#having HIM appear in an ep that's titled “WISH” just SCREAMS something to me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

collecting-stories · 4 years ago

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The House Party - ep.03 - JJ Maybank

Summary: Things start to heat up as the week reaches its midway point and you make a decision that changes everything.

A/N: Mild smut at the very end of the chapter.

The S’week Masterlist | Outer Banks Masterlist

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You weren’t sure how many times you would have to brush your teeth to get the taste of last night out of your mouth but the three times you already had clearly weren’t enough. It wasn’t alcohol, in fact you’d woken up more sober than you expected to be, almost leaning off the edge of your bed, tucked into your blanket, with JJ laying on top of the bedding beside you. It was all very ‘one motel bed’ trope-ish but you’d both been so exhausted last night that you couldn’t even enjoy the implications of it. An ice cube tray of melted aloe vera sat on the night stand and you brought it down with you to the kitchen to refreeze when you decided coffee might help the taste that wouldn’t leave your mouth. 

To put it the only way you knew how, a way JJ would have definitely put it, you tasted kook trash every time you swallowed and it wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, at least not while Rafe was two houses down from you. 

“Morning,” Pope voice half startled you as you entered the kitchen to find him sitting at the island eating cereal. 

“How is it possible that you look so normal?” You asked, grabbing a bowl for some cereal yourself. Breakfast was a good distraction from your phone and the taste in your mouth. 

“You mean as opposed to John B and Sarah who decided to parent trap it on a floatie in the pool?” He asked, turning for emphasis to look outside where your best friend and her boyfriend were indeed asleep on a floatie in the pool. 

“Exactly.” 

“I’m not a big drinker.” He shrugged. “What about you?”

“Am I a big drinker?” You asked. 

“No, how did you end the night?” 

You nodded your head slowly, realising what he was getting at with his question. “JJ was sick, I figured it was better to come back here than make him stay at the party.” 

“Sure.” He agreed though it sounded empty, “did you hook up?” 

“What?” 

“Look, I know how JJ parties, he’s my best friend. And I know what his ‘senior week plans’ were before Sarah hijacked them to come down here. I wouldn’t put it past him to alter them. You know, have sex with as many girls as he can in the keys. Host included.”

“We didn’t have sex.” You replied. 

He stared at you for a full minute, not saying anything, as if the look on his face alone would crack you into admitting some misdeed. And it probably would have if any had occurred. 

“We didn’t have sex, I swear to god.” You reiterated. “It is what I said it is. JJ was throwing up in the bathroom and I brought him back here so he could rest. That’s all that happened.” 

“With JJ.” Pope scoffed. 

“Whoa, where’s the displaced animosity coming from...pretty sure you’re in my house.” 

“Yeah and JJ is my best friend. I don’t want you stringing him along for the week cause you’re bored and you wanna make your ex jealous or something.” Pope replied.

“You literally just got done telling me that JJ wanted to sleep his way around s’week but I’m the bad guy in your head because of some proposed plan I have to ‘make my ex jealous’?” You questioned. “That’s un-fucking-believable.”

“It would be if I hadn’t seen you in the hallway with your ex right before you left with JJ.” 

“You’re delusional. My ex who? Just cause I was talking to some guy-“

“You weren’t talking and it was Rafe.” 

You shut your mouth, lips pressed together in a line as you tried to think of something to say. Sure, it was common knowledge amongst your friend group that you and Rafe had been hooking up for the better part of two years but that was over and you really didn’t think it was the kind of thing that pogues talked about. And you trusted Sarah not to have blabbed about it to anyone else. 

“How’d you know-“ 

“How’d I know you and Rafe were a thing? Sarah’s not the only one here that knows you. I’ve seen him at your house before when I delivered groceries, not so hard to put two and two together.” 

“Well me and Rafe are over.” 

“You didn’t look over.” Pope challenged. 

“Oh well, thank you for interpreting two fucking minutes of my life and deciding how I feel about something.” You snapped, “I didn’t want him to kiss me okay, I told him to leave me alone. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that the word no isn’t exactly a part of his vocab.”

Before Pope could say anything back the sound of footsteps on the stairs caught your attention. Both of you looked toward the staircase in time to see JJ appear, shirtless with just a pair of swim shorts on. His shoulders and chest were red but not as burnt as his back, which you caught a glimpse of as he trudged passed you, not in the high spirits he had been yesterday morning. 

“Dude, your back looks painful.” Pope commented, staring at the expanse of angry red skin that looked more ready to blister than anything. 

“It feels painful too.” JJ grumbled. So far he was 0-3 with vacation. He was stuck in this kook house (which really wasn’t so bad but he enjoyed bitching about it), he was sunburnt to hell, and he’d wasted an entire night of partying throwing up from sun-poisoning (though that worked out in his favour too because he definitely enjoyed the part where he sat on your bed and you rubbed aloe ice cubes on his back and basically took care of him). 

“Guess the beach is out of the question?” Pope asked, getting up to put his bowl in the sink. 

“I can go to the beach.” 

“You definitely can’t.” You replied, coming around to look at JJ’s back. He was sitting on one of the stools, slumped over. “You shouldn’t get anymore direct sun on your back.” 

“Oh cool, I’m so glad I came all the way down to fucking Florida to sit in a house all day and do shit.” 

“Sorry man,” Pope said, though he made no offer to stay at the house. Yesterday had been great and he was looking forward to going to the beach again today with Kiara. John B and Sarah had mentioned tagging along but he knew they’d eventually go off to do their own thing. 

“We could go to the boardwalk?” You offered, ignoring the look that Pope sent your way. You knew he was just being a good friend, looking out for someone he cared about, and it made you wish that Sarah knew enough to do the same for you. 

“What will we do on the boardwalk?” JJ asked, curious enough that he wasn’t immediately rejecting the idea. 

“There’s a water park there and an arcade, plus you know, tons of food.” You shrugged, “I know you wanna go to the beach-“

“I can be persuaded.”

“I think you already have been.” Pope commented. 

The three of you turned your attention to the stairs as Kiara came down, already dressed for the beach. When she saw the three of you in various states of sleepwear she rolled her eyes, “hey Kie be ready early so we can all go to the beach together.” 

“Technically, Sarah said that and she’s passed out in the pool still.” Pope replied, pointing out the glass doors to where the floatie was still carrying John B and Sarah on the water. 

“Let’s wake ‘em up then.” JJ slipped passed you, winking, before he ran outside, jumping into the pool and landing directly on top of John B and Sarah. 

You, Pope, and Kiara rushed to the doors in time to see the floatie flip over, all three teens going under as Sarah shrieked and John B tried to grab any part of the inflatable raft. Sarah surfaced immediately after JJ, throwing her body on him and wrapping her arms around his neck as she tried to push him under. 

“You asshole!” She screamed when JJ ducked under the water, twisting in her arms and grabbing her waist so that he could throw her off him. 

You watched them for a minute longer, as John B finally got involved, before heading back into the house and going upstairs to change. You’d left your phone plugged in the bathroom outlet while you were sitting with JJ and you picked it up now to check your messages. Two from Rafe and one, unsurprisingly, from Topper. It’d been him at the end of the hall that called Rafe away from you. 

-You okay?- was all the text said and you quickly responded. 

-Nothing happened. Thx-

You deleted the messages from Rafe without looking at them. You could hear everyone come in the kitchen, footsteps on the stairs as John B, Sarah, and JJ came up to change. You pulled on a crop top and some shorts, pocketing your phone before hurrying downstairs. 

Kiara and Pope were back to hanging around the island, talking to each other about their plans as you entered. 

“Hey, do you guys wanna meet up later on the boardwalk?” Kiara asked, “we could do dinner or something?”

“Sounds good to me.” You replied, grabbing your backpack from the chair and making sure that you had everything you needed. “There’s a pizza place near the South street entrance that has incredible food, plus it’s super cheap.” 

“I do love cheap food.” 

You had locked your shorts and your backpack in the rented locker of the water park along with JJ’s backpack before the two of you headed for any of the rides. Both your phones locked away in your backpack, cutting you both off from the rest of the world for however long JJ felt like staying at the water park. 

“So? Where to first?” You asked as JJ stopped in front of a mounted map of the park. It wasn’t as big as Dorney or Six Flags but it was pretty expansive for being an extension of the boardwalk. 

“Shush, I’m consulting the map.” 

“Consult the bones,” you said and JJ laughed, casting you a glance before going back to the map. 

“Come on,” he grabbed your hand suddenly, having zeroed in on a ride titled the constrictor, 450 feet of enclosed water slide and the two of you were going down it. 

He weaved his way through the crowd of people, leading you closer and closer to the line for the slide. Most people were at the beach on the weekdays which meant a shorter wait line, something JJ was happy about. It was bad enough he was spending his day at some dumb water park with you, he didn’t want to have to wait in line too. Although, he hadn’t let your hand go yet. 

“Should I mention before or after we ascend these stairs that I have a mild fear of heights?” You asked, taking the raft that was offered to you by the water park employee. 

“It’s fine,” JJ assured you, “here go ahead of me.” 

“How does this help?” You asked as you stepped in front of him onto the first stair. 

JJ shifted his raft under his arm, pressing it against his body and holding onto the railing while he used his other hand to hold you, fingers brushing the skin above your bikini bottoms as he held your waist. “See.”

You bit your lip and took a deep breath, “yeah I see.” 

The rest of the way up the stairs JJ kept his hand on either your waist or your back. He wasn’t too thrilled with heights either though focusing on the peach bikinis bottoms you wore, little pineapples polkadotting them. He could imagine you totally smacking him in the face of you knew but he’d take his chances. 

As sly as he might’ve thought he was being you knew he was looking. When you turned around at the first platform before the stairs twisted you caught him looking down, eyes darting up quickly when he realized you were looking at him. You didn’t say anything, just turned back around so he wouldn’t see the satisfied smile on your face.

“You ready for this?” JJ asked as you stepped onto the final platform, JJ stepping up behind you.

“I’ll see you at the bottom Maybank.” You replied, stepping over to your slide while JJ got set up at his.

You liked waterparks for the lazy rivers and the wave pools and those crazy contraptions for kids that looked like towering pipes and dumped water on you. Even the log flume was fun. But giant enclosed slides that shot you through winding loops for endless feet until finally dumping you in a pool? Not your favorite. But as you looked over at JJ, who flashed you a thumbs up, you were having trouble thinking about the things you didn’t like.

The slide was over before you knew it and you were climbing out of the pool, JJ standing on the side waiting for you. “How did you beat me?”

“I’m like speed racer,” he said, making a wooshing sound as he glided one hand under the other like a wave.

“Well, speedracer, what next?” You asked, taking off your soaked shirt and wringing it out as you followed JJ back to the map. “Are we consulting the map again?”

“What you think I memorized it?” He asked, looking back over his shoulder at you and grabbing your hand when a woman with a stroller tried to squeeze between the two of you.

By the time you and JJ met up with Kiara and Pope and made it back to the house Sarah was already setting up for a party. John B had obviously been enlisted to help as he was trying to adhere light stripes at the top of the wall in the living room.

“What’d you do rob a liqour store?” You asked, grabbing the leg of the ladder he was on when he leaned to far to the left.

“Feels like it.” John B replied, “Sarah filled a cart. We’re either having a party or she’s turning into everyone’s alcoholic grandmother.”

“We’re having a party!” Sarah called, coming in from the pool area, “it’s exactly what we need.”

“Why do we need to host a party?” Kiara asked, looking back at JJ and Pope but they just shrugged, obviously not willing to get involved.

“Because morale is low here people.” Sarah replied, “and it’s senior week, duh.”

“Duh.” You repeated, raising your eyebrows and grinning at JJ who laughed. Sarah watched the interaction skeptically, as far as she knew John B’s best friend had complained of nothing but a bad time. Now he was joking with you like the two of you were friends.

“Can I talk to you,” she grabbed your arm to pull you out of the room, “Pope hold the ladder!”

“Oh cool the bathroom.” You muttered as she dragged you into the hall powder room, shutting the door behind her and trapping the two of you in the crammed space. “What’s up?”

“What’s up? What’s going on with you and JJ?”

“Didn’t we do this literally yesterday?” You questioned, “I said then and I'll say now, JJ and I are barely friends.”

“Except when I texted Kie earlier cause I couldn’t get a hold of you she said you and JJ were on the boardwalk together.”

“Oh, oh my god Sarah, you’re right, something is clearly ‘going on’ because I went on the boardwalk with someone instead of just ignoring the people living in my house.” You rolled your eyes at her accusation that something was going on though you sincerely hoped something was.

When she finally released you from the bathroom the two of you resumed getting ready before you changed into something more appropriate for the party. NC parties were slow going in the early hours until they finally picked up, mostly just crowds of people crammed in an empty rental or spread out on the beach. House parties in the Keys happened a little more erratically. People showed up while it was still light out, hanging around the pool drinking and shit talking until it got dark and they all migrated inside, drunk off their asses and louder than necessary.

You had moved the table and chairs in the dining room and pushed all the furniture back in the living room for good reason because the minute the sun went down it felt like everyone was spilling back into the house for part 2. You were in the kitchen, ignoring most everyone there, watching JJ set up a shot for Kiara.

“Is it lime and then salt or salt and then lime?” He asked, glancing at you.

You were leaned against the counter beside him and Kiara was on the other side with Pope, who already said twice he wanted no part in this. “Lime first, how else does the salt stick right? I don’t remember...I know how to do a body shot.”

“Are you offering?” The grin on JJ’s face as he asked had you practically melting in your spot.

“Guys!” Kiara leaned across the island, snapping her fingers, “can we please just do the shot!”

“Right, sorry.” You apologized, grabbing the bottle of tequila to pour for them.

While the three of you were talking Pope spun in his chair, observing the louder parts of the party that was raging on the first floor. There were a few people lingering in the kitchen with you, mostly to be closest to the alcohol, but otherwise everyone was contained to the living room, dining room, and pool. When he looked out the glass doors to the pool area he frowned, “hey guys, look who showed up.”

You looked out the door to see Topper on the patio chatting with some local. “I’ll be right back.”

“Can we just enjoy the party?” Pope called though you were already slipping out the door.

“Top,” you called not caring that you were interrupting him, “can I talk to you?”

He apologized to the girl before placing his hand on your back and leading you further away from the party, stopping once the two of you had stepped onto the sand path down to the beach. “Look, someone texted Rafe about the party alright.”

“Well I don’t want you guys here.” You replied, “you weren’t invited by me and it’s my house.”

“Hey come on, you know me alright, I’m not trying to start anything-”

“Doesn’t sound like the Topper I know.”

“That wasn’t me alright, Sarah made me a little crazy, I'll admit. But I’m over that.” Topper replied. “I don’t understand why you and Rafe broke up and suddenly you can’t hang with any of us.”

“Are you still friends with Rafe?”

“That’s not fair, we’ve been-”

“I don’t care. You know what happened. You want me to be friends with you Top? After what you and Kelce did. Look, thanks for last night but I don’t need your guilty conscience looking out for me. I need you to get your boys and get the fuck out my house.”

“Putting on the tough act for Topper?” Rafe’s voice came from behind you and you closed your eyes, jaw tensing at the sound.

“It’s fine man, we’re just talking.” Topper replied, stepping closer to you.

You opened your eyes and turned around to see Rafe and Kelce standing there, “actually I will tell you the same thing I told Top, get the fuck off my property.”

“Damn,” Rafe whistled, “you start hanging with the pogues and suddenly you think you’re tough shit.”

“Hey man, let’s just forget it.” Topper said, getting between you and Rafe.

Rafe put his hand on Topper’s shoulder, guiding him out of the way, “you go ahead, I need to talk to my girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend.” You replied, “I said we were done and I meant it.”

Pope had been watching you talk to Topper from the kitchen door and when he saw Rafe and Kelce join the two of you on the catwalk he’d broken up JJ and Kiara’s shot game to tell them something was going down and you were out there alone.

“Maybe she’s just talking to them.” Kiara shrugged, “I mean, she is a kook. Her and Rafe used to date too so...”

“She dated Rafe?” JJ asked, eyes wide at the implication.

“Oh yeah, she broke it off a couple times but they always got back together. Sarah told me she thinks they might get back together again.”

Pope frowned, thinking of the way you had looked this morning when he accused you of doing just that, “I don’t think so. We should make sure she’s okay.”

“I’ll get John B.” Kiara replied, making her way to the living room to find John B and Sarah.

JJ and Pope meanwhile, headed outside, coming up behind Kelce just as you told Rafe that you were never getting back together with him. You saw the two of them passed Kelce’s shoulder and your best at a subtle shake of the head, a silent ‘please go back inside’. But Topper saw them too and alerted Rafe to their presence.

“Kelce wasn’t lying Maybank, you really have turned into a guard dog haven’t you.” Rafe said, turning his full attention on JJ. Topper pulled you to the other side of the path and pushed you behind him as Kiara, Sarah, and John B walked up.

“Fuck off Rafe, you aren’t welcome here.” Kiara cut in before JJ could reply.

“I didn’t know you owned the place.” Kelce challenged.

“I already fucking told you to go!” You said, “so go!”

Rafe only smiled, looking at JJ still, “what pair you guys make man. A bitch and her dog.”

Without warning JJ lunged forward, shoving Rafe back and swinging, trying to punch him. When Kelce tried to grab him John B intervened, getting Kelce in a choke hold. It took a second for all six of the boys to become involved in the fight as Kiara urged Sarah to call the cops. Rafe punched JJ, sending him back into the sand and getting on top of him, hitting him repeatedly while Topper held off Pope and John B and Kelce fought with each other.

“Stop it,” Kiara grabbed at Topper, trying to pull him off Pope and Sarah just stood there frozen.

You went for Rafe, trying to push him off JJ. When you grabbed his arm he pulled away only to throw his elbow back, colliding with your stomach and sending you to the ground. It was all the momentum that JJ seemed to need to shove Rafe off him and get the upper hand, kicking him in the stomach a couple times.

“Get the fuck out!” He shouted, spitting on your ex-boyfriend.

Topper let go of Pope and grabbed Rafe’s arm, helping him up and pulling him away, Kelce breaking away from John B and following them back to theirs, away from the party. The six of you stood there in silence, trying to process what had just happened.

“Some party.” Pope finally said and Kiara glared at him.

“Didn’t I say this week would be shit.” JJ said, looking over at you before turning and heading out toward the beach.

“Let’s just go back inside.” Sarah pleaded.

“Why were they even here?” Pope asked, casting a glance your way.

“Topper said someone texted Rafe about the party.” You said, “could have been anyone...he’s been down here with me before, he knows some of my Keys friends.”

“Whatever,” Kiara cut in, “we have three days left and I would love if we could just, not see them again for 72 hours. Is that possible?”

“I hope so.”

“I had a feeling you’d still be out here.” You said, walking up behind JJ on the beach. The light from the houses behind you did little to illuminate the night. The waves were lapping up the sand at JJ’s feet and he made no sign that he even knew you were there. You dropped the blanket you had around your shoulders and sat down, not bothering to straighten out the corners. “I know you’re pissed-“

“I’m not pissed.” He said, digging his heels in further. “I just...you and Rafe, seriously?” 

“It was different, at the beginning.”

“That’s just an excuse.”

“Maybe but...I was 14 when we first started dating and I really thought he liked me. But, he just liked that I was insecure and he tries to remind me of that every time he sees me.” You explained. “Rafe being down here doesn’t change what happened at the water park, I didn’t just kiss you because of him.” 

It’d happened during the lazy river ride that you had forced JJ to go on. He had spent most of the ride pushing your innertube with his foot and trying to tip you until it finally happened and you went over, sputtering to the surface and trying to grab at your inflatable tube as passersby tried to avoid the two of you. You’d pushed his innertube over in retaliation and he’d abandoned it to grab you and try to dunk you underwater.

Serendipitous maybe, as you twisted in his arms, turning to face him, he’d leaned down and kissed you.

“He keeps showing up.”

“I didn’t invite him.” 

JJ looked back at you before rubbing the heel of his hand across his cheeks and sniffing to get rid of the literal waterworks he’d been two seconds away from. This wasn’t the vacation he had signed up for. And maybe there had been some good parts so far but the complicated bits were starting to outweigh everything else. Still, he shifted back so he could sit on the blanket with you; a step in the right direction you hoped. 

“What’s in the bag?” He asked, looking over at the backpack you’d carried all the way out here with you. 

“I didn’t think you would want to go back to the party so I brought the party with me.” You replied, unzipping the main compartment to reveal the alcohol you had swiped from the house. “I don’t know if you wanna party with me-“

“Shut up and pass me a beer.” 

You smiled, grabbing a beer from the bag and handing it to JJ. Without warning he grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward him, leaning back on his other elbow as he did. You caught yourself, pressing your hand into the blanket to hold yourself up and realizing you were hovering over him. 

“I, uh-“ you stammered, licking your lips briefly before JJ let go of your wrist and put his hand on the back of your neck, leading you into a kiss. You kissed back, ignoring the feeling of the beer bottle cap scratching your hand as you shifted to be closer to JJ, moving your knee between his legs so you were almost straddling him. 

“Are you sure?” You asked when you pulled away to move your hand from the beer bottle. You frowned when you glanced at it, holding it up so JJ could see the cut. He took your wrist, kissing over the small cut on your palm. “I’m not really good at casual things,” you admitted.

“Is that what this is?”

You shook your head before leaning in to kiss him again. While you held yourself up with the hand that had been cut by the beer bottle your other hand moved to JJ’s stomach, fingers slipping beneath his shirt and dancing along the soft skin of his abdomen, just above his shorts. His grip on the back of your neck tightened ever so slightly as he held your face to his, pulling out of the kiss for the briefest of moments to look at you, “Are you sure?” He repeated your question though it had a different meaning.

“Yeah.” You nodded. It was dead on the beach this time of night and you were far enough down toward the water that no one could really see you from the houses though that didn’t stop this from being the most daring thing you’d ever done.

JJ shifted so that he was laying back on the blanket, pushing the backpack away from his body as you straddled his waist. His hands went to your hips, running over your ass and settling on the backs of your thighs when you leaned all the way forward to kiss him, bodies practically pressed together. You kissed along his jaw and down his neck, sucking a bruise into his skin. JJ’s breathing picked up as your right hand moved between your bodies, fingers unbuttoning and unzipping his shorts before you slipped your hand beneath them, grasping him. JJ bit down on his lip as he moaned, the sound coming up from his chest.

You pulled away from him, cool air rushing between your bodies as you sat back on your heels. He watched you, heart pounding in his chest, as you put your hands on the waistband of his shorts, ready to pull them down, “God, why are you not in a swimsuit.”

“Excuse me for not knowing I was gonna get lucky on the beach.”

“I’m gonna leave you on the beach for saying that,” you teased.

JJ’s hands held you in a vice grip, squeezing your hips, “not a chance.” He replied. He ran his hands up your sides to the hem of your bralette, fingers nudging the fabric up and you caught on to what he wanted, obliging him by lifting the top up over your head and tossing it to the side.

Your original plan of action went to hell though you could be upset when JJ wrapped his arms around your back and sat himself up, knocking you back and laying you down so he could hover over you. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he kissed you.

“That was a neat trick.” You managed as he mirrored the hickey you’d left on him on your own neck. He smiled against your skin as his right hand moved across your stomach, fingers brushing against the underside of your breast. His mouth travelled down from your neck, kissing between your breasts before moving to the left, tongue darting out to flick over your nipple. His fingers twisted your other nipple at the same time and you tensed, hips shooting up to try and create some friction with his own. He sucks another bruise into your skin, just below your left breast before moving back up to kiss you.

The new position made it easier to get his shorts and briefs down and you manage to push them down to his thighs after you rid yourself of your own shorts. JJ leans his forehead against your collar, looking down at you with a sly smile. “No underwear?”

“I was in a hurry to get dressed.” You insisted, “now shut up.”

“I’m not the chatty one.”

“I’m not - holy shit!” You cursed as he slipped his hand between your thighs, coating his fingers before rubbing your clit. His middle finger circled the bundle of nerves before slipping down inside of you, just barely offering anything before repeating the cycle. When he kissed you he slipped his tongue in your mouth and you bit down gently, not enough to hurt him but enough to getting him going.

You tried to press yourself up into his hand but he pushed you down, slick fingers digging into your skin as he pressed you against the blanket. You whimpered when he pushed his hips into yours, his dick rubbing over your clit and you grip his hair as he tilts his head down to kiss and nip at your breasts again.

“Please, Jay,” you begged, unashamed and completely oblivious to your surroundings as he lined himself up and thrust in to you. He stilled for a moment once he was completely in, savoring the feeling of you until you tugged his hair. “Move.”

“God, you’re so desperate for me.” He teased, kissing beneath your chin and along your neck.

Finally he moves, thrusting into you. His pace quickens and you wrap your arms around him, digging your fingers into his back. He groans from the almost pain of the feeling, his hips hitting yours harder to give back as much as you’re giving him. You pulled him closer so that you could kiss him again. You’d be lying if you said that you had been on edge with JJ all day. That every touch and smile, the kiss in the lazy river, it all felt like foreplay as he thrust into you now, slipping his hand between your legs to rub your clit as he did, pushing you closer to the edge.

“JJ,” you whimpered, muscles in your stomach clenching as you felt yourself approaching your high.

JJ pressed his face into your neck, biting again at your collar, “I know,” was all he said, repeating it again when the rhythm he’d built up wavered slightly as he felt his own release approaching, “I know.”

