#oh yeah i should probably explain what the podcast is lol

[ghost-nutowho]

tfw you have to re-record all the podcast episodes you had recorded, but silver lining is it means you can use a cool name this time!

[cult-of-the-eye]

Mag 81 A Guest for Mr Spider

FUCK FORMER HEAD ARCHIVIST

Wait I need to check the timelines - this was 2 days after leitner's death

New spooky music???

My man is so fucking dramatic I love him so much "grand of sand behind my eye" love the way he speaks

Yeah FUCK JURGEN LEITNER

Omg the greying hair is canon??

Child in the 90s makes him at most 27 GOD DAMN. I was imagining like mid 30s...can you imagine a fucking 27 yr old using words like "ilk" when talking to you

Oh shit he's an orphan poor guy

Yeah ok a lot of his personality seems to make sense if you realise he was raised by his grandma

You know those memes that are like people raised by their grandparents are exceptionally polite but in a brisk way, talk fancy and are super posh? Yeah that's him.

Getting such neurodivergent vibes

Yeah he sounds like a main character from the start Jesus Christ he's such a kid who got traumatised and then grows up to be a horror protagonist vibes

My First Leitner lol like kids had to be introduced to them at a young age like those my first toys

He's so funny I can just imagine him as an 8 yr old getting super like affronted at this like how dare my grandma think I am of subpar intelligence he's such a little bitch from the start

"The eponymous Mr spider" even talking about his childhood trauma he's busting out the vocabulary

Fuck that story actually kinda rattled me I had my hand over my mouth in shock for most of it

I think it was the bit where the horsefly brought his son and they were both crying that got me, I could definitely imagine it scaring an 8 yr old

The way it drags out as well, with the pages of the same scene it really heightens the suspense

Is his childhood bully someone we should keep track of?? Love how he says Michael probably cause he sees him as a bully lol

It's interesting how despite him bullying him (quite badly seeing as though he beat him up) he's still like yeah but he saved my life and that means he deserves to be remembered

My bro didn't save your life on purpose, he was just trying to make it worse and happened to come to a terrible fate cause of that

I guess underneath it all he was still a kid who watched someone die, knowing they'd get eaten by a fucking spider, he still held him in some regard

The way he specified the guy was his bully even after he was being eaten though lol

He was desperate to get the book back? That's a leitner thing I guess, the book makes you want to keep it so it can finish whatever it wanted to do to you

On my relisten (which I will do once I've finished the series I'm sure of it), I'll have to look out for any reaction of leitners name

I wonder why Jon didn't react more to Carlos vittery's statement, like it must've terrified him? I saw a post a while back explaining Jon's thoughts and IT WAS GENIUS it was like of course he doesn't react, he must be terrified that someone knew about his experience and somehow did this to mess with him or it was a joke and he can't let anyone know that the Head Archivist is not Good at This ugh it's so good I'll tag it if I can find it

AHHHHH HE REGRETS DISMISSING THE OTHER STATEMENTS AHHHHHH

HE FINALLY ADMITS THAT HE NEEDS HELP WE LOVE THIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YES YOU FUCKING DO BITCH.

yeah at least he's right about Elias killing leitner

GEORGIE THE EX GIRLFIEND

ITS SO WEIRD TO SEE HIM ACTUALLY NICE TO SOMEONE WOW HIS VOICE CHANGES SLIGHTLY AS WELL HES LESS ACADEMIC

THE ADMIRAL

Awwww he's so cute with georgie

GHOST PODCAST GHOST PODCAST

THE WHAT THE GHOST T SHIRT IS CANON???? AHH THATS SO CUTE

Can he not go back to his own flat?? Did he bring all his clothes to the archive and then subsequently leave them there? Does he even have a flat??

God Georgie is so nice I would kill for her

It's so funny that an apparent supernatural cynic dated a ghost podcaster

WOW SEASON 3 OFF TO AN AMAZING START I CANT WAIT TO KEEP LISTENING IM GONNA TELL MY THERAPIST ABOUT THIS TOMORROW!!!

[toosicktoocare]

prompt:  if you are interested..! i’ve always been wondering what happened to jon once he was finally able to get treatment for his hand. burns get infected the most easily, is all i’m sayin, yknow? (love your work! have a great day)

I can finally write this because I finally got to that point in the podcast, lol

Set directly after episode 92, AKA the episode where the archives squad is finally reunited, Elias confesses, and general insane shit hits the fan that, as Tim so nicely puts, is the usual around here.

Little soft JonMartin just because 

Jon’s rummaging through the archives, briefly scanning statements he wants to take with him back to Georgie’s, the only distraction from his otherwise reeling mind. It’s almost funny, he thinks, how his mind has taken to an endless, internal monologue despite the very obvious pain drumming almost rhythmically against his temples. He’s lost in a whirlwind of how’s and what if’s, and the statements, he thinks... well, the statements may be the only drug that can temporarily take him away from himself.

“Jon?”

Jon jumps, not having heard the door open over the sound of his deep, frantic inner voice. He whips around, one file clutched a little too tightly to his chest, and sees Martin hovering in the doorway, almost as if he’s afraid to enter.

“Sorry,” Martin sputters softly. “I did knock.”

“It’s... fine,” Jon sighs out, the initial anger of being startled dissipating along a low breath. He studies Martin, eyes flicking all around for any sign of injury or distress, but Martin just looks hesitantly worried for him, and Jon finds that he has kind of missed that look.

“Are you alright?”

Though soft in tone, Jon can physically feel the weight behind each word in the short yet not so simple question. He debates on what he should tell Martin, or rather, if he should tell Martin anything, but his present, physical well-being comes back by a burning twinge across his burned hand from where he’s gripping the file too tightly. He hisses sharply between his teeth and lets the file fall from his hand.

“Jon! What’s wrong?” Martin’s already starting toward Jon, both hands reaching outward, and Jon quickly finds that his feet do not actually want to move, so, carefully, he extends his burned hand out away from where he’s had it cradled to his chest.

Martin’s fingers are incredibly gentle around Jon’s thin wrist, such a drastic contrast from the fear and worry so evident across his face.

“Oh, Jon... This... This doesn’t look good at all. Have you gone to get this looked over?” Martin’s careful as he twists Jon’s hand around, eyes sinking the more he takes in the angry red welts of what appears to be a rather aggressive burn.

“I haven’t had time,” Jon admits, detailing, to himself, the events of the last week that have taken up the time he should have been spending on looking after himself. “It’s been... Well, it’s been a week.” He laughs at this, small, bitter, yet alarmingly overwhelmed, and if not for Martin’s steady presence, he thinks he may just crumple to the floor. Still, his knees begin to shake, and Martin’s quick to catch on and guide him down into a chair.

“I’m going to get a first aid kit.”

“Martin,” Jon calls out, stopping Martin at the door.

Martin freezes and looks over his shoulder, his face an undistinguishable mess of emotions, and Jon swallows back the practiced words of “I’m fine,” saying instead, “thank you.”

The panic that flicks across Martin’s eyes doesn’t go unnoticed, and Jon quietly berates himself for always worrying his staff as Martin quickly disappears down the hall. He sinks back against his chair with a groan and cradles his hand to chest once more. For just a moment, he allows his head to tilt back against the chair until he’s starting at the dusty ceiling. He feels weak. He thought, considering Elias’s confession, that he would feel better now that he’s physically inside the archives, but he still feels relatively weak and slightly panicked. There’s a tightness pressing against his lungs, and he can only pin that on the apparent need to record statements.

“You’re still here, Jon.”

Jon musters up as much energy as he can to cast a sharp, dangerous gaze to Elias, who’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed casually.

“What do you want, Elias?”

“I didn’t see you leave. I was curious to know why you’re still here.”

“I’m-”

“He’s here for me.”

Jon’s jaw snaps shut, and he leans forward, eager, curious, for he’s never heard Martin speak with a tone of finality such as that. He watches, both brows raised, as Martin squeezes past Elias to get into the archives, and he’s unable to pry his eyes away as Martin drops to a crouch in front of him and opens the first aid kit.

“You’re hurt-”

“Will that be all, Elias?”

Martin looks over his shoulder toward Elias, and Jon can make out the tension tightening Martin’s muscles through the sudden defensive, stiffness of Martin’s back and shoulders. 

Jon holds his breath, almost afraid to see the scene play out, but Elias lets his arms fall to his side in a visble show of defeat.

“Of course. I’m sure you’ll see that Jon is tended to.” He disappears down the hall, and Jon swallows thickly, a lump forming in his throat. 

Martin’s uncharacteristically quiet as he pulls supplies out of the first aid kit, and he wordlessly holds his hand out, prompting Jon to drop his burned hand atop Martin’s outstretched palm.

“I’ll do what I can, but you should still probably go to a clinic.” Martin says, pulling out an antiseptic cream. “This is going to sting, but we need to try and prevent infection.”

Jon can only nod with eyes shut tight and grit his teeth as Martin begins smoothing the cream over his hand. It burns terribly, but, it’s an almost nice distraction from everything else that invading his thoughts. And, he thinks, at least the clear presence of pain means he’s still somewhat human. The bandaging that follows doesn’t hurt as bad, and Jon manages to pry his eyes open to watch Martin’s delicate yet thorough work.

When Martin’s sure he’s finished, after having studied every inch of Jon’s wrapped hand, Jon doesn’t pull his hand away, and Martin doesn’t let go.

“Are you alright?”

It’s the second time Martin’s uttered that single question, and Jon shakes his head, his hair slipping from where he’s had it tucked behind his ears to now frame darkly around his face. “Are you?” He asks, voice cracking slightly.

“Christ no,” Martin laughs, nervous, and his fingers thighten just a fraction around Jon’s hand. “We’ve been doing our best to get on without you here, but...” Martin drops his free hand atop Jon’s knee. “It’s just not the same without you here. Tim’s been absent more than he’s been here, Melanie... well, she’s great actually, but now she’s bound to this place like the rest of us. What’s with that anyway? Our hearts out now connected to this place?” He realizes, a breath too late, that he’s rambling and that Jon’s grimacing before him, and he stops himself with a low sigh. “Sorry, everything’s just really screwed up right now.”

