#if you had drama with your alien baby baby mama then it would be alien baby baby mama drama

[bryte-eyed-athena]

Afrofuturism in the work of Janelle Monáe

Ashley Clarke, a curator for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, defined Afrofuturism as “the centering of the international black experience in alternate and imagined realities, whether fiction or documentary; past or present; science fiction or straight drama.”

Themes of Afrofuturism can be found throughout the works of Janelle Monáe. Her previous albums like The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady showcase this through the exploration of androids as a new “other.” Today I want to talk about one of her most recent projects, Dirty Computer, and the way it contributes to the conversation on Afrofuturism. Janelle Monáe released Dirty Computer as an album and a 48 minute long Emotion Picture to draw her audience into a visual and auditory world of her own making. The dystopian future she presents to us is very similar to our own current reality, except that the voices being amplified are those that have historically been silenced. People of color and the LGBT+ community are central in this story rather than pushed off screen. Dirty Computer is so powerful because it focuses on joyful rebellion, love, and freedom in an oppressive dystopian setting.

The project, as Monáe has shared, can be split into three parts: Reckoning, Celebration, and Reclamation.

Part I: Reckoning

gif credit: scificinema

gif credit: scificinema

The Emotion Picture begins with Monáe’s character Jane 57821 laying out how her society has begun to capture people deemed dirty in order to “clean” them of their supposed filth against their will. This is meant to produce beings that are stripped of all individuality and ready to conform to societal norms and expectations. Jane tells the audience that, “You were dirty if you looked different, you were dirty if you refused to live the way they dictated, you were dirty if you showed any form of opposition at all. And if you were dirty it was only a matter of time.” The dichotomy between dirty and clean has created a system where an entire class of people can be demonized and oppressed. This foreboding tone at the beginning prepares the viewer for the grim implications of the cleaning process in this universe.

Dirty Computers are strapped to a table and forced to undergo the “Nevermind” which is a program that deletes memories. It is a process that is horrifying because of what it symbolizes to the individual and entire communities of people. To erase someone’s memories is to erase who a person is. The character of Mary Apple 53, Jane’s love interest, shows us just how alien a person can become once their memories are gone. The horror of erasure is also something that marginalized communities have faced for centuries and continue to face today.

In an interview on Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe said “I felt a deeper responsibility to telling my story before it was erased. I think that there’s an erasure - of us, and if we don’t tell our stories they won’t get told. If we don’t show us we won’t get shown.” Afrofuturism is a response to this erasure of black people and people of color in culture, history, and art. Monáe has made a deliberate choice to tell her story even if it might get erased because if she doesn’t do it then no one else will. Remaining silent would be to assist in that erasure and Afrofuturism is all about refusing to be erased.

This first part of the Emotion Picture is all a reckoning with the Dirty Computers and how they are pushed to the margins. The lyrics in Crazy, Classic, Life speak about how the same mistake made by two people on different ends of the spectrum of social acceptability is punished unequally. Take A Byte follows it with a more upbeat tone, but even then the lyric “I’m not the kind of girl you take home to your mama” speaks to a feeling of being outside social norms.

There are moments of light and joy that are counterweights to the dire situation Jane is in. These come in the form of her memories which are played one final time before they are erased. Jane’s life before she was captured was filled with exploration, youth, love and celebration.

Part II: Celebration

Gif credit: normreedus

Gif credit: daisyjazzridley

Gif credit: nerd4music

Dirty Computers seem to recognize that they are living on borrowed time and that any day could be the day they are forcefully disappeared. This is why they fill each moment with as much fun, life, color, and joy as they can. There are many scenes at clandestine parties where Dirty Computers live freely and openly despite the threat of drones or police that could capture them at any moment. It is important to have these scenes of celebration though because Afrofuturism is also about providing hope.

The future must be a hopeful one if we are to strive for it and Afrofuturism allows us to be creative in crafting our visions of a hopeful future. Even though Monáe’s future is dystopian, there is still room for hope and joy because those are the things that make life worth living. These Dirty Computers have to live their lives joyfully because they don’t know when they’ll be sterilized.

In the interview mentioned previously, Monáe added that “I had to make a decision with who I was comfortable pissing off and who I wanted to celebrate. And I chose who I wanted to celebrate, and that was the Dirty Computers.” The LGBT+ community, people of color, black women, immigrants, and low income people have all been mentioned as people Monáe wished to celebrate. This celebration comes intertwined with images and themes of rebellion as expressed in Jane’s memories. Screwed, Django Jane, Pynk, Make me Feel, and I Like That are the songs that embody celebration the best. Whether it's a celebration of sexuality, femininity, unity, or of self love it is all encompassed in these songs. Jane is shown connecting with others and being unapologetically proud of herself. We also see her falling in love with two people, Zen and Ché, and we see them love her in return.

Gif credit: thelovelylights

Viewing these memories and interacting with Jane seems to encourage the questioning of authority. The employee utilizing the Nevermind process seems to question why he should be deleting Jane’s memories at all. Mary Apple 53, previously named Zen, also directly questions their matriarch after speaking with Jane and realizing that she’s connected to her. It all culminates in a nonviolent escape attempt where Jane, Zen, and Ché reclaim their names, bodies, and their lives.

Part III: Reclamation

Gif credit: thelovelylights

The Emotion Picture ends with Jane 57821 and Mary Apple 53 freeing themselves, and their recently arrived lover Ché, from the facility. They escape without harming others the way they themselves have been harmed. By leaving they are reclaiming their freedom and their right to be proud of being Dirty Computers. They refuse the new names that were forced upon them and leave to rediscover the memories of the life they lived before capture.

It is a hopeful ending that plays into the themes of Afrofuturism. Even though both Jane and Zen’s memories were erased they still have the ability to create new memories and stories. Their ability to recreate their past as well as create a new future was not taken away. As they escape the song Americans can be heard in the background. The lyrics subvert the typical American patriotism expressed by racist white southerners. The trope of preserving gender roles and being a gun carrying american are satirized in these lyrics. America as a whole is being reclaimed by Janelle as a place for the people who have been marginalized.

Janelle sings “Don’t try to take my country/ I will defend my land/ I’m not crazy baby/ nah I’m American.” This sentiment is typically espoused by xenophobic americans, but when it is sung by Janelle she is saying that she won’t be forced out of America due to the bigoted beliefs of the people who hate her. She also pleads for the listener to love her for who she is which is something that has been denied to black women for centuries. The song ends with a powerful message of reclaiming America by Rev. Dr. Sean McMillan who said “Until Latinos and Latinas don't have to run from walls/ This is not my America/ But I tell you today that the devil is a liar/ Because it's gon' be my America before it's all over.”

This also shows themes of Afrofuturism since Monáe is reclaiming her history and is refusing to be excluded from it. She is asserting her presence and that of all the Dirty Computers by saying that they too have a claim to America. The Emotion Picture and the album are both a masterpiece of Afrofuturism art and music. Monáe masterfully weaves various musical genres and visual storytelling to show her pride in being a black queer woman. There is no other artist like Janelle Monáe, and I am excited to see what new worlds she will take us to next.

[merakiaes]

His Treasures - Oscar “Spooky” Diaz

Pairing: Oscar “Spooky” Diaz x reader

Requested: Yes. 

Prompts: None. 

Warnings/notes: Some angst! This doesn’t follow the original plot of the series. Instead of getting rid of Cuchillos in season 3, Oscar deals with it during the time of Cesar’s alienation. This is not proofread so I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes. Please leave some love and let me know what you think xx

Wordcount: 2584

Summary: You find out that you’re pregnant during the whole drama with Cesar and Oscar isn’t very thrilled about the timing. 

Oscar was struggling, big time. Not only with keeping the Santos together, but with his personal life and his entire identity.

He was beginning to question everything he had ever known, partly because he was being forced to push his own brother away, putting him on the streets, but also because you made him feel like he was worth better by constantly and blindly believing in him and his potential.

Before he had met you, his life had been so simple. All he had to worry about back then was the Santos and to have food on the table for his little brother. But now… he wanted to make you happy, whatever it took.

It scared him. The lengths he would go to in order to make sure you were safe and comfortable was terrifying, because he knew it was something that raised eyebrows and suspicions in the gang, more specifically in the higher rankings.

Cuchillos had questioned him about you on more than one occasion, wondering how far he would go to keep you safe.

Would he try to leave the Santos? Would he turn on her? Try to kill her? He declined every question, of course, swearing his loyalty to the Santos. To a start, his claims had been true. He would do anything for Los Santos. They were his family.

But now you were his family, too, and it put him in an extremely difficult spot. 

Things were already tense as they were with Cesar having the Prophets on his ass so to say the timing was bad when you found out you were pregnant was a big understatement, and it was safe to say Oscar wasn’t too thrilled about the big news.

“I can’t have a baby right now.” He shook his head, pulling a hand over his mouth and chin as he paced in front of you where you sat on the couch in his living room, a positive pregnancy test grasped tightly in your hands. “Things would get too complicated.”

“All this love shit is complicated.” You scoffed, putting the test down on the coffee table and standing up from your seat.

“But that’s good, and you know why?” You questioned, walking over to him where he had now stopped. “Because if it’s too simple, you’ve got no reason to try, nothing to fight for. And if you don’t have a reason to try, you don’t.”

He glared down at you, his entire posture rigid and his face screwed up with anger. “It’s too risky!” He exclaimed, but rather than getting scared, you met his glare with one of your own.

“Everything is a risk. Not doing anything is a risk.” You protested. “I know bringing a child into the world will make things difficult for you but you can’t always wait for the perfect time. Sometimes, you have to dare to do it because life is too short to wonder what could have been.”

He turned his head to the side, an angry breath escaping his nose. Your face softened and carefully, you raised your hands up to grab his face, turning it right back toward you.

His fierce eyes met your pleading ones, but no matter how angry and confused he was, he allowed you to bend his head down to yours, standing still as you pressed your lips to his in a chaste, feather light kiss.

You held the kiss for a few seconds and then pulled away, leaning your forehead against his and staring pleadingly into his eyes.

“I’m not going to wonder what could have been, Oscar.” You told him sadly. “I’m keeping this baby, our baby, with or without you. I’ve made my choice and now you get to make yours. Don’t do to our baby what your dad did to you, please. Please, baby.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into your touch as you caressed his cheeks. Unbeknownst to you, his heart was almost beating out of his chest right at that moment. 

Now more than ever, he was terrified of what he would do for you, or more specifically, what the price would be to pay.

But before he could get too drunk on your touch, he tore his head out of your grasp and opened his eyes, taking a step back.

“Go home.” The words seemed to leave his lips so easily, you swore you could feel your heart breaking into a million little pieces right then and there.

Your stomach churned and you felt like you were going to throw up as the desperation settled in. “Please, Oscar. Don’t do this.” You pleaded, tears starting to build up in your eyes at a rapid pace.

But he only turned his head to the side, staring at the pregnancy test laying on the table for a few seconds, before turning on his heel and heading in the direction of his bedroom.

You took a step forward to follow but before you could get far, the door had already slammed shut behind him, the sound of the lock turning reaching your ears only a second later and officially killing any heart activity you had left.

Your chest was hurting to the point where you actually thought you were going to die as you walked home, your head dizzy, body hot and tears stinging your eyes. 

The second you got home, you locked yourself into your room, ignoring the worried calls of your mother from behind the door, silently crying yourself to sleep.

Back at the Diaz residence, Oscar was nursing a beer where he sat on the couch, the small pregnancy test held tightly in his shaking hand. The plus sign on the small screen was taunting him, and no matter how hard it would be, he knew what he had to do.

Almost a week passed and you hadn’t left your bed during that entire time. You hadn’t received a single call or text from Oscar and you were beginning to come to terms with the fact that you were going to raise your child on your own.

At the same time, you worried that maybe, just maybe, something had happened to him, and that this was the reason for his absence. Either way, you were anxious.

You were heartbroken beyond belief, hurting more than you ever thought was possible, but at least you had your mother. She hadn’t left your side the entire week, trying her very best to get you to eat and drink at least three times a day.

You didn’t want to, of course. It was known that one of the many side effects of heartbreak was the intense lack of appetite. But you knew you had to. Not for you, but for the life growing inside you; for yours and Oscar’s unborn baby.

“Have you tried calling him?” Your mother asked quietly from the doorway of your room, her voice cutting through the thick silent air.

Your eyes didn’t flicker from the ceiling for as much as a second, your lips moving entirely on their own by now. “No, and I’m not going to.” 

Taking a shaky breath, you blinked away the tears that were once again building up in your eyes. “I gave him a choice and he made it.”

“Mija…”

“No, mama!” You reacted immediately, sitting yourself up in your bed and letting your glare meet your mother’s soft gaze. “I won’t beg someone to love me or stay with me. I am too good to chase someone who does not know my worth and acknowledge my value. If he doesn’t want to be in my life… If he doesn’t want to be in our lives, then we don’t want him either. I can do this on my own.”

Your mother nodded her head, smiling sadly. “I know you can, mija.” She agreed and walked over to your bed. Her hand rested at the back of your head, fingers running over your hair soothingly as her lips made contact with your forehead.

“I love you.” Your mother’s voice was soft and heavy with sadness, the older woman hurting with her daughter as she had been in the exact same position when she was pregnant with you.

But if anything, that only showed how strong the women in your family were, and that you would be just as great of a mother as yours had been to you.

As your mother left you alone once again, you slowly fell back onto the bed, the waterworks taking off in no time. 

You were amazed that you still had any tears left to cry with the way you had been crying non-stop for seven days, but didn’t get much time to wonder as you cried yourself to sleep for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

You weren’t sure how long you were asleep for but when you woke up again, the soft rays of sunlight that had been streaming through the gaps of your blinds were gone, your bedroom now pitch black.

It took a minute for you to regain your senses as you awoke, but you soon managed to process your whereabouts and also the source of your awakening.

Your body instantly reacted, sitting up abruptly as your eyes locked with Oscar’s where he sat beside your bed.

It was dark and you couldn’t see his facial features, only the slight glimmer of his eye, but you could recognize the stature of his body any day. 

“How did you get in here?” You asked, eyes narrowing slightly. 

It was sort of a stupid question. You didn’t exactly have the house on lockdown so it wouldn’t have been hard for him to just waltz through the front door.

But all logic was momentarily erased from your head at that moment. You were barely even able to form a coherent thought as a flurry of emotions fought their way through your mind and body.

Oscar looked at you calmly, his elbows resting on his knees. “Your mother let me in.” He informed you. “After she hit me in the head with her slipper and called me a pendejo.”

In any other situation, that’s something you would have found extremely funny and probably would have laughed out loud at, but now you only stared at him, your chest heaving up and down in rapid and ragged motions and your heartbeat rising to your ears.

You couldn’t even believe that he was trying to joke the situation away, after not reaching out to you for an entire week after finding out you were carrying his child.

The air turned thick with silence again, the glare on your face only intensified by the second and Oscar looked down into the floor, ashamed.

“I’m sorry.” He broke the silence then, and that’s when you finally snapped.

“Where the fuck have you been, Oscar?!” You yelled, but you got no reply.

Instead, he wordlessly reached his hand out and flipped the switch of the lamp standing on your nightside table, and it was only then you noticed the cuts and bruises littered all over his face, neck and the parts of his upper body that weren’t hidden behind his black tank top.

A gasp left your lips, the anger melting right off and worry immediately bubbling up in your stomach. You hurried to throw back your duvet and turn your legs over the edge of the bed, standing up on your feet going over to him.

“What happened?” You whispered, your hands grabbing his jaw and beginning to twist his head around to get a better look of the damage out of pure instinct.

He avoided your eyes but melted into your touch. Never had it felt as good, as comforting, as it did now.

While you continued to inspect his injuries, your heart turning heavier in your chest for every cut or bruise you laid eyes on, he slowly reached into the pocket of his shorts, pulling out the pregnancy test you had left at his house.

You watched with emotional eyes as he put the stick of plastic on your nightside table, before moving your eyes to his and finding that he was already looking at you.

“I took care of Cuchillos. She’s gone.” He finally told you, and you felt every drop of blood run still in your veins with fear at her name.

Before you could say anything, however, you felt his hands on your stomach. His fingers slid under your shirt with ease, rough fingers brushing over the soft skin and spreading warmth through your entire body.

“I couldn’t let you and our baby living in danger and as long as she called the shots, you would have been in danger every day.” He talked, looking up at you through swollen eyes. Your hands slowly found their way to the back of his head, your fingers beginning to caress the skin. “She saw that you were making me soft and she didn’t like it. She wanted me to get rid of you and I know that if I didn’t, she would have done it for me.”

“But you didn’t.” You whispered, a crease forming between your eyebrows as you thought deeply. “You got rid of her instead.”

He nodded and you sat back down on the edge of your bed slowly. One of his hands instantly found its way to your cheek. 

“I would chose you over anyone and anything, even los Santos.” He mumbled, leaning in closer to your face and scanning your face. “You’re my family now. You have been since we first met and she didn’t like it.”

Your lip wobbled at his words, your eyes starting to burn as a fresh set of tears started forming. “I thought you left.” You whispered, your voice barely even audible.

But he heard you, as clear as day. “You really thought I would abandon my own baby?” He asked, his voice cold and defensive.

“For a moment there, yeah, I did.” You admitted, seeing no point in hiding the truth.

He swallowed, eyes hard and lips pulled into a tight line. He was hurt by your words, you knew it, but still, he only nodded, knowing that he deserved it and that you had every right to doubt him.

A tear rolled down your cheek. “I was so worried.” You cried, shaking your head. “You have to promise me never to scare me like that again. Never.”

He pressed his forehead against yours. “I promise.” He agreed. “I’m here now, mamas. Imma take care of you, and our baby.”

You smiled through your tears, your lover lip still quivering as his eyes left yours and instead landed on your belly against which his hand was now flatly pressed.

“Son mi vida.” He spoke, caressing your belly with his fingers and looking back up into your eyes, his hand cradling your jaw. “Mis tesoros.”  

