#if they ever teamed up the universe would be doomed i tell you. doomed

[aecholapis]

Cringetober Day 9: Crossover Ship/Rarepair

The worst crackship of all time, ladies and gentlemen

[pepsiconcoction]

hi hi, i enjoy reading your content so much that I wanted to make a request! A Lee Know Fluff inspired by this song “Take A Chance With Me” by NIKI. It can literally be a drabble, one shot, series or whatever pleases you! thanks again <3

hi i'm so sorry i disappeared for like, so long? idk honestly, so i have no idea when you posted this, or if you even still want it lol. i finally have some free time AND i'm feeling creative again so that's fun! anyways hope you like this, i did it in like an hour and a half and its barely proofread, i hope u love it tho <3

Take A Chance With Me - Lee Know x Reader

pairing: Lee Know x gn!Reader

tags: non-idol AU, fluff, tiny amount of angst if you squint?, lee know is a goofy guy i guess

wc: 891

Being in love with Minho was hard. Unfortunately, it was a hardship you had been dealing with for a while now. He was everything to you, your best friend, your soulmate even, although he would always say that soulmates don’t actually call each other that.

The moment you finally realised you were in love with Lee Minho, the two of you were nursing hangovers, a bowl of sundaeguk steaming your face. You had both finally graduated from University, the same place you had met almost 4 years ago. He had finally introduced himself to you after sitting next to you every Tuesday at 9am, after the professor had introduced the fact that group work was required for a project. You hadn’t even heard him speak up until that point, you were kinda beginning to think that was a figment of your imagination until he spoke. 

A year later he told you that he decided to sit next to you because you were the first person who seemed ‘normal’ when he first entered and looked around the room. This confession, of course, had the two of you in fits of giggles at how neither of you turned out to be normal. You had realised you both shared a passion for dance despite your degree studying computer science and had even attended each other's dance showcases and competitions, watching him dance was like nothing else. The way he moved with such practiced precision was so captivating, that it was almost impossible to ever look away.

Beyond that, he was the kindest person you knew. He cared in ways that you had never expected of him. When your boyfriend cheated on you in the summer between years 2 and 3, he showed up to your apartment with kind words and snacks, and he did your dishes for you and even ironed your shirt for work the next day so that you could cry.

Back to the sundaeguk. It was still steaming.

The glint in his eye as he threw his head back giggling at some stupid joke you made you realise. It made you realise a lot of things actually. 

“What happens now?” you ask.

“I don’t know about you but I’m gonna eat this,” he says pointing at his bowl with the chopsticks in his hand.

“No, I mean, now that we’ve graduated.”

He stops mid sausage-to-mouth and blinks at you. 

“We get… jobs, I guess.” The sausage reaches his mouth. You laugh. You let the moment pass.

A month later you’re at a party, he asked you to be his plus one to the after-party of one of his dance shows and you’re talking to one of the other members of the choreography team. She tells you how Minho talks about you and has such admiration for you. When Minho waves at you from across the room, she asks you how you’re not dating. You manage to ramble off something about just being close friends but even you don’t fully believe it. You don’t want this night to end the way it always did. He walks you home, you hold his arm, you let go, and you both say good night. 

You watch him from across the room, the room blaring with music, the sound of voices almost competing. He’s beautiful, you know that, everyone who has ever met him knows that. He’s talking to a friend, one you vaguely recognise, and you feel a pang in your chest, a feeling of impending doom. There’s a fear in your heart that something will take him from you, a job, a person, you don’t know, but you need him to stay with you. You need him.

You finish the drink in your hand and put the empty glass back on the table. You excuse yourself from the group and walk over to him. He notices you and his smile grows wide. 

“Hey! I was just talking about you.” He’s grinning as he says it.

“Only good things I hope.” You raise your eyebrows.

“Of course.”

“Can I talk to you for a second?” you turn a little more serious for a moment. He excuses himself from his friend and the two of you walk outside into the quiet of the night, the cool summer air refreshing.

“Are you okay?” he asks, a hint of concern showing in his eyes.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about things.” you sigh.

“Oh, that’s never good.” 

“I was thinking about you, dumbass.” You roll your eyes.

“Okay, now I’m interested,” he smirks.

You pause as you look at him. You spare a moment thinking of what to say, and how he’ll react, will he accept or reject you? You don’t know. The only thing you do know is Lee Minho, you know him as if you are him, as if you’re connected somehow. You feel like this is already written for you.

“I love you,” you say. He blinks.

“I love you too.”

“No, like, I love you Minho. More than just besties.”

“But if we date, who will be my bestie?” Of course, he jokes. Of course, you laugh.

“You’d have to find a new one.” You giggle.

“Well, looks like I’ll have to get started then.” He leans into you. “I wasn’t kidding,” he says in a softer, quieter voice. “I do love you.”

Being in love with Minho was suddenly so easy, but it always was.

taglist: @lethallyprotected @lieslab @jeyelleohe @lilykatelyn-blog @mimiibear @jisungfanpage47 send me an ask if you want to be added!!

[dayseternal-blog]

please, I would love to know if you have any recommendations for naruhina fanfic that takes place in a high school universe?

I hope you made use of my tagging system in the last 5 months since you sent this 😅. Check out #naruhina high school au on my blog for all the posts I've ever made with that tag.

Here are some of my faves:

“you totally almost killed me that one time (it’s okay I still love you)” by @itachiboutit - Rated G, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete.  Naruto, a promising baseball player, returns to Konoha Prep, and, without so much as even a “long time no see,” hits a ball into Hinata’s face.

“It’s High Tide, Baby” by @spyder-m - Rated T, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. “Despite everything that happened around it, the water would continue to flow. It was majestic and free, so unlike the nature of his own existence.” Could their love withstand the test of distance and time, or was it doomed to slowly fade away?

“Accidentally in Love” by lagseeing1123 - Rated M, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete.  Naruto was supposed to help Kiba get a date with Hinata, but in the process finds himself falling for his best friend’s crush.

“cheerful” by @vegebulsoup - Rated M, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete.  Naruto and Hinata join the cheerleading team!  Love drama ensues.

“October - Horror” from “Still Falling for You” by @chloelapomme - Rated T, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Hinata has an unhealthy obsession.  Naruto does, too.

“Uninhibited” by EroPrincess - Rated M, High School AU, One-shot. People have said confidence is gained through inebriation.

“Asynchronous With You” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Hinata is done pining for her foster brother, Naruto. And yet, maybe that’s the best time for him to pick up right where she left off.

“Jealousy” by Cheating Death - Rated M, High School AU, One-shot.  Naruto realizes he’s really into Hinata, but who’s that senpai hanging around her?

“Chapter 25″ of “Between the Trees” by @utsus - Rated G, One-shot. Naruto is getting used to his new prosthetic arm.

“Promise” by @linisen - Rated T, One-shot.  Writing on your own skin will appear on your soulmate’s skin.

and I've written several high school aus. here are a few of my most popular:

“Friend of Mine” - Rated T, High School AU, One-shot. When Naruto finally decides to confess to Sakura, Hinata begins to reevaluate her close friendship with her longtime crush.

“It’s No Secret” - Rated M, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Hinata returns to Konoha to enjoy her last year of high school, but her secret grows too heavy to bear. 

“Tell Me of Forevers” - Rated T, High School AU, Two-shot. Delinquent Naruto is trying to change himself for the better.

“Awkward Jocks” - Rated G, High School/1990s AU, 3-Shot. She knows that if he were to ever ask her out, she would accept in a heartbeat. After all, he’s the star quarterback and basketball player. Plus, she’s liked him since…forever. But when her home phone rings, and he’s on the other line, she hangs up.

Anyone can add on with their favorite high school au!

[batmanego]

SO YOU'RE TIRED OF BATMAN: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO DC SUPERHEROES

one of the most common things i hear when trying to get people to read comics is that they're just not that into batman. which boggles my mind! not because i'm a huge batman fan -- which i am, but i can understand why people might not be interested in his comics -- but because it's insane to me that batman (or superman, or wonder woman, or any other dc superhero they've made a movie about) is people's default perception of dc superheroes.

there's a whole world out there! and if you're intimidated by the big superheroes, or uninterested in their stories, or even if you like them but you're looking for something different, this is the guide for you. without further ado, i present:

DC MINUS THE BIG THREE: A FIELD GUIDE FOR THE DISENCHANTED AND DISINTERESTED

DOOM PATROL (1987)

to nobody's surprise, doom patrol is first on my list of recommendations. it's a comic book about a group of disabled people who have been labeled freaks, weirdos, or otherwise undesirable by society, coming together to save a world that doesn't care about them because there has to be beauty in it somewhere.

good for: well, i'll let the introduction quote do the talking. “remember when all the other kids on the block had superman and batman as positive role modes? well, if you could only identify with a human brain in a metal body or a guy wrapped up in bandages, and if you grew up weird, welcome home. you’re among friends now.”

read doom patrol here. trigger warnings for: ableism, child sexual abuse, medical abuse, transphobia.

2. HELLBLAZER (1988) BUT ONLY THE FIRST 41 ISSUES OK?

hellblazer is a 300 issue long comic book, mostly comprised of dogshit stories by dogshit writers. i am recommending it because i genuinely think the first 41 issues are art. please do not do as i did and read all of hellblazer. you won't survive the experience. ok? ok.

hellblazer is a comic about aging punk magician/occultist john constantine trying desperately to sort out his life in late 80s london while constantly being beset by poor life choices, poverty, and also lots and lots and lots and lots of demons.

good for: punks, anarchists, fans of the occult, enemies of aleister crowley, anyone who has a personal vendetta against margaret thatcher.

read hellblazer here, BUT STOP READING AFTER THE FIRST 41 ISSUES OK? trigger warnings for: literally almost everything you can imagine, but specifically discussions of child sexual abuse are prominent in the original sins run. also, it was written by a white man in the 80s, so it suffers from "white man in the 80s" syndrome.