“I know,” Jon manages, voice barely above a whisper. He shivers slightly, feeling suddenly cold, and Martin frowns at him for the umpteenth time in the fifteen minutes they’ve been together.

“Cold?”

Jon nods, feeling an odd chill washing over him, and Martin leans forward to brush the back of his hand to Jon’s cheek.

“You’re quite warm actually. I think you’re running a fever.”

“That would explain the splitting headache,” Jon mutters, wincing when Martin cups his palm over Jon’s injured hand once more, a little less gentle than he’s been thus far.

“Your hand is really hot. This may already be infected. Jon, you should-”

“Martin, it’s fine,” Jon says, though even he can’t quite believe himself. “I just haven’t been sleeping well. Every time I try, this overwhelming feeling of dread washes over me and constricts my lungs. I think...” He pauses, eyes dragging toward the pile of statements he’s handpicked so far. “I think having those nearby will help.”

“Jon, that’s not okay. You’ll work yourself to death.”

“I have to work, Martin,” Jon says, voice low, leaving little room for argument, and Martin nods and slowly gets to his feet.

“Fine, but promise you’ll sleep first. And that you’ll get yourself to a clinic for your hand. I’m not above following you to wherever you are staying and taking you to a clinic myself, you know.”

“I know,” Jon mumbles, a hint of a smile trying to creep at his lips. He grabs the files, careful of his hand, and starts toward the door, stopping when Martin calls out to him.

“Jon?”

He looks back, one brow raised in silent question.

“Could you... Well, do you think you could...”

“Go on, Martin,” Jon presses, voice sounding more demanding than he means for it to.

“Can you text me?” Martin flushes at the look Jon shoots him. “Not like that! Or... Well... It’s just... You disappeared, Jon, and I was really worried. Could you just text me every now and then so I’ll know you’re okay?”

Jon can feel a similar flush burning up his neck to his cheeks, and he looks away quickly and clears his throat. “Sure,” he stutters out. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Thank you.”

Jon forces himself out of the room, fleeing the weight of those two words that are threatening to squeeze his rapid heart into thousands of fragments. He keeps his eyes cast to the ground, moving on muscle memory alone, and he doesn’t look up, doesn’t even breathe, until he’s standing outside in the chilly air. He turns around and cranes his neck to view the building in its towering entirety, and as if it means anything or holds even the slightest inch of power, he mumbles quietly into the cold air.

“Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt any of them.”

[adultswim2021]

Space Ghost Week

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #30: “Late Show” | October 23, 1996 | S03E12

Written by a couple of LEGENDARY Letterman writers (not naming them because I don't wanna have to figure out how to spell the one guy's last name! Please! I beg of you! Do not make me look it up and copy and paste it here!), Space Ghost does a full-on episode of Late Show in “Late Show”, spoofing all the now-forgotten antics of the David Letterman program. Fun fact: this is one of the first episodes I ever properly saw! I had the MASK VHS, with it's requisite Space Ghost short. I watched that a bunch. I also watched Talk Soup on E!, which would regularly feature Space Ghost clips. It whet my whistle, but my whistle longed for full episodes.

We didn't get the Cartoon Network as part of our cable package, which was endlessly disappointing to me. When I finally got to see an episode (this one) I was so happy and I loved it so much. I told my dad that he should watch this show on the road; he traveled for his job half the week. My dad literally had dual residency in two different cities just so he could have a family AND a cool apartment all to himself! The absolute dream. Spread your DNA around like you're the king of Prussia AND have a bachelor pad where you may or may not have slammed non-my-mom puss (I don't actually know what my dad did on the road, FYI and we ain't talking much these days and he'll probably die before I ever know! Merry Christmas!).

I'm not sure how I saw this when I did; I remember at a point I had my cousin tape it for me, but when I explained that I wanted him to tape it every single week he was like “what? WHY?” because his family were a bunch of weirdo farmers and more interested in playing with crawdads and stuff than COLLECTING TV RECORDINGS. Absolute FREAKS.

I'm sad to say that it took a little more time before I ever saw the original Sonny Sharrock opening of Space Ghost; the NEW computer-animated opening created for this episode wound up becoming the new opening for a little while. OH! Speaking of that: The DVDs have a bunch of unused opening concepts that were created by Joel Hodgeson (I think with his brother Buford Hodgeson). They are kinda cool but a little too MST3K-like. I think they were maybe meant for the next season, because one of them has Birdman in it. They are on there as Easter Eggs.

Okay, onto the actual episode: It's funny! But I do think it drags a bit and would've been better off as a shorter episode. Not that I'm actually complaining about having more Space Ghost-- you gotta admit, “that's nice”. This one features John Popper of Blues Traveller, here assisting Zorak's band. He's hammy (in more ways than one! LOL!), and he growls at Space Ghost at one point. Yikes! Speaking of big fat pigs, President Clinton (real) is in this episode, and he gets called “A boat show visitor” (shout out to all the boat show visitors in my feed).

Janeane Garofalo is in this and she is at her peak fuckability. I saw her a few years ago and I still would. So far my top three Space Ghost babes of season three are: 1) Janeane 2) Juliana Hatfield 3) girl on bus. Janeane if you read this for some reason I'm sorry for being sexist about you, but you get what you pay for, baby!

Flip Orley morphs into Dave Grohl, one of the coolest guys around. I remember repeating his line about “Foo Fighters” in this episode to kids at school, thinking it made me sound smart and cool, which is that they are the Foo Fighters,they fight for (as in behalf of) Foo, not against Foo. I would regurgitate this line every time they came up. People hated me

MAIL BAG

In reference to me calling Jimmy Pardo’s podcast “occasionally funny”

Occasionally funny is charitable for Jimmy Pardo these days. Guy has been off his nutter since he told his jackass Chicago buddies to take a hike.

Honestly yeah, the podcast fell off for me when he simultaneously decided to give his dullard wack pack more mic time AND chase clout by having Conan guests be on his show all the time. I guess when he and his friends ran out of 90s stand-up comedy stories I lost interest. I still think Pardo is really funny! He hasn’t gotten worse, I just think the formula for the show is off.

[cactusfru1ts]

fuck it. intro post 

(under the cut because it got. slightly longer than intended. oops)

hiiii besties im quetzal im part of a system and i got sick of pretending to be my headmate so i just kinda made my own tumblr cause whos gonna stop me

im 18 (body age and mental age) i use it/he pronouns and im a gemini, i dont really know what else im supposed to put here lmao. i made an account on pronouns.page if you want more info about my pronouns and stuff, and if you dont know what plural means you should probably check out morethanone.info but the extremely short version is that im one of several people sharing one body

oh my gender is kinda weird but the short version is that im a girlqueer bigender guy. technically im also transmasc but i dont really consider myself trans? or cis. or nonbinary. i call myself genderqueer sometimes, most gender words that have an “opposite” are kinda weird for me though. idk its like… physically i am transmasculine but i guess since i didnt form until wed already been on hrt for a bit it just isnt much of a thing for me. oh and the bigender part is like 90% guy 50% girl i guess. yeah that sounds about right.

oh also i said in my bio that im bisexual but i am also aromantic. i mean technically i guess im gray aro but for all intents and purposes i am aromantic. im also polyamorous and like i think relationships are super fun i just only realized recently that “it might be fun to date this person” is not necessarily the same thing as “i am romantically attracted to this person” lol

i really like music, some of my favorite musicians are watsky, hozier, mitski, taylor swift, mcr, and sidney gish, and im theoretically a musician but i am generally not very good at learning instruments so i mostly just sing. i also paint sometimes but im not very good at it lol

oh im really interested in cults (i listen to a lot of cult podcasts mostly) but i know a lot of folks consider that a weird thing to bring up at the dinner table so i try not to talk about it with folks i dont know well enough that i can feel confident that theyll tell me if i need to shut up. with that said i often need to shut up and if you tell me to shut up and youre not a dick about it i will try to shut up. in conversation anyways. i made a tumblr because i dont shut up though so it probably wont work if you just want me to stop posting cringe. go ahead and  block “#quetzposting” if you dont wanna see my original posts because theyll probably get pretty annoying pretty fast

other stuff i like includes 17776, psych, ncis (i know dont @ me), and also wings of fire but in kind of a weird fictive way sometimes. (technically speaking i am a fictive of qibli but i just call myself fictionkin cause it seems… more accurate, if less precise. something something integration idk. i probably wouldnt even mention it but since im openly plural here i get to make fictive jokes so i may as well explain that now.)

okay this was supposed to be a temporary intro post but i rambled a lot so i guess ill probably just keep it for a while im working on a listography though so hopefully ill add the link to that soon

edit: i made a page on my blog thats sort of like a guide to my tagging system, its more for my own benefit but if youre looking for something or need to know what to blacklist it could be useful?

second edit: i finished my listography! or like got it presentable anyways i didnt “finish” it bc im gonna have to update it + stuff but its at a point where you can look at it and learn things about me in a way that is much more pleasant than just looking at this post. this post sucks. i will hopefully also be replacing this post shortly lmao

[emilykinncy]

Normily My Caffeine Withdrawal Podcast episode (transcript of certain parts)

EK intro: I first met Norman Reedus working on The Walking Dead of course. Over the course of my four seasons on our show, I got to know Norman better and better and we became good friends. And in a sort of interesting parallel, our characters storylines also became more intertwined within the show. Norman is so special, he seems to have endless amounts of creative energy that I find incredibly inspiring. He also has great taste in music and coffee which makes him a perfect guest for this podcast. Welcome back to My Caffeine Withdrawal, I am so incredibly excited to share this episode with all of you today. Norman has so many fans and I know this to be true because everyday someone in my life or someone on social media asks me ‘hey, how was it working with Norman? What is Norman Reedus like?’ Well, now today you guys are going to get to know Norman in the same way that I know Norman! We talk about how Norman got into acting and when and why he moved to California, as well as what his life was like as an artist first starting out in Los Angeles. We talk about a book he’s been writing! And he tells a lot of great stories! But first, Norman explained his current coffee setup situation and how he’s currently weathering the quarantine from Costa Rica. 

