#now they Are nice enough to give nice moments to shippers if they find out something is popular

[ssaalexblake]

the thing about cm is that the writers have always been totally upfront about there never being an inter-team romance played out on the show, that's not what it's about and that was the score and remains it. What Other show that's been on air as long hasn't had a will they/won't they? lasting for like 8 years before they finally do it? Or had a pair have a very ill advised affair? or any number of other combos.

CM is different to that by design, not by accident.

(that they had luke and garcia flirt all the time with nothing to show for it, and then when they thought they'd been cancelled they had them agree to a date in the last 5 minutes of the show is Telling. That they tanked it in the very next episode 2 years later that they never thought would exist is More telling.)

teasing moments between characters is not promising you that they're gonna suddenly have an ooc gay affair, and while i'm going to assume what's happening here is that they've not mentioned the No Romance rule for a while not realising that their audience is not all the same one they Used to have back on CBS, they really have made the score clear multiple times in the past.

If you're waiting for JJ to divorce herself from her own personality and suddenly decide to have a steamy gay affair with Emily you're going to be waiting a Long Time. And this is Really obvious and doesn't really even need stating, to be frank.

I've seen some Wild shit coming from the fandom, like somebody saying with their whole chest that the only reason jj ended up with will was because of aj's pregnancy (that part is true) but devolved into 'what universe are You from' territory when they claimed that otherwise they were going to do a shippy story with jj and emily. And even Aside from the whole No Team Romance rule, you are Aware this was in like 2007 right??? I know you're all young and all but in 2007 every gay thing in a tv show was a Groundbreaking Moment in television history still. Stuff you slam for being tame representation that's not good enough for you was ground-breaking rep in the mid 2010's!! This was 2007. CM barely acknowledged that gay people existed for an entire 15 seasons.

That their first episode on paramount made one of the leads queer is actually kind of funny in that regard, and Incredibly telling in general. It was Never the writers who were against that (in fact, a number of them in the cbs years were gay themselves) but got forbidden to go there by the network.

For the record, other topics that were considered unpalatable by the network and not to be used in stories very often were things like cannibalism and a variety of other disturbing things you can do to people. So gayness was ranked with them. Charming. (there used to be webchats with writers after episodes aired, and you learnt some Shit in those, let me tell you).

Anyway, i digress, they're not going to go there and have been honest about it. Whatever ship 'there' is is sitting somewhere at Snowball's chance in hell, and while i'd sell maybe a rib for tara and emily to be canon, i'm more than aware it'd be a waste of a rib. At Most i think maybe they'll do another 11th hour thing with luke and garcia when they eventually get cancelled again.

Because the same show runner is still in place. There's not been a change of management. Maybe If they'd got a new person in, but they haven't.

[starlingflight]

Prompt: Sirius being a massive Hinny shipper, please and thank you ♥️♥️♥️

This was supposed to be a drabble. Read below or on AO3 here:

He had first noticed it in the summer.

At first, Sirius had thought Harry to have a particularly strong affection for Crookshanks, a sentiment that Sirius only found wholly sensible and had not questioned further.

It had taken a few weeks to realise it was not the charming bandy-legged cat that Harry’s eyes were subconsciously following. Likewise, the cat wasn’t the recipient of an increasingly frequent number of silent, secretive shared smiles whenever someone was unfortunate enough to do something that garnered Harry’s amusement; no, the honour of that bestowment fell to the equally charming — and equally ginger — young lady who had devoted a great deal of her summer to entertaining Crookshanks.

Again, Sirius couldn’t find anything to disagree with in the object of Harry’s attention, indeed, his good opinion of Ginny had been formed immediately upon meeting her, when, one balmy evening, at the very beginning of summer, she had come bounding into Grimmauld Place’s dank kitchen, flashed a bright grin at Sirius across the old wooden table and declared, “It’s nice to meet you, but I don’t think much of your family’s choice in interior decoration.”

Sirius’ smile was no longer familiar to him, but it had risen easily at the sentiment. “Was it the house-elf heads that put you off?”

The girl's eyes had widened in alarm; her nose had wrinkled in distaste. “House-elf heads?”

“Ah, so you haven't taken a trip upstairs yet?”

With that scant piece of information, she'd turned on her heel and marched straight back out of the kitchen, a harried-looking Molly Weasley calling “for Heaven's sake, Ginny,” behind her, but Ginny had only continued striding her path, set on inspecting the most gruesome spectacles lining the hallways of Grimmauld Place.

Harry hadn’t arrived at the Order's gloomy headquarters until weeks later. By that time, everyone but Sirius seemed to have accepted the chafing captivity offered by his parents' old house with, if not good humour, a grudging attempt at it.

And then Sirius had found his already-conflicted emotions torn once more as he'd reckoned with exactly what the task James and Lily had charged him with really meant.

Protecting Harry, keeping him safe, giving him enough information to protect himself in the face of direct orders from Dumbledore and the teenaged ire being thrown at him across the dining room table from his beloved Godson; his guilt not eased by the scorn that was being directed at him from a perfect replica of Lily's eyes, ones that silently assured him he'd already failed, otherwise, he wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.

It wasn't a new guilt though, Sirius had been living with it for fourteen years now, and it was certainly a lighter burden than it had been all those interminable days locked up with the Dementors. Though he’d exchanged Azkaban for another prison, one he'd thought he'd escaped at age sixteen, at least there were moments of levity now.

There was the Weasley family's easy affection with one another, and their warmth which seemed to fill the frigid house despite its determination to remain unwelcoming. There were hearty dinners and good conversation, and a sense of community that, while welcome, made Sirius ache for the best friends he would never share a meal with again.

There was also Ginny's bright, unrestrained laughter and the way Harry seemed to seek it out. There was the way his Godson's eyes seemed to soften on the youngest of the Weasleys, an occurrence which accomplished the seemingly impossible task of making all traces of James disappear from his face, leaving only Lily.

If Harry was aware of Ginny’s effect on him, however, he did an excellent job of hiding it. None of Sirius’ thinly veiled attempts at suggestion yielded the desired results.

After one of Molly’s delicious — and uncomfortably filling — meals, Sirius had tried to broach the subject in as delicate a manner as possible.

“Ginny’s very funny,” he’d said quietly to Harry, leaning across the small expanse of table that separated them.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed absently, ducking to avoid the dessert bowl Fred had just summoned, and that had gone soaring wildly towards Harry’s head. “She’s a laugh.”

Without giving the matter any further consideration, Harry pushed his chair back from the table, apparently intent on following Ron, who was already heading for the door, and Sirius, who was glad to see Harry in a rare congenial mood where his friends were concerned, had no heart to try and stop him.

Yet Sirius was only deterred temporarily; house arrest did not offer many opportunities for entertainment, and he seized upon this one.

His next attempt to force the matter occurred just days later.

Molly, persisting in her crusade to wipe away years of rot and decay that Sirius privately thought was likely weaved into the very foundations of the house, had seen fit to direct Harry to clear out an ancient wardrobe in one of the guest bedrooms; Sirius immediately volunteered to join the endeavour.

“I think your mum had a hoarding problem,” Harry informed him, removing a sinister-looking, ghostly white Venetian mask from one of the shelves and tossing it unceremoniously into the rubbish bag awaiting at their feet.

Sirius hummed in agreement. “You know, Ginny made a similar observation — she wasn’t very taken with the decor.”

“I’d think there was something seriously wrong with her if she was.”

“But you don’t,” Sirius prompted with forced nonchalance.

“Don’t what?” Harry frowned down at the pair of ancient — and hideous — buckled shoes he’d just collected from the wardrobe floor.

“You don’t think there’s something seriously wrong with Ginny.”

“No,” Harry replied, brow still furrowed as he turned to look at Sirius directly. “Do you?”

“No, of course not!” Sirius waved away the accusation. “I think she’s a charming girl.”

“Right,” Harry discarded the shoes and began flicking through the dusty garments hanging from the rail.

Sirius waited a moment but no other thoughts came forth. He swallowed a sigh. “And you already agreed she’s funny.”

Harry’s only response to this reminder was a noncommittal hum and Sirius was forced to forge ahead without any assistance from his impervious Godson.

“The prank she played on Ron last night with the fake spider was very amusing.”

In truth, Sirius was being generous with this compliment. While he appreciated Ginny’s dedication to the bit, and her willingness to provoke her mother’s ire, he had some notes on how her practical application could be improved that he planned to share with her later.

“Ron didn’t think so,” Harry replied, giving away nothing of his opinion on the matter. “He made me check every inch of our room three times before he’d go to bed.”

“He needn’t be so worried,” Sirius replied. “Crookshanks is dedicated to the task of keeping the house pest-free.”

Harry shook his head, whether at Sirius’ reassurance or the ghastly acid-green lace robes he’d just removed from the wardrobe, it was impossible to say.

There was no opportunity to ask, for at that moment Molly’s voice came calling from the corridor outside the room, beckoning them down to yet another dinner where Sirius was forced to watch Harry’s eyes wander to Ginny with painful obliviousness.

This pattern continued for the rest of the summer holidays, a period that was woefully short and allowed Sirius no further chance to help Harry reach the obvious conclusion. Indeed, any attempts he did make were met with little more than teenaged grunts and abrupt changes of subject and before Sirius knew it, Harry was boarding the Hogwarts Express, Ginny was swallowed by a group of her friends on the crowded platform and even this simple self-given mission had evaded success.

After that passed interminably long, lonely months locked up in the drafty old house with nothing but the fleeting company of Order members flitting in and out; Sirius’ only constant companion was Kreacher, possibly the only being he considered worse company than a dementor.

Undoubtedly, Sirius had not considered himself overcome with festive spirit in the run-up to Christmas. Nor could he find himself cheerful at the circumstances that brought house guests to him for the holidays, but once it was ascertained that Arthur would survive the terrible attack he’d sustained at the hands — or rather, fangs — of Voldemort’s snake, Sirius could not deny himself glad of the company provided once more by Harry and the Weasley’s.

By the time New Year’s Eve rolled around, Sirius was in a rare state of high spirits.

Grimmauld Place remained stubbornly bleak but the festoons of holly and glittering ribbons he’d draped from every available surface — helped by Ginny who certainly proved she had more of an eye for decoration than most of Sirius’ relatives — went some way to brightening the place up; as did the spectacularly impressive fireworks Fred and George had set off around the house well before the clock had begun to approach midnight.

By chance, a small party had gathered in the kitchen owing to Remus and Tonks’ unexpected early return from a mission, and Kingsley’s appearance with a collection of bottles of Ogden’s, which were quickly passed around the adults.

“I’ll have mine to go,” Sirius said as Kingsley poured him a generous measure of the amber liquid. “I really should make sure Buckbeak’s settled before things get too raucous.”

“I can go,” Harry offered from beside Sirius as he leaned to collect one of the bottles of butterbeer Kingsley had brought for the kids. “I haven’t seen him much since I’ve been back.”

“We’ll come with you,” Hermione offered, popping the cap on her own bottle of butterbeer.

Before Harry could think to respond, he was cut off by a groan from Ron who had been surveying the platter of mince pies, sausage rolls and various other finger foods Molly had just set out on the table. “I was just about to eat,” he protested.

Hermione’s lips pursed in unimpressed exasperation but Sirius was already formulating a plan, prepared to seize an opportunity that had not presented itself since the kids had returned from Hogwarts.

“Ginny can go with you,” he said quickly, eyes fixed on Harry even as he raised his voice loud enough for Ginny to hear from the opposite side of the kitchen where she was presently occupied ensuring Crookshanks didn’t burn his paws as he attempted to bat at the still-whizzing fireworks. “Ginny, could you go and check on Buckbeak for me, please?”

Her response was immediate. She scooped Crookshanks up into her arms as she stood, nodding enthusiastically at the suggestion.

“I can go alone,” Harry protested sullenly. “No one is going to attack me between here and the landing.”

“Of course not,” Sirius agreed, waving away his protests with the hand still clutching his whiskey glass. “But you don’t want to be alone on New Year’s, do you?”

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. “I think I’d survive for ten minutes.”

“Yes,” Sirius continued as Ginny’s form grew closer in his peripheral vision. “But Ginny is excellent with Buckbeak — she’s very good with animals, have you noticed?”

Harry shrugged again. “I suppose.”

Ginny paused her approach to deposit Crookshanks into Hermione’s waiting arms.

“Well, that’s settled then.” Lightly, Sirius nudged Harry towards her. “The two of you will go together.”

Ginny joined them just in time to hear this conclusion; her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I didn’t realise it was a two-person job.”

“Apparently Sirius thinks I need supervision,” Harry informed her.“

“And he chose me to supervise?” Ginny frowned in horror. “I’m disappointed in myself for giving a false impression of responsibility.”

Right on cue, Sirius watched as her eyes met Harry’s and identical smirks bloomed on both their faces.

“Come on,” Harry inclined his head towards the door. “We‘ll try not to get into too much trouble on the way upstairs.”

“Maybe you will,” Ginny countered, already following him out of the room. “I never made any such promises.”

Sirius watched them go with a self-satisfied smile of his own. His triumphant mood, however, did not last long before being quickly burst by the pointed sound of a throat clearing behind him.

He turned to find Remus and Tonks staring at him in amusement.

“What was that about?” Remus asked, his arms folded expectantly over his chest.

“What was what?” Sirius asked innocently.

Remus shook his head wearily. “Need I remind you I’ve witnessed that exact manoeuvre before, minutes prior to the Great Venomous Tentacula Debacle of 1976.”

Sirius huffed dismissively. “This is nothing like that,” he disagreed. “I’m quite confident neither Harry nor Ginny are going to attempt to feed the other to Buckbeak.”