3. WILDCATS (1999)

"FERRIS", some of you comic book knowers cry, "WILDCATS IS WILDSTORM NOT DC". to that i say Shut the fuck up DC acquired the rights to the wildstorm universe it's close e-fucking-nough.

wildcats 1999 is about cole cash (a conman and ex-special ops man), hadrian 7 (an alien robot posing as a human named jack marlowe), and noir (a bisexual ex-arms dealer from france who talks in the third person) picking up the pieces of the OLD wildcats team after they all found out they were soldiers in a war that ended before most of them were born and nobody bothered to tell them, and trying to 1) run a company and 2) save the world.

good for: people who hate the military, tacky sci-fi fans, anyone who wishes guys would suck more, anyone interested in the horrors of war.

read wildcats 1999 here.

4. SLEEPER

"ferris i want to leave wildstorm" too fucking bad. we're talking about sleeper right now.

sleeper is about holden carver, an undercover agent in the world's largest underground crime organization/network, who gets stuck undercover when his handler (the only guy who knows he's undercover and not just a traitor) gets shot and put in a coma. it is about grappling with your own morality, losing faith in your ideals, and (like most wildstorm properties), how war is a pointless exercise in horror.

good for: fans of spy thrillers, evil women enjoyers, evil men enjoyers, anyone who has ever thought they could make someone worse, people who want bad things to happen to people in power.

read sleeper season 1 here, and then sleeper season 2 here. trigger warnings for pedophilia (the pedophile gets beat to death in issue 2), homophobia, and child abuse.

5. THE AUTHORITY (1999)

stop crying we're almost done with wildstorm. the authority is a comic book about 6 super-people (who are very loose parodies of the justice league) forming a self-described "anarchist cell" to operate against the wishes and outside the influence of earth's governments to defend the planet against extraterrestrial threats and handle human rights violations.

good for: political science fans, good sci-fi enjoyers, people who think batman and superman should have kissed instead of making a million movies, people in polyamorous six-ples.

read the authority here. trigger warning for "this writer probably shouldn't have written this asian nation like this", homophobia, sexual abuse.

6. SUICIDE SQUAD (1987)

hey, remember how i was talking about wildcats? imagine the same sort of themes of wildcats (the horrors of war, the effects of being in the military, american imperialism, what it means to be a hero or even a good person), and then apply them to the worst group of people you've ever had the displeasure of being in the same room as, and they all fucking hate each other. suicide squad is about a bunch of incarcerated villains being "recruited" (forced) into working hero-missions for the government, because nobody will miss them if they die.

good for: villain apologists, people who (in the immortal words of hack/slash) think "there just aren't enough big mean women in comics", and this guy:

[ID: a comment on read comics online by “the king of anime” reading, “I want to give this a try would it be worth it”. end ID.]

read suicide squad here. trigger warning for, again "white man in the 80s syndrome", along with... probably pretty much everything else imaginable (it's been a while since i read this!)

7. STARMAN (1994)

starman is a story told with the drama of a theater production about jack knight, a late-20s to early-30s punk antiques dealer who gets the mantle of starman (a well-known superhero from the golden age) thrust upon him suddenly. it is a story about legacy, family duties, identity, and most importantly about being kind of a loser who gets shot at all the fucking time.

good for: sci-fi fans who are too proud to admit they also like fantasy, rock opera listeners, family disappointments, single fathers.

read starman here. trigger warning for sexual assault.

8. ARKHAM CITY: THE ORDER OF THE WORLD (2021)

"ferris you said no batman" i did. i did not say no batman villains.

arkham city: the order of the world focuses on some of batman's lesser-known foes, and the fallout of arkham asylum collapsing. i can't really explain it more than that, but it is good and legitimately unnerving at times.

good for: horror fans, enemies of the psychiatric system, villain enjoyers, people who live in new york city.

read arkham city: the order of the world here.

9. THE SHADE (1997) and THE SHADE (2012)

hey, remember starman? want a series about the old immortal victorian man with an "ambiguous sexuality" from it? okay. the shade (1997) follows his origins: specifically, his long-standing beef with one specific family. the shade (2012) is a sort of cross-country whodunnit as the shade tries to track down who is trying (and failing) to murder him.

good for: bisexual enjoyers, dramatic theater kids, vampire fans, goths, people who would have fucked lord byron given the opportunity.

read the shade (1997) here, and the shade (2012) here.

10. METAL MEN (2007)

lastly (but not least), a comic featuring will magnus from doom patrol. metal men (2007) is... a complicated story. it's about robots? it's about being mentally ill. it's about a guy who is so divorced forever. it's about being a little loser guy. it's about time travel, and terrible relationships with your brother. it's hard to describe. but it's fun.

good for: bad sci-fi enjoyers, people who can understand the timeline of looper, robot fans, anyone who has ever been consumed by a desire to create.

read metal men (2007) here.

BONUS:

not included in this list because batman is there, i encourage everyone to have a look at the original justice league international series. it is a superhero comedy. it is silly and stupid and i love it.

OKAY, THAT'S ALL! THANKS FOR READING!

[rev-wrath]

I've seen a piece of fanart about the in-universe Gothamite's guide to ships Bruce is part of and it got me thinking about that with the albatross duo (who are looped together cause have u seen them interacting with each other. like they'd ever break off their bond). The average Gothamite discusses the duo's potential/speculative third on at least a bi-weekly basis cause there's literal no other gossip in the god-forsaken city-

I think the most popular person that they're shipped with is Harvey- both pre & post Two-Face. Older Gothamites remember seeing the three of 'em running about the city when they were all pups and younger ones saw pictures and tabloid articles about Harvey and Bruce and R. Post Two-Face tho... it's childhood friends + doomed lovers and just tragedy all around so it's still a popular ship I think.

Some other ships include- one with that Metropolitan Journalist, Clark Kent- who's the only one to have gotten an interview with both their pathetic lil mew mew Bruce Wayne and his knight R, at the same time. And the fact that he left the grounds of R's mansion wearing very different clothes from when he first came to the city really didn't help. (Batman needed help from Superman for a thing, and one event led to another and ruined all of Clark's clothes. It was only by pure chance that R had spare clothes in the man's size in the storage.)

Another one is with Batman, the city's Dark Knight. Now, R and the Bat think they're being subtle but everyone knows they chase each other across the city's roofs. Some people speculate that R's being unfaithful to Bruce but that's like a minority opinion (Alfred laughs at that when he unwittingly comes across those kinds of posts).

Post JL formation though, the duo- as they're the main investors for the League ofc- would get shipped with. So. Many. Of. The. Heroes. Superman? Yeah, everyone's seen the way he carried Bruce Wayne out of a building princess-carry style. And the way he caught R whilst they were falling from a high place. Wonderwoman? She curls around protectively around the both of them during press conferences. The Green Lantern? The Flash (Barry and R have a laugh at that)? They all play into it tho. Maybe there is an underlying attraction there somewhere or maybe they're focusing the attention (of being many superheroes' 'weaknesses') on R + Bruce bc they can protect themselves.

Post Damian introduction tho, I feel like Talia would become more and more of a popular candidate for their third. She does linger around Bruce and R often, and later on it would be more of a public knowledge that Talia is Damian's birth mother so they all speculate that the three of them were in a secret courtship when Bruce and R were both out of the city.

The kids all have their favourite candidates and they make their picks known on Twitter.

(Did u know I had this ask in my mind last night and I wrote in my notes tell myself to send it to you in the morning bc I know that our short timeframe together is around that time)

I love all of this.

Everyone not involved has a stake in it. R gets dragged into YouTube compilation with Bruce. “The Prince and Knight of Gotham being the IT COUPLE for 6 minutes”. Then it expands into “A Deep Dive into Gotham’s It Couple” which then continues into who they’re potentially dating or hooked up with up. There’s a casual comment from the commentator about how they wouldn’t mind being a third.

The kids hang it over each other’s head anytime something happens. Jason would vote Diana but thinks she’s too good for Bruce so he’s with Damian in the Triple Parent team. Dick is with Clark and always has been. As a bit they do also say Batman isn’t any good for their parents, knowing that Batman is literally one of their parents.

[lokiondisneyplus]

You might have done a little happy dance upon learning that Ke Huy Quan — who first left his mark on Hollywood in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Short Round and most recently won an Academy Award for his role in Everything, Everywhere All At Once — was joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, when Quan found out an invitation for him to join the MCU was being extended he had to pull over to the side of the road because he was getting teary-eyed and couldn’t see. 

“I’ve been a fan of the Marvel Universe for a long, long time, and I always fantasized about joining the MCU family but that was only a fantasy that I didn’t think it would ever come true, it was a distant dream of mine.” Quan explained. “I watched Loki season 1 on Disney Plus and I thought it was one of the most creative and just best-looking cinematography, costume, production design; everything was just top notch. It was one of the most creative shows that I’ve ever seen in a long, long time.”

After his role in the Oscar-winning Everything, Everywhere All At Once caught the attention of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, he reached out to Quan with an offer. 

“One day my agent told me, ‘Kevin Feige is going to give you a call from Marvel Studios’, and he told me between a certain time, between 5 and 7, and I was so nervous but at the same time I was also very, very excited. I remember I was in a meeting at that time, and I told the person I was having the meeting with, ‘I’m so sorry, but at 4:50 I’m going to have to leave,’ but I didn’t tell them why, so I set my alarm clock at 4:50. And when it rang, I got out of there, expecting this important call from Mr. Kevin Feige. I was just driving home and all of a sudden, my phone rang, and I picked it up, and on the other end I heard this voice, hello, hi, I’m Kevin Feige, hello Ke.”

