#honorable mention to miss pauling stuck

[sparkly-sediment]

hey so why the fuck is one of the top related google searches for Miss Pauling “Miss Pauling Water Inflation” what the hell is wrong with a significant number of you

[themummersfolly]

So I just got home from seeing Dune 2, and I have Thoughts™️.

Spoilers below cut:

The tone of the movie stuck to the tone of the book in two important ways. The first was that it ended not so much on a note of tragedy or victory but on a note of "where's the rest of it."

The second important tone is that Paul's prescience, even after he takes the Water of Life, is fluid. Delivering the coup de grace to the Baron was an option he rejected in the book, and Alia's taking it up herself was a sign of her coming corruption. Chani leaving at the end was disappointing, but it's in line with the tone that Paul's "fate" is the cumulative result of the choices he makes at each crossroads.

I like how they showed Paul receiving desert training and earning his place among the Fremen. The book skips over the period between Jessica's Water of Life ceremony and Paul's first sandworm ride; given how much information Villeneuve added there, he could easily have stretched it out to the several years portrayed by the book. Then again, if he'd done that, he would have had to bring Alia in as a bigger character, and I'm not sure how he would have portrayed a preschool-aged Reverend Mother.

Honorable mention to Stilgar being a fountainhead of Fremen dad humour.

I'm going to look around at what Villeneuve is saying about the production decisions he made. This version was pretty overt about Paul's corruption after he takes the water of life. In the book, he's scheming right up until he becomes Emperor about how he can avert the Holy War, and it's not clear until Dune Messiah that he wasn't successful. I feel that the uncertainty of Paul's prescience and his pushing back against the manipulation of Jessica and the Bene Gesserit was the most interesting part of the story because, at least in the first book, it left the possibility open that as Kwisatz Haderach, he really could slip their control and find his own way. The subsequent books went downhill in my opinion because Herbert got so wrapped up in sexual politics and Machiavellian schemes that he lost the plot and missed the hopeful uncertainty of the first book.

[pla-teau]

WANDAVISION SERIES FINALE THOUGHTS

WHOEVER’S CUTTING ONIONS NEEDS TO S T O P.

hayward | i was one of the many few who really wished death on the man cause he’s just the worst. this man emptied his clip at two children. i’m glad jimmy was able to pull a fast one on this dick and that darcy hit him with the ice cream truck and very happy to see the man being taken away in cuffs.

vision vs. vision | while i would’ve enjoyed seeing them fight it out until one completely lost, it wouldn’t be vision without some philosophic conversation. it’s true vision fashion. he doesn’t fight unless it’s a last resort. he’s logical and can assess other means in which to deter a foe. truly enjoyed the scene and now i’m just curious as to where tf white vision yeeted off to after regaining the memories from hex!vision? some have speculated possibly wakanda since that is the place where he died. twice. i would love to see him possibly interact with shuri since she would’ve appeared in the memory montage that hex!vision provided him with alongside other events from infinity war.

agatha (aka not mephisto) | overall, i loved agatha as a character and i’m glad she wasn’t killed off by the end of the series. i know she was more villainous in the show but i’m glad they somewhat neutralized her even if it was by cruel punishment brought upon by wanda to keep her trapped in westview as a nosy neighbor. it keeps the door open for us to see more interactions between her and wanda. i’m also glad that she was the foe wanda had to go against. i know many (like myself) speculated mephisto would appear and be revealed but i’m happy i was wrong about that. this is the first entry into phase four and to spill out a big bad right away? probably not the best move. i know ant-man 3 is planning on introducing kang the conqueror so i wouldn’t be shocked if mephisto is used as a red herring to distract us from the actual big bad of the phase, kang the conqueror (while still keeping mephisto around obviously for future battles and possibly use him as a big bad down the road).

family is forever | i was sobbing when seeing the hex start shrinking down in the distance outside the boys’ window. i love that wanda and vision made the move to put them to bed as a way of saying goodbye so they wouldn’t have to see them disappear. i hope to see these same boys come back cause i think no matter what your theory was on them, viewers fell in love with them. if planning for young avengers, i cannot wait to see them be a part of it. given that these boys weren’t real and not actually wanda’s children, i think they’ll go the route that they’ll find each other even if not as a blood related family but reincarnations that know that wanda was their mother in one instance and see her as a mother figure (alongside their actual mothers, of course). i just love them and i really wish they stuck around but i know this won’t be the last time we see them!

wanda’s outfit | i love it and i think pays homage to her comic book costume while still fitting the aesthetic of wanda and the mcu. love the attention to detail and the pattern on her headpiece. someone on here also pointed out in a post how it resembles magneto’s suit and it makes me love it more because of that. in conclusion, this is the scarlet witch and she’s hot.

wanda and vision’s farewell | if i was sobbing at billy and tommy’s fate, i was wailing by the time these two started saying goodbye. we learn that the main reason vision was able to be created the way he was by wanda was because of the mind stone. while she is the scarlet witch, she was exposed to and enhanced by the mind stone that ended up becoming vision. like she said, it’s a part of her. he lives on in her and overall, this scene just cemented that these two are meant to be together. they are going to be that power couple in the mcu moving forward, together or apart. we know these two are meant for each other and have so much love for each other and will find their way back always. while they may change, the one thing you can bet your ass on is that they fucking love each other.

ralph bohner | the twist that no one saw coming - peter is ralph. it’s clear that he was being controlled by agatha because the moment monica took off the necklace, he woke up from her spell. a lot of people are swirling around to say that he’s probably woo’s missing person. we don’t know that and it’s something that’s left unconfirmed. while i would’ve enjoyed the reveal to be peter actually being peter from the x-men universe, i’m also happy he isn’t. yes there was a lot of fanfare and hope for this series to introduce the multiverse but in retrospect, it would’ve been too much to throw at us at the beginning of phase four. throwing in the multiverse right away would’ve taken away from the series being about wanda (separate point i’ll get to at the end). do hope to see evan peters in a future mcu project, though!

wanda’s story moving forward | i hope wanda becomes a sort of anti-hero for the future. this does set up her appearance in doctor strange 2 and i can’t wait to see what she does. while agatha said she’s destined to destroy the world and her power exceeds the sorcerer supreme’s, i hope the writers don’t make wanda into this villain that loses her logic because of extreme power. wanda has proven agatha wrong already by acknowledging the error in her ways. when she realized she was hurting the people of westview, she let them go and stopped hurting them. she learned that yes, she is hurting them without knowing so what she has to do is let them go. wanda has learned throughout her years with the avengers the consequences her powers can have on people. we know she’s never been trained by a witch and yes, that makes her dangerous with her chaos magic. the second post credit scene shows us that she’s determined to teach herself even if it’s through the darkhold. in seeing what she’s done and the power she holds, i think wanda will be this gray moral character. she holds a great deal of power, the most powerful being on the planet at the moment, and that can cloud her judgement at times. despite being an avenger, this show has really shown us that wanda is alone. while she was with the avengers, what have they really done? they kept her in check and helped her utilize her powers for good but then when civil war happened, she was detained and treated like a weapon of mass destruction. the avengers are clearly nonexistent and those that are around, haven’t bothered with her. i also hope that this new phase of marvel kinda tears down the original avengers and their actions because while intentions were good, not everything or everyone was perfect and there’s consequences. and i hope those consequences are shown through the main characters of this phase like wanda.

the complaints | while i loved this show so so much, i did have some issues. while i enjoyed that this show fleshed out more of wanda’s past, i’m sad that they didn’t confirm or at least try to make wanda jewish since they completely erased her romani roots from the comics. this goes back to my whole thing with representation which i’ve mentioned before in response to an article. while i love elizabeth olsen’s portrayal and care she has for wanda, a romani actress still should’ve been cast from the beginning. the least they could’ve done was at least make her jewish even if ever so subtly because that is the other half of wanda’s identity, even if it’s been retconned often. if they are never going to confirm her as magneto’s daughter in the mcu, at least honor that aspect of her identity if you’ve erased one major one already. representation matters and i wish they tried to do right by the character since they clearly paid close attention to other aspects of her comic book history and took a deep dive into her mental health. come at me for these thoughts but i’ll stand by them. another is just directed at the press for the show (i’m looking at you paul bettany). while fans went ham on the theories and marvel will do anything to misdirect you, i think there should’ve been a clear up from marvel about bettany’s claims of a big cameo coming in the series when it was about himself. i get you don’t want to spoil the show and the big surprises it may hold for the audience but still. i think there should’ve been someone behind the scenes or bettany’s publicist could’ve kinda told him to stop hinting at a super duper big cameo. yes, fans got carried away but i think when you’re doing press for marvel, it should be somewhat common knowledge that fans are going to analyze and try to figure out wtf is gonna happen. it’s fun theorizing, don’t get me wrong but when it’s gone the way it has for this show, i think it leaves a lot of people unsatisfied. i’ll admit i was being a clown thinking i’d see patrick stewart as professor x again since he’s an actor paul’s never worked with before and would be a huge fan service for the audience like in the mandalorian season finale. tldr; crazy fan theories comes with the territory. my final grievance actually has to do with the set up for monica’s engineer. i was also hoping we’d someone big or someone that could be big in the future, possibly it was a skrull at the end but the tone and way monica talked about it, i think it was underwhelming to see a character that we came not to care too much about.

final thoughts | overall, i loved this show and it was refreshing to see marvel embrace the magical side of their universe as it continues to expand. the cast was amazing. everyone in the cast and crew deserve awards because this really gave us a show about wanda. i think a lot of people lost that (including myself) with all the theorizing; goes back to my complaint about press for the show. it gave us a show that dealt with trauma and grief in a way we haven’t seen before in marvel’s cinematic universe. i’ll admit i didn’t care much for wanda as i did with the others but this show made me care for her a lot more and made me a bigger fan of her and vision’s story. it grounded itself in dealing with wanda’s grief and trauma in a new way while also exploring her character more. so i’m happy that we didn’t get a super big cameo or that the multiverse wasn’t confirmed because then the tone and attention would’ve shifted away from this story being about her. i hope marvel can give us shows like this that make us care about a character’s emotions and feelings rather than just how cool and badass they look in a suit. it was clear that the cast and crew made this with such love and care that had good storytelling and kept us on edge every week. i hope that marvel can show us these types of stories and ranges from characters in future movies as well.

[secretlystephaniebrown]

which comic writers do you trust/like?

none of them.

(okay, just kidding, let’s go. to be clear most of these people have probably done at least one book I don’t like/one thing I disagree with, particularly when it comes to people who have been in the industry a while, but in GENERAL, this is true)

Okay so right now, top of my list is

Mariko Tamaki, who’s doing Wonder Woman right now. Lesbian, Japanese, Jewish, generally has written things I’ve enjoyed, best Wonder Woman I’ve read in a hot minute. She’s slated to do Batman for Future State and I’m all eyes emoji over here.

Greg Rucka - big fan. I love Gotham Central, Batwoman: Elegy, his parts of 52 are my favorites, his Wonder Woman is good too, and I love Old Guard, both the movie and the graphic novel.

Ed Brubaker - *chef kiss* his Catwoman... we stan.

Dwayne McDuffie - We have to love him, it’s literally mandatory.

Darwyn Cooke - yes he’s more of an artist but he has written, and I trust him with my life.

G. Willow Wilson - Mostly I’ve read her Ms. Marvel stuff, having not read her Wonder Woman just yet, but I really do like her work, and her early Ms. Marvel stuff in particular really stuck with me.

Dan Jurgens - I haven’t been enjoying his Nightwing and his current Batman Beyond is a bit hit-or-miss for me, but I adore what he’s done with Superman, and I love his Booster Gold. Generally I also have a world of respect for any writer who also does his own artwork, which he does a lot.

Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis - listen they’re two old white men and they write like it sometimes, but they really do vibe, the classic JLI fucking slaps and their run on Booster Gold is good shit.

Mark Waid - Love a Wally West man, also his Daredevil fucking slaps.

Tom Taylor - I realize some people haven’t liked all of his choices, but All-New Wolverine? Genius. Also Injustice is good despite itself and DCeased is way better than a zombie AU has any right to be.

Paul Dini - his Zatanna book fucking slaps. ‘nuff said

Kelly Sue DeConnick - her Aquaman is great, I really liked her Captain Marvel, and just generally I find her solid and enjoyable.

Matt Fraction - *chef kiss* Hawkeye. Jimmy Olsen. a comedic genius, a great writer, a poet.

Gene Luen Yang - Superman Smashes the Klan, New Super-Man? I can even forgive that he wrote that depowered Nu52 Clark bit because those two are so good.

Kelley Puckett - His run on Cass’s Batgirl is honestly some of the best damn comic books I’ve ever read.

Ta-Nehisi Coates - nearly put him in honorable mention and then I remembered he came back to do Captain America, meaning he’s officially a comic book industry person in my book. His Black Panther is beautiful, man.

Honorable mentions who aren’t listed because generally they’re industry outsiders who have usually written one good story and then went on with their lives: Sarah Kuhn, John Rogers, N.K. Jemisen, Tamora Pierce.

[daleisgreat]

Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased

WWE has release a few Shawn Michaels DVDs over the years, but continuing on the theme of my last few wrestling-centered entries, WWE Home Video stuck with their “unreleased” brand of DVDs in 2018 with the three-disc release of Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased (intro - I could not locate a trailer for this anywhere!). In that clip Shawn quips that the producers deserve an award for finding previously unreleased matches. I believe the criteria for this release is still similar to previous “Unreleased” collections where they may have aired on television (and thus likely in the WWE Network archives) or long discontinued VHS tapes, but this DVD will mark the first time the matches are available on disc. Also included is a new interview with Michaels that they broke up in several parts and sporadically inserted throughout the collection. The first disc is something special as it essentially is a “Best of Rockers” DVD. The first two matches are from Shawn’s rookie year in 1985 for Mid-South in quick enhancement matches for Hector & Chavo Guerrero and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Matches serve their purpose, but it is nonetheless fascinating to see how Shawn had that already apparent potential in him way back in 1985. The remaining 11 matches on the first disc are all Rockers matches, with the first three tag matches being from their Midnight Rockers AWA days with two bouts against Doug Summers & Buddy Rose and one more with Brian Knobbs & Dennis “I’m not booked” Stamp. The two Summers & Rose matches are show-stealers that had exhilarating beginning/middle/end structures, and was fun to watch the 1980s crowd go nuts for.

The first disc is almost all AWA & WWF Rockers matches!! For the eight WWF Rockers matches, they consist of almost an all-star lineup of a golden age for WWF tag teams where they square off against the likes of Demolition, Brain Busters, Hart Foundation, Natural Disasters and Legion of Doom. The sad thing about The Rockers back then is that as charismatic and agile as they were back then, they mostly made other teams look good in their WWF run and that is the case here as they lose six of those eight WWF matches. Even worse is the two matches they win is a DQ win against the Rougeaus after Jimmy Hart’s megaphone is used, and a countout win against the Orient Express. That said, a lot of the other matches are pretty damn good, with high honors going to the Brain Busters bout, two Demolition matches and surprisingly working in a lot of good stuff against Legion of Doom. Worth pointing out is another good match against the Hart Foundation where it seems noticeable the teams missed their cue to go home because the match starts to feel there is no end in sight when out of nowhere during an abdominal stretch a bunch of wrestlers run in and an awkward impromptu brawl ensues and the match is declared a draw.

