#They set up an ENTIRE WEDDING in 4 hours btw-

[justdrawlynn11]

Heyyyyyyyy- so remember how in this post Eclipse suggested Marriage to convince Sunblock to let him out in Love Potion 2.0?-

Well here are their wedding outfits-

Eclipse already had a suit as a business owner so they only needed to get Sun’s dress, something they got incredibly quickly-

Oh yeah did I forget to mention ALL the events that happen when Sun is affected by the love potion is just quite a bit under 14 hours?-

[kpopmakesmequestionmylifechoices]

Kingdom Round 3: "Plagiarism", rigged voting and fanwars.

[Disclaimer: It is possible that for fans of certain groups I'll come off as offensive. I like each of the groups, I possess albums of TBZ, SF9 & SKZ, and I watched HOURS of content/debut programs of ALL the participating groups. Nevertheless, I will ALWAYS say my honest opinion. If you want to fight me, you're ofc allowed to do so but I hope you're all mature enough to not feel offended by opinions.]

Act 1: Tbz, where do your ideas come from?

So what I've noticed is that there's a massive difference between tbz behind the scenes and other groups'. Not only in this episode. So far, tbz simply DID NOT show how they create ideas, stages, how they practice. They picked a song, fooled around, and then met up with RTK members. It was cute sure, but it had NOTHING to do with the stage. The other groups showed practice scenes, showed their ideation process, showed who taught them and how. The boyz didn't. No practice, no ideation. Only song choice. We didn't see them practicing the choreo, we didn't see how they even got the idea for this stage. Their behind the scenes footage sadly has NOTHING to do with their performance. I really wish we could see them practicing and coming up with ideas.

Another big problem I see with this, is that they literally don't explain where their ideas come from. Now for people who know Game of Thrones (GoT hereafter), it probably appears rather obvious that the previous and also this stage was inspired by GoT, right? The white walkers? Ice and fire? The throne? The freaking red wedding??? I can't be the only one who sees a connection between their stages and GoT. ATEEZ said they were inspired by Pirates of the Carribbean. SF9 said they were inspired by film noir and showed how they worked with an actor on their storyline. iKON explained how they associate inception with dreams and put together their ideas. But TBZ didn't freaking talk about any of this. Either it was never recorded, or it never was aired. In any way, it's extremely suspicious in my eyes. Moreover it's just pretty shit to not say where your idea comes from. Especially not when you even name your stage after the iconic red wedding... Now IF they were NOT inspired by GoT, then it would be some... extremely huge coincidences... especially the stage title is just a bit too much tbh. But more to that stage later.

Edit: It came to my knowledge that according to deobis, Cre.Ker will post the content after Kingdom on tbz social media. Whoever took that decision needs to be fired tbh. If the content will be released, I'll link to it and add some few words to it.

Act 2: The good, the bad, and ... All hail king Juyeon?

Let's talk about the performances now.

SF9: What I dislike is the fact that as I stated in my previous Kingdom post, they are forced to do such dramatic musical/movie stages to even be recognized as part of the show. Moreover, I found it weird and unfitting that they held guns during the group dance parts, to me it seemed a bit off. Also, at times, their energy level seemed a bit low.

What I liked is that even tho it was a MASSIVE set, the performance still was extremely easy to understand and follow. They all looked insanely good tho, SF9 simply is mature and manly. I liked the concept, it was fresh because it for once had no fantasy vibe but actual criminal mafia energy. My favourite parts were Jaeyoon's fighting scenes because they were very well choreographed. Altogether, I really enjoyed it and also found it interesting how they referred to the Boyz crown scenes on RTK.

The Boyz: In my eyes, this is already the second GoT inspired concept they did. Not a fan of this. Moreover, I'm a bit pissed that it looks as if they are selling all that as their own ideas. As I said before, I believe this is GoT inspired, the name at least definitely was - but it's never said that the inspiration comes from there, because we literally have no information about where their ideas come from and if it's even their own ideas. To me it has the bitter aftertaste of wanting to hide sth the viewers aren't supposed to see. But this is not tbz fault but the fault of whoever writes/directs/edits their footage.

With the title of the stage given, I actually thought I'd see a wedding. But what I've seen was a woman in a bird cage. And then many more women. I failed to see what this all had to do with a wedding, and I moreover failed to see the connection to "THE" red wedding. And I failed to understand the plot once again, and because they didn't explain it beforehand, I'll never understand it.

What I liked is that the performance was way less dramatic than it was ever before. It didn't seem like a stunt show anymore, it didn't seem overdramatic anymore. It was easier to focus on the performance. Sadly, I noticed that this "downgraded" (aka slow-paced and less dramatic) stage was unfortunately underwhelming in comparison with what they did before - which was sth I predicted from beginning on. At some point you can't go bigger anymore, and if you tone it down it'll automatically seem underwhelming.

Edit: It's sad that they have this pressure to outperform themselves because they've won RTK. But honestly, it was clear that the winner would have this pressure on them. I don't see why I would pity them for this, after all, each of the groups feel pressured anyways and I rather feel sorry for ALL groups together because this whole ranking/competition thing is just unnecessarily stressful. But once again, I don't understand why you all blame MNET for this. Don't forget that the companies have contracts with MNET and knew that shit would go down. If you blame any bigger instances, then please also the companies who put their idols on the show. It's not like they got forced to make their groups participate.

My biggest criticism this time however is the fact that they give the most screentime to Juyeon (and Sunwoo because of the rap parts), and the rest of the members barely appear, or basically aren't shown at all. I already felt before that there was a strong focus on Juyeon, but now it's srly showing very clearly. I really like Juyeon, but I don't find it fair. I think that doesn't do justice to the other members, which deserve screentime as well. In conclusion, tbz on kingdom is an extreme mess in my eyes, with lots of communication- and management flaws.

iKON: I belong to the group of people who heavily prefers THANXX over inception, so I was a bit sceptical about the song choice. They really made a YG version out of this tho, I was pretty impressed. The stage concept was pretty nice, iKON surely knows how to use light. Now the stage seemed very inspired by Inception (the movie) which makes a lot of sense - but wasn't communicated either. Just mentioning this because I critisized tbz earlier, so I think the same applies here to some degree. I didn't recognize the song anymore tho but I found it pretty refreshing. In my eyes they did the best so far in making another group's song their own. This could have been an iKON song for sure. As always, a fun stage.

My personal ranking will follow after the other stages.

Act 3: About cheating and faking.

The Voting looks as follows:

Views: 1. SKZ 2. iKON 3. ATEEZ 4. BTOB 5. TBZ 6. SF9

Online Voting: 1. SKZ 2. SF9 3. iKON 4. BTOB 5. ATEEZ 6. TBZ

Btw if anyone knows the overall voting, please comment or send a message, because I somehow missed it?

I said it before, and I say it again, this entire voting is rigged and I totally don't care about it anymore at this point because it's absolutely not trustable. Experts didn't know about the budget differences, who even are the experts, why did SF9 get zero on-site votes, and then ofc the fans who created 50 accounts to vote...this voting is a joke. What I can totally not understand is how ATEEZ and TBZ can rank last for online voting. Sth seems off here to me, especially the fact that SF9 ranks last in views but ranks 2nd in votes? I'm sorry to say this but I think that's the result of the ZZZ fanwar. My assumption is that there must be a big mass of people who purposely voted NOT for TBZ & ATEEZ, and my guess is - no offence - that those were stays. In accordance with the fanwar, they didn't give their 2 other votes to the other ZZZ groups but to whatever other group. Or in general the ZZZ fandoms purposely not voting for each other. That would explain extremely well why SF9 could suddenly rank 2nd. I'm tired of this voting, of fanwars and all this drama and I decided to not care about the official voting anymore.

If you got to this point, I wanna let you know that I feel very blessed that you made it through this long post hahaha. Thanks! And for the next week, I expect BIG THINGS. I'm the most excited for BTOB. Them covering back door is the most absurd thing I've imagined for a long time hahahaha. But Eunkwang with tattoos really is a good sight, isn't it ;)?

[yoon-kooks]

The Devil Writes Romance | myg

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, college!AU, fuckboy!AU, fanficwriter!Yoongi

Summary: When you’re assigned to work with Min Yoongi on a final project for your Writing Fiction course, you stumble upon the fuck boy’s secret identity as a sappy fanfic writer. With the heart and soul of an aspiring editor, you’re somehow convinced by the boy himself to help make his fictional romance more realistic and heartfelt. Before you know it, you’ve made a not-so-innocent pinky promise with the devil.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: mentions of sex :-)

A/N: this is basically a pilot that sets up a lot of plot for a potential series so lmk if you like the idea and would continue reading it as a series! also special shoutout to @chewymoustachio​ for the love & support 💖

As spring semester comes to a close, your only goal is to make it through finals week unscathed. Like many of your fellow English majors, most of your finals are extensive papers rather than traditional exams. Normally this would not stress you out, but your Writing Fiction course has thrown a curveball your way: half of your grade is dependent on your partner, Min Yoongi.

Personally, you’ve never been a fan of partner or group projects because you always somehow end up with incompetent teammates who either do a half-assed job or ghost you until the day before it’s due. Either way, you’ve learned and become accustomed to relying only on yourself.

However, as your Writing Fiction class has taught you, a writer’s world is not built upon independence. Rather, it’s built upon the opposite. Writers depend on others for support, feedback, and revision. That’s where your final project comes on.

For your final project, everyone in your class signed up for the role of either a writer or editor, and you’ve been randomly paired up with someone who chose the opposite. It’s no secret to anyone that you dream of becoming an editor in the industry. You love the idea of reviewing other writers’ works and providing them with as much feedback and constructive criticism as possible. Naturally, you signed up to be an editor.

As fate would have it, you find yourself paired with the boy who’s pretty much slept with the entire class, including the TA, and allegedly the professor. The only person left unchecked on his list is you. Somehow, you’ve heard more gossip about his sex life than his skills as a writer, which is why you believe you’re fucked for this final.

“Hey, Partner,” Yoongi catches up with you in the hall after class. His signature cedarwood cologne is too heavy to ignore as he strides beside you. “Are you free tonight?”

“To brainstorm some story ideas?” You tilt your head and add an innocent tone to mask the skepticism. Truthfully, you know what he really wants. It’s not your first rodeo.

“I actually already have a story in mind,” he says. “But I was thinking you and I could-”

“What’s the story about?” Because you’d much rather hear about that than one of Yoongi’s many excuses to get in your pants.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he shrugs as the two of you walk out of the building and into the beaming afternoon sun. You lift an arm to block the light out of your face, only to realize the boy’s shadow blocks it for you. Apparently, there are perks to walking with a buddy after class. “I’ll send you the draft tonight.”

“The professor literally just assigned the project and it’s not due for another week,” you raise an eyebrow. Weird, you’ve never seen a college kid so proactive and eager to get a head start on their final project. Something tells you the boy is just spouting bullshit and telling you what you want to hear. “You don’t have to rush and write all ten thousand words in a single night…”

“Well I don’t have any other plans tonight,” he says. “Unless you want to-”

“Nice try, Yoongi.” You start walking further ahead of the boy. You’re forced to squint as to not be blinded by the sun. “I guess you can have fun writing your story, then.”

“You really know how to play hard to get, Y/N…” Yoongi whines in that raspy voice of his, eliciting the tiniest smirk on your face. You might not approve of his fuck boy tendencies, but you’re also not opposed to teasing him a bit.

“If you really want to impress me, keep your word and send the draft tonight.” You spin around and wave farewell as you battle the sun. “Your editor will be waiting.”

As soon as you arrive home, you realize Yoongi isn’t the only one without any Friday night plans. With nothing to do, a large part of you hopes your partner keeps his promise so you can at least try to be productive over the weekend. But ten thousand words is a lot to write in one night. It’s more than likely that he won’t be able to pull it off.

In an attempt to wind down, you scroll through the blog feeds of your favorite writers. Many of them, such as @suga-fix and @jk-seagull, are college students like you, so you can appreciate all the time and effort they put into their craft on top of their school work. While the fan in you loves to shower them with sweet and supportive messages, the editor in you hopes to one day be able to also provide feedback on a professional level.

At the very top of your feed is a short post from @suga-fix, a romance fanfic writer whom you recently found while scouring the #jiminscenarios tag for something free of smut.

“Does anyone else struggle to ask their crush out or is it just me? Asking for a friend.”

You giggle at the innocent question. In addition to writing the sappiest Jimin fanfics, Suga is known to post snippets of his own nonexistent love life on his blog. From what you understand, he’s a boy who’s never experienced true love firsthand. Recently, however, he’s been gushing over his pretty classmate. You’re waiting for the day when he builds up enough courage and finally lands a date.

Until then, you’re satisfied with reading his ongoing fictional love story featuring the popular idol, Park Jimin, as a struggling romance novelist who finds inspiration in a skeptical wedding photographer. You absolutely adore the story, the characters, and the underlying narrative, but the editor in you can point out an area for improvement: his romance game. 

You notice the two main characters lack a certain level of chemistry to get the readers quaking and itching for more. Most of the time, the intimate scenes end with poor Jimin getting friendzoned, which certainly has its charm and humor. But truthfully, you expect a little more love from a romance fic.

You suspect that, to some extent, this is intentional as the characters are the type to dance around intimacy and have pessimistic views on romance overall. However, you also wouldn’t be surprised if Suga’s own personal inexperience with romantic scenarios is what holds him back the most.

After catching up on your socials, eating dinner, and hopping out of the shower, you sit in the darkness of your room and check one more thing before calling it a night. No email, no text, no draft from your partner. Not that you were actually expecting anything, but it would’ve been nice for the fuck boy to prove you wrong.

To be fair, you know how long and painful ten thousand words can be. If Yoongi is in fact sprinting through those ten thousand words and gets them to you by the time you wake up, you’ll consider him a man of his word.

[4:56AM] Yoongi💋 “I emailed you the thing”

[7:24AM] Y/N “Ooh, I’ll take a look 👁👁”

[7:25AM] Y/N “Btw I don’t appreciate you adding an emoji to your contact info on my phone”

After changing Yoongi’s contact name to something more appropriate, you go into your email and find the story draft that the boy had sent at exactly 4:55AM. The word count on the document says 10,382. Not too shabby, Min Yoongi.

You grab your morning caffeine and crack open your laptop to read your partner’s story on the big screen. Right away, you notice the document is titled “Untitled1” which is never a great sign, but you’re willing to forgive him if its content is stellar.

The first thing that puts a smile on your face is the main character, Jimothy. His name reminds you of your favorite idol, Jimin, with a playful touch. He’s the romance novelist who attends his friend’s wedding where he has a chance encounter with a pretty wedding photographer-

Wait. You’re pretty sure you’ve heard this story before. In fact, you know exactly where it came from. You pull up Suga’s Jimin fic and put it side-by-side against Yoongi’s version. While it’s not exactly a copy-and-paste situation, the romance novelist x wedding photographer premise is too similar for it to be a mere coincidence.

At first glance, you find it funny that Yoongi took the time to reword everything to not be caught by the plagiarism police. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume he did a quick search of Jimin fanfiction and picked one that was moderately popular but not viral enough for anyone to notice. Jimin fanfic just so happens to be your guilty pleasure, so there’s absolutely no way you’d let a plagiarist slip one past you.

But upon further review, after digesting the entirety of the fic, you find that Yoongi’s flow and choice of words are eerily similar to Suga’s style without recycling a single line. Likewise, you notice the same lack of chemistry in both versions of the story. You suppose this can only mean one thing, and you need to confront him about it in person. Because the last thing you want is for him to ghost you like everyone else you’ve ever worked with.

[8:42AM] Y/N “I just finished looking it over”

[8:43AM] Y/N “Wanna get coffee & discuss? ☕️📖”

[8:45AM] Yoongi🐍 “Oh? I thought you weren’t interested in a date with me 🥺”

[8:46AM] Y/N “Let’s meet in about an hour at the coffeehouse on campus?”

[8:46AM] Yoongi🐍 “See ya there, my editor”

As you stir the oat milk into your second dose of caffeine for the morning, you wonder how you can bring up your suspicions in an appropriate and professional way. Should you confront him about it immediately, gently coax him in that direction, or take a more passive approach to see if he’ll mention it on his own? Because if you’re going to be this boy’s editor, you want to do it right.

“Thoughts?” Yoongi enters the chat with slightly damp hair and an iced Americano in hand. Your only thought in that moment is about how fucking good he smells, even in the presence of the rich aromas of your favorite roasted coffee beans. But you’ll leave those thoughts to yourself.

“My first thought was that you sent me a document titled Untitled1,” you say.

“I have a working title,” he assures you. “But I’m curious to hear what clever titles my editor has come up with after reading through the whole thing.”

“Pink Cheek Syndrome sounds appropriate.” Because that’s the title of Suga’s original fic. It’s also the term coined by Jimothy to describe couples who aren’t as in love as they’d like to believe. It’s a facade to fool everyone, including themselves.

“Great minds think alike after all.” Yoongi leans in to give you a high-five, but you just throw a balled up napkin at his palm. Confess. Just confess already.

“Can I ask what inspired the concept?” You bite your lip. “You don’t strike me as the romantic type.”

“Don’t you ever feel like people get into relationships just for the sake of being in a relationship?”

“Yeah.” All the time, in fact.

“It’s pretty shallow if you ask me,” he says with a nonchalant chuckle, as if he’s not the shallowest person on campus when it comes to established relationships. “PCS is just a commentary on people like that vs people like you and me.”

You and him? You’re not sure you have anything in common with someone who breaks hearts and sleeps around so casually.

“Sounds like something a fanfic writer would come up with.” Because it is.

“Sounds like something a fanfic reader would say,” he throws back at you.

“In fact, there’s a Jimin fanfic I read once called Pink Cheek Syndrome,” you say. The dose of coffee moving up Yoongi’s straw suddenly freezes. “You’re the original writer, right?”

He swallows hard and raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“The writing style matches even though you didn’t copy and paste,” you scroll back through Yoongi’s version for reference. “And besides, scrambling to write ten thousand words in one night is typical fanfic writer behavior. A true plagiarist doesn’t know what it means to put those hours in.”

“Nothing gets past your sharp eyes, huh, Y/N…” Yoongi sighs, failing to hide behind his Americano. “I’m equally impressed as I am scared.”

“Wait, so you’re really Suga?” Your eyes widen. Suddenly you’re overcome by a wave of emotions. Excited, nervous, star-struck. But most of all? Confused. “How?”

“Just don’t tell anyone.” He picks up his phone and starts typing away at something.

“I won’t,” you say, also pulling out your phone to check up on the @suga-fix blog. Sure enough, there’s a stream of several new posts from a few seconds ago.

“fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK”

“I feel so exposed 😔”

“Quick, everyone act like this isn’t a fanfic blog.”

“We can pretend to be like a porn blog or smth”

“I can read everything you’re posting, you know.” You show your blog feed to Yoongi, who’s still busy keysmashing. When he finally glances up from his screen to yours, the look on his face is both flattered and distressed.

“You follow me, too?” The boy takes a long sip of his Americano, shifting his beady little eyes and plotting his next move. “What’s your URL?”

