#oh my bad is my eldest daughter syndrome showing

[phonydiaries]

sometimes. I just picture Carlo's spirit being furious on P's behalf because I'm not sure P could even summon up the type of anger that deserves to be hurled at his father. He wants to believe so badly in the good and inherent kindness in others and I imagine Carlo recognizing that and being disgusted at Gepetto not only for selfishly bringing P into a world which repeatedly beats the shit out of him but for failing to step up and be a father a second fucking time knowing damn well P is only going to internalize that shit. Like he knows good and well how endlessly forgiving Pino is and he can't reconcile that with the pain their deadbeat dad inflicts.

there is something deeply and truly beautiful about the fact that the one exception to the rule about puppets not being able to lie does so exclusively for the benefit of other people. i could have just missed something, but right now, i cannot think of an actual selfish lie choice off the top of my head.

and it's just testimony to the fact that pinocchio is just... such a genuinely nice person at heart. he wants to help people. he wants to make them feel better. he wants to comfort and reassure them, rather than cut them down with harsh truths that might be too much for them to even handle.

he's awoken and almost immediately told he has an ability that no other puppet has, and he chooses to use that ability for good alone. that's so beautiful.

[siampie]

Finding You||Chapter 2

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3 k

Warnings/tags: pinning, childhood trauma, eldest daughter syndrome, mention of emotional abuse.

A/N: Enjoy this chapter, you guys. I don’t have much to say about this chapter. Apart from the fact that there’s some set up for Reader’s own story.  

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Tag list: @marytheweefrenchie, @sunflowersandsapphires, @schneeflocky, @danzer8705, @shouldbestudying41,

@beezusvreeland

Dividers by @cafekitsune

I have to talk to you, call me.

That was all what your sister;Mary;had texted you. She had sent it last night while you were sleeping. You couldn’t call her that morning. Not being in the same time zone made communication between you difficult but not impossible. It had also triggered your anxiety. What did she want to talk about? Maybe it was nothing too important. You were trying to convince yourself. A feeble attempt to calm your nerves.

Still, you were anxious. You usually called one another on the week-ends. And you never asked to call. It was never a thing. That she went out of her way to ask you to call was strange and worrisome. So being in a different time zone than your sister, you waited for your lunch break to call her.

“So, how’s life in Dublin?” You sister asked you once she picked up the call. You stood outside of the building. Your sister was finishing feeding her son his breakfast as you were calling her.

“Good.” You answered quickly. “How’s the little one?” You knew what she was doing, she was stalling. Whatever she had to say must be really bad if she felt the need to stall. So, you played into it. But the fact that she was stalling only spiked your anxiety levels.

“He’s growing up.” She said, you could hear the smile in her voice. Your sister had always wanted to be a mother and after years of trying with her partner, she became one to a healthy little boy. You were happy for her. “But it always seems like he’s trying to get himself killed.”

You snorted. “It seems like he’s failing so far.” You heard the clatter of utensils on the line. “Why did you want me to call?”

“Oh, boy!” You sister let out a long breath. “It’s about mom.”

“What about her?” You let out a shaky breath.

“Dave may have told her where you live. Giving her your address and everything.” Mary told you.

Dave was your brother. You did not have a good relationship with him. You didn’t hate him but he had failed to show up anytime you asked for his help. While you showed up each and every single time. And he sometimes had the audacity to blame you for being ungrateful for all that he was doing for you. You could not be grateful for something he had never done or that he done once in a blue moon. Whereas he failed to see all the times you had helped him.

He had not been in favor of your moving away. Judging that the money that your father had left you, should be shared amongst you. Because that was what your father would have wanted; for you to share the money equally. But you had refused. You were going to but the fact he suggested the idea. No, not suggested. Demanded that you do it, had made you decide otherwise. You chose to enjoy the money your father had left for you. Mary and Matthew had found it natural that your father would leave that money to you. You had earned it for all the sacrifices you had made for them.

After all, your sacrifices had allowed them to move out, to live their lives. It had allowed them to fall in love and build their own home and family. While you remained behind, taking care of your father, and maybe wasting your life away. They knew what you had done for them. And all they wanted was for you to finally be happy. This money was your reward. And you could do with it as you pleased.

You felt your anger flared up in your veins. You took a deep breath before you spoke. Trying to leave the anger out of your tone. Your sister was not the one who betrayed your trust. She was only the messenger. And you didn’t want to yell at her. Not at your sister.

“What the hell did he do that for?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “All he said was that mom asked and he saw no reason not to tell her.”

“Look, I get why all of you want a relationship with her. I do. But I told you, I don’t want to have a relationship with the woman.” You reminded her.

“I know that.” Mary reassured you. “And Matt knows that. And so does Dave. And honestly, I don’t know why he did that. But you’re in Ireland. She’s not gonna show up on your doorstep. You really think she’s gonna waste money on you?”

“No, I don’t think she will.” You replied, leaning on the wall behind you. “Still, I don’t want her to know where I am. She’s still with that prick, isn’t she?”

“They’ve been together for twenty years. And there’s no sign of a separation. They are more in love than ever.”

You scoffed. “Of course they are.”

“Listen, I don’t think they are gonna come and find you in Ireland. And why would they?” Mary tried to comfort you.

“To stir shit up.” You replied.

“I think she genuinely wants to have a relationship with you. And I know, you don’t. And Dave was wrong to give her your address.” Mary kept on. “I don’t think she’s going to show up, I just needed you to know.”

That gave you pause. “You don’t think she’s going to show up. But you needed me to know that she knew where I was?”

“Yeah—just in case.”

You huffed out a laugh. “Just in case. Yeah, she’s definitely showing up. With her boyfriend.”

“Husband.” Your sister corrected you.

“Fantastic.” You said dryly. “Remind me again why I decided not to go no contact with Dave?”

“Your goddaughter.”

“Yeah.” You nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Of course.” Your sister breathed out. “What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t?”

“The bad kind.” You joked softly. “I love you.”

“I know.”

“Say it back.” You frowned up.

“Talk to you later.” And she hung up. You immediately texted back a middle finger emoji.

You laughed when she texted it back to you. You dropped your head back against the wall.

Your mother had left when you were a child. And immediately after leaving your father, she had found love in the arms of her new husband. After years of emotional abuse, and manipulation on her part, of constant walking in and out of your life, you put a stop to it. You couldn’t go through this anymore. It was too painful. Plus, you hated her new husband. He was—he was not good. You had tried to accept him. You wanted to. But something about him, the way he behaved around you, made you afraid and unsafe. You couldn’t have that in your life. You didn’t want to feel that way anytime you were around your mother. You stopped any attempt at having a relationship with her. You no longer wanted her in your life.

Hopefully, your sister was right, your mother would not make the journey to Ireland. You were hoping for it at least. Your life was finally getting together. You were at peace here in Ireland and you wanted it to stay that way.

As soon as you got home, you discarded your shoes by the door, dropped your bags by the couch and fell into it. That day had turned out to be a long one. You loved hearing from your sister but you had regretted to call her at all. Especially with the bit of news she had given you. You should have stayed in bed this morning. Although, if you had—you would not have met your quite handsome neighbor.

Your mind flashed back to his soft hazel eyes, and the lone dimple that appeared under his beard when he smiled. Quite handsome, indeed.

“Damn it!” You cussed. “He’s a criminal. A drug lord and a murderer. You can’t find him attractive.”

You shouldn't and you wouldn't. He was a Kinsella and they were dangerous people. You needed to stay away from him.

Dressed in grey leggings and a large hoodie, you were enjoying your small diner in front of mind-numbing TV. When the red and blue lights flashed through your front windows. The Garda were down your streets. Shortly after they arrived, you heard the heart wrenching wail of a woman down the street. You slowly put your plate down. What had happened? You knew by the sound of that scream that terrible news had just been delivered.

The flashes of blue and red had vanished a while after that. You were lying in bed, hopelessly trying to fall asleep. But your thoughts could not just stop swirling around in your mind. Jimmy and Amanda had lost their son; Jamie Kinsella. The local news had broadcasted the news on their websites. It was brief and they didn’t have much information. But all of them relayed the same information over and over again. Jamie Kinsella had been shot and died on the scene.

