#if it were up to me I would only have the weird pointless ads show up here

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

Augh why are all the ads tumblr puts on your blog the toenail fungus one specifically

Idk

[fightingdragonswithwho]

hate to be a hater on the main … but this season of ted lasso excels (once again) at team dynamic and the found family elements and i think the finale absolutely nailed that, i cried, i laughed, it was perfect on that. now as for the individual stories and relationships… yeah, let’s leave it at that

[cc--2224]

Working Parts

Pairing: Echo x F!Reader

Summary: There was always something about Echo that drew you to him, you had no idea that he'd feel the same way. But when he shares his past with you, you know you want to be there to comfort him in the future.

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, pregnancy mention, lots of angst, but it's also so soft

Notes: This was written for the @cloneficgiftexchange run by @ghostofskywalker and this fic was written for @jedipoodoo , I hope you enjoy!!

Prompts: "You're okay, I'm right here." ||"I won't leave you." - and you also included that you love stories about parenthood and pregnancy, so I did my best!

Word Count: 3.4k

Read on AO3 Here

Taglist: None, let me know if you'd like to be added!

Masterlist

The first time you saw Echo, he had just disembarked from his ship, visiting his brothers and his sister. You happened to be near the landing port, and you looked over just as he descended the ramp, and from there you knew that you wanted to meet him, to get to know him. 

But you also knew that you weren't really the type to walk up to someone new, especially here. You were new enough to Pabu, the idea of putting yourself out there when you had just come here to hide from the Empire just seemed counter intuitive. It wasn't as if you were in any kind of trouble, after all, you were a mechanic and if anything would be an asset to them, but it seemed safer to stay out of sight, you could think of only a few things worse than being forced into the Empire.

“His name is Echo.” You heard a voice ring out from beside you, making you jump. You turned to your right, the voice had come from another one of the new arrivals, you had only learned that his name was Tech a few weeks prior when he walked into your shop looking for parts for his ship.

“W-What?” Your voice was still flustered from the sudden scare.

“I assumed you would want the name of the person you were so obviously staring at.”

“No, I–” You began to protest before sighing, knowing it was pointless to argue.

Tech waited for you to continue your sentence, but when you didn't, he adjusted his goggles and walked over to greet his brother.

“Like he'd want to meet me..” You muttered to yourself, but almost as soon as Tech made it over to Echo, the latter had turned his head to face you. That was your cue to turn and leave, not wanting to make him uncomfortable with your apparent staring.

~ ~ ~

The second time you saw Echo was a few months following the initial visit. He and his brothers had all come by your shop. Tech had placed another order for his seemingly never-ending tinkering, and the others - whose names you had finally learned - decided to accompany him.

You were surprised to see them all there in your little shop, but especially surprised to see Echo. It seemed that his visits to Pabu were few and far between. 

You did absolutely everything you could to avoid staring. 

When you were busying yourself with re-organizing drawers of miscellaneous parts, you heard your name being called out from behind you. It caused you to jump and knock over a pile of bolts onto the ground.

“Oh kriff, sorry about that.” 

You turned around slowly, trying not to let the embarrassment show in your face, only to be faced with the one you were internally trying to avoid.

“Don’t worry about it.” You said, a bit too shakily..

“That is your name though, right?” He asked, and when you nodded, he smiled. “Good to know, I’m Echo.”

“Nice to meet you.” You forced a smile back.

The tallest of them, Wrecker, wandered up to the front counter to join the two of you, and slapped a hand across Echo’s shoulder.

“Weird you two have never met!” He laughed, “I mean, Echo always just stares at you whenever he sees you, so it’s nice you finally have a chance to talk!” 

“...Thanks, Wreck.” Echo sighed, and looked at you with a slightly guilty expression.

You smiled and shook your head in reassurance to his unspoken apology, knowing you were guilty of the same thing. This almost gave you hope that your desire to get to know him was mutual. Almost.

Before long, the others approached the counter to collect their order and purchase the additional parts they had gathered in your shop. 

As they left, Echo took one last look toward you before ducking out of the building, and you got to work cleaning up the bolts you had knocked over.

Kriff. You sighed to yourself.

~ ~ ~

The time between Echo’s visits seemed longer and longer the more you eventually started getting to know him. You would never admit it out loud, but you even began to miss him when he wasn’t around.

He was kind, and he was quick-witted; he definitely matched his brothers' sarcasm and humour. And when the evening sun shone on him, his eyes almost appeared to glow gold.

It didn't take long for you to completely fall for him, he had a way of speaking that invited you in, he was charming and confident, certainly the type who could have any girl he wanted. 

For that reason, in addition to his frequent trips off-world, you decided not to say anything to him about your feelings. At least you wouldn't pine after him when you didn't have to see him every day, you had figured.

You had put the kettle on one evening and began sorting through your to-do list for the next day, getting lost in your thoughts when a loud knock on the door startled you out of them. 

Cautiously, you walked to the front window, peering out to see who could possibly be visiting, when you saw Echo standing on your front steps, looking around nervously, with his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

You unlocked the door and opened it. 

"Echo? What are you doing here?" You didn’t even realize he was on-world.

"I uh.. was just nearby and wanted to say hi." He was shuffling his feet a little, and his tone was hesitant.

Everything you had thought of his confidence seemed to fizzle away with his words, but still you smiled. 

"Hi," you repeated in greeting.

"Right well.. I should just.." He sighed, "I had a whole idea of what I was going to say but..."

You shook your head, still smiling. "I just put the kettle on, would you like to come in for some tea?" 

He breathed a sigh of relief, "I'd love to."

Echo entered your house slowly, as if he wasn't fully sure if he was actually welcome.

"Make yourself at home," you told him, reassuringly. "Tea should be ready soon."

"Thank you." He sat down on the sofa, taking in his surroundings. 

Your living room was warm and inviting, it certainly felt like you. He smiled, eying some of the photos on the wall.

He knew fairly early on how he felt about you, the fact that you seemed just as nervous as he was when you had first met gave him courage that you might even feel the same way. You were smart, you knew your way around all the working parts of any droid or ship on the planet. Something that he almost felt was humourous, given the fact that it made up most of him too. But more than that, his own darker thoughts figured that meant you’d want nothing to do with him. For that reason, he could never be open about his feelings toward you, but he had enough of hiding it. This revelation was what brought him to your door.

You returned to the living room holding two tea cups, and you set his down in front of him before sitting down on a nearby armchair.

"So what did you have to say?" You asked when you were settled.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"You said you had an idea of something you wanted to say."

"Oh, right I-..." 

He looked down at the teacup.

"I guess I just wanted to talk to you. We’ve been getting to know each other, but I feel like I still don’t know much about you."

You smiled, "Well there's not much to know. I came to Pabu after the Empire began occupying Lothal, opened up my shop, and have been here ever since."

"I see. Not the worst place to escape to," He noted. "Do you er... Anyone special?" 

You could feel blood rise to your cheeks at his question. 

"N-No, not really. Do.. you?" 

"Nah, me neither." His admission brought a feeling of relief to you. He had a sad look as he continued. “Not really sure it’s in my cards. Part of me always kinda wanted a family, especially after meeting Cut and Suu, knowing that some clones out there are living comfortably, but..” He trailed off.

You wanted so badly to comfort him in some way, but you didn’t know how. Anything you thought of saying would only reveal your feelings toward him, and you weren’t really ready to do that.

It grew silent with neither of you knowing what to say.

Eventually, you spoke up, figuring the best thing to do was to change the subject.

"What do you think of Pabu?" You asked him.

He thought about his answer, then he looked at you earnestly, with a spark in his eye that you couldn't quite place. 

"Honestly? I know I’m gone for long periods of time, but… It's getting harder and harder to leave." 

"You could stay." You blurted out without thinking, and you quickly tried to recover, "I mean, since the others live here and all.." 

You mentally facepalmed at your outburst.

But instead of poking fun at you, you heard a quiet chuckle.

"Maybe I will, after my job out there is done."

Your curiosity got the better of you. “What is it that you do when you’re away?”

“We help lost clones find places where they can be safe and comfortable, and above all, free.” 

You smiled, “That’s really noble.”

“It’s the least we can do. Rex and I both feel like we’re only alive today because of the blood our brothers spilled for us, so it’s only fair that we use that to help the ones still out there.”

