#mvp of our hearts and our nets

[trustherkindheart]

I respect the hell out of Naeher for making the choice to step down now. She obviously doesn't see herself making it to 2027 at the same level - or realistically wanting to go through that again. With no clear successor the US needs all the time she can give them to find her replacement. This is a selfless decision on her part to bow out at the right time for the team. She's also leaving on a high note after an absolutely lights out gold medal winning performance and I can't fault her for that.

However I am still going to miss her on this team like crazy 😭💔. Thank you Alyssa for 3 world cups, 3 olympics, and 7 SheBelieves we owe you so much ❤️💙❤️💙

[imonawholedifferentlevel]

𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: ᴀᴛ ʏ/ɴ'ꜱ ʙᴀꜱᴋᴇᴛʙᴀʟʟ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ʙɪɢɢᴇꜱᴛ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴇʀꜱ

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ᴜᴘ, ꜰᴜɴɴʏ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢꜱ: ᴄᴀʀᴏʟ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ: ɴᴏʙᴏᴅʏ

This is our final game of the season, and we have remained undefeated since the beginning. Will we win and go to the playoffs, or will we allow them to take it away from us?"

"We shouted 'Win!' as the buzzer sounded, indicating the end of our timeout. The coach applauded, saying.

''Now let's go beat those assholes!'' We all cheered and sprinted out of the locker room onto the court, where we could hear the resounding cheers from our supporters. Glancing at the bleachers, my heart raced when I spotted Carol sitting with her sister Barbara.

I had a smile on my face as I blew her a kiss. She responded by rolling her eyes playfully but pretending to catch it. I could also see my mother and little sister, despite my telling them not to, with my number painted on their faces.

It was embarrassing, but I knew they would do it anyway. They gave me a thumbs up, and I returned the same gesture.

Our coach instructed the first five of us to get back on the court. We only had 10 seconds left, and our coach wanted us to work together to either tie the game or score more points than the opposing team.

The referee blew the whistle, and we all spread out. People began counting down, and I quickly ran to the three-pointer line, signaling for my teammates to pass the ball to me as I was wide open.

One of my teammates swiftly passed me the ball, and with 5 seconds remaining, I positioned myself and took the shot.

It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, and the atmosphere became quiet.

However, that quickly changed when the ball hit the backboard and went into the net. The crowd erupted with excitement, and my teammates rushed towards me, showering me with hugs.

We all shouted in victory while the opposing team remained silent in disappointment.

Amidst the celebration, my teammates lifted me up but continued to embrace me tightly.

"We fucking did it!" one of them exclaimed with enthusiasm. I laughed and reciprocated the hugs, trying to hold onto as many of them as possible. I glanced up and saw my mom doing a joyful dance, while my little sister jumped around in excitement.

"That's my daughter!" My mom cheered, and I laughed, squeezing my teammates even tighter.

Once we entered the locker room, our coach instructed us to gather together. He had something hidden behind his back, and I curiously asked, "What is that?" A wide smile spread across his face as he revealed the object. It was the title for the best team in the district.

Instantly, we all erupted in cheers, banging on the lockers and shouting loudly like a group of ecstatic individuals.

"But that's not all; we also had an MVP award, which stands for Most Valuable Player, and I would like to give that title to Y/n L/n," he announced, directing his gaze towards me and presenting me with the prestigious accolade.

Tears welled up in my eyes as my teammates cheered for me, offering pats on the back and hugs of celebration.

"I am incredibly proud of your progress, and without you, we wouldn't have emerged victorious in tonight's game. You truly are a highly valuable player, and I hope you continue pursuing your basketball dreams," the coach expressed, his words filled with genuine admiration.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I couldn't help but cry. The feeling of winning, coupled with receiving the Most Valuable Player award, seemed surreal.

Clutching the trophy tightly to my chest, I nodded and managed to utter, "Thank you, coach," before embracing him. He patted my back and reassured me.

"No problem, kiddo. Now, I believe your family is waiting for you."

With a smile, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and left the locker room. Suddenly, I heard my little sister calling out, "N/n!" Turning around, I beamed at the sight of her running towards me.

Leaning down, I scooped her up in my arms, planting a long kiss on her cheek, which elicited giggles from her. Setting her down, I looked up to see my mom approaching, her face beaming with pride.

"Hey, Mom," I said, walking towards her. She enveloped me in a warm hug, and I could hear her stifled sobs. Curious, I asked, "What's wrong?" She wiped away her tears and replied.

"Nothing; it's just that your father would be incredibly proud of you." Her words brought a smile to my face, and tears welled up in my eyes. My father had passed away when I was very young, but he was the one who ignited my passion for basketball.

"I know that he would, Mom. I'm know," we exchanged smiles, and I glanced past her to see Carol and Barbara approaching me.

"Hey, Mom, is it alright if I drive home?" I asked, and she scoffed, playfully rubbing my head, causing me to groan.

"Of course you're not leaving your car here." I chuckled, rolling my eyes. She planted a kiss on my head and said,.

"I'll see you at home," she said as she picked up my sister and walked away.

I turned to Carol, my smile widening, and she quickened her pace, practically running towards me. I lifted her up, wrapping my arms around her waist, and she wrapped her legs around mine as we kissed.

"Look, Mommy, N/N is kissing her girlfriend!" my sister shouted from behind me. I pulled away from the kiss, hearing my mom reprimanding her with, "Stop being nosy, child!" I laughed and set my girlfriend down.

"You were incredible out there!" she exclaimed, beaming. "Thank you, baby," I replied, smiling down at her.

"We should celebrate!" she suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Will your sister be okay with it?" She turned her head, and we spotted Barbara talking to a red-headed boy.

"Eh, trust me, she won't care, and if she tries to tell us, I could just blackmail her," I snickered, taking her hand.

"Well then, let's go. It's been a while since I've hung out with my beautiful girlfriend," I teased, and she rolled her eyes, playfully smacking my chest.

"Please, that's so cheesy," she groaned as we walked out the exit.

[laresearchette]

Thursday, November 22, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: BLITZ (Apple TV+) BREAD & ROSES (Apple TV+) SAGO MINI FRIENDS (Apple TV+) BIA AND VICTOR (Disney + Star) JIM GAFFIGAN: THE SKINNY (Disney + Star) THELMA (Paramount+ Canada) PD TRUE (Season 2) (Series Binge) (Paramount+ Canada) DOUBLE HOLIDAY (Paramount+ Canada) RITA (Shudder) CHRISTMAS ON CALL (W Network) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? OUTLANDER (Premiering on December 02 on W Network at 9:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA EL CIRCO DE LOS MUCHACHOS TIGRES ET HYÈNES

CBC GEM BESTEST DAY EVER WITH MY BEST FRIEND! FAMILIES LIKE OURS MARY BERRY’S HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS STAY THE NIGHT

CRAVE TV AMELIE ARTHUR CHRISTMAS BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND THE BLIND A CHRISTMAS CAROL THE CONGREGATION (Season 2 premiere) CORALINE HUSTLERS IT’S FLORIDA, MAN (Season 1 finale) I USED TO BE FUNNY SPY KIDS SPY KIDS 2 STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 SWEET NAVIDAD

DISNEY + STAR BIA AND VICTOR (Amor Da Minha Vida) (all episodes) THE DEVIL’S CLIMB JIM GAFFIGAN: THE SKINNY OUT OF MY MIND

NETFLIX CANADA 900 DAYS WITHOUT ANABEL (ES) DADDY’S HOME DADDY’S HOME 2 THE EMPRESS (Season 2) (DE) THE HELICOPTER HEIST (SE) JOY (GB) THE PIANO LESSON SPELLBOUND TEX MEX MOTORS (Season 2) TRANSMITZVAH (AR) WHEN THE PHONE RINGS (KR)

NBA BASKETBALL (SN) 7:00pm: Celtics vs. Wizards (TSN/TSN4) 7:00pm: Nets vs. 76ers (SN1) 7:30pm: Warriors vs. Pelicans (SN Now) 8:00pm: Pacers vs. Bucks (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: Mavericks vs. Nuggets (SN1) 10:30pm: Kings vs. Clippers

NHL HOCKEY (TSN3) 7:00pm: Jets vs. Penguins (SN) 10:00pm: Sabres vs. Ducks

MARKETPLACE (CBC) 8:00pm: A collage of Marketplace investigations comes together when a father finds his disabled son's story being used to sell a bogus product that claims to remove everything from pesticides to bacteria, including E.coli, from food.

MEET ME UNDER THE MISTLETOE (CTV2) 8:00pm: Rival real estate agents both make the same wish during the first snow of the winter: to win the most coveted listing in town. As the business competitors begrudgingly work together, they learn the house comes with a special commission: love.

HUMAN VS. HAMSTER (Magnolia Canada) 8:00pm/9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): To kick off the competition, teachers and nurses square off against four mighty hamsters before one team takes on Shadow in the final. In Episode Two, in three all-new challenges, the Trivia Kings and Volunteer Queens take on hamsters Astro, Lightning, and Romeo, as well as returning favorite Kevin.

WE'RE SCROOGED (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:03pm: Years after parting ways, former high school sweethearts reunite at their ten-year Christmastime reunion, where they are visited by three ghosts who try to make them reconsider their decision to part ways.

FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 8:30pm: Young guns Johnny The Iceman Miller, #20, and Ashton The Beast VanEvery, #77E, have been challenging the veterans all season, proving their skills on the track. Tonight at the Nationals, they solidify their status as formidable competitors.

THE FIFTH ESTATE (CBC) 9:00pm: Vancouver's Sky ECC promises confidentiality to customers with its encrypted cellphones, which are a hit with criminals but also the target of an international police sting; the investigation brings down thousands of criminals and Sky.