Disc two has 12 matches from Shawn’s first singles WWF run from 1992-1998. Some highlights from this are an unsurprising technical showcase with Mr. Perfect, oddly having a positive dynamic with Bret Hart to team up against the Blu Brothers in 1995 and predictable-yet-high quality formula matches during his first WWF Title run against 1-2-3 Kid and Steve Austin. Disc two has a disappointing triple tag elimination match with Shawn, Diesel and Undertaker against Psycho Sid, Tatanka and Kama filled with lots of stalling and headscratching booking for the eliminations. There is also a questionable match against Vader a month after their controversial-yet-excellent Summerslam match, where in this match Shawn takes 95% of the offense and quickly squashes Vader in three minutes. There is also a fascinating bout against Yokozuna from the summer of 1996 in Kuwait, when Yoko is nearing the end of his WWF run due to him putting on excess weight, and the match kind of expectedly plods along, until something must have clicked for Shawn to motivate Yoko into a pretty watchable match in the back half, and the two show respect afterwards which was awesome to see….until Yoko suddenly darts off to the back like he really has to go to the bathroom. The third disc consists of 10 matches from Shawn’s return run to WWE from 2002-2010. All the matches here are from RAW, so that means they follow the formula that still holds true for WWE TV main events today where it is either a cobbled together tag match, or a really good one-on-one match with interference or a hokey finish. There are a couple exceptions with worthwhile clean matches against Ric Flair during a Japan 2005 tour and against Christian in 2004 when he was building momentum with Tyson Tomko by his side. HBK’s matches against Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho are the highlights on disc three, but all three contests have varying degrees of interference to effect the finishes, and in some cases it actually benefits the match as is the case with Angle with the story they were telling. I was delighted to see a post-RAW dark match included with Shawn teaming with Batista against Triple H and Edge. WWE is notorious for usually doing a fun untelevised promo or bonus match for the fans after the cameras go off the air with some quirky moments that would never fly in a televised match. That is the case here with Triple H doing lots of exaggerated selling and fun jawing with the crowd that absolutely ate it all up for a fun time.

Shawn didn't disappoint in his 21st century run, with matches included here that don't disappoint against Ric Flair and Kurt Angle. A couple of promos are uncovered like Shawn doing an open Q&A with the fans when Sensational Sherri was managing Michaels early in his singles run. Another amusing bonus promo is Shawn and Diesel doing a Times Square workout session to hype up their upcoming WrestleMania 11 match with the one-and-only Todd Pentigill hosting. The several interview clips inserted throughout the DVDs has Shawn hitting on certain parts on where he was at that stage in his career and reflecting on the infamous Barber Shop break-up with Marty, his 2002 return, rebooting a less edgy, more goofball version of DX in 2006 and retiring in 2010 (this was filmed before his ill-fated Saudi Arabia return match). From these series of introspections, it was fascinating to hear Shawn think back on why he was not all-in for teaming with Jose Lathario in his WWE Title run, and hearing him settling on being a family man in retirement and turning down multiple

WrestleMania return matches. There are also a few sets of interviews with NXT talent commenting on how lucky they are to have Shawn as a teacher at the WWE Performance Center. Shawn comments a few times here too on being proud of passing on his knowledge, and it is obvious he is genuine on his passion for his new role building talent in NXT. WWE has once again amassed another recommended collection of un-vaulted matches. I am digging this format following the Piper and Macho Man sets where they break up the action every few matches with a set of interviews. Wort mentioning is about a quarter of the 35 matches here have no commentary because they were either dark matches, or from arena shows WWE use to film at regionally in the 80s and 90s and never recorded commentary for and/or lost the rights for the commentary. While there are some skippable matches, the good-to-bad ratio is largely in the positive here, and the not-so-good bouts usually at least have an entertaining backstory or era they emanate from. This all adds up for Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased being another must-have installment of the Unreleased branding. Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Getting Rowdy: The Unreleased Matches of Roddy Piper Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of the Macho Man RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Shawn Michaels: My Journey Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[self-ships-ahoy]

4, 7, and 10! The Tech and Medic wedding might just be the most hyped event of 2021 XD

otp/f/o wedding questions

Thank you!!! Well it is in my little world.. X3

4.) What dessert do they choose? Cannolis? Ice cream sundaes? A classic cake? What flavour do they pick? Is there more than one dessert?

Ok so, a friend and I were talking about this, and the idea of ice cream cake really stuck out to me! I'm not entirely sure which flavor, but I can't imagine it mattering too much. There might be other desserts too...like regular ice cream. XD (Cannolis also sound good, now that you mention it. Never actually had one before... 🤔)

7.) Who is the best man and/or maid of honour?

Heavy is best man, no debate. He's Medic's closest friend, he has to have that honor! As for maid of honor, it depends on which other OCs/s/i's are present. If none are present.....that probably means no maid of honor at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (She's not very close with Miss Pauling, so idk if she'll get a role)

10.) Do they stumble or get nervous saying their vows? Does the other get emotional hearing the other say such sweet words to them?

Medic does a better job keeping his composure than Tech. But once Tech starts crying in the middle of her vows, he soon follows suit (albeit subtly). He holds her hands as she tries to finish, and is relieved that he said his first.

[lonestarbabe]

Mom’s In Town

T.K. struggles when his mom comes into town. The 126 and Carlos help him through, and prod him to make amends with his mother. (AO3)

---

“You didn’t tell me that your mom was in town,” Owen says. His tone is casual, but T.K. can feel the tension radiating from his father. The team stiffens, and they try to mind their own business, but T.K. doesn’t doubt they’ll hang onto every word, so he’s got to be careful with what he says. Just like he always was just before the divorce, during it, and then after. He’d always been sure to say the right the things to the right parent. He excels at splitting himself into different people based on what the situation requires.

His mom has been in town for just a few hours, and T.K. feels like a little kid again, standing between his parents’ fighting, feeling completely unheard. Gwyneth and Owen have learned how to play nice for his sake, but the old feelings always return in specks, built up and matted together like lint from the dryer. His parents are scarily cordial around T.K., but he knows that they talk shit about each other when he isn’t around. They had too many unresolved issues in their marriage to have zero unresolved issues during their divorce. The worst part is that T.K. knows that his parents still have gushy, fond centers for each other. They don’t hate each other. They just act like they hate each other because it is easier to be hateful than to acknowledge that they’d always love each other, even if tragedy made it impossible for them to ever be together again.

Owen was the one to mess everything up, but he’s a hero, and there’s not much T.K.’s ever been able to criticize Owen on that doesn’t somehow end up being about 9/11. Everything between them is about 9/11, but 9/11 is also something that they don’t mention expect to honor all those lives that were lost. Because nothing he says can compare to 9/11, T.K. finds himself being angrier with his mom about everything that went wrong with his childhood, even though she’s the one who actually gave a damn when, by some freak accident, he won his second grade spelling bee or when he starred in his fourth grade play about the planets or when he had ambitions of being a tennis star when all the sixth grade boys at his cushy private school thought that tennis was cool.

To keep his hands busy, T.K. gets to work washing the firetruck, and even as he’s handling this big machine, he still feels like that eight-year-old using his toy firetruck to put out the burning anxiety that raised voices have always caused. “I didn’t know that you needed to know everything mom does,” T.K. says with a terseness to his voice. It’s about as angry as he ever gets with Owen, especially since Owen’s diagnosis. It feels wrong to yell at someone who was sick.

“It just seems like something you’d mention.” Owen’s voice is still so casual, and it grates on T.K.’s nerves because he can feel himself being put in the middle and asked to show his loyalty. For nearly twenty years, he’s been asked covertly to take sides, and despite his bitterness, he’s almost always taken Owen’s.

“I didn’t ask her to come.” T.K. won’t admit that his mom being there felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He’d missed her. They weren’t that close, not like he and his dad, but sometimes, he still just wanted to be close to her and smell the perfume that she still wore even after all these years.

“It would be okay if you did.” That line was from the “How to Be Nice About Your Ex in front of Your Kid” handbook, and T.K. saw right through it with a stinging skepticism he always had when it came to his parents.

“I don’t know why she bothered. I probably won’t have time to see her, anyway.” She could enjoy the sights of Austin without him because seeing her would be too complicated. She’d be pissed off, but she’d been disappointed by Strand men enough to know not to get her hopes up.

“You can’t ignore you mom, son.”

“Yeah, she’s kind of hard to ignore.” The truth was that T.K. wouldn’t actually not see her. He wasn’t that much of a jerk as much as he wished he was. He couldn’t stay away if he tried.

“Why don’t you go to dinner one night? Bring Carlos along. Your mom would love meeting him.” She’d subtly hinting that she wanted to meet Carlos for weeks. T.K. had mostly brushed her suggestions off, but Carlos might be a good buffer. He was great with moms from what T.K. had seen. No one charmed middle aged ladies better.

“Yeah, maybe,” T.K. says before getting back to work. He doesn’t want that conversation to linger because there’s too many blisters that might just pop open if he pokes too hard. Even when Owen gets the message to let the conversation drop, T.K. still feels a grumpiness come over him.

---

Paul is the first of the 126 to bring up T.K.’s foul mood. He broaches the topic carefully, giving T.K. that knowing look, the one that says, “I’m not going to push you but prepare for some light prodding.” T.K. almost runs away when he sees that look, but he’s in the middle of lifting a weight, so he doesn’t have much choice but to stick around. He groans, and he’s not sure if it’s from heaving the weight up or the heaviness of what he knows Paul is about to say.

“My parents got divorced when I was young too, you know,” Paul says. “It sucks.”

T.K. sits up on the bench, and he really doesn’t want to be part of the divorced parents’ club. He acts like he’s over it. Pretends that it was best for everyone. Deludes himself into thinking that the divorce cured a lot of heartache. Maybe it helped his parents, but for T.K., the divorce was didn’t make anything easier for T.K. “It sucked more when they were fighting all the time. The divorce was a relief.” Relief was the wrong word, but it felt like the right thing to say, the thing that a well-adjusted kid of divorce would say. The divorce didn’t change anything. It just made things quieter, and the quiet only made T.K. feel more alone.

“Yeah, I get that, man. My dad was a new person once he divorced my mom. Happier. Mom took more time, but eventually, she was happier too.” The issue with T.K.’s parents was that no one was happier. The divorce left them all sullen and heartbroken.

“What about you? Were you happier?” T.K. could’ve been happier post-divorce, maybe, but for whatever reason, he’d never stopped being angry about it. After 9/11, he stopped feeling like he had a family.

“It took time. Less time than my mom but more than my dad. My sister took the longest of us all, but we figured it out. We learned to be a family again without being a family together. For a long time, I thought that coming out as trans would send ripples through my family and destroy the steadiness we’d finally found, but I realized that I couldn’t run away from myself to please them.”

“That’s an unfair burden to carry.” T.K. comments. He doesn’t like where this conversation is heading, but he doesn’t want to invalidate Paul’s feelings, especially because he doesn’t know exactly what trauma Paul has faced for being trans.

Paul gives a half-smile. “Yeah, but it turned out okay in the end. It took a little adjustment, but we survived it.”

“Sometimes surviving is all you can do.” T.K. picks up a weight and starts doing bicep curls. He looks down at the pendant hanging around his neck. “After 9/11, my dad never really came back to us. He got obsessed with the job, and to be a part of his life, I had to become obsessed with the job as well.” T.K. realizes that he’s said more than he wanted to, and he tries to backtrack. If only you could press the undo button on the things you say. “What I mean is that we worked out our shit.”

Paul quirks an eyebrow. “Is that so?” but he doesn’t comment on it any farther.

---

Judd is blunter when he brings it up. “You angry at your dad?” T.K. looks up sharply. They’re just supposed to be playing foosball, not taking a deep dive into T.K.’s psychological state. Everyone seems to have thoughts about how he must be feeling.

T.K. plays it cool because getting angry will be a dead giveaway that he’s defensive and when he’s defensive, he’s probably avoiding the full truth. “Nope. We get along great. We couldn’t spend as much time together as we do if we didn’t. I’m not sure why you think something is wrong.”

“You can get along great and still be angry. Feelings are complex.” Cowboy Judd was now an expert on feelings.

Judd doesn’t stop there. Of course, he doesn’t. Judd doesn’t stop until he’s drilled it through his head what he wants you to hear. He’s not about subtlety. “You know I love my dad, but we haven’t always gotten along. There use to be a time when we’d bicker all the time. Couldn’t be in the same room without fighting.”

“What changed?”

“I don’t know. I guess we stopped dancing around each other and we started saying what we were really mad about. No point in keeping it hidden.”

“My dad and I don’t even fight, not really.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t have stuff to fight over.”

“We’re fine Judd.”

“You’ve been tense ever since your mom came into town.”

“Then, maybe she’s the one I’m mad at.”

“Maybe or maybe she’s just the one you take your anger out on.”

T.K.’s defenses go up. “Whatever.” Judd gets the memo, and he goes back to focusing on the game.

Judd hits the ball, putting it into the goal.  “Game over, pretty boy. You can’t cheat your way into winning.”

“I don’t cheat.”

Judd laughs, “Sure you don’t, spin master.” Judd gets more serious. “You can’t run from who you are forever either.”

“I don’t try to,” But Judd’s words stuck with him. Sometimes the cowboy could pretty damn wise. Must’ve been Grace’s influence. She rounded out Judd’s edges. Judd and T.K. they were a lot alike- hot blooded and quick to fire up. They used their passion to be better at their jobs, but too often, their passion burned them.

---

Dinner with his mom starts as it always does. They hug and Gwyneth kisses him on the cheek, smiling broadly and saying how handsome he looks. Then, T.K. introduces Carlos to his mom, and she fawns over him, look positively delighted that T.K. found such a nice man. She’d hated Alex, and most of T.K.’s boyfriends before that.

They sit at the table, and T.K. can feel his anxiety rising up the longer they sit. Carlos is great. He’s filling the gaps of the conversation and the perfect balance of cheerful to T.K.’s sullen. Gwyn can’t get enough. Carlos has her laughing, and it sends a bitter jolt through T.K. that he’s the only one not having fun.

“So, Tyler, how’s your job been?” Owen had gotten T.K. in the divorce while Gwyn had gotten Tyler.

“What do you care?” T.K. snaps.

Hurt fills her face, and Carlos looks alarm at the shift in mood. “I’m your mom. Of course, I care.”

“You hate that I’m a firefighter.” She thought his job was too dangerous, especially after he got shot, but mostly, he figures that she was mad that he’d move across the country with his dad instead of staying behind with her.

