#how I wish we'd have gotten that on screen

[viscountess-sharma]

This reminds me so much of that bee scene in TVWLM

[ssaalexblake]

Forever thankful that Yaz's character arc, evident from her very first scenes, was sacrosanct the whole way through the era.

[nabaath-areng]

Hive 2 done, going to have to deal with hive 1 tomorrow cause it gets dark so early now and it's impossible to work with.

Poor babies didn't have much food and so they practically dove into their first batch of winter fodder before we'd even poured it all in and closed the lid. You could hear them all buzzing at the very top as we left, no doubt munching away already.

We also found a mouse underneath the hives, which means its probably moved into one of them and that that was what the fox earlier tried to reach when it dug by the gate. Mice can live alongside the bees in the hives during the winter because it's warm and they like wax, which is the cutest thing ever if you ask me.

Hive 2 were worked up but by no means aggressive like hive 3 was last time. I wish I'd gotten the opportunity to film, but my sibling has a go-pro laying around that I hope to borrow this next spring for the future, cause I would love to be able to share the progress without having to pause everything to fish up my phone, tap the screen and make it all sticky, try to not get bees into my pocket... you get the picture.

There's definitely going to be less honey compared to last year from this harvest, but unlike last year we also had to harvest in the beginning of the summer too with how productive they were, so overall it will likely be much more. Once we get to slinging, measuring the water contents, carving out the wax etc I'll take photos and share here! Fortunately there's no time limit to that, so won't have to stress.

EDIT: I meant hive 1 tomorrow I keep mixing them up since hive 3 was divided from 1 and numbers in english for some reason is not my strength LMAO

[aihoshiino]

It was obvious Ai loved him…but seeing it said on screen still makes it tragic…i almost felt i had a lump in my stomach Hikaru could've been alright if they just had a happy family together but no 😭😭 with the dvd now revealed, do you think Ai would've gotten back together with Hikaru if she knew that "I can't love you" was a lie? Even as a family i feel like that's a possibility now

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, ngl… now we have the full context of the HKAI breakup and a better overall understanding of their r/s dynamic, I've actually been thinking about their first on-scree conversation in episode/volume 1 - where Ai speaks to him on the payphone. I'd always kind of zeroed in on it as important because it was the one and only time pre-flashback that we'd gotten an actual exchange between the two of them, one sided as it was. And I was especially always really curious about the "No, I'm not trying to get back together" line because it implies A Lot even when we just hear Ai's words.

And now that we know that the HKAI relationship was 1) so unhealthily codependent that Earth's Most Autistic Creature, Ai Hoshino noticed and went mmm i gotta get the fuck outta here 2) ended by Ai herself and 3) Hikaru met that breakup attempt with LET'S GET MARRIED I think it makes it clear that the moment Ai reached out to him he immediately leapt to thinking there was a chance of them getting back together, probably out of pure wishful thinking. And Ai, realizing that he hadn't moved on or been able to grow past her, had to gently but firmly turn him down. And keeping in with that theme of miscommunication tragedies, they were probably both having a VERY different conversation:

What Ai meant: "[I know I'd just be a burden to you, especially with the twins and I don't want to put that weight back on you so] I'm not trying to get back together." What Hikaru heard: "[You're a burden and I can't bear the weight of putting up with you so of course] I'm not trying to get back together."

Minor sidebar, but Takahashi actually highlights that moment in particular during her interview in First Report, the anime guidebook (I promise I'll get it translated soon… I promise…!!!), noting that Akasaka actually gave her the full details as to the HKAI dynamic so she knew how to properly convey Ai's feelings for him at that moment (then noted that as a fan of the original manga she has very mixed feelings about getting spoilers… bless her LOL). So Ai's vocal delivery in that scene can also be considered a pretty big clue…

ANYWAY UH. My point is that I don't think they'd ever get back together unless Hikaru got his shit together and was more stable & less prone to clinging onto Ai at the first opening. She herself even says that they broke up because his obsession with her was consuming him and she wanted him to be able to stand on his own without her, because she thought that was better for him. It's possible that him and Ai being in each other's lives vis-a-vis the twins and Ai being more able to set boundaries (in hindsight, her turning him down is actually really good progress for her!) he could've developed a more healthy relationship with her, but his fixation on her then and in the present day is so all consuming I guess it's hard for me to imagine.

[manicpixieyandere]

A Show For The Witches!!!

Agatha All Along

OH MY GOD WE REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT?! Agatha All Along, a show that actually honors IRL witchcraft while still maintaining its Hollywoodness in good faith that also is for the girls and gays???

Still cannot believe Marvel actually followed through and didn't shy away from showing any intimacy between Agatha and Rio??? Not to mention Billy also has a same sex kiss! (Thought we'd love to have seen Agatha and Rio in the cottage raising Nicky, it also makes sense narratively what they did with Nicky).

Like yes obviously the witches have unrealistic flashy powers, but they still do tarot and magic with intent. It was fucking awesome and obvious they did their research! In an interview Kathryn Hahn even said she talked to a real witch. There always needs to be something to be able translate something into the medium. Film and TV is a visual medium and thus you need spectacle. The MCU has done this before with having Marc and Steven from Moon Knight talking in reflections. Dissociative disorders don't usually work like that, but it works well for television and it was clear they did their research in all the other aspects.

Honestly the MCU has gotten better with representation and we couldn't be happier. Hawkeye and Echo showed physical disabilities, Moon Knight was about neurodivergence, and there are many more heroes who aren't white (ex: Black Panther, Shang-Chi) and aren't all men (The Marvels). Probably many more we are forgetting at the moment. Hell things are so good it'd be a bit too long to mention them all!

And that isn't to say representation is what makes the show good. You can have a diverse cast and still a shit show. But Agatha All Along was actually GOOD! What was the difference? It was structured like a TV show. All the Marvel shows so far have felt like split up movies with an overarching plot. It works sure, but it doesn't feel like TV and can be a bit much to take in. But Agatha All Along uses its format to its advantage, having each trial be an episode is so simple and yet genius. It feels fresh in the new landscape of movie budget limited series. Not to mention the show used its motif of "The Witches Road" to create the whole story. Every twist and turn goes back to that song and yet it was still surprising and exciting. It's a lesson on how even seemingly simple ideas can be the best. Not everything must be grand.

The best episodes were 7 and 9. 7 was very creative with how time was out of order from Lilia's perspective. Lilia's death was also a perfect moment for her character and it was quite beautiful to watch. The creators also said all the characters (besides Agatha probably) will stay dead. That's a decision we can respect. The MCU can sometimes feel low stakes with all the resurrection. Episode 9 was also amazing! The way the story comes full circle, the heart of it being Nicky brings many tears to the eyes.

We just wish we saw a bit more of the Agatha / Rio moments. Not everything needs to be shown on screen of course, but a bit more would have been nice. Even just Rio watching from the distance as Agatha kills each coven. But still, top tier stuff!

Honestly sorry to Moon Knight, but I think this is our new favorite of the Marvel shows so far! We had fallen out of love with the MCU over the years, only tuning into the ones we really cared about, but this restored our hope in the series. Hopefully Agatha will come back like she does in the comics and then is with Rio for the rest of eternity because lord knows Death needs it. She's a bratty bottom at heart.

[bucktommyscones]

saw @typicalopposite-blog (I think) start this so I thought I'd pass it to you

20 Questions For Fic Writers

I'm doing it like this btw because I can't type all that so what's your answers Sarah?