Which was almost exactly what had happened when Sirius had schemed to have Lily and James partnered in Herbology at the beginning of their sixth year. Of course, Lily had assured Professor Evergreen that she had meant no harm to James when she’d shoved him into the awaiting jaws of the predatory plant; she had only meant for it to ‘take a few bites out of his over-inflated head’.

“That’s not what I meant,” Remus disagreed with his practised look of weak disapproval that was so easy to ignore. “As you well know.”

Sirius sighed, chancing a glance over his shoulder to confirm no one was nearby before stepping closer to Remus and Tonks and saying in a voice too low for anyone else to overhear over the revellers of the night. “They simply need a nudge in the right direction, one that I’m more than willing to provide.”

Remus’ frown deepened. “A nudge in which direction?”

“A romantic one,” Sirius responded imploringly, surely that much was obvious to anyone with eyes. “Don’t you see it? They’re perfect for one another.”

“Harry and Ginny?” Remus attempted to clarify, his voice dripping with scepticism.

Any answer Sirius might have made was abruptly drowned out by Tonks’ unbridled laughter.

“What?” Sirius demanded, immediately disliking the smug shake of her head. “What’s so amusing?”

“Oh, nothing,” Tonks replied as she brought her laughter back under control. “Only that you’re obviously completely out of the loop.”

“I am not,” he protested at once, indignance flaring at the suggestion he might be uninformed. “Out of the loop regarding what?”

“So many things,” Tonks replied, sighing with superiority. “But, in particular, Ginny’s boyfriend and Harry’s preferred choice of snogging partner.”

“Harry’s what?” Sirius demanded, feeling rather as though one of Fred and George’s fireworks had just struck him directly in the face. Surely, if Harry was seeing someone, he would at least bother to tell Sirius as much.

“Sounds like you have all the teenage gossip,” Remus said, encouraging Tonks to share the details while Sirius reeled from the revelation that he, apparently, knew nothing.

“I only know what Ginny tells me,” Tonks replied, shrugging as she took a sip of her firewhiskey. “Six brothers haven’t really left her with much in the way of female influence, and Hermione’s always off with Harry and Ron, she gets quite lonely, not that she’d ever admit as much out loud.”

“Evidently not that lonely if she’s cavorting around with this secret boyfriend you mentioned,” Sirius replied haughtily.

Remus and Tonks’ eyebrows rose in surprise at his uncharitable tone and Sirius took a sip of firewhiskey to burn away the faint pang of guilt surfacing within him.

“She’s not keeping him a secret,” Tonks disagreed. “She’s just protecting herself from meddling big brothers—“

“And interfering godfathers,” Remus added.

Tonks nodded in agreement. “At any rate, I don’t think they’re cavorting — which, by the way, isn’t a word anyone has used in the last century — by her own admission, she’s quite fed up with Michael.”

“Michael,” Sirius repeated brusquely. “Of course she is, how could anyone not be fed up with someone named Michael.”

Even with Sirius’ limited knowledge, it was entirely evident Harry was superior in every way that could possibly matter.

“Michael Corner?” Remus asked, ignoring this last pointed remark, his expression still perfectly, annoyingly genial. “I remember him from teaching — he seemed a perfectly pleasant young man.”

“More pleasant than Harry?” Sirius demanded, failing to see how that could possibly be true.

“Of course not,” Remus replied evenly. His eyes wandered to Tonks and they both shared a look of amusement not unlike the smirks Sirius was now used to witnessing pass between Ginny and Harry.

Sirius took note of the moment to question both Remus and Tonks about later. Separately.

“Anyway,” Remus said abruptly, tearing his eyes away from Tonks as a red flush worked its way across his cheeks. “It sounds like Harry has his sights set elsewhere.”

At the reminder, Sirius looked to Tonks expectantly. “What do you know?”

“Like I said, only what Ginny tells me.”

“Which is?” Sirius asked, schooling his features into a look of mild interest. Clearly, Tonks was enjoying holding the information over him, and he simply wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of having him beg for it.

“Just that Harry was kissing some Ravenclaw girl on the last night of term — she didn’t elaborate further, other than to say Cho’s whispering skills left a lot to be desired.”

“Cho?” Sirius directed the question at Remus.

“She’s in the year above him,” Remus replied at once. “She plays seeker for Ravenclaw — she was very popular from what I remember.”

Sirius shook his head in vehement denial. “Harry’s not going to marry a Ravenclaw.”

“He’s fifteen,” Tonks reminded him through a laugh. “I don’t think marriage is his main priority right now.”

Before Sirius could argue, a course he was quite set on taking, the door to the kitchen opened and a flash of bright red caught his eye.

Ginny re-entered first, closely followed by Harry; the two of them were deep in conversation, both of them smiling at one another in a way that, in Sirius’ opinion, proved his point for him.

He, Remus and Tonks, all fell silent, watching the young couple intently as they grabbed fresh bottles of butterbeer.

Ginny headed over to the table, eyes surveying the spread laid out upon it; Harry remained at her heels. She paused not at the food, but at a pile of glittering red and gold party hats Fred and George had laid out earlier, the ones which had caused quite a stir when the one resting jauntily on Kingsley’s head had started to sing loudly and woefully out of tune.

Ginny picked up one of the hats and beckoned Harry closer with a crooked finger. His weak attempts to refuse her obvious demand did little to deter; Ginny took a definitive step forward; Harry made no attempt to duck away as she rose up on her tiptoes and secured the eye-catching hat to the top of his head where it sparkled brilliantly in contrast with his dark hair. Upon seeing Ginny’s triumphant smile, an identical one bloomed upon Harry’s face.

Sirius was also grinning victoriously as he turned back to Remus and Tonks.

“I’m not telling you you’re right,” Remus said stubbornly, but the stiff manner in which he knocked back the remainder of his firewhiskey was confirmation enough for Sirius.

Tonks sighed, her eyes still glued to the pair, watching as Harry attempted to force a hat onto Ginny’s head and she stubbornly — and speedily — ducked out of his way.

“I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually,” Tonks said, a small smile appearing on her face.

Sirius nodded, unable to stop his thoughts from wandering to James and Lily and the many occasions upon which he’d been forced to watch them refuse to see what was plainly right in front of them.

He cleared his throat against the sudden emotion that swelled within, a strange mixture of longing for what had already passed and what was still yet to come. “They always do in the end.”

[exbex]

come and get your love

The Captain America fandom was driving Bucky insane.

If it were a fictional universe based fandom, he could dismiss the drama as ship wars and move on with his life, and he couldn’t be arsed to care what they were saying about him, but this was real life and the majority of the fandom was shipping his Sam with Torres.

“Torres looks like he’s sixteen,” Bucky grumbled into his orange cheese powder and pasta.

“And you are old enough to be Sam’s grandfather,” Yelena retorted as she doused her own pasta with hot sauce.

Bucky’s scowl deepened. “I don’t think Torres can even grow a beard.”

“You are depressing. And bearded.” Yelena waved a hand toward the tv. “Baby Falcon is always smiling.”

She was right, infuriatingly so. Torres had a smile that didn’t come close to Sam’s, but the FalconCap shippers liked to lord it over the WinterCap shippers that Torres had a nice smile while Bucky was “always scowling.” Showed how much they knew. Bucky could flash a nice smile, but he didn’t do it for the press-his smiles were for his Sam.

Except Sam wasn’t his anymore, the little voice in Bucky’s head reminded him. Not anymore.

**

The fucking news outlets were driving Bucky insane.

If you’re going to report on Captain America being injured and in the hospital, you could at least give some indication of his status. Critical, or stable, conscious. How was the hospital rated? What were the credentials of the doctors? You know, normal stuff.

No matter. Bucky had the skills to find out which hospital Sam was in. And hell, maybe the fucking universe didn’t have it out for him after all, because he made it there before visiting hours were over.

Except he was a piece of shit, because the second he entered Sam’s room, he felt relieved that Sam wasn’t awake, laughing and throwing that incredible smile at Torres. Bucky was a piece of shit, because Torres was sitting and calmly going through his phone while Sam lay in the hospital bed, asleep but not unconscious. Hooked up to IVs and monitors, but stirring, looking peaceful but bruised.

Torres looked up. His eyes widened and for some reason it looked like he had to bite back a smile, like someone who had to concentrate for just a moment to iron out a wrinkle. “Hey,” he said, voice low, because Sam was asleep, not unconscious, and Torres didn’t want to wake him. “Sam’s gonna be okay. Doctors were able to save his spleen.”

Torres didn’t have a hair out of place. He looked young and fresh and put together and Bucky was a piece of shit because he’s jealous, even now, now that Sam was hurt because Bucky wasn’t there to watch his back, because Bucky had walked away and no one was on the ground to watch Sam’s six.

“…to bring you some coffee?”

Bucky blinked. Torres was looking at him, eyebrows furrowed in that way people have when they’re trying to figure out if something is wrong. Bucky pieced it together and shook his head. “No. No thanks.”

“Okay. I’m going to go make some calls.” Torres touched his arm, for just a second, then walked out of the room.

Bucky walked to the chair that Torres had sat in. It was several feet away from Sam, and Bucky had the foolish thought that the FalconCap shippers would be aghast. Bucky considered picking it up, setting it closer to Sam, right next to the bed, so that he could keep an eye on his Sam.

Except Sam wasn’t Bucky’s. Not anymore. Not ever. That had been his mistake, hadn’t it? The entire world thought they could lay claim to Sam but Sam had invited Bucky in, had carved out a place for Bucky and Bucky had taken that for granted and fucked everything up.

He placed the chair a few feet closer, as some sort of compromise, close enough to get a better look at Sam. There was a bruise on his cheek, a cut above his eyebrow beneath a butterfly bandage.

Bucky buried his face in his hands and listened to the sounds of the monitors.

“You look like shit.”

Bucky looked up, right into those pretty eyes. They were sleep-laden but sharp, searching. “You look great,” he replied, because it was true, in spite of the bruise and the cut and the hospital bed. Bucky was struck with the thought that Sam was close enough to touch, and it was as if his longing sharpened all of his senses, as if he could smell Sam’s skin under the antiseptic hospital scent. The hard plastic chair seemed to dig into Bucky’s legs, as if taunting him, pricking at his memories of the planes of Sam’s body.

“Then why are you sitting so far away?”

Bucky wondered if he was having a dream, if he’d fallen asleep in the uncomfortable chair and had just dreamed that Sam had woken up and  started being his smooth but silly self.

“I don’t deserve you.” Whether this was a dream or real, Bucky figured he may as well be honest.

“Why are you the only one who gets to decide that? Sam was frowning, eyes flashing, and his eyes were as clear as his words, as sharp as the hard plastic and metal of the chair Bucky sat in.

Bucky glanced at the monitors. Strong and steady. Sam could handle this conversation. “You told me not again. That if I was going to run away again not to come back.”

“Yeah, and I don’t get to ever change my mind? Or is that a privilege only you get?”

It was fair. Bucky kept changing his mind and coming back when Sam did something to break his heart, like give up the shield or land himself in the hospital.

I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. It was on the tip of his tongue, and Bucky knew how foolish it was. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I keep running when things get tough.”

Sam smiled but it looked weary. “I understand.”

And that was the thing; Sam did understand, and Bucky wasn’t sure he deserved that kind of understanding. “I can’t keep doing this to you.”

“So don’t keep doing this to me. You’ve got two strikes. Three and you’re out.”

Bucky leaned forward, ready to make promises, possibly beg, but he was suddenly interrupted by a nurse telling him visiting hours were over.

Bucky fought off the urge to argue, just stood and put the chair back before locking eyes with Sam. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’d better.”

It was a fitful night of sleep, but a shower and shave, before showing up in a sweater Sam had given him with flowers and minty fresh breath yielded one of Sam’s killer smiles and those gorgeous lips of his on Bucky’s.

“Hey, I brought you some bagels…oh!”

Bucky straightened and glared at fucking Torres in the doorway, looking like a dream in a leather jacket and dark wash jeans.

Torres only grinned. “Don’t worry; I remembered the cream cheese.” He waltzed over to Sam and handed over the paper bag. “I’ll just go get some coffee.” He looked at Bucky. “Cream and sugar?”

Bucky only glared.

Torres patted his arm. “I’ll just bring up some packets of sugar and cream. You know what, I’ll go to the good coffee shop and be back in…twenty minutes or so.” He exited the room just as he’d entered.

“You trying to make me jealous?”

Bucky pivoted to look at a smirking Sam. “What?”

“You’re staring at Joaquin like ‘don’t go Baby Falcon.’” Sam started snickering, looking pleased with himself at his terrible joke.

Bucky rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re high on painkillers.”

“I’d like to be high on Bucky Bear kisses, but you’re all the way over there.” Sam held out his arms and gestured for Bucky to come closer, an exaggerated but beautiful pout on his face.

“Oh yeah, you’re on the good painkillers, alright.”

“What? Afraid you’ll be taking advantage of me?”

Bucky pulled the chair over. “I know, it’s crazy, seeing as I’m the one wrapped around your finger.”

Sam’s eyes seemed to sharpen as they focused on Bucky. “No. We need to be equals if this is going to work. You know that, right?”

Bucky felt his heartrate quicken, less out of fear, he thought, and more out of hope. “Yeah, Sweetheart, I know.”

Sam fixed Bucky with his gaze, then nodded, slowly. “Good.” He opened the paper bag. “You hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat.”

Sam pulled napkins, cream cheese, a couple of compostable knives out of the bag, before retrieving two bagels. “Joaquin got your favorite.”

“Torres knows my bagel order?”

