#and junior has been so damn good in this role

[moutheyes]

sorry for the incoming wall of text, OP, but i need someplace to put my feelings about the devastating contrast between this collection of scenes where faifa very performatively bemoans his single status and the actual loneliness buried beneath the boisterous, expressive exterior the entire time. but we saw it in later in that episode, we saw it when mom revealed the real reason she chose to leave with faifa instead of yotha, we saw it when he resigned himself to seeing her off at the airport, shoving his feelings into that hidden place once more—unable to meet anyone's eyes or maintain his happy mask but still putting on a show of support. yotha's emotional catharsis coming at the expense of faifa's heartbreak made that scene such a gut punch.

perth and junior both acted the hell out of that scene in different ways (perth's trembling wai of apology, junior's muted expressions), and my heart broke for both of them, but damn if it didn't perfectly set up the emotional backdrop for faifawine's arc. i am BEYOND excited.

สายรหัสเทวดา Perfect 10 Liners | Faifa | Episode 16

Just Faifa being a mood the entire episode. Don't worry Faifa, you are next. 💕

[quitealotofsodapop]

I just thought of the perfect excuse for Wukogn to come down from the mountain in Soft Boiled au! If Yuebei is a ribbondancer, she had to start young. This means Wukong had to enroll her in classes for it at some point. Imagine if, after winning some competition, Yuebei was actually IN the parade as one of the dancers! This means she, unfortunately, was smack dab in the middle of the chaos, hidden behind a glamour. This could be both how her dancing troupe and otber friends finds out about her being a monkey... and the world at large discovering Sun Wukong had a daughter if she hadn't been known about beforehand.

To make things angst, imagine if she had left her asthma inhaler with Wukong so it wouldn't get lost/damaged in the performance. And unlike Redson, Yuebei didn't escape without being captured. Luckily, SQ isn't willing to actually harm a little girl like that, even if she is Wukong's daughter. In fact she finds the fact Yuebei is such a Daddy's Girl and Wukong is so protective of her extremely amusing and kind of sweet! Unfortunately Yuebei ends up having an asthma attack tho, just form a mix of tbe bad quality air in the mech, the excitement and exercise she had, and jsut waking up feeling kinda bad. And since Wukong has the inhaler and both are currently trapped, they have to rely on their captors to be kind enough to get Yuebei her inhaler from Wukong's pocket. And it isn't SQ who is in the room when it happens.

Macaque was spying on them from the shadows and watching as Wukong damn near begged LBD to let him save his little girl, actually crying tears as the bone witch just laughed in his face, not caring about the girl. She grabbed the inhaler andjsut threw it on the ground in front of him, stepping on it, before walking out. Once he was sure LBD was gone, and Wukong was distracted trying to help his daughter and keep her calm, Macaque made his move. The medicine disappears into a shadow portal and Macaque slides out next to Yuebei, inhaler in hand. It's a very tense moment before Macaque proceeds to help Yuebei use said inhaler, but he won't cut them free.

Not without a VERY overdue conversation with his ex.

Prev.

Oohh that would be so cute <3

Wukong noticed Yuebei's interest in ribbon-dancing a long time ago, and found it a good way to get her to interact with regular kids roughly her age but under supervision. Wukong may be a bit of a helicopter parent, but none of the other guardians or teachers judge him for it when he expains that Yuebei is health-compromised.

Yuebei thinks her dad is super embarassing, sitting on the sidelines with a whole doctor's office in his bag, cheering for her and her group for every bit of progress, bringing fresh fruit for everyone, calling her his little Moonlight - UGH!

But she'd rather have he there and keep going to class than not go at all so...

At New Years, Yuebei's school gets a prestigious role; acting as junior dancers in the parade! They've done competitions and live performances before, but New Years!? :D

Yuebei does not stop fretting about it when she gets home or meets up with the Noodle Gang. She's low-key panicking since it will be her first time in a parade at all. All that anxiety makes her start to wheeze a bit...

So on the evening of New Years; Wukong tells MK to go hang out with his dads and friends for the day - and maybe take a break to watch the parade! MK and Mei are super excited to see Yuebei perform for real, and convince Pigsy to close the food truck for a few minutes when it's time for her school's progression.

Then the spiders attack.

Yuebei is scream-wheezing with anger by now. She's spent days preparing for this parade! How dare these B-Tier villains wreck her and her team's performance!? Nearly aflame with rage, her glamour falls apart, revealing a very familiar-looking monkey demon...

Spider Queen is quick to capture this one, even if the little Monkey Princess is too cute to eat. She's perfect bait for catching her Daddy.

Wukong is captured alongside DBK as in canon, with the addition of Yuebei in the web next to him. Weirdly, the spider mech seems to "glitch out" a bit when it draws energy from her.

As Wukong soothes his crying little girl that it's ok and that they'll make it out of here, he notices how here breathing is Off.

Yuebei's asthma had gotten better as she grew up, but it never went away. And now she was in the midst of a massive attack.

Wukong panics as he struggles to reach for the inhaler in his pocket, gritting his teeth as the contricting webs pull at his strength, still assuring his daughter that everything will be okay.

Then the strange little girl appears... and Wukong pales at the sight of her. He weakly asks for assistance to help his child, only for the Bone Demon to mock him for having "such a weak progeny" and crush the inhaler underfoot. She leaves the room, threatening her future goals.

The other demons in the room now fully realise that Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, is terrified in this moment - terrified for his child's life. Wukong is trying his best not to cry, still trying to keep his daughter calm and breathing, but hope is running thin....

Until a shadow leaks into frame.

Anyone whos broken an inhaler casing will tell you that you can still release the medicine if the cartridge is intact, its just a little awkward.

Macaque fumbles with the cartridge as Wukong instructs him how to use it to help Yuebei, all three monkeys breathing a sigh of relief as the youngest's wheezing calms and breathing steadies.

Macaque is about to ask Wukong a much needed question when DBK manages to break free from his own webbing, terrified for his niece's well-being.

Ripping the webs asunder, DBK brushes the tears from Yuebei's eyes, asking if she's indeed ok before heading out to look for his own child. Wukong thanks his brother sincerely. And thanks Macaque too.

Macaque acts non-chalantly about it, and finally gets to ask;

"Who's kid is this?"

Wukong and Yuebei's faces tells him it's not a question they expected him to ask. Or one they would need an answer for. Macaque mentally panics as he calculates all the similarities between his ex-mate and the little monkey demon he just helped save.

Macaque blinks as the realisation comes to him; "Oh sh-"

And then the gang's airship releases the spider venom antidote throughout the city. More questions for later!

[theromanticscrooge]

Dissecting Laserblast's and Silver Spark's Romance

(Note: This is probably gonna be the Valentine's Day drop video since I already covered Cupid...)

Laserblast's reaction to Rippy in flashbacks says a lot about the softer side of his character: He openly expresses how cute he thinks she is and is very quick to open, warm displays of affection. His reaction to Rippy carries similar weight and heartstring pulling to a later scene where his adoptive daughter Fink plays on his emotions with a pathetic puppy dog pout. While Laser's emphasis on how cute she is over anything else feels a bit patronizing, its offset by Rippy's enthusiastic response and jump to return his hug. Rippy is also shown as very capable and intelligent. Her gimmick is a mix between classic cartoon slapstick with what she can pull or hide away in her portable pocket dimension. Not to mention, the episode following up on Rippy in her later years reveals that she's a PhD grad with a focus on quantum physics!

Cute things are one of Laser's Achilles' heel. Whatever Laser specifically found endearing or lovable about Rippy absolutely transfers over to whatever circumstances led to him snapping up and adopting Fink. Those feelings carry even stronger weight here considering he steps up as her primary caregiver despite otherwise foregoing his role as K.O.'s bio dad. He can be really mean, nasty, and approaches most people with disinterest, boredom, or indifference. Scenes where he brags about conscious but expendable goo clones are slightly offset by other scenes where Fink is casually hanging out on his shoulder or cuddling with him. Shadowy Figure and the baggage attached to him aside, Venomous honestly cares about Fink and shows that he's very capable of being a concerned, compassionate parent that wants the best for their child. He also has much more thoughtful, considerate, and level dialogue with her than other characters. Fink arguably sees this side of him the most often. Boxman has to fight and work for it. Other characters never see this and K.O. gets table scrap attempts from Venomous to share this side of himself.

The cuteness thing doesn't apply to just Fink and Rippy, though. Silver Spark is not only a muscular and attractive young woman, she's openly enthusiastic, optimistic, and dorky. She has no problem showing off her craft supplies and stickers to her fellow junior POINT teammates. She probably would have gushed about Laser to Rippy or El Bow if the opportunity came up. When she started decorating her locker, she made no move to hide the Laserblast bias. Those were the bulk of the decorations. Enter Laserblast himself and it's awkward because Silver has only seen and admired him from a distance or her 'fangirl' bubble. Starting with the accidental finger in nose scene and building up to the awkward locker slam is a move pulled from a sappy romcom. It may have been humiliating for Silver, but it was a damn good showcase to Laser what the sillier, fun, behind closed doors part of her is like. She's adorable. Its easy to see why El Bow is so smitten with her and how she checks whatever boxes that Laser considers cute.

Despite this, Laser's romantic interest is dubious. Openly dorky, affectionate, earnest people are definitely his type (look at Boxman!), but unlike whatever platonic or fatherly dynamic he shared with Rippy or Fink respectively, there's another layer or set of expectations to a romantic relationship that makes them more difficult for Laser. Part of the equation is how Laserblast is a front or persona vs a fully realized person. The bigger part is Laser's attempts at appearing friendly, warm, and approachable in public but that he's walled off behind closed doors.

He's definitely drawn towards and attracted to Silver, but he doesn't know how to handle the deeper emotional intimacy and vulnerability that Silver wants and what makes a longer lasting romantic relationship work. Silver has no problem with physical touch, affectionate gestures, and letting herself show some ounce of vulnerability. She doesn't tie these attributes to a persona and approaches everybody with the same level of warmth. Based on generalizations about people being drawn towards potential partners with traits they lack, Silver's strong self confidence and comfortable self image is both alluring and intimidating. Another element is something Boxman lays out as "PV does what he wants, doesn't he?" He tries to commiserate with Carol on this point, hinting that the Professor has always been more individualistic and prefers to fly solo. He can work with others, but its only effective as long as they comply with what he wants and the bigger project matches his specific needs, goals, and motives.

Laser and Silver's dynamic starts with some questionable power dynamics at play with Laser as the more senior team member. He takes full advantage of this when he creates a convenient excuse to go for a one-on-one patrol with Silver. He also knows that he's probably getting a very enthusiastic green light based on the stickers alone. That knowledge places him in a similar situation to a celebrity meeting and dating someone that's very obviously a fan; and not just a fan, but someone that's entertained romantic daydreams about their snowball in hell chance with this celebrity.