How many works do you have an AO3?

88

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

298,501. oof.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just 9-1-1.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Oooh. This was fun to look at. I haven't checked in a while.

Off the Deep End-1693

Just a Little Something- 1523

If Love is Fire, Then I'll Burn for You-1227

Call Me By My Name-1159

A Little Like Lightning-955

5. Do you respond to comments? Why? Why not?

I try to, but oftentimes, I just get busy and don't get the chance. I treasure each and every one.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh god. It doesn't exist anymore, but I wrote an Alias fic in my teens that had a main character death. It was probably awful.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Lol, I'm such a sucker for fluff nowadays that they all have happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really. I get some comments that are like "I wish this had happened instead" or something but I don't really see those as hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've only just started branching out into writing smut with my bucktommy fics. I think I'm getting better at it.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written?

I've never written a crossover, but it might be fun to try one day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I've ever seen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

When I wrote for House, a bunch of us wrote these little...well, we called them chain fics. But we'd each write a small paragraph or a few sentences and then the next person would pick it up. That's probably the closest I've ever gotten to writing a fic with someone.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Oooh, I think it has to be bucktommy. Like, getting to see a gorgeous queer couple becoming canon on my actual tv screen? amazing.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I started a magical au that I'm stuck on. It's sort of new for me and I'm not sure when/if I'll go back to it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at banter and dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing smut, for sure. I've been branching out to practice, I guess.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I only know English, I don't really feel comfortable using translators or anything. I wouldn't want to misrepresent a language I don't actually know.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Alias! I was 15/16.

20. Favorite fics you've written?

I really love the In the Name series. Just a Little Something was my first bucktommy fic and it jump started my love of writing for them.

Thank you, @tommy-kinard-buckley!

no pressure tags if anyone else wants to answer: @desert--moonchild, @actuallyitsellie, @tiltingheartand, @talktonytome

[piecesofchess]

If you could, would you change anything about the Armada's backstory or portrayal in the game? If so, what would you change (besides the obvious "give Queen more screentime")

Besides giving Queen her originally-intended screen-time, I also wish we got the initial plans for Book 15+, in which we work with Gazpaccio in Skull Island with assembling a super clockwork to go against Kane (Able). It seems like a better fleshed-out story line to me, rather than the rushed let's-all-go-head-on-with-Kane dungeon we'd gotten. That way, we'd still be racing alongside him to get to El Dorado, and have our final confrontation there, which fits things better in my opinion

I don't have much qualms with the Armada in the original storyline, I like how we slowly but surely take down each Elite to build to our bigger baddies (Kane and Queen), but the final dungeon added in 2016 and the dismissal of any scenes with Queen just makes it feel like all that buildup wasn't for much. (And this is disregarding what happens in the recent Zig Zag update.)

ALSO ALSO!!! I would put the Queen!Elite in the game somehow. They would've been cool to see in the battle against Kane + the Elite's replacements, for each Queen that makes it across the board, we get a NEW Queen. Each modeled after one of the Elites, which means they would work similar to them but have their own unique moves and powers. As I keep saying, I'd love to see them added in a future update - maybe an Elite that Queen makes and models after the old ones, to bring a new set of 'baddies' we have to take down again. (while bringing in new things and stories with them, of course).

[walker-extended-universe]

Walker Series Finale Review

This one's going to be a little different than my normal reviews. I'm not going to give a full recap and I'll focus more on my reactions, my hopes, and my (very minor) disappointments.

I have a lot of love for this show and it's very hard for me to see it end, but I think the ending we got was very good and I want to focus on those feelings and hopefully spark further conversation with y'all.

So, let's dive into it.

One of the things I want to talk about first is that, while it didn't feel like a Series finale, it was very satisfying. I think Anna and the team made the right choice choosing not to film an alternate "final" ending. I think if we'd gotten a "proper" finale, it would've been an hour of unearned character moments and rushed dynamics. Everything about this episode felt so natural and while I wish we were getting more, I can appreciate the endings we got.

One thing I really appreciated about the ending was how light it was. I feel like everyone got a happy ending (or close enough to one at least) and after this season, that's what we all needed. Abby and Bonham figuring out their retirement goals, Stella looking forward to a more relaxing college experience, Sadie sticking around the Walker-Broussard family..... All of it was perfect. While I don't have much to say on those plots specifically since there wasn't much to them this episode, I think they ended well.

Now, I want to go over the Big Endings we got and do a little gushing.

First, I want to cover Ben and Liam's conclusion. We've seen them take small steps this season with Ben becoming more integrated into the Walker family and Liam letting his guard down more for him. It was a small part of the season (and one where most of the progression happened off screen) but one I enjoyed nonetheless. We finally get to see them take that finale step toward a complete future together with Liam asking Ben to move in together and start looking at houses. It was a very small, quick moment but one that I loved, especially the actual conversation XD I love Liam and his inability to be normal about things and I'm sure "I want you to use normal words" is a phrase we will hear often in the future Walker-Perez household.

Before I dive too deep into the big emotions of the episode, I want to talk about August's character development. The reveal that August had applied for colleges behind everyone's backs and decided against going to the military was a relief for me. And just the statement of "I guess I'm just that disciplined" shows me that he learned he doesn't have to do that to be worthy of love. While I wish we knew more about his exact plans for the future (and how the hell he got the money for the application fee to Harvard without anyone noticing), I'm happy to hear he's not so self-depricating anymore.

Next, I want to talk about Cassie. I've been feeling a lot of feelings about her for the past few episodes since Anna killed Luna off for no reason (by her own admission too -_-). While I'm not a big fan of her becoming James' lieutenant, I had a feeling that's where the story was going and since she can't have a happy personal life, I appreciate that she got to have at least that dream come true. I also really loved how the show portrayed and handled her grief over Luna. She's struggling, especially with her relationship with Cordell, but she has a lot of support around her and she's glad for it. That scene with Cassie and Kelly and Geri on the couch will be living rent free in my heart <3.

One big thing that I appreciated about her arc this episode is that she's not completely 1000% back on her feet. She's still grieving Luna. She's still wondering if she made the right choice to stay in Austin. She's still conflicted over Cordell. But she wants to get better and move on to a brighter future. So, she forgives Cordell. She gracefully takes the promotion. She opens herself up to her close friends. It felt very natural and comforting and it's more than I could've hoped for for the finale. I wish we could've gotten to see her settle into her role and learn to manage all her new expectations and guidelines dynamics, but there's always fanfic <3

Of course, I can't review this episode without talking about Cordell and his journey. We've seen him hit his lowest point this season and his time in the finale was dedicated to trying to fix some of his messes. His conversations with Stella and August really hit a cord with me and I'm so glad we got to have them before the show ended. That and the constant repetition that he really just need to be there for them. He didn't have to be perfect or set aside all his other ambitions; he just couldn't forget about them.

This translates well to his contentions with Geri. He wants to be the kind of man Geri needs, the kind who's there when she needs him and doesn't leave her feeling neglected. But he needed to learn that that also means letting her be there for him. It means that when he starts to spiral down a dark road, he still leaves a trail for her to follow. No more lying and pretending things are Fine just for the sake of it. And he's willing to make those changes, starting by taking a leave of absence and taking the whole family on a well-deserved vacation. It's the start of a new chapter in his life and I wish him the best.

