#from his dna advert

[summerblueringo]

Kimi's hair <3

[inthelittlewood]

Amazing episode especially all the additional BNHA cards and advert breaks (Philly's fridges how I have missed you) just in general really fun editing. I was going to make a joke about Cherri must be getting paiddd this week with all the additional content but honestly I just wanted to add that its so cool how collaborative you are in your presentation. The trivia bot bit with Oli (I assumed you got him to record those extra lines), including affiliated adverts for projects not necessarily life series (Mcc cards and Mumbos mainly hermitcraft centered merch drop) and just these fun editing bits ontop of the base content. Just these little extra 4th wall bits that are usually just for LORE (Insert sparkles) being used in creative and collaborative ways is just really cool. I've said this before but Cherris thumbnails are what got me into your POV and its so unique and playful and fun to have them, if not scary and suspenseful to see when it is darker Lore (I will never be over lim life finale. Ever.) Just an appreciation for the editing/presentation side of your POV because it's so goddam cool how much substance you can bring afterwards and it always makes me think "This man has like 4 days to edit how does he keep producing so many bangers and additional ideas DOES HE SLEEP". Super good stuff dude

The answer is no, I don't sleep. I sacrificed a fair bit of sleep and all my 'down time' this week to make this episode happen. It definitely wouldn't be sustainable with any kind of regularity lol

Trivia bit VO was actually me. The animations were luckily in the model file from the Devs when they sent it is for thumbnail purposes, very lucky!

Oli posting an ad (and me even seeing it) were all a total coincidence. I was wrapping the episode and wanted one more break then saw he'd posted it like 30 mins ago

Cherri went nuts with the hero designs this week. They were all originals too, I gave her zero prompts aside from Ren's involving DNA which did make its way in to his design

[romnianistan]

@joannerowling

[Introduction]

While many articles have been written about Harry Potter and the school board genre or its relationship to fantasy, very few people have looked into the influence of the Gothic in Harry Potter (or in JKR's works in general). Part of it I think is due to the depreciation of Harry Potter by the cultural bourgeoisie, who only regard it as mere children's books that don't hold any actual literary value and that aren't worth to be studied seriously. Yet many tropes, storylines and plot devices used by JKR draw inspiration from the Gothic genre, bringing to it a modern twist by both adverting and subverting Gothic clichés. This inspiration is apparent in JKR's focus on broken families stuck into a cycle of poverty and violence involving incest and alcoholism or in the settings of many of the most iconic scenes of her book (to me the situation of Merope Gaunt, the way she's treated by her male relatives and the description of her house clearly allude to that of Catherine Linton at Wuthering Heights). In another (badly written) post, I tried to argue that one example of such a subversion in JKR's works was her use of the Gypsy theme -- Romani people as the embodiement of marginality, social and sexual danger as well as oriental mysticism --, a trope of Gothic literature most notably used by Emily Brontë in Wuthering Heights and Victor Hugo in the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and that's been studied by Ken Lee in his article on Gypsylorism. But while JKR never once mentions Romani people in the Harry Potter series (an omission that is very interesting in itself; she's leaving out of her series the ethnic group that's been associated the most with witchcraft in folk tales for centuries, even though she's drawing inspiration from European folklore), she does mention them a bit in The Casual Vacancy and a lot in Cormoran Strike. However, as opposed to Wuthering Heights and HoND, Romani people aren't actually associated with paganism in JKR's books (they would have if she had been racist); their mention serves a Gothic aesthetic purpose as the non-Romani pov character starts thinking about Gypsy witchcraft and wandering, but that romanticising is quickly destroyed once the narrative brings up the actual reality of what it means to be Romani(-adjacent) in the UK: poverty and social exclusion. (In my opinion, this is a subtle commentary on how rich people idealize wanderness and poverty despite their being trauma-inducing experiences for the people who experience them.)

In my opinion, another influence of the Gothic is also the character dynamic she builds around Harry and Voldemort. In three different ways, the Harry/Voldemort dynamic parallels that of Dracula and Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula: first, the in-narrative construction of that dynamic; second, the way that character dynamic is used as a plot device by both Stoker and JKR in their respective works; third, the significance/symbolism of that character dynamic.

1. The narrative build up

In both Dracula and HP, the psychic bond that unites Mina/Harry and Dracula/Voldemort is created in spite of Dracula and Voldemort. In Dracula, that bond is an inevitable consequence/side effect of the repeated blood sucking Dracula does on Mina. In HP, that bond is created despite the knowledge of Voldemort and as a consequence of Voldemort's murder attempt.

In both stories, that bond was created/reinforced by blood mixing. In Dracula, blood mixing allows Dracula to link his mind directly with Mina's. In HP, that bond becomes much stronger after the graveyard scene, when Voldemort also uses Harry's blood to regain life. In both cases, we have blood magic and DNA mixing involved, resulting in an identity crisis on the part of Harry/Mina (their sense of self is eroded after the distinction between their body and that of Dracula/Voldemort got blurred and as the emotions/thoughts of the other start influencing theirs).

Dracula forms a psychic bond with Mina Harker as a step towards mind control. He wants to read, manipulate and control her mind and her thoughts, and in particular, he wants to use it to spy on his enemies (Jonathan and Van Helsing). However, he is forced to block the link when he realizes that, if he can spy on the heroes through Mina, Mina can spy on him as well by being put into a hypnotic trance that allows her to sense Dracula and his surroundings and can feel how far away or how close he is to them. This is what eventually leads the heroes to Dracula and allows them to catch him.

In Harry Potter as well, Dumbledore fears that psychic link would be used by Voldemort to spy on the Order of the Phoenix through Harry. This is why Dumbledore ignores and isolates Harry for an entire year and this is also what prompted Dumbledore to get Snape to teach Occlumency to Harry -- to block Voldemort's thoughts. But Voldemort doesn't actually use the link to spy. afaik he only uses it twice: once to deceive Harry and get him to come to the Ministry of Magic, and once at the very end of OotP when he briefly takes control of Harry's body. But Harry (just like Mina) realizes he can use that link to his own advantage and spy back on Voldemort (he repeatedly does so in DH): just like Mina, Harry is able to feel what he feels, to hear his thoughts and to sense how far or how close he is.

So we have a similar process following the same steps: evil blood magic on the part of an unwilling villain first, blurring of identity second. In both stories, the psychic link serves as a war strategy playing out over a deep identity crisis. The difference is that this process spans 4 books and 13 years in Harry Potter, with many more smaller steps in between, but overall it's still the same structure.

2. The Harry/Voldemort (Mina/Dracula) dynamic as a plot device

Because everyone uses the psychic link to spy on the other, it becomes a power play for the two characters involved, symbolically representing the struggle between life and death (love and hatred). But it also serves a narrative purpose: both stories are written from the perspective of the heroes. By introducing the psychic link as a plot device, the reader can get some insight into the pov of the villain of the series. The psychic link then becomes a way to drive the action: after each discovery, the character (be it Mina, Harry, Dracula or Voldemort) takes action. They plan a fight/battle, they track each other or they fly from each other. With the psychic link, the writer (Stoker/Rowling) is able to write very cool descriptive scenes from a totally different perspective, taking place in a totally different setting we don't normally see otherwise (think of the description of the Riddle House at the beginning of GoF -- an apparition that is justified in-narrative by its being shown to Harry in a dream). In both Dracula and HP, the psychic link also allows the writer to write dialogues that have more to do with the mystery genre than the fantasy genre (what's the villain doing? are we sure that information is legit? who is he talking to?) Finally, and even if we have to wait a few chapters for it, it leads to the introduction of battle scenes.

So both Dracula and HP use the psychic link as a plot device in a similar way: 1. it drives the action by justifying the writing of descriptive scenes, action scenes and dialogues, 2. it makes the story even more compelling for the reader who gets to hear the exclusive thoughts of the villain in a setting we are not used to (the villain's lair!) so those scenes feel special and cool, 3. it allows the writer to diverisfy the genre of their book by introducing new elements taken from the mystery genre.

3. The symbolic of that relationship

Voldemort, just like Dracula, is an undead being, a living dead. While Voldemort himself isn't a zombie (an "inferi"), a ghost or a vampire, he does surround himself with them and his physical description is very much akin to that of the undead. Two of his most significant features are his paleness (also a recurrent adjective to describe ghosts) and his long, spidery fingers, which together can be used to describe both Voldemort and Nosferatu:

(book!voldemort literally looks like this bad guy over there ^ but without a nose and with red eyes -- and this is why he haunts my sleep sometimes!! that character design fucks)

Symbolically as well, Voldemort is an undead being, a living dead, as it says in his very name ("fleeing death", "flight from/of death"). In his backstory as well, Voldemort became twice a living dead. First, by spiritually killing himself and rendering his soul to the dark arts in pursuit of immortality (in much the same way vampires render their soul to the devil). Second, by falling victim to his own Avada Kedavra spell in Godric's Hollow. (Harry is an example of how one survives the Avada Kedavra; I wouldn't say Voldemort survived it considering all the (physical, if not spiritual) remnants of his past humanity were completely destroyed by it.)

More specifically, Voldemort is a vampire: in his very first apparition in the series, he is seen drinking the lifeblood of a living creature (a unicorn). All throughout the series, Voldemort is the undead that needs to feast on others to survive, by exploiting his followers (in the years following Godric's Hollow, he only survives by drawing on the life force of Quirrell and by living as a parasite with Pettigrew), by living on the terror he inspires to other people, and by turning other living beings (Nagini and Harry) into horcruxes (the same way a vampire would turn the human he drinks the blood of into another vampire). Of course, the number 1 inspo for Voldemort is the boogeyman: everyone in the wizarding world is scared to say his name in case he might literally materialize out of thin air. But he is not described (narratively, physically) as any boogeyman, he is specifically the vampire.

Just as Voldemort is Dracula, Harry is Mina Harker: a human being who represents life. Both Harry and Mina carry a part of Voldemort/Dracula's inside of them, and both of them are scared of eventually becoming like them. Both Harry and Mina survived their confrontations with Voldemort/Dracula thanks to the help of their friends (love and friendship trumping death). Both of them are also common human beings who have been involuntarily turned into something so much more unique by the very assault they survived. The way they responded to it (opposing hatred with love and bravery) turned them into something so much more important than mere human beings: they became symbols inspiring strength to others around them. And all throughout the story, both Mina and Harry retain that common-ness, it is repeatedly stated by both Stoker and JKR, in-narrative, that the only thing that sets them apart from others is Mina/Harry's ability to feel empathy and to draw strength from the love of others.

