#i will forgive any of his wrongs he's so pretty ur honor

[madebysimblr]

Takuya: [breaths in] Smell that? That's the smell of a good time. And high altitude. Delicious.

Alex: You are such a cornball.

Takuya: I mean say that after I absolutely shred this. Ladies, do feel free to swoon. Hell everyone swoon.

[frenchphobic]

long fucking post on why a c!dream is a shitty person and probably should not have a redemption because it is unpog

honestly i just want to refute dream apologists thats why im making this post. i think that dream as a villain is interesting but i think that trying to make him out to be secretly a good guy is just bad ngl. also /roleplay and all

tw for abuse and mentions of suicide

dream as a villain

dream is a villain. he is chaotic evil according to wilbur, deliberately does not stream to appear less sympathetic (and yet), and is set up as an antagonist to tommy who bears the title ‘hero’. dream is not a good person, no matter how you look at it or try to justify his actions.

‘but he wants to unite everyone to be a big family :((’ the ends dont justify the means believe it or not. having a vaguely positive goal does not excuse the actions you’ve done. it also goes hand and hand with saying dream is correct for punishing tommy the way he did because he acted up. if i socked you across the face and then suddenly said ‘sorry there was a roach on ur face’ does that make it okay? probably not i still punched you, enacting an unnecessary amount of violence. thats a very simple analogy i will admit and there are more complex comparisons. another example off the top of my head is say a child just scribbled all over you walls with crayons. would hitting them be a justified answer? if u said hes thats really fucked of u go seek help u loon. violence as a punishment is very toxic, just because it gets the job done does not mean it is okay. at the end of the day, you still committed this act and the harm you caused is real, having a good motive doesnt suddenly make it okay.

‘but tommy causes all of the conflict’ the disk war wasnt even caused by tommy, it was sapnap and then tommy got involved. and the reason why tommy even caused conflict was because of the discs, because he wanted them back. and most of the time there was a level of antagonism from another party, such as schlatt exiling him, dream taking the disks in the first place, dream threatening l’manberg. and if dream wanted to end the conflict so badly, why didnt he just give tommy back his disks? tommy upfront said everything started with the disks, so he wants them back so he could end the conflict. notice how after tommy got his disks back he has been staying out of conflict, apologizing to everyone, and the only bad thing hes done is try to scam people but everyone does that. this would have been the most peaceful option, yet dream chose the path that would further antagonize tommy which then draws everyone else into conflict. why did dream need to have leverage over tommy so badly? why did he want to hold power over tommy so badly? its because of control, and that���s ultimately dreams end goal. sure he wants a big server family, but would said family have a free will?

‘but dream is sad’ the thing is dream is completely at fault for everything that happened to him. he pushed away sapnap (and george ig). he tried to take control over the server and their possessions. literally everything that happened to tommy. literally everything involving ranboo. villains can be sympathetic, i am not arguing against that. but it does not mean that they should be left off the hook. that doesnt mean u should ignore the shit theyve done because ‘oh no theyre sad’ because it doesnt make anything better. dream had this shit coming for him.

now people also skirt around calling dream an abuser. which is fair ig, its a very loaded word. its much easier to say manipulated. that being said, dream can classify as abusive. and no, tommy is not abusive. abuse is about control and a power imbalance. dream has power over tommy, but tommy does not have power over dream, at least not in the way dream does. he’s taking back power to stand up for himself, dream uses power to control.

the reasons i listed for why dream is from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project so if u want a source on that, there you go.

using coercion or threats: dream often threatened tommy, such as the pit thing and often employed violence on him. while normally this could be attributed to Normal Minecraft Player Go Smack. minecraft mechanics cannot always translate to real world since violence is pretty normal in minecraft however we also need to consider the context of the scene. dream gave an order, tommy refused, dream applies violence, tommy submitted. thats why its a threat, it has tangible effects that can correlate to real life.

using intimidation: dream blew up logsteadshire as a punishment. dream also destroyed tommys items anytime he visited. dream also hit tommy with his axe i believe. he killed mushroom henry, one of tommys pets.

Using Emotional Abuse: dream guiltripped the shit out of tommy for just hiding things and pinning the blame on tommy for just wanting his own private items. he definitely played mind games on tommy, pretending to be his friend. honestly i probably dont even need to go as in depth because it was so obvious.

Using Isolation: putting him in exile in the first place. destroying the bether portal so no one could visit tommy anymore. i really dont think i need to expand upon that.

Minimizing, Denying, and Blaming: dream in tommys stream when he got trapped said that exile wasnt that bad. he does shift the blame onto tommy for logsteadshire being blown up, even though dreams reaction was entirely unjustified for not listening and hiding.

Using Economic Abuse: see this is where i attempt to parallel minecraft mechanics to real life. obviously, there is no monetary system in place, so when i mean economic, i will use valuables such as armor, food, etc in place of currency. the idea behind economic abuse is to limit the victim’s resources so that they are dependent on the abuser and cannot escape. dream only really allowed tommy to have the armor he gave him while not giving access to armor so he does not regain a sense of power, and in the prison stream, dream holds all the potatoes which puts him in a position of power over tommy. this argument is more ambiguous i feel cause the whole minecraft mechanics thing is kinda weird so u don’t necessarily have to take this part in.

i feel like i need to emphasize this very strongly because dream is not a good person. abuse cannot and should not be a response to someone. its an awful mentality to have. i just want to prove the point that dream is not a good person, his reasons absolutely do not justify his actions.

what makes a good redemption

redemption arcs are tricky. when done right they are great. when done poorly, its a slap in the face. rn im going to establish a formula to what makes a good redemption with an example.

the most well known example of a good redemption is zuko from atla. first, its the magnitude of what theyve done and why. zuko did commit some shitty actions, since he was in a position of power in the fire nation but its because he is a child being abused and wanted to regain honor. zukos real awful acts was season 1 and the whole betrayal thing. thats not to say that zukos actions suddenly are okay, he did shitty things. but its something that can be traced to a higher entity or seem less malicious then the other villains. the thing also about the magnitude of actions is that there is a certain point of atrocities that there is no redemption. some people simply cannot be redeemed because the actions they commit are so ingrained in their character or the action itself has serious moral issues that it would just be wrong.

the next is acknowleding what they did was wrong. a genuine reflection on the self and analyzing what they did and why it was not okay. zuko realized what he did to uncle iroh was bad for example. he turned his back on his father, realizing he didnt and shouldnt seek acknowledgment from someone as heinous as him. its pointing out your actions and going ‘hey, this wasnt right i should not have done this’ and not even excusing ur actions. its also going straight for the root of the problem and figuring out to stamp it from the source. just because a character is sad does not mean they are reflecting, sometimes they are attempting to garner pity. it has to be direct and clear acknowledgement of the injustice.

and finally, an important part about redemption arcs is the actual redemption part. its when you make amends. zuko made amends with katara by trying to help her get revenge, he fought against the fire nation and tried to make things more peaceful in his rule. he apologized to iroh. an important part of the amends section is that it does have to be a genuine desire to change and become a better person, not to change a person’s perception of you. the thing is u cant expect a person youve hurt to forgive you. you cant expect people to be sympathetic towards you nor should u attempt to make urself sympathetic. u shouldnt be expecting a pat on the back or an award. redemption is about internal and character change.

why dream should not be redeemed

ive already established the key points to a good redemption (imo) but heres where dream falls short. his actions are extremely heavy so redemption may not even really be possible. abuse is not something you can wave off so it does cross to the point of fucked up. acknowledgement of what he did was wrong? all he said was that he changed, yet never explained why he changed or was too vague. he needed to label specifically what he did and bring it up. attempting to make amends? he’s been doing the exact opposite in fact he continues to manipulate tommy and ranboo. its not a genuine change. he is still repeating the cycle and has given no indication of ceasing. at the moment he does not have any signs of redemption.

and the thing is most of the attention around a dream redemption comes from either justifying his motives (which i do want to emphasize does not make anything suddenly okay) and because he is sad in prison sad face. these are not good reasons. its gonna pain me severely to bring this up but snape from harry potter does have some form of sad character ig yet he very much abused his authority to bully children as old as 11 just because he said ‘aight gonna die’ doesnt suddenly make his general bigotry and abuse suddenly okay there is a threshold. again im so sorry for using harry potter as an example none were coming to mind and i needed a popular one i do not like harry potter please dont say i do i would pass away.

and the last thing to consider is the audience. keep in mind that the audience is composed of minors and while yes there are adults, minors are the main component of the fandom. keep in mind that there are quite a few people who can relate to tommys character because they might be in the same position or have gone through his experiences. tell me what kind of message does it send to that audience that abusers can be redeemed. this is not a narrative u should push to this audience in these situations and the writers are seemingly aware of it. remember how in exile tommy spiraled into a suicidal mentality? consider how fucked of a message it would be if he just committed suicide instead of escaping abuse and attempting to recover from his experiences. tommy did an excellent job in not going that route and having a message of ‘it will not get better’. its the same thing here. victims are not obligated to care for or forgive their abuser, and portraying an abuser as sympathetic might fuck with the message a lot, even change their perception in that ‘oh, maybe my abuser was right, maybe they had a reason for treating me the way they did’. this is not to say that every victim watching this will internalize this message, but people also look up to these characters. there can be a degree of influence from the story onto oneself and thats the dangerous part.

conclusion

all in all dream is a shitbag asshole and probably shouldnt get a redemption because it would not be pog thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[the-demelza-robins]

american high school!jily (pt II)

hi! here’s a short chapter before The Big One (which is set on Halloween night and will hopefully come out on Halloween, if I have the energy). thanks so much for all the positive feedback, it makes me really happy! also you can read it on AO3 if you want  

read part one here

James and Lily are in the same math class; this fact is not new. What is new, however, is that today, he drops his bag in Sev’s seat, the one right next to her. 

“Hey,” he says, then nods once, as if this is normal. It is not.

“Hi,” she responds, because she doesn’t know what else to do. What she does know is that suddenly she’s aware of him, aware of the solidness of his form beside her. He’s tall, taller than Roger. She never really noticed that before.

He fiddles with his pencil. She blinks once, twice. She’s probably so attuned to his movements because he took Sev’s seat. Yes, that must be it. James sitting next to her means that Severus “I’m a fucking white supremacist” Snape can’t. Math has always been the worst, too — Lily cut Sev out of her life junior year, after he published that article, but he refuses to listen to her when she tells him to stay away, and sits next to her whenever he can. She has no friends in math class, no one to shoot him dirty looks and drown out his murmured apologies and arguments.

But James is here, now. Even if he’s not her friend. Even if he doesn’t know the significance of what he just did.

He’s still here. And that’s something.

***

Lily, please save me, the note reads, written in James’s messy scrawl. It took her a long time, as well as a lot of not-so-subtle hints from James, to realize that he’d written it in the first place. It takes her a little longer to decipher his handwriting, which is fine, because she’s ahead on the problems they’re supposed to be working through, caught in that in-between of being too good for regular math and not good enough for honors. As she looks at the curled-up bottom portion of his notebook, she senses Sev glaring daggers at her from across the room. Perfect.

From what? she writes back, letters neat and compact. James reads it almost immediately and takes a long time to respond.

The evil eye that Snivellus is giving me right now.

Ha, ha.

A smile spills out of the corner of his mouth as he writes back. Are you two involved in some sort of torrid love affair I didn’t know about? Am I making him #jelly?

That hashtag made me throw up in my mouth a little. She pauses, pencil flicking against the desk. She knows he’s watching, knows Sev is watching, and so she picks up the paper again and adds, and no, I am not involved with Sev. Would rather make out with Tony the Squid.

His smile widens, now, and she catches it in her peripheral vision. Not our school mascot. That’s too far, Evans.