“What was the war like for you?”

He paused and looked down at his cup. “It’s kind of hard to say.”

You waited to see if he would continue.

“It took me and my squad a long time to even pass the training drill to leave Kamino. They used to call us the Domino squad because we always seemed to fall one after the other. When we did finally get deployed, we were sent to an outpost on the Rishi moon and in our first real battle, we lost three of our men.”

“I see…”

“After that though, Fives and I were taken into the 501st under Captain Rex, where we eventually were made ARC Troopers, but after that was the Citadel.”

“What happened?”

“I got blown up.” He stated, his tone was laced with almost dry humour but he wasn’t laughing. “Seps got me and turned me into, well, this. And now I’m here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that Rex and the boys found me on Skako Minor, but I still get nightmares about it sometimes.”

He looked over at you, and his expression turned sympathetic after he saw how upset you looked.

“I guess I unloaded there, sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m glad you told me. I just wish I knew what to say.”

He smiled a half smile at you, “I appreciate you listening.”

Without really thinking, you moved closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck in a tight embrace. You stayed there for a moment, and soon you felt his arm reach around you, holding you there.

~ ~ ~

After that night, your relationship with Echo changed. He trusted you, you knew that just from the fact that he was willing to tell you everything about his past. 

When he’d arrive on Pabu, he always met you with an embrace, and more times than not, he’d show up at your house to discuss his missions and any news you had over a cup of tea.

And one of those nights, he had finally confessed his feelings for you. 

He didn’t work up to it in any sense. Instead, when you opened the door to let him inside, he stood on the doorstep, holding a bouquet of flowers out to you.

“What’s this?” You said smiling at the gift.

“I love you.” He announced, a faint blush growing across his cheeks, he was slightly shaking, but his eyes were serious.

“You- What?” Was all you could manage to say in reply. You heard him, but you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“I have for a while now. I knew from the start that I had feelings for you, but.. Ever since the night where I told you about, well, everything, I knew how deep those feelings were. If you don’t… Feel the same way, that’s okay, but I needed you to know.”

“Echo…” You managed to say, quietly. “I do feel the same.”

“What?” Echo was surprised, and he immediately believed he misheard you.

“Come in, please.” You said, and all but pulled him into your house. “I love you too.”

“But why? I.. Since when?”

“The same time as you.” You sighed and stood closer to him. “I’ve always had feelings for you, since we met. And when you opened up to me, when you trusted me with your past, I couldn’t ignore it anymore, but I always thought I was alone in it, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”

He smiled softly and placed his hand on your cheek, drawing your face closer to his. 

“You’re not alone. I’m right here with you.” He told you before he closed the distance, pressing his lips to yours, and you wrapped your arms around him, smiling into the kiss.

Echo broke the kiss before you both ran out of air, but still he held you close to him, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I’m relieved that you feel the same way, but I would understand if you didn’t, with me being this.”

“Oh shush,” you told him. “You’ll need a mechanic to keep everything in order.”

He smiled at you before placing a kiss against your lips once again.

~ ~ ~

You felt him tossing in the bed next to you. Another nightmare, you thought to yourself. 

He was getting them more frequently, and it worried you. It had been some time since he was rescued from Skako Minor, but the memories he had of his life before that had never quite faded. Memories of a life he could never quite return to. And you knew that something else was causing him stress. His nightmares grew more frequent ever since you had told him that you were pregnant. 

He was happy to be on Pabu with you, to start a family with you. But you knew it was still a hard adjustment for him. Not just living on Pabu, but everything since waking up from the stasis chamber he was put in. Everything that he had told you about all those years ago still haunted him to this day, and you wished that there was some way that you could help, but he had always told you that just being there with him was enough.

All you could really do in these moments was to try and calm him down, gently ease him out of his nightmares, try to get him to talk to you about them when he woke up, but sometimes it was easier said than done. 

You lay next to him, rubbing his back gently guiding your hand up and down next to the cybernetics, attempting to soothe him from his nightmare without waking him. He stirred gently under your touch before his eyes fluttered open.

"Fives!" He yelled as he lifted himself up off the bed. 

He took a moment to look around, eyes adjusting to the dark room.

"Shh.. You're okay." You whispered to him. 

He fell back onto the bed, turning to look at the ceiling before turning to face you.

"You should be sleeping." He said quietly, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

You shook your head, "No, I was already awake." 

He sighed and pulled you close to him, you adjusted yourself so you could rest your back against his chest, and he held you there, with a hand rubbing your belly gently. 

"I dreamt about the Citadel." He began. "Only instead of me getting hurt, it was Fives." 

You could feel his breath get shakier, and you intertwined your fingers with his. 

"I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect any of them. Fives, Cutup, Droidbait, Hevy... I'm the only one left." 

You could tell from his voice that this wasn't entirely about his nightmare, and you turned back around to face him.

"Echo.." You gently reached your hand up to rest it on the side of his face.

He wouldn't meet your gaze, his eyes became fixed on your belly.

"What if I can't protect our child?" He asked quietly. 

"You can't think like that, I know you'll do anything for them." 

"But what if I can't?" He sighed, "You deserve someone you can rely on, someone strong to stand beside you. A good father for your children."

"And I have him." You reassured him. "Echo, everything you've described is you. I know you're afraid, and it's okay to be. In a couple months, we'll have someone else to look out for, but I know we'll be able to do this together. I didn't know them, but I know that Fives, Hevy, everyone would be so proud of you, for everything you've made it through, and everything that is coming our way." 

He sighed in frustration, clearly not hearing your words. “I won’t even be able to hold them properly without hurting them. How am I supposed to take care of a child?”

“Because you’re not doing it alone. Echo, I’m still here. I’ll always be here, we’ll be in this together, just like we always have.”

You pressed your forehead against his. "I'm right here with you." 

Echo nudged his forehead into yours gently, and pressed a kiss against your lips. 

"Thank you, mesh'la. You always know what I need to hear. I'm.. sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry. Anytime you need to hear it, I'll be here. I won't leave you."

~ ~ ~

If there was one thing Echo didn’t need to worry about, it was whether or not he would be a good father. 

He was nervous about it, of course. His nerves couldn’t be calmed until the moment he looked into the big brown eyes, his eyes, on this tiny person. His insecurities and worries all melted away from that moment onward.

He had a bit of practice with Omega, but fatherhood really came naturally to him. You remembered hearing a joke once that it was the Mandalorian genes, but to you, it was just how Echo was. He was always kind, gentle, and caring, and these traits became even stronger once your child was born. 

He was a perfect father, perhaps a little overly cautious at times, but caring all the same. You remembered laughing at his idea to wrap a soft blanket around his scomp link so that it didn’t dig into your child’s skin, but he did it anyway.

And he was proud that his child had such a loving family, the other batchers became the best uncles overnight. Hunter and Wrecker immediately took to doting on and fawning over your child, Tech took to adding all kinds of child safety measures to the Marauder, and Omega was ecstatic to finally be an aunt. 

You knew that there was still a part of Echo that he tried his best to keep hidden that longed to see the other members of the Domino squad be part of your little loving family, to watch your child grow up, to play games with them, to teach them to fly, to tell them stories about their dad that even you haven’t heard, to just be there, to be alive, but all you could do was reassure him that, wherever they are, they were looking out for him, and the new addition. 

From there, everything seemed to fall into place. Everything made sense. 

Echo had told you once, all that time ago that he had wanted a family of his own, a dream of his and yours that became reality with you by his side. 

The two of you were working parts, you helped each other move and grow, and you would continue to do so for as long as you could.

[lesbesapphic]

Mean Wanda AU

Summary - Wanda finds out about your crush on the scarlet witch. That's it.

A/N- Hey you all! Hope you are all doing well.

Just wanted to post this as a Birthday Gift from me to you all (it was my bday a few days ago). I know it's been awhile but I will try to be more active now.

Please stay on this journey with me and keep supporting me. It means the world to me especially when I disappear here and there. Just bear with me a little.

Buy Me A Coffee || Ko-fi

Warning - heavy makeout session, i forgot the name suddenly but throat grabbing kink? Can't recall the name just that it starts with C, and lots of quarrel between Wanda and you that's it. Please don't flag me. It is my bday.

