#Would it really be a Q series without a 5+1??

[cod-thoughts]

Did I mistake you for a sign from God?

Word count: 10.3k

Relationships: GhostPrice, PriceGhost

Tags: PricGhostweek2024, getting together, hand job, Ghost has dick piercings again hehe, 5+1 (5+2 really but shh)

This is for day 3 of PriceGhost week!! Tea and Blushing. My second attempt at smut, kind of different, i struggled so much more with this one so i hope its good 0_0 And of course, titles are what i was listening to while editing: "The Summoning" - Sleep Token

Ghost sat back in his chair, the mug still warm in his hand. The tea was awful—objectively terrible—but somehow, the sharp edge of Price’s smirk left a different kind of heat lingering in the pit of his stomach. He took another sip, the bitterness oddly grounding, though it wasn’t the tea he found himself thinking about. It was Price. Always Price. OR Five times someone tries to make Ghost tea and gets it wrong and the two times Price gets it right. So right in fact that they fuck about it. Including a morning after scene! Keep reading on here or on AO3 where again, there are chapters lol

The air was thick with the stale scent of brewed coffee and cheap tea, a familiar morning cocktail Ghost had long since learned to tolerate. The barracks were alive with muted voices, the shuffle of boots, and the occasional clink of mugs against metal tables. Ghost moved through the room with his usual quiet efficiency, the soft creak of his tactical gear the only sound he carried with him.

A rookie, barely out of basic judging by the nervous glance he shot Ghost’s way, stepped into his path. “Tea, sir?” the lad stammered, holding out a steaming mug.

Ghost gave a slight nod, taking the mug with a quick glance at the murky liquid inside. “Thanks,” he muttered, his voice a low rumble that seemed to startle the kid, who scurried away without waiting for a response.

Sliding into an empty seat at the far end of the room, Ghost cradled the mug in gloved hands. The steam wafted up, faintly masking the sharp tang of disinfectant that lingered in the air. As he raised the cup to his lips and took the first sip, his body stiffened involuntarily.

The bitterness hit like a gut punch, sharp and unrelenting, the taste bordering on burnt. He swallowed reflexively, fighting the instinct to spit it back into the mug. His gloved hand tightened slightly around the handle as he set the cup down, his expression as neutral as ever.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement—a subtle shift of weight against the wall. Price stood there, one boot crossed over the other, his arms folded casually across his chest. His mug, no doubt filled with a brew infinitely better than the swill Ghost had just endured, rested comfortably in one hand.

Price’s eyes flicked to the mug in Ghost’s hand, then back up to his face. One eyebrow quirked ever so slightly; a silent question framed by a flicker of amusement. Ghost didn’t move at first, the weight of that damnable tea still burning on his tongue. Finally, he gave a small shrug, lifting the mug as though to toast before taking another sip.

The bitter liquid slid down like nails on a chalkboard, but Ghost refused to give Price the satisfaction of a reaction. If the Captain wanted a show, he wasn’t getting one today.

Price’s lips twitched, the barest hint of a smirk ghosting across his face. He took a slow, deliberate sip of his own drink, blue eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as though savouring the unspoken joke. For a man as disciplined as Price, there was a certain casualness to his demeanour that Ghost couldn’t help but find disarming—and, in moments like this, vaguely irritating.

Or maybe it wasn’t irritation. Maybe it was the way Price’s gaze lingered, cutting through the layers Ghost wrapped himself in, leaving him exposed in a way he couldn’t ignore. Price wasn’t just his Captain; he was a force—steady, commanding, utterly impossible to look away from. And lately, Ghost had found himself looking more than he should. Far more.

The murmur of voices began to fade as the briefing started, the room settling into a focused hush. Price straightened, stepping forward to command the team’s attention, but not before giving Ghost one last look—a fleeting, knowing glance that carried an air of private humour.

Ghost sat back in his chair, the mug still warm in his hand. The tea was awful—objectively terrible—but somehow, the sharp edge of Price’s smirk left a different kind of heat lingering in the pit of his stomach. He took another sip, the bitterness oddly grounding, though it wasn’t the tea he found himself thinking about.

It was Price. Always Price.

---

The night was cold and damp, the kind of chill that seeped through layers and settled deep in the bones. Ghost crouched low on the rooftop, his rifle balanced beside him as his eyes scanned the empty street below. The mission had been a long slog, and now they were in the final stretch—watching, waiting, listening for any sign of movement.

The soft sound of boots on concrete pulled his attention momentarily. One of the lads on rotation appeared, carrying a steaming mug. “Tea, Lieutenant?” the soldier offered, his voice low enough not to carry.

Ghost nodded once, accepting the cup with a gloved hand. “Cheers,” he muttered, though his focus had already returned to the streets below.

The mug was warm in his hands, a small comfort against the icy wind that whipped across the rooftop. Ghost raised it to his lips, taking a cautious sip. His shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. It was watery—practically clear, with only the faintest hint of tea to justify its existence. He swallowed, the lukewarm liquid doing little to drive away the cold.

A low chuckle sounded behind him. “Not to your liking, then?” Price’s voice was quiet, carrying just enough amusement to set Ghost’s teeth on edge.

Ghost glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of the Captain leaning against a ventilation shaft a few metres away. His silhouette was dark against the overcast sky, the faint glow of the nearby town illuminating the sharp line of his jaw. He cradled his own mug in one hand, the other tucked into his coat pocket.

“It’s fine,” Ghost said gruffly, turning back to the horizon. The deadpan delivery was marred only by the slight twitch of his jaw as he took another sip.

Price stepped closer, his boots silent against the rooftop. He perched on the edge a short distance away, his attention shifting between Ghost and the street below. “Fine,” he repeated, his tone laced with mock disbelief. He took a sip of his own drink, hiding a smirk behind the rim of his mug.

Ghost didn’t respond immediately, focusing instead on the rhythmic sweep of his gaze across the street below. The tea might’ve been an insult to his senses, but Price’s presence was something else entirely—a weight Ghost felt keenly, warming the cold air between them in a way no mug ever could.

He didn’t just notice Price; he felt him, in the smallest shifts of sound, the brief brush of movement in his peripheral vision. Ghost wasn’t used to being so aware of someone, and it was beginning to feel less like a coincidence and more like a slow, insidious inevitability. He was drawn to the man—had been for a while now—but there were parts of that truth Ghost wasn’t quite ready to face.

Price turned his head, blue eyes catching Ghost’s profile. “That good, eh?” he teased, the amusement in his voice clear.

“It’s tea,” Ghost said flatly, though the subtle roll of his shoulders betrayed his irritation. His gaze didn’t waver from the horizon, but the tension coiling in his chest was harder to ignore.

Price chuckled softly, the sound rich and warm in the frigid air. “Patience, Lieutenant,” he murmured, his tone lighter now, almost affectionate. “You’ll get the good stuff eventually.”

Ghost’s gloved fingers tightened slightly around the mug, the bitterness of the tea a faint backdrop to the sharp awareness of Price beside him. The Captain was close enough that Ghost could feel the faint heat radiating from him, and something in Ghost ached for more of it—more of him. It was a thought he immediately shoved to the back of his mind, burying it under years of discipline and deflection.

He side-eyed Price briefly, the faintest twitch of his mouth betraying a reluctant humour. “That a promise, Captain?”

Price’s smile deepened, the teeth flashing briefly in the faint light. “Maybe,” he said, leaning back on his heels. His gaze flicked down to the cup in Ghost’s hand, then back up to his eyes. “Though I reckon you’ve built up a tolerance by now.”

Ghost huffed quietly, the closest he’d come to a laugh. He raised the mug in a mock toast before taking another sip. “You could say that” he muttered, his voice wry.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, the tension of the mission momentarily forgotten. Ghost sipped the last of his tea with grim determination, the bitterness of the first time replaced by an absence of flavour altogether. Still, he couldn’t help but notice the faint smile on Price’s face, the quiet amusement in his gaze every time their eyes met.

It shouldn’t have meant anything, Ghost thought. But somehow, it did.

And though he wouldn’t admit it, the tea somehow didn’t taste quite so bad when paired with that

---

The post-mission debrief room was always the same—dim lighting, uncomfortable chairs, and the faint, lingering smell of sweat and adrenaline. Ghost sat heavily in his chair, the weight of the mission clinging to him like the grime still streaked across his gear. The team filtered in slowly, murmurs of exhaustion and relief blending with the clink of mugs and the rustle of paperwork.

Someone placed a mug of tea in front of him, the gesture perfunctory but well-meaning. Ghost glanced at the dark liquid with a practised eye, immediately noting the absence of milk and the unopened sugar packet sitting accusingly beside the cup. He let out a slow, quiet breath, bracing himself as he picked it up.

The first sip was exactly as he’d expected: strong, bitter, and utterly unbalanced. He swallowed with a grimace hidden by his mask, setting the mug down with a soft clunk. It wasn’t the worst he’d had—no, that dubious honour belonged to the swill from the stakeout—but it was hardly drinkable.

As he reached for the sugar packet, a low, familiar voice broke through the quiet.

“What? Don’t like your tea black?” Price’s tone was casual, but Ghost could hear the teasing undercurrent. He looked up, finding the Captain leaning against the edge of the table, his arms folded loosely across his chest. There was a glint in his eye that Ghost had come to recognise—a mix of amusement and something sharper, more observant.

Ghost huffed quietly, tearing open the sugar packet with one hand. “Not exactly my preference,” he muttered, tipping the grains into the cup with deliberate care. He stirred it with the spoon that had been left haphazardly on the saucer, the metallic scrape faint but satisfying.

Price smirked, his gaze unwavering. “One day someone’ll get it right,” he said, his voice low and knowing.

Ghost paused, his gloved fingers resting on the spoon. His eyes flicked up to meet Price’s, and for a moment, the room seemed quieter, the distant murmur of voices fading into the background. “Doubt it,” he replied simply, his tone dry as ever, but the corner of his mouth twitched beneath the mask.

Price let out a soft chuckle, his lips curling into a smile that seemed almost too warm for the stark, clinical room. “Maybe you should start leaving instructions,” he quipped, straightening up and stepping back towards the centre of the room.

Ghost shook his head slightly, returning his attention to the tea. He took another sip, now faintly sweetened, and allowed himself a small hum of approval. It wasn’t perfect, but it was tolerable—and that was enough.

The debrief began, Price taking command with his usual steadiness, but Ghost found his gaze wandering more than once. It wasn’t deliberate—at least, that’s what he told himself—but something about the Captain’s presence drew his attention like a compass needle to true north.

Price had an uncanny ability to hold a room, his quiet authority a steadying force amidst the chaos of post-mission debriefs. But it wasn’t just his command that had Ghost’s focus—it was the subtle shifts in his expression, the way his voice softened when he addressed the team’s concerns, the faint quirk of his brow when someone muttered an excuse. It was the details, Ghost realised. The care. Price didn’t just see the team—he noticed them, in ways that made Ghost feel almost uncomfortably exposed whenever those blue eyes landed on him.

He shouldn’t have been thinking about it. The tea, the mission, the exhaustion—any of those should’ve been enough to occupy his mind. But as Price moved across the room, Ghost found himself tracking the easy confidence in his steps, the way his sleeves rolled up just enough to show the corded strength of his forearms. It wasn’t the first time Ghost had noticed things like that. It wasn’t even the tenth. But tonight, it felt harder to ignore, like the want was something physical, thrumming under his skin.

By the time the meeting wrapped up, the bitterness of the tea had faded, leaving only a faint sweetness—and the weight of Price’s smile��on his mind.

Price caught his eye as the room began to empty, his gaze lingering for just a second longer than necessary. Ghost nodded, a subtle gesture of acknowledgment, but his chest felt tighter for it, his heart beating just a fraction faster. It wasn’t much—just a look—but it felt like Price had seen right through him, had caught the thread of something Ghost wasn’t ready to admit even to himself.

The mug was empty by the time Ghost left the room, but the warmth it left behind—no, the warmth Price left behind—stayed with him.

---

The base was unusually quiet, the kind of rare lull that made Ghost feel almost out of place. The hum of generators was the only sound as he walked into the small kitchen tucked away near the barracks. It wasn’t much—a kettle, a few mismatched mugs, and a shelf half-stocked with odds and ends—but it was enough for what he needed.

The kettle had just finished boiling, its faint hiss dissipating into the still air. Ghost poured the water into his mug, watching the tea bag swirl lazily as the liquid darkened. He reached for the sugar, hesitating for a moment before tearing open a second packet and tipping it in. Stirring quickly, he raised the mug to his lips and took a sip.

It was… decent. Not perfect, but far closer to what he preferred. The extra sugar was a welcome indulgence after weeks of putting up with other people’s attempts to make his tea.

Ghost leaned against the counter, letting himself relax for just a moment. The warmth of the mug seeped through his gloves, grounding him in the otherwise empty room. He took another sip, savouring the sweetness, and allowed himself a faint hum of satisfaction.

“Couldn’t resist, could you?”

The voice startled him, soft and low but laced with amusement. Ghost turned sharply, his body instinctively tense, only to see Price leaning casually against the doorframe. Arms crossed, the Captain was watching him with an expression that hovered between smug and fond.

“Caught me,” Ghost muttered, his voice gruff as he set the mug down on the counter. He straightened slightly, as if the simple act of being caught enjoying something sweet required a more defensive posture.

Price stepped into the room, his boots barely making a sound on the scuffed floor. “Didn’t take you for a man with a sweet tooth,” he said, his tone teasing but not unkind.

Ghost shrugged, lifting the mug again as though to shield himself from further scrutiny. “Can’t help it if I like a bit of sweetness,” he said, his words muffled slightly by the rim of the cup.

Price’s smile widened, his blue eyes glinting with something unspoken. He leaned against the counter next to Ghost, close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed. “Noted,” he murmured, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The quiet hum of the base filled the space between them, the shared silence comfortable in a way Ghost wasn’t used to. He found himself glancing at Price, catching the faint curve of his smile, the relaxed set of his shoulders.

It shouldn’t have been anything. Just two men sharing a quiet moment in an empty kitchen, nothing more. But Ghost felt it—the heat under his skin, the restless pull in his chest. It was the closeness, the way Price’s presence seemed to fill the room without effort. It was the way their shoulders nearly touched, a distance so small it felt deliberate.

“Bit late to be sneaking extra sugar, isn’t it?” Price said eventually, breaking the silence with a teasing lilt.

Ghost huffed, the sound more amused than annoyed. “Better than that piss-weak tea I’ve been getting,” he retorted, taking another sip for emphasis.

Price chuckled, a low, warm sound that seemed to linger in the small room. “Fair point,” he said, his voice steady and rich. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze flicking to Ghost’s mug and then back to his eyes. “Maybe I’ll make you a proper cup one of these days.”

Ghost raised an eyebrow, though the expression was lost behind his mask. “I’ll believe it when I taste it,” he said dryly, his tone betraying just the faintest hint of humour.

Price smiled, pushing off the counter and heading for the door. “You’ll see,” he said over his shoulder, his voice carrying a promise that felt heavier than it should have.

Ghost watched him go, his gaze lingering longer than it should. The tea was warm on his tongue, but it wasn’t just the drink that had him feeling unsteady. It was Price—the way he looked at Ghost, the way he made simple words carry weight, the way he made Ghost want something he couldn’t put a name to.

He finished the mug in silence, his thoughts circling back to Price’s words.

“You’ll see.”

Ghost wasn’t sure what, exactly, Price meant. But he knew he wanted to find out

---

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the rugged landscape. The mission had dragged on longer than planned, the team stuck in a tense waiting game as they monitored the area for enemy movement. The air was dry and still, the kind of oppressive quiet that made every sound—every rustle of fabric, every crunch of gravel—feel amplified.

Ghost knelt near a rocky outcrop, his rifle resting across his knees as his sharp eyes scanned the horizon. His body was a coiled spring, tension radiating from every fibre, though his posture remained outwardly calm.

Footsteps approached from behind, measured and steady. Ghost didn’t turn; there was only one person on the team who moved like that. Price appeared a moment later, stepping into his periphery. He carried two mugs, the steam curling lazily into the cool evening air.

“Was given this to deliver,” Price said, holding one out.

Ghost hesitated briefly before taking the mug, his gloved fingers brushing against Price’s hand in the exchange. The warmth of the mug seeped into his palms as he brought it to his lips, taking a cautious sip. He stiffened immediately, his throat protesting at the over-stewed bitterness. It wasn’t the worst he’d had, but it wasn’t far off.

Price crouched down beside him, balancing his own mug on one knee as he settled. “No good?” he asked, though there was no teasing in his tone this time. It was genuine, casual—like he’d caught Ghost mid-thought and was waiting for him to speak.

“It’s drinkable,” Ghost replied, voice low and even. He took another sip, more out of habit than desire, and set the mug down carefully beside him.

“Drinkable.” Price hummed, taking a long sip from his own mug. “Could be worse.”

