#apologies dr jones

[kmomof4]

Apologies, Dr. Jones Ch.2 An addition for Zahara’s birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @zaharadessert !!!! I’m sorry I didn’t wish you a happy birthday while you were awake, but I hope you’ll forgive me when you read this little addition to last years gift! I love you dearly, my friend, and hope you had a wonderful day!

So when I ended the fic last year with “The End” I obviously didn’t think I’d be adding more to it. Oh well, I guess I lied. Hope y’all don’t mind! Enjoy and I’d love to know what you think!

All the love and thanks to @jrob64​ for her super fast beta skills. I’ve been working on this all afternoon, ON Zahara’s birthday, no less, and Joni stepped up to the plate and hit a home run! Thank you so much, babe!

Summary: Originally from the post by @lifeinahole27​ :

How do I explain to my professor that the reason I didn't show up to class is because in my dream I woke up and checked my email and saw that class was canceled and I believed it?

This new chapter picks up after the semester is over and Emma and Killian can finally go on an official date.

Rating: M (smut)

Words: Almost 3400 of 7255.

Tags: Teacher-Student Relationship, No Power Dynamic Issues, Consensual Sex, Smut

On ao3 From the beginning/ New chapter

New tag list! Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

@jrob64​ @teamhook​ @winterbaby89​ @hollyethecurious​ @xarandomdreamx​ @undercaffinatednightmare​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @stahlop​ @superchocovian​ @pirateprincessofpizza​ @tiganasummertree​ @anmylica​ @cosette141​ @motherkatereloyshipper​ @zaharadessert​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @jennjenn615​ @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​ @kymbersmith-90​ @booksteaandtoomuchtv​ @wistfulcynic​ @mie779​ @snowbellewells​ @lfh1226-linda​ @aprilqueen84​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @pirateherokillian​ @elfiola​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @justanother-unluckysoul​ @poptart-cat-78​ @myfearless-love​ @goforlaunchcee​ @searchingwardrobes​ @gingerpolyglot​ @gingerchangeling​ @djlbg​ @cocohook38​ @cs-rylie​ @thisonesatellite​ @donteattheappleshook​ @deckerstarblanche​ @veryverynotgoodwrites​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​ @fleurdepetite​

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Killian stood at the door of Emma’s apartment, his nerves making him fidget slightly as he waited for her to answer the door. The semester was finally over- he had never endured a longer semester either as a student or professor- and to celebrate, he was taking Emma out on a long anticipated, first official date.

He wanted everything to be perfect. The time he’d spent with her the last five weeks of the semester, clandestinely of course, had only cemented in his own heart and mind his esteem for the extraordinary young woman he was blessed to be courting. It was much too soon to be thinking very far into the future, but he had to admit falling into daydreams occasionally, of a happy future with the woman he had no doubt he was already deeply in love with.

His musings were abruptly brought to a halt as the door before him opened. Killian caught his breath as the object of his thoughts was fully revealed.

He snapped his jaw shut and shook his head slightly. “You look stunning, Swan,” he breathed, holding out a single red rose. Her hair was gathered into a high ponytail, exposing the graceful curve of her neck and leaving her creamy skin on full display. The dress she wore was a lovely pale pink that draped gracefully down to her knees, the fitted bodice modest with a sweetheart neckline that showed just a hint of cleavage, which had Killian smirking at what he knew lay hidden underneath. She appeared to be a little gobsmacked as well at his appearance, her jaw hanging open slightly and a small gasp escaping her lips. His smirk broadened into a full smile as he waited for her to find her words.

“You look…” She trailed away, her eyes sweeping over him appreciatively from top to bottom.

��I know,” he said, his smirk reappearing as she appeared unable to continue. She took the rose from his hand and rolled her eyes at his cheek, before inviting him in while she put the rose in a small vase.

A wolf whistle caught his attention from the back of the apartment as Ruby made an appearance.

“Hi, Dr. Jones,” she greeted him. “You sure do clean up nice.”

Killian chuckled. “You can dispense with the ‘Dr.’ Miss Lucas. Now that the semester is over and Emma and I can be open with our relationship, I hope you’ll call me Killian.”

She grinned good naturedly. “I’ll be glad to, Killian. As long as you call me Ruby,” she said with a wink. He nodded as Emma returned to the room. He held his arm out to her to take and ushered her toward the door after she’d looped her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Have fun, you two, and I won’t be expecting you back tonight, Emma,” Ruby told them, her brows waggling suggestively. Killian felt his cheeks heat as he cut his eyes toward Emma to see a lovely blush coloring her cheeks as well.

They left the apartment and walked out to the street, where Killian opened the passenger door of his classic SS Chevelle for Emma. Once she was seated, he closed the door and moved to the other side, taking his place behind the wheel.

Emma took his hand as he fired up the car and smiled at him, biting her lower lip.

“I’m so happy we’re finally able to go out together, Killian,” she said.

He turned toward her and smiled gently. “Me too, love.” His eyes turned back to the road before he continued. “I have to admit, I thought it’d never get here. But now we can be open with our relationship, and I couldn’t be happier.” He raised the hand he held to his lips and brushed them against her knuckles.

“So where are we going?” she asked.

“I know how much you like foreign fare, so I’ve made reservations at Marco’s,” he informed her.

Emma gasped. Marco’s was one of the most expensive restaurants in town and she’d never been there for exactly that reason, even though she’d heard nothing but rave reviews since it had opened last spring. Her college student bank account wouldn’t allow for that kind of splurge. But her college professor boyfriend obviously thought she was worth the extravagance. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“And then maybe take dessert back to your place?” she asked coyly. She hadn’t been to his apartment in the time they’d been together. They didn’t want to risk anyone finding out about them, so their meetings had been limited to his office after hours, or the often deserted corners of the research floor of the library.

He smirked at her and his eyes darkened with lust, making a shiver run down her spine. “A fine idea, love,” he agreed.

It was only a few minutes later that they arrived at the restaurant. Killian jumped out and hurried to open the car door for her.

“You don’t have to open the door for me, you know,” she chastised him, lightly.

Killian didn’t take offense at her teasing tone and offered her a smirk in return. “But I distinctly remember telling you that I am always a gentleman. And if I’m not mistaken, I’ve proved that many times over.”

His last words were nearly a whisper against the bare skin of her shoulder as he opened the door of the restaurant. A shiver of anticipation raced along her skin, making gooseflesh rise.

Once they were seated, conversation flowed easily. Admittedly, their interactions the last month had been much more carnal in nature, acting on their desire all too easily, given the danger of possible repercussions inherent in their relationship. Now, with the pressure of secrecy removed from them, they could take the time to actually develop a mental and emotional attachment, in addition to the physical one.

But that didn’t mean they even tried to rein in their desire. Light and teasing touches were exchanged throughout the meal in between heated and lingering glances. It was all Emma could do to finish the cannelloni on her plate. Just Killian’s eyes roaming over her was setting her on fire, and if they didn’t leave soon, she was sure she’d spontaneously combust right there in the middle of the restaurant.

“That was delicious,” Killian said, leaning back in his chair. But it only took a moment for his gaze to settle on her and his eyes to darken with need. “But I can think of something else I’d like to feast on.” His raised eyebrow and the sultry smile he sent her had her heart beating triple time and set her cheeks aflame. He was the most gorgeous and sexiest man on the planet. And he was hers.

“Me too.” She looked up at him from under her lashes and smirked as she watched him squirm.

“Minx,” he growled, signaling their waiter for the bill.

Once it was taken care of, he ushered her out the door and back to his vehicle. Before he could turn the car on, Emma pounced, not wanting to wait however long it would take to drive to his place. It was a tight fit behind the wheel, and not exactly comfortable, but surely they could have a few minutes to make out in the darkened parking lot.

His touch blazed along her skin and Emma was in imminent danger of throwing caution to the wind and pulling him into the backseat to have her wicked way with him. Pulling back breathlessly, she touched her forehead to his.

“We should probably stop, love,” he breathed into the space between them, squeezing her thigh gently where she was straddled over his lap, “before I can’t stop.” Emma giggled at how his thoughts had taken a similar direction as her own. She pursed her lips into a pout before she carefully climbed off of him, not wanting to hit the horn inadvertently, and settled in her seat.

It didn’t take long to arrive at his townhome near campus, and he all but chased her to the back door, caging her between his arms when she realized the door was locked and turned to face him.

“I’ve caught you now, Swan,” he murmured before capturing her lips with his. His hands roamed up and down her sides, as he swallowed down her breathy moans. She met his passion with her own, one hand plunging into his hair while the other held him close. When air became a necessity, he broke away and unlocked the door behind her, opening it and allowing her to enter before him. He took her hand and led her through the kitchen to the stairs that faced the front door.

“Kitchen, hallway, half-bath, den,” he murmured, pointing out the rooms they passed on their way to the stairs. Once they reached the second floor, he gathered her in his arms and pointed at three closed doors behind them. “Two more bedrooms and a bathroom. And this…” he said, as he reached around her and opened the door directly behind her, “is my bedroom.” His whisper was husky in her ear and Emma couldn’t stop the smile that lit up her face as she pulled him back into a passionate kiss.