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After finally being done with all your work, you decided to watch your favourite show before Wanda could get her hands on the remote though a part of you wondered where the older girl was, it's been hours since you last saw her but you were glad for her absence, having the evening to yourself would be peaceful.

Halfway through it, you heard the door opening and Wanda waltzing in, her whole attention on her phone as she typed with one hand while using the other to close the door, you sulked at the fact that you didn't take the batteries out from the remote or switch them up to stop it from working, before anyone ask, you had already tried fighting Wanda on remote, you easily learned that she wasn't as fragile as she looked. She had you pinned on the floor with the remote in her hand before you could even grab her hand. Ever since then you have been relying on your intellect rather than physique.

But judging from her appearance and her focus on her phone, it didn't look like she was aiming for the remote, regardless of it, your grip on the remote tightened until Wanda pretended to walk out but instead grabbed the remote out of your hand. You hardly fought back knowing it was pointless but that didn't mean you couldn't whine knowing how much it irritated her.

"I was watching that!" You shot an annoyed glance at Wanda who jumped next to you on the couch, sitting down and switching the channel after grabbing the remote from your lap. "And now we are going to watch something else." Wanda stated while putting on one of her sitcoms. You hated to admit that despite not being a huge fan of sitcoms, you knew the story of each character by heart and would find yourself asking Wanda about any unknown entry with curiosity. You blamed Wanda for it, making you watch all her crap.

"Turn it back." You protested and Wanda rolled her eyes at your whining, "No. It is boring crap." Wanda claimed while putting her feet in your lap, deciding to give you something else to whine about. Her plan working efficiently as your focus shifted on pushing her feet off your lap.

"You don't know anything about MCU." You brushed her feet off only for her to put it back on your lap, your mind momentarily noticing how gorgeous her feet were. The thought disappeared when Wanda spoke again.

"Oh please. I know that you have some weird ass obsession with.. what's her name red witch..? Scarlet witch!" Wanda's lips curled into a smirk when your face turned slightly red, "Plus.. shouldn't you be happy serving me since her and I share such resemblance?" Wanda flipped her hair to the side and you ignored her, focusing on pushing her feet away.

"Why can't you admit that you have a crush on me?" Wanda prodded further and you could hear the grin in her voice, you looked up at her with an expression that screamed if she was out of her mind, "Are you on drugs?" You asked and she laughed, finally curling her feet under herself as she sat up.

"Why? Didn't you want a kiss from me the other day?" Wanda asked the mischief in her voice taking a condescending tone as she added, "Or shall I say from your Scarlet Witch?" Wanda asked and watched as the colors faded from your face and you visibly swallowed.

You felt your throat drying up at what you were hearing from her. She was awake. She remembered.

A few days ago, you both had come home drunk from the party and you ended up sleeping in her bed instead of your mattress on the floor. You had been watching Elizabeth Olsen's movie that night and were having a beautiful dream about her that got mixed with reality when you woke up to find her ethereal beauty in front of you, her face inches away from you and in your hazy state, you moved in to place a kiss on her lips when suddenly the sound of Wanda's obnoxious ringtone startled you back to reality. Your breathing fast as the realisation of what you were going to do hit you with the hangover from all the drink you had.

Needless to say, you had been very cautious of Wanda that day, avoiding her at all cost and flushing red every time you would have an interaction with her, afraid that Wanda would bring it up but she never did and you assumed that she must be asleep when it happened until now.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about." You cleared your throat, your eyes falling anywhere but her. You sucked in a sharp breath when Wanda tilted your chin up with her index finger, your eyes meeting her emerald ones, "Saturday Morning, you were sleeping in my bed. You were probably dreaming about that actress. You woke up and leaned in to kiss me. My ringtone snapped you out of it.. didn't it?

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. You didn't know how to answer that. "And the worst part is.. that you regret not doing it." Wanda declared with a smug look on her face and you couldn't help but scoff at her wild statements that she was passing as if she knew everything about you. 

"Now don't get ahead of yourself." You grabbed her hand that was holding your chin before pushing it away, ignoring how smooth it was on touch. How would it not? Every night Wanda would spend an hour on her skincare, moisturizing each and every inch of herself after taking a shower. The first time it happened, it made you uncomfortable seeing her half naked on her bed, slowly rubbing the lotion on her smooth legs and arms. You were pretty sure she noticed it the second time it happened because she stopped putting it on in the washroom as she would usually do but started to purposely do it in the bedroom. Remembering the time she asked you to do it for. It almost resulted in a make out session.

"Why? Don't you want to kiss your Liz?" Wanda asked raising her eyebrows innocently as if she was asking about something as trivial as your studies. "You aren't anything like her." You grumbled, looking away from her when she started laughing, groaning when she got on top of you, her legs on either side of you trapping you completely with her weight. "Ugh, Get off.." You raised your hands to push her off but she grabbed your hands, pinning them to your sides.

You start to struggle but stopped after a second, all your past efforts of when you were in a similar position with her flashes in front of your eyes and you knew that it was useless trying to win against her physical strength instead you decided to retaliate with your expression, giving Wanda a cold look, "What do you want from me?" You asked, letting out a sigh of exasparation.

Wanda's smirk widen when she noticed how quickly you stopped your struggle, you learned fast. She liked that but she loved the fight in you more. She knew you all too well, it was still there. Just the right answer from her and you would be wriggling again, "Admit that you have a crush on me and want a kiss." She replied and watched as your faced turned red before you started struggling again.

"You are stupid." You growled the words trying to get your hands free or to get her off you but all your attempts were failing and the smug look on Wanda's face was only riling you up until you couldn't fight anymore, breathing heavily, you fell back on the couch, resting your head back while you glared at Wanda who smiled at you with not a single bead of sweat on her. "Aww Baby, are you tired? You want a kiss?" Wanda asked and you mustered up all your energy into your words, hoping to drive your point in, "I will bite." You claimed and Wanda raised an eyebrow, the smile dropping off her face and it, for a moment scared you, but you didn't let it faze you as you stood in a staring competition with her.

"Like this?" Wanda asked before leaning and biting onto your neck hard, her teeth digging and you yelped in pain almost throwing Wanda off you before you could complain or call her some colorful words, she started kissing the area she bit, sucking on it. You let out a soft moan before quickly biting on your lip to hold it in as Wanda slowly started kissing her way up, occasionally nibbling and sucking as she moved toward your ear before taking the earlobe in between her teeth, making you suck in a sharp intake,

"If you even think about doing anything like that, I will tie you up and have my way with you." Wanda whispered in your ear and your face couldn't get any more red, she squeezed your hands into the couch before letting go, with all your previous similar encounters with her, you knew she wanted your hands to stay there and you almost laughed internally as if you could even move them after what she said and did.

"And you will consent to it. You will beg me to take you." Wanda added and you stayed quiet, trying to not focus too much on the pool of wetness collecting in your panties, "Are you going to bite now?" She asked and you slowly shook your head, your stomach flipping when she whispered a soft, 'Good' before leaning in and placing her lips against yours in a surprisingly tender kiss and you instantly reciprocated.

It's been a while since you two had a moment as this. You didn't know where it would lead you to or how it will end or if it would ever happen again but in that moment you chose to stay in the present to feel her tender lips against yours, her fingers slipping underneath your shirt, feel her hot breath hitting your neck as her lips left a burning trail of desire.

You wouldn't ever admit but maybe it was better than the 'crap' you were watching.

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Hope you all like it!

Although it is said that this au doesn't have a name! Feel free to suggest one! Bonus points for Taylor Swift themed name XD.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Some people think the reason they had Felix tell his story through that weird play was because the details were too graphic for younger kids, do you think that's a good excuse?

No because the details of Felix's abuse weren't narratively necessary. Felix suffering any abuse wasn't narratively necessary. I'd even say it was a bad thing to add because I doubt that the show is planning to deal with that issue by putting Felix into therapy or the like. It's going to be resolved by Kagami's love and was arguably only added to make Felix a sad little uwu who we can't blame for his actions.

All the play actually needed to do was:

Establish who the sentimonsters are (which it arguably failed at)

Establish that Gabriel is the butterfly holder (which the next episode does anyway)

Even outside of the abuse issue, most of what we see in the play was pointless. Giving us Emilie and Amelie's backstory would have only mattered if Emilie was brought back to life, which seems to not be the case? Even if she was brought back to life, what did we really learn about her? If we removed this play from the story, what would the narrative lose? Maybe season six will surprise me, but my guess is nothing.

