#i marathoned the series before watching 12

[capribornio]

Deimos grabbing Sanford's hand to help him (Madness Combat 6.5)

Deimos grabbing Sanford's hand to help him (Madness Combat 12)

[wiptw]

Pokémon Stadium Series

Nintendo 64 - Nintendo - 2000 to 2001

You as a Pokémon fan are absolutely fucking spoiled these days. Aside from the mainline games you have spinoffs and fangames offering different experiences, you have entire websites dedicated to documenting everything down to the internal maths of the series, there's no end to the free content you can access with an internet connection between emulators and battle sites like 'Showdown!', and it's now socially acceptable in most circles to be older than 13 and have something with Pikachu's face plastered on it (especially if you're female presenting, especially if your friend group is also infected with the Pokémon hype). Back in my day™ you had almost none of this. You had the anime on Saturday mornings, you had the early run Pokémon licensed merch which WOULD get you called a baby if you continued buying past 10-12, and you had the games. Those sweet, sweet games that indoctrinated a generation of young people into being gamers and awoke a horde of JRPG addicts.

Literally Me

So remember this when I tell you that Pokémon Stadium, both one and two, aren't great games because they do something back then that you can't get today; they're great for what they did back then. So Pokemon Stadium 1&2 were a duology of games from 2000 and 2001 respectively that allowed players to battle Pokemon in 3D, with the addition of some side content such as minigames included to prevent the game from being 100% Pokemon battles. Because otherwise, the game is in fact navigating a series of menus and completing Pokémon battles with 3D models.

Whether it's taking on the gym gauntlets, the marathon of battles in the Pokémon cups, or just free battles with friends and loved ones, 98% of the experience is either selecting Pokémon from a roster of pre-built 'rentals' or transferring them from a saved game using the Transfer Pak, then fighting them in a series of 3D environments. An experience which you can definitely do today using web apps but as I said earlier, we didn't have that.

The peak of Pokémon battles in 2000

So if you're buying Pokémon Stadium (either version really) you're already probably a Pokémon fan right? So that means you have Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal, so why not just play that game and get the full experience? The fun of exploring, talking to NPCs, discovering new and exotic locations? Simple, because in those games battles looked like this

While in Stadium, battles looked like this

If you grew up watching the anime while playing the Gameboy games, there was this special kind of dissonance where you might find yourself saying "Yeah, (for the time) these graphics are RADICAL but I wish I had something closer to these cool Pokémon Battles they had in the anime." As you hide under the covers with your Gameboy Color worm light, nestled in your Ash Ketchum pajamas while you attempt for the 100th time to capture a ditto. Pokémon Stadium was the answer to this dissonance, providing you with vibrant 3D graphics unlike anything you'd ever seen before; bringing Pokémon to life in a way that would be unmatched until Colosseum came out during the Gamecube era.

So, to actual mechanics, you play both games pretty similarly; by building a team of Pokémon (either on your handheld or by using the rental mons the game provides) and take part in a series of battles to become the ultimate battle master. To use your own Pokémon, you'd need to use the aforementioned 'Transfer Pak' to plug in a copy of Red/Blue/Yellow (for 1) or Gold/Silver/Crystal (for 2) with a game saved to the cartridge; otherwise the rental Pokémon covered all released Pokémon (except for some hidden ones) allowing you to build your dream team, sans a few caveats here and there.

Evolved Pokémon have better stats but worse moves, while weaker Pokémon tend to have better moves to compensate

In terms of WHERE you can battle, there's two choices: Either in the Gym Leader Castle, or the Tournaments held in the center of the map on either game. Either way, the game will then have you battle through a series of 3v3 matches versus a set number of trainers who will also select 3 random mons from their full team of six.

A bit bare bones, but there's some spice to how things are run. For one, the rental system was a huge thing for us younger players back in the day. Even if you had the games some Pokémon were hard to catch, had evolution requirements some players couldn't complete (like the trade-mons), or were locked to a version you didn't have. The rental mons give you a list of every Pokémon (some exceptions, but not many) and then lets you build your dream team. Sure, you can't set their moves, EVs, IVs, and it's the era before abilities and natures but I CAN HAVE A MEOWTH/PERSIAN ON MY TEAM. Do you know what I had to do as a child to have this Pokémon outside of Stadium? I had to find someone in the American South who also enjoyed Pokémon, hoped they had Blue instead of Red, hoped they had a link cable, then get them to agree to a trade despite both of us being children (and therefore, objectively terrible) which likely meant giving away a rare Pokémon in exchange for what amounted to common garbage in their game because it was Version fucking Exclusivity™ and everyone seemed to know that meant you'd do anything to get that one fucking Pokémon you wanted.

In the handheld games, if you wanted to build your dream team then likely you'd have to put in some more effort than other games of the time would've required of you. With Stadium, your dreams come true, and if you already have that dream team you can just import them to fight in glorious 3D. Circumventing the fact that rental Pokémon are kinda terrible overall.

Don't feel like building? The challenge cup mode that gives you randomized team comps that has it's own charm (for masochists)

Not to say all of them were bad but construct a normal distribution of 'Good' to 'Bad' picks then that graph is gonna skew left so hard you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just a straight line. To keep every choice 'viable' Pokémon rentals were balanced around stats and moves. More powerful evolved Pokémon and Pokémon with high Base Stat Totals (BST) were given weaker moves and first form and low BST Pokémon were given generally better moves. Charizard might have better stats than Charmeleon and Charmander but his only fire type move is going to be something like Fire Spin. Conversely, Charmander might have Fire Blast but his stats are gonna make him an easy target for the computer's pokemon, which are not bound to the same builds as the rental mons you're using.

Once your team is assembled, then you're off to battle trainer after trainer after trainer with beautifully scored (for the Nintendo 64) soundtracks giving you an unearned sense of importance every step of the way. Battles themselves are conducted with a weird, but functional control layout where A and B access sub menus you then check with the R button before finalizing with the c-buttons, which on original hardware or a USB N64 controller is fine but on emulation with a more modern controller like Logitech, can be a little nerve wracking as you worry about whether your 'up' input on the control stick was up enough for the game or if you accidentally drifted right or left using an unintended move.

fun fact: the name of imported Pokémon affects their coloration in Stadium

Battles are also largely regulated by (at the time) tournament standard rules. Little and Pokecup have level restrictions, and all three non-random cups include clauses for sleep, held items, and repeat Pokémon. Additionally, in any cup if you win the round with all 3 Pokémon still in tact, you're granted a continue; meaning you can retry the battle if you lose. Additionally, there is no 'draw' outcome in these games. Use a move like Explosion or Selfdestruct and the game will register it as your loss on your final Pokémon, regardless of whether you took down the opposing fighter with you or not.

You'll be doing a LOT of back-to-back fights here against trainers with varied team comps, but even with over 246 Pokémon in the available potential lineup you'll get tired fast of fighting. This is, however, slightly mitigated by the 3v3 nature of the matches but even so be ready to here the same Pokémon noises, watch the same effects play out, and wait for the same health bars to tick down over and over as you claw your way to the spot of Pokémon Master.

The art style of non-battle scenes like the main map and minigame plaza have that nice, 90's charm to them as well.

If you do get tired of battling it out, then Stadium 1 and 2 both offer minigames for players to partake in. Either in a tournament format or by using the free-play browser, players are able to take part in a multitude of different Mario Party-esque (without the hand burning) minigames featuring the Pokémon as stars. Minigames consist of stick twirling, button mashing, and point collecting all while controlling fan favorite Pokémon such as Togepi, Eevee, Scyther, and Pichu with no real rhyme or reason behind why these game exist aside from a amusement park theming the minigame zones have for their icons and menus.

You won't get a real explanation as to why you're racing Donphans, cutting logs as Scythers and Pinsirs, or playing Simon Says with a bunch of Clefairy, but you don't really need that either. The games are fun, the models are charming, and watching Clefairy get smacked in the head for each wrong input brings me a level of joy I should probably talk about with my therapist. You won't likely spend hours in this mode, but it's a nice breather from the onslaught of battles otherwise.

fun fact: I still won't talk to some people because of the outcomes to Rampage Rollout over two decades ago. You know who you are.

Additionally there's a quiz minigame separate from the main selection of minigames with easy/normal/hard difficulty selections. Players compete to see who can be the first to get a number of questions correct before anyone else based on facts about the Pokémon (typing, size, silhouette, etc) or facts about the game (where you can find things in the game, names of routes and towns, names of figures in the game).

It's not the most challenging on easy or normal, but playing on hard the game will try to screw you with trick questions so playing with others becomes a balance of "do I let the question play out, or attempt to steal it before someone else can answer correctly?"

Sometimes even playing the game won't prepare you for how out of pocket the questions can get

The real advantage of 2 over 1 is that, in addition to minigames, the game has the trainer academy; a kind of in-depth battle tutorial to teach players not only the basics of Pokémon fighting, but also some secrets as well

You can learn about held items, a feature new to the second generation, as well as participate in mock battles to demonstrate the materials you've been reading and quizzed on. Some of this information for the time too was obscure or hidden knowledge, like the fact that using Defense Curl before using Rollout would boost the damage significantly or that using Stomp on an opponent who used minimize would double the damage.

Some type matchups just make sense, like Ground v Electric.

Overall though what really makes this game is the presentation. The soundtrack does a great job selling the feeling Nintendo wants you to experience, climbing the ladder in a tournament or the Gym Leaders Castle makes you feel powerful, and the little details on top of it all just tie it together in a nice package.

The fights, for example, are also narrated by "The Announcer". A bombastic voice shouting over every detail of a fight. When you score a crit, when you apply a status effect, even using certain moves will get the announcer loudly narrating each detail like a Pokémon prize fight. Seeing the ground rip apart when you use Earthquake is only half the charm, the other half comes from that man yelling in your ears "A DEVESTATING EARTHQUAKE ATTACK!". Clearing gyms or clearing opponents in one of the cups grants you gym badges, a dream for any child growing up on the handheld classics or watching the anime who wished they too could earn shiny bits of metal that gave them an inflated sense of importance.

I would literally kill everyone I came across if it'd get me a real life Zephyr Badge.

Stadium 1 and 2 aren't evergreen classics. They're stuck in Gens 1 and 2 respectively, the roster of Pokémon while impressive is largely useless and makes collecting trophies way harder than it has to be, and the games were made before things like abilities and double battles were introduced, leading to the Pokémon battling game missing out on the generation of Pokémon that made battling more fun (Revolution doesn't count, Revolution is dead to me and disappoints me more than I disappoint myself.)

But for the time especially, it gave fans an opportunity to experience a form of Pokémon more advanced than what the handhelds could output. It was a window into a world of potential that wouldn't be truly fulfilled until arguably the 3DS era of Pokémon released, and gave fans a fun little romp handcrafted for them at every twist and turn. Whether you were a gamer or you enjoyed the anime, there was something here for you.

Overall: 7/10 Sound: 8/10 (for the time) Graphics: 9/10 (for the time) Memorable Moments: Stadium 1: Hearing about Mewtwo, thinking he was an urban legend, then finding out he wasn't Stadium 2: Finally beating the elite 4 using only rental mons.

[alexawynters]

Scarlet Whispers pt 10

Gif not mine, as always

Trigger Warnings: Some gore and violence.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Rating: M. Minors DNI

Masterlist with parts 1-9 here

Chapter Ten

A/N: I Googled the recipe for authentic Hungarian Chicken Paprikash in order to see how difficult it might actually be to make, and as someone who can’t cook but three things, I have to say it looks hella complicated. I’m giving Reader far more credit than I would ever give myself with regards to kitchen skills.. That said it sounds delicious and now I want it :’(  Someone pls feed me. Also I felt super bad that I went so long without posting when I had this just… sitting in my Google Docs, so uh… have another chapter. I only have 12 written so far though so I guess I better get to steppin’. sweats nervously

The pair of you had elected on a movie marathon today, watching the Hobbit series together on the couch when Wanda felt it. That telltale tingle in the back of her mind, signaling that her wards had been tripped. This wasn’t the alarm for a breach, but rather letting her know that someone was at the perimeter attempting to get in. Pearly teeth grit in rage - how dare someone ruin her perfectly good afternoon with you? Everything was coming together, and now someone had the audacity to try and intrude, possibly to try and take you away from her? Wanda couldn’t have that.

Pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, the redhead informed you she needed to check on one of her projects and it might be a while. Your pout was quickly kissed away, Wanda directing you to play the new video game she had gotten you last month. Unintentionally, you had been putting it off - between spending time with Wanda and trying to play all the other video games you had, there hadn’t been much time for it. Excitedly, you agreed, getting the disc ready before putting it in the console, as Wanda stepped away. Sure it would be better with the woman by your side, but you could be patient while she worked on her projects. 

Or at least, you would try to be. Healthy relationships and all, you had to be able to spend time apart, and you certainly spent enough time together even if secretly your selfish heart thought not enough.

Out of your view and satisfied you were preoccupied for the foreseeable future, the witch conjured her battle regalia, and stepped through a portal to the ground's perimeter. From the moment she stepped through, the cause of the alarm became readily apparent - Stephen Strange stood just beyond the barrier looking smarmy as ever.

Wanda was getting really sick of that stupid goatee.

“Stephen,” Wanda said, calmly, “How did you find me?” She asked, but she didn’t truly care, the how didn’t really matter.

”America didn’t sell you out, if that’s what you’re asking. The trail of death and destruction you’d left pointed me in the right direction. It took a while but eventually I found where you've been hiding, as you had to know I would.”

The witch hummed noncommittally. “I’m just trying to get my family back, Stephen. You of all people should understand that. I’ve seen what you have done to try and reunite with Christine. Can you blame me for wanting to be happy? Why do you get to choose the reality we all must live in, but when I try to make a life for myself, I’m labeled a villain?”

Strange knew there was some truth to her words, but he was never one to back down. “The family you had wasn’t real, Wanda. They never wer-”

“They were real to me!” The witch seethed, cutting him off.

“In almost every other universe, we are together and happy. If I have to go through you to make that happen, I will. To you they aren’t real, but to me they are my family, and I would burn every universe for them.” Red eyes blazed in rage, and Stephen had no doubt the Scarlet Witch meant her words.

Nevertheless, the sorcerer had no patience for empathizing with his former colleague. There was an innocent person in her grasp and it was his duty to save them. “You have to let her go, Wanda. You can’t hold her against her will like this.”

A sinister chuckle. “Against her will? Does she look like she’s being held against her will?”

With a flick of her stained fingers, and a hazy one-way portal appeared off to the side of them, showing where you were currently engrossed in playing your new video game: Baldur’s Gate 3. From there the scene changed to the recent dates you both had been going on, and how happy you were spending time together, focusing on just how enamored you looked gazing up at Wanda. Another twitch of ink-tinged digits, and the images were gone.

The sorcerer had to admit you didn’t look unhappy, but that didn’t mean all was as it seemed. He knew there was no way she had come clean to you about everything she had done to get you here. If she had, surely you would have run for the hills by now, or at least attempted to. Things wouldn’t be so rosy for you if he left you in her care, Stephen was certain.

“Be that as it may, this Y/N doesn’t belong with you. You decimated entire universes in your search for her, leaving countless innocents dead in your wake. Does she know that? Does she know that you murdered her parents in this universe?” He asked, knowing full well the answer.

His words stung, Wanda knowing that some part of him was right in this instance. No, she hadn’t told you, and initially she had never intended to. As she had gotten closer to you though, Wanda realized she wanted you to know. Not to hurt you, but to solidify that she would always keep you safe from any harm, no matter who it was. She loved you, truly, and wanted you to know everything about her. However, she couldn’t risk that until she was sure your heart wouldn’t turn away from her with the knowledge she revealed.

“They were abusing her, Stephen! In your infinite wisdom, did you know that? Do you know the life she led before me? I’m not her captor, Strange, I saved her! Here she is happy, and I provide her with everything she could ever want or need. Taking that away from her for the sake of your pitiful morality and duty, that would be the real crime. Y/N deserves to be loved, to be happy, and so do I. Don’t take that from us.”

Strange knew he couldn’t win on logic alone. This would undoubtedly end in another showdown, but he was hoping he could reason with the witch. “It’s not just about rescuing her from your clutches, Wanda. You have caused real harm to the multiverse. Untold suffering, trillions annihilated for your selfish obsession. You have to be stopped, Wanda. What’s to prevent you from killing Y/N when she doesn’t fall in line like you want? What will you do then, toss her body aside like so many other innocent people, tearing through countless more universes to find another copy? When will it stop?”

“I would never hurt her!” the redhead snaps, her magic flaring out in warning. She was blatantly ignoring the fact that not long ago she was chasing you through a forest in the fear and anger that you were leaving her. Even then though, she had never planned to hurt you, certainly not kill you. Only to teach you a lesson. Wanda deeply resented that Stephen thought she would ever purposely hurt you. Not to any lasting degree at any rate. She loved you. You were her everything, the key to her happiness.

The witch took a steadying breath, calming herself. She had to think of you first, and she didn’t want to risk a battle so close to her home with you in it. “I have no intention of leaving this universe ever again, Stephen. I can’t say that I am sorry for what I did - it has brought me here with Y/N. But we are happy here, and unless someone comes along to threaten my family, I otherwise have no need to ever harm anyone ever again.”

She paused to look Strange in the eyes, trying to convey her sincerity. “Please Stephen, just go. Leave us in peace. This doesn’t have to be a fight. I’m so… tired… of fighting, Strange, but I want to be clear: I will never give up what is mine. I will neutralize any threat to her, or her happiness, and that includes you.”

The sorcerer couldn’t deny that Wanda looked every bit as exhausted as she suggested at this moment. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t allow the greatest threat to the multiverse that’s ever existed to continue free. Stephen believed that Wanda believed she wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, but that didn’t mean that he trusted her temper. Having already proven volatile at best, and if he left her alone with you, there was nothing stopping Wanda from going on the rampage he expected her to, should you step one toe out of line.

With a deep sigh, he looked at the ground, pondering his options, wishing there was another way. “I’m sorry, Wanda. I can’t take that risk. Not with someone as powerful as you. I’ll ask you one last time, let Y/N go, and surrender. This doesn’t have to end in blood.”

The witch tilted her head, studying him. “I’m afraid that’s where you’re wrong, Stephen.”

Purposefully she strode through the barrier to her home, no longer protected by it, able to engage if necessary. “I won’t let you take her from me. I won’t allow anyone to take her from me, ever again. I have grown so much stronger since we last fought. If you insist on your foolish crusade, this will end with your blood.

By now Wanda was mere feet in front of the sorcerer, refusing to back down. “Like you said, Strange. Last chance.” She tilted her head again, and a chill ran down Stephen’s spine at her determined, if slightly unhinged visage.

Strange sighed, moving to take a defensive stance, when suddenly the witch’s arm was protruding from his chest. He let out a surprised grunt. He hadn’t even seen her move, but he could feel the agony radiating throughout his body, proof enough that she had.

With a disgusting squelch, Wanda withdrew her hand, his heart clutched firmly within, still beating. Horror darkened the man’s face as he stared in shock. He hadn’t even seen her move, much less been able to react. How had she gotten so fast? Pain and shock prevented him from even speaking.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, Stephen, but I told you. If you continued to come for me, it would be the Scarlet Witch you would be dealing with.” With an almost regretful look at his flabbergasted expression, Wanda crushed his heart in her hand before dropping it. What was left of the ruined organ thudded onto the ground at almost the same time his body did.

Wanda turned and began walking back towards the cottage, not looking back as she waved her hand. Red phosphenes surrounded Stephen Strange’s body as it disintegrated into ash. She neglected to take a portal this time, electing instead to take the long way to the house in the hopes the night air would steady her. It didn’t.

Eventually setting foot in your shared home, Wanda cast a glance towards the living room and was relieved to see you were clearly still enthralled with your new game. So engrossed were you, that you failed to notice Wanda, hand and arm covered in blood, as she headed towards the bathroom for a shower. Though she could have cleaned herself instantly with magic, she knew she was in no state of mind to return to you just yet. Despite how unaffected Wanda had made an effort to appear to Strange, her sins were weighing heavily on her heart. Killing someone she had once fought beside was not something she relished. Another death she was going to have to explain to you one day. Since the walk hadn’t done anything to ease her troubled heart and mind, the witch set about taking a shower. It stood to reason you would hear it and not question her continued delay, buying her time to not only clean up but hopefully also clear her head. 

Her shower was longer than usual, with less time spent cleaning than simply existing. Rivulets of water ran down her face as the redhead stood beneath the showerhead, staring sight unseeing at the shower wall. A necessary evil, she told herself. That didn’t make the weight of his death any less burdensome. What was she supposed to have done? Even if she had let him go, eventually he would have come back, the insufferable pest that he was. Likely then with numbers that even the Scarlet Witch might struggle with. She couldn’t have risked that. Risked you. Never again.

Why couldn’t he have just left her well enough alone? Wanda had meant what she said: she had no intention of universe hopping anymore. All she had ever wanted was her family. Now that she had you, she could begin rebuilding that, and you were making such good progress for her. Why would she want to start over with another variant of you, when you were just… so perfect for her? She still missed your Avenger variant, but every day that hole in her heart hurt just a little less. Besides, something about you specifically had a hold on her heart in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

Maybe in the beginning Wanda might.. have gone searching for another if you had not panned out as she expected. Terrible as that was to admit. Instead, from the moment she laid eyes on you before even entering into this universe, she was gripped by you. It was Fate, she was sure of it. And now? She couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. Of ever even trying to find another. Out of the vast multiverse, there was only this version of you. She wanted you as you were, and she refused to let you go or allow any harm to come to you. Even if it meant protecting you from herself.

A shuddering breath was exhaled, and Wanda began slowly rinsing the blood off of her face and out of her hair. She may have left you with a video game to keep yourself entertained, but Wanda knew from experience if she wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be too long before you would come looking. Wanda had become your rock, your favorite person. You could be playing your favorite game of all time, but if Wanda was not present, you wouldn’t have nearly as much fun. It was sort of cute how you would look for her at every opportunity, unable to stand being without her for too long. She felt similarly, and hoped you knew that now.

Finally clean, and deeming herself capable of functioning again, the witch changed into her most comfortable pajamas before mindlessly making her way back to the living room where you were. Absorbed in your game as you were, you only vaguely registered Wanda’s presence returning. You scooted slightly on the couch to make room for her, without ever taking your eyes away from the screen.

“Hey, Wands!” you said, enthusiastically. “How is your project coming along?”

The former hero was not ready to speak just yet, so she simply hummed instead, and leaned against you. She took comfort in your familiar warmth, even if your arms weren’t around her just now, your presence was enough to be soothing.

The lack of a proper response caught your attention. You almost didn’t turn to look at her, being in the midst of a pivotal battle, but you were glad you did. Hazel eyes puffy and tinted pink from crying met yours. Alarmed, you immediately stopped playing, controller forgotten in your lap, the game not even paused. Turning to the older woman, you placed one hand on her arm, the other to her cheek which she leaned in to.

“Wanda? What’s wrong? Has something happened?” 

Oh her precious detka, thought the witch. Always such a big heart, eager to provide comfort and aid. Perhaps if she were to tell you, maybe you would understand. Maybe you would forgive her. As she took in your concerned gaze though, she knew she wasn’t ready to risk it. Not right now. Instead, she shook her head to your question, unwilling to answer it.

“Can we not talk about it right now?” Her Sokovian accent was slightly more pronounced.

