#maybe this'll get flagged

[havinghorns]

Happy Trans Day of Visibility from this old man that is, often, fully Visible.

I post nudies not only because they're fun and spicy and it's nice to think they might bring others pleasure, but also because my body IS odd, it IS unusual, and it both helps people with similar bodies see them in a more neutral or positive light, as well as giving some folks an idea of what they might want their body to look like--how do you know unless you see it? Unless it's out there! And at 36! So don't think it's too late for you, you're too old, too short, too weird, that you like feminine things too much. I always advocate to think less about what you are, genderwise, and more about what you want, what will make you happy.

As always, love ya all, happy to answer what questions I can just be around, the world needs more transguys that don't disappear into the wallpaper at 22 :)

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟

186.... Shoot. Okay this'll take some time damn!

---

 The prized possession his father had to replace the one that had replaced the one Eddie once ruined. He’s surprised to see nothing in it. No bags. Not a single packed item. 

“They can’t really think we’re staying,” Eddie had grumbled, oblivious. 

Christopher was several paces behind him as Eddie jogged up the porch and opened the front door. He didn’t even need to use his spare key. They were all pretty vigilant about locking doors nowadays. That should have been the third red flag. 

Eddie doesn’t really like to think about what happened next. His brain sort of doesn’t let him. It all replays like a blur. Like a movie he didn’t have a clear view of. He can remember the noise that came from his mother’s throat when he called out to ask where they were. He remembers how close he’d come to being bitten, when she knocked him backwards out of the doorway. He remembers how close she got to Chris. He remembers the way Chris screamed. What he doesn’t really remember in clear detail is how he got them out of that predicament. It was like his brain flipped into autopilot. Into a mode specifically reserved for protecting his son. Only later would he catch up with the fact that those were his parents. Once. 

When he drove to his sister’s after that, shaking and bloody, he didn’t approach the door without a loaded gun. 

The whole point is, Eddie knows he’s running out of luck. Out of near misses. Out of times when his son’s mood will miraculously recover from what he’s seen. Eddie has tried and tried to be a good father, despite all the world keeps throwing at him. Some days, it feels like an impossible task. Some days, despite the apocalypse, he feels as though the problem must be him. 

Either way, meeting Maddie feels like a stroke of good luck. If there’s somewhere safe out there, Eddie needs to find it. Before his luck runs out. 

▪️▪️▪️

When the radio signal goes out around Barstow, Eddie feels a similar pang of panic to what he can read as clear as day on Maddie’s face. Not because he’s thinking about her brother, obviously. But because he’s wondering if something happened to the settlement. Well, he hopes her brother is okay anyway. Really, though, Eddie is already mourning the concept of a safe space with power. 

“What does that mean?” Maddie asks of the radio static. “Did something happen to him?”

For whatever reason, her own panic steadies him slightly. Makes him search for rationale.  

“We don’t know that,” Eddie says. “There are lots of explanations.”

“Like what?”

Eddie thinks. “He could have just turned it off, simplest of all. Or maybe he lost power. Something happened to his equipment. It wouldn’t be easy to fix.” 

“Maybe we have a bad signal,” Maddie adds, like she’s grappling for reasons, too.

“Right. Exactly,” Eddie confirms. “We can’t think the worst.”

“We just keep heading there?” Maddie asks. 

“I think so,” Eddie says. “Maybe exercise a bit of extra caution.”

Not that he hasn’t been, anyway. 

“Just keep swimming!” Chris adds his two cents. “Like Dory!”

Eddie chuckles. “Exactly.”

Maddie turns back to him. “I appreciate your optimism, Chris.”

“I get that you’re worried,” Eddie says, as much to himself as to Maddie. “But we’ve got to get there first, right?”

Maddie’s gaze returns to Eddie. She seems to be sizing him up again. Like whatever he’s said has given her another crucial piece of information about him. It makes Eddie a little nervous, to be honest. He’s worried she sees something bad in him. Something he might not even see. 

“Right,” she says. 

They keep onwards. 

▪️▪️▪️

Eddie doesn’t take the quickest or most direct route. He avoids the northern outskirts of the Greater Los Angeles Area, in favor of a more mountainous drive. Safer that way, he figures. Less chance of… Well, less chance of anything. Save for maybe a rockslide. 

They’re driving up, through the Acton area. Maddie is watching the hills of the San Gabriel and Sierra Pelona mountains roll by around them. Chris is chattering away about the puzzles in his word search puzzle book Eddie put in the back seat to entertain him. With the lack of a radio transmission to check on, Eddie has put on a CD. A Fleetwood Mac album he stole out of an abandoned car he siphoned gas from. The music plays quietly, not loud enough to overpower Christopher’s voice. It’s a nice drive, really. 

He’s never been a big fan of driving. Even as a teenager, before she got pregnant, it was Shannon that would come pick Eddie up in her mom’s old Volkswagen and they’d drive around together, listening to whatever music Shannon liked that week, and chatting. Mostly she chatted. Their son has inherited that from her. The point is, Eddie doesn’t love being the driver all the time. Which is ironic, given that that’s what life has made him almost constantly now. But a drive like this? A drive like this is relaxing enough to put him at ease. 

That is, until he almost hits a lion.

He will say, it’s better than a crowd of zombies nearly sending him veering off the road. Though, far more surprising, all things considered. 

Eddie is taking a gentle curve around a peak of a hill, going at a decent speed, when suddenly a large, thin lion steps out onto the highway. He barely has time to react, hitting the brakes hard. He hears Maddie gasp as the jerking movement hurts her ribs. The truck slides to an uncomfortable stop.

“A LION!” Chris shrieks. “DADDY, IT’S A REAL LION!”

Eddie’s brain scrambles for a rational explanation. The creature is too large to be a mountain lion, too big boned. It has that distinct, regal look of an African lion. A female. It’s looking at the truck, at Eddie, with bright, hungry eyes. 

“Eddie, we passed the turn off for a wildlife preserve five minutes ago.” Maddie says, voice urgent. “You know, one of those fancy ones run by former celebrities?” 

“Holy shit,” Eddie exhales, frozen. 

“DAD!” Chris scolds. 

“I was just thinking, what happened to all the animals?” Maddie continues. 

“Guess we know,” Eddie mutters. 

“There are more!” Chris screeches. 

Eddie looks in the rearview mirror. Three more lionesses are approaching the truck from behind. 

“Are they… Are they hunting us?” Eddie asks. 

“They look pretty thin,” Maddie whispers. 

Could four lions even get in the truck? If they wanted to? It’s not a risk Eddie wants to take. He knows they could at least do some pretty significant damage. Enough to leave them stranded and vulnerable to attack. That seems like just as bad a way to die as zombies, if he’s honest. 

The lion in front of them begins to crouch.

Oh, fuck no. No way. 

Eddie guns it. He hits the gas pedal so hard the tires screech. The cat leaps as the truck lurches forward. Maddie makes a small sound of pain and clutches her side. Christopher screams. The lioness hits the driver’s side of the truck and smacks hard off it, taking the side mirror with her. A metallic groan and crack accompanies a horrible yowl. Eddie doesn’t stop. He keeps his forward momentum as the cats behind him start running. If he can outpace them, and the world ever recovers, he has a fantastic ad idea for GMC. 

The lions are fast, but the truck is just an object. It doesn’t run out of steam. As the lions push and leap forward - one of them clipping the rear bumper with its claws, breaking it - the truck’s steadiness gives it the eventual edge.

Maddie lets out a big sigh of relief as the gap between the truck and the lions begins to get bigger and bigger. 

“Okay. Very glad I didn’t try to walk,” she says. 

“Chris, are you okay?” Eddie asks when his jaw isn’t numb with fear anymore. 

He hears a weak little sob. 

Oh fuck.

“Why did they do that?” Christopher blubbers. His eyes are squeezed shut, like he’s afraid to look at the road ahead of them. 

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Eddie never knows what’s going to terrify him. He hadn’t even flinched the other night at the zombies attacking Maddie in the food truck. But this? Lions? This was too far. Too unexpected.

“I know, baby,” Eddie says, as soothingly as possible. “I know it was scary. I’ll pull over as soon as I can, okay?”

“I’m never watching The Lion King again!” Chris proclaims, weeping. “I hate cats!”

“They were just really hungry, Chris. No one has been feeding them.” Eddie tries. “It wasn’t the cats from the movie.”

“I hope they all die!” Chris cries. 

“Hey, now,” Eddie warns sternly. “We don’t hope for that, okay?”

Truthfully, Eddie doesn’t give a shit if some lions die. He just doesn’t like the idea of his child wishing death upon anyone or anything. 

[saltpepperbeard]

I was tagged by the lovely @naranjapetrificada to share my Thoughts and Speculations for the timeline of OFMD S2, ie "eight predictions for eight episodes." Thank you, and sorry for the late response; I was facing The Horrors (derogatory). But now that the panic that is OFMD S2 being almost 3 weeks away is setting in, WHAT BETTER TIME TO RAMBLE ON AND ON ABOUT IT HSDJKS~

girlies (gn) there is honestly so much to account for. there are so many different elements that we've seen through promotional material and spoilers that i'm just like,,, how is this all going to Fit. BUT LET'S TRY OUR BEST SHALL WE LMAO-

((also hi hello this is ✨Jodi From the Future✨ coming in after typing up this entire thing, and realizing it was only supposed to be like,,, eight ideas for what's going to happen in the eight episodes. meanwhile my bitchass did a full blown prediction for what's going to go down timeline wise PFFF. BUT SURE YEAH THAT COUNTS AS ONLY EIGHT RIGHT? IT'S FINE,,,))

Episode 1. I think this is going to be more of an establishing episode. Establishing where the characters are, what they're up to, what challenges they're facing, etc etc. So, it'll likely focus on Stede's yearning, and Ed's heartbreak. I wouldn't be surprised if the "he's actually a good guy," the bottle kiss, and the wedding crash are all in this episode. And maybe it'll end off with the wedding topppersjfskfhsjklklbf,,,

Episode 2. An episode to build off of the motivations established in one, and also to move the characters a bit closer to each other. Maybe this is the episode where Stede tries to employ the help of the Red Flag Fleet, because they need a better mode of transportation to catch up with the Revenge. And maybe if that doesn't go too hot lol, maybe the storm will be towards the end of this episode to beach the Revenge somewhere. Though, I feel like that's quite a dramatic event, and would make more sense to occur a bit deeper in the season? But based on the rest of my thoughts/theories, it simply Does Not Fit SJKDS. So for now, I'm treating it as like, a divine intervention type beat where the crews are being beckoned closer together.

Episode 3. For SOME reason, be it just crossed fingies or the consideration of parallels or both, I have a feeling that Stede and Ed are going to reunite at the end of this episode. I think taking the episode release schedule into consideration also points to a reunion, because then we'd be left to sit with that for a week l m a o. I feel like we'll get to see all the intense emotions of them seeing each other for the first time in months, and their subsequent awe/reactions, before it abruptly cuts off as a cliffhanger. As for the actual BODY of the episode?? MAYBE the storm could also fit here in the middle somewhere, with the same sort of "the universe is wanting these people to be back together so lol STORM BE UPON YE."