On the phone, Feige praised Quan’s performance, which tugged on his heartstrings so much he couldn’t contain his emotions. 

“I started getting teary eyed and I was driving, and I couldn’t see. And I had to pull off to the side of the road and we’re talking, and then he said, would you like to join the MCU family? I was ecstatic, I was so happy and to get that call from him meant the world to me.”

Quan now joins the MCU in the second season of Marvel Studios’ Loki playing Ouroboros — or O.B. for short. He works, all alone, in the very bottom basement of the Time Variance Authority, but “he’s super happy with his job, he doesn’t sleep, and he works 24/7.” 

It might be intimidating joining the ranks alongside long-time Marvel star Tom Hiddleston and his on-screen best friend, Owen Wilson’s Mobius. But Quan fit right in. 

“He's a dream, I can't imagine anyone else playing this role,” Executive Producer Kevin Wright explains. “What you see on camera is what we get behind the camera. He slotted right into this team, which is already a fantastic ensemble. He's just a beautiful, inspiring person to work with.”

Wright notes that what Hiddleston and Wilson created with Loki and Mobius is “beloved,” and adding a third person might make for a third-wheel situation. But not with Quan. Quan, “came in with his own kind of unique aspect to that trio. It was just honestly being true to himself, being true to the character. He just adds this extra ingredient that wasn't there before. There's almost this whimsy. He just felt like a natural part of the team.”

It might have been a seamless fit, but that doesn’t mean Quan didn’t come prepared with a ton of questions about his character and the world of the TVA. 

“In the beginning I was quite nervous because it’s such a well-written character and I wanted to do it justice,” he continues. “I had a lot of creative meetings with our producers and with our directors. I would sit down, and I would ask them all these kinds of questions because I wanted to give justice to this wonderfully created character by our writer and producer.”

Looking back, Quan calls the whole process memorable, adding, “Every day I walk on set in a great mood and that’s how I finish the day as well. Every single person — the cast and the crew, has made this journey so memorable.”

And as for where he fits into the larger MCU? Quan’s already passed the first test of not talking about spoilers — not even asking about them. 

“I’m only familiar with what Loki Season 2 is about but I don’t want to know too much,” He jokes. “I want to be like a fan and discover it just the way everybody else does.”

Editor’s note: The following interview was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics Including PJ (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

A night in Florence (ao3) - Japhan2024

Summary: "And then there was the concertmaster. His name was Phil Lester, he was a slender, tall guy and an enigma. Nobody knew much about him. He would tell the odd joke and people would lose it - especially Louise - but he mostly kept to himself."

a night to remember (ao3) - grievingwarwidow

Summary: roxie, who prefers the label exotic performer over stripper, is a star amongst people who are out when the sun goes down. who better for a close-minded phil who has despised what he labels as lowlifes to suddenly obsess over than Roxie himself?

aka the one where phil gets pathetically hung up on dan, better known as roxie and is desperate to get to know him better.

baby can't you see? (i'm calling) (ao3) - danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess)

Summary: Two years after Dan's ill-advised stint up a mountain, and Phil's escape from a Royal psychopath, their dramatic flying off into the horizon hasn't had such a steady landing. Phil is consumed by his new venture in giving back to the world, but Dan is receiving none of this graciousness. Their living situation remains unstable, and they're barely in the same room long enough to hold hands.

It's all about to break apart, when the pandemic hits them where it hurts. Once again, Dan and Phil find themselves thrown into isolation with one another, back up where it all began. The memories of The Secret of the Alps are both fond and traumatic; being there again, trapped and in a bitter feud, is worryingly familiar. Can they make it out together a second time around? Or is this cycle doomed to repeat itself forever, until one of them calls it quits?

Butterfly (ao3) - A_Million_Regrets

Summary: Phil Lester, a lonely writer, finds a dying boy with beautiful black wings on a cold, rainy night in a dingy alleyway. He recognizes the boy as one of the winged men hated by human society. They are considered to be wild, ferocious beasts, but Phil's sympathy forces him to help the boy.

What happens when the boy, considered to be a wild beast, gets too attached and follows him home with an innocent, dimpled smile?

Dan and His Butterflies (ao3) - Raspberrysaxophone

Summary: Dan is terribly in love with Phil (the sporty jog). So much so, that Dan joins the school's sports team to be closer to him. As Dan awkwardly stumbles around, Phil starts to take notice of him. A party takes place and who knows what a drunk Dan might do...

dancing on the blades (you set my heart on fire) (ao3) - kishere

Summary: Dan Howell is an ice skater in England, a non power player in the world of competitive ice skating. Phil Lester is the greatest ice skater to come out of England in the past decade, part of a family legacy. When Dan is offered a spot at Phil's family gym, he learns what he was missing the most to be the best ice skater he could be.

Or: the yuri on ice inspired au

Ethereal (ao3) - Sinncity

Summary: Dan’s not normal. In fact, he’s never met a single person exactly like him. No one else can move objects with their mind, just by a simple thought. He lives life carefully, limited interactions and semi-non-existent social life. That is, until a pair of sapphire eyes change everything.

First Impressions (Perhaps I Was Wrong) (ao3) - Ablissa

Summary: Phil Lester goes back to university for his third year, expecting to live in the dorms with his childhood best friend PJ. That's how it's been for the past years, after all. However, due to a mistake of some sort, he finds himself with a new roommate to spend the semester with.

Daniel Howell, three years his junior, has rich brown eyes, a laptop to hide them behind, and not more than two words to spare in Phil's direction. Phil is no fortune teller, but he foresees the upcoming months will be filled with a whole lot of awkward silence.

Unless, of course, Dan proves him wrong...

Could one little mistake lead to something entirely life-changing? Perhaps it could. After all, nearly everything changes when Phil meets Dan.

First to Listen (To Anything I Said) (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: It's 2004, and Dan Howell is screwing up in school. He can't help that he's stuck in boring classes with boring people and just doesn't care. So when Phil Lester, one of the geekiest kids in school, is assigned to be his tutor, he's expecting this to just be another crappy part of his already crappy life.

But when it turns out Phil might be Dan's first real friend, his hormones threaten to screw all that up. Because that's all it is, right? Hormones?

give this thing a try (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Dan is a cashier at a grocery store, and Phil is his supervisor. One evening at work, Phil surprises Dan by asking him out on a date, and of course Dan, who's had a crush on Phil since forever, says yes. Cue, the freaking out and comfort ensues.

i don't know why (i can't keep my eyes off of you) (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Starting a new university is hard enough without Phil having to convince his best friend PJ he doesn't have a crush on their other flatmate, Dan. He definitely does not have a crush on Dan.

I try to picture me without you but I can't (ao3) - solarpower21

Summary: After Dan's tragic death, Phil starts having a bunch of strange dreams where he is still alive. But are they really just dreams?

Or: Phil's soul consciousness can't cope with Dan's death, so he starts hopping between different universes, trying to look for him.

Just Like Magic (ao3) - waylesssad

Summary: There is a lot more to magic than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

Kick Me While I'm Down (ao3) - jerseker

Summary: Dan and Phil meet in an adult kickball league. Phil is just there to make friends. Dan is - not.

Les Règles du Jeu (ao3) - danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess)

Summary: Games night at PJ's. Phil wants to play.

Like a cicada rhythm. (ao3) - emmibug

Summary: every night they share the same bed, legs twisted together, arms holding each other close. dan and phil haven’t grown up from their childlike sense of friendship which leads people to believe there’s something deeper going on.

a dan and phil childhood best friends to lovers AU where they share the same bed and always have done.

My Juliet (ao3) - RyRyCaptain

Summary: Phil is a world-famous playwright, and he's directing his newest play, Romeo and Juliet. Dan is an actor who luckily receives the part of Juliet.

Since 2009 (Heart and Love Eyed) (ao3) - LowBatteryPanda

Summary: Since 2009, I have loved you. I spent most of my youth with you, I learned so much from being with you and being by your side. And I am so thankful for it, I am thankful for every moment. I could not of imagined spending all of this time, with a dork like you in the best way possible.

If I would've told myself at that time to be happier with life, I would. Knowing that my life was going to change around. I am so thankful every minute of everyday. And I can't believe what I am actually about to say right now.

Will you marry me Phillip Michael Lester?

so american (ao3) - ae121

Summary: Phil has been living in London for a year and thinks he's gotten pretty used to the city. He works part-time at a bookstore, using it at first to gain some friends, now it's just fun for him. His friends are constantly trying to find him someone to date, but all of his dates don't go well.

Well, that's until he met Dan.

strike a deal, kiss my lips (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Witches were the only magical beings capable of binding and controlling demons. It required a complicated ritual and crazy amounts of magic.

It happening on accident was practically unheard of until Phil came along and got tangled up with a snarky and dangerous demon named Dan. Suddenly bound together, Phil must grapple with control over a chaotic demon that wants to strip the skin from his bones.

And maybe strip the clothes off of his body as well.

that's what friends are for (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: Long before Dan Howell was a rock god, he was in a band.

The Cherry Blossom Secret (ao3) - BlueFox1319

Summary: A secret lies in this hideaway, for when an almost mad artist and a grief ridden photographer meet.

Their worlds could either wilt or bloom with unknowing enchantment.

'tis the damn season (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Dan is the coffee shop regular at the shop Phil just started working at. Phil quickly learns that Dan is a bit of a Grinch who refuses to try the shops' holiday drinks, or anything new really. Phil's determined to change Dan's mind about the holiday drinks.

Two Doors Down (ao3) - danfanciesphil (thejigsawtimess)

Summary: Dan drums in the dead of night to dispel the quiet. Phil can hear him from two doors down.