“You’re totally going to block me,” you frown. “I already told you, I’m not going to tell anyone…”

As you continue to scroll through Yoongi’s blog, you notice his post is gone from the day before. Perhaps that’s what the boy is desperately trying to hide.

“By the way, is it true that Min Yoongi, resident fuck boy, has a crush on someone?” You get excited because that’s not something you hear everyday. In regards to Yoongi, it’s always been sex, sex, and more sex. He’s notorious around campus for having one-night stands and breaking hearts the morning after. You’d never imagine a boy like him having an innocent crush on anyone.

“Where’d you hear that?” The boy across from you gradually sinks deeper and deeper into his seat every time you open your mouth to expose him further.

“You made a post yesterday about not being able to talk to your crush properly,” you giggle. “It was kind of cute.”

“I was talking about my friend.”

“You can’t fool me, Yoongi. I’m not that oblivious.” You take a sassy sip of your coffee and lean forward. “So who’s your crush? Is it someone in our class?”

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N,” he shoos you away and slides a hard copy of his draft in your direction. “Let’s not get distracted from why we’re really here.”

“Hold it, I’m not just being nosy for the gossip, you know,” you say. “From an editor’s perspective, I think the romance in your story could benefit from you interacting more with your crush.”

For a moment, Yoongi just gives you a look. You can see the wheels spinning in his head. “Well, that person doesn’t seem very interested in me, so…”

“Unrequited love?” you gasp. The plot thickens.

“Yeah,” he chuckles at your enthusiasm. “But you did give me an idea just now.”

You examine his handsome face for a hint of what’s to come. His signature Fuck Boy Smirk tells you he’s up to no good again. “I’m listening.”

“You’re my editor, right?” he asks. You nod. “And your main critique is that I should up my romance game, right?”

You nod again.

“What if you help me make the romance scenes more believable and realistic?” The boy watches as you blink your wide eyes, stunned at his suggestion. You know he doesn’t just mean that from an editorial standpoint. Surely there’s an ulterior motive here. “And before you jump to any conclusions, no, this does not include sex.”

Oh.

You’re reminded that Yoongi doesn’t write smut, despite how much of a fuck boy he is in real life. Because you’re sure he has the capability and personal experience to write some steamy and wild sex scenes. And yet, he chooses to focus on hardcore romance instead, something he himself is much less familiar with. It’s mind-blowing to think that a boy as experienced in bed as Yoongi could be so inexperienced elsewhere.

Why does he write the opposite of how he lives?

“I don’t think that’s how editors work,” you finally respond to Yoongi’s proposal, flipping through his draft and writing in the margins. You have to admit, the boy has a gift. His stories would no doubt skyrocket in popularity if the lovey-dovey scenes could draw out true, raw emotions as though you were there living in those moments. As a reader, you want him to pull at your heartstrings, smash your heart into a million pieces, and slowly put it back together. All of that can be achieved if the writer gets some hands-on experience in the love department. “But I get what you’re saying.”

“So is that a yes or a no?” He sips down the rest of his Americano as you continue to think your decision through.

Given what you know about Yoongi’s track record as a fuck boy, you’re hesitant. But at the same time, the ambitious editor in you knows what you want.

“It’s a yes,” you sigh. “But only if you promise me a few things.”

“Go on.”

“One, you’ll come to me if you’re struggling and need suggestions, advice, or someone to talk to.”

“Easy. You can be my editor-in-chief.”

“Two, if anyone asks, we aren’t dating.”

“Got it.”

“Three, help me study and prepare for the rest of my finals.”

“We can have study dates.”

“And lastly, please don’t sleep with anyone else while we’re doing this thing. Because that would be awkward.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you were the possessive type, Y/N,” he smirks.

“Not trying to be That Controlling Bitch who forbids you from sleeping around, but I think it would defeat the purpose of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

“But what if this goes on for a while?” Yoongi strokes his imaginary Santa beard. “You expect me to practice abstinence forever?”

“It won’t go on forever, Yoongi,” you giggle at the boy’s silly remark. “Because eventually, you’ll find someone who can bring out those romantic feelings better than our faux intimacy ever will.”

“But you’ll still be my editor-in-chief?”

“If everything works out, then I don’t see why not.” You want to be optimistic about a long-term deal, but you can’t seem to rid yourself of the doubt stuck in the back of your mind. Because humans, not just fuck boys like Yoongi, seem to have a hard time keeping their promises. “I only ask that you don’t break my trust.”

Before responding, the boy meets his eyes with yours. You suppose tender eye contact is a skill he acquired from his flirty lifestyle. You, on the other hand, blink away. Eye contact longer than a glance has always made you feel vulnerable.

“I won’t, Y/N,” he says, coating his raspy voice with a layer of honey. It’s almost as intoxicating as his cedarwood cologne, but that’s another thought you’ll keep to yourself.

You watch as he slides his pinky into view, over the draft and coffees to make it official. After cracking a smile at his childish gesture, you wrap your pinky around his, thus marking the beginning of your deal with the devil.

[spookyrobbins]

Another round of Tedzona “who’s most likely to” games, because its v v fun to read! :))

Who’s most likely to :

1.) unironically celebrate friendship-anniversary while the other had no idea wtf is that?

2.) unknowingly offered the other edibles, gotten high together therefore got in trouble with their spouses (this one is way easy, but i wanted to know your headcanons lol)

3.) convince the other of wearing matching superhero and sidekick matching costume on Halloween (which are which?)

4.) throws the other disastrous bachelorette party

5.) proposes a bet to prank Mark Sloan to tears (and who won???)

6.) cause the other’s broken bone(s)

7.) propose a joint anniversaries between both couples so they could all celebrate together

8.) win on couples game night

9.) order a stripper for the other as a prank

10.) got the other in trouble with Bailey

1.) unironically celebrate friendship-anniversary while the other had no idea wtf is that?

controversial, but teddy

she planned a whole day and had gifts and everything because she was positive that it was a big deal to arizona

like they went out for breakfast and went to the spa and went shopping and all this stuff that arizona had mentioned in passing she wanted to do

and then when teddy revealed that it was their friendiversary arizona was just like... okay...? should i buy you a card tomorrow?

2.) unknowingly offered the other edibles, gotten high together therefore got in trouble with their spouses (this one is way easy, but i wanted to know your headcanons lol)

obviously arizona (who btw was wayyy too chill in 14x20, like she knew what was up)

henry came home to find them hanging upside down on the couch watching like blue clues or something and literally fell over laughing

neither one of them could stop laughing bc as soon as one started giggling the other one started too

arizona got wayyy too detailed about her and callie's sex life, which is when callie walked in

henry offered callie one of the brownies and they all had a good time together and ordered an unholy amount of chicken nuggets

3.) convince the other of wearing matching superhero and sidekick matching costume on Halloween (which are which?)

arizona tried to trick teddy into being her sidekick but teddy was having none of that and so arizona had to go as robin

which teddy thought was the epitome of humour bc robbins? robin? get it? get it? arizona got it and pouted for an hour

callie was a huge fan though bc the robin costume had a very short skirt

4.) throws the other disastrous bachelorette party

i'm not saying they killed a stripper, but teddy's post-insurance fraud divorce, pre-real wedding bachelorette party was a disaster start to finish

it started with jell-o shots, then fireball, then tequila and finished with mysterious blue mixed drinks

teddy remembers about 28 minutes of it; arizona remembers none of it and she was supposed to be in charge

at one point, arizona was so drunk she forgot she was married to callie and bailey had to explain to her that she was and would she please stop crying like a toddler

callie kept getting texts from arizona that were like 7 paragraphs about how much she loved her and she was just like babe i'm right here you can just talk to me??

5.) proposes a bet to prank Mark Sloan to tears (and who won???)

teddy proposed it to try and cheer arizona up

callie won the bet

6.) cause the other’s broken bone(s)

it wasn't entirely teddy's fault, but it also wasn't not teddy's fault

arizona, teddy and sofia were baking cookies and somehow ended up throwing flour around and so they needed to clean up and arizona was standing on the counter and teddy thought it would be funny to spray her with water

arizona freaked out and fell off the counter and broke her ankle

teddy proceeded to put sofia in a baby bjorn and arizona on her back and carry them over to the hospital

7.) propose a joint anniversaries between both couples so they could all celebrate together

arizona, she's practical - they like double dates with teddy and henry and they can split the check

8.) win on couples game night

there are no winner on couples game night, only broken friendships

teddy and callie once nearly got into a fist fight over clue (arizona accidentally cheated but didn't tell anyone which set it into motion)

arizona and teddy actually got into a fist fight over monopoly (they were both stealing money from the bank, as arizona put it "that's just how you play" before teddy lunged at her)

callie and henry are the worst people to play scrabble with because they argue every word

arizona gets way too competitive and starts trash talking to like an alarming extent (same energy as leslie knope in the model un episode)

and so now they just go out to dinner or the movies

9.) order a stripper for the other as a prank

teddy was trying to prank arizona but accidentally sent while the colonel and everyone was there for thanksgiving or something (including teddy - who had spent the whole night trying to ask arizona about it)

it was all very uncomfortable and barbara sent the very nice boy (oh yes teddy sent a male stripper) home with two plates of food

arizona refused to speak to teddy for a whole day because she literally could not look her father in the eye

10.) got the other in trouble with Bailey

they constantly get the other in trouble with bailey

it's like a hobby at this point

they go out of their way to get the other in trouble with bailey

they actually had a bet over it at some point

but bailey found out and ruined it

[gayoperatorgunclub]

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME: MontaDoc Edition? Pretty please? Or any MontaDoc content. I crave it. Much 💕

of course!!!!!!! sorry this has taken so long, but i sincerely hope you enjoy it!!! 💝💝💝

General:

Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - for fucking EVER!!!!!! 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - two words: mutual. pining. this period, often referred to as the “Beginning of Operation: T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. (Temporary Employment As Masters of Dad And Dad Sweethearts)” however, unbeknownst to anybody else in rainbow, by the time Operation: T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. had begun, gustave and gilles had already been together for a couple of years. how did they actually get together? about six months after the GIGN joined rainbow, gustave was in the middle of a mountain of paperwork when he heard someone clear their throat. he spun around to scold whoever it was for coming to medbay when they were sick (despite the fact that he was coming down with a nasty cold), only to be greeted with gilles leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. “gustave. you look as though you’re about to meet death for dinner. how can you expect to take care of others when you’re not taking care of yourself?” gustave just sighed and shook his head, muttering something about leaving him be for another couple hours so he could finish his paperwork, but gilles has other ideas. in mere moments, gustave goes from standing over his desk, organizing some files, to being held in gilles’ big strong arms. “wh- gilles! i-” he was cut off by his own yawn, and gilles smiled at him fondly. gustave felt himself blush, and he squirmed a little, but let gilles carry him to the GIGN quarters. as soon as it seemed like gilles was going to leave, gustave pulled him down for a kiss, then pushed their foreheads together and whispered “you’re going to carry me all this way and not even stay to make sure i don’t go back to my office?” gilles just grinned at him, climbing into bed beside him and wrapping his arms around him. 

How was their first kiss? - ROMANTIQUE! and smelling of sickness but what can you do

Wedding:

Who proposed? - monty!! he decided to cook a romantic candlelit dinner at their apartment, and when he sees gustave come home from work, all ragged and exhausted, yet still with a glimmer of determination and subtle joy, he says the first thing that comes to mind: “will you marry me?” gustave froze, his cheeks still rosy and his hair sprinkled with snowflakes. “will i what?” gilles realized his mistake and flushed, stammering a response before gustave was standing in front of him, staring at him scrutinizingly. “gilles.” he started, reaching to intertwine their hands, bring them between their chests, “what did you say?” gilles gulped, then steeled himself and got down on one knee. “gustave kateb. love of my life, light of my days. the man i want to wake up next to every day for the rest of my life. the man who i adore with every fiber of my being. would you do me the honor of being my husband?” 

Who is the best man/men? - for monty: bandit! for doc: lion (everyone but them thought it was a joke until the day of the wedding). dominic and olivier’s dual best man speech is the stuff of legends. there were tears, there was laughter, and there was an almost excessive amount of thinly-veiled sexual innuendos at various people in attendance (including both grooms; the best men were both drunk of their asses) 

Who is the bride’s maid(s)? - they actually fight over who gets to pick twitch! meanwhile rook is in the background like D: (don’t worry, it’s decided that he and twitch will be ring bearer and flower girl respectively) for monty: dokkaebi. for doc: finka 

Who did the most planning? - they both did! though gustave focused on food and flowers, and gilles focused on the guest list and the venue (but they ran things by each other before any final decisions were made)

Who stressed the most? - gilles! he was so worried about their families not getting along that he actually prepared a “leave my husband and his family alone or so help me i will never speak to you again” speech

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - gilles’ racist, homophobic, french nationalist uncle (no one in the family likes him, so it wasn’t a big loss) (this uncle also made a surprise appearance at the family dinner where gilles introduced gustave to the rest of his family, and started yelling about “godamn immigrants” and other such bigotted statements, before gilles’ sister physically dragged him out of the house and threw him out the door. afterwards, up in the guest bedroom, gilles quietly tells gustave that it’s okay if he wants to leave, or break up, or anything, and gustave just laughs and tells him that if he wasn’t prepared for family members to express their distaste, he wouldn’t be dating a white man. he pressed a kiss to gilles’ temple, before whispering “although, he was right about my being an immigrant; it’s just that i was born in Paris and immigrated with my family to algeria, not the other way around. A for effort, though”)

Sex:

Who is on top? - gilles!!!! although gustave will occassionally ride him 👀👀👀

Who is the one to instigate things? - gustave is lowkey horny 24/7, but if gilles walks in on him bending over to get something from a cabinet, or tilting his head all the way back while drinking from his water bottle, thereby showcasing the way his throat moves as he swallows, he will lose his shit 

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - okay i’m gonna change this one to an explanation of some things from below. i personally think doc lowkey a freak, and gilles is happy to oblige him if that’s what his lapin wants (although he’s not entirely sure how he feels about this “overstimulation” and “post-orgasm torture” and “cock & ball torture” stuff. specifically, he’s not sure he likes hurting gustave, but, while he probably won’t admit it out loud, he secretly adores making gustave cry. when he’s so helpless and powerless and mindless, and he’s begging for something, but for what he doesn’t really know. maybe it’s the knowledge that gilles is in complete control, that gustave trusts him to do this, to make him hurt and cry and just melt, the knowlege that gustave is completely reliant on him for his pleasure, his pain, and everything in between. it’s a heady thing, and gilles isn’t sure how he feels about it, but he’s pretty sure the warmth in his chest and the warmth in his gut are good signs 

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - unless they’re doing some of the things mentioned above, or mayhaps some denial 👀👀👀 then yeah, everyone gets the same. they’re very considerate when they’re just doing vanilla 

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children: btw, the rest of this is kinda set in a post-retirement au (idrk i just want them to have a farm and be peaceful). give it whatever context u want tho, i was just havin fun

How many children will they have? - they will have four cats and a dog, as well as 2 horses, a donkey, 5 cows, an alpaca, a rabbit, some ducks, a flock of sheep and goats, and the occasional visit from a herd of deer from the forest surrounding their little farm

How many children will they adopt? - since humans CANNOT, i repeat, CANNOT, give birth to the animals listed above, they’re all adopted

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - no one. the animals potty train themselves

Who is the stricter parent? - gilles sneaks them treats while gustave lectures them about dietary habits, so take your pick 

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - whenever gilles leaves to run errands, one of the goats goes into a depression so deep and miserable that they’re utterly inconsolable until he comes back. once they hear the sound of the car in the driveway, this lil goat, lovingly named “Bastard” by gustave, will climb onto the roof of the house and scream his joy over gilles’ return to the heavens 

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - they tag team on things like feeding the animals and cleaning out the barn, but gustave is much more organized about it

Who is the more loved parent? - the cats, dog, one of the horses, donkey, alpaca, rabbit, goats (except for Bastard), and deer all prefer gustave, though gilles is adequate in the event that gustave is busy with something else (although the alpaca and donkey hate his guts, and will escape their pastures to break into the house and be near gustave. gilles maintains that they’re both devil-spawn, but gustave says he’s just being dramatic and that Thamin (alpaca) and Albalatin (donkey) are complete angels who could do no wrong)

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - animals have NOT unionized. yet. 

Who cried the most at graduation? - idk if this counts, but when Bastard finally figured out how to get himself down from the roof after getting himself onto it, gilles cried for an hour

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - gilles lowkey does whenever thamin and albalatin escape to go out into the world and commit crimes, but only to make sure his husband doesn’t get upset when he finds out his precious creatures are hell beasts. certainly not out of anything resembling tolerance or *shudder* like 

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - gustave, but gilles can make a mean bowl of cereal

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - gustave. gilles will eat something straight from the garden and gustave is like “DID YOU CHECK IF IT WAS RIPE?????? YOU COULD DIE FROM THAT YOU KNOW, THEN WHERE WOULD I BE???” 

Who does the grocery shopping? - gustave. gilles is something of a hermit in their town, and people often remark about the “sweet, kind doctor and his utter brick wall of a husband” 

How often do they bake desserts? - whenever Bastard goes a day without doing something Bastardous 

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - both lowkey prefer salad, since they care for many animals that would often get used for their meat, and they can’t bear to think about hurting any of their babies

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - gilles. the people in town helped him when he burst into the little grocery store all panicked like “I NEED TO MAKE MY HUSBAND A SURPRISE DINNER BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE” 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - gustave. gilles like being at home, but city-boy over here thinks that restaurants are a weekly luxury

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - neither. it was thamin and albalatin, attempting to frame gilles for yet another felony

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - gustave. everything is color coded. sex toys included 

Who is really against chores? - gilles. gustave films him whenever he actually does clean and yells things like “go white boy go!!” and sends them to twitch for her T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. scrapbook 

Who cleans up after the pets? - they both do, but gilles gets stuck with shit duty more often than not

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - gilles, once. gustave walked in, sniffed the air, then glared at him until he actually swept whatever it was up and threw it away 

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - gustave “we can’t have guests over, the house is a mess” kateb

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Bastard. he then proceeded to eat it

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - gustave and his hour-long skincare routine 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - gustave, bc sadiqi the dog (not to be confused with sadiqi the kitten), or Big Sadiqi (kitten sadiqi is Little Sadiqi) is his, gilles, and he will not allow his precious boy to be influenced by such creatures as Bastard 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - they get little sweaters for the animals. that is all

What are their goals for the relationship? - joke: gustave always says “the White Man’s money” despite the fact that his family is richer than gilles’. woke: mutual happiness, comfort, and healing 

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - gustave. after 11 am, thamin and albalatin decide they’ve had enough and break in to lay down on the bed next to him. gilles banishes himself to the couch for a week

Who plays the most pranks? - Bastard, thamin, and albalatin. although gustave did dye the sheep’s wool (while it was still attached to them) different colors and patterns and, for the ones who were perfectly content to sit still and be held, replicas of famous paintings (his favorite artist is monet, in case you forgot that he’s french)

[nooneelsecomesclose17]

If you knew how lonely my life has been - part 4

I’m really unsure about this one, it’s the start of the whys and wherefores and I just hope I’ve managed to make it work. I’m borrowing bits and pieces from canon that I didn’t like btw so yeah...not so much in this chapter but you’ll see ;).

