#and suddenly everyone is VERY JUDGEY

[tharannas]

belobog trailblazing

[spider-jaysart]

My friend @theredheaded-stuff showed me this panel of Damian carrying this giant sword around and then I just came up with this whole scenario lol😂

Damian just walking into the Justice League base with Bruce, while carrying his giant sword around like in the picture above, just shocking everyone in there with it

Clark: Bruce???? You just let him carry that around with him?????

Bruce: Well, it's what he wanted, so I said it was fine with me

Hal: ARE YOU SERIOUS???? JUST LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!! HOW DOES HE CARRY IT AROUND WITH SUCH TINY ARMS????!!!

Damian, points sword at hal: DON'T CALL MY ARMS TINY!!!

Barry: DON'T HURT HIM!!!!

Oliver: ....Now I can see why my son Connor was begging me to let him get a giant sword last week. Good thing I said no to him CAUSE THAT WOULD JUST BE CRAZY JUST LIKE YOU RIGHT NOW!

Bruce: Hey! Don't tell me how to raise my kids!

Oliver: WHERE DOES HE EVEN PUT THAT THING WHEN HE'S TIRED OF HOLDING IT OR WHILE DOING SOMETHING???? IN HIS BACK POCKET????!!!

Bruce: You know what? Yes he does, CAUSE I BUILTED ONE FOR HIM! AND IT'S CALLED THE BAT POCKET!! And maybe if you would get your son a giant sword too, than maybe he would feel just as cool as my son right now, because just using arrows to fight crime is nothing new and it's just boring!!!!

Oliver: Take that back right now

Diana, suddenly walking into the room: (GASP!) OH MY! WHAT IS HE HOLDING????

Bruce, with his arms crossed in annoyance: A sword. Are you gonna start giving me some judgey comments about my parenting skills too?

Diana: Absolutely not! I believe it is one of the best choices for being used as weapons!! Let me see! (Runs over to Damian to get a better look)

Diana, examining it: Oh, it is just very marvoules!

Damian: Thank you

Diana: You've made the right choice setting him up with such a wonderfully and beautifully crafted sword that would protect him very well in combat! It is even big enough to destroy dangerous beasts during battle as well!

Bruce: Why thank you (looks at the rest of the League with a smirk)

Everyone else: ????

(Both Damian and Diana bond over their love for swords after this)

Damian showing it to Jon during a fight on patrol in Metropolis:

Jon: OMG! What is that?!

Damian: It's a sword, Corncob (=_=)

Jon: Well, yeah, I can see that for sure, I'm just wondering about how are you even carrying it???? And where did you get it from???!

Damian: Simple! I'm just that strong enough to carry it! And it was gifted to me! Now watch this!

(swings sword at a random tree behind him, making it fall on top of an incoming giant Lexcorp robot as he turns around to face Jon with a confident proud smile)

Jon, jaw dropped: (GASP!).... I'VE GOTTA ASK MY DAD TO GET ME ONE TOO!!!!

Damian: You should

Later:

Bruce, calling Clark: Clark? My son said that he left his Twizzelr pack at your house during a sleepover

Clark: What? Which one?

Bruce: We'll, he only brought one with him. They were specificly the red cherry Twizzelr's that he had with him-

Clark: No, I mean which son?

Bruce: The older one

Clark: Dick?

Bruce: No

Clark: You don't mean Jason than, do you?

Bruce: Of course not, I'm talking about my smaller one

Clark: Damian????

Bruce: No! Tim! How could you not know???? He was having a sleepover with Conner yesterday, remember????

Clark: I-....Ugh, It's just that I'm having a hard time focussing today since Jon keeps begging me and Lois to get him a sword after seeing Damian with it and I keep telling him no

Bruce: Get it for him

Clark: Absolutely not! He could hurt himself with it

Bruce: You and your son are both invulnerable, Clark, so I think he'll be just fine

Clark: I'm not getting him a sword!

Meanwhile with Jon:

Jon, flopping onto his bed with annoyance, talking to Damian on his phone: Aughhh! Damian, you wont believe it! My Mom and Dad won't let me get a sword! They say it's too dangerous!

Damian: -tt- Nonsense! It is a perfectly fine weapon to use in combat as long as you have enough training with it!

Jon: I know! It would just be so cool if I could have one! But they think that I won't be able to actually use it properly! Hmph!

Damian: Well, that stinks

Jon: Totally!

Damian:

Jon:

Damian:

Jon: Is it okay if I could maybe try out yours-

Damian: No, you're not touching my sword

Jon: :(

[mzminola]

I know probably sometimes ‘normal’ got used in interviews because people unfortunately think normal = relatable but no, no those only sometimes overlap, and Tim is not the normal Robin, he is the designed to be maximally RELATABLE Robin. Like yes, all Robins are audience stand-ins, but with Tim it was extra on-purpose and they just kept throwing spaghetti at the wall.

Having two working parents. Worrying they’re going to get divorced! Grieving one dead parent. Having a parent dealing with an injury/illness. Feeling like your parents don’t really know you! Having your dad get a girlfriend out of the blue (from your perspective). Getting a stepparent.

“Parents run a large company that puts you in an upper tax bracket” is not widely relatable, but “parents are both working and very busy” is. So is “parents are their own bosses” for readers whose parents are self-employed. The money levels let the writers and illustrators throw in whatever they thought was cool with the kids at the time without it raising questions.

Then Drake Industries goes under, so we have the relatable issues of family finances suddenly changing, having to move, a parent being unemployed & depressed about it, losing things you took for granted (we’ll miss you Redbird), becoming aware of money in ways you weren’t before (hello counting costs of Bat gear), the sheer fucking relief when your parent takes those first steps out of a depressive spiral.

Tim goes to private boarding schools and public day schools and is the New Kid over and over and over. They move from the city to the suburbs to another state and back. His classmates & girlfriends keep getting After School Specials plots. His longest running civilian friend gets a part time job and then cancer. He can’t stay awake in class and constantly struggles to balance all of this commitments.

Tim plays the in-universe equivalent of Dungeons & Dragons, and gets ideas for dealing with Rogues from it. He introduces Alfred to videogames and watches TV Alfred is judgey about down in the Cave in his Robin gear. Bicycles and skateboards, gets his license early for the plot convenience but still has to take mass transit for his first date.

Complains about being mistaken for being younger than he is, about not getting taken seriously, gets saddled with burdens no one his age should and frequently feels like he’s in over his head.

Became Robin because he saw his hero stuggling and wanted to help. Sticks with it for the personal connections he makes, for the sense of accomplishment and adventure, and because he wants to help everyone. Gets super excited about meeting other heroes and teaming up. It’s not normal to be a caped vigilante, but all of those reasons he has for it sure are relatable.

Tim struggles to figure out that he’s queer, is nervous about trying for happiness, deals with coming out to family and friends (and none of that is a neat & tidy one-and-done, it’s ongoing like it is in life).

Tim isn’t "the normal Robin” because that’s not really an actual functionally definable thing to be, and no single character can be universally relatable, but by g*d they have thrown so much relatability spaghetti at the wall here and so much of it sticks.

[pi-ying-xi]

Ep 1 of JoL2 thoughts:

I liked the opening sequence very much, and the closing song was.... unexpected, both as song and for what I'm used to from Zhou Shen.

This Yan Bingyun is going to take some getting used to. He's has suddenly shed that tight, wound up, suspicious of everyone and judgey Yan Bingyun that Xiao Zhan played.

Some of the older actors are suddenly playing it a bit broad? Yes, the emperor's first reaction is likely to be devastated, but i would *never* expect him to run helter skelter like that. Same with Fan Jian yelling. These two actors are unexpectedly unrestrained in their behaviour.

Er Dianxia my precious (scheming, traitorous scorpion)! 😍 Who's the new bodyguard though and why is he sitting there to receive exposition.

Loved Wang Qinian's wife and daughter. Loved how Fan Xian is petrified of her based solely off everything he's heard of via Wang Qinian.

Over all, high on the comedy, right from the framing narrative in the modern world.

I can only watch one ep today, so other reactions by and by.

