#i was gonna say i like this one more than other jj episodes but

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Getting hot under the collar and in the kitchen and on the pool table and...

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Aug 2024 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) eps 3-4 of 12 - one of the things I'm enjoying about this show is the fact that the introverted super shy uke is having hot fantasies, and the extroverted seme is having the sweet fantasies. It's another way this show is highlighting God being the world's greenest flagged seme BL has ever produced. (And he's being given stiff competition this year - trend alert.)

Anygay: God is so cute and so not cool and so in love and all the consent asking word salad coming out of this boy. I LOVE him. 

Diew: It’s ep 4 so I’ve decided we can talk face-to-face.  God: So how many children do you want? 

The teaching him to play basketball bit, where God politely asks to hold his hand, is so freaking adorable I can’t.

I'm thinking of calling this show the anti-Mame pill.

Blue pill? Red pill? GREEN pill!

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - We gotta talk. I do like this version, but it’s starting to feel lackluster. Perhaps it always was by comparison to the bright sparkle uniqueness of the original. Perhaps I didn't notice because I was distracted by G4. But now I gotta say it's become a bit disappointing and even my love for G4 can’t seem to bind me to this. Frankly, this show is making me want to watch either the Japanese version, or My School President. It’s never a good sign when a currently airing BL makes me want to stop that and go rewatch an old one I’ve already seen.

NO SINGING.

Meanwhile, the "locked on the rooftop" trope! I haven’t seen that one in years. Cool. Also cute kisses. They learning. 

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Fri iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - I can’t believe this is ending next week. But also I can. And I have thoughts.

I really love SailubPon. They might be one of my favorite newer pairs on the scene right now. But I just don’t believe in these characters or this couple. I don’t feel like they are going to have a lasting relationship. It feels like they’re just using each other for sex and distraction, and that’s how the script to set it up, and as a result they’re never gonna make it as a couple. As soon as the sexual fire between them burns out, what do they have to build a relationship on? Frankly? That would be fine if this were a modern love drama, and not a BL. But this IS a BL.

Putting the health code violators aside, I really do believe in the secondary pair, but they haven’t been given enough bandwidth to develop as a couple. There’s no way they’re going to adequately resolve Methas and JJ in the final episode.

At this juncture, I’m mostly finding this show annoying. Which in itself is annoying, because I wanted to love it.

Why is it that Thailand, the land of the best food in the world, king of BLs, struggles so hard to produce the restaurant set BL of my dreams? I’m really pissed about this.

That said, the Methas & JJ stuff is killer. Loved JJ running away. So good. Plus the age old decision - love or money? 

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 2-3 of 12 - The issue was me and I've managed to get hold of this show again. The story within the story is so ridiculously badly written I'm going spare. I’m not sure if the outside show is not ALSO badly written. That said, I do love how the 3 writer friends are all shipping our leads. It’s VERY silly. Meanwhile, cohabitation trope is a go. 

I like the side couple too. Stern Daddy + lost puppy is a very cute dynamic, I hope we get more than just crumbs. I actually am enjoying this show now. Ep 3 kinda derailed into this weird chimera novel that they’re all writing together and I’m finding that bit the least interesting, but I adore the domestic components which I think may turn out to be TutorYim's strength (if they're allowed to lean into it). 

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - Man I hope this gets some kind of distribution at some point. It was a pain to find and watch. But I enjoyed it. The focus is more on the seme in Thailand’s version. Which I don’t mind since that's rare in BL, and it’s more August on my screen. It’s all round softer than China’s version but still feels very familiar. I know some fans are struggling with it, but not me.

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - I like that Sam’s crafty business espionage has paid off. Them teasing Sam & Yo really had me belly laughing. It was so funny.

Legitimate question. Would one put perfume on one’s cheeks in Thailand, as one does on wrist or sternum? Because of the sniff cheek thing? Scented face powders?

I do feel like with MosBank & SailubPon scorching up our screens, we’re being spoiled by some of Thailand‘s best high heat pairs at the moment.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - It remains kind of sweet and cute. It's also calm and slow moving. Oddly it reminds me of La Cuisine in its style and execution (if not content). I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 7 of 12 - I don’t know. I’m getting bored.

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 10fin - Fort’s acting during the break-up was truly great. But I feel for Rak. It’s rough to learn that someone else is playing a long game with feelings while you were playing a short game with d**k.

Ultimately this is probably a solid 8/10 show but I’m mad I wasn’t madder at it, and I'm mad I was so bored throughout. So it gets a 7/10 and let us not speak of this again. I’d like to simply forget about it. Trash watch.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 1-2 of 10 - OMG a uni student who looks young and a... COP! GAH. The subversion and kink of it all. I had to go grey to get it and I hate everything about what I had to do. But ya know what? Fucking worth every single repeated crash-causing advertisement.

I love it. The grumpy lonely little student cook and the cheerful mature police officer. What a fabulous dynamic. Is the cook looking for a boyfriend or a Daddy, and do we care if it has the same result? It is filmed VERY manga style camp. I’m a little nervous about that, but this means it’s also very fluffy and so damn sweet. It made me squeak with the cute. I’m gutted this didn’t get distribution.

Ironic that Tawada Hideya is in a new BL while Sunspot is re-airing.

Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Tues Gaga) eps 3-4 of 8 - Ah, the gays are doubting the bisexual again. How familiar. I like how this one is paced and moving through time, even if the relationship seems to be going comparatively slowly by contrast. I love the way Sahashi is always looking at Natsume, even when they’re in conversation with someone else. Ah yearning. I think the conflict was kind of inevitable, given the two personalities of the protagonists, and I like that. (No manufactured angst here.) But I still hope they can repair the breach and I’m still interested. Frankly this is so classically Japan - I don’t know what story beats it’s following and I’m not entirely sure where it’s going, but I kinda like that unpredictability. Makes me think it could go into "must you, Japan?" territory but fingers crossed.

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - I'm enjoying it very much. I could do without the girl character. I know she’s more interesting than most (this is Japan after all), but she’s not really for me. It’s the complexity of the connection between the leads (and why they like each other) that’s being executed so brilliantly in this show (and in the manga, FYI). Both actors are so on point with their roles and the nuanced emotions required of these characters that every time it’s only them interacting I'm riveted. I could do without the rest of the cast tho.

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 1 of 8 - I have a confession to make, I’ve been watching this whole series as it goes along. But this is the pair I absolutely like the most. I’m not sure I would necessarily recommend any of the installments, and I’m not sure how this one is going to go, but I’m VERY invested in this particular couple. They are so pretty!!!! This is a true friends-to-lovers struggle. I like that a lot. (Reminds me of I Cannot Reach You but a different dynamic.) Did I mention how pretty they are? And we already know they gonna kiss well. I bet the uncut version is stellar.

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - It's no one's funeral, turns out! Reports are in - not only are there kisses but it ends happily with wedding plans. So I'm eating crow, binging the fucker, and live blogging. I'm enjoying it. Ya'll know I adored Chinese BL before censorship. It has a certain unhinged quality I very much apreciate (and is the reason I'm so tolerant of the Thai pulps) that I think will marry well with Wuxia's effervescent and ever-present tropes. Watch me suffer here.

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - About a singer with stage fright and his timid fan starring Charles (H4 the puppy one) and Michael Chang (the youngster in My Tooth Your Love), plus side couple featuring a Thai actor Jame (Koh in Gen Y) and Liu Min Ting (of Guardian fame). What a damn team. With their powers combined they are...

fine.

This is a fine BL. The fight scene was fun and I like the meet cute. I’m not sure about the chemistry of the leads, but I think they’ll probably do okay. I admit I’m struggling a bit with a singing and the music. Are you surprised? I think I like it enough, but I’m not wowed.

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - Oh! Out of the blue attack kiss. What IS this show? I don’t get it at all. Bah. I guess they’re dating now. It’s… so odd...

It's airing but...

4 Minutes (Thai Netflix/Grey) - A rich boy at uni suddenly gains the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future. I have a source, but I've decided to hold off and binge if it ends okay, since it's only 8 eps. I depend upon y'all to tell me if it's safe.

8/16 The Last Time (Thai Fri YT) ? eps - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something. Again delayed? Not sure what's going on with this one but the continued push-backs do not bode well.

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer IS COMING IN SEPTEMBER!!!! (Yeah this is gonna sit here until then).

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Still Coming This Month!

8/22 The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) 12 eps - announced in 2023 this one has a high school set stepbrothers trope and is reputed to be high heat. From Taiwan! It's made for me. Based on a novel Mou Mou from the Your Name Engraved Herein folks, so it could go dark. Still, I'm very excited.

8/22 The Paradise of Thorns (Thai movie) theater release - Jeff Satur is back but this does not look like a BL (the gay lover's death is the inciting event). More in Goodbye Mother vein. Looks dark and dramatic. He opposite and extremely well known actor Toey Pongsakorn who has never done gay before.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

WHY IS HE SO FINE?

I truly belly laughed. Sam & Yo did not go in the direction I expected, but this scene alone made me not mind that they curtailed the suffering Sam was rightfully due. (SunsetXVibes)

Tall boyfriend armpit, anyone? (Monster Next Door)

The two extremes of BL in one show (Long Beans indeed).

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

[fangirl-writes]

Planning Our Future

JJ Maybank x Reader

Warning(s): Mentions of child abuse, mentions of a sex

Notes: I wrote a little blurb when watching the ‘Midsummers’ episode and decided to turn it into a whole fic. Also I still haven’t seen season 3 yet so no spoilers please!

Summary: JJ dreams about running away with the gold and taking you with him.

You and JJ were cuddled together in one of the hammocks tied to the chateau’s trees. It was just close enough to the water to hear the waves, but far enough away not to get sprayed. That, and you could watch the sun dip into the water every evening.

JJ’s arms were wrapped around you tightly, like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.

It had been a long day.

John B. was in the hospital after Topper pushed him from the Kildare Hawk’s Nest, with Sarah Cameron by his side.

He was losing his mind about the gold and about her. 

“You think he’s still going to try to find it after this?” You asked quietly. It felt wrong to speak in a normal tone and disrupt the silence that the two of you had built there.

“Probably,” JJ replied. “As long as he didn’t break any ribs or anything, he’ll bounce back pretty quick. I’ve never seem him as determined about anything other than this.”

You hummed. “Don’t act like you haven’t been enabling him a little bit.”

He frowned. “No. In fact I told him that if he kept going down this road he was going to end up just like his dad.”

“JJ, that’s a horrible thing to say.”

“It’s true. They’re too much alike. Big John wouldn’t give it up either and who knows where he is now. Probably floating in the bottom of the ocean somewhere.”

You didn’t respond to that. As blunt as it was, he was right.

A few moments passed before either of you spoke again.

“So...are we gonna talk about it?” You asked.

“Talk about what?”

“J,” you said. “Come on. You take the fall for Pope then turn up with a busted lip and bruises-”

“Can we not talk about this?”

“No, JJ, I’m sick of not talking about it,” you said, moving so that you were on the other side of the hammock, facing him. “You can’t stay there if he’s gonna treat you like this. Everybody knows what a piece of shit he is so why don’t you-”

“Shut up!”

You snapped your mouth closed.

He’d never raised his voice at you before.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just...I can’t leave. I don’t got anywhere to go. If Big John was still around, he’d take me in a heartbeat but your guys’ parents don’t like me and I know it. And I’m not letting DHS take me away. If John B. can stick around and play the system, then I can deal with this.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” you muttered, crossing your arms over your chest.

JJ sighed. “I know just...can you come back here?”

You frowned but slid back over into JJ’s arms, laying your head on his chest; his heartbeat a welcomed lullaby. 

“We get that gold,” he said. “You and me. We’re gonna ship off somewhere nice. Somewhere our parents can’t reach us.”

You hummed good-naturedly.

“We’ll surf waves every day and smoke only the finest marijuana.”

You smiled.

“Our own little slice of paradise. Far from OBX.”

“That sounds amazing, J,” you said, softly.

“We’ll have our own house and everything. Have sex in every room, just to christen it.”

You giggled. “Can we have a waterbed?”

“Of course we can have a waterbed. But also a memory foam mattress for when we need more stability.”

He was staring up at the sky that was slowly fading from orange into inky night, eyes glazed over as he dreamed.

“I’ll buy you a pretty diamond ring. And we’ll get married on the beach in the summertime by the water. Barefoot, but I’ll still wear a tux if you want me too, as long as you wear white. We’ll only invite the pogues...”

You were lapsed into comfortable silence, the hammock slowly swinging.

“I put the gun to his head,” JJ said, suddenly, making you sit up from his chest. “He was asleep and I had it right there” - he gestured to his forehead - “I could’ve killed him...he’d’ve deserved it...but I couldn’t pull that trigger, Y/N. I couldn’t do it.”

You took his head in your hands and pulled him to your chest, the tears in his eyes falling freely and he sobbed in your hold.

“I hate him,” he whispered. “I hate him so much, why couldn’t I do it? Why...”

You blinked back your own tears. “Cause he’s still your dad.”

JJ didn’t reply, just sobbed in your arms.

“Tell me about our wedding again,” you said. “Will we have a priest?”

“No...” JJ said, softly, sniffing and wiping his tears. “Pope will get ordained and perform the service. A full pogue ceremony, nobody else. Not even parents.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah...”