There's a certain layer of optics to that situation which adds extra obstacles to overcome. It can and has been done. This isn't an immediate bar to what could be a healthy relationship. It's more that the fan/celebrity dynamic needs to be addressed and evened out at some point; preferably, the fan becomes a partner on even footing and the celebrity becomes a more actualized person rather than the fluffy caricature in the fan's head. Silver sees glimmers of Laser's true self, but it's more the rougher edges of his personality like his low self-esteem and hangups about his powers. Those glimmers are tempered or offset by his smooth talker, tough guy persona. Unfortunately, Silver was enamored with his persona to a degree that he could push aside her doubts, fears, and reservations with the right amount of swagger, sweet talk, and feigned confidence.

From what little screen time there is focusing on Laser and Silver's dynamic, Laser's interactions with her have a performative quality to them. Silver tried to reassure him and nudge him to be more vulnerable in private. She's a very sweet, considerate person that tries to talk things out and connect with others to the best of her abilities. Rather than communicating, Laser bottles his feelings and decides to sit with his brooding and envy rather than open up. The lead up to the donut shop explosion is a solid showcase of how Laser brushes Silver off with his persona.

Laser starts to get revved up and angry when Silver understandably pushes back on him going in alone. He insists that its safer for her and El Bow to hang back. When using logic doesn't dissuade her, he leans into using charm and charisma. He fully utilizes whatever romanticized and cool guy image of him that Silver is heavily invested in and enamored by. Under a certain lens, Laser leaving Silver with his discarded sucker could be seen as gross but sweet. Its a thematic echo to their awkward first meeting. The sucker is an important part of his aesthetic; there's always a sucker sticking out of the side of his mouth. Leaving this piece behind is a promise that he can and will be back. But its an empty token gesture.

Given different circumstances, Laser has probably left his sucker with other fans or civilians as a means to pacify and reassure them. Its a prop. The sucker hand-off is deliberately framed from El Bow's perspective as something very tense and uncomfortable to watch. El Bow's bias is something to keep in mind, but it doesn't lessen the weight of the framing choice. Silver looks at the sucker with heart eyes and holds it like its a precious artifact, but every other part of the scene including the saliva puddle scream "gross" and "why" to the audience. It's not sweet and goofy like Silver's accidental nose pick. It's just gross.

When the story picks up from Laser's POV, he's desperate to destroy any evidence that might link him to the contraband experiments that affected Dr. Grayman. Along with the offending orbs, Laser destroys a photo prominently featuring him and Silver. He categorizes it as another, easily disposable piece of evidence that could potentially be used against him rather than a precious momento. Its very bittersweet. He did care and treasure their relationship enough to keep some kind of visual reminder nearby. But their relationship is a lesser priority compared to maintaining his position at POINT or starting up his research efforts again elsewhere.

Laser and Silver were very physical. They kiss, they hold hands, and there's the implications behind the French kiss and sucker combo fantasy. Carol reminisces on her time with Laser with fondness and there's a note of tenderness to everything, but it's one-sided. What moments Laser and Silver share lack the intimacy and tenderness that Carol later experiences in romantic scenes between her and Mr. Gar. There are more scenes from a third person omniscient camera that show very obvious reciprocated interest between Carol and Mr. Gar. There's also focus on both Mr. Gar and Carol learning how to effectively communicate with each other. Mr. Gar learns how to be sweet, vulnerable, and open without some layer of blank expression or stoic mask that he wears as protection in other attempts to talk to others.

He's a trusted mentor figure. He usually tries to balance his powerful hero appearance with what he hopes is useful, helpful advice and guidance. The stoic mask is a defense mechanism to some extent; he was hurt and deeply impacted by Foxtail scapegoating him and Silver blaming him for Laser's death. Though his students saw him breaking down and panicking from trauma, it doesn't break their confidence in him. If anything, its powerful that they extend a hand to help him stand back up and their relationships with him become stronger because they saw such a fragile part of him. Mr. Gar is able to establish a healthy split between his stoic image and when to be vulnerable in large part because of Rad, Enid, and K.O. His relationship with Carol helps address his trauma and leads to him working through things in an even healthier, more meaningful way.

Carol feels more comfortable in trying to be spontaneous, take risks, and expressing what she wants and needs from her relationship. Since Laser was her last on-screen long-term relationship, he set some unhealthy precedents: There were certain topics that were always off-topic, he was secretive and mysterious in an uncomfortable way, and the relationship was centered on his needs. After grieving Laser, Carol has a stronger interest in rebuilding who she is and what her life looks like as just her and K.O. She makes a very positive push in sharpening her empathy and strengthening or expanding her emotional IQ. Giving herself space and focusing on herself also led to her better able to approach others with more patience at their level or wavelength. That said, Carol is still deeply engrained in POINT. She holds some level of implicit trust in POINT as an institution as well as Foxtail's shaky leadership. Her approach to what doubts and misgivings she has is working within the existing system. This also installs similar trust and blind faith in POINT and heroes in K.O. Part of Carol's recovery process relied on POINT as a stable fixture in her life.

Where Mr. Gar rebuilds himself as well as something entirely new, Carol was working on a patchwork between who the new Carol is as well as a continuing, but tenuous connection to Silver Spark. She's Silver Spark by title alone. In every other part of her life, she deliberately goes by Carol in an attempt to distance at least some part of her life from the frustration around Silver Spark's remaining unsolved issues. She never found closure with Laser. She maintained their relationship despite what secrets and other hidden side he had. If that state of things was acceptable with Laser, then she could perform similar mental gymnastics for what obvious cracks and issues there were with POINT. She eventually helps push back against Foxtail and her authoritarian measures, but it took rebuilding her trust with Mr. Gar and re-establishing that she does have a strong support network separate from POINT.

In regards to Mr. Gar specifically, Carol feels overwhelmed by Mr. Gar's romantic gestures and active effort to make room for her and dates in his schedule and life overall. While Mr. Gar goes a little overboard, asking him to scale back is a far more approachable and easily resolvable issue compared to whatever tooth pull efforts Carol faced with Laser. Again, Laser and Silver were only ever shown as very physical and flash in the pan surface level. Carol's relationship with Mr. Gar has meat, substance, layers. They help each other work through what issues they had as a result of the sandwich incident as well as how to progress and become better people period.

Every healthy romance in O.K. K.O. places emphasis on both characters involved showing obvious, blatant interest as well as what their kind of emotional intimacy looks like. There's active story beats on the how and why these characters are drawn together; the efforts both put in to improve each other and their relationship. While Red Action and Enid is a slightly different case that frames the majority of interest from Enid's perspective, Red does share intimate moments with Enid leading up to affirmative dialogue where she calls Enid "my girl" as well as an on-screen kiss. The bulk of their romantic storyline are a pair of cool kids learning its okay to be dorky and vulnerable. They end up together because the other girl is one of the handful of characters they feel comfortable around as their true, unrestrained self. In short, the lack of confirmed reciprocity from Laser was a deliberate narrative choice.

Venomous shares a lot of these flagship romance cues with Boxman. Both Venomous and Boxman give each other a very anime-inspired, elevator eyes treatment. In general, Venomous is the more competent villain and attentive parent. Boxman becomes a more proactive parent and better villain both on an individual level and in regards to Boxmore's overall success because Venomous enters the picture. Also, while Boxman holding hands or sharing some physically intimate gesture with Venomous isn't as explicit as Laser and Silver could be, there's stronger, mutual intimacy to all of these gestures. When Boxman tries to talk to or engage with Venomous, he's far more soft and receptive. Boxman is the driving force for most romantic overtures, but he gets very enthusiastic propositions about commitment and collaboration from Venomous in turn. Its framed as just business, but Venomous and Boxman share two keystone scenes that are pretty much equivalent to going steady or getting engaged. In a nutshell, Boxman sees something closer to who Venomous really is and has very blunt reciprocated interest.

The caveat is that the bulk of Venomous and Boxman scenes are still filtered through Boxman's perspective. "Boxman Crashes" is one of the few exceptions. Where Venomous is attracted to Boxman, there's a more fleeting feel to his elevator eyes scene; the sparkles are immediately followed up with something like a pin popping a balloon. Where Boxman maintains a rosy picture of Venomous no matter what, Venomous still keeps some level of distance and attempts at maintaining his wall. Boxman has a reputation as a weird, awkward, social pariah. While Venomous does peel away this bias, both through active and unconscious effort, it's in play up until Venomous offers to fund Boxmore and moves in. Boxman is annoying until Venomous actually learns how to talk to and work off of him. When Boxman and Venomous share domestic scenes like what's scattered through "All in the Villainy," they've achieved a level of open communication and intimacy comparable to Carol and Mr. Gar.

What sucks are the layers of subtext and queer coding for these two where Carol and Mr. Gar can share explicit romantic scenes together. I'm glad that Red and Enid managed to escape this bullshit. It says a lot about media censorship that Boxman and Venomous are obviously a gay couple with a blended family and supposedly the general family target audience can't handle that level of queer rep. RadChad called this out in a side tangent in one of their videos. It hurts my heart so much, but they're right. It's disappointing there wasn't a fight for making the Voxy Bunch clear, undeniable text vs subtext.

Compared to Carol and Mr. Gar or Red Action and Enid, Boxman and Venomous fall apart because they don't have a clear scene addressing their respective trauma. Carol and Mr. Gar have their defining moment in "Dark Plaza." They recreate their trademark elbow drop move dressed as El Bow and Silver Spark, apologizing to the other and promising to be more trusting and open with each other going forward. Red and Enid have their defining moment in "Red Action to the Future." They've established that they like, appreciate, and admire the other. There's a vested interest in hanging out and getting closer, but Enid hasn't expressed honestly and clearly that she wants more than a casual dynamic. A big part of her character story is telling others how she feels and owning who and what she decides to be regardless of others' opinions or perspective of her. Owning that she wants to date Red Action in a serious, long-term way is part of that.

Unfortunately, Professor Venomous refusing to unpack his trauma around losing his powers or doing any kind of meaningful introspection is a huge part of the overarching story. It's more complicated than this, but a general overview is that Shadowy Venomous is following someone self-destruct in the worst possible way. The other romances can wrap up or reach a satisfying conclusion because the mutual understanding needed for them to function fits neatly in where the story wanted to go. Because Shadowy Venomous was a centerpiece of the series finale, Boxman and Venomous were a narrative element left to the aftermath or any follow-up that has breathing room for them to talk things out in the respect that the other couples have.

As for Carol's awkward reunion with Professor Venomous, its the capstone for years of resentment on Venomous' part and both Carol and K.O. experiencing a cold water realization. When Venomous shares his version of events, it's a knife in the back moment. At the time, Carol chalked up Laser's brooding as a character flaw that could be addressed or helped with time and effort. When Venomous shares just how deep his envy towards her powers was, it's a retrospective red flag. Venomous saw every move or gesture from Carol through a specific, narrow lens: She had more power and prestige than him because of what super powers she had and would never see him as equal. He places such a high premium and importance on power that he prioritizes this above everything and everyone else. Venomous revealing his villain origin story was a warning. It's compounded by him surrendering to the unchained impulses and utter lack of restraint from Shadowy Venomous. No relationship this man has survives this all-encompassing, world-narrowing and shrinking desire.