He backed her into the room, their lips still fused together. Emma hadn’t had much of a chance to look around his home, but just from the time she’d spent in his office in the last month, she knew him to be very neat and orderly. It was fortunate, because Emma knew she didn’t need to worry about tripping over anything on the floor, like they might have if they were in her bedroom instead of his. Her legs suddenly hit the edge of his bed. It was tall, hitting her just under her ass. She was going to have to jump a bit to be able to sit down on it. But she needn’t have worried about that either, because just at that moment, Killian reached down and lifted her into his arms before lightly tossing her onto the mattress.

Emma couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips as she landed. She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she watched Killian climb up beside her, his eyes ablaze with predatory intent.

“I’ve thought about this for far too long, Swan,” he growled as he reached her. “Imagining you laid out for me on my bed like a banquet.” She reached up and gathered him to her, falling back onto the softest mattress she’d ever laid on.

He kissed her breathless before moving from her lips to her jaw and down the slope of her neck, sucking a mark into the soft skin there. Emma writhed beneath him as he touched and kissed her and began seeking out bare skin underneath the layers of clothing he wore. She got his waistcoat opened and then the dark shirt underneath. Burying her fingers in the hair on his chest, she delighted in the shiver that ran through him as she traced the muscles of his torso.

“You are so beautiful,” she breathed. Killian laughed and raised himself up from her.

“Men are generally not referred to as beautiful, darling,” he informed her, a delighted grin on his face.

She couldn’t help but smile back. “Maybe not,” she conceded, brushing his hair away from his face, “but you are beautiful to me.”

The grin on his face softened into wonder as he stared into her eyes. “You are beautiful to me, too.”

He lowered his lips to hers again and gently coaxed them open. There was no need now for the quick and furious lovemaking they’d been partaking of the last several weeks. They had all the time in the world. She wasn’t expected home tonight and he was in this for the long haul. He was hers as long as he lived.

Reaching behind her, he slowly lowered the zipper of her dress. He couldn’t see the skin his action revealed, but he could feel it- the soft and silky smoothness he’d become very familiar with over the past month. He ran his hands up and down, drawing the dress over her hips and down her legs, enjoying the sight of the skin being revealed. He followed the path of the dress with his lips. When he got to her ankles, he rose from the bed and wrenched off his shirt and waistcoat. His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned his jeans and removed them and his boxer briefs before climbing back up on the bed. He reached over Emma and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. The soft glow from the light made her skin appear luminescent and Killian could hardly breathe. There were no words to do her beauty justice.

Emma reached for her lover and wrapped her fingers around his hardened length. Killian’s eyes rolled back in his head as she began to stroke him.

“Emma, stop,” he begged. “I can’t stand it. This will be over before it even starts if you don’t stop, my love. And for this first time together freely, in my bed, I want to come inside you.” His gaze met hers, full of passion and desire and Emma wondered if he was even aware of what he’d just said. Surely he didn’t mean he actually… loved her. Could he?

She nodded slowly and drew him back down into the cradle of her thighs. They were separated now by only the barest piece of lace covering her most intimate place. She was glad she’d chosen the dress she had. It had a built in bra that made for one less piece of clothing to be removed, before they could enjoy each other fully.

Killian reached down and began pulling off the offensive fabric that had the audacity to hide her from his sight. He tossed it over his shoulder and moved up, inhaling the redolence of her desire for him.

“You smell divine, love,” he murmured, before his tongue flicked out to taste.

Emma writhed above him as he feasted like a man starved, her hand plunging into his hair, holding him to her as her other hand fisted in the quilt covering his bed. It was only moments before her climax was coating his tongue, her cry of completion nearly making him lose himself. He moved up, replacing his tongue with gentle probing fingers, bringing her down slowly.

Her gaze was hazy when her eyes finally opened, and it took a moment for them to focus on him. A lazy sated smile lifted her lips as she drew him down into a gentle, but no less passionate kiss. He rolled on top of her, settling between her legs, his cock hitting her just right, coating him in her juices. She wrapped her legs around him.

“Take me now, Killian,” she begged. “Please!” She raised her hips and he was helpless to resist her. The tip of his shaft entered her and a long shuddering sigh passed his lips as he slid home. She was so slick and so tight, he rested his head for a moment on her shoulder, just relishing the feel of her around him. Then he began slow, long, powerful thrusts designed to bring the most pleasure, while holding that precipice at bay for a bit. This was heaven. This was home. He could make love to Emma for the rest of his days and never grow weary of it.

He captured her lips with his, his tongue mimicking the action of his hips. Her legs around him tightened as she raced toward her peak, so he picked up the pace, determined to come with her. He reached down and flicked her hardened nub, sending her over the edge. Her climax triggered his and he emptied himself into her depths.

Killian could barely catch his breath. He knew now why, in marriage, the act of lovemaking was referred to as consummation, for the love he felt in his heart and the physical act they’d just partaken of had left him utterly boneless. Consumed from the inside out. They may not be married yet, but he knew he belonged to her, for as long as she would allow him, and he could only hope she’d one day agree to a more permanent attachment between them.

He looked down into the jade depths of her eyes, where he could see replete satisfaction, something else he couldn’t quite bring himself to identify, and confusion swirling in their midst.

“What is it, Swan?”

Her mouth hung open slightly and her tongue poked out and moistened her lips before she spoke.

“Did you notice?” Her voice was not much more than a whisper and if he’d been any farther away, he likely wouldn’t have caught it.

“Notice what?”

She moistened her lips again and now he could see anxious trepidation in her gaze.

“What you called me… uh… during…” she stammered.

His brows furrowed as he thought back. He couldn’t think of anything he’d said that might have provoked this kind of response from her. He shook his head slowly.

“You called me my love… you know, when I was…” she trailed off and turned her face away from him and Killian’s heart fell. He had no idea he’d uttered those words in the midst of his passion, and her response wasn’t what he would have wanted to see if he had purposefully referred to her with that appellation.

“Did you mean it?” she whispered, still not looking at him.

Killian sighed and rolled off to the side. He couldn’t lie to her. He knew in his heart that he loved her, even though they’d only been together five weeks, and he knew he wanted to someday make her his wife, raise a family with her, and grow old with her. Even if she didn’t hold him in the same regard, he had no choice but to lay his heart bare. A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets, after all.

“I may not remember actually saying those words,” he began, “but, I cannot deny their veracity. I do love you, Emma Swan.” He put his finger to her lips as she opened them to speak. “And I do realize it is much too soon to expect the same esteem from you, so hear this now. I will be by your side for as long as you will allow me to be, and I hope that you will at some future time, hold me in the same regard as I hold you.”

Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes and her smile was one of affection and indulgence. As if the words that had just come out of his mouth, the ones that bared his heart for her perusal, were the height of foolishness. His heart tripped in his chest and he scratched at the patch behind his ear that he just couldn’t leave alone when he was nervous.

“It’s not too soon, Killian,” she informed him, a single tear falling down her cheek. “I love you, too.” The smile on her face rivaled the sun, and he returned it in kind before capturing her lips with his own. He pulled back and gently stroked his fingers down the side of her face, basking in the love he saw in her eyes and trying to pour everything he was feeling into his own.

“I love you, Swan. I love you, Swan. I love you, Swan,” he murmured, peppering her face with kisses. She returned his ardor just as passionately until she had to stop for a jaw popping yawn.

They both dissolved into laughter as Emma turned in his arms and settled herself in his embrace. His arms around her middle tightened until they were skin to skin from their knees, to where her head was tucked right under his chin.

“We should get some sleep while we can,” he murmured in her ear. “I plan on wearing you out this weekend.”

He could hear the grin in her voice when she spoke. “Sounds reasonable to me. Goodnight, Killian. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Swan.”

 The End… for real this time.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! I’d love to hear what you think! Happy birthday, @zaharadessert​! Love you!

[bugisbonkerz]

this is the only good wander over yonder fanart i’ll ever make

[thekittyburger]

If you're autistic and watch a decent amount of films or TV, this is for you!!

I'm doing a project for school on autism and its good and bad portrayal in the media, and I need some primary data, so if you don't mind (I promise it isn't that long), could you answer this survey?

All answers are anonymous so don't worry about your name being revealed.

(Also if you don't know a character I'm taking about, there is an option to skip!)

[thescarvedinsect]

One of my mutuals pointed out how this scene of the Grinch cartoon always felt unrealistic with a prior knowledge of sewing, so I redrew it with a slightly more realistic pattern. XD

[woop-ba-woop-ba-dee-doo]

you know that one mlp forever weed brownie comic? i feel like that would fit a lot with the helpless au by @mickedy

might do a doodle of it soon, idk

[thescarvedinsect]

Although not exact, FIXED IT!

🎄 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS → DAY SEVEN 🎄 HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! (1966), dir. Chuck Jones and Ben Washam “He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!”

[thelonelyshore-if]

DEMO

Update Wordcount: 59,904 Total Wordcount: 114,296

Finally, the chapter one (part one) update is here! I've been fighting tooth and nail against my own perfectionism, but my partner assures me that the chapter is good and I think I'm finally happy with where it's at. In this update you can:

Wake up!

Have a conversation with your host (Jay, Ravi, or Dr. Jones)

Go for a drive!

Return to the lake, or check out a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

Eat Breakfast! Meet Beck & Perri!