Sam gave him a look and a smirk that Bucky couldn’t begin to interpret. “Torres is smart. Observant. Sharp. Whip smart.”

Bucky nodded, rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Explains why you make a good team.”

Sam gave a half smile as he handed Bucky a bagel. “Yeah, we’re a team. Professionals. A couple of guys with mutual goals.”

Bucky picked up a knife, sliced into the bagel, watched as it zig-zagged instead of slicing straight. “Partners?”

Sam sliced into his own bagel. “You could say that. I like team better though, implies room for more than two.” He paused in his slicing. “Though, if we’re talking work-life balance….”

Bucky looked at his bagel as he carefully spread cream cheese, trying, and failing, not to blush.

“Hey Partner.”

Bucky looked up, fumbling the knife.

“Get over here and kiss me before Joaquin interrupts us again. But be careful of the bagels.”

Sam had the cheesiest grin on his face. Bucky couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Didn’t stop him from leaning in and kissing Sam. Later, there would be several things to hash out, several people who would want their attention, but in the moment, they had this small gift of time, and Bucky had finally figured it out.

[ecargmura]

Oshi No Ko Episode 23 Review - Reunited, But Not Like This!

The finale of Season 2 will be aired on Sunday, October 6 instead of its usual Wednesday time slot. I think it’s because of the influx of Fall anime airings that one premiere probably took its time slot. Anyways, just a heads up on this just in case if you’re gonna wonder why the finale review is gonna be late next week.

Aqua brings Akane to Miyazaki for the company R&R and Kana is not thrilled about it. To be honest, if this was going to be an R&R for Tokyo Blade in addition to the MV shooting, shouldn’t they bring some other characters too like Melt or Himekawa? It feels weird that Akane doesn’t have other schedules given that she should be busy as the rising star of Lala-lai… Man, this episode is just gut-punching Kana because Ruby was like “Will you two get married?” towards Akane, causing Kana to be even more upset. Also, I’m surprised that Aqua is that comfortable around that many girls.

I guess it was nice seeing the Aqua and Akane moments, but I do think that Kana would probably be end game in the sense that Kana gives Aqua the least amount of mommy issues. There are way too many parallels with Akane and Ai in the sense that she’s essentially mimicking Ai—her hair is even parted towards the left despite it being parted towards the right during her debut. If there are incest shippers out there, Ruby looks identical to Ai, so it probably wouldn’t be best to have her as end game either. Kana has the least amount of Ai parallels, which is probably the best choice for him in the long run, but this is just coming from someone who has to pick a girl for Aqua. For all I know, I wouldn’t even mind if Akane and Kana were to get together. Though, I do feel bad for Aqua as all the step forward he had with Kana now took three steps back.

The Goro and Sarina flashbacks were very bittersweet. People probably thought of Goro as creepy idol fan in the beginning of the story, but if you look at the flashbacks and Goro’s backstory from Aqua’s words in this episode, you can sort of tell that he’s a toxic people-pleaser; he’s got a lot of depth. His biological mother died due to childbirth, but he decided to become a OBGYN doctor because of guilt and what his grandmother would want and not what he truly wants—to be a surgeon. Because he couldn’t cure Sarina, he’d make empty promises like promising to marry her when she turned 16 just to please her. He even became an Ai fan because Sarina wished she could’ve gone to a B-Komachi concert. Everything he does is for others and never himself…and that mindset got implanted onto Aqua. It’s really sad that Goro is a person living with inner guilt to the point that he self-sabotages himself all the time. He’s always putting others before himself to the point of being a toxic trait. No wonder Aqua is very complicated. He has Goro’s mindset, but also has the limits of what a teenager can do. In a sense, it feels Aqua and Goro are different people.

I’ll tell you my biggest issue with Ruby: she still thinks she’s Sarina and not a completely different person. Like, Aqua is written in a way that you can tell that there is a difference between him and Goro as it does feel as if Aqua has an ego of his own, but I never really get that with Ruby. She goes around imagining that Goro will attend a B-Komachi concert and find her. Not once does she ever realize that Ruby and Sarina are two entirely different people and that Goro could not comprehend supernatural phenomena like reincarnation if he had been alive in the present as he is a man of science. I mean, I get that her past self was twelve years old, but that’s old enough to comprehend and develop an ego. I don’t know. I guess it’s probably because Ruby isn’t really included into the story as much, but that’s what I’m getting from observing her.

Two new characters are introduced. We got Anemone, Mem-cho’s acquaintance who is a music video producer. It’s interesting how flashy she is despite living in the countryside. Her voice actress is Yukana, who you might know from various media like Code Geass as C.C. and Tales of the Abyss as Tear Grants. Then, there’s the mysterious white haired girl. I’m gonna call her Crow Girl for now. She sounds like she’s voiced by Hina Kino, who voiced Miri from Buddy Daddies and Lishu from The Apothecary Diaries. Given her parallels with the crows and how she led Ruby to Goro’s corpse, does she have something to with the the reincarnation? Just what is she?

I feel really bad for Ruby. All of her fantasies about meeting Goro in her new life got instantly shattered. I really liked the effect of the star on her left eye diminishing, showing that it could disappear if met with an extremely traumatic effect… Don’t tell me… is Ruby gonna get those dark stars like Aqua? Is she going to seek revenge against her supposedly-dead-to-Aqua father? What’s going to happen?

[autigay]

howdy i've never done anything like this before but i am nothing if not a snowjanus shipper so here's my offering for day 1 of snowjanus week tehe (wrote this in like 30 mins so it's not my best rip)

no warnings or anything, word count 621

sticky fingers (snowjanus week day 1)

coriolanus snow does not do messy.

so when sejanus plinth showed up that fateful school day—with his bag of gumdrops in hand and his sticky fingers—coriolanus tried to steer clear. as if it wasn’t bad enough that he was district, he had to be dirty too. how many times had his grubby hands been in that bag? and after the boy shoveled a handful of the gumdrops into his mouth just to reach for more, coriolanus knew he’d never go near the things.

unfortunately, it was as if coriolanus was a magnet for the kid, who was velcroed to his side before he knew it. he became the boys unofficial guide to the new school, so sejanus and his sticky fingers followed coryo around like a puppy for the entire day. coryo did his best to be as cordial as possible; not bullying like the rest of the students, but not being overly friendly. and every single time sejanus held out his bag of gumdrops for coryo to freely take from, he vehemently refused despite the growling in his stomach.

it was the dullest day imaginable, of course, giving sejanus many free moments to poke and prod coriolanus about his life. the district boy clung to any answer coryo would give, hanging on his every word, sharing anecdotes about his own life as well.

this is what i get for being nice, coriolanus thought as the boy tried to offer him candy again for the millionth time. when he, again, politely declined, sejanus looked sad but said nothing else.

when the school day finally ended, coriolanus seemed to have shaken the curly haired kid at one point or another and was decidedly glad that he could walk home in peace. that was until he walked out the front doors and saw a group of boys surrounding sejanus, laughing at him. coryo groaned internally—keep walking, it’s none of your business—but he looked up at just the wrong time. he made eye contact with sejanus now, who’d been shoved to the ground and was blubbering, making the bullies laugh even harder. ugh.

coriolanus changed course, heading straight for the group.

“hey, just leave him be,” he heard himself say, putting his body in between sejanus and the group of boys. “he didn’t do anything to you.”

there were a few snickers—oh coryo’s got himself a little boyfriend!—but after enough time they grew bored of coriolanus blocking their access to sejanus and filtered out, with vague threats of being back to mess with the boy again tomorrow. coryo turned to sejanus and, after coming to peace with the idea in his mind, reached out a hand to help him up.

sejanus’ sticky hand gripped his, and he pulled the boy up to his feet. he even bent over to pick up the fallen bag of candy that was somehow even stickier than sejanus’ hands. the whole affair had coriolanus wanting nothing more than to run to the bathroom and wash his hands, but instead he walked sejanus home. it didn’t even seem to faze him that, during the walk, sejanus’ hand snuck back into his and stayed there until they arrived at their destination.

“thank you for being so nice to me today,” sejanus muttered when they’d finally reached his front door. he shifted awkwardly and offered up the bag of gumdrops. “you can keep ‘em.” something about the boy looked so earnest, so vastly different from anything coryo had ever seen, that he found himself accepting the bag and reaching in to take a few. as he walked home with his candy and his sticky fingers, he’d come to find the idea of sejanus’ mess…tolerable.

[missmaywemeetagain]

Dear Miss Madisyn,

What makes Elementary superior to the Cumberbatch Sherlock for you?

a fellow television enthusiast...

norah

PS X-Files was my first grown up appointment TV show....

My Darlin' Dearest Norah,

I want to preface this by saying I do like BBC Sherlock because I know there are some pretty intense camps out there on both sides and I don't want anyone coming for me lol. I definitely think there is room for both in the canon. I will also say it has been quite a while since I watched the BBC version, so make of that what you will...

However, I prefer Elementary for a few reasons:

One, while I think the highly stylistic "movie" sort of quality to the BBC version is interesting, it gives Sherlock this sort of superhero-esque quality that makes him so "other" it's hard to relate to him in any way. Like I think he's cool in an objective way, but I don't really like him much or find him very redeemable. And the attitude around him is kind of like, "Well, that's just Sherlock! He's just a brilliant asshole!" and it just...stays that way.

(Now don't get me wrong, I love all the actors in both versions for a multitude of different reasons! But the writing lends itself to highly different interpretations from an actor's perspective.)

I prefer the realism of Elementary more. I absolutely love the characterization of both Sherlock and Joan. They feel like dynamic, flawed but redeemable characters who are fleshed out in most every way. They learn and grow and change in crucial ways throughout the series. Sherlock's behavior and neurodivergency are explained but not used as cop-outs or excuses for his not-so-nice treatment of people. He faces very real consequences in his relationships because of it and because of his drug addiction, but the key difference is that he figures out he wants to do better, especially for the people he comes to care deeply for. He tries, in his weird Sherlock way, to connect, because he starts to realize that yes, he is brilliant, but his actions affect others, and that being totally alone is not all it's cracked up to be. And Joan is very much her own person who struggles with her own issues and relationships with people and with the direction she wants her life to go. She (unwillingly at first) learns these new things about how to look at the world and how to help people in a different way, and she doesn't take a backseat to Sherlock. After the first season, she becomes a true partner to him, not a sidekick, and I really appreciate that.

Part of it is there is just more time over 7 traditional seasons to explore character arc, versus the wonky "we put seasons out whenever it works for us" way of BBC. The nuances are much more developed over time in a more natural way for Elementary.

Not to mention that the gender-bending in Elementary is just *chef's kiss*. They did it so well, you'd hardly know it was any other way!

Back to character, I just think Johnny Lee Miller knocked that role completely out of the park. He was absolutely stunning in playing those subtle changes and emotional moments and showing Sherlock's growth over time. He was multi-dimensional and it made his growth heartbreaking and lovely. He should've won a million Emmy's for that performance. And honestly, as much as I like Benedict (and I do), I truly think Johnny is the better actor overall (side note--if you ever get a chance, watch both versions of the Frankenstein production that they did together for the National Theatre in London, where they switch roles, both playing the monster and Dr. F for different performances. It's brilliant! But I do think Johnny is much better as the monster. 😊) And Lucy Liu is just a badass and I love her, too, and the chemistry between them is just awesome. They play those comic moments so well, too.

And I'm not gonna lie, I'm 100% a Sherlock x Joan shipper, and the writing in Elementary was fantastic in this way, because it left it open enough for the audience to decide for themselves what kind of love we were dealing with there. But the shippy moments were soooo good, imo. You named a bee after me? We're just two people who love each other... Come ON. Beautiful. Fabulous. Fantastic. And the ending? I wept.

I also think Elementary dealt with the addiction piece much much much better. The realism of going to AA, dealing with the fallout of relationships, relapses, the ongoing challenge of always being an addict was just so much more poignant without being a crutch. Similar thoughts about how the neurodivergency and PTSD were handled.

Anyway, I could probably go on, but this is long enough already! TL;DR: I just think Elementary is better in all the ways: writing, acting, arcs, relationships...LOL

Thanks for the ask, my dearest!!

[gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun]

In defense of trashy ya dystopias

Okay, I’ll admit it: Hunger Games is an excellent book. It is powerful and well crafted, and deserves to be an eternal classic. I’m not sure any of the ya dystopias that followed it were quite so good, and I understand why they get mocked so often. Still, I think they deserve a better rep than they get.

Now, I understand that some ya dystopias are really, really bad. The only literary criticism that would call them good art would be a reader response based method that just says “well, some people like them so they must be good!” I don’t think that’s exactly how art works, but to an extent, that’s true. If a book inspired someone, encouraged them to read, and broadened their view of the world, who are we to say that it’s not worth reading? No matter how terrible a book is, it can at least make someone a bit more passionate about reading, and that’s value enough.*

First, I have to talk about Divergent. It makes me sad how many people hate that series. There are some valid criticisms, but most of it doesn’t make sense to me. People accuse Tris of being flat and basic, saying she’s an overpowered Mary Sue of a blank slate. That in particular confuses me. Tris isn’t dull and underdeveloped, she’s depressed. She’s reactive because she doesn’t care enough to be proactive. She’s numb, which comes across as her being unemotional. Now, we can debate whether that makes her a bad choice as a main character, but I won’t stand for her being painted as a bad character.

