#because i watch how people treat him and it's an amped up version of the vilification i've received when i've not been a Good Survivor | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dontasktheradiodemon · 4 years ago

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Meeting Over Tea 3/21/2021

Alastor visits Sir Pentious a.k.a. Ruddy @ruddygore to check out his COOL MAD SCIENCE MACHINES (and see whether or not he can’t worm his way into being a helpful part-time henchman to this one too).

They talk about universe-hopping technology and magic, and agree to trade some useful info.

Alastor

Alastor’s got his hair styled all fancy and he smells like somebody who actually showers but like, he’s still dressed the way Radio Demons dress. He only fancies up so far.

He promised lunch if Ruddy let him come over so he’s got like a basket of finger foods, the kind of things that wouldn’t get the way if their primary activity is gonna be walking around and looking at machines. Mainly, the sort of things Penny likes plus the sort of things Telly like plus a couple of odds and ends while he tries to suss out Ruddy’s particular preferences.

Sir Pentious

Ruddy isn't very picky. He USED to be, but you raise twelve kids and have to deal with all of their particular tastes growing up.. and you give up on wanting A FINE GOURMET DINNER JUST SO.

Alastor arrived on the balcony of one of Ruddy's ships, he can see the rest of the fleet docked nearby. Ruddy will give Alastor an Analyzing Once Over, because come on, this is the guy his alternate is dating? Really? But whatever, he supposes love is blind. Come along then, Radio Demon, step inside and come see his portal.

Alastor

He’s gotta take a second to admire that fleet, he hasn’t seen a fleet like that since the sixties... okay he’s ready—oh this snake is Tall. Oh my.

HE KEEPS HIMSELF TOGETHER but wow this snake is Tall

Sir Pentious

This snake is tall! It's all the unchecked ego. He was more reasonably sized a few months ago, but after taking out VOX??? He's all thick scales and amped up cobra breathing. VERY HEAVY, a lot of slithering noise when he moves. He'll check the time on his pocketwatch, then tuck it away, pick his cane up from where it was leaning against the railing, and give Alastor a STERN LOOK. "NO FUNNY BUSINESS, ALASTOR. MY ALTERNATES MAY BE FOND OF YOU, BUT I WILL MAKE MY *OWN* DECISIONS."

Alastor

The MOST INNOCENT LOOK! ... But not quite innocent that it looks suspicious! “I’m not planning any business funnier than a bad pun or two! Your alternates are only fond of me because I treat them with the respect they deserve, and I intend to do no less here.”

Sir Pentious

A slight squint from Hattie, but Ruddy nods. "VERY WELL, ALASTOR. I WILL HOLD YOU TO THAT." A flourish! And he escorts the smaller man to the depths of his airship so Alastor can see the portals set up in the cargo bay, with the eggbois busily cleaning blood from the walls and mush that looked like sinners that went through the blender.

Alastor

He’s determined to win you over too, Hattie, just you wait.

Obviously he’s already grinning, but he’s Really Grinning when he starts seeing the inside of the airship, and Really Super Grinning when he sees the gore. “Test subjects?”

Sir Pentious

"NATURALLY. INNOVATION REQUIRES SACRIFICE, AND WHAT ARE A FEW SINNERS INCONVENIENCED IN THE NAME OF PROGRESS?" Ruddy cackles in that Pentious way, gesturing for the eggbois to drag another sinner in to chuck unceremoniously into the portal set into one wall. They come out on the other side of the room intact, somehow, but proceed to explode a few moments later, a hand bouncing to a stop in front of the two.

Ruddy prods the hand, flicking his tongue. "A DELAYED REACTION, BUT IT IS PROGRESS!"

Alastor

“I’m sure it’s the most productive thing they’ve done down here!”

He watches keenly as another test subject is thrown through, and his invisible audience applauds raucously when they emerge intact from the other portal. When the the sinner explodes, the applause increases to outright cheering. “All in all, very impressive! Know what makes ‘em explode yet?”

Sir Pentious

"OH. YES, I DO, AND I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PREVENTED AT LEAST ONE DEATH. BUT IT'S SO FUNNY!!!" He grins, all teeth, and gestures for another to get chucked in. "AT THIS POINT I AM JUST TESTING THE LIMITS. HOW MUCH WARPING CAN A BODY HANDLE? THE LESS, THE MORE OF A DELAY BEFORE THE BODY EXPLODES."

Alastor

“And a good scientist certainly keeps experimenting with different variables after getting one success! He must be thorough, mustn’t he?” He watches gleefully as the next is chucked in and laughs when they pop. “Plus it’s a hell of a good show, I’ll give it that!”

Sir Pentious

Preen preen... He smooths down his lapels and rumbles a purr. "A GOOD SHOW..." He hums, tapping a silk encased finger to his lips. "YES! THAT DOES REMIND ME. YOUR ALTERNATE ASKED ME TO BROADCAST SOME CARNAGE FOR HIM, PERHAPS I WILL LET HIM SEE THIS BEFORE I GO SHOOTING ANY OVERLORDS DOWN."

Alastor

“Oh, DID he! I’m sure he’d also enjoy seeing the amazing teleporting blender! And do tell me when that other show’s going to happen, I’ll be sure to tune in!” A caaasual sideways glance. “I’m sure you can handle your own broadcasting needs, but! If you ever find you’d LIKE an on-site commentator at your carnage, I’d happily volunteer myself for the position. There’s too few brawls worth watching these days, much less reporting on.”

Sir Pentious

Ruddy scoffs, but fixes Alastor with a mischievous side eye. "I SEE, THAT'S HOW YOU WON OVER TELLY, HM? ENDLESS FLATTERY. HE DID CALL YOU ENTHUSIASTIC."

Alastor

Oh goodness. He’s talked to Telly. He HADN’T talked to Telly earlier. What did Telly say about him? Enthusiastic??

To his credit, Alastor’s only frozen with panic for a half second. “And every bit of the flattery is sincere! I am a keen fan of your work, sir—and I see no good reason to pretend I’m not.”

Sir Pentious

He's snickering, shoulders shaking slightly as he turns his head away. Like a deer in the headlights, wasn't that the expression? "YES, I'M SURE. GENIUS IS ALLURING, AFTER ALL." And then he immediately switches gears, slithering over to a nearby console to pick up something that looked suspiciously similar to a grocery store barcode scanner. "NOW COME HERE. I HAVE FOUND A USE FOR YOU!!!!"

Alastor

Well THAT’S a very interesting choice of words. Oh he’s gonna ask Telly some questions later.

But if they’re moving on, then Alastor isn’t about to ask what Sir Pentious suspects/knows. “Do tell! I’m all ears.”

Sir Pentious

He gestures with his scanner, pointing it at Alastor with a knowing smirk. Oh, he is so clever. "YOU ARE FROM A DIFFERENT HELL." That doesn't explain things, Ruddy. Try again. "I CAN LOCK ON TO YOUR HOME REALITY AND OPEN A PORTAL THERE WITH *THIS*, AND THEN I'LL HAVE THE COORDINATES LOGGED FOR FUTURE USE. IT WILL BE MY FIRST STEP TOWARDS INTER-DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL!"

Alastor

“Wonderful! What’s involved? Do you scan me?” A nod at the scanner-looking thing. “Or do I carry it home with me, take some readings, and bring it back to you? Or what?”

Sir Pentious

"SCANNING YOU WILL BE ENOUGH TO OPEN A PORTAL TO YOUR HELL. HOWEVER, IF I WANT TO OPEN IT SOMEWHERE *SPECIFIC,* I WILL NEED THE LATTER. HELLS CAN BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, AFTER ALL..." He shrugs. "I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW, BUT WHEN YOU ARRIVED WE WERE PARKED OVER THE RUINS OF THE CANNIBAL COLONY OF THIS HELL. IF I OPENED A PORTAL TO THE SAME LOCATION IN YOUR HELL, IN *THEORY* THE OTHER SIDE WOULD LEAD TO SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET ABOVE A MUCH LESS RUINED COLONY. HOWEVER, UNTIL I GET MORE DATA, I AM BEING CAUTIOUS ABOUT OPENING PORTALS WHERE I *THINK* THEY WILL GO. I DON'T NEED TO INVITE ANY OUTSIDE OVERLORDS INTO MY TERRITORY."

Alastor

A surprised jolt. “No, I didn’t notice, actually.” He’d been too distracted by that beautiful fleet.

He considers that. Sound thinking, all around. “While you’re still experimenting with opening portals across dimensions, I’ve found that the Happy Hotel is a remarkably stable location across dimensions—probably why his majesty put a building there to begin with—and, thanks to the princess’s project, it’s fairly reliable neutral ground in all the nearest neighboring dimensions. If you’re being cautious, that might be a safe spot to start.”

Sir Pentious

"THE HOTEL, HM? I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK THERE SINCE THE LOCAL ALASTOR CRUSHED ONE OF MY AIRSHIPS." He gives Alastor a quick scan, then turns to type the information into his console. "PERHAPS I WILL APPROACH THE PRINCESS ABOUT MAKING USE OF HER GROUNDS. NOT AS A GUEST, HOWEVER. I PUT NO FAITH IN THAT REDEMPTION NONSENSE." A press of an overly large button, and lo and behold! the "out" portal shuts down, the in portal reveals a red sky, shimmering like it was being seen through a heat haze.

He takes a moment to look pleased, then gestures for the eggbois to chuck another sinner through.

Alastor

“Hm! Tingly!” He watches the information being entered. “Oh, of course not—the whole redemption thing is ridiculous! But most versions of her I’ve heard about have been perfectly happy to let people use the hotel grounds for other purposes. Management feels it’s good PR for the whole project.”

He blinks curiously at the portal. Well, it sure looks like his Hell—but then again, so do most Hells.

Sir Pentious

Ruddy watches the sinner fall through, slithering closer as the eggbois reel them back in to wait for the explosion.

It doesn't come. He nods. "I WILL KEEP IT IN MIND. THOUGH I DON'T RELISH THE THOUGHT OF LOCAL ALASTOR ALTERNATE BOUNCING OVER THE WAY HE DOES TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION AGAIN EVERY TIME WE MAKE EYE CONTACT. HE WORKS THERE, AFTER ALL, I IMAGINE I'D SEE A LOT OF HIM IF I SET A SCALE INTO THE BUILDING."

Alastor

Well, how about that! Round of applause.

Alastor gives him a curious look. "Same question?"

Sir Pentious

He rolls ALL of his eyes, moving away from the console to scan the sinner with his gun.

"HE ALWAYS ASKS IF HE KNOWS ME. THE SAME JOKE FOR EIGHTY YEARS, ALASTOR. AND HE ONLY SEEMS TO GET MORE EXCITED TO ASK EACH TIME. NOW THAT THE COLONY IS NO MORE, HE PRACTICALLY SPRINTS ACROSS THE CITY IF HE CATCHES A WHIFF OF MY COLOGNE. SURELY HE HAS SOMETHING BETTER TO DO WITH HIS TIME!!"

Alastor

Alastor don’t be weird and smell his cologne. Alastor. Alastor don’t do it.

He puts some serious thought into this pronouncement. “You know... he probably doesn’t.”

Sir Pentious

In Alastor's defense, it's a VERY nice cologne that Ruddy pays obscene amounts to get smuggled in from Earth. Just like the materials he used to make his own suit and gloves.

There's a moment where it almost seems like Ruddy didn't hear him, then the snake turns to slither straight into Alastor's personal space, leaning down to look him in the eyes. Suspicious man. "EXPLAIN, ALASTOR."

Alastor

OH HELLO THERE. He does an impressive job of not leaning back. “He’s probably bored out of his mind! I’M usually bored out of MY mind. If he’s going out of his way to make the same joke over and over? Why, I’m sure it’s one of the few reliable things he’s got that keep on giving him a few minutes of entertainment! So no! He probably doesn’t have anything better to do with his time.” A shrug.

Sir Pentious

A flick of the tongue. The cobra withdraws. Back to poking the protesting sinner with his cane, then. "I SUPPOSE NOT. YOUR BOYFRIEND SAID THE SAME, MORE OR LESS."

He scoffs. "THE MAN SHOULD LEARN TO MAKE FRIENDS, IF HE'S SO DESPERATE FOR ENTERTAINMENT. OR TAKE OUT AN OVERLORD! VOX HAD HALF THE RADIO TOWERS IN THE CITY CONVERTED BEFORE I KILLED HIM."

Alastor

Ignore the weird squeal of radio sound effects there.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this, but people have a tendency to scream in fear and run away when I say hello. It makes it a little tricky to make friends. And I’m not interested in politics—I took out my share of overlords when I arrived, the prospect of going after MORE sounds less like a fun whim and more like a tedious day job.” He pauses. Very VERY casually, “Is that what he’s calling me?”

Sir Pentious

Ah, there it is. Ruddy hums, twirling his cane around in his hand to suddenly crack the handle against the sinner's skull, sending blood and brain matter splattering across the floor. Can't have them listening in, after all!

"I SUPPOSE MOST SINNERS ARE STILL COWARDS." Ah, perfect, an eggboi with a towel to wipe the bits off his cane. " AS FAR AS WHAT YOU'RE CALLED. WELL. I SPOKE TO TELLY BRIEFLY... AND HE IS EVEN LESS SUBTLE THAN I. HE CRUMBLED UNDER THE SLIGHTEST INQUIRY AFTER PRAISING YOU INCESSANTLY. THE ONLY REASON I AM TELLING YOU THIS IS SO YOU ARE AWARE THAT _I_ KNOW. IT IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS, AND FRANKLY I DON'T CARE. BUT IF YOU WANT TO STAY UNDER THE RADAR, YOU'RE FAILING MISERABLY."

Alastor

“Oh, THAT’S all fine,” says Alastor, who is Not Fine At All, “it’s just the terminology, is all. We haven’t really talked it out yet, see. And ‘boyfriend’ sounds a little... eugh, it’s juvenile, isn’t it?” He makes a bit of a face.

Sir Pentious

There's a loud snort, and Ruddy slithers to the portal to stick his arm through, then withdraw and go to scan that next. "JUVENILE IS PUTTING IT MILDLY. HOWEVER, TELLY IS A VERY JUVENILE INDIVIDUAL. FOR A PENTIOUS, HE BARELY SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING."

Whatever information he got from the scanner seems to please him, a smile stretching across his face as his talons flex. "THOUGH PERHAPS MY STANDARDS ARE TOO HIGH, I DID MEET PENNY FIRST AFTER ALL. A PENTIOUS WHO ESCAPED HELL! I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD."

Alastor

He bristles slightly, but manages to hold back most of what he’d like to say to that. “He isn’t so juvenile that I’d insult him by calling him a ‘boy’ ‘friend.’”

Alastor doesn’t think escaping Hell ought to be used as a point in that Sir Pentious’s favor, considering that it was due to a lucky relationship rather than due to any sort of maturity—but is he going to be the sort of man who talks up his lover by talking down his best friend? (He’s actually never had to consider this question before.) No, no he is not. Although he does ask dryly, “And you’re so certain Telly *hasn’t?*” Sure, it was for one trip—but it was via the exact same method every single one of them had ever left Hell. “Sounds like he can keep some things under the radar, after all!”

Sir Pentious

Alastor gets another of those analyzing looks, and then a smug nod. "I'M AWARE THAT HE'S BEEN TO OKKYLK, HE TOLD ME THAT AS WELL. MADAME VALERA HELPED HIM THE SAME WAY SHE DID ME. AND PENNY. AND THAT ALASTOR IN HER HOME WHO CROSSED HIMSELF WHEN HE SAW ME. THAT WAS STRANGE."

He _shudders_, memories of Leal's antics playing in his mind before he turns his attention back to his guest. "RELAX, ALASTOR. YOUR _PARTNER_ IS IGNORANT, BUT HE IS A SIR PENTIOUS. HE'S GOT THE INTELLECT WE ALL SHARE, I AM NOT DISMISSING HIS ABILITIES."

Alastor

Huff! “Which one was THAT?”

He offers a tight smile. “No, just his maturity—and I heartily disagree with you. But, I’m not here to argue. Nor to discuss relationships! You see, I’m far less interested in my own amorous entanglements than I am in the cutting-edge technological advancements I came here to discuss!” A nod toward the scanner?

Sir Pentious

The first question is completely ignored by Big Snake, a knowing look crossing his face before he changes tracks straight back to the technological side of things. Blelele..

"YES, MY SCANNER. YOU MAY TAKE THIS AND SCAN WHATEVER AREA YOU DESIRE IN YOUR OWN HOTEL, AND THE COORDINATES WILL APPEAR ON THE DISPLAY UNTIL YOU SCAN ANOTHER SPOT. THEY WILL BE SENT BACK TO MY CONSOLE WIRELESSLY, SO NO NEED TO REPORT BACK TO READ IT OUT. SCAN HOWEVER MANY LOCATIONS YOU LIKE, ONCE I HAVE THE HOTEL I CAN BEGIN MY NEXT TEST."

Alastor

“Wonderful.” He makes no move to take the scanner yet. “I believe we’d also discussed the possibility of a mutual exchange of information? See if any of my magic might help you speed up your science and vice-versa?”

Sir Pentious

The suspicious squint is back on Hattie's.. face? "WE DID. THOUGH I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT MY TECHNOLOGY CAN DO FOR A MAN OF MAGIC LIKE YOURSELF."

Alastor

Snaps fingers; a portal opens, his grimoire hops out and flips open, and a massive, elaborate star chart unfolds. It’s a giant complex system of precise lines and coordinates narrowed down to the fifth decimal point, glowing red, almost all of them changing second by second. “You’d be surprised how much math there is in my line of work.” All pure astrology, baby.

“THIS helps me do THIS.” A dramatic gesture, a surreptitious blood offering, and a portal opens behind Alastor. Through it, clear blue sky shines. “And it could probably help YOU get there just a little bit faster, too. Magic might not require as many microchips, but it’s got to find passages between dimensions and create temporary connections between distant locations, just like anything you’re making. We’re running on different machinery but it all relies on the same underlying laws of physics, it just exploits them in different ways. If I know how yours exploits them, it could help ME find ways to exploit them—and the same goes for you.”

He thumps his knuckles on his grimoire. “The spell I’ve got here lets me open a portal anywhere—provided that it’s on my Earth, because the location system built into the spell is based on a geocentric astrological model of the universe that’s only capable of spitting out coordinates on Earth’s surface. If I know how YOUR machine determines its coordinates, I might be able to find a way to substitute it in for this spell’s current coordinate system.”

Sir Pentious

Ruddy slithers backwards when the grimoire appears, all his eyes flicking around to watch Alastor explain himself and his thinking from a safe, or at least safer, distance. He may not have bad blood with the radio demon, but he wasn't an idiot.

His tongue flicks towards Alastor's portal to Earth, tasting the faint scents of something once familiar. Seeing a sky so blue... No. He shakes his head. Focus, Pentious.

