#i love beach eps done right though

[writingforfun0714]

Spoilers for Bad Batch S2 E13: Pabu

I definitely expected more from this episode. That’s not to say I think it’s bad. The music was great, the setting/background animation was beautiful and I actually enjoyed the slight Phee development we get. However, this is the 13th ep this season. I definitely think this ep would’ve been better if it was shown earlier in the season so we could focus more on what was already set up.

I wasn’t sure about Phee at first, but after this episode, she’s really started to grow on me and her character really highlights the differences between her and Cid and how they’ve treated the Batch.

I liked that they sort of made her more into ‘Indiana Jones’ instead of just a regular ‘pirate’ since she goes after artifacts important to the refugees of Pabu.

I also liked Phee’s niece Lyana and loved the friendship between her and Omega.

However, I’ve noticed the writing is…lacking. It was very easy for me to predict what was gonna happen and I thought it was a little….idk, it seemed very 🙄 that the Batch just happen to get to this planet when they have a tsunami, something they haven’t had for 30yrs. 30yrs. And all of a sudden they just have one the day CF99 arrives? Nah man…that just felt like lazy writing. I understand that it would’ve happened sooner or later but I just feel like we’re too late into the season to pull that kind of stunt (I probably wouldn’t have minded if this was the 4th or 5th ep).

But again, it was very predictable throughout the episode. The villagers would be accepting, a problem comes up and CF99 have to save the day (and Omega/Lyana). I knew throughout that whole scene with the tide taking them out that nothing bad would happen to them and there was no suspense. I liked the domestic scenes but really, nothing seemed to advance anything that was set up.

We’ve gotten a Zillobeast set up with Rex/Echo, Crosshair shooting Nolan/getting experimented on, and Lama Su ratting on Omega. That all seemed super important and we get a beach day ep. The writing is very jarring going from a whole bunch of different topics and it makes the episodes disconnect.

I understand this is a sort of ‘calm before the storm’ type of set up but it’s so late into the season. This set up would’ve worked as the midway point.

I like the fluff/domestic stuff, but I had expected something more serious/high stakes this late into S2.

Also I’m a little upset w/ Shep’s design. He’s clearly taken inspiration by island natives. His skin is a nice dark tan and his features aren’t too sharp. Sound familiar? This is what the clone template/model should’ve looked like. I’m not saying Shep looks exactly like Temuera Morrison, but Shep’s design definitely looks closer to him than the current clone model (the ‘reg’ model).

The introduction of Shep seemed like a slap in the face to all fans that care about the whitewashing (of clones specifically) cuz it proves the animators can do rounder, darker features and instead we get white guy clones. I like Shep’s character, he seems really nice and caring towards everyone, but his design really upset me.

So overall the setting was beautiful and the music was amazing, but the actual plot was very predictable and had no suspense at all (for me).

[becauseimanicequeen]

Hey, Ice Queen!

I saw your post on your bad taste in QLs and loved it. I've watched most of them and guess I've got bad taste too. *proud*

I'm wondering what your favorite ships are, though. Actor pairings in particular.

Have a nice day!

Hi, Anon.

The only ships I like are those I see from the beach five minutes from my house.

I know this might be an anticlimactic answer, but it’s an honest one.

I don’t participate in shipping culture because it’s just not my thing. It’s never been my thing. Not even in the Twilight era in my teens.

Are there pairings I like more than others? Sure. But I don’t mind if they go their separate ways and work with other actors. Sometimes I even feel like some pairings are holding themselves back and should split so they can develop their craft. But I’m aware that my perspective is from a more artistic one (I’m an artist) and that I usually value the craft more than popularity (or cuteness or whatever the reason is for people shipping bl actors together).

In other words, my favorites tend to be actors who can act, regardless of pairings. My favorites are ACTORS, not actors, if you get what I mean.

So, let me steer your nice ask onto a more actor-focused path, and I will try to answer it the best I can (but from my non-shipper perspective). (My memory is fucked, so these are the ones I remember off the top of my head right now.) They’re in no particular order, btw.

First Kanaphan

First has chemistry with everyone. EVERYONE. This man could have a rock as a partner and still have more chemistry than the periodic table. He’s an ACTOR, so much so it seems to be a part of his DNA.

He’s currently in a pairing with Khaotung (whom I also love) and they have great chemistry. But, again, First can be paired with anyone (he had more chemistry with Up Poompat in two 3-ish min ads than many pairings have in a whole 12 ep series). And I would probably be the first one in line to watch him act with others in QLs, if that ever happens again.

Khaotung Thanawat

Khaotung portrays emotions really well, which is why I love him. Not every actor can do that but Khao does it like he’s never done anything else in his entire life. That’s an ACTOR right there!

He and First are two of the few actors who can make me cry with their portrayal of emotions. And if an actor can make me cry (since I’m an ice queen who usually doesn’t), that actor will always have a special place in my heart.

Up Poompat

The ACTOR Up is! This man eats complex characters for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And let’s not forget the snacks in between.

Up is the reason I kept watching Step By Step, he’s the reason I loved Lovely Writer, and just like First, he can have chemistry with anyone. Not to forget that he took ownership of my soul less than a full episode into My Stand-In (which is currently airing).

Fluke Natouch

Another great ACTOR. I’ve loved him in everything I’ve seen him in (even in Shadow, even though Shadow was pretty shitty). I especially loved him in Red Wine in the Dark Night (what’s better than be gay, do crime?) and I would love to see him in more complex roles like this because I know he can handle it.

Gun Atthaphan

Gun is another versatile ACTOR that I love with my whole ice-cold heart. I’ve seen him in more stuff than just pure BLs and know that he, just like Up, eats complex characters every meal.

Considering my current profile pic, you know my favorite series is Not Me, and one of the reasons for that is Gun. He didn’t just play one character in that series, but two. Twins, who were completely different! But you still knew exactly who was whom just by looking at Gun. That’s how great his acting was (and is).

With all that said…

Max Nattapol and Tul Pakorn

If I ever were to board a ship, it would be Max and Tul's. But that’s only based on how desperately I want Transplant. And their chemistry, obviously. And Max fisting his hands in Tul’s hair. But, I wouldn’t be unhealthy about it…

Much…

I’m sure I’ll remember more actors I love as soon as I hit publish on this. But, at least this is a start for now.

Thanks for your ask.

[bengiyo]

The Eighth Sense Eps 5 & 6 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Ae Ri and Yoon Woon moved to MVP statuses in this show for the earnest friendships they're building or built with Ji Hyun and Jae Won respectively. Tae Hyung continues to be a pain in my ass as he and all the friends try to force Jae Won back with Eun Ji. Eun Ji is also aiming to end up on the same list as Plern Pleng with her behavior at the bar and grill Ji Hyun works at. Finally, Ji Hyun continues to rewire Jae Won with his directness and kindness. The chemistry and tension between the two of them is compelling.

Episode 5

Ae Ri is being shady. I love it.

Of course they would reference one of the few Park Chan-Wook films I haven't seen. Now I need to rush off to watch I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay (2006).

I don't normally celebrate delinquency, but I also think Ji Hyun needs to live a little bit.

Yoon Won is a real one for making sure they properly lie to their teacher.

Oh look at Jae Won looking back.

I love Ae Ri. Ji Hyun needed a friend to push him to try new things. This shopping trip is fun. She's also right that he should stop being so self-conscious.

I am also like Ji Hyun when we need to take all these photos of food.

All this stress about a phone call is taking me back. Still, even on the phone you can feel the energy between these two.

I want Yoon Won to roast Tae Hyung more.

Ji Hyun better be careful about the honorifics in front of the seniors.

Whoa, what was it about the mention of a sibling that sent Jae Won over the edge like that. Ji Hyun reacted quickly to steady him.

I always get worried when characters binge drink. Did Jae Won have a sibling die or get disowned for failing to live up to the family standard?

I hate Tae Hyung. Why can't he take care of his "friend"?

Oh, there's a likely-dead, beloved little brother. That's especially sad. I really hope the brother didn't drown.

"Kids only go to the beach to get hot or to heal."

Episode 6

Jae Won needs to relax a bit for sure.

Ji Hyun is cute. I would also give him things. However, I would not plug free USB sticks into anything.

Jae Won how you just gonna claim him as your boyfriend to a stranger like that? Love the confidence though!

Love that he gave them a trot songs mix.

Jae Won being coy with Ji Hyun about essentially wooing him is strangely charming.

Ji Hyun is the most valid boy in all of BL for not wanting to have sand making him itchy.

Oh, are we sharing boy scout trauma now? I don't think I want to share mine on Tumblr.

This getting-to-know-each-other beach date is very well done.

Ah, the zoom in as Jae Won starts to reveal his truths worked really well.

We need to teach Ji Hyun that dick is abundant and low in value. I ain't sleeping exposed on the beach like this for any man.

I see this show wants to challenge the Eclipse with getting closer while pretending to sleep.

I'm really liking both leads and their characters a lot.

This kiss was difficult to film, but I really like the dialogue exchange with it.

Cuddling as foreplay? In my BL?? More likely than you think!

That bed scene was very sensual. I enjoyed it.

Oh, please don't leave us in limbo like this for a week!!

This show is incredible. Truly a special show airing right now. Feels like the Korean response to ITSAY and reminds me of other favorites from queer cinema.

[feuqueerfire]

Love Sea + Special Live Blogging

I was pretty invested in Prapai/Sky in Love In The Air even when I was frustrated by their storyline, so I'm really curious to see how this show is for them. I know bits and pieces of this show (writer with a writer's block, puppy Fort..., a side GL that everybody was annoyed with and that apparently didn't get resolution?) and I'm curious to see how it goes, I think I've seen generally good reception even if people think the story's a bit of a mess.

I'm watching this right now because I have a week of iQiyi free VIP, though I'm sure that I'll have to just note the timestamps of NC scenes and watch those later, not trying to watch it all on the subway lol

Ep 1 (Aug 22) - Chapter 1: Love Begins with the Flick of a Pen

watching their inital interaction like :D ^-^

oh, Ja! I didn't know he was in this, is it a cameo or a recurring side character?

lmao crying at the nong trying to relay his P'Mut's coolness to Tongrak

but also I hope so badly that Mut is younger than Rak by a couple years plsssss I know in LITA Prapai was older than Sky but I feel like their dynamic would be even more delicious if the age gap is like their irl one

Mut is known and beloved across the island

ahh they're really leaning into the cat Rak thing. and we've got dog Mut coming up hehe

oh yeah, I also heard something about the skin tone comments, especially in the earlier episodes. (though it seems like it's meant to be funny/satire and not actually serious here)

The Vi and Mook beginning shenanigans are kinda cute, sad to know that they apparently don't get resolved and aren't well-liked

ah, Rak's gotta have sex to write about sex lol

a dramatic reaction to Mut going into the water early on in the series to hint at trauma but also to get the couple close even though they're not in their relationship journey to do it on their own yet. but yknow what? it worked on me. they're cute

After watching this episode, I must say... how tragic to me that Peat's surgery changed some key features of his face that make him look quite different (to me at least) because I really like Peat's face and look here. At least we'll always have his face in LITA and here (glad he didn't get it done before this show). but maybe that's just me because I've seen other people talk about how it was money well spent lol

the cinematography is so pretty, gorgeous island and beach, I wish I could go to Thailand bruh. and I'm giddy watching FortPeat-MutRak, they're so good as a pair fr.

Ep 2 (Aug 23) - Chapter 2: Echoes Across the Endless Blue

I watched the sex scene before going to sleep last night because I was like I'm gonna have to skip this when watching the episode on my commute to work, might as well watch it now. However, I only watched a few minutes of this on my commute, so I didn't even get to the NC scene to skip it.

I stopped around the time Rak started sucking on Mut's finger lol

As usual, I'm kinda disgusted by all this licking and tongue but somehow I can handle a lot more with this pair than in general

Fort looks sooo cute at Mut being all confused and annoyed about sitting on Rak's bed instead of having sex while Rak writes

Unfortunately I am nothing if not an enjoyer of someone making their crush run around and do errands and chores for them so I like VieMook for now, even though Vee is rude and entitled and thoughtless - that kinda comes with this trope territory. I'm more worried about them apparently not getting resolved by the end

The money and buying Mut think is a repeating theme

Woof!

the forehead kiss from Vie didn't actually do anything for me hm

not this lmfao. and Mut being dense like "what hurts?"

ah, Mut's estranged from his father, disowned since he was 15 years old. His dad has a boat but it looks like a regular-looking boat, not a rich ppl one

Palm calls Mut Phi just in a general familiar way right? Not actual familial way.