And that's it, nothing else weird will happen at all, I promise <3

There's a good amount of branching in this one. Three starts, two distinct middle paths, and it all comes together at the end. Because of that it might feel a little shorter than its almost 60k words (somehow the edit made it longer this time???), but I'm feeling good with the length.

Apologies in advance, but you'll need to start a fresh save for the update. I ended up changing the variables in the prologue quite significantly. Additionally, the content warnings page has been updated for chapter one, part one, and can be found here. Feedback is always welcome! My askbox is open, and the forum post for the WIP is another great place for feedback. That can be found here. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy!

[arjudy224]

The Intern (Day one)

Working for the Gotham Department of Environmental Protection is not for the weak of heart. Follow along for a day in the life of Gotham’s newest environmental intern.

What did he say in the interview? “We typically don’t take interns.” With each slippery stride through god knows what, I think I understand why. Who’s takes the intern on a tour of the sewer on their first day?

I don’t complain though; Dr. Harrison is not kind to complainers. If you can ignore the horrendous smell and the suits ability to become a sauna within a couple steps, it is really just like any other job. My boss calls over his shoulder.

“You brought that pepper spray right?”

I pause for a moment to adjust my suit.

“Yes sir.”

Why would they create a hazardous waste suit with such narrow eye holes? Fumbling with my mask, I stumble straight into a surprisingly solid member of my group.

“I’m sorry…” I apologize backing away.

Pulling my arms out of the external sleeves, I manage to wipe out the fogged up interior goggles. Once my field of vision clears, my heart drops.

The scales draw my attention first. In the dark, they shimmer and shine against the waste water. I’ve never seen anything like it. The hulking figure peers down at me with eyes that glow yellow in the dark.

When I was a kid, I used to love Animal planet. It didn’t matter how cruel the animal kingdom was; I was enthralled learning about it. Crocodiles have the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom. They can cut through bone… easily.

Trying to ignore the vivid image of a crocodile crushing a pigs skull on network television, I smile awkwardly underneath all my layers. He has a skin condition; this is a human man.

“I didn’t see you there. Thank you for steadying me.”

The prehistoric looking man regards me with curiosity. He is human…A human with razor sharp claws that have allegedly skewered other humans for dinner…Nobody’s perfect?

Before I can contemplate what my skull would sound like getting snapped in half, Dr. Harrison interrupts the silence.

“Waylon, meet our newest intern. You two will be running into each other quite a bit this summer.”

Hesitantly, I reach out my trembling hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Jones. I hope to see you around.”

The reptilian eyes regard me with suspicion. In a swift motion, Killer Croc’s scaled hand envelops mine in a slightly painful shake.

“The last one said the same thing before I had to pick them out of my teeth.”

Oh god. A loud burst of nervous laughter explodes from my chest.

“I’m afraid that won’t be necessary. I carry floss on me.”

Both men flash incredulous glances my way.

This is going to be a long summer.

The Intern: Gotham x reader

The Intern: Day one

The Intern: The Laughing Fish

The Intern: Busy Work

The Intern: Outreach Gala

The Intern: Visiting an old friend

The Intern: Chemical Valley

The Intern: Billionaire Boys Club

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

Character: Indiana Jones

Warnings/Important info: Fem reader, implied English or at least has been to Oxford University. Angsty, miscommunication.

Notes: I watched Indiana Jones the other day and obviously my first crush never leaves because young Harrison Ford as an archaeologist adventurer is just *chefs kisses*

It's bizarre really, potentially concerning, worrying to a degree, that after 5 years you know the back of his head from a glance. Suffice to say you try not to draw attention to yourself when you recognise who stands mere meters away from you talking to two of his students about antiquarianism.

Maybe you should have expected it, after all Henry Jones seemed to have a way of haunting you. Maybe you should have been prepared to see him, despite assuming that the United States was so vast that your move from the University of Oxford to Marshall College as a newly qualified Doctor of History would certainly not guarantee seeing him. Perhaps, it was the Moirai, the fates, trying to test your resolve or simply coincidence.

But, after five years without a single letter, a single telephone call or telegram, you certainly weren't keen to stick around and have a conversation with the man. Besides, you had lectures to teach, students to help, papers to grade (okay, maybe not the last one considering it was in fact the very first day of the academic year).

It is with a sharp back peddle that has you careering into a pair of students behind you with a clipped apology that you make your daring escape and it is a surprised call of your given name that has you freezing, turning about face and responding with a strangled "It's actually Dr. Y/L/N now."

"What? I'm not allowed to call you by your name anymore? Guess you've already recinded the right to call you Honey Bee too." There are students stopping to watch, what feels like the entire student body eager to watch the new History professor and the most loved Archaeology professor at each other's throats. A mystery arising from their familiarity and a curiosity at what history lay between the two. You certainly weren't eager to put on a show.

With a flick of the wrist you smooth down your skirt, turning on your heels and walk away calling out to him, "It was a pleasure to see you again, Dr Jones." It leaves Indiana gaping in the centre of the quad, watching the sway of your hips and the click of your shoes on the pavement as you leave him behind.

You choose to ignore the bubble of anxiety it puts in the pit of your stomach all day. Your lectures help to distract you at least somewhat from the reality that your former...you're not even sure what to call him...something, is present and working at the same university as you and you briefly wonder if it isn't too late to go back to your job at Oxford. You're sure Professor Haylett would let you come back, you might need to grovel a bit but...perhaps that was preferable to the potential mess that was being in close proximity to Henry again.

The last time you'd see each other, he'd been a 27 year old Archaeology professor. Young, dashing, charming, with every student at the University of London eager to please him and hoping the American would give them extra attention. You had been a 23 year old History PhD student, one of the few women allowed to do so, after much hard graft and determination. You had refused to let anything or anyone distract you from your studies, from your goal...and then you'd been told that he could help you with your PhD, that he had some specific knowledge on the Battle of Syracuse that you could use and...you'd found yourself suitably distracted. You would be being bitter and unfair if you didn't admit that in the year you'd known him he'd helped you with your thesis immensely...but he'd also put your reptuation at risk, broken your heart and made promises that he never would fulfil. Your mother was right...romance was certainly a tricky business.

You're so frazzled at the end of the day that you don't even recognise that your office has the lights on, if you had, you would have stopped before entering, instead you bulldozer your way in and stumble at the sight of him sat in a chair waiting paitently as if he wasn't phased one bit by your reappearance in his life.

"So, Honey Bee, you gonna tell me why I get such a frosty reception?"

"Yo-The absolute...I cannot...ugh!" You find yourself unable to stutter out a complete sentence as you slam the door shut, it reverberating on its hinges. "You have some nerve, Henry Jones! As if you don't bloody know!" You storm around him, putting the hard wood desk between the two of you and shuffling papers to keep from looking at him knowing he'd melt your anger in a second just with a smile.

He always had the most ridiculous ability to placate you and you wanted to feel angry today, not soothed like a skittish horse or malcontent cat.

"Sweetheart, if I knew I wouldn't have asked!" It's the silky smoothness giving away to frustration that causes you to look up, your bottom lip shuddering under the weight of the sadness that sits in your chest, old feelings that you thought you'd processed and put to bed coming to the surface.

"You promised..." He's silent, confusion deepening as you take a deep breath and begin to pace back and forth behind your desk, agitation growing with each movement. "You promised to write me, to call or send a telegram and you never did. I...I waited to hear from you and I heard nothing. So I am dreadfully sorry, Henry, if I do not feel particularly like pleasentries or intimiate nicknames in front of an entire cohort of students! I have had to earn my place and I am still fighting for respect and no man, one who doesn't even honor his promises, is going to ruin this for me!"

You are breathing heavily, body warm, shoulders rising and falling with every agitated movement of your lungs as he looks down at his lap. Silence falls between you for so long that you turn to look out the window of your office, at the street lamps with their warm glow, the last few students wandering across campus as evening sets in.

"I did...I wrote you." His voice is low, quiet, the sort of quiet that Henry Jones never was, so quiet in fact that you turn to check he actually spoke.

"I wrote every day for three months...half of it was stupid, five lines about my day or a single sentence to say hello. I wrote for three months, sweetheart."

"Three months?"

"Three."

"But, I never...how...if you wrote for three months then how on earth did I not receive a single one!" You're unsure if you believe him, at the same time you never knew Henry to be a liar and it...it boggles your mind. There's an impending sense of your world teetering on it's axis, emotional whiplash as you feel a soaring sense of hope, yet a feeling of disbelief, fear, all rolled into one.

"I don't know, honey, but I wrote for three months to 21 Hanover Street and you never wrote me back so I assumed...I assumed you'd moved on, found yourself a nice, sensible husband and gotten married!" There's an anger that you'd never noticed til now, a sense that he'd been hurt to, that he'd felt like you'd abandoned him. So far removed from the debonair, rakish persona he so often displayed.

"21 Hanover Street? You wrote to 21 Hanover Street?"

"Yes, goddamn it!"

"Henry...I lived at 12 Hanover Street."

"What?"

"I lived at number 12, one two, not two one. 12!" It is so absolutely absurd that you can't help but start laugh rather hysterically. That you felt abanonded all these years, angry, resentful, heartbroken and he'd simply gotten the wrong house number, a stupid, ridiculous mistake that had broken your heart into pieces, only to reforge it again.