“I love you, JJ,” you whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“I love you, too, Y/N,” JJ replied.

“Will we have kids?”

“Yeah...but not for a while. John B.’ll probably have them first. Then Kie. We’ll probably be the last of the group to have any.”

“Names?”

“Booker, after John B., for a boy. I kinda like Bianca, for a girl.”

“I like it, too,”

JJ kept dreaming for a while, until the both of you fell asleep under the stars. In your own little paradise, right in the OBX.

[dmercer91]

ebug's sister, dm91

found the first two stills from @heavenlyhischier (thank you for inspiring this post) the rest i keep in my camera roll for lols and i forget where they're from, probably twitter 😀

last season! (2022-23) part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven / part twelve

(2023-24)! part one / part two

blakefriarr_

liked by nicohischier, jackhughes and 7,221 others

blakefriarr_: welcome back all, i hope you've missed me (i know you have, the hoping is just a formality)

this is definitely an episode of the thing. i both seem to have forgotten what i call it and how many times i've done it. uni brain fry, or something.

however, i remember that it's my civic duty to provide a rundown.

the first two photos are of my boy and my son being all smiley and giggly. they're the cutest

the third slide is me finding out that one day i'm going to be married to someone with the middle name jpg. i don't really know how to feel abt that one since i'm definitely more of a pdf file girlie.

it is also me finding out that i was wrong all along, and luke is the one who wears 86 and plays forward... i'm gonna have to delve into that a little more cause i've been calling them the wrong names and nobody even said anything ://

and in the last slide, we have.... that. despite the fact that i was indeed the one to take this incredible photo of captain eyebrows, i cannot say for certain what is actually happening. a sneeze? a kick? an accidental kick, mid sneeze? more to come.

view 688 comments..

holtz_10: son??

holtz_10: i did not agree to this

→ lhughes_06: just let it happen man there's no way out of it

dawson1417: hold that thought, actually, does this make me a dad????????

→ holtz_10: no.

→ blakefriarr_: alex be nice to your father

→ dawson1417: i'm not ready to be a dad

→ holtz_10: yeah man no shit you're like three months older than me?

→ blakefriarr_: will you be my son if i demote dawson

→ holtz_10: . fine

blakefriarr_: @/lhughes_06 you have a new brother !!

→ jackhughes: does that make me and quinn also your sons...?

→ blakefriarr_: you were put up for adoption and quinn filed for emancipation

→ _quinnhughes: i fend for myself cause i figured i was better off being cared for by an actual adult

→ blakefriarr_: is the adult in the room with us????

→ _quinnhughes: at least i know which one of your sons is actually luke??

→ blakefriarr_: omg did i accidentally send moose off instead of jachary ?!?!?!

dawson1417: jack i want you to know that i was only partially on board with giving you up

→ jackhughes: how much is partially?!?!?!?!?!

→ dawson1417: idk like 90%

→ dawson1417: 97 when you make charlie mad

→ jackhughes: feeling the love merc

nicohischier: can you call me literally anything that doesn't involve my eyebrows

→ blakefriarr_: captain slut was a good one

→ nicohischier: eyebrows it is

→ blakefriarr_: pleasure doing business with ya, captain slut

→ nicohischier: i give up

→ blakefriarr_: you lorb me

→ nicohischier: yeah yeah whatever. get away from me

tannercharlotte: no baby, his first name is jpg, he just goes by his middle name

→ blakefriarr_: 😟

→ dawson1417: pls don't divorce me before i can marry you

→ adamfantilli: what he said i can't miss being rookie of honour

→ blakefriarr_: is now a bad time to tell you jj is gonna be my dude of honour

→ jj.friar31: ..wait fr?

→ dawson1417: can i propose before you guys plan my wedding pls

→ tannercharlotte: speed it tf up then buddy

seamuscasey26: blako’s couch cushions

→ blakefriarr_: sheamo’s throw blankets ‼️

→ seamuscasey26: unreal combo

→ luca.fantilli: have i touched on how much i deeply loathe this duo

→ blakefriarr_: you’re salty cause fants’ ottomans was a flop

→ luca.fantilli: lan did say i should've gone with side tables :/

→ blakefriarr_: and you didn't listen?!?!? liked by landen.clark

ryangraves27: hi

→ blakefriarr_: hi gravy, you miss me?

→ ryangraves27: i wouldn't word it like that

jj.friar31: mom wants to know if you're coming for dinner tonight

→ blakefriarr_: what's she making

→ jj.friar31: lasagna

→ blakefriarr_: lasagna fucks tell her im omw

→ dawson1417: she made me let her drive but she would also like you to know that i'm coming and that she brought cookies

→ dougieham: bring some to picture day i want a cookie

load more comments..

[lead-us-to-reedus]

Okay I need the rant a little ... I adore criminal minds I really do but wtf are the writers doing? First they have JJ admit she loves Spencer and that he's her first love and things are complicated whatever and of course it's dropped a few episodes later don't even get me started we'll be here all night ... Then I get to the middle of season 15 and they just throw some random girl in the mix to give Spencer a gf this is one thing I hate is when TV shows give characters random love interests just to give them someone to be with at the end of a series I absolutely HATE THAT like what the hell were the writers on. If they were gonna put him with someone they should of just put him with JJ to begin with there's numerous ways to hide pregnancies on TV shows and don't get me started cause I like will and everything but they only ever bring him in for drama or when JJ is with her family for like wholesome family gatherings ECT other than that Will is more so a babysitter at home with the kids which is rarely shown. Maybe this is just my opinion cause I ship JJ and Reid and I can see the chemistry those two have in wave lengths I don't know nor do I care all I'm saying is I just hate how they randomly gave Reid this random love interest it's crappy writing imo.

[cult-of-the-eye]

Ok I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna make the new hyperfixation post:

CRIMINAL MINDS:

I started watching it cause I was on the internet during the Dr Reid thirst trap era and let's just say a scrawny motherfucker with autism is the surefire way to get me to watch something

Especially when everyone is going through the horrors

I am in love with the format of the show, with the whole quotes and then different characters saying the quotes and the isolated cases with the slight hints of more background for each of the characters it's really keeping me going

I'm not great with gore and shit but like it's got shitty 2000s CGI so like it's easy to tell myself it's just actors with fake blood

Also listen I had to tap into my 9 yr old undiagnosed autistic obsessed with psychopaths phase at some point

It just tickles the right parts of my brain

Anyway the characters are why I stuck around

Gideon <3333 I love that strange walrus looking man I love how he's simultaneously such an emotional rock for everyone in the BAU but also dealing with his own things, he goes into each of the crimes with such calmness and compassion and I just love that weird old man especially when he introduced himself as Jason to the little girl he was saving in that one episode, i was like HE'S MAKING HIMSELF SEEM LIKE LESS OF A THREAT BY INTRODUCING HIMSELF WITH HIS FIRST NAMEEEE, HE'S TRYING TO PUT HER AT EASE

Hotch oh man it was one scene specifically that literally started my brainrot for this guy, I wasn't that into him in the first couple of episodes and then it was revealed that he was horrifically abused by his dad and actively chose to go into a pathway that would catch people like that and people who get abused and then go on to abuse others and I just. AH. i am such a sucker for any character who has endured things that no one ever should endure at the hands of another human being and then instead of becoming completely bitter and taking the eye for an eye mindset, they vow to make sure the cycle stops with them and they may not be all sunshine and daisies and instead rough a lot of the times but they do it and they do it realistically

He's got a wife and a kid!!! He did it!! He made a better life for himself and it makes me feel like I could too, he's so strong and I feel like my strength can one day be used for more than just survival

Elle!!!! God I love her I feel like she's so realistic for a woman in her field, she's smart and strong and capable and she acknowledges all the things she has going against her, she's compassionate to the female rape victims, she gets furious at the people targeting women in particular what i would do to be this woman's friend

Reid. Oh lord. Listen I'm not on the thirst trap train but I do understand the love for this guy. My love for him however stems from the autism. The whole wanting to be useful and only knowing how to through interests and hyperfixations and feeling like he's missing out on some things cause he's different

It was the hostage situation on the train that got to me he was just so REAL and it's so awesome to see autistic people succeed in stuff like this

It's also nice to see him accepted by the team for who he is

I do also like him cause he's cool but it's easier to explain the autism stuff

Garcia - wonderful amazing spectacular I love me a confident woman in stem

Morgan - i like how he's sort of the "cool guy" archetype but his whole thing is getting into the mind of the UnSub I feel like it gives him more depth

JJ - god she's so cool and calm under pressure I love her

So yeah. The BAU is my new comfort character crew I'm taking Elle with me everywhere

But also do I have major issues with the idea of behavioural analysis in crime? Absolutely. It is so insanely subjective the way they're going off of probability, the way their precedent probably lacks temporal validity and also population validity with both the androcentrism and ethnocentrism it does feel wrong to be coming to such a conclusion about the UnSub so quickly and decisively, even though I understand their whole thing is getting there quickly. I just know that categorising human behaviour is never as simple as it seems.

Do I think they tackle some of these issues in the show? Sort of. Am I also aware this is a fictional drama TV show and it may not be that deep? Yes.

Anyway

[le-trash-prince]

Food as a Motif in This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans Part 5

Part 4

The breakfast episode! I was very excited to see both of our couples get breakfast scenes this week, since breakfast has a level of domesticity to it that lunch and dinner sometimes lack. Breakfast scenes are often kept between lovers or family- people who would naturally be around first thing in the morning.

So now that Oab and Plawan have had their granita, we get to see Plawan making breakfast for Oab the next morning, and we get our daily recommended serving of gay bread.

I feel like this is a rather sweet gesture from Plawan, considering his panic the night before over having slept with someone that he's trying to scam. There's a level of care that goes into cooking for someone this early in the morning, even if it's a simple dish like this. Frankly, this is a far cry from the person in episode 1, who invited his agent to coffee only to ask her to cover the bill. Although he's still a beginner, Plawan is starting to discover the joy behind cooking for other people.

We now have a pretty solid pattern of Oab and Plawan feeding each other in turns, but it's always Oab giving Plawan one dish and Plawan giving Oab another dish--they haven't shared the same food yet, which, again, means that even though they're getting closer to each other, they haven't fully connected. They're in a pattern of flirting back and forth without finding a mutual balance.

So this sweet moment is then disrupted by Oab's work brain: he immediately begins critiquing the dish rather than simply letting himself enjoy it. Work gets in the way of the meal, just as it is getting in the way of their relationship. Plawan asks Oab if he likes him, and Oab tells him to wait until things with the restaurant have settled down.

But, in spite of his own doubts, Oab still makes an attempt to get closer to Plawan later in the episode, under the guise of taking the team out for dinner.

Oab gets the connective power of food.

And Kluer does, too.

But Methas's contract gets in the way of Oab and Plawan's development, the same way it does every time. After initially accepting, Plawan turns down the dinner invitation, leaving Oab to eat with Kluer and Punsib.

Punsib came here to eat, and he's gonna eat. In fact, he's the only one happily digging into the food. Kluer merely picks at the vegetables, ignoring the pork, and he comments directly on the fact that Oab isn't eating anything at all.

If eating with someone forms a connection, then not eating with them shows distrust and a lack of care, and it can damage a relationship. Not only is Plawan and Oab's relationship put under stress by Plawan's absence, but Kluer and Oab's relationship also becomes very strained as Kluer makes his intentions towards Plawan known. After this failed dinner outing, things only get worse at the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Methas and JJ get their own breakfast scene. JJ arrives at Methas' house, finds him buried in work, and it occurs to him to ask whether Methas has even taken time for breakfast. To which Methas responds that he only ever has coffee for breakfast. This falls in line with Methas' money-oriented mindset, since he would rather be making money as early in the day as possible, instead of stopping to eat. Methas' mindset of valuing money over people isn't limited to just other people- he considers money to be more important than his own health.

Luckily JJ is there to teach him otherwise. Again, there's a level of care that goes into making breakfast for someone, and it's immediately obvious how little care Methas has had in his life, based on both his response to JJ cooking for him, and the way he says he's "never eaten breakfast" in his life.

^ absolutely the face of a smitten man who's just had someone make him breakfast for the first time ever

JJ has only set up a place-setting for one because his intention is not to share a meal with Methas. His goal is to show Methas that people can be genuinely selfless, and this is just another example of that. He doesn't expect this to help him get closer to Methas, he just wants Methas to learn about doing nice things for other people.

But Methas is quick to stop him and invite him to sit. And after taking a single bite, he immediately compliments JJ and starts to ask about his life. And what does JJ do? He picks up a fork from the plate of fruit.

Let me tell y'all I never had so many feelings about a damn fork before. Because it's the way JJ doesn't even realize he's picked the fork up. He sets it down and tries to pull back, only to immediately pick it up again. JJ keeps being drawn into Methas' orbit in much the same way. Even though he tells himself he only thinks of Methas as a client, he stays later than he needs to, he makes him breakfast, and when he's not trying to bite Methas' head off... he catches himself actually enjoying being around him.

They were SO close to forming a connection here. JJ agrees with Methas about how much he has to take care of Plawan, JJ smiles... and then Methas offers to buy a clinic for him.