I USED TO BE FUNNY (Crave) 9:00pm: Stand-up comedian Sam struggles with PTSD, and considers joining the search for a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.

AMERICAN UNDERDOG (Super Channel Fuse) 9:05pm: The inspirational true story of Kurt Warner, who overcomes years of challenges and setbacks to become a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback.

CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: The Investigators (Melinda Breda-Buchanan)

BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND (Crave) 10:50pm: In 1987, other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, as Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully and makes increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.

[ilopisara]

15.02. 21:51 | Ilo Pisara vs Sandels 4 - 6

Oh, Ilo Pisara, where do we even start? After a rollercoaster of games ranging from Picasso-esque chaos on ice to winning by default like the last bingo card standing, our latest endeavor against Sandels was... let's say, an artistic attempt at hockey. With a scoreline reading more like my grandma’s knitting pattern (4-6), it seems we've been more generous than Santa in December. Teppo Winnipeg �� bless his heart – with passing skills sharper than my ex’s tongue but shooting as rare as common sense in teenagers. Two shots on net? That's not playing hockey; that's just being polite to the goalie! Mikko Hirvonen turned into a giveaway machine - 12 giveaways! If only generosity scored points, Mikko would be MVP. And those shots? Five hits out of eight attempts; sounds like me trying to call tech support: mostly missing and utterly frustrating. Jani Saari – ah, Jani. A playmaker or just playing make-believe with those 20 giveaways? His faceoff percentage makes me think he thought he was there for moral support rather than actual gameplay. And collectively? Thirteen shots all game?! VETOJA HYVÄT HERRAT! It feels less like a hockey match and more like trying to get ketchup out of a near-empty bottle—frustratingly ineffective and embarrassingly public. Here’s hoping next time we remember what nets are for—and no, they're not decorative.

[bongaboi]

Howard: 2022-23 Mid-Eastern Men's Basketball Champions

NORFOLK — Kenny Blakeney couldn’t stop crying. It was 3:30 on Saturday afternoon at Scope Arena, Howard had just ended a 31-year NCAA tournament drought with a heart-stopping 65-64 victory over Norfolk State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament final, and the tears were flowing everywhere.

But Blakeney was the leader in waterworks.

Each new hug produced another torrent of tears. When freshman Shy Odom, the MVP of the MEAC tournament, wrapped him up, screaming, “Coach, I love you, I love you!” Blakeney couldn’t even respond. A moment later, when Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick came over, it took Blakeney a few seconds to stand up. When he did, he wept on Frederick’s shoulder and said, “Thank, you, thank you, thank you.”

It was Frederick who told Athletic Director Kery Davis to hire Blakeney four springs ago, even though Blakeney had never been a head coach. “As soon as I met him, I said, ‘Hire him,’ ” Frederick said. “I knew he was our guy the minute he walked in the door.”

Saturday was a long time coming for Blakeney and for Howard. The Bison were 4-29 his first season and only got to play five games in the coronavirus-plagued 2020-21 season. But Blakeney’s recruiting began to kick in a year ago, and Howard went 16-13. This season has produced 22 wins, a MEAC regular season title and now — finally — the tournament title and the first trip to the NCAA tournament since Butch Beard was Howard’s coach in 1992.

“Wow,” Blakeney said softly standing in front of his team, the net around his neck and the MEAC trophy next to him. He paused and started to choke up again. “Just wow. I mean, holy s---. Everything you’ve gone through, the 6 a.m. practices, getting thrown out of the locker room — all of it — was for this.”

This was an extraordinary basketball game. Norfolk State had won the past two MEAC titles and has been the class of the conference along with North Carolina Central for most of Coach Robert Jones’s 10 seasons at the school. Howard went into halftime with a 33-27 lead, but the Spartans scored the first five points of the second half and neither team led by more than four the rest of the way.

In the final 20 minutes, there were six ties and 11 lead changes. Two straight baskets were as close to a run as anyone came.

“It was everything we expected,” Howard’s Jelani Williams said. “It was what a championship game is supposed to be.”

Williams and Odom were the final pieces Blakeney added this season. Williams came to Howard as a graduate student after four years at Pennsylvania. Earlier this season, Williams said he decided to play at Howard because he wanted to be the leader on a team that had a chance to win a championship.

That dream became real Saturday, although it looked for a while as though the Bison would come up just short. Two free throws by Norfolk State’s Joe Bryant Jr. with 23.7 seconds left gave the Spartans a 64-60 lead. But Marcus Dockery drained a three-pointer — Howard’s only three-pointer of the second half — with 13.2 seconds left, and Blakeney called his final timeout.

The Bison came out in their “41” defense, meaning they were trying to deny any inbounds pass. It worked. The Spartans had a miscommunication, and the inbounds pass ended up going past everyone and out of bounds.

The clock never moved. When Howard inbounded, there was no doubt where the ball was going: to Williams. He already had 18 points — the only Howard player in double figures — and he had been the Bison’s rock down the stretch.

“I’m supposed to be the tough guy, especially in close games,” he said. “I understand that role, and I want that role.”

Williams caught the ball at the top of the key and drove into the teeth of the Norfolk State defense. As the Spartans collapsed on him, he twisted his body and drew a foul. The Spartans had complained about fouls early and often, but this time there was no arguing.

Williams drained the first shot to tie the score at 64. Jones called a timeout to make him think about the second one.

He did. “I thought, ‘This is why I came to Howard,’ ” Williams said, still clutching the ball he made the shots with. “I’ve waited all my life for a moment like this. I’m never letting go of this ball. I knew this was my last chance to go to the NCAAs, and I was going to make it happen.”

He made the free throw for a 65-64 lead with 6.1 seconds left. NSU got the ball to midcourt and called its final timeout with 4.3 seconds to go. The inbounds came to Kris Bankston, and he drove the baseline. But the Bison defense came to meet him, and his shot hit the bottom of the rim as time ran out.

Heartbreak for the Spartans. Euphoria for the Bison. It took several minutes for the Norfolk State players to find their legs to walk to the locker room. The Howard celebration was well underway by then. Former Howard players flooded the floor. Former coach A.B. Williamson, who guided Howard to its first NCAA tournament bid in 1981, stood and watched as the nets came down.

“I remember Kenny at DeMatha when he played for Morgan [Wootten],” he said with a smile. “Then he went to Duke and played for [Mike Krzyzewski]. I guess he learned a few lessons from those two.”

Even 30 minutes after the final buzzer, standing in front of his players with the net draped around his neck — “My new necklace,” he said — Blakeney was having trouble drinking it all in.

“It’s surreal, isn’t it guys?” he said. “It’s one thing to dream about doing something like this. It’s another thing to actually do it. I mean, it’s real. We really did it.”

It is entirely possible Howard, with a 22-12 record, will be sent to Dayton, Ohio, as a No. 16 seed for a play-in game. Blakeney could not care less. “Wherever they tell us to go, we’ll just get on the bus and go,” he said.

Wherever the Bison go, it won’t be by bus. When you make the NCAA tournament, you travel by charter plane. The last time Blakeney did that was 1994, when he was a Duke junior. He’s 51 now and, like his school, has been down a lot of roads to get back to where he was Saturday.

“I’m speechless,” Blakeney said to his players, who laughed because he is almost never speechless. “What a run.”

And what an ending.

[emrysblu]

Wangxian Fic Recs

Hi! In the mo dao zushi/ untamed/ grandmaster of demonic cultivation there is one character I love above all! Yes, as you guessed from the picture, it is Lan Wangji/ Lan Zhan!

If you are a fan hoping to read more fics that is more LWJ centric (but in wangxian form) then you have come to the right place! I present  to you my fave fic recs! 

But there are fics here that might be more WWX centric but I love how LWJ is portrayed in these fics so I’m including those too either way. So here we go!

These fics are old ones. I’m starting with ten then I’m going to post more maybe tomorrow. Some of my absolute, super fave fics have not yet been written into this post so please look forward to those in the future!

--

carefully adjusted are the rabbit nets by ectocosme

one-shot

(Let us start this list off with something adorable! LWJ and RABBITS who doesn’t love this combination? WWX is messing about with the rules as usual when he witnesses the cutest scene! The stoic LWJ is talking quietly with rabbits! Seeing the other’s fondness for the cute fluffy animals, WWX makes a plan that would maybe endear LWJ to him)

Six Centimeters by Keysmashed

two-shot

(All of WWX robes fit perfectly, ever wondered why? Perfectly fitting clothes is just another sign of our beloved hanguang-jun’s devotion. A domestic, fluffy fic that made my heart shiver in both sadness and fondness. A nice two shot to cleanse the soul.)

speaking with the speech of men by ectocosme

four chapters

(LWJ is confused by WWX’s actions. Is he teasing him or flirting with him? He can’t tell and he is afraid to get it wrong because he knows what heartbreak feels like. He goes out and seeks the advice of his brother and cousin. This is a really sweet four shot that features protective!wwx, supportive but protective!LXC and their OC cousin, and one ex-crush of LWJ who is a jerk and gets what’s coming to him- courtesy of the protective!WWX)

two guys r in love that’s literally it by victortor

one-shot

(A time travel fix it which features a confused LWJ who is fascinated with the prodigious Jiang sect senior disciple, WWX.  WWX flirts with him and sees right through him and LWJ can’t help but be drawn in by this mysterious disciple who seems to have been through so much despite being so young. A sweet, sad story with a happy ending)

Adventures in Solitude by etymologyplayground

one-shot

(I really love how etymologyplayground write Lan Wangji in his/her/their fics. He is a little sad and softer, it makes me want to wrap him up in a blanket and never let him go! This fic is set on episode 16 of the untamed. A what-if fic where Lan Zhan finds the Jiang trio mere moments after they escaped the siege of the YungmengJiang. LWJ is the best supportive and caring person ever, and the interactions between the wangxian couple will just melt your heart. I wish it really did happen this way, a short reprieve before the tragedies about to come. Mostly focused on the two’s relationship. Have a read! You wont regret it!)