"You're telling me that for three months I was writing to the wrong address...?" Henry is out of his chair, rounding the table and closing the distance between you so fast that it makes your head spin...or perhaps that is the effect of the emotional journey you're currently experiencing.

"I'm afraid so..."

"Goddamn it...well, shit, honey..." There's a pregnant pause as your eyes scan his profile, the frustrated set of his brow, the clench of his jaw, the familiar bend of his nose. He's not changed, not really. He's older, more lines around his eyes than last you remember, and a few more grey hairs, but then you're older too. Your first grey hairs finally settling in, the soft baby fat of your face having melted away somewhat over the years. But, he's still Henry and you're still the busy Honey Bee he used to chase around the library to the chagrin of the librarian. Things haven't really changed, you realise. With the removal of the one point of hurt between you, you can acknowledge that you still love him without the weight of anger or heartbreak pushing it down.

"Henry?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Kiss me." It makes you laugh against his mouth how quickly he follows your request, the scrape of his stubble against your skin an old, familiar sensation that you'd all but forgot. It was like coming home, so familiar that it sent a sharp stabbing sense of yearning into your chest even as his arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you to him.

The woodsy smell of his cologne surrounds you, the familiar tweed of his suit jacket scratches your arms, the soft strands of his hair through your fingers, the press of his nose against your cheek. It's like there hasn't been five years since you last kissed, like you hadn't been so angry with him up until five minutes ago that it hurt.

God, and to think, you'd nearly gone your entire life thinking he'd never cared. All because he'd mixed up two simple numbers.

[yzafre]

who wore it better – 2003 v 2012 episode comparisons

I said I wanted to do this in my 2003 thoughts post, and I’m gonna. I've been picking away at this for a couple weeks now.

I’m focusing on places where they actually recycled a storyline rather than adapted general concepts.  Fugitoid and the space arc is an example of the second method – Robot Scientist with a connection to a Dangerous Machine is a shared concept, but the stories are different.

“Ohhh how did we end up here we’ve GOT to figure out how to get home, our Dad might still be in danger” versus “we HAVE to collect the McGuffins before the enemy or earth is going to EXPLODE. AGAIN.” You know?

Comparing those types of adaptations could be done, but it’s not what I’m interested in here.  I specifically want to look at the places that made me think “oh, 2012 just copied this” while I was watching 2003.

Now, obviously this is extremely subjective.  So take this as me defending my nominations for winner in these categories, rather than some sort of objective truth.  I am presenting my dinky power-point on why you should vote for my favorites.  Ect.  Your preferences may be different!

My ramblings on the episodes got long (should I have split this into parts? maybe! didn't though), so uhhhh...

tl;dr: Scoring got weird at 3.5 to 2003, 3 to 2012, and two draws.

Key takeaways: 2003 better matches my personal tastes, and what makes 2012 good is the stuff specific to its iteration, rather than copying 2003

With all that taken care of, here’s my opinions, in very messy order.

Meet Casey Jones vs The Good, The Bad and the Casey Jones

So, this was the very first episode that made me sit back and go: wait.  This is just.  The same thing? 

Raph loses a fight, loses his temper violently over it.  He then goes out to get some air and runs into Casey, getting into a fight.  Raph goes back and apologizes to his brother, and then they have to deal with the Casey situation.  Eventually they’re friends.

That being said, they do handle things a bit differently inside of those plot points, in a way that makes me very split on which one is better.

So, this episode is doing two things: introducing Casey (at least to the turtles, in 2012’s case), and spotlighting Raph’s anger issues, and the shows handle both of them differently.  So let's look at them:

Raph and his anger

I want to start with the positioning of the episode within the wider series.

This is the 4th episode of 2003.  At this point, they’re still setting up the characters and your understanding of them – so this is really here to say hey, our Raph has a temper, that’s going to be a thing going forward. (I'm watching '87 right now, and while I've heard Raph gets more of his anger late in the series, at the beginning he is... not that. So signaling this for people who might have watched the previous show is valid.)

After this, I don’t remember there being other episodes that are Explicitly About Raph’s anger issues?  That’s not to say there aren’t any – there very well could’ve been some that were just so boring I don’t remember them, which would be a whole other issue – but what I remember of him being, to quote the show, a “hot-head” is integrated into other stories.

For 2012, this is nearly halfway through season 2, and is one of 3 episodes I can think of off the top of my head that at least start out framed as a lesson on Raph’s anger issues.  (The one with the guy that turns into a spider mutant, this one, and…. Okay so I don’t remember the details but I’m Pretty Sure I remember there being another one post-space arc).

Now, in theory this is good – having a sort of long-term journey recurring throughout the series.  In practice… eh. 

This is very subjective, but from the way the topic was constantly put on the shelf until they wanted to use it for an episode, to the way it was all extremely surface level and used mostly for jokes, it didn’t do much for me.

That aside, let’s look at the content of the episode itself:

Raph's anger issues have two different tones here.

2003 Raph’s snapping at Mikey is framed a lot more seriously – and a lot more dangerously – than 2012 Raph going at Leo.  And, accordingly, ‘03 Raph is a lot more horrified at his actions, whereas ‘12 Raph is more petulant, unwilling to fully own up to his mistake.

That carries over to when they’re “getting some air” - ‘03 Raph is blatantly angry with himself, where ‘12 is complaining about his brother’s not getting it.  I do think some of that frustration with himself is buried underneath, but it's interesting to note the difference between how aware of it they are. (Of course, ‘12 also didn’t try to brain his brother over the head with a metal pipe.  So.)

The two different versions also shifted what they chose to have “spelled out” versus implied.  What I mean is.... okay, so ‘03 had Raph explicitly say “What is wrong with me” – that frustration with himself I mentioned earlier – where it’s kind of buried underneath for ‘12.

On the other hand, ‘12 Raph flat out says he wasn’t angry, just “determined to win,” when explaining himself to Splinter, whereas with ‘03 the reasoning comes from Raph’s “You think you’re better than me?” line during the fight (and a bit of Mikey’s taunting, the menace), allowing you to (very easily, let's be real, I don't know that you can really count this as subtext) connect the dots on how it escalated.

So, that leads to their fight with Casey – where they both get carried away, before coming to their senses and questioning what they’re doing (and subsequently getting surprise-attacked).  The difference here is that ‘03, upon calming down, went back to trying to talk some sense into Casey (using the lessons he’s obviously trying to absorb himself), while to me ‘12 Raph just kinda seemed disoriented by it all?

Which. Fair.

Next step: the apology.  VERY different receptions.  The ‘03 brothers greet Raph with worry and care, and take his apology quietly and warmly, whereas for ‘12 they act like this is another Tuesday, a bit dismissive, and tease and taunt him through his apology.  I’m not trying to disparage the ‘12 turtles here – not exactly – more so observing the difference in tone once more.

When people say the ‘03 turtles feel older, I think this is a huge part of it – the ‘12 turtles’ behavior feels very “stupid teenager”.  And I mean that in a genuine, fairly affectionate way.  I remember being that age, I was dumb.  You don’t know how to handle all these strong feelings, you have no impulse control. Also around 2012 I remember being genuine being deeply uncool, so. But ‘03 are demonstrating a higher level of emotional maturity, compared to that, and it does make them feel older.

Anyways, after that you get the reunion with Casey, having very different tones.  ‘03 purposefully tries to reach out and rehabilitate help Casey get himself under control, whereas ‘12 diverges into a surprise attack by the Foot where Raph and Casey bicker their way into teamwork.

Overall, ‘03 takes a more... introspective? Approach to Raph’s anger, where ‘12 flickers between being slightly emotional and using the situation for humor or cool action scenes – it feels like setup for an arc that I never felt we got satisfying payoff for.

For my tastes, I think I prefer ‘03 for the Raph part of the episode, if only because it remains thematically cohesive till the end.  From start to finish, Raph is trying to impart the lesson he wants to learn to Casey.  With 12, it feels like the “Raph’s anger issues” thread got a bit lost/abandoned in building up the Raph-Casey dynamic.

Speaking of...

Casey Jones

I think ‘12 is the better Casey intro episode.  There, I said it.

I know, I know!  It’s not technically where we meet Casey, we already saw him interacting with April (also scenes I like), but... although having finished 2003 I think ‘03 has the better overall Casey (mostly because they give him like. Actual personal connections to the world), ‘12 has the better initial burst of character, in my opinion.

His little intro monologue is so stupid, and I love it.  The skates and the little taser-gloves he obviously put together himself (and the fact that we only got one episode of Donnie and Casey bonding over this kind of engineering is criminal???).

The initiative to follow Raph down, his reactions to Splinter, the entire subway tunnel chase scene, where his and Raph’s rapport is building up... it’s good stuff!  I like it!  Maybe there’s a bit less depth in some places – we don’t get the personal connection with the Purple Dragons, how it ties back to his family – but his character voice, his initiative and impulsivity, and his creativity all come through.

It’s such a shame they didn’t do more to add to his character throughout the series in ‘12, because he had a fantastic early showing.  But then, that series didn’t seem interested in doing that for any of their characters, to me.  Sigh.

But... just looking at the episode itself, I'd give the Casey have to 2012.

So... draw?  Great way to start off, I know.