She shakes her head, her smiling becoming tense, but she’s obviously trying to control her emotions. She’s an expert of controlling when she wants to. “That’s not true. It’s what you’ve always wanted to be.”

“Yeah, but you think it’s only because of dad. You’re bitter that I chose what he wanted instead of what you wanted,” he’s really lashing out now, and he can’t help the words rolling off his tongue. He’s doing the equivalent of yelling, but his voice is softer as to not cause a scene in the restaurant.

“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to do what made you happy. I worried you were just being a firefighter to please your dad. I never had a problem with you choosing to be like him. I fell in love with your dad in part because he followed his passions and wanted to help people.”

T.K. rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“I like those things about T.K. too,” Carlos chirps, trying to ease some of the tension, and it only does enough that T.K. shuts up, trying to get through the dinner. He gets through. Just barely, and not without getting in a few snippy remarks.

Carlos is seething after the dinner. They get back to Carlos’ apartment, and T.K. just wants to blow off some steam, but Carlos isn’t in a kissing mood. “Why were you such an asshole to your mom? You’d never yell at your dad like that.” T.K. doesn’t want to have to keep defending himself to everyone he knows. They don’t know what it was like back in New York when he was a kid trying to balance out his parents’ wishes, and always having to be a disappointment no matter what he did.

“Because she doesn’t give a damn about what I want. She’s upset that I chose to be a firefighter instead of a lawyer or whatever else she wanted me to be.”

“She only asked you how your job was, and you flipped out! You got mad at her when she asked anything about you.”

“That’s how my parents are! Everything they say is a chess game trying to make me choose a side. Every time they ask about my interests or what I want, they’re really just trying to test who I love more. That question about New York… that was her trying to get me to say that I like her home better than his.” She had asked if T.K. missed the city. T.K. said he didn’t, but T.K. would always miss the city, at least a little. He loves Austin, and Austin has healed him, or started to. It has given him a family, and friends, and Carlos, but New York would always give him a special kind of rush. He grew up there, and it would always feel like home even if it wasn’t always where his heart was.

“Maybe she’s not the one you’re angry with.”

“Have you been talking to Judd?”

“What?” Carlos sounds confused.

“Judd said basically the same thing.” Having a family meant a lot of meddling.

“When there’s a pattern, you shouldn’t ignore it,” Carlos says, voice still biting.

“Just because I’m not as close to my mother as you are with yours, it doesn’t mean I have some bigger issue that I need to work out. Sometimes, parents and children just don’t get along.”

“I mean that maybe she’s a stand in for the person you want to yell at.”

“Yeah?” T.K. seethed. “When did you get your psychology degree?”

“I’ll drop it if you answer this one question honestly.”

“What’s that?”

“Why did you become a firefighter?” Now, that is a loaded question, one he couldn’t answer without reaffirming some of what Carlos was suggesting. T.K. doesn’t want to think about the truth. He doesn’t want to vocalize it and start to unpack all those feelings he’s been packed away since he was a little kid.

“Because I wanted to save people.” He did want to save people. When he sees a person in trouble, he wants to save them, even if it means sacrificing himself, especially kids. When he sees a kid in danger, he wants to keep him safe because no kid should feel unsafe, unloved, or unworthy of being helped.

“You could’ve chosen a dozen career paths if that saving people the main reason, but it’s not.”

“I don’t know, Carlos. It was convenient.”

“Convenient? Really? It doesn’t seem to me that you do things because they’re convenient.” The anxiety was revving up in T.K. again. All those repressed thoughts, bubbling in his consciousness.

“It’s easier to be mad at her,” T.K. admits.

“Why?” Carlos presses.

“I wanted my dad to love me, but he left. He checked out, but she was always there. I knew she would be there. I knew if I yelled at her, she wasn’t going to go away. When my mom got upset, she’d get mad, but she never left. When dad got mad, he couldn’t’ t handle it and would make an excuse about having to work. It wasn’t his fault. He was going through a lot and a bratty kid didn’t help anything, but I always worried that one day, he wouldn’t come back, so I learned not to yell at him. I learned to avoid his triggers. I learned how to keep him in my life.”

Carlos sighs, some of the anger dropping from his face, “You can’t keep that all bottled up, T.K., and it doesn’t help anyone to keep being angry at your mom about something that has nothing to do with her.”

“I know that. It’s just so fucking messy in my head.” He’s starting to feel sick to his stomach. He needs to talk to his mom. “Can you do me a favor?”

Carlos brushes a hand down T.K.’s arm, “What do you need?”

“Can you take me to my mom’s hotel.”

For the first time since they got to Carlos’ apartment, Carlos smiles. “That can be arranged.”

Carlos drops T.K. off and parks the car, giving T.K. the chance to have a few minutes alone with his mom. He nervously knocks on the door. She opens it, looking surprised to see him. “Tyler? What are you doing here?”

He throws his arms around her and drops his head to her shoulder. “I’m so sorry mom for treating you like shit all these years.” She ushers him into the hotel room and sits him down on the chair.

“It’s okay,” she says, combing her hand through his hair, which only makes T.K. feel worse for the way he’s treated her. He knows she’ll never hold it against him. She’ll love him just the same, and he wants to try to be a better son for her. He wants to let her into his life and mend all the bitterness he unfairly feels against her. He knew he’d need to talk to her, and his dad. It would take time, but maybe somehow someway, his mom being in town wouldn’t have to feel like bad news because it was good to feel close to her. “I’ll always be by your side.”

[pokeprism]

Pokemon Found Family: Chapter 3 (Divisions)

This is the third chapter of Pokemon Found Family, my pokemon fanfic!

I’m always up for questions!

First --- Previous --- Next

Several days have passed since Jane has gotten her citizenship in Mischief Valley. She has been making routine stops to the valley’s berry gardens, the valley’s main food supply, and has adjusted rather well to the valley. Much like Jane, Geist has been in a routine of assisting with the repairs needed for Cyrus’s temple alongside the restoration force. On top of that, Geist has been mentally preparing for the day that Moshe, the governor of the valley, has been feverishly working toward. Moshe the sableye has been known for his hardworking nature even before he became Mischief Valley’s governor, seeing as he restored the restoration force to service almost single handedly. This feat alone made him the prime candidate for being Mischief Valley’s new governor, and that’s why he won the seat in the following year. But anyways, the day Moshe, Geist, and the restoration force have been waiting for dawns, and Moshe himself stands at where the noble precession is expected to arrive.

Jane is the first pokemon awake in Geist’s dwelling this morning. The young eevee yawns and stretches much like a small, mammalian pet would, then hops over to her recently obtained berry basket, a gift from Sophie the krookodile. She picks it up in her mouth, then starts toward the door as Geist wakes up. Jane's ears twitch as she hears the waking gengar, and turns her head in the direction of his bed.

Jane sets her basket on the floor before saying “Hey Geist! Good morning!”

Geist yawns, then says “Good morning to you too, Jane.” as he gets out of bed.

“Is something important happening today? You’re up early.”

Geist’s already drab expression communicates more to Jane than intended. “Yeah, today’s the tour of the valley for some foreign nobles or whatever. I’m supposed to be on ‘my best behavior’ or something.”

Jane gets a glint in her eye. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Well, these nobles are here to inspect the valley, but what that actually means is that they want to examine me, Moshe, and Sophie. I’ve been sick of their obvious double speak, but Moshe doesn’t want to look suspicious, so I’m stuck with being inspected like this.”

“Huh. Would you like me to come with you?”

“I’d love that, but Moshe has told me to keep you out of this.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sorry Jane, I should have-”

Jane cuts in with “You’ve done nothing wrong, Geist. I’ll just go get some berries for us both while you handle that, alright?”

Geist snaps to attention. “I’ll try my best, Jane. I’m hoping nothing stupid happens.” He begins to walk toward the door as he continues with “See you later, Jane.”

Geist walks past Jane and goes out the door, headed for the northern entrance of the valley. After Geist slips out of Jane’s view, she picks up her berry basket and begins to walk in the direction of the berry gardens, which ends up being in the opposite direction of where Geist is off to.

Moshe sees the start of the precession’s approach. They are right on time, just as Moshe was informed, and Moshe is thinking up a greeting just before he notices Geist’s absence. Moshe looks around for a moment, then sees Geist in the distance walking toward him at a brisk pace. Moshe has a mini freak out at this, mostly on the basis of getting deer-in-the-headlights syndrome from the approaching precession, and somewhat because of his anxiety of having to communicate with Geist in the precession’s presence. Geist, a little closer by this point, notices Moshe’s panicked expression and the start of the precession. Thinking fast, Geist initiates a phantom force and transports himself next to Moshe, emerging from the floor to the sableye’s right. Moshe watches Geist as he phases out of the floor, and comfortable in the knowledge that his curator is at his side, regains his bearing as he looks back to the oncoming precession. The nobles present in the precession are Rumble Raichu, the Ferrostock Range’s chancellor, Mimir Emboar, the minister of the Northern Coalands, Hill Stoutland, Pawland’s prime minister, and finally a quiet noibat sitting on Hill’s back. Moshe raises an eyebrow at the noibat, seeing as they weren’t mentioned in the message he got this morning, but Geist is deeply suspicious of the whole precession thanks to his tarnished view of today’s tour. Hill steps forward and bows to Moshe, making the noibat on his back snap to attention in order to remain on the stoutland. Rumble and Mimir see Hill’s gesture and quickly replicate it.

Hill, still bowing, looks to Moshe and says “Greetings, governor Moshe Sableye. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Moshe mimics the gesture and replies “It’s an honor to have you visit my realm, Lord Hill.”

Hill gets back into a standing position as he says “Anyways, I would enjoy laying out where we wanted to investigate before the tour begins in earnest.” Hill turns to Rumble with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh right!” Rumble begins, “We wish to inspect the citizenship office, Cyrus’s temple, the governor’s office, and the berry gardens today.”

Moshe nods as he says “Very well.” The nodding comes to a stop as Moshe adds “Shall we begin?”

“Yes, we’d like to carry on.” Hill answers.

“Alright then, follow me if you will.” Moshe replies.

Moshe looks to Geist to observe his curator’s expression, which was initially looking away. Geist notices the sudden attention and ends up looking first toward Moshe, then toward the precession.

Geist’s uneasy delivery communicates more than he wanted. “Of course Moshe!”

Moshe smiles, turns toward the valley, and begins to walk. The precession begins to follow, thus beginning the precession’s tour through the valley.

In the citizenship office, Sophie is preparing for the inspection she’s been dreading. She’s moved the door boulder, she’s cleaned her office as much as an indention into a cliff can be, and has taken a seat behind the counter, trying to rest for at least a moment. After a moment of quiet, the door to her home opens, and Jazz Drizzile walks out of the entryway. Sophie notices her adopted son’s presence, and turns in his direction.

“What do you need today, sweetpea?” Sophie asks.

Her tone seems off in Jazz’s frame of reference. “Uh, are you okay mom?”

Sophie, despite her exhaustion and hazy mind, responds with perfect clarity. “Jazzy, momma’s expecting some important people to come by today. Go hang out with a friend for today.”

“Okay mom.” Jazz begins to walk back into their home’s entrance, still wide open, then looks back toward his adoptive mother. “I hope your day gets better.”

Sophie smiles at Jazz, then Jazz, after returning the pleasant gaze, simply waves goodbye and closes the door. Sophie redirects her attention to the entrance to her office, and begins to wait for the precession to arrive.

Moshe, Geist, and the precession members had walked close to the center of the valley. Hill hadn’t accounted for the desert-like climate and was buckling under the heat of the day, and his noibat companion was feeling much the same thanks to being in Hill’s thick fur. Unknown to the rest of the precession and thus their guides through the valley, this noibat is of the hidden ability variety, meaning their ability, telepathy, makes them the perfect medium to get messages back to Pawland. Paul, the noibat in question, was briefed on their status as a communicator for this visit, and was told to look for a specific pokemon that had so far evaded the wishes of the king of Pawland. Back in the moment, Moshe stops and looks up at the side of the valley, causing the rest of the precession to stop and look in the same direction. Geist, who saw Moshe stop after everyone else did, awkwardly stops and rejoins the group.

Moshe then turns toward the precession. “Do any of you have a compunction about heights?” Moshe asks.

“No, not at all sir Moshe.” Mimir replies. “I know at least Rumble and I aren’t acrophobes.”

“Acrophobia isn’t a concern for me or my companion either.” Hill adds.

“Good. That means we can get up to the citizenship office with little issue.”

Moshe begins to walk to the stairs that lead to the citizenship office. Hill, seeing Moshe’s path, softly sighs and begins to follow, prompting the rest of the precession plus Geist to continue on. As the tour tramps toward Sophie’s office, Sophie begins to hear an entente of footsteps, and their volume amps up as the seconds go by. After a moment of listening to the footsteps, Sophie snaps wide awake, thinking Oh shoot! That’s the precession!, as she lifts herself off the wall she had leaned against. In one snappy motion, she gets off the wall, zips over to the counter, and nestles one hand in the other as the precession enters without missing a beat. Hill comes in with a half done statement on his lips.

“... So which pokemon operates here, Lord Moshe?” Hill turns toward the counter as he adds “Anyone-”

Hill makes eye contact with the krookodile. “Oh. Lovely. What do you go by, krookodile?”

Sophie, not appreciative of Hill’s tone but not wanting to make a scene, smiles and says “I go by Sophie, Sir Hill. Pleasure to meet ya.”

“Huh. Well-”

Paul taps Hill hard enough that he stops speaking. A flash of realization crosses Hill’s face. “Oh excuse me, thought I could say something daft. Anywho, may I know of your process here?”

Sophie’s expression shifts from confusion at the word daft, to the realization that Hill’s companion was the only thing keeping him from an off-color remark. “Well, the citizenship process here in the valley starts by asking their name and preferred pronouns, to uphold our principle of politeness here. Then, I ask the pokemon’s age, place of origin, and if they are not of age to live alone, we ask them to provide a suggestion for who they want to live with. I record everything, then begin talkin’ with the valley’s organizers to allot the new citizen some resources.”

Mimir, who had stayed quiet thus far, pipes up with “May I ask what those resources might be?”

“Most of the resources in question are berry rations, and the rest depend on the pokemon’s own needs, like for example if they need an item for evolution, a specific housing need, or even somethin’ else if they suggest it.” Sophie answers.

“Well. That’s quite a system then.” Mimir says, surprised at Sophie’s clear description.

A brief silence is had. Rumble looks to Hill as the stoutland begins to speak. “This office is satisfactory.” Hill turns toward Mimir and Rumble. “Shall we move on to the temple?”

Moshe responds without missing a beat. “Yes, of course.”

Moshe begins walking back toward the exit to Sophie’s office. The others part of the tour see this and begin to follow. Geist, making sure he was the last one in line to leave, looks back to Sophie, and waits for her to return the gaze.

“Sophie, you did good. Let’s hope nothing goes wrong today!”

