#i think it also came up in weird ways when he was busy being evil

[warlordfelwinter]

i started rambling in the tags of that last post and then just decided to make my own post about it but thinking about rain's "childhood" fucks me up especially in light of him being like. not mortal at all. brought into being in some fucked up god blood ritual in a temple, presumably raised there until he could like. walk and then tossed onto the streets to fend for himself until he was old enough to come back home

like the heal memory shows he's had the urge probably since he could think and started acting on it pretty young. probably started younger than that and just not with people

but like. given he had like no good formative influences and no mortal blood to temper bhaal's influence, was he ever sweet? did he ever try to play little games like that with other kids on the street? did he have friends? did he kill them??

i think maybe there was some tiny part of him that wanted to be normal, that wanted to have friends and play games, bhaal's own mortal influence coming back around and being fed by rain watching other kids. but i also think it took him a while to learn to control the urge and i think accidentally killing someone made him take that part of himself and stuff it down as deep as he could inside him so even he couldn't find it. and it only broke back out when orin caved his skull in

[verysanebsdfan]

HIIII!!

So I'm not sure if you still write for killua or ciel or tokito😭 but if you do could you do some headcanoes of how they would be with a reader fem If possible that basically acts like a doll looks like a doll and basically is a doll but where also kinda creepy like we talk about disturbing things all with a smile on our face

Another one with all 3 is that reader is very VERY clingy like she loves to hug, cling,and talk to the 3 she's always around them and usually talks to them and is always seen with them !!

(sorry if it's to many)

HII!!

It is no problem whatsoever>_< TY SM FOR REQUESTING AS WELL! i hope it will be to your liking :3

Also i still do write for them but i dont think i will do for too long :(( im getting old...(for them)

tw: u say disturbing things, gore mentioned (sorta i think?), Muichiro one is angsty because i felt evil, spoilers for demon slayer manga ahead!!

our!Ciel Phantomhive, Tokito Muichiro, Killua Zoldyck (separate) x doll-like!reader

Ciel Phantomhive:

One thing would be the engagement with Lizzy, so for the sake of this, lets say it was canceled for....reasons

Neither of you really remember how you exactly met and got close, or what got Ciel so captivated. It may be the way you dress, always in a pretty dress, which contrasts with your beautiful skin, or maybe the way you walk, talk...he is just down bad.

After you got closer, Ciel let you be more clingy, but when he needs space, you need to respect that, or he will have Sebastian take you away (carefully to not hurt you)

After some time, Ciel actually confesses, and you get engaged cuz....it is still 19th century so...

Now, you basically live there and the servants LOVE you. When Finny is doing his work in the garden, and you sit there and have a tea with Ciel, you look like a pretty painting >_< Thats what he says at least (everyone agrees tho)

When you got to know the...darker side of Ciels business, and all the stuff he does as the queens watchdog, well...you revealed your darker side too i guess

Whenever he tells you about all he did, you always say really disturbing things, and not only him, but also Sebastian loves that >_<

"Hmm *head tilt* I think you should have slowly removed his finger nails, toe nails, and then move onto the fingers...keep them alive tho....then peel off their skin and rub salt into it- ah but thats just an idea!! (*✧×✧*)"

(˘ŏ_ŏ) "what did you just say (name)?"

well!!

Once Lizzy came over for whatever reason she had, and dressed you up, telling you that you look like a doll, no! even better!

Now imagine Ciel coming from wherever he was, and seeing you, his beautiful finacé getting dressed up as a doll, while staring into the space.

However you quickly notice him and attempt to kill him- urm hug him and start talking about your day

Overally really good, has his moments but Sebastian always helps him get better so he doesnt hurt you, emotionally i mean. After all, with him by your side, nothing can happen...

Tokito Muichiro:

Being a demon slayer is never easy, but when having someone you love by your side, it seems much easier!

When he met you on one of his missions, he thought you were a demon! There was no way a human can be this pretty, and creepy at the same time.

The way you look...empty, without soul, is really weird. The way you move, almost doll like. Thats it! You're a doll!...No that isnt right...no matter

You slay the demon, and then go eat together, because food is superior.

And then again. and again. again.

Until he developed feelings for you.

He didnt really tell you, but there were signs, you unfortunately never noticed them.

When you hug him, he blushes, and when you talk and yap about your day, he makes sure to keep every detail in mind, so he can write it up later.

He has a WHOLE NOTEBOOK dedicated to facts about you, so he doesnt forget.

His favourite part of his notebook are your quotes.

"Hey...Mui...after we kill Muzan, lets live a quiet life, together, okay?"

*to a demon* "if i didnt need to cut your head quickly, i would torture you, slowly, painfully...and then, id leave you exposed to the sun...so you can have a taste of what normal humans see. And then we will go to eat, right Mui?"

"Muii! This dango matches your eyes! LOOK LOOK!"

Down bad.

(i dont rlly remember this 100% cuz i read it some time ago, srry about that) When the last mission came, and you were fighting in the Infinity Castle, you didnt see himget hurt so bad, however, on command, you were directed to the chamber. You saw a horrific scene, what most concerned you however, was bleeding Muichiro. On the floor. Hurt.

You run up to him and take him in your arms, then start crying, and succesfully breaking your doll look.

"(Name)...please...I- i love you"

Killua Zoldyck:

Okay sooo, you two met at the Hunter Exam, in the first phase lets say

Somehow, you caught his interest, not only you are absolutely gorgeous, but youre also drinking Tonpas juice?! No ordinary girl.

He would observe you during the first phase, seeing the elegant way you run, barely tired...and then, Gon would befriend you, and then Killua! so you would be friends >_< (thank you Gon ily)

You would stick by the main group as in any average killua x reader fanfictions >_<

In the third phase, when it was your turn to fight, it took a real turn.

First, Killua wanted to go fight the big, dangerous looking guy instead of you, but when you refused, he hoped you have some tricks up your sleeve.

"Oh That must be a joke, they sent a little girl against me!" the man would say "how about a death match then?"

uh oh-

"hm...i would love that, but if i were to kill you, i dont think i could stop myself from torturing you, but that would take time, and we've been here for some time...hmmm whatever....I accept!" Ready, set, go! *and he is dead*

Kill is down bad now. What was that?! there was no blood at al, no scream, nothing. Just a loud thud. were you also an assassin?

Who knows.

After that, he knows not to mess with you, and not worry...and also, have you seen how you looked?! Great heavens...

So after a lot of bonding (over choco-robots) you were close...and he liked you, especially after you said his mom is probably a robot becuse WHAT.

You talk shit about his family.

Idk probably confesses before you go to the castle wher Meruem was yk? And brushes it off, i mean, there are worse things happening...

After all the blood shed and pain, and suffering, you meet him and Alluka (my babyyy)

Alluka would 100% love you!! So everything is good...sort of...right? RIGHT? Wrong, his mom doesnt like you but who cares about herrr...

Gon is your biggest shipper :3

( ⓛ ω ⓛ *) - u have choco robots :3?

[amakumos]

CUPID’S CONFLICT — eight ; i see what’s happening

as the man behind cupid's corner, jungwon is responsible for getting majority of the couples at decelis together (namely, riki and his girlfriend.) but there's one person that always gets in the way of half of the couples that jungwon sets up together — you. you are the polar opposite of yang jungwon, affectionately called "evil cupid" by your friends, as you have the unfortunate ability to break any couple up within a couple of weeks just by taking a picture with them. it's not intentional, you tell jungwon. what's also not intentional, is when jungwon finds himself crushing on you.

“Have fun on your date,” Rei says to you, watching as you shove your books into a tote bag. “I’m going to work on a project.”

“Project, date, same thing. Take lots of cute pictures of Maeumi for me. ” Wonyoung says, and you roll your eyes. “We're actually going to be working. It's not a date.”

“Don’t get distracted, by his… face?” Wonyoung replies, and you give her a weird look. “What? You guys would be cute together.”

Yes, he’s good looking, and basically your exact type, but you don’t really know Jungwon well. Plus, you’re pretty sure he isn’t really fond of you.

You take the train to Jungwon's, and it's not too far away from Decelis. You don't know why he doesn't choose to stay at home instead of the dorms since he doesn't live too far. When you stand in front of the lift, waiting for those elevator doors to open, you suddenly find yourself feeling a little nervous.

You press the button to the 9th floor, watching as the doors close. It's just a project. You're not nervous. The doors open, and you step out of the lift. Jungwon says he lives in apartment 9B, and as you approach the door, you hear the sound of a dog barking.

You assume that's Maeumi.

Jungwon opens the door, wearing a plain white t-shirt and sweatpants. "Hey," he says, opening the door wider to let you in. You take your shoes off, leaving them near the entrance. "Maeumi gets really excited when he meets new people." Jungwon adds as he watches Maeumi jumping up on your leg to greet you.

"Ah," you say, smiling. "That's very cute."

"Come in," he says, and you walk into his apartment, Maeumi trailing behind you. It's very clean, and Jungwon's placed his laptops and books on his dining table. "You can just put your bag on that chair," he says, sitting down at the table.

You slide into the seat next to him, taking your own laptop out. "So... where are your parents?"

"They're working. They're a bit busy this week, so I've kinda got a lot of time for myself."

"Oh, I see." you say. It's a little awkward, with it just being you and Jungwon. In his apartment.

"So... should we start working on this?" he asks, and you nod. He opens his laptop, creating a new slideshow and sharing it with you. "We've just got to create a presentation about this poem... and analyse it. Then share it with the class. Super simple,"

"I think we can finish it in 20 minutes. I mean, we did do a lot of preparation in class - we kinda just have to type everything out now."

You find that you work well with Jungwon. He's easy to share your ideas with, and even when you find that you can't exactly find the right words to use to get your points across, he understands what you mean. The nervousness you felt before fades away, and you start to think that you were just overthinking everything, especially when it came to you thinking that Jungwon hated you.

The project's finished in less than 20 minutes, much to your surprise. "Do you wanna grab lunch?" Jungwon asks you, and you shrug. "Sure. Are we going to go outside?"

Jungwon walks towards the window, pushing the curtain aside. "Ah, it's raining. I'll just order takeout. Are you okay with fried chicken?"

You nod. "I'm not a picky eater. Order whatever you like."

You get up from your chair, making your way over to Maeumi. You sit down on the floor, away from the carpet (because you've seen Jungwon's tweets about Maeumi shitting on the carpet), and the dog comes up to you, and you give him a head pat.

You play with Maeumi for a bit, picking him up and settling him in your lap while Jungwon orders the food. "He likes you," Jungwon says, placing his phone on the table.

"Does he?" you ask, ruffling Maeumi's fur.

"Yeah, he does. Give me a second, I'm just going to get Maeumi some treats." he says, before disappearing into the kitchen. He returns with a container of dog treats, and he sits down beside you.

Jungwon takes one of the treats out, feeding it to Maeumi. "He's so cute." you say, and Jungwon smiles.

Jungwon's opinion of you has changed very quickly over the past few days. He supposes that it was a shitty thing to do, to hate you over the fact that you had broken up a lot of couples at the school unintentionally. He guesses that he takes his role as Cupid a little too seriously.

You're very nice. So nice to the point that Jungwon feels terrible for being mean to you on his private Twitter account.

Suddenly, Jungwon hears the door unlock. He furrows his eyebrows - his parents aren't supposed to be at home until 9pm. It's only 3pm, and he doesn't think he's expecting anyone to swing by.

The voice of Kim Sunoo rings out, and the boy stops in his tracks when he sees that you're in Jungwon's house. "Jungwon, Riki wanted to know if you're free- oh! I see what's happening."