This gets long so putting it behind a cut!

I put a timestamp of where each segment starts at the end of them! 

NR: Hi Emily!

EK: Hi!

NR: I just set this up cause I’ve been listening to your podcast which I really like and I know it’s heavy on the coffee so I brought my coffee setup down the mountain in my backpack on the motorcycle and this is my coffee jam here (I’m not 100% sure of the last 2 words) so, this is what I do. You ready?

EK: Yes!

*NR shows her & describes his coffee process*

EK: What was the thing um, on Instagram, you posted this picture of a hummingbird, that was crazy! What made you post that?

NR: It’s this person that I’ve become friends with, they only try to post positive things…*he explains more about the person & post* (starts at 6:08)

EK: You wanna hear something kind of crazy about the hummingbird thing? I don’t know if you know this about me but I’ve definitely gotten more like spiritual…but like *Emily giggle* this is gonna sound crazy and I don’t even usually talk about this stuff, but I sort of have this sign of when I’m like guided where I’m supposed to go, and my sign has been a hummingbird. And you had text me and I randomly looked at your Instagram and saw—

NR: Wow

EK: —It definitely was like one of those where like ‘go there’, maybe it was just if there is a god or whatever just being like ‘oh nice, connect with your friend, you know, like connect with Norman…’

NR: I actually believe all that. When I texted you I was having breakfast at this place by the beach, the lady that makes the honey, by her place. And I was listening to your podcast with Lennie. And I had already heard Lauren’s and I was listening to Lennie’s, and at the end of it you were like ‘you know what I hope during Covid everyone can reach out to a friend’ and I was like ‘I’m just gonna text her’ so I texted you at that moment. I have the same thing with a bird like my dad, before my dad died he was always talking about cardinals, those red cardinals. So everytime I see a cardinal I think the same thing. And then the night before, Danai called me out of nowhere. I hadn’t spoken to Danai in forever. And she’s like ’what are you doing?’ and I’m like ‘I’m sitting on my patio with all the lights off…’ and there was a meteor shower, it was called like the Gideon meteor shower, this huge meteor shower that happened. And I saw 21 shooting stars before I went to bed. I pay attention to all that shit—

EK: Yeah

NR: 21! And I was like talking to her I’m like ‘there’s 11! There’s 12!’ and it just kept going. I believe all that stuff.

EK: I grew up Catholic so I kind of, like…religion in general felt sort of overwhelming even though prayer and stuff like that came naturally to me and then just over like the last like 5 or 6 years or so I’ve like really embraced it where I’m sort of like ‘yep, I think these things are happening, I have little signs that tell me like where to go…’. I guess I don’t really talk about it with people much but it’s just, like I read about it and stuff. Yeah.

NR: I believe it, I believe all of them. I’m not really religious but I believe all those signs all the time. I see little signs in everything, yeah.

EK: Yeah! (starts at 9:38) 

--

EK: That sounds like you’ve had a very productive quarantine, or whatever this corona-pocalypse quarantine time.

NR: I’m not good with sitting still, you know what I mean, so I’m always doing something.

EK: Yeah! Yeah. I mean that’s one thing, when I was thinking about—when I was around you more working on the show, was that you were always…like you know sitting down to dinner and then like noticing this saltshaker and this fork should be next to each other in a certain way and then you can take a picture. You know what I mean, like I remember that about you like always making something, I guess. Or looking for the art in it or the picture. Or, you know, which um—

NR: it’s ADD or something I dunno what…

EK: I admired it because I feel like I can be so slow. Like, I love making stuff but I can sort of like piece it together over weeks  and then I finally do—like in my head somehow, like I’m more of like a turtle! You know just like—

NR: Yeah but you make music! I mean, we all wish we could write songs and perform songs. You know, you make music. We all wish we were musicians, you know what I’m saying, so. (starts at 18:18)

--

EK: I remember you telling me a story of how you got an agent by like going to a party and then someone said ‘do you want to be in a play?’ and then you were the understudy and then the guy just happened to have to call out so then you were in the play, you didn’t have to be the understudy and then an agent—and that’s how it all started with acting, um, *laughs* did I just tell your story for you?!

NR: You’re right. No, no you’re exactly right. That’s exactly what happened. (starts at 26:08)

--

NR: I actually made an album, a music album

EK: You did?!

NR: Yeah

EK: Oh, that’s—you wrote all the songs and stuff? Or did you—

NR: I didn’t write any of it. And I didn’t really sing it, it’s more of a spoken word thing

EK: Yeah!

NR *tells story about how this came about, which involves an igloo*

EK: Wait, why were you in an igloo in Switzerland?! *laughs*

NR *tells more of the story…it’s long ok I don’t wanna transcribe it sdhfhsfh*

EK: Yeah I wanna hear your album! I mean…

NR: It’s out—

EK: It is?!

NR: It played…it did pretty well in France, it was on the radio and shit

EK: Yeah, will you email it to me or something, so I can…

NR: I will. Yeah yeah.

EK: I also wanted to make sure today to get some of your music picks because I remember back when we were on the show you always gave me the best music, like stuff that I hadn’t heard. I don’t know if if it’s just like because of your friends in New York or like maybe you’re a little bit older than me so you know different bands than I do. But, I remember like Dinosaur Jr., you like introducing me to Dinosaur Jr. Like I didn’t really know Dinosaur Jr. before you

NR: That’s crazy that you don’t know Dinosaur Jr. then (? I really can’t tell for sure that last word he says)

EK: I know! I think I might have pretended that I kind of I knew but like you introduced me for sure and I like totally dove in. But yeah during this quarantine, what have you been listening to?

NR: *lists some bands* Sean Lennon’s band that he made with Les Claypool is really good. He was on Ride with me.

EK: Oh, he was?! I’ve only see—I haven’t seen all the episodes of that, I’ve only seen, um, a few of them (adsdfdjf don’t lie Emily it’s probably actually 0 but we all understand babe) (starts at 35:10)

--

EK: It was so fun to talk to you today

NR: Yeah I miss you! I miss you, it’s good to see you and hear you.

EK: I miss you too, I’m going to check out that sock method…although I think it’s just pour over it’s just with a special…reusable—

NR: Yeah, a dirty sock

EK: Yeah, but something about it, yeah….*both laugh* Thank you for being on here, it feels so good to like chat with you

NR: Yeah, I miss you it’s good to hear your voice

EK: I miss you too, yeah. *she starts talking about twd & the connection with everyone etc* (starts at 41:36)

NR: *after he mentions everyone from the cast he’s still in touch with* You get these friendships with people and it becomes a big part of your life, your friends on the show, so. I’m glad I’m talking to you

EK: Yeah, I’m glad I’m talking to you too. (starts at 44:03)

From Emily’s end blurb: I hope you guys enjoyed Norman and I’s little catch up call over Zoom, I hope that you learned something new about Norman you didn’t know before. You know, Norman and I really hadn’t connected much over the last couple years (we all know this Emily and we pretty much all know why lol) we’ve just been on sort of different paths (yeah, that’s a way to put it I guess haha) but again and again I’m finding that one of the blessings of this time, being stuck at home, is remembering and reconnecting with people I care about and people that care about me. Maybe you have a friend you used to work with that you haven’t caught up with for a while and now you’ll feel inspired to send them a little text saying hello.

(How do they literally have chemistry on a *podcast* okay bye I’m going to go fly into the sun now)

[oh-boy-me]

hi, you mentioned Japanese was your third language, could you share some tips and ways you learnt it? I’ve been meaning to learn some Japanese but I just can’t figure out how to get started. Thanks ^^

Oh yeah of course!!  I’m always happy help out in that regard :)

On top of all of this, I have to lead with the fact that guidance from a teacher or tutor of some kind is always good, so if you have access to that I do highly encourage it.  I know it’s very hard though, especially if you’re still in the West at a time like this.

First things’s first

You might remember hearing about things like “auditory learning” and “visual learning” and then never thinking about them again.  They’re actually really important for the path you take when learning a language.  I had a really hard time remembering the materials I read, for example, but the ones I heard and practiced in class were much easier.

The four types, to get rid of their technical names and make them more obvious, are seeing, hearing, reading, and hands-on approaches.

People who learn though seeing will benefit from manga or watching children's shows, while those who learn best through hearing will get more help from podcasts or traditional lectures.  If you learn by reading, taking notes and reading texts will help (although you should take notes regardless lol).  And if you do best hands-on, you'll want to multitask, whether it's doing something unrelated while reviewing, or using a task or goal to practice.

You aren't limited to, and shouldn't limit yourself to, resources that fit your learning type best, but when you're finding yourself stuck it's useful to have an idea of how you'll most easily be able to push forward.  Language has two main element pairs—reading/writing and speaking/listening—and while you'll want to get used to everything, it's fine to focus on one or the other at first, especially with pictorial languages like Japanese.�� If you find yourself reading a lot, kanji will be a more immediate concern, but if you're focused on speaking you won't need to worry about it for a while.  The opposite is true for tone-indicating particles like ne or deshou.

Anyway, with that in mind, you'll be able to fine tune your experience, but here are some overarching tips that should apply no matter what kind of learner you are. 

Getting Started

It's obvious once you get started, but you want to master hiragana before you even begin to think about katakana or kanji.  You can use hiragana In any situation, technically, and you'll want to be able to look back at your notes and be able to pronounce them later.

On a similar note, it's much more important to be able to read kanji than to be able to write it.

As soon as you can, stop using the Latin alphabet to label pronunciation.  It'll help you with your hiragana, and the further you detach your Japanese from your English, the better.

What I mean by that last sentence is, Japanese and English are different languages, so if you try to think of everything with a one-to-one relationship to English, you'll find yourself getting stuck very often.  Sometimes things won't work the way they do in English, and "that's just how it is" is going to be the most helpful answer.  (Which is why practicing in any way you can is really important).

