#jon is so normal about reacting to things it's hilarious

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

if they swapped roles arthur lester would not be nearly as rattled by the whole prentiss attack but he also would have probably lost his job immediately after bc he broke into the police station to steal the tapes back and got arrested and that would be the end of the podcast. so. kind of a wash.

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon, sorry this keeps taking me a while to send, been very busy lately.

He only had a hunch at first he was his ancestor but later talking with Karl confirmed it. I have yet to decide, I think he probably will just so I can focus more on the current events and not his past. 

He solely relys on his instincts when around other endermen. Although when around Ran he relys more on his social interaction skills. Though he still does certain things (like no eye contact, he leaves two blocks for Ran as a show of care and harmlessness, and sometimes warbling at Ran) due to his instincts. For other enderman it generally works out well, they mostly leave Ranboo alone anyway. But for Ran, he doesn't care much.

He is aware of Enderwalk Ranboo, mostly cause Phil warned him about it. His interactions with Enderwalk Ranboo are mostly Enderwalk Ranboo entering his room and trying to get close to Ran only for Ran to really full heartily growl and lash out at him when he gets close. Then Enderwalk Ranboo whines and leaves. Ranboo is hesitant but welcoming and open to Ran all the time, mostly because holy shit its another enderman hybrid, he thought he was the only one! And Ranboo can tell the two share a bit of similarities but mostly just thinks its because there both enderman hybrids. 

Karl manages to convince the Artic Commute to leave the two alone and once they leave starts to question Ran. Only to pretty often get cut off by him asking a retaliation question. Ran is angry and desperately wants to know everything, Karl is scared and wants to know everything Ran knows. So they eventually come to a agreement where Karl asks a question, Ran answers then he asks a question and Karl answers that. After a while of this they come to an agreement to wait til Ran is fully healed to start to find a way to get him back. And in the meantime Karl'll explain his timetravel stuff and how Ran got here, hoping to get the Commute to agree to help them find a way to get Ran home. 

A mix of annoyed, angry, relieved, and homesick (cause Tubbo reminds him of Jackie). Bit of both, he wants to know whats going on and where Ran came from, but is also just curious about the other hybrid. Tubbo heads to the Artic cause Ranboo hasn't been over at all in weeks, keeps saying he's to busy and how something interesting happened at the Artic. So Tubbo gets tired of it and decides to head over to find out whats keeping Ranboo from visiting. Ye medic Eret, I was originally thinking of medic Bad but I think I may try to include the Egg in this somewhere so he's not a option. They have a mutual relationship, no one there really has a reason to dislike him or to heavily like him, but they all get along whenever they meet. Eret learns by Phil contacting him for help, cause while Techno and Phil both know some health knowledge they don't know enough to properly treat Ran and make the call to call in Eret to help, both trusting them enough to keep this secret between all of them. Karl learns because of Eret actually, Eret comes to Karl for help to see if he has any enderman biology books and half handly mention how a enderman needs help, leading to Karl asking if its Ranboo or Edward, the no he gets in response alarms him enough to back Eret into a corner and force him to tell him who was there that needed help. All Eret said was a dark enderman with green eyes, which reminds Karl of Ran and gets him panicked enough to go see if its him. Tubbo knows cause he gets impatient of waiting for Ranboo to vist so he vists with no warning, leading to him meeting Ran while looking for Ranboo. Its kept hush hush cause their all unsure of how the rest of the SMP would react to having Ran there, especially when it's revealed he's from the future. 

He did. He's not having fun. Karl used too but not anymore since he's time travled so much he's gotten used to it.

Partially, he understands all common though is only able to speak a medium amount, mostly due to his mouth and vocal cords are just unable to make some words or sounds needed to speak it. When that happens they basically play charades. He is still Technos roommate and is happily helping Ranboo in anyway he can. 

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

They steal anything they can get their grubby hands on. It actually goes pretty well as well shockingly. They mostly steal anything that looks expensive, though they manage to find a bunch of raw material like gold, iron, and even diamonds and steal all of that. And they get far enough no one can find them at first. 

Thats exactly what happened, they make eye contact, hear a ruckus from nearby, make eye contact again, then fucking book it away from the sounds. 

The most trouble the group makes is when Grievous makes fun of Porkums hat and gets punched for it. 

Honestly with all the wars and battles that go on in the SMP he probably doesn't even bat a eye, its probably normal for him. 

First thing Jackie does is complain about everyone being taller than him. I imagine Pogtopia being abandoned for years hasn't left it in a very stable state. So Jackie just steps in the wrong place and gets sent tumbling down, with rocks falling after trapping him. 

All happened after they met Karl, but all happened at different times. So for example, the Wild West where thrown back 3 years after meeting Karl. While for the Haunted Mansion crew, they where thrown back months after meeting Karl. Even though they've all met him before their reactions are slightly different depending on how long ago they met Karl. Again for example Sherman and Jon Jon greeted Karl like a old friend and were happy to see him again. While all of the Haunted Mansion crew greeted Karl with questions as they more recently saw him so didn't feel the need to say hello. Cause Isaac and Karl are both in Kinoko Kingdom, where Karl holds all of his books about the time travel journeys, Karl is able to bring Isaac to the books and show him the City of Mizu Book, along with the others that explain who they people he was with where. Plus Isaac just doesnt really have a reason to not believe Karl as he has never lied to him or anything.