He hadn’t stayed long after that, told her what he knew and collected Seb, leaving her on the phone to Cain. All he had the energy for was to go home and play video games with Seb until bedtime.

Maybe he should’ve told him about Robert but he had no idea where to start. He’d always been honest with him about his Daddy Robert and now he had to undo all of that somehow. It didn’t help that he had no idea how to deal with it himself, let alone how to help a seven year old who still said goodnight to the photo of his Dad beside his bed.

He doesn’t sleep, spends most of the night pacing the kitchen, can’t settle his mind on anything. He’ll have to see Robert, he knows that, but right now he’s not sure he wants to. Not so long ago he would’ve given anything for it but all he can think of now is how he’s been lied to, how hurt he is.

When the banging starts on the door not long after seven he can only sigh. He should’ve known Robert wouldn’t wait.

“What part of give me time don’t you understand?”

“I have to explain. I know you’re angry, but if you hear me out…well, maybe you’ll see I had no choice.”

“There’s always a choice.” He sighs because even now he can’t say no to him. “Seb’s still asleep and I haven’t had chance to talk to him yet. Meet me at the yard in an hour. I’ll get Mum to watch him.”

“I know you said yesterday but…I need to see him too Aaron.” For the first time he can almost see a hint of how much Robert is hurting too.

“We’re going out later, I’ll talk to him after, then if he wants to we’ll arrange something. It’s got to be at his pace Robert.” He can hear Seb moving about upstairs, never one for sleeping late. “You should go.”

“Who was that?” Seb’s on the stairs when he closes the door, hair ruffled from sleep, pyjamas dragging a little on the floor because Nana Chas had bought a size too big again.

“Come and sit with me a minute.” He smiles as Seb climbs up onto his lap, for once not protesting that he’s too old for cuddles. “You know how I’ve told you about your Dad?”

“He died, like Mummy. But I’ve got you!”

“Of course you have. Well…thing is…this probably won’t make much sense bug, but your Dad, he’s alive.” Seb doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even acknowledge he’s heard. Aaron’s never felt so out of his depth before. He has no idea how to do this and it’s not the kind of thing you can look up on the internet like he had in the past when Seb first came back to live with him. “Seb…”

“Do I have to go live with him now?”

“Oh. Um��your Dad and I would have to talk about that, but no one’s going to make you do anything you don’t want, ok?” He’s a bit ashamed that he’d not even thought about Robert wanting Seb back. He didn’t want to think about it.

Seb had been the reason for him to turn himself around and try to get his life back to some sort of normality. He’d known that Robert and Rebecca had sorted out the legal stuff back after the wedding, Robert adamant that Aaron have rights over the little boy in case anything happened. Maybe now he knew why.

“Why did he go away?”

“I don’t know bug, but I’m going to find out. Are you ok to go to Nana’s while I do that?” He holds him close a little bit longer, wondering if Seb really was that ok with everything or if he was going to react more later. “If you want me to stay here instead, I will.”

“You said we were going out!”

“We still can…are you sure?”

“Yeah!"

“Right then. The film doesn’t start until two. I’m not going to miss that am I, hmm? Come on, let’s get dressed and get your stuff.” Seb’s halfway up the stairs before he stops. “What is it?”

“Can I see him?”

“Yeah, of course you can. We need to talk first though.” He forces a smile. “Seb…you know it’s alright if you’re upset or whatever, yeah? You can talk to me.”

“I know. Love you Dad.”

“Love you too bug.”

Robert’s sat on the bonnet of his car when he gets to the scrapyard. He’d feel bad about making him sit outside but he’s still angry. He doesn’t say a word, just unlocks the door, sitting at his desk looking at Robert.

“Well go on then.”

“Aaron…”

“No. You don’t get to use that voice on me. I’m so mad at you. I can’t even find the words.”

“I know, and if I could change it.” He sighs and slumps onto Jimmy’s desk. “This place hasn’t changed much.”

“It’s a portacabin Robert, what were you expecting?”

“I s’pose I thought you might be a little bit pleased to see me.” He doesn’t answer, just watches as Robert runs a hand over his face, noticing his wedding ring for the first time. He can’t deny a little fizz of something at the sight of it and runs his thumb over his own. “I had to leave, I didn’t have a choice.”

“You said that before, but there’s always a choice. You could’ve told me, left a note, anything. Instead you just…I thought you died Robert. Did you think I’d just get over that?”

“No…but you had Chas, and Liv, and everyone. I knew you’d be alright.”

“I wasn’t though. You just don’t get it do you? I needed you! I needed you and you weren’t there. So I don’t want to hear how you thought I’d be ok. All I want is an explanation.”

“I was being threatened. More to the point you were being threatened. Liv, Seb, everyone. It was the only way out.”

“But…we were happy. I would’ve noticed.”

“I’m good at hiding stuff.” He scoffed a little because that couldn’t be further from the truth.   “Ok maybe not, but…like you said we were happy, and I was doing everything I could to keep it that way.”

“Hang on, go back a bit. Who was threatening you? Kim Tate? Lachlan?”

“No. I wouldn’t have done this because of them. I need to…this goes back to before I met you.” He wanders over to the window and Aaron waits him out, knows that’s the best way to get him to talk. “Before I started working for Lawrence even. I’d got myself into debt, and I don’t just mean a few hundred. Thousands. Every time I managed to claw something back from a deal I lost it again. Anyway, you know me, I can blag my way into anything. Found a job, the boss offered to help me get out of debt if I…well let’s just say not much of it was entirely legal. You have to…I’d been on my own since Dad made me leave and those first couple of years were hard Aaron, I would’ve done anything not to end up back there.”

He nods because Robert’s told him about that time before, even reducing himself to tears over it. “So, you were in trouble with the police or…”

“Did I ever tell you how I met Chrissie? I think most people assume I set out to seduce the boss’s daughter, but I didn’t. I met her in a bar one night when I’d just done another one of his jobs. She was nice. Anyway, sorry…I never told her about him, but she thought I was unhappy at work, suggested she talk to her Dad for me. I snapped her hand off. It was a way out of the mess I was in.”

“And he didn’t like you leaving…seems a bit of an extreme reaction?”

“Yeah well you know me, I couldn’t just leave, could I? He’d trusted me a fair bit, I knew a lot of his secrets. So when I got the job with Lawrence, I took what I had and gave it to the police. He got to stay at Her Majesty’s pleasure for a few years.”

“And he took exception to that and when he got out…”

“He came looking for me. He wasn’t going to let it go, I should’ve known that. It’d been that long I thought…well anyway.” He sits again, looks worn out. “So, now you know.”

“Is that it?”

“What else is there?”

“How did he find you? Who is he? And the one I keep coming back to, why didn’t you tell me! Why you thought it was ok to keep all of it from me and let me think you were dead!”

[spaceorphan18]

Finding Kurt Hummel: A Wedding

Masterpost

6x08: A Wedding

It’s kind of fitting that I’m writing this on the weekend that Darren and his lovely long time girlfriend/fiancee Mia are getting married.  It’s also Love, Love, Love week in the TDB rewatch, and I mean Valentine’s Day weekend (but eh I’ve never cared about that.)  

Anyway! ..  Alright guys - we’re here! The culmination of the entire Klaine arc -- right here and...  Alright, let’s be honest, this episode is, well, lacking.  Personally, I think they could have added another hour to the episode - fleshed out the reunion just a tad more, given Blaine’s mom an actual story, and maybe not tie Klaine and Brittana in a nice bow together (personally - Klaine eloping would have been an interesting route).  

But this is Glee.  And it was more interested in being propaganda for gay marriage.  And hey!! I’m totally here for all the gay marriage, and LGTB rights -- yes let’s do that!! But here... they sacrificed organic story for their message, which is mostly why I think this episode is disappointing.  It kind of forgot about the heart of the characters

High-End Barn Wedding

So - we kick off the episode with Wedding Planner!Kurt... so for all of you who wished Kurt had planned his own wedding, well -- he mostly did.  Actually, Artie is supposed to be the one who’s the wedding planner - but what has he really done?  Really? It seems fitting that Kurt would take over the job. 

While I don’t hate this episode (or even feel as disappointed by it) the way some of you do -- there are a few things I am sad we didn’t get with Klaine’s impromptu wedding shenanigans.  I would have loved to have seen some kind of bachelor party shenanigans -- complete with a return of Cooper to crash either Blaine’s or Kurt’s weddings.  I mean - how much fun would that have been?? Not to say that later, Cooper didn’t show up and throw some bachelor parties anyway after they got married. ;) 

So, here’s my first issue with the episode.  Kurt has a whole scene where he tries to calm down Brittany cause she’s freaking out and projecting her anxiety about getting married onto the little details of the barn set up.  (Huh - totally wish we could have seen pre-wedding neurotic Kurt, too.)  Kurt’s calm and collected and gets things going.  

Okay, what frustrates me is that in the script - IN THE SCRIPT - there’s a moment where Brittany lingers on more about Kurt and his called-off wedding, and Kurt gets a little dreamy about the wedding planning, etc, etc -- and honestly, this one section would have fixed, like, 90% of my issues.  See -- narratively speaking - Kurt needs a reason, a catalyst to run off and go see Blaine.  He doesn’t have one in the episode, which makes the whole reunion feel out of nowhere and jarring.  -- Likewise, in Love, Love, Love - the reunion was slightly out of nowhere, but at they at least alluded to it in a few lines and slightly set it up at the end of season 4.  

But this time around, episode 7, being totally Blaine focused doesn’t have room to give Kurt his ‘ah-ha!’ moment.  Which means there’s a link that’s not there.  It was in the script... and then they cut it out.  Why?? I don’t understand.  

So, if they didn’t want to go that dreamy over a wedding thing - they could have also give Brittany the chance to tell Kurt about Blaine and Karofsky splitting up -- which would also be a catalyst and cause Kurt to start running.  Mostly, though, this episode just isn’t well written.  **shrugs** 

Anyway - we get some awkward jokes from Brittany about Kurt’s ‘boyfriend’ being older than his dad.  Which is - ew.  But also I really don’t think Kurt is considering Walter his boyfriend, especially since Kurt just kinda doesn’t even acknowledge the comment.  Meanwhile, to prove this episode is just awkwardly written - there’s a joke in here where Brittany doesn’t know that Burt Hummel is Kurt’s dad.  But the set up is that Kurt calls his dad by his first name -- which he’s never done... ever.  Who would say their parents’ name instead of saying -- hey my dad could help?  

The details of this episode are... just not good, which is truly the unfortunate thing.  

Run, Kurt, Run

So -- without any kind of set-up this scene feels... well... a little awkward, so let’s pretend Kurt has reason to feel that he and Blaine are actually going to the wedding together (there’s nothing missing from the script that sets it up either, btw.)  

Basically - he’s doing the mature thing of telling Walter first that it’s over -- not that there was much to end, honestly.  Obviously, he’s been talking to Walter about the Brittana wedding - enough so that Walter thinks they’re getting tuxes or something, (he’s really kind of assuming here) but Kurt says straight up - no, he’s going with Blaine.  And the subtext here is --- hey it’s been fun, but I’m totally getting back together with my ex -- as if I haven’t talked about him enough, he totally kissed me, like, a week ago, and I came back here to get him, and I think we’re ready to be ‘on’ again, so you’re a nice dude, Walter - but I’m going in the direction I’m supposed to be.  

Walter doesn’t seem shocked or surprised or even hurt that this is all going down.  We get a lovely speech about young love and how Kurt should feel lucky that he gets to be in his youth to experience young (gay) love.  And, I mean.... it’s a nice speech and all, but it feels more like older gay talking to younger gay about how he wishes he could have been wiser in his youth to run towards love.  And an other example where the episode leans in to the idea of ‘gay marriage good’ rather than showing us how it can be good by organically letting these couples have their moments.  Oh show... 

The part I do like about Walter’s speech, however, is the advice he gives Kurt (which is actually similar to Brittany’s only taken in a different direction).  He tells Kurt to go live, get hurt, get back up again, hang on to love, and, well, god I’m going to say it, don’t stop believing.  And it almost feels like this is something that Kurt’s been waiting to hear for a while -- this kid has placed a protective shield around his heart for a long, long, long time now and he’s ready to be fully open with it again.  He’s ready to let Blaine in fully -- and this is the reason I’m fine with the wedding being so soon after the reunion (even if the narrative is super awkward).  

This whole journey from mid-season three to now has been about growing up, and figuring out how to be adults in love, and understanding that being in an adult relationship is different than the fairy tale their relationship started out being.  And I love that concept -- love it! Even if I think how they told it is bumpy, awkward, and lacking a few key moments.  

So -- in a mirror to the scene where Blaine and Karofsky split up (yeah - this “break up” is definitely the same kind of sentiment) Kurt starts running to go find Blaine... 

Alright - so while this little reunion scene is rushed, I do like the urgency of it.  From the moment Kurt runs in the door - he’s all, I love you, I’ve always loved you, I want and need you -- right now.  He’s anxious - because he’s completely being emotionally honest right now -- and that’s not something Kurt really ever does.  Blaine’s a little shocked at this development - but he’s been ready, too, so hey let’s just confirm we’re back together and call it good.  (And yes, they probably had sex right then and there with the door open - because TV logic, but also because they just need to be with each other right now, and the talky stuff can wait until after the physical release.) 

So.  This idea that they get back together without solving their issues... here’s what I want to say about that.  First of all -- Kurt has his one line of -- ‘I know everything was a mess before but now it’s not’.  And, yeah, that does kind of wallpaper over things nicely - but I’ll argue that it’s also true.  They had to work a lot on themselves this time around and they did that (mostly between season 5 and 6, actually).  Kurt -- who sometimes runs away from the emotionally difficult situations (he broke it off with Blaine because he feared emotionally difficult would lead to something that can’t be fixed) has now run back into Blaine’s arms, knowing well that his heart will get bruised in what will be their long relationship -- but like the advice he gave to Blaine last season, it’s about trust, and he trusts himself that it’ll be okay.  

Look - they’re always going to have issues, because every couple does.  They’re always going to have things to work on and work through -- because that’s real.  They aren’t two kids in a fairy tale relationship anymore, they’re two adults understanding what being in an adult relationship really means.  And yeah, Glee could have fleshed this moment out, could have Kurt and/or Blaine explicitly say that - but you know? They really didn’t need to.  

They fixed themselves in the early episodes of this season, the elevator gave them their friendship back, along with the ability to be with each other in an enclosed space, and Transitioning demonstrated that the spark is (as it always was) still there.  So all they had to do was ditch the plot devices boyfriends and commit to each other.  

And I do love this little moment, as Blaine just is like ‘fuck it’ and goes in for the kiss.  While Kurt relaxes into his arms, finally able to reach the goal he set out for himself in the beginning of the season.  My only “issue” with this scene is that they could have let it breath a little longer -- let the kiss be a little longer as they begin to enjoy each other again.  But because this is Glee, and five million things going on, it’s cut away from very quickly.  

American Gothic

So - according to, um, something this cute little moment was just Chris and Darren screwing around.  I’m not gonna meta Klaine and American Gothic (the name of the famous painting in case you didn’t know.)  

Instead - I’ll take a moment to talk about Blaine’s mom.  Again, in the script, more stuff about her -- the reason she’s there was to do Brittana’s make-up (and, you know, be apart of the the mom’s group number).  It’s hinted that Blaine’s dad left her and Cooper says hi.  Geez.  I also think it’s super weird that she hasn’t met Carol -- but did the writers give a shit? Nope, I just feel bad for Gina Gershon who is a lovely actress and they could have done so much with her, but instead do virtually nothing.  I mean she and Blaine don’t even get a scene together.  Ah well.  

This scene is also, well, awkwardly written.  Does Burt not know that they’re back together? (I find that hard to believe.)  The prep work for this scene just don’t make much sense.  Okay -- who was this written by? Hmm staff writer Ross Maxwell who’s been there since season three.  He wrote Dance With Somebody, but also Previously Unaired Christmas and Sweet Dreams.  This was directed by Bradley Beucker who did a lot of the big Klaine episodes, so I can’t even place fault there.  Idk - this episode’s details are just so jarringly off, and there’s enough of them that it does take me out of the story a little bit. 

Alright, so beyond my complaining about awkward set ups.  Kurt gets told for the second time in fifteen minutes that he’s got to squeeze life to the fullest.  You can’t predict what’s gonna happen next -- death, hardship, etc, etc, so live your best life, whatever that might be.  Burt (hilariously) blames his philosophizing on there being a wedding, but Glee’s season 6 meta kick is still firmly here.  

The thing I love about Kurt here though as he listens to his dad (and Carole) ramble on... he’s so happy and relaxed and reflective.  Being together with Blaine again has just put his life back on track again.  He is where he’s supposed to be and for the first time since the season started - he’s smiling and wistful and I love this kind of zen Kurt.  But he’s also paying attention to his dad, too.  This is all obvious set up for Kurt’s decision to get married on the spot, but it’s a nice sentiment, too -- that yeah, take a leap of faith - because you never know how long you’ll have the chance to do so. 

Legit Brittan-emergency

I like the first few seconds of this scene - where they’re just casually chatting about the wedding while holding hands.  They’ve been (nicely) not separated since they got back together, and I like this underlying theme that they want to have close physical contact as much as possible cause they missed quite a lot of that over the summer.  

Anyway - Sue storms in and ruins the moment - and they aren’t playing dumb again! They won’t be getting locked in an elevator in a barn in Indiana so Sue can force them to have sex.  Nope - that’s for the fic writers ;) 

She’s got something else in mind... 

Hey... at least she used the their season 6 (?) promo pics and not the creepy version she had in her hurt locker.  It’s hard to say when Brittany got involved.  I’d say the moment Sue walked in with the tuxes and the stand-ups.  But Brittany claims she had this figured out while planning the wedding - which explains her kinda weird passive-aggressive attitude towards Kurt in the first scene, but since half of it was on the cutting room floor, it’s hard to buy here.  But, you know, Santana’s gonna be okay with it and Brittany stops time with her mind, so you can figure the timeline out yourselfs on that one.  

So, let’s break this down a little, shall we?  After Brittany gets through her rambling about Klaine being role models (sure...) Sue jumps in and continues to break the fourth wall.  Yeah -- she manipulated and kidnapped them, but she is... not us in this instant, but the writers.  Because that’s what writers do -- we torture our characters so that they can have the happy ending we want to give them.  

However, the Doylist view is not a favorite among many, so I’ll say - I’m not excusing Sue for her behavior.  Don’t manipulate and kidnap people... it’s not nice and can be pretty hurtful.  So - no, I’m not condoning Sue’s actions -- just explaining how Sue’s outside the narrative completely at this point.  

I know a lot of people didn’t like this whole idea of Kurt (and Blaine) being what feels like forced to get married.  And I will say this -- no one was forced to get married.  No one was coerced.  And had the script done its job correctly (I mean it tried - within the Walter and Burt speeches respectively) Kurt (and Blaine) being thrown an impromptu wedding would have felt much more organic.  But this is Glee... in a world where real life rules don’t always apply.   