In the novel, Mina openly feels pity for Dracula - not for the monster that he is but for his soul, explicitly questioning whether it might want to find peace. In the last two books of the HP series, Harry also takes on a similar stance with regards to Voldemort. Dumbledore's last teaching was that Voldemort was someone to be pitied (don't feel pity for the dead but for those who live without love), and even though pity doesn't excuse evil, it gives us the moral ground to be better people and create a better world. This was also Dumbledore's most important teaching, the one Harry only fully understands by the end of Deathly Hallows, when he confronts Voldemort and says the only thing that sets him apart from others and that makes him stronger than Voldemort is the love he feels (only understanding this after spending the entire book trying to figure out why hadn't Dumbledore left a strong weapon, like the elder wand, for him in his will).

So in both their moral complexity wrt to the villain and in the ideals they represent, Harry and Mina are very similar. I would finally add that both of them represent vulnerable groups of people (children and women) who are victims of male/patriarchal violence: Harry (a 14yo boy) is abducted and tortured by Voldemort (an adult male) in Goblet of Fire, while Mina is metaphorically raped by Dracula. It's a bit tangential but I think it's another interesting parallel between these two; in all of her books, JKRowling often associates the harm men do to women to the harm fathers(/male authority figures) do to children and the way Voldemort repeatedly tortured, abducted and tried to kill Harry from age 0 to age 17 could also be one of the ways she builds on that social commentary.

[Conclusion]

=> So narratively, I would say JKR drew inspiration from Dracula when designing the Harry/Voldemort bond. In Dracula and HP, that link is established in pretty much the same way: through blood magic, DNA mixing and resort to the dark arts. It is repeatedly reinforced throughout the story following the encounters of Mina/Harry and Dracula/Voldemort, and it serves as a war strategy between the two of them as everyone involved realizes they can use it to spy on the other, leading to the ultimate demise of the villain. When it comes to character growth, the psychic link also works in the same way: it leads to emotional/mental/psychological distress for Harry/Mina who is scared to become evil too. Structurally as well, JKR used a plot device identical to that developed by Stoker in Dracula to create the Harry/Voldemort dynamic. The psychic link introduces a POV-shift in a book series that's otherwise almost exclusively written from the good guy's pov, drives the action by leading to descriptive/action scenes and dialogues, and makes the story more entertaining for the reader. Thematically, I would also say JKR drew inspiration from Dracula when creating Voldemort and Harry as characters. In the books, Voldemort represents a vampiric living dead boogeyman who rendered his soul in search of immortality (just like Dracula), while Harry represents the hidden force of life and love that lies inside the most common of people (like Mina).

[billpottsismygf]

Space Babies! Weird episode, but it had a charm. I had already prepared myself for the fact that RTD's era was notoriously camp and weird, and that I would for the first time be experiencing new episodes by him as an adult rather than as a 9-13 year-old, so it's not news to me that there would be some campy nonsense with a deeper message, and that this might be more jarring than I'm used to. The deeper themes were really thrown out (refugees, anti-abortion hypocrisy, genocide, capitalism) without being dwelt on, but that's not necessarily a problem.

The babies themselves were... a little unnerving? The mouth movements were quite uncanny, along with their voices and the general "I love you, Ruby!" of it all. I've just now made the connection that the latter puts me in mind of adverts for baby dolls.

The gunky snot monster felt very early 2000s British children's TV. If you weren't there for that, just know there was so much slime; think Slitheen exploding. I am very glad it got rescued. Nice message with the Doctor not usually running from things just because they look scary and, even though this is a creature specifically manufactured to be scary, it still deserves a shot at life.

It feels like a strange story to start with because I suspect it'll have mixed reviews. I would think you'd want a slightly more solid episode to draw people in with. Anyway, there was still a lot of thought put into making this a proper jumping off point with all its Doctor Who 101 stuff. Funny for a long-time viewer hearing it all rattled off in record time, but important to establish for new people, and I do think it's important for the show to remain accessible to people who haven't been obsessing over it for twenty years or more.

As a jumping off point, it very specifically reminded me of The End of the World. There's the big observation deck on a space station where the new companion, in her second episode and first off-world adventure, gets her phone updated so she can call her mum, in particular. The parallels to Rose are interesting, especially with the lecture the Doctor gives Ruby about how they can't travel back to meet her missing parent(s).

Speaking of that, there's some intrigue there with the snow appearing and the memory changing. I didn't like the Doctor doing a DNA scan of Ruby without her knowledge. It feels very 11th Doctor, especially when he literally scanned Amy and withheld medical information, but also the way he treated all his female companions as mystery boxes to solve without telling them. I guess we'll see what that's all about at a later point.

I'm still not completely sold on Millie Gibson, but Ncuti Gatwa is wonderful, and I do really appreciate their chemistry.

Small things:

Jocelyn was a good character, and the Nan-E filter made me laugh several times.

That place name before the Doctor turned the translation circuits off was absolutely not in English. Slightly weird way to phrase that line if it's going to be called Pacifico del Rio.

This is a very early point in the series for Ruby to get a TARDIS key! We're really speedrunning the usual steps here.

[wingzie]

BTS in the UK Part One: 2017- 2018

On 25th September 2017, BTS had its first play on UK Radio with DNA. The song was played by Olivia Jones on TheHitsRadio. This was followed on 2nd October, with the first play of DNA on BBC1 Radio with Adele Roberts, who would interview BTS later on.

Olivia interviewed Namjoon a month later, for their first UK interview. Namjoon was aware that UKArmy had sent her purple flowers as a “thank you” for playing DNA. He also mentioned chartings and wanting to go to the UK, which they were meant to do in 2017.

Adele Roberts interviewed BTS in South Korea and filmed some dance practice behinds.

The LG x BTS Advert was played at Piccadilly Circus during the summer of 2018.

The O2 Tube posted a photo of the board with BTS track names and lyrics. 

BTS performed at a sold out O2 Arena in October 2018. UKArmy were hyped up before the concert even began, by singing the songs playing out around the arena. 

Big Hit announced online that Jungkook had injured his heel and was advised to not dance on stage. At the venue, their interpreter relayed the same information. UKArmy responded by chanting Jungkook's name in support.

Backstage, Jungkook had indeed injured himself whilst warming up. The members and staff comforted him as they weighed up their options.

Jungkook went to get his stitches and the rest of the group discussed the adaptations that would need to be made. The members spoke to each other over the mics and then got into position as the concert began.

The concert continued with high energy and all the members did their best, whilst including Jungkook in the songs.

Full Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9igTbMrr8w

Full Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f-hSy_njlI

Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CVTW_YZ90I&list=PLYEZN69Ouffxi1ZkbHRNxBJnJMXVqRTiq

Jin tweeted after the concert

The next day, Jungkook tried to convince the members to let him walk around during the medley. Jin then wheeled him and the concert began. Showing their great teamwork as they continued to work hard on stage.

Full Concert Link

Hobi Tweeted “I enjoyed London.”

On 11th October, BTS were featured on the BBC News. In the background, we can see them talking amongst themselves 

In the interview, Jungkook talked about the concert and that they would come back to England. Clips of UKArmy were also used, with Namjoon talking about the importance of mental health/healing with music and Hobi talking about their dances as a team.

Another interview from the UK was Noisey’s Questionnaire of Life and Lorraine BTS Take on a British Quiz

Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpxmQMDahiU&t=144s

Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECqqi0C0w6w&t=258s

They also did two NME interviews Link 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L993jVyE1I4&t=1s Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2tUY95IzLc&t=4s

BTS was on the Graham Norton show whilst in the UK. Unfortunately, JImin was unable to join them due to muscle strain. In the behinds, the members talk about how to do the Idol performance. Later on, the members say how much the performance was a struggle.

Full Episode Link with interview:

The members posted some tweets as they were leaving London. Namjoon accidentally overlapped Tae’s and then apologised. 

On 21st October, BTS played the Award Box Challenge to collect their awards for Best International Group and Best Social Media Star.

On 15th November 2018, Burn the Stage was released in the UK. With BTS Love Yourself in Seoul being aired a few months later.

[feminismisstillahatemovement]

The law still gives benefits to heterosexual couples that many gay people cannot easily access eg parenting benefits, tax advantages for having a partner who is more dependent on the other (gay relationships tend to have a more equal distribution of labour). I have no interest in having children but for instance if a straight woman had a child, there is a presumption of paternity for her husband. In many Western countries, this isn’t available to lesbians. A lesbian mother often has to adopt her own child if she didn’t give birth to it. How is that fair?

Why not concede you are wrong when you claim that homosexuality is promoted or privileged because that isn’t true? If that were the case and every single media arm is promoting it, you would expect to see the majority of the population internalise this message and therefore the percentage of homeless gay teens to be considerably lesser, people wouldn’t live in the closet or agonise about coming out to their families, people wouldn’t hide even the most banal references to their homosexuality in various situations such as in the workplace, significant political figures wouldn’t be releasing adverts or statements dedicated to attacking us as deviants etc?

And by the way I count on my fingers how many times I’ve seen the mainstream media include or celebrate gender non conformity, much less gay characters.

We don’t have as much power as you seem to think you do.

I’ve been reading your blog with an open mind actually so I wanted to challenge some of your statements.

I'm starting to wonder if you're just a really elaborate troll, since everything you've written above is so blatantly, self-evidently wrong, that you must be able to see it, but you're obviously committed to the bit, and they're good jumping off points to talk about things worth addressing, so I'll bite:

"if a straight woman had a child, there is a presumption of paternity for her husband."

That's because the child is his, made from his DNA. That's because he IS the child's biological father. The problem more men actually have is being forcibly made to pay for the financial support of children that aren't actually theirs, and the state tries to make it hard or even illegal for them to prove through DNA testing that the child is another man's.

"A lesbian mother often has to adopt her own child if she didn’t give birth to it. How is that fair?"

Because she's not the child's biological father or mother. The child is not made from her. Hence, the child is not "hers" by default.

If we refuse to acknowledge the physical realities and innate biological rights of parenthood, then any stranger could just walk into a playground, pick up a child and walk off with it, saying "I'm your parent now".

"Why not concede you are wrong when you claim that homosexuality is promoted or privileged because that isn’t true?"