[scourgethewhorehog]

... no serious though how do you have a comic with so much daddy issues and never touch on generational trauma and the disconnect between pre and post war knothole? its very reflective of the people behind it, sure, and i dont mean that in a judgey way- i understand that many experiences in my life have made my view of it very different than the average audience/writer and that like me trying not to put it in a way that sounds too much like "we live in a society" but like, ill take that risk to say that so much of sonics asshole moments can be explained by the inability to cope w/ everyone suddenly having parents! a government that isnt just Evil where the situation is more complex bc its his girlfriend/ex gf but still best friends dad who is still doing fucked up things but he cant just go beserk and not just that, giving into their expectations. sallys father is DIFFICULT. he does many fucked up and questionable things that tbh even the narrative doesnt condemn sufficently for my liking. he tries to segregate roboticized mobians, he tries to suppress a democracy, that mind you, was proposed PEACEFULLY.

sonic being kind of a dick and a brat can be easily explained by the fact that he was living in the woods with his lost boys and everything was as simple as beating robotniks ass and now suddenly hes being thrust into a political landscape that hes right in the middle of because his childhood friend had to be the fucking princess! and his whole world has changed drastically, everyone is very happy about it too! its suppose to be a good thing but years of his life his problems were different. and then you add on the fact he missed an ENTIRE YEAR of his friends existing and is displaced and alienated because of this, he is a year behind everyone adjusting to the drastic changes, and THEN he deals with MORE bullshit. sonic is allowed to be a little fucking stupid and rude hes 15 and he thought the world was just going to be him and his friends as usual together for the rest of their lives and he cant even be upset it all got turned upside down because technically this means everything is okay now, except it isnt because theres new problems. this is also why the 25 years later plot pisses me off once again and im so glad its another universe because the idea that they just would repeat the whole cycle again, sonic would just become complacent with everything, and just kinda?? settled down??? his entire coping mechanism is being a war weapon and u think he just going to get married be king be okay with everything and be normal????

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 10 February 1955

A most unusual week, with two of the same song charting at the same time in very similar positions. This is the kind of content you're just not going to get in the 21st century, for better or (for the sake of writing about them) for worse. Oh well, at least they look interesting...

The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers (6)

Immediately I'm imagining all sorts of sauciness, merely based on that title. By which I mean, if our naughty lady isn't a prostitute, I'll be very disappointed.

Things start promising with a slightly tango-ish rhythm and some deep, slinky "boom boom boom boom boom boom boom" bits and all these dramatic guitar and brass licks. It sounds dangerous and slightly sexy, and definitely a bit disreptuable.

And then we learn that "The naughty lady of shady lane has hit the town like a bomb / The back fence gossip ain't been this good since Mabel ran off with Tom". It's a picture-perfect glimpse into a catty 1950s suburban word, where everyone pretends to disapprove while secretly enjoying the hottest gossip. Seriously, somehow referencing Mabel and Tom and gossiping over back fences just makes it so good!

Then we get a shift to a marimba (?) and a more major tone as we get the chorus, all about how the titular naughy lady "has the town in a whirl". It's enough to create interest and create a brief and vaguely calypso-esque vibe. And then we're back to the tango atmosphere for the verses, which all describe our lady in increasingly suggestive ways.

To my delight, she really does seem to be a prostitute, too! She has a whole string of visitors, we learn, and we are told that "She must be givin' them quite a thrill / The way they flock to her door". Worse, she's giving "come hither glances" to every Tom, Dick and Harry, and offered some liquid refreshment "the lady never says no".

It comes close to being a bit gross, in its judgey attitude, except for all that the song's narrator disapproves, it never quite outright condemns her. In fact, the overall impression I got at this point was essentially of our shady lady as a sit-com character. This whole song, in fact, could be the theme to a WandaVision-type classic sit-com with a twist, all about a modern, sexually emancipated woman who suddenly appears in a 1950s suburban world. It's all in good fun, you get the impression!

As such, our main character isn't so much a real person as an assemblage of tropes. She exists so you can make assumptions about her and slot her into pre-existing narratives. Seriously, a lot of the fun of this song is trying to figure out just what kind of story we're in. At first, she's a "overdramatic town floozy" kind of figure, then at times she's more of a "disruptive femme fatale", and finally, she's suggestsed to be more of a "hooker with a heart of gold". All stereotypes, and the fun's just in figuring out that "She just needs / Someone to change her". We're doing that story, guys, case closed...

Except - last line twist alert! - she's not a prostitute at all, and all this play was just that, play! The real clue is in the mention of "powder / And fancy lace" and in the double meaning of "Someone to change her". Because, drum roll please... our lady is "only nine days old"! Yeah, that's right, it's a song about everybody liking a baby! And so you become the dirty-minded one for thinking it's about anything else - honestly, what else could this be about?!

It makes the song scan entirely differently on a second listen, as you realise why she's "delectable to hold" and what kind of "liquid refreshment" she's probably consuming. But I maintain that it doesn't quite work, even then - there's just too many lines that don't quite scan as being about a baby. I don't find myself minding, much. But also, nobody is seriously playing the "haha, but we made it about a baby" game here. We all know what this song is about - and it's all the better for its brazenness.

The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - Dean Martin (5)

To state the obvious: this is the exact same song as above. Fortunately, there are still some things to note about it, not least beacuse Dean's approach is considerably different to the Ames Brothers.

Immediately what jumps out is the backing singers' "papaya-paya" backing. Which was apparently a thing, as I've heard it in other songs, but it still just makes me think of the fruit, and not in a good way. It's distracting, to be honest, and it's not like the backing singers otherwise improve this version of the song. They don't have much to do, really - you could absolutely replace them with trumpets for the intro and the song would do just fine.

Getting past this, Dean's version also is a lot lighter, texturally. Part of this is the fact that there's only one of him, as opposed to four Ames Brothers. Still, you've also got a slightly thinner sound in the instruments, from the guitar and the other string instrument (no idea what it actually is), to the castanets and the faint plinking noises that replace the marimba sounds. It's a lot more Spanish-sounding, leaning on the tango aspects of the original and less on the more calypso elements. Which works just fine, no objections here, but it definitely gives a different feel. I also kind of miss the fullness you get from having multiple voices.

Apart from all that, the song really is the same song as above. I get less "sitcom theme" vibes, and the punchline feels a little more low-key, perhaps, but that could also just be because I know the joke. Hard to tell.

Well, those are the same song. I liked them, though I can see why they don't get much airtime nowadays. In fact, I think they probably suffer from the same issue that a lot of joke or novelty songs have, which is that they never work as well as the first time you heard them. This one has the "re-listen" bonus of spotting all the hints at our lady's age, but that's still only one or two more listens before you can safely consign this to a corner, where it will gather dust forever. A shame, because it is still quite fun!

Favourite song of the bunch: The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - Ames Brothers' version.

[cordelianewman]

One perk of having an older boyfriend -- okay, by a year, but still older, was that he had the chance to warn her about the teachers, what to expect with the school work, the different events, what to look out for, so to say she had a tiny bit of an edge. "It's not my fault he couldn't land a cheerleader back in his days of high school and he obviously has a bias against us now and was all judgey." she quipped, a little sniff to the air as if that had to be the reason. He was an incredibly strict teacher and she had to admit, she hated that math class, and Cage had probably heard his fair share of complaints as she did her homework before he'd find his 'creative' ways to distract her. "Plus I did my homework, I took good notes, don't punish me because some -- not all -- of the team didn't do that." Giving a roll of her eyes, it was a silly conversation but she loved these moments when they could just talk about the seemingly most unimportant things and still have this intimacy around them. "It would be more than pretty transparent, it'd be translucent 100%. So if you're looking to give everyone a show of what is or is not under this dress." Giving emphasis to the not part. After all this was a white dress, there was very limited garments she could wear under it and which ones she could were very, very tiny and risque. As his arms suddenly wrapped around her a squeal left her lips that echoed through the trees, bouncing off of them as it turned into a fit of giggles followed by his name falling from her lips, she was sure the echo could reach back to a few of the people who stumbled further from the building and more towards the trees but she didn't care. They had found their way into their little bubble where they were the only two people in the world who existed, and everyone else be damned. Her arms came to rest against his chest. "You are..." Her words breathless from the fluttering of laughter that had consumed her as he had spun her round. "Something out Cage Newman." Her head tilted back, her blonde hair falling back down around her shoulders, it shimmering in the moonlight as she looked up at the stars. "You be careful before you regret giving me any ideas." she teased from him almost pretending to throw her into the creek, because her jumping in and having him have to figure out how to smuggle her out of there could be just as fun but also quite the task. "We can always make new memories, isn't that the good thing about us now. We get to keep the past, tuck it into a pretty little box, but now we get to make our memories according to us, whatever we want?" she asked as he brought her attention to the fireflies that were gently lighting up and flickering in the distance. "Do you remember when you caught a few of them in a jars and we just laid on a blanket with them flickering around us. We had what just been going out a few months? Weeks? Think that was the first time ended rolling around in the field doing a little more than kissing." It hadn't been their first time together but they had started to have that need and want to explore each other more and connect with each other.