I will say... had Kurt not wanted to - he would have flat out said no.  No one has ever pushed Kurt Hummel around, least of all Sue and Brittany.  In no way, shape, or form did anyone force Kurt to get married.  And I really would like to make that clear -- there’s always a choice.  

So - here’s the thing... Kurt’s mind is spinning.  Things like this, this is crazy.  His entire life, he’s tried to plan out to be perfect, and it’s always kind of blown up in his face.  At the same time, life has always made him struggle, and now he gets the chance to have something nice -- and that’s... unexpected in the least.  

Let’s hear his arguments...  

This is crazy -- because it is.  Who shares their wedding with someone else just for the hell of it? No one - because that is ridiculous. 

He and Blaine just got back together -- but Kurt isn’t that concerned about this part of it, because he does know he and Blaine are forever.  He’s beginning to get giddy with the idea here, but no - logic still prevails. It’s not that he and Blaine just got back together that’s the issue... it’s that Santana wouldn’t let them. But, eh, no, Santana’s gonna let things go cause plot.  

He then says the following... It’s romantic.  Sweet.  And a little weird.  Not -- I hate this idea.  Not, it’s not going to work.  Not, I don’t like these kind of surprises and I feel threatened.  No, he’s smiling and excited and his mind is reeling at the prospect.  He’s trying to be (semi-)logical about this, but his big, romantic heart is winning out.  

Kurt says there’s no possible way they can get married, and looks to Blaine for confirmation... 

Meanwhile, Blaine’s in the background.  He’s a little timid, because he’s the one who never stopped wanting to be married.  His only line is (lamely) about the rings, which Sue has covered.  Honestly, I would have asked about the marriage license, but I’m sure Sue has one of those already forged as well.  

But the thing is - when it comes down to it, Blaine’s ready -- he’s always been ready, and he’s just waiting for Kurt to finally, finally say yes.  We get them holding hands, as Blaine stutters his way through an awkward speech.  And then we cut to commercial....

Ug.  

No really, why did this have to be an act break cliffhanger? Again, this writing! You could have had Blaine give a nice speech about being ready, and just waiting for Kurt and being okay with whatever they choose to do... and then Kurt could say that he does, indeed want to be married to Blaine.  It’d have been a nice romantic moment here that... well, is no left to fanfic writers, I suppose.  I also think it might have helped give Kurt some agency some felt he was lacking in this scene.  

In addition, there is a nice wrap around moment - Kurt says in the series premiere during the break up scene - maybe he doesn’t want to get married.  Now he’s faced with that choice again, and it comes full circle.  Well... maybe in fact, he does... 

I will say... the end of the scene, Kurt’s not scared Blaine will say he wants to get married and he’ll be forced into it.  He wants to see if Blaine really does, because if he does -- Kurt’s given his choice.  He’s scared, but also thrilled, because he could be given a pass to indulge on this huge romantic moment. 

At Last 

The moment Kurt comes on screen, we know his choice has been made, and look how he has this happy-drunk look on his face.  As soon as Blaine said (off screen) that he wants to be married, Kurt probably snapped to and bam! let the romance happy-times begin.  He knows -- based on all his previous experiences - that marriage won’t be an easy thing.  He does.  But now is their time to have a wonderful and lovely start to their marriage (and free!!) why not take this leap? 

Anyway, I kind of love that he gets to walk with Brittany.  They’ve got an interesting history together - and are both special unicorns, and I love that they get this little aisle walking moment together.  

Meanwhile - let’s talk about the song At Last, beautifully sung by Mercedes and Artie.  Klaine’s season 6 story, again being told not in songs that they’ve sung.  This song is very them - and was originally going to be used during their car makeout session back in I Do, but I’m glad they saved it for here.  It does fit Klaine, Brittana, and the whole gay marriage thing nicely.  

Look at this bb waiting for his future husband to walk up the aisle.  Again, I love how happy Kurt is! How relaxed! He even looks younger in this scene, because, c’mon, when’s the last time he’s been /this/ happy??  (Totally, btw, not the face of someone who doesn’t really want to be up there ;)) Kurt Hummel is getting married - and he is fucking excited about every last ounce of it.  

Burt’s Speech = Gay Marriage Good and worth fighting for!!  (I’m so glad they legalized it the summer after this was out) 

I do like that in Burt’s speech, however, he does mention, again, some sentiments he did back in Love, Love, Love -- marriage is freakin’ hard.  But it’s worth it if you keep working at it.  

Oh - which probably brings me to another issue people had.  All season Kurt keeps reiterating that they’re too young to get married.  (And yeah, ngl, they are - and I really didn’t need this in my Klaine story)  But two thoughts on this  

1 - Kurt was holding on to the too young thing as an excuse for the other issues they were having... yeah, he didn’t want Finchel to get married because they were too young, but also definitely not ready.  Kurt’s been through a ton, and at this moment, knows he and Blaine are committed to each other, so why not make it official -- especially since they are gay, and now can get married, it is a big deal.  

2. I’ve talked a lot about Klaine being a fairy tale - and, while I don’t believe the story stops once you get married, and also believe Klaine was spiritually married back in Love, Love, Love, their story remains being framed as a fairy tale, and this is the happy ending, so narratively, it does all make sense. 

The vows.  Yeah, um, okay.  So - my biggest issue here is that they’re all spliced together.  This speech, kind of, doesn’t work - I mean, Santana says she’s been bullied? Really? They’re trying to tie both narratives together and tie that in with the theme of ‘gay marriage good’ and ug, c’mon.  They could have nicely had one couple go and then the other, and it could have been a little more personalized.  But whatever.  

I will say! I think Kurt has the best lines, though.  I love, love that he talks about being someone who always walked in the dark, and that Blaine did not force him into the light, but tore the stuff down that covered the sun.  It’s really a beautiful notion - and one that says just how much Kurt loves, appreciates, and wants Blaine in his life.  He’s always walked on his path on his own, but he doesn’t want to be alone anymore - Blaine is vital to him, and he always wants Blaine there to help him through.  

I also like the sentiment that they’re a work in progress.  It’s a nice nod to the fact that it isn’t the end of the story (while it is mostly for Klaine and absolutely for Brittana).  

(Also - possibly shallow side note - Chris and Darren are just way better actors than Naya and especially Heather, and putting them side by side is a little jarring, too.  Oops.) 

Because touch and holding hands has always been a part of their narrative... 

Old Marrieds... 

Happy Big-Ass Double Gay Wedding! 

Was it everything you ever wanted? Meh, no, but I’ve never been a fan of weddings in general - and nothing was gonna be able to top the proposal anyway.  This is where the whole double wedding with a theme of social progression got in the way - because I think it stripped both couples (a little) of their own personalized story.  But it was fine, and did what it needed to do.  And Klaine got their happily ever after. 

OTP

Yes, Kurt’s face is how I feel about (most of) the rest of the episode.  We could have gotten a nice moment between Blaine and his mom - instead we get a full minute of Brittany’s dad being awkward and weird and unnecessary.  

So, then Santana goes into this whole speech about OTPs.  Omg... I know some people got uncomfortable with the fourth wall breaking in The Hurt Locker (both parts) but here I get a little squicky.  Who uses otp in real life? And Santana has hats, god... 

But, that aside, Kurt’s face is loving and happy when Santana mentions that he and Blaine have found each other - and it’s sweet and nice.  And... omg, you can tell they’re back together again because to the background my lovely couple -- we’re playing by season 3 rules again! 

No, okay my biggest issue -- bigger than the whole they don’t really get a first dance thing - is that they don’t get a moment to reflect -- at all -- about getting married.  And this is kind of a trend -- they get together in Original Song, do they really get to reflect on that? Eh.. not really.  What about their first time in The First Time?? Nope - they don’t speak about sex again for a long, long time.  What about getting engaged??? Eh, not really anything on that -- so I shouldn’t expect anything.  But man - it would have been nice if they had one private moment together just so they can have that one private moment together to revel in the fact that they are married and together-together.  

(so, now we’re to two scenes this episode is missing for Klaine - shoulda been a two hour long episode...) 

Instead of anything meaningful, we’re going to have songs now because we’re contractually obligated at this point to do something in this music-related show.  (god, does this episode shoehorn in the music).  I am kinda laughing at HeYa, though, cause it’s so, so meta.  I’m also incredibly glad there was never a song Called CrissColfer.  

Why didn’t Kurt, Blaine or Santana get to dance during this song though? Boo...At least they’re in the background...?  Oh wait, they do at the end? And Blaine kinda dances with his mom, while Kurt dances with Carol? I mean, it’s kinda cute, but I’m still rolling my eyes a little. 

And then we get more songs! This time the Treble Tones bring up the Moms for - I’m So Excited. I mean, I get it - if you’re gonna have Gloria Estefan on and not have her sing, it’s a bit ridiculous.  But, ngl, I’m a little bored by this one.   And it’s essentially two in a row (though the unnecessary Tina proposes to Mike plot happens in between).  Kurt freaking out over Carole going crazy is kinda cute, but not enough to help the second half of this episode from being bogged down in musical numbers that feel obligatory. 

We close out the reception-of-no-plot with Our Day Will Come.  I like the little intro, where Kurt gets giddy about calling Blaine his ‘husband’.  And it’s a sweet thank you to Brittany and Santana for letting them do the thing.  But..  

Okay, this is where I would have wanted, maybe... a more romantic song, sung by someone else, so that Klaine could slow dance.  That was, like, the one thing I wanted in the second half of the episode, and I didn’t get it.  I am a little sad about it.  But at least they get to sing and look lovingly at each other?  

This song is... fine.  I’m surprised they hadn’t done this particular quartet before.  It’s got a nice 60′s island beach theme going on.  And it’s... again... a gay marriage = good song.  It’s not really about Klaine or Brittana, it’s about gay people getting married.  And - really, I promise, I am so happy that everyone is now able to get married here in the U.S.  I want all the gay rights (and all the rest of the letters, too).   But, c’mon, guys, you can sell that without being explicit -- these characters meant enough to enough people that just by them getting married and having a normal and organic way of things, it would have sold your message just fine without having to hit us over the head again with it.  

There is a little bit of the lyrics I’d like to pull out though... 

Kurt with Blaine: Our dreams have magic Because we'll always stay In love this way

If you’d like to know how the writers think this romance will play out... well, then, there ya go... and the show’s now over, so this is the way they’ll always be in our hearts.  :) 

The Gender Gentle AnderHummels

So, this is perhaps my favorite scene in the episode, and not just because of Kurt in that Kitten sweater.   I think it’s because it’s the only scene in the episode that breathes a little, and allows both couples not to be saddled with the weight of carrying a HUGE MESSAGE of a VERY SPECIAL EPISODE - but about these two couples being themselves.  It’s also the only time we really get to see Married Klaine interacting outside the tiny bit we get in the series finale.  

Sue’s there to give them their honeymoon packages -- (oh Sue, meddling still in their plans...) And it’s okay that you guys only get a weekend versus Britanna’s month in the Bahamas... Brittana doesn’t get any more screen time, and you guys only get your one episode off.  So, there’s that.  

But then we get this little tag at the end (complete with season 2 scoring!) where Klaine and Brittana get a moment to themselves.  I like that Blaine says that he can’t believe they got married, while Kurt is totally not fazed by that at all, and instead is amazed they survived the reception.   (I’m sure the two of them snuck out early)  

But then there’s this moment, where Kurt reaches behind him, automatically, for Blaine’s hand and they both look so, so happy.  There was a big post going around for a while with intensive meta on it about this single moment, and man, I wish I could remember what it said, because it probably summarized it much better than I can.  Beyond the whole hand holding thing -- again, the two are just so comfortable with each other - having found each other, and having made a life long commitment.  

And, here’s why I think getting married wasn’t such a bad thing for this narrative.  The ring is a symbol.  And that somewhat toxic downward cycle the two of them can get into now gets reversed.  Blaine is secure in his relationship, and of being loved, as well as being able to be out on his own, not relying on Kurt entirely, and because of that, he doesn’t get clingy or insecure, which in turn gives Kurt the breathing room he needs, and when Kurt is feeling not closed in, he becomes affectionate and open and will continue to reach for Blaine’s hand, and marriage is a reminder (to both) that they have to keep on working because they’ve made the commitment.  (This was a horribly worded paragraph, sorry)  

But my point is - they are now secure as individuals and secure in their relationship, and while, yes, I needed a few more scenes to flesh out and have the story make full sense, I’m happy to have this last scene that kind of encompasses everything together and puts the nice bow on it.  They are both so, so happy and relaxed and in love in this scene, and it’s amazing because of it.  

And yes - Brittany will probably call them on their anniversary every year (I kinda love the meta of that -- that Klaine and Brittana are always tied together now), but they’ll probably only see each other once every five-ish years or so.  Their lives will go on and they’ll grow up further and away from each other.  But, their love is all tied up together, and it’s a happy moment for both couples.  

So yeah, that’s the wedding episode! It feels... slightly anticlimactic for as big as the series long story was -- but you know, even with all the scenes I’d have wanted in it, I’m not sure if it’d ever had been fully satisfying.   And, you know, it’s true what they say about it being about the journey not just the ending.  But, you know, they still got married, and the story still is something we’re talking about, and I still love that it kind of marries the idea of the fairy tale with a real relationship.   

And, I’m a little sorry this is the end for Brittana, because it does feel, in a lot of ways, like a penultimate episode.  Brittana is now done (which is another reason I think they got the bulk of the episode) but Klaine’s story has room for a little more in the final episodes - and I’m glad they get to have their nice little coda.  

[welpyoun]

New Thoughts On The Sense8 Finale, aka The More I Think About It The Less I Like It

This is a very long text that probably nobody is gonna read, but its 2 am here and I felt like posting it anyways. Also, if you're happy about the episode anddont want to ruin that vibe, pls dont read it. That’s by no means my intent.

And, obviously, SPOILERS

First of all, I’d like to explain the reason why I liked Sense8 so much in the first place, to the point where it became by far my favourite show, was the compelling characters and their connection with each other. Each of them was so different from the other and had their own problems and dilemmas that they couldn’t overcome by themselves. Their connection allowed them to learn from each other and help each other to overcome these problems, with each different personality and background adding something new to the other’s lives.  Perhaps the Homo Sensorium explanation and the BPO hunting them down were necessary for some more plot unity and contextualization (tbh I couldn’t care less about those plot points, but I get their role in the story as a whole), but the core of the show was the characters and their connection.  Tl;dr, what mattered was the characters and the connection itself, not what it was or how it happened.

Now, let’s go back to the episode at hand.

 Back when the show started, it was planned to be four or five seasons long. After the abrupt cancellation and subsequent announcement of the special, Lana Wachowski had to compress those remaining two or three seasons into a two-and-a-half-hour long episode, which is a huge challenge all on itself. The problem is that I don’t think she succeeded. There were too many subplots and too little time to develop each one of them, which meant that they either lost much of their impact or were too confusing to be understood.

For example:

a) There were two Ocean’s 11 style heists/rescues (Wolfgang’s rescue and Whisper’s capture) that happened one right after the other, complete with car chases and  narrow escapes from BPO agents. I mean, come on guys, two heists? Wolfgang’s rescue was exciting, but by the time they got to the second one, I had already lost interest. Those were clearly supposed to be set seasons apart, but were hastily squeezed together. Btw, that part where all the secondary characters were injured one after the other looked so forced and predictable. Felix was shot but we KNEW he was gonna make it, and by the time the scene cut to Mun it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. And wtf was Kala’s scene??? At first I genuinely thought she might die, but then Wolfgang embraces her as if she’s dead and DOESN’T EVEN CHECK FOR A PULSE!!! WOLFGANG!! THE MAN WHO’S FAMILY WAS IN THE GERMAN MAFIA, AND WHO HAS PROBABLY SEEN MORE GUNSHOT WOUNDS THAN HE CAN COUNT!!!! SHE HAD TO LITERALLY TELL HIM, WHILE SHE WAS DYING, TO FUCKING HET HIS SHIT TOGETHER  AND DO THE LOGICAL THING THAT IS CHECKING IF SHE’S ACTUALLY DEAD!!!

2) They introduced a whole new villain, the Chairman, who I assume was supposed to be a Wispers level threat, but as he gets very little build up and almost no screen time, the effect was completely lost. His name is mentioned a couple of times and he gets one menacing scene with Wolfgang, and that’s barely it. And then they try to make the reveal of his identity as a big plot twist, but the reaction I got when he took off his mask was “who the fuck was he again?” I think this was also supposed to be another one of those things developed in a whole season, with the big revelation as the shocking finale. But since we barely knew who he was and Angelica’s plan was being revealed almost simultaneously with his identity, that shock effect was lost.

3) Dr. El-Saadawi’s daughter showed up almost out of nowhere and acted as a Deus Ex-machina with, again, barely any build up. The subsequent chase was also very confusing, I mean, Mr. Hoy was about to be captured when that old lady that I didn’t even remember existed showed up out of nowhere to give him the blocker and tell him not to give up??? And when we see him again he’s completely fine??? And offers no explanation to wtf happened to him??

4) What was Lila’s plan?? She killed the Chairman’s proxy and kidnapped Whispers only to deliver him to the Chairman herself?? Why?? What did she gain by that??

5) I don’t even know what to say about the Sanctuary thing, or whatever that’s called. You caN’T INTRODUCE SOME WEIRD SHIT OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A HALF-ASS EXPLANATION, LANA. THAT’S NOT HOW STORIES WORK.

 In the end, there was barely any time to cover all of this, much less to focus on the characters and the relationships, which, again, were the core of the show.

Both Capheus’s and Lito’s stories were barely even mentioned at all. Sun’s story got the same treatment, with the exception of her romance with Det. Mun, which, btw, was one of the only things that I actually liked about the episode.

And Wolfgang, with that fUCKING BOMB dropped about his past, that was BARELY DISCUSSED AT ALL, I mean, THAT’S SOME MAJOR SHIT, YOU CAN’T PUT THAT THERE IF YOU’RE NOT GONNA DEDICATE AT LEAST AN ENTIRE EPISODE TO THAT ALONE. And yeah, I know that’s not possible, but if you’re not gonna do it right then DON’T DO IT AT ALL. “Hey, btw, Wolfgang’s dad was an incestuous monster and his wife was actually his daughter so Wolfgang’s his sister’s son, but now let’s get back to two hours of rescue plans”. JUST. NO.

And what about Kala? Whose main dilemma was that she didn’t actually love her husband? Like, her narrative was built around the fact that she was marrying out of duty to a man that, even though she logically knew would be the perfect husband; she couldn’t bring herself to love. Last episode she was relieved that circumstances had separated them and was making plans to move in with the guy she actually loved, but now suddenly she’s looking at Rajan lovingly and calling him “my husband” and the three of them are gonna be together forever????? Hmmm, excuse me, Lana, I think I missed something bc this made no FUCKING SENSE???