It occurs to Lily that she’s acting exactly like elementary school James would. She’s laughing about Sev. Her past self would be disappointed.

But her past self didn’t know what Sev would become. She angles her body more towards James, away from her former best friend’s skin-crawling stare.

***

James sits with her again the next math class, and the one after that, too. She knows things about him, now: knows that he doodles soccer balls in the margins of his notebook; knows that he can’t stop moving, and sometimes when he’s bored of tapping his pencil he’ll tap his foot against her chair leg, unconsciously; knows that he has a little scar on his neck; knows that he can make her laugh with one passed note; knows that he still hates Sev as much as he did in eighth grade.

Lily’s the first to step into the math classroom today; or, at least, she thinks she is, until she spots Sev hovering near her seat, muttering to himself under his breath. Lily steels herself and walks by him, pointedly ignoring him as she slips into her chair.

“Lil —”

“Don’t call me that,” she says immediately, and glances towards the door. She’s forgotten what it feels like to be alone with Sev: like she’s been stripped bare, vulnerable, underneath all the layers of hatred and hurt.

Sev huffs, haughtily, in a way that’s so quintessentially him that it causes Lily physical pain. “You’re blowing it all out of proportion. I was looking at the situation from a purely economic perspective—”

“You were being fucking racist, Sev, and you know it,” she snaps, trying and failing to calm down. So easy, she is. The same conversation, every time: the same circles ran, with no ground lost or gained.

Sev opens his mouth to argue back, but before he can, a new voice cuts in.

“Should’ve known I’d find you here,” says James, speaking in a way she’s forgotten that he’s capable of: sharp, sharp as cut glass.

“This has nothing to do with you, Potter,” Sev says stiffly, gaze settling on James, who in turn looks at Lily, brow furrowed.

“You’re in my seat, Snivellus.”

Sev’s face turned red. “It was my seat first.”

“Then I guess it depends on what Lily wants.”

They both turn towards her, and this is where I get to choose, Lily realizes, with a startling burst of clarity. She knows she doesn’t want Sev, doesn’t want him near her, doesn’t want him begging for forgiveness with crocodile tears; she sucks in a breath, says, “That’s James’s seat.”

James smiles, just for a second, then slides into the seat next to her and starts to take out his math notebook. Sev stands, watching them, hands curled into fists; Lily can’t meet his eyes. Yes, he’s virtually unrecognizable from his childhood self, but rejection — rejection for James? James, who had made his early years a living hell?

She stares at the desk until she hears Sev’s retreating footsteps, knowing that to glance up and see the look of anguish on his face would make her feel even worse.

“Glad we got rid of Snivellus, huh, Evans?” James whispers, and he’s too close, sitting next to her with his pencil already tapping against the desk, a hand wafting through his hair. Lily feels like a child again, except this time she’s chosen the wrong side. She’s one of them now. Sev will never speak to her again.

Isn’t that what she wants? He’s a terrible person; she doesn’t long for his friendship. Still, a part of her — a very small part of her — wants him to want her. Another wave of revulsion consumes her; for a moment, she just stares at James, wondering how she’s gotten here. “I’m not like you, James.”

He blinks. “Yeah?”

She could yell at him. She could ask him why, all those years ago, he felt it necessary to call Sev Snivellus, to joke about his greasy hair and unwashed clothes, to ensure that he’d have no friends save Lily.

But in this moment, Lily’s more angry at herself. So instead, she turns towards the front of the classroom, hoping to find some sort of respite in calculus.

Sev doesn’t approach her again, after that.

***

Texts with Roger Davies, Tuesday, October 27th, 9:33pm

Roger: did you get rodriguez’s approval for the theme?

Lily: yeah, we’re all set!

Roger: okay great

Roger: i’m so glad that we’re finally done with that process

Roger: james was being so annoying about choosing it

Lily: lol i thought he was funny. and it didn't derail us that much

(Lily doesn’t know where that instinct comes from, the one that tells her to defend James’s honor. Maybe she knows, in her heart of hearts, that he’d do the same for her, without question, because that’s just the kind of person he is. Maybe she imagines him in math class, tapping his pencil against his desk, focused but also not, a reassuring presence. Maybe the image in her head is shifting from the boy he once was to the boy that now sits next to her every day: the one who lets her fight her own battles, the one who doesn’t push her, the one who didn’t ask about Sev after their last encounter. She can’t be sure of it yet, but maybe she’s actually starting to enjoy his company — that is, when she forgets about the past eight years of her life.)

(Or, maybe, she thinks, as she lies down on her bed, watching the bubbles on her phone pop up and disappear over and over again, she knows that disagreeing with Roger will extend their conversation.)

Roger: james is always like that tho

Lily: really? he’s been pretty good lately i thought

Roger: always wants things his way

Roger: idk i shouldn’t be talking about this

Lily: lol

Roger: it’s just that ur nice to talk to

(Roger’s never said that to her before. She wonders if it’s because she really is nice to talk to, or if it’s because she’s just there.)

Lily: lol thanks

Roger: and i feel like i can trust you

(He’s never said that to her before, either. They’ve never really spoken about non-yearbook related things. She doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly acting like they’re friends. She can’t say she doesn’t enjoy the familiarity — this is Roger, after all, and any relationship gain with him is a good one — but she feels blindsided. It was October until people burst into her room telling her it’s Christmas, and now she’s just confused.)

Lily: yeah you can trust me

Roger: cool i’m glad

seen by Lily at 9:46pm (there’s nothing more to say).

***

Texts with Roger Davies, Tuesday, October 27th, 9:50pm

Roger: can i ask you a question

Lily: fire away

Roger: are you coming to the halloween thing this weekend

Lily: yeah was planning on it

Lily: why

Roger: cool maybe i’ll see you there

(Oh.)

(It’s Christmas morning in October. It’s Christmas morning in October.)

(Lily doesn't know much about high school relationships, hookups or otherwise, but she does know this: if a boy asks a girl if she's coming to a party, he did it for a reason. And that reason is usually not so that they can discuss the yearbook.)

Lily: yeah see you there

(There's nothing more to do but wait.)

part three

[normal-thoughts-official]

Oooh yeah the first time I was playing as a female mc because I wanted to romance ava and I usually go male mc if I want to romance a man and female mc if I want to romance a woman (and I think there was one book with where mc could be non-binary so I picked that one but I didn't finished the book), and Stacy's brother felt Hetero™ in a way, like Hollywood ish (? Honestly like cinematographicly bad hetero) but I ended up really loving Andy too, and Stacy felt a little flat but also I really liked her potential, like go crazy girl, and the mom issues.

Apart but holy shit you're 10000% right about that teacher like who inmediately threatens expulsion just like that for something not violent ??? And to an honor student with way too much on his plate ??? Obviously it would have been bad with any student, but you have literally the reason of why he's doing it and as a teacher HE LITERALLY COULD HAVE HELPED WITH IT ??????? Like something teachers can't really help students because it's a family thing only or is a financial struggle or etc but it was literally because of school (and his family, but the teacher could have heloed him with the school part)

(Identity thief anon (also I go by any pronouns ahhshs))

ur valid! that's lowkey what i wish i'd do (picking female MC if my fave LI is female and the other way around, i mean) but unfortunately i always go into the stories blindly having no idea what i'll find </3 so i cant really do that doiajdiosa and then i get attached for the MC i picked so i feel bad about changing their gender/name/appearance when i replay. so what i usually do is that i pick a male MC when i get the option because A- u don't always get the option, so i end up being male half the time and female half the time either way; and B- i feel slightly more comfortable with a male identity than a female one. like i'm still nonbinary and i wouldn't consider myself male aligned or within the gender of Man, but like... when i first came out i went by any pronouns but then because im afab everyone was like "cool, she/her only it is" so i was like fuck that and stopped using she/her. so i feel slightly more comfortable with a masc MC and end up going with that

there's also the fact that it always feels slightly genderfucky to have a male MC because choices is so sexist and also always writes the stories assuming ull pick a female MC, even when they give u the option not to. so when u pick a male MC he's very like not toxically masc and some things they add to make a QuiRkY MC that are very white woman and would feel annoying are actually kind of subversive for my black and brown male MCs. so like another win for queerness /j

ILITW MC in particular i feel has HUGE nonbinary vibes like no reason at all he just does <3 maybe it's just that for once the male clothes for ILITW actually fUCK. i wanna dress in that goth outfit <3 so gorgeous ugh. i love him even tho he's a fucking dumbass

also there's a book where an MC can be enby? worm? ive only ever read one book in choices with any enby characters at all (america's most elligible, books 2-3) but they weren't even a LI which is disappointing cuz they were a billion times superior to any of the LIs. sorry america's most elligible LIs fans

also oh connor IS the epitome of white cistraight man even when u play as a man tbh, like he was just so cistraight to me daouhdsaojdasij he kind of annoys me but also i forget that he even exists until he shows up onscreen and choices starts trying to push me into his lap and i'm just like, ugh, not again

and yeah i think i feel a similar way about stacy. i don't dislike her as a character and i don't feel like she as a character felt flat, her growth was very interesting and i loved seeing her start to challenge her mom like YESSS GO GIRL GIVE US EVERYTHING, she just felt flat as a LI to me ig? like idk i didn't feel chemistry between her and my MC personally, but also like, stacy girls are valid u know

right exactly. like i don't think ppl really understand that a school that doesn't drive people to cry during finals week and feel absolutely crushed by having to be there and that makes ppl feel like they're stupid, not enough, and overwhelmed IS IN FACT POSSIBLE and actually pretty easy to make when we stop treating students like statistics that will get the school more clients/funding (depending on whether it's a private or public school). and like as a teacher getting my degree in brasil it just feels completely surreal to me that anyone would see a student who's so overwhelmed by the amount of extracurriculars and responsibilities he feels like he has to take that he starts taking drugs to help his performance despite it affecting his health, and see that as like... something morally reprehensible? like it is bad that it happened but it's not the student's fault, what's morally reprehensible are the circumstances that led to his decision, not his decision

and like it is very much a systemic problem, more and more kids are taking focus pills to be able to survive the pressure of school and have a shot at a future, either on their own or because we are actually medicalizing not existing to be productive. and if it's a systemic problem then the fault is at the system?? and like holy shit i legit don't understand why choices gave us options like being like "it still isn't enough" when lucas gets rid of his pills, what do you mean it isn't enough??? enough for what??? to FORGIVE him???? for something that only hurt himself??? for something that is very much a systemic problem and therefore NOT HIS FAULT????? literally what the fuck even is this, lucas doesn't have to "make up" for a single thing, he needs to be HELPED is what he needs

like idk i know that the school system in the US is...... extremely backwards lmao which is not a term i like to use because it usually implies imperialistic views but the US is the height of world imperialism so like actually idc. brasil has a pretty progressive constitution and as a teacher my whole education was focused on being critical of the school system, particularly the productivity obsession, and drilling into us again and again that we aren't supposed to just be teaching subjects, we are also supposed to be teaching how to be a citizen, be a critical human being, work towards building a better future, and learning and growing AS A PERSON to be healthy and happy are values of the school system

like that's easier said than done when schools are under insane amounts of pressure by companies in practice to be productivity-driven, and most teachers who actually want to do a good job end up having to live at the edge of the knife and constantly fighting back outside pressure, but at least it is very much a mandatory part of our education to become teachers and also like literally part of the constitution. so i just... i can't fathom reacting the way mr cooper did? like as a teacher i felt BETRAYED, i felt like he shat all over my profession because that is the opposite of what we should be doing, this is a kid who needs help

and just like hOLY SHIT HE DID NOTHING WRONG, what are you punishing him for??? it's not even a like, stealing bread to feed your family situation, because what he did HAS NO VICTIM OTHER THAN HIMSELF, and therefore HE IS THE VICTIM NOT THE CULPRIT. he doesn't have to repent or atone or answer for a single fucking thing, he didn't victimize others, he doesn't have to apologize, there's nothing to punish him fOR??? like i don't believe in punishment anyway cuz im a prison abolitionist but doDAUSDJADASIJDAS???????????? HE DIDN'T. HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG. WHY IS THIS WHOLE GAME ACTING AS IF HE WAS IN THE WRONG. OH MY GOD

it's like saying that someone needs to be forgiven for self harming????? like how is it that someone has been hurt continuously until it led them to hurt themselves and then they have to? make up for it to a bunch of other ppl? my god it makes me so mad and i genuinely don't understand the logic, like usually when i see someone doing fucked up shit i can see the logic but i don't agree with it, but this time i genuinely DON'T SEE THE LOGIC. my USan friends said it was because he was technically doing drugs but like i legit still don't understand

anyway any school that drives a student to do something like that needs to rethink their entire curriculum and the psychological effect it's having on kids, because lucas is 1- not even the first one according to mr cooper; 2- even if he was, that'd be the only one who got CAUGHT; and 3- even if there was really only one singular student who went tHIS far, i doubt the others weren't feeling that same pressure and dealing with it in other similarly unhealthy ways

i know that's probably easier in brasil than in the US even if it's by no means easy here because here at least in public schools the curriculum and political-pedagogical plan has to be agreed on by the school community (teachers, parents, students, workers, and anyone who lives in the area of the school) and it's updated every year, so like, you have more means to do something to change the school in a deeper way, altho of course that still has to mean swinging the rest of the community, but still. but at the very least he could have looked for counseling for him? tried to find a way to take some of the workload off his shoulders? given him some more time on assignments? motioning for all the clubs he was the president of to have co-presidents so he was less overwhelmed?

