#also the devil does not get a capital letter

[marietheran]

I am begging all the Catholics of Tumblr to stop making/reblogging posts of the "what the devil said during an exorcism and what that proves" sort. Even if this one particular thing was to be mostly the truth, I cannot stress enough just how dumb citing a known liar is.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Sorry if you’ve talked about this before but my mind is consumed with Devils Minion - Do you think Louis is aware of the depth of Armand’s feelings for Daniel and how far their relationship went? I think Daniel’s memories of Armand are entwined with his memories of Alice, so when they pull his memories of Alice, like the proposal gone south, they are really talking about Daniel asking Armand to turn him. What I don’t know is if Louis knows this or sees a false memory of the real Alice. Does my rambling make sense?

It does!

So, I personally think that Louis called in Daniel for another interview because Louis knows what Daniel means to Armand, yes. (And Armand went along with it, gritting his teeth, because Daniel is sick, and he probably wanted (but couldn't admit to himself) that he wanted to see Daniel again.)

Because Daniel is the one tool to crack Armand.

BUT. And here it gets tricky, as others have theorized as well, it might be that the memory wipes Louis got happened after the first interview in San Francisco. After Armand's "Lestat Lestat Lestat" rant. Because Louis flipped his shit there and Armand had enough. (It may also very well be that Louis asks him to, but in any case I think that is the moment it may have happened.)

And a few years later someone wiped Daniel's memories.

Now, Louis would have known about the hunt and the relationship between Armand and Daniel, especially if it was the truth that they had been together without a break (which will be something we will still see yet, in the books they split up at some point).

But, it's debatable if he was always there. And maybe he wasn't there for certain events and events that were then "remixed" into memories with/from Alice when Daniel's memories were altered.

Because my impression is that the Louis in Dubai (with the slightly manic smile) does not know they're talking about a memory pertaining to Armand there. I think he's genuinely pushing with the offer to reach out to Alice there because he knows it will hurt (just as he was hurt by that comment Daniel made), BUT he does not know why it hurts. Armand does though. And he tries to soften the blow, immediately.

I think Louis probably knows what Daniel meant to Armand, and that they split up eventually, but not the intimate details of the "why". He knows Daniel got his shit together (likely for Alice). He knows Daniel's memories are shot.

And he has recognized his own are as well, and some of those alterations have been discussed between them. But as the interview progresses I think more and more pieces click into place - because Louis wants to remember - and he realizes he and Daniel have a lot in common, which will in turn lead to the alliance between them (and against Daniel) which was mentioned at the TCA panel (I reblogged a post by @virginiaisforvampires earlier with the Twitter screenshots).

Because Daniel, and especially Daniel the reporter, the investigative journalist - will WANT to remember as well. In capital letters, definitely. He'll push.

Oh he'll be afraid after he remembers some things (methinks ep5 especially), but that won't stop him. And neither does the pain stop Louis this time. And Armand... won't be able to stop both, and so it will all unravel.

[piracytheorist]

Episode 28 thoughts!

Did I say I was elated by the political commentary from one (1) line in the previous episode? This one had LOTS and I am so excited to get more into the world building!

Since this episode is mostly focused on Yuri, this post will focus on his part. The other parts are light-hearted and unrelated to the plot of Yuri's part, so I'll make a separate post for them. Maybe.

I admit, though Yuri is nowhere near blorbo territory, I am genuinely intrigued by his character and I can't help kinda investing in how his story will progress.

It's almost scary, how good at his job he is. The SSS have truly hit the jackpot with him, considering how capable he is, how dedicated he is to protect his sister, and how young and easy to manipulate.

Their wanted guy does something completely non-suspicious and tries to run out the window the moment he faces arrest, because that's exactly what an innocent person would do! Anyway, he gets ambushed by Yuri and oh my god.

Yuri please. That's not a normal face to have after throwing someone down - especially someone who actually drew a gun at you? Interestingly enough, the guy didn't draw a gun in the manga.

Then we see about the anti-East stance of Westalis, and... that's a very interesting image there.

"The Devil's Republic" instead of "The People's Republic". "The Age of Confusion" and "The truth as told by photographs". Imagery of mass graves and harsh military law. Also, Cyrillic letters on the journals to the left and right! I wonder if they're actually translatable, but in any case it's interesting that it's the West that uses Cyrillic letters along with Latin ones. I'd have loved to be a Japanese-speaking fly on the wall when they decided on those stylistic choices.

So Perkin already had issues with the law, and was using his journalism skills to rebel against the Ostanian government.

As I said, I absolutely loved that we got some political commentary on this episode, as I've been dying for some signs on how Westalis sees Ostania. And well. It's not good.

Perkin lies and constructs scenarios that fit his "Ostania is a nightmare" narrative, manipulating the audience loud and clear.

Like, look, buddy. I know Ostania sucks. I know surveillance and censorship are the death of freedom, but you don't need to go that far. It's yourself and your work you're sabotaging that way.

And he's not even... like, he then mocks the kid and tells him if he continues to "not share his toys" he will be arrested and killed? Bro, chill.

That's what happens when you join the trenches of a cold war but have no sympathy for your fellow human. Perkin mocked and terrified the boy and then he left laughing. He had no reason to do either of that.

Looks like Perkin's mother died, and her death was caused by their poverty; probably a sickness they couldn't afford proper treatment for. So he's in for it for personal reasons, though again, that doesn't justify being so mean to an innocent kid and manipulating the people of a foreign nation.

Wait, wait. Perkin says something interesting.

According to what he says, people keeping their wealth for themselves and not sharing - aka capitalism - is what the West stands for. But then he's mad at Ostania's government for forcing them to live in poverty and thus causing his mother's untimely death? What's going on, and what is his reason behind making the child fear the West? Because what he says there certainly isn't going to inspire the kid to go against the Ostanian government.

I'm leaning towards him not trusting Westalis either - and is just using them to rile them up to help bring the government down - and/or having a lot of unresolved issues that he's bursting out irrationally on a little kid, because the kid can't defend himself and is an easy target for Perkin's ire.

The fact that Yuri of all people, the personification of no control over one's feelings, got so mad at Perkin for terrifying the kid like that, says a lot.

Yuri made all of those appendices about what clothes Perkin wore and what people rode the underground train with him, so when Yuri mentioned Perkin went to the market, I expected a "See appendices for what he bought there" lmao

Interesting detail that Perkin had a cactus and a succulent, plants famous for needing very little care. The ashtray is also full. Visual commentary!

At least whatever is wrong with him is really really funny. The way his superior has caught onto that though XD

And he's conscious of it lmao

It's a good sign, if you ask me.

Lotsa books and another plant, I can't tell what it is but it's one that seems to require water and sunlight; and it's seated next to their full library!

Meanwhile, Perkin unknowingly, but unsuccessfully, reaches for Yuri's sensitive buttons. Yuri writes his sentence about Perkin probably being motivated by his care for his family... but Perkin is the enemy, you see. Maybe kinda related to what I said in my meta about Yuri's extremism, to him the "other side" are monsters with no empathy who only want to bring chaos. Suddenly he's faced with a man who threatens the safety of the country Yuri's beloved sister lives in, and with illegitimate means to boot, yet his motivation is something Yuri can relate to.

Considering Yuri got so mad at Perkin for scaring the child, I wonder what Yuri's reaction will be when/if he finds out Twilight's core reason to be a spy. That would gut him, I think.

Yuri's original notes on the paper say "Although it is still in the investigative phase, these actions may be caused by his personality and beliefs. Another possibility is hatred of a particular group or individual. However, that seems somewhat insufficient for the motive. Is Perkin [motivated] by concern for his family?"

It's easy to call a man such as Perkin a bigot and use such a narrative to explain his actions, and thus dub him the "enemy" and a "monster", along with anyone who would ever oppose the Ostanian government. So Perkin caring for his family and their future shocks Yuri to the point that he rips the paper off, deleting any signs of sympathetic view towards Perkin.

Perkin waits for his opportunity; after the mail is cleared from "suspicious" letters, he takes over from his coworker so that he can slip his very incriminating - and very misleading - "evidence" in.

Apparently people aren't too suspicious of people offering to help.

Perkin knew what he was doing, though. After his father warned him, he hesitates for a moment before the throws the letter in the cart and seals his fate.

It is pretty terrifying, though. Defamation is no joke but it's one of the things free press has to tolerate, if it wants to be called "free". Legal action can be taken after the press is out, in a public court, and investigate on how much of it is a lie and misinformation aiming at hurting someone or a group of people. Letting prejudiced and brainwashed police officers dictate what should be said and what not is at the height of censorship.

Perkin realizes he's fucked. He's terrified, but he knew what he was getting into - and he has experience with getting in such trouble, after all.

He's not a nice person, but I felt so sad when he said goodbye to his father and just... walked out to accept his fate.

Something interesting regarding the SSS is that they refer to themselves as "kokka hoan-kyoku" (State Security Service) and that's their official name for them, but the people may call them either that or "himitsu keisatsu" (Secret Police). I don't think I've heard anyone but citizens (and WISE agents) use the latter. Like earlier, when Perkin threw the toy gun in the trash, one of the boys used the phrase "himitsu keisatsu". I feel that's interesting because it may show how using the latter may be less... "respectful" for them.

When Perkin is being arrested, for example, he uses "himitsu keisatsu", and then calls Yuri "the government's dog". So that shows how much he respects them, lol.

SOMEONE SLAP HIM ISTG

Heeeey, Yuri... what if post-identity reveal Yor really really fucking loves Twilight and will be devastated if he's hurt? WHAT THEN?

But also hey, the fact that Yuri felt the need to reply to Perkin? It's a sign that this whole case had a much bigger impact on him than he expected. He put Perkin in the mould of "bad person who wants to destroy the country my beloved sister lives in, who makes his family sad" in order to avoid the possibility of relating to him.

He'll get there. He'll get there. It's a good sign he offered to request for financial aid for Perkin's father. Perkin thanking him for that speaks for what truly mattered to him.

I just love how layered everything is. Since the whole story is mainly focusing on Twilight's side, we as the audience are meant to sympathize and want peace to be secured, and for outside forces to help bring down the totalitarian government. But we're not meant to justify Perkin's behaviour, whether that's his fictional narratives or the way he mistreats innocent children, and at the same time we're meant to understand his motives were sympathetic. No-one's perfect, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions. At the same time, we're shown that Yuri, the "enemy" of Twilight's side, also has sympathetic motives and can also show empathy.

I mean, yeah, he swallows it down and replaces it with projection and coldness. But isn't that what Twilight does, too?

God, my heart fucking aches. He's twenty years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and this is where the regime lead him into. It's terrifying, and it's meant to be.

Yuri is so confident he'll catch Twilight and the director is like "Yeah whatever. If that helps motivate you." I see now why he referred to him as a cute puppy in episode 8. Yuri has very little experience and dreams very high but in a way, that keeps him motivated to work his ass off and never doubt what he's being told to do.

... Huh. Another similarity with Twilight? (sans the lack of experience)

Yeah oh my god that's even scarier. The director thinks that catching Twilight is too much for Yuri, but he allows him that "illusion" because it motivates Yuri. Fuck. Disgusting.

You'd think that a household with a spy and an assassin living in it would be using their peephole a little more often. Instead Yor looks surprised to see Yuri at the door. Like I get how it needed to be this way for the show, but it's a funny concept XD

Their outfits are so cozy! I love how they use different shades of red for Yor. And a detail!

I love how every single piece of clothing Yor owns has rose-shaped buttons. It's like she has an unlimited supply of them in every colour and just replaces the normal buttons with them. I know it's for stylistic choice on Endo's part but it's a cute little headcanon to have XD

Anya <3 she doesn't understand and she's still freaked out by Yuri's obsession with Yor but she cares <3

And that's the thing! Anya cannot understand the intricacies of what's just happened. She just reads Yuri's mind and what she gets is "He needs comfort." And she offers it T_T

ACAB but that doesn't mean one can't be a sentimental bastard. You know?

The little heart on the moon ended me. What an episode!

Overall, I loved it, especially after writing down this analysis! Not much plot-wise but I really appreciated this look into the political situation and how all of it affects Yuri - and how there's a lot in him that can help him grow.

Oh, and reminder that I'm anime only, so please no spoilers from the manga 😁

[vickyvicarious]

Seward: "Before they retired the Professor fixed up the room against any coming of the Vampire, and assured Mrs. Harker that she might rest in peace."

Then both Van Helsing and Jack now call Dracula "the Vampire". I wonder why this name than how Jonathan used to call him the Count, or not Dracula.