"INTERESTING. ASTROLOGY AS A GUIDING FORCE. DID YOU LIFT THAT FROM STOLAS?"

He doesn't bother waiting for an answer, he doesn't actually care. "REGARDLESS. FOR MY EXPERIMENTS ON EARTH, I'D INTENDED TO USE THEIR SATELLITES. CELL TOWERS. ALL THAT AND MORE. THEY HAVE PLENTY OF TECHNOLOGY DEDICATED TO TRACKING PRECISE COORDINATES, A SMALL MATTER TO GET THAT TO SPEAK TO MINE. FOR HELL, HOWEVER, IT'S ALL ABOUT.. I SUPPOSE TUNING IN TO DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES. YOU'RE A MAN OF THE RADIO, YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT I MEAN. YOU RESONATE AT THE FREQUENCY NATIVE TO YOUR HELL, MY SCANNER CAN TUNE IN TO THAT, AND THEN THE COORDINATES COME AFTER. FREQUENCY, LOCATION, IN THAT ORDER."

Alastor

Well, if he’s moving on, then Alastor’s not going to waste time on explaining where he got the spell!

“So your plan for Earth is close to what I’m already doing—it’s just that the satellites I’m tuning into are the planets and the satellites you’re tuning into are manmade.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I’d still like to see how you do it—if nothing else, they should be useful on a few more planets than Earth, and I work better with radio waves than I do with astrology.” It might even be easy to modify them to work on AM frequencies instead of cell phone frequencies.

Those Hell frequencies, though... Alastor shuts his eyes for a moment, seeing if he could detect that particular frequency himself. He didn’t even know if it was something within range of his own powers. “Are these frequencies only specific to Hell—or could you potentially use them to reach anywhere in any dimension? And if you’re getting the coordinates from that scanner doohickey, I take it you don’t even need cell towers for that.”

Sir Pentious

Ruddy puffs his chest, fixing his already perfectly even bowtie as he preens. "I HAVE TO DO MORE EXPERIMENTS, ALASTOR, BUT *THEORETICALLY!!!* THE FREQUENCIES COULD BE USED TO REACH ANY REALITY I PLEASED. THOUGH AS OF NOW MY SAMPLE SIZE IS YOU AND VALERA, AND I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SCAN HER YET." And that's assuming he CAN scan Valera, her whole... Singularity thing, may make it more challenging. Not that *he* knows that yet!

"I DON'T NEED CELL TOWERS! THOUGH TRYING TO TAKE IT TO DIFFERENT REALITIES WOULD LIKELY BE ENOUGH TO BREAK THE LINK, I HAVEN'T...." A sudden thought, and he whips around to rip open the side of the console. "UNLESS I ADD PORTAL TECHNOLOGY TO MY OWN SCANNER OF COURSE!" Here comes that Pentious Cackle all over again.

Alastor

He waits politely for the cackle to finish. What a lovely sound. “So, hypothetical question—say you want to visit somewhere you’ve never been before. You know the dimension is there, you’ve talked to people from it—but you’ve never physically met them because they don’t have the ability to jump between dimensions and visit you first. So you can’t scan them and can’t pass off your scanner to them to grab coordinates for you. Are there other ways for you to get that information and manually enter it?”

Sir Pentious

Pentious freezes mid... whatever the hell he's doing to those poor wires, head tilting dramatically to one side as his face scrunches. "... I BELIEVE SO, YES. THEY HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION THEY ARE COMMUNICATING TO YOU THROUGH, SO THE INFORMATION IS BEING BROADCAST *SOMEWHERE*. IT IS A MATTER OF TRACING THAT, UNSCRAMBLING IT..." Oh here comes an eggboi, holding a tray above its head with a cup of tea and a heavily abused leatherbound journal. Both are snatched up, the tea held in the elegantly coiled tip of Ruddy's tail as he fiddles the journal open and finds a blank page to start scrawling on.

Give him a minute while he mumbles under his breath, or as close to it as a giant snake man can get. He's having a moment of genius.

Alastor

Don’t mind him as he scootches over to try to see what Sir Pentious is writing. He gets on his toes to try to get a better view. Considering that the snake’s got like three feet on him, this may not actually help. But by God he’s trying.

Sir Pentious

It's easy to ignore Alastor's efforts, but Ruddy moves seemingly automatically, twisting his body around Alastor to maneuver the smaller man between his chest and the journal. There, an unrestricted view. More than that, he starts explaining.

"AS I SAID, THE SIGNAL IS BROADCAST, AND I CAN ASSUME IT'S THROUGH THE PLATFORM WE ALL USE. NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR COORDINATES? I CAN, MOST LIKELY, FIND WHERE THEY'RE STORED, AND THEN USE THE SAME PATH FOR OTHER PEOPLE."

Alastor

“Oh.” He just got grappled/embraced to have a bunch of Science shown to him. “Brilliant.” Is his voice is a little higher than it should be? AHEM. “I suppose that wouldn’t be usable to reach ANY dimension, but it takes care of any with v#xblr...” A thought occurs to him. “Say. With blockhead dead, does that put you in charge of all his networks in this universe?”

Sir Pentious

"I'M NOT WORRIED. WITH ENOUGH OF A PRECEDENT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO START MAKING EDUCATED GUESSES ABOUT OTHER UNIVERSES. ONCE YOU LEARN HOW TO FRY AN EGG ONE WAY, YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THE OTHERS!!" Ruddy that didn't make sense.

Oh right, a question. No time to cackle, he has to stroke his hood and preen more. "IT DOES!! ALL HIS RESOURCES ARE MINE, INCLUDING HIS NETWORKS, THE POWER GRID, HIS WEALTH.. AND HIS PATENTS. NOT THAT I HAVE ANY USE FOR THEM!"

Alastor

Alastor nods. That makes perfect sense. One experience with eggs... can lead to many experiences with eggs.

“He has PATENTS?” Alastor laughs. “Who the hell did he steal them from?!” Oh but that’s not what he was going to talk about. “Now, no promises, but I MIGHT have a solution to your local Radio Demon problem.”

Sir Pentious

Looks like they're done talking about science now, time for Ruddy to unwind himself from around Alastor and put a polite distance between them again. "DO TELL, ALASTOR."

Alastor

“If you’ve got all of the boob tube’s holdings, then you’ve got his television and radio towers. Now, I can’t speak on behalf of an alternate of myself that I’ve never met before—but out of the ones I’ve met? Four out of five, if you offered them a couple of towers in exchange for a promise not to make one specific stupid joke, they’d fall all over themselves to take the bargain. Can’t imagine you have much use for most of those towers in your line of work anyhow; I doubt you’d feel the loss if, say, VSPN suddenly started broadcasting show tunes instead of hockey matches.”

Sir Pentious

A bribe, basically. He can understand the logic, what's a radio demon without a station? Give Alastor a few towers, get him off his tail. Hopefully permanently, but at least for most of the day while he was busy playing radio host. Hmm..

Ruddy slithers in a slow circle, ignoring it completely when an eggboi vaults into the middle of the mound of scales and muscle. "PERHAPSSS.. I HAVE LEFT THOSE STATIONS RUNNING NORMALLY, THEY NET ME A TIDY PROFIT. BUT I'M SURE I'LL SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM, IF IT GETS THAT FOOL TO STOP TACKLING ME. LET THE RADIO DEMON USE THOSE CHANNELS. "

Alastor

“You could always build a couple of replacement towers for the channels you’d be giving up for him. Or, hell, make a couple of fresh ones just for him to play with. After all, you’ve got the capital and the resources for it—and he doesn’t.”

Sir Pentious

"AND YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO DISTRACT HIM FROM EIGHTY YEARS OF HIS INCESSANT NONSENSE?" Well, why not? Alastor was right after all, he had the resources to spare. It would cost almost nothing from his perspective...

He taps at his chin, eyes narrowing. "PERHAPS. BUT DEALING WITH THE RADIO DEMON HAS A WAY OF COMING BACK TO BITE ONE IN THE *ASS*, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD. I HAVE NO GUARANTEE THAT HE WOULD STICK TO HIS END OF THE BARGAIN."

Alastor

“No, I don’t think it would be enough to *distract* him. But I *do* think that if you make a proper deal with him, he won’t violate it just for the sake of making a stupid joke. Make his ownership of those towers contingent upon his ability to restrain himself from making stupid jokes at your expense. Hell, throw a restraining order in if you want! Put in a couple of clauses defining what happens if the contract is breached, to ensure that souls don’t get involved—if he makes his dumb jokes, you get the towers back; if you destroy or seize his towers, he regains his current freedom to pester you, nothing more than that. I can help you draft up the contract if you want—“ he laughs, “or refer you to some reputable neutral parties to draft it if you don’t trust a Radio Demon to help arrange a contract with a Radio Demon. Because you’re certainly right, dealing with me typically ends VERY badly, no point denying that—but usually that’s thanks to poorly-worded deals that let me get away with more than I ought to! With an airtight contract, I can’t do anything but what the contract says I can.”

Sir Pentious

Look at the face scrunch on that snake. "I WILL TAKE IT INTO CONSIDERATION, ALASTOR. BUT I WILL GO TO A NEUTRAL THIRD PARTY. AS YOU SAID, I WOULDN'T TRUST A RADIO DEMON I BARELY KNOW TO NEGOTIATE IN MY FAVOR AGAINST HIS OWN ALTERNATE. YOU MAY BE THE MOST LIKELY TO ALLY WITH SERPENTS, BUT YOU ARE STILL WHAT YOU ARE."

A shrug, and he takes his tea to give a cautious sip. Ah, good. Drinkable. Perhaps he'll try some of that food Alastor brought, too, before he forgets... "DID YOU WANT SOME COFFEE, ALASTOR? I ASSUME YOU DON'T CARE FOR TEA, IF YOUR ALTERNATE IS TO JUDGE BY."

Alastor

“Of course! If I were you, I wouldn’t trust me either! I don’t plan on giving you any reasons to doubt my intentions, I can wait to prove I’m trustworthy.”

A hand on his chest. “Very thoughtful of you! Yes, thank you.” He’ll just set that basket up on a table where it’s easier to access everything inside.

Sir Pentious

Ruddy hesitates a moment, then pulls out his phone to send a text off. Here comes a very fancily painted eggboi, a chair held over their head as they run on their tiny legs. Good, he DID have chairs in storage, he wasn't certain. "HAVE A SSSEAT. YOU ARE A GUEST, AFTER ALL." As far as he goes, he will coil up on himself to nibble this finger food.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT MY MACHINES, ALASTOR? THE SCANNER, THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND IT?"

Alastor

“Thank you!” And sit he will, like the guest he is! “And yes, actually! How many are you willing to put up with?”

Sir Pentious

"FIVE." A sip of his tea.

Alastor

Ooh. It’s a game now. He rubs his hands together, sorting through his questions carefully. “I’m going to assume that includes follow-up questions.” Where to begin... “Well, let’s start with the important part! In as close to layman’s terms as you can get—how, exactly, DOES this thing open up portals to other dimensions? I think we’ve only really discussed how to find coordinates, not how you reach them once you’ve got them!”

Sir Pentious

Now *that's* a good question. Ruddy grins over his tea, flicking through his journal before sliding it Alastor's way. "THROUGH MEANS OF HARNESSING HELL'S *ABUNDANT* ENERGY INTO A SINGLE POINT, I CAN MANIFEST A CONNECTION TO THE FOURTH DIMENSION I MAY TRAVERSE. OR *WHATEVER* THEY CALL IT THESE DAYS. IT INVOLVES SOME DISTORTION OF TIME AS WELL AS SPACE, SINCE YOU CANNOT TRULY MOVE FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT. BUT WHO NEEDS TO, WHEN YOU CAN SIMPLY WRINKLE REALITY TO CONNECT TWO POINTS? IF THE UNIVERSES ARE LAYERS OF FABRIC, I AM PUTTING IN STITCHES AS I PLEASE TO BRING THEM TOGETHER. FEEL FREE TO GLEAN WHAT YOU CAN FROM MY JOURNAL! I USE A CIPHER, BUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE ACCURATE TO MY THOUGHTS."

Alastor

His eyes brighten. “Like a...?” No, that would count as a question, he can hold onto that thought. He flips open the journal—and then, after a moment of thought, pulls out the loose pages detailing his spell and slides them over to Sir Pentious. “Most of it’s ritual and sigil, but there’s some buried in there on the mechanics that the magic is operating on, if you want to try to compare. I haven’t deciphered all of it myself, honestly—but if I HAD, I would’ve been Albert Einstein’s lab assistant instead of a radio host.” He starts looking through the journal, fascinated (as much by the cipher as by the illustrations), trying to see how much of it looks familiar.

Sir Pentious

The pages are accepted, silk gloves skimming over the sigils as Ruddy tries to parse what he's looking at. As long as he thinks of it as a rival's cipher, he can try to imagine what the seeming nonsense is saying. The hand not holding the papers wiggle fingers through the air, mumbling to himself as he pantomimes his way through math equations. It wasn't a one to one comparison, obviously, but there were enough similarities to be interesting, at least on the superficial level. Further research may be required after all, even if he hated to admit it.

Alastor

And just enough in Sir Pentious’s notes was familiar enough to nearly make sense. It was like trying to read music in measurements of Hertz and Decibels versus trying to read music in treble and bass clefs—two different systems to convert the same sounds into print.

He makes a “look here” whistle as he slides Sir Pentious’s journal over so he can compare one of the illustrations to a doodle Alastor left in the margins of his notes when he was trying to conceptualize the overlap between the mortal realm and the postmortem realm. They look pretty similar to him, and it tickles him.

Sir Pentious

Oh, those did look similar, didn't they?

... He's going to take it as a sign of his genius, figuring out the inner workings of magic beyond the average sinner entirely by accident. A smug smile stretches across his face, the strength of his raspy cobra purrs enough to vibrate the table beneath him. And here comes that fancy eggboi again, with a mug of fresh coffee to scoot onto the table in front of Alastor, complete with a biscotti.

"MY BRILLIANCE SURPASSES MY OWN EXPECTATIONS, I SEE. THERE IS POTENTIAL IN THESE PAGES."

Alastor

He picks up his coffee to save it from the vibrations. And a biscotti, no less! How fancy. They know how to treat coffee drinkers around here.

“You might benefit from learning a bit of magic! Not because I think you ought to switch fields—you, sir, will do a hundred times more with machinery than we could ever do with magic—but I bet you’d have a knack for decoding what all us magicians are doing half by instinct and dragging it into the world of science.”

Sir Pentious

The eggboi offers Alastor a curtsy, then scampers over to start running a cloth over Ruddy's scales. Gotta make sure his boss is shiny!

Ruddy ignores the egg entirely, mulling over Alastor's suggestion with expression ranging from disgust to consideration, then back. He shakes his head, lifting his tea for a sip. "NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! ..... WELL. MAYBE. I *SUPPOSE* I C--NO!!" A pause... "*WELL*..." Face scrunch. Shoulder shrug.

Alastor

How does he get that egg boi’s job? Tries not to stare too much.

He bites the inside of his mouth to fight the urge to laugh at that impressive face journey. “I’m sure you have plenty else to fill your time without diving into the occult!”

Sir Pentious

The eggboi doesn't notice the staring, humming happily while they move from the tip of Boss Man's tail and up. Turns out Ruddy can be moved around with a good poke to his underbelly.

The man looks like he sucked a lemon, but sighs heavily and gives up. "TRUTHFULLY, I HAD CONSIDERED THE OPTION BEFORE. BUT IT ISN'T EXACTLY A BEGINNER FRIENDLY PRACTICE, AND I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WASTING TIME WITH THE *BULLSHIT* CRYSTALS AND INCENSE THESE CADS PASS AS MAGIC THESE DAYS. IF I WILL BE STUDYING ANY MAGIC, EVEN IN A PRACTICAL SENSE, I EXPECT THE *PROPER* MATERIALS. THOSE ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND, EVEN IN HELL."

Alastor

He perks up! "I could recommend some authors? Both antemortem and postmortem texts—quality antemortem texts generally offer a good grounding in the theory of magic, postmortem ones assume prior study and are written by occultists who have the liberty to just ask fallen angels if they want to co-author. And really, if all you want is to study how it works, a few good books are all the materials you need! Unless you intend to experiment?"

Sir Pentious

Ruddy gives Alastor a withering look, ruined only by his tongue flicking out in a frilly little waggle. "DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD STUDY A MEDIUM AND *NOT* EXPERIMENT WITH IT, ALASTOR?"

Alastor

A shrug! "It depends on what you're studying it for, I imagine. Still! Even if you do experiment, there's plenty you can do with a piece of chalk, a starter spice rack, and an obsessive sense of focus! What kind of magic have you been looking into that needs rare materials?"

Sir Pentious

"I WONT BE SHARING *THAT* INFORMATION WITH YOU JUST YET, ALASTOR. THOUGH IF YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF LONG ENOUGH, PERHAPS I *WILL*." Oh yes, that's a smirk on that snake's face. "SUFFICE TO SAY, THE CONCEPTS IN MY MIND ARE AS ELABORATE AS MY MACHINES. IF THEY WORK, THEY WILL BLEND SEAMLESSLY WITH MY DESIGNS."

His tea is emptied in one last dainty little sip, the cup set aside and quickly spirited away by a second fancy egg, this one done up in a red, gold edged diamond pattern. A true Faberge eggboi. Now those hands are free to wave around as Ruddy speaks, which is either a boon or a curse depending on how much Alastor enjoyed watching him flail around on a whim.

Alastor

That’s just the slightest bit ominous. “Well, I don’t plan to *stop* behaving myself any time soon, but... Do be cautious with it. I’m sure you take all necessary precautions when working with new techniques, but magic can be particularly unforgiving if one’s ambitions outstrip one’s experience.”

Fortunately, he’s perfectly content to watch Sir Pentious gesture wildly. He tries to catch sight of the fancy egg’s number as it leaves. *Those* are certainly a new addition.

Sir Pentious

The fancy egg leaving with the empty cup is #88, laid out on the back in an overly ornate font. Only a few of the eggbois seem to be done up in fancy paints and metals, most of them the humble eggboi classic. The fancy ones seem to be allowed to interact with Ruddy personally without getting launched across the room.

Speaking of, the eggboi polishing the Boss Man has now climbed onto the table, sitting obediently as Ruddy drums his claws over the enameled shell. A little wave is directed at Alastor, but it keeps uncharacteristically quiet. As does Ruddy, for all of two seconds. "THE CONCERN IS... *APPRECIATED*." Getting that out was like spitting tacks, but he carries on. "I WILL BE CAUTIOUS. AND ACCEPT YOUR SUGGESTIONS OF AUTHORS." Accepting help. Disgusting.

Alastor

Huh. Alastor wonders if Sir Pentious has a thing for doubled numbers. He’ll have to pay attention to the other fancy ones.