Im guessing you mean after the search party is formed, then its actually Ran found first since he's so close. Karl has to try to convince Ran to join them so they can count him as found and then take him to a holding type area. Ran refuses at first and Karl gives him a ultimatum that he either goes with them and gets to go home or stays here forever. He eventually agrees to come with if he gets to search with them, and reluctantly Karl agrees. Karl does what any of the Tales people joining them on their search, but much to his dismay more people insist on joining them. Ran also actually has information on the Bandits but refuses to give it until they find Jackie, cause he has a bad feeling that something happened to him. Ran actually has his left hand bandaged cause a massive piece of glass went through his hand. Jackie will eventually get his arm in a sling due to a broken bone. Ranbulter and James suffer hypothermia and have to be taken care of by Bad (the Egg doesn't exist in this au). Zack slips trying to get away from the Bandits and twists his ankle. Sherman breaks a finger trying to get out of the ravine. And Benjamin gets a slash on his leg after trying to run from Drowned and getting grazed by the trident. Both sides goals are getting back home. Though it's harder for the Tales cause not all of them get along. Karl gets worn down over time and slowly becomes more distressed and hopeless about getting them home. And all the stress builds up til he just snaps and sadly, quite a few people are in the line of fire when he snaps.

From Future To Past AU:

What led to him suspecting Ranboo to be his ancestor?

Do certain blocks have certain meanings, then? For Endermen?

Enderboo sounds very sad and put-out. How is he generally in this AU, seeing as Phil's aware of his existence at the least? How does Ran feel about his visits, and what are his thoughts on when it happens? Are Ender hybrids rare in general, if he's so surprised to see another one?

How'd Karl convince him? How do the two currently view each other, and what were their previous interactions beforehand, if Ran's reaction to him was so upset, and Karl was spooked? How do they get along after?

How does the rest of the Arctic react to Tubbo's presence, and how do our two Endermen feel about the possible tension-considering Ranboo's closeness to Tubbo, and Ran being reminded of Jackie. What are you thinking, egg-wise? Why does Eret go to Karl for books? Is his library well-known?

So Karl could possibly help Ran out with the effects? Or is at least aware of them? Or no?

Charades with them all sounds like so much fun, honestly. Can you imagine it?? And good! We need more Edward around!

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

Tip Of The Iceberg AU:

Good for them. Do they end up having to return the stuff later, or no?How does it go when Las Nevadas realizes who the thieves are?

Common sense isn't dead! Huzzah! Absolutely hilarious image though.

Good for Porkums, honestly.

That is also true! And really funny image, once again. Eret's just like- 'ah, my window, mysteriously broken. Again. Absolutely shocking. Whatever will I do.' Completely deadpan while they pull out supplies from a chest kept nearby for this exact thing.

Everyone else: Where are we? Are we in danger? What happened?

Jackie: How dare you all be taller than me.

That's not good though. How do they and the others react to that?

Have certain events of the Tales been altered then? Seeing as some of them would be dead otherwise? Or were they revived when they were thrown back in time?

How do all the Smp members react to these random people who popped up seeming to know Karl? 'never lied to him' implies Issac knows Karl a bit more beyond just meeting him now, so what's with that? Is he just naturally trusting of him, or do they know each other?

How does that first interaction go, not just between Karl and Ran, but with the others with them? What information does he have on the bandits, and how did he get it? Similar past as before, seeing as Jackie remains so important to him?

Poor Tales. None of them are having fun, huh? Where are they all housed after this, and what are relationships like as of now? Do the groups stick together from era, or with whoever they just get along with best? How do they interact with certain Smp members?

And what happens both during and in the aftermath of Karl snapping?

[paquettesdownfall]

Isn’t it hilarious how we talk about Jon being nowhere near Renee since the big pregnancy reveal, and now not only does she post latergrams (always in her stories so they disappear just in case he’s later proven to be elsewhere at the time), but apparently he’s heard in the interview that just came out today Renee did with some wrestling site.

She's just a monkey ... she spends all day on social media and also reacts to things that are discussed. It's so sad that after all these years and after she "won" she is still playing this game. It's not normal ... it is not normal that she fails to show her "husband" in a normal context ... no, he can be heard in a fucking interview to prove something. She has to prove something she wouldn't have to prove if everything were normal.

[yellowocaballero]

⭐

OKAY I just did MATDB so let’s do *throws dart* Feste!

“So?” Martin said, instead of what he was thinking. “My family’s dead. Everyone’s gone, or a monster. I don’t have anybody to be human for.”

Daisy’s mouth tightened, and she stood up. “You have me. And the others. We’re still here. We’re not gone.” She extended a hand, and Martin stared at it for what felt like an agonizingly long time before he let himself reach out and take her hand. It was warm, and small, and coarse, and real. She pulled Martin up, and for the first time let him go. “Go home, Blackwood. Get some sleep. I’ll clean all this up.”

“Are you going to tell Jon?” Martin asked, smaller than he intended. He felt like he had just had a bonding moment with Daisy fucking Tonner, who was basically the third to last person on Earth who he wanted to have a bonding moment with.

“I think that’s a conversation the two of you need to have.” Daisy stepped forward, and jabbed a finger in his chest. “If you ever do anything to endanger Jon and Basira again, I will rip out your throat with my teeth. That is a promise.”