“Been worse,” Ghost muttered, his focus snapping back to the horizon. But the bitterness of the tea wasn’t what had his jaw tight or his senses heightened. It was Price—too close and too steady, his quiet presence a weight Ghost didn’t know what to do with.

Price let out a soft breath, leaning back on his hands. “You always this agreeable when someone makes you a brew?” he asked, his voice carrying a warmth that made the cold air feel distant.

Ghost huffed, his mouth twitching faintly beneath the mask. “Reckon most wouldn’t bother trying again.”

“Hmm,” Price murmured, tilting his head as he looked at Ghost. “Well, maybe I need to try my hand at it, think I’ll get it right?”

The words weren’t loud, but they settled heavily between them, lingering like the last rays of sunlight stretching across the rocky landscape. Ghost felt the weight of Price’s gaze, the easy way he spoke like he wasn’t asking for anything but was offering something all the same. It wasn’t just about the tea, Ghost realised. It never was.

He picked up the mug again, taking another sip despite the lingering bitterness. “Reckon you’re stubborn enough to keep at it until you do,” he said quietly, his tone lighter than before.

Price smirked, the edge of his lips curling around his next sip of tea. “Stubborn’s one word for it,” he said, blue eyes flicking to Ghost’s before sliding back to the horizon.

Ghost let the silence stretch between them, the mission’s tension fading under the weight of their shared stillness. Price wasn’t looking at him anymore, but his presence filled every inch of space Ghost had tried to carve out for himself. And for once, Ghost didn’t want to push it away.

“I’ll remember this,” Ghost said suddenly, his voice low but steady. He gestured vaguely toward the mug. “Next time you’re cursing my name.”

Price glanced at him, his smirk softening into something almost unreadable. “You’re assuming I’d waste the breath,” he said, but there was no edge in his words. If anything, there was something warmer beneath them—something Ghost wasn’t sure he could touch without burning.

The light dimmed further as the sun dipped below the horizon. Ghost let the mug rest on his knee, the last sip untouched but still warm. He didn’t know what he was holding onto more—the tea, or the way Price stayed beside him like he belonged there.

When Price finally stood, brushing dust off his trousers, Ghost glanced up at him. The Captain looked down, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “Stay sharp,” Price said quietly, his voice low and grounding, before turning to leave.

Ghost watched him go, the warmth of the tea fading but something else settling in its place. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going away.

---

The base was quiet, save for the distant hum of a generator and the occasional creak of the building settling. Ghost leaned against the counter in the small kitchen, the faint light from the overhead bulb casting long shadows. The air felt heavier at this hour, like the weight of the day had finally caught up with the walls.

He didn’t often linger in places like this—too exposed, too empty—but tonight, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to go back to his quarters. Sleep wouldn’t come, and the quiet had a way of pulling at thoughts he’d rather leave buried.

The kettle on the counter hissed, steam rising in lazy curls as it came to a boil. Ghost reached for it, the motion automatic, and poured the hot water over a tea bag in his mug. He stirred in a packet of sugar, watching the grains dissolve before taking a cautious sip. It was decent—better than most—but still far from what he wanted. Or maybe it wasn’t the tea he wanted at all.

The sound of boots on tile made him glance up. Price stepped into the kitchen, his silhouette framed by the doorway. He looked as tired as Ghost felt, his sleeves rolled up and his hands tucked into his pockets.

“Bit late for tea, isn’t it?” Price said, his voice low but carrying the faintest edge of humour. He moved further into the room, leaning a hip against the counter a few feet away.

“Could say the same to you,” Ghost replied, his tone even but not unkind. He raised the mug to his lips, the heat of the tea doing little to warm the restless ache in his chest.

Price huffed a soft laugh, the sound grounding in the quiet. “Fair point.” He reached for one of the mismatched mugs on the shelf, his movements unhurried. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Something like that,” Ghost muttered. He watched as Price filled his own mug, his focus drifting to the way the man’s hands moved—steady, deliberate. It was a small thing, but it held Ghost’s attention in a way he didn’t quite understand. Or maybe he did, and that was the problem.

Price leaned back against the counter, his mug cradled in both hands. The light above them cast soft shadows across his face, highlighting the lines at the corners of his eyes and the faint stubble on his jaw. Ghost looked away before his gaze could linger too long.

They stood in silence for a while, the space between them filled with the quiet hum of the base. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was charged in a way Ghost couldn’t ignore. He was too aware of Price—of his presence, the way his body seemed to fill the room without effort. It made the kitchen feel smaller, like there wasn’t enough air to go around.

“You’ve got that look again,” Price said suddenly, breaking the quiet.

Ghost turned his head slightly, meeting Price’s gaze. “What look?”

“The one that says you’re thinking too hard,” Price replied, his tone teasing but not unkind. He took a sip of his tea, watching Ghost over the rim of his mug. “Never a good sign.”

Ghost huffed softly, the sound more amused than annoyed. “You’re imagining things, Captain.”

“Maybe.” Price shrugged, his lips quirking in a faint smile. “Or maybe I’m right.”

The warmth in Price’s eyes was disarming, cutting through the walls Ghost kept so carefully in place. It wasn’t fair, Ghost thought, the way Price could do that—see through him without even trying, like he’d always known where to look.

“Even if you are,” Ghost said quietly, his voice low and rough, “I doubt you’d want to hear it.”

Price tilted his head, his gaze steady. “Try me.”

The words settled heavily between them, the weight of them making Ghost’s chest tighten. He looked down at his mug, the tea untouched and cooling in his hands. “You don’t let things go, do you?” he muttered.

“Not when it comes to you,” Price said simply, the honesty in his voice startling. There was no teasing now, no humour—just the quiet, steady care that always seemed to anchor him.

Ghost’s fingers tightened around the mug, his throat working as he swallowed. There were words on the tip of his tongue, things he wanted to say but couldn’t. Not here, not now. But Price’s gaze didn’t waver, and for a moment, Ghost thought he might break under it.

“Stubborn bastard,” Ghost said finally, his tone softer than intended.

Price smiled, the warmth in his expression cutting through the tension. “You’d know.”

They fell into silence again, but this time, it felt different. Lighter, somehow. Ghost took a sip of his tea, the bitterness almost comforting now. When he looked up, Price was still watching him, his blue eyes softer than Ghost had ever seen them.

“You’ll figure it out,” Price said quietly, his voice low but steady. “Whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

Ghost didn’t respond immediately, his gaze lingering on the Captain’s face. “Maybe,” he said eventually, his voice barely above a murmur. “Or maybe I’ll just keep drinking bad tea until I do.”

Price chuckled softly, the sound rich and warm. “We’ll get you sorted,” he said, a promise in his tone. “One way or another.”

Ghost nodded, the weight in his chest easing slightly. He didn’t know what Price meant by that, but he knew enough to believe him. And for now, that was enough.

---

The base was still and quiet in the early morning, the kind of calm that settled just before the day’s chaos began. Ghost shuffled into the mess, his steps heavy and deliberate. He’d had barely an hour of sleep, and it showed in the slow drag of his movements and the way he dropped into the nearest chair without bothering to check his surroundings.

He leaned forward, elbows braced on the table, his gloved hands cradling his head. A dull ache thrummed behind his eyes, and he knew it would take more than the usual swill masquerading as tea to pull him out of the fog.

The sound of a mug being placed on the table in front of him drew his attention. Ghost blinked up, his eyes meeting Price’s as the Captain slid into the seat opposite him, a steaming cup in hand.

“Figured you could use this,” Price said, his tone casual but laced with something softer—something bordering on care.

Ghost grunted in response, his gaze dropping to the mug. He reached for it without much thought, lifting it to his lips for the first sip.

He froze.

The tea was perfect. Not just decent, not tolerable—perfect. Smooth, sweet, with just enough milk to soften the edges and the distinct, familiar notes of Earl Grey lingering on his tongue. It was the exact balance he’d given up expecting long ago.

Ghost blinked down at the mug as though it were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. His gaze flicked back to Price, whose lips were quirked in a faint, knowing smile.

“Something wrong?” Price asked, though the smug tilt of his tone suggested he knew exactly what was going through Ghost’s mind.

“Where’d you get this?” Ghost asked, his voice low but edged with genuine surprise. He took another sip, his gloved fingers tightening around the mug as though afraid it might vanish if he let go.

Price leaned back slightly, his hands wrapped around his own mug. “Made it myself,” he said simply, his eyes never leaving Ghost’s.

Ghost raised an eyebrow, though the gesture was hidden by his mask. “What, got tired of watching me suffer?”

Price’s laugh was soft, warm, and unhurried. “Something like that,” he admitted, his gaze steady. “Thought you deserved a proper cup for once.”

Ghost shook his head, taking another sip as he processed the Captain’s words. The tea was warm and grounding, but it was the thought behind it that left him momentarily unsteady.

“Careful, Captain,” Ghost murmured, his tone low and dry but laced with something softer. “Keep this up and I’ll think you’re trying to spoil me.”

Price chuckled again, his shoulders lifting in a slight shrug. “Maybe I am,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “Someone’s got to make sure you’re taken care of.”

The words hung in the air, simple but weighted, the kind of statement that carried far more meaning than either of them was ready to acknowledge. Ghost studied him for a long moment, his own mask of composure slipping just enough for the warmth in Price’s eyes to reach him.

He leaned back in his chair, cradling the mug as though it were something fragile. “Got my tea,” he said softly, his voice quieter now. “Got you here. Think I’ve got everything I need.”

Price’s gaze softened, and a faint flush crept across his cheeks. He looked down, his smile widening before he took a deliberate sip of his own tea.

The silence between them was comfortable, filled with the kind of understanding that didn’t need to be spoken aloud. Ghost hid his own faint smile behind the rim of the mug, savouring both the tea and the moment.

For the first time in longer than he could remember, everything felt… right.

Ghost leaned back in his chair, his fingers wrapped around the warm mug, his gaze fixed on the steam curling lazily upward. Across the table, Price took another sip of his tea, his eyes lingering on Ghost a moment too long before he glanced down at his own drink.

The silence between them stretched, comfortable yet charged. Price’s earlier words—“Someone’s got to make sure you’re taken care of”—echoed in Ghost’s mind, the weight of them settling into a space he wasn’t sure he wanted to examine. But he couldn’t deny the warmth they brought, the unspoken care that had quietly crept into their dynamic.

Ghost’s voice broke the quiet. “You didn’t have to.”

Price looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. “Didn’t have to what?”

“Go through the trouble,” Ghost said, nodding toward the mug. His tone was low, but there was a rough edge of sincerity beneath it.

Price smiled, small but genuine. “Hardly trouble,” he said, his voice steady. “You deserve a decent cup for once.”

Ghost huffed softly, the sound more amused than dismissive. “Thought you’d be more of a ‘make-do’ type.”

Price chuckled, setting his mug down with a quiet clink. “Maybe I am. But you?” He shook his head slightly, his gaze steady. “No. You shouldn’t have to settle.”

Ghost’s grip on the mug tightened fractionally, the words hitting deeper than he expected. He leaned forward slightly, setting the cup down on the table. “Seems like you always know what people need, don’t you?”

Price tilted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. “It’s my job,” he said simply, though the faint blush creeping up his neck betrayed something more.

Ghost’s gaze lingered on him, studying the faint colour rising in Price’s cheeks. His own realisation from earlier solidified—this wasn’t just about tea. It was about Price. About the way he always seemed to notice, always seemed to care in ways Ghost wasn’t used to.

“You keep this up, and I’ll start thinking you’re bribing me,” Ghost said, his tone lighter, but there was an undercurrent of something deeper. A pull he was trying desperately to ignore.

Price smirked, his gaze steady. “Who’s to say I’m not?”

Ghost huffed, his head dipping slightly as he shook it. The mug was warm in his hand, but it was nothing compared to the heat that lingered in Price’s gaze. He couldn’t act on it—not here, not now. Not when he wasn’t sure what Price really meant.

“Wouldn’t work anyway,” Ghost muttered, taking another sip. “I’m not that easy.”

Price didn’t answer immediately. His lips curled faintly, the warmth in his eyes deepening. “Good thing I’m patient.”

Ghost’s hand tightened slightly around the mug, the words lodging themselves somewhere deep in his chest. The moment stretched between them, the pull unmistakable, but he forced himself to look away.

If Price noticed the tension coiling under Ghost’s composure, he didn’t push it. Instead, he rose from the table, his movements unhurried but purposeful. “Finish that up,” he said, his voice quieter now, almost soft.

Ghost nodded, watching him go, the warmth Price left behind far stronger than the tea in his hands.

The day passed in a haze, the usual routine of drills and debriefs doing little to distract Ghost from the morning’s encounter. Price’s words echoed in his mind, looping in ways that made him want to shake them loose: “Someone’s got to make sure you’re taken care of.”

He replayed it more times than he’d admit. The way Price had said it—steady, genuine, with just the faintest hint of something Ghost couldn’t name—had stuck with him. Price’s face lingered, too, the soft flush on his cheeks as he’d smiled over his mug. Ghost didn’t know what to do with the memory, didn’t know how to unpack the way it made his chest feel tight and his stomach twist.

By the time midday rolled around, Ghost had given up pretending it wasn’t bothering him. The man had made him tea, for Christ’s sake. That shouldn’t have meant anything. It shouldn’t have settled so heavily in his mind, shouldn’t have made him feel… wanted. Seen.

He shook the thought away, burying himself in the day, but even then, it was impossible not to think about Price. The man was everywhere—giving orders on the training field, reviewing intel in the conference room, laughing quietly at some joke Soap cracked over lunch. Ghost’s eyes found him more often than he liked, lingering on the curve of his smile, the easy strength in his posture.

It wasn’t just admiration or some small crush, Ghost realised. He wanted Price. Wanted the warmth of his presence, the weight of his gaze, the quiet steadiness he brought to every damn thing he touched. And that realisation was almost worse than ignoring it.

Ghost shoved the thought down hard, locking it away where it couldn’t touch him. But it was there, simmering beneath the surface as the hours crawled by. Every glance, every word from Price felt sharper, more significant, until Ghost was ready to crawl out of his own skin.

He knew it wouldn’t go away, not unless he found a way to address it. Or, at the very least, bury it better.

---

The knock at Ghost’s office door was unexpected but soft, more a suggestion than a demand. Ghost frowned, glancing at the clock on his desk. It was late—too late for anyone to bother him without reason.

He rose, his chair creaking faintly as he pushed it back. The day had been a slow burn of tension, hours of reports and drills leaving him restless and frayed. The memory of the morning lingered, Price’s voice and the weight of his gaze looping in his mind no matter how hard he tried to shove it aside.

When he opened the door, Price stood there, framed by the dim light of the hallway. His hat was gone, his sleeves rolled up, and his hair slightly tousled in a way that made Ghost’s chest tighten uncomfortably.

“Evening,” Price said, his voice low, warm. He held out a steaming mug, the scent of tea curling lazily into the space between them. “Thought you might want this.”

Ghost stared at him for a moment longer than he meant to, his gaze flicking from the mug to Price’s face. The man didn’t wait for an answer, stepping inside as though he belonged there. The soft click of the door closing behind them sent a flicker of heat through Ghost’s chest.

Price placed the mug on the desk, his movements deliberate, measured. “Evening tea,” he said simply, turning to lean against the desk. “Figured it’d help settle the day.”

Ghost stepped closer, drawn forward by the scent and by the man standing far too close to his papers. The mug felt warm in his hands, grounding, as he took the first sip.

The taste hit him like a wave—smooth, comforting, too perfect to be coincidence. He froze, his eyes narrowing as he stared down into the tea.

“How’d you know about this?” Ghost asked, his voice rough, quieter now.

Price shrugged, his arms crossing over his chest. The movement brought him closer, and Ghost had to tilt his head to meet his gaze. “Noticed you liked it. Figured it might do you some good.”

Ghost’s grip on the mug tightened. The warmth of the tea didn’t stop the sudden prick of vulnerability in his chest. “You’ve been paying attention to me?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.

Price blinked, his lips curling faintly. “You make it easy,” he said, the honesty in his tone disarming.

Ghost’s breath hitched, his chest tightening further. He set the mug down carefully on the desk, his hand lingering on the rim before he turned his full attention to Price. “You’re not making this easy, John,” he murmured, the name slipping out unbidden.

Price tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing as his arms uncrossed. “Making what easy?” His voice was steady, but there was an uncertainty to the way he shifted, his weight pressing into the desk behind him.

“Stopping myself,” Ghost said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The air between them stilled, growing thicker with each passing second. Price’s lips parted, a soft breath escaping as a faint blush rose to his cheeks. He looked down briefly, his hand brushing over the desk as though searching for something to anchor himself.

Ghost’s restraint faltered. It wasn’t the tea, or even the blush—it was the way Price’s eyes flicked back to him, wide and unguarded, as if waiting for something. It was the way his chest rose and fell, steady but deliberate, like he was preparing for whatever might come next.

Ghost reached out, his gloved hand curling into the front of Price’s shirt. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his breath catching as Price’s hand came up to brush against his arm.