And here Alastor expected Sir Pentious to get offended by the concern. (He suspects Sir Pentious still IS offended, but at least he’s not taking it out on Alastor.) “I’ll go through my personal library and send you a list of recommendations soon.”

Sir Pentious

Ruddy tik tik tiks his claws on the eggboi, letting out something that could have been a sigh or a hiss. Look at him, having a *casual conversation* with the radio demon. This was dangerous, no matter how much of a snake fetish this man seemed to have. "AND WHAT DO YOU WANT IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS, ALASTOR? I CAN HARDLY EXPECT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING, ESPECIALLY NOT FROM YOU."

Alastor

Alastor's brows go up. What does he WANT? He doesn't want anything. Nothing concrete, at least. He wants to see Sir Pentious learn to reverse other overlords' magic tricks. He wants to prove himself useful to Sir Pentious. Nothing more than that.

But there would be no faster way to gain Sir Pentious's suspicion than by claiming he's helping out of the goodness of his heart. If Alastor says he doesn't want anything, Sir Pentious might refuse to take Alastor's help all together. After a quick moment of thought—something harmless, something that will be as low-effort for Sir Pentious as collecting a few names will be for Alastor—he says, "A recording of your next fight, if you'd be so kind. It need not be high quality—I'm primarily interested in the audio, anyway." Play up the harmless fanboy angle, it's probably the persona that can get Alastor past Sir Pentious's wariness the fastest.

Sir Pentious

A recording of his next fight? That was something he already planned on streaming, but.. a recording wouldn't be hard to arrange. No harder than, say, thinking for a few minutes about what names to suggest for an aspiring scholar of magic to start looking into. It was equivalent. It was *fair*. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. But he couldn't see it biting his tail any way he twisted it. Knowledge for entertainment, books for bloodsport, even.

He nods. "VERY WELL. I WILL SEE ABOUT UPGRADING ONE OF MY SMALLER DRONES WITH A CAMERA. I HAVE PLANS FOR ANOTHER OVERLORD IN THE NEXT DISSSTRICT, YOU'LL GET YOUR BLOODSHED."

Alastor

Mission accomplished. Well done, Alastor. “Oh, do tell! Is it a name I might have heard?”

Sir Pentious

Ruddy pokes his own cheek, cocking his head dramatically to the side as his face scrunches. A name... A name... "ERM... MAYBE? SHE'S HARDLY A MEMORABLE BEING. THE REPTILE. WITH THE.." He mimes around his head, trying to convey big hair, then cups his chest. An *ample* bosom. "MADAME... ZILLA??? MISS ZILLA? MISS LIZARD? I DON'T KNOW. SHE ISN'T STYLISH ENOUGH TO REMEMBER, AND IF THINGS GO WELL SHE'LL BE DEAD SOON ANYWAY SO IT WONT MATTER!!!"

Alastor

Reptile with boobs named after a movie monster. Didn’t ring any bells. “I bet she’d make a lovely coat.”

Sir Pentious

"MAYBE FOR YOU! SHE'S FAR SMALLER THAN I AM, AND HER FLORESCENT YELLOW HAIRDO IS AN AFFRONT TO MY EYES." Unlike his FAR more respectable yellow, of course, which is nothing but pure class. Preen preen.. Oh, he got distracted.

The scanner is slid across the table. "BACK TO BUSINESS. YOU'LL BE NEEDING THIS, I'M SURE."

Alastor

“Ah, right! Of course!” He picks up the scanner. “I lost count of my questions. It’s probably been five, though. Oh, but one on the operation of this.” He taps the scanner, “If I’m going to be picking up viable landing points for you, then probably the best thing I can do is trace the corners of the building and then the corners of the lobby, isn’t it? Otherwise you’ll have to guess where the walls are, and I can’t imagine that would end well.”

Sir Pentious

"CORRECT. I'M GLAD YOU FIGURED THAT OUT ON YOUR OWN, SAVES ME THE BOTHER OF EXPLAINING!" Odds are opening a portal into a wall would be fine, since he could see through the portal before slithering through, but he'd rather not waste more sinners than he had to in foreign hells. Harder to get those back.

"IT WAS EXACTLY FIVE, IN FACT. THOUGH IN FAIRNESS, THEY WEREN'T ALL RELATED TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC. I WON'T COUNT YOU ASKING AFTER THE NAME OF A RIVAL OVERLORD, SO YOU HAVE ONE LEFT." Sir Pentious smooths his lapels. So great and generous a man, truly. Letting people pry into his genius like this.

Alastor

"Very kind of you! In that case..." Well, all his most pressing questions about the science have been answered, it'll take him a while to think up more. So instead... "What's your goal, visiting out parallel dimensions like this? Alliances, turf, resources? I can't imagine you're expending this much time and effort just to go sightseeing."

Sir Pentious

"A FINE QUESTION, ALASTOR!" He smiles genuinely at the smaller man, though it's quickly wiped away by a tide of smug self importance as he fiddles with his bowtie.

"I HAD LITTLE INTEREST IN TRAVELING THROUGH VARIOUS HELLS UNTIL I MET MY ALTERNATES, AND LEARNED SUCH FEATS WERE NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, BUT APPARENTLY COMMONPLACE! I HAVE LITTLE IN THE WAY OF GOALS BEYOND PROVING THAT I CAN DO IT AS WELL AS ANY MAGIC!" Sir why are you proud of that fact. "ARE THERE USES? CERTAINLY! BUT THEY ARE SECONDARY. I DID NOT START THE PROJECT THINKING OF CONQUEST OR RESOURCES IN THE SLIGHTEST."

Alastor

Oh look, Alastor got honest praise for asking a mundane question. Alastor could get to like this snake, he knows how to hand out cheap flattery to reward behavior he likes. “So scientific exploration for its own sake and the pride of doing what others thought could not be done! Entirely respectable.”

Sir Pentious

"THAT'S ONE WAY TO PUT IT, YES." Alastor sounded like a PR agent. Which was funny, but Ruddy was perfectly aware of who he was. Years of being told something had that effect.

He pulls out his pocket watch, checking the time on reflex. "THAT MAKES FIVE, ALASTOR. YOU HAVE BEEN A MODEL GUEST SO FAR, SO I'M NOT INCLINED TO DUMP YOU OUT OF THE BAY DOORS."

Alastor

What kind of a radio host would Alastor be if he didn’t know how to spin the news?

“And you, sir, have been a model host, so I’m not inclined to jump out of the bay doors.” He finishes the last of his coffee and gets to his feet. “Thank you for the demonstration, the conversation, and the hospitality! It’s been a most pleasant time.”

Sir Pentious

"OF COURSE. I WOULD BE A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MAN IF I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO ENTERTAIN SUCH AN..." Eyebrow raise. "*ENTERTAINING* GUEST. I WILL BE AWAITING THE COORDINATES AT THIS CONSOLE."

Alastor

How polite. He scoops up his basket. “I’ll have them with you shortly!” He picks up his basket, bows extravagantly, and takes two steps back into a portal he opened for himself.

Time to collect coordinates.

Sir Pentious

Alastor has all the time in Hell to get around to that, Ruddy managed to get sucked into tinkering with some small clock on top of the console.

Alastor

It doesn’t more than a few minutes for him to start sending in coordinates—first around the exterior corners of the hotel, and then the interior corners of the lobby. And then, a few minutes later, a second set of coordinates from the hotel the next dimension over. And then a third iteration of the hotel. He’s going for extra credit.

Sir Pentious

Good thing he couldn't hear the way Ruddy squawked when the first notification popped up, his screwdriver getting flung halfway across the room and straight into the mouth of a nearby eggboi. The amount of hissed swears and frantic fumbling to clear all the little gears and springs away from the screen would have made a sailor blush. The whole project is swept onto a tray and put aside, and Ruddy gets to watch the expected coordinates show up. And then another set? And a third. This Alastor wanted to impress him so badly, no wonder his alternates were so insistent he was trustworthy. Feeding their egos was a surefire way to dazzle them.

Ruddy sniffs haughtily, but stores the coordinates anyway. Fine, Alastor. You win points, but he's not HAPPY about it. Even if the information *is* valuable. Hrmph.

Alastor

When Alastor's finished, he very helpfully messages Sir Pentious an explanation—coordinate set #2 is for Penny's universe, coordinate set #3 is for Telly's. Alastor imagines Sir Pentious would be most interested in visiting his own alternates first, after all.

Sir Pentious

... Alright. A few extra points, but he hates it. He messages a ⚙️👍 back, sinking into his own coils to stew in suspicion and gratitude. How *helpful* of Alastor, thinking ahead like that. Awful. But useful. But *awful!!!*

Alastor

The Radio Demon is infamous for his nefarious helpfulness. Watch out!!

#ruddygore #chat log

4 notes · View notes

sea-side-scribbles · 4 years ago

Text

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/63750316

Chapter 30

They finished a few songs and finally their album took shape. Soon, they only needed one last song, a culmination. It turned out to be a rather complicated task. With all their unfinished pieces and ideas they didn't think through yet, they tried to make something good. Since everyone had their own favorites they kept discussing and experimenting. Some time later Morrie started to play his melody again, just when Nick was standing next to him at the piano. The others listened up and gathered around Morrie.

"Not bad," Matt said, guitar ready. "This could be it. Let's play it again." Morrie shortly glanced at Nick and winked, before he repeated the melody. Matt joined him this time. Nick closed his eyes and listened to them. The way Morrie played it...he had the feeling that something was missing, so he left the piano to grab his guitar. When Morrie had finished Nick said: "I imagine it more like this..." He began to play what he remembered from the blurry images in his head. After a while Matt joined him too and they created something that sounded really good in Nick's ears. Morrie however interrupted them.

"Your rythm is completely off, don't you hear that?" He repeated his version and this time it was Nick who played along. Together they let their melodies clash, struggle for attention and playfully embrace each other before they fought again. In time, they became louder and faster during their musical duel and forgot everything around them. Suddenly Chris' guitar screamed into their match with it's amp on full blast. Then the entire band freaked out, playing against each other, until their amps overmodulated. Nick's ears rang but he felt that for the first time in his new life he let all his suppressed feelings out. The fear, the stress, the self-hatred...he could let that all go and it was wonderful.

Morrie was the first to stop, sweating and gasping for air, watching what had become of his idea. Eventually they all slowed down, until only Nick and Chris remained, circling around each other, locking gazes and hoping for the other one to get tired first. Nick's fingers already hurt but he didn't want to give up by no means. Then Chris suddenly bumped into him, causing Nick to stumble backwards, almost losing the thread. But he caught himself and went for a counterattack.

The fight continued, but now they focused more on hitting each other and less on what they were playing. Finally they crashed on the floor and the song ended with a lamenting howl of their guitars. Lying down in sudden silence they heard the others laugh.

"Wow," Chris gasped. "Do we have that on tape?" Brad walked over to the recorder with a smirk. "Yep, it's all here. Listen." They enjoyed their crazy showdown. "Playing that in our show we'll make the entire town collapse," Matt said grinning. "If that isn't a culmination, I don't know what is," Nick added, satisfied with himself. "What do you think, Morrie?"

His lover had his arms crossed and looked a bit grumpy. "Perfect for our farewell tour," he said dryly. "I was actually serious about it." "What's not serious about this?", Chris eagerly replied. "We want to wake people up, create a show they'll never forget! We have to make an effort to outdo Nick's downer-fight after all." Nick proudly cocked his head at that. "With this?", Morrie pointed at the tape. "Sounds like an air raid. We might as well drive a tank on stage."

Brad seemed to like the idea. "What do you think?", he looked around "We could borrow one from the Memorial Camp." The others grinned, all except Morrie. "Ha ha! Forget it, this is not gonna be on the record. No way!" "Oh, Morrie, can't you take a joke?", Nick said in a peaceable tone. "Of course this isn't the finished song." "So, we'll try again?" "Sure." Nick turned to the rest of the band.

"And what version do we use?", Matt asked. "I liked Nick's more," Brad answered without hesitation. "I'm sorry, Mortimer, but me too," Matt agreed. "It had a better flow." "I'd try Morrie's, it's something we didn't do before," Chris said. "But it's no showdown-song," Brad pointed out. "Stalemate so far," Matt concluded. "What do you think, Nick?" They all silenced and gave their lead singer expectant looks. Suddenly Nick felt a lump in his throat. He eyed each one of his friends. Morrie stared daggers at him. Nick knew how important this song was to Morrie, but this wasn't about doing a favor, it was about their career, their style.

"I think it's still very vague. Why don't we keep that for our next record? I liked 'Blue Moon'. That song has potential and it's almost done. It's my favorite for our showdown." "But as you said it's not done either," Morrie replied. "Yes, but we've come very far. Let's finish this today." "You're a bit impatient, right, Nick?", Chris asked. "An you're not? People forget! Our last show is long ago and soon forgotten." "Fair enough. Let's try it," Brad conluded. They did their best.

Nick was glad he had avoided another discussion about Morrie's song, but he had the feeling that his lover was colder now. Still, he pretended he didn't notice and focused on their work. Hours later they finally had their last song recorded. After the final note had been played they jeered and fell into each other's arms. Morrie's embrace was less loving than usual. But for now Nick couldn't help but let the others cheer him up. They decided to celebrate their new record immediately, no matter what time it was. Their noise decoyed Virgil.

"Our manager is here," Chris alerted the others. "Come on, get him!" They darted for the poor confused Virgil, lifted him up, threw him into the air and then carried him outside. Nick watched them happily. When Virgil's screams faded away, Morrie sourly muttered: "Have fun."

Nick gave him a surprised look. "Don't you come with us?" "No, I need some calm and quiet now." Nick carefully stepped closer to his lover. "But Morrie...it's our record." "Really? Our record?", Morrie said in a sharp tone. "But...yes...of course." Nick was puzzled. Morrie turned his back on him. "Did you take any of my songs?"

Nick furrowed his brows, thinking about it. "Sure...", he stuttered, "'Smile Again' is yours, right?" "It's Brad's", Morrie snapped. Nick's heart dived. "But your solo in it is fantastic!", he pointed out to make up for it. Morrie wasn't convinced. "Still, it's not mine." Nick didn't even understand the problem. "That melody isn't yours either", he remembered him.

Morrie finally turned around, but his voice was a hiss. "Is that a reason to steal it from me?" Nick backed away, startled about the blame. "I didn't steal it!", he defended himself. "But it sounds different in my head." Morrie came closer, snapping at him: "You heard it yesterday and didn't say a word! Why now?" "I only made a suggestion!", Nick shouted back, still confused. "You stole it!", his lover screamed now, "You didn't even let me finish my take! And I thought we were at one! It was supposted to be our song!" Nick felt his eyes water.

"And you won't let me take part in it? In our song?" "You promised me you wouldn't use it!" "I didn't use it, I only altered the style!" "Yeah, right, like we didn't make songs like these in hundreds! Where's your creativity, Norbert, where's the art? Will you ever try something new?" "Oh, it's that again!", Nick snapped. "We're just not good enough for the great artist Morrie Memento! I'm sorry my love, but this isn't your solo career!" Suddenly it was very quiet. Morrie turned around and left the room, shutting the door with a bang. Nick suddenly had a horrible déjà vu. With a racing heart, he ran after his lover.

"Morrie!", he shouted. His lover was halfway up the stairs. "Great, just great," he snapped. "It's just like it always was, me against the rest! You always treat me as if I was the odd one out. You're stealing my ideas and otherwise you keep me in the background!" "But that's not true!" Nick rushed after him. "We can still work this out! It just wasn't the time!" "I've heard enough of it for today," Morrie shouted and banged the door to his guest room. Nick came to a halt right in front of it. "Please, Morrie, open the door," he whined. "This is all a misunderstanding." "Fuck off!", he heard Morrie shout. "Go and celebrate your triumph!"

Nick begged and pleaded, but his lover didn't let him in. Depressed, he slumped down at the doorstep, agonizing over what he had done wrong. He wanted to cry but his tears were stuck somewhere behind his eyes and his heart felt like it was twisting in his chest.

He was very uncomfortable in his big empty house in wich he was unwelcome. He wanted to leave, just like the others, and have a good day. He thought he deserved one, because he had been working hard too. But then again he'd only ruin their party. So he made a decision.

In his room he turned back into Nick Lightbearer before he left his home. He soon found himself standing in front of that empty looking house he liked to visit. As always, James was there and let him in. Nick assumed that he wasn't a good sight, but then again James had never seen him happy so far.

"Scotch again?", James asked when they arrived in his living room. Nick hesitated at first, then he thought it didn't matter and answered: "Yes, please." Greedily, he grabbed the drink from the other man's hands. Their fingers shortly touched, and the feeling made Nick's heart beat faster.

"What do we toast to?", James asked with a mysterious smile. Nick raised his glass. "To you, James." James shortly froze, but soon his features relaxed again and he said: "To me, then." They drank. Nick suppressed the question about where he got scotch of this good quality. It was perhaps normal in his district.

"Why me?", James wondered after he had put down his glass. "Because today I accomplished something I couldn't have done without you. Because I owe my new life to you." Nick glutched the glass while he spoke. "We did nothing but talk." James' tone sounded both surprised and flattered.

Nick leaned back, trying to get more comfortable. "I'm clean because of you. You picked me up from the street and saved me. Just like that." James' mouth corners twitched. "I told you I wasn't quite selfless." "Still, you could've given up on me, just like everyone else. Helping me is stressful, I know that. But you believed in me when no one did." "So...you're here to celebrate?" James lifted an eyebrow.

Nick winded. "Actually...I'd love to, but...I'm afraid I'm here to bother you with my problems again." James answered him with a curious look and a soft voice: "Nick, you should know by now that you don't bother me at all. Just tell me what's eating you. That's what I'm here for."

Nick first had to take another nip of his drink before he said: "Our new album is ready. Soon we can play concerts again." A spark flashed up in the other man's eyes. "But that's wonderful! Nickie, you made it! You should be proud of yourself!" "Uh...well...", Nick muttered meekly. "The others contributed the biggest part, but that's not the problem." He sighed.

"It's about Morrie...he's angry at me and I don't even know why. It has to do something about a fight we had in the past." Nick needed more scotch. "One of his songs didn't make it into our record and...that made him snap." He shook his head. "Even though it wasn't good enough yet. We usually have more ideas than we can finish. We also argue about things, but he...he overreacted. As if I had dismissed him in general."

James nodded quietly, he seemed to think about it. "Could it be that he's jealous?" Nick pondered. "I guess...but the others are too. They now the fans will scream my name when we go on stage. But they aren't angry because of that. We all know it's just the beginning." "So...it was the song...," James concluded. "Was it...very special to Morrie?" Nick ran a hand through his hair. "Yes...actually it's something he had been planning for a while now. It's a melody he had heard someone whistle in the night."