JJ has made breakfast for Methas, a domestic act of service, and Methas turns it into a moment to keep their relationship on a transactional level. And JJ immediately, definitively puts the fork down. "Are you planning to invest in me and squeeze profits from me every day?" From that point on, the conversation turns into another argument, and the connection is gone.

We are now more than halfway through a show about food, and neither of the main couples have had a proper meal together yet. Will we be seeing something different on Friday, or will the conflicts only deepen?

[ssaalexblake]

the thing about cm is that the writers have always been totally upfront about there never being an inter-team romance played out on the show, that's not what it's about and that was the score and remains it. What Other show that's been on air as long hasn't had a will they/won't they? lasting for like 8 years before they finally do it? Or had a pair have a very ill advised affair? or any number of other combos.

CM is different to that by design, not by accident.

(that they had luke and garcia flirt all the time with nothing to show for it, and then when they thought they'd been cancelled they had them agree to a date in the last 5 minutes of the show is Telling. That they tanked it in the very next episode 2 years later that they never thought would exist is More telling.)

teasing moments between characters is not promising you that they're gonna suddenly have an ooc gay affair, and while i'm going to assume what's happening here is that they've not mentioned the No Romance rule for a while not realising that their audience is not all the same one they Used to have back on CBS, they really have made the score clear multiple times in the past.

If you're waiting for JJ to divorce herself from her own personality and suddenly decide to have a steamy gay affair with Emily you're going to be waiting a Long Time. And this is Really obvious and doesn't really even need stating, to be frank.

I've seen some Wild shit coming from the fandom, like somebody saying with their whole chest that the only reason jj ended up with will was because of aj's pregnancy (that part is true) but devolved into 'what universe are You from' territory when they claimed that otherwise they were going to do a shippy story with jj and emily. And even Aside from the whole No Team Romance rule, you are Aware this was in like 2007 right??? I know you're all young and all but in 2007 every gay thing in a tv show was a Groundbreaking Moment in television history still. Stuff you slam for being tame representation that's not good enough for you was ground-breaking rep in the mid 2010's!! This was 2007. CM barely acknowledged that gay people existed for an entire 15 seasons.

That their first episode on paramount made one of the leads queer is actually kind of funny in that regard, and Incredibly telling in general. It was Never the writers who were against that (in fact, a number of them in the cbs years were gay themselves) but got forbidden to go there by the network.

For the record, other topics that were considered unpalatable by the network and not to be used in stories very often were things like cannibalism and a variety of other disturbing things you can do to people. So gayness was ranked with them. Charming. (there used to be webchats with writers after episodes aired, and you learnt some Shit in those, let me tell you).

Anyway, i digress, they're not going to go there and have been honest about it. Whatever ship 'there' is is sitting somewhere at Snowball's chance in hell, and while i'd sell maybe a rib for tara and emily to be canon, i'm more than aware it'd be a waste of a rib. At Most i think maybe they'll do another 11th hour thing with luke and garcia when they eventually get cancelled again.

Because the same show runner is still in place. There's not been a change of management. Maybe If they'd got a new person in, but they haven't.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Caverns & Creatures - Part One

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Twenty-Two

A JSE Fanfic

Before things start getting serious in this AU, let's have a fun adventure! One where I get to be a real nerd XD Much like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, this adventure got longer than expected, so I had to split it in two. Jackie decides to teach the five younger kids how to play the tabletop game Caverns and Creatures. But Anti is upset that he got left out, and things go crazy from there. Hope I made this fun for people who don't know anything about DnD XD Enjoy! :D

More of this AU | From the Start | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

++++++++++++++++++++

“What do you mean it showed up again?!” Chase shouted.

“Shhh!” Marvin hushed him, then glanced around nervously. The cafeteria was always loud and crowded, but there was always a chance that some of the teachers might overhear—especially those who were part of the Circle, and who might be listening in intentionally. “Not so loud.”

“Sorry,” Chase said. “But it’s—it’s just freaky, right?”

“Is that doll with you right now?”

JJ nodded slowly. He opened up his bag, and slowly took out that same plush doll, now wearing a miniature version of their school uniform.

“It changed clothes again,” Marvin muttered, shuddering. “It really is mimicking you.”

JJ hurriedly put it back in his bag. I didn’t put it in my bookbag, but when I checked on it before coming to the cafeteria, it was there, he said.

“Omg,” Stacy gasped. “You’re right, Chase, that is really freaky.”

Chase nodded. “But, uh... what do we do?”

“I don’t know, that’s why we’re asking you!” Marvin insisted. “When it showed up in our room again, we were completely lost.”

“You threw it out the window, yes?” Schneep said. “Did that... do anything? To the doll, or to Jameson?”

The doll is fine, JJ said. As for me... I don’t know. I seem fine. But I don’t think a fall from our window would really hurt, you know? So it’s hard to tell.

“Hmm.” Schneep frowned. “I still do not think we can do much... if we cannot tell that JJ will be safe, it is not worth the risk.”

“Maybe Marvin can pull the greenlight out of the doll?” Chase suggested. “Like he could with the paperpillar?”

Marvin paused. Then he turned to JJ. “Hand it to me.” JJ nodded and took the doll out again, handing it over to him. Marvin screwed his eyes shut, concentrating. Then he shook his head. “I don’t... I don’t know. It’s hard for me to, uh... grab it? It’s like... slippery. If that makes sense.” He handed it back to JJ.

“We can ask Jackie about it,” Stacy said. “Are we, uh, still gonna do that thing on Saturday?”

“Yeah... the thing.” Chase nodded. “We’re gonna do that.”

“You can just say we’re playing Cavern and Creatures, y’know,” Marvin said. “There’s no reason to be scared of it.”

“Well I mean... y’know, I...” Chase stammered. “I have a... Um, that’s like... M-maybe some other time. I mean, I don’t even know if I’ll like the game.”

The group had agreed to meet at Jackie’s house on Saturday around two to try out a game of Caverns and Creatures. This would give Jackie enough time to borrow stuff for the game from his friend Ram, give the others time to think about what sort of characters they wanted to make, and also, conveniently, Stacy’s parents were attending a piano recital for her sister Roxy, and with enough pleading she’d managed to convince them to let Jackie “babysit” her instead of dragging her to the recital as well.

“I’m sure it will be fun, Chase,” Schneep said. “After all, we are doing it together. If you are not enjoying the game, at least you will enjoy us, right?”

Chase laughed. “Yeah. That sounds so cheesy but yeah.”

JJ smiled nervously. I’m excited too. I just... hope nothing happens before then.

Chase hesitated. “I-it’ll be fine, JJ,” he said. “Cheer up.”

JJ’s expression brightened. Alright, I’ll look forward to it.

“I’m sure nothing will happen,” Marvin said, hiding his uncertainty. “We’ll just keep a close eye on the doll in the meantime.”

It will be fine, JJ agreed. It will be fine.

++++++++++++++++++++

“That doesn’t sound fine,” Jackie said.

The next couple days had passed without incident, and now the group was gathered in the living room of Jackie’s house. The doll had once again followed JJ, tagging along in his bag even when he left it home. And it was once again wearing a miniature version of his clothes: today, a button-up yellow shirt and brown pants.

“Well, no, but at least nothing bad’s gone on!” Marvin said.

“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s fine,” Jackie insisted. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You have my phone number.”

JJ shrugged and didn’t answer, putting the doll back in his bag.

“D’you have any ideas, Jackie?” Chase asked, looking up to him.

Jackie sighed. “I dunno, little man. If Marvin can’t pull the greenlight out of it, I just don’t know. I don’t want to risk hurting JJ by destroying it. I mean... it might not work that way, but if it does... I-I guess we just wait and see? If it turns out that it’s hurting JJ more by keeping it around, we’ll try ways to get rid of it.” He paused. “Maybe we could try getting it far away and that teleporting things will stop? But how far away?”

Schneep sighed. “This is a problem.”

“What’s a problem?” Mr. Mann walked into the living room, overhearing Schneep’s last statement.

“Just some school stuff, Dad,” Jackie lied. “Don’t worry, we’ll get it all sorted out.”

“Helping them with their homework?” Mr. Mann chuckled. “I thought you all were going to play a game.”

“We are! This was just, uh, small talk and stuff.”

“Alright, alright. Head on down to the basement whenever you want. If you guys need anything, just shout. And uh, try not to touch my camping supplies, okay?”

“We won’t, Mr. Mann,” Stacy promised.

“We’re going to the basement?” Marvin asked.

“Yep.” Jackie nodded. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

Jackie led the way. There was a plain wooden door in the middle of the hallway, completely undecorated. He opened it up—giving it a good tug, seemed like it got a bit stuck in the frame—and flicked on a light switch, showing a set of stairs leading downwards, covered in shaggy brown carpet. The group headed down into a hallway, the walls painted a pale yellow. There was a door to the left, ajar, showing a laundry room of some kind. There was also a door to the right. Jackie opened that one up, turning on the light in there as well, and everyone piled in.

Right by the doorway was a bookshelf full of stuff: old board games and boxes for puzzles. Up against the opposite wall, underneath a high-up window, were a series of stacked plastic boxes full of what looked like old clothes. Outdoorsy equipment was stacked in the corners of the room. There’s a desk up against a spot by the wall, with two clunky computers on it. “I set things up already,” Jackie said, indicating the center of the room, where two folding card tables were pressed against each other, forming an island of sorts with some folding chairs around it.

The kids immediately crowded around. A lot of paper covered the surface of the tables. Most of it was a big folding map, sort of like a board for a board game, with a grid pattern overlaid on top of the drawings. At one end of the table was a folding screen of some kind, blocking off a section of the table from view. And in the middle of the island was a shoebox full of dice.

“Whooooa, wait, what?” Marvin reached into a box and picked up a handful of dice. “These are so pretty!”

Jackie laughed. “They better be—I spent a lot on them. But some of them are Ram’s, so try not to lose any. I-I wanted you all to have your own set.”

“Weird shapes,” Chase muttered, picking up one that looked like a pyramid.

“Yep. You’ll mostly be using this one, though.” Jackie grabbed one, holding it in two fingers. “The d20, as it’s called. Here, everyone sit down, I put a character sheet at each place.”

Everyone took their places. Jackie sat at the head of the table, behind the screen. Chase took the seat to his right, and Schneep sat on Chase’s other side. Stacy sat across from Chase, and JJ next to her, leaving Marvin at the other end of the table, bouncing in the chair excitedly.

“Okay, I texted you all a list of possible stuff your character can be, but it might not have been that clear,” Jackie said. “So, um... any questions?”

Stacy raised her hand—like she was in class. “Can I be a vampire?”

Jackie blinked. “Um—”

Chase burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?!” Stacy said defensively.

“I just—wasn’t expecting that from you!” Chase said, smiling. “It’s kinda fun.”

“Vampires are cool. Are there vampires in Caverns and Creatures?”

“Yeah, there are, but uh... I don’t know if you can play as them.” Jackie picked up a book—looking like a thin textbook—and started flipping through it. “But, uh, if you really want, I can try to... adjust the monster stat block for you? You know you’ll have to be careful of sunlight, right?”

“I can have an umbrella or something,” Stacy said.

What’s the difference between a warrior and a knight? JJ asked.

“Well, a knight is more built around armor and defense, and a warrior is varied,” Jackie said. “And then there’s the martial artist if you want to be fast, the berserker if you want to be strong, and the rogue if you want to be sneaky.”

“That one!” Stacy raised her hand again. “I want to be sneaky. If I stay in the shadows, I can be a vampire.”

Jackie laughed. “That does make sense. Okay, give me a minute, Stacy, I’m gonna have to mess with some stuff for you.” He picked up a pencil and piece of paper and started to write. “Are the rest of you guys sorted?”

“I bet Marvin’s gonna be a witch,” Chase laughed.

“There’s no witch, actually,” Marvin said. “But there are lots of magic ones! Sorcerers, enchanters, wizards, pact-sworns... I like sorcerers best, I think, cause it’s like... the magic is part of you, you know? But wizards do have more spell options, hmm...”

“Can I be one of the bird people?” Schneep asked tentatively. “With the wings? Or will that make things too hard, Jackie?”

“Why would it make things hard?” Jackie asked.

“Well... flying could mean I could fly over things.”

“You do what’s fun to you,” Jackie said, looking up at him and smiling over the screen. “I can work with whatever.”

Schneep nodded slowly. “I, uh... I want to do that. And I want to be a potion master, too.”

“Nice! Underrated class, if you ask me. Your potions work the same as spell slots, you’ll have a limited number of them and during a long rest we can assume you spend some time replacing them.”

Chase shook his head. “The spell slots thing confuses me.”

“Then don’t pick a class that uses them,” Jackie said.

“I’m not gonna. I want to be a hunter. With the bow and stuff.” Chase pantomimed drawing back a bow and arrow. “It’s kinda like my Nerf gun.”

“Alright.” Jackie nodded. “You did seem interested in that when I texted you. JJ? Got an idea for what you want?”

JJ blinked. He looked a bit embarrassed. Don’t laugh.

“None of us are gonna laugh, JJ,” Chase said.

I... want to be a berserker, JJ said, signs small.

“Huh?” Stacy looked surprised. “That doesn’t really seem like you.”

Exactly. I think it’ll be fun to play someone different than me. And I want to hit things.