That was it. The dam broke.

Ghost pulled him forward, their mouths meeting in a clash of heat and desperation. Price’s soft gasp was swallowed by the kiss, his hands flying up to grip Ghost’s shoulders as the tension between them finally snapped.

The kiss was frantic from the start, their mouths clashing with a heat that neither could control. Price’s hands instinctively grabbed at Ghost’s hips, his fingers curling into the material there like he needed to hold on to something. Ghost groaned low in his throat, the sound vibrating between them as he pressed closer, his body crowding Price against the desk.

Price’s breath hitched sharply, his grip tightening. The blush on his face deepened, spreading to the tips of his ears, and Ghost couldn’t stop himself from leaning back just enough to take it in.

“You’ve no idea,” Ghost rasped, his voice rough and uneven, “how good you look right now.”

Price blinked up at him, his chest heaving as his lips parted slightly. The flicker of surprise in his eyes was enough to stoke the fire already roaring in Ghost’s chest. Price’s hand twitched against his vest, his flush growing impossibly darker under Ghost’s gaze.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Ghost muttered, his tone edged with something raw, something that trembled with the weight of restraint finally breaking. He moved before he could think, his hand sliding up to cradle Price’s jaw, the rough material of his glove stark against the heat of Price’s skin.

Price exhaled shakily, his gaze flicking between Ghost’s eyes and his mouth. “Simon…” he started, but whatever he was going to say vanished into a sharp gasp as Ghost kissed him again, harder this time, the desk creaking faintly under their combined weight.

Ghost couldn’t think past the warmth of Price’s mouth, the way he tilted his head up to meet him, the quiet, desperate noises he made as their lips and tongues moved together. It was messy, unrestrained, but every second of it felt like an anchor, like gravity itself had been pulling them here all along.

Price’s hands slid higher, gripping the back of Ghost’s neck under his mask as if to pull him even closer. Ghost obliged, his body pressing against Price’s with a force that sent another faint creak through the desk.

The blush on Price’s face was still there, Ghost could feel it in the heat under his glove, could picture it spreading further down his neck. He wanted more—needed more—and the thought burned through him like a fuse finally meeting its flame.

Ghost pulled back for a second to take his mask off before making his way down Price’s jaw to his neck. He could feel the flush under his lips, skin warm to the touch. Ghost knew that from now on he’d never be able to settle for anyone else. Already addicted to the feeling of warm, flushed skin against his, to the sight of that pink skin dipping under Price’s shirt collar.

He started tugging at Price’s shirt, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. “Off, off, off, fuck,” Ghost gasped, his breath hitching as he finally yanked the fabric free and tossed it aside. The sight that greeted him knocked the air clean out of his chest.

The flush that had settled on Price’s cheeks wasn’t just contained there—it swept down his neck, spreading across his chest in uneven patches that made Ghost’s fingers twitch with the urge to touch. Every scar, every line of muscle, every imperfection painted a picture Ghost couldn’t stop staring at.

He didn’t just want Price. No, that wasn’t it.

He loved him.

The thought hit Ghost like a hammer to the chest, leaving him reeling. Every memory, every shared mission, every quiet moment where they’d sat side by side—it all clicked into place. The bloody tea was just the last crack in the dam. Price had always been more to him than he’d let himself admit.

And the way Price was looking at him now… did he feel the same?

Ghost’s hands froze against Price’s bare skin, his mind racing with everything he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words for. His hesitation didn’t go unnoticed.

“Simon?” Price’s voice was quieter now, tinged with uncertainty. The way Ghost’s gaze lingered on him, sharp and unyielding, made heat climb up Price’s neck again. He shifted under the weight of those analytical brown eyes, suddenly acutely aware of himself in a way he hadn’t been in years.

Price cleared his throat, forcing himself to break the silence. “You alright there?” he asked, trying to keep his tone even, though embarrassment threatened to creep in.

Ghost didn’t respond immediately, and the longer he stayed silent, the harder it was for Price to push back the growing doubt. He dropped his gaze, his hands twitching at his sides as he muttered, “Look, I know I’m not much of a looker anymore. Not like I used ti be at least. I get it if this isn’t what you thought it’d be.”

He shifted, the thought catching in his throat. “If you want to stop, it’s okay. I’ll leave, and we don’t have to talk about this again.”

Price started to pull away, but Ghost’s reaction was immediate, unrelenting.

“No!” Ghost’s voice cracked, startling them both with its sharpness. His hands gripped Price’s shoulders, holding him firmly in place. “That—it’s not—God, John.”

Price stilled, his wide eyes flicking up to meet Ghost’s.

“You’re…” Ghost exhaled, the words catching in his throat before he forced them out, “Fuck, you’re…you’re beautiful.”

The sincerity in his tone was palpable, cutting through the tension like a knife. Price’s lips parted slightly, his breath hitching as his flush deepened even further. For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them charged and electric.

Then Ghost surged forward again, unable to hold back. His lips found Price’s with a desperate intensity, his hands sliding up to cradle Price’s jaw as he poured every ounce of feeling he couldn’t put into words into the kiss. Price responded in kind, his hands gripping Ghost’s waist as he pulled him closer, their bodies colliding with renewed fervour.

Whatever walls had been left standing between them crumbled entirely, and the air in the room burned hotter as they lost themselves in each other once again.

Price untucked Ghost’s shirt with deliberate care, his fingers brushing over warm skin as he eased the fabric up. He let his palms roam across the smooth expanse of Ghost’s back, his touch slow, reverent, as if mapping the lines of a territory he’d only dared to imagine. The ridges of scars, the subtle shifts of muscle, the heat beneath his fingertips—it all grounded him in the reality of what was finally his.

Sliding his hand higher, he gathered the crumpled shirt, pulling it over Ghost’s head and tossing it aside without a second thought. He let himself linger, his hands exploring the bare skin of Ghost’s shoulders, his thumbs brushing the sharp lines of his collarbones. For a moment, Price lost himself in the simple act of touching, of finally being allowed to do what he’d only dreamed about.

But it wasn’t enough.

His hands drifted upward, finding the one Ghost had cradling his jaw—gloved, a barrier Price couldn’t stand. He let his fingers curl around Ghost’s wrist, tugging lightly at the material. “Let me feel you properly,” he murmured, his voice low and rough against Ghost’s lips. “Please.”

Ghost stilled, his breath catching as Price tugged again, more insistent now. Slowly, Ghost let his hand fall, allowing Price to strip the glove away with steady, deliberate movements. The bare skin beneath was warm, roughened with calluses and scars, and Price’s thumb instinctively brushed over Ghost’s knuckles, as if testing the texture, memorising the feel of it.

The second glove followed, Price’s movements careful but firm. He didn’t break eye contact, didn’t let Ghost retreat, even as the intimacy of the gesture seemed to weigh heavy between them. When both gloves were gone, Price took Ghost’s hand in his, pressing their palms together, his fingers threading between Ghost’s in a slow, deliberate motion.

“Better,” Price murmured, his voice barely audible now, his gaze fixed on Ghost’s face. The heat in his eyes burned, unguarded and open, as his free hand slid Ghost’s back to his jaw, letting the taller man cradle it with bare fingers this time. “Much better.”

Ghost was slack jawed watching Price do this, who let a small smirk peak through before he moved forward and kissed Ghost with his desperation evident, Price bit Ghost’s bottom lip gently, pulling it away slightly and nibbling on it, He could feel Ghost’s cock twitch against his from where they were pressed together. He rolled his hips in a sinful grind against Ghost’s, feeling the teeth in their zippers catch making them both let out groans at the feeling.

Ghost decided enough was enough, he started unbuckling Price’s trousers yanking them and his pants down just enough to get his hand around Price, feeling him tense against his body and let out a muffled moan.

“Already driving me crazy, John,” He whispered into the space between them, gripping Price’s cock harder, he starts moving his fist up and down, uncaring for the dry tug as Price jerks his hips forward into Ghosts grip. “Don’t hold back, love. Take what you need.” He encourages.

Price decides that what he actually needs is to feel Ghost against him, to feel the man’s cock against his own. He slides his hands from where they rested around Ghosts neck to his chest, thumbing at his nipples for a moment, making note of the whine he heard for later, he was getting too worked up to linger there for long.

Continuing their path down, his hands trailed over the soft hair right above the waistband of Ghost’s trousers, fumbling with his belt before finally managing to unbuckle it and open up Ghosts trousers. Pulling his pants down, Price wrapped his fingers around Ghost’s cock and gasped in surprise. Ghost had piercings and Price was hit with the image of them inside of him, stretching him open, of them in his mouth, catching on his lips.

He thumbed at the frenulum piercing then brought his fingers down to the Jacob’s ladder, fingers catching on each one as he mentally counted to five, fuck.

“Can’ believe you’ve been hiding these from me,”

Ghost chuckled against Price, “Didn’t realise you wanted to know what my cock looks like so badly, Captain,” The reminder of Price’s rank sending a shiver down both of their spines, adding it to the growing list of things they’re going to have to explore later.

Price shut Ghost up with his lips, bringing his mouth down to Ghost’s neck, mouthing around the base of his throat before sucking a mark that could be barely hidden by the man’s balaclava. Trailing his tongue to the other side of Ghost’s neck to leave another dark mark, he started moving his hand against Ghost’s cock with more purpose.

They let out twin moans at the feeling and started to move their hips and hands with more urgency. Their kiss was just as desperate, if not more so now, Ghost started to kiss down Price’s jaw and neck until he reached his collarbones, biting and sucking at the skin there. Price was running his fingers through Ghost’s hair encouraging him and silently hoping that the mark would peak out from under his shirt collar.

Ghost’s hips started moving more erratically so he wrapped a hand around both of them, encasing Price’s hand as well as both of their cocks in his large palm, squeezing around them eliciting a gasp from Price.

The feeling of the metal barbells against his cock had Price leaking, the dry tug slowly becoming wetter and wetter.

“Fuck, John, you’re so wet. Shi-Ah!” He gasped out against Price’s neck, trailing his tongue up towards Price’s ear, tugging gently on his earlobe with his teeth, feeling Price twitch against him. It was addicting, Price was so responsive and with that gorgeous flush all over his body Ghost knew he wouldn’t last long at this rate.

“Feels so good, love,” Price gritted out. “I’m so close, please.”

“Me too,” Ghost panted out covered in a thin sheen of sweat “So close, don’t stop. Ah! Fuck! I’m gonna come!”

“Yeah? Gonna come all over me, Simon? Make a mess out of both of us?”

Ghost nodded fervently against Price’s neck, mouthing at it, trying not to leave a visible mark but wanting to feel that pink skin against his lips.

“Look at me, I want to see you fall apart,” Price whispered against Ghost’s ear, pulling him up by the grip he had on his hair, dragging him into a kiss, feeling the muffled whines and moans against his lips before deciding he’d much rather hear them and detaching his lips from Ghost’s.

“Come for me, Simon. Let me feel you, love,” The words weren’t what pushed Ghost over the edge, no, it was the way Price was looking at him, his eyes full of affection and awe, like Ghost was the only thing he’d ever wanted, and he finally got it.

That look has Ghost arching his back and twitching his hips into their fists squeezing his eyes shut and throwing his head back as his breathing stuttered and he gasped out Price’s name.

Price was in awe of what he was witnessing, Ghost lost in his own pleasure, uncaring of anything else in the room was a sight he’d only been dreaming of, and now that it’s a reality he held off on his own orgasm, wanting to really look at Ghost.

The feeling of Ghost twitching against him made it really hard to do so, as Ghost’s pleasure was coming to an end Price tried to slow his hand down, but Ghost shook his head, whispering against Price’s lips “Don’t stop, please, need to feel you come, please sir, need to feel you,”

“Ah! Fuck! Simon, love, that’s-fu-Ah!” That was his undoing, hearing Ghost whining from the stimulation on his sensitive cock, feeling him twitch and softening in his hand yet still going for Price’s sake had him let out his own gasps, hips stilling at the intense feeling.

He came back to himself when it got too much, twitching away from their hands, Ghost was mostly soft against him by now breath hitching as he slowed his hand and unwrapped it from around their cocks.

Smirking, Price grabbed Ghost’s hand around the wrist and brought it to his mouth, licking a stripe from his palm to the tip of his index finger, wrapping his lips around the tip and bringing it into his mouth, the taste and smell of them together had him groaning around Ghost’s finger.

The mumbling of “Filthy fucking bastard, should’ve known” did nothing to deter Price, sucking and licking around the base of Ghost’s finger, “Fuck me, Price,”

Pulling off and making a show of licking his lips, Price just grins. “Maybe next time,”

“Next time, eh?”

“Yeah, Simon, next time,” He said as he brought them closer to each other, their kiss this time wasn’t laced with the heat of earlier, it was softer, sweeter. Intimate in a way neither of them thought possible for men like them.

Price could feel Ghost smiling against his lips and couldn’t help but let his own smile come through too. The kiss slowed down to a gentle press of lips, kissing just to be near each other now. As they stopped, Price brought their foreheads together, not wanting to pull away yet despite wanting to clean up desperately.

For a moment, they just stood there, the world outside the door forgotten. Ghost’s fingers trailed down to Price’s chest, brushing over the faint flush still lingering on his skin. “Still blushing,” he murmured, his voice laced with quiet amusement.

“Noticed, did you?” Price replied, his smirk returning as he caught Ghost’s hand in his own. “Reckon you’re the one to blame.”

Ghost huffed softly, the sound more amused than dismissive. “Good.”

Price rolled his eyes but didn’t pull away. “Cocky bastard.” Price tilted his head back towards the desk, “Your tea’s gone cold.”

“Well, lucky for me, I seem to have my own personal tea maker now,” Ghost quipped, his voice low and laced with playful warmth. His eyes glinted with amusement as he added, “Doesn’t get much better than a Captain on brew duty.”

Price let out a short laugh, pulling back just enough to look Ghost in the eye. “Careful, Simon, or I’ll start charging you for the privilege.”

Ghost smirked, his clean hand brushing lightly over the back of Price’s neck. “Worth every penny,” he said smoothly. “You know I’ve got high standards.”

Price huffed, shaking his head as he kissed Ghost again, softer this time. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“Yeah,” Ghost murmured, his voice dropping as his fingers tightened slightly at Price’s nape. “I am.”

You've got my body, flesh and bone

The morning was quiet, sunlight filtering through the small kitchen window and pooling across the counter. Ghost stood by the shelf, his gloved hand brushing idly over the tins and packets until one caught his eye. He froze, his fingers curling around the worn edges of a familiar tin tucked into the corner.

It was his tea. The evening blend Price had somehow handed him the night before without explanation, the one Ghost hadn’t even realised was still stocked on base. He turned it over in his hands, the scuffed label soft under his thumb. The thought of Price hiding it, keeping it safe for him, struck something deep in his chest.

Ghost hadn’t been sure what to call what they were now—what last night meant—but this? This told him everything he needed to know.

“Didn’t peg you for an early riser.”

Ghost didn’t need to turn to recognise Price’s voice. He felt the shift in the air, the grounding weight of the man before the words even reached him. He glanced over his shoulder to find Price leaning in the doorway, his sleeves rolled up, his hair still mussed from sleep.

“Didn’t peg you for a hoarder,” Ghost said dryly, holding up the tin in quiet accusation.

Price chuckled as he stepped into the room, his boots soft against the tile. “Not hoarding,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Just…making sure it ended up in the right hands.”

“For me, then?” Ghost asked, his tone low, though his eyes stayed fixed on Price, measuring.

“For you,” Price confirmed, stopping just short of closing the distance between them. He tilted his head toward the tin, his smirk softening.

Ghost turned fully now, setting the tin on the counter with deliberate care. He studied Price for a moment, taking in the easy confidence in his posture, the faint flush creeping along his collar, the edges of the mark he left there last night barely visible. And then the words slipped out, quiet but certain.

“Hope you know that makes you mine.”

Price stilled, his smirk faltering for the briefest moment before something warmer overtook it. “Yours?” he repeated, his voice steady but edged with something deeper. He stepped closer, his hand brushing Ghost’s forearm before curling lightly around his elbow.

Ghost tilted his head, leaning just slightly into the touch. “What else would I call you?” he asked, his voice low, roughened by the admission. His free hand rose, brushing against Price’s arm as he added, “Not just anyone would keep track of my bloody tea.”

“Not just anyone would put up with you,” Price shot back, his tone teasing but his grip tightening slightly.

Ghost huffed a quiet laugh, his eyes crinkling faintly at the corners. “You saying you’re special, then?”

“Reckon I am.” Price grinned, that elusive flush creeping up his neck again as his hand slid from Ghost’s elbow to rest lightly against his waist. “Not that you’re making it easy for me.”

“Never said I would,” Ghost murmured, his voice softening as he let his hand settle against Price’s shoulder. His fingers curled slightly, the fabric of Price’s shirt warm under his gloves. “But you’re still here.”

“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Price said simply, the sincerity in his voice cutting through the teasing.