Nick immediately started to hum the melody to James, who slightly jumped and then listened in awe. "What do you think?", Nick asked. "A beautiful song," James said. "But it's not his own." "No." Nick shook his head. "But he wanted to turn that into a hit. Our hit, to be precise. Because he played it the day we met again." "That sounds romantic." "It is! And I like the idea, but...it wasn't ready yet. And Morrie acts like it'll never get a second chance."

Nick emptied his glass and asked James to refill it, wich he did. "What exactly is wrong about it, Nick?" Nick sighed again. "He's...playing it wrong. I don't know why but I feel that it's meant to sound differently. It's...rather sad. It reminds me of...Motilene. And night and coldness." He shivered and then drank his new scotch. "Actually nothing a decent song should sound like. Perhaps it's ridiculous that I'm even bringing it up. Perhaps I should leave it all to Morrie."

James filled his own glass with furrowed brows. "Do you allow me to try a shot in the dark?" "Sure." "Could the song be yours?" Nick almost choked on his drink. "Mine? Morrie said someone whistled it from a rooftop. I don't climb on rooftops at night." "Are you certain?" James slightly smirked.

Nick shook his head in defeat. His mind tried to explain it. "Okay...I was very often drugged out of my mind at night and left my house to go who knows where. I wandered around in the streets and many times the bobbies had to bring me home. I have no idea how I could've gotten on a rooftop but...it's possible." Nick looked at James, searching for the truth in his eyes. "You think it's my song?" "I don't know better than you, but the fact that you care very much about it and you know how it's supposed to sound..." James shrugged. "To me, it's most likely yours."

Nick was baffled, staring at his hands. "Morrie won't believe me anyway," he said in a sad tone. "I guess I have to leave it to him, or else we'll never finish it." "Do you usually extort each other like that?" "Of course not, but with this I don't have any other chance. Morrie won't give up and I don't want another fight! That was horrible!." Nick gulped. Suddenly the tears found their way out. "I hope it's gonna be alright again. This can't be the end of us," he sobbed. James took his hand and gently squeezed it.

"If he really loves you, he'll come around," he said in his comfortingly soft voice. "And if he doesn't love me anymore?", Nick cried. "He won't leave you because of this, trust me. In the end, as you said, he overreacted. I'm sure your band will be at your side." "But they only came back because of Morrie!" "They didn't have the impression that you turned him down, or am I wrong?" "They didn't say anything...", Nick admitted. "Because it's not true. Morrie will understand soon." Nick gulped.

"I've been like that...reckless...selfish...What if I didn't change? What if I'll never make it? What if I'm stuck with my bad traits forever and I'll end up alone?", he cried, clutching James, seemingly the only one who accepted all his darkest sides. Whose voice was gently stroking his heart. "You changed already, Nick, just look where you are now. And you're most certainly not reckless, you worry about everyone. Morrie had no right to hurt you that much." Nick sobbed.

"And...and what if it's not enough?" James gave him a concerned look. "Then you should ask yourself if he deserves your love." Nick fixated the other man's eyes, as if they could save him from drowning and hung on his every word. "You're not selfish, Nick," James whispered and gently squeezed Nick's hand. "You don't think about yourself, but about him. He hurt you and your first thought is that it's your fault. But you didn't do anything wrong."

Nick wriggled about on the couch. "Actually...I'm doing something wrong...all the time..." "But he doesn't know that. From his perspective, you're only there for him and he's still treating you like that. You don't have to put up with that. He doesn't sound like the noble man you described to me." "Then he didn't mean it," Nick said, eagerly shaking his head. "Perhaps," James said doubtfully. "Nick, promise me that you won't let anyone hurt you. Not even Morrie. You don't owe this to him. This is your new chance and it would be a tragedy if someone ruined it for you." He gave him a sternful look. "Protect yourself. You're precious."

Nick heart was racing, he felt it in his throat, that was dry, but he was too paralyzed to grab his drink again. "You like me, James," he whispered. "Yes," James quietly admitted. "I guess I'm obvious about it." Nick didn't move. His eyes were fixed on the other man. "I like you too," he sighed. James smiled. For a moment he seemed to be overwhelmed with feelings. Then he raised his glass. "To our friendship then."

Nick stayed in James' house until the evening. His new friend showed interest in Arthur's wellbeing, so he told him about their visit in the Avalon Hotel. And about Arthur's new job. That was a rather pleasant topic that kept him from thinking about the fight with Morrie. He didn't leave until minutes before curfew. He was a bit drunk but feeling much better.

At home he found his band continuing their party in the living room. Even Virgil was there. "I see you're enjoying yourselves," he greeted them. "Nickie," they shouted."Come on in, have a drink with us!" They didn't sound angry at all, just happy that he finally showed up. Nick still held up his hands. "Uh...I'm afraid I had enough already, thanks." "Nonsense, you're still looking great. Unlike this one here," Matt pointed at Virgil who was lying on the couch. "Virgil! What did they do to you!" "I feel awful," his manager muttered.

"He's exaggerating," Matt smirked. "So, what's up? You want a drink or...will you fuck us over again?" "I...I...", Nick stammered. "I wanted to see Morrie." "Oh...," his friend's expression turned more serious. "He's upstairs. I think he actually wants to tell you something." Nick hoped it was a good sign and went to Morrie's room. He took off his mask and wig before he knocked. "Morrie?," he meekly asked. "It's me, Norbert."

When his lover opened the door he looked pale. "You weren't with the others," he whispered. "Where have you been?" "Somewhere else," Nick answered. "Somewhere I was more desired than here." Morrie blinked. His eyes were red. It took a second until he broke into tears. "I'm...so...sorry...", he sobbed. "I lost...my head, I...I shouldnt've said all these bad things to you..." He was interrupted by a heavy crying fit. "Do you take them back?", Nick hated to ask but he wanted to be sure.

Morrie eagerly nodded before he could speak again. "Yes...I...take it back! Everything! Please forgive me! Don't...leave me!" It was as if he had heard his conversation with James. Nick had no more questions. He pulled his lover into a bear hug, held him tight. "I won't leave you, Morrie," he whispered softly. His lover sobbed. "Where have you been?" "I visited my therapist," Nick answered while patting the other man's back. "Oh...god, I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I thought you...", Morrie stammered and shivered. Nick kissed his cheek. "It's okay, my love. Let's go inside. You need to rest." He led his lover back into his room and sat down on the bed with him.

"I need to change too," Morrie whispered into Nick's shoulder. "I keep thinking about the past. I'm afraid...I'm afraid that everything goes wrong and we end up where we started." He sobbed again. "I...hurt you..." Nick closed his eyes. It felt so good to hear this from Morrie. It meant he really loved him. "I'm afraid too," he admitted. "But we're not alone. We have us. We can help each other out. If I do you wrong, tell me. But please don't keep it to yourself until you snap." "No, of course not," Morrie cried. "I'm so...ashamed. I don't want to hurt you again." Nick stroked his hair.

"What did I do to upset you so much, my Morrie? What is it?" His lover just sobbed and clung to his jacket. "Please, tell me. I'm too dumb to find out myself." Morrie shook his head. "You're not dumb, Norbert. You speak your mind. And when you don't like a song you don't make a secret of it." "But Morrie, it's not that I don't like it. I just think we should work on it more. There'll be another record. Don't tell me you want to quit now." He softly nudged him in a playful manner.

"But it'll never sound like I imagined it." Nick fell silent. He was probably right. "Morrie, this happens to us all. We work on a song until everyone of us likes it. It doesn't mean that we don't appreciate your ideas. You'll get your song sooner or later, I'm sure of it." Morrie was quiet for a moment. Nick wondered if he had said something wrong again, then his lover suddenly whispered: "I wanted to give it to you as a present." Nick's heart missed a beat. That was something else. Why didn't he notice?

"I guess I am dumb," Nick sighed sadly. "I had no idea." He looked into Morrie's eyes. "I'm sorry." He started to shiver. Now it was Morrie who held him. "It's okay. It can't be helped if you don't like it." "But I like it Morrie, I...", Nick paused. Why was this so complicated? "I didn't listen to it with my heart. I only wanted to hear what I remembered." Morrie silenced while Nick pressed his face on his chest, crying.

"I'm sorry", his lover whispered. "It could've been a wonderful day, but instead I made a mess of it." He rubbed Nick's back. "May I make amends? Or are you done with me tonight?" Nick lifted his head to lock gazes with Morrie. "Stay with me," he whispered. "My Norrie...," his lover sighed. "Besides, I just can't dismiss you when you want to do naughty things with me." He smiled and Morrie blushed.

#wehappyfew #whf #we happy few #whfnick #whf nick #nick lightbearer #morriememento #morrie memento #whfmorrie #whf morrie #nickxmorrie #foggy jack #whf foggy jack #foggyjack

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emilyschoi · 4 years ago

Text

Emily Choi College Au

Emily let out a frustrated sigh as she sat down on the bleachers, it was late in the afternoon and if her timing was right which it generally was it was mid-way through basketball practice. She would have been here earlier but the reason she was in a mood was the exact the same reason she was late – she had an argument with her cousin, who unfortunately decided to be petty and refuse to take her order all because she asked if he could use his influence over Tyler Lee to get him to ease up on his team, more specifically on Lucas who was under a lot of stress, both physically and mentally. Daniel wouldn’t hear any criticism of his boyfriend and of course, just suggested Lucas stop sitting on the fence and actually pick a team. Emily feeling rightfully offended for her boy who is more than a friend but not a boyfriend, pointed out that a good captain would do the right thing for his team and put his own ego to the side. Their argument ended up with Sungjae coming over and taking her order while the cousins glared at each other until Emily was handed her order.

Taking a sip of her Iced Green Tea Latte, she tried to reign in her annoyance and focus on what was happening on the court. As expected Basketball training was the only time the boys of Theta Sigma could be serious (apart from their feud with the Kappa Alpha boys) and their trio of co-captains were putting the team through their paces. Both the Basketball team and the Football team had made the finals so they had really amped up their training in an attempt to win. As usual the teams groupies fans had gathered in the bleachers, Emily had never interacted with any of them before but she knew a few things, Jaehyun’s fan group was the largest and the messiest – one week there was an actual fight among them (which lead to Johnny scolding them and kicking them out which was the highlight of the practice), Mindy kept showing when she clearly wasn’t welcome (and she was unfortunately here again) and Lucas’s constantly evergrowing Fanclub all seemed fascinated by her which was strange, to say the least. Usually, she ignored them, she either sat there and studied, occasionally looking up to give Lucas a thumbs-up whenever he did good which was a lot – that he was just showing off, she was never sure, or she managed to convince one of her friends to come with her, usually, it was Soomin or Nora(, but the rare occasions Eunmi came along with her were memorable, to say the least) but today it was hard not to notice.

Emily couldn’t help but frown her eyes trailing after Lucas who wasn’t as energetic as he usually was, he still played decently but the weight of being in two championship-worthy sports teams and studying for finals was getting to him and Emily was concerned. She had tried to convince him to take a break, he could miss a practice, sure Tyler and Jaehyun would be jerks about it but at least Johnny would understand – maybe, Emily hoped. If not she would go full-on WWE on them, she might be short but she could be deadly. In fact, the first thing her mother and sister ever taught about boys was to hit them when it hurts. It was an interesting lesson for a ten-year-old.

A whistle blew signalling a water break for the players, Lucas jogged over with a big but tired smile on his face. “How was I?” he asked taking a gulp out of his bottle of water before reaching over and grabbing his coffee.

“Good? Very basketbally,�� she said as Lucas chuckled, Emily flushed her knowledge of Basketball was still pretty limited, she just knew that he looked good playing and to cheer when his team scored – other than that it was just a bunch of tall people running around throwing a ball. “Shut up,” she said nudging him. “Sorry I was a bit late,” she apologized.

“It’s all good,” Lucas said with a shrug. “Is everything okay though?” he asked, “Do I need to beat someone up?” he joked, or Emily thought he was joking.

“I just had a disagreement with my cousin,” Emily shrugged trying to play it off as no big deal, hopefully, Daniel’s personality would cover and she wouldn’t have to explain what they were disagreeing about. “And honestly as much I love my cousin you will have to join a pretty long line if you did want to beat him up,” she said causing Lucas to laugh.

“Ah well I hope you two sort out your disagreement,” Lucas commented, leaning back slightly and closing his eyes. Emily took that as a chance to really look at him, he was tired the dark circles under his eyes made that obvious. “I know, I know I am too handsome,” he commented opening one eye.

“You are actually sweating like a pig so not that handsome,” Emily huffed.

“Hmm I am pretty sure you like me all hot and sweaty –“ Lucas smirked. Emily’s eyes widened as her face heated up. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Lucas, now with both eyes opened grinned over at Emily. “You are so cute,” he cooed.

“Shut up,” Emily said nudging him with her elbow. “You are so weird and you smell so there,” she muttered as Lucas straight up laughed in her face before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer, she struggled to get away not wanting her nose anywhere Lucas’s sweaty self.

“Come on one hug for good luck,” Lucas said with a grin.

“You don’t need luck,” Emily huffed flicking his arm, Lucas pouted at her lip jutting out. “Seriously,” Emily muttered.

“Yup,” Lucas nodded. “You can ask the guys I’ve been off today,” he whined. “Don’t you want me to be at my best?” he added. Emil scoffed, even if he wasn’t at his best, she doubted he was bad. “You don’t?” he said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart as if he’d been fatally wounded. “My heart. It’s broken,” he fake sobbed.

“Oh my god,” Emily muttered under her breath. “Shut up,” she said before quickly pecking his cheek. Lucas broke out into a wide smile and Emily well she couldn’t even look at him, her cheeks were burning from embarrassment. Lucas and herself had kissed multiple times and in much less of childish manner but this was the first time Emily had initiated any sort of affection and certainly never in public.

“Water breaks over,” Jaehyun called out and like that all the team made their way back onto the court.

“And that would be my cue,” Lucas said with a wide grin. “Unless of course, you want to give me more good luck kisses?” he teased. Emily overwhelmed by embarrassment squeaked out a ‘leave’ which caused Lucas to chuckle again.

“Zhang that means stop flirting with your girlfriend” Johnny called out. Emily flushed hanging her head letting it cover her face, through her hair she spotted Lucas looking down with a sheepish smile, she could barely him when he said that he will be back soon.

It took Emily at least 10 minutes to look up again, her cheeks were no longer bright red, her heart was no longer hammering and she was pretty sure with the boys back on the court no one would even spare her a second glance. She was right for the most part, except for Lucas’s fangirls everyone was back to what they were doing before. Jaehyun’s friends were being thirsty, Mindy was being delusional as usual and Emily was considering throwing her now-empty plastic cup at her head (she ultimately decided against it was better to recycle than throw plastic cups in or in this at the trash.) and the team was ignoring it all and focusing on the game.

She naturally founded Lucas, he was hard to miss one of the tallest in a team of mostly giants, he seemed to be more awake than before. Maybe it was the small amount of caffeine or just maybe it was her, no no definitely the coffee she though physically shaking her head to rid herself of that thought. She had blushed enough today. It was easy to get caught up in watching the team play, silently cheering for Lucas – sometimes having to bite her lip to stop herself from physically cheering for him.

Immersed in the on-court action time seemed to fly by and all too soon the team was packing up for the day. Once again Lucas was jogging over this time flanked by his friend who Emily knew was coming because usually, her friends had some sort of treat, Soomin was full of sugar natural so of course, she always had some sort of candy with her and Eunmi had come to the conclusion frat boys could help her business so she usually bought a container of cupcakes with her.

“I’ll just shower real quick and then we can go,” Lucas said. “Unless of course, you decided you don’t’ mind my sweaty self,” he said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“You two do know your flirting is weird,” His friend, Connor, spoke up looking between face contorted in disgust. “Like its cool, if you are into that but not in front of innocent ears,” he said pointing to himself.

“Innocent ears my ass,” Lucas snorted. “And stop being weird just because your last girlfriend had a weird obsession for your feet doesn’t mean mine does,” he said shoving his friend playfully. “Not that Emily is my girlfriend, she is a girl and is a friend but we haven’t –“ he started, nose scrunching up as he tried to figure out who to explain their relationship. “ I am just gonna go shower,” he said scratching the back of his neck as slowly backed away.

“Like I said before weird,” Connor said eyes flickering between Emily and Lucas’s retreating figure. “So your friends aren’t here? Does that mean no treats?” he asked sounding hopeful. “Because Jaehyun has put the entire team on a no sugar diet and I am dying here,” he pouted.

“Sorry,” Emily shrugged not sounding sympathetic at all. “Soomin had a meeting today and Eunmi says no more freebies you lot either order or you starve, either way, she wins,” Emily explained, nodding that was the short version of what Eunmi had said when Emily asked if she wanted to come today.

“And you didn’t think of bringing me, the number one Lumily shipper, anything?” He asked fluttering his eyes at Emily dramatically.

“No I didn’t and now I am glad that I didn’t - what the hell is Lumily?” she said shaking her head.

“Rude,” Connor snorted. “I am dying over here and you are picking on a ship name? priorities Emily priorities,” he said dramatically. “Anywho,” he continued. “What do you and Lucas have planned for tonight?” he said wiggling his eyebrows. “Anything interesting?”

“Helping prep for his exam?” Emily offered if the gleam in Connor’s eyes was anything to go by she was pretty sure he didn’t believe her or thought it was some kind of innuendo that Emily really didn’t understand.

“Prep for an exam,” Connor snorted, “Is that what you kids are calling it these days,” he said. “Prepping for exams, I am sure,” he grinned. “I remember when I used to prep for an exam with a girl –“ he said wistfully.

“Was she imaginary?” Emily asked.

“Again rude,” Connor said eyes narrowing. “I remember when I first officially met you were so nice and now just mean,” he said. “Was it because I was there that time in the café when you said you want your own frat boy and then your cousin was like no she doesn’t she is a virgin,” he said. Emily groaned covering her face with her hair, why did he have to bring that up.

“Yes well my cousin is dating Tyler Lee so he is clearly delusional,” Emily snapped, her annoyance at Daniel returning full force as she remembered that awful event.

“Oh so you are saying you aren’t anymore, I knew it!! Lucas never tells me but he was too whipped to be not getting any –“ he exclaimed, practically bouncing on heels. Emily’s eyes flicked down to empty coffee cup and back to Connor’s face, she could throw it at him easily but then would she get in trouble for injuring a member of the team.

“Leave me alone,” Emily whined. “It’s embarrassing – “

“Aww no, don’t say that Lucas’s fangirls will get angry,” he said. Emily’s nose scrunched up wondering exactly why they were being mentioned when Connor was embarrassing her. Honestly, why people were invested in her non-existent sex life she will never understand.

“What why?” she asked curiously. “Wouldn’t they be happy you are embarrassing me? Or do they think I am going to cause an argument between you and Lucas?” she asked glancing behind her.

