#like it’s good. it’s nice. it’s fine. but it’s not like. groundbreaking or anything. I wanted to draw full demon luci and here I am

[applecherry108]

I’m knee deep in a Lucifer fanart I started right after the finale, and I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking I should invest in a background.

Do I…prolong this endeavor? For god knows how long? And draw a mountain of rubber duckies…? 🤔😂

[ereardon]

Snowed In || Friday [Jake Seresin x OC]

A Jake Seresin AU miniseries

Summary: When a massive storm shutters every airport in New York, you receive an unexpected call. Jake Seresin, the ex-boyfriend of your college roommate, is stranded at JFK with nowhere to go. Somehow you find yourself hosting Jake for a long weekend in your studio apartment. What happens when you realize that maybe your long-standing hatred for him was covering up something else? 

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x OC [Ella Finnley]

Trope: Forced proximity; enemies to lovers

Warnings: Cursing, references to cheating, eventual smut

Wordcount: 3.2K 

Masterlist here

“And this just in. More than a foot of snow is expected in areas across the Tri-State, with Scarsdale already at seven inches and counting. LaGuardia has shut down their runway, with Newark and John F Kennedy airport soon to follow.” 

You groaned, flicking off the TV and opening the cabinets. They were predicting the worst storm in two decades and somehow all you had in the cupboard was a lifetime supply of ramen noodles and red wine. 

Outside, the snow was falling in soft clumps. You looked out the window which overlooked Fifth Avenue. Very few cars or taxis were on the road, and the people who were outside looked miserable. 

And then the phone rang. You dove for it, expected it to be your mom with yet another tidbit of news that she thought was groundbreaking, as if you didn’t already know that Diet Coke was bad for you, but the male voice on the other end startled you. 

“Ella?” 

You squinted, pulling the phone back and registering the caller ID. Jake Seresin. You groaned. “What could you possibly want, Jake?” 

“Nice to hear from you, too,” he replied and you rolled your eyes. It had been a decade since you last heard from Jake Seresin. He was just as obnoxious as you remembered. 

“Listen, Seresin, if you called just to give me shit, I didn’t need a reminder that you’re a dick. Memory serves well enough. Goodbye.” 

“El, wait!” 

You frowned. “What?” 

His voice softened. “I’m sorry to do this,” he said and you felt your stomach tightening. “But you’re the only person I know in the city.” Jake paused. “I’m stuck at JFK.” 

“Don’t eat the egg sandwich,” you said, recalling a moldy sandwich you had gotten once at the airport on the way to Berlin. “Have a good flight, Jake.” 

“Ella, I’m stranded,” he said and you groaned. “Can I stay with you? Just until the airports open back up.” 

You looked outside. In the two minutes since Jake had called, snow had started to fall faster, coating the streets and sidewalks and innocent pedestrians. 

“I’m sorry,” he said and for perhaps the first time that you had known him in almost fifteen years, Jake Seresin sounded genuine. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t my only option.” 

Jake Seresin. The last time you had seen him, he was standing in the doorway of your college apartment with a bouquet of flowers that Suzannah had grabbed and trampled on in fury. 

“Ella? Are you still there?” 

“Fine,” you said, surprising even yourself. “Fifth and 12th Street. Apartment 4B.” 

“I owe you, El.” 

“Two days, Seresin,” you replied. “Anything more and you get a hotel.” 

“I’ll see you soon.”

***

You had hated Jake Seresin for as long as you could remember. Or at least, since the first time you saw his smug face in a poli sci lecture. He was sitting in the back, drinking a cup of coffee and doodling on a notebook. At the end of class, he had come right up to you and asked if he could copy your notes. When you said no, asking why he hadn’t taken his own notes, he had called you sweetheart and shot his best grin. 

You turned on your heel and walked away. 

Two years later, your roommate Suzannah has been stupid enough to fall for his charm, and you were treated to the unfortunate experience of having to listen to the two of them having sex behind the thin walls of your apartment. More than once you had stumbled into a shirtless Jake in the bathroom, smelling like sex and acidic cologne. Once he had walked in on you naked and instead of hurrying out like a normal person, he had leered. 

You had doubled down on your hatred for him from that moment on. 

When the doorbell buzzed you sighed, peering at the small ring camera before pressing the buzzer. “Come up.” 

The minute between buzzing him in and Jake knocking on the door felt like a century. It always did. There was something so awkward about shuffling around, waiting for the door but not wanting to be too eager to open it when the knock finally came. 

Taking a deep breath, you swung the door open. 

Jake Seresin in the flesh. The same goofy, brilliant grin from a decade before. Sandy blond hair dotted with melting snowflakes, cheeks ruddy and pink from the cold. He wore a light jacket, far too light for the extreme weather, and held a duffle bag in one hand, cowboy boots soggy and wet, dripping on your doormat. 

“Jake.” 

He smiled, leaning in for a hug and you pulled back at the last second so he stumbled over the threshold. Jake righted himself. “Ella. Still hate me, I see.” 

You turned, shaking your head. The sound of the door closing was followed by the plop of Jake’s bag on the ground. “Shoes off,” you called out, and there was a clattering as he kicked off his boots. 

Jake appeared a moment later, his jacket removed, revealing a tight henley shirt and a pair of jeans. He took a look around the studio. It was surprisingly large, for New York standards. Not Sex and the City unrealistic, but nice, with an alcove to the right that held your queen sized bed, a large couch against one wall and a dining area in the center. 

The galley kitchen off the main hallway was large and the bathroom was relatively spacious for a studio. It had just been you for so long that you didn’t think twice about the size. But something about Jake in your space made you realize maybe it wasn’t as spacious as it looked to your smaller frame. He hulked in the hallway. 

“Nice place,” he said. “Been here long?” 

“Four years.” 

He tipped his head. “Always knew you were going to end up in New York, didn’t you?” 

You sighed, plopping down on one end of the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “What are you doing here, Seresin?” 

“I told you, I was stranded at the airport,” Jake replied, stepping forward and taking a seat on the chair opposite of the couch. You grimaced. His outdoor pants were touching your indoor furniture. That was the downside of having guests. If Jake could even be considered a guest. Don’t guests have to be invited? Or wanted. 

“On your way to where? Somewhere without extradition laws?” 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Ten years, Finn. Ten years and you haven’t changed.” 

“Have you?”

The words clung to the air. The elephant in the room. It didn’t matter that it had been nearly a decade since the last time you had seen Jake Seresin. 

His betrayal still stung, even if it had never been directed at you. 

“Ella,” he whispered. Outside, the sky was darkening. Without the constant bumper-to-bumper traffic that was a given on Fifth Ave, the street was uncomfortably dark. There was a dampness that chilled your bones, even from the comfort of being inside. “Please. Can we just put aside the past for the next few days?” He looked older. Small lines at the corners of his eyes. Jake Seresin had a loud, boisterous laugh, you remembered that about him. The way he could liven up a party. The way he could make you feel like you were the only person in the room. 

This time you were. 

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Finn?” he said, bringing back your nickname from college. “Truce?” 

You leaned back against the soft white couch cushion. “Fine.” 

Jake grinned. It was magnetic and you hated him for it. “Well, let’s celebrate then. Got anything to drink?” 

“Been here one minute and you need a drink already?” you asked, standing up. Jake’s eyes roamed over your leggings and sweater as you made your way into the kitchen, emerging a moment later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Someone never got over their frat days I see.” 

Jake reached out, taking the bottle from your hands and turning it on its side. “You must be doing OK,” he said. “This is a one hundred dollar bottle of wine.” You handed him the wine opener and he undid the top easily, sliding out the cork and laying it on a stack of magazines on the marble coffee table. 

“Anything is better than that Franzia shit you used to love.” 

Jake ignored your comment, instead turning the bottle and reading the label. “I did a wine tour in Lebanon a few years ago. This was one of my favorite vineyards.”

You frowned, holding out a glass and he tipped the neck of the bottle against the thin rim, dribbling it into your glass. “So did I. That’s where I got that bottle.” You pointed to the 2015 Chateau Musar in his hand. 

“What were you doing in Lebanon?” 

“Writing a story,” you replied. “What about you?” 

“Went with a friend,” Jake said. “We met in Portugul and decided fuck it, let’s go to Lebanon.” 

“Still wildly dependable I see.” 

“I have a job, Ella. I’m an adult.” 

You laughed, tugging your knees to your chest. “Oh yeah?” 

Jake nodded, setting the bottle of wine down. You let your eyes roam over his fancy jeans, cashmere socks, shiny watch that you hadn’t noticed before. Maybe he wasn’t lying. Maybe he was doing OK for himself. 

“Fine,” you said, taking a sip of your wine. “You have a job. Slow clap. Who doesn’t?” 

Jake shook his head. “Still bitter,” he replied, tilting his glass to his lips. “Whatever happened to you and Connor Gray?” 

“Oh God,” you muttered. “Fuck no. Do you know what he’s doing now? He’s a fucking DJ in Bushwick.” You mimed gagging. “I’d rather eat my left foot than date some Chelsea-boot-wearing guy who drinks craft beer and tries to serenade me on a hot rooftop in Brooklyn on his shitty guitar.” 

Jake tipped his head back with a laugh. It filled the room. You had almost forgotten how boisterous his laugh could be. 