Ghost’s throat tightened, his hand slipping from Price’s shoulder to press lightly against the back of his neck. “You’re mine, John,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Not just today. Not just last night.”

Price’s breath hitched slightly, his hand tightening at Ghost’s waist. “I’m yours, Simon,” he replied, his voice low but unwavering. “And you’re mine.”

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy, wasn’t charged—it was steady, like the kind of quiet they’d spent years earning. Ghost exhaled slowly, his grip on Price softening as his forehead dipped briefly to rest against Price’s.

“I’ve got to admit,” Ghost said after a moment, his voice quiet but laced with warmth, “I’m grateful for a man who pays attention.”

Price chuckled softly, his other hand brushing against Ghost’s side before resting there. “Always.”

[thesiltverses]

A very big thank you

I posted this on Patreon, but really wanted to share it here as well:

Post-show life begins

For a long while now I’ve been getting up at 4.30 or 5am, grabbing myself the first coffee of four, and then coming to sit at my desk.

I open up the assembly cut of the newest TSV episode.

I listen to it, I try and pin down which scenes I need to be going back over today. I try and push through the entire morning without a break because when the momentum stalls, that’s what kills your release schedule. (I also worry endlessly about just how much of my hair is falling out, and how spending 12 hours a day wearing headphones could be contributing to that.)

Today was different. I still woke up early - it’s a hard habit to shake off, and probably a useful one going forward. But I didn’t go to my desk, and I didn’t put my headphones on.

I went to the rocking chair we bought for our son when he comes, and I sat there - gently swaying and trying not to spill my coffee all over it, because for some reason it’s fucking beige - and looked out over the city skyline. 

I slugged back my coffee surrounded by all the stuff we’ve panic-bought for the baby, and I got to take all of it in - washcloths and the changing table and romper suits - with a sudden focus and a clarity and a rising excitement that I really hadn’t allowed myself to feel until today, because until today the work was still unfinished and there was still much left to be done.

All at once I felt very free, and fully sated, and happy and proud for everything that’s coming next.

There’s so much to feel grateful for from the past three years of working on this show. But what’s probably going to sit with me the most is being able to arrive at that moment and those feelings today, - and we have all of you incredible people to thank for that.

Not just in terms of listenership or financial support, although that’s been truly invaluable and a lifeline for us that’s enabled us to actually make the show - but also your enthusiasm, your passion, your jokes and comments and everything that’s helped to keep us motivated and working on it.

So - with as much feeling as words can convey, thank you so, so much for everything.

What’s coming next, in rough order

#1: Parentdom is going to take over our lives for a while! I also want to write the final Patreon episode commentaries in the next few days, while I have the time and the clear memories. #2: The next thing we’ll organise will be the post-season Q&A (we’d also like to do some kind of off-camera cast party if we can make schedules work, just to say thank you to our amazing VAs and celebrate with them). Please do ask us questions! #3: We have long-unfinished commitments to the Patreon which I need to complete: the last two episodes of So Long, Good Luck, and rounding off Sid Wright’s story. As ever, huge thank-yous for your patience with these; they’ve just been impossible to polish off while also working on the main show so much. #4: Something I’ve been thinking about for a long time is the possibility of going back to Season 1 and redesigning it from scratch to try and bring it closer in style to S2 and S3. We have the raw audio files - some of the mic quality will just be rough no matter what, but we can certainly try.  This is something I want to be conscientious and careful about; I very much want to respect the sound design work that’s already taken place, and ensure we’re not overriding anything. But I do know that the initial quality still sometimes puts new listeners off; we were learning a lot about direction and mastering from scratch, and our designers were working with limited budget and a total lack of plugins, so there’s simply a lot more we can achieve now. (This would also be a good opportunity for me to finally rework the transcripts, another fallen hurdle). #5: A few months back, we were contacted by a literary agent in NYC who was interested in us adapting the show into a series of novels. There’s a long road ahead to actually get published, but I'm thrilled to say that I have signed with them and I’m really excited to hopefully start work on the first book once I’ve settled into dad-dom. I’ll need to check what’s possible, but if it doesn’t interfere with any contract condition I’d obviously love to share excerpts on here as it’s written. #6: Then there’ll also be another larger audiodrama project - we’ve spoken about the different possibilities before! Excited to get started on our final choice.

Just one last word about endings

God, endings are scary. Because endings are impossible.

How many serialised stories actually end in a way that’s received unequivocally well?  People yelled at The Sopranos for its ambiguity and open-endedness. People criticised Breaking Bad for treating Walt too sympathetically at the end and relying on a generic mob of snarling Nazis to act as his final foe.

Endings are either too pat and neat, or too inconclusive to be satisfying, or too surreal and dreamlike, or they simply make what feels like the wrong choices for the characters we care about. We’re all caught in that barbed wire, creators and audience alike, weighed down by the baggage of what’s come before and we've already spent so much time anticipating the infinite possibilities of how it could all turn out - it’s like we can’t get free of the story that’s trying to end. 

And the beautiful thing about these longform, iterative works is that they insist upon becoming completely ungovernable. No matter how much of a planner the creator claims to be, how much prepwork they carry out - they were never really in control. There’s spontaneity and surprises and dead ends and beautiful distractions that come spilling out along the way (I was baffled and delighted to learn that people really - at the end of the show, with such limited time to spare - wanted to find out what had happened to Eddie*). 

So they can’t end. Not really. There’s too much wonderful mess in them to ever be reasonably disentangled.

And, of course, for every ending people remember with frustration or dissatisfaction, there’s another hundred endings that nobody remembers at all, because we lost our enthusiasm along the way and it feels better to keep going back to the start and avoiding the slow decline. (Who the fuck remembers how the umpteenth X-Files reboot ended? What increasingly tired post-modern antics was Alan Moore getting up to in the final League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books?). I really just didn’t want the show to end up in that latter category.

All of that probably sounds like I’m warding off criticism about the show's ending, but for me it’s actually been the opposite. 

For an ending which is all about narrative dissatisfaction, and failed potential and missed opportunities, and how we need to come to terms with the lack of existential fairness and certainty and narrative control in our lives and keep ploughing forward all the same for as long as we possibly can, I’m massively stunned at just how positive the reception has been on here and elsewhere, and that’s something I’m actively having to process, because I think I was fearfully anticipating much more pushback.

But, look - the Eskew finale was originally quite poorly-received and then people came back around to it over time. So I’m not going to pat myself on the back too hard, because maybe it’ll ultimately be the opposite with this show, and that’s OK. For 200 years everyone was convinced King Lear was improved by having everyone survive at the end and get married. Endings take time to settle into their final condition.

For now, I am incredibly relieved that the ending we chose seems to have landed for most people, and I’m incredibly grateful for the lovely messages we’ve got about it and for the trust in us that you’ve all shown throughout the story.

So, yeah, let’s end with another thank you, because that’s what I feel so deeply and so forcefully at this point.

Thank you so much again, and speak soon.

Jon

*My take? We’ve established that the guy is in some kind of blue-collar job and has been pushed into constant overtime due to the reduced workforce. We’ve seen that the so-called ‘national holiday’ doesn’t actually rescue workers from their commitments. So I personally imagine that Eddie was working during the parade somewhere on the city outskirts, and is alive and well.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - September

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 25.09.2024

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

gif-requests are open, but you'll need to have some patience🌼

Here you can find all of my gifs.

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in September with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. First Note of Love 🇹🇼 (8/12)

I need them all to communicate more. Not about each other but with each other. And really listen to the other one. Most of the episode was the side couple and one discuss why he thinks they would never work out and the other one tries to tell him why he thinks they could make it work. At least they're talking.

2. I Saw You In My Dream 🇹🇭 (11/12)

I love these two together. They just work and are cute and you can feel the love between them. Yu is a really perfect first boyfriend. He doesn't push and just accepts Ai as he is. I enjoy their relationship so much. And now I am really curious what will happen in the last episode.

3. Jack & Joker: U steal my heart! 🇹🇭 (3/12)

I could watch War looking at this ring for an entire episode and I wouldn't be bored. He really nailed this episode with his many personas he played. He is indeed a good actor and such a pretty one too. And I was screaming, when Jack gave the ring to Joker and let him get away. And next week we get some redemption work. Can't wait!

4. Kidnap 🇹🇭 (4/12)

These two are so cute. I know shit is going down soon, but until then I enjoy those two flirting with each other to the max. Min is already so smitten by Q and Q is realising, his feelings are a little bit more than just friends. I really like it.

5. Word of Honor 🇨🇳 (20/36)

Do you still believe I'll come back to this one? It is a really good series, but I can't motivate myself to dive into it right now 🙈

Finished in September

Series

Takara no Vidro 🇯🇵

We had our final today and I loved it! The fact both of them missed each other and communicated this. Taishin likes it when Takara opens up to him, because it makes him feel special and closer to him. And I get that. Takara is a person who doesn't talk much about himself, but who has so much anxiety and Taishin wants to share those burdens, because they are equal, because he wants to take care of Takara too. I started this series without any expectations and with mixed feelings, but it slowly became one of the gems of the week and I was so looking forward to this final episode! A really good 9 out of 10.

4 Minutes 🇹🇭

This was something else. You really have to pay attention to get this story. I like series with a not that sugar-coated ending and we definiteky got this with 4 Minutes. Not everyone got their happy ending. Even though Great and Tyme got their happy ending together, not everything was good here. That was kinda realistic in such a mystery series. But I must admit, I really liked Korn and Tonkla's ending. It was best for their story. I said what I said. This gets a good 9 out of 10.

Hidamari ga Kikoeru 🇯🇵

This series... I loved it with all my heart for the first half. And then I just got angry with it for multiple reasons. It is so hard for me to give this a rating. Damn. I bought the mangas because of this series and I read the first ones. The problem is, the story is really complex and that works for mangas and novels pretty well, because it gives the characters depth and well, a character. But it doesn't work like that in a series. Too many subplots take away the growth of the main characters. And if you throw in a new character in the middle of the show, don't make them that unlikable like Maya. She is way more likable in the manga. For me, the second half just doesn't work and it felt incoherent with the character development. They tried to stay too true to the source material. I wished I could love this series from beginning to end, but I couldn't. Overall I give it a 6,5 out of 10.

Seoul Blues 🇰🇷

I didn't like this one that much. Yes, they had good chemistry, but this whole cheating and evil ex plot was not for me. I don't know why. Usually I don't mind cheating plots and find them kinda entertaining, but here it was not that good. I give it a 6,5 out of 10.

The Trainee 🇹🇭

Fun thing, even though this was a slow burn and we got a bunch of side stories, I really enjoyed this series! It was funny and entertaining and showed a good character growth for all its characters. That is something we don't get that often in a series. Nothing felt like a side story. They were all important for the plot as for the company. And Jane and Ryan are just cute and precious. I give this one a 9 out of 10.

Happy of the End 🇯🇵

We got our happy ending. And a time jump, but I think it worked really well with this series. Because Haoran needed the distance to Chihiro. He needed to understand that he isn't the bad guy in the story and that Chihiro was truely happy with him. He needed to heal for his own sake and on his own. I really liked the series, even though it is one of the series with the most trigger-warnings. I am just happy to see them happy in the end, after all they've been through. A strong 9 out of 10 for me.

The On1y One 🇹🇼

This series gave me everything. A warm feeling in my cold heart. Butterflies in my stomach. A good laugh. Some tears. And a bunch of heartbreaks! Damn! This was such a good ride! Those two, Tian and Wang, are soon to be step-brothers and they're in love with each other. Tien knew this since the first time he saw Wang and we could whitness Wang slowly recognising his feelings for Tian. And we didn't get a happy ending. If you will, this is an open end, but there is no working through these feelings. We just end as devastated as Tian, because Wang has built up his emotional walls again to keep distance to Tian. Because they're will be brothers and that means they can't be lovers. This hurts so bad and good at the same time! And the acting is superb! I love this series so much! A 10 out of 10 for me.

Movie

Short Film

Dropped in September

Cityboy_Log 4.2 🇰🇷

This is too confusing for me. I don't get the episodes or the seasons and definitely not the plot. They are all friends and the whole cheating part from last season is just forgotten. I guess I will look into it from time to time, but for now, I drop it.

Looking forward to in September

Live in Love - Trailer (Sep 1st)

Happy of the End (Sep 3th)

Kidnap - Trailer (Sep 6th)

The Hidden Moon - Trailer (Sep 7th)

Jack and Joker - Trailer (Sep 9th)

Unlock your Love - Trailer (Sep 11th)

The Time of Fever - Trailer (Sep 12th)

Love Sick - Trailer (Sep 14th)

Bad Guy my Boss - Teaser (Sep 15th)

Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Sep 17th)

Chaser Game W2: Utsukushiki Tennyotachi (Sep 20th)

Uncle Unknown (Sep 20th ?)

[felixcloud6288]

Okay. I really want to talk about that second math problem Homura did. It's the only one where I was able to understand what the actual problem she's trying to solve was (Her mathwork in q1 and q3 were correct for what I saw, but I couldn't figure out what she was ultimately trying to do.)

The problem: We're given three integers x, a, and b where a/14 has a remainder of 6, b/14 has a remainder of 1, and x^2 - 2ax + b = 0. Find the remainder of x/14.

Step 1: We define x, a, and b in relation to 14. We'll use q, s, and t to represent the quotients of x, a, and b respectively and r to represent the unknown remainder of x/14.

x = 14q + r a = 14s + 6 b = 14t + 1

Step 2: We rewrite x^2 - 2ax + b = 0 using the above equalities.

(14q + r)^2 - 2(14s + 6)(14q+r) + (14t + 1) = 0

Step 3: rewrite each term using FOIL (Normally I'd say simplify but there's nothing simple about what this is going to look like. Also, I'm going to keep 14 as unedited as possible for reasons you'll see later).

(14q)^2 + 2*14qr + r^2 - 2*14^2qs - 2*14rs - 12*14q - 12r +14t + 1 = 0

Step 4: Our end goal is to figure out what happened when x is divided by 14. So we're going to collect all terms divisible by 14 together and factor out 14.

14(14q^2 + 2qr - 28qs - 2rs - 12q + t) + r^2 - 12r + 1 = 0

Step 5: This was something Homura did but didn't explicitly show. Consider this: -14r = -12r - 2r. So we could add 2r - 2r into the left side of the equation without impacting it. This let's us throw -14r into the pile of terms being multiplied by 14 and leave us with a 2r we can use FOIL on with the remaining terms

14(14q^2 + 2qr - 28qs - 2rs - 12q + t) + r^2 - 12r + 1 + 2r - 2r= 0 14(14q^2 + 2qr - 28qs - 2rs - 12q + t) + r^2 - 14r + 1 + 2r = 0 14(14q^2 + 2qr - 28qs - 2rs - 12q + t - r) + (r+1)^2 = 0

Step 6: This is the part where Homura went from equations to logic. To simplify things, let's let y = 14q^2 + 2qr - 28qs - 2rs - 12q + t - r. This means:

14y + (r+1)^2 = 0 (r+1)^2 = -14y

Now I have to go over a little bit of number theory. Prime factorization is the process of breaking a positive integer down into a series of prime numbers. With the above equation, we can say (r+1)^2 is divisible by 14 since it is equal to 14 times some unknown integer -y. This also means (r+1)^2 can be divided by 2 and 7 since 2*7=14.

Now consider: Let's say we have two integers m and n. There is a unique set of prime numbers that can be multiplied to get m and a unique set that can be multiplied to get n. If we multiply m by n, the prime factors of mn is going to be the prime factors of m and n. For example, 12 = 2*2*3 and 15 = 3*5 so 12*15 = 2*2*3*3*5 or 2^2 * 3^2 * 5.

Now let's say we multiplied m by m. In that case, we're combining the same prime factors together. So m^2 would double the exponent values of each prime factor. As a corollary, if m's square root is an integer, then m's prime factors must all be exponentiated by an even number.

Now let's tie this back to the problem.

Currently, we know (r+1)^2 = -14y for some unknown integer y. Our end goal is to figure out r, the remainder when x is divided by 14. First, we need to try getting rid of the square on the left side. Going back to what I mentioned earlier though, since r+1 is an integer, that means it has a certain prime factorization. We can say that prime factorization includes at least a 2 and 7 because of the 14 on the right. And since r+1 is being squared, that means (r+1)^2 has the same prime factors as r+1 but the exponential values are double. In other words, y has to also be divisible by 14 in order for this equation to be true.

Now also recall that r is the remainder of x/14. This would mean r at most is 13. So r+1 is at most 14. If we take all this information into account, this means (r+1)^2 can at most be 14^2 and in fact would have to be 14^2 because it is the only number that would work with all the previous information (Meaning that y = -14). Therefore:

(r+1)^2 = 14^2 r+1 = 14 r = 13

back

[munchkinmarauder]

My review of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver #4

I would give it 4/5 stars - lots to like but not without its problems - probably could have used another issue to flesh it out. Spoilers below the cut

I enjoyed it a lot more on my second reading than my first! However I would say this is one of the weaker of the 4 Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver issues. Stronger than the first one but #2 and #3 were better.