You want to know why the play was really added? It's there so that Marinette wasn't able to defeat the akuma and free Chat Noir from his nightmare dust, making sure that there was no identity reveal and that he didn't show up for the final. That's it. That's the whole point.

[miri0140]

I just wanted to share my thoughts about the in my point the lost potential of Tears of the Kindom.

First I absolutely love the game and its story it is more just that they really should have taken more risks when it came to the stakes and the ending.

Now this will go into spoilers so be warned.

I think that Zelda's sacrifice was so well done; it added weight and emotion to the story. However, I felt like it should have been made eternal. Throughout the game, you can feel how Hyrule is growing. The NPCs are more active than in BOTW, and the towns and other tribes are moving forward. Yet their Princess is stuck in her dragon form. I feel like showing how Hylians and other tribes were able and strong enough to move and keep on moving after the disappearance of the Princess spoke for the work she had done. And now she would watch over them. They could have also tied the next game to this. As we all have wanted a playable Zelda for a while, just like in Skyward Sword we are making the Master Sword, this time we could have played as a girl destined to become the Goddess, not reincarnated but reborn or reawakened. I feel this would have been a really cool story to tell

Another thing I felt could have been utilized better was the sages. Them giving Link their powers and just going about their day felt weird and kind of boring. They could have just traveled with him from the start; there is no need for the puppet. It was probably made to justify their disappearance in the story scenes, etc. But still, they could have made it so that in order for the puppet to function, the sages have to give up either their powers or their souls for the puppet. Now the tribes and the kingdom would have actual stakes. They would feel as stuck as the Princess. The sages would have made the sacrifice in order to pay back and share the load of the destined heroes. I think it would have made the game more impactful as well as more real. Now the tribes just feel so distant from the Kingdom of Hyrule and the story of the heroes. The souls could then have been returned to their owners when Ganon was defeated, along with their powers disappearing from Link

Like I said, I love the game, but I feel like it kind of took the easy way out in many story parts. Zelda has never been the happy endings only type of game. And I don't know why they chose to reset everything in the end. For me, it made the game feel kind of pointless in a way. I would have loved to see in the next game how Hyrule would have moved onward without a Goddess and actual consequences from the past. Like in BOTW, when the Champions were not just brought back to life but given the respect their sacrifice deserved.

[daisyishedwig]

Glee tag game

I was tagged by @annepi-blog, thank you!

1. Favourite season 1 episode: Okay, so the obvious answer is Laryngitis because it's one of the absolutely best Kurt episodes in the whole show. But I also fucking hate everything about Rachel's storyline but Rose's Turn alone does kind of give it the leg up to still be the best episode anyway.

2. Favourite season 2 episode: Oh I've got so many contenders for this one. I love Furt and the relationships we get to see between Burt and Kurt and Kurt and Finn. But then Never Been Kissed is just a classic with it being Blaine's first episode and Chris' acting in it is just so so incredible. Blame It On The Alcohol would be a higher contender because I love drunk Blaine and I actually really enjoy Finn in that episode, which isn't something that happens a lot for me until season 4, but the writer's biphobia that they push onto Kurt really ruins it. But I think the actual winner would have to be Prom Queen. I love Kurt in that episode and I love it being the first time we start to see that Blaine's not perfect, that he's a little broken, a little fragile. It's underutilized, but it really sets up so much of what makes Blaine my favorite character to write.

3. Favourite season 3 episode: Okay, we all know it's Michael. Like of course The First Time, On My Way, and Dance With Somebody are all great episodes that I really love. But Michael is the episode I rewatch the most. And part of my love for it is, a) the cut Want You Back scene, and b) believing Seblaine to be genuine, very close friends which makes the slushee incident so much more heart-wrenching. But it's still such a good episode, especially for me with my deep love of angst and Sebastian Smythe, it's really just the best episode in general. Plus it has the added bonus of having the one and only Samcedes duet so, yeah, it's the best.

4. Favourite season 4 episode: Diva and Feud are both a lot of fun, even if a lot of what happens in them is really ridiculous. Guilty Pleasures is such a good Blam episode. And I love I Do for the flirty and thirsty sides of Klaine we get to see. But I do feel like, once again, the angst lover in me has to go with The Breakup. The Scientist and Don't Speak are two of my favorite songs on the whole show. Everyone's acting in that episode is just so so good. Darren and Chris just knock it out of the park in every single scene, and I will never cease to be awed by them.

5. Favourite season 5 episode: I would probably say Tested, because I always love an episode where Blaine gets to cry. And I love Elliot and everything that he does for Klaine in getting them to communicate. And I love getting to truly see Blaine acknowledge his self-worth issues instead of them just constantly being buried and locked away. A lot of the episode is weird and difficult to watch but the conversation that Klaine have at the end will always be one of my favorite Klaine scenes. Other contenders were Bash, because I love Kurt in that episode and once again we get angsty Blaine. And then New York New York because its when we first get to see Klaine actively working to fix the problems in their relationship instead of clinging to the past so tightly that they crush it entirely.

6. Favourite season 6 episode: God, this one is hard because I'm honestly not sure there's any episode that I truly love. Like The Hurt Lockers are iconic, and I love Chris' acting in 2009. But so much of that season is just weird and almost pointless that I'm not sure I have an episode I like enough to consider my favorite.

7. Episode that makes me cry: I haven't rewatched The Quarterback since it aired because of how much it makes me cry. Tested and The Breakup also both hurt a lot.

8. Episode that makes me laugh: The Hurt Lockers for sure

9. Favourite tribute episode: Michael obviously. It's probably my favorite episode of the whole show in general and the songs are so well done.

10. Favourite Christmas episode: Ooof, I love them all for different reasons, but there's just something about Blaine going to New York with Burt to comfort Kurt that will always get to me so it's gotta be Glee, Actually.

11. Episode with the best songs: Ooooh, probably the mashup episodes? I'm not sure I can pick one but it would be a tie between Never Been Kissed and Mash Off.

12. Favourite sectionals episode: Oh, I'm torn between Special Education and Hold On To Sixteen. I love Quinn and Sam getting a duet, and I love Valerie, and I love Mercedes and Tina getting to sing Dog Days Are Over (maybe I just love the lack of Rachel solos, lol). But I do love the set list in Hold On To Sixteen, I love Quinn singing Control, I love Kurt and Tina and Mike all getting solo parts in ABC. And of course The Troubletones are just so good.

13. Favourite regionals episode: I've gotta say On My Way even if it's largely just for Glad You Came and Cough Syrup. The actual competition doesn't matter much to me, but the Karofsky storyline was handled really well and I love Sebastian's apology to Blaine and the New Directions, and it's just good in general.

14. Favourite nationals episode: I really love the set list for Nationals in season 3, but I hate Rachel and so much of that episode is all about Rachel and her choking at her NYADA audition and somehow convincing Carmen Tibideux to come see her anyway. But on the other hand while I don't love the City of Angels set list for nationals as much, I do love the fact that they were all Finn's (and Cory's) favorite songs. And I love Burt and Carole being there. And I love Throat Explosion (or at least John Baptiste) actually being very kind and respectful of Finn's passing. I like that they didn't just lean hard into the show choir rivalry there and let them actually be humans who recognize the pain of the McKinley team. Also Throat Explosion's set was really good too.

15. Episode most people like but I don’t: I might get killed by my Klaine friends. But Love, Love, Love? At the time it aired I was super excited about the proposal, but now as an adult, I really wish it hadn't happened, especially not like that. Like I get that it's romantic in that big grand gesture that Kurt deserves and Blaine would always want to give him. But. They hadn't talked about it! While Kurt guessed it was coming on the drive, it still didn't leave him with anyway to actually pull Blaine aside and talk about it. And with multiple other show choirs there, including Sebastian, can you really expect Kurt to be able to say anything but yes? Like I would have loved for them to have a quiet, personal proposal. To have Blaine ask and have them talk about it and whether or not they're ready for that. And then they could do the big thing. But instead we got Kurt not being given a chance to think about if this is something he actually wants, and it leads to a lot of problems in the future for them.