"Hi, (Name)." Sunoo says, a smirk on his lips. "Hi, Sunoo. Nice to see you," you reply, still giving Maeumi head pats.

"What are you doing here?" Jungwon asks. "Riki sent me to see if you were free, since I know the password to unlock your door. But, I'll just tell him that you're not available." Sunoo says, wiggling his eyebrows at Jungwon.

Sunoo's going to tell everyone in their friend group. And now everyone will think that you two are a thing.

"Have fun on your date," Sunoo whispers to Jungwon, who elbows him. "It's not a date." Jungwon whispers back.

"Sure it isn't. Bye (Name)! See you tomorrow!" Sunoo says, waving at you. You bid farewell to him too, and before he leaves, Sunoo whispers one thing to Jungwon.

"Don't fall in love."

"I won't," Jungwon replies.

Jungwon doesn't know it yet, but he is very, very wrong.

eight －i see what's happening! previous ☆ next ♡ masterlist

author's note. first written chap of the series !! my entire body hurts cuz of badminton #lovemysport

CUPID'S CONFLICT! a jungwon smau. genre: smau, crack, fluff pairing: non-idol! jungwon x non-idol! reader warnings: swearing, ignore timestamps taglist is CLOSED!

[bagerfluff]

can I request stiles stilinski x male reader

take place way after void has been defeated

plot new student joins the school and he very tall muscular leather wearing bad boy who stiles become whipped for reader ask stiles out and stiles agrees all to excitedly but scott doesn't like nor trust reader you know how stiles usually the paranoid one well this time stiles is not but Scott is you know when Scott get paranoid it bad real bad Scott is having a full on paranoid panic attack that because he can't sense what reader is but Scott know reader not human leading Scott to believe reader is the most dangerous thing Scott and the pack has ever encountered and Scott just suppose to let his best friend be hang around reader absolutely not so imagine Scott reaction to stiles telling him that stiles and reader are going on a date alone all by themselves at night --------- reader is a hybrid between a demon and a hellhound and a nogistue

reader father is a hybrid between a demon and a hellhound reader mother is a nogistue like void

Your wish is my command and I hope I fulfilled your wish. If you wish for a part two tell me and I might do it.

The New Kid

Stiles Stilinski x Male Reader

Set after season three

Stiles sighed as he entered Beacon Hills High School. He had stayed up all night studying for a test that he was ninety percent sure he was going to fail. So Stiles was half asleep as he walked over to his locker where Scott was already there. Waiting for Stiles. But he was looking behind him. “Hey Scott” Stiles yawned as he opened his locker. “Hey Stiles,” Scott said, looking over at Stiles but still glancing over his shoulder. “Who are you looking at?” Stiles asked, looking over Scott’s shoulder. I'm not waiting for Scott to answer him. When Stiles eyes landed on who Scott was looking at, Stiles eyes widened, and he blushed.

He was looking at Y/n. You were new to Beacon Hills. Having moved in a few months ago and joining the high school student body a couple of weeks ago. Y/n was given the name as the ‘bad boy’ by the students. You were pretty tall and muscular despite not being on the lacrosse team. He also wore black leather jackets and jeans. Y/n was kind of a loner because almost everyone was scared of him. Stiles for him hot. Ever since Stiles first saw Y/n. He was in Stiles math class, so he saw you almost every day. “Why are you looking at him?” Stiles asked once he was done gawking at you and looking back at Scott. Who was  still looking at you.

Scott had been watching you ever since you came to the school. He’d watch you whenever he got the chance. His eyes squinted as he basically glared at you. “I don’t know,” Scott said as he started to walk to his first class. As not to be late. Stiles quickly shut his locker and ran to catch up to Scott. “I just get a bad feeling from him,” Scott said as he stopped right outside his classroom. “But he didnt’ do anything,” Stiles said as he stopped right in front of Scott. “I just get a bad feeling from him. Might be instincts. Scott said as he entered the classroom. Stiles couldn't really argue with that. Since Scott was a werewolf, he had some sixth sense to see if someone was evil.

But you hadn’t done anything. You were acting weird. You weren’t connected to any supernatural thing that was happening. Was that what Scott was talking about? Did he sense you were supernatural? Surely not. Stiles was about to ask Scott, but the bell rang, and the teacher entered that classroom. Guess Stiles would have to ask him later.

Scott sighed as he sat in his history class. It was about halfway through the day, and Scott wasn’t really listening to anything any of his teachers have said. He was too busy thinking about you. Scott could tell that you weren’t human, You didn’t smell right. Plus, when he used his wolf sight, he saw some weird red figure around you. It looked like a wild dog mixed with a cat or a fox. Scott couldn’t really tell. Plus, the figure had horns. Like demon horns. Scott could tell from when he was near you that you were powerful. More powerful than anything he and his pack had ever faced. But what were you planning? Nothing weird or supernatural had happened in a while. Were you waiting for the right time to attack.

Were you waiting for Scott to be alone? It was even worse since Stiles seemed to validate you. Scott could hear Stiles heartbeat increased whenever you were mentioned or when Stiles saw you. Did you put him under a spell? Could you do magic? Scott didn’t know. And that scared Scott. Scott knew you were dangerous. But he didn’t know why or how. So, for now, he had to keep his friends safe. Till he could figure out what you were and what you were planning. Maybe Scott could ask Deaton what you were. Or Derek. Someone. He needed to know. But for now, all he could do was wait. And keep an eye on you. 

“So why do you think Y/n is evil?” Stiles asked Scott during lunch. Stiles was eating his lunch as Scott just looked at you. You were actually eating your lunch. Or that’s what Scott thought. Your back was facing the two boys. “I think he’s supernatural,” Scott said as he looked back at Stiles. Leaning closer to the boy and whispering so nobody could overhear them. “So that makes him evil?” Stile asked. He was confused. Just because you were supernatural doesn't mean you were evil. You hadn’t even done anything. Now that made Scott confused. Any other time, Scott said he thought someone was supernatural. Stiles would be paranoid. But now he wasn’t. Scott wondered why Stiles seemed to defend you. 

Scott leaned closer to Stiles to tell Stiles that he thought you might be the most powerful thing they had ever faced. Stiles eyes widened as Scott leaned back down and turned his head to glare at you. Were you evil? Stiles didn’t think so. You hadn’t done or said anything to make anyone think you were evil. But Scott was the werewolf, and Stiles wasn’t. So maybe Scott was right. Stiles leaned his body so he could look at you. Though Scott had told him that you might be evil, Stiles couldn’t help himself from thinking that you were hot. Your hair, eyes, face, body. Everything. Stiles sighed as he went back to eating. 

Stiles ran out the doors of the school as the bell rang. But he stopped when he heard someone call out his name. Stiles turned around, and he blushed as he saw you walking over to him. “Hey Stilinski” you said once you were close enough. “Hey L/n” Stiles said as he tried to keep eye contact. But hell, your eyes were pretty. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date?” You asked with a sly smile. Stiles blushed as he heard you and by that smile. Got you were hot. Stiles shook his head to remove his thought, but then quickly nodded. “YES!” Stiles yelled but was then embarrassed by how loud he yelled. You let out a little laugh at Stiles cuteness as you pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Call me cutie” you said with a wink as you walked away. 

Stiles looked down at the note and smiled. But Scott was scared. You see, Scott was waiting for Stiles in his jeep. And heard your entire conversation. What were you planning? Why did you want to go on a date with Stiles? Did you want to hurt Stiles? Maybe you wanted to hurt Scott by hurting Stiles? Scott was scared. Maybe he could convince Stiles not to go. Scott was staring into space as Stiles got into the driver's seat of the jeep and placed the note in his bag. “Did you hear!” Stiles yelled at Scott. Shocking him out of his thoughts. “I’m going on a date with the hottest guy at the school!” Stiles was excited. He was going on a date with you. Tonight. The note had a phone number and a time and place for your date.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Scott asked but continued talking before Stiles could answer him. “What if he is evil? What if he’s trying to kill you?” Stiles eyes widened as he realized how scared and paranoid Scott was. Scott and Stiles stayed silent after Scott was done talking. Scott took a breath in before he continued talking “I don’t know what Y/n is, and that scares me” Stiles nodded, telling Scott to continue. And Scott did “let me at least talk to Deaton before you go on a date with him” Stiles nodded as he started the car and started to drive to Scott’s house. Maybe Scott was right? But if Stiles doesn't go on a date now, he may never get the chance to again. Surely, going on one date isn’t bad, right?

How bad could you be? How dangerous could you be? Surely, you were just a werewolf, and Scott was paranoid. Right?

[arcadiabaytornado]

Who are your top 10 misunderstood characters from Life is Strange and Telltale’s The Walking Dead and why?

Kate (LIS) - Kate isn't misunderstood the same way Rachel and Chloe are, but I do think she's often portrayed as much more feeble then she actually is. For example: Kate stands for herself plenty in game. If you tell her to wait for more proof, she'll send Max this text. "Max. Sorry to have bothered you by asking for your advice. I guess I shouldn't do anything but let people enjoy my video all over the world." She'll also bluntly confront Max if you don't intervene when David's in her face. Don't get me wrong, Kate IS an utter sweetheart, but she's not a doormat either. She has a bit of a bite on multiple occasions.

Max (LIS) - Max is similar to Kate for me. I think she's often portrayed as much more feebly then she is. Some people treat her like she's a ...well...doe but she has a very strong bite to her! I mean, she's back with Chloe for 48 hours at most and she pulls a gun on Frank and maybe pulls the trigger. Also, if you don't side with Chloe for a choice, Max is very sassy about Chloe's objections. Chloe will say something like: "If you only you told David it was your joint," and Max will go "Oh, sorry, I was to busy saving your life. 🙄" Max is a very strong character, so I'm shocked that a lot of people see her as being super delicate. She's the furthest thing from a doormat.

More Undercut

Rachel (LIS) - Rachel deserves better. I can't even really get into this fully on this post because I want to keep my reasons shortish (well...short for me) but for a very quick and not detailed recap of my thoughts. 1. We don't even know if she cheated on Chloe, so, no, she's not the devil for sleeping with Frank. 2. Rachel is manipulative to a certain degree, but there's no indicator that she was an evil serpent women who only spoke in lies and manipulation. 3. There's plenty of in game evidence that she cared about Chloe. We can argue all day about whether she was ever in love with Chloe or not, but there's more than enough to back up that she at least cared for her.

Chloe - I'm going to make short points with her like I did with Rachel because this another topic I could make a full rant about. 1. She is mean, but some people really exaggerate the extent of it. 2. She's not evil for being mad that her best friend who ghosted her figured out how to work a phone when Kate called. 3. She's not a bitch for not liking her Step Father who is abusive to her. 4. She's not terrible for having a tense relationship with her Mother, who made it very clear that David is more than important than her. 5. Women are allowed to be flawed.

Ryan (LIS TC) - I will defend Ryan until the day I die. I know it isn't his best moment if he doesn't believe Alex at the end...but of course he doesn't believe Alex in all the endings?? Jed is his FATHER. A father he's close with and has been told his entire life is a hero. Then Alex (rightfully) bursts in and pops his bubble, and in the moment, he doesn't handle that well unless there's a lot of confirmation that his loving father is actually a hidden monster. And yes, I know that Steph backs up Alex no matter what...but Jed isn't her Dad, and she isn't as connected to the town, or it's stories, as deeply as Ryan is. She loses way less if Alex is telling the truth, while Alex's (rightful) honesty destroys what's left of Ryan's family after he already lost his Mother.