Why did Rak jump off to do diving without informing Mut when just a day or two ago he got scared when Mut jumped off the boat without telling him... smh

oh, in this trauma flashback where he's consoling his crying pregnant friend, Rak/Peats looks like Sky a lot

I think Fort reminds me a little tiny bit of Park Gunwook

[Linguistics] Mut -> Rak: Khun. Rak about himself with Mut: Chan. Rak -> Mut: Nai

Ep 3 (Aug 24)

I like learning more about the rumours Vie faces as a female lead and how she’s faking being unaware of them + how she was doing the “oh don’t you know I’m a fragile female lead” schtick with Mook

Oh, Rak has an older sister

and his dad is hanging around presumably for money

rude as fuck Rak omg though I get he doesn't wanna do whatever Mut's planning

not the paid boyfriendship while on the island

fake dating girlfriends? well not right now it seems but maybe in the future

"Possessive of my owner too. In case you didn't know" is so akldsfjlkasdfjlk;ajdsf l;kjasdf

a little coral education

ah, Vie's forcing the fake gf thing on Mook. rip. "rumoured to be boobing my way to the top" is so funny though

Vie saying "I'm not bi" and Mook probably thinking she's straight but just has fake gf but Vie likely means she's a lesbian

environmentalist Mut

"If I'm a good boy, could you use your mouth on me next time?" i'm sooaklsdfjalksdjf

omg why is the "stay on the island" convo so good and like emotional considering we're on ep 3. it reveals so much about the characters though, the way Rak's desperate to be asked and Mut's so afraid of asking

not Mut crying omg

aw, Rak has to go even though he said he'd stay

I'm nervous about them going back to the city because people said they liked the island episodes but not the city ones. hmm

Ep 4 (Aug 24) - Ch 4: From Seaside to Skyline

"If you can't bear to say goodbye, just buy and take the guy with you" lol

they really are doing the money and sex thing hmm

poor Mook lmfao they can't stop talking about fucking, these menaces. i'm torn between she's too naive/prudish vs you actually shouldn't have to hear about your boss's sex life at work

a whole contract goddamn and the clause of it ending whenever Rak wants which like yknow obviously it should end when either party wants but there should be like a "but you still get living expenses for 1 more month afterward to sort yourself out/figure out new income" or whatever

I can't read Mut right now. is he annoyed? frustrated? feels disrespected? still into it?

sugar daddy sugar baby i would actually be cringing so hard usually but yknow what... here it's somehow ok even though it's (purposefully?) a little uncomfortable

I don't fully understand their relationship because the asking to stay and island stuff was so full of emotion but now it's like contracts and money and also apparently Only Sex No Feelings (from Rak at least)

Vie/Mook are cute here

Ep 5 (Aug 25)

the thing with the making your crush run around doing errands thing is that there’s supposed to be a breaking point where the person actually listens to their crush’s complaints and hurts or whatever. whereas it's ep 5 and Vie is still ordering Mook around

damn, so much drama with Prin. and apparently everybody in their family is obsessed with men lol. it was actually an interesting argument because Prin was clearly getting to Rak and somehow... Rak and Prin are similar?

ah, the changing room talk is good

Ep 6 (Aug 25/26)

more of Ram’s backstory and Mut’s understanding

I like it when the supposed “top” and “bottom” in different ships are friends (Kom and Mut) bc it sometimes feels like only the semes can be friends with each other and the ukes with each other lol

aw pouty jealous babies lol

childish fight lolll

Rak going to Vie after the fight is so cute. he knows that Mut caring about him feels fucking fantastic and that he’s also got too much of an ego to say sorry

Vie needs to just grow a backbone and decide to confess to Mook or smth because there’s gotta be a limit to the manipulation smh

Meena is so funny lol

damn, is Mut supposed to tell little child Meena that Rak paid for Mut's company?

finally the blowjob that Mut's been asking for for like 3? eps already. also Rak putting Mut's hand on his head multiple times was killing me omg

oh that's crazy, face fucking in my thai bl

oh, Vie speaks French?

Ep 7 (Aug 27)

I have no patience for the Prin drama

oh Boss and Noeul cameo

can’t they see that Rak’s glass is full while the glass in front of Prin is empty and it’d be difficult for Rak to reach for it?

The Boy Next World is a novel within Love Sea? ah, so Boss Noeul are also actors within this show who will be adapting TBNW as well as in real life (they’re filming right now i think?)

9-10 years age diff? lol i thought like 4-5

Ep 8 (Aug 27)

“That’s fiction. This is real life. Don’t mix them up.” Mame @ us lol

Prin and Rak’s dad teaming up how annoying

So Meena’s 13 (she really gives like 9/10), Mut is 20-21, Rak is ~30

we literally have “practicing lines” + kiss for acting trope for the lesbians oh my god. and you’re telling me they don’t get resolved after this kiss? are you kidding. also i feel like people were doing too much with the “they’re so annoying i skip the gl side plot” bc we’ve def had worse/more boring/more annoying side BL couples but alsoooo I don't understand this couple and why Vie hasn't already come clean/confessed/apologized for making Mook do all the things.

yeah Mut going along to have a chat with the dad was indeed a waste of your time and you shouldn’t have done it

the dad killed some Uncle Doctor???

Ep 9 (Aug 28)

oh my iQiyi VIP is over (~12 hours ago) but my downloaded episodes are still here? I should’ve downloaded more stuff if I’d known.

I was finding typing out Uncle Doctor a bit funny but once I heard them say Na Maw, it reminded me that in Bangla too I might call somebody Daktar-Auntie/Dentist-Uncle etc lol

nooo Rak begging on his knees in front of his dad for Mut

Kwon doesn’t seem to think that he dad actually killed Doctor Uncle but rather just took credit of an accident the doctor was in

oh yes I’ve seen multiple gifsets of Mut beating the shit of the dad after the contract is torn. “You took off my collar, are you ready to face me?”

it’s November now and apparently Mut’s been here for a couple months

Ep 10 (Aug 28)

I can watch my downloaded thing even after ~20 hours later.

bit over 1h20 minutes

Ah, they’ve gotta deal with this being a whole contract thing and Rak not being ready to face his feelings

It’s a little satisfying to see Mut be harsh with Rak at the beach after he’s just taken so many insults from Rak

I took a break and have ~25 minutes left and I think it's been a day since my VIP expired and I can't access the downloads anymore.

cute enough ending

Overall:

Mahasamut and Park Gunwook are not the same, they don't have the same personalities, but some of Mut's puppy behaviours and general mannerisms... also his age gap relationship with an older person... cute round face with built body... oh man.

Anyway.

A fine enough show, I think the dynamic and characters were interesting and the show/relationships threads were good for the main couple, especially the class difference rich/poor conversations and how their dynamic evolved. I think my SkyPrapai might still be my preferred FortPeat roles, which again makes no sense, but this one was a welcome addition, especially because during LITA I kept thinking Sky should've been the older one while Pai was supposed to be a younger puppy. On that note, thank you forever for all the puppy/dog Mut.

Unlike most people who were so over the side-GL, I was actually quite into Vie/Mook (esp because they have some tropes I enjoy, such as celeb/non-celeb and one person makes their crush do chores/errands) and kept hoping for... something to happen, for their dynamic to progress. Was there a scene of them making up cut in the last episode or something?? They didn't get a proper ending, which is sad. Vie was also such a good friend to Rak, I don't know why she was such a terror with Mook and then never progressed past it.

Loved Meena, what a cutie.

The drama of it was... okay, I guess. I get why Rak's father was such a menace (greedy bastard) but why was Prin doing all that beyond just jealousy? I do agree with the general consensus that the island episodes were better.

I keep debating 6 or 6.5 but I'll go with 6 for now because the show's writing was wobbly at some places + I didn't really get brainworms.

Rating: 6/10

Special (Aug 29)

So are Vie and Mook just supposedly dating now? Or like what?

wait, it's so fun that Rak's the one trying to do the "ooh can I get a little kiss" thing because in BL dynamics, I'd expect Mut to be the one pulling that while Rak's like noooo as if they don't fuck on the regular

It's cute to see Rak try hard with the speaking his feelings + doing things for Mut like making breakfast. a reciprocal relationship

Vie and Mook are so cute when they're clear about this being flirting or whatever

gorgeous, gorgeous girls of the world

more dog references

I'm gonna ignore Vie saying that about Mook drinking. their kiss is good though, their ep 10 kiss was also good

I love whiny4whiny when Rak's whining about wanting AC when camping vs Mut's whining that it'll ruin the experience

A cute special overall. It's about Rak and Mut's progress and lives together in the future and how they've met each other in the middle rather than random drama. Vie and Mook are cute too, it makes me sad that their story wasn't given a proper conclusion in the original series. Also, I wanna go on vacation so bad.

Rating: 6/10

[watchingblsnowandforever]

No. No. NO. This can not be happening. The one thing I was most afraid of. The dreaded cliffhanger (quite literal in this case). I'm going through the 5 stages of BL grief help. And I've already reached de Nile T~T

When i first realized that Bad Buddy and ATOTS would air back-to-back, I had an inkling that something like this might happen. Because it's P'Aof. But now my brain is this close to 'killstabrip rinse and repeat' mode.

I was thinking of not watching today's episode because of the exam tomorrow, and for once, i regret not listening to the logical part of my brain.

Anyways what's done is done.

Let's move on.

I loved today's episode, and *maybe* Our Skyy has made me like ATOTS more than i originally did so bonus.

I have a lot of favourite scenes from today.

The waterfall scene where they play in the water. It's a throwback to the beach scenes from BBS. I like the similarities; in the beach, they'd escaped from their friends and family and really enjoyed themselves with each other for the first time, when their love was just starting to bloom. Here, they are already very much in love and in a secure relationship, but it's also away from their friends, a small haven just for themselves. They still enjoy each other's company and playing with each other. The ost song plays in the background, but the lines that are highlighted are "I hope you are not bored; Looking at this same old face." which just emphasizes the point that their love is still going strong.

The sleeping together scene – after the mosquito net kiss (still smiling from that) – loved the short tickling moment because it reminded me so much of the BTS of when Pat hugs Pran from behind as he plays the Thai xylophone and in real life, Nanon is trying so hard to not laugh. Loved even more the "You're an Architecture student, right? Haven't you wondered how much shaking this house can withstand?". We all know what that meant, right? (If you don't, it's nothing sweetie, just boring old people stuff. Be a child as long as you can.) Pran's reaction cracked me up but also made me want to wrap them both up in a blanket and hug them. Yeah, I'm weird like that. Also, Pran's "No, i don't want to know. I'm not curious." – of course you don't want to know, Pran, of course.

I love that they managed to fit in a song by Nanon. It was a pretty good song, too. I also really liked how fast Pran's expressions changed when Pat arrived. Saying this for probably the millionth time, but Nanon is an amazing (Off Jumpol's voice) actor.

The Pat and Hona (Chief) waking up shirtless together scene. It. Was. Hilarious. I am never ever forgetting it. Them being like: my boyfriend is going to kill me. And yeah, they probably would if they came to know. I liked the reference to PatPran ep 11 when Pran asked how many points he got out of 10. And Pat realizing it's not his faen just by the hand made me a little soft. Also liked the reference to the rangers' t-shirt that Hona had first offered to Tian. Though the first thing that came to mind after seeing it was "Tian and Pran are going to be so jealous when they (mis)understand what the t-shirt means". Ya'll have ruined my innocence so you need to suffer too.

The watch made a comeback! So happy. I really wanna know how Pran will react when Pat gives back the watch. I have a hunch to what Pat will say when he does.

As for the preview, I'm happy (and a teeny tiny bit skeptical) about Hona & Pat's and Tian & Pran's growing friendship.

[Unmute :D Do NOT repost; I'll do more than find you]

I have neither time nor energy to make more than this one clip today, but if i find the energy and motivation on Saturday (i will have literally no time tomorrow), be sure I'll make a lot of clips (at least 4 or 5). If you have any requests in the meantime, feel free to send them through my asks!

[kittyprincessofcats]

RWBY Volume 9 Ep 1 - A  Place of Particular Concern

I wanted to make this post before episode 2, but oh well - in my defense, I was sick. (I also haven’t watched episode 2 yet, so for me it still is “before”.)

I’ll try to be brief as well and just write down the stuff I really want to say. Don’t know if I’ll make a post like this for every episode either, depends on whether I’ll feel up for it. (Likely not, but I wanted to do it this time.)

- First things first: Aaah, RWBY is finally back! For me this is actually a first-time experience too, since I didn’t get into RWBY until Volume 8 was already almost over. (If I remember right the last few eps of Vol 8 were the first ones I actually watched “live” (or well, with a week’s delay)).

- As a whole, I’m a lot more relaxed about Volume 9 than I was about late Volume 8 (or than I am about Volume 10). Because we’re taking this detour in the Ever After (a good choice imo, since RWBY has so many characters by now that it can get a bit overwhelming), and the only named characters here are Team RWBY, Jaune, and Neo, I don’t have as much to get anxious about. My only faves here who could get hurt are Team RWBY, and since they’re the main characters I think they’ll be fine. My other faves are either not in the void (Cinder, Salem, Ilia) or already dead (Penny... don’t touch me I’m still not over it), so I think this volume is going to be comparatively easy on my nerves (now watch me eat my words as Team RWBY goes through hell...). (My little sisters’ faves are Jaune and Neo respectively, so I’ll see how they like this volume...)

- I wonder who the mysterious narrator in the beginning is. Well, we’ll find out. (But the last time we had a “mysterious narrator” she turned out to be very important, so...)

- Love how it wastes no time throwing us back into the Vol 8 ending from Ruby’s POV.

- Who’s voice is that calling “Ruby!” when she wakes up at the beach? Is that still Penny? Sounds more like Yang to me, but I’m really not sure.

- The two suns made me think of Star Wars.

- I love Little. (And I also like that Ruby being kind to a little mouse even while she’s going through a lot herself is what ends up freeing Weiss and Blake from the mice. Kindness is good and all that.)

- Interesting to know that cartoons exist on Remnant. Makes sense, though, they have TVs and all after all...

- Bit sad we didn’t get to see Weiss and Blake’s reunion. Also, is this the first time they’ve said the name “Gambol Shroud” out loud in the show?

- The way Weiss tells Blake “I’m really glad you’re okay”... Yeah, until just now she thought all of her teammates were dead. And she’s clearly still processing that Penny’s dead for real.

- Weiss cheering Blake on when she’s trying to get her weapon is adorable.

- Love how Ruby nudges her shoulder to wake Little up.

- “I can be your trusty guide” -> cut to them falling asleep. I love Little.

- “I don’t know if anyone else fell, no.” Oh, I just remembered again that none of Team RWBY know that Jaune is down here, too. They won’t look for him because they don’t know he’s here. And they might not run into him, either. So, what if they just straight up don’t meet him? I’ve even seen theories they might leave the Ever After without him since they don’t know... oh boy, I think something interesting is definitely in store for Jaune this volume.

- The Jabberwalker is terrifying and we definitely haven’t seen the last of them.

- That moment when Ruby wants to join the fight but the realizes she doesn’t have Crescent Rose anymore... yeah, based on the intro as well, I wonder if it’ll maybe take a while - maybe even the whole volume? - until Ruby gets Crescent Rose back.

- “I said I wasn’t done with you yet!” Oh... shout out to Barbara for how she voiced this line. Also, I’ve said it before: Yang is so badass. Thinks she’s dead, only has one arm, still goes afte the Jabberwalker.

- “Dammit! You weren’t supposed to be here!” The way her voice breaks here, oh gosh... Yang just wanted to protect Ruby, she was ready to sacrifice herself for Ruby, and to see now that it didn’t work as Ruby and the others still fell... let me give Yang a hug. (They might also have to talk about those self-sacrificial tendencies, because while I get the “protective big sister instinct” - you’re important too, Yang.)

- “If you thought we wouldn’t come for you, then you must have forgotten who raised me.” When I first heard this line, I thought Ruby meant Tai (and Summer) by this, but then I saw people say that she meant that Yang raised her and gosh... that’s both even sweeter and even more heartbreaking. (But also, Ruby... you didn’t actually “come for” Yang, you though she was dead and then you all fell into the void by accident. Not saying you wouldn’t have come for her if you’d known, but that’s not quite what happened.)