Episode 4. The aftermath of the reunion. You get to see the proper reactions, ie Ed probably being dismissive and Stede trying to remain warm/enthusiastic. And then allllll the characterization that comes along with that, ie Stede's crew being like "I told you so" or Izzy being like "oh my FOOKIN god edward was throwing knives around and crying and making us crash weddings and now stede actually shows up and tHIS IS WHERE WE'RE AT???" So maybe, MAYBE, this is where Izzy steps in and tries to better things a bit by helping Stede, because he's Sick and Tired HSDJKLS. Like, this'll be the Fanfiction Episode™.

Episode 5. Wouldn't it be something if the party was in this episode to mirror the 5th episode in season 1 l m a o. And forgive me, because my theories towards Certain Events have seesawed ALL OVER THE PLACE HSDKJS. But hear me out hear me out. So episode 5 starts off as a sort of continuation from episode 4, and maybe Stede is trying to work himself up to better woo Ed. Like he's pulling out all the stops, which is why he's trying to train and better himself and do whatever he can.

But then MAYBE he has some sort of realization that like...Edward, his Ed, was so so excited to go to the Fancy Party Full of Hoity Toity People™. And was so so happy to dress up and be beautiful and feel himself. And so he decides to host a similar party on the Revenge for everyone, because not only would it be good for morale, but good for his beloved. So, they do, and everyone is Hype. Wee John gets to dress in drag, Roach gets to fire canons, etc etc. It's all so full of color and life and happiness again.

And, of course, maybe Ed and Stede have a Moment of some sort. I'm really really praying for a "Ed...May I have this dance?" type thing, followed by them having their first quiet and romantic moment of the season. And you can SEE some of Ed's walls coming down, even though he'd probably still be hesitant/tense. Maybe they even have an almost kiss type moment jUST LIKE IN THE PREVIOUS 5TH EPISODE. Or maybe the hhngfngmfngdmfd pearls,,,

...But then EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED SJDKSHKLDS. Because that ONE shot in the trailer where Wee John is shown in drag looks like a party, but also a party that was crashed by very unwelcome guests. So like, wouldn't it be something if the almost kiss moment was interrupted by some sort of enemy, and everything rapidly goes downhill.

Everyone gets bound, Stede gets tied to the mast, and...what if THIS is where Ed is thrown overboard. What if the enemy is someone who has it out for pirates, and very much has it out for Blackbeard in particular. So, they tie up Ed and throw him overboard in a murder/execution attempt, and Stede has to watch :))). Something something a parallel to Ed having to watch Stede get almost killed NUMEROUS times hskdjs. The turns have tabled.

And maybe there's a desperate moment between them right before Ed's thrown over. Maybe a desperate lock of their eyes, a desperate scream from Stede, a desperate declaration of feelings, even. And then the episode ends with Ed in the water.

Episode 6. The aftermath of episode 5 ofc. Stede and the crew have been captured, or maybe even just Stede has been captured. And Ed washes up on the beach alone.

I think this'll be where Ed sort of grounds himself and comes back into himself, because the gravity of the situation will hit him particularly hard. Like, he FELT things again. He felt BEAUTIFUL again. He felt DESIRED again. He felt like HIMSELF again. And didn't act upon it, and got separated from his sweetheart before he could. I wouldn't be surprised if he subsequently fights ghosts/demons of his own here, ie Hornigold or his father or individuals equivalent. So like, the barrel/clobbering shot is him fighting against his past type deal.

And then MEANWHILE, I think this is where Stede's going to get tortured. The darlings are both going to Go Through It in this episode.

AND, the more I look at that one shot of Ed in the woods with someone present with him, the more I'm like...IS that Wee John??? Or is that someone else? Because it would be something if the Revenge Crew was left alone, and only Stede was captured for his crimes against the Navy (murders and the escape from the academy). And then they somehow try and scramble/get help/link back up with the Red Fleet/find Ed themselves.

So, that one shot could have been them doing just that, and catching him up to speed after all that's happened. And maybe there's some sort of pivotal forgiveness moment/apology moment between Ed and the crew there too.

And then everyone's like...holy shit we need to go and KICK ASS ALL TOGETHER.

Episode 7. ✨The Battle Episode✨. Aka everyone kicking ass all together HSKDLS. Everyone uniting against a common enemy and battling it the hell out. There could be naval battles out at sea between the Red Flag Fleet, the Revenge, and the Navy, and then battles on foot on the black sand beach.

Something something wherever the enemy took Stede to torture him was also the same island Ed ended up on PFFFF. So, something something Stede somehow gets free, be it through his own devices or his crew, and they all start battling it out.

And ED is of course in the fray as well, especially pissed if he hears what they did to Stede.

Annnnd it leads to yet another reunion, ie them fighting to each other on the black sands. And I really, really, REALLY cannot express how badly I want them to fight to each other just to strongly kiss the moment they make it.

Annnnnndd then okay lol the CAVE. I'm thinking that one or both of them sustain injuries, or maybe just have to go and hide out somewhere since they're both VERY much wanted by the enemy. Something something them having to tend to each other and also having emotional conversations/talking it through, mixed in with more kisses.

Annnnnnnnnnd something something they all manage to fend off the enemy...*Buttons voice* FER NOW...

Episode 8. I think this episode would start off very unassuming. Like, the crews have won their battle, and go on to celebrate/recuperate. Maybe this is where they end up at Jackie's, and Ed gets to do those Soft Eyes, because he feels better and safe and IN LOVE. And so maybe things will be a bit easy-going and romantic to start off with.

Remember the friggin lighthouse. Something something "major romantic moment between two key characters." Something something WHAT IF ED AND STEDE HAVE A MAJOR ROMANTIC MOMENT IN THE LIGHTHOUSE HERE. would they be insane enough to do a proposal or something equivalent idk. i think i wouldn't make it to the other side if that was the case.

and if it's not a full proposal, even a deep declaration like stede going "i'll be by your side forever. if you'll have me" would just be hsfkshfskljkladhalkjhdfklgd.

But of course lol, OF COURSE, SILLY LITTLE PIRATE SHOW WILL PROBABLY END WITH SILLY LITTLE PIRATE PROBLEMS.

So, I would not be surprised if some SHIT goes down at the end of episode 8, maybe even leaving Ed and Stede separated again. Or at least putting them up against very very high stakes.

...

*GASPS FOR AIR* LMAO. I know I'm not even accounting for everything we've seen here. I know there are still elements like LUCIUS, the other couples, Anne and Mary, and some other little tidbits we've seen. But this is just what my brain Cooked. THIS IS WHERE WE ENDED UP SHDJKS.

And it'll be very very interesting to see what actually happens.

SEE Y'ALL IN LESS THAN A MONTH HSDJKS

[number-0-iz]

Live thoughts of Bridgerton

Season 3, episode 1

Colin getting dressed in the carriage lmao

He is definitely better looking but I still don't think he's all that hot. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I'll change my mind.

Ah yes big ass feathers

SIGN LANGUAGE CHARACTER YES.

I love that. I don't speak ASL (also mainly cause English isn't my first language) but it is so cool.

The queen be bored lmao.

Charlotte as fierce as ever.

SINCE WHEN IS ELOISE INVOLVED WITH SEASONAL STYLES?

Me the whole time Fran was walking: don't fall don't fall don't fall

WHAT'S WRONG

Player Colin is...a little weird lma

ANOTHER ONE OF PEN'S SISTER FOUND A HUSBAND OH I'M SO HAPPY FOR HER.

NOW IT'S PEN'S TURN!

Oh shit the sister doesn't seem to like him 😭

Rip aunt Petunia, she seemed cool.

Oh u feel like the truth from last season will come out about the Featheringtons.

ELOISE SEEING PEN ELOISE SEEING PEN

Ugh friendship with Cressida? Eloise?

This is probably why she suddenly keeps up with seasonal styles?

God I hope they didn't change her too much or that she didn't lose herself.

I am not even 15 minutes in.

At least Violet seems to know something is up with Eloise.

"Tender young ladies." 😭

Damn all of the flirting jesus

CRESSIDA'S MOTHER IS SUCH A BITCH

Damn Portia has it all planned out huh

PEN AND COLIN MEET UP OOP

OOH HOW SHARP

I too would take a deep breath like that if I had to share a carriage with Portia

I AM A SUCKER FOR BOWS

"NO! Outside. Where our mother can't see." He says with a grin.

Lmao I love this man.

ELOISE IS READING EMMA

Please don't tell me Eloise has given up on being keen to learn and intellectual and a feminist

Because if she has, I will throw my phone at the wall.

"I lost the battle and I have no appetite for the war. I've joined the winning side."

So you mean to tell me that you have truly given up on your principles Eloise?

I wish Eloise would listen to Pen and they would be friends again.

"She was a very cold lady."

"She is colder now, I'm afraid."

AYE YO WHAT THE FUCK 😭

That was so savage.

Please let Mondrich and his family get a lot of cash as an inheritance.

A TITLE GOR MONDRICH'S SON?!

THIS IS EVEN BETTER 😭

They deserve it

NEWTON COCKBLOCKING KANTHONY LMAO

Aww their hands.

Ah another fantastic ball of Lady Danbury.

Oh Kate looks beautiful!!

PRETTY PEN IN A PRETTY DRESS

Aww Mr. Finch is so proud of his sister in law. Greenest flag.

UGH NOT A CONTESSA

I got distracted by Instagram reels when I went to look for the playlist of classical music covers used in the new season.

OH PEN US SO AWKWARD MY SWEETIE

Oh awkward Eloise

Ugh rude men

KANTHONY DANCE

PEN AND FRAN FRIENDSHIP

Oh Debling seems interesting.

NOT CRESSIDA STANDING ON PEN'S PRETTY DRESS! WHAT A BITCH.

And Eloise tried to apologise and Pen ran away 😭

OH THE SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW

"I overheard you." OOOOH

OH MIGHT THE FEATHERINGTONS LOSE EVERYTHING.

Cressida is a bitch. Eloise should not approve and be angry.

Oh sensitive Cressida? Damn.

How did I only now notice that Kate is left handed lol

COLIN VISITS

"BUT FRIENDS DON'T LOOK AT EACH ITHER THE WAY YOU DO."

Oh no not Penelope's scathing Whistledown letter

This'll be bad

GO MONDRICH FAM

Footman: Lord Kent. *proceeds to bow* welcome to your new home.

The kid: aye yo what the fuck

"I will never forgive her." Oh Colin if only you knew.

Well that was quite something! I really liked this episode if I am being honest! God I already wanna turn back to my season 2 Bridgerton AU with my OC that I made a few years ago but never posted. Am I going to watch episode 2 rn? Yes because I cannot wait. Will I leave yet another long reaction list like this one? Probably not cause I want to get a handle on my phone usage. But maybe another time! Until then!

[tgrailwar-zero]

I mean I wouldn't say we SLAUGHTERED him.

Anyway, hello, yes, that is us. Pleased to meet you as a black blob of gestalt minds and souls can be! :)

There was a moment of silence, before the two of them burst into uproarious laughter.