This episode made me emotional in the best way. While I'm sad we won't have any more adventures with the Walker family, I'm satisfied with where their stories are headed. And, with an open ending like that, who knows what we might get in the future?

But those are just my thoughts. What are yours?

[paracosmicparadox]

So I finished FFXV ages ago, but I've been thinking about it lately bc you know, I elaborated the chocobros' story far further than it was meant to go and got way more attached to them than I should have. So here're some things that the game did really well and some of the things it didn't. (you don't have to agree w anything here; I'm not trying to corrupt y'all w my opinions; I just feel like talking)

Let's start with the bad to get it out of the way:

CINDY. I swear to everything holy her character had the potential to be So Cool if she hadn't been so overtly over-sexualized. Like, I'm a woman-liker too and I get it, lady mechanics are hot af, but you know what else is attractive? Safety in the workplace. Cindy's outfit was not something any mechanic would be caught dead wearing. Yeah, it was designed to be sexy, but do you know how many burns she would've accumulated from the hot oil and metal she works with? There's a reason mechanics typically wear clothing zipped up when they're actually working on something. If anything, Cindy's character design just made me uncomfortable. Her character itself? Great. No qualms there. Her design? Please acquire more than two square feet of fabric I'm begging you. I just feel like Cindy deserved to be so much more than fan service.

Luna's brief time on-screen. Yet another potentially incredible and deep female protagonist who got short change from this game. People joke a lot that Luna wasn't at all an important character because the game never really treated her like one. She was MEANT to be important, clearly, but it felt like she existed just for her tearjerking death scene? Like there was SO MUCH overlooked potential to bring her into the storyline as more than Tragic Love Interest In White, and yet?? Idk it frustrated me.

The emotional aspect of the game felt rushed. There were a lot of emotional scenes covered throughout the plotline ranging from King Regis's death to the deal with Prompto at Zegnautus Keep. I feel like the game TRIED to cover them realistically and show the characters' grief, but it didn't quite get there. It was just sort of an "Oh, how sad. I'm so upset and angry. Hm, what's that? My friends believe in me without truly understanding and I can kill someone to ease my pain? Oh okay I'm better now." I get that realistic healing cycles are kinda hard to portray within a set timeframe, but having some lingering effects of the blatant trauma inflicted would've been nice. You don't recover from shit like that in a week's time.

Character personalities tended to be one-sided. Noctis was edgy, Prompto was happy-go-lucky, Gladio was tough-guy, and Ignis was... nevermind, Iggy was great--- HE had some on-screen depth. Personally, I've developed these characters myself far more than what the game gave us, but I wish we'd gotten more canon depth beyond their surface-level traits. I love them with my whole heart and they deserve genuine complexity.

Now the things I actually really enjoyed:

The graphics were on-point. The amount of detail put into character design and into monsters was insane. You could zoom in and see individual textures on skin and hair and feathers, bringing a level of realism to the game that I personally enjoyed.

All of the Latin and Norse mythological references!! As a Latin nerd, I found little gems everywhere in this game. Esp in the names--- (Noctis Lucis Caelum = Of-the-night Sky-of-light (the genitives in there make the literal translation kinda a mouthful ik) Gladiolus Amicitia = Sword-flower Friendship (the gladiolus is an actual flower that gets its name from the Latin word gladius, meaning sword, for its sword-like shape) Ignis Scientia = Fire Knowledge; Prompto Argentum = Ready Silver (the word prompto is actually in the dative (possibly ablative), making the literal translation nonsense, but if they'd made his name Promptus, it would've sounded awkward, so I can see why they picked the dative/ablative form of the adjective for stylistic reasons and I put the rough translation instead)) WOW THAT WAS A LOT OF PARENTHETICAL INFO WHOOPS

Ardyn's character. I'm not saying this bc I'm one of the fans who fawn over him---Ardyn is DEFINITELY NOT MY PREFERRED FLAVOR OF MAN, but character-wise, he made an excellent antagonist. He was witty, slick, and classy in an I'm-gonna-outstep-you-like-it's-hopscotch sorta way. He was a poetic villain done well, which made him an antagonist you could both sympathize for and absolutely detest given the situation. He was both the master manipulator and the pawn one space away from the edge of the board. He can sway a crowd, but you know deep in your gut just by the cunning greed in his eyes that You Cannot Trust The Man. He was definitely Not a good person (tragic backstory isn't an excuse), but he was a good villain.

I loved the bond between the chocobros?? This is probably bc I'm a sucker for the found family trope, but their interactions were so amazing to me?? Like, not even the cutscene stuff. Just their little sidebar conversations during fights or while you're walking around or driving the Regalia. They're Roadtrip Buddies™ and I think that's excellent.

THE FOOD. By god, the food in this game looked absolutely scrumptious and I would like to partake. The Daggerquill Soup? Give it to me I'll pay you. The Creamy Crustacean Omelet? Stop it right now I'll eat that so fast it'll be a criminal offense. Like I know I touched on the graphics earlier, but broski I was not kidding. I guess I know why the game took so long to make it to the market bc the detail that went into these recipes is absolutely mouthwatering.

[cosmiclove-heavenstruck]

My Not So Short Ramble About The Bear Season 3

(Spoilers: Ehhh, I did not really like it... I do like this frame though:)

I did kinda not so feel this season of The Bear, but let‘s start with what I liked: The Tina-centric episode was one of the best in my opinion (and directed by Ayo? Let's go, queen). She‘s a lovely character and to see her journey and how she got to The Beef and Mikey was very heartfelt and warming. It was also very nice to see Ebra happy again after he felt so out of place last season. And it‘s always good to have Olivia Coleman on my screen.

There were some fun moments. The Fak brothers are funny (to an extent), Richie and his daughter are super sweet, so there’s that. I like when all these characters clash, when things go wrong, when they scream at each other, when tensions get high and they need to achieve something. A show like this needs this energy.

Unfortunately, there is barely any engery this season.

This season was very slow. Look, I don‘t mind focusing on specific characters and getting to know them, but a whole episode dedicated to Sugar and her mom in the hospital because the baby‘s coming just for it to… not really go anywhere? Yes, some dialogue was really good but we don't leave the hospital room for 90% of the episode and they're just not strong enough to carry that. There wasn't even a big reunion, not even Carmy calling Sugar back, you know since she left pregnant and just didn‘t come back?? She could be in labor in Home Depot isle three, for all you know! Yeah, he‘s stressed and ill and all but that‘s his sister! Did he ever call her? Did he go see his niece? Why the fuck is it Sydney that cooks them food and brings it over and he isn‘t even shown talking to his sister once? (I mean, I know, Sdyney‘s great and she and Natalie are tight so that was sweet of her, but you get my point.) It just makes me so mad. There should have been a breakdown at the restaurant when they noticed! Hello, everybody loves Sugar! You'd be fucked without her. And y'all send her to get paper towels and don't give a flying fuck that she doesn't come back? This could have been a moment of peace between Richie and Carmy. The whole family should've been at the hospital. Instead it's... two Fak brothers. And even if they missed it, why couldn't Carmy go along with Syd to make up for his mistake? His love language is cooking and he and Sugar seemed so close the last two seasons so why never mention their relationship again?