- I’ll be squeeling about that Bumbleby tackle-hug for the next few weeks, thanks for asking. The way Blake says “Yang” so softly, the way Yang touches her head and smiles... it’s perfect. Everything I wanted for their reunion and more.

(Also, I don’t want to get into negativity too much here, but it’s astounding how I’ve already seen the dumbest discourse ever over this scene. “Yang should have hugged Ruby instead; why would she care about someone more than her sister?” and similarly braindead takes... like WTF? Yang and Ruby literally had a really sweet sisterly moment right before this. Yang and Ruby have hugged before. Like, what kind of a braindead take is this? Are people who have siblings not allowed to also have significant others or other people they love and care about? Honestly, it’s just straight-up homophobia, let’s call it what it is. If this hug had happend between, say... Ren and Nora, after one of them thought the other was dead, literally no one would be grasping at straws to find something to complain about. No one would be calling it “ship baiting” or throwing fits. If it doesn’t bother you when it’s a man and a woman, but it does when it’s two women or two men - that’s homophobia. And a lot of the haters also seem to go down the whole “but it’s not canon” rabbithole and like... yes, it is. Just because Blake and Yang haven’t kissed or confessed their feelings out loud yet doesn’t make them not canon. They’re canonically in love, that much is explicitly clear. Deal with it or leave.)

- I like the build-up to Weiss telling everyone what happened (rule of 3 - when Blake and then later Ruby ask, she keeps saying they have to find Yang first and she’s not letting herself really process it either. But when they’re finally all together, Weiss finally allows herself to cry and tell them.

- Okay, time to let out my inner Nuts and Dolts shipper: WOW. The fact that Ruby just straight-up faints when she hears that Penny died. The fact that Weiss didn’t even finish speaking and Ruby already fainted... I’m so here for it! Look, I’m still heartbroken (and still in denial, hoping they’ll bring her back a second time), but if I have to deal with half of my ship being dead, then I at least want to see the other half have the most intense reaction possible to it. I want Ruby to grieve, I want Ruby to go through hell, I want her to just not be normal about this on any level. The intro already tells us that this is the “Ruby is depressed” volume, but I want that to be at least in large parts because of her grief for Penny. Ruby thought she’d lost Penny once, then she got her back, got even closer with her, fell in love with her, went through all of that trouble in Volume 8 to save her from the virus, only to find out she died anyways... yeah, I want Ruby to suffer about it and I’m so glad we’re getting that. (And in my perfect shipper-wish-fullfilment version I want Ruby to have some sort of “I loved her” line when talking about Penny later.)

- I like that Weiss left out Jaune’s exact role in Penny’s death and phrased it as “Jaune tried to help, but she sacrificed herself”. It’s not a lie and Weiss is being a good friend to Jaune by deciding that that part isn’t hers to tell. That being said, I want Ruby to go absolutely ballistic on Jaune when she finds out. I want her to blame Jaune, I want there to be a fight with tears and emotions and rage, I want it all. (To be clear, I’m not blaming Jaune, but I want Ruby to. Like I said, I want Ruby to not be normal about this. Let Ruby go apeshit over losing the girl she loves.)

- So wait, Ruby fainted and they just let her lie there? (Okay, to be fair, we don’t see what happend while she was out.)

- Okay, so Team RWBY currently don’t know that Jaune fell, that Salem has the relic, or how everyone in vacuo is doing. Weiss still saw Winter become the winter maiden and most people get to vacuo though, right? 

- Side-note, what about all the random citizens who fell into the void when Cinder set off that first explosion? Team RWBY knows about them - are they going to at least try and save them too, or is this supposed to be a “they’re background characters, so let’s hope the viewers have forgotten about them” thing?

- Oh, I have feelings about Yang asking Ruby if she’s alright and Ruby brushing it off to talk about Neo instead. I hope WBY will realize that Ruby’s going through it right now.

- Yay for Blake taking charge and coming up with a plan. She’s come so far.

- Yang thought she was dead... don’t touch me.

- “I think we’re in a fairytale.” Oh, lovely line to end the first episode on.

Now for the opening:

- Love the song, first of all!

- That opening shot of Jaune and Neo! Jaune still with the broken sword and tears... Yeah, he’s not going to have a good time this volume either. Likely there’s going to be a lot of wrestling with guilt over Penny. Also, as some people have pointed out, there are quite a few parallels between Jaune and Neo. They’ve both lost someone they love (Pyrrha and Roman), they’re both keeping a tragic keepsake of that person (Pyrrha’s red fabric and Roman’s hat), they both (arguably for Jaune?) want revenge for that person’s death... yeah, will be interesting to see if this volume does anything with that.

- That montage of everyone growing more confident while Ruby receeds and becomes more depressed, the part where it’s just Ruby crying, then that montage of everyone else walking and getting faster while Ruby walks behind and gets slower and slower and hangs her head... Yeah, this is “Ruby has depression” -  the volume, and I’m really looking forward to that for several reasons. First of all because I feel like Ruby is ironically one of the less developed characters on the show and I can’t wait for her to finally have the time to get that development. (This is another reason why I think it was a good call to have a smaller cast this this volume.) And secondly because I’ve been struggling with what’s likely depression and I think seeing that represented in a show I like would feel really healing.

- I would have never noticed the “no 11th hour” thing with Jaune on my own - props to all of you for picking up on that!

- Well that part with Ruby on the bridge isn’t creepy at all.

- Neo’s sitting behind a table sipping tea while wearing Roman’s hat and that’s when it hit me that she’s the mad hatter. Brilliant!

- Also, I wouldn’t have picked up on Jaune being the white rabbit (who’s always too late!) myself, but I love it. Also, this is another parallel between him and Neo and I wonder what their stories will have to do with each other this volume.

- Also interesting how we see both Ruby and Neo turning into... was her name Alyx? - well, our Alice, “the girl who fell through the world”, you know who I mean. Just like Jaune and Neo have parallels, Ruby has paralles with both of them as well (she’s also just lost the redhead she loves and might also keep a tragic keepsake of Penny’s).

Okay, one personal prediction I want to make: So far, every one of the last RWBY volumes had one character in particular stand out and steal the show for me, my “fave of the volume”, so to speak. For Volume 5 it was Ilia, for Volume 6 it was Salem, for Volume 7 it was Penny, and for Volume 8 it was Cinder. And based on the first episode and opening I think that for Volume 9 it’s going to be Ruby. That whole going through depression and mourning Penny thing... yeah, I think Ruby is who I’ll feel for the most here and I’m ready for it. Make this her volume, she deserves it. (I definitely also hope for some amazing Bumbleby moments, tough.)

I am apparently incapable of writing “short” posts.

[alittlebitofeverything04]

Post of the Day (P.O.T.D)

Damn, remember when I said I was gonna be more consistent? Yeah me neither. Can’t believe I skipped two weeks worth of reviews on accident. I swear it was, school and life’s been kicking my ass lately. Hopefully I make up for it in this review. Though, I do need to keep this one short so I’m review ep’s 8-10 all together, then hopefully I remember to write the review for next week. No more wasting time, let’s get to it.

Ep’s 8-10 Review - So, uh, it’s been a lot of content up until this point. So far, loved and loving every bit of news getting dropped. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, totally saw Mother being the one responsible for Fadel’s ex disappearance. I don’t think he came as a shock to anyone, but the scene of Fadel reacting to the news still didn’t make it any less heartbreaking. Again, the casting was fantastic in this show, everyone knowing how to act their heart out and pull on your heartstrings.

But I’ll slow down a bit and start from episode 8, the whole episode of the two couples learning to accept and trust each other. Both sides hearing each out, Bison and Fadel being still in love with the two best friends that they’d rather cry than kill their lovers. The scene on the beach with Bison and Kant was fantastic. Again, I cannot praise the acting enough. But I like how the writing still doesn’t excuse what Kant did. Sure, he did it cause he had no choice but he still deceived Bison and his brother, at first willing to risk their freedom for the sake of his and his brother’s. The show makes it clear it was still unacceptable and that Kant had to earn his right back into Bison’s heart. However, I liked that they spent more time with Fadel and Style’s relationship, as it makes sense for Fadel’s character. He’s the more cautious of the brothers, as seen with how long it took Style to get into his heart compared to Kant’s with Bisons. I loved how they spent more time with those two and properly developing their recovery arc, even though we all know damn well Fadel was never gonna kill him. The poor man needs to stop lying to himself.

Other little tid bit, the story behind Bison, Fadel, and Keen. It’s gets more sad the more I think about it. No matter how much the show paints these adults as stone cold sometimes and them doing what needs to be done, they were kids. Kids who lost everything and instead of getting the parental figure they needed, they got a blacksmith that shaped them into weapons, treating them no more than objects with no self respect or conscious. Episode 10 really hammered this point home for me, especially every scene with Keen being put down by Mother.

Now with episode 11 on the way next week, we only have two more left to go. Can’t believe it’s already almost over but I’m choosing to ignore that for now. Also, again, so sorry for the lag in posts. I would make another promise but at this point, I don’t wanna promise anything just in case lol.

Until next time. Bye!

[andthebubbles]

heartstopper 3x02

aaaah so this ep .. parts of it felt like i wasn't the target audience, which is fine, i'm not, really!!! (like, that last convo with nick and his aunt, it was heavy-handed but that's probably what 16 y/os need to hear)

hayley atwell coming out of nowhere skjfngkfg but is she a psychiatrist or psychologist... am always suspicious of media not getting this right

kinda awkward that nick was even on that trip skjfgnkfg like what is he even doing there

charlie's dad serving up the most unappetising looking dry chicken breast!!! yeah i'd struggle to eat that too. everything else on the plate looked better though, why can't he season chicken like he seasoned those veggies

i LOVE tori, i think she's one of my fave characters (along with tara and darcy)

feeling sorry for isaac, i relate a lil bit (being left out, feeling grossed out by lovey dovey-ness)

btw. WHO DOESN'T PASSWORD THEIR LAPTOP SKJFNGKJFGN

also more people need to learn alt+tab i guess?? hskjdfk

i feel like there was one more tech thing that made me 👀 but i can't remember what it is now

oh yeah, the teachers were pretty cute lmao

btw. gcse results get handed out in person??? whaaa. okay well i can't remember how we got our SC results but hmm... HSC was definitely online. anyway, hecc, that must be kinda awful to open up your results in a room with everyone else and if you did badly that'd feel horrible

so, darcy didn't take the 'i need space' as rejection. whew. her gran's rather lovely in fact. and she drives a mini lol. i need her tinkering with it and servicing it in the garage pls

btw the ... idk what it was, but that final scene on the beach, it felt like ~we have to wait till nick is done with his prescribed monologue, then i can hug him even though he's already obviously upset from like sentence no. 2 (or whatever)~ skjfgnkfjgn

okay if i think of any more i'll add it later but now i want a roast dinner, sigh XD

oh! that shot of jb (or i should say, jack maddox) on insta stories :3 halp

and here's a shot of the roast dinner. nom nom it's HUNGRY HOURS

[idealisticrealism]

TCL 3x12 thoughts

Lol look I got there in the end. I actually wrote this in June but intended to do a read through before posting... then got on a plane and promptly forgot about the entire thing til now haha.

But here it is anyway, a very belated 3x12 recap with a random assortment of my thoughts about the finale.

Ugh poor Thony, seeing a woman in a blonde wig and green shirt playing with Luca and having that split second of thinking it was somehow Nadia, only to instantly know it was impossible. It must have felt like she was being haunted by Nadia’s ghost ugh, and no wonder she immediately goes and downs a huge glass of whiskey

Are we sure Ramona’s been cured of the lead poisoning? Bc her plan to ‘eliminate’ the Feds is ridiculously irrational. Jorge offers her a perfect, clever solution and yet she turns him down because ‘Derek’ wants her to take out the Feds. Who the hell is this guy? Is he the one who suggested she set Jorge up to be her fall guy, or did she come up with that on her own? So much for ‘family’ being everything to her– Jorge was everything to her until he started outgrowing her and defying her, and now she wants to move on to Violeta, to take her and mold her and make her into a copy of herself, and if she has to get Jorge out of the way to make that happen, she will

On one hand, dumping Nadia’s body on Russo’s doorstep is so awful, but on the other, I’m actually kinda glad that Ramona did that? I’m glad she was delivered directly into the hands of someone who would genuinely mourn her loss, who would treat her body with care and respect, rather than her body being just left in the desert to rot. By sending this ‘message’, Ramona ensured that Nadia could be cremated and reunited with Arman, and that means so much to me. (Yes I haveindeed  made myself cry multiple times wondering about what is going to happen to both of their ashes now– I had a fic idea of Thony asking Jorge to take her to Curacao to spread their ashes together on some beautiful beach somewhere, to honour them the way they deserve. Ughh.). 

Also I just realised that as far as the FBI knew, the last Thony saw of Nadia was when she escaped from Jeremy’s lair. They just think that Nadia tried to make a run for it and that Ramona found her, killed her, and dumped her. Even when Thony’s van shows up with the blood in it, they would probably have assumed Ramona had the van stolen and used in the transport of the body to point the finger at Thony. But idk, it seems like Thony tells the Feds the truth of what happened at some point anyway.

Omg Chris banging on the door was so stressful, what if ICE was still there?? Like yes Camila needed treatment for her infection, but not so urgently to risk her (and himself, and all those other people) being deported!! And then him having to fight his way out?? Like damn son you got your protective instincts from your mama. It must have been such a relief to see her in that kitchen– remember he’s only 16! He’s in way over his head, and then his mum appears and protects him like she’s done his whole life. Honestly though MVP of this ep goes to the chef who immediately clocks the situation and tosses the carrots on the floor– what an ally! Love it.