Venomous is a product of giving in to bitterness and festering in those bitter feelings with no real attempts at working through the root cause. He's contrasted against Carol, someone that chose active self-improvement and learning to grow to help her grieve. How they sit as such intense thematic opposites paints a dramatic picture of what their original relationship and dynamic looked like. Laser was entertaining a passing fancy. Silver was going for a wild dream come true and ready to put in the effort to make things work. They would have been a one off, experimental, bad fit relationship without soap operatic tier elements like an unexpected pregnancy and Laser faking his death only to show up as the nasty, mustache twirling bad guy later. Instead, these two remain connected because of the obstacles around their co-parenting situation and respect for K.O.'s desire to learn more about his bio dad.

These two were a bad fit and its a really thoughtfully done and detailed exploration on why.

(Unnecessary End Note: The petty part of me wants to point neon signs at how effectively this was set up without bringing other story beats and themes to a crippling halt or world-building lore to its knees like another certain superhero cartoon does. If I end up in an especially bad mood, I might just make a compare and contrast that'd get Miraculous fans storming my door with torches and pitch forks. If for some godforsaken reason you absolutely need this, I'd start working as soon as tomorrow for $100 and a pizza.)

[waytooinvested]

Forgotten, Not Forgiven - Prologue

Still reeling from finding out the truth herself, Lena suddenly finds herself in the midst of an odd role reversal in which she knows that Kara is Supergirl, but Kara no longer has any idea she has ever been more than an ordinary human.

And what’s more, Lena has no choice but to keep the truth from her for her own protection…

Also on AO3

Starts with a very short Lex perspective prologue, after which the rest will be Lena's POV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poor, sweet little Lena, always letting her feelings get in the way of what needed to be done.

When she had come storming into his hideout following his supposed death, full to the brim with righteous fury and clutching a gun in her hot little hand, there had admittedly been a moment when Lex had thought she would kill him.

But he was Lex Luthor, and at the end of the day, he would always be one step ahead of his younger, weaker sister.

He had shown her the truth hiding behind her little girlfriend’s gawky spectacles and shrinking violet demeanour, and it had distracted Lena long enough to let him slip away, while the gun stayed useless and unfired in her hands.

He had practically heard the sound of her heart snapping in two as he went.

It had been funny.

At first.

This big reveal was a long awaited and devastating move he had been looking forward to in the life long chess game that was their sibling relationship, and he had taken the time to savour it as Lena had come adrift from her former circle of friends. He had watched in glee as she pushed Supergirl away and threw herself instead into work, and solitude. He had been sure it was only a matter of time before the bitterness of betrayal worked its way like an antidote through her system and brought her back to his side where she belonged.

Lena would always be his lesser shadow of course, but she had her uses as a junior partner, and as a figurehead to give their work a positive credibility that, after all his bad press recently, he currently lacked.

Lex was a patient man.

He gave Lena nearly two months to have her little tantrum and come to heel, but to his immense annoyance, she still refused to do so.

After that, the fun of watching her suffer began to sour.

Lena was a Luthor after all, and that name still meant something. What was she doing trailing around looking woebegone over some stupid blonde alien? It was unseemly, distasteful, and worse, it was starting to affect her work. L-Corp stock had been down by 0.05% last week, and Lex was damned if he was going to allow Lena to drive HIS company into the ground while he was still breathing, whatever she might call it now.

No, Lena needed to be dealt with, and soon.

His first plan was simply to kill her – clean, efficient, and only fair given that Lena had tried to kill him not all that long ago, but that lacked a certain… je ne sais quoi.

Besides, it would give Supergirl the opportunity to swoop in and save her, which risked pushing them towards a reconciliation and wasting a perfectly good identity reveal.

No, he had a better idea. One that, if he could pull it off, would take care of both of his problems in a single stroke.

All he had to do was lay the perfect trap for Supergirl.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

JBO: A Perspective 1988-1998 1998 House / Downtempo / Big Beat / Leftfield / Alternative Dance

Man, this is just such absolutely essential listening if you want a good history lesson in the type of dance music that was especially surging throughout the UK for a certain period of time. JBO: A Perspective 1988-1998 presents a decade-spanning two-disc retrospective on one of the UK's foremost electronic dance labels, Junior Boy's Own, whose tunes reverberated throughout all the acid warehouse parties during the UK's famed second summer of love beginning in 1988, and long thereafter too, following the UK government's crackdown on said parties.

Now, something you have to understand about acid house is that there are essentially two different definitions of it: there's a more sonically literal definition, which describes it as house music that features a liberal use of the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer sound, and then there's another definition that describes the type of music that was played at the acid warehouse parties themselves, which was actually far more eclectic than just house tunes with TB-303s. And this collection deals with that latter description.

Something else worth knowing here too is that the music that was played at these events sometimes stretched far beyond what we would often consider these days to be dance music. Dance music almost always connotes electronic music that's purely uptempo, but much slower tunes got plenty of burn at these things as well, like Primal Scream's incredible "Loaded," a brimming-with-sunshining-positivity, psychedelically ecstatic classic that's packed with bagpipes and horns and has often been referred to as the acid house generation's own "Sympathy for the Devil." This song, produced by JBO's Andrew Weatherall, was less a result of inspiration being drawn directly from the actual acid house music that had managed to find its way across the pond from Chicago, but was moreso a reflection of an amalgamation of the chill, Balearic vibes that the UK was importing at the time from the party capital of the world—the Spanish island of Ibiza—as well as the Madchester scene, which was seeing indie and alt-rock bands from Manchester like The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays quirkily meld their rock sound with dancier beats, and thus receiving plenty of play at acid house parties too. Oftentimes, whenever I find myself writing about a general history of UK music since the post-punk and new wave days of the late 70s, I talk about what a melting pot it all was, and a dynamic song like "Loaded" serves as just one beautifully prime example of it in action, as it's something that can simultaneously be accurately classified as downtempo, alternative dance, neo-psychedelia, alternative rock, and house. And you could, at one point or another, find any and all of these vibes blaring out of the speakers at an acid house party itself; it's just that "Loaded" is a song that managed to blend them all together so damn perfectly 🤩.

So, ultimately, in addition to "Loaded," what we have here is a chronological slate of tracks that was selected by JBO's Steven Hall, who is humble enough to point out in his liner notes that what he's put together is by no means neither extensive nor authoritative; there was so much more to these acid house years than just what JBO was either putting out themselves or their clan was producing and remixing for others, and as the compilation's title clearly states, this is just merely a perspective on the ten years since the start of the second summer of love.

But then again, by that same token, this 'perspective' is also indispensable from acid house itself too. JBO's role in shaping this 'genre''s overall sounds, development, and history is simply integral and wholly unignorable. Acid house without JBO is sort of like a triple-decker club sandwich without one of its decks; you still have a sandwich at the end of the day, but you sure are missing a whole lot of the stuff that actually makes it what it is in the first place!

And that's borne out by the names you'll find on here that were in the JBO stable, like The Chemical Brothers and Underworld, two of the most important and commercially successful acts in the history of electronic music, period. To his credit, Steven Hall doesn't unload with the obvious choices from either of these groups here; rather, he goes for the more obscure, before both of them started to really gain their respective statuses as icons. From The Chemical Brothers we get a pair of tunes from when they actually called themselves The Dust Brothers, one of which was 1994's "My Mercury Mouth," an expanding breakbeaty tune that really starts to destroy past the two-minute mark, when the guys ladle in all that feelgood synth work 😌.

And with Underworld we get a couple tunes too, including the bubbly and trancey "Rez," plus a solid remix of Björk as well. But in addition to those, we also get one from a prior alias of theirs, with the prominently blues harmonica-laced and bleepy house banger that is "Bigmouth," which they released as Lemon Interupt back in 1992. Pretty great leftfield stuff!

There's also a trio of songs in the beginning of disc one that actually predate the existence of JBO entirely: New Order's "Everything's Gone Green," Mr Fingers' "Can You Feel It," and Pete Wylie's "Sinful," the latter of which's edit I can't seem to find on YouTube 😔. These songs, all unique in their own regard, are ones that inspired JBO to form in the first place, starting out as a clubbing fanzine, and then becoming a party, and then, eventually in 1990, an era-defining record label too.

Didn't even mention the dope remixes of Saint Etienne and My Bloody Valentine by Andrew Weatherall or the remix of U2 by Pete Heller and Terry Farley that are on here, either. Clearly there's a whole lot of gold that's sitting on these two discs, so get yourselves educated on this diverse set of dance and dance-adjacent glory, folks! 😊

Highlights:

CD1:

New Order - "Everything's Gone Green" Mr Fingers - "Can You Feel It" Pete Wylie - "Sinful" Bocca Juniors - "Raise (63 Steps to Heaven) (Heavenly Rap)" St Etienne - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (A Mix of Two Halves)" My Bloody Valentine - "Soon (Andrew Weatherall Mix)" Primal Scream - "Loaded" Lemon Interupt - "Bigmouth" The Chemical Brothers - "Song to the Siren" One Dove - "Fallen"

CD2:

U2 - "Salome (Zooromancer Mix)" Underworld - "Rez" XPress 2 - "Musik X Press" Björk - "Human Behaviour (Underworld Mix)" The Chemical Brothers - "My Mercury Mouth" Black Science Orchestra - "Save Us" Junior Vasquez - "Get Your Hands Off My Man (Fire Island Dub 4 Junior)" Ballistic Brothers - "Peckings" Dylan Rhymes - "Naked & Ashamed" Underworld - "Moaner"

[masterofrecords]

NRC basketball team roster

(As depicted in my fic, Aquarium)

Okay, first of all, I'm really glad I planned for this chapter to take at least 2 weeks from the start, because yesterday I managed to fuck up my knee a little, so my mental energy goes to worrying about it and my physical energy goes towards stretching and working my knee to make sure the bones don't again try to misalign themselves and the joint remains decently pain-free. Definitely didn't need the added stress of "damn, I should be writing", haha.

Anyway, this list has tiny little spoilers, most of which likely won't become apparent until the chapter is published, but I'm warning you just in case.

---

Nima - (unofficial) coach, former center

Savanaclaw, junior. In his last proper year at school he took over the coaching position (because who else is going to do that, Vargas? No thank you). Has a little too much energy and enthusiasm and not enough understanding of the limits of a normal human body. Hopes for Jamil to take over the coach role next year.

3 - Egil - shooting guard

Pomefiore, sophomore. Despite different positions, Gideon's unofficial protege. Everyone is quite unsure if there's something going on between them or if Pomefiore is just Like That. Depending on team composition sometimes plays as a forward, but is not very comfortable in any playmaking role, prefers to defer tactical decisions to others.

5 - Jamil - point guard

Scarabia, sophomore. While versatile about the position he plays in, prefers to stay to the back line to direct his team's play and make long shots from behind the three-pointer line. One of the highest-scoring members of the team.

10 - Floyd - center

Octavinelle, sophomore. Dunk shots are his bread and butter, but he surprisingly enjoys the defense, too - especially when it allows him to bully other players under the basket. In official matches tends to get removed from the court for rule violations way before the end of the game, which annoys him to no end.

