#i was going to reduce the haterism by saving this for after i watch the tour movie

[jakeperalta]

upon reflection from my eras show I have three criticisms: 1) WHY was long live cut and but daddy I love him added. if there's ever a time for songs about loving your fans not hating them it's when you're sharing a room with like 80k of them?? 2) mastermind is the dead weight of the setlist, the archer deserved to stay instead! 3) the worst part of the show is the standing ovation after champagne problems I'M SORRY but it felt soo forced like a spontaneous prolonged crowd response at an emotional moment is lovely but it just felt like "and now is the allocated time for me to just stand here and look surprised whilst you all cheer for several minutes" and it dragged

[mahoushoujotechsupport]

ok episode 13 time folks

my little gay heart can't take this with lauda being ranked at having better odds than sabina

this little twink

spiderman pointing meme

i feel like the first 2 suits in this battle royale duel are the only cool looking ones lolz

i also can't believe how we got trolled by that 2nd cour trailer and everyone thought everything in it was at least a few episodes worth of footage and instead it was just this fuckin duel suletta blew through in like 5 mins lmao

i don't want to waste too much of the post image limit on the OP but can i just say how much i love these two shots? like when i saw the episode i couldnt stop thinking how cool the grassley girls look in this frame lmao

also will admit i wasn't like super into slash for like the first 2 eps and now i can't decide if i like it better than shukufuku

handsome suletta has entered the building

i will never forgive them for including this shot in the OP... after the OP silhouette of eri changed to actually show eri, i was so fucking convinced at some point the OP would update to pan up and actually show notrette to us

it's kinda nuts that earth house were the ones to step up after the 2nd school shooting later on when right before the school festival and in the aftermath of the plant quetta attack theyre all so traumatized over everything that happened

remember when everyone thought this was gonna be a pantsuit and all the fanart that got drawn of miorine being handsome... yea we got a fake out but she wears a pantsuit later on and timeskip miorine is handsome as hell

ha ha sure glad we don't live in a world where corporations can have say in military matters......................................

these lesbians

no mask prospera spotted and shes sitting down

sorry prospera haters, but it's true

this little goober trying to comfort nika-nee is the sweetest thing ever lol

just dropping this here to go along with miorine's line to prospera that suletta couldn't stop shaking from how scared she was to ride calibarn

the next line in this scene is also suletta p much saying she was able to gather strength to go save miorine because of her mom. i don't think it'd be wrong to say she was able to do the same piloting calibarn although it wasnt just for her mom but her whole family, including miorine

lmao i know dara materials is just one of the front companies shaddiq made up but i'd love to know whatever backstory he made up for them

suletta....

and honestly how bad is asticassia's vetting process? i totally forgot nika's backing company isn't real either. which in retrospect, yeah duh, makes sense

the entire sophie montage is really amazing and on rewatch feels so depressing tbh

initially, i found sophie a little annoying if i'm being honest but thats because i don't like characters who get reduced down to HAHA I LOVE DOING EVIL THINGS... which is not at all what sophie is about once we get to the next episode. she's a victim of capitalism doing it's thing

regardless of went down from this point forward, nika was always gonna play the martyr, which i still think is silly, but honestly out of all the things i have a gripe with in the 2nd cour this like one of the lowest things lmao

i wonder if this was just meant to be a throwaway line or not cuz like yeah... you're not gonna talk your oppressors into being nicer to you lol

suletta doesn't even know how cool she can be sometimes huh?

this line still cracks me up... suletta, sweetie....

norea up in the pharact like sophie cmonnnn

ending the episode on cool suletta again

also mannnnnn remembering watching this ep the day it came out and this scene with red birthmark starting up was so amazing lmao i was kinda iffy on the song at first because it felt kinda whiny? idk what other word to use because i'm not really a music person... i definitely don't feel that way now and if i had to describe it to someone right now i'd say it's a very emotionally-charged song. it's honestly one of my favorite anime endings both the song itself and the actual ending animation

legit one of my favorite frames from the whole ending sequence and i'm so happy to know that this is confirmed to be made to look like calibarn and not aerial in this shot lol

like this literally is one of the most gorgeous anime endings i've ever seen lmao i don't think i'll ever stop gushing about it

cmon look at them

literally cannot believe to this day there are miorine haters or people who think miorine didn't care about suletta enough. miorine's possessions were literally taken away as we see later on when lauda gives everything back to her... but here she is, holding on to cool-san and just longingly staring at this stupid ugly little keychain

i didn't fully mind the sulemio separation arc... but god, i hated that for the first like 3-4 eps all we get of mio are these post-credits minute or two long scenes

all i'm gonna be able to think about while watching this whole cour is what could have been if bandai weren't stupid lol

ok might do episode 14 in a bit, but now i wanna go listen to red birthmark lmao

[my-mt-heart]

I maybe in the minority here but i would be glad if when Daryl leaves Carol stays with Judith and R.J.

People are saying she's not a babysitter she's supposed to be bad ass and not reduced to her role as a mother and thats not the point in my opinion. You can be a mother and bad ass (Michonne, Maggie, Rosita?.. hell, Carol??.).

There's nothing wrong with being a mother and there's nothing wrong with not being one.

But in Carol's case, her keeping Judith would be a nice call back to when she looked after her with Tyreese (its already a nice call back now but it woukd go furher) plus it would prove that, unlike what carol haters say, not every children she keeps with her end up dying (because we knoow the kids are gonna survive to reunite with Rick, there's no way it doesnt happen), this would allow Carol to reunite with Rick too and for Rick to be (once again) forever grateful to her... caryl would reunite coz of course by then if Rick is there Daryl is too...

It would make her bond with Judith stronger and i was hurt when i realised she barely saw here during the time jump in s9, so much she was not sure Judith would recognize her. Like what the hell? Rick is one of her best friends! Complicated relationship yes, but still best friends! So im glad that she's taking care of Judith and R.J now along with Daryl, and for her to continue after Daryl leaves would make sense.

And Carol loves children. The only reason she was cold towards them (like Sam and Henry too at first) was the fear or getting attached and losing them (and, well, news flash...😑).

You're right that mothers can still be warriors, and I do love watching the rare Carol and Judith interactions knowing how far they go back with each other. A callback to The Grove, where she saved Judith, would be amazing.

The issue for me is keeping Carol stuck on the same cycle over and over again. Like Lydia told her in 10x16, she's capable of being more than everyone's mother, so I want to see what that looks like. Ideally, it's getting the chance to chase her own happiness, which of course involves Daryl, but it also allows her to discover new parts of herself that she can love as much as Daryl does.

[kuekyuuq]

I have to ask...

Where do the anti-supercorp people get the idea from that Lena Luthor is xenophobic?

Are we watching the same show?

I can see how one does not like Lena.

I can see how some of Lena's actions can be considered irredeemable.

I can see that her family was/is xenophobic.

I can agree she made some horrible mistakes in judgement.

Canon told us:

Lena was fired by Lex from LuthorCorp because he thought her naive about her pro-alien stance. The same brother who analysed Lena since she was four. 

Lena was horrified when Lex tied her to a chair and made her watch his attempt to kill Superman by turning the sun red

Lena came to National City in hopes to work with Supergirl (an alien)

Lena actively re-branded LutherCorp to LCorp to get rid of the anti-alien stuff and everything else people connected with the Luthor name

Yes, Lena created an alien-detector, but her intention was one out of ignorance (of the backlash this could cause), not of hate - when Kara much later explains the potential bad the item could cause, Lena is very much listening

Lena helps Kara on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Kara, so Kara can investigate and write articles to dismantle anti-alien organisations (e.g. Veronica Sinclair's fight club, Cadmus)

Lena helps Supergirl on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Supergirl, so Supergirl can dismantle anti-alien organisations

Lena actively seeks to dismantle Cadmus - the anti-alien group - even before Lena started suspecting Lillian to be involved

Lena schemes against Lillian to use Medusa to kill all aliens on Earth

Lena testified both against her alien-hating mother and brother

As soon Lillian told Lena about Lex' former facilities, she starts looking into them - they are well hidden, so it does take her a while (and by this date in the show, she may still not have unearthed all of them) - and dismantles many of them / continues to give Kara/Supergirl information about them (e.g. when Kara asks Lena for tech to find missing aliens, Lena offers to look into L-Corp (= former LutherCorp) database to search for anything useful for that particular cause

Lena encourages Kara strongly to find a way to warn all aliens about the alien registration manifest being leaked - she inspired Kara to "blob"

When Lillian finds out Lena is pro-alien and helping find the abducted aliens, she has her goons try to scare her off ("nothing permanent" - the goons accidentally threw Lena off her balcony...) - even her own family sees how non-xenophobic Lena is

Lena sacrifices Jack (her former boyfriend and still potential romantically involved one) to save Supergirl (the alien) - and (rightfully) blames the human woman, who controlled Jack, for it

When Lena suspects and confirms Rhea to be an alien, she cuts ties with her - because Rhea lied to her, not because she's an alien

Lena starts working with Rhea (confirmed alien) again - to help aliens who "weren't as lucky" as Rhea's people and to further and better Earth technologies; reduce environmental damages by infrastructure / good transports / traffic.... only to be betrayed by Rhea.

Lena learns Mon-El, Kara's boyfriend, was Daxamite and has zero issues about it

Lena has no issue with Sam being half-alien, but with the Reign-half being a huge menace to Earth, so tries to stop her and save Sam

The DEO kept Kryptonite in case any of the Supers went rogue - like Batman and Oliver Queen kept theirs - Lena kept and created Kryptonite and Harun-El to ...cure cancer; to fight against sicknesses, to use as a clean energy-source, to... do good things

...yes, she lied about it. But, her not-so-wrong reasoning was "if I tell, they will take it away. If they take it away, I won't be able to do good with it."

Lena rather had Supergirl drop her than chemicals that could have harmed thousands (human and alien)

Lena becomes quick allies and friends with Brainy (admitably, in many ways he's more AI than alien...) and befriends Nia later on, too

What else does Lena do with her stash of Kryptonite and the knowledge she gained from it? When Mercy & Otis Graves irradiate Earth's atmosphere with Kryptonite, Lena already has created an anti-Kryptonite suit for Supergirl and the fact it’s already at hand saves Supergirl’s life!

That's only up to season four... 

Yes, Lena did shitty stuff in season five. Arguably, for the right reasons, but ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’...  But were any of those things xenophobic?

The problem she has with Kara in season five is NOT because she’s an alien - but because she felt betrayed, personally. Rightfully so? Eeeeeeeh.... while it surely must have hurt to learn your best friend lied to you and played two personalities, at times taking advantage of it, too - which, let’s be honest, Kara did - Kara did have her reasons (initially), it IS selfish for Lena to assume the worst and take the fact itself so personally.  But, everybody lives in their own world, I am sure - dear few readers, who took it upon yourselves to read this monster of a post - we can agree, that we all judge the world and others based on our own perceived reality, based on our own experiences, emotions and circumstance, whether we try to be better than that or not...  I’d even make the argument, Lena is more upset with her intimate friend “Kara” (whom she shared her most intimate thoughts and feelings with) having lied to her, than with “Supergirl” taking advantage of her. Being played, Lena can deal with, but trusting and seeing that trust shattered... low blow. Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, the only time Lena uses Kara being an alien against her, is when she uses and reworks the Fortress of Solitude's already existing settings to trap Kara in there for long enough for herself to get a head-start on getting Myriad to work (how else was she supposed to achieve that?).  Myriad, which she wanted to use to STOP hate, including racism (xeno-cism?). Brainwashing everyone is most certainly a veeeeeeery misguided approach, but the premise of ending all hate and the resulting pain is very much like the notion of "praying for world peace" - just that Lena got sick of praying and decided to actually go ahead and do something about it ((again: notion good; (attempted) execution horrifying)).

Even Lena trapping Malefic was to that very end. She trapped Eve (human) as well on that line of thought. At the least, she offered Malefic a deal to his liking as payment...? Eve on the other hand.... 

If anything, Lena is people-phobic. She has a hard time trusting anyone, remains suspicious to a fault. ...she did effectively kill Eve on Earth-38, though, by over-writing her with Hope.

Kara forgave her aunt, who came just as close, wanting to use Myriad for very similar purposes - and then forgave Lena, eventually, just as much. The difference being, Astra died. We never got to see if Astra would have actually stopped her plan, convinced Non, and/or would have aimed / worked hard to redeem herself...

In the same episode, where Lena's attempts with Myriad failed (and Hope took the fall) Malefic, who had tried to murder multiple people as part of his revenge against his brother (and had targeted Kelly for a while, too) was set free by J'onn and sent to Mars to do good there.

The whole of National City forgave Supergirl (and her potential for going bad and for her causing actual destruction) only a week after the redK incident...

All that said:

1) Lena lied to Kara and played her. Sure, Lena felt betrayed and from her point of view, with her set of experiences and her own preexisting many traumas and (very bad) coping mechanisms, it was... well, understandable... or at least traceable. But, forgivable? That's ultimately up for her victim (Kara) to decide. And, apparently, she does forgive her. Not easily. But she does; understands both sides, evaluates, listens to others, observes the remorse, and makes her own decision / judgement... which is (initially, tentative) forgiveness.

2) The show is REALLY BAD at dealing with characters' actions’ or events' consequences. Period. There is no real consistency, 'cept that things don't have real repercussions. That is how the writers decided to write the show from season one on. If the writers think Kara forgives Lena and show it, then that's that.

3) Every time I read the notion that Lena was/is xenophobic, I can't help but wonder if anyone who claims such even watched the show.

4) Lena is not her brother. She's flawed. She makes mistakes. But for once, Lena and her character are suffering the consequences. That may not enough for the liking of Lena Luthor haters, or anti-Supercorp taggers, but it is what it is - and it is much more than most any actual bad guy had to suffer through. Bad guys with evil intentions, (mass) murderers, people (alien and human) that rationally caused lasting harm and/or trauma to their victims.

5) Lena is not xenophobic.

Kue out.

[tsukikoayanosuke]

(Temporary) Final Thoughts of Pomefiore Arc

Since this is my official first-time experience of playing this 'live', I haven't read the translation fully. So, I'll probably re-doing this after reading/watching everything.

Essentially what I like and what I'm mixed with.

I will first address something that has been bugging me since early update. And that's about the delay. Now, I'm not going to talk about the actual delay, but the reaction. Lots of people complaining and blaming the staff and just... Guys, give them some slack. Do you know what happens when you rush production? You'll get something like Frozen 2, where they had to edit so much stuff in just 6 months before the release date because of the failed test screening. As someone who once made an RPG, coding is hard, especially something massive like Twisted-Wonderland. Sitting in front of your computer for six hours straight, coding and beta testing over and over, making the OST, scripting, voice acting. This is a massive group project and it can't be rushed even if you want to unless you want it to be glitching so bad like the Ghost Marriage incident (or was it Fairy Gala?)