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for them,” Martin said weakly. “I never wanted -”

“None of us wanted this. You said that you don’t care what happens to you. I don’t think that’s true. Humanity still...it still has a point , Martin.” She ground her teeth, as if her thoughts and feelings and emotions were just too big for whatever small words could approximate what she knew. “Choices. You have to make a choice. Nobody is forcing you. Nobody can manipulate you if you don’t let them. You can choose if your trauma and pain and coldness makes you a monster, or if it makes you stronger.” She exhaled slowly, and Martin noticed for the first time the hint of yellow in her icy blue eyes.  “We don’t get to decide what hurts us. But we can decide if we take that hurt and - and use it to hurt others, or if we make it into something good. Okay?”

Martin opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn’t know what to say.

Feste wasn’t really written to be published - I was just really caught up in wondering what Martin was up to all day while Jon was having his dramatics, and I ended up writing this out. I didn’t really know how the season would end, but now that I’ve listened to it I think it’s mostly thematically compliant! 

There is always a ‘thesis sentence’ to my work, where I just hit you on the head with a big mallet. I’m not subtle. This is the thesis sentence for Feste - importantly, it’s Daisy who delivers it, because she is both the only person who a) has gone through what Martin’s been through and understands and b) is not attached to the situation, and doesn’t have a ball in the game. 

I think it’s important that in TMA, there is always ultimately the choice to become the ‘monster’. Part of it is circumstance, part of it is being pushed to that brink, but there is ultimately that aspect of choice. It’s up for debate as to if it’s a false choice, but there is a moment where you can refuse. You can refuse to play the game (It’s part of why I don’t know how I feel about the mastermind villain, but that’s a different discussion). Elias’ speech to Jon in S2 stuck out to me - that he made a choice to go down this path, even if that choice was coerced. 

Martin has been justifying his decisions to himself by saying that he has no ‘choice’. He views things in black and white: as prey or predator, as boss or as assistant, as light or as shadow. He has been jerked around basically the entire story, and he’s tired of it. He has been victimized a thousand times, and he’s ready to bite back. Martin doesn’t...know how to bite back, but he wants to, and that’s enough! His understanding of the world has been warped to meet this worldview, that there’s powerful and the powerless, that there’s those who would hurt me and those who want to help me. This is emblemized through Jaisy: (Also Jaisy was hilarious) how when you’re depressed, you don’t really live in the real world - you live in your own world with its own rules, where everything is always bad and the world has no sunlight or hope. 

It is important that Martin goes through this. Daisy went through it. It is important that Martin hurts other people, that he hurt himself, and that he was a dick for a while. It’s normal and healthy to feel what Martin is feeling, when you’ve been through as much as he has. PTSD is ugly. But there is another side to it, and another step in the journey of recovery, and Daisy is showing that to him. At a certain point, you get tired of the hatred, and the bitterness, and how you’re pushing away everybody. You can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can decide whether or not you want to chase it down. You see a choice. But sometimes you need to be that ugly person before you can decide to be the good person. It’s a hard journey, but every step in it matters. 

(Daisy and Melanie have all of the emotional maturity this season, but it’s important to note that Daisy is also reacting in ENTIRELY the wrong way to her self-improvement journey, and she’s spreading those harmful ideas onto Jon, but that’s another post. Really the only sane one here is Melanie.)

It’s tempting to try to put the things that happened to us in a narrative: that it happened for a reason, that we deserve it, that we need it to be ourselves. But when bad shit happens, all it means is that bad shit happens. The only meaning is in what we assign to it, and how we react. Martin is reacting to his awful life in a way that I tend to have him react, and is trying to organize it within a fictional, things-happen-for-a-reason framework, but that’s not healthy. 

It’s his story. He gets to write it. It’s not Shakespeare, or Prufrock, or The Story of Jon’s Life. It’s his life. And there’s no point in sacrificing everything for power if you don’t get to do what makes you happy with it. 

[damijon-supersons]

The Bookworm - an original fic

Okay, here’s the original fic...

Summary: A boy bought a book.

Author’s notes: Hey, thanks for bearing with me. I just really feel the need to take a break from writing nothing but damijon, cuz I love damijon but I’m kinda constrained with what I can write if it’s always just about the boys. So here’s a short, not really a fic, drabble that I thought of thanks to inspiration from my dear friend @batboyblog . He gave me Simon Vs the Homo sapiens Agenda and I’m losing my shit over how much I could relate with it. (and the pic is a stock image of a book lol)

Running in the rain is never fun. I don’t know how movies make it look like staying in the rain was the most enlightening thing that could happen to your life. It just gets you wet and cold. Your clothes get damp and cling to your skin, reminding you that hypothermia is a thing. And the worst part is that your feet get wet from inside your shoes and your socks transform into the world’s most absorbent sponge. There’s no greater torture than having to run with wet, squishy, and freezing socks.

The only thing that could possibly make this worse is if I was carrying a precious, extremely important package in my hands that was highly susceptible to getting utterly destroyed in the rain. That’s not really an ‘if’—it’s more of an ‘I am’. And because I was infinitely stupid to think that it couldn’t possibly rain, I didn’t bother to bring an umbrella when I went out to buy my precious cargo, which again, disintegrates in water. Most things from the local bookstore were like that, unfortunately.

Just before I went inside the house, I hastily shoved the ragged, soggy mess of a paper bag which contained my loot inside my hoodie jacket. My mother definitely must not see it, because she’d ask so many questions. She’d ask what I bought, where I bought it from, and for her to inspect it. That would be the doomsday scenario. She must not know. Ever. I made sure to zip up my jacket just in case—it would make sense cuz I was in the rain.

She opens the door and immediately scolds me for going out in nothing but a hoodie. She gets a towel and wipes the soggy mess that was my hair and process to interrogate me, just as I expected. I told her I went out for soda and chips, which was a very normal thing thirteen-year-old boys like me would do if their moms were like mine and banned anything she viewed was unhealthy in the house.