While I mentioned I liked seeing Ebra happy again, I wish we'd gotten more of his character. In the beginning, it felt like they'd just sidelined him because he doesn't fit the high cuisine or whatever. Then he gets some support by some other guys but and yeah, he is happy and I love that, but it feels like the creators just wanted to get him out of the way even though the window business makes the only money in this hell house? He's fucking important to this success so treat him like it!

Montages and aesthetic shots of food cannot fill all the season (well, apparently, they can) because that‘s not storytelling. Yes, I want to see the food, but I don‘t need ten flashbacks and montages and slowmotion shots per episode. Speaking of flashbacks — what is it with Claire? Why are we doing this? Why would Carmy pine after her for months? She is so… bland, watered down — almost like a canvas for people who fancy JAW/Carmy to imagine themselves as Claire. It feels fanfiction-y, right? "You‘re a nurse and went to high school with Carmy but loose track of one another…" The Bear is capable of interesting, real-feeling characters so it‘s sad to see the screentime get wasted for her when all I want to see is what's happening in the restaurant.

What I mean is, this season was slow. Way too slow. There was so much time wasted on nothing that could‘ve been cut. Like the Natalie-goes-into-labor-episode and most of the first one as well, to be honest. The points that were supposed to come across to the viewer — how Carmy becomes this stressed out, shouting, cold chef high on perfectionism fighting with past desicions and getting a star for the restaurant, how that affected the whole staff, how it fucks up Sydney because he becomes so much like his former chef — they could have been better wrapped, a bit quicker paced. Have the funeral of the Ever more mid-season, have the surprise review consequences NOW and not just as flashes so I have to pause the episode to read anything/leave it hanging on a cliffhanger, have Syd fucking explode for once and tell Carmy how it is, how he is turning into the asshole he hates. Make it extra bad by having a conversation between the two earlier in the season on how bad it was for Carmy and not her "learning" about his past at the funeral dinner. Make her leave. Make him regret what he's done, make him feel what he's missing.

Really, I was yelling at Syd to leave through the last few episodes. Leave, get out, work at a different restaurant, find a new environment. Carmy doesn‘t need to have wallow in his feelings for minute on end on how he should apologize to Claire, he should apologize to Sydney and Richie and everyone he‘s stressing out so much. If Sydney only leaves by the end of season 4 I‘ll riot.

I don't even want to say I'm not hoping for anything to happen between Syd and Carmy, like I actively need them to get away from each other as of right now. But! I liked the call-back to the "best meal Sydney's ever had" and that that was the one time Carmy decided to go his own way and not follow the instructions of his chef. Which is why the theme of being haunted could've fit so well with them! It's just a joke in the beginning by the Faks, but then Sydney leaves The Bear and Carmy feels actually haunted by her. Doesn't even have to be romantic. The potential was there.

Some other smaller things: 1. The timing was so hard to tell. They should've worked with different lightnings or make it less confusing, but as it is now, I was constantly questioning myself when this took place. 2. I can't really complain about the casting of so many actual chefs because I just don't recognize them (oops, sorry) but while I liked to see the different dynamics between them and Carmy at least, it feels so rude to all the POC characters in the kitchen working their asses off and not getting any plot lines. 3. Again, again nothing really happens. I said it up there somewhere, if you'd cut the montages and flashbacks and filler stuff, how much plot are you really left with? When I think of all the important points that happened, they should not take ten episodes to show.

This could've been beautiful. But now it's just the bad kind of messy.

[yurisorcerer]

I watch these episodes with a group of friends. All of us are Millennials, somewhere around 30ish give or take a few, and it takes a lot to get a crowd like that to go fully silent for any amount of time during an episode of a kids' anime. Pretty Cure managed it this week, with what is possibly the most affecting episode of any anime that aired in general this past week; given that we're only a few days out from the explosive eighth episode of Girls Band Cry, that's really saying something.

This episode marks Cure Nyammy's formal, confirmed, on-screen debut. Although given that she's still playing the loner card of not wanting Mayu to get hurt, and is thus not presently cooperating with the other two Precure, we can fudge the day by a few weeks depending on how future episodes go. Still, what's been obvious for weeks has now been explicitly confirmed on-screen; Mayu's mysterious protector is none other than her cat Yuki, who is also the coolest, coldest, cuntiest---with apologies to any actual kids reading this---Precure the show has had in years. In fact, I'll go ahead and say we haven't gotten one who serves this hard since at least Cure La Mer, and I might be willing to go several seasons farther back to Kira Kira A La Mode's Cure Macaron, depending. We've had some great Cures since then, but none of them have been this.

More than that, though, this episode is about regrets. Or rather about how Mayu shouldn't have them. At one point, during an otherwise very pleasant and cute day out with her friends, Mayu voices that she wishes she had met Yuki earlier---Mayu literally found Yuki outside in the snow, her namesake, recall---so that the white cat didn't have to spend so many cold nights alone. Yuki, when circumstances and a particularly nasty tiger garugaru force her hand into revealing herself as Cure Nyammy, is not having that. She doesn't want Mayu to apologize, not for anything she did in the past, and not for anything she's doing now. A relevant reassurance, given that Mayu nearly gets herself killed by trying to save a baby duckling in this episode.

Nyammy's henshin sequence deserves a mention, here. This is probably the most eye-popping we've had in a long, long time (to again compare to prior seasons, I think you have to go back to Cure Cosmo to find one this insanely dynamic). She deserves it; the kitty cat Cure subdues the tiger Garugaru easily, leaving cleanup for Wonderful and Friendy. She also tells Mayu to keep being kind, the same sort of kind that led to her taking Yuki in in the first place. There's a fantasy at play, here, the idea that, hopefully, if your pets could talk to you, this is the sort of thing they'd say. We'd all be lucky to be in Mayu's position. We'd be lucky to be in Yuki's, too.

Things end on a tense note, as Yuki tells the other two Precure to stop getting Mayu involved in so many dangerous situations. Things aren't resolved, and any followup on that has to wait for next week, but the lessons learned and emotions felt here are real. No regrets, not even for a second.

[msviolacea]

So! I finished the game!

Spoiler-free tl;dr - I give it a solid 8/10. I have a few quibbles with choices here and there, but overall it's a super fun game that does a nice job of wrapping up a lot of lore that's been tossed at us for 15 years into a satisfying conclusion. The characters are engaging, the gameplay is fun, and the pacing works well. They were never going to be able to give everyone everything they wanted, but they succeeded in giving me a satisfying game, anyway, so I'm very happy.

Some spoilers under the cut! Not a full in-depth review, just some initial thoughts after finishing.

Some of the good, in no particular order:

Solas was the arrogant, maddening trickster god he needed to be. My Rook wanted to punch him square in the face for most of the game, which is exactly how it should be.

The companions! I want to hold everyone against my chest and never let them go! They're all wonderful! I want to kiss every one of them!

... if I can manage to not romance Lucanis every time. Because I love my disaster abomination fantasy Italian mob assassin husband. A lot.

The story themes resonate this week, of all weeks - the idea of powerful people wrecking the world, and the fantasy that a sufficiently motivated group of queer weirdos can be the ones to stop them.

Teia and Viago. I love them still. I seriously just stood there and listened to them poke at each other for long stretches of time.

I did figure out that they were Sixth-Sense-ing Varric pretty early on. But it was very well done, how they structured his involvement and the reveal.

I am honestly pretty impressed with how they tied the Evanuris with the "old gods" with the Titans. There's some stuff they left by the wayside from earlier games, but that was always going to happen. When it comes to the things I personally care about in the lore, they didn't drop anything I am particularly sad to see go.