So, in the end, the episode was basically two seasons compressed into two hours, and that made it completely lose it’s effect. I mean, if she knew she was going to have such a short ending, why did she introduce so many things?? Imo, it would’ve been so much better if she had just simplified the plot and given proper closure to the character’s stories, that were the core of the show in the first place.

(I’ll give it that though: the wedding was absolutely beautiful and Nomi and Amanita’s story had a perfect ending)

[yeonchi]

Kisekae Insights #3: Series Overview (Classic, New and 50th Anniversary Series)

For an imaginary project developed over at least a decade, there’s an ungodly number of series and episodes in it compared to the actual BBC Doctor Who. Even with Doctor Who alone, 17 series were broadcast over six years with 12 being broadcast over the space of three years. Let’s take a deep look into each series.

For the purposes of this project, my main focus is on the Fifth Doctor’s episodes, but I will talk briefly about the other four Doctors as well. In case you haven’t been following this series, everything I talk about will be in the context of this project. I’m bolding it because I don’t want to have to keep explaining this when asked.

Before the Fifth

1999 to 2007 was the classic era of this project’s Doctor Who, with episodes being 25 minutes long until November 2005; following that, they would be 45 minutes long (exceptions aside). Sometimes, we would have one episode per week, maybe two or even four.

The First Doctor had 190 episodes broadcast over 38 stories, covering six seasons and a pilot series. The first actor was in the pilot series and the first two seasons for a total of 73 episodes and 17 stories. The second actor took over thereafter for a total of 117 episodes and 21 stories.

The Second Doctor had a TV movie, then 181 episodes broadcast over 53 stories, covering six seasons and a set of specials. The Third Doctor did have thirteen 45-minute episodes and three specials at the start of 2008 that were considered part of the Classic Series.

In the middle of the year, the show was transferred to another station and the Third Doctor was recasted. This would be the start of the first “New Series”. Each individual series consisted of thirteen 45-minute episodes, which would be the norm hereafter. Unlike his counterpart, the BBC Ninth Doctor, being in only one series, the Third Doctor was in four series. The original BBC Series 1 was split after The Long Game and the remaining episodes were broadcast at the end of the fourth series.

The Fourth Doctor was in three series and seven specials, with most of them being broadcast over a year. Not all the BBC Tenth Doctor’s episodes were adapted. For the remaining five specials, he was replaced by another actor, who also reprised that incarnation for one series while also playing the next incarnation. By that time, the show was transferred back to its original station, paving the way for another “New Series”.

The New Series

Broadcast 2012 and early 2013. Series 1-5 episodes were broadcast twice a week (with an exception during Series 3+4), then once a week thereafter.

Series 1: Based on BBC Series 5 with the exception of Amy’s Choice and with four additional episodes for a total of 16 episodes. Amy and Rory were replaced with Ritsu Tainaka and Kunikida (first name Doppo, not to be mistaken with the character from Bungo Stray Dogs). For the last four episodes, Kanade Tachibana and Yuzuru Otonashi were introduced as new companions. In the Easter Special, The Pony Doctor, the Doctor’s pony counterparts, Doctor Whooves and the Pony Doctor, are introduced.

Series 2: Based on BBC Series 6 with three additional episodes for a total of 16 episodes. Ritsu and Kunikida are the primary companions with Kanade and Yuzuru appearing in the final two episodes, including a crossover in the series finale, A Canterlot Wedding. An additional episode was broadcast following Day of the Moon, which introduced Nayu Hayama from Chu-Bra!! (voiced by Catherine Tate).

Series 3+4: Series are (mostly) original from this point. Kanade and Yuzuru become the main companions after the Doctor left Ritsu and Kunikida behind in the last season. The first five episodes of Series 3 are specials, the first being an adaptation of The Five Doctors (the special edition, FYI). Here’s where things get complicated. In the original version, Series 3 had 9 episodes and Series 4 had 5 episodes, with both series being followed by a special weeknight drama, consisting of 9 and 15 half-hour episodes respectively. Elements of the drama were based from the BBC Series 3 and 4 finales. The main villain of the series was the Kikuchi Clan, led by a renegade Time Lady named Ayaka Kikuchi. In the following years, both series went through a restructuring for home media releases and rerun broadcasts. The loose episodes and dramas (with a two-episode buffer) were condensed into what would respectively be the new Series 3 and 4. A couple of episodes were also replaced. This is how I will be addressing those series from here on out.

Series 5: Based on BBC Series 4, with the Doctor now taking on some of the Tenth Doctor’s character. The first three episodes were set in Equestria and circled around the events that led to My Little Dashie. Following a lone adventure, Nayu joined the Doctor as his main companion for the rest of the season. Don’t worry, her ending isn’t as tragic as Donna’s was. The series finale was a two-hour special and instead of Davros and Dalek Caan, it featured Antoni and Specter. Aside from the free-to-air broadcast version, there was a premium version that was broadcast on a satellite channel. It had an additional 23 episodes and featured more anime crossovers. Oh what the hell, this series was mostly anime crossovers anyway. I didn’t think about putting those episodes in when I made this series, but Kanade and Yuzuru do return in a three-episode arc adapted from the episodes that featured the return of Martha Jones.

Series 6: Based on BBC Series 7 Part 1. This series featured the departure of Ritsu and Kunikida. Following that, we have the return of Tsukasa Hiiragi and Squid Girl, having previously had adventures with the Fourth Doctor.

Series 7: Based on BBC Series 7 Part 2 with a split in the series. The first five episodes, which featured Tsukasa and Squid Girl as companions, were a part of an original story centred around the Salacian Time War and made up Part 1 of the series. Following that, six Christmas Specials were broadcast over the Christmas period before Part 2 resumed at the same time as its BBC counterpart. Part 2 featured Clara Oswald as companion.

The 50th Anniversary Series

Broadcast mid-late 2013. The original plan was for a singular special, but then I just kept adding preludes to it and called it a series instead. After that, I added more sequels and made the series even crazier than it already was. Linearly, there are a total of 46 episodes, along with an extra 26 episodes for the other Doctors and characters featured in November. Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t write those extra episodes. I only wrote like 33 of them. Most of the episodes are 60 minutes long. For most of the series, the Doctor is travelling with Clara, Squid Girl and Takeru Aizawa.

Block 1: The first three episodes, written by me, were centred around the other protagonist and his girlfriend. The last three episodes, not written by me, featured Hackbot and Heavy Metal Monster, monsters from a game I used to play with friends as a child (I’ll explain later), and Reimu Hakurei (voiced by Mai Nakahara who also voiced her in Musou Kakyou: A Summer Day’s Dream), who also had adventures with the Fourth Doctor.

Block 2: Four episodes featuring the return of the Kikuchi Clan as villains. Some characters and themes from Koihime Musou and Ikki Tousen/Battle Vixens (who also appeared in the spinoff series The Kongming Adventures) are also featured.

Block 3: Six episodes written by different writers and featuring different Doctors (including both Third Doctors). They revolve around Kumiko Hayashi and her “mother” as they go on strange and successive adventures with the Doctors. Kumiko accidentally gets an instantaneous MTF sex change near the end of this; from that point on, the name “Kumiko” becomes her real name instead of an assumed name. I also introduce a group of Impossible Girl-esque characters that are explained in Block 6.

Block 4: Four episodes revolved around the other protagonist’s friends thinking that it would be a good to forcibly marry him with another autistic classmate of his. That was also the plot of the first half of Series 4 and I should point out that the classmate has Asperger’s (that’s not why he doesn’t want to marry her btw, it’s because they don’t have feelings for each other).

Block 5: Four episodes of separate adventures (with one written by Steven Moffat). One of the episodes signifies a changing of an era as we see Fifi Forget-me-not pass away (based off a fanfic from EmmaKoeni) and Akari preparing for her wedding. It should be noted that by this point, the protag had already parted with Fifi long before that episode happened. He came back and stayed with her for a day as she passed on, so I dunno if others would consider that cheating.

Block 6: The big one to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. This is where the extra 26 episodes are set; everyone is in the same episode for the start and end, but they have their own adventures inbetween. The entire thing would have taken up 16 channels (my list has separate feeds for channels because at the time, I was going with what Japan was doing for their digital TV) unless you put them back-to-back or something. I also adapted The Name of the Doctor for the protag; basically, he would make a contract with Kyubey to become a magical boy, then scatter himself throughout his timeline, creating the Impossible Girl-esque characters from Block 3.

Block 7: Two episodes broadcast back-to-back as an experimental format. The first episode just revealed mysteries (most of them didn’t matter after that) while the second features segments with the prototypes and their partners.

Block 8: Five episodes of random stuff circling around the protagonist as he has adventures both with the Doctor and by himself. I took quite a few ideas from other episodes.

Block 9: Another big one with five Christmas Specials. The prologue features the wedding of the soon-to-be Hiroki and Akari Ichigo and the departure of Clara, Squid Girl and Takeru. The next three episodes go full-on as Girl Power teams up with the Daleks, Antoni and the Master in a war unlike any other. There is also a Dalek civil war arc going on with the bronze and gold Time War Daleks going up against the red and multicoloured New Paradigm Daleks (I don’t know why they were so hated, I personally think the BBC should have used them more). The epilogue is Hiroki Ichigo’s first adventure before he officially coins the name by the start of the next series.

Spinoffs

I had little to no involvement in these, but these are the spinoffs that spawned in the two years of my time writing Doctor Who:

The Fourth Doctor Adventures: As I stated before, this series is an extension of the Fourth Doctor’s adventures. Some episodes lay the groundwork for the animes and cartoons that are still featured in the series.

Doctor Whooves/Doctor Who Equestria: Adaptations of Doctor Who featuring Doctor Whooves and the Pony Doctor respectively.

MLP:FiM: Storm Dasher Series: A webcast series featuring new adventures for Storm Dasher. I think it may have been cut short because the last 12-13 episodes are the same as some of my own episodes in the main Doctor Who series.

Torchwood: Basically what it says on the tin. I wrote two episodes for that, then realised that most of it is also the same as the main Doctor Who series. This is getting stupid, honestly.

The Kongming Adventures: Adaptation of The Sarah Jane Adventures, but with Zhuge Liang instead of Sarah Jane.

Pobol y Dinas/EastEnders: I don’t know what the hell I was doing with that one, because these are two unrelated soap operas that came as spinoffs from a sci-fi series. The name Pobol y Dinas is “People of the City” in Welsh and I got the name from the actual S4/C soap opera, Pobol y Cwm.

Puella Magi Takumi Magica: Details Takumi Kamijō’s adventures following his regeneration and the establishment of Torchwood Pleiades, an organisation dedicated to bringing together magical girls around Mitakihara and beyond.

Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb: Different to the actual series of the same name, this details Kumiko Hayashi’s adventures of living as a girl in a boy’s body due to the circumstances she was placed in following his regeneration.

Well, that took a bit of work to get through. We’ll continue this in the next instalment.

[placetobenation]

It seems like the WWE is much like the Holiday season for most of us these days. We’re all rushing around trying to meet a thousand different masters, some good, some bad and not always succeeding at mastering any of them. But, at the end of the day, we all will arrive on Christmas hoping for the best that everyone likes what we’ve given them enough to celebrate a wonderful with family and friends.

So, with that, we can easily divide the three WWE shows into the naughty, nice and Santa Claus categories.

On top, leading the way as Santa is NXT. While not playing in front of the same crowd numbers or audience, the product itself easily outdoes its mainstream counterparts on a weekly basis and this week is no exception. Two unbelievable championship matches from Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor and Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley highlighted by a returning fan favorite in Johnny Gargano show that NXT is getting really good at delivering those “moments” while continuing to bring solid, in-ring quality throughout the show.  And to boot, NXT beat AEW in the ratings this week in both viewership and the coveted young demo for the first time. That’s something surely to hang their hat on and build on there.

Smackdown is our “nice” show. There’s enough there each week to keep us happy but still not enough there to break it into the out-of-the-box stratosphere. We expect more now that it’s on broadcast TV but it has yet to deliver anywhere near the viewers – 4 million – it did in its debut show. I will give them credit though this week. A better show from start to finish. Unfortunately for them, with the holiday weekend starting, it may not get reflected as such in the ratings.

What can we say about RAW? What was once the “A” show has now declined into a show that out of the three, is the one you could miss each week without not missing much. That’s something I would’ve never thought especially after Paul Heyman was put in charge of it. We need more attention, more personal development so that we can get that emotional payoff. Storylines, good ones with a touch of reality would go a long way. Rollins and the AOP could be the start of something good, so let’s see where it goes.

The good thing, just like in wrestling itself, is that things can change at the drop of a dime. So, in the spirit of the season, we wish all three shows a Happy Holiday Season ahead and lost of Season’s Beatings with good tidings ahead of the new year coming in.

She stands tall above the rest.

#WWENXT #NXTWomensTitle #AndNew @RheaRipley_WWE pic.twitter.com/afnm69A0C0

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 19, 2019

STAR OF THE WEEK – Easy choice this week and yes, we go chalk. Kudos to Rhea Ripley on her first NXT Women’s Championship. A shooting star has now landed and taken over NXT.

TLC PPV

RESULTS

Humberto Carrillo defeated Andrade

Smackdown Tag Team Title Ladder Match: Champions The New Day defeated The Revival

Aleister Black defeated Buddy Murphy

Raw Tag Team Title Match: Champions The Viking Raiders vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (double count out)

TLC Match: King Corbin defeated Roman Reigns

Non-Title Match: Champion Bray Wyatt defeated The Miz

Tables Match: Lashley defeated Rusev

Women’s Tag Team Title TLC Match: Champions The Kabuki Warriors defeated Becky Lynch & Charlotte

What we loved:

New Day, Great Start – Applause to both The New Day and The Revival for kicking off TLC in grand style with a ladder match that left both teams strong and made sense.

Action packed Aleister – Just as he’s done on Monday nights, Aleister Black continues to deliver a fast-paced, action-packed match. Black and Murphy kept the emotion and physicality from the ladder match brought it up a notch.

The Fiend vs. Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan – Yup, a four way out of a single match. That’s well done my friends. After a more serious-looking match from The Miz that saw him take the clean defeat, the mind games continue with Wyatt being told by The Fiend to finish The Miz off with a giant, clown-like mallet only to see Bryan return, more clean shaven than in the past thanks to The Fiend’s clippers a few weeks back, to take out Wyatt. It’s not the last we’ve seen of this four-way I’m sure and that’s good for the entire WWE Universe.

What we didn’t like:

All downhill – After the first two matches, TLC simply fell flat. Starting with a double count out (seriously, a double count out on a PPV?) from The Viking Raiders and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to the en masse beatdown of Roman Reigns to a lackluster Tables Match from Lashley and Rusev complete with spots that simply looked out of pace to the TLC main event from The Kabuki Warriors and Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair that spent way too much time out of the ring, it just didn’t connect. Why was the Women’s Tag Team Title Match the main event in the first place? That made no sense to me. There was more intrigue in the Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz match, which while the match itself was nothing to write home about, the finish with Wyatt being confronted by The Fiend on screen led to a clean finish over The Miz and the re-emergence of a clean-shaven Daniel Bryan. That to me seemed more of an emotional connection to end a show than the women’s tag match that just seemed to meander through 20+ minutes and Asuka’s claiming of the belts at the finish. Now, kudos to Kairi Sane for taking some insane, concussion-inducing bumps, but the match as a while didn’t resonate.

The end – Why did we need to have a restart of the en masse brawl between King Corbin, Roman Reigns and what seemed like the entire locker room during and after the women’s match? Did we really need 30 more seconds to close the show? Not me. Consider me as one who is bored with Reigns vs. Corbin and we’ve been saying that for weeks. Corbin’s a great heel, but the feud is just going nowhere. Cut the losses and move on instead of doubling or tripling down.  

RAW

RESULTS

Non-Title Match: The Good Brothers defeated RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders

Erick Rowan defeated Dante Leon

US Title #1 Contenders Gauntlet Match: Ended in no-contest when Andrade stretchered Humberto Carrillo (Akira Tozawa defeated R-Truth, Ricochet defeated Tozawa and Matt Hardy, Humberto Carrillo defeated Ricochet, Carrillo vs. Andrade went to no-contest)

Asuka defeated Deonna Purrazzo (submission)

Randy Orton defeated. AJ Styles

What we don’t get:

Proposals, Gauntlets, #RKO's outta nowhere and more… These are your top ten moments from #Raw. pic.twitter.com/tQbQNzXpEO

— WWE (@WWE) December 18, 2019

Common sense – I thought with Paul Heyman in charge of RAW on Monday night, we were supposed to get better storylines, creative development and the details being more paid attention to. Yet, instead of that, we continue to get Erick Rowan’s cage with no payoff, a no-contest to a six-man gauntlet match that sees both Humberto Carrillo and Rey Mysterio, Jr. get punked out and many segments to Seth Rollins and the AOP. Please WWE, I’m begging you, please stop starting every non-NXT show with a person standing in the ring droning on and on for 20 minutes just to set up the night. It just makes me change the channel because they’ll be replaying it three of four more times over the next 2.5 hours. Heyman’s better than this product is delivering on Monday nights. Outside of Carrillo’s push and Rollins returning to a heel character he should’ve never left, what do we have? It seems like RAW is a show that’s lost its identity and not sure which way it should go. With the Royal Rumble and the road to WrestleMania about to begin, it’s high time they discovered their way again and do it fast, especially since this Monday’s RAW is already in the can having been taped last week.

Matt Hardy – We’ll say it again, Hardy deserves better. Just listen to the WWE Universe, they actually booed when Hardy lost to Ricochet. What does that tell you! Ricochet’s one of the top faces in the company and the crowd still isn’t happy. Listen to the Universe my friends! Remember that credo announced earlier this year by Stephanie McMahon and Triple H? It seems like they have not.  

What we liked:

Wedding anyone? – Not that we love the Lashley-Lana saga being drawn out any further, but we do love a good wrestling wedding on TV! Can’t wait for the destruction and Lana’s tears coming in this one! BTW: I’m with CM Punk – put Lashley and Rusev together against Lana and a new young stud team to start the new year!

NXT

RESULTS

NXT Title Match: Champion Adam Cole defeated Finn Balor

Damian Priest defeated Killian Dain

Cameron Grimes defeated KUSHIDA

Io Shirai defeated Santana Garrett

Pete Dunne defeated Travis Banks

NXT Women’s Title Match: Rhea Ripley defeated Champion Shayna Baszler

What we loved:

Untouchable. Unbeatable. Undisputed.#AdamColeBayBay #UndisputedERA #AndStill pic.twitter.com/xMiN8fzCaX

— Adam Cole (@AdamColePro) December 19, 2019

Everything! – Honestly, not a damn thing to not like about this show. From start to finish, just an enjoyable show with hard-hitting action, a surprise return in Johnny Gargano and an absolute thrilling feel-good moment to end the show with Rhea Ripley becoming NXT Women’s Champion for the first time. Now, that’s saying a lot especially when you figure the show didn’t feature Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee or Matt Riddle.

