#anyways- I have to go for an interview now

[sadlynotthevoid]

An enstars social media fic with outsider pov included (aka, fans and the public) must be very funny because then you'd have:

• Random no idol fan person asking why is a highschooler going around with a sword.

• Video compilation of Rei Sakuma acting like a vampire.

• Video compilation of Rei Sakuma acting like an old man.

• Conspiracy theories about Eichi Tenshouin and how he "is totally hiding something guys. I don't trust him!"

• "Yes. Wataru. He's hiding Wataru. Look at his hair! That guy can't be human." As a reply to above.

• Alkaloid spotted accounts because they still believe they're not actually famous.

• Regarding the above point, Mayoi's photos are mostly purple blurs or dark corners where you can see a figure who somehow the fans know it's Mayoi.

• Aira's are taken mostly at idol events— others' idol events. A moment you're waiting in the line with your friend, the next you look back and realize the dude behind is Aira from Alkaloid.

• Tatsumi is greeting or smiling at the person behind the camera in most of his, except when he's getting out of a car. Then he's smiling the brightest— and everyone else is pretty much not.

• Hiiro's are a mix of 'spending time with friends/his brother' or a selfie with the person with the camera after he almost gave them a heart attack by dissapearing and reappearing right next to them.

• Shun's accounts in anywhere having an apparently random number added at the end. It actually is the number of the times he had to get a new account to the date.

• Madara fans putting his face in cowboy pictures and cowboy memes the same.

• Madara putting his face in cowboy memes himself and refusing to use normal ones.

• Kanata logging in once a month to post the name of a submarine creature and nothing else during the rest of the day. Sometimes with a picture for reference, which can vary from a photo of the species to a bad drawing of a fish.

• Madara evolving to put his face on mom memes.

• Someone jokingly asking Madara if he can adopt them and getting a positive answer. But they have to call him Mama.

• Hiyori's fans asking him every morning what's the veredict. If he answers Good Hiyori, they rejoice and act like they're going to have a great day. If the answer is Bad Hiyori, they rejoice and take meassures to prepare themselves for a shitty day.

• No one knows if they actually have good or bad days as per Hiyori's answer.

• Occasionally, Hiyori is going to reply with a Good Hiyori but remind to take their umbrellas anyway.

• In an interview, Hiiro is made a question about what song did he enjoy performing the most and he answers sunny trip summer. Immediately Aira affirms that is because he wants to eat lemons. The conversation sidetracks and now no one know if that is the real reason or not, just that Hiiro likes lemons a lot.

• "Alkaloid sidetracking compilation" and the video is four hours long.

• Sakuma Ritsu falling asleep video compilation.

• The rest of Crazy:B exposing Rinne for fun and revenge every so often. It goes from stories from when he just arrived to the city (once he got Niki really pissed off) to his latest act of brotherly pride to, one time he made HiMERU snap, finding any embarrasing moment of his and @-ing Hiiro at it.

• [Many days] since Eichi had to be ingressed into the hospital.

• Hokuto-senpai.

• Knights posting a photo of a small part of the lyrics for their new song:

"what kind of writing tool is that?"

"is that ketchup?"

"why is it written in ketchup"

"Mustard doesn't have the same effect."

• "If I had a nickel for every time [an idol used ketchup to write on non-edibles] I'd had two nickels, which is not a lot but is weird it happened twice".

• "It happens more than you'd think". Actual ES member response.

• People asking Koga to recreate the fight with the guitar.

[tvgirlsays]

Gil Galad and Elrond: Season 2

While Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 were fraught with tension between High King Gil Galad and Herald Elrond, there were some interesting and subtle moments that seem to hint that we will be seeing them form a stronger bond as king and herald in Season 3. I would like to highlight those moments!

The first comes when Gil Galad places Elrond in charge of the company being sent to Eregion. Despite the disobedience displayed in Elrond's waterfall jump, I think Gil Galad respected his steadfastness to his convictions.