He looked at you with such admiration, had you been standing up, your knees would have for sure turned to jelly right underneath you. It caused a hot flush to go through your body and your previously broken heart to glue itself back together and swell in your chest.

You could see it in his eyes that he was still stressed and tense about everything that had just gone down and that he was scared of what was to come, but you knew that he had finally made up his mind about what he wanted to make of himself and you knew that he would do anything in his power to keep you and your family safe.

Like he said, you were his treasures, and no one or nothing would ever take that away from him.

[ehh-is-the-name]

Inanimate Insanity II, ep 14.

I’m making a log of my feelings and thoughts during this ep, something tells me it’s gonna be a feels fest. Oh yeah, forgot to mention there’s spoilers in here, so be careful

Alright I had this idea less then 5 mins into the ep so I’m just gonna start to where Fan gets abducted. --~~~-- BRUH He just runs out to touch the egg like the papa he is and then just SHOOWP. there he goes, up in the green laser then fukin Intro with the chessy music. Are we just not gonna say anything about that?? Plus the convo of MePhone4 and MePad?

Hell yeah I can smell the story from here, 30 minutes of content here I come! ~~~ Alright HE HAS A FUCKIN SHEILD?! I wasn’t expecting a laser battle but damn ~~~ Test Tube’s livid and possibly gone bonkers. Punching a hole through the pop machine wasn’t the most necessary thing but I’ll back it up. Not to mention everyone’s kinda scared her at the moment too... Scared, well spoke a little too soon. ~~~ OUUU Oh SNAP- Suitcase telling of Test Tube like that- Now that’s tea.

~~~ I swear there’s too much going on and I love it. Fan’s stuck with the egg in a horribly minimalistic room, The contestants are trying to defeat the giant egg that was apparently sent by cobs (I don’t by it), and MePhone4 basically saying he’s going lone wolf on everyone and everything, ahh the tea- the drama- the sauce! I love every second of it and I’m not even a whole 10 mins into the ep. ~~~ Um Taco, the fuck you doing with MePad back there? Also Mic, I’m 99% sure you guys aren’t equals, or at least not in Taco’s mind. ~~~ Ngl the lil egg dude being scared of fan made me tear up a bit. I’m weak I know ~~~ Lightbulb makes my day so much better, I love that glass bulb full of gases. The flying buddy is a wonderful name for a rocket made of scrap metal. I love it so much, I can’t- ~~~ Wait, did that glass orb just save the day by fueling the ship? holy fucc, that’s incredible. aLSO MePHone4 I swear- don’t you dare erase a god damn thing, just look at the rocket fly through the sky and don’t press the button. ~~~ ok good he didn’t press it. ~~~ YOOO Suitcase, that’s like the opposite of Ninja’s “It’s just a game” quote, or maybe it’s the same thinking... tbh I have no clue I was just reminded of the quote from she said. ~~~ There’s something mega fucked up about using the Ipad to teleport after forcing him to go in sleep mode... Taco you are one crazy bitch and I don’t condone of your actions but I respect the skills to con and devise.  ~~~ The prime shimmer huh, I have no clue how to feel about floating space eggs with spears calling themselves The Prime Shimmer. ~~~ I think the head prime shimmer’s gonna make me and fan have an existential crisis. I don’t know who I am?? Do I? Do you? Do any of us know who we are exactly? oh no it’s started. eh, why am I worried I’ve been having one for the past 3 years and I’m more or less fine. Idk about fan tho...  ~~~  Oh of course Steve Cobs is the oppressor but also managed to fuck with alien eggs? I’m not down with that. Where’s the cob of corn I wanna teach him a lesson on why you shouldn’t fuck with alien eggs. ~~~ HH H HH THEY STOLE THE BABY EGGS? AND THERE’S ANOTHER ONE? god I love this show. where’s the second baby egg tho, I wanna protect them. I’ve been switched to protect mode ahhah ~~~ Um stop the ha ha funny. Taco Straight up just fucking murdered Test Tube. Not cool, and what are your motives you fishless, bowtie havin, crunchy boi. Why did you need to teleport to the egg ship. Ahfh gfl I’m going mad.  ~~~ MIC DON’T STEAL THE BABY ~~~ Well the “Go on the alien egg ship to get Fan back” plan didn’t turn out so well huh. The worst part is that everything would have worked out it Taco didn’t go all trigger happy. ~~~  Yeah MePhone you kinda fucked up big time. 3-4 of your contestants are hurling though space and you don’t have properties like the blue number we should all know, where you could alter time and space, or at least just fly through space to get them back. ~~~ Am I stupid or something? This whole show I was wondering how these guy come back, like who’s recovering them? Duh of course it’s the host of this whole reality show. ~~~ Umm but Test Tube knows what happened on the ship. Mic how can you live with yourself? AH I’m in agony, this show is too good.  ~~~  oh oh oH OH OHHH SHIT! Mic has pulled the plug on Taco. Gain is all the way downtown. No more transmissions, no more shady business practices and telling her off while mentioning pickle. Taco, you messed up big time buddy. ~~~ - Knife: Did you see her do all that? - Test Tube: No... but I’m also not an idiot! I- - MePhone4: Well that’s fantastic.  I’m livid, listen to Test Tube. Mic was a traitor who helped in very bad practices. I will not stand for this. ~~~ UM Really now, MePad’s gone and it’s just like “eh, he’ll be back, it’s fax time,” smh. I’m not prepared for this elimination. ngl I forgot that this was even part of the show for a sec.

~~~ God damnit Lightbulb, you’re stealing my heart with your little quips. We’re having a meaningful and serious moment. Same thing with MePhone4 not the time, let Mic be the bigger person. Even  though she’s a criminal, possibly even a space criminal.  ~~~ Wait what? Your not gonna just kick Mic and have that be it? what wh y augh- ~~~ THAT’S SO MESSED UP THO! Mic is leaving AND Test Tube’s been kicked cause it’s “just a game”? Baseball, dude... I thought you were better than that. ~~~ No n no, Taco, No. You don’t get to feel bad about using someone alright. Go to space jail and revive MePad please. ~~~ ahf au u the lightbulb gang is too good. Imma cry. I- hic ~~~ MePhone4 you don’t get to be all peppy at the end of it. Lightbulb is fuckin distraught so I’m in pain, I look forward to ep 15 but AHH Hhgh my heart is damaged. Every single episode, angst and ahahh owchie mama. I love this show but damn does it make me upset. Wait what about MePad- I guess I’ll jsut have to be patient and wait. Frick. ~~~ Oh wait there’s extras after the credit? I it’s toilet. O NBIHFFNF JJGkdd njnkjdns FUCK FUCK IUFKC ABORT MISSION. TOILET GE THE FUCK OUT OF THERE AHHH- 

[myassbrokethefall]

adrianne68 replied to your post: Hi! Could you please explain something? English is...

It’s a common characteristic of that particular vernacular to drop the possessive identifier of ( ’s). Thus, one might say, “I’m going to my friend house,” instead of, “I’m going to my friend’s house.” To a non-native speaker, or to one who hasn’t had much exposure to African-American Vernacular English, this must be very confusing!

Ah, thank you for this addition, my friend! 

So, yes -- “my baby mama” would be one step removed from “my baby’s mama.” So I guess, grammatically speaking, in the origin of the usage, the possessive would refer to “baby,” as in “my baby’s mama”/“the mama of my baby.” But then, after it evolved from “baby’s mama” to “baby mama,” the “my” kind of transferred to the whole term. (I’m sure there is a more proper grammatical term for that) My wife, my girlfriend, my baby mama. And now (in my perception at least) it’s used more that way, as a compound noun of its own, and you can just use “baby mama” even without the “my.”

Have I mentioned I love language?

And yes, I can imagine that as a non-native English speaker this would be confusing as hell. Thanks for nothing, David! (just kidding ily) 

[buzzdixonwriter]

Gorgo

I recently rewatched Gorgo, a 1961 US / UK / Irish kaiju co-production, a film I hadn’t seen in several years (at least five, maybe as many as ten).

The last couple of times I watched it I wasn’t paying close attention, just letting it play in the background as I did other stuff.  

Now, having actually paid attention to it again, I’m delighted it holds up as well as my memory told me it did.

I first encountered Gorgo in 1961 when my father took my younger brother and I to see it as the Fine Arts Theater in Asheville, NC.

The Fine Arts, one of only two movie theaters in Asheville (there may have been a 3rd that I didn’t know about due to the segregation laws of that era) specialized in more outre’ fare and typically got the monster and horror shows, as well as the Hercules movies and =ahem!= adult dramas.

It was a memorable trip for several reasons, not the least of which being my younger brother freaking out at the climax when he turned to grab Dad’s arm only to find Dad had gone to the rest room.

Not a great movie but certainly a good one, Gorgo in retrospect was somewhat groundbreaking and as such more deserving of attention.

The late film historian Bill Warren and I would often discuss old sci-fi movies.  Bill, of course, wrote the seminal reference work on 1950s sci-fi movies, Keep Watching The Skies (highly recommended; go order it right now).

He argued that the fifties sci-fi boom may have started in 1950* but it really ended in 1962 when the last of the films put into production in the 1950s finally came out.

I argued that the line was fuzzier, greyer, with some titles showing a clearly different mindset than others released the same year.

Such is the case with Gorgo.

Basically, 1950s sci-fi is about re-establishing the status quo.  Several end quite explicitly stating this (Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers for one) while others allude to the fact that the menace may return…someday.

But their point always was that by the end of the picture things returned to what passed for normal.

Even Forbidden Planet returns to normal by destroying Altair IV and the truly god-like Krell machines found there, thus preventing anyone else from using them.

But 1960s sci-fi had an entirely different flavor, and that flavor was that by the end of the movie things had changed irrevocably and forever.

There was no going back to the way things were, there was only the new normal -- however different and bizarre that normal might be.

Gorgo is a sixties sci-fi film.

Giant monster movies -- what we now refer to as kaiju due to Japan’s dominance of the genre -- started way back in the silent era (like almost everything else in cinema, Georges Melies got there first) with King Kong as the most prominent example before the atom age.

King Kong’s success on TV in the late 40s spurred Warner Bros. to make The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and that in turn spurred Toho to make Gojira (US title:  Godzilla, King Of The Monsters) and that inspired a giant monster race on both sides of the Pacific.

England, not wanting to feel left out of the fun, made The Giant Behemoth which is an okay but underwhelming example of the genre, noteworthy only for being stop motion animators Willis O’Brien’s last feature work (he worked on other films after that, but not as an animator).

By the late 1950s Godzilla’s popularity inspired the King brothers (US slot machine distributors) to make their own giant monster movie, and despite their unfamiliarity with the genre they made several smart decisions, the first of which was hiring Eugene Lourie.

Lourie had one of those fabulous “cast your fate to the wind” careers that included working as art director on Jean Renoir films in France.

Like so many others, as the Nazis rose in power, Lourie came to America where he continued doing art direction among other behind the camera film work.  His experience with special effects got him a gig direction The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and from there he directed a few TV episodes then The Colossus Of New York (not what we’d call a kaiju film today, but definitely one of the oddest sci-fi movies ever made) and The Giant Behemoth (itself essentially a remake of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms).

When the King brothers approached him to direct Gorgo, he was reluctant, agreeing to make the film only they let him do something no other sci-fi film of the 1950s (or before!) had ever done:  Let the monsters win.

While Lourie later complained he felt the film fell short of what he intended, there’s no denying he was swinging for the outfield fence with this one.

The King brothers’ best idea was that they’d start with a 20-ft tall monster getting captured and brought to London, only for the protagonists to belatedly realize they’ve captured a baby and mama is gonna come looking for him.

It ends with Mama defeating everything humanity had to throw at it and returning to the sea with her child, the surviving humans watching them depart and realizing they can no longer consider themselves the absolute masters of all they survey.

That point gets lost in the feel-good moment of mother rescuing child, but it’s there, and it marks Gorgo as one of the first sci-fi films to embrace the concept that change was inevitable and inescapable.

Gorgo is an expertly crafted film, not perfect by a long shot, but satisfying all the way through.  Lourie’s talent as an art director contributed mightily to the film’s final dramatic effect, and the scenes of London panicking as Mama Gorgo comes looking for her child has an intensity lacking in most kaiju films.

As Bill Warren observed, there’s not a lot of originality here, but that’s okay because Lourie and the King brothers covered a number of details typically left out of movies like this, namely how the %#$@ are you going to get your kaiju back to civilization?

Sharp eyed observers will notice a lot of stock footage in this movie (with footage of the British and US navies being used interchangeably for the same ships and crews), but Lourie also disguised some of it well.  

The cost conscious King brothers filmed a lorry carrying a full size replica of Gorgo (doped up and trussed up with nets) through a deserted Piccadilly Circus by sneaking cameras in and doing a wholly unauthorized shoot early on a Sunday morning (explained away in the film as the police ordering people off the streets to reduce the danger of Gorgo escaping).

In a couple of scenes Lourie superimposes his actors over background plates shot for big budget WWII epics, creating a far larger sense of scale than the movie actually had.

The miniatures and the lighting of same are exceptionally well done and very convincing for the era.  Matte work to combine the Gorgos with humans is pretty seamless.

The Gorgo monster suit itself?  Ehhh…not quite so well done.  Call it adequate, certainly not an embarrassment, but far from the best example of the genre.

The movie certainly ended in a far different place than other kaiju of the era and ended up having a surprisingly long half-life as a comic book spin off by Steve Ditko that followed the adventures of Gorgo and his Mama.

There’s a lot that can be done with this kaiju combination, and it’s a shame that’s going to waste.

If ever there was a movie deserving of an upgraded remake, it’s Gorgo.

  © Buzz Dixon

  * When a particular epoch in pop culture starts / stops is always open to debate.  Since Bill wouldn’t consider short films or serials in Keep Watching The Skies he omits several serials released before 1950 that anticipated the sci-fi boom, in particular The Purple Monster Strikes, the first of Republic’s Martian invasion serials as well as the first cinematic sci-fi excursion to include all of the key elements of 1950s American sci-fi:  Paranoia, alien invasion, body possession.  (For those keeping score at home, the Republic Martian serials are The Purple Monster Strikes, Flying Disc Man From Mars, and Zombies Of The Stratosphere though one can argue King Of The Rocket Men, Retik, The Moon Menace, and Commando Cody, Sky Marshall Of The Universe are crossovers of one kind or another; the first three serials were unintentionally linked when cost conscious Republic decided to recycle costumes and props and rewrote dialog to refer to prior releases in order to cover their budgetary limits.)

[randomedrstuff]

Take Two! With Emilie de Ravin

The actress and LA mama on motherhood, her second pregnancy & strong roles for women

By Caitlin Wolper

Emilie de Ravin wasn’t the first to know she was pregnant again—her 2.5-year-old daughter Vera told her. Vera also was the first to predict that the baby was a boy, and, as time would tell, she was right. De Ravin—an LA mom and actress known for her notable and critically-acclaimed primetime TV roles on “Roswell,” “Lost,” and “Once Upon A Time”—will welcome her first son and second child with fiancé Eric Bilitch in a couple of months. 

However, her pregnancy is a bit different the second time around. When she was pregnant with Vera, de Ravin recalls, she didn’t yet have a child, so she didn’t have to factor in needs besides her own. Her current pregnancy has thrown her a brand-new challenge: Managing a toddler while also managing her prenatal wellness. “I still had time to myself [during my first pregnancy]. I still had: ‘Oh, I can find a new prenatal yoga class,’ or ‘I can go for a nice walk’ and really take that time to nourish and take care of [my] body and mind,” she explains. “The struggle during this pregnancy is finding time to do that.” She already swears by DockATot and Nuna’s car seat, and adds she’s excited to try out the SNOO by Happiest Baby with her child-to-come. When de Ravin can fit in some “me time” and prenatal yoga between caring for Vera and acting, she feels “a massive difference, especially mentally.” That said, de Ravin won’t let pregnancy slow her down—she was on a project that wrapped when she was at 16 weeks: “There was a lot of ‘Oh, I think I should wear the flowy dress for this’ by the end of that job,” she laughs. She and Bilitch—who’s also in the entertainment industry—often travel for work and take Vera along with them, whether it’s Vancouver, Europe, or Atlanta. Vera’s also traveled to her mother’s home, Australia, among many other global destinations. Even though her family is LA-based right now, de Ravin feels she isn’t necessarily raising Vera in LA (especially before she enters the school system), what with all their travel—but she says Vera loves traveling with the family, and it often plays a role in her dress-up and games of pretend.

“Every time she dresses up and gets her little bag together, I’m like: ‘Where are you going?’ and she says: ‘Oh, I’m going to Paris, I’m going to climb the Eiffel Tower,’” de Ravin laughs, adding that the family recently took a trip there. “She’s moving to Paris, apparently. Sometimes we, in these stories, get to go; sometimes she’s going on her own.” Though de Ravin can’t predict if her daughter will choose to act, Vera definitely loves dress-up and dance (“I think I’m asked every day if we’re going to ballet.”). When de Ravin was packing before a move, she let Vera stand on the dining room table to help. “That became her little stage and she was singing ‘I’m a little teapot’ in her red tutu,” she laughs. “She’s definitely got that side to her.” Her mother is clearly a model for this theatrical behavior. De Ravin started her career-defining role on the late-90s teen sci-fi drama “Roswell” at only 18 years old, playing alien-human hybrid Tess Harding. Only a couple years later, she appeared as Claire on the popular and critically-acclaimed TV series “Lost,” which follows an increasingly harrowing and complex tale of airplane crash survivors stranded on an island, and recently celebrated its 14th anniversary of the premiere. “‘Lost’ was an experience that changed my life in so many ways,” she says. “Not just my life; I feel like it changed the platform for TV. There wasn’t ever a show like that, especially on network TV. It really broke every side of the box and burst through.” She spent six years filming the show, and got very close to the cast and crew as a result. “That’s a long time to spend with the same people being the same character in the same set with the same crew,” she reflects. “And then, that’s just sort of gone.” She spent seven years as Belle (as in the protagonist princess of “Beauty and the Beast”) on ABC’s long-running “Once Upon A Time,” a role that she recently wrapped. The show, which combines modern life and fairy-tale to create a brand new story, is one she’s found appeals to all ages, and often brings families together in front of their TV. There’s a commonality in all the roles de Ravin takes: She looks for characters somewhat unlike herself that both challenge her and carry “a positive reinforcement of what to do, what not to do: Something that people can learn from and grow from.” She adds: “I don’t want to play the same character over and over again, just wearing a different outfit or with different color hair; [otherwise] I might as well stay on the same job for 50 years.” De Ravin craves the challenge of playing complex characters dissimilar to herself, and the research it requires. And with the range of different personalities and character circumstances she’s taken on over the course of her acting career, the rewards she’s reaped from her hard work and diligent research are clear.

