#if you waited 30 years to announce to your fans that one of the most famous ship are cousins

[restricted-on-13th]

Let us ignore Gosho Aoyama and appreciate this bundle of beauty

I love how the KID movies build Shinichi and Kaito's relationship.

Movie 3 is when they don't know each other well. They have only met the twice face to face during the black star heist so Shinichi is still trying to "arrest" Kaito and Kaito sees Shinichi as a detective who is chasing him, but then Kaito is shot and Shinichi is concerned for his life and cares for Kaito's dove.

He also doesn't reveal Kaito's disguise when he could have and they work together in the end to stop the criminal. Kaito returns the favour by protecting Shinichi's secret. It's the start of a bond forming between them.

Movie 8 is Kaito testing the waters between him and Shinichi. They had worked together twice more before this movie and Shinichi let Kaito go, but he still declares he will catch Kaito so sue Kaito for being cautious! So Kaito tests the water by also messing with Shinichi, by pretending to be Shinichi, almost as if a taunt to say "if you reveal me, you reveal yourself," and Shinichi almost fell for it.

But this doesn't sour the relationship between them, for we know the two have something they share in common, the love of the chase. There's absolutely no way you describe the scene on the rooftop than homoerotic. And then Kaito is surprised when Shinichi tests him in turn, he purposely falls off a roof. But he does so with the knowledge that Kaito will jump after him and then, like an insane man, uses it to keep the chase going. Kaito isn't even mad that Shinichi did this, just amused.

Then the plane happens and Kaito knows that Shinichi is the best option for his co-pilot in the cockpit. He knows Shinichi will focus on all the lives in their hands and work with him to save them. And when Kaito jumps off the plane, Shinichi doesn't believe Kaito has ran away even though he's not sure what his plan is until Ran says she sees a runway.

Movie 10 is another example of Kaito testing the waters with Shinichi. He knows Shinichi is involved in something dangerous but he's also not alone in investigating, another detective is there. At this point, he and Shinichi have two more times after the events of movie 8: the one which is a challenge between the two of them where both were eager for their next encounter when it ended and the mansion where Shinichi again knew Kaito's identity but didn't reveal it in order for the two of them to work together again.

But now Heiji is present and will he work alongside Kaito? So he goes in disguise as another detective. Shinichi figures out at some point it is Kaito but again he works alongside Kaito instead of informing Heiji that it was him. And this is a big deal, Kaito would know that Heiji is Shinichi's best friend, the one who also knows Shinichi's secret, and so it must worry him that he will tell Heiji that KID is among them and potentially hinder his chance to investigate (he doesn't know Heiji as well as Shinichi). Once again, Shinichi preserved Kaito's secret.

Movie 14 is a big one for the duo, it's the first time the two work with each other with no disguises between them. After Movie 10 they had three more encounters, one was to clear Kaito's name, one was a fun challenge between the two of them Kaito purposesly did to challenge Shinichi and impress him with his magic and the third was when they worked together to save Lupin from the vault.

At this point, the bond between them is pretty solid. Shinichi isn't seriously trying to capture Kaito anymore and even let him go on the last encounter they "faced" one another. Kaito saving Shinichi has probably also become second nature to him at this point but what hasn't is Shinichi being the one to ask Kaito to work together with him to get back on the blimp. He even offers his own face to do so.

They also reached 3rd base.

And even though Shinichi doesn't ask Kaito to help with the terrorists Kaito still helps him from time to time. He isn't the one who corners Kaito this time either, it was Ran due to Kaito's own actions. Shinichi does come to the deck, but it's more for Ran than to stop Kaito, who has already been chased off by Ran.

Movie 19 almost feels like the duo taking steps back due to how they don't work together until the end of this movie but it's not. Yes, they have had multiple encounters again since Movie 14, with one of them being Shinichi once again asking for Kaito's help to save a life, even though it also put Kaito in a dangerous position with the faith that Kaito is more than capable of pulling it off, however this movie tells us why there is a change.

Kaito's criminal MO changed. Shinichi, when he first watches the live footage when Kaito appears even questions if it was him due to how unusual this is for him. This isn't the usual Kaito and he knows this and the movie is Shinichi trying to figure out why Kaito has changed.

Meanwhile, for Kaito, again it's almost like a silent test for Shinichi, will you still trust me if I seem to have changed who I am or how I behave without you knowing? And he gets his answer at the end of the movie. Yes, Shinichi does. He uncovered the mystery that Kaito left for him and moved immediately to help. He even trusts Kaito to protect one of the people who mean the most to him.

And it's all these movies together that makes Movie 23 so great. It's the accumulation of all there previous encounters building to this point, where Kaito knows that Shinichi will help him no matter what he asks. And Shinichi once again proves it even more in this movie when he goes to help Kaito during his heist when he didn't ask. They show the world not to underestimate the two of them when they work together.

Despite their episodes and movies being far and few inbetween, it builds their bond incredibly and I love how the movies show the progression of it so well.

I wonder if Movie 27 continued to build this bond and I can add to this when I watch it.

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 28 (2024)

By Brij, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

The surprises are just never-ending!

The Halloween Issues are successfully behind us. But don’t worry, there’s still more exciting things to come! Check out the Announcements for more information!

We want some feedback!

As we’re starting to get a hand of things, we would love some feedback from you guys! What you enjoy, want more or less off, how we could improve... Anything goes! We even have a nifty form!

Still looking for members!

The Zine Team is growing, but we won’t say no to more free hands looking to make a little difference in the community!

If you too would like to help us out in a more official capacity, please shoot us a message! You can check out the available positions here, but if you’d like to help in any other way, feel free to contact us as well!

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

BRIJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : BITSY JAM ~

Fuu, already #85?

Bitsy is a little engine for little games, worlds, and stories created by Adam Le Doux that makes game making look easier than ever! I mean really! You can use it to make a game in your browser just by drawing it! Thanks to the simple pixelated graphics and limited colour palette you can make basically anything from simple short stories to complicated masterpieces.

The first jam (with a yummy theme: Breakfast) took place on April 8th 2017. Now it’s a monthly occurrence, each time with a new challenging theme that the creators themselves (or even possibly you) get to vote on.

Petrichor, temporary, intentionally bad, tomatoes, no dialogue, long distances, secret place, bitsy fest jam, lost media and waiting are just the ten most recent ones. This month’s theme is game manual - the theme can be the core of the game, or just a small reference. Anything really. The main point of this jam is to have fun and make something! (Just make sure that your game is made in one of these: bitsy, mosi or bipsi.)

So why not give it a shot?

~ ENDED ~

The Halloween Jam has officially ended and the winners have been announced! Check out the results here.

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

The voting for ECTOCOMP 2024 has officially started! To vote and participate as a jury, you must do so by giving between 1 to 5 stars on each entry page of the jam. The voting period ends on November 30.

The 7th edition of inkJam is in motion and you have until the 15th November to vote for your faves. The winners will be officially announced the following day.

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Disabled Rep VN Jam has a very simple premise but a very important message.

Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.

Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.

The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.

Bare your teeth and sharpen your claws because the Monstrous Desires 2024 Visual Novel Jam is here! Dedicated to the love of entities, horrors, and monstrosities, this jam will be full of romantic Visual Novels (VN) that heavily focus on a monster may it be original or from classics, folklore, modern media, etc.

The October Bitsy Jam is here! The theme is game manual and you have until November 11th to submit your projects.

~ OTHER ~

Jams are a great way to find new games! Don’t be afraid to check out submissions from previous years as well. There might be some gems hiding between them!

~ NEW RELEASE ~

The corpos are after you. The cops are, too. Even your ex has crawled out of the grave to try and get you back. Meanwhile, the fate of the galaxy itself rests on a knife’s edge, and only you can bar the doors of hell in Whiskey-Four (CScript)

In Between Two Worlds (CScript) join forces with a rogue smuggler to uncover the truth of a mysterious cult and foil their plans—but who can you trust in a time of uncertainty and darkness?

It’s natural to hold onto the memory of someone you loved and lost. But when does remembrance turn to fixation? When does clinging to the past begin to warp your present and future? Find out in That Which Surrounds. @blank-house

Blood Moon Rising is a text-based IF where vampires kidnapped your father. Now you need to get him back to safety at all costs.

You wake up in a dark forest, all alone. Who are you? What’s going on? Play The ritual (bitsy) and find your way inside the forest and discover the truth about the mysterious ritual that brought you here…

In Monstrous Brew play as Mae, a cute pastel witch, finding refuge in her bakery. What will she do when a feather flutters into her hand, foreboding a her death?

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Godsbane: Book One (CScript) Since the day of your birth, everything was nothing short of perfect. So why do you still see this face? Why does it burn so much? @speechlessturtle

Love After Death (Twine) Your past is in the past. And your future is with your lover. No more stress. No more tears, rage, helplessness, or feeling powerless. But isn't it going a bit too smoothly?

In Unneeded Script (Twine) you died in a car accident. Now, it's time to try again in a fantastic setting, but oh wait! You are a villain! Good luck! @unneededscript-if

In When Love and Law Collide (CScript) you are a newbie police officer. And as a police officer, your mandate is simple. Apprehend those who don’t follow the law. But what if you get caught in the rivalry between two warring clans - and two people who make you ignore the laws and follow your heart? @biinthecity

Addy (Ren’Py) - Welcome to Nowhere Tech, transfer student- where you'll meet people, make choices, make mistakes, and make even more mistakes.

Hana's got some skeletons in her closet. For the past few years the hustle and bustle of the city has served as a great distraction, but the time has come for her to view the reality of what happened to her in MINE MEMORY.

~ UPDATES ~

College Tennis: Origin Story (CScript) released Chapter 6 to the public. @collegetennisoriginstory

Cyberpolice (CScript) added the Romantic part of Stillwater one night stand scene to their demo.

Remnants of the Past (Twine) released Chapter 3 of Act 2. @remnantsofthepast-if

The Ballad of the Young Gods (Twine) released Chapters 2 and 3. @childrenofcain-if

Vice Virtue (Twine) added new content to Chapter 1. @dam-peace

Only Flesh and Blood (Ren’Py) updated the demo. @gauloiseblue

The Bureau - Halloween special (CScript) is here. @morbethgames

Crystal Lambs (Ren’Py) released Chapter 4.

Dice & Dungeon Masters (CScript) added new content to their demo.

Hooves & Hearts (Twine) released Chapter 1: Rudolph and Dasher.

~ OTHER ~

The author of The Sword of Rhivenia (CScript) is also back with a remake! Be sure to check out the demo.

The VNture podcast is back with another episode! This time talking about spooky scary monsters.

The wait is over and the Reincarnation Of The Archdemon (CScript) demo relaunch is here.

Chronicles of Taldun: The Remainder Expanded Edition is out. There’s a lot of new content, so be sure to check it out!

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Sanguine Sky by @sanguinesky-if (CScript)

HEYYYY! for the game highlight, may I please mention "Sanguine Sky" by the amazing @ sanguinesky-if ??? I swear this IF is so lovely, and the ROs always have my heart racing. Not to mention the amazing writing!

//submitted by anon//

Flight by Cidney Hamilton (Twine)

You moved overseas for love. But was it worth it? A short piece of hypertext fiction about leaving a toxic relationship.

//recommended by the Team//

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

Did you miss our Small Talk portion of the Zine? Then you have a reason to celebrate because we’re bringing it back!

You’ve read it right! The interviews are back thanks to our new Team members: BRIAR AND PETER! Welcome to the Team guys, we’re happy to have you! There’s already an interview in the works and we can wait to share it with you!

And we will be interviewing... *insert drumroll here*

LEIA TALON!

Fantasy romance writer, author of the newly released Ink and Intrigue, Their Majesties' Pleasure and The World Tree Chronicles book series.

Send us any question you'd have for her and we’ll ask her for you! Whether it's general or ultra specific, tell us what you'd like to know!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

our awesome anon!

For sending us their game Highlight!

As always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on the last issue!

What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!

Thank you for cheering us on this journey

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We’re also currently working on a Meet the Team post, so be excited for that!

And see you again next week!

BRIJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 28

[corrodedcoffins-blog]

hmmm before taylor x player get together mayeb taylro gets asked about her in an interview?

Jimmy Fallon and a DM

taylor swift x fem!NHL!reader

note: not that good lol, sorry i loved the idea just got busy and i wanted to put it out sooner than later <3

Between the break for the USA and International leg of her tour, Taylor was set to appear on Jimmy Fallon. Waiting for her que, getting her hair fixed last second by the stylist, she hears the ‘Please welcome, Dr. Taylor Swift”  

The fans in the live audience cheered as Taylor stepped out onto the set, giving Jimmy a quick hug before sitting down. The cheering never stopped, “Thank you so much.” The woman said, addressing the crowd which only causes them to cheer more.