11 - Ace - shooting guard

Heartslabyul, freshman. Pretty good at most technical things and able to play a variety of positions, but tends to be impulsive and make rash decisions that lead to mistakes. Has a special talent for provoking the opposing team to foul on him.

13 - Bertram - point guard

Diasomnia, freshman. A bird beastman of generally quiet disposition, though allows himself to express himself more on the court. Tends to be in a (mostly) friendly competition with Ace as a fellow freshman.

17 - Gideon - center/power forward

Pomefiore, junior. The second half of the "rituals are intricate" Pomefiore duo. Tall but lanky, prefers playing forward but often has to sub in for Floyd as center if Floyd breaks the rules too many times.

18 - Mosi - shooting guard

Savanaclaw, junior. In his freshman year he didn't make it into the spelldrive club, and might be still a little bitter about it, but mostly is determined to prove his worth as a basketball player. Has a temper problem on par with Floyd - sometimes they cancel each other out, sometimes the opposite.

22 - Ludwig - small forward

Octavinelle, junior. One of the more versatile players on the team, though he's mainly been playing as forward since his sophomore year when he bulked up. Unlike many others, finds strategy and tactics discussions at practice fascinating.

25 - Ryder - small forward

Scarabia, junior. Compensates for his short stature with almost unnatural speed and jump height. Has been having some problems with discipline and being a team player for the last several months - actually, since winter break. Wonder why that might be.

31 - Jay - power forward

Savanaclaw, sophomore. Accident prone. Didn't train for several months of his freshman year due to a concussion sustained during History class, refuses to elaborate on the details.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

I learned Skip & Loafer was a thing last week, I’m already caught up. I don’t usually have the time for binges anymore. But damn it, it’s so sweet and earnest it gets a full on appreciation post. Some light spoiling ahead. Starts with MC Mitsu. Rural girl moves to the big city isn’t new, but she actually tracks for me as someone who’s had the experience. She’s not a hick; she’s only in Tokyo because Mitsu has way more potential than Ikajima can support. That’s real, even the way you sorta have the town’s hopes on you. You get that nice, fuzzy quote from the lovely best friend Fumi early about eating good food pass or fail. It captures the vibe so well. Such a nice, strong skeleton to build a leading lady off of. Not exactly new territory but it’s been out of style for a while. There is that real edge of acknowledging the growing issue of rural depopulation in Japan. That said, if we’re talking new ground there’s a clear standout...

Nao-chan. Sweet, sweet Nao. Here she is launching into dropping some great wisdom about fashion and how it only needs to have as much of a role in your life as you want it to. One of our big wrinkles is that Mitsu goes to stay in Tokyo with her aunt who is trans. Great example of someone well past the finding yourself phase. Nao’s in her late 30s and she seems to have come out around her mid 20s. We know there’s some things like a falling out with her father and trauma from school days bullying but this is the type of series we may never actually see it. One of the cool elements is that Mitsu already presumably knows about all this. The two have long been close because Mitsu was one of the first people Nao felt like opening up to. Based on other examples I’ve seen, it’s pretty cool how casually everyone just refers to Nao as Mitsu’s aunt. Even ends up being a cute plot point.

What’s so well set up though is that Nao is honestly an amazing foil for Mitsu as well. There’s an implication she was the standout compared to her brother. A lot of hopes pinned on that salaryman career. But on someone who was treated poorly by back home. Either way, always cool and sadly too novel to have a trans woman in a maternal role. Especially an example where the junior is not also queer. She does a great job at it and when I compared these two to that Gilmore Girls vibe it was high praise. I need more of her adorkable boyfriend Goro too!

Last are these two dorks. Yuzu & Makoto. I adore blondie’s story arc. She’s naturally pretty and legitimately enjoys fashion...but hates all the nonsense that comes with the obvious popularity. It’s a hard line to tell that story without her coming off as a brat, and it’s hard to say it resonates without sounding conceited, but it really does for me. I’ve been there, talent or beauty or intelligence attracts envy. It doesn’t feel good to deal with that. You don’t want to rub it in you just hate it ended up being a problem. You do have those times people think it’s just, okay to treat you like a doll or be nasty to you because what do you have to complain about?

But for these two, they get over that hurdle. Makoto realizes she’s being unfair and that Yuzu just wants to enjoy a group of girls that aren’t obsessed with dating. Reminds me of Mugi in K-On a bit and that’s fun.

Give this series a go, it’s got a lot of heart. Will say the official release is worth it, especially if you’re here for Nao-chan. She...has a weird way of speaking that flummoxes the scans in some scenes. Bad enough it changes the meaning. The anime adaptation is great too.

[sharpenurdamnknife]

Could you describe your relationship with your younger sister, Cassy, and how it has evolved since taking on the role of caregiver? How do you balance being both a sister and a mother figure to her?

"Oh very interesting question." Piper smiled at the memories. "By the time Cassie was born, I was already in my mid-20s. I guess the benefit to being a man is that when you can have sex with a junior partner you can have kids with a 26-year age gap." She smirked, shaking her head. "I mean way to be a stereotype right? The only thing better would have been if it was with his secretary. Anyway- None of that really has all that much to do with Cassie. My dad brought her home, convinced the other woman not to derail her career, and signed over her parental rights and my dad then convinced my mother to take her in as their own. Legally my mom adopted her- all very hush hush ya know?"

"But my mother wasn't even a good mom to her biological daughter- me. So I pretty much knew it would be a shit show. Before Cassie was born we were all but estranged. I'd check in once in a while and they would pretend to be proud that their daughter was a lead chef in a Michelin-star-rated restaurant. But we didn't really see each other or talk all that much. When Cassie was born though I changed that- I started coming back home at least once a month for a long weekend, sometimes more than that. When she was five I gave her one of those kiddie phones that only have my number in it so she could call me whenever she wanted. I'd call her a few times a week. But-" Her eyebrows furrowed. "She started getting....more shy. Like normal 4 or 5 year olds make alot of noise. They run around. The break things and babble to try and learn how to speak. She...she acted like she was scared to talk. I can't remember when I was her age- obviously but I remember being told to sush. I remember being told to look cute, to smile for pictures. I remember when I got a little older my mom teaching me what to say to different people. I dont know if it was to butter them up or make them feel bad...I remember getting scolded if I didn't." She seemed to get lost in her thoughts for a moment, in those very distant memories. The ones where you sort of remember but not completely.

"I knew that was happening with her. When I found out that she'd been left at home with a nanny and my mother had left on a cruise after my father died, I knew. I knew that she was hiding. That she was afraid if she said the wrong thing or was even too loud my mother would be cruel and claim that it was just the truth." She shook her head. "You cant tell a kid that they aren't really yours. Its mean. It will screw them up."

"When I came home, Cassie was so so damn happy but every night she would come into my room for the first few months to make sure I was still there. Sometimes she still does." She admitted, sadness tinging her voice instead of anger. "The first time I worked a late night the babysitter called me because Cassie was terrified I wasn't coming home and had locked herself in the closet and wouldn't come out."

Piper had to stop, pushing tears from the corner of her eyes with the heel of her hand. "We had to get over that. It took a while." Her voice was wavering and she had to take a break, breathing deeply. "I've tried to get her to talk about it, tried to get her involved with other kids at school but she's still so shy. I hope that it will get better with time. That she won't remember this like I barely do. That she'll gradually see that she has someone consistent in her life that's not going to leave her because she isn't exactly what they expected her to be. I never expected to be a parent. I never planned on it. I might - no I do sort of suck at it but at least she'll know what having a sort of maternal figure feels like you know? Even if she might hate me sometimes."

"I think thats one of the hardest parts to explain to people. We always had food, and clothes and a bed and even had money. But that doesn't mean we were loved. That doesn't mean that she wasn't neglected...I know what thats like, to even feel guilty as an adult talking about it. I'm not going to let her go through that."

[hotflatrock]

Foreigner at Shoreline

I was on the fence about this one for a long time. I never loved Foreigner, but their music was ever-present during my junior high and elementary school years, which could only tip the option up to a maybe. Learning that the opening band would be Loverboy probably worked against the odds. My hesitancy meant we passed up 2 different TIcketMaster sales that would have made the price more palatable. Thanks to the wife’s continued insistence on this one, we made a spot decision to buy tickets in person at the box office when went to Shoreline to see Sam Hunt, removing the TicketMaster fees from the equation.

My worry was largely that the whole concert would lean to the 80s hair band. I have never been a metal head, a few songs aside, and I was concerned that both bands would trend that way in person. What I had ultimately forgotten, however, was how many legendary hits Foreigner cranked out in their prime in the late seventies and early eighties.

Loverboy did trend towards the hair band ethos, and I didn’t love their set. I could only remember one song of theirs from back in the day, although ultimately three were recognized. What was a delight was the contrast between the Loverboy of today vs the Loverboy of yore. I spent most of the set texting people with sight gags from the show. I loved that the lead singer continues to wear a headband, as he did in the eighties, even if he no longer sported the tight leather pants for which he was known. They closed, as expected, with Working For The Weekend. I may have left before the song ends to get to the snack bar.

Foreigner brought the nostalgia, and damn the nostalgia was fun. I don’t have any major life moments or memories where Foreigner provides the soundtrack. But I do have a handful of mental GIFs. Learning BASIC in my first computer class, while listening to Juke Box Hero. Eating pepperoni pizza with my dad in a Round Table Pizza, while Waiting For a Girl Like You played on the jukebox. Nice memories, but nothing special.

What was surprising was the depth of their collection that they could crank out in concert. Out of the gate with four giant hits from back in the day: Double Vision, Head Games, Cold As Ice, and Waiting For A Girl Like You. That was followed by three I didn’t recognize, then they closed with another half dozen memorable, singable hits, interrupted by some extended drum and guitar solos. 10 memorable songs in 2 hours is a pretty respectable showing.

I haven’t been following their roster movement over the last 4 decades, but I was surprised with how spry the lead singer was. Wikipedia informed by that Lou Gramm left the band a couple decades ago, so the lead was now Kelly Hanson. Hanson was so good, so active, and so enthusiastic, he single-handedly removed by concern about seeing legacy bands with replacement lead singers. I’ve always been about the voice and the lyrics. Most of the time, drums, bass, and guitars are all replaceable, for me, but a different lead singer was a dealbreaker. But Hanson was great, which I guess makes sense, since he has been in the role for 20 years. But this change of heart opens me up to consider seeing a whole raft of loved bands that now have a different lead singer: Journey and INXS are the first to mind.

Despite all my hesitancy, the wife was right. It was a good time, one of the better concerts I have seen this year. Since it was purportedly Foreigner’s last tour, I am glad she pushed the agenda.