When the Weather Breaks (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Sitting across from Phil on that worn out velvet Starbucks sofa, sharing sickeningly sweet coffees and what they would like to think were hushed giggles, was the first time Dan felt a glimpse at what real love could feel like.

or

Perception checks, pining, and peppermint mochas.

[clonerightsagenda]

lucy carlyle for the ask game!!! :)

(Ask meme here)

We are 2 for 2 for teen girls hanging out with the dead tonight huh. Maybe Aradia should be Lucy's next dead girlfriend.

First impression

Stroud likes his scrappy teen girls, huh? I respect that. A man can have worse stock characters.

Impression now

While she clearly shares DNA with Kitty (insert the 'he she lost her whole squad' meme) she is her own character and I like that she's petty and irrational and unfair in ways that make sense for her age. Honestly she is so extremely 13-15 it is hard for me to imagine what she will be like once she is an adult. But yknow. Tossup whether she'll make it that far anyway.

Favorite moment

I go on about all the CEOs she kills but siccing a guy's dead ex-girlfriend who he murdered on him after he threatens to kill you because he thinks you're the weak link was a great move. Really set my expectations.

Idea for a story

While I respect Stroud writing technology out of the world because he simply does not want to deal with it, I would love to see Lucy Carlyle unleashed on social media. I think she'd do numbers (derogatory). She'd write lengthy screeds about ghosthunting procedures and then tell people disagreeing with her to kill themselves. Meanwhile Lockwood has a google alert for his name and George is on fantasy Sci Hub. They can still have their intervention like 'Lucy you are putting too much trust in mysterious beings whose true faces and intentions you can't ascertain, it's drawing you closer to a realm inimical to human life that will warp you beyond all recognition if it doesn't kill you outright' but it's just because she has some weird tumblr mutuals.

Also don't think I didn't notice that when Lockwood goes "yeah I told Barnes there's no way we're doing anything with the other side ever again" and the rest of his team loudly agrees with him Lucy is conspicuously quiet. She's keeping her options open. Maybe she wants to go beat up Marissa Fittes again. She deserves to.

Unpopular opinion

Leaving the agency when she did was probably the right call. She and Lockwood's clashing personality traits and priorities were bringing out the worst in each other and making everyone else miserable. (I am so sorry Holly.) They didn't really resolve everything either, so if that workplace relationship is going to work out they should probably get therapy. Bright side is there must be loads of child therapists in this universe right. They'd probably have to be dragged kicking and screaming though. Maybe if you told them the office was haunted and then locked the door behind them.

Favorite relationship

If Lucy and Lockwood have clashing traits that bring out the worst in each other, Lucy and the skull just share a lot of their worst traits already, and I think that's very funny. Instead of saying she is so empathetic and pure of heart that she can befriend sinister ghosts Stroud was like yeah they just both suck in similar ways and thus get on, to everyone else's confusion and dismay. Honestly surprised they got anything done during their flatmates era besides coming up with mean burns about their neighbors.

Also this is a hostage situation. I appreciate Stroud's willingness to make his leads complicit. Marissa delivers the classic "we're not so different you and I" villain speech, but she has a point. They're both trapping and exploiting the dead to protect their lives and careers; it's just a difference of scale, and once you've justified something, scale is negotiable.

However I'm very invested in Show!Lucy's doomed girlfriend so watch this metaphorical space for whenever I finally meet her.

Favorite headcanon

Talent seems largely random but Lucy is described as being connected to the other side even before she crosses over, so I think maybe she was a preemie or almost died some other way as a child and that's why she's Like That.

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Protorave

"I should let people still working in there know about this. They might be affected."

No -- It's better they don't know.

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "You mean... Plaisance and the dicemaker? There was almost no one left when we packed up."

"No, just the dicemaker. I don't think Plaisance would survive this knowledge."

"No, just Plaisance. I don't think Neha is playing fair in this game."

"Yes, both of them deserve to know."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Then go tell them." She smiles, suddenly encouraging.

New task: Inform Dicemaker about the Source of Doom New task: Inform Plaisance about the Source of Doom

Maybe we should also tell Garte? Bookstore's closed by now, though.

3. "Tiago -- under the roof -- he said he's circling the spot, like a saeraff. He seemed to have lost his mind."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "The crab-man... From what I've heard, his state could be reminiscent of pale over-exposure. Time-perception related illnesses, memory malfunctions, thought insertion."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - She's agreeing more and more. Partially because she *wants* to.

INLAND EMPIRE [Trival: Success] - And then there is you. And what happened to *your* mind. Are you not a saeraff in worship too?

4. "I think I've had this thought before. That's how I know."

KIM KITSURAGI - "An amateur-entroponetic police officer... I'd like to say I've heard stranger things, but I'm not sure. This is a hell of a guess, however. Well worded I might add..."

+1 Reputation

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Yes, it is *very* interesting, but I wouldn't say you *know*. This is a guess. One that's going to have to be *proved* -- by entroponetic scientists."

5. (Conclude.) "One day all the world will be like that two-millimetre hole."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - She falls silent. The wind blows in through the hole in the stained glass window. Cold and moist.

+5 XP

Thought gained: Clearing Out the Rooms

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "I'm going to leave that out -- but the rest... some of this I can use to *start* to explain this to the rest of the team. Maybe I'll sound mad, but..."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Ma'am, you will *certainly* sound mad."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - She shrugs. "One more thing -- maybe a club for anodic music isn't the *worst* thing you can erect around this particular... *point in space*?"

"Perhaps not."

"Yeah, that's still insane, but then again -- so am I."

"The club is the only thing keeping this place -- and the rest of reality -- together."

"Actually, now that I think of it, maybe it's dangerous?"

EGG HEAD - "YEAAAGHHH! ONCE THE LIGHT IS ON IN THE UNIVERSE -- IT WILL NEVER GO OUT!"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Thank you, Egg Head. Let's leave it at that, shall we? We have un-entroponetic detection to perform in this district."

"I do have one mystery that still needs solving... the radio ghost in the Doomed Commercial Area's electronic doorbell."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "The creepy woman!" She slaps her forehead. "We were wondering about that when we worked there... but I had completely forgotten about it ever since!"

"It must be entroponetic crosstalk. The one you get in radios and long-distance calls… Now it makes sense, with the pale right on the doorstep."

+5 XP

KIM KITSURAGI - "Incredible..." the lieutenant murmurs. "This would also explain why we get it on the police radio all the time."

"Entroponetic crosstalk?"

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "It's quite common actually. When the signal gets routed through pale, all kinds of irregularities take place. You may hear snippets of someone else's conversation, or the voice of your former lover, or an echo of an event that took place 100 years ago."

"Pale is a shroud of memories and it doesn't really distinguish to whom those memories belong to. You could hear anything."

"That makes sense. Thanks for explaining that to me."

SOONA, THE PROGRAMMER - "Anytime." She smiles.

4. "Right, I'll let you work in peace now." [Leave.]

Cold wind blows in from the broken gallery... makes your skin crawl.

CLEANING OUT THE ROOMS

Temporary research bonus: None Research time: 5h 35m

Someone's been walking around in your dreams lately, looking for something. Tidying up, rearranging. Storing away all the unrealized dreams, putting old pains in boxes. The worst nightmares have settled down for a while. A spot of light on the bedroom door after the dark. The fluttering of eyelids in the spring sun. A thought that arises, only to disappear again. And yet there's a pattern emerging…

None of the speedfreaks have anything to say about what just happened, except...

EGG HEAD - "Good morning, comrade! Yeaaaaaah!" He waves his hand in the air. "Harder core!" The words echo magnificently throughout the nave.

"Whoa, that was a crazy sound we heard before."

EGG HEAD - "Yeah! It was awesome, and scary. Very hard core!" His voice booms through the chamber, then gets silent.

"Too hard core, in fact." He brushes his hand through his hair. "I couldn't control it. At all!"

"What happened?"

EGG HEAD - "It sucks up all the air in the mix until its the only thing left! Starts compressing itself and everything around it. Completely fills up the headspace. Extreme!"

PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Medium: Success] - Inside your chest, the heart beats still with the after-effects of the sound. Imagine if you could harness that power... making it pulse.

"What if this is the answer to van Eyck's jam? We could use the sound for the bass…"

EGG HEAD - "Ooh. Ooh!" His puzzled face turns into a wicked grin. "But how?!"

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - What about the compressor the one with the spiky hair was setting up... to achieve some sort of *parallel processing*...

7. [Interfacing - Godly 16] The audio onslaught can be tamed. Connect the dots.

+1 Andre's compression algorithm.

INTERFACING [Godly: Failure] - *Bzoot-bzoot-bzoot* goes the track in the background, never-ending. You can't grasp what's missing. But you can try to make something up anyway.

Just make it up. No way this speedfreak can tell the difference.

Whereof one cannot speak, one ought to remain silent.

INTERFACING - You scrape the mouldy recesses of your brain for some technological sounding jargon. It'll impress the large-headed speedfreak.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Isn't that what *real* artists do? Make it up as they go along?

"You should crank up the, uh, oscillator matrix."

"Dude, you gotta reroute the sound juice through the fluxifier!"

"I don't know the technical term, but it needs less bzoot-bzoot."

EGG HEAD - "Oscillator matrix?" The man's brow furrows with concern. "Where is that?"

"Oh, you don't *have* one? Maybe it's just top-secret cop-tech."

"It's nowhere. I just made it up."

"Here, let a pro show you how it's done." (Turn some knobs at random.)

EGG HEAD - As you fiddle with the knobs on the mixer, the young man stares with amazement...

"Cop-man can ride the knobs! SO COOL." He gives you a thumbs up.

INTERFACING - Whatever it is you did, it seems to have helped slightly. Maybe now you'll be able to make sense of it?

+1 Andre's compression algorithm. +1 Fiddled with some knobs.

7. [Interfacing - Godly 16] The audio onslaught can be tamed. Connect the dots.