“If you can’t do your job, I’m gonna do it” I really love how Thony talks to Feds haha. Zero respect given, which is exactly as it should be. It must feel familiar for Thony to hear the Feds going after the right-hand man rather than the head of the crime organisation yet again– just like with Hayak and Arman, it was only her stepping in that prevented Arman from bearing the brunt of the FBI while Hayak walked free, and now she’s trying to do the same for Jorge. The conversation between her and Jorge in the warehouse is definitely similar to the one she had with Arman in his office in 1x10 (aka where she was trying to convince a man she cares about to save both himself and her by turning on his boss) though with two major differences: one, Arman already knew about her involvement with the Feds, so rather than feeling betrayed, he felt worried for her; and two, he was already in love with her, so she was more important to him than Hayak. Jorge cares for Thony, but in this moment he’s reeling not only from the news of Nadia’s murder at Ramona’s hands, but also the realisation that someone he trusted and let into his home helped bring the FBI down on him, and now she also drops this bomb that the person he’s closest to in the world intends to betray him and ruin his life? Poor guy is definitely in a much harder situation than Arman ‘Protect Thony At All Costs’ Morales. I love that despite his opposition to Thony’s claims, Jorge still ends up making a plan to keep Violeta safe, because clearly some part of him knows that Thony is telling the truth, that she is genuinely trying to protect him and his family as well as her own. Truly hilarious that he’s like ‘nope no way I’m going to have a meeting with the Fed’ and she’s like ‘yeah you are’ and literally the next scene is him coming to her house to meet with Jeremy haha. Again, definitely very reminiscent of 1x10 when Arman meets with Garrett for her. I could totally understand some viewers being annoyed by the similarities and calling it repetitive writing, but I think it’s actually kind of cool to see her getting caught in the same situations repeatedly, because it really demonstrates the theme of how Thony walks the line between light and dark, good and evil, law and crime… she is the bridge between the two, never quite able to escape one or the other, instead always pulled back in, always balancing it out. But ugh anyway I’m not over when Jeremy asks Jorge “Which side do you want to be on?” and Jorge turns and looks at Thony. Hers. He wants to be on her team– not part of Ramona’s crazy empire, not a FBI rat, but the team of morally grey parents doing whatever it takes to keep their kid safe. Yaaaass.

And then later the similarities to the heist with Arman appear again when we realise Jorge used the FBI to get the fingerprint, allowing him access to what he wanted– just like Arman using the FBI sting to steal Hayak’s money. With Arman, though, she had the trust in him to know that he would protect her no matter what. She can’t trust Jorge like that, not yet… but maybe one day. I appreciate that even after the trauma of what just happened with Ramona being arrested, Jorge goes to Thony and puts an arm around her, the two of them united, each other’s stable ground as their worlds crumble around them. I love that they walk out together, the survivors, and he tells her that not only is she safe from repercussions from the cartel, but that there’s also a place for her within his new empire if she wants it. I love her answer, quoting Arman and how he used his power to protect the ones he loved, whereas Ramona used that power to hurt others… and how she wants to do things her own way. To me, her way is using power to protect those who don’t have the power to protect themselves– her family, yes, but also the vulnerable, the undocumented, the poor and sick and disabled, the people that the system leaves behind or even persecutes. The fact she’s even alive right now is a gift from both Arman and Garrett, and she’s not going to waste it. She’s going to make it count by helping as many as she can, because every life she betters honours those who gave theirs for her. 

Jorge bringing Violeta to Teresa… omg I can’t. First, it shows he really heard and listened to Thony, and that he truly doesn’t trust Ramona to be the one to raise Violeta. But ugh I was so hoping we could see Eduardo meet Violeta… I would have loved seeing him be all sweet with her, then share a wordless nod of understanding with Jorge, like a sign that their family might just begin to heal… but still, I loved that Teresa was immediately ready to go up against Ramona to protect Violeta. She couldn’t prevent her son from being pulled into the world of crime, but maybe she could save Violeta from the same fate, and that makes me wanna cry a bit 

Would using a 16 year old personally connected to Thony’s family to identify criminals really work, in like a legal sense? Also how likely would she, a ‘lowly’ worker, have been to have actually seen the boss guys? Meh idc I’ll roll with it

Thony was so terrified about Ramona finding out about her helping Nadia, so sure she would kill her for it, and yet Ramona’s response is literally like ‘eh couldn’t blame Thony for defying me, she’s not a killer’ lol. And then later at the gala she is pleased with Thony simply for confirming her own suspicions about Jeremy, which they really didn’t need Thony for anyway? They clocked him as a Fed themselves just from the way he was acting lol, but whatevs, it gave Thony an excuse to be there and for us to enjoy that white dress lol

“She’s never going to tell you anything! She’s too smart!/ “Well I got you to tell me you were mixed up with Sin Cara”  Yeah Jeremy, she told you that when she was half in shock after you guys both nearly got violently murdered (during which she literally saved your life btw), and also after like 2 weeks of you manipulating her when she was at her most vulnerable, and grieving the man she loved? Her slipping up once in that high-stress situation is not the same as you smooth-talking Ramona for 5 minutes buddy. Also, fuck you. And lol your attempt really didn’t go the way you hoped, did it? Ran away with your tail between your legs lol. Can’t believe Thony actually goes to the effort of saving your dumbass life, again!! You better pay her back for that one or I swear

“Let’s burn it to the ground” loved the inclusion of this line between Fi and Thony, given the conversation between Jorge and Nadia at the wake of wanting to burn everything down after losing the loves of their lives. Looks like it’s a sentiment that they all share

Ngl I enjoyed Jorge coming up to Thony immediately when she arrived at the gala, not only telling her she ‘cleans up well’ (lol punny) but the little moment of camaraderie they share with an almost-joke about Ramona planning to bury her in the dress– they both know the risk they’re facing but they’re facing it together, and that makes it just a fraction less horrific. I wonder if Ramona questions why Thony and Jorge are sticking together all night? Maybe she just assumes Thony feels safer around him, which I suppose would be true haha

Literally how does Jorge get all the way from the gala to their underground bunker and back in time????? Some TV magic happening there for sure lol

Thony and Ramona’s showdown on the roof is kinda funny… like how did Thony know to go up there? How did she walk around with that gun without being noticed? But no matter. And ugh Thony shaking and crying as she tells Ramona she deserves to die for Nadia and Arman… my creys. Plus it was definitely satisfying to see Ramona realise that Thony and Jorge had allied against her (which was her own fault! If she hadn’t betrayed him, he never would have betrayed her! Consequences, baby!). I do appreciate that Jorge told the FBI exactly where to find her, saving Thony from having to take Ramona out and then potentially go to jail for her murder… though  it would be very cool if in S4 Ramona somehow weasels her way out of prison, and so Thony has no choice to take the matter into her own hands once and for all– for herself, for Nadia, and for Arman. 

Haha awww the family all at home, celebrating, doing karaoke? My heart. “How about a love song for you and Camila, Chris?” lollll Jaz is such a little sister and I love it. JD suggesting Beyonce for him and Luca, Thony and Fi looking relaxed and happy, Chris getting his kiss and Luca accidentally cockblocking…. This family deserves to have some simple happiness after everything they’ve been through! 

“Not this time” oh Thony, you know that escaping ~the life~ is not so easy… like Arman told you a long time ago, once you’re in, you’re in… Looks like Derek will be an issue for both Thony and Jorge to have to contend with next season. Tbh I thought that this final scene could have been shot better though, like instead of Thony’s “Not this time” and then a cut to black, they should have had her say that and then walk away, and the camera pans past the phone (which stops ringing and goes dark) and follows her to the lounge where we see her rejoin the festivities with a grin on her face, choosing joy and light in defiance of the dark that’s trying to pull her back in. But nvm I guess lol, sadly the writers don’t consult me on this stuff so it’ll just have to stay in my head haha

[alkesims]

You know what the advantage is of taking an entire year to make this? Having it done for The Sims 2's 20th birthday – and, in 5 months, The Sims's 25th!

(ReShade off on the right.)

@philosimy's marvelous Old Town neighbourhood provided the base and the inspiration, and you should go put some respect on their hard work before you download this. It might even be what you came here looking for in the first place!

Their post has all the info you'll need about the SC4 terrain this neighbourhood was built on, and a list of the CC you'll need to use it:

Numenor: Maxis ‘Lost & Found’ #9: Waterfall & River

Criquette:

Lush (Temperate) Road DR & Neighborhood Road Transparency Fix

Road bridges set

Ultimate railway set

Haut-gothique: Age of Empires 3 conversions - part 1

Psychosims: Maxis Lost & Found - Plesiosaur

The good news is that that's all the CC you'll need to use the version with built lots. The bad news is that you'll need Ultimate Collection or all EPs and SPs to make everything work the way it was made. The even worse news is that it can't be perfectly 1:1 or as-is functional, but every lot is as close as I could get to how they appear in The Sims 1 Complete Collection. Basically, do a pass with your own CC and you'll make it nice.

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

MIRROR (MF)

To install:

Check your Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods folder to ensure it does not already contain a folder called “B407.” If it does, you will have to delete that neighbourhood to make room for this one.

Download and unpack OldTown2.rar.

Place the folder inside (named “B407”) in your Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods folder.

Start your game and play.

None of the lots in this neighbourhood have been so much as touched by a Sim to reduce game-breaking issues. It is free of the Super Duper Hug Bug. The neighbourhood itself contains no parts that will break your game. Unfortunately, it does include the default Townies, as the original did, and @creesims found memory issues among them. Some decorations may not appear in your game as advertised in this post, depending on your mix of default replacements and object fixes.

If you're only looking for individual lots, they're in the same SimFileShare folder as the neighbourhood and are 100% CC-free. I'll be making posts with caps and details for each one. I won't be making TS1 Sims to go in them, though; many others have done a better job than I could. Have fun finding or making your own.

So, not a perfect conversion. This is partially due to the self-imposed no-CC requirement, and partially due to the very nature of the differences between Sims 1 and 2. If you have an intuition of how Sims 1 looks, you'll notice:

Spiral stairs in odd positions and longer linear stairs.

A lack of curved stairs.

Wide blank spaces between the contents of a beach lot and its shoreline.

Different distances between buildings on a lot or between a building and the edge of a lot.

Differently-shaped shorelines and bodies of water.

Different terrain shapes and paints.

Fences that occupy the edge of a tile rather than the tile itself.

I can't change the above because they are foundational differences between the two games. The below, however, are stylistic choices that you should absolutely trash and redo with your own game:

Foundations and decks replacing floors.

Incongruous build and buy items.

Empty shopping and game space in community lots.

Mod-Related Notes:

The only mod compatibility issue will be with road default replacements. This hood requires Criquette's to work (see CC list above).

Voeille's Seawater: lots with or near water need a pool tile or two added to work properly.

Some community lots contain career reward objects or similar hidden items. You do not need any CC for these to appear on the lots.

However, in order for lot visitors to use the microphones, you'll need lamare's community lot mic fix.

If you know of a collection of 1t2 CC, I'd love to link it here.

Individual Lot Posts:

The Sims

2 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-09-21)

3 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-09-28)

5 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-10-05)

6 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-10-12)

7 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-10-19)

10 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-10-26)

Livin' Large

1 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-11-02)

7 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-11-09)

9 Sim Lane (SFS, 2024-11-16)

Hot Date

Hedman's Hideaway, 21 Wright Way (SFS, 2024-11-23)

Cory's Place, 22 Wright Way (SFS, 2024-11-30)

Wrensday's, 24 Wright Way (SFS, 2024-12-07)

Solana Towne Centre, 25 Main Street (SFS, 2024-12-14)

Landgraab Mall, 26 Main Street (SFS, 2024-12-21)

Old Farm Square, 27 Main Street (SFS, 2024-12-28)

Barrett's Boardwalk, 28 Main Street (SFS, 2025-01-04)

SimCity Beach, 29 Main Street (SFS, 2025-01-11)

Crumplebottom Memorial Park, 30 Main Street (SFS, 2025-01-18)

Vacation

Alpine Preserve, 40 Old Volcano Way (SFS, 2025-01-25)

Penguin Acres Campground, 41 Old Volcano Way (SFS, 2025-02-01)

Al Pine's Winter Wonderland, 42 Old Volcano Way (SFS, 2025-02-08)

Bear Essentials Lodge, 43 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-02-15)

Ranger's Ranch Campground, 44 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-02-22)

Wren's Fens National Park, 45 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-03-01)

Reclaimed Public Beach, 46 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-03-08)

Sunset Beach, 47 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-03-15)

Palazzo Palms Hotel, 48 Lagoon Moon Road (SFS, 2025-03-22)

Unleashed

The Blackpoint Cottage, 53 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-03-29)

The Walden Estate, 54 Ridge Road (SFS, 2025-04-05)

The Porte Rouge Villa, 55 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-04-12)

56 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-04-19)

The Somerset Home, 57 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-04-26)

SimCentral Park, 58 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-05-03)

The Sunflower Home, 59 Ingleside Drive (SFS, 2025-05-10)

The Meadowlark Home, 60 Happy Trail (SFS, 2025-05-17)

Custer's Market, 61 Happy Trail (SFS, 2025-05-24)

The Oak Villa, 62 Old Farm Circle (SFS, 2025-05-31)

63 Gunter Goth Highway (SFS, 2025-06-07)

The Morris Cottage, 64 Gunter Goth Highway (SFS, 2025-06-14)

The Appleview Farm, 66 Gunter Goth Highway (SFS, 2025-06-21)

The Vanilla Home, 68 First Avenue (SFS, 2025-06-28)

The Charming Family, 69 First Avenue (SFS, 2025-07-05)

Pet Paradise!, 70 Elm Street (SFS, 2025-07-12)

Old Town Quarter, 71 Elm Street (SFS, 2025-07-19)

Sidewalk Walkabout, 72 Elm Street (SFS, 2025-04-01)

McArthur Square, 73 Elm Street (SFS, 2025-07-26)

Lake Barrett, 74 Maple Street (SFS, 2025-08-02)

The Gothic Quarter, 75 Maple Street (SFS, 2025-08-09)

76 Gunter Goth Highway (SFS, 2025-08-16)

77 Maple Street (SFS, 2025-08-23)

The Courtyard Villa, 78 Maple Street (SFS, 2025-08-30)

The Mango Manor, 80 Crumplebottom Court (SFS, 2025-09-06)

Superstar

KWLW Studios, 81 Sunrise Boulevard (SFS, 2025-09-13)

Fairchild Film Studios, 82 Sunrise Boulevard (SFS, 2025-09-20)

Meeker Studios, 83 Sunrise Boulevard (SFS, 2025-09-27)

Midlock Multiplex, 84 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-10-04)

Studio Town Center, 85 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-10-11)

Buckingham Galleries, 86 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-10-18)

Music for the Eyes Inc., 87 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-10-25)

Cameron's Lounge, 88 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-11-01)

The Gast District, 89 Studio Town Drive (SFS, 2025-11-08)

Makin' Magic

EverAfter Oaks, 90 Creepy Hollow (SFS, 2025-11-15)

Alfred's B & B, 91 Creepy Hollow (SFS, 2025-11-22)

Old Man Lum's, 92 Creepy Hollow (SFS, 2025-11-29)

A Spooktacular Spot, 93 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2025-12-06)

Vernon's Vault, 94 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2025-12-13)

Coldwind Meadow, 95 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2025-12-20)

Clowntastic Land, 96 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2025-12-27)

Serra Glen, 97 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2026-01-03)

Forest Edge Camp, 98 Calamity Forest (SFS, 2026-01-10)

[magnumdays]

Magnum PI - 4.17 - ‘Remember Me Tomorrow’ review

This ep. was sure hard to find! So glad we got such a great community helping each other out with getting access (@vix-has-arrived sure saved the day today!). But that’s why the review is a bit late!