“What about you?” you asked. “Any poor unsuspecting women?” There was no ring on his finger, no tan line or dent to show that perhaps he was divorced instead. 

“Nope.” Jake put his glass down. “Single.”

“Really? Jake Seresin, single.” 

“It’s hard out there, Finn,” he said, his voice hitting a register you couldn’t quite place. Something between sadness and begging for understanding. 

“You were never without a date to a formal in college. Couldn’t even go out without girls throwing themselves at you.” You shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t think the player in you would just shrivel up and die the minute we hit thirty.” 

“I’m still twenty nine,” Jake corrected. “And I don’t know what to tell you, El. It was fun for a while. But then I started to feel kind of gross. Like Leo DiCaprio. A new girl all the time. I couldn’t go to a single wedding without people asking about the girl who I had brought to the last one. But she was long gone.” He paused. “Couldn’t tell you the last time I saw the same girl for more than a month or three dates.”  

You frowned. Jake Seresin, a reformed manwhore? Not possible. 

He shrugged. “There, is that my dues for the night? Told you my dating life so now you owe me shelter from the storm?” 

“For now,” you said, standing up. “Interrogation can resume later. I’m hungry.” 

“Then let’s eat.” Jake looked outside. “It’s pretty shit out.” 

“Agreed.”

“What do you have for food?” 

You winced. “Honestly? I mostly eat out, so not much.” 

Jake stood up, brushing past you so closely you could feel his broad chest press against you for a second on his way toward the kitchen. “I’ll figure something out. You relax.” 

“Relax? With you in my apartment? Fat chance, Seresin.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Going to be a long weekend, isn’t it, Finn?” 

***

Jake somehow managed to make a perfectly edible dinner out of the almost-expired food in your fridge and what was left in the pantry. The two of you sat at the small two-person table you had pressed against one set of windows overlooking Fifth Ave. 

Anyone looking in might think it was a date. Even though Jake had dated Suzannah for almost a year, you two had barely spent any alone time together. That’s how you always tried to keep it with your friends’ significant others. A simple conversation here and there, usually while your friend was showering or getting ready or coming back from the store. 

Never like this. 

After dinner, Jake insisted on cleaning. As if it would make up for the countless times he had left shit in your apartment sink in college. You stood at the window, watching the snow pummel from the sky, coating the street in a thick blanket that it couldn’t shake. There was no one outside walking around. It felt apocalyptic and you cringed knowing that you still had at least a day alone with Jake and nothing to do but be in each other’s presence. 

“It’s dark in here,” Jake said, startling you. You turned as he reached for the overhead light. 

“Stop,” you said and he froze. “Lamps, dumbass. Why do men always want to use ceiling lights? Do you like being bathed in fluorescent light?” You strode over to the dresser along one wall, flicking on a candle warmer lamp and another small lamp on the far side of the room. Warm light spilled out into the room. 

“Does it matter?” Jake asked. 

“Yes.” 

Jake shook his head. “Alright, Finn. I’m all yours. What do you want to do?” 

“You mean other than throw you out in the snow on your ass?” 

Jake stepped closer. “Am I really that bad?” he whispered. 

You looked up. Clear green eyes, perfect almond tanned skin. Hair swept back in a carefree manner. You could tell why Suzannah has lost her fucking mind over him all those years ago. He really was too pretty to be true. “Maybe.” 

Jake looked around. “Well I would say I can get out of your hair for a few hours, but there’s not really many options.” He was right. Minus the alcove where your bed sat, the apartment was a pretty open floor plan. 

“Let’s just watch TV and watch the minutes tick by on the longest day known to mankind.” 

Reluctantly, you settled down onto the couch and flipped on the TV. After scrolling for a solid five minutes, Jake groaned. 

“What, Seresin?” you demanded. 

“Take longer,” he complained. 

“Fine, you do it.” You shoved the remote into his chest, trying to ignore how nice his chest felt beneath his shirt. 

Jake took the clicker and flicked through the apps before settling on a movie. 

“No,” you argued. 

He turned to you with a grin. “It’s a guilty pleasure. Humor me, Finn.” 

You grimaced as Twilight started. Jake laughed his way through the serious parts of the movie, cackling out loud at the spider monkey bit and you found yourself laughing along next to him. God, Carlisle really was hot. So was Charlie. That’s how you knew you were almost thirty. 

By the end of the movie, the two of you had shifted comfortably on the couch. You were no longer three feet apart. Instead, your feet were crossed over each other, almost precariously touching Jake’s where they sat propped up on the coffee table. 

It was the first time in years that you could remember sitting through an entire movie without some guy trying to feel you up or make a movie. 

The credits started to roll and you reached for the remote just as Jake did. You pulled your hand back like it was on fire and he handed it to you. “Sorry,” Jake said softly. His voice had grown huskier in the hour and a half since the movie started. “Your TV. Your remote.” 

“It’s fine,” you said and it was gentle. He smiled. There was something devilish about Jake Seresin’s smile. It was too perfect. You cleared your throat. “I, um, should get to bed

“Me too.” 

You stood up, clicking off the TV. The room felt darker without it, just the soft lamps illuminating small circles of light. “I’m going to shower. I’ll get you some blankets and pillows. The couch should be big enough for you.” 

“Thanks, El.” There was something so genuine about the way he said it that threw you off. Who was this stranger and what had he done with the dickwad from Stanford? “For letting me stay.” 

“See how much you like me after a night of sleeping on that,” you replied, digging in the closet near the hallway for pillows and a comforter, dumping them in Jake’s arms. “Do you, um, need to use the bathroom first?” 

“I’ll go after you.” 

In the shower, you were acutely aware that no more than twenty feet away, Jake Seresin was fiddling around in your apartment. You had spent hundreds and hundreds of hours with him at Stanford, but this was different and you both knew it. When you entered the living room, steam pummeling out of the bathroom door, Jake looked up from where he stood shirtless in the living room. “Oh, God!” you exclaimed, holding one hand up to your face. “What the fuck?” 

“Fuck, fuck, sorry!” Jake grabbed for his t-shirt on the couch, tugging it on. “OK, you’re safe. All clear.” 

“This isn’t Barcelona, Seresin,” you complained, stepping toward the dresser and sliding open a drawer, pulling out a pair of silk pajamas. “Or a rave in someone’s basement.” 

He sat down on the edge of the couch cushion. “Been that long since you’ve seen a shirtless guy, huh, El?” 

You hated that he was right. “Fuck off.” 

Jake chuckled. “Sorry, couldn’t help it.” 

“Maybe that’s why no girl wants to date you for more than a week,” you snapped. “Because you’re a dick.” 

Silence hung in the air, thick like the snow clumping on the streets outside the window. You held your breath, letting your lungs sit there and burn. Jake’s eyes haunted yours. 

You felt bad. Never had you ever expected to feel bad for Jake Seresin. Golden boy. Womanizer. Player extraordinaire. But this was obviously a sore spot and you knew it. 

He looked sad, sitting in your apartment living room in the near-dark, face drawn and quiet. An unease squeezed at your stomach. 

“Jake, I–”

Jake stood, cutting you off. “It’s fine. I’m going to use the bathroom if that’s OK.” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

You watched his frame disappear down the hallway, rounding the corner into the subway tiled bathroom. As you sat down in your silk robe at the edge of your bed, the silence in the apartment, usually so comforting as an alternative to the bustle of the city outside, felt stifling. When Jake returned in the dark, flicking off the final light and settling onto the couch, you held your breath, waiting for him to say something. 

But nothing ever came. The two of you laid there, ten feet apart, separated by a wall of silence. 

You had spent ten years who knows how many miles away from Jake Seresin and never given him another thought. Why was it that ten feet now felt like a lap around the equator? 

The chill in the room wasn’t in your head and it wasn’t from the blizzard outside. You and Jake had created frost all on your own. 

Tag list [using my list from The Off-Season since it's my most up-to-date Jake list but if you're not interested in these types of fics just let me know!):

@double-j @topguncultleader @momc95 @hangmandruigandmav

@teacupsandtopgun @xomrsalliej4787xo @xoxabs88xox @blue-aconite @seresinhangmanjake @eminyourjeans @shawnsblue @babyminghao @sadpetalsstuff @angelbabyange @taytaylala12 @wkndwlff @mygyn @oneelleandaneye @averyhotchner @rosiahills22 @djs8891 @rxmtoon @valkyrja-siren-blog @horseshoegirl @abaker74 @clancycucumber230 @theharddeck @redbarn1995 @shanimallina87

@memeorydotcom @joaquinwhorres @bobfloydsbabe @gretagerwigsmuse @djs8891

@blackcatdhisgf @fangirlvoice @buckysteveloki-me  @eli2447 @bellaireland1981 

[jisuto]

On the topic of game reception, what are your thoughts on the current state of pokemon?

OK THIS ASK WAS SENT BEFORE THE HUGE LEAK LOL but I have a lot to say:

I watched VHS tapes, played the games, and owned merch since a young age so the series is very special to me. But I don't like the current direction at all and it's not because of the designs or nostalgia. The quality and game performance plummeted so how can I enjoy playing when there's mad lag or low frame rate that hinders my progress and worsen the experience??

