#for context broadcast is supposed to be like.

[codenamesazanka]

The park flashback/scene where Tenko plays with Mikkun and Tomo-chan in Chapter 418 first takes place in early afternoon, as evidenced by the clock reading almost 2:00 PM.

The art in the scene confirms this: clear bright skies, and the shadows under the children are short.

However, the time in the scene changes after Mikkun and Tomo-chan tells Tenko he should be All Might (the moment Tenko decides he wants to be a Hero, as he tells his mom in Chapter 235). Suddenly it's evening: the clock shows 6:13 PM, and the sky darkening because it's nearing sunset.

When Shigaraki/Tenko thinks of the League, he and the League (and Deku) all have long shadows, the kind you see when the sun is low in the sky.

＊

The context:

Sunset is the time to go home. Children who have been playing outside, in playgrounds, at the park, are supposed to go home, to get back in time for dinner, back to their families.

In Japan, many cities and towns have a bell/chime/song that plays from public loudspeakers at around 5:00 PM. It's a daily test of an emergency broadcast system, but it has also come to be seen as the evening bell, a 'go home' signal, especially for children, telling them to go home before it gets dark.

In manga and anime, all these elements have become common imagery and symbolism, associated with each other: red-orangey colors, sunset, long shadows, the chime, children saying goodbye to their playmates for the day, the idea of home and return.

(from Mushishi)

＊

Putting it all together:

When the park scene first shows up, it's Tenko memory of playing with Mikkun and Tomo-chan, likely exactly how it had occurred in real life: it's early afternoon, the sun is shining bright, their shadows are short, they're at the park, they're playing Heroes, and when the kids tell Tenko that he should be All Might, Tenko is overjoyed.

But this isn't the scene 15-16 years ago; this is a memory. Tenko is also Shigaraki here. He has just had his core pried open by Deku, and given relief. The Crying Child has been symbolically saved, but the past, the massacre, the Walk still all happened.

So it's suddenly 6:13 PM, it's sunset now, because it's way past proper time (5:00 PM) to go home - because Shigaraki/Tenko can't go home to the Shimura house. It's too late. It's been long over.

Shigaraki/Tenko then looks away from Mikkun and Tomo-chan, to the side, and say, 'Nah' to their suggestion, because besides it being late, he also no longer wants to be All Might. He's deciding he's a Villain, he still holds malice and he still destroys.

So, the scene changes again to contains the League now, all six of them (plus Deku). They exist in this sunset time, hence their long shadows. They exist with current Shigaraki/Tenko, they exist in the now - and arguably, the League would be the home he would return to at sunset.

-

Up to interpretation, of course, but the sunset/going home context is real.

Japanese tweets about it (translated):

[When Tenko got the words he wanted, his eyes lit up, but it was past time to go home so I'm guessing that means "it's too late."]

[It is just heartening that the League members are the place where Tomura would return to when it was "time to go home." I'm sobbing]

[In the scene where Tenko is at the park, the clock is already past 6:00 PM, the time when good kids go home, so if he had met Deku a little earlier, Deku might have been able to stop him, but this seems to show that they're past that stage now, which is good.]

[chironshorseass]

what bugs me most about the pjo show is that i know they could’ve done better. i knowwwww they could’ve been as faithful as they wanted to the books. for anyone saying “oh, but it’s an adaptation! it isn’t meant to be the same so stop whining that they took stuff out or that they’re adding things in different order!” well yes, i agree that adaptations aren’t meant to be a carbon copy of the source material for the simple fact that it’s adapting the source material into a different medium (television), yet it’s just that! a form of adapting the things that are unable to be channeled from, say, a book—or on the contrary, adding things that make sense for television but couldn’t be channeled into the books otherwise…all of this in a faithful manner. a good adaptation is one that stays true to the source material by properly adapting its themes, characters, symbolism, context, pacing, and the overall story/plot so as to not only be seen as a sort of love letter to the fans, but also to reach a wider audience.

just look at the hunger games! the movies are so faithful to the books to the point that most of the scenes are taken straight out of the books, dialogue and all. and they’re movies, aka less runtime than a freaking tv show and they still did it better. did the hg movies have to take a few scenes out? yes; they have only so much time to tell the story as it is told in the books. did they resume things, like the games themselves? also yes. but did most of the important scenes and character moments stay in the movies? also also yes. again, THESE ARE MOVIES!!!!! a medium much more limited than a freaking tv series with multiple episodes that have enough run time to add even more scenes from the books than what could be possible in a 2 hour (max) movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and yet they STILL changed so much that rly had no business being changed other than that the writers decided they felt like it because…..a lot of it im not even sure. and the worst thing of it all is that freaking rick riordan took part in script writing yet so much of the source material has been watered down???? they make a whole ass episode about a monster fight with the majority of the scenes from said episode not even present in the books instead of sticking to the perfectly good source material???? and by doing so they delete the small details that are very much integral to character development and plot???? huh???? the math isn’t mathing. don’t get me wrong, i do like some changes, but then i think: at what cost do they add these things when there was a perfectly good narrative without it? like, at what cost do we get the whole turning to gold sacrifice scene if they’re gonna take out all the fun details that make the lightning thief the lightning thief? for example the silly water park merch and then annabeth displaying her spider phobia and her mortification at going to the thrill ride of love with percy and then being broadcasted to olympus. this is just one episode, but they’ve been doing it in all of them. and u know, it’s not that i don’t hate-hate most these changes. again, what bugs me is that this was supposed to be a faithful adaptation. again, it’s a tv series, with so much more time to develop everything from the books. rick is behind it, who apparently hated the movies for how unfaithful they were. the cast is great. and yet…the script is so mediocre. the spark is lost. character traits are looked over in place for weird pacing and even weirder changes. if the hunger games could do it, then surely a pjo tv series could as well? apparently not? i really really Don’t Get It.

[writersglockrambles]

Without Context, What are we? An Andor Analysis.

So, as many watchers of Andor are aware, the show was originally going to be 4 seasons, instead it was compressed into 2. With the second season being even more compressed into 3 episodes per week that take place respectively 4, 3, 2, and 1 year before the battle of Yavin.

Now, like most other fans, i adored season 2, yes there are flaws but overwhelmingly its a brilliant show and some of the best Star Wars content we've seen in years. But, i do have to stress how badly the lack of context in season 2; effects my overall enjoyment of it.

My main critique of this issue will be aimed at the relationship between Mon Mothma and her husband Perrin Fertha, as some people who've seen my blog are already aware: i really love Perrin.

To start off with, throughout the first half of the second season, we can see that Perrin and Mon's relationship isn't as rocky as it was in season 1 (Yes, barring his jealousy of Tay Kolma.) Perrin is seen as supportive of his wife and protective: which we can see in Episode 6 (What a festive evening.)

firstly, we have Perrin organising their social calendar, conferring with Mon on the issues of timing and investiture dinners that are making it difficult for him to plan accordingly. Next, we have the art collection scene from the same episode:

Throughout this scene, Perrin is trying his hardest to hinder Mon's (admittedly righteous) anger toward Krennic. Putting himself (physically) in between them.

Even in a later scene, he's doing his best to calm Mon down. This man clearly cares about his wife. Yes, their marriage was arranged and when referencing the mask of fear by Alexander Freed, we can see their marriage was very turbulent in the beginning, but he does care about her, about her political career. Which brings me to the scene i admittedly hate.

I will try to be as unbiased as possible with this section.

at the end of episode 12, this small clip of Perrin and Runai Sculdun appears very briefly. And this brings me to my overall complaint with season 2: where is the context? We have literally nothing to go on as context for what is happening in this scene, or what has led to it. Instead, its only after the finale that information pertaining to this scene and Mon's senate speech, came out.

To paraphrase the video here: Mon and Davo Sculdun had some type of unspoken alliance, Davo was supposed to be the owner of the news network incharge of broadcasting the senatorial sessions, and he would've declined the request to turn of the broadcast. This in turn would leave both Mon and Davo being disgraced and fleeing from the empire. But the scene was cut, and the context gone with it.

We then go onto to the next issue. Perrin knew all along about what Mon was doing:

Again this deleted scene would've provided much needed context and also have redeemed Perrin in the eyes of many viewers. He knew the entire time that Mon was funneling money to the rebellion "You could've trusted me." vital character development was left on the cutting room floor and now we're left with a single scene that makes it look like Perrin just decided to shack up with Runai, instead of the actual reasons behind that scene.