Especially during this pandemic and all its protocol. My parents are professors and even they don't go to campus every day, instead, they use zoom to teach and for work meetings. I barely go out from my own house except for physical therapy and volunteer work, which usually once in two weeks because we take turns. Are you saying the staff must risk their health just for a gacha game? Guys, they might be a professional, but they are still human. Cut some slacks. Be grateful we haven't gone into absolute development hell. Yes, the Halloween event was big, but Pomefiore Arc is part of the Main Story, of course, they will give extra care compare to filler event (which might be created in the first place to give them more time in Pomefiore Arc development, which is why we don't get any Christmas event)

On to the story, I don't know how to rate the scale, but it might be slightly lower than Scarabia Arc. Can you really compare a school talent show to a rebellion? Also, in paper, this should be more light-hearted than the four arcs before it.

However, the lack of stake didn't reduce the content quality. From what I remember, there is not a single chapter that can be count as filler, from Yuu's befriending Mickey, the understandably training arc, Vil's unique magic, Deuce and Epel bonding, and the actual VDC (but I do think the tour around the campus with Riddle and Trey was a bit boring)

Also, slight worldbuilding. We finally see Sage Island in its full glory and found out RSA is a freaking Disney Castle and on the same island!

This also gives us possibly the longest rhythm game, plus chibi Jamil rapping. There's just a lot of singing in this episode, which is understandable.

I appreciate Yuu finally taking notice of the Great Seven dreams, which I hope we can get more of this and actually do something with this and not just Disney Movie references, which later in the Episode shows Yuu sort of connecting their dream and Vil's poisoning attempt.

Speaking of Vil, he's a fantastic character. Okay, I aware that we can't like all characters, there will be haters anywhere. But it seems like Vil is hated a lot because he's 'arrogant' and 'only care about beauty'. Guys, he's not Jeffery Star. This Episode shows Vil as someone much more: a hard worker, passionate in acting, and a great teacher. I always see Vil as the more mature of the cast, the mentor. And he's also basically bullied when he was a child. "TV told me how to feel" as they would say, and children believe everything they saw on TV, so of course they would see Vil as the villain. It's also interesting, as someone mentioned earlier, how Vil is a foil to Leona, where Leona just gave up, Vil doesn't stop and keep striving, and that's an admirable trait. He just wants to get the protagonist role for once and break the norm.

Another character that I like is the new combo, DeuPel (Deuce and Epel). I should've known that they will be bad boy buddies with one trying to get away from the past, while the other wants to embrace it but can't at the moment. The shouting moment at the beach is wonderful despite I haven't read the full translation. Separately, Deuce shines so much with his willingness to learn. Meanwhile, Epel finally respecting Vil and all the training is probably one of the best character development so far.

Why one of the best? Because Kalim has great character development. How he grows to be more mature in this Episode really warms my heart. Again, I need to read/watch the translation to appreciate this more. The way he reassures Jamil to take the part as the main singer, but at the same time work hard to maybe get a spot as well is great.

Sadly, because Epel taking the spotlight as Deuce's partner, Ace was sort of underused. Same as Jamil, but sort of worse since he overblotted in the last chapter but has less development than Kalim. Rook also might seem doesn't do much, but he's more as Vil's support, which is why I kinda forgive him.

But, the highlight of this is probably our very own Snow White, Neige Blanche. Can I just say how much I appreciate that Niege doesn't have a dark side? He's a sweet boy and I just really appreciate that considering we're surrounded by a cast of not so great people, it's kinda refreshing to see someone just pure. The dwarves' design are also adorable, can't really say more since we haven't seen them in depth.

And since this is a School Festival Arc, all 22 students have a cameo. I know some people who are thrilled to finally Idia in the main story and to meed Che'nya again since Episode 1.

Unfortunately, Crowley proved to be useless again. When he finally appears in this final update I screamed: "SIR! Where were you?!"

Let's go back with Rook. What he did in the last update was definitely shocking. I knew something is wrong when he smiles after Vil's monologing. So this is the only time through the update I read the translation. And I sort of get it.

So, Rook and Vil's relationship should mirror how the Evil Queen and the huntsman. I mentioned above that Rook is Vil's support and I mean that. Rook and Vil's relationship is another level of prefect and their vice. It's just fascinating. Rook is just as reliable as Jade, but also not afraid to against his perfect like Jamil, also is not afraid to say something against his perfect, unlike Trey.

And it shows in this finale. Rook is always praising the beauty of things and Vil's hard works is truly a sight, but the way Vil unable to believe in himself, it clouded what is supposed to be something truly beautiful. Compare to Neige who is basically Snow White, the purest Disney Princess, there's just no way Rook would not pick RSA. I admit, I was pissed when RSA win, but when Rook started talking, I knew there was something more. And I finally found it. Rook's message is basically "believe in yourself", the most Disney-thing ever.

Saving the best (or worst) for last, I was terrified when Grim happened. We already guess that Grim is the same monster in the prologue, but I never thought it will happen so soon. The flashed of the monster and Yuu's carriage is also a point, but we have so little info that he can't pull a conclusion yet. Is this a timeloop? Is this a vision? This is the darkest ending we've gotten and I'm scared of what will happen.

Overall, Pomefiore Arc is an enjoyable Episode, definitely a step up emotionally. The cast are wonderful as always, the theme of hard work and believing in yourself are spot on, Vil's hero journey is great (I'll give more explanation soon). Great job, team.

[littlechinesedoll]

Long Apple rant. 

This is regarding an issue where the biggest reseller of Apple products in my country, does not want to replace a woman’s Macbook with factory defect, which arose within a month of usage. The MacBook in question is a MacBook Pro M1 bought in March 2021. She’s had a very terrible time with Apple support, and they kept her laptop saying they were waiting for parts, kept transferring it from one repair shop to another, and blamed her for not returning the laptop within 7 days (which is the law), when the defect only arose a month later. The MacBook still isn’t repaired and she still hasn’t gotten her MacBook back yet.

The issue I think, with the MacBook the PowerMac Center won't replace is not because it's out of the seven day replacement period, but because they literally do not know how to repair the MacBook. The new MacBooks probably have zero reparability. Also because PowerMac Center has shit customer service. Feeling Apple Store. 

I had an Acer laptop break down three months before the warranty expired. Went to Acer in Paco, Manila, told them the problem, and left my laptop there. After about a day or two they said the problem was the motherboard. They replaced it and I got it back a few days later. Replacing the motherboard is like already giving you a new laptop. And they didn't charge me anything. I took it back about a month later to have it cleaned out just before the warranty expired. Didn't charge me anything. Easy as pie.

If "Apple Geniuses" in the US or "engineers" here in the PH knew how to fix your defective/broken MacBook, they can give it back to you in no time. But they don't know how to fix it, because Apple designs these machines to be as difficult to repair as possible, or impossible to repair, so that when it breaks, you have no choice but to buy another one. They do this by soldering everything in, using proprietary screws so that you can't fix the device yourself, and serializing parts so that you can't use them to repair other devices. They said they're waiting for parts from Singapore. These parts probably don't even exist. I don't even think they produce parts in Singapore. The company that manufactures parts for Apple products are both in Taiwan. 

If you want to know more about how Apple Products have shit reparability, please visit the following people on YouTube: Louis Rossmann, Hugh Jeffreys, and Jessa Jones from iPad Rehab. Please support Right to Repair. 

There has been news that Apple is claiming it didn’t hit targets because people were having their iphones repaired instead of buying new iphones (read it here: https://www.apple.com/.../letter-from-tim-cook-to.../...) 

And then when you go to Apple Genius Bars to have your Macs checked out, they’ll overestimate the repair for your laptop and just tell you to buy another one because it’s too expensive to repair it, even if the actual repair just takes shoving a good connector back into its slots.

Louis Rossmann is a person fighting for Right to Repair and he despises Apple to his very core that his mission is to fix every MacBook he can get his hands on just to spite Apple ahahaha I love him. 

Here are some of his videos: > Here’s a video from cbc news where they consult Louis after going to the genius bar “Genius Bar caught ripping customer off ON CAMERA” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XneTBhRPYk&t=1s

And another girl being ripped off by the Genius Bar saying they can’t repair her laptop, when the problem was they just didn’t shove the battery connector back into the motherboard well enough: https://youtu.be/K1A9y4S60kg

Jessa Jones from iPad Rehab also has been repairing and retrieving data from iphones that genius bars/apple centers claim cannot be retrieved or saved: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPjp41qeXe1o_lp1US9TpWA

Also check out Hugh Jeffreys who fixes iPhones and shows you that iPhones serialize parts so that you can’t have parts replaced on newer iPhone because the phones disable themselves when new parts are placed in https://www.youtube.com/user/hughydo

I’m NOT that much of a hater, because I use a MacBook and an iPhone for work, and an iPad for personal use and media consumption, and I’m a cheap fuck so I’ll never really get my own mac or a new iPhone (I have an iPhone 6 Plus) but these practices are insane. 

But I get why people use it. It “feels premium” and “is designed so well” and “the ecosystem works so well with each other across all devices” and of course, “I look so cool using it.” I also acknowledge that Apple has made considerable leaps and bounds when it comes to technology and their ecosystem, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's shit. And they keep competitors on their toes (also burning them to the ground when they enter a new market—bye Tiles), but holy shit these practices, man. 

Apple also claims that they're going green right? But if they don't let you repair and they don't repair their devices, what happens to all the other broken devices? That all goes to a landfill. They want to go green and save paper by not giving you a charger in the box? Well it takes more boxes and more plastic when you buy that charger either from them, or from an online store. It takes more boxes, more plastic, more bubble wrap, more gas!! More emissions!! To deliver that charger to you!! THAT’S NOT GREEN AT ALL. Just because they're "reducing their footprint" doesn't mean it's going be the same for everybody else that's fulfilling their jobs to get the thing to you, the user.

There was an issue where they sued a disposal company for repairing and reselling all the working iPhones they gave to them to destroy. Why destroy something that can be repaired or still used? Granted they have the right to sue cos the disposal company didn't do as asked, but why would they have all those working devices destroyed? Because they don't want you to repair your Apple device. They want it to stay broken so you buy a new one. You can read that here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../apple-geep-iphone.../

Basically, Apple still wants control over the device you bought from them. It’s like saying you buy a car from Ford, but you can’t use tires that aren’t from Ford, because if you do use tires from Bridgestone, the car won’t work. And if you bring the car to Ford, they’ll say they can’t fix your tires, so you have to buy a new car. That’s fucking stupid.

some more stuff on right to repair to help you understand it: 

MKBHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTbrXiIzUt4

Linus Tech Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvVafMi0l68

Louis Rossmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npd_xDuNi9k

Also a video from Linus Tech Tips where Apple refused to fix their iMac Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-NU7yOSElE

[mvdeanw]

Fair warning: Long Rants.

You know that there are people who didn't watch SPN for the shipping; we cared about the two humans' story,  the Winchester brothers fighting evil supernatural creatures. We cared about their pain, losses and trauma. Yes, I am a Dean girl, but one of the things I loved in Dean was his love for Sam. His devotion and loyalty to his friends. He was willing to die on the spot to defend the ones he cared for even if they didn't always return the favour. We can't mourn because everyone devaluated our feelings.

1) "You are sad because you are a shipper."

2) "You are sad because you hate Sam, or Castiel or basically everyone because you are a hater if you rant about the finale".

3)" You can't accept the finale because you are delusional about the finality of the Show. "

4) "You clearly don't understand that the show is dark. It isn't about the happy ending you dream of."

5) "You dislike the finale because you forget how Sam is the main character. It was natural for the show to ends with Him."

6) " Because you cared only for Dean you refuse to see that he had to die to release Sam."

7) "You apparently forgot the facts: Dean got his happy ending! He wanted to die."

8) "There was no other way, Dean had to die because he never could give up on hunting."

9) " Dean had no dreams, he never wanted a family, Sam always wanted to quit."

10) "  You hate the finale because you forget that it is about the two brothers and it ended perfectly with the two of them."

11) Dean died stupidly because Chuck wasn't protecting him anymore, and also you don't respect the cast for all their years on the show.

1-2: I'm not a hater or a shipper. I watched the show for the plot and cared for each character. The ending mistreated them all. But Dean got the worst ending.

  3-4. I have watched the show since day 1. I cried like a baby when they announced it would end. But I had the time to accept the unavoidable pain. I made my peace with the end of the series; I was ready to say goodbye to see them all dead. I had no illusions.

5. When the show is about two brothers, it's only fair to see them both as the main characters.  I loved them; I love how they managed to overcome so much and stick together. It saddens me when people belittle Dean in such a way. He was an essential aspect of the show and the story. If it weren't for him selling his soul for his brother, Sam would not be alive.

6. Well, yes, I absolutely refuse to see that he had to die to free Sam. To free him from what exactly? Sam was happy with their lifestyle. He could be free since the time he left Dean in Purgatory. But since then he changed his prerogatives. Dean was important to him, enough to take on the trials, enough to get Charlie killed and to free the darkness to save him. Sam's motto was " I need my brother! I will save him or will die trying! "  He could have been free and not look for Dean when he become a Knight of Hell. He could be free when Dean wanted to be locked away with Michael to save the world. Sam didn't let him go. Sam loved Dean, and he wanted him to be happy, not dead.

7-8. Dean never believed that he could get a happy ending, not that he didn't crave one. That's the main difference. He got the end he was always afraid is waiting for him. Dean did accept Sam to go to Hell and him to quit hunting, and he exactly did that. If it weren't for Season 6, Dean would have his rewarding happy ending way back then. He let go of his life for Sam, and to save the world. He didn't wanted to go through another painful episode as he did, when because of his feathered friend's betrayal, Crowley kidnapped Lisa and Ben, And Castiel instead of helping him tried to blackmail Dean that he will look for Lisa after he agreed to stay behind him and his plan to crack the Purgatory. Dean wanted to quit, but he wanted to help others, so he kept on doing what he was best of. Because he cared, he was not selfish. He didn't wished for either wealth or power. He wanted peace and freedom for everyone.

9-10. Dean did dream about a peaceful world without monsters, about the beach; he wanted to be a father. Sam a long time ago said he's happy with their life. In s15 he said he doesn't dream of the apple pie life anymore. And the show didn't end with the two brothers; it ended with Sam. To get their perfect circle to the pilot SPN reduced Sam and Dean to their version of themselves that was non-existent after 15 years. The men in the barn were not the boys from the pilot. It felt utterly detached from the whole Road So Far. Sam is not doing anything to save his brother. Castiel, who's supposed to be alive and much in love with Dean didn't show up to save him, Jack who everyone's claim to be his adoptive son and the New God didn't show up to save him.  Dean's Death was random and silly; it was inglorious. It was a preventable accident.