Because it IS true, and unmistakably so. This is what a police force looks like in every western nation today:

"If that were the case and every single media arm is promoting it, you would expect to see the majority of the population internalise this message"

That's a very telling assumption, because you are saying there you believe that whatever the state forces upon the population will be the beliefs the people automatically hold in private. Which is like saying you expect the Tibetan people to sincerely hold the Communist beliefs of the invading Chinese army that has occupied them for the past 70 years. Or that if your country was invaded by a fascist dictatorship that did nothing but put out pro-fascist propaganda 24/7, you yourself would automatically believe in fascism.

No: people have their own beliefs, separate to whatever agenda the state is imposing upon them. Which is as it should be.

"And by the way I count on my fingers how many times I’ve seen the mainstream media include or celebrate gender non conformity, much less gay characters."

That's a hell of a lot of fingers you must have there:

[f1]

Hamilton confident Domenicali wont get rid of classic Formula 1 venues | RaceFans Round-up

In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton is confident Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali won’t cut classic venues from the schedule to make way for more new races. In brief ‘I’ll always prefer old tracks’ – Hamilton The addition of new races such as the Miami Grand Prix last year and forthcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix has put some long-established events under pressure. However Hamilton believes F1 is largely getting the balance right between old venues and new ones. “I like the direction, personally, that it’s going,” he told media including RaceFans. “I like the change that we’re seeing. It’s exciting coming to different parts of the world and different circuits. “We’ve been on all the other continents, I’m hoping we get to go to Africa soon and that will be an amazing experience for the whole circus to experience the culture there. It’s a challenge from an engineer and a driver’s perspective, go to these new places.” Spa doesn’t have an F1 deal for 2024 yet The seven-times world champion says he still has a soft spot for older tracks and expects those in charge will keep them on the schedule. “Of course I love all the older circuits and I will always prefer the older circuits. Maybe in 20 years, 30 years’ time, some kid will see [Miami] as a historic circuit but this is new for us. But all the old classics like Hungary and Silverstone and the Zandvoort circuit and Monza, they will always be special. “I think it’s important that we continue to have those in the DNA of Formula 1. And as far as I’m aware, Stefano is not planning to get rid of ones like that. It’s good to have a balance of the two.” Pourchaire ends F2 test on top Formula 2 championship leader Theo Pourchaire headed the last of three days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. The Sauber junior driver headed the times with a lap of 1’23.943, which put him six-tenths of a second of ART team mate Victor Martins. Pourchaire caused the first of three red flags with a spin earlier in the day. Ralph Boschung and Ayumu Iwasa caused the other two, while rain prevented drivers from improving their times in the afternoon. USF2000 trio escape injury as car is launched Three USF2000 drivers had a lucky escapes in yesterday’s opening race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Max Garcia was launched over the rear of Max Taylor’s car approaching turn seven and landed on Elliot Cox. Garcia then made heavy contact with the barrier. He emerged from his car unhurt, while Taylor and Cox drove back to the pits. Verstappen tackles virtual Nordschleife Max Verstappen will be part of Team Redline’s effort in the iRacing Nürburgring 24 Hours today, alongside Diogo Pinto and Ole Steinbraten. The virtual race takes place on the 20.7 kilometre Nurburgring Nordschleife. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Happy birthday! Happy birthday to Stephen, Mclarengal, Quinn and Dbradock! On this day in motorsport Lewis Hamilton won following first-lap carnage in Spain today in 2018 via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[syppys-den]

Some of the major changed I've made to The Superman Mythos in Earth 1605

DISCLAIMER: while some of these were made because I think they're genuine improvements most of them were made purely for either self indulgence or for the sacred reason of "I dunno, I felt like it" so don't judge too too hard (but constructive criticism is very much welcome)

Smallville is in New Mexico instead of Kansas (though it's still in the Boonies)

Metropolis is in California instead of Delaware, mostly because I wanted to kind of wanted to make it more like old LA in that it's this city advertized as the shining city on a hill and "the place to be" that destroys you once you're there

Ma and Pa Kent's names have been changed from John and Martha to Jerry and Mia

adding onto that, Jerry is Jewish on his mother's side with Mia is black, and Mia's name is "Dunn" instead of Clark (as a nod to Siegel and Shuster's short story "Reign of The Superman" and yes I renamed John to Jerry as a not to the former, and to top it off his mother's maiden name was Siegel)

Kryptonians evolved a form of touch based telekinesis (or "Tactilekinesis" as it's called) to actually be able to stand up, move and walk around on Krypton (a world with 10-11x the gravity of Earth) and this ability is fueled by solar radiation, and despite their sun Rao being much dimmer and smaller, if one were to view the everyday strength of Kryptonians on their homeworld it'd look like a race of Captain Americas basically, now take a Kryptonian away from Krypton and to a planet with 0.1x its gravity and a star that is several times brighter and larger than Rao, and I think you can guess the obvious result

adding to that, Tactilekinesis also gave them the ability to keep themselves at consistent temperatures, which is why Heat Vision and Ice Breath are a thing (though Clark may eventually learn how to channel this ability in ways other than those two)

Krypton was basically a utopia, and instead of Noble Houses it had a system that could be called Guild Socialist Council Democracy (every major labor force had a guild and each guild was represented on a council)

the planet was destroyed by Brainiac, who here is basically just The Sentients from Warframe (sent to another star system to colonize it and then came back and killed its creators)

Jor El discovered Brainiac's intentions when he tried checking on its progress, and when he tried to show The Council, they didn't believe him because Brainiac covered its tracks

Lara was in the military guild (admittedly not a big change since she also was in The New 52, but I still like it as it makes her her own person)

instead of Kryptonian Women having their father or husband's first name as a middle name, all Kryptonian children have the names of their parent of the same sex (with some exceptions and caviats but we'll get to that) as their middles names until they reach adulthood (for example Clark's full Kryptonian name when he was born was "Kal Jor El")

because of the rule listed above I've had to change a couple things, for one, Zor El is now a woman but Alura is still one too, and Kara was born via something called a "Birthing Matrix" that can take one or more people's DNA and incubate a child

a similar process was done with Jor and Zor actually, but in their parent (haven't decided their gender yet, if they'll even have one) Seyg El's case, they opted to be a single parent instead

back to Earth, Clark eventually ends up in a romantic relationship (and eventually marriage) with Lois AND Jimmy

much like in MAWSM, Lois is Korean and Jimmy is Black

Kryptonians all have traits one would associate with The Autism Spectrum, so much so that Clark was diagnosed as such after being adopted by The Kents

nearly all Kryptonians could be called "Ethnically Ambiguous" based on their appearance

Kryptonian hair and eyes are almost always the same color, (though the former is obviously a much duller shade) and their eyes are usually Monochromatic (like the eyes of Tamaraneans in the 2003 Teen Titans series, or in Clark's Case the eyes of The Fremen in Dune)

Lex Luthor gives off more arrogant douchebag techbro vibes

Clark is more of a vigilante and more willing to break the law to get things done (actually that's an understatement, his main non supervillain targets are CEOs, crooked cops, corrupt politicians, hate groups etc.)

Krypto wasn't Clark's dog on Krypton, rather he was basically a labrat for Phantom Zone experimentation ages ago, and since the FTL drive on Clark's ship was based on The Phantom Zone, it ended up taking Krypto with him to Earth, at which point the beast became attached to him and became his sort of guardian angel

also Krypto looks less dog-like, a bit more wolf-like but a lot more alien

Kryptonians hatch from eggs and don't have mammary glands

[zot3-flopped]

https://easydna.co.uk/about-us/  The confirmation is on their official website. A company that operates over 15 years in more than 30 countries. They would not lie about Louis but TMZ did for clicks and attention because it is TMZ. Larries always believed the tabloids that played into their conspiracy theories instead of Louis, Freddie's birth certificate, the US government, his family, Jay and her official obituary. Larries believed anything but the actual facts. Facts that can be fact-checked like his birth certificate and the DNA test confirmation from a respectable company https://easydna.co.uk/knowledge-base/one-direction-paternity-dna-test/

That's an advert for a DNA testing company not an official confirmation. Obviously he had the test or he wouldn't have claimed Freddie.

[elizabeaufort]

⎯ In truth, she knew the answer to that question, she suggested the possibility of DNA to give mental security in case any doubts crept into the back of the unconscious mind. ❛ No. Unless you want it. But I think we should, just in case.❜ She said with conviction to make things right, although she is 100% certain that the babies were his, after learning that her husband couldn't conceive, it wouldn't be a problem before taking any drastic measures they could do. "you didn't think they look nothing like Jack before that, for real?" He said, not surprised at his reaction she knew his dislike for Jack. ❛ If I'm honest with you, some days I had doubts, some days I didn't. Jack never met the twins personally. Only through ultrasound. He was so enthusiastic about being a father. He died two days before they were born. And, I don't really know too well his family. They live in England, Jack was British. And I didn't have much contact with my former in-laws. ❜ She admitted. There were some doubts, yes… But nothing she could do or try to investigate back then. Especially when she was also helping the law to find the killer.

❛ I didn't have much time, I was helping the cops to find the killer, and also having infants at the same time, doing a shitty job that doesn't pay well. ❜ A job that she had before she became a stripper. ⎯ The idea of sharing her babies with someone gives her a bit of anxiety. She started not trusting anyone when her husband died, thinking about the past… She fears someone doing the same thing her mother did to her when she was little 'go on a trip, and i'll back' and she never came back. Only now she is back for her decision to back to her life after years, but she is prohibited from meeting the twins. Their baby's eyes were unique, only one person had those eyes. Alexander. The bandaid was ripped, she felt as if she could breathe and finally looked into his eyes with her pair of grey-bluish ones. ⎯ Either way, she doesn't want to give pressure or whatever. The decision is his to be around their twin's life. She is used to being single-parenting them by herself, it is not like she'd struggle to do, considering she has been doing it since they were born. The new challenge is learning how to share them. If he is in the game for that, they can figure it out.

❛ Beau is removing a cast next week, or so this is what the doctors told me. Lilou does have a check-up, on the same day, we can do it on the same day. They won't go to the daycare that day. It's on Wednesday, at 2 PM. ❜ She explains that his idea seems great for the starters. However, Liz didn't think they needed to pass through that, but she was paranoid lately, about being lied to by the people she loved most, self-doubting even when she was right, and her dark thoughts clouding her thoughts. ⎯ Her hands covering her face wasn't helping her to feel less ashamed, or frustrated which is the most adequate word. Delivering the news for someone she hadn't seen so long, hardly catching up with what they were up to…

He felt his callousness hand grabbing her fragile wrist and her gaze adverted to his, looking at him feeling nothing but shame to pass through this situation. ⎯ How this is going to work? It can't be magically, 'it's your father, kids'. ❛ I have a plan. We could arrange a day of the week when you keep going to my place, and we can spend time doing some activities for the four of us until they get used to you and you can go out with them alone. You can start to go with me when I go pick them up from the daycare for the starters. And then, I deliver the news to them. I will know when it is time to drop the news. How do you FEEL about this arrangement? ❜ She inquired curiously, as the waitress brought Alex's coffee, and she ordered a soda for herself.