I understand the showrunners had limited time and space to add scenes like this, but there are quite a few scenes in the show that hinder the pace.

Not adding important context like this, just robs the viewer of vital reasonings for characters motives.

I love the show, season 2 is brilliant, but the egregious lack of context is baffling at best and frustrating at worst. Most viewers of the show won't go hunting round for clues on what these scenes really meant. As a result you have people being left with a sour taste in their mouths at the lack of context for important scenes.

All we really needed was a few lines of dialogue at any point within the show to clear up the unanswered questions.

(Added the meme for levity.)

[hellfiresky]

GAR ALL PERSONNEL BROADCAST

Pairing: This is the most random mix possible. From RCs to my own OCs (fully developed ones you can meet in my fics) and new faces I made up on the spot.

Summary: Not my first time making clone group chats, but my first time posting one as a standalone! It’s exactly what it sounds like: millions of clones stuck in one galaxy-wide all-personnel group chat. GFFA data service and tech are apparently so powerful. You leave the chat for one minute and there’s already +6000 messages. Absolutely unmanageable. Mods are barely holding it together.

Mod list: Boss, Cody, Alpha-17, Bacara, Jesse (somehow he made it among officers), Gree, Sinker (somehow he made it too), Ordo, Fi

Warnings: nothing. Crack ahead. EVERYONE LIVES.

Taglist: @orangez3st - also because this crack came up in our chat 💀

GAR ALL PERSONNEL BROADCAST

📌 PINNED MESSAGE (edited 3 hours ago by Jesse):

Welcome to ALL PERSONNEL BROADCAST – this is the official GAR-wide channel.

Rules (because apparently we need them):

1. No thirst trap reviews.

2. Use threads. For the love of Prime.

3. Be kind. No inter-unit war. Mods will smite you.

4. If you see General Kenobi or General Skywalker join, act normal.

5. No one wants to hear your datapad mix at 0300

6. Any dream involving General Mundi is a YOU problem.

7. DO NOT EVER add civvies, Jedi, or your Mandalorian buire (looking at you, Skirata’s sons).

8. Please remember: Alpha-17 is reading AND modding.

9. Emotional breakdowns permitted on Primeday only.

10. The “clones tier list” thread is banned. Forever.

(This week’s special rule: If you see Marshal Commander Cody typing, stop what you’re doing and reflect on your sins.)

Current mod on duty: Ordo Skirata

Most recent muted user: Dickies from the 41st Elite Corps (for sending an unsolicited Niamos karaoke as a bit).

Server uptime: 99.7% (dropped after Marshal Commander Fox rage-quit and rebooted the network)

——

CT-339821: i texted her “what if we kissed in the AT-TE maintenance hangar 🥺👉👈”

CT-898421: real ones know there’s no better first date than taking apart a blaster

Ridge: y’all got dates??? 😐

Hardcase: i got RIZZ

Echo: please stop using that word.

Jesse (mod): no he’s right tho. hardcase got this weird situational rizz. 3 seconds max and then he self-destructs

Kix: idk what’s worse, the medbay smell or watching y’all exchange your pickup lines in this chat like it’s 79’s fresher line at midnight

Sinker (mod): just woke up to 6,902 unread messages what the actual kriff is going on here

Scorch: *sends tooka memes*

Cody (mod): STOP SPAMMING. THIS IS NOT FOR MEMES.

Boil: but sir we had an important discussion about if clones could beat a rancor with bare hands (probably buried. scroll up for context!)

Boss (mod): No. You could not.

Fi (mod): I could

Niner: Omega fucking wins again

Ordo (mod): No you couldn’t, Fi. You whined when you stubbed your toe on Dar’s gear bag.

Alpha-17 (mod): If i see one more picture of some shiny’s helmet next to a mug of caf and a datapad with the caption “just Centaxday tings” I’m purging this entire network

Parts: sir u just don’t understand ✨aesthetic✨

Gree (mod): boys, boys. please. some of us are trying to maintain a reputation here.

Bly: Reputation as what gree. The funky lil trooper figurines collector???

Wolffe: YOU PROMISED YOU’D STOP MENTIONING THE FIGURINES

CT-8364: With all due respect, sir. That’s such an L

Wolffe: Trip, right? Latrine duty. Now.

Bacara (mod): What’s an L?

Jesse (mod): ok ok back to business. shinies been saying some wild shit. translation thread starting now. drop your questions sirs

Boss (mod): What does “ate” mean? What did Rex eat on Umbara?

Rex: rations and sterile milk

Fives: shut the fuck up rex you can’t be that dense

Dogma: Wow, ARC title allows you to talk osik to your superior?

Jesse (mod): shut up dog

Echo: shut up dogma

Fives: SHUT UP, DOGMA!

Nax: Thanks, guys, he’s sulking again and stole the console. It was supposed to be my turn to play Battle Star.

Hardcase: i WILL beat him and he will SULK even more

Sinker (mod): “ate” -> Translation: He did well. Usage: “Captain Rex really ate during that campaign on Umbara 🔥”

Boss (mod): What’s the significance of eating and performing?

Fixer: @Scorch get him

Scorch: On my way! 🫵🏾🤣💥

Fi (mod): Okay i’m starting a new thread called “Fever Dreams” for funsies! Drop your weirdest dreams. go!

Comet: I dreamt I was a loaf of bread being sliced by General Plo. He was gentle.

CC-IMMUNE: dreamt i had to re-certify my shooting skills and the blaster was a frog. General Yoda had to tame it

Nate: Dreamt that Kit Fisto told me he was proud of me. I woke up sobbing

Jangotat: CT-92-1786, oh you’re the one who adopted my former name.

Bacara (mod): Not gonna happen, kid. @Nate

Advisor: Dear all, please avoid going to Mess Hall B98 at the Republic Military Base from 1300 to 1800 tomorrow. There will be a demolition experts meet up.

Cody (mod): Thank you, Addy.

Bacara (mod): Well noted.

Fox: Thanks. Please contact Thire for all base announcements.

Sev: what did i miss i was asleep

Jesse (mod): dreams. drop yours and be weird about it.

Sev: i dreamt i was in a hot spring on hoth with the Delta Squad. but the water was beer. Fixer had eggs for eyes. Scorch was a sentient kettle. Boss was Boss.

Fi (mod): EXACTLY the kind of sick shit I wanted

Ordo (mod): I always pick the wrong time modding

CT-78927: one time i dreamt we were all assigned emotions like that animated holofilm. i got “mild disappointment”, CT-78928 got “suppressed anger”

Bacara (mod): @Keeli aren’t those your kids?

Keeli: Yeah. The weird ones are mine, sir.

Hound: I had a dream where I adopted at least 60 massiffs

Wrecker: I DREAMT I WAS DATING A THERMAL DETONATOR and SHE WAS SHY BUT SWEET 🫵🏾 WHEN SHE BLEW UP, SHE SAID “I’M SORRY IT HAD TO BE THIS WAY” AND KISSED ME. BOOM! DREAM!

Crosshair: I’m banning you from sleeping in the armoury

Parts: dreamt i was in 79’s, but the band was made of Jedi. Obi-Wan on drums. Anakin on bass. Kit on guitar. Plo on keys. Mace crowd surfed. i got kicked in the face and thanked him 🫡

Thorn: i dreamt i was chasing paperwork and every time i got close it changed into a new form. i woke up and it was real

Fox: We shared the same dream, vod.

Gree (mod): last night i dreamt i was a lamp in the Jedi Council chamber.

Boss (mod): All of you need psychological help

Jesse (mod): Boss pls drop ur weird dream or we’re revoking ur mod card

Boss (mod): I dreamt I got demoted and had to lead base tours for civilians in @Part’s drag sash. Walon Vau hugged me, and I woke up sweating.

Ordo (mod): weirdest part is Vau showing affection

Fi (mod): ok that concludes Fever Dreams. you lot are unwell. i’m proud of us.

Alpha-17 (mod): Everyone logging into this thread is being scheduled for mandatory psych eval. Even me. Especially me.

