#and she's very dependent on sophia emotionally at this point

[il3x]

I think military history buff is my new favourite Sophia Hess headcanon. Imagine, if you will, Emma inviting 14yo Sophia over only to lose her to animated discussion of WWI tactics and strategy with Alan Barnes after she sees his basement minifigure dioramas. POV: you're slowly realising that your super cool and totally not codependent friend-saviour-rolemodel-partnerincrimefighting-maybecrush has been poached by your very own dad.

[maya-matlin]

Please ignore if you've already been asked this but can you talk about why you love brucas even more than dair? i ship both too and get why most prefer dair but brucas just gives me even more feels, there's something so warm, sweet and touching about them. i can't explain it but know that you'll be able to!

I mean, it definitely depends on the person. I think Brucas is controversial for a lot of reasons. It's common knowledge that they weren't endgame. Knowing all along that their reunion is just another detour to the supposedly inevitable Lucas/Peyton endgame and seeing Julian just overall being a more loyal love interest, it's easy to think less of the Brooke/Lucas relationship. Some fans struggle a lot with fictional cheating. While I don't like it and hate seeing it affect my ships, I mostly view it as a trope that's going to occur whether I like it or not. In real life, you never know for sure if a cheater is remorseful or has changed. But in fiction, you can get into their heads and see the POV. Basically, this is why I was able to get on board with Brucas during seasons 2 and 3. It honestly seemed like Lucas regretted his actions and was working to be better both for himself and because it's what Brooke deserved.

But needless to say, I agree with all of your points. It's nothing against Dair. I think their relationship was great for what it was. They're still one of my all time favorite ships. But at the same time, I'm much more attached to One Tree Hill than I am to Gossip Girl. The characters in OTH feel much more real to me. Brooke and Lucas are no exception. It's the classic opposites attract pairing. He's very introspective and sees the world in a very single minded sort of way. She's the life of the party and has never been taken seriously by anyone. Except Peyton I guess, but season 1 was kind of inconsistent where their friendship was concerned. Both of them deeply desire love and weren't getting the support they needed from at least one parent. There's this great chemistry between them that's pretty undeniable. As much as I hate to say it considering how badly things played out between the two in real life, Chad and Sophia vibed as actors. Lucas never saw Brooke coming. For him, it was supposed to be Peyton and only Peyton, the girl he'd been obsessed with for years. For Brooke, Lucas was initially just a potential conquest that was playing hard to get. But once they started to bond and truly get to know one another, it was obvious they'd gotten each other all wrong and had qualities that drew the other in. With Lucas, Brooke became more serious and in turn started to see that she was more than just her party girl reputation. With Brooke, Lucas loosened up and started to embrace life rather than being so judgmental and staying on the sidelines. It was Lucas's betrayal of Brooke and subsequent sketchy behavior that shook him out of this idea that he was somehow morally superior to the people around him.

In season 2, we see their friendship deepen. Brooke and Lucas confide in each other, sharing secrets and giving emotional support. When Brooke has doubts about embracing more worldly, empathetic parts of herself, Lucas is there to reassure her that she has layers and is capable of being everything all at once. Lucas falls in love with Brooke in a very beautiful, pure sort of way. Lucas knows that because of their romantic past, there's no chance he'll ever get Brooke back. And yet, she still loves him. As much as Brooke tries to escape her feelings for Lucas and the idea of love in general, she can't seem to let him go. Season 3 is amazing and frustrating for them in equal measure. It's like, the potential is there. At their best, they're emotionally connected and having a great time together. Lucas is doing all he can to earn Brooke's trust and prove he's deserving of it as Brooke is trying to accept Lucas has indeed changed and won't break her heart again. Midway through the season, it's clear both Brooke and Lucas see each other as their romantic future. They almost get there! But, by this point real life drama has gotten in the way and the writers are headed back to Lucas/Peyton. So at the same time, there's this part of Lucas that is unavailable to Brooke because the writers are adamant Peyton be this person for him. But even after their second breakup and Lucas supposedly confirming all of Brooke's fears that he secretly wanted Peyton over her all along, it never feels right or true. It feels as though Lucas settled for something simpler. Even though Brooke is supposedly incompatible with Lucas, it's her who wants to return to Tree Hill once she's found her success and eventually settle down with a family. Peyton wants the opposite, yet it's like the show repeatedly punishes and degrades Peyton to the point where, unlike Brooke, she desires Lucas over everything - even self respect. With adult Brucas, everything is so natural. They're able to open up to each other and relate to each other now that high school is behind them. The whole Angie arc and Lucas's involvement in it is one big tease. Because it's like, things could have easily gone that way. Lucas even considers calling Brooke to elope with him in Vegas mere hours after he comforts her in that same damn airport. So, I don't know. I love Brucas because they make me feel so much. I love what they inspire in each other. I love them for their potential. I can't help but be emotionally attached to this unfinished love story.

TL;DR: Brucas was fucked over by the narrative in spite of having amazing chemistry and development, yet somehow that's exactly the reason I'm so invested in them.

[masterhandss]

Hello! Uhm… there’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time now regarding Nicol. And I figured I may as well ask now, since S2 has started airing.

I’ve seen his wiki page. And it says and I quote: It was later revealed that his emotionless face and quiet nature is a result of extreme trauma. From a young age, people of all genders and ages would tend to do absurd things, as well as assaulting him.

I’ve been so fixated on this probably since S1 had finished, yet I haven’t really had the time to read all the light novels to know where this specifically comes from or even be sure if it’s actually true. The only thing I managed to find was a scene (I think in one of the later volumes) about Katarina pointing out this creepy guy that took Nicol’s used utensils and stared at him a lot, but she didn’t do anything about it because Sophia saw nothing wrong with that guy’s behavior and told her it was okay.

I’m not sure if the wiki was referring to that scene, or something else. And since I know that you read the light novels, I was hoping if maybe you could check that info and confirm/deny it for me. If it is true… then it really puts a whole different perspective on Nicol. People in the series have been shown to faint if Nicol smiles, but it was also mentioned how he was one of the only second year students in the student council because people would fight over him.

And to think their behavior possibly had escalated to the point of traumatizing him as a child makes me very heartbroken to think about. Especially when the wiki also mentioned how he feels very uncomfortable when he’s the center of attention… makes me wonder if the anime will even touch upon any of that.

Hello! I'm sorry if answering this one took such a long time. This one definitely caught my interest so I wanted to take my time in writing a response for this.

// trigger warning: brief mentions of assault (nothing too graphic I swear)

I'm an editor for the wiki, so I admit that I have seen that description on Nicol's page too. I don't know who wrote it (and I never bothered to edit or adjust the wording), but that doesn't really matter since it's not exactly something I can deny.

Before that I just want to make it clear first that the "assault" mentioned in the wiki is probably not sexual or physical assault, it's likely referring to a simple assault, aka any unwanted advances that is done without consent. Whether or not any advances on Nicol while he was growing up were leaning towards sexual assault or physical assault (unwanted physical contact from men and women, sexual invitations, groping etc.) has not been mentioned by the books. It used to be a very popular headcanon for the more darker and realistic depictions of the hamefura or fortune lover world to give Nicol that kind of backstory, which is why I still feel like clarifying just in case anyone might get the wrong idea.

Hamefura is a very light-hearted series so I doubt it would put Nicol is such a tough dark position. While it's played for laughs, thankfully Nicol's beauty makes him so dazzling that people can't get close to him rather than being so handsome that people would try to initiate physical contact at every opportunity lmao.

Rather than the wiki pertaining to a specific scenes, I think it might be written in hindsight instead. It could very much be referring to the guy from Volume 6 who keeps staring at Nicol and stealing his uetnsils, but I feel like it could also be referring to the possibility/likeliness of such events and advances happening regularly. Like we don't really need to be told that men and woman throw themselves at Nicol for us to know about it. I mean if its frequent enough for Nicol to be unbothered by it, then it must happen a lot (as gross as that is). Regardless, those advances can still be classified as assault (since Nicol is not a fan of it at all) and the only reason he doesn't do anything about it is because it happens so often that it might be not worth the trouble anymore. At least we do know from the StoryMe hamefura game that Nicol will act in the face of an unfavorable position if he can, so hopefully he isn't just sitting around like an animal in the zoo if he were to receive unwanted advances.

I wouldn't deny that all of these interactions hadn't traumatized Nicol though. They never really mention in the books word-for-word why Nicol is so emotionally stunted/incapable and silent, they only really mention that he doesn't talk because he doesn't want to receive any unwarranted pity. In the first hamefura anthology (whose canonicity is up for debate), they do say there that the reason why Nicol doesn't talk a lot is because people would twist his words in order to turn it around and make him sound more tragic and pitiable than he actually is. I'm no expert on what is or what isn't considered as trauma, but that sounds like a source of trauma to me. The idea of Nicol being so fed up of people misinterpreting his words and expressions in order to fit what they want to hear must have been so hard on him, to the point where he decided to just not speak at all. It can be easily link to his emotionless-ness too, since any positive reaction like a smile could be twisted to mean other things.

Realistically, having people constantly fight over you, whisper things about you behind your back, constantly ogle at you and be constantly flirted on regardless of gender sounds terrible. If that was me I'd be traumatized too. He definitely hates being in the center of attention for all the reasons previously discussed and other well-known variables; he's always in the eyes of every noble around him which makes him hate being in the spotlight (from his perspective, maybe he always feels like the spotlight is on him, like it'll just never leave. he'll always bothered by the eyes of other people even maybe when he's at home... eyes watching him with desires and expectations, haunting him even when he's alone...). It really makes you think about what kind of life Nicol had been living in without Katarina's positive influence. He would have to bear the burden alone, without being able to say a word about it because he needs to act tough for the sake of Sophia.

Like geez, Nicol is even aware that he has stalkers but isn't doing anything about because "they aren't harmful". He never even really clarified what he meant by that (at least I don't remember anyways, feel free to correct me), like is he already doing something to stop the stalker, is it happening so often that he doesn't care anymore or is he fine with it because the stalker hasn't done anything dangerous (yet)???

If you want an /objective/ answer to whether or not the wiki description was referring to the stalker man from Volume 6 or something else, that line on the wiki was added on April 27, 2020; while the JP release of Volume 6 was on March 20, 2018 vs the EN ebook release which was on June 28, 2020.