Sophie simply smiles and waves back to Geist as he makes a peace sign, then leaves to keep pace with the precession, with not a care in the world.

An hour or so has passed. With some difficulty, the noble guests to the valley had examined both Cyrus Pyroar’s Temple and Moshe’s office, and had begun their trek toward the berry gardens. Meanwhile, Jane had gotten done picking up her berry ration from the gardens, and was walking back to Geist’s dwelling. As Jane is walking back to where she is staying, she sees a group of pokemon going in the direction she’s departing from, and stops to get a closer look at them all. Upon closer inspection, Jane recognizes Moshe and Geist at the front of the group, but then she notices another familiar face, Hill Stoutland. Jane’s mind recoils at the thought of what would happen if Hill spotted her, seeing as this stoutland had a score to settle with her as it currently stood. Jane restarts her trek back to Geist’s home, and her pace quickens to a moderate jog as she begins to think more about what could happen. However, thanks to Paul’s keen eye, Paul quickly notices an eevee on the fringes of his vision, and having been told to look for an eevee, Paul quickly puts his ability to use.

Paul makes his observation clear to Hill by psychically messaging him with “Lord Hill. I’ve noticed an eevee a distance aways from us.”

Hill’s ears perk up as he comes to a stop. Hill quietly asks “Can you make out any other details, Paul?”

Paul takes another look at the eevee in the distance. “Not anything else, on account of the distance.” Paul psychically continues.

“Why don’t we ask Moshe? He is informed of all pokemon coming into the valley, and I don’t believe he will expect a thing.” Hill whispers.

“Sounds like a good option. But let’s wait until the tour is over.” the noibat transmits.

Hill then looks back toward where the group was, and noticing that the group has moved, opts to go back toward where the tour has headed. However, the precession, minus Hill and his plus one, gets done fast enough that they are out before Hill is able to get into the berry gardens. Moshe, who had not realized Hill’s absence until he left the gardens, is prepared to make amends.

“Oh! Lord Hill, Would you like to see the berry gardens as well? I-I didn’t notice-”

“It is fine, Moshe.” Moshe breathes a sigh of relief before Hill continues with “Anywho, I have a question of sorts for you.”

Moshe, Rumble, Mimir, and Geist, in that order, snap to attention at Hill’s statement.

Hill, seeing he has the floor, softly asks “Has an eevee moved into the valley recently?”

Mimir puts a hand to his face as Rumble rolls his eyes. Geist, noticing Mimir’s and Rumble’s reactions, looks to Hill with narrowed eyes. Paul initiates his ability to broadcast Moshe’s answer.

“Yes, there has actually.”

Hill, surprised, then asks “Oh. Do you have any other details you have on them?”

Moshe, unaware he’s essentially being recorded, continues with “Well, they go by she/her pronouns with the name Jane. She mentioned-”

Geist butts into the exchange with “Moshe, stop.”

Moshe looks up to Geist with a confused expression.

Geist, noticing his boss’s expression, takes on an extremely annoyed look. “You can’t just tell people about who just moved in like that!”

Moshe recognizes his mistake. “Oh!” Moshe makes a small, defeated sounding noise as an admission of guilt.

Paul stops transmitting the conversation as Hill clears his throat. “Anyways, has the tour come to a stop?”

“Yes, Hill. Feel free to leave anytime today.” Moshe says.

Hill turns around, then clears his throat, catching Rumble and Mimir’s attention. “Alright you two, it’s time to get back. We have duties to attend to.”

Hill begins to walk in the direction the precession came from, and after exchanging looks, Rumble and Mimir wave goodbye and begin following Hill’s lead.

Once both of them are a ways away, Geist says “Thank Arceus they’re gone.”

Moshe turns to Geist. “Geist, what warranted that?” Moshe says, annoyed.

“The fact that they were here to test you?”

Moshe shrugs. “I mean, fair.”

Geist mentally blanks for a moment. “Wait. You knew that was what they wanted to do?”

“I did. But I didn’t want to look suspicious, so here we are.”

“Alrighty then.” Geist then turns in the direction of his house. “Anyways, I need a nap. I’m going home to Jane. Don’t bother me for the next day.” Geist begins to walk away. “See ya later, Moshe.”

Moshe, feeling resigned to give his curator some time to recoup, just sighs and waves goodbye to Geist. Moshe then starts walking back to his home, without a care in the world.

[fullregalia]

20/20.

This year, in hindsight, was a real write-off. I had grand plans for it, and while I ushered it in in a very low-key manner since I was recovering from the flu, I’d expected things to look up. Well, you know what they say about plans (RIP, my trip to Europe). I got very, very sick in early February, and I’m not entirely sure it wasn’t COVID. Since March, the days have been a carousel of monotony: coffee, run, work, cook, yoga, existential spiral, sleep. My Own Private Year of Rest and Relaxation, if you will. Of course, life has a way of breaking through regardless; I attended protests, completed my thesis, graduated from grad school, took a couple of road trips upstate, and celebrated the accomplishments and birthdays of friends and family from a safe social distance. It was all a bit of a blur, and not ideal circumstances to re-enter the real world, or whatever this COVID-present is. 

Throughout it all, in lieu of happy hours, coffee dates, and panel discussions, I’ve turned even more to culture and cuisine to fill the the negative space on my calendar where my social life once resided. However, since a global pandemic ought not to disrupt every tradition, here’s my year-end round up of what made this terrible one slightly more tolerable. 

TV

After an ascetic fall semester abstaining from TV in 2019 (save for my beloved Succession), I allowed myself to watch more as the year wore on, and especially after graduation. I caught up on some cultural blind spots by finally getting around to The Sopranos, Ramy, Search Party, and Girlfriends. I wasn’t alone in bingeing Sopranos, it absolutely lived up to the hype and then some; this Jersey Girl can’t get enough gabagool-adjacent content, pizzeria culture is my culture!

Speaking of my culture, there was also a disproportionate amount of UK and European shows in my queue. Nothing like being in social isolation and watching the horny Irish teens in Normal People brood. I’m partial to it because I share a surname with the showrunner, so I have to embrace blind loyalty even though there was, in my opinion, a Marianne problem in the casting. Speaking of charming Irish characters with limited emotional vocabularies, I belatedly discovered This Way Up a 2019 show from Aisling Bea and Sharon Horgan. And while Connell and Marianne are actually exceptional students, I found the real normal people on GBBO to bring me a bit more joy. Baking was abundantly therapeutic for me this year, and watching charming people drink loads of tea and fret over soggy bottoms was a comfort. I also discovered the Great Pottery Throw Down, and as a lifelong ceramics enthusiast, I cannot recommend it highly enough if you care about things like slips, coils, and glazing techniques. GPTD embraces wabi sabi in a way that GBBO eschews flaws in favor of perfection, and in a time of uncertainty, the former reminded me why I miss getting my hands in the mud as a coping mechanism (hence all the baking). Speaking of coping mechanisms, like everybody else with two eyes and an HBO password, I loved Michaela Cole’s I May Destroy You; though we’ve all had enough distress this year for a lifetime, watching Cole’s Arabella process her assault and search for meaning, justice, and closure was a compelling portrait of grief and purpose in the aftermath of trauma. Arabella’s creative and patient friends Kwame and Terry steal the show throughout, as they deal with their own setbacks and emotional turmoil. Where I May Destroy You provides catharsis, Ted Lasso presents British eccentricity in all its stereotypical glory. At first I was skeptical of the show’s hype on Twitter, but once I gave in it charmed me, if only for Roy Kent’s emotional trajectory and extolling the restorative powers of shortbread. For a more accurate depiction of life in London, Steve McQueen’s series Small Axe provides a visually lush and politically clear-eyed depiction of the lives of British West Indians in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Lastly, how could I get through a recap of my year in tv if I don’t mention The Crown. Normal People may have needed an intimacy coordinator, but the number of Barbours at Balmoral was the real phonographic content for me.

Turning my attention across the Channel, after the trainwreck that was Emily in Paris, I started watching a proper French show, Call My Agent! It’s truly delightful, and unlike the binge-worthy format of "ambient shows” I have been really relishing taking an hour each week to watch CMA, subtitles, cigarettes, and all.

Honorable mention: The Last Dance for its in-depth look at many notable former Chicago residents; High Fidelity for reminding me of the years in college when my brother and I would drive around listening to Beta Band; and Big Mouth.

Music

My Spotify wrapped this year was a bit odd. I don‘t think “Chromatica II into 911″ is technically a song, so it revealed other things about my listening habits this year, which turned out to remain very much stuck in the last, sonically. I listened to a lot more podcasts than new music this year, but there were some records that found their way into heavy rotation. While I listened to a lot of classics both old and new to write my thesis (Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Prokofiev, and Bach) the soundtrack to my coursework, runs, walks, and editing was more contemporary. Standouts include: 

Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee, which makes me feel like I’m breathing fresh air even when I’m stuck inside all day 

La Bella Vita by Niia, which was there for me when I walked past my ex on 7th avenue (twice!) and he pretended that I didn’t exist 

Fetch the Bolt Cutters by THEE Fiona Apple, because Fiona, our social distancing queen, has always been my Talmud, her songs shimmering, evolving, and living with me every year 

Shore by Fleet Foxes, for the long drive to the Catskills 

Women in Music, Pt. III by HAIM, because these days, these days...

Musicians have been reckoning with tumult this year as much as the rest of us, and the industry has dealt with loss on all fronts. I’d be remiss not to talk about how the passing of John Prine brought his music into my life, and McCoy Tyner, who has been a companion through good and bad over the years. 

Honorable mention to: græ by Moses Sumney; The Main Thing by Real Estate; on the tender spot of every calloused moment by Ambrose Akinmusire; Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers; folklore by you know who; and songs by Adrianne Lenker. 

Reading

What would this overlong blob be without a list of the best things I read this year? While I left publishing temporarily, books, the news, and newsletters still took up a majority of my attention (duh and/or doomscrolling by any other name). I can’t be comprehensive, and frankly, there are already great roundups of the best longform this year out there, so this is mostly books and praising random writers. 

Last year I wrote about peak newsletter. Apparently, my prediction was a bit premature as this year saw an even bigger Substack Boom. But two new newsletters in particular have delighted me: Aminatou Sow’s Crème de la Crème and Hunter Harris’ Hung Up (her ”this one line” series is true force of chaotic good on Blue Ivy’s internet). Relatedly, Sow and Ann Friedman’s Big Friendship was gifted to me by a dear friend and another bff and I are going to read it in tandem next week. 

On the “Barack Obama published a 700+ page memoir, crippling the printing industry’s supply chains” front, grad school severely hamstrung my ability to read for pleasure, but I managed to get through almost 30 books this year, some old (Master and Margarita), most new-ish (Say Nothing, Nickel Boys). Four 2020 books in particular enthralled me:

Uncanny Valley: Anna Wiener’s memoir has been buzzed about since n+1 published her essay of the same name in 2016. Her ability to see, clear-eyed, the industry for both its foibles and allure captured that era when the excess and solipsism of the Valley seemed more of a cultural quirk than the harbinger of societal schism.  

Transcendent Kingdom: Yaa Gyasi’s novel about faith, family, loss, and--naturally--grad school was deeply empathetic, relatable, and moving. I think this was my favorite book of the year. Following the life of a Ghanaian family that settles in Alabama, it captured the kind of emotional ennui that comes from having one foot in the belief of childhood and one foot in the bewilderment that comes from losing faith in the aftermath of tragedy.  

Vanishing Half: Similarly to Transcendent Kingdom, Brit Bennett’s novel about siblings who are separated; it’s also about the ways that colorism can be internalized and the ways chosen family can (and cannot) replace your real kin. It was a compassionate story that captured the pain of abuse and abandonment in two pages in a way that Hanya Yanagihara couldn’t do in 720.

Dessert Person: Ok, so this is a cookbook, but it’s a good read, and the recipes are approachable and delicious. After all the BA Test Kitchen chaos this summer, it’s nice we didn’t have to cancel Claire. Make the thrice baked rye cookies!!!! You will thank me later.

Honorable mention goes to: Leave The World Behind for hitting the Severance/Station Eleven dystopian apocalypse novel sweet spot; Exciting Times for reminding me why I liked Sally Rooney; and Summer by Ali Smith, which wasn’t the strongest of the seasonal quartet, but was a series I enjoyed for two years.  

Podcasts

I’m saving my most enthusiastic section for last: ever since 2018, I’ve been listening to an embarrassing amount of podcasts. Moving into a studio apartment will do that to you, as will grad school, add a pandemic to that equation and there’s a lot of time to fill with what has sort of become white noise to me (or, in one case, nice white parents noise). In addition to the shows that I’ve written about before (Still Processing, Popcast, Who? Weekly, and Why is This Happening?), these are the shows I started listening to this year that fueled my parasocial fire:

You’re Wrong About: If you like history, hate patriarchy, and are a millennial, you’ll love Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes’ deep dives into the most notable stories of the past few decades (think Enron and Princess Diana) and also some other cultural flashpoints that briefly but memorably shaped the national discourse (think Terri Schiavo, Elian González, and the Duke Lacrosse rape case).

Home Cooking: This mini series started (and ended) during the pandemic. As someone who stress baked her way through the past nine months, Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway’s show is filled with warmth, banter, and useful advice. Home Cooking has been a reassuring companion in the kitchen, and even though it will be a time capsule once we’re all vaccinated and close talking again, it’s still worth a listen for tips and inspiration while we’re hunkered down for the time being. 

How Long Gone: I don’t really know how to explain this other than saying that media twitter broke my brain and enjoying Chris Black and Jason Stewart’s ridiculous banter is the price I pay for it.

Blank Check: Blank Check is like the GBBO of podcasts--Griffin Newman and David Sims’ enthusiasm for and encyclopedic knowledge of film, combined with their hilarious guests and inevitable cultural tangents is always a welcome distraction. Exploring a different film from a director’s oeuvre each week over the course of months, the podcast delves into careers and creative decisions with the passion of completists who want to honor the filmmaking process even when the finished products end up falling short. The Nancy Meyers and Norah Ephron series were favorites because I’d seen most of the movies, but I also have been enjoying the Robert Zemeckis episodes they’re doing right now. The possibility of Soderbergh comes up often (The Big Picture just did a nice episode about/with him), and I’d love to hear them talk about his movies or Spike Lee (or, obviously, Martin Scorsese).      

Odds & Ends

If you’re still reading this, you’re a real one, so let’s get into the fun stuff. This was a horrible way to start a new decade, but at least we ended our long national nightmare. We got an excellent dumb twitter meme. I obviously made banana bread, got into home made nut butters, and baked an obscene amount of granola as I try to manifest a future where I own a Subaru Outback. Amanda Mull answered every question I had about Why [Insert Quarantine Trend] Happens. My brother started an organization that is working to eliminate food insecurity in LA. Discovering the Down Dog app allowed me to stay moderately sane, despite busting both of my knees in separate stupid falls on the criminally messed up sidewalks and streets of Philadelphia. I can’t stop burning these candles. Jim Carrey confused us all. We have a Jewish Second Gentleman! Grub Street Diets continued to spark joy. Dolly Parton remains America’s Sweetheart (and possible vaccine savior). And, last, but certainly not least: no one still knows how to pronounce X Æ A-12 Boucher-Musk.