It took too many years for them to realize they need to put quality over quantity after the SWSH mess, seeing that they can get away with pretty much ANYTHING and still make huge profit. You see people say that Pokemon should've never went 3D and stay 2D but tbh, it's a series that improves it's graphics as technology advances so it's not a surprise for them to finally go 3D and personally I think that's fine but just keep it looking good and fun (though I would love a 2D/3D hybrid). XY introduced a lot of new features but still lacked in some aspects that still haven't really been solved or added.

Reusing assets is common in the industry but only to a certain extent. They claimed that SWSH was taking a while to make because they were making brand new models which turned out to be a lie and they look like bootleg figures with the new lighting. The 3DS models were ripped from Pokepark, including some animations, but a lot of them still barely have any character. They have their own in-house team (Creatures Inc) so they made the decision NOT to have pokemon properly animated or look alive.... Also they made spin-offs like Ranger, Colosseum, Pokepark, and Pokken which look AMAZING

FRLG took only one year while HGSS was being developed at the same time as Platinum and took 3 years to finish that turned into one of the best games and remakes ever made. As the franchise expands, the team also needs to add more manpower but Game Freak can definitely afford to get more resources to help them?? They can't continue having a ragtag team of like 20 people to make a game back then and do the same now then expect good results... Hire more people who know how create with current gen consoles IT'S COMMON SENSE PLS also I can't believe they had a different company create BDSP knowing how beloved and groundbreaking DPPT was?? No redesigns like the previous remakes and thought it was a good idea to keep it looking a carbon copy to the DS style...

Also it's shocking to see how fan reception can change how the devs direct the next gen ESPECIALLY when it's not even real constructive criticism?? When Unova came out, I remember seeing all the online outcry about "OH THEY HAVE AN ICE CREAM CONE POKEMON AND A TRASH BAG, THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS EW" then actually hear it being repeated at school.... I WAS TRYING TO SURVIVE SINCE DAY 1 IN THE TRENCHES DEFENDING THIS GAME IT WAS ALWAYS GOOD AND DIDN'T NEED 10 YEARS TO AGE WELL. It's crazy how these are the same people who want another Kanto when Trubbish is Grimer (garbage waste) and Vanillite is Voltorb (based on literal items) then you could not catch any other pokemon from different regions in the main game. And the leak confirmed that the disgruntled hate from the west made the devs not release new pokemon in B2W2 and move them over to XY instead AND NOT GIVE A SINGLE GEN 5 MEGA EVOLUTION. So we were robbed because of genwunners who were fixated on the wrong things and ignored all the great content Unova brought us. It's strange how players keep complaining they want a different and fresh game, but want it to continue being super formulaic and binary like wtf do you want make up your mind

None of the switch titles really got me invested and I always end up replaying the older games but hopefully PLZA will break the curse and finally give us a nice game. Also why don't we have more spin-offs on the switch if there's so many of them floating around like the DS had a bunch??? STOP BEING COWARDS I WANT A POKEMON NINTENDOGS GAME OR THAT FIRE EMBLEM CROSSOVER WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET. I JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN ;w;

[tiktaalic]

tortured poets review. by song

fortnight: fine. sounds like a song. one of the lana drag ones. the actual lyrical content is nothing special. i would not have made this track one. 6/10

tortured poets department: kind of exactly what you would expect from a taylor swift album called tortured poets department. it's silly. it's got references. it makes you go. girl? already less distinct musically. 3/10

my boy only breaks his favorite toys: the consequence of doing lana drag is that you listen to songs and go this would be a lot better if lana got her chords on it. fundamentally not a song that i can enjoy from taylor allison swift. a song i would respect in lana of video games fame catalogue once she strips it down. not like head turningly strange like tpd just plain and simple middle of the road. 4/10

down bad: this one is unlistenable for me. cant explain why. probably the chorus of down bad. i think it's tooooooo silly too silly by far when taylor swift does how do you do fellow teens vocabulary. 2/10

so long london: i can see the place that this takes on my spotify wrapped. lyrics are fine. good even. this + backing + doing something even the littlest bit different from soft monotone talk singing makes it one of the most memorable on this album by miles. probably not near the top of most memorable in her hundreds deep bench though. can't think of anything to dock it for but it's no belter. 8/10.

but daddy i love him: yeah okay. i love when she does a silly one. i think the instrumentals are nice. i'm having his baby. no i'm not! but you should see your face. easily i would listen to an album that was full of songs to this theme / musicality. points docked because i dont think she knows it's as silly as it is. 7/10.

fresh out the slammer: bored. i just looked at the lyrics and they're passable but they're performed in the most boring possible manner. stupidest name imaginable. i actually might bump it a point or two if the name was different. 4/10

florida: makes me go yaaaaaay florence every time i hear it. taylor's part halsey 2014 core. could have been worse! if i was in charge of cutting tracks i would keep this one. 6/10

guilty as sin: started it went oh i'm docking this one for boring. read the first quarter of lyrics and went oh this is fine? got to second half and went oh i don't care for this. can imagine a world where it's a better song with different backing and emphasis. 5/10

whose afraid of little old me: i dont think it's good necessarily but i love every song where shes like im craaaazy im insane. i think for the concept it's going for it could have been put together differently. 6/10

i can fix him: i like the way it sounds. but could use more oomph. it's so nice to hear guitars though. don't care for the subject matter. 5/10

loml: snooze. boring lyrics. boring performance. 4/10

i can do it with a broken heart: BAFFLING. easily the me / karma of the album. the tonal mismatch is the point but . well. it is what it is. i would like this more if it WAS a barbie soundtrack release i think. then it would have an extra layer of silly. i think this might make my wrapped. unfortunately. 5/10.

smallest man who ever lived: who gives a shit about matty healy. 4/10

the alchemy: head in my hands. head in my hands. football song. it's so over. and we are never going to be so back. 3/10

clara bow: i like the intro. i can't see myself ever doing more than half humming this. lyrics are whatever. fine, passable. 6/10

the black dog: yeah it's fine. no complaints. guitar 👍. 6/10

getyouback: why would you EVER tee yourself up perfectly to be compared to a better song. 3/10

albatross: oh i liked this one on first listen. 7/10.

chloe sam sophia marcus: outing song ‼️‼️‼️divorce music‼️‼️‼️. nothing too exciting or groundbreaking musically. 5.5?

how did it end: um. it gets points for being #real but not much else. 5/10.

so high school: i think i would like it if it was even a TOUCH less heterosexual. i would cut 3 lines that would turn it into a 6. i can see this song in someone else's hands dominating the radio and me loving that. in taylor's hands i'm giving it a 5/10.

i hate it here: not interesting. next. 4/10

thank you aimee: out of respect for taylor swift's struggles i will withhold comment and rating. -_-

look in people's windows: lyrics aren't bad but it's another one that's not really. doing anything. 4/10

the prophecy: yeah i'll give this one a 7/10. i would have one (1) greige complaint if this was on folkevermore but that's pretty damn solid.

cassandra: passing it and moving on. that's as much as it deserves. 5/10

peter: lyrics get a thumbs up. another 5.5? i could be talked into a six.

the bolter: yes girl commitment issues. 6/10. actually. 7/10.

robin: jesus god this album is too long. i have listened to too much taylor swift tpd to give this any kind of rating.

the manuscript: 5/10. like if woulda coulda shoulda had no beat

thank you for sharing this journey. with me and also taylor swift

[esc-is-holding-me-hostage]

Okay, I'm finally done with the annual quick reviews. Overall opinion: it's 2020 all over again but the lows are not so low (and the highs are not as high either). The competition is very open, which is refreshing after last year's one-horse race disguised as a two-horse race. There are no songs I would listen to after the contest but as a Eurovision lineup it's pretty entertaining and varied. Also, the girl-bopocalypse of 2021 was much better. Albania The decision of translating the song into English is already questionable but did we really need a fucking dance beat in the last chorus?

Armenia I love how fun it is, but I wish there were, you know, lyrics in the chorus

Australia You couldn't have made a more unsettling music video if you've tried.

Austria I don't know why they've decided to go with bloody eurodance this year. It does not feel updated for the modern times, it's not a cheeky pastiche either. We Will Rave feels like it's been lying around in a vault for the past 20+ years and then the Austrian delegation accidentally stumbled upon it and decided that yes, it will be a perfect Eurovision pick. I still don't hate it though? It might become my guilty pleasure of the year even.

Azerbaijan Why would you bring a guy with such a charismatic moustache just to do a little 10-second chant near the end? He deserves better!

Belgium I should love it. It should've been my number 1, it's Belgium going back to Dark and Moody™, it's what I always want from them. And yet I only like it. The last minute or so is great, but the lead up to that is whatever and doesn't do anything for me.

Croatia The chorus is weak and kinda generic, but the verses are so good they make up for it. The "please meow back" line receives the award for the best lyric of the year.

Cyprus For a twice (or possibly thrice) recycled song it's surprisingly okay. Nothing groundbreaking, it's still a dance-pop song from Kontopoulos, but it's fine.

Czechia I have a complex love-hate relationship with this one. The melody is great, it's exactly the kind of music I listen to outside of ESC. But good lord, do I hate the repetitive self-empowerment lyrics in the chorus.

Denmark Ehhh... She's a good singer I guess.

Estonia I think it's my favorite song of the year? Similarly to Trenulețul it just activates some primal dance spirit in me. Suit jackets on the naked body are still a crime against humanity tho.

Finland Yeah, I'm sorry, but if you hate No Rules, then you hate fun.