The editor is likely a JP reader, or it was just an interpretation based most-likely what-if scenarios/interpretations. That's a fun fact for ya :DD

—and since you mentioned that you haven't read all the volumes of the light novels yet, let me help you by listing chapters in the books with a Nicol POV (that I can remember, as of Volume 9)

Volume 1 Chapter 5 (Encountering Katarina) Volume 2 Chapter 4 (Remembering Katarina's Positive Influence) Volume 3 Chapter 2 (School Festival Various Vignettes - Nicol Ascart) Volume 4 Extra Chapter (The Troubles of Nicol Ascart) Volume 5 Chapter 4 (A Lady for Nicol) Volume 8 Chapter 2 (Nicol's "dream")

With this, hopefully it'll be easier for you to cross-reference if you want to look into Nicol's character on your own :DD

TLDR; the trauma and assault mentioned in the wiki is definitely real, although the extent and severity might depend on the reader('s imagination). There's no particular scene to point to as the source, explanation or example of Nicol being given uncomfortable treatment, but it's not hard to imagine given the kind of character Nicol is. He is a silent beauty who caries himself smartly and politely, which in the eyes of many carnivorous nobles is the perfect kind of prey. Whether or not he was assaulted in any way or if people's behavior towards him can be considered as assault depends on the reader, since we still have yet to get a deep dive on Nicol's life outside of his friend group.

If there's any confirmation or deconfirmation to anything I said that I have missed during my skimming on the light novels, feel free to tell me! If I got the definitions and examples of trauma and assault wrong, feel free to tell me and I'll edit this post as fast as I can!

I know this might not exactly be the response you were hoping for, but I hope it was good enough to read qwq. There's so much I could still say but I know I'll go too deep into interpretation (I kinda already did though...), which I want to avoid since the question is asking for in-canon proofs and instances.

Thank you for the ask!

[papirlife]

Blistering Love

Okay so slowly but surely making my way through Johnny’s quest line so expect these over the top analyses of my Johnny/V for each of these jobs ( I shall apologize in advance for spamming anyone’s dash but I can’t help myself). Feel free to add on your own thoughts, I love reading about wveryone’s different takes on these two.

Okay so, Blistering Love, the first step in Johnny’s journey to reconcile with his past, and make amends to the people who cared about him, so we’re emotional from the get go.

Now, in my last post regarding ‘Chipin In’, I stated that my V, who is by all means a very distant, rational person who suffers from chronic emotional constipation, had to come to terms with a lot of things which Johnny brought to the surface when he abused their trust. One of them was wondering wether or not they had made a fool of themselves by placing their trust in him after he went on a mad bender that basically left V emotionally overwhelmed, hurt, vulnerable and pissed as all living hell.

But coming to terms with Johnny’s betrayal hadn’t been the only thing that had upset V. When they had broken down after coming back to their apartment, all the pent up emotions, the grief, the anger, the hurt, everything they had suppressed had come bubbling up to the surface but in the midst of all that V later recognizes that one of the reasons they were so upset was because they were starting to feel something FOR Johnny.

(Now this can be anything from romantic love to something completely platonic and familial but in this case for my V it was romantic).

They had started to develop a romantic interest in him, they liked him, genuinely. They cared about him, his emotions, his well-being, they cared about what happened to him, and what might happen to him depending on how everything with the relic panel out.

But they also cared about his opinion of them, even if it was only subconsciously.

So to wake up and think that everything you shared with this person, everything you had been through to get to this point in your relationship, had all been a ploy, an act to make them lower your guard so that he could take advantage of them.

For V to think that Johnny had such a low opinion of them, that he didn’t have enough respect for them to blatantly disregard their boundaries and reservations despite being intimately familiar with them, had been a huge blow.

It had made V feel like an idiot, feel used, manipulated, and most importantly it had made them wonder what the hell were they thinking when they went and fell for the Johnny Silverhand, rockerboy and professional asshole.

All these thoughts had been plaguing V’s mind in the aftermath of Johnny’s bender and it had made them doubt everything, especially his promise at Pistis Sophia.

But this had been a turning a point in the relationship for V, because this episode had forced them to confront the fact that yes, they had fallen for Johnny, that they cared about him, maybe even loved him just a little, but then have to contend with the idea that he very likely knew this already and was just taking advantage of V’s vulnerability.

But V starts to doubt this claim at Oil Fields, and by the end of their talk, while the doubts are still there, their muted, more of an afterthought than a serious consideration and eventually with time, they fade completely.

Because here’s the thing, Johnny doesn’t know that V has feelings for him, they have a mutual agreement to stay out of each other’s heads even if it’s difficult to manage and that day during V’s breakdown, it was the first time Johnny had been hit with such a tumult of emotion from V’s end that he hadn’t been able to make heads or tails of it, so while V picked up on their romantic feelings for Johnny, he was none the wiser because he was barely able to process anything during the breakdown and afterwards he made every attempt to give V their space so that they could collect themselves.

Bottom line, Johnny doesn’t know shit about how V’s feeling, which is why when V hesitates in answering Johnny about letting him take Rogue on a date, he thinks that they’re just apprehensive about giving him control again (which they are) but in reality, the idea of him and Rogue isn’t sitting well with them, and they’re just a little jealous and sad, especially because it brings to mind Johnny’s comment about V not being his type, which in my opinion is complete bull, Johnny doesn’t really have a type, he just goes for whatever looks good.

Secondly, the not my type comment comes after the jacking off comment, and it felt more like we afterthought than a serious rejection. In my canon, Johnny falls for V first, but since he doesn’t understand the concept of emotional stability, he just locks everything down and thinks that if he doesn’t acknowledge his feelings, they don’t exist.

So at this point, he’s fallen for V but he’s subconsciously in denial about the whole thing and hasn’t realized it yet.

So the comment about V not being his type, complete crap, it’s just his mind being defensive and trying to deny that he’s in love with them.

Moving on, Johnny’s whole quest line is all about trying to reclaim his past, realizing that that’s impossible and instead choosing to reconcile with the people he cared about and moving on. We see him trying to reclaim his past in ‘Chipin In’ and failing miserably but then we see him trying again, this time by attempting to rekindle a relationship with Rogue. Now, Johnny/V ship aside, the whole ‘date’ with Rogue, didn’t really feel like a date, it felt awkward, forced.

There was no chemistry between them. Personally, I think it was just an excuse for Johnny to try and reclaim his past, because the world has changed a lot in 50 years and I think this whole quest line was likely born out of anxiety and panic over the fact that everything he once knew is gone, this new world is still Night City but it’s unfamiliar territory, it’s not the same.

So his quest line involves him coming to terms with this fact, accepting it and starting anew.

But anyways back to the point, V is uncomfortable with the idea of Johnny going on a date with Rogue, because while Johnny may have fallen first, V is the one who acknowledges their feelings for him and doesn’t try to deny them unlike him. Which is why they’re so uncomfortable and disheartened by Johnny wanting to take Rogue out.

But V still thinks that he doesn’t want anything with them beyond friendship, so they put on a brave face and agree to go along with his ideas dreading it but also wanting him to be happy and show that they are willing to put their trust in him again.

So they go to SPC and let Johnny have his night. He and Rogue have their moment together, but this is where it differs from canon; in the game, rogue is the one who pulls away and stops Johnny before things go too far. But in my version, it’s Johnny who pulls away much to Rogue’s confusion and unconsciously relief.

Keep in mind, Johnny might be in love with V right now, but he’s doing his damnedest to deny and suppress his feelings, even if it is subconsciously. So when he’s kissing Rogue, it feels wrong, it feels off. It’s not right.

Because all he can think about is V. All he can think about is how much he wishes they were the one’s sitting here with him watching a shitty action movie and making fun of it, that they were the one’s he was kissing.

And that’s when he can’t do it anymore, can’t deny that he’s in love with them, and he has to stop because this is wrong, because V is the one he wants, even if he can’t put that into words right now. So he pushes Rogue away, says that he can’t, he just can’t do it, can’t do it to V and Rogue realizes what’s happened, and sees that this little merc really has managed to get through to Johnny, to help him be better.

Because he loves them, because the old Johnny didn’t possess the capacity to love, but his one does and he’s learning to accept it. In a way it’s comforting, and she’s glad he’s the one who pulled away first. It seems that they both realized something that’s been eating away at them for a while, and they’re better for it.

They talk, and Rogue finally voices the words that Johnny has been avoiding these past few months,

“You love them, don’t you?”

And now that it’s out in the open, he can’t run from it anymore so he tells her yes he does. They stay like that for a while longer, just enjoying each other’s company after so many years apart, reminiscing g about the few good times they shared, with Johnny actually apologizing for how he treated her when he was alive like he was supposed to.

Eventually, Rogue calls it a night, she kisses Johnny on the cheek, and wishes him and V a good night, before leaving SPC, contented and happy to have spent time with an old friend instead of storming away from an ex-flame like she had done in the game.

Which is when Johnny takes the pills and V wakes up back in their body, groggy and disoriented and confused when they don’t see Rogue. What they do see is Johnny looking at them with this somber, soft expression on his face, like he’s seeing them for the first time after years as he explains that things didn’t work out and she went home.

V is arguably relieved, and Johnny tries to ignore the wave relief that washes over him from V’s end of their link, convinced that they could never feel the same way he does, especially after the stunt he pulled in “Chipin In” (because y’know these two are stupid and who doesn’t like a bit of angst with their enemies to friends/idiots to lovers ‘fix-it’ fanfic?).

Anyways, they talk and call it a night and Johnny desperately tries to ignore the feelings of calm and contentedness he’s catching from V, just like he tries to ignore the way his heart skips a beat when V looks at him with an adorable little smile on their face.

He hopes to god that they can’t feel it because he can still feel something sharp near their heart. Or is it him? Who knows, it’s hard to tell at this point.