[pkmnjesus]

The 2010s Decade of PokéAni (An overview - Part 1 of 2)

It is now 2020! Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. We are now entering a new decade of new adventures. Before the next new episode (first episode of this decade) that airs this Sunday, I’d like to reminisce the past decade on the Pokémon anime’s most memorable moments. Besides the annual PokéAni Rewind post I did, I want to additionally do a decade’s worth review of the anime throughout the different series from 2010-2019 just for this new year. From Sinnoh to Galar, we’ve seen many major events throughout the anime. Contests, Gym Battles, connoisseur battles, performances, races, leagues, Legendaries, Mythicals, Ultra Beasts, specials, introductions, farewells, evil organizations, shippings, background stories, emotional episodes, and crossover we’d never thought we’d see happen! There were also a lot unique PokéAni films shown within the decade from Zoroark: Master of Illusions to Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution. We've had movies with 2 versions like the games, more telepathy Pokémon, and a new format/alternate universe of Pokémon movies starting with 2017's I Choose You! But right now, let’s just keep our focus on the main series anime for this particular post. I will not be counting Origins, Generations and other mini-specials shown this decade since these were more in the game-verse continuity of the franchise. This might be really long (and annoy some people’s dash), so I’m going to split this into two posts. *These posts will be following the original Japanese air dates, but will still be using the English/game dub names for a universal understanding by all.* So, let’s get right to it! Here are my personal favorite PokéAni moments of each year from this decade, starting with the first half of the 2010s:

2010: Ash vs. Paul - their final battle at the League

August 19, 2010 With the climax of the Diamond and Pearl series approaching, this is by far my favorite battle in the Pokémon anime (next to Ash vs. Gary in the Johto League) because of how well they developed this rivalry. Paul was a real jerk when it came to training his Pokémon, releasing them when he felt like it. Paul was honestly THE REASON to watch this series because of how well they built up this rivalry up to this final showdown. Every character involved with their story from Cynthia to Paul’s brother Reggie to Pyramid King Brandon, played an important role adding to the story especially when it comes to their Pokémon teams. Paul was also an anime original rival (he shares a bit of similarities with rival Silver from the games) so his character was really fresh and new. The hype surrounded their final battle was astronomical to me! I clearly remember during this time I was still in my sophomore year of high school in the middle of an exam week but all I could think about was this battle!

It was a 3-parter, but I would like to focus on the decisive outcome. Both had one Pokémon left, Ash had Infernape and Paul had Electivire. All this time, Paul always thought of Ash’s Infernape was weak and pathetic not being able to control its Blaze ability which is why he released it as a Chimchar when it was still under his care. In the end, when thought he won and called it weak once more, the Blaze fully kicks in showed him how powerful it has become ever since training with Ash. In the final moments of the match, Electivire throws a Thunder Punch, while Infernape charges Flare Blitz. When the smoke clears, everyone thought that Electivire withstood that attack, but it was only a few seconds later it would faint resulting in Ash defeating Paul for the first time in their most meaningful battle that they ever shared. It’s almost symbolic as this was once the Elekid that first battled with Ash when he first arrived at the Sinnoh League. This battle was intense, fun to watch and superb storytelling between the two trainers and their Pokémon. But most of all, seeing Ash overcome and proving a stubborn and prideful trainer in Paul wrong by beating him in battle was one of the MOST satisfying feelings for any Pokémon anime fan to ever watch (unless you’re a Paul fan).

They properly end their rivalry with Paul finally giving the rightful respect to Ash, as he looks to challenge Brandon again to get stronger. Meanwhile, Ash advances to the semi-finals and has a battle with Tobias...we all know how that turned out, but was still a hard hitting battle. But still not as awesome Ash and Paul had. That to me was the battle of the decade! And this was just the start of the 2010s. A bar set so high that no other battle can compare it to, so far.

Honorable mentions from this year: The DP series’ final year! Dawn had some great moments too with her “Dee Dee” (’Pikari’ in Japanese) nickname story to be finally revealed after all these years, meeting her royal doppelganger and getting a Togekiss in the process. Let’s not forget that Dawn also had her first Grand Festival, ending up at 2nd place after Zoey defeated her in the final round. This was also the same year where we saw Monferno evolve into Infernape that helped Ash win his final Sinnoh badge. The return of his old Pokémon he caught in previous regions made appearances in the Sinnoh which was the last time we saw them considering that Ash is now only using the Pokémon he caught in his currently traveling region moving forward after this. Doc Brock is born with a new dream, and how can I not mention the debut of the Best Wishes (Black & White) series?! Iris’s accidental encounter in the wild and Cilan’s gym challenge was a great way of introducing the new characters! Finally, we got to see Ash caring for an abandoned Tepig that was tied to post, and the smoothest and coolest Snivy that Ash caught. 2010 was a great year!

2011: Excadrill trusts Iris again

September 17, 2011 Ever since Iris was revealed to have another Pokémon besides her Axew, I always wondered how she ended up with an Excadrill that won’t seem to listen to her and just get stuck on its own curled up body in drill-mode as if it doesn’t want to move. This heartwarming episode explains it, and explores Iris’s past growing up with playing with wild Pokémon. This was the same episode they introduced the self-professed “Dragon Buster” Georgia whom would start a rivalry with Iris, forcing her to use every Pokémon she had with her, preferably Dragon-types. When she called Excadrill out, the same thing always happens resulting in being unable to battle. Iris finally opens up about why this happens.

When it was still a Drilbur, it had been causing trouble with the other Pokémon Iris played with because it was always stealing their berries. Iris decides to teach the little thief a lesson with her own skills to counter its powerful Metal Claw attack, but would fail every time she attempted to. One day, when she finally outsmarted the Drilbur, he ended up getting tangled on vines that he couldn’t get out of. Iris then rescued the Drilbur from getting hurt, and the two became battling partners. During their battles in the Village of Dragons, that Drilbur eventually evolved into Excadrill and would learn Drill Run. When the powerful Dragon Master, Drayden shows up, Iris boldly challenges him to a battle. This would be the mistake that would strain their relationship as Drayden and his Haxarus easily defeated them. Iris was overconfident going into the battle giving commands without realizing that none of Excadrill’s attacks would do any effect on a very experienced Haxarus. It was a crushing defeat that would lose Excadrill’s trust on Iris and her capabilities of being its trainer.

Fast forward to the night after Georgia defeated Iris, she decides to sleep with Excadrill and tearfully apologizes after realizing all these years that she shouldn’t have pressured it to battle against a very powerful opponent in Drayden without considering her Pokémon’s feelings going into it. It was clear that they still needed more training before going up against a Dragon Master, but Iris selfishly went for it anyways. After the heartfelt apology, Excadrill finally gets out of drill-mode and trains out in the forrest trying to learn Focus Blast. After Iris wakes up seeing its new determination, she decides to train with Excadrill until they perfect the move. With a renewed partnership, Iris has another rematch with Georgia’s Beartic. Although the battle still resulted in a tie, it was the first time we saw Excadrill fully in-sync with Iris, and more importantly is very happy to be his trainer again. The trust between the two is rejuvenated better than ever, and will continue to get stronger until their next big challenge. This is one of my favorite BW episodes because I simply love redemption episodes like these, and this made me appreciate Iris’s character more.

Honorable mentions from this year: The BW series’ first full year! We had 3 Gym battles that year. How can I not forget the birth of Ash’s Scraggy hatching from egg? I miss that little guy thinking its the strongest Pokémon out there. Also, the beginning of the Snivy-Emolga rivalry, Oshawott overcoming his fears opening its eyes underwater to learn Aqua Jet, the group meeting an aspiring filmmaker, and Zorua-trainer, Luke, the beginning of the explosive Don George Battle Club tourneys, Bianca’s father attempting to get her daughter home instead of traveling, Ash & Cilan challenging subway bosses Ingo & Emmet, Unova Champion Alder making his anime debut, another heartwarming Iris episode with caring for a lonely Deino, a brotherly visit from Cilan’s brother Chili, and the Unova Forces of Nature trio made their presence felt after Team Rocket attempts to capture them. Speaking of serious Team Rocket agendas, this year was supposed to feature Team Plasma’s debut clashing against Team Rocket in a double special episode however had to be postponed due to the impactful 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan the week it was supposed to air. These two episodes was scrapped and re-written completely for future plot involving Team Plasma. It was such a shame really considering how much hyped I was for this (I’m sure many others as well at the time). Though I kind of understood why they had to. I was living in Southeast Asia at the time (this was before I migrated to the U.S.), and my country was dealing with heavy typhoons during that same week too. In the end, we never really got to see an epic clash between the two evil organizations as their stories became separate arcs that never even crossed with one another. Team Rocket had to revert back to their old white attires, and had to scrap/retcon Pierce’s character completely. He was one of the more interesting Team Rocket members they’ve ever had, and it’s a shame that we never got to fully see a different approach they were trying to do with Jessie, James, and Meowth’s character having a more serious role in the anime. Maybe one day we can see these unaired specials if they decide to release for a novelty watch, and we’ll all be happy...including myself :)

2012: Ash proves Skyla wrong

March 1, 2012 In one of my favorite Gym battles, I had to put this satisfying victory on my list. Skyla was one of the more stubborn and prideful Gym Leaders we had in the anime because of her appointment “Air Battle” method where she would predict the outcome of challenger battles mostly based off of type disadvantages. But you know our Ash, “type disadvantage” doesn’t really apply to him and of course he heavily disapproves of what she is doing as a Gym Leader. She would much rather fly in the skies for her enjoyment rather than actually do her job as a Gym Leader doing proper challenges. During the day of their scheduled Gym battle, he hopes to avenge Cilan who tried to prove her wrong the other day that Gym battles shouldn’t be based off what she sees in her head but what happens in the battlefield. Skyla still believed that based on the team Ash was using against her that she’d still be victorious.

During this 3-on-3 battle, sometimes you can’t predict the unpredictable. When both are down to one Pokémon left, Skyla had her ace in Swanna out while Ash had to bring back his Tranquill who already had been in battle. The sky battle was fast paced but in the midst of it all, Tranquill evolves into Unfezant! Ash finally takes down Swanna thanks to the new moves Unfezant had to offer making him the victor and more importantly exposing how her “Air Battle” prediction was never 100% accurate in the first place. I love episodes like these when characters like these get shown up and learn the error of their ways (and I loved Skyla in the games). After this battle, Skyla officially retires Air Battles, and apologizes to her grandfather that she was wrong all along that it truly depends on how the trainer and Pokémon bond in battle and not just go off on basic type disadvantages. She saw that with Ash and his Pokémon proving him to be a unique trainer that takes all challenges no matter what. It was a great battle and a well-earned Jet Badge for Ash on his road to the Unova League!

Honorable mentions from this year: The BW saga continues with hard hitting episodes with the final gym battles Ash had to fulfill before entering the Unova League. This League even kicked off by Ash taking out his rival, Trip, in the first round! If you ask me, the pacing of this series has great. The distance between Ash’s next gym battles, and the good amount “fillers” (which some comprise of mini-tourneys like the Club Battles) in between them were great. It was straightforward, even while tackling the Team Rocket Operation Tempest storyline with Meloetta. Speaking of which, it’s been YEARS since Giovanni played a prominent role in the anime, and it was great to see him in action as the big bad villain again. It also marks the big return of Dawn (continuing the tradition of returning previous main PokéAni girl...which actually breaks after this series), and she really blended well with this group! Especially from her friendship with Iris (much to Ash’s dismay xD). And of course had a great bunch of episodes from our favorite Dragon trainer. I was so surprised and hyped and she actually caught a Dragonite! A main character in this show has a DRAGON FREAKIN’ NITE. It took a while for him to actually obey Iris, but she eventually was able to get a hold of this aggressive Pokémon. We also get a glimpse of her pass when we finally got to see the Village of Dragons, and her long awaited rematch with Gym Leader Drayden. Another one of my favorites from 2012, was Tepig confronting his old trainer and cruelly abandoned him (because of being too weak for battling) before Ash rescued him. Ash, the trainer of proving people wrong, with the help of QUEEN Snivy, helped Tepig show his old trainer that he was strong all along by defeating his Emboar & Heatmor in a tag battle. In the process of all that, Tepig evolved into a Pignite in a very satisfying mid-evolution during that tag battle. Oh and how could I forget that Ash dressed up like a cute girl again along with Cilan to help Iris teach some rich ladies a lesson. Definitely gotta note that in here! xD I LOVED 2012 PokéAni.

2013: The bonding between Ash & N

July 6, 2013 The climax of the Team Plasma/N arc quickly approaches, and Cedric Juniper acquires the Light Stone from the White Ruins near Dragonspiral Tower in hopes to study more about its powers related to summoning Reshiram. Juniper then tells a story on Unovian mythology (“White chapter”) which is about the relationship between Reshiram and a hero whom it had trusted. Eventually that hero’s pure heart will be lost in the riches he will gain. Suddenly a familiar friend shows up to conclude the disturbing tale. N shows up to the scene interrupted Juniper, and grabs the Light Stone away from him because he feels that it is in the wrong hands and should not be examined whatsoever for scientific interest.

Ash wants to understand why N feels the way how he feels, so he chases after him. The ground gives way under Ash’s feet while running and gets stuck on the floor. The kindheartedness of N went back to help him up, but both ended up dropping deep underground the White Ruins due to the collapsing floor, trapping them from reaching the surface. When Team Plasma arrives, they plan to ambush Iris, Cilan, and Juniper until Ghetsis arrives. But Cedric Juniper’s assistant, who turned out to be Looker, attempts to stop their planned attack with a PIPE! When Coloress arrived to the scene, he successfully brings his machine to take control of the Pokémon who has been helping with the excavation on the site including a huge Golurk! It was looking bad, and there was no way Looker could handle this situation all by himself.