DURYODHANA: "What, is that your gimmick for the Flaming Bout? It's ballsy, but stolen valor using the name of brutal mages like that is a terrible idea!"

IZOU: "Besides, there's no way in hell you're them. They were cold and focused, never taking time for anything extra. No wasted questions, no wasted actions, just all business all the time. The last thing they'd do is waste their time sitting their asses down in a casino and chit-chatting."

You saw MUSASHI give you a sidelong glance and a shrug, not exactly disagreeing with the sentiment. IZOU popped the tab of his drink, turning his head back as he nearly downed the bottle in a single gulp, grunting as he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes narrowed, amber eyes like daggers.

IZOU: "…Perfect Servants, led by a perfect magus, waging a perfect war."

MUSASHI: "...Right. I forgot that Assassin had died so early, he didn't see the worst of it..."

He sighed, flagging down the waitstaff for another drink as he spoke.

IZOU: "Figured we would'a won if they hadn't gotten sealed. I dunno, though. I was the first one to get bumped off, right? I guess that means I was the weakest outta you guys. Ain't that a damn shame. I figured you were the only one in my weight-class, Saber. The others… sheesh."

IZOU: "Whatever. It's not like I've got anythin' to say to 'em. The other Servants, or the Masters. I was a sword, and I broke. Failed my job, got hired for another. So now I'm back, and I can drink and gamble and live an actual second life. Use my sword how I wanna, and right now I wanna protect this place. I mean, where else am I gonna get booze and spend my money like this?"

IZOU: "Say, Saber. Speakin' of money, you're fightin' in the Bout, right? Sign-ups close tomorrow."

MUSASHI: "I hadn't really thought about it, but it sounds fun. I haven't had a chance to do a real duel in a while."

IZOU: "C'mon, you gotta. Duryodhana is the only guy who can actually make me break a sweat, I want some interesting competition! I'm sure that some of the Servants from the War will join up too, before they pass on. Shoot for the prize money, so that they can maybe buy some extra mana and a little more time. This'll be one for the ages!"

[human-souls-buy-dopamine]

Idk why I'm suddenly wanting to post a bunch of random unrelated shit but eh. Here we go I guess, under a cut because idk how long this'll get 😭 also tw, heavy discussion of religion (christianity) and religion-based homophobia/transphobia

So like. Love our grandma to death right. Never will stop loving her. Just GOD sometimes she frustrates us so much 😭 (for context we live with her, she's our parent)

I can't tell if she's trying to be accepting or if she's not sometimes? It's so confusing. She let us have a pride flag, let us get a binder, she sometimes tries to use our pronouns and stuff. But then on the other side of things she just. Also tries to slip stuff about Christianity and whatnot into a lot of conversation about it

Like. Okay, she has a right to her own religious beliefs, just like we have a right to our own religious beliefs. None of our business. But it's so difficult when she claims to accept us and then spouts blatant transphobia and homophobia, votes for the guy literally trying to take away our rights, tells us that "God only made man and woman," etc—

Also the fact that, during our stay at the children's home, we briefly had a period where we genuinely tried to believe in christianity (as opposed to pretending bc you basically had to there) and so we read some verses on those topics + others. And unless there's proof of it being some translation error, homosexuality is mentioned both in the new and old testament!! I can't recall if the word itself is used for Soddam and Gomorrah, but in the NT there's a few that are just. Way too direct to ignore

"(9) Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men (10) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

"(9) We also know that the law is made ... for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, (10) for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality..." (1 Timothy 1:9-10, omitted some parts for length but I kept the meaning)

With that being said, you can't exactly cherrypick here. It's very explicitly stated, and while it very well could be a 'translation error', I haven't seen anything that supports/points that conclusion. (Not to say it doesn't exist, just we personally haven't)

So like. It's difficult to not feel frustrated, especially since she wants us to go to church— Like, you can't claim to support us as we are and then believe the thing that says we're condemned to hell for it?

And, maybe I'm making shit up here, but in our years of being in a conservative Christian town and listening to sermons, the way that sin is talked about is very much framed as a choice? Like, obviously in Christianity it's believed that humans are inherently sinful/unworthy (which is a whole nother can of worms), but you *commit* sins. You *commit* murder, you *commit* idolatry, you *commit* sexual immorality, etc— Gramatically I can't frame everything in that language, but you get the idea. While humans are apparently predisposed to sin, it's never implied (to us, at least, and from what we've read) that some people just ARE murderers, ARE idolaters, ARE cheaters, etc— people choose to commit these acts while having the option not to.

Therefore, using that logic, in Christianity, being anything besides straight would be a choice. Which we know from experience isn't true— Like, sure, we love our identity, but stars, dude, wouldn't it be a hell of a lot easier if we could just be cishet?? Why would we continually CHOOSE to be something that puts us at risk of being the target of a hate crime, of being murdered, of being harassed?

We've brought up these points, but it's like she just. Doesn't acknowledge it? Or she'll just go "I don't know why" when we bring up the last point, as if she thinks we ARE faking it somehow ???? It's like.,.,,,., ma'am. I love you. Please realize that while I'm fine letting you have your religious beliefs, as any decent person should be, if I were to be insistent about my own the way you are about yours you'd say I'm persecuting you. Your stance is inconsistent and we are rhe ones who have to live with the knowledge that under your beliefs we are a sinner condemned to hell for something we cannot control. That sucks. Like, I love you, but it sucks.

Idk man I'm just. Agh. I love her and she's a great parent, she takes care of us and loves us and provides honesyly a LOT for what we have available, don't get me wrong!! it's just this specific topic that bugs me aghhh

[connorconsumestrousers]

Im in the stage of the hyperfixation where I analyze anything and everything about this media.

the media being moral orel is. in and of itself something I am more than happy to analyze bc I know it's gonna be an emotional and moral rats nest /ref

also being aroace and being strict with the difference between attraction and love. will come in handy when screaming from the rooftops on why Bloberta and Clay's marriage is strictly based on some attraction and trauma. haha this'll be fun /hsrs

I'm. gonna put rambles abt that specific topic bc I have nowhere else to infodump abt my stange interest.

I'm telling you rn: this is all my opinion, so if something seems misinterpreted, then it probably was.

rambles are under the cut ↓↓

.

.

.

I think it's a bit obvious that Clay and Bloberta's marriage is NOT based upon mutual love. it's based on trauma both of them have. Bloberta's being feeling useless and unhelpful. she finally finds a guy that she has helped in some positive way. she immediately jumps to the conclusion of "this is it. this is the one." without thinking about anything else other than "he was the first one that has seen that I've helped, so obviously I have to get with him." and it's. a trauma response. she does have an attraction to him, bc obviously he's a handsome guy. but she doesn't know him. all she knows is that he said that she helped him. that does it for her. she doesn't need anything else.

and what she ultimately did was set herself up for disappointment. getting him drunk was a bad idea, obviously. so when he acts up and starts showing bad signs/red flags, she ignores it. or at least she tries to. leading to a sort of coping mechanism; cleaning. she thinks Clay is "filthy" so she goes to cleaning as her outlet.

this leads to her knocking Clay out, bc she can't take it anymore. once Clay wakes up, she helps him clean up, and talks to him abt what happened and proposes that they get married.

my genuine thoughts on why she did this so quick is, she doesn't want to get to know him. she doesn't want to see the red flags, or the bad parts. she also doesn't want him to say no. Clay is the first person that she had "helped" and she will not let this go. she won't let him go.

when Clay declines, she drops his head. this shows a bit of manipulation going on. a power imbalance. she's keeping him comfortable and safe, and once she lets go, he's not safe anymore. she did this on purpose, as I said before; she will not let this opportunity go. she has to marry him so he can make her feel wanted. that's all she's ever wanted. to feel helpful. to feel wanted by someone else. someone who would care about her and tell her she's useful.

when he finally "agrees" to her "proposal", she openly cares for him again. happy with the response.

they get married a bit later, the two having a service. you can see the emotion gone from Clay's face. Bloberta looks happy, but as soon as she sees Clay's deadpan face, her emotion drops as well. this shows that she might have genuinely liked him, in a love-ish kind of way. but we all know that they didn't know each other very well at this point, so she was probably hopeful for a happy wedding. and a genuine shared love with her husband. but she overlooked the possibility that maybe he didn't love her the way she loves him. because I think she did love him, at a time. at a time where she could look at him and love the man she saw. someone she barely knew.

this was probably the opposite with Clay. he barely knew Bloberta and he couldn't feel any real love for her. he doesn't try to fake this for the sake of a wedding because why would he? there's no reason to pretend to love someone you don't. and he was basically forced into this. being married to someone who practically manipulated you into saying yes isn't going to be the happiest decision of your life.

but I'm not saying she meant to manipulate him in this way. she probably just thought he liked her. and she liked him. so why not get married? two people who like each other. and when that takes place is a prime decade of unhappy marriages just because you liked someone and decided to get married. not getting to know them before holy matrimony is a fatal mistake, even now.

Clay's trauma is being worthless. this leads to him saying yes in the first place. hes told he's worth something. someone cares. someone is gonna marry him because he's worth something. and being very sensitive to any type of care, he'll take anything he can get. this specific scenario, a woman who is helping you is telling you that she wants to marry you. and you're supposed to say yes. you feel you have to. because she cares about you. she thinks you're worth it. who would say no?

also being hungover and not thinking straight, you're obviously not gonna have time to think before she leaves your life forever. and he doesn't want that. she's the first person to think he's worth hanging around and being with. it's a weird situation to be in. saying yes was the only logical thing for him to say, yk?

him being deadpan at the wedding. he knows he fucked up. he knows he didn't do the right thing, because he doesn't love her. not like you would love someone you genuinely want to marry. one: because he doesn't even know her well enough to grow and make a connection. two: because he doesn't want to be emotionally vulnerable again, being forced into something because your heart told you to.

.

.

.

BUT YEAH. that's my little. ramble I guess.

take all this with a. grain of salt. all of this is my opinion and how I view this!

[summerlycoris]

I think i figured out how to Do Sleep in a way that works for me?

Because. At night my brain doesnt like shutting off. Im a nightowl. But i tend to flag and nearly dooze in the afternoon.

So after i got back from my long day out today. (Wasn't worth coming home after work, just to go out to figure out my mail+ then go to cpr training) i slept for like 4 hours. So thats like half a good sleep yeah? So if i go to bed around 2am and wake up at 8am? (Which is better than going to bed at two waking at 10 and still feeling sleep deprived because i kept tossing and turning) Thats plenty of sleep. Gives me two hours of slack time to fall asleep and get the remaining 4 hours Its not in one block but that might be a good thing for me because when its in one block thats too much pressure.

Maybe this'll work for me?

[legends-of-time]

Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 42: Demons of the Punjab Part One

Masterlist

A/N: A little snippet of 6x01 then we're jumping to 11x06! 

——

1940s AD/CE

A classic World War II escape is in progress. A light brunette woman lies squished against a fellow escapee as both of them lie on their stomachs. Both are rather filthy, covered in dirt and wearing worn clothing. They lie on a wooden board as they stare up towards the large hole above them. The woman stares up at the hole with less anxious features as the man holds. She actually appears rather bored as she leans her chin against the palm of her hand, looking at the hole as if waiting for the real fun to begin.