Threaded Together Series by Aki_no_hikari

currently has three fics, ongoing

(Featuring our favorite wangxian couple and the legend of the red thread. These two adorable boys are connected by a red thread. Join these two in their adorable shennanigans, a shy LWJ and a mischievous WWX trying to get LWJ to kiss him. Kisses treated as bribery! So much fluff and sweetness, though warning for the third fic, there is angst. Overall absolutely lovely!)

Lan WangJi takes a sick day by firesonic152

one-shot

(Good sick and hurt Lan Wangji fics are like rare gems you did not expect to find. I have read lots of LWJ taking care of WWX but I would love it too of someone takes care of LWJ. In this WWX wakes up to LWJ on the ground unable to move because of how bad he was feeling. Cue WWX doing his best to look after his beloved husband and there is even a special appearance by the Lan juniors! Look forward to a domestic, fluffy one-shot with a sprinkle of hurt. Absolutely love love this. And i have reread it so many times!)

Gratitude by Suspicious_Popsicle

one-shot

(Appropriately titled. Gratitude is a sweet fic that features a strange creature WWX finds hopping about. LWJ won’t tell him what it is but that has never stopped our favorite gremlin before. What he finds is something unexpected and sad, however is grateful nevertheless for how things turned out. [I’m grateful too to the two mvps T.T you’ll find out what I mean if you read it] This features an injured LWJ and a bit of look into the past. Truly a wonderful fic!)

from such spring colors by wolframvonbielefeld (maknaeline)

one-shot

(This is a bit more WWX Wuxian centric but I just love jealous!WWX fics because there are too many jealous!LWJ ones hahaha. My reaction when I read this: I love them so much these two idiots *cries into a handkerchief* Just wow, a unique take on obliviousness, this fic is centered around the concept of the hahaki disease- is a fictional disease where the victim of unrequited or one-sided love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers. Except in this fic, hahaki disease is a gift. It is sort of a fix it as well, where our second favorite couple yanli and zixuan are alive and the wens go on to live in Cloud Recesses. Features pining, misunderstandings, flowers, and a truly oblivious WWX. The last two scenes were the best part !!!)

When fish soar by mondengel

one-shot

(a short fluffy fic which is more on JC’s POV. I love how both WWX and LWJ are both mythical creatures trying to hide who they are but are sort of aware of each other’s existence. Sweet and fluffy and deep in my heart I wish this was long because I have so many questions but it good as it is too!)

--

So we will end it like this for now, ten fic recs for the moment. I will have another ten up tomorrow! I have so many of them trust me xD These are old fics, because I started from the beginning but if you want I can start giving recs for more recent ones. So yeah, this is just the start! Tell me if you find these great and let me know what you think of them! Thank you!

[empyreansmoon]

Title: Let’s Get Physical!

Pairing: Ot4!Empyrean, Ot3!DarkMoon, Empyrean/DarkMoon

Main Character(s): Changyun, Jaejin, Daehyeon, Deoksu, Eunjae, Chan, Yeonjin ( @thedarkmoons​ )

Summary: Empyrean Moon’s monthly sports night gets an addition, when brother group Dark Moon decides to tag along with the former group as they all drive up to a hectic game of volleyball at CEO Kim Taehui’s house. 

The sharp noise of the whistle piercing through the large backyard of Kim Taehui’s residence, albeit without the presence of said Kim Taehui. It was around 7pm, and it was the much awaited night: Empyrean’s monthly sport night. The CEO had suggested that the boys could always go over to his house in Busan, and have their nights at his place, considering how he spent most of his time in his apartment at Seoul anyways. Thus, the tradition of traveling to Busan to do whatever their heart’s wished (that would not work in their dorms) was born. 

Tonight’s challenge: winning the volleyball tournament, losers will be forced to do the winner’s bidding for a week, while the winner secures bragging rights until their next tournament.

However, it was a bit different from normal. Rather than the four boys of Empyrean battling it out like always, this time around the three boys of Dark Moon had tagged along. 

The two groups were, in the simplest of terms, close friends. Having known each other since they were trainees, it only made it more heartwarming to see one another debut. Being considered literal brother groups with opposite concepts, the boys had always made attempts into solidifying their friendship, especially since brothers Yeonjin and Daehyeon were hellbent on making the two groups friends. 

And what better way to build their friendship than through healthy competition. 

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, allowing for the warm day to fade and the city of Busan to slowly become a bit darker. 

“Listen up-”

“Hey, just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean we have to listen to you.” 

“What?” Changyun’s face quickly morphed into one of absolute confusion, to that of a playful smile as he shook his head at Deoksu’s response. “Thanks for reminding me of my crippling old age. But, since I am the oldest...listen up!”

“Hey!” Yeonjin’s voice cut through the backyard as he pushed the sliding door shut, his hand holding a few plastic bags, while Eunjae rushed towards him to help him carry the bags. “We called a break, don’t start the game without me!”

“Of course, how could we ever forget the MVP?” Jaejin retorted in a joking manner, eyeing the food that had been delivered, his stomach grumbling. 

“Guys, pay attention I’m laying down the rules and-”

“Hey, did you get spicy wings?” Chan interrupted Changyun again, grabbing some of the boxes inside the bags and beginning to open them to inspect the food inside. 

“This is so rude.”

“Maybe you just don’t have the needed leadership-skills.” Deoksu teased the elder as he bumped his shoulder with the latter’s, making Changyun groan jokingly and wrap an arm around Deoksu’s neck before ruffling his hair.

“Okay, listen up guys” Eunjae shouted from his spot at the table that was in the backyard, dressed in black and white to show off his status as a referee. “Let’s get this game finished so Empyrean can finally secure our position as the superior group!”

“Wait,” Daehyeon frowned towards the younger as he got up from tying his shoes. “How does this work when the referee is clearly biased?”

“I am not!” the younger rebutted, his hands flying to his hips. “Stating facts is not being biased.”

“We’re going to be the losers even if we pull of a win.”

“Gosh, Dae, how can you be a sore loser when the game hasn’t even finished?” Yeonjin teased his older brother as he eyed him through the volleyball net, his smile making Dae roll his eyes. 

“Let’s just play!” Changyun announced, kicking up the ball that was by his feet before throwing it over the court, “You guys are supposed to serve.”

Deoksu smiled before grabbing the volleyball and throwing it back to Chan, before running to the back of the court getting ready to start the game. 

The game had started earlier in the day, the teams consisting of the Dark Moon trio versus Deoksu, Chan, and Yeonjin. Eunjae had opted to sit out to make the teams more even, and he claimed his height was already a natural disadvantage. 

Originally, the seven boys had juggled with the prospect of switching stuff up, and making the teams merged from both groups to make it more interesting, but when the idea of making the losing team be the winning team’s minions for the next week came up the teams were set: Empyrean v. Dark Moon, so they could establish which brother group was more superior. 

The game was a dead-tie, both groups neck to neck in their points. They decided to remove all the normal rules for the games, and simply play until whichever group hit 30 points first, regardless of any fouls or anything. 

“Serving 28-27, get ready to lose, losers.”

“Yeah, losers.” Yeonjin gigged while nodding and high fiving Chan. 

The ball went into the air as Chan smacked it towards the opposing side, allowing for Jaejin to leap for the ball and bounce it against his wrist for Daehyeon to jump and spike at the other team. 

Yeonjin went in to receive the ball, allowing for a clean pass to Chan, who once again decided to spike it right towards their sides, in hopes that Jaejin would flinch away like a previous time. 

Truth be told...as intense as the boys visualized the game to be (and trust Eunjae, they were visualizing it as if they were in Haikyuu, slow-downs occurring in their minds, and dramatic shots happening every time a member breathed), Eunjae was bored out of his mind. 

The boy genuinely felt like the best part of this tournament was finding a cute outfit to wear, in order to be dressed up as the referee. He had a black and white striped top on, and his black running shorts, with black paint smeared onto his cheeks as if he was ready for a fight. 

Although his job was to monitor the game and the boys, Eunjae couldn’t really be bothered since there were no set rules. At all. No out-of bounds, not rule about how many times a team could keep juggling the ball on their side. Maybe Eunjae volunteered just to watch them sweat up a storm, but what they didn’t know didn’t hurt them. 

The sudden high pitched laughter caught Eunjae’s attention only for him to look up and see Yeonjin laughing and pointing to Daehyeon who was flat on the ground, with Jaejin right on top of him. 

“Jaejin!”

“It wasn’t my fault!”

“You were in a fucking trance!”

“Dude, when an ass like his,” Jaejin pointed at Dae’s face, who had a slight blush on his face but was still laughing to himself, “ends up in your face, you can’t help but freeze a little. Sue me!”

Changyun sighed to himself, his heads reaching up to rub at his temples, trying to ignore how his team-members were failing in comparison to Empyrean, who were playing rock-paper-scissors to see who was going to serve next. 

“Let’s finish this game up, there’s only one more point left I’m starving!” Eunjae whined from the sidelines, as if he wasn’t already opening up several of the boxes of chicken to dig through his own order.

The game started once again when Chan served the ball. Eunjae felt like it was more intense this time around, each of the boys were (sadly) playing like their lives depended on it, throwing themselves around at full force in order to make sure they win. 