“For me keep a character fresh, therefore to keep the viewer interested in watching and engaged in watching what I’m doing, [I need] something that is challenging, something that I can learn from,” she says. “Whether it’s anything from a different talent the character has, or an accent, or a belief system—something I have to dip into the knowledge pool and really learn and do some research for—[I have to] open up my mind and my heart to new things and new experiences. I find that the more open you are and the more hungry you are for knowledge in life in general, whether it’s acting or anything else, then the more giving you can be and the more interesting of a character I can develop from that.” With Belle and “Once Upon A Time” as a whole, one of her greatest challenges was portraying a famous, pre-existing character but still imbuing her with complexity that didn’t stray from her personality and story. “I’ve got all these children that are watching her, wanting to be like their favorite character; let’s give her something…an extra strength to her, an extra positivity to her,” de Ravin says. “Also, [show them that] everyone makes mistakes, and there is no perfection; there is no perfect princess or perfect life or perfect world. Everything’s messy, and that’s not a bad thing.” That’s the type of life lesson de Ravin hopes her kids would get from her acting work as well. “I would like them to be hopefully more inspired by things that I can teach them as a parent as opposed to through my work, but at the same time, there are things that are appropriate life lessons, whether it be conflict or love or whatever, [that] can be taught through film and TV: It’s a very prominent part of growing up now, or just our world in general,” she says. “A child sits down and watches something and it makes a much bigger impact than it does on us…They’re just this massive, magical little sponge.” That’s another reason she takes on challenging roles: She wants to play strong, realistic women, roles she’s starting to see more often. “It’s not just what I pursue or what I would like to pursue,” she says. “It’s also what’s being presented is changing a lot too, in at least what I have seen.” She adds that in the future, she does want her children to understand that as much as she loves her job, it’s still work, and hard work at that. “I love what I do, I’m very lucky and blessed to be able to still be working in this industry—it’s a tough one, and it’s a strange one, it’s a crazy one. But it’s work, and as much fun as it is, it’s a job like everyone else has,” she says. She then adds with a laugh: “They can learn about the craziness of it later. Keep it more in the fun part for now.”

After she has her son, de Ravin figures she’ll go back to work—not right away, but likely in 2019. Of course, it’s all up in the air for now, as is the nature of entertainment. “You never know what projects are going to be around [in the future]. Is it something that I’m going to be into? Is it something they want me for?” de Ravin says. But luckily, she adds, she does work in the sort of industry where she can bring her kids along for the ride (before they’re “properly” in school—Vera currently attends a half-day pre-school). “There’s such flexibility when they’re little… It’s a place that you can share with your children: If you’re working on location and it’s somewhere cool, they can come hang out and watch and travel with you,” de Ravin says. “It’s not like I’m going to close myself in an office all day and I’m not allowed to bring to my children, so that really is a huge bonus.” She starts to say that, all the same, she loves to be home with “her” (Vera) and amends it to “them,” including her baby-to-come. “It’s going to be a big change; whatever happens will happen,” she says. “I didn’t know how I was going to do it with Vera, and that all worked out really nicely.” She’s on a break from work as she waits for her son’s arrival, and has been passing the time with Vera, who’s excited to have a baby brother. Vera’s also keeping her mom busy, between reading together (“She memorizes me or Eric reading [books] to her and then she’ll sit down and sort of read them herself in this animated voice, playing it out.”) and helping out in the kitchen from her stool: “I think she enjoys the tasting process,” de Ravin laughs. They also pursue outdoor activities together as a family, something both de Ravin and Bilitch believe to be an enormously important facet of early childhood. “She loves swimming, she likes going swimming together… I always try and find some activities with her, like little family farms or veggie farms or the beach or going for a walk, going for a hike, just exploring; even just being out in our garden and gardening together and looking over all the flowers—and then she’ll find the ants,” de Ravin says. “That reminds me of me, just loving, when I was as little as this, the tiny things outside that you find, whether it’s a tiny little part of a seed or figuring out where this came from, or where does that insect live, and all the tiny wonders. [It’s] super soothing and calming, too, doing that with her. It really puts life and everything else that’s going on in the world into perspective.”

[taek-a-deep-breath]

The Whole EXO Storyline Theory

It’s been so long that I’ve done that and I’ve been away from Tumblr for so long, because of no comeback and a disinterest in the use of the app.

Let’s go and dive into yet another theory

It’s been so long that I’ve done that and I’ve been away from Tumblr for so long p, because of no comeback and a disinterest in the use of the app.

I think I’ll explain simply what I’ve been pondering for a while. I knew that EXO’s story wasn’t in a chronological order. I’ve been thinking about flash forward and flash black, and it didn’t add up until recently and just now I got the idea because of KoKoBop. Hearing it for the 900th time took a toll on me.

So you have to add History in the storyline -my storyline- for it to make sense.

Introduction:

HISTORY is the opening of the story of the 12 guardians and it’s simple to understand that it’s the story of EXO once they have their powers or are first formed into controlling their powers on EXOPlanet. The lyrics literally tell you that the story begins here, that’s why most of the theories are incomplete. You have to add HISTORY to EXO’s chronology to understand the process used to tell the story. It’s baby EXO #1.

I went round and round

And came back here to start again

Yeah, EXO-M, EXO-K

The future we are about to start, history - HISTORY

MAMA is the first eclipse that we are aware of, it reunites everyone wether EXO are in a world or another. It’s when EXO-K and EXO-M’s parallels universe collide and it’s when it’s also most dangerous for EXO as if they can reach each other, the RED FORCE can also reach all of them.

WOLF we have to thank the gods that SM released a drama because GROWL and WOLF eras are the most confusing pieces and made it difficult to finish this theory. The use of WOLF could not be about any wolf fantasy -even though I bet the Twilight show was the cause of it, the drama with Jongin as Edward is still iconic. But it seems to be more about that human would always go back to primary instinct even in the worst cases (death, violence, etc.) -at the end when Luhan uses his power in the most rough form and accidentally injures Kyungsoo. Well, we could go about Kyungsoo’s character and thinking that is the beginning of this grave and ambiguous character in EXO. I don’t know why but EXO are victims of amnesia, they don’t remember that they are aliens and they are here on Earth to save their own world. This is teenager EXO.

GROWL following the series of WOLF. Some begins to become aware of their differences others don’t. Well you know exactly who is maybe already aware, it’s mostly seen in GROWL’s choreography when at the bridge Luhan turns Jongin’s head toward the general direction of others, Jongin is already looking at another direction (Luhan and Jongin are always the first to know), maybe the future of EXO.

OVERDOSE they are rat labs, I’ll talk more a less about it after the resume.

CALL ME BABY I like to think that there is a ‘talon d’Achille’ in EXO and it’s right in the form of our great Do Kyungsoo the most enigmatic character. If Jongin is always first in the teasers because he opens the story of EXO, the place of Kyungsoo as the LAST one is not for naught.

LOVE ME RIGHT Same as OVERDOSE, they are experimented on.

MONSTER There’s is this embedded idea of treason.

LUCKY ONE joins the series of Overdose and Love Me Right.

LOTTO confirms the idea of Kyungsoo being an antagonist and will be confirmed in THE WAR.

KOKOBOP Like EXO said themselves it’s the idea of being babies and playing with your powers. This is rebirth. Babies EXO #2. I’ll just add about Kyungsoo that in EXO’s Version A photocard EXO are all embracing their powers apart from one, Kyungsoo who is pointing a gun at his power. Just to put in a place of my mind and your mind, he only acts like that on Earth so something may had happen or already happened in the MVs.

POWER Major prequel and brings light to what really happened on EXOPlanet.

Theories:

So I only used the main comebacks and resumed every EXO MVs. As of now I’ll explain my non-useful theory because why not and I love to suffer. You have to think throughout the whole theory it’s like you are stuck in a broken time machine or you are hit by amnesia.

Transcending time and space

I dream of an Eden’s morning

Let’s go, we are that kind of existence - HISTORY

Time lapse theory:

The story of EXO goes back and forth like you are in a time machine you can only go back or forward, but with the exact same time frame, like 2 and -2.

HISTORY is way back in time, it means its counterpart MAMA is way later in the storyline. It’s one of the most recent era of EXO. So at first I was thinking about scenes on Earth and EXOPlanet and it didn’t make sense, so I told myself if EXO had flashbacks of around 100 years ago, it’ll mean that we could have a snippet of 100 years after the point 0 and it made more sense. So if something happened 5 years before, we could get 5 after the point 0. But I don’t know the point 0, maybe when the powers are split and they are put into two parallels universe or because of the short time lapse between LOTTO and MONSTER, it always changes and that’s why we’re so confused with EXO storyline.

WOLF/GROWL are the counterpart of OVERDOSE, they are in the future and OVERDOSE can maybe be a snippet of the Red Force main and most used strategies into putting EXO in mazes. EXO have three MVs starring mazes, it means they spent a long time in them. So as the logic goes CALL ME BABY is the counterpart of LOVE ME RIGHT. As MONSTER is the counterpart of LOTTO, it is the most short time lapse between the two eras. Of course KOKOBOP is the counter part of POWER and gives a lot of intel on EXO managing their powers, but this insight is better for the other way of seeing EXO’s storyline.

Amnesia theory:

Imagine someone struck by amnesia. The only way for someone to regain their memories is with time or by being recalled familiar settings, objects, etc.

EXO are brought into memory of HISTORY with the euphoria of the first eclipse, they feel the same rushing feeling of when they had first their powers in MAMA. MAMA is the whole activation of their powers at the most pure form. When their powers rushed to them as they are in EXOPlanet and they were guided they used in full blast their powers, it means that MAMA is the time when EXO can use at its most pure form and powerful form, it means they have full control over them.

The trigger is then pulled during the WOLF/GROWL era. They are young teenagers stricken by amnesia and lost in a new world, darker than when they were younger and innocent. It’s how the reminiscence of OVERDOSE starts. Their most traumatic time is the first time they entered the maze.

CALL ME BABY or better PATHCODE is the trigger when they are in danger and they sense there’s something beginning to change. LOVE ME RIGHT is when they completely understand that they recall the memory of when they woke up from their slumber in the maze, when they truly understood that it was danger.

MONSTER and LOTTO -LOTTO is for me an MV that explains how EXO works, it points towards the presence of an antagonist *cough* Kyungsoo *cough* or someone that works on his own schedule- are when they breakthrough, when they understand the system, it’s all rage and violence. MONSTER and LOTTO were a confusing piece like WOLF and GROWL, the settings are pretty similar, it’s like a story divided or that the time lapse is really short between the two eras. It’s being prepared to go to war. Hence, why LUCKY ONE is the memory of getting away from the Red Force, as they are in real danger of loosing their lives.

KOKOBOP is telling what happened when the guys came on Earth and as the end of LUCKY ONE introduced they didn’t come back all pristine from this cruel maze that took away 3 powers. As I explained, POWER is then the memory that got triggered by KOKOBOP, as it’s innocence and full of curiosity, POWER is the exact contrary, it’s pure rampage, it’s THE WAR -hence why POWER is used is the cutest MV of EXO because it’s the most cruel and violent one. It’s basically the story of children who lost everything and have to fight to survive. It’s like in anime or comics when you show war in a less rebuttal way.

When they won against the Red Force, it was just after breaking from the maze and the experimental laboratory, they fight for their powers but also the 3 powers that lost their partners. It means when they are sent to Earth, the 3 other powers follow them. As EXO work in pairs, it means that the one that inherits the three powers are the remaining pair. It means Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin. Hence, why we see the three of them lying on the ground at 0:09 in the MV of KoKoBop -number nine is a divine number in EXO’s storyline. As Jongin is always the first to be introduced and he is an opening, he is the first one to master Luhan’s power: Telekinesis. It’s with the help of Suho and Xiumin as they are the oldest and the most in sink pair as LUCKY ONE demonstrated near the end of the MV, they are the only ones that are connected to each other.

Kyungsoo and Chen are working on the side, maybe on understanding more how their power work together. I don’t know why Xiumin and Suho split up for Sehun and Chanyeol, maybe because of the affinity of their powers to the other. Xiumin is getting along well with Sehun, whereas Suho is having a hard time with a Chanyeol that seems to be the least cooperative -Suho drenched in water, being in a washing machine, Chanyeol being wild during the whole MV, etc.

I understand that Jongin was the first to understand how to use the powers of Luhan because of how their powers are not that farther apart. Sehun is the one that’ll have the most difficulty because of Tao’s power -Time Control- that is so far from his original power. But we see that he conquers it at the break dance of the song when he says ‘Break it down now’. And Chanyeol finally conquers the power -Flight- of Kris when he sends flying the basket ball.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, I think that the best theory is the Amnesia theory and the time lapse theory is only an help in understanding the chronology. It goes well with story line and as you can see I put it in the order of the comebacks. Like we say everyday, the writers of EXO don’t do anything by coincidence. Please note that all the funky and aesthetic MVs of EXO points toward the most brutal eras of EXO -Love Me Right, Lucky One and Power- that may represent respectively, torture and major use of drugs, torture and experimental experiment, war and violence on innocents.

[baldysims]

Strange Legacy 2.2

I’m sure you’re all just dying to find out how Betelgeuse’s return to the legacy lot went. But first, let’s check in with generation 2 spare Alpheratz, shown here in his graduation duds cuddling with college placeholder Christy Pons.

Many Romance spares from other legacies never marry, but in this family, woohoo is strictly verboten outside the bonds of holy matrimony, so Alpheratz was set on marriage and children from the start. Unfortunately, as detailed in chapter 2.1, the love of his life is engaged to his brother, so he had to settle for the next best thing... her adult townie lookalike.

Creepy, yes, but despite the wrongness of the whole situation I actually enjoyed playing their little family. Their wedding wasn’t anything fancy, just your basic “I’m sick of this legacy already” sidewalk fare next to the trash can and mailbox, but the groom got his woohoo and the bride got her lifelong partner to talk about grilled cheese with, so I call it a success.

They had two adorable daughters who they named Bellatrix and Cursa, in keeping with the alphabetical and astronomical theme of the legacy.

Unfortunately their birthday parties tended to invite drama, and at Cursa’s toddler-to-child birthday, an out-of-control grandpa Zaniah did this:

Yes, that is the creepy townie who showed up to his wedding in a white gown. I’m sure you’re just as shocked as I am.

“I can’t believe you would do this to me! And at our granddaughter’s birthday party!”

Yeah, totally unexpected. It’s not like Zaniah is a garbage person, or that they’ve been heart farting over each other and undermining your marriage since forever. This is completely out of character for our legacy founder. Mmm hmmmm.

Although I will say it was oddly sweet watching Demi bitch Tamara out for horning in on her mother in law’s man. Strange spouses gotta stick together!

Back on the main lot, Angeline moved in and she and Betelgeuse are working hard at their careers. I want them to both be permaplat before they get married and start reproducing like crazy. Shouldn’t be too hard, since they both got 4.0′s in college and have mad skills in everything.

Zaniah isn’t convinced of Angeline’s worthiness to be a Strange spouse, though.

“Didn’t she kiss your brother?”

“No, Dad, she didn’t. Angeline would never do that to me. And you’re one to talk! We all heard about how you cheated on mom at the birthday party.”

“I would never. That’s just what that harridan your brother married is spreading around because she’s jealous she wasn’t able to marry into the legacy home. Never trust a woman’s gossip, Betelgeuse. I know I’ve taught you this lesson before.”

Yeah, that might have worked if Bete wasn’t a total mama’s boy. He’s been there to witness nearly all of Sharon’s unhealthy coping mechanisms ever since the birthday party. She’s always thinking about that kiss, usually while drinking herself into a stupor.

And so Zaniah tries his schtick out on Angeline.

“Why Angeline, what a lovely pair of lips you have. It’s no wonder BOTH of my sons were unable to resist them. If only you were able to resist both of my sons.”

“Ha, ha! That’s so funny, Mr. Strange. I know you have to be joking because there’s no way a proven adulterer would be lecturing me about the morality of my dating life before I even got engaged.”

“Watch your tone, missy.”

“No, you watch yours, old man. You think you’re hot stuff because you’re a legacy founder? I’m a hot downtownie, I’ve been around since 2005, and I’ve married into a million of these things. You better think long and hard before you start playing games with me, because I will END YOU.”

Yeesh. Well, I think she’s scared him off of trying to come between her and the legacy fortune ever again. Moving on.

Sharon reached the top of the Journalism career, fulfilling her lifetime want.

She then apparently decided that what with her dead marriage and all she had nothing left to live for, and promptly started dying in the bathroom.

“Really? Your first generation spouse is dying before the heir even gets married? That’s pathetic.”

Shut up, Grim, it’s hard when you have Real Sickness installed! You should know this from my apocalegacy!

Thankfully everyone’s favorite mama’s boy was there to save Sharon from my ineptitude and spare her a grisly fate.

He even went above and beyond and cured her ills, literally, with a little Grandma’s Comfort Soup.

Unfortunately, even with her sickness cured, her heart was still broken, and I think we all know Zaniah wasn’t capable of mending it without help.

Fortunately, super son comes to the rescue again with some well placed couples’ counseling. Psychology degree FTW!

Practicing therapy on your own parents... it’s a little unethical, but what can I say? That’s never been a problem for this family.

Awww. Look how happy Bete is to have helped. And with him and Angie both poised to reach level 10 in their careers tomorrow, there’s no better time to restore the household’s relationship harmony!