“Are you planning on that?” Connor asked frowning. “No even if you were you wouldn’t be able to because our friendship is better than that,” he said matter of factly. “And firstly you accidentally implied that having sex with Lucas is embarrassing which I mean give the guy a break and secondly they live vicariously through you so if you dislike me then they will dislike me and I don’t have the energy for dealing with them,” he sighed.

“What no? They probably can’t stand me and want me out of the way,” Emily said.

“Nope,” Connor said shaking his head. “You’ve got them confused with Jaehyun’s Harem,” he said. “You got think about who they fangirl, like with Jaehyun he probably has at least hooked up with half of them so they know they have a chance, plus it plays into that whole bad boy thing like maybe I can change him,” Connor said pulling a face of disgust. “Johnny is way too nice and flirty so they live in hope thinking they are the special girl,” he said. “And Taeyong, well that guy is pretty and somewhat aloof so it plays into some sort of trope not sure but I am sure as it has become abundantly clear that I am no expert in women so I am not sure which one,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway the point is Lucas gave them nothing, like crumbs at most, but then you run into him one day,” he continued. “And you get a whole loaf of Lucas,” he said. “So since they have no hope they use as their your name moment,” he said.

“You have a lot of free time don’t you?” Emily said with a roll her eyes. “And if that is true explain Mindy?”

“I have literally no free time,” Connor said pointedly glaring down at the court where Jaehyun stood talking to Johnny and Taeyong. “And I can’t explain her, I am but a mere human boy, you expect me to understand that mess?” he exclaimed.

“Well no but it defeats your weird theory so,” Emily shrugged.

“Well there is an exception to every rule,” Connor shrugged. “Oh and look who is coming back now, that is the quickest he ever showered –“ he said smirking. “Though I suppose he’d probably just get sweaty again during your study session,” he smirked.

“We are actually going to study,” Emily huffed.

“Who is studying?” Lucas asked as he reached them looking between the two. “Oh no he is smirking,” he said looking at Connor. “What have you done?” he asked, brows furrowed accusation clear in his voice.

“Oh I have done nothing, it’s about you will be doing,” he said wiggling his eyebrows at Lucas. “Yana about this, she is going to flip,” he said gleefully.

“What?” Lucas started to ask but Emily was not going to let herself be embarrassed again today stood up grabbing his arm.

“Let’s go,” she said pulling him along causing Lucas to chuckle. From behind them, she could hear Connor call out a cheeky have fun making her ready to commit to Eunmi’s destroy men and take their money agenda, the current company excluded of course.

“ So what did he say to make you flee like that?” Lucas asked with a frown. “Whatever it was – I,” he started but stopped, Emily glanced at him curiously, since she knew Lucas she had seen many sides of him mostly his confident semi flirty self but right now he seemed unsure, almost scared. “He is a good guy and just teasing but sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop – “ he continued. “Don’t hate me,’ he murmured looking down.

Emily hummed, standing on her tippy toes so she could grab Lucas’s face in her hand. “You are a complete idiot if you think I can hate you,” she said squishing his cheeks together. “And he didn’t say anything about you, not really, he was just teasing me about when we met in the café and how my stupid cousin decided to ruin my life,” she said eyes narrowing. “If I could stand being a room with Tyler Lee for more than a minute it would be over for Daniel that is all I am saying,” she said.

“Oh,” Lucas muttered his own hands reaching up to pull Emily’s hands off his cheeks and intertwining them together, letting them fall down. “You could always tell me or Tara whatever you have on Daniel, we could pass it on, I am sure Tyler would love to hear it,” he said. Emily’s face fell now that he mentioned Tyler wanting to know embarrassing things about Daniel she suddenly didn’t want to tell him.

“Anyway, what did you think Connor told me?” Emily asked curiously.

“How about I tell you when we get inside?”Lucas suggested shifting nervously from one foot to another. “It’s getting a little chilly, do you need a jacket? I have one in my bag,” he offered.

“Fine but you have to tell me as soon as we get to your dorm,” Emily said. “And no I am all good and to be super honest I kinda have 10 of your jackets in my closet already,” she said with a laugh. Somehow every time they meet she would end up with one of Lucas’s jackets.

“So 11 won’t hurt,” Lucas shrugged. “Especially if it means keeping your warm,” he nodded. Emily rolled her eyes, it was hardly a chilly night.

Emily opened her mouth to respond but quickly stopped when any idea popped into her head, a little revenge for all the times Lucas would leave her flustered by saying some cheesy line. “Plus why would I need your jacket when I have you here to keep me warm,” she said snuggling into him. “Ahh nice and cosy,” she giggled. Lucas froze for a second before chuckling wrapping arm around her waist.

“Is this your way of saying I am super-hot?” he teased.

“Ah you’ve ruined it,” Emily said struggling to get out of Lucas’s grip.

“Nope it’s my duty to keep warm, bask in my warmth,” he said tickling at her side. “Bask!” he said before coping an elbow to the side. Emily making a quick escape raced forward but Lucas athletic abilities worked against her because mere meters later she was once again trapped in his arms.

“I can’t walk you know?” she said with a frown, back hugs and movement made for a very awkward situation. “I should have just taken the jacket,” she muttered pouting.

“You should have,” he chuckled in agreement.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Okay before we start,” Emily said once she finished laying out all stationary on Lucas’s desk. The boy himself was sitting on his bed legs crossed, notebook balancing on his lap. “What did you think Connor told me?” she asked leaning against his desk, enjoying the slight height advantage she had, it was nice to be taller than Lucas for once. “Because you made it sound really bad, especially if you think that I was going to hate you,” she said with a frown.

“It was nothing,” Lucas said sheepishly. Emily narrowed her eyes, stomping her foot in frustration.

“You agreed to tell me so –“ Emily said lips pursed. “Don’t be a liar Lucas,” she said with a huff.

“Fine,” Lucas said frowning. “But you have to promise you won’t hate me,” he said face scrunching up.

“We’ve been through this,” Emily sighed. “I am not going to hate you,” she assured him as she sat down on the chair across from him. “I really can’t imagine you doing anything that would make me hate you,” she said. Her mind went blank as she tried to figure out something that could make her feel anything but the very very strong like she felt for him now. Hell, she even accepted him being friends with Tyler Lee and Jung Jaehyun and if that didn’t say how much she liked him what would.

“Okay, so you know how I was failing in my forensic class?” He said. “And the whole reason we actually started talking was because I kinda blackmailed you into helping me,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“Yes,” Emily said. “Instead of letting me pay for your jacket to get cleaned you were like you can tutor my instead,” she nodded.

“Well I mean I wasn’t actually failing the class, like yeah I had to make up that particular test but really I do okay,” he said looking down. “I just – well – it’s just you always ran away whenever when we were in the same place and I’ve been wanting to talk you for a while and,” he said cheeks flushing, peaking up at Emily.

“So I learned about forensic science for nothing?” Emily asked scandalized.

“Uh yeah kinda,” Lucas said scratching the back of his neck. “Shouldn’t you be madder about me lying to you?” he asked.

“I’m still processing it,” Emily said holding a hand up. “So really you didn’t need my help at all?” she asked with a frown. The hours she spent on making easily understandable notes for him – she colour coded them and even did cute doodles to help.

“I mean I wouldn’t say I didn’t need your help, my grade has gone up since you helped me,” he said. “But was it as bad as I might have made it out to be…. Perhaps not,” he said sheepishly.

“Right,” Emily muttered. “Okay now up to the rest of it, did you really do that just to speak to me because that was –“ she said waving her hand in a so- so method. “Did you get tips from one of your many step frat bros?” she asked curiously.

“No,” He pouted. “You’d always run away, I wanted to talk to you since that day on the quad but anytime I tried –“ he frowned. “I mean I figured you might not be interested but I thought if we could hang out you might give me a chance,” he said not meeting Emily’s eyes.

“Me give you a chance?” Emily said exasperatedly, “You are kidding right?” she laughed. “You, looking like that, wanted me to give you a chance,” she snapped. “The only reason I ran away all the time because whenever I was around you, I somehow always managed to embarrass myself,” she said.

“No you didn’t,” Lucas said with his brows furrowed, “And what do you mean looking like that? Is it my ears?” he said his hands coming to his ears. “I can wear a hat,” he added.

Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Are you being purposely silly right now, I meant you attractive and kind and popular, you are a genuinely good person who manages to look some sort of god and its not fair. And then there is me running into you or spilling drinks on you –“ she ranted.

“So you like me to?” Lucas asked eyes lit up and a big smile making its way onto his face.

“I feel like we have established this already, there was the whole Valentine thing and then – Wait did you think I didn’t like you?” Emily asked in shock. “I wouldn’t have – Lucas, I have a wardrobe full of your clothes, I started to study an extra class just because I wanted to help, I show up to every game of yours and almost every practice, I fought with my cousin cause I wanted Tyler to stop being a dick and realize you are only one person –“ Emily said. “I am pretty sure no person would do that for people they don’t like,” she said.

Emily frowned as her mind finally caught up with her mouth. “I mean – as a girl who is your friend but not a girlfriend but not just a friend –“ she started to say. Lucas grinned throwing his computer to the side causing Emily to squeak, he was going to destroy his laptop and lose everything, then he really would need her help.

He leapt up off his bed, standing up once again much to Emily’s dismay she was back to being the short one. “You are so cute,” he cooed. Emily’s nose scrunched up suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. “Emily, look at me,” Lucas said standing right in front of her. “Please?”

“I mean my shoes are pretty interesting,” she muttered. Lucas hummed placing a hand on her cheek making her look up and at him. Honestly why his hand so big, what business did they have been that big.

“I like you too obviously,” Lucas said. “I really have no idea why this became such a mess, I am sorry for lying though, I just wanted to know you even if it was a friend or not a friend who is a friend or whatever else we’ve explained our relationship as before,” he said lips quirked up in a smile. “Maybe we should just make it easier and I can be your boyfriend as in the single word type, not the whole boy who is a friend way,” he said.

Emily’s ears turned red as she nodded. “Okay,” she muttered. “We could do that,” she added. “If you want to?”

“Of course I do,” Lucas said rolling his eyes. “So cute,” he said kneeling down so Emily had no choice but to look at him.

“Okay,” she said. “So we are together now?” she asked as Lucas nodded grinning gleefully.

“Cool,” Emily said.

“Cool,” Lucas mimicked.

#stories

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rigginsstreet · 5 years ago

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Clay Evans, Eric Matthews, Kevin Keller, Bailey Salinger

clay:

How I feel about this character: i only watched one season with him in it and like... he truly was not contributing anything

All the people I ship romantically with this character: nobody

My non-romantic OTP for this character: nobody

My unpopular opinion about this character: i dont know what anyones opinions of him are lmao i mean i guess i see people shipping him and quinn so they must be invested on some level. i cant relate to that

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.: that we just got lucas (and peyton) instead of having these obvious replacement characters but also i understand why chad and hilarie left but also god i missed them....

eric:

How I feel about this character: what a fun guy. HES A HIMBO! im always like “oh i dont have any himbo faves cuz thats not my cup of tea for characters” but like... eric matthews is a himbo. at least certain versions of him are

All the people I ship romantically with this character: jack

My non-romantic OTP for this character: also jack lmao i wish this question just said brotp or something. anyway. i love him and cory too

My unpopular opinion about this character: im not mad at how stupid he was in the later seasons. like... yeah he was dumb but he was still a good guy who just wanted his friends to get along and keep the peace. also he was always dumb. rewatch the early seasons... boy is dumb. they just amped it all the way up to 11 at the end because will friedle is a comedic genius. i respect that.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.: with that all being said... i wish he was treated better on girl meets world. they didnt need to do ALL that. like he still couldve been the zany uncle but dialed back

kevin:

How I feel about this character: hes.. certainly there, isnt he lmao i dont have strong feelings about kevin but i can say he is like one of two tolerable teens on riverdale so good for him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: im not invested in his love life like that but i do respect all his pairings because i just pretend its fredsythe lmfao

My non-romantic OTP for this character: literally the only other character on this show i like is archie and have they even spoken to each other? lmfao fuck if i know but they should be friends.

My unpopular opinion about this character: people seem to hate on him a lot for being a “bad friend to betty”. those people can choke on my dick i am personally inviting you to

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.: i mean his storyline truly does not affect me in any way shape or form but selfishly i enjoyed joaquin so i would have liked them to have had more of a story

bailey:

How I feel about this character: yall i never even finished party of five and netflix took it off im so mad lmao ayway bailey is... hes there too. definitely present

All the people I ship romantically with this character: nobody idc about him like that

My non-romantic OTP for this character: same answer as above (also keep it mind its been a LONG time since i watched anything so im very removed from any feelings i had lol)

My unpopular opinion about this character: dont have a single clue what anyones opinions are

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.: um.... i got nothing

#briana answers things #Anonymous

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bountyofbeads · 5 years ago

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1047551?__twitter_impression=true

Donald Trump holds the most powerful office in the world and he's used its authorities in ways never contemplated by his predecessors. So why does he portray himself as a victim?

Trump's 2020 pitch: A powerless presidency

Analysis: The most powerful man in the world would like voters to know he is beset on all sides by sinister forces that deprive him of the authority he needs to deliver on his vision for America.

By Jonathan Allen | Published Sept. 3, 2019, 7:15 AM ET | NBC News | Posted September 3, 2019 5:41 PM ET |

WASHINGTON — The most powerful man in the world prefers to portray himself as a martyr.

President Donald Trump says he's been beset on all sides by sinister forces that are oppressing him and depriving him of the authority he needs to deliver on his vision for America.

Often, the villains in his narratives work for him.

First, it was the CIA and the FBI, then Democrats, members of his Cabinet and Robert Mueller. Lately, his enemies list includes his hand-picked Federal Reserve chairman, Jay Powell, and Fox News. The cable network "isn't working for us anymore," Trump declared in a tweet last week, a few days after calling Powell an "enemy" of the United States.

Trump's persecution complex is an essential part of his brand — one that resonates deeply with a political base that believes anti-Trump liberals run the federal government and the news media. But as he seeks re-election in 2020, Trump is banking heavily on his ability to blend it into a coherent narrative with a version of his presidency in which he's been a commanding force, steamrolling adversaries to get things done.

"This election is not merely a verdict on the amazing progress we've made," Trump said when he kicked off his re-election campaign in Orlando, Florida, in June. "It's a verdict on the un-American conduct of those who tried to undermine our great democracy, and undermine you."

When he's less scripted, Trump sometimes speaks or tweets in terms that are more personal, such as when he describes himself as the target of "presidential harassment."

These two halves of Trump — victim and conqueror — fit together snugly for his campaign.

"It definitely is something that he and the campaign talk about," said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's re-election campaign. "There is no question he can still run against Washington based on the outspoken and unprecedented obstruction he has faced. And despite all of this, he has still accomplished everything that he has on behalf of the country."

Trump's supporters have mirrored the messaging.

Conservative commentator Bill Mitchell, for example, has cast Silicon Valley and the Drudge Report as anti-Trump forces tilting the world unfairly against him in recent days while also praising those — implicitly Trump — who overcome such challenges.

"Big Tech doesn't even care any more. They are all in to steal this election from President Trump. The days of appearing fair are over. They are just daring Trump to stop them at this point," he wrote in a tweet just hours after posting, "Let's start here: Life ain't fair. Proceed as if you know it. Be a champion, not a victim. Victims see roadblocks, champions see opportunities. #Trump2020."

Democrats say Trump's case requires a cognitive dissonance that is too much to bear.

"Playing the victim card in politics is pretty tough when you're president of the United States," said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist and message-testing expert who has worked on presidential campaigns. "You can’t have it both ways. You either have control over the destiny of the country or you don’t. I think it’s that simple."

The Washington Trump is running against, critics note, is filled with people he appointed to run agencies that are under his control. The Senate has been in Republican hands throughout his presidency. And the Supreme Court has a conservative majority featuring two justices he appointed.

To the extent he's been frustrated by what he calls "the swamp," it has arguably been as much a result of his inability to get people in his own administration and in his own party to go along with policies that sometimes cross the border of seriousness — like nuking hurricanes — as it has been from an opposition Democratic Party that has held very little formal power since he swept into office in January 2017.

While Trump surely has racked up significant policy and political victories — a major tax cut, two Supreme Court appointments and deregulation of an array of industries — his trade war with China has caused economic pain for producers and consumers in the U.S., he's demonstrated no progress in dealing with the regimes in North Korea and Iran despite his focus on those countries, and the massive influx of immigrants from Latin America on his watch has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.

Democrats say swing voters will see these outcomes as proof that he delivers more calamity than calm when he resorts to his own devices to make policy.

Both Trump's allies and Democrats agree that the sentiments of the relative handful of persuadable voters will be critical to determining his fate.

"They look at him as the architect of destruction and dysfunction, and they are going to be negative toward any leader, whether it's Trump or anyone else who makes excuses about their actions," Kofinis said.

But Michael Caputo, a Republican strategist and Trump ally who worked on the president's 2016 campaign, said that there is a clear "connective tissue" between the two elements of Trump's argument and that he needs those swing voters not only to regard him as effective but as embattled.

"You'd have to be dead or near dead not to understand that Donald Trump has been attacked at every turn of his presidency like no president in modern times," Caputo said. "Part of victory for Donald Trump will be convincing the middle that he hasn’t gotten fairly treated by Washington."

Democrats say that the premise of Trump being uniquely under siege — despite long investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice — is faulty.

"It’s an absurd argument," Joe Lockhart, who served as press secretary for President Bill Clinton, said in a direct message exchange. "Trump has had no congressional oversight for the majority of his term. His administration has repeatedly violated the law and had courts stop him. And let’s not forget Clinton had dozens of investigations and was impeached."

For now, Trump appears to be set on proving how much he can do with executive power, particularly on the immigration issue that was central to his first campaign.

In just the past week, he's vowed to finish building a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border before next November's election — a project that required him to execute an end-run around Congress by diverting funds appropriated for military construction — shifted money from disaster aid to immigration control and rewritten the citizenship rules for the foreign-born children of American soldiers and diplomats serving abroad.

While Trump continues to target his own appointees and allies at times, his campaign tends to keep a sharper focus on Democrats — a more traditional path to keeping Republicans united.

Murtaugh, who declined to discuss any polling the campaign might have done on its messaging, said the opposition is casting about for a strategy to counter the president.

"First they had the Russia hoax, which fell apart. Then they moved on white supremacy, and now they have moved on to rooting on recession," he said. "Never before has the opposition party taken on rooting against American success because it would be good for them if America faltered."

None of the Democratic candidates for president have cheered on a recession. But, like Trump did in the past, some have warned that one may be on the way because of the policies of the incumbent president.

Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist who worked on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, said Trump isn't likely to change the way he approaches describing his own shortcomings.

"For anything he hasn’t done, he always has a scapegoat," she said. "It’s someone else’s fault."