I think that's why he puts Elrond in charge of the mission. As Benjamin Walker stated in an interview, Gil Galad now sees Elrond as a "wild card" and someone is now coming into his own. Placing Elrond in charge is a huge show of trust and an opportunity for Elrond to explore his potential as a leader.

There is a subtle moment between them in the Battle of Eregion that I love: Gil Galad does not join the fight until after Elrond has been swiped by Damrod the hill troll. Did Gil Galad see this happen, and this is why he finally took action? It certainly seems that way.

Of course, Elrond is upset that the king has put himself in danger, to which Gil Galad responds "A king's place is whenever the need is greatest." And it's true. This is the moment that Elrond needs him the most.

Throughout the entire battle, Elrond's goal has been to reach the wall and the stop the ravager from breaching the wall. He starts off on horseback with his cavalry, then continues on foot with a small company, and finally reaches the wall alone, and damages the ravager on his own.

But it isn't enough, because the troll presents a new and even more dangerous threat. Arondir's arrows cannot kill the troll and Elrond cannot face it alone (although he likely would have tried). That is when Gil Galad arrives, helping both Arondir and Elrond to kill it. It's one of the best moments of the episode!

Then comes the moment when the Elves find out that the Dwarves are not coming... Elrond is in denial, clinging to the belief that his friend will come, despite being told otherwise.

Elrond is usually a very logical, very calm elf. Throughout the entire battle, from beginning to end, he is focused and resourceful, giving Adar more of a fight than the Uruk leader expected.

But in this moment, we see his human side coming through. He can't wrap his head around the fact that Durin is not coming and that the battle is lost.

Gil Galad clearly sees this and recognizes that Elrond is on the verge of emotional collapse. He knows how much the friendship with Durin means to Elrond (in Season 1) and he knows how eager Elrond was to save Eregion.

I think he also realizes that Elrond has been fighting all day and night (not to mention running to and from Lindon to Eregion) and is at the end of his strength.

So he takes command for the last charge and does not reprimand Elrond for failing to join the fight. I like seeing this dynamic between them on the battlefield, because it sets things up really nicely for their roles in the Battle of the Last Alliance.

Once the battle has been lost and the leaders taken captive, we see Elrond pleaded with the Orcs to spare Celebrimbor's collection of scrolls. They laugh in his face and burn them anyway. It is not until they hold a knife to Gil Galad's throat however that Elrond unleashes his fury on them.

It takes 2-3 Orcs to subdue him, and even then, he manages to kill one and injure several others. While Elrond is clearly distraught by the burning of the scrolls (his library of Alexandria), his rage is only triggered when his king is threatened.

Despite their differences over the years, he clearly feels protective of Gil Galad. I suspect Gil Galad's death in the Battle of the Last Alliance is going to truly destroy him for that reason.

In the final scene of Season 2, Gil Galad chooses "the sword" rather than the shield as he faces what remains of the people of Eregion. I love that the last person he looks to before raising the sword is Elrond, his faithful herald. My hope is that this is an indication of their relationship heading into Season 3.

Gil Galad gained a lot of respect for Elrond in Season 2, and Elrond came to see that Gil Galad would always there for him whenever "the need was greatest."

What's interesting about Elrond's position in this final scene is that he stands directly in Gil Galad's shadow and is apart from the rest of the group.

What does this mean for Season 3? Will Elrond's role as Gil Galad's second in command become more of a highlight? Will he be separated from the other Elves as he establishes Imladris?

What are your thoughts and theories?

[project-sekai-news]

The Pegasus - An Interview

Welcome back to PJSK News! I'm your host, Tenma Saki, and because Hoshino couldn't be here today, I have brought a special guest! Special guest, how about you introduce yourself?

Good evening, everyone! I am Tenma Tsukasa, a world star! Many of you know me by my stage name, the Pegasus!!! Saki here is actually my little sister!

Hehe, Onii-chan, no headpats on camera! Anyway.. I have all the interview questions right here! Are you ready?

More than ready! Shoot!

Okay! First question: Tumblr user @sillystringstar asked: "Dear, Pegasus, why the horse name?"