Once Zaniah’s done getting alien abducted again, natch.

Sure enough, Captain Hero and Chief of Staff did their thing the following day, and I was really looking forward to their Barbie Dream Wedding.

I even decked out the backyard with a sweet ass decorative pond. Look at it! That thing took me two hours. I was pumped.

Of course Zaniah just had to pick a fight with his existing daughter in law, because he can’t let a special event go by without ruining it. Looks like he’s complaining that she’s wearing “too much” makeup. Why am I not surprised?

More things I wish I was surprised about: College placeholder Christy showing up in an exact replica of Angeline’s gown. What is it with the women in this town? Begone, thot!

And so the ceremony -- wait a minute, what’s that happening in the corner?

God. Damn. It. Alpheratz! You had ONE job! Be appropriate at your brother’s wedding.

“Angeline was supposed to be mine! If I can’t have her, then you’d better believe I’m going to ruin my wimp of a brother’s wedding to her!”

UGH, and of course it’s with inappropriate Christy in the white gown. Why can’t my Sims be faithful to their partners at family functions?

Poor Demi was a real trooper, though. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces, but she stayed in her chair and politely clapped until the bitter end, because she wanted Betelgeuse and Angeline to have their moment. It’s odd having a truly classy person in the family for once.

Of course, even classy dames like Demi have their limits, as Alpheratz learned the hard way the second the ceremony was finished.

Oof, right in the moneymaker. And please notice in the background poor Bellatrix and Cursa tearfully fleeing the scene.

Bellatrix is a mean little Scorpio who takes after her father’s side of the family, so she was mainly furious, but poor Cursa just cried and cried. Demi came over to comfort her daughters, and I was torn between delight at the cuteness of this interaction that I had never seen before and sadness for what my drama-loving play style had done to my poor innocent babies.

I’M A MONSTER.

But how much did their other relatives care?

I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count.

Demi was actually so incredibly classy that she stopped inside to have a slice of cake and toast to the newlyweds before she said goodbye to the hosts. Oh, Demi, you are so much better than this trash family deserves.

“Yes, unfortunately I do have to go. But I want to wish you every joy and happiness together. There’s nothing better than a marriage that goes right, and nothing worse than when one goes wrong. May you always stay honest and true to each other.”

I don’t think they’ll have any trouble with that nowadays... thank God. You may recall that Angeline was also in love with Alpheratz at the time of his kiss with Christy the homewrecker, and now she hates him just as much as Demi does. I guess it’s true what they say: every cloud has a silver lining, and every broken family has a correspondingly broken incestuous love triangle.

With a little one officially on the way, Angeline was free to focus on less breedertastic legacy duties, like making sure everyone had their portraits in order. Competent artist that she is, she finished that little project before she even started showing.

Good thing, too, because she didn’t have the easiest pregnancy in her later trimesters.

It was definitely a relief when the birth came.

I was less than thrilled that Zaniah directed his applause at his son while turning his back on his daughter in law, the person who actually gave birth, but hey, that’s Zaniah for you.

Anyway, welcome to the family, Cassiopeia Strange!

Little Cassie turned out to be a little bit of a daddy’s girl, and who could blame her? Unlike his own father, Betelgeuse is an actual Family Sim with actual Family Sim wants, and he loves nothing more than showering his daughter with affection.

Soon after, Angeline got pretty busy being pregnant with #2 and working on getting that impossible want point for her secondary aspiration, so she didn’t have as much time for Cassie...

...but even when she did, Cassie was usually thinking about Betelgeuse.

Zaniah has been similarly busy working on his secondary impossible want, among other legacy business. He’s reaching the end of his lifespan and I wanted to make sure to wring every last point possible out of him.

He wrote his novel, as required for the storyteller handicap.

He also got abducted a third time, but unfortunately, no matter how much I made him stargaze at night, there was no fourth or fifth time for that one truly impossible knowledge want of 5 Abductions.

C’est la vie. Although he did survive to see the birth of Betelgeuse and Angeline’s second daughter, Diadem. Yes, daughter. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to have more than three kids, but oh well.

His last action on Sim Earth was becoming best friends with one of his four granddaughters. Ha! Serves you right to die before ever meeting your grandson and third generation heir, you old hypocrite!

Please enjoy this establishing shot that proves I put his grave next to the legacy tree in the backyard... and also that I collected 25 elixirs for a collection point from his aspiration bank before he kicked the bucket.

Mmm, sweet legacy points.

Sharon and Cassie were devastated, but I don’t think anyone else is going to miss the old coot. Particularly since it’s also a birthday party night!

Alpheratz and Demi came by, God knows why, and Alpheratz was so enraged to find that Angeline was pregnant by his brother again that he just had to slap her around a bit.

Classy. This family is so classy.

Adultery everywhere, drinking while pregnant, what social taboos haven’t the Stranges crossed with impunity? I just hope the baby comes out okay. It’s crazy to me that Maxis won’t let pregnant ladies change the cat litter or use the hot tub, but apparently “juice” and “bubbles” are just what the doctor ordered.

But fear not, no amount of dysfunction will ever stop the younger Stranges from getting every privilege in life offered to them on a silver platter! As long as your family is rich, you’re set! Just like in real life.

And may I please just single Demi out for being once, twice, three times a lady yet again? Look at her, autonomously feeding her hungry niece out of the goodness of her heart! It’s like she doesn’t even know what she married into.

Later that night, the house gets burglarized.

Even though Betelgeuse is Captain Hero, the Fearless handicap prevents us from using any alarms and makes burglaries a real pain in the ass. Sharon just barely managed to call the police in time to catch the thief. Why does she need to call a low ranking officer when they have Captain Hero in the house? Who knows. I’ll chalk it up to the booze.

The next morning, the kids prove that they know exactly which family they were born into by rolling identical wants to murder the burglar with the cowplant. Yeesh.

Betelgeuse attempts to teach Cassie a healthier way to deal with her feelings by showing her the ins and outs of investigative police work.

Meanwhile, Angeline gives birth to... ANOTHER girl, seriously? I’m trying to run a patriarchy over here!

I’m sorry I’m not more excited over your birth, Electra, it’s just that I kind of hate dealing with multiple toddlers at once and I don’t like doing it more than once per generation.

At least the girls are cute. Here’s Diadem as a child, showing off her gymnastic skills.

I love watching Di and Cassie play with the dollhouse every morning and night before bed. It’s so wholesome!

Also adorable: Grandma Sharon tucking her grandbabies in whenever she gets a chance. Awww. We’ll just ignore that she probably reeks of booze the whole time.

Much less adorable: Zaniah scaring the crap out of his pregnant daughter in law on his first night haunting. Zaniah! I know you’re a fake Family Sim, but the least you could do is not sabotage your own legacy.

Oh, thank God, it’s finally a boy.

This little rugrat is named Fornax, and he is definitely the heir because I am done, done, D-O-N-E done with these two having children. They’re cute and all, but four is more than enough.

Cassie grew up and rolls Romance, which I don’t think suits her. She seems much more like a Family Sim to me. She’s always rolling wants to interact with her parents and siblings, and sure, she’s a mean little Scorpio, just like dad and gramps, but that’s never stopped her from -- hang on.

What’s that happening in the back of the lot?

Oh, nothing, just Grandma Sharon quietly dying while no one but me cares. You were a good Sim, Sharon, always fun to play. A real booze hound, but I’ll miss you very much.

And her granddaughters who cared so much for her... just kept playing Spin Me Around and didn’t stop until they got their inheritance. 

That’s cold. Maybe Cassie wouldn’t make such a great Family Sim.

Just to test drive the whole Romance thing, I set her up with patriarchy-approved Romeo Montague, and she seemed to like him okay.

They had a very enjoyable date, but when it was time for him to go, she shooed him away in a less than polite manner.

“Get OUT of here, you disgusting boy, and don’t think I’m going to call you again! My family is way richer than yours anyway.”

Yeah, I don’t think Romance is Cassie’s thing.

So after Fornax’s birthday party, when her aspiration finally dipped back down into the green, I went ahead and cheesed her.

No regrets. This family does not need any more Romance Sims -- a lesson that I will be sure to impart on our young heir, Fornax, as well, since he’s our one and only shot at continuing the legacy.

Fornax, sadly, did not have a Roof Raiser of a birthday party, and so I will be going for a different Master Point with him. I’m thinking Child Prodigy, since so many of his relatives have maxed out skills and more career reward skill objects than you can shake a stick at.

Plus, look at what the little stinker always wanted to talk about in his toddler years. Algebra? Yeah, that’s a nerd if I’ve ever seen one.

He is an EXTREMELY good sport about the whole spending his entire childhood studying and skilling thing.

I think Diadem would have made a good child prodigy too, since she rolled knowledge and is ALWAYS congratulating everyone on being overachievers, but sadly, she is a girl and therefore can’t be heir in this deeply unfair patriarchal legacy.

Electra, meanwhile, became a Pleasure Sim with a lifetime want of 50 First Dates. Curse you, Adam Sandler, for inspiring that LTW from hell!

We’re fulfilling it, though. You know we are. I’ve never been able to resist those impossible want points.

“Tybalt, I know Electra brought you home on the schoolbus for a freebie date and all, but I really think you should leave before my grandpa scares you to death. It’s just not safe for a matriarchal guy like you to be here at night.”

“You sure, Cass? Diadem doesn’t seem to mind getting scared.”

“That’s because she’s a freak, Ty. Now beat it.”

“Okay, but you have to promise you won’t tell Bells about this. Electra promised it was going to be strictly platonic!”

Yep, that’s right, Tybalt is dating none other than Alpheratz’s daughter Bellatrix, who grew up into a Fortune Sim who fell head over heels for the fiery Capulet. That would have been a problem if she was born into the main household, but Alpheratz never cared much for legacy rules so he’s perfectly fine with his children dating matriarchal Maxis-mades.

Not that Cursa would ever be in danger of settling down with one. She’s Romance, just like dad, and while she does go out with Tybalt and Bellatrix, she prefers doing her own thing, usually on the karaoke machine.

And how are Alpheratz and Demi? Obviously they are still married, because divorce is anathema in the legacy family, but they actually surprised me by being able to patch things up somewhat.

Okay, maybe they patched things up a lot.

Back on the main lot, Fornax continues his Child Prodigy studies, and Electra continues her string of meaningless dates.

She met many an interesting character downtown, including this dorky vampire who only wanted to talk about school.

“You must tell me about your schoolverk. I haff such an interest in how theese thinks haff changtt since I vos a boy, back in Baffaria.”

“Wow, okay. I have to tell you that as a Pleasure Sim, I hate school with every fiber of my being, but can I introduce you to my sister? I think the two of you would get along like a house on fire!”

Indeed they would, especially since Diadem managed to get herself alien abducted and has therefore become an excellent candidate for the Ivy League master point mini-challenge!

“I get to become a vampire? Sweet.”

I was hyped for the vamping, but unfortunately my vampire skin default left a lot to be desired. Apparently it makes everyone an opaque pearly white regardless of original skintone. Lame!

Pardon me while I switch some files around.

“Ahhhh. Much better. Grandma Sharon must be so proud of me.”

I’m sure she’s proud of all of you, because the time to grow Fornax up and get that master point has come! Once he grows up platinum, we’ll be ready to ship everyone except little miss I Was A Teenage Vampire off to college. It’s been a whirlwind of a generation.

Let me just show off a couple awkward shots proving that he maximized everything he was supposed to...

And away we go! Fucking nailed it!

Next time: How will Fornax cope with going straight from being ten years old to becoming a college student? Will I be able to get Cassie her 200 sandwiches and Electra her 50 dates without driving myself crazy? And what’s with the mystery surrounding Alpheratz and Demi’s third child?

Legacy Scoring:

Legacy: 2.5 Money: 1 Family friends: 38x.25 = 9.25 Impossible wants: 5 (Alph 20L, Sharon 30F, Zaniah 7Sk, Angeline 7Sk, Fornax 7Sk) Platinum graves: 2 (Family, Popularity) Ghosts: 1 (Old Age) Business: 3 Seasons: 2 (tree) Free Time: 2 (Games: Zaniah, Betelgeuse, Alpheratz) Collections: 1 (25 Elixirs x1) Master: 2 (Social Bunnies Need Love Too, Child Prodigy - Fornax, ) Handicaps: 0 Overflow: 0 Penalties: -1 (bills) Total: 29.75

[celmation-gibson]

Well, It's Time I started these 'Best of' Reviews for what Animated thing had Happened this Year, and Now I'm ready for it, and for me, I think that 2017 was a great Year for Cartoons on TV (and one on the Net), and here are my Reviews on why.

Ben 10(2016 series) – Although the Show was Made and Released in 2016 at other Foreign territories, It finally got a Release in the US in 2017. And some Folks might say that some reboots aren’t very too Bright (and I would agree on TTG and/or PPG 2016), But I find this to be a Nerve Calming excitement, some of the Character Designs/Re-Designing look Cute & Likable to Me. And the One Thing that gets me Fired up for this Series is that some Artists I know worked on this Program, like Mr. Ryan Krammer(Uncle Grandpa, & SpongeBob's 'Food Con Castaways' episode), Ms. Monica Ray(Harvey Beaks, Magic Children Doing Things) as Storyboard Artists & additional Writers& Mr. Colin Heck(Legend of Korra, Harvey Beaks) as Supervising Director. And It was Wonderful to hear Ms. Jessica DiCicco(Lynn & Lucy Loud) voicing a Different-looking FrightWig, who the Character was previously voiced by Cree Summer in the Original Series. But believe me, I remember seeing the Original Ben 10 series along with Alien Force, but didn’t quite go thru the Rest of the Series until the Reboot came. Even the Original villains of this Show look so Cute (except for Billy Billions), which that Cuteness also goes to the re-Designing of the other Villains from the Original ‘Ben 10’ series, and the More appearance I’ve ever seen from a Villain is Steam Smythe (voiced by Roger Craig Smith of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ & ‘Regular Show’).

Billy Dilley’s Super-Duper Subterranean Summer – Quite an Interesting Show, and I bet many people thought that the Program reminded them of ‘Uncle Grandpa’, so Keep in Mind, Most of the Artists & Writers who worked on this Series previously worked on ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ & ‘Uncle Grandpa’. Even the Show’s Creator Mr. Aaron Springer voicing Billy almost sounds like Paul Rugg of 'Freakazoid', 'Pig, Goat, Banana, Cricket', & 'Secret Mountain Fort Awesome'.

Samurai Jack(Season 5) - I truly Enjoyed watching 'Samurai Jack' when I was Young, this Program along with 'Courage the Cowardly Dog', 'Juniper Lee', & 'Chowder' are Probably the only Good Old Cartoon Network Programs that I give Full Circle to in my Childhood. After the "Jack and the Baby" episode, the show went into a Deep Cliffhanger, and I truly Sympathize the Great Hero Jack for it, But Twelve Years Later, a New Season had Finally cometh, with the Show's Original Creator Mr. Genndy Tartakovsky coming to Ex. Produced the series after some Great Work back at Sony Pictures Animation(Hotel Transylvania films, & that Popeye Test Footage). And Instead of the Program being a-little Lighthearted like the Past Seasons with just Slime, Oil & Robotic Guts, and Major Boo-boos, the New Season 5 now airing on Adult Swim has moved to a Darker Tone, which I like as much as 'Return to Oz', 'Over the Garden wall', & 'the Black Cauldron', with some major Blood, Profanity, and some Grown-Up jokes put into it. And it was a Surprised to see some Old Characters that I recognize to make some Cameos in that one episode(or few), such as the Woolies, Demongo, and the Ravers, the Robots and their Robo-Samurai, and the "Jump Good" Monkey man & his Tribe. And some Fresh New Voices came in by Surprise, such as Mr. Chris Parnell & Keegan Michael Key in some Episodes. And I was Lucky to film the Final Confrontation between Jack & Aku during the Premiere of the Series Finale for Instagram. And did I nearly weep during the Part that Now that Aku is Gone, Ashi will Never be Born in the Future(because of the Space Timing Continuum), and I got to say, Ashi was a Cute Character that I truly Sympathize because of her Dark Past & People Torturing her back then, and I like her Voice Actress, the Legendary Ms. Tara Strong (Powerpuff Girls, My Little Pony, Ben 10, & Chowder). And even since Aku's Original voice actor Mr. Mako passed away back then, I say that Mr. Greg Baldwin really did a Good Job impersonating Mako voicing Aku, just like he did with Iroh of 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' & 'Legend of Korra', almost sounded like If Mako aged Puberty. I would say I'm Gonna Miss this Show, just like how I'll miss Chowder, Regular Show, and soon Uncle Grandpa.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Battle for Mewni /SvtFoE Season 3– To come Clear, I only watched the First Four Stories of that TV Movie Special, from “Return to Mewni” to “Marco and the King”, Because during the Further Episodes there was an Artist whose Career I clearly dislike, Tyler Chen of ‘Clarence’, ‘Fish Hooks’, ‘Pickle & Peanut’ & the Overrated Bravest Warriors minisode “drama Bug”, and that’s why I never made it to the Ending point, But I do read Perfectly that Star won the Battle against the Vile Toffee, and she got her Wand Redesigned. But what I can tell you that one of my Favorite Episodes from that so Far is “Moon the Undaunted”, and I gotta say that Eclipsa, Queen of Darkness is one of my Most Favorite Characters from the show so far. As for the Rest of Season 3 so Far, I’ve only watched Episodes that are NNOT directed by Chen, cuz remember when I said I don’t like his Career, but my Most Favorite Episodes out of Season 3 so Far is ‘Stranger Danger’, ‘Lint Catcher’, & ‘Trial by Squire’. Also, Despite having appeared in the 2016 episode "Page Turner", I like Hekapoo's appearance in the 2017 episode "Running with Scissors", which is One of my Most Favorite Episodes of Season 2.