In implementing his agenda, Trump backers counter, that's because he has been fought, undermined and investigated at every turn.

"He’s not going to have a problem delivering the message of him being beset by the resistance to his base," Caputo said. "The question is going to be whether he can make the case to the middle."

#trumpism #president donald trump #donald trump jr #trump administration #against trump #ivanka trump #donald trump #trump crime family #trump crime syndicate #u.s. news #us politics #politics #republican politics #politics and government #political science

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fly-pow-bye · 6 years ago

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Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Drama Bomb”

Written by: Haley Mancini

Written & Storyboarded by: Alicia Chan, John West

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

More drama for your mamas...and daughters.

The episode begins with the beginning of a school play based on the food pyramid from the 90's, with everyone dressed up as a food item. Not only do we see the return of Robin Snyder in a sort of voiced role, though we never quite get to hear just her voice, we get to see all of our favorite students. And by favorite students, I mean just Barry. Go, Barry, you spinning bowl of chicken noodle soup, you.

Unfortunately, the kid's talents are not showing here, as they're all painfully off-key. Even the last episode that focused on play's idea of Blossom and Jared being the main stars of Townsville Elementary's drama class has seemingly been thrown out, as at least Blossom gets an intentionally bad singing voice as well. Instead, it's Bubbles that's the big star, as she gets to properly sing the big ending song about how treats are good when they're part of a...something. She couldn't figure out the last word in her song, much to the joy of the drama teacher.

A Star Is Blossom still has to be canon, because this episode also features Ms. Moss, the drama teacher that just can't believe she's working with such children. The joke, of course, being that these children are, in fact, children. At least, most of them are obviously children, at least one of them are pretty questionable.

She at least has a good reason for this sudden bout of perfectionism: the stakes have changed. After Buttercup, who is in the play as a T-Bone steak, does the obvious joke with that, she reveals that Citysville's greatest playwrite is coming to this elementary school, and if this play was good, they could go on tour with this amazing play about fruit!

We cut right from the failed rehearsals to the final version of the play, which is, according to a sign gag and not anything in the play itself, The Five Food Groups: A Hero's Journey. Even after watching this episode several times, I'm not sure what the "A Hero's Journey" is supposed to signify. I would guess it's supposed to refer to this plot about the Tomato, played by everyone's favorite brick, in his journey to identify whether he is a fruit or a vegetable, but where does Bubbles' song fit in all of this?

Then again, it's more likely one couldn't even make out what these kids are singing, as they're off-key and can't seem to sing in-time either. Of course, this is all intentional, but it's still bad enough to be hard to listen to. Ms. Moss hopes that Belle Lakes wouldn't notice, maybe possibly giving her a slight break since these are just elementary school students.

That's not the case, as she's bored watching this drivel. Finally, a character I can relate to. But hey, at least that lady right next to her is loving it! Also loving it is good ol' Sitcom Dad, who is taking pictures with this smartphone. You'd think someone who is bad at computers would use some sort of old-timey camera. Good thing the Professor shouldn't fit that description!

This reception doesn't please Ms. Moss at all. If she doesn't do anything quickly, this performance will bomb! That last word gives her an idea.

Ms. Moss continues her affinity with using mystic objects from mystic sources, though this item is a little less fantastic than the play that summons butch viking women. In this case, it's a Drama Bomb that was given to her after she graduated at an academy for master thespians, which, for some unexplained reason, is made up entirely of people in cloaks. When this bomb explodes, it makes anyone caught in the blast 10 times more dramatic!

She happens to have this bomb in a glass case that says "In Case Of Lack of Talent", and I'd say that should have been broken 114 times by now. She calls for a brief intermission, gathering all the students, and then throwing the bomb at them. Covering everything in pink glitter, the bomb's effects appear to be negligible...at least, for a few seconds.

Buttercup: Ugh, what was that?

Blossom: I don't know...it's...

Blossom and Buttercup: Magical!

Ms. Moss quickly comes in to say this is all brilliant, and tells them to go to their places with a really ugly zoom-in to her mouth. No real explanation other than "see, Ms. Moss is cuckoo!", I'm not going to show it, and you're welcome.

Thanks to the power of that Drama Bomb, that opening song from before turns into a big, artsy, and dramatic song in the style of the Cell Block Tango scene from Chicago. The unique coloring, the similar style of the song, and it even goes right down to how the food items in the pyramid looks like they're in jail cells. Honestly, I actually like this choice in visuals.

As for the audio, it's interesting to say the least, if not that memorable or catchy. It's still the same voice actors and voice actresses singing the songs here. I was 100% thinking they were going to pull out some actual singer to dub in for these characters, but it's just the regular actors actually trying to sound good. Less ideal, but less awkward than the alternative.

There is this shot with Blossom and you-know-who embracing that's just randomly in there, even though thankfully this is not a play where Blossom and Jared are the love interests. At least, as far as the viewers can tell, anyway. It does make sense in the play, since it's either two vegetables or a fruit and a vegetable, but I cannot forget all of that baggage from those fantasy scenes from Season 1 and 2.

Belle Lakes starts to get overjoyed at this. That lady right next to her is also still liking this, though the lack of change in her expression is worrying me. And, of course, Sitcom Dad is still sneaking around, taking smartphone pictures. Now that they're supposedly talented now, there's not even a joke here other than the Sitcom Dad creeping out that one guy. I wouldn't blame him.

Blossom and Buttercup are confused, as they can't help themselves but dramatically enter rooms, make dramatic poses, and speak with dramatic lines. Well, Buttercup is just dabbing and speaking as if Bart Simpson got an even worse cold than usual, but I can see what she's trying to do. At least Blossom's Shakespeare-esque lines are fitting here, and she says them relatively well.

Suddenly, the cellphone hotline rings, and Blossom asks what evil besieges the poor Mayor, and...

...it turns out that this episode features Discount Jojo as the villain again, stealing the dome from Town Hall as a decoration! I would say that this continues a streak with episodes with main villains voiced by Roger L. Jackson, but Ms. Moss is a far bigger threat here.

The Puffs attempt to leave, only to be stopped by the power of the Drama Bomb. As Ms. Moss explains, the show must go on, who cares if Townsville becomes a burning crater in the ground. She doesn't exactly say that last line, but she might as well say it.

They don't really turn Discount Jojo's crime spree into a B-plot. We just get this one scene where Jojo is so confused that, no matter how many crimes he makes and how long he makes his laughter, the Powerpuff Girls aren't stopping him. I guess I could see some humor in how Jojo is worried that the usual rhythm of things just isn't happening, it reminds me of that scene from that one episode of Batman: The Animated Series.

Joker: Without Batman, crime has no punchline.

It was done far better there, but I'm not going to hate on the reboot for not living up to those impossibly high standards. No dramatic lines from Jojo here, as much as it would be oddly fitting for this episode, but he does ask what could possibly be so vital that it would prevent the Powerpuff Girls from giving him a slideshow beatdown?

This at least decently transitions to the scene where Blossom dramatically exclaims that it's vital to know if the tomato is a vegetable or not, and even the Tomato does not know. By the way, if you're wondering where the Chicago styling is here, they pretty much forget about it beyond that one scene.

Also pretty much gone is any semblance of a followable plot in this play. I'm not expecting anything Shakespearean to show up in this reboot with or without that Drama Bomb, but there's no real connection between this tomato plot and Bubbles' final song.

Speaking of which, Bubbles is still moping that she can't figure out what that last word in the song is. This scene comes up way too often; it feels more like filler. I could at least appreciate them being over-dramatic, but other than that, it's just "waaah, I can't figure out my liiiines!"

In the end, they say they will do it together...as a whole! This word actually ends up being that word Bubbles was supposed to rhyme with "bowl". I mean, what else could it be? Treats are better than eating coal? You got to pay the troll toll? This show needs some quality control? Would have went with that one.

Essentially singing the same song as her attempt at the end song from the rehearsal scene from the beginning, since it was the only relatively good thing about it, I guess, she finally nails the end song with the help of her sisters. Belle really loved this play, and the uphill rollercoaster with Sitcom Dad still keeps going up without any real conclusion. What does conclude is the spell from the Drama Bomb, signified with some sparkles. The Powerpuff Girls are glad that they're finally free.

However, in the end, Ms. Moss learned absolutely nothing, as she promises to use a drama bomb on every play on this day forward, and then rolls out of the room. How she's going to get more of them will never be explained. The Powerpuff Girls seemingly pay it no mind that future plays might indirectly cause the destruction of Townsville, and decide, now that the show has ended, to finally take on Discount Jojo.

This isn't a bad way to end this episode. Such a old-school beating, not only does it end with a bruised Discount, it even comes with the classic line:

Blossom: Not so fast, Mojo Jojo!

If it actually had Bubbles and Buttercup saying Mojo and Jojo respectively, it would have been perfect, but I shouldn’t compare this show to that show’s impossibly high-to-this-show standards, either. The episode ends with a line that fits in with the rest of the episode, which is more than what I could say about some episodes.

Bubbles: And...scene!

I would have preferred a dramatic line read from Tom Kenny and hearts, but alas.

Does the title fit?

Name of the object, though it does cause drama in pretty much any way I can think of.

How does it stack up?

I'm a little in the middle with this episode. There isn’t much to the episode beyond some dramatic line reads, some better than others. However, it has some nice shots, and the songs, the ones that aren't meant to be terrible, are at least passable. It’s watchable, but I wouldn’t lie and say that yawning playwrite didn’t represent me at some points.

Next, Watch It, did they botch it?

← Checkin' Out ☆ Watch It! →

#fpb ppg 2016 #ppg 2016 #fpb reviews #powerpuff girls #cartoon network

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fantasticnewtimagines · 6 years ago

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SPOILERS!!! SCROLL PAST IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ!

R E V I E W

Okay, so COG was a wonderful movie in my opinion. Jacob was a hoot (as always), Newt was fabulous (we knew he would be) and Leta turned out to be one of the most amazing characters and I love her. Jude Law was a wonderful Dumbledore, and I loved watching him bring him to life in a younger version haha Also, Bunty is pretty much everyone in the fandom and Theseus was such a treat. Initially, I was afraid of Johnny portraying Grindelwald & I never saw him fitting in to the wizarding world and honestly, all I saw was a bleached Jack Sparrow haha He didn’t bother me per say, but I just wasn’t feelin’ it 100%… Thankfully I was able to see past that and I wasn’t sitting there hating every single second he was on the screen.

I didn’t like how the movie began with showing Abernathy as Grindelwald’s little sidekick buddy… like, we never got any explanation as to whether he knew Mr. Graves was Grindelwald all along or…? Queenie and Jacob with the love spell was a little ‘what?’ at first but I get why Queenie did it. She is desperate to have what she’s always wanted and Jacob wants it too but he’s afraid of the consequences. I know people say it’s out of character for her and what not and yes, it’s a little out there… but if you think about it, Queenie has always had Tina and from what I think it’s always been that way. She wants her life to begin and she wants to be with Jacob more than anything. Love makes us do stupid, crazy things.

I do wish we had gotten a chance to see more of Newt’s basement and more about his book release. He’s supposed to be a celebrity now and I think I remember reading he was receiving tons of fan mail (especially from ladiessss) and I was really wanting to see him interacting with his admirers… I don’t know, maybe that’s just me? But we never even got to see his book.

Also, more Theseus would’ve been nice haha And Nigini! Like, she was tossed in and then just kinda there hanging off Credence. We got nothing on her.

All in all, I loved it. The only thing I would really change is the pace as to which things were revealed. Towards the end it was rushed. I get JK was setting up for the next films and what not, but I think slowing it down a bit would’ve been nice. Mainly because I couldn’t keep up haha

T H E O R I E S

Kay, so my first theory is that Queenie was under a spell. Why? Well my first indicator is that insistent tea pot that wouldn’t leave her alone. I highly doubt it was doing that for no reason. Also, when she’s at Grindelwald’s gathering, she seems very off… She’s her bubbly self but something just felt off. And her scream? That is not her thing. I honestly think that tea had something in it. I also believe Grindelwald wanted her on his side to use her mind reading to help with Credence. Notice at the end of the film he has her beside him reading his mind? Yeah, I think he’s using her for that. He hooked her in with tossing out there that he could make it so her and Jacob could get married freely. You think he cares? Naw. He don’t give a crap.

Next, I do not believe for ONE SECOND that Credence is a Dumbledore. Clue number one, Grindelwald went to NY to find the obscurial. He had no idea it was Credence. He wanted nothing to do with him until he discovered HE was the obscurial all long. At the end of COG he tells Credence only he can defeat Dumbledore. He feeds him lies and I honestly think conjured up that Phoenix himself only to further trick him. Obscurials are a dangerous, uncontrollable, unstable parasitical dark force that (from what we witnessed in FBWTF) can do a lot of damage… It’s pretty obvious he wants him only for that. I mean, he can’t fight him so he’s gonna use someone else. And why not use something as powerful as an obscurial?

P R E D I C T I O N S

First, I predict that Leta is not dead… I don’t know why for sure, but I just don’t feel like it’s true. I mean, Theseus didn’t deserve that pain… Also, she seems like such a detrimental character that I just can’t see it. Maybe she did and I’m wrong, but I’m hoping she isn’t.

First off, before I explain this one I just to remind everyone that Credence ‘died’ before Graves was revealed as Grindelwald. He has no idea who Grindelwald is and as far as he’s concerned, he thinks he wants to help him. I mean, he knows what to say to people to reel them in and get them on board. He’s reminiscent of Hitler, really. Anyway, I think down the road Credence will discover the truth and he and Queenie may team up and fight him from the inside. I think it would be cool if they did. So… I hope they do lol

#fantastic beasts and where to find them #fantastic beasts #fantastic beasts and the crimes of grindelwald #newt scamander #fantastic beasts spoilers

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wayoutmason-blog · 6 years ago

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wildfire | self

WHO: Mason McCarthy (with mention of Ryder Lynn, Kitty Wilde, Jake Puckerman, Madison McCarthy and Eureka Serpent) WHAT: Mason accidentally becomes the between-set DJ, premiering an utterly unreleased song. (Studio version; live version that is probably about how nervous/emotional Mason is tbh; a cover that’s probably what it would actually have sounded like in terms of instrumentals) WHERE: Detroit, Venue Three. WHEN: Between sets three (Reflective Smoke) and four (Eureka Serpent). October 4. WARNINGS: Nah. WC: 881

The crowd was still cheering and whooping when the lights dimmed and they stepped out of placement - Jake and Dave went off and Mason paused, casting around.

Where was he?

“Hey,” Mason said, grabbing one of the roadies that were tugging their equipment off stage. “You seen Ryder?”

The roadie just grunted at him and shoved him off, which Mason would have found rude, but he was carrying a whole drumset, so Mason forgave him, but the whole point was that they were performing together, and Mason couldn’t do their duet by himself--

“Okay, well, uh, tell one of the DJs to--”

“Mason!” It was the stage manager, carrying not the bass Mason had just been playing, but one of Mason’s other guitars - which he shoved into Mason’s hands. “Are you ready to go?”

“What? No, I’m--me and Ryder, we were supposed to--”

“Lynn’s not here,” the manager said, apparently well-experienced in dealing with performers having a sudden case of cold feet; he didn’t seem to care what the reasoning for Mason’s reticence was. “We don’t have time to get one of the DJs out there. Go!”

“Wait, what am I supposed to--”

And then Mason was shoved, none too gently, back out on stage. He blinked at the light, swallowed his nervous chuckle, and grinned at the crowd. He turned the throat mic he was still wearing back on.

“What’s up, Detroit?” Mason asked, only to be startled by the sound of his own voice echoing throughout the venue. Wild. He felt bizarrely seen, out here all by himself, and he wondered how people like Kitty and Santana and Rachel did this night after night - until he remembered that he wanted this, too. All eyes on him was what he was working for, supposedly.

It was just that Ryder was supposed to be here too.

“I’m gonna keep you busy ‘till Eureka Serpent gets out here. That cool with you?” Mason grinned at the uproarious applause. “Yeah? How many of you guys are here for them tonight? Serpent fans, yeah?” Mason laughed as the roaring only got louder, momentarily distracted from his own rapidly increasing panic.

He watched as one of the ninjas brought him out a chair - he sat it in and let them hook up his guitar.

He’d suddenly forgotten every song he ever knew.

He strummed the strings. The hummed responsively, comfortingly; he knew this.

He could do this.

(He wished Ryder were here.)

(He wished Jake were here - he was so good at being frontman, he had so much practice and all Mason had was a lifetime of being second fiddle. Or, rather, second guitar.)

(Even Madison would’ve been familiar enough to be comforting.)

“So uh,” Mason said, once the ninjas had gotten everything set up. “This is, um, a special treat for you guys,” Mason said. “I’ve never performed this publicly before. Or, um, at all, actually.” Mason let a little nervous laugh escape him, and the sound was dwarfed by the upsurge of applause. “Thanks, thank you, really. Just, um, be gentle, okay?”

He had no other choice. He couldn’t remember any other song to cover, not with any degree of accuracy or efficacy - all he had was himself, and his music, and it would just have to be enough.

For once.

“So uh, thanks for being my test audience, Detroit. This song’s called Wildfire.”

Sitting alone in a tiny room, Waiting for dawn, it should be breaking soon, I know where you are, And I know where you been, But I never thought we’d be here again…

The thing about the song is that it was hard. It wasn’t current - he’d written it the last time he and Kitty had been approaching on-again, and as he sang he realized with a deep sense of frustrated irony that in spite of not being current, it was still relevant: they were still stuck in the same song and dance, thinking maybe this time…

At some point, he stood up from the chair. The song - it started quiet enough and amped itself up, and by the end of it, he was breathless and empty and the audience was…

Holy shit.

He’d never felt anything like it. The affection, the support, people liked it, people liked him, they were absolutely losing their minds over something he wrote, something he’d performed.

He had to catch himself - there was nobody else on stage for him to look disbelievingly at. There was just him.

He wiped the back of his hands against his face, tears or sweat - he wasn’t sure which he shook off, but he knew he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Wow,” Mason said with a stupid laugh. “You really know how to make a guy feel loved, Detroit.”

He strummed his fingers over the strings again and glanced over his shoulder - the manager gestured for him to wrap it up, which Mason knew was fair because he had no idea how long the song actually was, since he’d never timed it or recorded it in any sort of real way. He gave a bow and the screaming somehow increased in volume, and then he gave them a wave and blew them a kiss.

It was better than any high he’d ever had in his life.

And that was saying something.

#wayoutdetroit #para: all #para: wildfire #para: 004 #para: self #// my bb's debut would be him getting shoved on stage but whatcha gonna do

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admhawthorne · 8 years ago

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Super Goddess Fic: Attempt Three!

“That place down there,” Kara pointed to a small, hidden away restaurant as they flew over the city. “It has the best pot stickers in town. Seriously, if you haven’t given them a try before you leave, you’re missing out.” She smiled brightly at the woman flying patrol with her.