like there was just daodsao he could have done so many things and he justs DIDN'T he chose to not only punish him instead but quite literally THREATEN HIM WITH DEATH because that's what calling the police on a latino student over a drug charge is. like he might've survived but the possibility that he would fucking DIE was very much there, and i know choices didn't think of that because they'd rather die than think about the racial implications of anything but holy fucking shit. and im not even getting into how mr cooper is BLACK because then ill just start biting people like thanks for putting that threat on a black character's mouth choices. if u need me ill be foaming at the mouth

anyway SORRY god why is it that i always get to the salty part within 2 seconds of joining a fandom i promise that i actually like it lives and the way they handled most of their plot, i genuinely think it's a very well written and actually worth ur time story but i just doadosaida like i said particularly as a teacher in the context where i'm being taught, plus with all my political beliefs, i just can't let it go aaaa

also ty for telling me ur pronouns! idk if i assumed them at any time, i don't think so but i might have done so without realizing and if i did im really sorry. also sorry for the gigantic salty reply daojdsaojdaisjsajdoadsaodasj rip me i never shut up

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2007

18 to 19 years old. Things were slowly starting to get better and better.

15 honorable mentions, but this is still only a top 10. What an incredible, amazing year for music. My favorite hit song for the entire decade is in there! I think everyone already knows what that is because I am, in fact, extremely predictable.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

Second to third year of my History studies. Met a great guy. So great, in fact, that I married him in 2019 because we’re still living together 13 years later. Got my first summer job but spent my first pay on driving lessons, because, again, I needed to get out of my parents’ appartment and knowing how to drive would be good to find a job. I had a much better access to internet. I still had great grades. Things were getting much better.

I stopped making my personal lists of favorite songs that year, and I had an mp3 player, which really opened a world of possibilities even if you could only put something like 40 songs on it, at best.

I was still reading Rock Mag a lot. As you can see, the biggest controversy at the time was what was emo and what wasn’t.

We were alright.

As far as non-elligible songs go, well there’s I Still Remember by Bloc Party (and the fact I can’t put it on the list is a heartbreak and a half) and basically everything from Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails. Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation all had pretty good albums too.

Here’s a metric ton of honorable mentions first!

Snow (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Perfectly pleasant song.

D.A.N.C.E (Justice) - Never understood why this was so popular. Still good.

Love is Gone (David Guetta) - Heyyyy another repetitive dance track, perfect.

Miracle (Cascada), Smack That (Akon), Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol), SexyBack (Justin Timberlake) and Say It Right (Nelly Furtado & Timbaland) - Still elligible songs for that year. Still great songs. Still not making the list.

Butterfly (Superbus) - I didn’t like this band, but I liked that song.

Thanks for the Memories (Fall Out Boy) - Same here basically.

Who Knew (Pink) - Not her best, but not her worst by a mile either.

Walk It Out (Unk) - Stayed in my head for days, I swear. I have no idea what the general opinion about it is nowadays. Maybe that’s a humiliating pick and I genuinely have no idea.

Crank That (Soulja Boy) - I do, however, know that the fact this very nearly made the list IS hilarious.

Alive (Mondotek) - Laugh all you want about the tektonik phenomenon, this is still a banger and a half.

Sound of Freedom (Bob Sinclar & Cutee B) - Not as good as Rock This Party. That’s the only thing I can say against it.

Umbrella (Rihanna) - This is an edit because holy shit I forgot Umbrella. It very nearly made the list too. Sorry.

And now, possibly one of the best top tens yet.

10 - This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race (Fall Out Boy)

US: #32 / FR: #71

Almost everyone got the lyrics wrong. The title is way too long. I really don’t like this band of pretentious idiots; if you’re gonna be pretentious at least write about something more grand and epic than your own navel, and go all out (more on that later). Nobody ever really cared about their supposed feud with Panic! At The Disco. And, to make matters even worse, the singer looked exactly like the terrible ex I had punched in the face the previous year.

This is still a damn good song and it’s on the list instead of any of the honorable mentions.

RIP me.

9 - How To Save A Life (The Fray)

US: #24 / FR: Not on the list

You already know I loved The Fray. This song could have apparently also made the previous list but it’s on this one instead. It was overplayed. I still loved it.

8 - U + Ur Hand (Pink)

US: #29 / FR: Not on the list

In 2002, I bought Pink’s Missundaztood album and as you might remember this was the second album I ever bought in my life, right before the gigantic trainwreck that highschool was.

The fact that about five years (that felt like twelve) later, Pink was on the other side of that trainwreck, back in my earphones, just as energetic and fun as she was before, was nothing short of heartwarming.

7 - Je Suis Un Homme (Zazie)

US: Not on the list / FR: #43

I’m not gonna beat around the bush. This song is terrifying.

Here’s a translation. Yeah, it’s about humanity destroying the Earth and itself in various ways, and it’s preachy, but holy shit, how can something be so bleak, so scary and still so catchy. It’s a mystery.

6 - Double Je (Christophe Willem)

US: Not on the list / FR: #2

When I first heard this song, I genuinely thought that was also Zazie and I was like oh wow, she’s learned to have fun again after that bleak, bleak song.

But no. She only wrote it, and it’s sung by this guy. It’s relatable as hell (”When I grow up it’s gonna be easy, I’ll finally know what I am”, “Who’s fault is it? / I’m something and its opposite / Double me”). The fact that a guy had this kind of voice and that a ton of people loved it (enough for him to win a big talent show and make this the second biggest song of the year!) also did wonders for my dysphoria, by the way.

5 - Ta Meuf (Faf Larage)

US: Not on the list / FR: #19

This is a song applying the most obnoxious rap and hip hop clichés about gangsters (and guys in general) to a woman, and she ends up terrorising all the guys and they’re realising these clichés might, in fact, be really toxic.

It’s a great song about gender roles usually seen in this kind of music and instead of being preachy, it’s hilarious, and well-written (I mean, it’s Faf Larage, it’s a given, but still). Check it out.

4 - Relax Take It Easy (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #12

All hail the new king of pop. He was here to stay and what a breath of fresh air he was. This was very much his year in Europe as soon as the album Life In Cartoon Motion dropped.

My significant other absolutely loved this album and we listened to it wayyyy, way too much, and even with all the radio overplay AND the overplay when we were together, I still can’t get enough of this album.

3 - Love Today (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #39

Here he is again!

If this was any other year this would top the list very easily. What were the US even thinking back then to not let this guy chart. Why isn’t Mika a huge star over there too. What is your problem guys. Do you have something against fun or what.

Anyway, here’s possibly the best comment on the music video:

I mean. You’re not wrong.

2 - What I’ve Done (Linkin Park)

US: #38 / FR: Not on the list

Aaaaaaand they’re back. And they’re once again topping my list. Lord have mercy on me. I loved them so much.

This was the first step into their modern sound, less raw, more U2. A couple of years later, when Lacuna Coil released Shallow Life, I used to joke that Lacuna Coil was trying to sound more and more like Linkin Park, that Linkin Park was trying to sound more and more like U2, and that U2 was trying to sound more and more like boring garbage and. I mean. I wasn’t wrong there.

My absolute favorite part of the song is at 2:24, when the music calms down a bit and the lyrics go “I start again / And whatever pain may come / Today this ends / I’m forgiving what I’ve done” and then the guitar explodes again. So powerful. Love it.

And now you’re probably thinking “so... Linkin Park was back, and with such a top quality song and it’s NOT your #1? After you put a Linkin Park song or a Linkin Park remix at #1 for three years in a row in 2002, 2003 AND 2004? What’s going on, Jo? Are you okay?”

Oh I’m more than okay. Friends and enemies, here comes the absolute best hit song of the entire decade and possibly of my entire life so far.

You probably already know what it is.

1 - Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

US: #59 / FR: Not on the list (shame on you French charts)

I know I keep complaining about stuff I love not charting, or charting but not high enough to make any year-end list, but... How was this even allowed to chart. Why and how did it end up on the US year-end list when so many more radio-friendly hits I loved couldn’t even scratch the hot 100.

I’m not complaining at all. I’m just baffled.

Play the first note on a piano and I’m already a wreck. Heck, I’m pretty sure everyone from my generation is. It was basically our very own Bohemian Rhapsody. It still is. Where do I even start.

Oh. I know. Look at this page from a 2006 Rock Mag, it’s gold.

Yep, they highlighted The Open Door by Evanescence and praised it, and were like “this is very risky and ambitious and we’re not sure you’re gonna like this” for The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Hilarious in hindsight.

A few months later, the same magazine was desesperately using double pages to interview them because everyone adored the album.

So in case you’ve never listened to it (I’m... not even sure why I’m doing this since I’m pretty sure even people who don’t like this type of music have tried to out of sheer curiosity), it’s a concept album about a guy (...possibly. I mean there’s a lot of trans and/or nonbinary hints in the lyrics and did you really NEED to make all of this more relatable? What the hell guys) dying of cancer, remembering all the good and the bad things that happened in his life, and since his fondest memory is seeing a marching band once as a child, death arrives in the form of a marching band. He then settles some scores with his friends and family, says his goodbyes, and... and doesn’t die in the end. He ends up surviving the whole ordeal, and the last song, Famous Last Words, is one the most incredible things I’ve ever heard. It’s so propulsive, uplifting and motivating. “I am not afraid to keep on living / I am not afraid to walk this world alone”. Holy. Shit. Sadly, it’s not elligible.

Welcome to the Black Parade is basically the centerpiece of the album, as you already know or might have guessed, but here’s the thing. It also works out of context because there’s already an entire narrative arc within this one song. It’s larger than life. It’s about death and the meaning of existence. It basically contains all the stages of grief, and the conclusion it reaches is that this guy will be remembered and therefore, he will transcend death. It’s full of rage and passion and triumph. There’s key changes. There’s tempo changes. There’s everything. It’s a rock opera in a single song. I put it on my mp3 player immediately after listening to the album, and it’s still on my mp3 player today. I never, ever removed it. I listened to it countless times and every single time, it feels like rewatching one of my favorite movies.