“We are just so happy you’re here! And I announced you as ‘Doctor’ this time. ""Yes. Thank you. But really I’m happy to be here.” “And we’re so excited to talk about the tour, so you’ve finished the USA leg. And you have announced The Eras Tour film, coming out worldwide October 13th! And it really is a record breaking tour!”

The crowd cheering again, an awkward smile on Taylor’s face, even after years it will always be weird to have people tell you all your accomplishments. 

“I mean, I've written some things down; the tour is already estimated to earn over $1 billion, your opening night in Glendale was the most-attended concert by a female artist ever in the U.S., and your tour has actually boosted the economy! I mean that’s amazing! That’s amazing.” “Thank you! That is so kind of you to say all that!” “Well it’s true!”

-

“And- y’know speaking of your athleticism in getting ready for the tour, a certain athlete in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, said you were her celebrity crush. Did you see this?”

Of course Taylor had seen it. The clip was all over ‘SwiftTok’ a place she was very active in, with her secret account. And only her closest friends knew that she had in fact started to reciprocate the feelings. Growing a crush on the girl after watching clip after clip of her doing media, getting mic’d up, and answering the questions; and getting butterflies in her stomach whenever she hears Y/n mention her.

“Um, yes I did. I mean, Y/n L/n, she’s very talented and I really admire her, and how far she’s brought herself; and she is definitely far more athletic than me.”

A low chuckle coming from the crowd, Taylor thankful it was Jimmy interviewing her and not anyone else, who would want to press on the subject.

-

One thing about Y/n is she loves talk shows, reality TV, and award shows. So having a night off, Y/n decided to stay in and do her favourite activity, surfing the channels. And she happens to come across the Jimmy Fallon tonight show, with Taylor Swift in the seat adjacent to the host. And another thing about Y/n is whenever she sees Taylor Swift, she stops.

They were talking about her workout routine to get ready for the tour, which truly to Y/n sounded very impressive. Then they did something that at this time feels like the worst thing ever, yet will turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to her. 

Jimmy mentions a ‘certain athlete’. That’s what Y/n believed would end her life, hearing Taylor Swift talk about her confessing her brush on the woman. Hearing that your celebrity crush has heard what you’ve said about them, was probably her worst fear.

Before she could even hear what the woman was going to say, against her own will, Y/n turned off the TV, put on music and finally started to make dinner; something she was putting off before that became her alternative.

-

The early morning light of 5:30 am filtered through the curtains, Y/n getting out of bed and making her way into the bathroom, and getting ready; telling her google home to play her morning music, getting into her workout attire, before making her way into her kitchen and making a smoothie with her pre-workout. 

Only going on her phone in the elevator, the woman almost dropped her half-finished smoothie, and honestly she herself almost fell to the floor seeing the DM she had gotten.

Hey, Y/n

I’m sorry if talking about you on The Tonight Show in any way made you uncomfortable, but I really do admire you and I was wondering if you would ever want to go out sometime. It isn’t just you with the celebrity crush.

Lesson number one of how to kill Y/n, be Taylor Swift and ask her out.

~taglist~

@orange15quote

[lavendertales]

Guilty pleasures: Chapter 1

pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

summary: introduced to the new watch group he has to lead, Joel finds himself bickering with one of the recruits in particular. but not so much when their lives are in imminent danger.

word count: 3.5k

SERIES WARNINGS: age gap (reader is in their 30s, Joel in his 50s); enemies to lovers, sexual activities, mutual pining & tension, violence, PTSD, weapons & injuries.

AGELESS/EMPTY BLOGS & MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!!!

gif: @katronautt

series masterlist | AO3

JANUARY

The cold has long settled in your bones, chilling your entire body. No matter the layers of clothing on you, the long road had still taken its toll on you. You could barely keep your eyes open with the snow drizzling down.

Maybe you should’ve picked a warmer place to settle. California sounded like a dream, especially in these conditions. You missed California. But no, of course you agreed to go through a blizzard just because Maria was grateful to you that you saved her and her husband’s lives. And it was by accident entirely, but that’s only for you to know.

“There we are,” a male voice announced. “Home, sweet home.”

Fucking finally, you thought.

All you could think about was a hot soup and a soft mattress underneath you.

Sure you were grateful to Maria and her husband Tommy that they asked you to come along with them in Jacksonville, but you were still a little reluctant settling down somewhere. You haven’t sat in one place since many years, and the subdued memories of that time make you think this isn’t such a good idea.

But you want to give it a shot. You’ve known Maria for a while; somehow, from the time you threatened to shoot her to the time she allowed you and others to smuggle some pills and food out of the city, she became the one constant in your life. Every now and then, the two of you would meet, help each other out and then be on your separate ways. Except now, you were part of Jackson’s community, and you wanted to give it a fair shot.

You dismounted from the horse, backpack frozen on your back. You rubbed your hands together, looking around at the houses and the lights that surrounded them, and a faint smile stretched from the corners of your lips. It looked oddly homey. A place you could see yourself living out the rest of your days.

“Not bad, huh?” Tommy asked proudly next to you.

You made a face, still gazing around. “Not bad, I’ll give you that.”

“Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll stay,” Maria tapped you on the shoulder. “The rest, follow Tommy.”

You followed Maria to a little house, not too far into the city center, along its main street. You entered rather hesitantly after her, quickly inspecting the place. It had everything you could possibly want: a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It was more than what you’ve had in a long time. But most importantly, you noticed a fireplace; that had you hastily removing your backpack and shotgun and going over to start a fire.

Maria chuckled. “Not a fan of the cold, huh?”

You rubbed your hands together, waiting for the wood to spark the highly anticipated sparks of fire. “I was born on the coast,” you said. “So no, not really into freezing limbs.”

“Get some rest, alright? Tomorrow we’re gonna get organized in groups and assign jobs for each. Any preference?”

“I got a shotgun. Take a wild guess.”

Maria chuckled again. “Alright, so either hunting or watch.”

“Either way, I’m shooting things.”

“You sure you don’t want the pistol?”

You took another look at the little revolver in Maria’s hand and gulped. You could feel the color draining from your cheeks. You wrapped your hand tighter around your shotgun, staring blankly at Maria.

“I’m good, thanks,” you replied after a while. “I prefer big guns.”

“Goodnight then.”

“Goodnight.”

TWO WEEKS LATER

His knees hurt. Fuck, he should’ve known better than to climb up that steep hill in such a hurry. Not like they were being followed by any infected. But there he’d been, trying to prove something to himself still—and to Ellie too, he supposes.

But Joel Miller isn’t exactly a young man anymore. His heart might still be that of a twenty year old, but the aches throughout his body say otherwise regarding his physical health. His age is showing in moments like these, and as much as he hates it, he accepts it nonetheless.

Whenever he looks in the mirror, he still sees himself as a father-to-be. He recognizes the man behind the tired figure he faces every day, but that young man has died two decades ago. He is long gone, replaced by the hardened flesh of a ruthless survivor.

No time for wallowing in self-pity today though; he had promised Tommy he would lead the watch group, so he’ll do what he always does: shoves down his pain, deep, deep down, and moves along with the world.

January’s cold weather is unforgiving, even under the thick coat he’s wearing. Joel goes out front in the street, surprised to see that the little group Tommy and Maria put together to keep Jackson safe is already there. He walks towards them, quickly inspecting them. Three men, two of which are built pretty solid, and two women. One of them holds a shotgun, clinging onto it like it’s some sort of life vest, and Joel could almost chuckle for whatever reason.

“Mornin’,” he salutes them.

He receives some mutters and replies, with the exception of the woman with the shotgun. His eyes instinctively go to her figure, and when their eyes meet, a cold shiver runs down his spine. One that has nothing to do with the freezing weather.

“Let’s get moving,” Joel tells the group.

“I see you’ve meet the troupes.”

Tommy’s voice comes up from Joel’s right, patting his brother on the shoulder as a greeting.

“What do you think?” Tommy asks.

“Not bad. It’ll do.”

“What are we, spring chicken?”

The voice belongs to you. Your eyes meet Joel’s again, and yours narrow, alongside your furrowed brows. There is no warmth in the glare you receive, and there is none in the one you return.

“Those would probably be more useful,” Joel retorts.

You point the shotgun at Joel, with everyone else on high alert. Tommy positions himself between the two of you, hands raised in defense.

“Let’s keep it friendly, okay?” he tells you both. “We’re on the same side here.”

“I’m not the one pointing a gun,” Joel says sourly.

You lower the shotgun, still staring at him. You see a man who’s clearly been through a lot, hardened not only by the cruel outbreak, but by other things as well. You don’t bother asking or caring, honestly. You’ve got your own shit to deal with, and you have no interest in appealing to anyone.

“Great manners you’ve got,” Joel addresses you directly.

“So what, you’re the oldest living gentleman?”

Tommy chuckles nervously. “I see you’ve hit it off with my big brother.”

Your jaw drops slightly as you stare incredulously at Tommy, who introduces Joel to you, and you to Joel. The two of you share another glare, filled with nothing but distrust and hesitance. Joel moves closer to Tommy, muttering, “I thought this group’s for watching, not making unnecessary threats to strangers.”

“Trust me, Joel, if you run into anything on that watch, you’re gonna be glad you got her there.”

Something about the way Tommy makes that statement, with a little pride and glimmer in his eyes, it raises Joel’s curiosity. But he shoves that down as well, and resumes his position.

“Alright, let’s get movin’, now,” he tells the group.

You move to the front of the line that gets formed; that way, you get a better view at this Joel Miller.

Time turned half of his hair gray, adding a sort of dignified aura around him. He’s got broad shoulders, the bony structure visible even with the heavy coat he’s got on. Though his face is undoubtedly tainted by hardship and his eyes seemed to spew iciness during the previous contact, they were somehow still warm. As if there was still something for him to hold on to.

“You point that gun at me again, we’re gonna have an issue,” he warns out of the blue.

You chuckle, holding onto the shotgun’s strap. “You haven’t had anything poking in your back in a long time, have you, big guy?”

Joel turns to you, a dangerous frown creasing his forehead. “Could say the same about you with that goddamn attitude.”

You hide the smirk that resides on your face, moving along with the rest of the group.

“That’s your opinion,” you retort cheekily.

Joel’s mind starts to race, but he swiftly shuts it all off. He doesn’t need another aggravation.

“I can see why you got this promotion,” you comment. “Head of the watch party, Tommy’s big bro—“

“What, you’re jealous or something?”

“Please. If Tommy were real smart, he’d see that I got more stamina in me, but I can appreciate him sticking with family.”

While the others keep climbing up the hill, Joel stops dead in his tracks and stares you down.

“You have no idea about the things I can do,” he seems to threaten, only it comes out more guttural, almost alluring.

You don’t reply. You simply refrain from smiling, figuring the gesture would set him off further, and you need to keep moving before you freeze to death.

Two weeks you’ve been in Jackson, and you feel like you’ve lived there for years. While there was a certain familiarity and coziness to the small town and its people, there’s also a feeling of repetitiveness. Like a poorly prepared routine. You didn’t really mind it because you weren’t there to make friends. You were there because Maria was grateful. That was pretty much it. You weren’t really interested in friendships, anyway.

And certainly not with someone like Joel Miller.

Though you wouldn’t mind having a thing or two going on the side. He’s really not bad on the eyes, but you’d never say that to him or to anyone, much less to Tommy. You get the sense that for the Miller brothers, loyalty came first. You could appreciate that, but you wouldn’t want to get in the middle of anything.

“How much further?” one of the men, Marcus, asked.

“Are we up the hill?” Joel asks.

“No…?”

“Then we still got road to cover.”

Joel rolls his eyes and pushes past the slight knee pain. He takes a mental note to get some of those pain killers and whiskey later. He has the feelings he’s gonna want to be knocked out tonight. Knowing that he has to lead this group, though, it gives him a certain sense of pride and accomplishment, and, like with everything else in his life, if he’s gonna do this, he’s gonna do this right.

The icy road and harsh air breathing onto his face keep him awake and alert. His eyes roam around endlessly, his ears open and attentive for the slightest noise. All he sees before him is white and blue, the occasional gray reminding him of his own graying features. His joints ache, his body temperature drops, but his heart beats faster. In those twenty years, he’s seen enough to know reach a point where infected no longer scare him. He’s seen all the stages of the virus, all the creatures that were once human, and he’s done it all.