There had been very few classes that Cage and Cordelia had shared, with him being a year apart, but it made the stories that much more amusing, considering he had lived it, only to hear her repeat it back to him the next year. Telling her what teachers to look out for, giving her tips on how to best survive a hard class, even if she would ace it with flying colors where he had struggled. "To be fair, I very much so remember warning you about him being super strict about start and end times for class, so if you guys giggling and coordinating Friday night after party outfits made class late…" he trailed off, knowing that it was only going to get him in trouble, but she made it so easy for him to tease her. If the worst thing that Cordelia could remember about her grades was math not being a shade higher than it was… she had done alright for herself. But she always had; she was just that kind of person. Better than him, for miles. Dropping his eyes to move over her dress when she mentioned no dust, no water, and skinny dipping, his mouth opened into a small 'oh' of realization; she was wearing white. Thin, white, flowing fabric that was going to cling to her every curve if she got it the least bit wet, and more than likely give the entire world a glimpse of everything that was underneath. Or the lack of anything underneath, which was the actual issue at hand. "That… would pretty much be transparent, wouldn't it," he screwed up his face for a moment, and then let out a low sigh, as though accepting that it was fate, "oh well," he wrapped his arms around her middle, lifting her as though he was going to toss her into the pool of the creek just a few feet away from where they were standing. But instead, he spun her around before setting her down on her own two feet again, not daring to even consider tossing her into the water, but he also couldn't resist teasing her, holding onto that lighthearted, boyish feeling that entered his chest whenever they shared moments like this. The feeling of youth that clashed with the feeling of getting older. Something he had dreaded for most of his life until he realized, with some light of hope, that he could get older with her, now. "It is," he confirmed with a wistful smile. "It's kind of nice to enjoy it now, have a place that's ours as adults, make new memories in." As he looked past her shoulder, he felt another small smile touch his lips, his eyes lighting up as gently turned her body so that her back was against his chest, one arm fitting around her waist, and the other reaching up to point. "Look, the fireflies are coming out." Dancing in the trees and the bushes, little neon lights sparkling around the water's edge, blinking in and out.

[myhiraeth]

@thenightmareofyourdrems con’t from [ here ] 

             ˜”*°•.         Only   united  could  they  survive ,  wasn’t  it  so  ?  Everyone  responsible  for  something  -  food ,  fixing,  thinking ,  sitting  - .  And  perhaps  if  he’d  cared  for  this team  spirit  even  slightly ,  he  would   have   tried  to  contribute .  But thing  was ,  he  didn’t .  And  so ,   it’d  been  for  a  while  now  that  he’d   just  sit  there  and  observe  her .  The  rope  in  her  hands  barely  making  it  into  a  decent  knot .  And  yet,  she  notices .  The  few  glances  she’s  given  to  him  scream  that  she’s  noticed .  Silence  suddenly  broken  by  her  voice  -   and  yet ,  he  cannot  help  but  respond  with  an  innocent  shrug .  Almost  as  if  his  gaze  hadn’t  been  entirely  judgmental  this  very  whole  time .  ❝  What ?  Nope ,  nothing  . ❞  Came  the  assurance  -  a  teasing  smile  barely  held  back .  ❝  It’s  just  that  -  I  might’ve  seen  five-year-olds  making  a  better  knot  than  that . ❞  

She could feel him watching her struggle with this stupid knot that she couldn’t ask Munroe to show her yet again. There’s a funny mixture of nervousness and playfulness when she can sense him watching her that leads her to sneak glances at him just to see if he still is sometimes. Despite the judgey look on his features, he doesn’t seem as eager to share his derision over her struggles as he is with others. Maybe that’s why she suddenly looks up, hoping to catch him watching her, smiling when she does. 

Her words are playful- she doesn’t fear his sharp tongue the way the others do. Doesn’t treat him like the enforcer he is around camp or like a weapon with a hair trigger. She likes his sharpness, invites it in so she can smile in the face of his words. 

Or so she had planned. At his insult, her jaw dropped, though the indignation on her face wasn’t reflected in the playfulness in her eyes. He wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “Oh yeah? Let’s see you do better.” She lilted back, tossing the admittedly pitiful knot to him. 

[copperbadge]

your portrayal of mpreg jesus is seriously laughable. you really think he would suddenly start developing seahorse mannerisms as early as in the first trimester? give me a break. everyone knows you're just projecting because youre a furry. can't wait to read the next chapter though! :)

Hey asshole, supporting the Mascot Hall of Fame doesn’t make me a furry, it just means I like sports mascots. 

As for seahorse mannerisms in the first trimester, that’s a very classic trope and even if it weren’t, I refer you to Jesus Canon aka the Bible where it CLEARLY states “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). 

And even if that weren’t the case, seahorse biology is pretty clear: if Jesus is capable of carrying a child seahorse-fashion, then he already has a brood pouch prepared and would be engaging in seahorse mannerisms prior to Mary Magdalene ever laying eggs in it. 

So take your judgey “Jesus would never kin with seahorses” attitude and your fucked up definition of furries and fuck right off into the sun, which orbits around the earth the way GOD INTENDED. 

(This is an ask that has been circulating Tumblr and I’ve seen it at least once before, so knowing it was a joke I thought I’d take it as a prompt and have a bit of fun with it. Mind you, I do love a mascot, but I am neither a Furry, a Christian, a follower of the New Testament, nor a writer of Jesus MPREG. Though if I were I think scripture would back me.)

[mrskurono]

a/n: Alright so I have baby feels (bc I’m ovulating, fucking hormones) and like all the kids I ever see are people giving the characters girls. Which, yeah its cute, but you know I want some hq headcanons with boys! So here we are me feeding myself content like a heathen :) tags: timeskip spoilers, fluff, parent!HQ characters, nothing that invovled its just kids headcanons, fem!reader involved  character(s): Kageyama Tobio (hq), Hanamaki Takahiro (hq), Kindaichi Yuutarou (hq), Suna Rintarou (hq)

Kageyama Tobio + Two Boys

;| You know what’s funny, these boys were both 100% planned but Kageyama is that idiot that forgets each time you end up pregnant

;| “It’s positive???”  “Love, you literally circled the ovulation day on the calendar so you could tell Fukuro you’d be late.”  “Oh....That’s right.”

;| They both look like Mini Tobios™

;| He’s exceptionally proud of that in fact, dresses them up in volleyball gear constantly and makes sure each kid has a volleyball

;| Closer in age than he and his sister were. The oldest is about three when the other is born

;| They’re exceptionally close simply by the fact you both do everything with them if Kageyama is working

;| But conversely when he’s not training or working this man has his kids with him everywhere

;| Schweiden group actually loves these two (and you) Romeo adores kids as does Fukuro. Toshiro and Tatsuto are like the best weird uncles they could have. Kourai is just a larger child. And Ushijima keeps crayons in his work locker for the kids (and draws with them)

;| Work takes up a lot of time but in honor of his grandfather Kageyama stresses the importance of family a lot

;| Be default his kids really get along and love each other as well as kinda being momma boys

;| But Kageyama is whipped for you anyways so it would make sense both his sons listen to mom without hesitation 

;| Often mistaken for twins even though ones older

;| Avid volleyball players as they grow up but Kageyama never pressures them to be as competitive as he was, constantly reminded of how bitter it was during middle school and high school to be alone, so Kageyama prioritizes fun before anything else

;| The oldest might follow in their father’s footsteps but both of them always keep interests in other faucets of life that Kageyama appreciates because he wants to see his kids happy how they want to be happy and not just because he’s a volleyball player

Hanamaki Takahiro + Three Boys

;| “Lets have another one.”  “Well, what’s one more.” 