Isabela! I didn't expect her to have as big a role in the game as she did, and it was wonderful! She's living her best life, running a gang of fortune hunters and also a fighting ring. She deserves it.

The Necropolis and Treviso were easily the highlights of the zone design. With honorable mention to the Rivain coast, where I would like to vacation please.

I am not the expert on this particular item, for obvious reasons, but I think Taash's gender identity story was well done. It was the character story that made me the most genuinely emotional overall, in a good way. (Mostly. See below.)

I have had Evka and Antoine for ... a little over a week (plus their story in Tevinter Nights, which didn't really resonate with me until I met them in game), and if anything happened to them, et cetera et cetera. They are a DELIGHT and I love them so much.

I loved that Davrin's whole personal quest was an in-game retelling of The Last Flight. Very nicely done.

There's more in my head, but that'll be for later after I've sorted my more in depth feelings. But for now, a few of the not-as good things:

The biggest gripe I have with the story: there was literally zero reason to fridge Taash's mom. It did nothing for the overall theme of their character story, and honestly it would have been a more interesting ending to have them coming to a complex but satisfying understanding with their mom about their identity as both non-binary and Rivaini. It was the one and only moment that made me sit there and make a face at the screen. An opportunity seriously missed.

I'm still mulling over my feelings about Solas's ultimate motivation. I think they left a lot between the lines, and I haven't yet decided if that worked for me or not. There are a lot of things to say about the reveal of the Evanuris as spirits originally, and how much they may or may not still have the single-minded focus as the simpler spirits, and I think that plays into it, but ... I'm just not quite sure yet.

As a dwarf enjoyer, I really wish we'd gotten more about Kal Sharok. Come on, don't just give us the "oh yeah, we became like the darkspawn" casually and then leave it there!

That's what I've got tonight. It's late and my brain is still buzzing a mile a minute. Don't be surprised if you see this reblogged with more thoughts tomorrow!

[youbutstupid]

IK Gideon's a bit of a controversial topic when it comes to Spencer but I really wish we'd gotten more 1-on-1 with them while Mandy was still there. A lot of little instances of Gideon guiding Reid happen so naturally and he sort of looks at him like 'That's my freakishly smart boy' - or or or when they're the only two that understand one another when it comes to certain niche topics. I know we get them playing chess, but I think more intense analysis scenes with the two of them firing off each other would've been wild to see because despite how much they revere Spencer's brains I think they under utilise him a lot...like I feel maybe that was done to balance out screen time and on-screen tasks for all characters but if this guy's supposed to be a genius they really don't call on him enough

This is so true. Whilst I do disagree with Gideon letting Reid onto the force, I wish we could’ve explored their dynamic more because even when I disagree with Gideon, I do love him and I loved their relationship.

It’s like when we see this article in 4x07:

We get the tiniest glimpse into how Gideon actually views Reid and it’s with a lot of admiration. It would’ve been so amazing if we would have been able to see that side of him more; to see him explore Reid’s mind and knowledge and get to know it.

And you’re 100% right, a scene where we could’ve seen them use eachother’s knowledge to boost eachother would’ve been so amazing to watch and it’s so upsetting that we didn’t get it

[inafieldofdaisies]

WIP Wednesday | Tagged by @thesingularityseries ❤️

I'm checking in with another snippet from Chapter 2 of John and Sabrina's AU where he goes (or more like tries) to visit his client in prison while she is doing her best to minimize their encounter. Leslie ain't buying it. ❤️

John stared at the endless field in front of him, checking his watch on instinct for probably the millionth time as his driver let out a string of hushed curses while he changed the flat tire the car got somewhere on Interstate 5. An irrational part of him felt like vaulting over the fence that separated the highway from the surrounding land and simply… walking off. Wondered how it would feel to be in the middle of nowhere, in a place where nobody would be around to hear the angry outburst he fought to keep under control. After messing up and texting Sabrina by mistake, he had eventually gotten dressed, dragged himself down to the lobby to report the broken shower in his room and ask for them to arrange a car for him. The man at the reception desk had been less welcoming and helpful than the woman that had checked him in, telling him that he would send someone over to fix the issue without being able to give him an answer as to when. On top of that headache, he had spent the next 30 minutes waiting for his driver to show up in front of the hotel, the delay making him wish he had his own car there so he wasn't at the mercy of others. Thanks to that now even after leaving early to make sure he would have enough time to travel to the State Penitentiary, he was tethering on the edge of being late, stuck halfway across his destination.

"Almost done, sir.", the younger man announced behind him, "We'd be back on the road in a jiffy." A couple of minutes later he finally walked around the car, still dusting off his pants from kneeling down on the ground and signaled for John they were ready to leave. "So…", the man started in an attempt to break the ice as he climbed in the backseat and pointed his gaze out of the window again, "Who are you visiting in OSP?" "I'm not at liberty to talk about that.", John retorted quickly and pulled out his phone, hoping he would appear busy so the man would give up on the small talk. It was for that same reason he hadn't made an effort to even ask about his name. He had no doubt if he was to say he was representing Nathaniel Mooney that the driver would be tempted to abandon him on the side of the road after calling him any awful word available in his dictionary. He avoided the man's curious stare in the rearview mirror, keeping his eyes glued to his phone screen as he opened Sabrina's last message. Don't text her anything else. Don't. It's just going to make everything worse. But his fingers had other ideas, already typing up a text.

John: I'm sorry about earlier.

Minutes passed where the driver whistled along to "Only You" as it played on the radio, and where no answer came through from Sabrina. She's at work, probably busy. Do I even care if she's taken the text meant for Penny the wrong way? I don't. Yes, I don't. Yet the giddiness he felt when his phone finally chirped with a message told him otherwise.

Sabrina: How's your day? Any more criminals posing as drivers?

John: No, but I am meeting with an alleged criminal in a couple of minutes. So, pray, I don't get stabbed.

Sabrina: Now you have me worried… just keep an eye on him and make sure any sharp objects are out of his reach.

John: You're saying I can't show him my collection of knives?

Sabrina: Essentially. And let me know you've made it out alive, I guess.

A smile broke free at her replies and the fact she seemed unbothered by what had happened. They gave him hope he still had a chance. A chance for what? "We're here, sir.", the driver said, making him realize the rest of his drive had passed in a haze, all thanks to her, "Welcome to Salem." John looked his watch, "And on time, thank you." "Of course. I will be waiting to drive you back to Portland." He exited the car after giving him a nod, leaving him to wait in the parking lot as he headed for the entrance of the penitentiary, its pale yellow facade standing out against stark blue of the cloudless sky. John gingerly climbed the U-shaped staircase, promising himself with each step that he would succeed what the other attorneys before him had failed at. He squared his shoulders and pushed past double doors that led inside, his measured footsteps drawing the attention of some of the visitors that were waiting in line for the metal detectors. As one person after another passed through, he shut down the urge to shift in place or worry about the state of his suit. Not how I imagined this would go, exactly. As the detectors kept going off and hindering his progress forward, he reassured himself over and over again that he'd make it in time for the meeting.