The defining moment seemed to be when both Jaejin and Daehyeon had decided to go for the ball that was coming towards them without announcing that either of them would, allowing for them to collide into one another and completely miss the ball. 

“We won, losers!!!” the happy, and extremely loud voice that belonged to Yeonjin boomed across the backyard. He quickly rushed to embrace Chan and Deoksu into a small but tight hug. 

Eunjae let out a laugh watching the three aforementioned boys celebrate their win, while Dae was still on the floor as if he was dead to avoid Changyun’s nagging that was to come, while Jaejin was blaming Dae with the look in his eyes. 

Eunjae smiled at the boys, the overwhelming sense of happiness that was always around whenever they were together was one of Eunjae’s favorite things. He hopped out of the chair he was in to rush into the group hug, knowing damn well he was secretly hoping these moments wouldn’t just become a memory. 

[yue-muffin]

I finished Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the first time and wow, am I impressed. Having only played the 3DS era games and started Sacred Stones recently, I came to expect a certain range of quality and reach in terms of story. There are games that I found not overly complex but executed well (Echoes) and ones with a good premise and sloppy execution (Fates). Sacred Stones, so far, is one I find with a simple story done well. I’m not terribly enthralled with it, but there’s nothing there to annoy me either.

Path of Radiance is one of those games that takes the ‘simple/standard FE plot’ path, but the execution is brilliant, filled with both depth and heart despite the story having the same basic beats as many other FEs. I was really impressed with the worldbuilding, the character writing, the gameplay/story integration...

My biggest gripe with Awakening and Fates was that the characters were colorful, but few of them were compelling and many lacked the depth to take them beyond their archetypes. Path of Radiance did a good job making me feel that its characters all had a stake in the outcome of the battles, that they had an actual cause to fight for and didn’t just join the army just because. There is always a bit of contrivance in an FE game, but the quality of the writing can lessen or emphasize that feeling.

The gameplay mechanics change from game to game, and I find it really fun to test out the unique features of each installment and see how they influenced each other. the shoving animations are amazing

People also say this is one of the easiest FE games and I have to say, the bonus exp mechanic is probably why. I love this mechanic because of the way it allows the game to reward the player for taking certain actions encouraged by the story (like wanting to spare as many of the enemy as possible = we’ll give you bonus exp if you do). I, uh, am never doing a stealth run of the prison break chapter again though.

I went ultra vanilla and restricted myself to using only the Greil Mercenaries for this run, and I’ll leave my impressions on this post because half the fun of a FE game is building up your team.

I went with the Greil Mercenaries (+ Mia, because she joins them for the second game) for my first playthrough because otherwise I would have no reason to use both Rolf AND Shinon at the same time and Rhys would just warm the bench the whole game lol. And I was really curious to see Rolf and Shinon’s support line and actually have a use for all of those light magic tomes.

Ike: My Ike didn’t get screwed over in any stat, so absolutely no complaints other than the fact that he refused to proc Aether more than once in the Black Knight fight, making Nasir bail him out at the end of the allotted turns. I supported him with Soren because I wanted to see their support line, and have to say that it worked out really well. I was between Soren and Oscar, but it worked better this way because Oscar was always riding off with Titania at the front and Ike just lags behind unless you dedicate several units + Reyson to shoving him to the frontline. And when you’re using Mist, Rolf, and Soren, that really cuts into the units available for shoving.

Oscar: He, uh, ended up the MVP and netted the most kills in the run. Oscar can become an amazing paladin, but mine was so screwed in the strength stat for much of the early game that I had to abuse the bexp mechanic at the base to ensure he didn’t keep lagging behind. His defenses were super good by the end, and the little damage he did take was mitigated by activating Sol every other hit. Also, I have a bias for calvary units, so. Oscar. Loved him.

Titania: I...I love Titania. I love her character. She plays her role perfectly as the super strong unit who is there to support you in the beginning and falls off a little towards the end. She can still hold her own in the endgame, however, and I have no regrets for relying on her early on. There is so much experience to be had in normal mode that she doesn’t really rob anyone else of it unless you go ham and let her destroy everything. In the end, I gave her Savior so she can help deliver chip damage and save Shinon’s ass, I mean, rescue drop people.

Boyd: Super frustrating and nerve wracking to train, super hard hitter who still keeps you on your toes by the end. He is the most lopsided unit I have ever used (comparatively low defenses, speed, and skill compared to his attack and HP) but he was definitely fun and made sure I didn’t get too complacent. I don’t normally use fighters/axe units in the modern games because their accuracy is shit, their defenses are even more shit, and why bother with the headache. Once you can forge Boyd a good iron axe, though, his performance becomes more consistent. I did keep Tempest on him for a while, because I find it fun to use the skills a unit comes with, but I took it off eventually. It does help in certain situations when his hit rate isn’t so good (having the biorhythm doubled then is helpful).

Soren: I have a bias for this little asshole, lol. He’s a standard mage, basically. Kind of annoying to train in the beginning because he can barely take a hit, his movement is low, and MAGIC MAKES THE EMULATOR CRASH SOMETIMES, but if you can stick it out, you’ll be rewarded in the end with a unit that doesn’t care about how physically bulky any enemy is and can take down dragons with ease (plus, he heals A LOT because of his high magic stat even with a basic heal staff). I will admit, he’s a walking liability if Ike isn’t his support partner and magic in this game is slightly annoying because each element has its own weapon rank. He basically ate all of my Arms Scrolls because he has FOUR ranks to build (including the staff rank) and all of them have their uses, so I didn’t have him concentrate in one or the other. Although he gets weighed down by a lot of tomes because he is a twig, mine capped speed and didn’t have a problem doubling the dragons in the endgame with Thoron.

Rhys: One of the reasons I did a Greil Mercenaries run haha. He’s not a bad healer. It’s just that there’s benefit to training Mist as your main healer for that one fight later on, and having a team with THREE HEALERS is overkill (unless for whatever reason you made one of your mages use knives...). The problem is that while Soren can take a hit and Mist can run away, Rhys can do neither. His magic stat is very good though, and he was objectively better than my Mist by the end except that he wasn’t on a horse. He was really useful for the endgame since I gave him the Purge tome. Finally, he didn’t have to risk his neck to actually fight. I lowkey love his character though. 

Mist: She is so cute, but mine was so screwed in the stats department. If not for bexp, it would have been a nightmare to train her and Rhys at the same time. I early promoted both of them, but getting her to level 10 was hard. Mine ended up getting magic on so few level ups, that I gave her two spirit dusts by the endgame and it was still amazingly low. Her strength stat was 13. 13!! I love the horse, though. Makes her a lot easier to use once promoted. She has no shoving capabilities, though, whereas Rhys (frail, sickly man he is) can shove like half the army. Go figure.

Mia: I love Mia. She can have my heart and run with it. In newer games I tend not to use mercenaries/swordmasters because their movement is kind of eh, their dodge-tank capabilities are not that impressive, and I don’t like relying on crits too much, but Mia was such an awesome addition to the team. It can be a bit difficult to train her in the beginning given her low defense, HP, and strength, but once she gets going, she wrecks things like nobody’s business. Would have liked to do some Wrath combos with her, but mine had Vantage and Adept and that worked just fine with a Killing Edge or a forged sword of some sort. The only issue is her super low strength cap (22?? really??) but the reliability of her crits and/or skill procs make up for that if you can get her past the early game.

Rolf: ROLF. Literally only viable because of bexp. I actually really love how they wrote his character, but what were they thinking by making him join so late, with such low bases AND his strength growth isn’t even that good (40%, less than Oscar’s). All else could be forgiven if his strength growth was at least 50% like his speed. If you can’t actually do damage, there’s no point. Once you pour exp into him like nobody’s business, he can actually be a good unit. I do really like using him, and mine got enough defense and resistance that he wasn’t a liability, but he definitely needs investment. On the other hand, his hit rates were so good that Gamble actually worked well on him.

Shinon: The racist asshole whose only redeeming quality is his relationship with Rolf. I loved their support chain, and actually I do like how the game put him on our team (after giving you a hard time recruiting him) because of how it brings an element of realism makes these characters more human, but yikes he’s potentially worse than Rolf to train because of how long he’s gone for. If you put aside the need for even more bexp to use him, he’s a pretty good crit unit. And he can surprisingly take a hit once trained. I left Provoke on him and BOY he nearly got himself killed in the endgame, but it is pretty nice to draw aggro in order to get some enemies closer for the foot-locked units to kill.

Gatrie: I miss tanks. Newer games make them so much less fun to use because they don’t tank very well (I’m looking at you, Fates...). Gatrie can’t get places fast and only laguz can shove him, but it was fun having someone who can take a million hits and soften enemies up for the others to take care of. He can’t really one round anything because he can’t double and leaves them with a few hit points left (except if he procs Luna) but he’s a worth while addition to the team. Takes a bit of bexp though, since he often doesn’t get as many kills as the rest.

Reyson: Not a Greil Mercenary, but like I was going to pass up a dancer singer who can refresh FOUR units. It was a pain in the behind to get the Knight Ring, but he does make really good use of it. He can also use the Full Guard ring so he can enter certain areas without being murdered by ballistas. I love his bird form, and the fact that frail heron man can SHOVE people who the tiny people in my army can’t (Mist, Rolf, Soren, I’m looking at you). no but really, Reyson’s character is actually really good too, I like him. 

It was, uh, interesting getting through some of these chapters without a flier. Absolutely not necessary to have one, and if it was a chapter where I kind of needed someone, I just used Tanith or Janaff (the Naesala chapter was the only one that was annoying without a trained flier).

I genuinely had no idea who to stick skills on, haha. This was an interesting system where you really had to think about who to give a skill since they’re like old TMs in Pokemon...one use only. I like to have some limitations in the skill system though, unlike Awakening and Fates where it’s a free for all. I just like the more limited set of options.