The start of their rounds had been stiff and uncomfortable as they tried to gauge the other, but, after Kara almost hit a lightning rod on top of a building while trying to not look like she was staring at Diana, the mood had shifted to something much lighter. It’d taken the Amazon several minutes to get over her fit of laughter at the whole situation, and, after Supergirl managed to get her raging blush under control, things had become much easier between them.

Between moments of helping keep the city a safer place, Kara had begun to give her companion the grand tour of National City as only a native to the town could do, which, for Kara, meant telling Diana all the best places to eat.

“I do enjoy pot stickers, though I must confess I prefer a nicely cooked piece of steak after a long battle. The protein is helpful for maintaining strength.” Diana glanced around, eyes keenly aware of everything happening below them.

“Oh, yeah, good point,” the blonde huffed with a hint of disappointment. For some reason she couldn’t pinpoint, she really wanted to impress the other woman. “Well, it’s good to be healthy, but you have to treat yourself sometimes, right? I mean,” she pointed at another small shop further into the arts district of the city, “that place has the best ice cream ever, and I mean ever. I’ve been to a lot of ice cream places since I got to Earth, and no one’s ever been better than ‘Scream Cream.’ They make everything there in small batches, and they have this flavor called Supe…” She looked over and immediately stopped flying. Diana had disappeared from her side, and a quick look round found the brunette hovering in the air a few hundred yards behind her.

Kara circled back. “Is everything okay?”

Diana nodded, and, much to the blonde’s surprise and delight, she blushed slightly. “I really enjoy ice cream. I’d never had it until I left my home, and,” she ducked her head and smiled guiltily, “I think it may be one of the best inventions man has ever created.”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to go with you on that one,” Kara happily agreed. “Ice cream is amazing.” Her grin widened as she watched the brunette stare down at the ice cream shop. “Do you….” She trailed off, her throat suddenly tight and her nerves picking up. Was this a good idea? She already knew it probably wasn’t, but the look on Diana’s face was enough to make her not care. Someone who had such unguarded love of something as simple as ice cream was someone Kara wanted to have ice cream with. “Do you want to get some?” At the sharp, questioning look she was given, she shrugged uncomfortably. “I do a lot of patrols through this area on the weekends, and the owners are used to me coming in for a drink of water or a scoop of ice cream. They… uh…” She was blushing again. “They actually made a flavor just for me and keep it in stock.”

“Truly?” Diana tipped her head to the side, a sparkle of humor in her eyes. “What do they all it?”

Kara coughed self-consciously. “They call it ‘Supergirl,’ but, I mean, it’s not about the name. It’s… okay,” she was starting to babble, “look, it’s the best thing. It’s chocolate ice cream with pieces of candied pecans, bits of freshly made pie crust, and they swirl in the filling people use in pecan pies.” She demonstrated the swirl with a motion of her hand. “It’s so good. It’s not exactly as good as my adopted mom’s chocolate pecan pie, which is THE best dessert I have ever had from any world, but it is really close, and, if you wanted to try it, I would…”

“I would be honored to share a piece of your home with you,” the brunette cut in, reaching out to place a soft touch to the Kryptonian’s forearm. “Thank you for the offer.”

Once again, Kara realized her guard was down, and, once again, she was both shocked and not so shocked that she’d done it. She didn’t know this woman, didn’t know her intentions or her level of integrity, but she felt this pressing need to be open with her, as if the truth of who Kara really was and not the façade of Supergirl or Kara Danvers was bubbling to the surface and escaping in little rivulets of steam simply because she was in proximity to Diana’s warmth.

It was strange, and she should have seen it as dangerous, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel that way. Instead, she felt a comfort she hadn’t felt in over a decade.

Looking down at the place the Amazon’s hand rested on her arm, she gulped. The touch made her feel heated, and it registered where she’d felt that before. She shook her head. She wasn’t ready to deal with that, and ice cream would definitely help her cool down. She forced herself to look up and smiled brightly at the sincere gaze that met her. “What is the best way to enter their establishment without causing them distress? I assume Supergirl doesn’t walk through the front door?”

“Yeah, no, not really.” The blonde reluctantly pulled away from Diana’s hand and started toward the shop. “I go in through the back.” She nodded toward a small, enclosed area behind the building, which would keep her entrance private. “Oh,” she stopped again, catching the other woman’s eye to make her stop as well. “They’re going to want to know what to call you. Are you… I mean, do you… Is Diana…”

“Diana is my name, but I’ve learned covering my identity to the general public is important for the sake of privacy, which is unfortunate. Where I come from, people respect the privacy of others.” Her face looked sadly wistful for a split second before she sighed, letting whatever was bothering her go. “I’ve been called Wonder Woman in the past. It is, perhaps, a bit opulent, but I didn’t name myself. Had I, I might have gone for something more traditionally Greek.”

Kara chuckled. “I know that feeling. I didn’t name myself Supergirl, either. Cat Grant decided to call me that, and it stuck.” She motioned down at her chest. “I guess because of my House’s crest and the fact my cousin goes by Superman.” She rolled her eyes. “Come to think of it, he didn’t name himself, either. Lois Lane, a reported at the ‘Daily Planet,’ started calling him that, and here we are.” She threw her hands out to her sides in a show of indifference. “I mean, all things considered, I guess it’s not so bad.”

“But it is not your name nor one of your own choosing,” Diana pointed out. “Names are powerful tools. Knowing someone’s true name is a deep show of trust, especially in this world, is it not?”

The blonde blinked a few times, letting that thought sink in. “Yeah, I guess it is.” She crossed her arms over her chest and really looked at the armor clad woman floating in front of her. “And you told me yours without hesitation.”

“Warriors fighting on the same side should know each other. Trust is an important part of establishing the strong bonds needed for warriors to be effective together on the battlefield,” Diana responded simply.

Kara narrowed her eyes in thought, watching the other woman’s body language carefully. “And are we on the same side?”

“I believe in protecting humanity. I believe that the first thing any champion of human lives must do when they encounter conflict is try to talk through the conflict to resolution. I believe that, if talking doesn’t work, then fighting must be effect to stop the threat, even if that means using deadly force. I believe those of us who are the strongest have a sacred duty to help, protect, and heal as we can those who are not as strong. I believe in love and the power behind it, and, if these are things that you believe in, too, then, yes, I would say we are on the same team.”

For a long stretch of time, Kara floated in front of Diana and stared. How could anyone be this open and honest to a stranger? Was she actually being honest? Deadly force? Her cousin never killed, but Alex had. Alex had killed to protect her, and, yes, sometimes deadly force was necessary regardless of how repugnant it was. How could she know that what the Amazon said was true? She wanted it to be true.

She shook her head. “Diana, I can’t…”

“Wait.” Holding a hand up, Diana reached to her side with her free hand and pulled the coiled rope that rested there from it. It instantly burst into a shining, bright golden string of light. “This is the Lasso of Truth. It was a gift from Hestia. It compels whomever is touching it to tell the truth.” She held the coiled rope out in front of her. “When two or more people voluntarily touch it, they share in each other’s truth. Please,” she nodded to the rope, “I want you to know that what I say to you is true in my truth.”

Kara stared at the glowing rope suspiciously. Again with gods? Could a rope do something like that, and why was it glowing? Still, she needed to know, and there was something about Diana. She just… she was going to take a leap of faith and hope her sister didn’t kill her later.

Reaching out, she took the other side of the coiled lasso. Immediately, she felt warmth encase her. It was welcoming, like an amped up version of what she’d been feeling as she flew by Diana’s side all evening. Doubts left her mind as her eyes met the brunettes, and she smiled. “Wow.”

“Yes,” Diana agreed, returning the smile and nodding in understanding. “We are on the same side, Supergirl. I am not here to hurt your or your city. I am here to help. I came here for work, and I will be here until my work is done, but, while I am here, I want to help you as you help your city. I have no ulterior motives.”

Kara felt the truth of Diana’s words resonate through her. There was no way what she was being told was a lie, and, even though she didn’t understand it, she trusted that what she felt was true. She believed.

“Okay,” she said a little breathlessly at the feelings swarming around her, “I trust you, and I’m glad you’re here. It gets lonely doing this by myself, even though I have people helping me on the ground.” She took in a deep breath and held it. Had she not been holding the rope, she may never had decided this was a good idea, but right now it was all she wanted to do. She wanted to strengthen this bond they were creating together. “And my name is Kara Zor-El, or Kara Danvers for those here on Earth.”

The brunette nodded. “I have a name for this world, too. Prince. Diana Prince,” she chuckled. “Someone dear to me decided that giving me the surname Prince would be much more acceptable to people of this world than me explaining that I am, in fact, a Amazonian princess with no surname.” She shrugged. “I can’t say they were wrong.” She gently tugged the rope from Kara’s hand and returned it to her hip. “Thank you, again, for your trust.”

Kara cleared her throat a few times and shook her head to dissipate the fuzzy feeling left behind from being pulled away from the warmth of the lasso. “Thanks for helping me feel good about doing it.” She nodded toward the ice cream shop. “So, ice cream, Wonder Woman?”

Diana laughed. “Lead the way, Supergirl.”

#supergirl #wonder woman #super goddess

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ohshitmusthavebeenaghost · 8 years ago

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Race is Learned

I recently read an article(1) about a kid who wanted to get his hair cut the same way as his best friends. He said he couldn't wait to go to school because his teacher wouldn't be able to tell them apart with the same haircut, they'd look the same! Sound logic, in my opinion. His mother (and many others) found it adorable. And the best part? The little boy is white, and his best friend is black. And he's sure that his teacher won't be able to tell them apart. The only difference he sees between he and his best friend, is a haircut. Let me repeat that: The ONLY difference he sees between he and his best friend, is a haircut. He doesn't see black and white. He doesn't see race. Because race is learned. Racism is taught. No baby is born separating themselves from others because of the color of their skin. In light of recent events (presidential election, and increasing number of hate crimes encouraged by said election), I've been thinking a lot about this lately (among other hate crimes, not just race related). I remember the first time I really even noticed someone's race and realized that they were different from me, and sometimes treated differently because of it. I was 11, turning 12. Obama was running for his first term. My mom and stepdad and grandparents were watching the campaigns carefully. It could go either way. Would we have our first female president, or our first black president? I remember my mom talking to me about both of the candidates. Paraphrasing her sentiments: Hilary was a lying, deceitful woman, and was not fit to be president (although I, not fully understanding feminism at the time, but with a burning desire to be a future president, wanted nothing more than for "A girl like me" to be elected) Barack was a black man who started at the bottom and worked hard to get to where he was. A strong, fit candidate. My mom had explained a lot to me about why it had been so hard for him to get here (again, paraphrasing her sentiments). People of color were treated differently. Lived in bad neighborhoods, and their kids didn't go to good schools like I did. While my 11 year old brain tried to comprehend this, he was elected. 8 years later, and I've seen a lot of hate, and racism, but I've always tried to stay unbiased. People are people. Regardless of gender, skin color, religion, or sexual orientation. I've done my best to learn how to be a good ally, and a good person in general. Now that I'm older, I see that I was lucky to have grown up so unbiased, around people who were also unbiased. I saw the prejudices and injustices of the world and my heart broke. At 20 years old, I am proud to be a black lives matter believing, lgbt rights fighting, protesting, feminist, activist, with a lot of friends and support from around the world. I'm proud to know that I'll be able to raise a tiny version of my fiance and I, in a loving home, where they can bring friends to feel safe from whatever hardships their life throws at them. I can only hope that my home is a loving and safe one, where everyone feels welcome to be themselves, and escape the horror that I can only expect to come in the next couple of years. I can only hope that I'll be blessed with a child who comes home from school and wants to get the same haircut as their best friend, to confuse their teacher, because they see no difference between them apart from a haircut. (1) https://www.google.com/amp/mashable.com/2017/03/03/boys-get-same-haircut-to-confuse-teacher.amp

#race #racism #black lives matter #racism is taught #mine

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keepyourpantsongohan · 8 years ago

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Ayesha Liveblogs Fairy Tail S7 Part 1

Seems like they’re really amping up the romantic tension this season

And also the drama?? Cat murder seems unnecessary

“Why did the Gawkers tag along?” I love the Gawkers they are my babies

“I took the liberty of eavesdropping” Arcadios is not really very good at introductions

Admitting to kidnapping and stealing will not endear you to people

They can’t really be surprised that there’s no actual justice system in a monarchy

Time travel seems like a terrible idea for more reasons than I can list

I love Gray’s finals outfit of course he has to wear a sleeveless shirt and arm sleeves

“U mad bro?” They’re using memes as dialogue lmao

Guild master wisdom:

Makarov: What’s Gray’s strategy

Mavis: All balls no brains

“You shouldn’t be able to move right now” “Don’t tell me what to do” I love Gray Fullbuster in immeasurable amounts

Fucking hell he stole Rufus’s feathered hat what a man

“Trying to be sexy for that long really takes it out of you” if this show has proved anything it’s that the best way to be sexy is by accident

“Can’t say I’m a fan of this sitting on the sidelines garbage” Lucy <3

“You’re the least beautiful thing here” I think Pinocchio the Garbage Knight wins that title

I love that when Natsu and Gray are attacked by each other’s elements they’re like ‘bitch pls my boi has been on this magic since day 1′

Lucy, without any weapons or ability to use her magic: Let’s punch him

“I’m so grown up I’m actually an apparition” same Mavis same

“Why do you run from me?” he asked, while swinging two scythes violently in succession

Shout-out to when Gray and Loke defeated Wendy using sour fruit although it was much cuter between guildmates

I aspire to be as committed to my terrible decisions as Arcadios imagine literally wading through hot lava to make a mistake

LION BOYFRIEND TO THE RESCUE

“Reflect upon your sins and despair” Calm down Sir Guyliner

Yukino must think Lucy has a polyamorous relationship with all her spirits considering how often they hit on her

“Y’all must think I was born on the boat yesterday” The mixed idioms are kind of great

Stop touching Wendy’s mouth you creep

Fairy Tail guild members all talk about their super secret treasonous rescue mission in the middle of a public corridor

“She underwent unimaginable pain at the hands of Jellal, so why does she protect him?” [Happy voice] Because they’re in loooove

I’m not sure what I hate more Minerva’s tactics or her eyebrows

I called that it would be Lucy since Jellal’s confrontation with her but I’m curious as to where Jellal has gone

“Not to brag, but we even got ourselves a spare” Natsu pls

“I’m a lightning god slayer” “That’s gonna make it embarrassing when you lose to a fairy” Adsdtjkhfgfkhg when Laxus reps Fairy Tail I weep

You’d think if Jellal of all people can manage to forgive Ultear she’d be a little more at peace but I guess they’re just the Guilt Squad

I hope Erza kills Minerva in the most painful way possible she is literally the Worst

“You really need to get it together, Future Me” same Lucy same

I guess if you’re already committing treason you might as well go for broke

“Gray and Lyon are both quite handsome fellows, I suppose,” Amazing even Yajima thinks he’s pretty

Laxus’s dialogue this entire arc has been amazing

Unbelievable Fairy Tail won the games through a staring contest

This is incredibly traumatizing for Lucy she literally watched herself die in her own arms

Why would you trust the word of a man whose character design is so clearly evil

In a plot twist that everyone saw coming, opening the portal to the past where dragons ruled was a bad idea

Seven Dragons, seven dragon slayers, I get it

“He did make an extremely convincing argument,” he said, having had no screen-time during said convincing argument at all

Gray is finally gonna sit Juvia’s ass down and tell her he doesn’t want to date

“The world is as good as dead” Hisue is me every time I am faced with any challenge

JENNY TRIED TO SEDUCE A DRAGON

“A bit of advice: avoid the mouth end” I can’t believe Lahar and Doranbolt are flirting ghsdkjghkjghfhfh

“You won’t like the princess, because she’s really a man” ARCADIOS PLS

How can Natsu call Lucy “Fairy Tail’s resident flasher” when Gray exists

ERZA’S GARBAGE BOYFRIEND TO RESCUE YES BABY

“People and People, Dragons and Dragons, People and Dragons” is this an episode title or a Panic at the Disco album

Lmao @ Natsu’s dragon uncle this is not what I was expecting

How Not to Redemption Arc 101:

Ultear: I will never atone for all that I’ve done

Also Ultear: We must murder the teen before he commits a crime

“Nope, figured I’d just bring him with me” Sting pls

Well well well it’s Raven Tail oh how the turntables

“You’re feeling overwhelmed? Well this is a first” Dgjfkdghkfjhgkfjhgkl Jellal is flirting mid-battle this is everything I love

NO NO NO NOT GRAY LITERALLY ANYONE BUT GRAY HE IS THE ONLY PERSON I CARE ABOUT FUCK

Retrieve my lost happiness Ultear bring Gray back

MY BABY HE IS ALIVE AND I AM ALIVE AND I LOVE HIM

Hisue ought to realize that since she can’t fight she’s kind of only forcing the people around her to protect her

“Was that us?” A reasonable conclusion when your enemy evaporates in golden light

Erza and Jellal just making eyes at each other like ‘death battle and chill’

I’m happy Future Lucy is at peace although it’s sad that in her world that’s only because she and all her friends are dead

Amazing Gray is already in his boxers my stripper son always saving me

I can’t believe that Freed is canonically in love with Laxus

Erza just got sister-zoned by Kagura amazing

SHE WAS KEEPING THREE CATS IN HER TITTIES ERZA PLS

This battle for Yukino to join all the guilds is adorable I love it

Honestly I demand a post-battle makeout between Erza and Jellal

Oh no Meredy doesn’t know what happened to Ultear

Lmao @ Doranbolt yelling at the monarchy

“Be safe,” said Doranbalt, to a fugitive who hunts dark wizards for a living

Ultear is the old lady!!! Also poor Jellal and Meredy they’re having a rough time

Gray carries the burden of everyone who has sacrificed their lives for him

Why did the ghost of the first master cross the road? To get to The Other Side

Rogue @ everyone: Fight me

I’m laughing at the Adventures of ADD Exceed

Gray and Juvia are so nice offering to help lost kittens find their way home

“So you strip in public professionally now?” Sfjgkhdkfjhgkdfgh

“I’d love to buy some sweets but first there’s someone I need to stalk” ERZA

Every girl in this show is a little gay for Erza

“I know we just met, but I’m thinking we should fight” I LOVE HIM

I bet Loke’s dream is going to be something dirty

“One flick of your finger is all I need” 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

I love that Gray is both constantly naked and criticizing people’s fashion choices

If the spiritual alter egos are turning their quirks into violence does that mean Loke is going to seduce people to death

Apparently he’s a misogynist knight [Leo voice] m’Lucy

I want Levy, Yukino and Lucy to form Charlie’s Wizards

Natsu, slightly betrayed: I thought you were just being a bro

Is Gajeel gonna babysit because I can dig that

“This seems like an excellent spot for some man-on-man action” Elfman do you hear yourself

I can’t believe that Cana is playing Yu-Gi-Oh

They’re really playing up the partner dynamic between Juvia and Gray which is ironic because he literally died trying to dump her last arc

I am unexpectedly enjoying the duel segment a lot I guess it’s because I enjoyed YGO?