INTERFACING [Godly: Failure] - Here's an idea -- say what you said before. The exact same thing! OR. Or, wait! Say something that's only marginally different! It will yield a drastically different outcome.

3. "I don't know the technical term, but it needs less *bzoot-bzoot*."

EGG HEAD - "YEEEEAAARRGGHH. PUMP OFF THE *BZOOT-BZOOT*."

INTERFACING - It's hard to say for sure, but the digital throbbing seems ever so slightly louder than before.

This one doesn't unlock the check again.

8. "Alright. Goodbye, Egg Head." [Leave.]

ANDRE - "Oh, hey, man! It's good to see you." He dances over to you in an inexplicably soft-core manner. It's embarrassing.

3. [Savoir Faire - Impossible 18] No words. Just dance.

+1 Higher quality audio. +1 Dance fever incoming. +1 Found the melody.

This check is still impossibly low, but with The Precarious World we do have a *slightly* better chance. You know, a 3/36 chance instead of 1/36.

SAVOIR FAIRE [Impossible: Failure] - You close your eyes and dream of the shapes your body should form to bring this strange music into life. For now, such ferocity of motion is beyond you...

LIMBIC SYSTEM - ...but just *imagine* the moves you could pull to this futuristic beat!

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - Puts a grin on your face just to think about it. Even a failed attempt gets the juices flowing and repairs some of the damage done by battles lost. If you up the dose and TRULY DANCE, who knows what will happen?

+1 Morale

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - SALVATION!

4. "That's it for now." [Leave.]

ANDRE - "Goodbye, officer."

Looks like we're not making any more progress in the church until we can pass one of these checks.

We still have half an hour before we're due to meet with the Pigs, though, so let's take care of one other thing.

🎵 Disco Elysium, Pt 2

This door is closed for today. Time to put the kids to sleep.

Lilienne is still here, however.

LILIENNE, THE NET PICKER - "Aye, the sea's gonna calm down soon. I can feel it. The wind is turning southeast." She nods. "What's on your mind, officer?"

4. [Suggestion - Heroic 15] She needs to go on a date with *another* drunk. Badly.

-1 Kim's presence makes it awkward. +2 Dresscode: Man of charms.

SUGGESTION [Heroic: Failure] - Alcohol-man? That's *exactly* what she needs! Now make her see that.

3. "Since the dawn of mankind, Al-Gul has watched over the re-procreation of our species. Lay with me. Let's celebrate the Gul."

LILIENNE, THE NET PICKER - "Now there's a whole shipment of big words." She looks at you from head to toe. "May mankind be plentiful, I guess? Can I get back to my nets now?"

SUGGESTION - She doesn't even *understand* you asked her out. Perhaps you're too sober to pull it off right now? Try again later.

Ah well, we can still come back here without Kim.

5. "Be seeing you." [Leave.]

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast Watches Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 41: There Will Be A Royal Wedding Season 1, Episode 42: The Sand People

Episode 41: There Will Be A Royal Wedding I think I recognize this episode title, PART THREE LETS GOO

recap timeee

THERE HE IS SVEN IS SO BACK

"I am a wild man, I live in this tunnel eating roots and mushrooms!" SVEN PLEASE

Romelle recognizes him!

Oh god, he's breaking down over his trauma for getting hurt and trying to heal but then he got enslaved all over again without being able to fight and still hurting

the start of the only couple ever, Keith and Allura could never happen because Keith would never stop self sabotaging himself and Sven is willing to be a malewife

he's so scared to call the force because he's scared of them seeing him broken like that he's calling them anyway

WHY IS ALLURA IN A TAN DRESS?? WHAT HAPPENED

oh an escaped slave ship full of slaves is getting recaptured

"do you think princess Ro-MEAL could survive down there?" Zarkon PRONOUNCE HER NAME RIGHT

oh also they're planning to take over Pollux while she's gone

WHY DO THEY KEEP CALLING HER RO-MEAL

new robeast, it's literally an iron woman that they called iron maiden pretty cool though OH GOD IS SHE CRUSHING PEOPLE IN HER HANDS?? THAT'S HORRIFYING

Romelle is trying to stop it, but Sven is stopping her because if she shows herself then their whole plan is fucked time to steal another slave ship to get her home!

The doomites have worse aim than storm troopers

poor Romelle she's crying for the other slaves who helped her and Sven escape, nobody else was able to make it with them BUT THEY GOT IN CONTACT WITH THE TEAM AND THEY'RE MEETING UP

voltron formed up early,,, it's getting serious folks

"so she wouldn't have me, but she runs away with some slave!" WHY ARE YOU SALTY ABOUT THAT LOTOR

Romelle and Bandor finally get to speak again, JUST GET THOSE BABIES TOGETHER DAMN IT

space battle with the iron maiden guys please you spoke too early now the real fight is starting with her gold form instead of her silver one

that's a cool attack, the crown tied up voltron after it hit his head

WHY IS BANDOR OUT THERE WITH A SINGLE SHIP THIS IS WHY HE GOT HIT

oh wow Voltron is taking such a bad beating Sven doesn't even want to help but Romelle is girlbossing so hard he can't help say yes

Voltron is freed by dumb luck, formed up blazing sword and the fight is over with a lot of explosions

Now they're back on Pollux and Romelle and Bandor finally get to hug again! Sven is officially Romelle's malewife "she gave me back my life" GOD HE'S SO IN LOVE

this episode went by so fast

/episode end

Episode 42: The Sand People oh man I remember some stuff from this episode

OH NOW YOU WANNA CARE ABOUT OTHER PLANETS CORAN

sand people lore: they're timid and sweet people and look like turtles Zarkon wants to turn them into weapons

"my horoscope tells now the time to be nasty" ZARKON'S LISTENS TO HIS HOROSCOPE?? ASTROLOGIST ZARKON CONFIRMED

PIDGE OSTRICHED INTO THE SAND AS GREEN THAT'S SO CUTE also Keith told him bless you after he sneezed, they're adorable

how are the team getting sand peoples tracks to scan on it accurately so can the lions 'smell' in order to do scans?

UNIDENTIFIED MY ASS, THAT SHIP HAS SKULL ON IT, IT'S FROM DOOM oh cool underground base- NO PIDGE GOT TAKEN DOWN BY SNAKES

ARE THEY UNSCREWING GREENS LIMBS FROM HER?

PIDGE STOP QUESTIONING PEOPLE WHO ARE GIVING YOU ADVICE ON HOW TO GET OUT OF AN ATTACK I KNOW ROMELLE ACCIDENTALLY BETRAYED YOU BUT STILL

oh the sand people definitely died if they got taken by those snakes

Pidge saying he needs to call them team, but Keith was already running towards his location He knows when his son is in trouble,,, there was a disturbance in the force

what are they even riding, I think those are the most alien looking things we've seen in this show ever

wow they really are like turtles, digging underground Allura is already treating them like puppies

I know they're trying to make the sand people humanized, but they're treating them like toddlers or animals

Allura wore a bracelet under her gloves this whole time? Well it's a gift to that one sand person now

"all sand tanks in formation!" all tanks are for the sand dipshit,, they have caterpillar treads

god now i'm humming one of the themes of the show

LMAO DO THEY KEEP COMMS OPEN SO LOTOR AND THE FORCE CAN TALK SHIT TOWARDS EACH OTHER SO PETTY

wow just like the first episode, everyone as their heads in the sand after being smacked back into the ground

THE TANKS CAN FLY?

Is avalanche just a word for snow? Because the team is getting covered with a ton of falling sand and I feel like avalanche fits for these scenes

Lotor grabbed one of them to turn into a robeast OH NO THE POOR BOY IS SO SCARED, AND HE'S THE ONE WITH PRINCESS ALLURA'S BRACELET

does yellow lion have fire breath?

How do the doomites know what Earth moles are

HOW ARE YOU GONNA STOP GIANT ROBOTS BY SHOOTING AT THEM WITHOUT A SHIP

THE COCKPITS HAVE SAND PEOPLE IN THEM NOW, THEY'RE SO CUTE

how is that bracelet still on the sand person, that some weak ass magic if it can't break metal Allura named him sandy

she's trying so hard to call out to him, but they have to form voltron anyway, this is going to get so depressing

oh they realized the S on him was keeping that robeast transformation on him so they ripped it off, and now he's in a "coma"

nobody ever dies in dotu

/episode end

[denimbex1986]

'Doctor Who writer Phil Ford opens up about "The Waters of Mars" fourteen years later and reveals why David Tennant's penultimate Tenth Doctor story remains one of the show's scariest episodes to date. The 2009 special starred Tennant as the Doctor, alongside Eternals' Gemma Chan, Dune's Shanon Duncan-Brewster, and Andor's Joplin Sibtain as member of the crew on the first Human colony on Mars. In "The Waters of Mars," the Doctor arrives at the doomed Bowie Base One, forcing him to question what he can do as a time traveler.

While Tennant's return is imminent for Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary specials, Ford sat down with RadioTimes.com to reflect on his contribution to the actor's initial run and why it features one of the Tenth Doctor's most terrifying moments. When discussing what makes the show scary for audiences young and old, the writer stated that many viewers had spoken to him about their appreciation for "The Waters of Mars" before citing it as a personal favorite and explaining how showrunner Russell T Davies aided him in achieving a perfect level of terror for young audiences. Check out Ford's full explanation below:

"I'm not so sure that it's moved away from that so much, I have no doubt that there will be another Doctor Who story coming down the road that will be every bit as scary, if not more than The Waters of Mars. I think scaring kids is what I've always enjoyed doing! Whether it's in Doctor Who or Sarah Jane [Adventures]... I think Russell put it to me a long time ago that it's OK to scare kids, what you don't want to do is terrify them and scar them!