Firstly the art and the colours are killing it. I am going to miss Tammetta's work going into the next series. Williams also does a great job with his bold colours.

The summary of this issue following the announcement of the scarlet witch book did get this on the wrong foot for me because it is all about Wanda which I felt was disrespectful for a co-lead 60th anniversary series for both characters. While the last book itself is a little more Wanda heavy it has a much better balance than issue 1 did and Pietro walks away from this book with his head held high in my opinion (and if the Q&A at the end is to be believed he will have more regular appearances in the Sclaret Witch solo as the Giver is still after him as well - good he brings the missing piece to Orlando's books - a lot of fun and someone Wanda can genuinely emote off of and who matches her beat for beat)

How Orlando would write Pietro was one of my biggest worries going in but I have been really happy with his portrayal so far and wouldn't mind him writing Pietro more. We see a good exploration of his powers and his emotional maturity after his growth in Quicksilver no surrender is on full display! He shrugs off the reveal from Magneto's letter to give his sister the pep talk she needed to control her full power, takes out the frightful 400, lands a solid blow on the Wizard and his confrontation at the end with Magneto was a good one - hes so done with his fathers BS and shrugs it off, tells his sister how much he loves her and leaves. I like that his relationship with Monet St Croix has not been forgotten - Orlando and Tammetta were really like - we're going to have a parent say one of the worst things they can to a child so we're gonna get this man laid (Pietro and Monet messy sex marathons was not something I thought would become cannon but I'm happy it did - I hope the comics keep this couple around for a while and explore them - I hope Monet appears in Wanda's next solo cause I want to see her interact with Wanda).

Cthon Wanda was very very cool. I am excited to see what is coming up with the Giver plot however I do feel this mini could have benefitted from an extra issue, cause having to set up the next Scarlet Witch solo does bog things down a bit. The twins don't actually interact much this series, for something that was advertised as being about their relationship I think it really needed a lot more of that - they spend nearly two issues separated so I think we needed more of a moment between them to resolve their fight. Unfortunately my fear that Magneto would overshadow everything sort of happened with his small appearance at the end immediately making it all about Magneto.

Speaking of Magneto the revelation in the letter is one I liked the more I thought about it. It's not a big reveal but it is Magnetos abusive tactics on display at his finest- a clear setting up of a narcissist parent creating a golden child and Scapegoat dynamic. I know a lot of people are taking what he says as him being right at face value and crying about Magneto being character assassinated or this being an affront to Pietro and I disagree. Yes it's a bit over the top considering what we saw in RoM and Krakoa but it is not out of character. Magneto has always been a dick to his children, Pietro in particular - I could go on for days but this review is long enough - but let's not be surprised that the man that murdered his son and was willing to let his daughter be murdered for mutant kind is a good father in any sense of the world. I think the story itself and Wanda and Pietro saying so to Magneto's face that he is wrong about the twins is very apparent. Tammetta emphasises the physical resemblance between Pietro and Magneto to make it clear that Magneto is projecting onto his son and to a degree wants to seperate the twins. A tactic he also used when the twins were under his "care" in the brotherhood.

Pietro and Magneto were done well in that scene, however, Wanda's response is what is off and I believe that is what does Wanda disservice as a character. She sent the Wizard to a hell dimension for hurting her brother but only gently tells Magneto he is wrong when he tells his only son that he should have stayed dead and calls him poison to Wanda. Orlando's finally calling out Magneto for what he is but the way he won't let Wanda herself go at Magneto or yell at him feels out of character for Wanda. Also the fact she agreed with Magneto initially pissed me off (though maybe this was her self blaming) Is this building up to something more? Will we get and explanation for it? I hope so but until then I am not happy with how Orlando writes Wanda around Magneto. She did overall take a back seat to the men in this series a bit, Magneto infantalise her and she takes it, vision talks down to her and is the kne figuring everything out for Wanda (I'm glad the vibe seems to be they're friendly ex's with no intention of getting back together and it shohld stay that way- though we got a forced cheek kiss - two series now which forces a Wandavision kiss but not Wanda giving her brother a hug when he's emotionally vulnerable - all for a racist MCU show it's very dissapointing) and a lot of the really good moments are taken up by Pietro until she has her main moment at the end - however twins dynamic is even,their partners, Wanda has a solo coming up so I think this last point can be forgiven.

Overall to wrap up this long review I have enjoyed and had fun with this series overall but it has it's flaws - the Wanda/Magneto dynamic being a big one and sometimes Orlando gets a bit too wordy (maybe a bit rich coming from me) which derails the pace a bit and makes my eyes glaze over - but I'm really happy with this series and hope it's success means we get more co-lead series with the twins or more Pietro in comics in general (and Wanda to keep being as prominent as she is)

[thegeminisage]

WELL. it is time for the final tng update (until the movies ig). last night we watched the series finale, "all good things" parts i & ii.

all good things (not differentiating parts):

my main takeaway from this episode is that they somehow managed to bring back tasha yar, only to 1. have her do absolutely nothing 2. die again?? they have killed tasha yar three times. hat trick for dead tasha yar

second takeaway: old people makeup. i couldn't find any gifs for this episode because when you go in the tag they're all just comparisons with picard the show. which IS kind of fun, admittedly. losers in the old people makeup department: riker. winners: beverly. hers was kinda hot ngl. milf.

conceptually this episode kind of fucked. like, three eras of having to be in the same place, coordinating stuff over 4D space via rapid shifting...that's cool. there was a cool episode buried in here somewhere. i think the problem was 1. it took way too long to figure out what was going on 2. the three eras in question were season 1 of tng (bad), season 7 of tng (also bad), and tng 25 bad future. i have lots to say about the bad future in a sec but let's not get distracted. because all of these eras were bad, it wasn't very exciting to be coordinating stuff across them. i TOTALLY understand the temptation to bookend the show by going back to the pilot, but the sad truth is the pilot was AWFUL. q has largely been annoying and the trial was one of his MORE annoying appearances.

on the bad future: worf and riker fighting over deanna being DEAD somehow and us not getting any more information was pretty awful, especially since they sort of seemed to be having a fight about deanna in the present-day too. i don't like them fighting over her but i REALLY thing the deanna/worf was so rushed...riker is normally so chill too, it doesn't make any sense. plus it's absolutely bonkers that picard came back and DIDNT warn deanna she had 5 years to live. come on!!!

if geordi really grew back his eyes bc of the anomaly, why are they blue in the future? they look like prosthetics or something. also can't we just give him brown eyes cmon. also, it's SICK AND DISGUSTING they married him to leah. i like geordi, but his thing w women made liking him difficult, so thanks for reminding us of his absolute WORST moment right as we're saying goodbye to him forever

someone on the aos team did not do their research. romulus was destroyed in 2387, and the last season of tng is in 2370. that means this future era took place in 2395, eight years after romulus was destroyed. it would have been such an easy thing to avoid, too. you could have simply had spock and nero travel back from 2395 instead of 2387. like it's that easy. NOTHING would have to change except a number. this isn't even tng's fault like how could they know what crimes that man would commit. this is all on him. i like the aos movies but girl what the hell

wins for the future: data crazy cat lady. and everyone gaslighting picard. and beverly being soooo hot

the problem w this future is that it doesn't say anything about anyone except "you guys drifted apart without the mission to hold you together and forgot you needed each other." actually, it didn't say that second part, though i wished it had. the episode was also a bit muddied in that respect...like, what did it episode SAY about those three eras, other than "don't stop being friends later"? what did it SAY about picard and his crew? this is the finale, and there weren't any goodbyes or big character moments for anybody except picard, who had to have his big character moment in the fucking farpoint courtroom.

we did get canon worf/deanna and picard/beverly but she TURNED HIM DOWN EARLIER and only started macking on him when she found out she might die (just in time to get herself on the will and no that's not my joke). STAY STRONG...YOU DON'T NEED HIM...beverly crusher, i could be your man.

in a final act of hilarity, at the very end, picard INVITED HIMSELF TO CARDS. while i am always thrilled for poker games, and was feeling a genuine emotion about the last scene being a poker game, the profound silence when picard showed up at the door really dragged me out of it. "you were always welcome" HE LITERALLY TRIED TO DO THIS ONCE AND YOU GUYS THOUGHT IT WAS WEIRD

oh yeah. final note. can't believe they pussied out of shearing jonathan frakes for that flashback section. they just photoshop magicked that shit. it was clever, but it was cowardly

i really wish s7 of tng had been good...we had a few good ones near the beginning but the ones near the end were ALL duds. i could have forgiven so many crimes if we had gone out on a high note. tng WAS very good sometimes. i know they had it in them. unfortunately they generally chose to be ass instead, and as a result tng went out the way it came in: in the very worst courtroom scene in the entire world. rest in pieces.

NEXT TIME: ds9's "tribunal" and "the jem'hadar."

[dynared]

I'm once again bored, so I'm thinking over a character from Transformers who got either ignored and/or hosed and am wondering what Skybound or another series can do with him. With the Super Ginrai toy apparently due out soon, I'm turning my attention to Ginrai/Powermaster Optimus Prime/Apex Prime, quite possibly one of the most unique concepts in Transformers that no one really has fleshed out in any way.

Ginrai is the main protagonist of Transformers Masterforce, a truck driver who is accidentally bound to two bracelts that let him combine with a very familiar red looking truck.

Unfortunately, the narrative itself says little about the fact that the truck is Optimus Prime, with a clip show called The Big Book of Masterforce released after the series ended claiming it was meant to be a new body for Prime before the evil Devil Z stole it, and it was bound to a human.

The Marvel comic book meanwhile, ignores this in favor of saying it WAS Optimus, with his binary-bonded Nebulan partner, Hi-Q, helping to unleash his body's true potential. Only there it was Hi-Q who became the non-entity, barely appearing on panel until a plotline where Optimus cheated death by essentially downloading his brain into Hi-Q.

And yet despite both the popularity of the toy mold and design, and the flexibility of the idea, Powermaster Prime/Ginrai hasn't really been used in anything. Dreamwave floated the idea of Ginrai appearing in one of their sourcebooks, only for the company to have its rather famous dissolution due to Pat Lee's tomfoolery, Animated had plans to make their version of Powermaster Prime/God Ginrai without Ginrai or any Powermaster elements but the show famously ended with the start of the Hub Network, the Wings Universe had Ginrai as a separate character from Prime (and a paranoid neurotic) and IDW, as part of their hate-on for all things Japanese Transformers, didn't use him at all.

That said, there's a lot you can do with this character, but it feels like all of it is Year 4 or Year 5, rather than Year 1.

Optimus Prime - Agent of GI Joe.

With the Energon Universe going all in on the idea of Transformers and GI Joe being in the same universe, the human element has a much easier grounding figure than someone who just happens to come along and slots neatly into the Commander role without interference. If a human was able to transform into someone that looked like Optimus Prime and the government found out, well, odds are that person would be recruited by Colonel Hawk and the Joes to act as the Autobot commander, and possibly to ensure that the Bots act in the best interest of the US government.

From there, there's a lot of both Transformers action and spy fiction elements that can be implemented into the story. How long before the Autobots figure out the ruse? Will they? Will Ginrai or whoever the human is be forced to silence his allies to avoid his secret coming out? And how much of Optimus will rub off on him? Especially if Optimus isn't really dead and that Transector isn't empty?

Spike Witwicky - King of Braves.

Poor Spike has been through a lot in the first arc of the Transformers comic. Without spoiling too much, the series starts with his mom having died a few years back, his dad an alcoholic, and he gets hurt during the fighting between Bots and Cons. While characters like him are normally used in a context to provide a more "normal" set of eyes, the US cartoon eventually made Spike into an Autobot, as the head of Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, The Rebirth miniseries where this occurred clearly had shown the series was out of gas at that point.

Still, given Spike's relationship with Optimus, the idea of Spike being forced to act as Prime's partner, or even more notably, his replacement, creates an angle that would be very interesting, IF we spend enough time with him to feel earned.

It's bad enough Spike was essentially a galactic ambassador to a war he never knew about, now he has to lead the people he got to knew and trust against enemies probably far more powerful than the Cons that started the war. How does he react to that given everything the war has likely taken from him? Does he embrace the opportunity to fight back against the invaders, or does he threaten to crack under the pressure? Not to mention the evergreen G1 characters Spike may know suddenly dealing with someone who's a full-fledged super robot, and may be the difference between victory and defeat?

Like my Star Saber meta, these are just some basic ideas for what could be a very interesting character later on with themes of identity, symbols, and the injecting of super robots into the American G1 framework in a more direct way than the Japanese shows did originally. Still, I think it's something that could be a lot of fun in the hands of the right writer.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 30/01/2024

Trial of the Heart

Season 3 Featured on: Now That's What I Call Quality!

Ripped by ShonicTH

In a few posts on here, such as on Medley Rush #7 and Sidelined Symphony, I've brought up and discussed the idea that certain rippers on SiIvaGunner feel immensely recognizable even without knowing the credits of who made what. A big part of SiIvaGunner's appeal from the start was that this mass output of rips of varying quality was pretty secretive about who was behind what, and only the fans who care enough to download the team's album releases (or check the Wiki) would be made aware of the rippers' identities. I'll wholly admit that, despite being a self-proclaimed SiIvaGunner loremaster, it took me until around the middle of Season 4 Episode 1 to actually begin paying proper attention to all of the behind-the-scenes workings. Even whilst I was in the dark in a lot of ways, though, there were a few names I was still keenly aware of through their notoriety and frequent mentions in the YouTube comments. There was channel founder Chaze the Chat, there were the shitpost legends like BotanicSage, Triple-Q and toonlink - and then, there was ShonicTH.

Out of the two dozen or so rippers that have stayed actively participant in SiIvaGunner since the very early days of Season 1, ShonicTH has always stuck out as particularly memorable to me for a lot of ways. While I comment on l4ureleye's stylistic traits as a ripper, or the various ways that Chaze the Chat would sneak his affection for Maroon 5 into half the projects he worked on, ShonicTH's legacy on the channel is comparatively pretty simple. The dude just loves Kingdom Hearts.

From an absolute onslaught of rips in Season 1 that adds The Flintstones or Snow Halation to music all across the Kingdom Hearts franchise, to his literal sole contribution to the channel in Season 7 being a rip of the exact same nature aptly titled Quickly meeting my yearly quota, ShonicTH's presence on the channel has since way back in Season 1 been immensely identifiable as just "the Kingdom Hearts guy". It reminds me of the rippers like Uncle Fill that I discussed in Violet Sky Memories - the ones where you get the feeling that, they enjoyed contributing to SiIvaGunner just to share their love of the game. And at this point, whenever I see anything Kingdom Hearts related on SiIvaGunner, be it individual rips, the Yoko Shimomura tribute album "Il settimo grande padre", seeing videos in SiIvaGunner's "Liked" playlist relating to the games, or whatever else it may be - it feels like its become a community-known truth that it can all be traced back to Kingdom Hearts.

And for a lot of these rips, particularly ones from Season 1, I don't really have much to say, other than that I'm really glad that ShonicTH is still having a great time doing what he loves for the channel. But in his vast resume of contributions, Trial of the Heart really stands out as a symbol of love above the rest - after two years of making edits to Kingdom Hearts music, it's a fully original composition by ShonicTH himself meant to emulate that very sound. And yeah, it definitely succeeds in its mission statement! Trial of the Heart sounds like an authentic battle theme from the series, althewhile sneaking in small, repeating chord progressions that sound suspiciously like the beginning to The Flintstones theme. Its reminiscent to A Battle of Grand Proportions in that sense, I suppose, as an original composition aiming to feel like a sort of battle theme for the SiIvaGunner channel itself - yet Trial of the Heart makes its one reference to the channel somewhat more subtle, and does mainly feel more like ShonicTH just testing himself on if he's able to make a song in the same style as the games he so loves.

For all the years I've followed SiIva, and for having been very much outside the core community for most of those, its always been sort of...reassuring, I suppose, to know that ShonicTH is still part of the team no matter what. Rain or shine, if there's rips to be made, ShonicTH still wants to contribute to show his love for Kingdom Hearts, and its clear to me that he's a dear friend to many on the team.

It is on the other side of your heart that the memory of this place exists. It is your heart that remembers.

[lifestyle2hub]

5 Genius Tips for Choosing an Audible Book Your Loved One Will Actually Listen To (2024 Guide)

Ever stood frozen in front of your screen, overwhelmed by the endless sea of audiobook options? You're not alone! Whether it's for a birthday, holiday, or just because, choosing the perfect Audible book for someone special can feel like trying to pick a single star from the night sky. But don't worry – I've got your back with these game-changing tips that will make you the ultimate audiobook gift-giving guru.

The Audiobook Revolution: Why Your Choice Matters

Before we dive in, here's something fascinating: audiobook listeners complete an average of 8.3 books annually, compared to the 2.3 books traditional readers finish. That's why choosing the right audiobook isn't just about picking a good story – it's about potentially sparking a lifelong love affair with listening!