What does scare Joel, though, are people. People are by far the scariest creatures in nature. At least with the infected, you know what you’re in for. Animals, same thing. People, however, have a conscience, and never knowing what truly lies there is the most frightening prospect.

So anyone who knows Joel Miller in the slightest knows he’s reluctant when it comes to people. The only ones he trusts are Ellie, Tommy and Maria. The list does not go on. These people behind him—whose names he couldn’t be bothered to remember—are cargo. An obligation, but, should it come to it, a nuisance. Five people behind him, meant to follow him, and Joel feels as lonely as ever.

Which he prefers, of course.

There’s sudden rustling in some bushes nearby. Almost in sync, all six of you put up your weapons, ready to defend yourselves. The previous guy, Marcus, seems the most nervous as his arm betrays a slight shake; Joel ignores it, eyes locked on the frozen leaves. Seconds later, a rabbit emerges carefree. You all put your guns away.

“I thought it was—“Marcus starts.

Joel huffs. “Congratulations, you caught a rabbit.”

“We all had our weapons ready,” you intervene. “Better a rabbit than a fuckin’ walker.”

Joel throws another glance at you, half unimpressed and half curious. Tommy’s words about you echo in his mind, though he fails to assign any particular meaning to them. Trust me, Joel, if you run into anything on that watch, you’re gonna be glad you got her there. He didn’t ask for clarity, though in hindsight, he probably should have. What were you, some sort of karate expert? An incredible warrior? Not likely. And not because of a sexist issue, but because he doubted your harsh attitude and presumed anger against the world would pair perfectly with great hunting skills.

He knows that firsthand.

A couple of miles further, there’s more rustling. Marcus seems too disappointed in himself to prepare his gun this time, but Joel puts up his, and so do you.

“Is that—?” the other woman starts, but you swiftly turn around and press your index to your lips to shush her.

You stare at the ground, noticing some footprints. Dragged footprints. Shotgun at the ready, you look around, remaining right behind Joel. When no other sound but rustling is heard, you exchange a look with him, both of you concerned. You both know it’s not raiders; if it were, they would’ve attacked already.

And then you hear it.

The sound any of you dreads to hear.

Clickers.

You don’t see the first one till it’s too late. It quite literally jumps in front of you, convulsing around aimlessly. While everyone’s eyes widen, you hold your breath and simply look at the poor creature walking around. You know that if you shoot now, you might trigger a swarm of clickers and you’d all be outnumbered and doomed. So you remain still, breath still in, right under Joel’s and the group’s shocked eyes.

You feel the snow beneath your feet, and you gulp with nervousness. One wrong move and the clicker would hear the snow crumpling under your boots. You beg your body to remain frozen in the same spot, dead silent, and you watch as the creatures wanders off.

The second clicker, now that one you do see.

Joel doesn’t; so you react on an impulse. You come up from behind him, one hand over his arm, the other one covering his mouth. You both stare in dismay at the clicker convulsing right by you, then right by the group, followed by another, and another one, and before you know it, there are seven of them. Joel remains locked under your harsh touch, thus allowing you to keep him safe. It’s an act of trust that takes you both by surprise, but the moment calls for it. There is no other way.

After who knows how many seconds or minutes, you slowly let go of Joel, and he looks down on you, murmuring an inaudible thank you. You nod once, your breaths gone as you hear someone tripping, and the subsequent roar of the clickers.

It happens too fast: you and Joel both pull out the guns and start shooting the clickers alongside the rest of the group. Marcus is face to face with one of the creatures, pinned down to the cold ground, and you reach into the holster strap on your thigh to throw a knife at it. Hurt, the creature lets out a loud shriek, but in return you put several bullets into its distorted head.

“Move, move!” you hear Joel shout.

You make eye contact with Marcus, seeing the horrified expression on his face and the blood on his clothes. You gun down another clicker that was running manically in your direction, help take out the others with the group, able to breathe afterwards.

The white snow remains now tainted by blood and corpses, those of the clickers. You all check each other, pleased to see that you’re all safe. But then you lock eyes with Marcus again, and you kneel before him, inspecting his body.

“You hurt?” Joel asks him.

He nods frantically, pointing to his leg. You see the bite mark that goes well past the jeans’ fabric, and you shudder. Fuck. You glance around, finding your knife in one of the clickers’ heads, retrieving it and wiping the blood off on your jacket. You think at the very least, you can make Marcus go without that much pain.

But Joel is faster than you.

A gunshot is heard, and you flinch when it dawns on you that Marcus was just shot in the head, right in front of you.

You stand up, looking at Joel in utter shock and anger. “What the fuck?!” you exclaim.

Joel is too busy putting his gun away to respond to you. The other woman, Annie, responds to you in a fairly small voice, “It’s the policy.”

You turn to her, frowning. “I’m aware of that. But it doesn’t say anywhere that we can’t make this easier for those who die.”

Joel scoffs, and the sound angers you so much you put the blade to his throat, earning a few gasps from the group.

“Put that down,” he warns, tone dry and bored.

“He should’ve died easier,” you mutter through gritted teeth.

Joel looks at you, almost through you. “There’s no easy way to die in a fuckin’ outbreak.”

You remove the blade from his throat. It’s the second time in just a few short hours that you’ve threatened Joel Miller. The day wasn’t even half done yet, and you were already drained and angry.

“What, we were supposed to let him go?” Joel asks you.

“No. I know the fucking policy. I just—“

You exhale, shaking your head, acknowledging the fact that you are probably fighting a losing battle against morals. Of which you have too little, matter of fact.

“Never shot someone to spare them?”

Joel’s question punches a hole through your stomach. You gulp, staring at Marcus’ now lifeless body. The image quickly distorts, the body turning into that of another one, smaller and bloodier. Your hand shakes, your limbs go cold, and it takes you a bit before returning to reality.

“Path is clear,” you announce the obvious. “I guess we’re done for today.”

This time you take the lead ahead, and Joel and the rest follow you in complete silence. You only walk in front of them so they don’t see the distressed look on your face, not because of some newly found sense of leadership. You couldn’t care less about that.

When you reach back to Jackson, roughly one hour later, you run into Tommy and some teenage girl. Tommy’ face drops, looking at you, Joel, Annie and the rest.

“Infected?” he asks his brother.

Joel nods. “Clickers. Took them out.”

“Where’s Marcus?”

“On the bright side, path up the hill should be clear now,” you tell him. “On the downside, Marcus won’t be joining us for dinner in the future. If he does, that ain’t Marcus and we should probably kill him for good.”

You walk right past him and everyone. Ellie stares at your silhouette growing smaller in the distance, then turns to Tommy and Joel. “Who’s that?”

Tommy introduces your name to Ellie. Joel side eyes them, his mind playing your name on a loop. It’s a sound word, something worth remembering.

“Hate to admit, but you were right about her,” Joel tells Tommy, who smiles in delight.

“What did I tell you, huh? What happened?”

“When clickers were there, she was the first one to hear ‘em. None of us did till she did. She saved me from one of ‘em. Then she held a knife to my throat, but I reckon that’s a well-balanced treatment.”

“Whoa, that’s pretty badass if you ask me,” Ellie comments in awe.

“Good thing I didn’t ask you, isn’t it?” Joel replies.

Ellie sticks out her tongue at him and makes a face that merely amuses Joel. He finds himself staring into the distance as well, remembering the indignation on your face as he shot Marcus, the glimmer of hope in your eyes thinking there might’ve been an easier way to end his doomed life.

Deep down, he learns to appreciate that. Joel himself hasn’t had hope in quite some time, not since he saved Ellie from the fucking Fireflies.

Much as he might despise your attitude, maybe you and Joel aren’t that different after all.

next

[the-girl-in-the-high-castle]

The absurdity and stupidity of all shitflix cancelations lies in one simple question: How many of those canceled shows have you actually heard of before they got canceled?

- Warrior Nun - never heard of it until the moment I started seeing its fans spamming every shitflix post. And that was its second season. It had two seasons, for fucks sake, and most of us have never heard of it. You wanna know whose fault that is? Let me give you a hint. No, it's not the viewing numbers.

- First Kill (or whatever its name is) - Never heard of it until, once again, I saw people complaining about the cancelation under shitflix posts. Once again, guess whose fault that is.

- Santa Clarita Diet - Never heard of it. Didn't even know it was canceled until it made it to the list of pissed of people counting how many of them they axed. Whose fault is that?

- Inside Job - Yeah, never heard of it until it got canceled. Also, canceled after they renewed it. Shitflix: guess we changed our minds.

- Archive 81 - Heard of it when the cancelation was announced.

- The OA - Remember just hearing about it through the fog, even though it came out years ago.

- Sense 8 - know about it only thanks to fans' videos and fanart. I don't remember shitflix ever mentioning it.

- Lockwood & Co - I know about it thanks to fans spamming posts asking for renewal news.

And the list goes on with, I assume, shows I have never heard of.

I've never seen any of these shows, but my open wound is 1899 that I believe got treated the dirtiest of them all.

I have heard of it two years before the premiere, thanks to a 50 seconds long teaser that got me patiently waiting for years because it was my cup of tea. It came from the people who proved themselves before by creating a critically acclaimed show that you can find on a top 10 list of greatest shows of all time. Those people have spent years developing a new filming technique for shitflix. What a way to say thank you.

8 out of 10 people around me have seen 1899. Those people haven't even seen GoT or LotR for fucks sake, the most famous show and movie ever, but they have seen 1899. But not because shitflix promoted it, but because people did.

There was zero promotion, zero cast interviews, zero mentions after the release. It was still watched and talked about by so many people. It has more viewing hours than their hit shows running for 3+ seasons put together. It's a show you can't just binge and forget, you have to actually turn your fucking brain on. It was released in the most busy time of the year, during the damn World Cup and winter holidays. It was still number one for weeks. It was given less than 30 days. They decided to cancel it before it even premiered. They deleted the trailer with 10+ million views from YT.

The same goes with other shows. I have seen zero cast interviews, zero promotion or mentions by their own platform and they still have loyal fan bases that didn't stop talking about them.

But then you have dogshit shows like the Night agent that is getting hyped by shtflix every single fucking day. Fake numbers, pumped up to get people to watch a generic, a hundred times seen before, piece of crap. It got more hype than fucking GoT, and yet I know zero people who have actually watched it. Yep, there is no one I know, in real life or online, that has actually watched this show. So you figure it out.

People who have watched the shows I've mentioned probably have the statistics for them, and have probably seen the viewing hours being blamed for it, which was bullshit.

The latest nail in the coffin was Lockwood & Co. They kept fans waiting for months, and then they announced the cancelation during Eurovision so that fans wouldn't be able to go viral about it because everyone talked about fucking Eurovision.

Shitflix has canceled 26 sci-fi/fantasy shows in the last 3 years. 26! Do you all remember when we couldn't even name 26 shows of all genres put together, let alone watch them?

What all these shows had in common is that they were original and more or less unique and creative, not something you can find at least 6 copies of in either streaming or network TV.

It's like they created all these shows just so they can cancel them, because they are doing their best to actually burn every trace they ever existed.

Shitflix is killing creativity in every form, but in the end, that will be their undoing.

[taylor-on-your-dash]

Sparks Fly is officially 18 years old: history of a song that was almost lost & how fans saved it from being left in the vault

The night of Halloween 2006, a 16-year-old girl named Taylor Swift had just released her first album. To promote her music, she'd go wherever venues would call her to perform. On October 31st, it was Portland, Oregon's turn, where Taylor opened for Jake Owen in a bar called Duke's. Owen, a country singer who also debuted in 2006, was 25 at the time.

We can safely assume that Taylor was happy to meet Jake, as she wrote this on MySpace right after:

"Happy Halloween :-) Current mood: happy Happy Halloween! I’m sitting at the airport in Portland, Oregon.. About to get on a red-eye flight (Oh yes, I just said red-eye. Meaning, all night. This should be interesting…) to Toronto, Canada for another weekend of Rascal Flatts shows. Tonight was awesome. It was a show in Portland at a bar called Duke’s, I opened up for Jake Owen. And a little back-story, I’ve had his album on repeat for the past couple of months.. It’s an amazing album and I literally cannot stop listening to it. I’ve got every line memorized, and if you see me on a plane.. Chances are, I’m listening to some song off that album, at a volume level that’s probably going to cause long-term hearing damage someday. ANYWAY. I got to walk in on his sound check and meet him. Turns out he’s extremely cool, and had bought my album on iTunes. :-) And since I had to leave after one song of his set, he played my favorite song “8 Second Ride” first. Which is another reason why he’s awesome. And just to let everyone know, YES, I did dress up for Halloween. Yes, I stood onstage in an angel costume with huge wings (that really conflicted with my guitar playing). And I convinced my two guitar players Todd and Kevin to put on those little headbands with the devil ears attached. Haha. Oh yeah, it was great. It’s so awesome playing to a crowd and seeing some people who know the words to EVERY SONG! I love that the album is out, and I love that y'all are listening to it. You guys are so awesome, and I really appreciate all of your comments. I love you all so much. Thanks for everything."