I was horribly depressed when I read Divergent. Watching Tris made all the difference in my life. I related to her when she threw a chair from the roof and watched it shatter on the concrete below, wishing she could follow it. I would have followed her to her death when she convinced herself that dying for her friends was noble sacrifice, not suicide, not the easy way out. I nearly cried when she realized at the last moment that she didn’t want to die, that she had to choose to keep going. I watched her build her life back up, even through the misery, pain and loss. I watched her find happiness, and I broke down when she gave it all up to protect someone else, someone who was trying to throw away his life out of guilt and grief. She sacrificed everything she had to give him a chance to fight through it and become someone better. She would have done the same for me. I needed to keep going, to honor that sacrifice and follow in her lead. Tris taught me to fight, and I am so grateful.

The Maze Runner was one of my favorite series. My longest completed story I’ve written was a trilogy of (unfortunately very straight) TMR fanfiction. I know it’s pretty garden variety dystopia, but it was very meaningful to me.

I think part of what made it special was having a male protagonist. Most ya dystopias are centered on teen girls, the intended audience, and while TMR could have used more diversity of gender in the cast, it was nice to see myself in the main character (although I like to believe I’m not that stupid). Thomas is also a very competent MC, which is always appreciated, and it feels earned more than Gary Stu-ed.

TMR has, despite not having any canonical evidence, a lot of gay ships in the fandom, probably because the boys all have a ton of chemistry and there are no girls (pretty much). I was deep in denial (see my straight fanfic), but TMR still gave my budding queerness a place to grow. While insisting that being gay was wrong and my homosexual crushes were Not Gay, I still managed to have very strong feelings on which Maze Runner ships are correct (Newt X Alby and Thomas X Minho, Newtmas shippers fight me). Being represented, even if I didn’t know it at the time, was so important to me.

Lastly, TMR taught me bravery. It taught me that even if things are just going to get worse, you have to try and make it out. I look at the world around me, and it’s not hard to imagine the Flare, or WICKED gaining power. Us kids have been handed the burden of fixing the world, and I need all the courage I can get. Like I say in my fanfic (the AWWWB series on Wattpad, first book called Good Grief), “Maybe the universe is just cruel. But… if we don’t know what’s outside of the Maze, then we’d better hold on to the fact that it’s just as likely to be a good place as a bad one.” We have to keep hoping that something better is coming eventually, even if it never does. We have to keep fighting.

I don’t have any others in mind right now, but I want to hear about other books (dystopian or not) that made more of a difference than they’re given credit for. Seriously, I want y’all to defend Twilight, to champion the Matched series. Tell me how they changed your life.

*note: books that spread harmful messages are different than poorly written books, but that’s a whole conversation by itself, so we’re going to be idealists in this post and pretend that’s not an element while acknowledging that in the real world it’s a true and harmful thing

[singsweetmelodies]

just wanted to say that your charlos tags on the notp post were a WHOLE ASS MOOD

like i can't deny the chemistry because i'd have a lifetime supply of smoothies from the level of 🍓🍊🍌🥝🍇 in those c2 videos. but i just cannot indulge in it whatsoever

i can't even point to a specific moment that turned me from 'oh they have a fun teammate dynamic!' to a full-blown hater ('hater' is a bit strong but close enough) but it must've been something to do with the fans...

anyways, just wanted to express my gratitude for those tags. nice to know that i'm not alone

darling anon!! thank you so much for this ask - and oh, bestie, you are definitely not alone. you are so not alone, and i am actually hugging you rn, because it's always fab to find someone who agrees with your ship opinion 👌 sorry to the charlos fans out there, but it just can't be for us. #rip

and that third paragraph of yours - ah, man, i feel you so much. i also used to genuinely enjoy their teammate dynamic a lot (loved watching the c2 challenges, etc etc.) and i also can't quite point to a specific moment when this changed? but i do know the general themes about it, and since i had an incredibly long exhausting day at work today, i'm quite in the mood to rant about them. i will do so under the cut, though, lmao, because goodness knows i'm in a petty mood tonight.

any and all passionate charlos or just carlos sainz fans - please do not click on the readmore, because i'm not going to be terribly nice to your fav here, i'm afraid 🙃

so for me, when i first got into f1, it wouldn't have been inaccurate to say that i kinda loved carlos sainz. i loved the carlando/mclaren videos, and i loved the c2 challenges. he's funny, and he's pretty, and he has a cute dog, and he drives for ferrari... what more could you want?

the thing is, though. i am a charles girlie first and foremost. even though i liked carlos, he was never on the same level as charles for me. especially not in terms of driving - because, well, just look at the start of the 2022 season. enough said.

what started getting to me was that group of passionate carlos fans (the carlos girlies) who seemed to seriously think that carlos is a better driver than charles. they would slander charles and call him an inconsistent/reckless driver, while saying carlos was so much better. obviously, this rubbed me up quite the wrong way. and then at the same time, i was seeing carlos on my screen giving interviews where he would insist that if he'd had a few more laps, he would have overtaken max's red bull. like... i'm sorry, but that was never going to happen. in any world. pffft. (my thoughts at this point went: arrogant! he thinks he's better than he actually is.)

so that got me to like carlos himself a little less, which obviously has an influence on the ship as a whole. i mean, it would be hard to like a ship if you only really like one of the two partners in it, right? right? this is what i've always thought, anyway... except that a lot of charlos shippers seem to like carlos a lot more than charles. which is to say: in so many of their fics/characterisations, it's all glorifying carlos, while charles is essentially his arm candy with all the character depth of a rather pretty paper cutout. less than ideal...

the last thing, and perhaps the pettiest of all, lmao, is just that i'm incredibly possessive and insane about piarles. i acknowledge it. in fact, i fully own it. they are my ship, and i want them and only them to be endgame, always. now, obviously i don't expect everyone to agree with me 😂😂 but i don't particularly want to be seeing any content on my dash that features charles/anyone other than pierre as an endgame ship. and charlos usually is portrayed as an endgame ship/they're meant for each other etc. etc. well, sorry. to me, charles is meant for pierre, and pierre only. charlos is out. the end 🫶

[jessy-the-martian-girl]

Sacrifices

Okay, I tried my best with this story. I honestly think I’m not good with words, but I do love Luis and want to express it this way too (yes, some shameless self-shipper I am, as this Jessy-girl is basically my alter-ego from another dimension). So, here goes...

Also English is not my first language, and main sponsors of Spanish words are canon, Duo and that nice little book «Dirty Spanish». So if I got something wrong – I'm very sorry.

Summary: At first Luis didn't know about the ritual sacrifices practiced by the Los Illuminados.

Warnings: self-shipping, spoilers for remake, canonical blood and violence, possible bending of canonical timeline and logic.

When Serra first came across those notes, he thought it was some kind of stupid joke. A game. Ritual sacrifices nowadays - well, who in their right mind would believe in such a thing? And Chief Mendez, who appeared behind his back seemingly out of thin air, calmly declared that those records were at least several centuries old.

But Luis had a good look and even had an opportunity to touch that diary – ink still bright, paper didn't look old enough, and handwriting - of the Chief himself. It just didn't add up. So his natural curiosity took the best of Luis and that led to unexpected results.

The power outage in the laboratory provided a very good cover: while others were hunting down the runaway regenerador, Luis was lucky enough to be out of dangerous area at that moment. Their research group were not yet kept locked up as prisoners, so he just took his chance. Several overheard conversations helped him to determine some possible places for the mentioned “rituals”. Of course, Luis also prepared some reasonable legend, like that he had nostalgic streak, or wanted to honor the memory of the past. Luckily, one of the places he wanted to check out was very close to his former house.

That small clearing in the woods he has known since childhood... From there his quest started - and it ended right there. The ritual was in full swing - the forest muffled and distorted the cries of the unfortunate victims, and it was not a joke or a game. Everything was for real. There were two victims, a man and a woman. Judging by their clothes – they were not local. Both were tied up, with the symbol of Las Plagas drawn in something red on their faces. Was it paint? Or blood? It was hard to tell from such distance.

The sound with which the axe dug into the first victim's neck dispelled the last doubts about the reality of what was happening. Luis's first intention was to interfere, to disrupt the ritual, to give the remaining victim a chance to escape. But the instinct of self-preservation and common sense kicked in and stopped that impulse before it turned into action. Then came understanding: to get in the open now would only mean a very high probability to become next in line for the execution on the blood-drenched altar. And it won't do anything to stop the killing spree...

On that day, Serra finally realized that he didn't belong with this crazy cult — and that he simply had to at least try to find a way to put an end to the existence of Los Illuminados. And then everything just went downhill: all the researchers were locked up, and then they were offered a "choice" (or, to be more precise, its illusion) — to voluntarily put their neck under the plaga injection, or to get this parasite forced on them. Luis then chose to go with voluntariness, to pretend he's cooperative — with his charming smile and enthusiastic "Viva Las Plagas!". But mentally the Spaniard was repeating a half-forgotten prayer that he heard from his grandfather, when he was still alive.

Then that sample of a peculiar shape, "the Amber", fell into his hands. The key to overthrowing Saddler and his religious cult. And that bigoted lord seemed to recognise a threat to his position and confiscated the sample. It was not easy to get it back, but Serra managed — after making a deal on the exchange of data and biological material for protection and the opportunity to "get off the radar" with an outside group. Not that he trusted this new team so much, but it was a chance to escape and stop Saddler for good.

After Luis got “the Amber” back, he had one more thing to take care of before going on the run - to get rid of the plaga. If only someone knew how scared he was to be exposed to that "laser therapy", with recalibrating the device literally "on a hunch". Especially after the previous unsuccessful attempt — painful cries of the unfortunate soul, who did not survive the process, were still too vivid in Luis's memory. But the fear of becoming Lord Saddler's brainless puppet outweighed everything else, so he launched the program and proceeded...

And now Luis Serra, a renegade researcher, was making his way through the village, past his former house - to leave through the forest again, as he did back then, after the fire that took his Grandfather's life.

But his plans failed — almost near the starting point of the passage to the secluded place, desecrated by those bloody rituals, someone ran into Spaniard, knocking him down. In the early evening dusk it was hard to tell who it was — and Luis, being at the mercy of his fears of getting caught, instinctively intercepted the "attacker" in order to prevent him from striking or escaping and giving away his location. The fall, however, disturbed a relatively fresh wound on his chest, eliciting an involuntary and painful - "¡Joder!" - from Luis's lips, which made the "human projectile" quietly yelp and try to escape — but to no avail.

Luis looked closely at this new face, covered with smears from red sigil and partially hidden by dark strands of hair stuck to this paint. The newcomer turned out to be a young and vaguely familiar woman in hiking outfit, tearful and frightened. Comparing the facts and the location, the Spaniard reasonably assumed that this was another victim who, by some miracle, managed to break free and escape quite unenviable fate. And that meant a possible chase and a bigger threat to his initial plans... But he just couldn't abandon her – those victims he already knew about still haunted his dreams (more like nightmares, actually) and were a heavy weight on his not so clean conscience.

The decision came quickly — as an old hiding place nearby came to Serra's mind. Only two people knew about that place: Luis himself and his deceased grandfather. It was possible to wait out the chase of the cult there, and make an attempt to get away later, when the pursuers become less enthusiastic.

- You are... not like them? - the girl asked cautiously, interrupting Luis's thought process, as she didn't see any signs of aggression or attempts to bring her back to the altar..

- No, - Serra slowly got to his feet and, thankfully, not hearing the pursuers yet, offered the lady, who had fallen on his head in such a manner, an option to hide. - We'll wait the hunt out, and then I'll help you to get to more civilized places. ¿Vamos?

- O-okay, let's go, - the brunette was trembling visibly, but still held on, as if she was stubborn enough to not fully give in to the panic yet.

Quickly and silently, the couple reached a small forest cave that was well-hidden from eyesight. And just on time: muffled angry screams echoed in the direction from which the would-be victim fled. It made the fugitive turn pale and bit her own palm with force so as not to whimper from the overflowing panic. Noticing her condition, Luis almost dragged the girl into the cave and gently pushed her down to the pile of dry leaves. Then he knelt down in front of brunette, hoping to calm her down a bit. And suddenly he remembered where they had met before... That spontaneous night walk in Paris from seven years ago, when they simply and sincerely roleplayed as "la bella señorita and her brave knight", without names and obligations. In the finale of that impromptu tour, Luis just planted an old-fashioned kiss on his companion's hand, and she imitated something like curtsey (in a tight midi skirt, it looked a little strange, for sure, but it got into the mood pretty well). And then they just went separate ways, almost certain that they won't meet again.

- Señorita?! - he barely managed to keep the excitement under control so as not to betray their location by being too loud. - How did you end up here?

- M-my knight in shining armor?.. - the girl hesitantly whispered, also starting to remember their past adventure, that smoothly turned into a fun night tour of Paris.

- Sí , - Serra's face lit up with a sincere warm smile and he embraced his lady without further hesitation.

At first she stiffened, but then just latched onto Luis, clunging to him like a drowning man clungs to a straw, and, sobbing, she spoke:

- They've killed Marissa and Lucy... Made us all drink some black stuff, and then... An axe... And I was to be next on the altar...

The Spaniard shuddered at the mention of "black stuff", his tenacious memory ruthlessly gave out information: almost guaranteed infection, and his old acquaintance can become dangerous very soon... And the "survivor's guilt" could speed up the process even more: if you don't consider yourself worthy of living, it will be so much easier to succumb to the sweet whispers of the parasite and lose yourself completely.

It seemed that the escape plans were to be changed completely - the search for such victim will not be abandoned just like that... And it's not even a fact that she ran away — those zealots could have just let her escape and watch from afar as the stages of development would go. With a new form of parasite nestling in her body, this girl was becoming a somewhat valuable "project" for the cult. But to leave another innocent being at the mercy of fate - with an inevitable and unfavorable outcome - was not to the Spaniard's liking. And not only for the sake of saving the abstract "world"...