Be active in your learning!  Don't just "get the gist of it", really dig into the sentences you read or hear to make sure you're picking up on everything that’s being said.

When I get something wrong, I find it useful to figure out what it is I accidentally said or wrote (for example, instead of watashi no saifu [my wallet] watashi wa saifu [I am a wallet]).  It helps me remember to not make the same mistake later.

Above all else, keep it fun for yourself!  If you hate your book, there's probably a better one out there.  Learn songs.  Play games.  You're more likely to remember things if you actually care about the information, so give yourself something to care about.

Reading/Writing

For learning any alphabet, hiragana and katakana included, watching YouTube videos will help you best see how to naturally write it.

LingoDeer is actually pretty good for the Japanese syllabaries too, so that's also an option.

Children's books, slice-of-life manga, news articles, and video games without timed text are some of my favorite ways to practice reading.

For writing, journaling is usually pretty fun, and of course if you're up for it you can always find a study buddy or a pen pal to write back and forth with.

The important thing is to stay on your level and not overwhelm yourself with things you don't know yet, especially with writing.  You're going to sound like a preschooler for a little while, and that's fine.

Periodically test yourself on groups of kanji to make sure you're retaining them.

Unfortunately, Japanese can be really picky about its writing (look at 未 [not yet] and 末 [end], or わ [wa] and れ [re], for example), so it's important to keep close track of it and practice a lot so that your muscle memory can start to take over.

Speaking/Listening

The absolute best option is to go to Japan, since that will force you to practice, but assuming that's not going to happen (lol) and you're working on your own, children's cartoons, songs of all kinds, and YouTube videos are going to be your best friends.

Repeat everything you hear to get used to saying it!  Repeat prompt questions before answering them, and while you don't need to parrot literally everything in a video, if something catches your ear or is being heavily emphasized, give it a whirl.

Tsu and r are the sounds that are noticeably different from English, so you want to get used to those.  U and f are technically different too, but you can get away with using their English equivalents.

If you find yourself getting bored in your spare time, try to talk to yourself in Japanese, whether it's narrating what you're going to do tomorrow or answering imaginary interviews for when you inevitably become famous.  Even if you get stuck, it's one of the most natural way to practice verbal sentence building.

Resources

LingoDeer is an app with some free lessons on top of a subscription service for the full package.  In terms of languages like Japanese and Chinese, it feels a little more natural to get started with than Duolingo.

That said, Duolingo is free and very useful.

Maggie Sensei, HiNative, and Japanese Language Stack Exchange are great for explaining grammar points.  Keep in mind that the latter two are forums, so you should check to make sure people aren't disagreeing with an answer.

Jisho is a useful dictionary for both standard Japanese and slang!  Just be sure the words are breaking up where they should, because Jisho always takes the first option it sees.  Isolate parts of a sentence if you think other kanji or particles are getting in the way.

It won't work for everyone, but I have this book called Remembering the Kanji by James Heisig that's proved helpful for me.  You can find all of the introduction and part one for free here.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

It's so nice to see someone from the GG fandom who likes Vanessa! It's a shame she didn't have a storyline that was only hers (she was always only a prop on someone else's). I really wanted her and Blair to become friends because I think they are a weirdly good match. They could've bonded trough their love of art and even have been roommates on s3. I would love if you could throw some headcanons about that relationship, but feel free to use this ask just to say nice things about Vanessa.

oh agreed with you re: vanessa never having her own storyline! i remember seeing someone on here mention that after a while - specifically in s4 - they stopped viewing vanessa as a character and saw her as a plot device, which is why she was always conveniently in the right place at the right time eavesdropping on people. it’s incredibly depressing.

i loved the fact that vanessa was such a radical marxist (she’s never used these words for herself that i remember, but those are her vibes.) it was so refreshing in like... this gloomy complicated WASPy environment where everyone was so obsessed with class and reputation

this meta does a better job at explaining it than i ever can

vanessa was just: badass, confident, outspoken, unashamed & unapologetic of being who she was, intelligent, cynical but also a ray of light. this remains one of my favourite caps of her. look at her smile!

i wish vanessa had gotten to make films and stuff - we saw a lot of dan’s creative success, i wish we’d gotten that much focus on vanessa. 

one of my.. headcanons... i think i was gonna write fic about this, even, is that vanessa makes a documentary starring nate. they’re both joking around and just doing it for the lols, but it actually blows up, and ... nate & vanessa being nate & vanessa, the documentary isn’t superficial at all. 

obviously, vanessa doesn’t need nate to be successful though, i just really loved nate x vanessa and am incredibly self-indulgent

vanessa & dan should’ve started a podcast together in college!!! 

also yeah, i do think vanessa had character flaws, but everyone on this show is morally skewed one way or the other, and i wish her storyline had been better + i wish her flaws had been handled more gently, if that makes sense to say.

i also wish we’d gotten to see vanessa’s sister ruby + her lesbian punk band + her apartment, where vanessa also lived. i’m so curious about like.... how vanessa would decorate her room in her house, etc etc.

more under the cut (because this got SO long!)

re: her relationship with blair:

i feel the same as you abt that! i was talking to solange about this and apparently all of that ...happened? in the books??? blair & vanessa did become best friends and roommates. i love them being best friends -i’m not going to say too much about my platonic headcanons for these 2, because it’s kind of central to my s3 dair AU, which i’m writing right now! there’s going to be so much vanessa, istg.

i found this response by accident about the show being shitty to her, and i think “mix of racism and laziness” on part of the writers hits the nail on the head. 

i wish blair & vanessa had become friends in s2 over rescuing nate from that duchess. i find it really annoying that dan & blair could become friends due to their mutual love for serena, but blair & vanessa couldn’t become friends from their mutual love for nate?? that’s the tv storyline we were robbed of, seriously. 

i got distracted & started talking about my vanessa ships, so take that, too:

i actually highkey ship blair/vanessa either as much as i ship dair, or more. this post ​does a pretty good job at explaining it. my tags on this post basically say “the dair dynamic minus all the melancholy” --> i love dan, but he tends to stew in sad feelings a lot of the time, and neither blair nor vanessa does that, so i think blairnessa as a relationship would be MUCH less angsty than dair was at initial stages. 

serenessa is such a good ship too. i was telling nads, “serenessa photojournalists who travel around the world AU lives in my head rent free.” i think serena & vanessa both have like.. a very free spirit thing going for them, and i feel that neither of them would be happy doing the standard ‘get married, raise kids, white picket fence’ future kind of thing (which, well, dan and nate probably would. which is why i think they should get married to each other.)

i liked early season natessa, before things got weird. nate & vanessa genuinely supported each other + believed in each other + learnt things from each other and grew as people from it. nate encouraged her to write her SATs and give college a shot, and during most of nate’s s2 arc w/ his grandfather, vanessa was the only person who TRULY believed in him and believed that nate could break out from the influence of his family.

i wrote nate & vanessa on their first date from vanessa’s POV if that’s something you’re interested in reading.

i’m also... pretty sure this wasn’t deliberate, but the way that matthew settle & jessica szhor played rufus and vanessa gave me weirdly intense romantic vibes? vanessa always has the brightest & biggest smiles for rufus, and rufus is considerate and caring and respectful to vanessa much more than dan, her actual best friend, is. 

i wrote this fic abt vanessa dealing w/ guilt over having a crush on rufus, and talking to nate about it, which was an interesting thing to write, lmao. 

even keeping that aside, i think it’s interesting that vanessa was better friends with rufus than she was with dan!! i regard it mostly the same way i regard lily being a better mother to chuck than to serena & eric - “lmao, what is this show. how tragic and awful but also how hilarious.” 

[painted-crow]

Snake vs Bird secondary?

This is a submission, so it's formatted a little differently. My line notes will look like this. Let me know if this is hard to read for anyone. -Paint

Just to get it out of the way, I'm a snake primary.

Secondaries:

The ones I'm not:

-I think badger secondary skillset is kind of cool, but rather than something that comes naturally it's something I'll occasionally make the conscious decisions to use, and the *value* set that goes with it is not me at all (use all the shortcuts! Minimize hard work as much as possible! Flit from project to project!)

Yep, not you. Cool beans. Might be a performance since you do turn it on? Up to you whether you care about that.

- occasionally, when trapped with no way out, I'll do a lion style "charge in". It feels like the desperate act of a feral animal, not my natural preferred style. Can't manage to make anything else work, charge in, worse thing that happens is we all die. Also re lion I do occasionally consciously fake it, like, I used to have a reputation as the blunt one who couldn't lie and despite being perfectly fine with lying I'd lean into it, having people think you don't lie is handy. I used to be the person appointed by unspoken group consensus to say the things that needed to be said but weren't socially acceptable, that kind of thing. But I'm not a lion primary (I honestly tend to feel slightly queasy reading lion descriptions, although I do have lions I admire)

Oh gosh, this bit is so Snakey. It's SO SNAKEY. Lol

(On the second pass, it almost seems like you're seeing others' opinions of you as a resource you can use...)

So now... Snake vs Bird secondary:

* I can't tell what the system is even talking about when it talks about collecting information because its useful or not. No, I don't waste my time on totally useless trivia.

It's less that you'd seek out random trivia, and more that some of your interests are maybe not super practical.

I was really into natural planted aquariums for a few years, and I thought they were really cool as an exercise in botany, chemistry, biology, aesthetics, and building a tiny ecosystem.

Is this knowledge ever going to be useful? Well, no, definitely not maybe some of the stuff I learned about what plants look like with various nutritional deficiencies...

Some Birds will focus entirely on their more impractical interests, others won't have any and their skills will all seem kind of utilitarian--but they will have picked them up out of interest, even if they really value their utility. I know a lot about computers and programming, and I picked that up partly because it's so useful, but I couldn't have gotten as far with it as I have if it didn't interest me.

On the other hand, I learn languages for fun, even if I don't have anyone around to use them on. Languages are just inherently useful. And I'm a writer, so like, pretty much everything is useful eventually, right?