Jackie grinned. “That’s totally great, Jays. Hitting things is pretty fun in C&C. And Marvin? You decided?”

Marvin had been looking over a handout from Jackie this whole time, listing out the basic differences between the different magic classes. “Uhhh... yeah, I’ll be a sorcerer. A fiend sorcerer.”

Oh! And I’ll be an elf, I forgot to mention that, JJ added.

“Awesome. We don’t get a lot of elf berserkers, that’s not a usual combination.”

Chase frowned. “I just want to be human. Is that boring?”

“Nothing’s boring if it’s fun for you guys,” Jackie assured him. “Really. I usually play a human warrior, that’s about as basic as it gets.” He chuckled. “Okay. Stacy, I think I got some stuff sorted out. With that, I’ll help you guys fill out the sheets. Take these dice, we’re going to roll for your stats. JJ, you’ll want your highest one to be strength, Stacy and Chase, yours should be agility, Marvin, focus on charm, and Schneep, focus on intelligence.”

Some time passed as Jackie helped the kids figure out all their stats and abilities. Marvin and Schneep took the longest, as he had to guide them through what possible spells and potions they wanted to use. Soon, though, they each had the whole sheet filled out.

“That took a while,” Chase said, looking at a clock on the wall. “Like... an hour. And that’s just getting ready?”

“This isn’t normally how it works out,” Jackie said. “But you guys are new. Once you learn more this becomes easier. And there’s also five of you at once.”

“Okay, so what are we playing, then?” Marvin asked excitedly. “What’s our quest?”

“I’m using a one-shot campaign from a kit,” Jackie said, picking up a booklet and showing the others. “Secrets of Suilara. It shouldn’t take too long... but if it does, we can come back to it some other day easily enough.”

Schneep reached into his backpack and pulls out a small notebook and pencil, writing something down. “How do you spell that? Sool...arr...uh?”

“Here, the lid of the box has the name.” Jackie handed it over to him.

“What’re you doing?” Chase asked.

“Taking notes. If we might come back to this later, we need to be sure we don’t forget.”

“Oh that’s a great idea!” Stacy gasped. “I should’ve brought my notebook.”

Jackie laughed. “Alright, everyone put your pieces on the board.” He’d mentioned that they didn’t have miniatures earlier, so everyone had grabbed parts from the board games on the shelves. “Before we get started, we should get snacks. C&C takes a surprising amount of energy.” He stood up. “I’ll go get some. Any requests?”

“D’you have Lassie Trail Mix?” Stacy asked. “My family is very specific about the sort of stuff we can eat and that’s my favorite.”

“I’ll go look,” Jackie promised. “Anything else for anyone?”

“Crisps?” Chase said.

“D’you have pretzels?” Marvin asked.

“Definitely crisps, not sure about pretzels,” Jackie said. “My dad’s probably gonna suggest fruit or something, too.” He stood up. “I’ll be right back. You guys talk about your characters and stuff in the meantime. How they know each other, if they know each other, stuff like that.” He waved at the others and headed out of the room. They could hear him head up the stairs.

“Well... this is going to be fun!” Schneep said cheerfully.

“You guys think so?” Chase asked.

JJ nodded. I’m sure it will be.

The lights overhead flickered. “You guys are having fun without me?”

All at once, the kids turned to look at the corner of the room... the corner where Anti was now standing, shadowy as ever.

“What the fuck?!” Marvin gasped. He whirled towards the doorway. “Jackie!”

“No no no no.” Anti disappeared and reappeared in front of the door, which slammed shut on its own behind him. “Don’t be like that! I can’t believe you all are playing a game without me!”

“Why wouldn’t we be playing a game without you?” Chase demanded. “We don’t really know you!”

Anti blinked. “But—but—you can’t do that without me!”

“Oh fuck off!” Marvin snapped.

“You eff off!” Anti shouted back. He suddenly appeared next to the table, right between Marvin and Schneep. “I heard alllll your explanations. I can play! In fact, I can make it even better.”

Stacy stared at him. “...what do you mean?” She asked, trepidation in her voice.

Anti reached out to the side, and something appeared in his hand. He threw it out onto the table. Seven crystals, irregularly shaped—not like the dice, but clearly meant to serve the same purpose. They landed around the edges of the board and immediately started glowing green.

JJ got to his feet. Marvin shouted “What the fuck?!” Stacy turned towards the doorway.

But before any of them could do anything more than that, the green glow flared, filling the room and blinding them all. When it faded, all of them were gone. And the board was glowing green. Anti leaned over it. The whole thing had become a window, looking down at a forest floor. Anti grinned.

The door to the room opened again, and Jackie poked his head in. “Hey guys, do you want potato or corn cr—” He stopped, eyes going wide. “Wh-what?”

“Hi!” Anti smiled at him, waving.

“What’s going on?! Wh-what did you do to the others?!” Jackie demanded, feeling frozen in place.

“They’re in here!” Anti pointed at the window-like board.

Jackie rushed over, peering down into the window...

++++++++++++++++++++

Chase opened his eyes, and found himself no longer in Jackie’s basement room, but now in a forest. Gentle dappled sunlight coated the forest floor, and bright green moss covered the trunks of the trees. He looked around, confused. Then he looked down at himself, even more confused. His clothes were different. He still had the cap he was wearing, but everything else was different. What sort of costume was this? Dark browns and greens, thick leather armor, and... was that a real knife on his belt? And a real quiver full of arrows?

“What the fuck?”

Chase turned towards the voice and yelped. “Marvin, is that you?!”

“Huh? Yeah.” Marvin blinked at him. His head dipped a little, weighted down by the heavy horns that were now growing out of his head. “Whoa.” He reached up, feeling them. His eyes went wide. “Wait a—wait a minute!” His outfit had changed as well. His cape was still in place, but now he was wearing a pale purple tunic lined with gold. “Do I have—why do I have fucking horns?!”

“Help!” Schneep was lying on his back nearby, trying to get up. He was also wearing a tunic, though his was white and blue, and he had leather armor like Chase’s on over it.

“Oh, yeah, o-of course.” Chase hurried over and helped him up. It was more difficult than expected... because Schneep was not, as Chase first thought, lying on a pile of feathers. He instead had a pair of wings sprouting from his back, in shades of brown and creamy white. “...Schneep?! Are you an angel?!”

“Ah... thank you, Chase?” Schneep said, confused.

“You have fucking wings!” Marvin pointed and shouted.

“What?!”

“Uh... guys?” The voice came from above them that time. They all looked up into the trees, and saw Stacy there, looking white as a sheet—and not from shock. Her glasses were still in place, but her outfit had been replaced by another medieval-style outfit. This one was pink with black frills, and black leather armor. A belt around her chest had three sheathed knives. “H-how do I get down?”

“...climb down?” Chase suggested.

“Thanks, that’s very helpful.”

“Where’s JJ?” Marvin looked around. “Where is he?!”

A whistle came from behind a tree trunk. JJ peered around it, then came out and walked over. He was wearing some sort of loose short-sleeved red shirt with a cape made of some sort of fur pelt. His ears had become pointed at the top. And there was a giant freaking weapon strapped to his back. Is that... a flail? JJ had chosen that as his weapon for his character in Caverns and Creatures—oh.

“Are we in the game?!” Chase gasped.

Part of the sky above them seemed to open up, a green glowing circle forming. In the middle of it: Jackie’s worried face. “Guys?! Are you okay?!”

“We’re fine, Jackie!” Schneep shouted, looking up at it. “Are you okay?!”

Jackie laughed. “I-I’m fine! But Anti—”

Anti’s face suddenly appeared, shoving Jackie’s to the side. “C’mon c’mon! Go go go! Where are all the monsters? There’s supposed to be monsters!”

“You put us in the fucking game?!” Marvin shouted. “What is this?! I-is this some sort of weird pocket dimension?!”

“I dunno. I just made it happen.”

How do we get out of here?! JJ asked.

“Yeah, how do we get out of here?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Jackie shouted. “Um—Anti, how do they get out?!” he asked, desperately looking over at him.

“They finish the game, duh.”

“Do you even know how the game ends?!” Jackie asked.

Anti stared at him, blinking.

Jackie sighed, frustrated. “Okay. Looks like I’ll have to CM you guys out of there, then.” He briefly disappeared from sight. The others could hear the sound of him flipping through the book.

“Seriously, how do I get out of this tree?” Stacy asked.

“Just... try climbing down? I-I don’t know how to explain it,” Chase said.

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Stacy stared down at the ground, thinking. Then she pushed herself off the branch—

A series of numbers appeared next to her, pink and mist-like, flipping like they were on a rolling counter. It landed on 02, and then a +5 appeared next to it, bumping the number up to 07. Stacy immediately fell on her face. “Oof!”

“Holy shit!” Marvin gasped. JJ winced.

The guys immediately rushed over to her.

“A-are you okay?!” Chase asked.

“Owww.” Stacy got to her feet. Another number appeared above her head. 10... which then rolled down to a 09.

“Uh... I think you just failed your agility saving throw,” Jackie said. “And you lost a health point because of that.”

Is that just going to happen whenever we try to do anything? JJ said, eyes wide.

“Probably,” Jackie said. “Okay, uh... we’re playing Secrets of Suilara. There’s this opening paragraph of exposition, I-I think you guys need to hear this so you can understand what the hell is going on right now. So, you guys were hired by Dalrun the dwarf to carry a satchel of precious gems to the city of Suilara, through the Kanrrol Forest. One of you should have that.”

“I think I do?” Marvin said, pushing back his cape. He did indeed have a leather satchel on his back.

“Okay, good. I don’t remember, who has the highest navigation skill? Probably Chase, right?”

“I think mine was really high, yeah.” Chase nodded. “I, uh... filled in the little dot next to it. That means I’m really good at it. So... I’ll lead the way, then?”

“Exactly,” Jackie said.

“Alright, uh...” Chase looked around. A set of yellow misty numbers appeared next to his head, rolling, and landing on a 15, and then a +3 made it into an 18. Suddenly, Chase saw it. The way the grass and undergrowth was trampled down, creating a winding trail through the forest. “This way. Let’s go.”

They walked for a while. Stacy found out that the staff strapped to her back was actually an umbrella, which turned out to be needed as the bits of sunlight coming through the trees burned her as she passed by. “I didn’t think I’d actually be a vampire,” she muttered. “Or I would’ve chosen something else.”

Meanwhile, Marvin started immediately trying out magic. He was able to conjure up sparkles, make the smell of freshly-cut grass, and cause a rock he picked up to start glowing. He seemed absolutely delighted by all this, grinning the whole way. Schneep was similarly delighted by all his potions, small glass bottles in various shapes, filled with brightly-colored liquids, all strapped to the belts he had around his waist and chest.

“This is boooring!” Anti suddenly said, chiming in through the window of the sky.

“Well this is how the game goes,” Jackie said, glaring at him.

“No, it’s not! It’s supposed to be more exciting!” Anti leaned forward. “Suddenly—monsters! They appear from the shadows and attack!”

Chase looked up at the window in the sky. “You can’t just make stuff happen by yelling—”

But then growls come from the trees around them.

The group stopped walking all at once. Yellow eyes glowed in the shadows, and five creatures slowly stepped forward. Blue lizard-like creatures, as big as wolves, with clear insectile wings sprouting from their backs. “Are these dragons?!” Stacy said, her voice squeaking.

“Oh shit!” Jackie gasped. “Th-those are fly-dragons! You’re supposed to find them later in the game, if you come back into the forest to find the—okay, um—h-hang on, let me find their stats—”

Numbers appeared over each of the fly-dragons’ heads, rolling through until they landed on different amounts. 09, 04, 13, 15, 18. Then the same thing happened with the kids—Chase: 12, Schneep: 07, Marvin: 17, JJ: 16, and Stacy: 10. “What’s that?” Marvin asked. “Oh! Wait, that’s the turn order, righ—”

One of the fly-dragons lunged forward, teeth snapping. More numbers rolled by its head, landing on a 09 that was deflected as a 17 appeared in front of JJ. The fly-dragon bit onto JJ’s arm but JJ managed to pull it out, and looked down at his unharmed skin in surprise.

“What’s the turn order, again?” Chase asked.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Jackie explained. “You take turns doing things in combat. Looks like it’s Marvin’s turn next, he was the next highest.”

“Oooo.” Marvin grinned excitedly. He cupped his hands together, and a ball of fire formed in them. He threw it towards the fly-dragons. Numbers flew through the air, and the fireball exploded, knocking back three of the dragons. One of them stopped moving, while the other two got back up.

“Marvin, did you just use a fireball spell on these dragons?” Jackie asked.

“Yep, I think so!”

“That... was maybe a bit overkill.” Jackie shook his head. “Anyway, who’s next?”

JJ raised his hand. What do I do? 

“Uh... hit people with your big weapon???” Chase said.

Right. JJ reached over his shoulder and grabbed the flail. He adjusted his grip on it a couple times, looking nervous. Then he started to raise it, but lowered it again. Then he walked forward, slowly, towards one of the fly-dragons, which growled—

“Oh just fucking hit it JJ!” Marvin shouted.

JJ jumped in surprise and swung the flail. More numbers appeared in midair, made of blue mist, and they landed on 20—accompanied by a few sparkling fireworks. The spiky ball at the end of the flail hit the fly-dragon right in the face, the number 7 flying out from the impact—which then turned into a 14.