Best hit song of 2007 by a mile. Best hit song of the decade, hands down, and now that the 2010s are over, I’m pretty confident in saying nothing has topped it so far. I’d say “fight me” if I thought this was a controversial opinion, but it’s not even that controversial.

And that feels damn right.

Next up: Is... is this a list with actual filler? Are you telling us there was ONE mediocre year for music in the 2000s? Sounds fake but okay

[jcurncy]

@gcldess asked: a lot of questions i’m gonna break down 1 by 1.

p.s i loooooveeee jackee w my whole-ass heart.

under the cut bc it’s LONG

does ching remember her mother, or just things she heard from her dad?

ching has very distant memories of her mother. her face, her perfume, her voice. if she tries to remember her mom she can very distinctly remember these things, and they make her feel very small and vulnerable. chang doesn’t talk much about her unless ching asks, and ching stopped asking around the time pucca’s parents went missing. ching will always have a piece of her heart missing that her mother took with her, but it becomes much smaller the older she gets and the closer she grows to her friends.

how does she deal with won's death?

not very well at first. she knew it was coming because won was getting old. she got fairly sick and ching just knew it was over. she fought for won as hard as she could with vet visits and medicines and anything she could do. won was her closest confidant and best friend after her mother left and before she was very close with abyo and pucca. her five stages look like this:

denial: lasts all the way through the first vet visit. when the vet announces that yes there’s nothing much they can do for won, she breaks down in the room right there, holding won close to her chest and crying. abyo or pucca went with her, and whoever it was just sits next to her and let’s her cry.pucca hates seeing ching cry, so she’d probably try to cheer her up, but it’s not very successful. abyo would also try and cheer her up, but he’d ultimately fail, too. garu would probably just let her cry, and when she was okay and ready to leave he’d make sure she got home okay.

anger: she’s in the dojo attacking anything for a week. if she’s not spending time with won during her last few weeks, she’s trying to kill something.any of their typical enemies attack? ching slices through them like nothing. her best friend is dying there’s nothing she can do to fix it so get the fuck out of her way. tobe probably picks up on it pretty quickly and avoids attacking when either of the girls are around.

bargaining: it doesn’t last long. she pleads with everyone she can think of that could save him, but even master soo can’t meddle in death.

depression: it’s so bad she can’t get out of bed. she and won just stay in bed for days. won is sick but trying to comfort ching until the end. it’s only when ching realizes this that she is able to pick herself up out of bed every day. she may not do much more than get up and get dressed and other usual hygiene things, but she gets. out. of. bed. and sometimes that’s all you can ask for.

acceptance: she thinks she’s accepted it before won finally passes, but she doesn’t actually seem to accept it until won’s tiny casket has been buried behind the dojo. there’s a small ceremony, with all they’re family. ching says a few words about how much won had always meant to her, and how she’s sad to see her go, but is glad she’s no longer in pain. she has the other chickens by now, and they knew won too, so their all grieving. garu doesn’t break his vow of silence very often but i can see this being one of the exceptions.(@honrr) having her other chickens does help her move on. having other creatures to live for, things to accomplish, goals to meet, helps her feel better. she spends more time tending to her flower garden, painting and photographing and enjoying her more artistic hobbies. she grows, she copes, and she never forgets. she has a plaque made that hangs in the living room. “In Honor of Won, The Greatest Chicken Best Friend a Girl Could Have.” The other chickens can’t read so they can’t be offended.

who does ching hate more, tobe, dada, or ring ring, and why?

ching will always tell you she doesn’t feel hate, but it’s not true. she hates bugs. but she doesn’t truly hate any of these people. she hates parts of their personalities, but she sees the potential for goodness in all of them. she knows tobe is capable of love, and ring ring and dada too, for that matter. ching believes that if someone is capable of loving their capable of growing.

she hates that tobe can’t just leave garu alone. she doesn’t know what their feud is over, but she finds it so annoying that it’s so constant.

she hates the way dada treats pucca. how pucca is always so kind and forgiving of him, but he stabs her in the back and helps kidnap her uncles! so right now dada is in first place for most hated.

she hates who ring ring has become. how manipulative and mean she is. part of her can’t believe they were ever friends with her, and another part wonders where they all went wrong. ching sees a lot of her own insecurities in ring ring, and she genuinely pities her. ring ring is a reminder to her that she can’t bottle up and hide all the things she doesn’t like about herself. she has to be open about them. it’s not always easy, but she tries hard every day to take the steps necessary to not feel spiteful to her best friend in the world.

so it’s probably dada. she sees true potential for good in tobe, and just pities ring eing, but dada has seriously traumatized pucca, and that does not fly with ching.

what is ching's favorite movie?

she honestly rly likes old kung fu movies that abyo makes her watch, they’re her guilty pleasure. she’ll put up a fight on movie night but it’s all for show. her favorite is the original karate kid. ching doesn’t have one all-time favorite. she has certain movies that are top-tier, and karate kid is always hovering in the top five.she;s also a sucker for cheesy chick flicks from the late ‘90′s early 2000′s

when does she first realize she has feelings for abyo?

oh man. that’s.

so at first it’s like. “this is a dude i’ve known my whole life, i think he’s cute, we’re kids”. that kinda crush. where you like them bc you’ve known each other forever and everyone thinks you’ll get together anyways. ching glides along with this no problem. she doesn’t realize it goes deeper until abyo starts getting rly flirty (in-show) and she realizes that the anger it makes her feel is really jealousy. she’s 11 so she doesn’t think on it too hard. just continues with the “he’s my boyfriend” and getting frustrated at him for flirting so much. she also takes a lot of cues from pucca because she’s never seen a functional relationship. she knew pucca’s parents, but they were just her best friends parents, they never felt like an example of a relationship to her. so pucca’s constant pursuit spurs ching’s. ching is not as outgoing with her affection as pucca is and she has impulse control. so when it hits her like “wow these are real feelings.’ would be like high school age. u know. when ur figuring all that shit out in the first place. she takes a good long think about her feelings more in general, and she notices how often abyo made her feel this or that, more than pucca or garu or won or anyone. abyo is always right there. and that’s when it kinda clicks for her that abyo’s like her person. he’s an idiot. but he’s loyal and lovable and kind. he cares about her.

is she ever jealous of pucca?

it’s not super often, but it does pop up. pucca is sooga village’s “it” girl. she’s cute and sweet and popluar (for good and obvious reasons). and ching is nothing but happy and supportive of her best friend. but there are definitely times when she finds herself envying her. even just slightly. like how everyone is automatically drawn to her, how she barely speaks loud enough to hear and captures everyone’s attention. how pucca is so powerful and strong and perfect that it only makes ching all the more aware of her own insecurities. she doesn’t want to hold it against pucca. she knows she isn’t perfect and that she has her own traumas to face. also that time pucca accidentally kissed abyo she was momentarily like “girl what are u doing” until pucca threw an acorn at him.

is there a villain she respects or feels pity for?

she has respect and pity for the vagabonds. she respects that they’re willing to do what they need to to stay alive and feed themselves. she pities them that it means a life of crime. she pities all of them to an extent, but it’s more like compassion than pity. except ring ring, she truly pities ring ring. like she’ll momentarily pity any villain that’s in pucca’s way, but it wears off once they’re dealt with. dada isn’t technically a villain but she pities him too. after her incident with doga’s sock she wonders if that’s why doga is actually evil, and not because she wants to be. she really doesn’t like tobe, but literally only because he’s always bugging her friends. if he’d leave them alone she’d probably find a way to get along with him.

[vaguely-concerned]

Let’s Read Victory of Eagles; the Prepare to Cry About William Laurence Edition

earlier temeraire let’s reads (yes I’m sticking with it)

- oh man starting with temeraire’s pov is such a good call, I don’t know if I could take getting plunged straight into laurence’s misery without some (very slight) levity first 

- lol and also crey @ laurence gently reminding these young guys how to keep him prisoner 

- temeraire on his way to revolutionize dragon politics after one damn month... I’m so proud ;___; on the other hand him thinking laurence is dead is... nope not processing this laurence is fine let’s not worry about it

- SURPRISE THARKAY! BEST KIND OF SURPRISE 

looool he just keeps coming to get laurence and finding him embroiled in some fresh catastrophe... I’m sorry ur bro is in another castle/war camp/ship wreck/prison tharkay you’re a champ for tracking him down again and again

- He has a new birb!!! good stuff. this part of them walking through the quiet ruined town is really striking too

- laurence feels like he can be just himself for the first time in months huh... cool cool cool

- “You and Temeraire would be welcome in other parts of the world. You may recall there is some semblance of civilization,” he added dryly, “in a few places, beyond the borders of England.”

fsdakhfdasdfsaflj a) I love him so much b) I  g u e s s  Tharkay kind of just asked Laurence to run away with him in his low-key sardonic way... super triple extra cool cool cool extremely admirable even if he and everyone else in the world knows it to be doomed 

resting his hand on his shoulder because he knows Laurence is gonna be Laurence about this... yeah okay just punch me in the heart

- tfw the guy you sort of have a thing for is determined to get himself killed for a government you feel exactly zero personal loyalty to and now you have to watch his back 🙄

- lol laurence is like ‘I’m not gonna start a fistfight’ 

five minutes later: granby pulls laurence out of a fistfight he started because someone talked shit about his dragon

- aw demane and sipho! good boys bein’ good boys 

- temeraire reciting principia mathematica to himself and changing his voice so he can pretend it’s laurence reading to him... that is under the belt naomi novik that is just mean

(all the funnier/more heartbreaking for knowing laurence has no fucking idea what he’s reading out loud when it comes to that book and would never have touched it if temeraire didn’t love it so much)

- “Oh,” Temeraire said, and sat back on his haunches. He was not quite sure what to say. “I am very sorry?” he offered, uncertainly. He supposed it must be very unpleasant to be a coward.

fjfjghfgj how is he so darling

- tbh perscitia is very much me when it comes to fighting; I too am small and slow and cripplingly overly aware of all the ways things can go wrong which everyone seems happy to overlook

- as a professional tharkay spotter: he is in fact present in the proceedings right now, he arrived at the same time as granby and had one (1) line of dialogue! I am not sure why everyone’s talking about this napoleon fella instead of specifying to me what precise dragon he hitched a ride with or what kind of babysitter arrangement he has put in place for his birb but y’know I’ll take what I can get

(there is a peculiar sort of satisfaction in getting reeeeaaal attached to a side character; this reminds me a lot of being nine and scrupulously scanning every page of a harry potter book for mentions of sirius, no matter how peripheral or inconsequential) 

- all of temeraire’s dragons are pure gold tbh, I especially like majestatis and his laconic competency (I may have a type)

- temeraire not getting why laurence isn’t responding to him quite as he should and laurence basically getting his affairs in order... William Laurence if you break both our hearts I will never fucking forgive you this is my stern voice

- adding a second (and tonally very different) pov is such a genius move at this point in the story; it really breathes new life into everything. 

- lady allendale is the real mvp, you can really see a lot of laurence’s good sides in a straight line from her to him

- oooooooooooooooooooooh roland dropping some truth bombs on laurence for being so very very honorable and so very very dumb

thank you jane I guess at least he’s pretty

- having to read laurence trying to convince all the people who love him to basically let him kill himself is extremely upsetting and I Do Not Care for it

- temeraire absent-mindedly putting ‘coming up with some way to let laurence live as long as me’ on his ‘to do’ list is Everything

but also he doesn’t even realize how wrong things are with his captain and I want to curl up in a ball. no bb no one is going to take him but he’s halfway through taking himself out :(

(I will say that there’s something about laurence’s incredible inflexibility and self loathing that is very relatable, which is probably why I’m so mad at him and also so scared for him. incidentally one of hanzo’s traits I really identify with. anyway onwards)

- ah of course granby was kidnapped I was wondering when something bad would happen to him in this book

- “You are not obliged -- ” Laurence began.