[originlist]

What would Sclep do if his Master somehow has been dealing with chronic pain

i am so glad you asked!

see literally everything about sclep (incl. his valentines which is creating a 24-hr panacea). his goal, as expected and stated, is to try and cure anything that can be cured. the answer is exactly what you'd expect. this part does not interest me to go into.

i am now going to answer a completely different question, the real reason im glad you asked.

here are some people (both incidentally located @/bonmotx) who have chronic issues: asvatthaman (this is also canon if we're to take his state in lb4 as standard for him now) and sophia

sclep is full-on obsessed with both of these individuals, which manifests in different ways depending on how they react to him. Sophia, he is a sort of friendly-antagonistic with. She dislikes doctors and (correctly) calls him a shitty doctor for his disregarding of informed consent, and he wants to headlock her in return. however, she is also the subject of asclepius's ongoing research into surgical techniques for magic circuits, and does so willingly. he gives her extra attention and is very mindful of her health, but is also dismissive of her personality/emotionally.

asvatthaman, asclepius is fascinated with the idea of the curse that is interwoven with his spirit origin, and wants to find a way to cure i.e. remove it, which is directly related to your question of chronic pain. asvatthaman is in such and asclepius is very, very determined to create some method to solve it. usually, asclepius is opposed to methods that rely too heavily on magic (whenever he's not curing something that's an emergency) because he wants his techniques to be reproducable by future human doctors reading his notes, but for asvatthaman he's more fine with magic. since ash is a servant, magical treatment is to be expected.

may's asvatthaman also likes asclepius and treats him respectfully, which unlocks the way to be friends with asclepius, which is a multi step process 1. have something potentially curable and mysterious/new/complex wrong with you that sclep will become obsessed with 2. just kinda let him do whatever his bullshit is and be generally nice enough to him, i.e. show that you trust him as a doctor to not harm you, something he sees as "if my patients keep asking questions, its because they doubt that i'm capable" 3. just kinda keep hanging around 4. you are now friends with asclepius. he will not tell you aloud and it's sort of a thing that just happens where he slowly gets nicer to you until there's a little DING and you have bond 5 with him. at no point will he say "you're my friend"

if you get to being Good Friends with asclepius he will go out of his way above and beyond to ensure you Do Not Die. may's asvatthaman is furiously, determinedly, banned from dying. asclepius would actively put himself in danger to ensure the survival of his Favourite Patients. technically he would enter the battlefield for anyone whose survival he's entrusted with (as of now, he sees this as most of chaldea), but for his Favourites he goes extremely fixated with this.

ritsu, incidentally does have a chronic condition in asclepius's eyes (condition: stupidity, metaphorical cancer. symptoms: there's a fucking clown(s?) in their bones), but ritsu refuses both sclep's treatment (cutting off beast from ritsu's body and prana) and sclep's opinion that they have a problem (beast and/or douman, in their bones), which means ritsu is 1. a very interesting subject because theyre undying and prone to weird hijink injuries 2. a host to The Thing Asclepius Hates The Absolute Most, Aside From Half The Greek Gods: ashiya douman. their relationship is benign, but competitive and harmlessly antagonistic. ritsu met the first criteria to be sclep's friend, but did not meet the "consents to treatment" criteria.

[booknerdzstuff]

Book Recommendations/Reviews

E: So… I was thinking we start off this post with something a little different.

S: BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!!!!!!

E: Sure...Three for each of us would be good.

S: Oh boy do I have some good ones! A few of these are LGBTQ by the way.

E: Also, please don’t mind the obsession with protagonists who are criminals.

S: Okay, I’ll start

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

By Benjamin Alire Saenz

Rating: 4.5/5

The novel follows the two main characters, Aristotle (Ari) and Dante. They seem to be polar opposites- Ari can’t swim, Dante can, Dante is very open and verbal with his thoughts while Ari spends more time in his mind- yet they instantly form a close bond. This relationship changes both their lives as they face the challenges of life together and discover who they want to be. 

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are so well rounded, and the development of their relationship felt very natural. The author’s beautiful style had me unable to put the book down! This was a very character driven novel, and so there wasn’t much in the way of plotline, but I found myself indifferent because the characters were so vibrant. I did deduct a half point, though, because I wish there had been a bit more resolution. All problems were solved, but it still felt like I was left hanging and missing something more. 

This is How We Lose the Time War

By Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Rating: 3.5/5

This book, the epitome of gay yearning, was written in the form of letters between two time-traveling agents on opposite sides of a war. The letters were so well written, and each writing style varied depending on who was writing the letter. Both characters were their own, developed people with a history. Unfortunately, the book can be very difficult to follow and understand. There isn’t much information given regarding the world, the reader is just sort of placed there and wished best of luck. This is one of my favorite books, if only for the letters. They truly pulled on my heartstrings, and I fell in love with both characters as the story progressed. I am very gay for both of them.

They Both Die at the End

By Adam Silvera

Rating: 4/5

 You’re not gonna BELIEVE what happens at the end! (Hint: they die). The two main characters, Mateo and Rufus, receive a call from Death Cast to inform them they are going to die today. Both download the Last Friend App, and meet each other through it, determined not to be alone on their Last Day. The book only covers one day, but so much development happens! I loved both characters and how different they were. I was very disappointed by the fact that they both die, however, because I was emotionally attached to both! I knocked off a point for the end simply because I felt that the reader is left hanging in the development of their relationship. There were also quite a few irrelevant characters who I found bogged the story down a bit.

E: My turn !!

Dance of Thieves

By Mary E. Pearson

Rating: 4/5 

While the book had quite a few cliches the personalities and interactions of the two main characters what was actually really initially drew me in. Dance of Thieves is set in a medieval world that has its own culture, gods, geography etc. The legendary former thief Kazi is sent into a foreign territory on a mission from the Queen to ironically quell thieves. Through a series of unfortunate events Kazi ends up stuck together with the leader of the foreign land, Jase (E: He’s great, I love him) who had been committing crimes in the area. 

Rook

Sharon Cameron

Rating: 4.5/5 

I loved the representation of a strong female protagonist in this novel and how resourceful and competent everyone was. There was no such thing as a damsel in distress in the book which was really nice. The book Rook is about an infamous rebel called Rook who is rescuing innocent people from the prison cells of the  government in what was once Paris. Meanwhile, the Lady Sophia Bellamy has become engaged to Rene Hasard as a last ditch attempt at saving her family from ruin but her fiance is not as he seems, but then again, neither is she.

Cinder

By Marrisa Meyer

Rating: 3.8/5 

...I actually really liked this book but it was, admittedly, a little elementary for me. The characters were interesting and garnered genuine sympathy from me, and the plot line was very well thought out. Cinder follows a gifted mechanic and secretly, a cyborg named Cinder in a futuristic world where there are people living on the moon and hover boards are quite real. Cinder struggles daily to make ends meet by fixing electronics, hiding her status as a cyborg in order not to be treated like a second-class citizen, and on top of that worries about her sister who has recently gotten sick with a deadly disease. Things become quite interesting when Cinder runs into the charming Prince Kai who just might have some secrets of his own. It is also an adaptation of Cinderella...

[littlemisssquiggles]

I've been reading through your latest post about Mistral starting the Second Great War of Remnant and something immediately jumped into my mind. There is a theory floating around that Cinder might be a descendant of the Mistralean (?) royalty and that her ultimate goal is to restore her family's empire. I am considering to make a post about that myself, but for now, I just wanted to know: what do you think of Cinder being part of the former Mistralean royal family?

Hello again Mizu. Well to be honest, this is my first time hearing about thistheory for CinderFall. When I think about it, it could be apossibility in a sense when I look at Cinder’s fairy tale inspiration. Cinderella was originally a young girl who was treated as a slave byher wicked stepmother and stepsisters who eventually married into royalty whenshe fell in love with the prince of her story.

Cinder being of Mistralian or Mistrali royalty could actually fit. Perhaps Cinder Fall had a Sophia theFirst kind of experience as a child where shewas the daughter of someone whomarried into royalty but was mistreated by her new royalfamily who never fully accepted her in. 

For the sake of this theory, let’s say:

Cinder was once poor living with herfather in the slums of Mistral. In the beginning, Cinder used to be a rathercompassionate person who cared a lot for her father. Her father wasn’t awell-man and mostly depended on Cinder to care for him. Not that she minded.But things changed after her father met and married the daughter of a Mistraliaristocrat. 

After the wedding, Cinder and her father moved out of their oldhome and into the lap of luxury. A feat which made Cinder happy since she usedto pray that one day her luck would change since she used to believe that herdestiny was to die poor. But after her father’s new marriage, she figuredthings were finally beginning to work in her favour.

Unfortunately Cinder was wrong. Let’s say Cinder’s new royal stepmotherdidn’t like her very much. She used to treat Cinder like garbage and made hernew life miserable when the poor girl expected things to be better. ThoughCinder tried to warn her father about her stepmother’s mistreatment of her, toCinder’s dismay, the stepmother basically turned her own father against herwith him often taking his new wife’s side over his own daughter’s. 

To makematters worse, the stepmother also had two other spoiled children who wouldalso take turns abusing Cinder; ridiculing her on a daily basis emotionally andat times, even physically. Despite living in a castle as the daughter of theclosest thing to Mistrali royalty, instead of feeling like a princess andliving the happily ever after she always dreamed of having, Cinder’s dreams were turned to nightmares by the hands of her so-called new family. 

To make a long storyshort, at some point, let’s say…Cinder’s father winds up passing away but during their marriage, the father had acquired his own status to the point thathe owned some form of royal privilege despite coming from rags. Basically thefather passed and left his share of the estate to Cinder as she was his onlychild. Basically Cinder was to take her father’s place and inherit his status and all of its perks.

Let’ssay, for the sake of this headcanon of mine, that Cinder’s father used to be amember of the Mistral Council who governed the kingdom.

Perhaps Cinder’s father was once alower-class man who married into wealth and then used his newfound status to join the political side of things beforeworking his way up to becoming a member of the Mistral Council. Almost like a Jacques Schnee type of scenario only that Cinder’s father was actually a good man.

And after hisdeath, it was originally believed that his daughter would take his placehowever that authority was stripped out of Cinder’s hands by her wickedstepmother.

Angered by the fact that her latehusband would give his seat to Cinder rather than one of her daughters, thisled to the stepmother increasing her abuse on Cinder to the point that she even tried tokill Cinder. Possibly by drowning her. Pushing her into the depth of raging sea waters on the outskirts of the kingdom in the hopes that her corpse would never be found due to the tide.