;| Basically that’s how you end up with three kids

;| Makki adores kids and honestly he’s never had an issue with them and they listen to him really well (maybe it’s the deadpan stare)

;| One boy leads to another, then two lead to three, no you were never “trying” for a girl and honestly Makki is over the moon with three boys. Having had just sisters, he thinks it’s terrific

;| They’re close in age, like, 2, almost 4 and maybe 6, you guys wasted no time and really it paid off

;| All three of them are tight knit and at some point you had to worry if they were ever gonna make friends outside themselves (don’t worry they did)

;| While you might not have ended up with three mini Makki’s, they all three have “the stare” that sometimes you get all four of them sitting together and looking at you it feels like a judgement 

;| Really they’re just looking at you but it’s hard when they look so unenthused and judgey

;| Makki is super involved (whether he’s working or a stay at home parent is up to you) Regardless he puts other dad’s to shame 

;| This man adores each of them in their own way and never pushes the volleyball narrative on them

;| One or two of them might but none of them really make something of it. All of them though are incredibly smart and end up being Seijoh kids

;| Uncle Mattsun is their favorite because he has gross stories to tell but Uncle Iwa is a close second because apparently it’s genetic all three boys wanna beat him in something

;| Makki’s pissed because Iwa lets all three of them out do him in whatever sport it is they like

;| Makki is still trying to arm wrestle Iwa

;| All four of you men are incredibly soft and down to earth, Makki still makes time for you even with three kids and somehow makes you feel like the sexiest person alive

;| But no, a fourth kid is 200% off the table

Kindaichi Yuutarou + Two Boys

;| After Kindaichi gets through with his apprenticeship and is working, suddenly he’s found himself as a nervous first time parent

;| Not that it wasn’t planned, you both just stopped trying to prevent it

;| The first one was hard, neither of you will lie but Kindaichi’s dedication to mastering this baby stuff really sold you on another one when he asked if you son should have a sibling

;| A little bit more of an age gap, think four when the second is born, but honestly your first is as touchy and sensitive as their father so being a big brother comes naturally

;| Out of all three of them, Kindaichi’s kids end up the perfect blend of you both. Except the hair, both boys have widows peak and dark hair there was no avoiding it I’m sorry

;| Somehow having the second one was easier. Kindaichi kept them strapped to his chest or packed them around while big brother helped and suddenly you were way more free than the first time around

;| Both boys are incredibly smart and very personable 

;| You joke that at least they didn’t inherit their father’s anxiety

;| Kindaichi finds this less funny

;| Both boys though are avid learners, great at making friends and enjoy volleyball

;| Yeah they end up Seijoh kids again and they’re like class 6 and up, they’re smart its scary

;| Thankfully as adults Kindaichi’s been able to reconnect with or stay connected with everyone so the boys have a huge support net

;| Uncle Kunimi swears up and down he doesn’t like kids, but somehow knows these boys so well that their birthday and Christmas presents are amazingly thoughtful. 

;| The oldest actually ends up playing more professional volleyball while the other one either dips into another sport or works in the healthcare field 

;| They’re both huge momma’s boy’s though and do not be surprised that they still ask for your advice and approval no matter how old they get

Suna Rintarou + One Boy

;| This little shit looks exactly like their father

;| Middle part, black hair, unenthused look, what the hell was the point of carrying him for ten months for him to look exactly like Suna

;| Who obviously thinks its the best thing on earth and gloats about his Mini Me more than he will admit

;| Suna excels in the weirdest parenting aspects

;| Physical touch and comfort? Amazing, can get his son to stop crying instantly. Remembering to do things like point at colors and say the names? Kinda forgets that

;| Another one who packs his kid around but opts for a carrier so his hands are free

;| Does workout with his kid attached to him, Suna ends up being an avid walker/hiker afterwards because it was low impact for you after childbirth and your kid loves the outside

;| Will never allow the twins within twenty feet of his offspring

;| Komori and Washio though? Oh yeah no shows his kid off constantly to those too

;| Gets asked when you’re gonna have another one by the way Suna is so over the moon with the first one

;| Inherits the knack for volleyball like their father has and Suna won’t lie he kinda enjoys it

;| Sets up a net outside and the both of them play a lot

;| Though he won’t admit it, Suna really appreciates Kita’s and Aran’s interest in his kid and feels a little proud when his old senpais tell him what an amazing kid he has

;| Suna always deflects it and says it’s only because it’s your kid

;| Deep down though he’s screaming because seeing his kid toss a ball to another Japanese Olyimic player melts his heart to no end

;| Maybe one more....maybe

[madnessfromthemountains]

This is also a general ND tip. Describe your problem without saying the name of your condition/diagnosis. People get so GD judgey about the names. Say the word 'autistic' and suddenly everyone has a nephew/cousin/etc who is 'nonverbal and has the intellect of a seven year old'!!!

AuDHD here, two fun things that really don't go together. I was never diagnosed as a kid (which given that I grew up in the sixties was mostly a good thing). I was just lazy and daydreamed a lot and was "always in my own little world". Also very insistent on daily rituals. Also sooo much procrastination (so much less shame to realize it is mostly executive disfunction).

I nearly 'came out' to a supervisor when I realized that a person who was applying for the lab tech position was most likely Autistic. My super literally freaked out. She had a freaking counseling MA and she was all "OMG they could have a meltdown and be all dangerous and OH NOES!"

So much head desk.

ADHD tip: If you're asking advice on the internet about something impacted by your ADHD, do not say the name of your issue. Just explain you have a neurological brain issue that prevents you from doing the thing. People are like 50% less likely to make helpful suggestions like "well have you considered not having a brain problem that prevents you from doing that? Like instead of forgetting and lacking spatial awareness, just do better and focus more on remembering things and having spatial awareness?"

[myrfing]

Yeah! In the end WoLs are very personal to the players so I try to remember and not to be too judgey about it! And yeah there are some WoLs I really love as well! And my own was originally just a vague self insert with the name of an old OC and then they took a life of their own so I renamed them .. xD

Regarding wishing there was more freedom in choices in 14: I think that as an MMO there are just some limitations people just have to accept. The msq is linear for sure though I don't know if that's just because 1) it's Final Fantasy first and foremost, 2) it's a jrpg first and foremost (different game design philosophy between JP and US?) You certainly can't have multiple outcomes, I think, especially not with 14's infamous spaghetti coding. And the team already have so many tasks... (reason why I'm just rolling with the gender unlocking of certain glams being slow)

Though, I've never played an MMO prior to this, and most western RPGs don't interest me. So my lack of frame of reference is probably another reason why I can't really fathom choice freedom similar to, say, Dragon Age, in an MMO in general, esp not one as linear as 14 ... poyo.

(I could do with more fiddling around with GW2 tho, I do enjoy it whenever I boot it up for fun)

HAHAHA YOU AND I BOTH if it's. not obvious that "gourd appraiser" wasnt meant to be. well. youre so right suddenly theyre alive what can we do but give them the reins.

and for sure. I'm really mostly okay with xiv's linearity and rigidity; I think they wanted to tell a certain story and told it. I actually dunno if that's a western/eastern design philosophy and don't think choice/branching narratives is necessarily not a jrpg element but the concept of it with games like for sure DA or UT or even older text rpgs whatever have really popularized it here yeah. in xiv theres obviously some parts where im like He would naht do/say that. or some parts I wish weren't in the msq at all. but for the most part I'm glad things turned out the way they did and I've never struggled too hard to work with it. i think it'd sit wrong with me if the story went another way, if the wol like, just said I don't owe anyone anything and everyone shouldnt ask a thing of me and ran forever.

but that's mostly because I fell hook line and sinker for the world so when anyone in the story is like do you want to keep going and keep this world alive I'm like of fucking course AND it's going to be fun you don't even need to ASK bro. while for others I do understand the sort of disappointment that comes with thinking this could have gone another way that they would have liked better, but the devs chose this way, so they feel like they were robbed of that different outcome. and to me they chose this one because they wanted to tell a story about caring about others and finding hope in others and struggling together towards a better future in a world that is largely hostile to that, that constantly gravitates towards its doom, and I really like that. I like how it reflects in their own dev experience having to reboot the game too! but some people feels like it rings hollow, or they don't really care for that sort of thing, or this spirit just doesnt reach them, and well...wat can you do.

and you're definitely right in that mmos simply cant handle diversity of choice in a game meant to support..well..massively multiplayer online play. at most you get factions which are notoriously clunky and seem to only function in games without a strong central narrative. if 50% of the playerbase said fuck off to minfilia, fuck off hydaelyn, you can't tell me what to do, and went to live a low-stakes life then. that's 50% of the playerbase that needs something other than all the dungeons, trials, deliveries, sidequests, raids, pretty much fucking everything to do, that aren't gonna be a part of the roulette. and they wouldn't have been able to pull off the concept of azem's magic either, the weird living idea that as players of the same character you all walk the same path and thus are always at each other's side. or the funnier route would be well everyone who wanted to play gets the kino ass "shepherd to the stars in the dark" shit and everyone who didnt to play can just sit on their hands I guess.