“No,” Tharkay agreed civilly, with one raised brow, and Laurence bowed and left it there. 

fdsfdklsalkjhfkjasdhfjkadshdsfhksdfjakh how... how can anyone be so impossibly lovely and so sarcastic in one word... my heart feels so full

but also ow b/c I think tharkay does see the state laurence is in and it must be extremely stressful to look out for all the swords your bro is determined to throw himself on 

- oF ALL THE DOORSTEPS IN ALL OF LONDON THEY HAD TO END UP AT LAURENCE’S EX’S how many mirrors has this poor man broken to end up here 

- oh uh wow I think I just murdered woolvey’s shitty racist ass with my mind I never even knew I had the power

- Tharkay seeming to suss out the whole Situation here at a glance... *prayer hands emoji*

-  Tharkay shook his head, and when Laurence looked at him said quietly: “It must be difficult to follow an officer of public repute, in the affections of a woman who loves courage.”

...

“My reputation is hardly one any sensible man would covet.”

“It does not name you a coward,” Tharkay said. “Whatever has Bertram Woolvey done?”

as observed completely impartially except for that one awful enormous crush he is developing lol

- oh no... woolvey died... this is... terrible.... *insert ‘shocked’ captain kirk reaction image here*

okay it does put edith in a genuinely awful situation, which super sucks. everything around her is like the one part of laurence’s self loathing that is sort of justified: he’s been making her life so much harder for so long. first she had to worry about her not-even-husband-yet getting lost at sea and he seems pretty emotionally distant, for all that he can be sweet, then he adopts a dragon and she is SUCH AN AFTERTHOUGHT to him in that process (because, as I have discussed earlier, william laurence should just not ask people to marry him b/c he never. actually. means. it. he just thinks he should I think)

and then, after finally disentangling herself emotionally from that she manages to marry a dude who’s a twit, but a twit who by all appearances treats her well and she’s happy -- and then Laurence shows up for three fucking hours and her HUSBAND IS SHOT DEAD 

most of laurence’s guilt is the useless self-flagellation of depression, but in this one case I’m a bit more ‘yeah okay valid bro’

- Laurence’s tendency to describe, in minute detail, what some dude is wearing even under the most dire of circumstances is so endearing. (also he barely ever does it with women; usually it’s like ‘and she was wearing idk a dress?’ lol)

- laurence’s superpower is inspiring people’s affection and loyalty and then wondering why they’re all not cool with him throwing himself off a cliff

- is tharkay like basically a scottish lord on his dad’s side and has been fucked over by either the system or the rest of his family. are you fucking kidding me jfksadflsadfj

- oh. oh okay that’s the king that’s super extra salt in the wound for our golden boy :I

- NOOOOOOOOOOO TEMERAIRE THINKS LAURENCE MIGHT BE ANGRY WITH HIM!!!!!! LAURENCE YOU BEAUTIFUL USELESS DUMBASS PLEASE SNAP OUT OF YOUR DEPRESSION LONG ENOUGH TO TELL YOUR DRAGON SON YOU’RE NOT ANGRY WITH HIM OR SO HELP ME I’LL... CRY AT YOU I GUESS

- okay so this is all very bleak and... borderline war crime-y and laurence is clearly In A Bad Way but also demane has just put every scrap of clothing he could find on his little brother, who now can barely walk for all the layers but is presumably nice and warm, and my heart is doing strange things in my chest

- “Laurence, what are you doing?” 

*ELMO SURROUNDED IN FLAMES GIF* MY BOY THARKAY BEING THE REAL MVP ASKING THE REAL QUESTIONS

this whole scene is so brief but so good fkdslahfaklsdhfaskld laurence literally slipping back out of dissociation and noticing the smells and sounds around him again... this is So Much, tharkay you fucking miracle of a man  

- there is something incredibly interesting about how laurence is just viscerally terrified by the things tharkay seems to represent to him -- that’s at least twice now that he’s thought straight out, in pretty much the same words, that tharkay’s way of living seems achingly lonely and untethered and frightening to him. (the first time is in black powder war, just as he’s about to give the offer of friendship that tharkay seems equal parts confused and touched by lol) laurence has this intense need to be part of something bigger than himself and doesn’t trust himself to know what’s right (...even tho he’ll historically still occasionally go off and do The Right Thing despite orders anyway because he’s a beautiful idiot), while tharkay obviously puts freedom and autonomy faaaar above any of that (understandably, from his background lol) 

and still it’s exactly this dude who woke laurence up to himself again and reminded him who he really is. this is the man he knew he’d be ‘sorrier to lose than yet I know’ and gooooddamn if he wasn’t right about that. I’m not ready to be coherent about it yet but uh wow this is A Lot

- the way novik writes laurence dissociating is. a bit too close to home, I’m not thrilled about this haha 

- LAURENCE IS TALKING TO HIS DRAGON SON AGAIN AND I CAN FINALLY BREATHE THANK YOU THARKAY

- also let me specify that tharkay coming in and ending laurence’s breakdown by just showing him that he, y’know. doesn’t have to commit borderline war crimes if he doesn’t want to is... yeah. when he’s like ‘yeah no bro I like you and all but this is fucked up I’m out’ and Laurence slowly puts the pieces together and goes ‘...that... is an option? F U C K’  is the Good Stuff (I’m being flippant about it but also I really mean it lol)  

- temeraire is giving the french uniforms the side eye for being boring and admiring the kilts... god bless him, focusing on the real things on the eve of battle

- gOD lien is so fucking COOL, celestial who actually knows wtf she’s doing OP pls nerf

ETA: also I’ve looked up some spoilers for the rest of this series (b/c there’s a couple of characters now who I’m so attached to that if they die I don’t even fucking care anymore lol), and apparently they never get to fight lien/meet her for too long again and can I just say... What The Fuck, why would you come up with such a compelling antagonist and not use her???  

- Tharkay, straight(hah)-faced: yeah I’m coming with you to australia on this prison ship nbd just curious about it that’s all 

Laurence, blinking back tears, barely getting the words out: cool bro 

(I think laurence has been like. crying or on the verge of crying in every single scene he and tharkay have been alone in this entire book. tharkay saw laurence through an ugly ugly divorce (with the government of england if not the land) and is still going with him to fucking australia. that’s how you know it’s love tbh, he’s done for)

also for the meme: AND THEY WERE SHIPMATES! OH MY GOD THEY WERE SHIPMATES!

ALSO also: tharkay getting granby a drink fdsafjsalkdjfh best boy, best friend 

- not connected to anything but I do appreciate that laurence is a rare extremely extroverted protagonist. he just really needs people around him and sort of wilts when he’s isolated, whether by circumstance or his own Stuff.  

- Oh man I really liked this one! the pacing worked better than the last one, the dual pov really shook things up, the new dragon characters were cool and Laurence had a lot of character development that has been in the cards since book 1, even if it was really upsetting while it happened. and Tharkay was there a lot, which is the surest way to my heart at this point, to be fair. 

[verdigrisprowl]

Apr 16 Dancitron Movie Night - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Whales.

The robots did not appreciate half the humor in this movie.

Today Specs 7:39 pm *here comes a dragon! she has many treats with her today- including a wrapped package of glitchmice-shaped energon and tinsel cookies that she will attempt to discreetly slide to Ravage. She does try to remember these things.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:41 pm *Ravage quickly snaps up the package and hurries over to the bar to hide it.*

[[Good evening, dragon. We have acquired more treats for you as well. They are dead, unfortunately, but he could not risk them infesting his home.]]

*He'll slide a bowl of big alien beetles to her. Each one's about the size of a human fist.* Prowl 7:42 pm *arrives and takes her seat at the table by the door. she may also be listening to the 'singing' with interest* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:43 pm [[Good evening, Prowl. Fuel, not at three times the usual payment?]] Smokescreen 7:43 pm /Smokescreen's coming in, and is going to try to swipe some drinks and snacks before sitting next to Prowl!/ ItsyBitsySpyers 7:43 pm =Hmph.= Prowl 7:43 pm *coughs into her fist* That would be appreciated. Specs 7:44 pm Thank you, Soundwave! *they may be dead, but she's still delighted. she grabs one immediately and starts tearing the legs off to eat* They're very good! *well. they're dead beetles. but it's the thought that counts, and they're crunchy enough to make up for being a little mealy in flavor.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:44 pm *He'll handle that then - and nudge Smokescreen a little to one side with a feeler when he gets in the way.* Smokescreen 7:44 pm /He's making a move to nudge Soundwave back, but does make some room!/ Prowl 7:45 pm Hello, Smokescreen. *she's started recognizing him by sound and now she's got her visor activated so she'll have him pinned by energy signature as well* Smokescreen 7:46 pm !! /Excited waving at Prowl/ Hey Prowl! How's your week been going? Prowl 7:48 pm Fine. Your week? Smokescreen 7:49 pm It's- it's been better, but it's also been worse. I'm trying to get some more stuff planned for my Cybertron! I think I can get Knock Out interested in helping make a bath house, and I'm starting to look into what we'd need for a theater. Smokescreen 7:49 pm ... I should probably tell Megs about that later. Prowl 7:53 pm *Prowl doesn't care much about the bathhouse, but...* Outdoor theatres have traditionally done better on Cybertron due to their ability to allow for seating any size-class. Acoustics would need to be considered. How big of a stage you'll need depends on the size of the performers. *pointedly ignores the comment about Megatron* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:55 pm ((ten minutes before stream starts grab ur food now)) Tarantulas 7:55 pm *is early for once! gonna slide over to give smokey some helm pets since vprowl's not here yet* *not verbally gonna interrupt tho* Smokescreen 7:56 pm That's true! I was thinking indoor theater might be easier with acoustics, but then you get the whole issue of making sure everything is sized right- I think outdoor might be the way to go! There's a smaller theater in these crystal gardens I designed, but it's not really meant for large crowds. Specs 7:56 pm *since tara's not a beetle, it definitely won't be awkward for him to observe the predatory dismemberment and devouring of these snacks. she'll give him a friendly wave. smartest spide she knows, coming through!* Smokescreen 7:57 pm /Surprised beep at the helm pats, reaching to pet Tarantulas back in excitement. He missed Messy!/ Tarantulas 7:57 pm *honestly tara finds the chowing-down rather adorable - specs gets a shiny visor smile as he passes* Prowl 7:59 pm Outdoor acoustics are actually quite simple. There was a theatre in Praxus... you could hear a whisper from even the farthest seats. Tarantulas 8:00 pm *oh! and yeah, a greeting ping to sw* Smokescreen 8:00 pm I think I remember the kinda theater you mean! I only got to be there once or twice, but it was pretty intense, right? I wish I had the actual plans for it, though... Prowl 8:02 pm I'm certain I can find something about the one we had. I intend to have it rebuilt in my own universe. It certainly couldn't hurt to have another somewhere else. Smokescreen 8:04 pm You should! That'd be really awesome to see- and I can help you when you start building yours! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:04 pm *Soundwave nods to those who have come in, and returns the greeting ping. It looks like a relatively quiet night. So be it - he could use the break.* Prowl 8:05 pm *Tara gives off the most interesting readings on Prowl's visors. Different enough, she's momentarily distracted by trying to parse what they're saying about his energy... oh right, Smokescreen* Yes, of course. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:05 pm ((WARNINGS: Speciesism?, ableist slur, swearing, horrifying animal footage)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm *Soundwave parks himself on his couch, stretches one arm across the back, and leaves the other hand on a leg.*