The day Speak Now was announced, a known fan at the time revealed said that the song was written on November 2, 2006, so a couple of day after the Portland show.

The most incredible news is that "Sparks Fly" is going to be put on the album. That song is so incredible. Taylor wrote it on November 2, 2006, performed it live in Oroville on May 30, 2007, and now it is finally being released on October 25, 2010. Definitely a dream come true for Taylor fans worldwide! (X)

So on November 2, 2006 Taylor finished the first of the three known versions of a song called Sparks Fly. The first handwritten draft was showcased in a museum:

On April 6, 2007, Taylor premiered the song in her native Reading, Pennsylvania, and then sang it again on May 30th in Sacramento, CA. This version was recorded by the same fan that revelead the writing date and uploaded online, gaining traction among the fanbase.

This live features a very prominent banjo and different lyrics:

“You stand there in front of me” -> “you stood there in front of me”

“Get me with those brown eyes, baby” -> “get me with those green eyes, baby”

“Take your open hand and take me out” -> “reach out open-handed and lead me out”

“Dim the paper lanterns” -> “don’t need more paper lanterns”

“This night is the 31st” -> “my heart is beating fast”

“So let’s make it count now, baby” -> “I could wait patiently”

“I’ll run my fingers” -> “I run my fingers”

“And make no borderlines” -> “gonna strike this match tonight”

“Forgive me when I can’t take in everything you are” -> “and lead me up the staircase”

“You kissed me like you meant it, I swear I saw sparks” -> “I’d love to hate it, but you make it like a firework show”

There was also an additional section: We stood at the gate (and you kiss me) / With the moon on your face / And you’ll kiss me

In December 2007, People Magazine releases a special photoshoot for Taylor's 18th birthday, which features photos of her bedroom, including the infamous Mirror Tracklist, a very early tracklist for her then-unnamed sophomore album. The tracklist inlcudes Sparks Fly as the 6th track.

As we know, Sparks Fly ended up being dropped from Fearless and shelved. We actually don't know whether the song was recorded or not, although some sources say that it was, but ended up being excluded in favour of The Way I Loved You.

Throughout the Fearless era, the fans didn't forget about the live version of Sparks Fly. On June 13th, after Taylor premiered the song Mine, Taylor hosted a 13-hour meet & greet, where one of the most asked questions was what happened to Sparks Fly:

“'Sparks Fly' is a song I wrote a few years ago and played in concert. You guys have learned it and I think like it, which makes me really happy. When we did the 13-hour Meet and Greet at the CMA Fest, there was a comment I got over and over again. You guys were saying, 'So what about 'Sparks Fly?' Is it going to be on the next record? [...] I played that song at maybe one or two shows, and you guys just jumped on it and really made it something that I had to put on the album because you really showed interest in it.”

That week Taylor finished Speak Now, completing the last song (The Story Of Us) on the 16th, but taking into consideration what the fans had asked her, she went back to Sparks Fly, changing the lyrics one last time, especially the second verse:

First verse: You say my name for the first time, baby, and I fall in love in an empty bar -> You’re the kind of reckless that should send me runnin’, but I kinda know that I won’t get far.

Second verse: So reach out open-handed and lead me out to that floor / I don’t need more paper lanterns / Take me down, baby / Bring on the movie score / ‘Cause my heart is beating fast and you are beautiful / And I could wait patiently, but I really wish you would... -> My mind forgets to remind me you’re a bad idea / You touch me once and it’s really somethin’ / You find I’m even better than you imagined I would be / I’m on my guard for the rest of the world / But with you, I know it’s no good / And I could wait patiently, but I really wish you would…

Bridge: Just keep your beautiful eyes on me / Gonna strike this match tonight / And lead me up the staircase / Won't you whisper soft and slow / I’d love to hate it, but you make it like a firework show -> Just keep on keepin’ your eyes on me, it’s just wrong enough to make it feel right / And lead me up the staircase / Won't you whisper soft and slow / I'm captivated by you, baby I’m captivated by you baby, like a fireworks show.

I think that the line "I'm on my guard from the rest of the world" from Sparks Fly being written after "And you figure out why I'm guarded" from Mine is very telling of what Taylor was going through in her personal life.

Once the album was out, the secret code hidden in the song lyrics spelled: “Portland, OR”. The secret message seemed to confirm the theories that had followed the song all summer.

In July 2023, Jake Owen commented on being the ispiration behind the song: “It’s a great song and the speculation has always been funny to me. I’m sure Taylor probably laughs at it all too, but I’m happy to even have my name in the discussion around it. She’s an amazing girl and an amazing artist. It’s been incredible to see how she’s grown as a musician and what a global phenomenon she’s become.”

To me, Sparks Fly is a signature song of hers. Classic Swift story telling, sprinkled with teenage dreams in an euphoric rock production. It's really cool to see how fans played a fundamental role to save this song from oblivion. Can you imagine our reaction if we had got this song in the Fearless Vault or the Speak Now Vault?

[disciple-of-owen]

The Southern Raiders: Some Thoughts

Ah, The Southern Raiders: that pivotal episode in which Zuko and Katara bury the hatchet, allowing our favorite Fire Prince to finally become a full-fledged Gaangster. Fans have expressed wildly different takes regarding this episode over the years, so I thought I’d toss in my two cents.

An important disclaimer before beginning: I am NOT anti-Zuko, and it is not my intention for this to be an anti-Zuko post. Having said that, I think it’s important to accept that Zuko’s redemption, magnificent as it is, does not expunge his character of defects. He remains a flawed person to the end of series, and I think much of his behavior in this particular episode is deserving of criticism.

Anyway, let’s start with the moment when Zuko announces to the Gaang that he and Katara are planning to track down her mother’s killer. Anything in quotes is from the show’s transcript, which belongs to Bryke, Nickelodeon, Paramount, and whoever the hell else has their hooks in Avatar at this point.

Aang: “Um… and what exactly do you think this is going to accomplish?”

An important thing to note here: Aang is not starting this conversation with an ‘I’ statement (I think, I feel, etc.). Instead, he is keeping the focus on Katara by asking her to elaborate on her thought process.

Katara: “Ugh. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

A bit harsh, but Katara is experiencing a huge amount of emotional pain with the reopening of this wound. She is in no mood to be questioned (which is not to say that she shouldn’t be questioned) and that is valid.

Aang: “Wait, stop! I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?”

Of all the moments that anti-Aang people disingenuously twist out of context, this is one of the most common. These individuals claim that Aang is belittling and dismissing Katara’s feelings by comparing the loss of her mother to the loss of Appa. This is a braindead take for three reasons:

Aang’s rage at the sandbenders wasn’t just about ‘losing Appa’. It was about being the sole survivor of a horrific genocide and losing the last piece he had of his people.

He puts Katara’s pain on the same level as the pain he feels regarding said genocide. If that isn’t taking her feelings seriously, I don’t know what the fuck is.

The whole reason he is making this comparison is not to determine whose trauma is greater, but to establish that he and Katara have common emotional ground upon which they can build a dialogue.

Zuko: “She needs this, Aang. This is about closure and justice.”

Frankly, I think it’s a bit audacious of Zuko to claim he knows what Katara needs when he’s been on normal speaking terms with her for a total of, what, 30 minutes? Still, I believe his heart is in the right place here.

Aang: “I don’t think so. I think it’s about getting revenge.”

And now, Aang voices his concern. Given how well Aang knows Katara, coupled with Zuko’s use of the word ‘justice’ regarding her mother’s killer, it is not at all unreasonable for him to assume that violent revenge might be on the cards. Katara immediately validates this assumption.

Katara: “Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that’s what I need! Maybe that’s what he deserves!”

I actually love this line; it’s not often that heroes in YA fantasies get to shed all pretense of morality and openly admit that base revenge is what they’re after. It makes Katara intensely believable in this episode.

Aang: “Katara, you sound like Jet.”

Aang reminds us of a vital lesson here: while it’s important to support your friends, it’s equally important to challenge them when you see them going down a potentially self-destructive path. That is what separates being a ride-or-die from being an enabler.

Katara: “It’s not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s a monster.”

Every word here is true, but the Gaang didn’t encounter Jet until he was many years into his unique brand of ‘freedom fighting’. Who’s to say he didn’t start out with Katara’s reasoning? Sokka seems to be thinking along these lines…

Sokka: “Katara, she was my mother too, but I think Aang might be right.”

Katara: “Then you didn’t love her the way I did!”

I have mixed feelings about this line. On the one hand, Katara is a child who has undergone immense trauma, and she has every right to express that. On the other, having trauma does not give you license to be cruel to others. There aren’t any easy answers here, which, again, is what makes Katara’s character especially fascinating in this episode.

Sokka: “Katara!”

Aang: “The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you’re being poisoned yourself.”

Some might say this line is a bit preachy. Myself, I think Aang is speaking the way the monks taught him to in moments of conflict. Metaphors can be powerful tools for conveying meaning when regular words aren’t cutting through.

Zuko: “That’s cute, but this isn’t Air Temple pre-school. It’s the real world.”

And here we have a deeply problematic comment from Zuko.

Now before the torches and pitchforks come out, let me clarify: I do not think Zuko is an active bigot. At all. It is indisputable, however, that he was brought up in a racist, imperialist society. Let’s take a closer look at what he says here:

“That’s cute, but this isn’t Air Temple pre-school.” What we have here is an example of infantilization; Zuko is essentially calling one of the pillars of Air Nomad culture childish nonsense.

“It’s the real world.” Implying that the Air Nomads’ worldview is simple-minded and incompatible with the world as it is.

Now let’s compare Zuko’s words to what Ozai says to Aang in their final struggle.

Ozai: “You are weak! Just like the rest of your people! They did not deserve to exist in this world!”

“That’s cute,”

“You are weak!”

“It’s the real world.”

“They did not deserve to exist in this world!”

I repeat, I don’t think Zuko is being consciously racist here, and I am certainly not comparing him as a person to his father. What I AM saying is that both Zuko and Ozai were raised on the same diet of Fire Nation propaganda, and that this propaganda still colours Zuko’s worldview to some extent.

Katara: “Now that I know he’s out there… now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice.”

Katara is effectively and honestly communicating her feelings here.

Aang: “Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness.”

And Aang is seriously engaging with those feelings. Note: he isn’t saying that Katara has to forgive (he is perfectly content with her decision not to forgive Yon Rha at the episode’s conclusion); he is simply pointing out that she does, in fact, have a choice.

Zuko: “That’s the same as doing nothing!”

Not gonna lie, not a fan of Zuko in this moment. And if we ever needed proof that Aang is the more emotionally mature of the two, it comes with the next line.

Aang: “No, it isn’t. It’s easy to do nothing… but it’s hard to forgive.”

Some excellent wisdom, spoken from a place of experience.

Katara: “It’s not just hard. It’s impossible.”

Again, Katara expressing her truth. Again, totally valid.

I’m gonna skip ahead just a bit to when Aang and Sokka find Zuko and Katara preparing to steal Appa, as this is an important moment.

Katara: “Don’t try to stop us.”

Aang: “I wasn’t planning to. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. But when you do, please don’t choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Aang has expressed his concerns, but he has also listened to Katara and recognizes that this is something she needs to do. He provides the use of Appa and offers some final words of wisdom, which have a huge impact on Katara later in the episode.

Zuko: “Okay, we’ll be sure to do that, guru goody-goody.”

Wow. Just… wow.

Katara: “Thank you for understanding.”

We all know how the story goes from here: Katara and Zuko go on their quest, Katara continues to spiral into darkness, and when the big moment finally comes, she chooses not to lower herself to Yon Rha’s level.

So, to conclude:

Thoughts on Katara: People should give Katara a break. Sure, she’s kind of a jerk in this episode, but she is also 14(15?) and dealing with a lot. We can be critical of some of the specific language she uses, but we shouldn’t be critical of her expressing her trauma.