Meanwhile in the underground, N and Ash are having a deep conversation about their ideal relationships between people and Pokémon. N wants people to treat Pokémon like family like what his sisters Anthea and Concordia envisioned, and believes that there are some good in people out there just like Ash who truly love Pokémon. N has spent enough time in previous episodes to know what kind of heart Ash has toward Pokémon. However, he still thinks Pokémon would be better off without people living in peace on their own which is why he didn’t want Juniper to get his hands of the Light Stone in fear of the knowledge he’ll gain and possibly abuse it. Ash defends Juniper’s scientific research for good and believes that he just wants to learn more about Pokémon, just like how much he really wants to be good friends with all Pokémon including Reshiram. I just love N’s character so much and that I’m glad they did a slightly modified version of him from the Black & White games, still keeping his close communication with any wild Pokémon. His ideals with Ash are quite similar, but there was a clash when it comes to how other people treat Pokémon besides themselves. This why I loved their interactions so much because it was just couple of dudes having a healthy discussion/debate with something they both care about. Like in the real world, some people take advantage or abuse the things or riches benefitting them without thinking of others, and N’s truth and ideals symbolizes those real-world problems. Eventually, they did reach the surface. When, N saw Ash’s Pokémon helping their trainer trying dig their way out, he knew that maybe he should give others a chance to see if Pokémon and humans can truly co-exist like partners or family. Even Pikachu adversely overcame Colress’s device that attempted to control him, that costed Ash a bit of physical pain from trying to get to Pikachu. N saw that too, and it changed his views. This is what helped them to later on save the world from Team Plasma’s attack and and foil Ghetsis’s diabolical plans even after awakening Reshiram with the Light Stone.

Honorable mentions from this year: The farewell year of the BW series was bittersweet as we saw the conclusion of Unova League, and the bummer of Ash coming up short again, but still with a great effort. Meanwhile, Team Rocket’s Meowth thought that he could get Colress to leave Team Plasma, but to no avail. Besides getting to know N in the post-league, we got see him battle the Gym Leader Cheren! In the final stretch of this series, they were able to go to the Decolore/Decolora Islands where they had some fun adventures meeting Pokémon like a Jirachi and Beheeyem. We got some old school feels when Ash reunited with Charizard earlier on, and got a Butterfree flashback episode. Professor Oak met-up with them to catch a Rotom, and we even saw Johto’s own Clair in her updated attire searching for a rare Druddigon. Cilan had to defend his gym from an icy female trainer, plus even met another good chef in Brock after parting ways with Ash and Iris! This was turning over to Generation VI and along the way in their Decolora adventures, they met Alexa, a reporter from the Kalos region who brought her Gogoat with her. Then we get our first glimpse of the Kalos region! Remember the out of control Garchomp Ash had to save from the top of Lumiose Tower? Blaziken Mask does...we were introduced to our new buddies, Clemont, Bonnie and later on Serena who would join the group finding for her little childhood friend that helped her at camp. We got to see a fearless Froakie who chose Ash to be his trainer, and a cheekrubbing Dedenne that is under the care of Bonnie in her bag. Finally, Serena’s Rhyhorn racing background, Ash take on his first gym battle against Alexa’s sister, Viola, and Clemont trying to take back control of his gym from a malfunctioning robot. Ahh 2013...this year was the start of my first semester in college, and boy was I entertained during my breaks between classes! Also, the year where I got my “PokémonJesus” name and started being active on Pokémon forum sites. 

2014: Ash vs. Korrina - an intro to Mega Evolution

September 25, 2014 The moment has finally arrived for Ash and Korrina to have their Gym battle. Korrina has been traveling with their group for a couple of episodes on route to Geosenge Town in order to learn more about Mega Evolution from her grandfather, Gurkinn. She fit it really well with the group and has a similar spunky fighting spirit with Ash. At the time, I actually thought she was going to be a permanent member of their group for a while (dang you OP) and I would have been fine with it. Their little adventure is what helped her achieve Mega Evolution with her Lucario. We already got preview of what Mega Evolution can do with the special that aired earlier on, and it is clear as day that Korrina and her Lucario are capable of handling the power of Mega Evolution, despite the earlier difficulties with controlling Mega Lucario. Now that she’s ready, you know our boy is ready to face her as well with full force!

Their 3-on-3 battle was exhilarating! Team Rocket tried to interrupt it (as usual), but luckily Clemont & Serena takes care of them before even trying to sabotage this long awaited showdown. Ash struggled a bit at first with Hawlucha attempting to use Tierno’s rhythmic battle style, but he soon later realized (thanks to Serena) that he has his own unique battle style that he should use just like he always does. Ash finally battling like himself was able to take down Korrina’s Mienfoo and Machoke easily. But Korrina still has her ace left.

Of course it was her trusted partner, Lucario whom we saw developing its strength throughout their journey towards achieving Mega Evolution. They immediately utilize their Mega Evolution, and do quick work of Ash’s Hawlucha and Fletchinder. In the final matchup, Ash sends his Pikachu to the field. At the end of the day, Mega Evolution wasn’t enough to counter Ash’s unique battling style as his Pokémon’s hard work and coordination earned him the Rumble Badge. The episode ends with the fist bump of the decade as Ash sets off to his next Gym in Kalos. Korrina to me was definitely one of the best gym leaders that they were able to significantly portray in the anime.

Honorable mentions from this year: The first full year of the XY series has been great, especially Ash traveling in a quarter for the first time since the Advanced Generation series. We saw a couple of debuts like Ash meeting his Hawlucha, Clemont catching his Chespin, and reuniting with a Luxio that turned out to be the Shinx he befriended during his childhood, Serena catching her first Pokémon in Pancham, plus her rivaly with Miette on Ash on Pokémon Performing, the gang meeting Kalos Champion Diantha, introducing new rivals in Shauna, Tierno and Trever during the summer camp episodes, Sky Battles, and the Battle Chateau. One of the more emotional episodes was the lonely Espurr in the “haunted” mansion, while one of the more creepy episodes was the evil Malamar trying to take over the world! And, I can’t forget the time where they had to meet their mirror selves in where Ash was a complete crybaby and Serena was the aggressive on in the group xD Ash also faced off against Grant in rocky gym battle, while Serena had to defeat her mother in a Skiddo race for her mother to approve her dream on becoming a Pokémon Performer. 2014 was truly a Mega year for the Pokémon anime, and the year I even joined the #pokeani fandom here on tumblr. It started with this portion of the XY series :3

Next half of this PokéAni 2010s overview to be continued on part 2 →

[salvatoreschool]

All The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Easter Eggs in Legacies Season 1

Legacies may have accrued a whole new generation of viewers who've invested in Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), Landon (Aria Shahghasemi), and the Saltzman twins' stories this year, but there are still a bunch of us who got grandfathered in thanks to our obsession with The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.

Luckily for us, while Legacies can definitely stand on its own two feet, several episodes in Season 1 took the time to pay homage to the two series that came before, as well as the beloved characters that are no longer on our screens every week. TV Guide has kept an eagle eye on the lookout for Easter eggs from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals all year,so without further ado, please enjoy this rundown of every reference, big or small, in Legacies Season 1.

1. The Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) Memorial Library (Episode 1). The Salvatore library may have once been a place for Stefan and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) to drink bourbon and make bad choices, but now that the boarding house has been transformed into a school, the library is a popular hangout for students. It's also been renamed The Stefan Salvatore Memorial Library in honor of him sacrificing his life in The Vampire Diaries series finale to save the town of Mystic Falls from Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev) and her evil hellfire. The school even built a special case that holds Stefan's journals, his daylight ring, and even the necklace he gave Elena (Nina Dobrev).

2. Teachers summoning hellfire (Episode 1). Speaking of Hellfire, Josie (Kaylee Bryant) mentions in her tour of the school that their chemistry of magic professor accidentally incinerated himself with the stuff. Hellfire played a huge role in The Vampire Diaries series finale, as it was summoned by Katherine Pierce (who'd been cooling her heels in Hell since Stefan murdered her) to destroy Mystic Falls once and for all.

3. "It's not a competition." (Episode 1). In the pilot, M.G. (Quincy Fouse) and Josie have a little talk about Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) staking her claim on Rafael even though he's already clicked with Josie. Josie refuses to feel hurt about her twin beating her to the punch though, telling M.G., "It's not a competition," which is actually a callback to a line from Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) in The Vampire Diaries pilot in reference to Elena beating Caroline (Candice King) to the Stefan Salvatore punch.

4. Vervain in the water supply (Episode 1). Also in the premiere was the ever-popular "sheriff slipping vervain into the town water supply" move, which was a habit the former Mystic Falls secret council formed as a means of warding off vampires. This time around, the sheriff happens to be Matt Donovan, who appears to frequently slip vervain into the gas station coffee. Let's just hope he does it to ward off strange vamps instead of the kids at the Salvatore School.

5. The werewolf curse (Episode 1). While explaining the supernatural world to Landon, Alaric (Matthew Davis) makes reference to the werewolf bloodline curse passed down from parent to child, which is triggered when someone with the gene murders a human. While the curse was never fully explored on The Vampire Diaries, The Originals explained its origins as a curse cast by The Hollow in her dying moments on her tribe in retribution for killing her.

6. "Not now, Dana!" (Episode 2). Lizzie's rival at Mystic Falls High, Dana Lilien, is actually a nod to a minor character on The Vampire Diaries, as is Lizzie's line, "Not now, Dana!" at their flag football game. A chipper girl named Dana periodically appeared as a student and fellow-cheerleader on The Vampire Diaries, but she became a bit of an inside joke with the fans after one of her exchanges with Matt ("Not now, Dana!"). She inevitably met her end at Stefan's hand (well, fangs) on Senior Prank Night in Season 3, but, "Not now, Dana!" will live on forever.

7. Bonnie's magical assistance (Episode 5). As always, when our heroes are in a pickle, they call up Bonnie to provide a magical fix it. In this case, Dorian called Bonnie to help him track down and summon a vampire named Oliver who used to be the one true love of a Dryad who'd been thrown into Malivore. This Easter egg was mostly just a name drop, but it confirmed that Bonnie is still alive and still practicing magic.

8. Klaus' time in New Orleans (Episode 7). The Necromancer mentioned in his walk through Hope's subconscious that he spent a great deal of time in New Orleans before the 1920s since Klaus was always good for his business, killing people all the time. That was a subtle nod to the Klaus' murder spree on The Originals which subsequently forced him and Rebekah (Claire Holt) to flee to Chicago in the 1920s when Mikael showed up to hunt them down.

9. Ripper vampires (Episode 7). After discovering some students feeding on townies, Dorian explains what a Ripper is to Kaleb (Chris Lee), defining it as a vampire who is driven by obsession and the gratification of their own desires, even if that means feeding to the last drop and ripping the bodies apart. He says this in reference to Stefan going on Ripper bender with Klaus in 2010 (set between Season 2 and 3 of The Vampire Diaries) and even implies that M.G. is susceptible to becoming one.

10. Damon and Elena's babies (Episode 10). When Lizzie wished for an alternate reality where Hope never came to the Salvatore School, we saw Josie mention Damon and Elena's kids while explaining why the school is so hard up for money. Apparently, the Salvatores had been very generous to the school, but they had their own kids to take care of, confirming that at least in this alternate timeline, Delena had babies! In yet another alternate reality, Josie made mention of Stephanie Salvatore, who is almost definitely Damon and Elena's daughter.

11. Klaus and Caroline as "Enemies of the State" (Episode 10). In Lizzie's wish world where Hope was never born, Klaus turned off his humanity and started a war, outing supernaturals to the world. We saw his face on wanted posters, and a newspaper clipping had drawings of him and Caroline, declaring them enemies of the state. Some super industrious fans even zoomed in on the newspaper and discovered that Caroline was reference as "his wife, Caroline Mikaelson," revealing that in this world, they were married, giving a pretty major nod to the Klaroline romance that never quite got its time in the sun on The Vampire Diaries or The Originals.

12. Kai Parker footnote (Episode 10). When Alaric was researching The Merge, we saw his notes in the margins of the book, The History of the Gemini Coven. Kai Parker's name was scribbled in the margins next to the paragraph explaining The Merge and how the ritual pits twins against one another in a bid to rule the coven. Kai, the last leader of the Gemini coven and the twins' uncle, was the big bad of The Vampire Diaries Season 6, and he was locked away in a prison world (twice) to keep him from wreaking havoc on the world.

13. The painting Hope made with Klaus (Episode 12). While trying to determine who really set the fire that ruined Spring Break three years ago, Hope told Lizzie that the fire destroyed the only painting she ever created with her dad. Considering this fire predated The Originals final season, we can only assume she meant the watercolor painting she made with Klaus the day she first met him in The Originals Season 4.

14. The Crescent Pack (Episode 13). When M.G. went missing on spring break, Hope opted to use a "family recipe" from her mother's wolf pack, the Crescent Pack, that would allow Rafael to access his wolf mind while still in human form. In addition to their ability to turn at will, the Crescent Pack were once under a curse placed on them by Marcel which meant they were only human during the full moon and had to be in wolf form the rest of the month, which would have made this kind of recipe invaluable to them.

15. Caroline's ballgown (Episode 14). To help Hope's bid for the Miss Mystic Falls title, Lizzie lent her a gown that used to belong to her mother Caroline, but both girls only later found out that the dress was actually a gift from Klaus Mikaelson. On The Vampire Diaries, when Klaus was first trying to woo Caroline, he sent her this ballgown along with an invitation to his family's ball with a request to save him a dance.

16. Freya explains The Merge (Episode 15). When Lizzie clued Hope in on The Merge mystery, Hope called her Aunt Freya (Riley Voelkel) to ask if she knew what the ritual was and how it pertained to the Gemini Coven. Freya explained the truth — that Gemini twins have to overtake each other in a ritual when they turn 22 that kills one of them in the process. It's no wonder Freya had the answer given the Mikaelson's familiarity with siphoner witches.

17. The reverse Kyanite ring (Episode 15). After the Crescent Pack elixir muddled Raf's mind, Hope gave him a ring that let him shift into a wolf permanently instead of just on the full moon. She told him it's like a "reverse kyanite ring," which is used to stop wolves from shifting on the full moon. Said rings were developed in Season 1 of The Originals when Klaus was trying to win over the Crescent Pack.

18. "There's always a loophole." (Episode 16). The episode title of the Legacies Season 1 finale was one major homage to the mythology of both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, which was based on the theory that nature always finds a balance. No supernatural being could ever be truly immortal because nature would create a loophole that provided a way to kill it in order to maintain balance; for the Original vampires that loophole was the white oak wood that could kill them, and for Malivore, it was Hope's existence as a tribrid of the three species that created it.

19. Wickery Bridge (Episode 16). In the season finale, Alaric got stuck behind a roadblock because the Triad blew up Wickery Bridge. Wickery Bridge was a staple of The Vampire Diaries as it was the site of the car crash that claimed the lives of Elena's parents and the crash where she later died and became a vampire. It also happened to be entirely made of white oak, the only wood that can kill an Original vampire, which is why Rebekah burned it to ash in Season 3.

20. The Travelers (Episode 16). The Triad used a creepy blood fountain to nullify the school's magic in the finale, which Alaric revealed to be a creation of a coven of witches called the Travelers. These witches were the big bad of The Vampire Diaries Season 5. A curse had been placed on their line centuries ago that prevented them from ever settling in one place, making them nomads. They specialized in body-jumping, doppelganger magic, and the previously-mentioned magic nullification.

21. The Ascendant (Episode 16). Alaric wasn't just keeping his daughters' Gemini heritage a secret from them, he was also hiding a mystical trinket called the Ascendant in his bookshelf. On The Vampire Diaries, the Ascendant was a magical device that allowed witches to harness a celestial event to create a portal to another world — in this case, the Ascendant Josie found was one she and her sister created as children to it could be used by Bonnie Bennett to imprison Kai Parker in a prison world in the final season of The Vampire Diaries.