—not that he did not already suspect what this meeting was about, and it was not surprise him at all when his thoughts were confirmed as she begun talking. he let her speak, uninterrupted, holding her gaze as she went on about him possibly being the twins’ dad. "could it be someone else?" he wouldn't have said that if she hadn't mentioned it. he had done the math and it fucking fit, it worked out. "you didn't think they look nothing like Jack before that, for real?" and though he laughed, it was an empty sound, void of any emotion. it had been the first thing he noticed when he saw them, before even catching sight of their eyes and the matching sectoral heterochromia —which is very rare, even inherited. there is no doubt whether he would prefer to be part of their lives or not; he does. he truly does. and the responsibility that comes with this decision isn't his main concern either, but what if he really fucks it up? what if he becomes like his father? but, most importantly what if his babies don't like him? there is no hint on his expression betraying the inner turmoil and self-doubt that goes on, like a hell of a storm in the middle of the fucking ocean. "let's...do this when there is time for a check up for them, or when Beau gets his cast removed." there was no need to rush this, it was easier to do it like that. does he really need a DNA test to tell him that he is indeed the father of the twins? short answer is no. the possibility of it had plagued him since he met them; them both having the same eye color as his could not be a coincidence.

he doesn't want to get ahead of himself, but this is a situation he has no control over and it comes with an uncomfortable feeling that isn't exactly synonym to anticipation more than that of fear; of fucking this up. fear isn't a feeling that he is familiar with, last he felt it must have been when he realized they could be dragged into the system with his sister and he could lose her to it. since then he has forgotten what it feels like to be afraid. but right now, the news he is presented with, make him feel it creeping. fuck him, he isn't made for this. he's missed so much of them growing up already. and how the fuck was he going to be a dad? not even the ghost of the thought of ever, ever, becoming a father had crossed his mind. not for a fleeting second. sure, he liked spoiling Reese’s son, he loved that little guy, but it was different. Alexander knew he was not…parental material, to say the least. even if he had been both an older brother and a father figure to his baby sister, it was a choice he had made. the thought of becoming anything that remotely resembled his father was appalling.

“hey,” he leaned slightly forward, reached out to gently touch her wrist as she covered her face. “let’s just…figure this out, okay?” it was also a reminder to himself, even if it didn’t show. “so, how are we gonna do this?” the couldn’t just tell them ‘hey meet your dad,’ babies had to be somewhat eased into it. “I wanna be in their lives if I am their father…” and he also had to be eased into it, too.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Watcher

Derek, 40, and his wife Maria had worked hard all their lives to buy their dream home, a $1.3 million six-bedroom house in Westfield, a town in upstate New York. They couldn't wait to move into 657 Boulevard. Their three young children were already debating which of the house's fireplaces Santa Claus would use.

But little did they know, the nightmare was about to start.

As they did began doing work on the house before moving in, a letter arrived. Its alarming content included: "My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within its walls? You have children. Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them to me. Who am I? Welcome my friends. Let the party begin. The Watcher." Unsurprisingly, Derek called the police. Then a second arrived.

It said: “The workers have been busy and I have been watching. Have they found what is in the walls yet? In time they will. Have you found all of the secrets the house holds yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone. I would be very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream. Will they sleep in the attic? Or will you all sleep on the second floor? I’ll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom. Then I can plan better. Have a happy moving in day. You know I will be watching."

The police investigation got nowhere, and the letters kept on coming. Fearful for their children's safety, the couple dared not move in. They even had a priest bless the property, considered getting guard dogs, and even placed an advert for a military veteran to guard the property.

Derek began his own investigation, setting up webcams and spending nights hidden at the home, looking for The Watcher. They hired a private investigator and Derek even knew a former FBI agent who had been the inspiration for Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. She looked into the case. They asked neighbours if they recognised the handwriting and a female DNA sample was taken from the letters. The PI managed to get a used water bottle from one suspect to compare the DNA but it wasn't her.

Fearful, stressed and scared, with the episode beginning to affect their marriage, they decided to sell. As Maria said: “At the end of the day, it came down to, ‘What are you willing to risk? We weren’t going to put our kids in harm’s way.”

In the interests of fairness they told potential buyers about the problems they had endured. Even after they lowered the price, no one would buy it.

Then a newspaper picked up on the story and it went viral. Amateur sleuths bombarded message boards and Facebook with theories, and some people even accused the couple of writing the letters themselves.

Eventually they managed to rent out the house, on the condition if there were more issues the occupants could leave. Two weeks later, a letter arrived.

It said: "To the vile and spiteful Derek and his wench of a wife Maria...I walked by the news trucks when they took over my neighborhood and mocked me.. I watched as you watched from the dark house in an attempt to find me … Telescopes and binoculars are wonderful inventions. Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you feel sick day after day after day. Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break. You are despised by the house... And The Watcher won.” 

In 2019 the house was eventually sold for $959,000. 

[yanderemommabean]

Imagine seeing a 🦊 in your backyard and being like “😮Cute 🦊?!” And you try, despite advise telling you otherwise, to befriend it. Cause who doesn’t want a 🦊 friend? So you leave lil homemade treats for it everytime you see it. (It seems to prefer human and cooked foods?) and eventually you find it in your house and you’re like “❤️!” And let the fox sleep in your room and wake up with Lee in your bed. Like, you got the pet/owner relationship you wanted but not quite in the way you thought.-🦝

There’s a list of things you expected when you allowed your new friend to sleep in your bed. Maybe they chewed up the blankets, made a mess in the floor because they’re nervous, and even a shredded pillow was expected.

You would’ve preferred all of the above when your bleary eyes focused in on a much larger form than a fox, who was happily looming over you. The man was blond, his face covered in freckles with warm hazel eyes that continued examining your features.

Great. You were definitely about to die. Couldn’t he do you the courtesy of doing it while you were asleep? That’s at least the best way to go!

“What the-“ you managed to croak out, still sleepy and trying to wake up from your haze. You press up on your hands, trying to sit up and shove the man off of you, becoming more aware of the dangerous situation as sleep left your brain.

Fuck. FUCK. A stranger was in your house! IN YOUR BED!

“No! No please don’t kill me!” You begin to plead, scrambling out of bed and searching the room for anything to defend yourself with as your “attacker” just silently watched, seemingly amused. His grin was cocky, and his naked form only seemed laxed and confident as he watched your confusion escalate.

“My my, if You’re this entertaining by just waking up, I’d say I’ve found myself a lucky one”.

You press yourself against the wall, eyes wide as you struggle to ask the man what he meant- what he thought he was doing in your home. Your bed. He simpers and makes no gesture to cover his nether regions, simply pressing his fingers to his chin as he looked you up and down.

“It seems I’ve frightened you. Apologies, most humans hardly see me out of my cuddly little persona. It’s a pleasure to be on speaking terms with you now”. He gave another cocky expression, eyebrows raised in a waiting manner as he extended his hand for you to shake.

“What the hell are you talking about? G-get out of my house!” You pathetically shout, voice wavering as you tried to piece together whatever in the world was going on. What ‘persona’? Why did he say it like he wasn’t human himself? Was he on drugs?!

Ok- deep breaths! Panicking is natural but it never helps in any situation. He clearly hasn’t hurt you yet, and if he planned too, he was taking his time. You don’t need to put yourself in any corners. You straighten up and try to make some distance between him and you, clearing your throat as you try and think of what to say.

“Ah. You’re still lost. It’s quite adorable honestly” the man mused, refusing to acknowledge the fact you told him to leave. “My name is Lee-“ he gestured towards his body “I’m-for lack of a better term, a werefox. A shapeshifter, cursed, whichever you seem fit to label”.

Your mouth goes dry, and your cheeks heat up seeing that -yeah he’s still naked. “I-I’m sorry but that’s an absolute asinine claim. Please just- just leave my house before I call the police”. You advert your eyes as his gaze darkens, and his much larger form presses closer to you.

“Oh? Asinine is it? Tell me, what makes you think such creatures don’t exist?” He questioned while furrowing his brows. With a scoff you raise your eyebrows in defense, and throw up your hands slightly. “Gee let me think- the fact that DNA probably wouldn’t allow that, not to mention much more science behind it. Listen I don’t have to explain anything! This isn’t a joke I’m calling the police!”.

You push him aside to grab your phone, but before you can so much as press the home button, you hear a low growl, and are met with the fuzzy face of a fox. A pause fills the room, your eyes locked on the creature as it pads over to you and nuzzles your arm, wanting affection. However cute the thing was, you felt a sinking in your stomach. You notice the man was no longer standing around, and it didn’t take a genius to do the math.

Oh fuck. OH FUCK THIS IS REAL. There’s a god damn shapeshifter in your house and apparently you’re now in absolutely skepticism of everything you’ve ever been taught. “Hoh my God-“ you breathed out, dropping the phone back down and stepping away with hands covering your mouth. You watched on as Lee transformed back, his naked body pressed against the crumpled sheets and blankets of your bed. He gives a wink, and all you can do is slide down the wall and stare in disbelief and awe.

“Oh I do hope you have more original questions than the others. Although, if not, I don’t mind answering. It’s a long story but needless to say, demons are real and if you fuck one over, they hold a grudge for life”. He beamed a cheeky smile, as if this was all some joke. Seriously? Can you have one day where you don’t question the very state of your being and existence?

Suddenly more pressing matters dawn on you. Like how you baby talked him and fed him by hand. And how you kissed his face and called him a good boy. Oh Jesus Christ this is embarrassing!

“I...you let me...baby talk you and...oh god” you mewled, burying your face in your knees as embarrassed redness covered your cheeks.

Goodness you looked so cute like this. You looked cute all of the time really, but seeing you flustered always made him want to see more. He’s glad he gets to own you now, seeing as you’ve clearly taken an interest in him! Why else would you take care of him?

“Oh yes. I do enjoy your nicknames for me! And I must say, since my curse has been given, you’re the first human I’ve wanted to own without ill intent. The others were messy but fun while they lasted”.