- Hey, don't you talk like that, - Serra took the girl by the shoulders and, slightly pushing her away from him, gently shook her. - This road never leads to anything good, trust me.

It has been seven years since they first met, and here they were again - like a second chance.

And this time Luis wanted to start from the beginning: from proper introductions.

- I suggest we now correct an unfortunate oversight of the past, - the Spaniard smiled cheerfully, settling himself as comfortably as possible for the stone floor of the cave. - Me llamo Luis Serra. And you, señorita?

- Jessica... Jessy Jonzz, - the brunette inhaled shakily and tried to smile back. - Nice to meet you, Luis.

And then there was time for more complex tasks — firstly, to tell someone who is already on the verge of hysteria about an unplanned "guest" in their system and possible consequences to that. And, secondly, to decide how risky it would be to entrust your "ticket to a quiet life" to a woman from the past, who could soon become controlled by the enemy — and a medicine that would help suppress the growth of the parasite was laying at the very heart of the enemy's lair. Not to mention the fact that then it was necessary to move towards the island laboratory, if they were to get rid of the plaga completely.

The first part went surprisingly easy, without any emotional outbursts or breakdowns — brunette reacted so calmly that Serra almost thought she didn't understand what he has just told. This impression was instantly ruined by Jessy's quiet plea to not let her turn into one of those "puppets", if they fail to get rid of the parasite in time. Under her serious gaze, Luis could only nod his promise.

The second part turned out to be more complicated, but... Luis has made his choice. "The Amber" was almost burning a hole in his pocket, but he did not want to leave it in this cave at all. And if he was to be caught with this "thingy", he will be killed — and, if he is lucky enough, then it would be a fast demise.

- I have a request for you, too, - Serra took out a container with the sample and handed it to the girl. - Save it for me, ¿de acuerdo?

- What's that? - Jessica picked up the translucent tube hesitantly and peered into the piece of fossil resin fixed inside. - Aren't we going together?

- I have an appointment, which I definitely need to attend, - the Spaniard shook his head, leaving the first question unanswered (at least for now). - I'll see you to the beginning of the hidden passage that leads to the cabin. It should be safe there. Food, water, medikit - feel free to use what you find. Weapons, too. And I'll join you later.

- Okay, - the girl finally hid the container in the inner pocket of her jacket and shivered from the sudden cold gust of wind. - It's getting darker outside... Is it time?

- It's time, - Serra got up and cautiouly looked out of the cave.

After making sure that no one got to their hiding place, while they were talking, the Spaniard waved Jessica to follow him and led her towards another hidden forest path. After the parting words: "go straight, no sidetracking, and don't turn on the light in the cabin" - Luis squeezed girl's hand reassuringly, leaving her alone and walked back towards his old house.

The lack of pursuers in the immediate proximity has got the Spaniard to lose vigilance, and this turned out bad for him... Almost at the doorstep of what was left of his house, he completely missed the sudden appearance of ganado. And Luis paid for that lack of attention with a heavy blow to his head.

The last thought that flashed through his fading consciousness was: "I hope Jessy made it to the cabin..."

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

Lately I have been seeing few jikookers low key shading jimin as apparently he is dodging all jk related questions in his lives or that he doesn't give more info like he used to do earlier , which is ridiculous. As far as I know jimin has always been the one that kept "the jikook" ship alive all these years. Suddenly he doesn't mention jk as much and he is being shaded. I wonder how did they even defend JK's behavior in the initial years then, like in this video then.

https://youtu.be/GiA_kcrrFlY

Shippers will always lean towards and favor the most the one person in the ship that makes it feel realer. That's just the way it is. They will always like and support more the one that makes them feel reassured and at ease with their beliefs, in other words, the one that "feeds" them. It used to be Jimin, but now he's not so Jungkook biased shippers (which are the majority of jikookers these days), will progressively grow to resent Jimin. It's why taekookers like Taehyung more, because he caters to their fantasies the best.

It's also part of the reason a lot of pjms who used to like jikook, stopped liking it. I say part of the reason because it wasn't only about shattered ilusions of romance and not having ship content; for pjms it was because almost everything Jungkook said and did would bring hate to Jimin and they just got tired.

They should be thankful that Jimin is mature enough and loves Jungkook truly so at least Jimin is not doing anything that would bring hate to Jungkook. He literally just said "not yet" and THAT WAS IT. Jimin was never accused of dating someone else for ten years, he never said someone else was the most attractive person he's ever seen. Nobody is making fun of Jungkook or calling him a queerbaiter or rapist. None of what Jimin has said or done has had any consequence except disappointing delusional jikookers for telling the truth. These Jungkook biased jikookers would literally not survive a day if they had to live with the amount of hate Jimin received because of Jungkook's actions and words.

I find it really annoying too that all these years it's been "jikook" having moments, never acknowledging that Jimin was the one who was very obviously affectionate but now they suddenly are making it a point to say it's Jungkook giving them content; but all these years everything Jimin did they acted like Jungkook did it too. NOW they want to nitpick who's doing something for the ship. So much of double standards. Jimin acknowledging Jungkook, caring for him, being supportive of him was always taken for granted; it was just another jikook moment. Jungkook suddenly doing something nice is the epitome of long lasting love and everyone is making sure of mentioning him as the only one "carrying" the ship.

I only read the title of the link you sent... I really don't have interest in watching because I'm tired of that content, I know all those moments by heart. If you watch those best of jikook timeline videos by year, you can also tell how, out of the two of them, it's always been Jimin the one who visibly cared more.

[mydnite-moonrabbit]

I wake up in the mornings Sinking halfway to the bottom There's a loud distorted screaming in my soul Everything is dark and empty And I don't know how to fix it So I curl up in a ball And cry in the comfort of my home

I don't know why I feel like shit I say I'm fine but I'm not fine

I'm dying inside And all I see are demons I try to hide All my deepest feelings I'm dying inside And all I see are demons I try to hide all my deepest feelings

I think there's something wrong with me 'Cause all I see is death Everytime I go outside I look like I've been doing meth And I sleep for nineteen hours on a Thursday afternoon And every now and then I cough up blood And I don't know what to do

I don't know why I feel like shit I will not see a therapist

Ladies and gentlemen, if you wanna fucking kys put your fucking hands up (yeah!), raise your blades in the air everybody (yeah!)

Ay, oh, ay, oh, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, help, help, help, help, help, help, HELP!

I'm dying inside And all I see are demons I try to hide all my deepest feelings I'm dying inside And all I see are demons I try to hide all my deepest feelings

......I'm sending this ask to YOU cause you seem like a nice person and we're not too acquainted so good luck figuring out the sender. Can you, idk, give some advice? Not encouragement or stuff like "Think about the good" or "people would miss you" none of that. I'd like some advice on what YOU believe makes a good person.

Advice on what I believe makes a good person?

I don't really know what to give you there

In my mind, morality and mental health are separate things. One can affect the other, yes, your past trauma and state of mind can affect how you see and treat the world, but you can still be a good person if you have bad mental health and you can be a bad person even with a healthy mind.

Now, I don't really know how good this advice is, I've never really had to deal with this stuff, but I vaguely remember doing some research for a character I was making and finding out that this is an actual technique(Or maybe it was something someone else told me while I was telling them about the character? I don't remember)

Take all those negative thoughts, your Insecurities dragging your self-esteem lower and lower and thus making the pull harder and harder, those whispers of harming or ending yourself, that voice that says that no one around would care, and turn them into a person. A thing. Give it a face and a name. Whatever you like! It can be a giant shadowy serpent, a person with features not quite human, the face of someone you hate, Whatever you want. Just make sure to separate them. And whenever you get those thoughts just say "Oh shut up, I'm amazing"

Positive self-talk just helps your self-esteem in general. Start complimenting yourself ironically. Say things no one would say about you because they are compliments of the hyperbole variety. If you do something ironically for enough times and for long enough, it will stop being ironic. Just look at Kerdly shippers! That ship started as a joke and now there are hundreds of genuine shippers of it.

That's really all I can give at the moment. It took a bit to rile all of this up from my brain.

[shy-magpie]

RQG 165

Live blog under the cut

"Hide the fang" sounds like a euphemism, either for killing someone or sex

I love how fast Alex is getting.

Oh first minor storm, so they got some experience with normal issues before hitting magical territory

Briefing time. Oh the one hand I still want to like Earhardt: mostly due to lingering affection from the trip to Prague, but also because I don't want to write her off over what she is like in her worst moments. On the other hand, racism isn't "I said something stupid because I was in a mood"; being reckless with the lives of other people, especially people who trust you, isn't something that can just be overlooked.

Yeah cold turkey is not the kind way to help someone break addiction. Sounds like she is actually doing better physically and mentally.

Having trouble reading her tone, she seems almost bored with the possibility of them being in danger? Ok she sounds a bit more "here" now that its moved to specifics and actionables.

Well those are some things to keep aware of.

They are to shoot at white flags? That's a bit of a line, I expected more protest but Hamid is trying to stay out of the rank issues. Zolf kind of has to back her right up until he mutinies. Cel is noted as baffled. Not sure how this hits Azu. She sort of has a point in that she was hired as an expert and for all we know pretending to be in distress is a common tactic around here.

Helen obliges the needs of the story by having Azu request an exposition dump from Hamid. Aw its nice to hear him recognized for what he knows not just what he does but he sounds nervous or hesitant. It is kind of scary when you are turned to as the one who knows the most on a subject but you know how far from an expert you are. Plus he learned in University so explaining things with accessible language when you only discussed it in a place that values jargon is hard.

Fredrick gives a practical example.

Oh Cel has experience because people live in Wild Magic areas in America.

Elf Lore! Elf Lore! Elf Lore!

Oh nomadic Elves in the North; not all Elves are nomadic these are because they are ducking the shifts of Wild Magic.

Cel is confused because they expect similar groups living in the Wild Magic areas of Russia.

Zolf clarifies that the warning is restricted to people approaching from the air. Which fair enough, everyone said how risky this is as a one time thing to save the world so probs not worth it on a regular basis.

Fredrick says staying high is protective.

Hamid is checking in on Wilde with daily gossip sessions so he doesn't isolate himself.

Re: Wilde's theories:

Eh I'm not personally a Fredrick/Siggif shipper but I could see where someone else might.

Kiko is a wild card and may hit on more than one person. Well yes? Good for her? My understanding is that part of declaring clear interest early is willingness to move on if not reciprocated rather than pining at them all voyage.

Hamid tells Wilde about Siggif being interested in Azu.

Wilde thinks someone should "take the bullet for the team but it might help everyone if Earhardt got some action while they are up here". To which Hamid grimaces, because yeah.

Except for the last it sounds like Wilde is mildly hung up on people's sex lives when personally I find unofficial rank/alliances/who looks to who more interesting but allos amirite? Even in fandom discussions with other aces, shipping is often the easiest lens to discuss relationships/dynamics between characters.

The last was not the kind of joke I like but I think was made to make a point about Wilde not being as deft at his little games anymore and forcing things. So I am going to take a moment at Hamid's grimace rather than be distracted from listening. Wilde always did like playing with boundary pushing. Hell, the first time we met him in the series, he broke into Hamid's apt mostly in a "and what ya gonna do about it" move. He might have grown on me but the man can be an ass.

Altruism!?! Also did he just imply Hamid should be the one to sleep with her?

Aw Hamid is encouraging the Kobolds to be more individual

Huh not following the transition back to Wilde.

Oh no rolling for it. Kobolds make themselves real scarce when not working. I think thats a good sign like they aren't afraid they'll get in trouble for taking time for themselves where the boss can't reach them.

Cel remains awesome and wants to develop their friendship with Skraak specificly. Aw Lydia wants to clarify it was friendship not to gain this mechanical stuff Alex is giving Cel. So 3 ranks in Kobold culture

Hamid is careful to not intrude on Cel & Skraak's time. He knows he needs to be gentle & give them lots of room so they don't get frightened, but he knows he needs to put in the work to break down that "the world will end if the boss gets mad" thing.

Oh Kobolds have a thing about people knowing where they sleep.

Yes the Sasha joke was necessary.

Oh Cel figures out where they are likely to sleep so they never come across them accidentally.

They have a simple game called hide the fang. Its not a euphemism, it just means hiding an actual fang. They are actually playing a silly game just for them and Cel is the only one out of the cohort they trust.

Lydia wants Cel & Skraak to actually be friends. They are also encouraging(?) Azu and Kiko.

Azu finds a package in the crows nest. Its ticking. She takes it to Zolf who goes with her to show it to Cel.

I love this image of Cel in the engine room.

I love Cel. Few things scarier than a clock/the passage of time.

Cel opens it with extendable tools. They have a complete set of extendable tools and Lydia makes it sound sensible. Cel is relaxed because they think its a courting gift from one of Azu's admirers. Zolf is hovering prepared to heal them after the inevitable explosion.

It is trapped so opening it leads to a small explosive charge, but Alex has his 'I'm up to something' voice on & I half remember seeing a spoiler before ducking. Plus Lydia doesn't take it as an actual threat.

Confetti!?!

Alex the condition of the clock is not our priority here. Come back after explaining what the heck is happening.

Cel was actually right from their first guess

There is a note.

Azu is still on the "wait we trust this thing stage" and Zolf is leaving now that he isn't needed.

Cel is dangling the note over Azu's head

"sorry. Here's a clock."

So its an apology from Siggif? Ok that tracks

Please like Carter would be that direct.

She was engaged when she followed the palidan of Aphrodite? "He couldn't come with" and they are friends, he's a potter.

Rock popouri sounds neat

Oh Azu tried to move on but the woman wasn't as serious about it.