16. Episode most people dislike but I like: Probably Old Dog, New Tricks. Like it's a weird episode, admittedly. But we get some of my favorite things in it. We get Blaine being a sweet and supportive partner, we get Klaine being a team, we get Kurt calling Rachel out on how selfish she is, we get puppies, and we get Peter Pan. It's great. I have fun with that episode.

and now that I have finally finished that, I'm going to tag @esilher, @calsvoid, @lusthurts, @backslashdelta, and @cryscendo

[theghostbunnie]

Good to know that there's another person who believed that Fionna's world wasn't just a gender swapped copy of Finn's. It would have been boring and pointless if it was only that. Even when we knew it as only a fanfic, the characterizations were still different and multiple people added their own spin to it. I'm not sure but I think the F&C comics also showed how different they were from the original series.

Which is why it annoys me so much when I see some people trying to apply the events of the og universe to Fionna's, like Gary and Marshall breaking up just because Princess Bubblegum and Marceline did or Fionna losing an arm, etc. I kinda tolerated it before because as far as we knew they were fanfic characters, but now that they're an actual universe it's just weird to keep comparing the two.

People want so badly for Fionna and Cake's world to be Land of Ooo 2.0 now, which is weird because I used to see them complain how Fionna and Cake were just copies of the characters from the original series.

I think instead it should be seen as a fun opportunity for the fans to make their own genderbent versions of what the universe of ooo could be like and make up lore HCs Fiona's world could have differently than Finn's

Like back to Marshall and Gumball breaking up in fannon works just bc Marcy and Bonnie had that history, the reason they broke up was deeply rooted in their flaws as people and happened while Bonnie was on a job called to help bc of her know-how. So if Gumball is as I've said before very different than PB it probably would've happened if it all very differently

[vodenanimfa]

A little girl went missing. She was talking to her friend in the kitchen, her friend went to the basement to get something and when she came back up the girl was gone. Vanished into thin air

I was a new guy in town, and a private investigator. The neighborhood in which the little girl went missing was falling apart. The parents were in such deep despair and panic. They didn't even ask me to start an investigation, they demanded it the moment they saw me. They introduced me to the neighbors' girl who had last seen the missing kid. They were both same age, around 5-6 years old. She showed me the place where the whole thing happened. She showed me the basement, all while the missing girl's mother was sobbing behind me the entire time.

The mother said the girl's name but it evaporated the moment she said it. "These are her clothes, these are her toys, I didn't imagine her! She's gone into thin air". She showed me red dresses and dolls, the clothing was so tiny. "I worked so hard to raise her properly, she wouldn't have run away!". And a kid her age had no reason to run away. Still, the way the mother was panicking felt too real, she was a sobbing mess every time I talked to her. With each interview I got to learn more about the trailer park she lived in, and the neighbors' houses. And the roads, and then the railroad.

Time was noticeably passing, and with every passing day the search seemed more and more pointless from my point of view.

I went to nearest train station to ask anyone I can if they've seen the six year old girl in a red dress. Everyone looked at me like an idiot. I showed them family photos of the now grieving family, nothing. At one point I was thinking of taking whatever train comes next and just leave the town. It's getting weird. The girl vanished into thin air, I have no answer for the family and the community. And I feel nothing for this child, which is so strange. Then, as though he was reading my mind, an old grey man started watching me. To avoid eye contact I was looking at the ground, I found some marbles. Every time I bend down to pick one up I glance to check if the old man is looking at me, and not only was he looking at me, he was obviously following me. A weird sense of unease started to creep in even though the man posed no threat to me. I was taller than him, younger and stronger. But the look on his face made me feel almost guilty. I turn around, I don't say anything, it was enough to face him. "Still nothing? Thought as much." I didn't see his mouth, he had a long beard and a visor. Before I got to say anything he added "a little girl goes missing on the same day a stranger arrives." Oh.... "And he's the one investigating her disappearance...right". I didn't reply, I was in shock at the thought of even thinking I would be suspected of doing something to a little kid. I was horrified, I turned around and left, made sure the old man couldn't follow me, but what was said was said.

I searched the dump that was a few blocks away from the trailer park. I searched the neighbors' home at least three times. Time kept passing, people started moving on with their lives. Yes the girl is still missing but everyone did what they could. The community clearly missed her.

They knew this little girl. They knew what she liked, they know how she dressed, but they couldn't imagine she was simply gone. At times, when presented with any "leads" or "evidence" I started wondering if this town is pulling a prank on me. The parents were the most hysterical. They didn't accept anything I had to say. They expected an explanation. If the child was kidnapped, who kidnapped her? If the child was murdered, who murdered her? Anything else is me wasting the precious time none of us had left.

On a particularly hot, dry day I visited the trailer of the parents. The mother was there cooking in her tiny kitchen. The interior of the trailer was steaming, I was drenched in sweat immediately. I asked her to sit down and talk to me. She probably thought I had some new information...

-"I'm not from here" I started

-"I know"

At this point the disillusionment was the only thing I had. I was not going to do what was expected of me"

-"I mean, I'm not from... I'm not--""

-"I know, I know what you're trying to say, and I understand, it's okay."

She understood I wasn't from her world, that I will never truly understand her grief, and that one day I will be gone forever as well. I felt a bit relieved. However, I felt like an immense failure for not telling her what she wanted to hear. She was so obsessed with getting her child back the same way she saw her the last time she did. In her little red dress, with her friend, playing. It will never happen again.

I managed to have a little neighborhood gathering one evening. I told them what they couldn't bear to hear. The girl is gone, she won't be coming back. No one took her, no one killed her, she was simply gone. Many people were very upset at my words, I wasn't trying to sugarcoat it.

"Can't you make her come back in any way?" An old alcoholic from one of the trailers asked me.

"No." I said it almost annoyed, but I really tried being understanding.

"Is there a way we can summon her...i-in some way...she can be with us again!" Said a woman, clearly choking back tears.

"No." It felt brutal to shut them down.

"Is there a way we can make ourselves believe that she is here with us?"

"I mean, I'm not barring you from trying" it felt bad, they were starting to lose touch with reality. But I didn't say anything. It was obvious my presence was causing them lots of distress. After all this time, no one told me to leave but it was obvious.

The next morning, I was ready to leave. Boarded a train, felt very dejected and disillusioned. I was probably what they were looking for, but not in the same form they remembered it. But I couldn't tell them that. And I couldn't re-insert myself into that community. They wanted a little girl, I was only a man.

[daydreamrry]

I watched the movie (don’t worry I didn’t give her any money) and here’s my opinion:

SPOILERS AHEAD

The concept and the plot is really good. It’s just poorly executed. I felt underwhelmed, the original script was MUCH better they should have just went with that instead.

My girl Kiki was done dirty. She was only in the first 40 minutes before she was killed off. Her scenes shouldn’t have been cut off especially because her character was the only reason why Alice started to become suspicious of the victory project.

Chris and Gemma were really good villains I wish we knew more about their story and I also wish they showed more of Jack and Alice’s life in the real world.

I think the sex scene in Frank’s bedroom was pointless honestly it’s basically just a filler.

Considering that Frank is the main villain he should have been shown more.

Bill and Violet the new couple was so pointless. They shouldn’t have been added they could’ve showed Kiki more instead of them.

Florence was phenomenal. Harry’s acting wasn’t too bad there are scenes where I thought he was good but there were a few scenes that made me feel like he should’ve worked on/practiced more.

Harry was done dirty in that scene where he’s yelling at Florence making the ☹️ face. He yelled at her, there was a pause and silence that was 4 seconds long which makes it awkward and honestly if I watched the movie in theaters I would have started giggling because of the awkward silence. They should’ve cut those 4 seconds and made them shorter or the camera should’ve moved to Florence’s face.

Jack was more evil in the original script and I don’t know if it’s because it’s Harry’s sweet innocent face but I didn’t get an evil vibe from him. The vibe I got was that he was desperate to live the “perfect” life with his wife and in his head he didn’t do anything wrong. Jack should’ve been more evil I hate that some people who watched the movie are being sympathetic towards Jack.

In the original script Alice poisoned Jack with his favorite food and shoved a broomstick up his ass but in the movie she kills him by hitting him in the head with a glass cup. There was no struggle just one blow to his head and he was gone that’s so boring and such a downgrade from the original script

The plot felt really stretched out and I felt the ending was really rushed because all the good scenes (in my opinion) happened in the last 30 minutes

I would give it 2 out of 5 stars. I expected more from this type of storyline. If I didn’t read the original script I would probably have no clue what was happening. I know this sounds weird but the trailer was better than the movie. Even with the amount of trailers and sneak peeks that was released before the movie came out I still felt a bit confused.