Another point worth noting: while Aang’s advice does play a role in Katara’s ultimate decision not to murder Yon Rha (as per Bryke’s own words), she isn’t just blindly following his recommendations. She spares her mother’s killer, but she does it on her own terms. Which is excellent.

Thoughts on Zuko: As mentioned previously, I do think Zuko’s desire to help Katara in this episode is genuine. Having said that, I also think his judgement is being clouded both by his projected feelings towards Ozai (his own Yon Rha) and a desire to get what he wants (in this case, Katara’s approval). If Katara’s well-being were truly his ultimate motivator, I don’t believe he would have been so dismissive of Aang’s concerns.

Though, to his credit, Zuko does acknowledge in the end that Aang had been right all along.

Thoughts on Aang: In the DVD commentary for this episode, the creators talk about how, in many ways, The Southern Raiders is actually a story about Aang and Katara; that Aang’s words are present with Katara throughout the episode as her shoulder angel, not judging her or telling her what to do, but helping her find her way through the darkness. This is a beautiful (yet realistically imperfect) moment in their relationship, and I am here for it.

[thinking-emoji]

Buzzfeed interview but make it spoiler-free

you already know what it is - it's the photo free version of the latest Buzzfeed article, enjoy!

If You're A Dan And Phil Fan, This Interview Is For You

"The Dan and Phil you're seeing on the channel now is just what we are like in real life."

by Natasha Jokic | Nov 22, 2024

It can be hard to believe that it's been 15 years of Dan Howell and Phil Lester on YouTube. After all, in that time, much of their original viewers have grown up, and even gotten jobs at BuzzFeed.

As the duo continue their international Terrible Influence tour, BuzzFeed caught up with them virtually 30 minutes before their designated checkout time from a hotel in Durham, North Carolina. Here's what we learned:

1. First, unfortunately, you've been the in the US during the election. What has that been like for you?

Dan: [Sarcastically] It's been super fun and chill.

Phil: It's been a lot. You could sense there's so much tension going on. And we were obviously hoping for the best outcome.

Dan: We were in Milwaukee on the night that both [Donald] Trump and Kamala [Harris] had a rally in this city. And I was like, "Well, obviously, this is the most important event happening in Milwaukee tonight. Welcome to the Dan and Phil Show, everybody!"

Phil: I think we got more attendance than Trump at our show, though.

Dan: People didn't leave. More people tried to come in.

BuzzFeed: I mean, understandable. I'd say that people probably need your content now more than ever.

Dan: It has felt amazing because we have a lot of young and queer people in our audience. Especially after the election results were announced, they said that having something to look forward to was amazing for them. It felt great that our show and the community of our audience is just a place where people know that they're always welcome. So no matter what happens with the world, or politics, or their family, or their communities where they live — we can all have communities online. And they knew that when they come to see Dan and Phil, they're with their people. So that has felt really nice.

2. You obviously spend a lot of time together. You work together, you're now on tour together. It's been 15 years. How are you able to make it work?

Dan: That's a great question.

Phil: We fight to the death.

Dan: Do we know that answer?

Phil: People after the show ask, "Do you just want to kill each other?" And I think the answer is probably yes.

Dan: We've just gone full circle. We've gone to the point of wanting to kill each other so much that we've now come through the other side, and we're now in a state of serene chill. We're just like, two old turtles at the zoo, and you're like, "Are they dead? I think one of them just blinked."

Phil: Also, time isn't real. I can't believe I've known this person for 15 years. It scares me.

Dan: That's creepy. People have been coming up to us afterwards, and they're like, "I started watching you when I was 13, and now I have a child! I have a husband! I have a mortgage!" I'm like, "Alright, we need to wrap this up."

3. What's been your favorite moment of your tour so far?

Dan: Phil fell off the stage in Europe. It was quite funny.

Phil: That was not the favorite moment.

Dan: We like to joke about Phil being goofy and needing to get his eyes tested — and then it actually happened.

Phil: The thing is, it'sa very dark stage, and I was very excited to be on it, and then suddenly I wasn't on it anymore. Thankfully, I didn't squash anyone in the audience. I only bruised my ass. It was fine.

4. What's the most random thing that somebody's given you?

Dan: We signed a vape the other day. They said it's now the PHApe. 

Phil: Someone brought a very official-looking adoption certificate so that we could be their fathers, which scared me a little bit for their own responsibility. 

Dan: Iwas like, "That's funny." I started signing it, and Phil was like, "No, wait, this looks too real, there's too much little text on it."

Phil: I was like, "All our house plants are dead. Do you really want us to try and look after you?" And they were like, "Yeah!" Someone also came pregnant to the show, and they were like, "I'm gonna name my baby Philip." And I was like, "Ooh," I mean, the name Philip, it used to be quite popular.

Dan: It's in decline. There's a graph about what people name their children and is going down.

Phil: I feel like Philip is a 50-year-old man you meet at the pub. Phil.

Dan: You've got the responsibility of not just raising the next generation of people, but redeeming your name.

Phil: I think I will. I'm gonna make the name Phil cool again.

Dan: Make Phil Cool Again.

5. I know that the tour deals with some long-standing rumors that have surrounded you both. Is there one that you can share and debunk right now?

Dan: When we moved into a house that we bought, people started speculating about the interior design choices we'd make. Then a rumor started spreading around that we got toilets facing each other.

Phil: There was a photo on the internet of these two toilets facing each other, saying, "Is this Dan and Phil's house?"

Dan: People started joking, "Oh, did you hear Dan and Phil? They've they got toilets next to each other." So there is a part in the show where we we address that allegation live.

Phil: And we tell everyone that it is, in fact, true. [Pause] Just kidding, it is false, just to be clear.

Dan: Is it? We'll never know. Someone will have to break in.

6. This is the first tour you’ve been on together since both coming out as gay. What were some of the challenges in being a closeted content creator for so long?

Dan: I think it was hard in 2018 on our last tour. It was a weird thing for us that because of our content, a lot of it was comedy and storytelling and sketches, but there was obviously a lot of talking about real stories from our life. Especially after I'd opened up about my struggles with depression and started to talk quite candidly about some of those things, people would come up to me and go, "Oh, I love watching Dan and Phil because they are so candid about the struggles that they're going through in life." It felt horrendous looking at these people being so sincere with me, knowing that there was something that I had yet to confront within myself. 

Phil: When there are lots of queer people coming to the show, you do feel like a connection to them anyway, even if you are in the closet. You're like, "I want to talk about this too!" So now that we have spoken about it, it just feels like there's a lot more lovely connection with people.

Dan: I think that's quite relatable, though. Especially when you had a teenage audience, a lot of people are still discovering what their identity is. You might feel like, Am I a liar because I'm not talking about these things? Whereas, actually, I think people need time to work out who they are and how they feel and how they want to confront needing to share that with the world.

7. I know you’ve said that you weren’t necessarily planning for a big comeback for your gaming channel — what’s the biggest difference between how you approach YouTube now versus back in the day?

Phil: We are gaming less on the gaming channel. That's one thing. It's turned into a Dan and Phil variety show.

Dan: This whole comeback was an accident. I came back from this last tour that I did, and Phil was like, "Let's just do this for a bit for fun." And then it blew up so much. We were like, "Oh God, we've created life." And now we're responsible for raising the life that we just resuscitated. We are in Durham, North Carolina.

Phil: On tour, we usually do a baking video. So we did baking on the tour bus, which was a challenge.

Dan: That was some busted-ass baking.

Phil: We made some bus cakes, but it was fun.

Dan: We nearly blew up the town. [Pauses] Back in the day, before we came out, we were like, "Oh, should we be nervous about what we make, what we talk about, what we can joke about? Does Phil have to watch his language? Do I have to make sure that I don't imply something with any jokes that I make?" Whereas this new era feels very like, Right now that everyone is old as fuck, which includes us, you, the entire audience, we can radically make fun of the way that everyone chose to act in the past. It felt quite freeing.

Phil: The Dan and Phil you're seeing on the channel now is just what we are like in real life. Not that we weren't before.

Dan: It's just unleashed and unhinged in a way that probably should be leashed a bit more.

Phil: I can say "fuck" now. It's a whole different thing.

8. What’s the biggest difference, if any, between Dan and Phil on screen and Dan and Phil in real life?

Dan: We're exactly the same.

Phil: A lot of people that meet us are like, "Oh, my God, you are the same as you are online."

Dan: I don't know if they're expecting us to be actors. Like, when you find out Ewan McGregor has got an accent, and you're like, "What's that about?" No, I'm sorry to disappoint you. We are literally Dan and Phil. One thing people don't expect is the height, because we're usually three and a half inches on someone's Samsung Galaxy, and then we're 6'3" in person. 

Phil: I feel like I do have short person energy, and that always shocks people.

9. Phil, you were credited as Dan’s “remote crisis manager” on his last tour. What sort of crises did you have to remotely manage?

Phil: There were a lot of crises. There was one where Dan phoned me up, it was like, four in the morning. What was going on?

Dan: There was a literal hurricane in Auckland. And I was like, "No one's fucking awake, what do I do?" Phil was like, "Post a story saying that if your road is underwater, don't drive to Dan Howell's show. No offense. We love the compliment. I'd love to see all of my fans in New Zealand. Do not drive into a lake to come see us."

10. What’s the most starstruck you’ve ever been?

Phil: Do we ever get starstruck?

Dan: Phil, don't lie. Phil met Joss Whedon, who wrote Buffy.

Phil: But that's not aged well now, because we found out what he's actually like.

Dan: And now you've retconned that.

Phil: At the time, I was excited.

Dan: We met Ariana Grande. And this was a stage in her career where, for some reason, her people let Phil wrap tinsel around her so she looked like a Christmas tree. No one on the Wicked press tour is going to decorate Ariana Grande like a Christmas tree. And yet if you go to youtube.com you can see Ariana just stood there in a Radio One studio as Phil just put baubles on her while asking her questions. 

Phil: She was lovely about it. Her people were like, "She's only got four minutes" and she spent ages with us. 

Dan: Dan and Phil can confirm, Ariana Grande: Chill, funny, and down to clown.

11. Who’s the rudest celebrity or YouTuber you’ve ever met?

Dan: I try not to meet YouTubers. They terrify me. Big sociopath energy.

Phil: I think in the early days of YouTube, you'd go to a video convention and some people would just flip out a camera and start filming you before they'd even say hello.

Dan: This is why I have trauma. Some people were so chronically vlogging their entire day that people would come up to you with a camera turned around, "Oh my god, it's Dan and Phil, nice to meet you guys!" And they'd stop recording, and their face would just go completely blank, and they'd walk away being like, "Assistant, where's my fucking Starbucks?"

12. What’s the weirdest sponsorship offer you’ve received?

Dan: Someone tried to get you to do sex toys.

Phil: I don't think my Amazing Phil channel is really adjacent to sex toys.

Dan: But it was sex toys for women in relationships with other women. Like, "Dan, Phil, we know you got that big lesbian demographic. I think this would go hard."  And then reached out to the YouTube person, and they were like, "I think that would be very successful, but it might hurt the ad algorithm, so I'd recommend not doing it. Maybe do it on your own platform." So you know, Phil's gonna get the Patreon, OnlyFans sex toy side hustle.

Phil: You're still waiting for the fursuit sponsorship, Dan.

13. What’s something that you hope to have ticked off the bucket list in five years?

Phil: I don't even think about the next five minutes.

Dan: Yours is to not walk off the stage in the next five hours.

Phil: I always wanted to be a weatherman when I was a kid. Maybe I could go into that.

Dan: You would accidentally tell people that there is a hurricane. No offense. 

Phil: Apparently, you need left and right to do that. I still don't know my left and my right, so that's an issue.

Dan: It's not your fault, but that means that you probably can't be a weatherman. I don't want to crush your dreams. I think we just want to have a nap. 

Phil: We've been going full-on on this tour. 

Dan: Having the most fun ever — but we're indoor cats, you know what I mean?

14. Is there a video idea that one of you has had where the other has thought, “absolutely not”?

Dan: Phil regularly tells me that things I'm thinking of doing are too confrontational, spicy or offensive and I'm like, "No, they're not." And then afterwards, I'm like, "Okay, yeah, Phil, you saved my career."

Phil: I'm very good at looking at Dan's ideas and being like, "Maybe a little bit differently? We recently released a horse calendar. People were like, "What if you did a tasteful nudes calendar?" Because we did an OnlyFans April Fool's parody. 

Dan: I just think in your workplace, that's a lot to put next to the microwave. It's a funny idea, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Phil: So we went with Dan, Phil, and a tiny horse.