And with today, we see both Mina and Jonathan added to those ranks! Well, technically Mina only writes "the Vampire" in her account of Jonathan's dialogue, and it's the same with Jack reporting what Van Helsing said. So one could argue we only know for sure it's Mina and Jack right now, but I think it's fair to attribute to the others as well, especially when Jack also used lower-case "vampire" more generally at other moments even in the same entries.

It comes back, to me, to the first mate of the Demeter:

"It is here; I know it, now. On the watch last night I saw It, like a man, tall and thin, and ghastly pale. It was in the bows, and looking out. I crept behind It, and gave It my knife; but the knife went through It, empty as the air." And as he spoke he took his knife and drove it savagely into space. Then he went on: "But It is here, and I'll find It. It is in the hold, perhaps in one of those boxes. I'll unscrew them one by one and see. You work the helm." [...] "Save me! save me!" he cried, and then looked round on the blanket of fog. His horror turned to despair, and in a steady voice he said: "You had better come too, captain, before it is too late. He is there. I know the secret now. The sea will save me from Him, and it is all that is left!"

He speaks of Dracula in capital letters throughout, but before he encounters him close-up, he says It. He thinks of Dracula as a creature like a man, but something inhuman in a way that implies almost a lesser status. A mindless creature, almost an object. This is echoed later on in the way Jack repeatedly calls vampire!Lucy a "foul Thing" - they are evil and dangerous but also somewhat implied to be mindless. It also sort of fits with the way Jonathan scoffs at the vampire ladies being women and calls them "devils of the Pit!" - stronger language but in a way still dehumanized on a lower level than the uppercase Devil (or de Ville) that Dracula later gets at times.

But then after the mate encounters Dracula in the hold, presumably face-to-face, his tune changes. He no longer harbors any hope of defeating this monster. He 'knows the secret'. What new secret could he have learned in such a short time? Why was Dracula an 'It' even after a knife went straight through him without harming him, and yet suddenly became Him after that encounter? I think it's because the mate realized just exactly who/what he is. That's the secret. That's the reason he despairs.

And that's the reason that later on other people start to call him Vampire instead of vampire. Van Helsing makes the switch on 3 October. Just a couple days ago he gave a long speech about general vampiric weaknesses and even this specific vampire's history, but it's not until he sees Dracula face to face - not until he sees what he did to Mina and to Jonathan - that he speaks of him in the capital letters. And every time he uses the word after then to refer to Dracula specifically, it gets the capital letter. In contrast, when he speaks of Mina potentially becoming one, he says "I can see the characteristics of the vampire coming in her face." Lowercase for her. ***

It's the same for the others; they all start calling him this after that night. Mina speaks of her dreams before waking to her attack by Dracula as being "full of vampires", then doesn't say the word again until today when she hesitates before calling Dracula "the ... the ... the ... Vampire." Jonathan says that if Mina must be a "vampire" so will he, and that "one vampire meant many" - but when he has his outburst today he exclaims, "Have you felt the Vampire's lips upon your throat?" **

Even Renfield does it, despite never saying the word 'vampire'. He always recognized Dracula's importance, calling him "Master" and capitalized "You" right from the start. But interestingly, on 3 October he actually stops doing this briefly. He goes from using "He" to "he" but only for a short time. When describing Dracula first showing up at his window, it's lowercase he, but when he starts summoning creatures it's back to capitalized He. As soon as Renfield invites him in and loses any level of leverage/control, Dracula gets the capital letters again. He also gets compared to the Moon:

"The rats were all gone, but He slid into the room through the sash, though it was only open an inch wide—just as the Moon herself has often come in through the tiniest crack and has stood before me in all her size and splendour."

I've talked about this before, but the lowercase moon and moonlight in general is associated strongly with vampires and the supernatural. So the use of the personified capital-M Moon here in direct comparison with the same He for Dracula feels significant to me.

It sums up what all this capitalizing is about. Dracula is no longer just a vampire to these people. He isn't just a creature to be hunted; nor is he an ordinary person you could oppose (even an important one like a Count). He's more than that. He is the [mild spoiler quote under the cut****], he is the ultimate vampire. Maybe the first, certainly the worst. He is almost a higher power (or should I say lower?), absolutely terrifying and the epitome of what he represents. Not just the moonlight but the Moon herself. Not just a vampire but the Vampire.

They don't exclusively call him that, of course. They do still call him Count or Dracula. But when they want to emphasize his nature, they can't return to seeing him as one of a set, even such an evil set. He is in a category all his own.

.

** I personally consider this very strong support for Dracula drinking Jonathan on the last night at the castle. It's possible that Jonathan was talking about either Mina's experience with the Count here, or about his experience with the vampire women. But I think that the way he says it fits better with it being informed by his own trauma/flashback, given the context of the statement being about the dangers of Castle Dracula. And if so, it seems odd to me for him to abruptly and only this once use that capitalization for the vampire ladies, when he never did before. Granted, he never has called Dracula that either but at least there's lots of precedent from other people. Also, the singular "the Vampire" seems more fitting for him, since the three women always appeared together as a group threat even if only one of them put her lips to Jonathan's throat.

I kind of like to think Jonathan only really remembers that Dracula has bit him too in this moment. Or at least, it's the first time he becomes so clearly/consciously aware of it (maybe not even in the middle of the scene, but in the aftermath, it finally dawns on him). I think that fits well with the scene, and also is a nice way of preserving the meaning of his willingness to throw away his own 'clean/human' soul to join Mina, when according to Van Helsing's lore a single bite would have been enough to make Jonathan turn when he died anyway. The sacrifice would lose something in that case, but if he only remembers now we kind of get to have our cake and eat it too as far as that goes.

[other footnotes below the cut for spoilers]

*** Later on, this does change for Van Helsing, and him alone. When he hunts down the vampire ladies, he repeatedly calls them Vampires throughout, and speaks of the "Vampire sleep" and "Vampire fold" sort of more generally. However, interestingly this only happens when he is alone, hunting them down in the castle after they'd already terrified him in the night. After he stakes them he writes again of the general "vampire sleep" in lowercase. So I think an argument could be made for terror informing him here as well, and leading him to apply the same level of importance/danger to them as Dracula briefly. Otherwise I admit it does kind of go against my general thesis here of Dracula being unique in this way.

**** "the King-Vampire" as Van Helsing calls him

[icwasher]

I've been working on a story that's been in the back of my head for a while and I've already told my sister all the details on multiple occasions and I don't really want to reiterate all that to her again, so if it interests you, here is a rambling post about my current WIP!

I was originally going to write a two-book series that chronologically comes before this story, but I really don't feel like writing the other story and I think that with sufficient flashbacks and explanations, I can make this story work without the other two books.

The two books were going to tell the story of a young dark magic user (and Allure) who was also the Crown Prince of this country called Letria. For a bit of background, dark magic requires killing to get its power (in order of magical power gained from their death, plants, animals, humans, dragons) and it's also like a drug, so if you use dark magic long enough, you'll be a slave to it. The main character of my current WIP was the villain of the original story. His name is Ciaran (See-air-aine (rhymes with aim)). His little brother drowned (after Ciaran failed to save him) and his death haunts Ciaran, which is why he turned to dark magic in the first place. Long story short, he summons the devil, gets defeated, gets his ability to do dark magic taken from him, and then his father disowns and banishes him beyond the mountains to a kingdom called Oshar.

The current story picks up six months after Ciaran is banished. He's been wandering around and is almost out of money, and as he travels through the forest to get to the yet-unnamed capital city of Oshar, he stumbles upon this village that's been burnt to the ground. There he finds this three-year-old girl, Lena, who has been orphaned. He takes her in and plans to leave her at an orphanage in the next village he finds (orphanages are actually really nice in this country so this isn't him being awful or anything) but he bonds with her and ends up adopting her. Then he goes to the capital city, gets a job as a member of the Guard (basically a police officer), and gets a domestication arc!!!! His boss, Armend, becomes a pseudo-dad to him and helps him work through his TraumaTM. For a little while, he gets to live a normal life.

Then, after barely a year of living in the capital city of Oshar, Ciaran gets a letter telling him that his dad needs his help in Letria because a bunch of Allures are causing problems and Ciaran, while unable to do dark magic, is an expert on the subject. So he reluctantly goes to Letria to help out his dad.

The group there consists of his dad, his ex-girlfriend, and the Truth Seekers, who were the main characters of the first two books. He killed one of their friends, so they really do not like him.

They all expect him to still be AngstyTM and all mean and dark but he shows up at the palace in Tired Dad Mode. He wants to get this over with quickly. He just spent the past two weeks traveling in a tiny carriage with his three-year-old daughter and he is exhausted. He's using up all his vacation days to be there, and he really does not care that half the group of people he traveled to assist hates him.

During his time there, Lena gets kidnapped by the Allures who were causing trouble. They want to get to Ciaran because he's the only person who knows how to summon the devil (basically) and they threaten to kill her if he doesn't give them his information.

Now, this is a tough decision for him, and it's really important, because in the prequels (I'm going to start calling the two books that come before this one that) he chose the fate of one person (he was trying to store enough magic to raise his brother from the dead) over the good of the universe, and now he's being faced with that decision again. He makes the choice not to save her (which is heartbreaking and awful but also the Right Thing to Do) but in the nick of time the Truth Seekers show up and kick the Allures' butts, so the story gets a happy ending. Ciaran's dad offers to let him be the Heir again but Ciaran does not want to be King, so he's like, "Nah" and goes back home to be a police officer. Eventually he and his ex get back together, but that's not until years later and would only show up in the epilogue.

[ittybxttykxttytxtty]

Hello, fair warning. This chapter gave me deep feelings. Please understand that my feelings are required to be in capital letters.

He'd heard the way you'd slammed the door on your way out of his apartment that night. He knew how hurt and upset you’d been. But when you’d started crying because he had been planning to go out again, he'd wanted to comfort you– tried to–but you'd rejected him so easily instead. And that hurt him deeply. Because Matt had always thought you were different, that you understood him. That you loved him for who he was–you'd certainly always assured him that you did. 

I HAVE NO WORDS. MATTHEW. MICHAEL. MURDOCK YOU IDIOT. YOU MASSIVE BARELY FUNCTIONING ADULT. YOU DOLT. IDEK WHAT TO SAY.

But you’d made that choice, he reminded himself. You had walked out on him. That thought only had Matt grinding his teeth together, anger coursing through him.

YOU WALKED OUT FIRST, YOU STALE BAGUETTE.

You weren’t the woman he’d thought you were after all. And that hurt.

AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?!?!?! BAILING ON DATES, NOT TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF, TAKING THE READER FOR GRANTED. ALWAYS EXPECTING HER TO BE AT YOUR BECK AND CALL LIKE A FUCKING DOORMAT. BELLA, ISTG. COME GET UR MAN. I AM TURNING FERAL

Also, sidenote. I think this is a common trope in superhero stories??? The difficulty of living a double life, like in this context for example. He should always be Matthew Michael Murdock, first and Daredevil, second. Matt can live without Daredevil but Daredevil can't exist/live without Matt. That's how it should be,anyways. Am I making sense?

Anyways, point is....he managed to live a life without Daredevil most of his existence. So why put being Matt on the back burner?!?! Take care of the host body, ya know? Without it there wont be a Daredevil. Dont let your alter ego take control of your life.

“ She left me ,” Matt snarled back. “Why the hell is that so difficult for you to understand, Fog? Why must you always assume that I did something? Clearly she wasn’t who I thought she was because she couldn’t accept me and what I do. Who I am .”

SHE ACCEPTED YOU. BRAIN DEAD AND ALL. WHY CANT YOU AT LEAST MAKE AM EFFORT AND MEET HER HALFWAY????!!!!!! MATTHEW. PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU. 🥹🥹🥹

“Ahh,” Foggy said, pushing off the counter. “This is because of Daredevil. I figured as much. So tell me what happened then, because I’m about to slap you upside the head and tell you you’re wrong.”

Daredevil works hard ... but Foggy works harder ..by cleaning up Matt's mess. Foggy, baby, I'm sorry that this trick ass hoe is messing with your schedule. It will never happen again 😩😩😩

“Okay, so,” Foggy continued carefully, “if I’m understanding this right, you’ve been canceling plans on your girl for a while now and she’d been upset about that. And then she comes and says she really needs to talk to you, and you what? Bail on her again? Quite aggressively, I’m gathering?”

✨ IN FRANKLIN PERCY NELSON WE TRUST, YALL. ✨ 🕊️

He’d hurt you, too. Long before you’d hurt him.

Matt scoffed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’m sure Daredevil showing up on her fire escape would go over real well with her right now.”