[an-aura-about-you]

reblogging this because I've been thinking about it again and I have a few notes, additions, and fun facts:

-first off, I'm ageing nearly all the younger characters the hell up because it really just doesn't make any sense for some of them being as young as they are. this choice was prompted because I looked up on the wiki that Mauri is supposed to be 16. What??? 16? No she is not the hell 16 she has lived WAY too much goddamn life to just be 16. And I know experience is a bitch of a thing and doesn't choose age. But what I mean is you cannot tell me a character reached the age to go to school to learn to be a priestess, got engaged, fell near-fatally ill, recovered, changed so much as a result of this that her betrothed broke off their engagement, took a spot as a prominent leader in the church, and been separated from her ex for enough time for him to develop a reputation as a drunken womanizing disgrace to the point that no one could believe he was once on his way to becoming a priest himself and convince me that this character is supposed to be 16. of all the ridiculous timeline stuff in Lunar and all the things the mostly-teenage characters get up to, that stuff's just the least believable.

-the Notable Exception to this is Lemina tho because her age plays into her storyline, what with being the Junior Premier of Vane and having no real authority compared to her mother and Borgan. truly vexing.

-I started thinking a lot about Ghaleon and got hit with a fucking truckload of feels. like. before I was so busy drawing parallels between Jon and Lucia that I didn't stop to think about the parallels between Jon and Ghaleon. like, okay, he's got a fascination with Hiro and his party because Ghaleon has knowingly placed himself in the role of villain. but fucking imagine what kind of fascination he would have with Jon. they're practically kindred spirits with their willingness to do what they believe is right (for given values of right and a not so healthy dose of The World Is A Mess And I Just Need To Rule It) and basically achieving godhood and damning the world in the process to do it. not to mention Ghaleon being gay af and still pining for Dyne over 1000 years later. just. it would be so good, guys.

-I was looking up stuff on Ghaleon's first English translation voice actor, John Truitt, so I could hit you guys with how he just takes such relish in playing the bad guy, and I found out that he was named the 2020 Citizen of the Year in Redding, CA for all the work he's been doing for the community. Love that for him!

-(I would actually love to hear Truitt in character as Ghaleon reading a statement)

-related to the previous fun fact: a lot of the voice actors for the original English dub jobs were just People That Vic Ireland Knew, and that included future O-Town member Ashley Parker. in fact, he didn't do any voice work in Lunar 2 specifically because he was too busy being in O-Town.

-should Jon ever encounter Nall, he would fucking Know what Nall is. he's got whatever level of magic necessary to clock that Nall is powerful af and meeting Ruby before would finish filling in the blanks for him. Nall probably wouldn't clock that Jon was originally from the Blue Star unless Jon mentions it, though. (look, while Luna theoretically could keep track of some of this if she's got enough divinity left to leave a letter to Hiro, the whole point of the first game is that she gave that up. she's just doing Hiro and the gang a solid.)

-a lot of what I'm writing here is under the assumption that the people bothering to read this are either already familiar with Lunar 2 or not sweating it. so I didn't bother to mention there are beastmen on Lunar with obvious animal characteristics. Leo and Mauri are beastmen, and there are some beastmen that work in the caravan. That Would Have Been An Adjustment For Jon. Martin, being out of control of his body, would just have to Fucking Deal, and by the time he's able to control himself again, he's used to them.

-also knockoff chocobos

-debating on whether I want the universe of The Magnus Archives to be one in which Lunar 2 exists as a video game and if Jon and/or Martin are aware of this. (if it is, I doubt either would necessarily be aware of it since it's like well loved but not exactly a household name in RPGs like the Final Fantasy series or Chrono Trigger.)

-(but if either is, it'd be Martin, and he'd at least be grateful that they got stuck in a game world that gets a happy ending.)

-so in Lunar, music and singing = praying. magic also = praying. yeah, it's incredibly easy to be a bard in Lunar, and usually the better you music the more divine you are. anyway something something Jon singing for some of his spells.

-in all actuality, I picture Jon's offensive magic operating like those angel cannons in the Blue Spire. magic tied to lights as befitting the Eye. but honestly, it can be as wibbly-wobbly as we want. I mean, a lot of Ronfar's magic is based on literal dice rolls and coin flips since he made his post-Chosen living as a gambler.

you ever have a fanfic you know you're not gonna write but the ideas keep bouncing around in your head so you gotta do an infodump somewhere?

that's what we're doing today so here we go: TMA fic I'll never write in which Somewhere Else is Lunar (during the events of Lunar 2)

(or "gee Leo, how come you get to hunt down two destroyers?")

-ngl I've been thinking about this ever since I started reading clutching a map of dreams, which is a fantastic Final Fantasy X fusion au and y'all should go read it even if you don't know a thing about ffx because the characterization and action is superb

-I likewise have some cherished RPGs from my youth and one in particular clicks with this like no other

-I'd start it out some time before canon gets going, but not too far out. just far enough that we've got a little bit of time for the boys to acclimate to the world they've found themselves in before the action starts.

-start with Jon, who wakes up and is surprised to do so. holy shit, he made it! they made it! wait where's Martin? wait is he in some kind of carriage?

-turns out Jon was found by the caravan that sets up the carnival in the Madoria Plains. This Causes Some Concern, at least until he realizes he's not restrained in any way and nobody's setting off Stranger Vibes.

-also Jon feels???? way better than he probably should have considering he just got stabbed???? and that's how he learns that magic (aka RPG mechanics) are in play

-(debating on whether he grows his ribs back or not. I'm inclined to say they did just because That Shit's Funny.)

-first big hurdle actually comes from learning Lunar is Lunar and not Earth. first time he goes outside and sees the Blue Star he nearly has a breakdown then and there. (that is the Earth that is the Earth in the sky I am looking at the Earth which means I'm NOT on Earth what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck)

-eventually he does manage to adjust and make friends with the musicians. operating on The Mechanisms were Jon's Band in Uni rules, he's able to contribute that way.

-he and Jean become sibling-like friends. (she's like, "Hey, I'm not the newest member anymore!") neither learns the full scope of the other's past until considerably later, though. (Once they do, they're like, "Hey, both of us were orphans that found our family later!")

-he discovers that he's retained some of his powers as an avatar of Beholding but under Lunar's magic system rules, as well as develop some new abilities such as making himself invisible. he's relieved that he has more control over whether he compels information out of others.

-(he's not entirely sure how he feels about Althena, but he would rather choose her over the Ceaseless Watcher as far as sources of power go.)

-so Jon's there with the caravan when our intrepid party of heroes show up having adjusted as well as one can over the course of, say, a few months.

-holy shit Lucia has the Lonely coming off of her in waves. Jon is seriously concerned that she might become a catalyst for some Forsaken ritual.

-Jon finds that baby dragons are utterly adorable and is grateful that he's not prone to baby-talk around cats and things that look like cats, thus earning Ruby's respect.

-after Jean leaves with the party, Jon decides to take his leave on his own, now confident enough in his abilities on Lunar to try to find Martin.

-except when everyone goes to town, they find some wanted posters. one for Lucia and her party, and one for Jon.

-"wtf why is Leo calling Jon a destroyer????" vs "how tf did he know I'm a destroyer?????"

-Jon gets captured by Leo and jailed in the Dragonship Destiny a couple of times as well as an attempt at Lemina's Magic Mansion and an encounter with Ghaleon, the last of these setting off all kinds of alarm bells because Ghaleon Very Much Should Be Dead. ("Is he connected to Terminus?")

-the last time Jon's captured by Leo, he breaks out of his cell and tries to escape at Azado, but That Doesn't Work Out What With The City Being On Fire. (fuck this reeks of Desolation)

-but also oh hey Jean, Lemina, and Lucia are tied up on the deck of the Dragonship Destiny what's up guys? oh cool, Leo went with Hiro, Ronfar, and Ruby to take care of the fire, that will give us time to escape.

-This doesn't get very far because it's not long after that when Mauri shows up for her confrontation. Then Leo and the rest of the party join in. AND THEY HAVE MARTIN WITH THEM!

-Jon is ecstatic! Whatever fight they have with Obvious Desolation Avatar Mauri, they can manage it now that he's found Martin! Except that Martin seems to know Leo? AND Mauri???? And HE was the one who told Althena's Guard that Jon is a destroyer???????

-Jon's got a lot to think about on the way to Pentagulia.

-But also they've got some time on a boat so it's time for stories to come out. (including Ronfar and Jon both being puzzled about how their SOs know each other and other members of the party thinking they have to explain homosexuality to Lucia but she's just confused about why they're bothering to explain this when no one's thought to explain heterosexuality to her.)

-this also means Jon's finally up to speed with what the player would know at this point: entity called Zophar trying to destroy Lunar, Lucia's here to stop him, the campaign Zophar engineered against Lucia, what's the deal with Althena's Chosen (with the additional sting of them informing Jon that Martin was wearing the garb of one of their priests)

-at some point there's a talk between Jon and Lucia and he ends up understanding what's at stake far better than Lucia anticipated he would. it's a nice little friendship moment.

-They arrive at Pentagulia and it's time to split up the party for everyone to make their appointments with their plot threads, which means Jon's semi-tagging along with Ronfar as they go to the Red Tower to confront Martin and Mauri respectively. It goes about as well as people who know the game expect it to, with Martin speaking to Jon as if everything is normal, that this is the way things have always been for them, and that nothing has changed between them. (but there was one moment with a break when Jon, as a last resort, compels Martin to tell him what's happening. In lieu of any actual answers, Martin gives him a horrified look and begs him to leave while he still can.)

-once that plot matter is wrapped up in the canon way (with Jon being courteous enough to not comment on how Mystere is obviously Leo), it's time to regroup and try a different approach. in this time, Jon receives a letter from Martin.

-let's back up to before the story begins one more time

-Martin wakes up in Raculi. only the problem is he was already up and moving when he comes to.

-turns out he was found by the Chosen and cleansed (that is, made to drink Zophar's blood) before he came to. and now he's working as an assistant to Lady Mauri

-he wakes up in time to hear himself tell Mauri about Jon and how he's already destroyed one world, fighting to stop himself but physically unable to.

-from this point on, Martin's been a prisoner in his own body, watching as he helps Mauri "cleanse" the sinful with fire and blood, struggling to get his body back under his own control. but it's no use. he's a vessel for Zophar.

-he writes down as much of this as he can in the letter to Jon in the brief moments he can actually control his hands, finishing it by telling Jon that he's sorry, he loves him, but should they meet again Jon should mercy kill him because otherwise he might not be able to stop his body from killing Jon.

-(the reason Martin's able to write and send it at all is because Zophar delights in that kind of torment)

-there would also be a scene with Jon discussing these things with Leo, who is more certain about taking fatal action if need be, and through compulsion Leo admits he is terrified at the idea of striking down Mauri because, even though they aren't as close as they were and she's done horrible things, she's still his sister and he still loves her.

-Jon goes to Raculi with Leo because Leo was ready to kill both Mauri and Martin, and Jon isn't sure if he can actually go through with it but tells Leo that if Martin must die then Jon should honor Martin's implied wish that it be by his hand.

-in a one-on-one fight that proves challenging since Martin is armed with a flail, Jon ends up non-fatally incapacitating Martin while the party fights Mauri's Id. by the time the fight is over, the effects of Zophar's blood wear off and Martin is back in control of himself. cue proper tearful reunion.