You couldn’t help the sadness that taken over you when you read the news.  He was barely seventeen. Too young to die. He was just a child. You knew how it felt to lose a parent. It was painful and heartbreaking. In your case, you had time to say goodbye and come to terms with it. It was a loss; it was painful but not in the way the world perceived it. You had known it was coming. And you had already mourned your father before it ever happened. You had expected it.

As for Jamie, it was unexpected. It was so sudden and brutal. How did one prepare for such a death? How did one prepare for the loss of a child? It was not the natural order of things. That was not how it was supposed to go. A parent should never have to bury a child. And yet, it happened.

Why were you affected by it? Yes, it was sad. A young life had just ended but you barely knew him. It shouldn’t bother you that much. It shouldn’t affect you as it did. Your thoughts inevitably drifted to your neighbor next door. How was he feeling? How was he coping with the loss? Was he over at his brother’s to bring his support? Or was he alone in his home dealing with the loss on his own? No one should be alone when dealing with a loss. You knew how terrible it was to receive no comfort. To just stew in your own pain, alone.

Seeing as you couldn’t sleep, you had moved downstairs. You quietly made your way into your kitchen, looking for something that may help you fall asleep. The gold door light of your neighbor was filtering through your large window. Against the dimmed light, you could make out the silhouette of a woman walking away from Michael’s house. It was too dark out for you to be able to tell who it was. You watched as she disappeared behind the brick wall.

It must have been hard on all of them. Especially after they had all celebrated Michael’s release from prison. And now this. The tragic loss of a child. You could only imagine how Jimmy and Amanda were feeling. And Michael—

You took a deep breath and grabbed your keys off of the hook. You stepped out of the front door, in the chill air of the night. After you locked your door, you hugged yourself to keep warm and made your way to your neighbor’s door. You two had just met and this was probably bold of you to assume. But you thought that he might not want to be alone to face this. And maybe you were wrong. Maybe Michael did not mind being alone. That thought alone made you hesitate. Still, you made your way over to his doorstep. Your fist hovered for a few seconds. Hesitating. With another deep breath, you knocked three times. And you waited. You were growing more nervous as the seconds went by. You hugged yourself tighter. The door swung open revealing Michael behind it.

“Michael, hey.” You greeted him. Shoulders slumped, eyes red from crying, Michael looked tired and pained. Although, he tried and failed to hide it all behind a mask. “I saw the Guards earlier—” You went for the direct approach. And mentally slapped yourself for it.

“So, ya know about Jamie?” He nodded solemnly.

“I do.” You nodded. “I just came to see if you were—how you were doing?”

He scoffed, his sorrowful gaze dropping to the ground. “Not great.”

You puffed out a shaky breath. “I don’t mean to intrude or—” You trailed off. “Do you want to be alone?” You questioned him. His eyes snapped up at you. His brows scrunched up in confusion. His eyes roamed your face, studying you. “I know what it’s like to be alone when you lose someone.” You blurted out. “It’s not great but—if you’d rather be alone—” You trailed off.

His sorrowful eyes scanned you over. Studying you. You had surprised him. He clearly did not expect his neighbor that he barely met, to come to him in the middle of the night. Especially not to offer him comfort. Comfort that he desperately needed. Birdy had told him that he needed to be there for Jimmy and Amanda. Amanda had asked him what were Jamie’s last moments like. And for all of them, he had shown a brave face. He had stood strong but he was there too. He had seen it all. And no one had stopped to ask how he was feeling—except for you. His gaze roamed your face, he noticed how you tightened your arms around your middle.

He cleared his throat. “D’ya—want to come in?”

“Yeah.” You nodded. Michael stepped to the side to let you in.

So much for staying away from the criminal next door. There you were, in his home in the middle of night. The layout of his home was almost identical to yours for the most part, kitchen by the front door. The hallway that led to the living room. You left your slippers by the front door and followed Michael to the sitting room. He sat down in his couch as you stood by the doorway. Putting a semblance of distance between you.

“I was there,” Michael said after a few minutes of silence.

Your breath hitched in your throat at his words before your eyes fell shut. Pained to hear that he had seen it happened. He looked up at you, grief etched into every line of his face.

“He was laughin’, messin’ around and then—he was just gone.” Michael said quietly. His face crumpled as a set of fresh tears fell down his face. His hand quickly wiped away any traces of them.

“I’m so sorry you had to see it.” You said quietly, tears pressing against your eyes.

“He was just a boy.” Michael continued quietly.

“I know.” You were itching to reach over and just pull him into your embrace. Would he even allow it?

“Birdy told me I need to be there for Jimmy and Amanda.” His voice cracked. “Losin’ their son and everythin’. But—I—I lost him too.” He buried his face into his hands. “Jamie was—” His voice muffled by his hands. You waited for him to finish his thought but it never came as a sob racked his body.

You quickly wiped away a stray tear from your face. You moved to go sit down next to him. Your arms slowly and gently wrapped around him. And pulled him into you. His hands went up to your forearm, around his neck. You leaned your cheek on the top of his head. Whispering words of comfort as he wept. You probably had overstepped boundaries here. But what were you supposed to do? This was the only way you knew how to bring comfort.

Your ran your hand on his back in a soothing circle. When he seemed to have calm down, he pulled gently away from you. Your arms fell back at your sides. He ran his hand over his face, erasing the tears that had fallen there.

“Sorry.” He apologized as he did so.

“Don’t be.” You shook your head. “It’s okay.” You started to run your hands on your thighs, in a nervous manner. “I just—I’m so sorry about Jamie.”

Michael nodded solemnly; his eyes red from crying. He rested his hand on your knee. Your breath hitched in your throat at the gesture. Your eyes went to his face. He was staring at you, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Thank you,” He said. “For askin’ and for—bein’ here.”

“Ah.” You nodded, smiling softly. “I have no merit. I was just doing my neighborly duties.”

“Is that it?” Michael retorted his voice still thick with emotions. He cleared his throat. “Is that why you here?”

You shrugged. “Like I said, I know how it feels like to lose someone and have no one there with you; to comfort you. When you desperately need it. It feels very—”

“Lonely.” He finished for you.

“Yeah.” You stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. “And should you need a shoulder to cry on again—I’m right next door. Whenever you need.”  

He squeezed your knee gently, as tears welled back up in his eyes. A warm smile made its way onto his face. You had meant it. You probably shouldn’t have offered but you couldn’t help yourself. Michael Kinsella had looked so broken and so pained; it was hard to not offer comfort when he needed it. You knew too well, what it was like to not receive any when you needed it. And Michael needed it.

You just really hoped you had helped a little.

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[svartalfhild]

What is your favorite bit of elf lore, if you feel like sharing?

Oh dear, I have so many favourite things. 'Tis the curse of the elf connoisseur. Let's see if I can throw you a reasonable number of tidbits.

I am slightly obsessed with a not often explored elven religious belief which says that elves go through a cycle reincarnation until they reach perfection, guided by Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow. Whether this is true or not is left up in the air, but I can't help but think that this would also lead elves to a notion of the existence of soulmates, especially considering the associated deities are married. I had a lot of fun playing a half-elf character who was trapped in a tragic reincarnation cycle with her soulmate a few years ago.

My favourite bit of fucked up lore about elves is the origin of the fey'ri, who are sort of like the elf equivalent of tieflings except their fiendish blood is specifically demonic in nature. Thousands of years ago, during the super ancient Faerûn Is Ruled Entirely By Elven Kingdoms time of like the Crown Wars and shit, four sun elf noble houses secretly fucked some succubi in a weird attempt to strengthen their bloodlines and boom, the fey'ri were born. That ended up getting really out of hand. They formed an army and invaded some places. It was bad.

I am admittedly very amused by the fact that the banishment of the dark elves was ultimately the result of perhaps the most dramatic and bitter divorce in Forgotten Realms history. There's some debate as to exactly how it went down, but the throughline is that Araushnee (who would later be known as Lolth) made a murderous power grab for her husband Corellon's seat and he was like "get the fuck out" and she ran off to the Abyss. She took the kids in the divorce too. Vhaeraun was an odious little shit and a mama's boy, so he had to go, but in a grand show of Eldest Daughter Syndrome, Eilistraee went into exile with her mom to make sure the drow had a positive alternative to her mom's toxic bullshit, despite the fact that her dad was like "you can stay; I'm not mad at you, and your new stepmom (Sehanine) likes you".