Tup: okay but hear me out, what does it mean if i dreamt the clones were all in a musical called Buirmia! and Captain Rex had a solo called “Order 69” whilst Commander Fox tap danced in a turbolift in 1313 and Commander Cody did a duet with General Kenobi

Echo: it means we all need to go to sleep and never wake up

Omega: This looks fun! What are you guys talking about? 🤭

Echo: CLOSE YOUR EYES

Echo: WHO GAVE THE KID ACCESS?!

Hunter, Tech, Crosshair, and Wrecker left

Sister: This is why I told you it was a bad idea to join this broadcast @Emerie

Emerie left

[eyesthatroll]

GIVE ME AN ANSWER!

pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader

warning(s): cursing, angst(??), not sure what else, not edited

word count: 2.5k

author’s note: not super happy with this, it feels a bit underdeveloped, but i can’t watch it sit in my drafts any longer. i didn’t write this with a part ll in mind, by the way. this was supposed to turn into something else, but that didn’t work out + i lost inspiration so it is what it is. sidenote, if you have any angsty/sad prompts/requests, pls send ‘em in, it’s my favourite thing to write! sending love, —mari

You couldn't help but feel like a creep, huddled in the corner of the dimly lit booth, your gaze fixated on them from across the bar. In front of you, a nearly forgotten gin and tonic sat, its ice cubes melting as you absentmindedly swirl them around with a small black straw. If anyone were to inquire, you'd insist that your attention was solely on the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall behind them, broadcasting a wrestling match you had zero interest in.

You wondered if He was somehow aware of your unwavering gaze fixed upon him from across the room. It crossed your mind that perhaps he was deliberately flirting with the stunning redhead as a sly ploy to put on a spectacle, fully cognizant of your watchful eyes. Did He hope to incite jealousy within you? You nearly chuckled at the absurdity of the idea. The notion of feeling envious over a girl with her hands lightly grazing his arm seemed laughable. After all, just a few days ago, he had been lying naked between the sheets in your bed. So, no, you weren't jealous, and you certainly weren't about to let jealousy rear its head.

Yet, there was a gnawing irritation within you. He had, after all, extended a personal invitation your way, urging you to join him and his teammates for what he touted as their "one last hurrah" before the start of the new season. It irked you that he was lavishing so much attention on someone else, given this context. The annoyance was unmistakably etched across your features. Your poker face had long deserted you, and you didn't care to conceal your disdain. Several drinks deep, with a pleasant buzz now enveloping you, you found yourself in a carefree state where your demeanor wasn't a primary concern.

You eventually shift your gaze from him, an uneasy feeling retreating in your stomach. You instead direct your attention to Baby Hughes, who is engrossed in a game of darts with John. A small smile graces your lips as the younger boy, with his earnest enthusiasm, throws a dart that sails far wide of the board, disappearing into some unseen corner. John throws his head back in laughter, and it's evident that he's playfully ribbing Luke, who responds with a melodramatic explanation for his errant throw, punctuating with wild hand gestures. You contemplate joining them, when a towering figure looms over you, casting a shadow that demands your immediate notice.

"Is this seat taken?" You find yourself under the scrutiny of a tall, attractive blonde who's looking down at you. A hopeful smile adorns his lips, revealing dimples that only add to his charm. His right hand holds a beer, while the other rests casually at the nape of his neck, lightly tugging the hair. Your eyes travel appreciatively from his warm gaze, down his well-dressed figure. Blondie sported black slacks that complement a maroon long-sleeve dress shirt neatly tucked in, with the top buttons lazily undone, revealing a small, glimmering gold cross. The choice of attire piqued your curiosity; he seemed a bit overdressed for a local, family owned bar.

Your minds flickers back to Him, and you contemplate stealing a quick glance in his direction to see if he's still in conversation that girl. However, you are somewhat physically trapped behind the man standing in front of you, preventing any discreet surveillance without making your intentions obvious. Opting for a polite smile instead, you gesture with a welcoming hand for the handsome stranger to take the seat in front of you.

You observe the visible sigh of relief escaping him, his eyes momentarily betraying his unease. With a sheepish smile, he gently places his drink on the table and eases himself into the booth.

His voice, raspy and honestly deeper than you expected, breaks the silence. "I'm Anthony, by the way." He extends his hand toward you, but halts for a moment, perhaps feeling slightly awkward at the formality.

You respond with a light chuckle, reaching out to meet his hand with yours for a firm handshake. "I'm Y/N, nice to meet you."

The conversation with Anthony flows effortlessly, each word weaving a tapestry of connection that unravels the initial awkwardness. You discover that he's in town for a friend's wedding, which explains the formal attire, and that he's a native Rhode Islander. He confesses his nervousness about approaching you, and when you jest about whether it's due to your so-called "resting bitch face," he denies it vehemently.

He smiles, his eyes sincere as he offers, "It's always a bit nerve-wracking to approach the most beautiful girl in the room."

You can't help but snort at his compliment, your hand quickly covering your mouth in embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to you, your surprised snort captures His attention, and his head snaps in your direction, drawn by the sound of your voice cutting through the bar's lively atmosphere. His gaze lowers at the sight of a guy in front of you, and the smile on your lips as you laugh again at something he's said. He watches, as the guy's hand moves to rest on yours, and his jaw tightens, his mind racing with questions about what could possibly be so amusing in your conversation.

"Jack, are you listening to me?" A manicured hand slides into his view, weaving through the air in a bid to recapture his attention. Clearing his throat, he absentmindedly runs a hand through his unruly brown locks before reluctantly refocusing his eyes on the redhead before him. She beams at him, her lips quickly resuming what she had been saying before his lost concentration. The truth was, he hadn't been listening to her at all.

He can't focus on her words, not with the image of you and that guy now engraved into his mind. The mere thought consumes his every breath, causing him to bite at his bottom lip out of agitation. He racks his brain for a way to gracefully escape the everlasting conversation with the redhead, and as if on cue, the universe seems to answer his silent plea, when the girl in front of him glances at the clock. Her eyes widen in alarm as she realizes the time.

"Shit, I didn't realize it was this late. I've got to get going," she apologized, her lips forming a slight pout. Jack sends her a reassuring smile, nodding his head in understanding.

"It's cool, it was fun while it lasted," He replies plainly, standing up from his barstool with a nod.

She frowns, mirroring his actions. "Did you want to maybe exchange numbers, or something?" Her voice holds a glimmer of hope.

He pauses, pretending to think for a moment, even though he doesn't really need to as the answer was always going to be the same. "No, sorry. Have a good night, Isla."

You don't even notice Him walking over to you, too consumed in the vibrant conversation that you shared with the man in front of you. It's only when Anthony's gaze travels past your head, his lips pausing mid sentence, that you finally catch sight of him. You follow Anthony's gaze, angling your body around in the small booth.

You open your mouth to speak, but His cold palms cup your cheeks, drawing you into a passionate, yet utterly unexpected and somewhat unwelcome kiss. Your eyes widen, caught off guard, and your lips don't have time to react before he gently pulls away. His fingers tenderly brush aside a stray strand of hair that had fallen across your face, and he looks down at you with an innocent smile. "Hi, my love. Is everything okay?"

You're too dumbfounded to formulate a response, still struggling to register what just transpired as Jack gently nudges you aside and smoothly settles into the booth next to you. As you lock eyes with Anthony, it's evident he feels extremely uncomfortable, his gaze darting uneasily between you and Jack.

"Hey, man. How's it goin'?" Jack asks with a casual grin, his tone laid-back as he eases into the booth. His arm naturally drapes around your shoulders, as if it's a habitual gesture that's been repeated countless times. You go to shrug him off, but his grasp tightens, pulling you even closer against his side.

"Hey... hi," Anthony's gaze leaves Jack, focusing solely on you as he speaks again. "You didn't say you had a..."

Jack interjects, cutting off Anthony before he can finish his sentence. "Boyfriend? Yeah, she does."

Your elbow makes sharp contact with Jack's side, prompting a quick release of his arm from around your shoulder. He winces, but swiftly regains his composure, though not without a slight scoff escaping his lips. "He's not my boyfriend."

"You weren't saying that last night?" Jack didn't come to yours last night, and even if he had, he was the one requesting that whatever was happening between the two of you to remain casual.

I don't have time for a full blown relationship, he said.

All of my focus needs to be on hockey, he said.

Things are fine as they are, let's not ruin it, he said.