11. Chuck never did protect Dean! From 4 years old Dean had to learn to fight, to kill, he watched everyone who he ever cared about to die and to leave him. He was tortured in Hell. He was a fighter, a strong and righteous man. Chuck wasn't protecting him; he only watched him suffer. It had nothing to do with Dean's death. Dean didn't become a lesser version of himself in the end. He had years of experience and practices in fighting evil. Yes Chuck did take away their extra luck, but they got that back, so to watch him die like a stunt double number 3 was disturbing. I respect the cast, and I love them for their dedication all these years. I can't even express with words how grateful I am to Jensen for giving me the best ever fictional character! I'm so thankful for his brilliant work; he made Dean real for anyone who loved him. I'm just sad that no one listened to him about the ending. And I'll be carrying my love for Dean, but precisely because I cared because I loved the show and the characters I can't be happy with that ending.  And it's nothing to do with shipping or hate. It's just sadness. Let us mourn; we the non-shippers got nothing from the finale.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 219: Two Good Boys and One Unlucky Broker

Previously on BnHA: Katsuki and Shouto had their licenses for all of 30 minutes (literally) before deciding to put them to the test. But let’s backtrack a bit! It was a beautiful snowy day in December and class 1-A was chilling out and watching the news. We were introduced to a company called Detnerat, and their CEO who’s apparently a big fan of this dead terrorist guy named Destro who wrote a book about quirk supremacy and how people with superpowers need to rise up and liberate themselves and shit. It’s actually really interesting and I can see how these ideas would create a divide within hero society much like Stain’s ideology did. But anyway, so the CEO casually murdered his assistant for mocking these ideas, so that was deeply horrifying. And then he went to meet with some other villains (because yeah! he’s a villain, apparently!) who are apparently descendants of Destro (as is he, I presume), and they talked about how they’re gonna arrange a meetup with the League of Villains so that they can FUCK THEM UP. Plot twist! Anyways and then we cut to some hapless citizens who were being robbed by some banditos, and that’s when Katsuki and Shouto showed up as previously mentioned. So let’s see how this goes!

Today on BnHA: Katsuki and Shouto take on Soda Sam (who I really did think was Aizawa’s old buddy for much longer than I’m proud to admit though), who fights back with some pressurized water jets. All Might saves a stupid Instagram lady and Katsuki saves the both of them, and also recovers everyone’s stolen wallets, because he’s a fucking boy scout now that the provisional course is over. Meanwhile Shouto whips out the ol’ hot+cold power combo of sports festival fame and knocks the villain out. Afterwards the two of them are enthusiastically congratulated by a pro hero called Slidin’ Go (who’s secretly evil, as it turns out, because this is a very strange arc) and hair ruffled by All Might and it’s fucking great you guys. We then cut back to the Detnerat guys, who bring in Giran, a.k.a. the League of Villains’ black market broker who just so happens to have balls of fucking steel. Good thing too, because the DetCEO plans to use him to track down and lure out the League so he can take care of them. Lastly, we cut over to said League, whose members are currently in the process of having their asses handed to them by Gigantomachia and are really not looking too hot, oh dear.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 225 -- I haven’t read 226 yet -- so any ETAs will reflect that.)

so it’s come to this. the Symbol of Peace, reduced to directing traffic

listen kid, you’ll have time for autographs later all right? for now just DO AS THE MAN SAYS

meanwhile Shouto’s being a badass

Bakugou may be out of his element in the cold (and we’ll see if this poses a problem for him--he’s only got one gauntlet on top of that), but this lil lukewarm lad is fine and dandy

loooooll

you tell ‘em Shouto. that’s some nice property damage there son. I hope Katsuki tries to keep his own quirk contained, the last thing we need is you guys getting billed Mt. Lady style for destroying fucking main street here all of 25 minutes after getting those licenses laminated

(ETA: I guess he didn’t actually do any lasting damage though? hopefully nothing got flood damaged when he melted all of that afterwards.)

the title of the chapter is “go! sliding go!” which sounds like fun. sounds like more icy goodness

(ETA: why did they name this chapter after the weirdly unsettling and secretly evil THE FULLLLLL BULLPENNN hero, though?? my working theory is that it was Horikoshi’s way of ensuring we wouldn’t just immediately forget he existed so that we could be properly surprised when he returned a few chapters later.)

anyway so Aizawa’s cloudy friend is shaking off the ice, and now he’s chewing the boys out for fucking up his big purse-snatching operation

all that for a handful of wallets?? seriously??

LMAO

I don’t know if it’s that I’m becoming more like him, or if he’s just becoming more like me. but either way Katsuki you gotta get out of my head there kiddo, I’m starting to worry here

by the way is it just me or is he actually higher up than he was just a few seconds ago. are you actually climbing this thing. drunk on adrenaline or what

anyway so Kumo, who may or may not actually be him but we’re just assuming for now, is explaining that he controls carbonated water and he lives for thrills. his words. not mine

okay first of all, no you don’t. fucking no one in this series has more resolve than that lil monkey slowly inching his way up towards that traffic light there

and second, you spent a whole goddamn month planning a purse heist. where the fuck did you get these airs you’re putting on dude

wow you guys

I feel like we should be placing bets not on whether Baku and Todo will win, but on how long it’ll actually take them. I’m thinking not very fucking long

(ETA: this whole thing is wrapped up within ten pages. I could have literally have been present on the scene, said to myself “my what a lovely snowy day, I think I’ll go buy myself some hot chocolate,” ducked into the Starbucks on the corner, and it would have all been over by the time I stepped back out. “you missed it!!” shouts the excited ‘it’s All Might’ kid from page one. “there was ice and explosions and this stupid lady almost got All Might crushed with a pole!”)

MY DUDES WHAT IS THIS??

SIX IN ONE GO. THIS HIGH SCHOOLER IS THE FUTURE NUMBER ONE HERO I’LL HAVE YOU SUCKERS KNOW

AHHAHAHAHAHA

I’M LOVING IT. I’M LOVING THIS. FUCK ‘EM UPPPPP KATSUKI

WHERE’S THAT RESOLVE OF YOURS NOWWWWW

holy shit. it occurs to me that this is only the third time in the series we’ve actually seen him fight real villains. and the second time was at Kamino, and he was pretty much just on the defensive there and trying to keep them all at a distance, so it’s debatable whether or not that really counts. so basically this is the first time since USJ that he’s gotten to just let loose against a bunch of mooks. and I’ve only just realized how much I wanted this omg

apparently he wanted it too lol. also I’m surprised and extremely impressed that he can control his trajectory that well with only one arm. gives me hope that Shouto’ll be going airborne like his pop any day now

anyway so Kumo? is fighting back though

watch out Katsuki he’s got seltzer and he’s not afraid to use it

okay but damn though

is this fucking seltzer water slicing through this metal lamp post??

I just took a brief break from reading this chapter to go look up “water saw” videos on YouTube to try and get an idea of what exactly we may be dealing with there. and well, I found this. so uh. depends on what kind of firepower that thing on his arm is packing I guess. but he might be more trouble than I anticipated

meanwhile!

ALL MIGHT LET HER GO IT’S NATURAL SELECTION

FUCK

IF THIS STUPID LADY GETS ALL MIGHT KILLED IN FRONT OF THESE TWO BOYS WHO WERE SO GUNG-HO ABOUT FINALLY GETTING THEIR LICENSES, SHE BETTER PRAY THE GATES OF HELL CAN PROTECT HER BECAUSE I’M GONNA GET ME SOME FUCKING BOLT CUTTERS AND FOLLOW HER DOWN THERE MARK MY WORDS

OH THANK GOD

oh my goddddd

first of all, whew. and second of all I’m so glad Horikoshi let him have that moment, rather than Shouto. just in case there were any lingering haters out there thinking his heart still wasn’t in the right place and that the only reason he was all TEAM RESCUE, BITCHES in the previous arc was because he wanted to win

and I mean, he did, obviously. but IT CAN BE TWO THINGS, and now we have a nice little moment here with him rescuing his dad (whose body moved before he could think, AS USUAL) and this stupid lady who put her Instagram above her own fucking life

meanwhile

okay Shouto you have my permission to kick his ass

yeah go ahead and fuck him up

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

PETITION TO PUT SHOUTO IN “GUESS I’VE GOT NO CHOICE” SITUATIONS MORE OFTEN

wow not!Kumo, he is literally the worst possible opponent you could have had huh. sucks to be you

lol Katsuki’s mad that Shouto got to be a badass

they’re getting along so well now. Shouto completely knows how to handle him, he’s like a Kirishima 2.0. he just completely ignores the fact that Katsuki is shrieking insults, and responds as though the questions were phrased normally

and Katsuki actually answers him despite everything. I know it’s crazy, but this is seriously progress

now Dad is running over to make sure they’re okay

“oh, All Might. didn’t see you there. we were just out here being heroic heroes. [stretches casually; yawns] all in a day’s work”

at least he didn’t reference his kidnapping! Kacchan’s protesting but really that’s the best he could have hoped for

so the dude’s asking if they did all of this and uh, yeah. who do think they are, amateurs? I’ll have you know they have provisional licenses, sir

did this motherfucker just pull 13 fucking wallets out of fucking hammerspace to hand over. Link?? is that you??

holy shit. is that why your pants were always so baggy?? WERE YOU JUST BEING PREPARED THIS WHOLE TIME

so not only did Katsuki not destroy so much as an inch of public property (aside from the pole which was already destroyed), he even had the forethought to rescue everyone’s wallets and hand them over to the authorities like the good law-abiding citizen he is

where the fuck is Gang Orca, I need to send that man a fucking fruit bouquet or something

oh my

new favorite panel alert

so this guy, whose name is apparently Sliding Go, says he’ll take care of the rest. okay. thanks man

meanwhile definitely!not!Kumo!mybad!sometimesI’mwrong’s little jet nozzle gauntlets are... exploding??

Detnerat? possibly??

good eye there Sherlock

so I wonder if they got them from Detnerat or from that black market guy the League’s associated with... Giran? I think is his name??

oh shit!!!

new new favorite panel alert

love how Shouto seems shocked at the unexpected gesture of fatherly affection (which hurts my heart. hey All Might you got room for a third son there), whereas Bakugou is just accepting it and probably even knew it was coming and is just trying to keep his cool and trying to calculate how long he can stand there basking in All Might’s pride before it starts to look like he’s actually enjoying it

sdflkjasldkj

SWEETHEART USE YOUR WORDS

Shoutooooooooo. ;_; that little smile is killing me, I’m melting. once the initial surprise wore off he was so happy. look at him shyly fumbling with his tie oh my baby I love you so much

oh to be a fly on the wall of that taxi cab. watching the two of them sit in the backseat as far away from each other as possible and looking out the window and being so pleased with themselves after all their hard work finally paid off. and meanwhile All Might in the front seat next to the driver, peeking at them in the rearview mirror and smiling softly

also fly!me would definitely try to sneak a peek at Katsuki’s fucking hero license because HORIKOSHI COME THE FUCK ON ALREADY WHY IS IT ALWAYS SECRET AFTER FUCKING SECRET

and I guess that’s that! a very satisfying fight that lasted all of 10 pages but had several cool moves, an opponent with a cool quirk, and several character development moments! that’s how it’s done! god this series has been fucking killing it lately I swear. I hope I’m not jinxing it but this is some good shit. the artwork and pacing are great, I’m liking the new plot so far... just, keep it up, Horikoshi, please

(ETA: for real though he is crushing it)

so now we’re cutting back to the ol’ villain corporate office in Gotham City or wherever

ah, so it was Detnerat!

well I can’t say this is a huge surprise. I imagine the villain market was too tempting to pass up

!!!

I swear to god this had better be more entertaining than the last League of Villains team-up

so now this dude with the shiniest, most luxurious hair I’ve ever seen is explaining that he worked fast because DetCEO told him “do so at once” and his words are the words of Destro

damn so there’s a pretty clear hierarchy here huh

OH SHIT

THAT’S FUCKING GIRAN. THAT’S THE DUDE. WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO HIM?? FIRST A MURDER IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER AND NOW THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS’ FAVORITE BROKER IS GETTING FUCKING TORTURED BY CORPORATE THUGS, WHAT THE FUCK. ARE WE IN FOR ANOTHER HARDCORE ARC

(ETA: indeed we are, but this one is so much better though.)

careful, he’s sensitive and clearly not afraid to kill a bitch for less than that, Giran

!!

“the old man”?? is he talking about DetCEO’s father? or his? surely he’s not talking about AFO?

so now President Why So Serious is asking him how much he wants

and Giran is all “I happen to be picky about who I do business with, and since you all just kidnapped and beat the shit out of me, I’m inclined to say ‘no’ here”

(ETA: Giran is a stand up guy and it cost him a fucking hand. well that’s the risk you run when you work in the criminal underworld I guess.)

holy shit Giran

RIP Giran 2015-2019

but damn though, I gotta hand it to the guy, he’s got a bigger pair than I ever expected

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

okay so I’m just gonna post the whole page and break it down

GIRAN IS FUCKED. THIS GUY IS A MANIAC AND HE’S LEGIT GONNA TORTURE THE INFO OUT OF HIM HOLY SHIT

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, AGAIN

GIGANTOMACHIA IS FUCKING INSANE

AND HOW DID HE GET SO BIG

AND IS COMPRESS FUCKING DEAD. AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BEST VILLAIN GIRL TOGA OMG

SPINNER IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO REVEAL YOUR QUIRK AND HAVE IT TURN OUT TO BE REALLY BADASS IT’S NOW BUDDY

DABI AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU WERE OUT PLANNING NOUMU SHIT WITH HAWKS AND NOT DEALING WITH THIS UTTER SHITSHOW

IS IT JUST ME OR DOES TOMURA LOOK A LITTLE BUFFER THAN BEFORE? YOU BEEN LIFTING BRO

HOW AND WHY DID THEY GET TO THESE CLIFFS IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, GIGANTO YOU’D BETTER WATCH IT, BECAUSE TOMURA MORE THAN LIKELY IS TRYING TO THINK OF A WAY TO BEAT YOU WITHOUT KILLING YOU, BUT IF HE DOES DECIDE HE WANTS TO KILL YOU, YOU’LL BE PRETTY HARD-PRESSED TO STOP HIM DUDE

oh my god. this is three awesome chapters in a row now. BnHA is killing it, seriously

[wheresmynaya]

Two Ghosts Ch.11 | Brittana

Hey guys! So sorry for such a long wait. Uni is back on and I’m not great at multitasking so thanks for your patience and I hope you’re still interested LOL. Here’s Ch.10 if you need a refresher first!

             Santana spends the short car ride home trying to understand what the hell happened back there and vows to keep her cool in the future because this isn’t the same super confident, smooth talking, badass she had become in New York. She’s an adult and she should be able to resist Brittany’s charm by now, not turn into the same fumbling mess she was reduced to growing up.

             At least, she hopes.

             The driveway is empty as Santana pulls up which means Maribel must be on a night shift and she has the entire house to herself. She rushes upstairs and quickly turns on the shower then tosses her duffle at the foot of her bed before bending down to retrieve the button Brittany made her. She admires her work once again and can’t help but smile at how their friendship has evolved since their talk on the bleachers. Being friends again with Brittany is something she’d never expect to be at this time just a year ago, but as she sets the button down in a safe place on her desk, the button Brittany hand-made her, Santana is reminded of why that is.

There at the corner of desk is the picture frame she upturned ages ago. As she stares down at it, her heart clenches and she feels somewhat guilty for leaving the frame faced down for so long. One picture shouldn’t carry so much meaning and it shouldn’t have such an effect on her, but it does so she just stares until the steam from the shower slowly escapes from her bathroom. She blinks away her thoughts and goes to scrolling through her favorite playlist on her phone and turning on the Bluetooth speaker on her dresser.

