#guys why do they upload this shit like weeks after the all star game

[98percentofthewnbaisgay]

Stewie with yet another orange carpet fit check

[itsclydebitches]

Discredit Pt. 2: More Recommended Reviews For A.Z. Fell’s

Alright, folks. Some notes first: 

1. You all rock. I’m sending out 20k+ virtual hugs for all the notes I NEVER expected to get on this nonsense. 

2. This is probably the final section, just because I’m not sure I can adequately follow up part one and it might be foolish to attempt it here. Let alone twice. But for now, here we go. 

3. Kudos to the anon who reminded me of Aziraphale’s cash-only policy <3 

4. Nicole Y’s review is based off an actual comment I read years ago, but heaven only knows where online it was. I’ve got the memory of a goldfish. 

5. Trigger warning for the use of a queer slur in this. It’s the same review as above, number 5 if you want to avoid it. 

6. There’s a text-only version of just the reviews at the end, after all the images. I’ll upload that to my Sparse Clutter collection on AO3 in a bit. 

Bonus 7. People thinking this is a real shop deserve all the good things in this world. 

That’s all I’ve got. Hope you enjoy! 👍

****************************************************************************

I’m a simple guy who likes simple jokes. If there’s a whoopee cushion I plant it. I will call you up to ask if your refrigerator is running and then tell you to go catch it. (Actually that one died out so thoroughly it’s actually capable of a comeback now!). Yes, I’m a dad and yes, I have a t-shirt that says Dad Jokes? I Think You Mean Rad Jokes! which I wear un-ironically every Saturday. All of which is just to say that my wife was well prepared for my stupidity when I walked into Fell’s.

I? I was not.

You see the bibles when you walk in? The ones to the left? Let them be. Don’t even look at them. Definitely don’t pick out the fanciest one you can find and absolutely don’t walk up to the owner with it held in your pudgy little fingers, grinning like a loon, cheerfully asking whether this should be in the fiction section. Just don’t. Mark my words you’ll regret it. Though your wife won’t. She’ll get a great old laugh out of it all.

In conclusion: it’s quite possible that mama did raise a fool and he just got his ass verbally whooped by a guy in a bowtie.  

***

Shout-out to Mr. Fell for being the only decent bloke in this city. I’ve popped in and out of his store for years—including before I started transitioning. So he knew my dead name, dead look, whole shebang and I was definitely nervous to play the ‘You know me, but this is what’s changed and are you gonna throw a fit about it?’ game.

You know what he said? “Oh, Rose! What a lovely choice. Crowley dear, why aren’t you growing any roses? Some white ones would look splendid next to my Henredon chair.”

That’s it. He just went straight into dragging his partner for not giving him roses. So hey, Mom? Next time you’re snooping through my social media why don’t you explain to all these nice people why the 50+yo book seller accepts me in ways you won’t. Don’t go telling me age is an excuse or that you’re ‘Stuck in your ways.’ I’ve watched Fell dress in the same damn clothes since I was ten!!

Yeah. Sorry. Rant over. Fell’s a gem. That’s my take. Rose out.

***

Anyone else in the shop when that guy started yelling about buying pornography? And then got escorted into the back room for some ‘private conversation’? Well done, Mr. Fell! Didn’t know you had it in you.

***

Alright alright alright alright I am TOTALLY calm about this.

Went into A.Z. Fell’s last Thursday. Not because I knew anything about the place. Just because I’ve been hitting up every bookshop within a twenty-mile radius, asking if they’re hosting any book signings. Long story short I self-published my novel Blight last month—which you can get for a mere £5 here but I swear this isn’t a promotional thing I’m just BROKE—and have been looking for networking opportunities, tips, stuff like that. So the owner listened politely as I explained all this. Then said he didn’t do anything of that sort, which didn’t surprise me given the shop’s vibe.

But then? Then??? He offered to let me do a signing there??????

As said. Totally calm about this. This man either plans to kidnap me or is actually giving me my first shot at an audience outside my blog. AKA totally worth the risk.

Tuesday the 9th. 7:00pm. Just in case anyone’s interested ;)

***

holy sweet baby jesus i was tripping balls last week you tryin’ to tell me that kING KONG SIZED FANGED FUCK SNAKE IS REAL

***

Witnessed the most perfect exchange the other day:

Grumpy Dude With No Manners: “You. Boy. Where’s the man I spoke with over the phone?”

Mr. Fell’s Partner Who Knows Damn Well Only Two of Them Work There But Clearly Doesn’t Like This Guy’s Tone: “Did this man give you his name?”

Grumpy Dude: “Might have. Don’t remember. Sounded like a fairy though.”

Me: “....”

My girlfriend: “....”

This Poor Sweet Startled Kid On Our Left: “?!?!?!?”

Fell’s Partner In The Drollest Voice I’ve Ever Heard: “None of us have wings. Out!”

***

This shop gets full stars simply because every time I walk in they’re playing Queen.

I mean, I’ve walked in once, but once is enough when you’ve got Crazy Little Thing Called Love blasting full volume.

***

Okay, I’m still kind of shaken up but I needed to write this out somewhere and this seemed as good a place as any.

I spilled my latte on a book. Just tripped on thin air, popped the lid, and chucked a venti’s worth of coffee all over a very expensive looking text. I didn’t mean to, obviously, but it happened and I just started bawling on the spot. Full on sobs because this semester has been absolute hell, I ruined this guy’s antique, there’s no way I can pay for it, I can’t even sneak away because I’m drawing the whole store’s attention...just all the things all at once. I really was straight up panicking and was seconds away from pulling out my inhaler. I couldn’t breathe.

And then Mr. Fell showed up.

Jesus it’s embarrassing to admit but I think I hit him once or twice. On the arms I mean, because he was trying to touch me and I figured, I don’t know, it was a restraint or something. He was going to call the police and hold me until they got there. But then he managed to start rubbing my back and I lost it like I hadn’t already been bawling my eyes out in this shop. Ever cry into a perfect stranger’s chest? I have! But if Mr. Fell seemed to mind he definitely didn’t show it. Just kept holding me while I probably ruined his shirt and then took me into the back and made me a new coffee in this cute little angel mug. He let me stay there while I called my sister and waited for her to arrive.

She’s a good twenty minutes outside of Soho, so we talked for a while. It’s not like Mr. Fell could fix my shit roommate or bio classes, but I guess just talking about it all really helped. I was a lot calmer by the time my sis arrived and Mr. Fell insisted I come back any time I wanted—for browsing or more coffee.

Of course, sis offered to pay for the book herself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look so surprised in my life. “Certainly not!” he said. “Contrary to popular belief, no one should pay for their mistakes. It’s what makes you all so wonderfully human.”

So yeah. Thanks, Mr. Fell.

***

This little shop must have started a book club for kids! Lately I’ve seen the same group of children hanging out at Fell’s. Three boys and a girl. They’re a bit rambunctious at times, but who isn’t at that age? So wonderful seeing literature passed down to the next generation. Even if some of it is rather questionable looking...

***

It’s an honest crime that more of you aren’t talking about what a wonderful bookstore this is.

I’m a book lover at heart and Fell’s always makes me feel like I’m coming home. I just arrived somewhere safe and familiar after a particularly harrowing day. I’ve slipped under the covers of my bed after dinner and a bubble bath. It’s something like that, but with an element of surprise too. One of the reasons why I adore private and used shops over chain stores is that little touch of chaos. You walk in and sure, there are general sections to browse, but everything is just a little bit disorganized from people leafing through books and then putting them back somewhere else. There’s no real record keeping, you’ve just gotta head to one particular corner and hope for the best. It’s not the sort of place you go to if you want something specific because the chances of them having it are slim—that’s just how the universe works—and even if they did no employee knows where it is anymore.

But if you wander the shelves for a while, crouch down low to get a look at everything on the bottom shelf, pay attention to the books that don’t have easy to read titles or any summaries to speak of... you just might find something you didn’t know you were looking for. That’s Fell’s: the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the unknown.

*** A lot of people might assume that these stories are embellished or outright made up, but as a bookseller myself going on twenty years I believe every single one of them.

That being said, I accidentally moved a rug and found chalk sigils that look like they belong in a cult. Make of that what you will.

***

There’s a special place in hell for 21st century shop owners that only take cash. Who carries cash anymore? Not me! I haven’t bothered with that nonsense in years! You can get a card reader for 15 pounds on Amazon. Or you know what? Be stingy and pay 7 for the little attachment on your phone. This place is nuts if it thinks it’s going to survive much longer on a cash-only policy, especially with some books that look like they’re worth hundreds or thousands of pounds! Yeah, yeah, just let me pull out this giant wad of bills for you. I’ll carry them around a crime-laden city because there’s no ATM near you either.

I mean jesus, you’d think this guy didn’t want to sell anything.

***

I walked in. There was a man screaming at a fern while another threatened him with an umbrella. I walked out.

5 stars do recommend.

***

I once walked in on the same (?) guy yelling at a book for daring to fall on the owner’s head. I think that’s just a Thing over there.

***

Like a lot of people here I didn’t actually go to Fell’s for any books (flat tire, Angel Recovery taking forever) and ended up staying three hours (not because of Angel). No, I wandered towards the back and found this ancient CRT set propped on a table of books, the kind that my Dad used to watch Twilight Zone on. This lanky guy had a marathon of Gilmore Girls going... though how he was managing that with a broken antenna and no DVR, I really don’t know. But yeah. He told me to pull up a chair and I did. Guy gave me popcorn.

I wish I’d paid a little more attention to his name. Charlie? Curley? I really can’t remember, but thanks for the enjoyable afternoon, man.

***

I BOUGHT A BOOK HERE

Not sure how though. Just kinda happened. First edition of Just William. Frankly I didn’t even want the thing, but the owner basically shoved me out the door with it when I took two seconds to look at the spine. Odd that he was so willing to part with this one.

Update: ... hold up. I didn’t buy a book because I never actually paid the guy. ‘Basically shoved me out the door’ was literal. Do I go back??

***

This page has really gone feral the last couple of months so I’m just gonna bite the bullet and say it:

Anyone notice that Fell’s snake and Fell’s partner are never in the same room together?

***

I really don’t like the implications of this…

***

This is precisely why the Internet has turned into a cesspool. You all should be ashamed of some of the stuff you’re writing here. Can’t two men just be friends anymore? Two real life men? These guys aren’t some characters for you to ‘ship’ or whatever. Quit making outrageous assumptions about their sexualities and use this website for what it’s actually for: reviewing the bookshop. Honestly I’m so sick of this sort of this shit.

***

Dude. They run a queer-focused shop together with a flat on the second floor. Fell calls the guy ‘Dear’ and he’s always calling him ‘Angel.’ People have literally seen them kissing. If you want I can give you the number of my physician. He might be able to help you pull your head out of your ass.

***

What the hell is your problem? I’m literally just reminding people to stop making assumptions. It’s gross and insulting. These guys check their Yelp page. You really think they’re gonna be okay with this stuff?

Also: I’m not the five-year-old relying on insults, so.

***

Making an account purely to set the record straight: I’m the hot twink in question and I married that angel. Peace

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter Eight: Heat/Ice

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: Playing hooky leads to more delicious food (Sy cooks! Swoon!), some deep conversation, and new revelations about Shane’s past.

What? You’re behind? Don’t worry! CLICK ME to catch up before reading this chapter!

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings:  Language, mature themes, more food sluttiness, shameless nerd speak, unfettered and shameless sappiness.

Author’s Note: So, guys, I’m sorry. I really wanted to get this chapter to you Sunday. Life has just been a bit disheartening of late. Between being upset over some personal turmoil some friends are going through (two of my oldest friends are getting a divorce!) and coming home from work utterly exhausted on all possible levels, it’s been hard to write about lovey dovey things. As I said in my recent reblog of my masterlist, though, I’m working on some prologues, one for each character. I don’t plan on them being terribly long, but I want you guys to have some more back story.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

Tags: 

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@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

@oddsnendsfanfics

@omgkatinka

@thisismysecretthirstblog

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Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

It was hard to feel guilty for calling out of work for the afternoon under false pretenses when she was curled up on the sectional in Sy’s “nerd lair” with his head in her lap as they watched John Wick on the massive TV he had down there.

“You mean to tell me we watched the entire Bourne franchise upstairs on that…that iPod Touch, by comparison, when we could have watched down here on this majestic monolith!? In what is essentially a theater!?” She’d asked immediately, derailing the grand tour of the museum of things she would soon find amazing.

“Hey, I haven’t been coming down here a whole lot since I hurt my knee. Stairs haven't exactly been easy or, ya know, possible. I had my gaming computer down here for weeks, too, couldn't do a damn thing about it, because I didn't trust a'one of my buddies or my neighbors to haul her up the stairs for me. Leia's a custom machine worth thousands a' dollars. If she's getting' broke, it's all gonna be on me."

"You named your gaming computer? Leia?" So many emotions were flooding her. Adoration, sympathy, lust, and just a sheer need to squeeze the bejeezus out of him.

"Yeah, it's a common thing. And…not to be that guy, but…you do know who Leia is, right?

"If by Leia, you mean Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, true daughter of Darth Vader, adopted by Bail Organa at birth, sister of Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"Hey, I thought you wanted to take things slow, sunshine." he pulled her close, flush with his body. "Then you go talkin' all sexy to me like that." he lingered at her cheek with light kisses.

"Well, you did the same with your baseball talk the other night." she moaned into the contact with relish.

"I can't help it if certain sports terms have made their way into everyday speech. Your…exposition there, about my boyhood crush was intentional."

"You had a crush on Leia?" he nodded, shyly. "I had a crush on Han! Heck with Cap and Widow, THERE'S our couple's costume for next Halloween!" she said, excitedly!

"Oh, I didn't know you were talking about costumes for public use." he said, a naughty smirk in his eye.

"Stop it, you. Finish your tour. I want that soup on the stove." she said, patting her tummy.

He showed her the various memorabilia he'd procured over the years. Posters from a few of her favorites, and a few others that she recognized but wasn't as excited about. Die Cast models of several famous film vessels and vehicles, and a "life size" LEGO R2-D2 which would have had her salivating even if she hadn't been hungry. Apparently it took him almost a month to assemble the droid, but he did it all by himself.

"Aww…I wish I could have helped." she lamented.

"Maybe I'll pick up the Death Star and we can do that one together."

She nodded excitedly, eyes wide, rubbing her hands together in front of her chin with greed.

"Okay, little mouse." he chuckled. "Let's fill that belly and start this movie."

They filled massive bowls with generous portions and took the crackers down stairs so they could start the marathon. If they wanted to get through all three films tonight, they'd best get started.

They were both fairly quick eaters out of habit given her often truncated lunch breaks and his typical ten minutes in the mess hall. Even savoring the delicious creamy, cheesy concoction, as she tried to do, it was hard to slow down on. It did give her something to focus on during the first, emotionally devastating part of the film though. Once she finished, she expressed a final  groan of delight and thanked Sy, kissing him on his cheek as she held the other. She felt the smile bloom across his face as she prolonged the contact.

They were about halfway through the movie, a big fight scene in a night club, when something dark and grim hit Shane in the chest. Watching Keanu Reeves pretend to beat up and kill all of these actors and stunt men, it occurred to her that the man with his head resting gently on her lap, long body taking up the rest of that side of the sectional, had fought and killed. The man letting her play her fingers through his hair and beard had shot and blown up people. He was told to do it. Ordered to do it. But even though he was doing it lawfully and by military order, as far as she knew, it was still his job…at least some of the time. She knew that was an oversimplification of the function of the armed forces, but…sometimes, it was an apt description.

She had never thought of Sy like that before. Someone other than the strong but gentle teddy bear that had come to be such a comforting presence in her life. She needed that, after all she'd been through…she tried not to think about the hurt of her last relationship. She hadn't discussed it with Sy. It was history. Ancient history. But she was, after all, a believer in the fact that those who knew nothing of the past were doomed to repeat it. She'd tell him…one day. Everything that Elliott had done to her…had put her through. But not tonight. Suddenly, she thought being on the arm of a soldier, someone who'd lived the kind of life that Captain Logan Syverson had lived, might make her feel more safe than she had in ages.

"You're awful quiet, sunshine." he said, cracking a beer open and handing it to her before doing the same for himself and sitting down with his thick arm around her.

"Just…trying to be respectful of the movie experience. You know." she smirked at him as the menu music to the second movie played.

"It ain't that. I know this is still new, what we're doin', but I've watched enough movies with ya over the last few weeks to know that you don't keep quiet for a full length feature." Shane worried the tab on her cold Miller Lite. She wasn't sure how to bring this forward. "Spill it, sweetheart. What's eatin' ya?"

"What…what do you think about when you're watching movies like this, Sy?"

"Guess, same as anybody. How awesome the fighting and driving is. Wondering when Keanu got to be a badass. And if there's really an underground society of assassins. Why, hon?"

"I, umm, I only wondered if it…it doesn't make you miss…your job?"

The smile he gave her was both bemused and amused. "Come 'ere." he prompted her to lean her head into him, and sat his beer down on the buffet behind the couch so he could better hold her. "Do we need to go over the function of a captain of the Army of These United States? Because as flattered as I am that you think so highly of me, I'm no John Wick, nor do I know anyone like John Wick. Or five guys that would make one John Wick. Ten guys. Maybe twenty."

"The fighting doesn't bring anything back?" she smoothed the creases in his shorts as she tried not to act like she was over thinking his past.

"That fightin’s…it's like dancing. It's choreographed, precise, and the outcome is predetermined. Real fights are the exact opposite. They're chaos, unpredictable, and the right guys don't always win. Trust me, I've seen a lot of them go south in a big way." they both let a moment of silence pass before Sy broke it. "What’re ya really askin’, Shane?"

She wanted to ask so many things. The questions seemed to clog the ventricles of her brain like leaves in a rain gutter. Bottlenecked traffic.

"I just…couldn't help but think…about things you must have had to do when…when you were active, and I just…if you need to talk about anything, I'm here." She imagined that taking someone's life, no matter how personal or impersonal the act itself seemed on the surface, would create some level of emotional scarring.

“Oh, sweetheart." he kissed the top of her head, making her feel as warm and cozy as the soup had…perhaps more so. "You are important to me for so many reasons. You've shown me how to smile again. Laugh. Real, genuine happiness. No sarcastic shit like I had to use on my men in my squad. But although I'd feel comfortable talkin' to ya 'bout near anything, there's a counselor on the base who's specifically trained to help guys like me. Who've seen what I've seen and been through…similar situations. He makes sure I don't feel like less of a man for what happened to me. You make me feel…like more than a man…something stronger than I thought possible."

She was straining hard to corral the tears within her waterline, but they broke free when he squeezed her tightly to him with both of his massive arms.

"So…that HEP I gave you is working?" she laughed, knowing full well that his home exercise program had no bearing on the strength he meant.

"Come on, Shane." he raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to see herself the way he saw her. "Them handouts you give me don't mean a hill o' beans in this conversation and you know it. The way you hold yourself, speak to others. There is so much quiet strength in your kindness that comes right out of your beautiful little heart. Some days I'll see you working with kids, if I get in early, and I know they annoy you and freak you out, but you never let that show." He looked into her eyes, misty from emotion, and he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "I'll never be able to explain it right, the way you inspire me to be a better and stronger man. And my heart just breaks to hear you put yourself down. And don't say you're just kidding, because I know you think you are, but behind every one of those jokes is a truth, at least as you see it." He'd seen her make to argue and knew her tactic before she had attempted it. "Give yourself some credit, Shane."