"Doctor?" The man, Simmons, calls up quietly to the hole. "Doctor, what can you see?"

The Eleventh Doctor's face suddenly pops down the hole at the top of the tunnel. He wears similar dirt and clothing as the rest of them. He smiles somewhat nervously. 

"Is the Commandant's office painted a sort of green colour with a big flag on the wall?" He asks them. Lights and alarms appeared from above him. They can hear dogs beginning to bark.

"Does that answer your question?" The woman, Kathy, responds with a humorous tone, giving the Doctor a playful smirk.

"Yep. I think that's probably a 'yes'." The Doctor replies. He gives a quick grin before hurriedly disappearing again. 

Kathy smirks cheekily. "And you're an idiot!" She calls out to him.

"And proud of it!" The Doctor cheers happily. They hear him laughing loudly as people shout above and gunfire rings out.

——

August 1947 AD/CE

"I am not saying I'm grateful you're here, helping out with the wedding..." Prem remarks as he and Kathy rumble along the empty dirt road in the cart which is being led by an Ox.

Kathy turns from where she had turned back to look at the flowers, checking they're still there, to the man next to her. "But? I can hear a 'but' coming!" She jokes, squinting at him through the sun's rays.

He side eyes her, a smirk dancing on his lips. "It's just, you said it yourself this isn't the safest of times and that it's only going to get worse."

"It's the British bit you're most concerned about, isn't it?" Kathy quips.

"Yes, maybe." He sighs. "Is your brother really okay with this?"

She purses her lips awkwardly. Kathy's brother, i.e. her son Carlyle though she often introduces him as the former to avoid questions, had almost too gleefully shooed her off when she announced her trip to India.

"He's fine." Kathy says shortly. "Anyway, it was my friends in America that insisted I take the time away."

"Ah, the ones with the baby?" Prem laughs. "Getting under their feet weren't you."

Kathy scoffs. "Please, Amy and Rory are thankful for my help with Anthony!"

She had been thrilled when the Ponds had announced their wish to adopt. God knows they deserve it as, no matter how strong their relationship is with River, they had never been able to raise their daughter (in the traditional sense anyway), they deserve it. River had been involved too, being with her parents to meet her baby brother. Kathy had tried to keep her distance, to let them have family time but all three had insisted that she is family. Suppose that's what happens when you go through a lot with someone, as Kathy imagines they will, and she's only seen some of it.

Prem laughs even more before he suddenly startles, yanking the Ox's reigns to divert it from hitting, what Kathy realises to be, the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Graham and Ryan. She hadn't noticed them or sensed the Doctor through their mental link. However the latter may be due to the mental onslaught that the Doctor is currently experiencing.

"Hey! Get out the road!" Prem yells at them.

The companions jump out of the way while a disoriented Doctor is a tad slower. Kathy knows she would've had her first vision of the Thijarians. She watches them closely, knowing this'll be the earliest in their timeline she's met them.

"Really sorry, bit of a wobble." The Doctor says, recovering.

While Ryan turns to the Doctor, questioning her on what'd happened, Yaz is startled when she clocks Kathy.

"Kathy?" Her remark draws the others' attention and they exclaim surprised hellos. Kathy feels her mental link with the Doctor snaps back into place.

Kathy flashes a grin. "Hiya. Glad you made it."

"Sorry, to you both." Graham apologises to Prem. "Just getting our bearings. We're not from round here."

"No kidding. Your Punjabi's not bad for foreigners though." Prem comments to which Kathy presses her lips together in amusement. "You need to be careful. These roads aren't safe right now."

"We're actually looking for a woman by the name of Umbreen." Yaz says. Kathy kind of finds it funny how they had so easily and unintentionally found Yaz's grandmother's fiancée so quickly as well.

"Right... Umbreen. What for?"

"We're her family." and "We're her friends." come out of Yaz and Ryan simultaneously causing Prem to look at them oddly and Kathy to wince.

Thankfully, Graham is on hand to come to the rescue with a, "Family friends," while the Doctor flashes an almost too bright smile.

"We are on our way to say hello. Bit of a surprise." Yaz hurriedly adds.

"And you're right in time! She'll be shocked." Kathy quips.

Prem looks at her in disbelief. "But Kathy, you know we agreed – urgh, OK, get in!"

The gang clambers into the cart.

"So what you a flower merchant?" Graham questions conversationally, taking note of all the flowers.

"Yep! His dream job, ever since he was small." Kathy answers cheekily.

Prem rolls his eyes at her. "Ignore her. It's only temporary. Kathy insisted on helping." 

"'Course she did." Ryan quips.

Kathy flashes him a half-hearted glare. "Oi! What's wrong with helping? Plus history's taking place."

"History?" Yaz questions.

"Why isn't it safe on the roads?" The Doctor cuts in, plonking herself onto the cart. Kathy takes comfort in the familiar telepathic link she has with the Doctor gently pulls in her mind.

"Running transport now, Prem?" They all look around to see Bhakti, a Hindu holy man, who stands on the opposite side of the road, grinning, calling over.

"Want to ride with us, Sadhu? We can take one more." Kathy offers softly, feeling sad seeing the kind man, knowing what'll become of him soon. An innocent caught in the conflict.

"What's wrong with your feet? You young people, always such a rush." Bhakti retorts. "Walking's served me all my life. I'll be there, don't you worry."

"We'll be ready." Prem replies respectfully before murmuring, "I'm late. Umbreen's going to kill me." He snaps the ox's reigns. The cart pulls away. 

Kathy looks back to see Bhakti watching them leave. Her eyes connect with Bhakti's gentle, spiritual gaze, as they head off on the move. Her insides twist, knowing what'll happen to him.

——

The cart pulls to a stop in front of a shabby, rural barn. A few metres beyond it, we can see a small mud hut. Adjacent to the barn and the hut is a wheat field. In the distance, another small mud hut and a forest beyond that. It's serene, giving you the false feeling that everything will be okay.

Prem jumps off the cart and is confronted by the angry face of his fiancé, Umbreen, and also the younger version of Yaz's grandmother. 

"You're late!" She cries before spotting the gang climbing out. "And who are they?!"

"They are your family, Umbreen!" Prem remarks before scurrying off.

"What?!"

Kathy quickly darts behind the cart, busying herself with collecting the flowers and gesturing for Graham and Ryan to help, which they're only happy to do as a way to avoid the awkwardness, as Yaz jumps down from the cart and hurries over to her grandmother.

"Oh my God. You're Umbreen. You look amazing! What are you doing here?" She rattles off.

Umbreen looks at her granddaughter in complete bafflement. "I live here."

"On a farm? But I thought– doesn't matter, I am so happy to see you!" Yaz grabs Umbreen for a massive hug. Umbreen freezes turning her head towards Prem, who grins at her clear discomfort. 

Kathy grimaces. "I always hate this bit." She murmurs as the Doctor runs over, quickly urging Yaz to explain who they are.

"What?" Ryan questions.

"The usual companion awkwardness of going to the past, particularly a family member." Kathy answers. "It's amazing how the relative just goes with it."

Yaz finishes explaining how she is some relative of a Uncle Malik before turning to introduce Ryan, Graham and the Doctor.

The Doctor and Ryan greet with simple a "Hello" and "Hi" while Graham feels the need to add, "All the way from England."

Kathy grimaces, shaking her head. "Don't say that around here."

Graham's confused. "Why—"

Umbreen, unsure but ready to relent, cuts him off, "Right, it's just we weren't expecting you. Or anyone. Uncle Malik's not coming to the wedding as well, is he?"

"There's a wedding—" Yaz begins to blurt out.

"—which is why we're here! Kathy invited us!" The Doctor quickly slips in with. Kathy receives a sharp look from Umbreen but Kathy looks down, having found some absolutely fascinating petals. "Bringing wedding best wishes! Um, when's the big day again?"

"Tomorrow." Umbreen grins happily, clearly ready to forgive and forget the weirdness going on around her.

"Amazing. Can't wait to meet the groom!" Yaz continues to dig the hole.

Umbreen's confused. She nods at Prem saying, "Er, you already have."

"Remember me? Cart. Flowers. Marrying Umbreen. Unable to get rid of a certain English girl." Prem says conversationally.

Wait...

"Oi!" Kathy cries with a grin.

Yaz vocalises her confusion, "No. You can't be– you're not– Kathy, why didn't you—"

The Doctor once again distracts. "Wedding in the Punjab, bring it on! We love a wedding, don't we boys!"

"Oh yeah I could go to a wedding every day if I could." Ryan quickly adds.

"D'you need a singer? I know all the classics—" Graham then catches himself, "—or latest hits, to you."

"Don't ever let him sing—" Ryan rebuffs. 

Kathy smiles at them slightly. This was one of her favourite things about season 11, watching how Ryan and Graham's relationship develops and how they interact.

"We won't stay long, anyway – just wanted to convey our best wishes," the Doctor turns to Yaz and pointedly adds, "And then head off."

Manish strides in from the field. Shy, skinny, curious, twinkly eyes but Kathy knows there's hatred and contorted world views brewing underneath.

"Hi! Thought I saw people on the cart. Sorry about his driving?" Manish greets cheekily.

"My baby brother thinks he can do everything better than me." Prem scoffs. He ruffles Manish's hair and as he does, on Prem's wrist, clear as day, the watch Yaz's Nani had given to her but not smashed.

Manish introduces himself as Kathy sees the look shared between Yaz and the Doctor. 

Umbreen's mother, Hasna, the energised matriarch, a combination of excitement and worry, calls out from the barn, "Come! All of you! It's being announced!"

"Coming Mum!" Umbreen replies. She and Prem follow her mother into the barn.

"What's happening?" The Doctor asks.

"Everyone's waiting for the announcement. But I've got advanced information." Manish boasts. He heads off to behind the barn, as Yaz turns to the others.

"OK. Number one. The man Umbreen is about to marry is not my grandad." Yaz tells them.

"Defo? Totally sure?" Graham presses.

"Absolutely defo." Kathy replies with an amused tilt in her voice as she finds the words he'd used kinda funny.

Ryan pulls a face. "You two should never say that ever again."

"Oi!" and "Hey!" come from Kathy and Graham respectively.

"Yes!" Yaz responds to Graham's earlier question, ignoring the other comments made. Kathy doesn't blame her. "For starters, Prem's a Hindu name. We're Muslim. And he doesn't look anything like the photos. It's not him."

"But that Umbreen is your nan, right?" Ryan double-checks.

"Yeah. She does look like the photo." 

"But Prem's wearing the watch your Nani gave you in the future." The Doctor points out.

"So what? She had a secret Hindu first husband?"

Graham checks his watch. "Doc I reckon hour's nearly up."

"We can't go. I came here for answers. All I've got is more questions." Yaz pleads.

"I knew this would happen." The Doctor grumbles. 

Manish runs out with two sets of poles, tied with rope. "Anyone help me with this?" He grins, embarrassed, super-endearing. It breaks Kathy's heart.