I've met at conventions an awful lot of kids that admitted they were scared by The Waters of Mars, but not so much to traumatise them! They loved it because it's scary.

The Waters of Mars, from my point of view, was always going to be scary because that's what I like to do. I think the team around Doctor Who then and now is just so good at what it does, I think we all have confidence in each other in knowing just how far we can go.

And certainly, whenever I went too far, I knew Russell was going to pull me up on something... my memory of Russell is not so much hauling me back on The Waters of Mars, but on other episodes, him pushing me harder to make things even scarier and even bleaker in some cases! Which is just wonderful, because he has this amazing opinion – and talent to back it up – that really there is no story you can't tell for kids. It's just a question of how you tell that story."

What Makes "The Waters of Mars" David Tennant's Most Scary Doctor Who Story

Tennant's initial Doctor Who tenure had no shortage of standout terrifying episodes that still rank high among the franchise's darkest moments. These episodes range from the Weeping Angels' terrifying debut in "Blink," the unstoppable mimicking menace of "Midnight"'s still an unseen entity, and the gradually worsening bleak what-if scenarios of Donna's alternate timeline in "Turn Left". Despite these story moments, "The Waters of Mars" stands out as the already-overpowering Flood virus is superseded in scariness towards the end by the Tenth Doctor himself, as the show's main hero loses himself.

After grappling with his role in the universe, the Tenth Doctor casts aside every lesson he learned and changes history by saving them, declaring himself as the sole being who could change the Laws of Time. Left with the knowledge that these events should have never happened and would impact her loved ones' fates, Bowie Base One's captain, Adelaide Brook (Duncan), sacrifices herself despite the Doctor rescuing her, leaving him emotionally shattered. "The Water of Mars" isn't just a scary Doctor Who story because of its monsters, but for how far the Doctor falls, as well as showing the negative impact his actions can have on the universe should he ever give in to his darker sides.

While the following adventure, "The End of Time," may overshadow Tennant's other 2009 Doctor Who specials, "The Waters of Mars" stands out for how far it pushes the show's leading character. Rather than relying on monsters, the Tenth Doctor going too far leaves a greater impact by breaking the hero and twisting him into a barely recognizable figure. As such, it is understandable why Ford and viewers continue to rate the Tenth Doctor's penultimate adventure as one of the character's darkest stories.'

[dontcallmecarrie]

thought exercise that apparently refuses to leave me alone: NHDD characters in a scenario that could only happen in the MCU [so, an AU where the Avengers are a hot mess instead of a team and this is way closer to a Bad Ending Timeline than NHDD]. AU of an AU, basically.

This time, featuring the Soul Stone.

Heads up: what some might consider suicidal thoughts [...because of circumstances in-universe, but people get Very Very Concerned]. Unreliable narrator, as well, between Justin’s inferiority complex and the Soul Stone’s influence.

.

This was it.

It had to be, because the other Infinity Stones were now beyond their reach and this wasn’t something Cabal was willing to leave up to chance. Justin Hammer’s faith in his rival notwithstanding, hell would freeze over before he trusted anyone with something of this magnitude.

Not when Loki’s latest trip through the branches of Yggdrasil somehow ended up with him staggering home covered in blood and ichor, hands shaking and the light only returning to his eyes hours after Justin’s best efforts.

And then Loki had found his voice and, in between sips of lukewarm tea, haltingly spoke of what he’d seen. Of a Mad Titan’s conquest, and a gauntlet equipped with two of the most powerful weapons in existence.

It had been the work of moments to put SHIELD on high alert. Even less, to kick the hornets’ nest that was the magicians on Earth via Loki ducking into their artifact storage and moving every piece of furniture a few inches to the right. But.

That still didn’t feel like enough.

Not when that still left one Infinity Stone with nothing but a huge question mark hovering over it, and the grim awareness that if nothing was done then the Mad Titan might very well come to possess three of the six Infinity Stones, and if that were to happen?

Nowhere in existence would be safe.

.

It wasn’t enough.

Advanced warning, all the magicians on Earth working together up to and including the Sorcerer Supreme and it still wasn’t enough.

As it was, they were at a stalemate, and... everyone in Cabal exchanged grim looks as they silently agreed on what they needed to do next. Even if Ivan glowered at the prospect of resorting to magic to counter this latest threat, but by now all signs pointed to the last, still-missing Soul Stone being the best counter to the Power Stone that was the main threat when it came to dealing with the Mad Titan.

.

Merely locating the Infinity Stone ended up being a challenge.

And then, when they finally succeeded?

“You should know...the Stone extracts a terrible price. A sacrifice.”

And with that, the air around Justin Hammer started to glow.

.

“Well, that’s that, then,” the Winter Soldier said with a heavy sigh. “And here I thought this couldn’t get any worse than the end of the world.”

At his side, Loki scoffed, and they both glanced back to where Victor von Doom continued to read Justin the riot act. It was the most furious any of them had ever seen him— and the most scared.

His voice had cracked at least twice, and the grip he had on Justin’s shoulders would undoubtedly bruise later, but no one blamed him. Not when even now, Justin was eyeing the ledge with far too much consideration for comfort, and that?

No one could tell how much of it was the stress of the situation, and how much was...

They’d all known Justin had Issues™— it was practically a requirement for entry into their fucked up little friend group, the one he’d created— but nothing like this. Sure, Winter sometimes made cracks about his self-preservation instincts, but. It was supposed to be just Ivan Vanko and Loki who’d had to contend with those particular demons, not—

But that didn’t change the fact that Justin Hammer had been the only one not to react to the Soul Stone’s immortal envoy.

Or, rather, the only one who hadn’t immediately scowled and said some variation of “fuck no, and fuck you too”; the only one who’d just. Stayed silent, and tilted his head, frowned in consideration, and okay, maybe it’d been an overreaction when Winter had yanked him away from the alcove with the creepy hooded figure, but nobody else was complaining.

.

The crack of a gun stole all their attention for a moment, only to see Ivan storm away from the creepy hooded figure who’d started this mess to begin with.

“I thought you were trying to get more intel, what happened?” Winter asked, and Ivan put it away with a scowl.

“I’m Russian,” Ivan deadpanned. Then, at Winter’s raised eyebrow, he continued. “And he’s one of the most famous Nazis in history.”

Winter’s eyes widened for a moment. "You’ve gotta be kidding— just when I think things can’t get any worse. Fuck, really?”

Ivan glared back towards where the figure was slowly picking himself up again, the dark stain on the his cloak receding. “I hate everything about this. And he just kept repeating that bullshit about a life for a life. And if it wasn’t that, he kept going on that the Stone wants Justin, something about how his wisdom mirrors its own? And I’m pretty sure Victor’s two minutes from going nuclear, and—”

He cut himself off because for a moment, ran a hand through his hair, and started swearing under his breath because he could deal with the potential end of the world bearing down on them, just.

Not this.

.

Justin hadn’t said a word since the Soul Stone’s envoy had mentioned the offer.

They knew it was freaking out everyone else who’d come with them, but...

They’d be a fool if they didn’t at least consider it. Even if just the thought seemed to have fired up everyone else even more than the Mad Titan’s rampage had, but someone had to, since the others insisted on acting like it was some unthinkable and impossible thing.

But death came for them all, and faced between an inevitability and an undeniable advantage...

What did the Soul Stone see in them?

Justin Hammer was no one important, not... as horrible as it sounded, it would’ve made more sense if the Soul Stone had been interested in literally anyone else in Cabal. Sure, it would’ve been a whole other brand of nightmare scenario, but at least then Justin could follow the train of thought that led to that conclusion. They could easily understand it if the Soul Stone had been intrigued by Winter’s strength, or Victor’s power; could easily see how anyone could have been caught up by Ivan’s genius, or Loki’s particular brand of chaos. But Justin?

The closest thing he had to a superpower was his bank account.

In the great scheme of things, it was nothing. They were nothing, considering they regularly interacted with superheroes and gods, were surrounded by the best of what humanity had to offer, and encompassed so much of the worst.

So why was the Soul Stone so interested in them?

And— okay, yeah, they were still avoiding the question. To be fair, though, it was not easy to keep one’s cool when faced with the prospect of either death by apocalypse, or death to obtain artifact of immense power. But at least it’d be worth it, one life weighed against the universe was nothing. It’s not that they were suicidal by any measure, exactly, but Justin had enough self-awareness to be able to take a step back and do the math.

Yet the mere suggestion of it had even Victor— calm and collected Victor, who took pride in his nonchalance and didn’t bat an eye even in the middle of assassination attempts on his life— up in arms at the idea of losing the weakest member of Cabal, and never before had Justin resented their over-protectiveness quite like now.

Really, wasn’t it a bit much?

These were normally the people he could trust to be most capable of looking at things objectively like him, able to separate emotions from the equation when weighing the cost between means and ends and collateral damage.

Sure, it was always different when hypotheticals stopped being hypothetical, but this reaction felt off, somehow; had the the rest of Cabal acting in a way that went far beyond worry for losing a useful ally. Had them more caught up on whatever it was than on thinking of alternatives, and for quite possibly the first time they could remember, they were at a loss as to how to approach this new variable.

No matter, Justin could still work with this. Somehow.

...once they got out of a certain someone’s crushing embrace, anyway.

.

“Let’s talk.”

“Your life is not up for negotiation.” Victor immediately said, eyes flashing and the ensuing conversation only went downhill from there.

.

“Well, that went well.” Justin leaned back into the outcropping with a quiet groan.

The others had unanimously chosen to put him on the closest thing they had to suicide watch, and he had no idea where to start with how to feel about it and now they weren’t even listening to him.

Just. Kept dismissing everything he said out of hand, and it would’ve been bad if it had been anyone else but this was Cabal, the people who, up until today, had always been the ones he could trust to at least take his words into consideration. Could trust in general, because they’d all seen him at his best and worst, and had never so much as flinched.