It’s fine that she got angry and screamed at me about how I was squandering my health away. It was the easiest most believable lie I could think of in a rush. I wasn’t very good at lying to my mom about specific things, and she knew it. When I was younger, she made sure to make me remember the feeling of the consequence of lying. The mangy leather belt that hung in her closet knew that feeling too, but from the perspective, being the thing that made me feel the consequence. This was pretty funny considering I was good at lying about myself in general, and I’d been lying to her, to my friends, to my classmates, and everyone, about myself for some time now.

But anyway, she buys it, and she didn’t notice how I clutched my chest for dear life because the contraband was there inside my jacket. She just thought I was cold. She shouted at me to take a hot shower just as I slammed my bedroom door locked behind me.

I shed my wet, soggy clothes until I’m only in my slightly damp underwear. I peel off the tattered paper bag from the plastic-covered treasure inside. Had I been a normal, straight boy like my mom had always assumed, this thing I held would have been a porn mag. A normal straight boy would have felt the need to hide it as much as I would have. A normal straight boy would have feared his parents catching him with porn just like I was with my package, because parents, and everyone else other than yourself, would be so self-righteous and think that sex stuff is too early and inappropriate for boys my age.

That was bullshit, of course. Just because people think it’s problematic doesn’t stop thirteen-year-old boys from thinking constantly about sex and beating their meat. It doesn’t stop our class jock Billy Madison from snogging and groping the class nerd Julia Evans behind the soccer field equipment shed every after school, and neither did it stop the now-suspended Kenji Izumi from taking pictures of his erect penis and sending it to his would-be girlfriend Liliana McAllister for valentines, who’d loved it. It wouldn’t have been a problem if Lili’s jealous best friend hadn’t caught wind of it and told teachers and Lili’s parents. Funny how straight people could have so much drama like that over such a little thing.

The big thing to take away from those examples is how people reacted. Everyone and their mother knew Billy and Julia took up competitive face-eating and no one bats an eye.  In Kenji’s case, it took making porn of himself for the adults to even notice, and the boys in class actually hailed him as a hero for it. But if it was a boy who held another boy’s hand longer than necessary, just like the way I did with my former seatmate Jon—he’d needed help in maths and I volunteered and wanted to tell him it’s okay suck at things and ask help for them—everyone loses their shit and makes a huge fuss. Thankfully the jeers and homophobic teasing only lasted a day. Jon changed seats, though, and hasn’t talked to me in the six months since.

Maybe he knew. Maybe touching another boy’s hand was enough for him to know that I was gay. And maybe it was enough to see people’s reactions to the thought of something gay for me treat the little package I’d bought with such urgent secrecy.

What I had in my hands wasn’t porn even though the lengths at which I had to hide it would be worthy of porn. No, what I held was a book, a best seller in fact according to the bookstore charts, and thanks most likely to the recent movie that they made based on it. It was just an innocent novel about a boy just like me, who had to deal with being gay in secret. And he had this anonymous email friend that was gay just like him, and through each other, they found…proof, I guess, that being gay was okay. Straight boys worry about their parents finding porn and here I am fearing for my life over a novel that tells me being me was valid. Funny, right? I had to equate the consequences of underage sex with my right to exist.

Maybe. Maybe it’s funny that I’m hiding a book under my mattress. Maybe it’s hilarious that I have to wait until my whole family was passed out before I read a book under my sheets in the light of my iPhone, a book that didn’t even have sex or anything like that, and just had the story of a boy like me who was just trying to find out what a life being a gay boy is all about.

It’s all worth laughing at, I guess. That’s fine. Laughing means everything is okay and normal and good. All the while, every day at school, I’ll be carrying around that book with me in the deepest part of my backpack. I’d be keeping a little piece of the truth with me wherever I go, a little piece of the real me under everyone’s noses. It made lying and laughing a lot easier.

[fathersonholygore]

FX’s Legion Chapter 15 Directed by Charlie McDowell Written by Noah Hawley & Nathaniel Halpern

* For a recap & review of Chapter 14, click here. * For a recap & review of Chapter 16, click here. Love the little unreliable narrator moments re: David (Dan Stevens), as this episode begins with an “ostensibly on Legion.” Quite the nice little addition before we even get into the meat and potatoes of Chapter 15. The other Narrator (Jon Hamm) tells us about “moral panic” and discusses how society gets to that place. We briefly look at it through the lens of comic books, the worry that fiction infects those who are easily influenced – i.e. youth. We also briefly see a glimpse of how things went for women accused of being witches hundreds of years ago. Same as the nationalist concern over immigration, et cetera. But the fear itself isn’t the issue, it’s those being frightened, and in turn how they react to that fright. In the meantime, Amahl Farouk (Navid Negahban) is working on his futuristic car, spitting up coins. Y’know, the usual type of astral plane shit. He soon hears David yelling at him over an intercom. Then, he and David are sitting across from one another for a little chat. The younger mutant is very unhappy about what’s happened to his sister, Amy (Katie Aselton). The Shadow King tries to turn David against his sister, and he also brings up the fact the brother’s had some seriously bad thoughts about his sister in the past. Of course that’s likely due to his schizophrenia issues. However, Farouk’s trying to provoke Mr. Haller into devastating action. Hopefully our man doesn’t spiral into a bad place.

“Gods make rules. They don’t follow them.”