But unbeknownst to the stepmother, Cinder survived like she alwaysdoes and after washing up ashore somewhere far from home, that’s when Cinderwas discovered by Salem…or rather someone who would eventually take her toSalem.

And the rest, from there is history.

If the CRWBY Writers decided to playaround with something like this for Cinder’s story then cool. But up until thispoint in the main series narrative, there hasn’t really been much of anything totie Cinder to originally coming from royalty. If anything Cinder’s story couldeasily be one where she came from poverty, mistreated by an abusive family thatmade her feel helpless and afraid, thus fuelling her desire to become someonepowerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.

Cinder doesn’t necessarily need to haveroyal roots to desire to acquire an empire. Heck you can even say that royalty isone of the perks of being powerful. Even if you are on the wealthiest people inthe world, money becomes practically invaluable when in the face of a beingwith abilities grandiose in nature. If the series Empire has taught me onething—it ain’t about the money. It’s about the power. Power over money.

And power is something that Cinderdesires most of all. So I guess my actual answer to this would be that I don’t mindthe Cinder being connected to Mistrali royalty theory. 

I just need moreclarification from the show in the form of Cinder’s actual backstory. That’ssomething I’m still waiting for the showrunners to delve into to shed morelight on where Cinder came from. If Cinder’s past sheds light on what othershave speculated with royal roots rooted in the government of Mistral thenkudos.

But for now, this squiggle meister isgoing to stick with the Cinder theory she’s always had. That Cinder, similar toMercury, was once a meek young woman who came from an abusive family whotreated her like garbage and made her to feel powerless in a world where power meant everything. Thus from that abusebirthed a megalomaniac with an insatiable hunger to gain the power toturn the tides in her favour. 

To transform this formerly feeble young girl intoan intimidating goddess among men feared by all who dared stand before her. Andthis young girl soon became the perfect target for her insecurities and innerdesires to be preyed upon and coaxed by a wicked witch, playing Fairy godmotherto said child, turning her into her an apprentice.

I’m going to stick with all thetheories I’ve shared on Cinder thus far, including my newest one about herbecoming the Red Queen—replacing Salem as the Masterof Grimm after finally giving into her Grimmhalf and becoming the first ever Grimm-human hybrid. A Grimmoire as a dubbed it.Half human, half Geist Grimm with the abilitiy to take possession of other human’s bodies and steal their form. I even gave a small hunch about Grimmoire Cinder stealing Neo’s body after fully-realizing her Grimm powers following another crushing defeat by our heroes.

I know the Neo-stans aren’t going to like that at all but…seriously, what are the Writers going to do with Neo after V7? If Neo doesn’t AT LEAST get a happy ending (y’know becoming the General Jingur of the RWBY-verse so we can have another Marvelous Land of Oz character for Atlas with her ultimately settling down and marrying Henry Marigold) then…what are they gonna do with her after Atlas?

Anyways upon her ascension into Red Queenstatus, Cinder will move onto fulfill her destiny of becoming the biggestthreat in Remnant history by acquiring control of Salem’s former Grimm army aswell as the armies of Mistral and Mantle who, under her influence, spark another Great War in Remnant; repeating history as they try to conquer Vacuo and Vale following the Fall of Atlas. 

To further her ascent, Cinder would evengrow powerful enough to fully dethrone Salem, stripping her of all her magicalpower in a time when she’s most vulnerable before setting her sites on higherpowers—the remaining Relics so that Cinder may repeat the same attempt thatSalem did years ago.

To challenge the Brother Gods butunlike Salem who desired revenge against the Gods, Cinder’s aspiration would beto kill the Gods so that in the end, only she would stand as the most powerfulbeing in all of Remnant—more powerful than Salem and more powerful than  the Gods themselves.

This is the path I see Cinder going. It’sa destructive path but it’s one that I personally see fitting of the type ofcharacter Cinder had been portrayed to be. 

Now this is only plausible if Cinderis destined to survive past another season. I’m waiting to see how V7 shapes up since I’m still on the fence about whether or not Cinder has a bigger role toplace in RWBY or if she’ll end up being killed off in the same manner as AdamTaurus in V6. 

For now, that’s my take on it. Hope this answers your question Mizu.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

[briangroth27]

Incredibles 2 Review

I absolutely loved Incredibles 2! It's a great time at the movies and definitely worth the 14-year wait. I was initially skeptical of it picking up seconds after the original, but I think the story threads here—particularly Jack-Jack's (Eli Fucile, Nick Bird) development and the Anti-Super laws—needed to be dealt with onscreen rather than off.  I liked that they reversed the structure of the first movie and had Helen (Holly Hunter) go off on the adventures while Bob (Craig T. Nelson) stayed at home to watch the kids. Even better, this switch was rooted in statistical facts that Elastigirl was the most effective and efficient hero between herself, Bob, and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). Since so much of her Elastigirl persona was left in the past in the original movie because she’d moved on in life while Bob hadn’t really, showing Helen truly loving her work and being great at it was a perfect moment that let us see a whole new side to her. Seeing Helen so overjoyed at getting to be a hero again—and being great at it, with no collateral casualties—was excellent! It was also nice to see that she had detective skills; a good contrast to Bob smashing his way through problems (and which have probably have helped her deduce what her kids are up to over the years!). That her heroic competence was truly valued outside her family circle and by the people who wanted to use her to push their politics Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener) was a genuine and welcome surprise; I'd love to see more female heroes respected and revered the way Elastigirl is here. Bob playing Mr. Mom was a lot of fun, even if I’m more than ready for a competent parenting duo instead of the always-effective mom and the cliché overwhelmed dad. That said, Bob’s battle with Dash's (Huck Milner) new math, Violet's (Sarah Vowell) teenage angst, and Jack-Jack's terrible toddling was extremely relatable and a great change from the superhero midlife crisis we saw in the original. I enjoyed Bob’s playful ego about being the better hero in his marriage and loved that it was balanced by genuinely caring that Helen had the space to do what she needed to do. That sort of loving/selfish balance is an extremely difficult line to walk but the writing and acting totally pull it off without making him unlikable (and it's not even hinted or implied that Helen is in any way selfish either). It was especially sweet of Bob not to tell Helen what was going on with the family not because he didn't want to come off as incompetent, but because he knew she'd stop her mission. Yes, he benefits from her completing it, but I fully believe that he also wants the better future for his kids that Helen can secure. I would've liked to see more of Dash and Violet in general, and particularly their school lives. Dash has homework trouble and Tony (Michael Bird), the boy Violet made a date with, forgets her (a cool example of superhero lives wreaking havoc on civilian ones as well as the law affecting the Parrs in an unexpected way), but the Anti-Super laws would've been stronger if we'd seen the kids’ lack of choice Bob talks about. Violet wanting to be normal and Dash being "defined as a person" by heroism does play out that choice, but we don't really get to see consequences of the laws in terms of impacts on the kids. Does having to come in second place in track rankle Dash? And if he's defined by being a hero, how does he feel about having to hide at school?  Is anyone suspicious of his speed? Does Dash have to fight to control himself when confronted by bullies that openly hate Supers? By teachers who preach that Supers are bad and should be illegal? Playing up the questionable aspects of the first movie's ending—is he cheating by using his speed, even for second place? How is not living up to his potential affecting his development?—would've built up a lot more pressure on the need to make Supers legal again. Violet hating being a Super made her a good proponent for not being legalized, though I would’ve liked more of that as well. How much of her tragic love life is really angst about not being able to be herself? Maybe she could’ve gotten involved with a student organization to keep Supers illegal, pitting her against her mom’s efforts. What if she discovered another Super kid at school and was forced to choose between outing them or letting them stay hidden? Might she find that pretending to be normal at school is simply boring or stifling her in ways she doesn’t want to admit? That said, I loved what we did get from Dash and Violet and absolutely dug Jack-Jack's awakening powers! The idea that Super babies often have multiple abilities is a very cool metaphor for kids having unlimited potential and it also made for a lot of fun, varied action scenes. His battle with a raccoon was highly entertaining and his unexpected bond with Edna Mode (Brad Bird) was a brilliant twist! Edna discovering a role as a loving aunt was as hilarious as it was heartwarming and a great way to reveal a new dimension of her character. Frozone is always a welcome addition and it was great to see more of him here, both as a "rebel" with Bob and Helen trying to get the Anti-Super law reversed, as a protective uncle to the Parr kids, and finally a hypnotized enemy. I’d like to finally meet his wife Honey (Kimberly Adair Clark) though. It's beyond time she was more than just a nagging influence taking the joy out of his superheroics (though I like that she knows her worth!). I really hope she’s also a retired Super so we can see what the two of them are like outside of their home. Or, it would’ve been easy to make her a Lois Lane-type figure, so she could cover Helen’s return to prominence and at least get a moment of bonding with her. Either of those options would be great and I’d like to see their relationship explored somewhere. I knew who Screenslaver (Bill Wise) was almost immediately, but that didn’t lessen my love for this character at all. The hypnotism was a spooky and old-fashioned angle that felt totally fresh and fit the retro-futurist world of The Incredibles perfectly! Screenslaver also managed to comment on modern concerns about social media obsession, which was a nice bit of relatability (just like Bob and Dash's struggle with new math) while remaining rooted in the films’ era, when TVs were the hip new thing everyone was obsessed with. Screenslaver was a creepy, cool villain who topped Syndrome for me. I just wish his argument—that people were getting lazy and becoming too dependent on Supers—was more explored with examples of people being "less" because of superheroes (beyond hearing about a death caused by waiting on one). Maybe Screenslaver should’ve been saved for a movie set after the law against Supers was lifted, but slightly clearer examples of his point here would’ve worked just as well. I feel like his argument would be stronger if we got to see Supers making things too easy or if more people were put in peril because they waited for Supers to fix their problems instead of the big argument against heroes being the collateral damage their fights cause. That said, I absolutely loved this villain and would definitely be down for a Screenslaver return! Underminer (John Ratzenberger) was also a cool, second-tier villain that felt like a classic comic book bad guy. He's clearly patterned off of Mole Man, but that didn't matter to me; it was kinda refreshing (and appropriately old-school, given these movies’ time period) to see a villain who just wanted to rob banks. He also provided a good way to reintroduce the family's heroic dynamic and to showcase Bob and Helen's different fighting styles while complicating their lives further, building off the end of the first movie brilliantly. I liked that it became a strike against the heroes that he was forgotten in the scramble to stop his drills and that he actually got away. The new Supers that were introduced didn't make the biggest impression, but I preferred this to more focus on a bunch of random new people who would take screentime from the Parrs. I did like Voyd (Sophia Bush) a lot; her fangirl attitude toward Elastigirl was fun and she was a nice answer to Syndrome's toxic fandom. I hope she returns in a sequel! Krushauer (Phil LaMarr) was a solid threat and got some good and funny lines in, while Screech playing up his full animalistic nature was creepy and something I hope Daredevil does with Owl Jr. These wannabe Supers did bring a variety of challenges to the final battle, so as secondary adversaries go, they worked perfectly. All the fight scenes contained very clever uses of everyone’s powers and were choreographed with an insane amount of fun and imagination! The numerous powers on display also made for battles that were never uninteresting. Even Bob's Incredibile got a nice showcase here as a display of the retro tech in this universe. I love the design of this world in general, but classic spy and superhero aesthetics like that are my favorite parts; I wish more superhero franchises would embrace stylized elements like this to carve out their own identities. Speaking of classic aesthetics, I loved that Bob, Helen, and Lucius had their own old-timey superhero theme songs! Michael Giacchino’s music was great as always, but those themes were great surprises! Brad Bird's direction was crisp and the writing emotionally resonate, bringing the heart of the first movie back at full force.  I can't wait to see what comes next from this world! I hope we don't have to wait another 14 years for Incredibles 3 (and I didn't need the apology/”trust us the wait was worth it” video that played at the beginning of this one; it only made us wait longer!), but I definitely want to see more adventures in this universe. Now that Supers are allowed again, I’d love for the next movie to introduce Dash and Violet's trouble-making cousins as wannabe supervillain bad influences. Cousins would bring aunts and uncles who have differing parenting styles from Bob and Helen, as well as Bob and Helen’s in-laws, who have their own opinions on how to “correctly” be heroes as well as parents. I'm thinking Christmas Vacation with superheroes, but whatever the next film is, I'll be in line to see it! While we wait, you should see Incredibles 2! It's among Pixar's best and definitely worth seeing on the big screen!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[mysonkylo]