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

please tell me he does that and he hears the lil baby devil's heart beat and mistakes it for the reader moving on with another person. MAKE IT LONG AND ANGSTY THAT IT MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH HURLING CRYING SCREAMING. Please and thank you 💕

additional thots:

- Karen and Foggy are working over time, they should be paid for it honestly.

- Cannot wait for Matt to to grovel, ik ive been saying this since ch.01 but listen...I AM WEAK FOR A MAN GROVELING. KNOWING THEY WERE WRONG. THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT IT, OKAY?!?!

- also........I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE MAKE UP SEX THAT WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN. IDC IF ITS ROUGH AND HARD OR TENDER AND SOFT. BUT PLEASE PLEASE MAKE THEM CRY OUT OF PLEASURE, PAIN, AND RELIEF. 😌😌😌

This fic is so good. I've been waiting to read every update after work so I can focus on feeling the angst ✨

Seeking Forgiveness [Part Three]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader Word Count: 3k

[Full summary and installment list for this series can be found here.]

Warnings/tags: 18+ contains angst, emotional hurt, delayed comfort, pregnant Reader

a/n: This one is entirely in Matt's POV and I'm curious to see how y'all react to his side of things! Feedback is always appreciated!

Tag List: @mattmurdocksstarlight @just-going-through-the-motions @paracosmic-murdock @yeonalie @auroraslibrary @1988-fiend @will-delete-this-later-probably@two-unbeatable-beaters @danzer8705 @ragamuffin285 @callmebrooklynbabes @spookyboogyuniverse @peachy-aisha @stevenknightmarc @nerdytreeflower @fucktthisworld @remuslupinwifee @kmc1989 @mywellspringoflife @thornbushrose @yarrystyleeza @shiorimakibawrites @thychuvaluswife @marvelcinematiquniverse @vallovesthedilfs @scoliobean @this--is--music

The ear-splitting and repeated honking of car horns on the street below harshly woke Matt, the sound shrill and piercing first thing in the morning. Seconds later the continuing noise drew forth a pounding headache that reverberated painfully in his head. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he rolled onto his side with a groan, his entire body loudly protesting the movement. He could feel a few new bruises he'd added to the others already scattered around his body, the new ones violently throbbing along his lower back and his left shoulder as consciousness abruptly returned to him.

Matt had been out well into the early morning hours running around Hell’s Kitchen tracking a man by the name of Petrov. He was the man that Matt had recently come to learn was the current leader of the Russian mafia now settled in his city. All of last night he had been trying to figure out where the new shipment of drugs would be coming into Hell's Kitchen at, but he'd yet again come home without the information he'd wanted. In a sour mood, he'd taken his anger out on a mugger while returning to his apartment, leaving the man more battered than he probably should have. 

And his sour mood quickly returned when he realized he was alone in his bed again, the cold from the lack of you often curled under the sheets with him exceptionally noticeable this morning–more than it had been for the past few weeks. Because you had left him, deciding not to stay and wait for him to return the other night. Leaving him like everyone else always did, unable to accept that he and the Devil were the same man. That he needed to let that other side of himself out to protect Hell’s Kitchen.

He'd heard the way you'd slammed the door on your way out of his apartment that night. He knew how hurt and upset you’d been. But when you’d started crying because he had been planning to go out again, he'd wanted to comfort you– tried to–but you'd rejected him so easily instead. And that hurt him deeply. Because Matt had always thought you were different, that you understood him. That you loved him for who he was–you'd certainly always assured him that you did. 

But it sure as hell hadn’t felt like that to him the other night. Not with how quick you were to reject him and walk out on him. You’d never tried to reach out to him all of Friday, either. Whatever important thing you’d wanted to discuss with him the other night must’ve been what he’d initially suspected it to be. That you wanted to end the relationship. Truthfully he hadn’t wanted to hear you say the words out loud which was partially why he didn’t want to give you a chance to speak.

Matt knew he'd been canceling plans on you repeatedly, though he admittedly hadn't realized just for how long he'd been doing it with the way his days had been blurring together from his lack of proper sleep. But it hadn't been intentional. He hadn't meant to hurt you and he'd felt terrible every single time he had. It always nagged at him while he was out, the memory of the way your heart stuttered each and every time you saw him in his suit never far from his mind as he tried to focus on his late night task. 

And it wasn't like he was out cheating on you or ditching you for his friends. What he was doing was the equivalent of being needed at a job–because that's how he saw what he did. As a responsibility he had to the people of Hell’s Kitchen. He'd honestly thought he'd be able to make it up to you once he'd gotten the situation with the Russians under control, but apparently he wasn't important enough for you to wait for him. And sure, he had to admit that he'd been awful to you the other night with the way he'd spoken to you, but the judgment and rejection from you had really upset him, as did the fear of hearing you tell him you were done with him. So he'd closed himself off to you, hoping to lessen how much you leaving him would hurt.

But Matt didn’t want to think about that this morning. His head ached enough from all the physical exertion last night and from not getting enough sleep. Those damn cars honking had ruined whatever sleeping in he hoped he’d have this Saturday morning, the sound of the city far too loud for him to lay back down and fall asleep now. 

Though if you’d been here–

With a growl Matt tore the sheets off of himself, tossing his legs over the side of his bed and shoving all thoughts of you to the side. He didn’t want to think about you right now. He wanted coffee, desperately hoping that would wake him up and help the throbbing of his head.

Shuffling out of his bedroom, half limping in pain as he walked, he navigated his way through his living room and into the kitchen. He went straight for his coffee maker, turning it on and preparing a pot of coffee. He knew he was going to need a few cups already. 

As the coffee brewed, Matt leant his back against the kitchen counter. His eyes closed as he ran a hand over his tired face, aware that his apartment seemed noticeably quieter and lonelier without you here. He’d been noticing that for weeks now, and every time he did he felt his heart sink a bit in his chest. Though this morning he almost felt sick at the emptiness here, as if someone had punched him right in the gut when he realized you were never coming back.

But you’d made that choice, he reminded himself. You had walked out on him. That thought only had Matt grinding his teeth together, anger coursing through him.

You weren’t the woman he’d thought you were after all. And that hurt.

The coffee machine began to sputter out his coffee, the noise loud and irritating to his ears this morning. Matt turned around, reaching a hand up to grab a mug from the open shelf on the wall. But a round of knocks coming from his apartment door rang out and he hesitated, his hand hovering just before the row of coffee cups. Brows furrowing together, his head shifted over his shoulder as he wondered how he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t realized someone had approached his door. Though after a few seconds he soon realized that it was Foggy standing in the hallway and flipping through some paperwork that he’d brought with him.

Matt’s hand dropped to his side and he turned, a frown settling on his lips as he made his way through his kitchen and down his entryway hall. He unlocked the door, briskly swinging it open. It didn’t escape his notice how Foggy had startled in the hall at the abruptness.

“Fog,” Matt greeted flatly.

He could practically feel the way his friend’s eyes scanned over him, the sound of Foggy’s face shifting into a frown not lost on Matt. He imagined the bruises were quite visible, especially since he hadn’t managed to put a shirt on.

“You look like shit, Matt,” Foggy stated bluntly. “How long were you out last night?”

Matt turned, leaving the door open as he half-limped, half-shuffled his way back down the entryway hall. He listened as Foggy stepped inside, closing the door after himself before slipping out of his shoes. By the time Foggy had followed Matt into the kitchen, Matt had already managed to pour himself a cup of coffee, drinking a sip of it black.

“You want some coffee?” Matt asked him, avoiding the initial question.

“No, I’m good,” Foggy answered slowly, resting his arms on the kitchen counter and leaning over it. “I had some earlier before I left to come deliver the documents I told you I was bringing over this morning. Which I’m guessing…you forgot about, judging by the fact that it looks like you just rolled out of a dumpster that you used for a bed.”

Matt’s lips pursed together at Foggy as he drew his mug back up to his mouth, his eyes narrowing in obvious irritation. “Not a morning for jokes, Fog.”

“Is there ever with you lately?” Foggy grumbled. 

Matt drank down more of his coffee, the throbbing of his head not helped by the way Foggy was drumming his fingers along the countertop. He could hear the way his friend was looking around his apartment, probably noticing the way it had looked neater than usual. Which was due to the fact that neither of you had been in his apartment much for the past few weeks. The moment he heard Foggy’s mouth open, inhaling that small bit of breath, Matt knew what he was going to say. And it wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss.

“Where’s your other half?” Foggy asked, glancing back towards the closed bedroom door, entirely missing the way Matt had winced at the question. “Thought she usually spent the weekends with you. Is she still asleep?”

Matt ground his teeth together, roughly exhaling a sharp breath. He knew he’d ask about you.

“No, she’s not here,” Matt replied coldly.

He heard the way Foggy had stiffened against the counter at his words and the tone of his voice. Slowly, Foggy’s head turned back towards Matt. Matt’s lips thinned out in irritation, not liking the minute shift in Foggy’s posture.

“So the documents–”

“What’d you do, Matt?” Foggy asked sharply, cutting him off.

Matt’s hand gripped his coffee mug tighter in his fist, surprising even himself when it didn’t break in his grip. His jaw clenched at the question and the accusation from his best friend.

“What makes you think this was my fault?” he growled back, voice low and dangerous.

Foggy was nodding swiftly as if he’d known something had happened. He didn’t seem remotely affected by Matt’s obvious anger, clearly prepared to discuss this more. That only annoyed Matt further.

“So you two broke up? Karen and I thought as much with the way you’d been mopey and snippy around the office yesterday,” Foggy said. “What happened? Because one minute you’re telling me she’s the one, that she’s going to move in with you soon, and the next–” he waved a hand around the apartment, “–you’re a damn bachelor again. So what’d you do? Because I know damn well she didn’t end things, not with the way she always looked at you like the sun rises and falls out of your ass, Matt.”

“ She left me ,” Matt snarled back. “Why the hell is that so difficult for you to understand, Fog? Why must you always assume that I did something? Clearly she wasn’t who I thought she was because she couldn’t accept me and what I do. Who I am .”

“Ahh,” Foggy said, pushing off the counter. “This is because of Daredevil. I figured as much. So tell me what happened then, because I’m about to slap you upside the head and tell you you’re wrong.”

Matt stalked across the kitchen in aggravation, slamming his mug down onto the counter that separated him from Foggy. The hot liquid splashed over his hand as Foggy briefly jumped at his outburst. The faint scent of fear soon hitting his nose was what had Matt’s eyes snapping shut, aware he was getting too riled up at this topic. That his anger was finally starting to make Foggy nervous.

Because it was about you and it hurt.

“She said she had something she needed to tell me,” Matt replied through clenched teeth, trying to rein in his frustration and heartache. “But I needed to go out as Daredevil. I was planning to interrupt a meeting with the Russians. The ones I’d been telling you about.” He exhaled a sharp breath, his left hand clamping onto the kitchen counter as he continued, hoping to ground himself and control his rage. “She was upset that I was going out again when we’d had plans. Said she really needed to talk to me. So I told her she could tell me afterwards when I came back and she got upset.”

There was a brief silence following his explanation, Matt hearing the way Foggy’s head had shifted to the side.

“And you were…growly Devil when you were talking with her weren’t you?” Foggy asked, gesturing a hand at Matt. “Like you are now?”

Matt grunted, shame burning through him as his eyes once again fell shut. Yes. 

“Maybe,” he grumbled.

“Okay, so,” Foggy continued carefully, “if I’m understanding this right, you’ve been canceling plans on your girl for a while now and she’d been upset about that. And then she comes and says she really needs to talk to you, and you what? Bail on her again? Quite aggressively, I’m gathering?”

“That’s–that’s not exactly right,” Matt said, shaking his head. “I didn’t bail on her. The city needed me, Fog.”

“Sounds like she needed you more, buddy,” Foggy countered.

Matt’s eyes snapped open, his sightless gaze landing somewhere near Foggy in a glare. “I gave her the option to stay and wait for me to come back. To tell me what she needed to then. She chose to leave. I haven’t heard from her since, so I’m guessing her important talk was about her wanting to tell me that she wanted to end things. That she couldn’t handle me being Daredevil after all.”

Foggy scoffed, shaking his head at Matt. He could hear the way his friend’s mouth had yet again curved into a frown. Something like guilt twisted in Matt’s stomach at the way that night had played out but he quickly buried it under his anger and hurt. 

“Why do you do that?” Foggy asked softly.

“ What ?” Matt snapped.

“This,” Foggy answered, waving a hand frantically at Matt. “That self-sabotaging thing you do. Things were good with you both. Great, actually. You were happy , Matt. And then you go diving into your hero bullshit and push people away. Making assumptions about her wanting to end things like you know that’s exactly what she wanted to talk to you about.”