"Next.", a male deputy directing the visitors in his line gestured for him to step forward. His briefcase made it on the conveyor belt first, passing through the scanner as he covered the rest of the distance to the walk through metal detector. One step, followed by anothed. Silence. He had almost made it on the other side, or at least his shoe had before the alarm sounded. "I need you to walk back and through the detector again, please.", the officer instructed, and he complied, going through slowly only for the blaring noise to repeat again. "One more time. Slowly.", the man gestured patiently while he let out a tired sigh as he turned on his heel and attempted the walk for the third time. For fuck's sake. He had nothing on him that could potentially set off the detector. "Step forward.", the deputy beckoned, "I need to pat you down. You have the right to refuse-" "I'm a lawyer, I know my rights.", John interjected quickly, then added in a calmer tone, "You have my permission." Refusing a pat down meant he'd be turned down from his visit. The man nodded, "Arms out. Feet apart." He followed the instructions, having been through a couple of in-person meetings with other clients in prison already. The frisk felt like it had lasted an eternity until the deputy finally declared he could gather his things and proceed to the waiting area where other visitors had already taken a seat after checking in about their appointments.

"Next in line.", an older female officer called out for him eventually once he took his place in that line. "Name of AICs?" "Good morning, I have a scheduled meeting with Nathaniel Mooney.", the anticipated look of displeasure appeared in her eyes before his usual charm even had a chance to kick in. "Another one. How long are you gonna last?", she mumbled under her breath as she typed away on the computer in front of her, the remark loud enough only for him to hear. He didn't let the words strip away at the slight smile he had offered her initially, the push-back and borderline loathing were expected with the task of representing defendants like Mooney. Instead of simply gesturing him to take a seat and wait for his name to be called, the deputy sent him a strange look before picking up the phone receiver. "Yes. Mooney. Okay. I will tell him to take a seat." "Is everything in order, Officer Gale?", John asked carefully the second she hung up. A bored look was all he got as response before she slid a visitor badge over to him, then muttered, "Yes. Please take a seat. Next."

John clutched his bag and headed for a vacant seat next to a well-dressed redhead, checking his watch as he sat down and slipped the plastic encased pass over his head. Almost time. A slender, manicured hand appeared from his left, "Can't say I was expecting I would be meeting the man representing Nathaniel Mooney today." He turned, meeting the green gaze of the woman next to him before he grabbed her hand for a handshake. "John Duncan.", the introduction was made in the usual tone reserved for other attorneys and potential clients. Everything about the redhead, including her smile, appeared calculating when she squeezed his hand, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had her sights set on his case and testing the waters, "Candice Donovan." The name gave him a pause, immediately making him think of Sabrina, then he shook off the thought, reminding himself he had to stay focused. It's just a surname. His hand returned to his knee as he leaned back in his chair and trained his eyes forward, feeling her gaze remaining on him still. "Rumor is, the last one ran out of here crying. Poor girl. Not everyone is built for our field of work.", the woman whispered, "Though, I've never had a particular taste for criminal law. So messy… bloody even.", the last part felt loaded, heavy, yet she casually recrossed her legs before letting out a quiet laugh and passing him a business card. Blue eyes darted to the matching badge nestled against her champagne colored silk blouse with a perfectly tied bow close to her neckline, "And yet here you are." "Oh, no, Mr. Duncan,", her voice lowered like she was letting him in on a little secret, "I'm meeting the man on top of this food chain, not one of his subjects."

"Donovan.", an officer called out her name. "And that's my cue. Good luck, darling.", she got up, smoothing down her black skirt before she picked up her bag Hermès bag off the ground next to her chair. Her nude high heels clicked away as she approached the man waiting to escort her, swooping into charming him next. He granted a final look at the business card and slipped it inside his bag. Over the years, he had met enough women like Candice Donovan, had even been blindsided by their charisma and skilled tongues, had made the mistake of getting involved with a couple on a personal level when he was first starting in the field. The type that would frown at "the bloodiness" of law, yet be secretly the first to sense the blood in the water and strike. John spent the next couple of minutes watching the room as visitor's after visitor's name were called, new people taking their vacated seats, Officer Gale warning walk-ins they might be in for a longer wait that day. "Duncan.", a gruff voice broke through the low chatter around him, and he was out of his seat in an instant, straightening his visitor badge on his way to the deputy. The man, wearing a tag that read 'A. Flynn", towered a good few inches over him and gave him a dark stare before muttering, "Follow me."

A black steel bar door buzzed behind him and they were off down a series of white hallways, separated by similar security entryways that got him deeper into the prison. Eventually, the man in front of him came to a stop and gestured to a dark gray door before he swung it open to reveal a small private room, reserved for visits by legal teams, "Take a seat." With that, Officer Flynn left him to get situated and shut the door behind him. John slipped into pulling out all the documents he would need and arranged them in neat piles on the only table in the room. 10 minutes passed, bringing him officially past the reserved time for the meeting with Mooney. The only noise, that would put lesser attorneys on edge as they sat in the tiny sterile space without any windows, was the sound of his watch ticking. Another 15 minutes went by where he started to wonder if something had gone wrong. He set for rearranging the files again, inevitably checking his phone for any messages or calls. Nothing. Rereading Sabrina's last text. A couple of calming breaths. Regretting he had skipped breakfast. No Mooney in sight. 10 more minutes, a terrible sign considering nobody from the personnel had bothered to show their face yet. Something's wrong, indeed.

John rose up, ready to knock on the door and demand an explanation for the delay, when it opened and the same officer that had led him there appeared in the doorway, his large almost frame blocking his view of another man in an uniform. "Counsel, I regret to inform you, the arranged meeting won't be taking place today.", his lips twisted into a dark smirk, no actual regret visible across his features, "Nathaniel Mooney is undisposed." "What is that supposed to mean?", John asked, his eyes narrowing at the man's tone. "I'm meant to escort you out, sir.", the last word was said with complete disdain as Officer Flynn stepped aside and gestured for him to exit the room promptly, "You can schedule a new visit." "You cannot just cancel my client's meeting without any notice." The man crossed his arms over his chest, "Tell that to Mooney, who decided it's a good time to stab an inmate with a fork right before his meeting with his new attorney." "I still think it's inappropriate and violating his rights to deprive him from a consultation with his legal counsel. This is not a family visit you can just deny." "If you have any complaints, you can direct them at Major Sinclair. He's the one that issued the order. All inmates are threated equal here and sanctioned accordingly for not following the rules, Mr. Duncan." "That's-" Just my luck. "Unfortunate for you? Or Mooney?", his tone was bordering on leering as John began to gather his things, "I'm sure the man he put in infirmary, whose eye was almost gouged out thinks the same about himself."

He could only imagine how that would be used by the prosecution at the actual trial, just another testament of his client's violent nature and urges he couldn't control. John straightened his back and picked up his bag, passing by the two officers as he exited the room, and he could tell they were enjoying every second of sending him away without even meeting Mooney. "When exactly did the incident occur?", John inquired while he got sandwiched between the two men on the way back. "If you have any questions, you can set a meeting with Major Sinclair and discuss those.", the younger officer ahead of him, whose name he hadn't had time to observe, grumbled out. It wouldn't have been any surprise if the words were paired with another sly grin. "It was a simple question. You could have called me in advance. Saved me the trip from Portland." "It was a genuine mix-up, sir." "Or karma. Serves you right for representing that bastard.", Flynn mumbled under his breath simultaneously, clearly wanting for John to hear. Hazing. Of course. On the inside, he could feel anger gripping at his chest, looking for an outlet, but he refused to let it out or any of the well-deserved words he wanted to direct their way to be vocalized. He suspected the fork incident had taken place long before that early morning and in reality they must have had time to alert him about the "punishment" bestowed upon his client. Yet nothing of sorts had happened because he in turn was being "punished", too. For doing his job. For accepting the "shitstorm" case. For refusing to cower under their scrutiny and holding his head high. It was bound for this occurance to be just the first one of many. There was a reason, as Candice Donovan reported, that the previous woman representing Mooney had ran out crying, and if past cases were anything to go by, he was willing to bet Nathaniel's nature was only part of the issue. But if people like Officer Flynn or Major Sinclair expected obvious cheap tricks like those would make him withdraw, they were all in for a rude awakening.