"I'm too busy blaming myself for the bad stuff to give myself credit for anything good." she sniffed. "You're the first guy I've…I've been involved with that's acted like I was worth anything more than a meal ticket. Someone who was only suitable for enough sex to make it an official relationship just so they could have a place to live, and do whatever quasi-job was a thing. First serious boyfriend was a freelance writer, but he never seemed to be writing. Then there was the guy with the internet start-up…but he could never tell me in a satisfactory way what the company actually did…so that was brief."

He seemed to know she was bracing for something big. Something difficult. He gave her silence and stroked her shoulder in encouragement to continue. She took one of her deepest ever breaths.

"Then came Elliott. Elliott Thomas. My last boyfriend. The worst of them all. Most useless and greatest offender. I ignored all of the signs, of course. He had a YouTube channel and an Instagram that he was trying to gain followers on and become a so-called "influencer." she rolled her eyes. "He had no life skills. He had a bit of an eye for photography and he could find humor in uncommon places, which he thought made him insta-famous and vlog-worthy."

"I hate him already." Sy growled.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you the rest, then." he asked her to go on. "He always seemed to find these ways to cheat on me and lie to me that I couldn't quite prove, but I was just certain of. But I just…I didn't want to believe it. I wanted THAT one to work. Well. I came home one night after work, and he had another girl in our bedroom. I told him he had until the next day when I got home to leave. Things got a little physical, but I can hold my own." she said, proudly, "and I bolted with my purse. I stayed with Heather, our evening secretary, and we hashed it out, and got a little blitzed on moscato, and cried together."

"Wow."

"He was gone the next day. All I heard from my landlord was, 'you shouldn't be hearing from him anytime soon.' so I guess he had his cop buddies send him a message. He blocked me on all social media and I haven't heard a peep from him since. That was five years ago."

"What a scum bag." he stated, obviously.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to really think about a relationship since then…until…" she let the word hang there, knowing they both knew what the end of the sentence was. "Until I met you." Drifting unsaid in the ether of the unspoken.

"It's been a long time for me too. I mean…I haven't quite been a monk, but I haven't…I haven't cared for a girl since…actually, I've never felt this way about anyone."

"I didn't mean to unpack all of that tonight when we're only a third of the way through our marathon. I really wasn't even going to bring it up at all. It's just…been on my mind. Ya know. I once heard a very poignant parable about keeping your mouth shut if you're warm and happy. I was attempting to do that." she chuckled.

"Yeah, but we need to be able to open up to people in this life. Keeping a bottle stopped under pressure ain't no good for the bottle. Or what's inside."

"Such wisdom. You know just what to say to me." she grinned into him.

"Just seen what keeping yourself closed off can do to a person. And the people they love."

Love…there was that word in the air. Not officially said, but felt in all ways. They held each other close as the opening to the second movie played.

Up Next: Chapter Nine-Group Therapy

[fathertaurus]

Good tension- 🐨

a/n :This isn’t smutty yet but I might do a part two with the smut if people want? Anyway here’s an elaboration or David finding out your praise kink and creating that good tension ✌🏼

It started on a Wednesday. David had picked you up and then Trisha to drive to Las Vegas and surprise Jason at his stand-up show. The road trip was pretty normal, trisha brought snacks and you and David each had your own bag of Chex mix. You munched on them and leaned almost again the passenger window so you could see Trisha in back as you spoke to her and David. David drove along with one foot up on the seat.

You had known Trisha for a while and you liked to think she liked you, at least you hope she did. Eventually, the conversation turned to Trisha asking you what you thought of everyone in the vlog squad and that turned to random questions. David flipped his camera on as he drove. “Who do you think is the most normal?”

“Uhh honestly I’d say Carly or Erin. Maybe Matt King but I only met him once”

“Wait oh my god. Who do you think is the freakiest?” Trisha giggled.

David laughed and looked back at her in the rear view mirror. “Trisha she’s only known us for a few months chill”

“I know but like she’s so honest and she has no filter like me so I want to know her impressions of us”

“Uhm idk I’d want to say you but is it freaky if you’re open about it?” You laugh and eat some more Chex mix.

“Wait what?” David asked.

“Yknow it’s like it’s not freaky if it’s out there. If you’re like a porn star and you’re into crazy shit in bed no one is going to call you freaky. Like the more open you are the less I think your labeled freaky? Right?” David looks at you and then back at the road as you take a sip of your water.

“Oh yeah that’s true. The quiet ones are always the kinkiest” Trisha says. “I bet you’re super kinky.”

“Me? I’m not quiet!” You sit up more.

“No but like you’re like a nice innocent girl yknow. I just feel like you’d be kinky because you come off so sweet”

You could feel the heat running to your face. You panic at the feeling and can come up with nothing to say back. David picks up on the pause and glances over at you.

“Ohhhh my god! She’s bright red! Oh my god !” David laughs and points the camera at you.

“So what?!” You yell, burying your bright red face in your hands so he can film you.

“Oh my god so you are kinky!” Trisha laughs from the back. “Wait oh my god what’s your biggest kink?”

You look up at her and pause, thinking the question over. The car is silent and you can see David shifting his eyes toward you as he drives, awaiting you answer.

“I think praise is probably my “biggest” kink.” You say. “Like that’s the one I can never get enough of I guess.”

“Oh that’s not bad.” Trisha laughs.

“I mean I have others but yeah” you look over at David who has a confused look on his face.

“Wait what do you mean praise?”

“Like a praise kink babe” trisha pipes up. “Like she likes it if you thank her or tell her she’s being good.”

“What?” You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely confused or playing dumb. All you knew is you were sweating and you wished the topic would be over.

“Yeah.” Trisha goes on. “Like ‘are you gonna be a good girl’ ‘you’re so good thank you’ stuff like that right?” Trisha looks at you.

“Uh yeah” you smile and blush again and look away out the window from them.

“Interesting.” David says. You can feel his eyes on you. “Well THANK YOU for sharing that”

You turn and give him a dirty look. From that conversation on David has pretty much made it his thing to thank you whenever possible. At first you didn’t notice, just passed it off as him being grateful for doing things for him like grabbing him lunch on the way over to his house or grabbing him something from the fridge.

It wasn’t until he was editing and asked you to take a look at a clip he was debating on using that you caught on to his game. You leaned over the back of the couch he was sitting on to see the screen as he hit play. He watched your face as you watched. And when he paused it he looked immediately back up at you for guidance.

“I like it, maybe cut that last line.” You offer. You turned to walk back to the kitchen where your coffee was but David’s hand grabbed at your arm and pulled you back. David’s eyes bore into yours as you turned to look at him. “Thank you.”

“No problem” you choked out.

After that you noticed that whenever you were around him he was asking you to do small tasks for him like pass him his wallet or grab him a water or turn the lights on just so he could make eye contact with you and say low “thank you.”

Although that alone wasn’t really what turned you on, the fact that David was remembered and was actively thinking about your kink had you hot. There had always been tension between you guys.

It was that weird, ‘am I sitting to close to you or do you like this? Because I’m comfortable but all I can focus on is that our legs are touching…’ tension. That ‘accidentally making eye contact too much that you wonder if it’s because you’re both staring at each other half the time’ tension.

This whole praising thing he was doing to you was just making it stronger. Once you were in the car with him and Todd and “thank you, next” came on. David looked at you in the backseat in the rear view mirror. “Do you like this song y/n?”

“Yeah I love Arianna, why?”

“I just figured you would.” His joke clicked and you tried to hide your smile and surprise your urge to lunge forward and strangle him from behind.

The unspoken tension was broken weeks after your kink was revealed. You were up late helping him edit on a Friday night. Natalie and Joe has already called it a night but you stuck around for a bit as he finished the final touches, knowing that if you went home he’d end up FaceTiming you before as uploaded anyway.

“I’m exporting” David said leaning back from his laptop. “Oh FUCK”

“What?” You looked up from where you sat across the couch on your own laptop.

“I forgot to send Natalie to the super charger today. I need to drive to Huntington Beach tomorrow.”

“I’ll go.”

“No it’s so late.”

“It’s fine I’m up anyway, besides by the time I get back you’ll be done premiering.”

“Fuck okay. Really?”

“Yeah of course.”

“Okay wow. Thank you.”

Secretly you were just excited to drive the Tesla. You brought his car and watched the sun begin to rise as you charged it and then promptly drove back to David’s.

You knocked on the door and waited for him to let you in. Finally you head him shuffle to the door. “Did you charge it all the way?” David asked, holding the door open for you and letting you step inside.

“Yup.” You handed him his key.

“Good girl.” He chimed. Your eyes quickly shot up to his. A smirk crept onto his face as he looked down at you.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E38 (October 16, 2018)

Tonight’s guests are Sam Riegel and Taliesin Jaffe (and, as always, Dani Carr and... Tiny Corner Max?)!

Announcements:

The latest episode of Between the Sheets, featuring Daytime Emmy Award-Winning Sam Riegel (TM), aired last night and will be available on YouTube tomorrow morning. Sam: “I feel like this channel is mostly just you and me talking?” Brian: “Are you saying that everyone else is just riding our coattails?” Taliesin: “He’s also saying that you look a lot like Liam at this point, and he can’t tell the difference.”

Another episode of All Work No Play will debut this Friday on the Critical Role Twitch (uploaded to YouTube on Sunday). In this episode, Sam and Liam do yoga... with goats. TJ Storm and Travis Willingham guest star!

Next week the cast will be at London MCM! Taliesin: “I’m packing slightly more tweed.” Brian: “Gettin’ tweedy with it.”

There’s a new (harp music) Laura Bailey emote on the CR Twitch for subscribers.

@critrolestats for this week’s episode:

The M9 hit 150 natural ones in this episode. Number 150 was Jester’s acrobatics check to get away from the yuan-ti abomination.

Jester also set the record for the most natural ones in a single episode: 5. The previous record of 4 was held by Nott and Beau. Brian: “You guys remember these are not still going to charity, right?” Sam and Taliesin: “What?”

Taliesin was the one who helped Momlan glue on her elf ears. Taliesin: “I would be very nervous if my mom were going out there.” Brian: “Well, she’s got hundreds of years of secrets on you.” Taliesin: “Mom of the damned.”

Cad’s definitely been upset about being around undead; Taliesin’s rolled a few times to see if there’ll be a worse freak-out, but there hasn’t been one so far. “The notion is that there’s a direction things are supposed to move, and [undead] is something moving against the grain in an intense way. What’s the point of having an imaginary organized religion of any kind if you can’t have something they’re fundamentally against?”

Nott’s extremely far from her comfort zone right now, being outside the Empire, working for a captain on the sea who’s threatened their lives: “There’s snakes and lizards and... wouldn’t you drink, dude?!”

Given how much he’s been getting the shit kicked out of him lately, is there a breaking point for Cad? “Probably. I haven’t really finished nailing him down emotionally yet. I genuinely don’t know what zen people do when everything goes to shit.” Jester’s speech genuinely comforted him a lot. “Apparently Laura knew what to say.” Sam notes that the party hasn’t really had a chance to sit down and ask him questions about himself so far. Taliesin mentions that Cad’s been ordering drinks but hasn’t actually been drinking.

Nott’s fallen into the role of the mom friend mainly because nobody else has (everyone agrees that Caduceus is more of “a wise pothead”). Brian: “Everyone seems to have so much baggage right now. Half the people seem focused on just holding it together, the other half are focused on the mission.” Dani: “Somebody has to be the level-headed one.” Sam: “And why can’t that leveling force come from a three-and-a-half-foot insane goblin alcoholic?”

Once Caduceus levels out (he’s still a little shell-shocked), he’s going to realize that he’s surrounded by “unhealthy lunatics” and will want to do something about that.

Sam’s done some research about chemistry (although he wants to make more of a cheat sheet after Travis’ experience with sailing), knowing it might come up with Nott’s alchemy knowledge. Taliesin is trying to learn more of what Sam terms “that fungus shit”. Also tea, and zen. Sam: “I was thinking you should go to a morgue and see how bodies decompose.” Taliesin: “Oh, I have some experience in that.” 

(don’t worry; it’s just some friends in forensic anthropology)

Gif of the Week: Taliesin casts Detect DM Shenanigans.

“There was a certain order to the universe that he has come to expect, and it has been thrown into great disarray.” Cad was expecting the Epic Quest to save his home, but he wasn’t expecting the Mighty Nein. He’s mainly staying because of what Jester said about not necessarily needing to understand what’s happening right now. “He’s confused and trying his best to just let things happen, because that’s how the Wildmother works.”

Nott’s been surprised by some of the Mighty Nein’s actions, but so far she knows it’s out of necessity. She doesn’t view the incident on the docks as quite as bad as some of the others did---it was chaotic and based in self-preservation rather than actively causing harm. “But some of the other actions lately have been surprising to her.” Sam points out that she and Caleb did a lot of things to survive, and that she still steals a lot, and reminds everyone that she lives in a very morally grey area. She’s not thinking of leaving at this point, and all the high-stakes trauma has brought her closer to the group. “It’s a fucked-up dysfunctional family, but it’s starting to look a little bit like a family to her.”

Taliesin and Sam are both enjoying being moral compasses of the party this campaign, in major contrast to the previous campaign. Brian: “You were a teenage asshole. You were a teenage dirtbag.” Taliesin: “It’s so weird. I love it.” Sam: “Oh man. We’d better step up our game. If we’re the moral compasses...” Taliesin: “We’re like Cracker Jack compasses, we almost point north.”

Cad’s got a lot of abilities he just doesn’t use very often. “He knows that some of it is... rude? Death cleric, man, they’ve got some insane shit.” Cad doesn’t have the same opinions on life and death as most people. Brian: “How surprising.”

Taliesin is having “a ton of fun” playing Caduceus. “I love Molly... and the character. Too easy.” No, but seriously: “I loved playing Molly, but the nice thing I got to do with Caduceus that I didn’t get to do with Molly is we had an established group and I got to create a character that was useful to the dynamic both mathematically and emotionally.”

Sam: “Wait, is it twitch.tv or twitch.com? Oh my god, I’ve been putting the wrong links on my Twitter for like a year.”

Cad was very selective about who he told about Jamedi, and purposely didn’t tell Nott because he knew she’d tell others. Sam, trying to keep a straight face: “Nott’s nothing if not trustworthy.” He’s more surprised that Caduceus has figured that out already, given how little he knows about Nott. “Maybe it speaks less to Nott and more to Caduceus being judgey...” Taliesin clarifies that it wasn’t so much that Nott was untrustworthy, it was more than Nott couldn’t keep a secret. Sam, as a player, was shocked that the rest of the party didn’t instantly tell everyone that “we are being led through the jungle by a dead guy.” Taliesin points out that with two clerics (Brian: “well, a cleric and a battle Mercy”), they literally have a button they can push to make him go away if they need to.

Sam: “It seems like Fjord’s going into a real bad place without any information, and Nott’s there to support and make sure he doesn’t die, but it seems like a bad idea.” Taliesin: “This seems like a test of one’s soul, and Caduceus is on board but aware that this could go badly.” Taliesin also points out that the rest of the group isn’t aware of the creepiest stuff going on because they weren’t there for it.

Fanart of the Week: the group (sans Jester and Caduceus) inside Leomund’s Tiny Hut! 

Taliesin got recognized in public, and the fan immediately called out the two clerics for going off on their own in the middle of the night. Taliesin: “It was a good burn.”

Caduceus had some experience with fights pre-M9 (grave robbers, wildlife). Taliesin: “Have you ever seen Cemetery Man? Shit gets weird!”

There’s a brief interlude while everyone arranges a movie night. As you do.

Has Nott been feeling protective toward members of the Nein other than Caleb? Fjord is probably the next-likely candidate, followed by possibly Yasha. Sam: “Caduceus is just too tall.” Taliesin: “I feel that.”

Taliesin describes Lesser Restoration as “the aspirin of D&D”. He’s done some healing of illness before, but this has just been a bad time. Sam points out that in the last campaign they didn’t really have to deal with disease so much. “I assume it’s Bird Flu.”

Scanlan stealing the gun was messing with both Taliesin and Percy. Nott is interested in the mechanics of the gun, interested in the chemistry of gunpowder, and has already designed and manufactured one explosive arrow as a result. “But Nott has also noticed that there’s people with guns wherever they keep going, and it might be a good idea to have a gun. It’s a self-preservation thing. If that also happens to mess with Taliesin Jaffe, I’m not going to say no to that. I mean, the heart does what the heart does. If that happens as a result, we’ve all grown as people.”

They realize there’s about a four-foot height difference between Caduceus and Nott. Taliesin: “He squats.” Dani: “He’s got killer calves.”

Caduceus is very, very good at reading people. Nott doesn’t lie because of goblin upbringing, but more out of her travels with Caleb and having her first impulse to be to get out of any situation by lying to stall/delay/confuse. 

Taliesin: “Why lie to a plant?”

There’s a brief interlude about telling your plants inappropriate bodily measurements. As you... do? Brian: “I’m calling an Uber right now. I’m sorry. I’m done.”

Taliesin is collecting spells based mainly on what he can guess might be helpful. He doesn’t need a lot of damage-dealing, so focuses more on deflecting and healing. He’s picked out some feats he’s interested in to make Caduceus less likely to take damage. “That’s been a problem. I don’t like being hit.”

It is pointed out that all of Sam’s characters in the campaigns have had high intelligence and low wisdom. “That’s a pretty great winning combo for comedy.”

Legends of the Hidden Talks Machina:

Overwatch mains? Sam: “What’s a main?” Taliesin: “It’s like Quidditch...”

Taliesin is a support main, especially Zenyatta and Brigitte.

Brian is a D.Va main (woo!) and also plays a lot of Orisa.

Look, I gotta cheer on anyone who also mains D.Va. Those are the rules.

They agree that watching Sam play as Hanzo would be funny, but decide Roadhog would be the best. Sam: “Yeah. It’s Hog Noon. Is that what he says?” Brian: “Yep.”

What’s Matt’s character name?  Sam: “Tyrone McCabe.” Brian: “It’s close!”

Ghost stories? Taliesin: “I’ve been ghosted.” Sam: “I saw some raccoons in my backyard?” Taliesin: “I got attacked by a skunk when I was in my hot tub.”

Taliesin: “Now I’ve seen a ghost.” Past and present combine:

Taliesin has a 1930s stripey swimsuit, because of course he does.

What (harp music)-style sound cues would they have? Taliesin: The sound of building a temple in the original Warcraft. Sam: An... explosion? Brian: The sound of my mom’s tears because he never became a doctor. Taliesin: “I was thinking the Golden Girls intro.”

Goth advice for the week, courtesy of Taliesin: Best style eyeliner is eyeliner on day 2. Put on the eyeliner before the shower. Know if your choker’s loadbearing.

[staarblaster]

Chapter Three

Hey, guys, before I upload chapter three I want to add another really boring announcement. School starts up again in tomorrow days, and I know my uploading schedule will be scarce. However, I will try to have chapters up whenever I can. Anyways here is chapter three and four, four is going up with a separate post. My posting schedule will be pretty random and I will post when I can. Also,, I’m gonna take a hiatus, for a month(?) 