That's an easy one! My surname, Tenma, means 'pegasus!' Therefore, I thought it only fitting to use that as my stage name!

I knew that one! Hehe, then I could use that as my pen name whenever I write articles! ..On second thought, that might be a little confusing.

Let's see, the next question is.. by @ithappenedonroute66 !! "If you are a star, then are you the sun and going to explode in the far future?"

E-er, you see, I'm not that kind of star! I'm a great and talented performer kind of star! BUT! I will explode in a blaze of glory in the future! You'll see, Saki, and uh.. it-happens-route-6!

I'll be waiting! ... user @agoist asked, "Why did you make that young girl cry by yelling “Dance and Sing” at her?"

Wh-where'd you here that from?! Ahem, I mean, the problem is solved! The girl was looking for her mom, is all! With Rui's help, the girl found her mom safe and sound, so you needn't worry about anything!

We're just going to ignore the fact that I blabbed.. next question, by @crime-soncloud! "Pegasus, what are your thoughts on the work of this news network, and what do you feel should be reported on more?"

This is a brilliant news network, run by my dear sister Saki and her friends! I try my best to listen to every single one of their reports! ..Though I haven't listened to the one about Akito yet! I've been a bit busy lately...

As for what should be reported on! I believe everything Saki and her friends report on needs their full attention! That being said, I recommend other Sekai's! So far, PJSK News has only reported on evnets happening around Shibuya Sekai, so if they could branch off to other Sekai's, I think that would be very cool!

Ooh, good idea! I'll talk to Ichi about that! Uh - also, the Akito going to jail one isn't that big of an event, haha..! There's no need for you to watch it!

Oh, really? Well, whatever you say, Saki!

Hehe, great! This next one is by.. @ova-kakyoin !! "what is your favorite part of performing? other than people smiling and having fun watching of course."

Hmm.. I'd say getting to know my fellow actors better! You mustn't only care for your audience! The wellbeing of the people you're performing with is also very important!

Well said! Okay.. user @sanri0add1ct asked, "dear Pegasus, why do you call your lunch a luncheon?"

Ah! 'Tis a name only fit for the glorious lunch eaten by the Pegasus!

You always put so much care into the lunches you make for yourself and me! Thank you, Onii-chan!

Anything for you, Saki! What's the next question?

Mm.. @25jpeg is wondering, "dear Pegasus what's your deal with Kamishiro?"

Ah, Rui! Hmm.. I'm not too sure what you mean by that!

Of course you know what they mean! Hm, like.. how he's always teasing you! Or.. oh! I heard from Toya that he sometimes sees the teachers chasing you two around the school~! Ooh, or maybe when you were rehearsing Ro -

Wait a minute! Where did you hear this?!

Well, I picked up the teasing one by myself, and like I said, Toya told me about how the teachers chase you two...

Ugh.. to think my wonderful fans would take our relationship like this..

Time for me to clear things up! ..Everyone, Rui is not bullying me!

...Huh..?

There! Now people won't think Rui is being mean! Rui is my great friend!

Onii-chan... hm. Don't worry everyone, he'll realize his feelings soon enough!

..My feelings..?

Anyway, next question~! @calleigator asked, "Mr. Pegasus Tenma, what are your thoughts on the ongoing apple pie thefts and what are you going to do about it?"

The apple pie thefts? Ah, I remember you and Hoshino reporting on this! I hope the thief will stop stealing apple pies and instead be a good citizen and pay for everything that they stole!

That's a lot of money to pay considering how many pies they stole...

But stealing is no good! As the Pegasus and a world star, I should be setting a good example for all the young children out there! Everyone, if you're listening, don't steal!

Aw, you're such a good influence! That's my brother for you!

Haha! You're a great sister too, Saki!

Ahem.. "Dearest Pegasus, your light shines brighter than any other. What do you plan to do about those who melt in your presence?" - asked by @monkie-see-monkie-do!

Melt in my presence..? Ah, I see, they melt because of my greatness! Well, my marvelous fan, if you melt in my presence, no need to panic! My light revives as well as melts!