answer all those tarot card asks please and thank you

Fool: what’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

I’m quite a risk taker for someone who has 0 courage, but the craziest thing must have been getting into a car with a very drunk dude as a driver. But now so many other things come to mind. Idk, sometimes I’m surprised I’m still alive

Magician: list 3 of your talents

I write quite often, I’m very, very good at reading people, I used to sing (?) 

High priestess: do you pay more attention to your heart or your mind?

Both. I don’t let one rule the other and honestly it works better for me than choosing either. My initial reactions are literally both emotional and rational 

Empress: how dependent are you on others?

Almost not at all. I really trust and depend on myself, though, so I’m not that thirsty for any kind of validation. I rarely get deeply attached and if I do it must be

damn!

such an amazing person and the light of my life.

*wink wink*

Emperor: describe your relationship with your father

*takes a deep breath*

At the moment it’s mostly avoiding him at all cost. And when I can’t really do that, it’s just pretending I’m okay with talking with him or looking at him or anything that’s connected to his presence around me. He pretends to care, I pretend to tolerate him. That’s how we roll. 

Hierophant: do you value tradition?

I respect tradition, but I feel like it’s an enemy of progess at times - and I’m all for growth.

Lovers: does someone need to share your values for you to pursue a relationship?

Some of them? I can’t imagine being in a relationship with someone who’s homophobic, racist, transphobic, a chauvinist, etc. But if someone - for example - thought people are by default setting thoroughly evil, while I don’t think that they are, I would definitely respect that and hear them out. So yeah, if someone isn’t a piece of shit, it’s all good.

Chariot: in what situations are you most assertive?

When someone tries to force me to do something I don’t want to, or act in a way I don’t think is right. Saying “no fucking way” is easy peasy then.

Strength: how impulsive are you?

I’m almost not impulsive at all. There are just short moments when I lose control over myself, but if someone causes that, frankly, I pity them. 

Hermit: what are you like when you’re alone?

Pretty chill! As an introvert, I love spending time alone, so I’m my most relaxed self when that happens.

Wheel of fortune: how’s your luck?

Not so bad, there are moments when I’m genuinely lucky, but then again, most of the time I need to work hard on something in order to succeed.

Justice: do you value fairness over mercy?

I don’t think I do, although it definitely depends on the situation. I dislike injustice and at times it makes my blood boil so much it’s impossible not to react (in order to earn that fairness for someone, I suppose), but on the other hand, I don’t think following rules in a strict way equals goodness. Forgiveness, mercy is also the key. It’s good to remember that evil usually comes from the place of being wronged.

Hanged man: how do you feel about martyrs?

Wow, that’s pretty deep! It varies, cause I’m not friends with the good ol’ puritanical way of thinking, but I find some of the people history considers “martyrs” genuinely inspiring. One of my favourite historical figures is Mary, Queen of Scots and I have immense respect for her. I’ve read many poems she’s written and sometimes they’re like the best advice on how to survive hardships in life. I think what she’s helped me to see is that your skin should grow thicker in time, but your heart should stay soft.

Death: do you like change?

Not the fast and turbulent change (freaks me out), but I’m all for slow, but steady progress.

Temperance: do you tend to focus on the past, present, or future?

Learn from the past, hope for the future, but seize the day.

Devil: is there anything you’re addicted to?

Probably coffee?

Tower: what do you most want to change about yourself?

I’m cool with the way I am now, but I think I’d like to become a tiny bit more trusting towards others. Obviously not to the point of naivety, but I sometimes feel like I emotionally distance myself from others way too much.

Star: what religious beliefs do you have?

I’ve been a practicing Catholic for a while in my life, but that’s not the case anymore. I believe in God, or some kind of source of higher power, though.

Moon: do you have any recurrent dreams?

I’ve noticed that I dream of my own death quite often, but the scenarios are always changing, so I don’t think it counts as a recurrent dream?

Sun: do you believe optimism is always good?

Optimism is amazing when you have something important coming up - the right mindset always helps in that kind of situations and the good ol’ mantra of “IcandoitIcandoitIcandoit” helps a lot. But I think that you shouldn’t let it blind you - being hopeful is great, but telling yourself there’s no danger and everything is going to be alright when all the signs are there is DEFINITELY not great. Survival and safety first.

Judgement: how confident are you in yourself?

Extremely, but I base it on knowing myself, my short-comings included. I trust and believe in myself, but I know what I need to work on. It’s not blind faith.

World: what do you hope to accomplish before you die?

I’d like to help as many wronged and hurt people as I can, both in my professional career (I really want to become a therapist), as well as in my personal life. My ultimate goal is to make world a little brighter place, but also not at the expense of my own happiness and comfort. I want to stay true to myself and become the best version of me I can possibly offer to the world and the people I care about.

[itslmdee]

Leverage: Reading Parker as Asexual

This meta is a brief overview on Parker from "Leverage" and why I think she can be read as asexual. Admittedly, I didn't think about it too much until after the show was over, being more concerned that Parker's developing relationship with Hardison didn't detract from her overall screen time or characterisation. I need not have worried on that front, and I'll mention their romance again shortly. Afterwards though, I started to think that Parker can be easily read as being on the asexual spectrum.

I want first to address my one concern about reading her as asexual; Parker is not what most people would describe as "normal". Her thought processes and reactions to events are not what would be expected under most circumstances.

Sophie: Parker, you do know that normal people just don't walk off a twenty-foot fall, right? Parker: So, all those times I pushed Hardison off a building and he was all "Ahhh!", he wasn't just being funny?

She has not had a stable upbringing having been raised in the foster system, she doesn't even have another name, merely being "Parker", she is a thief by profession, and her social skills are awkward or eccentric depending on your viewpoint. Eliot often expresses his frustration with Parker as "What's wrong with you?!" (To be fair, she doesn't take offence and he does care for her; there's a familial bond between Parker, Eliot, and Hardison, in particular). The last thing asexuals need or want are characters who represent any of the stigmas or stereotypes around the orientation such as being "broken".

However, I'm not too concerned because Parker is awesome. Her team love her, she comes to love and trust them, she is clever, agile, loyal, and, ultimately takes the place of Nate as leader of the Leverage team in the finale episode. Possibly because of her own upbringing she's sensitive to the needs of children. She's well liked by fans (I've never seen hate for her, your mileage may vary):

Fan reaction to her is largely positive, often because of her nontraditional femininity and her unusual socialization. Many fans choose to read her as asexual, non-neurotypical, or a survivor of abuse to account for various aspects of her characterization on the show.

Overall, Parker is portrayed as quirky and eccentric rather than damaged. Her atyptical approach to life is often played as light-hearted, with her casual attitudes to things like falling from heights being contrasted with more usual reactions:

-PARKER: (to Eliot) Really? How’d you get over [your claustrophobia]? -ELIOT: I locked myself in a woodshed behind my house for a couple nights. After that, I was fine. -PARKER: That is so funny. I was scared of the dark and did exactly the same thing! (Flashback showing Parker as a kid being buried alive) (Sophie, Eliot and Hardison stare at her) -ELIOT: That’s not the same thing…What’s wrong with you?

All of the team, in fact, have their own baggage, and so Parker isn't held up as a broken person needing to be saved by their friends. They are a team and they support each other.

Sex is neither a large part of the show, nor is it ignored. There's a heterosexual on-off relationship between Nate and Sophia, Nate's ex-wife appears in several episodes, and Eliot has a few "girlfriend of the week" episodes. Parker doesn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend in her past, and when Hardison has an episode in which he flirts with a woman, she experiences some jealousy, the first sign that she is experiencing romantic affection.

In "The First David Job"/"The Second David Job", the team are trying to replace a famous statue with a fake. At one point, Parker kisses Hardison, pressing him against an alarmed door to cover up the real reason for the alarm. This improvised affection stuns Hardison, who has been giving her admiring glances for a while, but Parker shrugs it off the moment the kiss is over and the job is back on.