David’s already underestimated his nemesis, who’s locked him in a room with memories of Amy. He’s stuck there, as the Shadow King is running off to find his body before anyone else. The whole situation gets pretty creepy. That is, until David begins to unleash a bit of his anger. Out of the sensory deprivation tank and back to Division 3, David’s at least got Syd (Rachel Keller) looking out for him. Although I feel bad for her. Because it’s not easy to deal with someone like David, despite her best intentions. All the same, they do talk a bit, about him meeting her in the future. Quite the strange conversation. Dig it. They eventually get into “ground rules” for their relationship re: the future Syd. A hilarious and sweet scene. Some serious shit is going down in the future. Farouk’s whole suicide future car is about getting TO the future. Perfect, no? He finds future Syd, and they get to a serious talk. They discuss David, and games of chance. He basically taunts her, flaunting his immense power. He also talks a good, circular game, in hopes of finding out something useful. Future Syd she needs Farouk to prevent the end of the world. Pretty sure David’s going to inadvertently cause whatever future devastation occurs. The Shadow King finds it ironic and hilarious he’s been the one scapegoated so long, while he’s actually supposed to be a hero rather than a villain. What about Lenny (Aubrey Plaza)? She’s got some of Amy’s final moments trapped in her head. She’s trapped in a cell at Division 3, antagonising Syd through the bars. And there she’ll stay for however long, going crazier and crazier.

Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris) is experiencing troubles. He gets a visit from the Vermillion (Jelly Howie/Brittney Parker Rose/Lexa Gluck). He sees a vision of Admiral Fukyama (Marc Oka), whose face reveals an even eerier vision within it. This makes the poor guy, still lying in his bed, scream out in the night. Afterwards, he’s like a man sleepwalking, body moving independently of his own mind. He makes a visit to the rooms of the others around Division 3, whispering things into their ears as they sleep. Uh oh, this doesn’t spell anything good. Combined with him leaving eggs on their bedside tables, whispering into them, too. More of the little creatures to crawl in their ears? Fukyama’s got eyes EVERYWHERE! David goes into the future, speaking with Syd there again. He hears about the “maybe apocalypse” plan with Farouk, and he doesn’t dig it, either. He hates the Shadow King, worse now after what he’s done to Amy. And it’s hard to reconcile with Syd suddenly trusting him to help them. There are troubles at Division 3. Clark (Hamish Linklater), Ptonomy, Kerry (Amber Midthunder), and Syd are all not doing well. They’re each experiencing mental distress thanks to Fukyama and his Vermillion. Speaking of, the Vermillion come across Kerry and Ptonomy, though they’re able to regenerate, and that’s tough. Good thing Kerry and Ptonomy are tougher. Elsewhere, David finds hundreds of eggshells all over the floor. Holy shit. Clark and Syd find Fukyama, ordering him to remove his basket. They see some creepy creature underneath. David arrives quick, preventing them from shooting Fukyama, who’s actually NOT a weird creature. So, David pulls one of those weird egg creatures out of both Syd and Clark’s heads. Not so easy with Ptonomy, it seems. He bends over, vomiting a pool of black tar, and then a massive creature grows out of him and stands tall. The thing runs off into the halls with David on its tail. He and Kerry confront it, but the thing can walk on walls and the ceiling, so it gets away easily. Meanwhile, Ptonomy’s dying, so the Vermillion will preserve his mind in “the mainframe” – a peaceful, forest-like space, where his consciousness will remain intact. Through Division 3, David tracks the beast. He jumps into its mind, a scene reminiscent of an old Ray Harryhausen dinosaur flick. Eventually, David’s able to will himself to a normal size, and the beast down to that of an ant. He sticks it in a jar and kills it. Done and done. Just as ideas can morph into monstrosities, we see what began as a little egg transformed into a horrifying beast. Love the way Legion deals with metaphors, packed into such a surreal and at times absurd package. Amazing writing. Sad to see Ptonomy go. He’s up there in the mainframe, so there’s always hope. That is, if his consciousness can survive. He’s got nothing left except his mind, his memories, and anything traumatic lurking in his past. This series can’t get any better. If it does, I may die. And I’d be fine with that, so long as it keeps blowing my mind until then. Chapter 16 should be pretty damn interesting. Legion – Chapter 15 FX's Legion Chapter 15 Directed by Charlie McDowell Written by Noah Hawley & Nathaniel Halpern…

[possibly-not-a-ghost]

MAG 93 Contaminate

Slightly disorganized thoughts of MAG 93 where I get way too invested in smaller moments.

CAT

All hail the cat. Honestly, that’s what Jon needs. Also, Jon is so awkward he’s awkward with a cat even while alone. I adore him. Jon, pls pet the cat you are going to need it for what lies ahead. God when he hesitates just a little to tell Admiral he loves him too. That’s cute.

The Statement

The Filth has to be one of my least favorite to listen too because I have a weird spot in the closet and I don’t need this Jonny. I mean, I love all the episodes but the talk of filth just makes me go no. I felt a bit sad listening to this one though (and for Jon a bit too) because how of Jon sounded channeling this person’s grief and worry.

The way the Filth is described though, is interesting. How it gets into your mind, and how the statement giver reacted to it. It reminds me of Prentiss and how she spoke about the wasp’s nest. It sounds like a normal statement, but compared to ‘there’s mold in my drain’ it has the same vibe.