“I do not self-sabotage,” Matt shot back. 

“Then why’d you push her away?” Foggy countered.

“Because the city needs me!” Matt exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his hands on his hips. “You know that and she knew that!”

A glaring silence settled in Matt’s apartment after his loud outburst. Matt’s tongue slipped out, wetting his lips repeatedly in his agitation. He heard the very faint sigh Foggy emitted, even with the way his headache had worsened.

“I think you’re reading things entirely wrong, man,” Foggy said, tone softer. “I don’t think she was trying to break up with you. I think you fucked up. Big time. And judging by the way you’re incredibly defensive and angry, you really, really love her.”

Matt’s nostrils flared, his eyes still glaring sharply in the direction of his friend. Though a part of himself was beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Foggy was onto something. At least, about him fucking up. He was still pretty certain you’d wanted to break up with him. Because he had been canceling plans on you for weeks now. And you’d been getting hurt by him doing that pretty quickly, too. And he’d noticed, but he kept on putting off making things up to you because he’d been too focused on prioritizing the Russians. He’d hurt you, too. Long before you’d hurt him.

That guilt and shame stirred in Matt’s stomach again, threatening to overtake his own rage and heartache. But he couldn’t have been wrong about what you’d wanted to talk to him about, right? Because what else could it possibly have been besides an ultimatum for him to quit being Daredevil and to choose you instead?

“I think,” Foggy continued slowly, “that you need to go call her up. Put your tail between your legs and go beg for her forgiveness, Matt. Because you fucked up, admit it. I can see that realization dawning on your face right now, buddy. Talk to her. Apologize on your goddamn knees every day until she takes you back. Because we both know she was the best damn thing that ever happened to you.”

“She was,” Matt whispered, his gaze dropping down to the floor. “She always was.”

“Then go get her!” Foggy exclaimed, slamming his fist onto Matt’s countertop. “Fix things!”

He stepped around the kitchen counter, reaching out to slap Matt good-naturedly on the shoulder. Matt winced at the gesture when Foggy’s hand landed on a bruise and Foggy quickly muttered out an apology. 

Rubbing his arm, Matt let out a sigh. “How am I supposed to fix things, Fog?” he asked. “What if she really doesn’t love the part of me that is Daredevil like she thought she did? I can’t give this up. I’m not going to.”

“There’s no way that bullshit is the reason,” Foggy told him. “Not with all the different ways she’s been there for you and your vigilante ass this whole time, Matt. She loves Daredevil just as much as you. But as for fixing things?” Foggy shrugged, shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. I think your first step is to reach out to her, though. Try to get her to talk to you. Apologize and maybe find out what it was she needed to tell you. Because I’m guessing knowing what that was will tell you how royally you fucked up here.”

“Yeah,” Matt said with a sigh. “You’re probably right. Though I have a feeling she’s not going to want to talk to me.”

“You just keep trying until she does,” Foggy told him. “And if all else fails, maybe you can romantically show up on her fire escape and profess your love to her or something?”

Matt scoffed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’m sure Daredevil showing up on her fire escape would go over real well with her right now.”

[thepitofjob]

Job 2: 1-6. "The Citron."

I have discovered the Torah and Tanakh are explained in tracts called Days (groups of 7) , Directions (groups of 4), Hands, (clusters of 5), and Rooms, (groups of 6). There are terms for duplets and triplets out there I'm sure, but in the next section of Job, we have a Room.

The term is based on the fact there 6 groups of consisting of nine Parshiot a piece in the Torah called Rooms. The Torah consists therefore of 5 Books, 6 Rooms, 54 Frames or Parshiot, and there are a number of bars, rings, pillars, poles, and sockets inside that explain how each cluster of verses inside are tied to all the rest.

All of this is based on the numbered coefficients associated with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet which are binomials. There are no numbers in Hebrew, just letters, so when translating, you one needs to know precisely what one is doing or one gets gobbledygook.

Just as one can add numbers together, one can also perform "angel math" and add letters together. Every group of words in the Torah and Tanakh can be connected to the rest through this alpha numeric system; the final product looks like piece of upward spiraling DNA.

One must know how to manipulate the letters, numbers, and refer to what is called Halachah, the oral tradition that explains proper use of the idioms found in the religion.

My favorite is the term "a little stinker." A little stinker does not actually stink, Jews are not allowed to stink. A stinker is a boy who is a chronic masturbator and has not had sex yet, ie. a horny little kweer bastard that needs to run away from home.

Our story about Job, a lone man who is stuck in a manhole continues "on another day" meaning the onset of Shavuot. After the Israelites leave Egypt is when the epic of the Torah avctually begins. Shavuot is the "womb of the Torah."

The First Room, like the womb itself has nine months within it. So there are Six Day Rooms in the Torah consisting of nine months a piece in it. Jews exit the womb when they exit Egypt and enter the Zin, "the dick desert", which has to do with stinking thinking.

Recall in Bereshit God says "do not eat of the fruit" which is missing the all important word, "yet". Later in the Torah He says when one can bite the fruit. So we start reading the Torah in Bereshit but do not self realize within it until after the flight from Egypt.

The dipshitz, the Mormons, Evangelicals and their sock puppets, the Republicans think it is all right to oversex little kids. But we know this is a grave sin, stated first thing in the Torah, and infractions must be addressed with capital punishment.

Job's story begins with puberty, when the contest between God and the Devil like a right ball and left, start to tempt and plague man with the song of the flesh. The lesson, stated well ahead of time is there is no such thing as a man who maintains his integrity lest he can withstand Satan, the wanderer beneath his flesh:

2 On another day the angels[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 

5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

The Lord tells Satan he can tempt us but we must not suffer ignominy because we undergo temptation. Everyone gets hot n horny. It is how one reacts that determines the reversal of the curse God permitted Satan to hex us with.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 1: The angels came to present themselves. This means all innocent boys and girls have to present at the Shule at age 13.

The Number is 5623, ה‎ו‎בג‎, "you've been tagged. A citron!"

Here is a good example of how Hebrew letter/numbers conjugate.

A citron then is a young Jewish male or female who has been sent to shule to costar in a duel between God and the devil.

Citrons do not stink.

v. 2: God asked, "where have you come from?" Every Jew must be able to answer where they came from.

The Number is 7148, זאדח, zadah, ‎‎"joined one's countrymen."

=

"I am not a slave. I was never a slave, I will never be a slave."

v. 3: No one on earth is like him. The Number is 9853, טחהג‎, "a wet tahag", "wandered out of Eg or Egypt."

v. 4: Skin for skin, a man will give all he has. The Number is 4017, ��אז‎, "since then."

Before the Torah existed men were savages and took slaves. They predated upon each other. We have the potential to coexist in urban, surburban and rural environments that do not require predation in order to exist alongside each other because of the Torah.

We will achieve this potential once President Trump, Vladimir Putin, and all the Mormons, Evangelicals and Republicans are all dead as recompense for the harm they have done to this world, especially to its Jews.

v. 5: But now stretch out your hand! The Number is 7343, ז‎גדג‎. zaggad, "the advanced glass cutter."

To cut glass one needs an instrument made of something that won't crush or mar it, one that is precise and leaves a clean edge. This is the promise God makes to those who study the practice of Judaism- it is precision instrument that creates a perfectly sculptured being capable of catching the light and producting a clear reflection. It is a process that is difficult and requires a steady hand, painstaking but worth it.

v. 6: The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” The Shule is empowered to discuss explicit things that are necessary to spare a person anguish during life. The first is do not handle the fruits unless one is ready.

The Number is 5825, החב‎ה‎, "the heart, the core first."

Every time I dig into the Tanakh I discover how the subject matter of the Torah as thorough as it might seem needs additional definition. The Torah was completed around the time of the birth of Christ, it underwent significant revision and then the roots, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits were added latter. The Book of Job examines the contents pertaining to moral human happiness which many will find helpful.

[tragedykery]

getting sad thinking about the dialects I would have known/spoken had it not been for the devaluation of “non-standard” variations of a language

[random-french-girl]

Could you do Martha and Fatin for the brotp?

Hi friend! Thanks!

What in-jokes do they have with each other?

They rate every guy Martha meets and finds cute on a scale “from zero to Marcus”. The scale is NOT scientific, and none of the other girls really understand it. But it’s hilarious.   

Are they the “I’ll pay this time if you pay next time”-type friends, or the “I’ll pay for my food and you’ll pay for yours”-type friends?

First option. Fatin always insists to pay for Martha’s drinks though. 

Who’s more prone to pranking, or otherwise messing with, the other?

Martha, actually :) She’s wickedly sneaky when doing pranks, and a lot of them involve using various animals (mostly insects and the likes) to scare Fatin. She has to be careful, though, because Fatin has no qualms about squashing a spider with a rolled-up Vogue Magazine. Which is not what Martha wants. (What she wants is to add to her collection of videos of Fatin screaming at the top of her lungs because there’s a harmless beetle on her bed. It makes for a great pick-me-up whenever one of the girls is depressed.)

How do they text/message each other? Proper punctuation and capital letters, egregious overuse of emojis, mostly in meme format…?

Oh my God, they are the most CHAOTIC texters, there’s emojis EVERYWHERE, new abbreviations daily, their texts are absolutely unreadable by anyone else. (Even Toni, who’s used to Martha’s style, can’t decipher what the fuck they’re talking about.) They basically have invented a whole new writing system. 

Do they exchange jokey birthday presents, or deeply thought-out and meaningful presents? Or both?

Both, but mostly meaningful? Fatin also loves organizing Martha’s birthday parties. She does The Most. Martha is delighted. 

They go on a road trip together. Who drives, who picks the music, who’s in charge of snacks?

Martha drives - she, gently, leaves No Room for argument. Fatin is in charge of the music - which works great, they like the same stuff. They’re both in charge of snacks - lots of chocolate, lots of juice. 

What do they think of each other’s family?

Fatin adores Martha’s family, and is, weirdly, a little scared of Martha’s mom, in the “I never want her to be disappointed in me” kind of way. Martha is very impressed with Fatin’s parents at first - they’re so elegant and stylish!-, not so much when she learns the whole story. She loves Fatin’s little brothers though, and they love her too :)

Do they have any nicknames for each other?

Fatin has a million pet names for Martha. I don’t think Martha has any for Fatin, however. 

Who’d be the first to try and patch things up if they had a fight?

Honestly... they rarely get into fights. But when they do, Fatin tries to patch things up first. There’s nothing worse than knowing that Martha is mad at you.

One of their phones goes off in the middle of the night. Who’s calling whom, and why?

Fatin actually calls Martha when she gets sad in the middle of a party, and she doesn’t want to bother Dot and Leah, or they’re not available, or she’s feeling self-conscious and needs Martha’s specific energy. 

What’s their favourite funny story about something that happened to the two of them?

Getting high on the beach for sure.

Would they do a joint cosplay? If so, who would they dress up as?

Oh, they would. For Halloween, they dress up as a devil and an angel. Martha is the devil. Fatin is a very sexy, probably not Bible-accurate angel. 

Do they have any TV shows that they watch together? Are there any shows they have wildly different opinions on?

So many shows! A lot of reality TV, first of all. Martha also gets Fatin to watch the entirety of Pretty Little Liars, Fatin is. Obsessed. And furious about it. She rants about the outfits constantly.

Which one is the “fight me” friend and which one is the one who tries to keep the peace and prevent their friend from punching a total stranger?

Fatin is the “fight me” friend. Martha tries to keep the peace. 

One of them comes up with an ill-advised but mostly harmless idea. Does the other one egg them on because they think it’ll be funny, or try and talk them out of it?

In both cases, they’d try to talk the other out of it. 

Who would win if they arm-wrestled?

Martha.

Who’s better at what type of video games, and how competitive are they when they play together?

Martha is leagues better than Fatin. They aren’t very competitive with each other, but if they are together in a team against some of the other girls they get HYPED UP and WILL destroy their competition. 

One of them ends up in hospital for something serious but not life-threatening. What does the other bring along when they visit in order to cheer them up?

Martha brings homemade food that she cooked with her mom, UNO, Fatin’s emotional support makeup case, and has all the girls send a heartfelt card for Fatin. Also, a vibrator, which prompts Fatin to propose on the spot. (She may have been a bit delirious from fever, but still.)

How huggy are they?

It’s interesting, they’re very huggy with their respective people (Toni, Leah), but I’m not sure they hug each other all that much? They do physical affection, but maybe not via hugs? Like, Fatin will put her arms around Martha’s shoulders, and they’ll sit together with their knees touching, and they’ll touch each other’s hair and face, and hold hands. Not that many hugs though. 