Cel was married!?! Multiple times!?! Ah they have a healthy attitude and are imparting their wisdom on Azu.

Azu has the fang behind her ear.

Oh ow, really Sasha never got to do a slight of hand but Cel is using it for the fang game? Oh she did to cheat at cards with Azu.

That viral post was awesome.

Lydia teases us about that roll being the pivot point in whether Cel would have pursued Azu, but she already expressed concerns about a romance with that kind of age gap & as half the players involved that is a totally valid line. You don't need to like, read, or write, much less play a romance that makes you uncomfortable.

Unusual rock formations? If you squint it looks like it says "do not go here"

Azu picks up Hamid on the way to take this news to Zolf who is in the kitchen.

"Draal has been continuously underfoot" smelling and tasting things

Zolf keeps shouting "what do you want?". Draal keeps giving him double thumbs up and going "nice".

Zolf bumps this up the chain to Earhardt immediately.

Hamid knows mountains are in the area in general but not the specifics because maps are incomplete.

Azu apologizes for not looking to Earhardt so Zolf stops to reassure her that she did it right.

Hamid takes a look from the crows nest, there are shifting colors and it looks spikey.

Zolf is professional and efficient in reporting to Earhardt. She joins Hamid in the crows nest. Hamid is polite about asking if they should turn as well as raise the ship.

Zolf summons everyone with the "oh no" bell

Oh there is a borealis, wasn't that a sign of high magic Cel said the nomadic Elves avoided?

Its a rib cage so big they mistook it for a mountain?

Its a bear? "its a grizzly sight" it died about a year ago and has been picked clean.

"Hamid is just muttering swear words...because he can't cope" The cohort is forming a chain off the rail to get a better look. Zolf is falling into hunting the kracken mode. Cel is unimpressed, this is bigger than any they saw in America. (20 stories vs US's 3)

Wilde sounds lively and shares a dirty joke with Hamid.

There are more? Several more?Oh its corpses as far as the eye can see but in an 'elephant's graveyard' way not a 'what killed them' way

They risk going into the cloud cover to stay well above it. Hamid marks it on his map as "ursa major". Alex has to make it ominous.

[jennagrinsoverml]

ML Fic Recs - Love...Square? Hectagon? Octogon??

Happy Friday! I’m back with yet another rec list! As usual, I’m trying to rec fics you might not have read before, going off of AO3 kudos. You can find my other rec lists on my blog at #jennarecsml

If you enjoy these, please reblog so more readers can find these awesome fics!

The love square is already a crazy concept, but now with the addition of Aspik and Multimouse -- well, there are even more fun crazy dynamics for writers to play with. And I love every bit of it! So, here are some of my favourites that play with the expanded love square.

this love is a tangled web by @bugabisous

When Ladybug and Chat Noir decided that they should switch things around with their temporary miraculous holders in order to throw Hawkmoth off, they couldn't have predicted the tangled web they would weave.

Series. Snekmouse? Well, it’s the equivalent in that they know each other’s identities but of course don’t know that the other knows. It’s even more fun with them using different miraculouses, giving us Dragon!Adrien and Snake!Marinette. Plus there’s some multichat content early on, which is a nice precursor to the way Adrien falls for Marinette in this new dynamic. Absolutely great identity shenanigans in this one.

Bad Week by @ominousunflower

Adrien's long and horrible week ends with a stinging rejection--until he sneaks out as Aspik and runs into an unexpected face.

“Hey!” a voice yells from behind him. “What are you doing—I—I mean, who are you?”

Aspik whirls around and finds himself face-to-face with…Multimouse?

With a frown, Multimouse glances at the jump rope wrapped around her waist. Untying it, she grips one end and weakly whips it toward Aspik. It flops on the ground in front of him like a wet noodle.

“AH,” she says. It somehow sounds like a question. “Um. An akuma?”

One-shot. Snekmouse! And then we get actual Aspik/Multimouse! It starts with Marinette trying to ask Adrien out on a date, only for it to go horribly wrong when she sees that he’s upset and takes it back and Adrien takes it as a rejection and concludes she would only go out with him out of pity. I feel bad for him but also it’s HILARIOUS. 

Me, My Best Friend, and Her Cat by @ladyofthenoodle

Ladybugs aren't known for being particularly sneaky. Good thing this Ladybug has a fox in her corner, watching her back.

(And giving Ladybug's love life a nudge along the way. Maybe more than a nudge. In Alya's defense, Ladybug can use all the help she could get.)

Multi-chapter. Multichat (as well as Ladynoir and Adrienette). This is a beautiful Marinette & Alya friendship piece where Alya figures out her secret identity early on and helps her. And honestly it’s worth reading just for that alone. But it also plays with the love square in really fun ways (Alya’s a ladynoir shipper over adrienette), with some quality multichat content.

"I have a plan." by @emsylcatac

Marinette probably should have thought twice before joining the fight as Multimouse instead of Ladybug.

Alya, suited up as Rena Rouge, wished she knew where on earth Ladybug and Chat Noir were when they needed them.

And Adrien really, really wished the two heroines would just leave him alone so he could transform.

One-shot. Adrimouse! Okay, this one is already pretty tumblr famous thanks to the amazing comic that preceded it. But I’m still going to rec it! Because Adrien and Multimouse flirting is amazing, the dynamics are fantastic with Rena Rouge in the mix, and it’s freaking hilarious!

For You (I’d Break All The Rules) by snugglebuttkitten

MultiMouse finds herself visiting Adrien Agreste on a Nightly Basis

One-shot. Adrimouse! There’s some great hurt/comfort here, and also a sweet and slow developing relationship. This is just really cute and I love the dynamic and it’s worth a read!

Second Chance Number 12,496 by @11jj11

Adrien, now wielding the Snake Miraculous as Aspik, has been stuck in his time loop of Second Chances for weeks now trying to save Ladybug, and he just needs a moment to rest.

Set during Desperada.

One-shot. Laspik! I think we were all gutted by Desperada, and this absolutely has a bit of that gut punch, but also I love the hurt/comfort here (although the hurt is amplified by the fact that he’s only like halfway through all the cycles, like DUDE.) 

The One Where Marinette Knows Who Ladybug Is by bifieri

Chat Noir wants to bring back Multimouse. Ladybug doesn't. A little white lie told to keep him off her tail lands the two at odds- and Ladybug closer to finding out her Kitty's identity than she'd prefer

fair warning I wrote this at 3 am and didn't edit it at all so it's very much trash but I just had to make this idea reality

Two-shot. Multichat. This one plays with the ridiculousness of all the lies these two needs to tell in order to protect their identities, and it’s ridiculous and fun and, as always with these kinds of identity shenanigans, leads to a reveal.

But What About Multimouse? by @trainsinanime

Ladybug and Chat Noir discuss his favourite topic: Bringing back Multimouse.

One-shot. Multichat. It works out well that Chat’s favourite topic is bringing back Multimouse because Chat talking about bringing back Multimouse is my favourite trope! Ladybug is such a tease in this and I absolutely love it. It feels so in-character and they’re so playful and it’s just fun!

Enough by @apopcornkernel

Adrien feels inferior when he notices a difference between how Ladybug treats Adrien/Aspik compared to Chat Noir.

One-shot. Laspik. This one is kind of angsty, but it doesn’t stay that way. I don’t want to give away too much, but the ending kinda punched me in the face and I desperately wish there was more.

The following fic is amazing and absolutely worth reading, but does feature sexual content, so minors beware.

I Dream of Mousey by @lyramae-archer

Chat is tired. More tired than ever before. How is a cat supposed to get some sleep when there’s a beautiful mouse in all of his dreams? A story in which Adrien gets some revelation on the love of his life. For MultiMouse Appreciation Week 2020.

Rated M. Multi-chapter. Multichat! Chat goes a little crazy with thoughts of Multimouse, and it’s gorgeous and hot af. @lyramae-archer does an excellent job of characterizing how Adrien starts to fall for Marinette after her stint as Multimouse, and boy does he fall hard. Add in some steamy dreams and an identity reveal and WOW. 

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Wishmaker

Goddamn it... 

It's bad enough Astruc tastelessly axed Lukanette, but now he just had to show up to give a sarcastic eulogy at the funeral.

Let's get into the fourteenth (chronologically the eighteenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Wishmaker

Right out of the gate, we get a “Chloe bad” joke with her insulting Marinette for being poor or whatever as she hands out flyers for an upcoming career fair. Chloe doesn't have much of a role in the episode, but she will be important towards the end, trust me. We also get a funny “Marinette stares lovingly at Adrien” joke while she sees him, so it's good the writers are at least trying to get their strange habits out of their systems now instead of later.

While reading over the flyer in his room, Adrien ponders a possible career as he doesn't want to keep being a model.

(The episode came out in English first, so I'm just going to be using quotes instead of screenshots of subbed scenes for this review)

Plagg: Don't you wanna continue to model?

Adrien: I don't think so, Plagg. I'm doing it now because my father asked me to. But now I realize I don't know what I'd want to do. I've never asked myself that question.

This is a really interesting dilemma for Adrien. Unlike other episodes that just have him feel sad for entirely superfluous reasons like Ladybug turning him down or generally moping about his mom, it feels like something you can really understand. He genuinely isn't sure what he wants to do with his life because he's had everything chosen for him before. I also like the use of the English dub saying Adrien modeled because his father asked him to, as if he couldn't actually say no. I also like how Adrien is still starting to lose faith in Ladybug for giving out Miraculous to everyone, which makes even more sense after his view of her was shaken in the previous episode chronologically, “Rocketear”. I also like how Plagg suggests ideas for a career for Adrien, like the two of them opening up a cheese shop together, which shows how Plagg cares for Adrien and wants what's best for him, ultimately highlighting how healthy their relationship is. He's almost like a big brother who gives advice to Adrien, even if it isn't the most sound advice at times.

On the other hand, Marinette already knows what she wants to do with her life, but the Kwamis start to argue over what she actually means by it by saying they know what she wants to do, a painfully accurate metaphor for the writers dictating Marinette's actions no matter how inconsistent they are.

Pollen: What's a career, dear Guardian?

Marinette: Oh. Well, it's... your job! Something really important that you do and gives meaning to your life!

Roaar: Oh! So, your job is being the Guardian of the Miraculous!

Mullo: Of course not! It's being a student!

Xuppu: Not at all! It's making presents for Adrien!

Marinette:Well...

Longg: She said “something important”, like when she crafted the big doll house to hide the Miracle Box!

Wayzz: Or when she designed the alarm for this room! What a masterpiece!

Marinette: Sure, I love crafting but—

Ziggy: You guys don't get it! What gives meaning to her life is to be in love with Adrien, or Luka, that's her job!

Fluff: Luka's the one with the guitar, right?

Kaalki: Her real career is being Ladybug and carve her name in history by her glorious deeds, of course!

Of course, their bickering somehow makes Marinette realize she isn't sure what she wants to do in the future after all.

We then cut to a reality show hosted by TV personality, Alec Cataldi. He's generally an asshole to the people on the shows he hosts and takes pleasure in humiliating or just being a dick to them, making you wonder how he still gets work with that attitude. Basically, he's the Alec Baldwin of the Miraculous Ladybug universe. The current show he's hosting is one where he roasts people for their jobs, making Andre a target by pointing how counterproductive his “business” is.

Alec: Here's a perfect example: Andre, the Ice Cream Maker, the ice cream man that is never around! Let me remind you how this goes: Andre doesn't have a shop, no one knows where he is, it takes forever to find him, and he gets to pick a flavor of your ice cream! You've gotta be kidding, Andre! Give me one reason why I should bother to chase after you when I could get my choice of ice cream in any corner supermarket!

Andre: Well, people don't just come for ice cream when they find me. They come to share their love and experience of magical moments! A supermarket cannot do what I do! I am a creator of magical moments!

Alec: “Creator of magical moments?” You've gotta be kidding!

I'm pretty sure that's what a lot of people thought of Andre when they first saw “Glaciator”. The idea behind Andre is that he chooses ice cream for you representing something about yourself, so he gives Alec a scoop of lime to represent his sour exterior and chocolate cinnamon to represent the dreams he still has within. Alec flinches a little at the ice cream, presumably because of how terrible of a combination that is, and decides to go to commercial to think.

Marinette talks to Andre about what he does, and he explains he used to be an office worker, with the only highlight of his days being making ice cream for himself after work. It eventually inspired him to quit his job and start making ice cream for everyone. It's a nice backstory, and I think a lot of people watching who are struggling to think about their future can relate to this like with the earlier scene with Adrien. It's also a nice touch for the flashbacks to reveal Andre has served ice cream to some of France's most famous couples.

(Jean Coutau and Jean Marais)

(Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin)

(Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet)

Granted, I'm wondering how old Andre is to have even met some of these people given Jean Cocteau died in 1963, but seeing how Master Fu is 186, I'm guessing the Miraculous Ladybug universe just has really good healthcare. Either that, or the people in this universe take Jay Kordich's diet very seriously.

Andre gives some ice cream to Marinette, who is soon joined by her ex-boyfriend who she never loved according to the writers. Actually, judging from her face when Luka talks about the very first guitar he made, the writers made another 180 regarding Marinette's feelings for Luka.

Of course, because the show wants to remind the audience Alec still exists, he makes fun of Luka for taking two years to perfect the delicate craftsmanship it takes to sculpt any instrument when you can just download an app on your phone. Your inner boomer is showing, writers, even if you were born after the time period for that generation. Luka retorts with some vague philosophical line he's known for that's one of the reasons why people are so mixed on him as a character

Luka: Musical instruments fill the space and space fills the instruments. No phone in the world will ever be able to do that.