[rolanslide]

Genuinely one of my favorite things rottmnt did to spice up the usual tmnt character dynamics is giving Raph Eldest Daughter Syndrome and banishing Leo to the Nebulous Middle Child Zone.

Rise Raph is outwardly kind and gentle when he has to be and he loves and cares openly, especially for his family. Rise Leo is the resident funnyman who doesn't treat things seriously and undercuts serious situations with bad jokes. Both of these characterizations seem completely at odds with their previous iterations...... until you really Think about it.

When you give Raphael the responsibility of being the oldest and strongest and the Leader, you get a Raphael who has to learn at a young age that his hot temper has Consequences. You get a Raphael who's hurt his brothers before and never wants to see it happen again. This Raphael has little brothers who look up to him, instead of ones he's always in conflict with. All of this gives us a Raph with a martyr complex that would make Atlas blush, and a Raph that's less afraid to be open with his emotions.

And when you give Leonardo middle child syndrome and take away his title and responsibility of "the Leader", you have a Leonardo who's deeply insecure about himself and is unsure at first how to define himself in the team/family. He becomes the face man/funny guy because he doesn't know how else to apply himself and kinda fears becoming the "boring rational one". He also never had to be the responsible one, even when he was capable of doing so, so when he's forced into responsibility he Fucks up the whole routine for awhile, leadership skills notwithstanding.

And when they squabble over leadership stuff, it's not an issue of who deserves it, or who would be the better leader, it's Raph telling Leo "Oh my god, you're really bad at this and you need to learn how to take responsibility before someone gets hurt." and then Leo learns the hard way what Raph has always known, your actions have consequences when you are in charge.

I like this show a lot.

[linawritestwst]

Wait,are your match-ups still ongoing.If yes,I would be happy if you could do one for me.No pressure though.Do it only if you want to.

So about me...I am generally a very quiet person( not shy tho). I don't talk that much and am pretty straightforward so I come off as cold and serious girl but when I feel comfortable around someone,I get really energetic. I love joking around. I usually prefer staying inside but I also love adventure sports or any high adrenaline activity.Am touch-starved.Quick learner . Perfectionist tendencies.Eldest daughter syndrome lol. I am a pacifist but can get into real protective mode if somebody insults people close to me. I have weird habits and am sort of a nerd. Bad vision. 5'5 height. I have a lot of interests.Main hobby is drawing.In a relationship,perfectionist partners are a big no no for me.

Also,I forgot to mention earlier but I love your writing.Thank you💖

thank you, i'm glad you like my writing! <3 i hope you like this matchup too!

the character that i think would be a good partner for you is..

kalim al-asim!

i'll explain why i chose him:

this guy is very energetic and extroverted, but he would make sure you're comfortable and not overwhelmed. just let him know if he's a bit too loud right now, okay? it may sound surprising, but he can be more quiet, if you want. if you feel safe and comfortable enough to show your more open and outgoing side, he will be so happy! he loves to see your smile and he loves to hear you talk, he wishes you could show that side of yours a little more often, but he's still very patient with you.

oh, you're touch-starved? don't worry, with a boyfriend like kalim you will never become touch-starved again. he's very affectionate, gives you a lot of hugs and kisses and he basically runs to you every time he sees you. you just make him so!! happy!! he finds you learning things quickly so impressive too! you're so smart, he's so proud of you!! oh, and he may not find your eldest daughter syndrome that relatable at first, but he has many, many younger siblings, so he can actually kinda understand why you feel that way later.

kalim doesn't find your "weird" habits that weird at all! he thinks they make you even more cute actually! also, come on, all people have at least one weird habit, you don't have to be ashamed of that. and again, don't worry, if you don't want a partner who's a perfectionist, kalim is not like that at all. he's very chill and he doesn't push himself too hard and he also makes sure you don't force yourself to do everything perfectly. you deserve to take breaks too, okay?

[ivysangel]

I could be better but I’m definitely trying to look in the bright side of things. I’m in a show and we’re performing again this weekend so im trying to be excited for that, but I’m just getting over being sick, so we’ll see how that goes (I was getting off the stage after every song either coughing up a lung or blowing my brains through my nose so)

Slice of life is the best when it’s them fighting over cookies or worrying about making friends or going on dates or being (found) family and yeah I think bc relationships and dynamics are so important to me, that’s what tickles my fancy the most, just seeing them connect with each other- 💌

Here are my quizzes!

https://uquiz.com/9CYhbj

https://uquiz.com/3lX4IP

https://uquiz.com/eRtam4

https://uquiz.com/jYI8uI

https://uquiz.com/WsTSmq

https://uquiz.com/pxHmBi

https://uquiz.com/Y6YL3c

(I’m so sorry I tried to grab every quiz with something remotely dc related and that ended up being the majority of them, um yeah sorry friend. But enjoy)

i hope you're feeling better now and i hope you show went well. being sick is the worst, i hope you got to rest some!! i agree about slice of life, i am obsessed with relationship dynamics!! both my own and other peoples, real and fictional! it's why i love sitcoms so much!

link 1 (which of my favorite characters are you)

i got "dork diaries malewife" i'm not entirely sure what that means lmao? first thought was brandon from dork diaries tho? also semi related, winston duke is my supposedly stepmoms cousin

link 2 (which of my favorite albums are you)

i got positions by ariana grande!! one of my fave songs of ALL FUCKING TIME is on that album. motive, u will always be famous. doja you may be a fucking freak but oh my god u know how to feature. kinda need a collab album between the two of them bc motive and i don't do drugs are two of my most fave songs ever

link 3 (which of my ocs are you)

i got priscilla looool. i'm not a middle child tho, unfortunately am an eldest daughter with only child syndrome :(( edge of seventeen mentioned!!! i actually have a dark history with that movie meaning me and my best friend watched it one time in middle school and spent the whole time screaming at the screen. every time i think about it i get so viscerally angry like i'm popping veins. am awkward on the inside but *sighs* the most charismatic person ever. and i do have bomb taste in music, that is true. was going through it trying to pick between the lyrics for blame it and complicated but ultimately decided on complicated bc me and avril are locked in for life

link 4 (which of my rebinge shows are you)

i got abbot elementary!!! i was actually just watching it lmao but i switched it to superstore bc that's my #1 rebinge sitcom along with bk99 and modern family. description was so me tho i am funny and i do enjoy stirring the pot

link 5 (choose some stuff and i'll give you a crime against one of my favorite pieces of media)

i got "jacob imprinting on a baby that's three minutes old" i'm crying lmao. gosh, i've never seen the twilight movies but i've watched so many clips on tiktok i might as well log it into letterboxd. twilight will never get money from me!!!! i've got one sided beef with it, not entirely sure why tho

link 6 (answer these questions and i'll give you a song i like)

i got "i can wait forever" by simple plan. i've never listened to it so i'll have to do that soon!

link 7 (which ridiculous thing in titans are you)

i got rachels dad being a villain to the titans twice. i've never watched titans and probably never will because bad wigs make me want to nuke the planet. but is that not pretty on brand for trigon?

these were fun, i enjoyed them a lot so thank you for sharing w me <3

[cpopnatural]

12x22 Notes

-people are being too generous to S12 imo Amara was a boring villain but she didn’t inspire the same anger that the Men of Letters do

-this foretold the submarine thing. With the three days of oxygen

-Bobo please don’t let me down

-yeah revirginize blood. Whatever

-this one of those “just call Cas” episodes

-Sam. This is why you don’t work with cops

-this says a lot about society

-this too can be camp. Yippie kay yay motherfucker

-I can’t believe that worked

-no…..Bobo……..

-jarpad speech time. Sure

-this is just acab: the speech

-I feel like I’m in a fucking. Football movie. Remember the Titans

-Sam let your brother not fight. For once

-Dean thinks his greatest strength is his ability to kill but his greatest strength is his words!!! His ability to empathize and connect with others!!! His love!!!

-once again I’m calling out this show for its shitty lab safety practices. Why would you use the same needle. Also if you push it in that far it’s gonna break a trachea and you’re gonna clog the needle up with flesh and blood

-the action scenes are so loud and then you get to the Dean scenes

-fuck man…….Dean……..

-Dean Winchester the first man to have eldest daughter syndrome

-fucking hell dude…

-oh my god……

-NO

-get his ass!!!