Dan: Which is much better. You can put stickers over Dan and Phil and just look at the horse if you want.

Phil: No one needs my ass next to their kettle.

15. And finally, how would you describe your friendship in three words?

Dan: Way too long.

BuzzFeed: I think that was everything I had, so there's enough time for you to leave your hotel room.

Dan: This is the duality of Dan and Phil. I've got those packing cubes, so I have a suitcase full of things. Phil's just got the overall pile strategy. Very anxiety-inducing.

Phil: I need to go to my room because it is currently looks like a tornado has hit it.

Dan: I don't think Phil's gonna make it.

Thanks for talking to us, Dan and Phil! You can find out more information about their Terrible Influence tour here.

[dickinson-devotee]

IRON MAIDEN ANNOUNCE 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES' WORLD TOUR 2025/26!

The Run For Your Lives World Tour will kick off on May 27th next year in Budapest followed by 27 stadium, festival & arena shows around Europe. The tour marks 50 years since Steve Harris formed the band in late 1975 and to celebrate this Maiden fans are promised a very special set list, spanning the nine studio albums from ‘Iron Maiden’ to ‘Fear Of The Dark’, with their most spectacular and elaborate show ever!

MAY 2025

27 Budapest, HUNGARY - Budapest Aréna *

31 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC - Letnany Airport *

JUNE 2025

01 Bratislava, SLOVAKIA - TIPOS Arena *

05 Trondheim, NORWAY - Trondheim Rocks (Festival)

07 Stavanger, NORWAY - SR-Bank Arena *

09 Copenhagen, DENMARK - Royal Arena *

12 Stockholm, SWEDEN - 3Arena *

13 Stockholm, SWEDEN - 3Arena *

16 Helsinki, FINLAND - Olympic Stadium *

21 Birmingham, ENGLAND - Utilita Arena ^

22 Manchester, ENGLAND - Co-op Live ^

25 Dublin, IRELAND - Malahide Castle *^

28 London, ENGLAND - London Stadium *^

30 Glasgow, SCOTLAND - OVO Hydro ^

JULY 2025

03 Belfort, FRANCE - Eurockéennes Festival

05 Madrid, SPAIN - Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano **

06 Lisbon, PORTUGAL - MEO Arena **

09 Zurich, SWITZERLAND - Hallenstadion **

11 Gelsenkirchen, GERMANY - Veltins-Arena **

13 Padova, ITALY - Stadio Euganeo **

15 Bremen, GERMANY - Bürgerweide **

17 Vienna, AUSTRIA - Ernst Happel Stadium **

19 Paris, FRANCE - Paris La Défense Arena **

23 Arnhem, NETHERLANDS - GelreDome **

25 Frankfurt, GERMANY - Deutsche Bank Park **

26 Stuttgart, GERMANY - Cannstatter Wasen **

29 Berlin, GERMANY - Waldbühne **

AUGUST 2025

02 Warsaw - POLAND - PGE Narodowy **

Special Guests for the first half of the tour, including the London & Dublin outdoor shows (but not the UK arenas), will be American rockers Halestorm. The second half of the tour sees Sweden’s Avatar as guests. And, finally, British metal band, The Raven Age, will open all UK & Ireland shows.

*Halestorm | ^The Raven Age | **Avatar

Fan Club Presales begin Monday 23rd September – details here.

Tickets go on general sale next week – check the tour dates page for times and dates.

Says Bruce Dickinson, “Next year is a very special one for IRON MAIDEN and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing! IRON MAIDEN’s definitely gonna get ya!”

Manager Rod Smallwood adds, “50 years of Maiden and I have seen 46 of them! With well over 100 million albums sold and almost 2500 shows in 64 countries and counting, to countless millions of fans, we are all still loving every second and consider every tour a new challenge to bring something different and exciting to our fans. And for this very special one we’re pulling out all the stops!

"We will cover classics and fan favourites from the first nine albums, from IRON MAIDEN to FEAR OF THE DARK, many of which we haven’t played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future. We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before. This is going to be a huge couple of years for IRON MAIDEN, and Eddie of course, and we are very excited about what we have up our sleeves for you fans throughout the whole of our 50th year. I promise you are all going to be very happy indeed!”

On Saturday June 28th the band will perform at the London Stadium, home of West Ham Football Club – the team that band founder Steve Harris has supported throughout his life, and with whom IRON MAIDEN have a long and storied history.

This concert in front of over 60,000 fans, will be the first time that IRON MAIDEN have performed on the club’s hallowed turf. A true homecoming show – with Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith & Nicko McBrain all born in the surrounding area – it will also be the biggest UK venue the band have ever headlined outside of their festival appearances.

Steve Harris says, “My love of football and my support of West Ham is no secret, and I know many of our fans around the world have shared that with me too. So we’re all very excited to be playing at the London Stadium as part of the RUN FOR YOUR LIVES tour. We can’t wait to see you all there!”

[putschki1969]

Live Title & Promo Visuals Revealed

To commemorate the 5th Anniversary of Wakana’s solo debut, a special band live will be held for the first time in 3 years! The official title for the live was announced today!

Title: 『Wakana 5th Anniversary Live ～The “VOICE” Stories～』 Date: May 12, 2024 ◆1st Stage◆ Open 14:45 / Start 15:30 ◆2nd Stage◆ Open 18:15 / Start 19:00 Venue: I’M A SHOW (capacity: 398 seats) Starring: Wakana, Satoshi Takebe (Music Director/Piano), etc. 【Ticket price】 All seats reserved 8,500円 ※An additional 600円 drink fee will be charged at the venue Advanced Ticket Lottery: March 11~March 17 General Sale: March 30~

Botanical Land Post | Instagram Post | Tweet

2024/03/08 Instagram post by Wakana

I went to a wonderful studio the other day🌿 It was a lovely room with lush greenery and plenty of light. It was fun to fantasise about where I would place my furniture if I lived there 😌💕(Source)

2024/03/10 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第7回目‼︎〜卒業とチョコチップと「The “VOICE” Stories」〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Talk Garden Vol.7!! ~Graduation, Chocolate Chips, and 「The “VOICE” Stories」 ~

The 7th episode of "Wakana's Talk Garden" has been uploaded! Thank you for sending me your "graduation memories"~(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) Maybe the topic was a bit tricky this time so there weren't a lot of submissions🤣 But I definitely related to a lot of your stories about things that you want to graduate from and finally leave behind 😭✨ (I certainly want to get rid of my late-night cravings for Korean food)

By the way, I was surprised that I couldn't recall which song our choir was singing at one of my graduation ceremonies even though I was sure that I would remember such a detail. I vividly remember singing at the graduation ceremony as a member of my junior high school choir. I had a pretty loud voice but most of the other members were rather quiet so I would always hide somewhere in the back because otherwise I would stand out too much with my singing😂 (Sorry teacher, please forgive the antics of an adolescent). However, back then there was a boy in our local boys' and girls' choir and he would always make sure to sing with a loud and firm voice. I looked up to him with great respect and thought he was incredibly courageous, he honestly was my hero✨😂 (I was still hiding in the back but he encouraged me to sing with all my might) All the parents mentioned that they were amazed by how well our voices could be heard (*´-`) Despite all of that, I totally forgot what song it was 🤣🤣 That's the most important part! ! *laughs* Oh well, that's how life is...(I'll ask a friend next time💌)

Before I read all of your graduation stories , I went on a tangent about Baskin-Robins ice cream. It went on for quite some time so please be prepared! ! 😂 It was about my favourite chocolate chip ice cream which I had to get as soon as it came out! ♡ it was my first time in years to eat this flavour ♡ (If you add your favourite ice cream flavour in the Baskin-Robins app, you'll receive a notification when it's released). I also tried the newly released matcha brownie flavour 🍨 It was so delicious! 😳 But for some reason...I can't really recommend this particular combination of flavours🤣 It’s better to eat them individually!!👍

Well, the next talk theme is... there will be NO talk theme! 😂 I feel like everyone was having a hard time thinking of stories for the talk themes🥺 I didn't intend to inconvenience anyone...😇Please forgive me...😇 So next time, just throw some random messages at me! Don't even think about it, no matter what it is, just submit it and let me talk about it. So if you have anything you want to ask me or want me to talk about, please don't hesitate! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Really anything is fine! 🤗💕 I’ll be waiting💕

Also, the official title for my upcoming 5th Anniversary Live has been announced✨ The full title is Wakana 5th Anniversary Live ~The “VOICE” Stories~! The title of my first tour after my solo debut was ``VOICE'', it was about having my “voice” heard and expressing my “voice”. Back then, there were so many things that felt new to me, and I'm sure it was the same for all of you. Five years have passed since then and I have come across several new "voices" within me. New thoughts and feelings were born within my heart and expressed through my "voice". And of course I've been supported by the voices of encouragement from many people throughout all these years. For these reasons, I decided to name the live The “VOICE” Stories, I want to create an environment for people to hear my new “VOICE”. I will be sharing various thoughts and sing songs from the past five years. I would be happy if you came to experience this special moment together with me. Please come to “I'M A SHOW” in Yurakucho on May 12th! ! The live promo visual has also been released🤗✨

All right, that’s it for today! Until next time~☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana’s Talk Garden #7

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Episode #7 »»—— CLICK ME ���� CLICK ME ——««

Vol 7 Topic “Memories of Graduation”

For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on April 10th, the topic is “Something I Want to Ask Wakana/Something I Want Wakana to Talk About” The submission deadline is 03/31.

[signor-signor]

Trending 27th - March 2024

Talking to Craig McCracken

If you had a chance to talk to Craig McCracken, what would you say to him that not only complements him on the work he’s done in the past 30+ years, but also reassures him that there’s still interest in the plans he made for S3?

As someone who grew up watching Cartoon Network in the ‘90s, I would tell him…

“Hi, Craig-o, pleased to meet you! I’ve known your work since the early-mid nineties. I believe you were involved in 2 Stupid Dogs and Dexter’s Laboratory. It must have been a real treat getting to know some history behind Hanna-Barbera. I know it was for me. When I first saw a piece of your own work, it was on the side of a box of Fruity Pebbles promoting World Premiere Toons - one of the characters was Bubbles of the PPG. I gotta say, you’ve been one of my inspirations growing up.”

When it gets to the point where I talk about WOY, I would say this to him…

“I remember when I got into Wander Over Yonder. When I first saw your early sketches of him, I thought of Cantus the Minstrel from Fraggle Rock. And what can I say? I’m a sucker for anything related to Muppets. How about Jack McBrayer? He’s the perfect choice for the character’s voice! WOY marks the first time I got to hear Jack sing. It’s the show that provided the springboard for shows Disney apparently loves best, specifically Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Big City Greens - those shows wouldn’t have been picked up if it wasn’t for Daron Nefcy and the Houghton Bros.’ involvement in the first season. It’s also the first show where Andy Bean provided music for a TV series and where people like Noël Wells got to try their hand at voice acting. The show has made a lot more history than you can possibly imagine, so please don’t take it too lightly.”

Now comes the part where I talk about the elephant in the room, or rather, the ape in the space capsule…

“To be honest, I really looked forward to watching episodes of the show during its run. When I looked at your announcement about the premature cancellation and the plans you’d made for that third and final season, I was totally perplexed. Disney let Fish Hooks go on for three seasons regardless of content - was that because no one turned deaf ears or blind eyes to it? I always assumed they’d treat WOY the same way they treated FH.”

“Somehow it just doesn’t feel right to let your show bite the dust just because the “higher up bosses of bosses of bosses” didn’t see the need to make more, especially not after you made most fans aware of the existence of the plans for S3 and led them to believe it was guaranteed to be amazing. Why do you think I haven’t given up on WOY? And why else would I have Kid encourage viewers to watch the show (Kid Cosmic was great, by the way, one that definitely ended in victory)? I cannot think of any other show that was canceled one week before S2’s premiere, seven months after the S1 finale, five months after writing on S2 wrapped up, five months after your pitch for S3. You, Craig, are one of the most experienced cartoonists in the business and you don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

“To let you know just how determined I am to right this wrong, I worked four months on an Illustrator piece featuring over 140 individuals, built a LEGO Star Nomad (when I showed it to Dave Thomas (@owner-of-wendys), he said, “Dude… that Star Nomad is incredible. Well done!”), and wrote a pre-S3 shorts idea where Andy the Watchdog interviews refugees on the ex-secret planet. Heck, I even had to figure out what Star Force Enforcement Force look like and how the plot of S3 might play out.”