One hand fisted the blanket beneath you as your release hit. You came, his name the only thing you could think of, and he came right after, the feeling of you tightening around him enough to pull an orgasm out of him. JJ held himself up on one arm, trembling above you, still connected as his hips still, his eyes on yours.

You sucked in a breath as he kissed the tender skin of your collar, red from his teeth, “have you ever gone skinny dipping?” You asked.

“Not in the Keys.” He replied, letting his upper body fall against you as well, all of him pressing into you.

“When I can move again...want to?”

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife @freckled-and-daydreaming @chasefreakinstokes @millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @howdyherron @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles @tragicmisfits @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @damonsalvawhore27 @dopedoodes @dolanfivsosxox @belledutchess @poguelifeeee @jjsthumbring @faded-blue @parkerpetertingle @thebookwormlife @summer-clouds-and-long-days @jellyfishbeansontoast @minigranger @louisolos @hoewkeye @love-someone-special @finecelle @vitaminekabc @tiredfeels @g4bster @strangerthanfanfiction713 @the-only-nana @tomzfrog @mozz-are-lla @vindictive-hearts @poguestyleskye @ssprayberrythings @pensysto @jenahbell @beautyandthebleh @lavenderxraindrops @gothackedalready @teenwaywardasgardian @sarahcxmeron @hvitost @haha-fuck-you-thot @stillbelieve398-5 @rewindlr @queenniccimicci @kissessforharryyy @thedarkqueenofavalon @alytavzla @bqmblebee @linniep @nerdypartytrashpsychic @xxchxrryxx @spencer-reid-is-a-cutie @mirjanak @kwjune @danielladreaming @obx-saltlife @youngestxhearts @spnobsessedmemes @wowitswondergurl @siwiecola @regev1408 @celestialmaybank @mybnkjj @averagxfangirl @mysterious-adventurer @justawilddreamerchild @rhyetaylor62 @calm-rejects @99sxuxii @oh-annaa @katiaw2 @aiifandomsunite @marteenuhh08 @x-lulu @kitkat0609 @ceruleanjj @yoxsh06 @wicked-laugh @obxwriterfan @justkeepdreamingswift @allie-mcginn @jjmaybankswife @literarycharleton @khiaraaa-in-spacee @crushe-s @teamnick @daydreamlilys @poguesnobx @collectiveuniverses @activist-af @mdgrdians @buckys-sunflower @jolomez @timotaychalabae @babycakes00 @pixelated-pogues @booksandshish @lopineapples @ponyboys-sunsets @prettyyboyspence @obxlife @downbytheouterbanks @pancakefancake @danicarosaline @sspidermanss @k-k0129 @apoguecalledjj @annedub

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irondad-not-ironsad · 4 years ago

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WandaVision Episode 1 Reaction

Spoilers below!!

I enjoy the music over the marvel logo

But also a 43 second logo feels kinda long for a 29 minute episode- is it just for the premier or is this gonna happen before each ep?

Also I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that there is a title sequence, which will probably be similar in length. Combine that with the lengthy credits people have been complaining about, it seems that the percentage of the thirty minutes that is actually the story is lower than it should be

not that I don’t love a good title sequence! But I’ll take a well fleshed out episode over fancy logos, title sequences and credits any day

now that I’ve got that of my chest, on to the actual show

I like how they have the frame shaped like that of an old timey tv, combined with the black and white it really adds to the old timey sit come vibe

I like these bells

Ok I know I complained about to much time being wasted with logos and such, but i LOVE how cheesy this theme song is and I love them showing vision and Wanda driving tp there house in wedding attire

“A regular husband and wife” 2 seconds late *vision disappears into a cloud of sparkles*.... 1 minute 8 seconds in and I love this

Even there acting is reminiscent of an old timey sit com this is amazing

feel like I should note he title sequence ends at the 1.36 mark approximately, which may not seem like a lot but again the show is less than thirty minutes so it adds up

Wanda talks with a fifties accent: I already love this show

Also I wish I had magic I could use to clean, I’m moving back into my dorm right now and Wanda’s powers would be SO helpful

Also I LOVE the laugh track

Also Wanda’s short curly hair is so cute

I love how neither of them knows what the heart means so they play it off by being like “yeah of course I know what it means, how could I forget? Do YOU remember what it means

Also Vision is literally part computer shouldn’t he have a photographic memory?

Also how old is Wanda? I could have sworn someone said she was 19 in civil war, which would make her like 21 here? I think?? Idk tho, as a 19 year old I don’t think she has ever looked 19 in the movies, even back in Ultron she looked at least in her mid twenties

The face Vision makes when he makes himself human is so funny

Also Vision blowing Wanda a kiss and her reaching back to grab it is the perfect amount of corny that makes it still cute

Also I wonder what vision’s job is

The backing music is so funny

I can already tell Agnes is going to be some great comic relief in a show that’s already hilarious

“I assure you, I’m married. To a man. A HUMAN one!” I know I’ve said before that I was never the biggest fan of Wanda or Vision but I love Wanda in this show

Obv there is something clearly off here, but I feel like I need to mention that it’s clear this is some warped reality. If I had never seen any of the MCU before, I may believe it was just witch and her robot husband living in the fifties, but the little details really make it clear to the audience (the majority of whom I am sure are familiar with the mcu) that something is off. This scene is one of those, where Wanda cannot seem to recall how long her and Vision have been together and plays it off by saying “It feels like we always have been together”

Is Agnes giving Wanda advice for the bedroom? is this really what I’m watching? Or have I wildly misinterpreted this?

Love the old timey lingo

Vision working a desk job is so funny

Love that vision doesn’t even know what they do at his job, I know it’s part of the false reality thing but also lowkey relatable

“you’re like a walking computer” “I most certainly am not! I’m a regular carbon-based employee made entirely of organic matter”

I started this like twenty minutes ago and have only gotten 7 minutes in because I keep stopping to type my reactions. I am going to try to shut up and watch, and stop screaming about every little detail for a bit 😂

Real quick though does Vision just go by Vision at work?

Ope apparently he does.

I wonder if Vision took Wanda’s last name

Or is he Vision Stark-Banner since it was Tony and Bruce who made him??

He probably isn’t called that but I think it would be funny if he was

Love that instead of writing “dinner with boss” or “Dinner w/ Harts” or even just “Harts” he drew a freaking heart like im dying

if my lack of emojis seems weird I’m typing this on a computer which I never normally do and I’m to lazy to pull up the emoji keyboard, so basically imagine there’s a cry laughing emoji after everything funny

“No skeletons in the closet?’ “I don’t have a skeleton sir.”

Yup I was right, Agnes is giving her sexy time advice

“you should stumble when you walk in a room so he can catch you. It’s romantic!” that is the only way I will be flirting from now on

Also I got to say, I'm guessing it’s a fifties thing but those pointy bras don’t look comfortable

So she answers the phone “Vision Residence” Is Vision also their last name now? Does he go by Vision Vision??

They make the best facial expressions

This phone conversation where Wanda think they’re having a date night whereas Vision is talking about his boss coming for dinner is comedy GOLD

also I love the fact that they’re giving us stereotypical sitcom drama while keeping it clear that there are bigger problems than dinner with the boss

Fake commercial break is at 9.56 (these time stamps are for myself I want to calculate how much of the episode is actually the story)

I do love the fake commercials tho! And I suppose in a way they ARE part of the show

They missed the chance to make it the toastmate three thousand and make every ironman fan cry

The beeping toaster sounds like a ticking bomb..... also the little red light is the only color we’ve seen this episode I think

Commercial ends at 10.46

Also love that it was an SI toaster, still wish they had made it 3000 instead of 2000

How did Wanda confuse Mr. Hart with her husband? Not that I’m complaining, her coming out in a robe and covering Vis’ Boss’ eyes is HILARIOUS

“This is the traditional Sokovian greeting? Didn’t I tell you my wife is from Europe?” “How exotic!” “We don’t break bread with Bolsheviks”

Visions pants are SO high waisted

“It’s our anniversary!” “Our anniversary of WHAT?” “WELL IF YOU DON”T KNOW I”M NOT GONNA TELL YOU”

Poor Vision is trying to figure out what kind of company he works for this is sooo funny

Agnes coming in clutch with a full meal

So Wanda needs the ingredients in order to magic a meal she can’t just make one appear

Vision breaking into song was amazing

How did one chicken turn into like 30 eggs

Vision is singing old McDonald with his bosses wife this is great

“Diane!” “That must be my wife summoning me!” “She calls you Diane?” “Yes... it’s her pet name for me” “I’m coming... Fred”

So many clichés in this show but it’s done in such a purposeful way that it’s still funny

Also we have only seen three rooms: the kitchen, the living room and Vision’s workplace

“Well I think tonight’s going SWIMMINGLY”

Mrs. Hart is SO NOSY

But I love that they don’t know the answers

Wanda looks SO disturbed when Mr. Hart is demanding her and visions story, you can tell her mind is fighting itself and it’s so sad

Mr. Hart is choking, is it bad that I think he deserves it?

Mrs. Hart keeps cheerily repeating stop it, and gone is the stereotypical sitcom camera angles and and the backing music is switched for something eery

This is lowkey scary, Mr. Hart Dying while his wife keeps cheerily saying Stop It and it just feels creepier the more she repeats

Wanda looks distressed and vision is just looking to her for what to do, her old timey accent is gone and she sounds nearly robotic as she tells Vision to help

Poor Wanda, she is so clearly going through it mentally right now

Laugh track is back, and just like that the Harts are leaving, despite only having one bite of food

And somehow Mr. Hart is impressed? Was Wanda rewriting reality to make them so?

I know that this is clearly some alternate reality and nothing is right, but wanda and vision deciding to choose that day as there anniversary and this little convo here is soooooo cute

Aw her making them rings and them both saying I do is soooo cute

And vision saying “and they lived happily ever after’ is so sweet but also so sad in context

What is that little remote vision is holding meant to be?

And love the hexagon closing in on them with the cute music playing to end the episode

Are the people in these credits real? Because it lists the start as Wanda Maximoff and Vision but are the rest actual people?

So there is some sketchy dude watching the maybe fake credits so there's something going on there

The actual credits start with 7.13 left and I’ve been told there's no mid or post credits scene. I’ll let them play while I finish this up anyways

8 minutes and 49 seconds of this show is the logo, title sequence and credits. Out of 29.36 total this means only 20 minutes and 47 seconds is the show, which I suppose is standard for a sitcom but I think I felt deceived by it showing as 29 minutes

Also 50 seconds of “commercial takes the show time down to 19.57 if anyone was wondering

I swear tho I’m not all that bothered by the length, just did the math in case anyone was curious like I am.

I thought I was going to really enjoy this going it, but it still really surpassed my expectations and I can’t wait for episode 2!

This is my raw reactions, but I’m sure that as I mull it over more I’ll be posting more about the show

This is somehow a perfect combo of lighthearted comedy and mild horror

I wanna let this episode stew for a while, so I prob won’t watch episode 2 for at least a day

Also what are your guys’ thoughts on this format of reaction? Did I write to much?

Also what did y’all think of this episode? Feel free to let me know what you think of my reaction, and whether you agree or disagree. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

#anna reacts to wandavision #anna reacts #wandavision #mcu #marvel #avengers #scarlet witch #vision #wanda maximoff #disney plus #wandavision spoilers #wv spoilers #mcu spoilers #marvel spoilers

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years ago

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Moriarty 8 - 11 (FINAL) | HypMic 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Taiso Samurai 7 - 9 | Akudama 9 - 12 (FINAL)

Hopefully I’ll be able to get on to all that backlog soon, because...I don’t want it to keep accumulating and Skate-Leading Stars (first winter 2021 anime) already has an advance 1st ep. up...

Moriarty 8

(Moriarty 8 notes deleted accidentally…)

Moriarty 9

If you want a modern equivalent to the Baker Street Irregulars, then I’d suggest you look this way *jabs finger at Odd Jobs Yamada (from HypMic)*.

These CGI background horse and carriages are…kind of distracting…

I’m guessing back in those days, the Irregulars were better than Google at finding info…because Google didn’t exist until the internet did.

Moriarty 10

Just this ep and one more until the end…at least, until spring 2021.

Wow, the use of colour here is really striking!

White lilies mean…purity/chastity…?

I’ve never heard of “bending someone’s ear” until now. It means to talk to someone, especially to ask a favour or to talk at length.

Probatio diabolica: the devil’s proof. I didn’t even know that was a concept until now…(I never once studied law, as you can tell.)

“William” isn’t normally shortened to “Liam”…It’s normally “Will”…also, notice all the footprints on the floor…

Moriarty 11 (FINAL)

Last ep. before spring 2021.

LOL, kabedon.

The fishy thing about Brits is that they’ve named things across the world names from Britain. I know there’s a Doncaster which isn’t anywhere near Britain, for one thing…

Observe the weird finger-like marking made by one of the bloodstains and the scratches on the suitcase. The latter was probably forced open.

Considering the number of signs the killer left, he was clearly in a hurry…

Well, based on that shoeprint we can find the killer if we can find traces of blood on his shoe.

“Duram” (sic).

Ah! If it was raining in Durham, then there would be traces of mud on the killer’s shoes. I remember early on in Detective Conan Shinichi, then newly shrunk, deduced Agasa was running in the rain based on the mud on his pants…this is similar.

Chloral (hydrate…?).

The “washroom” (apparently a Canadian term, the British term is “water closet”) has privacy and a place to get rid of the evidence, to some extent.

What about the rest of Eddie’s clothes?

Considering there are still 5 minutes of the ep. left…there’s going to be some kind of stinger for the next season. I can feel it.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait…Director Holmes??? Y’mean, Mycroft?! That is a good stinger! See you next time.

HypMic 12

“Ever since I was born, there was never a time I’d felt I’d accomplished something.” – Aw, Doppo, sweetpea (<- this blogger calls people “sweetpea” when they’re feeling lots of moe feels for them). Please don’t say that. You’ve accomplished more than enough in your life!

…Oh, almost didn’t notice it until Hifumi hid behind Doppo and the angle changed to confirm the jacket was on the bed, but Hifumi doesn’t have his jacket on.

I think I saw a tweet that said something about a wall being wrecked (specifically “Wall: Ow…”) but I wasn’t sure of the context, so I saved it in my bookmarks…LOL, so that’s what it means?

Samatoki, I know you don’t like Ichiro…but please stop trying to preach what his 2nd character song says in the title…(i.e. Break the Wall, LOL)

Jyuto’s very much a “I’ll leave this problem to the other guy” guy.

When the Funi subs say “dame”, I think Samatoki is just referring to an “onna” (woman). It’s a bit of an odd choice, really…although I can’t go and interrogate whoever was responsible for it. I don’t have the authority or the contacts that will allow me to.

This is not the time for fighting one another!!!

Notably, in the manga, Jakurai was going to chaffeur Hifumi and Doppo to their place, but then he had to go to work and so they rode the train with their prize money. This “run from Special Forces” ending is better, I think, since people got grumpy at Jakurai for having to abandon them with the money.

“…permission to cover a story.” - Permission from…who?

*screams* I was thinking Tom, Rex and Iris worked for a foreign government! They work for Ichijiku – why didn’t I think of that?!

LOL, I couldn’t even tell what Tom was saying until I played it back…it’s English, just…said in a spot where you don’t expect it.

“…that scares me.” – This may be nitpicky of me, but osoreru is actually a derivative of osore (fear), so “it strikes fear in me”…? “It strikes fear in my heart”? What would sound right…?

Go, host mode Hifumi! (...but does that imply host mode Hifumi is the only “version” of Hifumi able to rap? Certainly, he was able to do Wrap and Rap without his jacket, right…?)

You can tell Tom still respects Jakurai after all this time because he (the former) calls him (the latter) “Sensei”. Also, this’ll be interesting, we haven’t seen many mics and speakers beyond the standard bad guy ones (depicted in both the anime and the manga).

My gosh! All I knew of this song was that m-flo, also responsible for Human Lost’s theme song (and notably they’re a hip hop group with techno influences), was responsible for this song. Man, this s*** slaps! It’s great! (Sorry, I’ve just never really had the chance to capitalise on all the info I gathered on EDM DJs when talking in terms of things from Japan…m-flo is basically the only act I know which does that, so I’m really excited…can’t you tell from how verbose I’m getting in this note?)

That’s interesting that Matenrou won and Tom still took the gold chair symbolism to represent him and the Secret Aliens as the victor instead.

Iris’s parts are awesome. M-flo has a female vocalist and so I’d assume Iris takes on Lisa’s (m-flo’s vocalist’s) parts.

…Hmm, Gentaro’s made a reference to the track “Me Against the World”, has he?...Maybe.

I’m not quite sure, but I think Ramuda said “majo” (witch) when he was referring to Beauty and the Beast in the English subs.

…gosh, what is up with that airhorn…? Still, next time is the last time. See you on Christmas…no, Boxing Day.

HypMic 13 (FINAL)

This is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning…y’know, considering how stuff trended on Twitter, I’d say this anime’s gonna get a 2nd season, but you can’t really say that until it actually happens. I mean, Boueibu is much less popular than HypMic and that got a 2nd season…

This is the 1st episode where I woke up early enough to watch without spoilers and had no obligations to place over it, so…this is exciting, in its own sense, but in a sense, it could also be called “profoundly disappointing” because this experience is only available to me as of the final episode.

One of the tweets I saw a few weeks back came to mind – someone became interested in sakuga houkai (terrible animation, literally “animation collapse”) because of HypMic…I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing…

…Dude, you probably shouldn’t answer a call from someone who just revealed themselves to be a traitor last episode…*sweatdrops*

(Spoiler for rest of franchise) Hmm…Dice’s face is pretty straight. Assuming at this point we knew Dice was Otome’s son, this is a good poker face from him…!

This thing about gangs was mentioned in their profiles (although the words used implies they “went delinquent”), so it actually doesn’t surprise me.

I wonder if this subway exists in the mainline story…?

According to the next ep. preview I saw on Twitter, TDD will reform to take down the Secret Aliens. I’m not sure if that was a guess or whether that’s true, so I’m waiting for the shoe to drop on it.

Samatoki-san, not -sama. Hmm…

There was definitely the word “team” in Dice’s line, so it’s “what the legendary team was made of”.

…oh gosh…they’re still using that airhorn…?

Again with the play on “lonely thunder”. It’s a really fun pun, but one I’d like to see in the rest of the series more.

Notably, Iris’s rap in English missed the word “charisma” where it could have fit (unless I missed reading it the first time).

Note Samatoki does actually use the word “shinsensa” (freshness), so there’s no lie there.

I still love how much they went in on Rex’s theme, even in his raps.

Huh, that’s new. Never seen a tag team like this before.

It seems Tom’s signature is using a lot of English, which makes it easy for us English/Japanese pair translators.

Saburo didn’t actually say “Ichi-nii”, did he…?

…based on the rock intro, this is Rhyme Anima, the OP, or something that sounds similar. What I’d need to confirm this is the “nautilus” line and the “ends corruption” line, which are the OP’s two biggest tells for AMQ.

“rainmaking” – Hmm, another link from Gentaro to Rei. This might be a different part of Rhyme Anima (OP) that wasn’t used as the OP proper.

“this white light invites and heals” (<- paraphrased) – Sounds like Sensei, alright!

…now that (rainbow bit). That’s sakuga!

*a silhouette appears* - Oh nooooooooooooooo! Now they‘ve done it! They’ve included Rei! That’s more than enough spoilers to last a lifetime for y’all anime-onlys!

I wish someone would work on this collaboration between Saburo and Riou…

Hmm…what is the series endgame? Putting in Dice as the new ruler??? I mean, Dice is the worst possible politician ever. He’s far too lax about things.

*Nemu enters* - No! Nemu!

Not only is Iris a “ramen shop owner”, it��s Tom’s favourite food…No wonder ramen has significance to her.

…ooh! A new song! Update: I don’t know what this song’s name is, although it probably will become clear what its name is on the 13th. I’ll keep my eye on Twitter in case the answer is there.

…I knew it was far too early to say if there was an s2 – the DVD’s live events go until September 5th and the 2nd DRB finishes in March. That almost felt like a stinger right there. Oh well, I’m more than happy to call this anime a success, even if I would call it the worst of the arms of the franchise. All HypMic’s anime had to do was deliver fun, before anything else, and it delivered on that front. See you around!

Taiso Samurai 7

Anime burnout means I’m coming back to the anime after the day it finishes.

This dancing scene is kind of like the one at the start of ep. 2 of IWGP, except it has the owl to represent the setting as well as the dance stage.

Leo doesn’t seem to know kanji or katakana, only hiragana.

Even though this part of the anime is set in London, the characters are still speaking Japanese (lel…?).

LOL, Edward Scissorhands much?

LOL, these background gossips are like the Plastics from Mean Girls…haha.

…LOL, that’s not one of those dismounting moves, is it? It’s just kind of…jumping off the bar.

Lookit how Leo’s sticker is 90 deg. sideways from what it should be, haha.

I don’t think it’s true that Olympic gymnasts have never failed. Like other people at the top of their game, they’re probably failed millions of times, but only outside the view of most of the world. Persistence and passion are what’s key to becoming the best at what you are, no matter what field you’re in.

Now Aragaki’s what I call a “determinator” (see TV Tropes on what that is).

Taiso Samurai 8

Notably, the word used for “clothes” is specifically for Western clothing, like dresses.

Well, now we know why Leo can do those stretches…

They’ve clearly sped up the dance here, but…it’s basically the same sort of movements Yuri on Ice used to suck me in. I’m here for it!

Leo seems to be the type who tries to push away his worries by distracting people (including himself) with other things…I see. I didn’t have much of a grasp of his character beforehand.

Britney! F*** you, Britney!

Ah, that must be the (a?) fabled owl of Ikebukuro. I’ve never actually been to Ikebukuro…the closest I got was Akihabara (to memory) and even then, that was for electronics, not anime…so I’ve never seen the owl statue I’ve been talking about close up.

Rei does kind of look like her mother like this.

Ah! Rei and Kitty have a pair look now! “Twinsies”, they call it.

Amakusa’s head is located right next to Leo’s butt, so I end up staring at it…LOL.

The Hoover mission.

“I <3 Ninja”, LOL.

LOL, “Nyapoo!”

*sighs* The problem with being multi-talented is that you’re going to be told to one day put one passion above the others, even if you don’t want that.

LOL, you can be a ninja with this WikiHow article. (I was looking for Kitty’s quote, but found that instead. It seems to be a quote from one of Tomoyo’s movies.) Update: I was right.

There’s a movie in the back where the title is “Black Rainmaker”. (Tomoyo, I presume) Mifune is the 1st person credited.

Considering this is 2003…you won’t be on Mars in 2013, Kitty.

Wow, a tape! That brings me back to 2003, indeed.

Charlie’s Angels…so that’s what the tape was.

LOL, a shoebill.

“blade in your heart” – That would refer to the character for “ninja”, which has a blade over a heart. Y’know Kiss Shot Acerola Heart-Under-Blade (from Monogatari), yeah? Like that.

…you might think emails were out of place in 2003, but a virus from an email caused me to be an avid reader and that virus was unleashed around the late 90s – early 2000s.

LOL, Kitty’s cat belt buckle.

You said it, Rei. You said it.

Taiso Samurai 9

Lausanne, Switzerland.

I noticed one of the boxes at the start of the OP says “Horizontal Bars”, rather than some random name to make the boxes look like they were discarded.

Someone encoded the video funny…

LOL, BB’s getting possessive of his territory.

Fuku-chan the fukurou (owl) in Ikebukuro…LOL.

LOL, randomly there’s a skeleton with a hat in the background of Britney’s clinic.

Notably, one of the wall hangings says “heart” on it – alternatively, “soul”.

Notably, Atlanta was the 1996 Summer Olympics…there is no 1997 Lausanne Olympics, as far as I know.

Akudama 9

I watched the part where it glitches twice and I can’t quite figure out what that circular symbol is…maybe it’s Hacker’s symbol…?

Ah! Only now they properly confirm Swindler used to work in the Seal centre.

“Life that never dies is defective.” – Doctor

Does that mean Doctor is actually older than she looks, due to plastic surgery…?

Marker? What marker?

Apparently that flower is a cherry blossom…according to Detective Conan.

…I know this anime wasn’t made in America (it wouldn’t be “anime” otherwise), but Anime Feminist is going to have a field day with this one…if they haven’t abandoned it already due to their idea of morals.

…now I can even see parallels between HypMic’s authorities and Akudama’s. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

“Why did this have to happen when I’m chief?” – Sounds like…basically every authority during COVID and BLM, to be honest.

See? Akudama likes the S word. I told you.

I haven’t watched The Shining, but reading the synopsis, you can figure out why Cutthroat is the way he is…sort of.

How does the iconic quote go? “Heeeeeeeeeeeere’s Danny!” (or something…?)

They even copied the iconic eye shot! There you go!

Way to take a guy out (with the door, LOL).

…with all this killing, I can see why Akudama Drive was only in one magazine now. (Then again, HypMic was in basically all of them and that also has a tonne of problems…)

Akudama 10

万死 literally means “10000 deaths”.

Babel.

That police chief is such a mood, LOL.

I can see why people didn’t recognise Swindler, but Courier never changes his look, so…uh…

You can’t become a police chief without a sense of justice, no?

“Since when did you know that I’m not-“ - *facepalms*

Is this what they call an “ass-kickin’ Christmas”? (LOL)

Y’know, Sister, you could just do the whole “wherever you are, I’m also seeing the same sky as you” thing some other anime do.

Notably, there are shide (the paper strips) and a rope over the vault…they really do treat the shinkansen and its immortal children as a single god, huh?