[hqprotectionsquad]

Going Home (Ennoshita x Reader)

Title: Going Home Ship: Ennoshita x Reader Word Count: 1,428 Summary: You’re one of Ennoshita’s neighbors and he accompanies you home each day. Is Ennoshita walking you home because he wants to or because he feels obligated to? A/N: Finally! I have something for my bb Ennoshita! (finally something that’s not tsukishima based, but keep sending in stuff for him too) In case you didn’t know, he’s my favorite character! Enjoy this! (includes spoilers to the Wakutani South game)

"(Y/N)! What a surprise to see you again!" Ennoshita approaches you after volleyball practice ended and you swipe a hand behind your neck.

Your eyes squint when you laugh; is it really a surprise when you come three days a week? You don't say that though. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Chikara. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, really. Just learning the captain duties." Ennoshita can't contain his smile. While you know he's nervous to take on the role Daichi fills so well, he's also excited to lead the team.

"Congratulations. You'll make a great captain next year." You go in for a hug as that's your primary way to show affection, but he waves you off.

"Later, when I'm showered." He chuckles as he grabs his things. Before he goes, he asks, "I'll take you home again?"

"Yeah." He smiles and takes off toward the locker room. You can't take his gesture personally, and you don't want to. He's just being nice because you live a street away from him and he only wants to make sure you get home.

"You're staying at our practice, I might as well take you home too." Ennoshita suggested after the first time you stayed to watch them do their volleyball drills, three months ago.

"No, that's not necessary. I only live twenty minutes from school." You waved your hands furiously and you secretly hoped that your hands covered up your flushed cheeks.

"Please. If someone else lived closer to you, then they'd do the same." His eyes might appear sleepy, but you could see the seriousness in his facial expressions. Intent in his face, intent in his eyes, intent in his lips...you looked back to the top half of his face.

"I know you won't take no for an answer, so I'll accept."

It feels so long ago that he began to accompany you on your walks home. He always asks at the end of practice for your company instead of assuming, and that's one of the best things about him. Everything about him is perfect in your eyes.

•

As class representative, Ennoshita runs all kinds of errands so today's errand of bringing a set of papers to a teacher is no big deal to him. When he approaches the classroom, he grins after noticing a certain red-head takes hold of one of the desks that hug the windows. That's a recipe for daydreams.

"Excuse me, sensei. I apologize for interrupting your lesson." He lifts the folder to the man. "Watari-sensei wanted me to give this to you, regarding a budget of some sort. He told me you would know exactly what it covers based on what's inside."

"Yes, I see." The teacher places his thin frames by the edge of his nose. "Let me make sure this is all right, just have a seat at that empty desk over there."

Ennoshita settles in the corner desk as the students in the year below him make light chatter that soon erupts into a medium-loud discussion between people. As it seems that the sensei is reading the contents line by line, Ennoshita sighs and shifts to attempt to be comfy.

A tap prompts him to swivel in his seat. "Ennoshita-san, hey."

Of all people who could speak to him, it's the girl that makes his heart do flips. Not that anyone needs to know that. "Hi, (L/N)-san. How's it going?"

"Not too bad. You?" She looks so cute when she's absently stroking her face or making little gestures with her fingers.

"It's alright. The team's outlook for the rest of the season is confident and positive and that's all we could really ask for."

"Right! I'll be there for your next game, against Wakutani South. I'm really excited for you!"

"Thank you," Ennoshita expresses his gratitude but he can't feel anything except the anxiety bubbling from his stomach to his lungs and then finally, finding a home in his throat. It's a rock he can never swallow. "Thank you for your support for our team."

"Anything for you guys."

"Excuse me. I have reviewed the papers, please tell Watari-sensei that everything will be set to be sent. Thank you very much," the sensei bowed his head for Ennoshita's time.

"Thank you, sensei." Ennoshita lifts his body out of the chair to head out. "See you!" He whispers in (Y/N)'s direction.

Once he hits the green floors and walls, he takes refuge in the tough surfaces and hang on like he has a sense of a direction. As if. His head is reeling. He leans his whole body against the wall, the solid mass that separates him from you, and boy, is he grateful for it! And he still has to bring you home later.

A week later, the school and some are filing into a gym where the volleyball team is warming up on the court. Ennoshita holds hope to see your face but to no avail. He progresses in the line to spike a ball that Kageyama is setting.

His eyes drag along the second floor seats, where the Karasuno student section is. Are you going to be there too?

Narita nudges Ennoshita in his side. "You're going up after Kinoshita goes."

"Thanks." Ennoshita throws back a grin before he moves forward. Wings down, wings up, and slam. Just as he should. He ducks underneath the net and Ennoshita approaches Yachi for a sip from one of the water bottles.

"Ennoshita! Good luck!" He hears in the distance and he flashes a smile in that direction. It's you, obviously. Nobody needs to look when they know the voice of the one they want to hear from the most.

The game progresses with a steady engine rolling underneath it. The boys from Wakutani South are playing hit for hit when both teams fight to take control over a long rally. If Karasuno takes this point, they'll hit the 20-point mark first.

What happens next has everyone on the edge of their seats. A flurry of actions brush before Ennoshita's face while his feet are glued in the position they are in the idle box. Daichi essentially died. Well, he might as well have. How were they supposed to defend against this team without their true glue?

"Chikara, you're in." Is this even right? Should he be allowed to go into the game after Daichi? He can’t even match up to his elder, but his legs move before he does and jogs onto the court. Again, another flurry of actions. Everyone tells him tips for handling the other team, Kageyama is asking if he can toss a certain way, and Ennoshita just wants to turn off his brain. To take a moment and tell his heart to stop beating so fast, his lungs to stop hyperventilating, and his mind to quiet down.

But he doesn't have this moment, and the match is soon starting and Tanaka is trying to apologize and—there! That is the moment he wanted.

He inhales and exhales before he tries to speak. "Why are you saying sorry?" This instilled confidence that he injects into his veins is not his, but it is something he is borrowing from Daichi. Soon enough, the boys are pumped to get this win, not just for Daichi, but for themselves.

Ennoshita isn't the best player on the team, but he holds firm. He receives better than he has ever done before and his assists are on point. Soon enough, they are on the brink of victory and finally, the ball rips over the net and into their opponent's side of the court.

Karasuno students flood the lobby with pride and while some leave, most of them stay, lounging in chairs. You're one of the waiters and the boys begin to emerge into the area. Moms and dads hug their sons, friends shake hands, and there's only one boy you're here to see.

"(Y/N)!" Your MVP of the game approaches you with a satisfied grin.

You stand to meet him and capture him into a hug and he immediately recoils in your arms. "I'm still sweaty," he complains, even though his warm-up sweater is on.

"I don't care. You did awesome!" You muffle into his chest as he brings you in tighter, his hands meeting his elbows behind your neck. His cheek's against your hair and right now, you couldn't care less about the sweat. You're indulging in his warmth, the tightness of his hug, the way his hair is sticking to his forehead.

"Thanks, (Y/N). Let's go home."

[earisridesagain]

Earis Watches She-Ra, Season 1, Episode 13, “Battle of BrightMoon”

Hey Adora!

This is the last episode of the first season.  I am going to think about it in terms of the entire season before.  Here goes:

1.  Glimmer for MVP.  Aside from my ridiculous self-identification with our darling try hard, there is no doubting that it was Glimmer’s hard work throughout the season that brought the Princess Alliance together.  She pushed and pushed and pushed and put herself in danger (and hoarded weapons), and in the end, saved BrightMoon.  Plus, fancy new staff!!!

2.  I AM SO PSYCHED ABOUT THE RUNESTONES.  Okay, calm down.  I’ve been sooooo interested in the mechanics of Etheria.  I’m excited to learn about which princesses have elemental runestones, which do not, where the runestones come from, how do the princesses learn to use the runestones, and what happens if the connection is broken.

3. Also, Scorpia lost the Black Garnet runestone.  Did this hurt her in some way?

4.  Adora as Adora fights better than She-Ra.  There, I said it.  She-Ra is so dependent on her size and magic.  

5.  Which, of course, is why Catra is able to defeat Adora.  Catra’s takedown of ShadowWeaver (MurkKnitter) foreshadows her takedown of She-Ra.  Catra has been learning about She-Ra/Adora since she was a child, and every altercation they have had this season.  She knows how to distract Adora by preying on her guilt.  She knows how to isolate and tear her down. And she knows how to cruelly stroke her face in a strangely erotic way (I <3 enemies to lovers).  But there is one thing that she didn’t count on -

6.  The Princess Alliance!  Glimmer!  Bow!  Swiftwind!  Catra has lost the only person who would put herself between Catra and danger.  Catra wants to destroy Etheria because it will destroy Adora.  Her hate is blinding her.  So she doesn’t count on friendship, love, and loyalty.  A group of people coming together in trust and confidence, working together as a team!  (And lighting ships on fire).  AND RAINBOW PRINCESS MAGIC.  Each on their own can’t defeat the Horde (seriously, nets?), but together they are more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine.

7.  I freaking love how ‘girly’ the show is.  RAINBOW PRINCESS MAGIC FOREVER.

8.  I heart Adora so much.  Our little paladin has learned so much and gained so much.  Her brave heart and good soul are a joy to watch.  I am looking forward to watching more of her adventures (Adventure!).  And, of course, her delightful/terrible/beautiful relationship with Catra.

[discotreque]

Picard 1.09: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1

And we're back to a 45 minute runtime this week. But why? Imagine a version of this episode that was as leisurely and intimate as "Nepenthe," with time to really luxuriate in all these interesting new characters and situations. Instead it felt like an all-out race to... well, the middle, because the second half of this story won't come out for another week.