“@peepsqueak started the SaveWOY campaign, and I’m seeing to it that it shan’t be in vain. I know you’re busy with your other projects, but there is still a show waiting to be completed on your own terms. Until the time comes, keep making people smile! Darkest times call for sunniest of smiles!”

[moon-struck-net]

Yahoo Japan/Josei Jishin Interview July 4th 2023

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/1d9cf92309815982cc6fa71684362c64fc9763ea

Up until now, the impression I had of age 50 was "the end of your life". I was conscious of Oda Nobunaga's saying that "life has 50 years". But now I understand that "life has 50 years" doesn't mean you can only live for 50 years, it’s about how much can you get done before you're 50. You can't go back to being in your 30s or 40s. I came to feel that what's most important in life is how much you were able to run at full speed up to that point. 

Previously I had been wondering internally how much I could get done by age 30, and I thought that it would be downhill from there and end at 50. So honestly what I'm thinking now is "Somehow I'm still alive," and "I've made it this far," that kind of thing. 

GACKT had his 50th birthday on July 4th. The release of the long-awaited movie that he is starring in- "Fly Me To The Saitama: From Lake Biwa With Love" has been announced for November 23rd. GACKT had previously kept his age secret from the public, and first announced it in 2009 along with the production of the play Nemuri Kyoshiro Burai Hikae, which he was starring in. We asked his honest thoughts. 

The question of whether to announce my age or not wasn’t really on my mind. But at the time, I wondered if it might be time to say it. My fans didn't know either.

The producer I had back then happened to suggest that I tell people my age, so I said "Ok". It wasn't something I particularly wanted to hide. So then I think there were a lot of people who thought "Wait, he's younger than me? He acted like he was older (laughs)."

[Translator’s note: GACKT is talking about how in Japanese culture, younger people usually defer to people older than them, but GACKT was behaving as though he were the one with more seniority]

There was only one reason that I concealed my age. When I was 20 and I moved to Tokyo and started doing music, everyone around me was senior to me. So if I said how old I was I'd immediately be treated as a junior and they'd walk all over me. The roles of senpai (senior) and kouhai (junior) are just decided by age, right? If I said my age, people older than me disrespected me, so I never told anyone my age, outside of my band members at the time. So I made up that I was 448 years old.

If someone was like "You're definitely younger than me. If you're going to have a disrespectful attitude toward me, then I'll crush you," I'd be like "You wanna go then?" Back when I was in a band it was like that all the time.

Most years, GACKT celebrates his birthday with a private party

On July 4th I usually have a concert or a birthday event, and when that's all over and I'm tired out I have a private party. 300 to 400 people attend, so I prepare a large amount of alcohol. In the beginning it was wine, but for the last 12-13 years it's been tequila. Even if each person speaks for one minute, if 400 people are there it takes 400 minutes, 7 hours. It's tough to keep drinking wine for that long, right?

So I thought I'd make it a "tequila survival challenge" party for everyone to participate in. I contact people and tell them that only those who are always in a state of readiness should come. I make them sign a contract at the door too. Saying no matter what happens here it's their own responsibility.

When my birthday party begins, my friends come on stage and immediately drink 10 shots of tequila, so it's tough (laughs). So everyone rapidly fades. At the end only about 30 people remain. At the end everyone staggers home.

I'm all alone when everyone leaves. But I'm totally hyped up and can't sleep, so from morning I start texting everyone. Of course no one replies. When it gets to the afternoon, finally people gradually start to reply "Are you okay?" I reply "I've been texting people all morning. I'm lonely."

At those times I think, "Maybe this is what the battlefield is like." They say people who survived the war and came home, go back to the battlefield. They can't psychologically accept everyday life and feel a sense of emptiness. No one wants to drink any more, and it's not that I want to drink either, but I understand the feeling of wanting to return to an extreme situation. Though people will probably call me strange for thinking things like that (laughs)"

But, when I went on hiatus due to my health issues, I became unable to handle alcohol. I couldn’t drink 5 or 6 bottles of tequila like I used to. On my previous birthday, I only drank about 3.

At the end of last year, in an interview with this magazine, GACKT spoke of writing a will during his one year hiatus. It seems that ahead of turning 50 he had an opportunity to think about his end-of-life plans.

I wrote about 20 wills. Saying things like, "Divide my fortune like this, sell my cars". I wrote about leaving my pet dogs in the care of my sister and my staff, that kind of thing.

I've also told my sister about my burial. I said, "Scatter my ashes in the sea in Okinawa." I don't need a grave. I've never wanted one. I don't want people to visit my grave. It's enough if people will look at the sea and clasp their hands in prayer. I thought about this when buying graves for relatives and things like that. I don't want to be in a grave.

Every year I go back to Okinawa and clean my family's tomb. That's become my role now. I bring at least 20 to 30 staff and clean the graves.

I've been helping clean the graves since my late 20s, but everyone else in my family got old and couldn't do it any more.

Okinawan tombs are big in the first place. Ours is in the mountains, and was rebuilt because it was old, but it's still the size of this studio (where today's photo was taken).

It used to be bigger. I remember when I was 6. We'd go through the sugar cane fields in a car, and then walk the paths between the fields into the mountains, so it was a hard time even getting there. Moss and weeds would grow on the big tomb, and we had to clean off all the dirt too. We tried to go at times when habu (Okinawan pit vipers) wouldn’t come out.

There was an altar as well as the tomb, and the altar and the tomb are in different parts of Okinawa. My ancestors originated in the southern part of Okinawa. So the tomb is in the south, and because my great grandfather founded a town up north, the altar is in the north. So it's not possible to clean the tomb and the altar on a day trip. At the very beginning I went in a group of 6 people, but we couldn't finish and it took two and a half days just to clean the tomb.

I don't want the generation after me to have to do unpleasant things like that. If people have to keep organizing things every year after I die, that will be tough on them, right?

So scatter my ashes. I'll be happy if people come to the sea and I can say "I'm here". And if eventually people stop coming, it won't cause trouble for anyone.

[pommpuriinn]

𝚓𝚘𝚘𝚑𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚐’𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎

Hybe set a whole special set for Joohyung's live for her solo debut mini album called 'The Start: Black Mamba'. Joohyung is feeling very nervous, she's scared at what people would think about the mini album. She worked so hard and so long for this opportunity. Joohyung had sleepless nights because she also had txt's schedule on top of her solo schedule.

Joohyung snaps out of her thoughts as the staff starts counting down the seconds for the live to start. Once Joohyung got the signal to say hello she sat up straighter and started waving at the camera. "Moa~" Joohyung smiles with excitement. "It's finally time for my solo debut that you guys have been waiting for! Today is January first and I'm so happy that we can start the new year with my mini album, and you guys get even more with txt's comeback too!" Everyone started clapping with the announcements making Joohyung laugh.

"I hope that we're feeding you well moas." Joohyung makes a little heart with her hands. "In just 30 minutes everyone gets to hear the title track 'Black Mamba'. I'm excited but also very nervous." Joohyung decided to share a bit more that's been weighing down on her mind. "I just don't want to disappoint moas and even the company because we have been working on this for months, and even the company has been planning this for years. Basically ever since I started training they were planning this concept for me and I'm really thankful for that."

After answering some of moas questions both in korean and english the staff planned on giving Joohyung letters that the members wrote for her, plus telling her the shocking news with how many moas pre-ordered the mini breaking a record.

So a staff member just went up to her, handing her the letters from the members causing her to be confused. "Oh...what's this?" Joohyung looked at the handwriting closely. "Ah, the members wrote letters for me." She smiled at the staff. "They texted me to tell you that you have to read them right now." The staff showed Joohyung her phone with the text making them laugh. "Ok I will, just for them." Joohyung started with Yeonjun's.

For our most caring noona,

I'm so proud of you. You worked so hard for this moment not just for a couple of months, but for years. You deserve everything you get and I can't wait to see you on stage showcasing even more of your talents for everyone. Remember to lean on me and the members sometimes, we know that you suffer too. I love you lots noona.

Joohyung blinked her tears away, "why does he have to be emotional on paper too." She laughs with the staff. "I want to read Kai's next."

Noona!!! Finally your solo debut is here! Me and the members have been waiting for this moment ever since we heard and saw your talents. I will be your number one fan and go to all your promotions I promise. I will also collect all your photo cards and even put one under my case so everyone can see our beautiful noona! Please stay healthy and we'll always be by your side.

"I knew Kai would lift up my mood. Thank you Huening, I needed that." Joohyung got Taehyun's.

I knew you could do it noona! I know it was hard for you these past months with everything going on, but you really managed well that's why I admire you so much noona. We will always stand by you so don't think that you're alone, not once. I plan on buying all the versions to support you like you do to our albums, I'll even stand in the crowd with moas fanchanting. I'm proud of you noona!

"Ya! They're too sweet, I can't." Joohyung covered her cheeks with the letters, getting embarrassed with their sweet words. "I'm kinda nervous for the last two because I have a feeling I'm going to cry and I don't want to cry." Joohyung whined. She slowly started opening Soobin's.

To mine best friend/noona,

I'm so glad to see you move to greater things like getting a solo mini album. I almost wanted to start crying hearing the news that you are going to debut as a soloist. I had no worries for you because I knew you were made for this since I first saw you in the practice room dancing and singing like no tomorrow. I'm also glad to call you not just a member, but a best friend and older sister who's always been there for me even when I didn't believe in myself. Now it's my turn to repay you by always supporting you and helping you when you think you can't do it any more. I'm proud of you noona!

Joohyung let a few tears come down before immediately wiping them away. "Thank you." She mumbled to the staff who gave her tissues. "Soobin always gets me, I hate him." She jokes as she laughs. "But I'm scared about this one, everyone. It's Beomgyu's."

For mine beautiful noona who I love a lot,

I remember the day you told me about this opportunity and how scared you were about letting people down or if you can even do this. I was shocked about your reaction because you're our wonderful noona who's so talented and inspired us to never feel like that and to always lean on you. That day I made it my mission to always stay by side so you could never feel lonely or scared. You were there for me so of course I have to be there for you! I watched you day and night practicing, recording, filming, and repeating everything all over. I'm glad I was there watching over you. It showed me how much I love you and even more (if that's even possible since I already love you so much). I'm sooo proud of you pretty, I'll be watching you in the crowd.

At this point Joohyun had Beomgyu's letter covering her face, as she was continuously wiping her tears. Before she could even recover and say something the door busted open and there the people she loves with everything in her came running to her, and started hugging her.

"Noona don't cry!" Kai laughs at her. "We're sorry we didn't mean to make you cry." Taehyun pats her head. The love just made Joohyung cry worse, making the members laugh and awe at her. "Look, even Yeonjun is crying too." Soobin pointed at him. Yeonjun had his head on Joohyung's shoulder crying with her.

To be honest even some staff members were getting teary eyed from the sense happening right in front of them. It was just such heartwarming seeing members care for each other this much. "Since the mood is bright today we wanted to share some wonderful news about Joohyung's mini album." The staff erupted the group, making them wipe their tears and face the front. "Joohyung's album surpassed about a million pre-orders making her the highest pre-ordered album by any female soloist." The boys cheered and hugged Joohyung more and the staff came out with a little cake congratulating her.

"Thank you so much moas." Joohyung wiped her tears away. The members ended up staying until the last second and Taehyun even offered to take them to a restaurant to celebrate even more. Joohyung was so happy about all the wonderful responses she was getting now that her music is out. This day will definitely always stay with her.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Your response to the ask about jk's album: "And just like Jungkook, I will enjoy my time until he releases music. That is, if I'm still interested by the time it happens. ...I'm not going to be stuck in BTS hell", has me curious, does your listening experience with bts/kpop differ from other genres of music? Like are you interested today and maybe not tomorrow or are there artists in which there isn't a doubt in whether you'll be interested in what they put out? Idk if my question is very clear.

The reason I ask is because I'm surprised by people being surprised that jk isn't constantly working on his solo album. I've even seen it described as him not having drive. This surprises me because I feel like it's normal for western artists and even maybe some other korean artists to have time, even years, between music releases. We've still got a lot of 2023 left so idk why fans are so anxious about album news. I feel like it's better for jk to take time and not rush the artistic process than to hurry and prepare some generic soulless album. Maybe it's what you said about stans always wanting to be in competition and they can't do that if they're fave is just chilling at home or eating kbbq and not running out getting ambassadorships or releasing music

To answer the first part of your ask, yes, my experience is different for at least two reasons. For more than two years, I took an active interest in BTS, which means I am constantly up to date with every new development and because there is almost constantly something happening. I don't do that with other bands and musicians. In terms of k-pop groups, I'm a casual listener and I have no hyper fixation. Most of the time, I listen to their music, usually during work. And as to other western musicians, I pay attention only when they actually release a song/album, might watch some interviews or performances and that's it.