Jonny’s VA Work

Props to Jonny for the voice acting in this one. How Jon sounded both before and after the statement. The waver in his words when he realized he had to say Head Archivist, that he was the Archivist even without the job title. The awkwardness with Admiral and the whole converstion with Georgie felt wonderfully fluid. I always liked his voice acting but this one was just a real delight, but I may be bias because cat. Nice call back to the Q & A where someone asked Jonny if he was putting on an fake accent.

The Assistants

We learned a lot from what Georgie and Jon discussed together. The oddness of the people hired for the Institute. Less actual credentials needed and more things that may be because of who they are as people. It’s highly likely that there’s certain traits that can appeal to different people. Jude and her brightness, Jon and his curiousity and Prentiss and her desire to be more. We don’t know too much of their motives, but I do have hope we’ll learn more about the history of our little team.

Jon and Compelling

Jon might as well have been mail ordered by the Eye. We get to hear more of how Jon was before the Archives. How he liked being a researcher, and how he was when he was in contact with Georgie before. Always asking a bit too much questions, prying a little bit too far. Love it. A nice picture has been revealed with Jon’s first brush with Mr. Spider, being raised by a grandmother who wasn’t quite there for him emotionally to where he is now as the Archivist.

I am super interested in how Compelling actually works. He had gotten the tapes from Daisy/Basira and judging by how Daisy spoke about it last week, she was it least aware. I imagine, if Jon was aware and tried hard enough he could’ve tried to compel Georgie to give him the tapes he needed. Which brings me to my next point.

Jon and Georgie

Jon wanted to tell Georgie what was going on. 

Again with the voice acting, it came out in a rush. Everything. All of it. The Lightless Flame, Elias, his questions about his own humanity. Even if she didn’t believe him (Which he was afraid of) he wanted to tell someone he trusted. It’s not like he will talk to anyone from the Institute, as there’s too many emotions involved or he just can’t. He spoke to Melanie sure, but with Georgie he was able to voice his concerns about himself and his own status as a human being.

Nice faint static when Jon used his compelling on Georgie.

Also, I like how it answered what just happened. He didn’t go back to her’s after he met with and was burnt by Jude. I love you Jon but stop being a dumb.

Georgie

I love Georgie. I love hearing her, and getting to know her but I am also a bit with Jon because ohmygod stay away before you’re drawn in. Sad part is she was probably drawn in the moment Jon got her involved. And her surname, Barker is a name of a horror author. She was an absolute highlight. She listened, and I think she’s what Jon needs at this time. He needed to talk to someone. The way the words, how everything spilled out.

Let’s just cheer for Georgie because she didn’t know what’s up but she covered for him when the police came knocking. That could have very well been Daisy knocking and we all remember what she did to Mike before she knew that he wasn’t ‘human’

I really am looking forward to hearing whatever comes up with Georgie next time because I don’t think she’s going to let Jon be as alone now that she’s in the know. Plus, The End being a part of her past.

There’s a lot of things that could’ve happened and I am excited to hear this. Waiting to hear about Georgie was worth it.

The talk served as a wonderful summary of the past seasons in a way I find oddly hilarious. It doesn’t sound as scary when put like that but sufficient as well.

In Closing

“Jonathan Sims, are you trying to save the world?” 

“Yeah. I guess I am.”

I love this character. To a question like that just a yeah. 

[jinareads]

LET’S TALK: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

I've finally finished Lord of Shadows, the second book in The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and hilarious, and I don't think I've felt that empty (in the best way possible) since I finished Clockwork Princess.

Trust me, you DO NOT want to read this if you haven't read all of the Shadowhunter books by Cassandra Clare.

Summary:

Lord of Shadows continues after Malcolm Fade's death, which has given rise to a bunch of Teuthida demons in Los Angeles. Jace and Clary visit the Los Angeles Institute, and since they can't stay because of a top-secret Clave mission to Faerie, a group of Centurions (graduates of Scholomance, an elite Shadowhunter school) arrive to lead the search for Malcolm's body and stop the sea demons. We're then introduced to Perfect Diego's friends, who are definitely less than friendly--and Diego doesn't look so perfect now, either. His recently rekindled romance with Cristina comes to a screeching halt when we find out that he's engaged--and with the heavily prejudiced Zara Dearborn, who wants to take the Los Angeles Institute for herself and for the Cohort (an anti-Downworlder hate faction of the Clave). And in the middle of all this, Emma, Julian, Cristina, and Mark go on a very illegal rescue mission to the Unseelie Court to save Kieran, who has been sentenced to death for the death of Iarlath (this is the Faerie who whipped Emma, nearly to death). And so they save Kieran, and are unexpectedly rescued themselves by a member of the Seelie Court and Mark's aunt, Nene. Here, the Seelie Queen shows Julian what's going on in Los Angeles: Arthur Blackthorn, in his last lucid moments, has decided to sacrifice himself to Malcolm, and a successfully revived Annabel awakes to kill Malcolm and take the Black Volume of the Dead. The Seelie Queen then offers the team her soldiers to help defeat the Unseelie King alongside the Clave--but more importantly to Julian, she says that she knows a way to break the parabatai bond--in exchange for the Black Volume. And so Julian and Emma go to Malcolm's cottage, while Ty, Livvy, and Kit venture off to Blackthorn Manor in hopes of discovering more about Annabel. An ancient and deadly group called the Riders, as ordered by the Unseelie King, are now tracking the Blackthorns to bring back the Black Volume to the king, and at the end of a battle that nearly kills all of our main characters, Annabel appears. Julian persuades Annabel to testify in front of the Clave and turn over the Black Volume in exchange for Blackthorn Manor and reinstatement of her honor, and everyone travels to Alicante via a portal that Magnus Bane opens up (with great difficulty, since his powers have been used thus far to help heal and protect the Blackthorns). So the Blackthorns, Emma, Kieran (who will also testify against the Unseelie King), Annabel, Alec, and Magnus are all in Alicante, awaiting the trial that will determine the fate of the Los Angeles Institute. Following Magnus's suggestion, Emma and Julian go to Robert Lightwood (the Inquisitor), asking that he send Emma into exile to deaden the parabatai bond. Robert agrees, and shortly after, the trial is underway. This is where everything falls apart: Annabel is unexpectedly questioned under the Mortal Sword, Magnus collapses due to his hidden sickness, Annabel kills Robert with the Mortal Sword, Annabel kills Livvy, and Emma shatters the Mortal Sword with Cortana. The book ends, with Julian clutching yet another member of his family lost to him.