She’s not going to let her thoughts ruin her night, not this time.

So she sings her heart out in the shower and wraps up in the fluffiest towel she has before moving to her closet to decide on an outfit. Considering that it’s well into Autumn, Santana should probably consider something a little warmer but that really isn’t her style. She opts for a simple red cotton dress with a deep V-neck line that hugs all of her curves perfectly and pairs it with her trusty black knee-high boots. She lays everything out on her bed before moving to dry her hair and start her make up.

She’s pleasantly surprised that she’s nearly ready when she gets a text from Quinn saying she’s on her way to pick up Brittany now who is just minutes away from Santana’s house. That is, if she’s still living at home with her parents? Santana realizes there’s still a few things she and Brittany haven’t really talked about.

She adds the finishing touches to her make up and admires her work in the stand up mirror set up next to her closet. She honestly feels a little scandalous for the outfit choice but at the same time, she doesn’t really care. She’s still young and hot and she’s going to dress like it, even if she’s technically a teacher.

But there is one important thing her outfit is missing. She walks over to her desk and delicately picks up Brittany’s button before returning to the mirror. She hesitates with deciding on the right placement but it’s like she’s drawn to the left, just above her heart. As she fastens the button, she fights the urge to over-analyze the decision.

Quinn pulls into the driveway shortly after and Santana takes one last look at herself before heading out.

“Uhm, you do know this is a school function right?” Quinn teases as Santana slides into the backseat. True to Quinn’s fashion sense, she wears a thick, deep red cardigan the button Brittany made her pinned to her left, over a white blouse and light grey jeans.

Santana rolls her eyes as she buckles in, “Don’t be a hater, Q, you’re the one in the grandma sweater.”

Brittany just chuckles from the passenger seat. She’s wearing a faded red, oversized cable-knit sweater, her own button pinned to her left side as well and her blonde hair curtains her face in semi-damp waves.

“Hey, don’t be mean. I like Quinn’s cardi. It’s cute.�� Brittany comments and pats Quinn’s shoulder before twisting in her seat to wink at Santana, “But you’re outfit is super hot too.”

Santana’s eyes go wide at the compliment, she hasn’t heard Brittany say something like that about her in literal years so she can’t help but freeze at her words. Miraculously, Santana goes unnoticed as Brittany twists back to turn the volume up on the radio.

 \\

               The parking lot is already hitting capacity when the girls arrive but they manage to find a spot near the back fence. Food trucks line the sidewalk heading towards the entry and as they begin their walk over, Brittany’s already scoping out who has the best food. There’s a slight chill in the air and Santana’s already regretting not bringing a jacket, but she’s stubborn and likes to think that she can pull off a cute dress in any weather so she suffers in silence.

Although she is a little relieved when Quinn points out a spot on the bleachers that isn’t too far away from the actual bonfire. They settle on the steps and fall into their usual routine of people watching, except some of these people are girls from their squad and their significant others and it feels a little weird judging them.

“So, has anyone else noticed how close Maddy and Alex are?” Quinn says quietly as the two appear next to the bonfire.

“Yeah, there’s something definitely going on there.” Santana agrees, still withholding their little janitor’s closet secret as if it’s some unspoken former closet gay girl code.

“Do you know something?” Quinn pries but Santana just shakes her head.

“Just sensing with my physic Mexican third eye.” Santana shrugs.

“That’s not a real thing,” Quinn chuckles and turns to Brittany, “What about you, Britt? Seen anything out of the ordinary?”

“Yeah, I’ve walked in on them in the locker room like twice already.” Brittany answers casually.

Quinn’s jaw drops and Santana bursts out laughing.

“And you’re just now telling us?” Quinn gasps, “What did you do? What did they do?”

Brittany shrugs, “I wasn’t going to have a whole birds and the bees talk with them, that’s just weird. I just said sorry and left. Honestly, they wouldn’t even know I was there if I hadn’t bumped into the towel bin.”

Santana continues laughing as Quinn looks as scandalized as ever.

“Who even does that in there?” Quinn says and scrunches her nose in disgust, “It smells like mold and dirty towels, so unsanitary. You could catch something just being there.”

“What? As if you never hooked up there after practice or whatever,” Santana teases.

“Yeah, the smell isn’t that bad, you kind of get used to it.” Brittany adds.

Quinn shakes her head, “No way, it’s too weird. I always thought Sue had the place bugged.”

“I never thought about that..” Brittany pondered quietly, “Sue was into some weird stuff.”

“See?” Quinn says with the wave of her hand in Brittany’s direction.

“You really took its all about the teasing and not about the pleasing seriously, “Santana jokes and it makes Quinn roll her eyes.

“Shut up, did you ever?” Quinn asks and Santana finds her smile slowly fading.

Santana remembers those days after practice and everyone else had left so it was just her and Brittany. It started with just sharing a stall because the showers really are kind of gross and Santana had bribed the janitor to do a deep clean of the last stall and no one else was allowed to use it except Santana. But then she caught Brittany attempting to shower in a different stall and she couldn’t imagine the germs and all sorts of diseases Brittany could catch, so they started sharing. Then one thing led to another and hooking up in the shower after practice became their special thing, because back then being in such close proximity like that was way too much to for either of them to handle. There was no way they could act anything but innocent.

When Santana blinks, she finds Quinn staring at her with her head tilted to the side. Brittany is blushing slightly, but that could just be from the cold, as she pulls in the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. She looks at Santana sheepishly and it makes Santana feel oddly guilty. They spent so much time hiding what they were when they were younger and it makes Santana wonder how different their lives would’ve been if they would’ve just told the truth earlier. Would they have been happier? Would they have lasted longer?

Santana realizes she’s falling down a rabbit hole of regret and clears her throat instead, choosing to fake a smirk.

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell, thank you very much.” Santana says, trying to throw Quinn off but instead Brittany’s the one that looks perplexed.

Santana looks to her as whatever Quinn grumbles mixes in with the background noise. She can’t really interpret what Brittany’s thinking and it makes her wonder if she’s messed things up again. But was she supposed to say Brittany was the only one she ever hooked up with in the locker room or continue to keep that a secret as well?

“So is anyone else starving? I’m starving, how about we get some food?” Quinn says a little louder, “I’m thinking a burger. What about you guys?”

Santana just bites on her bottom lip and looks deep in thought as she stares at the dancing flames of the bonfire.

“Uh, I was thinking nachos but I don’t think I could finish it all.” Brittany begins then nudges Santana’s shoulder, “Wanna share?”

Santana looks away from the flames and finds that perplexed look is gone and blue eyes look hopeful this time. They used to share everything all the time, even before they were dating, and it eases Santana’s nerves a little that Brittany’s asking to share now. Another baby step in their friendship.

“Yeah, sure. We can share.” Santana smiles softly and you’d think by the way Brittany beams back that Santana just made her whole day.

“Awesome.” Brittany says and moves to stand up, “How about I go order and you guys save our spots?”

“I can go with you?” Quinn offers but Brittany shakes her head, “Well here, let me give you my card.”

“I got it.” Brittany replies as she’s already heading off then says over her shoulder, “I owe you for lunch from the other day anyway!”

Quinn just smiles and shakes her head, “Has she even changed?”

Santana smiles softly as she watches Brittany get further away, “Not too much, I guess.”

Quinn nudges Santana’s shoulder with hers and she refocuses on Quinn.

“I’m glad things between you guys are okay again.” Quinn says, “It’s too weird to think of you guys not being anything to each other. We’ve all known each other for so long, we’ve been through so much.”

Santana just nods as she looks back out at the bonfire, “That’s true.”

Quinn studies Santana and frowns a little, “You guys are okay, right?”

Santana really thinks about her words and wonders. Things aren’t how they were five years ago, but they’re better than what it five months ago and maybe this is as good as it gets? Or maybe they’ll have another falling out and in 5 weeks they will be back to not speaking? Or maybe they’ll be in love and together always?

At this point, who knows?

So Santana nods and says, “We’re okay.”

Quinn nods too and they both stare at the flames until Brittany comes back with a takeaway box in each hand. She pumps them in the air triumphantly as she gets closer, a proud grin on her face and it makes Santana and Quinn giggle.

Leave it to Brittany to break the girls out of their deep thoughts and over thinking.

“A burger for you,” Brittany says as she hands Quinn the box then settles in the space between her and Santana, “And nachos for us.”

Brittany balances the box on her knee as she flips open the lid, steam from the melted cheese and ground beef flood Santana’s senses and it makes her stomach rumble.

“I talked my way into getting extra jalapenos too,” Brittany says as she divides the napkins amongst them, “I know how much you love them. Or loved them? I probably should’ve asked before I did it. Do you still like them?”

Santana smiles bashfully, “Yeah, I do. Thanks, Britt.”

Brittany grins back and goes for the tortilla chip with the most cheese. They sit like that for awhile, periodically trading gossip they overheard from the squad and general people watching, and it’s nice. Santana’s missed being able to just hang out with Quinn and Brittany without anything heavy looming over them.  She missed when things were easy.

Santana and Quinn are in the middle of teasing Mr. Schue for his flannel/vest combo choice as he dances with Ms. Pillsbury by the bonfire when Brittany shoots up from her seat.

“I love this song!” She says excitedly and reaches for Santana and Quinn’s hands, “Let’s dance!”

“I don’t know..” Quinn sighs as Brittany grabs hold of Quinn’s hand and pulls her to her feet.

“Come on, you too.” Brittany says but Santana’s are wedged under her thighs for warmth, but Brittany continues to hold out her hand anyway.

Santana eyes the hand and she itches to take it, to let Brittany whisk her away for a dance by the fire, but she’s frozen. The little voice in the back of her mind whispers for her to stay, that it would be a bad idea, that this would confuse things. But her heart says it would be fun and dancing is innocent. At least, this kind of dancing is innocent, a dance with friends.

In the end, Santana shakes her head and says, “No, you guys go. I’ll watch our stuff.”

She knows she has chosen wrong from the slight twitch of a frown on Brittany’s lips, but it quickly disappears and Brittany nods instead.

“Okay then,” Brittany says and Santana watches as she and Quinn dance off together towards the flames.

Santana smiles softly as she watches the two blondes twirl and sway amongst the students and other faculty, all laughter and toothy grins. She wishes she could be that carefree but she gets so caught up in her head and that ruins everything. But in a sense, there is one thing she’s able to do just as freely as Quinn and Brittany dancing without anyone judging her and that’s admire how beautiful Brittany is when she thinks no one is watching. Maybe she shouldn’t think that way about her friend because friends aren’t really supposed to think like that, but in this moment, while she’s alone and she’s able to silence that little voice in the back of her mind, she allows it.

Afterall, it used to be one of her favorite things to do and she guesses that maybe it still is. Sometimes Santana finds Brittany’s beauty so overwhelming: the way she moves so effortlessly as she dances, the way her blonde hair flows through the air as she twirls, the sparkle in piercing blue eyes, the way her cheeks bunch as she smiles after landing a move, just her overall presence is breathtaking.

Santana shivers as a chill dances up her arms but she can’t tell if it’s from the Autumn air or Brittany. She tucks her hands further under her thighs and squeezes her arms tight to her sides for warmth although her skin is covered in goosebumps.

She goes back to watching Brittany and Quinn but it’s only minutes later that she spots someone she wasn’t expecting to be there walking towards her.

Sam Evans.

[minishprincess]

love at the first cucumber || lee minhyuk fanfiction

↳ a story about a coward Minhyuk and his guardian

pairing: lee min hyuk x reader genre: fluff, fluff, more fluff, smut, and fluff word count: 3089 description: minhyuk hate cucumbers, but for his luck, a guardian send from the god saved his life. (a bit more dramatic than it really is lol) author's note: this is my 2nd ff kay, don't blame me

"eXCUSE ME MISS".

A boy runs over to you, definetly not happy, and smash his tablet with a hamburger on your counter. You flinch and look a bit surprised.

You work at McDonalds. Yea, not the best job, but enough to live a normal life as a normal girl in Seoul. You are happy with your job, not just because you love food, especially fast food, and you can have everything you want on your shifts, also because you also meet many funny but also some strange people. Like our angry little client now.

"W-Whats wrong Mr.?", you ask confused, looking at him with a kinda "wtf" face. There are many costumers which have to complain about things like 'why is there ice in my cola'. MAYBE because you never said that you don't want some, smackhead. Yea, you can be a kinda asshole to your clients. But this one acts kinda cute.

"There are CUCUMBERS on my Burger!", he complains with a cute-angry face. You look at him and start to giggle a bit and the boy looks a bit lost, don't even know what to say. "Minhyukie, you just can't be that mad at her because of this-!".

Another boy shows up behind him and looks very embaressed of his friend, smacking his neck. "But its a Cucumber!! cUcUmBER! A cucumber on my Hamburger!!!!", he demonstrades, folding his arms on his chest, totally convinced that your plan was to poison him. You laugh a bit. He is funny and looks cute with his curly blonde hair, even if he's mad af at you.

You have to overthink the situation. "So, you don't like cucumbers?", you giggle and he nods mad. So, you just look at the hamburger, open it and take out the cucumbers, throwing them in the trashcan. "Better? No cucumbers anymore on your hamburger dear cucumber-hater!", you smile warm and the Boy, named Minhyuk, nods statisfied. His little hamster friend behind him look so annoyed of Minhyuk. You have to blush a bit, cause Minhyuk start to smile a bit and take his Hamburger back.

"I-I'm so sorry that he made a scene 'cause of this", the other, short boy with hamster-cheeks, says embaressed. "He really don't like cucumbers". You smile and shake your head. "It's okay! There are other clients with weirder clomplaints, so this is harmless!", you giggle and look at your cash. "Also it's my fault, he told me that he don't want cucumbers on his burger, but I forgot to write it down to the kitchen!", you explain and bow down a bit. "I'm so sorry that I try to poison you with cucumbers!", you laugh and wink at Minhyuk. He laughs too and you wave while they go back to their seets.

After a few hours your shift ends and you clean up everything. You take the trashcan to take the trash outside. You look at the cucumbers you throw there after Minhyuk was definetly convinced that cucumbers are the pure evil and you throw them away for him. You laugh and think about Minyhuk again. He looks so cute and beautiful. You caught yourself thinking about him the whole way back to your apartment.

You throw your clothes and bag on your bed while turning on the TV. You make yourself ready for sleep while listen to some music-channels. You brush your teeth while a K-Pop song turned on and you think that it's kinda cool. You never really heard k-pop because you are more into rock and metal stuff but this song caught your attention. You go back to your bedroom to put on your pajama while looking at the tv-screen. 'Monsta X - Rush'. You watch the video a while. Someone ther eis similar to you. You literally sit 1 cm away from the screen while thinking about where the fuck you know this one boy there.

You blush a bit. The cute cucumber-hater is a K-Pop Idol?

You crawl under your blanket and take your phone to google Mihyuks name.

You wake up. It's 9.48 am. You look at your phone, try to remember when you fell asleep. You remember that you download a lot of Minhyuk pictures and Monsta X songs. The whole morning you couldn't think about anything else than Minhyuk. You blameyourself. 'Why do you already fell in love with a boy you kinda just know since a day'. You go to your wadrobe and put on your work-outfit. After that you go to your bathroom and put on some makeup.