Harries hyped this movie up too much it didn’t deserve all that hype

this is the best, most accurate and detailed review thank you!!!!

[heimeldat]

I slept on things and solidified a few more thoughts about Power of the Doctor.

1. The space train inciting incident served no real purpose. The swirly energy thing pretending to be a kid could just as easily have been a random power source. Why didn’t the Master just use geothermal energy from the core of his cyber-planet-deathstar-thing? He already had his TARDIS linked to the planet’s core anyway. I wish they’d left out that bit to make room for a few more character moments.

2. The Daleks served no real purpose. Actually the whole volcano plan was pointless; the Master already had another earth-destroying plan with the Cybermen, and adding in the Daleks only made things more complex for no reason. Besides, why would the Daleks work with him? He controls the Cybermen, so that makes sense, but he and the Daleks hate each other! They should have left out the Daleks and focused on the Master and Cybermen plot.

3. Killing seismologists and defacing paintings and pretending to be Rasputin were absolutely pointless but I don’t care at all. It added nothing at all to the plot but it was so eye-rollingly hilariously typical of the Master. Of course he added random convoluted pointless elements to his plan just to mess with the Doctor and stroke his own ego. Cheers, Rasputin. Also how the heck did he manage to be so sexy in this episode? I haven’t been attracted to the Master since Delgado left, but the soft dangerous hypnotic voice got me.

4. Why did Vinder show up? He just kind of arrived, got in trouble, and left. The only actual contribution he made was shooting the Master, and Yaz could have done that. That could have actually been a really interesting moment for her, if the Master taunted that she would never shoot him, and then she’s just like “oh, yeah?” and does it.

5. Where the heck did Graham come from? It’s seriously bothering me, he just randomly showed up underneath a volcano. How did he get there? How did he even know to go there? I did like his chemistry with Ace, though. Just...you could have dropped one line telling us where he came from.

6. I still don’t know how I feel about the dance number. It was so stupid and so funny. I think my uncertainty comes from the fact that the Master felt a little more old-school crazy-but-controlled in this episode, but the nutty dancing is very unhinged new-Who of him. It felt a little jarring. But definitely funny nonetheless.

7. Ace and Tegan and Five and Six and Seven and EIGHT! My squealing excitement has not diminished. Especially since they didn’t feel like gratuitous cameos, they actually felt vital to the plot (such as it was) and gave us some really good character moments.

8. I’ve decided I’m fine with the becoming-the-Doctor thing. The idea of using a forced-regeneration machine to do it is still a bit odd, but whatever, the Master’s always been good at misusing Gallifreyan tech. I’ve just decided not to think of it as a regeneration, just a body-theft.

9. I’m not sure if I should be disappointed by Yaz’s departure. It felt abrupt and unexplained (why did she have to leave just because the Doctor is regenerating?) but I also really liked their final moments together. I’ve never been interested in thasmin, so I’m grateful they didn’t go for a last-minute kiss or anything like that, but I enjoyed the gentleness and bittersweetness of their farewell. Just...explain why she left?

10. The regeneration scene was beautiful. Her final words were perfectly her.

11. I wanted Fourteen. I am intrigued by whatever they’re planning with 10.4 or whatever we’re calling him, and it definitely seemed like something weird was going on with the whole regenerating-clothing bit, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they have planned. But Ncuti. Where’s his pretty new face? It made the last few seconds rather disappointing.

12. Overall I still love the episode after taking some time to think over it, but the plot definitely makes a LOT less sense than it seemed to in the moment. And I don’t care one bit, because it was fun, and when has Doctor Who ever made sense anyway?

[royposting]

i do understand that they have a limited dragon battle budget, but so many of the scenes feel nnot conclusive/dramatic enough for a season finale, you know? the rhaenyra/alicent scene was good, and the one with daemon kneeling to rhaenyra. but all the rest of it? it just felt like filler. i would rather have seen some more helaena stuff actually being built up instead of the mud wrestling, or some sort of mini-resolution to ulf the dragon rider being an ass, or aegon actually making the decision to leave and some tension while he sneaks out. it just felt kind of...lame. they could have gone heavy on the interpersonal drama, but they just picked random scenes that felt like midpoints instead of beginnings/endings of plotlines. episode four, not episode eight. even rhaena and the wild dragon felt unfinished. end it with some dramatic eye contact instead of just dragon lands, plotline over.

oh i definitely agree - this FELT like episode 8, to me, but of a 10 episode season. especially after the dramatic ending to season 1, with the vhagar vs arrax fight.

as a book reader, i get why they couldnt make a whole lot more content - the next things coming up in the book, after the sowing, are some major and huge battles that they could not afford, which is why i suggest moving things around a bit and ending the season on the sowing.

imo, helaena is one of the major flaws of the show version, where in the book she goes insane in her grief after her son is murdered. i would have loved to see that, especially with the otherwise improved helaena of the show. a combination of that with the show version, of her in a murderous rage, would have been cool as hell. ulf being an ass is a major plot point that cannot be resolved yet, so i get that they didnt.

aegons disappearance is one thing that really stuck out to me in the show, and i even commented on that to my gf who was watching with me; in the book he simply goes missing and noone knows how or why and if he had any help. i actually prefer that a lot, even if im loving the actors performance as aegon and find him a delight to watch.

the sheepstealer plot is also a little wonky to me - i get why they decided to combine rhaena and nettles into one character, and the choice makes sense for the show. but its just a bit weird to have her run through the vale and just happen upon him. i would have loved to see more of that for sure.

i would argue that instead of the pointless scenes of which there were many, some introduction to daeron could be very useful, hes gonna be a major player next season and introducing him now would be awesome. i did love the glimpse we got of tessarion, shes looking gorgeous, but just some introductory scenes of him would have helped massively and, made people care for him.

i would also argue that theyve already set some things up for failure already, things that cannot be retconned. one of the major things they added is that aegon is apparently a rapist now. they made aegon completely irredemable; its just an insane character choice to make for him. in the book part of me roots for him, and the show seems like it wants me to do that too, but i just cannot. the ages of everyone is also really weird, and excluding maelor from the plot makes nothing make sense anymore.

im enjoying the show and am holding out hope that this episode was just a blunder and a rushed decision upon hbo telling the team they could only do 8 episodes; hopefully the next season has some more plot and a higher budget.

[donnabroadway]

Forever Young

Age shaming to me is an interesting thing. I find it funny, not haha funny but the weird type, that people will compare a picture or video of a celebrity in their 20s to how they look and move in their late 30s, 40s, or even 50s and say "what happened?" The same thing that will hopefully happen to everyone, if they're lucky to live long enough, they aged.

I was recently watching This Christmas and some of the people I was watching with were discussing Lauren London and one of the women said, she doesn't look like that anymore and proceeded to pull up pictures of how she looks now. You mean to tell me that nearly 40 year old Lauren London doesn't look like 21/22 year old Lauren London. Color me shocked. Shocked I say.

Millennials are having to accept that we are aging and that we are technically middle aged. While most of us are only in our mid-late 30s and that is hardly old, it would be a lie to say that we don't look our age. There are very few of us that still looked how we did in our early 20s. When I see a post on social media of someone bragging about their age and saying 50 where or 40 where? I wanna say there because we can see it. It's there, it may not be obvious to everyone else but I can see it. Many times when a gen zer has a young looking mom, it is because the mom is usually young. If you're 20 and your mom had you at 16, that means she's only 36 and should look young because she is young. This obsession with proving ones youth and ability to remain looking youthful is weird and pointless. I see some stars who had some of their most iconic looks in the 80s and 90s, trying to recreate those looks' in their 50s and 60s and I'm just like, ok you look good but you definitely remade that outfit to fit your current size and body shape or let that dress out some and there is no shame because it looks great and makes for great content but let's be for real. You look good but not the way you did in your 20s and that's okay. Some of us age "better" than others but we still age, nonetheless.