And what? He gets to flirt and fuck around with as many puck bunnies as he wants, but the minute you try and do the same, it's suddenly a problem? Not only was he not your boyfriend, but he didn't even want to be, he had no right to get jealous. And he especially had no right to rush over here and kiss you the way he did.

You pivot towards Jack, your fury emanating from every pore. His T-zone area has a faint reddish tint, and his breaths come fast and heavy. "Aren't you busy entertaining Jessica Rabbit?"

He tilts his head back in laughter at your nickname for the redhead he's been conversing with all night. Clearing his throat to regain composure, he gazes at you with a grin, teeth lightly grazing his lower lip as he tries to suppress a smirk that manages to break free regardless. "Jealous?"

You scoff, an incredulous look overtaking your face as you stumble over your words at his accusation. "Me? Jealous? Jealous of what? Listening to you talk about yourself for an hour? God, you're so full of it."

"Wouldn't you like to be?" He mumbles under his breath.

His perverted insinuation prompts a gasp to escape your lips, and your face ignites with embarrassment. Anthony's eyes are locked on the awkward exchange, his expression a mixture of horror and discomfort. You hurriedly bring your hands to your face, rubbing your eyes intensely, yearning for this nightmarish moment to come to an end.

"I don't... I don't know what's happening," he stammers, slipping out of the booth to rise to his feet. Anthony takes a final sip of his beer, his head shaking in disbelief. "But clearly, there's... something between the two of you."

You find yourself at a loss for words because, in a way, he isn't entirely wrong. You and Jack weren't in a defined relationship, but there was undoubtedly something brewing between the two of you, despite both of you attempting to ignore it. It wouldn't be right to involve Anthony in the midst of your complicated situation, no matter how appealing and genuine he seems.

"I'm sorry." You apologize.

He shakes his head. "It's alright. It was nice to meet you, Y/N. Maybe I'll see you around." With those words, he walks away from your table, heading toward the exit.

Jack shifts next to you, a content sigh escaping his lips. "He seemed nice."

"What's your problem?!" You hiss, jabbing your finger into his chest. "You invite me out with you and then completely ignore me the whole night? What the fuck, Jack!"

He meets your intensity head-on, responding in self-defense. "You started it!"

"How, Jack, how? How did I start it?"

"You were flirting with Dawson!"

A scoff escapes your lips, followed by an incredulous laugh. "I was not flirting with Dawson!"

You needed to escape the bar. The conversation had spiraled into a heated exchange, and the air in the crowded space felt increasingly suffocating. You were determined not to create a scene, but it was clear that staying any longer would only escalate tensions.

Without hesitation, you start pushing Jack, who reluctantly lets his body be forced out of the booth. He struggles to regain his footing as you forcefully move past him, heading straight for the exit.

As you pass through the door and step outside, the brisk New Jersey air envelopes you, offering a welcome contrast to the heated atmosphere inside. The chill grazes your exposed skin, providing a refreshing respite from the intense emotions swirling within. Jack hastily follows you, his fingers gripping your arm in an attempt to halt your departure, but you had no intention of walking away this time.

You pivot to confront him, your gaze unwavering and filled with a determination that mirrored the intensity in his own eyes, which held an enigmatic spark you couldn't quite decipher.

"It's not fair," you assert, your hands gently settling on his chest, seeking the warmth of his presence. He remains silent, leaving you to fill the void with your thoughts and emotions, or leave, and say nothing.

You stand there, torn between two choices. The option to say nothing and simply walk away, leaving behind all the headaches, the arguments, and the pettiness, but also bidding farewell to the good days, the shared laughs, and the nights spent wrapped up in each other. It's a choice to say goodbye to Jack Hughes, the one who has become the only constant in your life for the past three months.

Or the second choice, the most daunting path to take. It's the option where you stand in front of him, your heart pounding in your chest, and confess everything you've been holding in. To leave it all on the floor, a vulnerable offering for him to accept or decline. It's the scariest option of all, baring your heart to the boy on the hockey team, even after he's made it clear many times that he isn't looking for anything serious.

"We're not exclusive, Jack." You begin. "You can't keep swooping in and acting like you have some sort of ownership over me when you don't even want to be my boyfriend."

He waits, the stillness between you heavy with unspoken words, expectancy etched across his features. When your silence lingers, he takes the initiative. "Let me take you home," he offers.

"Either you want me, only me, or I'm done."

He pressures. "Let me take you home."

"Give me an answer!"

He sighs, a deep and exasperated sound, his fingers instinctively tangling in the roots of his hair as he grapples with the complexity of the situation. "I can't give you the answer you want."

[absolutebl]

thai language question! what do tongthap and atom call each other in MLMU TH? it sounds like ‘nai’ or maybe ‘ngai’? it’s translated to both of their names several times on the YT subs. i’ve tried to look it up but i’m not sure i’m hearing it right 🙈

Thai pronoun: Nai

They are indeed using nai. Hold on I know I posted about that one at some point... AH HA here it is:

you want this section: (but I'll c&p it over here add to it at the bottom)

Nai & the Mafia 

So in 2022 Thai BLs seriously started moving setting outside of the school systems and thus added new pronouns (for us watchers) into the mix. KinnPorsche, Even Sun, and Unforgotten Night all use the pronoun nai (นาย) for you between men. Like many honorifics & pronouns, it’s derived from a minor title of nobility. In the 19th century it was declared the official courtesy title for adult males - regarded as a direct translation of “Mr”. 

It has several different uses today. 

As a title, it only appears before the real given name (not surname), in official/formal contexts, e.g. when writing down one’s name on an exam paper, job application, or government form. If used with a nickname, it implies a bit of irony (like a teacher calling out a misbehaving student). 

As a pronoun, it’s usually an informal second-person pronoun used with males of equal status. It’s a decidedly non-rude word, so it’ll be used among friends/classmates if they don’t feel close enough to use gu/mueng (or if a person just doesn’t use rude pronouns, like swear words there are people who don’t feel comfortable ever saying guu/mueng). 

Rao/nai as pronouns used to be the default mode of address on TV before gu/mueng became acceptable to broadcast in the 2010s. 

When used by females, nai is pretty much equivalent to males using ter with females - so an old fashioned but intimate and sweet, loving. 

On TV, the use of ter/nai is probably most often associated with straight dramas in the acquaintance phase of courting. 

Nai also has the meaning “boss” (similarly to the combined form เจ้านาย (jao nai/chao nai). If it’s being used as a pronoun in a more formal or deferential context (like organized crime), it is used in this sense. 

Usage number 2 & 6 are the ones we see in Thai BL. All that said I understand as a tourist in Thailand, you will hear nai but not all that often. It’s fine to use khun instead/back, but good to know to identify nai. 

Nai & My Love Mix Up

So My Love Mix Up is using #2.

With adult males, nai is actually often paired with chan. (I know, right, but it's what they use. See any of the mafia shows.)

But in this high school setting, Atom & Kongthap seem to be using pom or sometimes even tan. (I haven't touched on tan at all because I find it the most confusing pronoun.)

Atom & Half use guu/mueng. Atom use rao/name with Mudmee, and she does they same with him. Although I think she shifts to chan with Half when they get closer.

Kongthap doesn't seem to ever use informal. Even Half uses nai with him.

So I think the use of polite nai in this relationship is being dictated by Kongthap's character's reserved gentlemanly stiffness (much as in the original show). In other words, were it not for Kongthap's personality, this show in this setting (and with this pair) would be using guu/mueng. But because of the original IP and the extreme reserve of Ida in Kieta Hatsukoi (who also uses quite formal Japanese) we are seeing a linguistic characterization of one half of a couple carry through to the tenor of the whole relationship.

In other words, the use of nai was dictated by Kongthap's personality.

Frankly put, Kongthap would simply not use guu/mueng so they had to find some other way for these two to communicate. Rao/ter is too sweet and cute and old fashioned out the gate (these boys could graduate to it, I suppose, like in college or after).

Now they might have used khun instead of nai. If this were set in uni or the office that would have worked fine. Or even if this were a high school in Bangkok. But I'm not surprised they reached for nai.

In fact, since the announcement of the adaptation I was curious about how they were going to approach Kongthap's pronouns. I thought they might make Kongthap older to solve the issue with phi but they wanted to do the "going away to college together?" part of the plot, so yeah... nai is the solution.