-Dean. You are not your trauma I’m

The scene in Mary’s head got me. It got me bad. 7/10

[donotalwaysbebatman]

Knight Terrors: Shazam

This is a stupid concept. Not this issue specifically, the idea of Billy and Shazam having different nightmares is actually very interesting, although that's a terrible summary because the entire issue is actually about Mary and her nightmares. But just oh ho ho all the superheroes in the world are asleep! So what. There are so many nightmare villains anyway, it's not like it's new.

Now, I do like Mary, but I feel like this leans too heavily into the problems with her character and her story. Her nightmare is all about not being a good enough caretaker to her family? Her nightmare is about not being stronger than Billy, about not having a right to his powers? It's a nightmare. It doesn't have to be consistent. Throw in some things about how she feels stupid because she dropped out of school. Something about the hobbies she's neglecting, the friends she's neglecting in order to be a superhero. Even just stuff about being catcalled or mansplained at.

Obviously this is a problem with women in comics in general, and obviously it's hard to get around when you're trying to write Billy and Mary as the same nightmare, but reducing her to just a mother figure and sidekick to Billy is... reductive. It's everyone's complaint with her story arc in general! And yeah she could have eldest daughter syndrome, but at least show that instead of just having her be like 'bad things happened to the kids it's my fault!' because the whole point of eldest daughter syndrome is that it's other people imposing that view on her, not Mary herself thinking the only thing she's good for is to be a nurturing caretaker.

I did like some of the dream logic details which were fun. I don't think Mary's greatest fear would be Billy turning evil, though. That's his business. Herself turning evil, maybe (pretty boring, though). Most likely only ever being thought of as secondary to Billy or as a mother figure. Importantly, not being those things, which does not bother her, but not being respected enough that people know she's a person also. Overall the story also didn't make a lot of sense or really go anywhere. Is she lucid dreaming or not? Who cares anyway!

[foggywonderlandgentlemen]

Hi hello I am very interested in your thoughts on how 07 Raph was done dirty by the narrative, if you don't mind (I also just like hearing other people's thoughts on my favourite lad lol)

I would LOVE to ramble about this! Sorry for the late reply, I had to rewatch the movie so I could more accurately write a small essay in response. Anyways, Raph my friend Raph. Also Leo.

I guess my main complaint is that Raph and Leo are both framed by the movie as more or less equally “wrong” in their actions. They’re both arrogant, both hotheaded, and both completely unwilling to talk it out. So what all did either of them really do “wrong”?

Raph’s vigilante-ing is framed as morally wrong within the narrative, but no explanation is really offered. As TMNT, the group functionally operates as vigilantes, stopping crime and fighting baddies. When Raph goes off on his own, it’s really not the fact that he’s doing violent things that’s the problem. It’s the fact that he’s doing it alone.

When Raph is gone during the night, he sleeps during the day. His few interactions with his brothers are tense at best and downright hostile if anyone so much as looks at him wrong. And him neglecting to be around for his family has real consequences. Donnie and Mikey both have jobs to try to keep all of them afloat, to various degrees of bodily and mental harm. None of them really talk anymore, and the fault is largely placed on Raph. As Donnie says, “Your rogue attitude has always been a source of contention to this team”.

As for Leo, we see a lot of the same “problems” as with Raph. He functioned as a vigilante in Central America, he has a temper, and at the very least, a convincing show of an ego. He can’t interact with his brothers the way he used to because he’s been god knows where for a whole year. And again, his flaws are isolation and lack of understanding of his family as a result. And all of this culminates in The Rooftop Scene.

Oh boy, The Rooftop scene. So, they’re both kind of dicks in this scene. Understandably so, but it’s clear that the audience isn’t necessarily supposed to agree with either Mr. I’m Better Than You Leonardo or Mr. Anger Issues Raphael. Leo’s cocky, bitchy, and lectures him. But Raph is still dunked on for being angry, for having a temper, as if Leo isn’t just as bad. Donnie even mentions it earlier in the movie.

So what’s their beef with each other? Well, Raph tells Leo off for being smug, for coming back and immediately trying to take over as leader as if nothing has changed. He is mad at Leo for leaving, but doesn’t want to admit that things fall apart without him, so he��s angry at him for coming back too. His anger is completely justified in my opinion, but still framed as “bad”.

Meanwhile, Leo is suffering from an acute case of Eldest Daughter Syndrome. I could make a whole other essay on how Splinter treats him in this movie but I’ll make it brief: Leo is suffocating under the weight of responsibility, after having literally been told that it’s his job to fix the family, and wants everything to fall back into place. This obviously isn’t happening with Raph, so Leo gets pushy. He’s also of the opinion that regular human things should be left to the regular humans, while Raph thinks they should help whenever they can.

And then Raph leaves and Leo gets got, and the blame is indirectly put on Raph. He left, he was the one who ultimately “wanted” to be a loner. And as a direct result, his brother, having lost his swords in their confrontation, gets nerf darted and kidnapped. So Raph is framed as the bad guy at the very end of the confrontation. Even if neither party was necessarily in the right, Raph ends up being in the wrong.

In the very next scene, Raph confesses to accidentally leaving Leo behind. He directly says “I know there’s a reason why he’s the better son and I’m not” during this. Splinter gives him a brief pep talk, notes that his qualities could be that of a leader as well, but “only when tempered with compassion and humility”. Once again, Raph’s character flaws are front and center for this interaction.

And look, I’m not saying that Raph can’t be an angry little bitch at times. Of course he can! That’s part of why I like him so much! But his temper is framed as the guilty party, and he has to “redeem” himself in order for his arc to be complete. And his temper really isn’t the issue. Sure it’s not helping, but the real problem is both Leo and Raph’s tendency to isolate. And those qualities don’t come out of nowhere (side-eyes the previous movie’s trauma as well as Splinter).

They team back up, Raph saves Leo to “redeem” himself, they beat the bad guy, everything’s good! Except the fact that neither of their true problems were addressed. Sure, they’re a team again, but they never acknowledged the problem as both of their needs to be in complete control and completely independent. This could have been a fairly easy fix too, a short conversation where they both acknowledge their isolation at the end of the film would have sufficed. But they didn’t.

TLDR: Raph and Leo both got fucked over by their flaws being presented as anger and smugness respectively, when the true problem was their tendency to self isolate, which never got acknowledged.

[pynkhues]

it always bugs me so much when you get takes on YT like "everyone is rooting for Logan because his kids are so spoiled" and beyond initial reactions of wtf is wrong with you, he has a huge hand in making them that way (as he's used to degrade them)? it's like a learned helplessness mixed with... like when you have to grow up so fast (especially Shiv, whose mother decides she's complicit at 13, and Eldest Daughter Syndrome Kendall), you stay stunted, more like a five year old than 30-40. hope this made sense and wasn't just rambling

Oh gosh, you're braver than I am for wading into the waters of YouTube comments, hahaha, I feel like they're generally a hotbed of Bad Takes.

But yeah, it's insane how there's this cognitive dissonance for some people to see the way Logan's sabotaged his own children – I think especially after 3.08 where the show made it explicit. Kendall tried to do exactly what Logan said he wanted + what people (namely Stewy and Naomi) have been telling Kendall to do since s1 and get out, only for his Dad to tell him no.

It's such a clear, concise and achingly painful demonstration of the sort of father Logan is. He grinds his children down until they know exactly how unwanted, incompetent, and pathetic he thinks they are, but when they try to take the exit he offers them, he yanks them away from it. He wants them there, broken in like dogs or horses, in the cages he builds for them, and it's one of my favourite things about the show that that doesn't make some glossy haired, broad shouldered hero to root for, but rather four complicated, broken people who have no idea how to survive on their own, because their father's made sure they couldn't.

And like you said, Caroline's no better. The pairing of Caroline and Shiv's scene with Logan and Kendall's was honestly pretty close to TV perfection, and it created this amazing sense of how they were adultified as children and are now infantilised as adults. Like you said, to make a 13 (or 10! There's no saying Caroline's not the one misremembering) not just complicit, but blamed for her own abandonment is insane, and abusive on such an insidious level, it just makes me the flames gif from Clue.

The floor rots out from under this family, and while the siblings play their part in their own self-sabotage, that rot was spreading long before they were in the picture.