The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos - I really Enjoyed this Half-Hour Special of ‘the Loud House’, the New Characters there seemed Likable/Lovable unlike the Unlikable/Hate-able ones in Royal Woods where some Folks aren’t that Disgusting as Hell(Funny Business, Cereal Offender), and It’s also a Good Episode where no Sister Siblings were Complete & Utter jerks(Sleuth or Consequences, a Novel Idea), Even what surprised me Completely is that this was the First Thing in a Kids’ Cartoon to showcase a person with Down-Syndrome, and believe me, I felt Really Disappointed on how they were Portrayed in Adult Cartoons, Mostly *COUGH*Family guy*COUGH*. But in a Kids Cartoon, they were Treated Properly with Good Respect. And the Character Rosa reminds me of Mrs. Claus/Mama from Rankin/Bass’ ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ for some Wacky Reason, “Eat, eat, EAT”. And I still Love the RonnieColn Fandom Completely, that one LH Episode “Back Out There” almost Ruined some Things, and that Led me to have Mixed to Negative Feelings for Lincoln’s Friends Clyde, Rusty, Liam, Zach. So I would say that ‘the Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos’ is a Fun-Filled Episode that I could watch Multiple Times, It’s got Cute & Funny moments, some Heart-Warming Drama, and some Great Entertainment when the Alley Cats run amuck in the Casagrande apartment.

OK K.O! Let’s be Heroes – This Show has become a Great New addition to the Grand CN, It was created by Mr. @ianjq, who was previous storyboard supervisor & storyboard revisionist of ‘Adventure Time’, Writer & Story Artist for ‘Secret Mountain Fort Awesome’, voice of Wallow of ‘Bravest Warriors’, & developer, co-executive producer, supervising director, storyline writer & storyboard artist for ‘Steven Universe’, and I really like him Voicing Rad & other Characters such as Darrell & Crinkly Wrinkly in the K.O. program. It was based off a short Pilot episode ‘Lakewood Plaza Turbo’ back in 2013, in that Great Year of Discoveries along with other pilots for ‘Steven Universe’, ‘Over the Garden Wall’,  & ‘Clarence’, and that was a Time when I was also Fascinated with Disney’s Nine old Men and their Work/Book ‘the Illusion of Life’, and watching that Awesome Documentary on Cartoon Network’s ‘Next Generation of Animation’, I will always accept New Cartoon Network shows like ‘Adventure Time’, ‘Regular Show’, ‘Uncle Grandpa’, ‘Over the Garden Wall’, ‘Steven Universe’, & ‘We Bare Bears’ into the Cartoon Society. But as for ‘OK K.O.’ , the seems pretty Wonderful, It has a Blend of 1970’s Obscure Anime looks into the Western Animation looks, and How they have some Classical Cartooning Principles(Funny Cartoon Noises, Jokes & Gags) into the Modern Day Greatness. Even some of the characters seemed likable, Mostly on either Lord Boxman(voiced by the Great Jim Cummings), some of the Villainess Characters that the Heroes might met(Professor Venomous, Cosma, & Mr. Cardsley), and even some of the Main Good Characters, especially the Ones I also Sympathize like K.O., Rad, Enid, Dendy, Carol, & Mr. Gar, and I gotta say that Character Crinkly Wrinkly is the Funniest character that I’ve ever seen. I think it was Good that I first get to watch the Series when It was On-Demand before it aired on actual TV, but I have yet to see it’s 2013 Pilot episode along with the Rests that Aired on 2013, But I do know that it had a Mobile Game back then (though I did not Download it or played it) and a Series of Shorts by other Animation Studios, but I haven’t watch them because I am Never a huge fan of SCIENCE SARU and I’m Not too certain about Studio Yotta. But I gotta say also, This Show is a Fanstastic Experience on the Grand CN, Filled with Precious Heart-Warming episodes with Good Life Lessons like How to handle your own Duties as an Employer or how Great your Boss can be (‘Legends of Mr. Gar’), or If you Try not to Spoil your life by being a Self-Proclaimed Selfish ‘Cool Kid’ like Brat, you should have a More Focused Future ahead of you, even without going to Jail (‘We’ve Got Pests’), and the Show had some Crazy Developments such as Enid & Rad used to being a Couple (‘Second First Date’), and Enid being a Witch and being in a Family of Halloween-Themed Characters (‘Parents Day’). Plus the shows got a Good crew, Like the Program's Supervising Director Toby Jones, who Previously worked on 'Regular Show', and one of the Show's Story folks Dave Tennant, previously does some Stories for Pete Browngardt Cartoons, Which I think makes it Better for Me.

Pickle Rick – Why not, It’s “PICKLE RIIIICK!!!!”, I thought I would pass on this, But eventually won my Heart, don’t ask why, but Things just happen like that.

The Summoning - I just Discovered this while browsing on the internet probably from Fan-Art on DA, and I watched it on Youtube, and I gotta say, this Cartoon is Really Cute, Funny, & Creepy at the same time. The Main Characters seemed Lovable, and I mean Claire & Edgar, the Bunny Character is hugely Funny in a way, Though I feel Terribly Bad for the characters accidentally eating some things like Eating some Dandruff from a Big Head Island which Claire thought it was Dirt, and Eating Poop which Edgar thought it was Chocolate. But to make Matters Better for the Cartoon, Celmation Hero Ms. Natasha Allegri(Bee & Puppycat, Fionna & Cake) worked on the short as Director, Story Artist, & Character Designer, WHAT A HERO!!! And the Animations/Celmation was done by Digital eMation inc., the Celmation Team behind ‘Ok K.O. Let’s be Heroes!’ & the Season 5 of ‘Samurai Jack’.

The Movies of 2017 & Probably some on Video Games should be made soon.

[shutupandshipit]

home is where the heart is - Part 2

Summary: Lance pillowed his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes to the rising moon and the stars blanketing the sky. The feeling hadn’t dissipated, only growing with each day that passed as slowly as the previous. “I don’t know, Mama. I really… really don’t. I’m happy to be back, ecstatic, but I spent so long out there and now that I’m back without the others it feels…”

“Solitario?” she supplied, leaning her head against his.

“Yes, a little.”

Pairing: Klance

Rating: T

Chapter: 2/3

Part 1 <- Previous

Next -> Part 3

Masterpost

Author’s note: You can find the Spanish translations on Ao3 at the bottom of Part 2.

Keith and Pidge sulked beneath the shade of a beach tree with arms crossed over their chests, watching the others scramble through the water and sand, laughing wildly. Pidge's mouth turned down irritably. “Sunburns are dumb,” she grumbled.

“Yeah.”

“They're all jerks.”

“Yeah.”

“I'm gonna hit every single one of them.”

“Yeah.”

“Um, Keith, right?” The woman's voice startled the pair out of their pity party, drawing their eyes up and up and up some more to the woman staring earnestly down at them. She was as tall as Lance, and they were even shorter sitting on the ground.

It left Keith a little dizzy.

“Yes?” Keith said, staring back at her. Though her skin was lighter, her hair red and far curlier than Lance, she bore a striking resemblance to him. They couldn't be mistaken for anything but siblings.

Her smile was just as blinding as her brother's. “Oh, good! Katie, do you mind giving us a moment to talk?”

Raising an eyebrow cautiously, Pidge stood. “Sure. Just be sure to tell me everything later. Terrify him. Please. Make my day.” She knocked her fist against Veronica's, running out towards the water despite the scornful reproaches she received from the others.

Veronica settled beside him, her eyes trained on the commotion starting back up in the water. She was silent for a moment, the smile never fading. Finally, she said, “So, you're the guy my baby brother is in love with.”

If there were any possible way to choke on air, Keith would have managed it in that moment. He stiffened, eyes snapping to said brother hanging off of Hunk's bicep like a child on a playground. Heart in his throat, he couldn't find the words to reply.

Lance was not in love with him. He was the last person Lance would ever fall for.

The memory of the night before returned. Lance in his lap before Pidge had burst in. Lance kissing as fiercely as he had always imagined. He doubted his own conviction.

“And you love him too, right?” He remained quiet, but she seemed unfazed by his lack of response. She continued. “It's fine if you don't, really. But,” and suddenly he could feel something that felt very much like a knife pressing gently into his side. The tip was a prick of ice against his burned skin. “If you hurt him, I will kill you. Don't lead him on. He will give everything to you. If he could, he would drag the moon, the sun, and even the stars from the sky to give them to you. He would give you everything. If you take advantage of that, I will kill you. I know how to get rid of a body, and I know people who will help me keep it quiet.” Her tone was easy, genial in its threat. “He's been hurt and let down by too many people before. Each of them seemingly disappeared. They've never found a trace of them. Such a mystery, right?” The knife dug in a little harder. “You will not be the one that breaks him. If you haven't already figured out, he's completely head over heels for you. He was lost when the others showed up, and you didn't follow after them. He became the embodiment of the sun when you turned up.”

She glanced over at him, smile wide and teeth so white and straight that they felt like a threat all on their own. “If you love him too, treasure him. If you don't, don't let him faun over you. If you ever lay a finger on him, cheat on him, abuse him, if you ever do anything to him other than love him, you will become very familiar with my little friend in your side. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Keith squeaked, forcing his eyes to remain plastered to her face.

“Wonderful!” she chirped, standing and dusting sand from the back of her thighs.

Lance slammed bodily into her, hefting her over his shoulder. He grinned widely, laughing, before his eyes settled on Keith. “Hey, you alright, buddy? You look a little pale.”

Veronica screamed, floundering on his shoulder.

Jumping to his feet, Keith copied Veronica's movements, slapping at the sand sticking to the back of his shorts. “Nothing! Nothing! I'm fine. Perfectly fine. So fine it's a wonder that I'm not fine. We were just having a conversation. A nice, easy conversation.”

Lance narrowed his eyes before pinching the back of Veronica's thigh. She screeched, kicking wildly. “What did you do, Ver? Tell me or I'll keep pinching.”

“Lance, when I get down from here, te voy a patear el culo!” she spit, bucking.

“Were you threatening Keith, you goblin? I told to stop doing that! You always run them away! All of you do!”

Veronica snorted before she sighed and went limp. “Eran indignos. He's fought aliens though. I think he'll be fine with a little threatening. I was just laying down some ground rules. You have to have ground rules, Lance, or there is anarchy. Anarquía!”

Lance rolled his eyes. “You're such a drama llama.” He pinched at the back of her thigh again, but this time she remained still.

Under her breath, she muttered, “You're the drama llama.”

“No more threatening, Veronica. I'm serious.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “I promise, but I can't speak for the rest of the family. I'm sure David will get in there, and Mama! Hell, she'd going to scare the ever living daylights out of him.” Veronica was grinning, and as she pulled an arm free, she ran her fingers through his hair. “Mira esos rizos. Bonito. Te mereces a alguien que te da las estrellas, hermanito,” she cooed.

Glancing over at Keith and cheeks coloring red, Lance turned his head to catch a glimpse of her face. “ El ya tiene. ”

…..

Pidge slammed down hard onto the cushion beside Keith. The floor cried out in protest as the couch slid back a few inches. She slung her arm over his shoulders as Hunk copied her motion on his other side. They bracketed him in, leaning close and sighing contentedly as they watched Lance and Shiro wrestle with Lance's siblings, nieces and nephews on the floor. Matt stood over them, commentateing as Lance rolled Shiro over him as if he weighed only as much as the baby.

“So,” Pidge started all too casually, her fingers pressing into his shoulder in a less than inviting way. His burned shoulder. His very burned shoulder.

He flinched beneath her touch, and her touched eased up as she grinned apologetically.

“So,” Hunk echoed, sliding his eyes over to Keith.

“So?” Keith asked warily.

Hunk hummed, raising an eyebrow as a sly grin twisted up the corners of his mouth, “You and Lance, huh? About time.”

Keith's head snapped around towards Pidge, hissing, “Pidge! We had a deal!”

Her resulting smile was wide and unabashed. “I didn't tell him anything. He figured it out all on his own. You two are so transparent that even a blind person could figure it out.”

Groaning loudly, he sunk deeper into the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him and into the fray. Lance somersaulted over his legs, tugging at his bare foot as he passed. He kicked playfully at him, an unconscious smirk jerking at the corners of his lips.

“Case in point.”

Keith turned narrowed eyes back to Pidge. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I said.”

“Look, Keith,” Hunk started before Pidge or he could continue into an argument, mouth pulled taut, “Lance is our best friend, has been for a long time.”

Pidge's mouth mimicked Hunk's, their voices similarly low. “We've seen him be a complete idiot around girls. We've seen him get close to something that could be considered 'having feelings for'.”

“But,” Hunk whispered, “We've never seen him like this. This is... It's uncharted territory, alright? We're not really sure how to help him if something goes awry with you two.”

“We just need to know that you won't hurt him,” Pidge finished, her eyes imploring as they stared at Keith.

He glanced between the two, mouth dry as he said, “Why does everyone think I'm going to hurt him? I don't get it. Do I look like I could hurt Lance on purpose? Like I'm going to?”

“Lance may act tough, but he's got a heart of glass. We need to know that you're not going to break it.” Hunk squeezed his shoulder, everything that he was asking him transmitted in the bulk of his hand.

Keith dropped his eyes to his lap. “I don't think you guys are giving him enough credit. Any of you. Not the two of you. Not his family. But I'm not going to intentionally hurt Lance. I can't promise that I won't do it on accident, though. I've never been good with people. Hurting him it the last thing I want to do,” he whispered, “but you guys also need to remember that he's probably the strongest of us all. He's not some fragile doll. He's been through the same shit we have. He's fought the Galra with us. He's survived capture. He's commanded the team when there was no one there to do it. And anyway, we haven't even talked about this. Us. This thing between us.”

Hunk and Pidge tilted their heads, watching him consideringly then looked to each other. “Interesting.”

Scrubbing her hand through Keith's hair, Pidge laughed as he swatted at her and then was pulled into a crushing hug by Hunk. He gathered her in as well, and she groaned. “That's all we're asking for, Keith,” Hunk said, squeezing them until they began to wheeze.

“Hey, what are we whispering about over here? Why is a Hunk hug fest going on and I'm not in it? It looks cozy. I want it,” Lance said, wiggling into the space Hunk created for him so that he and Keith were nose to nose. He was all but seated in Keith's lap. A grin wider than the horizon spread across Lance's face as he stared at the red rising on Keith's cheeks. “Aw, you're too cute.”

“Lance, if you don't back up right now, I can't say that I won't...” He trailed off, cheeks coloring brighter than before.

The grin somehow widened. “As long as it was good, go ahead because I'm not moving, babe. I'm comfortable.”

Pidge gagged audibly, pushing their faces apart. “Don't be sickening with so many people around! Damn! It's only been a day!”

“I think it's cute,” Hunk said, laughter reverberating through his chest to tremble down Keith's arm.

Lance laughed along with him, licking at Pidge's palm.

She screeched and scrambled from the embrace.

"Lance! Aquí! Help your father and brothers with dinner,” Mrs. McClain said from the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed across her chest.

Untangling himself from the pretzel they'd become, he popped to his feet. His hair stuck up every which way making him look like a frantic puppy more than a teenage boy. “Si, Mama! Coming.” He turned a sly smile to Keith. “Don't forget about whatever you were planning on doing. For later.”

Pressing his hands over his burning face, Keith growled, “Dammit, Lance.”

Still grinning, he winked before trotting passed his mother to press a quick kiss to her cheek. He disappeared into the kitchen, an uproar beginning immediately on his entrance.

Stepping out of the doorway, Lance's mother let the door swing closed. “Keith, could you come help me in the greenhouse for a moment?” she asked, smiling gently as she pushed her feet into a pair of small pink and white polka-dotted galoshes.

“Yes, ma'am.” Keith stood, shrugging out from beneath Hunk's arms. “Coming.”

They tramped through the sand in relatively comfortable silence, eyes downcast to avoid fallen palm fronds. Holding the door open, Keith followed Lance's mother into the greenhouse. Inside was humid and a kind of quiet that the outside hadn't been. There was no ambient noise from the wind or ocean to keep the white noise at bay. The pair worked diligently, Mrs. McClain giving Keith succinct instructions as needed.

She finally spoke as they dusted off their hands and pushed out into the afternoon light. “Keith, have you ever been in love?”

Startled, Keith paused, looking at her. “No, ma'am. I mean, not romantically.” Swallowing, he shuffled around the armful of vegetables and fruits he held.

She smiled gently, and turned to make her way down to the beach. “Ven. Sit with me a moment. I would like to speak with you. We really haven't spoken since you arrived. I would like to get to know the man my son is smitten with.”

He felt blindsided. He'd never been called a man before.

“Yes, ma'am,” Keith mumbled tentatively, following cautiously after her. He sat beside her on the sand, stretching out his feet for the water to lap at. He dropped his cargo beside him.

“Have you ever come close to loving someone?”

He swallowed. “I think, maybe one time, before I left the Garrison. I'm not sure. That time of my life wasn't... It was hard. It's a little blurry nowadays.”

Her smile was so gentle and so understanding, and he felt the world tilt. Her smile reminded him of another. “Shiro?”

He stayed silent, staring at his toes.

“It's alright. I won't say anything. I've been in love with my best friend before. It only caused me heartache. That's not to say that it isn't okay to be in love with a friend. The person you love should ultimately be you best friend. They should be your confidant and protector. They should be your world.”

“I don't... understand why we're talking about this.”

Lance's mother inhaled deeply, staring out over the water. “My son, Lance, he's a lot like me when I was young. He's outgoing, friendly, flirty. He lusts easily. I don't think he's ever truly been in love before, but that's not for me to say. He's strong, so strong, but matters of the heart are a soft spot for him as they were and are for me. He gives everything he can to the people he loves, and then he gives even more than that.” She looked at Keith then, and he saw Lance in her face and in the blue of her eyes. “I didn't ask you out here to scare or threaten you, Keith. I just need you to know that if you treat him tenderly and treasure him, he will give you the sun, the moon, and the stars. If you treat him harshly... Well, I don't want to see what will happen. I don't want him to become cynical towards love or life, and I also don't want to see him break under the heartache.”

“You didn't though,” Keith blurted, staring back at her.

She tilted her head. “Didn't what?”