Hmm? They don’t care about Sister anymore? Just Brother? (Somewhere along the way, the priorities must have shifted.)

In the end, the best ship is Brawler and Hoodlum (lel).

Akudama 11

One more ep after this. I’m gonna miss this anime, even if it was crazy over-the-top and I didn’t finish it until after the day it ended.

I think the scariest scene in all of Akudama Drive is the one where the “cleaner” tosses the girl aside.

“This nowhere place!” – Around this time, the bunny and shark’s shirts say “morning”/”afternoon” (shark) and “evening” (bunny).

The blue bird of happiness…literally. That character on the birds is the one for “happy”.

…LOL, that one glitched Courier looks more like Cutthroat.

Hacker’s drone matches Courier’s head angles, LOL.

I guess if you think you’re falling in Kanto, you’re falling in Kanto and if you think you’re floating (like Courier did), you float. I always liked that concept.

War Games. Now the title makes sense!

…but they can be together if they stay here in Kanto as vessels for the citizens? (That sounds mighty antagonistic of me, but…that logic does compute.)

Maybe swindlers play games with the truth…? (What an interesting concept.)

“Just fine.” – I think Hacker needs a “This is fine” meme.

“We can hear your heart talking.” – It means something like “We can hear you spouting your true intentions.”

“…worth every last penny…” – That’s a weird thing to say for someone whose life got changed by 500 yen…Just goes to tell you how American the subbers can be sometimes.

Swindler’s smug face is so good, LOL.

Akudama 12 (FINAL)

This episode isn’t named after a movie. It’s named after the anime itself.

The TV says “Please watch away from the TV”, i.e. stand back from the TV while you watch.

“They came and stole the offerings…” – At this point, bunny’s shirt says “freedom” and shark’s says honpou, meaning “wild, uninhibited, rampant, extravagant”.

…where did Shikoku come from? Is that where Swindler and Sister landed after they tried going to the moon?

Ohh! That Christian imagery! That’s scary!

Is Akudama Drive a tragedy? No, I think…on the contrary, it’s a story of hope.

LOL, “s*** guy”.

I thought the girl had a bomb. Turns out she has a gun, which is…far worse, come to think of it.

Instead of red characters which say things about the situation, now Shark and Bunny have Hacker’s symbol on them.

There’s no way anyone who wasn’t immortal would survive the attack Courier took…

…why is it that falling over represents vulnerability in children in all of these stores where a war has happened and/or there’s a chase? Hmm?

Wow, Sister did everything with heels on…?!

Anyways, that was a fun time. See you next time!

#simulcast commentary #akudama drive #Chesarka watches Akudama Drive #taiso samurai #Gymnastics Samurai #HypMic #Hypnosis Mic #Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima #moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #Chesarka watches Yuukoku no Moriarty #Chesarka watches HypMic #Chesarka watches Taiso Samurai

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wheremytwinwatches · 4 years ago

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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 36

Last time: Sloth wished he had a jacket or something, our heroes found the Goth’s illegal mining operation, and M.G. Armstrong was offered immortal soldiers. Onwards!

No intro again, we’re starting with oh it’s Beard. Alright buddy, what are you up to now? Reciting names? While undressing? Who are you talking to

oh um Well this is a thing.

So… after saying a bunch of names, Beard apologized that he had to “use” them, then jammed his fingers into his chest to pour some blood onto the ground, which then swirled around and went into the earth.

Beard’s not the Big Bad, is he? It’s Uncle.

Tephi is currently sniggering at me.

Crazy Theory In Light Of New Scene Time! *deep breath*

So all this time I’ve been ranting at Beard for being the Big Bad, but what I’m guessing now is a Frankenstein situation; Beard got caught up in his research trying to expand Alchemy and create a Homunculi (with the Philosopher’s Stone? Without?), created Uncle who then decided that he was a superior being to mere humans and went on to create the Goths. Beard goes into hiding/on his endless fishing trip, is he trying to stop Uncle or has given it up as a lost cause? He also appears to have the same Philosopher’s Stone blood that Uncle has, experimenting on himself before making Uncle? Who knows! Still don’t forgive him for abandoning his family, even if he has some excuse like “I did it to protect you from the Goths.”, because we can see how well that worked out.

In any case, I think I understand all the blocks of spoiler text now, if he actually is a good guy then I apologiz- no actually I don’t apologize, dude is still sketchy as hell and abandoned his wife and kids. He’s still got a long way to go before he makes a Homura recovery on my List.

Episode 36 - “Family Portrait”

This looks like it’ll be another Beard episode like Interlude Party (which I just went back to re-read my post and I’m cringing at my anti-Beard rants), but with The Reveal I think I’d be ok with getting some more info on this guy. Just as long as we can get back to M.G. Armstrong catfishing Raven soon.

Yup, flashback episode. Baby!Ed and Baby!Al are sleeping, Beard by their bedside. Mama Elric says he can hug them if he wants, but Beard doesn’t want “the monster” to spread. So he already has his Philosopher’s Blood at this point?

[Mama Elric]: “Please. If it could spread that way, don’t you think I would have caught it a long time ago?”

I did not know I needed sassy Mama Elric until I got it but now I have a mighty need

The standard Creepy Tinkly Piano Music starts up as Beard

[Beard]: “Since I got this body-”

?! No no, I can’t stop and rewrite all my theories every other sentence or we’ll be here all night.

Beard is saying that ever since he got this body he’s seen a lot of death, tried to pass it off as the natural flow of the universe. He’s seen a lot of new things flourish over his life, accepted his body and kept on living. But then he met Mama Elric and created two sons oh ok I can see where this is going. Easy to accept death when it happens to Others, but to your Own?

...or not since he just compares himself to his aging sons, calls himself a monster. Damnit man I was giving you a noble backstory stop messing up my theories

Later, Mama Elric summons Beard from his Lair/Lab to surprise him with a photographer! Oh I get it, they’re getting that family picture (title drop-ish) that Beard took with him when he stopped by Resembool. Mama Elric passes Beard Baby!Ed, and good Leto man you’ve been a father for how many years? Not wanting to disturb them while they were sleeping was one thing but you’re acting like someone handed you another child, surely you’ve had some practice and carrying your own sons.

The Elrics pose while the photographer takes oh never mind Mama Elrics giving her “we’re taking this picture for the memories” speech even though he just asked for everyone to stand still. This is an old-timey camera lady, if you keep talking it’ll end up with everyone else ok but you with a great big blur where your mouth is.

[Mama Elric]: “He’s taking it. Smile, dear.” [Beard]: *Complete opposite of a smile*

Aw. Ok, I can understand why they crop out his head in that picture all the time now, that’s just depressing.

Huh. So that’s Beard’s motivation, then. He’s decided that immortality isn’t worth watching his loved ones age and die around him, so he’s of course researching a way to make them immortal as well nope he just wants to reverse his immortality so he can age and die with them. Ehhhhhhh ok whatever we aren’t getting back into the “is immortality good or bad” thing seeing as the only in-universe way is Stupidly Evil, let’s just focus on going back to Plain Old Human.

[Beard]: “That bastard…”

Are you talking about Uncle? Truth? Because I swear if this show goes and pulls out another Big Bad “for real this time you guys” I’m going to scream.

Aw, Beard’s fixing up the tree swing, we get an amusing moment where he falls down that let’s be real is only amusing because it’s A)in an anime so Physical Comedy is the rule, and B)he’s at least a semi-Goth so physical injuries are just a nuisance. Mama Elric comes out to check on him, and he gives the inevitable reveal that he’s going Absent Anime Father. Mama Elric is… surprisingly chill about this.

Beard’s trying to sneak out while the kids are asleep, but we know how that worked out. Mama Elric goes to distract them as Beard frowns (upset that his secret plan to sneak out secretly and avoid Familial Interaction failed?), then sees Baby!Ed looking up at him.

Way back in Episode 12

Flashback! Mama and Papa Elric are standing at the door, Baby!Ed and Baby!Al happened to be up early in the morning. Mama’s of course all over her children, but Papa Elric… just glares down at Ed, that’s the only description I can use for that look. Then he turns without a word, and walks out the door.

Context!

With both of his sons looking at him, Beard’s self-composure wavers ever slightly before he regains his glare and turns away.

Hey, it’s the campfire from the intro! Beard is looking at the family picture, before looking up to the night sky. “Just a little while longer…”

Whoa, all that was just before the intro?!

Oh come on! I was getting invested in more Beard Backstory, it’s almost a letdown to go back to Fort Briggs. Almost.

A bunch of Briggs soldiers are scouting the Goth Tunnel, seems their radio’s dead. Interference by the Military? The CO says they’ll keep going to find where all the rubble got dumped, but his horse shies and the ominous flutes start up. Who else is down there?

Black Shadows! Eyes! Teeth! Impalement!

Run Smith, run! Flee the Gate of Truth never mind he wasn’t fast enough. Sorry dude.

Ed’s listening to Raven’s “immortal soldiers” offer, and M.G. Armstrong’s baaaarely restraining herself from killing this old creep who’s all up in her personal space. She asks if the whole immortality thing would be for all her troops as well as herself, Raven says he can tell her “later”. So now she has to choose between accepting his offer and assisting his plans for Briggs (which could go very badly for the troops she commands), or refusing and getting pushed aside like General Grumman.

Before she can say anything, a mook’s knocking at the door to report that “something” has happened to the underground tunnel team- whoops, Raven overheard and is inviting himself along to go see. The eavesdroppers head out as well, after Ed Transmutes up some rope to “make it look convincing”. Right they’re still prisoners.

Whew, good thing they got the rope, they’ve run into Sideburns showing Kimblee around the fort. Ed recognizes The Crimson Alchemist, and oh yeah they’ve never actually met before, so Kimblee makes the mistake of thinking The Fullmetal Alchemist is the giant suit of armor instead of the pipsqueak everyone’s pointing to.

[irate!Ed]: “If one more person makes that mistake…”

Down in the pipe room, M.G. Armstrong’s getting the report of lost contact, aside from Smith’s horse with what they assume is his arm (man, arms just do not stay on people’s bodies in this show, do they?). M.G. Armstrong orders a rescue tea- nope shut down by Raven who claims the tunnel is too dangerous. Now, about that immortal monster she was talking about earlier?

Wow. General is straight up ordering M.G. Armstrong to grab the monster they put on ice, put him back in the tunnel and seal it up behind him. Obviously the nearby flunky balks at burying any possible survivors in the tunnel, but Raven just paraphrases the Law of the North about obeying strength and power. Now, is M.G. Armstrong going to refuse an order from her superior officer?

Mid-ep pictures of Crazy Grin Raven and steadfast Olivier Mira Armstrong.

Raven’s visiting the Elric Brothers in their cell, happy to see that they’ve been “keeping their mouths shut”. Ed’s just a little annoyed to have his friends held hostage and be locked up, but the ever-helpful General assures them that they can go soon. He then assures the boys that they don’t need to worry about the tunnel, M.G. Armstrong’s being a good little soldier and following orders.

Something that her own troops seem to be having a little trouble with now, the flunky from earlier is arguing with M.G. Armstrong about the lost team until she snaps at him to be quiet and obey. Kimblee’s watching everything from the walkways and snarks that even “The Impregnable Wall Of Briggs” bows to authority. Here’s hoping she proves you wrong soon.

Hey Sloth, how was your nap? Raven tells him to wake up and get back to work, apparently Pride explained it to him already. Now with his orders to get back to, Sloth returns to digging while Raven spouts some drivel about Sloth being a “chimera” working for Central, and since it was a top-secret mission they had to cover the hole and guard it.

[Raven]: “I’m counting on you soldiers! It’s people like you who make this country what it is!”

...wow. Ok, I’m pretty sure that M.G. Armstrong knows that the offer of immortality is intended to be at the cost of her own troops now. Way to eff things up Raven. Now if you had couched it as harvesting Drachmans to empower herself and her troops it might have been different.

Hey Marcoh, hey May! Still going over the notes?... wait, how long have you been at that hut? What have you been eating? Anyways, Marcoh says the important parts of the book are written in Ancient Ishvalan, which he can’t make heads or tails of. If only they had an Ishvalan Monk who could translate. Yeah, where is Scar?

Ooooh shoot. The Briggs snowtroopers have found the girl with the weird cat now, they draw their guns and move in when suddenly Scar! Man, good timing. Meeting up with the Doctor and the Princess, Scar confirms that they have the notes and says it’s time to move NOW HOLD ON. Did you really just take those two soldiers’ uniforms and leave them in the snow? Dude, not cool! At least move them into the hut so they don’t freeze to death.

Uh, timeskip apparently. Raven and M.G. Armstrong are overseeing the sealing of the tunnel, Raven’s confirming that the “weak” will be sacrificed to make the chosen few immortal. Man, Raven just has no redeeming qualities beyond that beard, does he? He’s just cheerfully talking about how the weak will be the foundation for the strong, completely missing the Death Glare that M.G. Armstrong’s leveling at him.

Sideburns is still having to babysit Kimblee, takes a moment to ask how the punk he was threatening in a hospital just a few days ago healed so quickly, let alone how a convicted murderer of officers got to walk free. Kimblee’s not exactly forthcoming.

Raven’s still cheerfully going on about how the country was founded with the plan to Mass Sacrifice its population, and how his generation gets to reap the rewards. He clasps her shoulder and damnit stop being a creeper you traitor-

[M.G. Armstrong]: “Hmph. There’s no need.”

Wait is she HELL YES

Screw you, you old coward! Just stand there with her sword through your arm as you feebly protest about her being a “chosen one”.

[M.G. Armstrong]: “I don’t need a new seat from you. You’re going to lose the one your moldy ass has clung to for too long! Right about now, Raven! You old TRAITOR!”

Oh hey, how convenient that there’s a fresh pool of concrete for that jerk’s corpse to be hidden in.

[Armstrong the Great]: “General, you are among the weak who will become the foundation for this country. Literally.”

Ha. Now we can get to work! Get some gloves free of traitor’s blood, find Sideburns and the other unwanted guest, and get that concrete nice and level.

Oh my Leto shut up Kimblee, stop trying to antagonize Sideburns with taunts about Ishval. Just as he starts to snap back Sideburns is called aside to hear that he doesn’t have to distract Kimblee anymore. He goes back and claims that “nobody can find General Raven”, so Kimblee… uh oh. Kimblee’s got standing orders to act as he sees fit if Raven’s not around, so they probably should give him a car to leave the fort. After all, one disappearance can be put down as bad luck. Both Raven and Kimblee? They can’t show their hand so soon.

Aw, the flunky who argued for the rescue mission is still pleading with Armstrong the Great to check the tunnel before it’s sealed. Ooh, but Ed made a second door earlier! That… may not have been such a good idea, I know that these guys haven’t seen what killed the tunnel team but still.

The mechanic stops by the Elrics’ cell to say Raven’s taking a concrete nap, then walks off. Wait, you’re still leaving those two in jail? Raven’s dead and Kimblee’s leaving, you don’t need to keep up the prisoner facade! Damnit, let the protagonists out to do their job!

Awww, hell. Kimblee’s shown up, wants to talk with the Fullmetal Alchemist. Fine whatever, just… what do you mean, “a visitor”?

CRAP. Winry! Or, is that Envy in disguise? Nah, probably Winry given how she’s yelling about Ed not getting his automail adjusted before going north. Someone from the military contacted her?

...Kimblee get your hands off her shoulders right now.

Damnit. Right as we get Armstrong the Great acting against the Military in defiance of the immortality temptation, we’ve got the Goth’s attack dog reminding them of the hostages. This is-

The end of the episode? Really? Wow, ok then. This one seemed like we got a short story on Beard (that just raised

so many new questions

) and a partial arc with Fort Briggs. What’s gonna happen next?

Wait hold on, this is one of those post-credit scene episodes. Roy’s meeting with one of the bar girls who’s reporting on Kimblee’s rapid recovery after Raven showed up. After paying her for the info a passing flower merchant teases him about just getting a “nice seeing you”... before saying she has a message from Armstrong the Great.

[Roy]: “I’ll take every flower you have in that cart.”

#wmtw #where my twin watches #full metal alchemist #full metal alchemist brotherhood #fmab #fmab 36

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smolmagicalmuffin · 5 years ago

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In the Hands of Magic

Finally wrapped up my s4 ep 5 inspired fic. I’m not really confident with this one... especially with the way I wrote the ending. Feedback is appreciated and if anyone wants to recommend a better title that’s fine. SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5

He had met the octopus before. It was an unusual sight to see the creature perched on a chair, wearing a suit and wiggling its tentacles about. Its voice vibrated the vacuum that surrounded them. It was peculiar but he knew that he was in the presence of something divine. Something bigger than him and older than the universe itself. The experience had changed him. It delivered much needed confidence and the last message he received… it stuck with him for a while. Which is why he wanted to pay the being a visit. He was hungry for information, sneaking around, hunting down items in the woods, and finding a peaceful spot… all to see it again. It was a difficult process. Quartermaster scared him away from the shed that he was searching for documents in. He had pulled up the wrong plant, earning him a few days of itchy red welts. Entering the dimension again was a bit bumpy. It took a few different chants and almost a month of attempts but eventually he arrived thanks to the full moon. “We meet again Harrison.” “Uh… hello?” He had appeared on the same tea party style table as last time. A football, rocks, a stuffed elephant and a playing card floated past them. The dimension wasn’t as empty as Harrison thought from his first trip. “I figured you would try to enter on your own. You seemed very curious. Be careful with your search for knowledge… might get you into trouble someday.” The octopus waved its tentacles around, words echoing. “I have so many questions.” Harrison grabbed a playing card as it drifted by. He returned it to the deck in this pocket.

“What do I call you? I don’t know your name and I’ve been seeing you as an it? Which just feels rude to me?” He pointed at the octopus, hand shaking.

A chuckle came from the ancient being. “Ah humans. I can tell you have a loving heart. You worry about offending me? That is almost impossible. I am not bound to the labels that your kind tends to adopt. I’ve been called several things throughout millennia. My gender is infinite. You may call me what you wish.”

It took a moment for Harrison to process that. He looked up in shock. “I can name you?”

“Yes. No pressure though. I can understand why it would be a burdensome task.”

Harrison fiddled with his fingers. He glanced at the suit that the octopus was wearing. Today it was a muted green with a yellow bow tie. “I’m not sure… I could name you Gray? You are gray but at the same time that seems stupid?

“That I can accept.”

“Seriously?” “You worry about the approval of others too much. No need to fret. The name you assign me can be simple. Each name I’ve been assigned by mortals has a unique energy signature. Even if it is the same name used by separate beings. It binds us together. “ “Should I be concerned?”

“I am a neutral being assisting and guiding who I desire. That connection will not harm you. Let us make this connection official.” Harrison stared at his companion’s tentacles. “You want me to shake one of you tentacles?”

More laughter erupted from it. “Not necessary.” A tentacle reached out and pressed up against his forehead. The sensation was cold at first but it turned warm. His whole body shivered as energy passed through.

The newly named Gray took its tentacle away. “Complete.”

Harrison shook his head. “That was something.”

“It was nothing more than a simple ritual to bind us together. Do you have any more questions for me?”

“How can I come back here without all of the work? Where are we?” Harrison waved his hands around.

Gray let out a soft chuckle. “This plane of existence has many names. It is a crossroads between multiple dimensions. Not every being can access this place.”

The stuffed elephant from earlier floated by again. “Stuff I made disappear is here? Is… my brother here? You told me that he said hi.” “Your abilities are quite talented for someone of your age. With some practice I can see you returning completely on your own. That I can teach you. Your brother? I have seen him around here. Do not worry. He is well taken care of.” This confused Harrison. If his brother was floating around in this plane why couldn’t Gray just bring him back? At the same time he was honored to have the attention of a higher being… even if it was a little creepy and slimy. Gray seemed to be trustworthy and a possible… friend? Yes. Harrison wanted to work on a relationship between the both of him. If the octopus couldn’t return his brother maybe it could pass on the knowledge to do it himself. Gray oddly blinked. “You have many thoughts at the moment”

Harrison shot it an offended look. “You read my mind?” “I admit to taking a peek. I was curious of your opinion. If this does disturb you I can be less obvious about it.” “How about you don’t take any peeks?” he snapped. “That I can not do. I have access to the minds of most mortals. They chatter and chatter. It is quite interesting if you give it a try. I do not advise that you attempt to look into mine. It is too incomprehensible and I would hate to lose a wonderful soul like you to insanity.” “I...okay? Why would I do that? Its rude.” Harrison stammered. “You have goodness in your soul but I sensed a bit of darkness being held at bay. Nothing wrong with a controlled release of your darker wishes and desires. Prevents it all from boiling over.” “Dude you are creeping me out right now and I have no clue how to feel.” “Do you wish to go back?” “No. I want you to teach me things. I’ve been looking for someone to help me with my magic.” The fear in Harrison’s voice was replaced with confidence. This didn’t surprise Gray. It knew the boy viewed it as a potential teacher. He was a bit skeptical and skittish but willing to listen.

“I am afraid that this current visit must come to a close.”

Harrison titled his head. “So is that a no?” “I am willing to educate you on the use of your powers. However it will not be easy. We will meet very soon.” Harrison’s surroundings started to turn white. As everything around him faded he heard one last thing. “The hat you own and hold so dear is the key for your return.” He woke up in the forest laying on his back. The stars glittered above him. His hat was beside him. Harrison gazed at it while thinking about Gray’s last words. He made things appear and disappear with the hat. Perhaps it was a portal of some kind. Would stepping into the hat bring him back? But how could he return once he arrived? Wouldn’t that trap him? Could Gray just teleport him? His mind was buzzing with questions.

Harrison sighed and stood up. It was late and he needed rest. He could practice tomorrow. He walked along the path towards the circle of tents. Leaves crunched under his feet and he could have sworn that Quartermaster was behind him at some point. He stepped into the tent he shared with Preston. The young theater kid was snoring quite loudly. Harrison rolled his eyes. This was normal but that fact didn’t make it less annoying. Oh well he was starting to adjust and he was exhausted anyway. He slipped under the covers of his sleeping bag and instantly fell asleep.

“GOOD MORNING CAMPERS!” David’s cheerful voice rang through the recently repaired loudspeaker. Neil had helped and earned extra dessert as payment.

Harrison grumbled and rolled out of his sleeping bag. He got dressed and then shook Preston awake. His hearing was slowly starting to decline so Harrison decided to be a decent friend and help him out when needed.

“Did I miss announcements again?” Preston stretched. “They just started.” On cue they droned in the background. Gwen mentioned “Banana Pudding Night” and there was something about a dodgeball competition later in the week. Preston started humming and walked over to the corner of the tent to change. Clothes flew in Harrison’s direction. He picked those up, eyes rolling. “Hey next time keep your clothing on your side of the tent.” He left the tent.

Preston looked in his direction. “What?” Today’s plans were easy. Eat breakfast, do whatever activity the counselors set up, sneak off to practice magic and test his theory.

He mostly kept to himself. Normally he would be trying to get the other campers to view his illusions but the summer was almost over and he had a mission for the day. Nerris approached him during breakfast which made him both annoyed and oddly happy. Harrison was beginning to enjoy her company and the bickering between them was slowing down. Of course, since they were both children they would fight and argue but they found themselves more as friends than rivals these days. After a long and exhausting hike with David and the others Harrison decided to hangout behind his stage to practice. He made a mental note to update Nerris and Preston on his recent adventures after his next visit to Gray. He felt guilty for his distance lately.

He stared at the inside of his hat. “I don’t see anything?” He shoved his hand in and pulled out a rabbit. It sniffed at him before hopping off.

“That didn’t work.” For the next half hour Harrison tried multiple things. Screaming into the hat. Jumping on the hat. Shoving his head inside the hat… which got him the closest result. He could see the dimension and was that Gray waving a tentacle to say hi?

He was close.

Harrison sighed and placed his hat on the ground. Instead of jumping, he would step into the hat. Maybe this would work? It was a more controlled action.

He did just that. Once both feet were in the hat he was sucked downwards, landing face first onto the tea table. “There goes my tea. What a shame.” Harrison lifted his head up. Gray was directly in front of him and his suit was covered in tea. “My bad.” “That is no problem. I am used to this sort of thing.” In a flash of light Gray’s suit was clean again and Harrison was sitting in a chair.

“Congratulations. You discovered a way to get here on your own.”

“I mean… I did before?” He shrugged. “Ah yes. It was not smooth and simple like this time however.” Gray almost laughed. “I don’t know. Is almost throwing up as I’m hurled towards another plane of existence smooth?” Harrison’s voice raised in pitch with annoyance. “You will adjust. Travel is not rest on your mortal body.” “Quartermaster? How are you two connected? I don’t think I ever asked about that. And… what did he mean when he said that the world needed to be saved very millennia?” “Those are some difficult questions.” “Not really.” “Remember when I said that your search for knowledge might get you in trouble some day? This is what I meant.” Gray’s eyes glowed for a moment causing Harrison to shiver. “I can answer some of your questions but others will have to wait for the future.” “I’m sorry.” Harrison quickly apologized. Gray stretched out a tentacle and patted him on the head. “Humans like you make me have faith in your species. It is not very often I notice purehearted individuals. Without that… well Earth may no longer exist.” This concerned Harrison for a moment. Why was the octopus so focused on the idea of destruction? Yet so encouraging of his better traits and oddly trustworthy? He grew silent and awkwardly stared up.

“So what can you teach me?”