-with Mauri also free from the influence of Zophar's blood, she apologizes to Martin for what she did to him. having been in the same situation, Martin understands and forgives her.

-the three of them, Jon, Martin, and Mauri, all stay in Raculi as the party moves on to mount their attack against Zophar. when Zophar starts getting the upper hand, Jon is reasonably concerned it will become another Fear Apocalypse because everything about what he's told indicates that Zophar and the Fears are one and the same.

-in a fit of impulsiveness, Jon proposes to Martin in this time. ("I've already seen one apocalypse with you! I don't want to go through another with the regret of leaving that undone!") Mauri finds a couple of old bracelets of hers to stand in as wedding bands and marries them then and there.

-when the world is inevitably saved with the power of humanity, Jon and Martin get a nice little house in Dalton so they can be close to both where the carnival likes to set up and Raculi where Mauri and Ronfar live. (also there's a hot spring nearby, which, yeah, when you hit the age Jon and Martin are, you want to live by something like that)

-they go out on the occasional adventure, a much more peaceful prospect now that they no longer have the threat of Zophar or the Fears looming over them.

-Jon eventually brings Martin to meet everyone in the carnival, who properly give Jon shit for running off and getting married without telling them and tell Martin about all the pining Jon did for him.

-when they catch wind of Hiro wanting to go to the Blue Star to reunite with Lucia, they're like, "That's crazy but in good conscience we should encourage you because she's Lonely AF and her being the only person on the Blue Star isn't helping with that."

-and they all live happily ever after the end!

[canonical-transformation]

Continued from previous ask:

YF/YL/ZL coming home [post Archon interlude]

Three separate stories, each showing the characters in qn returning to the 'real world' after the Hidden Peril / Fantastic Compass questline.

The first two I only have the broad strokes of: Yanfei has dinner with Itto and Shinobu, tries to process the near not-quite-death experience she just had. It's so far removed from her everyday experience and she doesn't know what to feel about it. And she's fairly sure she doesn't want to go home to an empty flat, so... well, perhaps if she's upfront with Shinobu about her motivations...?

Yelan isn't even going to get started on Itto's idiot move back there, because Xiao. Xiao. Yelan has seen far too many people die senselessly. Yelan knows damn well how dangerous the valorisation of self sacrifice is. Yelan is horrified that she couldn't stop him in time, that if it wasn't for some freak miracle, Xiao would have died, and that stupid determined-serene face of his would be the last thing anyone would have seen of him.

Yelan wanders aimlessly. Eventually she goes back to one of her old safehouses, the place where she first got her Vision.

Zhongli is the one I have the most written for. A few excerpts:

"You're not due back in until next week."

Ah. The front desk wasn't empty. The Director's voice was coming from somewhere behind the stained pine counter. It took Zhongli a moment to spot the woman herself: with her hat on, her head down, and surrounded by stacks of paperwork on all sides, she was almost invisible from the doorway.

"Good evening, Director Hu," said Zhongli, with a nod of his head.

"So what happened? You can't have run out of places to vacation to... did your knee go bad, old man?, or..."

The Director glanced up from her paperwork to look at Zhongli. She squinted, and her expression flitted from bored whimsicality to confusion, then worry, then an inexplicably mournful look, before returning to bored whimsicality again, but now her eyes were sharp—all in the space of two seconds.

"Yueru, Yanhu," Director Hu called out, getting the junior undertakers' attention, "you've been at those boxes for hours. Call it quits for the day."

"We're close, Director!, just the last three left—"

"Don't care. Come deal with it tomorrow. It's getting late and I don't feel like babysitting you kids."

Director Hu waited for the undertakers—both at least a decade older than her—to file out, then crossed the room to lock the door behind them.

Her eyes, deep and dour, had not left Zhongli the entire time, and now the rest of her face grew serious to match.

"Well, you look like you've had a day," she said. "Wanna talk about it?"

and:

"I wouldn't call it a 'cost'," said Zhongli. "An expenditure of... something I cannot get back so easily these days—"

"Because you quit your old job?"

"—indeed. And were I still playing that role, such a choice might have necessitated more calculation, for all that the act itself would have been easier. But today it was simply... my choice. Made quite freely."

"And so you shaved off a little of your own vitality to preserve someone else's." Director Hu smiled gently. "A noble deed, done by a free man. Very poetic."

Zhongli nodded. "I suppose."

"And yet," she continued, "you find yourself here in the halls of the dead." The tea was ready: she poured for them. "Now, why do you suppose that is?"

"Are you suggesting I'm in grief?" said Zhongli, raising his brow.

"Heck no. Or, um, not necessarily, at least. Grief isn't the only state of mind we counsel within this fine establishment. You, Mister Zhongli, look as lost as any of our clients."

"Lost?" Zhongli cradled his cup, musing over the word. "I... am not sure I agree. I'm the same man I was this morning."

"Oya? Perhaps you've not changed... but has your understanding of yourself?"

And this, Zhongli supposed, was why he had unconsciously wandered to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in his daze. Seventy-seven Directors and each of them, in their own way, remarkably perceptive in a way that he himself could not be.

[scuttle-buttle]

Chapter 1

Summary: Professor Laszlo Kreizler is a pretentious ass - that's the only way you could possibly explain the man. That being said, you needed a job to help pay for grad school, and the position of being his TA was the only thing available. You'll suck it up and deal with it, but the last thing you'll do is let this man get inside your head in the process.

WC: 1012

Rated: M (rating will go up)

Chapter Tags: dialogue heavy, “i dont give a damn about my reputation”, psychology talk

Check out the masterlist in my bio for more info & chapters!

🧠

“Please - I’ll take literally anything you’ve got,” you beg the hunched-over man behind the desk. Bills had begun to pile up at your tiny apartment off campus, but given you were knees deep in your graduate program you were too busy for a full-time job. Due to your constant presence in the university library you figured it made the most sense to just get a job at your school.

The clerk huffed at you and typed into his desktop. You could see the reflection of the screen in his bifocals. Other younger students milled about as you wait; you just hope that they don’t sense your impending panic.

“Well,” the man drones. “There is only one avalible position. It’s as a TA in the psychology department.”

“YES. I’ll take it, seriously, I don’t even care who it’s with, please.” He just looks at you over his glasses at the outburst. He types for another minute.

“I’ve sent the information to your student email, please have all the documentation filled out as soon as possible. This position has been open for some time now, so the start date is this Monday. All the details are in the email.” You don’t bother questioning why nobody wanted the job to begin with, too excited that you found a way to pay the bills.

“Thanks so much” - you read his name tag - “Roger, you are my hero.” Throwing your hands up in relief, you bid him a good night and head home. You didn’t hear him mumble “your funeral, kid.”

_

Bitsy, your roommate was already home when you burst in the door, bottle of cheap wine in your hand. “And tonight, we celebrate!” you announce. The two of you met in a required English course your junior year. You had gotten a two-bedroom off campus before your senior year. After graduation she entered the workforce as a journalist; you continued with your studies.

She whips her head from the tv at you. “You got a job?” You nod and do a little dance as an answer. “It’s about time, rent don’t pay itself, sweetie,” she sasses.

“Hey,” you point the bottle at her, “I haven’t let you down yet and I don’t intend to.”

She just laughs. “Nah I know, you’re the best roommate I’ve had in a long, long time.” Her New York accent is in full force tonight. Bitsy mutes the tv. “So what is this job?”

You snatch two mugs from the cabinet and plop next to her on the threadbare couch. “TA in the psych department.” You pour both of you generous glasses before chugging half your own and refilling it.

Your roommate squints at you suspiciously. “Do you even know anything about psych?”

She’s got you there. You feign offence at her question; “Of course, I took that one introductory course in undergrad with Stratton. I loved it, but I didn’t have room in my schedule to take any more. I know more than you think. And I did go to that shrink for a while.” She nods at you, knowing you didn’t like to discuss it much.

“Is she who you’ll be working for?”

“Um, I don’t know, didn’t ask.” You open your email app on your phone. “Roger, the love of my life at the student center, emailed me the information about the job. Let me check.” Bitsy waits as you search through the documents on your phone. It doesn’t take long.

Assignment:

Dr. Laszlo Kreizler

Courses: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, & Criminal Psychology

“Who is Doctor… Kreezler?” Bitsy gasps. You furrow your brows at her reaction, confused. “What?”

“You’re working with Kreizler?” She cringes.

“I guess?” You look up to see her face. “I don’t- Bits, what's the big deal?” Now you begin to panic.

“Dr. Kreizler has a reputation on campus…”

And? “What is he like, a manwhore or something?”

“Jesus, the complete opposite. Everybody hates him - he grades impossible, requires that you come to see him during office hours and half the students leave ready to cry. He’s genius, but a dick.”

She continues, “I once heard a guy in the dining hall talking about how the professor called out this freshman in class and asked all these personal questions about how her grandfather dying fucked her up or something. He tries to get into everybody’s head. Never heard a good thing about him. I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a forked tongue and horns to go with it.”

Okay now you are definitely panicked.

At your paled complexion Bitsy backtracks “Oh but I’m sure he’s not all terrible? I mean you know, underclassmen - fail one test and the professor is evil…” Her words did little to ease you.

You spent the rest of the night and bottle researching Dr. Kreizler. He had no social media and there was only one picture online, but it was blurry. All you could make out was dark hair and a beard. He had been teaching at the university the last 4 years after moving from the University of Munich in Germany. You were able to find a few articles on one of his PhD theses, A Study of the Alien Mind: The Role of Societal Flaw in Creating Monsters Among Men. Skimming some, you note that he is very intellectual and wordy in his explanations.

Opening up the Rate My Professor website, you look him up.

“I’d give 0 stars if I could - he is the worst!!!”

“Literally f*ck this guy”

“Read my ass off, came to all office hours, still barely got a D in his 100 level”

“Not as bad with upper level courses, but only if you know how he works and can deal with his temper. Don’t expect higher than a C tho”

“watch out or he’ll try to psychoanalyze you in front of the entire class”

You blew a long breath out and closed your laptop. The clock on your bedside table read almost 2 am. I need this job, I need this job, I NEED this job, you chant to yourself.

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Dear Evan Hansen

You may have seen some ~online discourse~ about the film Dear Evan Hansen, an adaptation of the 2016 Broadway musical, and you might have wondered what all the hubbub is about. I mean, it’s a feel good story about a senior in high school, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), who has some pretty severe anxiety and depression. While trying to fulfill an assignment from his therapist to write a letter to himself, his letter gets picked up by another student, Connor (Colton Ryan) - and later that day, Connor kills himself. Connor’s grieving parents and sister Zoe (Amy Adams, Danny Pino, and Kaitlyn Dever) are desperate to learn more from the boy they think was Connor’s best friend - after all, Connor’s suicide note was a letter addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen.” And, as you can imagine, Evan tells them about the unfortunate mistake and sits with them in their grief as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives. 