Ooh, great answer! This next question is the last one, by @closegamecamo !! "Pegasus, what are your thoughts on those fake insects at stores?"

Fake insects..? Ugh, why would you ask me that.. er, I don't even remember what they look like!

That's fine! I brought one here with me just in case!

You wha - aaAAAAAAGGH!!

Haha, Onii-chan! It's just a caterpi - ahh, he fell down!

Eek! T-Tenma-senpai..? Is he okay?

Don't worry about it, Kohane! He'll be fine.. probably..

ONII-CHAN! The interview's still going!

..urk...

Ah, maybe it's a good time to stop..

Bye everyone! I hope your questions were answered by the great and glorious star, Tenma Tsukasa, the Pegasus! Let's keep this little incident between us, 'kay? Bye bye~!

..ugh.. aah, wait! Farewell, my wonderful fa - !

[mental-mouthful]

Hickey for the character asks pls? 👉👈

ohohoho! lovey suggestion !! i am always down to talk about a fellow ratt, so yes of course!

First Impression: IS THAT FUCKING HICKEY?? THE FERRET FACED FUCK I HATED WITH MY WHOLE BEING? THAT'S HIM? THEY MADE HIM A FUCKING TWINK???? People better not be fucking woobifying him i swear to god...

Impression Now: ohh noo. oh no my worst fear has come to life... i like hickeyyyy i like him a lotttt. i feel like this is how billy feels just "oh god. oh god is this working for me? son of a bitch it's working" On a real note though, he is sooo fascinating to me. He's a lot more genuine than i think people give him credit for. He's just so paranoid and has been taught to be so self-sufficient that it overrides any actual connection he might make with people. When given the chance to help, he does so, even if it is often tied to making himself look good. He didn't have to help Manson and Hartnell take Hornby's body down. He could've just cut in to undermine Irving and left it at that. He didn't have to grave rob to propose to Billy. He could've left everyone to burn in the carnival. (The fact he gutted McDonald do so and only looked as upset as "you fucking idiot, you stained my knife"... well that's just the other half of his personality showing) But he does all that. bc he does care. in his own twisted, detached way. Adam Nagaitas said something to this tune in an interview and its like. yeah!! he does care!! ...he just cares about getting himself on top (👀) more than any of that.

Favorite Moment: Goddddd what a hard question. Is it bugger victoria? (shout out fitzjamesbulletwound) Is it ratt wedding? (his smile is so sweet) is it his speech at the gallows? ("BUT ABANDONING HIS SHIP!!! SHOULD NOT BE AMONG THEMMM ☝️") i could be predictable and say its him taking his lashing like a fucking champ. his cheeky fucking smile throughout really encapsulates his "fuck you, I'll endure just to spite you" attitude. No it's not any of that. It's his casual smoke after he and billy get caught. it's really indicative of his personality and the unshakable force he'll be in the narrative. "there's worse things than being lashed ;)"

Idea for a Story: would loveeee to do a deep dive into his past. even if leaving it a mystery is more compelling, I'd really like to see what kinda menace he is on the streets of england.

Unpopular Opinion: that he actually doesn't want to eat people. he wasn't going into this with the hope that they'd turn cannibal. the situation had just gotten so dire and his lead poisoning and/or god compex had corroded his brain so bad he probably thought it made him an apex predator.

Favorite Relationship: He's got so many delicious dynamics to choose from but I think I'll go Crozier. He wants to be his friend. He wants to usurp him. He wants to fuck him. He wants to kill and eat him. He doesn't want his men to rough him up. He greatly looks forward to having a chat with him at the end of the world. He chains him to a boat.

Favorite Headcanon: that he plays the piano. and he's not great, but he knows his way around it. and its great fun to play for a crowd of belligerently drunk assholes who dont know the difference.

ANYWAYS THANK U THANK U FOR GIVING ME A REASON TO TALK ABOUT THIS FREAK <3333

[stupidlittlespirit]

Can you give me more examples of Alex disliking Ford? I’ve always kinda felt it, but I never really had much of a real grasp on it.