John kept his face relaxed as he waited in line yet again, this time to schedule another appointment. His fingers drummed against the surface of the booth in front of him while the woman across typed in his information. "First appointment I can give you is on Monday.", she announced matter-of-factly as his fingers formed a fist. How much he wanted to bang against the glass pane that separated them. To demand to see Mooney right then and there. He did none of that, instead he forced a smile, letting his charm do the work. "M'am, I really need to meet with my client before that. My return flight is in two days." Where the receptionist from the previous night or Penny would have melted at his gentle but still firm tone that reeked of authority, the officer just blinked slowly and said, "There's a 72-hours rule in place, meaning Monday as earliest." "Officer Reece-" "First appointment I can offer you is on Monday, Mr. Duncan.", she repeated before he could even finish his sentence, "Usually you can always come as a walk-in and wait for a slot to open up if there's a cancellation or a no-show, but Nathaniel Mooney has had his visitation rights revoked for 72-hours." "That's ridiculous." "It's the minimum, sir.", Officer Reece explained calmly, "Are you taking the Monday appointment? If not, I'd have to ask to step away while you're considering your options, because there are other people in line behind you." Fuck. He wanted to scream the word out, lose it like he had that morning in the shower. "Yes, Monday it is, then.", he nodded, grateful for his unwavering facade as he took a deep breath. "I'm penciling you in for the afternoon session, 12:15 pm." "Thank you." "Have a great weekend. Next, please.", the woman called in response. Great? The little "mix-up" was going to result him in having to explain to Clive how Mooney had attacked another inmate. To change his flight back to Atlanta, his personal "punishment" Flynn called karma resulting in him having to spend more time in a city that's been nothing but brutal to him from his arrival. Hope his "5 star" hotel had fixed the shower while he was away in Salem and would agree to extend his reservation so he won't have to hunt down for another one. Sure my weekend would be great.

"How is it going?", Leslie muttered as he leaned over Sabrina's shoulder, his attention setting on the footage she had pulled up. She propped up her head on her open palm, "Nothing yet, good news is, though, I'm halfway there." "Chances are even if the camera captured the car, it'd be too dark to make anything out." A sigh broke free when she found her coffee cup empty, "I know. But it's not like we have anything else to go off until we get back the enhanced clip from across the road." "Still, the gas station was a good hunch." It wasn't a "hunch", rather a vision that had led her there, but explaining that in any way that wouldn't make her seem like she had lost her mind, felt impossible, even to Leslie. "Yeah.", she muttered quietly. "How about a break?", Leslie nudged her before walking back to his desk, "We can grab some lunch before the interviews?" "Okay." Just then Oliver walked in with a take-out bag and plopped into his chair with a sign, "Ah, man, I swear I almost fell asleep in line. Damn, if I wouldn't kill for a shower, too." "You could go home, Ollie." The suggestion made him roll his eyes, "Sure, and then hear all about it from Buchanan." Sabrina shook his head, "He won't say anything." "Maybe to the all-stars. Me, on other hand?", he muttered as set on opening his food, "No matter what good old Oliver does… he only complains." "Okay,", Leslie took a look at his watch, "we heading out or what, Rina?" "One second.", she said, taking note of how far along she was before putting her computer into rest mode. By then her partner was already shrugging on his coat. She quickly threw on her jacket as well, then grabbed her bag on the way out. "Have fun, you two.", Oliver called after them as Leslie pulled the door open for her.

"The lawyer…", Parish mumbled the second their waiter had left the table in the small bistro they frequently stopped by for a bite. "My food isn't even here yet." He raised a dark eyebrow, seeing right through the attempt to avoid talking about John for a good few more minutes, "Spill, Rina." "How much did Oliver tell you all really?", she asked slowly. "Told you, he was live texting." "Like what?" She wasn't sure if she actually wanted to know the answer, knowing full well the extend of Oliver's sense of humor and the chaos he loved to cause. "Want to see the messages?" "Not really. Just… are the other guys going to look at me weird?", she was refering for the rest of the Missing Persons team and whoever else they had added to the group chat for the birthday party they had thrown for her months back. "No.", Leslie chuckled, "Now back to the lawyer." "John." "Hm?" "His name is John." A nod, "There we go, a start." "I was headed home, you know, as promised.", her remark got a smile out of him, "Sav would have gone to bed by then…I guess I didn't want to deal with Candice for a couple of extra minutes." "Yeah." Leslie knew the situation pretty well and was among the small group of people that saw through her mother's act.

"I see this well-dressed man in the lobby, staring daggers into unconscious Lenny,", his eyes narrowed at 'well-dressed', but she rushed to wrap up the story, especially seeing how the waiter had emerged from the kitchen and carrying over their meals, "I offered my help, tried to pass him onto Stockton, but he wasn't in…" She paused to mutter a quiet thank you as her plate was placed in front of her and she dug into the food that seemed less appetizing with her stomach in knots. Leslie did the same, taking a bite before nodding at her to continue. "Maxwell said I could write up the report for him since he was stuck across town. The guy-" "John.", Leslie corrected her, "You avoiding saying his name?" "No.", she absolutely was, "John didn't seem quite happy with the idea he'd have to wait hours for Stockton to return or stop by in the morning, so he agreed to sit down with me and get his case started." "Who wouldn't." She chose that moment to take a sip of water, almost choking on it, "Leslie." "I'm just being objective." "Sure.", she cleared her throat, "I marked down everything he could provide as information. He asked to make a phone call and then was on his way." Leslie's lips twisted into a smirk, "You forgot how he shouted, 'she's not my girlfriend' about some girl he called." Sabrina huffed, "Shouted? That's just Oliver's flair for dramatics." Not really, but saying otherwise wouldn't make you drop the subject, will it… "Rina." "Fine, maybe his voice was a bit raised, so what?" "Then?"

She could feel her cheeks heat up, so she looked down to her plate as she scooped up some more rice into her mouth, before replying, "Nothing." The way Leslie rubbed at his beard told her he had sensed a lead and wasn't going to back down, "I'm waiting." "I gave him a ride.", Sabrina brushed her hair out of her face, feeling frustrated at the fact things hadn't stopped there and that she didn't want them to, "He looked… lost. I guess I thought a small act of kindness wouldn't hurt when his day had been nothing but awful. Dropped him off at his hotel. End of story." He opened his mouth to ask more when her phone buzzed with a new text, that made her raise her finger as she opened it.

John: Still alive. Any lunch spots recommendations? The last thing I need right now is food poisoning.

"You're smiling way too much for this to be news from the lab.", Leslie's voice sounded and she looked up, feeling like she had been caught redhanded when she had done nothing wrong, "That him?" She ignored his question, her food quickly becoming forgotten while her fingers typed out a reply.