Though you were dying of curiosity as to what could bring someone so mighty to tears, you didn’t press. It’s not as if there would be something someone as powerless as you could do anything about whatever it was anyway. All you could do was ask and offer comfort. Wanda would tell you when she was ready. Until then, this was your opportunity to return some of the love and support she had provided you with, and you positively ached to bring that to her. Wordlessly, you pulled her into your arms, leaning back on the couch until she was laying atop your body. Murmuring gentle words of reassurance, you held her close, occasionally running your fingers through her auburn locks.

After a while, you grabbed the remote nearby and turned the tv from your video game to the DVD player. The Dick Van Dyke show began playing softly in the background, and Wanda’s chest bloomed with love for you at your thoughtfulness. She nuzzled further into your embrace, staying that way for the better part of the rest of the day as you both dozed intermittently.

Hours later Wanda slipped into a proper sleep, and once evening had rolled around, you took it upon yourself to cook dinner. Though you hadn’t wanted to part from the witch, she clearly needed the rest, and you wanted to surprise her by making dinner for her. Carefully you rolled her away from your chest and onto the couch instead, placing one of the pillows beneath her head. The only indication she registered any change was the slight, adorable scrunching of her nose. Why was this woman so damn cute?!

The kitchen had never been your chosen domain. Before Wanda, you were more likely to burn a pot of water than actually cook something successfully. Now you were hoping some of her lessons had rubbed off on you as you rummaged through the pantry and fridge trying to locate ingredients. With any luck you would be able to throw together and create something vaguely resembling an edible meal.

It was a pleasant surprise for you to discover that you currently had all the ingredients available to make Chicken Paprikash - Wanda’s favorite meal from her home in Sokovia. Going through her recipe note cards, it didn’t take you long to find it, and soon you were throwing seasonings in a pot along with some onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the chicken. While that was cooking, you prepared the noodles. A little under an hour later, and everything was coming together. You just hoped it wasn’t trash.

The aromatic and savory fragrance must have awoken the redhead because she sleepily padded her way into the kitchen to find her sweet surprise. You couldn’t see her yet, your back to her as you stirred the food while it simmered. Though unable to carry a tune to save your life, you were humming quietly to yourself with your earbuds firmly in place as you focused on making the delicious meal. Precious.

“Are you cooking, detka?” Wanda asked just loud enough to be heard over your music, and you jumped, startled. Blushing you turned to face the witch and grinned sheepishly.

“Uhh.. if you could call it that?” you chuckled, pulling out an earbud. “I just thought since you’re always taking such good care of me, maybe I could return the favor?” Voice lilting upwards almost in a question, hoping you hadn’t overstepped.

Moving to stand next to you and see what you had made, Wanda’s eyes widened as she took in the familiar dish. “Is this chicken paprikash?”

“Haha, yeah uhh.. my attempt at it at least?” You absentmindedly rubbed the back of your neck  - a nervous tick you’re pretty sure you didn’t have as a child until you started watching anime to learn the nuances of facial expressions better. It wasn’t until well into adulthood you learned most people don’t actually do that. Embarrassed, you fought not to slap your own arm, and instead simply lower it like a normal person.

“I hope I didn’t butcher it too badly. I tried to follow the recipe you had on the card since we had all the ingredients, but I can’t speak to the integrity of the dish as I haven’t tasted it yet. Besides, you're the true connoisseur here, so even if it seems okay to me, your superior palate might be able to tell the difference.” The joke rolls easily off your tongue, followed by a quick wink.

To you this was no big deal, you were just trying to be kind. But to Wanda? This was the sweetest thing anybody had ever done for her, and it reminded her almost of when she taught your Avenger variant how to make the dish. The other you had never tried to make it for her in return however, opting simply to learn about the meal while Wanda cooked. Now, looking at the beautiful dinner you had created for her, simply because it was her favorite and might cheer her up, Wanda felt her heart about to burst with affection for you.

Unable to hold back, deft fingers gripped your neck softly, quickly pulling you in for a searing kiss. Pouring all her love, affection, and appreciation into the kiss. You were surprised, but not unhappy with this turn of events. It hadn’t been your goal, per se, a kiss from the woman you were coming to love. However, if she wasn’t melancholic anymore, then you considered your goal accomplished. Your arms came to wrap around her neck, though you were careful to keep the spoon from making contact with her clothing or hair, you had heard her take a shower earlier and didn’t want to ruin that for her.

The kiss simmered into something soft and sweet. Meanwhile your food, unfortunately, was starting to bubble over. Hearing it, the pair of you sprung apart, with you frantically pulling the pot off the eye of the stove, stirring it to return to the intended consistency. Embarrassed and amused, you both burst into giggles at the almost mishap.

“Thank you, Y/N. This is incredibly sweet of you, I-” The redhead pauses, unable to eloquently convey everything she felt in that moment. “Just, thank you.”

The wattage of your smile could have been seen from space; you were so happy. “Of course, Wands! Any time.”

While you turned off the stove, Wanda set the table so you could begin plating your dinner. Jokes and laughter flowed easily between you as you both enjoyed your meal. Wanda, who never doubted your cooking skills, though you are pleasantly surprised, enjoyed that the paprikash is not only edible but rather delicious.

As you and Wanda settled into the domesticity of it all, the witch found her heart becoming light once again. So incredibly kind and thoughtful, you brought her joy, and filled her with hope. She resolved then and there to tell you everything one day. Deserving of that much at the very least, Wanda prayed, hoping, with all her being, that you would forgive her when the truth was finally revealed. For now though she sank into the warmth and comfort you provided, falling for you just a little more with each grin you flashed her way.

A/N 2: I’m not proud of what I had Wanda do in this, but I still have some left-over rage for how Stephen treated Wanda. All she needed was a little empathy, especially from the man who made the call to allow the events with Thanos and the Mind stone to play out as they did, basically letting Vision die. For no good reason. No you can’t convince me he was right. Its lazy plot writing that out of thousands and thousands of possibilities, none of them could have involved sparing Vision, or at least making his death mean something. I’m a Wanda apologist first and foremost, and I will die on this hill. Wanda deserved better, especially from those she called “friends”. Also, I stan women’s wrongs 😛

Taglist: I remembered this time!! @dorabledewdroop

[noodle-is-unstable]

Okay,

✨Movie Talk✨

(we should all know by now me taking time away actually just means I'm doing behind the scenes things)

I've been thinking, pondering if you will lol. I want as many people to have the possibility to join in as I can so here's the deal

I'm going to do it both Friday and Saturday

Friday will be from 12:00 to 23:00 (Mountain Standard Time)

Saturday will be from 10:00 to 23:00 (Mountain Standard Time)

Series will auto play but movies will need a new group code to join (Idk why it's like this). So throughout the day(s) I'll be posting what movie is playing along with the code. I'm thinking I'll open the code up for people to join 30(?) minutes before the movie starts for people to join and get comfy

I'll probably have all this going on into the background while I do other things so I won't constantly be in the chat but I will be around

I'm thinking this will happen on the 29th and 30th (👀?)

Depending on how it goes will determine if this is a reoccurring event. If things go well I may consider getting Premium (you wouldn't need premium to join the party) so we can all watch Crunchyroll together (anime marathons?)

Anyways I'm getting ahead of myself. There will be a few more polls dropping but I just wanted to update you guys on what my little Noodle is cooking up 💖Much Love

[written-with-clouds]

Movie Marathon

Day 5/12 of Smutmas

Summary: The group settles in for a christmas movie marathon, but Mingi has a different idea for the night.

CW: Voyeurism, implied OT8

sorry for the delay in posting, work was crazy these past couple of days..

Series Masterlist

Wooyoung whines quietly, turning to dig his head into Mingi’s chest. 

“Shh baby… we’re trying to watch the movie.” Mingi whispers against the shell of his ear. 

“But, Min~”

“No buts. Now be quiet or I will stop.” To emphasize his point, Mingi tightly

squeezes the base of Wooyoung’s erection, making him jolt in the larger man’s lap and stifle a shocked yelp. 

Mingi returns to his previous pace of slowly twisting his hand up Wooyoung’s dick, rubbing his palm over the tip, and stroking back down. Wooyoung’s legs try to squeeze shut reflexively, but Mingi has them hooked over his own splayed knees to prevent this from happening. He trembles, despite the large blanket that’s draped over him and Mingi, biting his lip to keep any sounds from escaping. 

Wooyoung tries to focus on the movie that’s on. He remembers Yunho saying the title is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s the second, no, third movie they’ve watched that evening.

Around half way through the first movie, Mingi had pulled Wooyoung into his lap. It started innocently enough with Mingi just snuggling into Wooyoung’s back, but then his hands started to wander. Up his shirt to play with his nipples, scratching nails over his thighs, and in his pants to play with his balls. 

Mingi keeps the rhythm slow purposefully. Gradually building the fire inside Wooyoung while not being enough to make him cum. Wooyoung can feel how aroused Mingi is as he squirms against the hard member poking into his ass. 

“Stop that.” Mingi hisses softly. The hand not torturing his dick roughly digs into Wooyoung’s hip. 

“Please Min…” Wooyoung quietly whines in response, “I wanna cum.. it hurts~”

“I say you should let him cum,” Jongho voices, followed by the others. 

“Yeah.” Yunho agrees, “and hurry up, I wanna fuck him next.” 

“Why should you get to?!” Seonghwa argues, “You had him to yourself last night!” 

Wooyoung’s foggy brain clears a little while listening to the others bicker, mostly because Mingi’s hand had paused all together. The arguing continues for a moment longer before Hongjoong speaks up, silencing the others. 

“Alright, enough fighting… Everyone will have their turn and if you’re that impatient just go rub it out on your own.” Hongjoong stands, and moves to sit next to Mingi on the couch. He pulls the blanket off of Wooyoung’s lap, and coos. “Oh, sweetie… Look at you.” 

Wooyoung shivers and gasps as Hongjoong lightly trails a finger up the underside of his flushed cock. “Is Mingi being mean sweetheart?” 

Wooyoung nods his head. “I-i wanna cum… please.” 

“I know, I know…and you can,” Hongjoong says to Wooyoung before turning to Mingi. “Make him cum, Min. He’s waited long enough.”

Wooyoung all but screams as Mingi’s hand starts to jerk him in earnest, quickly wringing him from base to tip while his other hand massages directly over the tip. Wooyoung trembles on Mingi’s lap, stuck between wanting to thrust into his hand and pull away from the intense pleasure all together. He turns his head and pulls Mingi in for a kiss that’s more tongue and teeth than anything. 

“Oh my god,” Wooyoung pants. “I’m gonna…mmngh.. I’m gonna cum!” 

“Go ahead baby, you can cum.” Mingi husks. 

Wooyoung lets out a strangled moan, his back arching and his eyes rolling back as cum spilled out from his dick. He twitches as Mingi continues to stroke him past his orgasm, milking him for all he has. It isn’t until Wooyoung is whining, pushing his hands away, and squirming in his lap that Mingi stops. 

Mingi places a soft kiss to the side of Wooyoung’s head before addressing the others. 

“So, who’s next?”

Series Masterlist

[creativecuteness]

Okay you guys are not going to believe this or maybe you will believe this maybe I'm just slow and this is common knowledge in the fanbase. However, I was doing my yearly mbav marathon and last night I watched The Brewed; I've always been curious on the timeline of each episode and when they take place during the year I'm a stickler for it because of my fanfiction series I always thought the gang face off against supernatural forces pretty much every week I mean the show is a monster of the week format so in my eyes it makes sense.

However, I do like to think there are slow weeks or months where nothing happens but for the most part, I like to think the gang deal with supernatural problems pretty often. And I was under the impression that season one went from late September to early November or December and season two is pretty much the same timeline unless they went back to school early since it was still warm enough to have pool parties who knows I don't love in Canada.