[none-of-your-biscuits]

Biscuits watching high guardian spice aka little witch wannabes ep 4: Parsley, Slime boy, and the almost good episode

-okay "the squirrelly kid down the hallway who can pick locks, hostage negotiation" was a little funny

-Tall is entertaining at least

-ugh the potions teacher

-why are they all packing in one room aren't they from 2 separate room pairs

-oh boy the stereotype lesbians are back

-you were gone for like a month how would you already have 2 more brothers??? Does birth control just, not exist

-oh?

-oh it's the magic jawbreaker

-shut it pepto

-you've gotta get a magic jawbreaker that fits? It's about the jawbreaker itself and doesn't just adapt to the person? Are we getting an actual scrap of lore

-eldest daughter syndrome?? In my horrible show

-actually this is actually worse the more I think about it

-like blondie is noticeably older than her brothers, she deadass works at her family's blacksmithing shop despite her being like the equivalent of a freshman

-her parents couldn't even bother to take like 5 minutes and write her a letter? Damn

-Tall lore? Only took 3 eps

-wack, don't like the vibes

-yeah bad vibes

-if it's so much work stop having kids, I hate Blondie's parents

-don't force ur daughter to raise your kids you fucks

-stop bringing up new and old magic unless you do something about it

-WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS KID SAYING

-it's just mumbles

-SLIME BOY!

-please get him a better mic it sounds like he recorded his lines on a DS

-the magic jawbreaker shop is interesting

-I love slime boy

-oh it's the logo staff, who could have guessed

-I feel so bad for Parsley

-damn, the energy

-ugh the kids like 3 lines overlapping so much is so annoying

-Tall and Parsley being more entertaining when cut away from the cotton candy cucks wasn't expected but was appreciated

-this is actually a mildly entertaining plot

-ew back to the boring characters

-the new/old magic thing isn't supposed to be a series of drug jokes but I'm gonna pretend it is bc it's funnier this way

-oh shit she said a sWeAr my poor child ears

-I hope that never happens again, the diologue is unnatural enough as is

-the *shivers* allura lookin cousin annoys me

-damn this poor girl

-damn right it's not her fuckin job to raise ur kids for u

-the outro is a jumpscare

-overview I guess

-the only things I really cared about was parsley and the magic jawbreaker shop, everything else was meh

-didn't really like that everything was resolved super quickly but it's whatever I guess

-if I didn't have adhd and the habit of over thinking I think this show would be much more aggravating than it already is

[vethyourhalflingmother]

oh my gosh PLEASE show us your de rolo family stuff i am So excited to see what your julius de rolo is like

lol i have So Much de rolo family stuff (mostly in the form of aus i would love to actually write out one day...)

but i can summarize the general characters:

julius: ‘as the firstborn and heir, i think we should raid the kitchen,’ not technically getting everything but getting The Most, Jock™️ & therefore Stronk, calls percy ‘perc’ and the rest of his siblings by shortened versions of their names (vesp, whit, ollie, ‘wig, cass), not great with all the political bullshit, constantly snuck out of the castle as a teenager to rove the streets of whitestone & visit pubs til 4 am (but doesn’t usually drink that much bc that first time getting drunk was Rough), would (and did) die protecting his siblings, everyone knows him & everyone likes him, prefers men, gets laid almost as much as he claims, when @indigoire asked what he looks like i said vaguely chris evans

vesper: Eldest Daughter Third Parent Syndrome, has three seperate planners: personal, family, professional & they’re all packed to the nines with shit she feels like she has to do, is the Best Leader/Politician of the brood, been forcing her siblings to attend monthly ‘family meetings’ since she was 15, also would (and did) die protecting her siblings, is the one to mention that they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing while continuing to do The Thing, hid a litter of kittens under her bed for months, constantly trying to impress her father, Perfectionism™️, makes the darkest jokes, ‘early to bed, early to rise’ but also isn’t a morning person

whitney: goes by whit, refuses to put a shirt on, cut her hair short as a teen & her parents didnt notice bc she’s the middle child of 7, horse girl whisperer, looks up to julius, always meddling & pulling pranks, derails every family meeting despite vesper’s best efforts, Ride Or Die (all the siblings are pretty ride or die with each other but whit is for anyone she likes), can’t sit still, is fascinated by percy’s tinkering, can speak the most languages on account of teaching them to herself out of boredom, Oliver Defense Squad (‘my twin is sensitive, be nice or else’), punched an ambassador’s son in the face once #noregrets, loves the attention from suitors but doesn’t think any of them are The One, has a crush on her childhood best friend that her siblings all know about & Are Not allowed to mention

oliver: ‘but what if the spider has feelings??,’ Math Gay (probably invented Exandrian Calculus) but can’t ride a horse, 10 minutes younger than whit, used to be sent into the kitchens by their older siblings & somehow ended up a pretty good cook, ‘gender? i don’t know what that is,’ contrary to popular belief has never actually fainted, best sarcastic timing (which is a Feat in this family), usually keeps whit from physically throwing down, actually likes the family meetings bc it’s Nice to spend time with their siblings, is not mad just disappointed, as middle child #2 is just as ignored by mom & dad as whitney, reads voraciously but only fiction, has dabbled in some practical magic

ludwig: constant screaming from ages 0-7 and then again from ages 13-17, no but seriously he is Loud like he always talks like he’s shouting despite the entire family explaining Inside Voices, life of the party, would probably be a bard if he had a class, dabbled with some of those Fantasy Drugs but had instant regrets, so bad at flirt like he’s the dude who combines two pickup lines accidentally, the Real MVP bc his wedding distracts everyone from the fact that percy & vex eloped, technically illegitimate but We Don’t Talk About That, ‘dad hates me most, when do i get my award?’ the cuddliest of the We Didn’t Touch In My Family brood, sleeps like the dead

bonus parents de rolo:

fredrick: at first you might think he’s Not That Bad but then the entitled traditional white man-ness comes out in full force, beckoning u to step into his study & make a deal that disadvantages u. Much Misogyny

johanna: doesn’t regret her affair. loves her children. loved her husband once too. however as the years pass the urge to poison her husband grows stronger but she thinks that might set a bad example.

[polygamyff]

4.

Listening to my dad just talk on and on and on, he lives the sound of his own voice. He wants things to be his own ideas but I am sorry old man his ideas are useless, nobody wants what he wants anymore “are you done?” looking up at him “I wish you wouldn’t get cheeky with me, I do try” try he says “ok, listen to me. I want to ask you something, it’s playing on my mind. I don’t know how you sleep at night. You may class your first born as your eldest son but I do, I have an older brother. What’s his name?” my dad slammed his pen down “I didn’t want you to go out search for him, leave it as it is. He is no use to us, he lives just fine. You will see it. Go Germany” he’s a real asshole “I will, what’s his name huh? You wanted me to know, I ain’t say shit to your other kids. Do you have any pictures of him?” my dad sat back in his chair “why would I? He is useless to me, I needed normals kids, he just wanted loving and I can’t give that. His name is Adam Davenport, he lives with his mom and they live well ok? Now stop” shaking my head “nah, I won’t stop. I would like to see my oldest brother, you’re one sick man you do know that right? Even if my first born has issues I will love it, I didn’t grow up with love but somehow I bought myself up to love. You gonna die and people are going to be happy you gone, that ain’t no legacy. I am sure you felt the same way with your dad” getting up from the chair “none of you or mom bought me up, I did it myself. Shamefully I lost my mind when I was twenty because you know I had drugs on my lap, I could get anything. Thank you for getting me back together so I can be better person but now I ain’t making that mistake again, I just hope you can change because you don’t have much time to live” I am surprised my dad ain’t trying to beat my ass, but then again he is getting old and maybe he regrets things.

Closing the office door “upsetting your dad again?” my mom said as she walked towards me “when do I ever upset that man? I barely said a word to him, just the truth” my mom is sly too, she knew about this “so uhm, Adam Davenport” my mom sighed out “so you knew but you let him do it, you never ever as a woman said let my eldest brother be with us? He has down syndrome who fucking cares, y’all weak as shit” my mom glared at me in anger “it makes it worse because you knew, I need to buy a new place. I can’t stand to see any of you” my mom clasped her hands together “you have to understand this family, it’s not rainbows and butterflies. You can’t have feelings, it’s all about having an heir. This is what we are waiting for with you” I wanted to laugh, Naomi can’t give shit “I am telling you now, if I have a daughter. She will be the heir, I don’t care for this male shit bullshit. Just admit you failed as a parent, Malik is where sorry? Oh yeah, Vegas for the fifth time falling asleep in someone’s pussy. You two are never parents, who is chasing him? Nalah, I forgot. You just continue to do your nails ok” they both stupid, money hungry assholes.