Chapter Three

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”-Mark Twain

Perfection (n):  the embodiment of being perfect

My grandmother was my hero when I was little she would tell me stories about her childhood. Growing up her father was a sound technician for MGM and her mother did the makeup and sometimes the celebrities would come over on special occasions like her birthday.

I suppose that’s what prompted her to want to work in the media and journalism.

She used to tell me stories of her adventures,  across Europe and her interviews with varying monarchies. It was on a train back to California where she met my grandfather,  she was drinking a scotch soda, which unbeknownst to him was more soda than scotch.

He was deep in a game of poker with several of his friends who were coming down to California, she was drinking a scotch soda, unbeknownst to him had more soda than scotch.

He was deep in a game of poker with several of his friends, she watched in silence with both curiosity and intrigue, occasionally getting glares from the men sitting around the table.

She watched as her future husband flushed hundreds, more like thousands of dollars into the game until she confidently said she was going to play next which got a few hearty chuckles, which caused her to roll her eyes, most of them were drunk and she had a very good poker face.  As the game commenced she managed to not just win back the money but two engagement rings, a pocket watch, and even her husband’s heart.

She used to tell me at the end of every story that curiosity and wit were our greatest gifts and with them, we could solve any mystery.

But once she died she became like a ghost, pictures of her were removed, only leaving rumors of her behind.

I couldn't let her disappear, so I decided to conduct my own private investigation.

When I was a little kid and I found a picture of her and my grandfather and my mom. I smiled as I held my first real lead.

In the picture, my grandparents looked so happy and then I noticed my mom hiding behind her leg. Slowly and gently I tried to remove the picture from the frame,  and as I slowly got it out my mom ripped the picture from my hands.

Her facial expression was a bright beet red as she violently ripped it out of my hands.

“Why can't you just play your role, Juliana? For once I'd like if you kept your nose of business that doesn't even involve you. ”

I felt the tears swell up inside of me. But, instead of fighting back my better instincts (crying) I immediately hugged my mom.

She sighed,

“I love you Jules...  sometimes I wish you'd be normal. Can you do that for me please?”

I nodded my head up and down slowly.

As she tucked me in again,  she kisses my head and holds the photograph in her hands, the next day I decided to take a little more time to try and fit in.

From then on stopped keeping my blonde hair up and let it down, I ditched my glasses for my more comfortable contacts.

I started to get involved more but it never seems to be enough for my parents. They kept insisting that I should do more, eventually leading me to dance and violin lessons (fortunately only lasting two years).

In the dance class, I realized that I was going to need ”subjects” after all a queen couldn't lead on her own.

In the dance class, I found the Chrissy's, they seem to have the dance studio under their boot heel.

If I could “liberate” them perhaps they'd follow me.

It didn't take long before I eventually made two friends in the class, Ophelia and Madison.

Madison was at least five foot eight and according to the Chrissy's had two left feet. She had light dyed purple hair and her eyes were a light Hazel although she seems like the last person that would be in the dance class she could actually dance pretty well. She would put the facade of insecurities but with confidently dance to Tchaikovsky. She was free to express who she was, as dancing was apart of her.

Ironically, however, being raised by a single dad and four brothers she had to keep the tougher shell in class for the sake of showing fragility. However, once she opened up she was loyal, dedicated and a really good listener.

Ophelia had a caramel skin tone, she was shy and had a shortened forearm but had the biggest heart.

She would walk dogs, and volunteer anywhere to show that she wasn't a girl with just a short arm.

As our friendship blossomed we decided that we would have a come have a “dance battle” against the Chrissy’s which was seen as ridiculous. But my girls and I were ready we could be successful.

However, on the day of our “battle” Ms. Clarke surprised us with all one-on-one auditions with Warren Academy, i.e one of the most prestigious art boarding school, it was basically Teen Julliard. Not everyone would make it in (obviously), but if you did you had potential to be a Broadway legend.

Krissy and I were unfortunately paired together and our theme was duality. One of us would play the person staring into the mirror “angel” and the other would play the reflection the “devil”.

Of course, yours truly got stuck playing the devil and Krissy had to defeat me. Everything was going smoothly but as soon as I was getting ready to give Krissy my final blow Krissy had stepped on my ankle hard.

She claimed that it was an accident only to tell her friends that was indeed deliberate which prompted a) Warren offered me a full scholarship b) my parents threatened to sue the dance studio and Krissy's parents of criminal action weren't taken.

Eventually, it was with Krissy being sent to juvie for two to five years.

As I began to start at my new school Maddie, Ophelia and I began to drift away from each other. I had to do well in this Art School even if I was alone.

Over time I gained a sort of popularity stemming from the incident with my ankle it just started casually saying that I broke it following an audition and then warping into a story of me breaking it while I was on a Broadway stage.

My attempts to quell the rumors only spawn more rumors and newfound popularity and a new boyfriend. My life completely changed when I entered Warren and I never expected any more changes.

---

Wednesday’s were personally my favorite day of the week: Dance team and theatre practice. We were putting on the musical Chicago.

I had gotten lucky and was allowed to the Assistant Choreographer.

Between that and balancing four classes, two of which being Advanced Placement it was a miracle I could stay focused.

I heard my phone’s alarm going off as well as an obnoxiously loud knock.  I tried to stop my alarm which was Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall from the speakers of my phone which I did kind of successfully.

I opened the door, I saw one of the girls from my dance team, her face was completely flushed, it was clear that she had ran to see me.

Her breathing was hitched, I awkwardly invited her inside my single room, and got her some water to drink which she drank eagerly. I recognized her immediately, she was Hana Andersen, a shy yet over-eager freshman on the dance team. She was a little rusty but was a little ball of energy when it came to freestyle.

“Han you wanna tell me what’s going on?” I asked carefully.

My door was closed, so no one could see the empathy I had hidden for years.

Her hands started to shake and I gently started to coax her into speaking, and she gently took a small breath.

“I-I...Don’t think I’m fit to be at Warren,” she whispers.

Her tone is soft and a bit distressed, but still sad nonetheless.

I nodded,  gently taking her hand,

“You know.. I think you do. Everyone’s been in your shoes at least once. Hell, even you can’t expect to become a star overnight. If you want I can help you, at least if you want me too?”

Hana’s eyes light up as well as faintly brimmed with tears and she nods overzealously and immediately hugs me.

“Thank you! Thank you, Juliana...Jules!”

I nod and look at the time, 7:25 am. Shit, if  I’m not careful I’m going to miss breakfast.

“Meet in my room before dinner?”

She nodded again, as she opened the door and smiled, and said

“Pink Floyd's my brother’s favorite! ”

I smile and lie effortlessly,

“Same with mine.”

I closed the door behind me, I looked at the time again, 7:32. There was no way I was going to get breakfast in time, I had to take a shower and get ready for my advanced English class across campus.

I frowned, going straight to the back of my room grabbing my lilac and rosewater body wash.

I pulled out my school sweater and a pair of leggings, fortunately, there was also a pair of flats by my bed frame.

I grabbed my ID plus my shower stuff and was surprised at the silence as I walked through the hallway of my residence hall.

It was a nice contrast from the usual hustle and bustle I usually experienced which came from running several clubs and homework as well as living in New York.

As I got out of the shower and put on my “runway” outfit and I was greeted with several texts from my Dance Team Group chat and Jaxson (my boyfriend).

Where are you 😟

We’re abt to go on!! 💃🏻💃🏿👯

hey babe, dunno if you forgot lol u dont forget. First classes are canceled. the big pep rally with the new students. the dance team is looking for u! 8:25!

My eyes widened in shock, how could I have forgotten that. There was no time to change and I couldn’t miss this especially with the rumor of a Broadway talent scout in the audience.

I texted them both back

On my way!! ✨💜

I grabbed my backpack, my English Book and quickly ran to the gymnasium and I saw my team about to go out on the floor.

“H-hey! I’m here!”

Jaxson immediately hugs me,

“Jules! Thank god! ”

I smiled immediately kissing his cheek.

“Let’s get this show on the road!”

“You’re gonna kill it!” Jaxson said excitedly.

As we get ready to get on the dance floor Hana looks at me and then looks awkwardly at  Victoria who is scowling at me.

Victoria was about 5’7”, dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes, she was the lead in the musical who personally wanted my job as the assistant choreographer.

“What the fresh hell are you wearing?!” she hisses at me as we enter the gym.

I ignore her for a moment, but for a moment smile,

“I’m just showing school spirit”

As the music starts, I feel like I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, people murmuring to each other and then I make eyes with the talent scout. Her eyes are a cold and piercing amberish hazel and I can feel my hands shaking and I get cold and sweaty, it goes black almost immediately.

---

I’m in the woods, its calm, and  I know I’m not home. The surroundings are familiar yet strange and I could assume this could only be how this is how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole.

I turn for a moment, seeing a girl, she couldn’t be older than me but if she is it has to be a least a year’s difference.

She looks at me with a small smile, there is a quartz crystal crown on her head. She walks closer to me, gently placing a warm hand on my cheek. Her voice is calm as she gently says.

“You need to wake up. We’ll meet again soon Jules. I promise”

My eyes shoot open and I realized that I was in the nurse’s office and I see Jaxson is holding my hand. He smiles looking at me with calm jade green eyes.

“You feeling okay?”He gently squeezed my hand.

Jaxson opens his mouth to start talking, almost immediately the school nurse comes in.

“You had a textbook anxiety attack. I’d recommend resting, I’ll write you a note excusing you from class. Just collect your homework.” she says as she writes something down on a blue slip of paper.

Jax holds my hand as I get out of the cot, and I take the blue slip from the nurse’s hand.

“Take it easy Jules... Don’t overexert yourself.” the nurse recommended.

As we exited the office Jax kissed my cheek, and walk around the campus to collect my textbooks.

“You wanna get lunch at my parent’s place. You didn’t get to eat breakfast today.”

I  was about to say yes but I got a text from Reyna, Victoria’s understudy for the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago.

Can u pls pls help w All that Jazz 😟

I sighed, telling myself I’d eat dinner, besides Reyna was more important especially with the show being the first mark as a choreographer. Sure, I had choreographed the dance team routines but this was bigger.

“We can grab lunch tomorrow?”

Jaxson kisses my forehead and walks off.

“Of course love”

Sure np! Lemme drop off my books.

I put my phone in my pocket, and I notice a tour going on the group looks pretty excited, but as the group gets closer, one of the girls sticks out.

She has a small silver stud in her right nostril, and her brown hair has been cut short. But otherwise, her other features look the exact same from when we were kids.

Under my breath, I silently muttered out of fear and confusion.

“Krissy?”

It couldn’t be, could it?

I unlocked the door to my dorm and dropped off my books and texted Reyna to let her know that I was on my way. As I walked into the room I checked my old group chat, the last messages were old invitations and good luck messages from Ophelia and Maddie.

Hey, I know I haven’t been on here much but I’m p sure I saw Krissy? Wanna meet for some 🍕 Maybe @ 7  ✨💜

I shove my phone into my pocket and heading to the music room and I see Reyna stretching on the bar, as she finishes, she notices me and gives me a smile.

“Ready?” I ask her curiously as I set up the music track up on my phone.

She nodded,

“As I’ll ever be.”

I nod,

“5...6, 7,8” As I hit the play button and watched her sing and dance, there were instances where she’s strong like her singing, but her dancing gets sloppy when the chorus hits. When I break down the routine, Rey starts to look and sound polished and I considered starting the routine of the Cell Block Tango when the bell rings, bringing lunch and our practice to a close.

“Thanks, Jules! You’ve saved my ass!” She hugs me happily and walks off.

I smiled and head back to my room ordering some lunch cause I am starving, I order a simple grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, and as soon as I arrive I feel so much better and start with writing out my notes.

---

As the day slowly begins to wind down, slowly begins to wind down, I can see the sun begin to set. I check the old group chat for anything from my last message about Krissy and is met with silence, I sigh as I get myself in some dance clothes in preparation for practicing with Hana.

I check my phone again, still nothing, and as I let out a sigh until I heard a knock on the door. As I opened the door to see the smiling face of Hana who immediately hugs me.

I smile faintly,

“Okay, you ready to get to work?”

She nodded, her eyes light up instantly

“Heck yeah!”

I chuckled remembering my own enthusiasm from last year.

“I’ll go first.I’ll see how you do.”

I hit the play button and Zella Day’s Hypnotic comes on and as I count myself in, I let the music flow through me.

I smile a bit making myself look as if I am a siren entrancing a sailor in Ancient Greece. When the song ends Hana is staring, her hands visibly shaking.

“You’ve got this” I remind her gently.

She nods weakly and as I started the music she tries to replicate my moves, just like Reyna she is strong in some spots. I smile and start to dance with her until she’s more comfortable.

It’s not long before she’s getting it, I smile giving her a high five as she starts to nail the moves.

“Thank you so much, Jules!!”

I smile,

“Don’t mention it. I was gonna grab some pizza. You wanna join me?”

She nodded eagerly.

“Come on now! I’m paying.”

---

As Hana and I finish our pizza its almost 7:40, we’re laughing and joking but we pass by my house. All the lights are off, except for my bedroom light and the one in the attic. I also notice that my parents aren’t home, and  I stare at the window.

Hana looks up with me,

“Jules? You okay?” Han asks gently.

I blink snapping out of it,

“Yeah... You go back to Warren I’ll catch up. ”

She rose an eyebrow,

“You sure?”

I actually wasn’t too sure in all honesty, but instead of sending her away, I politely and calmly whispered.

“Keep watch.”

She nodded, but gasped silently,

“What if we get in trouble?”

I chuckled,

“This is my house, we’ll be okay..”

I went around back to the emergency exit and smiled looking at the slightly faded pink blossoms. I hated to uproot them but I found the spare key taking it to the front door. I ran back down and opened the door.

Hana looked around, her face etched with fear.

“Jules!” She whimpered.

“It’ll just take a minute!” I insisted.

As I go up the stairs to my room, I cringe at some old pictures, remembering how many hours it took to get right. I  push the door open to my bedroom, everything appears to be normal except a box made out of faded old wood is in the center of my bed.

I grabbed the box and closed the door and put the key back under the pot, and lead Hana back to Warren.

“That’s enough excitement for one day,” I say examining the box.

I run my fingers over it, and offer Hana a chance to look at it.

Hana picks it up, her hands fumbling over it, and the box awkwardly fell out of her hands.  The box falling to the ground,  a wedge from the bottom, peeking out. As she hands it back to me I slowly pry it back its contents spilling out. Letters, Photographs; all things that I’ve never seen except the one of my grandmother and my mom hiding behind her leg. Hana and I start to go through the items and in the slew of things there was a white knight piece. Hana is holding an envelope with a letter and I’m looking at a picture.

It looks like a simple polaroid, that says: Me, Andrew, Patrick, Oliver and Sophia. Sophia’s hair is a dark black, and flowing. She is smiling a bunny ears. The other three boys are smiling in their uniforms.

“Hey Jules.. You should read this.”

I nodded and reading out loud, holding the envelope that was awkwardly torn.

January 11th

Dear Sophia,

I am writing this letter as a warning. In three days time He will find you. He has been in my dreams quite frequently and I fear he knows about the iteration. You have to hide it, you and Jeremy have too close with Daisy. And I know after our disbandment we promised we would never talk again but I pray to Elysia he doesn’t find Daisy. The vision that caused our severance is much clearer to me. The Demon King will return this iteration.

Run Sophia Run

Yours

The name is cut off but all I can wonder is who is Sophia?

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[thebluesideofmyworld]

Solangelo Singer/Musician!AU

Somehow ever since Troye Sivan dyed his hair into blond I can’t stop thinking about this AU where Will was a famous pop singer and Nico was that indie musician so while I don’t have the time to really write something decent about it, I am just gonna put what I had in mind here (and yes all the songs stated here are Troye’s songs. I love him. Sue me)

Will was a famous pop singer who has released two albums.  Grew up in a small town in Tennessee, he started his career by covering some songs on YouTube and he gained a massive amount of followers.  Lou Ellen, the daughter of a recording company’s CEO  convinced her father to offer him a contract.

Nico was an indie musician who played guitar and piano and he didn’t really care about what is happening in the entertainment industry. For him it’s the music that mattered and not who sang it. He wrote some songs but often he asked his friends, either Piper or his sister Hazel to sing the song that he wrote where he would record it and uploaded it on YouTube. He only sang a few of his own songs, the very personal ones. When he uploaded the songs, he only used pictures that Hazel drew so none of his followers really knew how he looked like. In fact, no one even knew what his real name was

Nico liked to write his songs in a small coffee shop that Jason owned, because Jason would let him stay for as long as he wanted. The coffee shop opened until 2 AM anyway.

One night Will was walking on the street with his hoodie on, somehow missing the life in a country side. It was laaaate at night, almost midnight, because that was the time when he could wander on the streets without being recognized by his fans

He found this small coffee shop only two blocks away from his fancy apartment and something just made him pushed the door to come inside.

Will ordered his drink and took a seat on one of the arm chairs. He noticed a notebook on the small table in front of the armchair.

Out of curiosity, Will picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages, finding lines of words, beautifully crafted into some sort of poetry

Will was reading some sort of poetry on the last page about how someone wanting to see the stars and not wanting to say goodbye to someone else when the sound of someone clearing his throat made Will look up and he found a guy with dark hair and a pair of dark brown eyes

Nico found a guy was flipping through his books where he jotted down his ideas for new songs. Nico just finished writing the lyrics for the song that he wrote for Bianca because even though Bianca passed away 12 years ago because of cancer Nico still missed her every day and one of his fondest memory about her was star gazing together where Bianca would tell him about the constellations and stories about those constellations. The blond guy looked up and for a second Nico forgot how to breathe and why he was there because damn those eyes were so blue, too blue

The blond asked him whether Nico was writing poetry or something and Nico usually did not tell people about what he has been doing and especially not to strangers but those eyes and there was just something, something about this blond guy that made Nico tell him that no, he wrote songs and a stupid wide smile that was just so ridiculously bright just bloomed on the blond’s face

Before Nico knew it he already sat down in front of the blond whose name was Will and they started talking about the songs that Nico was working on and hey what a coincidence they had the same app on their phones to make some music

They compared the tracks that they have recorded to each other. Will found Nico’s music to be something refreshing and Nico somehow just fell in love with Will’s singing voice that was just so soft and that was exactly the kind of song that he wanted for this one song

They did not realize that they had spent hours talking about music until Jason showed up and tell him that he was so sorry and he did not want to interrupt but it was like fifteen minutes to two am and he was closing the shop.

 Despite the fact that it was far past midnight both Nico and Will were really on fire about this one thing that they felt would be very likely become like, a real song if they just keep continue working on it 

 So when Will suggested that they continue working in his apartment because it was not really far from the coffee shop

They went to Will’s apartment and spent a few more hours when they finish a piece of song complete with the lyrics.

It was 8.30 in the morning when they fell asleep, Will on the couch and Nico on the armchair, papers scattered all around them

Will woke up in late afternoon and Nico was gone but on the paper where they had the last version of the piece that they were working on was Nico’s handwriting: That was fun. Maybe we should do it again. His phone number was scribbled on the paper.