But now Victor could barely look at him without his hands shaking, and Ivan and Loki had taken to sharing increasingly unreadable looks and Winter had spent the past hour alternating between questioning and pummeling the Red Skull, who apparently had been the person selected by the Soul Stone to be its guardian.

Presumably as punishment, but Justin had yet to understand anything about it, so.

Now they were here, heavily monitored while everyone else made plans to leave and blatantly ignoring the fact that the Mad Titan was very much a pressing threat and they were just going to be leaving behind one of the cornerstones of the universe because nobody bothered to listen to them.

Justin had thought he’d gotten over that hangup from his childhood.

He was not happy to discover otherwise, especially at the end of an exhausting day, on the heels of the stress that came with the impending apocalypse and everything else.

‘It is a heavy burden, is it not?’

...and now came auditory hallucinations on top of everything else. Great.

.

This was nothing less than a nightmare.

Somehow, despite literally everyone being half a second from losing their shit and keeping an eagle eye on Justin goddamn Hammer, he still managed to give them all a heart attack.

Winter hadn’t questioned it when the man of the hour had decided to take a nap, but everyone heard his freakout when Justin didn’t wake up. A frantic check showed no signs of self-harm, but his eyes shone a brilliant gold when they checked his pupils as a last-ditch measure and now the situation was officially out of their control because nobody knew what would happen next.

All they could do now was wait, and hope, and Winter hated every second of it.

.

“Why me?” Justin asked, and he could almost feel the Soul Stone’s amusement.

‘You understand what I am, in a way few could ever dream.’

Justin called bullshit.

‘I offer respite, weary one. You carry the weight of two lives, the loss of one would be a kindness.’

Wait a minute. How had it— oh, of course, Soul Stone, no wonder it was able to see the echoes of a past they’d long since left behind to gather dust. Their deepest and darkest secret, laid bare to the one entity uniquely suited to see it. Well, now they felt foolish.

“And here I thought you called for my death.”

‘It could be, if you so chose.’

Translation: it would be, for literally anyone else. For anyone who didn’t have faded echoes of a life they’d never been able to remember, no matter how hard they’d tried. Justin Hammer had tried to put it out of mind for their own sanity after grad school, but... now that though thought about it, the more they remembered even as their headache grew worse.

A time before Justin Hammer, another life.

One with a family that actually cared, and they’d always been an older sibling but the first time it hadn’t been entirely on them because the child they’d once been had aunts and grandparents, and the nice librarian who hadn’t laughed when the stack of books they’d checked out was almost taller than they could look over, and the neighbor’s dog had always wagged his tail even faster when they were around because they knew where to scratch behind his ears, and their high school had asbestos but also the English teacher who thought their shitty poetry was worth something—

Another life, one where life hadn’t quite gotten around to stamping out their faith in humanity. Or, rather, hadn’t had the chance, even though the hospital visits and bills and part-time jobs had all been steadily chipping away at it, the despair of knowing their paycheck was barely enough for groceries but it’s all they had, since their parents’ went straight towards meds—

Another life. One that was just as much a part of them, as the decades they’d lived as Justin Hammer, and apparently both were equally appealing for the Soul Stone.

They couldn’t help but break down, at that.

In laughter, and tears, and all the layers of fear and grief and tired but still-burning desperate hope because it couldn’t be that simple, could it?

‘Peace, weary one. You have my favor.’

It could.

He’d been scared to hope, but...

“Okay then. Let’s do this.”

.

Ivan was the closest thing they had to a doctor, so he was the one who startled back with a yelp when his not-patient opened his eyes with a gasp. 

“Did it work?”

Ivan was half a second from swearing a blue streak, but his attention was caught by the dazed look on his friend’s face.

“You— what did you do?!”

Because before he could even start on his well-deserved rant about stupidly self-sacrificial idiots, Justin unclenched his fists and in his right palm was the unmistakable golden glow of what could only be the Soul Stone.

Justin looked at him and made to respond, only to pause.

“I... you know what? I don’t actually remember.” He looked around with a vaguely confused frown. “Where are we, anyway?”

.

aka this is the AU where Justin gets an Infinity Stone, gives Cabal several heart attacks, and ends up losing the echoes of his past life [...and a good chunk of his childhood memories, because of how much the echoes were part of it].

All in all, Vormir’s technically a net gain in that taking down Thanos is fairly straightforward afterwards, but nobody in Cabal’s ever going to so much as speak of it. It doesn’t help that no one quite gets what exactly went down, since Justin’s still alive but his memories are a mess for a while afterwards, and now there’s an Infinity Stone that randomly pops up around him. Just. Spontaneously shows up in desk drawers, behind the mug he was about to drink, by his keys and he rolls with it but it really freaks most of Cabal out for obvious reasons.

I don’t picture it really affecting Justin, though. Mostly because the other Infinity Stones are being basically deus ex machina plot devices, but the Soul Stone’s presented as this very very Mysterious Mystical Artifact in what I remember of the MCU, instead of the plot device that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

Since my brain refuses to let go of this idea, I figure the main offensive potential the Soul Stone has is basically curses like “may you feel all/a fraction/a sliver of the harm you have or ever will inflict on others” and “may you never know a day of peace”, which sounds probably underwhelming but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’ve got nothing else. Plus I figured it’d be fitting, because stuff like that would be a non-issue for most people, but devastating for a bloodthirsty conqueror-type character like Ronan the Accuser or whatever.

hey if the Mind Stone’s whole schtick is mind control, this sounds vaguely plausible, right?

Also, while I’ve finally excised this what-if from my brain and don’t intend to poke at it anymore for now, anyway, feel free to imagine the potential for chaos that is Justin ‘sky-high charisma stat’ Hammer, with an Infinity Stone.

[edupunkn00b]

Arizona's Journal, Ch. 7: I Wanna Come Home

Prev - I Wanna Come Home - All - [ AO3 ]

June 25, 2018 

It seemed like maybe, maybe the fourth time was the charm. The Kid went back to work, nothing under his own name, he said that was too much pressure, made it too easy to let himself drown in his work. In fact, he almost quit, but Dino had convinced him to stay and he did, mentoring and supporting the new batch of designers who’d come in back when he took his leave.

“It’s good,” he’d said. "It's real good." I couldn’t tell if he was trying to convince or himself. Maybe both. “Somebody’ll notice right away if I don’t get up,” he’d said. He was out on his patio, with enough silences between his words that I could hear the crickets out in the grass. I didn’t say his brother would notice. His brother did notice, every time. It’s what had kept him going before.

Now, we talked each night. Well, night for him. And maybe I needed it, too. I fiddled with the ribbon on arrangement the Kid had sent for Jamie's birthday. Whether he visited or not, he sent them every year for her birthday. And her funeral. “So tell me about the new game, Kid.”

“It’s a shooter,” he sighed. “It’s beautiful, snow-covered… Snuck in a little shot of the woods out behind my old school." His lighter clicked and he sucked in a deep breath. "Doom, this is not, but…”

He got quiet again. The team had decided on the overall gameplay while he’d been at Hovedstaden. He never would've okayed guns in one of his games. All it did was make the whole fucking project a reminder of shit he’d rather forget. I listened to him smoke, waiting him for to continue. He didn't. “Are you still working on your other design?”

The insects answered for him. “Yeah,” he said after another slow exhale. "When I can."

After a while, the calls, the hachee warmed over in the microwave, all the stone cold hotties of Denmark couldn’t fill in all the cracks living alone had left him. “I just… I’m not gonna, I swear, Arizona, I’m just…” 

My heart broke at the crack in his voice, this sweet kid. He’d fought so hard every day. And he woke up every morning, wading through those same slimy thoughts asking him if it was worth it.

Another night he’d put me on speaker, the phone resting somewhere near a drawer. I heard the clink of silverware, something sizzling in a pan. His voice echoed against the empty walls of his beautiful apartment. He had everything in Copenhagen, a dream job, money to take care of himself. His last boyfriend had even proposed. The Kid had everything he wanted. Everything but what he needed.

“I just…” He was hard to hear past his tears. “I miss you and Ro and… and Janus. I miss the shop, I miss the stupid Seattle traffic… I miss it all,” His words were choked and he sniffled like he had that day we’d met. “I wanna come home.”

“Then come home, Kid. Come home.”

---

Chronologically, Happily Ever After comes next in this universe:

[dova-70]

Let me tell you something about Squirrel Girl. Doreen Allene Green first appeared in Marvel's super-heroes 1991 as a joke character who helped Iron Man defeat doctor doom, and would only make short appearances until the series "Great Lakes Avengers", who were all joke characters, trying to work to be taken more seriously. She would leave them, because she felt that she was holding them back. How, you ask, was she doing this? She was beating the bad guys so bad, the others didn't have a chance to fight, so they never improved. She would often beat the bad guy before they got there. She defeated Thanos, who, I believe, had the infinity gauntlet, during this time.

She was also part of the U.S Avengers, was a nanny to the New Avengers, and was shown to be, at some point in the future, the leader of the main team of Avengers.

As you might guess, her powers are all squirrel themed; proportional speed, strength, and agility of a squirrel, retractable claws that come from under her nails, knuckle spikes, constantly growing teeth, love of nuts, and the innate ability to speak squirrelese, the language of squirrels. Her most powerful ability, however, is her "cosmic level empathy", which is used to make friends with Tony Stark, a Sentinel, Kraven the Hunter, Galactus, The Rhino, The Hippo, and a skrull, as well as being able to see the good in t-rex-Ultron, and allow him to regrow into something nicer; namely, a metal, laser eyed, oak tree.