I think with social media, the constant creation of appreciation posts and the uploading of old shows and videos from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even 2000s we forget that people age because we're so used to seeing them how they looked in they heyday that we forget it was so long ago. Many stars reach their peak in their late teens-early 30s and even if they are still currently working, we often only see pictures of them from that period, so it can be a bit jarring to see a recent picture of that same celeb and see that they've aged and in some instances, not the way the public imagined them to have. I remember a few years ago when the Nicole Murphy, Lela Rochon, and Antwan Fuqua, cheating scandal/love triangle happened, people had the nerve to say that he deserved to cheat because Nicole Murphy still looked the same in her 50s as she did in her 20s and Lela Rochon let herself go. The sheer delusion of thinking a woman in her late 50s, almost 60s, who has lived life, had children, maybe health issues will look the way she did in her 20s and don't get me wrong, Lela's face card isn't declining, her body is just different and while everyone thinks they will be Nicole still wearing bikinis with their right and tight bodies that put women half their age to shame, lets be realistic. In my 20s and early 30s, I ate horribly and barely exercised but I was able to lose weight by simply working out a few times a week and tweaking my diet, now in my late 30s, I try to control my diet and I work out an hour a day, every day, sometimes even adding a walk or two with my children, and the scale has barely budged since having my youngest daughter almost 3 years ago. It has taken a bit to accept that my body has changed because I am a woman nearing a certain age. I am a woman in her 30s, who looks like she is in her 30s. I know women who look young and have barely aged and I can tell you that while she does take care of herself, genetics has a big part to play in it and you can't outrun genetics. It catches up to you every time. Angela Bassett, who is goals in her 60s, works incredibly hard and keeps a very disciplined regimen to maintain her physique and let's be honest, most of us are not that disciplined.

It is a weird flex to go to someone and say "that's why you old" as if time is not ever moving and one day they will be old too. No one stays in their 20s forever, unless they have unfortunately met an early demise and in that case, they truly are forever young but if you are aging, that God for the ability to live and enjoy life, no matter what age you are.

[finexbright]

Thanks I try :-) The coffee brownie ice cream sounds really good, I wish I was nearby there to try it. Iced coffee supremacy. I haven’t heard of that show but I did like HOHH so I might have to check it out but also maybe not since you didn’t like it, Lol. Halsey is good! I don’t know much of her new music but I loved her first album and her stripped EP. :-)

What’s your favorite movie? Tell us your most obscure hobby. Top 5 favorite foods. How old are you? What is your preference in weather? (I like cold enough for long sleeves and hot enough for shorts)

i know now that i'm talking about it i miss the ice cream too 😔 i would definitely suggest waiting for season two before watching the midnight club because it really feels pointless otherwise. i love halsey, ghost was literally part of my queer awakening! what was your favourite song from halsey?

favourite movie : the one that immediately came to mind was 50 first dates, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine

obscure hobby : i had this extremely weird penchant for collecting Rs. 20 notes (money) back in india up until the pandemic hit. it all started because they were pink and also because you only got them mostly in the south and i lived in the north and so whenever i came across one, i'd keep it instead of spending. however, when i back to the south for uni, i just sort of collecting them and once again not spending them to the point where once pandemic hit and i moved back home i found enough of those notes in random books and journals to make a few thousand bucks. i added a bit more of my savings to that and bought my guitar!

top 5 favourite foods : pasta!! dosa, my mum's spinach dal (lentil soup), gol gappa (indian street food) and churros. tell me yours!

i'm 22 and i absolutely love winters more than anything i like being cosied up!

[yukina-otome]

Sacrificed to the bloody tiger: Chapter 1

Please read the prologue first.

MC was pacing inside her palace. She never expected anything from her progenitor (She refused to call him father), but she never expected him to sell her to a man known for doing purges every now and then.

She knew that once she married the man she would be like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

She took a deep breath and contemplated her options.

The first one that came to her mind was to run away but she knew it was only a matter of time before she was caught.

The second was….get married to the man and get it over with.

Yeah she did not have many options. She had even heard the man himself, King Chevalier was already here in Obsidian.

She did not have much of a choice.

Well thinking about it when she could do nothing was pointless. She’ll just do some laundry. It will get her mind off things.

The afternoon sun was hot and the sky was clear. It was indeed the perfect day for laundry.

She set a big washtub in the garden, added water, soap and her bedsheets, raised her dress up to her waist, got into the tub and started stomping on her dirty sheets.

As she did so she felt her anger and anxiety dissolve.

Meanwhile, at Obsidian main palace.

The king of Rhodolite exited the meeting room. 

The 2 nations just signed the peace treaty. He quickly walked toward the main entrance, his right hand and younger brother, Clavis following him from behind.

“Clavis, get the carriage ready.”

“Where to? Are you going to personally pick up your new bride?”

“Indeed. That is the least I can do to show my goodwill as King of Rhodolite.” 

Honestly, he did not care who the woman he would marry was. He knew for sure she’ll be like all the other women he met. 

A pompous, pretentious princess who would cower in fear at his cold glacial stare.

He had no expectation for her whatsoever, he knew she would become a political hostage once the peace treaty became null.

He did not plan to kill her or hurt her as long as she was no threat to the Kingdom's safety.

“I want to go back to Rhodolite as soon as possible. I have no time to play groom and bride.”

“So cold chev! I feel pity for that woman already!” Clavis smiled.

After a few minutes of Carriage ride, The king and his brother arrived at princess MC’s palace. 

They were quite surprised that there was no guard or maid at the entrance. It was completely empty. 

Chevalier suddenly heard the sound of water coming from the garden. He put his hand on his sword as he slowly headed toward the sound.

There he saw her, a young woman, slender and beautiful, stomping angrily at clothes inside a washtub. Her dress was up to her knees and she seemed concentrated on her tedious task.

‘She must be a maid’ he thought. He approached her and the woman suddenly turned toward him, startled.

Their eyes met and the second felt like minutes as they stared at each other.

“Who are you?” she said, on guard.

“Haha! What an interesting sight! I didn't know maids could do laundry at a palace’s garden. They usually have a laundry room! Is it different here in Obsidian?” Clavis’s amused voice came from behind Chevalier.

‘Foreigners? And by their clothes it seems there are Nobles.The only noble foreigners in the country right now are the King of Rhodolite Chevalier and his brother Prince Clavis.’ she thought. 

She panicked realizing that this was her first meeting with her future husband. 

“I came to meet Princess MC, show me to her.” his voice, cold and commanding, resonated in the garden.

MC stayed silent. She did not know what to do or say. Should she come clean and say she is the princess? or should she lie and tell him to come back later as the princess is unavailable. No, sooner or later he will know it’s her. There was no way to save her pride so she resigned herself and said looking straight into his eyes “That’s me. I am Princess MC.”

A very awkward silence followed that declaration. Both the king and his brother stared at her in shock like she was some kind of weird creature.

After a while, a booming laugh resounded in the empty palace. It was Prince Clavis who was laughing so much he fell on the floor, rolling around like a child.

“Why don’t you come out of there first? Then we shall have a talk.” Chevalier said.

“Ah! Right!” MC tried to step out of the washtub in a hassle but her foot tripped on the edge and she fell face first on the grass.

Another long silence followed and MC did not dare to move. She wanted to hide herself inside a small mouse hole and stay there forever.

After a while the king let out a deep sight and he approached her and grabbed her by her arm and lifted her to her feet.

“How long do you intend to lay on the grass?” he smiled teasingly at her.

‘This man! He’s making fun of me!!’ MC felt her face blushing as she took his hand off her arm and started walking toward the palace.

Chevalier silently followed after her as Clavis kept laughing in the background.

‘This might be more interesting than I thought.’ he said to himself as he felt the corner of his lips rise.

[swordgayist]

cultural appropriation in ATLA (hinduism edition)

i’m sure there’s already a ton of posts about this, but whatever, i’m still making one idc. 