Two or three days later, Nico was totally not thinking about Will when he was playing some random notes on his guitar

Then he got a phone call from Will asking whether Nico would be available in the evening because they need to have some serious talk

Nico was freaking out a bit with the serious talk but he showed up in Jason’s coffee shop where he found Will was already waiting with someone named Cecil that he introduced as the person doing Will’s legal stuffs and that kind of stuffs

Basically Will wanted to release the song that they wrote together as his newest single so he asked Nico whether he would be okay with that and if he said yes than he would continue with the song writing process along with the legal stuff and other shit like that

Nico didn’t instantly say yes, besides, he was still kind of shocked to realize that Will was a real actual pop singer who had released an album last year with some singles topping the chart but Will said it was okay Nico could think about it for as long as he wanted to

But three days later Nico texted him and just said okay let’s do this

So they met again and the next few weeks Nico and Will spent so much time together writing that song

Two months later, Will released The Fault in Our Stars as his newest single. His fans were ecstatic and the fact that Will wrote a line where he thanked ‘the angel who came to me in a dark night and bring a new light into my life’

After the single was released, Will and Nico still spent time together. Yes they were still write new songs but they’re also like hanging out like playing video games in Will’s apartment or watching TV series or whatever 

It was almost scary for Will to realize that spending time with Nico had become something that he was really looking forward to. It was like it had been always been too long since the last time he met Nico before they could meet again. This realization that hit Will ended up with Will writing Wild as the his next single

One day they went somewhere and went to a photo booth and did some silly pictures together then they drove around the city and talked about wouldn’t it be nice if they could just go anywhere in the world because hey they were still young anyway right? The euphoria of going out together for the whole day ended up with them writing Youth

One night, somehow they talked about their past, including about the first time they found their sexualities and how they had struggled about it (well, Will was born and raised in a quite conservative family and Nico was born and raised in a Catholic family in Italy), they ended up writing Heaven together

On another night, Will told Nico about Jake Mason, his ex-boyfriend that he left before he started his career in the music industry. He told Nico how sometimes he felt guilty about him leaving Jake just like that and while Will was moving forward with his career Jake was still there in their quiet hometown and yeah Will felt guilty but at the same time he didn’t think he and Jake would work out as a couple anyway. Nico encouraged him to write a song about it and hey, they ended up writing The Good Side.

On another occasion, Will was having a mental breakdown because he was so so tired with all the pressure in his career and Nico came to calm him down and just held him close and talked softly to him, quietly whispered at Will and ran his hand soothingly on Will’s back. Nico talked to Will about some small simple things in life that made life beautiful and he asked Will about what were the things that Will remembered the most about his childhood and what were things that Will liked, just some simple basic things in life but those little things that could put a smile on your face and just made you feel at ease. The next day, after Will felt better, they started writing Ease

(No it’s not finished yet but it’s past midnight already and I could barely keep my eyes open but I still have some headcanon about this AU because I already had what songs that Nico would be uploaded on his channel that he wrote about his relationship with Will and also how they wrote for him  together and WIll wrote Bite because gosh he really wanted Nico to kiss him and how they write My My My but maybe I’ll do it next time and MAYBE just MAYBE I am going to wrote a Solangelo series based on this AU)

[ritebeforeyoureyes]

Confessions

Do I like this chapter? No, not really. But I wanted to upload today, so here it is!

Masterlist – Plot: Tom is back in LA.

Confessions (Chapter Eighteen)

Zendaya was sick, and not in the literal sense.

She was sick of feeling helpless, beating herself up over the fact that she didn’t have Tom by her side and that her stalker still wouldn’t leave her alone. Darnell had been wrong about her stalker taking step back and leaving her alone. In fact, her stalker just grew more and more persistent with Tom out the picture. She’d wake up to an abundance of messages, good morning wishes and little kisses. Candid pictures of her smiling were sent to her phone as she went to bed, him reminding her to smile like this when she saw him in her dreams.

It was nauseating.

He was slowly becoming the stereotypical overbearing parent that wouldn’t let their child fly the nest. It was like everything Zendaya did needed to be approved or known by him. She went to the bathroom for a few minutes longer than usual and creepily enough, her stalker knew about it. It was driving her up the wall and consequently, Zendaya’s security too. It was like her stalker was some IT God. It was taking them weeks to decipher the encryption codes the guy was using to hack into her phone and laptop software. Not even buying her new technology had helped because hours later, he was back in.

But the ultimate turning point had been the moment Zendaya came home from work to find flowers on her kitchen island. It was a bouquet of a few dozen red roses; intended to be romantic in gesture. At first, Zendaya had admired the beautiful assortment from afar before the dread settled in her. There was a note, one with barely distinguishable handwriting that read: Beautiful flowers for my beautiful honeybee.

Zendaya’s immediate reaction was to drop the note – she knew who they were from, the adoring term ‘honeybee’ ringing even louder bells than they had before. The limp piece of paper fluttered to her feet and she simply gaped, her eyes swivelling left and right at the probability of her stalker still being in her house. With Darnell doing some PR work and her parents’ absence from L.A., Zendaya was in the house by herself. She thought the premise was safe; alarms, locked doors and windows, security cameras and yet he’d still managed to invade her privacy (yet again) Other than her parents and Darnell, nobody had a key to Zendaya’s place and instantly, she was on edge.

Instinctively, Zendaya grabbed at a knife, just in case, before calling the authorities and her security team. The wait for them to arrive had felt like some of the longest moments of her life, mirroring the emotions that she had felt when being held captive just a few weeks ago. Zendaya knew being that stereotypical stupid protagonist of a horror movie was not going to end well. So, she kept her mouth shut and slid down behind her kitchen counters in an attempt to hide. With her back pressed firmly against the cupboards behind her, she pulled her knees to her chest and prepared herself for an attack if the intruder was to show himself.

Nevertheless, regardless of how prepared she looked on the outside, Zendaya felt her panic surface. Her body was perspired, and she felt her breathing grow more difficult. Every time she attempted to inhale, her throat grew constricted and a wheezing sound resonated from her chest. She was experiencing the tell-tale signs of a minor panic attack. But, it was safe to say, her stalker was no longer there because within hours, Zendaya was speaking to police officers about what had happened, having her house scoped excessively and skilfully, checking herself into a hotel room for the rest of the week.

After that moment, she wasn’t left alone. There was always someone by her side and soon it was becoming increasingly unbearable. She was being treated like a child and she hated it. Even the press had caught wind of Zendaya’s break-in situation, her face plastered over major media outlets. Every time she stepped out the door, Zendaya was being hounded by paparazzi and fans and deep down, she knew most of them came from a good place. She knew there were people who genuinely cared yet … she couldn’t help but feel massively alone, even when she was reunited with her Spider-Man co-stars.

It was the first time Zendaya was having a home cooked meal in a while and Laura, Tom, Harrison, Jacob, Zendaya and Darnell were sat around a table. Zendaya smiled when she was meant to but most of the time, her eyes stayed trained on her plate. She could feel Tom’s oppressive glare occasionally, but she ignored it. If Zendaya looked at Tom, that was going to be it for her … she would breakdown.

“Could you pass the salt, Jacob?” Zendaya asked her friend across from her. He silently nodded, in the middle of chewing, and slid the salt shaker across the table. “Thanks.”

“We all know how Zendaya loves to receive things.” Tom made the snide remark about receiving under his breathe, and the whole table went eerily quiet.

Before flying back to L.A., Tom had tortured himself by looking up Odell Beckham Jr. He was an American football wide receiver and Tom couldn’t help it as the unprecedented quip left his lips.

“What did you just say?” Zendaya dropped her fork into her plate, her mouth widening with a tinge of anger. She wasn’t stupid, she had heard Tom loud and clear and she knew exactly what he was implying. It was ironic actually, how mad he seemed to be at the possibility of her moving on with Odell (despite it being false) Yet, he made no acknowledgement of the fact that she was as shit scared as ever of her stalker or that he had been the first to move on. Zendaya couldn’t get the image of Tom and Ella out of her head and she was angry that first, he was plaguing her mind so furiously and second, that he had the audacity to make jabs at her for coincidentally running into a friend at a basketball game.

Odell and Zendaya were just friends and the tabloids claiming that they had gone on a date together were being ridiculous. Zendaya had been sat, courtside, with her mom, that should have been a big enough indicator that it wasn’t a date. She thought it was absurd how people were more fascinated by her love life then they were about her safety.

In Tom’s defence, however, petty jabs were the best he could come up with when he saw Zendaya again. He ignored the swarming of his heart and the clamminess of his hands, the word diarrhoea leaving his lips freely. His eyes glazed over the fact that she looked ever so beautiful and sad, his heart forcing him to shut her out. It was easier that way. He knew there was no going back to the normality of their relationship and that thought killed him. He knew he needed to get used to a life without Zendaya, no matter how hard that was, and jeopardising both their romantic and friendly relationship meant pushing her away – it gave Zendaya an excuse not be around him and Tom an outlet for his anger.

And frankly, with how asshole-like Tom was being, Zendaya didn’t want to be in the same room as him. With her stalker picking and choosing his moments to intervene with her life and Tom being so unlike his usual supportive self, Zendaya was overwhelmed and suddenly, the large room that they were in felt oppressive. She felt claustrophobia like she had never felt it before and she politely excused herself from the dinner table, her stomach still grumbling profoundly.

Once again, she was alone.

The room was left silent as she departed, everybody scared to make a sound after what they had witnessed. But Jacob, being the devoted Tom-Zendaya stan that he was, knew he needed to intervene, “That was a low blow, bro.”

“This whole situation is-“ Tom sighed heavily, running a frustrated hand through his curls. Jacob was one of the most real people that he knew and the fact that he was calling him out on his shit meant that he had really screwed up. “Everything’s fucked up and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Look man, do you really believe she’s seeing that guy?” Jacob added, his eyes narrowing as he forced Tom to wholly think about his response. It took him a while to think about it but truthfully, he’d known the answer since the moment he’d seen the pictures that were currently all over the internet. Odell clearly made her happy, but Tom knew Zendaya, like really knew her, and he knew she wouldn’t have gone so public with a relationship so quick. It didn’t add up.

“No, I don’t.”

“So, talk to her!” Laura chimed in. She didn’t understand why both Zendaya and Tom were being so stubborn and refusing to discuss the elephant in the room. Personally, Laura saw strength in numbers and she believed that Tom and Zendaya should be tackling their problems together instead of fighting one another in return. “Tom, I’m not going to beat around the bush, this stalker business is screwing her up and, I really think she needs you right now so grow a pair and start pulling your weight before somebody else does it for you.”

The reality behind Laura’s words settled within Tom, her melodic voice ringing through his head over and over again – she needs you right now, she needs you right now, she needs you right now.

“Fine, I’ll talk to her.”

If you enjoyed this piece and would like to help further me and my work, please support me whilst I get through university. The money you donate will go towards assisting me in my student fees. It is one hundred per cent a voluntary pursuit and greatly appreciated, however, your lovely comments and votes are always welcomed too. Thank you for being the greatest: https://ko-fi.com/D1D072V0

[luucarii]

Persona 5 Ramblings

this shit is long. like really long.

and I sound like a crazed fangirl so....

MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. IM TALKING ABOUT LIKE ALMOST EVERYTHING BUD!!!

also, i curse way too much in this... apologies in advance 

also, happy father’s day even though this has nothing to do with it :)

THIS IS ALL BACKGROUND ON ME BEFORE I GOT THE GAME SKIP TO THE NEXT BOLD PART IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MY OPINION ON THE GAME ITSELF.

Okay, so I’ve mentioned vaguely how Persona 5 is my first encounter with the Persona series. I’d heard bits and pieces about the series but I never really understood the concept of Persona until maybe mid April of this year. I was on spring break from school and I don’t remember how exactly how I stumbled across it but i found this playthrough of Persona 5 on youtube and I was mildly interested. So I clicked on it, and into the emotional rollercoaster that is this game i went.

At the time, there was only about 11 episodes of the play through (each around an hour long) so I binged watched each episode ending up with me staying up past 2 am. I was just so invested. The opening drew me in the minute the camera showed off that smug little bastard Joker’s smirk over the casino (I’ll get into why I love this kid and the rest of the cast later). I was confused since I was going into Persona 5 with no knowledge of the whole concept of Personas at all. I was kinda just like “wow this looks badass. What is he doing? Oh my god, this game is so pretty.”

I ended up skipping around once I got tired of waiting for a new episode and watched this long ass livestream. I got to about Okumura’s Palace before there was nothing left for me to watch but the boss battles uploaded, which did spoil me a little bit and got me a bit confused but I was so interested that I honestly didn’t care. I was so surprised at Niijima’s Palace and her boss battle as a whole and was like “SHIT THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME!!!! OH MY GOD EVERYTHINGS BACK”

From there, I skipped straight to the traitor - aka Akechi’s battle - and can I just say, I was not surprised that he had a Persona but I was surprised that he betrayed the group considering all the story shit I skipped. Shido’s fight was fairly interesting to me but again, I skipped a bunch of story shit so I was really just rooting for the Phantom Thieves because this was THE ASSHOLE WHO GAVE MY POOR LITTLE AKIRA A CRIMINAL RECORD.

Skipped a bunch of shit again and onto the fight with Yaldobaoth. At this point I was drawing a lot of similarities to Xenoblade Chronicles, fighting a God for freedom and then THEY PULLED THE WHOLE BELIEF THINGY (which they did at the end of Okami as well) AT THE END WITH MISHIMA AND THE REST OF TOKYO BELIEVING IN THE THIEVES AND I WAS SOBBING LIKE A LITTLE BITCH AT 2 AM.

And after that, I made it a point that one day I’d play this game for myself. And it was maybe a few days after that I finally got the game.

Now at the time (and still now) I didn’t own a PS4 and was forced to use my brother’s when he was at work. Adding to the fact that school was beginning to start up again, I had at most maybe 6 hours to play a day if homework didn’t take up all my time. So what might’ve taken me a few weeks to beat took me almost 2 months to beat because of timing. 

BUT OH WELL, I HAD THE GAME, I PLAYED THE GAME, I LOVED THE GAME AND NOW IM GOING TO SQUEAL LIKE A FANGIRL OVER EVERY ASPECT OF THIS GAME THAT I ADORED.

GAMEPLAY

Okay, so I’ve played my fair share of JRPGs and Persona 5 was a nice familiarity. All the dungeon crawling, the fighting, turn-base combat, ya’ll get it.

BUT UM THESE DUNGEONS (Palaces if you would) ARE FREAKING GORGEOUS, HELL THE GAME ITSELF IS GORGEOUS.

Each Palace and their respective Shadow ruler has their own design, personality and each are based on the seven deadly sins which (after finishing FullMetal Alchemist a few months earlier) I thought was clever and interesting.

Kamoshida’s castle was a nice balance of a first dungeon and “hey we’re not gonna hold your hand, this is fairly simply kill some Shadows, find the infiltration route and don’t get kicked out.” ALSO RYUJI AND ANN’S AWAKENINGS. JUST THAT. INCREDIBLE.

Madarame’s museum had a little bit more difficulty but was still fairly easy. The security bars kinda gave me a little anxiety considering I was still getting used to all the controls (I had just finished an Xbox One game before playing this so my buttons were mixed up) and the little painting guessing game was a bit dumb considering each Sayuri looked EXACTLY THE SAME TO ME (except the color swapped ones) ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING YUSUKE WAS THERE AND COULD HAVE EASILY TOLD US BUT NO HE WANTED TO TEST AKIRA’S ART SKILL. ARE YOU APART OF THE PHANTOM THIEVES OR NOT YUSUKE??????????

but i digress…

Kaneshiro’s bank was fun but GOD SEND THOSE FREAKING SECURITY CAMERAS AND THOSE SHADOW DOGS TO HELL OH MY GOD I HATED THOSE. See my thing is, I’m not exactly a stealthy person. Which is why I love hiding because you can sneak up on Shadows and ambush them easily. I hate raising security level and those damn dogs were so annoying and just ugh. Those dogs are honestly one of the few grips I have with the game. Also, MAKOTO IS THE ACTUAL QUEEN.

Futaba’s temple was by far the longest one for me in terms of gameplay hours (in game time took me about 2-3 days) but it was still fun nonetheless and I’m glad Futaba (who is one of my favorite female characters) got some closure on her story with her mother and was able to rise above that. I’m a sucker for tragic backstories when their well executed. (i still to this day do not know how to pronounce her Persona…)

Okumura’s spaceship was my favorite aesthetically because I’ve always been interested in space and the stars and the little puzzle at the end with the space pockets was a nice bit of challenging and flying through Metaverse space. ALSO HARU HAS FLUFFY FLUFF HAIR AND HAS MY SECOND FAVORITE PHANTOM THIEF OUTFIT 

hmm, i wonder who has my favorite Phantom Thief outfit... Joker... It’s Joker... god damn those red gloves

Niijima’s casino, which OH MY GOD WERE BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND AKECHI’S WITH US AHH, and WHIMS OF FATE IS BEST PALACE THEME.

It was my favorite palace, no questions asked.

Shido’s ship was another long one but finally getting revenge on this dick was incredible. Also, AKECHI AND RYUJI PLAYING WITH MY FEELINGS.

Mementos was a good idea as a whole but the way it was executed everything just sort of blended together for me and there were only a few requests that stood out to me. The music was bland (one of the blandest on the soundtrack, especially compared to the other Palace themes casually mentions Whims of Fates again) and during the late floors of Mementos, everything got so dark and it was really hard to see.

CHARACTERS

expect this to be me screaming a lot.

Akira Kurusu (Protagonist)

okay, um, i love this boy. like a lot. LIKE I WOULD DIE FOR HIM.

For a silent protagonist this guy sure has a lot of character. The rare times he speaks in cutscenes, specifically the ones where he’s Joker, he has this sort of cocky arrogance yet when he’s little Akira in his Shujin uniform he’s a quiet little curious boy. He’s incredible under pressure, like there’s only a few things that make him crack and his dialogue options are priceless.

I especially love Joker because I’m an honest to god mess when it comes to smug bastards and I have an unhealthy love for those crimson gloves of his.

But honestly he doesn’t deserve half the shit he gets in game. Besides the whole “game” set up by Yaldobaoth, he was sent away from his family and presumedly the friends he had back in his hometown all because of his probation, literally no one treats him with any sort of respect when he gets to Shibuya. Sojiro reminds him countless times the first what 3-4 months that he’ll be kicked out if he breaks his probation which (besides doing all that illegal shit as Phantom Thieves) he honestly just goes to school (a place where he gets even more shit from teachers and students), hangs out a little after and comes straight home. I know Akira’s been established to have a bad reputation because of his record but don’t these people have eyes??? Can’t they see that he’s obviously not a bad guy based on what he’s doing in school and not getting involved with the police??? Sojiro's exempt from this because he at least grows to like having Akira around and trusts him enough to go out at night, work in the store alone and lock up from him when he leaves.

AKIRA IS A GOOD BOY WHO DIDN’T DESERVE ALL THE SHIT GIVEN TO HIM

Also, Xander Mobus did a good ass job with his voice

Ryuji Sakamoto

see this post that basically sums up my feelings on this boy.

Also, Max Mittelman.

Ann Takamaki

CAN I JUST SAY ANN IS ONE OF THE BESTEST FRIENDS IVE EVER SEEN???????