His past is back. This time… in the form of a FURIOUS @JohnnyGargano!!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/gwgoySpLqr

— WWE (@WWE) December 19, 2019

Welcome back Johnny – I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to see Johnny Gargano until 2020 and just when you thought Finn Balor was about to become NXT Champion again, Mr. Gargano changes the game. A look, a nutcracker and a cradle by Adam Cole and the new twist is here. BTW: awesome line by Mauro Ranollo sneaking in the anniversary of The Nutcracker in there after Cole’s nut shot on Balor. So, not only do we have a reason to see Balor vs. Cole again, but we certainly have Balor vs. Gargano to look forward to as we begin the new year. And again, it wasn’t forced. It all felt seamless.

All Hail the New Queen – We’ve been telling you for weeks that Rhea Ripley is truly a superstar in the making. Well, after defeating one of the baddest MF’ers on the planet in Shayna Baszler, Ripley has the gold to prove it. And talk about the way she does it! Ripley absorbs an assault from Baszler’s henchwomen – Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir – and turns what look like a championship retaining submission into a top rope stunning reversal and an avalanche riptide for the title! To boot, the NXT crowd fills the ring to make a special moment even more inviting. Kudos new champ!

Solid. Solid. Solid. – Week in and week out, it’s generally the in-ring performances that keep NXT at the top of the Wednesday night chain for me. This week, it’s even more important as Damian Priest, Io Shirai and Pete Dunne built a solid bridge between the epic title matches that kicked off and finished the show. Truly, it’s what turns a good show with some great moments into one of the most memorable shows of the year from start to finish. It’s also something that makes NXT stand out from RAW and Smackdown where silliness and things that absolutely make no sense seem to be more common place than not.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Miracle on 34th Street Fight: Heavy Machinery defeated The Revival

Carmella defeated Sonya Deville

Non-Title Match: Smackdown Tag Team Champions The New Day defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-Title Match: Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley defeated Dana Brooke

Lacey Evans vs. Sasha Banks went to a double count out

The Miz & Daniel Bryan defeated King Corbin & Dolph Ziggler (submission)

What we loved:

NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown, a Triple Threat Match between @WWEDanielBryan, @mikethemiz and #King @BaronCorbinWWE will determine who will challenge #TheFiend @WWEBrayWyatt for the #UniversalChampionship at #RoyalRumble 2020!https://t.co/t9JfsYg2Ld

— WWE (@WWE) December 21, 2019

A triple threat treat for The Fiend – So, not only do we get The Miz and Daniel Bryan as contenders for The Fiend’s Universal Title, but after Friday night’s Smackdown, we get King Corbin added into the mix. For the final Smackdown of 2019, it’s a #1 contender’s match for The Fiend’s opponent at the Royal Rumble. Beautifully done to slide Corbin off of the Roman Reigns feud and onto the main event status. Corbin’s a perfect foil as the top heel on the show to face-off with his counterparts. Plus, when you add in Dolph Ziggler, you’ve got so many combinations to fuel the fire. All of that was fully evident in their tag team match and a final laugh from The Fiend to close the show.

We feel ya kid, we feel ya. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/C4cyB1QqJK

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 21, 2019

Lacey Evans, One Teed-Off Mama – A couple of weeks ago, we made Lacey our Star of the Week for bringing that personal touch to her feud with Sasha Banks and Bayley. This week, after saving Dana Brooke from a two-on-one attack, we get the next step as Sasha taunts Lacey’s daughter, enraging Evans and igniting a fire to this confrontation. We should plenty of Lacey, along with Brooke vs. Sasha and Bayley over the next few weeks.

Merry Christmas, @otiswwe! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/MqnzqeuGK0

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 21, 2019

Otis and Mandy – Heavy Machinery is just wildly entertaining week in and week out both in and out of the ring. Now, add in the sexy Mandy Rose (oh Mandy! – sorry couldn’t refuse all you Barry Mannilow fans!) to flirt with Otis (and his ham) is a juicy story we can sink our teeth into.

Braun’s next step – It’s been teased for weeks and now it looks like we’ll finally get Braun Strowman taking on Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. His save of The New Day to take a shot at Nakamura is a perfect way to kickstart a title run for the big man. Let’s see if it’s a slow burn or a quick shot for Strowman.

Addition by subtraction – Noticeable by his absence is one Roman Reigns. To me, that’s a good thing. It’ll help us forget the forgettable match at TLC and help him move on to whatever is next for The Big Dog.  

What we didn’t like:

Carmella vs. Sonya Deville – Why only 90 seconds for them? Carmella danced with The New Day for longer than that. Deville’s talent is getting wasted at the moment. If they can’t use her right on Smackdown, I’d love to see Deville in NXT as an addition to Shayna Baszler’s team to take out Rhea Ripley.

Sheamus’ vignettes – There needs to be another layer to these vignettes. It’s the same thing week after week. I’d rather see Sheamus build up the roster rather than the tired “no one on Smackdown is any good” line of smack. It’ll be interesting to see who he physically attacks first.

Parting thoughts:

Food for thought – are we headed towards a surprise Rhonda Rousey entry into the Royal Rumble?

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[latin-dr-robotnik]

Forces 2nd anniversary: My avatar collection!

Sonic Forces turns 2 today! I wanted to return to the game just to play for a couple of hours, maybe find something new (spoilers: it really didn’t happen) and, most importantly, share my avatars and their stories.

Back around the first months of the game I made a handful of characters, following a cool backstory set-up or trying to recreate already existing Sonic characters using the game’s tools. I’m gonna split this post right here to not clog up your dashboards (yeah, I love you all too), but feel free to join the fun!

1. Sally Acorn (kinda)

Back during pre-release, one of the biggest theories around the fandom expressed that Forces may be set in the Freedom Fighters universe. Even back then it was a wacky theory for a mainline Sonic game, but I liked the idea (even tho one of my headcanons says Forces is set straight after Chronicles). So, when I got my hands on the game, the first character I created was a kind of a Sally knock-off, and I stuck with her over the entire game, unlocking more clothes to try and recreate her as best as I could. Forces character creation limitations are going to be a constant in this post, and this is the best I could come up with, but I’m still happy with the results. Sally is a wolf now, lmao.

2. Hipster Boom Sonic

Another big theory going around the fandom back then was that the third playable character was going to be Boom Sonic, but after SEGA and Sonic Team saw how hard Rise of Lyric bombed, decided to instead do a player-created original character as the third gameplay pillar. I don’t think that theory has much solid ground to stand on, but back in 2017 I for sure ran off to the avatar creation screen right after beating the game, and made my own take on Boom Sonic. It’s pretty AU, but in a nice kinda way.

Headcanon goes as follows: Classic Sonic got warped through time and space because of the Phantom Ruby, and so did this older Sonic from the Boom dimension. “Hipster” Boom Sonic is a completely different kind of Sonic, one that has settled down and was having a nice, chill life until the Phantom Ruby shenanigans struck his dimension; now he’s working with the two other Sonics to try and stop this madness, and to return home with his friends and his special someone (yeah it’s who you think it is).

3. Normal (bootleg) Bunnie Rabbot

Yeah, another freedom fighter. You know, I’m not a “Freedom Fighters are the GOAT” type of guy (I don’t even like the extended Archie Sonic Universe), but what I do like a lot is the OG SatAM universe. After doing Sally, I thought: “Hey, Bunnie could be mostly recreated in this game, right?” And I could’ve gone pretty far with things like the robotic gloves and shoes, but I rapidly went on another tangent: recreating Bunnie, but without the robotic stuff, maybe like “a normal girl”, if you like. I loved the results.

Also, yeah, I think every single one of my old characters had headsets, it was part of my headcanon about radio comms on the Resistance.

4. Carlos (OC)

Finally, an original character (do not steal)! Carlos is my first-ever OC (yeah I never bothered making my own OC until Forces), he’s heavily into technology stuff (that’s why he’s rocking all those Mega Drive clothes), he loves Chao a lot (in fact he is carrying his Chao bag all the time), and checking my old Sonic Forces review (in spanish, btw), I came up with a pretty cool backstory for him:

Carlos was a Metropolis resident, working as IT for one of the city’s biggest companies until Eggman attacked. After the Eggman Empire took over, Carlos was left unemployed, and one night had to flee his home after getting into explosive trouble with a patrol of Eggman’s robots on a Metropolis back alley. That event caught the attention of the Resistance, who guided Carlos to their HQ and made him the new recruit. Now Carlos uses his technical skills to hack and slash through Eggman’s forces, looking to free his home from the oppresing regime of Dr. Eggman.

5. Blaze the Cat (I guess)

I wanted to recreate Blaze, but it proved to be a pretty tough task to achieve. So, I tried to mix a couple of her designs from the Mario & Sonic Olympics games, Sonic Riders AND her official design. Shadow’s shoes were the closest thing to her original shoes I could find (I’m still trying to find a replacement, 2 years later), the gloves are part of the Riders look (now that I think about it, I could try to match her Riders design more closely), and Amy’s dress is not that far from one of her designs from M&S. 

6. Star the Bear (OC)

Holy shit, another OC! By this point on the game I started to feel more confortable around the idea of making my own characters (it’s a one way trip, I tell ya!), so I tried to make a character that wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.

Star’s backstory isn’t as developed as Carlos’, but I wanted to make him kind of a up-and-coming pop star, something like Justin Beaver from Sonic Boom but more humble. Star was performing live at Sunset City when the Eggman assault began, and in turn had to seek shelter with the not-yet-formed Resistance. Inspired by Silver’s fashion sense (he’s such a wild diva, I love it), Star jumpstarted (heh) his career singing a cover of Dreams of an Absolution. Also, I made up that last part just for this post, lmao.

7. OVA Knuckles

I think I made this character based on a funny tweet I saw shortly after release. The game gives you Knuckles’ shoes, Boom-style gloves and his cowboy hat from the OVA, of course I was going to make a character with those tools and put him alongside the real Knuckles (yeah that’s my screenshot). 

le funny meme, haha.

8. Amy Rose

Don’t lie to me, you also tried this on your own. Looking at the Cube Wispon I thought: “man! it’s such a wasted opportunity to not have Amy playable in this game!”

I mean, the game gives you almost every single tool for recreating Amy, EXCEPT her quills, headband AND her right shade of pink. Still, this couldn’t stop the SonAmy shipping hype train and I’m not the only one that made this character only for the Tag Team stages. Feels great to take over the world, stage by stage, as Amy.

8.5. Amy Rose (Wedding variant)

“After years of love and specially patience, Amy asked Sonic the big question once again, and he finally said yes! But shortly after, during an unfortunate chain of events, the world ended under Eggman’s domination. Oh, the irony!”

AU as fuck, but hey, that was my shipping side during 2017. Nowadays this could very well tie-in with my now-abandoned Celebrity Life fic thingy, tho. I’m currently thinking of doing her Runners Gothic Amy design.

9. The most recent one

I think I made this caracter during mid-2018 or even later. She’s my current avatar and haven’t thought of a backstory or even a name yet. I believe I got inspired when I first tried to turn Amy into a mourning widow (that got dark fast lmao), but then made my own character dressing in the almighty black color. Maybe one day I will come up with a name and a backstory.

And that’s all, folks! If you reached this far, first of all thank you! I put a lot of thought into my characters and I guess that’s why I have 50+ hours of playtime, also I hope all my efforts made you maybe laugh, or maybe inspired you. Don’t hesitate in joining the conversation, specially if you have your own characters to share. Let’s make this Forces anniversary one hell of a party featuring all kinds of avatars.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

Glee 6x06 liveplurk

Yuè [glee 6x06] that one time glee put 8 songs in one episode

Yuè altho this isn't the only episode with 8 songs Yuè Oh yeah Abuela Yuè why Samchel why Yuè Rachel's hairstyle is so great Yuè this song, on the other hand, is not so great Yuè you know there must be students who were freshmen or sophomores while the original glee kids were in school and therefore must still be at McKinley and I can't help but wonder what they're thinking every time an alumni walks past them Yuè HOORAY TO BRITTANY DOING MATH WITH CATS AND CRAYONS Yuè ah yes that one time Blaine's mum was white and Brittany's dad was asian Yuè I do like her parents and their actors are great Yuè I still can't believe this is a thing like what Brittany Yuè btw I have this huge family three on the Sims 4 and I called a girl from te third generation Brittany Yuè so we have two moms: Melany and Vanessa Yuè who have three daughters, the eldest is Adrianna and then twins Riley and Mae Yuè Adrianna is married to Salim and they have two sons: Derek (yes named after Derek Seigerson) and Amari Yuè Riley and her wife Heaven adopted a kid named Mrya Yuè and Mae married Micah and they got a baby named Brittany Yuè KATNISS EVERDEEN Yuè why are Brittany and Santana just hanging there in the back Yuè Mercedes hey Yuè that one time they brought back Mercedes so that she could spend the entire episode worshipping Rachel Yuè they even call it the Rachel Berry Rebuilding Project Yuè Rachel I'm not in the mood for your pity party Yuè YES MERCEDES Yuè girl you fucked up I do not feel bad Yuè uhm so I love my girls and this is really cute and Artie is a great guy, but uhm I'm still a bitter Klaine stan who didn't get to see Klaine wedding preparations Yuè I guess this song is my guilty pleasure and wow Hemo that dress was made especially for her I love it Yuè RANDOM BLAINE WITH WINGS Yuè no but really Hemo is stunning I'm so gay Yuè I think y'all don't realise how much I love Brittany S. Pierce Yuè yes let's all worship Rachel again Yuè this is so bullshit Yuè "sorry if that's awkward for... you... Kurt" Yuè Santana wearing jeans is my aesthetic Yuè OH BRITTANY Yuè "I know a guy" Yuè I actually have a headcanon that Brittany learned some Spanish for Santana and therefore she can speak it now Yuè honestly I love the little friendship here Yuè QUESO POR DOS Yuè "... and learning Stephan Hawkins is my dad" Yuè YOUR CATS ARE READING Yuè Santana is so done Yuè Oh no back to the Rachel Berry Pity Party Yuè RANDOM BLAINE WITH A TOPHAT Yuè Oh I can watch him playing piano for hours Yuè it also hit me that he hasn't sung in two episodes Yuè Darren is so musically talented Yuè speaking of that... he randomly started a band with Chuck named Computer Games? Yuè We Play Computers Yuè really Yuè yes Rachel look back on the thing you threw away for no fucking reason Yuè not enough Kurt Yuè I swear to god Rachel get over yourself Yuè honestly I'm not entirely comfortable with this storyline cause uhm it feels kind of racist Yuè "and how you sometimes dye your hair blonde for no reason" Yuè look at my girls kissing in the hallways of McKinley Yuè this is my favourite Sam solo Yuè it's just so soft and sweet Yuè well Yuè welllll Yuè I do like that Mercedes is supportive because it's better than a new tacky love triangle Yuè yet it is a bit random? Yuè back again with the Rachel Berry Pity Party Yuè "but isn't that what Kurt is for??" Mercedes asking the real questions Yuè Rachel please get over yourself Yuè a part of me feels genuinely sad but another part cannot take you serious cause you did this yourself and it would've been better if others wouldn't just drop everything to rush to her Yuè anyway this is my favourite Rachel solo holy shit I love this song Yuè I don't like the performance cause of the storyline but wow this song Yuè she looks so grown up Yuè IN THE HEIGHTS POSTER Yuè also my favourite Santana solo Yuè 8 songs.. but most of them are great Yuè honestly the set up is so wonderful because Santana in red on centre stage with the other glee kids in the back, wearing black Yuè I love these kind of costumes because there's clearly a pattern but everyone still has their own style Yuè we needed more of Madison's outfits Yuè Blaine looks so good Yuè again his fashion style in this season was so fancy Yuè this actress only plays latina abuelas Yuè this scene is very touching and wow both girls are so on point Yuè go for it Brittany Yuè GO FOR IT BRITTANY Yuè Santana just leans on Brittany because wow that must've been heavy Yuè ugh Samchel Yuè wow Brittana sure as hell is a beautiful couple in this season Yuè no Brittany you were right Yuè thus is an aniversary number hoooray Yuè no but really Madison's fashion style is great Yuè "such a shame" WAS THAT SARCASM??? Yuè this is so sweet Yuè Oh hey Kurt you're speaking Yuè RANDOM BLAINE WITH SENTIMENT Yuè "family is like fudge mostly sweet with a couple of nuts Yuè " Yuè this song is so peaceful Yuè BLAINE LOOKS SO GOOD IN HIS TEACHER MODE HOLY FUCK Yuè one day I just want to to through all of the episodes to screenshot Blaine's new fancy style Yuè dat fake Emma tho Yuè I actually liked Artie and Kitty together and was a bit sad they weren't endgame Yuè OHOHOHOHOHOOHHHHH Yuè RANDOM BLAINE WITH SPARKLING CIDER Yuè BUT HOW HIS FACE FALLS Yuè AND THAT HE'S LATE Yuè AND KURT BEING A SMOOTH FUCKER LOOKING INTO THE HALLWAY AND THEN BACK WITH THAT SMUG LOOK ON HIS FACE HOLY SHIT

[le-koko-butter-blog]

BBC Sherlock Tinhatting Masterpost

I can’t believe I’m John Watson-ing this shit--that or Andersoning it. The reason I will stick to the former is because of all the emotional damage The Final Problem has done to me but mostly to the LGBT+ audience of the show. Regardless of whether there is a 4th episode or not, they hurt many people deeply. Some of you other fans who are curiously strolling through the sherlock tag or even the johnlock tag are baffled by the depth in which this episode upset people. Many of you are suggesting that people are overreacting. Although I plan to address this later, at the moment, I would like to say, please try to have a little empathy before resorting to condescension. Try to see WHY in the first place it mattered to them instead of assuming that in no way whatsoever can a tv show possibly mean that much. With that being said, I’m going to make a list of all the evidence suggesting some sort of trick—or rather plan. I can’t believe I’m about to kick my own goddamn balls and go through with this. Believe me, I’m generally rather rational.