He admires the shock in your eyes as you soak in more horrifying information. You always have the most enrapturing expressions! He could get lost in your eyes for days by themselves! Such a pleasant distraction!

He rests his head in his hand and stares at you with adoring eyes, kicking his legs a bit while silence once again took over the room. “What’s the matter? Fox got your tongue?” He teased, swiping his pink tongue over his canines with a seductive wink.

“You...killed others? Oh god I’m next?!” You squeaked “and you said you own me? How the hell did you come to that conclusion?!”.

“Simple. You’re kind, you’re warm, you have patience and tenacity, you have the cutest interests in the oddest of things, you fed me, and you captured my heart. Once you allow me in your home I’m fully able to show myself, and once that’s done? Well, I can do whatever I please with you.”

“So you’re gonna kill me?” You asked as your blood ran cold, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to reach for your phone once again. Why bother if he’s quite literally as quick as a fox.

“What? No! No never! My other toys where ugly on the inside and made me want to rid the world of their existence. You? Well I can’t let this world harm such a beautiful creature. You’re clearly in need of me, and I’m more than happy to spray the woods with blood if it means I get to keep you with me”.

He sits up, and slides off the bed to meet you on the floor, his fingers shaking slightly as they touch your wrists, feeling you flinch and recoil. Now that won’t do! But he supposed you were patient with him, so he can return the favor when it comes to touches.

“You don’t own me” you whisper half heartedly. You knew by the power the man held alone that you had no say in that matter, but whats life without a bit of spite? You weren’t going to just swoon and submit!

“I think we both know that’s not true. You let me in, and I get to stay. And as a plus I get to make you see just how badly you need me. You’ll learn that this is a good thing, I promise! Now why don’t you come up off the floor? The bed is much more comfortable”.

-Mommabean (was this alright?)

[theastrophilearchitect]

WandaVision series review part 3.

You'd think I'd have learnt my lesson now--save the damn draft before you switch tabs to find the tags you want to add. But I haven't. Clearly.

The last two weeks I've posted parts 1 and 2 of my WandaVision review, because, even though by the time this goes up, WandaVision will have ended nearly a month ago, it's still all I can think about. Part 1 contained my initial thoughts and episodes 1-3 breakdown; part 2 contained episodes 4-6 breakdown, and this part will contain my episodes 6-9 breakdown and my final thoughts.

Episode Seven: ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’ This episode was released on February 19th, with a runtime of still 37 minutes, following a 2000s-style sitcom format heavily influenced by Modern Family. 

Cue the recap, and we open to Wanda waking up in an empty bed. We then cut to an interview-style scene which I assume is based off Modern Family or another sitcom, like the interviews intermingled with reality TV, but there’s nothing to really pick apart; it’s just entertaining. The twins then run into Wanda’s bedroom and tell her their ‘game is freaking out’, and we see their controllers change over and over with that scarlet-TV texture. Billy comments that his head is noisy, an echo of the power shown in episode six, similar to Wanda’s own.

Interview-Wanda then says as punishment for expanding the borders, she plans on taking ‘a quarantine-style stay-cation’, which, written probably in 2019, did not age well. She goes downstairs to make milk, and it transforms between a carton and a bottle. These object shifts may be implying as Wanda expands the borders, she loses more and more control of even the things right beside her--the Hex is falling apart.

Cut to Hayward and SWORD setting up a new camp beside the new border of the Hex, but further back than before, likely to give them more time to move if it happens again.

Vision then wakes up in the circus the original SWORD camp was turned into, and, looking like his synthezoid self, is assumed to be a clown. He then sees Darcy, dressed as an escape artist, but she doesn’t remember him, clearly under Wanda’s control.

Wanda asks the twins if they’ve seen Vision, they ask if she wants them to look for him, and she replies, ‘If he doesn’t want to be here, there’s nothing I can do about it.’ It seems like she’s trying to defer her guilt at what she’s down to the townspeople. The twins then ask about Pietro--’Do not believe anything that man said. He is not your uncle.’ We saw Wanda blast him into a haystack towards the end of the last episode, but now he’s simply vanished. Wanda then laughs that she has none of the answers they expect her to, and makes some nihilistic comments. She uses her magic to open the door to a knock, and enter Agnes, who takes the kids next door to give Wanda some alone time. The furniture then begins to shift into pieces from the other decades, but Wanda fixes it.

Cut to Jimmy and Monica in a military vehicle they stole in the last episode, and Jimmy explains in Darcy’s hacking, she found a secret project called Cataract, to bring Vision back online--to fix the Vision. But it failed, until Wanda brought him back, which was why Hayward was so focused on Vision over Wanda in the Hex. They then meet some non-SWORD military people, who unveil a higher-grade vehicle, presumably for Monica to attempt to safely re-enter the Hex.

God, I love seeing Darcy in this show. She was the only good thing about the first two Thor movies. So Vision zaps Darcy, and she wakes up. They steal a circus vehicle--a transformed SWORD vehicle--and Vision asks her some questions about the Hex she doesn’t actually know the answers to.

The tension really builds in this episode, simply as it cuts between characters in much shorter intervals than in previous ones. We watch a montage of things in Wanda’s house shifting, then cut to an interview, where she explains that she doesn’t know what’s happening. Then, the person behind the camera asks, ‘Do you think maybe this is what you deserve?’ The voice doesn’t sound familiar, but knowing who the interviewer is, I can hear it. Wanda questions this because the interviewer isn’t supposed to talk, then cut to this episode’s advert.

This is for a drug called Nexus--’A unique anti-depressant that works to anchor you back to your reality. Or the reality of your choice.’ ‘Nexus. Because the world doesn’t revolve around you. Or does it?’ As someone who hasn’t actually read any comics, this information is very second-hand, but a Nexus Being in the comics is a powerful being with the power to alter reality and time--essentially in possession of the Infinity Stones’ powers without possessing the Stones themselves. This brings with it the implication that is what Wanda is--more than just a girl who got powers from the Mind Stone, but Nexus Beings aren’t elaborated on in the rest of the show.

Cut to Agnes and the twins; Billy says he likes it there, because Agnes’s mind is quiet, which is compared to Wanda. I want to explain the implications of this, but I’ve been trying to only spoil things as I get to them, so I’m going to keep my mouth shut, or rather... what’s the keyboard equivalent? God knows. Anyway, Agnes tells them not to worry about Wanda, because ‘she’s supermom’, which, you know, is a fun superhero thing.

Cut back to Monica, who prepares some kind of suit to re-enter the Hex. She gets in, and drives toward the barrier, but when the wheels meet it, they fail to pass, and begin to drive up the barrier, flipping Monica onto her back. The vehicle begins to rewrite itself and break apart; Monica manages to clamber out of a trapdoor in the roof. Jimmy prepares a medical thing, and the barrier spits out the vehicle. Monica turns back, drops her helmet, and plunges into the barrier, and presses through. Her body warps, we hear echoes of Captain Marvel, we hear Carol’s quote about Maria being given the toughest kid, and her body reforms, her eyes light up blue, and she passes all the way through, eyes still glowing, and we see a shots of her warped vision, almost as though she can see energy or EM radiation.

Darcy tries to explain why Wanda killed Vision to him, and though the road is empty, a traffic light is red. As it turns green, roadworkers approach, impeding them and preventing Vision from returning to central Westview. 

Monica enters Wanda’s house, who threatens her, and lifts her telekinetically out onto the street, where she is watched by the neighbours. Wanda drops Monica to the ground, but she pulls a superhero landing, with blue lights for effect--her DNA has been rewritten by the Hex’s borders for the third time, and it’s clearly unlocked something. Wanda continues to threaten her, and Monica says to do it--’Don’t let [Hayward] make you the villain,’ to which Wanda replies, ‘Maybe I already am.’ Which is fair, but then villains never think they’re the bad guys.

Agnes watches them from a window. Monica tries to talk Wanda down, then Agnes comes outside, tells Monica to leave, and takes her inside. The people haven’t questioned Wanda’s magic, or Monica’s apparent new powers, which merely shows the extent of Wanda’s control. It’s also interesting that Monica didn’t fall under her control again when she re-entered the Hex.

Cut to Vision and Darcy, the roadworks clear away, but someone with a stop sign and a queue of crossing children continue to block their way. Vision phases through the van’s roof, and flies away.

Wanda notices the kids’ show on Agnes’s TV, and the half-eaten food on the coffee table, and realises the twins are missing. She asks, and Agnes tells her they’re probably in the basement, where Wanda then obviously goes. The basement walls are covered in branches, made of stone, and there is no reply when Wanda calls for the twins. She then enters an ancient chamber, walls engraved with runes, and a spellbook on the side.

Agnes comes downstairs, stroking Senor Scratchy, the rabbit Wanda and Vision used in their magic act way back in episode two, and says, ‘You didn’t think you were the only magical girl in town, did you?’ Agnes shuts the door with a twist of her hand and some purple sparks.

‘The name’s Agatha Harkness. Lovely to finally meet you, dear.’

Purple fogs Wanda’s eyes, and cue the best moment in the entire series: Agatha All Along. This musical number essentially shows that Agatha has been behind everything that’s gone wrong for Wanda, aside from SWORD, obviously, and is such a good song. Go listen to it. Now. Immediately. Go. 

We see her screw up the magic show, send Pietro to the door, and we see her sitting behind the interview camera.

‘And I killed Sparky, too.’ Insert maniacal laughter, and cue the credits.

We sit through to the split between the animated credits and typical black and white scrolling ones, and this episode has an mid-credits scene. I checked for one the first few episodes, then gave up, and I can’t remember what it was that made me find this one, if it was just letting the credits play, or feeling the odd urge to check, or what.

We watch Monica try to find a way into Agatha’s house. She pulls open basement doors, then--’Snooper’s gonna snoop.’ Fake Pietro stands behind her, dressed in a beanie, hair no longer mostly white as per Quicksilver’s design.

This is my second-favourite episode overall, first being episode 8, and contains the biggest switch since episode 4. We meet the big bad, since Marvel is literally incapable of writing a story in which the climax isn’t between the hero and a villain with their exact same powers. (WandaVision takes this to the extreme, but that would be a spoiler.)

Episode Eight: ‘Previously On’ Released February 26th, Marvel blessed us with an episode 46 minutes long! At last! This was the second episode to completely break the sitcom format (first being episode 4, obviously), which leaves us in 2000s-themed Westview, but without a laugh track or any other sitcom elements.