I'm a writer too so I know what you're talking about, and this is a more solid justification than the example I gave above, but uh... this is a real good blanket rationalization xD

I read as much history as I can because it all goes into a big subconscious churn to make me have a better understanding of human nature.

This is very Birdy. I do something similar, but it's more psychology focused.

Does knowing why I pursue knowledge make it a model?

Nah. Knowing why they value something would just make a Bird value it more. Also, we're really likely to analyze why we like stuff, because analysis is kind of our jam.

If so, that's so deeply strange to me I guess I'm not a bird?

Right now I'm thinking you're a Snake with a strong Bird model. You seem reluctant to identify with it, whereas the Snakey traits you talked about in your "I'm not a Lion" section, you described with a kind of trickstery playfulness and I think you see them as more "you." With Bird you're almost defensive, like you're trying to assure me you're not boring and stuffy xD

But your Bird model seems strong. I think you'd be able to rely on it if your Snake ever Burned. That's a good thing.

* I never know what to answer on the "going in with plans" question of the quiz. I always have a few plans in advance, and they always have several blank spots marked "adjust based on what's happening". I can't imagine not having plans, it gives me anxiety, I can't imagine being too rigid about the plans, it gives me anxiety.

Yep, this still vibes as Snake with strong Bird model.

* I like to research and prepare in advance as much as possible. I was researching college majors when I was 12. I read all the choosing your career books, spent summers interning, and interviewed people about their jobs so I could feel safe choosing. I spent three years reading books and listening to podcasts about parenting before having my first kid so I'd know what I was doing (similarly, I spent years before marriage reading marriage therapy books and relationship skill books).

Oh hell, just @ me next time. This is more full of Bird shit than the windshield of a car that's been parked under a tree for the last 3 years.

And then, after doing as much research as possible, there's ALWAYS the moment when you have to say "screw it" and jump in blind as a bat anyway. That's just life. It's completely impossible in the actual moment to follow a plan, the plan always disintegrates at first contact with the "enemy" (but the process of making the plan, backup plan, and additional backup plan is important.)

There's that Snake again. I really wish I could do this. It'd be super useful.

It's starting to sound like your Snake is supporting your Bird rather than the other way around, which is surprising me. I was expecting you to start convincing me you were a Snake around about now, but you're doubling down on the Bird.

* there's a distinct feeling of 'turning on' my hyperawareness of my surroundings and ability to respond. Like, let's say I drift through life *highly* distracted by what's going on in my head.

Moooood.

But if I'm at a job interview, or giving a speech, or having an important social interaction, there's this sort of clear quiet feeling where I'm just trying to sense the room and respond on instinct. It sure feels like this might be what snake descriptions are describing, but it's only on sometimes.

That's how models work, or how they can work. I can see why you're confused.

* honestly reading snake description feels vaguely "aspirational" rather than "yeah, that's me" because I simply don't have confidence that I'm THAT good at grabbing opportunities or responding to chances. In the moment I can fatally hesitate for the crucial two seconds...

Also a model thing. You value it over your actual secondary, which explains why you want to identify with it more. I do this with my Badger model sometimes.

Actually, thinking about it, I essentially feel split. I feel I am both. I feel like my brain can be in plan mode or response mode. It cannot do both simultaneously, I need both modes, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to figure out which is one is my "type" ie more essentially "me". Response mode is more "natural", ie instinctive, when in use. Planning mode comes more easily, feels more comfortable, but of course that's because the inherent nature of planning mode is to happen in the safe spots, you don't plan mid-interview because that's when you're in "danger" and need to "respond".

You're taking your Bird for granted. A lot of people find planning REALLY stressful, and actually feel more comfortable in the moment. Or they like the slight feeling of danger.

Our society holds Bird up as "this is what intelligence looks like" and tells us we should all be that way. (It does this with Badger a lot too.) The result is that people who are good at it don't realize that it's not universal--and they think that seeing it as something particular to them is arrogant.

Effectively, it becomes invisible. We take it for granted and identify it by its weird quirks rather than its actual structure, which we've been taught is something everyone should be able to use easily.

Improvisational secondaries are going to feel more instinctive, almost by definition.

I don't know, I'm beginning to feel like I fundamentally don't grok either one or both of these secondaries and hence am so confused..

I think you're using Snake to support your Bird more than the other way around. You're more comfortable with Bird, and it's most of what you've focused on in writing this. So, after reading all of this, I think you're a Bird with a loud Snake model.

But if that doesn't jam well with you, you could just say "I have two secondaries." Traditional? No. But go ahead. If you feel like that's the truest description of you, then it probably is. Labels describe, they don't define. If it changes later, that's okay too.

Thanks for your question!

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 5 Episode 2 Recap: It’s Group B Time, let’s meet them! (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello my fellow Masked Singer fanatics! Welcome (or welcome back) to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana (nice to virtually meet you btw), recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. Here we are again with season 5, but this time another group, Group B, which consist of Black Swan 🖤🦢, Piglet 🐷, Chameleon 🦎, Grandpa Monster 👹 👴, and Phoenix 🦜.

So, let’s begin with the first eliminated contestant of Group B:

The first eliminated contestant was:

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Phoenix 🦜

Commentary: Ok, so this wasn’t surprising whatsoever, she sang Tik Tok by Kesha and you can obviously tell that she isn’t a singer at all. Like idk how else to explain it to you guys, but I guess she was talk singing... kind of like Wendy/the lips last season... so it was kind of easy the moment she opened her mouth to start singing to recognize immediately who it was...

Having said that, she was revealed to be (as I knew, this one wasn’t hard)...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Caitlyn Jenner

Hehe I knew it! Again, like Wendy Williams aka the lips, this was way too obvious. She already walked around Hollywood Blvd with the Don’t Talk to me hoodie on so I knew she was going to be on the show but the min I saw Phoenix, the clues, and the moment she opened her mouth, I was so certain it was Caitlyn. No, I am not a big Kardashian/Jenner fan tbh but I used to watch the show way back when.... like in 2016? I am not sure, but I recognized her voice immediately.

Now onto my guesses for the remaining 4:

1. Black Swan 🦢🖤

Commentary: So she sang Barracuda by Heart and damn, she got a strong voice! It’s a really amazing voice, even though the song choice wasn’t my favorite, because it didn’t suit her voice completely and showcase her range, but she was badass (can I say that? Whatever, this is my show, I’ll say it, it’s not THAT bad of a word) tbh. In certain parts, she was like screaming a lot and I was like um maybe this isn’t her best song choice but her voice is amazing! She gives me Seahorse mixed with Flamingo vibes, I love her!

I think she is singer extraordinaire:

Jojo (not Siwa but we have another Jojo on our hands)

Reasoning/Clues: there are so many clues that match but her voice is the main thing that clicked for me that it was her, but let’s look at those clues so you can get the picture:

Wanted Poster with RV highlighted= she appeared in the movie RV with Robin Williams

She talks about being trapped and someone else’s prey and then getting out of it= she was trapped in her record label & there was controversy surrounding it and she had to sue her label for not releasing her music

A 5 on a watch= she toured with 5th harmony and has released 5 albums

Cluedledoo (Rooster) clue= she covered a monster= she covered one of T-Pain aka the Monster from season 1’s songs

2. Piglet 🐷

Commentary: He was my favorite of the night with his rendition of Speechless by Dan + Shay! You guys know if you have seen my recaps in season 3 (or even last week with Robopine) that I have a soft spot for a guy who has a super silky voice, like either boy band type or R&B smooth af kinda vibe (i.e. Fox in season 2, Turtle in season 3, Robopine in season 5).... or should I say any guy who can falsetto and Piglet is giving me those boy band smooth vibes, I love it so much! His voice is soooo familiar I am so sure about this one by the way.

My guess and I am so sure of this is:

Nick Lachey

Reasoning/Clues: This one I recognized immediately, the voice was really easy to figure out, but these clues also are pretty convincing (oh and he was on Ken’s show, I Can See Your Voice, so it’s not surprising that he would be on this show):

The clue package had a dating show vibe = reminiscent of Love is Blind, the Netflix dating show he hosts with his wife Vanessa

The world saw his heart break= he had a very public relationship with his ex-wife Jessica Simpson and they even had a reality show together called Newlyweds

Cluedle-doo clue: “knows how to stay cool even in the heat”= referring to his past aka his boy band 98 degrees (get it? Because that’s the heat and they are cool because they are a boy band... well played Masked Singer well played... I wanna meet whoever makes these clues because they are great with puns and they seem super clever)

3. Chameleon 🦎

Commentary: Chameleon surprised me I am not gonna lie. I thought he was going to be another athlete like Whatchamacallit last season or White Tiger from season 3 because he was so tall but nope he surprised me with his rendition of Ride with Me by Nelly. He seems like a legit rapper and I liked him a lot than I thought I would honestly so this guess isn’t totally out of left field.

My guess is that this is...