Like she went through all that shit with Kamoshida, the harassment, possibly rape, all for freaking Shiho’s sake. Just… wow. That’s some freaking loyalty there. Shiho's the closest friend she has at Shujin (at least before the events of the game) and God knows how long she went along with Kamoshida’s bullshit all for Shiho. I mean I may sound a bit repetitive but holy shit that just amazes  me. SHE. ENDURED. SEXUAL. HARASSMENT. ALL. FOR. HER. BEST. FRIEND. And the minute she watched Shiho’s suicide attempt that was it. Any last bit of restraint she had left broke and she went full on at Kamoshida all for revenge for her best friend. My god.

Onto her confidant ranks, Ann is just a charismatic bundle of joy who just wants to make people happy. Yeah she butted heads with that girl (forgot her name…) and did fall down a little in terms of confidence but Akira and Shiho helped her through it and brought her back on her path of what she wants to do… Just ugh, I love Ann so much.

Yusuke Kitagawa

Yusuke’s a fan favorite and for good reason.

His backstory about how Madarame took him in after his mom died and overlooked his painting which led to the later plagiarism is an interesting one and I love how the Sayuri, the only thing left to connect him to his mother, is an important factor that leads to his realization of “oh shit this guy’s a dick who watched my mom die without helping her and he used me for money and fame.”

As a character though, Yusuke’s freaking weird. But i love him because of it. He has his formal tongue but that formal tongue casually overlooks any weird shit that comes out of his mouth. He doesn’t give any flying fucks about what people think of him and he speaks his mind like there’s no tomorrow. I still crack up at the nude painting scene with him and Ann because his mix of awkwardness and passion to paint a nice ass picture is just incredible. Also, another thing. He’s. So. Damn. Passionate. Like he ties art into everything, even fighting Shadows and he’s always looking for new ideas for paintings.

Also, Matt Mercer

Makoto Niijima

MAKOTO IS QUEEN.

She’s not my favorite female, that role goes to Futaba but she’s definitely number 2.

I genuinely have a love for the Niijima sisters because they complement each other so well. Sae’s the head of the house who also works tirelessly just to support her younger sister and it’s clear to see why Makoto would feel useless. She’s a high school student and as a student you really can’t do much that’ll pay the bills and keep food on the table unless you have a job which Makoto’s student council president and (i’m assuming) is in everything so it’d probably be hard as is to get a job and be of some sort of use to her sister. Then Kaneshiro comes around threatening her and Thieves and her sister and she just doesn’t want to feel useless anymore. She wants to do something after being forced to sit back and watch other people be counted on. And just, ugh, her awakening is by far my favorite out of all of them just because of everything behind it and just MAKOTO IS AMAZING, CASE CLOSED.

Also, Cherami Leigh.

Futaba Sakura

By far my favorite female as I feel our personalities are pretty damn similar. Besides her being a hacker and me not knowing anything about possibly illegal things like that, I relate to Futaba as she’s an introvert. She and I value our alone time and (although for different reasons) like being shut in. Now I’m not going to say Futaba and I share the same backstory because my God I’m honestly baffled how this girl went through years in solitude after her mother’s death thinking it was her fault. For one, she WATCHED HER MOTHER DIE IN FRONT OF HER. HOLY SHIT HOW DID THIS GIRL MANAGE TO FUNCTION WITH THAT MENTAL IMAGE IMPRINTED IN HER BRAIN???? AND THEN FOR YEARS ON END SHE LOCKED HERSELF UP AWAY FROM THE WORLD AND BEGAN HAVING ACTUAL PHYSICAL AND VERBAL HALLUCINATIONS AND IF IT WASNT FOR THE PHANTOM THIEVES SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE ENDED UP KILLING HERSELF AND I DONT WANT TO THINK OF A WORLD WITHOUT THIS ADORABLE LITTLE OTAKU.

also, i really ship her and Yusuke Inari

Haru Okumura

For one, Haru is freaking adorable, I mean look at her. She has the short little fluffy fluff hair and her voice is so light and feathery and polite and WHY DOES SHE COME SO LATE IN THE DAMN GAME????

I was lucky enough to manage to finish her confidant before the end of the game but when her confidant first opened up to me (getting rank 5 Proficiency was a bitch) at that point I was planning on not doing her confidant at all, I was just planning on getting Baton Pass and ditching her because I didn’t think I’d finish it. I did (at the cost of not finishing Makoto’s, still extremely disappointed on that) and I have to say Haru’s confidant was by far my favorite one out of the ones I maxed out.

Her whole thing is now that her father’s dead, she’s basically the one inheriting everything from Okumura Foods and she never really understood anything to begin with and she thinks everyone who’s trying to help her is just doing it for their own self-gain.  Okumura Foods, at this point, is attempting to rise back up after all the shit her father put the company through and all the current bad reputation it has. Haru’s never had a chance in her life to make things for herself. She’s always been told what to do and has been very obedient (even agreeing to marry a literal dickhead all for her father’s company) and suddenly she’s given all control and doesn’t know what to do with it. All these happy smiling faces offering their help just seem like people attempting to take advantage of her incompetence. Akira helps her through it like the amazing boy that he is and Haru ends up finally being able to speak her mind about the company and what SHE wants to do. She gives the company up to someone who she believes is trustworthy and decides that she’ll one day open a small little cafe like Leblanc in the future after college. And honestly, just her overcoming her distrust and her previous shell of being obedient to rising up and making her own decisions it makes me so happy and proud to see her grow and change and just UGGH I LOVE EVERYONE IN THIS DAMN CAST.

Morgana

This cat, literally this cat. HE BELONGS WITH AKIRA AND THE REST OF THE THIEVES NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.

Loud-mouthed, a little bit arrogant, Morgana is just an amazing character in general for me. I know Ryuji’s technically supposed to be the comic relief (and he does fulfill this role, don’t get me wrong) but I feel Morgana takes this spot too, especially the two bickering like an old married couple. I know some people hate on Morgana because of how he treats Ryuji and the amount of “go to bed” memes on Tumblr but all around Morgana is just a cat who was just looking for a place to call home. He was just looking for people to accept him.

And a part of me honestly hopes if there’s an add on for this game in the future, Morgana gets a human form because I’d love to see that.

Also, please tell me I’m not the only one who still mixes up Morgana’s gender. I still sometimes call him a her just out of habit because I can’t hear Cassandra Lee Morris as anything but a girl.

Also, Cassandra Lee Morris.

Goro Akechi

OKAY SO CONTROVERSY??? MAYBE??

I LIKE AKECHI

NO FUCK THAT

I LOVE AKECHI

LIKE HONEST TO GOD THIS BOY DESERVED BETTER.

Don’t misunderstand, I know he killed people. I know he caused all those shutdowns and was planning on killing the Thieves and eventually Shido himself (which now begs the question, say he did kill Shido, what next?)

I’m not denying anything he did. And yes, his backstory (although extremely saddening) does not justify his actions. He knew what he was doing and he still did it.

Akechi took the wrong path in his life. If anything you can sort of compare his story to Futaba’s in the sense that they both lost family members and were left with nothing. In Futaba’s case however, she still had people trying to help her. She had Sojiro who took her in after her uncle was abusing her or something and she had the Thieves who literally changed her heart and made her see the truth.

Akechi had absolutely nobody.

His mom died (suicide if I remember correctly), he was thrown into foster care, his own father (seriously, fuck Shido. Not just because of how he was with Akechi but everything in this damn game) didn’t even knew he existed. He had no acknowledgement, no affection, nothing. He was forced to make do with what little scraps he could find and make a life for himself.

Again, don’t misunderstand me. I know he killed people and his backstory does not justify his actions because he knew what he was doing was wrong. I’m just saying maybe if he had someone, anyone who was there to help him out, to pull him out of his misery he most likely would have been a different person. He wouldn’t have had his revenge for Shido be his only reason for living and he wouldn’t have gone out the way he did. It’s hard not to feel bad for him. He’s been alone all his damn life and all this guy really wanted was a friend, some teammates, people who wanted him around. I just wish Akechi had gotten a way to repent. I hate the fact that he died. One because we lost a good character and two because I genuinely believe that he wanted to change at the end. Akira changed him. The Thieves changed him. I wish he had gotten an ending where he could own up to his mistakes and be able to make up for lost time.

Just… ugh.

I’m apart of the “Akechi deserved better” group.

And I also ship Akeshu really really really hard.

Also, Robbie Daymond was freaking fantastic.

VERDICT

THIS IS LONG ENOUGH SO LET ME SUM IT UP IN A SENTENCE.

PERSONA 5 IS AMAZING, I LOVED IT.

[jmkitsune]

1-100 (because revenge)

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?

none, I have foobar and all my music is downloaded

is your room messy or clean?

in the middle, could be cleaner but not a disaster

what color are your eyes?

dark as fuck brown

do you like your name? why?

birthname- no

preferred- yes (hence I don’t like anyone knowing my birthname)

what is your relationship status?

single

describe your personality in 3 words or less

ambitious, lazy, idealistic

what color hair do you have?

auburn/strawberry blond

(Red hair)

what kind of car do you drive? color?

yeah no- don’t drive

where do you shop?

online

how would you describe your style?

rolled out of bed and making shit up as I go

favorite social media account

twitter/twitch

what size bed do you have?

futon so a twin

any siblings?

3 half siblings

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why?

tony stark’s house

do I need to explain? look at that house, it’s fucking gorgeous 

favorite snapchat filter?

don’t use filters

favorite makeup brand(s)

don’t wear makeup

how many times a week do you shower?

every other day optimally (depression days make it like every two days or so)

favorite tv show?

if we’re talking shows that are still going-

archer, arrow, flash, legends of tomorrow and supergirl, star wars rebels and samurai jack

shoe size?

9 1/2

how tall are you?

5′7

sandals or sneakers?

converse or boots

do you go to the gym?

nah

describe your dream date

*shrugs* don’t really have one, never really “did dates” growing up so eh

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment?

3 bucks

what color socks are you wearing?

white

how many pillows do you sleep with?

3 on my bed, two aren’t used those

do you have a job? what do you do?

long answer is I write/am independently publishing my first book while writing the second and third, I stream on twitch 5 days a week and edit said streams for YT, as well as clean a warehouse/office building once a week, then there is also the whole doing shit around the house cause yeah I’m domestic more than “work force” type

short answer- I am always doin somethin >.>

how many friends do you have?

when I count in my “still waking up” mind I think...14-18

whats the worst thing you have ever done?

depends on who you ask?

could be simple as a pun I told or I dunno I tend to think everything I do is the worst

whats your favorite candle scent?

eh I’m not REALLY a scented candle person

3 favorite boy names

don’t really have favorite names

3 favorite girl names

see previous question

favorite actor?

I dunno I like actors/actresses but don’t have favorites

favorite actress?

see previous

who is your celebrity crush?

don’t have one

favorite movie?

star wars or the MCU but more so star wars

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book?

the star wars EU (legends and canon)

percy jackson books

grisha trilogy

money or brains?

can’t pick, don’t see how one supersedes the other when both can change a person, so case by case or would simply say “why not both”

do you have a nickname? what is it?

JM

how many times have you been to the hospital?

uhhh not many, maybe like 3 or 4 times

top 10 favorite songs

really depends on the week seeing as I don’t NOT have my music always playing

do you take any medications daily?

nah

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc)

uhh I think oily? I dunno really this is stuff I never really paid attention enough to for me to understand

what is your biggest fear?

lol XD hahahahhaaha

replacement

abandonment

not being good enough

going from cared for and watching someone get over me/sick of me

not being good enough

sensory deprivation

being a waste of space/time to someone

how many kids do you want?

next

whats your go to hair style?

rolled out of bed and went with how lazy I am for tying it up or not

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)

eh it’s a mediumish sized house

who is your role model?

I couldn’t think of someone

what was the last compliment you received?

in relation to “if we were deities of some form or another” from Adrienne

you would be a super interesting not-god though seriously now that I'm thinking about it (-...-)   You do always tend to see the potential for good in humanity where I often only see the potential for more evil. But I do agree that humanity has a stubborn streak to rival your own - they don't give up and they don't quit and neither do you. I admit to a (slightly grudging) admiration in that regard. There's no wonder Deity!JM would much rather make his way among humans than sit in the clouds and listen to a bunch of powerful privileged beings and their constant bickering 

I took it as a form of compliment...or something

what was the last text you sent?

“good good, was gonna ask if you were/did do that already.”

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?

I was raised by a Jewish Mom/”christian” step dad so I was the kid in school who had that “secret jew pact” we couldn’t tell the other kids bout Santa

what is your dream car?

not really into cars, being in them gives me panic/anxiety attacks

opinion on smoking?

disgusting habit, wouldn’t ever do it, or date someone who does it

do you go to college?

could have skipped senior year to go...didn’t

*shrugs*

what is your dream job?

not needing to work to survive

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?

retrofitted clock tower home

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

don’t go to hotels enough to really consider this

do you have freckles?

used to have a LOT not anymore

do you smile for pictures?

I smirk at best

how many pictures do you have on your phone?

like 10, I delete selfies after uploading them and I don’t really get sent anything so

have you ever peed in the woods?

name a guy who hasn’t for one reason or another

do you still watch cartoons?

that’s like 75% all I watch

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds?

neither

Favorite dipping sauce?

ketchup

what do you wear to bed?

whatever I wore that day

yes that means I sleep in like t shirt and jeans

have you ever won a spelling bee?

nope- never been in one either

what are your hobbies?

writing

 video games

music

staring blankly at a wall cause I’m unaware of anything else to do?

can you draw?

nope

do you play an instrument?

teaching myself over time (reteaching) guitar and  first time ocarina

what was the last concert you saw?

Papertongues, Neon Trees in Boston

tea or coffee?

coffee

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?

I live in New England, starbucks is the devil I run on Dunkins

do you want to get married?

I look at it this way- this is like asking “do you wanna be rich” ideally people either “yes or no” but it’s not a simple question, being married means so much it can’t be a “Yes or no”

what is your crush’s first and last initial?

moving on

are you going to change your last name when you get married?

*Shrugs* have no attachment to it BUT all my books will have it in the author name soo who knows

what color looks best on you?

I dunno

do you miss anyone right now?

sure

do you sleep with your door open or closed?

closed and locked

do you believe in ghosts?

you mean memories that linger in dreams/nightmares? sure

the undead? not so much

what is your biggest pet peeve?

I guess people invalidating what I say one minute if they don’t like what I say but then the next saying I’m SOO smart on something they agree with

last person you called`

....that was a LONG time ago, I barely call people

favorite ice cream flavor?

strawberry/vanilla

regular oreos or golden oreos?

regular

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles?

neither

what shirt are you wearing?

my gray monarchy card shirt that I like ALWAYS wear

what is your phone background?

Darth Revan is the normal background

Revan and Meetra Surik is the lockbackground

are you outgoing or shy?

shy as fuck

do you like it when people play with your hair?

only specific people are allowed to

do you like your neighbors?

I don’t go out enough to interact with them

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning?

when I shower I do >.>

have you ever been high?

nope

have you ever been drunk?

yuuuup

last thing you ate?

uhh last night....so well technically YESTERDAY evening around...6 or 7ish had Denny’s with kyo and eden

favorite lyrics right now

little wonders by rob thomas I guess, probably not a good thing to pick a sad song lol

summer or winter?

uhh love winter aesthetic but hate snow

love summer for being able to have a nice breeze/cool nights but hate humidity

day or night?

im nocturnal as fuck so night

dark, milk, or white chocolate?

milk and white

favorite month?

don’t have one

what is your zodiac sign

Pisces - like I am the walking embodiment of the damn sign at times

who was the last person you cried in front of?

probably Kyo or Eden I think if we’re talking bout crying in front of in person and that was a while ago, like few years, normally people don’t see me cry

so Kate- revenge was made, but it took me like...10-15 minutes to answer so :D could have been worse

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Volume 6. Argus Limited

This is a re-posting from Oct. 27th, 2018 in an effort to get all my recaps fully on tumblr. Thanks!

Volume Six is here, folks! I am so very, stupidly excited for this season. Heartfelt thanks go out to my friend who was all, “lol yeah sure” when I begged to use their FIRST account to watch. There are heroes in this world and they’re one of them.

A quick note about recaps from here on out: they will (my productivity willing) be uploaded sometime on Thursday or Friday proceeding the new episode. This is partly so that I’m not scrambling to post immediately afterwards—stress and bad writing all around—and partly so that, you know, we can actually recap stuff before the next episode airs. So yeah, that’s the goal.

Let’s do it!

We open on a gorgeous, snowy scene with ROOSTER TEETH PRESENTS smack dab in the middle. You know that feeling you get when you hear the Harry Potter theme at the beginning of a new film and the whole theater loses their shit? Same with Doctor Who and Star Wars? Whatever your preferred fandom, the point is I get the same chills when RWBY comes back and it’s excellent.

The animation really is gorgeous though and I sigh happily whenever I see it, thinking back to the days when cookies disappeared directly into Ruby’s mouth. There’s nostalgia, sure, but it doesn’t beat this detail.

We hear the distant sound of a train and then we’re thrown into exactly what we’ve wanted for literal years now: Team RWBY back together again, fighting not creepy adults but just some good, old fashioned grimm. They’re chimeras and… griffins? Ngl I’m not entirely sure, but they’re big, flying, fire-breathing nasties, so that’s really all we need to know. Luckily everyone falls back into old habits, easily supporting one another and executing perfect attacks (a contrast to the residual tension we’ll see in just a bit). Ruby is so busy posing after a successful kill that she misses the grimm coming at her from behind. Weiss saves her ass with a cheeky, “Thank me later!” At the end of the fight we get a reversal wherein a hit nearly sends Weiss tumbling off the side of the train, though Ruby grabs her at the last second with her own, “Thank me later!” It’s a fun little exchange made better when we think back to the Vytal Tournament. Weiss still “had her back” then too, but was more resistant to Ruby’s proclamation that they’re BFFs. Now the teasing is on both ends.

Notably, Ruby saves Weiss by taking her into her semblance, creating a cloud of rose petals that are half red, half white. Now combined with the old team-ups and some shots in the new opening, this has led a number of fans (myself included) to wonder if a WhiteRose pairing is in our future. Which also means that the ship wars are in full swing. Needless to say I’m not about that nonsense and I’ll only point out here what I said episodes back: if it’s a queer relationship with one of our main girls, and not a random side character who was previously out to murder a whole family? I’m on board.

Back in the fight though. The rest of team RNJR appears with Nora exclaiming, “Why is it always something?” God that’s a mood. Welcome to adulthood, kid. It’s just one crisis after another—except in your case the crises are objectively more dangerous. Sorry about that. We get to see Jaune’s improved reflexes as he fends off all the fireballs with his shield while Ren and Nora team up to knock some of the monsters out.

Honestly, I love this trope in action stories. Where—as Nora does here—a character just shouts out a friend’s name to get their attention and they immediately know what kind of move they’re about to pull off. It’s made more hilarious to me given that RWBY once had attack names and Jaune at least made the attempt with JNPR...but apparently they're not needed anymore. So unrealistic, yet so very cool when used.