Okay, so it's really hard to summarize what happens in Lord of Shadows because it is a MASSIVE book--both in terms of page number and plot content. So much happens in this book, and I want to discuss some of the finer details a little bit further.

favorites:

Emma's humor.

“‘You’re my mother’s sister?’ [Mark] said incredulously. ‘I think they usually call that your aunt,’ said Emma. Mark gave her a dark look.”

“‘I am Sabnock of Thule. How dare you stand before me, ugly human?’ ‘How personal,’ [Emma] said. ‘I’m hurt.’“

“‘In all our lives there has only been one thing we have sought and not found.’ ‘A sense of humor?’ Emma suggested.”

Kit's mundane knowledge. Things like cancer and autism aren't talked about in the Shadowhunter community, and it’s so interesting to see Kit react to their dangerously traditional way of rejecting mundane medicine and treatment.

Diana's history. Cassie did such a beautiful job in allowing the reader into Diana's past, and we finally learn her secret: Diana is a transgender woman. Since mundane medicine is forbidden by the Clave, she was living in mundane society until the war, and is now living as her dead sister, Aria. I love that we got to understand why Diana refused to become the Head of the Institute, despite her absolute love for the Blackthorns and Emma. 

Gwyn ap Nudd. I was 100% intimidated by Gwyn until he started making his moves on Diana, and their interactions turned into some of my favorite moments. Especially when he casually quotes Shakespeare.

Some idiot put “Will H.” on all the rare first editions in the library.

Cristina. I can’t believe I almost forgot about Cristina!! I was really into the whole Mark-Cristina-Kieran thing going on in the book and how Cristina and Kieran were very patient with Mark figuring out what he wanted. Also, I loved how irrelevant Diego was to Cristina after she found out about Zara (ok I know he had good intentions with the whole thing but whatever)

what the fuck:

Clary’s (impending) death. CASSIE CAN’T DO THIS TO US I THOUGHT WE WERE SAFE AFTER CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE

Sidenote: Ok, Jace technically died during TMI--we can totally bring her back nbd

Cortana. Cortana cuts through a lot of stuff that normal weapons shouldn’t be able to cut through--exhibit: the death of one of the seven riders (which was actually thought to be impossible). Also, I didn’t even consider that one of the Mortal Instruments could be destroyed. Does this mean Cortana can now compel people to tell the truth???

Theory: Can Cortana somehow cut the parabatai bond, since it can apparently cut through everything?

Annabel’s murderous rampage at the end. I 100% did not expect her to kill everyone at the end???

Tessa and Magnus. WHAT IS WRONG WITH TESSA AND MAGNUS??? The whole time Magnus was working his magic, I was getting worried because while he’s one of the most powerful warlocks we know, HE HAS LIMITS. And they kept. pushing. him.

tears:

Livvy’s death. I HATED that this happened to the Blackthorns, especially since they’ve already lost so much and they only had each other left. At the same time, I kind of saw it coming, especially with Kit entering the picture. I’m really glad that Kit and Ty have formed a relationship so that Ty will have someone to support him through this in the next book.

Robert’s death. I finished the story with Robert and Michael in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy after I finished LoS, and it was SO MUCH MORE DEVASTATING that he died. Not only did Emma and Julian lose the one person who could’ve helped them through the whole being in love with your parabatai thing, but just THINK OF ROBERT AS HE HEARD THEIR STORY. Robert can’t go back in time and make it up to Michael, but he could’ve helped another pair of parabatai

Jon’s death. I really didn’t mind this until the last couple stories from TFTSA, but it def hit me when I thought of him and Marisol, and how little time they had together.

Arthur’s death. I ALMOST FORGOT THIS HAPPENED. Arthur has such a twisted history, with his imprisonment in Faerie while his brother fell in love (please read TFTSA). I honestly felt so sad that Julian had to take on the responsibility of being a father and Institute head at such a young age, but I’m so glad that Arthur had a final moment of awareness--I hate that he sacrificed himself, but it was beautiful that during his moment of clarity, his mind focused on saving the people he loved the most.

things that I don’t know how to feel about yet:

Jaime. I’m still really not into him or Diego yet, despite all their talk of good intentions. His interactions with Dru made me think of the Nate-Jessamine relationship for some reason??

Sebastian + Seelie Queen child. I’ve seen this theory around the internet so many times, and I am worried. I am worried because of Dru’s little trip to Faerie involved a BOY WITH WHITE-BLOND HAIR AND GREEN EYES--aka Ash. And he asks about his mother; could it be that the Seelie Queen is hiding him away from everyone else, trying to keep him a secret? Or maybe he’s been kidnapped by the Unseelie King?