This couple sounds a bit stiff and distanced from each other when speaking together as a result, but I understand why the script chose it.

Hope that explains.

(source)

[owl-with-a-pen]

Outside of superhero emergencies, Kara didn’t tend to lean into her super hearing where she could avoid it. Girl’s night at her apartment, for example, definitely shouldn’t have called for it. Then again, she wasn’t usually the subject of discussion in just about every apartment block on her street.

So, maybe that wasn’t completely true. She’d certainly heard her name mentioned a lot more since the whole secret identity reveal thing; it was just, nowadays, instead of hearing Supergirl, it was usually Kara Zor-El.

She was used to it. She’d been used to it for years; her name was normally a hot topic days, if not weeks after a major save was broadcast. The only difference now was… not all of those voices were as positive as she’d come to expect.

Like right now, for instance. No matter how hard she tried to shut it out, she couldn’t help but listen for that same voice echoing from hundreds of homes across the city, streaming from earbuds, speakers and laptops alike. His voice was charismatic and quick, like a less polished Maxwell Lord, and while he may have been a nobody just a few weeks ago, he’d certainly gained enough traction now to give Kara one hell of a headache.

Unfortunately for her, she’d inadvertently tuned herself in at just the right time for her downstairs neighbour to hit play:

“Alright folks, if you missed our last episode I’ll catch you up to speed. Last week, we rounded off at the crux of the Supergirl Problem; that she hasn’t just been living in our midst this whole time, but that she’s been actively working as a journalist for CatCo Worldwide Media. And, just a few weeks ago, she was publicly put in charge of the editorial process for that same media outlet minutes after she came clean about her alter-ego to the world. And, as I doubt Supergirl will want to speak for herself on the matter, we have one of her self-proclaimed super-fans in the house today to speak on her behalf. Say it with me at home folks, debate me, Supergirl!”

The aforementioned ‘super-fan’ let out a surprised scoff at her introduction. She didn’t waste a minute of her airtime, jumping immediately into the conversation: “Well, for starters, I think you’re taking this whole thing out of context. Supergirl didn’t just become a journalist for CatCo overnight. If you knew anything about Kara’s story, you’d know that she worked her way up the food chain for years! I mean, how empowering is that? She started as a PA!”

“Yeah, a PA with superspeed, how difficult. No wonder she ended up in Cat Grant’s palm! And yes, I do know her origin story, thank you very much.” The host’s voice crackled as Kara imagined him relaxing into his microphone. “Let the audience not forget that she was a PA for Cat Grant before she became a journalist. Are we really going to pretend that wasn’t her foot in the door?”

“Cat Grant wasn’t even her boss when she got into journalism,” argued the young woman. “And by the time Kara made a name for herself, Cat wasn’t even leading the company anymore! She got to where she is now on her own merit, no one elses!”

The host spoke over her: “It begs the question, did Cat Grant know this whole time? She takes a sabbatical only to re-emerge just in time to offer Supergirl a promotion. On top of that, she’s been promoting Supergirl for years! She created her – her words, on record. And now she’s put her in charge of media distribution. Get this: Supergirl is now in charge of the media we consume. Isn’t that a little self-indulgent?”

The young woman didn’t back down. “Kara Danvers was a Pultizer winning journalist long before we found out who she really was,” she argued. “She’s been standing for truth and justice just as much as Supergirl has. In fact, she’s just as much a hero as—”

“But what’s the agenda here?” the host continued with a conspiratorial air. “How can we even believe the news now it’s being headed by a liar? And she did, didn’t she? She lied to us all! She had a secret identity this whole time, and what? We’re just supposed to accept that? What’s the bet that this story will make a headline at CatCo magazine tomorrow morning, with my comments made out as Supergirl’s latest villain story? Or, better yet, will I be Kara Danver’s first official nemesis?” He barked out a laugh into his microphone. “There’s no freedom of the press anymore, folks, not when CatCo is bias towards the very hero that made it so popular in the first place!”

Before she could hear any more, Kara was thrown from her super-eavesdropping rather unceremoniously when a hand shot out in front of her face, waving impatiently.  

“Earth to Kara,” Alex said, snapping her fingers in front of her sister’s nose. “Hey, anyone home?”

“Huh?” Kara said before screwing her eyes shut, swatting away Alex’s offending hand. “Hey, hey, stop that!”

It was only then that she realised that it wasn’t just Alex who had been trying to get her attention. Lena and Kelly were staring at her from the opposite sofa. Nia sat cross legged on the footstool by the coffee table, nursing her drink with an expectant expression.

Kara glanced lamely at the TV. It didn’t look like anyone had been paying attention to the movie for quite some time.

Just how long had she been…?

Kara tried not to cringe.

Kelly cleared her throat, smoothing her hands over her lap. “From your expression, I’m guessing you were listening in on something pretty important.” She hesitated. “Is everything okay?”

Kara’s eyes widened. “What? Oh, oh no, it’s not a superhero emergency, I swear. Girl’s night continues uninterrupted, I promise!”

“Okay,” Nia said with a slow smile. “Then what was with the—” She mimicked Kara’s spaced-out expression a little too well, earning a few grins at her expense.

Kara pursed her lips. “Uh—I mean. It was nothing. Just…” She sagged in on herself awkwardly. “Okay, so I may have been listening to this podcast…”

“Oof.” Alex winced. “You don’t wanna do that.”

Kara groaned, falling back against the sofa. “I’ve been trying not to, but it’s kinda hard when half of my building’s listening to it.” She rubbed aggressively at her ears. “Super hearing can really suck, you guys.”

“Wait,” Nia said, perking up. “Are you talking about the Debate Me, Supergirl podcast?” When everyone turned to stare at her, she shrugged. “What? Brainy’s been keeping tabs on all social channels for this stuff ever since your interview first went public, y’know, calculating the odds on them picking up any real traction. In case things go… south.”

“And what are the odds on this guy?” Alex asked seriously.

Nia made a vague gesture. “I mean, until a few days ago, Brainy had him in the unlikely category. But his latest interview with a Supergirl stan got a whole lot of attention on social media. They were basically at each other’s throats the entire time.” She took a mild sip of her drink. “People ate it up.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Of course they did. And I’m guessing from your tone, not much of the audience were on this super – uh – stan’s side?”

Nia pulled a face, taking an even larger swig.

Kara groaned again, burying her face in her hands. “This is awful. I- I just can’t believe how little faith they have in me now that they know the truth!”

Lena smiled her sympathy. “Take it from someone who was once deluded enough to fall right into that same category of hatefully ignorant.” She toasted her scotch glass to no one in particular, swirling its contents with a gentle twist of her wrist. “It’s not easy for people to accept that their larger-than-life hero was living amongst them.”

Kara’s head shot up in protest. “I never wanted anyone to put me on a pedestal.”

“Want has nothing to do about it. Like it or not, they did.” Lena paused, tucking her legs into the sofa’s arm. She fixed Kara with a level look. “Kara, I say this as your friend, but you have to understand how powerful you are in the eyes of a regular citizen. You fly, you shoot laser beams from your eyes, you’re bullet proof and fire proof. Your power is limitless and even though this city has seen you fall, they’ve also seen you get back up time and time again.”

Kara bit her lip. “That part I can understand, but it’s not just that. This podcaster isn’t only targeting my Supergirl persona. It’s Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El that they don’t trust.” She snorted, throwing her hands wide. “They think the fact that I’m working as CatCo’s Editor-in-Chief makes the whole platform inherently bias. And – yes – I know I’ve fought my own biases in the past, and it’s not like being impartial was what won me a Pulitzer, but to them— a superhero in the press just doesn’t appeal. They think I’m a fraud, that I’ve been manipulating public opinion.” Kara could feel her face begin to flush in frustration. She ran a hand through her hair, standing just to put her energy somewhere. She slammed a fist against her palm, taking a step around the coffee table with every beat. “But, I mean, don’t they remember how CatCo turned on Supergirl after the Red Kryptonite incident? And rightfully, too. I lost the people’s trust then, and now—now it’s happening all over again and I just… I don’t know how to win them back,” she laughed through her teeth, “or if I can win them back!”

Alex took Kara’s arm swiftly as she passed her by, tugging her to her side. “Hey, no one said this was gonna be easy.”