So yeah, things are going pretty smoothly… up until Oscar yells out “Tunnel!” Ruby saves Weiss from falling, they manage to get over or between the cars, and in the sudden darkness we transition to what we only realize later is a flashback. At least, I didn’t realize it until later. Totally thought we’d had a time skip and they were just hopping another train…

My stupidity aside, before we hit the train station we actually see a familiar hallway filled with angry voices discussing the disaster at Haven—one of which is Adam’s. I really enjoyed this technique, wherein we slowly pan across the room as the voices grow more frantic and the sounds of fighting break out, the camera revealing bodies scattered across the floor. By the time we reach the throne—and Adam on it— we realize that the fight occurred prior to this moment, something that Adam is now remembering. He goes all skyward scream on us as he howls menacingly. Okay, dude. Compared to Cinder and Salem you’re really not all that.

Now we’re at the train station where Qrow is narrating a letter to Ironwood. Hell yes, please bring back the badass, protective Ironwood who defended the students at Beacon and stood up for Weiss. I’d be very pleased if he joins the RWBY gang by the Volume’s end. Qrow’s optimistic about the trip—they’ve plans to reach Ironwood before the letter does, which says either good things about Remnant’s transportation or bad things about its mail—though of course we as the audience know it’s not going to be nearly that simple. We learn that only two weeks have passed since the battle, but people are still reeling from all the implications. Lionheart tragically lost his life defending the school and oh, some students coincidentally were there and did some stuff. Excellent choice in showing us the mindless crowds while we hear this, the naive masses who, yes, would absolutely believe a story like this.

It’s easy to criticize no one supposedly noticing Salem, magic, the finger Ozpin has in every pie, etc. but ultimately people believe what they’re told—especially when it’s much easier to swallow than the truth.

Enough of the doom and gloom though. Ruby is having the time of her life.

Qrow: “What’s with the running?”

Ruby: “What’s with the standing?!”

I love this girl so very much and it’s wonderful when we get to see her acting like the kid she is. She uses her semblance with abandon because yeah, if I could turn into rose petals I’d be doing that all the time too. Ruby teases Yang with something from the gift shop and I really hope we get to see what that is. Yes, we end the episode with everyone left stranded in the wilderness, but if Yang’s bike can survive then so can Ruby’s souvenirs.

(Seriously though they presumably lost all their luggage that sucks.)

Everyone else is in top, feel-good form too. Nora daydreams about hitting the beach, complete with a thought bubble of topless Ren and a beachball. Weiss quips about how she spent all last Volume getting out of Atlas, thanks, but Ruby reassures her that at least she’s back with the team now. When two jokers arrive boasting about how they’ll be the ones keeping the train safe from grimm, Ruby and Yang act exactly as nieces should when your cool uncle is telling them off. AKA, making fun of them behind his back.

God they must have been terrors as toddlers. I mean we already know Yang carted Ruby off into the woods one day so yeah, I’m pretty confident in expressing my surprise that Tai doesn’t have a full head of gray hair.

The two Nice Guys go on to specify that they’ll provide extra protection for a “generous tip,” which—while essentially a throwaway line—reminds us how most of the world functions outside of our close-knit cast. Money, and more specifically Schnee money, quite literally dictates who lives and who dies. Not everything about RWBY is fantasy oriented…

We learn that everyone is just waiting on Blake— “as usual”—and we cut to her with Ilia as the two of them say their goodbyes. Ilia will be helping Ghira lead the Faunus in a “new movement” and is supposedly 100% on the straight and narrow now. Cool? I guess? To be honest I’m fine with her taking a back seat for this Volume. There’s a moment where we get a shot of Ilia and Blake’s feet, the former’s angled forward in a classic kiss pose, and I was super glad to see that they were just sharing a hug. I really don’t want the first LGBTQIA kiss on RWBY to be iffy on consent, considering that Ilia knows Blake isn’t interested. Hug though? That was super sweet.

Sun and Neptune show up to say their goodbyes too. They’re heading to Vacuo to meet up with the rest of their team because, in Sun’s words, he’s the “worst leader” ever. You kinda are, dude? I loved Sun up until they had him following Blake without her permission and continuing to do so after she asked for space, all in the name of the guy supposedly knowing what the girl really needs. The reminder that Sun abandoned his team to do this just reinforces how much I dislike that plot-line.

Sun gets the kiss—on the cheek—and after leaving Neptune lectures him on “letting [Blake] go.” Except it’s not about you? Blake is off to quite literally save the world and the fact that these guys view that as a threat to any potential relationship is… icky. Ugh. Oh well. They’re presumably gonna be offscreen for a while.

The train finally arrives and everyone piles in. We’re back to bunk beds! And of course Team RWBY is situated exactly as they were in Beacon’s dorms. Weiss gets annoyed with Ruby’s cloak hanging down over the side. Blake has a book in her lap. Ruby challenges Yang to a video game. Cue nostalgia. I fully expect fluffy AU fics where they ride the train all the way to Atlas and treat the trip as one giant, dramatic sleepover. This is non-negotiable.

Tension seeps back in though when Yang moves to pull her luggage from the rack and Blake immediately hops up to help her. In a super guilty “I know I fucked up and now I’m gonna smother you” way. Really excellent voice acting here. Yang ends up reassuring her. No, things aren’t perfect between them yet… but they’re definitely improving.

While short, for me this scene was perfectly balanced between acknowledging the girls’ complicated relationship without totally undermining the happy mood. Nicely done.

Then Qrow shows up with a drink. A drink with a slice of orange on the side. I have never enjoyed a moment more and I was so surprised I didn't take a screenshot of it. Clearly I was too distracted and am I too lazy to go back for one now? You betcha. The point is everything is fine, dandy, and filled with alcohol.

So of course RT goes and ruins it for me. Something hits the train and in a split second everyone is on high alert. A quick peek out the window reveals grimm and Blake mutters darkly that it’s “just my luck.”

Qrow: “Not yours.”

Are they gonna leave the safety of the train to those bozos from before? Hell no. Especially when one guy is grabbed right when the fight starts. I mean, poor dude, but he also kinda sucked as a Huntsmen. He wouldn’t have even made it past Beacon’s initiation, let alone graduated.

…I guess he’s kind of like early Jaune? Useless, wannabe hero who acts more confident than he actually is? Aw, now I really do feel bad.

He’s grimm food though. Gotta move on with our lives.

The other dude isn’t doing too well either, though RWBY and NJR + Oscar quickly show up, coming full circle to where we began the episode. Oscar insists that he’s got this fight under control which tells me (hopefully) that in the past two weeks they’ve had serious conversations about if and when Ozpin gets to have control. That’s super great, though I do wish we could have seen it. Flashbacks, maybe?

As the fight begins Ruby announces that the plan amounts to “don’t let anyone else die.” Uh...Ruby? Buddy. Pal. This is why people die. Because they didn’t have plans! Pyrrha—god rest her reckless soul—went off after a freaking Maiden by herself. Jaune got Amber killed because he didn’t obey the plan of watching the door. Lionheart frantically calls Salem with no real plan for what he’s going to offer her in exchange for his life! Plans are important, Ruby. You’re the team strategist. It was a badass line, I grant you, but please do not.

Luckily, no one (else) dies. That would have been pretty brutal for a premier. +1 point for world building where we see that trains like this have built in defenses to fight off grimm. -2 points for how useless it ends up being. As Qrow quickly points out, the turrets are drawing all the grimm to the front of the train where the passengers are. So, not good. Oscar is charged with telling the surviving goon to knock it off already while Qrow faces off against the super fierce chimera grimm. Not gonna lie though, when its tail first started up I thought Qrow was getting attacked by a dove…

This time when we hit the tunnel everyone makes it back safely inside with the exception of Goon #2 who gets his arm injured in the scramble. He’s literally crying on the ground when, in a pretty harsh move, Qrow drags him up and demands to know what the hell all that was. Civility and benefit of the doubt? Not Qrow’s strong points. It allows Ruby to take control of the situation though. How do you make sure that your cast of kids is continually calling the shots?  A) isolate them and B) when you can’t do that have the adults act like children instead. We see that a fair bit in RWBY.  

Jaune steps in to heal the guy’s arm, which is an unexpected surprise. I honestly thought we'd get a whole Volume’s worth of him figuring out how to access and control his semblance, though I suppose once it manifests you’ve got the basics down. We’ve seen that semblances can be improved upon—Ruby turning other people she carries into petals; Ren dampening the emotions of a whole train—so presumably Jaune will be able to heal more complex and life-threatening things in the future. We also hear in the ensuing conversation that he can amplify someone else’s aura…to be decided what exactly that means, how it connects to healing, and what the limits of the skill is.

During some theorizing about the attack Ozpin brings up that grimm are attracted to the relic they’re carrying and… oh boy. Here we go. Is it tradition that every recap the fandom goes for Ozpin’s throat while I stand here defending him? Might be. Let’s create a (semi) comprehensive list:

This might have been less of a secret and more of a slip. The guy is thousands of years old and the forces they’re dealing with are stupidly complicated. He can’t info dump every detail of a multi-century war in one sitting. So—

He might have thought this was one of those innocuous things that shouldn’t take precedent right now. Not the sort of thing he needs to worry them with. He claims in the promo that he didn't lie to the group and he quite possibly didn't. There's a big difference between lying and not telling someone every single possible thing that might be pertinent. Especially when—

We know that grimm are already attracted to people/negative emotion and they’re sequestered within a whole train full of presumably stressed travelers. There’s no reason to think the artifact would put them in more danger than they already are and therefore isn't at the top of the list of revelations to dole out. Especially with—

Qrow and his bad luck semblance. He literally just implied that the grimm were there because of him. There’s a reason he didn’t want Ruby near him during the fight with Tyrian and now they’re all stuck together in close quarters. The grimm were coming anyway. Even if we didn't have Qrow's semblance and big crowds we can also assume as much because of—

Those turrets. They weren’t there for a fashion statement. The whole train was crazy armored. They’re clearly very used to getting attacked on this route. It's a normal thing.

All of which is to say that the relic is one of MANY reasons why they might have gotten a buttload of grimm on their tail. Ozpin mentions this as one possibility in a very “Here’s something else to consider” way and everyone (characters and fandom alike) jump on him like he’s solely responsible for this predicament. Besides, what would they have done differently? Not carry the relic? That’s not an option. Be more on guard? They’re already constantly on guard. None of their actions would have changed had they known.

Really though, it’s the keeping of secrets that people are mad about, not necessarily what the secret is. So if we ignore the possibility above that Ozpin legit didn’t think this was worth mentioning/even forgot about it, we have a) he withheld the information because it might have made them wary about traveling with others, but they need to get to Atlas as fast as possible and the train is the best way to do that. So yeah, that’s a possible change, though I agree with Ozpin’s theoretical logic here. It was worth the risk.

b) he didn’t tell them because—again—worry is a negative emotion and that might have just doubled their problem. Awful as it is, knowing you're carrying a thing that might attract more grimm is one of the best ways to make sure that you do, in fact, attract them. Knowing what the relic does is dangerous. 

c) he doesn’t trust them with all the information about these super powerful relics that are going to decide the fate of their world. Which honestly? Kind of fair. Yeah, I know he promised them no more secrets, but this is a centuries old, god-like entity making a promise to a child. It’s not even really a matter of trust anymore. We’ve got a core group of nine here and everyone has someone else they’re close to. Ruby isn’t going to keep secrets from Tai. Blake will probably fill Sun in when she sees him again. Weiss is close to her sister. Etc. In short, as soon as this many people know a secret it isn't a secret anymore. Ozpin is no doubt aware that anything he tells to their now massive group is fair game and he has to carefully consider what he wants to risk going public/landing in Salem's hands. A general doesn't tell every lieutenant the details of every plan. That's a good way to lose the war. Fate of the world vs. a promise made to Yang? C’mon. There are priorities here.

d) finally, we’ve seen evidence—particularly after the iconic food fight—that Ozpin desperately wants his students to be kids as long as they can. He might keep information to himself simply because he doesn’t want to burden them. And given all the reasons listed above for why they'd be dealing with grimm anyway, what's the harm in giving them what little peace he can? It's not perfect reasoning and if this is the case the others have a right to be annoyed, but it's understandable. It certainly doesn't make Ozpin the monster I see countless posts painting him as.

Plus, Yang? I’m not sure you have the right to get indignant about keeping secrets right now. Granted, there’s some ambiguity surrounding whether she’s mentioned Raven as the Spring Maiden, but regardless we haven’t seen any evidence that she’s told the group the details of what happened down in the vault. That’s a pretty big thing to be keeping to yourself.

A lot bigger than, “Oh yeah this relic attracts the thing we’re attracting anyway. My bad.”

Why the relic attracts grimm is another question. Because it’s connected to the original brothers? Just because Salem wants it and she seems to be the grimms’ creator? We’ll have to see.

Ruby interrupts everyone’s fury to point out that they have bigger issues at the moment and Ozpin’s expression kind of kills me? He looks so shocked to have anyone standing up for him, even if it’s a defense of practicality instead of his actions. I wonder if this Volume is going to have the team starting to lose a little faith in Ruby. Given the clear divide here (angry Ren, Nora, Weiss, Yang, and Blake on one side; Ruby, Oscar, Ozpin on the other) this might be a major theme moving forward. It would make a lot of sense too given Ruby's past relationship with Ozpin. To Yang he's just her headmaster; to Ruby he's the headmaster that let her into her dream school early. To Blake he's someone who wanted information from her before she was ready to give it; to Ruby he's the adult who gave her advice at the dance and was emotionally open with her about committing more mistakes "than any man, woman, or child." No matter how far she's come, they'll always be a part of Weiss that sees Ozpin as the teacher who didn't give her the leadership position she thought she deserved; to Ruby he's the man that has put a staggering amount of trust in her: by letting her into his school, giving her a team, sending her to Mountain Glenn, etc.

Now, it might be time for Ruby to put her trust in Ozpin.

Fight temporarily averted, they decide to separate the teams… which felt a little forced to me. I mean I get it. As said, giant group. It’s hard to write and keep track of that many, so let’s knock three offstage for a while. Jaune, Ren, and Nora will see the people to safety while Ruby and the rest of the gang eventually catch up. We get a glimpse of Maria—the old lady with awesome glasses—clearly plotting something and then everyone heads back to the roof to finish the fight with the grimm.

Blake has a quick vision of Adam; the last time she separated a train car. Excellent touch there. Ruby tells Ren to use his semblance through the scroll, but we also get a glimpse of their signals getting weaker. Another nice touch considering how important we know the scrolls are throughout the RWBY universe: how the team keeps in contact during the Volume Four short, the damage that the fall of the CCT tower has caused, etc.

We get a final, epic showdown with a massive grimm where everyone’s teamwork proves to be some top tier stuff. Blake and Yang capture it using Blake’s ribbon. Weiss freezes off its wings. Then—in a fantastic split screen—Ruby and Qrow both use their scythes to cut the creature in two. I’m here for the power family moves.

Only problem is that a final fireball from the grimm hits the train, derailing their section. Weiss keeps them all from dying an awful death, but now they’re kind of stranded.

I mean, they already were stranded before, but I guess the hope was the back of the train would have carried them farther down the tracks before losing momentum?

In the final scene we have an unexpected voice happily proclaiming that they’re still alive but boy, that was a close one! Maria hobbles out, having clearly planned to be with this group when they went their own way.

My personal theory? She knows (and to some extent recognizes) Ozpin. I can’t believe he wasn’t involved in a conflict like the Great War. Hell, he was probably at the center of it and Maria looks very old by RWBY standards. We have no concept of how long people in this world can live so I don’t think it’s a stretch to put her in her 90s or well over 100—old enough to have fought in the War and potentially recognize one of the central figures, even in a new reincarnation depending on her instincts, knowledge, and semblance. Her name lends a bit of credence to her age, if nothing else. As far as I know “Maria” doesn’t mean/isn’t evocative of a color… though I’m far from an expert. Could totally be wrong about that.

Regardless, we’ll see. More info arrives next week!

Other Details of Note

The grimm are at a distance when we first spot them and they actually look a lot like crows. The same motif we’ve seen with Raven and Qrow’s entrances but, you know, bad.

I really liked Qrow’s line to Ironwood about how they’re bringing “more than bad news.” It’s appropriately vague—can’t go admitting that Oz is back with the group—and at the same time quite up-lifting.

I personally take Ozpin’s “I hope they’re not from Beacon” as more of a joke than a true worry. If you’re telling me that this old as balls control freak doesn’t remember every student that’s ever passed through those doors… I don’t believe you.

When Blake is saying goodbye to Ilia and Sun we have lots of animation for her ears, helping to express her emotions. It says a lot about her character development that she hasn’t re-adopted the bow in such a crowded, human packed space.

Neptune is pursuing the “wrong tree” okay lol that was good.

When Neptune and Sun discuss re-uniting the team we briefly hear the soundtrack from their Vytal Festival match. Excellent.

Interestingly, Oscar gives Ozpin control immediately during the conversation about the relic, almost like he already knew what was going to be revealed and understood that it was important… I wonder how much they’re sharing thoughts now, two weeks later.

Here, have a beach Ren and happy birb. Yes, I went back for the screenshots...

[bigbrotherorre]

FINAL EPISODE: “DENNIS IS SUCH A KING” - ALI THE REST OF THE GAME.

WEEK 13 

if someone who doesn't love me wins this week then bye bye ashvika 

annoyed that sammy nominated me because i kept him safe last week whereas i could have just as easily flipped to keeping alivia and he could've left...but more than that, i'm annoyed at his speech. i dont think he should've used "you nommed me" as an excuse bc that's lame and he was the first to nom me and i nommed him back so we were even, and then i let him have veto pick when he was nommed and i made sure he got taken off. also conversation is a two way street and i dont see him trying to make a conversation with me either, he could have just said the real reason....i love hearing about how good of a player he thinks i am.... the worst case scenario is if bryce or zeezo win, i think even if the noms stay the same that i have a good chance of staying? granted that autumn and ali don't decide to turn on me and evict me 

why is bryce spreading lies :( i didn't tell ali to nominate sammy.... 

ive made a lot of mistakes this game and there all coming at me now.. my position in the game is terrible and i can blame it on ppl playing not to their win condition or on just the wrong ppl winning comps at the wrong time, but ultimately i could have tried harder convincing ppl to see the light or to do better in challenges so ultimately its on me. feeling really hopeless this week even tho i avoided being a preveto nom i think ill be a post one if literally anyone but me wins veto. and i flopped veto (cwl). i cant wait for after the game for ali to admit that he did tell me that ashvika pushed for sammy to be nommed. order in which id vote ppl zeezo- always worked with me and if she makes it to the end she truly DID THAT ashvika- really took control of the game with her hoh win and after jose left smartly picked up the goats and became the biggest threat randy- a king love us working with/against each other throughout the game and even tho he was voted out im not one to discredit buyback winners autumn- never spoke to me but guess she didnt need to KASDHFK ali- fakest person ive ever met dennis- knows how to get to f2 at least sammy- ignores obvious facts and always makes the wrong move  but good at comps so wooh (me teas too tho...)

somehow i didnt get nommed but like so sad what the heck zeezo is going home like why is everyone so jealous that shes prettier and funnier than them :( why cant we all be her goats <3 i guess its good bc like i cant win with zeezo in the game and i can vote to keep her still, but honestly if i lose in f2 with zeezo itd still be fun bc she has had my back all game :] I AM SO SAD UGHHHH GOD HATES GAYS AND HES TAKING MY TWO WOC QUEENS BACK TO BACK. Now i have ashvika who is a queen but not my queen!! And autumn yikes hates me always :(

SORRY IVE BEEN GONE!!! I did one video confessional for Week 11 and just like never posted it lmao but I will haha and that's all behind me. But anyway I just have so many feelings. Live  night is about to begin, me and Zeezo's war is finally concluding, IM STILL TRYING TO GET MY FIRST COMP WIN, and I'm trying to protect my allies at all cost. Some cracked shit is about to go down and I'm so excited and so so glad I took a nap before this cause I'm ready for anything wooo

RANDY: WIN SAMMY: ... ALI: FAKEST PERSON IVE EVER MET MAYBE TALKS A BIG GAME AND SAYS HES SUPER NICE AND EMOTIONAL BUT SUDDENLY CAN TURN THAT OFF. HE WOULD BE A GOOD VILLAIN BUT HE ACTS NICE AND DOESNT OWN IT AND MAYBE ITS JUST BC ITS SO SOON BUT I HOPE HE CHOKES AND HAS HAYFEVER FOREVER! WHAT EVEN IS HAYFEVER??? HORSE BOY AUTUMN: NEVER SPOKE TO ME BUT NICE DENNIS: FORGOT TO PUT SOMEONE ON THE LIST, KNEW HIS WAY TO F2 AND IF HE DOESNT TAKE CREDIT FOR THINGS ICON AND ID VOTE FOR HIM.