What I loved most about this episode:

Higgins & Ella being adorable.

Drunk-ish Magnum teasing Higgy on the phone.

Rick & Suzie and Rick being all “I’ll just be there for her on her terms” which really is the sweetest thing.

Magnum helping the old guy set up a video call and reassuring him! The rest of their interactions were nice too, but this last one was my fave! 

But I loved all of it, really such a feel good episode and I’m not even mad we only had like two tiny Magnum/Higgins interactions because the rest was so good and their moments, short as they were, were super them. 

Nor did I miss the Ferrari or not getting too many outdoors scenes (well, I’d have loved some beach vibes as it snow here yesterday and spring is def. not in the air here in Sweden!) It was a bit of a different episode, and while different sometimes is just don’t do it for me, this worked really well (for me at least).

(I wonder if this was supposed to be Jay’s episode to direct though, because he’s got separate scenes from everyone? but then something changed with the other director and they had to switch? Because he directed next week’s right?)

Anyways, the episode really tugged on my heartstrings. I’m a sucker for throwing a kid in the mix and Ella was just such a a sweetheart (and might be wearing my Miggy-colored glasses but couldn’t she totally low-key be mistaken for Juliet and Magnum’s daughter?)

So, yeah, they had me just by adding the cute kid with a sad story. Also her dad... 

 I was worried he’d ask for Juliet’s phone number there at the end (and I’d want him to have it and take her out even though we’ve been there and done with Ethan but I liked him and I liked that Dad felt like more of a real person in one episode than E did for most of his time on the show.)

Also, here I think they were really clever in how they had Higgins be all “I’d have thrown myself into a case to not have to deal with the fact that I was dying and leaving my loved ones behind” during this end bit. It was true, sweet and I think really helpful for the dad to hear. Also a reminder on how she deals with emotions...

Backing up a little, the case was kind of interesting even if it was more about the interactions between Higgy and Ella and the motive and ending was a bit... odd and sudden. 

Like lady has affair with guy, decides to be with him she’s going to kill his whole family because he won’t leave his wife, does the deed with a totally traceable gun, then he comes home and is horrified and thus she kills him too. Then she has enough presence of mind to grab stuff to make it look like a robbery but is dumb enough to dump stolen stuff + the gun like close enough another neighbor, who sees and takes it? Her husband, whose gun it was, is not suspicious at all of his gun being missing and also dose not realize she’s gone totally cray-cray and killed 3 people? Or he did notice and that’s why they’re divorced? 

Then, after having kept this all secret for five years and not gotten caught, Higgy coming to ask about the affair, rather than lie some more, she knocks Juliet out and then decides to end her own life as well as Higgy’s by turning the stove on and just letting the gas poison them? Like IDK, this lady is not very consistent in how she kills folks. Also, why not lie and send Juliet on her merry way and then run? Or kill herself in a smarter way? Or kill Higgy for reals? Or leave her to be poisoned while she runs off to escape the police? It just felt a tad bit like weird and inconsistent. 

Also poor Higgy’s head!

(frying pan - and that sound effect of pan vs. head... like brain surgery next if that was real life. And then carbon monoxide poisoning? Higgy had a rough day.) 

I might have preferred some more clues. Or like maybe Ella having some sort of revelation instead of it just being who the gun belonged to. It was very...we have 4 minutes left, let’s wrap this up of them.

(Also, I’m assuming no one called Magnum about the whole Higgy not picking up while with the killer because I feel like he’d have had feels if that had happened. I would have loved to have seen his reaction to it though...)

Loved him being all  Fun Higgins and Sweet Higgins (also we got Fun Magnum and Sweet/Sharing Magnum). Side note: Sometimes I remember to be impressed by actors, like we see acting so much on TV and stuff it feels like a ‘normal’ thing, but Jay being low-key drunk-happy-teasing and that actually translating - I’m impressed. Because playing drunk-ish but not plastered is hard (I’ve attempted it with mediocre success.)

I do have one question - Ella’s mom died two years ago - how did the neighbor have pen smudges on his hand still? Or was it just Juliet seeing he was left handed and he just always have pen smudges? Who writes by hand anymore enough to have pen smudges? IDK, I was just a little like ‘wait what?’ at this point.

(That is a pen smudge on his hand right?? I guess maybe they changed the timeline or something? Perhaps the arrival of the letter originally was meant to be what made Ella investigate again?)

Magnum bringing the old guy a steak - that’s my boy! Old people get terrible food at most places so that really would be a kind and appreciated thing to do.

I wonder if the old guy is the funeral we’re getting next week? Or someone else is kicking the bucket?

(They’re very...diplomatic about the Vietnam war aren’t they.)

As previously mentioned, I did like Suzie not being all “let’s play happy family” as soon a she got back. I mean she’s not wrong, their kid should come first, even if you know, maybe she should have gone with like a ‘we need to focus on figuring out how to be parents before we figure our feelings out’ because like the logic of if we never start we can never end/break up...yeah, I guess, sure, but also not? 

We shall see where it goes, but I do feel quite sure about my prediction of a dramatic finale baby birth. I would love like a kidnapped/in trouble Magnum and Suzie and the rest of the gang teaming up to get them back and we get another Rick/Juliet moment (or possibly one where they both kind of go off the deep end thinking their person is dead. We know they both have those tendencies.)

Last thing. Anyone know what happened to Jay’s arm?

He’s got a pretty serious “band-aid” and no one mentions it in-show but I noticed so, just thought I’d ask since I know some of you keep more track of the actors than I do!

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

This is a 2 part response to this meta by @dancinbutterfly and yes, it's a tad all over the place and I might be repeating myself...Anyway, here we go:

Part 1

After reading this meta, I kept seeing posts about how some of us want VegasPete to go on the war path. How so very Vegas to enact a path of death like Ares, the god of war. Although, beside Vegas is Aphrodite the goddess of love. Anyway…VP go on this path of destruction, but it is to dismantle the whole Kingdom? What would this accomplish besides relinquishing control to them? So, yes VP take over as one mafia family/clan? No major clan. No minor clan. No in house divide. No more Capulet and Montague shit. And by doing so it frees KinnPorsche. Kinn, of course, would combat this. Porsche however is both a barricade, a guard, a moat, a shield as the head of the minor family and getting to Kinn is now nigh impossible because Porsche stands there in defense (and I noticed post repsonses to this meta about how Porsche is a Queen and the Queen cannot emulate the Knight, but Porsche however much is a Knight still) which I totally agree with).

Porsche is the stronghold in front of the Kingdom.

However, if Porsche is increasingly still suspect of Korn and even his mother then he’d consider working with Vegas? Basically, Vegas along with Pete pulls a Hamlet (yeah I'm thinking of another Shakes play). It’ll look like nothing has changed because it is Vegas being Vegas, right (and ironically, like a Hamlet, he is acting through the guise of a grieving son)? Also, Korn or most likely Kinn would try to leverage Pete, hoping he could stop this act from happening, but nope. Sorry, any allegiance or loyalty the rook had to the so-called main family is most likely being excised because of his increasing love for Vegas (then if they leveraged so far as Grandma, you’ll be eaten by Aphrodite’s wrath). And Vegas, he will do Ares’s dirty work, but he will keep a vow in this act. So as he said to Porsche once before, “I won’t let anything happen to Pete." And this time it’s heavier because he knows that Pete will follow. And so as with information that’s surfaced, there is no chance in hell Porsche is shooting Pete. Porsche is already shrouded in darkness; not sure he’d stoop that low.

Yet I could see another play within a play to make it look deadly serious.

Do I hate that Porsche would probably have to do all of this behind Kinn’s back? Absolutely. Something concrete must be shown to Kinn regarding this family competition and how it has been so wrong, and your father trapped you into the responsibility of it making sure you’d see no way out (so Korn keeps his Kingdom and legacy intact). Like idk…what exactly makes Kinn finally see and start to fill in the hollowness created by Korn? But he must be carefully shown that all Korn has done is a sheer manipulation and maybe it’s high time, Kinn thinks about a different life that’s still with Porsche, who just so happens to have a perfectly set up dream waiting on a beach. However, as this meta (linking again because I love it) says and I paraphrase, Kinn may have made his choice. He’s heir of the main family and he might even continue that way if Porsche walked away. However, he was inches away (ep 13) from considering leaving this life, choosing Porsche and willing to try a life apart from his family legacy? Yet currently Korn has/had too many gambits. Though, I’d like to think Porsche and Vegas creating a seemingly deadly serious play within a play (and by extension Pete) would make for a delicious gambit that outsmarts the master manipulator (which also kind of means love comes back to bite Korn in the ass!) Only problem is still Namphueng’s moves in this, if she has any. Does she help dismantle the kingdom or does she want it? Considering, we believe a female character could be written into the show much better after her sloppy/weird introduction. Plus, if they continued with KinnPorsche, I do know what I’m speculating is probably a rather impossible direction of where this story could be headed. Wouldn't VegasPete be the perfect device to oust Korn?

It would seem like Porsche's only move.

Part 2

Now, I'm not versed in chess and what power the pieces necessarily have, but I think from other shows (and perhaps irl) we can see how Kingdoms work? Speaking from my soul here, a lot of this made me think of the stories behind the Fire Emblem video games. Divided territory. A Kingdom. An Empire. An Alliance. Knights. Mercenaries. Really though, the KP world probably does act more like a Capulet and Montague thing, but instead of two different royal families constantly at each other's throats, this is an in house divide?

So...really after reading the meta, you bet I can adapt to this chess metaphor. Also, this meta (and thank you again for writing it) answered my question: WHY KINN AS HEIR? 

I hadn't taken into account any of the others being too emotional (Tankhun, Kim and Vegas). Then it got me thinking aside and perhaps a little off base. As I type this out, I don’t know how to feel about Korn’s move to show “mercy” to Vegas. Isn’t this what Pete believed would happen? Which kind of falls into that thing about Korn creating a surface presence of sorts, only revealing what he wants so you (in this case one of his rooks, Pete) fills in the rest of it? To Pete, Korn has made himself look like the "merciful" type but doled out punishments not directly from him are also the norm?

So...Pete believed that if Vegas had turned himself in, Korn would be merciful. Ironically, it turned out that way right in front of him, but also right after Korn mows down Gun which is really of no consequence (after all he was the one in the wrong, ambushing the major family yet so is Vegas). If Korn was being “merciful” in a way towards Kinn and Porsche, then why couldn’t he be merciful to Vegas and in effect to Pete's decision to follow his heart (because Vegas not dying is literally why Pete gets to fulfill his decision)? Granted, it is a conflicting decision to make…a prime example of trying to remain loyal in servitude of the Kingdom or making your own choice. A matter of the heart, and of course, I’m content with Pete making this decision, but it feels like another leash? Not that Korn has any CARE to kill Vegas? Like he has the convoluted, manipulative reasons, but does he CARE to, as if doing it would be and has always been such an easy thing to do? And it could've been by Korn's own hand, but Vegas eventually becomes outnumbered. Plus, do you think if Korn killed Vegas (even with this strange animosity fettering between them) Kinn would raise an eyebrow or no?

But why take the time since his nephews are no longer a choice (and have never been a choice to lead) by killing Gun? It’s just, in the middle of all of this, I want to believe that Pete can no longer be a piece to move. He resigned and because of who his heart is following this rook took himself off the board? But the “take care of him” seems like a loosely veiled gambit. The gambit being played is whether Korn thinks he has kept Pete on the board as the way to keep Vegas on the leash, which he may not have had to bother creating because Vegas was ready to end himself, but why would Korn care about that? He doesn’t care about the emotional downfall, but perhaps counted on it?

Yet by telling Pete, to "take care of him" Korn thinks it is a way to keep the rook (and essentially have Vegas “controlled”) and he makes himself look merciful to Pete but at the same time this is very much Pete’s choice? And by it very much being the rook's choice it has consequences for Korn later on? And maybe this comes from me thinking that Vegas could have a later down the road reaction? I don’t know…but I too believe that Korn is not omniscient except perhaps in knowing all he needed to about the Queen piece (Porsche).  How much did he know about Pete and Vegas? It just feels intriguing to me that Porsche tells Vegas to take care of Pete and then Korn tells Pete to take care of Vegas.  Both statements seem to come from different reasoning and intentions?

Also, I’d always thought Pete would eventually become a Queen in this game too (however, this thought might be in favor of the d/s VP dynamic)? Coincidentally, that’d mean I believe Vegas could be King but by the rules of Korn’s game that’s nigh impossible. Then there's the idea of Vegas and Pete being out of the game entirely which could in effect make Vegas more dangerous (and be part of Korn’s mistake in trying to keep his power in whatever way he wants)? And we can already see what Pete my maybe Queen can do especially in a blind rage. Could that be quelled in a more calculated sense? That Pete, in defense of Vegas, would consider who he is facing this time? Then maybe Pete is stuck as a rook, perhaps more like a perpetual Knight who will now defend Vegas entirely? Like he ain’t playing no games anymore whether he is on Korn’s chess board. The stark, defiant Knight basically born from the “I’m just following my heart” and is no longer choosing to serve the Kingdom. Pete could also be the kind of Knight who has become a mercenary so to speak. Vegas and Pete (plus Macau) if off the chess board, are now mercenaries with an extreme and latching loyalty to their newly created unit?

Meaning Pete would have wavering (if any at all) loyalties towards the main family (because most of the time mercenaries act of their own choices) which contrasts with Porsche being used as the Queen to check the White King. Meaning Pete cannot be as easily manipulated especially if he’s off the chess board? Sure, Pete probably wouldn’t rampage against them without fully “justified” reasons in his mind because at this point (as Korn wanted), it’s going against Kinn and Porsche not Korn (which none of them have considered to do except maybe Kim?). Really I think what's underestimated is how nearly excised Pete's loyalty to the main family is becoming just because he's falling in love with Vegas? And this is an intriguing question I just now asked in this, because you mentioned that Kinn won't back out of this life. Kinn has made his choice to be the heir and he wouldn't walk away even if Porsche walked away. Yet Pete (a lowly rook/knight) is essentially walking away but towards someone Korn didn't have to be "merciful" towards but seemingly was.