[dukeofcaladan]

The son of a Duke change into the life of Duke too soon for Leto. It was something that had drastically changed his life, not to mention the event that occurred to cause such a change. It hadn’t been the easiest, and despite the love he had earned from his people, Leto still struggled to make the right calls for everyone. For his home. Leto had learned from the Old Duke and applied what he could, from those lessons to his own ruling. Leto had done everything to make sure that House Atreides had an honorable name. Some did not see it as the greatest house, but he was happy. He was doing his best to make sure that Paul had a better future ruling. Maybe he didn’t mingle with the more grand houses or play their crooked games, but others trusted him.

That meant more than he could say.

Letting her use his first name was something he minded in less formal moments. However, it wasn’t easy to switch how one addressed another. Still, he wanted to make sure that she could. Here more than anywhere else. Duncan and Gurney were even welcome to address him as Leto, however, Gurney stuck with Duke just because.

“It’s a time for all of us to enjoy a more carefree time. I don’t mind the playful antics.” Chuckling, it was good for them to see him in a lighter mood. Not wanting to worry them with the stress that the Duke might carry on his shoulders. His tunic billowed just a little before he took another sip of his tea. Brown eyes scanning over the horizon once more — he could never get over the beautiful seas of Caladan. “Here I thought you were my protector.”

Shaking his head, he never thought she had nagged him, just made sure that he wasn’t forgetting anything that might get missed. The Duke was thankful to have her around, and he wondered if he needed to tell her that, just to let her know he appreciated her. “You don’t nag me. I think you do a good job keeping me from missing things…” He shrugged, remembering a few reports that had got put on the back burner. “Ah, Caladan’s own siren.”

dukeofcaladan​:

-

It had taken him by surprise when she called him Leto. He figured she would continue with calling him ‘My Duke,’ it was more than welcome for her to use his name. It was rare to see Leto in such a state. Normally, people only got to see Duke Leto. They never had gotten to really see Leto. Sometimes, Leto wasn’t even sure after this moment if he wanted to go back to being Duke sometimes. A fisherman had easier choices than what he had daily, but that was a thought for another day. For now, he was going to enjoy the time he and the others needed away from Castle Caladan. Especially Paul.

Leto wanted to hold on to for as long as he could. It was nice to enjoy the quiet of the world around him and letting his own mind grow quiet. Out here, he could be less alert and just enjoy the day as much as he could.

Taking a sip of the tea that she had brought for him, he chuckled at her statement. “Well, it is known that Duncan actively will try to throw me into the water or have some competition. Paul will follow suit. To be honest, I’m glad they sent you. Much calmer…” He spoke as he ran his free hand through his curls. The wind having moved it in front of his eyes.

“Very safe. We’re far from the deep parts of the sea. You might feel something touch your feet, but nothing more. Paul learned how to swim here because it wasn’t so rough. If you’re lucky along the shore, you could find pearls.” Leto spoke before he glanced back at the summer home, just to see if there were some lingering eyes. “Plus Gurney’s singing might scare off the bigger creatures while we’re here.”

It would take a bit of getting used to. On Ecaz she may technically have been related to Archduke Armand, her family’s branch was small and rather distant from his - what little of that remained. That was why she had chosen a warrior’s path rather than a noble one, and why she was not nearly so at ease with first name basis for royalty, or whatever it was the Duke beside her formally attained.

That said, it was easier here. At Castle Caladan his offers that she may do so did not ring hollow, but always bore the reminder of who he was, and where, and Thera found herself stumbling over it no matter how earnest or open he might be. Here, though, in the relative peace, here she could give it a try.

The fabric of her loose cotton trousers fluttered around her legs in the breeze as she shifted, finding best angle to stand so that her hair blew straight back out of the way. “Is that so?” Her next sip from the cup was interrupted by a laugh, looking toward him to see if, just on the off-chance, he was only fooling. “Don’t get between you and Duncan, then, understood.”

Not that she thought it would stop the Swordmaster from throwing her in as well if he got the chance. A smile followed, broken by a mouthful of tea but back right after. “I’m pleased to hear that. After all the nagging I do about work, I owe you some calm now and again.” Another drink, nodding a little at the reassurance, “I’ll definitely take a dip later, then. And Gurney can be the Siren luring us home.”

[confessionsofaloudmouth]

The Half of It; a blog post by Chelbey Trump

Okay, so I kinda fell off the face of the Earth for the past 2 months. I was so dedicated to uploading on here, but then I felt it was disrespectful to post my own work directly after the death of George Floyd. I spent a few weeks educating myself by watching various documentaries and signing a ton of petitions. Of course, that didn’t take up all of my time. I read a lot, got a killer tan, and basically just procstatinated the idea of uploading on here.

But, today I have sparked inspiration! I am going to write about The Half of It, a Netflix original movie, directed by Alice Wu, and starring Leah Lewis. The movie was released on May 1, 2020 and has a 97% rate on Rotten Tomatoes.

Characters:

Ellie Chu; I saw so much of myself in this character, yet felt so much different than her. Like Ellie, I am witty and snarky and, yes, sometimes a bit of a smart aleck. On the other hand, Ellie was much more quiet than I, her family situation was unique, and I have never made money off of writing papers for other students. Ellie was the perfect main character for my favorite genre of a movie. She had the mindset of getting out of the small town, of wanting more from like. To me, she was very similar to Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is my all-time favorite movie. She’s on the outside of everything, looking in, until a sudden move makes her the center of everyone important’s attention. I was worried she would live up to the generic, slightly rude Asian stereotype that so many movies choose to enhance. However, while her heritage played an important role in the relationship she had with her father, it didn’t take up the entire storyline. Yes, it painted realistic obstacles of being made fun of in high school and being different in the whitewashed small-town. Yet, again, it wasn’t all about how she was different because of her race. I think it’s important movies do that in order to highlight the struggle of POC in America, however, I think we’re all sick of POC main characters only getting a storyline that stems out of their race. Moving on, I loved Ellie. Her character arch was so delightful to witness: We watch her literally come of age, accept her sexuality and embrace the love she feels for someone else. I love seeing women become confident and happy with what they already have in themselves.

Paul Munsky; I think you all know I’m about to say he is the cutest character ever. Like, ever, in the history of...ever. Another storyline we always get is the POC sidekick best friend who provides the humor and never gets a deeper connection with the audience. However, Paul was a straight, white man and the story didn’t revolve around him! How delightful. Paul had his own subplot which I think balanced well with Ellie’s. I believe that it was testament to the whole, “You never know what someone’s going through.” It also provided the support reflected from Ellie that extended from just writing letters for Paul. His sausage storyline is super cute and it compliments well with his football player demeanor: He has poor communication skills, and he only knows how to make sausage because he helps work for the family business. However, hes bored with that life, so, as hes trying to literally spice up the sausage, he wants Ellie to spice his life up with a love letter to Astrid. In the end, Ellie helps him learn to be more of an individual than just another football player. I don’t the fact that he ended up falling for Ellie, however, I can see why he did. She was a light in his boring darkness, saved him from carbon copies. She saw the very best in him. How could you not fall for someone who helps you love yourself?

Aster Flores; I love, love, love, love, love Aster. She was the perfect mixture of girl-next-door turned art-nerd-you-never-expected. She wasn’t the weird, quirky, “I’m not like other girls,” stereotype. She sacrificed her personality for the sake of pleasing other people. She kept her own feelings, sexuality, inside in order to satisfy the people who looked to her for guidance, which was, conveniently, popular blondes and her own ‘boyfriend.’ Her dynamic with Ellie was beautifully tragic. I wanted them to fall in love so badly, yet I was perfectly okay with them simply being best friend. Yet, i guess, in a way, aren’t those sometimes the same thing? A best friend and a lover? Maybe Ellie was wrong in saying there was no perfect person for everyone... Overall, i want to see more of Aster. She didn’t really step out of her cocoon until the movie was ending. I want to see her in art school, flourishing both in grades and, ya know, sexuality. She told Ellie she had to find herself, and I want to see that happen. Sequel title: The Whole Thing. Idk, to me, that’s perfect.

Honorable Mentions; Mrs. Geselschap was on-point for the common, small-town English teacher. I always form deep connections to my English teacher, for obvious reasons, and I felt that connection with this character. Trig Carson was annoying and I hate him. His character was good, yeah, it paid omen to the gross, rude, homophobic, racist, jocks that attend every American public high school. That’s why I hate him... Mr. Chu was deeply symbolic for Ellie, but also just a comedic relief for the audience. The moments he was asleep, or talking during the movies, I saw the lovely dynamic of a broken, yet still close family that doesn’t really get displayed on television. Its possible to be missing a parent and still be a well-functioning citizen. Finally, Mr. Chu made me cry a lot at the end, so he gets extra brownie points.

Settings:

I was reminded so much of my little hometown, with the football games being the biggest moment of every fall, the cornfields stretching far and wide, and the usual, broken-down pickup trucks. I loved the detail of Ellie’s father operating the train system, which Ellie ultimately took over for him. That small detail was symbolic for Ellie, showing her that there was a way out and that she didn’t have to settle in Squahamish just because of her dad. In the end, the trains she directed ended up taking her out of town. The small-town aspect also let us feel closer and more deeply connected to the characters. They were exactly like every teenager around them, but tiny little aspects which made them unique- their love for art, their sexuality- made them stand out and gave their story more prevalence and relevance. All good coming of age movies rely on a geographically convenient setting, and this one worked very well.

Plot Lines:

Ellie vs. Other Students; Ellie didn’t care when they made fun of her. She wasn’t afraid of their bullying or even offended by it. She simply turned her cheek and literally helped them all by writing their papers for real cheap. She outshined all of the other students with her educational and musical abilities, yet she never once stood up to them or let that light do it’s thing. She stayed behind the line, opting to play her piano at the talent show. However, when those bullies broke the piano to embarrass her, Paul swooped in with a guitar and forced her to do her thing. Without even wanting to, Ellie showed them all up. She needed to do this, to cross the line without a big, grand gesture to fully become herself. Additionally, I loved that Ellie wasn’t even hateful towards Paul, who was seeking after the girl Ellie was in love with. She stuck to her devices, never wanting to hurt others or outsmart them by actually trying. It made who she ended up being a complete shock, yet it was comfortable, because they sneakily morphed her throughout the movie.

Family Dynamic; Paul was expected to stay small-minded by his own family. They didn’t care if he went above and beyond because they never pushed him to even do so. Paul wasn’t encouraged to do that well in school or social settings. He had a fate, which would be taking over the family business. Maybe that is what he ends up doing, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Ellie’s dynamic was similar, however, with her mother dead, she ultimately took over the paternal position while still a high school student. I felt angry with her father for not being strong enough to be a proper father- and, yes, mother- figure for Ellie. In the end, he found his way again. I liked, though, that Ellie was able to go on without her mother there. Her mother meant a lot to her, but her world didn’t fall apart without her. She carried her sadness as motivation to make her mother proud.

Homophobia; I know I was not the only one shocked by Paul’s declaration that Ellie was going to hell when she admitted to him that she was gay. I think this was obviously upsetting, but it was a true testament to a small-town, driven and united by religion. It showed that, though Ellie knew Paul well and they were really good friends, Paul’s religious ‘morals’ were beyond any relationship he might had formed. In the end, I was happy that he accepted her for who was she was. Homophobia is not excused by any god, including my own. It is with love that we begin to truly wash out sin and Paul was able to understand that. I felt sad that Aster was driven into the closet somewhat by the unspoken homophobia obviously laying in wait in the town. However, I do understand that she also didn’t want to come out because she didn’t really know herself, either. There was a nice balance of reality and self-assurance here.

Quote Corner:

“Love is being willing to ruin your good perfect for the chance at a great one.” (The entire scene where Aster and Ellie exchange paintings on the side of a building added 3 years to my lifespan, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m serious, I’ll cry.)

“How you could live in an ocean of her thoughts.”

“I’m like a lot of people which kind of makes me no one.”

B-Sides:

These were the songs which touched my music soul the most;

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Literally the only reason I took off .25 points is because this wasn’t one of those movies I could watch again and again. Of course, I’m going to watch at least five more times within the next year. However, I only know 2 movies I can watch again and again: Tangled and Bohemian Rhapsody. Even then, I get bored after awhile. This movie was in my favorite genre and it satisfied every single detail required to successfully tackle that specific trope. It wasn’t cringey, though movies in this genre tend to be, and the characters were spot on without being annoyingly so. I want to see more of all of them and I’m hoping Netflix would consider a sequel. We shall see, friends.

Next time I decide to actually put effort into something other than a book or swimming, I want to discuss a classic: Mystic Pizza.

In the meantime, here is a Google Doc containing various petition links: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj7wKips77qAhXYlnIEHZiuCBsQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fu%2F0%2Fd%2F1wtawPIxNuYuYlPTIBMxPe6jmaMSN7aH0pJO5x7cy4nc%2Fmobilebasic&usg=AOvVaw3MAVKPgC70UwkdV2rH2PlN

[solatgif]

TGIF: ROUNDUP FOR MARCH 20, 2020

With all the excitement going on, I almost forgot to mention our 1-year anniversary of this TGIF column! After many churches held their first live-streamed worship service and an entire week of social distancing, I am even more thankful to connect with you here at SOLA Network.

We continue to publish devotions written by women about The Women Jesus Loved in honor of International Women's Day (March 8th), Women’s History Month in the United States, and the Lenten season. Current contributors include Hannah Chao, Heidi Tai, Tia Kim, and Grace Lung.

On the latest episode of our SOLA Network podcast, I spoke with FCBC Walnut’s Pastor Hanley Liu. We talk about how our church is responding to COVID-19, how Christians should think about it, and what we can do to plan and prepare. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Podcasts. Send me your questions on Twitter or Instagram.

ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB

1. Heidi Tai: Too Privileged to Panic?

A confession and call to consider the weak in a pandemic.

2. Mark Collins: Pastoring Amid Pandemic: Counsel from a Pastor in China

Writing for 9Marks, Mark Collins, a pastor and church planter who has been ministering in Asia for 18 years, is praying for an awakening in China.

3. Thomas Hwang: Why I'm Thankful to be Connected to a Local Church in a Time Like This

Writing on his personal blog, Thomas Hwang shares 3 thanksgivings as well as 3 personal burdens for the local church during our ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

4. Moses Y. Lee: What the Early Church Can Teach Us About the Coronavirus

Plagues, epidemics, and mass hysteria is nothing new for the Church. The Christian response to the Coronavirus is love and trust in God with joy.

BOOKS, PODCASTS, MUSIC, AND MORE

1. SOLA Network Podcast: COVID-19 with Pastor Hanley Liu

We talk about how our church is responding to COVID-19, how Christians should think about it, and what we can do to plan and prepare. We hope it encourages you as we navigate this together in our local churches. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Podcasts.