Hardison continues to develop feelings for Parker, but she seems not to notice – part of her social skills limitations – and it was debatable at this stage if she would or could develop romantic feelings for him in return.

As the series progresses, Parker becomes more emotionally aware and more in touch with her teammates. However it's only when she sees Hardison potentially romantically involved with another woman ("The Double-Blind Job") that she starts to realise her feelings for him.

I love that the episode featured Parker exploring the feeling of jealousy. Hardison flirting and working with Ashley was clearly driving Parker crazy, but she had no idea why. Further, at the end, Hardison clearly figured out that she was jealous, but warmly gave her space to come to terms with her feelings for him. - x

In fact Hardison handles things so well that the Parker/Hardison relationship, regardless of Parker's actual orientation, deserves meta of its own, as does the subtextual OT3 of Parker/Hardison/Eliot. At no point does Hardison ever demand or expect anything of Parker, letting her find her way in her own time, and ensuring their relationship is based on their wants and needs, not societal expectations.

PARKER: “you realize this isn’t going to be normal, right?” HARDISON: “you know, my nana used to say that what’s normal is whatever works for you.”

Up until "The Double Blind Job", Parker has shown no interest in dating, romance, or sex. Even when Parker and Hardison begin dating – which is really more hanging out as a couple instead of hanging out with the whole team – their focus is on a variety of activities they find pleasurable, rather than on sex. The season five opener, "The Very Big Bird Job" confirms their new relationship status:

Sophie: Yeah. We're moving to Portland. No warning. Anything else? Parker: Mm, Hardison and I are dating. Hardison: Yeah. We just got back from a 'round-the-world trip. It was different, like, it's new, and we working it out. [Flashback] (various scenes of Parker and Hardison repelling down the side of buildings)

In the episode "The First Contact Job", Hardison plans a rather more traditionally romantic evening:

(Hardison shows Parker the wording of the warrant ‘CANDLELIGHT PICNIC UNDER THE STARS) Parker: Ooh. Fire. I do like fire.

When the picnic is rained off, Parker is disappointed, but Hardison has a backup plan, an indoor picnic with electronic stars. Clearly Parker appreciates the thoughtfulness.

As such, I'd read Parker as hetero-romantic and/or demi-romantic, since she didn't develop feelings immediately. We never see her show any interest in women, though it could be argued she might be demi-romantic and bi-romantic, and we just never got the chance to explore that angle. I'd also argue, given her lack of interest around sexuality in general, she can be read on the asexual spectrum, possibly grey-asexual or demi-sexual, or asexual willing to have sex to please a partner.

It's been mentioned in previous discussions with my f-list, than Parker clearly loves the adrenaline rush she gets from her favourite hobbies, like bungee jumping. As such, orgasms could be seen as just another way to get a rush, and it's not unlikely that she's willing to masturbate and/or have sex in order to experience the pleasurable high. She certainly doesn't have any hangups about sex as bad or immoral; it just doesn't seem to interest her the way money or planning a heist does.

We never (to my knowledge, at least) get confirmation that "dating" involves sex. It's usually assumed that a romantic relationship will at some point become sexual, because our culture places a high value on sexual experiences. We can only guess, unless told otherwise, that sex does take place. However, given Hardison's deep affection and respect and overall patience, he would never demand or expect a sexual component to the relationship, and any sex that did happen would be undertaken at Parker's pace and with a great deal of attention paid to ensuring her consent.

However, once committed to a sexual relationship, I think Parker would be an enthusiastic participant. It wouldn’t beat the thrill of base jumping or breaking into a bank, but as a fun way to spend time with Hardison, who she loves deeply, she would give it her all.

(notes and references under the ‘read more’

References

http://www.tv.com/m/shows/leverage/the-gimme-a-k-street-job-2485197/trivia/

http://leverage.wikia.com/wiki/Parker

http://leverage.wikia.com/wiki/Alec_Hardison

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Parker_%28Leverage%29

http://hellyeahleverage.tumblr.com/post/471483586/iikrisii-elenitahb-sophie-its-a-good-job

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Leverage_episodes

http://www.tvfanatic.com/2010/07/leverage-review-the-double-blind-job/

http://fuckyeahparkerhardison.tumblr.com/post/28191931967/touchingmetouchingyou-ships-i-sail-parker

http://leverage.whendarknessfalls.net/transcripts/5x03-the-first-contact-job.html

http://leverage.whendarknessfalls.net/transcripts/5x01-the-very-big-bird-job.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/08/catching_up_with_leverage_the.html

Note: This is an unedited repost to this blog of a meta I posted to a personal blog for Asexual Awareness Week 2014 and at my Wordpress account in May 2015.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

8x06 Analysis and TD Goodness! ;D

So, how did everyone like last night’s episode? I actually really enjoyed it. We’ve moved beyond the story of the first four episodes, touched on most of the story lines and characters, and if feels like we’re not only heading into the next part of the story, but into whatever drama the MSF will consist of. This did feel like something of a bridge episode between the first part of 8a and the second part, but I liked it anyway.

***Reminder: Major spoilers for 8x06 in this post! Don’t read until you’ve watched. You’ve been warned!***

The Beginning

One of the first things it showed was Daryl on his bike, and he passed this place:

 At first I thought it might be the same place he passed in 6x06 right before he met Dwight, but that had the 642 sign. This doesn’t. Honestly, this looks most reminiscent of the crossroads me fell down at after chasing Beth all night. 

It also looks a lot like the place Rick and Carl passed in S4. TONS of S4 callbacks in this episode. Of course the similarities to the place in 6x06 work too because there as so much Beth symbolism in that episode:

It seems the characters left one another notes about how their part of the operation went. Obviously that was planned because cell phones don’t work anymore, and it seems to have worked pretty well in letting one another know how things are going. And of course I can’t help but think of Beth’s thank you note in Alone when I think of anyone leaving notes for one another.

There were actually a ton of things pointing to Still and Alone in this episode. I’ll get to them in a minute.

At one point, Michonne says it’s been a day and a half. The thing is, I think time is being staggered throughout the story lines. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ve seen nighttime for Rick yet. Although he may spend the night in Jadis’s prison and that will be the first night for him. We did see night for FG and Negan last episode, and we saw it at the Hilltop with Jesus this episode. Anyway, Rick says they need two more days for the plan, and I think it was still the first day for him when he said that. So my point is that I’m thinking the entire plan will take 3 days. Three huh?

Because of the sunset in 7x16, a new arc began in S8. And Christ rose after three days. Just saying. Feeling more and more like the MSF might be big for us. ;D

I also want to note that this felt like a pivotal episode, even if we don’t know exactly why yet. In the voiceovers at the beginning, specifically Rick’s he said lots of things about how “the path has led us here” and this could be “our last fight.” That sort of thing. So whatever we’re heading into next is probably gonna be really epic for TF.

The Scavengers

The spoiler site got a few small details wrong. Jadis wasn’t painting. She was creating one of those wire animals, like the cat Rick took for Michonne. It looked to me like a pouncing tiger. Is she creating some kind of shrine to Shiva? We do know that she favor cats.

Rick pounding on the metal door felt like a callback to Terminus. And granted, I do have Terminus on the brain lately, but given what happens at the end, I think the callbacks are intentional. When the Scavengers open the door, we see what is essentially a black tunnel.

Now, in terms of the plot, that’s just the way into the junk yard that Rick comes through to meet with Jadis, as far as I can tell. But symbolically, it’s really interesting. Not only is it more Dark Tunnel Symbolism (X) but in this case, it’s not just a character being in a dark tunnel or seeing one. It’s like they open the doors and something is about to emerge from the dark tunnel. Interesting that the very next thing we see in the opening credits is the Beth flash. Several people in my group commented that the darkness of the tunnel made the flash more pronounced.

Sticking with the junk yard story, Rick and Jadis have a convo. I didn’t notice this until I rewatched with subtitles, but Jadis uses the words “still” and “alone” three times in about twenty seconds. Someone else said it later too, and I forgot to write down who. I think it was someone at the Hilltop. Jadis first asks Rick, “Alone?” Then a couple of sentences later says. “Still? Alone you.” These were some of the callbacks to those episodes. The biggest one in the plot had to do with Carzekiel. I’ll get to that in a minute.

So Jadis declines Rick’s offer, saying he talks too much (Really? Learn to talk in complete sentences, Lady. Then you can criticize) and takes him prisoner. Rick does say that his people know he’s there and what they do depends on her. So it does sound like they have a plan for if Jadis doesn’t cooperate. I’m interested to see what that is, as they haven’t shown anyone to be concerned that Rick hasn’t returned yet.

Then, of course, at the end, Rick is in the prison. SO many interesting things and callbacks in this 10-second scene. Everyone in my group commented on Jadis’s boots, that looked a whole lot like Beth’s. Not necessarily on the flat part that covers the foot, but on the tall part that wraps around her shins. They look exactly like Beth’s cowboy boots. Hmmm.

It’s been said before, but Rick’s eye peering out is reminiscent of Beth’s peering through the small gap in the elevator doors from the Skybound promo in S5.

The prison at large, of course, is reminiscent of being in the train car at Terminus. And remember in 5x16, Rick woke up after his fight with Pete and told Carol he thought for a minute that he was still in that train car. So it’s kind of interesting that he sort of is now, even though it’s at the junk yard rather than at Terminus. I wonder if being in this place could bring on a flashback to Terminus for Rick? Just a thought.

I also noticed that inside, Rick sits exactly like Daryl did in the Cell, with one knee up and the other leg stretched out.

Finally, Jadis draws an A on the outside of the door, just like the A on the train car at Terminus. See why I think the callbacks are purposeful? And yet more evidence that Terminus is about to become relevant again. One other detail about the A. 

I noticed that Jadis specifically draw a horizontal line at the top of the A before drawing the A itself. That felt purposeful. I’m not sure what the meaning is though. The only thing I found that might be relevant is something called an Accent Grave. (Interesting name.) It’s a common accent in other languages. One of the few things it’s used for in English…is music. (Lots of emphasis on music in this episode, btw!) Basically it can be used to make 1-syllable words into two syllables to fit musical notes. This is especially common in church and gospel songs. Read below:

I think it’s interesting that it describes it as giving a silent vowel a voice, specifically a song.