1. Crack the Code of Their Reading Personality

Think of yourself as a book detective. Your mission? Understanding your loved one's reading DNA. Here's your investigation checklist:

Scan their bookshelf or e-reader library

Notice which movies and TV shows they binge-watch

Listen when they talk about books they've enjoyed

Check their Goodreads profile (if they have one)

Pro Tip: Pay attention to when they usually consume content. Are they a commuter? A gym enthusiast? This intel is pure gold for your selection process!

2. Master the Art of Narrator Selection

Here's a shocking stat: 52% of listeners have abandoned an audiobook because they couldn't stand the narrator's voice. Mind-blowing, right? Here's how to nail the narrator choice:

Sample at least three minutes of the narration

Consider accent preferences (British vs. American, etc.)

Check if they prefer male or female voices

Look for narrators who've won Audie Awards

Remember: A great book with the wrong narrator is like a perfect meal served cold – technically good but ultimately disappointing.

3. Time It Right (Duration Matters!)

Different situations call for different listening lengths. Here's your foolproof matching guide:

Short Commute (30 mins each way):

4-6 hour books

Short story collections

Novella-length works

Long Commute (1+ hour):

8-12 hour books

Series starters

Full-length novels

Gym Sessions:

5-7 hour books

High-energy non-fiction

Fast-paced thrillers

4. Leverage the Power of Reviews (The Smart Way)

Don't just glance at the star rating! Here's your strategic review-reading approach:

✓ Read the most recent 3-star reviews first ✓ Focus on comments about audio quality ✓ Look for reviews from similar gift-givers ✓ Check for mentions of pacing and engagement

Warning Sign: If multiple reviews mention "confusing without visuals," consider a different title.

5. Make It Personal (The Secret Sauce)

This is where you'll really shine! Consider:

Current life situations (new job, moving, relationship changes)

Upcoming travel plans

Recent interests or hobbies

Seasonal relevance

For example, if they're planning a trip to Italy, an audiobook set in Rome might be perfect. If they're starting a business, perhaps a relevant memoir by a successful entrepreneur would resonate.

Bonus: The Ultimate Gift-Giving Hack

Create a complete experience by:

Writing a personal note explaining your choice

Suggesting optimal listening scenarios

Creating a themed playlist to accompany the book

Adding a physical companion gift (like coffee for morning listening)

Common Questions Answered

Q: What if I pick the wrong book? A: Audible's Great Listen Guarantee allows returns or exchanges within 365 days!

Q: Should I stick to bestsellers? A: Not necessarily! Sometimes hidden gems make the most memorable gifts.

Q: What length is ideal for beginners? A: Start with 4-6 hour books to build their listening stamina.

Conclusion

Remember, choosing an Audible book isn't just about picking a title – it's about creating an experience. Follow these tips, and you'll not only choose a book they'll love but potentially introduce them to a whole new way of enjoying literature.

Ready to start searching? Take a deep breath, keep these tips handy, and trust your instincts. You've got this!

[thislovintime]

During the filming of Head: (photos 1-5) possibly April 11, 1968, photos by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, and Henry Diltz; a costume fitting, March 26, 1968 (photo via the official Peter Tork Facebook page).

Peter Tork: “There was a bit of a contradiction between the plan and execution. I think if due consideration had been given to where we wanted The Monkees to go next, we would have not only had a better movie, but maybe even moved the career forward instead of stopping it dead in its tracks.”

Q: "When the idea for Head was bandied about, was it based on artistic expression, rebellion, or just an opportunity to cash in on the Monkees name?”


Peter Tork: “It was an expression of where we were at the time. When we first talked about making a movie, the four of us agreed that we really didn't want to do a 90-minute episode of The Monkees. We wanted to go beyond sitcom situations, because growing up, [Micky] and I had seen some of our favorite TV shows, like McHale's Navy and Dragnet, turn into awful movies.The fairest understanding of the movie was that it was [director and co-producer] Bob Rafelson's take on the Monkees phenomenon overall, without much of a comment or a conclusion. The gist of the movie is the Monkees remain trapped and it seems like they're never getting out of it, which was peculiar because the movie was an effort to get out of it. Other than that, it was a little surreal, some parts are extraordinarily funny, and a lot of that is Jack Nicholson's idea of what was funny.”

Q: “What was your history with Nicholson at that point?”

PT: “
He didn't have much of a history with us. He'd come around the set for a while. He was fun and funny. He had a style and gestures. Mike adopted him completely. And then one day Bob said, ‘Jack's going to help make the movie.’ We were delighted because there was no mistaking Jack's power and capacity, intellectually and artistically. It was clear that here was a man who managed to make himself socially acceptable by bottling all of his insanity and putting it into useful channels. A very rare quality and one that's made him the superstar that he is. You couldn't help but feel that.”

Q: “
There were plenty of psychedelic films being produced at that time to varying degrees of success, so why didn't Head stick?”

PT: “
The Monkees ran into a brick wall and [Head] was part of that. And the fact that it was marketed as a head movie to the suburban kids and as a suburban, bubblegum movie to all the heads didn't help much either. It was a disaster in the making from some points of view. Commercially, surely.” - EW dot com, November 12, 2008

* * *

Head, of course, features two Tork songs:

“‘Can You Dig It’ is about the Tao. The hook line I wrote in my dressing room on the set [of the television series in 1967]. The chords for the chorus I’d written in college, and [they] had just stuck with me. I hadn’t been able to do a thing with them until I was sittin’ there, just writin’ on a scrap of paper with ideas, and I wrote, 'Can you dig it?/Do you know/Would you care to let it show?’ Those three as a triplet — as opposed to a couplet. I just looked at them and [went], 'Wow!’ I grabbed a pencil and circled those three. They were part of a quatrain. I said, ‘Wait a minute. No, this works best as a little three-line chorus.’” - Peter Tork, Head box set liner notes (x)

“The funny thing is that the lyrics [to ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] came to me right out of the air. I was just playing those chord changes on the guitar, and I opened my mouth and that’s what popped out. The song was weirdly prophetic. I had no idea that was going to be my attitude about anything having to do with music when I wrote that song. I wrote the lyrics in London on that famous trip with Karen Harvey Hammer and Justin Hammer, who are Lady and Baby respectively of the song ‘Lady’s Baby.’” - Peter Tork, Listen To The Band liner notes (x)

“I think they’re [‘Can You Dig It?’ and ‘Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?’] the best songs in the movie [Head]. I love both of them. I thought they were just terrific. He had plugged himself into that whole Stephen Stills connection and was working with those guys. I think they fit the movie better than anything did. When those two songs start up in the movie, it comes alive for me.” - Michael Nesmith, Head box set liner notes

[with-love-from-hell]

Melancholia Q&A (parts 1-10)

Thanks for joining me on the journey through the series thusfar! I hope you enjoy reading! If you have not read the series yet, be aware there are spoilers ahead! Read under the cut!

CW:  Somewhat graphic discussion of past events in the series and Vermillion Skies [sexual violence, depression, anxiety, PTSD, torture, violence, etc...], SPOILERS AHEAD. 

Series Masterlist

1. Will you be providing music accompaniment for this series like you did with VS? (asked by @saharahsbliss and Bee) 

I did originally make some posts with music to go with the series, but I ended up scrapping the idea since interest in it seemed really, really low. I have been interested in bringing it back though, as it would have been helpful when I was reading to get back into the headspace of Melancholia with the music available. So, instead of making separate posts, I will be updating each part with  >>THIS PLAYLIST<<  on spotify, which will contain all of the music for the entire series. I will indicate stop and start points in each chapter, so that way if you wanted to listen straight through, you can! I’m glad at least a few people were interested in me bringing this back, and I really want to incorporate more music into little ficlets or series that I do. 

2. What is the lore behind Simeon and Solomon’s friendship? (asked by @itsmeninerz ​)

Aha! I wanted to dive more into this in the story, but I didn’t really see a good opportunity to so I am glad you asked! Basically, throughout Simeon’s healing process, they didn’t talk at all. Previously, Solomon was the one Simeon often went to when he had a problem because he trusted him the most (which is why the events that occur related to Solomon in Vermillion Skies feel so egregious to Simeon). Simeon obviously grew closer to him throughout the exchange program, and living with him strengthened their bonds similar to how living with the brothers strengthened Mc’s bond with them. Generally speaking, Solomon is served as his closest confidant, which is why Solomon was surprised he was even alive after they meet again in the beginning of Melanchoilia. He’s not used to going so long without talking to him. And vice versa, Solomon views Simeon as his closest friend, given that it seems as though he doesn’t have very many, it’s not a hard title to hold, but Solomon’s relationship with Simeon is almost...desperate, especially after Mc distances herself because she was his other very close friend. So he this is why he tolerates his complete personality shift after his fall, mostly because he knew it would be temporary, and because he doesn’t have anyone else, considering that Mc’s connection to him had been severed. 

3. How much did Solomon actually know about Simeon’s obsession with Mc? Why did he not intervene in it? (asked by @itsmeninerz ​)

He knew quite a bit about it, as he was always the one Simeon turned to when he needed to talk about his emotions and fears, but he didn’t really realize that it was to the point that Simeon was like, super corrupted- mostly because he didn’t really know if it was enough to make him lose his status as an angel. That’s part of the reason why he didn’t necessarily intervene- that and because every time he tried to sort of gently bring up the nature of his feelings about Mc being strong, Simeon would deflect or deny that it was really that significant. So, generally speaking, Simeon didn’t really even realize how intense his emotions were either, because he was in so much denial about the fact that they were there and tried to burry them. 

4.  Are you taking the story in the direction of an all-out war because of Michael’s actions, similar to what the Celestial war would have been?  (asked by anonymous) 

Not exactly! I do plan on there being conflict for sure, but there will not be a full-blown realms-wide war between the Celestial Realm and the Devildom. 

5. Where did you get your inspiration for Michael’s character? (asked by @saharahsbliss )

I took VERY STRONG influence from the character of Frollo (Huntchback of Notre Dame) in my conceptualization of Michael. I really loved (or well, hated) Frollo as a Villian in that book/movie, mostly because he was very complex, and at the same time so very, very committed to his hatred and obsessions that he just went completely mad trying to commit genocide. I really wanted to bring through the hypocrisy that is often shown in Catholic ideology that has been interpreted by humans, and just wanted his character to be the embodiment of that.  In the next part, I even am using Hellfire as a form of inspiration for a part with Michael’s character (some of the songs I plan on using are already on the playlist, actually!)  

I loved the idea of an angel who embodies the essence of damnation-focused Catholicism that has lead to discrimination and violence among clergy, especially as the primary antagonist and a vessel for Simeon’s redemption arc. I also find Michael to be weirdly dictator like in the few snippets we give of him, so I wanted to display that as he spirals more into his obsession with Mc.I know we are getting more tastes of him from Nightbringer and there is a potential that they will actually give him a character model, and maybe my interpretation of him is all wrong according to what the devs are thinking about him, but this feels right to me.  

Devs!!! Make Michael a villain!! I beg of you! I need a clear antagonist, dammit! 

6. Can we know more about your thoughts/headcanons on the council- what they look like, background, etc? (asked by anonymous) 

Michael 

Role: Head of Council (formerly Assistant Head of Council and Proletariat Liaison)

Features: dark brown eyes; rectangular glasses; chin-length straw colored hair usually half-tied into a pony; usually dressed in a pristine white and gold military-looking uniform; stands at about 6′5″ (200cm); looks to be about 48 in human years; muscular build and very strong; always has a stern look on his face. 

Personality: uptight (even more than Lucifer); very strict rule follower and emphasizes purity; authoritarian and almost dictator-like in the way he runs things; convinced the rest of the council is not needed and tries to run things on his own; egotistical and self-centered. 

Background/Lore: Michael has held a role on the council since before Lucifer was ever a Seraphim, starting as the Proletariat Liaison and working his way up. Over time, Michael has sort of lost his feelers with how the average angel lives in the celestial realm, and can be compared to a CEO of sorts. He is very egotistical about his relationship with God and the position he currently holds.  While Michael would never admit to it, he often feels as if he knows exactly what Gods will is without even asking, and this causes a lot of conflict. However, being the authoritarian he is, he is good at his job, which is what keeps him in the position. Citizens in the Celestial realm are terrified of him, and often try to avoid him. Think of his reputation as similar to what Lucifer holds in the Celestial Realm. Michael often thinks of himself as above the Council, and will often make executive decisions without involving them (exhibited in the series). Michael has always felt threatened by Lucifer given he was God’s favorite, and has always tried to one-up him and squash his confidence, though it didn’t really work until he fell, giving Michael the higher ground in the sense of Purity, which allowed him a little bit of a leg up with God. He still feels envious of the mercy Lucifer was allotted after falling from the Celestial Realm, though. In Melancholia, Michael is going mad because he felt the exact same with how the events of Simeon’s Fall transpired, given that Simeon is another one of God’s “favorites.” He also feels threatened by Gabriel for the same reason, and this contributes to the obsessiveness of his actions. He’s constantly trying to prove his worth and this comes out as overconfidence to mask insecurity. 

Gabriel 

Role: Assistant Head of Council (formerly the Proletariat Liaison)

Features: dark grey eyes; long and unkempt dark brown hair; dresses very casually compared to most of the council; freckles; lean build; stands at about 5′9″ (176cm); looks to be about 39 in human years; usually looks very relaxed and content; almost always smiling. 

Personality: very relaxed; a bit more loose on following the rules; very empathetic; charismatic and friendly; emphasizes collaboration amongst others; enjoys connecting to common angels and is loved by his constituents. 

Background/Lore: Gabriel was elected into this title after Lucifer’s fall (who formerly held the title despite Lucifer being younger than him). Gabriel was nervous about taking on the role considering he and Michael’s personalities clash a lot. Gabriel was a very close friend of Lucifer, and that always made Michael envious. Whenever Michael is absent, the council meetings often run a lot smoother and there’s more collaboration amongst them, as they thrive better under Gabriel’s leadership style. Gabriel desires more connection between the Celestial Realm and the other realms, and has even suggested having a representative from the Devildom and a representative from the Human world included in Council Meetings on a regular basis, but this has never gotten passed a casual idea because of Michael’s refusal to entertain it. Remiel and Raguel have regularly proposed that Gabriel should take Michael’s place after Lucifer’s fall, but Michael’s ego makes it impossible for them to even suggest retirement or stepping down to him, and they fear what his response would be if they were to bring the matter directly to God. 

Uriel

Role:  Correspondent and Marketing Commissioner

Features: magenta eyes; very dark auburn hair that fades to red at the ends; very short compared to most angels and demons, standing at about 5′6″ (167cm); looks to be about 26 in human years; chubby and muscular build; alternates between gold leather and black leather fingerless gloves; looped gold chain around his neck; tight black crop top, white skinny jeans, and a bold white and gold jacket with cutoff sleeves; nonbinary (they/them pronouns). 

Personality: Sarcastic; a bit uptight; very negatively biased toward demons and humans; over protective; irritable; untrusting; charismatic but very impatient and has a short fuse

Background/Lore: Uriel is Michael’s closest advisor and friend, and is very close friends with Saraqael. They did not even want to be on the council until Michael strong armed them into it. They enjoy doing the job that they do, but they do experience relentless bullying for their height from other angels. Uriel is extremely untrusting of anyone who isn’t an angel, but especially humans. Uriel had a huge crush on Lilith and was infuriated over the fact that she had fallen in love with a human, and they still definitely hold onto hurt about that. They also harbor hatred toward Lucifer for his betrayal and also because Lucifer did not think they were a suitable partner for Lilith, so would always interrupt their attempts to woo her. Uriel came onto the council shortly after the Celestial war and the individual in his position was killed. 

Raguel

Role:  Parliamentarian and Historian (formerly the Military Representative)

Features: emerald eyes; formerly jet black hair, but has faded to almost completely dark grey; muscular build and very strong; many scars from serving in previous wars and tattoos from his military honors; many wrinkles that show his age; eyepatch because he has severe damage to one eye from the celestial war; long grey beard (the picrew didnt do him justice); wears dusty white and gold toga-like clothing; stands at about 6′3″ (190cm); looks to be about 74 in human years; horrible RBF

Personality: strict, but can be empathetic; very blunt; uptight and very firm on tradition and rules; diligent; stubborn; organized; closed off from other angels; loves the young angels and enjoys mentoring them.

Background/Lore: Raguel is the oldest member of the council by a significant margin, even beating out Michael in age. Raguel is a former military commander, and has a longstanding history in serving the Celestial Army prior to his role on the council. He used to serve as the Military Representative, but after his retirement from the Military (and under Lucifer’s suggestion), he transitioned to Parliamentarian. Raguel is cold towards most angels he meets other than his wife and family, though Remiel tends to get on his nerves a lot as a result of generational gaps in values. The only other individual who got along with him was Lucifer, as Lucifer held great respect for him and in turn held great respect for the traditions that Raguel values so much. He has never liked Michael, and hates the way that he runs the council. While he also isn’t fond of Gabriel, he thinks Gabriel would make a better leader. He has very short patience for Michael’s willful disregard of tradition and rules when it serves him, making Raguel feel as if he is very hypocritical. 