“I think those were Cat’s exact words, actually,” Nia said helpfully, pointing in Alex’s direction.

Kara huffed, anchored by her sister’s steadying hand. “Yeah? Well, they didn’t say it would be this difficult, either.”

“Don’t listen to a few angry voices,” Nia insisted, her voice sobering. “They aren’t worth your energy, trust me.”

“Are they just a few?” Kara asked grimly. If she tried hard enough, she was sure she could still tune into hundreds of versions of that same podcast playing from across the city. Whether they agreed with him or not, the people of National City and beyond were listening to this nameless podcaster, and that was dangerous enough on its own.

Nia smiled tightly, balling her knuckles against her lap. “Just don’t listen to them, okay?” She closed her eyes. “Look, people like to make a lot of noise when they feel like they’ve been lied to, but the truth is, they were never entitled to that information to begin with. When I did my Dreamer interview with you, a lot of people were so supportive; some of them even saw themselves in me, but there were always hateful voices that tried to drown out the positive ones.” She straightened her back, opening her eyes. “But, y’know, they make that much noise because they know they’re in the minority, and they do not have the power that they think. Putting it into perspective like that… it’s a lot easier to ignore them, especially when I know how many people I’ve helped by sharing my story.”

“You’re right,” Kara said softly. Because she was. Of course she was. A single podcast spouting a single negative view didn’t diminish everything good that had come out of Supergirl’s identity reveal. Yes, the celebrity-level thing took some getting used to and openly flying to work made her something of a spectacle when it came to the office situation, but for the most part, Kara was relieved to have that weight off her shoulders, and it was a joy to know just how many aliens felt more confident to live as themselves now that they knew Supergirl had also shared their struggle.

In truth, the world knowing where she had come from, who she had been ever since she’d landed on Earth, grounded her to the people in a way that had never struck quite the same as just Supergirl. And that was worth any amount of growing pains.

Kara reached out for Nia’s hand over the coffee table, squeezing tight. “Thank you.”

Nia’s smile softened. “Any time.”

Lena cleared her throat, shifting higher against her pillow. “And, as for your job,” she said with a sly smile of her own, “let’s just say I know a thing or two about the public coming for your throat, deeming you unworthy of the position you’ve fairly worked your way up to. It’s just like Nia said, you ignore it, Kara. You ignore it because you have nothing to prove to anyone, you’re already doing one hell of a job as a journalist. Remain honest with yourself, and eventually people will see it. Not everyone of course.” She tilted her head, raising her glass to her lips. “You’ll never have everyone’s approval. If you did, well, I’d say you were on another planet, because that’s certainly not how the human race are wired.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Nia chimed in, leaning up to clink her glass with Lena’s. She caught Kelly’s glass on her way back.

Kelly smiled fondly, though there was a strained edge to her expression when she said, “We’ve all had to work twice as hard to prove ourselves. And as much as it hurts, that extends to Supergirl as well.”

Kara sat back down with a sigh, leaning into the embrace that Alex readily offered her. “Cat once told me the same thing; right after she’d first claimed Supergirl, actually.”

“Exactly,” Alex said with a sage nod. She kissed her sister’s hair. “And, hey, Cat Grant won’t let a podcast beat down her creation. Hell, her empire is built on powerful women, it always has been, always will.” She gestured to everyone in the room. “You are all prime examples of that.”

Kara nudged her sister playfully, pushing out of her arms. “Hey, well, the amount of times the DEO has personally kept that building from crashing to the ground, I’d say you’re an honorary member of Cat’s empire, too.”

Alex’s nose crinkled. “I think I prefer the title of badass DEO leader, but I’ll take it.” She grinned, rolling her eyes. “The point is, you have us, Kara.”

“Yeah.” Nia beamed. “And our opinion is worth a million times more than some crappy podcast.”

“Oh, cheers to that, too!” Alex laughed and they all converged with their glasses, meeting with a raucous clash over the coffee table.

Cheers rang out all ‘round, and Kara let the simple joy of that moment infect her. Their combined laughter easily blotted out any chances of hearing another word from that podcaster’s mouth.

She'd lost the taste for eavesdropping, anyway.

[ohnoitsz1m]

Notes from half life 2 overwatch + civil protection lines because I cant seem to find a comprehensive list of them WITH context on any wikis. This also isn't a comprehensive list this is just shit that I personally found interesting

Memory replacement is available for Civil Protection officers as a way to climb the ranks

Whatever the fuck visual download is. I genuinely can't really figure out what they mean by this because it's used in civil protection radio chatter. I could believe that the combine can just.. broadcast and image into the brains of their transhuman soldiers. But civil protection are mostly un-tampered with humans. Memory replacement is of course available for them as I mentioned previously, but it's not like they're all doing it. If some kind of implant is mandatory for civil protection officers to join the force then I don't know why we're trusting Barney as a double agent when the combine are already in his head. So yeah I don't really know what this is supposed to mean.

Off-world relocation is a threat that applies to literally anyone, not just soldiers. Overwatch threatens citizens with it too. Still don't know if it means they'll actually be sent off world or if it's just a fancy way of saying "we're going to fucking kill you" but whatever

"rank leaders, reminder: 100 sterilized credits qualifies non-mechanical reproduction simulation" yeah .

Upon killing Freeman sometimes overwatch gives this message "protection team member, your family cohesion is preserved"

So I guess privileges earned for doing well involve reproduction simulations and family cohesion. Awesome.

Civil Protection is provided with anti-fatigue rations, probably just straight up stimulants.

Sometimes after killing Freeman Overwatch will instruct civil protection to sterilize witnesses- there isn't a very clear context for the word "sterilize" being used within Overwatch dialogue but soldiers refer to turrets as sterilizers so this may mean killing witnesses. It's really not clear though.

Some units have names!

Hero 1

Defender 3

Yellow 4

Yellow 5

Jury 5

King 5

Union 6

Roller 8

King 9

X-ray (dubious. It's from a death line "x-ray is down" and I couldn't find any following uses of the word and since it wasn't followed by a number immmm on the fence about it being a name)

Most of the codes used do actually have a meaning and are used based on context.

[hooked-on-elvis]

UNEXPECTED ELVIS MENTION

So, real random thing here... I just needed to share it with someone.

I am currently watching the full Menendez Brothers trial. At the second part of Dr. Jerome Oziel's testimony (On Court TV, which you may watch it HERE - skip to 38:24) Elvis' name is mentioned by Erik's lawyer, Leslie Abramson. If I was a fan of her advocate techniques already now I'm even more for her having Elvis' name in her mind during work (by the way, it was mentioned under the context of a hypothetical famous patient of Dr. Oziel's and whether or not he could have told people about his patients confessions to him during therapy sessions, giving outsiders their patients names and all... a real well formulated question of Abramson's!) ANYHOW, I'm just writing this because I'm startled at the random mention of Elvis. I swear E just shows himself to us, fans, in the most unusual ways. In TV shows and movies the famous people mentions are planned but in something like a live recorded and broadcast court trial it's so odd Elvis' name would appear, even if he is one of the most famous people in this universe. And how did I see it? I mean, I could've just acted like most people and learn only about the general information on the Menendez Brothers case but here I was watching the full trial. I was like, WHAAAAT? And I'm left with the question... WHY? Call me crazy for making a big fuss out of this but I don't believe in coincidences. Sometimes things that resonate with us are shown to bring us some kind of sign, comfort or whatever we need to receive from the other side (maybe it's God working in His mysterious ways, trying to tell us He's watching over us, or maybe He's trying to give us a clue of what to do next, IDK). I seriously hate that it's so hard to UNDERSTAND what those odd "coincidences" really suppose to mean, but this one right now really surprised me - and I'm pleased, in strange way.

Anything, that's a really interesting trial to watch, really.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

End Transmission

I swear it always comes back to this damn clown. Crocodile's response is so funny to me and Buggy's expression is so good but the scene as a whole. Vegapunk's transmission concludes here. He's left the world in a panic. Buggy though continues to make the best of opportunities through sheer charisma. Don't forget where we left off last time, this may be a tense relationship but he's somehow worked himself into solidifying the Emperor title. I get the vibe at least CrocHawk are fuming here because they're realizing they have to play ball with Buggy on some level because he's the one with the men's loyalty. That's an important note for this chapter, the power of charisma vs. Vegapunk muddying his own message.