 Something comforting about the number 3. First off, when this line was said, it was hilarious. I honestly believed for a second that Sherlock shoved a recording device up his bootyhole. John’s disappointment only added to this. It made more logical sense than the off chance that John would leave his cane. At any rate, many were theorizing what this line means. Naturally, it caused people to think that there was possibly a 4th Holmes. Even then, many thought this suggested a 4th episode. The reason why this line is important is not only the amount of screen time it was given, but the cadence in which it was delivered. No one who was actively sitting there missed this. In place of this line, Sherlock could easily have said something more pertinent to the point of the episode, Sherlock’s aim to get John back in action (not my words. Lame explanation really for it was actually about). In prior episodes such as TAB, John is always neglected as a player by the villains. His importance is never considered. Sherlock could have said instead: “Oh but Mr. Smith, you’re forgetting the one thing that really matters, the true feature of interest, the irreplaceable Dr. Watson.” Maybe that’s a bit too cheesy and something better would do but something along those lines would make more sense in regards to the cane and would add scaffolding to the theme of John’s importance.·         

Plot holes. Alright. Much has been written about the hilarity of the plot holes. There are so many, so big and so frequent the entire Spanish Armada could have sailed through them unscathed which is certainly more than what can be said of Moffat’s and Gattiss’ reputation after TFP. The plot holes are so glaring that it defies logic that not one single person  on set could not have mentioned this. It’s almost as if they were deliberate. 1 or 2 is an accident. 5 is just a regular ol’ network tv show on FOX. But 80? I’m not even being hyperbolic. There might actually be at least 80 plot holes. I’m going to point out the chain one because it would need a special set up. Now as I write this I’ve only ever seen TFP once, mostly because I can’t bring my brain to consume it so soon afterwards in fear of cerebral hemorrhaging. From what I recall, we are given a close up of John’s chained foot. First off, this would suggest that at one point, the well was drained and a chain somehow installed…but never mind that. To film it, the camera would have to be dangerously close to the water if not somewhat submerged. This probably happened in another room, set up to look like the well and if that’s the case, more work would be involved. The amount of work only to have the rope thrown down there makes no sense. Even a goddamn idiot would have remembered that. It would have taken effort. It would have been hard. At least harder than not doing it. I mean as the audience, we’re not expecting a 45 year old Dr. Watson to scale the curved walls of a slick well. Maybe the Chinese ninja guy from the blind banker but still.·         

Parody of itself. After the episode I was hurt. I was angry. And I was lashing out. I stepped back and listened to myself. Everything I was saying was exactly the things the prior episodes of Sherlock could be accused of by those, to say it not so politely, more boring viewers. Remember the Bond critic, the one Gattiss wrote a poem to rebuff? To give an example, there was too much improbable action: the stealing of the fishing boat, the taking over of the asylum, the transplanting from one location to another in an unreasonable time frame, the surviving the blast. Sherlock is too athletic, too badass. Certainly, Sherlock in the previous episodes can be accused of this. Sherlock can win in a sword fight like in the one in TBB as well as do calculus in his head? Please. But as fans, we understood that this was part of the fun. Sherlock Holmes has always been a super hero, he might even have been the first ever. His level of intellect is his super power. It’s mere existence is unlikely. But that is storytelling. If we wanted reality, we would watch Forensic Files (I love that show btw but all the more reason to contrast it). In addition, the disguises were downright stupid. Funny. But stupid. Mycroft looked like an evil child eating fisherman and Sherlock, dainty, dandy little Sherlock with the Renaissance curls hulked down a corridor doing an impressive impression of Frankenstein’s monster all the while mimicking an awful Scottish (?) accent. The only time we are given an actual disguise (my memory may be off) on the part of Sherlock was the French waiter. But when they did that in TEH, it was cute and playful. This was random, weird, and confusing. But then again, I can only imagine how someone who is inclined to be defensive of their own intellect and willing to dislike Sherlock because of it, would lap up that scene and mock the show for it despite it’s charm and humor.·         

The Reichenbach Fall. I’ve alluded to this in another post and in some of the evidence for the above points and in no way am I the originator of this idea. But The Reichenbach Fall is perfect allusion to what Gattiss and Moffat are doing to their show. The sincere fans are terribly hurt. But the critics. Don’t think for a moment the critics are enjoying themselves. For years some viewers of the show must have resented BBC Sherlock because of it’s almost condescending cleverness. It presents it’s hero and it’s plot as being so much smarter than everyone else. In TRF Sherlock warns John about this. I may be wrong but he says this outside of the reporter’s house when met with Moriarty’s actor disguise. People want Sherlock to be a fake. They don’t want to think that someone can be so much smarter than them. They are more than willing to believe in his downfall. Now, if I am right about this and the aluminum isn’t fucking with my brain as this horned hat sits on my head, this stunt would take massive guts. Hell, it might even make television history. (how can they possibly pull this off?) I have seen in many posts people commenting on the interviews Mofftiss and the other showrunners have done. One of them says that it’s almost as if they never knew them. Hell, maybe they are dicks. But it’s like character assassination nevertheless, especially after that disgusting one about Molly. No one can be that thick. Well, unless you’re Donald Trump. How is this consistent with the same people who wrote that beautiful speech Sherlock gave at John’s wedding? How? Now, I’m not sure where we, the tinhatters stand as either John Watson or Anderson (What the fuck is his first name?) We’re standing at the proverbial grave site of this amazing show, asking it the most ludicrous question. Please don’t be dead. Just don’t. Don’t be like this. Come back, give us more. Fix this. We’re sitting there chugging coffee and devouring a 2 pound bag sour patch kids on 4 hours of sleep writing mad theories on the internet, tweeked out and heartbroken. Maybe the healthy thing would to go out and marry an assassin who we thought all along was a cat loving nurse. Maybe there are some Lestrades out there. The blessed normal ones who are just hurt. But to my defense, the theories presented in The Empty Hearse, especially in it’s first sequence is tame by comparison to anything that happened in The Final Problem. I’m not being dramatic when I say that. Those who liked the episode, please just for a moment think about what you are told to believe to have happened in TFP and ask even in the Sherlock universe, is this possible?·         

Literary allusions. I cannot be credited with any of these. But they certainly are not random. Musgrave , Oscar Wilde and the Importance of Being Ernest, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Final Problem . These aren’t random. They are deliberate.·      

The Projector, the Clue at the Beginning of Season 4 and the Nature of the Detective Story. Link. Alright. Now, I’m not particularly a fan of detective fiction. I do like some. When I was younger, I was much like Hermione Granger and I liked to solve the puzzles myself, thinking how I am oh so clever. I was insufferable but to on to the point; the set up of a detective story is generally that a mystery must be solved (murder usually), am I wrong? A good detective writer does not only create tension and drama and stakes (if you want, you can credit TFP with having these things. I think that’s awfully generous of you if you do though). A good detective writer leaves enough clues for the reader/viewer to be able to solve the puzzle on their own if they are really clever. If they are not but still get a tickle out of it, they would have much the same reaction as the guy with the Japanese tattoo in T6T. Oh its so simple when you put it that way! Oh of course! Now BBC Sherlock isn’t perfect. They aren’t Agatha Christie or anything but it’s never too far off. I’m sure some of you were able to solve the cases on your own or at least see how it’s possible when you rewatch. Some things that they fail to give us closeups of aren’t fair. But I’ll get off it. What I am trying to say is. TFP was NOT A DETECTIVE STORY. It was a thriller/horror? There was no possible way we could have solved any of it. Not at all. Now some of you may point to the song. In my defense, which is an easy one I might add, is that for one, we are not allowed to actually hear the song in its entirety and even if we were, the gravestones ARE NOT A VIABLE OPTION. I repeat. THEY ARE NOT A VIABLE OPTION. Why Ms. Koko Butter? Because the gravestones are noted to be strange. There was something wrong about them to begin with. It was this weirdness which supposedly alerts Sherlock. But why should they be weird? TFP says that the dates aren’t historically possible (which can be said about the events of the episode). The gravestones exist before the murder of Redbeard. Now why on earth would a historically inaccurate graveyard exist anyway? Are we to assume that the Holmes are just freaks and be done with it? Sorry, not buying that. Especially since so many of Sherlock’s deductions in prior episodes are supported by the probability of human behavior consistent along the lines of what is considered a normal sequence of action. Now, the other option is that the little girl put them there herself. I’m sorry. Even if she were one of those creepy baby geniuses in Twilight, she could not physically have done it without alerting her parents. Certainly Mycroft who is older and smarter than Sherlock would have known about this. Are you to tell me that he wouldn’t act on it? Loyalty to Eurus does not matter since he betrays her. Are you telling me that through some line of reasoning, he wouldn’t do the thing that is the most obvious thing in the world to anyone which is check the well. And if he did, he wouldn’t be decent enough to remove the poor child’s remains and give them to his family? Alright, I’m digressing. What I am saying is, this song, like all the other puzzles presented to Sherlock in TFP are more along the lines of SAW than a detective story. But we know that Sherlock the show, is in some ways, still a detective show that has actual cases the viewers can solve. In this line of reasoning with my tin hat on, I present TFP as evidence. Many great detective stories start immediately with a HUGE clue. In the episode dealing with Magnussen he LITERALLY says what his vaults really are. Within a few minutes in, surrounded by the heads of the British government, he says to them that he has a good memory. BAM. There it is. The clue. The vaults are his mind palace. Kinda lame but I’m cool. Still love it. We’re still golden. Season 4 starts off with the doctoring of footage. It’s weird too because Sherlock is prancing around, high on life. Why? WHY?! This is unlike him even if we think we consider that he is happy to be back in England (if I didn’t know any better I would think John had just kissed him and all that oxytocin was pumping him with a natural high and making him sing out like character in musical I’m glad to be alive~). The link above shows the projector clue. But if this really is a detective story, then this is the first and most important moment in solving the case. Doctored footage. Now, this isn’t new. Many of you have suggested this. But along the lines of genre, this is crucial. TFP plays with genre as well. It’s starts with a movie. It’s horror at first littered with a bunch of typical horror movie tropes, bleeding eyes and killer clowns. Then it’s some shitey action flick, a comedy, and then a buddy cop? A fucking buddy cop. The even have a name for it. The Baker Street Boys. Good god. The buddy cop is a genre popular in the 80s just like that awful freeze frame at the end. But then again, isn’t that what everyone already thinks about BBC Sherlock? All of those horrible things. A buddy cup with too much action and pseudo intellectual characters?·        

I know who you really are. Ok, now crucify me with sentiment. I’ve never been above it. But the whole reason I got on this tinhatting business wasn’t even that it logically made sense. The world is a disappointing cesspool at times (i.e.Trump, i.e. callousness to refugees). I’ve lost a lot of hope as I’ve gotten older. It’s easier to just be like FUCK YOU MOFFTISS. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done that and I’ll continue to do that. But what sparked this whole thing was a gifset of the hug in TLD. Now, what the fuck? How can the same people who made that, make TFP? It doesn’t make sense. It reminds me of this story I heard once about this young man who faked finding old Shakespeare letters and eventually a play just to impress his dad. I’m not saying BBC Sherlock is Shakespeare but what I’m getting at was the kid was discovered because this supposed play of his was nothing like actual Shakespeare. It was too shitty. People believed it at first because the paper quality was true to the time but the actual work itself was so far off from what we knew to be his style, that it was literally impossible. Of course, Mofftiss wrote that monstrosity but it is no way approached in the same way as the previous episodes were. It was meant to be different. It is glaringly different. There is no way TFP exists alongside in reality with Watson’s and Sherlock’s beautifully crafted and heartbreaking performance. Think about it. Every line means something. It does. If you provoke me on this, I will write a 20 page fucking play by play of each goddamn line and each blocking choice. I WILL. Don’t threaten me.·         

Johnlock. Ahhhh the elephant in the fucking room. If you’re still reading this. I’m sorry. I’m a caffeinated ranter. Forgive me. Now, this isn’t about shipping. I hate that word and I hate the culture associated with it. I have never and will never ship something that is not textually supported. A romantic implication was obvious in the very first episode. Here is my example:  Hudson, Donovan, the waiter and probably some other people ALL ASSUME THAT JOHN IS HIS BOYFRIEND. Why? Just because the fucker is with him? What? Would you think that? This only makes sense if everyone already assumes Sherlock is gay. Even at the dinner scene, which is so intimate and romantically awkward I can hardly watch it, Sherlock denies an interest in women but does not deny an interest in men. The way that was written, performed, and filmed are all indicators of a relationship. I remember watching it the first time years ago and turning to my dad and us smiling at one another like OMFG HOW ADORBZ. (It goes without saying my dad wasn’t a homophobe). It was made that way to plant the idea in our head. Because why? That’s what tv/movie romances do. If this isn’t plain to you, please rewatch. Now why is Johnlock so important? First off, the story is about their relationship. Don’t agree? Then what is the major arc? The humanizing of Sherlock Holmes. Who humanizes Sherlock? John Watson. Can you be sure of that? Yes, because the show begins with their meeting. So obviously, their meeting is the initiator. Why does it have to be romantic? Because it’s written that way. I don’t have enough energy to go through this but if you are still incredulous, I can send you links from people who have already written it down. Now, stories have to complete their arc. This is why they often become predictable after awhile. We call them tropes or archetypes. But stories do not mimic reality, they bring out the perceived truth of the human condition. It’s the license in poetry, the climax in a narrative, the soliloquy in the play. If they do not, we feel it on a deep instinctual level, the way we can sense that the math is off in the musical progression of notes. It is the difference between hearing a symphony and hearing noise. It’s inherent. TFP is jarring. Jarring because it does not complete the arc of its textual themes, for example, the romantic entanglement line, highlighted by the plot hole of the missing letter and the overdue confession on the tarmac. We’re waiting for it the way we all know in that crappy romcom that they’ll miss their plane, run back in the rain, and say in so many contrived words, YOU COMPLETE ME. And we love it. Don’t lie. You love it. We should have gotten it but we didn’t. That is the heart of the queerbait. Because we were baited by these notes, the themes in the story and instead of a a crescendo, we are left with a cacophony of car horns. The advertisements leave no room for doubt. Sherlock is in love? With Who? Who else would it be? Honestly? Motherfucker was dead on the slab and LITERALLY RESTARTED HIS HEART FOR JOHN WATSON. That’s not even reading into it. It literally happened. Just like that. Irene was mentioned. Mycroft was mentioned. Molly was the eventual TFP the trick. Only John’s name invokes such a reaction. Friendship does not do this. Please leave me alone with that argument but I seriously doubt that is even scientifically possible. Oxytocin which is produced during sex and childbirth creates insane fucking bonds. Mothers are known to defy logic in their will to protect their baby. Sex produces a similar effect. Correct me if I’m wrong but Sherlock’s actions suggest that he is IN LOVE (romantically and sexually) with John. Any other interpretations borders on madness or serious nonchalance.·         

TFP cheap production. Where did all the money go? My fingers hurt. I can’t type anymore. But really. Where did all the money go? It was so cheap. It was like the same room painted in different colors. 

Now this is longer than I intended. I’m adding more links to other posts. Please add if you have more evidence. Before I sat down, I had a lot. I feel like I have forgotten to include some. I may add more later. Now, I am prepared to accept the result that Mofftiss just sucks major balls and if they do, they deserve all the accusations of queer baiting and ought to be ridiculed for their smugness. But my brain keeps telling me otherwise.       

Let me know if the links are weird or confusing or if there are any errors. I usually just reblog things on this blue hell of a site.

LINK

LINK 2

LINK 3

Onward once more into the breach my friends....something fucky this way comes.

[thebookrat]

Disclaimer: a review copy of this book was provided by the editor for review purposes. Affiliate links are not used in this post, but are used on this site. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. Edited to add: as you can see in the banner below, this post was supposed to be up yesterday, but I apparently don't know how to 'days of the week'... That is entirely MY BAD, sorry about that, internet!

You may have already seen me talking about this book online, as I listened to it while I was decorating for Christmas, but today -- before we dive into a guest post from one of the book's authors, Amy D'Orazio -- I'm going to dig a little deeper into why I loved Yuletide, an anthology of Christmas-oriented Jane Austen stories. And love it, I did! Generally when I read short story anthologies, I skip around to whichever story is calling my name most, with little care for the flow of one into the next. I also tend to only read them in bits and pieces, fits and starts, and never cover to cover. But because I was listening to Yuletide on audiobook*, and because I was flitting around the house, clipping evergreens that were politely pilfered from my neighborhood (ahem) and working them into wreaths and such, I just hit play and went along for whatever was in store. *it is still possible to skip around to stories in an audio anthology, btw. Chapters still exist. And man, I enjoyed this. The first story in the book actually gave me butterflies, but even when stories hit a flat note (which was rare), the immersive experience of listening to someone tell me Christmas stories about characters I love (who at this point feel almost like family, I've sent so much time with them), while working on Christmas myself? SWOON, it was so enjoyable. Harry Frost's narration was excellent, as well, even if I did occasionally chuckle at his "American" accent. ;) I'm not going to give you my whole spiel about how short story anthologies are great for discovering new authors, or as palate cleansers between books, our any of that (except I kinda just did), but as Austen anthologies go, this is one of the stronger ones. Each story felt entirely unique from the others, while still cohesive in context of the theme, and the different approaches mean that there's likely to be a story here to suit most Janeites. The book feels tightly and thoughtfully curated, and I did, in fact, discover some authors whose JAFF I now want to look into! And the best part of all? Proceeds from sales of the e-book and paperback go to benefit Chawton House! This mini review was turned out to be less mini and more review, but basically, I recommend this book, and I especially recommend reading it in the wintertime, when there's snow on the ground and the days are short, when your brain has turned towards Christmas but you're out of new Hallmark movies to watch... 10/10 experience, would recommend. And now, a piece from our special guest, Amy D'Orazio!

Eight Reasons Why Writing Modern JAFF Adaptations is so Much Harder than Writing Regencies 

by Amy D’Orazio (contributing author to YULETIDE “The Wishing Ball”)

The Yuletide anthology [collection of five Regency era and two modern holiday stories] explored some new ground for me — it is the first time I have published a modern adaptation rather than the regency-based stories I typically write. Part of that was because this story was originally part of a Christmas challenge at A Happy Assembly. The idea for it came from fellow author Pamela Lynne who challenged me to write something to do with Christmas ornaments.

I know many people believe writing a modern adaptation is easier than a Regency. Both have their challenges but of the two…? Writing moderns is harder, in my opinion, and here are my reasons why:

1. Prejudice. Okay so this is a big one and often one I find takes a good modern and makes it shaky. Heaven knows there are plenty of things people are prejudiced about in this day and age but translating that into a feasible Darcy & Elizabeth-type situation isn’t easy. Elizabeth Bennet wasn’t poor—yet— in P&P. She was part of the upper echelon of wealth in England, but Darcy was, by comparison, stratospheric. So, a story about someone wealthy marrying someone else who is uber-wealthy? —not really anything notable today

2. Location, location, location. The first challenge any modern author faces is where to put their main characters. Jane Austen put hers in various spots around England, and when I am writing a Regency, I feel comfortable enough with my research to do likewise. But modern day? I’ve been to London a few times but that’s about it—I would have to do a LOT of research to find the exact restaurant on the exact street or the specific house with the certain features I need for my characters. The chances of getting it wrong are so much higher! In my story in this anthology I placed Darcy and Elizabeth in New York City (gasp… they’re American!)

3. Show of hands—who has had a family member voice an expectation that you should marry your cousin? But it was an important custom then and had super important implications for bloodlines and fortunes and etc. So, it’s sort of a hard issue to translate into a modern circumstance even though it was an important part of many of Austen’s books.

4. Or for that matter —who has really allowed their family members to have much say into their marriage at all? I mean, sure, I wanted my family to like my husband but if Aunt Martha didn’t…well…I guess we’d have just cut her off the Christmas card list.

5. The whole Lydia-Wickham and Georgiana-Wickham thing. Let’s be honest, in modern times, the only proper place for the likes of George Wickham (age 26/27) is jail for being a sex predator on teenagers. Would the military even take him? Let’s hope no one would force one of his victims to marry him! It’s storyline that is very tricky to translate to the modern era!

