Again, this character is not named, so I will refer to her as Tan Jacket, or TJ.)

- TJ: (mildly confused) pardon me?

The camera cuts over again, and continues to do so each time either character responds to the other.

- BS: you stop working at 5 everyday, I can see your status change

- TJ: (confident, but polite) because my workday ends at 5

- BS: no one else signs off so early, I work until 9pm most days

- TJ: Is there a concern with my work hours? did you wanna shift my hours to starts and end a little later?

- BS: I just think being willing to only work 8 hours a day says a lot about your commitment to this company

- TJ: (says nothing, but makes a skeptical face that is translated via asterisks) *wtf in corporate*

- BS: signing off at 5 will have long term consequences, especially when it comes to promotion

- TJ: (starts using the trackpad on the MacBook) do you mind if I start recording this call?

- BS: (slightly alarmed) why would you do that?

- TJ: I want to ensure that there is no confusion on my end when discussing the consequences of me working within my hours (she finishes her sentence with a nod)

- BS: (says nothing, hardening her expression and tightening her jaw, which again is translated via asterisks) *pissed in corporate*

- TJ: (fiddles with the trackpad some more) or would you prefer to send an email outlining the consequences? so I have them on hand for future reference (nods again)

- BS: (says nothing, growing as visibly aggravated as possible while still in the realm of "professional")

- TJ: (smiles, raising her eyebrows in a vaguely challenging way, and grabs a mug from just off camera. The mug is white with the letters "UNT" in large black typeface across it. Together with the curved blank handle, which is about the same height as the lettering, the mug is clearly intended to spell the word "CUNT" towards whoever is facing the drinker, which in this case is BS)

- BS: (back to her usual cold demeanor) no that won't be necessary

- TJ: (smiles widely, knowing she's won the debate, and moves to close the video call) I didn't think so, Toodaloo! (toasts BS with the CUNT mug and clicks out)

The TikTok jingle plays, and the video ends.

/End description.]

[plungelo]

it is day 6 in philly, but the fifth full day. my adjustment has been very pleasant but it has yet to set in that i'm gonna be here in this apartment for another twelve months. when that sets in i hope it's a good feeling and i think it will be.

the first few days were very productive and standard for the earlytimes of a new move: unboxing, refurnituring, and touristing. i spent quality time with ellie and their parents, who i had only met a day before. we got some delicious kbbq and then went to the rocky stairs, where the clouds were going crazy.

ellie and i were both ready to be on our own by the time their parents left, and so we celebrated by watching peppermint candy over at the philly film center. it was beautiful and sad and difficult and good.

i memorized the wifi password despite its auto-generatedness. i've been applying to jobs but every time i do i feel like i'm dropping a day's worth of cover letter/resume work into a black void that will never email me back. plus the captain at the trader joe's that i intended to transfer to was not in and "won't be in for a while" according to the manager i talked to. i talked to the person scanning my groceries and when i asked whether they liked it here they hesitated and said "yeah it's, good." so maybe i should check out the one on arch street instead or just go full throttle with non-TJ's applications.

my room on day one was a mess and it still basically looks like this. i need a desk but now that there's no car i'm debating just chilling without one. our landlord has said nothing about our broken washer since informing us that it was broken on our move in day, so i still have no clean sheets to put on my bed.

yesterday ellie and i explored south street and went to the magic gardens. it was very beautiful and very cool to walk through. i was a bit tired throughout so i got a dirty chai after and ellie and i watched the barista and some guy get into a fight and then went to a cool bookstore. i had the below-pictured spirally, eye-like bit from the magic gardens in my mind the entire rest of the day.

we watched aftersun and connected with ryan the last couple days. a big thing on our minds is safety and making sure we're walking in the right areas of town when we go to and from the house. boston was extremely safe so this is, though dangerously real, an exciting new element of life to get accustomed to. and today we waited for a man who never arrived to look at our gas meter because it's in the basement that we don't have access to.

now all i'm waiting for is some tea that i ordered and an original nintendo DS i got off facebook marketplace. getting it in a legit retro games shop has been a bit of a white whale for me so i just sucked it up and bought it online, but i'm really excited to have a new system with a backlight(!!!) to play all my gameboy games on. plus i beat link's awakening today too so i'm ready to delve into the 2D zeldas from the DS era.

overall it feels really good to be on my own away from what i'm used to. there's always something to do and i'm usually getting it done because i'm unemployed, which is very good for me at the moment. tomorrow i'm seeing didi and probably la haine, yay!

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2024/06/27/5-dreadful-picks/

5 Dreadful picks

In the darkness of the offseason, with training camp almost a month away, let’s take a nightmare walk down memory lane. This is my take on the Packers worst 1st round draft picks since 1980. It’s good fodder for debate, and many fans might offer many counter arguments.

My criteria: • Was the player a true bust, or just not great? • How many good or great players did the Packers pass on to take him? • Did his selection set the franchise back long-term?