but i dont think people actually expect it to have branching paths, they just wanted the devs to choose a different one. but there's so many good and fun things throughout the entirety of the game that it'd honestly feel pretty lonely to lose all of this over a nebulous refusal to owe anyone anything and be owed anything, because the wol does go through some painful stuff and has some high expectations placed on them...AS IFFFF everyone in the story doesnt suffer and struggle against the same things while the wol has the privilege of controlling more of their luck, AS IFFFFFFFFFF choosing a path where you say fuck everyone else wouldn't have been empty and boring. as if the antagonists that apparently care about us more don't have wishes and goals and duties and lives of their own and are only made to love you in some made up but easier, purer, assured way.

and oh hee hee gw2...I saw a golden chicken in that game and logged off forever I was like this is it. but I'm playing gw1 (slowly) with friends and while it's still campaigns it definitely does excel in that look at this big ass world go do what you want thing. and yeah mmos are fucking...expensive and terribly difficult to make and keep alive. there's a reason they're just dying out

[tinyboxxtink]

“Sharky” *Part 2*

Don’t hate me because Barba is kind of a dick right now. We all know he’s not-- but we need the drama. <3

Part 1

Part 3

Tag List:

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@gibbs274

@dumauier

@wanniiieeee

@objection-argumentative

@word-scribbless

@aprildecker-blog

---------

“So he actually asked you to dinner?” 

“Yeah, but it’s probably some weird tactic to get inside my head,”

“Is he cute?” 

“Why does that matter?”

“Honey it always matters.”

Alright, so you had one friend. One best friend. One very best friend that you’d known since law school. But nobody needed to know that.

“....Yeah, I’d say he’s pretty attractive,” You finally admitted as you reheated your leftovers.

“Oh my God you’ve had sex dreams about this man haven’t you?!” He squealed.

“HOW do you do that?!” You stared at the phone in disbelief.

“It’s a gift,” He laughed. “I can hear the lust in your voice,”

“Whatever,” You grabbed a beer from the fridge.

“So what are you going to wear?” 

“I don’t know, I’ll decide in the moment,” You sat down on your couch and started catching up on your shows with your food and beer.

“Oh no no no, you need to wear your silver dress with those platinum earrings I bought you for Christmas,”

“Seriously, Charles? Are you going to come over and do my hair and make up too?” You chuckled sarcastically as you shoved low mien in your face.

“Do you want me to?” 

“I’m hanging up now,”

“Wait wait wait,” He pleaded and you listened.

“Be nice to him, honey,” 

“I’m always nice,” You stated in an offended tone.

“You’re cordial. Be nice-- Smile, flirt. Have a good time,” You heard his sweet intentions through the phone; it was like he was actually being a caring best friend.

“You make it sound like a date,”

“Well that all depends if you fuck him after,” There he was.

“I’m really hanging up now,”

“Call me after!”

-----

You went with the silver dress and black pumps-- just because Charles had put the idea in your head, not because it was the outfit you looked best in. You stepped out of your Uber in front of the restaurant: 

“Forlini’s” You read out loud. “...This place better not be expensive,” 

You went inside and noticed Barba was already at the bar so you walked over to join him.

 “Hey, Sharky!” His greeting caused an eye roll from you. 

“Seriously can we drop the name? I’m a woman not a fish,” You took a bar stool next to him.

“...Well then you probably shouldn’t have worn that,” He nodded.

“Excuse me?”

“You look like a shark to me,” He gestured to your silver dress; it was tight on the top and kind of flowed down your legs, like a fish tail. You had never noticed it before, but him pointing it out made it suddenly glaringly obvious.

“Alright guppy, what are you drinking?” You smirked, slipping into the bar stool next to him.

“Guppy…” Now he rolled his eyes with a smile. “Scotch, neat,” 

“I’ll have what he’s having, only stronger,” You instructed the bartender, causing an even bigger eye roll from Barba.

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“Thank you,” You beamed proudly.

The bartender returned with your drink; you noticed that he was very young and very good looking. You slipped him a $20 with a sly smile. 

“Keep the change, handsome,” You gave him a wink. He looked between the two of you, confused as to why you’d be flirting shamelessly with him in front of Barba.

“We’re not together,” You said very loudly.

“Wow, don’t say it so eagerly,” 

“Hey I might need some stress relief after this interrogation, I’m just covering my bases,” You smirked, still eyeing the bartender.

“Is that what you think this is?”

“What else is a first date if not an interrogation?” You suddenly realized what you had said and to your dismay you saw Barba caught it too.

“Ah so this IS a date,” He smirked.

“..I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant--” You stumbled over your words as Rafael just smiled at you in amusement. 

“Just shut up and ask your questions, I know you have a list of them” You shook your head dismissively. 

“Not a list…” He nodded to the bartender for another round. “Alright well why did you choose to be a defense attorney?”

“Money,” You replied without a pause. 

“Money? Really?” He asked with a judgey tone. 

“Hey you try growing up dirt poor and see how much you appreciate having money,” You snapped.

“I did, and I do; but it doesn’t run my life,” He shook his head disapprovingly.

“It doesn’t run my life,” You knocked back the rest of your scotch, ready for the new one.

“Really? Then tell me, how do you pick your cases?” He raised an eyebrow.

“My boss gives them to me,” You didn’t see the big deal.

“Uh huh and how does he order them?” He was making a point, you knew he was.

“...By the biggest paycheck for the firm,” You finally admitted.

“Uh huh,” He nodded smugly, sipping his new scotch.

“Look Barba I already told you this, defense lawyers are unfeeling monsters. What else do you want me to say?” You scoffed. 

“Is that the only reason you became one?” He smirked at you.

“No, actually it’s not,” You replied as you sipped your own scotch.

“Really? Why else?” He raised his eyebrows curiously.

“Because any law student out of night school can defend a good guy,” You inched closer to his face. 

“Defending a bad guy is a challenge,” You pulled back and noticed he was still smirking, and he added an approving nod.

“Fair enough,” 

“Really?” You raised an eyebrow.

“I mean you make a good point,” He scanned you up and down. “Everybody loves a challenge,” 

You felt yourself blush as his eyes ran over you, your own eyes surveying his entire body. You would never admit it to anyone, but you did always have a thing for the ADA-- not like “doodle hearts in your notebook” thing, but when he’d do his crosses in court you’d always stare at his perfect ass in those chinos and wonder what it would be like to take a bite out of it. 

Some other days, particularly when he wore the black and pink suit, you’d imagine what it would be like to just shove him onto his little offensive desk and fuck him right there in the courtroom, with everyone watching. You were so lost in your own fantasies that you didn’t notice people approaching you-- 

“Rafa?” An all too familiar voice came from the side of the room. You turned to see Rafael’s rag tag bunch of misfit detectives staring at you.

“Olivia,” Rafael said softly like a kid caught out after curfew.

“So this is why you couldn’t come out with us, because you were taking HER out?” Olivia spat.

“Um excuse you, I’m taking HIM out,” You grabbed Rafael’s hand and put it on your knee.

“NOBODY is taking ANYBODY ‘out’,” Rafael snapped his hand back and gave you a dirty look. 

“Liv it’s just a friendly dinner, and I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to have this conversation,” He gave her those pathetic apologetic eyes, like a puppy who had just peed on the rug.

“Why do you care anyway, detective?” You asked innocently. You knew she had cream in her panties with his name on it, and you weren’t afraid to call her on it. 

“Excuse me?” She scoffed with a laugh. “I care because he’s my best friend, and he doesn’t need to be manipulated by you,”

“Really? Me manipulating him?” You smirked and stood up off your bar stool and got real close to her face. “Then why did he ask me out?”

Olivia stared in horror at you, then Barba, then threw up her hands and stomped off. Carisi, Rollins and Fin all muttered goodbyes and dashed out behind her.

“Why would you do that?!” He looked like he wanted to go after her, but he was staying to have it out with you.

“Why would I--? Are you serious, Barba?!” You continued standing, now crossing your arms. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What?” He looked confused but you weren’t buying it.

“You asked me here on purpose,” You narrowed your eyes.