“Huh?! Why’d it turn into something else?” Stacy asked.

“I remember this actually!” Schneep said. “If you land a critical hit then you double the damage of an attack!”

“Ohh so those numbers are us rolling!” Chase nodded. “Good job, Jays!”

JJ blinked, then grinned, excited.

One of the fly-dragons roared and opened its mouth, a column of blue fire pouring out of its mouth and hitting Chase and Schneep. Chase yelped—but the fire didn’t actually hurt. It was very hot, but it didn’t hurt. A little number appeared next to his head: a 12 that rolled down to an 08. He saw more numbers appear next to Schneep: a light blue 09 that became a 05. 

“Wait a second—that’s our health, isn’t it?!” Chase gasped. “What happens if it reaches zero?!”

“...oh no.” Jackie turned to stare at Anti. “What happens if their health reaches zero?”

Anti shrugged. “They lose.”

“Do they—”

Another one of the fly-dragons leaped forward, claws extended, and attacked Marvin. He yelped, going down, and a green number by his head went from 07 to 04.

“Shit!” Jackie cursed. “You weren’t supposed to fight the fly-dragons yet! You’re under-leveled, you don’t have enough health! Get out of there, guys!”

“Can we get out of here?!” Chase asked. “What if we’re locked into the level?!”

“This isn’t a video game, you can do whatever you want! And you should want to get out of there right now!” 

“Okay!” Chase broke into a run, darting across the ground. But he didn’t get too far before his legs suddenly stopped on their own. “What the heck?!”

“Shit, right, you have limited movement on each turn,” Jackie cursed.

“Uh—this is fine!” Chase reached over his back and grabbed the heavy weight he’d felt there earlier. As he suspected, it was a bow. He notched an arrow, hands moving on their own like he’d been doing this forever. He aimed at one of the burned fly-dragons and fired the arrow. Numbers followed it as it shot towards the dragon. They landed on a 13, only for a 14 to show up above the dragon as the arrow bounced off its scales. “...what?”

“Ah, you didn’t break its armor!” Schneep said, nodding decisively. 

“Greaaaat.”

“I think it’s my turn now?” Stacy said. “Hang on, Marvin, I’ll get that dragon off you!” She pulled one of her daggers free and ran over to the dragon pinning Marvin down, stabbing it—the number reading a 16 as she did—and using the force of the motion to push it away. She reached down and grabbed Marvin by the hand, pulling him up and running away, dragging him behind her.

“What the—?!” Chase gasped. “You—you moved so much farther than me!”

“Oh, I remember this! I can use a bonus action to dash!” Stacy said, delighted.

“No fair!”

Another of the fly-dragons breathed fire towards Jameson. He stumbled back, a 16 above his head going down to 14. Then it was Schneep’s turn. He unhooked a potion from his belt and drank from it. A 05 above his head rolled up to a 09.

“What?!” Chase gaped. “What was that?!”

“Healing potion! I have many of them,” Schneep said, running towards him.

“Did I choose the wrong class?!”

A fly-dragon lunged for Stacy, trying to bite her, but she managed to dodge. Another one—the first one who’d attacked—breathed out a column of fire, only for an 01 to appear above its head as the fire just barely missed Schneep.

“Fucking hell!” Marvin gasped. “Just run! Everyone run!”

It took a while, and they had to keep dodging the attacks from the fly-dragons, but eventually they pulled away from them and the dragons disappeared into the distance.

“Oh come on!” Anti leaned up close to the window in the sky. “Boooo! Boooooo!”

“Hey shut the fuck up!” Marvin shouted. “You sprung those fucking dragons on us! You heard what Jackie just said, we weren’t supposed to fight them yet!”

“But you were just walking through the woods! That’s no fun!”

“Get out of the way!” Jackie tried to shove Anti back, but found his hands went right through him. “I’m the CM here! Not you! Okay, uh—so the trees clear up and you see the city of Suilara on the horizon.”

As he said that, the five kids rounded a big tree trunk, and saw it just as described. Buildings made of stone and highlighted with dark wood. Behind the town, a rocky slope rose into the air. A mountain of some kind, maybe? Though it would be a small mountain.

“Okay, let’s hurry over there before more fucking monsters appear,” Marvin said, speeding up a little.

I hope they can help us gain more health back, JJ added.

“What’re you so concerned about?! You got a little burned, I lost like half my hp!” Marvin pointed out.

Maybe you should have picked a class with more health, then.

Marvin shoved him.

The group found their way over to a little road and followed that into the town. Some people walked about, wearing tunics and dresses in the same style that they’d found themselves wearing—though these people’s outfits were less elaborate. “Alright... so this is the town, then,” Chase said, looking around. “What’re we supposed to do, again?”

“Deliver that thing Marvin had, right?” Stacy recalled. “Uh... to who, though?”

“Oh!” That window in the sky was still there, so the group could see Jackie reach over and pick up the booklet he’d shown them earlier. “You’re supposed to find a dwarf named Helga Wolffighter to give that to.”

“Okay... where is she?” Chase asked.

“That is sort of ruining the fun to just ask, is it not?” Schneep pointed out.

“Well—I wasn’t expecting to actually go into the game! And like... have to walk around and stuff. Not to mention if Anti’s right we’ll have to actually ‘beat’ the game to get out of here, so... seems important to do that quickly.”

“You can’t ask!” Anti shouted suddenly. “That’s cheating! It won’t count!”

Jackie looked at him and frowned. Then he turned back to the window. “Sorry guys. Uh... I’ll do everything I can to help without just telling you. And I’ll try to make this fun, like a good CM does.” He laughed nervously. “Okay, um... ask around. Normally this would be a search skill check, I don’t know how you, uh, do that... while in game.”

“If it was like how I climbed out of the tree, then you just like... do it,” Stacy said. “And it either works or doesn’t. D’you guys remember who had the highest search skill? I think mine was a +4 or something.”

“I had a +6,” Schneep says, raising his hand.

Stacy laughed. “Alright. Uh... you take the lead, then?”

Schneep nodded. He wandered out to the front of the group. More of the numbers appeared by his head, landing on a 12 and then getting an additional +6 to make an 18. “Ah yes, that weapon shop over there. It says ‘Wolffighter’, see?” He pointed at a low stone building, which did indeed have the world ‘Wolffighter’ on its sign, along with some other weird symbols. “I think it says it in dwarvish, too. And there is also an inn over there, if we want to find somewhere to stay for the night, first.” He pointed in the opposite direction.

“Hmm. Coooool,” Marvin said. “I think we can go to the inn after we drop off this bag thing. Do we know what’s inside?”

JJ shrugged. He looked up at the window in the sky. Do we know what’s inside?

“Uh—the booklet just says that you know it’s valuable and that you were promised a lot of money to deliver it,” Jackie said. “But if you want to know more, you can... do a recall skill check? Which uh... means just trying to remember? I think?”

JJ nodded. His face screwed up in concentration. The numbers by his head rolled, landing on a 10... but then a -2 appeared, making it an 08. I vaguely remember that it’s... heavy? JJ said.

Marvin laughed. “Your memory is shit! It’s usually better than that!”

Well, it’s not really my memory, is it? JJ said. Right now, we’re all in the place of our characters. And I remember putting a really low number for my intelligence and all its skills.

“Why would you put a low number for your intelligence?” Stacy asked, shocked.

If I was going to be mostly hitting things, it didn’t seem necessary! 

“Let’s just, uh... go to that weapons shop,” Chase said slowly.

The five of them headed over there. It looked like they were attracting a few looks from the locals of Suilara. Chase waved at them cheerfully. Some waved back, some didn’t.

When they arrived in the shop, a bell let out a low dingdong sound, announcing their arrival. The shop was filled with, of course, weapons of all types. Mostly swords and axes, which hung on the walls in proud display rows. There were also long spears, some hammers, daggers, staffs, bows and arrows, sticks with spikes on the end—just about any weapon imaginable. There was a counter at the back of the shop, and behind it—a short, stocky woman about four feet tall, with curly brown hair and a curly brown beard to match.

“...beard?” Stacy whispered.

“Yeah, all dwarves have beards,” Jackie said from the window in the sky.

“Well, what can I do you for, travelers?” the woman asked—apparently not hearing Jackie’s comment.

“Hi!” Chase said. “I’m, um... oh, we should probably use our characters’ names, huh? I’m Fahl Trailblazer.”

“And I am Morgana Ebony Rose,” Stacy added, making her voice higher and whispery.

“Why’re you talking like that?” Chase muttered.

“This is how Morgana talks!” Stacy whispered back.

“And my name is Axitios, perhaps you’ve heard of me,” Marvin said, making his voice hoarser and rougher.

“And I am Rhess Zachter!” Schneep added, speaking in a higher, slightly screechier register.

Chase frowned. He turned to JJ. “Should I start talking differently or is that lame?”

JJ shrugged. He turned back to the dwarf woman and signed, spelling it out, And my name is Ion Esinna. Somehow, his signing seemed different than usual. Why was Chase the only one who hadn’t been able to come up with a new voice?

“Great job, guys!” Jackie said encouragingly.

“An unusual group, I see,” said the dwarf woman. “Here to buy?”

“No, we’re actually here to, uh... sell?” Chase said.

“Sell? What d’you have to sell?”

“No, wait, we’re not selling anything!” Marvin quickly added. “We’re looking for Helga Wolffighter, we have a delivery for her from, uh... Dalrun the dwarf. Are you her?”

The dwarf woman seemed to stand to attention. “Aye, that’s me.”

Marvin narrowed his eyes slightly. “Are you really?” More numbers appeared by his head. 16+3. 19. “Oh. I guess you are.” He took the pack off his back. “Now, uh... we were told that we’d receive payment for this.”

“Of course. How much?”

The group paused. Chase looked up at Jackie. “How much are we gonna get?”

“Dalrun promised, uh...” Jackie checked the booklet. “Fifty gold pieces for each of you.”

“Got it.” Stacy nodded, and looked at Helga. “Dalrun promised us a hundred gold pieces for each of us.”

JJ and Marvin burst into laughter. “Stacy!” Schneep said, shocked.

“What? Morgana loves gold and treasure! This is totally in character!”

Helga narrowed her eyes. “That seems an absurd amount, even for this.”

“Well it’s true,” Stacy lied.

“Okay, you’re definitely going to have to do a persuasion skill check for this,” Jackie muttered.

The numbers appeared next to Stacy’s head, landing on an 11+4 to make a 15. “I’ll give you seventy-five each, but I’ll go no higher than that,” Helga said.

“That’s fair,” Stacy said.

Helga reached beneath the counter and, after a bit of rummaging, pulled out five small pouches. “Now... the package, if you’ll please.”

Marvin took the satchel off his back and set it on the counter. Helga picked it up and turned around, looking inside. All at once, the five of them leaned to the sides, trying to catch a glimpse of what was in the satchel. Numbers rolled beside their heads, resulting in a 07, 05, 09, 11, and 17—with Chase having the 17. He was able to see something round and golden, like a volleyball made out of gold. It seemed to be glowing slightly. Then Helga closed the satchel and turned back around, nodding. “Thank you very much. Now, anything else I can do for you?”

I don’t think so? JJ said.

“Very well, then. Pleasure doing business with you.”

After a moment of silence, Schneep said, “I suppose we just... leave?”

And so, they did.

The five of them stood on the street outside the weapon’s shop, watching the city. And all of them... waiting. “Um... we did beat the game, didn’t we?” Chase said, looking up into the window in the sky. “So... why aren’t we... going home?”

“Um... nnnno,” Jackie said slowly. “You... didn’t beat the game.”

“What?!” Stacy shouted.

“Even a short one-shot isn’t just a simple delivery quest like that!” Jackie said. “There’s—at least one more thing you can do.”

Behind him, Anti laughed. “Yeah!” Jackie looked back over his shoulder and glared at him, but Anti didn’t even notice. “That would be laaaame.”

Can’t you do anything, Jackie?! JJ asked.

“I-I don’t know! I don’t know how this happened! And I don’t have any powers or anything. All I can do is help you guys out from up here.” Jackie flipped through the booklet. “Look, uh... Schneep noticed that inn, right? Maybe you should go there for the night.”

The five of them looked around. “We’re not... gonna have to sleep in here, are we?” Chase asked anxiously. “I mean... what would Mom say? I-if we don’t come home?”

“I’m going to get you guys out of there before anyone notices, I promise,” Jackie said fiercely. “The campaign doesn’t last that long, I swear. It... it’ll be fine.” His voice cracked a little.

“W-we have a couple hours before things start getting worrying, i-in any case,” Schneep pointed out. “They will not be expecting us back before then.” 

“Look, just go to the inn, I’m going to do everything I can to move this along,” Jackie said.

“Alright, alright.” Chase sighed. “Let’s go, guys.”

The group trickled down the street, heading towards the inn that Schneep had pointed out earlier. It’s called the Unicorn’s Crown. A tall man with a thick beard sells them rooms for twenty gold each—apparently the five of them all had money in their pockets even beforehand. Together they bought three rooms. Stacy insisted on getting one to herself, which none of the guys disagreed with, and from there they split up into Chase and Schneep in one room and Marvin and JJ in the other. 