What I'm trying to get at here is in the Brewed Hick's said he got Latta Latte to Celebrate 100 days until Summer Vacation I've always been intrigued with that line I tried to search for an estimate of the date before a few years ago but found nothing until today.

100 days until summer vacation puts the episode in around February which is kind of insane to me but makes sense, since in the same episode Rory takes his zombie mask from the teacher's lounge and said Hick's took it from him back in September notice how he says September not last month or two months ago. (Yeah, I know that's a stretch but it's still interesting to me, let me cook.) Still the point is from the way Rory spoke it seems like he got that taken away a good while ago which was always odd to me if the episode took place during the last half of the year. But wait there's more, I found out when the gang's midterms most likely took place for episode 13.

According to Goggle, again this could be for the US only but I'm rolling with it. Midterms normally take place mid-October to mid-March (Yes, I know this should be common knowledge to many, but I've been homeschooled my entire life don't @ me.) It couldn't have been in October since the gang just stopped Jesse about a month ago and the school year would've just begun for them for the most part. Plus, in Three Geeks and a Demon which takes place a good few days before the season finale. Benny says they owned an evil tree last month referring to episode 8 Die Pod. So that puts episodes 8, 9, and maybe 10 around January to February I already established episode 11 takes place in February as well; but episodes 12 and 13 takes place in March or around that time. In other words, their adventures are a lot more spread out then I originally thought and more importantly how much supernatural insanity took place behind the scenes.

I don't know if this is entirely accurate since it's a tv show and potholes pop up all over the place if there are any inconsistencies that you can debunk let me know I'll revolute everything.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

TLDR: While doing research for future mbav fanfic entries I discovered that episode 11 takes place somewhere in February and freaked out because I thought the first season's timeline was September to around November to December. I could be super wrong though.

[she-karev]

Mother's Day (Marina Imagine)

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Three of Three

Fandom: Station 19

Ship: Maya x Carina

AN: Happy Mother’s Day guys! Here’s the last chapter of this Mother’s Day story that will focus on our favorite Station 19 couple Maya Bishop and Carina DeLuca as mothers to Liam.

Edit: I edited this story a bit so it can take place a year after the series finale. I thought with the writers protests the storyline was set in 2023 instead of 2024 so I accommodated this story with that. And with Maya and Carina getting pregnant in the end I wanted to show their daughter.

Summary: Maya and Carina have a party at the station with the others where they sign the adoption papers making them Liam’s official parents.

Words: 1179

May 12, 2024

“Did you get the cake?” Carina asks Maya in excitement while feeding Liam in a highchair. Liam smiles widely at Carina feeding him another spoonful of banana baby puree from a jar.

Meanwhile their daughter, Andrea, is inside a car seat on the table. She watches her mother feed her brother making baby noises that cause Carina to smile at her baby every five seconds, overcome with how adorable her babies are.

Maya enters the beanery smiling and carrying a large white box with a manila folder on top.

“Yes, I did, and I think your gonna like the design I picked out for this very special day.” Maya sets the box on the table and Carina wipes Liam’s mouth before picking him up so they can go to Maya.

“Did you bring the-”

Maya answers her question before she can finish by picking up the manila folder that contains the adoption papers for them to sign and take to the courthouse tomorrow, “My love do you really still doubt me after all these years?”

Carina grins at Maya’s smugness, “It’s a big day today and we can’t afford any missteps.” Carina turns to Liam and speaks in a baby voice, “But lucky for us your mama is organized and never forgets her keys let alone a paper making us your legal mommy’s. And making you a big brother to your little sister in every way possible."

When Maya and Carina heard the good news from the fertility doctor that Maya’s eggs were successfully fertilized with the sperm, they selected from the donor catalog they decided to freeze them. They wanted to wait until after they adopted Liam to give him a sibling because they wanted to focus fully on him and making him a part of their family.

After their lawyer told them their chances of adopting were good once Liam's father signed away his rights, the women decided not to put it off any longer. They both agreed neither of them were getting younger and their window was small so they had to take it.

Then in May last year Carina told Maya the embryo finally took and they were having another baby.

Maya smiles at the memory as she looks down at their daughter who already has Maya's blonde hair and blue eyes. The sight makes her smile at the family she finally has with the woman she loves.

She looks at Liam in Carina's arms, "Now Liam being a big brother is really important. Your gonna protect your sibling and teach them things we can’t.”

“That’s right.” Carina lightly bounces Liam in her arms, “If it wasn’t for me your Zio Andrea wouldn’t know his head from his butt.”

“Hey, come on I think I could’ve survived being an only child.” Andrew walks into the beanery carrying a large blue gift-wrapped box with his wife Amber DeLuca nee Karev walking beside him carrying their 1-year-old daughter Lucy in her arms. The women can see that despite Amber looking elegant in a gothic sense with her black turtleneck hugging her torso and black pleated pants she looks tired and disheveled.

Amber exhales as if she was running a marathon, “We’re not too late, are we?”

“Nope your right on time.” Andy Herrera tells her as she enters the beanery with Vic, Ben and Bailey. Vic and Travis are visiting Seattle from Washington to settle board meetings for Crisis One. They heard about the party and insisted on showing up.

Andy takes out a water bottle from the fridge, “We’re just waiting for Montgomery and Gibson to show up.”

Andrew exhales in relief, “Thank God, we would have come sooner but the struggle was real getting Lucy out of the house.”

Carina chuckles and leans face to face with Lucy who looks adorable in her denim overall dress with her short wavy brown hair up in pigtails, “Don’t worry Lucy, I forgive you because you are the most adorable nipote in the world!” Lucy giggles at Carina’s exasperated voice.

Amber smiles at her sister-in-law, “Well your adorable nipote has been very active lately.”

“And very stubborn about what she wants.” Andrew chips in and whispers to Maya next to him, “I ‘terribili due’ non sono uno scherzo.” (Translation: The terrible twos are no joke.) Amber puts Lucy down to her feet and she immediately runs to Maya hugging her legs causing Carina and the others to aww at the adorable sight.

Maya chuckles and picks up Lucy in her arms who stares up at her with huge blue eyes, “Come on she’s not even two yet.”

“Oh, try telling her that.” Amber tells her as she sets up the table while Andrew walks over to Carina smiling at his nephew who grins at him.

Amber smiles at her 5-month-old niece on the table who is also named after her husband. She reminisces when her own daughter, Lucy, was this small and compliant.

"Oh I remember when Lucy was this small, it feels like so long ago."

Maya grins with Lucy still in her arms, "It was a year ago."

"Exactly." Amber states, "In parent years it feels like a century. Trust me you'll know what it's like only it'll be double the trouble with two babies. I'll ask April to pray for you two."

Andrew chuckles at Liam’s squishy face feeling nostalgic and sharing Amber's feelings, “Yep enjoy this age while you can sis because pretty soon, he’s gonna start scribbling on the walls, scaring you half to death when he tries to climb the stairs by himself and pulling your hair when you end bathtime.” Carina chuckles at Andrew’s misery, “Seriously you guys enjoy this age of innocence it goes by so fast.”

“How strong is the coffee here?” Amber asks Andy.

“We have military issue if you can handle it.”

“I’ll take a cup.” Amber moves to the coffeemaker.

“Make it two.” Amber nods at Andrew’s request. Gibson and Montgomery enter the room carrying balloons and greeting everyone with smiles.

“Hey, we’re not too late, are we?”

“Nope we wouldn’t sign these papers without everyone present.” Maya tells Jack.

Soon Beckett, Theo, and Sullivan come on and they gather around the counter where the manila folder is. Carina turns to Andrew and he gladly holds Liam for her with Amber next to him carrying Lucy. Travis grabs the carseat and sets it on the counter so Andrea can watch her big brother finally be a part of the family in legals terms.

Maya takes a deep breath before opening the folder, taking the paper out and grabbing the pen from her shirt pocket clicking it.

“Here we go.” Maya looks at Carina who smiles in joy while Vic is on the other side of the counter filming this moment on her phone with a smile. Maya signs her cursive on one of the two dotted lines on the bottom. She holds the pen out to Carina with a smile, “We’re halfway there.”

Carina smiles taking the pen, “Let me finish it then.” Carina leans down the counter and signs her own name below Maya’s. As soon as she finishes everyone around them cheers. Maya laughs and brings out the cake revealing the design. It’s a white rectangular sheet cake with a blue wave like ocean at the bottom with Goldfish crackers swimming in it and a reel with a line in the frosty sea. Across the white sheet written in blue frosting on top is ‘O-fish-aly Ours!’ Liam DeLuca-Bishop 05-12-24’

The group chuckles and awes at the cake with Carina joking, “Bambina you have now reached cheesy parent status.”

“Well, it’s all for my son.” Maya takes Liam from Andrew’s arms and smiles at him, “Did you hear that little dude? I’m officially your mama!” Liam smiles wide as Carina wraps her arms around Maya’s torso pulling both of them against her.

“That’s right bambino, we’re your mama’s in heart and paper now.” They coo at the baby while Andy gets two blue baby bottles that are filled with white wine instead of milk. She gives them to the legal mommy’s with a smile.

“Courtesy of Tia Andy so you guys can toast properly to getting through the first year with him.”

Maya chuckles at the bottles, “Thank you.” Carina holds up her bottle to toast and Maya does the same, “Cheers to…not dropping him on his head.”

“Or swallowing a safety pin. Cheers and a happy Mother’s Day, mommy!”

Maya smiles at the coincidence of both the adoption date and Mother’s Day set at the same time as if fate knew they were meant to be mother’s all along, “Happy Mother’s Day, mama.” They clink their bottles and celebrate their first day as official parents to their beloved and beautiful son.

[bellamysgriffin]

happy october everyone! every year, i organize for myself (and my friends on the occasion that they join me) a marathon of scary/halloweeny movies for each day of the month. i usually get to almost all of them and a third of them are typically rewatches for me (it's not halloween unless you watch scream at least once), and i thought why not share my list this year in case anyone needs recs or wants to join me! (i've also included where I'll be streaming for anyone in the US)

oct. 1: ginger snaps (2000) (peacock)

oct. 2: dawn of the dead (1978)

oct. 3: scream (1996) (hbo max)

oct. 4: i saw the TV glow (2024) (hbo max)

oct. 5: donnie darko (2001) (hulu)

oct. 6: nosferatu (1922) (prime video/freevee)

oct. 7: american psycho (2000) (netflix)

oct. 8: suspiria (1977) (criterion channel)

oct. 9: over the garden wall (2014) (hulu)

oct. 10: carrie (1976)

oct. 11: the devil's backbone (2001) (peacock)

oct. 12: the silence of the lambs (1991)

oct. 13: abigail (2024) (peacock)

oct. 14: the amityville (1979) (hbo max)

oct. 15: hour of the wolf (1968) (criterion channel)

oct. 16: the cabin in the woods (2011) (peacock)

oct. 17: jennifer's body (2009) (hulu)

oct. 18: i married a witch (1942) (hbo max)

oct. 19: wendell & wild (2022) (netflix)

oct. 20: the carmilla movie (2017) (peacock)

oct. 21: crimson peak (2015) (prime video)

oct. 22: escape room (2019) (hulu)

oct. 23: white zombie (1932) (prime video/freevee)

oct. 24: the evil dead (1981) (tubi)

oct. 25: the rocky horror picture show (1975)

oct. 26: cronos (1992) (hbo max)

oct. 27: the descent (2005)

oct. 28: mr. harrigan's phone (2022) (netflix)

oct. 29: sleepy hollow (1999) (prime video)

oct. 30: little shop of horrors (1986)

oct. 31: it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown (1966) (apple tv+) & the nightmare before christmas (1993) (disney +)

i will also be rewatching the tv shows scream queens (hulu) and the haunting of hill house (netflix) as well as episodes from guillermo del toro's anthology series cabinet of curiosities (netflix)

here is the letterboxd list and here is another list with other horror recs from previous years

[asylumgarden2003]

Hey there, It’s Anastasia!