Remiel

Role: Proletariat Liaison 

Features: emerald eyes; jet black hair worn fairly short in tight braids; very lean and muscular build; stands at about 5′7″ (170cm); looks to be about 22 years old in human years; a few facial tattoos for military honors; wears a white skin-tight leotard and high-waisted white and gold-faded flare pants with a black belt; wears lots of jewelry hand-made by her younger siblings by pearls found in the water bodies of the human world. 

Personality: generally very collected and calm, but very passionate when she’s angry or upset; emphasizes justice and equity; fierce advocate of common angels, demons, and humans amongst the high angels; loves humans and holds a fondness toward demons; stubborn; very lively and down to earth; simplistic in her needs; enjoys connecting to common angels and is loved by her constituents.

Background/Lore: Remiel is the great grand-daughter of Raguel. While she holds great respect for Raguel’s position as both an elder in her family and amongst the council, they often butt heads because of their difference in values. Remiel is by far the youngest angel on the council, peaking in adolescence during Lucifer’s reign in the celestial realm. While she is young, she is very bull-headed and tends to fight back when she thinks something a superior has said is wrong. She is empathetic toward Lucifer in his brothers, and was very fond of Mammon, Lilith, Belphie, and Beel when they were angels. One of her biggest regrets is enlisting in the Celestial army when she was still a teenager, only doing so under pressure from her military-centric family. She has made it a goal to make up for the damage the war caused to Lucifer and his brother’s psyche, and often holds onto personal responsibility for Lilith’s death. When Diavolo suggested the exchange program, she and Simeon were the only volunteers, but she did not get to go because of Michael feeling like her personality was susceptible to corruption, despite Simeon’s encouragement for her to go in his place. Michael strongly dislikes Remiel and they argue a lot. He has tried to get her kicked from the council multiple times.  She was elected into Simeon’s former role on the council during the time between the incident at the ball and Simeon’s eventual fall, but had been a temporary elect in his place through the exchange program per Simeon’s request. Before Simeon’s fall, she and Simeon were very close friends, and she would like to build back up that relationship, but is unsure how to without scrutiny from Michael. Remiel’s goal is to eventually be head of council, and has a lot of changes she wants to see in the Celestial Realm. She also wants to become close with both Solomon and Mc, and is curious to know more about humans since she has had limited encounters with them. 

Saraqael

Role:  Trustee & Asset Manager

Features:  amber eyes; very long straight brown hair, often worn in various styles (similar styles to princess Leia or Padme from Star Wars); very thin build; stands at about 5′9″ (175cm); looks to be about 26 in human years; two scars under her eyes where two more eyes are present when she’s in her angel form; usually wears makeup and decorates her face with traditional markings; wears a white sleeveless high-neck jumpsuit with pink accents; wears a dark magenta floor-length shall with rose gold accents

Personality: quiet; cold and calculating; enjoys being alone a frequently isolates herself from other angels; best friends with Uriel; very creative and makes her own clothing and jewelry; very similar in personality to Asmo without the charisma and extroversion; strongly dislikes humans; materialistic;  outwardly nice, but very petty and judgmental underneath

Background/Lore:   Saraqael was elected onto the council well after Lucifer’s fall, and Uriel is one of her only friends. Saraqael had a huge crush on Michael in the past, but her attention shifted to Simeon after she got to know him better during her time on the council. Like Uriel, she harbors a strong negative bias toward humans as a result of Simeon’s fall, and blames both humans and the brothers for his corruption. Saraqael really struggles with still harboring feelings for Simeon and having hatred inside for his betrayal. She absolutely loathes Mc and Lucifer, and usually uses them both as scapegoats for blame. Saraqael has a very difficult time with accepting things, and often holds grudges against others despite her outward nice demeanor. She often holds empathy as a reward, and doesn’t feel others outwardly deserve it. She is very intelligent, though often is too anxious to speak up when someone is wrong. She is very envious of Remiel’s ability to advocate and stand her ground, and had tried to become closer to her until she became very turned off as a result of Remiel’s political motives. She is favorited by Michael because she often will sway votes in his favor to gain his approval. 

Raphael

Role: Military Representative

Features: canon appearance!

Personality: canon, but with a mix of “sheep” mentality (e.g. blindly follows Michael’s orders without making his own choices)

Background/Lore: Really I feel like Raphael’s personality didn’t need much of a change from what was canonically provided, other than I wanted him to feel a bit more conflicted on his alliance with Michael as he realized that he was becoming more and more obsessed. As he is kind of a himbo and very unobservant, I felt like he was best fit for this sort of character development. Generally speaking, the only individuals on the council Raphael is close to are Gabriel and Michael. He does definitely respect Raguel for his accolade in the Military and he had served as a commander during Remiel’s time in the Military, he isn’t very close to either of them. He mostly keeps to himself, as he never really managed to make more friends outside of Gabriel, Michael, and Simeon after the brothers’ fall, mostly out of fear that they would fall too if he got too close to them (he’s got abandonment issues lol). The main reason why he went along with Michael’s plan despite Raguel’s recurrent warnings and Gabriel’s suggestion for him to take some time off is because he somehow wanted to fix the situation with Simeon, which is what was falsely promised to him by Michael. 

7.  Did you envision Simeon moving in to the House of Lamentation because MC and Lucifer would live someplace else after getting married? (asked by @itsmeninerz)

Actually no! I honestly don’t think the Mc (or Lucifer) would feel comfortable leaving the HOL after their marriage! My motivation behind Diavolo having Simeon move in with the brothers is because of their shared experiences of being former angels, and figuring Simeon would need significant help adjusting to being a demon- especially considering the brothers had some significant changes in personality after the fall (as they were now the embodiment of their sins) and they would likely be able to help Simeon adjust to this as well! 

8. Who do you think would make the best antagonist out of all of the Obey Me! characters so far? (asked by Anonymous) 

I wanted to include this one here since it wasnt -super- relevant, but you had mentioned that you liked me making Simeon somewhat antagonistic in VS/Melancholia, so I wanted to answer it with the Q&A!

Generally, I think there’s a few answers here depending on the type of antagonist you want. I am personally fond of Michael being a villain, but if you want to talk only the characters we’ve been well acquainted with, I would say Solomon. I have outlined my thoughts on him in Nightbringer elsewhere, but I will suffice to say that I think he’s got a lot of potential given the obsessiveness he has with protecting humanity, and his thirst for power by pacting with so many demons. I really like the idea of him being so caught up in his lust for power that he loses his humanity, and think about the potential angst with his ability to combat your pacts with Asmo and Levi??? Plus his clear willfulness to use Barbatos’ power even when he clearly doesn’t want anything to do with him!! 

Gah, Anyways- that’s who I’d pick. Otherwise I think maybe a resurgence of the Demon King would be interesting, and having him be an antagonist would  be kind of cool!

[scifimagpie]

Writeblr Q&A

So, both @palebdot and @dyrewrites were kind enough to tag me, and I finally had a minute to answer this!

1) What motivates you to write?

It's more of a compulsion, really. Things get stuck in my head; characters stroll in and start saying stuff, or going through scenes, and then I get that electric buzz that makes me absolutely have to scramble for either my notebook or my laptop.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

From a recently completed work, the Prairie Weather trilogy, which I want to shop around and see if I can get published traditionally:

Before him gaped the yawning gulf of his own fuckup. It was dizzying. He’d heard of staring into the abyss, and the abyss staring back, but he hadn’t expected it to be quite so mortifying.

I tend to be at least a bit more poetic usually, but this line just kicks so hard.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Right now, probably Isabella from the Hell Saga - she's just so good-natured, down for anything, and fundamentally kind and hopeful. She really goes through the ringer in book 2, which I'm working on now with my coauthor, though. This is another series we're hoping to go trad on, so cross your fingers for this irrepressible, bisexual Latina and Hispanic counsellor with a strong socialist streak!

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The first draft can be really fun, but there's something to be said for that second-draft, "all the pieces are in place, now I just have to tweak them" experience. Finishing a book is also a hell of a rush. But that real, fixated feeling of being in the thick of it, often while listening to a playlist I've made specially for the project - that's definitely the good stuff, too.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Characters, dialogue, worldbuilding, and description - in no particular order. I'm really good at making up little people, making them friends and lovers, and then putting 'em through the wringer.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The community and enthusiasm are really winning me over, and I've been pleasantly surprised by the relative skill of my friends, too!

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

My Youtube playlists are absolutely required tools for my writing, a lot of the time. Sometimes I can write without them, but boy do they help. Some of them are also related to my D&D campaigns, but I'd like to think all of them are pretty well-curated.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

The Underlighters series' underground city setting is probably one of the coolest things I've ever come up with. I was somewhat inspired by The City of Ember, but that book frustrated me so much that I vowed to write a much better version. Hopefully, I did. I tried to make it reasonably cohesive and somewhat scientifically justifiable.

However, I always tell a story about Underlighters - when I was trying to figure out the pollination situation for crops, I was doing research at about 2 in the morning one day on various pollinators and getting nowhere. Can bees live underground??? Some bees and wasps nest in the dirt, but that's not necessarily helpful. What about solitary bees and pollinators?

Startling my then-boyfriend (now husband) from his game, I threw my arms in the air and yelled, "Fuck it - cave bees!"

And so I decided that underground apiculture was an acceptable solution.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Try some different strategies and don't be afraid to rotate between projects. Try writing in point form, using different software, doing voice dictation - it can take a long time to figure out the exact right hacks to make your story flow.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

Well, that's easy!

@pinkchaosart @nattheauthor and the chaps above have been wonderful; also tagging (in no particular order): @ventela1 @omokers @nethilia @whalleyrulz @chicorybones @zillanovikov @sabotabby @nic0thecreat0r @chiefwritesbook @eldritch-selachii @holdmyteaplease @koala2all

[pugs-cats-bb-8]

Last game you finished

5 dancing

Game(s) you’re currently playing

Royal for the 4th time. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology.

1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed

Royal

5 dancing

Strikers

Do you like to get 100% achievements/trophies?

If there are trophies to get, then yes. If not, I can live. I prefer no trophies. I'd prefer items in the game.

Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

Tactica

A series you’ve enjoyed since your early days of gaming and still enjoy to this day whether it still has games coming out or is one you return to

Pokemon

A series you’ve lost interest in

Pokemon, I'll watch the DLC on YouTube.

A series you haven’t played but are interested in trying

NEOTWEWY

A game you played completely blind with no prior knowledge of and enjoyed/loved

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology. I had no clue what the plot was or gameplay was like. All I heard was Xander voiced the protag and I download the demo. It took 7-7 and half hours to decide to buy it. There was also a sale at the time, so I got it for 10-11 dollars.

Do you prefer ‘blank slate’ main characters you make yourself or otherwise project onto, or characters with a set personality and backstory?

Blank only works for Pokemon. I prefer personality with some gaps that can be experimented with.

A character you particularly like in the game you’re currently playing

Ren

Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

Rivers In The Desert

A song that’s sure to hit your nostalgia buttons

Gen. 2 soundtrack

Do you have a backlog and do you keep track of it? If so, how?

Yes, most of the games on my Gameboy

A game you’d like to replay that you haven’t

A fresh file of Royal with the knowledge I have now. I'll wait till I can get the Switch ver, so I can compare the load times.

A game you didn’t finish but would like to get back to or restart someday

I'd like to finish Strikers on Merciless.

Battle frontier in emerald, Soul Silver, Platinum

PWT/White Treehouse in White 2.

The rest of the Pokedex in X which is in Japanese.

A boss you think is really cool

Sae, Royal

A boss that was disappointing

Okumura. I hate the boss theme now.

A game ending that’s really stuck with you

Any Persona 5 ending

A game with a cool art style

Persona 5

A game’s art style that had to grow on you

The Q games. Then I realized I don't care for 3, so I went and got Q2. Only Ryuji, Kanji and Shinjiro look weird.

Realism or stylized?

Stylized. Realistic can get to the point of uncanny valley.

A game you love the atmosphere of

Persona 5

Pick a series you like. What was the first game you played for it? Was it a good starting point? Would it still be a good starting point now?

Crystal or Leafgreen. Gen. 1 is a little odd due to the bugs. But as long as you stick to Gen. 1-7, you'll be fine. Any spinoffs count too, minus Let's Go, or Gen. 4 remakes. Snap and Legends Areceus are good.

Good luck finding cheap physical copies. Emulate them 😈

On average do you have one game or multiple games going?

One

Game you think you’ll finish next?

Royal

Someone has never played a video game before but is open to trying any genre. What game would you recommend as their first?

Soul Hackers 2- Has nothing to do with the first game. The story doesn't really pay off. Good characters. Has VAs from other Persona games.

NEOTWEWY- Characters from the first game appear in the last part of the story. No connection to the first game.

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology- You're going to need a guide, unless you can remember where to go back to. (And you will need to go back. You can not proceed without jumping back and forth in time). Has VAs from Persona.

Person 4 Golden

Q2- Be aware they are only Subtitled in English. Spoken language is Japanese. If you don't understand Japanese, you'll miss some stuff in battle that is not subtitled.

Persona 3 Portable- Two routes and fixed things from the past games.

Persona 4 Arena- Fighting game. Great stories.

Persona 4 Dancing- Be aware the buttons apparently don't like to register sometimes, so you have to "git good" at it. Good story.

5 Dancing- A lot more forgivable when it comes to hitting the buttons. You do have to get better, but not as much as 4D.

Persona 1- If you have motion sickness the first-person view may be too much for you. Good story. Emulate it.

Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment- Create a whole story. EP is a better story. Emulate them.

Pokemon Red, Blue

Yellow- Have fun beating your head against a wall trying to beat Kanto with a Pikachu.

Gold, Silver, Crystal

Emerald

Firered/Leafgreen

Platinum

Heart Gold/ Soul Silver

XD

Pokemon Colosseum

Black2/White 2

X/Y

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

Snap (New one)

Legends Arceus

Brunch Panic- Scratches the Hot Dog Bush itch.

Alisa- Horror game a la Resdiant Evil 1.

Super Mario Land

Twilight Syndrome/Moonlight Syndrome- TS has a English script you can follow along with. Last I heard MS was in the process of getting a translation.

Video Game Asks!

Adding my own pool of asks about video games because I always like to talk games and asks are fun. Send numbers, reblog for yourself etc.

Last game you finished

Game(s) you’re currently playing

1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed

Do you like to get 100% achievements/trophies?

Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

A series you’ve enjoyed since your early days of gaming and still enjoy to this day whether it still has games coming out or is one you return to

A series you’ve lost interest in

A series you haven’t played but are interested in trying

A game you played completely blind with no prior knowledge of and enjoyed/loved

A console and/or handheld you’ve never played but would like to try

Do you prefer ‘blank slate’ main characters you make yourself or otherwise project onto, or characters with a set personality and backstory?

A character you particularly like in the game you’re currently playing

Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

A song that’s sure to hit your nostalgia buttons

Do you have a backlog and do you keep track of it? If so, how?

A game you’d like to replay that you haven’t

A game you didn’t finish but would like to get back to or restart someday

A game location you really like

A game you started up for the first time and you knew from the start it was going to be great

A boss you think is really cool

A boss that was disappointing

A game ending that’s really stuck with you

A “Wow” moment of awe

A game with a cool art style

A game’s art style that had to grow on you

Realism or stylized?

A game you love the atmosphere of

Pick a series you like. What was the first game you played for it? Was it a good starting point? Would it still be a good starting point now?

On average do you have one game or multiple games going?

Game you think you’ll finish next?

Someone has never played a video game before but is open to trying any genre. What game would you recommend as their first?

[readwithmiaa]

Exclusive Q/A session with the Author of the book, Running Mates - Emily Locker

Hello and Welcome everyone!

Today, we have the honour of hosting an author interview with Emily Locker. Thank you for joining us, and let's dive into this enriching author interview together!

1. Please tell us about yourself.

I recently returned to Washington D.C. where I live with my husband and two young sons. When I am not writing or chasing after my "lively" boys, I work as a psychotherapist in private practice. Running Mates is my first published novel, after many past (failed) attempts at getting a novel published in the past. I wrote Running Mates mostly late at night, fueled by chocolate and espresso.

2. Your recent book Running Mates likely touches on both political and personal dynamics. How did you balance these two aspects in your narrative?

I have seen so many cases in my psychotherapy practice of friends and families facing real strife, and at times estrangement, due to differing views on politics and current events. I think that in today’s society, especially with social media, politics can feel personal in a profound way. People’s very identities are entwined with their political beliefs and ethos. It can feel like an attack on self when a loved one disagrees with how you see the world.