Despite it being incredibly confusing, it gets to Alec, causing him to run off in tears. Luka and Marinette continue to talk, but it turns out that's Adrien decided to sit down nearby because of course he did. Though, like the last scene, it's a pretty interesting one as the three discuss what they want to do with their lives. There's also a really nice visual of a blimp with an ad Adrien was in passing by while Adrien talks about his father dictating his life, a really nice symbol. Of course, the scene is somewhat ruined by Luka suddenly deciding to be an Adrienette shipper.

Luka: You two will eventually find what's already in front of you, but you can't hear it clearly. Just let the melody flow.

He's referring to their uncertainty of their futures, but earlier on, Luka wanted to help Marinette be honest with her feelings about Adrien, and even before that, Andre was saying that Marinette and Luka didn't have to be in love to enjoy his magic ice cream. It's here when I realized this episode is subtly trying to end any chances of Lukanette still happening with so many little details. Right when the two spend time together, that's when they decided to help Adrien who showed up for no reason, preventing them from potentially coming to terms with their feelings for each other or at the very least discuss how hard it is to be friends with their history. And things only get more frustrating towards the end, where you'd swear someone decided to smother Lukanette with a pillow in its sleep.

Back to Alec, he's roasting a wig salesman (does he even have permission to film any of these people?) for his job, but as soon as the salesman puts a wig on him, Alec immediately gives us his life story.

Alec: When I was a kid, I used to have long hair, but everyone made fun of me. That's why I shaved it all off. I've been making the wrong choices my whole life. My TV shows are nothing personal. I make fun of people when they make fun of me when I was a kid. (Starts to tear up) I should've been the person I always wanted to be, trying to change the world instead of mocking it! (Falls on his knees) I've wasted my life!

I didn't paraphrase this at all. This is seriously what happened. He goes from mocking everyone he meets, to slightly doubting himself after seeing an ice cream vendor and a young musician, and then he starts having an existential crisis about his tragic backstory. It's not a bad idea, but if there was some more buildup in previous episodes, I'd understand. But this goes from confusing to straight out insulting towards the end. I'll get to that later on.

Shadowmoth notices Alec's emotions and akumatizes him into Wishmaker through his microphone.

Wishmaker has a pretty cool design. The grey skin color coupled with the mostly black outfit really highlights Alec's broken heart, and he looks pretty sinister. His powers... leave a lot to be desired.  Like the name states, Wishmaker has the power to make everyone's childhood dreams come true, like this one guy's dream is to be Santa Claus, so he transforms into Saint Nick without any hitch. Wouldn't it make more sense if Wishmaker twisted the dreams of his victims like a genie and made them miserable while they ironically lived out their fantasies by twisting around their words? Instead, all of his “victims” seem pretty happy, which doesn't really do much to make him a threat in my opinion.

So the aforementioned Santa starts dropping presents like bombs near Marinette, Adrien, and Luka, and they're separated by a giant robot. Marinette quickly transforms into Ladybug, and gets Luka to safety, though as soon as she leaves, Luka goes to check on where he told Marinette to stay for safety, and doesn't see her there. Instead, he sees his deadbeat father (transformed into a crocodile) drowning and goes to save him.

Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir (who transformed off-screen) and the two easily incapacitate the robot before engaging Wishmaker, avoiding his blasts. Apparently, they'll get their secret identities revealed if they get hit, so Ladybug goes to get Luka to help out as Viperion while Cat Noir holds off Wishmaker. Ladybug goes to get Luka, leading to the funniest joke in the episode.

She gives Luka the Snake Miraculous and he transforms into Viperion, immediately activating his Second Chance. For newcomers, Second Chance allows the user to set a point in time when activating it and if something goes wrong, they can go back to that checkpoint in up to five minutes. Ladybug also summons her Lucky Charm, a stuffed dinosaur toy.

Back with Cat Noir, as he engages Wishmaker, the Akuma starts to tempt him with the idea of living out his childhood dream, because he genuinely doesn't remember his. As Shadowmoth orders Wishmaker to use his powers on Cat Noir, Ladybug and Viperion show up, but in the chaos of the fight, Ladybug gets hit by Wishmaker, revealing her childhood dream as the “Knitting Fairy”, and exposes her identity to Viperion, who uses Second Chance to undo the timeline.

In the new timeline, Cat Noir's vulnerability gets to him, so he willingly lets himself get his by Wishmaker, not only exposing his identity as Adrien, but tragically reveals his childhood dream, to be whatever his parents wanted him to be. I feel like this works a lot better than some of the other moments where Cat Noir defied orders or screwed around on the battlefield because it's clearly framed as a moment of weakness on his part, and it was naturally built up over the course of the episode. The reveal of Adrien's childhood dream is a real gut punch too, as it shows just how much Adrien's life has been controlled by his family.

In the third timeline, Viperon deflects Wishmaker's blast meant for Cat Noir and redirects it toward a man whose childhood dream was to become a giant stuffed dinosaur. The stuffed dinosaur in question goes to give Wishmaker a hug, restraining him long enough for Ladybug to steal for Cat Noir to cataclysm (It's a microphone, how hard is it to break???) before she de-evilizes the Akuma. Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to force everyone to stop living out their childhood dreams, she gives Alec a Magical Charm, and Luka decides not to tell Ladybug he knows both her and Cat Noir's secret identities. Why did Ladybug expect Luka not to know her identity when the whole reason she recruited him was to make sure nobody else found out her identity?

Now, while it isn't outright said, it's hinted at that now that Luka knows Marinette is Ladybug and Adrien is Cat Noir, judging from his dejected look after finding out the latter, he may be giving up on all attempts at the idea of getting back together with Marinette, and may or may not start shipping the Love Square now, just like how Kagami decided to ship Adrienette in “Mr. Pigeon 72”. I'm not saying the idea of Luka knowing someone's identity is bad, but it feels like this only happened specifically to stop him from having feelings for Marinette because now he knows Adrien loves her alter ego, and vice versa. Maybe it'll be touched upon in a later episode, but this was just a dick move by the writers in terms of ending all chances of Lukanette like this in order to ensure the Love Square has absolutely no competition.

So the episode ends with Marinette and Adrien deciding to focus on their futures while Alec starts a new show where he helps people live out their childhood dreams, albeit dressed like Style Queen for some reason.

Eh, he still picked a pretty cool Akuma to dress up as in my opinion. A lot of people have viewed this ending as evidence Alec is a drag queen with how he dressed up, coupled with the fact that he said something that was very similar to famous drag queen RuPaul.

Alec: And now, we're gonna love one another, starting with everyone loving themselves! Because how are you gonna love other people if you don't love yourself?

Though Astruc, being Astruc, once again decided to be vague when asked about the subject on Twitter, though at least the subtext is better than when he said he didn't make Juleka and Rose girlfriends because of censors while making it seem like a noble act.

Overall, this was a really good episode, though there were some underlying issues that really kept me from actually liking it. For the most part, it had some good drama with the main character, a rare scene where Marinette didn't stammer around Adrien, a creative (albeit flawed) Akuma with some good action, and an interesting idea with Luka knowing everything about the Love Square now.

There are just two big problems that really got to me about this episode. Let's get the obvious one out of the way, Luka. Honestly, he really didn't need to be in the episode. Sure, he gave some sound advice to Marinette and Adrien about their careers, but it felt kind of strange to see someone their age talking to them about their future when Andre, someone who actually had experience struggling to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, was pushed to the side. And like I said earlier, I think the only reason Luka found out about Marinette and Adrien's identities was to discourage him from thinking about getting back together with Marinette. After all, now that he realizes how “made for each other” they are, he can't stand in the way of the Love Square.

The problem is that in the context of the episode, we don't really see what made him see things that way. At least in “Mr. Pigeon 72”, Kagami consistently viewed Marinette's attempts to get her and Adrien back together as a subconscious desire to be with Adrien. It was dumb with how she decided to go to Team Adrienette at the end of the episode, but it was something. I'm glad the episode didn't force in too many Love Square shenanigans, but I think more should have been done to contextualize Luka's feelings towards the reveal. I get the writers wanted to make sure Lukanette had no chance of coming back, but this just feels rushed.

And then there's Alec's redemption arc. While it's not a bad idea in concept, the problem is that it flies in the fact of a recurring theme this season, that being redemption. Because, here's the funny thing: Alec blatantly said he became an asshole TV personality because of his history of bullying, and decided to retaliate as a result, but he eventually saw the error of his ways and turned over a new leaf. For long time readers of this blog, I apologize for bringing this up yet again, but what exactly makes this different from everything Astruc said about Chloe? You know, when he said that you make your formative choices when you're fourteen? Just like how Alec decided to become a reality TV host making fun of people after a troubling experience from when he was a kid?

Let's say that I agree with Astruc's views about Chloe. How is Alec different from what Astruc's said about Chloe for almost two years at this point? What makes Chloe, someone who was the victim of a troubled childhood who never got help, an irredeemable monster while Alec, someone who also had a troubled childhood and had even more time to get help while never getting any, capable of change? I thought he Alec made a formative choice when he was young and stuck with it, just like how Chloe started to fully develop at the age of fourteen. I mean, Astruc, you yourself said that Chloe's troubled childhood “was no excuse to treat people like shit”, according to you.

I'm just saying, dude, if Chloe can't be redeemed because of the stuff you yourself said, then that shouldn't apply to Alec either. When you really think about it, it's almost like Astruc either made up a bunch of excuses to not redeem Chloe, or he's a massive hypocrite for going back on his word. You can't really justify this kind of hypocrisy relating to Alec's redemption when you remember just how much of a hardass Astruc was when explaining why redemption was impossible for Chloe.

This coupled with the treatment of Luka really drags this episode from really good to blatantly insulting to certain viewers. Then again, these two choices just got to me personally. I feel like if those two things weren't there, things could have made this episode a lot better for me personally. I can see why a lot of people in the fandom still like this episode, but I'm honestly not a fan of it.

[gra-sonas]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was the year time jump because of the pandemic? To sidestep making that too central to the plot, or was that always the plan?

JEANINE MASON: That was always our intention and it was just sort of a saving grace in that way. We also don't acknowledge the pandemic in real-time on our show. There are no masks and that was just so wonderful just to get work in that way and have that time where it was a little more normal. Also, that's just our show — we want you to come to us the way you always do, which is for nineties nostalgia, sexy Cowboys, brilliant scientists, you know? CHRIS HOLLIER: So we wanted to drop our characters in a year later, let them stew in their individual decisions that were made last season. We want everyone to root for our poster couple but we want to honor what happens in real life, which is sometimes you step away from that person, even if you are entwined with them in a very particular way. So we wanted it to be a real enough time and distance so that they could live a little life on their own.

With showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie departing at the end of season 2, has much changed? Or are you still working with ideas she had in place?'

HOLLIER: It's a little bit of both. There are things that Carina and I built that live all the way through and then once the story got up on its feet, discoveries were made with our new crop of people that we were like, "Oh, we're going to bend it this other way."

Jeanine, how is Liz doing in her new life in L.A. when we pick up this season?

MASON: Well, it's been a year and at this point, her life is actually pretty great. She just hasn't taken a second to acknowledge that. She's doing what she does best, which is just full head in her work and trying to figure out what she could use of her discoveries and her brilliance to save Maria. She has a great job, a really nice place, and an awesome partner at work who is a good time and a real match for her in terms of intellect and ambition. He begins to ask her to recognize that and to maybe give something a chance that she's been reluctant to because of how drawn she is to Roswell and to Max. It's a fun first episode. It's sexy. It's fun to find opportunities for her. She's our hero so she's got a lot on her shoulders and anytime where we can find levity for her is always a real treat for the writers and for me.

And no Crashdown waitress uniform must be nice?

MASON: Honestly, I miss it quite a lot right now. I have a note in my notes with Chris, I'm like, "I gotta tell him we gotta find him more opportunities for it."

Should Liz and Max shippers be worried about them finding their way back to one another after he destroyed her work and didn't follow her to L.A.? Should we resign ourselves to a season apart?

MASON: This season really is about these characters having themselves mirrored to each other. Max and Liz need some growing and ultimately they can't do anything but be orbiting each other. We found so many opportunities to have such a beautiful language around the cosmic element of their connection. They're asking, "Is this our decision, or are we just acting off of a decision that the cosmos made for us?" It was so fun to navigate that. I always have such a good time with Chris Hollier and with Nathan Dean, just finding the little tiny notches, a tiny bit of movement towards where they're going next. I really loved following them. It's my favorite Max and Liz season to date.

HOLLIER: It's not a season apart. I'll tease that they, in an unexpected way, end up in front of each other relatively soon. But it's really about when am I ready? And what does it mean to talk to my ex? When someone makes such a big influence in your life, when do you know it's over and when do you know you should fight again? We tried to give them real grown-up lives.

Steven Krueger (The Originals) also joined the cast as Heath this season. What can you tease about his character?

HOLLIER: He's just an awesome human being. I know him from The Originals and we were like, "If we're going to have to be stuck with people in the desert, who do we want?" You want to be stuck with a handsome and lovely and charming Steven Krueger. So really this was looking at, "Well, what did Liz want and what does it look like when you start to give Liz versions of what she wants?" Heath is somebody that is beyond being just a lovely person, he is smart and wants to advance science and that's appealing to Liz. It becomes, "What does it look like when the man that I hang around with all day is also into the same things that I am?" MASON: I love him. Heath is just such a fun, whip-smart, fantastic character. His humor was so fun. We've been having a good time with kicking the humor up really through season two and in season three, we just took it up another notch. There are some moments that are like, "Is this a drama or is it a sitcom?" Looking back on it, he was such a fun partner to spar with. They're both such intellectual characters and I love that there's a real meeting of the minds. It makes it competitive and sexy. I know a lot of fans are so excited because they know him from The Originals and he's going to be a great addition.