After you're done with everything you put on your shoes and go to your work. You make your cash and everything done and start to work. The whole day you're hoping that Minhyuk will come here again, so you could ask for his number. Okay, you don't think an idol would give you his number but you really want to know him better. It's already 11.50 pm, you shift nearly ends. You already clean your cash and make the trash done, as suddenly someone run into McDonalds, clearly annoyed. You look at him. You know is face but you can't get from where you know him. He looks at you. Suddenly, he jumps over the counter and hide under it. You look pretty surprised and confused. "C-Can I help y-" you try to ask but he put is index finger on his mouth to signal to shut up. A few seconda later some girls run into the Shop. You look more surprised and then it makes click in your brain. You smirk. "Can I help you?", you ask and the girls like you don't know what they want. "We're searching for I.M from Monsta X and we saw that he runs into McDonalds! So WHERE is he?!", the kinda fangirl shout at you and you look as annoyed as I.M as he runs a few minutes before in the store. "Well, maybe you could reduce your volume because we still have some costumers here.", you say with a serious face. The girls are as stubborn and obstinate as a rock. "We don't mind that, we just want to find him!!!", another girl shout. "Well, I didn't saw anyone runs into the store the last 10 minutes so I'm sorry for you. Maybe you should respect some privacy and stop follow and stalk some people just because they're famous. SO make your way outside now please if you don't want anything to eat."

The girls look at you, defiently scared because of your hard and serious speak. The girls go back out of the store. "Childish smackheads..", you mumble and the Boy who is still hidden under the counter jump up and he bow down in front of you. "Thank you so much..:", facilitate sigh. You smile and go back to clean the counter. "No problem, such disrespect is just not okay for me", you say and he nods. "As they said, I'm I.M but you can call me Changykun!", he say and smile. "Y/N, nice to meet you! Soo you are a friend of the cucumber-hater?", you giggle a bit and Changykun laugh. "Ahh you are the cute worker Mihyuk told about before!". You get blush and look at him surprised. "H-He told about me?". "Yea yea, he said that there was this cute worker at McDonalds, who protected him from the bad bad cucumbers. Kihyun-hyung just said that you were extremly nice to him, even when he acted like a 4 years old." Changykun tells you while you just get totally blushed. "Y-Yea, he acted kinda cute, so I just had to protect him from the pure evil". You both laugh and he gives you a paper. "That's his number. Just write him who you are, he will be happy", changkyun say. "B-But I just can't write him without permission!", you demonstrade and he smirks. "You know, Mihyuk definetly need a girlfriend so this is going to be okay", he say and makes his way out of the store. "Wish you all the best, Y/N-noona!".

You're laying in your bed, the paper and the phone in your hand.'Should I really write him?'. You lay there for about an hour before you finally get yourself to write him.

---------- T I M E S K I P ----------

So, it's a few days later, you and Minhyuk wrote MUCH the last 3 days and you finally got your shy asses down, so you both have a date tonight. You are happy like kid having birthday. Thank the dear Changykun-Armor. You stay in your wadrobe, don't know what to wear. He only saw you in your worker-outfit yet, so you want something more feminin. After kinda hours of thinking, you dress yourself with a black skirt, a black pullover and some black overknees with some balck boots. after that you go to your bathroom and doing your black hair. Well... You love black. It just fits to e v e r y t h i n g. After you're done you put on some pafume and finally start to go to the restaurant where you want to meet. Of course it's a fast food restaurant, because you were never one of this "I have to go to the expensive restaurant" girls. Besides that, you love fast food, Minhyuk loves fast food. So you go to the restaurant, Mihyuk already waiting for you. As soon as he sees you, he jumps over to you like a exited little kid. "Hello Y/N!~", he giggle at you and you get a bit blush. He's even more cute than before. You hug him for a greeting, don't know if he's okay with that, but sas soon as he hug you back, you feel comfortable.

He take your hand and you go into the restaurant. You have a lot of funny and cute conversations while you wait for your food. You both ordered you burger, because that's the food which kinda brought you together. He always have this cute face and thid incredible cute smile and laugh. As soon as you finally get your food, you start to eat.

Suddenly, you stop Minhyuk. "Minhyuk-oppa, stop!", you shot a bit and he looks at you confused. You take his burger and open it, to take away ome cucumbers which you saw as he wanted to bite. "So, now you can't get poisoned", you giggle and give him back his burger. he laugh cute and give you a kiss on your forehead. "Thank you my dear cucumber guardian!". You both laugh and the whole evening was just funny cute and awesome.

As soon as you're done, you both go out of the restaurant. It's already dark, so Minhyuk consist about to bring you home. You get blush, as always when he does some cute actions. He take your hand and you both go to your apartment. You talk and laugh together. You caught yourself getting comfortable with him. You take a litte detour to spend some more time together. In a small park, you sit down on a bank, not much light there. You cuddle yourself a little near to him. You still talk but the atmosphere get a bit more quiet. You're about to tell him something, but you caught him staring at you for a long time. You can't see much of him instead his smile and his bright eyes. You look back, stare in his beautiful eyes for a long time. You feel his hand on your waist and your cheekbones turn warm. His face gets near to yours and you feel yourself burn inside. Your heart thromb hard.

You close your eyes. Slowly feeling his breath on your rose lips. You claw your hands a bit in his jacket. Slowly. Really slowly you finally feel his warm and soft lips on yours. Your breath stock. You kiss him back, with so much love in it, you can't believe ou fell for a man within such a short time. The kiss turn into a really romantic and passionate kiss. Slowly Minhyuk take you and sit you on his lap. He press his chest aginst yours and the kiss begin to be more wild. His tounge start to press against your lips, so you open your mouth a bit. He sticks his tounge in your moth, with so much care and love. The kiss turn a bit sloppy and dirty, but still with care and love. He really pay attention if this is really okay for you. You slowly solve from him with a fast breath and some spit still connect your mouths together. You can feel a bumb between your legs. As soon as you realize that, you get nervous and blush but also really exited and turned on too.

You stand up and take his hand. "Maybe you want to sleep in my bed tonight?~", you giggle a bit and he get a bit blushed too, but nod and smile at your suggestion. You walk along with him to your apartment, open your door and turn on the light. "Feel yourself home, it's not that special and big, but I like it!~", you explain and put off your shoes. "You want something to drink?", you ask him, but as soon as you turn around, the lights go off again and you feel Minhyuks chest on your beck, his arms around you, press your body against him. "I really want something different..", he whispers with a husky deep voice in your ear. You get goosebumps all over your body as soon as you feel his hands wander under your pullover, touching your boobs underneath your bra. You wheeze a bit and claw your hands in his arms. "I-I'm sorry, but you are really just beautiful Y/N...", he say and kiss your neck. He slowly open your bra without any trouble and put off your pullover. You get a bit embaressed cause this is truely your first time. He looks at you and smile warm. "You really look so beautiful.. ", he start to kiss down your neck, over your boobs, stop at your nipples and softly start to lick them. You slowly get turned on and hide your hands in his hair. He suck softly at them, the whole time having his attention to you. You moan a bit and tug his hair. "M-Minhyuk-oppa...", you wheeze and he slowly put a hand under your skirt. He start to rub carefully on your clit, as he would know that this is your first time. You get even more wet and he start to kiss you again. You kiss him back, but this time the kiss turn dirty and sloppy a bit faster than before in the park. He carefully lift you so you wrap your legs through his hips. he press you against a wall and kiss you more, still rubbing your clit. You feel his erect member against your womanhood. You slowly start to move your hips a bit against his dick and he wheeze a bit. "B-Babe..". You get tooo turned on of his voice. He start to pull out his trousers and his underwear, pressing his raw member against your panties under your skirkt. You moan and claw your arms around his neck. For your surprise, he moans a bit and pressing his chest against yours. It's dark, so you can't see that much but he looks at you with this sexy face. You totally fall for him. "I-I don't have a condom..", he say, a bit embaressed, but still sexy. "I-It's okay, I'm on my safe days", you smile at him and his worried face turns into a smirk. He slowly pull down your panties, press you back against the wall and slowly start to rub his member against your wet womanhood. You moan at him.

Slowly he press his member into you. You moan loadly, trying to be a bit quiet. "O-Oppa!", you moan and he breaths very hard. "F-Fuck Y/N.. y-you're so tight...", he moan and stop. "L-Let me take a minute, I didn't expect that...", he wheeze and you nod. 'Maybe should have sayhim that I was a virgin before..', you think, but as soon as he start to move you forget that and moan. "M-Minhyuk!", you moan loudly, not able to control your volume. "B-Baby..", he moans in your ear, start to move faster. You get turn on by his moans and scratch his back down.

You both are a moaning mess, but you enjoy every second of your first time. You slowly start to feel a bit numb and you feel that you're near. "O-Oppa.. I-I have to..", you moan and Minyhuk start to move faster and harder. "M-Me too..", he wheeze, and start to move really hard and fast. You can't control yourself anymore, moan his name loady and bite his neck. A few thrusts after, you finally come and press his body against yours, moaning in his ear. A few thrusts later, he thrust it as deep as possible and spill it all into you. He moans loudly as he come and press you hard against the wall. You stay in this position a few moments. Your breaths hard and exhausted. He slowly carry you down and smile at you. "T-That was amazing..", he says and start to kiss your face a few times. You giggle and you get up to clean yourself together with Minhyuk.

You lay in your bed, your arms around Minhyuks waist. He fondle your hair and have the biggest and happiest smile like a kid. It's just a few days, but you just fell in love with this boy so much.

"I-I have to tell you something..", he start a conversation, obviously worried and embaressed face. You look at him. "T-This was my first time..", he says, hiding his face in your hair. You start to giggle. He looks at you. "W-Whats so funny?". You kiss his forehead and whisper in his ear. "Mine too~", you say and you both start to laugh. "I-I know its just a week we know each other but it's like I found my soulmate~", he say with a calm voice and you smile at him while your cheekbones get warm again.

"I think we should thank the cucumbers for bringin us together!~", you laugh and he looks disgusted. "I would never thank a cucumber..", he grumbles and you smile really bright.

"I think it was love at the first cucumber~", you say and kiss him. Slowly you both start to fall asleep in your arms, with a bright smile on your faces.

[h50europe]

Hawaii Five-0 thoughts - I wanted to wait until the season is over but I couldn’t help myself as I have so many thoughts in my mind and at some point, they all wanted out. Forgive me for this verbal diarrhea. 

Where do you go to, my lovely?

I was pissed when they came up with Danny talking about retirement. I felt it was not a good idea. His character has deteriorated over the years, and the retirement talk didn't help at all. And I wondered what this trash talking was all about. Soon, we should learn that Danny already had a plan for his retirement. He wanted to open a restaurant. At first, we thought it was cute when he opened up and told Steve about it. We also thought it was cute on their rally through the jungle with a bomb strapped to the bed of their truck. Last but not least we couldn't help but smile when Steve came up with the idea to call the restaurant Steve's shortly before the bomb was about to explode. And we finally laughed out loud when the bomb exploded, and Steve's and Danny's hearing was impaired due to the blast and Danny said, "You can't name a restaurant Steve's." And Steve was close to tears and so full of joy that he thanked his friend from the bottom of his heart because he had considered it.

So far so good. This was back in season 7. Before season 8 aired PL was gushing about the upcoming events and what he had planned for it. With two main casts leaving there was room for a reboot of the reboot. Two new members were found shortly and also almost every character on the show that practically guest starred from time to time was upped to recurring. I remained skeptical but was totally open to giving it a try. I was still open for anything when PL babbled about the restaurant. Though I had my doubts, and here I have to quote Uncle Vito:

"What the hell are you guys thinking, anyway? Open up a restaurant; it is a terrible idea. And then into the fact that you know nothing about the business because if you did, you would know that it is a fulltime backbreaking grind just to squeeze out a few bucks of profit. Not something you do on a side like a hobby because you think you know about a thing or two about good food. Any schmuck who watches the food network thinks he's an expert. But you're not special. You're not even average. And when it comes to stuff like this…you are terrible."

That said, I could not agree more. What still bugged me were PLs remarks about that plot in TV-Line's interview from August 2017:

“It’s a longterm thing,” Lenkov affirms. “And who knows — the way they’re sort of going at each other, and given their different points of view with regards to building this business as something to retire into, it may never even happen! Because it’s just one hurdle after another.” - Lenkov

But in success, I suggested, maybe the stage can be set for a workplace sitcom offshoot that would cause less wear-and-tear to Alex O’Loughlin’s famously weary joints? - TVLine

“Yeah, down the road,” Lenkov responded with a laugh. “Many years down the road. Season 15!”

As much as I love Alex and as much I want him to do less action stuff, a sitcom, especially a poorly written one, is not what I have in mind when I am watching H50 and the interactions of Steve and Danny.

In another interview with CBS.com PL had also promised THIS, also from August 2017:

Fans love Danny and McGarrett's "carguments," will we keep seeing those next season? - CBS

Absolutely. Alex and Scott do a great job riffing off of each other, so it's always fun for us to write around the rhythm they've built over past seasons. - Lenkov

Sorry, but that was a flat-out lie. By this time he had already known in which direction McDanno was heading and it was definitely no carguments.

For me, it looks that they came up with the restaurant plot as a substitute for said carguments.

Let's go back to the beginning of season 8 when we were curious about it. The newbies were introduced as well, and things seem to work out fine. We were happy and so full of hope that this season was even going to be much better than season 7. Unfortunately, it happened that Scott hurt his arm while he was on the mainland and so they had to make some rearrangements as he was wearing a brace for some time. Like with his knee injury his real-life health issue was woven into the plots. What I didn't like was the reason for this timely addition; Danny blamed it on Steve because he bought a cheap ladder. Sorry guys, couldn't you have written that Danny was clumsy and caused that to himself? Is it really necessary to make Danny look like an ass who considers Steve incompetent to buy a ladder that is not safe enough to work with? Guess, they could've done better with that (and did when I think about the good old days).

But that was just the beginning of the endless misery called restaurant plot. It was clear that Scott couldn't do much action stuff with that brace on his arm. So we got a little more intel – probably more than we wanted – on the restaurant thing. And why all of us were hopefully waiting for some progress an some more McDanno action when the brace came off, we became disappointed with each episode that passed by. Steve and Danny were now reduced to the restaurant with their, sometimes, nasty bickering – because we haven't seen much of the witty, fluffy, easy –going banter from the early seasons lately. While we were eagerly waiting to see them working cases together, PL had, as usual, other plans.

A 3 episode arc was launched shortly before Christmas. It started with a case on a boat where the teamed was exposed to a biochemical weapon. Soon all of them were affected by this nasty stuff but Lou, assisted by Adam – who meanwhile returned to Hawaii while Kono was still deep undercover – managed to get an antidote.

The episode led into of the most wonderfully written and out carried episodes we've seen in a while 8.10 (for me, it is still my fav episode ever) though it started with a huge shock for everyone as the team was still in quarantine and Danny got shot by a stranger. While Steve, Tani, and Junior did all that they can to save Danny's life, he's in and out while one of his lungs is collapsing and he's about to choke. In this life-threatening limbo, Danny hallucinates about the future.