“Well obviously it was on purpose--” He tried playing it off.

“No no, don’t be cute. You asked me here with an agenda,” You inched closer to him.

“What? Oh come on Sharky not everyone is you, with your ulterior motives--” He glanced around nervously.

“MY ulterior--?! You asked me here to make your little work wife jealous!” You were making a scene now, but you didn’t care.

“What? I most certainly did NOT--” He tried defending himself.

“Then why did you ask me to come to the same restaurant you knew they were going to be at? I mean if you didn’t ‘want’ to be caught. I know you’re not that stupid,”

“I forgot,” He muttered softly.

“You FORGOT? Do you really think I’m that stupid? I’m not Olivia,” You crossed your arms again.

“DON’T talk about her,” He growled.

“Oh my god are-- are you on something?!” You threw your hands up. “You clearly have a thing for that woman, and yet you asked me out to parade me in front of her, for why?” You threw your hands up in frustration. 

“I didn’t ask you out for that Y/N, I swear--” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Then WHY did you ask me out?”

“I-I don’t know…” Now he turned those apologetic eyes on you, but you weren’t falling for it like his little detective.

“You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that?” Tears were forming in your throat against your wishes; you would not let this fucker see you have emotions.

“You know you offense lawyers, you sit up there on your moral high horses, judging all of us “bottom feeders”. But I would never fuck with anyone’s emotions or their heart, Barba. That’s just cruel,” 

“I thought you didn’t have a heart,” He was still going for the quips, he had some balls you’d give him that.

“Oh so that’s what this was,” You sucked back the tears as you tried to laugh it off. 

“You wanted to fuck with the big bad Sea Witch, see if she had a heart?”  You really couldn’t believe he was this vindictive. This whole time you thought, maybe....well, you didn’t know what. But you were clearly mistaken.

“No, I’m sorry I was just--” He stood up and tried to put his hand on your shoulder but you jerked away.

“Well guess what, Barba? You win! You made the shark cry. Are you happy?” You couldn’t hold the tears anymore as you yelled. 

“Y/N I’m sorry, I really am--” He tried going for your hand, but you slapped him across the face.

“Don’t follow me,” You warned him as you turned and stormed out of the restaurant.

How could you have been so wrong about him? Why did you even care?

[jenniferstolzer]

Babylon 5 rewatch Episode 2.22: The Fall of Night

Babylon 5 is at the center of not one but three conflicts as John Sheridan agrees to shelter a wounded Narn cruiser. The Centauri don’t like this. Earth doesn’t like this. The Shadows don’t like this. But Sheridan has a strong moral compass and what he doesn’t like is how much the institutions around him are willing to sacrifice in the name of forging some kind of cursory peace.

Things I liked about The Fall of Nighit

1, Lennier and Vir’s friendship. If you ask me Vir, could be friends with literally anyone. He’s such an understanding soul. Lennier is by nature a little judgey. More closed off. So when they sit down next to each other and discover how much they have in common both of them look at each other like “hello what” and automatically agree to meet again. But even this exchange is done almost like spies meeting and I don’t think we stop to think about that very often. These are the attaches of two ambassadors for two of the most powerful races in the galaxy… they could very well be exchanging state secrets instead of expressing solidarity for their equally frustrating jobs.

2,  The Centauri are apparently willing to put their ships on autopilot and black out from g forces if it means when they come to they’ll be in a better firing position. This seems extremely reckless and VERY Centauri. It is the spacebattle equivalent of the hair. Big. Flashy. Not well thought through.

3, In the wake of the mass driver bombing, Sheridan gives Londo an opportunity to speak and Londo is like “NOPE” and jets before he says something that’s going to get him and his whole race in more trouble than they already are. Garibaldi then reads Londo like a literal book, delivering one of my favorite analyses of the character. Everyone thought Londo was a clown, indulging in opulence, going into debt at the casino, drinking himself to a stupor in public, but Garibaldi was his friend and knows that Londo’s not dumb, he’s actually very smart and his mind moves really fast. His error is in his judgment and priorities and he’s currently in waters he did not expect to tread. He’s scared, and he’s going to keep darting in and out of cover until he feels like he has a handle on things or he gets picked off by a hunter, whichever comes first. Also a very classic JMS line “He’s a pain in the butt, but he’s our pain in the butt.” Hunt for that or similar lines in other JMS stuff, he loves that line.

4, The ache of watching McCarthysim at work is very effective. Zach knows the guys he’s ratting on don’t deserve to be ratted on and even says so. “They’re just fooling around” but we can tell by the level of interest and tone of the Nightwatch captian’s voice that they’re gonna get blackballed. Zach can’t deny that they said what they said, but can tell that ratting them out is the wrong thing to do. In the end he relents with a bunch of qualifications but the Nightwatch doesn’t want qualifications. They want names. Thank you for your service.

5, I love that the guy there to ally with the Centauri is from the Ministry of Peace. So poignant. They’ll get peace all right, by paying off the aggressors.  

6, When the Narn ship was coming under threat by the Centauri warship, Sheridan opened a line to Londo just to spit in his face and hang up. It was amazing. Also during this crisis, Sheridan whips out a law book to smack the Nightwatch guy back in his hole. Sinclair would be proud.

7, Watching B5 come under attack is so emotionally stirring. Even on a rewatch, I don’t want to see it hurt.

8, We have arrived! The scene where Kosh reveals himself. I love that G’Kar is hiding in the plants – like he’s not a huge gecko man who people are going to notice. I also love how plaintiff his voice is, thinking if he speaks on Sheridan’s behalf it’ll help him in the political shitshow he’s currently in. I mean he’s issuing this apology for helping a Narn ship and G’Kar is very very very grateful for that. Also B5 blew up a Centauri warship so he’s pretty grateful for that too, I mean come on… I like that B5 has like a standard subway system in the middle of it and that they let the Puppet Friends ride. I miss the puppet friends. I love that the rotational gravity system means there’s a weightless portion in the center of hydroponics and that we used that to our advantage in this story. Also the vorlons in their native form play on the perception of the lesser races. They are light beings, and humans see them as angels. The rest of the races see them as prophets or gods, but none of these perceptions are perfect. We see wings and white robes and think Angel, but Kosh didn’t appear like a rennaissance painting. He’s got a butterfly look to him, too. The face he wears is a facsimile of a human not an exact human. He’s not perfect, we’re just in awe. Love that.

9 And finally a lot has been said about why Londo doesn’t see anything when Kosh appears. He’s been touched by the Shadows, so he can’t be converted by the Vorlons b/c we’re playing a game of Othello today I guess. Maybe because he doesn’t actually believe in his pantheon of gods so he doesn’t have any deities to witness. Maybe he’s lying because what he saw was his own greed and vanity. The general consensus is the first – that he’s incapable of seeing the light because he’s in the dark. For a fresh take on it, let’s look at the Vorlons through this lens. Kosh said before that if he revealed himself everyone would know him… I take this as being a side effect of being Vorlon. Vorlons are a feeling not an image. Like Magenta. Magenta’s not a real color, it exists on the color wheel because something has to connect red and purple on the color spectrum… but the spectrum of visible light is actually a straight line. The wavelengths for red and purple are far from touching, but our brains can perceive when they’re both present, so Magenta occurs. It’s imaginary, but we see it for real with our eyes. That’s Vorlons. Perhaps Londo saw a shapeless light thing in the sky, perhaps that’s what Vorlons really are… or perhaps they have no visible representation at all until they hit our brains. Our eyeballs behold something, but our brains have to construct it out of pieces. When the rest of the galaxy looked at Kosh they used the color wheel to construct him, but Londo was only given the wavelengths. He saw nothing, because nothing was there to see. I really wish there was another Centauri there to be like “I saw the goddess Li welcoming me to her arms!” and Londo’s over there like “I’m the problem” instead of not really answering that question. Maybe it’s answered in season 3, I don’t know. Did Vir see anyone up there? He must have been on break.