Technically, Mr. Jones is a new character too. Can you tell us anything at all about him?

HOLLIER: I'd say he's a new character — and a fully-fleshed interesting new character. Mr. Jones has an awesome beard. At some point, he might lose that beard. A lot of people are asking me, "Is Jones good or bad?" And what I would argue is that's a perspective based upon who you are in the conversation that you're having with him. He knows a lot about our heroes' story and he knows a lot about home. He'll be able to answer questions for them. This season our heroes will get to learn why they ended up here on earth. One of the things I think that people will love is that they're going to get to see that home planet this year. We asked ourselves a lot about this whole season, "What have we set up for the past two?" We look at these first three seasons almost like a trilogy so a lot of things are going to be paid off.

Has Nathan enjoyed pulling double duty this season? Or is he just exhausted?

MASON: He's exhausted, but he's such a champ. That really is the beginning of this mirroring thing that starts with Max and Jones with him actually getting to look at himself to a degree and those questions that come up. The self-analysis that it provokes in him is really the beginning of what is happening to all of our characters this year; everybody's being confronted with themselves. I loved that the Max/Jones of it was also a real sci-fi element.

Did he really grow that beard or was that not possible if he had to go between the two characters?

MASON: That was a prosthetic beard and our makeup team killed it. He was not accustomed to early mornings, which, of course, all of us babes are. It was a lot of extra time in the chair for him.

Can Jones dupe Liz into thinking he's actually Max since she doesn't know he exists?

MASON: You're totally on to something. It's a real and pressing threat. I mean, she's totally in the dark and he looks like her cosmic lover!

HOLLIER: What I will say is that, Liz — beyond her being number one on the call sheet — is integral to this story in a way that she and none of our characters are going to perceive when they start episode one. We're bringing [the characters] to a new crossroads moment in their lives and they're getting, through Jones, a mirror into their own lives to decide what they're going to become next.

How's Rosa (Amber Midthunder) doing this season?

MASON: By the end of season two, Rosa really makes the decision to start taking care of herself. She really becomes an incredible asset to the Scooby-Doo gang. It's something that Liz is in constant adjustment to. As much as she's the younger sister, she feels very protective of her sister and Liz has had to make adjustments in her trust and faith in Rosa. I loved it because it just felt like a real personal, authentic thing that sisters would go through, but also that Hispanic sisters would go through. I think we sometimes, culturally, have a tendency to baby our women — maybe that's the wrong word — but just to underestimate their physical ability and what they might take on, and sort of 'queen' our women in a way where we treat them tenderly. I hate that. I'm a tough bitch and so is Rosa. So Liz has to confront that and go, "I'm an idiot to underestimate you. You've done nothing but prove me wrong."

What about Maria and her visions?

HOLLIER: This year I think Maria has the most complete arc of any season, as she recognizes things about herself that cause more questions about who she is, who her family is, how she's linked to this story. We dive into it in the present-day and we dive deliciously back in time too.

In the exclusive clip above we see her have a vision of a funeral, can you tease anything about who potentially might be about to die?

HOLLIER: Maria is front and center in driving the first half of the mystery for us. She's burdened with trying to figure out whose death she is seeing. It takes a few episodes to unravel and we use it to ask, is this linked to our supernatural stories or real-world stories that are going on politically? Is it bad luck? Is it herself? There's a whole gambit at play. We joke that we solved a past murder, now we're going to try to stop one.

Can Malex (Michael and Alex) shippers have hope that this might finally be their time?

HOLLIER: What I would say is that I think that Malex fans are really going to dig this journey. We, as writers, put them at the same level of importance as Max and Liz. So we wanted to really honor the next step in what they may or may not be. How did they grow up and how did they have those hard conversations just like Liz and Max are going to have?

Is Isobel going to continue to date women this season?

HOLLIER: Isobel is going to go on a more personal journey. You got to love yourself before you can love someone else. We lean into those possibilities by the end of who she might love. It's not something that is dropped all season — it is something that you'll see. We play some romantic comedy stuff with her character this year and with Maria that I think fans are gonna dig. There's a lot going on in the world and wanted to pump some humor and hope into it.

Will see more of Liz fighting to challenge the perception of the Latinx community?

MASON: I think that just by nature of it being one of such few shows that are led by a Latin woman, it's always going to be, to an extent, a protest or an assertion of the space that I get to fill and that Liz Ortecho gets to fill on network TV. I was really excited to just have Chris as a collaborator. Over our hiatus, before the season started, I was doing a lot of reading. I chronicled the books that play into Liz every season on my Instagram. I was reading some Sonia Sotomayor. Her book is just incredible. I was texting him screenshots of pages of the book with things underlined. Ten episodes deep into season 3, he's like, "Remember that page you sent me?" He's a real dream collaborator. I loved him for that. A pressing struggle for people of color is going through the ranks in these big corporations and then sometimes coming to find out that those corporations are purporting to support marginalized groups but actually aren't following through. So how do you, as someone who's having your success, your dreams become reality, navigate supporting the company and giving so much of your intelligence and your work — that they often legally own, especially with science — to a company that isn't going to be for your people?

Roswell, New Mexico returns Monday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

[fanfoolishness]

Liveblog: The Book of Boba Fett, 1x05

So. I watched the episode once, and spent much of it literally shrieking, rolling around on my back on the couch like a tipped over crab, and giggling with ever rising levels of hysteria. I attempted to write down live reactions but then basically fell into a hypnotic fugue state except for said caterwauling.

So this liveblog is attempt #2 to watch it.

Let the shrieking re-commence! Spoilers below:

Boba Fett! I wonder if we’ll see him again. (I don’t know *why* they did the episode like this, but they did, and no, we won’t. RIP Boba.)

I freaking love the colors of this abattoir. Is that a bad thing? It’s just such a gloomy, Bioshock type of feel and I DIG IT… ESPECIALLY that silhouette!

*bass recorder toodles*

Sad how the working conditions here are actually far far better than they are in US meat facilities. No crazy mechanized lines! Just leisurely butchering. Like how the workers are just like ‘okay, shiny metal man’s here, that’s nice for him I guess.’

Who’s this bounty? Guy sounds super familiar. Vaguely like Gimli, somehow.

Tracking fobs must have a vibrate mode.

“Are you saying all Kaba Baizes look alike???”

“Let’s discuss our options…”

He’s warming and colding!!!

My brain can’t even handle this whole scene. He got BITTEN? The DARKSABER? HE BURNED HIS OWN LEG?? That yell? When did we ever see Din so frustrated? Or was it pain? Maybe just the effort of lifting the cursed thing. Or maybe the Darksaber is getting in his head… o_O The choreography for this was really fascinating because it was almost clumsy in places in a way we’ve only seen Din be with the Rising Phoenix. Excellent way of showing this weapon is really, truly foreign to him, but he’s also very determined to use it appropriately now that it has come to him and Bo-Katan rejected his offer of giving it to her.

Aw, Din. That limp! It’s terrible! The way his breath keeps catching…. Unnnnnngh the Din torture, fucking love it, gonna write about it forever.

THE TITLE, the blended theme songs!!! BobaDin shippers out there must be exploding

I love this ring space station! So awesome. Reminds me of the Citadel in Mass Effect. The alternating light and dark cycles are just fascinating.

Most awkward elevator ride ever. Also reminds me of Mass Effect!

What is this parrot alien speaking Huttese? This is pretty cool.

Din works to live, not lives to work these days, haha.

Din examining himself in the elevator and trying to stay upright unnnnnngh my heart

I got so freaking excited when I saw the markings! Are they Mando’a characters?? I knew it was going to be a covert, but I had no idea we were going to be lucky enough to see Paz and the Armorer again! HERRRRRR omg this was definitely one of those screaming moments… that and Din nearly falling down the ladder in pain ;_;

What does the Armorer ponder in the long dark? That’s sooo fucking pretty. Also, do you get the feeling she knows way more than someone who hides out in a cave/sewer/understory all day ought to know? Like, kind of a suspicious amount of things?

Still bummed that Din didn’t go for a spin in Boba’s bacta tank.

I could watch the Armorer all day long. She’s magnificent ;_;

Is Din gonna find a Mythosaur on Mandalore? Or is she talking about Boba Fett… now THAT would be a twist…!

Fascinating that she says Mandalorian steel is meant for armor, not weapons. I didn’t realize the spear could pierce beskar, which makes it really scary - almost worse than the Darksaber in that way.

WE GOT THE GREAT PURGE AHHHH

So is she figuring that if everyone on Mandalore had been wearing their armor and helmets they would have survived the Purge? Hence its necessity?

Din rolls up like “I returned the foundling to his people” and in the next breath is literally “But I love him and miss him and need to see him again immediately”

Is she speaking Mando’a??? She must be, right??

I want her to say “You cannot control it with your strength. You can only control it with your will.” Because that’s got to be it, hasn’t it?

I feel like Paz has just always been an asshole and that’s why Din doesn’t even consider handing the Darksaber over to him, unlike his instincts with Bo and even the Armorer.

Love Paz’s little shield for him!

But seriously. WHAT DID SHE MAKE GROGU? I was hoping it was a mudhorn on the silver ball, but the chain mail type pieces suggest otherwise. I loved the parallels of the other forging scenes we've seen with the two of them.

Me at the Armorer asking about helmets: oh FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK THEY’RE DOING IT

Din trying to hold out as long as he can. I had wondered how they would resolve this. If he would say he had to do it for the Child, to find him at the Imperial Base, to get the Child to go with Luke. But once it was out in the open, he didn’t try to explain and they didn’t care what the reasoning for it might have been. And okay maybe we have a quest now for these holy waters, and that’ll be fun I’m sure, but… just, wow. They were so close to being back together again as a tribe. Hoping very much Boba has a heart to heart with him and we’ll see if Din decides to follow the old Way or forge a new one.

Is the Armorer sus? I don’t know! I kinda want her to be! But I love her either way.

At least he got some bacta spray and something for Grogu out of it! But also a great deal of heartbreak ;____;

I can’t believe my man is facing the indignities of a commercial spaceport. I’ll forgive him saying he’s a Mandalorian right now because it’s force of habit and he’s got every reason to be testy right now XD

Fuck yesssss fanartists everywhere are like thank you for the weapon references!!

Din gazing out the window is everything *gross ugly sobbing*

Din sighing at the little kid waving at him is even more

THE POUCH LOOKS LIKE GROGU UNNNGH MY HEART

At least this ship isn’t swarming with Pykes!

*imagines a Love Actually montage as Din disembarks*

AND we got Peli this episode. What a goddamn treat!!! Oh man she’s a terrible shot! I love her dynamic with her droids, they’re all ridiculous! Also, is this the first time we’ve ever actually seen a womp rat?

Peli: “THIS IS NOT HOW I DIE”

BD is adorbs and also I love all the droids being so unimpressed with Din

LOLLLLL Peli’s reaction to Din giving Grogu away was much briefer than the 5000-word fanfic I wrote about it a few months back, but this is good too XD

“Do you have any idea what this is?”

Me: “is it… a fucking pod racer? Is this happening?”

Aw, she called him a lovely man LOL

Everyone who wrote a fanfic about Din getting a ship big enough for a whole-ass bedroom for Grogu and finally a real bed for him, well, it was nice knowing y’all

Bryce Dallas Howard loves spaceship humor and it’s adorable

Is anyone else wondering how Din is going to haul bounties around in this thing? Strap them on the bottom? Dangle them from the back?

Peli’s checkered romantic past is giving me life.

Montage, fuck yeah!

Gonk droid lives!

Din Djarin thanked a tiny droid. My heart is so full. He’s even made peace with Jawas!

This is a really bizarre ship. It’s like a wasp! Again, when will Din Djarin x Queen Size Bed ever become a reality?

Droid just told him to fuck off! Bwahaha

Yes. We all know that bubble is 100% Grogu sized and we cannot wait for their adventures to continue! Though if we do that, then they’ll have to have a lot fewer episodes set in deep space as it would get pretty claustrophobic, pretty quick. Though you could always do a fascinating little bottle episode of Din monologuing to the baby for an hour somehow…

I do love that Peli’s talk is completely earned. She knows what the shit she’s doing.

What is gomp skunk jack? Is that what I heard? What now?

I like seeing these hoodoos and finally Beggar’s Canyon that we’ve heard so much about! Awwww Luke.

Din: unable to keep himself from being adorable to tiny green children

Barrel rolls! Man is so happy right now.

But also fuck the New Republic. I’m so amused that they’re taking this tactic of just being a giant pain in the ass to everybody while completely ignoring things like the Pykes running spice and wiping out native Tuskens and oh shit, it got a lot less amusing than this sentence started. :( But at least Din is fast enough to get away from them now!

Omg “wizard” Din you are such a nerd

FENNEC this might be my favorite Fennec so far, Ming-Na Wen has such the cutest smirks

You have to go see a little friend??? Are we going to see that on the show too? That would be starting to make it a little weird given this is supposed to be Boba’s show, but on the other hand I don’t want them to show us Din and Grogu reuniting off-screen, either… they already didn’t show us Din and Grogu initially reuniting in the Rescue. I’d like to see Din and Boba having a heart to heart if there’s to be more Din time (this is already so much more than I was expecting though), and maybe Din and Boba and Fennec just chillin for a bit, and Din being very impressed by the rancor, and Boba being very intrigued by the Darksaber. It feels like he wouldn’t be interested since he’s happy to be on Tatooine, but who knows?

Whew. That was… a lot. I have some Thinking to do on fanart and fic now! Eeeeeek!