Wiz Khalifa

Reasoning/Clues: so yeah, the voice and the height kinda gave it away to me (Wiz is 6 foot 4 inches and his body type matches the chameleon), but also yeah clues I have to give you guys some logic bombs instead of being like eh that voice and height BOOM WIZ KHALIFA... yeah no it doesn’t work like that, so here are the logic bombs hehe:

Dice with 2 and 3 on it= he did a song with Miley Cyrus called 23

007 clue= he has a song called (yes this is real, look it up) James Bong (omg I am trying not to laugh while typing this but whatttt?! Google really is a gem omg 😳😂) and he played James Bond in the music video

His love of technology & “put tech in technicolor”= apparently, the guy is a huge tech geek and has said it in a lot of interviews (wow humans are so complex and cool, I would have never thought that this man is a tech savvy guy... but the more you know I guess <P.S. I Googled half of these things... like idk this off the top of my head duh, I usually go by voice with my guesses and then I google the clues>)

4. Grandpa Monster

Commentary: He sang Mambo No. 5 and yeah it’s a basic choice for a song, but I liked it. He is not my favorite by any means and now that I listen to it again, I can only hear this person and I am not a fan of him like whatsoever (even tho I gotta acknowledge he has changed and I have *I KNOW... I HATE ME TOO* agreed with stuff he has said in his podcast un ironically.... yeah I am so sorry, I hate myself for saying this too... anyways let’s just get to the person I mean

I have a sneaking suspicion that it is (unfortunately):

Logan Paul

Reasoning/Clues: Yup, um... I really hope I am wrong but honestly ever since someone said it in the YouTube comments section of his performance, I can’t un hear it and I am shook honestly (at least it’s not his brother... I mean we can get worse, and he has respected the pandemic and not been a prick like his *cough* brother *cough*... just saying.. oh and if you don’t know what I am talking about or who this is, he’s a YouTuber who got into some um controversy because he filmed a dead body in 2018 so there’s that... oh and his brother has done a billion worse things than him, but you can Google that one if you are interested in finding out more because it’s too much for me to talk about and we are not even talking about Jake (that’s the brother))... Anyways, sorry, I ramble, but ugh the clues seem convincing and it irks me that it is because I am not a fan of neither of these guys and I don’t want them in the show but whatever I guess he’s the lesser of 2 evils:

He was a troublemaking fool as a youngster= yeah probably regarding that suicide forest video a couple of years ago (that ok, lemme give him credit, he has apologized for it and has kind of proven himself... yuck I hate saying that, I am NOT defending him I swear)

Acting out for all eyes on me= he used to be very well known for pranks on his channel back in the day (before the incident) and he did some stupid stuff for clout lemme tell ya (I never liked these guys, like ever, I thought they were weird.... not my demographic I guess, I wasn’t 12 nor a boy)

6 in Xs and Os like football plays = he did play football 🏈 in high school, he was so good that and actually attributes playing football for long term brain damage he has that makes him as the Wikipedia article says it (I am legit gonna quote what it says because I thought it was fascinating) “affects his ability to have empathy and a human connection with others.” (Mind you, he himself claimed this according to this article)

“Acting out”= he has acted in a few things before and starred in The Thinning

Web with the shooting star= he is a web star, get it? YouTube... web star... hehe again these clue writers are *chef’s kiss*

Cluedle-doo clue: he has trained for battle= now his new thing is boxing and he has trained for actual fights before, his first one being against British YouTuber KSI which he lost... oh and I almost forgot, how can I forget this cute little detail.... he is set to fight Floyd Mayweather this summer apparently... OH AND DID I MENTION HE IS MAKING 5 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THIS DEAL?! He’s winning either way with this fight like damn... but that wasn’t part of it, I just thought it was trippy... again I say, Google is a gem, u find some interesting reads

Ok so that’s it (what a great note to end on lol)! I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry for it being so long and taking so much time to do.. it’s been a crazy last couple of days! I will try to get the next one this upcoming weekend so I’ll see you guys then. (Ohhh btw I now live tweet the show on my Twitter- @photolover82 so if you want to follow me on there and live tweet with me, that can be fun!) Bye guys and don’t forget to like, comment, and do all the social media-y things, you know the drill!

[lighthausen]

It’s the final tma liveblog everyone… for mag200 last words… IT’S FINALLY HERE (and loaded lol. I’m really impressed they got their servers okay that quick!)… and 25 minutes… oh my god… how are they gonna do this

Let’s go. Below the cut.

Thank you Alex <3

Oh yay cast and crew!

I hope i enjoy it too

Love you

Oh intro song

Here we go here we go

How can they do this in 25 minutes???

Oh the way he says Last Words… hh

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

*tape recorder click*

Oh hey it’s jonah

OH 

CEASELESS WATCHER

Uhhh?

Release him!?

OHHH

OH??

Is he dead? 

WHAT

!

What’s going on?

It is over

Where is Martin?

Wh

WhEREs martin???

Not even fear…

But. where’s Martin??

Ohhhh his voice

Oh my god

Burn it out

Lifeless?!

Wait? whAT?

OHHH HE DERAILED THE PLAN

HE DERAILED THE PLAN

Not for much longer

Can they fear their own ends

Oh he’s trying

HYESL

KILL HIM

GET HIM

FOR SASHA FOR TIM FOR GERTRUDE

No one escapes the end!!!

Yeahh!

What’s he killing him with??

Eugh

??

Wha?

Who’s that?

What? W hat’s happening?????

OHHHH NO

OHHH HE’S BECOMING THE PUPIL

NOooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH GOD

NO!! NO NONO!!

Oh?

Is… he ok? 

Oh

“Thank you” aw

What’s…..

Once upon a time?

Oh!

Fear of the End!

Ooooo love the soundscaping!!!

Feel more?

Be more ooooh

Ah here comes the Dark!!!

The thing that was fear!

Inch by inch…

Ohh fun!

Love this origin story!

Fire!

And sky!

(Oh no what if Martin has to kill him now)

Oh communication

Crack??

Oh! Oh! It can’t see itself? Oh never whole

That’s… kinda sad????????????

New dreads

 corruption, buried, vast 

Yaaah

Oh the Web! 

Slaughter!!

More and more! 

Some didn’t recoil?

Oh. Court them…

Very fun!

Whispering… 

Smooth and shifting. Interesting

Oh! The veil between torn!!!!!

Oh so the fears exist but they’re not… there yet until now!

Watched and watched

Ohh

Greed. Oooh. 

Oh no! Not Capitalism!!

Til they were one or the same?? Hm..

They needed it…

Sing. Ooh. 

Oooh soundscaping so good

The spider!!!! :)

Threads! Webs! OOoh.. Nerves… give her a brain

Oh is that a spinning wheel? Fun!!

The web doesn’t like to explain. Interesting

Escape… escape into other realities itself

The Eye, the most unwise.. It doesn’t understand the knowledge

A grander web! Neat!

Find its escape?

Apotheosis??

Climax

*pause* i’m thinking about the whole trolley problem “Jon gets in the trolley and floors it” that’s still so funny. Love that. 

Hey while we’re here… like. What happened outside earth post apocalypse. If anyone was in space are they also sucked into the fearscape or?

Anyway it looks like he’s done with that statement. *unpause*

No it won’t?

It has only found its end

MARTIN

He’s already done it

What’s that

ELIAS

SFDKJLSDFKJDS

Ohhh nooooooooooo

Oh no..

Go tell the others

Oh no…

Oh no…

They’re down there

It’s still him..

It’s done.

Oh. But Martin can hurt him.

We can still be together…

Call off?

If they don’t?

What’s happening????

WH?

What’s happening????????

The pull??

What? What’s 

You can’t see that :(

Can’t protect him?

He’ll die??? 

What?

W??????????

What’s 

Oh god he’s crying

Where you go I go,

Oh no…

Oh god

What? 

Maybe everything works out??

Together…

Oh..

Oh no.

I LOVE YOU

OH god

KISS

NO

OH GOD

Oh shit

It’s done. 

Silent. 

W?

Glass?

Huh. 

Birds in the background

No bodies???

*looks out window*

Probably for the best

OH SIMON

OH my god!?

OH shit people remember!!! OH god people remember!

Did people suddenly die from what’s happening?

WHat happened to the world

Nightlights…

THE ADMIRAL

OH MY GOD THE ADMIRAL IS OK

Tinned tuna

So… the world just snapped back. But the things that happened.

Hey, Fakecrfan, like your fics! Nice job predicting

Turn it off :(

No… 

Don’t go

I’m listening!

Hi!

BYE!!

I’m sorry too

Thank you

Wait good luck.

Good luck about what????

The MAGNUS ARCHIVES WAS A PODCAST

*is.

Oh boy

H

Gotta say, I like the openness of the ending

Oh this is easy to write around

OH look Jon and Martin are in their own little world

Oh look Jon and Martin were found and they’re alive

Very cool. 

Well… That sure was fun!!

Good podcast! Good podcast! Satisfying ending! Loved how Jonah got fucking killed 

I hope the script says “brutal knife murder”

Ohhh the way he begged . how he tried to be all manipulative at first . good shit. 

And the Jon and Martin confrontation

How calm Jon sounded at points…

Wanna know what would happen in an au where he doesn’t tell the others to go.

Wow

Podcast.

Yeah. I can’t see any other way this could have ended. Not really. 

Soundscaping was great. Sounds like the fears… 

I guess I should stop.

I had fun guys. Love you <3

[fanfic-inator795]

What kind of jobs do you think the turtles whould have?

Oooh, this is a fun question! ^v^ I’ll start with the easy ones first and go from there

(warning, this got preeeeetty long, lol)

Mikey: So uhhhhh *casually self-promotes my 2019 Big Bang fic*

Yeahhhh, while he totally still does art and DJing as hobbies/occasion side gigs like if someone wants to commission him or hire him for a party, but I truly believe that his love of cooking combined with the discovery that mutant/yokai restaurants are a thing are enough for him to want to be a professional chef. 

He works at Run of the Mill starting at 13 and stays there till he’s 19. From there, he travels the world, working at restaurants both on the surface and hidden down below, gaining experience/food knowledge/cooking techniques (as well as a bunch of friends and connections) and saving all the cash he can. By the time he returns home, he’s ready to open up his own restaurant - and despite him not being able to afford a huge, fancy place at first, it quickly gains popularity as one of the best places to eat in NYC no matter what you are - yokai, mutant or human!

Donnie: I like to think that he’s eventually able to either enroll in a Hidden City university or take online courses like his 87′ counterpart. Once he has his doctorate (and yeah he makes everyone call him Dr. Donnie for like a week after he gets it. The others don’t mind too much since they know how hard he worked to get it, but again they only do it for a week), he pretty much jumps around on projects, being a ‘freelance scientist’ as it were.

Sometimes he’ll be paid to work at a certain lab on a certain project, other times he’ll just work on inventions or designs for cars/computers/etc. on his own and then try to sell them. As for how successful he is, well... let’s just say he doesn’t have to make Shelldon hack ATMs anymore. 