Let that one sit a moment because it won't really play much in the rest of the chapter, but like we often say with Egghead it is an interesting scene to frame the rest with. While Vegapunk's message and the impact of it remind me so much of David Bowie's Five Years, the little lead-in line made another rock music reference worth paying attention to. "The Times They are A-Changin." We couldn't use it as the chapter title because that, in full English, was already one which was confirmed as a reference. 572. Whitebeard giving the final order. Our lead in to the death of Luffy's brother Ace.

We'll talk narrative structure in a minute. Because I want to keep smoking this Whitebeard pack while I have it open. "I failed to make him King." That line, the flashback, the sacrifice...I see why we have that callback. Emeth here ends up being a pretty cool combination of Whitebeard back then and Izo's sacrifice late in Wano on top of the obvious internal parallel with Kuma. Especially when you mix it with seeing Koby's reflections on early chapters this chapter really felt like it was hitting that deep DNA of the series.

And of course, that makes the title interesting this time. "The Time is at Hand." I feel like I'm supposed to be making that connection right now. And honestly? All I've talked about this whole time could work just fine if Luffy simply gets taunted after this like Ace does. For all the pomp and circumstance. All the big ideas of Grand Fleets and mystery interlopers, that could tie it off here too. Are we ready to "untie the knot?" Are these scattered contexts about to make sense and reweave time?

It's not like I can ignore the confluence here. The bulk of the Gorosei are banished. Nami's lament about Atlas & Edison imply Lilith is the Last (goo-, evi-...allied) Punk Standing. Er...laying. You know I just thought "Last Punk Standing" sounded cool okay? The broadcast is donezo. Robonosuke's done his thing. Even cinching up Caribou and the Blackbeard bits. All this happens as the ships come together and the gang is drifting away.

Just saying, feels like the broadcast did sorta serve as this third discrete segment where Egghead takes on a different tone. And now that's settled. We'll have this break and honestly? Next few chapters feel like a total wild card.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Y'know, if Lila was just a one-off character for Volpina and we never saw her again, a few tweaks in that episodes writing could have made it a good lesson about not letting your temper get the best of you, even in a situation where your anger is justified

This is in reference to the post where I discussed how terrible Volpina's lesson is and I agree with the proposed change. If Marinette has to be in the wrong here, that's the only way to make it kind of work. In fact, this is what I thought the episode was trying to do on my first watch. When the next season started with Lila gone, I thought, "Okay, so that episode was supposed to be about being the better person and having a more measured response when you've been wronged. I don't think it did that lesson super well, but I can see what they were going for and we'll give them some grace. Definitely one that I wouldn't just give to a kid, though. Way too high a risk of them internalizing a very wrong message."

I only gave the writers that grace because I assumed that Ladybug had truly humiliated Lila out of Paris off screen (remember, we only see Ladybug out Lila to Adrien even though Lila was lying to everyone) and that is a pretty extreme punishment for a teenager making a dumb choice. Even then, saying that Ladybug was in the wrong feels a little too victim blame-y for my tastes. Lila was the one telling the lies and using Ladybug's name for clout on a city-wide scale or possibly even a national/international scale depending on the Ladyblog's viewership. By telling those lies, Lila was harming Alya's credibility and presenting herself as a sort of authority on Ladybug, a position that she was going to use to her advantage as we saw with her manipulating Adrien. She was also putting herself at risk if Gabriel or other villains believed the lies and saw her as a way to get to Ladybug.

That means that the lies Lila told aren't exactly minor, victimless crimes like the lies Marinette and Adrien tell to hide their identities. Lilia's lies needed to be outed on the same scale that they were broadcast and there's no kind way to do that. It's going to have a brutal edge no matter how pretty the words are.

There are times when it's right to be "the better person" and let a thing go, but it's hard to view this as one of them because this was not a nuanced situation. There was no reasonable option other than issuing a public retraction and Ladybug didn't even go that far! She had a single, private confrontation with Lila and then let the matter rest. A better version of this episode might see Alya and Marinette giving a really mean retraction on the Ladyblog that they then feel bad about because they should have been more professional, but that's about it as far as possible improvements go.

If we look at what the episode actually gave us, it feels like another Gamer situation. An episode that blames Marinette for impure motivations while ignoring anyone else's faults, creating a nonsense moral that just makes me mad. Ladybug-is-wrong-for-confronting-the-liar-for-impure-reasons is certainly a take. It's just not one that I'm ever going to agree with. To give a recent, real-world example, do people really feel that James Somerton was the wronged party because his many, many lies and instances of plagiarism were outed in a brutal public takedown? (Context part 1 & part 2, though part 2 is the one to watch if you only want to see why letting lies from respected sources go unchecked can be so messy.)

To be clear, I don't think that Lila's lies were Somerton bad in Volpina, but they were starting to go down that road and they arguably reached Somerton levels by season five. Fakes identities, almost getting Marinette expelled, using her lies to get social power from Gabriel, the list goes on, which is yet another reason to hate Volpina. Its nonsense moral is a big part of why Lila could do all of that. Ladybug should have outed Lila! Society suffered and will continue to suffer because she didn't. That's why you have to stop misinformation as soon as you possibly can, but that wasn't actually the moral of Volpina. The moral was that Ladybug was in the wrong for being mean to the liar. Maybe if she'd been nicer, then Lila wouldn't be so evil now which is a very gross moral! Volpina really does feel even more victim blame-y now that Lila is the new big bad.

That's a good segue to circle back and finish off my original topic: I gave the writers grace for Volpina until Lila returned and established that she'd never been publicly outed. At that point, Volpina lost any chance at me giving it charity. The lesson was worse than I thought and I was fully justified in hating it. It's one of the ones I use when I explain why I wouldn't want a child getting into Miraculous because the problem with Volpina's moral is pretty straightforward.

[ferrocyan]

i really like that the relationship between yaana and honey as im seeing from the jp text is of work friends. theyre very much friendly but imo firmly in a work context, bc of the way they call each other "Bセンパイ" and "黒ネコちゃん", those are more familiar forms of their persona names, but notably arent their personal names. this is really the approach i prefer, it makes more sense to me than the way eng writes them. also its very consistent that honey is that friendly with everyone, like hector ("ボンバーちゃん"). with the wol its really neat though! bc in our first meeting she calls tart "挑戦者ちゃん" but then in the broadcast scene she calls him "C'astarhteちゃん" KYAAAAAAA wow im so happy about that. this scene really gives me everything ive ever wanted from honey.

anyway now i have a very important question for retsarra thehowlingblade

ハウリングブレード : すまない、ブルートボンバー……いや、ヘクトール。

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SUPPOSED TO MEAN. WHY WOULD YOU STILL CALL YOUR BEST FRIEND "THE BRUTE BOMBER". IM GOING TO KILL YOU.

massive props for the eng side for just doing away with that ("Forgive me, Hector... I should've tried to save you, like they did..." THIS IS SO MUCH FUCKING BETTER ITS UNREAL)

[tiger-moran]

OK, Sherlock & Co's The Gloria Scott, probably the best episode so far, also probably the darkest episode so far but it was the first episode where I've felt like the main characters really started to develop proper depth (I still like Mariana more than Sherlock or John though), but I really don't get the thing with the music. I don't get what the point of the music was both in the context of John choosing to edit music into it and the creators choosing to put all that in? Like what's the point of almost drowning Victor out with the music before it shifts to a practically unrelated later scene? And maybe there was meant to be some sort of 'dramatic irony' with the song there or something but I don't know what that song is and I can't tell what the singer is saying either so if there was some sort of symbolism there it's lost on me. And just, the tonal shift of it, where Victor's really upset, apparently Sherlock is also upset, but there's no actual resolution to Victor's story and the ending is just John making these rather flippant remarks. I mean I get why they wouldn't want to record Victor after he's shouting at Hunter to get out but if that's the last we hear of him, there's no actual resolution for his story for us. Which sucks when you've just introduced him as an actual character in the here and now, not someone who was solely from Sherlock's past as he is in the canon (also this Victor is such a sweetheart). Then the end is John rambling in a presumably meant to be humorous way about putting the music in like it was supposed to add something but the music really detracted from it for me, also about pirates and stuff but his tone felt really weird and inappropriate considering how dark the storyline was.