Do you love October just as much as I do? Do you love fall movies? Well! This post is just right for you!

Side note: I'm so sorry this post is a day late! Homework and life is piling on me. Back to the post...

Here is a list of 31 movies to watch in October!

1. Coraline

2. Dead Poets Society

3. Mean Girls

4. Scream! (You can always go on a marathon!)

5. Harry Potter series!

6. Saw franchise! (Love this one)

7. Corpse Bride

8. Frankenweenie

9. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Does this also count as a Christmas movie?)

10. Beetlejuice (The first one!)

11. Edward Scissorhands

12. Nightmare On Elm Street

13. Friday the 13th

14. Ghostbusters

15. Casper

16. Hocus Pocus

17. Little Women

18. Fantastic Mr. Fox

19. The Craft

20. MONSTER HIGH

21. Hotel Transylvania

22. Juno

23. Autumn In New York (Who doesn't love Winona Ryder?)

24. The Devil Wears Prada (I love Meryl Streep so much.)

25. Practical Magic

26. Rewatch Dead Poets Society because what else should you be doing? Okay just kidding!! Just watch Good Will Hunting.

27. Knives Out!

28. The Ring (Im literally too scared to even type this out)

29. Haunted Mansion

30. Scooby-Doo (duh!!)

31. Halloween!! (What else would you watch on Halloween?)

I hope this gives you at least a few new movies to watch this month!

Love, Anastasia

[jaggedjot]

if they dropped ep 1&2 on may 12, would you be happy or annoyed?

Personally, I would find this not only disappointing but would see this as something that would likely undermine the show. As I have mentioned previously, I think that the story's many layers means that it is often best appreciated in as drawn out a sitting as possible. Watching the show is also an extremely emotionally intense experience, which does not lend itself to marathoning. Most importantly to me though, I think Interview with the Vampire is a series that is almost uniquely suited to an episodic format.

Each episode of season one was structured around a single interview session, with a significant break occurring before the next one took place. These periods of almost entirely unaccounted for time allowed the characters to rest, consider what was discussed, assess their own performance, and prepare for upcoming revelations and questions. The subsequent adjustments are more overtly done by Louis, but Daniel also has differs in his approach and attitude in each session. Structuring the format of the show then to parallel the events taking place simulates that experience for the audience. This is particularly true for people who are more than casual viewers, with the greater time lapse between episodes compared to the interview sessions (aka, a week compared to several hours) being balanced by fans' ability to speculate with others in the meantime, rewatch scenes, research references, etc. While I expect the format to develop in season two (for example, we know that there are going to be scenes of Armand and Louis between interview sessions), I don't believe it will be abandoned entirely.

[crimsonsongbird]

What pulled you to PCP in general, and what led you to Naruto PCP in specific?

Have you ever made spells based on Naruto? I might just be missing them honestly if you have.

Hiya, Anon!

Someone who hasn't heard the story? 👀 Buckle up, this will be a long post!

A little back story: I was raised by two Marines and lived in a very strict household. My parents were hypercritical, perfectionists, very anti-creative, and heavily pro-academia, which lead to a lot of trauma for me (among other things). Just know there was a lot of tension and stress in my house growing up. Not to mention the fact that we constantly moved around the states.

But I got into Naruto around age 12, about 18 years ago now, with the help of my cousin. I had just moved to a new state and didn't really have friends yet. The series caught my attention, so I was glued to the television every Saturday at 8pm for the newest episode. I also watched whenever Toonami had a marathon, no matter how many times I'd seen the episodes. Naruto became a hyperfixation pretty quickly. However, it became much more than that in a matter of months.

I got bullied a lot at school for being the new kid as well as for my interests. I was an eccentric tween and was very passionate/vocal about my interests, so I was the target of various bullies and cliques. And, when I went home, I would be bullied by my parents and sometimes even my older sister. There was no place I felt safe... except in the arms of fiction, specifically the anime Naruto.

Naruto became my escape. I watched the show regularly and traveled alongside Naruto as he took on powerful enemies, trained with his peers, and learned more about his past. I cheered when he was happy and cried when he was sad. It's like I was another one of his dear friends... Soon I found myself falling in love with the idiot ninja himself, Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto changed my life. His smile saved me so many times. His ability to stand tall despite being bullied and ridiculed was so captivating. He followed his dreams, no matter what obstacles stood before him. He loved despite the constant heartache he endured. If he could do it, so could I. He gave me the strength I needed to keep living; to not give up on my life. Naruto was my hero, my confidant, my best friend, and the first real love of my life. Naruto is the reason I am still alive today.

I wasn't aware of paganism at that time, let alone pop culture paganism. But I feel like I've been working with Naruto for 18 years now. He has remained a huge part of my life, even after the series ended 11 years ago. (We don't talk about Boruto here). I actually even have a tattoo of Naruto's smile that says "the smile that saved me".

So Naruto is definitely the one that pulled me into PCP! I just learned there are other heroes I want to venerate alongside him.

As for spells, I am currently working on my first Naruto spell! I hope to post it soon. I do have correspondences for Naruto, Kushina, and Minato that can be found here though. Feel free to request other characters! I love making them.

Thank you so much for the ask!

~Crimson

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, December 3

Larry: All right. What do you want? Hush money? Is that what you're after? Xander: I don't *want* anything! I just wanna help! Larry: What, you think you have a cure? Xander: No, it's just... I know what you're going through because I've been there. That's why I know you should talk about it. Larry: Yeah, that's easy for *you* to say. I mean, you're nobody. I've got a reputation here. Xander: Larry, please, before someone else gets hurt. Larry: Look, if this gets out, it's over for me. I mean, forget about playing football. They'll run me outta this town. I mean, come on! How are people going to look at me after they find out I'm gay. Oh, wow. I said it. And it felt... okay. (whispers) I'm gay.

~~Buffy Episode #27: "Phases"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Come As You Are (Buffy/Spike, T) by veronyxk84

Are You Ready for It? (Buffy/Spike, T) by sandy_s

Bound by Desire (Spike/Buffy Summers, E) by JammySmut

A Crisis of Faith's (Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers, M) by Badwolfwho

Opposite Attraction Ch. 4/6 (Angel/Spike, T) by MamaBewear

The Buffy Chronicles: Life After Sunnydale CH. 6 () by sweetmelodykiss

() by

kiss prompt #20: on a scar (Buffy/Faith, unrated) by lesbianmarrow

kiss prompt #38: because they're running out of time (Buffy/Faith, unrated) by lesbianmarrow

Ugh, not Angel (Spike/Reader, unrated) by ashwhowrites

Horrorshow Ch. 30 (Angel/Spike, Multiple Pairings, E) by Higgystar, vampbrat

The Prophecy Ch. 6 (Buffy/Angel, E) by bookxish

‘Bout Halfway Between Your House and Mine Ch. 2/2 (COMPLETE) (Willow/Fred, E) by test_kard_girl

Smoke and Leather Ch. 13 (Spike/OC, M) by EagleAlwaysFliesAlone

Aegis Ch. 33 (Ensemble, T, multiple xovers) by dogbertcarroll, Narsil

White Poinsettias (Buffy/Spike, M) by Maxine Eden

On the Naughty List (Buffy/Spike, M) by Maxine Eden

Wicked Dreams (Angelus/Spike, E) by MadeInGold

Really Me (Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg, G) by MadeInGold

[Chaptered Fiction]

reCollected Poems by Buffy & Spike Summers, Chapter 1-6 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Pirgho

Chapter 1: Sometimes I Feel You’re Smiling at Me (Spike/Reader, E) by tigerf00d

The Carrot Peeler Incident Ch. 1-3 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Leighroyal

Lucidity, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Soulburnt

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Evangelion: You Can (Not) Marathon — (Part 13)

Neon Genesis Evangelion, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER”

Continuing my Evangelion re-watch marathon with NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER.” For my thoughts on the previous episode, click the link to the post below:

Happy New Year everyone! Yeah… it’s been quite a while since I posted my last episode analysis of Evangelion, hasn’t it? The last time I discussed an episode was back in August 2023, as I had to temporarily postpone this marathon due to being preoccupied with Graduate School classes. But since I’m currently on Winter Break in-between semesters and I’ve only got one more class to complete before I finally get my Master’s degree in History of Ideas, I thought it was finally time to resume my marathon of every episode and movie from the EVA franchise! So with all of that out of the way, let's dig into the 13th episode of NGE!

Aww! I love how right off the bat this episode reiterates the deep-seated admiration that one of the three main NERV staff members, Maya Ibuki, holds for the organization’s head scientist, Ritsuko Akagi. Specifically, the episode opens in Central Dogma where Ritsuko & Maya are conducting a routine system’s check-up on the facility’s advanced supercomputer, the MAGI system. Not only does Ritsuko complement the speed at which Maya enters the code sequences into the database, to which Maya replies, “Of course. Did I have any choice with you as my boss,” but Maya can’t help but stare in awe at her screen when Ritsuko types in a more rapid command-function, stating to herself, “Wow… she is the master…”

In addition to emphasizing Ritsuko’s skill and proficiency as a computer programmer, which serves as a central focus for the episode, this opening scene also subtly hints through the former’s interaction with Maya that the latter might view her relationship with Ritsuko in a much higher regard than just a mere master-&-apprentice bond. Specifically, I along with a lot of other EVA fans interpret Maya as a lesbian who’s secretly in love with Ritsuko. 

The subject of queer-coding in Evangelion will become of greater significance when I eventually get around to discussing the character of Kaworu Nagisa in Episode 24, but this interaction along with several other scenes from future episodes of the series heavily infer that Maya secretly possesses romantic feelings for Ritsuko based on her dialogue and mannerisms when interacting with her. Although Maya’s attraction seems to be one-sided since it will later revealed that Ritsuko is sleeping with her boss Gendo Ikari in a failed effort to try and emotionally connect with her dead mother (which, again… GROSS…). 

But while it would also be inappropriate for Ritsuko to instead get together with Maya due to the mentor/student power imbalance in their relationship, I can’t help but feel that Ritsuko would be in a much happier and healthier place in life if she also came out as gay and dumped the bastard Gendo for a female love interest. Heck, I’d personally ship Ritsuko with Misato! considering that the two are both best friends who attended university together, plus there was also some potential queer-coding in that brief moment of a swimsuit-clad Ritsuko suggestively bumping into Misato back in Episode 1!

One last aspect of Maya’s queer-coding that I’ll briefly elaborate on here is that many fans have pointed out that her character design heavily resembles that of the main protagonist, Shinji Ikari,  further visually coding Shinji as potentially being a trans-femme egg! I absolutely love it!

Lol! As soon as I start talking about shipping Ritsuko & Misato, the latter then shows up to see if Ritsuko’s done with the MAGI’s system check-up. As Bane from The Dark Knight Rises once famously stated:

Alright, if I recall this is the first time the viewer is provided a visual diagram of the MAGI and how it specifically functions. While the MAGI has been referenced in passing throughout previous episodes, where it was portrayed as an advanced supercomputer that assists in and analyzes the effectiveness of battle strategies for combatting the Angels, as well as serves as the de-facto governing body for Tokyo-3 in place of an ACTUAL human mayor (who’s stated in Episode 11 to be a simple figure-head), it is here in Episode 13 that we first get a real glimpse of exactly how the MAGI operates.

According to the monitor diagram, the MAGI is divided into three separate systems that function in conjunction with each other, and are distinguished by the names “Melchior 1,” “Balthasar 2,” and “Casper 3.”

The names for the MAGI system themselves serve as yet another Biblical reference, specifically to the Three Wise Men from the Book of Matthew. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Magi, in Christian tradition, the noble pilgrims ‘from the East’ who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the infant Jesus as king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–12)… Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ (Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant… In about the 8th century, the names of three Magi—Bithisarea, Melchior, and Gathaspa—appear in a chronicle known as the Excerpta Latina Barbari. They have become known most commonly as Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Casper).”