Sabrina: Depends… If you're looking for a fine dining spot, I won't be your girl.

John: I'm feeling cranky, (probably because I'm) starving, and I trust your judgement, so shoot.

"Rina?", Leslie called her name, tone full of amusement. Her eyes darted up to his before returning to her phone screen, "Yes?" "So he has your number.", it wasn't a question, but rather a statement.

Sabrina: There's a small restaurant, family owned, Italian, two streets from the precinct.

The spot she had recommended him was in the opposite direction of the restaurant where she was currently having lunch with Leslie, wanting to avoid running into him at any cost because she refused to allow things to get more awkward than they already were. She put her phone down, ignoring the fact it vibrated with a reply and turned back to her food. As she raised the fork to her mouth, she could feel Leslie's stare on her, "Yes, he has my number." "You gave it to him or he somehow found it?" "Leslie…" He shrugged, chewing on his food slowly before he pointed his knife at her, "Just doing my part, Rina. Trying to figure out if 'this guy' is a creep or not. So, well?" "I think he took one of my cards off my desk…" "He's texting your work number?" "Yeah." It wasn't a complete lie. "And now he wants?" "A good place to go for lunch." "He asked you out-" "No." "It wasn't a question." Her face scrunched up in confusion, "Nothing about his texts hinted at that, Leslie." He smiled, "Can I see?" "No.", the answer came out way too quickly, causing him to let out a laugh. Just great. Yet handing over her phone and having him see all the previous messages didn't seem like the best idea. Not when he'd insist on John's intentions even more then. Worry about her. "Just trust me on that. He's never been to Portland and considering his luck, he just wanted-" "You're saying that with way too much confidence. Like you know know him." A breathed out a sigh, "Just drop it, please. Change the subject." "Fine.", Leslie nodded, "But I'm telling you, he was asking you out." "And he chose to do it in the most roundabout way possible…why?" "Because he's afraid." It was her turn to chuckle, "Afraid?" "That you will say no, 'break his heart' or more like hurt his ego, considering he's a fancy ass attorney. So instead he's hoping you'd suggest keeping him company first…" Sabrina couldn't help but roll her eyes, "I think Ollie is rubbing off on you." Leslie's gaze shot up to her phone when it buzzed again, "Now, that is him asking you out. He couldn't handle waiting."

Tagging, @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @corvosattano @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @g0dspeeed @voidika @madparadoxum @poisonedtruth @nightbloodbix @nightwingshero @jillvalentinesday @cassietrn @chazz-anova @simplegenius042 @purplehairsecretlair @adelaidedrubman @dumbassdep @theelderhazelnut @strangefable @trench-rot @aceghosts and anyone else with something to share this week ❤️

[fourgods-nobrakes]

I finished Malodrax the other day. My favorite part remains Malodrax itself, which is a living world in a way very few 40k settings manage to be -- and not just in the way where it's implied sometimes that the planet has desires of its own. There are layers of history and culture, variable biomes, different factions which each contain varied people. The daemonic creatures don't map easily to models GW sells, and most of the xenos are no named, imperially known race. There are small specialized cults for unnamed minor gods who matter to the people who worship them (like the forge god worshipped by workers in the Iron Warriors' factories). It's so rich and interesting, compared to the "this entire planet is skulls and blood rain," "this entire planet is covered by Mechanicus forges" approach. Early on one of the characters suggests that the forces of Chaos spend far more time paying attention to each other than giving any damns about the Imperium, and the book absolutely follows through on that.

Also there was a lot less moral hand-holding than many 40k novels I've read; Lysander and Golrukhan both reflect on their own actions as they try to survive Malodrax, but their POVs don't dwell on how we're supposed to feel about the background characters (except of course that Imperial Fists hate Iron Warriors forever, but even there we get reminders that the two sides are capable in similar ways and it's the fact that they're both good at this that fuels their enmity). Made it overall a really neat place to visit.

I wish we'd gotten more of Kraegon Thul being on screen and speaking; his last confrontation with Lysander hinted at some cool potential that the book didn't really explore -- he spent most of the time being a symbol of power and threat rather than a character.

If I ship anything it's probably Lysander/Halaestus, between the saving each other and the way we actually see Halaestus having PTSD even though he's a space marine. "This dude is really fucked up and the only support he has is a dude who has no idea how to help" is a compelling dynamic, ok.

But really: mostly there for a travelogue through a messy, interesting Chaos world.

[roguetelepaths]

byron + 1, 2, 5, 24,

Oh fuck yeah I was hoping someone would do this. This is going to be a massive wall of text and I'm sorry but also I'm really not. You have unleashed the infodump dragon and it's not leaving until it's run off some of its zoomies.

Why do you like or dislike this character?

You know a fun fact about me is that I was on Team Byron Disliker when I first started Season 5 just due to what I'd heard through pop culture osmosis. I even made a post to that effect after watching a couple of his episodes (deleted now because I was sick of seeing it in my notes) that got some circulation in the fandom. But the further I got into that arc and the more I thought about him, the less I saw what I expected to see when I started. Instead I saw someone who, though flawed, spent most of the time he was on screen trying to be gentle and compassionate and trying to protect his people in a situation that was hell bent on making it as hard as possible for him to do those things.

I do think he has a manipulative streak, and I do think he's the type to occasionally do very hurtful things because he believes he's doing so for the right reasons (see for example that fucking "doesn't it feel nice to be asked" scene between him and Lyta in The Paragon of Animals, even as a Lyta/Byron shipper that makes me SO ANGRY because that point could be made in LITERALLY any other way that didn't involve demeaning her and shouting at her, I get that you're pissed off at the people who did that to her but taking it out on her isn't gonna help anyone so stop) but those flaws when combined with his genuine good intentions and abundance of care are fascinating.

A big part of why I think people dislike him as a character is because those flaws are presented as an immutable Fact Of Who He Is, which, yeah, I can see why someone would find that insufferable, but I like writing character growth and he deserves some.

Tl;dr, I like him because he's complicated. I dislike the way canon never seemed to want to grapple with those complications.

Favorite canon thing about this character?

That scene with the one guy in Downbelow. You know the one. Letting someone punch you repeatedly because you want to teach them a lesson about how finding a target to beat up on isn't actually going to solve their problems is... genuinely fucking baller and I wish we'd gotten to see more of that side of him.

Also that thing with Lyta in Strange Relations that's basically a mutual "I'm not overextending myself YOU'RE overextending yourself! Please slow down and rest 🥺" is probably what made me ship them as hard as I do. Dipping out of canon and into my fic for a second, but that interaction is so different from their first interaction that I kind of have to wonder if someone talked to him about the way he treated her. (I may have written a missing scene about that but it needs some fine tuning before I feel good about posting it.)

What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

oh my god!!! so many. SO MANY. But uhhhh I can narrow it down to like four?

Runaway by The National as a general theme song

I, Carrion (Icarian) by Hozier as a soft and sad song for him and Lyta

The Deserter's Song by Radical Face as a backstory reveal song

New World Coming (any version but I like the one by Nina Simone best because. Come on. It's Nina fucking Simone how can you top that) because I'm almost certain it was one of the songs JMS pulled from when he was writing That Song For That Scene.

What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

I've been saying this from the very beginning— The Signless from Homestuck. (Yes, I'm a Homestuck enjoyer. Sorry.) I just love my pacifist resistance leaders with feral partners and tragic endings okay.