Violet (TWDG) - I've always thought it was weird how upset people got when Vi betrayed Clem in the cells. First off...Clem betrayed her first?? Vi spent the entire game defending Clem when no one else would. When AJ killed Marlon she stood in front of them with a cleaver to protect them from the other kids. When everyone voted to kick Clem and AJ out, she was the one shouting from the rooftops that it was unfair. When Clem and AJ came back, she was the one who insured that they could stay. And yet, when Clem saw her in danger, she chose not to save her. It's not shocking that she feels so upset, but it did shock me how fans reacted to it, and I'm someone who saved and romanced Louis! I mean...how unfair is a betrayal really if they stab you with the same knife you stuck in their back?

Louis (TWDG) - It's crazy how much of Ryan's paragraph I could apply to Louis. Of course he gets mad when Clem's murder toddler, who has never been taught restraint, puts a bullet in his best friends head. Marlon had given up. The gun was no longer in his hands. Clem had it handled peacefully, and then the situation ended with a bullet. I totally understand why he was mad, and I even understand why he wanted them to leave and not come back. He was mourning, and his pain is made even worse if you had Clem appeal to him because he helped disarm Marlon and that led to his death. So, in other words, I think his rage in episode 2 is very understandable. Plus, he moves on from his anger and apologizes for kicking them out in...Episode 2. The same episode the anger starts.

Sarah (TWDG) - People complain about her being a burden so much, but honestly that's Carlos's fault. She never really got a chance to be a survivor in the apocalypse because she was sheltered non-stop, and there's multiple moments that imply that she could have made it if things were different. I don't FULLY blame Carlos for sheltering her since I understand wanting your child to grow up in peace instead of surrounded by horror...but he really screwed her over. I think people should be way harsher on him than her. Sarah was doing her best. Carlos was not.

Ben (TWDG) - In the same manner as Sarah, people often complain that he's a burden. And...he kinda is, but also he's also literally sixteen years old. He makes bad choices because he's naive, not because he's malicious. Also, I know he indirectly got Duck and Katjaa killed, but the bandits were threatening to kill EVERYONE in the group if he didn't slip medicine to them. What Ben did got Katjaa and Duck killed, but who's to say the bandits wouldn't have kept their word and killed the entire group if he had refused. He was put in a no win situation, and honestly I just so much pity for him. I'm glad my Lee looks out for him.

Jane (TWDG) - Jane is...weird because she is a bad person but also some people act like she never cared about Clem and had entirely selfish motivations. She cared about Clem enough to teach her how to survive, which is something she never bothered to do with Sarah, even though she needed a mentor much more than Clem. And for as much as I disagree with her of philosophy of "never trust anyone, people are bad," I do think she was genuinely trying to help and giving what she thought was good advice. She also comes back and saves the group during the shoot out for Clem's sake, which proves that her motivations aren't entirely selfish...just mostly.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for not telling my sister we're related?

I CAN EXPLAIN, I SWEAR.

Okay, so basically. I have this friend (??X -- look, they're around my age but I don't know my age because time is not something I'm good at keeping track of. I think I'm older? Not by much though.), we'll call them R. R's a great person -- trustworthy, reliable, friendly, willing to play good cop to my bad cop (METAPHOR!!! NOT ACTUALLY COPS!!!), one time we planted an inordinate amount of beetroots together? Maybe more than once.

R is also, like, super possessed by an evil version of himself. At least, I'm pretty sure S (???X) is evil. He's sneaky, ominous, keeps saying things that don't make any sense, have this really spooky voice, and oh yeah there's also the eyes that change color and the fact that he keeps! Bugging me! About my past! Which you'd think would not be something appropriate to ask someone with a mechanical arm and a bunch of burn scars! And yet!!

Anyway. S insists her name is also R but in this case I'm referring to her as S because otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell the difference now would you? And I've been trying to figure out what exactly is going on with S for ages. Like, don't get me wrong, terrified of her, but I also want her help. Having someone like that on my side could be really useful.

The thing is, a while ago S and I talked and zhe showed me this... weird, old buried upside-down clocktower in the ground? I tried to talk things out with zhen and ask what zhe wanted but. Uh. Look, at some point maybe I stopped paying attention and tripped while going down one of the internal ladders or something, I still have a few healing bruises from that talk. Lost some time, too. But I do remember her mentioning I was related to R (and also something about us being time and space? Maybe? I don't want to think about that! So I'm not going to!) and that I was supposed to be zhens older brother.

The other thing is, every time I've remembered this (memory issues, you know how it is, everyone has 'em) it's been the worst possible time to go "hey, by the way, we're related" to R. Like, absolutely godawful timing. I didn't tell them immediately because S possessing R messes up their body hardcore and frankly I was scrambling to get them health potions so they wouldn't randomly die about it. I didn't tell them the next time I remembered because we were busy dealing with the person who blackmailed us who turned out to be a) a literal star and 2) basically a baby -- who then kind of told us the reason he's not, you know, in the sky, is that his brothers pushed him out of it as a prank and if there's any really bad time to tell someone you're their brother, it's when the kid in front of you is basically going "brothers suck, source: me." (Side note -- some weird combination of ESH and NAH from that situation as far as I'm concerned. We worked stuff out.)

Only, uh. Look, I am entirely not sure what happened. I randomly came to in the clock tower again one day with S glaring at me, and then next thing I know I've lost more time and R is helping me get out of the clocktower cavern with an absolutely splitting headache. He gets me up out of the place and then to my house (I saw some weird signs with my handwriting on them along the way. Sidenote: might also be possessed by an evil me.) and is acting... really weird. Keeps asking if there's anything I need to tell him or am keeping from him, eventually just reveals that S spilled the beans on us being related. I think he's a little mad about it -- I mean, I would be too -- but I really did just totally forget! I've been super busy and might've gotten a concussion at the time S told me!

Anyway. Found out someone was my sister via her evil possession twin. Forgot to tell them because the timing was always the worst timing imaginable. Am I the jerk for this specific thing. Not the other stuff. Probably was kind of a jerk during the thing with the star. Not relevant here.

[lightwise]

TBB S3 E10 Reaction

Life has been a bit busier the last few weeks so I am finally catching up on my episode reactions (I’m determined to do all of them this season!) And I apologize y’all, this episode made me very snarky apparently.

I’ll be honest. When this episode first came out I was nowhere near as surprised by it or horrified by it as reviewers seemed to be. Nothing about Palpatine hunting down force sensitive children as experiments and using Cad Bane to do it is a surprise, and the Vault feels so much like Andor. But even on a rewatch this episode holds up so well and honestly just starts to give a cold chill under the skin as the quiet horror of it sinks in.

- Cute kid. And the Batch nowhere to be seen. This is going to be a different episode isn’t it

- Oh no. He’s force sensitive 😫😫😫 hmmm how could that possibly go wrong

- This is giving Andor vibes 👀

- It’s always interesting seeing “regular people” in Star Wars and little markets and how they’re just trying to go about their daily lives.

- Don’t go around snitching people! Nothing good ever comes of it!!!

- Yeah this guy is worse than Timm from Andor. Wtf dude. You’re turning in a baby!!

- Also is it just me or typical Star Wars “houses” end up being pretty dark and depressing?

- Wait okay okay. So this is the CX chamber. Why can’t we see any of them yet 😩😩 what is this red fog? What are these weird conditioning pods? What kind of armor is on this datapad?? *trying to crawl inside my screen* I NEED ANSWERS JENNIFER!!

- “Do you trust me?” Ooooh why do I think that’s going to come back around

- But also, babygirl, I don’t think you actually know what you’re signing up for

- “I could be more useful” “you wish to be the new chief scientist Dr. Karr?” “I believe I’ve earned it.” Alright. This. This is interesting. This fully encapsulates the dynamic that these two have shared. Emerie knows that Hemlock only values things that are useful, and probably only sees her own value in the light of what she can contribute, due to how she was raised and the circumstances she has been trapped in. Hemlock’s tone of voice implies that he has never considered her as being the new chief scientist, and yet he acquiesces quite quickly, almost as though he’s just too busy to think about it and if it means things are brought back up to production standard then he’s fine with it. His utter disregard for Emerie as an actual human and someone with merit is disgusting though.

- But I get it, the man’s busy, he’s got a lot of evil shit he’s trying to do all at the same time 🙄

- So we have “the assets”, which is the area that Hemlock took Palpatine in the first episodes, where the orange containment pods are and the zillo beast is being kept. We still don’t know what those assets are. The Vault is something different.

- Well. Shit. It’s Andor and Narkina 5 for kids. Lovely 😳💀

- “There are few adults left with such characteristics” I WONDER IN THE NAME OF ONE EMPEROR PALPATINE WHY

- Okay so this entire exchange is awful. The kids are so cute! Hemlock is so cold. “Specimens. Assets” ughhh Emerie what are you getting yourself into!!

- Is this the first time we’ve heard the word glasses in Star Wars?

- Oh no. So THIS is why Cad Bane was brought back 🥺🥺

- The score in this episode is perfectly eerie

- Lol Todo is not good with kids huh 🤣

- That poor mama when she wakes up and finds her baby is gone

- I hope that dude has his entire life flash before his eyes as he’s trying to pick all of those credits up

- “My name’s Eva” 🥹🥹🥹 Emerie has no idea how to handle this 😂

- I still wanna know what’s happened with these commandos. No way a clone of Jango Fett is able to look a child in the eyes, call them a “specimen” and not have even an ounce of remorse as they stun them point blank.

- “Jax?” And Eva just points. The power in knowing someone’s name vs a dehumanizing number

- It’s also interesting that these kids are species that are red, blue, and green, and when they get Bayrn in, he’s white. RGB colors make up white light when put together.

- The little peeks of Emerie’s backstory we keep getting are so interesting. She was abandoned by Nala Se. She knows that these children don’t belong here, the same way that Omega told both her and Crosshair that they didn’t belong here either. Nala Se says that the Empire will hold these kids to control them. Emerie feels like she has no power to do anything differently. So much to unpack here.

- Why is Tarkin’s holo so large?

- Lol I honestly love getting to see the backbiting politics of how the Empire functions. It’s so bad and so funny

- Also love that Project Necromancer is so secret that even Tarkin doesn’t know what it is. He’s so nosy

- Okay why does he bring up the CX schematic again and why is it so different than the one we saw earlier??

- Whoa Cid was tortured???

- “The other operatives aren’t ready to join you in the field” why????

- We’re visiting a lot of space stations this season

- Man I wish Emerie had fudged this test

- Nooo let the poor baby go home 🥺

- Oh and now we’re putting kids in solitary confinement. Great.

- C’mon Emerie. Keep clicking that moral compass until it points north

- She kept the straw Lula. She’s giving it to Eva 😭. There’s hope for her yet

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

DBD rewatch notes!

episode 1

Why was Charles making that face before offering Crystal to stay at the office?

Why are they not supposed to interact with the living? clearly Emma has no such qualms.

Crystal speaks up to make sure Edwin hears when she says thank you for taking her in

Why is David a surprising name for a demon? Why IS David called David, if it isn't a demon name?

HOW did I watch the show this many times without noticing the septum ring??

"The living are messy. If she had died last night, I'd have no issue with her being here." OKAY EDWIN. I guess this and the 'no living people' rule must have to do with the Infamous Puppy Debacle of '94. In this case, Edwin is not insulting Crystal specifically, but is being very literal that he would not be worried about taking care of a dead person.

I love how they NAME everything from cases to moves to incidents.