France France keeps trying to hide from us what's actually popular in their country.

Georgia It's another generic girl-bop ESC song, we've got half-a-dozen of these this year, but goddamn Nutsa is a fucking powerhouse.

Germany Imagine Dragons-ass production aside, the elephant sounds are such a bizarre choice.

Greece ... I'm sorry but Zari sounds like a bunch of noises with no melody to me, I'm very much not the target audience for this one and I don't get why everyone seems to love it so much.

Iceland Yeah, it's dated and kinda lame but in a very charming way.

Ireland Doomsday Blues is great, but because of all the layering and vocal distortions the live version will always be very different from the studio one. What I'm trying to say is that the live version sounds like an off-off-Broadway villain song.

Israel It's boring as fuck.

Italy It's nice but similarly to Greece I have no idea why is it so beloved by the fandom.

Latvia The song is so boring, that the most talked about part of Latvia's entry is Dons' lack of hair.

Lithuania After I've reassured myself that no, Luktelk does NOT sound like a Ruki Vverkh song it became pretty good.

Luxembourg So much potential in Luxembourg's comeback and yet they went with the most mid(tempo) song ever.

Malta Another generic girl-bop, and the closest we've gotten to an actual SloMo copycat, but it's okay I guess.

Moldova I almost forgot to write anything about Moldova before posting it, which is all you need to know about my opinion on In The Middle.

Netherlands I hate to say it, but I kinda love it? Yeah, Joost has the most punchable face in the history of humanity and I've made several references to my comedically exaggerated hatred of 90s dance music, but Europapa just keeps getting better the more I listen to it.

Norway I like it, but can't really say anything about it other than that.

Poland Very "topped at number 37 in Billboard hot 100 in 2019 and then was featured in a couple ads"-coded

Portugal One of the Portuguese entries of all time (i still like it tho)

San Marino Not as good as Arcadia but I'm happy Megara have made it to Eurovision anyway :)

Serbia It's fine.

Slovenia Similarly to Belgium, I wish I loved it more than I do.

Spain Really fun entry, iconic journey to ESC, but the weak vocals will be the reason the juries will murder Zorra in the Grand Final.

Sweden Not as forgettable as everyone says it is but it's still polished Swedish pop entry #569328

Switzerland From testing the limits of my attention span two years ago to making the most ADHD song of the year, huh. The Code is so many things at once and yet it works without feeling like a disjointed mess.

Ukraine I miss the times when Jerry was making funny meme songs, now we're stuck with her religious awakening era. Alyona's verse is the highlight of the song, everything else is good if you don't think about the lyrics too much.

United Kingdom I don't know how, but the UK has managed to make a decent song that I kind of hate yet again. The production in Dizzy annoys me to no end, I fucking hate the bells and the synths in the chorus, why are they so fucking annoying.

[ad-hawkeye]

got hit by the artem truck out of nowhere and now that he’s jumped to my favorite rn i was wondering if you had any card stories you would recommend(recent or old is fine if you answer this)

Come On In To The Artem Truck

oh gosh! oh uh, okay okay okay! i got this! i got YOU! pulling out the tot app for this. my recommendations are below. bolded cards are my absolute favorites, but the rest are cards that while not my favorites, are very good and do have important relevance to artem or his future cards. also worth noting, these are only cards on global. i plan on making a list of future card recommendations soon! i think i talk about a few on this blog as well!

any cards not on this list aren't awful per say, just not as good or important - in my opinion, anyways!

BASE GAME CARDS (RECOMMENDATIONS)

loving memories (SSR): showcases pre development artem well. good neil lore. the haunted house also gets mentioned again in future cards.

focus fire (SR): good neil and artem lore. not exactly groundbreaking or anything, but i think it's worth a watch.

sparks (SR): you'll be seeing a lot of bold early on. sparks is a classic and favorite of many people. recommended.

in sickness or in health (SR): the og. this made me an artem stan.

autumn dreams (SR): while not a "must watch" imo, it is very cute and worth it if you have the time. also the final card art is artem's background on his tablet (you can see it on artem's tablet skill item)

thin veil (SR): paywalled but up on youtube. this is a MUST watch. introduces mockingbird and artem's whole deal with movies. also artem sucks at hand crafts and its a treat to watch him panic

unusual love (SSR): paywalled but up on youtube. this one is just rly fun to watch. it's fake dating AND angst! fun fun.

-

EVENTS (RECOMMENDATIONS)

lost gold: just. lost gold. love artem's route so much. also if rosa tries to use her little gun, it references artem teaching her how to shoot in focus fire.

artem's first birthday event: this one is so cute! recommend.

-

EVENT BANNER CARDS (RECOMMENDATIONS)

entwined fate (SSR): yeah you saw this one coming. it sets up a lot of stuff for the artemrosa dynamic. also it's just very cute AND you get amazing neil and artem angst! for what is probably the last time ever!

dreamful melodies (SSR): artem is so deeply pathetic and incompetent in this. please watch it <3

fixated on you (SR): very cute and one of my personal favs! marks a shift in their dynamic towards them being good friends AND has artem sucking at art

wandering heart (SSR): one of the classics. artem tricks rosa into eating some shitty chocolate to make her laugh and feel better.

two hearts as one (SSR): artem cries in this one and it's great!

sunshine after the rain (SSR): i just wrote a whole block of text about this one and it's one of my favorites. trust in meeee

winning ball (SR): not groundbreaking but watching artem talk about his absentee father is always a win in my book

eternal yearning (1st anniversary SSR): well yeah this one is a requirement for reasons. it's very good! i wouldn't say it was life changing but they do get together here and it's very nice imo.

new skies (SSR): i like this one a lot. playful artem makes a reappearance and the ending is super cute

masquerade passion (SR): love this one a lot!! this is also a classic artemrosa card, imo. its very in character and also includes theater boy artem again. cant go wrong with that!

paired blessings (SSR): this one is honestly a little boring, but they go back to the temple from entwined fate and talk about life and stuff. also worth a watch!

heart listener (SR): this one references loving memories! artem also heavily relates to the kid they have to babysit who is struggling with busy borderline absentee parents.

the weeds (SSR): probably one of artem's better au cards, which is why it's making it on this list. this is the one to watch if ur in an au mode.

day and night (SSR): this one isnt my favorite but it's his second bday card and does have some interesting stuff in it, me thinks. worth a watch.

[mydollsaregay]

I feel like I need a tinfoil hat rn...

So I was looking at the american girl wiki page for “retirement”, hoping they had a link to the old archives that I could use in the wayback machine (sadly, no). In the wiki article, the “digital museum” is mentioned, so i decided to check it out, and see if there were any old promo images I could snag from there.

Sadly, it’s a kinda janky 3d experience, so I couldn’t grab any images, but I DID find some kind of surprising things.

To start us off, not very surprising, here’s Kit’s room in the museum:

It makes sense that they’d make it for her original look, as we know it’s coming back soon, and development of rereleases and digital content both take ages, so the developer of this weird little digital experience probably was told before they started. It also looks, to my eye, like a new stock photo, but I could be wrong. Funny, but not weird. Let’s look at some other historicals!

Huh. Okay, that’s a little more out there. Sam’s in her original outfit, with her beforever bed. Off-screen, her old side table and trunk are also in the room, 3D-modeled with about the same level of detail as the bed (so... not much). A little odd, but probably meaningless. It IS weird, though, that they would show Sam in her old outfit, since she’s currently being sold in her new one, though she’s cubed atm. I’m 99% sure that’s an old stock photo though, so nothing groundbreaking, just weird.

Well now that’s a bit out there as well. Same issue as Sam - why would they show off the doll in the old outfit? I just don’t get it. But it still looks like an old stock photo, so it’s fine.

Kirsten! nice to see you buddy. Even though she’s not being sold atm, it still makes sense they’d put her here, as she’s one of the original three. I’m also convinced they’re planning to bring her back eventually anyways, so this is nothing groundbreaking to me.

Huh. It seems like all the cubed girls are in their old outfits. I still think it’s weird, but now that a pattern has been established, it seems almost less weird? Though I do think the implicit message that the old outfits are better is hilarious.

Girl what. This is where I started scratching my head. I suppose a similar argument could be made for Felicity’s inclusion that I made for Kirsten: she’s more core to the brand than some of the other retired historicals. But there’s some odd details. First, that logo is a new variant of her BeForever logo that we haven’t seen yet. But that could be explained by the developer changing the colors to suit her old look better - it’s not that wild.

However, second: is that a new stock photo? This is where I started feeling like I needed the tinfoil hat lol. My only good explanation for this one is that it’s not a new photo, I just haven’t personally seen it before. Which is very possible! So if you have, let me know, I guess??

All the other (currently available) historical characters were in their current outfits, and there were no other retired historicals present.

In my opinion, I don’t think this is solid evidence for anything in particular, but it is possible that they are going to eventually bring Felicity back, or at least it was being discussed when development started on this project (even if it’s not actually going to happen). Whether or not this is evidence, it’s still fun!

[homoquartz]

k now that it's over here's my thoughts. they're the negative ones so they're under readmore. i'll post my positive ones the way i normally do.

i want to start by saying of COURSE i love this show. like of course i do. so:

second seasons are almost always written kind of badly so i am trying to be fair here. i also know strikes and time constraints BADLY fucked the script.

but even so, some of the pacing is fucky in a way that feels confused. like some scenes were cut so short i thought there was an editing error. relationships seemed to develop offscreen, when it feels like those scenes should have been prioritized over some others if folks knew they were gonna have to make cuts. and for whatever reason, some scenes or concepts were held onto when there simply wasn't any room for them (ned being the most egregious imo).

i predicted that they would react to the fan obsession with izzy by giving him too much airtime and i was right. he had more time and character development (though i think his character was changed unrealistically at times) than anyone else by MILES. i am an izzy hater, but even if i wasn't at a certain point i would BEG him to give up the fucking mic.

ESPECIALLY because he has now overshadowed Jim (!!!!!!), who was groundbreaking as a queer nonbinary POC lead. season 1 Jim was practically co-lead and now had NO motivation outside kissing girls this season. AND we STILL don't know anything about olu, roach, or frenchie. our characters of color were badly neglected i think. yi sao may be the only exception, i think she was done well with the time given.

speaking of olu, his romance with the pirate queen was pivotal to the main plot of the season but we get like NO time with him! let alone his relationship with yi sao. imagine a few cut izzy scenes to flesh out olu's situationships. all of them.

i believe at least part of the reason they dropped olu/jim was because jim's actor advocated for jim to date women. That's fine. but it was handled SO disrespectfully given their romance arc in season 1!! not even a conversation?? and to shoehorn in archie when jackie and yi sao and mary/anne were right there?? Lazy imo, and poor streamlining

and speaking of other characters, there were too many. season 1 connected all the antagonists together nicely, with the main big bad being the british. now the big bad is ??? sometimes ned, sometimes yi sao, sometimes nose guy, sometimes jackie, sometimes ed.

season 1 had episode-long enemies, a la calico jack and the french party, but the episodes SAT with those enemies and made them meaningful. ned just kind of appeared and died. if stede needed a reason for his ego trip, or to show off his people management skills, it could have been like. literally one of a million other situations. if we needed ed's suicide attempt to be via ned, ned could have shown in episode 3.

no one's relationships had time to develop naturally like they did in season 1. you didn't have time to understand anyone's motivations. stede and ed were a "couple" for all of half of two episodes. for a show about their romance there was surprisingly little time dedicated to the beats of their relationship. though it would have been painful, i think this season would have deeply benefitted from ed and stede not getting together until the finale. their actions and motivations don't make sense unless you take the kissing out of it. I'm sure a good deal of that is due again to cuts made by HBO.

i'm very disappointed, but that doesn't mean i'm ungrateful. this show is still extremely important, i am praying for a third season renewal, and i hope that season turns the ship around.

[littlemisssquiggles]

So...about JL X RWBY: Superheroes and Huntmen Part One...

Last night, I sat down to check out the film (shoutout to @autistic-swanprincess who shared the link over on Discord). Here are my first impressions:

In general, I thought the film was alright. I mean it's not anything particularly groundbreaking but as RWBY's first ever movie, I think it succeeded in getting me at least invested in what’s to come next. One concern I had going in was that this was going to turn out to be more of a DC film with the RWBY characters taking a back seat in their own first film. Technically, in some way, we kind of got one or two scenes where that happened---like Superman overstepping Ruby's leadership in some of the action moments. But putting that aside, I thought the film was fine.

I appreciate the fact that there was a nice unexpected twist to the story. Here I pegged the main setting of the story to be back at Beacon but nope! Ultimately it was basically RWBY and JNR trapped in some of kind of simulation and the big cliffhanger teaser for Part Two is that whoever trapped JNR_RWBY in the virtual realm is someone from their world.

So on that front, like I said, the film did good on getting me interested in the story. Part One was just the appetizer so I’m hoping that Part Two will bring the main course.

Specific Things I wanted to discuss about the film:

I don't know how the DC fangirl in me was supposed to feel about the whole arc with Batman considering to stay in Remnant because in Remnant, he is made into a bat Faunus with electromagnetic abilities. While I can’t speak for other audience members, for me, the whole angle about Batman considering to stay in Remnant so that he can feel more useful as a Faunus as opposed to a regular human without any special abilities like his comrades felt really off-putting to me.

Batman being the brains of the league despite not having any special abilities is kind of the POINT of what made his character so great in the first place. The whole discussion of Bruce being less of a warrior due to his lack of powers was never really a problem. Perhaps I missed a couple of DC films or comic material where this was an important cause of conflict but from the Batman content I've indulged in over the years, this was never a thing.

What the Bat lacked in superpowers, he more than made up for it with his sheer intelligence and proper utilization of his wealth to create resources that helped benefit his team.

As a matter fact, wasn't there not an entire DC animated film where Batman had logs on the key weaknesses of each of the founding members of the Justice League and came up with specific ways to kill each of them as a failsafe?

Like I remember Superman's being a kryptonite bullet to the heart or something while Flash's was attaching a bomb to him that would instantly blow him to smithereens should he stop running so he basically had to keep running forever and I think Wonder Woman's was injecting her with a powerful hallucinogen that made her see multiple clones of archnemesis Cheetah that she would fight and keep fighting till she died?

I can't quite remember the name of the movie but I remember that was part of the story. Batman, being the "smart guy" that was that he literally hatched the downfall of his super-powered allies as a backup plan. Somehow the enemy got a hold of said plan from the Bat and used it against them.

Again, I'm just going off of vague memory here but my point is that forgive me if the whole concept of Batman wanting powers/abilities to feel more useful to the League sounds ludicrous to my ears since, canonically in the DC material, that's never been Batman's key weakness.

At least NOT from the content I've watched. If there is a Batman story that touched on this subject then please let me know cause outside of that, I felt Batman's arc in the film was weird.

I did enjoy his dynamic with Weiss though. I thought Batman/Bruce and Weiss worked really well together. They were one of the two DC x RWBY dynamics that I actually liked. 

Jaune and the Green Lantern girl (can’t remember her name at the moment) were my second favourite team up. Although I thought the scene leading up to them being tricked by the fake Pyrhha was kind of dumb given the setup. But outside of that, I really liked how compassionate and understanding Jaune was with Green Lantern girl. He was like a big brother to her which is fitting since Jaune’s patience came from a place of him legit being a big brother with younger sisters.

Renora and Cyborg, on the other hand, were...ridiculous! The awkward love triangle with Cyborg kind of low-key flirting with Nora while Ren reacted jealously was quite cringey to me.

Thanks CRWBY, I hate it! ESPECIALLY knowing how Renora's relationship ends after V8, this was like twisting the knife for the shippers.

Who thought this was cute or even funny?

I dunno what was worse---jealous Ren or abrasive Nora? BOTH personalities felt so out of character for both of em. Then again; I guess it was more in line with how stupid they were written to behave between V7-V8. Still doesn't make it better.

Last but not least. There’s Bumblebee working with Wonder Woman. Not much to say, they worked ok...when they didn't include any out of place moments like Yang kind of thirsting after Wonder Woman.

Like the scene where WW lifted Oscar to interrogate him and Yang made a comment about her being a "strong woman" which Blake reacted to, kind of jealous like? I don't understand why that scene needed to be there. I guess this was the writers way to injecting some awkward humour into the scene?

But I dunno, it came off more clunky than humorous; at least to me.

Speaking of Oscar Pine---it is time to address one of the elephants in the room for this squiggly Pineheard is SALTY!

When Aaron Dismuke announced on Twitter that the BOI was gonna be in this film, needless to say, I was more than ecstatic at that news.

Then when I saw the first teaser image and trailer for the film and saw the RWBY girls in their Beacon outfits, I became confused as to how exactly Oscar was going to fit into the movie since Oscar didn't roll up until V4.

Then I saw the film---at least the first part and I gotta say: what was even the point of having Oscar in this movie?

RT must've paid Aaron in gum because Oscar barely spoke in this movie. He had one line that was barely audible since his character was immediately replaced with an overlay of Ozpin the only scene he appeared. Seriously, what was the point of him even being there if that’s all we got of him?

My only hope is that Oscar---ACTUAL Oscar and not a hologram will have a bigger part in Part Two because if it wasn't for the fact that this film has two parts then I would've been livid as to how they treated my boi in his first RWBY movie.

Sure us Pineheads got to see his smiling face---adorable and freckly as always for like 3 minutes but c'mon! After being starved of his presence for RWBY V9 except for that ONE certain scene, would it have killed them to give us ONE scene with Oscar where he actually spoke?

Frigging Glynda Goodwitch who hasn't been seen since V3 got a scene. SHIT! PYHRRA who is DEAD got a speaking scene over Oscar. Seriously, at this point, why did the CRWBY even bother killing off Pyrhha? They keep finding new ways to insert her into the current storyline when she's been gone for 6 seasons now.

And as much as I like Pyrhha, when she---a character who was killed off seasons ago---is given more preference for precious screentime over characters who are alive in the current story, it starts to get a lil bothersome after some time.

That being said, since it was revealed at the end of the movie that JNR_RWBY are actually in Atlas in their V7 outfits then this is a sign that we could see more of Oscar in the next part of the movie. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Overall, that's all I have to say about the movie. I don't know who wrote the story and script for the film but if I had to give the first part of this film a score, I'd give it a 6/10.

While it was cool seeing the JL team in RWBY style, from a story perspective, it wasn't the best writing I've seen from the franchise (and that's saying something).