"I'll help. I'm Yaz." Yaz immediately answers causing the Doctor to pull a frustrated look.

"Great, thanks Yaz. Big moment. You won't forget this in a hurry."

"You're right there." Yaz remarks as they head off.

Shouldn't have come. I'm too nice. This is what happens when you try and be nice." The Doctor grumbles. "Kathy, please tell me—"

"You're fine though you really should've expected, given your track record." Kathy answers. "The important thing to note is that are you really going to stand out here instead of going in there to find out what they're listening to?"

Graham, Ryan and the Doctor exclaim their agreement and follow Kathy into the barn.

——

Kathy, the Doctor, Graham and Ryan run into the unkempt barn, crumbling pillars holding up the ceiling and a second level, buttressed by farming equipment, wooden storage crates, and all half-decorated with flowers, as Hasna, Umbreen and Prem crowd around a radio. 

A calm, clipped, upper-class Indian newsreader's voice comes through, "After much delay and amid escalating communal violence, Lord Mountbatten has finally released the specific details or the borders which will separate the two countries."

"What borders are they talking about?" Ryan questions.

Kathy can see the cogs whirring in the Doctor's mind.

"Pakistan." Hasna tells him. "Today, India is officially cut into pieces."

"It's the 17th of August." The Doctor realises.

"And still you want to go ahead?" Hasna questions Umbreen. 

Here we go again...

"Nothing changes, Mum. We knew this was coming." Umbreen retorts.

"It's the Partition. The Partition of India. This is when the borders of India are divided." Kathy explains, saving time on strange questions. 

"And we're in the middle of it." The Doctor finishes.

——

Manish and Yaz stand by a variety of poles that have been down into the ground, fifty steps apart. There are two little fabric flags on each pole - one green, one orange. Rope between the poles. 

Manish straightens up, a boyish grin on his face as others stride over, behind him – Prem, Hasna, Umbreen, Kathy, the Doctor, Ryan and Graham.

"Welcome to the border," Manish announces proudly to a shocked Yaz, "where India ends, and our future begins!"

"Manish, what're you doing?" Prem demands of his brother. Hasna and Umbreen follow him while Kathy, the Doctor, Ryan and Graham hurry over to a baffled Yaz.

"Yaz. Hi. Quick sidebar, August 1947. Partition. The borders have just been announced." The Doctor quickly summarises for the companion.

Manish to one side of the rope. "India." Then the other side of the rope. "Pakistan."

"And it's not just land getting divided but people too. Riots, tens of millions of people about to be displaced, more than a million about to die." Kathy continues on from the Doctor's statement.

"Look meanwhile her nan's about to get married. But not to her grandad." Graham adds.

"I'm thinking, the hour's well up now." Ryan worries.

"You can't yet, there's something—" Kathy tries to say, worried they'll go before they should but they're by Umbreen, Hasna and Prem raising their voices as they argue with Manish.

"You can't know the border, it's only just been announced." Umbreen protests.

"The maps were leaked weeks ago. I got one from my sources." Manish counters.

"Your sources must be wrong. Because you've just put my house in Pakistan!" Hasna retorts.

"With the other Muslims." Manish says cheerfully. Kathy kinda wants to punch him for that.

There's a pause as Hasna, Prem and Manish look at Manish in disbelief, confusion and hurt.

"What? You get a fresh start."

"Manish, you need to slow down—" Prem tries.

"Pakistan is somewhere for Muslims, if they want to go." Umbreen argues.

"And I'm not saying you have to go." Manish says. "But, Pakistan is being created for Muslims. Hindus have India. And we both feel safe."

"Don't reduce it to that, brother, it's not that simple." Prem says almost pleadingly.

"But I get you have a hard decision. If you're married." Manish quips to Prem and Umbreen. 

Kathy can see the time travellers next to her clocking all this simmering tension playing out here.

Prem ignores his brother's comment. "The land belongs to everyone. Has done for centuries. One day doesn't change that."

"I love you brother. But you're wrong."

The Doctor then suddenly stumbles in pain. "Ahh."

Then Hasna gasps, drawing everyone's attention to what she's looking at, terrified. "Look. Demons."

They all look, through the heat haze, in the distance, at the edge of the forest lining, is the Thijarian. Kathy knows Prem is also recognising them. 

The Doctor quickly whips out her sonic. Kathy grips hers in her pocket, not feeling the need to use it just yet.

Half in shadow, half in light, it's clear to see two elongated faces with very few features, hooked fangs rising up out of their lower jaws and back ears and multiple small eyes on the sides of their faces. They stand with arms outstretched, palms upward as if summoning something from the ground. No wonder the Doctor mistook the Thijarian as still being the assassins they were known for if they've kept that look.

"I told you this would happen. I told you these days were cursed." Hasna cries, panicked, to Umbreen and Prem.

Then with a jagged, physical 'wham', the creatures vanish.

"It's gone." Umbreen says.

"Not far. We'll deal with this. Come on!" The Doctor cries, reading her sonic, and running off with Kathy, Graham, Ryan and Yaz towards the forest leaving a bewildered Manish, Prem, Hasna and Umbreen behind.

——

The Doctor pelts through the forest, sonic out. Kathy, Ryan, Graham and Yaz are behind her though Kathy is closer to the Time Lord than the others.

"Find the signal it didn't go far—" And as the Doctor says that, she and Kathy, as they're both in front, are hit with a strong force causing them to stagger back.

Kathy's head throbs as all she hears is this loud whining. She spins and sees two Thijarians with their hands on the head of Bhakti. He's slumped down against a tree, dead.

She doesn't have time to dwell on it as then the Thijarian cries, forcibly in her mind, "Stay away. The Prophet should know not to intervene."

Then another pulse hits the whole group this time causing all five of them to bend over in pain, covering their ears.

Then there's a crack of a gunshot. A millisecond before the shot, the Thijarians disappear with a twisted jagged flash. And then silence. Stillness. 

Kathy straightens herself, turning back to see Prem as she had expected. He's looking past her, to where the Thijarians were, dazed.

"Did I get them?" He asks, moving towards the tree.

"I don't think so. They moved faster than your bullet." The Doctor replies. She seems to be in shock. Likely from the mental onslaught and being properly confused.

"What were they?" Ryan questions as they all run over to the holy man's body.

Prem reaches the body. "Bhakti..." He checks the body, stunned. "They killed him."

Kathy swallows heavily. It was a bad idea coming here early, perhaps, as now she looks on at Bhakti. "We can't know that for sure. We didn't see it."

'It' being this poor man's death.

"He was your man on the road." Graham realises.

"He's a holy man, a Sadhu. Everyone knows him as Bhakti." Prem explains. "Umbreen and I asked him to bless our marriage. 

The Doctor sonics the body and then looks at Prem, suspicious. "You just saw something not of this world, and you took it right in your stride. Why's that, Prem?"

A haunted look crosses Prem's face. "I've seen them before."

"Where have you seen them before?" Yaz asks.

Prem pauses, mind filled with old memories, before he turns suspiciously to them. "Who are you? You say you're Umbreen's family, but clearly you are not. And you ran at those demons, like you didn't care. And what did Kathy mean when she questioned if they'd killed Bhakti?"

"That would be spoilers." Kathy says.

"Hint?" The Doctor asks.

"It's not what you think or appears to be."

The Doctor nods, turning back to Prem to answer his question. "I don't think they're demons."

"Why should I trust what you think?" Prem demands to know.

"Then trust me Prem when I say you can trust them. They're my friends." Kathy pleads.

"And because we've got experience with impossible creatures." The Doctor adds. "And because we ask questions like: what is this substance on his body?"

They all look. Fine, purple dust on Bhakti's clothing, face and body. As they watch, it begins to dissolve into nothing.

"And, things are getting even weirder." Ryan remarks.

"Think that's what they used to kill him? Some sort of fast dissolving, poisonous dust." Graham wonders.

The Doctor checks her sonic. "Doesn't read like he was poisoned." She peers closer at the body. "I don't understand..."

Yaz takes control, asking, "So what're we gonna tell the others back there?"

As Prem dismisses telling Umbreen, Hasna and Manish the truth as well as worrying about Manish's more recent behaviour, Kathy stays quiet during the whole exchange. Running this episode over in her head. Trying to work out how much she can change and what the consequences are such as, does she risk letting the gang in early on what's really going on?

Graham looks back to Bhakti. "This fella needs to be laid to rest."

"Why don't we go and get the others to help. But not let on what happened." Yaz suggests to Graham.

Kathy nods. "Good idea. No need to cause panic unless we know the whole truth."

Graham and Yaz start walking away to do just that while the Doctor sonics the air. "Ah! Kordian waves! Which could mean a dormant octonic engine nearby..." she rambles.

"What's she saying?" Prem questions.

"Eh, my advice is to just nod along." Kathy says.

"But if I had to guess, I think we're going demon hunting." Ryan adds.

"Gold star for Ryan!" The Doctor cries before frowning. "Oh wait, or was I awarding points? Ahh, I forgot about the points!"

"I prefer stickers." Kathy remarks.

"Katherine Davis, you read my mind!"

"I'm coming with you." Prem declares.

"No." The Doctor asserts.

"I know this forest. I can help."

The Doctor looks to Kathy who gives a reassuring nod. The Doctor sighs and nods. "Okay." She runs after Yaz, quickly warning her of the danger she herself is in and to be careful before the Doctor, Kathy, Ryan and Prem split off on their own task.

——

Kathy, Ryan and the Doctor march through the forest, Prem with the rifle at the ready. The Doctor holds the sonic out in front of her. It beeps solidly.

"I don't like this. Traipsing through the forests alongside the British, looking for the enemy. I've done enough of that." Prem tells them before his tone turns accusatory. "Although maybe you're my enemy now, for the mess you've just made of my country. Carving it up slapdash, in six weeks. Going to run off home now, are you?"

"Technically it's the British government doing the carving, not us, but fair point." Kathy responds.

"Though I'll make a note of your thoughts and pass them on to Mountbatten if I ever bump into him again." The Doctor quips.

Ryan turns to the Doctor and Kathy as they move slightly ahead of Prem. "These demon things, you seen 'em before? D'you reckon they're here cos of the Partition?"

"Open mind, Ryan! Open mind." Kathy quips, her eyes focused on the ground looking for the transmat that'll lead them to the Hive.

The sonic beeps ferociously, catching Prem's attention. "What's your demon tracker saying?"

"It's saying..." the Doctor catches sight of something in the dirt, "hello!" She runs down the slight slope towards it with the rest of them behind her. The transmat is a large disk that's dull, and metallic. 

"What is that?" Prem wonders.

The Doctor discretely sonics the transmat causing it to judder. Kathy watches, mentally preparing herself for the teleportation that'll occur any moment now.

"Seems like a transm—" The Doctor begins to say but then they vanish—

——

—and appear in a circular, dark space. The Thijarian Hive. Shiny obsidian walls with metallic detailing - like the inside of a zoetrope. No controls. A dais in the middle. Threatening, ominous atmosphere. Again, they're really not helping themselves.

"—at doorway." The Doctor finishes.

Prem immediately cocks his gun, aiming it in preparation for the threat. Frozen in terror.