She had her own stand alone comic run from 2015-2019, involving an 8-issue short series, a full 50-issue series, and a graphic novel, "Squirrel-Girl Beats up the Marvel Universe", as well as an in-character podcast on Spotify, named "The Unbeatable Radio Show", after her title, "The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl", In 2020, where she had started a radio show, and would answer listener questions, have celebrity guests, and solve an overarching plotline of an art thief who would call in to the show as they were stealing.

She isn't alone in her fight against crime, with her superhero friends "Chipmunk Hunk", "Koi Boi", "Brain Drain", and her non superhero friend, Nancy Whitehead. She also has had several squirrel friends throughout her life, with the standout two being Monkey Joe, (RIP Monkey Joe), and Tippy-Toe.

In her own comic, she's a student at Empire State University, studying computer science, and living with Nancy and her (their) cat, Mew. She teaches a beginner level computer science night class, and has been known to enjoy sightseeing, such as when she travelled with the Silver Surfer to see the Living Tribunal.

There was production on a "Young Avengers" TV series, which would show Doreen in a main role, however, it was cancelled before ever showing. It's largely speculated that The show's female lead, and apparent queer themes, were largely to blame for the show being cut.

Everyone reading should go read squirrel girl. She has the powers of squirrel and girl! She eats nuts and kicks butts!

favorite character from any media BUT it has to be a woman. in the tags now go (pls talk to me about your favorite fictional women pls pls pls pls)

[anthonybialy]

Kevyn Adams Generally Manages Buffalo Sabres Poorly

You’ll tell me the two previous Sabres coaches were a developmental guy known for guiding players who couldn’t drink legally and a soccer executive.  Then you’ll tell me the general manager previously ran a hockey school.  There’s now a contest to see how long one can hold the same undeserved title.  Kevyn Adams proves that continued employment may not be tied to results.  The tendency would be as baffling in anything else as in sports.

The question of why the disappointing worker who hires other workers with the unrelated background keeps his job while the disappointing coach with the unrelated background didn’t has defined this particular depressing offseason.  Adams was presumably involved in hiring the erstwhile bench boss who got canned after another underwhelming campaign, which in turn prompts concerns about whether he knows what he’s doing, either.  Everyone wonders but those in charge.

We’re waiting for Adams’s talents to transfer like the payoff for tanking.  It’s theoretically inspiring to apply expertise from other jobs to a new one.  But universality is not universal.  Even if, say, an usher had the potential to make squad alterations, it still might be wise to go with an established hockey guru.  Hiring someone who’s previously performed the actual tasks is the policy of 31 franchises.

Panic is best focused into motivation.  The Sabres should be acting like they’re trying to locate a kidney.  But they’re still not racing around to find the most experienced hockey officer possible.  I wish Terry Pegula pursued a skilled manager like he does taxpayer money.

There’s more hockey after the regular season.  The chance to keep playing seems like a dream as wild as finding the city of gold.  The team of blue and gold is stuck reviewing questionable draft choices and trades.  At least, they should be.  A decade of ineptness was just the start.

Applying financial principles to personnel might motivate an owner who’s deeply invested in winning money.  The false economy of hiring a bargain manager leads to less revenue.  Seats are as easy to obtain as merchandise.  Spending money to make money is one of the oldest notions in business.  But Pegula can’t get past the first part.

This will also be the last time Adams is a general manager.  Determine qualifications by asking how quickly he’d get a similar role if we ever got our dream of him getting fired.  Imagining him ever serving as another franchise’s general manager is slightly less preposterous than the concept of ever again seeing Ralph Krueger behind a bench.

Like Adams, I’m hoping his job is saved by Lindy Ruff.  It’s nice to share common ground.  We also both want this team to win, although his questionable actions have made that outcome elusive.  The sole source of inspiration will be able to yell about his disappointment in a cathartic release on behalf of us.

Prophets of hockey doom are hoping to be wrong.  No Sabres followers who anticipate despondency are pleased with the prediction.  That’d be like claiming the world will end then being glad when it happens so you can gloat.  We call that the Jerry Sullivan standard.  But noticing regrettable patterns does not mean those who perceive reality correctly favor those repeated lousy occurrences. 

The problem of precedent has rendered hope obsolete.  This continually disappointing team conditioned its followers to be exasperated.  The Sabres are successful if conducting obvious scientific experiments counts.

Downcast Sabres fans aren’t negative: the team’s performance is, and they simply notice.  True negativity comes from excessively optimistic fans who set themselves up for disappointment.  This is the definition of an organization that needs to prove they offer an upside first.  If they acquired players who picked up on tendencies as proficiently as fans do, they might make the postseason.

The cheapest option possible embodies the franchise’s brand.  A manager executing the owner’s vision is great if that means making transactions that’ll lead to a parade with a trophy as the grand marshal.  But trying to win sounds pricey.  The Pegula way is to hire someone without proper abilities so they can spend as little as possible on someone who’ll do the same.  The combination of meager qualifications and gratitude for having the job means Adams will always do his boss’s bidding.  It’s not like he’s able to do more.

Exile has been unparalleled for awhile.  No fan base has ever endured this.  Sabres diehards who claim their woe is unique aren’t exaggerating while venting on social media: going at least four presidential elections between nabbing a playoff slot is an extended ongoing shameful league record an Eighth Amendment violation.  Sisyphus had too rosy a perspective to cheer for the Sabres.

The all-time exclusion tally should inform every single discussion.  Everyone’s noticed but those capable of remedying it.  Staffers don’t seem too concerned.  They reflect the culture created by the proprietor.  A level of dreadful consistency that’s classified as historical hasn’t inspired the Sabres to make massive renovations in the present.

Actions are the important part, which is bad news for the side in question.  They can claim they’re out to win and certainly mean it, but hiring decisions don’t match.  Nonchalance from a team we used to enjoy decades ago is a sign they don’t care about us even if they’d plead otherwise.  Incompetent indifference from the front office makes it sure seem like they don’t care.  The Sabres shouldn’t feel surprised when fans offer their own version, namely apathy.

[dilesxpressions]

Justin Koh

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Name: Justin Koh | Year: 4th Year | Major: Cognitive Science (Computational Emphasis) | Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

2. What’s your roman empire?

When was the last time I drank water? (YEAH I SEE YOU GUYS REACHING FOR YOUR BOTTLES NOW)

3. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

"I'm proud of you." - My Dad

4. If your life was a movie what genre would it be (comedy, horror, drama, etc.) and what actor would play you?

I'm by no means a cinephile, but my life is probably a documentary type movie about a monkey trying to fit in with humans. I would play the actor, "3rd monkey" from the movie: Rise of the Planet of the Apes at timestamp 1:47 as shown below.

5. What is something on your college bucket list?

None really, but if I had to pick: DJ a bass house/trap/dnb set at Davis.

6. What’s your guilty pleasure? (song, movie, food etc.)

MY GIRL KATY PERRY HONESTLY MAKES SOME ABSOLUTE BANGERS

7. What are your bad habits?

Time management :^)

8. What are your favorite song lyrics?

"Tell your boyfriend, if he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian so I ain't f*ckin scared of him" -3OH!3

9. Defend your unpopular opinion/ hot take

IN AND OUT IS KINDA MID WHEN DISREGARDING THE PRICE. THE PRICE TAG IS THE ONLY BIG W COMPARED TO OTHER FAST FOODS.IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE YOU ARE WRONG AND IGNORANT.

POPEYES CHICKEN SANDWICH IS BETTER THAN CHICK FIL A. IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE YOU ARE WRONG AND IGNORANT.

CANES HANDS DOWN HAS THE BEST FAST FOOD CHICKEN JOIN. IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE YOU ARE WRONG AND IGNORANT.

SALT AND VINEGAR AND HOT CHEETOS ARE THE BEST CHIPS AND HOT CHEETO PUFFS ARE GOATED. IF YOU SAY OTHERWISE YOU ARE WRONG AND IGNORANT.

COME CATCH ALL THE SMOKE, I'M READY.

(kidding everyones entitled to their own opinion :^), just your opinion is wrong)

10. Describe a time where you had to step up and be a leader?

During my freshman year, the game Overwatch was at the height of its popularity. Being somewhat proficient in the game, I decided to try out for the school's team. Upon my acceptance, I observed two distinct facets: exceptional individual talent that was rarely seen, and the unfortunate suppression of that talent due to an excessive emphasis on individuality and ego. Our early season games and practice scrimmages were disappointingly unfavorable, and the future appeared bleak. However, I recognized the potential for the transformation of individuals into a cohesive unit and took it upon myself, despite my rookie status, to attempt to unite the group of misfits.

Through careful curation of each player's talents and personalities, we slowly but surely cultivated an environment where each individual had the opportunity to express their strengths and opinions. As we built rapport and visibly improved our cohesiveness, the issue of players maintaining their egos in the face of a self-declared rookie team captain gradually dissipated. The initial doubts that plagued each player soon transformed into respect for my leadership, both in and out of the game.

Although we started the season as one of the weakest teams among 180 competing universities, we managed to qualify for the single elimination bracket: ranking us as one of the top 40 teams in North America. Still, we were seeded as one of the worst teams and now faced low expectations from others while the pressure on the team to advance through the competition without dropping a single match was at its peak.

But my appetite for victory (and money :^)) was obvious and insatiable; the team quickly took notice and adopted this zealousness for success.

Without losing a single match, we ascended the "Towers of Doom" and began to catch the attention of casters, analysts, and coordinators. However, it was too late for them to underestimate us. Soon, we were bestowed with the nickname "The Dark Aggies" (Aggie Gaming + Dark Horse of the competition), and we secured a spot in the live quarterfinals held in Phoenix, Arizona. Although our journey concluded with a 5-8th place finish, we were proud of what we had achieved, defying all expectations.

[link if curious to know more]: https://liquipedia.net/overwatch/Tespa_Collegiate_Series/2017