We open with a recap, including Jimmy Woo’s explanation of Wanda and Pietro’s origins pre-Avengers from what I believe was episode 5. Or was it 4? Probably 4, because it was really soon after Hayward was introduced, in episode 4. Yes. Let’s go with that. 

This episode opens in Salem, Massachusetts, 1693, and we watch Agatha dragged to and magically tied to a stake, to be killed for betraying her coven of witches, by practising dark magic, but she denies it. She then relents and admits it, begs for help to control it, but the witches blast some kind of blue magic at her, which Agatha turns violet, and absorbs, killing the witches wielding it. The witch she calls mother, who also seems to be the leader of the coven, blasts her with magic after the others are dead, and as she does so, a kind of crown of the same blue light glows around her head (something I would neither notice nor question if I had not yet watched the series the whole way through). Agatha absorbs her magic and kills her, too. She steals a necklace from her mother, flies away, and we cut back to present.

Wanda tries to penetrate Agatha’s mind, but she tells her her thoughts were never available--a repeat of Billy calling her mind ‘quiet’ in episode 7, but I’m not actually sure the point of this, aside from limiting information available to both Wanda and the audience. Wanda’s Sokovian accent also returns in this scene. She tries to use her magic, but Agnes puts her in magical binds and explains that the runes in the walls mean ‘only the witch who cast the runes can use her magic’. Agatha also explains how she possessed fake Pietro--Fietro--not so she could control his mind, but so she could see through his eyes and ears.

Agatha questions how Wanda cast so many spells to control so many people, so many objects and locations all at once, when she had no magical training, which confuses Wanda because she doesn’t use incantations the way Agatha does; her magic is more through willpower and intention. 

Agatha then brings Wanda through a door, in an attempt to comprehend how she did it, and it leads them to an old, one-room living space in Sokovia--Wanda’s childhood, before her parents died. They prepare for a TV night, and their father invites young Wanda to pick, showing her a box containing various sitcoms--Bewitched, Malcolm in the Middle, I love Lucy, Who’s the Boss?, The Addams Family etc.--many of which acted as the basis for episodes of WandaVision, but she chooses The Dick Van Dyke Show. This love of sitcoms, the ideation in comparison to the Cold War outside, is where Wanda’s subconscious choice of making Westview into one--her version of a paradise for herself and Vision.

Then a bomb goes off outside, killing their parents and leaving Wanda and Pietro in rubble. A bomb lands before them, Stark Industries written on the side, but their television is behind it, and Dick Van Dyke still plays. 

Cut back to present Wanda and Agatha; Wanda says the bomb was defective, but they were trapped for two days, and Agatha implies it not going off was Wanda’s doing, believing her to be a witch like herself.

They move onto a HYDRA testing chamber, where teenage volunteer-Wanda stands near the sceptre from The Avengers, the one Thanos gave to Loki, the one containing the Mind Stone. She moves toward it, and the sceptre’s blue orb breaks from the handle; floats towards her. She touches it, and it bursts, revealing the yellow Mind Stone inside, and letting out a kind of wind blast. In the light, Wanda sees a silhouette reminiscent of the original Scarlet Witch design.

They take Wanda to isolation, and we watch some scientist replay the tape from the testing chamber, but in the footage, the orb doesn’t move; she moves to the room’s centre, then it cuts to her lying on the ground.

Agatha concludes that the Mind Stone amplified a dormant power, and they move to a memory of the Avengers compound post-Avengers: Age of Ultron. Past-Wanda is grieving for Pietro, Vision enters her room, and she invites him to sit. They discuss the comedy on her TV, then he asks if she wants to talk about her grief, and she describes it as ‘this wave washing over [her], again and again. It knocks [her] down, and when [she tries] to stand up, it just comes for [her] again.’ Vision tries to reassure her, then says the thing that everyone’s been quoting but hit me hard: ‘But what is grief, if not love persevering?’

Agatha asks present-Wanda what happened when there was no-one there to pull her back from the dark, and when Wanda refuses, she presses. They shift into the SWORD compound, where past-Wanda approaches the desk demanding to be given Vision’s body post-Avengers: Endgame. This is the point from the CCTV Hayward showed Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy, claiming Wanda stole Vision’s body.

The receptionist calls somebody, and sends her down the hall, and I can’t help but notice that in her grief, in her hoodie and jeans, her hair is perfectly curled. She goes to Hayward’s office, who takes her into a windowed chamber, beneath which she can see mechanics/engineers doing something to Vision’s body, colour faded and parts broken up. The eyes in his severed head are white, and Wanda is upset, but Hayward questions why she wants to bury him, when she has the power to ‘bring [her] soulmate back online.’ But Wanda says she can’t do it, like when she refused to bring back Sparky, and Hayward tells her his materials are too valuable to just be buried, but offers her the chance to say goodbye. He tells her Vision isn’t hers, and she shatters the glass; lowers herself into the room.

Hayward calls off the guards who raise their guns at her. She lifts her power to his head, where the mind stone was: ‘I can’t feel you,’ reminiscent of the I just feel you, in Avengers: Infinity War, when the Stone bothered him in the night in Scotland. And she leaves, without the body, proving to the audience that Hayward is a liar.

Wanda drives to Westview, real Westview, where she watches the people go about their regular lives, but they seem sad. They all seem sad. She drives to a plot, the outline of a house marked by a concrete foundation, holding a piece of paper from an envelope in the car. She unfolds it to find a plan for the house: To grow old in. -V. Wanda breaks down in what is presumably the plot she turned into their house in the Hex, and her power explodes from her, in huge gusts we’ve never seen. The house forms itself, then it goes further, transforming the town and turning it to monochrome in preparation for WandaVision episode one.

Streams of power turn gold in the air, and form the silhouette of a body, which solidifies into Vision, black and white Vision, dressed in 50s clothes. Wanda remains in colour, in her regular clothes, then she turns to monochrome, to her 50s outfit, and Vision greets her. And despite the seriousness of this scene I can’t get over the damn bullet bra. 

And the pair sit down to watch the television, then the surroundings shift, and we see present-Wanda in her 2000s living room, but in a set, with empty seats for a live audience before her. Agatha claps from them, then vanishes. We hear the twins yell, and Wanda comes outside to find Agatha magically garrotting them, dressed in full-witchy attire.

Agatha describes Wanda as ‘a being capable of spontaneous creation’, calls it chaos magic--’And that makes you the Scarlet Witch.’ I feel like I ought to say roll credits, only that’s not even the name of the show. Before WandaVision’s title was officially announced, I remember seeing speculation that it would simply be called Vision and the Scarlet Witch, like Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

The credits roll, and, halfway through, we cut to Hayward and SWORD outside the Hex. Hayward goes into a tent, describes all their hard work at something, ‘but all we needed was a little energy directly from the source;’ and we’re shown the missile Wanda dragged out of the Hex in episode 5, glowing red. Someone flips a switch, and we watch lights turn on in a glass chamber, containing Vision, rendered in pure white, who wakes up. Another Vision, made from the original, and yet before this episode, due to the constant thing about twins, people were speculating there were two Wandas. Wrong character, right idea.

This is my favourite episode in the show: it’s magical, and it makes everything make so much more sense. We see that the Hex’s creation was an accident, but Wanda was ‘making it up as [she went] along,’ like the theme song in, I believe, episode 5. I just love origin stories.

Episode Nine: ‘The Series Finale’ This finale was released on March 5th, with a grand total of 49 minutes of runtime, and, epic as it was, I found it to be rather disappointing, following a fairly typical Marvel formula, compared to the originality of the rest of the series. Granted, parts of this episode in particular were shot in 2020, so they didn’t quite go as planned, but still. The CGI is excellent though.

We open to exactly where we left off; Wanda frees the twins and sends them inside, then sends a blast at Agatha, who absorbs it-- ‘I take power from the undeserving. It’s kinda my thing’--and Wanda’s hand begins to blacken. Agatha offers her Westview in return for her magic, which Wanda obviously doesn’t accept. White Vision lands behind her, and she goes to him, confused. He places his hands on her face, but presses, trying to crack her skull, and it becomes clear he is doing Hayward’s bidding.

In sweeps Wanda’s Westview-Vision (who we’ll call Red Vision) and blasts White Vision away. The two swoop off together for their own fight, Wanda flies after Agatha, and we see Monica locked in a messy living room with Fietro, where she has presumably been since the end of episode 7.

The Visions fight each other, in that classic Marvel way of pitting the hero against a villain with an identical skillset (I’m looking at you, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and basically every other movie. Seriously, Marvel needs to make more villains like Loki, instead of introducing them at the start of a film and having them somehow taken out of the equation by the end). It’s a cool sequence, as they phase through each other and plummet up and down. I love flying sequences.

At SWORD, Jimmy calls out Hayward, saying he won’t be able to cover this out, but Hayward says Wanda stopped her show, so there’s no evidence, and there’ll only be one Vision by the end, who people will assume Wanda resurrected. But Jimmy says he has called some friends from Quantico--whatever that is--to expose Hayward, who handcuffs him, but Jimmy is a magician, so he frees himself and actually calls somebody to apprehend Hayward.

Wanda arrives in the town square, to no sign of Agatha, and is then blasted to the ground by her from behind. Agatha summons a book we saw in her basement: ‘The Scarlet Witch is not born, she is formed. She has no coven, no need for incantation. [Her] power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme’--Doctor Strange--’It’s [her] destiny to destroy the world.’ But Wanda denies that she is a witch. Agatha casts a spell on Dottie from episode 2, apparently bringing her back to consciousness. She tells Wanda her name is Sarah, and begs her to let her bring her daughter out of her room. Wanda accuses Agatha, who replies, ‘She’s your meat puppet. I just cut her strings.’ I just love that line, for some reason.

Agatha casts another spell, and everyone in the square returns to their senses, approaches and surrounds Wanda. 

Monica finds a document in the room with Fietro, that says his name is Ralph Bohner. This was incredibly unsatisfying to me--it’s interesting that Fietro is actually the Ralph Agnes constantly mentioned, but nothing else comes of this, and, as of the end of the series, Pietro and his changed face are simply an elaborate boner joke. I wish his face had some kind of relevance as of now, but it may become relevant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, because that’s obviously where we’re really going to delve into the multiverse, and it features Wanda, so it would make sense.

Monica pins down Ralph and tears a string of beads from his neck, which glowed purple; the thing allowing Agatha to control him.

In the twins’ room, Billy has a vision (heh) of what is happening with Wanda, and they run outside.