Okay so this is the part where I look crazy because I can't give you specific examples LMAO but I'll try to explain what I mean. It's more in what he doesn't say than what he does.

Alex doesn't ever come right out and state 'I hate Ford', but he implies his distaste for him through his treatment of him. The way he hasn't gone harder/more explicit on drawing lines about Ford's abuse, or talking about how Ford suffered terribly during the time he was alone, for example. The way he blames Ford inherently for a lot of stuff that Ford, while not blameless, isn't fully at fault for. It's little things, and I'll detail them below.

TW below: Abuse, discussions of victimhood and irl consequences.

He extends more sympathy to other characters whereas Ford is sort of an afterthought. I don't actually think Alex has fleshed Ford out very well in his own head. Remember when he said that he didn't even know that Bill was going to be the main villain? They were flying by the seat of their pants for a lot of the series and it's quite clear in some elements. Obviously, the series is wonderful, I love it, it's one of my favourite shows of all time and Alex is a true talent, but it's obvious which characters are more important to him. He favours Bill a lot, too, so when his disliking of Ford/being ambivalent about him meets his enjoyment of Bill, only one of those dogs is coming out of the fight alive and it ain't Ford.

I think Alex is a genuine talent, I admire his work and his writing. He seems lovely. But I do also think he lacks in skill when it comes to complex abuse depictions.

I see a running theme that he isn't very good at portraying it specifically via 'unlikeable' characters. I mentioned on a previous post that he did this with Pacifica until people expressed empathy with her, and then he decided to round her out. He stated that himself during an old interview; I can't source it but I remember it vividly because it flagged red in my head that he couldn't see she was just a product of her environment. She's a twelve year old girl, for god's sake, she isn't 'just a horrible person', it makes a person sound like Bill when they beef with kids like that lol.

Another thing is in TBoB, there's a really horrendous page where Ford is tortured. It is visceral and awful, and tbh I wish I'd have been able to ask Alex what his top 5 horror movies were when I saw his talk because the scene is very reminiscent of a lot of my fav horrors.

But anyway, it is literal torture and it is also communicating about how helpless Ford is. He's a victim and a 'weak one' at that. Nothing he can do will stop Bill's abuse, he's stupid for trying, he's pathetic, he deserves it.

Now, that is a take I see with Ford a lot. He deserves it. He's asking for it. And it's a really upsetting one. It's also a common narrative told by people who blame victims for the abuse they suffered.

Not once have I ever seen Alex defend Ford. Not once have I ever heard him say 'Ford didn't deserve this', 'Ford suffered as much as Stan'. Not once.

Considering that he said he took 'inspiration' from his friend's 'toxic' relationships (I also think this is a strange and slightly perverse thing to do btw), I would have thought he might feel more strongly about pushing away this narrative about victims deserving their treatment.

I, obviously, also don't know for sure that he did take inspo from friends; he could well be describing his own experiences and just not feel comfortable saying so because men do suffer a different kind of stigma around being abused. That's fine, he doesn't have to out himself or anything, that would be horrible. But it's just the way he reacts to fans and speaks about the victim (Ford) that makes me think he's a bit more removed from this specific experience than it being personal.

There are many types of abuse. Ford's experience is familial, relationship-wise (platonic, because nothing about his relationship with Bill is romantic in the most basic sense of the term, if anything you can liken that side of things to sexual abuse) and personal. Ford then abuses himself as a reaction to outside abuse. Not his fault, again, but it does happen and it's a common thing for victims to do. I did.

Ford does nothing but suffer.

I truly don't believe that if you loved and cared for your character, you would be willing to watch your audience tear them apart like that after they had already been through so much and were not actually a villain themselves.

Especially if you had, or knew other people who had, experience with that kind of abuse. He doesn't let it happen to Stan, he came down hard on people when they did it to Dipper, and to Mabel, too.

It would kill me to let my OCs be bastardised like that by an audience and I'd be damned if I did a disservice to victims everywhere over something like this.