The first scene of this episode shows Steve's in full swing. Both guys have obviously retired and are now running a beautiful Italian restaurant. While Steve is taking care of the staff and the welfare of the guests, Danny has taken over the kitchen. You can see how Scott and Alex enjoyed playing these parts as they were so different from what they usually do on the show.

Later we see Danny with Grace at her wedding (the reception is held at Steve's house), and in another scene, Steve and Danny are at Charlie's promotion as a police officer with the HPD. We learn that Tani and Junior are married and that Tani was now leading the task force.

The last sequence of Danny's trip into the future presented him and Steve in their late 70s. Both are sitting on the chairs in Steve's yard and having a conversation about Danny's grandchild and other stuff.

Even without wearing McDanno goggles, these scenes touched most of us, as we see that in Danny's mind the two of them grew old together and lived in the same place. There was no mentioning of girlfriends or wives, which caused some protests from the not so McDanno friendly part of the fandom. But I don't want to get into that because the haters gonna hate.

This episode led us into the Christmas episode that was also nicely written but had not as much significance for me as 8.10.

With that said I thought it could only get better. And I wondered how they would top such an episode. Speaking frankly, they didn't. Instead, they sucked and messed up badly.

Looking back at this episode, I think the only reason they showed it was to dangle the McDanno-carrot right in front of our faces. This episode's sole purpose was to egg us on, to keep us watching. As much as I love this episode if it were something on the internet it would be called click bait. Yes, we were baited into keep on watching. While we were waiting episode after episode that the restaurant thing was picking up pace nothing really happened. On the contrary. 8.12 had been a pivotal episode for this season because the new big badass was introduced to the audience. Or better his actions to make sure he could rule every dirty business on the island by killing all the crime bosses who got incarcerated in a special facility after an FBI agent along with his family was killed by a bomb. It would've been a really good episode if Danny wasn't missing. It wasn't even mentioned where he was when the whole thing went down. And given to what happened in the episode and Steve's state of mind afterward he would have needed Danny badly, and so would've had the team, as they could've used every helping hand.

This is not about Scott and his agreement of doing five episodes less/season. It would not have been a first that episodes were filmed out of order due to scheduling or other reasons. Why didn't they do it in that case? At some point, I stopped wrecking my brain about it.

Therefore in the upcoming episodes more precious screen time was wasted on the restaurant plot that meanwhile turned into a never-ending story. Because of the boys facing so many obstacles that any sane person would've given up already. I think it is no fun watching someone going bankrupt or being a nervous wreck and arguing all the time. Whereas cases are worked by someone else or pairings, we haven't had on the show before, as Danny was and is constantly MIA without any explanation. So was Steve in episode 8.17 (but in his case Alex was prepping for his directional debut in episode 8.18). Maybe it would've been wiser to choose an episode where we could've overseen his absence more or less.

Though it was nice to see Danny taking over the lead when Steve is not there it is exactly the issue I am dealing with.

Going back to the early seasons, we always had Steve and Danny working together. Even when GP and DDK were added to the team, it was well written and happened smoothly. Nowadays, I have to admit that sometimes it feels like the introduction of the newbies is forced down our throats. Not that I don't like Tani and Junior. Both are nice characters with some potential but many plots of season 8 feel written lackluster. And often I have the impression it even shines through the acting. Means the actors look bored in certain scenes or something like that. I can't point my finger at it; it just feels off.

As much potential season 8 was offering, in the beginning, it deteriorated at some point. Steve and Danny aren't working many cases together. The restaurant plot feels like listening to a broken record. There are pivotal episodes where Danny is God knows where. Adam's plot is kind of wobbly, and I wonder where this is going to lead us as his plot is interlaced with the entrance of the still unknown big badass that is looming over the island like dark clouds on a stormy day.

Furthermore, the episodes are crammed with different arcs; currently, we have three of them running parallel which is not working. It is like TPTB knows that the show might come to an end at some point – no surprise after eight seasons – and they have to squeeze in whatever is possible, instead of focusing on core relationships and plots. I wonder if we will learn who the new King of crime in town is by the end of the season or if they leave it open to cause a major cliffhanger to make sure all of us are tuning in when season 9 starts. I do not doubt that we get a renewal, as some people are eager to make it up to episode 200, no matter what the price might be to get there.

As for episode 8.18 and aside from Alex directional debut it will be the episode where the secret of who shot Danny (we got the name of the guy in episode 8.17, but that's it with info so far) and why will be revealed. Because the incident that triggered this guy's actions lies at the beginning of Danny's career way back in Jersey. Means, we will have some flashbacks. Nevertheless, it is also going to be a multi-arc episode. But I do hope it focusses on the right arc. As we all know hope dies last.

If you made it that far, congrats. You've earned yourselves some nice brownie points. Also, I want to point out that this only reflects my thoughts.

See you on March 30th, 2018 with Alex directional debut in episode 8.18.

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for july 4 of 2021 with Proverbs 4 and Psalm 4, accompanied by Psalm 15 for the 15th day of Summer and Psalm 35 for day 185 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 4]

Gather, children, to hear your father’s instruction.

Pay close attention so you will understand,

For I am passing down to you important precepts.

Do not abandon these valuable life lessons.

Back when I was young—the very image of my father,

and yet from my mother’s view, still her only boy—

My father, with his years of experience, became my teacher.

Father: Son, grab on to every word I say to you—hold them close—

stay true to my instructions as you live, and they will serve you well.

Whatever it takes to gain Wisdom, do it.

To gain understanding, do it! Never forget this!

Never stray from what I am telling you.

If you don’t forsake Lady Wisdom, she will protect you.

Love her, and she will faithfully take care of you.

Gaining sound judgment is key, so first things first: go after Lady Wisdom!

Now, whatever else you do, follow through to understanding.

Cherish her, and she will help you rise above the confusion of life—

your possibilities will open up before you—

embrace her, and she will raise you to a place of honor in return.

She will provide the finishing touch to your character—grace;

she will give you an elegant confidence.

Hear my words, my son, and take them in;

let them soak in so that you will live a long, full life.

I have pointed you in the way of wisdom;

I have steered you down the path to integrity.

So get going. And as you go, know this: with integrity you will overcome all obstacles;

even if you run, you will not stumble.

Tighten your grip around wise advice; don’t let it slip away.

Protect Wisdom, for without her, life isn’t worth living.

Do not start down the road of the wicked—

the first step is easy, but it leads to heartache—

do not go along the way of evildoers.

Stay away from it; don’t even go past it—

and if you find yourself anywhere near it,

turn your back and run as far as you can in the opposite direction.

For evildoers are so twisted they cannot sleep unless they have caused harm;

they’ll lie awake all night until they figure out a way to cause someone to stumble.

For they feed on evil the way most eat bread;

they drink violence the way most guzzle wine.

Yet the way of those who do right is like the early morning sun

that shines brighter and brighter until noon.

Evildoers travel a dark road because they love to hide their deeds in darkness;

they can’t see the perils ahead that cause them to stumble.

My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you.

Lean in closer so you may hear all I say.

Keep them before you; meditate on them;

set them safely in your heart.

For those who discover them, they are life.

They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies.

Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it

because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.

Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth;

have nothing to do with any verbal trickery.

Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead,

and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.

Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth,

and you will safely reach the end of your road.

Do not veer off course to the right or the left;

step away from evil, and leave it behind.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

to be mirrored by this line:

Keep vigilant watch over your heart;

that’s where life starts.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4:23 (The Message)

[Psalm 4]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.

Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.

I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.

Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;

bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.

How long will you sons of Adam steal my dignity, reduce my glory to shame?

Why pine for the fruitless and dream a delusion?

[pause]

Understand this: The Eternal One treats as special those like Him.

The Eternal will answer my prayers and save me.

Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.

When night comes, in calm be silent.

[pause]

From this day forward, offer to God the right sacrifice from a heart made right by God.

Entrust yourself to the Eternal.

Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?”

Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer.

You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy,

even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely.

Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace

because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4 (The Voice)

[Psalm 15]

A song of David.

Eternal One, who is invited to stay in Your dwelling?

Who is granted passage to Your holy mountain?

Here is the answer: The one who lives with integrity, does what is right,

and speaks honestly with truth from the heart.

The one who doesn’t speak evil against others

or wrong his neighbor,

or slander his friends.

The one who loathes the loathsome,

honors those who fear the Eternal,

And keeps all promises no matter the cost.

The one who does not lend money with gain in mind

and cannot be bought to harm an innocent name.

If you live this way, you will not be shaken and will live together with the Lord.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 15 (The Voice)

[Psalm 35]

Rescue Me

A poetic song by King David

[Part One – David, a Warrior]

O Lord, fight for me! Harass the hecklers; accuse my accusers.

Fight those who fight against me.

Put on your armor, Lord; take up your shield and protect me.

Rise up, mighty God! Grab your weapons of war

and block the way of the wicked who come to fight me.

Stand for me when they stand against me!

Speak over my soul: “I am your strong Savior!”

Humiliate those who seek my harm. Defeat them all!

Frustrate their plans to defeat me and drive them back.

Disgrace them all as they have devised their plans to disgrace me.

Blow them away like dust in the wind,

with the angel of Almighty God driving them back!

Make the road in front of them nothing but slippery darkness,

with the angel of Yahweh behind them, chasing them away!

For though I did nothing wrong to them, they set a trap for me,

wanting me to fail and fall.

Surprise them with your ambush, Lord,

and catch them in the very trap they set for me.

Let them be the ones to fail and fall into destruction!

Then my fears will dissolve into limitless joy;

my whole being will overflow with gladness

because of your mighty deliverance.

Everything inside of me will shout it out:

“There’s no one like you, Lord!”

For look at how you protect the weak and helpless

from the strong and heartless who oppress them.

[Part Two – David, a Witness]

They are malicious men, hostile witnesses of wrong.

They rise up against me, accusers appearing out of nowhere.

When I show them mercy, they bring me misery.

I’m forsaken and forlorn, like a motherless child.

I even prayed over them when they were sick.

I was burdened and bowed low with fasting

and interceded for their healing,

and I didn’t stop praying.

I grieved for them, heavyhearted,

as though they were my dearest family members

or my good friends who were sick,

nearing death, needing prayer.

But when I was the one who tripped up and stumbled,

they came together to slander me,

rejoicing in my time of trouble, tearing me to shreds

with their lies and betrayal.

These nameless ruffians,

mocking me like godless fools at a feast—

how they delight in throwing mud on my name.

God, how long can you just stand there doing nothing?

Now is the time to act.

Rescue me from these brutal men,

for I am being torn to shreds by these beasts

who are out to get me.

Save me from their rage, their cruel grasp.

Then I will praise you wherever I go.

And when everyone gathers for worship,

I will lift up your praise with a shout

in front of the largest crowd I can find!

[Part Three – David, a Worshiper]

Don’t let those who fight me for no reason be victorious.

Don’t let them succeed, these heartless haters

who come against me with their gloating sneers.

They are the ones who would never seek peace as friends,

for they are ever devising deceit against the innocent ones

who mind their own business.

They open their mouths with ugly grins,

gloating with glee over my every fault.

“Look,” they say, “we caught him red-handed!

We saw him fall with our own eyes!”

Yahweh, my caring God, you have been there all along.

You have seen their hypocrisy.

Yahweh, don’t let them get away with this.

Don’t walk away without doing something.

Now is the time to awake! Rise up, Lord!

Vindicate me, my Lord and my God!

You have every right to judge me, Lord,

according to your righteousness,

but don’t let them rejoice over me when I stumble.

Let them all be ashamed of themselves,

humiliated when they rejoice over my every blunder.

Shame them, Lord, when they say, “We saw what he did.

Now we have him right where we want him.

Let’s get him while he’s down!”

Make them look ridiculous when they exalt themselves over me.

May they all be disgraced and dishonored!

But let all my true friends shout for joy,

all those who know and love what I do for you.

Let them all say, “The Lord is great,

and he delights in the prosperity of his servant.”

Then I won’t be able to hold it in—

everyone will hear my joyous praises all day long!

Your righteousness will be the theme of my glory-song of praise!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 35 (The Passion Translation)

[kathemy]

Gotham: One of my Three Soups

Full unabridged review

Leave it to a show like Gotham to force me to go political.

I would like to preface the following: I absolutely hate writing negative reviews of a show most dear to my heart, and I really wish I could stop.

So why don't I?

In starting, this will likely be my longest review to date. You may accuse me of navel-gazing. If this isn't your cup of tea, move away. However... This is that dialectical cusp where I have to break down everything in order to continue, and it'll be messy.

I've loved Gotham from season one episode seven. I've loved Batcat since episode nine. I started posting about both - after having sunk deep into the stinking swamp of the Vampire Diaries fandom - in anticipation of the second season, which turned out to be fantastic. I joined the Doux team specifically to cover my favorite show in the middle of that season.

Once I was hooked... That was it. There was no going back. I've never stopped loving Gotham. When it comes to this enterprise, the sky's the limit - it can produce astonishingly beautiful, content-rich, engaging television, a subtle evolution of relationships, fantastic characters, and it's populated by arguably the best main cast on network television.

That's probably why I'm harsh at it at times. I know the show's upper ceiling is so high, and I just wish for it to realize itself in every outing, which is probably impossible. In retrospect, I was picky in my season two reviews, but back then we were all on such a high that if I weren't I'd been reduced to raving nonstop, and that's not a hallmark of a good critic. However, the second part is that Gotham has been stumbling, it's made catastrophic mistakes and it's sometimes painful to watch, even as there are glimpses or more of its trademark excellence left.

And I guess that's what keeps me here. I'm so in love with the cast, the characters and the show's flashes of brilliance that I will never abandon it, even if the show occasionally hurts me.

Long ago, back in 2015, I made a tumblr post about everything that was right with Gotham. This was in response to some senseless bashing which was all-too-prevalent those days. It's a bit twisted that back then, I was fighting the haters and considered a die-hard fanboy, and now, people try to pick fights with me for daring to talk shit about a show which I still love. 

Two selling points in that piece were how Gotham ignored age- and gender-based stereotypes, and here by season four, Gotham has betrayed both of these qualities, albeit in very different ways.

It betrayed the first one by insisting that a young girl could not be allowed a seductress storyline - a clear shift from season two where Silver St. Cloud did just that - and expulsed Clare Foley for bikini model Maggie Geha. The result was a train wreck.

It betrayed the second one by buying hook line and sinker into the new gender stereotypes of the Hollywood chic, though it's ironic how Patryk commented on my last review how maybe they were going for that "Sixties sexist vibe". Those traditions have some points in common, and curiously Gotham almost seems to lean on both.

Anyway... if you're still here... this is where I'm starting my real review. Here goes.

'One of my Three Soups'. Only in Gotham. When I first read that title, I thought "well, they probably just wanted to figure out the weirdest possible name for an episode; God knows if it'll actually mean anything." Color me surprised when it was actually a clean reference to a scene, and a good one too!