ATLA’s cultural appropriation, everyone knows about it, the white people don’t speak about it, and the asian and indigenous people get ignored. we know the cycle. but i wanted to come here and highlight some of the most prominent examples of ATLA abusing hinduism, as i am kinda sorta hindu (i was raised in a hindu household, i go to chinmaya mission, that kinda shit). i might forget some things so keep that in mind.

this is gonna be divided into 3 main sections, since there are different ways that they disrespect hinduism that i don’t wanna lump together.

and i’d say i know a lot about hinduism but that doesn’t make me an expert, obviously, so if other hindus have anything to add and/or correct then please do !! and if anyone else wants to share how their cultures were appropriated then please do that as well !!

so let’s get started shall we?

appropriating hinduism

1) the avatar

we’ll start with the most obvious example: the avatar itself

i know that there are parts of the avatar mythos that are taken from other cultures as well but the idea of the avatar itself is primarily from hinduism.

basically in hinduism, the term dashavatara refers to the 10 reincarnations of lord vishnu (the god of preservation), with avatar(a) meaning form or incarnation in sanskrit, and das(a) meaning ten. it was said that whenever the world was out of balance, lord vishnu would come down to earth in a certain form to restore balance. Each reincarnation is considered a different life with a different story. the avatars of lord vishnu are often considered the saviors of the world.

so basically, the central idea of the show and the actual name of the show is largely based on hinduism.

2) chakras

many different indian religions have a concept of chakras (chakra meaning wheel or circle in sanskrit), but hinduism is the one that primarily preaches the system of seven chakras, the version used in ATLA.

chakras connect the physical body to the ‘subtle’ body (referring more to the spirit and the psyche) by connecting parts of the body to aspects of the mind. the idea is that through different forms of steady meditation you can manipulate the different chakras and allow the pure flow of energy through the body.

the whole idea of chakras on ATLA is that aang has to unblock them all to let the cosmic energy flow through him so that he can go into the avatar state at will. so yeah, pretty much that whole idea was taken from hinduism.

3) terminologies

these are just a few terms that were taken from hinduism. i’m pretty sure there are more that i can’t think of right now but yeah.

“agni” kai 

i’ll be honest i don’t know where the ‘kai’ part is from, i don’t think it’s from hinduism but if it is well fuck me i guess.  ‘agni’ in hinduism is the god of fire, so the creators used it in ‘agni kai’, the name for a firebending duel.

“bumi”

this is in reference to the hindu word for ‘earth’, which is bhoomi. this is also in reference to our goddess of earth, bhoomi devi. also this doesn’t really bother me but i wonder if the creators knew that bhoomi is a name typically used for women (as are most hindi names ending in ‘i’/‘ee’).

in general, concepts like having multiple complex gods (the spirits) who are capable of good and evil and the reincarnation cycle are prominent in a lot of asian cultures, including (and arguably primarily) hinduism.

mocking hinduism

now we get into the mockery of hinduism in ATLA, because it is very much there.

1) whoever the fuck that baboon guy in the spirit world was

now what the fuck was this.

i mean i wouldn’t say this is the most egregious example of them making fun of brown people but lord why did this even need to be there? this random guy from the spirit world has an indian accent ? and is fervently chanting ‘om’ for some reason, and it’s clearly meant to be seen as comical. also portraying brown people as monkeys....... really.

2) combustion man/sparky sparky boom man

when rewatching ATLA in 2019 i actually had no idea that this was a thing, because the last time i had watched it was as a kid and i didn’t finish it.

so lord was i in for a surprise when i saw...

now... now what.

if you didn’t know, combustion man’s ‘third eye’ is designed to replicate the hindu god of destruction, lord shiva. right down to the vibhuti on his forehead (referring to the three line markings around the third eye).

in hinduism, lord shiva’s third eye is used to reduce people to ashes, though as far as i can recall, not very frequently. the primary significance of the third eye is that it represents the ability of higher spiritual thought and higher consciousness.

the ATLA writers take the ACTUAL significance of the third eye, throw it out the window, and then take its destructive abilities to make a super duper cool and dangerous new firebending technique.

and if that wasn’t bad enough, the actual person who uses this technique, and is meant to emulate a GOD who is PRAISED, is a scary, burly, half metal man who is a villain and an assassin. not to mention the design of his facial hair replicates that super duper scary “terrorist” depiction of brown people, particularly of muslims, that white people are so thoroughly terrified of for no reason. 

this is a parody of a god, and they portrayed him as this terrifying, maniacal fucking assassin who, along with p’li, the combustion bender from LOK, is constantly referred to as a “third-eyed freak”. i’ve made this analogy before and i’ll do it again, this is like making jesus into a hitman.

now onto my favorite example...

3) guru pathik

ah, this motherfucker.

i don’t really have any problems with him as a character, i mean hell, must’ve taken a fuck ton of patience to handle aang’s “why would choose cosmic energy over katara” bullshit.

but we all know it, we see it plain as day, don’t even try to deny it.

“guru” literally just means teacher or guide, so i don’t really know why pathik needed to be referred to as “guru” so distinctively from aang’s other teachers and guides, but that’s just extremely trivial compared to all the other issues with this character.

first of all what is this character design? what is he even wearing? if they’re trying to replicate the clothes of swamis and priests and stuff this is already wrong, realized people don’t dress like this. and why the fuck does he have an indian accent? and why was this indian accent done by a non indian (brian george)?

once again, the poor but extremely heavy indian accent is clearly meant to be mocking, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t’ve gone out of their way to get a non indian person to DO an indian accent, and instead they would’ve just gotten an actual indian person to play the role. 

and oh yeah, the onion and banana juice. because hindus just eat weird shit right.

whether it’s actually weird or not, the show certainly portrays it as weird. and as far as i know no hindu actually fucking drinks onion and banana juice.

ironic because brown people can absolutely destroy white people in cooking. but i digress.

i know what you’re all waiting for. because the guru apparently didn’t have enough fun with guru pathik, so they just had to come back to him in book 3:

where do i begin.

so this is obviously john o’bryan’s super funny and hilarious depiction of pathik as a hindu god.

usually when a god has multiple arms it’s to carry an array of things, from flowers to weapons to instruments, and one hand is typically free to bless devotees (ie. goddess durga and lord vishnu respectively):

but of course white people see this as weird and so they make fun of it, hence guru pathik having multiple arms just flailing about aimlessly (save for the two that are being used to carry the aforementioned onion and banana juice).

then there’s the whole light behind pathik’s head which is usually depicted in drawings of hindu gods to show that they are celestial.

also what the fuck is he holding? is that supposed to be a veena? because this is what a veena looks like:

and i assume the reason this was added was to mock the design of goddess saraswathi, who carries a veena:

but that right there in the picture of pathik looks more like a tambura than a veena. 

and it also just kinda looks like a banjo?

but i guess the animators just searched up “long indian instrument” and slapped it on there. actually no, that’s giving them too much credit, they probably didn’t search it up at all. 

and then the actual scene is pathik singing crazily about chakras tasting good or something while playing the non-veena and it’s all supposed to be some funky crazy hallucination that aang is having due to sleep deprivation. just some crazy dream, just as crazy as talking appa and momo sparring with swords or tree-ozai coming to life.

our gurus and swamis and sadhus and generally realized people are very respected in hinduism, they’re people we look up to and honor very much. and our GODS are beings that we literally worship. and the writers just take both and make caricatures out of them for other white people to laugh at.

4) other shit

before we move to the next portion i just wanna mention there are also smaller backhanded jabs that i can’t really remember now, but one example was when zuko was all “we’ll be sure to remember that, guru goody goody”. or when a character would meditate and say “om” only when the meditation is supposed to be portrayed as comical or pointless. or in bitter work when sokka was rambling on about karma. small things like that. but moving on.

south asian representation, or lack thereof

now i finally get to the “losing” hinduism part. by this i mean the lack of actual representation there is of south asians (the region where hinduism is primarily practiced) despite the fact that hinduism plays such a big role in the show’s world design.

i think it’s safe to say that broadly the main cast consists of aang, katara, sokka, zuko, toph, azula, iroh, mai, ty lee, and suki. 

a grand total of none of these characters are south asian. the writers don’t even attempt to add any south asian main characters. 

there are characters with dark skin, like haru and jet, but a) they’re not confirmed to be south asian and don’t have any south asian features or south asian names, b) they’re side characters, so they don’t count as representation, and c) even if they were south asian and main characters, jet wouldn’t even count because he’s portrayed as a terrorist.

the ONLY truly south asian character we get is fucking guru pathik. so yeah. not representation.

i don’t get how the creators of this show rip off of hinduism (among many other south asian cultures they rip off of), mock indians, and then don’t even have the decency to HAVE a main character who is south asian.

i’ve never gotten a chance to compile all this, and this definitely isn’t all the creators have done, but i hope this was somewhat informative.