There is a stark difference between that and BTS where there is a lot of media content on top of the music that keeps the fan hooked. And when there's less of that, it turns into this really odd behavior on behalf of the fans because they believe something is wrong when they don't get their daily dose. They need to be connected and fed all the time. Which is why you see so much nonsense on social media in between album releases and it will increase during the hiatus and in between solo albums. That's the only thing they know, it's part of their identity. Do I personally think it's useless to spend time daily in a fandom, waiting months or years for an album? Yeah. Especially since the media content will slow down, especially for group activities.

The schedule of releasing a solo album is different for all idols in K-Pop. Some do it years later after their debut, others more than a decade later. But in the case of BTS, I suspect this attitude from fans also comes from the strategy announced by the label, which was taken as a definitive plan of having a comeback in 2025 and every single one of them will have an album released until then. But that's not set in stone and it's only early 2023. Jungkook has enough time until he's 30 to enlist and release music, realistically speaking.

[iraniq]

Surreptitious

It was a normal morning, it waking time could be called a “morning”. The underwater reek was specifically strong today, but you were used to it by now.

The breakfast was something between puke and partially molted – delicious for this geographic place. The biggest terror was the boredom, nothing to do here, but slowly perish. But today was a good day – you all would have a new toy to play. They announced their arrival last night to agitate you. The simple mined ones were in fact eager, you – not so much!

621 to population! – the warden yelled as he pushed a man inside.

He was rather skinny, some punk boy who had recently discovered he was born wrong, because this is where the defective ones go.

The Box was the most underrated metahuman prison in the world. Simply because men/women did not know of it’s existence. Men/women who were born “wrong” thought the bullets will kill them, but death was a blessing. Here … here was the real Hell.

The skinny boy just stood there, looking around. Some of the simple minded attacked him. He turned out to be quite skilled fighter … for someone his size.

Skinny punk boy spend the next year participating in the underground fights and won a higher place in the prison community. You assumed he was some kind of a gangster outside, since he had the thinking of one – establish power, learn/earn advantage – use it to become lethal.

No one bothered you tho. Not after what happened 4 years ago. It was yet another sunny /artificial lights have been replaced and now the dim light was blinding/ afternoon when appeared as dark haired, but not actually, boy approached. In the close distance you saw he was actually a grown man, mid 30s maybe, which explained some of his skills. One that come with specific age experience. And the brown hair was actually dark green.

So what is your deal. – he casually sad, sliding an orange pudding your way.

The orange colored were the least gross. He was obviously properly schooled by whoever ratted.

You just nodded and started eating with less than a zero care.

I learned you are one of the bosses around, since I became one last night … - he waited, for what, you to congratulate him, you just shoved another spoon of the orange goo in your mouth. – Well  figured we might team up. I have the lizard people and the molesters … - you choked, really, the molesters … - Yeah, yeah I know … he put a strand of his hair away. They want to leave the most. So … I was thinking, you might want to join us too.

Do you even know who I am.

You are her, the one who ate an alive human 37 years ago, you are an urban legend.

Am I .. you air creatures definitely need a hobby.

We do have one … urban legends.

Do you know what happened 4 years ago?

You killed some extra strong freak of an experiment gone wrong metahuman with 2 hits. Been a fan since I found out! – you make him choke on his blood while munching on his liver, so yes,2 hits. He was technically right!

So you do have a type! – you motioned to the snake eyed girl that has been tailing him the last several months.

Oh no … I don’t  do attachment. We are just having fun!

Well … then I a hard pass!

You want to date me peach, I am flattered.

You choked on his silly joke. Poor skinny punk boy had no idea who you were.

Tell me your name skinny punk boy!

The one and only – Joker. – he dramatically pointed at himself – Also know as The Clown Prince of  Crime, Ace of Knaves, Harlequin of Hate, Mime of Destruction, Grand Mogul of Mountebanks, Thin White Duke! – the last one fitted his skinny ass.

Excuse you, but the one One who wears the “Thin White Duke” is David Bowie.

Where do you think I stole it from! – he proudly winked at you.

You forgot “Jester of Genocide” and “King of Gotham”.

So you know me.

I was bored … - and the orange goo was over. – I will listen to you when you get me a new one. – you just got up and walked away.

You did not see His Royal Majesty for a while. Then one day he popped up, extra happy … happy for this place, this man was nuts!

Ready peach? We drift off in 3 days.

You know I can rat you on the guards right. I will be getting my orange pudding for a week.

Come on sweetheart, you look bored, tell me there are better places to be than here.

You know how I got here?

He shrugged.

I chose to! The outside world was too chaotically boring. I like the order here.

Wow … so very dramatic? Are you joining us or what.

I told you, tell me your name!

I did!

Not the one you chose for yourself, the one your poor single dad gave you, after your mom overdosed at the factory she worked in and died, also there, on that heat summer night. The last one Gotham had … in 29 years. – the pale punk boy got even whiter.

How …

I am special, this s a metahuman prison after all. You have less than zero powers, why are you here?

I …

Careful! – you pointed at your lips – lies cost lives here!

Normal prisons can’t hold me, Gotham’s wanted me permanently dead and since they failed at doing so, they send me here.

Ah yes, the scar!

How do you know!

Your mane boy! – you raised your voice and half the creatures around just left the place.

Wow …

Name!

He sighted, like the effort of revealing was physically painful!

Jack Joseph Napier.

Sweet! So you know who you are, you are sane, so sane it makes you nuts to live in this world, that feels like a delusional dream!

So you are here because of this!

Yes! And to answer your questions, I see your soul. And your life until this very moment, like I am watching a movie … not gonna talk about the lizard thing..

Please don’t! – he laughed, and for the first time in 67 years you felt a person being genuine about something.

I can’t leave and be outside in the open air alone, I need a soul to be bound to, since I don’t have one. I was created by … the last semen of a dying man and some virgin to be  prostitute when the first artificial insemination was created.

Wow … like that book “Alraune” by Hanns Heinz Ewers.

Where do you think they stole it from! – it was your turn to proudly wink at him.

Neat! So you can hypnotize people to do your bidding?

Sort of! I also consume one’s essence for a living.

So what, you eat souls?

Sort of, I consume the soul and the life spawn of the creature with it.

How old are you?

Don’t you know to never ask a lady this!

The process was created in 1922… so 100?

Close, 93.

So… how…

One bonds to a soul!

Yeah?

You pledge yours to me, I will bite out of it and place it where mine is supposed to be.

Kinky … buy why you don’t have one.

A Soul Eater powers is unlocked by one eating their own.

Not so kinky! – he made  face like the food in his imaginary plate was gross.

You laughed, this was a funny one.

How did you get in and how will you go out.

My ex – Harls got herself a new lover, her so called best friend Gre… Pamela. So now my arch nemesis Batsy will get me out. Since I am the only one that can help him against the League of Shadows…

Shush… too much info! Fine … we will make a deal, you give me a bite of your soul and a ticket out and I will help you in your endeavors.

You will be my bad ass sidekick.

You rolled your eyes.

No…you are a sneaky one … I will present you as m weird talisman, you will barely say a thing and all will think I kidnapped you or something, they will think you are of value … will try and quite possibly grab you, offer you deals, include you in big plots, confess their love …

That is so boring. – humans always thought love was something important.

They will tell you some fancy stories, their deepest secrets even … you will be on 1st row of all the drama … you love it don’t you!

Yes! – and for the 1st time in 37 years, since you came in, a sparkle bloomed into you. Finally a nice drama to involve yourself in.

What do I win tho? – he got the dirt out of one of his nails.

Immortality. I am an eternal entity who can not die. As long as I am pleased with the surroundings of mine. You will share my immortality and higher for humans strength and healing.

Wow … and all this for a tiny piece of my soul.

Yes – you smiled wickedly.

What if you get bored?

I will consume your essence and move on to another.

Then I will make sure to keep you entertained my darling.

You smiled, baring all your teeth.

I’ll be damned. I am in. – he stretched his hand. – should we seal the deal with a kiss? – he joked.

Yes, yes we should! – his surprised lasted less than a half blink and then your lips crashed his.

He did not felt anything. Even laughed about a kinkier sensations. You smiled and breathed in.

Three days later, as promised his weird bat fetish friend unsealed the hatch and fresh air came in – no hallucinogens and sedatives. You felt it, it was the middle of the night on your schedule, but it was a bright afternoon for the rest of the world, their last one.

The Box’s inmates were awoken by a scream. A scream like nothing else, even you got the chills. You entered their dreams, feeding on fear, then enter their waking minds, shifting reality. Then you absorbed their souls and nothing but dust was left. Your new friend told the sad dressed in black child that some experiment gone wrong was horror  downstairs “no one can be saved”, he said, not knowing there was nothing to be saved. You consumed them all! He sort of felt it, as your essence flew by him … like the ashes you left behind you, you roamed the open world, looking for some innocent girl’s body to inhabit, as you and J had agreed upon the settled scenario!

Let the games begin!

-------------------

inspire by @diyunho 's story vibes!

@loki-hargreeves i know you will like it

haven't done that in a while ... dunno who to tag. Enjoy you all i guess!

[amltdaily]

I posted 47 times in 2022

21 posts created (45%)

26 posts reblogged (55%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jamesrodayrodriguezpresents

@levy-tran

@blogger360ncislarules

@romancemedia

I tagged 34 of my posts in 2022

Only 28% of my posts had no tags

#a million little things - 29 posts

#gaggie - 4 posts

#interview - 3 posts

#admin post - 2 posts

#dj nash - 2 posts

#season 3 - 1 post

#season 4 - 1 post

#allison miller - 1 post

#video - 1 post

#bts - 1 post

Longest Tag: 23 characters

#a million little things

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

5 notes - Posted March 21, 2022

#4

A Million Little Things‘ endgame is in sight.

TVLine has learned exclusively that the ABC drama’s creator, DJ Nash, is crafting the series’ upcoming fifth season as its last.

ABC is not commenting for this story, but we’re told the decision to bring the show to a creatively satisfying conclusion was made mutually between Nash, the network and ABC Signature/Kapital Entertainment. (Here’s a list of other TV series we suspect are heading into their final seasons.)

A Million Little Things‘ Season 5 renewal last May came down to the wire, despite the fact that the Season 4 finale ended with a doozy of a cliffhanger involving James Roday Rodriguez’ cancer-battling Gary.

“There’s no question we were a bubble show,” Nash acknowledged to TVLine at the time. “But everybody creatively at ABC was so supportive and wanted to see [a fifth season] happen. And we knew that if it didn’t happen, our fans would be like, “You can’t end a series like that!”

In Season 4, A Million Little Things averaged 4.1 million total weekly viewers and a 0.7 demo rating (with Live+7 playback) — down 20 and 30 percent from its Season 3 tallies. Out of the eight dramas ABC has aired last season, it ranked No. 6 in audience and tied for fifth in the demo. It did, though, enjoy the second-best DVR bump of any ABC series.

5 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

#3

6 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

#2

Our time with the Friends of Jon is drawing to a close.

A Million Little Things will end with its upcoming Season 5 , ABC announced Monday, confirming TVLine’s exclusive report from August.

The final season will premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 10/9c.

“I know seeing this show end may be sad for many people (especially my mom who watches live every week), but I always knew I wanted to follow these friends for five seasons and leave them when the time was right,” series creator DJ Nash said via statement. “When we started making our show, I never could have imagined this incredible community of ‘Millionaires’ who would come together and not only watch, but also share with each other their personal struggles, their pain and ultimately their true grit. I am both honored and humbled by all of it and am so in awe of the incredible actors, writers, directors and crew who lend their talent to make our show.”

He continued: “I am also so grateful that ABC now makes mental health awareness one of the top issues for which it advocates. [Executive producer] Terrence [Coli] and I can’t wait for the Millionaires to watch what we have planned for our final season.”

In Season 4, which ended with a cliffhanger involving the health of James Roday Rodriguez’ Gary, A Million Little Things averaged 4.1 million total weekly viewers and a 0.7 demo rating (with Live+7 playback) — down 20 and 30 percent from its Season 3 totals. Out of the eight dramas ABC aired last season, it ranked No. 6 in audience and tied for fifth in the demo. It also had the second-best DVR bump of any ABC series. 

6 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

17 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

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