The rooms were on the second floor. Before splitting up, they all gathered in the hallway. The window in the sky remained, Jackie and Anti visible in it. “Uh... start... getting some rest, guys,” Jackie suggested slowly. “You just went through a lot. Rest recovers your health.”

“I have health potions,” Schneep said, taking bottles off his belt. “Who is hurt the most? Marvin, yes?”

“Yeah, I think it’s me, thanks.” Marvin took the offered potion and drank it. “...huh. I expected it to taste like cherry, but it’s basically just water.”

“Strange, yes?” Schneep said. “Now... we rest.”

“Don’t rest for too long!” Anti shouted. “That’ll be boring!”

JJ looked up towards the window and made a very rude gesture.

Anti laughed. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all!”

“Okay, let’s all lie down, then,” Stacy said. “Hopefully soon we’ll be able to get out of here.” And she turned and left the room.

JJ and Marvin left soon after, leaving Schneep and Chase in the room. “Chase...?” Schneep whispered. “We are going to get out of here, yes? I mean... that fight back there was sort of fun, but I do not want to worry Aunt Jess.”

Chase put his arm around him, pulling him close. He brushed against the new wings growing out of Schneep’s back in the process. “It’s going to be fine,” he said. “This is... just another adventure! It’s a pretty crazy one, but we’ve gone through worse. Remember the hospital?”

Schneep nodded slowly. “Well, that was worse for Marvin than the rest of us. But I get your point.”

“Exactly. It will be fine.” Chase smiled.

This was going to be a big adventure. But they’d handle it like all the others.

[echobx]

I love JJ but how do we know he didn't treat girls like that last post says? A lot of ppl write him like that anyway(no hate)

I agree we should look at this more closely and see why I and op of that post agree with the statement they made

to address what you said, (and I'm never gonna assume hate bc this let's me write a lowkey think piece or wtv it's called lol) because deep in my heart I have always felt that those ways of writing him is very ooc imo, but I'm not gonna police ppl on what they write (especially considering that I know that every Rafe thing I write is just ooc when we look at canon very strictly)

so to answer the question, why would it be ooc of JJ to treat girls the way Kiara treated the boys, there's a quick and a not so quick answer.

the quick one, we (definitively) don't know how he acts around random girls, but this are his friends and if roles were reversed he's still loyal af and wouldn't hurt his friends in such a way. full stop. he's not the person to do that.

now, let's look at it in a little more detail.

1. Loyalty

season 1: he went to jail for Pope. he helped his best friend get away from the cops by stealing from his father, who we know is abusive. do you know how much guts it takes to actually stand up to your abuser in that way? and we know even though he started to act up, there's still an inate fear that Luke will hurt him way worse again. he put himself in front of barry to save his friends from being shot.

season 2: he was ready to have a shoot of with the cops to protect John B from going to jail. he was ready to die for him! he tried to bust him out of jail, and if no one had interfered and the other guy hadn't also needed to go to the hospital, the plan would've worked (I'm so sure of that) then he tried his best to protect Pope from Limbry and her brother.

season 3: even though they butchered him, he was still somewhat loyal, I just refuse to acknowledge that he saved Kie bc he was in love with her and not because she's also his best friend. again, no one told him to, he just did it because he can't imagine a life where his friends (his family) aren't all with him when shit goes down. which is also why he was so distraught when Sarah told him to go instead of wait and search for John B when they left Barbados.

there's a clear line of loyalty and he's not crossing it. he's always got their back and if he can't because they don't let him, it causes him mental distress (1. he looked in pain when Sarah made him drive off. 2. he went back home after taking Barry's money and having the fight with his friends although he knew jis dad was there, although he knew of the risk)

2. Girls

we have little to no information on how JJ treats random girls. the only real info we have is coming from the Pilot episode and one timy line in season 2

pilot: his introduction shows him bent over a girl in an attempt to make out with her, it's like 2 seconds max before John B closes the door and moves on. then later we get JB commenting on JJ's behavior by basically saying he can't keep away from any girl because he always wants to fuck them. which tbh, is a common thing for a teenage boy.

season 2: when they are back at school, John B gets the note from the girl to go to the bonfire. JJ takes the note and remarks "she meant to give that to me" in a clear attempt to make it seem like girls are simply fawning over him and it's impossible for anyone to find John B more attractive than him (I'm not gonna comment on the truth of this bc Chase is just not my type at all, so for me to say he's right would be immensely more biased than I already am)

HOWEVER these are the only views we have into his whole dating life. there's no other mention of it ever.

so let's look at the girls in the group.

3. Sarah

JJ is from the start on friendly to her. he's supportive of John B and Sarah and their whole relationship from the get go. and as the story progresses, we can see that he clearly cares a lot about her. he values her opinion on a lot of things. he didn't directly judge her for her cheating (which idk if he did because he gives her the benefit of the doubt or because he thinks it's 100% Topper's fault)

he's even somewhat protective of her, especially in season 2 when everything with her dad goes down, and then at the end of season 3 when he was ready machete a guy with a gun (very dumb idea, but he's impulsive enough to might've actually done that if Ward hadn't stepped in)

he's got respect for her and acts like a true friend towards her, even though they technically only know each other for a few months at that point.

4. Cleo

there's not much to say because we didn't get to see them interact much, but I believe there's a strong mutual respect between the two especially with JJ saying "glad you're part of my team" on the airstrip in season 3

he sees her independence and doesn't try to dismiss it or tell her to do anything she doesn't want to (he never does that with any of the girls tbh which is part of the point I'm trying to make)

5. Kiara

season 1: in the pilot episode he says tp John B "I've tried that door already and it's locked" meaning he tried to get with her, Kie shut him down and he let it go. that's what should happen when a friend approaches you and you don't reciprocate the feelings. it shouldn't destroy a friendship.

then we get to see them interact more, and you can clearly see that he see her as an equal, even though they disagree on some things especially when it comes to money but in the end they'll always stick together.

season 2: we see him be supportive of Kie and Pope's relationship, he has no interest in being with her, if he had he wouldn't give Pope advice on how to win her over. he talks to her about him, maybe in a way of connecting to her and try and help from both sides. again he's being respectful in a rather clumsy way, but he's tentative to not cross a line and doesn't pressure her to answer any of his weird questions.

what we don't get to see is his reaction to Kie doing what she did to Pope, bc we only know that Kie told Sarah and Pope told John B, we can't know if JJ knows exactly what happened pr how he reacted. although it would give a little more insight.

season 3: (let's assume jiara makes sense without butchering character development)

he feels true remorse when it comes to his shown feelings towards her and knowing it's gonna hurt Pope. he doesn't want to cross a line she isn't read to cross yet.

he pushes her away from him because he doesn't see himself good enough to be with a rich girl like Kiara, because all he can see himself as is the person everyone thinks he is. the fuck up. just "Luke's kid". and not the person he really is.

he saves her from the camp because first of all she's his friend and second of all he knows she will be miserable there and that she deserves better.

Kiara initiated the kiss. she initiated the "i love you"s. he didn't want to cross the line without being sure that she wanted it too.

6. his mom

we know nothing about his mom. but from context clues we can assume that she left him when he was a baby, or toddler.

from context clues we can assume that Luke was just as much abusive to her as he is towards JJ. knowing that it's very clear that JJ would never actively hurt someone, especially a woman, in a way like that. if it's physically or mentally

7. other older women

Mrs. Heyward: he's got the utmost respect for her, probably sees her like a mother he wish he had.

Mrs. Carrera: even when she was mean to him, he stayed respectful. not even saying a mean thing behind her back.

Rose: we know he flirted with her in the og script to get better tips, but the scene was cut. I still think it's important to add tho because it adds a layer to his infamous player attitude

Mrs. Limbry: again, even though she was the enemy that point in the story, he still didn't say a bad word about her unlike some of the men they went against.

what it comes down to here is that he has too much respect for the women in his life, to treat even just random girls, in the way that would hurt them.

when it comes to what Kie did and if JJ would do it too? never, because he puts his friends above all else. he would never.

[taloumina]

You, Me, and the Sea Turtle

Kiara "Kie" Carrera/Female Reader

Fluff

Spoilers: light spoilers for season 1, episode 6

Summary: You surprise Kiara with a “just because” gift.

When I was watching the first few episodes of season 1, I really thought Kiara was queer. Honestly, I would've loved to see her in a queer relationship!

= = = = =

“Our planet is fucked.”

“So fucked,” you agreed, sitting with Kiara on an outdoor bench.

She glanced up at you from your shoulder where she was resting her head. “So what’re we gonna do about it?”

In a nonchalant tone, you suggested, “We can always kidnap some rich Kooks and force them to actually put their money where their mouths are.”

Kiara groaned. “God, the amount of good–real good–that Kooks could do if they weren’t so obsessed with all the wrong things, like making themselves richer… I wouldn’t feel guilty at all for bankrupting them. Don’t tell JJ about this, by the way, or else he’ll call me a hypocrite for never agreeing to his Kook-kidnapping schemes.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t, and neither would I,” you told her. “Might even be fun watching their fellow Kooks turn against them when they’re broke as hell.”

“It’d be the Hunger Games, only Kook style!”

You burst out laughing. “Oh my god, Kie! If any cops could hear us right now…”

“We’d be so fucked!”

You laughed like a crazy couple, and when you were calm again, you said, “Okay, so I know we’re not big on gift giving, and it’s not a holiday, but I made you something.”

“Made?” Kiara echoed, watching you lean over to reveal the gift bag you’d been hiding out of sight.

“Yeah.” You hold it out for her, nervous now that this was actually happening. After weeks of working on it, you were finally giving her her gift.

“I, um… hope you don’t mind the plain brown bag.”

“Please,” Kiara said encouragingly. “I’d take one of these any day over some colorful crap.”

Seeing her smile eased your mind some, but any remaining worry in you was enough to twist your stomach as Kiara opened the bag. She gasped, pulling out a handmade stuffed animal she easily identified.

“A sea turtle?”

“Is it okay?” you asked.

“More than okay–it’s perfect!” Kiara brought you and the turtle in for a hug and only pulled away to ask, “Where did you even learn how to make this? Have you been hiding a secret talent from me all this time?”

“I wish,” you said, laughing again. “YouTube taught me everything!” You lightly touched the turtle. “I remember when you told me about saving baby sea turtles with Sarah, and I know you guys are cool now, but that story stuck with me, and I…” You shrugged and shook your head. “I just thought I’d–I don’t know–turn it into a stuffed animal you could remember it by. Does that sound stupid?”

“No, no way is that stupid! I mean, look at this face!” Kiara lowered her head to the turtle’s level and turned puppy-dog eyes on you.

“Like twins,” you teased, and if you were still worried about her hating her gift, then you definitely weren’t anymore. “I’m really glad you like it, Kie.”

She sat back, holding the turtle in her hands. “(Name), I love it, thank you.” A smile curved her lips as she pat the turtle’s shell. “This right here is way better than anything mass-produced you could’ve found on a shelf.”

“Made with sustainable materials, too,” you added proudly, “and one other thing. Guess what it is?”

Kiara tapped her chin in feigned thought. “Hmm, does it involve the word love?”

“And if I say it does?”

“Then I’d do this.” Kiara kissed you, and neither she nor you were bothered by the fact that the turtle was still there.

The three of you were happy to sit and enjoy the day together.

[dmercer91]

ebug’s sister, dm91

part one / part two / part three

we're gonna ignore the drastic hair change and the fact that the people in pictures 2 and 3 look absolutely nothing alike despite being twins in the au

pictures saved from pinterest !

blakefriarr_

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06 and 4,867 others

blakefriarr_: my brother's an ubug, episode 3! birthday edition!

jj was not actually the ebug for tonight's game, he's just a huge suck and he got me devs tickets for my (our) birthday cause he LOVESSSSS MEEEEE

he was gonna get me a mercer jersey and then i apparently offended him by drawing dicks on the printed pdf of his 10 commandments

i can't not provide context for these photos, it's my brand. so buckle up.

one is me after unwrapping the gift my dad got for jj and accidentally put my name on. yes that is fire. yes this was our father telling jj to go get an actual job. yes i laughed. yes i kept it.

the next two capture jj and i's entire relationship visually, and they are me wanting to drink out of a much too heavy, glass bottle without using my hands. jj was incredibly concerned for his safety as well as the condition the floor would be in after i inevitably dropped the bottle and got glass everywhere. however, that did not happen because i am actually god himself. next.

dawson looks very displeased with whatever he is looking at (they were winning?????? the puck was in the o zone?????? hisch had the puck?????? idek. maybe he's got digestive issues)

the boys are having a pre faceoff chat. dawson is eating his gloves.

view 525 comments..

jj.friar31: i want that torch back

→ blakefriarr_: tough shit james

→ drayanewman: HIS NAME IS JAMES?!?!?!?!?

user6543456: dawson eating his gloves just like jack

→ user93456: will ny is the original sporting goods eater

dawson1417: happy birthday <3 hope you had a good night

→ blakefriarr_: this comment squished my heart like a pimple in the best way

→ dawson1417: you're welcome? 😭

→ blakefriarr_: thank you, handsome <3

→ dawson1417: i understand the pimple comment. good lord.

dawson1417: now that we're done being cute i do NOT have DIGESTIVE ISSUES???