Shredder Strikes Back vs The Invasion (or: Leo gets thrown through a window)

So, this is a tough competition, we’re gonna have to take this point by point, I mean -

2012.  It’s 2012.  Are you kidding me.

Okay, look.  2012 already has an advantage just on moving this from halfway through season 1 to the season 2 finale, but, I mean... come on.

With 2003, there was barely any build up with the Shredder.  We’d seen him sort of being in charge of the various villains since early on – but the turtles didn’t see that!  For them, he showed up, tricked Leo, Splinter gave some back story, they fought and then Splinter seemingly killed him.  It just... wasn’t that dramatic? To me??

So when you have Leo thrown through the window, whispering “he’s back”, I was just like... I see no reason for this level of dread.  It doesn’t feel that personal, or important, or.... anything, really.  I know 2003 came first, but having watched 2012 beforehand this was kind of a letdown.  Didn’t feel earned.

Now, 2012 on the other hand....

Shredder has been a constant, ever-increasing threat since the moment he showed up in Season 1.  It was already personal with Splinter, yes, but then he also became a subject of looming dread for the turtles themselves.  And it doesn’t come out of nowhere. 

Like, yes, we, the viewers, were aware 2003 Shredder survived, but otherwise he was just hanging out off-screen, doing who knows what.  He wasn’t on the mind.  2012, on the other hand, showed the way Shredder was slowly amassing power, planning for something.

And then you add the Kraang on top of it.

Like, seriously, making this a two-prong threat is. Mwah!  The boys are falling apart, stressed by the time-limit of the upcoming Kraang invasion, disagreeing on how to handle it.  And then the argument gets cut short by their home being discovered – they don’t even get a chance to choose their path together, because they have to run, and everything’s chaos, and they’re still focused on the Kraang.

And that’s when the Shredder comes in.

This is insult on top of injury with everything going wrong that possibly could.  This is an immaculate payoff to the set-up they’ve been doing all season. This is fantastic.

And when Leo is thrown through the window, you feel it – the dread, the horror, the regret.  It really feels like the breaking point of “we can’t take any more” that leads to them retreating.  It has a weight to it that 2003’s version was sorely missing.

When it comes to Leo getting thrown through a window, 2012 takes the win, hands down.  The stakes, the drama, and my investment are all so much higher than they were in ‘03, no contest, it’s my favorite part of ‘12.

What comes after, on the other hand....

Tales of Leo + The Monster Hunter vs Season 3a (or, the Farmhouse Arc)

Maybe it’s unfair to compare 2 episodes to 8 episodes.  And maybe this is diverging from my “only episodes that are directly connected” rule I stated in the beginning, but I need to get this off my chest.  Because I just.  I’m not impressed by 2012’s farmhouse arc. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Warning: rant ahead, this is VERY subjective and heavily based in my personal tastes.  Reminder that I do genuinely enjoy 2012, I just think the farmhouse arc is the lowest point in the whole series and is representative of what I find to be the weakest aspect of the series’ writing across the board.  That being said.

I see what 2012 was trying to do, by drawing out Leo’s recovery over all those episodes, giving the characters some space to breathe.  But they didn’t do it well in my opinion, and honestly the whole thing.  Flounders. 

2012’s best feature is its plot writing, how one episode tumbles into the next, Rube Goldberg machine-style, across an entire season.  But at the farmhouse, they’re removed from the greater plot, and that’s not doing the writing any favors.

And it’s not that the episode ideas are bad – I generally think they’re pretty interesting!  It’s just that without the inter-connected plot, they need something else to push them from “okay” to “exceptional”.  Usually, this would be where deeper characterization and relationship building would kick in instead, but uh.  I don’t personally think 2012 is great at that.

They under-cut the message of the episode with Big Foot, the Casey and Donnie friendship doesn’t really go anywhere after this, every other episode where inter-personal issues are only dealt with on a very surface level become even more obvious and a bit annoying without the greater plot to distract from it. Yes I know this is a kids show, but A:tlA had already finished airing at this point, also on Nickelodeon.

I think there’s a consistent issue with character writing in 2012 where they do what looks like set-up with no intent to ever give a meaningful pay-off or significantly change the status-quo, and that’s very much on display here.

And it’s not that there was nothing good in the season – I liked what they were doing with Raph, and how he was trying to help/encourage Leo, while somewhat bungling it in very realistic ways.  It was a fascinating look at what this Raph acting at his best as the Lancer trope could be, and I genuinely wish they leaned into it more later down the line.

Also, I’m always thrilled to see the Leo-April friendship get some focus, so Eyes of the Chimera was a favorite.  But across the board... the season didn’t wow me, and the longer it went on, the more I could see the cracks.

It all tops off with Vision Quest, which was my biggest disappointment in the entire series, the point at which I had to really stop and reset my expectations on what kind of story the writers were interested in telling.  The summary describes them having to go on a spiritual journey to really face themselves and their weaknesses, and I was so excited!  But then it was just.  Really surface level.  And occasionally confusing.

Raph needs to work on his temper, sure – but how is this any different than any of the other episodes about it?  Do we look at all at where his anger comes from?  A deeper way to handle it?  No, of course not.

Mikey needs to focus, stop getting distracted – I mean, yeah sure I guess.  Not a particularly interesting way of handling it, though.  Also, even if he manages it here, I know it's not going to pan out to the rest of the show, they’re not giving up their easy source of humor for the younger demographic.

And Donnie needs to... stand his ground? What?  I was so caught off guard.  It’s not that it’s completely out of touch, we see him coming up with complex paths to his goals, trying to think his way around of problems, ect, but... it was never really highlighted or presented as a real problem other than maybe the episode on instinct over thinking too hard?  It just felt really disconnected from anything else they were doing with him.  A genuinely interesting pay-off scene, with no solid set-up.

And Leo.  Oh jeez.  My friends.  WHAT is up with how they handled Leo’s knee injury?  The pain is just in my mind? It's not real??  Really???  No, thank you.

Like... I think this was supposed to be a riff on what Splinter says about ‘03 Leo’s coma, and him being trapped in his head due to fear – but because in ‘12 they tied it to an actual, specific physical injury, the execution falls apart. 

(Especially when they use the same flash-effect they used on Leo having issues with his knee of Splinter having issues later in the series but I probably shouldn't take that into account here.)

I mean, his quest is the closest to being satisfying, because they had lain interesting groundwork with his struggle with recovery and his insecurities in previous episodes, but then they just completely bungle it at the end! Argh!

I was so excited for Vision Quest, but this didn't tell me anything new about the characters or progress the characters in any meaningful way! It had no effect on how the characters are written going forward. So – other than some admittedly very cool fight choreography – what was the point?  Was there one??  It felt like putting on the trappings of an emotionally deep story without any of the actual, you know.  Depth.

I am clawing at the walls. Look at all the potential you wasted.

And yes, I’m aware this is all very subjective, and again part of a show for kids, but that’s how it hit me.

The 2003 farmhouse arc, on the other hand, was very short, and I think it benefited from that.  It had two episodes, and it knew what it was doing with both of them.  They felt purposeful, in the larger arc of the story.

First episode: they make their way to the farmhouse, Leo’s in a coma (according to Splinter, one driven by his fear), and his family tells stories of when he was brave/strong as a little kid to try and bring him out.

Wonderful, amazing, I love this episode.  So much character work – both in the past and present!  By going back to when they were kids, it helps us contextualize the turtles’ relationships by making them simpler.

In showing early memories that probably started cementing their views of each other, we see the core around which they developed.  By seeing which memory each brother chooses to present, we get some insight into how they each see Leo.  It gives us a point A to our current point B, which allows us to extrapolate the line between the two, how they developed.

And then you also get the little moments of how the brothers are handling this catastrophic event, how they react to the stress, to seeing their brother so hurt – Raph especially!  It’s pure character work and I love it.

After that, we get one episode of shenanigans, which is both representative of that “space to breathe” after Leo woke up, and also gives space for the B-plot (which is the truly arc-important plot) of Leo, now awake, dealing with his own handling of this stressful situation.

Is the A-plot of this episode quite as good as some of the ideas for the 2012 episodes?  Honestly, no, but just the fact that it’s carrying the Leo recovery story pushes it ahead.  We see Leo struggling with his failure, Raph stepping up to herd him back on the right track – the idea of physically remaking his swords to remake himself!  And, though we don’t know it yet, how hard Leo takes this is great foreshadowing to how he reacts going into his season 4 breakdown.

And then, having done the character work they wanted to accomplish, the writers go back to the main story.  The characterization here matters (and also is good) in a way that whatever is going on in the 2012 farmhouse arc just.  Isn’t. 

In my opinion.

Okay, rant over, winner is obvious, moving on.

Triceratons

Again, we’re not comparing most of the space arcs, as that’s apples to oranges, but there are two episodes that caught my attention:

Rogue in the House vs Dinosaur Seen in Sewers!

Here we've got two episodes where the turtles find a Very Confused Triceraton and trick him into helping them.

I like the 2003 one better.

Honestly, it comes down to the context of the episode.  Rogue in the House comes after the turtles have been in space and when they know more about who the Triceratons are.  2012 on the other hand is a sudden introduction to a new arc.

2003 also... questions the ethics of their decision more, by the end.  It’s a bit more empathetic?  And I appreciate that.