I got to leave for New Jersey tonight, I have to overlook the real estate there. Before that I need to get myself a coffee, I am tired “Malik, I was just speaking about you” he is finally home after going missing for a few days “about what?” he looks bad “well you know, didn’t know where you was? Why didn’t you say? I was worried at least” Malik chuckled “I was in Vegas, didn’t know anyone cared” he shrugged “well since being back home I am now seeing you’re never here” Malik pointed at him “actually, why are you here?” rubbing the back of my head “because me and the wife aren’t getting along, I don’t want to live with her. You missed it, her father came along. I made dad lie and say I was away, it’s funny what you can make dad do when you find shit about him” sighing out “but anyways, why don’t you come with me New Jersey? You know, can show you the things how it works. I want you to work?” Malik is lazy as shit, he wants to live the life but not work “you know what brother, you can do this” he walked off like I knew he would.

Staring at the boards at Starbucks, I actually might get a Latte. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, there is always a damn queue in this place. Looking down at the sandwiches, I might get a sandwich actually. I am always on the go, in a week I will never stay the full week in Texas, it is hard to run a whole business. I hate meetings though, my dad is better at that he can talk but me on the other hand can do it but hate it. Picking out the Chicken BLT sandwich, this looks nice actually staring down at it “Maurice?” that voice, my eyebrows knitted together looking up ahead of me “what you mean Maurice? How do you know him?” looking to the side of me and at the table, my eyes widened. Dropping my sandwich to the floor “Bonita? I mean Robyn. What are you doing here?” picking my sandwich back up “uhhh, oh wow Kellen, Tiffany” Kellen squinted his eyes at me, I am speechless the fuck is this set up “I came to see my friend, I have time off from work, you knew this” oh wow, she is so beautiful “ok, what is happening here?” Kellen had to be here “next please” looking ahead of me, it’s my turn, this is so fucked up.

Holy shit she is walking over to me, I never knew I mean I have been very busy for once but I wasn’t ready. Pushing my snapback down further more “I did actually tell you I was coming” Kellen is staring at me so hard “I’ve been busy and my mobile number has changed, like an idiot I dropped it in the toilet. Yes I use my phone in the bathroom, so I got a new one I was going to tell you but this was literally yesterday it happened. Wow, this is happening so quick. I mean I just can’t believe you’re here” I needed to mentally build myself for this and now look at me, stuttering all over the place “well here I am, I got a week off so I came to see Tiffany and then you are here. I didn’t come just for you so you can switch that thought off” my smile grew “well erm, it’s good to see you Bonita” Robyn placed her hand over her mouth giggling “it’s how I imagined” biting my bottom lip, do I hug her. What do I do” I am so awkward “I mean this is the first time meeting, it had to be here. I wish I knew earlier now, I mean do I hug you? That is what people do when they meet right? I mean is this something you wanted to see?” Robyn laughed at me “well you did say you would show me Texas, get your Latte” she pointed out, the person didn’t even say anything “oh yeah” grabbing my Latte to go “and that is what people do when they actually meet you’re right” Robyn walked off back to Kellen, she dresses so good.

I wish this didn’t happen though in front of Kellen “cousin” Kellen said, smiling at Robyn as she sat down “I will give my new mobile number” Robyn pointed at me smiling “well, you are my tour guide” see, this is what I love about her “I am just going to speak to my cousin, be back” Kellen got up from his seat “enjoy your sandwich though” smiling at her, Kellen hit my arm wanting me to go. Stepping outside knowing for a fact what this nigga going to say “ok, what the fuck?” holding my drink out to him “hold it” I want to unlock my car door, Kellen is in shock just staring at me and I know what he wants to say but I don’t want to know “Maurice, nigga. Talk to me” pulling open my car door, grabbing my Latte from him and leaning down into my car and placing it into the holder “I am talking to you, what do you want” moving out of my car and turning to him “how?” he said, I shrugged “how, what? What is it? Come on” Kellen looked at the Starbucks “how do you know Robyn? That’s my friend” licking my top lip looking up at the sky “we spoke” closing my car door, I just didn’t want him to know and now he does.

Sitting on the edge of the car front, taking a bite of my sandwich “spoke? When? I introduced you to her at the wedding and you didn’t care, what is this speaking you’re saying? She knows you’re married” staring at the sandwich, this is good actually “nope, you’re not going to say anything either” looking up at Kellen “why wouldn’t I?” is this nigga dumb “Kellen, I added her on Facebook. Shit just escalated from there, don’t blow this for me. You know my situation and you know I never wanted to marry her, please Kellen. I won’t hurt her, we are just getting to know each other, I think she is nice” my cousin is not happy “but I don’t want her to get hurt, like you said. She is nice, I am a bad friend if I lie. Tiffany will kill me” getting up from my position “does she know I am married?” I asked “no, she ain’t even met Naomi” that is a good thing “Kellen, Naomi is not for me. The marriage is gone, she can’t even have a fucking baby. I am done, just shut your mouth on this. I ain’t ask anything from you but this I am, please” Kellen placed his hands on the top of his head “fine, if you hurt her. She is innocent in this, I will beat you myself. I am lying to my wife here” he can’t kill a fly but I will take it “I won’t, just be blind to it. I honestly like Robyn, nigga look how beautiful she is. That day I had so much on my mind that I couldn’t think, Shawn pushed me to do it and now look. Please let me be happy” I am begging to happy, how sickening is this “Kellen, we going now” Tiffany came from behind him, I don’t know. Something with Robyn that makes me want to smile, staring at her just staring at me “uh yeah, we finish now” I want to dick her so bad.

Robyn looked at my Porsche and then back at me “your car?” she asked, looking behind me “my dad’” I lied, Kellen glared at me “nice car” Kellen walked by me “let’s sit in the car Tiffany, but let me say something to my cousin” Kellen grabbed my arm and dragged me away from them “does she know who you are?” shaking my head “I said hotel manager” Kellen rolled his eyes “Tiffany fucking knows my uncle which is your dad owns these things, you want it to work you tell the truth on that part. She doesn’t know you’re married so that is fine, she won’t ever say anything like that but work wise, tell the truth” he is right, I wasn’t thinking “aight I will” turning around “Bonita!” I spat “Bonita? The fuck?” Kellen walked away in annoyance “come here please” I really need to finish my sandwich off “can we trust him?” Tiffany said before Kellen dragged her away “yeah?” I wish I knew she was here beforehand “we can meet tomorrow, are you staying? Or you leaving?” I should be going New Jersey but that is cancelled now “fine, text me your new number. Rude, didn’t even send me it either” looking down at my sandwiches “you want some?” I offered “no, keep that but text me. We can meet tomorrow and I am staying at a hotel” my eyes lit up “which hotel?” I hope it’s the ones we own “Davenport” I knew it, laughing a loud “what’s funny?” shaking my head “I got to tell you something before you go, I don’t want to seem like a bad guy because I am not. Just the situation I am in, you know when I said I am a hotel manager, that is somewhat true but my family own Davenport hotels, I run these hotels now” Robyn placed her hand over her face “I am sorry for making it out like it was just a hotel, I didn’t want to like scare you away” I probably have now, Robyn looked up at me “I feel a little stupid because, your cousin said about it. I should have put one and one together, I was thinking but then it is still kind of not wrong what you said, we can speak tomorrow if you want” she is so nice, god she is good “for sure, but this, the money. It doesn’t change anything, seriously” she smiled at me walking backwards.