[[We continue Spock's journey tonight.]] Smokescreen 8:07 pm This series is basically Sponk's Adventure, right? VProwl 8:07 pm *appears, just barely in time.* How much did I miss? Prowl 8:07 pm Nothing yet. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:07 pm [[None. It is just beginning. Do sit?]] [[And one could see it that way, yes.]] VProwl 8:07 pm Ah. Good. *and there's the title, even! He sits.* Smokescreen 8:07 pm ... /Smokescreen's hugging Tarantulas tightly- since he's sure Messy's going to leave to go over there./ Tarantulas 8:07 pm *returns the hug! then pings smokey a greeting/promise to check in, pets his helm one last time, and makes his way to his usual couch to settle in* VProwl 8:07 pm Sorry I'm... Well. I guess I'm NOT late, but. Tarantulas 8:08 pm You're later than I am, which usually tends to mean 'fairly late'. Smokescreen 8:09 pm /He's turning back towards Roundprowl, mainly to make a point of not looking in the direction of Tarantulas or Boxyprowl./ If there's ever anything I can do to help, just lemme know! VProwl 8:09 pm I guess I'm late, then. Sorry. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:09 pm [[He'll forgive you.]] Soft huff. Nod to Tarantulas. Welcome to the Couch. Prowl 8:09 pm We weren't waiting long. Tarantulas 8:10 pm Shhshh. *nuzzles prowl as they settle in, will he allow arms around his back?* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:12 pm [[You demand much for one with their story wrong.]] VProwl 8:14 pm *he'll start violently at the arms behind his back. once he sees who it is, though, he settles back against them, with yet another mumbled apology.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm *Concern ping. Okay there?* VProwl 8:16 pm @S «... Haven't been sleeping well. Took a nap before the show. Didn't sleep well.» Smokescreen 8:17 pm he'd give his life, not for honor but for- kirk? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:17 pm @P: [[You as well, then.]] Tiny pause. [[You are welcome to stay tonight. He would - he'd prefer that, himself. ... You may stay other days as well, if it would help.]] Swoop 8:18 pm ((ooc swoop still. don't mind me)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm ((np! enjoy the whales 😀)) Swoop 8:18 pm ((love this movie <3 )) Prowl 8:18 pm ((ooc swoop <3 Swoop 8:19 pm ((he is still a potato)) ((a wiggly potato)) ((a crinkle cut french fry)) Prowl 8:19 pm ((poor baby Swoop 8:20 pm ((he's getting his momentum again)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:20 pm @P: [[Or if there is anything else you require. He will offer it.]] It was his fault they all went into that... event. Swoop 8:20 pm ((y'all are lucky he doesn't get offended easy or everyone really enjoying quiet time would hurt his feelings)) Smokescreen 8:22 pm There's the Alpha Trion soundalike! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm [[The human is far less irritating.]] Prowl 8:23 pm Significantly so. Smokescreen 8:23 pm Well- maybe, but I never got to be friends with this human. VProwl 8:23 pm @S «I'd... like the company. Although I apologize if I wake you.» *he'd been sleeping with the Constructicons; it wasn't enough, so somehow he doubted adding Soundwave would be much more help either. But it was worth trying.* @S «... You've been through this more than me. What do /you/ need?» Smokescreen 8:24 pm ((i'm just imagining everyone sleeping on top of prowl)) Tarantulas 8:24 pm (( constructipile VProwl 8:24 pm ((everyone except long haul, the mattress)) Smokescreen 8:25 pm ((It's easier to sleep if you can't move right)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:25 pm ((i love this conversation)) Specs 8:26 pm ((mccoy blease)) VProwl 8:27 pm ((why are the subtitles lagging so much ugh)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:28 pm ((i'm sorry)) Specs 8:28 pm ((cri)) Magnum Ace 8:28 pm ((give me a sec, com went stupid Swoop 8:28 pm ((cro you need to establish your subtitle dominance over this thing)) Prowl 8:29 pm This is the same style of music as earlier. Tarantulas 8:31 pm *amused hum* Smokescreen 8:31 pm Sounds usually picks these songs for a reason. ... Wait, are whales really a thing? Prowl 8:33 pm I don't know. I've never been to Earth. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:33 pm @P: [[So does he.]] They could sit there being sleepless together. Better than being the only one awake in a building filled with those who weren't. [[He - does not know what he needs. He WANTS to... to leave, for a while. To be somewhere safe, where nobody fears - that.]] There's something weakly humorous to the next part, but it feels more desperate than funny. [[Perhaps to travel back in time. Erase... things.]]

[[He can't do any of that. Sleep is all there is.]] Tarantulas 8:33 pm *snort* Yes, yes they are. I modeled a Chimeracon design after one. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:33 pm [[...How large was that mech?]] Tarantulas 8:34 pm /Very./ Hyeheh. Blaster 8:34 pm ((sheesh VProwl 8:34 pm @S «Would a vacation help?» Prowl 8:34 pm *thanks Kirk for answering Prowl's question about how big these whales were* Blaster 8:34 pm ((bwah Smokescreen 8:34 pm I've been to Earth, but it's not like I've been in the ocean to check... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm @P: [[If he could take one.]] Blaster 8:35 pm ((oh, that one made it through ItsyBitsySpyers 8:35 pm ((hello hello)) Blaster 8:35 pm ((hiiii VProwl 8:35 pm @S «Of course you can take one. Cybertron won't fall apart in the time you're gone.» Specs 8:37 pm *well this looks absolutely terrifying. the dragon's just gonna put her tail over her eyes* Blaster 8:38 pm ((going to change muses, okay? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:39 pm @P: [[He will miss too much. And it would be unfair to leave you behind.]] *Soundwave stretches out a feeler to gently pat the dragon.*

((okiedokie)) VProwl 8:39 pm @S «You will not and no it won't. Everything will be recorded and you can download it when you get back. Take a vacation.» Specs 8:39 pm *and the dragon peeks out from under her tail. the Comfort has been accepted* Smokescreen 8:40 pm can someone nightcore this Omicron 8:42 pm *big predacon comes in, with a new hatchling on her back, looks around* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:42 pm *Uncertain shifting. Why wouldn't it be unfair? To take a vacation from what happened and leave one of the other parties to carry on their usual stressful duties, without the ability to speak to anyone else who'd been there? While they were having problems of their own?*

*But Prowl said it wouldn't. And he can't lie.*

*It still doesn't sound right.*

@P: [[He will... consider it.]] Blaster 8:42 pm ((okay, I'm good ItsyBitsySpyers 8:42 pm [[Nightcore?]] Specs 8:43 pm *chirps at Icy! forgive her for not flying over immediately, she is cronching on bugs* Smokescreen 8:43 pm ... Wait, you don't know what nightcore is, Sounds? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm [[How clever.]] VProwl 8:43 pm @S «I suggest you start by considering when, exactly, you're going to take it.» Omicron 8:44 pm *chirps back, its okay, nom away! finds a place to lay down* VProwl 8:44 pm ... Is that really all a Vulcan needs to do to look completely human? Blaster 8:44 pm -showing up really late here- Omicron 8:44 pm *was late too* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:44 pm *...Small nod. It's hard to keep arguing when Prowl sounds as serious as that.*

[[Facially.]] [[Good evening, Ice Queen. Blaster.]] Blaster 8:45 pm Hello, Soundwave VProwl 8:45 pm I mean—I always thought the only visual difference between them was the ears—but I assumed that was just because most organics with that body type look the same to me. I didn't think they actually looked that similar to /each other./ Omicron 8:45 pm good evening Soundwave... Racer couldn't make it this time VProwl 8:45 pm Is he alright? Specs 8:46 pm What happened? He isn't ill, is he? Prowl 8:46 pm Racer? Swoop 8:46 pm ((this movie is beautiful)) Smokescreen 8:46 pm d... double dumbass?? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm [[Bajorans resemble humans with badly, badly broken noses. The other differences are hidden elsewhere.]]

[[Is he well?]] Tarantulas 8:46 pm (( the MUSIC Smokescreen 8:46 pm I gotta use that sometime VProwl 8:46 pm ((four buttcheeks)) Smokescreen 8:46 pm /Also, he's going to send Soundwave some examples of nightcore!/ Omicron 8:47 pm he's growing again, not exactly ill Tarantulas 8:47 pm Growing? *immediately interested* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:47 pm *Soundwave will review them after the movie. He means to keep his focus on the few humans (and one Vulcan) he likes. And these whale creatures.* Smokescreen 8:47 pm ... Is that a lot? Blaster 8:48 pm ....what just happened? Smokescreen 8:48 pm Man- I wanna try time travelling sometime ItsyBitsySpyers 8:48 pm ((what... about... the bus)) Smokescreen 8:48 pm ((asdvndsfnm I WAS THINNKIG OF THAT Blaster 8:49 pm ((they blind as hell Smokescreen 8:49 pm sdvbnadsmbxcvbn Omicron 8:49 pm pfffttt VProwl 8:49 pm ((wessels)) Smokescreen 8:49 pm oh nooo Blaster 8:49 pm This is supposed to be stealth? Omicron 8:50 pm I think? Smokescreen 8:50 pm I don't think they know what stealth is- Is that the kinda information in yellow pages? and the whole bus clapped Blaster 8:51 pm ....... Specs 8:51 pm ... Blaster 8:51 pm I'm worried Omicron 8:51 pm good? hmm Smokescreen 8:51 pm .... is spock gonna say fuck say fu VProwl 8:51 pm ((is spock gonna fuck)) Specs 8:52 pm ((no that's mccoy's job)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm ((if you believe the pon farr episode, yeah)) Smokescreen 8:52 pm ((asdnvcbv Prowl 8:52 pm ((ahaha Omicron 8:52 pm *Icy starting to get worried for the humans there* ...no steath VProwl 8:52 pm ((spock's gonna fuck)) Swoop 8:52 pm ((-finger guns-)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm [[None at all.]]

[[...He wonders if there is a cephalopod institute.]] Omicron 8:52 pm ((nice)) (ORCA!) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm *...They LOOK like fish.* Blaster 8:52 pm They're not very good at this Smokescreen 8:52 pm ((Spock has and will fuck again Omicron 8:53 pm fish swim side ways VProwl 8:53 pm *... looks at tarantulas. is there?* Smokescreen 8:53 pm ... no teeth?? But why Omicron 8:53 pm whales swim up and down mostion *nodding* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:53 pm *Joins the looking at Tarantulas.* VProwl 8:53 pm ((spock voice: "i've fucked before and i'll fuck again")) Specs 8:53 pm Some things don't need teeth. Like skin parasites. Tarantulas 8:53 pm *is being looked at* ...Probably? Smokescreen 8:53 pm ... Is that why I've never seen a whale? Blaster 8:54 pm That's terrible Specs 8:54 pm Humans really will eat anything. Omicron 8:54 pm *Icy makes a face* Specs 8:54 pm ((I love that "I'm going to have to steal these" face)) Tarantulas 8:55 pm *does two seconds of research and pings sw a link to the NRCC* https://www.gulfbase.org/organization/national-resource-center-cephalopods ItsyBitsySpyers 8:55 pm *...Places post-film priority on that over nightcore. If octopuses can't make him feel better, nothing will.* Omicron 8:56 pm (that Vancouver aquarium?) Specs 8:56 pm ((SPOCK)) VProwl 8:56 pm ((kirk's face)) Blaster 8:56 pm .............. Omicron 8:56 pm ..............??? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm ((monterey bay aquarium)) Blaster 8:56 pm -snorts- Stealth ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm [[....They have invented the direct opposite of stealth.]] Blaster 8:57 pm Yep VProwl 8:57 pm ((i just, can't get over kirk's face journey)) Specs 8:57 pm *the dragon stifles a snicker* Anti-stealth. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm ((it's great)) Prowl 8:57 pm ((I love Kirk in this movie so much Tarantulas 8:57 pm (( 'THE HELL' Smokescreen 8:57 pm the hell they did Blaster 8:58 pm ((jyeeeep)) Smokescreen 8:58 pm he's trying to get his words noticed ... he's no longer allowed to say fuck Prowl 8:58 pm I thought he did very well. Omicron 8:58 pm primus ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm [[The hell you say.]] Smokescreen 8:59 pm I thought so too! Slang is weird. Specs 8:59 pm ((Lisa you are TEARING ME APART)) Smokescreen 8:59 pm I like her. Tarantulas 9:00 pm H-how did they - ? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm ((ftr: this being an old movie, it has since been established that they're HELLA intelligent, have their own pod dialects, etc)) [[Who are Robin Hood and Friar Tuck?]] Blaster 9:01 pm No idea ItsyBitsySpyers 9:01 pm [[He doesn't remember them giving aliases.]] Omicron 9:01 pm These organics have no sense of stealth or disguise VProwl 9:01 pm (("lds")) Smokescreen 9:01 pm LDS? VProwl 9:01 pm ((real smooth kirk)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:01 pm ((snorted one too many mormons)) Specs 9:01 pm ((not a humpback whale thing, but my favorite whale pod is the one where the pod leader has no dorsal fin and his probable-girlfriend is missing a chunk of her face)) Smokescreen 9:01 pm What's that? Omicron 9:01 pm (aw) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:02 pm [[A tire iron? A vehicle repair tool.]] Specs 9:02 pm ((they're a very small family pod IIRC, but they're still going! I love them!)) Omicron 9:02 pm (I like J, K and L pods of orcas around here..... we had babies) Blaster 9:02 pm I think that's a threat Specs 9:02 pm ((babies!!!!!)) Blaster 9:03 pm Like...she'd take it an swing it like a weapon at them Prowl 9:03 pm Ha. Omicron 9:03 pm [I hope they live] pfft ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm ((so do i))