Many players were just ok or drafted so late in the 1st it’s hard to judge. Others were victims of great players drafted around them. Others were simply busts.

5- DE Vonnie Holliday 1998

Drafted 19th overall in 1998, Vonnie Holliday was not a bust. In fact, he had a respectable 15-year NFL career. He was a decent starting defensive end in Green Bay but was never great. Two picks later the Minnesota Vikings selected Randy Moss. A few picks after that, Pittsburgh drafted Alan Faneca. It’s not often that 2-Hall of Famers go so late in the 1st round.

The next season Ron Wolf drafted 3-defensive backs mainly to deal with Moss. More importantly, is there any doubt Green Bay would have won another Super Bowl with Brett Favre and Randy Moss in his prime?

4-DT Justin Harrell 2007

The 16th overall pick in 2007, Harrell was Ted Thompson’s worst top pick ever. Harrell brought a special combination of being injury prone and not very good. Darrelle Revis and Greg Olson went later in the 1st.

3-DE Jamal Reynolds 2001

Reynolds was too small and lacked talent. Somehow, then GM Mike Sherman thought Reynolds was worthy of the 10th overall pick. Reynolds is the definition of bust. Additionally, the Packers passed on Reggie Wayne and Steve Hutchinson who went on to be Hall of Famers, as well as Deuce McCallister and Ryan Pickett. To find a worse Packer drafter than Mike Sherman, you’d have to go all the way back to Bart Starr.

2-OT Tony Mandarich 1989

ORG XMIT: MPID5441969 Tony Mandarich, Historical, 9/8/91

Many would rank Mandarich the worst ever Packer draft pick. Not me. The hype machine around Mandarich was made “bigger than life” by a pre-draft SI cover story. Taken 2nd overall in 1989, some experts thought he should have gone first, ahead of Troy Aikman. Were the experts ever more wrong? At the time, those experts said the athletic freak was a generational left tackle. It turns out his hype was built on steroids. It’s bad when you’re a bust, which he was. It’s so much worse when Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders and Steve Atwater are taken after you. Still, I can’t blame the Packers for taking the guy pretty much every NFL team would have taken.

1-QB Rich Campbell 1981

Back when coaches spoke a more freely, offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker said Campbell didn’t have an NFL arm during his rookie camp. Campbell quickly proved him correct. The Campbell pick sealed the Packers into QB purgatory through most of the 1980’s.

According to Packer’s historian Cliff Christl, player personnel director Dick Corrick pleaded with then GM Bart Starr, to take Ronnie Lott.  Would the 49ers 80’s success and the Packers perennial losing have flipped had the Packers taken Lott? We’ll never know.

Honorable mention, taking Alphonso Carreker over Boomer Esiason and Keith Millard in 1984, taking Brent Fulwood ahead of Jerome Brown and Rod Woodson in 1987, taking Kevin King (albeit in the 2nd round) over TJ Watt or Ryan Ramczyk in 2017.

Next up the 5 greatest Packer #1 draft picks since 1980.

[avictimofthejazz]

We were outvoted. (Luca to Street)

@iloveitxwhenaplanxcomestogether

“I know.” Street grumbles, sinking down in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I was positive volunteering to clean the weapon’s locker and the War Wagon would be enough to convince Harrelson to excuse me from this charity event.” Street, generally, is a big fan of charity in its various forms. He always gives money to good causes, and enjoys working on Hondo’s Christmas party for the kids at the hospital. He supports various police charities, even partaking in the Police Olympics when he gets a chance. The only kind of charity event he really cannot abide are the charity galas. A bunch of rich people paying fortunes per ticket just so they can swan around, and pretend they made some difference in the world irks him badly. Sure, the money goes to a good cause—the one in question helps support the wives and families of killed and disabled officers—but he still hates attending these events. Hondo usually has to go because he is the head of not only Olympic Swat, but a central figure in the entire program. Having him in attendance gives the Chief someone to point at when people ask him what SWAT actually does, and if it is worth funding. Harrelson usually needs someone to go with him—another officer to help field questions. Traditionally Deke goes, but this year he claimed his in-laws are in town, and his wife expects him home at reasonable hours. TJ made some excuses involving Susan, and the on-again-off-again wedding, that they are apparently still planning in between breaks. That leaves Dom and Street. Before they can start trying to volunteer the other one as the proverbial sacrificial lamb, Hondo takes the debate out of their hands by announcing that they are both going with him. No amount of pleading, bargaining, and volunteering for extra cleaning duties appears to be moving the Lieutenant this time.

Street shifts a bit lower in his seat, a remarkable feat considering that he is well over six feet tall and a good bit of it is in his legs. Somehow, he finds a place to put them. “I guess our only hope is to both get appendicitis and end up in the hospital. Of course, that would be tricky for me since I had to get mine out when I was in high school…” Biting down on his lower lip, he frowned as he thought. “Do you think the Lieutenant will accept food poisoning as an excuse not to go? Or would he require proof I was actually sick?”