Closing the car door as I got into the car, that was so random. Imagine seeing him here out of all the places in the world, kind of makes sense when he was not answering my texts “don’t be smiling in the back, since fucking when?” Tiffany turned in the front seat to look at me “I am not smiling” waving her off “yes the fuck you are, how? Please explain” rolling my eyes sighing out, looking out of the car window seeing Maurice’ car. I don’t know, he didn’t tell me the truth but I don’t blame him “well” looking back at Tiffany “he added me on Facebook and he was like we met at the wedding and I did remember him, it was really nothing. We just spoke on a level, like friends would. We ended up exchanging numbers, texting ended up being calls and then facetime. I find him funny, at the wedding we didn’t get to really see each other but we just grew close, that kind of person you grow used too” Tiffany gawked at me “but why did you not say anything? To me anyways” I shrugged “I said nothing to Leon either, I don’t know where it will take me. We been meaning to meet and now we have” this is why I didn’t say anything, she all pushy with me “so what do you think to my cousin? He’s got a good heart Robyn, he will do a lot for you” Kellen spoke, frowning at him “we not even together, calm down. I can tell what he is like, he is very kind hearted with me. He understands my line of work, he’s different from what I have dated” Tiffany kissed her teeth at me “you didn’t tell me, ain’t shit ass” Tiffany still hasn’t grown up, still has a tantrum.

“You know his ass is rich, he more rich than Kellen” I knew Tiffany wasn’t staying quiet “I know, I realised I am in the hotel they own. Kellen you ain’t say shit, and you made me pay!?” I just realised this “well I didn’t know, we told you to stay with me but I know now why, you wanted to get dicked down by my cousin, we know!!” I want to slap Kellen but I won’t “that is a lie, you think he likes me?” I can ask these things now “like you? He seems a little taken back by you, and it’s weird because his dad, well my uncle. He never gave him that, see how it goes. When you seeing each other again? He will probably find your hotel room number” I gasped “joking, I am playing. But you feeling my cousin? Didn’t seem it on the day” I shrugged laughing “because it was hectic, I wasn’t looking for a man. I was there for the wedding, he added me. I told you, we just text and it happens. You get used to that person, I just want to see how it goes. If he think he can give me shit I am not having it but he seems like a loving guy, I want that” Tiffany cooed out “daddys girl wants some loving, loving from the D, don’t give me that” it’s always about sex when it’s not, she is stupid.

Kellen’ and Tiffany’ apartment is so cute “so, while Kellen is gone, let’s talk” Tiffany just wants more gossip “we could be cousin in laws, I didn’t know about Maurice. Kellen mentioned it, the thing about this family they are so different. They keep themselves to themselves, you know like my mom goes to your house and we all just do things together. They don’t, it’s like you stay there and I stay here which is weird to me. Kellen said that his father owns all of the hotels, Maurice will get the hotels. It’s weird, you don’t get to know much about them at all. Oh god, you ever seen his sister? Maurice’ sister is a bitch, straight up. Girl, she saw me and Kellen and had the nerve to look away from me. Good luck with that” that is horrible and petty “god, how mean. So she just ignored you, I guess it’s the power of money. They should do better with the money they have, see how it goes. It’s early days, I am open to new beginnings and someone that is in need” Tiffany stared at me dumbfounded “I am into my feelings, you know this. I just feel like Maurice is missing something, he is a good guy so either way we will speak” Tiffany giggled “you so into your feelings I love it, when I told your ex that you are into your feelings and he said how, and then you blurted out because I ain’t even in love that’s why. And you don’t see or feel shit” laughing out loud “stop it, that was so rude. I couldn’t help it” that was so funny, no wonder he left my ass because I was rude.

Watching Kellen and Tiffany argue with each other over cooking, they so cute though. My phone pinged at the side of me, new number which can only mean one person.

From: Maurice

To: Robyn

It’s Maurice, took me time to text. Hope I ain’t like fucked it up. I was shocked to see you, I wish my phone didn’t mess up on me though x

Even a little kiss which is cute of him, I don’t know why he feels as if he messed up because he really hasn’t. It is really not a big lie, he probably felt like I would be with him well speak to him because of money which is not the case. I don’t care for money, money is in my bank so I don’t need that.

To: Maurice

From: Robyn

Don’t even think that, you know me. At your big age you shouldn’t care lol jk, it’s weird seeing you in person. We can meet tomorrow BUT you have to find my hotel room, I will be ready by 12:30pm and if you ain’t here by 1:00pm I am going out. Let’s see if you can impress ;)

I am playing with him which I shouldn’t but we shall see, biting my bottom lip not knowing if to send it or not but I am. This is me, I like to keep them on their toes. My mom is constantly like that with my dad, pressing send on the message giggling to myself “you sent a risky text? This is so weird to me” Kellen said from the kitchen “I will let you know if your cousin succeeds which I am ninety nine percent sure he will” I guess it will be a nice little first meet tomorrow for us.

[boglog]

HILL HOUSE NOTES !!

Objectively speaking, I like the show as a weird crossover between Transparent and American Horror Story but there are always some cons :/ One thing I will say is that I find it hard to review horror bc I'm too busy swimming in cortisol to notice plot holes but I watched the scary scenes w subtitles and no audio and that will have to do!!!

Cons:

The diologue is occasionally awful.

Scratch that it's terrible and the more the show goes on the more it nears Grey's Anatomy levels of nauseating

Firstly, there are way too many name drops esp when there are only two characters in the room, sometimes even one sentence after another, it's exhausting.

i.e. 'Stay right here, honey. I'm going to talk to the police now sweetie, I'll be right back.' // 'You eat people, Steve. You are a parasite, Steve.'

Second of all, 'Don't do that ever again. Don't do that. Where were you? I thought the house thingy got you.' kids don't talk like this. I know irl children tend to imitate the adults around them but the sheer amount of stock cliches these child actors are required to say is incredible

And honestly overall there's too much talking period. There are dozens of scenes where a character monologues for almost five minutes!!!!

I loved mind doppelgänger Leigh's speech but really let's tally it up: we've got Mrs Dudley's monologue, Olivia monologues a few times, Theo's monologue, Luke 2 or three monologues, one from Shirley, Hugh is not much of a talker so thank god they were consistent. And of course a lot of these are important to the story and even close to entertaining (see also: Nell yelling at Steve) but it's way too much and anything actually significant is diluted in this deluge of info-dump-y speeches

Why god??? Why?

Like this is television not radio but I guess it's another case of Forced Diegesis when summarising w flashbacks would actually be way easier on my psyche but Tacky for these Kinematic Auteurs

I would've liked a more in depth exploration of Olivia and her childhood experiences of paranormal tragedy to give us a better context for her morally grey slip into an evil mother

Still somewhat peeved at how, bc of supernatural instinct, we can justify Theo and CPS taking a child away from her home. Obviously the show can't waste so much time on what's only supposed to be a quick detour into Theo's character and it works within the world of the show given that the guy did confess but portrayals of police, first responders, social workers, ad nauseum making snap descisions like that is Not Good for people's real world perception of their rights. Just sayin.

Maybe a scene where Steve and Hugh apologise for being garbage humans or something idk that would've been nice

This show has many layers and interpretations which could either skew towards clever ambiguity or clumsy indescision and while I'm leaning toward the former, I will say it does go a little all over the place for me.

Are the Crains' superpowers genetic, from their mother? Did it come from the house? Why is the house was so vindictive? What does it want? Or is it more symbolic of the emptiness inside the characters? Why is Olivia decidedly an over controlling mother but Nell is an innocent? Is really the only thing Steve had to do to save his marriage was reverse the vasectomy? Nell died of her own paradoxical haunting that began when she was six so was the cause ultimately a sadness within herself before the house of strictly the house's pull?

Like it's v unclear (probably deliberately) wether or not the story was Psychosis All Along or it was the house's vendetta or bc the Crains specifically are a supernatural mutant family

We never find out what Nell does for a living and I'm curious

Finally: it's really white sometimes. Like. Painfully white. Granted, the Crains come close to my favourite kind of white person, the quirky dysfunctional family of adult children scattered all over the country who only reunite at their dead sister's funeral. Still, the POC tally up to two love interests (one of which DIES), one cop, one naïve widow, and one poor daughter-less foster parent. One could argue only a middle class white family would stay in a haunted house for so long ://

Pros

The show juggles seven characters and two plots flawlessly. Each character is recognisable w a distinct personality after about only two episodes, the nonlinear structure as we alternate between the present day frame story and the main plot in flashbacks before ultimately converging when the family reunites at the house for the last time is not only clear but parses its information in way that's not only not confusing but strengthens the tension and dread. Even while they show the flashbacks' ending (w Olivia and later Nell's death) as well as the epilogue, the build up still feels entirely justified. This is peak plotting right there.