[[Spock, please. Do not talk for now.]] Prowl 9:03 pm His honestly may go more smoothly than Kirk's lying. Smokescreen 9:04 pm Mannn I wanna go time travelling like this VProwl 9:04 pm ((i'm so disappointed that none of the robots in this room can appreciate the humor of a guy with an obvious russian accent cheerfully asking where to find nuclear vessels in the mid 80s)) Swoop 9:04 pm ((*wessels)) VProwl 9:04 pm ((wessels)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:04 pm ((LOL and yes, me too)) Specs 9:04 pm ((neither can the dragon, but the humanspecs appreciates it)) Blaster 9:04 pm ((just...wow. Guys, no Omicron 9:05 pm pfft VProwl 9:06 pm These are the only two that are doing a half decent job of maintaining their cover. Omicron 9:06 pm *sniffs and eyes bar thoughtfully* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm *Soundwave pings Prowl. And Tarantulas.* @P/T: [[Listen.]] VProwl 9:07 pm *he's listening.* Smokescreen 9:07 pm oh no asdfgbnbvcbvn' Swoop 9:07 pm ((he's so entertained)) Tarantulas 9:07 pm *pings back, yes?* Omicron 9:07 pm .........really? Tarantulas 9:08 pm *snickering, oh beautiful* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm *They'll see shortly.* VProwl 9:08 pm *.................. crosses legs.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm *Barely manages not to huff loud enough for everyone not on the couch to hear.* Smokescreen 9:09 pm p. Pfpff Specs 9:10 pm *pizza tossing? that looks fun.* Smokescreen 9:11 pm I wanna toss dough Omicron 9:12 pm *Icy wonders what pizza tastes like* Prowl 9:12 pm Toss what? Specs 9:12 pm It's not that-. *oh. she forgot how big cybertronians are* Hm. It might be a little difficult for you. Smokescreen 9:12 pm They were tossing this pizza dough! I've learned a few things about how it works and it sounds really fun is he gonna tell her all about the space whales Prowl 9:13 pm And pizza is... a type of fuel? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:14 pm [[Organic fuel.]] Smokescreen 9:14 pm Yeah! It's something you eat with friends! Omicron 9:14 pm I would assume so for humans? Prowl 9:14 pm Ah. Smokescreen 9:15 pm Let her come to the 23rd century! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm =DOG.= *And that is Ravage's high-as-hell contribution for the night.* Prowl 9:15 pm *excellent contribution, Ravage* Specs 9:15 pm *the dragon has become a drug dealer for cats. what a life she leads* Smokescreen 9:15 pm You got that right, Ravage! Omicron 9:16 pm *Icy snickers and there's a mew from her back in response to ravage* Blaster 9:16 pm . . . ItsyBitsySpyers 9:17 pm *Soundwave glances over to Icy. The mew again.* Smokescreen 9:17 pm Also Sounds- Sounds? Do whales still exist? Specs 9:17 pm *chirps at the mewer. hello friend! she is eating bugs.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:18 pm [[They do.]] Omicron 9:18 pm *Icy grins wide at Soundwave, the predacon did say she would bring the younger hatching this time* Smokescreen 9:18 pm Wait, really? Can you show me sometime? Omicron 9:19 pm have you seen planetary whales smokescreen? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:19 pm [[...Show you?]] *Confused tilt.* [[They are in the middle of the ocean.]] Smokescreen 9:19 pm Nope! I've never seen them- I didn't know for sure they were real until now. ... Well, yeah- but there's gotta be some way to see 'em, right? Specs 9:20 pm Go into the ocean. If you can swim. ((BIG MOOD)) Smokescreen 9:21 pm I can't swim though Specs 9:21 pm Neither can I. Prowl 9:21 pm You don't need to breathe, Smokescreen. Just walk. Tarantulas 9:22 pm *pointed side glance at sw, pls don't ask him to get whales now to add to the cephaloparty* Smokescreen 9:22 pm But the ocean gets pretty dense, doesn't it? I'd probably get crushed by the pressure Omicron 9:22 pm don't go swiming Smokey ItsyBitsySpyers 9:22 pm *Don't worry, he won't. Smokescreen might want a cetacevent though.* Omicron 9:22 pm as far as I know a lot of mechs can't handle the pressure. Blaster 9:23 pm ..... Tarantulas 9:23 pm (( omg "cetacevent" Smokescreen 9:24 pm That's why I wanna see if there's a better way to check 'em out! Specs 9:24 pm *HAH* Omicron 9:24 pm ....good human female Specs 9:26 pm Ow. Omicron 9:26 pm ......I want a cloaking thing for dreaded Wings ItsyBitsySpyers 9:27 pm [[She reacted to feeling the transporter. He wonders if it feels like our bridges.]] Smokescreen 9:28 pm I hear humans usually purge using our bridges the first time, though. So maybe these are gentler? Omicron 9:29 pm I would hope so, or the humans would never keep anything down pfft Specs 9:29 pm *snickers* Doctors are doctors. Smokescreen 9:30 pm ... ca can I say the line sounds Prowl 9:31 pm What line? Omicron 9:32 pm go medics ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm [[What line?]] Smokescreen 9:32 pm they said something about the spanish inquisition and- I don't want to say it now but you know what I mean, right? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm [[Oh. Yes, he knows that joke. Go on.]] *The twins like to use it at him.* Smokescreen 9:32 pm /He's quickly changing to a red paint job./ Nobody expects them! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm =HA= Smokescreen 9:33 pm I've been waiting for a chance to say that! Blaster 9:33 pm -snickering- Smokescreen 9:33 pm also I want a whole series of this Omicron 9:33 pm Pffft Specs 9:33 pm *the dragon is a terrible person and making a beetle dance. she's having a great time* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm ((i like how bones has to be told there isn't time to attend to the broken bone guy they knocked over)) Tarantulas 9:34 pm (( it's super cute Specs 9:34 pm ((bones is perfect)) Blaster 9:34 pm ((gotta love medics Smokescreen 9:34 pm let her come along! Omicron 9:34 pm ((yesss)) Tarantulas 9:34 pm Rude! Omicron 9:34 pm HAH! Specs 9:34 pm Hyeh. VProwl 9:34 pm ... She could have gotten them both killed. Smokescreen 9:35 pm ... does that count as pulling a miko Omicron 9:35 pm true Blaster 9:35 pm That...was dangerous Smokescreen 9:35 pm sneaking along for a mission in a potentially deadly way Omicron 9:35 pm but oddly fitting? Specs 9:35 pm She's a caretaker. I don't know many docents who wouldn't risk their own lives to keep taking care of their charges. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:36 pm [[She could have, yes. If their transporters were any older, she very well might have.]] [[He has seen the accidents. It is... unpleasant.]] Blaster 9:36 pm ....don't wanna know VProwl 9:36 pm She couldn't have kept taking care of them if she got herself killed with unknown technology. Smokescreen 9:36 pm I wanna know- what kinda accidents are there? VProwl 9:36 pm Nor does she have any right to endanger SOMEONE ELSE'S life in the process. Omicron 9:36 pm I would rather not please Specs 9:37 pm And that is where the other portion of the docents come in, yes. *the dragon smiles in the "normal" way, showing all those teeth* Although we're a very selfish species. Humans are probably less so. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:37 pm @S: [[Being turned inside out, being melded with the other life form in the transporter, pattern data loss...]] Omicron 9:37 pm That human has claws? Smokescreen 9:37 pm ... Oh. Oh, ouch. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:38 pm =Flat claws. No good.= Omicron 9:38 pm *growls at the screen, little attempt to mimic on her back* Specs 9:39 pm *gets real poofy and growls too. gotta do what the Big Dragon do. And it's horrible to slaughter innocent animals for fun.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:40 pm [[Effective.]] Specs 9:40 pm ((oh that's a mood)) Blaster 9:40 pm -breaks down laughing- ItsyBitsySpyers 9:41 pm *Is vaguely pleased to see that. Blaster probably doesn't get many chances for it.* Omicron 9:41 pm *Icy jerks, looking around, what the frag why did she black out for a minute and where is her hatchling???* ((>.> *eyes internet)) Specs 9:42 pm Spock would be allowed to bite him for that. VProwl 9:42 pm Don't taunt him for making a guess. It's obvious he doesn't have any alternative. Blaster 9:42 pm -not many, recently, no- Blaster 9:43 pm -recovers a bit, and huffs- I'm good Omicron 9:44 pm *Icy's tracking her escaped hatchling, don't mind her in the back* Blaster 9:45 pm ..... Omicron 9:45 pm what is that?? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:45 pm [[A probe. It is trying to speak to the whales and causes damage in the process.]] Omicron 9:46 pm something from earlier? Specs 9:46 pm *the soft dragon is chewing on beetles* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm [[Yes. It is the entire reason they went back in time to fetch whales.]] Omicron 9:47 pm aah ItsyBitsySpyers 9:47 pm [[There was nothing to answer it, so it stays put, damaging Earth.]] Omicron 9:47 pm *fluffy dragon gets tail batted at by hatchling* Specs 9:48 pm *the dragon poofs in surprise, before looking down at the smol. well, hello. have a lick to the forehead, little one.* Omicron 9:49 pm *hatchlings gives a happy squeaky mew, inching forwards to see whats being nomed* Specs 9:51 pm *that's a beetle! maybe don't eat that. it's dragon food, not predacon food. but inching forwards means getting GROOMED. lick lick. only clean hatchlings here.* VProwl 9:52 pm ... Why does everything have subtitles except the whales' conversation? *that's the only part he needs translated.* Omicron 9:52 pm *Icy tilts head listening intently to the sounds while hatchling meeps abou being groomed* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:52 pm [[Perhaps we are not meant to know what they said.]] [[Secrets for their audials only.]] VProwl 9:53 pm If so they wouldn't be broadcasting it on an open frequency. Smokescreen 9:53 pm the most secret whales Tarantulas 9:53 pm I've never attempted to interpret whalesong, but my guess is it might not be able to be translated in a comprehensible manner, either. To us or the humans, that is. VProwl 9:54 pm That's absurd. Omicron 9:54 pm its sounds....like scratchy metrotitain song Specs 9:54 pm *alright, meepy baby. stay still, you need cuddles and grooming.* Blaster 9:54 pm What's absurd? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:55 pm [[Humans do not understand the /other/ animals on their planet.]] VProwl 9:55 pm The notion that a language can't be made comprehensible. Prowl 9:55 pm I'm sure a translation is possible. Just that no one's attempted it. Omicron 9:55 pm *hatchling flops on the ground, making faces but not moving away* VProwl 9:55 pm Exactly. Not attempted or not succeeded. Specs 9:57 pm *faces are fine. some babies just don't wanna be groomed as much. as long as she doesn't run away from the cuddles, it's all good. the dragon can reduce the grooming if it's so uncomfortable.* Blaster 9:57 pm It's an early human movie. I'm gonna go with not attempted ItsyBitsySpyers 9:57 pm [[Was that a valid... 'punishment'?]] Tarantulas 9:58 pm *mumbles* I beg to differ. Not everything is translatable, not really. VProwl 9:58 pm It's a documentary. It depends on what you think the purpose of punishment is. Smokescreen 9:58 pm It was a funishment! Blaster 9:58 pm Still gonna go with them not even trying ....... Being promoted can be punishment enough Omicron 9:59 pm *hatchling meeps, she got cleaned before!....but is good kitty and stays flopped* Specs 10:00 pm *well, fine. if she's ALREADY a clean hatchling, she doesn't need that much grooming. cuddles are fine.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:01 pm [[If he understands his history correctly, next time, they will try to find their god at the center of existence.]] Smokescreen 10:02 pm That was fun, Sounds! Also what Omicron 10:02 pm *...hatchling meeps one last time before purring...kinda. cuddles are good! and Icy's not far* ....primus? Prowl 10:02 pm Fascinating. Specs 10:02 pm Will they eat their god? Tarantulas 10:02 pm *gets vaguely bitter for a moment because he realizes the whales probably won't survive for too long, transposed into the future like that, for very many reasons. tch. well, they did their job* Blaster 10:02 pm ...they what? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:02 pm [[That is, the next time he has one of these documentaries. Not next week.]]