I think his lack of care is displayed in his treatment of Ford, as opposed to him outright saying he doesn't like him.

I also understand that this analysis also comes from a deeply personal point of view and my own experience with this topic, too.

This is a TV show, it isn't real and I don't need to take it so seriously, but what I do take seriously is seeing the real world reactions of other people. That does hurt. It hurts to see someone who is (very inelegantly and heavy-handedly, btw) depicted as a victim of abuse be laughed at and made into a joke, or flipped on their head and made to be romanticised with their abuser just to make a ship happen.

Fiction doesn't need to be taken seriously except when the lines begin to blur over into real life. We know people are cruel to irl victims and we can see where these lines blur quite obviously.

I think abuse and uncomfortable topics should be depicted, but I also think that as a creator, if you use them, you have a HUGE responsibility to teach and guide your audience into understanding why these things are bad/what makes them so. You shouldn't make jokes about the topic or encourage other people to go off the rails with it.

You can't control people, of course you can't, but you can hold their hand a bit and show them towards the light. If they choose not to follow it then they're probably not bright enough to pick up what you're putting down and that's on them, but you have to try.

Maybe if I hadn't (and my friends and other victims hadn't) been subjected to exactly the same reaction, we wouldn't feel so strongly about this, but it really does feel like a kick in the teeth to see a large number of people behave so grotesquely about abuse.

And just as an aside: I am a victim, I have been/am an unlikeable one, but it does not mean that I deserved what I got and that goes the same for every other 'unlikeable' victim out there.

*deep breath* but other than that I'm totally normal about Ford and not at all mentally ill :)

[cinderblockgabbs]

Who is your favorite mark ego? And in wkm specifically? :D

DEFINITELY WILFORD Or William whichever one people like to call him more. I like him because even though he’s like weird as hell he’s also pretty sweet and whatever like he’s got this really cool duality to him and I love dualities in general.

One of my favorite things about him that I don’t really see that many people talking about (hopefully cuz I’m looking in the wrong places) is like HOW he changed from wkm to wmlw.

OBVIOUSLY when we see will go insane after wkm we’re like, “yeah that’s the change he’s just crazy now” And there’s not much further to go into cuz you already get the big picture you don’t have to go in depth to understand more that he’s not all there.

But if you do go into depth for him, you kinda notice that after wkm he regresses, stays the same AND grows all at the same time which I appreciate cuz that’s VERY realistic I’m like wow :DD

Regressions:

He witnessed a very anomalous thing of the DA and Damien and Abe and mark surviving thru things that definitely should’ve killed them (it did kill some of them but I’m sure Wilford never realized except for the DA). This messed up his interperatation of death to the point where he believes that sometimes people just come back to life like cockroaches or something. This makes him more prone to doing destructive and violent things cuz he thinks everything is a damn game.

TLDR his regressions are being more violent and more ignorant about other peoples safety

Stays the same:

Through wmlw and wkm he still holds the idea of like “life needs a bit of madness” so he still likes his absurdism. In the ddlc poems he says that it took a while to realize the world was “full of pricks” but I think he still operated like that back in wkm, he just didn’t ever consciously realize it. He’s still temperamental but to a lesser degree. He still likes being a jolly old chap ermmmm yeah

Oh yeah and he still drowns in his own denial and he knows it but that terrible guilt is something he just lives with like whatever

Growth:

After realizing everyone sucks he dawns this moral code of optimistic nihilism. If nothing in life makes sense and he can’t control what he doesn’t understand then he just appreciates life for what it is.

He also grows to become more understanding, cuz I’m wmlw when he sees that Abe is struggling to grasp onto his directionless reality, Wilford doesn’t just leave him like that with nothing to hold onto. he stops cuz he realizes he’s overwhelming Abe, he finds a way to relate to him with him saying “it was a bit of a Shock for me, too” and then gives Abe something that he’s familiar with, a direction to just “have fun” ISNT THAT SO BITTERSWEET UGH.