Furthermore, Nell's ghost still manages to be in the spotlight with some jumpscares even after we know who she is

My soul pretty much left my body when Nell's ghost attempts to bond w her sisters via screaming as they argue in the car

A quintessential microcosm of the show's representation of time and memory is Nell's final speech: whimsically disjointed at first, poignant and clear by the end

It's a horror show that is completely dedicated to its characters (and I'm sure some of you already know my love of dysfunctional families) and centres around human themes of connection, mourning, and trauma and the necessity of vulnerability and letting go in order to live a full life. That's very rare in horror where we usually get gratuitous gore with a small spattering of sentimental scenes to further the gore.

Olivia's Forever House served as an excellent symbol for her need to control, the house's monicker implying her fear of change.

An incomplete but not bad portrayal of trauma, a decent addition to the topical and ever-expanding mental illness discourse

Also ft. meta commentary on writers

In the beginning, Olivia really was portrayed as a concerned mother who was always trying to be considerate of her children's emotional well-being despite her occasional snaps. One has to wonder wether her slip into an irrational need to control might reflect society's paradoxically oppressive expectations of motherhood: to have absolute control of your children while also being a benevolent saviour to them 24/7. I mean in all fairness to Olivia, she was working and raising 5 kids. I'd lose my marbles too.

Or maybe I'm giving the creators too much credit and they were only angling for an Other Mother thing. I like this Foucaultian nihilism though so we're gonna go w that.

The show's acknowledgment of Useless Dad and Entitled Eldest Son syndrome.

Spat my tea when doppelgänger Leigh ripped Steve a new one, and since she's a representation of his psyche maybe that means that Steve himself has gained some self awareness. (He should still... apologise to his family....)

I mean they were really spot-on with how birth order family drama goes.

Human portrayal of a lesbian as an adult and a child! As tumblr user Lesbeet said, this is very rare and deftly done!

Theo doing literally anything

Shirl is p adorable

Theo and Shirl: the comedy duo we absolutely need in our lives

Arthur and Nell's romance is joining Up's prologue in the golden vault of world's greatest ten minute love montages. (Both of which ended in tragédie. ☹️)

Shirl's AU dream sequence, which unlike the others, presents us with an extramarital faux pas that we were not previously aware of, manages to seem totally appropriate for her character

The set and costume design are perfect for the primordial fear of the unknown aesthetic the show was going for. Fairy flappers! Gothic stairwells! Punk rock leather gloves! A McMansion that doubles as a funeral home! Motels! A curvilinear LA mansion! The absolutely insane brutalist million dollar rehab centre! Oh boy!!!

Accurate mortician portrayal: they really do gotta wire the corpses' mouths shut. Those damn chatty dead people.

Tldr:

Diologue is lengthy and cheesy while the characters are Too White. The rare portrayals of POC and how social services work were lacklustre. 👎

The show's incredible ambition and dedication to its characters and themes of trauma, dysfunctional family relationships, and the consequences of coping via trying to control your life is amazing. Theo, especially, is amazing. It's a very goth show with clinically depressed ghosts.👍

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 4X10 Heaven and Hell

hey isn't this one important

boy I sure can't wait to find out how

Uriel why are you so happy about this

Cas: no ur right we're heartless" ??CAS?

Uriel: beats up Dean for Funsies

Cas: just *go sleepy bye* Sam

AnNA WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF

DRAWING SIGILS IN YOUR OWN BLOOD IS SO METAL THO

ah they stick her in Bobby's panic room

Ruby and Dean being civil is kinda fun tbh

Dean Eldest Daughter Syndromes it up: yeah no we're all good

"confusing reality with porn again" WHAT WAS THAT FACE

"nice job watching her" "I'm watching her" pffttt ahaha

Pam teases Sam and tHEN DEAN'S FUCKING SMIRKS AHAHA

I'm glad Pam's doing...ok? after Castiel blinded her?

Dean just got YEETED

the light thing was cool though

aw she was their leader

Fallen Angel HELL YEAH

Ruby: heY FUCKERS WE'RE STILL SCREWED

Dean not a single word you just said made sense

ah the meteorite set up

hey wait how the HELL does Ruby know all the references

Dean: WHY AM I H E R E

heheh the "why would you be human" question ohoho

look I don't get chemistry, but I do get like...Sad Connection?

hey look angels don't feel...HEY W A I T IS THIS WHERE HE GOT THAT IDEA

Dean: I would like to Never Feel Again

Believe or Die

this feels like two soldiers who went through Different Shit talking to each other

wheee absent father parallels

again, I don't get chemistry, it's jUST SAD

grace being pure creation is Neat tho

well this is a severely awkward car ride

"it's like an opening to a bad joke" look he IS right, that's an angel and a demon

I really appreciate how much fucking shorter the girls are compared to the guys, gotta love the Masculinity

ooo the light flickering is a nice touch

the fucking panic on his face about going back to hell oh NOOO

"maybe I don't deserve to be saved" nooo that's the trigger

ah she knows what he did in hell

poor Dean oof

"last night on earth" *deep deep beleaguered sigh*

no seriously people were right, there's no chemistry??

ahhh yes impala sex scene I heard about that one

I...don't know what notes I'm supposed to take from this

ah the handprint, ... WHY DID THEY DO THIS I HAVE TO KNOW THEY ENDED UP BRINGING CASTIEL INTO THIS I DON'T UNDERST-

aw she at least...tries to protect them both

oop poor Ruby

"he has this weakness....he likes you" AHHHH

~free will

It's so fun how he calls people's bluff though

Dean...Dean damn ur pretty good at lying but you're TERRIFIED

oh good the Girl Torture Scene, how could I forget

....look I don't like that she's naked or being tortured,...but gen is like also very attractive

THE WIND BLOWS AND CASTIEL A P P E A R S

"Hello Anna" and the smile WAIT NO THAT MAKES ME SAD

hey why the FUCK DID THEY KISS THEN INSTANTLY CUT TO CASTIEL LOOKING SAD WHAT THE HELL?? THAT'S NOT NORMAL SADNESS THEY'RE NOT EVEN FOCUSING ONLY ON ANNA WHAT IS GOING ON

of course the demons

what the hell is the hierarchy, who's where, what's happening?

DEAN SAVED CAS! AHHHH

oh good Anna's back

and she killed everyone!

heh according to plan, not bad Sam, not bad

I love the Knowing look Ruby and Dean exchanged

FORTY YEARS

He was FUCKING TORTURED FOR FORTY YEARS, OVER AND OVER

and told him it would stop if he tortured...oh no he said no for thirty yeaRS OH MY GOD

ah the Fear

boy he's REALLY good at repressing things

hey at least he gets to cry, thank god for that cuz JESUS

"I wish I couldn't feel anything" so he didn't have to deal with the pain, ok this makes...a lot of sense

someone please give him a hug

Sam PLEASE

WHY WAS THE LAST SHOT SAM COME ON

i...wrap up:

1. NO WONDER PEOPLE SHIPPED THEM! LITERALLY- YOU BROUGHT CASTIEL INTO A THING WITH DEAN AND ANNA T W I C E ! DEAN SAVED CAS'S LIFE AND NO ONE ELSE OF THE SUPERNATURAL CREATURES! CAS LOOKED SAD TO SEE ANNA GO

GUYS WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO READ THAT AS

2. Yeah I see where the fear comes from. Like Dean messes with fear and showing it, but that's because he feels he has to. Like he's keeping a LOT locked up

and also he thinks he's Tainted and Bad because of what he did in hell, so when anyone knows he Freaks out or does the intimacy or-

Seriously was I NOT Supposed to read it as that? WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO READ IT AS?

LIKE I THOUGHT AH, MUST BE CASTIEL FEELING BAD FOR ANNA BUT WHY L I N G E R? WHY HANDPRINT? W H Y L AM P

GENERALLY I CAN TELL BUT THIS WAS A LOT

3. It was a lot of fun having Sam's plan just be "yeah go FI GHT"

and they played it convincingly too

and having girls around was fun! please keep them around more!!

Also I like how tall the guys are compared to the girls it's so funny

4. I see what people mean when they say Dean and Anna have no chemistry. They have like...a sad bond, but not chemistry

unlike a certain some-[gunshot]

5. Boy this was a lot