I will give 2012 credit that translating “we’ve been dropped into the middle of a war where both sides are bad” over to be attached to the Kraang, which they’ve built up already as a powerful alien threat, was clever.  It doesn’t have the same edge of commentary that “and one of these sides looks just like us humans” has, but it is clever use of their existing world-building, and I like it.

The Arena vs The Arena of Carnage

The most obvious connection in the 2012 space arc – the turtles get thrown into a gladiator arena.

Now, 2003 does have an unfair advantage in this comparison, as The Arena is heavily bolstered by the set-up work done in The Big House, giving you a sense of place, stakes, connection to the other characters...

That last bit is where my bias and personal taste shows: I really love the turtles making any kind of meaningful connection with other characters, and I find this more convincing in the 2003 version than the 2012 one.

But 2012 also weakens itself in its own right by doing some setup here with no long-term pay off.  You’ve got your fellow prisoner, who turns out to be a Triceraton who objected to the leadership's decisions... and after this episode, that means nothing!  Cool, okay.

Like I get that was a part of the episode they’re pulling from, but if they’re not planning on reusing that long-term story, then they really could have cut that aspect all together.  I know they have enough creativity in them to adapt the concept of “stuck in a gladiator arena” to do something more interesting, they’ve proved they have it in them.  They just... didn’t, and the plot point didn’t translate well.  Ah, well.

2003 also wins this one.

City at War vs... City at War?(???)

Look, I am only comparing these because they use the exact same name.  Otherwise, it’s nowhere near a fair comparison.  For 2012, this is actually part of a couple episodes where they talk about there being a power vacuum after the Shredder is out of the picture, but...

Can we be so real?  They don’t even get close to the scale of 2003.  Like with the farmhouse, it’s not that they don’t have any good ideas – I like the Don Visioso episode quite a bit – but it never gets to the depth or scale I want it to. 

Like, 2003 made it visually obvious that the city is falling apart, that things are really out of control, in a way you can feel. Though, honestly, I’m not even sure 2012 could reach the levels of 2003, because they never put as much effort into making their NYC feel... real?  I guess?

Also, the 2003 City at War arc is just.  It’s really good, guys.  It did such great work on Leo and Raph’s characterization, the danger in the city is palpable, the tension is thick, and then you add Karai on top of it all?

You’d think 2012 could push this, given the added dimensions to Karai and her connection to Shredder, but it ends up falling short.  Point again goes to 2003.

What a Croc! Vs It Came From the Depths (Leatherhead)

So. I am painfully biased, because It Came From the Depths is my favorite 2012 Mikey episode, and I thought What a Croc! was... just okay.

I frequently bemoan that 2012 didn’t lean more into long-form character arcs for their story, and this is one of the central episodes that defined my desire for Mikey’s arc.

The instant compassion and understanding he has for Leatherhead – the way he recognizes and is willing to work with his trauma responses, but also is childishly impatient with the process when it gets messy later on, showing he still has some maturing to do – it's great, and I love it.  I didn’t find the same kind of depth in the 2003 episode.

On the other hand, long-term I like Leatherhead better in 2003, just because he’s more present as ally, friend, or even family.  2012 Mikey’s always excited to see Leatherhead, but you don’t exactly see them hanging out.

But this is about the episode, and for that, I’ll give it to 2012.

Renet (Time Travails + Return of the Savanti Vs Turtles in Time + Tale of the Yokai)

I’ll be real with you, 2003 gains points with me just because this is another example of 2012 poorly shoving in romance. I would like to make it clear – I don’t have an objective issue with the turtles being in romantic relationships.  It’s just... don’t put it in there if the writing's going to be so... bad. And boring. And unnecessary.

Additionally, this particular example put me off a bit more because... hm. Okay, the episode starts with Mikey going “I'm never gonna get caught up in all that!" Only for the show to do the writing equivalent of saying "of course you will, as soon as the right person comes along. And here she is!"

And uhm.  Okay, so, I’m asexual with a big ? when it comes to romance.  So that framing is..... nghghghgh I don't like it. Like I get the joke, but it still gave me the ick.

Also it was another infatuation-at-first-sight situation like Donnie which. Is a romantic trope that is So Stupid, you CANNOT tell me that's how it actually works, I don't believe you, and also it makes for stupid, boring writing. So there.

Ahem.

Once you get past that, there’s points to be made for both episodes.  The way the 2003 turtles find Renet just kind of tiring but can’t help going along with her anyways is very funny to me, but 2012 lets them do Tales of the Yokai, and I enjoy the concept of them getting to see what Actually Happened Back Then, rather than just hearing subjective stories of it.  Adds some texture.

I dunno on this one – if it’s Time Travails vs Turtles in Time, 2003 wins, but once you move on to Tale of the Yokai I give it to 2012.  Call it a draw?

Loosely inspired by

Okay. So. These are things where I can’t say “Oh, they were just doing this story again”, but where I think there might have been some heavy inspiration.  Your mileage may very on these, and you could think I’m completely wrong, but I thought they’d be interested to talk about.

Even if they are from Back to the Sewers.

The Engagement Ring to The Power Within Her

April gets magic jewelry that possesses her, goes on a rampage?  Admittedly, the set-up is very different, as is the tone, but... well, you have to wonder.

I thought The Engagement Ring was one of the better episodes of Back to the Sewers, but as entertaining as it was, I’m still going to give this to 2012, I think.  I like things that have more build-up to them, and they did pretty good at setting up this episode ahead of time, building up that dread.  And it just did more with the concept, you know?

Also, it fit well into my interpretation/re-write of April’s character, so.

Identity Crisis to Brain Worms

I mean.  Turtles get brain-washed by the Foot, have to be broken out of it by being reminded of memories/who they were.  Methodology of the brainwashing is very different, admittedly, which is why I put this down here rather than in the main section!  But it’s similar enough for me to connect them.

This is another situation where I think 2012 took a concept and further developed it.  The brain worms are fantastically gruesome, and really treated like the existential horror it should be.  The amount of fics I’ve seen expanding on the brain-worms concept is proof of how it hooks in people’s brains.

Another point to 2012.

Conclusion

So let’s run a tally.

I'm not sure the two Back to the Sewer episodes count, but I also maybe have broken my rule on the farmhouse arc... I guess we could count those as half points?

Casey Intro: Draw

Window: point 2012

Farmhouse: half-point 2003

Lost triceraton: point 2003

Gladiator arena: Point 2003

City at War: point 2003

Leatherhead intro: point 2012

Renet: Draw

Losely inspired: cumulative point 2012

So that's... 3.5 for 2003, 3 for 2012, and two draws? Pretty close.

Realistically, I think these should be the two takeaways from my opinions:

First, 2003 better matches my personal tastes. I'm a character arc girly, and 2003 gave a lot more attention to that aspect of their writing than 2012 did, and that affects my opinions. See: the Vision Quest rant.

Second, what makes 2012 good is the stuff that’s specific to its iteration.

The way they adapted the Hamato Yoshi backstory from 2003 to be about Splinter and Shredder, making Karai Splinter’s stolen daughter, and how that whole plot line plays out.  The way they make the Kraang a whole organization, and their alliance with Shredder.  The full season, Rube-Goldberg machine buildup of plot.  These are all the thing that make it excel.

So... yeah. That's my thoughts. Your opinions might be different, and - if you're nice about it, please - I would love to hear your thoughts on what I've said, which episodes you like better, and why you like them! Shows hit different people, well, differently!

[aquaticlime]

DISNEYLAND HEADCANONS

These are some headcanons for how I think the teams first trip to Disneyland could go in my Marvel DR.

BRUCE

-He bought an autograph book and made it his goal to see as many characters as he could. He also took pictures with all the characters he met so he could put them next to the autographs.

-He really liked the parades, while everyone else rushed to get to the rides he'd stay and watch the parade.

BUCKY

-He got kinda mad when Kate couldn't tell Chip and Dale apart. He told them he had their back. (Kate got Bucky a stuffed animal and pin of both Chip and Dale as an "apology" for mixing them up)

-Didn’t understand the appeal of the turkey leg. He thought it was weird that people wanted a plain leg of turkey.

CAROL

-She clung to Nat for dear life when we went on Mickeys Fun Wheel even though she suggested we go on it.

-Got sick after going on teacups (I think she faked it so she didn’t have to go on Matterhorn with us next)

CLINT

-He liked the Matterhorn because it was like a visit to the chiropractor.

-Ended up chaperoning Kate and Yelena most of the time

KATE

-She went crazy for the pin trading! She bought so many mystery pin packs. She even made Clint wear a lanyard full of pins and trade for her.

-When her shoe was untied she would put her foot on Steve's leg and he would tie it for her. (she tried getting Peter to do it but he was too slow and they kept falling behind)

PETER

-He got the worst score on Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters and Midway Mania. (literally the worst out of the entire group)

-He rode Star Tours 18 times because he wanted to see all the different scenes.

PIETRO

-He was really dramatic on the rough rides. (Goofy's Sky School, The Matterhorn etc.) He kept saying he needed true loves kiss to make him feel better.