What I like Less about 22

1, So here’s where I’m going to talk about Keffer. I know the origin story…. that he was an unwelcome addition to the cast added per network request, but who the hell is he other than that? I think its remarkable how he slips right out of my head the minute he is off camera. We know he’s a pilot, that he was close to Carlos (whose story/death you may recall I was laughing at in a previous episode because its significance ALSO came out of nowhere), and that he made friends with the GROPOS grunts (who we incidentally learned to care about enough in that one episode that we were sad when they died…. Awkward considering Keffer’s contribution to this episode…) Honestly the most interesting thing about him is that he’s got an old-timey fighter pilot scarf he wears and he believes in ghosts and I bet you all forgot about the ghosts. Honestly, the most interesting thing about Keffer is how he’s a lesson in how not to write an interesting character – and no shade on JMS for that, I know he did it on purpose. Significant things happening to a character does not automatically make them a strong character. Keffer experienced loss, came face to face with the shadows, got in fights… a lot of stuff happened to him, but he was almost always the only named character in those scenes. We cared about the GROPOS because they cared about each other and we responded to that. Keffer was there to play cabbage head and ask questions. He’s not tight with any of our main cast who we’ve had tons more time to grow attached to, and dies for plot reasons without leaving an impact with his loss. Heck, you can see the value of interpersonal relationships on character development in action when the show used a shoehorn to try and force some in in context to Carlos a second and a half before he died. We had him drinking at the bar with command staff suddenly, we had him die as a result of a flight mission Sheridan was part of to make Sheridan feel guilty about it. Everyone was standing around going like “No, Not Ramirez” and if you recall on my previous episode writeup I was LAUGHING at how tortured this sudden human connection was. Keffer could have been made interesting. Follow me on this.

My treatment on how to make Keffer interesting:

Let’s say Keffer was introduced as an old friend of one of our characters – Fraknlin let’s say. He was a friend from the Minbari War days that helped him sneak behind enemy lines. Perhaps he was complicit in the covering up and destruction of Franklin’s notes on Minbari anatomy. As a result, the two hang out in medbay sometimes, talking about old times and comparing the current war to the one they fought together. We learn that Keffer has a fire for justice. Hates bullies. Sees the strong as absolute defenders of the weak and that any stronger race picking on a weaker one is a bigger coward than the unvierse can hold. Then when Carlos gets killed by the ghost he starts researching what it could be. Kosh and Delenn tell him to stay out of it. The audience assumes he’s going to uncover something and bring Franklin and other characters into Delenn and Sheridan’s confidence about the shadows through curiosity and honor, but we’re learning through the episodes that the Shadows are IMMENSELY powerful and have no patience for flies. When he breaks off from his squad to go have a looksee at what he suspects led to his personal friend Carlos’s death, we know this is going to kill him. He ignores the warnings of those who have more awareness and dies to bring back evidence of the Shadows to the station. Sheridan recognizes how Keffer’s curiosity and sense of judgment led to recklessness, something Sheridan himself is prone to. He vows not to let Keffer die in vain, but also states that the proof he got has changed everything… and that Sheridan would have done the same. Killing your men in the name of a mission is never the goal but there’s a line everyone crosses when the safety of the universe is at stake and sometimes things are worth dying for. Franklin walks into medbay, casts a look to the counter where Keffer used to sit all those nights, and turns away.

But that’s not what happen. Keffer’s dead now and I don’t miss him. Glad he emailed the Shadows to ISN five nanoseconds before he died.

Babylon 5 is now the last best hope for victory because sometimes peace is another word for surrender and because secrets have a way of getting out. On to season 3!

[battendownthewhatsit]

An Extremely Informal And Longwinded List of Black Sails Characters ordered by my Most Favorite to Least, After Watching the Series Twice, For No Reason Except It’s My Blog and I Want To 

- coming in at a Close Second to Madi, it’s every other named woman in the show ??  Max? Incredible.  Brilliant. Powerful and limited, complex and driven and deeper every time I think about her arc?? wow. Eleanor? absolute Shakespeare -level tragedy and the best blouses, amazing.  Anne? Holy Hell. Miranda? Lost too soon but still more powerful and insightful as a ghost/psychopomp than most characters on most shows when they’re alive. Full of righteous murder and I love that for her. Abigail Ash?? what a gem , deserved better family, I hope she lives to become a pirate queen. Idelle? comin’ up from left field to be an absolute force of hope and healing and defiance all in one, best stealth character arc.  The Maroon Queen? how does she rule the whole show with like ten minutes of screen time. Need a whole show about her.  Frigging. Charlotte?  an Artist. an Artist dealing with a Terrible Client and so in five minutes flat she was My character omg. Grandma Guthrie? unexpected kingmaker and I love how much of a Story she’s implied to have.  Mapleton? ...ok maybe I don’t care about Mapleton. but otherwise I can’t? pick  a favorite? my favorite is whichever of them is onscreen at the moment and extra when it’s more than one of them , which happens a lot but could never happen enough , not in forty seasons. 

- Godammit, Silver. Someone should shove him off the edge of a boat. Everyone  should shove him over the edge of a boat. But I can’t deny he’s a Perpetual Shenanigans Machine and I am always a fan of Shenanigans. Damn my weakness. 

 Vane?? I care about Charles Vane ??? How did this happen. When. What. I sobbed when he died and I’m still mad about it. 

 Billy Bones,  who amazingly did Nothing Wrong Ever until he suddenly did EVERYTHING Wrong Forever, and it made sense  and I’m upset about this too but it’s so solid and  aaaaah

 Jack Rackham, unexpectedly poignant Comedy Gold 

Teach, what a solid Dragon, what an amazing setup and payoff on a character who was only barely there

MR SCOTT , I wish he had SO much more focus, what an absolute revelation of character, absolute exemplar of planting a Character Revelation in a show , all his scenes are a thousand times richer on rewatch , the show  had to kill him bc if he’d lived he’d have solved everything 

RANDALL, CHAOS MENTOR, and rightly Judgey Food Service Worker 

Mr. Gates, F in the chat again , we only got glimpses of just how much was going on under the surface but it was eNOUGH omg I still tear up watching his speech about Billy

Captain Naft, for some reason a Genuinely Nice Guy who decided he was gonna PIrate and then was Terrible at it?? hilarious.  I’m so glad he got out . Hope he sailed away to star in a Pratchett novel. 

Tie between Featherstone and Mr de Groot (F in the chat, buddy, I hope you’re sailing on in a magical world where people respect your technical expertise and practical recommendations), champions of Just Being Good at the Job

 Julius, I’m sure he’d be top five if he’d have even thirty combined minutes of screentime but realistically I can only love him for his Potential 

likewise every person on Maroon island who never gets any focus, they All Deserved Better but didn’t get it so I can only love them Conceptually 

OH HELL, FLINT, I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT FLINT , I want to move him further up the list now but the fact that I didn’t even  remember to include him  until now tells me this is probably a Fair and Accurate ranking of where he stands in my Heart? which is. Completely wild??? he’s  one of the most main of main characters?? But (a) I really truly despise the way he treats his men like disposable straws for most of the series? I mean look how much I love so much of the Walrus crew and then this guy’s going around frigging blowing their brains out and tossing them off ships and obviously We Have a Problem  and (b) I think for me he wound up suffering from overexposure-- not in the show, but in terms of seeing him around Tumblr for years before I watched the show.  I saw all his big speeches and character reveal moments screecapped and gif’d for years, in a way I almost never saw anyone else’s, and when those moments rolled around for me in the series there was always a feeling like “oh, this is where that happens. OK then” , instead of experiencing it as a new emotional revelation. Given that the scenes where he did something I hadn’t  seen gif’d to death were still really powerful for me, I think all those years of out-of-context quotes and caps are really the main thing in play here, and that’s Unfortunate and also very much a  Me Problem, but also it’s just such a visceral emotional thing that I can’t really change the reaction.  Sorry, Captain , you’re great and well-written, I was just Spoilered out of a strong emotional reaction to you. :/ 

Thomas? Thomas.....

Israel Hands

uuuuh Hornigold and Dufresne I guess? Dufresne in particular is striking to me bc I hate his Choices but the  way he winds up making them is v. sympathetic 

uuuh Eleanor’s bodyguards in S1/early S2 I guess? 

the pastor who kind of hilariously has no plot relevance to anything ever 

....

that’s it

there are no more characters in this show :) 

no there aren’t :):) 

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E96 (February 25, 2020)

Tonight’s guests are Taliesin Jaffe and Liam O’Brien!

Announcements: The Chicago live show and C2E2 are imminent! The live show will be on Thursday night, but an hour earlier than usual, at 6 PM Pacific/8 PM Central! Liam will be at the live show, but unfortunately has to leave C2E2 early and won’t be able to make it on Sunday. On Friday, the first behind-the-scenes video for The Legend of Vox Machina animated series was posted on YouTube, introducing the writing team!