Charles teases Edwin for being jealous, but does he actually think that? Edwin is just overly cautious, and yeah that's causing an issue at the moment, but does he have, like, a record of being jealous of girls Charles likes?

Charles immediately tries to seperate Edwin and Crystal to stop them arguing, and Crystal is like "wait what??" like she's SO surprised. Also kinda love the not-subtle dig at Edwin's behavior. That does not go without retaliation ie: you weren't here when the mail came

WAIT they're going on a walk and taking, like Edwin and Monty. that's cute.

Did Crystal actually thin Edwin was in hero for being evil? I feel like that is surprising to hear regardless. Is it common for Charles to explain to people that his bf was only sent to hell on a technicality??

I think Crystal must have learned about hell from David, because if the ghosts she has met haven't moved on yet they have no way of knowing about hell.

The focus on people staring at Crystal is kinda weird. Does she even realize yet?

What did she used to feel like when people got mad at her for being mean?

What does Charles think about the way Crystal talks about her anger? He says it's cool that she is still alive, but does he admire her honesty too?

The up-and-down when she asks if that line used to work. He didn't even tell her what decade he died. Read him.

Aww she wanted to get Edwin some coffee to cheer him up. She even says hi to him as soon as she's inside. Crystal cares whether Edwin likes her or not. At the very least, she is trying to be nice to him.

How DOES the ghost post work? also the sheer incredulity of Crystal's voice lmao. Why exactly does the mail carrier sneak up on them? is he also dead?

Why does he care who the client is? they already know what the mystery is.

'keep your voice down!' bestie you already flirted at her, she knows.

'it's happening too quickly' Edwin doesn't wanna screw up his routine

good on Crystal for getting straight to business. Becky's ALIVE, boys!

Why do they think Death will come back to the office?

more people stare at Crystal. Dies she really not notice before the malt shop?

I can't help being reminded of that textpost about putting Crystal in the bag and going through a mirror.

Edwin thinks he is so clever with the agency name joke. He is so proud of that one. same thing with his journal of opinions joke. he's having so much fun rn.

I love that every time there's a Jenny scene the soundtrack changes to goth or rock music.

Why is the red LED neat diagram briefly orange and why is Edwin so fascinated by it?

She's scary for all of two seconds before becoming awkward and weird and mean. Jenny, ladies and etc!

Edwin is so menacing here FOR WHAT

Crystal gets the room as is, then never decorates it during the following weeks.

Can those ghosts teleport?? I noticed the dragons so it too, is it a shirt distance thing?? wtf?

pictures of guys, huh Charles? Is there anything else notable about the pictures?

Edwin jesus fuck lay off her. He is looking for just ANY excuse to talk shit.

Charles trying to help out Crystal is nice. I wonder why she doesn't like reading minds though? During the course of the series, she totally volunteers to read minds and it's a go-to solution for her. What happened to put her off it that she doesn't remember anymore?

What'd he do to get burned by the iron?

I guess after knowing ghosts for however long, none of them must have told Crystal about iron.

how does that alarm system via possession even work??

After that silence I kinda thought Edwin went to hell for possession when I first watched LMAO

Esther must have put the shoes in the woods as a distraction. I wonder if the boys would have ever found out if it weren't for Crystal.

they know cats talk and have human personalities and yet Charles sees one and is instantly like "aw fuck off man :((" bro chill

Why is the cat voice so. echoey?

what would happen if somebody tried to sit on the stools that the boys are already on?

Do we ever see anything like this door entrance in a mindscape scene after this? Does she ever walk around while in a trance again?

holy crap Edwin

I guess she takes a while to figure out it's her own brain. mecore.

of course there's an argument now. how could there not be?

then they never follow up on the "our demon" line

poor old Edwin has Charles taking such good care of him that he isn't used to the guy trying to take care of TWO peoples' feelings. Man I know that they don't talk about feelings in your time but at some point you've got to learn that everything you're saying is a fear reaction and not a moral stance.

I love the high contrast in this scene!

Simon's lil smile and Edwin walking away looks SO different with Context.

why tf is the sacrifice named "Mary Ann" and WHAT is Simon's brother into?

"don't do that!" and a breath of relief followed immediately by a jumpscare is SO GOOD. like I get scared by jumpscares but I love when they do it like this.

"It's not that bad" *hoovers the boy* *sells him to a demon*

THE TRANSITION. WITH THE SCREAMING

Why is the same cat here? is he following Edwin? W H Y

you're such a whore 🙄 (cat voice)

What if I offered you a sardine out of my gloves hand and bound you in a magical leash and you were a cat🥺 (and we were both boys)

The cat's mannerisms are pretty convincing IMO. my cat does the same ear thing when she wants me to leave her alone. And the tense shoulder/neck scrunch combo just adds to the effect.

I wish Edwin got to use more magic in the show.

not the apathetic eyebrow raise

me when I dump blood

I love this scene. Jenny is so awkward but also she remembers what Crystal says here. She remembers hearing about Crystal's ex like three times ever and ends up going after that boy with a cleaver. but it all starts with Jenny not knowing if she's allowed to show that she cares.

oh and her shield of cynicism

and the way she asks for more information!!

Charles with the questions! detective-ass.

it's interesting that Jenny and Charles both try to help Crystal while looking through a lens colored by trauma (specifically parental flavored) but Charles is so gentle while Jenny is abrasive.

Crystal! With the self-awareness!!

if you what? finish the sentence, Crystal.

Also she says "didn't you see that" like those pink lights were not symbolic they were real in-universe. Crystal and Niko were still acting hella gay tho. ofc, Crystal was under a spell and Niko is just Like That.

FAIR QUESTION

he doesn't answer whether or not it's weird. He also doesn't wait for an answer of if she'll tell Edwin. He trusts her.

Aww poor kidddsss

Edwin walks in and out of rooms like God sent him

Crystal with the self-awareness once agaiiiin 😎

TRANSITIONS

if she was in that relationship since three months ago and we don't know how long she was possessed for before Emma figured out how to find the boys, she may have already been missing for weeks at this point.

The way she is dressed and the way she's acting is risky different from the memories she gets from the marbles. Is this a real memory? Why would she dress like that, or hang out with those people?

Is the possession paralelled to any of this scary movies that was playing in the theater they go to? bc it looks really familiar.

Edwin is really focusing on the wrong details here, man. Also comparing a scared person to their abuser is not fuckin cool.

YAY! FEELINGS TALK!

I love the sound of his voice in this scene.

I mean I thought it was already clear that neither of them wanted David involved but if Edwin needs clarification that's fine ig

the description of Esther is line a spoken word poem

you know he doesn't get out much when he doesn't know about the internet

Jenny is iconic

absolutely ZERO emotional response to "Like kind of a sexy witch who smokes alot but in a cool way" like maybe they didn't hear Charles. maybe their minds were blocking it out because what the fuck /j

and her coat gets caught in the door and she can't drive. Perfect.

The fuckin twirl. Thank you costumes for cutting the vent stitch because the swooshy coat adds to the effect 🙏

Esther leaves the stove on when she's out of the house? does she want her bird to DIE!? It must be an accident because Edwin has to take it off :o either that, or she wasn't planning on leaving for too long, or knew there'd be someone to take care of it 👀

Also Edwin is EXACT in his reading if the floor plan. Like that is SPECIFIC

is that a sink cabinet? no basin??

an empty cabinet like that is sus anyways. who has that little stuff??

Edwin volunteers and Charles knows he's scared but makes sure he does it anyways. I wonder if there are any more examples of this behavior.

Monocrome; floor littered in bones and shoes. Edwin is 'weighed down'

it's not a void, there's a floor.

Wait Has Esther been planting shoes for the cops to find, then re-stealing them for her snake's nest??

Also how often does she kidnap forms because I feel like she'd either have to run out or get caught at some point.

"bag of tricks" they name EVERYTHING

technically they didn't break in

what did she THINK they wanted?

COLLECTOR

I've already said this but Esther loves things she *consumes*, so her love of birds is kinda bad news for Monty. He's just there to use in her plans.

Also the first time I watched this I thought Esther was trying to kiss Crystal. like that shot is. weird.

Why does Charles want the bird to be his friend and why is he not concerned about its living conditions

rope+ magic weight= OW

technically, since everyone else is only going off of Edwin's (and later Cat King's) word, they might think the snake is huge but realistic. do they know it's like fifty feet??

interesting that they show it takes multiple puffs of smoke to paralyze someone but later when she gets power from that rando ghost she does a whole ranged spell with the pipe because she is more powerful.

that is some weird and impractical snake jewelry on her hand.

MUSIC

appearance ONE of the BAT! he DOES NOT get to use it!

Edwin looks to be MORE bothered by the iron burn than Charles now that nobody is looking.

Do people normally get incapacitated when Crystal does her trick?? or is that special for this time?

I wonder what Crystal thinks watching this possession, since she just got possessed recently.

bag of worms?? not a thing

MONTY im tryna threaten some kids🥺

MUSIC

I guess the woods thing was believable bc she's a girl scout.

Also now that Becky's mind is wiped, she can't see the boys even though she has been close to the supernatural. I guess it would have worked on Jenny too if she chose that.

is now a good time to mention: I LOVE Crystal's weird-ass jacket. and she's wearing overalls again today, like in episode (six? I think?)

so now are they on David's case? I guess not lmao

The Night Nurse's hair is so funny to me. She is the only person who would ever think to wear victory rolls with a microfringe.

why are those photos so low-quality and why is the Afterlife Lost and Found a liminal '50s office building full of women?

[mariana-oconnor]

The Lion's Mane pt 1

Merry 26th December, hopefully you're all having good winters so far. Strangely, I was a little busy yesterday, so we're still playing catch up. Lol.

It occurred after my withdrawal to my little Sussex home, when I had given myself up entirely to that soothing life of Nature for which I had so often yearned during the long years spent amid the gloom of London.

OK, so I knew that this was going to be Holmes' retirement, obviously, but also comparing and contrasting this statement with his previous diatribe about the evil lurking in the countryside, insidious and unseen, is very strange. Has he suddenly lost his aversion to the bucolic scenery and isolation that make such crime go easily undetected? Or has he perhaps decided that as long as he isolates himself sufficiently, he won't have to deal with them.

As it is, however, I must needs tell my tale in my own plain way, showing by my words each step upon the difficult road which lay before me as I searched for the mystery of the Lion's Mane.

Firstly, the lengthy paragraph you have provided so far is anything but plain. Secondly, I think there might be a plant called Lion's Mane... is that what this is about?

Research has informed me that I am wrong. There is a plant called Lion's Tail, which is quite pretty, but there is a mushroom called Lion's Mane, so maybe that's what this is about.

Fingers crossed everyone gets high. But I suspect they won't be the fun kind of mushrooms, just the murder kind of mushrooms.

My house is lonely. I, my old housekeeper, and my bees have the estate all to ourselves.

I feel very sorry for the housekeeper in this arrangement. Imagine having only Holmes and some bees for company. Not that Holmes is bad, necessarily, but you've got to admit you'd need something to break up your exposure to him.

There's a lot of swimming going on here in the beginning. I'm not surprised that Holmes swims, because honestly the idea of there being any activity that Holmes hasn't tried is weirder to me, but there is a lot of swimming.

Fitzroy McPherson was the science master, a fine upstanding young fellow whose life had been crippled by heart trouble following rheumatic fever. He was a natural athlete, however, and excelled in every game which did not throw too great a strain upon him. Summer and winter he went for his swim, and, as I am a swimmer myself, I have often joined him.