The pool scene was literally right after resigning and trying to stop Vegas from killing himself and when he succeeds and then watches it ripped away from him (yeah, in that moment blind rage makes sense). Pete believes the main family has always been "merciful" enough in this type of world and probably towards the minor family most of the time. Plus, towards his grandmother apparently enough to the point KINN can make phone calls to her. Tankhun sends men to her house? Dependent on the situation, we'd all want grandmothers or anyone close to us unknown to even the main family. Which obviously is not possible, in this line of work, since all the connections this family has and so they would know almost every detail about you and even make it their aim to do just that as you're "hired" on. Yet it’s merciful because we protect her, and you work for us. A life for a life.

At this point, I make no sense or so it feels like it and I supposed I went heavy on the Vegas Pete of this rather than a whole picture? It just feels odd. Even if they are mercenaries off the chess board (technically now capable of their own choices, which is also something Kim has been doing??) it would always feel like a shadow. They know where Grandma lives, and even with Pete resigning and Vegas’s “function” in the family being excised, it’s not as if they really escaped, but maybe just a tad more than Kinn and Porsche? And I know that Kinn and Porsche are not actively seeking punishment towards them, especially Vegas. Fact is, they’re taking care of them which technically keeps Vegas and Pete chess board adjacent…but in the end, it feels so dirty to think about Korn’s line, “history is written by the victor” and then there's also the nagging bit of it all, which is the fact that Korn would NEVER “relinquish” power so easily. Has he relinquished or just delegated power and as we’ve seen he simply moved the pieces? Porsche being the piece he had been missing to start the game, but had to alter the game along the way because of the falling in love part he couldn’t really predict (for both couples)? Still think the love part on all fronts (familial or romantic) can come back and bite Korn in the ass?

Maybe this is too simple but as I was watching the last episode and when Korn did shoot Gun, I went...okay, now this whole scheme REALLY only looks like an elaborate way to assassinate your brother and establish the legacy you can easily manipulate.

It feels like Korn wants to keep everything in place and he has. Maintain power, but shoulder less of the responsibility? Nothing seems taken out on him. It's always Kinn did this. Kinn did that. Tankhun did this. Kim this. Chan this. Nothing ever mentioned of orders from the higher source though we know Chan does act most of the time for the higher source, and we do see the orders given to Kinn...but somehow Korn delegates often enough, making sure the source of the blame, punishment etc is never reflected on him yet it's all him? Which in an effect is why Pete could see him as "merciful?"

Sure, Porsche and Kinn are for the most part on the same page, but it's still the Battle of the Two Families (and really naming it that does feel very Capulet and Montague)? Since, I kept thinking of R & J, Mercutio's one line popped up and remember he was caught in the house divide plus by love:

A plague o' both your houses

They have made worms meat of me...

Yet figuratively speaking one could say it's already made worms meat of Porsche (consider the comment in this meta about Porsche looking as if he aged 10 years from a month of this) and its has since an early age made worms meat of Kinn, his brother and cousins (even the men working for them), but Kinn has yet to see or doesn't want to see that his father is actually manipulating everything for some reason?

In Korn's mind, there's actually no dismantling of this Kingdom. As long as Korn has control/power round and round it goes so Kinn and by extension Porsche are callously caught inside this Kingdom- no, not caught, handed the responsibility of it.

Then there’s Porsche's Mom which is the bigger mystery, I suppose.

So...basically there is enough to continue this story. Yet, not so sure it'd go any of the direction I've typed out here. Personally, as I mentioned in Part 1, I do think it'd be plausible to see Porsche and Vegas (plus Pete) create a play within a play that looks so deadly serious especially if the story portrayed Porsche as increasingly suspicious of Korn.

[medusinestories]

 And the rewatch continues...

Black Sails, II (S1ep02)

- Back to Breaking Billy. Damn, he looks so shell-shocked by what he did. He... LIED to the crew. I think a lot of viewers don’t see how this is a big deal in a world of thieving lying bastards which make up about 95% of the cast, but it’s a huge deal to Billy. Later in the ep, Gates tries to brush it off, telling Billy that it’s for the good of the crew (and, well, he may be right - the crew is already trying to spend gold they don’t have yet). I also love that Gates opens with “I’ve always been straight with you”... Why yes you have, except when you didn’t tell him about Flint’s plans. And Billy knows this, deep down he must know that he comes second to Flint in Gates’ list of priorities.

- Randall and his “we don’t like thieves, this is what happens to thieves” (at this point crew members are pissing on Singleton’s corpse)... the way he looks at Silver, nearly like he knows. Also a foreshadowing of the “he’s a thief!” dialogue. Also, why on earth didn’t Gates search Silver? He’s the only man on Parrish’s crew that didn’t get searched. Either Silver was extremely lucky, or something happened between them to distract Gates (is this a request for silvergates fanfic? yes).

- Silver taking one look at Flint's face and belly-flopping into the sea... CLASSIC. Billy running after him, he seems to be able to handle. Flint looking right at him... PANIC!

- Anyhow there’s a lot of things in this episode that reveal bits of Silver’s identity. He thinks incredibly fast, hard to tell if he’s thinking on his feet or applying techniques he’s already used (I suspect the latter), but he manages to vanish on the beach, from the brothel (after nearly losing an eye) and in the wrecks. But then he goes and does something halfway decent when he sees Max being throttled by Vane and asks Idelle for a weapon. I wasn’t sure if it was for self-protection or what, but since Max is gesturing at him not to do anything, he actually seems fully prepared to go in and save her as had been previously discussed.

- We see a lot of Vane in this episode, and a lot of different facets. He’s surprisingly cautious when Rackham puts the “we get info on the Urca” plan to him, and his attempts to argue calmly with Eleanor show quite a lot of (awkward) restraint. And then there’s the brutality against Max, which also seems to come from a place of paranoia (and probably jealousy?). But above all, it’s interesting that while Vane’s name strikes fear in the heart of people, like Flint, also like Flint, he doesn’t truly have control over his men and their brutish behaviour. Also, very much like Flint, he wants things done his way, as demonstrated by him killing off the messenger Silver sends to fetch the pearls. I also found it nice (for Vane) that when Rackham falls into the sea, Vane actually stops to check that Rackham is okay before going after Silver again.

- Max. I have to admit, she’s one of the characters that still leaves me the most mystified on a rewatch. She gestures to Silver not to intervene when Vane is throttling her, even though she has no leverage and no idea whether he’ll actually leave her alive or not... why? Max Accepting To Endure Pain will come up again in the next few eps (ugh :-/ ) and I still have trouble understanding what motivates her. Is it pride? A fierce will to be free/independent? I get that she doesn’t trust Eleanor and refuses to be protected by the same person who basically stabbed her in the back. But she goes several steps further into pure recklessness and I don’t really get it. Your insights/comments on this are welcome!

- That said, her begging Eleanor to run away with her and give up Nassau, “we can be free together”, well that’s pretty much what John “all I want is to be free” Silver would like from Madi by the end of S4, isn’t it?

- I kind of wonder whether Silver wasn’t hoping to be captured by Flint. I mean, he was probably hoping to manage to escape, but getting caught by Flint was apparently what he considered his second best option, since he calls Vane “the madman”. It’s pretty interesting how he’s already decided that Flint and his crew are better than Vane. I can only imagine that the difference is that while he’s seen Flint commit a really disgusting murder on another pirate, Silver thinks it’s not as bad as Vane who killed a beggar and threatened to kill Max. (that or he’s already fascinated by Flint, of course)

- I just love the little bits of vulnerability you see in Flint in this episode. His talk with Eleanor, where he’s slouching and exhausting, and instead of explaining why he wants Nassau specifically, tells the story about Odysseus and the oar. And then at the end we see him watching his men having fun in the camp before he leaves to see Miranda. The moment he’s back in this familiar environment and she tells him to get his boots off and she’ll boil some water and he just... crumples. A+ acting and just brilliant.

- So we hear that Richard has been bribing the Lord Proprietor for years. We know that Lord Alfred was the proprietor. Now I kind of wonder whether the killing of Alfred Hamilton is recent, and whether this is why the navy's coming in now that he’s gone.

[lizacstuff]

Your thoughts on the epi? I thought it was a good episode overall. Serkan is acting the way I thought he would: he wants to be the perfect Dad, is scared she won't love him, is spoiling her but also teaching her things. I'm not quite sure why Kiraz isn't calling him Baba, maybe she needs time to adjust to calling him that. I have mixed emotions when it comes to the way Eda spied on Serkan. I understand she's worried but trust the man a little. No comments on Aydan and Ayfer! They are too much!

Hello! I liked the episode. It felt very light, very romcom-y and I thought it was very enjoyable to watch. Loved every minute of Serkan trying to be the ideal dad and I'm here for the Edser UST this ep brought. They want each other sooooo much. And, yes, Eda wants him, she wants him bad. I thought the custody thing at the end was silly and convoluted, but, hey, I'm totally here for the "they're not together and fighting their feelings, but forced to live together" trope so I will just ignore how unbelievable it would be for Edser to be drowning in hearteyes for each other all ep, getting along in regards to Kiraz, AND seemingly aware that Aydan/Ayfer were up to something and still allow a misunderstanding over their shenanigans to spiral to that nonsense degree.

Maybe the folks that think that Serkan & Eda were playing all the meddling family and friends are right, and they set it up beforehand, it's just that I've thought things were a fake out on this show so many times, only for them to be real, so at this point I'm operating under the assumption that this is just a romcom plot point to throw our romantic leads together and it's not worth examining it too closely.

I'll give my thoughts on the "Baba" vs "Serkan Bolat" thing and Eda's actions after we talk a bit about the B, C and D players... Thankfully we had plenty of Edser and Kiraz screen time this ep so the supporting stories didn't overwhelm the episode too much.

(much more under the cut)

That being said, who can we pay to get these people to mind their own f-cking business? LMAO. At least Engin and Piril weren't annoying and were actually trying to be helpful. I mean, Piril is still cancelled, but if she's not causing trouble now then she's not at the top of my shit list. However, I did laugh at her when she's sort of pleading with Serkan: "We've been friends for a long time, you'll understand why I did this." Um... what, Piril? You're sitting there approximately 72 hours after Serkan found out he has a child and he's already proven that he's ALL IN on being a father, and you expect Serkan to think you were right for hiding it from him? Cause why? He has already proven that any concerns you had about him rejecting Kiraz were invalid. The only thing wrong with Serkan's anger at Piril is that it will probably only last for that scene.

Anyone else think Kerem the assistant is an ass? Seriously, do they really want us to root for sweet Pina to be with this dickweasel? He's insecure, he thinks he knows it all, he's snarky and lashes out, he's vindictive. No thanks.

As for Aydan and Ayfer. Ooph. As punishment for their unprecedented assery this episode they both need to be stranded on a desert island with only each other. Only then maybe they'll learn not to insert themselves by such underhanded means. They're both giant pains in the ass, but Ayfer still annoys me more than Aydan. Because here's the thing, once Edser is back together and Serkan is happy, Aydan will fully embrace Eda again, but I don't think the same can be said for Ayfer. Did you see some of the bitchy, sour faces Ayfer was making, taunting Eda about her soft spot for Serkan. She's insufferable.

Turning to the nonsense meddling custody plot line, Kemal and Seyfi were just following orders, but what is Melo's excuse? It's unfortunate that the narrative pulled her into this. Ayfer may have her head in the sand, and not really care what Eda wants, but Melo does and she knew that Eda wanted to cooperate with Serkan and bring him into Kiraz's life, she knew that Eda was about 2 seconds from melting every time she was near Serkan, and that they were likely on the cusp of rekindling their relationship. There is no way she should have been complicit in trying to get evidence against Serkan or visiting lawyers behind Eda's back.

However, even after being complicit in Ayfer's nonsense, she still deserves a helluva lot better than Burak. That guy was annoying af this episode. What exactly does he think he's doing? I'm sorry, in that situation you step back and give the people going through such a monumental life change some space. Again, it's not like it needs to be forever, but you don't try and monopolize the kid's time the night of and 2 days after she meets her long-lost father. He needs to fuck all he way off.

Also since Eda had no interest in this guy, why is he coming over to tuck in the kid EVERY night? I get that he's been good to Kiraz and they have a nice relationship, but that's soooo overkill, it's just not normal. Especially since they've said they've only been living there a year. The only reason for a dude to revolve his entire life around a kid like that is because he's actively trying to get in the mom's pants. So when it comes to Burak's intentions, Eda is as dense as Serkan used to be with Balca/Selin/Actress. Burak only took that level of interest and inserted himself into their lives because he wanted Eda, and Eda should realize that and have a frank conversation with him. Eda doesn't even have to be cognizant that she will inevitably get back together with Serkan, she already knows she has no interest in Burak. She should tell him. And if she's already told him (which it seems she might have from her comments to Ayfer and Melo) she should put some boundaries in place because his presence was ridiculous.

It still blows my mind that this sad sack thinks he has a shot with Eda. Seriously, while the dude isn't hideous, he's also not attractive and he has the personality of dead grass coupled with the charisma of warm mayonnaise. He's not worthy of either Eda or Melo. The scene of Melo and Burak walking on the beach made me a bit uncomfortable. They're totally setting that relationship up, but so far all we see is Melo obviously harboring feelings for him as Burak broods over his Eda delusions. We'll have to see how this plays out, but I feel like Burak didn't need to be this upset over Eda for the story to work, and it would be a lot easier to root for him with Melo if by episode 5 if he wasn't still actively trying, as Engin said, to take over Serkan's family.

On to Edser and the newly forming Bolat family unit. It's funny, I'm not someone who thinks a woman needs to take her husband's last name, I think people should do whatever they want, but for whatever reason I really, really want Eda and Kiraz to have his name. Maybe because I think they all crave having people to belong to in a sense. Serkan because he was unloved and sent overseas alone at such a young age, Eda because she was an orphan, Kiraz because she didn't have a dad in early childhood. So for that reason, I really do feel like it will be meaningful to have them tied together that way as a family unit. They belong to each other now (or they will soon).

Along those lines, you say you're not sure why Kiraz isn't calling him Baba, narratively, I think it's because that will be a big milestone in their relationship. When she feels comfortable enough, connected enough, and secure enough with him to do that, it's going to melt all of our hearts right out of our chests. If she'd done it right away it wouldn't feel as special as it's going to feel when it eventually happens because she feels it (not just because it's a fact).