-He went on every ride and always made at least one person go with him. (I mean every ride! the carousels, the Silly Symphony Swings and yes even the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough)

NATASHA

-Very much the mom of the group

-She initiated the buddy system after Tony got left behind on Winnie the Pooh. She paired everyone up and declared Space Mountain was the emergency meeting place.

-She liked the princesses a lot! It was probably healing for her inner child to talk with them.

SAM

-He was the first one to be recognized and he rubbed it in Tony's face the whole time. (Tony was the only person that was butthurt about it, everyone else was happy for him)

-He rode Star Tours with Peter 18 times but he did it to try and get the Rebel Spy.

STEVE

-He went to The Hall of Presidents and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln first thing when we got to the park.

-Only had 1 churro the entire trip.

-He would stay and watch the parades with Bruce so he wouldn't get lost.

THOR

-Yelena and him would sneak off while everyone was in line and come back with handfuls of churros.

-He didn't know what to expect on Tower of Terror and screamed almost the whole time. Safe to say he didn't like that ride.

-He was very confused about what animal Goody was. I tried telling him Goofy is a dog but that just confused him more.

TONY

-Got left behind on the Winnie the Pooh ride.

-He really liked Cars Land, and took the race at the end of Radiator Springs Racers very seriously. He bought his team Mickey ice cream bars.

VISION

-He really didn't like waiting in the lines. He hated them so much that when we asked him what his least favorite ride was he said the lines. (We didn't even wait for that long because Tony got the Cast Member tour)

-Peter asked him how likely it would be for the Tower of Terror to malfunction and then he calculated the probability for every ride we went on after.

-When we got bored of Heads Up, we'd ask him for Disney trivia questions. (we also banned him from playing Heads up with us because he didn't understand how to play fairly)

WANDA

-She really like the Jungle Cruise, she thought it was really funny.

-She didn't like Indiana Jones though, just not her thing I guess.

-Her favorite treat was the Tigger Tails (Marshmallows covered in chocolate) and she tried a lot of different treats.

YELENA

-She ate 2 turkey legs, 1 chimichanga and 9 apple juices slushies in one day. Not to mention all the other snacks she tried and don't even ask how many churros she had.

-She kept untying Kates shoe laces and Kate never noticed. (Yelena and Pietro started to tally how many times she could do it)

˗ˏˋReturn to masterlist ✦ main masterlist´ˎ˗

[marcmarcmomarc]

My version of @pmpknsoup’s post again, smaller and simpler.

This could be either a short like the ones from Volumes 4-6 so that Volume 10 can focus on the story, or something an episode of Volume 10 would include, but fade to the biggest interesting parts of Ruby’s explanation and not spend too much time on it so as to keep the plot moving.

INT. THEODORE’S OFFICE IN SHADE ACADEMY - EARLY EVENING

When Ruby apologizes for how long it’s taken to reveal where they’ve been.

When Ruby reveals that The Girl Who Fell Through the World is real, everyone is confused.

When Ruby recites the story of Penny she told to the toy soldiers, the gang, especially Winter and Pietro, grows emotional.

When Ruby reveals that the Curious Cat saved them from being beheaded, everyone grows interested.

When Ruby mentions being drugged by the Herbalist and almost giving into her past self, the group ranges from confused to nervous.

When Ruby talks about Ascension, such a concept catches the interest of the gang.

When Ruby reveals that Neo fell into the Ever After with them, too, Ren, Nora, Oscar, and Emerald grow worried.

When Ruby reveals that a grown-up Jaune with long hair and a beard was the Rusted Knight, everyone jumps back in shock.

When Ruby talks about the “punderstorm” and reveals that Yang and Blake are now girlfriends, everyone’s hearts melt.

When Ruby reveals that Jaune had been unhealthily protecting the Paper Pleasers and named them after everyone there, not a word is spoken as everyone exchanges concerned and uncomfortable looks with each other.

When Ruby talks about the Paper Pleasers offing themselves by drowning in the koi pond dam, then her blowing up at the others, everyone leans in anxiously…

…while Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Jaune share looks of guilt.

When Ruby reveals that Neo made clone illusions of their dead allies and beat her up with them, then gave in and drank the poison tea, everyone regards Ruby sorrowfully.

When Ruby reveals that Summer lied to them and left with Raven before never returning, then Raven cracks about how she told Summer, “First time for everything,” the gang gives her a look.

When Ruby reveals that she decided to be herself, came back, and helped the girls beat the Cat, everyone cheers for them.

When Ruby reveals that Neo used the Jabberwalkers to eat the Cat, everyone is shocked again.

When Ruby shares the Brother Gods’ backstory, and Nora jokes that the Tree was their mom and kicked them out for misbehaving, the gang can’t resist growing hysterical.

When Ruby announces that she’s not giving up the fight to save the world anytime soon and gives her speech, the gang congratulates her.

Starring the voices of:

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Cristina Vee as Robyn Hill

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Caiti Ward as Velvet Scarlatina

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Burnie Burns as Taiyang Xiao Long

Jason Liebrecht as Qrow Branwen

Anna Hullum as Raven Branwen

Howard Wang as Whitley Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Tara Platt as Kali Belladonna

Anairis Quiñones as Harriet Bree

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Dawn M. Bennett as Elm Ederne

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Additional Voices (no individual lines, but can be heard chattering, sobbing, gasping, cheering, laughing, and exclaiming, “Ooh,” and “Aww”):

Sena Bryer as May Marigold

Ashley Burns as Coco Adel

Tiana Camacho as Glynda Goodwitch

Cam Clarke as Bartholomew Oobleck

Michele Everheart as Fiona Thyme

Dave Fennoy as Dr. Pietro Polendina

Gavin Free as Scarlet David

Caitlin Glass as Willow Schnee

Mick Lauer as Marrow Amin

Cherami Leigh as Ilia Amitola

Marissa Lenti as Joanna Greenleaf

Joe MacDonald as Yatsuhashi Daichi

Aaron Marquis as Nolan Porfirio

Elizabeth Maxwell as Winter Schnee

Max Mittelman as Fox Alistair

Josh Ornelas as Sage Ayana

Anthony Sardinha as Peter Port

Kerry Shawcross as Neptune Vasilias

Keith Silverstein as Professor Theodore

Melissa Sternenberg as Maria Calavera

J. Michael Tatum as Klein Sieben

Kent Williams as Ghira Belladonna

Anne Yatco as Xanthe Rumpole

[mxgalodon]

Intro Post

Hello. It's Megalo Don. I extend my heartfelt apologies to my arch nemesi, Hope and Jones, for the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated! I took a vacation. The itinerary was 'going into hiding to avoid being captured by Dr. Mommy Issues from another dimension'. Read a few books. Self-reflected. Tried meditation... unsuccessfully. Watched a few movies. Remembered I hated movies. It was all very enlightening.

I should stay in hiding longer, but I'm BORED. I miss my people! I miss my radio! I miss my car! Plus, I've seen other me-snapshots around here. I want in on the fun! As such, I would like to extend my talents to this 'Underground'. Or 'Avengers' (what are you calling yourselves right now, anyway?). I believe we can put our differences aside for the greater good of ripping that 'doctor' into tiny pieces and feeding him to my fishies. You get your lackluster island, I get fish food... deal?

You can find the terms of my alliance and other pertinent information under the following:

Good to Know Info

About

Playlist (Spotify)

Scarr's Playlist (Spotify, she's not here, she just asked me to add this)

The strange creature that is assisting me with this blog also has some words:

// Howdy, I'm the mun of this blog. I go by Poro; feel free to use any pronouns for me, I don't really have a preference. I used to rp on Tumblr a while ago, but took a long break for college. So, I'm trying to get up to speed with the new ruleset. I'm gonna try to keep ooc stuff to a minimum, but I'll occasionally share a doodle or two from my art blog when I have them! :)

// jsyk, I'll add a YouTube version of the playlist(s) soon. I'm also taking song recommendations. I'm still trying to branch out from years of listening to exclusively Adam Young and videogame soundtracks, lol

// Please feel free to approach me via DM or ask!

[khruschevshoe]

My literal only complaint about the 60th anniversary is my girl, my hero, my ICON Dr. Martha Jones did not get her apology, much less a mention despite the fact that she WORKS AT UNIT LAST WE SAW. This is Martha erasure and we will not stand for it!

Otherwise, 10/10. Bi-generation? DoctorDonna found family? Ncutia Gatwa absolutely owning right out the gate? Absolutely fantastic.

[red-raven-reading]

I love Martha Jones - her character is one of the best and least appreciated, in my opinion - but I'm dreading if it's true that she'll be back for the spin-off. Because:

1) I hate RTD's writing and general direction right now because it's so bitter and smarmy.

2) Also, the plots are rubbish, and characters lack agency and/or likability.

3) There's been a whole lot of returning companions recently, and I think they need to stop propping up their show on known faces. That was one of the biggest lures of the soft-reboot with Tennant and Tate back. Once in a while, it's good and effective, but they should give it a rest for a bit, or it'll just get boring and incredibly obvious as fan-bait.

4) If they do a whole disillusioned, depressed hermit who is hiding from their past sins shtick with Dr Martha Jones, Woman Who Walked the Goddamned Earth, I swear to G*d... I want Martha living in the countryside as a country doctor with a happy family and a positive cottage core life post-UNIT retirement but gets dragged into alien hijinks in a series of bizarre incidents.