The next few weeks were very busy. Harrison’s perspective on Gray slowly begin to shift from fear to an acceptance of the odd habits that the being displayed. With every visit they grew closer and eventually there was a friendship of sorts. Gray was annoyed but amused with the constant string of questions from Harrison. The young magician was also getting more powerful and beginning to stand up for himself and his friends.

On the last day of camp, Harrison decided to check in.

“Here again?”

“I just wanted to say hi really quick.” He leaped up from his chair and began to float. “Still not used to this.” Harrison slowly did a flip in the air as he drifted away from the table. It was like he was underwater with a lack of gravity.

Gray began to glow. Harrison found himself in a different but yet familiar section of the dimension. Lots of objects surrounded him. His heart pounded as he realized the significance of the objects. It wasn’t just one or two objects that he made vanish before. It was almost everything. Which meant…

A figure came into view.

“Blake!”

Harrison stuck out his arm. Kicking his feet, he got closer and closer to Blake. He did the same in response, yelling out in glee. His hand finally met his brother’s. He wrapped him in a big hug. “I’ve missed you so much...” Blake looked at Harrison with wide blue eyes. “Are we going home now?” “Yes we are.” In a poof of smoke they both vanished.

Pride was a rare emotion for Gray’s kind but with Harrison, it had those feelings towards the boy. Maybe in the future he would make a wonderful guardian, a similar role to Quartermaster. Humanity as a whole was going to be okay. Magic was in good hands.

#camp camp #cc harrison #im so sorry if this isnt my best writing #i tried

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miguel-manbemel · 5 years ago

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Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 17: Secondary Side Effects: Meet the Joan Sides

This is my humble contribution to the Joan appreciation day. They do so much that they really deserve this, but not only today, everyday should be Joan appreciation day. Unfortunately I couldn’t draw to save my life and any art I would try would pail in comparison with anything any of you may create. But I can write, and even though I know they don’t read fanfics, I’m leaving these here so that they can read it when the time comes.

The title is already revealing itself, it’s my own little take on how Joan Sides would be if they had them. Now, I obviously don’t know them personally, so it may not be accurate, but let’s just say it’s character Joan’s Sides, and everything will be fine.

Now, I leave you with the story. As usual, there are references to events in previous episodes, so if you want to read them, you can find them right here. Perhaps I should do an entry someday that would work as a summary of the most important events in my fic, so that new readers could join in easier. Or a “best moments” kind of recap episode, maybe, I’ll think about it. For now, I leave you with this Joan centered episode and hope you enjoy it. Until next time.

P.S. Also, please excuse the poor, poor rhymes I tried to include in the story. I have some experience with poetry, but only in Spanish. Doing rhymes in English has been a new experience for me, and something I was scared to death to do, due to the complexity of English language and its sounds, but I tried anyway. I hope they’re not too dumb.

SYNOPSIS: Joan goes to see Thomas so that Logan and him can help them through a new issue. Due to the brain sync they did to let Joan enter Thomas’ Mind Palace, they have developed new Sides of their own and doesn’t know how to deal with them.

WARNINGS: During the episode there’s really not much angst except an appearance of a Side representing fear. It’s in the end card when some angst is gonna appear. There is also prinxiety, which has been present in the fic for a long time already, and is gonna be present in most future episodes, at least the ones featuring Roman and Virgil, but I’ll leave the warning every time, just in case.

EPISODE INDEX

[Thomas is building a house of cards on the coffee table]

THOMAS: Oh, hello there… I was told that building a house of cards not only helps you get a steady hand. It also helps you build confidence, patience and above all else… calmness.

[loud banging is heard at the front door, Thomas gets scared and accidentally makes the whole house of cards fall. He looks at the table with a still face]

THOMAS: Yep… It helps you build calmness… Excuse me for a second… [grabs a pillow, puts it on his face and yells loudly on it for a solid ten seconds, the sound is muffled by the pillow, then takes the pillow off, he shows the same still face] See? I’m so calm now…

[intro sequence]

THOMAS: What is up everybody? Sorry, I need to see who’s at the door, I’ll be with you in a second.

[Thomas gets out of view and goes check on the door]

THOMAS: [off-screen] Oh, Joan, what’s the matter? I didn’t expect you today.

JOAN: I know, but I could only talk about this to you, Thomas!

THOMAS: Okay, okay, come in!

[Thomas and Joan get in the living room. Joan gets in front of the camera, in Thomas’ spot. Thomas joins them]

THOMAS: Why are you standing here, Joan? We could talk on the couch.

JOAN: I know, but I’ll better tell you here. Besides, I need Logan here asap.

THOMAS: Logan? Okay, as you wish. Logan! Could you come here, please?

LOGAN: Hi, Thomas. Salutations, Joan.

JOAN: Hi, Logan, good to see you! You don’t have an idea!

LOGAN: What? If I allowed my feelings to be free more often, I’d say that I’m flattered, but… why are you saying that?

JOAN: Remember when we did the hypnosis thing to synchronize my brainwaves with Tomas’ so that I could enter Thomas’ Mind Palace and all that jazz?

LOGAN: Yes, I do.

JOAN: Remember that you said that manipulating brainwaves could have unexpected side effects?

LOGAN: You know that I do, Joan, where are you going with this?

JOAN: It’s happened! The secondary Side effects have appeared, with a capital S!

THOMAS: What? Are you okay, Joan?

JOAN: Yes, physically I’m mostly fine. But I don’t know if my sanity will endure much…

LOGAN: What’s the matter, Joan? What are these side effects?

JOAN: [sighs] I want you to meet someone…

THOMAS: Someone?

JOAN: Someone. [rises his arm] Extra!

[suddenly someone rises on Patton’s spot. They look just like Joan, but they’re dressed in an all white suit with golden sparks and a top hat in the same color. They look at the stunned Thomas and Logan]

EXTRA: [over the top voice] Ooooh… hello, Joan! And hello to you, Joan’s friends! It’s nice to meet you all!

THOMAS: I… I’m… I’m sorry, what is happening?

JOAN: That’s what I want you to tell me! You are the Side experts!

THOMAS: You… you mean… they’re a Side? A Side of yours in the flesh?

JOAN: [sarcastic] I love your attention to details, Thomas.

THOMAS: Logan, what is happening here?

LOGAN: Oh… wow… this was unexpected…

JOAN: But there has to be an explanation!

LOGAN: There is, of course. As we told you back then, Joan, no one knows how Thomas got his Side projecting powers, why he has them and how exactly they do work, other than it is related to his brainwaves. Perhaps, when we synchronized your brainwaves with Thomas’, you have gained the same power Thomas has, which means, now you have your own Sides, just like him.

EXTRA: [same over the top voice] And I’m so happy to be alive, I must say! I was there inside Joan’s brain for so long! It’s good to be able to see the world with my own eyes at last!

THOMAS: Okay, first things first, who are you?

EXTRA: Well, I’m Joan’s Extra Side, of course! They/them pronouns, by the way.

THOMAS: Yes, all my Sides share my pronouns with me, so I figured out Joan’s Sides would probably use they/them pronouns too. So you’re… Joan’s Extra Side?

EXTRA: Yes! I’m in charge of Joan’s bombastic and colorful reactions when they speak, and I also help them getting the best deliveries from their acting.

THOMAS: So, you are in a way similar to Roman, I guess. Like their creativity.

EXTRA: Oh, yes, I take care of that too. You know, I know your Sides from Joan’s memories, so I don’t need you to bring me up to date about them. I’m different from Roman, in the sense that I don’t encompass Joan’s romanticism or ego and that I only take care of Joan’s prose creativity, as well as instrumental music.

THOMAS: Music, I understand, but prose creativity?

EXTRA: I don’t create verses or poetry, that’s out of my limits. But in most of the other stuff, Roman and I are similar.

THOMAS: I see… Joan, when did this all start?

JOAN: It was yesterday in the morning. I woke up, I went to take a shower… and when I got out, there they were with their all-shiny-white suit, as if they had just come out from a bleach commercial. If you heard a faint scream coming all the way from the other side of Gainesville… that was probably me.

EXTRA: It was then, while Joan was having that shower, when I suddenly felt free to move inside Joan’s mind, and I decided to test myself and see if I could come out of them, and I did.

THOMAS: I guess your mind also works better in the shower, right, Joan?

EXTRA: By the way, I’m sorry again for appearing on you right when you got out of the shower, Joan, that was certainly awkward.

JOAN: Awkward? Imagine that you open the curtain and suddenly see a mysterious dude smiling at you with a creepy grin, all while you’re all wet and naked! That’s not awkward, that’s nasty! And terrifying too! He looked like the old lady from Psycho!

THOMAS: And… are they the only one?

JOAN: I wish, Thomas. You have no idea how lucky you’ve been of meeting your different Sides in different moments of your life and having time to get used to them. Mine all came into my life the very same day! Let’s go with the next one.

[Joan rises their hand and another Side appears next to Logan. They look like a hip-hop rapper, with a long yellow shirt and beanie]

THOMAS: Oh, wow… Who are they?

RAPPER: Greetings, people and non-people, I’m the Rapper Side, and I’m happy to say hi to the Storytime Guy!

LOGAN: Oh, another fellow rapper. Not too bad… The use of the assonant rhyme is quite impressive. There’s a little bit of work to be done on the metrics, but it’s okay.

RAPPER: Thank you, fellow rapper. I’m glad to learn from someone as experimented in poetry as you are.

THOMAS: I presume they’re your Rapper Side.

JOAN: [sarcastic] How did you guess?

THOMAS: So that’s why Extra only took care of prose creativity. You take charge of Joan’s rhyming capacities?

RAPPER: Yes, both in rap and in song writing. You’re welcome.

THOMAS: What?

RAPPER: Well, so much from what you sing comes in part from me… I was saving time, so you don’t have to thank me.

THOMAS: Oh, I wasn… I mean, I do thank you, of course. I have told Joan so many times how great their songs have always been, and if they come from you, at least the lyrics, of course I thank you too.

JOAN: You’re welcome.

RAPPER: He was talking to me, Joan.

JOAN: You’re part of me, so he was talking to me anyway.

LOGAN: Good, you’re getting the hang of how Sides work quite fast.

JOAN: It’s been several months of learning with Thomas, I’ve already figured out the basics.

THOMAS: Any more Sides we should know about?

JOAN: Yes, there are two more of them, but… I don’t know if I should call them.

THOMAS: Why?

JOAN: Well, one of them is a little bit, how to describe it… dangerous. And the other one is quite a lot… creepy.

THOMAS: Okay, if you don’t want to summon them, you don’t have to…

[suddenly a guy dressed like a jester with a purple outfit appears in Roman’s spot]

MISCHEY: [offended] What do you mean they don’t have to? Yes, they do! I wanna have fun too!

JOAN: [sighs] Okay, please, welcome… my Mischievous Side.

MISCHEY: Mischey, for short.

JOAN: They’re the Side of me that makes all the jokes, but they make physical practical jokes that get to an unbearable point. I wish I had been like you, Thomas. You make harmless dad jokes and puns and therefore you have Patton as your joking Side, but me…

MISCHEY: Don’t complain, Joan. You could be having Remus instead of me.

REMUS: [suddenly appearing with the princely pose next to Mischey] Did someone say Remus?

THOMAS: [scared] Gah! You? What are you doing back here? How dare you show up like nothing happened?

REMUS: Thomas, like it or not, I’m one of your Sides, and now that I’m back after so many years, I’m not gonna miss any party of yours! [to Joan] Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the Duke Remus, at my service.

JOAN: You mean at your service?

REMUS: No, at my service, because all of you must serve me!

LOGAN: Dream on, Dookie.

REMUS: Shut up, Nerdy Wolverine.

THOMAS: Okay, I get that I can’t stop you from coming or even speaking. [stage whisper] I wish… [normal voice] …but you still didn’t answer me. What are you doing here?

REMUS: Oh, I just love showing up where I’m not invited. And also, I wanted to check out these new Sides of Joan’s too.

MISCHEY: I must say I’m honored to meet you, Mr. Duke.

JOAN: [sighs] Of course you would…

REMUS: Am I the only one who’s thinking about the possibilities with so many Sides in the same room? Like…

THOMAS: [quickly diverting the conversation] Joan, you said that Mischey was dangerous. I know first hand why Remus is dangerous, but why do you say that about Mischey?

JOAN: Remember when you asked me if I was okay and I said that physically I was mostly fine?

THOMAS: Yes.

JOAN: Emphasis on the mostly.

[Joan takes off their beanie. Behind it, their head is all covered in bandages]

THOMAS: [horrified] Oh, my goodness gracious! What happened to you?

JOAN: Let’s just say that Mischey and roller skaters are not a good combination…

MISCHEY: [giggling] But it was fun, wasn’t it?

JOAN: [putting the beanie back] I doubt my bank bills or the ER doctor can say the same. [voice of pain] And I had just finished paying the shelving and the coffee table… At least I found Marco under the remnants of the shelving, I don’t know how it got there.

REMUS: [about Mischey] Wow! This guy is goals!

MISCHEY: Thank you! That is high praise coming from you!

LOGAN: You make it sound as if the hurricane season had started earlier in your house, Joan.

JOAN: Yeah, Mischey could be a good name for a hurricane indeed.

THOMAS: Okay, we know your Extra Side, your Rapper Side and your Mischievous Side. You said that the last one is creepy.

JOAN: Yeah. It is. No wonder why I’m afraid of them. They’re my Fear.

[a new Side suddenly appears in Virgil’s spot. They look like a character taken from a Tim Burton movie, all dressed with a tattered old black suit with a black cape and a dirty top hat, white make-up on their face and dark make-up all around their eyes, up and down, not only in the bags. They grin at Joan]

FEAR: [with a creepy mocking voice] Are you afraid of something, Joan?

JOAN: Okay, there they are.

FEAR: Of course I am. [creepy serious voice] I’ll always be with you, no matter where you go…

THOMAS: Wow, they surely are creepy…

FEAR: Why, thank you, so much, Thomas. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Joan’s Fearful Side. I take care of reminding them of the things they’re afraid of so that they never forget them.

JOAN: And it’s torturing, may I say.

MISCHEY: Yeah, this dude is a real wet blanket, always spoiling the fun when I’m trying to play.

JOAN: That’s the only think I like of them, they’re the only one that can rein Mischey in. I would be dead if Fear hadn’t stopped them yesterday.

LOGAN: Well, every Side has a purpose, even the ones we don’t like on first sight. We learned this the hard way with Virgil, remember, Thomas?

THOMAS: Yeah, I was always wanting Virgil to go away, and when he actually left I discovered how much I needed him. Now what I want is that purp-man to never leave me again.

JOAN: Thomas, comparing Virgil with Fear is like comparing you with Trump.

THOMAS: Eugh! Please, don’t mention him in this house, Joan!

FEAR: [distressed] Yeah, he’s too much, even for me!

THOMAS: Well, glad that you don’t like Trump eith…

FEAR: I meant Virgil, but you’re not wrong, I don’t like Trump either.

VIRGIL: [rising up, frowning at Fear] Have you got anything to say about me, you Caped Gravedigger?

FEAR: As a matter of fact, I do, Raggedy Hood Man. No wonder you stopped being a Dark Side. How could you be threatening wearing all those awful patches all over your outfit? It’s not fitting for anyone who would call himself dark at all.

RAPPER: Ooooohhhh! Burned!

ROMAN: [rising up next to Logan, angry, sword in hand] Hey! How dare you speak to Virgil like that!?

VIRGIL: It’s okay, Roman, I can handle this. [to Fear] I may be a Raggedy Hood Man, but I wear my rags with style, unlike you, who don’t even know what a washing machine is. Sweetie, I wore black too. You need to wash your clothes more often in that color or you’ll look like the mess you’re looking like today. Is that cape even black or is it camouflage-gray?

RAPPER: Wow! Nice recovery!

ROMAN: [with a smile of pride] That’s my husband! [to Logan] I gave him these tricks about laundry care.

LOGAN: Of course you did.

THOMAS: Guys, please, no fighting.

FEAR: [pointing at Virgil, overlapping, with a child-like voice] He started it!

VIRGIL: [pointing at Fear, overlapping, with the same voice]: They started it!

JOAN: Okay, guys, now what are we going to do?

THOMAS: What are we going to do about what?

JOAN: Well, how do I fix this?

LOGAN: I’m sorry but if what you’re suggesting is getting rid of them, I cannot take part into that. I’m not willing to participate in a Side-cide.

JOAN: But…

EXTRA: [over dramatic whining, rising his fist to the sky] Why do you hate us? Why do you want to get rid of us?

ROMAN: [looking at Extra with a face of shock] Wow… Am I like this sometimes?

LOGAN: You are like this all of the time, Roman.

VIRGIL: Yep.

JOAN: Don’t get me wrong, I… I don’t hate you. But how am I going to keep you? You’re too many!

THOMAS: I’ve got more Sides than you do, Joan, and I’m doing good.

JOAN: Yes, but you’ve had them since you were, like, three, you’re more than used to them. What am I going to do?

LOGAN: It’s all a learning process. Thomas had to learn how to deal with us, and he’s still improving day after day. You can do it too.

THOMAS: I’ve got a question, though. Talyn was also synchronized with me. Did they also experience any Sides like you?

JOAN: No, nothing at all, at least they didn’t tell me otherwise. I wonder if they’re gonna have Sides too like me. If three’s a crowd, then six is already a multitude. I can’t imagine if we add Talyn’s Sides to the equation. We’re not gonna fit in our apartment!

LOGAN: We’ll see, but I think Talyn’s not gonna be affected by the Side effects, no pun intended. Remember that when we synced you with Thomas, there was a total failure because we weren’t in autopilot and there was a mess. That could have had an influence in today’s issue. When we synced Talyn, everything went swift.

JOAN: So you think it’s all because of the autopilot incident during the synchronization?

LOGAN: It’s a hypothesis. And also intuition.

THOMAS: Okay, then that’s what happened. Up until now, Logan’s intuition has never failed.

LOGAN: Oh, it has, Thomas. As I told you, intuition fails sometimes and you mustn't believe blindly what I say based on that, because it could be wrong. Only time will tell. If in a couple of months, which is the time lapse between your sync and Talyn’s sync, they haven’t developed Sides, you can be almost positive they never will, Joan.

JOAN: I hope you’re right, Logan. [to their Sides] And as for you…

[Joan’s Sides look at them with expectation]

JOAN: I’m gonna give you a chance. It seems we’re bound to be together anyway, and I don’t wanna do any harm to anyone, much less the different aspects of myself.

EXTRA: [over dramatic happiness] Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Joan!

ROMAN: [sighs] If I ever get so unbearable, slap me in the face.

LOGAN: [beat] …if?

[Roman emits some offended Princey noises]

REMUS: [sinking down] I volunteer to do that, brother!

ROMAN: [sighs] Anyone but you, Remus. [sinking down] You’d try to use your Morningstar instead of your hands.

VIRGIL: [sinks down] But I can do it. I promise to be gentle.

RAPPER: [sinks down] Well… as writing stuff can be quite rough, I must go, curses, to write some verses! Bye!

LOGAN: [sinks down] I think I’m gonna get along with that guy. Good-bye, everyone.

MISCHEY: [excited] I’ve got a new idea!

FEAR: [creepy voice] Don’t… you… dare… [sinks down] I’m watching you all the time.

MISCHEY: [sinking down] Ugh! You never let me do anything fun!

EXTRA: Well, if Rapper is going to write verses, I’ll better go make some music to match them, just in case they could fit in one of my songs. [sinks down] Bye, guys!

THOMAS: Wow, you surely have an eclectic bunch as your Sides, Joan.

JOAN: Yeah… I hope I can get to establish a bond with them as strong as you do, Thomas.

THOMAS: You already have, Joan. They’re parts of you. No other bond can equal that. Believe me, I know. Soon you’ll get to love these guys, and that will be great because that means that you love yourself, and that’s the most important kind of love anyone must pursue, right?

JOAN: Yeah, you’re right.

THOMAS: Now, do you wanna help me rebuild the house of cards I was doing when you came in? I was almost done but I messed everything up in the last second.

JOAN: Oh, okay. It may help me relax for a bit. I’ll go pick up the cards on the floor.

THOMAS: Thank you. You are the best, Joan. [to viewers] And I hope you always remember that too. Self love can be tricky to find sometimes, but never give up on it, because it’s the best kind of love you can find, as it’s in the root of all the kinds of love you can give to all the people around you. Until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

[end card]

[Patton, Virgil and Deceit are in Patton’s room]

VIRGIL: …and that’s all.

PATTON: Wow, who would have thought? Joan with their own Sides too.

DECEIT: Yes, quite impressive. I would have liked to see that.

VIRGIL: I’m sure you’ll get another chance to see them some day, Deceit. Now there was just too many people on that living room. The AC just couldn’t cool down the heat that accumulated there.

PATTON: Yes, son, we’ll get our chance.

DECEIT: Now, if you excuse me, I must go. I need to check… something in my room.

VIRGIL: Something? Is there anything we can do to help you?

DECEIT: Nah, I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. [sinking down] Thanks for the cookies, Patton.

PATTON: Anytime, Deecey!

VIRGIL: I wonder what that something may be…

PATTON: Now that we’re alone, Virgil, how are you doing?

VIRGIL: About what?

PATTON: Well, soon it will be three months since you married. Everything fine?

VIRGIL: Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Everything’s fine. Why do you ask?

PATTON: Well, it’s living together after a while when you get to know your partners pros and cons, right? If you ever have any complaint about Roman, you can always tell your pop.

VIRGIL: I know, dad, I know. But don’t worry, everything’s fine… [suddenly shows a face of concern] …except…

PATTON: What, what is it?

VIRGIL: Promise you won’t tell this to anyone, okay?

PATTON: I promise, Virgil. Our father-and-son conversations will always remain to ourselves. Now tell me.

VIRGIL: Since the Remus thing happened… Roman hasn’t been the same.

PATTON: What do you mean?

VIRGIL: He acts in front of me as if everything was okay, but, the other night, I woke up, because Thomas was having a nightmare. Then I heard a faint whining noise. I checked on Roman, and he was crying in dreams.

PATTON: Crying in dreams?

VIRGIL: Yes, he was having some sort of nightmare and he was crying in the dream. I woke him up and asked him what was wrong. He just cleaned his tears, faked a smile and told me that it was only a bad dream, that I shouldn’t worry. And with a little kiss, he went back to slumber.

PATTON: Well, perhaps, he was saying the truth, kiddo.

VIRGIL: Yeah, perhaps. But I tell you that there’s something wrong with him. And Remus is related to it, I’m sure of that.

PATTON: Well, if you are so worried, perhaps you should level up with him and tell him your concerns. He’s your husband after all, trust is the base for any healthy relationship.

VIRGIL: Yes, I know. But I’m afraid that if I ask him openly about it, he will just stall and avoid the conversation. Or worse, I could hurt him if I try to force the conversation into him. I don’t know what to do.

PATTON: Yes, I understand your concern… But still, if I were you, I would open up to him. I’m sure you two could find a way to solve any inconveniences any of you two may face each on your own. But you are a couple. You will be stronger if you face issues together as the team that you both are. Don’t disdain that wonderful power.

VIRGIL: Yes, I think you’re right, dad. I’ll try to find the right moment…

PATTON: Now, nothing better to alleviate sorrow that a nice cup of hot chocolate with churros.

VIRGIL: When did you learn how to make churros?

PATTON: It’s the first time I made them. I need a guinea pig to test if I made them right.

VIRGIL: Did you just call me a pig?

PATTON: Oh, no, I…

VIRGIL: [chuckles] I was kidding, dad. Of course I’ll try your churros. They’ll be as good as your cookies, I’m sure.

PATTON: Thank you, kiddo.

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #joan appreciation day #sanders sides fic #fanfic #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #deceit sanders #remus sanders #prinxiety #sanders sides fanfic #aspects and fanfics

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florrickandassociates · 6 years ago

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TGF Thoughts: 3x03-- The One Where Diane Joins the Resistance

Thoughts on this episode under the cut. I believe this is my shortest recap of the season even though it’s the longest episode ever of The Good Fight.

I don’t like this episode title. It should be called “The One That’s An Hour Long” because that’s what I’m going to remember it as. This episode doesn’t feel padded-- there’s too much going on for it to feel padded-- but it does feel unnecessarily long.

A previously introduces Blum, again. I watched his antics three times last week; I can assure you I don’t need a reminder of what he’s like.

This is my second time through this episode, btw. The other episodes I’ve watched three times (morning of release, with my roommate, while writing these posts) but I told my roommate to go ahead and watch this one without me. Tbh, I’m not looking forward to sitting through it again. Y’all may be in for some nitpicking and ranting.

Lots of music this season: this ep starts off with a song about how 45 is hurting us with misinformation. This is the brilliant plan concocted by the resistance group Diane found while throwing axes. Diane thinks this video is terrible (she’s not wrong) but the rest of the crowd eats it right up.

Parts of this scene-- which satirizes liberals-- are funny. Other parts I’m not sure about. I can’t tell if the ASL interpreter is there because a gathering like this would, realistically, be inclusive or if I’m supposed to roll my eyes at how inclusive liberals are trying to be. I really, sincerely hope it’s the former.

Diane tries to ask a question and she’s overruled, but then some dude in the audience gets to ask a question. If I’m reading this right, they certainly got the sexism of liberal bros right.

The most accurate part of this satire happens next: an audience member points out that the video didn’t mention single-payer healthcare. The filmmaker, reasonably, says they couldn’t touch on every issue, but the audience member insists that single-payer healthcare is THE issue. Another audience member argues that THE issue is global warming. Then the entire crowd starts arguing. That is about how I’d expect this sort of meeting to go.