Again, I’m not entirely sure this is what they’re going for, though. The line Jadis makes looks more horizontal than the accent grave, which is at more of a 45 degree angle. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.

Henry and Carol

Henry wants to fight, and I have to admit I was surprised how quickly Carol gave in and took him under her wing. Maybe it’s because of what he said about wanting justice for his brother’s death, and she can understand that. 

What she says to him is 100% about Sophia though. She says, “Do you know what happens to kids who wander around in the woods? They’re never seen again, and if they are, they’re monsters.” Yeah, totally about Sophia. Henry is unafraid, which I thought was really cool I REALLY hope he doesn’t die on her too. That’s been the pattern with kids around Carol. But I think he’ll either shatter her for good, or heal her. So I’m interested to see where this goes.

Carzekiel

So the convo between Carol and Ezekiel in the theater was very reminiscent of Beth and Daryl’s fight in Still. Understand that there weren’t any specific dialogue parallels that I caught. They don’t SAY the same things, but that’s because the issues are specific to their characters and arcs. Ezekiel and Daryl are not the same person, and of course neither are Beth and Carol.

But the structure is similar. Something tragic has happened (Hershel’s death and fall of the prison vs. all the Kingdomers being killed) and Daryl/Ezekiel feel guilty about it (not killing the Governor vs. getting his people killed). So they both become dark and withdrawn and emotionally shut down. Beth and Carol both draw their guys out of that dark place, refusing to let them wallow in self pity. (“We might as well do something.”/”Your people need you.”)

And I don’t even think the point of this is to parallel Bethyl (though I’m sure they’re conscious of the parallels as they write this). I think it’s more specifically about deepening the relationship between Carol and Ezekiel. Yeah, there’s definitely been tension and flirting, but it had to become more than that. There needed to be a deep emotional connection, as Bethyl and Richonne have had, and Carol and Ezekiel had to save one another emotionally. Now, granted the saving part hasn’t entirely happened yet, as Ezekiel is still refusing to come out this episode, but give it time.

I also think it’s interesting that Carol cried. It’s not that we don’t see her cry, but in the past it’s always been about her own pain, or an act to save someone else. She cried to Daryl in 7x10 about not being able to deal with killing anymore, but that was about her own guilt and her own demons. She cried in 6x13 when she and Maggie were taken prisoner. And yes, that was an act because she could kind of turn it off and on, but I also think it came from a place of real pain. Her pain. The act was about saving Maggie. But again, I don’t think we’ve seen her cry for the pain of another character before. She hasn’t sympathized with someone on this level since…Sophia.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, yes she sympathizes with Daryl about things, but we’ve never seen her cry specifically for him that I can think of. Even when Beth died, she was obviously worried about him and wanted to help, but she didn’t cry because of his pain. Here, she’s crying for Ezekiel and his pain, which outward really doesn’t have much to do with her. So this is affecting her on a different level. A romantic level. Hehe.

I also thought her line about acting was interesting. Yet another way we can see how well-planned this is. She said, “I have to act every day. It’s who I am and I’m still standing.”

A) This goes back to the “acting” theme we’ve seen around Carzekiel. And yet another way we see that this was planned well in advance. In 7x02, Ezekiel talked to her about playing parts. He called her out on her “act” of being a pleasant den mother when really she’s much more than that. He connected with her because he saw someone like him, and it made her uncomfortable that he saw through her like that, because no one else does.

We also saw her act in 6x13, which was long before Ezekiel was even in the picture. So clear back then (I’d argue when she first started acting to the Alexandrians in 5b) they were already planning this arc with Ezekiel and what they would connect over.

Remember in 5x16, Carol told Rick, Glenn, an Michonne that she’d been acting and “telling a story” to the Alexandrians since she arrived. Michonne didn’t like that and asked why. So even the people Carol’s closest to in TF don’t really understand why she feels the need to put on an act. I think Rick is the most conscious of her doing it, and he doesn’t question her on it, but they don’t’ really get it or empathize with her. Ezekiel does. That’s why they’re such a good fit.

B) This is just my opinion, but I was thinking last night about how Carol has been trying to leave TF since Lizzie and Mica died. She tried in 5x02 and Daryl stopped her. She finally did leave in 6x14 and ended up at the Kingdom. I kind of think that saying what she said, about how she acts everyday and it’s who she is, is something new for her. I wonder if part of the reason she kept trying to leave is that she can’t reconcile who she really is with the act she puts on. 

I personally think that hearing Ezekiel talk about how he plays the part in order to serve his people, and that’s okay, was maybe what healed her and made her realize that putting on the act to protect others is okay. There doesn’t have to be a schism. So his words really may have healed her enough to make her realize that it’s who she is and how she survived, and she doesn’t have to hide from it anymore. Now the tables are turned and she’s saying the same thing to him. 

I think you could argue something similar happened with Bethyl. After realizing she wanted to live, we know from what Beth told Carol in S3 that she admired Daryl, especially his determination not to let people (like Judith) die. He taught her to be strong and determined even before they spent much time together. After the prison, the tables were turned and she taught himself that it was okay to open himself up emotionally as well. I’m sure we could also find a Richonne parallel to this.

We also had an “I’m was okay” line from Carol. More of that theme, which also hearkens back to Beth. Okay, enough of my Carzekiel rant. If you can’t tell I’m really loving this story line. ;D

Oh, one more thing. The door wasn’t locked. Kind of a comedic moment, but I feel like there’s deeper significance to that. Not sure exactly what. We know when something IS locked, they always need a key to open it (key theory), so Carol bull dozing her way in with the gun probably wouldn’t have brought Ezekiel around. Maybe it just shows that, while he’s being stubborn, he’s still open to coming back from it in some way. He hasn’t truly locked himself away yet. I don’t know. Just felt important.

Maggie/Hilltop

Just a few small details here. They focused on the watch, which looked to still read 6:20. To me, that tells me Maggie is thinking of Glenn. She’s trying to make a decision about the prisoners Jesus brought and probably wondering what he would do in her position.

Gregory tells her to “connect the dots.” Just a random reference, but it reminded me of “the signs are all there. You just gotta know how to read them.” And in general of tptb wanting us to find Easter eggs and connect things.

There’s a lot of biblical imagery in this story line. One of the prisoners (don’t know his name) says to Jesus, “I’m not an angel. Ain’t no such thing.” Kind of interesting. I wonder if we’ll see more of this theme or where it will go. Makes me think of the angel wings on Daryl’s vest. And if there are no angels, it shows that most of the characters are in a very dark place right now.

Gregory also talks about Maggie being a shepherd, and sheep and wolves. Definitely biblical imagery there, especially from Matthew. And when he says this, a white horse picture is behind Maggie. (Horse Theory). And remember that white horse = Beth. So talk of the shepherd (Christ) saving the sheep from the wolves, and meanwhile a picture we think represents Beth is in the shot. Just saying.

Later, Aaron talks to Maggie and Enid about his grief over Eric. He asks if it gets easier and Maggie says, “No. But it helps to do something about it.” It reminded me of Andrea’s line to Beth: “The pain doesn’t go away. You just make room for it.”

And I thought it was sweet that Maggie was taking care of Gracie. Me: “Awww.” Don’t know why. Just liked that.

The Fat Lady:

So we had Michonne and Rosita’s story merge with Tara and Daryl’s in a very music-central story line. This was probably the biggest TD thing I saw in the episode. The most obvious thing is that it revolved around music, but let’s back up a minute.

When Daryl and Tara talk on the porch, it was noted in my FB group that he said “maybe” several times. “Maybe we can both kill him. Maybe we don’t gotta wait so long.” That’s reminiscent of him saying “maybe” to Beth twice at the funeral home in Alone. (Yet another callback to Alone.) “Maybe you don’t gotta leave that [note]. Maybe we stick around here for a while.” So once again, I’m feeling like Tara is a stand-in for Beth. And now she and Daryl are headed off together.

Lots of musical references here. They called the big speakers “the Fat Lady” because it’s all over when the fat lady sings. When Michonne confronted the female savior, the woman says, “You don’t look so good, girl. Somebody tune you up?”

I gotta say, the whole sequence where Rosita pulls a Daryl and blows someone up with a rocket launcher, and then Daryl comes out of nowhere and smacks into Fat Lady truck was awesome. Pure TWD goodness!

I do wish we’d have seen this story from Daryl and Tara’s POV. They were probably drawn by the music the same as Michonne and Rosita were, and that would have been interesting. Either way, Daryl was still drawn by the music and we have another example of him not really wanting to hear it. I know he took the “fat lady” down because it would have freed the Sanctuary, but still. Thematically, we had him asking Rick not to play music in 6x10, and now him bulldozing music in this episode. He’s really not all about the music since he lost Beth.

When Michonne and Rosita stand in front of the building and watch Daryl hit the Fat Lady truck, a three is clearly visible behind Michonne. And the truck Daryl uses looks a lot like a garbage truck to me. Not sure what to make of that, other than to tie in some way to the Scavengers? Not a whole lot more to say, except this definitely felt like things were getting “acoustic.” Between the music and the green ball Michonne kicked and the 3, this hopefully this story line will eventually lead to Beth in some way.

Carl/Siddiq

Glad we have confirmation that this character is Siddiq. I’m not super-familiar with his CB arc, and they could change it for the show anyway, but I do know he has ties to Oceanside.

More than anything else, these scenes were just interesting, and I’m wondering where they’ll go. The walker traps Siddiq built were kind of a callback to Morgan’s walker traps in Clear. Siddiq says he’s killed 237 walkers. Don’t know if that number is significant or not.

Then there’s a dead deer. (Deer theory). Remember that if the deer is dead, someone else is alive. It COULD have been for Carl, because it looked like he might get bitten there for a minute, but I doubt it. Usually the person is gravely injured, often by being shot. Carl wasn’t actually hurt.

I will say that having the walkers pile up on him like that when he was on his back was a big visual callback to 4b. That same thing happened when Rick slept for a day after the prison and Carl went out on his own. And that’s super-interesting to me because there were so many parallels in that episode, both in Rick’s and Carl’s story lines that pointed to Beth’s arc. Now we’re seeing both the dead deer AND a callback to that.