Here we see the difference between Holmes' narration and Watson's. If this were Watson describing him, Mr McPherson would have had at least another two sentences dedicated to his toned physique and golden looks. Perhaps this is what Holmes meant by 'plain'?

At this moment we saw the man himself. His head showed above the edge of the cliff where the path ends. Then his whole figure appeared at the top, staggering like a drunken man. The next instant he threw up his hands and, with a terrible cry, fell upon his face.

I get that this is probably him dying and as such it's dramatic, but at the same time, it's a little amusing... y'know? There is a touch of the slapstick about it.

One glimmer of life came into his face for an instant, and he uttered two or three words with an eager air of warning. They were slurred and indistinct, but to my ear the last of them, which burst in a shriek from his lips, were "the Lion's Mane." It was utterly irrelevant and unintelligible, and yet I could twist the sound into no other sense.

The weird thing is why would he know he'd been poisoned my lion's mane mushrooms if he had in fact been poisoned by them. To know the specific type of mushroom would be weird because if you knew what it was, you wouldn't eat it.

Is there a lion's mane jellyfish? I feel like I remember a lion's mane jellyfish as well. That would go with the swimming, and also would make sense. Jellyfish are nasty.

Oh, yep. One quick search also shows that there's a lion's mane jellyfish, which is also kind of pretty - sadly that probably means its extremely deadly.

The prettiest things are always the deadliest when it comes to animals. Alas, blue-ringed octopus, the forbidden friend.

woe.

Then he half raised himself from the ground, threw his arms into the air, and fell forward on his side. He was dead.

And we're back to slapstick again. Throw your hands in the air like you just don't care (that you're dying).

The man was dressed only in his Burberry overcoat, his trousers, and an unlaced pair of canvas shoes.

So, ready for a night clubbing, got it.

As he fell over, his Burberry, which had been simply thrown round his shoulders, slipped off, exposing his trunk. We stared at it in amazement. His back was covered with dark red lines as though he had been terribly flogged by a thin wire scourge.

I feel like I've cheated by looking up the jellyfish. Sorry. I just half remembered hearing about a jellyfish with a name like that and since it didn't seem like mushrooms made sense...

Yeah, I'm 100% on jellyfish now.

But has a crime been committed? Did someone deliberately lure him into a (what's the collective noun for a group of jellyfish? A children's party? -- a bloom or a fluther, apparently) bloom of jellyfish. Or did someone release their fluther of pet jellyfish out into the bay knowing that Mr McPherson would be swimming there?

Or is it all just a horrible accident?

...we found that Ian Murdoch was by our side. Murdoch was the mathematical coach at the establishment, a tall, dark, thin man, so taciturn and aloof that none can be said to have been his friend. He seemed to live in some high abstract region of surds and conic sections, with little to connect him with ordinary life.

I get that I'm supposed to be suspicious of this man, but I know enough mathematicians and have done enough maths myself that I immediately love him and will not hear a word against him. Even if he did deliberately release an entire fluther of deadly jellyfish into the sea to attack Mr McPherson, I am sure he had his reasons. They would have been entirely logical and well thought out and he could back them up by showing his working.

On one occasion, being plagued by a little dog belonging to McPherson, he had caught the creature up and hurled it through the plate-glass window

OK, no. I hate him now.

Giving mathematicians a bad name. Shame. SHAME!

What is with the dog abuse in these stories? Holmes and John Wick should have a team-up.

"Were you with him? Can you tell us what has happened?"

"Well, I constructed a catapult and then hurled jellyfish at him..."

The latter fact proved that he had made all ready to bathe, though the towel indicated that he had not actually done so.

Or, when emerging from the water covered in jellyfish stings, he decided that drying himself off was less important than finding help. Maybe. Possibly.

And the reason for his change of purpose had been that he had been scourged in some savage, inhuman fashion

Emphasis on inhuman.

Who had done this barbarous deed?

Good luck getting the cuffs on the perpetrator.

Stackhurst was, of course, still there, and Ian Murdoch had just arrived with Anderson, the village constable, a big, ginger-moustached man of the slow, solid Sussex breed—a breed which covers much good sense under a heavy, silent exterior.

That's closer to a Watsonian description, but honestly, it's not insulting enough.

I will be there, you may be sure. MAUDIE.

Alas, poor Maudie, she knew him, Holmes.

...nothing had been found in the small caves below the cliff, but he had examined the papers in McPherson's desk and there were several which showed an intimate correspondence with a certain Miss Maud Bellamy, of Fulworth.

Also alas, poor Maudie, her private letters are being read by random guys she's never met. Let's hope they weren't too intimate.

Reasons not to be murdered: people look through all your stuff. Yikes.

"Ian Murdoch held them back," said he. "He would insist upon some algebraic demonstration before breakfast. Poor chap, he is dreadfully cut up about it all."

We're definitely supposed to suspect Mr Murdoch, puppy pitcher. Not sure how he'd commit murder by jellyfish though. I'm guessing my catapult idea wouldn't be ideal, and if you're going to release a bloom of jellyfish you've got to first keep the jellyfish somewhere. Does he have a saltwater aquarium in his rooms?

"I seem to remember your telling me once about a quarrel over the ill-usage of a dog." "That blew over all right." "But left some vindictive feeling, perhaps." "No, no, I am sure they were real friends."

I've never had a dog, but I feel like if someone got mad at you and then threw your dog through a window, you'd be kind of vindictive towards them. One might even suggest vengeful. I went up to check if it was through an open window or literally through glass and it says 'through a plate glass window', which implies that there was a certain amount of smashed glass involved. I'm not sure how you get past that. Clearly Mr McPherson didn't care very much about his dog, either.

Fuck 'em both, I guess.

"Some human hand was on the handle of that scourge, if indeed it was a scourge which inflicted the injuries."

Ah yes, a human hand.

Yeah, I definitely spoiled this one for myself. If they do manage to come up with a way for it to be murder rather than misadventure, I'll be impressed. Jellyfish catapult is always a possibility.

[miralines]

actually I also want to talk about the mechs’ approaches to the concept of good and evil and why literally none of them are anywhere near good

under the cut because it got so so long

I truly believe there was a point in Jonny’s life when he wanted to be good. That time was a decade past even by the time he met Carmilla. I think Jonny learned pretty early on that good was not an option for him, which soon morphed into a deeply-held belief that good is not something he is capable of. In reaction to this, he leans heavily into being terrible (see Interview Transcript). He believes there are good things and evil things (and plenty of ambiguity as well), and he finds good admirable, if uncommon and more than a little naive, but I think he fundamentally believes that any part of him that might have once been good was broken beyond repair before he became a teenager.

Nastya, on the other hand, views herself as capable of goodness. Sometimes. If she’s lucky and not missing anything and nothing goes wrong (see the storming of the Winter Palace). She even tried, post-mechanization, to continue to be good. But between the events leading up to her death and the unending horrors that followed, she came to the conclusion that good is not worth it. Good gets you hurt or killed or blows up in ways that make things even worse. She keeps to herself, looks out for herself and her own, and will actively hurt anyone else (because given the chance, they’ll almost certainly eventually do the same).

In a similar vein, Ashes probably figured out “good” doesn’t get you anywhere by the time they were eight. Good got you taken advantage of or killed. They do value loyalty-- if you’ve formed a relationship with someone and you value it, you will help them out, or at least not sell them out (cough mickey). This is honestly more pragmatism than anything, though-- they had no issue leaving Daedalus to die, despite having a “deal.” Mostly it applies to people they’re stuck with. Not betraying people makes things much easier when you have to spend a lot of time around those people. Do they care, in some weird way, deep down? Yes. Are they personally hurt by betrayal? Also yes. But for them, it’s the consequence of picking the wrong person to do business with, and bad things happening is as natural a force as stars shining-- including when they’re the person doing the bad things.

I think Ivy actually values good and sees it both as a desirable trait and one she’s capable of. She just has... a really skewed view of what constitutes good. A combination of trauma, personality, and the inevitable corruption of immortality have led her to an extremely utilitarian set of ethics (”for the greater good”). The “greater good” is very often preservation of knowledge, and that comes above everything else-- human life, continued existence of planets, etc. I firmly believe that at least once, the mechs have been on a planet where some authority was trying to destroy Terrible Knowledge before it could make it into the hands of their enemies, and Ivy brought it to those enemies for the sake of keeping it known. This may have led to the destruction of the whole planet, but at least the survivors fleeing from the wreckage still had the records! Ivy’s perspective is so zoomed out that most petty immoral actions (murder, theft, whatever the hell “neuro-arson” is) don’t really register as important one way or another.

Brian. Brian is a master of moral justifications. His two settings correspond to the most extreme possible version of the moral philosophies they represent: EJM Brian might destroy an entire planet to prevent the possibility of an interplanetary epidemic, whereas MJE Brian might give corrupt authorities the information that leads to mass arrests and executions because it would be wrong to lie to them. Also I think he enjoys coming up with these justifications and playing with being the moral equivalent of the monkey’s paw.

As far as the Toy Soldier is concerned, it’s not a person. Good and evil are person things. It’s exempt. I very much read its backstory as it slowly coming to reject humanity and all the things that come with it-- emotion, responsibility, even pronouns that don’t traditionally refer to objects (the latter of which can absolutely be read as voidpunk, but there is certainly room to criticize the other two). TS does what it wants, because it doesn’t see itself as part of the group obligated to follow moral rules.

Tim had a moral compass at one point. Maybe even a decent one. But then the horrors of war, etc. Tim believes and behaves as if all of his goodness died with Bertie. He can do whatever he wants now, because what’s the point?

Raphaella does not believe in good and evil. At best, it’s a nice fairy tale, at the worst, it’s a fiction designed to repress freedom and independence. Like Ivy, Raphaella is driven by knowledge, but where Ivy preserves it, Raphaella discovers it-- at any cost. Nonconsensual human experimentation poses no issue to her, because it will yield knowledge. Of course, being rude or hurtful exists, and doing bad things without sufficient reason may be rude or hurtful, but it’s not evil or wrong. Mostly in those cases the main problem is that other people don’t like it.

I’m going to be honest, I’m still very shaky on my characterization of Marius beyond Funney Man (death of byron von raum WHEN), but at the moment I see his crimes as falling under impulsivity or revenge. He feels like killing someone? Sure. He’s really annoyed at someone so constructs an elaborate plot to drive them to madness? Sounds fun. He might have felt bad about it at one point, but by the time he settles into immortality he cares more about A) whether it made him personally feel better and B) welp, can’t change it anyway. In this way, he can be a bit like Jonny, but while Jonny will do bad things for the sake of doing bad things, Marius most often has at least some reasoning, or something he hopes to gain.

If you’re still here thank you for reading and I’d be very curious to hear other thoughts

[cursed-rat-of-homosexuality]

A good is-Tom-Normal-About-That-Media? meter is how I deal with music related to that specific media. Unfortunately in OFMD's case it's ticking in the "Brain Rotted Pile of Clown Meat" zone, because I basically went through every song ever made by Nina Simone just to try and guess which two songs are playing in s2.

So you know what??? I'm laying out my predictions here, if any of these starts playing then I'm owed a Jenkins thumbs up or something like that. Idk. I spent four hours of my life on this, I need a hug. I threw the dice and this is what came out.

> These three are my favorites, I have a feeling about them, they smell like OFMD to me and my brainwaves bounce up a bit when I hear them (u know... like the sea.... ha...ha)

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Ed-Coded, sad, moody, it's frantic and helpless in a way that's also really desperate, and ohohoho the rhythm on this one tickles my brain a bit.