A middle-aged blonde woman taps Diane on the shoulder and asks her to follow. Diane does, as the entire crowd starts chanting “re-edit” at the filmmaker (which I don’t think would happen but whatever).

Outside, the blonde asks Diane if she wants “a mission.” “You have two options. You could go back in there and they’ll make you the co-chair of the subcommittee on bake sales [...] or you could do something. I’m looking for people who are sick of just bitching and moaning. People who are sick of screaming at the news,” the woman explains. She hands Diane a card with an address and walks away. (There’s no time on the card, but time doesn’t matter on this show.)

Roland Blum is back, and he’s fallen asleep on the RBL elevator. Lucca’s listening to a kid’s song (with no headphones!) when she notices Blum. Maia’s waiting in reception and tells Lucca that Liz wants to see her. Lucca worries she had a meeting scheduled and Maia goes to deal with Blum.

What if I just didn’t recap him? God, I’m tired of him existing.

Blum makes fun of Maia’s small, unassigned desk, which… can’t she just book a conference room for them? “Oh my fucking God, how can anyone take you seriously?” Blum asks. This is… one of the less offensive things he’s said, because it’s kind of true.

Blum notices that someone else has an office and asks Maia who it is. Instead of answering that she’s a co-worker, or with her name, Maia says “she’s a third-year too” which can only make the problem worse. Now it doesn’t just look like Maia works for a firm that’s pressed for space; it looks like Maia is one of the weaker employees at a firm that’s pressed for space.

Good lord. BOOK A DAMN CONFERENCE ROOM.

Lucca’s apologetic when she comes in for the meeting with Liz, but Liz says they didn’t have a meeting scheduled. Liz asks how matrimonial law is going; Lucca says it’s going well. Then Liz says she has a divorce referral for Lucca: herself.

“It’s a long time coming. We’ve had our tensions and, uh, barely even, uh,” Liz explains. That’s most of the explanation we get for why she wants to divorce. I wish we got a little more insight into what her marriage is like, but I don’t mind that much. Plus, we did see her husband being kind of awful with the client list in 2x10.

Also, Liz hasn’t yet told her husband she’s asking for a divorce.

Maia has found a conference room to use, finally. ASA Zschau walks in. He’s taking over the case for Matan and now I miss BrainDead. Also, Spencer Zschau has been an AUSA every time we’ve seen him and now he’s an ASA.

(Yes, I think it’s more important to note the change in Zschau’s job and that Maia found a conference room than it is to note anything plot-related in that scene.)

Liz asks her husband for a divorce the second he arrives home. Maybe not the best strategy. He does not take it well. Okay, I lied, I do want to know more about their marriage. Then again, I think that Ian’s sudden switch to BURN IT ALL DOWN mode (despite Liz’s plea to keep everything civil for their son) says a lot.

Diane goes to a creepy underground meeting spot and finds the Resistance. It’s full of white ladies, mostly around Diane’s age. It’s run by a Valerie Payser, who claims she worked in the Obama White House. All the white ladies eat her story right up.

This is another plot I don’t care much about, especially the second time through. My main comment on this scene is simply that it got New Rules stuck in my head.

Diane eats it right up. The Kings have mentioned that they considered bringing Alicia back for an episode where she and Diane meet at “the resistance” and if it was supposed to be this episode, I’m SO glad they didn’t. I don’t want Alicia back on the show. I don’t want Alicia on the show in a Diane plot (if she comes back it’s gotta be a Lucca plot). And Alicia would NEVER fall for this resistance bullshit. Diane I believe; she’s always been a little impulsive when she’s angry. Alicia? No.

LOL, I see we’re still doing the fake-but-could-plausibly-be-real-even-though-they-feel-like-a-hallucination news stories this season. (This one’s about cynaide in school lunches.)

Liz is no longer working with the DNC (Diane asks) because she was too radical. I thought that was exactly the reason they hired her?

To be fair to Diane, she does seem to want to check her sources on this underground resistance group; she says she wants to make sure it’s real. This is… not what she proceeds to do.

Maia has called a meeting of the name partners + Julius. “You told me last year that if I wanted anything at this firm, I have to ask for it. I want an office,” she declares. Go Maia! (Yes, I said that.)

“Uh, well, Maia, the issue here is space, and we wish we had more. We’re growing, and we hope that all associates, even second-years, will have an office,” Liz responds. Heh, Liz thinks Maia is a second-year and I see why she has that impression. Plus, does Maia’s first year really count since she didn’t do ANY work during it?

Maia corrects her. “I try not to make a fuss, but, Jenna Diamond. She was given an office, even though she joined the firm six months after me,” Maia argues. Well, is Jenna Diamond a more valuable asset for the firm? I’ve seen people at my company be promoted over others who have been there longer, and I don’t think that’s inherently unfair. Given how terrible Maia is at her job, I’m guessing that Jenna is just… better.

Or, as Julius explains, Jenna was on a big case and needed the space. This seems like a bad way to decide who gets offices. Why not hot desk the offices or give them for the duration of a case? Either base it off of performance/rank or don’t assign it permanently.

“And I’m working with Roland Blum,” Maia informs the partners. She informs the partners of this well after she deliberately causes a mistrial. So like, Maia’s now asking for an office because she didn’t ask for help or keep the partners posted on any development of a case they should’ve been looped in on AND she’ll now need to rework. The firm can’t be making much money off of this. If they were, Maia wouldn’t be handling it on her own.

I still don’t understand why Maia is handling ANYTHING on her own in the first place.

Maia says it’s embarrassing to work at her hot desk. Fair.

“She’s using Roland Blum to get an office,” Julius says after Maia leaves. “She still has a point,” Diane responds. “If we give her an office, we’ll have 20 other associates pounding on our door,” Julius continues. And that didn’t happen when they gave Jenna Diamond an office? This seems like a problem that would continue to happen if third-years are working cases without a second chair (or without being the second chair) but don’t have their own offices. Why not just have a few open offices you can hot desk in when you’re meeting with clients?

Liz steps out because Lucca’s got info from Ian’s lawyer. Ian wants to void the prenup, retain ownership of the house (which I think Liz got in her divorce from Adrian lol), and full custody. He also thinks Liz is hiding money at the firm. That escalated quickly.

He’s also going after Liz for adultery (it voids the prenup if she cheated). Lucca looks so uncomfortable talking to her boss about this!

Liz wants to know who Ian is accusing her of sleeping with. Lucca glances at Adrian’s office, but since Diane is still there, Liz initially thinks that Lucca is implying that Ian thinks Liz and DIANE had a thing. But no, he’s accusing Liz of sleeping with Adrian.

Credits! Is it me or did the opening of the theme music change this week?

Michael Sheen is credited with “special appearance by.” This gives me hope he won’t be in every episode.

Jenna’s office is now Maia’s, and I hope the partners understood what they were doing when they kicked someone out of their office for MAIA RINDELL. I don’t think they did, because Jenna’s left a note pad with the top sheet reading FUCK YOU on Maia’s chair. At the same time that I applaud Maia asking for things if she wants them, could she have worked out a deal with Jenna to use her office when Blum comes in?

Maia pastes the FUCK YOU note on the window-wall and smirks at Jenna. Yes, because what you really want to do when you’ve fucked over a coworker for funsies/because you’re entitled is to piss her off even more. I think we’ve established that Maia and I follow different logic.

Marissa-- who is not lacking in sass-- also disapproves of the FUCK YOU sign, but Maia doesn’t care. And then Marissa gets distracted by some resumes in Julius’s office and leaves.

Marissa walks into Julius’s office and says he’s running for a federal judgeship. She doesn’t ask, she says. She recognizes the campaign manager from one of her dad’s campaigns (I would LOVE an Eli cameo this season) and advises Julius not to keep campaign manager resumes out in the open. Good advice, but not immediately clear to me why Marissa is interested in advising Julius on how to successfully become a judge when she knows that he’s conservative.

Lucca, Liz, and Adrian discuss whether or not Liz and Adrian have recently had sex. Lucca is very uncomfortable and suggests that Liz hire another lawyer because of how personal this is becoming; Liz resists. Liz and Adrian insist it won’t get personal, then immediately begin whispering about the times they hooked up after their divorce (but before Liz’s second marriage). They’re not whispering quietly enough, which means that Lucca hears enough to look grossed out and I can hear enough to realize their dialogue ~what happened in the bathroom~ is very similar to Alicia and Will’s dialogue in 5x04.

Court stuff happens. Blum lies outrageously.

Maia praises Blum for lying outrageously in court.

Ian’s divorce attorney is the guy they didn’t hire at RBL last week. Wow, Ian isn’t playing around.

Marissa’s campaign advice is, as you would expect, great advice. And Julius wants more of it. Is Marissa doing this for free? Is she doing it because she wants to feel like she could do her dad’s job?

Ian had his detectives spy on Liz and Adrian so, yeah, I can see why that marriage failed. Liz and Adrian spent 3 hours together after Adrian was shot. Yes, so suspicious. The only thing they could possibly have done in three hours is fucking.

Adrian insists it was caretaking, not sex, and Jay is all, “for three hours?” Is it really so unreasonable that two people could spend three hours together and not fuck?!?!?!?

Maia realizes her client (and Blum’s client) are guilty. She’s stumped. Blum teaches her, yet again, how to make the facts fit the story. We get it. WE. GET. IT.

Also Blum’s story is so over the top no one would believe it. At least, I hope not…

Diane’s #Resistance decides to go after troll farms. Excuse me. They decide to go after a specific troll farm. But they only make that decision after an explainer song about troll farms. The troll farm song, actually, understand what this subplot does not: “we won’t ever beat ‘em ‘til we learn how not to feed ‘em.” Outing an office full of trolls is not going to shut down any of the other offices of trolls. It’s not even going to shut down this office of trolls. (Also, are troll farms literal offices? This seems unnecessary.) Teaching people to fact check and pressuring tech companies to prevent abuses of their platforms will do far more than whatever it is this #Resistance does.

(Of course, I get why Valerie thinks this is a good “mission”-- because she doesn’t give a fuck about missions-- but I don’t get why savvy computer woman, who would almost certainly know better, thinks it is.)

Blum is chilling in Diane’s office and they have a very long conversation about justice and politics and the necessity of lying and blah blah blah, these are not new themes.

The psilocybin is still in Diane’s desk even though we saw her throw it out.

Blum knew Jonas Stern. Oof. I buy that. I don’t necessarily think Stern (who I assume was liberal) and Blum were close, but I can see them being of the same era and even hanging out despite political differences.

Is Blum meant to be older than he looks? The people he mentions as his contemporaries are all way older than he is.

Diane calls Valerie and shares a brilliant idea we’ve only seen this show already do three to five times: CREATE THEIR OWN FAKE NEWS. WOWOWOWOW GROUND BREAKING.

Oh and the NSA nerds are back. This time they’re listening to Diane. Joy. Can’t we be done with this? Also, why did Valerie Payser, who isn’t real, get a cell phone registered to that name? She could just get a burner.

The White Lady Resistance (I think @Nikkaphon called it this first and that’s what it is) is having a great time making up fake news.

“Melissa Long” sounds so much like “Marissa Gold” that for a second I thought Marissa was volunteering to manage Julius’s campaign long before he asked.

Why does Jay think Liz and Adrian fucked?! He is like, very intent on proving this. I think he’s playing bad cop but it doesn’t sound like it.

I’m not recapping every line of this-- mostly because I don’t have the patience to-- but the Liz/Adrian/Lucca plot was far and away my favorite plot of the week. It felt grounded, character-driven, and revealing… and it provided an excuse for Audra McDonald to sing!

(It’s a little strange having a character-driven plot in this VERY theme-driven episode of this mostly theme-driven show. It’s a reminder that I do tend to prefer character-driven shows to theme-driven shows. I prefer both to plot-driven shows, but I don’t think TGW or TGF will ever be plot-driven.)

I repeat: Audra McDonald is singing! I like that they have her sing in flashback so it’s not 100% clear if Liz has an amazing voice or if Adrian perceives Liz’s voice as amazing.

Isn’t this the same song that played over Cartoon Villain Rindell’s suicide attempt? Interesting choice. I am fully in support of reclaiming that song.

It’s fall in this episode but I think it’s meant to be spring. As I’ve said, this show does not care about time.

Blum misses court and Maia seizes a kind of shady opportunity to cut a deal that’s good for her client and bad for Blum’s client. Maia’s method involves tricking someone over the phone, which is the one thing Maia’s actually proven she’s good at.

Liz and Adrian’s innocent story works up until the point where a detective reveals he saw Liz buy the morning-after pill at Rite-Aid.

There are too many clowns in this season.

There was a riot at the troll farm and Diane jumps for joy. I’m kind of embarrassed for her.

Liz is in Diane’s contacts as “Elizabeth Reddick-Lawrence”

Diane calls Valerie to share word of the victory, but Valerie’s gone! The NSA is suspicious of Valerie’s disappearance.

It’s still storming. Melissa Long, Julius’s potential campaign manager, wants to charge him for an interview; Julus thinks that’s ridiculous. He then asks Marissa to run his campaign, and Marissa agrees. Next week-- or whenever we pick this plot up again-- can we please delve into her motivations for agreeing? I think right now it’s just that it inflates her ego.

Why did Liz buy the morning after pill? She didn’t want to have another child… with Ian.

Geoffrey Payton’s next attack is on RBL’s financials, specifically on the payments to “Reddick” in March. These are the payoffs for the women (four of them, which means there are actually at least five since Wendy wouldn’t accept payment) Carl assaulted, but Liz and Adrian don’t want to divulge that. It would ruin Carl’s reputation and, now, make the firm look bad (cover-up, not the crime), so Liz refuses to let this line of questioning go any further.

Lucca takes a minute-- and I really appreciate this-- to be disappointed in her hero. “I came to this firm because of him,” she says.

Liz demands full custody-- the one thing she’s unwilling to compromise on-- but gives in to Ian’s other demand to void the prenup. Poor Liz.

“I hate that he wins ‘cause of this,” Lucca says. “So do I,” Liz agrees.

The judge asks Adrian out. Curious where this will go.

Destroying the troll farm knocked two points off of 45’s approval rating. I don’t believe it. Valerie is missing and no one can find her. Diane says she’ll have her investigator look into it.

Diane sends Jay a text that says “no more texts” and contains sensitive information. This lands Jay on the NSA’s list. What is the point of a text saying no more texts? Just say you have something for him to work on, can you meet?

The NSA stuff isn’t bad, but haven’t we done this enough?

Blum is PISSED at Maia. He’s also being a hypocrite, but that’s the least of his character flaws. He growls and breaks Maia’s office’s window-wall with a laptop. Maia isn’t intimidated. She tells him off, and she actually had my support right up until she picked up the laptop (that is the property of the firm that employs her) and broke a second window-wall (of the firm that employs her and just gave her an office because she asked for one). I already thought her entitled ass was lucky to have a job, and now she’s going to go breaking her own firm’s property just to show her badassery? Just go back to the sunglasses, Maia.

Marissa gives her a look that encapsulates everything I just said, to which Maia responds, “The fuck are you looking at?” Okay Maia. Just because you’re a badass now doesn’t mean you have to be rude to your friends.

(As I’ve mentioned in past weeks, I’m just criticizing how terribly petulant Maia’s behavior is… somehow, I do think this is good character development for her. Maia turning into an entitled lying ball of resentment with a grudge against everyone who didn’t give her the world simply for existing is, in many ways, the natural place for her character to go. It doesn’t require her to suddenly become strategic, it doesn’t require her to become a brilliant legal mind, and it doesn’t require any rewriting of the fundamental traits of her character. I may not like or agree with new Maia, but likability is bullshit. If they can make this arc interesting, and justify its existence, maybe I’ll even like it.)

Jay finds out that Valerie Payser doesn’t exist; she’s really a criminal who preys on rich liberal white ladies with lots of money. What a shock that a secret underground resistance of white ladies might be a scam.

Diane hallucinates/daydreams Blum singing “I’ll be there” in front of terrible green screen backgrounds and my only thought is NOPE.

Inspired by Blum and the strategy of LYING WORKS, Diane decides to fake an email (she is reading off a blank screen but she totally would’ve drafted this) from Valerie and let the White Lady Resistance continue.

Blum has Maia arrested for having hospice drugs. I assume he planted them recently, because if Maia had kept them around after Blum threatened to do exactly this last week, she’s even less bright than I thought.

Well, that’s over.

#The Good Fight #TGFThoughts

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ngame989 · 6 years ago

Note

what are your top 5 Starco episodes?

Oh boy, my first ask since the Rebrandening™! So there’s no way in hell I can, in good conscience, rank a top 5 since there are different contexts and topics covered and reasons to like each, but I can definitely put together 5 total eps with a bit of explanation for each. So without further adieu:

Booth Buddies

Because of course this one must be on the list, albeit for different reasons than you might think. Of course I’m glad we got to see a Starco kiss (especially now that we saw our shadow and got 6 more months of hiatus!) but what makes this episode for me is the entire talk beforehand and the weight of the past two seasons behind it.

By this point, it had been a season and a half of their relationship being complicated, with the emotional distance between them at an all-time high and communication about their issues at an all-time low. This was especially poignant for me as someone who didn’t even watch the show until after season 2 had already finished - I experienced the sum total of carefree Starco in a few days, and my entire tenure as a fan of the show had been when things were awkward between them.

Enter Booth Buddies, an episode dedicated to letting it all out in the classic emotionally honest fashion that just screams “Starco”. I had unfortunately been partially spoiled by the leaks beforehand. I knew what was coming, and (despite being a totally sappy romantic) am not one to get all emotional, yet the talk about what was different between them - augmented by the appropriately titled, equally soul-rending track “What’s Different” by my aural lord and savior Brian H. Kim - had me in tears. Admittedly, the fact that all the emotional weight behind it comes from hardships and mistakes the characters made beforehand, this episode almost feels like cheating because it doesn’t really pack that emotional Starco punch as an isolated 11 minute segment, but that absolutely doesn’t knock it off my list.

Speaking of cheating, let’s nip that one in the bud right now. I’ll let someone both quicker and wiser than me tackle this topic. My only real addition to this is that, in all honesty, I don’t even think Marco ever thought “boy oh boy I gotta smooch Star.” Considering at every point in the episode prior to it, both of them were under the impression that they needed BEST FRIEND photos to get out, it speaks volumes that they finally are ready to take a photo about what being best friends means to them, and they both end up leaning into a kiss. Unplanned and regretted, yes (which is what makes this not really “cheating”), but a mutual expression of how they both truly view their relationship nonetheless.

…none of this is to say that I still don’t celebrate the fact that it finally happened.

Don’t worry, the others won’t be this long.

Divide/Conquer

This one is another obvious choice.It’s really impossible to extricate these episodes from one another, so I won’t. Short of them actually getting together, the season 3 finale had everything one could hope for following Booth Buddies. Marco finally opening himself up to a close emotional relationship with Star after trying to avoid it for his heart’s sake for so long, Star’s own feelings (both romantic and more generally emotional) for Marco returning stronger than ever, the extreme care they both show for each others’ well-being and safety.

Need I say more?

Camping Trip

Here is probably the first surprising entry on my list. Remember when Star and Marco had good times together, being best buds, without any serious plot or emotional weights dragging them down? Just hold on to that thought for a moment. Nice, isn’t it? As much as I genuinely enjoy the complexities and trials of their love story, I can’t help but miss simpler times (and hope that we’ll have carefree Starco return at least somewhere in Season 4). Granted, this episode certainly does include a lot of hints that something deeper is brewing on Star’s side of things, but for the most part the actual 11 minute segment is the poster child for the two of them happy to share fun times with each other.

Kiss already.

Deep Dive (feat. Night Life)

Another classic, which is one of the peaks of their working relationship as a team against the forces of the world. Even with the emotional hurdles, Marco never stops being the person Star entrusts with anything from mundane tasks to her very life. And Marco rises to the challenge, pouring his heart and soul into not only helping Star, but doing it in a way that brings him fulfillment in life. Night Life’s ending clearly indicates that Marco isn’t giving up fun times with Hekapoo against his wishes, but rather because Star is a genuine priority to him, and he himself gains emotional fulfillment knowing that he can help her. Deep Dive, of course, executes on this idea accordingly, alongside stellar music and visuals. Plus Marco and Star fretting over each other will never not be amazing.

It appears my subtitles are broken for this episode, so in place of significant lines of dialogue, have a bug hug.

Storm the Castle

And to top off the five, here’s the first taste of serious strife between Star and Marco, alongside how important they are to one another. It’s the little details here that I love - even after their fight, Star is ready to make up with him when she finds out he’s captured. It would be so expected for Marco’s kidnapping to change Star’s heart and just sweep their fight under the rug, but their relationship was already healthy and honest enough that they didn’t need an evil monster to force them to (be ready to, at least) make up. All the depth and complexity of Starco without any of the unrequited feelings angst that characterized later forms of its depth and complexity is a fantastic combination that feeds my soul without also trying to backstab my heart.

Blood Moon Ball

“Wow, Ngame, I just learned you exist and the first thing you do is fail at counting to 5?” First off, rude, and secondly, the whole point of this was to elaborate reasons why I love Starco episodes, so the physical constraints I’m working with are less relevant than the feelings - a Starco Special™ in its own right!

This episode, for me, is the strongest isolated 11 minute Starco segment, which earns it the spot on the list. The talk on the balcony at the end is still one of the greatest moments showcasing their emotional connection, and of course the dance itself (and especially the music, once again by Brian H. Kim) are spectacular. The only thing stopping this segment from topping the charts for me is my own heart. As great as it is, at this point in time my trash heart can’t watch it without thinking how wonderful it would be to see something like it after they figure out their feelings for one another, and that tinge of sadness that it hasn’t happened yet leaves an ever-so-slight bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps it’s unfair to this episode to knock it for my own issues, but I can’t help how I feel (and it made the list anyway).

I hope this was an interesting and satisfactory answer, and not painfully boring to sit through. Thanks for the ask!

P.S. I’m going to download clean copies of the episodes with subtitles soon and streamline my screenshotting process so I can actually live up to my dear friend Seddm in the production value of my posts, have no fears.

#Anonymous #starco #star vs the forces of evil #svtfoe #answered

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stindleswords-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Ep 1

“Um, hello.” The mic began ringing through the room as he adjusted it. “My name is—”

“No names!” the host yelled from the bar.

“What?”

“Do you not understand the concept of a blind reading?”

“Oh, I thought it meant you just had do the reading blind! … Cause the lights are so bright. Haha.” No one else laughed. “They’re so bright and in your eyes, you can’t even… you might as well be blind, right? Ha... ha…”

He started wishing he was blind, that way he wouldn’t have had to look down at all the unamused scowls staring up at him. It was his fault really. He should have recognized this stage was a death trap from the moment he entered the building. As sweat began trickling down his skull, his mind began retracing every nervous step he took to get here, and suddenly he began drowning in a flash flood of regret

As soon as he swung that vandalized door open his lungs became poisoned by the pollution of coffee and hookah in the air. The small café/bar hybrid was dimly lit to create an illusion of poetic ambiance, but this was just a mask to the truth. The choice of lighting was actually there to aid in cloaking the piercing judgement of the local consumers. They would sit there, shaded in the dark, drinking their Kombucha’s and taking petite bites out of their gluten free scones, as they shot penetrating stabs of disapproval with their culturally charged laser-beam eyes. Navigating his way to the stage of that café was like walking through a minefield. With every step he could feel his millennial authenticity leaking out of the bullet holes of his soul. Was the catchphrase on his shirt politically correct yet still ironic enough for their taste? Should he have ordered an espresso from the café bar instead of bringing a frap from Starbucks? And there was no way his piercing free face was earning him any street cred. Soon they would discover he was a fraud, and all his deepest fears would come to life.

“Um, I’m going to read for you today, my short story. It’s called The Light Under, uh.” He held his notebook up to his nose and tried squinting hoping his eye lids would block out the bright light beaming down on him. “Under Hilda’s Nose.”

“What?” someone in the audience asked.

“Rose. The Light under Hilda’s Rose!” He looked up, proud of his creative yet classy title and smiled into the abyss of the crowd.

“Are you going to read or what? Ole gap-toothed-ass motha fucka.”

“Oh.” His smile shrunk and he looked down as if he were trying to observe his own mouth. He shut his lips and even considered covering it with his hand while he read, but realized that would only make him look dumber. “Um. She, she was soft like Austin—ah! Soft like autumn. And I was the, the breeze of wient-winter. I spring to meet h—no, crap, I mean. In spring I met-bleh. Shit, lost my place. I’ll just start…”

“Oh my gosh, did he even rehearse before coming?” “What an amateur.”

“Found it!” He shouted after fumbling through the page with his finger. “There. Her rash hid the, uh… her rosh—ross—roseee, hid the-the light of my soiled pants. No. No. I meant, spoiled passion.”

“Ugh, stop trying to be so pretentious.” “Why is he even here?” “Do you even know what real art is?”

“I’m sorry, I can do this. Just give me a second.” He began scrolling through the lines on his notebook in a hurry.

“Boo!” “Go home.” “Boy, that gap spreading wider than Kim Kardashian’s thighs at the BET awards”

“Ok, well that’s just rude,” he spoke back up. Unfortunately, he had lost all control of the crowd.

“Get a real artist up there!” “You suck.” “Ole goofy-ass-looking motha fucka” “I’m vegan!”

“That’s not even relevant ma’am. Can I just finish my—” He looked over to see the manager waving him off the stage. “If you just let me finish, I swear I got it now.”