If he ever decides that he’s tired of being an inventor or just wants to retire early, I could see him doing several things. Being a science teacher is one possibility (he does love explaining stuff), another is going into local theatre and being a minor actor (not as glamorous as the movies, but Splints is still proud), maybe even meeting up with Bullhop and being in a couple of his ballets. 

Or maybe he becomes a science museum curator, or a librarian down in the Mystic Library (oh man he would LOVE that), or a video game designer, or maybe he just gets really world and decides he’s going to go all Evil Mad Scientist for a couple months and try to take over the world, just to see if he could. Honestly, with Donnie, he has the talent to do anything he wanted to.

Raph: While pro-wrestling would probably be the easiest answer, as well as the one that makes the most sense, like with Mikey’s art and DJing I could see that being just a hobby/part-time job rather than a career. Yeah, Raph loves fighting and wrestling, but I feel like if he tried to do that ALL the time he’d burn himself out. Fighting is a fun thrill for him, but where’s the thrill in curbstomping 90% of the human opponents he’d face in the ring? And with how barbaric the Battle Nexus is, that would be out of the question too - he wouldn’t want to be hurt, and he wouldn’t want to seriously hurt or kill anyone else.

Nah, I think whatever career Raph ends up having, it’ll be working with kids. He’s an awesome big brother with a ton of patience, encouragement and enthusiasm, and while his own now-adult brothers don’t always need him, there’s plenty of little yokai and mutant kids that do need someone like that. I could see him being a coach for some little league/junior team, or heck maybe even a gym teacher or martial arts master. He and Buddy/Frankenfoot teach the kiddos how to safely spar, and for those who struggle with physical activity, he gives them easier exercises to do and tells them that the most important thing is to try. 

Another job I could see him having wouldn’t technically be a ‘career’ but I could see Raph doing it with no shame whatsoever: Teddy Bear Town employee (probably the manager). I mean... come on, Raph would freaking LOVE that job. He helps kids pick out the perfect bear/accessories, and he just loves seeing them go home happy. The 10% employee discount is pretty sweet too. Also, you just know that if some entitled parent came in and started being rude to his co-workers or tried to shame kids (”You can’t get that, you’re a boy and that’s for girls!” crap like that), he’d tell them to knock it off or get thrown tf out, no hesitation.

Honestly though, out of all his brothers, Raph is the most into being a ‘hero’ so if having an actual paid job doesn’t work out, he’d probably be pretty content just being a ninja/vigilante and stopping baddies around NYC, usually going solo but occasionally being joined by his bros and April for old time’s sake. A less angsty version of the Nightwatcher, perhaps?

Leo: Hooooo boy, this is definitely a tough one...

This boy loves being the center of attention, so like with Raph you’d think that the obvious choice would be Battle Nexus Fighter, just like his daddy. But uh, even if you ignore the unfortunate implications of what Lou went through while imprisoned there (and how he’d probably be pretty damn against it if Leo tried to make that his career) as well as the dangers in the Nexus, I have a feeling that by the time this season’s over, Leon’s not gonna want anything to do with Big Mama OR her Battle Nexus.

Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of options for Leon. Unlike his brothers, he doesn’t have a ton of hobbies or interests that can translate into a career. He’s good at skateboarding, martial arts and basketball, so if the Hidden City has any pro sports teams he could maybe get into those, but again idk if he’d want to do that full time, even with the adoring fans. He likes sci-fi and Jupiter Jim, so maybe he’d try to be an actor in a sci-fi franchise, buuuut that’s pretty much a pipedream. Splinter was lucky enough to make it big as an actor, but idk if Leo would be that lucky.

So where does that leave our blue boi? ...Honestly, I could kinda see him being a radio personality or a podcaster. The kid’s got a ton of charm and a pretty likable personality, not to mention his wit. On the right format, he could gain fans fast, and all while pretty much doing his own thing. 

He’s also really good at planning/strategizing (’Many Unhappy Returns’, ‘Lair Games’) as well as calming down conflict (as seen a bit in ‘You Got Served’), buuuut idk what jobs those skills could apply to that Leo would also be interested in. So for now, I’m gonna say he alternates between doing radio/podcasts and being a ninja/vigilante alongside Raph. But hey, I’d love to hear suggestions from you guys! ^v^

Aaaaand of course April majors in journalism and eventually becomes an awesome newscaster/investigative reporter ^v^ But hey, that’s a given, heh.

So yeah, those are all my ideas on what jobs the boys could have, should they decide to become members of human/yokai society instead of just being super awesome ninjas of the night and the heroes of NYC. 

[yaboylevi]

What about this chapter did you not like? love your art btw ❤️

Thanks!

Sorry for the wait, I wanted to read the official chapter and wait for a bit to see if my feelings changed (spoiler: they didn't).

It would be way faster to list the few things I enjoyed but alas.

VERY negative opinions under the cut. Seriously, if you liked the chapter, don't read this, I don't want to spoil your fun or upset you. I didn't bother to write this in a respectful tone, it's not an analysis, it's just me venting. That being said, if you guys read this ignoring my warning and get upset, it'll be your fault and responsibility, yeah.

The Annie's father stuff was okay, though I hope it's gonna be explained why he was the only one in Liberio running against the flow of the screaming crowd.

Then we get Reiner being pathetic once again, I am so tired of this. What's his purpose in the story aside from killing people, being a nuisance and or dead weight to others and feeling sorry for himself? I would've appreciated if he had had some introspection on how his rushed plan was partially the cause for Porco's death and Falco's transformation (and all the other deaths bc Zeke would've never screamed in Shiganshina if Reiner hadn't pushed for another attack there). But anyway if he'd had introspection, it would've been about self-pity and NEVER growth because he seems unable to have that, so I would've disliked it anyway. 

If I wasn't already rolling my eyes this hard at Reiner, then I would've started at Gabi. She's all over the place and I guess it's understandable since she is a kid and also deeply shocked and in pain. I understand it. But I don't like how Isayama made her go from despair, to murder instinct, to calm and collected in 2 pages. It's just ???? Then we have the Eren parallel and I groaned out loud. Whatever its meaning is. It's just forced.

One of the things I hated this chapter for and that I'm becoming so annoyed at in general lately, is that EVERYTHING parallels something that has already happened, and I don't understand if Isayama thinks he's being smart or if it has some deeper meaning like "oh see, history repeats itself!! wow!! a concept that is not being repeated ad nauseam in the series, not at all!! /s". I don't need it to be shoved into my face.

Idk. Also Reiner, of course, being safe in a house amongst titan territory...of...course...

Then the 104th scene. Ugh. Jean's delusion is so annoying. One moment he's rational, the other is like "muuuuu ereh is doing this for us!!! we couldn't do anything!!!", then he's rational again. Maybe if they had paid attention to Eren, and didn't only take into consideration stupid ideas that would've never worked for 4 years, maaaybe yeah, this wouldn't be happening. Who knows. I'm just tired of the 104th whining about their situation. I understand where they're coming from, their feelings, etc, I understand it's a crazy and emotional situation and all, but we already have SO MANY CHAPTERS about it, it's time to move on at least with the plot. It's just so pathetic and annoying. It makes me angry how he's basically trying to avoid responsibility or rationalize genocide like all the Eren goat stans in the fandom. I hate this mentality so much. "if they disappear, so will all the hatred! Do we really have to stop him?" JESUS CHRIST JEAN..............yikes

And then of course they (and Isayama) had to ruin chapter 108.

Then Jean also had the guts to say they should kill a kid so they can revive a commander, just bc he's too scared to take the reins of the situation. Again, I understand the struggle, it's the same as Hange afterall, it's just very, very ugly how he didn't even waver. Connie's been acting irrational, and he's been swept up by his anger for a while now, so I understand his development. Plus I find it more relatable to wanting to make a big sacrifice for someone you love, rather than someone you (think you) need. But Jean???? wtf. He doesn't even think back on the sin he was willing to commit, he isn't ashamed.

Armin as well doesn't even care that it's a kid they're talking about, he's only strategizing. And here's another annoying point: he's able to make these calculations now but when it comes to Eren his brain freezes and he becomes a delusional kid. Where were his brains when he had to think up of ways to negotiate with the world? Anyway, I get it, it's because Eren's his childhood friend and family. I am just so tired of seeing this again and again, and again. We've been stuck on this for over a year... Nothing has changed, they're just dejectedly going back and forth on their opinions and feelings. Really goes to show that Eren was the real heart of their group...

Connie flying away from the battlefield, effectively splitting again the povs we need to follow is...big yikes.

Parallel to Trost, parallel to Serumbowl. Yeah wow so interesting.

Nile dying so quick like that was also underwhelming. And it was unnecessarily cruel, imo, that as a titan he tried to kill children when as a person he was so sweet with kids (except with Eren, of course...).

The Gabi-Sasha parallel left me a bit confused. On the one hand, I don't like the killer being paralleled to the murdered. But on the other hand, I understand why that is [/inserts meta that i don't care about writing]. The Kaya-Gabi moments were also cute + Nicolo's little speech was nice, though a bit awkward, imo. I bitterly laughed at Gabi finally admitting that she mindlessly killed people just to be praised. At least she can better herself from now on! If only her cousin could take his self-pity and do something to change himself with it, but no, he just wants to change others or run away (and this is why i don't like reiner anymore).

Shadis saving these ungrateful kids was pretty cool.

I felt bad for Yelena, I want to see more of her (and maybe Mikasa+Louise), but instead, we have Jean vs Floch angst and I'm already sleeping, because I care so little about both of them.

Isayama painting Jean as a cool leader is just embarrassing when moments before he was pathetically whining and trying to kill a child (to which there was no setup, especially comparing it to the setup for Connie's plot thread. The last we saw of Jean with a kid was him wondering if he hesitated in killing the Cart because of Falco 15 chapters ago...and that was a compelling doubt but I guess he hadn't hesitated at the time, after all lol). The pages dedicated to the killing of the titans were boring, occupying space for nothing imo. Glossing over them would've sufficed, there could've just been the Pixis stuff, and it would've been fine. Which, btw, made me laugh a little in retrospect, because Armin is once again involved in the death of a Commander. Oh well.