Feeling Good

A bit overplayed, basically in every fandom playlist but It! Is! There! For! A! Reason! And that reason is that it's reeeally good and very villain like. Could be Ed-Coded, I'd like to imagine that's him trying to conform into his Kraken/Blackbeard persona, could be other people too though. Use your imagination here.

Do What You Gotta Do

Are all of these Ed-Coded? You might ask. And the answer is, well.... maybe. It's not my fault Executive Producer David Jenkins based Ed's whole character on Nina Simone songs okay????? (I see what you did there you little evil man-shaped weasel. I SEE IT ALL.) But just.. here, look at me... listen to it and tell me it isn't Ed through and through.

> These ones are also very OFMD-like and I wouldn't be putting them in here after sifting through more than 100 songs just because. I also have a feeling about them, but it isn't the overwhelming sense of certain doom I get from the previous three.

Save Me

Ed coded. He loves Stede and he hates that with every fiber of his being. He's still very hurt, but cannot help being fond of the whimsical dipshit, poor guy.

I Shall Be Released

Ed coded, just give my man a break.

I Put A Spell On You

Overplayed one again, this one isn't really coded to any of them. But I feel like it would play after Stede tries to reconcile with Ed for the first time and fails miserably. Ed is still really hurt, and Stede is just realizing the extent to which he hurt him. It's after they just had a discussion, maybe it's raining, Stede is soaking wet calling "Yd! Yd! Yd please talk to me!" But Ed just keeps on walking. It's a romantic comedy staple and we need to have one of these.

Take Care Of Business

Semi-Competent!Stede being the breadwinner of the family is one of my favourite hcs. Ed is really tired of The Pirate Life™️ and I bet he'd fucking love to be a trophy wife, man spent his whole life being the scourge of the seven seas, give him a break for christs sake.

Mr.Bojangles

just... listen to it

Just Say I Love Him

Is- Is that a... no, it can't be! Dios mio, It's... a Stede coded song 😱😱 *pain sounds* *weird bone cracking going on* *little bit of a fleshy sonority to it now* *crashing sounds* *cat meowing* *bone cracking again but this one is good I think*. Ok back to it, this is really just "I should just have told him how I feel" vibes, Stede made a mess, he regrets it. Etc.

That's it then. Did I do this just to prove I was right if any of them appears in S2? Pfft of course not! Who would even do that... lol... Also please feel free to add thinky thoughts to this if y'all are willing! I'd love to hear people's interpretations of the songs.

[arospecsyourblockdudes]

“And so then, I merged with my evil corrupted self, who I think actually came from me in a previous life so maybe he isn’t my evil corrupted self, and after all that I’ve just been focusing on the empanada business and my family!”

Oli put his margarita down on the bar counter and stared at Sausage. “Mate, I just asked how you’d been lately.” 

Sausage smiled, cheery as ever, and sipped his mojito. “Well, that’s what I’ve been doing! It just happened to involve multiple realities and past lives!”

“Your lore is crazy, man.” Oli shook his head. “I’ve just been playing tunes, putting up tents, being a dragon dad. Normal things.” It’s always a gamble asking Sausage about his day, because you never know what the hell that man was going to say. Oli had expected maybe an update on Hermes or the latest crazy build the man had done. He supposes it was a good idea to meet at his tavern. 

“Ooh, how’s the baby dragon? I have to come visit them sometime, they are so cute. You should make me the godfather!” 

“Yeah sure, you and Shelby can be the godfathers.” They helped out with the egg hatching, Oli figures they deserve that much. “They’ve been chilling. They love the hot tub.”

“I love hot tubs.” Sausage nodded, like that was some bit of wisdom he’d just dropped. “Oh also, I do know who you are now! Since I got access to my alternate reality memories and all, I remember when you were just a little enderboy! I thought that was fun.” 

“That’s..well, that’s nice.” It is nice, even if Oli doesn’t understand Sausage’s life. “You’re a different guy than the one at Heaven’s Reach though, right? You’re just like...crawling around in his brain.”

Sausage tapped on the counter and thought for a moment. “I guess so. That’s a weird way to say it, though. I don’t think I was the angel, but he was a different version of me from an alternate reality. I can just remember what he remembered.”

“I think the man is dead now.” Oli chugged the rest of his drink and ordered another one. One can only wonder how that little blue man made such good drinks. “That’s weird. I’m just the same guy. I just get put in new situations.”

“Huh! That’s funny, because we sorta got the same thing going on!” Sausage grinned. “But we also don’t!”

“Don’t rope me into your bloody lore, I am not about that.” 

“I don’t even know what lore is, but Thunder Daddy loves it.”

And the two of them talked and drank late into the night, like they had been friends for years. And they had in one sense, and in the other they’d only just met. Oli knows how to get content in one world with a new set of folks, and he’d settled into this one once his first tent had been put up. But it’s nice to see Sausage settle into just one as well. Even if he’s got some weird multiversal stuff going on, and even if it wasn’t technically the Sausage he’d been friends with before. It was good enough for Oli. 

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Pairings: Ruin/DJ Music Man, Lord Eclipse/Servant Monty(OC), Servant Eclipse/Lord Ursa (OC)

Word Count: 1,145 Words

Summary: Solar actually gets therapy that works?

Warnings: Cursing, Harassment (mentioned only), Death (past, mentioned only), Therapy, Murderous Zombie (?, best way to describe it), Truth Potion, Trauma (mentioned), PTSD (mentioned), Caps, let me know if I should add anything else.

The Eclipses Chat: Chapter 4

3:15pm Whomst The Fuck?

Helix: I think I look good for Ursa, right?

Helix: Helix-in-a-sparkly-dress.jpg

Acrux: You look good Auntie Helix.

Comet: You look like a princess!

Helix: Aw, thank you, kiddos.

Venus: Lucky you. I get to deal with Lunara harassing me today.

Helix: Oooh, tough break.

Venus: You’re telling me. I wish he’d just shut up and go blow something up in his own dimension.

Orbit: Why not just shove him out of the dimension?

Venus: He’ll come harass me more.

Helix: And become much more personal.

Venus: He’s a fucking prick if you disrespect him. If I shove him out of my dimension, then he’ll come back and be even more annoying.

Helix: Selene tried to throw him out of our dimension once after he called me a dumbass and tried to throw a nuke at me. He came back like ten minutes later and harassed me for five days being transphobic, sexist, classist, ableist, and more. Like…I’m a creaky old lady bot, I know.

Venus: Yeah, I refuse to deal with him even at the Lord meetings. Not gonna deal with that.

Solar: Is having that little maniac just a universal experience? Do I not have a single unique experience?

Helix: Had to deal with him too?

Solar: He came into my old dimension before I moved and after Lunar was revived. I thought he was Lunar but like…overly sassy Lunar. Left after like ten minutes of following me around and harassing me about stuff Lunar wouldn’t say.

Helix: Yeah, that’s him. Not a unique experience.

Solar: I can’t have shit.

Rigel: Well hey, you’re the only Eclipse to get abused by their Moon.

Solar: That is not an achievement and I don’t talk about Crescent, shut.

Rigel: I see therapy didn’t work.

Solar: Noooope.

Rigel: I’ll schedule another, dw.

Helix: I’m gone. Gonna go on a date with my Ursa.

Helix is offline

Venus: Just murder me. He’s harassing me about my skirt.

Solar: I could easily kidnap you. Anything from Lunara’s dimension is banned from the dimension I’m in.

Venus: Oh please god yes. Anything but this motherfucker. I’d rather deal with you.

Solar: omw

Acrux: Com, what are your pronouns? I think you were asleep when we said them yesterday.

Comet: Oh! He/they!

Acrux: Okay, good.

Comet: But I like girly stuff.

Acrux: And that’s perfectly fine.

Phase: I like girly stuff too

Acrux: And that’s valid. So do I but a bit less than you two probably.

Umbra: Do I just have three queer kids?

Orbit: You’re even gonna question it? Of course you do. Your three kids are Eclipses. Of course they’re queer.

Umbra: I know you’re right but shut it.

Rigel: All Eclipses are some flavor of queer. Most just don’t admit it.

Orbit: Also true.

Venus: Freed from the hellspawn thank god.

Solar: Yep. No murder, no subjugation, no weird shit.

Venus: Yeah yeah just happy to not be getting harassed.

Solar: Now, I’m sending you off in my place to go dress shopping with Earth. Have fun with that.

Venus: What? You don’t wanna be in pretty dresses?

Solar: I’m not ready to delve into questioning my gender today. I’m busy today with suffering.

Rigel: Why are you suffering.

Solar: Take three guesses.

Rigel: Your Moon came back to life somehow.

Solar: Nope

Rigel: Your Monty is back alive again.

Solar: Nope

Rigel: Your Sun came back to live and is evil and tracking you down.

Solar: Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Got his note this morning.

Rigel: Wait, really?

Solar: Yes. Apparently Crescent set up a system to streamline his kill code into Corona after his death and now Corona is half-sentient with a kill code and zero self control impulses. So now basically zombie Corona is out to kill me.

Orbit: Well, shit. Hope you don’t get bit or whatever but what the actual fuck?

Solar: Like I know. But now I gotta kill my other brother for the second time.

Rigel: I’m gonna schedule more therapy.

Solar: Trust me, it’s not going to help.

Rigel: Just let me believe it’ll eventually work dammit!

Solar: Why give you false hope?

Rigel: Because I want to believe you can actually talk about your problems with someone that isn’t yourself or a mirror for the first time in your life. Literally the most I know about you is that you were 1) abused, 2) it was your Moon’s doing, 3) you’re from another universe, 4) your Sun was killed in the separation, and 5) you killed your Moon.

Solar: Yeah, that’s about it. Also, I’m a mechanic.

Rigel: Yes, everyone knows that.

Solar: Still not talking about my issues.

Rigel: I apologize beforehand in regards to your next therapy session, Solar.

Solar: Yeah yeah.

Umbra: Get this guy’s therapist a therapist, I got your PM and yes I can, Rigel.

Solar: That’s…ominous.

Rigel: Good, it better be.

Venus: I feel left out.

Rigel: You don’t want to be implicated.

Venus: Yeah okay fine.

Orbit: I feel like a back alley deal was conducted.

Rigel: It was hush.

5:53pm Whomst The Fuck?

Solar: Rigel, what was in my flavored oil?

Rigel: No clue what you mean.

Solar: Rigel, it tasted off. What did you do?

Rigel: Maybe just a little truth potion.

Solar: I hate you so much, you prick.

Rigel: Hate me as you may but you desperately need to talk to someone and this is literally the only way because you believe you don’t have a problem. I’ll be with you the whole time, you can talk to me instead of a therapist and I won’t tell anyone anything. But you need to feel these feelings you’ve been bottling up and let them out into the open. I told you all my issues and I want to be a shoulder for you to do the same. I don’t want you to struggle with this internal battle anymore when you should be receiving help for the trauma and ptsd you have.

Solar: I’m so happy you’re my friend.

Umbra: I can practically hear him crying already from Toronto.

Rigel: Hey! Bestie-Bestie confidentiality!

Umbra: Jeez okay.

8:47pm Whomst The Fuck?

Solar: Surprisingly I actually feel better now.

Rigel: I sure hope so. You cried on me for three hours.

Solar: I’m not apologizing. Any excess oil you have in your joints s your own damn fault for giving me truth potion.

Rigel: Fair enough. But i’m glad you feel better, Solar.

Solar: Okay fine, maybe I should talk about it more. I guess I’ll actually participate in therapy now.

Rigel: YESSSS

Orbit: WOOOOOO

Comet: Dad’s gonna get real therapy!!