The manager was all out of patience, he looked over at a burly lumberjack of a man and signaled him over to the stage. The man had a thick dark beard with a luscious man bun to match, he had on a cotton flannel with nothing under it but his curling chest hair, and a pair of DIY Casey Neistat sunglasses. The buffed out trender barreled his way up to the stage.

“Jesus Christ, where did you find 21st century Paul Bunyan?” The bouncer remained unfazed by the joke and continued marching forward. “Www.lumberbros.com? Or do they have a page on twitter? Ok-ok! I’m leaving.”

The crowd snapped their fingers and starting cheering as the boy fled the stage and made his exit from the café. The manager rushed on stage to try to soothe the crowd.

“I think we’re going to cut the blind readings short today and skip right to meditative documentary hour. Tonight we have a student film called Society’s Shackle on the Areola of my Soul. Jeff, you got the projector?”

-----------------------------------Scene 1 cuts-----------------------------------------------------

Working Title

Ep1: Let’s Just call it the pilot

“No Mom, it just didn’t go well. I wasn’t drunk this time Mom. I’ve never even heard of that drug Mom. Yeah, no, I’m still searching but you know how it is; companies are just really selective these days. Don’t worry I’m still sending out resumes. Ma, I gotta go now. Yeah I’ll keep you updated. Love you. Bye.”

He pulled into the parking spot and took the keys out of the ignition. He laid his head back on the seat and looked up into the reflection of his eyes in the mirror. There wasn’t much inspiration in the image, but inspiration wasn’t exactly something Aaron was glowing with these days. He mustered what motivation he could then grabbed his backpack and exited the car.

Outside, in the parking spot next to his, sat an old Buick blasting aggressively loud rock music. The blue time capsule of a car had rusted door handles and two of the windows were either made out of tape or cardboard, the other two were completely rolled down—or completely missing. The inside of the car was filled with clothes, blankets, trash, and bags of untouched hamburger buns. Nobody appeared to be inside though, but as Aaron began walking by, a naked banshee came shooting up from the backseat like a horrifying popup book.

“Ahhhhyiii!!!” The dreadlocked rock star screamed as he rocked out on his invisible guitar. Aaron almost shit his pants when the bum appeared out of nowhere. But the man paid no attention to Aaron, he was in the middle of an intense jam session and channeling the ghost of mosh-pit’s past. Nothing could break this rockbum out of his intense trance. For Aaron, it was just horrifying to see that much exposed skin making the much motion. The homeless guitarist kept jamming on, screaming and squirming like he was in the middle of an ACDC exorcism. Aaron made sure to triple lock his car as he continued along his way.

The shady nature of the parking lot only continued as he traveled further through it. He passed by two more cars that seemed to be doubling as homes for the residents. In one car, a man laid passed out on the steering wheel with about twelve different brands of empty beer cans on the dash. His tire still had a tire clamp on it that belonged to the city, and his front door had a bike lock on the handle. The other car had an entire bon fire burning inside it with about five other glaring homeless men huddled around it.

“What the hell… does this parking lot double as a trailer park?” he asked himself.

He felt calmer as he reached the safety of his destination. Nothing bad ever happens in the public library right?

“Sir, we’re going to need you to take the other entrance.” Immediately upon pushing through the glass doors, Aaron was met by a stubby police officer blocking the metal detectors that led into the thick of the library.

“What?” Aaron peaked around the officer to notice a section of the library blocked off by rolls of caution tape. Behind the tape were blood stains and broken needles with books and torn up papers scattered everywhere.

“We’re in the middle of an investigation here kid.”

“Jesus, did this happen last night?” he asked.

“No, of course not. This happened a week ago, can’t you smell the feces beginning to ferment?”

“Where is there feces?” Aaron’s curiosity was turning into concern.

“Just take in a whiff,” the officer began scooping the air under his nose with his hands, “C’mon kid, do it with me.”

“Can’t I just go around the tape, I really don’t want to have to walk to the back.”

“No kid! We can’t have no one messing up the crime scene, alright??”

“But there’s a homeless guy taking a piss on the copier machine right now?”

The cop turned around and there it was, a hairy man covered in dirty sweaters and blankets whistling to the tune of Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have my Money, as he took a wiz on the copier machine placed in the corner of the crime scene.

“Oh shit,” the cop gasped and ran into the crime scene reaching for his weapon, “Jim! another one came back to life.”

“He wasn’t even breathing a couple of minutes ago!” Jim yelled in response.

“He’s got a weapon!” the chubby officer screamed.

Aaron stood there and watched for a moment. The weapon the officer was referring to was the homeless man’s exposed pecker just flopped out of his open fly. He thought about speaking up, but then the fermenting feces finally hit his nostrils, and was doing so with a flaming rage. So he decided the fresh air of the backway would be healthy for him. A flurry of gunshots and screams sounded off as he returned to the parking lot.

After trekking back through the deadlands of the parking lot, only having been offered drugs twice, he was finally in the library again, crime-scene free--or at least caution tape free. The surrounding settings were still just as grisly as before. All of the books looked like they were donated by pyromaniacs after losing their house to a mysteriously caused wildfire. Aaron took his finger and ran it down the lines of books, watching as ashes and debris scraped off of them. He tried picking up a few, mostly because he just wanted to know what section he was in. In one aisle he saw Fear in Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson, pressed against a 19th century edition of the Bible, authored by “Cheesus H. Chrisp.” The Bible was the one book still in decent condition so he decided to pick it up. A bag of weed fell out. When it hit the ground a crusty old hand reached out from under the shelf and pulled the bag of weed back with it. Perhaps exploring the bookshelves wasn’t the best idea.

“Excuse me, could you direct me to a section with open outlets?”

“Sir, you can’t come into the library to charge your phone.” He could have been charging his phone right on her desk, she wouldn’t have known. Her eyes didn’t even consider looking up at him, they remained planted on her cosmopolitan magazine as she took two seconds to scroll through all the pictures before flipping to the next page.

“Oh no, it’s just my laptop needs to be charging while I’m using it so…”

“We have computers in the children’s section.” Without shifting her gaze, she took her index finger and pointed behind him. In the children’s section were two raccoons chewing on stuffed animals and one bug eyed man sitting in the computer section, aggressively playing a game of whacking-the-mole-off in his pants.

“I think that guy’s masturbating?”

“If you have a complaint, put it in the complaint box.”

At first he assumed she was joking, but her unbreakable case of bitch-face told him otherwise. He decided writing a complaint was the right thing to do, thinking he should try to be a part of the solution and be a facilitator of justice, as many Yelp users might also describe themselves. But upon further observation he realized the complaint box didn’t exist anywhere close by, and though he was scared to probe onward, he kept on reaching his foot into the mouth of the dragon.

“Well… where’s the complaint box?”

“It was stolen like a month ago, someone thought it was the tip jar.”

“Right, of course. Well you’ve been a great help thank you.”

“The soup kitchen opens at 9 on Thursday’s sir.” She would remain lost in the wonders of her literature as Aaron walked away.

Somewhere in a flickering corner of the library, Aaron was able to find his beloved open outlet—the sweet nectar of any library setting. But he quickly became disappointed in himself for actually thinking that something would go right in this desolate junk yard posing as a library. The outlet was dangling about six inches out of the wall, wires exposed and ripped, with sparks shooting out every now and then to the cadence of the flickering lights. Sitting on the desk above, or more so laid out on the desk above, was an inebriated man planted face first into a book titled 7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking (by Donna J. Cornett (and available for 1.99 at Barnes & Noble). Sprawled out along the desk next to him were about 6 half-empty beers pouring out down the edge of the desk and dripping onto the exposed wires of the outlet. An optimists might have looked at this scene and said “Looks, like we’re about 3 beers into a good time.” A pessimists would have said “Grab a fork and let’s play ‘Shank-the-Power-Outlet.” Aaron just wanted to get some work done, and was forced to make the best out of his situation.

It was hard to focus on the work in front of him. Perhaps it was his lack of motivation; or maybe it was the notion that nothing he wrote seemed to be as magnificent as it sounded in his head; it could have been due to his persistent hobby of shredding apart any and all ounces of self-confidence; or it could have just been his laptop repeatedly dying every time the power flickered off. After taking five minutes to get his laptop up and running again he would only be able to get in but just a few words before it died out—and that’s if he really focused. Maybe it was a sign, or a metaphor telling him that no matter how hard he tried, his dreams would always die out in the end. Or maybe he should have just let Geek Squad take his computer for a week to figure out the issue with the charger port.

But in all that dark hopeless struggle to get his life together, something peculiar happened, something that suddenly breathed life into the room.

It was a series of sounds that all came one after the other in a rapid furry. Just three quick claps of air. A drum solo of fumes. An orchestra of asscoustics. A pattering parade of poots. The not so silent, but deadly chemical warfare fired out of a machine gun of a sphincter. And there were no questions about where the rumpus originated from. At the very next table, across from Aaron, sat the only other (conscious) resident in this section of the library. Slowly, Aaron turned his head in disgust, almost in disbelief, at what he had just heard--and was now beginning to smell. When he had finished turning his head his eyes met with the petrified gaze of the assailant. This man appeared as if he knew nothing about the world other than fear, and with the two sets of eyes locked, the mortified gas leaker stoop up--

“And just walked away.”

“You’re joking…”

“I shit you not.”

“What lovely phrasing.”

“He let it out like a bomb and just got up, looked me in my eyes, and walked away. As if we had just made a silent oath to secrecy of the horrific event that had just taken place.”

“But like, why?” She laughed.

“I was too busy cherishing the remaining moments I had left with non-polluted air to get up and ask him.”

“Uhg!” She groaned in sarcasm.

“Sorry, I forgot you’re writing that novella on why people fart in public places.”

“How could you?”

“I’m sorry, I know I failed you.”

A sneaky smile slowly slurred onto their faces and neither of the two could continue their serious fronts. They backed down and returned to their laughter.

“I seriously can’t believe that happened” she added.

“Really? After telling you ALLL of that, the one thing you can’t believe is some dude farting like he had pop rocks stuck up his ass?”

“Well yeah,” she chuckled as she continued reading through her textbook. “I don’t know what you expected, that’s why you don’t go to public libraries in south city.”

“I just wanted somewhere quiet to write.”

“I don’t know why you’re so against this library all of a sudden. It’s like the second nicest library in the whole city. And its homeless person free,” she paused for a moment, “well… except for that Moroccan lady who comes in here with those five kids at midnight. I don’t know what her deal is. And why are the kids always different?”

“I’m just tired of this place. It’s been four months since I graduated, I’m tired of having to look at this school and fight some freshmen for a parking spot, just to come back and find my car window bashed in.”

“Actually the window bashing has died down since you graduated. Hmm, wonder if that’s a coincidence?”

“With the way my life’s going, window bashing would be a step up.”

“Maybe you just need to get out of your own head and stop whining like a little bitch all the time.”

“Maybe the problem is my most supportive friend calls me a whiney bitch all the time.”

“Not all the time, just on Monday’s, and Tuesdays after 1:30, and occasionally Thursday through Sunday… oh. And anytime you start whining like a little bitch.”

“Such a great support system…”

“Well if you don’t like it, why don’t you go make some other friends?”

“I think you’re supposed to make all your friends while you’re in college. I kind of missed that deadline.”

“Well I’m so sorry for your loss, but some of us still have time to try get the best out of our college experience. So I’m going to finish studying somewhere that I can actually focus, that way I can go to that Frat party tonight, ok?”

“Oh, like the Frat with all the guys in it?” She laughed at his response, but it felt more like she was laughing at him.

“You’re cute when you get jealous. But only Sometimes… I’ll talk to you later.” She scooted out of her seat and began to get up but not before Aaron puckered his lips and tried pressing them on her’s. Evie responded with the classic face of disgust fully equipped with a one-way ticket back to the Friend Zone. “Ew! What are you doing?”

“It’s just a kiss? We’ve done more than that?”

“Not in public. Ugh.”

“Sorry I just thought…”

“Come pick me up at like 2am ok? And bring a condom, I forgot to take the pill like all weekend.”

“Ok, yeah, sure.”

“And look,” suddenly her voice evolved into a rare tone of concern, “don’t be so down on yourself. You’re just in one of those identity slumps right now, but that’s all it is: a slump. Ok? You just need a hobby or something to do. You should go check that student bulletin board in the basement.”

“Student bulletin board?”

“Yeah, didn’t you go here for like four years? You should know about the bulletin board.”

“I never went in the basement, there was always too much studying going on to focus.”

“Well it’s just a place for students to place fliers for their clubs and other social events. And I really think you need some socializing.”

“I mean I guess we can talk about me like I’m some rescue dog with a shady past.” She giggled at him again.

“Don’t take things so personally, just go check it out. You never know what opportunity may present itself, right? I’ll text you. Byiiiiii.”

“Byiii” he mocked her squeaky voice. She threw her middle finger in the air as she walked away.

---------------------------------------Scene 2 cuts-------------------------------------------------

His migration down to the basement felt like the walk of shame. With every flight of stairs he descended upon he could hear Evelyn calling him a whining bitch, although there was a chance he was mistaking the voice for that of his 7th grade gym teacher—who also taught arts & crafts to the 1st graders. F***ing Ms. Heinbaugh. His mind continued playing tricks on him and preying on his doubts. He thought that actually going over to the bulletin board would be an admittance of defeat, like he was conceding to the fact that he needed to socialize more. It felt as if she was just going to be waiting there with a big sign that read: WHAT A LOSER. He wouldn’t put it past her.

“Socialize…” his thoughts began groaning, “I don’t need to socialize. Everyone else just needs to stop being so damn annoying. ... Dammit. I do sound like a whiny bitch.”

But at the end of the dimly lit hallway would be no humiliating ‘gotcha’ poster or moment of ridicule. At the very end of the hall, one light shined brighter than all the rest, and right beneath it, hung the infamous bulletin board. He walked up to it for further examination where he was instantly overwhelmed by a burst of colorful papers. It was like a fireworks show made from dead trees.

Each flier pertained to some kind of club that sounded just as colorful as the paper it was on.

GFSTAA: Gender Fluid Sex Toy Advocates of America—important, but not up Aaron’s alley. Vegan Baking Club—Aaron wasn’t aware they allowed torture tactics to be practiced on campus. Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction Book Club—not quite Aaron’s taste of literature. How to Draw Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction—not quite Aaron’s taste of hentai either.

But, buried beneath all the madness, was one flier barely reaching out beyond the layers of tabloids, like a hand reaching out from its grave. All he could see was the corner of a white paper with the image of a feathered pen on it. He plucked the paper from its flamboyant grave and began reading.

“Calling all creatives! Do you consider yourself a creative person? Do you feel like your vision and voice have more to offer the world? Then why not put your talents to use and come join a small startup digital media company that can help you fulfill your truest potential! We need people at every position, we need fellow filmmakers, editors, actors, crew members, and we’re always on the lookout for brilliant wordsmiths!”

The flier had images of camera lenses, quills, and stars sprinkled all over it. It was like Aaron was staring into the eye of an oracle. He had never considered himself a filmmaker, but he didn’t mind the sound of it. The meet date posted on the flier hadn’t passed yet either, so he still had time to get in on the action. Aaron had heard the call, and he was ready to answer.

“Yes!” he began to himself. “I’m ready to fulfill my truest po—” Someone came marching down the hall and Aaron went dead silent like a possum. The student walked straight up to the bulletin board so he tried playing it cool like he was still analyzing all the fliers. The student pulled out a flier of their own and aggressively stapled it to the board, and then they stomped away in frustration. The flier read:

“PETITION TO END ALL SPIDERMAN REBOOTS!”

Aaron signed his name under the first slot and walked away.

----------------------------------------------FIN--------------------------------------------------------

#books and libraries #comedy #college #fiction #creative #webseries #film #spiderman #vegan #unemployedlife #hashtag #literature #series #working title

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callunavulgari · 7 years ago

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Scrapbook 2018

Scrapbook for 2018! A reminder, for myself and others-

Italicized titles = enjoyed muchly, bold titles = love, titles with an asterisk* = OBSESSION and titles in (brackets) are re-watches/re-reads. And lastly, strikethough = DISLIKE.

Goals are: read forty-five new books this year, finish six video games, write either 30 fics or 70k total, finish the damn Sabriel AU, and write something original.

MOVIES

January

(Guardians of the Galaxy 2)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

February

(LOTR: Fellowship)

(Wonder Woman)

Black Panther

Annihilation

March

The Ritual

Cloverfield Paradox

Pacific Rim Uprising

A Wrinkle In Time

(Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

(IT)

(Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

April

Wolf Children

Moonlight

The Red Turtle

Europa Report

Avengers: Infinity War

May

A Quiet Place

Alien

Deadpool 2

The Conjuring

BOOKS

January

A Tale For The Time Being | Ruth Ozeki

La Belle Sauvage | Phillip Pullman [Fin]

London Falling | Paul Cornell

A Swiftly Tilting Planet | Madeline L’Tengle [Fin]

In Other Lands | Sarah Rees Brennan [Fin]

They Both Die In The End | Adam Silvera [Fin]

Thunderhead | Neal Shusterman [Fin]

The Sun and Her Flowers | Rupi Kaur [Fin]

The Paper Magician | Charlie Holmberg

February

A Tale For The Time Being | Ruth Ozeki [Fin]

The Diviners | Libba Bray [Fin]

The Paper Magician | Charlie Holmberg [Fin]

We Were Liars | E Lockhart [Fin]

Lair of Dreams | Libba Bray [Fin]

The Tropic of Serpents | Marie Brennan

The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison

I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death | Maggie O’Farrell [Fin]

Norse Mythology | Neil Gaiman [Fin]

Phasma | Delilah Dawson

Caraval | Stephanie Garber

March

The Tropic of Serpents | Marie Brennan

The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison [Fin]

Phasma | Delilah Dawson [Fin]

Caraval | Stephanie Garber [Fin]

Tess of the Road | Rachel Hartman [Fin]

Clariel | Garth Nix [Fin]

Seraphina | Rachel Hartman [Fin]

Before The Devil Breaks You | Libba Bray

April

Before The Devil Breaks You | Libba Bray [Fin]

The Tropic of Serpents | Marie Brennan

Salt to the Sea | Ruta Sepetys [Fin]

The Wicked Deep | Shea Ernshaw [Fin]

Hamlet | William Shakespeare [Fin]

Fangirl | Rainbow Rowell [Fin]

The Scorpion Rules | Erin Bow [Fin]

The Thief | Megan Whalen Turner [Fin]

Hear The Wind Sing | Haruki Murakami [Fin]

May

The Tropic of Serpents | Marie Brennan [Fin]

Only Human | Sylvain Neuvel [Fin]

World War Z | Max Brooks [Fin]

The Queen of Attolia | Megan Whalen Turner [Fin]

The Stand | Stephen King

Shadow Scale | Rachel Hartman [Fin]

London Falling | Paul Cornell [Fin]

Goldenhand | Garth Nix [Fin]

PODCASTS

January:

N/A

February

N/A

March

The Bright Sessions (Eps 30-41)

Wolf 359 (Eps 5-8)

King Falls AM (Eps 5-6)

April

The Bright Sessions (Eps 41-52)

Wolf 359 (Eps 8-13)

King Falls AM (Eps 6-7)

Penumbra Podcast (Episode 1)

May

Wolf 359 (Eps 14-49)

The Bright Sessions (53-55)

TV SHOWS BY SEASON

January:

Planet Earth II

Devilman Crybaby

Steven Universe s4

Brooklyn Nine-Nine s1

RWBY s5

(Stranger Things 2)

The Orville

(The X-Files)

The Flash s3

February

The Flash s3

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The Gifted

The Good Place

The Runaways

AP Bio

March

Voltron s5

(Soul Eater)

Battlestar Galactica

(Sailor Moon)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Cards

Bride of the Ancient Magus

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

April

Battlestar Galactica

Legion

The Flash

AP Bio

(Yu Yu Hakusho)

Persona 5 Animation

Westworld s2

May

Westworld s2

Legion

The Flash

Lost In Space s1

Persona 5 Animation

Siren s1

Steven Universe s5

VIDEO GAMES

January:

Prey (18 hrs)

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (20 hrs, FIN)

Monster Hunter World (8 hrs)

February

Monster Hunter World (25 hrs)

Kingdom Hearts BBS (1 hr)

March

Monster Hunter World (25 hrs)

Witcher 3 [FIN JFC]

Stellaris

Life Is Strange

April

Life Is Strange

Final Fantasy 12: Zodiac Age

Dragon Age: Inquisition (Dany - 98 hrs; Brienne - 5 hrs)

May

Dragon Age: Inquisition (Dany - 138 hrs - FIN; Brienne - 5 hrs)

SOMA

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC

DELIGHTFUL FIC

January:

Just the One, Two by Panny | Jessica Jones | Jessica/Trish | 10k They say you should never meet your heroes, but what about when you've been sort of in love with them since they broke your mother's marble sink?

Daylight by @notbecauseofvictories | Star Wars | Rey/Luke | 3k “Can I ask what you think it is you’re doing?” Luke says. His voice is only a little strangled. The silence that falls in its place is awkward, thick as sand. “Oh,” Rey stutters out. “Is that not—?” “No,” Luke grits out. “Please put your clothes back on.”

run all the lights by @fahye | Captive Prince | Damen/Laurent | 8.5k He’s a slim, too-pretty boy of twenty, and the men of this particular underworld talk about him as though he’s an open flame, a sparking engine near a pool of gasoline: volatile, and not to be handled. Kid’s got balls of sheer fucking steel, Damen’s contact said. Which must be true, because having just lost a race against Damen for pink slips, Laurent looks him straight in the eye and says, “Double or nothing?” in a voice like vodka poured straight from the freezer.

They Say It's Mighty Fine by apocryphal | Teen Wolf | Sterek | 23k "Hello. This is Alpha Vernon Boyd, calling from Camp Remus about—""Derek?" Talia asks, confused. "You're calling about Derek? Is he okay? What happened?""Oh, boy." Melissa blows out a breath. "All right. Is he hurt?""He's been there for two hours, what could he possibly have—" John pauses. "Hang on, Camp Remus? Like the werewolf camp?"

León de mi Corazón by clockheartedcrocodile | The Exorcist | Tomas/Marcus | 16k | Not for the first time, Marcus wishes he were a poet. Tomas drinks up beautiful words like wine, practically thrives on them. He thinks of his own clumsy attempt at a letter, begun and re-begun until the whole thing had been consigned to the rubbish bin. It was laughable.Besides, he thinks, Tomas and Jessica wrote letters because they could not have each other.“You have me,” he says, quiet enough that Tomas won’t wake.

Things Worth Knowing by Femme (femmequixotic) | HP | Drarry | 163k After the Battle, Harry thinks he's left Hogwarts for good, but Minerva insists that all students return for an Eighth Year if they wish to sit for NEWTs in the spring, and Harry needs those NEWTs to go into the Aurors. Draco's just grateful not to be in Azkaban. Or the Manor. He's hoping he can steer clear of Potter this year and grapple with his own problems.

Under the Covers by ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 72k Steve is (maybe) a little bit still in love with Nancy Wheeler and (maybe) trying to figure himself out-- between the night terrors and the babysitting and the general weirdness that is Hawkins, Indiana-- before he graduates.Billy Hargrove fits in there somewhere (probably).

the party never ends by brawlite | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 7k Billy wants a fight from Steve Harrington. He'll do just about anything to get it, too.

February

what a wicked game you played (to make me feel this way) by brawlite, ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | WIP | Billy knew Steve Harrington would ruin him. Steve knew Billy Hargrove was nothing but trouble.They never expected it to end up like this.

don't just stand there by brawlite | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 3.5k Steve kisses a stranger in a club in a desperate attempt to spurn an advance from an unwanted admirer. Turns out, it's not really a stranger at all.

there's nothing wrong with me (loving you, baby) by ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 4.6k | “Mr. Hargrove,It has come to HR’s attention that you have, once again, used company property incorrectly. Please refrain from using the break room as a work out facility during your lunch hour. If you are in need a gym recommendation, I'm happy to provide you some. Remove your weights from the lower cabinets at your earliest convenience.Regards, S. Harrington”This isn’t the first ridiculous email Steve has had to send to Hargrove, and Steve sincerely doubts it will be his last.

in waves by lymricks | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 45k Plant your feet, Billy wants to scream at him. I’m going to bowl you over.

can't you see them? (can't you feel them?) by ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 8k | They're breathing down your neck.

Little Pockets of Upturned Loneliness by SeptemberEndings | Stranger Things | Gen | 5k | Months pass, and nothing bad happens to Will.

isizathu by black_nata | Black Panther | T’Challa/Erik | 8k | "What do you want?" T'Challa whispers. Almost like he's pleading. All Erik wants to do is wrap his fist around that smooth throat and make him beg some more.

falling for you in hawkins, indi-fucking-ana by LazyBaker | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 31k | Billy gets his shit together. Steve figures some stuff out. They fall in love.

thank god you see me the way you do by LazyBaker | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 6k | Five times Billy has had sex and one time he made love.

Secrets Make This Town by Oop | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy/Hopper | 5k | Hopper knows that Billy Hargrove sucks cock like he was born for it and he knows Steve Harrington is hung like a pornstar. He knows these by accident.

March

another city (better than this one) by notbecauseofvictories | Star Wars | Gen, Ben Solo & Lando | 6k | “You really should be more creative with your aliases,” Lando says mildly. “I’ve had every anagram of ‘Skywalker’ flagged since the first time you tried to run away from home.”

his hands so cold they shake by plinys | FBAWTFT | Percival/Credence | 4k | A soul mate is meant to be a blessing, but Percival feels anything but blessed.