And it’s mentioned that he’s around 13, but let’s not forget that a day in the human world was 7 years for Andrew and Arthur when they were trapped in Faerie.

[eringoestoeirinn-blog]

Day 3: Galway

This morning we departed from our hotel, the Temple Bar Inn, and went to Dublin Heuston Strain station to begin our trip to Galway. Galway is on the west coast of Ireland and is about a 3 hour train ride from Dublin. Tickets to get there via Irish rail were 23 euro round trip for students. Almost every place has a student discount here. Imagine traveling to and from NYC from Wilmington for only $23 round trip! The trains for Irish Rail are also considerably nicer than amtrak. The comfort and price exceeds expectations and it reminds me of how little investment the US government puts into public transportation. This has been of much discussion amongst the Americans we’ve met so far during our travels. If the US government wanted to boost utilization of public transportation, they would have to put a great deal of money into it in order to bring the prices down and make it affordable. For some reason, proper utilization of public transportation hasn’t taken off in the US outside of the major cities. It would certainly be more economical for citizens and better for the environment. 

Something I haven’t yet shared yet is how nice and friendly everyone is here. So far every Irish person we’ve met has been incredibly accommodating, kind, and eager to help us find our way. The security guard at our hotel was hilarious last night. He was debating with us what constitutes a midnight snack (Jon and I wanted different things). He then told us the perfect spot which would accommodate us both. He said, Ireland has plenty of snacks, you just don’t know where to go. He was quite shocked when I came back with 2 cadbury creme eggs. I guess those are only for Easter Sunday. 

We got on a train at 11:25am and a couple sat down across from us. A lady came by and handed all 3 of us a 50 question survey that we were asked to fill out about our travel accommodations and our opinions about Irish Rail. I had nothing to say in the section on suggestions/recommendations. Everything seemed so wonderful to me. 

Another theme of our trip is I like to make friends everywhere I go. This is something that Jon has always heard from me but has never really experienced it. I often tell him about the people I meet day to day but so far on this trip we’ve made lots of friends and connections just by talking to fellow travelers. The couple across from us was a Spanish speaking couple so I asked them where they are from. We ended up talking with them for the full 3 hour ride. They are wonderful. 

Christian and Mariel are from outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ireland is one stop on their travels throughout Europe. They are incredibly kind and fun to talk to. They told us about their country, the positives and the negatives. We discussed the challenges currently facing the United States including racism, gun violence, anti-immigration laws, Donald Trump, and the like. It is always interesting to hear an outsiders’ perspective on US current events. A lot of times, their perceptions are very different from my own. People are always surprised to hear that a lot of Americans are inclusive, and warm people who don’t hate on those different from us. I told them about how welcoming the people where I grew up are to hispanic immigrants. I told them about how I grew up in the Mushroom Capital of the world and the important role that Mexican immigration plays in upholding this industry. I even showed them the giant glowing mushroom that drops in Kennett Square on New Years Eve. They were amazed. Christian and Mariel were educated in University in Argentina. Interestingly, the universities in Argentina (at least the good ones) are all Public similar to how they are in Ireland. This allows people from all financial backgrounds to receive a good education and have a chance at getting a good job later on. University normally takes 5-7 years to complete (most students take the full 7). Mariel and Christian also told us about the difficulties of living in a country which has been plagued by corruption and crime. They say that Argentina is really very safe and beautiful in the more rural areas but the cities are very unsafe at night. They say if you travel to a city in Argentina, you have to be very careful. They were robbed a gunpoint once during their time living in the city. It traumatized them both and Mariel still says she doesn’t feel safe in her own country after that experience. She said that in the moment, she was like a robot, just reacting, not getting emotional. It wasn’t until later that she realized the gravity of the event. After that experience, they moved back out to a suburb of the city where they feel safer. It is amazing how many people we’ve connected with just because of the common interest of traveling. When we reached Galway, we parted with Christian and Mariel but not before exchanging contact information. We intend to grab a drink with them sometime while we’re here. 

Our Air BnB is just a short 10 minute walk from the train station in Galway. It’s right in the center of things just above a tea shop called Cupan Tea. It’s cozy and the owner is very kind. He gave us all of the necessary information for an easy self check in. He even left us supplies to make a continental style breakfast in the morning. After getting settled in, Jon and I went exploring around Galway. Galway reminds me more of a beach town than Dublin is even though both are considered port cities. Galway is extremely charming and beautiful. Pubs and artisan jewelry/pottery shops line the main street. 

Jon and I visited one of the Spanish arches which is one of two remaining arches on the Ceann an Bhalla ("Front Wall"). It was constructed during the mayoralty of Wylliam Martin in 1584. We walked out around South Bay and crossed the causeway to Mutton Island. It was about a 5 mile walk and extremely beautiful. The grass is the greenest I’ve seen in the world and the air tasted like the salty sea, saltier than any beach I’ve ever been to. 

For dinner, we went to a restaurant and I was lucky enough to try the famous Galway Bay oysters which are caught by the famous Kelly company. They are out of season in a few weeks so we caught them just in time. They were very salty, but interesting to try. I also had a delicious fish stew. If you haven’t guessed, seafood is the thing to eat around here. 

After dinner, we went to this pub called Tigh Neachtains. A Scandinavian band was playing and some Irish players joined in as well to complete the group. It was a similar style as last night’s entertainment. The accordion player was especially impressive. 

Tomorrow we get up early to do a Cliffs of Moher day tour. 

PS: I was carded at the pub tonight. Evidently I don’t look over 18.