There was also a blond, female walker involved, who Siddiq killed. Interestingly, we didn’t actually see him kill her. First he was fighting her, then she was just laying on the ground. So we didn’t actually see him shoot or stab her in the head. Just saying.

One last note and I promise I’ll shut up. They mentioned a lot of titles in this episode. Not only Still and Alone, as I already said, but I heard them say “Now” and “The Next World.” There may have been others I didn’t catch. I seem to remember hearing another one, but can’t remember what it is and didn’t write it down. (*slaps forehead with palm*) The Next World is where Rick and Daryl met Jesus, and Now was Maggie in the dark tunnel with Aaron. So kind of interesting. But I felt like they went out of their way to mention past titles in this episode.

Again, just shows a lot of things are coming to a head. As Rick said at the beginning, the path has led them all here, and past episodes are being echoed.

That’s it for today. Anyone see anything I missed? I’ll probably do a TTD post tomorrow. ;D

[dirtyjazminrice]

1 - Who was the last person you texted? - My mom

2 - When is your birthday? - May 9

3 - Who do you want to be with right now? - I wish Ryan didn’t have to work tomorrow so we could be hanging out right now

4 - What sports do you play? - None

5 - Who is the first person in your contacts? - My aunt Diane 

6 - What is your favorite song as of the moment? - Whichever song on the Poptopia spotify playlist had that sexy ass bass that had me feeling a certain kind of way on the drive home from work. Also, Praying by Kesha

7 - If you were stranded on an island, who do you wish to be with? - Ryan or Bear Grylls

8 - What do you feel right now? - Conflicted. I want to watch the new episodes on the Bob’s Burgers live stream, but i also want to start A Court of Thorns and Roses

9 - What chocolate is your favorite? - Dark

10 - How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have? - The past tense sounds ominous. I’ve had 2 in the past and 1 right now, so 3

11 - Why did you create a Tumblr account? - Because my emo friends in high school had them and i wanted to be a part of the group

12 - Who is your favorite blogger? - Jenna Marbles technically counds

13 - Where do you want to be right now? - In the mountains or by the beach

14 - What do you want to be in the future? - Happy and financially stable

15 - When was the last time you cried? Why? - Last night. I finished Eleanor and Park. WHY WOULDN’T SHE WRITE HIM BACK. WHY DIDN’T SHE CALL HIM. WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL HIM SHE LOVED HIM TOO. WILL THEY EVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN

16 - Are you happy? - Momentarily I’m bummed, but ultimately I’m very happy

17 - Who do you miss? - Caitlin

18 - If you were given a chance, would you like to have a different life? - No

19 - What was the best thing you were given? - The gold coated rose Ryan gave me a few years ago

20 - Who was the last person who called you? - Sophia

21 - What is your favorite dish? - Sushi

22 - Who is your bestfriend? - Loaded question.

23 - What is your biggest regret? - Not applying to that Nebraska Furniture Mart job before it went off Indeed

24 - Have you ever cheated on your partner? - NEVER

25 - Who do you spend crazy moments with? - I’m not sure what this means, but probably Ryan

26 - Name someone pretty. - I’m having a harder time thinking of someone who isn’t pretty

27 - Who was the last person you hugged? - Ryan. He had a rough day.

28 - What kind of music do you listen to? - Loud music, preferably with bass. So hard rock, rap, EDM, etc

29 - Are you over your past? - Sure? lol

30 - Who is the last person in your contacts? - My old assistant manager Vail

31 - What kind of person do you want to date? - Someone exactly like Ryan

32 - Do you have troubles sleeping at night? - Only when I eat too soon before bed

33 - From whom was the last text message you received? - My mom

34 - What do you prefer, jeans or skirt? - Jeans always

35 - How’s your heart? - She’s good. Wishes her questions were answered about Eleanor and Park

36 - Did you ever have a girlfriend/boyfriend whose name starts with a “J”? - No, but all my exes have

37 - Do you like someone as of the moment? - A little

38 - What would you want to say to your latest ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend? - I’d take the high road and ask him how Europe was or tell him the hair cut was a good idea, but I’d want to ask him how it felt when the girl he cheated on me with and always was in love with the 3 years we were together got pregnant with another guys baby, and will never ever be with him ever again

39 - Do you have any phobias? - Death and spiders

40 - Did you try to change for a person? - I tried to change for my first boyfriend because I was young and desperate

41 - What’s the nicest thing have you given to someone? - Most recently I gave Ryan the best birthday presents of his entire life. Got it all on video. I also gave him a very sentimental book commemorating our relationship and it made him cry so that too

42 - Would you go back to your previous relationship? - Hell no. Mostly i look back and wonder why i let myself stay with him for so long. I guess wildly changing friend groups (and sometimes no friends) made me want some stability

43 - Are you in a good or bad mood? - Good to neutral. It’s the weekend

44 - Name someone you can’t live without. - My family and Ryan

45 - Describe your dream date. - Hiking in the mountains, exploring hidden water forms, kayaking in a large body of water (if it’s an ocean, extra points), playing in the water, going to eat sushi, and then resigning back to our bedroom for the end of the night

46 - Describe your dream wedding. - Not expensive.

47 - How many roses did you receive last Valentine’s? - Never really celebrated Valentine’s day. It seems lame to me, whether I’m in a relationship or not. Anymore it’s just an instagram competition and it’s exhausting.

48 - Have you ever been kissed? - A few times

49 - How long is your longest relationship? - 4 years today (exactly. yay happy anniversary Jazmin and Ryan)

50 - Do you regret your past? - No

51 - Can you do something stupid for someone else? - Can I? Yeah. Will I? Idk depends on what and who

52 - Have you ever cried over someone? - I’ve cried over everything, i assure you

53 - Do you have a grudge against anyone? - Idk probably

54 - Are you a crybaby? - Hell ye

55 - Do people praise you for your looks? - Sometimes

56 - Did you fall for someone you shouldn’t? - No

57 - Have you ever done something bad but you don’t regret? - Not that i can think of

58 - Do you like getting hurt? - Who likes that?

59 - Does anyone hate you? - If they do i don’t know about it. I’d prefer not to. It’d give me anxiety

60 - Did you slap anyone whose name starts with an “R”? - I’ve never slapped anyone

61 - What hair color do you prefer? - Dark brown

62 - If you can change anything about yourself, what is it? - Wow this brought an onslaught of insecurities. Let’s avoid changing physical appearance and say I’d more pure hearted

63 - Do you love someone as of the moment? - Hell ye

64 - Have you ever thought of killing yourself? - No

65 - Do you have issues with somebody in your school? - I don’t go to school (thank god)

66 - Can you live without internet? - I could but I don’t want to

67 - What’s the song that remind you of your special someone? - All of my hard rock, especially Rise Against and Linkin Park. Also You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins

68 - Are you good at holding back your tears? - No. I like to think I can do it but i cannot

69 - Are you a crybaby? - You asked that already. I definitely am

70 - Have you ever experienced being hysterical? - No

71 - Are you a KPOP fan? - No

72 - Do you study hard? - I study medium

73 - Have you ever sacrificed something important to you for someone you love? - Yes

74 - Did you ever had a kiss under the moonlight? - yes

75 - Have you ever ridden a boat? - Yes

76 - Did you have an accident last year? - Like car accident? No

77 - What kind of person are you? - what the fuck kind of huge ass question is that. Like i even know. look at my blog. it probably won’t help anyway

78 - Have you ever thought of killing someone? - No, wtf

79 - Have you ever been jealous? - Oh yeah. Another thing i’d change about myself is being less jealous and focusing on what i have and not comparing myself to anyone else

80 - How can you prove your love to someone? - being emotionally there for them, always listening to them and giving them a shoulder to lean on

81 - What are you thinking right now? - how i’m no longer paying attention to the new bob’s burgers episodes

82 - Who is the 6th person in your contacts? - fuck who cares about my contacts

83 - Do you have any memories you want to erase? - there was this one time in elementary school when i was with my daycare we went to the lincoln children museum and we were in a play vet area and this older boy had a play syringe and said he was going to put me to sleep and that really freaked me out and fucked me up

84 - Have you been hurt so bad that you can’t find words to explain how you feel? - I mean probably

85 - Did you ever badmouth someone? - i am a sinner

86 - Have you ever had an argument with someone? - wtf i’m not a newborn 

87 - Do you have trust issues? - not really. i’m super trusting

88 - Are you broken-hearted? - no

89 - Who’s the person who first comes to your mind when someone mentions “love”? - ryan

90 - Do you think all the pain is worth it? - all what pain? all pain we ever experience? no i don’t think all pain has purpose. some pain is just needless and painful

91 - Do you believe in the phrase “If it’s meant to be, it will be”? - not really. i don’t think there’s some predestined future.

92 - Who do you want to marry? - ryan

93 - Do you believe in destiny? - no

94 - Have you ever thought “I already found my soulmate”? - yeah, though i think people could end up with a variety of different partners. I don’t think everyone has only one person.

95 - How do you look right now? - not my best, but lots of side boob

96 - Do you believe that first true love never dies? - no

97 - Have you found your true love? - ye

98 - What should you be doing right now? - paying attention to bob’s burgers, reading my book, or applying to other jobs

99 - Name one of your ex-boyfriends/ex-girlfriends. - aaron. there might still be posts on my blog about him somewhere

100 - Did you ever feel like you’re not good enough? - eh i don’t think so

[downtofragglerock]

#'this is even worse than when that sad bitch Taylor started yakking with Anne about literature😒'#she would have a mini crisis manifesting as Bitter and Put Out#esp because alan was also saved by sophia and also knows her cape ID#so Emma doesn't have that superiority over him#and she's very dependent on sophia emotionally at this point#she's subconsciously dying from the completely irrational fear that sophia thinks her father is Cooler Than Her

I think military history buff is my new favourite Sophia Hess headcanon. Imagine, if you will, Emma inviting 14yo Sophia over only to lose her to animated discussion of WWI tactics and strategy with Alan Barnes after she sees his basement minifigure dioramas. POV: you're slowly realising that your super cool and totally not codependent friend-saviour-rolemodel-partnerincrimefighting-maybecrush has been poached by your very own dad.