What was the moment when they first realised that they’d become friends?

They start bonding pretty early on the island, but probably that one moment where Martha asks if she’ll have Romeos in her DMs too, and Fatin’s like MARTHA ANGEL YES OF COURSE <3

[orsuliya]

Guess what, it’s time for more married!Awu/XQ headcanons, part 2 of who knows how many. Beware of the sappiness!

Once it becomes clear that Xiao Qi and Awu have wildly different ideas about educating children, the denizens of Ningshuo Fortress draw a collective breath. Amusingly enough, it never comes to an all out fight like the one people have been expecting… but still a rather interesting time is had by all.

See, there is no doubt that raising a legion of soldiers is as much out of question as raising a glasshouse of tropical flowers… or root vegetables. That much everybody – from Ah Li Ma to Tang Jing who were both asked to consult on the matter – can agree on. The devil lies in the details. Reading and writing is paramount, but is calligraphy really necessary? Sewing is obviously a must for all, but is fanciful embroidery? Every child should be competent with at least one weapon, but ought they also learn to play instruments, even those with no particular talent for it? At least rudimentary drawing is useful all across the board, no argument to be had there.

The problem is not that Awu and Xiao Qi cannot find a compromise in each of those cases – they absolutely can. Or rather they could... if they were not so careful of offending each other. There comes a time when Xiao Qi blurts out that a princely education is no guarantee of a clear mind or an honourable heart… and then spends the next day or two being strangely apologetic. Which Awu certainly notices, for all that she has no idea what might have caused this sudden development. Yeah, that comment didn’t really register, at least not in the way Xiao Qi fears it did. And yes, Zitan is that much of a non-entity in Awu’s mind.

At the same time Awu might have been dancing around certain subjects, loathe to admit that her husband’s writing is sufficient for the purpose, but would absolutely prevent him from pursuing any kind of serious career in civil service. And since they want their kids to have options, maybe they should think about employing a calligraphy master after all.

Don’t worry, they come clear on both issues! What else are their nightly hug-discussions for, if not resolving potentially painful matters in a relaxed, constructive and mutually satisfying manner?

______________________________

Why would Awu be dancing around certain subjects related to Xiao Qi’s level of education? It’s not like he was ever particularly sensitive to such matters as class difference, right? No sign of inferiority complex there, that’s for sure. Well…

When Awu and Xiao Qi were preparing to leave the capital, Asu made an entire production out of his sister’s upcoming departure. Ningshuo, for all that it may be paradise itself – if one listens to the locals – is rather… provincial, right? No decent wine to be had, no silks, golden bathtubs, first-class inks, high-quality perfume or incense and if there is one decent guan to be had out there, then Turnip will eat his own most decorative one!

Not that Turnip ever comes out and says that Ningshuo is his idea of hell, but still. There is a reason why Xiao Qi prefers not to take part in this whole packing rigmarole; he wouldn’t want to distress his brother-in-law too much… or rather more than he already does at court. Awu takes this brotherly care with good humour; Asu is Asu and it’s true that he would never be able to make it in Ningshuo, but they’re very different Wang breeds and she has no doubts that she will absolutely thrive once there.

The thing is that once they settle in Ningshuo, Xiao Qi starts making those little comments. Nothing really overt and really, they’re made in jest more often than not… But it’s concerning all the same. Self-deprecation is not a good look on Awu’s husband! Well, it totally is, but there are much better ones, so it’s time to stage an intervention.

The next time Awu hears that a Princess like her could have never imagined she would be forced to toil in the field, she snaps. Not like they were toiling anyway – marking out the best pastures is hardly a back-breaking work! So what does she do? Well, first she waits until the evening… and then she immobilizes her husband. True, he may still try to get up while she’s in his lap, but this way he would be forced to take her with him! It’s truly diabolical.

As her second step she asks – very seriously – who is always right in their household and is it true that it’s Princess Yuzhang. Prince Yuzhang, unaware that he’s entering a trap and also rather distracted with what’s in his lap, admits that readily enough.

If Princess Yuzhang is always right, declares Awu, and I am Princess Yuzhang, then what I say must be the absolute truth. And what I say is that you are a silly, silly man. There is nobody else that I would ever wish to call my husband and nowhere that I would rather live but here, by your side, building a future for us and our children. Why, I wouldn’t exchange our current life for any crown and I am something on an expert on those.

It works rather well, that’s as much as I will say on the matter.

______________________________

They do end up employing a calligraphy master for the children. And a painting master. And a slew of other masters as some of the kids get older and develop specific talents. Besides, there is nothing that says they need to limit their educational efforts to their own legion. Ningshuo’s population is booming and there is no better time to found a school or twenty for local children.

Of course most established scholars are very used to comfort and not really used to long trips. In short order, Ningshuo becomes the number one destination for young adventurous men of letters, most rather lacking when it comes to illustrious family background. But they are not the only ones interested in moving to Ningshuo: a good number of respectable old masters also decide to do so.

Turnip Wang tries to warn his sister that she’s playing host to a whole host of dangerous free-thinkers, some of them openly critical of this whole idea of monarchy. Oh, the horror! Awu simply looks at her harried sibling with a perfectly straight face and says that she hasn’t noticed any danger other than the danger of having exceedingly eloquent dinner-companions, which sometimes means that food grows cold before anybody even starts on it. Xiao Qi is very pointedly suppressing a smile in the background.

______________________________

Xiao Qi and Awu are that unbearably cheesy married couple who remains staunchingly and embarrassingly in love even after twenty, thirty years of marriage. And they have absolutely no qualms about public displays of affection. Which leads to some rather amusing moments while at court, but that is an entirely different story.

Now, their kids – both bio and adopted – think it’s the bee’s knees that their parental units love each other so much… but could they tone it down? Just a little? Would a tiny smidge of dignity be totally out of question? There is nothing fundamentally wrong with Father picking Mother up… but must he do it in the middle of the courtyard? And let us not even speak of farewell hugs. And the teasing. Oh, the teasing!

It gets much, much worse once the kids grow up and start pairing off. See, only now do they start to realize what some of their parents’ little quirks actually mean. And most of them mean that Awu and Xiao Qi – grey hair and all – are not that far removed from a pair of newly-weds. More that one son-in-law gets absolutely flustered – some into speechlessness – by the ever-powerful hearteyes. For some reason daughters-in-law deal with this situation much better, although approximately every second one develops… certain expectations.

______________________________

Awu and Xiao Qi do not get it on nearly as often as those poor horrified kids might think. That is they do get it on quite a lot! But it’s far from the only way of marital closeness they enjoy.

The first time Awu and Xiao Qi take a bath together establishes a routine that lasts for the rest of their lives. Dressing and undressing is Awu’s time to be petted and made much of, but bathing? Ooooh, that’s a wholly different matter.

That first time they get into a tub together it’s actually Awu who sits behind Xiao Qi and starts washing him. At first he is more than a bit bashful about it and tries to turn the tables on her, but she is relentless. Finally he starts to relax and once Awu gets to washing his hair, his state can only be described as utter contentedness. There might be some neck kisses and soothing scratches to be had as well, both of which only draw him deeper into a dreamlike trance.

After the water grows cold, Awu dresses them both in soft nightime robes and leads Xiao Qi, still pretty out of it, to bed. Not to have sex, mind you. Just to lie down and breathe together, as close to each other – bodily and mentally – as it is even possible. I am not saying that Xiao Qi cries at any point… Well, of course he cries! It is the first time he’s been treated with this kind of overwhelming tenderness; experiencing such absolute depth of care and love for the first time is an earth-shattering experience for a man who had known so little of both in his life.

They take care to repeat this experience at least once a month; after the first several times Awu no longer has to propose taking a bath together. The first time he actually asks? Her heart grows two whole sizes from sheer pride.

[justmickeyfornow]

A Smile for Hire

“I'm sorry Ms. But you just don't have enough experience to work at my shop.” the owner said, standing behind the counter and putting down Kara’s resume, flipping it around for her. 

Kara was desperate. Desperate was an understatement of how desperate for a job she was.

“B-But what I lack in experience I make up for in my social skills.” she explained, “I'm the friendliest walking thing you'll ever meet. I make kittens look like devils and puppies like monsters. I'm so friendly that there's an urban dictionary word in my name that means extremely friendly." she continued before frowning, "But please don't look that up."

“There’s just nothing I can do. I don’t have the spare time to train you nor do I have enough employees to do that.”

Kara deflated, normally she would plead her case for the next hour or so being annoyingly persistent until someone hires her. But she has had the same conversation with the same type of owners of several coffee shops, restaurants, pizza parlors (that one she had to walk out of there herself before the interview because she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist eating the place down to bankruptcy) and many other places.

Just as Kara was about to take her resume and leave, the door of the coffy shop opened and normally she wouldn’t have noticed something like that, but the scared expression of the owner tipped her off.

A woman with expensive looking sunglasses clad over her eyes walked in. Her hair was in a neat high ponytail and her expression was very much annoyed. She gave them a look, as she walked, though Kara wasn’t sure where she was looking with her sunglasses covering her eyes, and marched on high heels to a secluded table.

Kara looked back at the man who seemed to be contemplating his life choices of whether or not he should go there and take her order.

Kara sported a bright smile on, “Listen. If I can take that woman's order and get her in a better mood, would you give me the job?”

He gawked at her, “You do realize who that is? That's Lena Luthor. If she's in a bad mood, there's no talking to her until she's had her espresso. If you go anywhere near her, she’ll bite your head off, no matter how friendly you are.”

“What did I just say about the kittens and the puppies? What did I just say? I’m not just friendly. Friendliest than the word friendly.”

“Lena Luthor does not like friendly.” He muttered under his breath. But out loud he said, "Fine. You get her to order a full meal without lashing out at you and get her to smile then the job's yours. 

Kara fist bumped the air, “Yes!”

She quickly took off her coat, straitened down her black jeans and button down shirt and put on her best smile. 

As soon as Kara reached her table, Lena spoke without looking up from the tablet she was reading from, "Let's start with my double shot espresso. And then I'll decide on what I'll have for lunch."

Oof, didn’t even spare me a glance. Tough crowd. Kara thought hesitantly. She was beginning to think that this was going to be harder than she thought. How was she going to use her friendliest smile when the lady won’t even look at her.

“Umm, yeah coming right up. A-anything else I could get you to brighten your d-”

“Yes. You talk too much. Get me another waitress.”

Kara was taken back by that, “Well, that wasn’t very nice. I barely said two words to you.” she mumbled under her breath.

This was much much more challenging than she thought it would be. 

She shook away her negative thoughts and tried again, “I know I’m supposed to be serving you and not the other way around but could you maybe possibly do me a favor and smile?” Kara almost begged.

That guaranteed a look from the woman, and Kara was not ready to meet deep green eyes such as hers. “Excuse me?” she sounded offended

And Kara immediately realized how that sounded, “Oh no no. Not in the 'give me a smile, sweetheart' kind of way that men usually shout at women. At all. I respect women. I worship women. Women are the future. I'm surprised there hasn't been a woman president yet! I once told a woman to punch me in the face because I was in love with her.” That got a thoughtful look to be put on Kara’s face, “Though, maybe I was in love with the idea of her. I’m not too sure anymor-”

“I get it! Then what did you mean?”

Kara blushed, just now seeing that maybe she did talk too much, “I'm trying to get a job here and I kinda maybe sorta have a deal with the owner over there who's eyeing me that I could get you to order something without you sticking the fork in my eye. So, do you maybe think that's possible.”

A perfectly lined eyebrow raised up in question, “I don't know. That fork is awfully tempting.”

Kara smirked at that, because she clearly dug that hole for herself, but she could play this game, “Well, if you'll let me read you our lunch menu I’m sure you could find something else that might tempt you.”

Kara felt the woman rake her eyes up and down her body, before reciprocating an equally flirty smirk, “Maybe I already have.”

Kara’s eyebrows went up, “Wow, I feel extremely objectified right now but somehow I'm not complaining. It could be because you're really pretty and I'm a gay mess.”

The woman chuckled and Kara decided she loved the sound of it. And with a quick side glance, the small chuckle seemed to earn a shocked gasp from the owner over there.

“You seemed so sure of yourself when you were ready to read me the lunch menu.” 

“That's because food is easy.”

The woman sat back in her chair comfortably, “Well, then. How about you order for me?” 

“You'd risk that? A stranger ordering your food for you?”

“You're no stranger. I know more about you than I know about that man behind the counter whose cafe I’ve been coming over everyday for the past year.”

“How so?”