He says in Adwm that he’s “a forgiving person” i like thinking of that line as a Freudian slip. it’s not like he has that many things that he knows he should be forgiving for, but there are a lot of things that he wants people to forgive HIM for. I THINK this is a growth cuz he was pretty crazy about not wanting to feel like he was in the wrong and not caring at all about what anybody else thinks in wkm.

He’s apologized to like, Abe, the viewer, maybe like SOME other dudes not that much whatever but I like thinking he really wants to see mark again to apologize to him but that’ll probably NEVER HAPPPENN IN A GOOD NARRATIVE SENSE

He did see mark in the warfstache interviews Markiplier thing tho and tbh it feels like big brother doesn’t care about little brother for 5 minutes except for the part where he literally kills him. Again.

ANYWAYS YEAH I STARTED RAMBLING CUZ I LOVE WILFORD TOO MUCH maybe the duality thing I said is wrong I think hes less of a duality and more of a like spectrum maybe THANKS FOR ASKING THO AHHAHAHAHAHAH

[systematic-and-somehow-tragic]

This is so interesting! Fantastic finds and info! Yesss RayK in gay bars

I went down a similar path! I was also looking at bars (given some of the other decor in Ray's apartment) in Chicago (and Toronto). I didn't come across Harrigan's in my search, but there were a couple of places that caught my eye that I thought might have some fanon inspirational potential. Apologies for a long ramble below, I fell down multiple rabbit holes on this one

Now closed, there was a bar called the Hidden Shamrock (2723 N Halsted Ave in Chicago) that was opened in 1987. One of its owners was Michael Harvey (who is also a journalist and author). In 2011, they started hosting monthly literary interviews with local authors, obviously this part isn't relevant to the time frame of the show, but I liked the idea of a bar that Ray frequents having literary connections (he is a poet after all).

While I was digging around I found a reference to the bar in the internet archive that described it as being casual and shabby, with pool, darts, and live eclectic music (this link goes to a Chicago bar guide from 1994 on the internet archive). Also, per this guide, it's most outstanding feature was "Come in your sweats" 😆

I'd never heard of this band before, but the Hidden Shamrock was also the location of The Verve Pipe's first live show where they presumably performed songs from their first album I've Suffered a Head Injury (I went down such a wikipedia rabbit hole on this one)

I looked at Toronto too, for set/filming reasons, and I saw that there's a bowling and restaurant place called Shamrock Bowl and Restobar that's been open since the 1940s. Which made me imagine Ray and Fraser on a bowling date.

And I checked! Both Fraser and RayK make reference to bowling at least once in canon: "Well, perhaps we should just skip coffee altogether and go bowling" Fraser in The Deal and "...you can burn down my bowling alley, you can burn down my dance hall..." Ray in BDtH. (huh, a bowling rabbit hole, I wasn't expecting this one either) Maybe the first time they go, Ray tries to go easy on Fraser, only for Fraser to wipe the floor with him, thus birthing an intense ongoing bowling competition between them.

Also (if CoTW is to be believed) RayV also likes bowling! So it works as a date idea for Fraser/RayV, Fraser/RayK, Ray/Ray, and Fraser/Vecchio/Kowalski. (I feel like I'm trying to be a salesman for my weirdly specific bowling idea and I don't even like bowling very much 😆 I've only tried it a couple times and it hurt my elbow)

Lastly, I found that there were fan clubs for the Celtic Football Club from Glasgow all over the place (including Toronto and Chicago). Their official kits use a four leaf clover, but I did see shamrocks in some of their merchandise and related ephemera. I don't know if RayK is/would be a fan of soccer/football, but an interesting connection, the Hidden Shamrock claims that it was the first bar on the North Side of Chicago to show live European soccer matches.

anyways, thank you for coming to my shamrock fridge magnet inspired ted talk

A question about the episode Eclipse has reached this blog from the ether! This week's question is:

Why does Ray Kowalski have a giant shamrock on his fridge?