Acrux: Good job, Dad.

Venus: Congrats you prick, I’m glad for you.

Solar: Yeah yeah but the therapist is still going to deal with me being a snarky ass.

Rigel: We know, Solar.

[ashsostrange]

i hope y’all like reading cz it’s storytime! 🗣️

lemme tell y’all ab the time i (allegedly) got two ppl onna hitlist when i was like 10 or 11

so in middle school (sixth grade i think it was) i stayed at this after school program cz my momma didn’t get off work til, like, four to five. we would eat snacks, talk shit, do hw, normal middle schooler stuff.

there was this one strange new-ish kid that just gave everyone weird vibes.. he was one of the class clowns, nd real disrespectful. he was also a lil mean so i didn’t really fw him. we gon call him jason.

one time, me n some other sixth graders were in a science classroom doing work and talking or wtv, and bro is sitting at a table by himself with a computer turned away from everyone. i’m talking those large black lab tables. i was w my friend (we gon call her lara) and she’s always been really pretty, so she was one of the girls all the guys would crush on.

including this nigga apparently.

atp, wbk that he wanted her cz he didn’t try to hide it. she js wasn’t interested 🤷‍♀️

me n lara were sitting across the room, minding our black ass business and jason started doing that thing with your eyebrows where you wiggle them up n down real fast in attempt to be “seductive.” he was smirking too. at lara.. from ACROSS THE ROOM!!

idk y.. but i came to the conclusion that bro was up to no good on that laptop. i had just learned how to check search history, so i walked my ass on over there unprovoked and pulled up his history. i cannot tell you what possessed me bc idk.

the last page he was on was youtube and ts said “sex”

like JUST sex.

i just gasp then look at him like he’s crazy and then eb starts walking over and looking while jason swears up and down it wasn’t him that looked that up. this other girl (we gon call her diana) was being loud as hell, basically indirectly snitching. the teacher that was watching us eventually caught on and came over. she was so pissed. she made us shut down all the computers and go down to the library 😭 she also said sumn ab not letting us use them again, but obv that wasn’t gna work. we needed them to do hw…

yk middle schoolers are EVIL.. so this one guy, (we gon call him ryan) and this diana were js dogging on jason’s ass like he wasn’t right there with his head hung in shame 🚶‍♀️i never liked those two. they were bullies frl

when jason’s mom came to get him, the teacher snitched ab his search history and that was the start of his villian origin story..

fast forward to idk when, i’m starting to hear that jason is gna shoot up the school and that he’s coming for ryan and diana first?? and at some point in time, he had stopped coming to school.. so we were all freaked tf out. he didn’t mention my name though, so i was like 🙆‍♀️💆‍♀️💁‍♀️ yes, i remain untouched!

n e way, word spread that bro was gna shoot up the school. nobody knew where it was coming from tho, like there was no source

i was sittin’ there like “damn, if everyone dies then it’s kinda my fault..” and diana gon agree w me.. like girl.

anyway nothing happened, thank gawd. me and jason had english class tg, but when he stopped coming to school, he never came back. my english teacher said that everyone was spreading nasty rumors about him so he had to transfer. she was like “poor kid”… GIRL.

i don’t know if he ever truly claimed to shoot up the school or if it was even him lookin up “sex” on the computer 😭 all of this is a mystery to me!

nobody ever found out that i was lowk the one that started this mess 🤫 i wasn’t “popular” unlike miss diana and ryan, so nobody was gna talk ab me. those mfs were real life bullies. this is y you be nice to everyone 🙃 there’s a reason i wasn’t a “target”

whew, anyway.

moral of the story: don’t fuck around and you won’t have to worry about finding out! 👍

[terastalungrad]

Feeling nostalgic, so I'm looking back at past Big Brothers. See how strongly I remember them.

2000: BB1

Caught the last two weeks of this, and was HOOKED. I learned of the existence of this show because a teacher built a school assembly around its popularity.

2001: BB2

Watched from launch, utterly obsessed. All the spin-offs, loads of live streams.

2002: BB3

Really into the metagame by this point. Love the nominations. Started studying psychology in school, now believe I'm brilliant at analysing people.

2003: BB4

Very cosy memories of this one. Watched it with my mother and brother, really rooted for lovely Cameron to win. My last summer before uni.

2004: BB5

Big Brother goes evil! My mother sends me VHS tapes so I can watch at uni. While watching the live stream one night, my brother steals my passport to run away to America. It's okay, we get him back.

2005: BB6

Doctor Who's back by this point, so Big Brother's no longer my favourite TV show. I find this one tougher to watch. I don't warm to many of the housemates.

2006: BB7

I auditioned for this one! So glad I didn't get in in retrospect. How different would my life have been? Can't imagine doing standup as a former Big Brother housemate.

Loved the series, though. Two Welsh speakers!

2007: BB8

Strong start to this series - I liked the idea of putting all the women in first, and slowly trickling in the men. But it's won by Brian Bello - very funny, I liked him, but his victory felt like a sign of reality TV becoming more constructed.

2008: BB9

Didn't watch this one. Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2009: BB10

Enjoyed the series, but once again annoyed by the winner. Which seems strange now! I think today, I'd love the series to be won by a glamour model. Would I? I still gravitate towards the freaks and misfits, but I take a lot more pleasure in the victories of people who incur the snobbishness of the public.

2010: BB11

Skipped this one. It had been too long since I'd really loved a Big Brother, so I decided the magic was gone.

2011: BB12

First Channel 5 series. I'm freelancing by this point, so two weeks before it ends, I watch it all in one go. Loved it!

2012: BB13

All-time favourite series. The winner's a grumpy trans man from North Wales, how could I ask for more? Such an exciting series. And the first one I watched in full while on Tumblr.

2013: BB14

Didn't watch this one. Why not?? Maybe BB13 had been so perfect for me, I didn't have room in my heart for another series. I suppose I was also taking standup a lot more seriously by this point. Maybe I was too busy.

Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2014: BB15

Very patchy memory of this series. I remember being extremely grumpy about the final. I was away visiting friends, so couldn't watch it live, and then had the winner spoiled for me in the most annoying possible way. Didn't love the winner either.

2015: BB16

Didn't watch this one. Too grumpy from last year. And I bet Jim Davidson had won Celebrity Big Brother by this point, an all-time low point.

I don't know a single thing about this series. Checking Wikipedia, turns out a Welshman came second. I turn my back -

Oh, except I did post a weird joke about this season. I don't think that was based on knowledge, though. I probably just saw people posting about BBUK and posted my own silly gag.

2016: BB17

Didn't watch. Don't know anything about it.

I wish I was a recation videos guy, because I just looked up this series and found out it launched the rise to fame of Andrew Tate!! Woah. First to be evicted, apparently.

In fact, omg - he's the first ever MAN to be the first evicted housemate.

2017: BB18

I weirdly DID watch this one, and I have no idea why. None of my friends were watching it. In fact, I'd forgotten I'd watched it until. I went to file my charts for the current season, BB20, and found that my folder included detailed data for BB18. I didn't just watch it, I kept my most detailed ever diagrams.

2018: BB19

Didn't watch this one. Who knows why?

A Welshman came second. I'm not even surprised at this point.

Pre-lockdown: BB1

Managed to get hold of this series and watched the whole thing. Really interesting to see it through modern eyes - how our values have changed!

2023: BB20

This one's on right now. I'm enjoying it a lot.

So let's recap my gaps - BB9, BB11, BB14, BB16 BB17, BB19. I'd enjoy watching some of these one day.

[popculturebuffet]

Thomas and Friends Season 3 Review (Comissioned by Lachiev): Bees, Escaping Death and Angry Reverends

Hello all you silly little engines and welcome back to my Thomas the Tank Engine Retrospective! For those new here yes this is a thing i'm doing and while the money is good, the real reason I do it is for those delightful bits of chaos.

Season 3 of Thomas the Tank Engine was a time of great change. For starters it took 5 years.. which is what the gap between my last venture bros reviews feels like, for a number of reasons: One was that producer Britt Alcroft, whose comapny took over most of the production, was busy making shining time station, an amiecan program that aired the first two seasons segments. The program also became a huge hit in Japan, which makes it coming up in the japan set Bullet Train as Lemon's faviorite show less waht the fuck… it's still delightfly weird that's this man's fascination.. though given i'm a grown man who was paid by another grown man to talk thomas multiple times, I could relate to him. The point is if you haven't seen bullet train watch it and the show took a bit. A lot of the crew also went ot work on Tugs, a show I never heard of but is apparently the darker and edgier thomas the tank engine, to the point instead of the engines just being stupid once in a while with the only real antagonists being the trucks an disel (and Gordon but I don't think that was intentional), there's an ENTIRE TEAM OF EVIL BOATS. As you can probably guess i'll be reviewing this for Lachiev at some point, possibly next time.

At any rate, things came together though weirdly despite the large gap not a lot changed; Most of the same models are used, the towns and what not are about the same: the only big change was that the faces are noticeably more expressive, having been reworked between seasons. It's only by a bit but it's easy to see. They also move more instead of just moving between frames.. the latter is still the primary way these chimera's function, but it's neat.

Another big change is Micheal Angelis replacing Ringo Starr as the narrator judging these stupid train children.. at least in the UK. George Carlin still had his priorties in order

Angelis is a fine replacement though and while it took me an episode or two to get used to him, he's a very useful narrator.

Finally this season relied more on original stories: while they'd done one or two in the past, most of the new books had new characters, which would require more momney funneled in the company just couldn't shill out yet. As such they wrote some stories. The Rev Baldry was not a fan of them, and while normally i'd side with a creator on this part of his problem … was a lack of realisim….

Yeah… look I get it: he tries to keep things grounded despite starring sentient trains whose inner workings are best left unknown lest we go mad figuring them out. But the story he got mad over.. is about Henry being fond of some trees , sad when they get knocked over and a storma nd them being replaneted. Like… how is that remotely unrelaistic? How is it MORE unrealistic than say the fact Trains still get scrapped in this unvierse despite being sentient? What i'm saying is maybe don't expect realisim from your series when you made the trains able to talk and have horrible fleshy faces. You made your horrifying hybrid being bed Rev, and you are lying in it. Granted i'm saying all of this about a man whose long past so i'm not sure either of us is well adjusted. Anyways, join me under the cut for more Stupid Train children, a jam related accident, near euthinasia, and trees.

Seasonal Stylings:

Not much to say I hadn't up above really. THey ad one or two more trains. I will say the switch to original stories actually.. helps the series a lot. It allows for more stories on the characters, gives thomas more to do, and the singled out because god knows why Gordon's Garden is a treat. This is a well written season. Is it that much diffrent? No, it's still clearly meant for young children and not for me, and most of my enjoyment as always is the absolutely weird shit that happens ever few episodes. But it's still a solid season of tank enginery and probably the best paced yet. So there's that sooo

Episode Guide:

A Scarf for Percy:

I won't be doing an image for EVERY episode as i'm limited to 30 now by tumblr, and I have to be careful. And yes it does indeed blow. Anyways the season start strong with this utterly baffling tail: basically Percy sees humans wearing scarfs and since scarfs are dope wants to wear one. Everyone mocks him for this and apparently god's solution for Percy daring to want to be remotely human.. is to make it so a bunch of jam and the Fat Controllers pants end up on him and he gets yelled at by his dad. Honestly this is the angreist and least reasonalbe i've seen the Fat Controller since the early episodes. I was half expecting him to also brick Percy away for always and always till he learned his lesson. But he didn't, so I guess that's what passes for character development in this show. Not half bad and the scarf solution is genuinely funny, if fairly telegraphed.