→ blakefriarr_: it's nothing to be ashamed of, daws. just a tummy ache :(

→ dawson1417: i did not have a tummy ache i am a grown man

→ blakefriarr_: shit ur right my bad you've got functional dyspepsia

→ dawson1417: i've got WHAT

user230237: this is so chaotic

user098765: i love that everyone just goes with this

dawson1417: final comment i promise but why is your shirt half see through

→ blakefriarr_: why ISN'T your shirt half see through 🤨

→ blakefriarr_: lemme have a look

→ jj.friar31: this is why you didn't get a jersey

→ blakefriarr_: @/dawson1417 can i have a jersey

→ dawson1417: @/blakefriarr_ i will get you one from every theme night as long as they've got my number on them

→ jj.friar31: you're a TRAITOR, dawson.

njdevils: happy birthday, blake!

→ jj.friar31: happy birthday blake AND JJ. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOO. I'M THE EBUG!!! I'M MORE SPECIAL

→ blakefriarr_: i wouldn't say more special but you're definitely a different flavour of special

→ blakefriarr_: also technically your birthday was yesterday so stop acting like a colossal piss baby

→ jackhughes: huh

→ blakefriarr_: i REALLY did not want out of there bro i was hanging on for dear life

→ jackhughes: oh shit i thought dad had mad game

→ quinnhughes: then they wouldn't be twins ?

→ blakefriarr_: oh my god one of them has a brain cell

→ quinnhughes: glad i could be of service, congrats on being whatever age it is that you are

lhughes_06: i was gonna say happy birthday and then you said i had less braincells than quinn.

→ blakefriarr_: correction- i said quinn had one (1) braincell. therefore implying that you have none <3

lhughes_06: happy birthday jj

→ blakefriarr_: and you WONDER why i like quinn better

jackhughes: you were born on this day 🎉 jj wasn't, i guess. but happy birthday to him

jj.friar31: @/blakefriarr_ thanks for pissing off 2/3 of the hughes' i needed that

→ blakefriarr_: you're welcome it was your birthday gift

→ blakefriarr_: but just cause i'm butthurt i'll leave you with the thought that ellen would probably like me better

nicohischier: happy birthday to you and jj, thank you for calling me something normal

→ blakefriarr_: kinda weird that you don't find cap normal do you have something to share with the class

→ nicohischier: no i am 24 and i do not attend class

dougieham: i would never in a million years have thought you two were twins before your first post i actually just assumed you'd hid behind him until you got to meet us and that there was no correlation

→ blakefriarr_: is it cause i am really cool and he is just jj

→ dougieham: no.

→ dougieham: well actually sort of

→ blakefriarr_: aw thanks dougie

→ dougieham: i said sort of

ryangraves27: my head made it into this one

→ blakefriarr_: i can't tell what tone of voice this was meant to be read in

→ blakefriarr_: like are you sad?? thrilled?? terrified?? should i crop you out next time?? emote please

→ ryangraves27: i think i will not

→ blakefriarr_: this comment made me call my therapist

→ jj.friar31: thanks man she needed this

→ blakefriarr_: remember when both of the gifts had my name on them and nobody was shocked and the first one was money and things i was actually interested in and the second one was a propane torch that nobody will ever use unironically (remember which one was meant for you?)

→ jj.friar31: while ur on the phone with her can you make me an appointment too

→ blakefriarr_: she made it right before mine in case you need more time.

→ jesperbratt: you're joking about the gift thing... right?

→ blakefriarr_: they paid his college tuition

→ jj.friar31: they paid for part of your car

→ blakefriarr_: i drive an '11 civic and the check engine light has been on for a year and a half

→ jj.friar31: they pay for your apartment

→ blakefriarr_: we live together???

→ jj.friar31: that is definitely a point

view more comments..

[dekaydk]

QL/BL Series I watched in 2023

This is a ridiculously long list because

I finally discovered the existence of this genre late in 2022, and after years in the desert with only occasional gay-themed media, am drinking deeply at the oasis, and

I have basically given up on other forms of TV this year (long story mostly having to do with the crap that's out there, the networks yanking content before it's finished just to avoid paying residuals…also, I will never watch another piece of Star Trek if JJ Abrams is within 1 parsec*).

I had a long period of convalescing from a broken collarbone.

*probably an obscure TOS reference but the initiates will get it

In Progress

IFYLIA

Kiseki: Dear to Me - I love all of the characters, main and support. Writing is fun, character motivations are clear, acting is good-to-excellent, directing is solid if unadventurous. And the colors! While it's not rigorously real-life, it hits harder than most because there are actual adult choices being made, and real consequences for those choices. The comedy is always in service of the plot or the characters. The cameos are off the charts. This is also an exception to my "generally don't watch BTS until the show's over" rule: the BTS have been fun. The actors are clearly having a blast.

Dangerous Romance - uneven, but not so much that I've given up. Had potential to be more of a commentary on economic strata: though there's room for more in the coming episodes, I think they missed the boat by bascially making Kang now the MC instead of Sailom, which is disappointing. Right now I can see this going into either "okay, but meh" or "don't recommend" categories, but I doubt it's gonna be a "recommend" because they haven't got the runway for a save.

Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized - unexpected depths to this show. The characters are revealed gradually, the comedy is a delight, the acting's great, the staging and cinematography are terrific. Quite enthused about this show.

I Can't Reach You - these two are a delight. BTW, @lurkingteapot says that they are working on their own captions, which should be infinitely better than anything else that's out there. Going to rewatch when they do post because I think it will be a far more engaging experience. (Also, if you like Japanese BLs, you should follow them for their linguistic and cultural insights.) (Note: I have no idea how to replace captions so I have to learning ahead. 😇)

One Room Angel - unconventional; not sure where this is going but I almost don't care. These two are just plain touching to watch. Only two episodes in and I'm hooked.

Finished and Enjoyed

If It's With You - so far, this is a palate cleanser I needed. Cute, sweet, low angst, and clearly made to be a dessert course, not a hearty main dish. Actors are doing a great job. (Side note: Makeup and wardrobe are doing a good job in making them look more conventional vs. how good looking they are IRL.)

Kieta Hatsukoi - this was just fantastic. Sweet, funny, and unexpectedly poignant. I see no reason to remake it, much as I appreciate Fourth and Gemini.

My Personal Weatherman - once I figured out that they'd only been living together for a short time after graduation, it fell into place. The crippling insecurity on the one hand and the cryptic overconfidence on the other made for a really engaging dynamic.

Sing My Crush - this was one of those almost perfect shows. Just watch it.

My Beautiful Man S2 - love me my babies learning to communicate, and Kiyoi taking Hira shopping and making Hira blossom for the day was delightful. This show is so unconventional and I cannot get enough. Nobody does "your low self-esteem is crippling you in ways you don't even begin to understand and people love you anyway" like Japan.

My Dating Sim - so sweet without being corn syrup. Palate cleanser.

Semantic Error - really, really enjoyed this smart autistic bossy nerd meets semi-slacker athlete artist. One of the rare shows where the actors are pretty obviously straight (BTS kinda made that clear and in the future, I am generally gonna skip BTS until the show's over) but I nonetheless bought their characters being into each other.

Laws of Attraction - I wasn't sure about this at first until I realized rather late that (a) lakorn is a thing, and (b) "lakorn = telenovela" and all the conventions that implies. After that, I sat back and enjoyed the camp and stopped being critical. Film and Jam are fun to watch, and you cannot tell me that Film didn't enjoy every second of scene chewing. The second couple were touching as all heck. And Nawin came in and briefly stole the show. And Silvy and Organ stole it back!

Unintentional Love Story - both couples were delightful; loved the pottery/creativity as a central element (and coveting it for my own). Looking forward to more of Ho Tae and Dong Hee in S2.

DNA Says Love You - Although I kinda had the plot twist figured out early—admit it, the casting for Amber was absolutely perfect—I still loved the journey. The "witch in the woods" bit was fun, even if I'm not a fan of predestination-style plots (I prefer characters arrive at their destination without supernatural assistance). I could watch Erek all day. Slightly slow to get out of the starting blocks but worth the time.

Color Rush - I'm not easily sold on fantasy premises but I enjoyed this one. Love interest played by Hur Hyun Jun was straight out of a manga panel (that jawline). Sadly, he withdrew from a reprise of the character in S2, I'm told because fans got weird. (Fans, learn to separate the artist from the art.)

Not Me - be gay, do crimes against the oligarchy. Gorgeous cast: Gun, Off, First, Gawin, Mond, Film; good cinematography; nice character arcs. Not perfect (Todd's character in general, and I never did get why Black got beat up in the first place; they kinda ended up at "it's just so"), but in general the show strove for a higher level. Fun fact: written by a (then-?) member of the Thai parliament.

Old Fashion Cupcake - devoted junior dogsbody doggedly digs dense dejected boss out of dumps. Okay, my alliterative talents are low today. Cute, and goes unexpectedly hard during the confession scene, and after. Thoroughly enjoyable and a bit of a rumination on how people can pigeonhole themselves to their own detriment.

To My Star and To My Star 2 - ah, these two. The sunshine man has to go hardcore to get his man to see his own value. I would rewatch this just for fun.

Takara-kun and Amagi-Kun - Oh, to be in high school with good friends who help you figure out your feelings. I will hear no criticism of this perfect little dessert.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! - the unlucky/lucky balance gimmick could have been annoying but they made it work. Sweet, simple, seriously cute actors, very much in earnest comedy. Palate cleansing fun.

My Engineer - main couple: okay but I've already mostly forgotten them. RamKing were different. Ram's character was absolutely coded as autistic but no one ever used the word, no one called him weird, and King figured it out and went with it, no problems. Loved that part. (King had his plant obsession so maybe he got it on one level.) Also, the way RamKing ended left a huge opportunity for the fanfic on them, much of which has been great. Sadly, there won't be an S2.

The Eclipse - writing could have been sharper (pace and motivation needed work) but Khao and First were a ton of fun to watch. Loved the junior queens being the most fearless troublemakers.

Big Dragon - went into it knowing it would be a trash-the-pub watch 😎 yet it actually ended up a little more solidly than I had expected. Plenty of heat, and now I get why people are MosBank fans. Fun fact: Jeff Satur apparently wrote the theme that Isbanky sang.

Finished and Oh Well It Was A BL

Until We Meet Again - I know it worked for lots of folks and I get why, but (a) reincarnation stories and (b) I love me some Fluke but I hate the blushing maiden trope especially when as here they hammer it into the ground with a rocket-powered pile driver. ("P'Deeeeeaaan!") I actually preferred the past couple to the present-day couple because the characters were written better. (Not the actors' fault; the stakes were higher, and you can't act your way out of a sub-par script.)

Mr. Cinderella - Vietnam's probably not got a mature industry yet so I may have excessively high expectations, but…amateurish writing, directing, cinematography and sound. Characters were all over the map. And the bad guy ex was…uuuuugly toxic. (Also, polonium? Seriously?) Attractive cast to be sure, who didn't really have much to work with so for all the audience knows they are all Shakespeareans in training. The coy screeching nurse was so very repetitive. I did want to like it and if I had a script I would totally go to town on it as an exercise. (I'm an editor, not a writer.)

Why R U? Korea - Did they…lose a hard drive with the audio? Cheap out and not hire an audio engineer? Seemingly half the dialog was looped, and often jarringly. But the real fault was the writing: the behavior of the main couple was inconsistent, especially where they parted ways and then pretty much ignored that for a while, and in the last episode with the lead saying he didn't want to work together on the thing that was extremely important to both him and his interest. I wanted to like this because I really liked the main couple and Jeon Sa Ra's Do Yeon. Best scene was Lee Won after his audition teetering on the edge of losing it when his interest ignorantly came out to tease him: just a lovely little bit of acting by Lee Jung Min, without a word being spoken.

Seriously, this scene makes me want to learn how to gif. Lee Jung Min as Lee Won

Finished and Don't Recommend

TharnType: 7 Years of Love - the first season was objectively bad for reasons I and others have set out elsewhere (noncon sex, underage rrpe(!), sub-par acting/directing). The second season wasn't as bad, but it wasn't good either, with forced misunderstanding narratives being the most notable plot point. Seven years together and you still are that easy to convince that your man's stepping out on you? Like the first season, 7 Years also gave the sense that Mew (at least in this case) is a one-note actor, though this could have been the director's fault. Gulf had more good moments.

La Pluie - I so wanted to like a show that was gonna take a trope and upend it. And I absolutely get what lots of folks liked about it. For me the uneven pacing, sometimes blatantly contrived plot, often wooden direction, dialog and acting (with the notable exception of Suar, who was by far the best in the show and not just because he got most of the best lines) and terrible continuity did it in. (Lomfon's confession scene, though: Tien's going up on his toes for the kiss is burned into my memory.)

Started and bailed

Minato's Laundromat S2 - I so wanted to like this after S1. Instead of giving Minato a growth arc, the writers inserted a silly and ultimately pointless amnesia story. This seriously pissed me off to the point that I stopped watching. Not the actors' fault, but the writers, well, that's a paddlin' offense.

Only Friends - when certain folks start expressing concern, I listen. @bengiyo explained how this show failed its promise of showing actual queer lives. When it abandoned whatever vision its creators may have had in favor of contorting itself into something controlled by fan input, proving it was just an exercise in branding pair marketing, that confirmed it was not going to get me to return after Ep 3.