"Nice! That was cool." Ryan gasps in surprise.

"What. Just. Happened?" Prem questions shakily. "We were in the forest. And now we're... really not."

"Short answer: we got dragged through a doorway. Into—" The Doctor begins to explain.

"—the demons' lair." Prem finishes.

"Not demons," Kathy corrects, "but yeah."

"Spaceship, though, right?" Ryan asks.

"Yep. Gold star, 10 points etc."

The Doctor tries sonic on surfaces. "Can't get a read on anything." She says, frustrated.

Prem looks around, wide-eyed. "It's beautiful."

And the Doctor stops and takes it in. "Yeah. You're right. It really is. They can surprise you, demons."

"Again, not demons." Kathy quips.

"Hey d'you think they're here?" Ryan questions.

Kathy pulls out her scanner. "Not getting any life signals."

"Maybe they're out. Shopping. Catching a movie. Bowling. Some races like bowling, I'm talking to cover up my latent worry." The Doctor rambles.

"I know. Got that now." Ryan remarks.

The Doctor fiddles with the settings on her sonic. "Come on, one of these settings must unlock it." She mutters to herself before having a final go by pointing it at the central dais.

Alien chittering, a cacophony of noises, and a hologram of moving alien script appears in the middle of the Hive.

"What is it?" Prem questions.

The Doctor walks up close, through and around the moving alien script. "Exactly what I wanted – craft spec, species data, bio-ID." And she lets out a soft gasp-breath, and goes very still, staring at the info.

"What. What've you seen? Doctor." Ryan urgently calls.

The Doctor is processing some information, unsure of whether to reveal it or not as well as cold dread. "This is a Thijarian Hive."

"Is that good thing or bad thing?"

"Thijarians are assassins."

"Right. So, that's basically a bad thing then." Ryan quips.

"I've heard about them, but never come across them. One of the ancient species, they evolved themselves into the deadliest assassins in the known universe." The Doctor explains, tone filled with dread.

"Doctor, please remember it's not what you think." Kathy reminds the Doctor. Maybe she really should move the get Doctor to talk with the Thijarians sooner further forward? But first, she needs to allow them to further explore the ship. 

The Doctor sonics the hologram and another hologram appears behind her. The face of Bhakti.

"He was their target?" Ryan wonders.

"But Kathy said it's not what we think. Maybe she's got a point, why would the Thijarians be targeting a holy man in the 1940s?" The Doctor turns to Prem. "Wait – you said you'd seen them before. Where?"

"I don't want to talk about that." Prem protests.

"It could be important." Kathy pleads. Come on, please tell them, explain.

"I don't want any of this, I'm supposed to be married tomorrow."

"Mate, the Doctor and Kathy are right. We can help you. But you have to trust us." Ryan pleads kindly. "Where did you see them?"

"In Singapore. Our section had found a boat to escape on. But I'd signed up with Kunal. I wasn't going to leave without him at my side. That's where I saw the demons. Standing over my older brother's dead body.I lost them in the haze, as the evacuation sounded. Left his body there." Prem is gutted and stoic. "I couldn't save him." He looks to them all, shaken. "Why are they here? How did we bring demons on ourselves?"

Kathy sighs. "Listen, my friends will help to work out what's wrong. And we'll protect you. All of you." She's given up on correcting the demon naming.

"What if you can't?" Prem asks, still shaken.

"Hey, hey look at this." Ryan is pointing at a container of purple dust that had risen within the central dais. "That was the stuff that was on the holy man's body."

Okay, right she can stop the Doctor from grabbing it, stay for longer so that the Thijarians can explain what's going on but probably get Prem out as—

The Doctor grabs the container. An alarm starts to blare. Great.

"OK, over-keen, should've thought about that." The Doctor mutters.

"You think!" Kathy retorts.

And on the other side of the Hive, the two Thijarians slam into existence. One on either side of the Hive. And that terrible noise again! So impactful, and it warps the physics all around, juddering the air. Kathy, the Doctor, Ryan and Prem recoil in pain.

"They're here!" Prem cries.

As the four back off, the Doctor in front, turns to face both Thijarians, keeping an eye on both.

And the words of Kisar, one of the Thijarians, thunder in their heads. Their head angled as they speak, "You have desecrated the Hive! The Hive is sacred!"

"D'you have to push your words into our heads like that, cause it really hurts! And no, we haven't actually – it's you who are desecrating this planet. I know who you are. I know what you do. And it's not happening here. So leave these people alone. They're under my protection now." The Doctor declares.

"Doctor! That's not what they—"

Almak, the other Thijarian, cuts Kathy off by crying, "You cannot prevent this!"

The four of them are on the transmat spot now. The Doctor smirks at the Thijarians. "You just watch me."

And she presses her sonic.

——

Kathy, Ryan, Prem and the Doctor reappear in the forest.

"Get out the forest!" Kathy cries to Ryan and Prem. She knows they'll get teleported out and away from this and she can use it to plead with the Doctor to listen.

Ryan and Prem run ahead and then, just as it happened in the show, there's a high-pitched whine and then flash - they disappear in front of Kathy and the Doctor. 

The Doctor skids to a halt. "What?!" She cries. She spots a circular, metallic device on a tree, which has teleported Prem and Ryan. 

She moves to grab it but Kathy grabs her arm and stops her. "Don't."

The Doctor turns to Kathy, baffled. "Wha— Kathy, they're trying to catch us, we need to get away!"

The Thijarians slam into existence across the way.

"See, Kathy, we need to—"

"Haven't you been listening to a word I said?!" Kathy questions, determined. "What happened to keeping an open mind?"

"I know, I know but they're assassins, Kathy! They're ambition is to desiccate this planet." The Doctor retorts, rocking on her feet, anxious to get away but Kathy won't let her.

"And look at you being all prejudice. Don't run, Doctor, listen to what they have to say." Kathy argues.

The Thijarians slam in right in front of them. The Doctor jumps, wrapping her arms protectively around the container.

"You disrupt our work!" Kisar screeches in anger, their words bursting into the Doctor's and Kathy's heads painfully.

"I know. We're sorry." Kathy quickly, but sincerely, apologises. "There's just been some mild confusion. Let us come with you and you can explain everything."

"Kathy, we can't. We need to back to Umbreen's and— " The Doctor tries to protest.

"No, we don't." Kathy counters. She knows she shouldn't take the Doctor's doubt personally. The Time Lord has been taught the complete opposite and for many years, the Thijarians have done just that, be assassins, the opposite of what they are now. Difficult to comprehend.

"If we don't protect Umbreen, what happens to Yaz? Don't you want to protect her?" The Doctor demands to know, frantically.

"I am protecting her!" Kathy snaps. "If we try to stop them, they'll try to fight back and we can't have that."

"The Prophet knows who we are, our purpose. She knows what's coming." Almak realises.

Kathy nods. "I do. And I won't stop you but we need the Doctor to understand. She won't stop you if you explain. Doctor?"

The Doctor scrunches up her face before sighing in defeat. "Firstly, I much prefer it when you're not making that threatening sound. Secondly, fine, yeah, let's go."

One Thijarian places their hand on each of the Doctor's shoulders while the other does the same to Kathy.

One second they're in the forest and the next second, they're gone.

——

A/N: Decided to switch things up here! It didn't make sense for Kathy to not step in sooner particularly as nothing disastrous will happen if she does. So next chap will be having cannon moments but shifted around.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[ratrap]

I don't know how much help this'll be but if you don't have anywhere safe to stay have you considered making a donation post? You're an adult and you need some money that's your own, him handling all your finances is just another huge red flag and way to keep you under his control. If you explain your situation (it doesn't have to be in detail or give out anything personally identifying) I'm sure there are a lot of people willing to help you get back on your feet, we're mutuals so I for one can vouch for you not being a scammer. Also if you aren't already you need to tell your therapist the truth just like you have on here, if they're any good they should be able to help someone who's clearly in an incredibly toxic relationship. Please stay safe, my heart breaks just reading all this stuff. You don't owe him SHIT and I truly hope you find a way to escape all this.

thank you.. I don't even know what to say, no I've never even considered doing that. I dont really know anything about doing that either. You're so right about the money thing I never gave it a second thought but that is pretty weird. If I ever want anything for myself I have to say to him and then he takes everything to do with it. I dont know how to set up anything or how I would even access it if I did. He can be nice like what I imagine a normal boyfriend is like but he does make me uncomfortable and it shouldn't be like that for anyone. You're really sweet and I cant thank u enough for taking the time to be so kind to me and try to help me. I know I should tell my therapist about it and I know she knows theres something up with me. I dont really know why I dont tell her. She is good and she is nice, she's helped me with a lot of things, but I don't know if I can say the things I say on here out loud to anyone nevermind her. And I would probably have to say even more to her. Im embarrassed. I don't know how long we've been mutuals obviously but things were reaaallly shitty for me maybe like four five years ago I guess I also get worried about being hospitalised as a result because that wasn't fun. Also in some kind of way I don't want to get him in trouble. Not because we have been in a relationship for a while but I dont know what would happen if I said I wanted to move out like I dont know if it would be possible for me to say that bc he is legally registered as my carer because of my disability and mental health problems. Thats why he takes control of any money i get too because apparently it's too much for me to deal with. I guess to sum up in one sentence I'm just scared. And I had been talking to him since the pandemic and had been seeing him in person since 2021. I didnt think things were that uncomfortable until I moved in with him around a year ago. He knows all about my trauma inside and out from my whole life so he knows how to manipulate me and I just dont like upsetting him. but also I am an adult and I did get involved with him on my own accord so I sometimes feel like maybe people would think I made my bed and should lie in it… literally.which is dark and disturbing but I dont want that.

[musette22]

Chris cleaning out his phone... got everything crossed for the grease song and maybe some Seb gold! 😍

Ngl, 'Seb gold' made me think of this 😂

Bet Chris has got plenty of that on his phone :p

[ailithnight]

Pros and Cons to the Community Guidelines Update

Pros:

If Tumblr is really so incompetent about preventing CP and pornbot infestations, it genuinely is better that they ban all sexual content.

Cons:

Tumblr’s reputation for incompetency grows.

They literally told people to go to other websites. 

Adults exist. Adults create adult content for other adults and that is okay. The existence of adult content does not pose an inherent danger to children as long as the adults creating it are responsible and tag it so that safe mode kicks in and does its job.

“Female presenting nipples” ??? If Tumblr genuinely wants people to feel comfortable expressing themselves and exploring their identites, maybe don’t fall into the same trap of misogynistic and transphobic thinking that keeps women and trans people oppressed. There is nothing inappropriate about boobs, regardless of who owns them.

Actually, the ban on nudity is just all around stupid. People have bodies. There is nothing inherently sexual about a human body. I’m not saying I should open Tumblr and have a penis be the first thing I see. But an all out ban on nudity serves no real benefit. All it does is allow for the creation of bots that flag and ban people for having flesh and arms and faces.

On that note, the bots fucking suck. It takes far more than general colors and vague shapes to identify sexual content. “Buzzwords” too cannot accurately or adequately determine if something is sexual or not. The bots are flagging way to much content that shouldn’t be flagged. All the while, the people who desperately want to put sexual content on the website are going to find ways to trick the bots and subvert the system. People are good at exploiting loopholes.