“Your name is Kara Danvers. You are currently looking for a job. You're gay- Oh, forgive me. You're a gay mess. And you have a charming personality.”

Kara sported a dopey grin, “You think I'm charming?”

The woman ignored the question with a smile, “You also graduated from National City University. With a degree in Applied Linguistics and a minor in Journalism.”

Okay, now Kara was confused, “Wait, how'd you know that? And how did you know my name, I'm not wearing a name tag.”

"Your resume was on the counter when I walked in and your name was on top in all capital letters. Would've been impossible to miss."

"Not to the owner apparently. He's called me Kieran twice in the 3 minutes of our conversation."

The woman smirked playfully, "Kieran suits you actually. It goes well with your hair."

Kara chuckled, bowing down dramatically, "Then, it is settled m'lady. I shall change my name to Kieran."

The brunette giggled at that and Kara again noticed from the corner of her eye the owner gawking. Must be a rarity then. It's a shame too, this woman had the most beautiful laugh. 

"I hate to press you, but I do need to take your order at some point or I don't think I'll be hired."

"Oh yes, right. I'll just have the Caesar salad with the dressing on the side and the avocado toast." 

"Right away."

Just when Kara was about to leave, she felt a soft hand grip her wrist. She looked back to find the woman looking hesitantly at her.

“I hope this isn't too forward, but I'm actually in the market looking for a new assistant. Is that something you would-" she paused, "-be interested in. I would understand if you have your eyes set on this place but I can assure you the job I'm offering would come with countless benefits and-”

“Yes!” Kara shrieked

“Oh, are you- are you sure?” 

“The question is, are you sure you wanna hire me?! I have no experience being someone's assistant!”

“Well, technically you'd be my second assistant. Sort of like-”

“I will gladly be whatever you want me to be!”

The woman blushed profusely, “Oh, well that’s unnecessary. You will get a job description of what is expected of you obviously.”

“Again! Whatever you want me to be!” Kara exclaimed, “I’ll be a foot stool if you want me to!” she then paused, “But not in like a sexual way or anything. Unless you...”

“No!”

[authorofemotion]

OHMYGOSH OKAY I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING. so a couple weeks ago my class was talking about how in Two Towers, any pronouns in reference to Sauron are capitalized when they are spoken by Gollum or Orcs (basically, Evil creatures) but not when spoken by, say, Sam and Frodo. and i wasn't really surprised because yeah, those creatures are evil, so they (naturally) fear the higher-up Evils. so the capitalization is present when fear of the subject is present. BUT I JUST REALIZED. Lewis does this in Screwtape Letters too (idk why i didnt think of this earlier) but when Screwtape is writing about God, pronouns and titles in reference to God are capitalized BECAUSE DEMONS FEAR THE LORD. anyway that's just a neat little thing that i, for some reason, didnt realize before.

ALSO it reminded me of this quote that i found in a Spurgeon devotion im in the middle of. (in reference of Isaiah 54:17),

"There is great clatter in the forges and blacksmiths of the enemy. They are making weapons with which to strike the saints. They could not even do this much if the Lord of saints did not allow them, for he created the smith who blows the coals in the fire. But see how busily they labor! How many swords and spears they fashion! It matters nothing. For on the blade of every weapon you may read this inscription: It shall not succeed."

(The Promises of God, Charles H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Tim Chester)

"enemy" here isn't capitalized, because the emphasis here is that we have nothing to fear. anyway that just really helped me and i thought it was neat that the capitalization fit in with Tolkien and Lewis. also it's kinda cool that the allegory here about the forges/blacksmiths echoes the forges where the orcs/etc. are made in LotR!! anyways! yeah!

THATS SO SO COOL!! and very true! it’s especially good to think about right now since Christmas is *checks time* technically tomorrow. God has so much power that the enemy wouldn’t even fight HIM, they just go after us because we’re the most beloved to God, so God DISGUISED HIMSELF as one of us so the enemy would actually fight him!! He only performed miracles AFTER being baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit because he was fighting with His human nature rather than His Divine nature, so the enemy would get close enough for Him to strike the fatal blow by dying on the Cross!!

hang on I got sidetracked

It’s also cool to think about how like, the demons who serve satan are afraid of him because he created the Fallen state and now essentially governs a complete corruption of the hierarchy God established. So the devil lords over all of the demons who followed him out of God’s grace, but all corruption, while not created by God, is still in the domain of God. So the demons and people who cower under the devil’s rule must also cower beneath the wrath of God because they are in opposition to Him, but if you follow God’s Word and are in unity with Him you are far, far beyond where the enemy can harm you, and that is SO COOL.

[brave-clarice]

“Clarice” Liveblog: Episode 1

Here are my extremely unfashionably late takes! They’re long, so strap in if you want.

okay, I genuinely thought the scenes in Gumb’s basement were ripped from the film for a second. extremely well done.

I both appreciate that they’re acknowledging the Bureau-mandated psych eval Clarice would have to go through (not sure she’d have to have another one a year later?)...

...but I sure wish they hadn’t chosen to open this show in a therapy-like session. it’s going to be subject to enough NBC comparisons as it is.

gosh, Rebecca Breeds is so pretty, and in the same almost, idk, elfin kind of way Jodie Foster is.

“Bride of Frankenstein”! a novel reference! and a Hannibal Lecter reference even though they can’t use his name! I’m excited

I was afraid of this part, though--everyone’s going to call her “Clarice” aren’t they?

it’s very significant that in the books, Hannibal is virtually alone in using her first name to address her; even Ardelia calls her “Starling.” but of course this series chose “Clarice” as its title, so...

“the checkout lady at the Safeway asked me to autograph a melon” omg

so Clarice has supposedly been “mandated” to see an FBI therapist for an entire year? hmm.

tbh, this feels kind of like a proxy for Hannibal’s scenes in the movie, especially with the therapist calling her “Clarice.” not sure if I dig it.

“...given that your last therapist was an inmate” Hannibal reference #2!

they’re explicitly talking about Hannibal without being able to name him and it’s hilarious, frustrating, and immensely satisfying all at once.

there’s no way to avoid talking about him altogether without being disingenuous to Clarice’s eventual character arc, so I’m glad they’re ripping off the band-aid early

“you let that relationship be intimate”  Yeah, Clarice and Hannibal’s relationship IS intimate and YOU! SHOULD! SAY IT!!!

it’s kind of ridiculous for this guy/the show not to acknowledge that little trainee Clarice was sent to see Hannibal by someone who should’ve known better. That Crawford was doing it with the intention to save lives doesn’t mean he didn’t use the shit out of Clarice.

that’s not to take away her agency or minimize the choices she made after she met Hannibal. She wouldn’t have been in a position to make those choices if Crawford hadn’t arranged it, though.

even if they don’t have the rights to Crawford’s name, either (I have to assume that’s the case) couldn’t they at least mention this??

“hasn’t seen her own family in years” Are they actually going to address Clarice’s maybe-dead-maybe-not mother (depending on the canon they adopt, book or film) and possible siblings??? Please tell me they are!

Clarice’s “egregious” PTSD doesn’t have much to do with Buffalo Bill ofc, and this therapist seems to be making excuses to be the first in a long line of men getting in the way of Clarice’s career goals...

...which she recognizes and confronts him about. Call him out!!!

*Anthony Hopkins voice* That’s my girl.

the way she’s been written in this scene gives me a lot of hope going forward! she’s funny, she doesn’t take any sexist bullshit, she’s calm and polite but you get a glimpse of the rage underneath. 

wow, they promoted Senator Martin to Attorney General!

the opening credits (if you can even call them that) are a let-down, though

she has her beads!

can anyone who’s not Hannibal please stop calling her Clarice

wonder if they’re going to touch on any of the extreme tension that existed between Senator Martin and Clarice in the novel? they didn’t interact in the movie, but in the book, Martin is under intense stress, and it doesn’t go smoothly.

of course in “Hannibal,” Martin invites her to “ride horses,” so they obviously reconciled after Catherine’s rescue and kept in some kind of touch.

and speak of the devil: horses! (and Catherine)

“I can’t have a reputation, I’ve only done it once” Thank you for being the voice of reason, Clarice.

“Paul Krendler” *ugly screaming commences*

“you don’t have any people, Clarice” Aaand that’s the plot of the Hannibal novel!

looks like they even gave her the ring Jodie’s Clarice wears!

oh yeah, this Krendler looks like a sumbitch if I ever saw one. No one will ever be as perfectly cast as the dude in Silence imo, but a much better fit than Ray Liotta. 

“small carat, but it’s a sweet ring” A very in-character observation probably directly informed by her comments about nail polish in Silence.

she mentions this victim’s nail polish (!) being “tasteful,” and I shrieked a little again.

I understand it’s necessary for Krendler to be a douche, but there’s not even going to be any payoff for the audience (or Clarice) when Hannibal eats him, so boo.

wait...wait, why aren’t Clarice and Ardelia in their Alexandria duplex? They’re not just best friends, they’re roommates! For the entire seven-year story! GIVE ME THE DUPLEX!!!

BUT points for Ardelia bringing Clarice a treat, since she was always leaving her candy bars in the Silence book!

Clarice interacting with the washer/dryer is a nice nod to the books, too.

speaking of... “What did we learn in the laundry room back at Quantico?” For some reason this line made me actually cry, I guess because this whole episode has been such a love letter to something I love so dearly, and it’s making me emotional.

FIRST PRINCIPLES!

DESPERATELY RANDOM!!!

wow, the men in Clarice’s new office giving her lotion as a hazing “welcome” gift is awful, and now I’m just mad (which is the point of the scene ofc).

so this ex-military OC is the John Brigham stand-in, I take it?

if that means John Brigham won’t be here, No Thanks.

Clarice telling him she’ll drive...a tribute to Dana “Why Do You Always Have to Drive?” Scully, perhaps (who was herself inspired by Clarice) as well as a nod to Clarice’s love of cars?

“Why do they call you the bride of Frankenstein?” Sorry, I don’t have the legal rights to tell you about my last intimate relationship.

“Already on my way to West Virginia Granny Witch” Look, this show could crash and burn from this scene on, and it would still have been worth it just for these first 25 minutes.

I like that Clarice is shown wanting to help people, and the scene of her with the baby is a nice call-back to the eventual shoot-out at the beginning of “Hannibal”...but I hope they don’t try to domesticate her too much. Clarice needs her hard edges. To be tough (reasonably so)--a cub growing into its big cat’s claws.

also, somehow I doubt that Miss Valedictorian spent her six years in the Lutheran home “changing a lot of diapers,” but sure, okay. If her siblings are alive in this, she might have changed their diapers!

even though Krendler’s a real dickwad so far, he’s not slimy enough for me. Needs more grease.

“I got a call from your therapist who’s concerned that you might genuinely flip out” I really do not like this subplot Sam-I-Am. Aren’t the huge glass ceiling/Boys’ Club obstacles enough?

seriously, though, I know Hannibal tells her that the metaphorical lambs will come back--at the end of Silence, though, she’s at some kind of temporary peace, not in danger of “flipping out” any time soon.

if Esquivel really is our Brigham stand-in, I’ve got...problems with that. He was Clarice’s teacher and became her friend, not some Krendler double-agent. (Also worried they’re setting him up as a love interest for her which...eesh, no thanks.)

and sorry, I actually hate that Catherine kept Precious the dog in this.

I have no problem with Catherine being a character, or with her interacting with Clarice...that said, I don’t know if her being shown as severely traumatized and reaching out to Clarice as a form of emotional lifeline is...a good idea?

I understand the symbolism of Catherine’s smashed mirror, but...smashed mirrors are already a Thing in this series (albeit not Clarice’s chapter in it), and that’s all I can think of here.

Catherine’s a victim of unthinkable trauma. Nevertheless...she’s talking to the woman who saved her life. Who risked death to do it. I just don’t like the way this scene is written. Apparently, in this show’s canon, Catherine hasn’t gotten the help she needs. But Clarice isn’t her therapist, and it’s upsetting to have Catherine being all “I’ll never be safe and neither will you.”

how does Catherine remember “the mannequins, the autopsy table”?? And why is she throwing them in Clarice’s face?

I’m going to stop talking about this scene now because it’s making me angry and a little upset, which is maybe the point? I just don’t think it’s written well. If Catherine’s going to be a recurring character, I hope she’s shown getting professional, medical help.

Clarice finding the victim’s papers in the box of pads is a direct callback to her finding the photos in the jewelry box in Silence. Nice.

let’s agree that Hannibal and Crawford are both in Ardelia’s (too-cutesy-for-me) book

another nice little X-Files homage?

I have some qualms about that big climax, but...meh. It was capital-F Fine.