3. Were any of your characters inspired by real people or experiences?

In my son’s DC nursery school we had president Obama’s old speech writer and Mike Pence’s old speech writer in the same class! It was inspiring watching, despite their obvious political differences, these two parents getting along so well by the end of the year through shared community and experiences (e.g,. kid birthday parties and parent outings).

4. What challenges did you face in balancing the political backdrop with the more personal, romantic elements?

My biggest challenge was trying to make sure Anna and Gabe remained likable and relatable while holding views that 50 percent of the country vehemently disagree with. Also, it was tricky to have such a passionate character like Anna, with her particular family background, reconcile her feelings for Gabe. That Gabe was so dreamy made this easier. It was hard to be mad at him for long!

5. Without giving away spoilers, what was the most challenging scene to write?

The ending! Writing an ending of a book is so complicated, tying up loose ends in a way that feels cinematic and satisfying can be a challenge.

6. Did you experience any writer’s block during the process? If so, how did you overcome it?

I overcame it by skipping to a scene I was really excited to write—like romantic scenes between Gabe and Anna—even if it was out of order with the story.

7. What are you most proud of about Running Mates?

I am most proud of the Anna and Gabe relationship. I really wanted a fun, flirty, passionate relationship and I think (at least I hope!) I managed that.

8. Are you working on any new projects? Can you share anything about what’s next?

Yes! I am halfway through the first draft of my next novel which takes place on a vacation island (kind of like Martha’s Vineyard) and deals with life-ling friendships changing. And of course there is plenty of romance!

9. If Running Mates were to be adapted into a film or TV series, who would you cast as the main characters?

Oh, this would be a dream come true! I’d love some young, yet-to-be discovered actors who are charming, dynamic and full of chemistry. Running Mates would launch their careers.

10. What challenges did you face while getting Running Mates published?

A lot of people were wary that a romantic comedy with politics could be palatable to an audience looking for a beach read. So convincing people that Anna and Gabe could charm anyone was the hardest part.

[alolanroy]

Watch Thread 2024 Pt 1

VOTOMS: Brilliantly Shining Heresy: The animation is great and Chirico does his thing. The ideas introduced could've been developed more, but the vibes were there and what more do you want from votoms. My biggest gripe would be that the romantic angle doesn't work and damages Fyana in a way that gives it a hard fail for the Bechdel Test. 6/10

Votoms: Alone Again: By the end they had me, but man, the actual ending is so abrupt that it just killed the momentum for me. 5/10

Votoms: Phantom Arc: I was almost on board for the concept of 'the side characters do a tour of all the locations from the series' as a bit, but once I realized they were just repeating the actual beats of the show I checked out. This only scrapes by using the charm of the cast, but I was rolling my eyes and groaning 3/10

Portal Revolution: Slick UI, well designed puzzles and writing and voice acting that didn't make me want to die. Dare I say? A bit funny? I love using the portal gun to traverse the varied terrain like in this mod and I have to give them a lot of credit for keeping the gameplay veriety up. It even left me impressed by the final boss and the laser cube mechanic I'd love to see more of. 7.5/10

Ninja Terminator: My first true IFD ninja movie, Ninja Terminator made me understand what people meant when they said these were just random southeast Asian films with white guys with mustaches and ninja outfits stapled on. It sure is one of those. But it also has a lot of wild quirks that make it funny as hell in a group watch: Garfield phone, Omega Supreme shows up in bootleg form multiple times, stolen music from L-Gaim and crabs. The source movie looks fantastic though, in a rediculous sense, like the weird villain, cool clothes, and muff diving. However, the fight scenes were surprisingly fun. -8/10

Slipstream: Don't let the first five minutes fool you with the cool and fairly realized post-apocalyptic setting and badass Mark Hamill anti-hero, this movie is boring as hell. 3/10

Super Ninja: This is going to be the lower end of my spectrum for IFD ninja movies. It feels a lot more like 3 movies stitched together, one of them is a mildly cool Rambo knock-off. Otherwise, hard to follow and it never gave me a reason to.-2/10

Yu Yu Hakusho (Netflix): This had me until it really didn't. Right around the halfway point it remembers that it was a modern Japanese anime adaptation and tried to cram the the Dark Tournament arc in. You can tell they had no faith in the project so they just crammed in all the things people liked. I mean, in Kurama's second fight he busts out Yoko Kurama form. I hope this never gets a second season. 5/10

Doctor Who 2023 Specials: GOOD WRITING IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!

A good refresher. More 'Kiddie' than the rest, but a palette cleanser was needed. Points for trying to make a pronoun joke that is actually funny.

A spooky Episode? Haven't enjoyed one of these in a hot minute. good all-ages TV should be a little scary. The kids love it and the adults love intellectualizing it.

The Doctor has his own Q now, nice. Glad they kinda lampshade the character's racist past by having me be consistently racist to everyone. I wasn't fully onboard for Time Lord Mitosis, but allows Tennant to have a happy ending chilling with Donna's family while letting the new series feel more refreshed.

Gatwa's 15th Doctor has a lot of energy, and I think the series needed that enthusiasm back. Not the weird tryhard enthusiasm where the show tells you to be excited, I mean that the characters are just thrilled to be on an adventure.

Pinning a piece of celery to your jacket isn't exactly straight, but I'm glad the new series is really trying to put different types of diversity at the forefront(though I'm glad I wasn't in the UK when this aired, I imaging not everyone was chuffed). Looked fantastic by the way. 8/10

Votoms: Case; Irvine: I would have actually liked to see more like this, but without the mecha, this could have really been any universe. Good character design and the ending went suprisingly hard. 7.5/10

Votoms Finder: THATS IT! *G-Recos your votoms*

An Armored Trooper with safety features isn't a VOTOM. 5/10

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger: Adventure Heaven:

The fully CG environments are badly integrated as always, it looks like a DLC area in a videogame

The framing device of a long lost childhood friend screams 'BLEACH movie'

No Quarry :(

The final fight has a great monster costume and over-the-top choreography

All is forgiven 7.5/10

Turkish Star Wars: This movie is incoherent and violently funny at times. The reversed star wars footage that implies the heroes are the empire, the lore dump about Islam and the constant reuse of Indiana Jones music...I think this might be the first movie with a negative Bechdel Test score. -8/10

Andor: I'm resisting the urge to make some kind of snarky comment here, I think because I'm so used to Disney Star Wars delivering creatively bankrupt slop, but like, this was incredible. I can't speak for some of the threads that might get wrapped up in a second season, but this really nailed the banality of evil/tapestry of cause and effect thing it was going for. Is Andor my new favorite Star Wars character? The dialogue was good? like really good????? HUH???? 9/10

Vilja in Skyrim: Sorry 2016 Elder Scrolls community, but this wasn't good. It was 2016 and everyone could handle grating sound quality for a modicum of virtual affection. I however cannot, and I don't intend on fully unpacking that she if a little fantasy racist. 4/10

Half Life 2: Episode 1: VR: This may have been impressive at the time, but the first hour being mostly waiting for Alyx to stop talking to open doors is not good game design. Maybe it was just compounded by the sense of being stuck more since it was in VR, but this convinced me to not finish the episodes in VR. 4/10

The Black Hole: It's painfully dull and in a post-Star Wars world I see why people didn't like it. It has some great concept art ruined by a script that feels like it was out of the black and white era, and I mean that in a bad way. It has the aggressively white futurism and inconsequential woman who screams, but none of the charm that can make those amusing in the modern day. The only interesting thing it does is have the villain go to hell trapped in his goofy robot for some reason. 2/10

The Last Starfighter: Hey look! A hero's journey! Looks like someone actually learned the right lessons from Star Wars. I found this to be incredibly charming and a couple moments (and not just the ones you might be thinking) really stuck with me. 8.5/10

Cowboys & Aliens: Everyone lied to you. This movie whips ass. 7/10

Skyrim Saints and Seducers Extended Cut: Incredible what a little story, some great voice acting, and a small open world space can do to make a paid mod pop...if only another mod wasn't required to make it happen. This thing really puts the bandit camp as content trough to shame. Delightful. 7/10

Armor Hunter Mellowlink: I think this show has a pretty good time with it's novel premise of 'taking a gun to a giant robot fight'. I'm probably not doing enough to praise this show, the episodic structure kept if feeling fresh for most of its run. I do think a few skirts a little too close to well-worn Votoms territory (like the battling arenas) but it does enough to differentiate itself. However, I do think that Arity and Lulucy don't make a particularly compelling team and it makes the last act drag. 7/20

Skyrim Creation Club/Anniversary Edition: For completions sake I actually tried to knuckle down and clear all of these and here are my thoughts.

The Cause - Probably the closest these come to being real content. New environments, reskinned enemies and half-decent quest design do a lot to make me ignore the aura of CC content. I'll admit I was even a little excited when the second quest proc'd. 5/10

Ghosts of the Tribunal - Initially exciting, but primarily fetch-quest content ping-ponging between NPCs that can't really talk gets old. I never really felt like I was infiltrating a cult, more like doing fetch quests for a faction more than joining one. 4.5/10

Forgotten Seasons - OH BOY A HUGE DWEMER RUIN, NEVER SEEN THAT IN A MOD BEFORE. Jokes aside it actually had some interesting mechanics and themed areas. A little light on story. 4/10

Player homes - Meh, at most I used some of these as crafting tables, but I have better ones for mods and I don't really use player homes as anything other than a follower holding area. 3/10

Armor sets/weapons - The majority of the 'quest' framing devices are so paper thin, they should have just thrown the armor in a chest somewhere if most of it boils down to a quest marker from a note you need uesp to find. If they were going to put in this little effort, I would have been less insulted if they just respected my time and not tried at all. 2/10

Fishing - I hate that this is permanently part of my load order. I can't remove it. 0/10

Project AHO: A gem of a little mod. While the value proposition of another player home doesn't really do much for me, I had a blast with this self-contained adventure. If anything, I kind of wish it kept the handicap of being trapped without your items going longer because I felt myself doing the rare role-playing in this RPG. Part of me wishes the ending could have incorporated some form of reform or radical action in response to being enslaved by the Dunmer, but I suppose I could have just gone on a rampage once I got free. But instead of bemoaning what it doesn't have, I'll compliment what it does: Solid writing, fun secrets and some cool spells.7.5/10

The Queens Corgi: This is one of those kids movies you shouldn't let your kids watch. Not because of the monarchism (It makes that look lousy in its own way), I'm talking about the bizarre messaging this thing is loaded. For example, the love interest is explicitly a gold-digger stripper dog. When some 90's cartoons could get away with stuff like that, this movie has 0 charm to back it up. -6/10

Demolition Man: The movie is fun enough and the action is a great watch. However I can't untangle this movie from what it has become in the modern day. Knowing that this is genuinely what a lot of people my dad's age think the real world is like now makes me bummed. whatever commentary is completely droll to me. Even on the positive side, this movie can't really escape the modern lens. At least we got baffled by the international version that has Pizza Hut instead of Taco Bell. 6.5/10

LIFEFORCE: I'd love to see this re-edited to let the mystery breathe. Frontloading the space stuff (obviously meant to be in the middle) and seeing 'based on the book SPACE VAMPIRES' really flattened the suspense in a way I found funny. otherwise, this movie had a lot of great VFX and an unexpected zombie apocalypse in its final act. I like it when a movie escalates and surprises me. Neat. 7.5/10

Mission Impossible I: Getting around to watching the first three of these has put a lot into perspective. This one really is the template for that the series settle into with 4 and onwards. Good action and stunts with fun concepts. I good first draft. 7/10

Mission Impossible II: I'll be honest I didn't really like this one. The Y2K time capsule didn't mesh particularly well with the mismatched John Woo-isms. It would have been more fun if it committed harder to either, but it just didn't work for me. Perhaps to undue focus on a romantic plot that we all know will never be referenced again kind of ruined it. 4/10

Mission Impossible III: Are you telling me that Abrams directed this? I COULDN'T TELL. I'm glad the series took wild swings to find an identity though. 5/10

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Sauceless. Every element that makes Indy work is not present here. Action? Meh. Music? Nonexistent after the first 20 minutes. Harrison Ford? Rendered in CG with no light behind his eyes. Humor? I don't think I smiled. Punching Nazis? Somehow they managed to make that not satisfying. Maybe it is the forced late-60s lighting, direction, or modern Disney visuals, but it lacks that tangibility that made the originals so gripping. But once again I am left wondering why Disey's only idea for 'Legacy' intellectual properties is to make Harrison Ford's character old, divorced, and pathetic. I can see how you'd try that angle once, but it seems like such a maladaptive strategy for a company that wants to sell t-shirts and toys to adults. Reminding my dad that things only go downhill is a bad way to sell Blu-rays. 2/10

[rex101111]

Aaaaand that's it! Time is up and let's tally the score...*BZZZT* Oh! So sorry folks. To be fair the answer isn't too far, but let's go one by one on these, providing videos where I can find them, and tell you about the weird ass world of Ratchet and Clank (contains context free spoilers for a few games, the answer to the poll will be bolded if you just wanna skip to that): 1. One of the main themes of the series, first two games especially, was making fun of consumerism and the overreach of capitalism. One of the best jokes in the second game is when faced with a computer that contains plot critical info, it refuses to operate without first being paid ten thousand bolts (the games currency). Ratchet is not best pleased: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzcPER6hwwI

2. In the game Full Frontal Assault (also known as Q Force), the main villain turns out to be a former side character from the second game; Zurgo, a fanboy of Captain Quark (who is both a superhero and celebrity). When learning of his true identity, Quark mentions he got a lot of letters from Zurgo...some of which contained "very disturbing fanfiction". 3. Okay a few tags about this one tickled me because they went "this sounds too normal this has to be it" but nope, here he is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNZftXmf1U Not only that, but he's actually a secret bonus boss, that you need to come back with late game equipment to find and fight. Fun fact about this guy, you can only fight and beat him once per save file. In New Game Plus if you've beaten him before his arena stays closed.

4. Ah yes, the timeless tale of Lance and Janice. Dr. Nefarious, one of the most prominent and popular villains, is an evil robot with a curious little glitch. If he gets too angry, he short circuits and he starts broadcasting an absolutely bonkers soap opera about the seemingly endless troubles of two lovers. Its pretty much every soap opera cliche and joke on overdrive. Its great.

5. In Ratchet Deadlocked, the main villain is a network producer named...Gleeman Vox. And his network is, of course, the Vox Network. He's sleezy, he's rude, he's pompous and arrogant, and he runs a death game where he kidnaps heroes from across the galaxy to make them fight to the death. The game isn't that political, so the most Fox News-y thing he really does is use his Vox News show to slander Ratchet with obviously faked pictures and biased testimony...from former villains.

6. Okay God was a bit of intentional overstatement on my part...but only a little. Appearing in the first game as a quick gag (Plumber's Crack), he shows up again in he second game in a semi-secret area, making a quip about "seeing you in a year or so". About a year later the next game came out. And it just of spiraled from there. In the first PS3 game he makes a joke about "not recognizing you in High Def" and every time he shows up again it seems like he's not only aware of the fourth wall, but future events.

7. The winning option! And to be fair if I didn't know this series I would probably pick this one too. One of the bosses of Deadlocked is The Eviscerator, a huge bug guy with arm blades. An unlockable in New Game Plus reveals he's really good at cooking and spends most of his off time making gourmet meals.

8. Again, a bit of an exaggeration, but the Groovitron is no joke. Introduced in the first PS3 game, this baby can make every enemy and NPC in any game it appears in dance to the beat. All of them, even the final bosses! Of course its effect is rather short lived on bosses, but the fact remains that nothing is immune to this thing, and that's just funny to me.

9. Slim Cognito, yes that's his name, was introduced in the second game as a seller of After-Market ship upgrades, as well as a black market weapon mod dealer. He reappears in the third game, which is set in a different galaxy from the second, and explains his presence as having to escape from police after "a Suck Cannon upgrade was mistakenly sold to a minor." He even gives the old "I swear he looked 18!" excuse. Golden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ADZ9Ze-pGU

10. One of two options to get no votes! I'm actually kind of impressed, but I guess the entire plot of the second game is a bit harder to hide. But yeah, one of the main plot threads of Going Commando revolves around a manufactured pet that is a lot more dangerous than advertised.

11. Here it is, the actual right answer. Now this might have thrown people off because I kinda went with a technicality here. One of the most reoccurring weapon types in R&C is the "animal ray gun", which is always an unlimited ammo laser that turns enemies into, usually, harmless animals. First game had chickens, then sheep, ducks, one of the mobile games had cows, but no pigs! Technically. In Deadlocked, there's a weapon mod that you can optionally equip that turns enemies at low health into random animals, one of which being pigs. But a weapon that specifically turns people into pigs? Nope.

12. And the second one to get no votes! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though, because if anything was going to escape this series to be known by people who never even played any of them...it was gonna be Death To Squishies. Yes, that pop star is named Courtney Gears. The game came out in 2004, give up a break.

Okay, inspired by my Ratchet and Clank thoughts, non-R&C, players, which of these DIDN'T happen in the franchise: