#like realistically it would only make sense if it was nate but also it would be so much funnier if it was *anyone else*

[haledamage]

and Wayhaven asks for Kira: I also want to know 15, 29, and, um, 30, bc I think I know all the rest already xD

15. Would they have reacted to Falk's flirting, if given the opportunity?

in a situation where she wasn't already deep in her feelings about one of our favorite vampires... probably. he is very pretty, if a little intense, and I'm starting to get a sense that she likes men with long hair

but as it stands, no. by the end of book 2, she's already very aware of how she feels, and has probably considered the L-word at least once on all the routes (with various levels of trepidation)

29. If they could have chosen a different profession, what would it be?

I have a half-formed au of Kira as an editor for the newspaper instead of a detective, which I think would suit her really well! it would be a job that would actually use her English degree, and would let her apply both her people skills and her deductive/knowledge skills. plus, it would let her be selectively antisocial instead of being so public-facing like her detective job!

the only downside being... Bobby. so much interacting with Bobby. but hey, at least she might be able to report him for sexual harassment if he keeps calling her "angel"

(the reason it's only a half-formed au is because I haven't figured out how Kira would actually get involved with all the Unit Bravo/Agency stuff. she wouldn't have any reason to cross paths with Murphy, and UB aren't good enough actors to convince Kira that a small town newspaper editor needs a team of four trained secret agents to protect her. the only way it would happen is if outside forces dragged her into it. or if only one team member went in undercover or something 🤔 hmmmm, that has potential)

30. Any funfacts about them you'd like to add?

hmmmm what fun facts do I have about Kira that I haven't already shared...

oh! I really want to give her another tattoo after the events of book 3, or between 3 and 4 depending on if there's any timeskip there. something unique to each romance but not necessarily like a romantic tattoo, if you know what I mean

the idea came to me because one of my favorite tattoo artists had some flash designs that involved crystals and I was like 👀

(not this exact design, but it was along the same line)

and now all I can think is Kira getting a crystal tattoo on Mason's route (probably on her sternum, right about where it would hang if it were on a necklace 👀)

I haven't figured out what she'd get on Nate's or Felix's route yet. they are very difficult to pin a solid idea on, but I'm working on it

I have a few possible thoughts for Adam's route, but I keep coming back to the idea (this is your fault, you put this in my head) of "fear makes us fighters" along the slope between her neck and shoulder, starting just under the scar from Murphy >:3 won't that be a fun thing for Adam to (eventually) find when he (eventually) gets his act together and (eventually) romances Kira the way she deserves

also not really a fact about her, but I'm considering retconning parts of Kira's backstory and making her American 😆 pretty sure that idea came about because I wrote a line in something recently where she mentioned her senior prom and then I had to go down a research rabbit hole to find out if that's even a thing outside the US

plus, once I look past Mishka's Britishness leaking through, Wayhaven does have deep-south-small-town vibes. somewhere near Savannah or Charleston, maybe 🤔

[fangsforiris]

Hii! Thanks for my Jennifers body request❤️ when you have time, can you make them (Sakamaki and Mukami) react to Cassie from Euphoria? Do everything when you can, I can wait ❤️

☄. *. ⋆

Sakamaki's & Mukami's Reaction to Cassie Howard from 'Euphoria'

☄. *. ⋆

☄. *. ⋆

Hi again!! Thank you so much for the ask!! I hope you enjoy how I perceive the diaboys in the scenario. Thank you again and to other stars for your support, it means the world. <33

Word Count: 2159

☄. *. ⋆

Sakamaki’s:

Shuu (Ririe):

☄ Shuu normally doesn't get involved with people by his own will. After all, half of his interactions with individuals thus far has been due to the manipulation of events by others and by chance. 

☄ But as an individual, he wouldn’t see Cassie anymore than just a potential target for blood if he was truly desperate. 

☄ Knowing that women and men attract themselves to him like a magnet, he wouldn’t have to do much if he needed to use Cassie for his own needs. 

☄ Cassie would probably like someone like Shuu, seeing that he’s attractive and carries a layer of nonchalance. 

☄ If he were to find out about her substance addiction, he’d feel some sort of void… it’s as if he understands those feelings of self-loathing far too well?

☄ Considering that he’s probably tried to find the answers at the bottom of the bottle, much to his despair, like Cassie, turned up empty handed. 

☄ Shuu would realistically not care for Cassie, choosing to stay emotionally detached from any drama that can surface from any potential involvement with her. 

☄ The million dollar question: is she his type? Not at all. 

☄ Like most, she serves to be someone who Shuu would only find a use if he was on the brink of it and was in a do or die situation. 

Reiji: 

☄ Reiji would instantly find her pathetic.

☄ Not only for her obvious stupidity, but for her insecurity and need for male validation. 

☄ He wouldn’t get how women succumb to this type of state so easily. However, he’d put two and two together and pin it on daddy issues. 

☄ (As if he doesn’t suffer from mommy, daddy, and older brother issues–)

☄ Reiji’s the type to be quite hypocritical towards anyone’s problems, and if anyone were to call him out for the blatant hypocrisy, he’d shut it down immediately.

☄ However, Reiji might carry out a clinical analysis of her problems with substance misuse and mental health concerns. Considering how he has a large access to drugs and pharmaceuticals. 

☄ Almost like Nate, if need be he’d easily manipulate her using the very substances she takes to remedy her pain. 

☄ Perhaps lace her drink if they were at a party, test out his new drugs, that sort of thing. 

☄ Would he want to get involved, especially knowing that everyone knows of her sex life? Not at all. He’d claim that she wasn’t at all a decent or respectable woman and wouldn’t want that to taint his own reputation. 

Laito:

☄ Laito, having similar taste to Ayato, would go for her. 

☄ 100% by the end of the week he’d have slept with her. 

☄ Most likely would make a bet with Ayato or Kanato to see who gets with her first. 

☄ Laito would assume his usual ‘stalk his prey’ tactics, along with mindlessly flirting with her. 

☄ He’d ask her about her day, make her feel worth the attention she’s receiving, and assure her that she’s more than her body. (In a sense, tell her things he wished others told him. But don’t tell him that, he’d lose it.)

☄ He’s also the one who’s most likely to manipulate her in hopes of getting what he wants. 

☄ He’d instantly be able to tell her vulnerabilities, and considering there’s so many, she’d be easy prey. 

☄ Unfortunate for Cassie, as she would instantly fall to his whims in pursuit of ‘real love’ which is not Laito’s speciality. 

☄ She’d become even more of a wreck after dealing with Laito, emotionally that is. 

☄ Cassie better get ready for either heaven or hell, because with Laito if he doesn’t get his way he’ll either make it the worst experience ever or let you have some fleeting moment of enjoyment. 

Kanato:

☄ After hearing about her reputation amongst the guys and girls at their school, Kanato would already have a set idea of what she’s about. 

☄ That is, not a very good one. (Unfortunatley, just how rumors spread, most likely he’d know about the leaked sex tapes, and thus the torture begins.) 

☄ Perhaps someone, Ayato or Laito, might’ve sent them to him just to prove a point. 

☄ He’d be able to tell just by the bet Laito made that she wasn’t the type of girl he ever wanted to become associated with. 

☄ If he saw her in the halls, he’d feel bad. Mainly because he’d think back to Laito and how he’d feel if it was Laito painted with the same brush Cassie was being painted with currently. 

☄ That’s assuming that Laito doesn’t already have his persona and ‘theme’ already made for him. (Spoiler Alert: He already has that reputation going for him.)

☄ On the slight chance he does interact with Cassie, he’d perhaps treat her to a drink or two, just to be nice, and leave her alone. 

☄ Perhaps even in a fit of annoyance would he scold her for her lack of self-respect and to fix it. 

Ayato:

☄ Ayato would find her hot. Simple as that. We all know his set taste in women, and based on looks alone he’d instantly make a move. 

☄ As in, if they were to pass each other in the halls he’d start his chase. 

☄ He’d definitely harass Cassie for her number. Follow her around, and toy around with her. 

☄ It might at first come off as pushy, making Cassie use a bit of her head to decipher that this isn’t at all what she wants. 

☄ But due to the repeated attention, small groping, and attempts at flirting, Cassie might find herself liking it. She’d feel guilty about it, but after a while she’d find every way to excuse it. 

☄ (This is, unfortunately, how she’ll display her desperation for wanting something that lasts.) 

☄ In terms of the bet with Laito, he’s sure as hell winning. Nothing will stop this man from claiming his oh-so-obvious prize in front of him. 

☄ And to flaunt it in front of his brothers? The motivation and competitiveness seems to have no limits. 

☄ I think Ayato would catch onto her insecurities, and feel bad about his approach thus far. Seeing as he’s the most ‘humane-like’ diaboy out of the entire cast. (Canon fact, stated by Karlheinz himself.)

Subaru:

☄ Subaru wouldn’t like the fact that Cassie constantly waited on men, or lied in waiting. 

☄ Ever since the incident with his mother, resulting in his existence, and the aftermath to cover it, he hates women who would let themselves lose every part of themselves just for a man to potentially look their way. 

☄ Most likely, he’d see his mom in Cassie, specifically in terms of her need to please and wait. 

☄ I guess he’d consider her to be conventionally attractive, but he wouldn’t make a move. 

☄ Someone like Cassie, especially with her current reputation, isn’t his type. He’d rather someone more lowkey so his half-brothers wouldn’t catch on. Or anyone for that matter. 

☄ He wouldn’t necessarily care about her body count, but more so the fact that everyone knows her personal business. 

☄ Subaru is an avid believer of keeping your sex life private. He doesn’t like it when people know what he’s up to, and this can be for anything, but especially this. 

☄ This is probably the only thing he holds more of a modest view of, since he tends to get embarrassed easily. 

☄. *. ⋆

Mukami’s:

Ruki:

☄ Ruki, similar to Reiji, wouldn't have an interest in women with ‘loose morals.’ 

☄ As in, he wouldn’t be interested in knowing that a potential partner of his (assuming if Ruki wanted to pursue Cassie) had their nudes and sex tape leaked for everyone to see. 

☄ He’d use it as an excuse to use her if needed, perhaps if he really needed sustenance for blood. Other than that, I don’t see Ruki interested in Cassie. 

☄ He’d maybe have a few one-liners about her if any of her brothers toyed around with her, possibly judging them. 

☄ But would Ruki pursue Cassie? Not exactly. 

☄ He likes knowing that those within his possession wouldn’t disobey him or do something that makes him look bad, in a sense almost like McKay. 

☄ If he found out that Cassie had a substance abuse problem, he’d let his brothers know about it then leave it at that. 

☄ Ruki wouldn’t go out of his way for someone like Cassie unless it benefited him or it was to lend some aid to his brothers. 

☄ On the off chance these two do interact, he’d be cordial, leaving whatever current events about her that’s currently running wild in the air. 

Kou:

☄ Kou would definitely shoot his shot right at the get go. 

☄ Perhaps do some light watching from a distance/information collecting to see what she’s all about. 

☄ But based on looks alone? Easily a 10. And easily someone he’d want to spend a night or two with. 

☄ However, I doubt he’d be into her insecurity in every single thing she did. Cassie tends to solely do things due to male validation. 

☄ Either Kou would get tired of it, wanting his prey to at least have a mind of their own, or utilize it to his advantage and simply opt for manipulating her. 

☄ He’d 100% guilt trip her like the other men she’s been with. Stating that if he’s putting in so much of his own energy to get to know her, shouldn’t she do the same? 

☄ If he found out about her drug use, he would slightly find sympathy to spare. After all, he out of everyone understands the struggle of substance abuse. 

☄ Coupled with Cassie’s obvious sexual trauma, perhaps he’d see a little bit of him in her. Causing him to take a moment to reflect on his own actions, making him question if going down this route with a human would make him just like his abusers. 

☄ However, what he wouldn’t like about her is her lack of mental strength for ridding herself of the craving for validation. 

☄ Like he gets it but at the same time, you can’t promise salvation to someone who can’t see the promised land being mentioned. 

Yūma:

☄ Yūma wouldn’t find Cassie to be all that appealing. Sure she’s pretty, but what else is there? 

☄ Cassie wouldn’t be an ideal type for someone like Yūma, considering how he too has his own demons to figure out considering he’s an amnesiac. 

☄ Yūma wouldn’t want to go for someone who doesn’t have any loyalties in check. 

☄ This is, assuming he knew about the Cassie and Maddy situation. 

☄ After all, if there’s one thing Yūma is, it’s loyal. He’s loyal to his brothers and consistently has their back. 

☄ He couldn’t ever think of betraying their trust or doing anything to purposely hurt them. He may look the part, but he’s truly caring to those who warrant it.

☄ For Season 1 Cassie, he’d probably shoot his shot. Seeing as she’s less ‘problematic’ then and has less of a bad reputation.

☄ If Yūma found out about Cassie’s childhood via. word of mouth, gossip, whatever the case may be, he’d hold some empathy for her. 

☄ He’d certainly have a one-liner or two about the daddy issues being a major contributor to how she is, but he wouldn’t say anything more— that is unless he’s provoked. Then it’s fair game in his eyes. 

Azusa:

☄ Azusa wouldn’t know what to feel about Cassie.

☄ It’s not like she’s ugly, far from it. It’s just… he doesn’t think he’d see himself within a relationship with her.

☄ Azusa’s ideal type is someone who’s most likely strong, both mentally and maybe physically. Someone who would be able to push him around, but chooses not to. 

☄ Almost like a dom partner, but who’s caring towards him and helps him through his self-harming tendencies. 

☄ Cassie doesn’t seem like that type of person. She, like Azusa, seems like an individual more likely to be manipulated and used for someone else’s benefit. 

☄ Azusa would feel bad about whatever it is she’s going through, especially if they happen to meet in a party setting. But he wouldn’t make any advances towards her.

☄ On the off chance they do interact, and Cassie’s in one of her moments where she feels powerless, thus displaying her ‘crazier than maddy side’ she brags about in the show, he’d most likely ask for her to take out all her frustration on him. 

☄ For most of his interactions, Azusa has that small voice at the back of his head begging to be torn apart. 

☄ It’s self-destructive, but as we know, he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

☄. *. ⋆

I hope you enjoyed this ask!! I'll be working on Shuu's HC's next.

[m0tel6mxzzy]

rue bennett, ginny miller, and lack of nuanced perception in how mental illness in black women works

i think the tragedy of euphoria (if i had to list just one) is partially the fandom’s lack of understanding of rue, leslie, and gia…cultural attitudes in the black community have a lot to do w why leslie acts the way she does. and then race is never mentioned bc sam levinson doesn’t comprehend the nuances of race and mental health in the black community.

he can comprehend addiction, but nothing like the fact rue being a black woman will have her heavily stigmatized by the black community as well as the predominantly white one she lives in as her “proving black stereotypes.”

he can comprehend addiction, but nothing like the fact rue being a black woman will have her heavily stigmatized by the black community as well as the predominantly white one she lives in as her “proving black stereotypes.”

that just hits a lot harder knowing in the beginning of s1, she has zero hope and so it feels very hollow when lexi encourages her sobriety, and again in s2 from jules when she’s going thru withdrawals. she is tired of being the scapegoat by everyone around her, even if they have valid reasons for wanting her to get clean and she is making decisions that harm others. and she feels during the s2 interaction with cassie that she is being pitied, simply cannot take it anymore, and retaliates bc she is just so tired of everyone around her being believed to be innocent and pure when they are not, and her being expected to be even in the throes of addiction and it being perceived as “not her.”

bc in a sense, rue is not her addiction. however, she’s lived with it so long that she is used to it, practically revels in the deviant label her entire schools mocks her with, and thus feels like she cannot leave. jules conflicts with this, because she cares for rue as a friend and romantically but is not going to associate with her if she continues. but even when she is sober, people like nate are shit talking her efforts to stay clean when they simply have no idea what she’s gone through, yet jules is proud of her despite rue finding it hard to stay clean. cassie only does the same as nate because she needs a defense for having gotten with him but not taking accountability for how that hurt maddy, even if she was right rue’s friendship with lexi was incredibly toxic and transactional. the issue here is everyone has valid points abt rue except for nate, but no one is seeing the nuances of her situation. it’s either “she’s good because she’s clean” or “she’s bad because she’s not” and jules seemed to be the only one blurring that line because she’s dealt with addiction in her family before.

leslie kind of reminds me of my mom in that she did help me thru mental issues, but it was a very “deviant” thing to do bc of how in most of black american society, racism is seen as something you need to be “stronger” than and thus stronger than any other obstacle. so realistically, some black ppl in rue’s extended family might actually ridicule her or attribute her addiction to personal flaws or solely her father’s death. rue is an atheist, but also her mother was this religious church girl in her youth and rue is seen in church settings during rehab. there’s a possibility leslie didn’t even tell others abt rue’s hospitalizations or if she did and word got around, she had to fabricate some sort of lie so rue would not be judged for her addiction.

and ppl perceive leslie as “overreacting” as they do gia and that’s very suspicious to me. idk like, as compared to ginny and georgia ginny has severe depression and georgia is like, praised for a lot of the manipulative shit she says to ginny when that’s a huge contribution to her mental issues not being resolved for as long as they were in the first place. i personally think a lot of the g&g fandom missed the point of the show—georgia is not perfect. loving your kids does not mean they don’t get to feel traumatized when you admit to murdering their step father. generational trauma is a thing and you cannot love someone into not acknowledging or feeling their extent of their own.

ginny and georgia somewhat makes that distinction in the therapy sessions by explaining bc georgia is white there is a lot of experiences she cant understand ginny has, so she cant just invalidate them. however the fandom is so corny and anti black that they will compare ginny’s trauma to georgia’s to undermine her. and then praise georgia for doing what she should’ve done as a parent which is support ginny and complain how ginny should be “more grateful to have her.” and say the same abt her father. that truly just paints an insidious lack of compassion for black women dealing w/ mental health issues. bc abby and marcus, dealing with their own, have quite never been given such animosity for having mental issues, they’ve actually been given much more sympathy.

[melien]

Some story stuff

My gf is coming to visit me these days so posts will probably resume a bit later than I thought! But ooohh those will be the good ones.

A bit of a story ramble under the cut, brace yourselves whoever is strong enough for this because I'm so tired right now but I needed to get this out of my system.

I was thinking long and hard about the timeline of the GC story and I feel like it won't be set in the same timeline as Electromagnets after all, because the scene with Harper and Eden made me think a bit about ages (oh, sims ages) and I feel that, realistically, their parents would have them later in life, like no earlier than their late 30s. Maybe I'm just projecting myself and realising how much I don't vibe with the idea of having kids at all, like god forbid I would have them now or even in the next 10 years. And like, Tobias and Lennon are basically an extension of myself and I project me and my gf on them extensively too lol. I've always had this really special connection with them and their generation and I don't want them to just be known in my books as the parents of the youngsters, as much as I love them as well, but rather have them shine on their own as they deserve. I think writing the GC story is actually a big step for me because for a long time I was shying away from it for the fear of doing them wrong, but I'm happy it's finally happening.

And it's not only that, it's also me realising that I want to develop Nate and I want to give him a very specific type of spouse and a side story. This is probably spoilery but I don't mind talking about it because the story won't get there for a long while and it helps put everything that's going on into context, but - in fact, Nate thinks he's bisexual but I feel like eventually he would realise he doesn't like women in general as much as he thought, and has always had stronger feelings for men. He was always supposed to date Felicity for a while when they reconnect as adults (at this point Fel is like 3 years younger than him so a bit too young and he doesn't see her this way) and get her pregnant and have Lydia and Irene with her, then they'd separate. It would happen in their mid 20s. But if it happens in the current version of the story, then Lydia and Irene will have to be around the same age as Eden and Harper as all the cousins are around the same age and it's weird for me to have someone be much younger... and at that age Tobias and Lennon are still in the band, enjoying life and not really thinking about kids... And Nate can't exactly hook up with Fel in his 30s because it doesn't fit into the plans I have with him and his actual spouse anymore. So I think this current GC story will just be the version where things go a little bit differently and Nate still has a brief relationship with Felicity eventually but doesn't get her pregnant and also realises he's not into her or any girls, which is painful for her because she's liked him for her entire life but she accepts.

Don't mind me I'm super super sleepy right now but I hope it makes sense a tiny bit at least. Also some things are subject to change once I approach it with a clear head once again.

So I guess Electromagnets is the kids-centric timeline where things go differently with the previous gen and they somehow have the kids earlier, while the GC story is a bit separate from that so the characters can have more freedom to do whatever the hell they want without the pressure of being supposed to have their kids at a rather early point of their life.

[dexalyys]

curly.... ive got u... multiple different questions to ask... none of which are about lore persay...(kinda- a few of em arent) SOOOO-

realistically... How long is willows hair when he doesnt have it in a braid???🤔 Cuz i be drawing her shit like Rapunzel so im lowkey curious-

2. Does nathan genuinely want willow dead and gone or is he just spouting nonsense and somewhat doesnt actually want him to power herself off🤨⁉️⁉️⁉️

Adding onto 2 ; i also noticed that in nathans link with willow he has like only 1 star marked and since with willow and Cassidy or with Sharkie and Cassidy, those two duos got like zero stars marked in their links, does that mean nate still like.... Somewhat still cares about Will??? In a sense?? Or is that like smth else?🤔

3. ik like selfshipping is allowed and whatnot but what about like.. Shipping within the canon characters???🤨 like for example... Willow x Ashton or like.. Nathan x Theo??(THESE ARE RANDOM I DONT SHIP ANY OF THESE I SWEAR-) like is shipping within the characters okay or is it like only selfshipping thats allowed on the table😭😭😭

4. (this is where my questions get more random.. Me thinks...🥲) between willow and sharkie ; who is more likely to be the more sacrificing of the two?? And plus, in a literal sense, who would be the most likely to sacrifice themselves for the others survival and whatnot???🤔🤔🤔

adding onto that... Who usually comforts the other the most?? Cuz ik pre-reboot, Willow was often shown comforting Sharkie a lot ykwim???😔

5. and finnalllyyyyy- whats ya opinion on like,,, very unlikely duos?? As in like- Willow and Cassidy, Sharkie and Cassidy, Theo and Ashton, or like Vivian and Sharkie???🤔 random question ik but im gen curious bro😭😭😭

genuinely jumped with joy seeing such a long ask

1. when not braided, it reaches to just above her hips! he also has to brush and rebraid it basically every week because his hair is naturally very fluffy and wild (blame liam’s genes) and it does Not stay contained easily.

2. you kinda answered your own question with the addendum! nate is Extremely pissed off that willow didn’t come with him, but he’s only mad about this years later because he still cares about her and because she’s important to him. he is bitter and childish about grudges but his weird obsession with her doesn’t come from nowhere. think jinx and vi but like, reversed ages (<- said by a girl who watched 2 episodes of arcane when season one came out and then never touched it again)

3. yes and yes!! selfshipping is 100% okay, and canon ships are welcome as well so long as they’re legal and respect the characters’ existing identities*! i will note that some relationships have already been developed (have i talked about minnie here yet? no? well she’s sort of implied to be theo’s love interest) but that shouldn’t stop you from having fun!!!

*in which i should remind people that the treacher sisters are both lesbians + sharkie is exclusively gay 🫶

4. sharkie without a doubt, no questions asked. they don’t feel like their life has much value outside of will, so sacrificing themself for him would be a no-brainer. willow is also the one comforting them more, but frankly it’s kinda shallow on her part. sharkie comforts her when she’s freaking out as well but is awkward about it and doesn’t know what to do so in their mind they suck at it and they’re the worst and they’re only making it worse and yadda yadda yadda. bpd thingz

5. ohhh wait i love this question ok hold on .. i’ll be exploring dynamics between the main 4 in the actual comic (so things like cassie & willow/sharkie will get expanded on) but duos like theo & ash or sharkie & viv are curious …… postcanon theo does get to hang out with ashton more but i haven’t actually considered the extent of their interactions much. sharkie would realistically never hold a conversation with viv given the circumstances but i think she’d have an energy that star would vibe with

anyway that’s now what you asked lol tldr i Love unlikely duos!!! i like exploring all sorts of character dynamics and sticking to Just canon on the basis of ‘anything else just wouldn’t happen’ is boring and lame

[richardsphere]

Leverage Log:The Toy Job

And now for the series original run's second-to-last episode. Title-based prediction: Corporate Mandated Christmas special and/or beanie baby speculative market based episode. --- Amateur thief tries to steal from a research department. (company name seems to be poggio, which, im fairly certain based on the shows original runyears is a reference to the OG POG's. Not the later return of POG as a slang term.)

Christmas tree in the brewpub cause it is the christmas episode. Toy is a choking hazard, cant be allowed to get on the market.

mark is a former armsdealer (also his name is "hazlit" which I think is meant to be a sound-alike to HAS-bro). This means he knows how to set up competent security. The raports are on a drive thast in a safe in a double-walled room, and its a safe good enough that Parker says drill it rather then going for a finger-feel. (we need a distraction, and we need it loud enough to overcrowd the sound of a drill)

--- they're arguing christmas gift protocols. (must be hard deciding a reasonable limit when you're all billionaires). Sophie suggests limiting the spending budget, and Nate negotiates her down to $50 per person. (which probably means, per person per gift, everyone gifting everyone 1 gift. So $200 total) which would be more likely to work if you werent all thieves. Like we all understand the punchline here... None of you are gonna spend a cent on each others gifts.(and im shocked as hell that Hardison spent money on that motorcycle for Parker.) --- He forged the paperwork, but its nice to see an episode where we acknowledge that most of the times (off screen) their jobs end up with a simple "Parker gets in, gets out and the billionare cries in prison". Its kind of like the Anthropic principle. "the only realities humans can observe are those whose fundamental principles allow for observation by humans" also known in media as "Johny bravo gets laid all the time, those stories just dont make good episodes". But its always nice to have a show allude to the "boring" adventures that are its shows day-to-day. --- "we're gonna steal christmass" boo Chaos already pulled that line in season 3! --- Nate does not like the "whirly-glee-glee" as a name. And we're about to steal toys from children in underdeveloped countries.

Parker sees the whirly box, and a box labeled "Baby Joy Rage" and makes an executive decision. (i think she's right, kids need a toy with at least some edge or personality to get truly hyped about)

--- Sophie's on the radar, Hardison did some stats on neighbourhoods that have historic trend-setter influencer potential. Elliot is giving the dolls away for free (ultimate move in loss-leader strategies) Sophie puts it in the bag of a child-star, Hardison does a paparazzi photo, and I absolutely hate how simple yet plausible this entire endeavour is. --- Sophie's actors are being brought in to call-center mode. (I like Zachary) Cant con a 6 year old, but you can con the parents. (love the little joke about "get on the mommies")

Nate hates "baby feels a lot" more then he ever hated Whirly-glee-glee. He's also the episodes obligatory "christmas sceptic".

Hardison sees a picture of a bloggermom and is suddenly a lot more interested in operation "get on the moms". Like Elliot suddenly has a Sophie level of depth for his con-character prepared.

Dead mom, single father, slighlty outdated sense of childrens gender identity but clearly demonstrated potential for growth. Man Elliots Dad-sona is just putting on the schmaltz. --- Elliot trying to keep Hardisons stories realistic, Nate stuck between the two. Back to Sophie and this Gil is signing this deal memo without looking at it. He's too busy socialising to actually watch what he's signing. Around Sophie you might as welll be signing your own death-warrant. --- Oh most of the data is in online pre-sales nowadays? Reservations on the internet, that a hacker with a botnet could rig? Like taking candy from a baby. --- Sophie makes VP at Poggio Parker gloating about her executive decision. Fake a gas-warning to clear out the factory for Nate --- Nate putting a final stretch on the sale of the trojan horse make the mark feel FOMO. Sophie is absolutely repulsed by this man (unfortunately he does not feel mutual) --- Oh the mark has counterplayed them by making a knock-off product. Well this guy just went full on Narcissus --- Oh, thats funny. Not only does this Gil guy who owns the shelves not watch what he's signing, Look who also doesnt pay attention to that stuff. --- Client gets a new job, Nate owns a boat? (i mean its not a shock that he owns a boat, its not out of character just dont think it was ever properly established, i've never seen him on a boat and the only time he was near a boat was saying goodbye to his father in the Three Card Monte job).

Introducing the character who's spent the last season ominously leering at retirement as a boat-owner in the second to last episode feels like maybe he wont die, in that it introduces a prospect of retirement as a thing he's thought about. But also it introduces "one day to retirement" as well so i dont actually know if his survival chances went up or down just now. But the reminder of Sam's sickness itself (a sickness that is still ominously vague, nameless and nebulous) in the second-to-last episode... I know i was wrong when i said it seasons ago, but is Nate dying? Also peaking at the name of the next episode... (long goodbye), yeah thats ominous. Im gonna say, next episode features a health scare, Him and Sophie retire for his health and he passes the torch. (to the 3 collectively in general, Parker in specific) and I think he will die between series and sequel but not in the finale itself. His death between the series and sequel puts Sophie back in the game, which then opens up space for the "lawyer" to slot into the sequel series without bloating the cast to a rather unwieldy 6. --- Good episode and unintrusive as holiday specials are concerned.

[marjaystuff]

Hunting Colton’s Witness

The Coltons of Owl Creek Book 8

Anna J. Stewart

August 20th, 2024

Hunting Colton’s Witness by Ann J. Stewart is part of a series where each book has different stories written by different authors. In this book, the heroine Vivian Maylor, becomes Detective Nate Colton’s key witness. He is attracted to her from the get-go. His determination to keep their relationship purely professional falls apart after an attempt on her life almost succeeds. With help from his newfound Colton family, Nate is hoping to keep Vivian safe. But when he finds out Vivian might have a connection to a bigger case, the attempts on her life become more frequent. The intensity ratches up with both the mystery and with their relationship.

Elise Cooper: Regarding Hunting Colton’s Witness how did you get the idea for the story?

Anna J. Stewart: The idea came from Harlequin. As this is part of the ongoing Colton series for the Romantic Suspense line, they come up with the stories and characters, send me a synopsis/outline of it and then I put my twist, voice, and words to it. One of the reasons I love writing for this series is that I never know what kind of characters I’ll get or the type of story. It’s a nice surprise and a great way to shake up my storytelling abilities.

EC: Is this the last Colton book in the series?

AJS: Oh, no. There are 12 in this series all together, and I’m book 8. They each stand alone, but they each also carry through various threads regarding an over-arching plot or family element. So, there will be 4 more after mine (and 7 before, I think. (If my math is correct, LOL). I don’t imagine Harlequin will end the Colton’s any time soon. The fans of these books are numerous and devoted!

EC: How would you describe Vivian?

AJS: She’s a loner and very nervous. Being outside her comfort zone, which happens to be her home, is not her happy place. She does have a surprising sense of humor, but I think that’s more my influence, LOL. She’s learning how to cope better, I think, and pushing herself to take chances, which is how she ends up on a blind date in the first place. But of course, that doesn’t go well, and she ends up in an unexpected and rather dangerous adventure. She ended up growing a lot during her story and proving to herself she can handle a lot more than she ever thought she could. 

EC:  How did her parent’s death in a car accident affect her?

AJS: I think that one event changed the trajectory of her life. Trauma like that tends to affect everything that comes after. It’s why she doesn’t like to drive, and only does it when she must. She’s not fatalistic per say, but she’s also one who tends to worry the worst is going to happen. Her journey is to accept that the worse can happen and everything will still turn out okay. So, while that one event impacted her life, by the end of the book, she’s come through something in a way that removes that dread she’s carried with her since the accident. 

EC: How would you describe Nate?

AJS: Protective, practical, realist, over achiever, and charming. First, I think it’s inherent in all the Colton heroes and secondly, as a cop, good cops at least, have that level of compassion that makes them good at their jobs. At least the cops I write about. I’m not sure he’d consider himself charming, which by default means he is. He’s good at what he does and there’s a confidence that comes with that self-assuredness that is incredibly appealing. The protective instinct he carries comes from his background with a complicated family dynamic, so I think in a lot of ways it goes into overdrive where Vivian is concerned. It’s literally one of those things where the instant he sees her, he knows life isn’t going to be the same. Those are the most fun stories to write. 

EC: How would you describe the relationship between them?

AJS: Respectful. I think that’s at the heart of their relationship. She’s not typical of the heroines I tend to write. She’s less confident and more insular and isolated by choice. But Nate never tries to change her. He accepts her as she is without question. That’s incredibly powerful and a good sign for a successful relationship. From Vivian’s point of view, I think Nate destroys all her misconceptions about relationships. He teaches her that it’s okay to put your heart on the line, even if you think it might get broken in the end. He makes her stronger and she makes him happy.

EC: How would you describe Nate’s sister Lizzy?

AJS: I think Lizzy is still coming off the trauma of what happened to her (read Deborah Fletcher Mello’s Colton’s Secret Hideout for Lizzy’s story). She’s stressed and anxious and probably dealing with PTSD, but all of that is tempered by her found relationship with Ajay. In some ways I think she becomes overprotective of Vivian because of that, but she’s also happy that Nate and Vivian have found each other however the circumstances unfolded. Like all the Coltons, Lizzy is all about family first, which is another reason I love writing these books. 

EC:  How has her trauma affected her?

AJS: As I stated above, I think it’s made Lizzy more aware of how people’s lives are affected by trauma and isolation. She’s always been outgoing and trying to push Vivian out of her comfort zone and I think that’s been part of her healing. Being able to focus on Vivian allows her some emotional distance from her own recent experiences. But it also makes her more sensitive and more protective. It’s a bit of a test for Lizzy, I think, to see her brother, who she’s only just recently learned about, fall for her best friend in Vivian so I think it brings her and Nate closer, too. 

EC: What do you want readers to know about the Colton family?

AJS: First, don’t be overwhelmed by the number of books in the Colton series. Each year has its own dedicated series, sometimes it’s 12 books, sometimes it’s 6. But they’re fun reads when taken in chunks. Personally, I love interconnected stories where we see returning characters, can catch up with them, and see them after their HEAs, but also are introduced to characters who will get theirs in the future. They are meticulously plotted out and edited and at times the authors work with one another to make sure we’re getting all the details right about the crossover characters. If readers want an exciting group of stories that pull them from one book into another, then definitely check out The Coltons.

EC:  Next book(s)?

AJS: In January, the second book in my new McKenna Code series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense will be published. My other recent release is A Cowgirl on His Doorstep, which is my contribution to the ongoing Blackwell series for Harlequin Heartwarming. And then the fourth book in my Hawaiian Reunions series, Heartwarming again, A Christmas Island Romance, will be out on Christmas Eve! This one is a friend to more than friends romance that was just a delight to write. Christmas in Hawaii; There’s nothing better than that!

THANK YOU!!

[nocturnalazure]

Evolution of the storyline

This is following @danjaley's post about all the turns her story has taken throughout the years and her enquiry about my own process in the comments. More under the cut because long.

I haven't got any blurbs of potential dialogues to share simply because I don't write anything beforehand. My writing is mostly improvised.

I have never planned anything until the Sam/Ash-to-the-future storyline (that takes us back to somewhere around 2017, phew). I have a vague idea of where I want to go and sometimes adjust during shooting or writing. Since I don't plan, the canon story becomes the only story and all the other options I may think of are quickly forgotten. That's still the way I roll most of the time BUT...

When I sent Ash and Sam 250 years into the future, it became clear that I didn't want it to be any future. I wanted to see the future generations of all my Sims. But that of course requires a huge amount of planning. I've always enjoyed pairing up characters so my favorite part of planning was deciding which couples would be best together, who would have kids, etc. At the second generation, it became a bit random simply because I was working with names in a timeline and not characters I had the time to get attached to. But I scrupulously recorded all the generations. See below: I used that Excel timeline it to keep track of how many generations I needed to get to Sam & Ash's timeline (the dark red line at the end) and how old everyone would be (so that I don't end up pairing up a YA with a toddler, ya see?). The various life stages are the pastel cells. I won't tell you what the other color codes are.

Then I went in game and impregnated the hell out of my Sims. I just made quick genetic templates so to speak. You want a sneak peek at some of these hastily created Sims? Go here.

You may be horrified to know that at some point (a long time ago), I had considered pairing up Hugo with Annabelle. Or Jessie with Cordelia. I know. I'm sorry. Youthful mistake. We're definitely not going there.

Julian and Risa were also supposed to have a second child called Dorian. I think I just wanted my Sims to pop babies all the time.

What about Nate, Ivy and Seth? I can't remember exactly when I decided to kill them off (the most difficult decision I've ever made), but it definitely wasn't a key element from the start. Like so many plot events, it just... suddenly made sense and I knew I had to go down that path.

So like I said, I need a specific future. But having many Sims popping babies all over the place didn't seem manageable (or realistic). So I kind of implemented a sort of one-child policy (two at most) and removed some potential kids from the generation lines. That's when the Golzine line was set. I know exactly who will be heir 250 years in the future, and who their parents are.

What am I going to do with all those other Sims over multiple generations that I have basically fated to each other? I have no clue yet. I thought I'd figure it out as I went along... you know, as I usually do!

Big haha. Joke's on me.

Because obviously, here we are, 7 years and a big mess later. That future storyline has me backed into a corner. Characters have evolved and some couples just don't make sense anymore. Now I remember why I hate planning when it relates to my creativity. It's so limiting! Obviously, I can't explain in details without spoiling but I'm on really shaky ground. That's why it's taking me so long to get back to Sam & Ash. All I can safely say, because you all know that by now, is that Laurie and Erik were not supposed to fall for each other! I had initially planned Erik to marry Cordelia, then rather quickly changed my mind because it had suddenly dawned on me that he would be so good with Gloria. That was already a problem, but at least it was easily fixable. My two doofuses pining after each other was not part of the plan AT ALL.

How did that happen? Well, mostly because I completely misunderstood Laurie's personality. I've realized it quite early on while writing him, but I may have underestimated the extent of his influence over the plot. The Golzine storyline is the one I had to work on in the most detailed way because they have quite a big impact on pretty much everything. I know who Laurie's heir will be, and the heir after that, and the heir after that. In order to get there, things have to happen a certain way. Some characters have to be born, ya know? And things would happen because of previous events. Laurie is a wrench into all of my future plans.

He was supposed to be some sort of casanova and to have an enemies-to-lovers relationship with Anh Wong. He was self-assured, flirty and a bit entitled. In other words, he was Noah's successor and his relationship with Anh was always meant to be a chaotic one (she's the one who would send him to jail), even when Laurie was with other women. Note I said "women". I hadn't considered that he could be bisexual. His relationship with Erik was strictly that of a close friendship. I was quite hyped about Laurie and Anh getting together and the (friendly) dynamics between him and Erik as his right-hand man. Although I never do that, I had even written down some lines of dialogues. I won't share those though, because it is all cringy banter and not much substance. But I kept the gist of my initial plan: Shu trying to protect her sister from getting her heart broken, Laurie and Anh's little dance and her mistrust of him, Erik the guard dog... Then I threw in the mob council last minute (initially, its only role was to legitimate Laurie as the Golzine heir), but characters like Jie, Romeo and Omar turned out to be a lot less minor than I'd thought and the entire Laurie arc has spun out in a ludicrous way. When I started it in 2020, I never thought I'd still be working on it in 2024.

...I don't regret anything. *sniff*

After all, I always meant for Anh to let her hair down at some point.

I was so sure that I knew Laurie, that I had his character and motives well under control. I don't even know how he did it but he took over his own story. Even now, he's pulling his own strings, I guarantee you. I believe that this is why the latest update (that I had been looking forward to writing for literal years) took so long: slowly but surely, Laurie is redirecting me. Nothing in that update happened exactly the way I had planned.

I'm convinced that the guy is the key to everything but how exactly? I guess he'll let me know last minute.

This story is a moving target, for real. I'll tell you what. Ask me again in 2034. By then, the plot will maybe have moved forward a little and I will be able to tell you how what I was planning a decade earlier actually didn't work out and we'll have a good laugh about it.

(Actually, once we're a bit further along on the current storyline, maybe I will be able to share more on what was supposed to happen - patience!)

[phoenix-onfire]

OMG, thank you so much for the Felix scene!! Comparing the two, now it feels so much more clear that Nate was using his abilities! I just got unsure because I didn't really find anyone mentioning this scene for Nate and I was so excited when he showed up at the auction the way he did... I was afraid I was just overthinking😅

Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I was thinking about his power too, that the massacre was caused by him on the ship! He was feeling endless rage against the Admiral and whoever else hurt his brother and most likely also bloodlust as he was just turned...so whatever he felt was pouring out of him and making everyone on the ship tear each other apart. It just fits.

And with the little pieces of backstory we got, I've been wondering if the Admiral was like the Trappers and that's why Nate says he had experience with that type of people, someone who made a deal with the supernatural (i.e. the pirates, who are vampires - or at least one of them is, Nate's sire, not sure about the rest) to supply them with "food" for riches...

I just always found it interesting how Falk still judged him not guilty, even though his judgement works on the basis of whether or not the individual feels guilty. And Nate clearly does. So my theory is either that he was found not guilty because it happened after he turned and he was not in control of his abilities (maybe he is not even completely himself in that state?) or because the people that were killed were all deserving of the death. But I doubt this second option, because the fact that literally everyone on the ship died, it wouldn't be too realistic to think that not one person was innocent. Anyway, enough of my ramblinga :D

I will say though that I think the first instance where it seems like Nate is capable of transfering his emotions to the person he controls (and most likely not intentionally) happens already in book 1. Because every vampire manages to calm Kate down when they are questioning her. But when Nate does it...she doesn't just calm down and continues to reply meekly. There's a clear change in her behaviour and she reacts with a vehemence that I always thought was actually how Nate was feeling, pouring out onto Kate:

And the fact he can control emotions and probably even unwillingly make people's emotions boil over makes perfect sense. (I really liked how @agentnatesewell called it "emotional touch transfer", it just seems to be such a fitting description!) It also would explain why Nate is the only one Rebecca warns not to hurt MC. I remember how surprised I was by that, when we also have Mason...

And why in book 3 during their talk with MC after the blood drive he says he would "never want to hurt" MC, instead of confidently saying he would never hurt them... And why he is so shocked but also grateful during Verda's dinner, if you say you trust him a 100% and know he would never hurt you.

Nate is clearly extremely powerful and with MCs blood, this could turn into unimaginable levels:

Oh I'm just so excited to finally be able to talk about this and putting the pieces together!

So thank you again for your excellent input ☺️

This scene has been living in my head rent-free, it was such a powerful moment! "I will give you everything I own and more. I would give you my life."🥺

I haven't played the other RO routes yet, so I've been wondering, how does it go for them? Are they all using their unique abilities to get through the crowd? Or does it go similarly?

Because this scene made me think we finally got a glimpse at Nate's tier X abilities. I highlighted some parts: the crowd parting without noticing, placing his hand on the supernatural's shoulder, his tone like molten gold and looking pale afterwards...

...And now I'm back to thinking about the whole Queen's Sabre massacre and how Nate is clearly feeling guilty about his past, yet he was judged as not guilty by Falk. Ugh, how I wish we found out more about his past! I do have my theories but I so want to hear it from him, especially since it's clear how much this is eating him up... He's so afraid to open up to MC!

In any case, I loved seeing Nate's other side in this book! (And I don't mean his horny side now, even though that was a treat too😏) He has always been as careful as possible when fighting their enemies but in book 3, there are plenty of instances where he loses his control because MC is in danger. It's clear how much he's been holding back.

The first time I read the auction scene, I got goosebumps when he showed up, seeing him in such power and control!🔥 And I have a feeling this is still far from his full abilities...

Either way, I would love to hear your thoughts and any inputs about how Adam/Mason/Felix scene looks like!

[anonil88]

Reposting this because, I was right.

This was written the summer before season 2 aired.

Gonna talk about my lowering expectations and my wariness or worries for Season 2 of Euphoria.

These are just my personal opinions and speculations. This is long oops, buckle in.

This season is about to be so dark and a bit more gritty, less pretty effects but still great visuals and edits. I look forward to that I just hope it doesn't turn off too many fans. I saw a lot of people did not enjoy the specials for their lack of glitter and their blunt honesty. The dialogue is needed especially because not only Rules but all of these teens have terrible communication skills. The specials were honestly amazing and a great step into this more realistic aspects of a very complicated love story. I hope we can continue this line of realism and more perspectives or at least Rue talking about other characters perspectives. I would actually love to see Leslie, her mom, and things from her side of the story.

We all know it will be dark but my fear is that its going to be a trauma dump with poor writing, and no room for breathe. I know Sam has about like 5 different projects going on so I hope he took or takes his time with this script. But, after Malcom and Marie I'm a bit worried because he is going to have to go into uncharted new territory. Especially with these newer characters, I know HBO/A24 euphoria casting is looking for a stripper or two which has me a bit shook. I wonder how far they are going to push this show in the limits of wild but realistic teenage years. Personally even at 25 have never been to a strip club but I do know people who started stripping/dancing at 18. Either during our senior year of highschool or their freshman year of college. Sam being a cis white man is going to have to do his research and talk to people in order to not write a character like that in a damaging light. Which I hope doesn't happen because I'm pro adult dancer with transparency about that industry and others like it. Someone does need to spell out realistic consequences of joining in those industries at a young adult age, but it needs to be done correctly. I don't know if Sam will be the right person for that but only time will tell.

I have the same worries with the introduction of more poc cast and specifically black characters. Again time will tell and I cannot judge something entirely that I have not read or seen.

In general with Sam's writing i hope that any input that the cast has with their characters and the storylines is taken into consideration. I know this was done with the bridge episodes and season 1 but, sometimes studios can loom over talent when something is so successful. With all the awards, acclaim, and criticism I hope that peoples voices are still being heard and listened to. It would be a disservice to HBO to force expectations that could hurt the shows quality. *glares in last season of game of thrones*

While I'd love for this season to focus on anyone other than Jason Bateman Jr. the show is a drama and eventually Nathan will have to surface at some point. Rmfe.

I think there definitely need to be something where the on hand psychology liaison works out a plan for dismantling the Nate is just a fixer upper thing going on. I'm usually fine and let people ship what they ship but seeing so many abuse apologist sends off alarms in my mind. I realize it has partially to do with Jacob being attractive, which is also a great point the show is making pretty people can be bad too. But, it makes sense why this show is not geared for kids/young teens because the point just flew over theirs and even a lot of adults heads. I can only think that he will not be written as a complete villain because truth be told he is not entirely evil. He is a scared little boy in a grown man's body who needs therapy and real weighted consequences. He might not get either of those things and we just see him go off into the world, that is scary but real.

I'm aware that all of these characters could and likely will make turns for the worst. All teenagers and adults make mistakes, sometimes damaging ones. But, since some of these characters are trying to get into college I think that needs to be taken into account with their stories. Unless Nate doesn't plan on going to college it is unrealistic for him to be acting a whole fool the entire season. So I hope we don't get a over the top Joker character because senior year you kind of don't have time to fuck your senior year up unless you actively try to. At least in my experience. Also for the love of Jesus I don't want him and Jules to be anything. Even if he has feelings I need it to be plainly written out that its twisted and one sided because he is emotionally manipulating both her and Maddy.

Our time with certain characters is either running out this upcoming season or will fade. I know McKay might not come back or will be a background character. I actually think that is smart so the story isn't bogged down with irrelevant characters but, i hope the storyline and Rue or Nate's story doesn't suffer because of this. With the introduction of new characters the focus could go anywhere with this new season.

Maddy has the tape and her limbo of a breakup with Nate to worry about. If she uses it against Jules in favor of Nate, imma have to hope karma bites her in the ass.

Kat has her stalker and I'm terrified where they will go with her storylinr. I hope the writer does show the more negative aspects of camming, as well as, the effects it can/would have on a minor doing that. Because in the moment it is fun....and then you find yourself conscious of the decision you've made and with whom. The very serious legal ramifications that exist as well should you get caught. But, i really don't want them to girlboss Kat for being an underage person making money that way without any scope of what she's getting into. That would be so so harmful. But, I don't want her story to become one giant p.s.a for the dangers of XYZ work.

I believe in a Jules Vaughn supremacy and I want to protect her from that evil boy and his father. Am so so looking forward to new Jules' makeup and fashion looks that reflect the characters rejection of doing things for male validation . I do love her even though her and Rue's communication issues drive me up a wall. She should have just been like Rue, I like you a lot so can we sit down and talk about this but she didn't and now they are both out there crying into a pillow asking why doesn't she like me. I do get that they are 16/17 and I too at 17 most definitely wasn't equipped to communicate that well either. Hunter is doing a phenomenal job and I see a long career in her future.

Oh Rue, I think he is handling Rue's story well, but as always they can handle certain things differently. I.E even though I didn't see it as romantization I know some people did see the scene with her yelling at Fez and her OD as being too cheery. Rue in the special episode makes you angry and I actually would love more of that. I want to be upset at this character that I love and relate to so much, because a lot of her choices are frustating. Even the ones she makes that aren't revolving around her addiction which is honestly the only thing her life really revolves around. I wonder what else Rue enjoys or will find joy in besides drugs, Jules, and hanging out with her mom. She desperately needs to find a better outlet and hoping we get to join her on the journey to finding that..

Since we see everyone's perspective from her eyes it will be nice to see how her lack of sobriety affects those around her. Especially the baddest most down friends someone could have, Lexi and Fezco.

Lexi and Fez's episodes are gonna be so good, but God i know they are going to be vastly different because of the lives they lead. Fez' will get very sad or upsetting and Lexi' is going to bleed out of Cassie and Rue's storylines. These two are the closest to Rue who dealt with her addiction before rehab and before we met Rue. If Rue is this bad when she has no reason to keep living, imagine how she was directly after her dad passed away. Which because she is unreliable she never talks about and we only see glimpses of when she isn't narrating. So it will be really interesting to get a deep dive for both of these characters.

Fezco is the only man I really care about in this show. Um, Ethan is okay but I don't think he needs an episode. I'd rather get an episode on Fez and his little brother/cousin.

I would also like no love more of detective Lexi because that was too fun. Also Lexi is every person who has a bestfriend who gets into a relationship and they gush about that person in front of you for a little too long.

I'm kind of worried for Cassie honestly because she has come out of the wanting to date to feel loved phase, but will she focus on herself? Will she focus on school or skating? Will we even get to see more of her character or will she fade into the background a bit more and her story goes stale? I don't know i just hope that if there are any scenes like last season that its done in a "tasteful" way. She shouldn't be the show or productions golden ticket or free pass to be used as an object or trophy. McKay already did that and she deserves better. After my many rewatches of season 1 I'm still a bit unsettled by some of those scenes with her. I get she's supposed to be looked at from that lens of owning her sexuality while dealing with the male gaze, but at times its like jeez yall are really had to go there. Maybe its because i don't or try not to look at women with misogyny as a backlight, BOO DANIEL BOOO. The carousel scene is probably one of the most uncomfortable 5 minutes I've ever experienced watching TV. I just hope that behind the scenes and in table reading discussions are being had with Sydney' and any other actors to respect their comfort levels.

It is funny that out of the HBO shows with nudity that this is the one with the least femme presenting nakedness. I'm not weirded out by nudity but even for me seeing all them elephant trunks had me like O.O. It is nice to see that all bodies are being normalized and specifically that its not just "lets sexualize femme bodies" for views. Instead it subverts the norm while also reinforcing that bodies can be shown without any other intent than that bodies exist in many forms. A couple newer HBO and HBO max original shows are also following in Euphoria's lead with this, but there are still some HBO shows that I'm like so "you can show topless women back to back but the men are covered up and "modest". "

Ugh I hope the Game of Thrones spinoff has learned from its past, but that's me trying to be nice instead of saying I'm not interested after that finale season.

After this season we likely only have one more season, 3 Season model has taken over and honestly it makes sense to only go to 4 seasons max with this show. S1 and 2 for junior year, S3/maybe 4 for senior year. A season for each semester. Also if im remembering correctly Sam said he got clean after highschool or around that senior year to college years. And since Rue in a lot of ways is based off of him that timing makes sense. So I hope for a season 2 that is more reflective of the bridge episodes that gets us to season 3. And, I hope for this upcoming season even with the criticism that will come that its handled and executed beautifully. Glitter, messiness, and realistic sadness in all.

That's all I've got to say for now.

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 2x11 thoughts

For an episode that ends with a journalist Ted trusts but has (understandably) recently lied to warning Ted that he’s publishing an article about his panic attacks, it was fitting that this episode seemed entirely about what all of these characters choose to tell each other. And after most of a season of television that Jason Sudeikis has described as the season in which the characters go into their little caves to deal with things on their own, it turns out they are finally able to tell each other quite a lot.

Which is good because, um, wow, a lot is going to happen in the season finale of this show!

Thoughts on the things people tell each other behind the cut!

Roy and Keeley. I absolutely loved the moment during their photoshoot in which they bring up a lot of complicated emotional things and are clearly gutted (“gutted”? Who am I? A GBBO contestant who forgot to turn the oven on?) by what they’ve heard. We already know that Keeley and Roy are great at the kinds of moments they have before the shoot begins, in which Roy builds Keeley up and tells her she’s fucking amazing. From nearly the beginning of their relationship, they’ve supported each other and been each other’s biggest fans. But their relationship has gone on long enough that they’ve progressed from tentative arguments about space and individual needs into really needing to figure out what they mean to each other and how big their feelings are and what that means in relation to everything else. Watching these two confess about the uncomfortable kiss with Nate, the unexpectedly long conversation with Phoebe’s teacher, and—most painfully—the revelation that Jamie still loves Keeley didn’t feel like watching two people who are about to break up. (Although I could see them potentially needing space from each other to get clarity.) It felt like watching two people realize just how much they’d lose if they lost each other, which is an understandably scary feeling even—or especially—when you’re deeply in love but not entirely sure what the future holds. Not entirely sure what you’re capable of when you’ve never felt serious about someone in quite this way, and are realizing you have to take intentional actions to choose that relationship every single day. I’m excited to learn whether Roy and Keeley decide they need to solidify their relationship more (not necessarily an engagement, but maybe moving in together or making sure they’re both comfortable referring to the other as partner and telling people they’re in a committed relationship) or if things go in a different direction for a while.

Sharon and Ted. I’ve had this feeling of “Wow, Ted is going to feel so intense about how honest he’s been with Sharon and is going to end up getting really attached and transfer a lot of emotions onto the connection they have and that is stressful no matter how beneficial it has been for him to finally get therapy!” for a while now. And Sharon’s departure really brought that out and it was indeed stressful. But the amount of growth that’s happened for both of these characters is really stunningly and beautifully conveyed in this episode. Ted is genuinely angry she left without saying goodbye, and he doesn’t bury it some place deep inside him where it will fester for the next thirty years. He expresses his anger. (I also noticed he sweared—mildly—in front of her again, which is really a big tell for how much he has let his carefully-constructed persona relax around her.) He reads her letter even though he said he wasn’t going to, and he’s moved. I don’t think Ted has the words for his connection to Sharon beyond “we had a breakthrough,” but Sharon gets it, and is able to firmly assert a professional boundary by articulating her side of that breakthrough as an experience that has made her a better therapist. And is still able to offer Ted a different kind of closure by suggesting they go out before her train leaves. No matter how you feel about a patient/football manager seeing their therapist/team psychologist colleague socially, I appreciated this story because IMO it didn’t cross big lines but instead was about one final moment in this arc in which both Ted and Sharon saw each other clearly and modeled what it is to give someone what they need and to expect honesty and communication from them. I liked that Ted ends up being the one saying goodbye. (The mustache in the exclamation points!) I like that whether or not Sharon returns in any capacity (Sarah Niles is so wonderful that I hope she does, but I’m not sure), the goodbye these characters forge for themselves here is neither abandonment nor a new, more complicated invitation. It’s the end of a meaningful era, and although the work of healing is the work of a lifetime, it’s very beautiful to have this milestone.

Ted and Rebecca. So, maybe it’s just me, but it kinda feels like these two have a few li’l life things to catch up on?! (HAHHHHHaSdafgsdasdf!) I really adored their interactions in this episode. I maintain that Biscuits With The Boss has been happening this whole time (even when Ted’s apartment was in shambles, there’s biscuit evidence, and I feel like we’ve been seeing the biscuit boxes in Rebecca’s office pretty regularly too), even if it might have been more of a drive-by biscuit drop-off/feelings avoidance ritual. It was really lovely to see Ted on more even footing in Rebecca’s office, joking around until she tells him to shut up, just like the old days. And GOSH—for their 1x9 interaction in Ted’s office to be paralleled in this episode and for Ted to explicitly make note of the parallel in a way Rebecca hears and sees and understands?! MY HEART. In both of Rebecca’s confessions, she is not bringing good news but it is good and meaningful that she chooses to share with Ted. In both situations, Ted takes the moment in stride and offers acceptance equivalent to the gravity of what she has to confess. And in both situations, he’s not some kind of otherworldly saint, able to accept Rebecca no matter what because he’s unaffected by what she shares. He is affected. When he tells her about Sam, you can see a variety of emotions on his face. Rebecca is upset and Ted is calm, and even if I might have liked for him to try to talk about the risk the affair poses to the power dynamics on the team or any number of factors, I also really liked that he just accepts where she is, and—most importantly—does not offer her advice beyond examining herself and taking her own advice. A massive part of being in a relationship with another person (a close relationship of any nature) is figuring out how to support that person without necessarily having to be happy about every single thing they do. It’s so important that Ted connects what she’s just told him about Sam back to what she told him last season about her plot with the club. These both feel like truth bombs to him, and he is at least safe enough to make that clear. These are both things that impact him, things that shape how he sees her and maybe even how he sees himself. He cares about her and is capable of taking in this information; he has room for it. But it’s not something he takes lightly, and neither does she. See you next year.

Tumblr user chainofclovers and the TV show Ted Lasso. My brain is going wild thinking about all the ways the next “truth bomb” conversation could go in 3x11 or whatever. Maybe they go full consistent parallel and Rebecca confesses something else, this time about her and Ted or some other big future thing that impacts him as much or more as the other confessions have. (The same but different.) Maybe the tables turn and Ted has something to confess to her. While the 1x9 conversation ended in an embrace and the 2x11 conversation ended with a bit more physical distance (understandable given the current state of their relationship and the nature of the discussion), the verbal ending of both conversations involved voices moving into a sexier lower register while zooming in to talk specifically about their connection to each other, so I have to assume there will be some consistencies in s3 even if the circumstances will be completely different. I don’t really know where I’m going with this and I obviously will go insane if I sustain this level of anticipatory energy until Fall 2022 but I have a feeling my brain and heart are going to try!

Sam and Rebecca. I know there’s been a lot of criticism about whether this show is being at all realistic about the power dynamics and inevitable professional issues this relationship would create. On some level, I agree; I like that pretty much everyone who knows about the affair has been kind so far, but you can be kind and still ask someone to contend with reality. But I also think that in nearly every plot point on this show, the narrative is driven by how people feel about their circumstances first and foremost. (It’s why the whiteboard in the coaching office and the football commentators tell us more about how the actual football season is going from a points perspective than anyone else.) This episode reminded me how few people know about Sam and Rebecca, and how much their time together so far has been time spent in bed. The private sphere. I thought this episode really expertly brought the public sphere into it, not—thank goodness—through a humiliating exposure or harsh judgment but through an opportunity for Sam that illustrates not only all his potential to do great things but how much Rebecca’s professional position and personal feelings are in conflict with that. Could stand in the way of that. I don’t have a strong gut feeling about where this will go, but I do think Sam’s face in his final scene of this episode is telling. He started the episode wanting to see Rebecca (his most recent text to her was about wanting to connect), and Edwin’s arrival from Ghana really exploded his sense of what is possible for his life. If he’d arrived home to Rebecca sitting on his stoop prior to meeting Edwin, he’d have been delighted. Now he’s conflicted, and whatever decision he makes, he has to reckon with the reality that he cannot have everything he wants. No matter what. And Rebecca—she has taken Ted’s advice and is attempting to be honest about the fact that she can’t control Sam’s decisions but hopes he doesn’t go, and even saying that much feels so inappropriate. And I’m not sure how much she realizes about the inappropriateness of the position she’s putting him in, although maybe she’s getting there considering she exits the scene very quickly. I’ve honestly loved Rebecca’s arc this season. I think it’s realistic that she got obsessed with the intimacy she thought she could find in her phone. I think it’s realistic that her professional and personal ambitions are inappropriately linked. (They certainly were for Rupert. It’s been years since she’s known anything different; even if she’s done some significant recovery work to move on from her abusive marriage and figure out her own priorities, she’s got a long way to go.) I know there are people who will read this interaction between Rebecca and Sam as a totally un-self-aware thing on the part of “the show” or “the writers” but what I saw is two people who enjoyed being in bed together and now have to deal with the reality that they’re in two different places in their lives and that one has great professional power over the other. If that wasn’t in the show, I wouldn’t be able to see it or feel so strongly about it.

Edwin and Sam. I really enjoyed all the complexities of this interaction. Edwin is promising a future for Sam that doesn’t quite exist yet, though he has the financial means to make it happen. He offers this by constructing for Sam a Nigerian—and Ghanaian—experience unlike anything he’s found in London. Sam is amazed that this experience is here, and Edwin’s response is to explain to him that the experience is not here. Not really. The experience in Africa. Sam has of course connected to the other Nigerian players on the team, but this is something else entirely. I’m really curious if Sam is going to end up feeling that what Edwin has to offer is real or not. That sense of home and connection? So real. And so right that he would want to experience that homecoming and would want to be part of building that experience for others. But at the end of the day, he went to a museum full of actors and a pop-up restaurant full of “friends,” and is that constructed authenticity as a stand-in for a real homecoming more or less real than the home he’s building in Richmond? (With other players who stand in solidarity with him, and with well-meaning white coaches who say dumb stuff sometimes, and an a probably-doomed love interest, and a feeling that he should put chicken instead of goat in the jollof, and the ability to stand out as an incredible player on a rising team.)

Nate and everyone. But also Nate and no one. Nate’s story is so painful and I’m so anxious for next week’s episode. For a long time I’ve felt that a lot of Nate’s loyalties are with Richmond, and a lot of his ambitions are around having given so much to this place without getting a lot back, and having a strong feeling that he’s the answer to Richmond’s future. But now I’m not so sure; his ambitions have transferred into asking everyone he knows (except Ted, of course), if they want to be “the boss.” But Nate is all tactics and no communication. When he wants to suggest a new play to Ted, he hasn’t yet learned to read Ted’s language to learn that Ted is eager to hear what he has to say. And while Ted has been really unfortunately distracted about Nate and dismissive of him this season, he clearly respects Nate’s approach to football and was appreciative of the play. Nate just can’t hear that. The suit is such a great metaphor of all the things Nate is in too much pain to be able to hear clearly. Everyone digs at him for wearing the suit Ted bought him (including Will, who’s got to get little cuts in where he can, because he’s got to be sick of the way Nate treats him), but when he gets fed up his solution isn’t to go out on his own and find more clothes he likes; he asks Keeley to help him. And then crosses a major line with her...and no matter how kind she was about it, she was clearly not okay. Everything is going to blow up, and I’m so curious as to whether Nate will end up aligning himself with Rupert in some way or if he’s going to end up screwed over by Rupert and in turn try to screw over his colleagues even worse than he’s already done. Or try desperately to make amends even though it could be too late for some. Either way, I’m fully prepared to feel devastated. (And there’s no way I’m giving up on this character. If he’s able to learn, I truly believe he could end up seeking forgiveness and forging a happier existence for himself. Someday. Like in season 3 or something.)

Ted and Trent. Trent deciding to reveal his source to Ted is a huge deal, and I’m torn between so many emotions about this exposé. I’m glad it’s a Trent Crimm piece and not an Ernie Loundes piece. I’m glad that Trent made the decision to warn Ted and let him know that Nate is his source. I fear—but also hope—that this exposure will set off a chain reaction of Ted learning about some of the things he’s missed while suffering through a really bad bout with his dad-grief and panic disorder. The things Ted doesn’t know would devastate him. I wonder if Ted will want to figure out a way to make Nate feel heard and reconcile with him, and I wonder how that will be complicated if/when he realizes Nate has severely bullied Will, gets more details on how he mistreated Colin, etc. I wonder if Rebecca, whom Nate called a “shrew” right before she announced his promotion, will be in the position of having to ask Ted to fire him, or overriding Ted and doing it herself. So many questions! I have a feeling it’ll go in some wild yet very human-scaled, emotionally-nuanced direction, and I’ll be like “Oh my GOD!” but also like “Oh, of course.”

This VERY SERIOUS AND EMOTIONAL REVIEW has a major flaw, which is that none of the above conversations include mention of the absolute love letter to N*SYNC. Ted passionately explains how things should go while dancing ridiculously! Will turns on the music and starts gyrating! Roy nods supportively! Beard shouts the choreography like the Broadway choreographer of teaching grown men who play football how to dance like a boy band. Everyone is so incredibly proud when they nail it. I love them.

I cannot believe next week is the end. For now. I’m kind of looking forward to letting everything settle during the hiatus, but I’ve really loved the ride.

[girlstalkmichael]

Just finished new gossip girl and here's my thoughts:

all the characters were unlikeable to me except max and i thought it was just me but after a deep dive on youtube it turns out almost everyone feels the same way

the characters were bland and boring and i tried so hard to get invested in these characters and their storylines but it was torture

i hated some of max storylines especially the teacher thing and the the relationship with audrey and Aki thing but atleast he feels like a third dimensional character and have some depth to some extent in this show which can't be said about many charactes plus Thomas Doherty's acting is great

julien does not give the it girl vibes and charisma at all and in general it did not make much sense for her to be the it girl in the new York private school rich kids community like i it made sense for someone like blair and serena in the og to be in that position hell even Monet would fit more than her

also obi does not give the vibe that he's the prince of new York like the show likes to say

in general the casting is so off except Thomas

none of the characters have any distinct or unique personalities like the writers just copy pasted all the characters' perosnalities except maybe Max to some extent and in the og that was not the case at all from the first episode their personalities were shown maybe the only one who was a bit bland was nate but even him had redeeming qualities

The teachers being gossip girl make no sense at all either they make them actual villains of the show or make gossip girl a student because trying to make them heros is just so weird and inappropriate since they are litteraly teachers who are bullying their teen students

The writing is just terrible and that reflect on the plots and the characters drastically

the fact that the teachers revived gossip girl just to teach the students a lesson and to make them better people makes no sense since gossip girl never ever made anyone change for the better

the show was trying so hard to be woke and politically correct that they did not allow anyone to be complex characters, villains or anti heros and just wanted the viewer to root for everyone that ever set foot in that show

julien for some reason doesn't know how to control her minions and i thought they were the sort of minions like the ones with blair in the og but they just keep doing things behind her back and julien listens to them so easily like some times it feels like she is their minion in a way if you get me and julien in some point in the show acts like they were her bffs even though they've never showed that they care about her at all and she just needs to ditch them

the show didn't even try to make the viewer understand why all the group would be friends when they barely have anything in common and the group just feels awkward and just don't have any chemistry together

all the ships in the show were meh at best

The fact that there was so many poc being from really really high social class doesn't feel realistic to me and i know it's good to have representation in the media I'm a middle eastern muslim myself and i would be part of the minorities if i was living in the us so i understand the importance of representation

the acting wasn't great either except Thomas really gave it his all and I've seen some of them in other shows and their acting was fine there so it could be a product of bad writing or directing for some of them

and what's sad about this show is there was potential for it to be great

i hope they fire the writers who wrote the atrocity that is s1 since for some reason hbo decided to renew it

I enjoyed milo surprisingly and i know that georgina is going to be in s2 so i will watch s2 just for her and i hope that somehow the show can get better

I talked so much & thanks for anyone who read all that

Anyway i don't what other shows I'm gonna do this with next but i did have fun doing the gossip girl ones

[jaydonsjam]

Wow! So I’ve never read Werewolf By Night and honestly I think my only knowledge of him is just the fact that Moon Knight debuted in his solo series. I loved the Werewolf By Night Disney+ special which sparked some interest in reading more about the character. So I started with Jack Russell’s (still laugh at his name) debut in Marvel Spotlight #2! I then read #3. Btw I found a Marvel reading order that chronicles all the Marvel comics starting with Fantastic Four #1 and onward. I told you guys that I made a list of mystic/supernatural/horror characters that I wanted to explore more of and spent most of last night coordinating with the reading order and their appearances to make a list of comics to read (there’s a lot btw). Anyways, so my list of comics to read started with Marvel Spotlight #2-3. I LOVED Werewolf’s debut! I couldn’t put it down. I loved how much dialogue and text description in the 28 page comic. It felt like I was reading something more akin to a short graphic novel than a comic book if that makes any sense. This really felt like a book with pictures lol. I totally get why a lot of comic readers today would absolutely hate this issue because of the word count (that’s why I’ve heard people hate Bendis. Just between you and me, he’s one of my favorite writers.) but for me I was engrossed even more with the amount of reading I had to do! It felt like a great universal monsters movie mixed with some pulpy action. Also just to add some context, my favorite Universal Monsters movie is Wolf-Man so I’m an easy lay here, I’ll admit. There’s even a mention of Lon Chaney Jr. which made me grin, not gonna lie. If I had to voice a nitpick and this goes for a lot of comics from this era, I hate the whole “he’s wearing a mask thing” it’s like really you can’t see that this dude is clearly a werewolf? But again, I think it’s just a sign of that era. So like I said with my Morbius posts, I’m a sucker for a tragic character and Jack Russell is similar to Michael but less villainous in these first two issues. Jack has the wolf genetics from his father and once he turned eighteen he started transforming into a werewolf every full moon. I like that there’s a physical struggle (that Jack has less control over) with Jack and the wolf but also a mental struggle between himself and his wolf-self. It just works so well. I also noticed right away that these issues mention the word “kill” and even show people dying a lot more than the Strange and Spidey comics I’ve made posts about. I wonder if because this is a horror comic, if they were free to show more death and killing? The comics authority were still around and they were sticklers for pretty much anything which often is why some comics are just really bad because they had to be careful about what content they showed. Jack’s mother dying immediately made me care more for the character but I’m biased because of my own personal loss (my mother) probably. I’m curious because the comic went back and forth between his stepdad being responsible for the death of his mother so I hope they give more of a confirmation at some point. Jack killing the man who killed his mother worked for me. I’m also a sucker for great anti-heroes and Jack fills that bill too. I think anti-heroes are probably more realistic than the straight up good guys but that doesn’t mean I don’t like heroes. So yeah I loved Marvel Spotlight #2.

So getting to Marvel Spotlight #3, I gotta say while I enjoyed it this was definitely less enjoyable for me than Jack’s initial debut issue in #2. We have a classic horror trope with a right-hand bad guy named Kraig very reminiscent of Igor but here more of a physical threat. At first I thought Kraig was Frankenstein’s Monster but just turned out to be a metal-handed heavy named Kraig. Jack gets tricked by Nathan Timly one of his “dad’s friends” and is chained in a dark room by Nate and his wife Andrea. Andrea had hair like Bride of Frankenstein which I liked. I do enjoy the various references to Universal Monster movies. One of my favorite moments is when Kraig loses his cool and kills Nate. It’s a very dark moment and I was surprised to see it happen in a Marvel comic from this era (it’d be different nowadays). I did feel for Kraig, he thinks Nate and Andrea are going to give him his hand back if he follows their directions. But sadly I think any reader knows that’s not going to happen. The whole time they have Jack they interrogate him because they want a book called the “Darkhold” (I was very excited when it was mentioned!). Anyways I liked the final fight between Kraig and Jack (great art throughout!) and how it ended with Kraig getting struck by lightning after he holds his hand in the sky. Brutal death. Then from what I can gather, Andrea is killed for trying to use spells without the Darkhold? I might be wrong about that. I gotta say I like when Jack is in and out of consciousness he thinks he sees a female figure in the distance and the way Mike Ploog drew her silhouette with a storm in the background was just great. Loved it. Overall I enjoyed the issue and can’t wait to explore more of Werewolf By Night!

(Marvel Spotlight #2 and Marvel Spotlight #3 written by Gerry Conway with pencilling and inking by Mike Ploog)

[tennesseetrekkie]

Stargate/Leverage Crossover Ideas

I’m surprised I never see more fics/ficlets/prompts/just plain posts about these two universes. They’re canonically connected! (There are Stargate symbols on the wall in Lattimer’s vault in “The Last Dam Job”, the producers confirm it too). It’s actually the main reason I started watching Leverage and my need for a crossover has only grown since. Here’s a few thoughts I’ve had:

I 100% believe that Eliot was a member of an SG team. When Aimee said “it’s like you dropped off the face of the earth”, well, he did. They only take the best of the best and that’s Eliot. He’s fully aware of the existence of the Stargate program and aliens, etc.

While serving there he got involved with Maybourne’s team, he thought it was in the best interest of his country. He was one of the very few who didn’t get caught. I like to think he still has a few souvenirs from his time off-world, several highly classified things he really shouldn’t have. I don’t believe he left the base empty-handed. It’d make sense if he had a Goa’uld healing device, but that would mean at some point he ended up with naquadah in his blood, which given all the crazy things that have happened to him in his life wouldn’t be too surprising, but that’s a whole different story...

Eliot never mentions any of this to the rest of the team, not only would this put them in danger but earth being at war with ancient, parasitical aliens is pretty heavy knowledge. This is a lot of fun when SG-1 shows up...

In a crossover with SG-1 and the OG Leverage for me it would have to consist of Cameron Mitchell (the timeline puts it after O’Neill was promoted), Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c. I can’t figure out a scenario where Vala is included and doesn’t let it slip to the Leverage crew that aliens and spae travel are a thing.

There are two scenarios in which I can think of where these two would meet: First, the Leverage crew uncover something in a job that Eliot recognizes as alien (either an artifact, or maybe even a Goa’uld, that’d be fascinating if he did have naquadah and was able to spot the Goa’uld), he tries to deal with it without letting the team know but finally has to tell Nate they need to call the Air Force, it takes a lot of convincing especially since he can’t actually say why. Second, SG-1 shows up to a job the Leverage crew is already doing. Eliot recognizes them, they recognize him. Sam might even pull her gun. He gets them away from the Leverage crew to see what’s going on, meanwhile Hardison is running their faces through one of his ID programs and now everyone is wondering why Eliot is talking to “two USAF colonels, some loser who should be on Ancient Aliens, and some guy who... doesn’t exist?”. 

Whatever the case, it’s inevitable that these two have to work together. Only thing is, the Leverage crew can’t know SG-1 is here because aliens and SG-1 can't know that the Leverage crew is here because crime. The only one who can and does know everything is Eliot, who is the constant go-between for both of these teams, and also very tired. He definitely knows the Goa’uld language and uses it to talk to Daniel and Teal’c about the more... classified details of the job when the others are around. Yet again Hardison is confused when he tries to figure out what they’re speaking only to find out that it doesn’t exist.

Parker is strangely good at guessing things. She immediately 100% believes that Teal’c is an alien. Nate, Sophie, and Hardison assure her he can’t be, even though they’re not completely sure themselves, this whole thing is too weird. 

I can’t really figure out the rest of it, which is why I’m writing it this way instead of in an actual fic, but this is... something. Not sure what. This is really the most realistic version I’ve thought up. Headcannon where the Leverage crew actually do find out include (this is not any specific sequence or headcannon, just ideas):

The crew ends up on a small ship (maybe Eliot used rings to get them out of a dangerous situation or something) and Hardison and Sophie are visibly and audibly freaking out. Nate is trying to remain calm and failing, it’s not as intense as Hardison and Sophie, but he’s definitely freaked out. Eliot, of course, just rolls his eyes and yells at them to calm down as he goes to figure out the controls. Space ain’t nothing when you’ve been there hundreds of times. Then there’s Parker... Her reaction is basically to look out a window, smile, and call it “Cool!”. Everyone is a little taken aback by how she can just be okay with this?

Upon finding out about aliens and space travel Hardison is excited, terrified, and absolutely furious at Eliot for never telling him about it. There’s a headcannon I have of those two somehow getting transported to another planet and not knowing it at first and trying to figure out where they are. It takes Eliot a while to convince Hardison that they’re on another planet, because “yeah, it looks like Canada, that’s just what alien planets look like!”. 

Sophie trying to grift aliens... The game has changed and she is loving it! A whole new universe of challenges. Seeing that would be a thing of beauty.

All of it just causes Nate to drink more, unfortunately. It’s a lot to take in. But if Eliot had to tell just one member of the team about it (both to stop them from asking him to explain what’s going on and why can’t he tell them? and to convince them of the amount of danger they’re all in) it’d be Nate. He’d come away from that conversation very visibly shaken and tell the crew that Eliot’s right, they don’t need to know, at which point they accept it and back off.

Parker handles any strange situation well, so aliens are no big deal. I bet at one point someone (not Eliot) brings up Atlantis and she theorizes that “it’s probably actually a spaceship that flew off to another galaxy!”. Nate, Sophie, and Hardison just rolls their eyes or shoot her a weird look or something because what a stretch! But Eliot nearly chokes on his drink! He has to regain his cool really quickly because now everyone is looking at him, but how can she possibly know that?? He wonders if she ever stole classified material, but nope, Parker just made the most random guess possible and nailed it because Parker.

OH! And one more thing! One night in Nate’s apartment when they’re all getting ready for dinner Hardison has it on this weird cheesy scifi show and  is all like “look at this garbage!”, Eliot takes a look and is like “wait, what??” and sits down and starts watching. Dinner is now going to be late because this is hilarious! It gets canceled after one episode but he makes sure to catch the TV movie as soon as it airs. This is how Eliot Spencer became a “Wormhole X-Treme” fan and no one has a clue why.

If anyone else has a Stargate/Leverage headcannon, please, please, please share it!! Charater interactions, different senarios, ANYTHING! And let’s all hope that, even though Stargate hasn’t been around for a while, Leverage Redemption will throw us fathful fans a bone with some kind of reference!

[mermaidsirennikita]

Gotta say I only watched 2 episodes of Euphoria season 1 before I dipped out but all of the clips and gifs I've seen of season 2 look 10 times better to me. And yet I've seen disscusion that this season is not great? Specifically the writing not being great.

I'll be honest, I think Euphoria kind of has the same issue with its fandom that Succession did in season 3:

This is to say, there was a long(er than usual) gap between seasons, and a pandemic, and during that time the show blew up. Euphoria was successful in season 1, but its season 2 premiere ratings is evidence of the fact that it came back with a much bigger, much more vocal audience.

And some of that audience is great. Some of it... not so much. My perspective (just three episodes in, mind you) is that season 2, while imperfect, is better than season 1 thus far. I say this as someone who was uncomfortable with some of season 1. Now to be fair, you're always going to be uncomfortable with parts of Euphoria. Teens are fucking and doing drugs and getting into life-threatening situations. (While, it must be said, being played by adult actors). However, I often felt like season 1 kind of... traded in plot for shock factor. I feel like season 2, thus far, has more of a grip on who the characters are and where their stories should go. There are things I'm not a big fan of (the amount of Sydney Sweeney nudity--though! It must be said! Sydney has gone on the record as being comfortable with it and being able to say no to nudity, and she is an adult woman, so the "they are exploiting Sydney and she knows not what she does" rhetoric is a bit... condescending) but I think that the show is currently more cohesive than it was in season 1.

Tbh, a lot of the criticism I've seen is bullshit. That doesn't mean that I haven't seen valid, well thought out critiques. But honestly, a lot of what I've seen is like... Look at me, I know this show is MORALLY BAD, please do not BLAME ME for watching every week, I AM A GOOD PERSON!!!

And like, we're all watching the saaaaame scenes of Zendaya doing fentanyl, you know? I don't really see the point of watching the show if you're just going discuss how morally abhorrent it is to you. It's just a bit funny too, because the only reason why Euphoria is getting this kind of critique is that it has the HBO license to show more explicit sex, to show more explicit drug use. The activities depicted on this show has been depicted, in a less explicit sense, on teen shows for decades. Degrassi and Gossip Girl did all of this.

I also think that the show is doing things that fans kind of just don't like, and tbh as fandom has grown and become more of a "known" factor in society, I do think we have a lot of people in fandom who can't ride. This is not just a phenomenon with Euphoria--again, I saw very similar things happening in the Succession fandom. How could Rue do drugs again??? How could Rue and Jules be having relationship issues?

Conflict is the heart of a show, and when conflict makes sense, I enjoy it, personally. I love Rue. It hurts to see her in the depths of addiction. But it's realistic, and intriguing conflict for Rue to continue to dig herself into the hole of addiction. It's realistic for her to be an asshole to people because she is an addict. It makes sense that this would negatively affect her relationship with Jules, and it's realistic that Jules would look elsewhere.

In the same sense, it makes sense that Cassie, someone who has been depicted as having a lot of depression, a lot of self loathing, and a need for love from men, to seek out a boy who is not only KNOWN to be abusive, but the one person she shouldn't be with anyway because he was with her best friend. Cassie's relationship with Nate is hard to watch, and I see it being dinged a lot on social--but they're not giving us this relationship because they're trying to romanticize abuse. It's actually a pretty harsh reality that I think makes total sense of Cassie as a character, and it makes sense that Nate would prey upon her.

Another thing--although I think this show portrays emotionally authentic things for teenagers, it's very clear that we aren't supposed to see this as the way life should be or is for teens. The heightened costumes, the fact that poor girls are carrying designer bags, the cinematography. The show is very clearly coded as surreal, and that does make me give it some license. Does that mean everyone else needs to like it? No.

But I don't know. It just seems a bit hypocritical to me that because this show is depicting things that are very much PRESENT but more ALLUDED TO in other shows, it's suddenly the bridge too far lmao.

[tobesobri]

This!!!

Sometimes i read rhis stuff and i think ugh what about sex education? But then I think again and the whole point of explicit nudity and sex there is completely different so i guess its ok? I hope so because i love sex education lol

well the difference with sex education (ive only watched the first season so i may be wrong but) is that they are teenagers navigating being teenagers and like dealing with sex in their relationships as teens. its age appropriate and more about being informative and open about experiences that teens find themselves in. meanwhile euphoria is like. adult shit but with teen characters, if that makes sense. like they really should have changed the setting. it could have been set in college and they could have done what they wanted instead of giving people the ick bc we’re literally all adults watching this show about high school characters having very adult experiences. like i do like the show bc im still foolishly rooting for rue dkcndb but this season is getting on my nerves. it feels like more than ever they’re relying on shock value nudity to make up for how shitty the plot has become.

on another note too i just remembered that tiktok trend of people being like ‘when you forget you go to euphoria high’ like just the way they dress says everything. none of the ‘teens’ in sex education dress like they do in euphoria. and yes i love all the makeup and outfits and stuff but only on the actors themselves. the teen characters its like? you would never wear that to high school bc you would be dress coded the second you stepped foot on campus ckvn and im not saying euphoria is necessarily realistic but its just the difference between teens experiencing being a normal hormonal teenager and teens/the high school experience being sexualized. (plus like this past episode when lexi came out with her play i was like oh shit yeah— they’re in high school bc like they never fucking do school related things. i have no idea what their grades are like surely cassie’s grades are suffering rn with this nate obsession chvb)

also (sorry this is so long winded i have too many thoughts) i guess i could compare it to this like trope in writing and fanfic too. authors will write their main female character being super inexperienced and virgins and when they get to the sex scenes its like hardcore p*rn banging. like that’s how euphoria is. and then there’s authors who make the sex fit that context and don’t just throw random shit in for the hell of it, that would be sex education. like if you want hardcore banging right off the bat, just write an ofc who is experienced. (and in euphoria’s case, just make the damn characters adults)

so anyway! yes i agree that the intent is very different between sex education and euphoria and i would not compare the two on the grounds of sexualization bc i don’t think sex education does and euphoria most definitely does.