Also, another similar note. Non-nudity is not inherently non-sexual. If I were a wee 13 year old exploring the internet for the first time, I would be far more damaged coming across a comic of someone in a full body fur suit getting fucked by a dog than a simple body positivity blog posting pics of almost or fully nude people and textposts giving detailed descriptions of how to care for one’s genitals. If all the guidelines care about is dicks and nips, the site isn’t actually any safer. 

Tumblr wants to make its users feel safe? BAN THE FUCKING NAZIS! BAN THE TERFS! WRITE A BASIC FUCKING ALGORITHM THAT RECOGNIZES WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO SEND AN ANON ASK THAT SAYS “KILL YOURSELF”!!! Pornbots, CP, Nazis, Terfs. These are the dangerous things that this website has been hosting. These are the things they need to get rid of. Everything else can likely be handled just as well through safe mode and filtering.

[pumpkinleif]

I cannot even begin to fathom the pressure that a single indie artist would have, doing a kids' graphic novel reboot for a show that's had a fanbase sustaining itself for FIFTEEN YEARS off nothing but a trio of seasons and its own increasingly esoteric, elaborate Fanon Lore.

Like, it's physically impossible to address everything readers want in 200 pages of PG-rated comic panels. Even if it was the best written story in the history of media with staggering artwork, someone won't like how it defies fanon, or caters to fanon, or is too dark, or not dark enough, or whatever. All it really can be is a decent story in its own merit.

.......But I'm not writing the Danny Phantom comic, so here's a list of things I'm hoping to see, in order from most to least likely:

Dark Dan comes back and is sexy. (Already confirmed.)

Vlad getting some kind of character growth or edge towards redemption. (Decently likely, would be surprised if it didn't happen.)

Mention of how Maddie/Jack are taking the identity reveals, ideally with realizing how they tried to murder their son for months. (This'll almost certainly happen, but if it's done well, that's another controversy. :P)

Valerie getting some form of closure to her Vlad-tech hunter revenge arc. (She's confirmed to be in the comic, so probably...?)

Related, Valerie having a freakin moment to address her ex being Phantom and how weird that is. (Equal odds of this happening ooor it being pushed aside for the Greater Threat, imo.)

I think Danny should get to cry once. It's a lot of pressure and he's a kid and he didn't get to even once in the show.

Dani shows up! (Not confirmed, but maybe a cameo?)

Tucker gets fired from being the mayor. I like Tuck, but come on.

More content for the trans!Danny theory. (PLEASE, just like, one binder in a background shot or a pink and blue flag somewhere, please)

Danny/Vlad identity reveals getting retconned through time travel. (May be a bit of a cop-out, but has enough precedence in canon to be possible.)

Obsessions/cores/Ancients namedropped and therefore becoming Real Canon. (Possible.)

Wes becoming canon. (Less possible, but funnier.)

Clockwork nonbinary pronouns canonized.

My OC specifically becoming canon.

[danwhobrowses]

The Suicide Squad (2021) - Review

So I'm back from the cinema COVID's really done a number on the quality of sour cherries in the pick n' mix, used to be the top level pick, also they had no chocolate honeycomb bits! It's a pandemic but that doesn't mean we should descend to savagery

Anyway, during this pick n' mix fix there was a film, Suicide Squad: this one done by James Gunn and seemingly loosely connected to Goyer's box office disaster.

I had heard big things about this movie, including that it was 'the best DC film since the Dark Knight', so high praise indeed. But what did I think of it?

Spoilers for the Movie Below, If that wasn't clear

Okay so...I thought it was decent, but not the best since the Dark Knight. If anything it was an improvement on the previous one, not without its flaws though, so I'll go into detail about these.

What I didn't like

This'll be where I poke at the flaws so it may come off as harsh but I am aware that not all of these are the fault of the actors or the director, always best to get the negative out of the way too.

Thinker was mostly underutilized I like Peter Capaldi, I really enjoyed his Doctor Who run and thus I was stoked to hear that he'd be in Suicide Squad. But aside from the one good scene before he'd die, we didn't really get much from him. Unfortunately his intelligence was more a case of telling rather than showing, and they never added the backdrop the Thinker suffers in exchange for this intelligence. Frankly, the Thinker didn't have to be the character in the position in this film, you could've traded him with another mad scientist without superpowers and had the same thing.

The Character Dynamics needed more Aside from Bloodsport and Ratcatcher, there wasn't enough bonding between the group to really pull off the emotional impact of some deaths. Harley and Bloodsport are upset that their friend Rick Flag died but we didn't really see them as friends so much, aside from Harley hugging Flag and one glance plus us being told that Bloodsport and Flag served together, their sadness doesn't really feel earned. Harley really seemed more upset over the deaths of Boomerang, Javelin and the President she shot than Flag.

Likewise, Ratcatcher's upset over Polka Dot Man's death and King Shark's survival did feel like it would've been warranted with more time. Granted she declared King Shark her friend and hovered around PDM but it did need more time to expand on them being attached, I mean Bloodsport didn't seem all that shaken by PDM's death either it was more of an 'oh well' kinda thing.

Speaking of, his daughter suddenly being proud of him wasn't quite earned either, her appearance early in the film was a means to an end, no love was lost so you can't suddenly accept he's your dad just because he helped fight a giant alien. Plus it shouldn't have been Bloodsport's victory, he had no part in liberating the country, that was Flag's plan.

Starro can survive bullets to the eye, but not a Javelin The moment we see Starro freed the government unload on it with all amount of bullets, and it is unfazed. And I definitely see many of those shots hit the eyeball and it doesn't even flinch, its flesh is mostly undamaged by Bloodsport's max-modified gun and King Shark can only bite small chunks out of it. However in the climax of the fight, Harley dives straight through the eyeball with Chekov's Javelin so the rats can get inside, seems a bit of an inconsistent foil that mainly served to give Harley a contribution to the fight.

Maybe we could've explained where TF the Justice League are? So, with the mention of Superman we can confirm there are superheroes still running around, so uh, where are they when a giant starfish erupts out of a tower named after the Norse realm of giants? It didn't have to be a big thing but at least an explanation would've been offered. Supes could still be in the ICU to write him off and then Batman could be threatened with his Identity to nod to the other Suicide Squad's post-credits scene, it's a small nitpick but one which would've fleshed out the story major.

But why did Waller want them dead? Team 1 was set up as a distraction, involving the likes of Savant, Harley, Flag, TDK, Blackguard, Mongal, Weasel and Boomerang. But we don't really make it clear why the previous movie's members are in the sacrificial lamb squad? - the squad I bet Waller sold out after finding out that Blackguard was selling them out - surely they are the most experienced in Task Force X and thus assets to Waller. Waller doesn't seem like the person who would discard them, especially since she tasked Team 2 to then recover Flag rather than leave him to die, outside the vacuum that this was meant to shock us by killing off so many, it didn't make any tactical sense.

You can predict 80% of the Deaths before it happens Suicide Squad was bound to have deaths from Task Force X, but there was the flaw that you could see it coming a mile away. It could be me desensitized to superhero plots and 'sudden death scenes' but like, you could tell when someone was gonna die, even Flag, President Luna and PDM, the only ones that surprised me was Boomerang and Weasel's fakeout death (apparently Weasel can have water in his lungs for days and survive, but can't swim), and Milton but he was a throwaway death. I was almost caught by King Shark almost dying - after finally taking some proper damage from the piranha jellies - but one thing stopped me from considering it.

Trailer Content Gives Too Much Away A personal one, but trailers are meant to give you just enough to want to watch, in movies where you're meant to think someone could die before the third act it takes a lot out of the tension when you know you haven't seen a particular scene yet. This was the case with Flag, Ratcatcher and King Shark, Flag couldn't die on the beach because he needs to help bust out Harley, Ratcatcher couldn't die until we saw the scene of Harley swimming with the rats and King Shark couldn't die until he fought Starro. I know the filmmakers do not control the content the trailers use, but it should really be a major rule not to give away your plot.

Harley is Never Truly in Danger If you were to ask me to pick 3 characters who I expected to survive this movie, you'd have Harley, Ratcatcher and Peacemaker. And surprise, they all do. Peacemaker was a fakeout but he has a HBO series, Ratcatcher I would've predicted to have been saved in place of Bloodsport but they saved each other, which leaves Harley. I didn't have an in-story reason for Harley, I just knew she'd survive because Harley is Harley, and that isn't great. Her life never truly feels threatened, partly because of trailer content but also because nobody ever actually acts like they want to kill her. It definitely would've bolstered the film to event suggest that Harley could be killed off in the final act like the others, since she's the character we're meant to be most familiar with.

Some Things Foreshadowed Didn't Feel Resolved Like I said, Flagg didn't really get the credit for helping with the liberation of this island, but that's not the only thing that lacks true payoff. The film didn't really lean enough into King Shark accepting the Squad as his friends, a lot of the time he is mocked for his naivete and absent-mindedness, Bloodsport may've grown as a leader and attached to Ratcatcher, but it doesn't really lead to any awakening for him about his daughter, and Polka-Dot Man's side effects where he has to release his dots twice a day or risk it killing him didn't really go anywhere. At one point I was hoping maybe he'd make the heroic sacrifice or Starro would control him unaware of this limitation and get blown up with him - space monster vs space virus - but instead he just got flattened after joyfully exclaiming the thing his mother - the personification of his hate - wanted him to be.

Was I meant to feels sorry for Starro? Genuine question there, because I don't. I pity it for its spores being experimented on for 30 years and being trapped in confinement, I understand it attacking the Thinker and the military people it recognizes as being responsible for its imprisonment, I can even understand it attacking the Squad since Thinker reveals that they were sent to kill it. But the moment you lost the right to feeling sorry for it was when it walked away from the Squad, claimed the city as its own and started murdering innocent civilians. You can't suddenly say 'we were happy just floating in space' on your deathbed when you were killing people wantonly, like you could've just left? Flown back up into space - because Starro can fly - and resumed doing what you want. Trying to layer tragedy into Starro when it's about to die after being prevented from killing everyone did not land with me.

What I Liked About It

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to the stuff that made this more enjoyable than the previous.

Characters get Upgraded In the absence of Deadshot, Killer Croc and Katana, plus the deaths of El Diablo in the past movie and in this movie Captain Boomerang, Task Force X got bolstered with improved characters. Bloodsport, Ratcatcher II, King Shark, Peacemaker and Polka-Dot Man were great character additions that balanced each other well. A lot of it came down to the characters having more purpose and role in the overall plot but Rick Flag also improved on his prior outing as a sulking puppy worried about his possessed girlfriend to someone who is a good man in a bad bunch.

Perhaps most impressive is how Idris Elba's Bloodsport carries a lot of the film's character development, since he was at heavy risk of simply imitating Will Smith's Deadshot (I mean they're both expert killers doing this for their daughters, it does feel like Bloodsport was filling in for Deadshot in early scripting) as he grew into the role of a leader.