Furthermore, the episode’s opening also alludes to the later twist that the MAGI is far more than simply just a set of 3 advanced supercomputers. Specifically, following the routine system check-up the scene immediately transitions to a weary Ritsuko alone in the bathroom where she looks at her reflection and states, “Everything checked out. As usual, Mother’s in good shape, but… is it just me getting older?”

Not only does Ritsuko’s line effectively foreshadow that her late mother, Dr. Naoko Akagi, was the MAGI’s original inventor, but also the revelation that Naoko digitized her own consciousness into the system itself.

Also, that final line of Ritsuko’s, “Is it just me getting older?” Not only does this line indicate that Ritsuko is potentially experiencing a mid-life crisis, but it is also reflective of the emptiness that she feels due to her existence being solely defined by her association with the inventions of her late mother whom it later revealed that she had a strained relationship with due to the latter career-oriented pursuits as a world-renowned scientist. Here, Hideaki Anno & crew effectively communicates through simple visuals and dialogue that Ritusko is burdened by her desire to understand and connect with her mother by routinely tending to her living legacy.

Also also, another fan online pointed this out, but these shots of Ritsuko leaning at the sink and staring at her reflection directly parallel those of Asuka later on in Episode 22, who similarly pilots her EVA Unit-02 due to being haunted by the specter of her own emotionally neglectful mother. Once again, Anno truly is a master of being able to convey so much information and character nuance through subtle visuals alone!

Lol! As hilarious as it is to listen to Asuka’s complaints about having to completely undress alongside Shinji & Rei as they enter a decontamination for a special harmonics synchronization test with their respective EVAs, I do legitimately love how the animators here utilize the three pilots’ silhouetted postures (only the character’s faces & feet are left unobscured) behind the glass to distinguish each character’s unique personality traits!

Despite Asuka’s justified protestations of being required to strip down for this test, we see that she’s standing proud and firm with both hands on her hips, which is contrasted against the frustrated expression on her face, conveying how Asuka utilizes her boastful pride as a facade to mask her insecurities in front of others. In stark contrast to Asuka, Shinji is unable to hide his embarrassment and anxiety, since in addition to having a nervous expression he’s placing both his hands over his crotch to desperately preserve his modesty, which is reflective of the character’s fears of opening himself up to others. Finally, Rei is once again presented as the neutral middle-ground to Shinji & Asuka’s opposing ends of the emotional spectrum, as she simply gives a blank deadpanned expression while standing completely still in a non-exaggerated manner, highlighting her struggles to emotionally connect with herself and others.

Also, I’m totally with Asuka here! I sincerely hope that Ritsuko is telling the truth when she reassures Asuka on the intercom that the security cameras have their monitors temporarily shut off as the pilots exit their decontamination showers to enter their EVAs. At least… that’s what I’m hoping the red light suddenly appearing on the camera following the two’s conversation…

Still, however, I am somewhat surprised that the exit hallway lacks any guard railing between the shower doors to protect the pilot’s modesty from each other. I know that I would personally want such a feature, especially as someone who’s always HATED and refused to utilize open-door public shower facilities! UGH! That’s always been a major pet peeve of mine!

Whew… at least we as viewers can breathe a sigh of relief in the fact that Ritsuko was at least telling the truth about the naked pilot’s visuals being obscured from the test operator’s computer screens since they’re only presented as green silhouettes inside of their Entry-Plugs. Although Shinji seems to be the only one among the trio wearing a safety belt inside. Weird…

So I’m rather curious as to what the purpose of this specific harmonics test is exactly. Like, I understand the idea that the reason Ritsuko had Shinji, Rei & Asuka undergo decontamination and sit inside their Entry Plugs completely naked was so that she could determine how well each pilot synchronizes with their respective EVA Units without any foreign contamination (which feels like a callback to Episode 8 when Asuka forced Shinji to sit inside the Entry-Plug with her and she initially experienced a program error due to Shinji’s Japanese thought patterns interfering with her Unit being pre-conditioned for her native German language).

But what’s NERV’s specific end goal here? To simply see whether or not the pilots can better synchronize with their Units without the presence of their usual plug-suits? 

While the exact answer is left incredibly vague and unanswered, I personally subscribe to a fan theory that I encountered online a while back (although I can’t remember where it originated from), but I believe that Ritsuko and NERV intend to utilize the data collected from each pilot’s unfiltered and decontaminated synch-ratios from this test as part of the dreaded Dummy-Plug system program in later episodes, since those specific Entry-Plugs are stated to perfectly imitate the thought-patterns of a pilot to trick an EVA-Unit to engage in an auto-pilot function even without the presence of an actual human pilot inside the plug.

Although... this theory does have some holes in it since it’s also later implied that NERV’s Dummy Plug system is specifically derived from the thought patterns of dozens of Rei clones (and that SEELE utilizes her counterpart Kaworu for the Dummy Plugs for the Mass-Production Evangelions in The End of Evangelion).

Also, I just realized something else! The fact that Shinji, Asuka & Rei are sitting inside of their Entry-Plugs naked (which is somewhat akin to a fetal position), and that the Entry-Plugs themselves are symbolically reflective of a mother’s womb due to the EVA-Units containing the souls of their dead mother’s (at least for Shinji & Asuka’s respective units…), and that the pilots are also submerged in Liquid LCL while inside of their Entry-Plugs, and LCL is the primordial soup that humanity was originally birthed from by the Seed of Life known as Lilith… 

Geez, this scene alone takes all of the pre-existing Freudian imagery that EVA is known for, and pumps it up on steroids!

Moving on from that though, we get more foreshadowing of the true nature of the MAGI when Ritsuko coldly remarks, “You can sure feel their creator’s original personality can you,” in response to the 3 supercomputers suddenly processing a mysterious dilemma.

In addition to Ritsuko officially confirming to Misato (and by extension, the audience) that her mother Naoko was the original inventor of the MAGI system, we also get to see the initial signs of cracks beginning to form in Misato & Ritsuko’s friendship. Despite Misato’s high-ranking status as a NERV military officer and her promotion to Major in the last episode, it is evident that Misato is still in the dark concerning NERV’s more intimate secrets. While Ritsuko is willing to chastize Misato’s ignorance regarding the MAGI system due to the former’s personal connections with the classified hardware, Misato will grow increasingly distrustful of the other secrets Ritsuko is guarding for Gendo and will be inspired by her lover Kaji to try and unravel the conspiracy behind NERV.

Also, Misato’s annoyed retort, “That’s because unlike me, you never talk about yourself Ritsuko,” feels intentionally hypocritical on Anno’s part since Misato frequently attempts to hide specific aspects of her personality from others like Shinji due to her internal Hedgehog’s Dilemma. Although this exchange does convey that in contrast to Misato’s more emotionally extroverted persona, Ritsuko’s personality is more introverted, presenting herself more coldly and rationally due to her nature as a scientist.

I love the early ominous visual representations of the “dilemma” that the MAGI is responding to. First in the form of a visual graph up in Central Dogma’s mainframe, which Aoba & Fuyutsuki describe as “corrosion of the 87th protein wall” that they attribute to recently-installed parts to the system, as well as what appears to be a purple acidic burn-mark on the walls of one of NERV HQ’s tunnels.

Not only does this help provide initial intrigue and suspense for the viewer concerning this mysterious “dilemma,” but Fuyutsuki & Aoba’s dialogue debating the potential causes of the system error in highly-detailed technological detail reminds me of why I’ve always nicknamed this, “the Techno-Babble episode” of NGE! 

Trust me when I say, there is going to be so much techno-babble in this episode alone that it would make Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation blush!

Also… that corrosion is creepy as all heck!

Lol! Both Ritsuko & Fuyutsuki make the exact same comment, “Ikari would chew my ass off,” in response to letting the corrosion interfere with their synchronization test! It’s like the old saying goes: “Two great minds truly think alike!”

Wait a minute… so the pilot’s EVA-Units are in their usual holding cages during this test? Then what exactly is that fleshy unarmored EVA-arm submerged in water and connected to half-a-dozen wires outside the window of Ritsuko’s control room supposed to be? Is it part of Rei’s EVA Unit-00 but on the opposite side of the wall-locks, or something else entirely? Either way, the fact that Ritsuko tells specifically Rei to move her arm in conjunction with that submerged severed arm does seem to suggest my earlier theory that this test is actually somehow connected to the Dummy Plug system…

Oh crap! Glowing red sparks appearing on the purple corrosive wall stain as soon as Rei synchronizes with the submerged EVA arm! Definitely not unusual and foreboding in the slightest! Not at all!

I’ve gotta say, I’m really enjoying the nice change of pace this episode takes in regards to its action scenes and building suspense! Instead of the usual strategic planning and bombastic Mecha vs. Kaju fights, Episode 13 takes full advantage of its focus on computer science by having Ritsuko utilize her technological expertise to try and quickly quarantine and prevent the spread of the corrosion of the 87th protein wall into the testing chambers. 

Despite initially seeming inherently less exciting on the surface, from a cinematography and editing perspective the flow of action in this scene feels incredibly intense and suspenseful due to the fast pace and quick cuts between the various computer screen alerts & graphs, Ritsuko’s technical commands, and the closing of doors & pipes to prevent the spreading of the corrosion! Anno & GAINAX certainly know how to make even the seemingly mundane incredibly captivating from an action standpoint! That takes incredible talent!

Also, I don’t know why but I FREAKING love the design of those water drones that Ritsuko deploys into the testing pool! 

Oh, I see now! The pilot’s Entry-Plugs are actually connected to 3 full-flesh unarmored EVA bodies inside the testing pool! I just couldn’t tell at first due to the previous camera angles of the pool framing the scene from outside the control room window, which combined with the darkly lit underwater conditions helped obscure the other two EVA-bodies! Also, the fact that the heads are missing and are replaced with wires (which I’m assuming are connected to each pilot’s main respective units…), aided in my confusion in thinking that these were just arms. 

My mistake! Lol!

But being serious again, all that tension built up with Ritsuko’s technical commands & counters comes to a roaring head as the mysterious corrosion finally reaches the testing pool and causes the arm of Rei’s EVA-body to move against its will and try and breach the window of the control room (mirroring the flashback EVA Unit-00’s failed test in Episode 5)!

Holy FREAKING Crap! Even though Ritsuko & Misato fortunately had the arm of Rei’s EVA severed before it could break the glass and forcibly ejected the pilot’s Entry-Plugs out of the pool, the worst possible case scenario is confirmed when the drones fire their lasers at the mysterious corrosive force, only for said force to suddenly repel their attacks with an AT Field! That’s right, NERV HQ has just been infiltrated by the 11th Angel, Ireul!

Out of all the Angels presented in the series so far, Ireul is easily one of the most distinctively unique due to its lack of a consistent physical form, being primarily represented in the form of either a corrosive substance on the wall or as a pixilated glow on the test EVA’s.

Speaking of which, dang is the animation of Ireul infecting and possessing the arm of one of the other test EVAs so FREAKING cool! It has this unique red-digitized effect to it! I can’t even begin to imagine how tricky it must have been for GAINAX to animate the hand-drawn frames for the Ireul infection scenes! I sincerely hope that they were paid well for their work…

Also, regarding this specific Angel’s name, according to Wikipedia, “Iruel (イロウル, Irouru), also known as Yroul, Yrouel and Ireul, [is referred to] n religious texts as the angel of fear.” In addition to Episode 13’s primary scriptwriter, Mitsuo Iso, stating that the primary inspiration for Ireul’s abstract design was to showcase “a battle against an invisible enemy,” the historical theological interpretations of Ireul as the “Angel of Terror” were noted by ThingsAnime blog writer Will Raus in his article Neon Genesis — An Angelic Vision, who stated that, “the episode featuring Ireul is marked by panic from the lab techs that operate the MAGI.”