2. Spotify: TGIF Playlist

Featuring the songs Great is Thy Faithfulness, Christ is Mine Forevermore, Before the Throne of God Above, and more.

3. Aaron Lee: Book Reviews

A Holy Pursuit by Dianne Jago, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ by Thomas Schreiner, Journeys of the Apostle Paul edited by David Bomar, Ever in Thy Sight by Abraham Kuyper, Born Again: The Evangelical Theology of Conversion in John Wesley and George Whitefield by Sean McGever, and the ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions from Crossway.

FEATURED THIS WEEK ON SOLA NETWORK

1. Hannah Chao: COVID-19 Stress Disorder and How Jesus Loved Martha

“I’ve gotten shorter with my kids (who are now home with me every day), I get distracted more easily, and I sometimes have a pit in my stomach that won’t go away, even after a big dinner. I think I have COVID-19 stress disorder. And I think the world does too.”

2. Min Lee: Making Disciples in Children’s Ministry Amid COVID-19

“But when the church is closed, how do we give them Jesus? How can we replicate what kids experience at church, right in their own home? What would be the best way to not only share a Bible story, but provide discipleship with the same small group teacher they see week to week? What can we do to communicate to parents that our vision is still, “A church for kids to call home” and that we absolutely love the kids?”

3. Heidi Wong: How COVID-19 Exposes Us

“This virus has exposed what my “givens” are. The things I had felt entitled to with no basis. It has made me reflect and consider what is truly necessary versus what I think I need.”

4. Heidi Tai: Bleeding and Bankrupt: A Story of Faith

“In many ways, women’s health is still a taboo and foreign topic. How do you explain an invisible battle? How do you answer the hundredth person who asks when you’re finally going to have a baby? How do you grieve an intangible loss? For months, I felt like I was stuck in a pit of grief and guilt, until one day, the Bleeding Woman showed up to pull me back into the light.”

5. TGIF: Roundup for March 13, 2020

In case you missed it: Taking Church Online in a Coronavirus Age, Believers in East Asia Grow in Faith During Coronavirus Outbreak, and The ‘Sir’ Unlike no Other.

[patricksilvrrozartistry]

Current Music Obsessions: September 16 - 30, 2017

It's that time again! I know I'm a bit late on posting this, but I've been a bit all over the place these past few days. Anyways, let's see those honorable mentions.

Fleurie - Breathe Moonsoul - Imazighen Theatre of Tragedy - ...a Distance There is... Woodkid - Ghost Lights Teramaze - An Ordinary Dream The Wise Man's Fear - Codex Elephants in Paradise - Breaking Bad Secret Rule - Twin Flames fear. Henning Basse (MaYaN) Alkaloid - Cthulhu Taylor Swift - Ready for It? Immanuel Casto - Da Grande Sarai Frocio Monuments - Origin of Escape Gabbie Hanna - Out Loud Qveen Herby - Love Myself Flora Cash - Roses on Your Dress Yoko Kanno - Waratteta Manntra - Ne Lazi Samael - Black Supremacy Sons of Apollo - Signs of the Time House of Fury - Gypsy Lies feat. Kata Solopuro Gravity - Noir Kingfisher Sky - To Turn the Tables Dark Sarah - Cliffhanger Persona - The Seeress of Triumph

And here are the main obsessions. Once again, their are quite a few this session.

1) Avatarium - Medusa Child

This is such a great classic doom track. Out of all the singles for their new album, this has to be my favorite. The overall vibe of the song is so great and I always love songs that are centered around/inspired by mythology.

2) Ursine Vulpine - Do You Realize

I gave this song a listen after hearing their cover of Wicked Game featuring Anacca and fell in love. I love the fusion of experimental pop with cinematic orchestrations for this track. It's so gorgeous and dramatic.

3) Tori Amos - Cruel (live)

I discovered this song and artist through a friend on IG and immediately got intrigued. I feel so out of the loop that I just now discovered this woman. This song has a bit of a 90's styled industrial vibe mixed in with a subtle amount classical. I'm definitely am gonna check out more from her

4) The Eden House - Words and Deeds (live)

I discovered these guys not too long ago and have been loving everything I've been hearing from them. This song is just so lovely. I love it when bands mix darkwave with metal. The songs always turn out so gorgeous, just like this one here.

5) Sanctorium - Kaleidoscope

This song is so pretty and the video is absolutely beautiful. Dariya's voice has improved so much since their previous release. I can't wait to listen to the new album, because this song is so good. It's got me so hyped for it.

6) Gone in April - As Hope Welcomes Death

This was the first song I ever heard by these guys and they dropped this cool video for it recently and rekindled my love for it. Melodic symphonic metal at its finest. Their front woman has such a lovely voice and she looks so good in this video.

7) Vuur - My Champion ~ Berlin

I am so excited to finally be able to hear their debut album, because I am LOVING everything I'm hearing so far. This song is so lovely and fun. You can really hear the influences that Devin Townsend has had on Anekke after all the years of them working together with this song. Can't wait to hear more.

8) Lana Del Rey - 13 Beaches

This is my favorite song off Lust for Life. It's so gorgeous and haunting. This song really stands out to me when compared to all her other songs. For so long, Body Electric was my favorite by her, but I'm starting to think this song is taking its place. It's just so good.

9) Lightless Moor - Qualcosa Vive Attraverso

I rekindled my love for this song thanks to the bridge getting stuck in my head. This song is absolutely beautiful and is so reminiscent of the gothic metal bands that came from Norway during the 90's. It's not my favorite off Hymn for the Fallen, but it's still damn beautiful and great to jam to.

10) The Birthday Massacre - Superstition

Another song I rekindled my love for. This song is so peaceful and great to chill to. I love their more atmospheric songs. They always turn out the best to me and are always so pretty. I really need to get caught up on their music though, I am so far behind on their releases.

11) Seas on the Moon - Promise feat. Lena Scissorhands (Infected Rain)

This song is so cool. I never thought I would hear Lena sing in a song like this before. It has a proggy vibe to it similar to what you'd hear from a symphonic metal band and it's so good. I'm definitely am gonna check out more from this band now.

12) Adagio - Subrahmanya

After hearing the two other songs from this album of theirs, I decided to check this one out when it popped up in my recommended videos. I'm so glad I did, because it's some epic progressive power symphonic-ish metal. It's such a great song to jam out to and put on blast because of how wild it is. I am so looking forward to listening to their new album.

13) A Sense of Gravity - Echo Chasers

I discovered this song through a compilation video one day and had to check it out. I was not expecting to hear their front man scream the way he does for it being a djenty progressive metal band. I'm definitely am gonna check out more from them, because this is awesome on so many levels.

14) Caedeous - The Rise of Marion

I discovered these guys through Facebook one day. This is some of the creepiest symphonic black metal that I've ever heard. It's so pretty, but so fucking creepy and slightly unnerving that it's amazing. I'm so looking forward to when they release their debut album, because I've never heard anything like this before and need more.

15) Persefone - Living Waves feat. Paul Masvidal

Another rekindled love. I remember being really obsessed with this when I first heard it, but after it popped into my head one day, I got obsessed all over again. The lyrics are so interesting and the song itself is wonderful and so pretty. I really need to hear their new album.

16) Kein Zuruck - Hjertesorga

I randomly discovered this song on YT one day and am so glad I checked it out, because their front woman has such an epic and powerful voice. This song is so gorgeous, powerful and dramatic, and we all know that the more dramatic a song is that the more I love it. She looks absolutely stunning in this video and I definitely need to listen to more from them.

17) Evanescence - Imperfection

I don't know if this is a new song they wrote for Synthesis or not, but it's absolutely wonderful. I am so hyped for this album and this song isn't helping me calm down. It's so wonderful and fun to just jam to.

18) The Dark Element - The Dark Element

Anette Olzon is back in the metal scene! I am so excited to see where this project goes, because I have been missing Anette in the metal scene. This is such a great power metal track and can't wait for their debut album to drop.

19) Butcher Babies - Lilith

My slut metal babies dropped a new single and I love it. It's so powerful, heavy, in your face and all around amazing. I love how this track has a bit of a prog vibe to it and that the lyrics are influenced by Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory (she's one of my favorite serial killers). Can't wait to hear more from the upcoming album.

20) Icewind Tales - To the Stars

Discovered this song on YT and became hooked immediately. This is such an epic female fronted power metal band. I mean the cover art is already amazing, and the music is just as good. I'm definitely gonna be checking out more from these guys.

That's it for this month. HOPEFULLY I won't have as long of a list next time. And be sure to keep an eye out for my CMO Summer Favorites video I'll be posting soon!

[revpauljbern]

This week on Tumblr with Author and Web Pastor Paul J. Bern

A Symptom of American Implosion:

Our Broken and Rigged Voting System

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

For a website view, click here :-)

Now that the mid-term elections have come and gone, we the people – the voting electorate – have been reminded once again of two inescapable facts about America's voting system. These two facts have existed for longer than I have been alive, and I can assure you all that 63 years is plenty long enough. The first fact I'd like to state is that nearly half the country simply never makes it to the polls. In spite of the fact that there was record voter turnout for a mid-term election this time around – and that's always a good thing – still in all, only 61% of eligible voters cast ballots. Thirty-nine percent of eligible voters either didn't bother, or couldn't.

First, let me give an honorable mention to those who couldn't vote because they had to work. The vast majority of these individuals would have voted if they could, but their employment kept them from doing so. That's the nicest way I can think of to put that at the moment, but let's be realistic. The reason these workers can't take time off to go and vote is because they'd lose their jobs, or, because they make so little money as it is that losing as little as one hour's pay is more than they can bear. That, my dear readers, is an economic barrier to voting imposed on the masses by the wealthy business owners, most of whom tend to vote conservative. Working class folks, by and large, are independent or 'blue' voters who vote for 'blue' or progressive candidates. What better way for the wealthy to keep their congressional reps in Washington than to keep their employees from voting for the opposition?

On the other hand, we have those voters, the rest of the 39%, who simply don't bother. They think their vote doesn't matter, that it won't make any difference as far as fixing a broken government is concerned. So they either stay at home and play games on their computers or gaming consoles, hang out with friends and family, and a few just sit home and party all night long. I guess they must think their stupid games and their equally stupid buddies are more important than the broken world that everyone should be devoting all our time to fixing. I guess they must think it feels better to get drunk and stoned than it does to be a part of the solution, to be a part of humanity that's on the rise instead of settling for being victims of their circumstances. America is a country that's in serious trouble from a number of standpoints, and people who won't help fix America's problems make themselves little more than dead weight to the rest of us who really care. People who don't care leave holes in time.

The second fact of life that America must reconcile herself with is our election system is being gamed by the candidates on both sides, and there are many candidates who cheat and get away with it. This is nothing new – stories like this have circulated for as long as I've been alive. It is now an established fact, for example, that Bernie Sanders got cheated out of the Democratic nomination back in 2016. The local elections can be even worse. Here in Atlanta where I live, we had a case back in 2004 where a man who got elected sheriff of DeKalb county, Georgia was assassinated by a hit man hired by the opposing candidate. The loser of that election got life without parole. And just days ago, again here in Georgia, Democrat Stacy Abrams lost the governor's race to Brian Kemp, Georgia's Republican Secretary of State who waited until after the election to resign his post. That's because the Secretary of State is responsible for Georgia's elections. So Brian Kemp used his position as Georgia Secretary of State to ensure his election to the governor's mansion. Nicely done, Governor Kemp, way to shoe-horn your way into the top job in the state! Bravo (not).

To call this disheartening simply doesn't do it justice. Brian Kemp's former opponent, Stacy Abrams, has called off her campaign, but understandably refuses to concede. Accusing the governor-elect of cheating his way into office, Abrams has vowed to file a federal lawsuit charging “gross mismanagement of the entire election”. The apostle Paul wrote about circumstances similar to this during his own time. “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means that you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God?....” (1st Corinthians 6: 7-9) In this instance, Paul wrote about lawsuits among believers, but the same logic still applies. Why not rather be the loser than to cheat and win? Why not rather be defeated in the eyes of men and women while being victorious in the presence of the Lord?

But cheating during the elections is exactly what's been going on in America for at least the last six decades or more, and the Georgia governor's race is only the latest example. If our elections are broken, the people no longer have a voice. That's the ugly truth facing Americans today. The voice of the people is being silenced, and I offer the following excerpt from Yahoo Money News, Saturday November 17th, 2018 as proof: “Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) appeared to endorse voter suppression during a campaign stop this month, saying efforts to undermine voting among liberals at certain colleges would be a “great idea.” “And then they remind me that there’s a lot of liberal folks in those other schools who maybe we don’t want to vote,” Hyde-Smith can be heard telling a small crowd of young people outside her campaign bus in a video taken Nov. 3 and posted on online Thursday. “Maybe we want to make it just a little more difficult. And I think that’s a great idea.” Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the Senate in April following the retirement of Thad Cochran, faces Democrat Mike Espy in a Nov. 27 runoff election. The Trump-backed Republican also came under fire last weekend for apparent racist remarks, joking with a crowd about attending a public hanging.....”

If recently-elected, or appointed, public officials are saying things like this, it makes me wonder what those who are well-established might be saying among themselves. With talk like I just documented above, there's no telling what's being said, but you can be sure it's contemptuous of working people. That's us. Because of this, the American people have a big problem on their hands. They are no longer in control of their country. The government has been in the hands of the Shadow Government, a.k.a. the Deep State, ever since the assassination of president Kennedy back in 1963. I was 8 years old when Kennedy was killed, and I still remember his assassination quite clearly even to this day. It was as traumatic back then as 9/11 was when it occurred. And the country hasn't been the same since.

We have got to figure out a way to take our country back from these Deep State operators. The prophet Zechariah mentioned this in his prophecy for Judah, one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel. “The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like a sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd. My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.” (Zechariah 10: 2-3) Those words were written nearly 2,600 years ago. Today, the 'lost tribes of Israel' are generally viewed by many theologians as the United States, which has the world's largest population of Jewish people. So these words can be just as easily applied to the USA today as they were to the ancient Kingdom of Israel back in Zechariah's day.

“The idols speak deceit” could be considered our televisions and computers (and let's not forget all those phones), and “diviners that see visions that lie”, could be all the phony preachers and bogus televangelists who preach the Word of God for profit. We also are stuck with a crop of leaders who lead for profit, putting their own self interests ahead of the country, as well as their own constituents. “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock....” I warn you all solemnly as I have before, the United States of America is coming under judgment. The outrageous mistreatment of America's citizens by our leadership in politics, business and the clergy has infuriated Almighty God. The cries of those who just barely live from paycheck to paycheck have reached his ears, and He has, I am certain, much compassion for his people who work so diligently for so little. This situation cannot continue indefinitely. At some point, something's got to give. The only question remains, will our country survive what's coming? It won't take very long to find out. Pray for America!