This is the first episode introducing the terrible trio of Jerome, Scarecrow and Mad Hatter, and they really work well together. Scarecrow looks and sounds like lifted straight out of Arkham Knight. Jervis Tetch never had smarter turns of dialog - the content may be another matter - and Jerome is, well, Jerome, giving anyone a run for their money at overacting. These are actual, raving mad supervillains and they certainly are both menacing and entertaining. Their "plan" is signature Gotham - ostensibly clever while not making much sense if you think it over, but it provides for lots of fun.

The triple treat of the evening is Tetch jerking around with Gordon, Bruce and Selina trying to catch Jerome, and Barbara's adventures with the League of Shadows. The first two parts are pretty good or better.

It seems that Gotham is close to figuring out what to do with its chief protagonist; it only took four seasons! The gist that it's selling is Jim's realization that "I'm a little shit, but I have to pretend to be a hero and do my job anyway," and that's a damn good look on him. Jim's never exactly sold "jaded" before - he's sold "tired", "angry", "self-righteous", "more angry" and "apathetic", but here he's finally starting to come through as something that could lead up to his comic book role, as well as someone having a great deal in common with a younger Harvey Bullock. Speaking of Bullock, their conflict seems mostly resolved, but it also seems he's been cast in the role of Jim's eternal bad conscience.

In conclusion it's quite poetic how Jim wins his fight with the Mad Hatter exactly by resigning to the fact that he is helpless - "I can't save you. Save each other." As well as being actually clever, this is the single most powerful line Jim Gordon's delivered in the run of the show.

Bruce's quest for Jerome is classic boneheaded Batman territory, with Bruce both steadfastly determined to bring in Jerome by himself rather than leave it to the cops as well as being completely unable to entertain the notion that anyone will be allowed to die in the process. The cool thing about it, though, is that now we actually have a reason for it - he's simply so traumatized over the fallout of him killing Ra's Al Ghul that he's terrified that something like that might ever happen again.

Baby Batcat's little flirt keeps on escalating, as it's done over the show's whole run. If the show won't soon act on all that tension, it'll win the prize for "worst string-along in television history." Their dialog is extremely "Batman/Catwoman"-esque here, even mimicking a heated scene from 'Batman Returns', but the main takeaway isn't that. If I'm to pick one key part of their conversation, it would be Bruce telling Selina that "you don't owe me anything... You never did," and Selina lighting up like a sun. This is final closure for all of their contrived excuses to spend time together, as Selina is now absolute sure that Bruce is there because he wants her.

The other major thing's the evolution of how they relate to each other wordlessly. In all that matters, their age difference has vanished, and for the first time in the show's history, their connection is borderline sexual. This episode also marks the first time Bruce actually teases Selina in a romantic fashion, pulling the old "pretend-kiss" trick, rather than the other way around, and that's a very amusing touch. Also, David's scenes with Cameron are damn well-acted, and for some reason I found the scene with Jerome terrorizing his uncle, with the grunts of the fight and Bruce basically flying all over the cafeteria in the background, hysterically funny.

... and then we have Barbara And The Ninjas, which is the figurative straw to break my camel's back.

I think what makes me most angry about this episode is how it somehow manages to push me, kicking and screaming, straight into the filthy arms of the MRA crowd. I don't want to be here. I have avoided to tackle this issue head on for the longest time. Maybe I'm a coward. All I know is I can't pretend anymore, and if that pisses people off, so be it.

Here we have what Ben McKenzie refers to as a "bit of a female empowerment storyline" about Barbara Kean ascending to the post of the First Female Demon's Head of the resurgent League of Shadows. We have the straw misogynist character of the captain challenging her authority and then we have - wait for it - all the women shooting all the men in the back because they are weak and weak men must die.

This whole scene is insanely cringe-worthy; whole slews of dialog seemingly just written to tick off a checklist. I actually fast-forwarded it at my first watching once I saw where it was headed, but then I had to steel myself and power it through for the review. One of the more plain-disgusting aspects of it all is how all men are murdered only after she's easily dispatched of the token male asshole and scared all the rest of them into crawling before her in fear, effectively tripling down on the punch with three perverted Girl Power triumphs in one single set.

This discourse is toxic, and it’s hard not to get toxic in return. This is what produces tumblr posts like this:

... and reddit threads like this:

That last one is a new one, isn't it?!

It's especially interesting how Gotham's subreddit, which contrary to public thought isn't normally a woman-hating hellhole, nevertheless responds positively to the thread in question, if contentious. Likewise how nobody seemingly will challenge the gross statement of the first post in the tumblr echo chamber.

There's a standing obsession in Hollywood with writing "strong female characters" - just look at the discourse behind and after 'The Last Jedi'. Obviously that's laudable, but this is most often "realized" by appealing to the basest, most shallow, most vulgar undercurrents of the liberal-bourgeoise, identitarian pseudo-left.

In short, Hollywood rarely writes "strong women" as in believable, complex characters that you can root for. They are far more on-the-nose about it. Maybe she can lift a really heavy object?? Mostly, though, the women are shown as being "strong" by effortlessly annihilating all men looking at them the wrong way, and ironically that makes them weaker characters.

Gotham has steadily slumped into this bankrupt black pit since the third season. In fact, you can probably date it back to when Bruno Heller lost all creative power over the show, with things now seemingly run-by-committee or possibly just by Danny Cannon.

For example, see the Bruce/Selina discourse. Now, first, their scenes are magic this episode, and I love, love, love them, but this narrative remains: Bruce struggles, while Selina just wins. I don't believe we've ever seen Selina with a mark on her face after a fight. That means that Bruce has character development in that department, while Selina's just an auto-win button to use as needed.

The scene with Bruce tackling the circus strongman is perfect. It is perfect just because it is tough. The dude is three times his size!!! Bruce doesn't even win, he's about to get choked to death, and then Selina just shows up the knight in shining armor with a whip and everything's roses. But the point is Bruce tries, he doesn't give up, and we get to see this evolution first-hand. We hardly ever get the same with poor Catgirl.

However, Gotham goes one step beyond the normal discourse by taking storylines that should have rightfully belonged to male characters and giving them to women as part of the "female empowerment" shtick, and this is where it hurts the show the most, as well as where we find out how the writing truly is at fault.

Just as the grudge match between Jim, Ozzie and Sofia would ideally have been symbolically resolved between those three characters - and if the lead protagonist were female, it would have; just imagine the outcry if Luke swoops in to save the day and murder Kilgrave in the Jessica Jones finale because last episode, Kevin kicked him in the nuts! - so too the "Demon's Head" storyline rightfully belongs to Bruce.

Ra's Al Ghul forced Bruce Wayne, his prince and chosen heir, to murder him in order to succeed him. This was the most potent and original development of early season four given massive attention through several episodes, and Gotham now cheats their viewers out of the juicy consequences of that story - which would go perfectly in line with the fallout of that act according to the established mythos - with Bruce suddenly thrust into the role of the leader of some weird supernatural villain army, by handing it all over to Barbara. 

I believe the reason this is happening is that Gotham doesn't bother to create believable grudge matches for their female characters to win, nor does the show care to craft the grand arcs that could make them earn these moments on their own merits. Unlike Bruce, who made the conscious choice to kill Ra's, Barbara didn't choose to come back to life, nor did she choose this power. Ra's was her Deus ex machina, and now she's a figurehead heeding his silent whispers. In summary it's an afterthought that doesn't even win the character any agency, plastered-on to win cheap representation points.

This type of writing hurts Gotham's core fanbase. A significant chunk of that are young-to-middle-aged men. They don't want to be belittled for the deplorable act of owning a penis, and they don't want to hear that they are all evil, weak, expendable and useless. They hear that all the time, both in news and in fiction, and it's not right that they should be demonized for a collective, historical sin. As much as I hate using the term, Gotham's been a "safe space."

It also hurts the women watching the show, in part by saddling them with poorly-developed psychopaths for role models and by indoctrinating them in the belief that "men are scum who are only out to get us", but I am choosing not to go into that overtly, as I've discussed some of this numerous times in the past.

This concludes my breakdown of the current gender discourse of Gotham. I verily don't want to have to write more about it, which is part of the reason I chose to go into such detail here. I'd much rather concentrate on good, relatable stories. 

Now we have Bruce and Jim both gearing up for the fight with Jerome, Jonathan and Jervis. We have Riddler and Penguin returning to the scene. Hell, I think we might even get some progression with Bruce and Selina. As has been the case all season, next episode could very well be fantastic. Gotham has that ability to surprise you with a spectacular home run now and again.

If not for one atrocious scene I'd rated this one highly, but in a way I guess it's worth banging your head on the table for five straight minutes to get the pleasure of forty good minutes of Gotham.

P.S. Aren't the screenshot edits spiffy? I got really pleased with them. D.S.

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 11 - NYR -  Egg Laid

Madison Square Garden has been a bad place for the Sabres for a few years now but there may be only two meaningful narratives when it comes to Sabres-Rangers. One is that the Rangers have managed one of the quicker rebuilds in the National Hockey League of the salary cap Era. The other is who’s the best NHL team in New York State? Which one of those am I going to waste words on? Which one do you think is most fun? Yeah, we’re the best team in New York State right now! Fight me, I mean it! Next week we play the Islanders and I’ll revive this silly narrative. Josh Allen and the Bills first two games inspired me, what can I say? Back to the best club in this state: the Buffalo Sabres got to play the Rangers at each major moment of last season like a thermometer up your ass. We got em shortly before the ten-game winning streak and for a deflating loss in the New Year. The three games against this New York last year were frustrating. That trend continued tonight. I think they handed us our first real stinker of this season. The losses in Columbus and Anaheim didn’t have this sting or score line so I think this is the big egg laid we were fearing. I’m going to take the Ralph Krueger approach and make shortcomings an opportunity for improvement! As you can imagine in a game Vladimir Sobotka and Marco Scandella were the only goal scorers there were a lot of players not playing to potential or pay grade. I want to throw a fit about this one but that will probably be reduced to a few naughty words here or there. I don’t have enough negative vibes from this 2019-2020 Sabres team to muster a rant. Sorry, rant in the comments. While you’re doing it: like, comment and share this blog. Maybe that will help this be one of very few eggs laid by this New Look Sabres team this season. We can only hope, eh?

The first period was twenty minutes of digging a hole. Rasmus Dahlin and Colin Miller were on a pairing tonight and that is not untried. Tonight however it was completely bow-legged. Both defenseman looked lost and sent passes to places the other was not as if they weren’t even talking. It culminated in Rasmus Dahlin’s worst play as a Sabre. He is transitioning the puck through the neutral zone and back passes it. I want to defend him and say he thought Miller was there, but nobody was there, not even close! Artemi Panarin was there to pick up the puck and streamed right in on Carter Hutton and wrapped around him to get the Rangers the early lead. Now let me tell you: I could write an essay about how this fanbase cannot handle good players. We misjudge them and unduly punish them. We chase them out of town and we elevate average joes to be heroes. Dahlin is going at a point-a-game pace right now, he’s not a blackhole but he has not been fire either. He’s made a lot of poor choice with the puck and been directly responsible for three goals against now through 11 games. This one is the most egregious. That doesn’t mean he needs to go to Rochester for a conditioning stint you unbearable dumbass! Even players with half Dahlin’s talent need to be allowed some leash in their first couple seasons. He’ll be okay. We’re allowed to criticize him, but we also need to be able to let him figure it out. He will figure it out. Hopefully this isn’t a narrative for much more of the season… oh, Brett Howden scored and Dahlin didn’t check the guy who got the puck to him? Uh oh, tonight’s going to be a bloodbath for anyone who uses computers isn’t it. Shit. The Sabres got a powerplay chance to inspire some hope and it got one shot. ONE SHOT! Bad turned to worse in the dying minute of the first period when Ryan Strome scored a redirect to put the Rangers up 3-0. That’s quite a hole by anyone’s measure.

This year’s Sabres are motivated machines. Even staring down 3-0 you’d be forgiven for thinking a comeback was possible. This game was a real bastard because it gave you just the evidence you would need to believe a comeback was possible. Marco Scandella scores a second chance through a forest of blue and red defenders and the score is 3-1. I’m no hater, the Sabres are undefeated in games Scand-ezzy scores in. If he’s knocking pack bangers anything is possible, right? No, you see this was the first game frustration really truly got to the Sabres. They were boxed out of the Ducks game because those assholes cheat, they lost this game because they lost hope. One thing I loved to do for Sabres-Rangers games was make fun of Jimmy Vesey. Now Greasy Vesey is a Sabre and I was one of the foolish few who really felt a goal breakthrough was in order for him tonight. Not only was I wrong, Vesey got a little bump and didn’t return in the third! That’s the kinda game this was. I’ll be honest, I really lost hope when Tony DeAngelo scored. He got a great pass and caught Hutton out of position to put the home team up 4-1. Hutton was making good saves this game, the final result really isn’t on him I don’t think but he probably wants that one back… probably the Panarin goal too but yeah, you need a defense in front of you and that just didn’t show up tonight. It’s worth mentioning that the Rangers are not a good team. Yes, they’re better than their record coming into this game but they’re very young and they’re not exactly clicking yet. The middle period got chippy and what had largely been a neutral ice battle turned into a Rangers rout. But wait, not unless Vladimir Sobotka has something to say about it! Okay so Dahlin and Skinner had a lot to do in that play but our favorite pinata got the final touch so that’s goal for him. Do note Henrik Lundqvist was in net so that goal will look awfully weird when we look back on it. It maybe THE highlight of Sobotka’s season.

I am happy to report the Sabres excuse machine is a little rusty. It hasn’t been worked all that hard this season so far. I was seeing a lot of tweets about the bad ice in MSG. That feels like the poorest of poor excuses. I’m not saying it isn’t based in fact, but it didn’t have a meaningful impact on the game. I heard the refereeing excuse too. Sorry fam, the zebras didn’t decide this game, the powerplay falling silent might have. The third period didn’t have anything worth watching from a Sabres perspective. I don’t really feel the need to be the Sabres optimist after this one. What am I going to say: they outshot the Rangers 33-24! Like what would that be for? This was just a stinker. It was an egg laid. Ryan Strome added another and Chris Kreider added one at the end just for salt’s sake. It will be interesting to see how Ralph Krueger and the coaching staff respond to this. Late in this game you saw him play around with the lines to no avail. After the game Krueger said, “It was a very strange game… we lacked puck management and damaged ourselves”. It will be interesting to see how the players respond to this! How about some words from the room! Marcus Johansson: That was bad. Rasmus Dahlin: I got the puck to far from my body… that’s a learning for me [sic]. Carter Hutton: We gave up a lot of east-west plays… we couldn’t get a whole lot going when we did have the chances. To Hutton’s credit he acknowledged poke checking Panarin wasn’t the best move on that first goal against. They’ve only lost twice before this and in both instances they came back with a vengeance in the following game. They fly to Detroit now for a game tomorrow night that poses a mighty fine chance for a rebound effort. Make that effort. If these guys come out flat against the Detroit Red Wings, a team so certifiably bad this year they’ve sent NHLers down to their farm club, then there will be hell to pay.