As for her calling him Serkan Bolat, I think it's adorable. That's how she knew him before, it would be weird if she called him anything other than that or Baba, (like Serkan or Abi) because then it would be like she was settling on that, but calling him by his full name, which is such a part of his identity, is cute and charming and pays tribute to the interactions they had before they knew of their relationship, and it's a signal that it's only temporary. Baba is coming, don't worry.

Loved Kiraz showing Serkan her room and all of her things, and really loved Eda standing there, smiling, soaking it in. I've seen a lot of criticism of Eda in this episode and she did have a few moments that were unnecessarily harsh, but I think it's also valid to give her a minute to adjust because this is a lot of change in just a couple of days. While she now knows Serkan had understandable, and even noble, reasons for what he did and said, that still doesn't erase the heartbreak and pain he put her through, or the 5 years of being a single mother and not having anyone to consult or needing to consult anyone on decisions regarding Kiraz.

I do think, though, that we didn't see Eda give him enough credit when he covered for her lies to Kiraz. When Kiraz asked her why she didn't tell her Serkan Bolat was her father and then asked him when mom didn't answer, he could have easily told the truth and thrown Eda under the bus, big time, but instead he comes up with something that passes as an explanation, doesn't make anyone a villain, but also doesn't make him look great. I wish we'd seen Eda recognize that. It was a magnanimous gesture on his part, since he and Kiraz were the ones who were lied to for 5 years.

However, her running a bit hot and cold this episode makes sense. On one hand when she's around him her heart feels that strong orbital pull towards him. She loves him. She always has loved him, she always will love him. Just like with Serkan, that will not change, and obviously didn't after heartbreak and separation. But it also makes sense that at times her head takes over and with it the fear and the memory of the pain and she freezes up a bit. It doesn't ding her or their love, she just needs time to let herself believe that this is really happening. That Serkan is back, that he still loves her, that he loves their daughter and wants to be a father and form a family. From the way she recorded those videos, how many times do we think she dreamed of them being a happy family together? I'm guessing a lot. Now it's within her grasp and I think she just needs to be sure that Serkan is for real before she fully succumbs to this dream.

She also needs to get over her pride, I'm sure there's a part of her (Ayfer's voice) telling her a woman doesn't go back to a man who hurt her that badly. But as we saw, girlfriend was snuggling with his shirt, she still has it so bad for him. But, pro tip, Eda, he wanted to stay the night, wouldn't it be so much more fulfilling to snuggle with the real thing? I promise it would... just let him in. The lawn scene was hilarious. Kerem is really and truly a gifted physical comedian. We know how tight the timelines are on this show and they don't get to do a lot of takes, but his stumbling over the furniture and falling was flawlessly done. Hande was great too... that bat! Of course the sexual tension in the robes and towel scene was magnificent. When she first walked in wearing that towell I thought my man was going to combust. That look on his face, priceless.

Speaking of priceless, what first-day Baba makes his little girl's dreams come true like Serkan Bolat does? Staying up all night to build her flying house? MY HEART!

What a fantastic first gift. It was incredibly thoughtful, it was meaningful to the two of them, and it was also Serkan giving a piece of himself (using his skills in what he does best as an architect) to her.

Absolute perfection.

And how sweet that Serkan wanted to spend the day with her alone!?! I really liked that because we all know he loves Eda, he wants Eda back, and he will use any excuse to spend time with Eda. And he could have done that here, but he doesn't. So the fact that he wanted to spend the day alone with Kiraz, clearly illustrates that his interest in Kiraz, his desire to be her father stands on it's own. Kiraz is not just an excuse to get close to Eda, he is pursuing both relationships, and they are both important to him.

Also you said that you have mixed emotions on the way Eda spied on Serkan, that she doesn't trust him, but honestly I really don't think it's about that. She might have been a little discombobulated by the idea because the man has never really spent any time with children and here he's thrust into fatherhood, but she trusts him and knows Kiraz is safe with him. Honestly, I think her biggest driving factor in following them is FOMO.

She doesn't want to miss this! She has wondered what kind of father he might be for years, and now she wants to witness it. She wants to be there and see what he's like when he's spending time with her. She also wants to be a part of it, and a part of her might be a little jealous. For years she's been the only parent, and now another parental bond is forming and it's natural she is curious what that's going to look like.

Melo even sees through her during their conversations while they're out spying. Eda pretends it's because she's worried that Serkan doesn't know what he's doing, but Melo susses out that it's really because she missed Serkan. I think she really just wanted to be a part of it.

And her ulterior motives are exposed when she reacts with jealousy over the park moms and then with Hulya. She's jealous over Serkan, but also over what it might mean if Serkan had a woman in his life that's not Eda. (Real simple way to ensure that doesn't happen, Eda, just saying). On first watch it was a little frustrating to watch Eda be upset about Huyla and not have it cleared up immediately. However, on the second time through I found it incredibly enjoyable to watch. Hilarious even. Knowing that Serkan is going to let her off the hook just a few minutes later, and it's not going to be a drawn out misunderstanding, it's very fun to watch him just totally bask in her jealousy. The way he sits there and giggles and is just so chuffed at her display was very endearing. Since he's been celibate for 5 years, I suppose he's earned an incrediulous laugh at her thinking he has all these women on the line.

Eda is not wrong to be concerned about the Bolat's ability to spoil Kiraz with material things, Aydan can get out of control, however I can't be mad at the pony. The girl asked him if he had horses the first day they met, she said she wanted a dad like Serkan who had horses, he HAD to get her one she could actually ride! The girl was deprived of her father for 5 years because both of her parents are stubborn, so, let's be real, she kinda deserves a pony. Besides Eda should be more worried about the "spoiling" she gets from her camp, where she, Ayfer, Melo and Burak let her get away with constantly running away/running wild, eating ice cream whenever she wants, being rude to strangers etc. The fact that she's taught it's okay to knock a customer's water over without apologizing is more damaging to a forming personality than a pony. (Yes, that was another dig at Burak.) The point is, spoiling isn't only about material things, and from the glimpses we've seen of Baba Serkan he's already taught her about taking responsibility (confessing to breaking the window and apologizing), being self sufficient (tying shoelaces, putting pjs on herself), and setting behavioral boundaries (don't shoot arrows at people in hotels, you shouldn't hug strangers). He's going to be a very good influence in her life, because despite growing up with material privilege the man believes in hard work, effort and personal accountability.

Anyway, loved that when Serkan told Eda about dinner with Engin/Piril/Can she looked so secretly pleased when she casually agreed to go. I think that goes hand in hand with why she was spying, she won't let herself admit it, but she so badly wants them to do things as a family. That was part of her tug o' war this episode. Wanting that, but then suddenly worrying that maybe she shouldn't want that after everything that's happened, those feelings are helped along by Ayfer's judgemental looks and comments, and Burak trying to assert his place and Eda maybe feeling guilty.

Eda's behavior at dinner perfectly summarized the war going on between her head and heart this episode. First she fights with Serkan, going so far as to tell him she hates him, but the second she gets good news she flings herself into his arms. He's the person she wants to celebrate with, he's the person she wants congratulations from. So even if she was mad at him, she can't help herself. Also thank you Engin for telling Eda how Serkan lost weight and didn't come to work for months after she left. Those are important things for her to know. Also reinforced later by Aydan.

And thank you, Jan, for planting that fear of her dad leaving again with Kiraz, because it gave us sleep over at the Bolat house. It also gave us Kiraz asking Serkan if he will leave her. A good question and I'm glad we have Serkan's promise to never leave her. Just with the way tragedy (and meddling family members and obsessed stalkers) seems to find both Eda and Serkan, it's good he's made that promise. And it's good that he knows she needs that promise.

Now onto the secret room. I suppose if you're going to keep all of that and you have a large house, then you might as well keep it in a special room. This was a huge missing piece for Eda. Something tangible that she can see with her own two eyes that proves that he never forgot her and has been pining for her since the day they parted. I thought Eda was suitably touched by it all, and the fact that he got her gifts for every birthday. Anyone else think that they're going to get married on the beach and she's going to wear those flip-flops, that white dress, and the locket when they do? That's what sprung to my mind. The Neslihan scarf product placement made me roll my eyes, though.

To be honest I really didn't care what the gifts were, all I cared about was that thank you cheek kiss. I DIE. The birthday-present-thank-you cheek kiss he gave her in 7 is one of my all time favorite scenes and this parallel was a long time coming and wonderfully executed. And then they delivered on the USTy stare off where they clearly want to make out, but they're not quite there yet. It was going to have to be Eda that broke them out of it, because up to Serkan they either kiss or he stares at her for the rest of time.

Did anyone else feel a crick in their back, neck, legs at how Eda slept on that couch? Serkan was as comfy as can be, stretched out using her legs as a pillow and her torso as a blanket, lol. I wish the editors would have given us a couple of more seconds lingering on them all contorted like that. It was too precious. It would have been sweet if they'd had Kiraz find them and watch them for a minute before waking them up. Show the parent-trapping gears turning in her mind.

Buba absolutely deserved Serkan showing up to spoil his outing. And of course both ladies instantly gravitated to Serkan. I liked this scene because it gave us over-the-top BDE Serkan, a whiff of "Drain the pool" Serkan, the comedy of Engin and Serkan doing the Cyrano thing, and the obvious little "fish" measuring metaphor. But what I really liked was Eda telling him that he didn't need to try so hard to win Kiraz, that he just had to be himself. That was important and lovely, and illustrated to him that she really did want him to develop a good relationship with Kiraz.

The best moments of the episode for them, though, came during their family stargazing outing. Loved Serkan's extra safety precautions, including the mirror just so he can see her in the backseat. Though, if he's that concerned about it, maybe a larger car, lmao? Kiraz tricking them into kissing was an auspicious start to the evening, hopefully that's a taste of things to come. I'm here for her forcing the two of them into intimate situations.

The way Serkan was looking at the two of them throughout the stargazing was something else. He was looking at them with such longing. Like he couldn't believe they were so close, but he wanted them so badly. DUDE, they are right there, continue to play your cards right (and not let Ayfer and Aydan spoil things, spoiler alert, they do) and you're just days away from having everything you want. Loved that he changed the Apollo story to give it the happy ending he wants. Hopefully, that gave hope to any doomsdayers out there that think this show is going to end in tragedy. (Spoiler alert, it's not).

The only shame is that they have that nice (if not detached from reality conversation since they pretend they're not going to be together raising Kiraz) adult conversation about cooperating and working out how they're going to deal with Aydan and Ayfer, only for things to go totally off the rails during said conversations. As I said off the top of this marathon post, it was totally unbelievable in the context of the rest of the episode, but as I always say you can't take this show too seriously, and I prefer to just enjoy the situations as they come and not get too annoyed when they take these writing shortcuts to drive the plot. I plan on very much enjoying Eda and Serkan forced to live together while they're (or at least she) is still pretending they're not going to end up together. Looks like next week is another fun romcom romp, and I'm here for it!

[bumblesimagines]

The Oldest Pogue

Request: Yes or No

Heads up for most of these Outer Banks fic I'll probably do the mini intro lol they're fun. Btw timelines a lil weird. Takes place in ep 1 but have the party the day after they find the boat and all that. Idk Shoupe's first name so imma just call him Shoupe or dad. Idk what grade everyone is in but imma assume that the Pogues and Sarah (+ Topper) are sophomores/juniors since they're 16

~

"Then there's (Y/N) Shoupe, better known as Mama Pogue or (N/N). We got lucky with (Y/N) since he's the deputy's son. He's the definition of a mom friend, always taking care of us. We'd probably starve to death without his meals. Though we would never admit it, we all had crushes on him when we first met him."

(Y/N) entered the house, glancing at a passed out JJ. He chuckled, shaking his head as John B stepped out of his room.

"Morning, sweetie." (Y/N) greeted playfully, setting down groceries.

"Sorry I couldn't join you guys yesterday." (Y/N) started putting the things away and began making some lunch for the boys. John B shrugged.

"It's fine, you'll make it up to us with food." John B replied with a grin. (Y/N) chuckled, nodding.

"Where'd you go?" (Y/N) asked. John B sat at the table, glancing at JJ.

"Motel.. Found a sunken boat and a key in it so we went to the motel. Had to dodge your dad. He took money from a potential crime scene." John B told him. (Y/N) sighed.

"What do you want me to do? He already says half of our conversations are 'political'. He doesn't like that I'm hanging out with a bunch of idiots." (Y/N) said as Kiara and Pope entered.

"Ouch." Kiara grinned, glancing at JJ as he stirred. "Did you tell him about the gun and money?"

"Gun?"

"I was getting to that, Kie." John B sighed. "JJ took the gun."

"Jesus.. A gun? Underaged with an unregistered gun and no license?" (Y/N) stared at them. "Do you know how much trouble you'll get into?!"

"I tried to tell them, (N/N)." Pope said. (Y/N) pinched the bridge of his nose, putting the two plates of burgers before approaching the half asleep male.

"JJ, a gun? Really? Of all things?" (Y/N) stared at him. "Huh?" JJ looked at him, drool coming out the side of his mouth. A swift smack to the back of his head woke him up.

"Jesus, what the fuck?" JJ huffed, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Come eat breakfast, JJ." John B called.

"What the hell am I gonna do with you four?" (Y/N) asked, sighing softly. JJ stood, chuckling.

"Love us." He replied, going to the table and sitting down.

"Please don't play with a gun." (Y/N) looked at him. JJ nodded, raising his hands. "Promise, Mama Pogue."

"Swear on Cheesecake?" (Y/N) cocked a brow.

"Cheesecake?" Kiara furrowed her brows.

"I swear.. I swear on Cheesecake that I won't play with the gun." JJ gave a nod. (Y/N) nodded, crossing his arms.

"Who's Cheescake?" Pope asked. "A fish we caught." JJ replied, mouth full.

"Gross." Kiara cringed, giggling.

"Eat with your mouth closed." (Y/N) called. JJ swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, mom." JJ replied, grinning. (Y/N) shook his head, running his hand through his hair.

"How's everyone after Agatha?" Pope asked.

"I mean.. People have been calling the department left and right. The power will probably be out for a while." (Y/N) shrugged.

"Bet those kooks will have power in no time." JJ mumbled, shaking his head.

"Can't believe the one day I don't hang out with you guys, JJ gets a fucking gun." (Y/N) sighed, shaking his head.