I’m curious as to what exactly was going through Ritsuko’s head as she just coldly stared at Ireul breaking the glass while the rest of the staff fled the control room. Was she merely so distracted by her scientific curiosity that she completely neglected her own safety? Or is this indicative of Ritsuko having suicidal ideation?

Knowing what I know occurs later in Episode 23, I have a strong feeling it’s the latter option, especially since Misato is similarly the one here to try and snap out of her trance before Ireul can flood the room.

The sheer amount of scenes that directly mirror each other in regards to subtle details in animation & character framing that I’m noticing upon rewatch is honestly FREAKING phenomenal! Anno certainly took a page from George Lucas’ playbook as a director!

Oh boy, we’re getting some more foreshadowing to the conflict between Gendo & SEELE since immediately after getting off the phone with another “Sound-Only” screen, he orders the rest of the staff to lie about the presence of an Angel inside of NERV HQ being just “an error in the alarm system.”

Lol! It looks like the computer diagrams confirmed my fan theory regarding the purpose of the harmonics test, since the 3 EVA bodies inside of the pool, or “Pribnow Box” are labeled as “Dummy 1-3!”

Oh crap! More foreshadowing in the form of Fuytsuki & Gendo whispering to each other that Ireul’s contamination of the systems is spreading “too close to Adam.”

Double crap! Even more foreshadowing in the form of Gendo prioritizing the safety of Unit-01 above that of Units 00 & 02 when ordering them to be launched without the pilots to prevent them from being infected by Ireul!

Triple crap! The foreshadowing just keeps on going as we now see Kaji randomly exiting an elevator inside of the tunnel to Central Dogma directly below Ireul’s contamination zone! Continuing to play the double/triple agent game I’m guessing! 

Leave it to Fuyutsuki to ask the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind: “How exactly can you fight an Angel without an Evangelion?”

Man do I love just how unapologetically science-oriented and techno-babble-heavy this particular episode of EVA is! It’s honestly pretty cool watching Ritsuko and the rest of the NERV staff’s attempts to try and counter Ireul’s spread by increasing the ozone levels in the heavy water boundary of the testing pool, only for Ireul to rapidly adapt and increase its resistance to ozone before evolving into an organic electronic life form capable of hacking its presence into NERV’s computer files to infiltrate the MAGI system!

While a lot of the technical and computer programming terms completely fly over my head and are borderline gibberish to me, the scene itself is so tightly edited and quickly paced that it’s NEVER boring and the natural flow of dialogue makes the increasing threat of the Angel clear to the viewer even if they’re not computer scientists themselves! That takes a lot of skill from a writing & and directing standpoint!

Also, Shiro Sagisu’s soundtrack further elevates the tension in this scene in near-perfect symbiosis with the editing and dialogue! The sequence of musical scores from “The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still,” to “Harbinger of Tragedy,” to “The Beast” really serve to gradually increase the suspense and fear derived from this scene, even though all we’re doing is basically looking at computer screens & graphs & listening to techno-babble! I love it!

Also also, Ritsuko provides the first direct indication of the Angel’s ability to repeatedly evolve and adapt to its surroundings to actively counter NERV’s defenses to try and reach “Adam” in Terminal Dogma! While the Angel’s environmental adaptation capabilities were already established with Sandalphon from Episode 10 being born in the heart of a magma chamber, here we get our first glimpse of the Angel’s evolving intelligence as Ireul learns how to hack the MAGI system to utilize NERV’s own supercomputers as a weapon against them! 

The sheer speed at which Ireul completely infects Melchior which it then utilizes to try and hack into Balthasar next before Ritsuko enters a fail-safe code-sequence to halt the Angel’s spread for 2-hours next is legitimately FREAKING terrifying!

Fuyutsuki’s words, “The MAGI have become our enemy,” are even made more disturbing by the panning shot showing the 3 giant red boxes that serve the supercomputer mainframe directly below Central Dogma’s main command deck, emphasizing that the Angel is directly under NERV’s feet. 

As Kakashi once famously told Sasuke during the survival exercise in Naruto, an attack from below is the most dangerous since it’s the least expected!

Also, the way Ritsuko describes Ireul as having evolved into a nano-machine-esque living computer virus, now all I can think of is the Ms. Marvel villain Doc.X, who’s also a sentient computer virus!

I love how Ritsuko immediately and harshly rejects Misato’s recommendation to Gendo that they self-destruct the MAGI system to destroy Ireul. 

While Ritsuko justifies this by countering to Misato that “destroying the MAGI means destroying headquarters itself,” it’s clear that Ritsuko is desperately trying to preserve some piece of her mother’s legacy, still desperately struggling to understand the individual who prioritized her roles as a scientist & a woman over her role as a mother.

I am totally NOT foreshadowing anything with my specific word choice of “scientist, woman & mother!” NOT at all! Lol!

The transition from Misato’s exasperated anger towards Ritsuko’s stubbornness to calm yet confused questioning of the latter’s refusal to “share the responsibility” or “trust someone else” is honestly quite profound. You truly get the sense that Misato is desperately trying to understand her friend’s inability to rely on the assistance of others. It effectively illustrates Misato’s self-awareness concerning the Hedgehog’s Dilemma, as she’s able to recognize and wants to help others who are struggling from a similar place as herself. Whether it be Shinji and now Ritsuko. 

Also, I can’t help but appreciate the irony of the fact that Ritsuko was the one who first informed Misato of the Hedgehog’s Dilemma back in Episode 3, but is now clearly shown to be struggling with her own version of said dilemma as she’s emotionally closing herself off from others in a misguided effort to connect with her dead mother, just like Misato does with her dead father.

Despite their contrasting personalities, Misato & Ritsuko truly are very similar to each other. It’s no wonder the two formed such a close friendship. This makes the gradual deterioration of their trust in each other as the series all the more tragic…

Alright, we finally get a run-down of Ritsuko’s plan to defeat Ireul! Essentially, Ritsuko intends to utilize the Angel’s evolutionary survival mechanisms against itself by reprogramming the final remaining MAGI supercomputer, Casper, with a program designed to regress Ireul’s evolution and force it to self-destruct within the system.

Just like all of the previous strategies portrayed so far in EVA, there are considerable risks involved since not only can Ireul be exposed to said program by intentionally deactivating the firewalls preventing it from hacking into Casper, but Ritsuko needs to introduce her counter-program into Casper’s mainframe much faster than it will take the Angel to fully infect the system. And once again, I think this strategy is FREAKING brilliant due to how insane and risky it is!

It is also worth noting that Ritsuko’s plan to introduce a counter program into the MAGI that will force the Angelic computer virus to delete itself is heavily reminiscent of the scientific phenomenon known as Apoptosis, which Susan Elmore of the National Library of Medicine refers to as, “the process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is generally characterized by distinct morphological characteristics and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms.”

You can certainly tell that Anno & crew engaged in a lot of scientific research for this specific episode!

Also, I can’t help but notice the fact that it is the Casper supercomputer that is the one that will inevitably result in Ireul’s self-destruction. I’m skipping ahead a little, but it will later be revealed at the end of the episode that Naoko designed each of the MAGI supercomputers to embody the three main aspects of her identity, those being herself as a scientist, a mother, and a woman respectively. Furthermore, it will later be revealed that Naoko was not only having an affair with Gendo which led to her committing (which her daughter is also now engaging in), but that Casper is the supercomputer which specifically reflects Naoko’s identity as a woman, or more accurately a lover.

So basically, Ritsuko is channeling both her mother and her own self-destructive sexual characteristics to kill the 11th Angel. 

Honestly, this feels incredibly reminiscent of one of the core themes that will become increasingly apparent as the series progresses: the Freudian dichotomy between sex & death.

Dang! I love the physical design of the MAGI mainframes, which similar to the Evangelions are a hybrid of mechanical & organic components. Not only do all the wires and pipes appear to have a blood-like red texture to them, but they’re arranged in a pattern that is heavily reminiscent of a brain. An association that is made even more visibly apparent through the central core of Casper being what appears to be literal brain matter and tissue!

Given that Naoko transferred pieces of her consciousness into the MAGI, combined with the future twist of Rei being a clone of Shinji’s mother Yui Ikari, I feel like this is heavily implying that Naoko cloned her own brain matter to make these computers operate. If so, that’s honestly kinda disturbing…

Lol! Not only do we get more hints of Maya’s romantic attraction towards Ritsuko through her fan-girl reactions to the hundreds of the original developer’s notes taped all across the interior walls of Casper, but we also see the kanji, “Ikari, you jerk,”angrily scribbled across one of the pipes!

I’m not sure if it was Naoko or Ritsuko who wrote that specific note, but either way, I’m all for insulting that bastard Gendo!

I love the little bit of Ritsuko smiling, “Thanks Mom, with your help we can make it,” as she begins crawling into Casper’s interiors. It implies that she seemingly does care about & and misses Naoko, however much she tries to deny it…

Also, the imagery of Ritsuko crawling inside of the computer that’s essentially her mother is once again incredibly Freudian, reflective of how the EVA-pilot’s Entry-Plugs metaphorically represent a return to the womb. Or in Ritsuko’s case with the MAGI, a return to the brain?

Aww… Misato can’t help but reminisce on her and Ritsuko’s college days together… 

I am curious though as to what specific memories mirrored their current situation of doing engineering and programming work inside of a tightly cramped space…

Interesting! Not only does Ritsuko disclose to Misato that the MAGI utilized a personality transplant system that transferred Naoko’s consciousness into the system, but that the exact same transference system was utilized for the Evangelions, once again foreshadowing that the souls of Shinji & Asuka’s dead mothers inhabit their respective EVA Units!

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko truly reveals her complicated feelings towards her mother. When Misato questions whether   Ritsuko’s desire to protect the MAGI is motivated by love for her mother, Ritsuko instead states that in actuality she “never really liked [her] mother,” and that “[her] decision was that of a scientist.” 

Does this imply that Ritsuko’s efforts to try and understand her late mother, whether it be through maintaining & protecting the MAGI or sleeping with Gendo (again… EWWW!!!), are motivated solely by scientific personality? That Ritsuko is actively attempting to reject the womanly side of her mother in favor of the scientific side? Or is Ritsuko lying to herself and there’s a part of her that secretly does love her mother like Misato suggested?

This kind of multifaceted and nuanced character-writing is a major aspect of why I love Evangelion so much! Nearly all of its characters are such fascinating and human messes of psychological contradictions that you can’t help but become invested in their personal struggles! 

Wow! The actual initiation of Ritsuko’s counter program is once again FREAKING intense! Not only does Ireul manage to quickly hack into Casper once the firewall is lifted, but in what has got to be the most prolonged single second in the history of fictional media, Ritsuko & Maya manage to enter final code-sequences and command keys necessary just in time before the Angel can infiltrate what is quite literally the last single tiny block of uninfected data on Casper’s diagram!

And as soon as Ritsuko engages the counter-program, the tension is finally alleviated as that tiny blue square of uninfected data quickly spreads out and consumes the corrupted red data blocks across all 3 MAGI supercomputers, indicating the Angel’s rapid demise!

Like… dang! I’m honestly impressed by just how suspenseful Anno & GAINAX managed to make this back-&-forth computer-hacking battle against the Angel, especially since this more down-to-Earth tone deviates so heavily from the series’ usual formula of epic and otherworldly giant-kaju battles! It just goes to show how EVA can so efficiently balance various genres and tones into a cohesive whole. 

Additionally, it was also a nice change of pace to witness a character outside of the main trio of EVA pilots be directly involved in the defeat of an Angel, while also utilizing said battle to heavily flesh out Ritsuko’s character similar to the previous episode’s heavy emphasis on Misato’s character development!