“Break. Under the heartache. You... You have a family that loves you. You obviously made it.”

Nodding, she looked out at the changing colors of the sky. “You're right, but there was a long time that I thought I'd never find anyone else. It took me a long time to come back from that. I was lucky enough to have my husband waiting for me on the other side.”

They were quiet for a moment, just watching the indigo crawl across the sky.

“You know, I've never seen my son so taken with someone. I know the others haven't told you, they've been too busy playing big brother and sister, but he was depressed without all of you. He got better when the others arrived, but he wasn't himself until you showed up. His smile is brighter than ever, and the way he looks at you... It's how I still look at my own husband, and how I've seen him look back at me. I need you to know that, Keith, and I need you to know that we are all here for you. All of you have given so much to my son, and you're part of our family now.”

She took his hands between her own, squeezing them gently. “I'm not saying that you will be together forever. I'm not saying that there won't be conflict. There will be. Especially with my son. This relationship is going to be a big force in your lives. I'm not saying the two of you won't break up one day, but what you two have, I can tell it's special even if it's just a foundling. This is important to him, and the way you look at him, I can tell it's at least a little important to you too.”

“He is important to me,” Keith whispered, the words coming out stilted and awkward. He didn't want to be talking about his feelings, wasn't comfortable doing so, but out of everyone who had talked with him, he wanted her to understand. He wanted her to know.

“I know, mijo.” She patted the back of his hand. “He's difficult and he likes to argue,” she started again, and smiled when he snorted, “but he's good and sweet. After everything you all have been through, I just when you to be happy.”

“I-” Keith swallowed, glancing away from her to their clasped hands and then out over the water where the sun had sunk nearly completely behind the horizon. “I don't want Lance to get hurt. I don't know why everyone thinks that's what I'm going to do. I don't want that. I've watched him and all of the others get hurt more times than I ever wished to over out time fighting together.” He grimaced before chuckling under his breath. “If Lance is difficult, then I'm an outright bear to deal with. I guess I'm just so fucked up that people can only see me screwing this up, but... but I think we've kind of learned to work around that and grown used to those parts of each other. I don't want to hurt Lance.” He swallowed again, his throat tight. “I just want him to be happy too. I just want us all to be happy.”

“You don't have to explain yourself to me, Keith.” She pulled him towards her, and he went willingly, allowing her to wrap him in a mother's love. He melted against her, pillowing his head against her shoulder. “Lance told me that you don't have a family. He told me that you only just found your mother.” He stiffened against her. “But I want you to know that's not true anymore. We're your family, even if the two of you don't work out in the end. We'll always be here no matter what you need.” She pulled away, grinning widely. “My husband has always said how he wanted more boys.”

Keith's smile was unconscious, unchecked, and watery. “Thanks, Mrs. McClain.”

“No problem, sweetie. Now, let's get inside. I'm sure my dope of a son has felt our absence by now, and probably figured out that you're getting another talk. Little Pidge told me Veronica already talked to you? Don't worry, she's mostly bark, but when she bites, well...”

He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, bending to pick up the vegetables and fruit. “Was that supposed to make me feel better about Veronica?” he asked skeptically.

“Not really,” she chirped.

…..

“I'm sorry about my family,” Lance muttered from his bed, staring down at Keith in the dark of the room. On the bed beside him, Hunk snored uproariously.

“Sorry for what?” Keith whispered back, sitting cross legged on the sleeping bag he'd been provided, polishing his knife as he always did to calm himself. He'd never had so many talks in his life. He'd never seen so many people love one person like Lance was loved, and Keith doubted he'd be able to save himself from falling into the same depths that they all swam in. He wasn't sure he cared to save himself from the plunge. Already, he could feel the warm tendrils of acceptance and love wrapping around him, dragging him into Lance's arms and into the hearts of those that surrounded him.

That was something Keith had never had. Not that he could remember anyway. It was addictive. He didn't want to lose it, but he was afraid to allow it to consume him.

Lance picked apathetically at a popped stitch in the worn quilt that tangled around his long legs. “I know that they were dragging you around and threatening you. It's kind of a tradition. We figure if the interested party gets scared off just by the family then they weren't worth it in the first place. I'm just...” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. “I'm sure they've said a lot of things they shouldn't have. I'm sure you know by now how I feel about you. I'm not very good at hiding my feelings, and my family grabs shit and runs with it. They probably think we're...” He laughed without humor. “We haven't even talked about anything yet.”

Keith rubbed at a spot on his knife before pausing to look up at Lance. “Think we're what?” he prompted after a moment, curious to know what Lance thought. They'd made out the one time. There had been the hallucinogenic planet that he barely remembered. Lance's willingness for physical contact jumbled his mind more than he cared to admit, but he couldn't deny that even he felt something towards the Blue Paladin. There was something between them, something warm and not so new. He just had to figure out what it was.

“I don't know. Like... like my sister and her husband or something. Ready to settle down and adopt 2.5 kids. Ready to end our space adventures and just kick back with our feet in the sand,” he explained grandly before his voice fell back to a whisper, “I think they think that we're... I don't know... I just- I don't know. They think we're something more than what I think we're capable of right now.”

Swallowing, Keith sheathed his knife, pushing it beneath his pillow. “What... what are we right now?”

“What?” Lance asked, startled.

Lifting his eyes, Keith caught Lance's gaze. “What are we right now?” he asked with more conviction.

“We're...” Lance trailed off, pink darkening his cheeks and tips of his ears. Swallowing, he slid to the floor in the darkness, sitting back on his heels for only a moment. “It's easier to show you,” he whispered, leaning forward and pressing their mouths together.

Keith fell into the kiss easily, only putty beneath Lance's more capable hands. His fingers slid up along Lance's cheeks, cupping the back of his neck. “You're such a cliche,” he whispered fondly and pulled Lance back in. Slowly, he was being pushed back onto his makeshift bed, Lance's knee hitching up between his legs. Gasping, Keith pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him away just the barest amount. “Lance, hold on. Hunk-”

“It's fine,” Lance murmured against his ear, breath hot and hands hotter against his skin, “He sleeps through anything. Just be quiet. We don't want to wake the house.”

“Lance-” Keith started, but a gasp slipped passed his lips as Lance's hand slid across his lower stomach.

Lance's lips were curved into a smile against his ear. “We could go to the lions.”

“Lance, shut up. Stop talking. Holy fuck.” Keith pushed against his chest, eyes screwed shut as his mind reeled. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He knew they needed to talk about something. There was something important from before that they hadn't talked about, and Lance kissing him did not explain anything to him except that Lance wanted him the same way he wanted Lance.

All he wanted to do was touch Lance, bring him closer, allow him to have more of him than anyone he'd ever been with at the Garrison had been allowed. He wanted to kiss him gently and cuddle with him. He wanted to drink coffee with him and just talk.

He at least had the presence of mind to know that all they should be doing right then was talking. There were more things they needed to talk about than he had fingers on his hands. He didn't want to. He'd never been good at talking as the passed day with Lance's family had reminded him. They needed to talk though. So with visible effort, he sat up and pushed Lance away.

“We need to talk, Lance, before we get any further or any deeper. We can't just let everything fester.”

Lance slumped back against his bed, staring into the darkness that was made only darker by the cloudy night sky. “I don't want to talk,” he whispered, fear trembling through his voice, “I don't want to talk about that time. I don't want to remember it. I'm just... I'm just happy you're back.”

“I know. I don't want to either.” Keith stared at him, his lips throbbing and tingling with the memory of Lance's. Swallowing, he stood. “Come on. Let's go talk.”

Lance stared up at him solemnly before accepting his outstretched hand. Pulling himself to his feet, he didn't release Keith's hand. Instead, he brought it to his mouth and pressed his lips to his knuckles, one by one. When he had reached his last knuckle, he lingered, fingers tightening ever so slightly around Keith's. Slowly, he dropped their hands between them, and led the way out of the room. Hunk did not wake up as his bedroom door creaked open and closed. "Do you want something to drink before we get this thing started?" His hands were on the coffee maker, and his eyes were on the coffee grounds, and he was doing his best to keep both to himself even as Keith stood close to him.

“Coffee is fine. We're going to need it, I think.” Keith's voice was close, soft in the cover of darkness and the house's sleeping occupants.

“Right,” Lance murmured, forcing his mind to remain quiet. It was a difficult task. Since Keith had returned, all he'd been able to hear was chanting, 'Home, home, home, home,' and all his body had done was yearn to touch Keith, to pull him close.

His hands worked, and his mind chanted, and his body yearned.

He shuddered, his eyes slipping closed as Keith's fingers brushed against the back of his neck, tangling in the hair that curled at the base of his skull.

“Sorry,” Keith whispered, breathy, “It's just... Your hair is getting long.” He considered pulling his hand back, admonishing his body for indulging in the impulse to touch Lance, but he couldn't. Lance's skin was warm and inviting, beckoning him with olive undertones and deep brown skin tone. If he stared long enough -which he had and he did often- he could see the places where his skin tone didn't quite mix completely. Some patches were lighter than others, some darker, but just barely. Keith wondered if it was because he was biracial. He wondered if Lance's children would be born with the same pattern.

Lance exhaled shakily. “Yeah. I keep forgetting to cut it.”

“It looks good,” Keith told him truthfully, and still truthfully, he continued, “But it looks better short. You don't want to end up with a mullet.”

Laughing, Lance reached around, tangling their fingers together. “Yes, well, that's a given. Not many people can pull off a mullet nowadays, Mr. McMullet.”

It was a wonder, the touching. It was a wonder that they went from not touching each other at all to sharing a simple intimate touch without awkwardness. There was lost time to be made up for, and all of the touches they could have been sharing the entire time were spilling forward.

Smiling to himself, Keith hooked his fingers with Lance's for a moment before pulling back. “Do you want creamer? Well, 'do you have creamer' is probably the better question.”

“Please,” Lance said emphatically, “It's in the fridge door. Top shelf.”

[drukkie-kookie]

Alla Prima (Pt.1)

Pairing : Jimin x Seulgi

Genre : drama, angst, eventual smut, college au!

Word count : 3,485

Description : When an antisocial realist-painter, Park Jimin decided to change his subject from scenery to a breathing things, he didn't expect one particular homo-sapiens Kang Seulgi whom he has been avoiding since that day, whom painfully stunning, and probably wouldn't even take a single glance on him in million years, voluntereed herself as the tribute for his new project. And by means, even if it's included a package of her without a single clothes on.

P.S.:  So first of all,I’m such a btsvelvet trash and this is just work of fiction. 

  "This is not too shabby. "

Namjoon pondered as his brows twitched slightly,  analyzing the piece of art in front of him. Jimin's face was flat like it usually be, but a relieved sigh blooming inside him. thanks God.

"At this rate, you might just open your own exhibition  man. Why bother entering my own? "

The cease in his eyebrows deepened. But really,  he couldn't understand this prodigy's mind sometimes. But Jimin only shrugged.

"I'm not ready yet. "

"Not ready, or you don't want to? "

Namjoon questioned more.  It was like a rheotical question, which he knew that Jimin himself don't know the answer, yet.

The 24"x32" canvas in front of them bursted with major dark colours. As the Aurora prominetly sparkling under his touch, never being drowned with all the grey area surrounding it. Really, it's only this certain Park Jimin who can create masterpiece like this, effortlessly.

"I entrusted it to you then. Set it on a high price."

He put all his palette and brushes back to his rugged backpack. Smudges of colours can be seen here and there,  but he never worries to change it to the new one. This backpack is his lucky charm. He bid goodbye to Namjoon quitely and headed to the café, didn't miss the faint reply from Namjoon at the distance.

"No worries man!"

  Jimin hated the campus cafe.

No, he hates it.

The smells of coffee never ceased to exist,  always suffocates his breathing the moment he stepped in. Not that he hated coffee, it’s just, he never used to its smell and taste since he was little. Because only vegetable and fruit juices filled his everyday meal at home. Noises of people chattering,  gossiping useless thing,  the people making their own groups, alienating others,  Jimin hated it all. He came from the rural area in Busan, gotten a full scholarship for his art study was out of the plan. But he knew it was destined,  and he was thrilled to finally go and taste the little piece of heaven in the capital city, Seoul. He remembered how everyone knows everyone back in his village. He missed Taehyung and Jin, whom every Sunday always rotating,  helping each other's father to soil the farm and afterwads slashing the watermelon to sate their thirst after working hard. And he remembered after school,  he always dropped by to Taehyung's house just to play with Sooshim and helping his grandma mixing the kimchi. Life was good back then. Peaceful,  and full of fond memories. Not like here. Where people are too individualistic, busy with their own mind and business. What a shame he ended up become one. And the fact he found out the ugly truth about Seoul from day-1 didn’t seem to help at all. It tasted more like a mixture of hell and grey paint more than a heaven. He guessed that little piece of heaven really tiny then, the reality didn’t betray the phrase.

But at least they got a nice warm croissant bun here. Which never missed to be his breakfast.

He picked up his tray, with his other arms propped the hanging backpack. Jimin skimmed the area, and he was glad his usual spot wasn’t taken. Right next to the gigantic glass wall, facing the vast football field. But he was startled when his eyes met a pair of cat-like eyes catching his eyes off-guard. But Jimin averted his gaze in an instant and headed to his seat as he calmed down his erratic heart.

He hates the effect she has on him. It’s been a year, but his body always reacted the same. He’s so whipped and he hates it.

But the bubble inside his head popped into pieces when he felt his phone vibrating. A message from mom.

“좋은 아침 내아들, 아침 먹었?”

“Good morning my son, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Jimin smiled and quickly typed a reply to his mom. He loves how his mom never missed to check up on him everyday. Even if it’s only a brief hello on the phone, or a single text asking how are you. He’s such a mama boy and he’s proud of it.

Another unexpected message came again not long after that.

“This end semester vacation you’ll come home, right?”

At that, Jimin’s stomach churned. He could sense how much she missed him, and the guilt washed over him knowing the previous mid-semester he broke his promise to come home. He told her he had his painting being paid well and he would have enough money to come back, but he ended up buying new art supplies, with better qualities, and pretty expensive, just because he couldn’t hold his thirst to paint a little bit, with his first own money, earned by himself. He remembered how jumbled up his mind, filled with new ideas and colours inside his head, resulting his one of his best masterpiece ‘The Aurora of the Dawn’ or so he called it. Truthfully, he never wanted to sell any of his painting. He cherished them all dearly. It was the result of blood, sweat, and tears of his imagination and skills. With countless practice on paper, perfecting it before pouring it all down to the canvas. Because he can’t be wasteful on canvas, for it was not cheap for him to buy. Therefore, the canvas should be the masterpiece of his masterpiece. It has to.

But at least he already got them all on a photo. Framed and hang them all in his flat. He just hoped that, whoever buy it, will appreciate it as much as he is. And they’ll be happy after looking at it.

“Yes mom I’ll go home. Promise.”

He promised, and Namjoon better sell it in a good price. Because there’s no way he would let down his mother once more. He has to go home, and he will.

He sighed as he finished replying his mom. He started nibbling on his croissant, suddenly lose a little bit of appetite, but he knows he has to eat well or he’ll just making his mom and dad worried. Jimin was about to munch on the second croissant when a line notification came up.

“Hyung you’ll come to the party this weekend?

Football team’s headquarter. 9pm. Hope you can make it.”

It was from Jungkook, the boy from the sport department. Jungkook was the definition of well-known jock in the campus. He’s made it to the primary team despite being a freshman. Many people envy him and mesmerized by him, but only Jimin who knew the real him, for both of them coming from the same city, Jungkook clutched to him like a baby when he first arrived to Seoul. With full scholarship like him and ordinary family background, Jimin couldn’t abandon the little guy. All the familiarity of home oozing from Jungkook didn’t help at all, and they ended up growing close. Jimin helped him searching for a flat, a little bit touring over Seoul, etc etc.

But things changes, people changes. And so does Jungkook.

The epitome of the Golden Boy instantly become Jungkook’s new nickname. As the tagline goes afterwards, study hard, play harder. And boy, Jungkook partied hard. He never missed a weekend without a party. Jimin admit he’s amazed by him on how well Jungkook managed to ace every exams he had, despite the harsh practice of football team and still maintain his social life with partying till dawn. Jimin wasn’t the gifted type like him. He has to work his asses off to be where he’s standing now. Being called a prodigy painter was a bonus. But the gift he had has to be enhanced with practices. And that’s what he does. He’d rather practicing his sketches than wasting his time partying until wee hours. It’s just wasting his energy. He likes conserving his energy.

“No promises.” Jimin curtly replied. No promises equals he’s not going. Not a minute afterwards, another message came.

“Aw c’mon man, it’s his first win. We have to celebrate!!!”

A message from none other than Jung Hoseok, a.k.a his flat-mate. Jimin massage his temple, these to boys must’ve chatted behind him and played those ‘first-win’ card on him. With both of them are party-people, they never forget to invite Jimin to the party. But Jimin always politely refused, after that incident happed.

Speaking of ‘that’ incident, he shuddered when the rush of memories coming back to his mind….

 A year ago, 20 April 2012, Freshmen welcoming party.

“Yah don’t just sip it, drink it in one go you pabo!” Hoseok yelled to Jimin as he shoved the tiny shot glass down to Jimin’s mouth. A fit of cough followed Jimin afterwards, the burn sensation really uncomfortable in his throat. He sent down a death glare to Hoseok, which only resulted a sheepish grin as a reply.

“Let’s just enjoy this night to the fullest, okhey?”

Hoseok patted Jimin’s butt as he dragged him to the crowd of sweaty dancing people. All Jimin could do was obeyed the sunshine at heart and holding back his experated sigh to escape. He didn’t want to make him upset.

It was the night of welcoming party for all the freshmen. After four days of torture of student orientation a month ago, the senior prepared this big event as the apology gift for the new students. Jimin heard from Yoongi sunbae that it wasn’t easy to get the permission to use the plenary hall from the campus but somehow they managed, so that’s why the freshmen had to have a great time and all of them had to attend. Jimin was no exception.