"Also! John B and Pope surfed the surge." Kiara said.

"You did what?!"

"Way to snitch on us, Kie." Pope mumbled. Kiara shrugged.

"It's called payback." Kiara replied with a chuckle.

"If it took down a boat, it probably could've taken you along with it." (Y/N) placed his hands on his hips. JJ mimicked him, earning another smack on the head.

"Come on, we're having a party at the boneyard." John B said.

(Y/N) laughed as he won the drinking competition. JJ laughed, high fiving him. Kiara noticed the JJ held onto (Y/N)'s hand for a little longer than needed.

"What would daddy say if he saw you drinking?" JJ asked, getting another cup. The two headed over to John B. (Y/N) laughed.

"What's he gonna do? Ground me? Lock me up for drinking?" (Y/N) questioned. JJ shrugged, grinning as he offered John B a cup but noticed Sarah Cameron and offered it to her instead.

"Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milawaukee beverage?" JJ asked. (Y/N) shot him a look, glancing at Topper.

"No, thanks." Sarah smiled, shaking her head.

"Come on. Is it not fancy enough for you?" JJ asked.

"No, we were just leaving-"

"You know what? I'll take it." Topper cut in. (Y/N) and John B shared a look.

"Let it go, JJ-"

"No, no, I'll have it." Topper cut (Y/N) off.

"That's nice, Topper but I didn't ask you. Now, if you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't. So, Sarah-" Topper knocked the drink out of JJ's hands which in turn made JJ grab him by the shirt.

"JJ!" (Y/N) grabbed him as John B and Pope came in, pushing him away as well.

"Dirty Pogues!" Topper shouted. (Y/N) looked at John B.

"John B, don't you dare-" John B turned around, shoving Topper back. Sarah tried to cut in but Topper punched John B. The fight caught the attention of everyone else. Topper kicked John B while he was on the ground.

"Hey, John B, don't make me down you like your old man, alright?" Topper said.

"This dumb fucking blonde." (Y/N) whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose. A fight quickly broke out, the two fighting in the waves and sand as the crowd chanted. (Y/N) watched them, trying to get them to stop.

"Topper, stop!" Sarah shouted, trying to stop her boyfriend from drowning John B. (Y/N) quickly stepped in, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pulling him back, punching him. John B coughed behind him, head spinning.

"You wanna go, Shoupe?" Topper asked. (Y/N) went to respond but a gun was pressed to the side of Topper's head, the safety clicking.

"JJ-"

"Your move, broski." JJ stared at Topper. Most of the teens on the beach ran while Sarah and the other Pogues tried to get JJ to put the gun away.

"We're good! We're good!" Topper repeated.

"(N/N), Kie, check your psycho friend!" Sarah watched, panicked and worried for her boyfriends life.

"Okay, everyone, listen up! Get the hell off our side of the island!" JJ shouted, shooting two rounds into the air. Pope and Kiara shouted at JJ while (Y/N) quickly rushed to John B's side as he collapsed.

"My dad's gonna kill me." (Y/N) whispered, dragging John B out of the water.

"Help me!" (Y/N) called, getting the others attention. JJ and Pope rushed over, helping (Y/N) carry John B to the van.

"Is he okay?" Kiara asked as she drove.

"Yeah, he's breathing." (Y/N) replied, staring down at the male. John B coughed but didn't open his eyes.

"He might have a killer headache tomorrow but other than that, he should be fine." (Y/N) said.

"I can't believe you were so stupid! Taking the gun out on a kook?!" Pope stared at JJ. The two got into an argument, Kiara jumping in as well.

"Enough! JJ did it to help stop Topper from hurting me and John B. Yes, he could've done it another way and handled it better but at the end of the day, he was trying to help." (Y/N) looked at them.

"You always take his side." Pope mumbled.

"It's cause he loves me." JJ grinned.

"You're my least favourite child." (Y/N) mumbled. JJ chuckled. "Admit it. I'm your favourite." JJ cooed. (Y/N) flipped him off. They got to John B's place, getting him in bed. (Y/N) got on his dirt bike and rode off, heading home.

"Can't wait to hear this lecture." (Y/N) mumbled, parking his bike and heading inside. He entered the kitchen, starting up dinner. (Y/N) made his dad's favourite, hoping it would please him. (Y/N) heard the door open and clothes, his dad entering in uniform.

"Hey, dad." (Y/N) greeted, placing the plates of food down. He sat, shooting his dad a smile.

"Got a call not long ago. Some kid had a gun." Shoupe said, sitting down. (Y/N) hummed.

"Did you find out who it was?" (Y/N) asked. Shoupe shook his head.

"No.. But from eyewitnesses, there was a fight and I heard you were involved." Shoupe said.

"Dad, you know I'm not the violent type." (Y/N) continued to eat. "But I did punch Topper for trying to drown John B." (Y/N) said quickly.

"Thank you for being honest." Shoupe said, sighing deeply. He put his fork down and looked at his son.

"(Y/N).. I don't want these kids to ruin the possibility of you going to culinary school." Shoupe said. (Y/N) sighed, looking away. "And they will if you keep running with them."

"Dad, I'm gonna be a senior next year. I have my whole life ahead. I could enter culinary school whenever I want or feel like it." (Y/N) said. Shoupe sighed and nodded.

"I know.. I just don't want you getting stuck here. I want you to have an early start." Shoupe said. "I'll be accepting of you.. No matter what." Shoupe assured.

"Thanks, dad. Anything new today?" (Y/N) asked. He thought back onto what John B told him.

"Nope." Shoupe shook his head. (Y/N) hummed, nodding. He stood, washing the plates and heading off to bed. He hoped the following days would be better.

[komaedaslove]

do it for her, a sasha braus x reader

jenna's fics ¡ in which you keep your pronise

warnings: aot s4 ep 8 spoilers, death, loss, grieving/mourning death, denial (i think), it's overall quite sad

genre: some fluff, mainly just angst. however you want to view it

pairing: sasha braus x reader (platonic, but view it how you wish)

extra notes: there aren't any pronouns i use for the reader, however the reader does share a room with mikasa and sasha, but that's it mmm yes.

i listened to this (and some sad queen and freddie mercury songs) while writing this

it had taken a bit of begging from sasha, but she managed to get you out of bed at 1 in the morning. excitedly telling you about how she had stolen some meat and wanted you to go outside and eat it with her. you'd disagreed at first, your main concern being captain levi finding out, but the brunette was insistent. telling you she'll take all the blame if levi saw you two.

you knew that was absolute bullshit, but you were really hungry. so you agreed, sasha excitedly clapping and dragging the blanket off of you. she'd tried to get mikasa to go with too, but the girl remained stoic faced, shaking her head and going back to sleep.

that's how you ended up here, sitting on the grass with sasha, eating meat. at past one in the morning.

-

"sasha, do you ever think this will end?"

the brunette cocked her head to the side at your words, cheeks puffed up with meat and brows furrowed. “y/n! this isn’t the time to get all sad please, i really just wanna enjoy my meat,” she replied with a whine, mouth still full as she spoke. you sighed, rolling your eyes as you picked up another slice of meat. “can i be serious with you for once sash? and jesus close your mouth when you eat. you look like a fucking titan.” she narrowed her eyes at you , opening her mouth even wider as she chewed.  

“you’re really killing the mood y/n, pretty sure even mikasa wouldn’t have asked me stuff like this,” she said, and with that sasha swallowed down the remainder of food in her mouth and fell down onto her back with a groan. she turned her head to look up at you, a frown on her face as she clutched her stomach. “my stomach hurts y/n, you’ll have to carry me back inside!” 

“that’s what happens when you eat so damn fast and so much at once! you’ll have to crawl your way back. hopefully levi doesn’t wake up and see you crawling across the grass from the window or something.” you joked, giggling at the way her eyes widened at your statement. “he’ll skin me y/n! y/n please!” you ignored her pleas and stood up, dusting off your pants. before you could even start making your way back inside though, you felt sasha’s two arms wrap around your legs, pulling her body upwards and holding tightly onto you. “please y/n! do you want captain levi to skin me alive? do you? he’ll probably find some way to make me titan fodder! is that what you want?” she shook your legs and gripped onto you even tighter as she pleaded.

you weren’t actually gonna leave here there to crawl by herself, you knew this was gonna end up with you piggybacking her back inside, but it was a little funny to see her beg you to not let ‘levi skin her’.

“fine fine, just grab the plate and hop on my back,” in almost an instant, she unwrapped her arms from your legs and scrambled to grab the plate, waiting for you to get into position before she hopped onto your back, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around you.

“thank you y/n!” she adjusted herself better onto your back laying her head down with a content sigh. you started walking, holding tightly onto the brunette, she wasn’t heavy at all. you’d carried and flown around with odm gear so much by now that this was really easy for you. 

most of the rest of the walk back was fairly silent, and halfway there you could hear sasha’s breathing slow. she was already beginning to doze off. you shook her slightly on your back to keep her awake. you didn’t want her to fall asleep and drop the plate, then you’d have a real huge problem and levi would quite literally skin you both alive.

after a bit of walking you had finally made it to your shared room, sasha slipped off your back quietly, and as you closed the door behind you you breathed out a sigh of relief that no one had seen or heard you two. captain levi would’ve made you run laps right then and there if he did.

you set the plate down next to your bed, making a mental note to take it with you in the morning and wash it out before levi could question you. ‘’sasha don’t forget we have to-” you started, but immediately stopped when you saw that the brunette was already sleeping, her legs hanging off of the bed and face planted into the pillow. you giggled, one thing about sasha was she was that just as much as she loved to eat, she loved to sleep. you were sure that if she had the option she would probably sleep the entire day, only waking up to eat something before trotting off to bed again.

with a quick stretch of your arms you walked over to sasha’s bed, taking off her shoes and moving the sleeping girl’s legs onto the bed. she shifted slightly, mumbling something in her sleep as you pulled the blanket at the edge of the bed over her.

you turned around, just about ready to get into bed and sleep away what little time you still had to do so, but a soft tug and your sleeve stopped you.

you turned back around, humming in response. sasha’s eyes were still closed but now there was a lazy grin on her face, she tugged you forward, beckoning you to come closer. amused by the sleepy girls actions you obliged, leaning forward till you were close enough for her to whisper into your ear.

“one day y/n, i wanna have a picnic with you. a real one. outside these walls. with all those nice things we had when we visited historia, remember? promise me we’ll do that. you have to promise,” she sleepily slurred her words, but you could still perfectly understand what she was saying, and with a small giggle and a nod of your head, you smiled. you weren’t sure when this hell was ever gonna end, or if it was at all, but sasha’s words gave you the tiniest bit of hope. a rather small glimmer of light at the end of this tunnel, but it was still there. and for the first time in what felt like a really long time, you felt happy. like there was nothing else that you had to worry about, you could be truly happy with no other worries for just this moment.

you couldn’t actually remember how you had ever lived before all of this. was there a time when you actually didn’t have to worry about titans, or about whether or whether not you and your friends and comrades would live another day? probably, when you were really young maybe, but again you couldn’t remember.

but right now you got that feeling, that carefree happiness, you weren’t entirely sure how just a few words from sasha did, but you were thankful for it. and you knew you just had to keep this promise, as trivial as it was you wanted that picnic outside of these walls with sasha someday. and you were gonna have it.

“i promise,"

-

“sasha i know its not what you wanted. but its the best i could do,”

two plates were layed out on the ground, each filled with as much food as you could get your hands on. it wasn’t all of the nice things you’d had when you visited historia, but it was the best you could do.

it felt like decades ago when you made that promise, and thinking back on it now you realize how childish it was. were you so filled with hope back then that you actually made promises like this and wholeheartedly believed it would come true? you don’t actually remember, but you did wish you could still have that hope now today. you envied your younger self for it, for being able to have that carefree happiness you were absolutely sure you would never have again in whatever little time you still had left in your life. your light was gone now, and how naive you were for ever for a second believing you could hold on to that light forever. just like everything in this world-no, in this hell, it came to an end. and maybe if you accepted that fact a long time ago you wouldn’t be where you were now, doing what you were doing.

finding some way to cling onto that light-to cling onto her.

you’d told everyone else about your promise, it was a little embarressing to say the least, speaking about something so childish with tears running down your cheeks. you’d also told them the full story, including how she had stolen meat and you had snuck outside in the early hours of the morning to eat it-much to levi’s dismay.

but no one questioned you, not even a little bit. infact, conny had done something similar, he had the habit of filling a plate of food for her at dinner or in the mornings, setting the plate next to him. everyone knew not to sit there, not to question it, because on the inside we were all hoping she would come and sit there. wolfing down her food and complaining after about how hungry she was. you didn’t realize you would ever miss that as much as you did right now.

“armin gave me this seashell from outside the walls, i can’t really go outside the walls right now, there’s not really a way to take you with me, so hopefully this makes up for it. we can pretend like we’re sitting on the beach,” you held up the seashell, showing it off before you set it down on the ground near your plates. you were talking really loudly, but you didn’t actually notice, it was like a part of you wanted to make absolutely sure she could hear you.

“let’s eat!” 

you ate in silence, you weren’t hungry, not at all. your appetite was completely gone. she would probably be asking for your food right now, saying she was done with hers and that she was still really hungry. then you would look at her for a long time, staring into her pleading eyes with a stoic expression before you brought the food to your mouth and ate it, trying to maintain your serious expression as she groaned about how mean you were for that.

how you wished she was here.

once you were done eating you pushed your plate to the side, moving her untouched one as well. you sat up onto your knees, crawling over to the headstone and turning around to put your back to it.

“now its like i’m giving you a piggyback ride, right sash?”

silently, tears rolled down your cheeks again, the salty liquid dropping onto the ground and dissapearing into the earth. you tugged your knees up to your chest, hugging them as you buried your head into your knees. you weren’t sure when, but you started sobbing, cries muffled by your legs as you gripped even tighter onto your legs. you just wanted to hold her, you just wanted her here,

your light was gone, whatever hope you still had in you left the second she did.

after a while you lifted your head up, tear stained face facing up towards the sky. you laughed. with whatever energy you had left in you to do so, you laughed and smiled as you looked up at the sky. up into the clouds. up into where sasha was. she would want you to smile, to laugh, you remembered that night again, where she told you not to say such sad things when she was trying to enjoy her meat. she would’ve said the same thing now. so you forced out that laugh, forced out that smile. for sasha.

“i kept my promise sasha,”

hopefully, she heard you.