Yikes, this is a full week late. Thanks for reading this entirely-too-long post through to the end, if you’re still here! 

To sum up my thoughts...

The Good: 

the visual connections to the Silence film (that green coat/blue knit scarf combo in particular)

Rebecca Breeds’ performance overall so far

Clarice’s strong writing/characterization

her sense of humor and her inclination to call out bullshit

maybe it was just me, but I also got a sense of Hannibal’s influence on her in some of her dialogue--her blunt observations--and I love it

Ardelia Mapp

the repeated in-your-face references to Hannibal Lecter

the respectful, non-exploitative way the victims were treated by the narrative.

let’s just say, not all Harris-inspired shows managed to do this. :)

the many, many allusions to the novel

“you let that relationship be INTIMATE” !!!

The Bad: 

the near-constant implication that all Clarice’s trauma stems from her experiences in Gumb’s basement

I just don’t understand this one...it’s not supported by the text imo

the “Clarice-is-a-psychological-loose-canon” subplot

almost everyone calling her “Clarice”

NO DUPLEX IN ALEXANDRIA! Boo!

Esquivel maybe replacing Brigham

the narrative choices they’ve made surrounding Catherine so far.

Seriously: please let Catherine seek/get help instead of screaming “HELP ME” at Clarice, who after all risked her own life to save Catherine’s, over the phone.

The Ugly: Paul Krendler, lol. Confession time: I also don’t care for the way they’ve styled her hair. Not sure why it bugs me, it just...does.

Overall, I’m thrilled to death with this. I was so afraid it would be disappointing, so even if it’s not a five-star episode (and pilots rarely are), it’s a great beginning! It’s beyond amazing to see our girl on the screen again. Just this hour-long episode did her character way more justice than the entire Hannibal film. Despite its shortcomings, it’s such a loving homage to characters and a story that mean a lot to me, and I love it just for that.

Going forward, I’d like to see more of Clarice as a person. Her hobbies and interests--cars, sharpshooting, running, fashion magazines stuffed under her bed, horseback riding, her total inability to cook...anything would do. I of course want to see more of her with Ardelia. I want to hear more about her backstory and find out which version of it (truly orphaned when her father dies or sent away by her mother) they’ll choose to explore. And while we all agree that this show is about Clarice and she don’t need no man, I won’t lie: I’d gobble up more sly references to Hannibal. He’s her endgame, after all.

I’d also like to really see the warrior underneath. There are flashes of her in the last twenty minutes of this episode. But Clarice Starling is a big cat, she’s a warrior, she’s between iron and silver. I’d hate for her to spend most of this show doe-eyed and traumatized. I want her to be ferocious, to see the woman who’s a match for the monster.

Krendler needs to get nastier. He should make us feel like we need to shower. In the novels, he wants to use Clarice--only for her body. And when she won’t allow him to, he takes his revenge. That’s what makes him so particularly awful. Let’s amp him up here.

And finally...maybe I’ll appreciate Catherine’s scene more on a second watch. Maybe I’m not being sensitive enough to her trauma, her struggles. But I didn’t like the way that scene was staged or scripted, and I didn’t like the suggestion that she just hasn’t gotten help after a year and is subsequently taking her pain out on Clarice on some level. I hope future episodes handle this subplot, and her character, a bit better.

Please let me know if you guys would like me to do another of these monstrosities for the next episode. (I promise it won’t take me an entire week this time!) And thank you again for reading!!! 

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Cruella

Disclaimer: This is my non-spoiler review for Cruella, posting either the day or the day after the movie is released in the U.K, so if you are yet to see the movie and want to go in with a clear head do not read on until you do.

General Reaction:

Cruella however, I knew from the first trailer I was determined to see in cinemas and the fact it was my first time back in cinemas seeing a movie, I could not think of a better opening play.

It has been a while not only since I have been to the cinema, but also since I watched a new movie. Anything new that has come to me through the lockdowns have been older movies that are new to me. I haven't watched movies on PVOD or Premier Accees because I don't want to pay for them while in my bedroom on a small television and also they don't interest me enough to pay for them.

And that's what this movie is, an origin story. It's a Disney live-action adaptation of a beloved Disney villain's origins, sound familiar? That's what fans originally believed Maleficent to be before it became a redemption story of sorts.

Cruella was the villain of One Hundred and One Dalmatians because she wanted to skin puppies to make a coat, but this movie isn't about that, despite there being some excellent foreshadowing and even reworking as a prequel to the original story, this movie is about how Cruella became Cruella, not necessarily how she became a villain but making the character more three-dimensional and layered.

Here, without going into spoilers, we do see the reasoning behind Cruella being the villain we love her for and it is very much a nature vs nurture style of moral, but it isn't done to the detriment of the villainy Cruella is known for.

What Disney and the creatives behind Cruella have done with this movie is not only take note with everything great and bad with the more recent Disney live-action movies and filter out the bad, but also the potential of movies like Maleficent and even Mulan to a degree which failed to live up to their promises creatively, have seemingly been reworked for this origin story.

Does that mean she's not a villain in this movie? Well while she's not the movie's primary antagonist, Cruella stays true to herself and doesn't compromise why fans love the original character, if anything she amplifies why she's such a great character.

Cruella is such a love letter to the 1970s punk rock era while also managing to not just be style over substance but deliver on story and character as well, that I can't imagine anyone having that much of a problem with it.

It's what I would honestly call an artisan's delight, I'm not creative in a fashion sense, I love fashion and it's a reason I connect with Cruella so much, but I couldn't do what she does. I'd possibly be the Artie of her gang if not Horace and honestly I'm okay with that. But the way fashion, music and visual storytelling is used in this movies rivals the 1996 live-action 101 Dalmatians in that sense when scenes largely focused on the dogs selling the scenes without speaking. A picture paints a thousands words and Cruella's eccentric fashions were scene stealers.

It's funny, it's dramatic, it's well acted and directed. The writing is brilliant with maybe one exception with the Baroness which we will discuss in the spoiler review.

Speaking of spoilers. Way back when this movie was first announced I believe in 2016 I was adamantly against it, I thought it was sacrilege and that it would not be a patch on the original movies.

That being said, since seeing that first trailer and that stunning dress reveal I was hooked and have since watched pretty much every single trailer and TV spot this movie could churn out to the point where I feel I saw the entire movie already...but I was wrong.

From the trailers if you think this movie is going to end at a certain point you'd be wrong. I could kinda tell when the movie was going to end based on how the scene was set up, but even then there's more to the story.

I mentioned how this movie foreshadowed to the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians story as a prequel of sorts but also how it rewrote history so to speak, again the mid credits scene blows my mind as a Dalmatians fan and it cries out for a sequel.

However, to sum up, the original 1961 animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians is to this day my favourite movie of all time. Dalmatians are my favourite dog breed despite the fact I currently own a frenchie pug and Cruella De Vil I believe to be my spiritual mother.

Usually in these reactions I'll give a quick recap of my opinions of the movie or franchise the one in question is a part of, but I feel I've spoken about my love of all things Cruella De Vil and One Hundred and One Dalmatians enough in the past to get the point across.

All that being said, I am trying to compartmentalise my thoughts and be unbiased in my opinions for this movie. But honestly if this movie was bad I'd be coming down the hardest out of any critic on it because of what the property means to me personally.

So yes, I am going to big this movie up because pretty much every single element in this movie is 99% perfect. There is room for improvement, but that's where a sequel comes in to not only capitalise but better itself. And keeping the same creative team and bringing back the same cast, I feel this will be the Disney sequel to break the mould just as Cruella is the Disney movie to break the mould

But I have hyped up the lore and the character enough, what do I think of the movie? Well as much as I praised the creatives behind the movie for such a fabulous movie, director Chris Gillespe is partially to blame for how the movie looks. It’s still a visually orgasmic movie in terms of how it portrays its artistic choices, but in terms of those scenes and shots that could’ve been and should’ve been as visually pleasing as the fashion and art shots, just don’t leave as striking and lasting an impression as those shots and scenes.

Cast:

Honestly upon the announcement, to the point where I made a rant session post about it, Emma Stone as Cruella just didn’t land with me upon said announcement. However, as I said since seeing the first trailer, Emma Stone is young Cruella for me.

Glenn Close for me is Cruella De Vil in live-action. Victoria Smurfit on Once Upon a Time was fabulous but in opinion an elseworlds version of Cruella because she had magic and her story wasn’t really in line with the source material. Now, without spoilers but because it’s an origin you kinda can guess, Emma Stone’s version isn’t really in line with the source material either and up until seeing the movie I was all for viewing this version as an elseworlds story. even after seeing it I am all for viewing it as an elseworlds story from the original source material.

But does that mean it’s bad? No it’s just different. As I said earlier this is definitely a more fleshed out three-dimensional version of the Cruella that the original animated version and Glenn Close’s adaptation delivered, but honestly I’m excited to know where this Cruella goes from after seeing this movie. This is my favourite Emma Stone performance to date.

As for the other Emma, Emma Thompson as the Baroness, well she and Stone’s Cruella not only capitalize on Meryl Streep’s The Devil Wears Prada performance, but also adds that extra layer that make both characters not only believable as people but also villains. There’s no mistaking Thompson’s Baroness is a villain, but she does it in the best way and has never looked more fantastic doing so.

This movie also humanizes Jasper and Horace for me, I’m still unsure as to their relationship, if they’re friends or brothers, but based on the fact Jasper is race-bent in this movie and Hotace is still caucasian I’m going with not. However, without spoilers, based on how they meet Cruella I’m in favour of them not being related and simply lost souls coming together. But yeah they’re both funny, you believe they’re Jasper and Horace there’s no thinking one should be the other, and the chemistry between Jasper and Cruella is so electric that it demands a pay off in a sequel and actually speaks to a problem I know some male fans (including me) may actually have with Cruella as a character.

The other biggest breakout in this movie is John McCrea as Artie, who is not only Disney’s first clearly openly LGBT character but a scene-stealer in every shot that he is in. I said I would probably be Artie or Horace in Cruella’s gang and I stand by that because I think Artie is who I’d want to be (aside from Cruella herself) but Horace is physically who I would be.

Then as for the side characters, the movie does an interesting turn on the Anita/Roger origin story, Mark Strong as the Alonzo substitute is mysterious and brilliant, and the dogs are again scene stealers. Aside from 3 dalmatians (who are still alive at the end) there are two completely original new dogs who are part of Cruella’s gang and whether or not it’s because I’m a dog lover and own a dog or just because of the dog’s direction, they just pull focus every scene and make the characters more sympathetic because of how they interact with them.

Is this a knockout movie? Unfortunately no, I feel mistakes are made that leave holes for trolls to swoop in, however, I don’t think they should/ Honestly uou cannot make the “live-action” The Lion King a billion dollar flick and then complain about this movie, this is original, brilliant and 95% well executed. Yes I’ve dropped from 99 and we will discuss the issues in the spoiler review.

Recommendation:

But honestly this movie is worth the watch, it deserves the watch. As for seeing it in cinemas vs. Disney+, I could say it’s worth the £20/$30, but to get a true feel of some of the bigger and better artistic scenes it demands a big screen viewing. Also support local cinemas and all that jazz.

So that’s my non-spoiler review for Cruella, what did you guys think? Post your comments and stay tuned for my spoiler review hopefully coming soon, meanwhile you can check out other Movie Reviews and posts.

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 26

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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“So, how are we getting inside?” Tori asked, sitting next to Fox in speeder. “Like, what’s the plan?”

Fox turned to her in a blank eye, his brows furrowed. “Do you ever pay attention, Tor? Like, are you always daydreaming whenever you’re being brief about something important?”

“You never even told us,” she crossed her arms as she tapped Dipper’s sleeves, catching the ARC Trooper’s attention. “Dip, please tell me what Commander Fox said about this stealth mission?”

Dipper lifted his shoulders, holding a datapad in his hands. “He only told us that Riyo and I were the ones who will sneak into the Chancellor’s penthouse and grab the files from there. You two were supposed to watch the speeder in case things go wrong.”

Pouting her lips, she focused her gaze towards the view of the city, which was much livelier than last night. There were people pacing up and down the streets, going about with their daily life, while the lights from skyscrapers and houses were lit. Tori couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

There were schoolchildren clad in uniforms rushing towards their classrooms while office workers had their blazers and blouses on, carrying their datapads and briefcases. This was like how it was 6 months ago, before the war came to the capital of the Republic, which the Empire tried to crumble with their iron fists.

As long as they were people fighting for the Republic, then it still exists to Tori, Fox, Riyo, and Dipper. Riyo saw the smiles on the citizen’s faces, which made her lips curled downwards. She enjoys seeing others happy, but somehow, she doesn’t share their sentiments.