We Keep Meeting by scioscribe | Hamilton | Hamilton & Burr | 4.5k | In which Hamilton finds himself a little more non-stop than even he expected, and Burr doesn't know why he's surprised that even death can't make Alexander Hamilton lie down and be quiet.

There Aren't Any Stars in the Sky by Ambrosia | Star Wars | Reylo | 4k | “Why are you here?” Rey asks. She appears to be meditating. Even his muscles remember the basics. Her eyes are peacefully closed.“Your mind is most open when you Jedi meditate, ‘letting everything go’,” he tells her, striding around in a vicious, predatory circle. “Which you would know if you had an at least halfway-competent teacher.”

Found Wanting by sellertape | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 2k | It didn’t take superpowers to know what Mark wanted him to say. He wanted him to lie. It didn’t take superpowers to get Damien to do what you wanted.

pull out the insides by SpineAndSpite | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 4k | “Stop,” Damien says again, more insistent this time.“I’m not doing it on purpose.” Mark's heart pounds in his ears and he sees Damien’s hands shaking. God. They shouldn’t have started talking about sex. Shouldn’t have filled in the colors and shadows to this pencil outline of a sketch forming between them. They shouldn’t have given it a name.

Life Is Not A Love Song by DetectiveJoan | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 4k | “Oh, you know the old saying — once bitten, twice mildly paranoid that everyone you’ve ever met is secretly working for the shady government agency that kidnapped you.” Mark's voice is sing-song through the dressing room door.

I Want You To Want Me by Ryuutchi | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 4k | Food, scotch, sex-- I don’t know, Damien; there's a lot of good things in life.

(coming for the king, that's) a far cry by lipgallagher | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 17k | billy and steve 'pretend' to be gay boyfriends in love for what is essentially just extremely small-time personal gain.

all these to me by lymricks | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 9k | Three times Steve and Billy share (a bed, a meal, the truth) and one time they share (a virus).

Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya | Yuri On Ice | Yuuri/Viktor | 197k | ‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’

no need to say goodbye by smolsarcasticraspberry | Voltron | Allura/Shiro | 13k | The juniberry tree blossoms every seven years, and when it does, a gateway opens up to another world - a world that Shiro first explores as a child. There, he meets Allura.

(shoot the lights out, hide) till its bright out by lipgallagher | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 50k | The most dangerous thing walking around Hawkins goes by the name Billy Hargrove. And he fucking knows it.

April

so this guy walks into a bar by MasterOfAllImagination | Pacific Rim | Newt/Hermann | 2.5k | “Bourbon,” Hermann says, hooking his cane on the edge of the bar and sliding by degrees onto a stool.“Straight up?” the bartender asks.“Please.” Does he look like the kind of man who enjoys having his nostrils fumigated by undiluted whiskey? “On the rocks.”

Seeing in Color by what_alchemy | Pacific Rim | Newt/Hermann | The Dr. Geiszler Hermann had found in the publications — printed pages worn with constant handling and tucked into his briefcase for easy access — was an eloquent scientist whose work functioned at a level far above almost anyone else Hermann had ever encountered in the field, and yet he neither patronized his readers nor expressed himself in the inexplicable jargon which so infected much academic work.

Strong Enough by therealraewest | Pacific Rim | Newt/Hermann | 4k | "I would like to speak to Newt."

Laying Siege by astolat | GOT | Jaime/Brienne | 8k | “Marry me instead,” Jaime said.

Fool by astolat | GOT | Jaime/Brienne | 15k | Jaime didn’t really expect things to go well when he rode north, but after all, they hadn’t been going well otherwise, so it wasn’t that much of a change.

heartstrings by taylortot | Miraculous Ladybug | Marinette/Adrien | 60k | one of marinette’s rare unlucky days turns into something treacherous. thanks to a certain cat, the real danger passes, but there are other things to be more afraid of. her heart, for example, might be one of them.

Words by astolat | GOT | Jaime/Brienne | 10k | “So we’ll look for you in the North," Robb Stark said, "coming to pay your debt."

nanna by biggrstaffbunch | Thor | Thor/Loki | 1k | Thor, after.

just in it for the game by grim_lupine | Thor | Thor/Loki | 6k | “It's excellent rehabilitation for my image,” Loki says, widening his eyes. “They love you, and because of that they'll trust me. You wouldn't ruin this for me, would you?”

May

these fragments by Wildehack (Tyleet) | Avengers | Loki/Valkyrie | 4k | “Someone has to survive this day,” Thor grinds out, pressed briefly close to her by the fight.“Someone will,” she tells him.

Make Me by Ajaxthegreat | Star Wars | Hux/Ben Solo | 52k | A genocidal megalomaniac Emperor and a very slutty smuggler/occasional Resistance spy walk into a bar.

cherry pie by brawlite, ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 61k | illy Hargrove lives for summer. Endless sunshine, heavily chlorinated pools, roaming ice cream trucks, and unencumbered freedom? There’s nothing better.Even being stuck in Hawkins can’t ruin the summer for him. He eats it up, devouring every day whole.***

the ghost and good queen val by Wildehack (Tyleet) | Thor | Loki/Valkyrie/Thor | 8k | “Oh my god,” Korg says. “You did! You saw a ghost!”

Suspicious Minds by astolat | DA | Iron Bull/Dorian, Inquisitor/Solas | 4k | “Hm,” Bull said, thoughtfully. “Something I’ve been curious about. Solas.”“You want to talk about another man now?” Dorian said.

By The Still Waters by emilyenrose | DA | Fenhawke; Inquisitory/Solas | 83k | Hawke was left in the Fade. Fenris goes looking for him. He doesn't go alone.

Some Things Are Certain by cupiscent | Star Wars | Anakin/Obi-Wan | 7k | Detained far from where he should be by random chance, Obi-Wan meets an unusual slave.

For Better or Worse by DragonBandit | The Bright Sessions | Damien/Mark | 22k | Wherein Damien and Mark are soulmates, and this changes enough.**

killing me to love you by mostlikelydefinentlymad | The Bright Sessions | Damien/Mark | 2k | Mark waits by the phone.

give my reflection a break by autoeuphoric (FreezingRayne) | The Bright Sessions | Damien/Joan | 5k | When the bell rings, she almost doesn’t answer. She hasn’t ordered anything and it’s too early for carolers. She does not speak to her neighbors, and she’s not about to start today.Joan gets up and answers the door anyway. Because she wants to.

Try, Try, Try Again by anticyclone | The Bright Sessions | 8k | Joan gets mugged. Damien interrupts. Interrupting is kind of his thing.

sharp shock to your soft side by agivise | The Bright Sessions | Mark & Damien | 22k | The universe is a cruel, unforgiving bitch, and honestly, he's a little sick and tired of it. Sure, he deserves it or whatever, but still, totally uncool, universe. Real poor timing.

Scarier Things by starkraving | The Bright Sessions | Mark & Damien | 5k | Mark drags Damien back across the country in what amounts to the most karmic reverse kidnapping in history, but stopping to take hipster pics of scenic overlooks will not protect you from the scary stuff lurking in the liminal space behind highway truck-stops.

Patient Intake by starkraving | The Bright Sessions | Joan & Damien | 9k | ssume Joan takes a less passive approach to Damien’s influence in her life. Assume she’s sitting in her car with the engine running and he’s on the sidewalk in front of her. Assume there’s six months between this moment and the moment she first met him.

Artifice by buttpatrol | Wolf 359 | Eiffel/Hera | 23k | A story told in parts about colour palettes, identity, robot uprisings, sensational trials, space, and messy love.

blow your mongrel mind by endquestionmark | Wolf 359 | Eiffel/Jacobi | 13k | The first time Eiffel sees Colonel Warren Kepler — shockingly real, after so many days spent somewhere between delusion and despair — what strikes him most is how still Kepler is.

Calling Out My Name by vlasdygoth | Wolf 359 | Jacobi/Kepler | 2.5k | Five times Kepler called Jacobi a pet name, and one time Jacobi managed to pull it off on him.

and twice as bright by endquestionmark | Wolf 359 | Eiffel/Hera | 6k | “Eiffel.” Very quiet, hardly audible through the echoes. “What is it like?”

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

January:

2017 [Multifandom Mashup]

MCU Films // ♫Can't You Hear Me Knocking (12 Strong trailer version)♫

Arya & Brienne // The Rules Were Wrong

play with fire [Black Butler]

kylo ren & rey【 In a Dream, in a Nightmare 】TLJ spoilers

Stranger Things || Above and Below

Jim Hopper || Do you ever feel cursed?

Stranger Things || Sweet Dreams

February

Stranger Things || Time After Time

Darth Vader // The Force is strong with you

Game of Thrones || We Live In A Beautiful World

Allison Argent | Look What You Made Me Do

Kylo Ren and Rey l Hearts A Mess

►Stranger Things | Stay Alive

not alone | stranger things

Will Byers || You're home now

March

Voltron | Cosmic Love

Voltron | Broken Crown

River, MARVEL. [2k]

Voltron | Radioactive

S O L D I E R ll Voltron AMV

Loki // Hustler

a morphine toast

Bucky x Steve || Brooklyn (Go Hard)

Fullmetal Alchemist || Brother

Anime Mix - Legends Never Die [AMV]

Death Parade AMV - Feeling Good

AMV - Crucible of Souls - Bestamvsofalltime Anime MV ♫

[AMV] Transmutayshun - FullMetall Alchemist: Brotherhood

AMV Dazzling Inferno

April

kylo ren || animal

FLESH || Yuri on Ice

Roman&Peter || Piece by piece

◼️ quentin&eliot; give me love

Hannibal/Will - Take Me Back

Kylo Ren // In The End

(Marvel) Avengers | The End

Thomas & Newt ✘ Could I have saved him?

Multifandom || Wake Up

The Avengers | The Final Curtain

(SW) Darth Vader | A Light In Darkness

loki laufeyson | saturn (+ragnarok)

Loki - Birthright

May

Infinity War | I Was Here

Avengers: Infinity War

MARVEL || Bohemian Rhapsody

River, MARVEL. [2k]

The Expanse || A War Built On Lies

Avengers || Together

MARVEL || Lions Inside (collab w/ djcprod)

COMIC FILMS - Bohemian Rhapsody

Pixar: The Complete Supercut (2018)

Let Us Be Brave

👑black panther👑

X-Men || Revolution (ft. Ruelle)

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

January:

Choir & Crickets | Jeff Russo

Black Lung Heartache | Joe Bonamassa

Undiscovered First | Feist

Tribe Society - Kings

MIX - MAURICE RAVEL Bolero

Never Give Up | Sia

Silvertongue | Young the Giant

Vikings Soundtrack

February

Sweet Dreams | Mark Hadley

A Hazy Shade of Winter | The Bangles

White Rabbit | Jefferson Starship

Stranger Things Theme | Kyle Dixon

Go To War | Nothing More

Does Your Heart Break | The Brilliance

Please Speak Well of Me | The Weepies

Smallest Light | Ingrid Michaelson

Flying | Cody Fry

My Friends | Oh Wonder

New Rules | Dua Lipa

Young As The Morning Old As the Sea | Passengers

Never Be The Same | Camila Cabello

Slow Down Love | Louis the Child

Come Together | Gary Clark Jr.

Don’t Think Twice | Utada Hikaru

Your Tongue Like The Sun In My Mouth | Sophie B. Hawkins

&Run | Sir Sly

Giver | K.Flay

Black Panther Soundtrack

March

Daddy Issues | The Neighbourhood

Whatever It Takes | Imagine Dragons

Carry Me Back To Her Arms | Jessica Curry

The Healing | Gary Clark Jr.

These Days | The Black Keys

No Roots | Alice Merton

Susanne Sundfør | The Golden Age

The Blue Whale | Steven Price

Everywhere' by J2

Sinners | Barns Courtney

Sam Tinnesz - Play With Fire (feat. Yacht Money)

Here | Junna

Robert DeLong - Favorite Color Is Blue (Lyric Video) ft. K.Flay

Steve James | Warrior

Hold My Liquor | Kanye West

Sweatpants | Childish Gambino

April

The Sailor Song | Autoheart

Steve James - Warrior (feat. LIGHTS)

Mother Mother - Reaper Man

Hello | Via Audio

Beyoncé | Back to Black

James Brown - It's A Man's Man's Man's World

Emeli Sande - Daddy

Nathan Angelo - Leigh

"In The End" Linkin Park Cinematic Cover (feat. Jung Youth & Fleurie)

May

Black Space/Stand By Me | Imagine Dragons

Dear God | Lawless

Sinners and Saints | Andrea Wasse

Ghost | Natasha Blume

Peter Gundry - Tales of the Night

Metal Gear Solid V Medley: Quiet's Theme / Sins of the Father | Freya Catherine

SOWULO - Yule

WOLVEN STORM ORCHESTRAL COVER (Witcher 3 - Priscilla's Song)

Amulet | Copal

Holding Out for a Hero | Nothing But Thieves

WRITTEN FIC

January:

N/A

February

Everybody's Looking For Something | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 4,790 words | On the third weekend of May during their last year at Hawkins High, Steve Harrington throws a party.Billy crashes it.

taste you on my tongue | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 2,290 words | “You’ve never felt pleasure like it, Steve,” an old girlfriend had told him once, her eyes bright with memory. Steve shrugged. “No vampires here, though.”

March

Home | Star Wars | Reylo | 1,670 words | “Rey,” he says into the quiet. “Just drive.”

April

hits like a drum | Stargate Atlantis | Mcshep | 3,507 words | “Believe it or not, having something with sharp teeth breathing down your neck is not actually conducive to one’s thought process.” John barks out a loud, abrupt noise that might be laughter, his breath tickling the hairs at the base of Rodney’s neck. “I’d have thought it would be good motivation.”

feed the hunger | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 1,792 words | “Thought you wanted to fuck me, Hargrove,” Steve whispers, and presses a sweet kiss to the hinge of Billy's jaw. “Now's your chance.”

Apotheosis | Marvel - INFINITY WAR | Thor/Loki, Steve/Pepper/Tony | 4,450 words | Grief, a story told in three parts.

May

N/A

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

January

2018

February

We Could Be Heroes

Daddy Issues

March

N/A

April

Newmann

May

danien: back in black

#heather says what #scrapbook #2018

1 note · View note

quaememinisse · 7 years ago

Text

Title: At Best

Genre: Romance, Drama, Smut, Alternate Universe

Warnings: Violence

Relationship(s): Corey Taylor/OFC, OFC/OMC

Word Count: TBA

Chapters: 2/?

Summary: One fine summer, an up and coming drummer catches Corey’s eye.

Author’s note: Mature situations this chapter.

Previous chapter: 1 (<--Click there to read)

Corey ends up not being at the signing, and Nanette assumes he must have gotten caught up doing an interview or taking pictures with some fans. She is over the moon for a while until she checks her phone halfway through the signing to find that Nolan texted her a handful of times. She doesn't read all of his texts, but they make it clear to her that he's not happy. She pictures him alone in his apartment and this makes her start to feel bad for enjoying herself. If only she could be there with him. To Nanette's surprise, Corey actually shows up out of what appears to be thin air, holding a large plastic cup of what she already knows is Bolthouse Farms carrot juice. He tucks a pair of darkly tinted sunglasses into the collar of his red t-shirt, grinning and holding the drink out in front of her. It takes a moment before she realizes he is offering it to her.

"I was over at catering when I remembered that Lars told me how much you love this shit," he explains. She takes the cup from him, surprised by his random act of kindness; there's even a ton of ice in the drink. If Nanette doesn't know any better, she'd assume that Corey…is interested in her, in some way.

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor," she says with a small nod. She had begun to start dying from the heat, anyway.

"Mr. Taylor?" Corey throws his head back and laughs for a few seconds, causing Nanette to blush, but her tan makes it unnoticeable. Madden and Pinkerton cock their eyebrows at each other suggestively, something that Nanette pretends she doesn't notice, as she takes the most refreshing sip of carrot juice she's ever had. Corey's presence easily attracts more fans, and, probably to not look like assholes, more people end up asking for EPs and autographs than Nanette had initially predicted for the day. Her phone vibrates in her back pocket again, and she listens to Corey talking to Lars somewhere behind her as the tent is being disassembled. Nanette finds herself wishing that Nolan would just do something to make himself happier for at least fifteen minutes. When her phone continues ringing, she sighs and tries to answer it, but due to the loudness of the music coming from other stages in the distance, she can't make out a word Nolan says.

She sighs, looking as irritated as she feels, because she catches Corey glancing at her with some sort of interest that she knows means he really wants to ask her what's wrong. But instead, he continues talking with James and Lars while Nanette starts back to the bus to call her boyfriend so he'll stop texting.

"Babe, I'm losin' it here," Nolan states, already sounding irritated when he picks up the phone.

"(Sigh) Why? You got enough for rent this month?" she asks, trying to sound like the caring girlfriend that she has always been.

"I just want to fix my Caddy already so I can sell it for the—"

"I know, Nolan. I know you want that truck, but you have to just pay rent for now. Remember? We talked about it," Nanette interrupts. Nolan sighs, and she can tell that his patience is wearing thin.

"So, your band's Facebook page is getting bigger every day. Seems like you must be having a lot of fun out there," he says. She wonders briefly whether he intends to guilt trip her.

"It's hot, and I miss you," she says, pacing the aisle of the tour bus.

"I miss you, too. I'm just so mad I can't be with you right now, doing the same shit, you know?" Every time they've spoken on the phone these past few weeks, it has been basically the same conversation. Nanette begins to wonder how much more she'll be able to take before flat out screaming at Nolan that his situation is unfortunate, but there's not much she can do to help him, that deep down, she feels insulted that he wouldn't just take the merch managing gig that her bandmates had offered him. He had too much pride to help her band out, even after all his shows she's been to, the promo photos she's taken for his music? Sometimes, she wonders whether Nolan can think about anyone but himself. Even so, she finds herself missing his towering height, green eyes, brunette man bun, and voice that she could listen to for hours on end, except when he's complaining about the same thing he complained about two days ago.

"I wish you'd come back, to be honest. So we can just get married and pick a house like we planned, and start living like we want to for real, baby. It's gonna work after I sell my Cadillac, get my VA loan, and with all the money you'll make…" And Nanette gradually tunes him out, until he says goodbye—no "I love you" to speak of. She finds herself wanting him to be happy, and wanting to be happy with him, but the resentment is just unsettling, and she hasn't exactly figured out how to broach the issue. He had made the excuse of not being able to fly out to see any of her shows because of the rent situation, that he doesn't want her to come home to streets, and somehow, despite how realistically sensible, that just wasn't a good enough excuse, not after all the time she'd put into supporting him. He keeps saying he can't come, but he'll see everything on Facebook. It isn't the same.

Nanette finds herself wiping her eyes, and the sound of the bus opening causes her to retreat to the small bathroom where she can hide for a bit and wipe her tears of frustration. When she has managed to calm herself down, she isn't surprised to find that Corey has decided to tag along on their bus for the trip to Utah. She stays out of the way of the men, sitting at the back of the bus with a copy of one of Nolan's favorite books on existentialism, which he had been so sweet enough to lend her for the tour. Truth be told, she hadn't started reading it yet, not that she wasn't interested, but it merely reminded her of the lack of Nolan's presence and the guilt she feels over it. As the bus pulls off onto the road, James tells Nanette to stop being so antisocial because they have a guest on board. But she only shoes him away.

"She gets her own hotel room, too, you know?" he jokes to Corey, who has turned around at the small table to look at her, "Because she's a girl," James adds. Corey cocks a brow with an expression of mild contempt.

"Well, that's a grown ass woman. I can't blame her for not wanting to be around a bunch of sweaty dicks 24/7," he says genuinely before taking a swig of Reed's Stronger Ginger Brew.

"A little sweat never hurt anyone. Come on, Nan! We got some fucking attention today because it was hot enough for you to wear next to nothing," James quips, but really, he's pushing it. Nanette stands to walk into her bunk and pull the curtain.

"See? You're being fuckin' annoying right now," she hears Corey add. She's thankful that he can't see her smiling where she has hidden to turn on the small light in her bunk and read. She eventually falls asleep, and she doesn’t wake up again until it's dark, finding herself alone in her bunk, the reading light still on. Her phone is blinking with notifications, and she unlocks the screen to find that Lars has texted her that they went out to eat and ordered her whatever was vegan on the menu, that she'll have to come up to her hotel room to get it when she wakes up. He had even been so kind as to leave her the room key that will let her in. Nanette curses to herself, realizing just how late it is, how many hours have passed.

She makes her way to get up when she starts reading missed texts from Nolan. She pauses at the door of the bus to see that he's informed her that she didn't call him back about the book, which she'd texted him about hours ago to say she would be finished reading in just another two to three hours. He had clearly become impatient. She doesn't bother to call him back, but to go up to her hotel room, shower, and eat the food that Lars left her in the mini fridge. The next few days go somewhat similarly ever since Corey started hanging around her bandmates so much. She has been watching Stone Sour side stage and they've been ambushing her band's sets, and their crowd sizes have skyrocketed from city to city. Nanette tries to keep her distance from Corey, but he seems to make a point of it to bring her carrot juice, and frozen waters for the rest of her crew, probably not to make it seem like he's focusing on her so hard, but she can't help feeling like he is.

She doesn't say much to him, but he asks her one evening a week later why she always calls him Mr. Taylor. He says it makes him feel old, which causes Nanette to laugh. When she thinks that she has become more skillful at avoiding him, she finds Corey running into her when she walks around the venues in the morning, something she usually does by herself just to clear her head. He tells her that she's really quiet, and that it's frustrating to him in an entertaining sort of way. Later that day, he says it again, which makes her blush madly when she's sitting across from Madden playing cards on the way to another state. And Corey keeps tagging along on their bus, and looking at her in ways that make her feel the need to call Nolan and try to quietly have phone sex, fill her brain with him instead.

"Everything I know about you, I know from Lars…Are you guys fucking?" Corey asks, out of the blue. Lars claps and laughs; Nanette freezes, and luckily, James, Pinkerton, and Madden are too engrossed in their iPods to hear this.

"She's like my sister. The fuck kind of question is that? We've been friends since middle school 'cause of our moms. And besides, she has a guy. Calm the fuck down, Corey."

"What? I can't ask a simple question?" he asks sarcastically, "Just curious." But when Nanette catches his eye for a fleeting moment, he's sort of flushed around his thick neck. He sighs, folding. When Nanette manages to fall asleep for the umpteenth time on the bus instead of reading Nolan's book, she awakens to sunlight and to find several irritated text messages from her boyfriend. At first, he's asking her if she's okay, why he hasn't heard from her in such a long time, the next, he's talking about the Facebook photos of her playing cards with Corey from Stone Sour, asking her what she's been doing with him on the bus all night. Nanette decides to ignore these texts, again, waking up to a key card left by Lars and a note saying that there's a really massive salad and veggie burger in her fridge in room 628 of the Wyndham Hotel.

While she is sitting on her bed watching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, her phone rings and she pauses in eating to transition her salad to the coffee table. She sighs before answering Nolan. Instead of the small talk, he just leans right into her.

"Why are you ignoring me? I was worried about you," he says impatiently. One of the things Nanette has not been able to tolerate very well is Nolan's impatience with her, which has gotten so much worse ever since her tour began.

"Why would I be ignoring you, Nolan? I play a set in the sun every day, I get sweaty, get on a bus, and fall asleep until I reach the next town—"

"Please don't lie to me, Nan. You're always up playing around with singers on your bus."

"…What do you mean by 'playing around', Nolan?" He's quiet for a little bit before sighing.

"I just wish that you loved me as much as I love you," he says, "I wish that you cared about me enough to want to at least call me when you're done for the day. Why were you sitting on Madden's lap in that photo from last night on the bus?"

"What are you talking about? You haven't even told me you love me in weeks. What are you trying to say, Nolan?" Nanette asks, glaring into space and lowering the volume on the TV as an orc drives Aragorn over a cliff.

"You know damn fucking well what I'm trying to say," Nolan spits. The fact that he'd sworn at her maliciously is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. He's never done that before, even when they'd fight, and the next thing she knows, the phone call ends with her telling Nolan that he should try being happy for her for just once, that she's never cheated on him and never will, and her bringing up the fact that he actually cheated on her just a few months ago, that he was lucky she ever took him back. Before hanging up, Nolan tells her angrily, with venom, not to come back to Sacramento, because she won't find him and he isn't going to take her bullshit anymore. What bullshit?! She hasn't done anything wrong!

That Nolan actually hung up on her makes it worse. Unsure whether it is the heat or the lack of proper sleep, Nanette shoves her phone into her suitcase and starts crying. She just completely lets loose, knowing that her bandmates aren't even on the same floor and won't hear her. She doesn't know how long she sits on the edge of the bed crying, but she's sitting there long enough to notice the torrential downpour outside in New Jersey. A pounding on the door startles her and she's silent suddenly.

"Open up! We gotta evacuate—there's a tornado out there! Nan?!" Corey's voice is so desperate that she can't pretend she doesn't know he knows she's in the room. Nanette wipes her eyes on the sleeve of her bathrobe, grabbing her phone and charger before she hurries to open the door. She manages to ram right into Corey's chest, and he starts laughing, steadying her.

"What the—? What are you doing? Let's get out of here!"

"Hey—slow down. I was just trying to get you to come out of the room," Corey explains, smiling. His smile fades when he realizes how red Nanette's eyes are. She gazes up at him with embarrassment, turning away abruptly and shoving her phone and charger into her pocket.