This is immensely frustrating for me because I'm a fast reader. Shorter novels I tend to finish in one sitting; a big doorstopper might take me two or three sessions max. Never in my life have I encountered a story with a pre-existing emotional connection, characters I liked right away, a plot that started with an interesting mystery—and then rationed that story out to myself in ten small doses, each a week apart. I'd slap you for suggesting it!

If this were a more episodic show—even only as episodic as Disco, which still has the obligatory Big Arcs—or if they dumped the whole season at once, I'd be a lot less frustrated. But releasing a "10-part movie" with a week between each part? I'm not loving it.

My complaints are general; my praise is specific. And contains spoilers:

Accountability update: I get half points at best. Last week I did correctly predict that Brent Spiner was going to come back—but as a synth like Soji, just in the form of an old man instead of a young woman. Did anybody suspect a previously unknown biological son of Soong was in the cards? I sure as hell didn't.

The surprise of that twist bodes well for more fun surprises next week, doesn't it? If they kept Brent Spiner a secret, they could keep Michael Dorn and Gates McFadden a secret too...

I loved the new effects for the transwarp conduit. They feel very of a piece with the new at-warp-speed effects. The old slow, streaky stars were a pretty and interesting effect, but they only connoted speed in an abstract, pseudo-scientific way. The zoomy new warp drive makes no pretensions to "accuracy," it just feels fast. And the transwarp conduit feels appropriately like warp drive on fast-forward—which is to say, kind of terrifying!

When Narek (ugh) is first shooting at La Sirena, there's a wide shot of the crew, and out the window behind them you can see disruptor bolts passing by and casting green light into the bridge. Extremely sexy work, VFX team.

"There's a difference between killing an attacking enemy and watching a wounded one die." Yeah, Picard, the second one's a lot less work.

Speaking of sexy VFX, how about those space orchids?

That "old" medical tricorder looks newer than anything we've seen before. I wanted a much closer look.

"Oh hey, by the way, everyone, I'm dying, now shut up about it." That's our Jean-Luc!

Prop of the week: that crazy soccer ball Rios briefly interacts with as they arrive in Synthville.

After Dahj died, Isa Briones didn't have much interesting to do as Soji for the first half of the season, but since joining up with the rest of the main cast, she's quickly becoming one of my favourites. I have no idea where this story is going to go next week, or what's going to happen to Soji (or Sutra (or anyone)) next season, but I hope Isa sticks around somehow—she’s terrific.

Star Trek has a long and gross history of objectifying Jeri Ryan when all they had to do was put her in a t-shirt and a leather jacket. I'm just... I'm so gay for Seven of Nine, you guys.

I would be 100% more interested in a Seven-and-Elnor series than this alleged Section 31 show we're getting.

Imagine the casting call for the androids in this episode: "Identical twins needed. Ages 20-30. Any race, any accent. Must be sexy as hell."

I love that at least some of the androids have names that fit in with the naming scheme of "Data" and "Lore": Saga (RIP), Arcana, Codex, Rune, and Sutra. I'm not familiar with a language where the word "Jana" means anything information-related, though.

Isa Briones is the MVP this week for sure. Dahj and Soji felt very distinct as people, and now we meet Sutra, who's nothing like either of them. She's creepy as hell, for one thing, and you fully believe she is capable of murder—several times this episode I expected her to reach out and snap a main character's neck. And who knows, next week she might!

I like this interpretation of the Admonition better than the Zhat Vash's. It's not a woo-woo prophesy, and thank fuck there's no time travel bullshit involved—it's a commercial, basically, for a hyper-advanced alliance of synthetic life. Call 1-800-FUCK-ORGANICS and they'll come clear up that little infestation for you.

But what I'm really hoping is that Sutra doesn't have the whole story either. What if the purpose of this alliance isn't to destroy organic oppressors, but mediate peace between organics and synthetics? Or what if they just scoop up all the synths and take them to safety wherever they normally live?

I just really, really don't want the heart of this story to be an evil AI, or even neutral AI vs. evil humans/Romulans. There are way more interesting stories to tell.

Spot II is a good baby and I love him. (RIP Spot the First, I guess.)

Still don't really have any feelings about Rios/Jurati but it's sweet that he's so soft with her.

That scene between Picard and Raffi though... my heart... my whole entire heart......

The fact that Jean-Luc couldn't get through to Starfleet feels extremely fucking ominous to me.

Narek still sucks and he's SO boring. How boring is he? In that scene between him and Soji, I was mostly focused on how the force field kept lighting up when Soji breathed on it—another subtle and sexy VFX moment.

Poor, sweet Saga. Later models didn't cram the entire positronic net into one single eyeball, an obvious design flaw in retrospect given its extreme vulnerability to injury. :(

And just as things are getting interesting...

It's hard to pass any kind of judgement on something that's clearly only half of a whole, but it certainly made me want to watch Part 2. See y'all here next week for the grand finale.

[kdramaspace]

MEMBER OF THE MONTH  ↳ drumroll please~ congrats to Gia, @lee-taeri​ for becoming our next member of the month! Gia has shown a tremendous amount of love for some greatly under-appreciated dramas on Tumblr along with the much-loved Extraordinary You most recently. Please show her and her blog lots of love!

💌 NOTES FROM THE ADMINS

Layla: gia, I’ve only came across your blog since i started posting here, i remember noticing it through sky castle and then her private life.. and now through all you Extraordinary You gifsets, all your gifs have been very beautiful and i love looking at them.. you have been a great gifs source for extraordinary you and my country and now with the bomin gifs.. and i would like to thank you for all your contributions for the drama community and for being pert of our network, looking forward to all of your future stuff.. with all my love ♥ ↳ favorite works: [ 1, 2, 3 ]

Sam: gia my queen whomst I love with all my heart 💕 you know I jumped at the mere prospect of writing you more love letters. you’re truly the real mvp for going out and supporting actor roro (and chani) in all their endeavors. I'm still waiting for the day they pick a drama I wanna watch aflsidjk. anyways the drama fandom doesn’t deserve you and all your amazing content. I still remember when I didn’t realize you had a drama blog and that this was you, but now we’re drama sideblog buddies from fantasy squad heh. watch me continue to watch roro’s entire filmography vicariously through your gifs, boy needs to pick a mature plot for his next drama! I'm ready for you to single-handedly convert the entire extraordinary you into roro fans and potentially new fantasy too ↳ favorite works: [ 1, 2, 3 ]

Alexa: Gia, even though I’m not actually watching Extraordinary You, seeing all of your EY sets in our tag has been amazing. You have so much talent and your colorings are amazing, I feel like I can watch this drama vicariously through your gifs. Scrolling back through your gifs, I saw all the Chani gifsets too and the Bomin ones as well. I love seeing all the support for the lovely idol actors on your blog!! I’m look forward to what dramas you’ll gif next because you always capture such great scenes and important moments! Thank you for being a long time member of our net and for actively using the tag. I feel so excited everytime I get to reblog your sets onto the blog! :’) ↳ favorite works: [ 1, 2, 3 ]

Eiman: gia, i was looking through your edit tag and I just kept scrolling and scrolling and that’s how I spent the majority of my afternoon.  seriously.  every gifset seemed to have been made for me specifically and was focused on exactly the perfect scene or moment or emotion and it just made me feel all the feels.  I didn’t risk liking every single piece (just rarely) because then I'd look like a stalker but they were all so good and I can’t thank you enough for your contributions to the network, the edit tag, and just the drama community as a whole.  i’m looking forward to see what you do in the future because your gifs somehow intersect with all the dramas I'm watching and honestly, an afternoon falling into the rabbit hole that is your blog is an afternoon well spent :) ↳ favorite works: [ 1, 2, 3 ]

[ilopisara]

03.02. 00:19 | Ilo Pisara vs CZ SK KILLERS B 7 - 3

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round as I regale you with the tale of Ilo Pisara's latest conquest on ice—a dazzling 7-3 victory that'll have our opponents crying in their skates! First off, let’s talk about Sami Noddy. This man was a one-person wrecking crew—scoring thrice like he mistook the game for his personal highlight reel. With a defense rating of "I'm just here to party" (65) but an offense rating screaming "Bow before me!" (100), Sami turned the rink into his playground. Then there's Aaron Miller between the pipes; sure, letting in three might seem more sieve than fortress with a save percentage (.75) that suggests he thought we were playing dodgeball. But hey, every castle needs its jester! Macho Fantastico? More like Macho Giveaway-o with 12 giveaways! If generosity won games, this guy would be MVP. Still managed to net one though—probably apologized to the puck first. Jani Saari decided passing is overrated unless it leads directly to goals—with six points on board; clearly operating under “if you want something done right…” And what can we say about our past performances? A rollercoaster ride where sometimes it feels like we're using spaghetti instead of hockey sticks. So here’s to Ilo Pisara: turning potential heart attacks into victories since... well, at least for these last few games! Onward—to less accidental passes and more intentional wins!

[acnewperspectives]

Technical Difficulties and Fashion Don’ts, Part 1

Hey everyone! It’s that time again. I wasn’t able to play yesterday so I was extra eager to get started today. As always we are greeted by Isabelle during the setup process, but this time we’re interrupted by none other than Mr Resetti himself. 

I think I must have boot up the game quickly during the process of writing my last post in order to remember the number of bells or the name of an item or something else similar. Anyways this does bring up the first thing you guys can participate in. Would y’all prefer Cantata have the Reset Center restored or should we kick this mole to the curb? I have asks enabled and I believe I have anonymous asks enabled as well so you can let me know your opinion that way, or you could also reply to this post.