Naughty Babe - just, just, what in the Pennzoil is going on? MC, you seriously went how long without nookie and didn't talk with your man about it? And then you fake amnesia? Dude, you are not a serious person and the writers should be ashamed. I see from my Tumblr feed that they tried to redeem themselves later with the marriage and adoption bit, and good for that, but I ain't got time for incoherent messes.

Low Frequency - decorative actors, but incoherent plot where I simply couldn't see what was happening and where it was going. Couldn't motivate myself to continue after the second episode.

Step By Step - I've already posted about this. This had the potential to be wayyy above average but it kinda fell apart with the main couple, and the secondary couple simply were written so badly there was nothing to root for. I got almost all the way through this but after it became clear there wasn't going to be a late save, I gave up. The. Actors. Wuz. Robbed.

En of Love: Tossara - this felt like someone got their uncle to pull strings to get them a show. Dialog was anemic, character motivations were bland/absent, pacing was uneven. I started the second episode but I'm not sure I finished it.

If you made it this far, congratulations. Tell me what you liked or didn't agree with; I come across as opinionated but I'm always looking to learn. 😎

[ddejavvu]

ohh i have SUCH a controversial jennifer jareau opinion. and this is probably gonna be more like an essay. i wish i could say i was sorry.

everyone always says theyre anti jj slander, which is fine ofc, but just weird bc i NEVER see anyone slandering her. in my 3 years in the fandom, ive seen it happen maybe 5 times total, which sucks because she deserves so. much. more. hate.

(spoilers for *that* jeid plotline, as well as some other things)

in season 7, spencer tells her that she has mean girl vibes and she replies "i was a nice girl, especially to guys like you" which ALWAYS pissed me off because she literally just confirmed what he said? and everyone acts like it was a funny joke. she said that shit with her whole chest and meant it, and it wouldnt be *that* big of a deal if it was the only time. but shes consistently mean to him throughout the show, ignoring him, walking away, etc. spencer isnt even the only one shes like this to. and she just has a sense of superiority, idk how to describe it. just by the way she talks and interacts with those around her, you can tell. (while we're on that note, she also ignores her privileged a LOT. maybe not all the time, but theres been multiple times where she acts like she went through hell to get where she is. other than her sister passing, she had it completely easy. in terms of resources, opportunities, etc., she was basically born with a golden spoon in her mouth.)

in s14 when she confesses to spencer that shes always been in love with him, it just makes my blood boil. obviously he had been over her a long time (imo), but that was something she should've kept to herself bc it just brought alllll those feelings back to the surface. not to mention that hes the godfather of her children, and shes married, and will probably (definitely) doesnt know how she feels. thats literally emotional cheating on her part, even though reid didnt reciprocate it, it was still wrong of her to be that close to him without will knowing how she really felt.

there are other things i dont like abt her too, but those are the main things and im trying to keep this as short as possible. but i literally cant stand her, shes by far my least favorite character, and everyone acts like shes an angel sent from heaven, when really shes just a privileged bitch.

i like JJ a lot (i want her to be my mom </3) but i do agree with several of your points - she's definitely not the worst character, each and every character has a list of flaws that we could make, so this by no means makes her the worst, but it does make me angry <3

i just rewatched that 'mean girl' episode!! she doesn't even hesitate before saying 'guys like you', which, you're totally right, means he was right, and she was definitely a mean girl in high school. or even if she didn't say any of it out loud, she was still silently judging 'guys like him' and in high school you can always tells who's silently judging you. they're teenagers. they're not silent about it. the nasty looks they give you?? oh man. but i do think that the blame for ignoring spencer needs to be placed on all of the team members, because they do it all the time too, it's not just her. she has some pretty bad moments with him, but it's definitely something they all do and she shouldn't take the full blame

lmao don't talk about jeid. the writers actually deserve the death penalty for that, god it was so nasty and weird. i know that it was something she confessed in the heat of the moment, like she wasn't sure she was gonna make it out alive and didn't wanna die without saying it but ??? WHY WOULD YOU PUT IT ON HIM TO DIE THREE SECONDS AFTER FINDING OUT ??? like great it's off your chest but now he's gonna spend the (very short) rest of his life thinking about it?? AND THEN THEY DIDN'T EVEN DIE LMFAO SO HE WAS JUST STUCK WITH THAT !! and yeah!! will!! what about will!! or her kids!! it was so... writers i'm watching you...

one scene of hers that really pissed me off was in reid's kidnapping two-parter in s2 (the hankel incident) where she was almost attacked by those rabid (?) dogs and she shot them and she's obviously shaken up and she tries finding reid and realizes what happened and she feels so much guilt for splitting up with him - which was not her fault, she didn't know and should not be held responsible for what happened to him - that she started trying to make other people mad at her?? she cornered derek who was grieving and stressed at the loss of his best friend and they're both sleep deprived and she says something like 'admit it, you hate me, you think it's my fault' AND I???? GIRL. he is being so nice to you?? he was literally like oh honey if you need time off i know you're really shaken up and we can take care of this and and and AND SHE WAS LIKE oH yeah suRe just admit it i'm the worSt everybody hATEs mE- I WAS... this is not about you. go get therapy for the dog attack that you just almost suffered?? do not stand around a crime scene and pester the victim's best friend and delay the investigation because you're feeling guilty. go talk to someone about it. take a few days off. again, i totally get that she was shaken up and hopped up on adrenaline, but everyone told her to go get some rest and she was like no i think i will make myself the problem instead <3

all of that being said i still love her </3 i was not kidding when i say that i wish she was my mom holy shit i would have loved to grow up as her kid but she definitely has her flaws just like the rest of the BAU, and logical, critical breakdowns of a characters flaws aren't slandering, they're analysis, so i think everybody needs to stop shitting on people who criticize or analyze their faves lmao

send me your unpopular fandom opinions

[alphinias]

Do you think if the pogues don't see them together that Kie is going to tell them she was with Rafe and probably working with him to escape after they all reunite? Cuz I could totally see that being a point of tension later on if Kiara keeps it a secret.

Like we know JJ and Rafe are going to have some kind of confrontation on a boat at some point, so what if Rafe tells him about him and Kie working together in Barbados and makes it sound like more than what it was just to get under JJ's skin and that's when a fight breaks out.

That could also potentially be part of the reason for why JJ is so upset with her at the anniversary party. I'm sure there's going to be multiple reason for the fight, but maybe Kiara's trying to explain the situation and he's just so angry over what Rafe said that he can't hear her out and ends up storming away?

I don’t really see it being a point of tension between Jiara, but a point of tension between JJ and Rafe, absolutely I can see that and am even expecting it a bit.

Honestly, I don’t see Kie keeping that as a major secret and I’m thinking the pogues are just going to be so happy to get her back that they don’t care. At least not directed at her. I could be wrong, depending on if more context is added on to Riara’s past (which I personally don’t think they have much of one other than him being a creep at her best friend’s house but I know a lot of people do), etc. I also don’t really think Rafe is going to be a part of the fence fight. I hear what you’re saying about JJ already arriving pissed at Rafe though, so like, maybe on that end that just helps escalate his mood on the problems between Jiara. I’m not sure of the order of this entire episode (party at beginning or end. I’m thinking beginning if it’s actually episode eight?) so that’s also a factor. It’s gonna be an INSANE one.

I do think Rafe would insinuate things to JJ about the situation to escalate and goad him into a fight, though. In fact I hope we get this djekekek. “Tell kiara she looks pretty hot for a pogue” will always be one of my favorite moments and I’m here for a part two.

[xreaderbooks]

Your thoughts on obx season 3 ???

Warning: SPOILERS Be prepared for a whole essay of my thoughts :)

I could not stand Big John, mf really just did not care about John B or at least cared more about finding el dorado and/or the treasure than his own son. Kind of made me think that John B was thriving when his dad was dead (yes, I know he actually wasn't thriving but it just hurt to see how his dad came back into his life and he was actually more toxic than you remembered).

Following up with that... IMO Ward is a better father than Big John lowkey.

John B needed to speak up! The daddy issues were real, I felt bad for him tbh

What is up with villains and their need to narrate their whole life story, I hated Singh, this short ass mf really thought he did something with everything that he did (that sentence might have made sense but in my mind it did)

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah... Get this girl a therapist! Please because what the actual fuck. Can I just say that I know she's human and people make mistakes, she went through some really tough shit. But this bitch really cheated on John B with Topper dude, like John B is the only one that's acknowledged that they are 'married'. They were not broken up, John B said some hurtful ass shit to her and she said 'come find me when you wanna tell me the truth' or something like that... so you cheated and you told your ex that you were broken up.

Fuck Topper and his feelings but if you know that he can get white boy crazy, like girl why would u do this? Mans is OBSESSED, and he wants to talk shit about the pogues when he's the problem. Literally, burned John B's house to the ground like???

Anyways... I still stan her though bec poor bby was hurt and ended up pulling through.

Kie's mom really did try to be supportive but HER DAD!!! he really thought that this girl was being lied to and manipulated by the pogues. he boiled my blood with the way he spoke to JJ and just did not try to be understanding at all- with the way he said that he was a pogue so he knows what it is to lie and shit? So that just tells me that you're really no better than JJ and the others as a matter of fact you were worse even.

If I was Kie I would have been RAGINGG dude that was so wrong of her parents, I know she was pissed but the moment I saw that van I would've ran!

Poor JJ, he really felt like he wasn't good enough for Kie (I don't necessarily ship them but they were cute). He was so self-destructive I wanted to shake him through the screen and tell him how he is more than enough for Kiara.

The no love club!!! did we really think that was gonna last though? Like they swore off love yet they have feelings for each other ahhhh okay but Cleo and Pope >>>

JJ and Kie had MOMENTS and they were pretty cute

I LOVE JJ but I am a slut for Rafe, he ate this season idc

It's the way that at the end of the season everyone gave the pogues a standing ovation for the award they received (was it an award? I can't remember cause at that point I was in shock at how this was ending) when they ALL thought so lowly of them, fake ass bitches I swearrr

I feel like they could've ended the show perfectly fine there, maybe they could have added an episode where they show how the group is doing while they live their new lives, I am excited for season 4 but I just hope they don't ruin the vibes yk?

So those were my thoughts I probably left out a few that I can't think of right now but for now let me know what you think in the comments or message me and we can discuss :)

[void-inked-pen]

Hi I really liked reading your tmnt rise vs 12 weapons use and I wanted to add something with the Sais

Granted I didn’t get to learn as indepth bc I stopped doing karate but I did learn how to use the Sai and I really like them! Favorite weapon I trained with but anyway—

It annoyed me too when I saw 12 raph using them so wrongly bc YES they’re Defensive weapons and he’s out here trying to be offensive, I don’t think I even saw him properly block with them either 🥲 but I’d like to argue for their practicality bc personally, aside from the bō (quite frankly the versatility of these bad bois are undeniable and it’s use will never cease), I think martial arts weapons aren’t usually practical at all when we’ve got guns in the streets. However, sais can be thrown. You just have to be really good and actually know what you’re doing (which apparently 12 raph doesn’t)

I’d also just personally like to see a lot more hand to hand combat from the turtles bc you’re not always gonna have a weapon (or an improvised one, loved the fish and ladders episode)

Now I’m having flashbacks to my karate days and I’m just imaging splinter placing a jacket on one of them so he can teach them the lapel throw lmao “everyone else wears clothes! But you don’t so they can’t use this on you lol”

OOOOOOOH i didn't know you could THROW THEM!?!? that's so sick!

I will confess i did a ton of research on the sai for that analysis but have never actually USED them before, so hearing from you about how they would actually be used is so cool to hear! Also ye... the world has guns... when would a sai in a gun match ever come out on top? lol

I know i said in my analysis that the sai wasn't a great weapon because its less practical than rise raph's tonfas but I see your points! I wonder if the throwing thing was just a lack of knowing they could do that or just not enough research. JJ mentioned how they DID have someone come in to teach them martial arts in the studio but it definitely wasn't as much as the avatar crew got dhfskj.

also pls. pls on the hand to hand combat and misc weapons. literally there was an episode in 2012 where their weapons were taken away and all of them SUCKED which just proves they weren't masters. a real master in martial arts would be great at hand to hand along with versatility! Fish and Ladders already proved that point, one of the best examples of fighting in my opinion in rise but they were also inspired to do that episode BECAUSE of Jackie Chan who literally is a master himself and used his surroundings to aid in his fights.

AND YES ON THE CLOTHES!!! EVERYONE THAT ISNT A MUTANT WEARS CLOTHES! PLS LEARN THROWS PLS PLS PLSSSSSS ITS SO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN CENTER OF GRAVITY IN MARTIAL ARTS ALONG WITH OTHER PEOPLES CENTER OF GRAVITY AAAAAA

thank you for the ask!! I love talking to people who use the weapons I talk about because it's so fascinating! I know the basics of a lot of weapons but as someone who wants to learn how all weapons are held and used to make my action better, hearing from people who know them more than me is a GODSEND!

if anyone else out there uses the bo staff as well (I know the basics I'm not a master), nunchuck or dual katana and are sufficiently trained in them, I would LOVE TO TALK!!

thanks again!

-Pen