AFTER THE TRIPLE EVICTION...

OK BUT DAT TRIPLE DOE http://media2.giphy.com/media/xUA7aViRhBQPzXNAAM/giphy.gif It was dramatic, over the top, emotional, satisfying, show stopping, gut wrenching- literally everything you want out of a triple. I... don't feel bad for Breezo lmao, not after all the messiness they've caused. But doing Ashvika dirty is literally the hardest choice I've had to make in Orre. Sis I am so so sorry. I should've thrown you a vote but you know how Randy is and you really know how Dennis is. I just--- that was something I like wasn't prepared to ever do, break Ashvika's heart. But like in my beautiful dark twisted mind? It was perfect because I knew I couldn't go to the end w/ Ash but I was never going to nominate her. So here we are rip ALSO LAB AND BREEZO ALL SITTING IN JURY??? BIIIIIIITTTCCHHHHH https://media.giphy.com/media/zcAii7T9JXezS/source.gif If you're reading this, you know I sure did say I would wipe that whole group out and send them to jury and it really did come to pass. John sure did gas all of them up to win and I sure did tell him in my Week 10 goodbye message that they were all bout to walk in behind him. So in the spirit of prophesizing, let it be known that Auli aka Ali and I will make Final 3 because we are the strategic dynamic duo y'all slept on. Like correct me if I'm wrong: we've been on the right side of all 8 "merge" votes (there's no word for like opposite of pre-jury lmao), we ain't been on block since Week 6/7 and it's now Week 14, and we've downplayed our iconicism left and right so we're the last duo standing at Final 5, and no one wants to take a shot at us. BUT YALL STILL SLEEP CAUSE THE MIST IS THAT STRONG. That's ok though! When Randy and Sammy walk into jury next y'all will see Also I'm  dead at how much jury hates Ali hahaha. Deadass he has to stay in the game for safety reasons. Like soooo many jurors wanna kill him. That's my ride or die though so I can't let that happen. Anyway I still feel like shit for obeying Randy, which hurt Ashvika, made Dennis cry, and further dragged Ali's corpse. But the good news is woooo it's Final 5 and these boys all want to take Auli to the end. So do I NEED to win this HOH? No not really. Am I still praying and pleading with God like I do before every comp? Absolutely https://media1.tenor.com/images/1a11748f0c7ce30ab4afd057fab66751/tenor.gif?itemid=5677211

Me when I shocked the nation and won HOH and finally had power in the house after 13 weeks https://78.media.tumblr.com/2a8c6d7cc298da364a847f8f9d767c7c/tumblr_opiih6Z7tB1ub3fcfo1_500.gif Me then using said power to target my baby Randy for the greater good https://media.giphy.com/media/hic9t15zsdwfC/giphy.gif And now me that I'm selling my entire family, land, soul, and wig collection to get Dennis to keep me and kill Sammy so that I'm not Ika Wonged because I know for a fact Ali would take me to F2 and Dennis would be a dumbass not to take me too. AND I ALWAYS BELIEVED IF I WENT UP A FOURTH TIME THAT WOULD BE THE TIME I GO UP ON THE BLOCK AND DONT COME BACK DOWN SO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DENNIS BE STRATEGIC AND KEEP ME https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/53/9d/23539d4ab6c13adab50940426d73ed6e.gif

[AFTER F4 EVICTION]

WAIT WHAT HOW AM I ALIVE?? https://media.giphy.com/media/TZ388aYpsLMcM/giphy.gif AND HOW THE FUCK DID I MAKE FINAL 3??? https://yiaelxzosjw9p4bs-zippykid.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/happy-crying.gif Pray for me if I win Final HOH cause fun fact: I, the strategic legend, have no clue who to fucking take to the end and that's the biggest gag of the entire season BECAUSE I DIDN'T PLAN OUT THIS FAR GODDAMMIT AND I WISH I HAD. Ok that's not entirely true- I knew I should either sit next to Dennis or Ali because ya know contingency plans matter. BUT NOW??? Bitch ion know I just wanna win

CLICK HERE & HERE TO SEE DENNIS’ VIDEO DIARY ROOMS!

i've never seen a better reflection of the emotional rollercoaster that is my mental state than these two being filmed less than 12 hours apart jasldfa

CLICK HERE AND HERE TO SEE ALI’S VIDEO DIARY ROOMS!

okay i have lots of post finale thoughts but i need to type them up tomorrow. i just hope the jury knows how sorry I am if I ever upset them, because I love them all so much and would never want that :(

time for my post finale wrap up and.... whewie. This is so upsetting because, I just did this for all stars. Like it's looking like my track record is LITERALLY going to be 2nd 9th 2nd 2nd 2nd, I CANT COME 2ND AGAIN. I really can't take this. Here is the bigger problem though and this is why Orre will be my last game whether I win or not. I can't keep playing these games when I upset so many people. Like it honestly broke my heart yesterday hearing how much I upset people like Bryce & Ashvika, people I love SOOOOOOO much. I don't want to upset people. Like... what upset me about finale is I don't think the jurors realise that.... I didn't just upset people for the sake of it and ahhh. Honestly, I'm really upset, like not even that I'm coming second but that I upset people. So with that said, I really apologise to the jurors. I got the impression that I hurt you all so bad that you are giving me 2nd as like.... punishment? And while I hate that, if I hurt you all that bad I really owe you all an apology. Anywho, since this is definitely my last game, I've played 183 days worth of games to just come 2nd, and that's just too much. I'm too flawed of a person and player to continue playing these games and just keep coming 2nd. Like it just hurts. so yeah, i'm sad but mainly because this is deja vu. I'm so proud of Dennis for winning, he is such a sweet genuine guy and when he was complimenting me during the finale, it was the nicest thing I've ever heard and I'm so greatful. No matter my game or his, I'd be happy to see Dennis represent our season.

Can I just say... Dennis is such a king. What a kind-hearted, genuine guy. A true king.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DENNIS’ VIDEO DIARY ROOM!

okay so I lost.... and I'm weirdly at peace with it. I know I answered the jury questions terribly and I had... some jurors that would never have it in them to vote for me and would actively campaign against me. Dennis is a king, and in a cast with toxicity and SUCH bitterness, I think he is a phenomenal representation for the season. Otherwise, I am really honoured to get Ashvika's vote, she is such a deserving POTS, and to get POTS' vote is always an honour. Autumn and Jose are amazing friends and I am so happy to have got to work with them, John is a player with SUCH potential and he is WINNING BOTS & Zeezo I'm really honoured to get her vote too! For the others, Bryce is a KING and so is Blake (they both seemed really upset by me so I hope we can be friends). Lynn I never spoke to and seems... very bitter about the season's result, but I hope she gets over it because she is also a QUEEN. Randy is a funny one and I'm starting to worry all his friend talk was just him playing into my emotional side, but he is a good egg really I know it. Sammy is a ghost king. I kinda want to end on Alivia. Alivia is a person whose personality is obviously very different to mine and the way she speaks to me and others really upsets me a lot of the time. However, her bitterness against me is understandable and I hope she gets over it, because she defines herself by anger and bitterness when she is such a funny and likable person and doesn't need to do that. but woo... to wrap stuff up, I'm so grateful for Nicholas & Julia for casting me, Owen & Emily for being amazing.... OH, I forgot what I wanted to say. Autumn is a queen, a legend and amazing. She is honestly soo soo amazing, like... someone I really admire and see as a rolemodel? she is inspirational, a queen and a legend. Dennis is the nicest, most well intentioned guy ever SO sweet and really just a genuinely nice guy. I have made lasting friendships with some members of this cast and I'm so happy. so yeah.... i'll probably do another one of these in like a day or so, but if not.... ali out woo

we love coming to jury and being told about my ""showmance""".... wanna die jadfkl. my only showmance was to snakery, my way of life. blake was robbed but also is a broccoli. last words? autumn and dennis are my faves, best F3 ever.

FINAL CAST ASSESSMENT

[ghostsonabiketonowhere]

Ghostman: The council calamity retrospective

Well christ, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I know literally nobody follows this blog, but as of this writing, i’m waiting on the steam direct fee i paid to be fully processed (Basically, in a week i’ll be able to publish the game)

I’d like to take a second and stroll down memory lane for a little bit, and why it took so fucking long to make this game, this is basically going to be a list of every time i tried and failed to make a game, so strap in, these aren’t in chronological order either, and i’ve kinda forgotten the proper order.

Bill’s excellent adventure:

There’s incredibly little to say on this one, after reading a 4chan thread on games development i downloaded GM:S, tried making a platformer, saw my art, didn’t see any progress after trying a little bit, and gave up.

Mugman:

Mugman was the first time i tried making an adventure game, other than the main character, i had no ideas for the game and dropped it like a rock.

Radiation Seat:

Radiation Seat, for the more dedicated gamers in the audience, is just a synonym for nuclear throne, i tried messing around with random generation in GM:S, realised i’m not very good at coding and gave up, the game actually kinda works though, so theoretically if i’m a moron/psychopath i could try working on it again.

Asterodis:

First real game i ever made, it’s an asteroids clone, but with a bunch of the stuff i saw in Vlambeer’s game feel talks crammed in, it’s essentially idenitcal to a tutorial on youtube except shooting takes away points and there’s a limit to the number of bullets on screen.

Poltergeist (Aka: Ghostman when he was a person)

I posted a lot about Poltergeist (the version of ghostman with good art and a completely different setting), the secret to this was having a good artist, Robert Thomas helping me out, we never finished it, and Bobby got caught up in school work, but that’s almost over so if he’s willing to pick up the pen again, i’m willing to do the coding and fix the reall weird bugs (randomly the game would massively lag for a reason i never figured out, i assume it had something to do with the way AGS handles characters over non walkable areas)

Grall and Foegart goto whitecastle:

I’d had the idea of wanting to make a high fantasy adventure game after reading a couple of discworld novels, these games didn’t get far, but it did have an interesting character switching mechnic similar to DOTT, this also appeared in a couple of other half finished games i’d made, why i thought it’d be funny to make a game based on it when i’d never seen Harold and Kumar go to whitecastle? Iunno.

H.E.L.L:

H.E.L.L (Hyper Energetive Love Lab) was a shot at making a VN, i’m probably going to still do this, so i don’t know if putting here’s sensible but eh, fuck it, i’d had the idea of a reality show crossed with a death game for ages, and tried writing a short story about it, which went nowhere.

Gender Girl:

Gender Girl was the first video game i ever made, it was a scratch program with the cat repainted to be pink, moving left killed you by a spike, moving right displayed a message that gender girl had liberated herself (Hohoho, very ludonarratively insync, 12 year old me), i uploaded it to the scratch website, and it, containing swear words(such a rebel was i) it was deleted 5 seconds after publication, truly, a light gone from the world, what did it have to do with gender? If i remember literally nothing, or you were supposed to cut your dick off with the spikes.

Yeah.

PAGAN:

Pagan was a pokemon rip off i was making, i didn’t get far beyond changing sprites and types, world design is hard, as of writing it’s still on my site, i ought to take it down buti just don’t have the heart, poor Pagan.

BORB (Ghostman 1)

Borb, as it’s affectionatly called in the files, is ghostman 1, it’s the source of the Alien King sprite, and the Ghostman sprite used in Ghostman: The council calamity, and was distributed amongst my friends for like, 5 seconds, it’s 4 screens and one “Puzzle”, which doesn’t actually work because the last time i did work on it, it’s fun to see how my humour changed, in GM1 we’ve got the classic line “It’s locked up tighter than a jewish bank” and a character named Snil, whose ribbing snarky asshole persona was basically every persona i used to write until i started playing dnd with my friends, and had to make more than 1 character, i don’t really like anything about GM1, but i find it oddly charming, it’s terrible perspective and total lack of story or theme (You’re kidnapped by bandits and the game ends in leaving on a spaceship having never seen a single bandit.) just makes it like lenny from of mice and men, it probably should die, but i can’t help shooting a game that thought the way to add taste was to remove the words “Fuck off” from a wall.

Rebet:

Rebet’s the first time we see the actual character “Rebut” appear, in some weird tron like backround, i remember wanting to make something that looked like tron, and failing, other than that Rebet remains a total mystery, even to me, andi made the fucking thing, looking at the code, i remember a little bit more about the game, the main gimmick was having a variety of ray guns that could effect peoples emotion, the example in the tutorial was a “calming ray” to prevent a drill seargeant from screaming at you, this didn’t go anywhere.

Wing Wang:

This is literally an empty ags game, there’s nothing in it, i don’t know why i haven’t deleted it.

Ye Men of Valour:

Ye Men of Valour was a weird idea, i’d read a book called “The decline and fall of the British Empire” (Based upon the work, the decline and fall of the roman empire) and decided to make a game based upon a variety of British figures from across time entering into a house they must escape, only to be killed by Aliens, the goal of the game was to get players to reload the game with the knowledge that following the puzzles as they were laid out would kill them, and use a different method to escape, Ye Men of Valour really ended up going nowhere because i was in a pretty dark place and wasn’t motivated, like at all, i’m gonna put this in the “Might come back to it” pile.

Ghostman 2:

Ghostman 2, like Grall and Foegart, had a character switching thing, this ended up breaking the game, so i scrapped it, Ghostman 2 was when the idea of Ghostman being a space adventure comes from, following from Ghostman 1, where you leave on a ufo with an alien, it’s what i thought would happen next, if i remember there was literally no story, just the characters, and switching gimmick.

I.A.C.M

I.A.C.M was a project i worked on with Bobby very breifly, the idea was to make an adventure game set inside a mentally disturbed girls mind, this basically didn’t pan out due to AGS engine limitations, the sprites sent in were too big and ended up looking kind of lame squashed down.

You cannot name this file, insect.:

This wasn’t a game, this was shit poetry at a time in my life where i knew my poetry was godawful, there was no story here, just a Shodan like figure who’d insult me, like personally, i’d write insults about myself into a script and then play it.

Robot Initation:

Adventure game, starring “some random guy named mike”, drew the first character sprites, hated them, didn’t want to improve them, gave up.

Assault and Battery/BatteryMan:

This was a go at 3d platformers made in unity, fell apart because the models i’d made in blender weren’t done properly at all, breaking practically everything.

PirateTextAdventure(ActualTitle):

Sounds exactly like what it is, never got a single line down for this.

Shield Slide:

A rip off of free ski based on the idea of riding a shield i think i saw i a lotr movie? Never got to prototype.

AAAH!

AAAH (Aimless aeronautical adveture, huzzah!) was an experiment i wanted to make, an adventure game that was procedudrely generated, every game would involve a one minute timer, which upon reaching zero, would result in the player dying, the story was the player had just survived a plane colliding with another plane in midair, and had to find a way to live without a parachute just using debris, lessons learned: Random generation is hard, i also ripped off the title from AAAAAAAAAAAAh for the awesome.

Sweet Goodnight:

Sweet goodnight was an rpg i planned to make about dying alone in a spaceship, it never got far beyond idle doodles and some game design docs that i’ve since lost, may go back to this in future.

Spaceman and Woodboy:

A mario and luigi superstar saga ripoff, never got to properly playable state, GM:S is hard.

Quest of Halden:

Shit rpg.

Ghostman: CNC :

Ghostman: CNC (Caverns and creatures) was a weird idea, i wanted to make an Rpg based on my dnd campaign, but for some reason i felt the need to justify it with a weird ghostman shell, may go back to this one.

Legend of Negro:

I don’t know why the fuck this is on my computer, i tried pissing around with a legend of zelda game maker thing.

Generic Units:

Supposed to be an xcom like, fell apart.

Airman/Pacifist run:

Something i still want to do, an fps with non violent weapons and stage hazards that you have to use to defeat enemies, got as far as modeling a single gun.

Sepsis man:

A 3d platformer starring a drinks machine, modeled main character, gave up.

Slime Game (actual title, again.)

Slime game (Or Slime Quest) was going to be an incredibly clever subversive take on the Rpg genre by having the grand villain actually be a low level mook, think cave rats and dungeon bosses, that kind of thing, stopped making it because i thought “Woah, that’s dumb, and lame, and i really don’t like making art for ideas that are dumb and lame!”

Zug’s Glorious road trip for the glory of the party and wealth of the nation:

ZGRTFTGOTPAWOTN for short, this was a text adventure based on wormhole shenanigans and Soviet propaganda films, never really got that far, fun little fact, Zug’s the name of the alien in my twitter profile pic.

Ghostman: The council calamity:

I didn’t quit, i made the game.

THANK GOD FOR THAT.

[latoyarubalcava3546]

This Is Us Fans Are GUTTED By The Super Bowl Episode — See The Most Tear-Filled Twitter Reactions HERE!

AHHHHHHHH.

We knew this was coming, but it still doesn't make it any easier! NBC and This Is Us finally revealed the way Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died -- and it had all the feels following the Super Bowl.

Related: Watch Sterling K. Brown's 2018 Golden Globes Acceptance Speech

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

While fans knew a fire was the catalyst for the Pearson patriarch's death, they weren't 100% positive he died in the fire. Fan theories of death caused by smoke inhalation had been circulating all week, and sadly they were confirmed Sunday night.

You see, Jack wound up rescuing everyone by lowering them down into the yard from the second floor with a bed sheet. He was about to jump himself until the family could hear the barking of teen Kate's (Hannah Zeile) pup. At this point the audience could see Jack's hesitation to escape before trying to save the animal. And so could Rebecca (Mandy Moore). Rebecca demanded Jack leave the pet behind, but Father Of The Year couldn't let Kate down so he went back into the window to get the dog. So now teen Kate, Rebecca, and teen Randall (Niles Fitch) are all waiting for Jack to make it out when they see a blaze come through the room they last saw him in. It's this moment when both the family and the audience are panicking, thinking Jack is probably burning to death. Leave it to This Is Us to keep twisting the road though, because Jack DOES make it out of the house WITH the dog.

(For all you Kevin fans, teen Kevin (Logan Shroyer) is out in the woods with girlfriend, so he is completely unaware of everything at this point.)