Percy's Promise:

Percy promises to take the children home from Sunday school. It's a ncie character showcase as Percy doesn't let a goddamn flood stop him. He also get ssome help from Harlod, the helicopter I forgot existed, who also drops hot tea for everyone percy included. Because these things drink now?

Time for Trouble:

Gordon gets a break because he's been working too hard , code for "His conductor needs a break from the smug bastard", so James and Toby take over. But some dick dosne't get that otby is part of the line so the poor guy runs out of water. I do really like toby, partly because he's one of the few members of the main cast to have a fairly unqiue desgin that isn't just a neat paint job, so I was happy to see him

Gordon and the Famous Visitor:

A famous engine visits and is a nice person.. and since Gordon is the worst, something I hadn't forgotten in my long stupid train children break, he has to one up the guy for not having a dome and get punished for his hubris because he sucks dirty ass in thunderstorms.. if not nearly enough. Like percy got yelled at by his dad, jam in his face and public humilation. Most gordon gets his is thing flying off and some light teasing.

Donald's Duck

So Duck is given his own branchline, the little western. Duck is the one who looks kinda diffrent…. he's happy about it but Donald, the engine who speaks in an impenatrable scottish accent isn't, and has his crew drop a duck in Donald's water tank. Donald adopts it as his son and leaves and egg for Duck. So thus Donald becomes the best, a new parent and still you know, has his own line while Donald just has an accent and a twin. Game set an dmatch. I love this one both for the pun and for involving a duck..

And i'm proud of it, so any donald duck refrence, let alone one this subtle and clever, deserves a nod.

Thomas Gets Bumped:

Thomas is Jealous over Bertie but has no need to be. This one sure does exist.

Thomas, Percy and the Dragon:

Percy is a dick to thomas and get shis compuance when thomas delivers a dragon for chinese new year. Another very standard tail but the model for the dragon float is really nice and I appricate they put in the work.

Diesel Does it Again:

Diesel is back bitches! And as Lemon taught us, Disels are not to be trusted. Though the Fat Controller's hands are tied in this case, as Percy and Duck need help and he's all the Controller could get. Naturally the guy with his own cool evil theme song's response.. is to be a dick, delberatley bumping percy then manhandling his trucks. While he's able to scare Percy and Duck into silence with the great captail punishment of "being called tattletales", he fucks up publicly by bumping some china clay trucks into the ocean. This destroys the clay.. though somehow not the trucks. Which I mean i'd get for real trucks but the Trucks of Sodor are living beings. I'd ask if they coudl drown.. but then I remmebered we've had a story or two at this point of the trucks being submereged in water and being fine to be pulled out so apparently they don't need to breathe or, being steam engines, can process the water as well as air. Trust me when just about everything about these trucks biology fascinates and horrifies me it's nice to have some confromation of their limits. Anyways Diesel is sent away forever again. Sure that'll stick given he has his own movie and everything.

Henry's Forest:

Henry's back! YOu remember him right? The one who was bricked away forever and always into being a useful engine? Good times. Anyways this is the one the reverened was mad about… though apparently it was for them not signaling and being too close to trees.

Yeah once again they have sentient trains and it's a very minor thing. I get he takes this seriously and I admire that. But this is being a bhit too anal rentive. While i'm fine with a children's show taking itself seriously and trying to have some sense of logic, being mad because they forgot to write a signal into an FOUR MINUTE SHORT or note that some trees woudln't be too close (Something Britt Alcroft even backed up as having scene and apparenlty does correct next season). Not everything has to end in misery man, just let these trains be happy. You bricked the guy inside a well man, let Gordon just be near trees. Back on the actual episode though.. it's my easy favorite of the season. It's a simple story but it's one of those nice cosy children's storybook stories: Gordon who again really needed this, likes passing by the forest. A storm knocks it down and I geninely felt devistated to see the nature torn down: Sure it's a set.. but it's still disheartning and seeing the fat controller do his part to have trees shipped in to help was really sweet. IT's a realyl nice little fairy tale like story, which is why i'm so defensive of it it's a simple, heartwarming story and a rare one for henry.

The Trouble with Mud:

This next one.. may also be part of why. Gordon is just unplesant and we get a whole episode about how he refuses to take a bath. It's not a bad premise mind, I just get tired of gordon: all of these trains fuck up sure but Gordon is just such a smug prick it's hard to like him or sympathize with him compared to the others, who are more like prideful teenage idiots who you can't help but love despite their flaws. Gordon is just an old man yelling at other trains about this not being proper. He's like Sam the Eagle without any of the charm or hilarity.

No Joke For James:

James lies or something.. I honestly have very sketchy memory of this one which happens when you watch 20 episodes of this show in close to a row it happens.

Thomas Percy and the Post Train:

Once I jogged my memory for this one I found it very fun: While as usual one of the characters is a dick, in this case Harold the Helicopter who mocks percy for being late with his post due to Henry taking a while, something the fat controller understands rather than brick up both forever, but the two trains end up having to deliver it again. It's also nice to just see another side of train deliveries nad what not on sodor and i'ts some nice little world building. Trust Thomas:

Bertie is mad at the trains for not delivering his tar so the roads wont' be so bumpy and thomas proves he's great by solving the mystery while james not so much as his bullying some trucks then playing sick… because trucks can get sick apparently? do they take giant things of cold medicine? Do they need giant thermometers? I NEED TO SEE A TRAIN GETING TREATED FOR A COLD SHOW. At any rate Thomas finds the tar and gets Bertie's friendship back. It's not half bad.

Mavis:

We get another disel added to the roster this time Mavis, though Mavis unlike the OG Disel, isn't a complete asshole, simply naive and egotistical. IT's also nice to add a female train to the roster instead of just thomas' coaches. Her issue is more reorganizing and not getting why messing up Toby's coaches without telling him would cause issues.

It dosen't help that as the train eviuqlent of magneto, Disel both tries to convince her of engine's superiority and to not listen to toby, casuing a diasaster when she accidently barrles through his line, with toby only helping because he has to

Toby's Tightrope:

Mavis is at it again, though it once again comes off more as youthful inexperince: she just wants to pull trucks, which is fair enough, but her manager is understandably pissed. Also Iwho is her manager? I thought the king of all trains was The Fat Controller. Anyways she tries to get some trucks to push her but they push toby instead, which ends with him having to tip on tha ttightrope, tip on it.. well something like that. But it does get a happy ending as Mavis realizes what she's done and helps toby, and gets to do trucks ocasoinally. IT's a nice little story and i'm really disapointed we don't see mavis again after this, as it was nice to have a Disel who wasn't even because the reverend and his son hate Disel Trains for some reason. Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party:

The Vicar has a garden party to fund a trip to the seaside for the underprivliged children. This is mostly just a fun side story letting Trevor have a turn and is part of why despite often having nothing to say, I do really like this season: it has a LOT more variety in characters, using at least every character brought into the cast at this point once compared to previous seasons which just sorta.. introduced them then often had them vanish. Trevor is also the parties main attraction for some reason… oh who am I kidding who wouldn't want to ride trevor.

Buzz Buzz:

It's episodes like these that make this whole experince worth it. Well that and Henry getting some trees. That was nice. But "James gets stung by bees for his hubris" may rank up as one of my faviorite what the fuck thomas the tank engine plots, up there with "Henry gets bricked in forever and always" , "one of the trains crashes into someone's living room", and "one of the trains gets lathered up by a barber".

Simply, James says he's not afraid of bees when Duck kinda is, and then has to deal with his words when a beehive breaks on the track. We get a rare bit of animation… as in they'v enever done this before and it looks gloriously janky as a cartoon bee STINGS james which somehow gives him a big red nowse, meaning his grey flesh is malable enough to get swollen

The train company tries nothing and their all out of ideas, then tries actual ideas, cumilating in James the Red Nosed Engine having to drive them back home. Sometimes the simple pleasures in life are just a grown man watching bees sting a train and wondering who thought this up and how many scoops of cocaine it took. But however many was just right. It was some really useful cocaine.

All At Sea:

This one is simple enough and involves the ocean, something I dearly love so i'ts nice enough: Duck sees boats doing a regatta and wishes he could go beyond his rails but a sailor breaking his hand tells him he's.. fine on rails. I guess. The moral makes no sense and comes off like "STAY IN YOUR LANE BITCH", but the setting is fun enougha nd i'ts nice to see Harold the helicopter again.

One Good Turn:

Okay now we're having some fun as the twins, Bill and Ben get into such a spat they end up face to face and both REFUSING TO MOVE in a contest of wills and the fat controllers patience, and forces them to work together by hauling BoCo's goods.. also I GENUINELY forgot BoCo both existed and was in this one. I mean it's nice they eventually went away from Disels are bad adn they shoudl feel bad as early as him, it just speaks to how many characters there are to keep track of.

Tender Engines:

Henry wants a tender and is punished for his hubris with really old tender. This episode sayign tender a lot really makes me want to watch recess.

Escape:

Another one of the seasons standouts and one that's generally as tense as it is fucked up: Douglas, the engine with a cockney accent. While his accent annoys me, he somehow dosen't cut the tension as Douglas has to help new addition olvier escape scrapping. Yeah in this world they STILL kill engines despite sapience, which was implied with toby but has somehow esclated from "the threat of death" to "HAVING TO SMUGGLE OLIVER ACROSS LINES, FOOL A CONDUCTER AND GET HIM TO THE SAFTEY OF OUR HEROES. " His crew is obviously on board with this but like.. why woul dyou kill engines? Just put them in a museum or something. THeir living beings. At any rate the ending is happy and Duck gets a new friend, but it can't wear off the novelty. That said.. this episode was truly excellent being as I said tense, something I never thought i'd say about this series but here we are, and heartfelt and the rusted design for oliver is truly unerving. THe poor guy

Oliver Owns Up:

Oliver gets a big head after everyone promotes him you know.. escaping imminent death. THis one.. isn't the best mostly because maybe the "punished for his hubris plot" dosen't work when the person acomplished something genuinely impressive and praise worth and deserve a tad of a swell head.

Bulgy:

So it's time for one last new character, as we meet Bulgy

Bulgy is a double decker bus and also a gordon level asshole who belives all rails should be torn up, but unlike Oliver who didn't really deserve being punished for his hubris, Bulgy does as he outright STEALS duck and oliver's passengers and then gets caught in a tunnel to learn a lesson for his train racisim. Good stuff.

Heroes:

A thrilling chapter in which Billa nd Ben mess up again, but then save some trapped workmen from a rockslide.

Not not that one… althought I now want to see X-men Versus Thomas the Tank Engine. Someone… please draw that if you do you get a free review.

Percy James and the Fruitful Day:

James slams into some fruit crates and ends up looking like he played Donkey Kong 64 multiplayer.

Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure:

Another delightful christmas adventure to end things off: Thomas and Percy help some villagers and are rewarded with their station being decorated lovely for christmas. A top not way to end the season

While it may not be apparent as sometimes this episode guide can be a lot to get through, this was probablyt he best season yet, mixing the usual stupid train children antics up in fun ways, and letting every engine get lots of screentime. The new additions also seemed less superfluous: Mavis is a wonderful new addition with a unique personality, Oliver had one hell of an origin story and while the worst Bulgy has both a unique design and serves as a nice evil counterpart to Bertie. All in all a solid season

Next Time: Either season 4 or boats. either way i'm happy to keep doing this. While the money is good i've become a fan of these stupid train children and look forward to their continued stupidity for years to come.