Speaking of the EVA pilots though, I couldn’t help but chuckle when we cut back to Shinji, Asuka & Rei STILL inside of their Entry-Plugs after all this time! 

Not only is it hilarious knowing that the trio are completely oblivious to Ireul’s infiltration and Ritsuko single-handedly defeating it, but I can’t help but sympathize with Asuka’s embarrassment and irritation since they spent all that time undressed inside of their Entry-Plugs floating alone in the GeoFront lake without any access to outside communication! That’s gotta super suck!

Lol! Ritsuko’s tired but relaxed line, “I must be getting old. These all-nighters are really rough,” is such a clever bookend! While the episode began with Ritsuko’s exhaustion regarding her mid-life crisis and anxiety of being solely defined by her mother’s shadow, she now can’t help but feel content in the fact that she protected Naoko’s legacy from being annihilated, staying true to her promise despite her complicated feelings towards her mother. 

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko reveals the MAGI’s true nature to Misato as the dichotomy between Naoko’s respective identities as a mother, scientist, and woman. What I can’t help but find fascinating though is that according to Ritsuko, “Those three aspects are struggling for dominance within the MAGI. She intentionally implanted the dilemma to imitate the human experience.”

Honestly, that kind of blending between humanity & machinery makes for an incredibly fascinating concept, since it subverts the emotionless rationality that usually defines A.I. in science fiction media, instead exploring the possibilities of how a machine would function with more human characteristics. 

And the episode concludes with some further insight into Ritsuko’s relationship with the late Naoko, clarifying that while she respects her mother as a scientist, she struggles to understand her as a mother while hating the side of her that is a woman. That latter comment in particular does make me wonder if the reason she’s sexually involved with Gendo is because she wants to spite that aspect of her mother instead of merely trying to misguidedly understand it. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both…

Either way, it truly does feel like Ritsuko embodies a mixture of the Oedipus complex which characterizes Shinji, and the Electra complex which characterizes Misato, which I honestly find to be incredibly intriguing…

Also, one last piece of foreshadowing in the form of Ritsuko’s ominous statement that it was the woman aspect of Naoko’s personality that she stayed true to to the very end!

So that was NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER,” and overall it was another incredibly solid entry to the series! For as much as I snarkily joked about the heavy emphasis on the techno-babble aspect in this particular episode, I was legitimately impressed by the immense levels of tension & suspense Anno and crew were able to generate through a non-traditional Angel battle in what essentially boiled down to a computer hacking contest, as well as the specific focus on Ritsuko’s character and fleshing out her strained relationship with her late mother Naoko. Furthermore, I was not expecting the large quantity of subtle foreshadowing to future twists and revelations across the series in just this one episode, including but not limited to Ritsuko & Naoko’s dommed relationships with Gendo Ikari, the Dummy Plug systems, the presence of human souls inside of the EVAs, and Gendo’s conflict with SEELE. It highlights just how tightly written and cleverly interconnected Evangelion’s narrative and characters are, despite some behind-the-scenes issues that fundamentally altered the thematic and tonal trajectory of the series as a whole. 

But that’s stuff I’ll begin delving into next time in my discussion of Episode 14, which will likely be less lengthy compared to my other posts in this marathon concerning the actual content of the episode itself due to its first half essentially being a clip-show (albeit, a rather creative clip-show)… although I will use it as an opportunity to delve into a lot of the behind-the-scenes trivia and drama surrounding the production of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime! It should be an interesting discussion at the very least! 

[toomuchracket]

assuming you have read/seen the hunger games but if u havent delete this ask for spoilers!! 🤍🤍

just finished rereading the whole thg series and am now rewatching all the movies and i had a thought of making d word matty whos never seen them before watch the films with you <3 and bc of the age gap youre like you dont get it this was literally a crucial part of my development as a person. and hes kinda like yea ok whatever lets just watch the movies babe but by the time peetas taken by the capitol hes weeping lmfao

oh ho ho you are CORRECT to assume i've read and seen the hunger games... i was That Girl who had a mockingjay pin on her school blazer when she was 12 (despite consistently handing my homework in on time. i was not leading revolutions against authority lol). quite excited for songbirds and snakes i must say!! but yeah, i imagine you'd be like "matty we are MARATHONING these i need to watch them again" and he thinks it's adorable how excited you are but also he's like "why do you like these films so much, babe? like what is it about them that makes you want to watch four in one night lol". and i think you go off on a, well, him-style tangential discussion about how it was really your first insight into dystopian fiction and it's a critique of corrupt governments and exploitation and injustice and power imbalance and also of mass media and doing grotesque things in the name of entertainment, all the while encouraging young people to be self-sufficient and strong but still passionate and kind and loving, functioning as a warning not to blindly trust those in power and to stand up for what's right even if nobody else will. and when you finish talking, matty's looking at you the same way he looked when caveh started coughing after ripping the bong in that vid (but like slightly more smiley lol) and he's like "... alright let's watch". and you watch his reactions out of the corner of your eye as the film progresses: he doesn't say much at the start (he's like "oh shit lenny kravitz" when he sees cinna) but by the time rue dies he's teary, and at the end of the first film he's like "i see why you enjoy these now. second one, let's go". he's far more engrossed with this one - turns to you at the quarter quell like "they have to do it again? hunger games all-stars? fucksake" - and like audibly reacting to plot points. like, when the peacekeepers get cinna he's like "what the fuck!", and he yells when johanna cuts the tracker out of katniss's arm; like you said, though, the worst bit for him is when it's revealed that they didn't get peeta out and the capitol got him, like he fully weeps at the tv about it and refuses to watch any more that night because he's too sad lol (but then a cry and a cup of tea later he's like "i'm fine. get it cued, baby" lmao) <3

[weiology]

DMBJ Marathon - The Lost Tomb

The Lost Tomb (2015)

"50 years ago, a group of Changsha grave robbers dug out manuscripts of the location of treasures from Warring states, but an encounter with an undead rendered almost the whole group dead. In the present, the young grandchild of the sole survivor, Wu Xie, discovers a secret within his grandfather's notes. Together, with his third uncle Wu Sansheng, and a few other experienced tomb robbers, to search for the treasure. But what no one expected was to find the intriguing mysteries that accompanied their tomb-robbing adventure - just who was the owner of that tomb? Will they be able to find the real coffin? And just where will these puzzles lead the group?" - MyDramaList

Author: Lei Xu (南派三叔)

Director: Roger Lau (劉國輝)

Aired: Jun 12, 2015 - Jul 3, 2015

Episodes: 10

Below is my initial thoughts from watching the show before in the past. I will update once I've rewatched the entire show.

Wei's Rating: 7/10⭐Mainly lost points due to plot deviations.

Wei's Comments: This was my first introduction to DMBJ as a series. Althou it's lacking compared to the other adaptations, it was enough to keep me hooked. I watched it with no prior knowledge about the show, so the deviation from the original work didn't bother me much.

According to 南派三叔 "In the novel, Wu Xie has a lot of inner monologue. Thus, there was worry that there would be too much monologuing, so High Shao was created so Wu Xie had someone to talk to." - Grave Robbers Chronicles Wiki

I did like the additional of High 少and I'm sad that he doesn't actually exist in the main plotline. But now with the knowledge that he doesn't really exist, he doesn't really fit in the original plot.

[gxilgramore]

Long time no see!

I've been watching some classic who lately to see what's the fuss is about and... Yeah it's cool! I mean, all that i said in my rant on Blood of the Daleks still rings true, the pacing and narrative style is an acquired taste that is hard to get for a person like me, but don't get mistaken, i still liked what i watched, so much so I'll give a ranking from the episodes I've watched, im watching the episodes randomly, mainly the ones that interested me the most, so let's go.

From "worst" to best:

Season 18 - Full Circle

Honestly didn't grab me, i found it to be kinda boring, even though there is interesting thematic stuff here to be analysed. I liked Adric, but he was like this episode, confusing and kinda boring for a big part, the pacing is really slow, but i think this time for more narrative reasons than classic whoish shananigans, the weakest one by far.

50/100

Season 4 - Tomb of Cyberman

The second Doctor is the incarnation im most intrigued about, from the actor to the mystique of the lost episodes, and tomb being one his most iconic outings i though id see what makes him so beloved................ i was wrong, but not a 100%. I don't see much reasons to love the 2nd based on his scenes in this, not even the companions, they kinda don't do or show much, the episode focus more on the other parts of the narrative that being totally honest are boring, the Cyberman scene was really cool but also they don't have much of a presence on this episode, underwhelming more than i wanted to be, a bad first impression of the era, i'll try The Mind Robber or the Invasion later to see if its just me or the episode was boring.

69/100

Season 10 - The Five Doctors

Now it starts the episodes that i liked it, and this one is... nice! The Davidson doctor the is the one im the least interested in watching and this episode kinda helped it because i didnt see anything in him that wowed me, but the other doctors all of them offered me something interesting to care about them, i dont have much to say in this episode besides it was fun and all.

71/100

Season 25 - Remembrance of the Daleks

I might be admitting a crime with this one but it didn't grab me a lot, it was the first classic who story i've ever watched a couple months before this marathon and probably that's the reason i find to be so underwhelming to me, i don't remember much scenes besides the "unlimited chocolate pudding one", i will rewatch later once i watch Fenric and Happiness Patrol, but at the time, i didnt leave a mark on me.

72/100

Season 13 - Pyramids of Mars

I watched this episode at the height of the Sutekh rumours in the new series and liked more than i thought i would, yeah, the pacing is the biggest issue like ever but i loved Sarah and the 4th dynamic, they fell like old siblings with their constant quips and jokes, i also loved Sutekh (more than in those recent episodes btw) he was sitting throughout the 4 episodes but it was menacing and iconic, his voice is the biggest contributor, the soft but raspy tone, the way he emphasises certain words in a sentence giving them more weight, it sticks in my mind like bubblegum, i love also how they showed that Sutekh is a big deal in case he is freed better than those new episodes, Devils Chord literally rips off a scene from this episode where 4th shows Sarah the possible future where the world ends, it's great, a good episode all around.

75/100

Season 12 - Genesis of the Daleks

Ok, this one is kind of amazing, yeah it is a 6 parter, it gets boring after a while but what i love here is the themes on how the wrong point of view in survival and evolution could lead to genocide, if we took the nazi angle yeah it was kinda revisionist implying that the actual scientists would be against such a thing ignoring how fascism works as a thing that reaches the masses and also it can be seen as a kind of shallow portrayal that weakens the message but i see that this episode can have more reads than one, its cool to see the doctors dilemma and all. And also i love the anxiety and desperation of most of these episodes, with our heroes really near to get what they need but being stopped by some force, its great.

77/100

Season 7 - Spearhead from Space

Yeah, i was watching a lot of 4th Doctor but i also watched this one and it was great, i dont have much to say besides that i loved it, i like 3rd and his dynamic with Liz, at least their first interaction was great.

80/100

Season 17 - City of Death

The first one i watched in this recent marathon and its great, im shocked at how funny this one was, mainly in the last two parts, the downside is that i kinda dont get the hype still, even though i liked it, this episode in fact condenses all my opinions on classic who, i like what i see but i dont see what yall see, if that makes sense at all, still, was really fun. 84/100

Season 14 - The Deadly Assassin

By far my favorite from the classic series, at least at the moment, it's intense and interesting, starts with a gut punch of a mystery and it builds really well, and still treats timelords with certain respect even when showing them as burocrats, granted, everything i said in the previous section still true but this one grabbed me a lot. Even with the weird pacing in part 3.

90/100

And at the moment thats it, i dont know how long the Doccy Who hyper fixation will stay but ill enjoy it by watching more classic who episodes, the underline is that, i like what i see but all the problems i talked in my Blood of the Daleks review/rant still are true, i dont know if ill ever "get it" but i will keep watching to see whats going to resonate with me.

I have one more review coming up soon, probably tomorrow morning so stay tuned to that