Waller remains fantastic, but her aides are the true heroes Viola Davis again knocked it out of the park playing Amanda Waller, the morally dark grey judge of Task Force X. But although they are a bit lazy when it came to researching stuff like Can Weasel Swim and not giving valuable information about the other squad members, her new squad of aides got to show a lot of personality in the film, which had its own lighter and more humane scenes in it. Visibly disturbed by the lengths Waller would go, but not above taking bets on who will die, the aides show a direct contrast from Waller's moral grey and their own moral grey, coming to a head where they effectively betray Waller in order to let the Squad fight Starro. A satisfying and earned moment which'd keep Waller from blowing their heads up, but she at least respects their actions because she didn't shoot them all...yet.

Peacemaker earns his Miniseries John Cena's jingoist Peacemaker was a great part of this film. At times comically naive, other times brutally violent, he keeps relevant with his oneupmanship rivalry with Bloodsport. But it's in the third act where he flourishes, having come into conflict with Flag and killing him to prevent American involvement of Starro's experimentation from going public. It works to see him show the complexity of his actions as well, noting how he's trying to prevent a grander scale issue despite his personal dislike for it. Peacemaker despite being one of the flashier members of the squad turned out to be very down to earth and scarily realistic about the lengths some would go to preserve the norm over the truth, when his miniseries does come out to, there'll be a lot left to unpack and explore with him, with his moral greyness being a perfect fit for Task Force X.

It's Not 'All About Harley' Perhaps my biggest criticisms of the prior Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey was that while Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is by design a central character, the plots were tailored to make her overshadow everyone else, which would work swimmingly for a solo Harley Quinn movie, but not for a movie where you're supposed to invest in a group of characters, they also tried to make her something she wasn't; in Suicide Squad they tried to sell her as 'crazier than the Joker' which is ridiculous and then in Birds of Prey they tried to make her like a female Deadpool. Fortunately this film toned down on Harley being the most important character of the group, which allowed the other members to have time to get their personalities across. While I criticize that she's not in danger at all, she still gets to demonstrate growth and get her character across without needing to go too over the top.

The X-Force-esque Slaughter Sets the Tone Gunn was definitely adamant in making sure that new viewers and watchers of the last Suicide Squad would be equally introduced to his vision in a trial by fire. Bookending the opening with Savant as we were introduced to Task Force X, then de-introduced to them by their brutal slaughter, and then Savant's desertion just to remind us that the head bombs are still there, only for it to end up being a distraction for the real new blood. As slightly upsetting as it was to lose Captain Boomerang - one of the surprise better characters of the first film - it did at least show that Gunn wasn't afraid to kill off the OGs not named Harley Quinn. And also any Guardians of the Galaxy castmembers.

Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man are equally fantastic Added with Bloodsport's rivalry with Peacemaker, Harley doing Harley things, King Shark's comedic lightness through his innocence and absent-mindedness, and Rick Flag being a proper character, we had great showings from the remaining 2 members, who I was glad to see lived up to my expectations of them being awesome.

Polka-Dot Man acts as the depressive buzzkill but also as one of the best power-output characters. By the end of the movie you root for him and his absurd powers from what was a Z-List Villain, as well as providing a lot of comedic moments with his mother issues. I was sad he died really, albeit not surprised.

The film though belongs to Ratcatcher as much as it does Bloodsport. A unique character, there's an innocence to her given her backstory. The comical interactions with her favourite rat Sebastian and other characters adds to her likeability, as well as her younger attitude such as not knowing what an overhead projector was and her relatable desire for sleep. Her established bond with Bloodsport where they seek to look out for one another aids in Bloodsport's character development, having to get over his fear of rats and protecting her from Starro. In the end as well, it's her clutch action of summoning all the rats that properly wins the day, and I'd have no qualms about seeing more of her.

It's Styled Like a Comic Book As zany as the movie is, it works that it doesn't take itself super seriously. The way the story is presented as well fits like a comic book, with its own niche 'meanwhiles' and non-linear narratives, but also working with artistic scenes like Ratcatcher's flashback in the car window, Harley's de-goring by changing blood into flowers and birds, Flag and Peacemaker's fight being reflected around his helmet and the VS card when Starro is unleashed. This also adds to the collective chaos caused by the Squad in their attempts to reach the end goal.

Multi-Layered Plot While things only really kicked off in the third act, it worked to establish several entwining plotlines that converge in the final point. Flag and Harley's rescue are due to being the sacrificial team 1, rescuing Flag also gateways into the Resistance subplot. Waller's threatening of Bloodsport's daughter is the catalyst for her aides seizing command, Peacemaker's bullet comment and rivalry with Bloodsport pairs with Bloodsport's fondness for Ratcatcher and saving her with a smaller bullet, the Javelin's gifting of his weapon to Harley plays the long game into the climax, it's the steady escalations and detours from the core plan of getting to Jotunheim that provides more time to show us more of the cast's traits and how they react to situations.

Conclusion

Overall I did like this movie, I do think it's been overhyped a little by virtue of it being better than the previous one, but it's at the very least a solid improvement that stands on its own feet but also opens the potential for sequels and more spinoffs, as well as giving more lesser known comic characters some spotlight.

[sezja]

Previously: first, kiss

One-Word Prompts: #3 - final

The sounds of the battlefield are quieter now, but the young hyuran bard's ears are still ringing - his first major action, a huge push against the Imperials by the Alliance at Ghimlyt...

And, well, he'd made a botch of the job, hadn't he?

Gloomier than is his wont, Mordyn Lariat sits at the fringes of the Adder encampment, staying well out of the way and nursing his wounded pride. 'Tis an easier task by far than looking to the screams and explosions and cannonfire that echo in his mind; he can't say for certain what it is he expected true war to be like, only that this is worse. There is no training, no discipline, that could have prepared him for the sight of his fellow soldiers dying by the dozen around him, nor for the frustrated horror of gaining ground only to be pushed back by the onslaught of a magitek behemoth.

His gaze strays to his own commander, one Captain Smyth, in close confidence with one of the Serpent Commanders, no doubt receiving their next orders. Or perhaps explaining why his own unit had been so woefully unbalanced! At every turn, Guydelot had been an exemplary bard, rallying soldiers as they began to flag. Lariat has a dim memory of dropping his own harp several times in fumbling between playing and firing arrows, and his voice had been too quiet to rise above the chaos of the battlefield.

Some bard I am.

"Don't sulk." Liautroix, his swarthy elezen friend and fellow bard - aye, and fellow disappointment! - settles down beside him in the muck. "Please don't sulk; it ill-suits you, Lariat."

"I'll sulk as I like. Earned it, I have," the Lominsan-born hyur replies, but he doesn't have it in him to be too sharp with Liautroix; they've been fast friends since the day they were plucked from among Jehantel's students. He sighs, nodding in Sanson's direction. "What're the chances this'll be our final battle as bards, d'ye think?"

Liautroix frowns in thought, tugging his hat from his sweat-soaked head. "The captain isn't so unforgiving, surely..."

"No?" Lariat glowers. "This'd get a man keelhauled in the Maelstrom."

"'Tis fortunate indeed, then, that we've no boats for keelhauling." Liautroix attempts a weak smile, but cannot hold it, nor is Lariat in any mood to bear it. "If we could only be as steady as the lieutenant..."

"Aye." As steady, as loud, as inspiring. Will Lariat even get a second chance to show his steel?

Does he have any steel to show?

Liautroix's watching the captain too, Lariat realizes: he's just as anxious as Lariat is, afraid of facing retribution for failing to live up to the expectations of the leader of the world's only known bard unit. This cannot be what Sanson expected when he recruited them, after all... but then, Lariat rebels, perhaps he ought to have picked recuits with more battle experience behind them! What had compelled him to pick such raw soldiers, in the first place?

Well, maybe he'll pick better next time.

[lmanburg-letter-service]

To Fundy,

I know you said you don't want to talk to me anymore. That's fine. I don't know if I'll even send this to you, but I need to write this. You don't have to read this. Honestly it's probably better if you don't read it, I'm writing this at near midnight so it's just gonna be a jumbled mess of my thoughts and emotions so you probably wouldn't wanna see this even if you did want to talk to me. But still, I need to write this, even if you don't read it.

I'm sorry. I really am. I was shit to you, and I treated you horribly. I tried my best to be a good dad for you, but I failed anyways, and I'm sorry. I've told you this before. I'll say it again and again because that's just what I do - I keep apologizing again and again even though it changes nothing because it's the best way to show how much guilt is eating away at me. And I already know you won't accept my apology, which is fair enough. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I want to explain myself a bit, because I didn't really get to earlier.

Okay, this might sound a bit guilt-trippy - Which is not my intentions! I don't want to make you feel bad, I really don't, all the blame for everything I've done goes to me, none of it is your fault. You deserved better. Let me make that clear, you did deserve better and I should have been better. I just don't know how to use my words well anymore, so there's a chance that my attempt at explaining myself will seem more like it's guilt-tripping, and I don't want that so I'm saying this now.

Okay. So Fundy, the thing is, during Manberg. I didn't know that you were spying. I don't know- maybe this is me misremembering, or something specific to my timeline or something, but as far as I can remember, you never told anyone about the spy thing. As far as I can remember you made sure that no one knew except for yourself, not even the people you were supposed to be spying for. I never saw the spy diary, I never even knew about it. That's why I didn't trust you, was because I watched you burn down our flag and tear down our walls and give your loyalty to Schlatt, and the whole time I didn't know that you were a spy. The whole time I thought that you were on his side, because no one knew you were spying. I never talked to you then because I couldn't. I was exiled from Manberg, if I went to go see you they would kill me. And you never came to Pogtopia, so I just figured that you didn't want to see me. Which is fair, I probably wouldn't have wanted to see me either if I'm being honest.

This feels wrong. Saying this feels wrong, it feels like I'm putting the blame on you- I swear I'm not, that's not what I'm trying to do, it's my fault. All of it is my fault. I just... I want you to know that I didn't mean to abandon you. I want you to know why I did what I did, so you know that it was never that I didn't care.

I did care. I do care. I just... I thought you didn't. During Manberg, I thought that you didn't care about me anymore and nothing ever happened to change that thought process so even after revival, I still thought that so I just sorta... was scared to talk to you again. That's why I waited so long.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have waited so long. I should have went and talked to you as soon as I could, but I was scared because of what I saw in Manberg and I just- I dunno.

Fundy, I really am sorry, and I can't stress enough that I really don't mean to place the blame on you. It isn't your fault. It's my fault. I just wanted to explain my thought process. That's all. And now I've done that, so I guess this'll probably be the last time you hear from me, unless I have another bout of midnight guilt and decide to do this again or something, which.. I probably won't. I mean, no doubt I'll have more midnight guilt, I don't think I've had a single night without that, but I probably won't do this again, since, y'know, you told me you didn't want to talk to me anymore. Yeah, sorry, I know I probably should send this to you because of that, but.. I dunno, I'm kinda hoping that this might help make it hurt less or something? Sorry. Again. This'll be goodbye now, or I'll just keep writing until it gets to be dawn.

Sincerely,

Wilbur Soot.

(Will💥💙)

[Letter Sent!]