Remember, kids: there are no wrong answers except "Ray's apartment is a dump" and "Kowalski is an Irish name". At least one person (me) will find your idea interesting, though I'm willing to gamble (not with money, mind you) that I won't be the only one. If you're shy, try sending your response as an anonymous ask for me to publish!

[cosmo-spams]

I think I’m going to explode if I have to do one more thing

[sandushengshou]

the vampire lestat in the media (1/2)

[papayafiles]

"i think the thing i've learnt and i've gained the most this year is: confidence in myself. sounds very simple... i've just always been quite the opposite kind of guy. and i've, i always find like i need to go out and prove it to myself before i wanna start believing anything, so. um, this year i learnt—yeah, i made some mistakes, and i didn't give a good enough fight to max, but, um, it was a good effort! and the one thing i've learnt from is, i have what it takes. and that's not an overconfident saying, that's a: i know i made my mistakes, i know what i'm capable of doing, and i know if i can improve on these things, it's definitely possible. so i'm excited. as much as i want this season now to end and i wanna go have a holiday... i'm also already looking forward to next year."

from lando's post-race interview in abu dhabi, answering the question "do you really fancy [the wdc] next year?"

[katabay]

PAGLUIB

way back in like. march?? I took a stab at writing some kind of kabitserye type of story but it was a mess: it kept veering off into murder mystery drama territory because I was reading a lot of murder mystery novels around then and it Wasn't Good because I hadn't tried writing mysteries, let alone murder mysteries, before lmao

I did write a handful of short mystery stories since then, so next year I might take a stab at this idea again now that I'm no longer jumping head first into a genre pool I don't know how to swim in :)

[kindaorangey]

"are you asking me or making me?" is soooooo interesting to me because i think armand only asks it when he can't gauge whether he's letting louis down. it's barely even sexual - it's a hail mary. it's a show of trust, indirectly admitting that he wants to do something other than what louis expects of him, but that he's willing to obey louis anyway, for the sake of their relationship. it's sort of heartbreaking watching them at the sacré-cœur, because if louis had said "i'm making you" armand would've done it in a heartbeat. he would've taken it as a show of committment on louis' part, and he wouldn't have betrayed him. but louis takes the question just as an expression of disagreement, and so he doesn't play the game. ironically, he respects armand's independence too much to make him turn madeleine if he doesn't want to. and so armand isn't convinced of louis' commitment to him, and he betrays him.

and by the time we see them in san fransisco, louis knows what the question means now, and answers "no, arun, i'm not asking" without question. and armand accepts it without complaint, even as it pains him. companionship really is the most important thing in the world to armand, just like it is for lestat, and he's willing to do any number of horrible things to louis and himself just to keep him as a companion, just like lestat. louis' biggest mistake is not realising how to use that to his advantage sooner.

edit: HELP people are reblogging this again. i misremembered the context of the scene - louis is asking armand to witness the turning, not do it himself. still, if armand had gone along to witness, that would have 100% been taken as implicit permission for louis to turn madeleine (thereby adhering to the first of the great laws) and, in essence, "agreeing" with her turning where before he ordered claudia to drive madeleine out of town. this hypocrisy, and the further bending of the rules for louis' sake (he's given permission to turn a mortal despite neither of them being in the coven), would have been seen by the coven as betrayal. armand knows this; he doesn't think madeleiene should be turned for these reasons; that's why he asks, "are you asking me or making me?"

still. if louis had said "i'm making you" i think armand would've gone along to witness, implicitly giving his permission for madeleine to be turned and functionally changing his allegiance from the coven to louis once and for all. so the core point of the post still stands.

[skitskatdacat63]

2023 Brazilian Grand Prix - Sprint - Fernando Alonso

[noirve]

i will say the way they made armand fully to blame here was a little lazy to me like i think they could have gone for a more layered approach and this is NOT because i do not like seeing armand be evil bc i love evil armand. but i also love nuance

[buglaur]

[epiphainie]

i love the farewell, tommy. the 217's loss is our gain! note so much. like what a nice way to say that tommy was appreciated and always welcome back to the 118, if not literally, at least spiritually. that's a coworker they loved DOWN :')