Are they really content with their life? The former senator pondered, glancing at the little Rodian boy, who was enjoying his ice-cream underneath the sunny day, which reminded her of home.

Riyo misses the paddy fields on Pantora. Her father used to harvest a massive field of rice, and brought a sack of harvest for the entire family. It wasn’t much, but she enjoyed the rice that was grown just kilometres away from her village home. If her father was lucky, he would also bring some eels, which tasted juicy.

“So once Dipper and I got the files, does that mean we’re leaving Coruscant?” she asked Fox.

“Yes, dear, we’re bringing Senator Amidala with us after this,” Fox affirmed. “We can’t stay here for too long. It’s not safe for all of us here.”

“So, what do we do with the files? Padmé did suggested us to show them to the Imperial Senate.”

“I know she did, but the general’s order was to get the senator out of the planet and head back to base. It’s too risky to head into the Senate building. We don’t even know what’s waiting for us down there.”

“Foxy has a point,” Tori agreed. “This planet is under heavy surveillance. If we are caught, then it could compromise not only the location of our base but also the number of our army as well. We’ve lost so many soldiers in battle, and we can’t afford to lose anymore.”

Riyo frowned from their answers, making Fox sighed. “Look, I understand you want to help your friend, and I’m all for it, but we also need to think about us as well. I know it seems selfish, but we can’t always have it all.”

“I understand, dear,” she gave a weak smile. “Let’s hope our plans go smoothly. We don’t want anyone interfering with it.”

Dipper chirped. “Don’t worry about it. By the time the Imps realized it, we would already be long gone by now. I have a good feeling that we will successfully escape from Coruscant with ease.”

“Fingers crossed on that. I really don’t want to be interrogated by the Imperial secret police. From what I heard, no one made it out alive.”

“Speak of the devil, and he will come to you,” Tori scolded Riyo. “We don’t want any sort of trouble during this mission.”

It better not, Fox hoped, as he drove in mid-air, searching for Palpatine’s penthouse through his scope. He had been there many times before, and memorised every single room in his building, including the bathroom. He was in charge of security along with Thorn, which was important for him to know the building schematic. He never said his last goodbyes to Thorn, or spent their last moment together before the latter was gone.

On the other hand, he wasn’t particularly sad that Palpatine died, but if those files mean turning the tide of the war, then he has no other choice. I hope his misdeeds were recorded, so that everyone knows what a terrible man he was.

As Fox noticed the penthouse’s balcony from afar, he slowed down the speeder, driving away from the highway. “We’ll be arriving in 5 minutes,” he informed them. “Get into position.”

“Yes, Commander,” Dipper saluted, as he gave a wink at Riyo, who was clutching her hands together. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this kind of mission before. You’ll befine, Riyo. We believe in you.”

“May the Force be with all of us,” she prayed, as they arrived in front of the lobby, which was on the ground floor. With silence surrounding them, the former senator noticed plenty of overgrown weed between the bricks on the grounds.

No one was inside the apartments, except for the complete void inside. There were people here when the Chancellor was still alive. Did the Empire forced them out as well?

Fox and Tori glanced at them, giving them a nod. “Good luck, and be careful,” Tori said. “We don’t know what’s in there.”

“We will, commander,” Dipper acknowledged, as he gestured to Riyo to follow him inside the abandoned apartment.

As they stepped inside the lobby, both of them noticed the red carpet was torn, covered in fungus. The paint on the walls was peeled off, and the fluorescent lights were hanging on the ceiling, waiting to crash on the floor.

“It looks scary in here,” Riyo commented, glancing at the vacant receptionist counter. “What do you think happened here?”

Dipper observed many blast marks in the room's corner, clicking his tongue. “Whatever it is, I doubt the tenants here left voluntarily,” he replied as he turned towards the lift and pressed the button, much to her bewilderment.

“Are you sure this lift is working?”

Before he could answer, the lift door opened, with the background music playing and the golden lights working. “Well, looks like your question is answered, Ri. After you.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she smiled and walked inside, pressing the button that leads all the way upstairs. “I’m surprised there’s still something working here. I wonder who switched on the power?”

Dipper felt uneasy as they arrived at the penthouse, which was well kept, despite no one living there for months. He felt the cooling air coming from the air-conditioning and the scent of nutmeg lingering, prompting him to draw out his blaster.

“Riyo, I don’t think we’re alone,” he warned her. “Stay closer to me.”

“Alright then,” Riyo bobbed her head, holding a blaster as well. “The files could be in his studies, but we have to be careful not to trigger the sensors.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he took out his Onderonian army knife, as he tiptoed towards the study room, where everything on the bookshelves were arranged in order.

Riyo remembered how the place was. She attended a party in the Chancellor’s penthouse, where many of her colleagues were there, along with close associates. There was champagne and wine, and she only had a sip of the sweet alcohol. She also had some cream puffs at the party, and offered them to Fox, who was in charge of security. He enjoyed the pastry, and Riyo would love to make them for him, when there’s a place to bake, of course.

“The sensors are on the top shelf. Maybe that’s where the files are.”

“Good eye, senator,” Dipper praised. “I’ll disable it for you.”

“Alright,” she took a deep breath, as she wore her rubber gloves, which won’t leave any trace of fingerprints. Riyo never done a stealth mission before, and she will not fail their team.

Stretching his arms, the ARC Trooper flipped the switch behind the small, black sensors, deactivating it. Using his screwdriver on the pocket knife, he slowly removed them from his shelf, tossing them aside. Riyo searched through every file from the bookshelves, starting from the letter ‘A’.

Audits for Coruscant, Audits for Alderaan, Banking Clan accounts, well, that’s a lot of files that start with the letter ‘B’. Bursary Market, Core World populations…

Dipper tapped his foot as Riyo was still searching through the files. He never thought it wouldn’t take long, but he was mistaken. He always thought anything involving paperwork was easy, but it was otherwise. Counting files from ‘A’ to ‘Z’ was quite a challenge for the both of them, and time is not on their sides. Now I understand why Commander Fox hated paperwork so much.

“The Death of the Young twins, Grand Army of the Republic Protocols,” Riyo muttered underneath her breath, wiping her sweat on her forehead. “Project Cyborg, Project Starfleet, wait, I think I found it.”

“You did?” his face lit up. “Can I see?”

“Yeah sure, the file was named The Assassination of Chancellor Palpatine,” she showed him. “It was pretty easy to find it, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, sure,” he groaned, his clammy hands still gripped on his pistol. “I still think this was too easy. I have a funny feeling something bad is going to happen to us soon.”

“We should head to the lift,” Riyo reminded, hiding the files underneath her blazer. “We can’t keep Fox and Tori waiting.”

[fymbmangaboys]

FYMB updates: spring animes and dandelions and flowers and weird yaois etc

Happy spring! So far...

... it has just been weird for the most part. I mean, we got the virus, we're still living, although, Skip Beat! translation gods hasn't updated the next chapter, we're still fighting, i mean, we are slaves to that manga, so, yeah, so far, it has been okay. Pat yourself on the back, unless you're a tumblr post engine which doesn't automatically capitalize the first letter of the start of the sentence, you're pretty much better. lol. anyway, i digress.

We all know that the winter animes are done and streamed, and I'm gonna be honest, I didn't watch the whole damn list. and also, yes, I didn't watch Attack on Titan. Me and AOT doesn't mix. It doesn't work. Let me tell you why. It freakin scares me to death. The atmosphere of that kind of anime is the atmosphere that I do not enjoy. I dont care if my life is boring. lol. i remember that time when I started it's ep 1 years ago, few minutes done and I am out. I pretty much know the premise of it, and respect that many people loved it, but I dont like it because it wont make me feel better after I finish watching an episode. that's why maybe, just maybe, i'll find a time to start watching the first ep again and give it a try. but dont quote me on that.

Black clover ended too and it saddens me that it's not sure if there's gonna be a new season, or it got cancelled. I talked to you guys about telling something about Yuno after the anime is done so here's my 2 cents, that maybe some of the readers and watchers had been thinking already. Yuno's character has been bugging me since he was revealed as prince of another kingdom. Sure, he can be beauty and grace. sure, he can be the vice captain of the strongest wizard group in clover. sure, he can have the wind sylph. Sure, he can be the fuckin prince of another kingdom, but why, o, why, does he have to be the vessel of a half elf half prince royalty too at first? the character building had some holes. the hell. if the spade arc happened before the elf arc, i can understand it. but it's the other way around, it just feels so weird. one might compare yuno to Sasuke, but sasuke have a strong clan murder back story. yuno? as early as the time he got the wind spirit, he didnt resonate to me that much. the whole character of yuno was a fan service. if black clover anime ended just like that, without any plan to have a next season or movie(like those big ones are planning to have), yuno fuckin wasted my time. lol. i might as well go in a fuckin dungeon and get myself a water spirit with a devil on the side. *note: i watch as i read the manga. i know he probably trained his ass too, but the character wasnt highlighted until the spade arc, well, the anime ended before he did something splendidly. he's one of the main characters but he wasnt highlighted for the most part. i feel like maybe i havent warmed up to him yet. i mean, i love every freakin member of black bulls, and they pretty much the supports. what a lost opportunity for yuno to shine in the anime. one time yuno resonated to me was when he's in the meeting with the captains and he wanted to save his captain. that was it, and it was in the last few eps. if im an anime watcher only, i couldnt care less what he's thinking. asta is gonna be trained by his vice captain who btw is friends with a lot of demons. why am i going to care about yuno? i am talking about the anime experience. if in manga, he'll partner with asta and fight a good fight, it sure will be interesting.

next topic! So, as you noticed, i am currently binge watching Sk8 the infinity, and i love it to bits. underground skating is super cool in this anime. I like the politics, the dark side outside of the underground skating. very intriguing to see how the two worlds collide, adam's 2 worlds, with that police chick on his back. now, don't get me wrong, i like Langa, but hell, Reki's character have some struggles. although, i am more invested in adam's story than reki's. adam is such a damaged soul. it's gonna end at ep 12 and i feel like the story needed to have a season 2. any news about it?

new spring animes are here and i am ready. i mean, might as well watch anime before we all die, isnt it? lol. just kidding. now, i've been reading manga and it's common for me to see mangas i've read years ago and i've forgotten popping anime adaptations these past few days. one anime i've started watching is IT'S TOO SICK TO CALL THIS LOVE. if you want some spring anime that include an adult man liking and borderline obsessed to a high school girl, ok, it sounded creepy, but you'll know what i mean if you watch it. lol. it's cute.

although, i wont recommend watching MARUDASE KINTARO OVA for people who doesnt like yaoi or bl at all. do not watch this. lol. it's a comedy censored yaoi, and it's like 8 minutes long. it's pretty familiar to me too so maybe i read this one as well ahemmm back from my weird years.

lol. i maybe will do a separate post for censored comedy hentai anime that is hentai in manga, but let me just rant for a bit. it's always so disappointing when an anime who is sexy and clearly hentai or hentai in manga posing to be just ecchi with censorship. can these companies just tell if their animes are hentai or not, and if not, please just cut the hentai scenes. and if it's hentai, acknowledge it as a hentai, blurred the dang thing, and just purely made it a hentai. maybe i just dont like being teased, dudes, and maybe because i hate hentai animes that passed on as ecchi and the comedy is being highlighted. i love the uncensored censored of redo of healer with the boobs bare, but i hate animes which are pretty much made to be just ecchis when their manga is pure hentai.

Moriarty the patriot part 2 started streaming and hell, of course, i will continue watching it. I love Sherlock Holmes, as you all know. although, this very demanding side of me wants different. the SH universe has been used a hundred times. it has been spinned, adapted, inspired from, copied, drawn etc. The crime lover part of me wants something new. if you read my tags, i said that Japan loves Sherlock Holes, and hell, i mean it because they do. too much. Detective conan although have a spin on it does take a lot of inspiration from SH. every detective stories, mangas i read had some inspiration from SH. it has been milked for ideas. it saddens me sometimes when i started a detective story and it's obviously is inspired by SH. i am so thirsty of a good detective story that isnt in any way, shape or form similar to SH, similar to the cases, similar to the duo, and hell, villains similar to Moriarty. ">"

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last but not least, let me just say sorry for the garbage that this post has been. im kidding. this is not a reader's digest article, dudes. lol. ok, well, this is a long post. i might end this here, and i will surely update you to the new animes that i might watch this season. it's spring, guys. go out a bit. dont forget your mask. smell the dandelions, the tulips. open your windows ffs. it's not that cold anymore. be careful and be kind.

-fymb