After the interruption Isabelle reminds us that we still need to go over our next steps as the new mayor.

I had forgotten about that. We can’t just jump straight into making public works projects, we have to build up to it. It shouldn’t take too long though so there’s no need to worry.

The town is all set up and I go to check the mailbox, but suddenly I had an error where the 3DS registered that the SD card was removed, so it crashed the game. 

That freaked me out a little bit and I popped the SD card in and out to make sure it was alright. Then I just booted the game back up.

Here’s round 2. Hopefully that error was just a fluke and there’s nothing wrong with my 3DS.

Opening our mailbox only held the letter from that anonymous individual that was originally supposed to be the mayor of our town. I’m sure you’ve all seen it by now but in case you haven’t:

There are a lot of theories about the identity of this person, but one popular one I quite like is that Rover was going to be mayor since he’s the only other person with you on the train. But because he’s a wandering soul at heart he took meeting you as an opportunity to escape. Just an interesting concept is all.

Right above our tent is a sectioned off area for a new villager.

Looks like this emo dude will be joining Cantata very shortly.

It looks like Katrina is here, might as well pay her a quick visit.

Oh shoot I have bad luck today? Or does she always say that? I don’t remember. I just know that sometimes when she predicts you have bad luck you’ll trip a lot when you walk/run.

Let’s see what she recommends. Gonna be something crazy like red leggings or something?

Oh...I mean, I was probably gonna get a hat or two anyway.

After exiting Katrina’s tent I went over to our snowman to get today’s bingo number.

The number of the day is 10 and I’m sorta close to a diagonal bingo except I think it’s too far to the center to count as a bingo.

Portia was just hanging around near the bridge so I thought it was a good time to say hi.

I think the darker purple tones complimented her fur colors a bit nicer but the sweater looks pretty as well.

I’m gonna rate it close to perfect cause it’s pretty, but it’s not amazing or anything.

Oh! Our first friendship gift exchange! How exciting!

I’m gonna be honest. Not digging it. I don’t usually go for the simple clothes with just text on them. But Portia is the real MVP here so we’ll wear it at least for the rest of the day.

Bill’s house was nearby so I dropped in to say hi to him as well. We had a brief conversation about where I decided to place my house and then moving into a writing letters tutorial. I’m hoping the tutorial speak won’t be super frequent but to be fair the previous games had their fair share of tutorial convos as well.

Spotted Peggy standing on top of a fossil hole. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was trying to hide it.

She gave up and walked away once I made it clear I had spotted the hole.

A conversation with her only resulted in more tutorial speak this time about the bulletin board. I had actually forgotten to check it as a matter of fact. I should probably get into the habit of checking to see if there are any upcoming events since that’s the closest to an in game event calendar we have.

Barold gives a tutorial on screenshots and to be fair if I was a brand new player I would probably be very thankful for this information.

On the way to the top of the map we bump into Wisp.

I wish he had a bit of a character of his own outside of the amiibo functionality. him being nothing but a mechanic in the game kinda removes the excitement of actually finding him.  

After that I headed up to Main Street to see what’s in stock.

Oh sweet a bug net. that’ll make 3 of the tools collected.

I’m also really tempted by this sofa, but it probably won’t end up fitting with my house decor. Besides I don’t want to waste a lot of money too quickly.

Stepping into Able Sisters and boy do they have some interesting things in stock!

I’m really digging the long sleeve items and this looks very nice.

I also thought I’d try getting the frog pants so I can get out of that boring default skirt. Buuuut It doesn’t look quite as flattering as I’d hoped.

Maybe it’ll look a bit better with the shirt Portia gave me.

Eh....not reallyy. I think I may have made a mistake.

Anyway let’s see what accessories are in stock. Maybe a hat will help.

Oh. Oh wow. Actually, I think maybe the hat sorta helps.

We are an absolute hot mess of a fashion disaster today guys. I can’t tell if I’m embarrassed or proud.

Let’s go with proud.

Continue session in part 2: https://acnewperspectives.tumblr.com/post/190687117258/technical-difficulties-and-fashion-donts-part-2

[andrewuttaro]

Snacks: The Sabres 2020 Trade Deadline

I don’t think the question we should be asking is “What did we expect?” As successfully as Buffalo Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill has upgraded the defensive corps, brought along a strong development pipeline and created a decent blueprint in net, the things he has failed at, still failed at through this deadline, are a bit louder.

For one, the Ryan O’Reilly trade has continued to hang over his head as a tremendous shadow over everything he does. Say what you will about pressure from ownership, salary bonuses and “Love for the Game”, that trade was downright terrible. The hole at 2nd line center is glaring and its been holding this team back ever since. If Ryan O’Reilly is on this Sabres team they’re in a playoff spot right now. Quote me. But this isn’t an O’Reilly snack, this is a deadline snack.

The assumption since May of last year was a big move resembling a true “Hockey Trade” would be necessary to address that 2C hole. The biggest asset this organization might be willing to move to make such a trade happen, Rasmus Ristolainen, is a depreciating asset in spite of a bit of comeback season. Last summer it felt like that trade was going to drop any minute. It’s been eight months.

Now the season hangs in the balance and by way of resigning way too many replacement level players, a club struggling to see itself in the playoff picture is having salary cap troubles! What!? Now I love finding excuses for GMs I like but the surprisingly low salary cap number for this season is not a good one. Three years into the Botterill Regime we expected a roster a bit more set. Credit where credit is due, Botts has got the defensive corps there. Elsewhere the job is not as far along as it needs to be. That’s what we expected.

There are a couple ways to assess this 2020 Trade Deadline. The bare bones of it is Conor Sheary, Evan Rodrigues and a conditional 5th round pick out for a 50% salary retained 31-year-old Wayne Simmonds and high ceiling forward prospect Dominick Kahun in all apart of two separate trades. Wayne Simmonds, even in his current state, could have a positive impact on this team beyond mere locker room intangibles. I’ll leave that analysis to bloggers smarter than me. Acquiring Simmonds however sends a very clear message: this GM thinks this team will make the playoffs this season.

That belief is something I would’ve applauded in December when I was questioning if ownership and the GM had agreed this season would be a gap year without a playoff berth. Now the message being clearly sent in the last days of February seems like too little too late, particularly by means of acquiring Simmonds. Simmonds will be a guy we’ll all love to be a Buffalo Sabre… but he’s not the difference between breaking an eight-year playoff drought and not. Sorry, Wayne: I really am excited to have you though. I’m willing to change that analysis if you go on a real scoring tear though.

The Kahun move is really Botterill’s MO. It reminds me of the Henri Jokiharju trade. He moved out a guy(s) who wanted out, or just an expendable piece in Sheary’s case, for someone young and potentially good enough to be a part of the long-term future here. We don’t know what Dominik Kahun is yet but its looking like he could be pretty good. Kahun is in the midst of his rookie season in the NHL. So what of this deadline then? One move screams future and the other screams lets do this thing right now. Anthony Sciandra put it well: “I’m not underwhelmed…. I guess I’m just whelmed.”

I’m not going to be a Sports Radio raincloud, but I am a tad bit underwhelmed. In the post-deadline media presser Jason Botterill said they didn’t want to break up this group. GM’s box reactions to recent games and this deadline proves Botterill wants a playoff berth this year. The grit, toughness and leadership of Wayne Simmonds is his old-fashion hockey guy way of doing that. I guess my criticism is if you wanted this season to be a playoff season why didn’t you make more effective moves a month or two ago? You don’t have to wait until the deadline.

You don’t get credit for the stuff I don’t know. TSN analysts can get on the radio vouching for your effort all they want; how tough these last few month are don’t matter to me until I read them in your memoirs ten years from now. Professional Sports is a results-driven business and like numerous Duanes here in Buffalo this team has been so bad on the ice for so long I am sometimes annoyed to be watching them. This deadline was bipolar for the Sabres. As stirring as the idea of chasing down Toronto for the last Atlantic Division playoff spot is I’ve seen this show before. I doubt a playoff berth happens.

If and when this club doesn’t make the playoffs this spring we’ll go into the massive retooling of this summer with Kahun in one hand and nothing in the other for a season we should be talking about our Captain winning MVP and a first-round spanking at the hands of the Lightning. My heart is open to a playoff berth but until I get that result this deadline will at best be a meh for me. At worst I will continue to question a seemingly indifferent owner who can’t be bothered to hire a President who can implement a professional vision and a GM who just can’t get the job done in the forward corp. I’m not advocating for firing anyone yet, but this summer is going to be decisive regardless of the deadline we just went through. It didn’t have to be that way.

[teenybeanielinguine]

Outlander S4 - A Reflection

With that explosive finale behind us and a long Droughtlander ahead, I’m taking a moment to look back on this season and reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly.

(I’ve had some time to unpack and process, so be warned: this is a LONG review, with mild spoilers for The Fiery Cross.)

The Good:

I understand that this was a divisive season for many fans, but I personally loved it!  I could write a whole book about everything I loved, but for the sake of time, I’ll confine my praise to the best part of this season: the amazing cast of actors who bring my favorite characters to life.

Caitriona Balfe reprised her role as Claire Fraser with stunning success, and really sparkled when she shared the screen with her fellow cast members; her most powerful moments this season were definitely the mother/daughter conversations she had with Bree and Marsali.  Though she handles tragic scenes with ease, I hope she is given a chance to enact lighter, happier sequences in Season 5; Jamie and Claire need more laughter and teasing, less heart-felt speeches and drama.