"That wasn't funny, Mr. Taylor. Please go away. I have to get dressed." His frustrated sigh leaves Nanette breathless. She knows that if she lets him into the room, he'll probably not want to leave it. Not after the way he kept looking at her last night on the bus. It was hard for her to keep away from him then. All she could think about was Nolan. Nolan, the reason she's crying now.

"Nan, come on. How long are you gonna pretend to be so tough when clearly you're hurting? I could hear you crying from down the hall," Corey explains. She hears the door close softly behind her as she makes her way further into the room.

"I'm…I have to get dressed. You should go—"

"I'm not going anywhere until you turn around and look at me…Nan…"

She avoids Corey's request, standing there and closing her eyes. It isn’t until she can feel his presence about two feet away that she bothers to speak.

"I'm just not happy right now. It's not something you need to worry about."

"When a woman cries the way you were crying, it's because some bastard made her," Corey states. Nanette's heart jumps. He must have been in this sort of situation before, perhaps on the end of the bastard, and for a moment, she feels very wary of him.

"Please, I just have to make sure you're okay. I can't turn around and leave until you can convince me of that."

"You don't have to be so…I'll really be fine, Mr. Tay—"

"Hahahahaha, stop calling me that, Nan. You know my name."

"Corey…please go away. I'm fine, alright?"

"No. Stop lying. You don't have to pretend to be so strong all the time just 'cause you're the only woman in a band on this tour. I'm not a complete idiot; I know you're really hurting inside. I just want to understand why—"

"You already told me why. My boyfriend is…my ex, maybe—I don't know! I need to be alone right now." A silence passes, during which Nanette can hear Corey inhale deeply. The breath holds, and she waits to hear it to exhale when she feels Corey's hand encircle her upper arm. At this, she jumps slightly and turns around. For a handful of seconds, she's unable to believe he had touched her this way.

"You shouldn't have to feel this way. A real man wouldn't make you feel this way," Corey states. Nanette meets his gaze, and it's on her long enough that she starts to feel naked before him, despite her bathrobe. And the next thing she knows, Corey's hands are clutching on her waist and his lips are spicy with something she can't quite place, perhaps ginger…? It isn't a long dance to the bed, where his hands manage to find their way under her robe. The heat of his mouth clamping down over hers causes Nanette to moan. Realizing she's going to end up having sex, she thinks about Nolan for a fleeting moment, watching Corey unbuckle his belt, pull his jeans off, throw his shirt over on the sofa. She pushes up on his chest briefly as he mounts her, and his clear eyes gaze down at her with some confusion. Nanette grins and lifts a finger to signal pause. She hurries from the bed and to her suitcase, finding the new box of condoms she had purchased a few weeks before the tour, when she thought Nolan would be with her all summer.

She hands an unopened condom to Corey, who sits on the edge of the bed waiting for her. He tears it open seamlessly, all the while, drinking her in with a set of hungry eyes. But the type of hungry they are reminds Nanette of the way that Nolan looks at her; it's not just sex. She's only glad that Corey didn't resist when she handed him the condom; Nolan didn't like to use them most of the time, and she would not have been able to handle a pregnancy scare on tour all summer.

"Are you sure?" Corey asks, after securing himself, pulling her by the hands back to the bed. Nanette nods, not giving a damn about anything else at this rate. Corey grins without teeth and wraps her up in his arms, kissing up the midline of her chest until his lips meet her neck, where they tickle her at the throat. He distracts her with this playfulness as she straddles him, and she hardly notices him search for her entrance, until she gasps at the sudden sensation of being taut around his hardness. They moan simultaneously, Nanette digging her nails into his slightly sunburnt shoulders. Corey winces once before gazing down into her eyes with what looks like some kind of relief. She realizes now that he has wanted her from the moment he shook her hand. The thought sends chills up her spine, chills that are chased by the tips of Corey's calloused fingers as he massages the vertebrae located beneath her freshly bathed flesh.

He moans against her shoulder repeatedly as he carefully maneuvers up between her legs, her feet planted against the quilt. Corey starts off gently to ease Nanette onto his girth. She trembles in his hold, throwing her head back to moan. He slides inside her deeper with every thrust, gazing down at her intently for any sign of uneasiness. He had instantly fallen in love with how petite she is, and merely felt like a giant around her, but the noises escaping her mouth convince him that she's only experiencing pleasure. He bucks his hips roughly once. Nanette's breath catches, and she pulls her arms around Corey's neck, pushing a hand up through his hair and gripping it, causing him to laugh without sound. His lips turn up into a sultry grin.

"Does that feel good, honey?" he asks her erotically. Nanette nods, meeting his thrust when he moves again. His tattoos become a bit of a blur to Nanette as she watches him push up inside of her repeatedly. She wonders now where the hell he got all this stamina from at forty-three, but doesn't bother asking as he literally transitions into a standing position and continues fucking her with ease, holding her up in both arms. She writhes with pleasure in his sauna-like grasp, and he eventually turns to place her on the bed on her back. He does this so gingerly, as if afraid he might drop her through a glass wall, and his expression as he does it is the same as Nolan's expression every time he made love to her. It's not going to stop here, Nanette realizes, and her throat and stomach flood with butterflies that she can't quell. Corey picks up her legs, securing them on either side of his waist, the bed tall enough that he can stand there and make it between her thighs just right.

All she can see and feel, taste, smell, and hear, is pleasure. An orgasm begins to well up and she shudders, spreading her legs further as Corey's fingers deliberately and skillfully manipulate her clit. She can tell that he's just trying to please her, that this is not about him. He had managed to make her feel good before, in other ways, and the intention is positively salient now.

"C'mon, sweety," Corey breathes, beckoning her closer. She grasps at his abdomen, scratching, her head lifting up off the disheveled quilt, and she implodes, her legs beginning to twitch, upper body writhing in a wormlike fashion. Corey's hands force her legs to remain open throughout the entire climax; he wanted her to get the most of it, and didn't stop thrusting through her spasms. She's fresh with sweat by the time her orgasm ends, and Corey carefully mounts her again, pulling her legs around his waist. He continues, pausing to kiss her, soon finishing himself. When he pulls out, the pleasure gradually dissipates, until she can't take him kissing her anymore without thinking about Nolan.

She starts to cry, and audibly. Corey's face lifts away and he gazes down at her with worry. Nanette covers her eyes with her hands, unable to face him. She has never cheated in all of her life. She shouldn't have done this, not when there's supposedly a man waiting at home to marry her. Disgusted with herself, she just breaks down, even though she knows that she had genuinely wanted what had just happened.

"Nan?" Corey asks worriedly, fearfully. When he tries to pull her wrists to get her to look at him, she rushes out from under him and runs into the bathroom. She closes the door, hearing him calling her name, already coming after her. He knocks on the door, and she's far too ashamed to open it and face him. She hears Corey pace and sigh for a handful of seconds.

"Please," he says calmly, and she sees the handle jiggle as he tries to open the door, hears him sigh again, "Nanette, can you just open the door and come out and talk to me?"

"Go away, Corey," Nanette manages to state clearly from the inside. He sighs again.

"Why?" She doesn't answer, and she eventually hears his footsteps retreating. She waits for a minute before Corey knocks on the door again.

"Nan…I'm sorry," he says, not knowing what he had done wrong; to the best of his knowledge, she had wanted him, too. He even asked her first.

"Please…I can't leave if…I need to know that you're not going to hurt yourself if I leave this room." Nanette's heart jumps, and as she continues to lean against the wall wrapped in a new towel, she bites her fingers unsurely.

"Why would I do that?" She asks him genuinely.

"Because he hurt you. I don't know what he did, but I know it was bad. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I left and you hurt yourself over some piece of shit," Corey explains.

"I'm not going to hurt myself," Nanette states, a little bit agitated, "I'm not crazy," she says defensively.

"I didn't say you were…Fine. But will you just open the door and let me see you before I go?"

She pauses for a moment, before rushing over and unlocking the bathroom door. The fear on Corey's face makes her feel badly for having had such a meltdown. He sighs with relief, inching towards her and pausing when she takes a step back. He reaches for her shoulder and pauses, retracting his hand. His clothes are back on, but he doesn't look like he wants to leave.

"Corey—please—I need you to go. I'm serious. I need to be alone for a little while."

"I will. But first, can you promise me that I'm going to see you later on at your set?"

She nods, closing the door until there's only a crack, keeping Corey at arm's length.

"I'll go now, okay? …I just want you to know that…I wasn't trying to upset you. And whatever he did, I wouldn't hurt you like that…" She gazes into the one clear eye that she can see through the door before he steps away and leaves the room.

(Click here for chapter 3)

#Corey Taylor #Corey Taylor smut #At Best #At Best Chapter 2 #Corey Todd Taylor #Romance #smut #fic

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 7 years ago

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Saiyuki Blast 7 | BnHA 33 | Katsugeki 8 | PriPri 7 | Reflection 5

Saiyuki 7

Well, back to the “kick demon butt” thing. It was fun to see Nataku and the past Sanzo party while it lasted…

I had the volume on there, and it was cool to hear Goku say “sankyu”.

This Kouten thing reminds me of Avatar (Last Airbender, you nitwits).

“…in each village…”

Schmuck bait, I say. Demons just wanna get into that scripture area, and they will.

Biotech? That’s unexpected from a story full of demons.

Get in, motherf***ers! We’re going demonslaying!...er, says Sharak Sanzo…

Oh my Sanzo priests. That movie…exists! It’s by Toei, to boot.

The fire looks real. Who made it like that? Ufotable?

Gen-tan and Gen-pyon are very cutesy nicknames, LOL.

Hey. Is it that Minekura actually ships this Kouten dude and Sharak? You wanna stick romance into Saiyuki right now? (I thought part of the appeal in this series was the yaoi shiptease. That’s normally what happens in my territory.)

I just realised it’s the VAs that do the lettering of the Ura Sai title…hmph. Interesting. (Why didn’t I notice that earlier? I don’t know myself.)

BnHA 33

After this ep, I’m up to date. Thanks a lot, one week break!

Wait, Stain wasn’t serious? Or the Full Cowl wasn’t serious?

I bet Deku wants an autograph. (Not taiyaki, LOL.)

You can see Tensei in Iida’s glasses reflection in the OP. I didn’t realise until now.

Well, I for one can’t wait for Bakugo to get an ass-whupping for the sake of modesty…haha. I’m sorry Bakugo, but you’re such a jerk.

Why does Sero like oranges? Or is that mikan? I wasn’t paying attention to that bit, due to the background speed lines.

Ouch! I normally don’t sympathise with Mineta, but here we are. DIdn’t see Jirou coming during the suspenseful moments before the punchline it worked really well.

Ah hey. While we wait to see what All Might wants to say about his past, let me divulge something I’m been observing as I’ve been revamping Future is Crimson. If Future is Crimson is Boku no Hero Academia, so to speak, One Wish is probably Gurren Lagann – sometimes more mellow, but sometimes much much more emotive. Of course, that’s a bad comparison as Future is Crimson was much more lighthearted and symptomatic of the times than One Wish was, since the latter was based on my past experiences.

Here’s something I can talk about! Girichoco, or obligation chocolates, are chocolates you give to people in Japanese Valentine’s tradition to people you don’t really have special feelings for, but you’ve worked with them (and you wish to thank them for it). Or something similar.

“If superpowers had never appeared, then humans would be taking interstellar holidays by now.” – The only source I can find that says this verbatim is Random Curiosity, which really doesn’t help at all.

Katsugeki 8

(when Mutsu appears) Why do I get the feeling they’re frenemies all over again…? Actually, they’ve always been frenemies. Scrap that.

Oh yeah. There was some Katsugeki controversy where the horse looked like…aw, whatever. Read it yourself. Mind you, horse care really is a thing in Touken Ranbu to bring up sword stats.

(squints at Yagen’s back) Yagen wears suspenders. Amazing.

(squints at Tsuru’s tomatoes) I bet someone painted them…

Amazing! It’s Shokudaikiri and Ookurikara, in Katsugeki! They were more likely to appear than, say, Midare…but still, it’s good to see them again after seeing them in Hanamaru.

Mutsu sulks a lot. Didn’t realise until now.

I have the feeling Mutsu ate everything intended for Tonbokiri…

All the daifuku are what are known as temiyage (“hand souvenirs”, literally translating) in Japanese. When you’re visiting a sick or injured person who’s recovering, it’s customary to give them a gift.

Princess Principal 7

Jack the Ripper! Me and my Detective Conan phase means I was so gung-ho about the guy once, even though he was a serial killer. Did a project on him as a result.

This man…he’s from Dorothy’s situation…I remember him because he kinda looks like Chris from YOI.

I do believe Ange is creating some not-quite-Fordism right there.

These steampunk buildings remind me of Shaun Tan a little…If you haven’t read my personal page, the highlight of my “career” with books was a wordless book inspired by the guy’s The Arrival.

If there are any bishies around here, I won’t mind them stripping for me, haha.

A girl shouldn’t have to wear makeup to be pretty. Learn to accept girls for what they are in the inside, kids.

The term “foreman” doesn’t suit women, right? “Forewoman” is a term too, y’know.

Reflection 5

This entire faceless crowd…it makes me wanna bring back the “face-stealing aliens” meme I had back in Bungou Stray Dogs.

A Café…what a weird name. It’s certainly unimaginative…

Having the volume off really shows you where the animators decided to skip frames and use the slow pans.

This boy rescuing Lisa makes me think…why is he rescuing her? Because he pities her, since she’s in a wheelchair? Because she’s a girl? Or because of human dignity, of a person helping another? I wish it were the latter, but I get the feeling at least one of the other two options is at play here…

I thought the monster was his servant. His power. Well, Stan Lee. You’ve proven yourself somewhat.

Eleanor’s optimism seems to remind me of the type I inject into my own stories. It’s weird.

Who’s the real monster? Vy and Michael? Or Warren Dallas and his crew?

*as Vy and Michael lean in for the kiss* The exact framing of this looks like a million other romance movies you see out there. Stan Lee, you’ve lost me again.

I was absolutely screaming at Volt’s “electric attack”. Calling a café “A Café” is one thing, but can’t you at least be more imaginative with the attack names???

Scare tactics don’t work if you’re going to flick the cop’s hat off, X-On.

Vy and Michael’s names appear in the credits as Vy Ray and Michael Holden (surnames not final).

#simulcast commentary #saiyuki reload blast #princess principal #boku no hero academia #the reflection #katsugeki touken ranbu #Chesarka watches PriPri #chesarka watches boku no hero academia #Chesarka watches Katsugeki #Chesarka watches Reflection #Chesarka watches Saiyuki RB

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 7 years ago

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Kado 7 (includes notes on Kado 6.5 + Tsukigakirei 6.5) | Boku no Hero Academia 21 | Grimoire of Zero 7 | Royal Tutor 8 | Tsukigakirei 7

Kado 7 (includes notes on Kado 6.5 + Tsukigakirei 6.5)

Some notes on the recap: It’s interesting they styled the title card to be like a silent movie, but the embellishments in the top corners are high-tech. Tsukigakirei’s recap was a slog because it awkwardly cut, but because of all the indications of time and the fact there’s already a narrator, this show fits a recap style much better (but the titlecards and changing of the eyecatch make this ep feel fresh, which is great!). Also, it seems I was wrong about how it had been three days since Kado’s appearance (see ep 5’s commentary), because the counter hits 5 days when the first passengers are released.

Wait…that “brain” was a device???

“Hi Setten”, LOL. Also, I found out “kado” (with this combo of kanji -> 過度) can mean “excess” or “immoderation”, and “setten” means “settings” or “options”...I first remember seeing the word in the Boueibu game, where “setten” of course would refer to things like “volume on/off” and that.

Apparently, the Google CEO’s name is Sundar Pichai…I thought it was Larry Page and Sergey Brin as co-CEOs, but I guess I was wrong…Also notice Ward’s iPad says “ihou sonzai” (anisotropic being).

Oh flap. Adam’s pulling a Great Fitz here…

I’ve seen the “I can’t dry my laundry!” screenshot before, but seeing it in context is funny all over again. In fact, it makes it even funnier.

I was worried about how the show might get a little too philosophical after ep 6’s end, but it’s good to see Hanamori retains his sleeping capabilities. *stifles laughter* They even rendered Hanamori’s bedhead.

“Kado comes here, and instead of running, they find a way to market it.” – It’s an interesting, yet extremely obvious point that we tend to ignore because we’re so used to it. That’s why tourism – even fake tourism - sells. Why do I bring this up? Because I want to, for one, and because I hope to exploit this angle for Half-Paid Heroes. (I wanna know how to make Kado cake, too…)

CR subbers, I thought Gonno’s first name was “Takumi”?...

That’s cute, it’s a helicopter landing spot, complete with “H” marking.

If I didn’t know any better, I might’ve called Shindo zaShunina’s sidekick. (LOL)

This “stacks of books” scene is something like what I imagined when I wrote White Parasite’s La Luna’s hideout in the mountains…that’s one of the reasons I’ve been able to give Kado and zaShunina an unyielding love. Also, I thought the promo 2D Shunina looked creepy, so this 2D shot of Shunina stole my heart!!!

The cube seats remind me of those child corners in libraries and that, where you have mini stools for playing pretend. Oh. Speaking of which, it reminds me of this Rubik’s cube.

Okay. I thought Kado would be a show devoid of such things, but let’s play the game of “What drugs were the producers on today?”

Okkkkkkkkkay. (stifles laughter) Did you realise the Shunina heads made a heart, with the “real” (existing in the normal dimensions) Shunina in the middle? Hahaha…

Wait. That screaming thing in episode…2, I think it was? The bit where Shindo grabs his head in agony?...was Shunina giving him (Shindo) the sense of the anisotropic? Ahhhhhhhhh. That makes sense now!

“They were good humans.” – Just in case you didn’t forget Shunina is an extradimensional bishie being. I guess it’s kind of along the lines of Kai’s (Royal Tutor’s) “You’re all good boys!”, which is true both there and here. In most cases (except maybe Shunina and Ward), the boys of Kado are good boys.

A bookmark. For an avid reader like Shunina (or myself…haha), it’s a perfect gift. Just make sure they’re not so heavy they fall out of books, because then they’re useless.

They put the festival scene in 2D! (It would be a cost cutting measure for sure, but…you know what I said about 2D Shunina previously? Yeah, that.) Also, it just goes to show you even a high concept sci-fi show like this goes for the jugular in depicting fanservice for the “people who like hot guys” and “people who like tsunderes”. However, did Shunina change his own clothes? Did Shindo or someone else get the yukata for him? Does Shunina even have the concept of “changing clothes”???

Fake Nintendo Switch. I’ve also seen this screenshot making the Tumblr rounds before.

LOL, giant turtle. I like turtles.

Haha, negotiating even at a festival. I LOLled too hard at the line, “What is buttered potato?” (but I also like buttered potatoes…I like a lot of things).

“Saraka-san, zaShunina, you, and the turtle will be in group B.” This typo’s the same case as the Gonno one earlier this ep.

“Are there any negative effects?”

How do you lose an anisotropic being at a festival? I actually hope he isn’t being rabidly devoured by a bunch of girls who think he’s hot.

Just seeing the credits reminded me that Shinawa was absent this ep (which was good). Also, has Natsume appeared in every ep’s credits so far? I don’t remember because I normally don’t watch credits.

Boku no Hero Academia 21

“Sparking Killing Boy”, LOL.

The more I watch Mei, the more I feel like I’m watching The Truman Show (where there’s one woman who advertises things near the beginning of the movie).

The belt transformation refers to sentai heroes.

Hmm…I agree with Deku on Aoyama’s strategy, since his laser is best used from afar.

That was an unexpected (for me) win for Tokoyami. I knew his Quirk was good all around, but I thought Yaoyorozu would win for sure. It’s just the difference in confidence, eh?

“…focussing on the shield Yaoyorozu made.”

I kinda get what Uraraka’s saying. After all, she might end up dragging Deku down one day by relying on him too much.

Grimoire of Zero 7

It annoys me how tavern girl looks so similar to Zero.

Why do fantasy travellers (or Brock in Pokémon, for that matter) never have big packs? You’d think they do…

The colour of the night sky in this episode is pretty.

This wolf’s like Sonic (One Punch Man). Such a sore loser.

Hey wait, did Thirteen see her…uh, assets? Did he dress her wounds?! Eep! I do not ship this. *shakes head*

Royal Tutor 8

Ouch, Licht, you got burnt! On the other hand, I agree with Bruno that he should sleep forever, noting past comments I’ve heard him (Licht) say.

Ah, the zoo. What nostalgia that brings. I’ve been to the closest zoo at least twice…thrice…four times…? I don’t remember anymore, but the zoo is always a fun place.

It’s smiling, ReLIFE style!

Braunbar (with umlaut over the second a) is German for…wait for it…brown bear.

Bunnies can bite you when you least expect it. From my experience, they don’t draw blood though. (How do I know this? There’s one outside my window as I speak. He’s probably someone’s stray, although no one’s come for him so my family have had to take care of him.)

Shut up, Licht! That’s not comedy, that’s just killing time!

I still wonder…how does Kai actually wear that jacket? It must be troublesome to put on if he’s always wearing it like that.

Ahhhh! Dangit, Kai’s too good for words. The only thing that can quell my “fan of bishies” heart is fangirl screaming.

Those “tricks” of yours didn’t work, Licht. Get out. Besides, Bruno, I barely remembered that brick joke.

My heart sank a little when I saw they weren’t using the cheesy live-action version of the ED. Still the next episode looks like it will address some plot-critical things, and I’m worried for Kai because he’s the sort who can’t get over his problems easily. (As a sidenote, a similar tabloid article shtick was used in SGRS, so I welcome this plotline.)

Tsukigakirei 7

Vita Sexualis is a Mori Ougai work, so I’m kinda on edge about it…knowing Bungou’s Ougai, that is.

Why does this ep’s title sound like it should be a Boueibu one instead???

These (mostly still) shots of theme parks just make it seem like the staff are scrounging for money.

According to the omake at the end of one ep, you’re meant to ship Roman with the teacher (as ick as that is), so I can understand why Roman’s on his lonesome.

Stop egging her on, Hira! She’ll get nervous! (I say that because I don’t like roller coasters much.)

I feel like the word “viva” is being overdone, attendant person. Google-sensei says the word means “live (verb)”, so it doesn’t make sense at all.

Hira’s freckles really don’t seem to be a mistake. Also my brain can’t make sense of “sorabune” – the word for ship/boat is “fune”, but it doesn’t become “bune” when attached to another word...not that I know of, anyway.

Yamashina? We’ve never been told Roman’s surname before…

Potori Water, LOL. Parody on Pocari Sweat if you didn’t know that.

It’s nice that they didn’t do the full-on “can on face at aumsement park” thing I’ve come to expect from romances, because Detective Conan kinda solidified that as the norm for me.

The Big O in this case isn’t an anime, it’s a Ferris wheel.

Josei Next Door did a CR article where she suggested people needed to talk to each other more, and while it was on The Royal Tutor, sometimes I wish Akane and Kotarou would talk to each other properly too…welp, I spoke too soon (sort of).Why “sort of”? Because Kotarou is speaking to Hira, but he ain’t speaking to Akane.

I feel a twinge of guilt in that I wanted Chinatsu’s and Hira’s dreams to be shattered to make way for the canon couple, and Chinatsu’s tears exacerbate that feeling. I guess this is what it’s like to be a shipper, eh – to ignore the feelings of couples in order to get your own way, knowing your dreams may not even become reality? (But can’t these kids all be happy??? It could easily be a “pair the spares” situation, now that I think of it.)

The takoyaki’s nice, but that background with the screaming girl is creepy…It appears to be a parody on Beavertails, for some odd reason. Why is there a Canadian product being used as product placement in an anime (and why a product I’ve only ever heard of from a Canadian TV show, to boot)???...*record scratch* Okay, I’m weirded out, and I admit defeat. Beavertails exist in Japan.

Couple selfies. That just goes to show how much trends can permeate culture…hey, does that mean people may one day use memes in anime? (Even though anime creates memes?) It’s meme-ception!

It seems live action footage was used for this show, if you look closely, and it’s not just the OP I’m talking about…

Finally, a part of Tsukigakirei I can get behind! These night scenes are so real! If it weren’t for Kotarou and Akane, I’d think these scenes to be photos and not animation at all.

I get this feeling that we’ll end with either their graduation or them as adults, with Kotarou telling their kids “…and this is how I met your mother.” Which would be awkward as all get out, but okay. (I haven’t seen How I Met Your Mother by the way, although it sounds like a scenario that would happen in it…)

Aw, dangit. They got their kiss interrupted. At least it wasn’t by Chinatsu, that would’ve caused more tears on her end.

Mireta (used in “Did you see the fireworks?”) seems to be an odd formation of mieta, but in slang, people break the grammar rules all the time, so I’d suspect people break the spelling rules too.

I was surprised to find out this ep’s ED LINE chat is a wife to a husband. That confirms my How I Met Your Mother thoughts, somewhat. (The husband had overtime and got the wife juice. It seems they were going to an event, because the wife says to check the invitation guest list...and so on, so forth.)

Oh? There are more omakes? I’ll watch ‘em someday when I’m bored…I guess.

#simulcast commentary #grimoire of zero #seikaisuru kado #oushitsu kyoushi haine #tsukigakirei #boku no hero academia 2 #Chesarka watches Grimoire of Zero #Chesarka watches Kado #Chesarka watches Tsukigakirei #Chesarka watches Boku no Hero Academia #Chesarka watches Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine #that was longer than I thought it would be.

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