The people around Wanda bombard her with their real stories, their real problems. ‘When you let us sleep, we have your nightmares.’ She yells that she’s kept these people safe, but they beg to be freed, and the noise builds, until Wanda screams, with a burst of power that toes ropes around their necks, suffocating them, but she stops it. Mrs Hart begs her, ‘If you won’t let us go, just let us die.’ Agatha taunts her that heroes don’t torture people, and she sends out a blast of power, that highlights the Hex’s border crimson, and it begins to break apart. She tells them all to leave now.

His white counterpart blasts Red vision to the ground, near Wanda but he begins to break apart. The twins arrive, and begin to break apart, tied to the Hex. It looks weirdly like a LEGO advert, but Wanda recloses to Hex to save them. You know, what? I’m still not sure why it’s hexagonal. I wouldn’t question it being round, or quadrilateral, but hexagonal seems too intentional.

Agatha blasts the family with magic, and Wanda shields them, but Agatha absorbs the power. SWORD vehicles roll into the square, hayward in one, having apparently managed to cross the border before Wanda closed it again. White Vision rolls into the scene and slams Red Vision through the walls of and into a library, and Red stops White attacking him by explaining that he is not the true Vision, because he’s just Wanda’s version.

Wanda flies up, again after Agatha, while the twins use their powers to take away SWORD’s guns, and Hayward comes out with a pistol, which he fires at them, but Monica, having freed herself from Ralph, blocks the bullets. They ripple through her body, and pass through, but fall to the ground as her eyes glow orange. As Hayward drives back, then revs up to apparently run them over, Darcy, in the circus van, slams his vehicle into the side of a building.

We cut to the Vision’s pondering the Ship of Theseus--a philosophical thought experiment. If the Ship of Theseus has one of its planks replaced, it remains the Ship of Theseus. But, if all the planks are replaced over time, is it still the same ship? And what if the old planks are reassembled into another ship; which is then the true ship? This is a metaphor for the two Vision’s--White being the reassembly of the old planks, and Red being the replaced.

Red Vision proposes that the true ship is the one touched by Theseus himself, with the wear and tear, suggesting White Vision is the true one, because he has the memories Red doesn’t; the one touched by Wanda. White Vision claims he does not have the memories, but Red tells him his data banks are not so easily wiped--they’re there, just withheld. White allows Red to do his zappy thing, and the memories of everything Vision went through pre-WandaVision comes back to him. White says he is the true Vision, and flies away through the roof.

Meanwhile, Wanda sneaks up behind Agnes and does the nightmare-mind thing she did to the Avengers at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron, sending her mind to the stake at the opening of episode 8. The desiccated witches rise, but instead turn on Wanda, calling her a witch, again, and again. The witches wrest Wanda onto the stake instead, but a red crown, like the blue on Agatha’s mother in episode 8, materialises on her head, formed of the same light as her magic. It’s really jarring at this point that she’s still in a hoodie and sweatpants.

Wanda blasts away the other witches, and they emerge from the nightmare, back to Westview. She and Agatha rise, blast magic at one another, and Wanda’s hands blacken further as Agatha absorbs more and more. She sends a blast at one of Westview’s walls, and a spot ripples in the middle of each. 

Wanda’s face seems to age, like the witches of Agatha’s coven, and Agatha absorbs streams of magic, until Wanda has none left. She gives her some depressing lecture, then tries to blast Wanda out of the sky, but it doesn’t work. Her hands begin to blacken, and Wanda’s face youthens, then the camera pans to reveal runes on Westview’s walls, like those in the basement, now disabling Agatha’s magic. Little confused how Wanda stayed flying when Agatha took her power, and how Agatha now stays flying.

The red crown reappears on Wanda’s head, her eyes glow, she reabsorbs her power from Agatha, and, as she does, she changes. Her hair comes down, and she becomes the silhouette she saw in the Mind Stone at HYDRA, finally getting a Scarlet Witch costume, and it is epic. 

They return to the ground, and Wanda uses her powers to put Agatha under the control she had the other residents under, to turn her into the Nosy Neighbour once and for all. Wanda leaves Agatha alive, so she could return in future instalments,.

Wanda, Red Vision, and the twins return to their home, and the Hex’s border contracts, until it covers only their street. They put the boys to bed, and Vision begins, ‘Your mother and I...’, and, when I first watched this, I really thought he was going to say ‘...are getting a divorce,’ but he simply finishes, ‘...are very proud of you both.’

Wanda says that ‘a family is forever,’ clearly already in mourning for the children she’s about to lose. They finish up, the border continues contracting, and Wanda turns off the lamps in the living room, though Vision turns one on, to say goodbye. As the border progresses towards them, Vision asks what he is, and says some literal and romantic crap; they kiss, talk a little, and he breaks apart as the border reaches them, and the house returns to the empty plot it once was.

Wanda is left standing exactly how she was before she formed the Hex, same hair, same clothes, puts up her hood, and walks into town. where the people glare as she approaches Monica, who says, ‘They’ll never know what you sacrificed for them.’  They have a classic series-wrap-up conversation, then Wanda shifts into her Scarlet Witch outfit, and flies away.

Mid-credits scene; we see Jimmy just after the debrief, Hayward is put in handcuffs, and Monica is called into the theatre, where she meets someone wearing a police badge, who shifts into a skrull. The skrull says a friend of Monica’s mother’s would like to meet with her, presumably Talos, and when Monica asks where, she just points up. 

And an end-credits scene opens in a pan shot, zooming to a cabin by a lake in the woods, where Wanda, dressed in sweats, sits on the porch with a mug. We follow her inside as the kettle whistles, but the camera continues into the bedroom, where her astral form sits, dressed as the Scarlet Witch, with the Darkhold, the book Agatha had. When we see Doctor Strange astral-project, his body falls unconscious, and this truly proves the Scarlet Witch is more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme, as aforementioned.

This series really solidified my love for Wanda and Vision--Wanda, who I liked before, but mostly because of her powers than her character, which lacked development, and Vision, who I kinda hated because of his moral-high-ground bullshit, but who I now love--brought back fan favourites Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, and set up Monica’s future plotlines. In truth, I liked Agatha better before she went full-witch mode, but she was an enjoyable villain. Hayward, on the other hand, was someone easy to hate, but not to such a level it was fun to hate him.

Every episode kept me on my feet, and every week I screamed I couldn’t wait for another. Part of my love for this was because we’d had no MCU content since July 2019, with Spider-Man: Far From Home, but it was just such excellent storytelling. Though the climax was a little disappointing, it was still more entertaining than most action sequences, where things happen so quickly I just zone out, and the visuals were incredible. I loved the sitcoms, and the differentiation at the end. Episode 4 was the perfect time to finally give us some form of explanation.

Basically, watch this damn show. Though I’d be surprised if you got this far without watching it. Watch it, make everyone else watch it, and, writers, take notes. The best stories are the ones with excellent characters and an excellent plot, and WandaVision mastered it.

[queerbutstillhere]

do you do combos? 15 and 18 for Jondami?

15. Drunkenly confessing feelings

18. Fake dating AU

It had been a weird day.

It had started something like this.

Jon: Hey, I need a date for this formal college event and no one else I know has suits just sitting around.

Damian: so you're asking me?

J: well Yeah.

D: why should I say yes?

J: there will be alcohol.

D: what time.

So nearly thirteen hours later, Damian and Jon, dressed to the nines, walked into Jon's college formal dinner awards ceremony. Because Jon was a smartypants and got academic awards. And because this college decided to have a ceremony for that.

Damian was wearing one of his favorite suits, a deep charcoal gray, with a black button down, black tie. Jon was wearing just a black suit and a white button down. He had started with a tie, but it didn't work well, so Damian made it take it off.

Now here's the thing. Damian isn't his father, but people are still gonna notice when you walk into a venue with a WAYNE next to you. And people did notice.

At some point a woman walked up to Jon, and then pointedly looked to Damian.

"So, Jon, is this your boyfriend?" She asked cheerfully.

Jon spluttered for an answer, but Damian just smiled and looped his arm through Jon's.

"And if I am?" He asked, leaning into Jon slightly. Not enough to put actual weight on him, but enough for it to be obvious.

"Oh, I was just curious! I didn't mean anything by it!" She said hurriedly.

"Of course you didn't," Damian said, with a smile that would immediately smooth over any hurt caused by his words.

He pulled his new "boyfriend" away.

"Where are we sitting?" He asked, glancing to the red-faced Jon.

"Uh, uh, over there." He pointed to the table they had been directed to.

Damian sat down at it, pulling Jon into a seat next to him.

"You know, you owe me after this," Damian said, frowning at him.

"Of course I do."

"Is that sarcasm I hear, Kent?"

"Nope."

A few hours passed of this boring event, and it was safe to say Damian got more then mildly tipsy, almost drunk even. Jon was less so, despite having drank the same amount, but that was due to him having alien DNA. So Jon drove them back to his apartment, telling Damian he was spending the night. Damian protested against this, but when Jon dragged the drunk vigilante inside, he didn't resist too much. Jon ended up carrying him up the stairs, setting him down in the kitchen of his studio apartment.

"I'm hungry," Damian said with a pout, heading towards the cabinet. "That place didn't have near enough vegan food."

"You literally ate all of my veggies."

"That's no excussee," Damian slurred, annoyed at himself for how drunk he had gotten.

Jon just sighed from behind him. Damian heard the clink of glasses and looked over to see him pulling out a glass bottle with some clear liquid inside.

"What're you doing?"

"I figured I might as well match you, since I'm already tipsy."

"Oh. Okay."

They ended up making popcorn and took that and their rum into the other room and watched a movie, Damian shedding his tie and jacket to prevent getting them dirty. Halfway through the movie, he kept dropping popcorn on his pants and decided he should probably take those off too, so stood and began doing just that.

"Woah! What are you doing!" Jon, still more sober then him, exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing his hands.

"I don't want my pants to get dirty!" Damian protested, turning to him with a pout.

"Then ask for clothes or a blanket or something!"

Damian tilted his head. "Why? You've seen me in my underwear before."

Jon's cheeks turned pink and he looked away. "Yeah, but it's different now."

"Whadyamean?"

Jon let go of his hands and sat back, crossing his arms and closing himself off. Damian raised an eyebrow, then with his pants still unbuckled and unzipped, knelt on the sofa next to Jon, waiting.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for you to tell me what ya meant."

"I'm not gonna."

"Sure you areee."