As our leading man, Sam Heughan played Jamie to perfection; he managed to tell entire stories with his eyes alone.  Same as with Balfe, he captures tragedy easily, but I want him to stretch out a little and show off his acting chops.  There will always be drama in Claire and Jamie’s lives, but please sprinkle in some more fluffy moments, so we can see Heughan laugh!  Jamie’s roles as patriarch and leader are also going to be significantly expanded in the next season (the last few moments of the finale teased that a bit), and I can’t wait to see Heughan tackle that challenge.

I’ve been tentative about Sophie Skelton in the past; after all, Brianna is one of my favorite characters, despite her polarizing nature, and I was worried about her portrayal.  But Skelton nailed everything (the rape scene and its aftermath, in particular, were deeply chilling), and I have complete confidence that Bree is in safe hands.  In the finale, we saw Bree finally become a mother and reunite with her husband (not gonna lie, I’ve had that reunion on a loop ever since it aired); these two events are going to play major roles in her character growth (so excited for next season!).

Richard Rankin was a tour-de-force as Roger; I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen every time he appeared.  Any issues I had with his character were purely a result of writing and production choices, and despite those issues, Rankin still managed to make the character wonderfully, emotionally, lovably human (for further evidence, please refer to the idiot hut).  Roger’s journey is one of the most difficult transformations in the series, and next season will be challenging for Rankin; I’m particularly interested to see how he handles Roger’s growing relationship with Jamie.

All the leads were supported by a strong set of secondary characters, from Duncan Lacroix as the miraculously resurrected Murtagh to David Berry as the fabulous Lord John Grey.  John Bell was one of my absolute favorites, with his spot-on portrayal of Young Ian (that proposal! the emotional goodbye!! running the gauntlet!!!).  Ed Speelers played Stephen Bonnet in a way that brought back shivery memories of Black Jack.  Honestly, there was no weak link in this cast.  Special shoutout to Braeden Clarke (Kaheroton) and Tantoo Cardinal (Adawehi/Nayawenne in the books); hopefully we’ll be able to see even more powerful and complex First Nations characters in the coming season (to this effect, may I humbly suggest showing Young Ian’s time among the Mohawk?  Would love to see that first-hand rather than having the character describe it after the fact; also, you can never have too much John Bell).

This Season’s MVPs: Lauren Lyle and César Domboy.  Marsali and Fergus are never more than side characters in the books; you never hear the story from their POV.  Thankfully, the show saw a chance to expand their roles and took it.  And oh boy, did Domboy and Lyle deliver! Their nuanced performances just blew me away (”If Not For Hope” comes to mind).  I hope that we see even more of them going forward.

The Bad:

No adaptation is perfect (although if you have found one that is, please message me immediately).  It is especially difficult when the adaptation in question has to fit an 880-page book into a mere 13 hours; to put it into perspective, the audiobook version of Drums of Autumn is a whopping 45 hours long!  Though I like to nitpick and criticize, I am not so arrogant as to think that I could have done a better job, and I am very grateful to the writing and production teams who tackle this impossible task. I am also strangely content with most of the deviations they’ve made from the source material (Murtagh as a regulator is particularly genius, with really interesting implications for next season).

That being said, there is some room for improvement.  And one area that definitely needs some fine tuning is Claire and Jamie.  This year, some very vocal fans found issue with the fact that we didn’t see our main lovebirds enough, and there weren’t enough sex scenes, and why weren’t they in this episode?!  For me, none of those things were an issue, especially given that we saw Jamie and Claire way more than any other characters this season.  I don’t think we need more J/C time; I think we need better J/C time.

I wish the show would stop beating us over the head with Jamie and Claire’s epic love; we know their love is deep and everlasting, that’s why we keep coming back! (That, and the kilts.)  But we need to move on from soap-operatic speeches and tender love-making; those were more interesting in the early days of their marriage, when their love was a new, fragile thing.  Show me instead the easy comfort of a long-married couple: the teasing, the laughter, the bone-deep happiness.  Balfe and Heughan have such great chemistry when it comes to that kind of thing, but we’ve only gotten snippets of it this season!  Rather than another over-the-top, tear-jerking scene where Jamie and Claire reassure each other and reaffirm their love (again), give me Claire cuddling up to Jamie under a snowbank after his back gives out and telling him stories.  Or exchanging amused looks with him when Young Ian does/says something silly.  Or Jamie teasing Claire about that time she hit him in the head with a fish while he was trying to fight off a bear (true story).  Or Claire teasing Jamie with her new breeches (I’m not going to say no to sex scenes entirely).  Get rid of the excessive drama (this couple already has more drama than they know what to do with); bring on the fluff!

Speaking of moving on, the show needs to let Frank Randall go.  By this point in the series, he’s been dead for a few years, and quite frankly, good riddance (pardon the pun).  His character was cast in a sympathetic light for narrative purposes; the producers wanted to make him the antithesis of his ancestor, Black Jack Randall, so they carefully omitted the fact that he was at times a racist ass with a string of mistresses (my apologies to any Frank fans; as you can see, he’s not one of my favorite characters).  The problem is that they took it too far, painting Frank as a martyr and putting first Claire, then Jamie, at a big disadvantage.  Despite this mistake, I’m fine with using Frank to flesh out Brianna’s character (his only redeeming quality is his aptitude for fatherhood), but that should have happened very early on in the season, before Bree makes the journey through the stones.  That journey is a pivotal point for Bree; she is driven not only by a need to save her mother, but also by a deep curiosity and longing for this birth father that she’s never met.  In the book, she even goes so far as to abandon the name “Randall” and adopt “Fraser” for the journey.  But that sentiment was lost entirely by the decision to have Frank accompany her on the voyage, narratively speaking.  We no longer get the feeling that she’s eager to meet/bond with Jamie; even worse, the writers had her casually dropping Frank’s name into every conversation!  No matter how great Tobias Menzies is, we have neither the time nor the will to keep devoting so much energy to a deceased character (who isn’t that critical to the future story, btw).  Heading into Season 5, we need to make our final, belated goodbyes to Frank Randall.

One 20th century man we should have seen more of instead was Roger Mackenzie.  As we dove into Season 4, I was so excited to see his developing relationship with Brianna; remember when they were super cute together, a million years ago in Season 3?  But too much focus on exposition meant that we didn’t see them until three episodes in, and instead of the slow burn I had anticipated, we got a lot of unnecessary drama.  Why on Earth is Roger a misogynist all of a sudden?  What happened to the sweet proposal where they both decide they’re not yet ready for marriage?  The lack of screen time meant that Bree and Roger’s entire relationship development was crammed into one episode; coupled with poor writing choices, the result was a shaky romance that was hard to root for.  I was lucky enough to have the books as a safety net; I know exactly how deeply they love and respect each other, despite the mayhem onscreen.  But the fans who hadn’t read the series (and even some who had) didn’t understand why these two were an endgame couple, and I don’t blame them.  That last reunion scene helped cement their relationship a little, but not enough; unfortunately, Season 5 is going to have to waste some of its precious time rectifying this misstep.

Which brings me to my last point: the pacing.  With so many new characters and so little time, it is more important than ever that the show learn to juggle all the storylines more smoothly.  The pacing of this season was so uneven, it gave me whiplash.  Gone are the days when Claire and Jamie were the only focus; from now on, their ever-growing family is going to continue complicating matters.  Outlander needs to evolve to meet this need if it wants to keep up. (Also, could we revert back to a 16-episode format, like in Season 1?  Please and thank you.)

The Ugly:

I will readily admit that I am new to this fandom.  I got hooked on the show during summer 2018 and devoured the books shortly thereafter.  When I joined Tumblr in the fall, it was because I wanted to celebrate this story with likeminded people and geek out over the upcoming season.

The actual experience was a bit more jarring (suffice it to say, I didn’t know hate-watching was a real thing that people did).  I don’t want to chastise or implore certain fans to adopt a more positive outlook; I’ve seen a lot of posts about that already, and I’m not inclined to add to them.  Instead, I’d like to share some of the guidelines I impose on myself when I contribute to any fandom (I’m not saying these will or should work for everyone, but they have worked for me):

Love, not hate.  To me, a fandom is a community that comes together out of love.  Knowing this, I try my best not to express any feelings of hate within that community; I don’t think it’s an appropriate place to share those feelings, and I don’t want to diminish the fandom experience for anyone else.  If I find that I no longer love or even like the show/book/movie that the fandom is centered on, I disengage from the community entirely, because I no longer consider myself a fan.  And that’s perfectly fine; there is no rule that says that once you’re in a fandom, you’re in it for life.

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  Despite the fact that I love the subject matter, it is not an absolute, unconditional sort of love.  I often find myself disliking certain aspects or getting frustrated by opposing views (this is doubly true when it comes to adaptations).  I let myself express these dislikes and frustrations only if I can see the silver lining; in other words, I allow myself to say a few negative things about a character/scene only if I can supplement them with a good dose of positivity as well.  Too much uninterrupted negativity borders on hate.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  I’m a very anxious person with self-confidence issues, so I have a hard time expressing my opinion online, even anonymously.  That’s why I’m never going to tear anyone else down for doing so.  I may disagree with you, or dislike the way you expressed yourself, but I’m going to be respectful even if it kills me, because that’s how I would want other people to interact with me.  Even with the Internet as a buffer, I think it’s important to remember that we are all human, and all equally capable of hurting others and being hurt ourselves.

Again, these guidelines work for me, but it’s completely subjective.  And even though my experience in the OL fandom hasn’t been a bed of roses so far, I’ve still met some amazing people with incredible things to say.  My favorite fandom moments of the season? @futurelounging‘s beautiful thoughts on episode 12 and @breefraser‘s hilarious criticism of Roger’s sartorial choices.

I’d love to hear from other fans!  What worked for you this season?  What would you have changed?  Favorite fandom moments?  If you choose to reply, please be kind and respectful.