I love Victor Trevor anyway and overall I liked this take on him - bringing him into the present, making him canonically queer, even practically introducing him with him having a full on anxiety attack, I liked most of what they did with him but then that sort of makes it worse when his storyline doesn't have any real closure for us? (Also at least in the canon he's had time to come to terms with everything before Watson writes the story up and publishes it for the public to read. This though does feel a bit like another one of those times when broadcasting something almost right after it happens doesn't feel appropriate.)

[vimesbootstheory]

Robby didn’t think there was much to be gleaned from nucleotides about the ongoing farce he called a life; instead, he had to look at the convoluted legacy of karate in the San Fernando Valley for clues. So he thought about dads, he thought about his dad, and he thought about the dads who came before. He’d never met his paternal grandfather; Dad had mentioned him maybe two times in Robby’s whole life, and never in the context of anything very personal. Just like, oh that, yeah, that belonged to my dad. Or again, genetic stuff. Why Robby didn’t look very much like his father, so what about the stuff he didn’t get from Mom, did that come from the… the Lawrences, or whoever they were? And, yeah, some of those genes had been passed down from that man-shaped silhouette on Dad’s side of the family tree. But that didn’t mean a whole lot to Robby’s chain-of-dads theory. So, not that guy, he wasn’t the next link in the chain. Sid? Sid was one of the few things father and son agreed on, Sid sucked. The few times Robby had ever spoken with Sid Weinberg, the dickhole had made some pointedly sympathetic comments about the tragedy of having Johnny Lawrence for a father, and Robby had silently agreed, while simultaneously feeling an awful urge to defend Dad. Yeah, you heard that right, defend him. That was Top Five Worst Feelings Ever material. There’s no love lost there, Mom had said once, before going on to woulda-coulda-shoulda about what Dad could have been if he’d sucked up his pride and ingratiated himself to one of the most powerful men in broadcast television. Point was, no, Sid wasn’t the next link in the chain, either. That left Kreese. You didn’t feel like you owed him? Dad felt he owed something to Kreese, the way he hadn’t owed anything to any of the other father figure options in his life. [...] It wasn’t fair. Nothing Robby would say aloud — it’s not fair! He’d sound like a little kid if he said it. But it wasn’t. Kreese gave Dad a shitty prototype of what familial obligation looked like, and Dad had known it was shitty but didn’t have anything else, and then Robby had grown up without a father. All that messy bullshit fell to the bottom, down to where Robby hung out with his inherited headphone coping mechanisms and his eagerness to please. Like trickle-down economics, if it worked and was bad, and if Robby understood the first thing about what trickle-down economics was supposed to be in the first place. “Do you know what trickle-down economics is?” Dad laughed in surprise. “What the hell? No.” When Robby didn’t say anything, he raised his eyebrows. “Are you gonna tell me?” “Huh? Oh, no, I don’t know what it is, either.” They could’ve googled it, but who gave a shit?

-- from Chapter 11 of Theydunnit

[fallloverfic]

Do you think Bowa reaching the conclusion she did about Queen successful to be understandable? Given that she lacked context.

I'm not sure what context you think she was lacking, but I imagine you're trying to logic out an unhinged person high on a sort of chemical that messes with your head, and that her attacking Queen had to be justified somehow for it to be "understandable" and that's just not really doable.

In Episode 11, Mickey was kind of pushing Queen and Bowa together while also basically threatening Bowa, putting her on her guard, and Bowa was likely embarrassed her shimei saved her from their boss. Bowa then tried to fight Queen in Episode 11, and it was only the Johnnies showing up that stopped them from getting more into it. There was plenty of animosity between them, at least on Bowa's side, before the match with X. She literally says, "I'm going to crush you." And that's while she's holding the X title. She was already suspicious of Queen's involvement with Mickey (she explains as much in this conversation, where she's warning Queen off from trying to flirt her way into power).

Bowa later observed Queen cozying up to Lucky Cyan when Lucky Cyan showed up at DOS. Bowa later watched the Focus News broadcast commentary in Episode 12 on her and Queen's matches against X, with the guy on Focus News saying that, "According to an insider from DOS, Lucky Cyan was actually a secret weapon Queen employed to bring Bowa down with bad luck, all to help herself. But Queen didn't expect to be doomed by Cyan herself." With the caption, "Queen's unexpected defeat! Lucky Cyan may be behind this?!" underneath. The information she got from her investigator only confirmed something fishy was likely going on between Queen and Mickey, because Queen's father is close with Mickey. For someone as demonstrably paranoid about losing her newly obtained position - a position fought over by many in the hero world, and seemingly difficult to obtain, especially for a woman, based on the fact it's been so many years since the last and only other female X - it makes sense she'd jump to the conclusion of sabotage to blame, even though it's kind of ridiculous when you think about it. But sometimes people aren't sensible, especially in the face of shame. Anger and paranoia would only worsen that.

A simpler answer is that Bowa is seemingly an ex-cop and cops aren’t that intelligent and are more likely to believe conspiracy theories, and tend to be pretty entitled, so her jumping to conclusions based on essentially conspiracy theories and targeting someone more accessible (versus X, who's difficult to track down) makes sense. Like oh, a cop targeted a younger, perhaps even weaker woman rather than a powerful man? Big shock, more news about the sky being blue at 11.

Did her blaming Queen make fully logical sense from the perspective of someone acting rationally and calmly? No, especially for someone as smart as she's supposed to be. But the show presented enough explanation and context for her to get to where she ended up in an understandable and clear-cut manner.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Oliver Willis at Oliver Willis Explains:

The media industry, in particular, thrived during Trump’s time. Instead of sleep-inducing policy wonkery as they had to contend with during President Barack Obama’s two-terms, Trump lurched from drama to drama and crisis to crisis. When he wasn’t feuding with celebrities or Saturday Night Live, he was pissing off NATO allies, mismanaging a pandemic, or bowing to North Korea’s dictatorial regime. And of course there was the steady stream of racism and misogyny.

Four years into President Joe Biden’s time in office, it is clear to anyone with open eyes that the mainstream press desperately wants to go back to the good old days. They want easy stories and a torrent of clicks to their websites and eyeballs on their broadcasts. They want to be able to churn out a series of bestsellers, compiling information they should have been reporting in newspapers and broadcasts, packaged as buzzworthy scoops to juice book sales. Like Zaslav, the mainstream media - the New York Times, CNN, Associated Press, the networks and the rest — tipped their hands as they took part in the post-debate media orgy. Biden’s performance was putrid, as he has admitted, but the coverage went above and beyond with the press beating the drumbeat for Biden to drop out of the race louder than a Taylor Swift concert extravaganza. The press misses Donald, their meal ticket, their path to riches and an easy day at the office. He makes a big show of speaking negatively about his coverage, but like a wrestler working a gimmick to get the audience out of their seats, everyone in this pantomime is playing a role.

[...] The press does not like criticism from the left. The left is supposed to just suck it up and take it and bow before them. Simply because the left side of the aisle does not share Trump’s position that the free press is the “enemy of the people,” that is supposed to be carte blanche for lies, unfair coverage, and agenda-based reporting against Democrats. Nonsense. Biden was well within bounds to push back on the media’s reprehensible behavior and in fact he should have been more forceful. Because in this election — as in past elections — the Republican Party isn’t his only opposition.

The people who continually carry water for specious and debunked right-wing attacks, like the Swift Boat lies of 2004 or the Willie Horton smears of 1988 or the email faux scandal of 2016 are all the same people: The media. The Republican Party and conservatives have a steadfast ally in the mainstream press that amplifies their bad faith attacks without context, who abdicate their roles as journalists or fact checkers to operate as stenographers for whatever dumb thing Republicans come up with. When George W. Bush and his team wanted to sell lies about weapons of mass destruction, they didn’t go to Fox News. The went to the New York Times. Of course the press should investigate and press back on claims from Democrats, and when Democrats lie or massage the facts, the news media should take them to the rhetorical woodshed. That is their job. But for too long they have operated with two sets of standards for the two parties. What is merely a faux pas by Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Trump is seized upon as a major crisis and scandal if the perpetrator is Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden (along with Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton). This cannot continue to stand, not without some blowback.

Oliver Willis wrote a solid piece on why Joe Biden was right to call out the bothsiderist MSM in a Monday interview with NBC’s Lester Holt.