If you have an idea for greatest game against let me know. That’s my reoccurring segment with every divisional matchup this 50th Anniversary season. What was the most significant game in Sabres history against the game they’re taking on? Tomorrow night it’s Detroit. If you want to get you mind off this egg take a stroll down Sabres Memory Lane and let me know what you think is the best game against the Red Wings in Buffalo Sabres history. The New York Rangers will take this win as a big boost after a brief losing streak. You know why? The Sabres are good. They prepared for this game thinking they were taking on a tough opponent. They ended up taking on a relatively easy opponent. Small solace, the Sabres are a team opponents prepare for now. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Maybe this isn’t the best time to say this, but I still love Henrik Lundqvist. He needs to choose if winning a Cup is something he wants

[ahnminhyk]

okay, so i have a lot of thoughts about william magnusson, as most of you are very well aware, and while i have been somewhat dormant on the subject of his character due to the unfortunate circumstances of him not being on skam anymore, recent events have led me to feel a need to flesh out my thoughts on his character and what i think people don’t seem to get about him, reducing him to a fuckboy and an asshole when really, his character is so much more complex than that.

i’m gonna put this under read more so as not to clog anyone’s dash, but i really want people to read this and try and understand this character better, so feel free to add onto this if you’d like or think i missed something

(disclaimer: this post isn’t meant to excuse or defend whatever mistakes he’s done. he’s done shit. they all have. it happens sometimes)

let’s start with his childhood and upbringing, shall we? so obviously we know that it wasn’t all that easy, though it could’ve been worse ofc. the most prominent point here has to be the accident that killed his sister. now, nico was 11 when he drove his stepdad’s car off a cliff with william and amalie in it. she was around 8 y/o if i’m not mistaken, that would make william about 9/10-ish. can you imagine what that must’ve been like? it’s really not that farfetched to assume that he has some degree of ptsd, survivor’s guilt or something similar. and even if he doesn’t, he could’ve died as well. at the hands of his brother. true, he was 11 at the time, just a kid, didn’t really know the magnitude of what he was doing. but we also see what kind of hold nico has over william. william knows what his brother is capable of. he knows what he can do. that makes him extremely vulnerable to nico’s exploits.

let’s also not forget his parents. not exactly stellar figures. that is one of the main things he has in common with noora and probably something that made him feel connected to her: he wasn’t the only one whose parents didn’t really want him. i’m not saying that it’s healthy or whatever, latching onto someone for that, but it’s perfectly possible and understandable. and the first thing that he tells her when he learns about her parents is that he can’t imagine anyone not loving her. now, i can imagine that he would’ve needed to hear that about him, too. bc really, who ever really loved him? his brother was manipulative and erratic; his mom pretended nothing was wrong and popped pills to help forget it was; his dad was off in london working all the time without a second thought about his son; his sister was dead. the only people i can think of that might’ve made him feel slightly wanted are the penetrators, but it’s not the same, is it?

anyway, this brings me to a point most william haters have been bringing up recently and that is that william shut noora out when he found out about her and nico. let me ask you something now: do you really think that his brother, the person who’s made his life hell since he can remember, who is manipulative and knows how to make people see what he wants them to see -- the same person who made noora believe he was off fucking some other girl while she was trying to figure out where she stood on their relationship -- would tell william that he might’ve raped his girlfriend? really??? i mean, just as he made noora believe william didn’t care about her, he probably made william think the same about her. we know he has abandonment issues. we know that he’s constantly afraid of the people he loves leaving. i speak from experience, it really wouldn’t be that hard convincing him of it. am i saying this is right or healthy? no, it isn’t. but it’s real. and in many ways, william is probably one of the realest characters on this show. he’s complex, he has problems. god forbid he feels insecure after a lifetime of never being wanted.

one of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how people say he’s abusive to noora. how? when? i can’t remember one single instance when he was ever abusive to noora. honestly, do you really think that sana of all people would support and urge noora to save her relationship with him if he was abusive? i mean, really. william loves noora so much. he respected her wish to keep their relationship a secret. he respected her decision not to have sex. he respected her when she asked him for space (and don’t say he pushed her when they were separated bc i KNOW you’d feel the exact same if you were in his shoes and the girl you love shuts you out). 

another thing i wanna bring up is that scene in 2x10 when william helps noora through her panic attack. i’ve mentioned it before but i’ll talk about it again bc to me, it’s one of the most real, raw scenes on the show and, when properly analysed, tells us so much about william as a person. so noora is having a panic attack, she feels smothered by the pressure of everything in her life at the moment. in comes william, and at first he thinks that the reason why she’s shutting him out is because she doesn’t want to be with him at all anymore (hello, abandonment issues again). but as soon as it becomes evident that that’s not it, he lets go of all his own insecurities and problems for a while to help her through it. now, imagine for a second this: william himself, growing up, alone and unloved, after the death of his sister which he was there for and saw happen, going through his own panic attacks. alone. with no one to help him. it’s not that farfetched to imagine. i mean, after everything that’s happened to him, it’d be weird not to have some sort of mental consequence (i mentioned the possible ptsd, but we have no evidence of that, so i’ll leave it to headcanon terf). he knows what to do bc it’s what he needed someone to do for him. he tells her that she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do. he holds her and promises her it’s gonna be okay, that she isn’t going to die. she falls asleep and he lets her sleep. he finishes her essay for her. he does everything he knows he can to help her feel more at ease. now, he doesn’t know all of what’s bothering her, but he doesn’t push for information. and when she wakes up, instead of letting her stay in and sulk, he urges her to go to her friends who he knows make her happy and can help her through whatever she’s going through. this is william in a completely selfless moment. he knows what she needs bc it’s what he needed, too. 

(this gets its own bullet point bc holy hell) when people say he manipulated her into going on a date with him i literally lose my shit. i mean, did we watch the same show? noora used his clear attraction to her to make him do something she wanted, and promised him a date in return. honestly, it’s really not even that strange a thing. he delivered on his end. and he didn’t ask her to be his girlfriend. he didn’t ask her to fall madly in love with him on the spot. no, he asked her for one date. ONE. and after that, he wouldn’t bother her again if that’s what she wanted. and in regards to the whole using vilde thing, that’s a mess tbh and it was fucked up and i’m not saying it’s right. but i mean, the “deal” happened in december (s1 finale). s2 starts in march or smth and she still hasn’t gone on that date. now, don’t tell me that she wasn’t interested bc if you still think that then you didn’t watch the same show i did. i mean, that look across the room? that’s not a look you give someone you’re not attracted to or dislike. at the very least, noora was mildly intrigued by william. and no one can tell me that if she had outright said she didn’t wanna go on a date with him seriously, he wouldn’t have backed off. which means (this is pure headcanon territory, but i’ll maintain it to my deathbed) that she kept him going, she let him hang onto that date until she was ready to do it. and ofc, he was getting tired of waiting; wouldn’t you? so he tried to force her hand. and that moment, she could’ve shut him down. he’d go on with his partying life, she’d go on with hers, end of story. she could’ve said ‘no, i won’t go on a date with you, stop trying to make me’. and another thing, you can’t tell me that noora, self proclaimed feminist who’d roasted his ass before, wouldn’t have put him in his place if she thought he was manipulating her or her friends. now that would be ooc (since some haters are so fond of saying noora being in love with william is so ooc for her)

now, i wanna talk about this whole london mess. first of all, what kind of a fucked resolution to this glued-together-with-spit plotline. mind you, i get why they had to do something bc of the whole thomas issue, but come on. anyway, let’s get into that for a second. noora went to oslo to testify against nico, but she couldn’t do it. understandable, nothing against her, i totally get it. but when she got back to london, she lied and said that everything went well at the trial. i get that she didn’t want to disappoint him or whatever (??) but you can’t come here and tell me that if she had told him the truth right away he wouldn’t have understood. i will refer you back to my first two points. william knows the kind of impact and influence nico can exercise on someone. he’s been dealing with this guy for twenty years, he knows. he would’ve supported noora in her inability to face him and testify. he WOULD. nothing can convince me otherwise. even noora says that when he found out the truth, he understood why she couldn’t, and i believe it. i believe that what upset him was the fact that she felt like she needed to lie to him about it. that she lied to him about the very real (and then realised) possibility of nico walking free. i mean, this is his kryptonite. his brother is his weakest spot. his biggest vulnerability. of course he’s gonna be upset about it. i would be too if i were in his position. so would everyone else, no doubt. i mean, is it really that hard to get his side? 

so he needed some distance, some time to process. just like noora did after he smashed that bottle on the guy’s head. he’d given it to her then, he expected her to do the same for him now. he understood that she’d been upset then, so he expected her to understand him now. he didn’t ask for space, but he clearly needed it. again, i speak as someone who has the exact same coping mechanism, sometimes you need to distance yourself from the people who hurt you or upset you. noora upset william by lying, not by not being able to testify. i mean, come on. but she couldn’t understand that he needed time and space to process, so she left. without a word. just left. now, let’s go back to william’s abandonment issues for a second. his dad left to work. he lost his sister when he was as kid. his mother left and remarried, got a new family. he’s been mostly alone all his life. he latched onto noora because he loved her and she loved him back, and he needed that. he’d made it somewhat evident before that he was so afraid of her leaving him out of the blue. and now she has. can you imagine how much that must’ve hurt? imagine coming home one night, expecting to find the girl you love, slowly coming to terms with something that rattled you greatly, and finding her gone, just like that? idk about y’all, but i would just be devastated. his biggest fear came true, and he must’ve just been beating himself up thinking he’d been a fool to think it wasn’t gonna happen this time.

and now we’re here. noora hasn’t even reached out to him for months. i’m sorry, but is it crazy to think that maybe william hasn’t reached out bc he thinks she doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore, bc he thinks that she left never to come back, that she doesn’t love him anymore? no, it isn’t. if it were me, i definitely wouldn’t even think about reaching out first. and we know that william isn’t the most open of people. he has walls up, walls that he tore down brick by brick for noora, and now they’re back up again. but you bet your ass he’s still in london thinking about her, loving her, thinking she doesn’t love him back. honestly, this is such a messed up situation and they’re both just a mess at communicating. it’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of miscommunication with them or on skam in general.

there are probably a lot more things to be said, but this is all i can think of right now. again, feel free to add to this if you’d like. the point is, william is not some monstrous person who manipulates people and is a complete asshole just for the hell of it. he’s complex, he has problems just like every other character on the show, he was a teenager and he’s human. please, for the love of god, stop crucifying him for having emotions and feeling hurt or upset and dealing. make an effort to understand him, bc he’s such an interesting character tbh and i honestly feel really sad whenever i see people reducing him to his mistakes.

[nancylou444]

So Travis Aaron Douchebag was dissing Cons, throwing shade at Jensen, shaming fans for "spending 200 dollars in a picture instead of donating to saving species" in his IG... (it's the 2 NY pics in his account)... I guess now that he can't milk SPN anymore, he turns against it... Not surprised, cause we all knew he was a creep.

That is nasty, but you are probably right, my dear anon. The ptb cut all ties with him, so now he is biting the hand that once fed him. Sucks to be him. 

And I just found his foolishness:

travisaaronwade Okay here's a thought:For every photograph & autograph you spend your hard earned money on please think about this:You could save a life. You could save a species. So, since I will no longer be doing conventions that continue to spike their prices on fans, I'm proposing that every photo or autograph you receive from me, a majority of the cost will go towards saving an animal or saving a life. After tonight, I will no longer be a part of something that feels wrong. I will no longer stand for selling a part of myself that I cannot balance with a charity. ENOUGH. It's time to start doing the right thing. If you want a picture or autograph it will go towards a cause and making this world a better place. As #spikelee would say, "It's time to #dotherightthing " Period #trut4h@trut4h I've gotten use to receiving the hatred and cyberbullying when I post but this one was about doing what's right about reducing the prices fans are getting charged and hoping that a % of that money could go towards a charity. That's all. This was not to attack Jared, Jensen or Misha. We ALL know the amount of charity work they do and how much they give. I got to spend two years of my life with them and saw 1st hand all that they do. I recently was told Andrew Lincoln donates all of his convention money to charity? (Forgive me if that is not true) But that is what I am talking about and that is what I am driving to do with my life & career. I've done several conventions outside of just SPN and I've met some incredible artist doing amazing things for fans BUT there are several people I've met that I've watch be awful and do nothing but pocket every dollar spent. That is not the cast of #SPN and we all know that to be true. These past few days have been hard for a lot of people and I just needed to make more sense of it all so please forgive my emotional knee jerk response to how I felt in that moment. This was not directed at anyone or anything specifically. It was a general statement after doing conventions for a few years and not doing enough with that time & money. My sincerest apologies if anyone felt hurt by what was posted.

travisaaronwadeThank you all for your kind and caring words. No need to give attention to people who hate or bully 95% of them have never met me. I want to be very clear about something. When I write, I write from the heart and with passion. Not all the time do I say the exact right thing and sometimes I word things incorrectly. It was wrong of me to say "whore myself out" and I need to refrain my definition of "what's a hero" to me as to what might be a hero to someone else. As a child I had a few actors that I idolized. Even as a teenager, the parts they played and who I thought they were made them idols to look up to as a youth. Sadly, when I met them in person and some I worked with, who they were when no one was watching or the cameras weren't on, crushed that little boy idolization I had of them. We ALL need to have people that we look up to and makes us feel great whether we meet them or not. I guess being an actor and knowing many actors I tend to not put many of us on a pedestal. That includes myself. When people pay me a compliment, what brings me balance is to say to them "I'm just a reflection." Just like firemen & police officers don't see themselves as heroes but we know they are and as actors we are just playing a part. Sometimes that part becomes being a celebrity or actor at conventions and I've witnessed first hand, how a hug, handshake or kind word can change a person's life. It's all been a learning experience and something that I had to learn very fast. We've stumbled a few times along the way but my heart, mind and passion to help others was always in the right place. My posts are never meant to hurt people. Sometimes they do and for that I am sorry. Many of my friends that do conventions do incredible wonderful caring things and they need to get paid for their time and the work they put it because it is a lot of work. Yesterday, sitting at that event, watching what $100 can do to save these species, it fueled a fire and I got on a soap box worded my passion in a way that could have been said better. We are always trying to do better.

travisaaronwade I know the next few years will be about working as an actor on these films about Veterans and as far as conventions go, I'm going to do my very best to get to a place and create a space where it feels a bit more balanced. The growing cost of what conventions cost is heartbreaking because I have nieces, nephews, friends, family and fans that want to go meet their favorite actor and cannot afford it. I'm 42 years old this year and a big part of my career and generations past were surrounded by artist that took a photo or autograph for free. Now it's a HUGE business and I must learn to adapt and understand it better or find a formula that feels right for everyone. I know the Lord, in her mysterious ways, is watching over me and guiding me. I believe my heart is in the right place. I just need my head to match. Thank you all for caring and understanding me a little better. God Bless. PS. And honestly don't worry about the haters. Block & delete. The one thing social media def got right.

fanartdiary I think it's great how much you've learned from experiences! Especially to use the money you get from selling autographs and photos for good! Just like Misha! He's done it for a long time now and that idea is awesome! Thanks for being like Misha!!! I idolize him so much and can't believe you're doing similar stuff now! Good job!  

(x)

Of course a minion has to bring up how wonderful the overlord is. **rolls eyes**