It wasn't bad. Just lacking in some areas but I guess that's probably due to it being split into 2 parts. Perhaps things will be better in Part 2 whenever it comes out.

In conclusion, that's it for my first impressions of JL X RWBY: Superheroes and Huntmen Part One. See ya’ll in Part 2.

~LMS (2023) 

[jake-marshall]

Potion Permit Review

Okay, so. As previously noted, Potion Permit consumed the past two weeks of my life. (This reminds me of when I played Return to PoPoLoCrois, and, same thing - was balls deep in it for 2 weeks bc it made my brain go brrrr). As a fan of most HM games, even the less popular ones, I really enjoyed this overall. So it has a Stardew graphic style mixed with the overworld combat of RF, and this is my review(ish) of the Switch version. Pros.

GREAT controls. I never at any point felt anything was tedious or difficult to engage with (outside of the grow box maybe?) It was very simplistic and stream-lined.

Cute/fun minigames. Nothing gets frantic or taxing. The Potion making is honestly really fun.

Decent Music. It's nice background music the way, I guess, ACNH has nice soothing background music. Nothing is a bop like HM/RF tunes but that's fine.

Good Male romance candidates - I feel like the 4 boys available to romance are all diverse enough to appease most everyone's tastes. Xiao is my husbando but I know a lot of people will go for Matheo or Victor (and I'll probably go for Victor if i ever play a boy file).

Interesting enough side characters. Nothing groundbreaking-ly unique but I did get a sense of community from the town of Moonbury, at least. and wanted to befriend everyone/know their story.

Pretty good pacing. At least for me, I never felt overwhelmed even when taking on numerous side quests. Outside of healing patients, nothing had a timeframe which was nice because it really did let you go at your own pace. CONS

No weather changes? I felt this could have really added to the game in terms of immersion even if it didn't affect anything gameplay-wise.

In that vein, no seasons. Again, it would be something I'd like to see expanded upon if there's a sequel. It would feel more like time is passing and therefore adding to the immersion.

Meh Female Romance Candidates - again, this is just personal taste but I did not like any of the available women - some of them, in fact, I outright disliked (Helene). Leano was the only okay one but she felt a bit too gimmicky with the pirate thing. And I don't even know why Rue was an option. I would have taken Bubble and Runehart happily over Rue and Helene.

Some of the topics presented in the side/character quests fell flat for me. I give PP kudos for trying, for touching on things like eating disorders, anxiety, and DID but the way a lot of it was easily resolved/hand-waved away felt big oof. Like I didn't feel the poor execution was for lack of trying, at least.

Not enough Collin and Moira lol.

Biggest con for me was not being able to romance Lucke. I really hope they make him and the aforementioned girls, as well as Dean and Derrek available... some day...

So overall I would recommend the game if you want something charming to mindlessly put 30-40 hours into. But there's a lot of loose ends that, for me, don't make it as compulsively replayable as RF/SoS. Still, i feel like it's something I might come back to every year or two to revisit, and I'm glad to have met some new blorbos. :)

[gleekto]

Klaine Advent 2022: Chemistry Sucks (16/17)

Summary: Nerd!Kurt/ Popular!Blaine high school AU - Kurt joins Glee club in his junior year to please his dad, though he’d rather just hide out in the library until he can graduate and get out of Lima.

Turns out he’s not the only gay kid in town. Too bad the other out gay kid is cocky and popular senior, Blaine Anderson. Sure of himself, gets all the solos, things served to him on a platter. Kurt finds him shallow and infuriating.

Blaine finds Kurt square and irritating.

Yet at a party one night, they promise to sleep together if they don’t have other opportunities by the end of the year. A dare. Naturally competitive spirits.

Day 1, Day 2,Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15

Chemistry Sucks (Day 16: Recast and Give)

Blaine first sees Kurt walking down the McKinley hallway, flanked by two new glee club members on either side, apparently enraptured by the tour he's giving them. Blaine's early for meeting him after the homecoming game, which Kurt unsurprisingly chose to skip.

"Speak of the devil," Kurt spots him. "It's none other than our former fearless leader, Blaine Anderson, who has come back to ensure we're off to a strong start this year."

Blaine approaches them. "Hi Kurt," He pauses. Kurt looks even better than he remembers. He's always been put together, scarves and broaches and too tight jeans that are perfect. But he has an air of command about him now, like he knows who he is.

"Hi Blaine." They smile at each other while the new kids on either side just stare silently. "Madison, Mason, this is Blaine. Our key to the big nationals win."

"Oh we know who you are and it's so nice to meet you," Mason shakes Blaine's hand enthusiastically. "We read the showchoir blogs - recasting a straight girl-guy duet with two guys. Your duet was groundbreaking."

"Novel," Madison adds.

"Fresh," Mason finishes.

"Kurt was our secret weapon, actually. You're lucky to have him." Blaine smiles quietly at him and the air feels heavy. At least to him.

"We're sure you guys have lots of catching up to do," Madison says after too long a moment. "So we're just gonna-"

"Yeah, okay," Kurt nods.

And then they're alone in the McKinley hallway. "So do you wanna-"

"Yeah, okay," Blaine agrees.

"I haven't said what yet."

"Whatever you want, wherever you want. I just want to see you."

They end up at the Lima Bean, at their usual round table in the corner, sipping a mocha and a medium drip, like nothing has changed.

"So, tell me," Blaine doesn't even know where to start.

"Tell you what?"

"Oh I don't know. I get a text one day that you're going on a third date and being an understudy and then a phone call a month later about breaking up and I mean, what happened?"

"The usual chorus understudy was sick, and they asked me," Kurt says. He's being coy.

"You were with Matteo." Blaine starts. He wants to be a good friend. A best friend. He's trying.

"I was," Kurt nods and looks down at his mocha and then back up. "And now I'm not." Blaine nods but doesn't say anything. "It was good, I think. I mean, he was not super happy that I ended it but we had a good time. We'd usually go out once or twice a week to a movie or bowling or-"

"Bowling? You?"

"I know. Obviously his idea. Anyways, we'd hang out," Kurt pauses meaningfully. "But the school year is busy and like I said when I called you, I just didn't have the time." Blaine nods, waiting. "Because I wasn't feeling enough." Kurt bites his lip. "I guess I'm still just a silly romantic, and the truth is I already know a better kisser." Blaine almost chokes on his coffee. He has to clear his throat. "Sorry, I shouldn't-"

"No, no. It's fine. Coffee just went down wrong." He takes another sip.

"Your turn," Kurt says quickly. "So how is living la vie boheme?"

"Hardly," Blaine dismisses but knows he has to give more than that. "I do like dancing at all those gay clubs though."

"Of course."

"And I went home with someone exactly twice." He sees Kurt take a gulp of his mocha.

"Same guy?"

"No. Jeff and Parker. Jeff and I just made out. He was kind of boring to be honest. Parker, we did a bit more but I didn't want to call him after. It was fun, but," Blaine knocks Kurt leg under the table deliberately.

"But." Kurt repeats.

"I also knew a better kisser," Blaine doesn't stop himself. Neither did Kurt. The pause is too pregnant and he is still going back to New York in two days.

"Can't all have legendary chemistry," Kurt smiles quietly.

Blaine shakes his head. "Guess not. So tell me about how you became the lead of the Glee club," It's a total non-sequitur but Blaine switches topics deliberately out of the danger zone. Chemistry sucks.

They close the Lima Bean down talking about the glee club, the new kids, the way to win nationals, what Kurt will like in New York, whether he should also apply to NYADA or stick with NYU. When Blaine walks Kurt to his car they hug for what feels to Blaine like five minutes straight. "It was so good to see you, Kurt." He doesn't want to let go.

...

It's almost midnight and Blaine is staring up at his ceiling in his old room in his parents house, unable to sleep. The problem is that he really does not want to see Jeff or Parker or Jeff-types or Parker-types again. There is only one thing he wants. He picks up his phone and texts.

B: I missed you.

It only takes Kurt a minute to respond.

K: I missed you too.

B: I wanted to talk to you today but I was too afraid.

K: Of what?

B: Screwing up our friendship.

K: And now?

B: Do you wanna meet somewhere and hang out while we can? The 24 hour diner near Scandals?

K: No.

B: No?

K: No. I wanna go to your house.

Blaine closes his eyes, relief and excitement washing over him.

B: Okay.

[idridian]

reverse unpopular opinion meme + your choice + 2001: a space odyssey (the movie)

my choice, huh? :) well, since we're already on the topic, i'll take this opportunity to say something nice about another one of stanley's films (the only other one i've seen), the shining. i've only seen it the one time, so my recollection is not the best, but i retained the important stuff lol

but first, 2001: a space odyssey:

ok fine, i like the cinematography. quote from when i first watched it: "the movie is symmetrical, i'll give it that." anyone who has seen me talk about grand budapest hotel knows that i like it when movies are symmetrical

the ways they fuck with gravity legitimately look very cool. i said "woah!!" out loud when the stewardess started walking up the wall during the blue danube sequence (admittedly because it was the first interesting thing that had happened at that point, but i was very dazzled by it)

the entire mission to jupiter segment slaps

dave best character <3 he is my blorbo <3

i love the scene where frank gets killed. granted, i love it for the wrong reasons, but that does not change the fact that i love it

the part where dave keeps seeing older versions of himself in the alien hotel room is confusing and i was very ???? about it on first watch, but i IMMENSELY enjoy the Old Man Squint he does when he drops the glass and subsequently sees the final version of himself on the bed

this is all in the wrong order now but i also find the man ape costumes very impressive, and all the actors in that sequence are really going for it, which is fun to watch

a lot of the performances are really nice actually. they're not anything groundbreaking, but i get the impression that basically everyone you see onscreen is giving the script exactly the level of effort it demands of them (which, presumably, was what stanley wanted. otherwise he would have said something. or like, fired them idk)

the shining:

shelley duvall's performance is extremely good and her character, wendy, is actually so smart and handling an insane situation with so much bravery and quick thinking. i love her so so much and wish her all the best

the way she knocks jack flat on his ass with a baseball bat on the stairs and immediately locks him in a pantry,,,,, iconic. if the stupid hotel ghosts hadn't noclipped jack out of there, he would have simply lost at that point because his wife did the math and calculated that he was a fake-ass bitch who couldn't take a hit

i like danny retracing his footsteps in the snow to trick jack during the chase through the maze towards the end. he and wendy are really in control of the braincell once shit starts going down, gotta say

the hotel looks cool. i want to go there and hang out (going insane is fine too, i'm already most of the way there anyway)

i was theoretically aware of what REDRUM means through pop culture osmosis, but my brain had chosen to discard that information at some point, so i was actually surprised when they revealed it. i like it when movies surprise me

i do not understand the man in the dog costume. but i am glad he is here and living his true self. happy pride love wins

[boozuru]

Ghostic - Exorcism 5

⇠  chapter select  ⇢

(NOT JP PROOFED)

Season: Autumn

<The next day, in front of the ES stand after the night’s commotion>

Tatsumi: Gulp, gulp… Phew… ♪

Now that it’s autumn, you really start craving for hot drinks.

Keito-san, would you also like a hot cocoa? The sweetness really takes away your exhaustion after practice.

Keito: No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll just have tea. Sweet drinks leave my throat dry if anything.

Yesterday was a real disaster, huh, Kazehaya.

Having a poltergeist scare happen was pretty run of the mill for a haunted house, but I never expected for mobile phones to be affected too.

I was on edge thinking there might have been an actual possession happening… It was thanks to your cool-headedness that we survived without unnecessary drama. It’s quite impressive. 

Since I’m the son of a temple family, I ought not to fall for believing in such things. I’ll reflect on this.

Tatsumi: Oh, don’t say that. I also believe in spirits, a divine one at that.

But, when I heard Eichi-san had experience things that matched the description of that, I thought it would be best to leave it to an expert.

Keito: Every man knows his own business best. I still wish that they had named it something more appropriate than a “ceremonial groundbreaking” though.

But this is my destiny as I was born to be Eichi’s childhood friend. I believe Eichi sees me as his eternal play mate.

Tatsumi: Fufu. I think that’s a much more respectable role than some subject expert.

Keito: I see. Maybe we were meant to connect like this when we met by chance after practice today. 

I’m sure that both of us are busy with ES Halloween preparations, but once we have some time a chat would be nice.

How about we go to COCHI next time?

Tatsumi: Sure. Thank you for the invitation, Keito-san.

Yuzuru: …Oh my. It is quite unusual for you two to have a lighthearted chat like this. Could this be about the “ceremonial groundbreaking”?

Keito: Well if it isn’t Fushimi. Are you feeling any better?

Yuzuru: I am, perfectly flawless in fact thanks to everyone.

I was actually also heading for practice. There is no need to worry about me.

Keito: That’s good. I bet that working in the student council takes a lot out of you, so don’t keep pushing yourself needlessly.

Yuzuru: You are absolutely correct. I must have caused a lot of trouble for you two, and I sincerely apologise for that.

I heard about it from Young Master yesterday. That you two did the “ceremonial groundbreaking” in my stead.

Keito: Yeah, even if it was Eichi’s troublesome idea.

If you’re feeling better now, it made our physical exertion worth it.

That reminds me, Anzu came to see Akatsuki’s practice yesterday. She’s looking forward to fine’s Halloween plans.

Yuzuru: Fufu. I’m happy to hear that.

I owe Anzu-san for last year’s help with Halloween, so I want to answer her expectations.

I actually happened to meet her right when I left the medical office.

I was not at my best at the time, so I might have caused her undue concern.

So I want to treat her well at this year’s Halloween event to make up for it-

If you two would like, please feel free to join as well.

Tatsumi: Alright. In that case, I’ll invite ALKALOID to come with me.

Hiiro-san has seemingly never experienced Halloween festivities before. I think he’ll enjoy the haunted house.

Yuzuru: Thank you very much. I would be happy to see you all there.

If Ayase-sama happens to be coming with you, I would actually like to speak to him.

Tatsumi: With… Mayoi-san?

Hum. I never knew that you two were acquainted… Are you classmates?

Yuzuru: No, I’m in a different class. It’s just that a few days ago he was gazing at the haunted house with a curious expression. I thought he might be interested in it.

Tatsumi: Ah, I see. I didn’t know.

Keito: Well, it’s to be expected that a Western-style building suddenly manifesting itself on ES premises would raise an eyebrow or two. Kanzaki and Kiryu were also puzzled and asking “what is that?”

Tatsumi: That makes sense. It’s quite a lot to take in, after all. Anyway, I’ll make sure to talk to Mayoi-san.

Yuzuru: Thank you very much.

You can avoid the long lines by coming in before the area is actually opened to the public. If you are willing to come early in the morning, of course.

Tatsumi: I see. We are also primarily entertainers, so I understand. I’ll make sure that we will be there nice and early.

I think that everyone in ALKALOID will be blown away by the effort put into the project. Let’s make this Halloween a blast ♪

[doriandistortion]

“About me” type questions

(Except I probably over share??)

Feel free to dm for the template

Also I just wrote everything down because I don’t wanna crowd my page with questions 😭 + I’m mostly writing this for myself to look back on later lmfao

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? N/A

2. Are you loud, outgoing, or shy? I am definitely loud and outgoing around the right people. I don’t think I’m shy. I’ll talk about anything with anyone stranger or otherwise but I just don’t necessarily have much to say? And there’s a huge difference between being shy and being completely afraid.

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? I am always looking forward to seeing one friend of mine. They don’t really talk to me anymore and I never see them but I’m sure I’ll always feel this way.

4. Are you easy to get along with? I really hope so? I’m sure I can be disagreeable and I probably talk about myself a bit more frequently than people want to hear but I’ve never had anyone that I really didn’t get along with I don’t think

5. Have you ever given up on someone, but then gone back to them? In terms of dating I’m assuming? In that case no. I’ve never dated anyone to begin with

6. If you were sick would that person take care of you? N/A

7. Who is on your mind right now? That one friend I talked about on Q3

8. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? My sister, mom and grandparents about if time would exist without humans here to put a name to it.

9. What does your most recent text say? “Yayy!!!” From my dad :))

10. Is there a hot topic that you feel strongly about? ?

11. Do you like big crowds of people? It definitely depends on if I’m by myself in the crowd or with people I am comfortable with. If I am alone I absolutely HATE crowds but if I’m with people I like I’m cool with them. I like people watching.

12. Do you believe in luck/miracles? I don’t. I’m not sure when or why I started feeling this way but I also don’t believe in karma. It’s freeing. You should try it.

13. What good thing happened this summer? I can’t remember the summer already. :/ I used to write everything I did every day down in my notebooks without fail so I can look back and remember but I’ve been slacking recently.

14. Do you think there is life on other planets? I like to think that there is alien life somewhere out there although I’m sure that it would be something like little worms or fish. Even though this doesn’t seem as groundbreaking as the aliens most people picture I still think that life on other planets would be amazing

15. Do you like bubble baths? Yes

16. Do you like your neighbors? They’re fine. My sister is friends with our neighbors daughter. She’s nice.

17. What are your bad habits? It would be faster for me to write down my good habits.

18. Where would you like to travel? I would love to go back to Italy! I went with my family, immediate and extended as a big trip when I was in middle school.

19. Do you have trust issues? No. Although I haven’t had any bad experiences that could have kickstarted trust issues yet. Check back in in a couple years maybe?

20. Favorite part of your daily routine? I have absolutely no routine to my day

21. What do you do when you wake up? I lay there disappointed for an extra hour or two.

22. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? This is a weird ass question 💀

23. Who are you most comfortable around? See Q3 and 7

24. Do you ever want to get married? Maybe? I don’t know if that kind of situation would ever work out for me though. I don’t really love people like that? Like, if it wasn’t official and it was just something that we agreed on one day as a concept I would. I don’t think I would find anyone like the person I have in mind and they don’t really talk to me anymore and that’s the one thing that matters so what’s the point lol

25. Is your hair long enough for a ponytail? Yes and I’m super happy about it because all my life I thought my hair just stopped growing once it hit shoulder length but it turned out it was just really damaged lmao

26. Which of your favorite celebrities would you like to meet in real life? Probably none 🤭 it would be too embarrassing

27. Do you play any sports? Not really although I can throw DOWN in badminton

28. Would you rather live without IV or music? Am I an idiot?? What does this mean 💀💀

29. Have you ever liked someone/wanted to be their friend, but never told them? 100%

30. What do you say during awkward silences? I never really experience awkward silences. At least they aren’t awkward for me? I just don’t really care about that kind of thing

31. Do you think age matters in relationships/friendships? Definitely but I also think that people on the internet make certain situations out to be worse than they are. For example, a 19/yo and a 17/yo being friends. One is in high school and one isn’t which makes it seem like a huge difference but its not and not everything has to at all be sexual. I think that people tend to think they know everything about someone’s life in situations like these.

32. What are your favorite stores to shop at? Right now I’m on a Cider groove. I love their clothes and they aren’t expensive.

33. What do you want to do after high school? I graduated in 2022 and I hate my life and want to go back.

34. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? No. Certain people don’t at all

35. If you're being extremely quiet, what does it mean? I’m short circuiting

36. Do you smile at strangers? Yes :)

37. Trip to outer space or the bottom of the sea? God, neither. But if I had to choose I’m going with the sea. I hate the idea of flying in a spaceship and I’m afraid of the sky

38. Do you want a roommate? I would love a roommate actually. The more the merrier.

39. What are you paranoid about? That I’m losing my mind

40. What was the meanest thing someone ever said to you? I couldn’t care enough to remember

41. The nicest thing? I wish I could remember but I promise that I care.

42. Have you ever done something that you hope no one finds out about? Yes but no one will

43. What language do you want to learn? German

44. What's your full name? Excuse me?

45. What are your three biggest fears?

1. The open sky 2. Going insane. 3. Seizures

46. What are three things you love? My family is a definite answer but I feel like I haven’t experienced life for long enough to answer the last two.

47. Who's your best friend? I don’t have one

48. How tall are you? 6’4

49. What do you miss? The 10th grade/2019, my friends, my old Apple Music playlists… the list could go on and on forever

50. What time were you born? Early in the morning I think

51. What's your favorite color? Red

52. What's your favorite quote? “The time is coming where you won’t feel like you do now” Woolworm - Indian Summer

53. What's your favorite place? I don’t think I have one yet

54. What's your favorite food? Pasta

55. Do you use sarcasm? I wanted to think of a witty joke to write down but I am incredibly unfunny so you’ll just have to live with a simple no

56. What are you listening to right now? Love Interruption by Jack White

57. What's the first thing you notice about a new person? Their eyes, facial expressions, clothes

58. What's your shoe size? N/A

59. What's your eye color? Brown

60. What's your hair color? Very dark brown

61. What's your favorite style of clothing? I don’t know. I’m weird about putting names to things like that

62. Have you ever played a prank on someone? Probably

63. What's the meaning of your username/URL? I’m Dorian. Dorian sounds strangely close to the word distortion. I think?

64. What's your favorite movie? Parasite always. Two close contenders are Nope and The Talented Mr. Ripley. I like a movie with a dramatic tone shift in the middle.

65. What's your favorite song? I think I’ll always love the song I Quit Girls by Japandroids

66. Your favorite bands? Maybe Million Dead? I wish they recorded more than two albums but I’ll take what I can get. Nirvana of course and The Dear Hunter. The Dear Hunter makes incredible songs. Like, my jaw is on the floor with every new one I listen to and they have so much music to go through. Also I LOVE when albums have a storyline that they follow but The Deer Hunter has a storyline that spans the length of 6 albums I believe. They have 10 full albums in total and they’re still together. God I could talk about that band forever.

67. How are you feeling right now? Maybe afraid? I’m not super in tune

68. Who's someone you love? Everyone in my family. I’m so glad that they are the ones I get to be related to. I love them so much and My old friend from Q3, 7 and 23.

69. How's your relationship with your parents? Great

70. What's your favorite holiday? It tends to change with every holiday that’s up next. Right now of course I’m biased towards Halloween because I’m in the mood and it’s around the corner.

71. Do you have/want any tattoos or piercings? If you want any, what do you want? I have a left side lip piercing, a septum piercing and 5 tattoos (not including the ones I have on my fingers) that I did myself. I think I want more but I would get them done professionally. I really want a Vegvisir tattoo and one that says “cursed be he who moves my body” like the quote on the bracelet in king tut’s tomb yk, the one that’s supposedly cursed so when I die it will stress EVERYONE out lmao

72. What was the last book you read? Crime and Punishment

73. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Boring answer but it really just depends. I’m not very fast though

74. Where are you right now? In my bedroom

75. Do you like loud music or soft music? Both but I listen to louder music usually

[tomorrowsdrama]

I’ve watched 8 episodes of The Legend of Zhuohua and aside from Feng Shao Feng looking really good, the drama is…fine. The otp have nice chemistry but so far in the drama, it’s nothing that makes me go crazy.

Like others have probably already said, the script is quite lacking. It’s not quite fluff but it’s also kind of… simplified political scheming and feminism. I feel like we hear from the characters how difficult it is to be a woman but it’s not really shown. Yeah, they show the male scholars automatically looking down on her because she’s a woman but it’s a very one-dimensional, simplified “you’re a woman so you must suck!” portrayal of misogyny (though I guess some people’s misogynistic views are pretty one-dimensional). Why not show how the women are constrained by the gender roles of the time without hitting us over the head every time that THIS. IS. UNFAIR. TO. WOMEN? Look, I don’t expect all my dramas to be groundbreaking or even overly complex, but this is just lazy writing. What happened to the golden rule of “show, don’t tell”?

It doesn’t help that I was watching this to tide me over between new episodes of My Dearest. Now THAT’S a smart drama that tackles a heavy topic and shows instead of just tells. Because I’m watching them side by side, it makes the shortcomings of The Legend of Zhuohua even more glaring. As they say, comparison is the thief of joy.

Also, I’ve liked Jing Tian in other things but this character feels like a bit of a mismatch. Maybe the character will grow in later episodes but right now, she feels overly young/childish sometimes in a way that i feel doesn’t really match Jing Tian’s image. I don’t think mischievous gremlin girl is quite her vibe. I see it’s adapted from a webnovel and the FL definitely feels like the typical super smart unconventional female character you see in so many webnovels.

All in all, it’s not a bad drama per se, just not for me. I wasn’t expecting anything super heavy, controversial or politically smart (I think those days are long gone), but this feels a bit too safe and sanitized. Again, it’s fine.

[moogmigmagmoog]

An Actual Tried-Gun Stamp’d 3D Animated Sci-fi TV Show Ramble

Ok ok I’ll try to say at least a few more paragraphs about it. Several paragraphs actually. It’s not very insightful or anything, but I’d like to get it out of my system anyways.

(Also yes I’m changing up names to avoid key word searches. Hope it’s not too confusing.)

I’m stating the obvious here, but the animation alone is groundbreaking and carries the entire show from start to finish. I’ve got scenes that live in my head forever now just because they were that cool. Stamp’d’s one of the best looking shows I’ve seen in a long time. The attempts at world building were nice too, and I’m also not that against some of the streamlining they’ve done (like replacing the 5th moon scenario with July). Didn’t hate most of the redesigns either; Bug Fella got the best update, and I grew fine with Red Guy and Tiny Woman’s new looks by the end. The way they have the cities encased in the ships is interesting too. It loses a good chunk of the Wild West charm but I can see what they’re going for at least, and I don’t mind it. But man did this show need double the episodes it got for the story it tried to tell... The Studio tried to cram so much in every episode, and as a result a lot of the major moments felt empty to me; as soon as you try to process what happened it’s time to move on to the next big thing. I finished almost every episode feeling burnt out while at the same time wishing it was 20 minutes longer, just so they could’ve jangled 2 sets of keys at a time in front my face instead of 5 all at once.

It’s the dangers of trying to retell an old story in a new way in such a limited time. You can change up the visuals and setting, but you still need familiar enough plot points to still be y’know, that story. With how little time The Studio was given, it feels like they reached those plot points like they’re checking off a list. A glaring example for me is how Cross Guy and Red Guy never had a chance to pal around for the entire show; but because the Laws of Tried-Gun dictate that these guys are supposed to be close, they have to be close here too (even if we never fully see how or why). Now for some people that’s not an issue. Plenty of viewers are willing to fill in the blanks themselves. And that’s fine... but in this context I’m not one of those people. I know what should be there, and it’s just not there! Let me see these goofballs eat spaghetti and bicker towards one another, please!

Just to save time and your brain cells, I’m not gonna try to go over every single change in the story I had issues with. Not even sure how to go about talking about it... Really the root of my problems come from how these changes were presented, which again, comes from them having no time to flesh anything out properly. (But I’ll be fair to the pacing, I don’t think extra time would’ve made me feel better about GHG and EoM being merged into a secret eugenics agency run by Bald Scientist)

So I dunno...  I feel very conflicted about Stamp. I was frustrated with a good chunk of it, but it was still fun to look at, and in the end I don’t feel like I hate it. It’s why a 6/10 feels right to me; it’s not the worst thing ever, and there’s enough going for it that I see why it’s hooked so many new people into the series, which is something I’m very happy about.Trigun deserves to be appreciated by a wider audience, and if the new show means even an extra 10 people start checking out the older material, then I can’t be mad. I know we’re supposed to get a 2nd season, so maybe now that The Studio knows this isn’t a one-and-done deal, they’ll be able to stretch the story out more comfortably now. I can’t say I’m fully looking forward to it... but I’m in it for the long haul now. I have to know what happens next.