Just kidding! He lies to them, repeatedly, elaborately, expansively for months, constructing an entire false friendship with Connor that never happened, and ingratiating himself into the wealthy nuclear family he never had, in large part because he wants to get into Zoe’s pants! THIS IS THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY. Oh, and it’s a musical so there is a lot of singing and crying and singing WHILE crying and sometimes crying and not singing at all. But the #inspiration, you guys. 

Things I liked:

Pretty much everything but the story and Ben Platt’s performance. The supporting cast is stacked, and all of them do a great job at elevating material scraped directly out of a diaper worn by someone who just chewed their way through a copy of the DSM-5. 

A couple of the songs are damn catchy - “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” are standouts for a reason - and here’s the thing, Platt sings them well. But as you’ll discover, there’s a lot more to a movie musical than just singing your part. 

Stephen Chbosky, the man behind every deep thought I and a lot of people in my generation had in 2006 after he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is a pretty good director. I particularly enjoyed the fanvid-type cuts in “Waving Through a Window” in conjunction with the lyrics, and his use of interstitial shots to flashbacks (and sometimes flashforwards!) is a neat little bit of shorthand that I thought was used sparingly enough to be effective. 

Amy Fucking Adams. She’s holding on so hard, so desperately to the idea of who her son could have been, rather than the reality of who he was, and she is full of such deep pain that is masked by an almost endless supply of patience with Evan and relentless positivity. All this made me want was Enchanted 2 even worse than I already did. 

Super into everything Zoe wears - the costuming department did a great job, and now all I want to do is live in mom jeans and baggy sweaters.

Did I Cry? I teared up a couple of times because I’m not a completely heartless bastard and when Amy Adams offered Evan Connor’s college money, my heart broke for the lie Evan had thrust upon her, and Julianne Moore’s song got me good, because she’s just a single mom to Evan who is doing her goddamn best. 

Things I hated more than the time I dropped a frozen gallon container of fruit cocktail on my pinkie toe in my parents’ garage and it turned black and I thought it was gonna fall off:

Ben Platt is 28 years old. He originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway, so in many respects it makes sense that he plays the role in the movie, except for the one kinda sorta important thing where he looks like a wizened old crone standing amongst a sea of children doing his best twitching, cringing Hunchback of Notre Dame impression. If you want someone to convincingly play 20 years their junior, hire Paul Rudd. Otherwise, please don’t ask me to believe that this supposed 18-year-old has crow’s feet. 

And that twitching nervous energy is a huge part of the black hole at the center of this film - he’s playing to the cheap seats and walking through the halls of his high school like a wet chihuahua. It’s an excruciating acting choice to watch - he doesn’t just have anxiety, he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown seemingly every second of every day. Like honestly, where is only-mentioned-never-seen Dr. Sherman, because this young man’s meds are NOT WORKING DR. SHERMAN. 

There’s such a lack of self-awareness on behalf of the writing, directing, and performance by Platt. There’s one song, “Sincerely, Me,” that offers the only glimpse of commentary about what Evan is doing, by pointing out the malicious ridiculousness of him writing a series of fake emails as proof of his and Connor’s friendship. 

Also what high schoolers email this much?? I know this was written in probably 2014 or so, but has a bitch never heard of a text? Even a DM? This whole plot is constructed around the premise that high schoolers are just constantly, constantly emailing each other. 

Everything - and I mean EV-ER-Y-THING - about Evan’s relationship with Zoe is so creepy and disturbing that with a soundtrack change, this could easily be a horror movie. He attempts to get her to like him by describing to her all the things her brother noticed about her - oh wait, I’m sorry, all the things HE noticed about her while he was skulking in the shadows following her around for years, watching every move she made, and it ends with him singing repeatedly “I LOVE YOU” because following a girl around and never having a conversation with her or knowing her at all is love, right? This was clearly written by the same people who chose “Every Breath You Take” as their wedding song because Sting is hot and they never actually listened to the damn words. 

And it gets about 10 billion times worse when Zoe goes to Evan’s house alone, takes him up to his room, and sings “I don’t need reasons to want you” and that was the moment I was that person I hate in a movie theater and I pulled out my phone to Google who wrote the music and lyrics to the musical (we were in the back row of the theater no one was behind me THIS WAS AN OUTRAGE EMERGENCY) and of motherfucking course it was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, 2 men who heard about meeting an actual human woman from a friend one time but otherwise are unfamiliar with the concept. 

Lastly, enormous serial killer vibes from Evan sending unlabeled flash drives anonymously through the mail with no note in an attempt to right his wrongs. That’s not catharsis, that’s how the next installment in the Saw franchise starts, with Evan in a Billy the clown doll mask showing up on the screen and asking if you want to play a fucking game. 

Also, I know it’s not possible for the narrative to justify this in a way that could be satisfying based on Evan’s actions, but what is with this thing where single working-class mom Julianne Moore is turning down rich people’s money for Evan to go to college? Like, obviously we can’t have that happen in the movie but in real life, fuck your pride! Take those rich people’s money!

I also know how movies work but nothing annoys me more than a giant group of high schoolers all getting beeps and boops to indicate text notifications all at the same time because I don’t know a single person under the age of 55 who keeps their ringer on. That shit is on vibrate AT MOST, and I feel like that’s a millennial thing. 

The emotional climax of the film is obviously Evan’s WAY TOO LATE confession, but the idea that it’s prompted by Connor’s family suddenly getting a lot of internet hate is, frankly, laughable. If Sandy Hook taught me one thing, it is that no tragedy is immune from trolls who live only to cause other people devastating emotional pain on the internet. That shit starts day 1. Apparently no one involved in this production has ever been on Twitter?

Also it feels like there should have been a dog somewhere in this movie and there was no dog, so points off for that too. 

Perhaps Dear Evan Hansen isn’t nearly as deep as it aspires to be. Perhaps it’s a morality play, a simplistic message of “Don’t lie, kids, lying is bad!” Major studio movies wrap themselves up with a nice bow at the end so everyone can feel good about themselves and leave with a happy ending, but the moronic cruelty on display here makes that feat feel impossible. We’re left with Evan in an orchard, reading Connor’s favorite books and staring into the big blue sky with all the self-actualization he’s earned now as a lil treat. And if Evan Hansen looked like an actual 18-year-old, it would be a lot easier to extend more empathy to him and his not-fully-developed prefrontal cortex, but it’s a little harder with this fully-grown, weathered man who was old enough to remember seeing Liar Liar in theaters. 

Dear Evan Hansen, 

Get some actual help and a haircut and maybe you can grow up enough to have an actual healthy interaction with any other living person, ever.

Sincerely, 

Me

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 2 1987 Pop / Doo Wop / R&B / Soul / Rock & Roll

Briefly dipping back into this series that was released by a label that pioneered the art of repackaging oldies hits into nostalgic compilations in the first place, Original Sound, founded by beloved Los Angeles-area radio DJ Art Laboe in the early 50s. Laboe is, in fact, credited with coining the phrase, "oldies but goodies," and that also happens to be the name of his initial, essential, and landmark 15-volume series.

But those volumes have been retooled and reissued over the years, and this excellent slate is not the original second installment in the series, but a 1987 reissue of it instead, which still shows Original Sound's brilliant knack for compiling eclectic records that had both unforgettable classics on them as well as songs that charted well, but didn't end up enjoying nearly as much of an enduring legacy.

So, along with a tune like The Beach Boys' terrific 1965 cover of The Regents' "Barbara Ann," are songs like Shades of Blue's "Oh How Happy," an upbeat mid-60s blue-eyed soul tune by a one-hit wonder group from the Detroit suburbs that comes with ring-dinging bells aplenty and was written by none other than Edwin Starr. It went to #12 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and #7 on its corresponding R&B chart, and while those are pretty good placements, I really wonder how many people these days are actually aware of this song's existence 🤔.

And same goes for The Larks' "The Jerk," another mid-60s soul tune, which marked the first and only time that vocalist Don Julian, who sports a wonderfully butter-smooth falsetto all throughout, would chart, reaching #7 on the Hot 100 and #1 on R&B; another great song that had its brief moment in the sun, but doesn't seem to have really received much shine since its initial release.

I should also mention that I really love the style of doo wop tunes that are on this album too. I'm not one who's much for the slow ballad-type song, with a straight-ahead lead vocal and backup singers that sing with ooh-and-aahing harmonies; I much prefer the vocally dynamic and uptempo stuff, in which each singer, from deep bass to high falsetto, has their own significant and indispensable role to play, and when they all come together, it can yield something that feels damn near magical. The aforementioned "Barbara Ann" does this wonderfully, but so does Curtis Lee's 1961 breakout, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes," which went to #7 on the Hot 100, and The Edsels' "Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong," which only made it to #21, as well.

Another fantastic set of oldies from this unmissable series. Got another one of these on deck too, so stay tuned!

Highlights:

Danny & the Juniors - "At the Hop" Big Joe Turner - "Shake, Rattle & Roll" Curtis Lee - "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" The Beach Boys - "Barbara Ann" The Newbeats - "Bread and Butter" The Edsels - "Rama Lama Ding Dong" Paul Anka - "Diana" Shades of Blue - "Oh How Happy" The Larks - "The Jerk" Mel & Tim - "Backfield in Motion"

[hacash]

ted lasso thoughts 2x08

hey, remember when everyone was worried that Ted Lasso Season 2 had too much fluff and not enough conflict? huh? everyone remember that?

everyone remember when we watched this because it was light and hopeful enough to get us through lockdown?

remember last episode when we thought all the dark forest would be about nate’s downward spiral and thought nothing else heavy could happen?

hell, remember when we first saw jamie tartt and thought there was no way we could sympathise with him as a character?

I’m not going to lie, the dark forest is dark and it is scary, but even in the midst of the trees there’s flickers of light. jamie’s entire storyline in this ep was building scene by scene - we could feel the tension growing, from that first screenshot of his phone saying “Dad” (not Dad, “Dad”, I mean fuck this show) right up to the moment when Tartt Senior bursts into the changing room. If Phil Dunster doesn’t get an Emmy nomination next year he will have been absolutely robbed - and then to put the icing on the cake, having Roy be the one to step up and hold him through the pain. I mean, damn.

A little underrated scene was Jamie and Higgins chatting: there’s no way in hell Jamie would have taken the time to so much as pass Higgins a word one season ago, let alone ask if he wanted the door to his closet-office closed. I particularly appreciated Higgins’ chat about his own father - it wasn’t straight-up ‘screw your dad if he’s a bad dad’, but neither was it a ‘you should always be there for your family no matter what’ message that children of abusive parents often get from well-meaning but ignorant bystanders, once again showing that Higgins picks up on more than not. Personally I’m waiting for Jamie to be invited around to the Higginses for Sunday lunch.

The shock on the entire Richmond team’s face through that scene. Oh man.

I never thought they’d have the audacity to kill off Sharon before the credits but whoa that still had me yelling at my screen while the theme song was still playing. I love how we’re seeing more of her as a character, not just a therapist. (And hearing her voicemails to Ted were something else.)