5) I think UNIT needs to be rethought a bit because it's been looking like a discount S.H.I.E.L.D, which is dull, uninteresting, and done. Also, we've seen a lot of them recently, and their appearances have been lacklustre and inconsistent. Especially Kate Stewart, who I adore, but I feel has been just kind of there for a while.

6) This one is slightly controversial, and since I'm white, I'm ready to be told otherwise, but I find it a little alarming how much people are like: "OMG Martha and 15! He's going to FINALLY apologise for 10's racism and they'll understand each other so much!" Firstly, in universe, the Doctor is an alien, and his understanding of human cultures comes from observation and visiting. He was never raised with any racial stigma, any bias or prejudice, and has always held themselves as separate and above humans. So how would him being (again, in universe) black help him understand Martha's life experience. To him, it would be like hair colour except for any passing racism he faces, which he has no qualms dismissing as petty small mindedness from 'lesser' beings. Secondly, Martha does deserve an apology for the treatment she faced (from the Doctor and the bloody writers) but not one that is almost glazed over because the Doctor has experience now as a woman and a POC. The Doctor, as a widely travelled and highly educated person who has seen suffering through the universe, had to have known that was wrong before that, and Martha should get an apology that isn't full of "that white cis man past version of me just didn't get it." Accountability and sincerity are important components to an apology, and I don't know if RTD can write that from his recent, hollow efforts.

[camelely]

The Betrayal of Ted Lasso S3

Yea. The title is a bit dramatic but I have been one of those people who will defend the Shandy and Zava arcs. I thought everything had a purpose, but really really this season felt like a turn, and part of it felt like the plot belonged in a different show...

They keep saying this was the three season arc they planned. But this felt very rushed, and wrapped all these plots up too neatly too quickly. Ted was reduced to a manic pixie dream girl floating in and out of peoples lives teaching them about love, forgiveness, and to believe.

Lets start with my least favorite thing in the finale. Reducing the Jamie/Keeley/Roy story to a fist fight and a "choose me over him" arc. Belonged in a different show. Pheobe said it best in the first episode "Why are you breaking up?" Nothing they did this season was better because of the Roy x Keeley breakup. Even Keeley's bi arc. Like she has always been implied bi, so they could have just made it clear with Jack being an ex that resurfaced instead of a new relationship. Imagine the version of the KJPR plot with Jack being an ex. No out of date leaked nudes plot. Roy can be jealous because he thinks maybe Keeley does want to get back with this ex, but he sees that is his problem not hers and works on it internally/with Dr. Sharon. And Keeley can think Jack is just trying to help and apologize for the mistakes she made in their relationship, but soon its clear Jack wants to get Keeley back by funding her business and then pulling her funding when things don't go her way. This leaves Keeley wondering if she ever had any value as a business woman and Rebecca and Roy are there to support her. Rebecca as a friend and financial backer and Roy as a supportive BF. Then Keeley can return the favor supporting Rebecca when she is deciding to sell the club or not, and Roy when he is promoted to manager.

The leaked nudes plot belonged on a show that came out like five/six years ago when society first started to shift and see that the celebrities were the victims. I understand it was a true story from the real Keeley, but seriously it dated a show that could have been pretty universal otherwise. I know they deal with issues like racism and homophobia but those things aren't going anywhere. We have to keep fighting, but those people always exist. Meanwhile the nudes thing has seen a pretty quick shift already. They built Shandy up as this vengeful character, Why didn't they have her do something to try and blow up Keeley's business? Even something simple like an attempt at wrongful termination? Shandy could have posted on her socials and been like "Keeley Jones claims shes for women but she fired me for no reason" got a bunch 'eat the rich' activists on her side since Keeley is backed by a billionaire and caused a lot of problems for the PR firm in the press.

Jamie reconnecting with his abusive parent. Honestly this did feel in place for a show thats all about forgiveness. But the more we learned about him the more he felt worse than Rupert. Absolutely awful. A better ending would have been his death and Jamie coping with the conflicted feelings he has vs the sadness he is expected to show by the media. Or even just letting Jamie move on. "I don't need him. I have a great mom, team, friends, and step dad/mom's bf" (I can't remember if they were married or not lol).

Nate simply quitting off screen and then being welcomed back like it was nothing. Belonged on another show. This one's been talked to death but I'll say it anyway. We see Rupert try to push a boundary and Nate left the bad situation and then fast forward, Nate quits and Rupert is being accused of impropriety. The start of the season was so focused on Nate being an ass to the West Ham players and then they just brush that under and rush him coming back? I didn't need a redemption arc. I liked the apology to Will and Ted's speech to Beard. But I did need to see the moments with Nate's choices. Nate made zero on screen choices this season. I mean even coming back was influenced by Jade.

Jade suddenly liking Nate, belonged on a different show. Okay I didn't hate Jade. I didn't hate that she started to date Nate. I think its weird the writers wrote a possibly racist character and then didn't address it but I guess the white af writers room just didn't get it. But I also liked Jade, Nate needed a no nonsense strong person in his life. I feel like his sister could have filled the role a bit better. But the girlfriend route wasn't bad.

Rebecca and the Amsterdam guy belonged in a rom com. Yea it worked a bit since Ted's whole rom com speech. But still, part of what I liked about the Amsterdam plot was that he was a great guy and a great time and then he was just gone. A happy memory to look back on and nothing more. It was so stupid that she randomly ran into him and they just magically got together. With Rebecca's romantic past ruined by Rupert's behavior. And the Sam relationship being kinda cute kinda doomed boss/employee weirdness it felt like Amsterdam guy was the true rebound she needed to move on and start a new path. Rebecca didn't need an endgame romance imo, she needed a fresh start. While I think she should have sold the whole club and moved on from the Rupert chapter of her life, I didn't hate the selling it to the fans thing. That was a decent way to end her journey. If they wanted her to have an endgame romance why not let the fans get to know the guy? Or flash forward to a guy we have never met implying that she eventually found someone?

Rupert hitting the coach also belonged on another show. Rupert is the guy who has everything work out for him. He's cool and collected and confident. Pushing the guy who wouldn't listen to him didn't seem like a Rupert move. Rupert would have fired him and promoted the guy under him. The big change would be if they had that guy quit and then the next guy quit until Rupert was left with no one. Could have also gone back to the Nate thing. If Nate leaving the toxic environment inspired others to do the same. Rupert publicly loosing his cool might have been fun since hes the worst, but it was too neat a wrapped bow.

Beard and Jane. Why did they literally only tell us everything bad about her if they wanted us to root for them? I'm sure she had some good qualities we could have seen. I did like that Beard was the character that got the ending rom com 'stop the plane' moment.

Colin's coming out. I could have done with less Isaac and more Trent or even less angry Isaac and more supportive Isaac but I liked it overall ngl. The kiss in the final episode was the best romantic moment in all of Ted Lasso. My canon favorite ship was RoyxKeeley but they never had a moment I could turn to. This was perfect and Colin was the best character for it.

The Van Damme thing was dumb. The joke about the mask making him 'Zorro' was dumb. I assume they were making fun of Ron Artest/Metta World Peace/Metta Sandiford-Artest but Zoreaux didn't need that. And it was funny for like one month in 2011, get over it.

Ted. Oh sweet Ted. I loved his talk with Trent about changing the name of the book because its not about him, and Trent taking that note but no others. At the end of the day, Ted's whole thing this season is Jason Sudeikis's whole thing in real life. He has a work family in London but his kids and ex in America. He's still low key in love with his ex and doesn't like the new relationship she's in and even though the new relationship ends pretty quickly it still sucks. And that is exactly what ruined the show. I'm sorry Jason is sad, I get people work through their problems in their art. But what a very emotional Jason sees as a good ending for Jason, is not a good ending for Ted. Ted Lasso the character deserved to decide to report Dr. Jacob (sorry Jason you can't report Harry Styles, he didn't do anything unethical... except maybe spit on Chris Pine...). Ted Lasso deserved a solid relationship with his son and a new partner, whoever you ship him with could work. I mean Sassy could have reported Dr. Jacob and told Ted maybe they could make it work since she is spending some time in the US for work. Or Rebecca with her millions saying she can commute as much as they want. Or a third new person in Kansas. The way the show implied Michelle is single and Ted is single. The 'they are getting along' narrative was a bit much.

The dream ending. Yes Bill Lawrence, this worked for Scrubs because JD was a character constantly fantasizing. But thats not Ted Lasso. This show deserved something more unique and more open ended. The final shot could have been Ted on the plane, smiling and that would beat the weird dream flash forward imo.

Yes the show has a central theme about forgiveness. But in previous seasons the person being forgiven earns that forgiveness. Here it was handed out to everyone regardless of who they hurt and what they did. It undermined Rebecca's s1 arc, Nate's multi season arc, Jamie's multi season arc, etc. The only arc that wasn't undermined was maybe Roy, since he ended up in therapy and actively trying to be better. So I guess good for Roy?

Overall my point is Ted Lasso was special because they marched to a positive and hopeful beat while still discussing hard topics. This season took everything special about the show and garbaged it, creating a messy, bland, and insulting final product that was a shell of the show they created. And they managed to do it in three seasons. Congrats guys? I mean most shows take 5-6 seasons to get truly off the rails.