I CNA’T BREATHE GRAY STOP DANCING

He’s figure skating I’m losing it “100 Gray spins” this is the most terrible and best thing I’ve ever seen

“Goodbye, my sweet prince” Take a shot every time someone talks about how they’re in love with Gray and then die of alcohol poisoning he is cursed with a hotness he can never escape

I can’t believe that Gajeel is a squirrel

Panther Lily is embarrassed about being treated as a pet but he is Gajeel’s cat

Tbh the Spirit Beast is just a less intense version of the Ten Tails

I have lost my patience for filler on to plot we go

#ayesha liveblogs ft #ayesha talks anime #liveblogging

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mcollawn · 5 years ago

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Galaxy Con 2020 Convention Review

Galaxy Con 2020 was a smashing hit from last year, 2019. Richmond, VA was the first Galaxy Con of the year and as such will carry lots of for the rest of Galaxy Cons. Galaxy Con’s trademark came from SuperCon before their events were sold to ReedPOP and GalaxyCon was born. It is just a change in ownership and the only SuperCon left is the original in Florida. I came to the friends the Reynolds Anime Club and treated volunteering as the community service project for the club. I would have come even without the community service aspect. I was assigned to the Audio and Visual department for Galaxy Con. I went on Saturday, February 209th, 2020 and had two shifts of ten hours with a break in between.

I arrived at the event around 8:45 A.M. and was waiting to enter with staff personnel for my shift. Apparently, the Greater Richmond Convention Center Security was very picky who came on the restricted areas before 10 A.M. I had to go with a staff member even though I had the volunteer shirt for my shift from 9 am to 2 pm. This reassured that the event would be safe and there would be no external threats for the remainder of my time there. I went to the second floor and it felt deserted with all the guests downstairs. Luckily, the volunteer coordinator put a list of numbers for the supervisors of each department and I called mine. The only sense of direction for finding everyone was what I thought was the Viewing rooms. However, AV’s home base was on the other side of the building which was interesting for walking back and forth from. I met Anthony and he directed to headquarters (HQ) and that is where I began my wait for something to do.

It took about 10:30 where the waiting around was followed by briefly moving the equipment around and such. Though during this time, it was quiet because most of the preparations were done beforehand. Basically, it was fine-tuning and watching AV staff getting the transcribing software eady on TVs and connected to tablets. The transcribing software was to help those with hearing impairments a chance to understand what was said in the Main, Super, and Hero Stages. After some time, I had a chance to do the main activities for AV which was checking on panelists and seeing their requirements for the panels.

Since I was new to AV, I had someone named Tim, who every chance he got to help AV at Galaxy Con. He showed them things to ask and look out for like projectors, microphones, audio from an external device to speaker, and other important factors for the panel sections. My favorite part was meeting the panelists and asking the same questions to make it easier for them. A majority of the time, the panels did not need the project much and mainly used the microphones in the rooms. While I was making my strolls to the panels, I ran into a panelist that I met last year who hosted Who wants to be a Nerd? (geek trivia) and Conversation Menu (a list of ice breakers for talking).

Though my first shift was busy, I still managed to enjoy the AV segment so far and it provided a groundwork for other conventions to come. The last activity that I was assigned was to help a special guest who had a signing and Q&A activity which had a lot of preparation for it. We had to organize the room where people would line up in the hallway and slowly present their ticket for the autographs. There were two tables lined up on the autographs and the Galaxy Con banner had to be moved in front of the platforms so no one would step on those platforms. The people attending the panel were ecstatic at them getting a small picture and a large poster as a gift. This was the last task I did before going on my hour hiatus and then have to go back.

During the two hour break, I met up with a member of the club whose shift ended on the same shift. Actually, I ended up a couple of minutes early and decided to go to the Anime Viewing Room to wait on Reggie. He could not leave the pile of DVDs, so I waited with him for confirmation when Anthony would be able to open the storage room. We went to AV HQ and sat in the room for about 20 minutes. Reggie did not eat for a while so pizza was his option in the office and waiting around was pretty relaxing. The shift prior to this was taxing and my feet were aching for walking the 3 blocks of a convention center. Reggie and I went downstairs to meet up with the former club president and his brother. Apparently, there was confusion about which cafe he was and it ended up being Concessions B in Exhibit Hall B. I thought the Food Court and Cyber Cafe were the only places but I was severely wrong when I found out about the concessions in the vendor's area.

When I met Irvin, the plans that I discussed with Reggie were changed. Originally, Irvin decided to go to the Video Games room for the Dragon Ball Z Fighters Tournament but soon joined me in watching the Super Smash Bros. Tournament. I liked the Smash Bros. and my favorite was discussing with guests about Melee versus Ultimate. Melee is the second generation of Smash Bros. on the GameCube while Super Smash Ultimate is the new version on the Nintendo Switch. I was trying to see people’s opinions on HungryBox (who is the top champion in Melee) and if Ultimate was better than Melee. However, my two hours of rest would have come to an end and so my second shift began 4 to 9.

My second shift was literally doing Reggie’s shift which was the Anime Viewing Room and later the Nostalgia Viewing Room. I checked with Brian after the break and found there was not much to do at the moment. I proposed to assist in the viewing room and Brian suggested to go check. I arrived at the viewing room and found out that people were anxious for My Hero Academia that should have started at 4 pm. I went back for a second time to retrieve the DVDs that were scheduled and put on MHA: Tale of Two Heroes. I am telling you MHA was too crazy for their respective panels and their photoshoot. I was really excited after I put Sailor Moon Crystal at 6 pm since it was my first time watching any Sailor Moon.

I met really cool fans of the anime and had many conversations with them. The one conservation that stood apart was a Queen Ramonda cosplayer from Black Panther and how she made the costume. The Nostalgia room started at 7 pm with Batman: The Animated Series and at first had a small screen since the cord was really short on the projector. I played Space Dandy at 8 pm and the first episode that was on was “I Can't Be the Only One, Baby” which introduced the multiverse concept in the episode. The most exciting thing I watched was The Transformers: The Movie which started at 8:30. This movie is an American icon and should be watched at all costs!

In conclusion, I learned a lot in AV operations, the importance of permission to screen media in public, and how to go through crowds effectively. The AV was like a second choice for me since Video Production was not available for volunteers. I understand the process of sound and technology crew at an event more clearly now. I also stumbled across why you need to ask permission from licensing companies for public screening. The viewing rooms were screening events in public and you need to get permission and possibly pay the creators prior to showing the DVDs for the particular copyrighted franchise. Finally, I learned how to not be people’s ways while waiting in between panels. Going to crowds is essential as well for you are considerate for the guests walking by you just like not being in the middle of the path for walking. I hope to volunteer again for AV in the near future and possibly be better at it. According to their description, “GalaxyCon Richmond is More Than a Comic-Con! It’s a 3-Day FESTIVAL OF FANDOM…” and as a result, I hope to see you there.

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thegloober · 6 years ago

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17 of the best pop culture Halloween costume ideas for kids right now, from Meghan and Harry to Serena to Riverdale

Usually, my favorite Halloween costumes that our readers come up with each year are clever pop culture reference costumes. Do you remember the “Derry with the Bat” costume that Kristen’s son wore last year, from the viral meme last year? It was amazing!

So, to spark your creativity this year, we’ve listed some of our favorite pop culture Halloween costumes for kids, babies, tweens and teens, from the buzziest people, films, books, and heroes of the year.

Psst…we bet you’ll be seeing tons of these next year, too. -Kate with Liz

CMP is an Amazon and rstyle affiliate.

Related: 13 of the coolest family costume ideas, from Moana to Guardians to Avocado Toast

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Costume Pop culture moment of the year probably goes to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, and it’s actually a really easy costume to pull off for your kids. If you want to go all-out, you must check out the Meghan and Harry costume photo shoot by Toddlewood, photographer Tricia Messeroux’s brilliant service in which she transforms kids into all kinds of iconic figures and celebs — then captures them spectacularly. I mean the details here, from Harry’s scruff (drawn on with a reddish-brown pencil to Meghan’s earrings and tiara. Her site even has a video about the shoot from Access Hollywood so you can see how a pro achieves that facial hair on a pre-adolescent.

(PS check her site for a TON of incredible pop culture costume inspiration, from movie posters to Grammy winners.)

If you want to keep a Harry/Meghan costume simple, you can do that with a kid-sized veil and bouquet sold at Chasing Fireflies (or DIY of course), then just find a simple white dress like this cotton t-shirt dress I found on Amazon for $11. With all that extra time, you can whip up a papier-mâché horse and carriage too.

Photo: Gigi Dinsena

Miguel from Coco My kids have been streaming Coco over and over again, so we think this Miguel Halloween costume I spotted on at Gigi Disena’s Instagram demonstrates it can be both fun and easy. All you need is a red hoodie and we found a really affordable Coco Guitar on Amazon for $26.99 (versus the super spendy Mattel version) or you can try to paint your own basic one.hen, recreate Miguel’s Dia de los Muertos face paint to complete the look.

For more inspiration, check out the outrageous Coco Family cosplayers on our family Halloween costume idea post. They’re incredible!

Photo: Primary

Serena Williams OMG, this baby Serena Williams costume at Primary is amazing. We love Primary’s costume gallery, because it’s filled with ideas made from their kids’ clothing basics that can be all be disassembled and worn again. For Serena, a black leotard and leggings and a tutu will do it. Just add a tennis racket and you’ll have the grand-slam champion of your Halloween party. You don’t even need to spend $1700 on Nike’s Queen Collection Sneakers to pull it off. Phew.

Photo: Bored, Inc.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Costume RBG is a perennial favorite of ours for Halloween, because so easy and so smart. We’ve shared this awesome costume from Bored, Inc. before — but this year, reach to the artist to see if she’ll make one custom, since I don’t see it in the shop right now.

We’ve also shared a fun Ruth Bader Ginsburg costume tutorial in last year’s strong girl costumes roundup. Or, just grab an affordable black long-sleeve tunic dress and add a lacy white collar and a bun.

For a baby, just add one of these RBG dissent collar baby bibs from Becky Garcia Dirtsa Studio to a black onesie and you’re set. But whatever your trick-or-treater’s age, be sure to give that girl a judge’s gavel too, because she’s got important, life-altering decisions to be making. Beyond whether to pick the Milky Way Dark or the Butterfingers.

Black Panther Dora Milaje/Okoye Costume The fierce female warrior costume of the year — besides Ruther Bader Ginsburg — is definitely Okoye and the rest of her Dora Milaje sisters. While we honor you DIYers who can put together this costume, honestly, buying a child’s Okoye costume is so easy and affordable at Target, and you can amp it up with your own personal touches like authentic face paint (Ebony Jane’s YouTube tutorial is terrific).

For a younger kid who wants to balance her fierceness with her inner tutu-lover, I adore this Okoye tutu dress costume att Etsy shop The Royal Rose Boutique. Sure, maybe the real Okoye couldn’t fight so well in this considering even her wig was a hindrance but you know, Halloween.

Related: Fun Halloween costume kits kids can DIY themselves

Photo: Primary

T’Challa/Black Panther Costume Of course, you can find a Black Panther costume in any costume shop right now but unlike a Dora Milaje uniform, T’Challa’s costume is a lot easier to DIY. Primary has some easy instructions to create your own diy Black Panther costume for kids just using a simple set of their black pajamas — meaning the kids can even fall asleep in them that night after the sugar crash. Perfect!

Photo: Hanalulu12 on Instagram

Colin Kaepernick Costume Over the past two years, Colin Kaepernick has become a symbol of peaceful protest and committed philanthropy for millions, and we imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of baby Colins out trick-or-treating again this year. Especially as Nike chose him as the face of their 30th anniversary ad campaign this fall (as you might have heard.) @hanalulu12’s baby Kap costume totally went viral last year and we still think it’s perfect.

All you need is a kids’ 49ers jersey (although, instead of giving them 15 bucks, we could easily DIY our own with a plain red jersey or onesie and some white duct tape) and a football. Easiest costume ever. Just remember — honoring isn’t the same as appropriation. Skip the afro or cornrow wigs.

Photo: Modern Kids Photography for Oh Happy Day

Mr. Rogers Costume Did you see Won’t You Be My Neighbor? this year? It brought back all the memories and renewed our love for Fred Rogers all over again so we hope we see lots of kids dressing up in a Mr. Rogers costume this year. This idea at Oh Happy Day shows how easy it can be. You just need khakis, keds, and a cardigan — and those Land of Make Believe puppets don’t hurt.

Photo: EM Ford/My Pale Skin Blog

Mean Girls Costumes With the huge success of Mean Girls on Broadway this past year, our tweens and teens are all obsessed with Regina, Karen, Gretchen and Cady — though we (as parents, ahem) highly suggest kids go for the pink Wednesday look, and not the Santa costumes or Karen’s sexy mouse. )Of course it’s hilarious if you accompany them as “the cool mom.”)

One way to do Regina that’s more funny than sexy is with this hihlarious Regina George prom costume, complete with headgear, as seen in a YouTube video tutorial from EM Ford. She’s got makeup tips and even DIY tips for that neck brace!

Photo: Always Erin

If you want to be even cooler, have your kids dress in a Damian costume which Always Erin nails here with simply a light blue hoodie pulled up plus dark glasses — and that perfect sign. Of course Damian needs his Janis Ian, which you can pull off with all-black clothing. lace-up boots, and an oversized army green jacket, or a funky jeans jacket if you’re going for Barrett Wilbert Weed’s cult favorite Broadway version of Janis.

If you trick-or-treat in Liz’s Brooklyn neighborhood this year, you might even see her accompanying a Janis and secretly stealing her Reeses.

Riverdale Halloween Costumes Do you have tweens or teens obsessed with the insanely campy Riverdale? We can’t believe how totally perfect this kids’ Jughead costume is from Sara Macon on Instagram! She nailed it, down to the South Side S on the shirt, the leather jacket (you can even get a serpent patch for the back) plus her own perfect, DIY Jughead beanie — though you can find those for sale as well. Maybe add a felt hamburger in the back pocket?

There are so many easy ways to go for Riverdale Halloween costumes, from the Vixens cheerleaders to the varsity team jackets, to Josie and the Pussycats. If you want to go dark though (hey, it is Halloween) you have to see the Cheryl and Jason Blossom costumes from Nicole Stetter @bearmom. Whoa. No wonder this image went super viral last year. Halloween Mom of the Year Award!

PS Season One is way better than the others, and so are the references.

Fader Magazine via Boombox

Drake Costume My Instagram feed is full of friends’ kids doing the Kiki challenge. (Sigh.) With Drake so huge with so many kids, this kid’s Drake costume I saw over at Boombox from a Fader Magazine cover is spot on should you need some inspiration. Of course it helps if your kid can nail the facial expression, but that distinctive beard isn’t too tough to replicate. Plus his wardrobe is so varied, you can do a leather jacket, varsity jacket, puffer jacket or vest.

Related: 11 of the best homemade kids’ Halloween costumes of 2017

Photo: Primary

Rachel Chu Costume from Crazy Rich Asians

I read the book and watched the movie and have to admit, Crazy Rich Asians was the entertainment highlight of the fall for me. So I loved this Crazy Rich Asians DIY wedding dress costume I found at Primary. They share the step-by-step instructions to help you make Constance Wu’s Rachel’s dress for the big wedding — just add a tiara, of course! You can skip the flooded sidewalks outside your home though.That would be smart.

Photo: Warner Bros

I bet we’ll be seeing a few Go Peik Lin (Awkwafina) and Goh Wye Mun (Ken Jeong) costumes too. That’s the cool thing about a huge movie hit with a big ensemble cast and amazing costume design — it’s just made for group Halloween costumes!

Image: The Daya Daily

The Mrs’s from A Wrinkle In Time Costumes Speaking of group costumes, our kids were fairly obsessed with A Wrinkle In Time this Year. (Did you catch our AWIT inspired Science Guide for Kids? It’s awesome!) Whether your kid is trick-or-treating alone or in a trio, check out the video tutorial for A Wrinkle In Time Mrs’s Costumes and Makeup from The Daya Daily. I mean, it’s impossible to live up to costume designer Paco Delgado and makeup artist Derick Rutledge’s original work, but still, pretty impressive! Especially for kids.

Photo: Loot Llama Designs

Fortnite Halloween Costumes Search for any Fortnite character on Etsy, and you’ll have plenty of costume options to choose from. But I love these Fortnite Onesies from Loot Llama Designs, because they tone down the sexy vibe of characters like Zoe, shown here, while still making an obvious connection to the characters.

If you want to DIY, Lilly Singh has a video on DIY Fortnite costume ideas and wow…she has some energy! Skip to about 4:00 in if you want to jump right to the ideas for Amazon,

Related: 14 empowering girl Halloween costumes inspired by real life heroes

Ready Player One Halloween Costumes Geek culture is obsessed with Ready Player One this year, and Target has a ready-to-wear kids’ Parzival costume that’s budget-friendly. Even if your own kid decides to DIY their own jean jacket to give it a bit more authenticity, the grey-and-blue wig will complete the look. And yes, for authenticity sake, Wade wears a VR headset, not his avatar Parzival, but if you want to drive home the costume concept, we found this cheap VR headset to top it off.

Of course some of us around here are rooting for more Art3mis/Samantha and Helen Harris/Aech costumes, but…good luck with that Aech one!

Photo: Brenda Ponnay for Alpha Mom

Wonder Woman Costume For another fierce fighter, the original Amazon Queen is still a pop culture costume hit, and while there are plenty of Wonder Woman costumes in shops right now, I love this comfortable DIY DIY Wonder Woman t-shirt tutorial from our friends at Alpha Mom. Brenda offers the step-by-step instructions so that you — or your older, crafty kids — could make this yourself.

Photo: Netflix

The Queer Eye Guys Costume We find that whenever we watch an episode of Queer Eye with our tweens, we end up with a smile on our faces. And these costumes would be so hip — so much so, we can’t even find any photos of kids wearing them yet. Plus, the costumes are easy!

If you want to be Antoni, throw together a white tee and jeans with a bandana tied around your neck. And, of course, an avocado in your hand. Tan is all about the hair — and any patterned collar shirt you can find. For Jonathan VanNess, you pretty much just need a fab outfit, a blowdryer, some facial hair drawn on, and a long black wig, but you may have to trim it depending on your kid’s height. Even Jonathan has his hair length limits. Kind of.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/17-of-the-best-pop-culture-halloween-costume-ideas-for-kids-right-now-from-meghan-and-harry-to-serena-to-riverdale/

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