Episode 96: Family Shatters

Stats for this week’s episode! Of the 16 times Caleb has cast Teleportation Circle, the M9 have remembered to contact someone prior to their arrival 7 times. Of those 7 times, they were successful at contacting someone at the location only 3. Taliesin: “We’re playing this game like Skyrim, we’re just going through people’s houses breaking pottery.” Caduceus got the straw hat that he gave to Clarabelle in episode 31, about 188 in-game days ago. There were 17 cow-related puns. Dani: “Is that above or below average for a Critical Role episode?”

“Clay was kind of built relatively quickly. I didn’t give Matt a ton to play with. I gave him the order in which they left, I gave him Clay’s attitude and his impression of his family members, which was usually just one sentence, and some basic idea of what their power set might be if they had one. I always thought of him as, from a family perspective, of what would have happened to Percy if nothing went wrong.” He was happy to be the one to run the family business and just hang around at home and run the shrine. “I think the rest of the kids’ wanderlust probably put them at odds quite a bit.” He liked being able to play that conflict and show what Caduceus was like when he was annoyed. Cad took after his father, the girls generally wanted to leave, and Colton is “just sort of a doofus.”

Caleb was an only child, so seeing this many kids was a lot. “They clearly had their grudges and their different dynamics with each other, but that’s normal, for sure. Caleb’s very unfamiliar with it.” He also keeps looking at Nott and thinking about how everything he’s doing is about wanting to rebuild his family, whereas Nott is so conflicted about going back to hers. “He doesn’t understand it, but he doesn’t want to push it” or judge her for it. “I thought I had a really defined direction at the start of the campaign, but my seven best friends have knocked it silly.”

What’s keeping Cad with the Nein? “Caduceus is not ready to go home at all. He’s not done with his walkabout. He feels like he wants to see a bit more. He feels he has an intense debt to pay. He feels he has a mission to see everybody else through, at the very least. Or at least he’s telling himself that. So he’s saved his home, or at least he thinks he’s saved his home, and his family’s all right, so now it’s debts that must be paid. He’s not somebody who thinks you can just get off the bus.”

“Caleb was going to ask [the hag] about the ability to travel backward through time, not really believing that she could do that, but was still like, show me what you’ve got.” Even if she’d said it, he would have thought she was a liar. “Probably would’ve offered to kill the M9″ in exchange, then would’ve turned around to hit her with a surprise Disintegrate. Liam notes repeatedly that nothing could possibly have been as cool as what Laura wound up doing.

On the Nein not worrying about places Cad considered sacred ground, Caduceus “is fine with conflict. He doesn’t even really have to have conflict, he could assert himself if he were so inclined. It’s that he’s aware that there are limits to what these people can do. It’s very much the philosophy of ‘children and drunks can do no wrong’.” He’s picking his battles.

Was there a defining moment where Caleb started seeing the Nein as family? No single moment. “It’s like love by a thousand cuts.” Liam notes that he’s still not sure how Caleb would react if he suddenly had the means to carry out his plans. “He’s got the recovering-addict mentality.”

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Pumat! (CriticalHitical, photo by Minniemooncos on Twitter)

Taliesin notes that Caduceus is definitely feeling more connected to the group. “If anything, Caduceus is really embracing his role as the spiritual guide to the group. He feels like he really has a lot to offer from that perspective of being the roving therapist. Or at least, he thinks he’s a roving therapist.” Liam notes that Cad is the most mysterious of the group to Caleb. “He’s the most religious character I’ve ever played, too. He’s fun! He really came together very nicely.”

On Caleb being more lighthearted on occasion: “He’s been out of practice being a human being for a long time.” The Nein’s brand of ridiculousness is rubbing off on him.

Why hasn’t Cad been pranking the Nein? “They don’t treat him poorly in that way yet. Siblings, man. I have quite a few siblings, and there is an energy. It’s the same way like when you’re around your parents, you revert to a 15-year-old.” Same with siblings. “There’s just something-- just the urge to torture them is so overpowering.” The moment he got the whistle, he knew exactly what he was going to do with it. Liam was reminded of Taliesin’s real-life siblings while watching these interactions in the game.

On Caleb’s laying on compliments for the Traveler: “The thing about time travel is it’s so implausible. It’s so implausible that I could see us finishing this campaign and Caleb will still have it in the back of his head for the rest of his life. But maybe Artagan could help with that. He certainly sees the potential in Artagan, and it was a balance between wanting to support everything Jester has devoted her life to, so it just felt like everyone was ready to write it off. Life is often like this, life isn’t what you thought it would be, it is what it is. Let’s not damn this yet, let’s feel it out. And if I can use this situation to possibly eradicate ultimate evil, that’s a win.”

Cad found it tough to have family and friends in the same room and play both roles. “I don’t know how much it came across that he was trying to keep them, not necessarily separated, but ‘family, guys, guys, family, ANYWAY.’” He did want to get his family on their way as quickly as possible. Cad is the equivalent of his early 20s, so something like 85-120 years old for a firbolg. 

Liam is asked about the conversation between Caleb and Yasha on watch several episodes ago. "You know what one of the best parts of that scene that played out was, is about 20 minutes or 30 minutes before that happened, I texted Ashley at the table and said, ‘Want to take watch? I have nothing planned, it could be fun.’” He wasn’t expecting it to go that far. “I think he had such an extreme reaction because he felt that he had done a good job of hiding things, and he was suddenly worried that he was transparent, that everyone had been able to read him this whole time when he’d thought that he was-- well, he’s a little in love with Jester Lavorre, and has been for a while, uselessly in love with her. The waltz was probably a little pebble. And in that moment-- this doesn’t play out verbally too much in the show, but he just was worried that this thing that he’s never going to admit to because it’s useless, she’s finding herself, and has her whole life ahead of her, and has other people around her who care about her and are a whole lot better for her than he is. And he’s aware of the way those two [Fjord and Beau] feel as well. It’s just there in the background fucking up his shit. It’s really just a problem. Big fucking problem.” 

Fan art of the week: a gorgeous Clay family portrait! (by Teaweltzer on Twitter)

On Clay being absent for the renewal of his home: “I don’t think his arc’s ending off-screen. I think his arc ends when he comes home to see what’s become of it.”

Is Caleb worried about Beau since the confrontation with her father? “Of course he is. She’s ignoring all the advice that she gave him. He doesn’t like to see her that hard on herself when she’s so competent and probably the backbone of the group. It’s the most judgey Caleb’s been of anybody, really, but he’s very aware of the pain of family and personal stuff. She knows her, and even though he broke his shit in half, he could still see the dynamic in the room when we visited his family, so he feels for her. We need you and we love you and we will miss you, you don’t fucking get to go.”

Each of the temples has a secondary god; what was the Blooming Grove’s other god? “The Blooming Grove is for the Archeart because it is a gift of beauty. It’s the Allhammer, the Changebringer, and the Archeart. It’s kind of a powerplay from the Wildmother, in my opinion. They’re all three based off of very specific types of funereal practices that are common throughout the world.”

Caleb saw giving over the transformation spell to Essek as a returning of one of his many favors. “Caleb likes Essek a lot. They’re like two highly gifted kids at school together. And, you know, he’s quirkily charming and handsome. There’s just no reason not to, in his mind. Outside of the M9, he’s probably the only person that Caleb would see as a friend that he’s made. Everyone else is just sort of scenery around the M9.”

What’s next for Cad? “It’s a little bit of finding himself, or at least finishing himself would be the way to put it.” (cue snickering from off-camera) “He’s also vaguely aware of some of the things that are going to possibly emotionally damage the party on the horizon, and he wants to be ready to deal with, in vague order, whatever’s going to happen to Jester, and then whatever’s going to happen to Fjord, and then whatever’s going to happen to Nott, and Yasha, and Caleb. He doesn’t know how to deal with what Beau’s going through. It’s the one thing he has no experience of, because he has no experience with that family dynamic. When he met people with that family dynamic, it was always at the end of it.”

Some fans sent in death whistles. Brian encourages Taliesin to play one on the plane.

The hat for Calliope was a last-minute thought. The flute could also have gone for Colton, depending on “who I could sneak up on”.

Caleb took a symbol of the Archeart from the Labenda Swamp. “I think it was familiar to me. I think I might have either correctly or mistakenly thought it reminded me of the woman who helped Caleb in the Sanatorium.”