Oooookay. So now the Pearsons have lost their house but not their hope as everyone seems to be FINE following the fire. Keyword here being seems. Jack has some burns on his body, and he has inhaled a dangerous amount of smoke. The EMTs are highly recommending he get to the hospital ASAP. Rebecca drops the kids off at Miguel's (Jon Huertas) and they head into the hospital to get the damage checked out. It's there that the doctor reiterates the unhealthy amount of smoke Jack took in, but for everyone concerned, things are generally looking safe. Rebecca takes this opportunity of relief to leave his room and make a few phone calls to nearby hotels. As soon as she left his room, ahhhh shit. Fans knew.

As she's making the phone calls, the audience sees nurses and doctors scrambling behind her into Jack's room (completely out of her view). Things are NOT good. When she hangs up, she goes to the pathetically empty snack machine and grabs a candy bar. That's when the doctor walks up and starts telling her the news. Jack died of cardiac arrest. Jack died. JACK DIED. And he was completely alone when he died. She was not with him. JACK DIED. Inhaling that much smoke not only affects the lungs, but the heart too. It was too much damage. Jack died.

The episode doesn't end there, but that's the moment everyone was waiting for -- the moment that had been torturously teased out over two seasons. In later scenes we learn: Rebecca spends every Super Bowl Sunday by cooking Jack's favorite lasagna and watching the big game by herself (Miguel gives her space every year on this day), Kevin (Justin Hartley) finally visits his father's place of rest and has a chat with his spirit, Jack sends Rebecca a sign every year on Super Bowl Sunday, Kate (Chrissy Metz) almost loses the VHS of her singing with Jack watching but Toby (Chris Sullivan) gets it saved with the help of a guy he knows, Kate uploads the video in the cloud (not on the cloud), Randall (Sterling K. Brown) celebrates the Super Bowl every year with a huge party for his daughters and their friends, Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) accidentally kills the new pet lizard and Randall comes to terms with his mourning of Jack when he gives a memorial for the pet reptile, Randall and Tess (Eris Baker) have a heart to heart where Tess reveals she's been feeling like Randall wants a new life but realizes that's not true and she'd actually like the family to foster again, Deja (Lyric Ross) comes back, and finally, we learn that Tess grows up to become a social worker who matches foster children with new homes -- and Randall meets her for dinner once a week at her office.

Needless to say, fans have a lot to say about the wrecking ball of an episode on Twitter. Read the most cathartic responses (below):

Call your parents, hug them, and spend quality time with them. You never know when it will be the last time. Omg, this episode broke me! I cried the whole time. @NBCThisisUs #ThisIsUs — SandyT (@sassygirlcanada) February 5, 2018

Remember when Randall told William he needed to have a nurse so he "wouldnt die while no one was watching" now we know why 😭 #ThisIsUs — What a story, Mark (@WhatAStoryMark2) February 5, 2018

Me: Ok I know that this is the #ThisIsUs episode where Jack dies. I’m ready

*Jack dies*

Me: pic.twitter.com/QJOcg1jjML — Emily Zalewski (@emily_zalewski) February 5, 2018

Y’all play too much 😂 #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/XtgtQoABjT — Noe Rubio (@noe_r10) February 5, 2018

When someone asks if I watched #ThisIsUs tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/pHyfInnihM — Taylor Christie (@TChristieee) February 5, 2018

What now? Am i supposed to sleep now? Drink til i fall asleep? Sue the hospital? Wonder what the Dr. wants? Practice my side-eye for Kate on Tuesday's episode? #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/uxrKuFUCNR — Brittany 👩🏿‍💻 (@organizedbybrit) February 5, 2018

Last time Mandy Moore hurt me this way was with A Walk To Remember... #ThisIsUs — Mermaid Seabreeze (@soulful_hippy) February 5, 2018

I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS MAN, THIS IS A SHOW, I'M DONE. These are the things that I tell myself every week and it never get better. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/06KBx81jX4 — ZVY (@BlessedZvy) February 5, 2018

Finding out that the social worker was Tess 😭 #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/lnM3XwZgDg — Elizabeth Ashley (@LizShady) February 5, 2018

To Do List: 1. Call my dad. 2. Google if can I take bereavement leave for a fictional character.#ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/pYUlGW8pr9 — DJ (@IamnotnotBatman) February 5, 2018

Just when I thought the little black boy was bout to be moving in with Randall family, a white family walk in and I’m shook. Then I find out we in the future and the social worker is Tess 😭😭😭 I can’t deal #ThisIsUs — JERE (@GodWillExalt) February 5, 2018

I AM DESTROYED EMOTIONALLY #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/Z6DTcmlMF0 — Melodie Joy Di Rocco (@meldirocco) February 5, 2018

How did they have a play from tonight's game in the show. Mind blown #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/Mkf9JmVgIH — Marcus Wilkins (@marcuswilkins24) February 5, 2018

Me while watching #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/IMdoiRScyM — Yancy (@fancyyancyy) February 5, 2018

If you were to combine The Fault In Our Stars, with Titanic and every Nicholas Sparks movie, #ThisIsUs would still be 1000x more heartbreaking. 😭💔 — Kylie Wazonek (@KylieWazonek) February 5, 2018

This Is Us: before, during and after #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/2QCR7CnoCj — tina tobias (@tobias_tina) February 5, 2018

did no one else hear jack whisper rebecca’s name when she was at the vending machine?! DID NO ONE ELSE HEAR THAT?!?! #ThisIsUs #ripjack crying for a year now... thanks bye. — Nikii (@nikii1013) February 5, 2018

I won’t be available at all next week. I need time to recover from tonight’s episode. It broke me. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/3vmFeso4pY — Sarah (@SarahBelles23) February 5, 2018

I get that not everyone understands the appeal of #ThisIsUs ...but to those of us who watch, it's about life - relationships, family, love, conflict, struggle, loss, pain, vulnerability, strength, hope, happiness, peace, truth & everything in between...❤❤❤ — Pamela (@pokerpami71) February 5, 2018

It wasn't just fans tweeting. See what the creator and the cast had to say (below):

Just so everyone knows it....#JackPearson lives in all of our hearts. He’s you. He’s me. He’s Us. Thank you all for supporting our show. We love you all :) And this isn’t the end of Jack. Stay tuned. #ThisIsUs. MV — Milo Ventimiglia (@MiloVentimiglia) February 5, 2018

Ooof.💔 I think we could all use a little support right now. Come on in. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/PfG2HyVZy6 — Mandy Moore (@TheMandyMoore) February 5, 2018

My mom died 10 years ago, unexpectedly. It’s the hinge upon which my life swings. Jack’s death is the Pearson hinge. We look back. We move forward. That’s our collective journey. Sad? Yes. But when you look through a wide enough lens - it’s also outrageously beautiful. #ThisIsUs — Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) February 5, 2018

I don’t have words #ThisIsUs 💔 — Chrissy Metz (@ChrissyMetz) February 5, 2018

Wow. Okay, so there's just two days to recover before a new episode?? OKAY. #ThisIsUs — Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) February 5, 2018

Ready to see what the future holds? #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/V8fnqtByjf — Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) February 5, 2018

WHAT. A. SHOW!!!

You can catch the next episode this Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.

[Image via NBC.]

[lorettalivingston6911]

This Is Us Fans Are GUTTED By The Super Bowl Episode — See The Most Tear-Filled Twitter Reactions HERE!

how I looked younger without plastic surgery

AHHHHHHHH.

We knew this was coming, but it still doesn't make it any easier! NBC and This Is Us finally revealed the way Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died -- and it had all the feels following the Super Bowl.

Related: Watch Sterling K. Brown's 2018 Golden Globes Acceptance Speech

**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**

While fans knew a fire was the catalyst for the Pearson patriarch's death, they weren't 100% positive he died in the fire. Fan theories of death caused by smoke inhalation had been circulating all week, and sadly they were confirmed Sunday night.

You see, Jack wound up rescuing everyone by lowering them down into the yard from the second floor with a bed sheet. He was about to jump himself until the family could hear the barking of teen Kate's (Hannah Zeile) pup. At this point the audience could see Jack's hesitation to escape before trying to save the animal. And so could Rebecca (Mandy Moore). Rebecca demanded Jack leave the pet behind, but Father Of The Year couldn't let Kate down so he went back into the window to get the dog. So now teen Kate, Rebecca, and teen Randall (Niles Fitch) are all waiting for Jack to make it out when they see a blaze come through the room they last saw him in. It's this moment when both the family and the audience are panicking, thinking Jack is probably burning to death. Leave it to This Is Us to keep twisting the road though, because Jack DOES make it out of the house WITH the dog.

(For all you Kevin fans, teen Kevin (Logan Shroyer) is out in the woods with girlfriend, so he is completely unaware of everything at this point.)

Oooookay. So now the Pearsons have lost their house but not their hope as everyone seems to be FINE following the fire. Keyword here being seems. Jack has some burns on his body, and he has inhaled a dangerous amount of smoke. The EMTs are highly recommending he get to the hospital ASAP. Rebecca drops the kids off at Miguel's (Jon Huertas) and they head into the hospital to get the damage checked out. It's there that the doctor reiterates the unhealthy amount of smoke Jack took in, but for everyone concerned, things are generally looking safe. Rebecca takes this opportunity of relief to leave his room and make a few phone calls to nearby hotels. As soon as she left his room, ahhhh shit. Fans knew.

As she's making the phone calls, the audience sees nurses and doctors scrambling behind her into Jack's room (completely out of her view). Things are NOT good. When she hangs up, she goes to the pathetically empty snack machine and grabs a candy bar. That's when the doctor walks up and starts telling her the news. Jack died of cardiac arrest. Jack died. JACK DIED. And he was completely alone when he died. She was not with him. JACK DIED. Inhaling that much smoke not only affects the lungs, but the heart too. It was too much damage. Jack died.

The episode doesn't end there, but that's the moment everyone was waiting for -- the moment that had been torturously teased out over two seasons. In later scenes we learn: Rebecca spends every Super Bowl Sunday by cooking Jack's favorite lasagna and watching the big game by herself (Miguel gives her space every year on this day), Kevin (Justin Hartley) finally visits his father's place of rest and has a chat with his spirit, Jack sends Rebecca a sign every year on Super Bowl Sunday, Kate (Chrissy Metz) almost loses the VHS of her singing with Jack watching but Toby (Chris Sullivan) gets it saved with the help of a guy he knows, Kate uploads the video in the cloud (not on the cloud), Randall (Sterling K. Brown) celebrates the Super Bowl every year with a huge party for his daughters and their friends, Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) accidentally kills the new pet lizard and Randall comes to terms with his mourning of Jack when he gives a memorial for the pet reptile, Randall and Tess (Eris Baker) have a heart to heart where Tess reveals she's been feeling like Randall wants a new life but realizes that's not true and she'd actually like the family to foster again, Deja (Lyric Ross) comes back, and finally, we learn that Tess grows up to become a social worker who matches foster children with new homes -- and Randall meets her for dinner once a week at her office.

Needless to say, fans have a lot to say about the wrecking ball of an episode on Twitter. Read the most cathartic responses (below):

Call your parents, hug them, and spend quality time with them. You never know when it will be the last time. Omg, this episode broke me! I cried the whole time. @NBCThisisUs #ThisIsUs — SandyT (@sassygirlcanada) February 5, 2018

Remember when Randall told William he needed to have a nurse so he "wouldnt die while no one was watching" now we know why 😭 #ThisIsUs — What a story, Mark (@WhatAStoryMark2) February 5, 2018

Me: Ok I know that this is the #ThisIsUs episode where Jack dies. I’m ready

*Jack dies*

Me: pic.twitter.com/QJOcg1jjML — Emily Zalewski (@emily_zalewski) February 5, 2018

Y’all play too much 😂 #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/XtgtQoABjT — Noe Rubio (@noe_r10) February 5, 2018

When someone asks if I watched #ThisIsUs tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/pHyfInnihM — Taylor Christie (@TChristieee) February 5, 2018

What now? Am i supposed to sleep now? Drink til i fall asleep? Sue the hospital? Wonder what the Dr. wants? Practice my side-eye for Kate on Tuesday's episode? #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/uxrKuFUCNR — Brittany 👩🏿‍💻 (@organizedbybrit) February 5, 2018

Last time Mandy Moore hurt me this way was with A Walk To Remember... #ThisIsUs — Mermaid Seabreeze (@soulful_hippy) February 5, 2018

I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS MAN, THIS IS A SHOW, I'M DONE. These are the things that I tell myself every week and it never get better. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/06KBx81jX4 — ZVY (@BlessedZvy) February 5, 2018

Finding out that the social worker was Tess 😭 #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/lnM3XwZgDg — Elizabeth Ashley (@LizShady) February 5, 2018

To Do List: 1. Call my dad. 2. Google if can I take bereavement leave for a fictional character.#ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/pYUlGW8pr9 — DJ (@IamnotnotBatman) February 5, 2018

Just when I thought the little black boy was bout to be moving in with Randall family, a white family walk in and I’m shook. Then I find out we in the future and the social worker is Tess 😭😭😭 I can’t deal #ThisIsUs — JERE (@GodWillExalt) February 5, 2018

I AM DESTROYED EMOTIONALLY #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/Z6DTcmlMF0 — Melodie Joy Di Rocco (@meldirocco) February 5, 2018

How did they have a play from tonight's game in the show. Mind blown #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/Mkf9JmVgIH — Marcus Wilkins (@marcuswilkins24) February 5, 2018

Me while watching #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/IMdoiRScyM — Yancy (@fancyyancyy) February 5, 2018

If you were to combine The Fault In Our Stars, with Titanic and every Nicholas Sparks movie, #ThisIsUs would still be 1000x more heartbreaking. 😭💔 — Kylie Wazonek (@KylieWazonek) February 5, 2018

This Is Us: before, during and after #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/2QCR7CnoCj — tina tobias (@tobias_tina) February 5, 2018

did no one else hear jack whisper rebecca’s name when she was at the vending machine?! DID NO ONE ELSE HEAR THAT?!?! #ThisIsUs #ripjack crying for a year now... thanks bye. — Nikii (@nikii1013) February 5, 2018

I won’t be available at all next week. I need time to recover from tonight’s episode. It broke me. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/3vmFeso4pY — Sarah (@SarahBelles23) February 5, 2018

I get that not everyone understands the appeal of #ThisIsUs ...but to those of us who watch, it's about life - relationships, family, love, conflict, struggle, loss, pain, vulnerability, strength, hope, happiness, peace, truth & everything in between...❤❤❤ — Pamela (@pokerpami71) February 5, 2018

It wasn't just fans tweeting. See what the creator and the cast had to say (below):

Just so everyone knows it....#JackPearson lives in all of our hearts. He’s you. He’s me. He’s Us. Thank you all for supporting our show. We love you all :) And this isn’t the end of Jack. Stay tuned. #ThisIsUs. MV — Milo Ventimiglia (@MiloVentimiglia) February 5, 2018

Ooof.💔 I think we could all use a little support right now. Come on in. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/PfG2HyVZy6 — Mandy Moore (@TheMandyMoore) February 5, 2018

My mom died 10 years ago, unexpectedly. It’s the hinge upon which my life swings. Jack’s death is the Pearson hinge. We look back. We move forward. That’s our collective journey. Sad? Yes. But when you look through a wide enough lens - it’s also outrageously beautiful. #ThisIsUs — Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) February 5, 2018

I don’t have words #ThisIsUs 💔 — Chrissy Metz (@ChrissyMetz) February 5, 2018

Wow. Okay, so there's just two days to recover before a new episode?? OKAY. #ThisIsUs — Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) February 5, 2018

Ready to see what the future holds? #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/V8fnqtByjf — Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) February 5, 2018

WHAT. A. SHOW!!!

You can catch the next episode this Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.

[Image via NBC.]

you'll never know what you'll find in all of these celebrity items

from LL Celeb Fueads http://ift.tt/2s3uo3M via IFTTT

[jaddl]

Monday Morning HB: The Medieval Falcons

Holy hell. We just witnessed one of the greatest games in JADDL history. Falcons 49.7. Near Beers 57.7

Has anyone ever lost to someone who scored in the 50s? I mean, besides Ian. The 2017 Falcons will be remembered for a long time to come. Mike Evans was Ian’s first pick, but his next pick was Isiah Crowell. Crowell is apparently a running back for the Browns. You can never have too many Cleveland Browns on your team, amiright? The “IC” Crowd has now failed to reach double digits for 5 straight weeks. I guess his real strength is consistency?  Ian’s third pick was Alshon Jeffrey. Commish: do we need to investigate Ian to see if he’s intentionally taking a dive this year?

The Draft 

In the DDL video segment that aired earlier this year, Peter predicted that more than 6 first round draft picks would be busts. Let’s check in on how those 12 are doing. Here were the top 12 picks

1. David Johnson (Lanniesters)

2. LeVeon Bell (AmariCarr)

3. Antonio Brown (IPP)

4. Julio Jones (Odouls)

5. Odell Beckham (BNB)

6. Davante Freeman (LFJ)

7. AJ Green (Boom)

8. Mike Evans (Falcons)

9. LeSean McCoy (Shanks)

10. DeMarco Murray (Hauloll)

11. Jordy Nelson (Hornets)

12. Michael Thomas (Monkeys)

Two of the top 5 are definite busts. David Johnson scored 7 points before his wrist broke in the very first game of the season and is (probably?) out for the full season. Beckham fucked up his ankle pretty good yesterday and is donzo for the year. In five weeks of action, Beckham missed week 1 due to injury, scored only 3.6 points week 2, then dropped 19.9, 9, and 19.5 before ending his season. The injury cripples Bensons’s receiver corp as he had traded Brandin Cooks to LFJ earlier this week for CJ Anderson. Benson will now soldier on with a WR collection of unruly misfits and cast offs whose exploits will be aired on the feel-good 30 for 30 series “The Why Not-Receivers.”   

Julio Jones and DeMarco Murrary are starting to look pretty busty too. Julio has only scored in the double digits once, in week 2, which only barley qualifies as he scored only 10.8 points. Murray did have 20 week 3, but his other weeks have been mostly duds: 6, 2.8, 3.5, and 4.9. So let’s call that 4 busts after the first round of divisional play. 

The Weird Weird West

The five OG teams in the West decided as a gesture of goodwill that they would just anoint AmariCarr as their champion and hand him the trophy year one. 

The rest of the division is just horrible. If things pan out like they should tonight, then EVERYONE ELSE WILL BE 2-3. I don’t even know how that’s mathematically possible. The only way this gets fucked up is if “Jerick” McKinnon and Jordan Howard team up to score 27 points. I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope that doesn’t fucking happen. The idea of five shitty 2-3 West teams scrapping it out for two shitty West playoff spots sounds just awesome to me. 

Bringing it full circle, although the Faclons are winless in the East, you gotta think this is probably a  playoff team in the West. Prior to this week’s absolute shit-show, Ian was actually out scoring 4 out of 6 Western teams: IPP, the Monkeys, the Hornets, and the Lanniesters all posted less points than Ian’s Falcons through 4 weeks. 

I didn’t get it uploaded till today, but let’s check in DDL video’s press conference with LFJ’s star QB Carson Wentz. Carson, can you talk about how you guys are feeling as a team? (Starts at 1:58. Tumblr code is not letting me start the video at 1:58, so it’s gotta be you doing it manually. Sorry, that really ruins the fun.)