At first he wasn’t so sure to join the party. He wasn’t familiar with alcohol, he already hit his coming of age last year but he haven’t touched a drop of alcohol, even a sip of a soju. People was supposed to get three things on their coming of age ceremony, a bonquet of roses, a kiss, and a bottle of alcohol. And he hadn’t had all three of them and Jimin’s not complaining. Hoseok has been bragging it up too much these past days after their roommate-to-roommate slash heart-to-heart talk last week. Jimin just couldn’t understand which part is disappointing of not getting those three. So Hoseok hadn’t forget to bring it up tonight too, ‘I’ll get the kiss, the alcohol, and the roses for you tonight!’ Jimin just chuckled at his antics.

Hoseok dragged him right at the centre of the dance floor. “Loosen up man! Let the night rules us tonight!” Hoseok cheered, Jimin couldn’t help to smile back to the sunshine. He tried to dance, but failed miserably. He looked like an invicible wall next to the master of dance dancing next to him. People started to notice Hoseok, and they gave space for him to move freely. Jimin joined the crowd and enjoyed Hoseok’s performance from the side. Man, he’s born to be a star. He thought.

Jimin decided to take another shot, he need something to do anyway. He gulped down in one shot, grimaced a little bit by the hot yet cold liquid coming down his throat, but he now realized the pleasant feeling afterwards. No wonder people love drinking, it tasted good. But he remembered his dad warning back at home, ‘Please stay away from drugs and alcohol son, I hope you take care of yourself there.’ So Jimin decided to stop at the third shot. He already felt a little bit lightweighing already.

Jimin looked back at the room, seeing all the people were having the time of their life. Some busy talking to each other, making new relations and friends here and there. Some were busy making out that it had him grimaced a little bit. He somehow couldn’t understand with PDA, he’d rather do it all those affection gestures in private, because it felt so privacy to him. Things like that need to be cherished, as it was intimate and very personal gesture for him.

He caught a ponytail in his sight, but he was disappointed to see it wasn’t her. Yes, her, none other than Kang Seulgi. Kang Seulgi was the well-known beauty from the Vocal department. The beauty wasn’t only from her appearance, but also her voice. Her heavenly voice. He never met someone who could make him skipped a beat just by the sound of their laugh. But that was Kang Seulgi did to him.

The whole four days of the freshmen orientation was spent together with Seulgi, as both Jimin and her was set into the same group. All the members were awkward at first, including him and Seulgi. But thanks to this guy called Chanyeol, the ice melted and all the members warming up to each other in an instant. But the senior were merciless. At the second day, each of the group had to choose one member to sing in front of the whole student. Seulgi, being the one and only from the Vocal department, had no other choice.

He remembered how white her nails went, due to her non-stop chlenching it because of her nervousness. He had this strange urge to unclasped her hand and engulfed hers with his. But he dismissed it all and just closely watched her trembled a little as she walked into the podium. He unknowingly prayed she’ll be alright.

When she opened her lips, all those nervousness gone from her eyes. And the world stopped for a moment for Jimin.

Her voice soared through all over the field. All the student fell silent by her voice. Her voice was so beautiful, beyond compare. She followed the rhythm leisurely, as if it was the rhythm who followed her voice. But at the end of the song, she cracked her voice a little bit, making herself went beet red as she apologized and let out a sweet, awkward laugh. And the crowd cheered, hooted hard, and he was sure 95% of the male students had been head over heels over her. Including him.

And since that day, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

His eyes couldn’t help to search her in the crowd. He should stop. He sighed. He dislike himself when he’s acting all whipped like this. But at the end he couldn’t help basking at the warmth this ‘crush’ served everytime he saw her in campus.

Jimin decided to borrow a pen and drawing random things on the tissue he got from the bartender. This party kinda amazing tho, it has a minibar with professional bartender inside. This is just like a university edition of a bar. He was so immersed that he didn’t realized someone had been sitting next to him for a while, looking at him closely.

“What are you drawing?”

Wait what?

“Jimin…right? We were at the same group!” She excitedly asked him. Jimin was speechless for a while, he didn’t expect this particular Kang Seulgi to be the one who find him. He drank in her sight for a moment, she wore a faded jeans and cropped sweater tonight, mixed with thin burgundy jumper at the outer. She looked good. And comfy. And those cropped sweater revealed her prominent abs, making his gone into shame. She let down her hair tonight, no wonder he couldn’t find her before.

“Ah yeah…” He replied. Scrathing his neck, didn’t know what to do. Does he continue drawing or what? His mind felt blank the moment she showed up. Seulgi smiled at his reply, making all her eyes gone because of that eyesmile.

“So, what are you drawing?” She pondered again, propping her chin on his arm, genuinely interested at the crappy sketch of his dog that died two years ago. He didn’t feel confident with his drawing. He knew he got the scholarship without no reason, but showing someone his sketches instead his final piece really not his cup of tea.

“Ah, it’s nothing…” He tried to fold the tissue paper hastily, but Seulgi frowned and stealthily snatched it from him. Jimin was taken aback by her sudden movement, and the brief moment she grabbed his hand made him palpitating inside. His eyes were as wide as saucer.

“Why are you hiding it? It’s good!” She swiftly complimented his messy sketch. And that moment, he was a goner. Again. For the second time. Shit he must be really like her then. Fuck.

Suddenly someone called her from the crowd, “Ah, I’ll be right back Park Jimin!” And just like that, she’s gone. She brought his sketch along with her. Great.

The night went on. Jimin didn’t move an inch, mostly because he’s too lazy to find another place to sit (and another reason just in case she’s coming back), so Jimin put on his headphone and blasting his recent favourite song, he didn’t really care the way it sounded clashing with the song in the room. He was out of the world for an hour when Hoseok coming back, drunk as ever.

“Come little boy let’s find herRrrrRr~!” He was slurring hard and Jimin knew it was time to go home. Jimin slinged one of Hoseok’s hand around his neck, and basically dragging half of his weight with him. Oh the things he do for Hoseok.

“Where are we going? We haven’t got the roses and the kiss yet!” He whined. Jimin sighed as Hoseok squirmed from his hold. “We’re going back home.” He replied. And with that, suddenly Hoseok stand up straight, as if he was sober. Without further ado, he grabbed Jimin’s arm and locked it in his grasp, then dragged him into the sea of people.

‘What’s with him???’ Jimin incredulously looked at him and puzzled by his sudden antics. “Hobi what are you doing?” They’ve basically circling the huge plenary hall and Hoseok didn’t show a sign to stop.

“We’re not going home before we meet that Seulgi girl. You get her phone number, and a kiss too before we go home would be amazing but don’t get your hopes up.” He firmly stated a ridiculous goals for tonight. Jimin tried to release himself from his grasp, but it was futile due to his iron-grip. Damn Hoseok and his muscles.

“What the hell Hobi-!

“I think that’s her, SEULGI JIMIN WANT TO KISS YOU, oh shit-

Jimin was frozen with the sight in front of him. Seulgi was kissing someone near the back. She was obviously heard what Hoseok’s said clearly and that’s why she suddenly startled and broke the making out session she had. Her lipstick was smeared, her face was red and her pupils were dilated, showing her black eyes prominently like the night sky. Jimin’s gut was churned, and briefly met her eyes, and he instantly turned around his heels and running out from there.

He didn’t expect the night he realized he really liked her would be the same night his heart being broken.

  Jimin sighed at the memories. He remembered he was mad at Hoseok for five days (no more no less, because it was impossible to be mad at that man longer than that), giving him the silent treatment. That five days was the longest fight they ever had.

If only feelings could be erased as easy as clicking the backspace at the word documents. He silently thought inside.

Jimin tried to forget her, he really did. He busied himself, and practically focusing on school. It helped a little bit, and the way their department was far from each other was a bonus. But in the end she never missed to be in his vision even just for a day. Whether it was in the library, the hallway, or in the café like this. Reality sucks and not helping at all. He put on his earphone and just wanted to distract himself from that annoying reality for a while.

So Park Jimin didn’t expect it at all when that particular someone bringing her tray filled with quiche and sat next to him.

“Hey.” She said. Jimin was stunned. He was silent for a solid 10 seconds, and Seulgi couldn’t take the heavy silence anymore. She put off one his earphone and said,

“I’ll be your model for your upcoming project. What do you say?”

[jo-the-schmo]

Doing it

I'm following @whatinfreenation 's example and do all dem questions (no one cared or asked for this but imma hit you) 200: My crush’s name is: I'm lonely and scared of relationships 
199: I was born in: Dayton, Ohio (Fuck me)
198: I am really: chronically depressed and anxious 
197: My cellphone company is: AT&T
196: My eye color is: blue-gray
195: My shoe size is: Women's 5
194: My ring size is: idk people just give me them
193: My height is: 5'2 (I'm smol)
192: I am allergic to: people 
191: My 1st car was: I choose not to drive 
190: My 1st job was: babysitting except I get no money 
189: Last book you read: In Cold Blood
188: My bed is: covered in clothes
187: My pet: is many, I have many pets
186: My best friend: is a little shit
185: My favorite shampoo is: MOTHERFUCKING DOVE ORANGE BLOSSOM YAS BITCH
184: Xbox or ps3: I have an Xbox but I prefer PlayStation 
183: Piggy banks are: Cute
182: In my pockets: I'm wearing exercise pants 
181: On my calendar: I don't have one but if I did it would be empty 
180: Marriage is: Scary
179: Spongebob can: love forever
178: My mom: is a bitch (yell at me if you want)
177: The last three songs I bought were?: I use Spotify
176: Last YouTube video watched: Game Grumps play Breath of the Wild episode 33
175: How many cousins do you have?: I'm Italian I have no fucking clue, too many
174: Do you have any siblings?: Yes, I am the youngest of 5 girls
173: Are your parents divorced?: never married, I was born out of wedlock (how scandalous)
172: Are you taller than your mom?: the same height, we all short
171: Do you play an instrument?: yes! I play several!
170: What did you do yesterday?: Cried myself to sleep [ I Believe In ]
169: Love at first sight: Fuck no
168: Luck: eh
167: Fate: not really 
166: Yourself: Definitely not
165: Aliens: I mean probably 
164: Heaven: Nooo
163: Hell: I wish
162: God: I don't have religion 
161: Horoscopes: I think they're neat
160: Soul mates: Kinda?
159: Ghosts: yeah, I believe in ghosts for a lot of reasons 
158: Gay Marriage:OMFG YES I AM SO GAY AND SJEKDJEJSKKS
157: War:Is horrible, why do we have to be like this?
156: Orbs: what?
155: Magic: I wish! [ This or That ]
154: Hugs or Kisses: Hugs, last time I was kissed...it wasn't great for me
153: Drunk or High: 420!!!!
152: Phone or Online: Online
151: Red heads or Black haired: All hair, no hair, all the same for me
150: Blondes or Brunettes: whatever you want boo boo
149: Hot or cold: hot
148: Summer or winter: Summer
147: Autumn or Spring: SPRING
146: Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla usually but chocolate is really nice 
145: Night or Day: Night
144: Oranges or Apples: Apples
143: Curly or Straight hair: I love curly hair!
142: McDonalds or Burger King: I'm trash and hungry 
141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: I just like milk in general
140: Mac or PC: ehhhhh
139: Flip flops or high heals: Heels, I like to kick people with them on
138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: I'm ugly and poor
137: Coke or Pepsi: Coke 
136: Hillary or Obama: Obama is a G
135: Burried or cremated: Idk yet 
134: Singing or Dancing: Fuck you
133: Coach or Chanel: I'm poor
132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: idek
131: Small town or Big city: Big City
130: Wal-Mart or Target: I go to Walmart but I wish it was Target
129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: who cares?
128: Manicure or Pedicure: I need short nails
127: East Coast or West Coast: MOTHERFUCKING WEST BITCJ
126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas, I hate my birthday 
125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolate 
124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney!
123: Yankees or Red Sox: I don't do sportsball [ Here’s What I Think About ]
122: War: again, is fucking terrible
121: George Bush: Obama was cool so idec
120: Gay Marriage: IS JUST AS VALID AS STRAIGHT MARRIAGE OR MARRIAGE BETWEEN PEOPLE OF OPPOSITE SEX
119: The presidential election: was a train wreck, we should've felt the burn
118: Abortion: Needs to be legal in all states, by making it illegal we are putting more people at risk of harm 
117: MySpace: 3 old 5 me kinda
116: Reality TV: Do whatever you want TV I'm not your mama
115: Parents: my dad is cool, my mom is crazy, step mom is chill, step dad can go FUCKING DIE
114: Back stabbers: need to cease from stabbing 
113: Ebay: gets rid of my dad's crap
112: Facebook: ok I guess 
111: Work: I just wanna help people
110: My Neighbors: I don't know them
109: Gas Prices:I don't drive 
108: Designer Clothes: eh whatever
107: College: I want to go but I'm really dumb and not good at anything
106: Sports: Color Guard is my favorite sport
105: My family: is oddly chill for Roman Catholics 
104: The future: A thing I try to hope will be better [ Last time I ]
103: Hugged someone: a few days ago, I was sad
102: Last time you ate: I am eating right now
101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: today, I'm visiting my mom and 2 of my sisters
100: Cried in front of someone: A couple months ago, I don't like people seeing me cry...
99: Went to a movie theater: like 2 months ago
98: Took a vacation: 5 years ago
97: Swam in a pool: last summer
96: Changed a diaper: I help my sister babysit 
95: Got my nails done: never
94: Went to a wedding: my dad's wedding 4 years ago
93: Broke a bone: I haven't done that yet
92: Got a peircing: I'm getting one soon
91: Broke the law: I am very dank
90: Texted: 6 hours ago [ MISC ]
89: Who makes you laugh the most: my Best Friend KD
88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my ability to cry in my room
87: The last movie I saw: A Time to Kill (I can't think about that)
86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Possibly not feeling depressed? And finishing my fanfic!!!
85: The thing im not looking forward to: What I do after the fanfic is done
84: People call me: Jo or Mojo
83: The most difficult thing to do is: To look at yourself and tell yourself that you are worth it when you don't feel like you are
82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: nope
81: My zodiac sign is: Capricorn 
80: The first person i talked to today was: my sister May :3
79: First time you had a crush: I was like 10
78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: I can hide something from anyone I do it all the time
77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Everyday I'm with KD, we are turning into the same person 
76: Right now I am talking to: Tayah 💜💚💜
75: What are you going to do when you grow up: I either want to be a makeup artist, drama teacher, or art teacher
74: I have/will get a job: I want to, don't know if I'll live that long hahahahahah
73: Tomorrow: might be better
72: Today: I don't like visiting my mom
71: Next Summer: I'll be with my mom
70: Next Weekend: I'll be with my mom
69: I have these pets: many dogs and cats
68: The worst sound in the world: that sound that Music stands make against smooth tile 
67: The person that makes me cry the most is:
66: People that make you happy: my Tumblr friends💜💚💜
65: Last time I cried: last night
64: My friends are: Anyone who's nice to me
63: My computer is: not mine
62: My School: Can suck my dick, Lord Travis Richardson III
61: My Car: doesn't exist 
60: I lose all respect for people who: Hurt people out of amusement 
59: The movie I cried at was: A time to Kill 
58: Your hair color is: naturally it's a light brown 
57: TV shows you watch: Sleepy Hollow
56: Favorite web site:...Tumblr...
55: Your dream vacation: Naples, Italy
54: The worst pain I was ever in was: Panic Attacks
53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium well
52: My room is: odd
51: My favorite celebrity is: DAVEED DIGGS
50: Where would you like to be: in with New York, North California or Oregon
49: Do you want children: I want to adopt
48: Ever been in love: I don't feel love
47: Who’s your best friend: KD
46: More guy friends or girl friends: It used to be guys but now they scare me
45: One thing that makes you feel great is: Makeup
44: One person that you wish you could see right now: Anyone who can help me feel better
43: Do you have a 5 year plan:
42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: No, because I can't think about dying too much ;-;
41: Have you pre-named your children: I promised my sister that if I adopted/had a baby girl her name had to be Winnrie 
40: Last person I got mad at: Myself
39: I would like to move to: anywhere but here
38: I wish I was a professional: Makeup Artist [ My Favorites ]
37: Candy: Gummy Bears :3
36: Vehicle: motorcycle 
35: President: OBAMA
34: State visited: America is weird
33: Cellphone provider: I don't care
32: Athlete: I don't follow
31: Actor: Lin Manuel-Miranda
30: Actress: PIPA SOO MY BB
29: Singer: does Daveed count?
28: Band: Queen and Black Veil Brides
27: Clothing store: Hot Topic
26: Grocery store: Jungle Jim's (it's an Ohio things)
25: TV show: SLEEPY HOLLOW
24: Movie: Tangled
23: Website: always Tumblr 
22: Animal: panther
21: Theme park: King's Island
20: Holiday: Halloween 
19: Sport to watch: WGI
18: Sport to play: MARCHING BAND
17: Magazine:History
16: Book: history text book
15: Day of the week: Thursday 
14: Beach: I don't do water
13: Concert attended: I've never been...
12: Thing to cook: Pasta!
11: Food: all food
10: Restaurant: all of them
9: Radio station: nope
8: Yankee candle scent: wedding cake 
7: Perfume: I wear Captivate
6: Flower: Bleeding Hearts an baby's breath 
5: Color: Purple and Green
4: Talk show host: Jimmy Fallon and John Oliver 
3: Comedian: Gabriel Iglesias 
2: Dog breed: Mutt Wuppy 
1: Did you answer all these truthfully? I have no reason to lie I guess ?

[lastloveklaroline]

My Star-Crossed Liveblob

Lots of Karamel feels and aggressively defending Mon-El.

Kara and Mon-El are watching Game of Thrones, talking about Netflix and musicals, well played btw.

And are being the cutest most precious happy and in love aliens in the world right now. "Cheesy rom-com on steroids." OMG OMG OMG YOU TWO ARE KILLING ME. And Mon-El's thing about her cute lil face and smile, literally the same way I feel about you sir.