[[He does not know which god, and he will not tell you what transpires. It is to be watched.]] Smokescreen 10:02 pm /Also- he's going to tap Prowl and offer a few energon goodies!/ VProwl 10:02 pm I thought their god was on Earth? Animating bushes and snakes and the like. Specs 10:02 pm *ah, the movie's over. the dragon chirps at Icy- it's time for her to go, but she can't leave the meeper alone.* Omicron 10:03 pm that does not sound wise to eat a god Smokescreen 10:03 pm I'd eat a god Specs 10:03 pm We ate ours. VProwl 10:03 pm Did he achieve space travel too? Prowl 10:03 pm The Klingons killed their gods. They likely ate them as well. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:03 pm [[He assumes it did. The center of existence is a long way from Earth.]] Blaster 10:03 pm What. Eat a...where did this topic come from? Omicron 10:03 pm humm, well, that's intresting Tarantulas 10:04 pm ...How do they propose to find the center of existence? VProwl 10:04 pm Hm. He made it farther than Primus. Specs 10:04 pm In all fairness, I suspect that the Eaten was far worse than Primus. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Blaster 10:05 pm -this topic concerns him on many levels- ItsyBitsySpyers 10:05 pm [[With a map, he assumes. He hasn't seen the full story yet. The species involved were unusually reluctant to discuss it with outsiders.]] Tarantulas 10:05 pm I know you call the Eaten a god, but was he /really/, though? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:05 pm ((10:25 is tonight's end point; carry on!)) Smokescreen 10:05 pm I'm going to head off, I think. I really need some recharge! What's the movie for next time? Omicron 10:05 pm *Icy makes a face, laying down with hatchling in sight....but she really has no idea who created primal predacons???? * ItsyBitsySpyers 10:06 pm [[Next time, we will see a film Rumble recommended called... The Shape of Water? He wasn't aware water had a shape. Hmm.]] Smokescreen 10:06 pm oH OH YES Rumble's got good tastes I think! Omicron 10:06 pm I like water 😊 is it cold? Specs 10:06 pm If you put it in a glass sphere, it's an orb. Prowl 10:06 pm *questions Rumble's taste in anything* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:06 pm [[Yes, he is told there was an entire war in the cold at the time.]] Prowl 10:07 pm That sounds unpleasant. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:07 pm [[A good point, dragon.]] Smokescreen 10:07 pm Wait, really? Why would they do that? VProwl 10:07 pm The "cold" part is metaphorical. Omicron 10:07 pm cold is good though Smokescreen 10:07 pm If you put water in your mouth, it's mouth shaped. Prowl 10:07 pm Cold as in no direct action taken then? VProwl 10:07 pm The "war" didn't break out into open violence. Ergo, it was cold because they weren't exchanging fire. Omicron 10:07 pm I can survive in cold, its much better then heat oh... Blaster 10:08 pm Sounds familiar Tarantulas 10:08 pm *shivers, despises cold weather* Prowl 10:08 pm What sort of movies does Rumble usually recommend? Omicron 10:08 pm *Icy makes a face....miiight be a out. She likes fighting in the cold* Smokescreen 10:08 pm Prowl- Prowl, Prowl Prowl Prowl- before I go, you want any energon goodies? Prowl 10:09 pm I suppose. Smokescreen 10:10 pm /He's going to put some down in front of Prowl, grinning at her!/ I'll see you next week, yeah? Specs 10:10 pm *sighs, and gets to her feet with the utmost reluctance* I should get going too. *sighs, and gives the meeper one last snuggle for the road* Thank you for everything, Soundwave! Prowl 10:10 pm Yes, I'll be here. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:10 pm [[Oh. A cold war, not...]] *He resists the urge to sigh into his hand. Time to clean and refine Rumble's internal dictionaries again.* [[Typically, fighting, action scenes, and wild adventures. He's made the occasional exception.]] [[Goodnight, dragon. Be well.]] VProwl 10:10 pm Maybe it's a spy movie? *there's a lot of spy movies set in the cold war. Prowl's seen...... two.* Tarantulas 10:10 pm *spider-paw waves at those who are departing* Omicron 10:11 pm *icy chirps at fluffy dragon, hatchling mews after, aww no fluffy friend!* Prowl 10:11 pm That might be interesting. Smokescreen 10:11 pm /He's looking over to Tarantulas, before quickly looking back. Probably not a good time to ask for affection/ I'll see you then! Thank you for having this, Sounds! Be sure to listen to that nightcore playlist so you get exactly what it's about. At full volume. Prowl 10:11 pm Smokescreen, I'll send you the theatre plans once I've located them. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm *Soundwave's got designs on showing another one in the future once he gives it an inspection.*

[[Naturally. There is no better way to listen to new music.]] Smokescreen 10:12 pm I'm glad we're on the same *wave*length about that! ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm [[OUT.]] Tarantulas 10:12 pm *snickers* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm *Don't you pun with his name, you brat.* Smokescreen 10:12 pm Bye Sounds, love youuu ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm [[Ugh.]] Omicron 10:12 pm *snorts, then chirps at soundwave questioningly * ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm *Glances over to Ice Queen.* Prowl 10:13 pm *collects the energon treats carefully, will distribute them to some of the officers at work tomorrow* Smokescreen 10:13 pm /He's blowing a kiss at Soundwave before walking out./ ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm *Small shudder.* Tarantulas 10:13 pm *patpat sw* Blaster 10:13 pm -sighs- Okay, my break's over. Thanks for that. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm [[You are welcome. Try not to run afoul of alien messengers.]] Omicron 10:14 pm *Icy looks at her feline offspring flopped on the floor, does soundwave still want to meet or shall she take her?* Prowl 10:14 pm He might be worse than Elita. Blaster 10:14 pm I'll try to keep that to a minimum. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm [][][]Might?[][][]

*Soundwave will go for a quick meeting, but his mood is rapidly deteriorating. It can't be long. Longer next time.* Blaster 10:14 pm -waves- G'night ItsyBitsySpyers 10:15 pm [[Goodnight.]] Prowl 10:15 pm I don't know him well enough to judge accurately yet. VProwl 10:15 pm I think I'm going to get a restraining order against him. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:16 pm [[You are the captain. He assumes there is nobody higher capable of denying you.]] Tarantulas 10:16 pm ....How do you mean, restraining order? Omicron 10:17 pm *hatchling is still flopped, though wiggling* VProwl 10:17 pm I can't just grant it, I have to take it to court. Since he hasn't threatened me, my case is weak; but I've recorded all of our conversations, I have evidence of a sustained pattern of harassment and ignoring me when I plea for him to leave me alone. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm *Soundwave stretches out a feeler to get a good look at the hatchling through the claw optics. A tendril wiggles in greeting. Hello, small one.* Tarantulas 10:18 pm But multiversally speaking, if the order is granted locally, how will it be enforced anywhere else...? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm [[He supposes that is up to the mechs in charge of keeping order in any given area.]]

[[Here, at least, that is him.]] Omicron 10:20 pm *Hatchling gasps, its a Thing! That's amazing. Wide gold optics....small paw touches the feeler* VProwl 10:21 pm That's another problem. Cross-jurisdiction restraining orders are... possible, but very difficult. There's legal precedent for them, though. Prowl 10:21 pm I'm sure something can be arranged with Praxus as well. VProwl 10:22 pm Anyway. *sighs* Even if it's slim, I'm still looking into it. I don't see any other way to get him to leave me alone permanently. Tarantulas 10:22 pm Ah - hmm. *will keep his thoughts to himself for now* *instead, prefers a brief snuggle, seeing as he'll be leaving soon himself* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm *Soundwave tries not to scare the hatchling. He has been blessed by a tiny paw. His day has improved, if only by a little. It'll resume being rough as soon as they're gone, but that's life when you're devoted to fending off enormous chaos gods.* *Gently reaches across to Tarantulas and returns the pat from earlier.* VProwl 10:23 pm *... briefly turns to squeeze an arm around Tarantulas.* Omicron 10:25 pm *hatchling sniffs the feeler, inching closer....manages to find and sniff at the lens? have a kitty nose in it and a face plant if that helps soundwave feel better and have a cute clip for later* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm *It does, and it was definitely recorded. He huffs and relaxes a hair - but it is time to close up, he thinks. There are those in need of rest.*

*He withdraws the feeler, pats the hatchling, and nudges them back toward Icy.*

[[Another time. He would like to know more about them then.]] Omicron 10:29 pm *icy nods, he still has the trip to the ship? she comes over to scoop up the meeper, she might have a name soon! humms her thanks and starts to leave* [thanks for the stream!] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm ((no prob! have a good night 😃 )) Prowl 10:30 pm I think I'll be going now. Thank you, again, Soundwave. *stands up and nods to Soundwave and then Prowl, that energy signature is familiar enough at this point* Prowl. Goodnight. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm [[Goodnight to both of you.]] VProwl 10:31 pm Evening, alternate. Tarantulas 10:31 pm *gets a last few cuddles in before politely bowing out, also* VProwl 10:32 pm *and a nod to Tarantulas as he leaves.*

*before turning to Soundwave and giving him a tired look.* Well. Off to battle nightmares, then? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm *Grabs as much comfort as he can from distractingly furry cuddles before rising and commanding the doors to lock with a subtle wave. He'll turn toward Prowl, offer a hand, and bob his helm in the direction of the stairs. Still coming?*

[[Mm. As if there were any other option these days.]] VProwl 10:34 pm Better get on with it, then. *he takes Soundwave's hand and follows him upstairs.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm *Ravage will follow them up to help as much as he can by standing guard. May it be of some comfort in a time when there is little to be found.*

*At least there'll be warmth, two trusted mechs, and the knowledge that one of them understands.*