6. Modern life changes fast which brings with it another pitfall of books set in modern eras (not just for JAFF but any modern story)—when you have your hero check email on his Blackberry, or your heroine snap her Razor phone closed, you automatically dated your story. If you mention a song, a book, a news event, or a particular celebrity, five or ten years from now someone reading your book might not get what it is you’re talking about. Horse technology, on the other hand, rarely changed throughout the Regency period and the main forms of communication—writing a letter or walking to your neighbors house to talk about it—were the same. 7. By far, I think the most difficult thing about modern translations is how the characteristics of the our main characters are when placed into a modern setting. I’ve seen some intriguing takes on this — Elizabeth’s wit becomes almost supernatural intelligence, Mrs Bennet’s illiberality becomes racism or homophobia, Emma’s tendency to matchmake turns into a wedding planning business. To me, this is where writing moderns can really be tricky—in a Regency you don’t have to decide all of this but in a modern, you need to decide how you’ll bring it all into a modern era. 8. Marriage. By far the trickiest part of creating a modern is the aspects of marriage. In modern times, there are dates, there are non-monogamous relationships, there are engagements that end with no dreadful outcome to either party—in short there are many complexities to modern relationships that didn’t exist back then (for better or worse). If you’re writing a Regency and your hero and heroine dance twice, have a whispered conversation behind a potted plant and then decide to marry— sure! True love! But a modern couple? I think most of your readers would think it was a bit unrealistic! So, there you have it! It should be noted of course that all the opinions expressed herein are solely those of me, the author! Love to hear your thoughts on the subject below! AMY D’ORAZIO is a former scientist and current stay-at-home mom who is addicted to Austen and Starbucks in equal measure. While she adores Mr. Darcy, she is married to Mr. Bingley, and their Pemberley is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has two daughters devoted to sports with long practices and began writing stories as a way to pass the time spent at their various gyms and studios. She firmly believes that all stories should have long looks, stolen kisses, and happily-ever-afters. Like her favorite heroine, she dearly loves a laugh and considers herself an excellent walker. She is the author of The Best Part of Love, A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity, A Lady’s Reputation and various anthologies. Below you'll find an except of Amy's story in Yuletide; find samples from the rest of the anthology here!  ABOUT THE BOOK:

Yuletide: A Jane Austen-inspired Collection Of Stories, edited by Christina Boyd  190 pages / audio 5 hrs and 50 mins Published November 26th 2018 by The Quill Ink, LLC BUY HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPBZSFB ttps://www.audible.com/pd/B07ZP9R3QW?

“I went up to the Great House between three and four, and dawdled away an hour very comfortably...” –Jane Austen  A holiday short story anthology with some favorite Austenesque authors, YULETIDE is inspired by Jane Austen, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and the spirit of the season. Regency and contemporary alike, each romance was dreamt to spark love, humor, and wonder while you dawdle over a hot cup of tea this Christmas.  Stories by: Elizabeth Adams * J. Marie Croft * Amy D’Orazio * Lona Manning * Anngela Schroeder * Joana Starnes * Caitlin Williams Edited by: Christina Boyd  All proceeds from e-book and paperback sales to benefit Chawton Great House in Hampshire, former manor of Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight and now the Centre for the Study of Early Women’s Writing, 1600-1830.

via The Book Rat

[hitoritravels]

★Japan Trip 2018 Day 2 Part 1: A Garden, a Trespass, and A Name★

Day Two of my trip to Japan had me...awake at like. 4 or 5 AM. Surprisingly refreshed and not as tired as I was expecting to be, I stayed up browsing the net and chatting with whoever happened to be up at the time (hostel WiFi was surprisingly solid). After a few attempts in-between my surfing to try to fall back asleep, I found that I basically was unable to. So I decided to clean up and get ready to face my day.

The view outside my hostel’s elevator served as a constant reminder of where I was.

At any rate, I got down, was welcomed by the staff and asked for some breakfast. Which was actually not bad, though there was a surprise option that I wish I had tried right off the bat. But more on that in the future!

Toasted buttered bread, cute little sausages, eggs, a dinner roll, and coffee that was pretty nice. I took to one of the single tables to avoid taking up too much space and just relaxed for a while. It was still fairly early in the morning at this point (I don’t even think it was 8 AM yet?) so I had plenty of time throughout the day. Which I would unfortunately need but that’s my fault for not being able to navigate properly x_x

Eventually I decided that I felt ready to start my exploration and knew exactly where my first stop would be. Since this was my first day, I figured I would take it easy and try not to hit the downtown areas right away, especially since I still had yet to get a feel for the Tokyo Metro System. I would be going to relatively nearby places, gain a better understanding of my surroundings, and just overall have a fun relaxing time. Sounds good right?

I then proceed to get lost on the metro for about an entire hour.

Getting sick of the train scenery, I decide to step out for a bit and explore my immediate surroundings. I ended up finding out that the station I was trying to get onto was a part of a completely different line (protip: just because the Tokyo Skytree Station and Oshiage Skytree station share the word ‘skytree’ does NOT mean they directly intersect. Source: my lost butt). So after discovering that, I walk around the entire Skytree complex (which is HUGE btw) to get to the connecting line that I needed to (Hanzomon Line) and eventually find myself finally getting to the station I needed to reach, and thus, my first stop of the day

This quaint little area is known as Kiyosumi Gardens. And yes I visited it for all the wrong reasons.

It cost 150¥ to enter, but it was completely worth it. There weren’t a lot of people around, and the few that were around were either taking leisurely strolls or were part of photoshoot sessions (obviously I did not take pictures to respect their privacy, but one of them was a wedding and the bride and groom looked absolutely amazing, and the other was a ceremonial photoshoot? The pair were wearing some fairly nice kimonos but it wasn’t very clearly a wedding shoot...unless it was and I couldn’t tell. shrug). I spent much of my stroll torn between taking in the sounds of nature or listening to my ambient playlist I made specifically for moments like these (Inspira, VoicedOut, and .que are ❤️) and really just took my time to take in the sights that were in front of me.

The two pictured areas with benches are where I took a minute to sit down, relax, and snack on some Family Mart snacks

All in all, a great way to pass what felt like forever. But really only an hour and a half at best passed.

I spent a lot of time sitting and thinking about...things. Because really that’s what I sort of mostly came to Japan for. A chance to really think about things and where I stand in life. And I think I came to an important, personal realization that hopefully will propel me in the right direction. I’m not really sure. But I realized that there were a lot of things I was doing that really didn’t make make me happy, or didn’t really help me at all. And being in Japan made me better realize the sorts of things that I value. So even if this trip ends up being a distant memory, I want to be able to cherish it as something that helped me a lot and I hope to be able to take all the lessons I’ve learned and turn them into a chance to really live life the way I want to. It all starts with a first step. And I’m hoping, at the very least, these realizations will give me the courage to take that first step.

However, as much as I wish time did not slow enough to give me more time to think, it waits for no person, and I was starting to get hungry. So I decided to move towards my next spot and find a place to eat there~

Welcome to Yotsuya~

So I end up wandering a bit and realize that there wasn’t much food places to eat in, at least in the direction I was heading. I eventually find a sign that pointed towards a nearby 7-11, and since it was the closest thing around, I figured I’d go in and eat there. I follow the sign through a set of gates (no warning signs going off yet) into a building where a set of stairs lead downwards. Which then leads me through a set of doors that then takes me to the 7-11 and a cafeteria.

That’s when I realized where the 7-11 was located.

This is Sophia University. A Private University. I want to emphasize the term ‘private’.

While I wasn’t entirely sure whether I would get in trouble for not being a student, I figured it was best to not stick around and find out. I quickly pick up a pre-made lunch and a drink (all less than 500¥ btw /o/), heat up the lunch, grab a spot in a corner, eat as quickly as I could, and take off without trying to stand out too much. Thankfully the surrounding students were preoccupied with either their studies, food, or games and there weren’t any faculty members wandering around, so I followed a mini-rush that was taking for the gates to leave and managed to sneak out. Whew. That happened.

Anyway I figure out where exactly I am and take off for the next place I wanted to visit. Which is sort of a big deal for me. I really felt my heart pounding as I started to close in on this place and when I finally reached the home stretch, I felt myself leaving my body. I could not believe this was happening. I took my time walking and despite all that. I saw it in the distance. My heart skipped a beat. I could not believe it. I was here.

Doesn’t look familiar? Let’s look at it from a more familiar angle.

I found it. I found the iconic stairs from Suga Shrine featured in Kimi no Na Wa, my most favorite movie ever. ❤️

Standing there with the OST blaring in my ears, it took everything within my power to just. Not cry on the spot. I was actually here. A place that if you asked me year ago if I could ever see myself standing on top of these very steps exactly one year later, I would’ve laughed that off. A movie that has meant so much to me ever since I watched it nearly two years ago (I know it came out late summer 2016, leave me be) and here I was. At such an iconic place despite only being featured at the end of the movie. Unfortunately I didn’t have my kumihimo tied onto my wrist at the time (it was still on me however) but that barely detracted from the fact that I was here. And I’m still working on believe that I was the one that took those pictures. It was...something. I’ve never felt like this before. And I just wanted to be in the moment for as long as I could.

I wanted to stay longer and take in the magical sight that I just could not believe was right in front of me; however, there were other fans as well (presumably) also trying to take good shots. So after taking a long sigh, I take one good look at the steps, smile with all my heart, and take off towards the next spot.

Because, coincidentally, this isn’t the only location to be featured in Kimi no Na Wa around the area. But I leave that as a story for the next part to tell~

★To be continued!★

[tlcrescuepa]

New Post has been published on To Love a Canine Rescue

New Post has been published on https://tlcrescuepa.com/week-end-update-kismet/

Week-End Update: Kismet

Making sure that dogs and families are a great, mutual, match for one another is something we at TLC work hard to accomplish. We know that some times, it just seems to take a while to find just the right family and, some times, people who thought one dog would be the one realize that someone else is actually the best match. When things are meant to be, they’re just meant to be and this week’s adoption featured a lot of that “yup, this was worth the wait” moments.

Our little Jedi master, Tink, waited patiently for the right family to come along and the worth was definitely worth it! Chico II also hung around a little longer than we expected but, once he met his new family, it became clear that the universe was doing him a solid for being so patient.  Some things are just mean to be. The Chihuahua mixes weren’t the only lucky pups celebrating gotcha days this week: Cilantro (now Charlie), Delilah, Diana (now Luna Tonks), Gabbana (now Faith – the last of Guess’s pups), Otis, Penny, Shayna & Sheba (now Pippin) were adopted this week, as was Anna Lee’s pup, Chewy.

Two of the pups already have TLC alumni family connections: Diana’s new big sister is Mady FKA Tamber of the Ta litter from March/April 2014 & Sheba’s new cousin is TLC alumn Samwise FKA Wrangler.

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Chico II

Cilantro now Charlie

Delilah

Diana now Luna Tonks & Mady FKA Tamber

Gabbana now Faith

Otis

Penny

Shayna

Sheba now Pippin

Tink

  We have some great updates (including some DNA results) to share!

Baby

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“Hi everyone, Baby’s DNA results came back. It was a 27 page report. She is 37.5 lab, 25 chow chow, and 37.5 mixed breed (sporting, guard, and terrier groups). She tested normal for MDR 1 (multi-drug sensitivity). She is a carrier for exercise-induced collapse. It’s an interesting report to read. You can see her family tree. Have a good one!”

  Taffy FKA Cherry

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“Hi! I wanted to show you how cherry looks . . . she now goes by “Taffy” and had a little haircut today . . . they told me she may actually be an Australian Terrier. We have all fallen in !!!”

  Annalee FKA Anna Lee

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“We are so happy that Annalee is part of our family. She is the sweetest, funniest little girl. We kept her name because she answers to it and also because Annalee is the name of a river in county Cavan Ireland and I always wanted a dog with an Irish name or connection. I think we are meant to be together. It just seems like she fits right in and has always belonged here. I’m attaching some pictures. Please excuse the one in the dress, a friend gave it to us and we just had to take a picture with her in it. I never imagined I’d be someone who dresses up their pet but here I am lol!

Thank you so much to TLC for the gift that is Annalee. We are so grateful. “

  Tito FKA Thor (aka Annalee’s baby daddy)

Tito FKA Thor

“Tito (aka Thor) Is our little sidekick. He goes everywhereeee with us.”

          Samantha

“Samantha is doing great! Wed did keep her name. She is really attached to my daughter Ava!  My entire family has already met her and she loved the attention!”

Sydney

“Things are going well. We kept the name Sydney because we really like that name. We had her first vet visit this past Saturday and the said everything looked good! She is sleeping in her crate at night and we are averaging 2 pee breaks throughout the night.  She loves playing with my other dog, Roxy, as they play for hours on end.

Thank you for everything”

  Wendy FKA Windy (mom to Brinley, Tank, Bleu FKA Blue & Junior)

“Wendy is doing great. We are all being trained so that our walks are a bit nicer. Other than some barking and excitement, she’s been a dream. “

  Bowie FKA Wolf

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“Our dog has settled in pretty well and has quickly found a place in our hearts.  After much deliberation for the week we’ve reached agreement and have changed his name from Wolf to Bowie.  He has enjoyed numerous walks and has met most of the neighbors and their dogs.  We have plans to get him to the vet soon.  I’m not very good with social media but have attached some pictures to this email.  Please thank the foster family and all of the volunteers at TLC for the wonderful care he’s received.  We feel extremely fortunate.”

  Wilson FKA Boomer

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“We had a little birthday party for Wilson and celebrated with a homemade “cake” of vanilla ice cream, peanut butter & milkbones. We also got our fence and he loves how free he can roam. ❤🐾”

  Chip FKA Terk

“Chip is doing very well, he’s a little scared of all the cars and subway grates in the city but he’s getting better every day!  I’ve attached a few pictures, he was very curious about the fountains in Logan Square Park!”

  Lila Grace FKA Haley

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“We love our Lila Grace so much, and she and Bodhi  get along spectacularly well.

Right now they are playing i’m making adorable, playful sounds.

Lila is such a sweet girl who loves to give & receive love. Thank you so much for bringing her into our lives.  “ 

  Zoey FKA Mabel

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“Yes, the time’s flown by and I can’t believe that Zoey’s been with us for 7 months now. When she came to us she was a reticent dog who didn’t like to be touched or cuddled and would bare her teeth at the smallest instance. Today, she’s a loving dog who loves to go on car rides, enjoys vanilla ice cream, loves chicken jerky and doesn’t leave my son’s side. We have really been busy over the last few months and in the chaos and our ups and downs she’s helped us stay sane. She’s just wonderful! Here are some pics for you and the amazing TLC team. Btw – that’s my son’s lap if you haven’t guessed that already. She’s happiest when she’s with him. “

Remember those stinkin’ cute fluffballs in the La litter from January? They’re about 6 months old now

Piper FKA Lally

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“Today is Piper’s six month birthday (we think) and we wanted to send an update on how she’s doing!

Piper is now up to 27 pounds, growing long and wide but not very tall

She was originally described to us as “independent and confident” and she has definitely displayed those characteristics at the Agility classes she has been taking at Zoom Room in Philadelphia

Piper is a social butterfly always excited to meet new dogs in the city and to see her normal doggy friends at the local dog parks

Our biggest challenge with Piper has been due to her protective instincts as she is always on alert for strangers walking by – and makes sure that they hear her bark!

We would love to hear about any of Piper’s siblings if you have any updates on them.”

keep reading because sharing Piper’s update set off a cascade of updates from the extended family

Cooper FKA Laddie

Cooper FKA Laddie

“I just sent Cooper.   Hopefully you got it. 

He’s Much bigger than piper!  Look at his legs!

Cooper is 37 lbs.  He’s also very protective especially around tall men. 

He’s been a great puppy.  Loves walks and gets along great with other dogs. 

He’s very independent and is going through a chewing stage.  

He’s not very affectionate but I’m hoping that changes.  The vet said he could be

Part corgi and chow.  She thinks he might be 60 lbs!  Yikes!”

  Endor FKA Lawler

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“Endor (FKA Lawler) is doing great. We had a rough start with him, but we found an excellent local trainer, and it’s really helped a lot. Endor has two kids, 5.5 and just-turned 1, and two cats. (We have our hands full!!) Every day he enjoys going to the bus stop to see all of his neighborhood friends; he’s very popular. We’ve even had people stop their cars to ask what he is and where they can get one.

He’s a bit unsure of strangers, especially men, but we’re working on that. He loves to play fetch with a number of frisbees outside and one particular tennis ball inside. He seems to be a water dog; he’s  always digging in his water bowl and playing in our little garden pond. I can’t wait to get him a baby pool.  Right now he’s a very hot puppy with this heat wave. We’re looking forward to hearing about his adorable siblings!”

  Luna FKA Laurie

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“Luna is doing great! She’s up to 25 pounds and is extremely intelligent! She is still very wiry of new people and can be a bit protective at times but she has her big bulldog sister to reassure her! The two are always together! She eats like a horse and loves car rides but can’t help but get sick if it’s too long. She LOVES attention and always has to sit right next to you or right on top of you! She learned many of her tricks while she was very young at only 12 weeks! She knows how to shake with each paw, lay, roll over, wave, and dance! She also knows to sit before I open the door outside so that she will never rush out of the house. We went away over the weekend one time so far since we have had Luna and it took her quite a bit to trust the family member we left her with so she takes time to warm up to others when alone with them but she comes around and loves other dogs! She is overall an amazing intelligent dog! We have so happy to have her as a part of our family!  “ 

speaking of family updates, Faith FKA Gabbana’s mom and a couple of brothers sent an update this week too

Zoey FKA Guess

Zoey FKA Guess (r)

“Zoey is settling in very well! She took no time in making herself right at home. We’re so happy with how well she fits into our family. We have a vet appointment scheduled. Thanks for everything!”

        Chewie FKA Armani (Guess’s pup)

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“Chewie is doing great!  He was at the vet yesterday for a checkup and his shots.  He is now weighing it at almost 30lbs.  Attached are some pictures.  His new hobbies include naps on the couch, playing with Roxie and eating bunny poop in the yard!”

Kors FKA Versace (Guess’s pup) & Bandit FKA McCall (Mc pups from March 2017)

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Versace FKA Kors

Bandit FKA McCall

“Yes, we are all doing well and McCall and Kors have settled in nicely. We are into a regular routine of going potty and playing outdoors.

My son initially wanted to adopt Versace but he was taken…so he has renamed Kors. He is Versace now but I call him cuddlebug and chunky spunky monkey! He’s full of energy and loves playing with McCall. They play tug of war daily over rope toys, bones and sticks. Versace has a big, loud mouth and when he is sleeping, we whisper and tip toe so we don’t wake him.! He is crate training and learning quickly to hold it until he gets outside. He is a joy!

McCall has also been renamed. He is Bandit now. It is very fitting too! He runs really fast, like a bullet. Versace and Smokey try hard to keep up but bandit leaves them in the dust. Just like the movie characters, we have our own Smokey and the Bandit. Bandit is a sweet heart. He is very curious and enjoys exploring the house and yard. He has boundless energy and loves to get the others to chase him. He is also protective of our home and is quick to bark at anyone passing by our house. He loves to jump on the couch, cuddle up and sleep next to us. I have attached a few pics for you to show their foster Moms.”