THEY THINK THEY'RE HOLDING MON-EL CAPTIVE AND DEMANDING HIM BE RETURNED AND KARA WON'T LET HIM GO WITH HER TO KEEP HIM SAFE OMG.

"Anyone know where the front door is on this thing?...I'm assuming that wasn't friendly fire." AHAHAHA SOME GREAT QUOTES ALREADY!

Daddy and boyfriend wanna come rescue her but she's got this. OHH OHH SUPERHERO LANDING AND SHE'S UP UP AND AWAY AGAIN!

MON-EL AGREEING TO GO WITH THEM SO THEY'LL STOP TRYING TO KILL KARA OMG!

"Are you sure about this...I'll be okay." AND HE KISSES HER GOODBYE BUT SHE RUNS AND HUGS/LATCHES ONTO HIM AS HE'S BEAMED UP OMG!

Then they having a lil squabble while the servants start bowing to him and then the big 'ol "Mother? Father?..My son, we finally found you." OMG HEARING HERCULES SPEAK AGAIN DOES THINGS TO ME!

Mon-El's face, I'm cryingggggggg!

Mon-El introducing Kara as the hero of earth, and his parents as the King and Queen, which makes him, the prince. He just wants to get back to "trying" to be a hero with Kara on earth but his parents want him to stay and Kara will too because they have a lot to talk about, her face, she's so twisted up right now oh man.

Yep, his parents are definitely coming off as asshats. Let your son be a hero without trying to make him feel like crap jeez.

They want to take him back to Daxam..."Daxam was never great." Yes good, you tell them baby. Hercules, trying to calm the mood by asking how Mon-El escaped and Kara would love to know as well. He was literally in sleeping, in the arms of, another woman and left her to escape when his quard told him too, and then he wanted to stop and save another person but again, he was urged to escape and the guard died saving him.

His parents actually let him leave with Kara, suprise there. Loved that he mentioned he did try to tell her, awe. And of course he wasn't sure she'd even talk to him if she knew given how she felt about his planet, and then saying he benefited from their cruelty and asked him if he even felt bad about the guard dying, of course he did, you know him, you know his heart, seriously they just made her overreact for drama's sake, so it hurt more, and maybe it hurts her more than it should, because she does feel so much for him, hmmmmmm.

I knew that alien chick was being way too into Winn.

Winn being betrayed by his alien gf just as Kara is finding out about Mon El, haha, perfect timing.

MON-EL WAS NOT A PART OF THE BAD THINGS THAT WENT ON. THANK YOU ALEX FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WAS EMBARRASSED BY IT!

Lois Lane, I mean Mama Daxam wants Kara to convince Mon-El to come back with them so he can lead their people, that she's starting to hate him because of who he is, he's "under your spell" his mama says, cryinggggggg.

I actually would have prefered that the alien gf not have had feelings for Winn, instead now it's a sob story, ohh okay.

Mon-El hoping Kara's not mad at him anymore, and he doesn't want to go back with his parents. Their relationship aside Kara trying to appeal to the fact that Mon-El's people are alive, he's not the last one, and that his parents and people need him. Though her calling him a prince and to start acting like it, as she walked away, that hurt. Cuz he doesn't want to be a prince, not the kind his parents want him to be anyway. He knows if he goes back they'll just force him to do what they want him to do, that he won't be able to stand up to them, at least not without Kara to help him see the right way, to help bring that strength out of him, it's already in him. That's why he doesn't agree with his parents rule.

Less than 15 minutes left and this issue is not resolved, I'm scared now, if she goes under the Music Misters trance while they're still fighting, ohh nooooooo.

Kara seeing Winn forgive his alien gf though, yes thank you, now go forgive your man. Thank you Winn for speaking up for your boy but also just generally giving Kara advice.

He was waiting for her at her apartment..."I just wanted to say a few things, before I lose you forever." HE'S ON THE VERGE OF TEARS WHILE TELLING HER EVERYTHING. OMG AND THE SONG PLAYING HAS BEEN A FAVE OF MINE SINCE I HEARD IT ON CONTAINMENT OMG OMG OMG! THAT IN AND OF ITSELF HURTS BUT THIS SONG IS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!

AND OMG THIS IT! HIS I LOVE YOU! HE'S PLEADING WITH HER TO SEE THE GOOD IN HIM! OHHH NO! BUT SHE BROKE UP WITH HIM. HIS FACE, THE TEARS. AND HE WENT BACK TO HIS PARENTS BUT TO TELL THEM NO THAT HE WON'T GO WITH THEM. HE'S TELLING THEM OFF! HE LOST KARA AND HE'S STILL HAVING THE STRENGTH TO STAND UP TO THEM! AND TELL THEM THAT SHE IS THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO HIM. OMG YES. YES MON-EL. YOU GO MY PRECIOUS ALIEN BOY.

"I wish you no ill will, but you should leave this planet, and never return. Now send me back, SEND ME HOME! NOW!"

I LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH!

Winn mentioning how him and Cisco would be best buds if they lived in the same dimension, and yes Kara you are about to get your post-break up inter-dimensional vacation, right about now....

Ohh and look at your NOT-BOYFRIEND BEING WORRIED AF AND JUMPING DOWN TO RESCUE YOU AND CATCH YOU WHEN YOU FALL!

MON-EL CALLED OUT TO HER AS SUPERGIRL AND THEN CAUGHT HER AND THEN ALEX CALLED HER SUPERGIRL BUT MON-EL WAS CALLING HER KARA NOW ALL WORRIED AND SHE WAS BARELY HEARING IT AS SHE WOKE UP IN HER DREAM WORLD AS A 50'S SINGER WITH STAGE FRIGHT, LOL.

[florafraser-blog]

OOC week: media & entertainment

Favourite band(s): as of right now, i’m really goddamn into the 1975!!! but i would be Remiss if i didn’t include one direction here because they literally owned me for like 4 years, and they still kind of Do own me rip. i also really like bastille, troye sivan, carley rae jepsen, and little mix.

Favourite song(s): at the moment, my favorite song is ‘caroline’ by animé or ‘perm’ by bruno mars.

Favourite book(s): i will be honest, i have not been the best about keeping up with reading since high school or college, like my attention span is really nonexistent so reading is Hard, but!! some of my all time favorites are the secret history by donna tartt, the song of achilles by madeline miller, and 1984 by george orwell.

Favourite quote: “Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it’s all a male fantasy: that you’re strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.” -margaret atwood. this quote literally fucks me up every time i read it.

Favourite movie(s): here we are…..here it is……so, my favorite director in the entire world is david fincher, and i have loved almost all of the movies he’s made except for the ones that he himself does not love (he shits on alien 3 and the game so often i feel like nobody ever needs to criticize him for making them bc he doe it himself). but my favorite fincher movie without a doubt is the girl with the dragon tattoo, with the social network coming in at a close second and fight club and gone girl consistently duking it out for third place. honestly, my favorite movies are literally just david fincher’s filmography. other movies i’ve enjoyed, for various reasons are: lion (2016), nerve (2016), y tu mama tambien (2001), skyfall (2012), the incredibles (2004), wet hot american summer (2001), rush (2013), blackfish (2013), magic mike: xxl (2015), alien (1979), the hunt (2012), weekend (2011), mr. and mrs. smith (2005), x-men: first class (2011), shame (2011), brokeback mountain (2005), and the riot club (2014)

Favourite tv shows: oh……lord okay, lost is my favorite goddamn TV show of all time, and i will never love anything the way i love lost. just need to put that out there as a disclaimer. but others are: queer as folk, buffy the vampire slayer, grey’s anatomy, sense8, unreal, black mirror, torchwood, house of cards, skins, hannibal, scandal.

Are you active in any fandoms right now? not really. everything i care about is either dead or irrelevant at this point, and i’m honestly very okay with the fact that i’m not in a fandom and can just sit in a corner and watch all of the fandom drama from the periphery.

What fandoms were you active in? my first ever fandom on tumblr was queer as folk, and it was so chill bc the show’s been Dead for years so there was literally nothing to fight about, bless. except for how some people??? like michael??? Gross. but anyways, i moved onto supernatural, doctor who, and sherlock (rip) and was there for a Good Long While, but i matured out of it honestly and moved onto game of thrones, where i stayed until louis tomlinson and harry styles walked into my life and everything i touched turned into one direction.

What tv shows or movies did you watch as a child that were fundamental to how you grew up? i think desperate housewives was the first show i ever binge watched??? so that led to like??? my entire fascination with TV, and it also led me to queer as folk which was basically the biggest help i could have ever had in figuring out that i was a Big Gay Baby. but also buffy was soooo influential because it was not only a fun genre piece that gave me my fantasy/sci-fi fix, it was also just like?? these bad ass women doing bad ass things. and also it was the first of many Gay Taras that would come to television :’)

What’s one thing you collect(ed): the brand of tea my mom drinks always used to come with these little ceramic figurines and i thought they were so fucking cute, and i have them all lined up on my chest of drawers back home in massachusetts??? they’re so silly, like they change depending on the month you bought the tea during so some of them are pumpkins for october or little cupids for february or snowmen for january. they’re so goddamn adorable.

Spotify or youtube? spotify 100%!!!!!!

Netflix or those sweet, sweet illegal downloads? netflix 100%!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever been to a concert? If so, whose? my first concert was when i was twelve, and i saw three days grace, breaking benjamin, and seether all at the same time. can u say Emo Extravaganza. but since then, i’ve seen one direction four times, troye sivan twice, halsey, green day, marina and the diamonds, and bastille! i’m also going to an ariana grande concert in march solely bc i want to see little mix, and they’re opening for her soooo :’)

OTP: listen……it is so RARE for me to ship the main pairing of a show especially when it is a STRAIGHT pairing, so the fact that i love jack and kate from lost as much as i do is a wild goddamn ride. but also brian and justin from queer as folk are…end all be all of OTPs….and more Recently, fitz and olivia from scandal literally own me. also shout out to the OG gays, achilles and patroclus.

NOTP: sorry but don’t even try 2 take 2 me about april and jackson or cristina and owen from grey’s cristina deserves to be w jackson bc he’s just as pretty as her and that one time they made out killed me, april needs to stop talking, and owen is an ass. also richard and catherine are no good because catherine could be a fun character but she isn’t. she’s just horrible.

Currently watching: i’m actually not watching any TV right now?? i’m in a slump rip. but i’m waiting for grey’s and scandal to come back in like 2 weeks and looking for something else to watch.

Currently reading: a biography of elizabeth bathory because i really really love her and am going to be writing a script about her this semester, and also crush by richard siken.

Currently listening to: 24k magic, bruno mars’ new album, i am so into it!!!!!!

If you could make everyone read one book (or script), which would it be? i added the script part bc tbh if i could make aaron sorkin’s the social network required reading for every human being on this planet, i think……i think i would be able to die happy. but book wise, i definitely want to say gone girl by gillian flynn. i haven’t finished the whole thing, but i know enough to know that everyone Should read it.

[alexander-mormont12]

TV shows that became unwatchable with age

Looper Staff

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be, and sometimes, it turns out that the TV shows you used to love actually weren't worthy—and when we no longer see them through the warped lens of memory, it becomes clear that they don't stand up. Not all television is built to last, and here are a few old shows that have served their purpose and should never be rerun again.

Doctor Who

Before you get too upset, let's be clear: we're talking about the original, pre-modern version of Doctor Who. While much of the series' continuity and long-running themes were established during the days of Hartnell, Baker, and McCoy, it's difficult to sit through a three- or four-hour story arc with rubber monsters and a floundering Doctor. Sure, some of it has a bit of value for the ridiculous alien costumes alone, but for viewers accustomed to modern production values during an era in which television has risen to an art form, the camp and general plot-holery make the show hard to endure. Vintage Who barely stands up against Star Trek, and that's some serious camp. Just sit down and watch "Time and the Rani." If you make it out alive, you've probably used up one of your regenerations.

Daria

Many kids of the '90s look back on their grungy years of sarcastic indifference with a bit of regret, but at the time, nothing was cooler than casual nihilism. Emblematic of that attitude was Daria, the Beavis and Butthead spinoff that focused on the duo's smart, seemingly utterly indifferent classmate. At the time, it was relatable animation for people who were stuck between being kids and being adults. In retrospect, we know that Daria's unrelenting 'tude was an obstacle to valuable life experiences, and it can be hard to watch today—not to mention that every other character in the show is obviously a terribly broad caricature of high school stereotypes. And it seemed so real at the time.

Scrubs

At its best, Scrubs offered an entertaining comedy counterpoint to the glut of medical dramas on television. And there was even a time when Zach Braff's Dr. John Dorian was a sympathetic character whose everyday trials and heart of bronze was kinda worth watching… but as the show progressed, Dorian became less and less likable—and less insightful during his endless monologues. Finally, Braff left the show partway through the ninth season, leaving it to limp awkwardly to an anticlimactic conclusion.

Full House

If you were like most kids in the late '80s, you were probably parked in front of ABC's family-friendly TGIF block every Friday night. And your parents probably hated every second of it, because a little bit of Steve Urkel's insatiable lust for cheese goes a really, really long way—and Full House's saccharine morality and terrible puns were always hard to stomach. A hundred terrible catchphrases later, we're reminded just how awkward and unfunny the original show was, especially now that the series' continuation, Fuller House, has been given a second season on Netflix.

Married... with Children

Pushing against the borders of television decency was a pretty risky thing to do back in the days of Married… with Children, and no one pushed harder than Fox's original hit sitcom. That level of borderline-repulsive sass was something different in the '80s and '90s, but watching the exploits of Al Bundy now, it's clear that the program was pretty much an equal mix of embarrassingly easy fat jokes and sex jokes… and nothing else. Seeing what Ed O'Neill and Katey Sagal are truly capable of as actors just makes the broad, lowbrow junk of Married more embarrassing to watch. While it has a place in TV history, it should probably just stay there.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

It's really hard to imagine a time when Hercules was seriously considered a watchable TV show, but six seasons can't be wrong. While the sword-and-sorcery adventure was one of the more popular syndicated TV shows of its era, its villain-of-the-week formula, grating soundtrack, and widespread overacting haven't withstood the test of time. TV audiences have come to expect a sense of continuity in a multi-season TV show, but Hercules completely ignored the linear flow of time and just did whatever, whenever, including rewriting the characters' own stories multiple times without any regard for the past. Once you have Herc witnessing the birth of Jesus, you've gone too far. At least we had Xena…and who needs a plot when you have Lucy Lawless?

Rugrats

It may be sacrilege to disparage any classic Nicktoon, but a show that once seemed like a clever look at the world through the eyes of infants has lost a lot of its charm—not least because it's hard to look past the constant baby talk and the grossly negligent parents. Angela never gets the discipline she needs to straighten out, everyone just keeps on having more babies, and anyone could have guessed that Chuckie would still be just as awkward in the show's unnecessary continuation, All Grown Up! Until someone comes along to animate the characters as balding, overweight 30-somethings struggling with depression and mortgages, we should probably just stick with Doug.

How I Met Your Mother

It's a sitcom about a dad who keeps his kids on a couch for nine years while he tells them, in great detail, about all of his greatest sexual conquests. The show's titular question was barely even answered by the end of the series, and in retrospect, the circuitous non-conclusion to the story fatally undermines How I Met Your Mother's replay value. (The forced in-jokes and cloying humor don't help, either.) Now that the nine-year nightmare's spell has been broken, we can live our lives again. Avoid the reruns; go forth and be free.

Highlander: The Series

Although the production value of Highlander: The Series was widely praised by critics at the time, television fantasy has come a long way since the 1990s. In an age when HBO spends as much as $10 million per episode to create Game of Thrones and audiences are used to seeing big screen quality on their TVs, the CBS show based on the film of the same name now looks terribly dated—and its problems go deeper than aesthetics. What at that time seemed like a sprawling epic has revealed itself as little more than a series of formulaic hourlong confrontations, pitting Duncan MacLeod (clansman and pupil of his movie namesake Connor) against one disposable immortal after another. Worse still, British actor Adrian Paul's performance is nowhere near the bar established by Christopher Lambert in the 1986 movie, lacking the rough edges and cool wit of the original Highlander.

The A-Team

The dramatic increase in TV production budgets over recent years has led to audiences expecting a certain amount of realism, and this is especially true when it comes to violence. As series like The Walking Dead continue to push boundaries, shows made in the days before a man could reduce another man's head to bloody mush with a baseball bat on primetime television begin to look awfully tame. The A-Team falls under this umbrella, a show on which thousands of mags of ammo are used on a weekly basis and remarkably, nobody ever dies. The longer the show went, the more ridiculous it became, getting to the point that a helicopter crashing into a mountainside and falling to the ground in a fireball caused little more than a scratch. Re-watching The A-Team today is guaranteed to awaken a bloodlust that you probably didn't know you had.

Saved by the Bell

While '90s spinoffs Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class have always been nigh-on unwatchable, the original show was once considered essential children's television. Digging out the NBC high school sitcom for your kids to watch today isn't advisable, however, as many of the lessons are painfully dated. The episode "The Mamas and the Papas" makes for particularly cringeworthy viewing, pairing the kids up in an effort to teach them about married life. The tone of the episode is summed up by A.C. Slater's definition of a "women's movement" (when she puts on something cute and moves into the kitchen). It also becomes apparent over the course of the show's four seasons that Zack Morris has a severe gambling problem, with every other episode involving Preppy making some kind of bet at the expense of his friends.

Xena: Warrior Princess

New Zealand-made cult series Xena: Warrior Princess is mainly remembered for the way it challenged female stereotypes and the discussions that raged over its supposedly lesbian subtext, though two aspects of the campy classic that largely escaped criticism at the time were its questionable production values and clumsy directing. This was always a show that asked you to suspend your belief for its duration, but watching it now, it's hard not to notice the multitude of reused extras and recycled sets. The tonal shifts also take some readjusting, with moments of dark violence randomly giving way to full-on musical numbers that make less sense than the show's version of ancient Greece, which is inexplicably rife with American slang. While Aphrodite's Valley-girl persona used to feel like a welcome quirk in a show built around them, in reality it's just one of the many things about Xena that give it a distinctive B-movie feel.