"Damian. No. Not this time," Jon said, sobering up a bit and keeping his gaze adverted.

"But I can allllwwaaayysss make you tell."

Wow Damian really was drunk, huh?

"No."

"Jonnnnoooo."

Damian clambered over, sitting in his lap, straddling him. Jon recoiled, trying to get away, but Damian is a freaking acrobat, so he easily kept his position. He put his arms over Jon's shoulders.

"What if I go first?"

"I'm not playing this game, Damian."

Damian pouted. Jon sighed, jamming his hands into his hair.

"Fine. Fine, what?"

"I likkeee yoou."

"Okay, great- wait, what?"

Damian grinned at Jon, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yyup!" He said, with a pop on the P. "Ever since we were lil lil kids. I've wanted to kiss you."

Jon just stared. Suddenly Damian had a bad feeling. He slid back off Jon's lap, standing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't've-"

Why had he done that? Why had he come onto Jon like that? What was wrong with him!

"Shit."

He took a step back and bumped into the coffee table. His drunk body was unable to compensate so he started falling. Jon lunged forwards and grabbed him, pulling him back down onto his lap.

"Damian, I really wanna kiss you too."

Damian's brain took about two seconds to register that and then he was surging forwards, pressing their lips together in a messy desperate kiss that had teeth knocking together and noses bumping. Jon grabbed his hips tightly, even as he pulled back slightly to ease the kiss a bit, encouraging Damian to take it slow, take his time. They both pointedly ignored the taste of rum and popcorn.

All that mattered was that they were kissing.

Send me prompts!

[softlysugas]

HAPPY LITTLE PILL ➣ Jung Hoseok x Reader

↳  Part Six: Saturn

Jung Hoseok is 1/3 of the incredibly popular idol group known as DNA; the group is coming upon their second album release. They are known to have a spotless reputation and truly care for their fans. You are a popular YouTuber known for your rebellious social media content and celebrity connections. What will happen when two direct opposite worlds collide and deeply kept secrets begin to rise to the surface?

HLP Masterlist Softlysugas Masterlist

I’ve never felt so connected to an AU before and the fact that you guys feel the same warms my heart uwu! BUT I would love to know if there are any theories, ships, or wants that have been weighing on your mind :3

If you would like to be tagged in future parts please let me know!

The soft hum from the vent vibrated throughout the silent flat; shallow breathing of those who fell into an induced slumber filling the space. Soft footsteps fought against the cool breeze flowing down the hallway, the smallest of knock being the only sign of consciousness. When no reply came he fought with himself, perhaps he should go back to his makeshift bed? Luckily, a soft chime echoed from his pocket and permitted him to enter. 

A cold chill ran along his spine as he stepped past the barrier, gaze shifting until landing upon the open window. The faint glow of a screen leading him through the dim room and ducked his head out the empty frame. Your attention turned to him instantly, a soft laugh breaking past your lips before they wrapped around the blunt. “Welcome to the freak show.” You mused, arms waving at the broken fire escape.

It’s safe, you assured him with your gaze.

It was because of the broken balcony that you had rushed to move into the two-bedroom apartment. Your friends had teased you for the size being as you wished to live alone. Despite your excitement, it was rare that you allowed anyone other than yourself to set foot near the throw pillows and hanging plants; then there was Jung Hoseok. 

From the moment he had walked into the dance studio he made a lasting impact. His bright smile holding so much joy it was almost overwhelming, greeting everyone with open arms as if they had been lifelong friends. That was his reputation, of course, the cheerful idol embracing the world with kindness and excitement; however, you had never bought into it.

His glistening eyes dragged over your frame before he pulled his head back into the room, shifting to sling a leg through the frame and step out onto the fire escape. The metal creaked as he rose to his full height, only reaching back through the window in order to grab the snacks you had requested before settling beside you on the outdoor pillows.

“Do you want this?” You asked, lazily offering him the rolled cannabis. 

Hoseok's eyes widened as he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. “I haven’t smoke in a long time.” 

“You don’t have to, I was just being polite.” You teased before turning your attention back out to the flickering stars. It was rare that you could catch a glimpse of the burning masses through the light pollution of the city, but it seemed some nights they aligned just right. “There’s supposed to be a meteor shower.”

From the corner of your eye, you were able to see the way his brow furrowed in momentary confusion, his gaze shifting to take in the wonders of the open sky. Your body lulled with hazy pleasure as the bud began sprouting from your lungs and flowing through you. With shortness of breath, you lost yourself, thoughtlessly speaking aloud. 

“The ones passing through- they’re so rare, the only record on them is old literature. It’s the first time anyone is going to see them in years, I thought I’d miss them because of the light pollution.” You paused to inhale deeply, eyes widening as the first meteor shot through the sky. “The universe was made to be seen by you.”

Had your attention been turned on the male who sat a foot away you would have noticed the way his gaze lingered on your face as you spoke; glossy eyes flickering over your features as if he were mapping every detail as light streaked above you. His breath caught in his throat for the briefest of moments before he forced his stare toward the sky. 

Your hands began fiddling with the countless pillows piled around you, eyes still locked on the stars as you shifted to lay on your back. “How rare and beautiful is it that we even exist?” You asked softly, finally allowing your gaze to meet his as he stared down at you. 

“You’re high.” He deadpanned, though the playful glint in his eye was enough to send you into a fit of giggles. “I thought you were supposed to be some tough grunge girl?”

An amused scoff slid past your lips, “I am some tough grunge girl, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the spiritual things in life.”

There was a creak of metal and a swish of fabric. His head grazed the top of your shoulder as he laid upside-down compared to you. A comfortable silence fell between you as the shower began to pick up, streaks of colorful light painting the blackened sky as you both stared in wonder. You took another long drag from the blunt; however, as you pulled it away from your lips it was plucked from your grasp. 

Hoseok paused at your questioning gaze, mumbling something about the experience before shrugging his shoulders and taking a hit of his own. Laughter consumed you as he choked on the thick smoke, happy tears blurring your vision as he caught his breath, only to lose it again to his chuckles.

“Did you get the stuff figured out?” You asked after you had both settled down, only to be met with a questioning gaze. “The stuff Jin needed you to do?”

His eyes widened in realization before he adverted his gaze, giving a single nod of his head. “Yeah! You were right, it wasn’t that important.”

You could feel the way your throat tightened at his words, the way his tone shifted and his words became calculated leading you to believe he wasn’t necessarily being honest. However, the look on his face was enough to keep you from questioning him further. 

“What’s your favorite color?” You asked suddenly, desperate to relieve the tension in your influenced state. 

“Green.” He said, brows furrowed in thought before he continued, “what’s your favorite movie?”

“Don’t judge me, but it’s gonna have to be Y/F/M.” When you got no reaction from him you couldn’t stop the small gasp that tore past your lips. “You’ve never seen it, have you?”

A high pitched cackle was his only response, hands raising in surrender as you began to playfully berate him. “I’m a busy man!” He shouted in his defense. “What’s it about?”

The question sent you into a rant, recalling the events of the movie in great detail as you waving your hands around to emphasize your words. He took in every syllable that slipped passed your lips, eyes wide with excitement as each word enticed his unclear mind. Time seemed to slow as your discussion continued and traveled between different subjects.

Whispers of strawberries and cigarettes floated between you. Fits of giggles enveloping the two of you as you reminisced on first crushes and first betrayals; silence taking over in moments of great sadness or nostalgia. It wasn’t until the sun was peaking out over the city that sleep began to wash over you both in waves. Heads knocking softly as you fluttered out of consciousness and into a peaceful sleep. 

It was the incessant dinging of a mobile device that eventually pulled you from your slumber. A rough groan vibrated your chest as your hand smacked at your surroundings, but it was useless. You pushed yourself up on your elbows, one eye closed as you glanced around your surroundings. Once you had found the object you flicked the sound off, but a glance at the time confirmed that you wouldn’t be getting anymore rest.

Hoseok was no longer present on the fire escape, but the blanket that had been draped over you was as good as a goodbye. The night was slow to come back to relevance in your mind, every detail pulling your lips into a smirk or grin as you began your day.

TAGS: If your @ is in bold that means it wouldn’t show up for me, but I’ll try to be sure to remember to send the update to you.

@unlessksj , @xxxanimangxxx , @em1joon

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Verstappen repeats his warning more sprint races will make F1 not worth it for me | 2023 Australian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has repeated his warning to Formula 1 that expanding its sprint race format may drive him out of the sport. The Red Bull driver said yesterday he “won’t be around for too long” if F1 continues to add more sprint races and other competitive sessions to race weekends. The series is considering a change to the format when it holds its first sprint race of the season in Baku at the end of the month. F1 has increased the number of sprint races this year from three to six, as part of its longest ever 23-round calendar. Verstappen says he is “not a fan of it at all.” “When we’re going to do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes even more intense, and we’re already doing so many races. So I think that is not the right way to go at it.” His comments put him at odds with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who has repeatedly called for the series to have fewer practice sessions compared to competitive running. Verstappen says they are going about it the wrong way. “I understand, of course, they want to have like basically every day exciting,” he said. “But then I think maybe it’s better to just reduce the weekend, only race on Saturday and Sunday and make those two days exciting.” Verstappen repeated his warning that the more F1 experiments with the race weekend format, the less he enjoys competing in the series. “We’re heading into seasons where you have at one point 24, 25 races because that’s where we’re going to head into. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free “And if we start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me anyway. I’m not enjoying that.” While F1 has talked up the entertainment value of sprint races, Verstappen doesn’t agree they add to the spectacle. “For me a sprint race is all about surviving. It’s not about racing. “For me, when you have a quick car, there’s nothing to risk. I prefer to just keep my car alive and make sure that you have a good race car for Sunday.” F1 has already revised the sprint race format since it was introduced in 2021 and is considering further changes. But Verstappen does not believe more tweaks are what’s needed. “Even if you change the format, I just do not find it is the DNA of Formula 1 to do these kind of sprint races. “F1 is about getting the most out of it in qualifying and then have an amazing Sunday, a good long race distance. That’s the DNA of the sport and I don’t understand or I don’t know why we should change that.” He urged the series to concentrate on improving the quality of competition between the teams instead of changing the format of its events. “I think the action has been good and how you get even more action is about getting the cars closer, getting more teams able to fight for the win,” he said. “I think naturally the show will be great if we have six, seven teams already fighting for a win, that would be insane, and you really don’t need to change anything.” Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 Australian Grand Prix Browse all 2023 Australian Grand Prix articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/