Ted. Oh Ted. I think a lot of us knew it was coming but still, that line hit more heavily than anything else in the episode. The bluntness of it coming out of nowhere - the fact that Ted is unsure whether or not that was what gave him his issues - the fact that we’re still scratching the surface... *weeps in football*

The Diamond Dogs exchanging vulnerabilities was such a precious moment. I’ve seen some say that they thought Nate’s expression was one of disgust at Ted’s revelation, and some that they thought it was relief at not being the only one struggling with mental health issues. For myself, I read it as shock - Nate’s always seen Ted on a pedestal, and the idea that your idol can suffer from the same weaknesses as you...well, that’s always a heavy moment. (Whatever it was, I’m sure it’ll come back to bite us in time.)

SAM ‘N REBECCA. It’s a testament to the two actors that even though everything in me feels iffy and odd and that this ain’t a good thing, their chemistry and acting is so good that you end up thinking ‘oh man, I wish this was workable for them’. Rebecca knows it’s not going to work, but comes up against Sam’s irrepressible youthful charm and hope, and after everything she’s been through...suddenly it’s so easy to understand why she’s sailing so close to the wind. But it’s almost definite that this ain’t gonna work out, and all we can do is hope like hell it ends as well as possible.

Seriously, look me in eye and tell me that if Toheeb Jimoh came up to you looking like he did all through that episode and asked to have dinner that you’d say no. I dare you.

Is Roy’s sister the doctor from the ER???? I really hope she is.

Roy taking on board everything he learned about being a good role model for Phoebe and comforting Jamie is just...just... *flails*

There wasn’t much to laugh at in this episode but my boy Colin never lets me down. That dumbbell scene had me cackling. Seriously, someone protect him. (I particularly loved the fact that we have Overprotective Boyfriend Isaac lambasting him for letting Colin nearly choke to death and then thirty seconds later does the exact same thing.)

THE HAIRCUTTING SCENE. There are no words other than cinematic masterpiece. I remember thinking at the beginning of this season that I wanted more for Isaac to do and to see him coming into his own as Captain and holy hell did I get my wish. Watching all the boys hoot and applaud and gush over Isaac’s effortless mastery of the clippers was the purest form of ‘boys will be boys’ I have ever seen or will ever see. (Until the next Richmond Himbos scene, ofc.)

And as a nice touch, watching Will take part and be included (holding the clippers’ tray ‘like a squire to a knight’) was lovely, particularly given the last episode.

The football match itself - it says a lot that this wasn’t even the focus, only as a tool to make our hearts break even more for Richmond FC - was hard to watch, particularly because it really felt like we were meant to feel like they just weren’t playing well? and I don’t quite understand why - I’ve already written about how Nate kinda had a point in this episode, that Roy and Ted dashing off for emergencies without telling anyone what they were is weird under any circumstance (let alone before such an important match) and possibly is a sign that while the team themselves are stronger than ever, everything is not quite well with the coaches of Richmond.

(seriously: ‘Sharon’s in the hospital and I’m going to make sure she’s ok’ ‘My niece has an emergency at school.’ Would that have been so hard? From a show that prioritises communication?)

And I really didn’t understand that little moment of Beard letting Nate - a junior coach, before a really important match - lead training. That, coupled with Beard being focused on as struggling to take the result, really intrigues me. It could be nothing, but so often this show drops little nuggets leading up to a big reveal, and the fact that the next episode looks to be Beard centric has me very interested, and more than a little anxious. As I am leading up to every episode of Ted Lasso these days, I suppose.

[cc-tinslebee]

Okay, so, about a month ago, my brain just conjured up probably the most random au possible: Legally Blonde Adam Banks/banksway au.

Believe me, it's as chaotic as it sounds, but lowkey, I'm kind of in love with it.

Adam never joins the Ducks because there aren't any Ducks to join. Bombay never had to do community service with District Five so there was no one to realise that Adam was on the wrong team all along. He continues to play for the Hawks and, eventually, the Eden Hall Warriors, never getting the chance to become the well-rounded individual we know him as because he's never known anything other than his rich privilege and the "win at all costs" mentality. He ends up going to college on a hockey scholarship and not straight to the NHL or the AHL (shocking, I know). While he's unsure of his major and where his life is heading, he finds solace in the fraternity he joins, which, by some sheer twist of fate, Jesse and Guy have also miraculously joined.

And his life is perfect for a while. He's the star player on yet another school's hockey team, all of his fraternity brothers adore him (though, it took a bit for Jesse to warm up to him), and his secret, not-really-official thing with his former teammate is going swimmingly. (Not to slander my boy, but I was picturing Larson for the role of Warner, purely because the alternative seems to be Rick Riley and that's kind of an unsettling image-- though, maybe that's the point?)

But then his secret boyfriend breaks up with him because, with his high aspirations in life, he needs to be "more serious." And dating Adam Banks, a guy in a stereotypical fraternity who only really knows hockey, in 2001 isn't exactly the white-picket-fence life he's looking for if he's going to be a politician.

And since this non-Duck Adam clearly doesn't have the braincells that canon Adam does, in his devastation, he decides it's a brilliant idea to prove that he is serious by applying to Harvard Law. His parents try to talk him out of it, since they want him to pursue his dreams of hockey, but being a lawyer is a respectable career so they can't exactly argue with him.

He gets accepted thanks to Jesse, Guy, and the rest of his fraternity helping him study for the LSAT and keeping him on track. He's trying his darndest when he gets to Harvard, but (despite his struggle not being as significant as Elle Woods'), not a lot of people take him seriously as an aspiring lawyer, considering him a meathead jock who only got in because of daddy's money.

And that's about the time he meets Linda, who he vaguely remembers from his time at Eden Hall. What he doesn't remember is her being so competitive, because she's deliberately beating him at every turn, just trying (and kind of succeeding) at making him look like a fool. To make matters worse, all of the sudden, she's engaged to his ex-boyfriend, who is very adamant about never telling anyone that he and Adam were more than friends (because, you know, early 2000s homophobia and such).

But things get a little brighter for Adam when he meets Charlie, an undergrad teacher's assistant who gives him all sorts of advice about surviving the school. He introduces him to Professor Bombay, who Charlie claims is the only reason he survived his first year and quickly becomes Adam's favourite teacher, and Charlie's childhood friend Connie, who aspires to be a state senator one day. Charlie's charismatic and even if he's not the most well-liked person at Harvard, Adam feels a weight lifted off his shoulders once he becomes friends with him and Connie. Things become a little easier.

Just before he and Charlie start getting really close, Adam meets Casey at a local diner on a day he's feeling particularly upset and alone, and the two start bonding almost immediately. (He bullshits his way into scaring an ex-husband of hers with legal repercussions he has no idea about and she basically adopts him in return.) It takes him an embarrassing amount of time to realise that it's not just a coincidence that Casey and Charlie share the same last name, which results in poor Adam feeling extremely embarrassed for not connecting the dots sooner while Charlie's having the time of his life teasing him for it. Eventually, when the dust of that settles, Charlie and Adam join forces to set Casey and Bombay up, their schemes borderline ridiculous at times, but they'rere not exactly failing.

And after realising he isn't the Warriors moron she thought he was for going on five years, Linda starts warming up to Adam, which is surprisingly nice? She figures out on her own that there used to be something between him and her fiancé, and is more understanding of Adam than she is mad. Linda actually spills to him the lengths Adam's ex had to go through to actually get into Harvard, aligning more with the rumours about Adam's acceptance being bought than having the aptitude for the law that Linda and Adam share. (This may be me saying Linda and Adam friendship rights, what of it-- /lh)

To make things all the better, Bombay chooses Adam, Linda, Connie, Charlie, and Adam's ex to be on his legal team for a murder case he's responsible for (and while he knows about Adam and Charlie's ploys to hook him up with Charlie's mom, they're his favourites, so he doesn't say anything).

And this is just so much better than anything he had before. After all the initial unpleasantness, Linda and Connie become some of the most genuine friends he's ever had. He misses Guy and Jesse, of course, and he'd never take them for granted, but back when he was with them at the fraternity, a part of him was still being as superficial as he had been in middle and high school. Being authentic for once in his life is liberating.

And Charlie's just about the most considerate person Adam's ever met. Adam doesn't even mind when Charlie teases him over his absurd and juvenile insults because he's just this source of light for Adam, supporting him and always pushing him to be the best version of himself. His ex hardly even exists when Charlie's around because his energy is just so contagious that Adam starts falling for him long before he even realises it. (And when Jesse and Guy come to visit, there's a moment where it all clicks and the four of them realise their history together, however brief. I strongly maintain that they'd be that Starkid meme: "Fucking Hawks? We hated you guys!" "We hated ourselves!" But it does make Adam realise how much better off he would've been if he had Charlie and his team when he was little instead of the Hawks, and it just further makes him understand that people like Larson and Rick Riley just aren't worth it.)

But there's also another revelation Adam goes through. Between helping Casey, his rigorous studies, and his position working with/for Bombay, something just clicks for Adam. He likes being able to help people, fighting for the good guys who may not have the resources they need to be properly defended. Practicing law calls to him in the same way hockey did; it's the feeling of knowing this is what he's meant to do. He still loves hockey, he always will, but it helps him finally grasp that there's a world for him outside of it; when hockey ends for him, there's something equally as rewarding that he can pursue, which was something he never thought he would have.

I haven't a single coherent thought about this au past that point except for these little inklings of an ending--

There's absolutely no SA scene like the movie had; Bombay's just Adam and Charlie's favourite teacher and those are his boys, so he's going to make sure they succeed as if his life depends on it.

With that said, Bombay believes in them both enough to let them finish the case because with their joined determination/stubbornness (and Adam's in with the defendant), Adam and Charlie are a force to be reckoned with and he knows it.

After a handful of comedic failures, they do end up succeeding at their attempts to set Casey and Bombay up, and they start living together sometime during the kids' Junior year :) (All I'm asking is for one (1) story with a Casey/Gordon endgame-- I just think they're neat--)

Linda dumps her fiancé (as she should) and goes on to live her best wlw life as a successful lawyer. (If I'm not mistaken, Linda's actress actually is a lawyer, which is a pretty cool fun fact!!)

Adam and Linda's ex gets the Warner ending because, man, screw that guy /lh (rip to Larson if this is him, I'm sure you'll get a nice endgame in some other universe, king)

Honorary mention for Connie, who was going long distance with Guy this entire time to everyone but Jesse's shock, and they get their Game Changers endgame of State Senator Connie Moreau and stay-at-home dad Guy Germaine with their seven -- sorry, three -- children :)

Adam's an absolute bundle of nerves after graduation, which definitely concerns Charlie. So, when he asks if he's okay, Adam starts nervously monologuing about their time together until he runs out of breath. He ends it by proposing to him, and Charlie smiles so surely at him when he says yes. They both become damn good public defenders and stay engaged until the point they can legally get married, but they're practically husbands long before that happens.

Also, if I did my math right (which I should’ve, it’s my entire basis for my Share Your Address series), the Ducks’ would have the same graduating class year as Elle Woods anyway (2004), which is pretty neat!

Thank you once again for listening to me ramble :)