I also didn't like that mini-flashback with Eren&Pixis. I guess Isayama wants to ruin every single nice moment Eren had with other people, because Eren is soooo so so bad now uwu, for no good reason, and it's only his fault right? people were nice to him and look at how he repaid them uwu. Big yikes for me.

I expected more from that Louise panel because it made me go [EYES EMOJI], but I guess I'll have to wait.

It's also unbelievable that NO ONE IN THE WHOLE STORY has thought of stopping Floch, when last time they arrested him, so technically why would they even leave him running around NOW? It's beyond me. Do they have a brain?

As for the basement conversation with Gabi, I hope that "I won't give up on Falco" panel + Armin looking at Gabi thoughtfully will start a "We can't give up on Eren" mindset for the 104th, but I doubt it's gonna be handled in a non-pathetic way, considering how's been done as of late.

Gabi screaming to talk to Eren was also very embarrassing from a reader pov (well, my pov). Because she was RIGHT THERE when EMA talked last time, and she should know that would most likely not work (I guess she's talking out of desperation but still...ppl be like "yeah!! they should talk to ErEn!1 why didn't they think of it!?!?!" and I mean it's probably gonna come down to that if the final audio is of any indication...I just find the presentation of this concept awkward and forced). 

I really disliked most of Gabi's part, even though she's a character I have learned to enjoy. I guess what shined through in this chapter is exactly what I don't like about how Isayama uses Gabi's character: it seems like she's just there as a fast-paced mini representation of the story themes, so she's just an instrument to the story. Sometimes I feel like she's a real character, sometimes I feel she's just a tool for the story and the themes.

Armin's reaction to hearing about Annie is...I don't know. aruani has been one of my first ships and I used to be obsessed, but this is just awkward and forced, just like the previous aruani scene that made me angry at Armin. I don't even understand if Armin's shocked, scared or happy. All of these don't make sense to me, because I have no clue what he even expects from her.

Annie's release from the crystal happened in an unexpected way which i appreciated, though I would've liked it more if she had decided to get out on her own. But it depends on if she was stuck in there or if she was still willingly escaping from reality. If she was stuck, I will love this a lot more, because basically Eren set her free.

Also, Eren's radio podcast was longer I guess ("Eren said he would undo all the hardening"), and I wonder why we couldn't hear it all. Sigh.

In general, the "theme thread" of the chapter (adults & kids) felt really pushed in our face. I appreciate when things are a bit more subtle, this just came off as...boring, because every scene made me go "well, of fucking course this scene would end like this...". The only tense moment was the Connie part, let's be real.

And yeah, my perception may be also partially because I am so tired of no Eren pov and "eren is the evil, evil villain" rhetoric, so maybe I will appreciate this chapter more once we get his pov at the end of the story (bc i have no illusions left that this won't happen anytime before the finishing line). For now, I'm just frustrated because I didn't care about ANY of the things that went down in this chapter. Like, okay, let's move on, ffs.

Everything felt forced and contrived, like, Isayama must know that nobody cares about this stuff that much and everyone would prefer to see literally anything else amongst Eren, Historia, Levi&Hange, the Colossals. Hell, imagine if this chapter didn't have Annie at the end. That was the only thing that made this chapter barely worth the read for me. I hope the next one will at least follow Connie and Annie, if I can't get any of the other things that interest me.

[zoocross0vers]

🦁My suggestions for Beauties and Beasts podcast🌹: 1. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 👱‍♀️❤😼 2. Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs 👠🍎 3. White Snake 🐍 4. The Ugly Duckling🦆🦢 5. Girl who pretend to be a boy 🐎, 👱‍♀️=👱‍♂️ 6. Shape of Water 👩❤🐸 7. Tinker Bell (more like Fawn) and the Legend of Neverbeast 🧚‍♀️🐲 8. Monster High 🧛‍♀️🧟‍♀️🐺 9. Ever After High 👸🍎🦹‍♀️ 10. I am a Dragon 🐲👰 11. Morozik 🧙‍♂️❄👰🐻 12. Inuyasha 🐺👹 13. Hunchback of Notre Dame 🔔💃 14. Lilo and Stitch 🏄‍♀️🐨👽 15. Sonic Unleashed 🦔+💎+😈=🐺 16. Sonic the Hedgehog 2020 🦔💨 That’s all for now. If you have some questions or want some explamarion ask away😉

...

Hey there Guest! Once again, I’m so sorry for the wait. You have a real interesting list here Guest! :D

By the way, before I get to your list, did you make this background? I saw that DisneyFanatic used it this week for her next episode’s announcement! :D

Okay, so let’s see...

1. Did she take this suggestion from you? ;) I saw that she announced that this is going to be the next episode that she’ll be doing.

2. Still haven’t seen it, but from some things I’ve heard about it, I think it could work. Though from what I hear this might be about an internal beauty and the beast struggle, right? Either way, good suggestion. :)

3.  I know you included this one in the interspecies list. Though I haven’t seen it, I’m sure I’d love to hear an analysis on this one :D

4. Hmm? Can’t say I fully see the Beauty and the Beast connection with this one. I get that the one duckling is “beastly” because he’s “ugly”, but this isn’t a romantic story though. Could you explain why you consider it a BATB story?

5. Never heard of it. What’s it about? :)

6. Oh yeah, I forgot about this one! Yeah, this definitely counts as a BATB story. She could also probably connect it with “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” since the movie is somewhat based on that too. :)

7. Is this part of the Disney Tinker Bell series? What’s it about?

8. Never watched the show, but hey it’s got monsters in it. I’m pretty sure there’s bound to be plenty of BATB couples in there. Are there any humans in that school/world? Or is it all monsters?

9. Is this like the Descendants movie series where it’s supposed to be Disney fairy tale characters going to school together? Or something like that? Are Belle and Beast in the school?

10. Never heard of it. Is it like a girl and a dragon? I’m just guessing because of the emojis you used, lol. 

11. Never heard of it. Is it an anime? Is there a girl x bear couple?! (Again, just asking because of the emojis) O.O

12. Aww! I love Inuyasha! This one I know for sure given that Kagome is a human girl and Inuyasha a half demon with dog ears. His parents count too. :)

13. Yes! This is one of my suggestions too! She really should do this one if she gets the chance. This has BATB type story written all over it. Particularly if you consider the actual novel.

14. I guess in a BATB friendship way it kinda counts, but I’m not sure if she’s only considering romantic relationships though. 

15. Never saw this series. Is there a BATB romance in it?

16. I’m not really sure I see the BATB aspect in this movie. I guess Sonic might count as a sort of beast, but he doesn’t have a love interest though.  Could you explain why you consider it a BATB story?

Whether or not I agree with all your choices, this is still a nice list! And I’m glad to see that she picked one of them already (She-Ra). Sorry again for the long wait. I’ll get to the next video as soon as I can. Take care! :D

[pastelbatfandoms]

Give it some M(R)oxy

A/N:In light of recent AEW events and A Certain Podcast...featuring A Certain Lunatic,I became inspired to write a little something new with My OC Roxy and her resident Bad Boy. I wondered how she would feel about AEW or staying with WWE...Since she’s essentially me as a Wrestler,I think I know EXACTLY how she’d react. 

Warnings: Oh look no smut this time! Just lots of Drama and  a Rebellious Couple in love.

Part 1

I was walking down the hall of A building for The WWE Show when I felt a hand lock around My wrist and pull me into a dark corner. I let out a short yelp,My eyes wide as i felt a firm but soft hand clamp around My mouth. My gaze softened when I realized who it was. 

The figure dropped My hand and let go of My wrist as he gave a quiet “Shhh.” A finger to my lips. 

“Dean what are you doing here?” I asked both surprised and happy to see him,it had been Months since he had quit WWE,in a move that had stunned and saddened all of us,me especially,though it really shouldn’t have.

“Not Dean anymore baby.” He answered with a wolfish grin. 

“Jon.” I quickly realized taking in his attire and new,or rather old,demeanor. 

“I told you I’d be back for you.” Moxley walked slowly towards me,a swagger to his steps as he went in for an embrace but stopped when I put My hand out.

“Wait...” I looked him over,not that I minded what I saw,that was never the issue. “If you’re Moxley again...” 

At my concerned look Mox spoke up. “Let me stop you right there Rox. Just because I’m not Ambrose anymore does not mean,in anyway in HELL,that I am going to treat you how I did back then. I’ve grown,We’ve grown.” Jon searched my eyes as he asked. “You trust me right?” 

I smiled in relief and nodded. “Of course I do.” 

With that out of the way,Moxley wrapped his arms around My waist and kissed me deeply as I wrapped My own arms around his neck. After we broke apart he whispered into My ear. “I would only hurt you if you wanted me to Babe.”

My eyes fluttered closed and I smirked at his implication,biting My lips when Jon kissed My neck and let out a dark groan. “Fuck I missed you. but first I something to ask you.”

“Anything.” I answered without thinking.

“Come with me to AEW,we can be together again,just the two of us.” Jon rushed before I could say anything. 

“I don’t know De-Jon. I like AEW,I get along with Cody but...” 

Moxley grinned at the slip up a cute dimple appearing in one cheek. “All the more reason to be there. You’ll get along with The head honcho. He’s not a selfish Bitch like Dixie and he’s not a Tyrant.” 

I looked up at Jon. “Vince isn’t so bad.” i replied trying to sound convincing. 

Moxley’s look told me I hadn’t. “Or he didn’t used to be...” I sighed. “I have Family,Friends here.” 

“You’re Men.” Jon but in.

“My Husband.” I stated,looking him in the eyes. Referring to Triple H. “A Career,I can’t just leave everything.”

Jon rubbed My arms as he said. “I’m not asking you too. Vince let you go back and forth to TNA. you could do the same at AEW,unless he’s scared you won’t come back. Jon smirked raising an eyebrow.

I smirked back but said,”Doubtful. I have too much history with them.” 

“You can make history in AEW too. As for Friends you know,Billy Gunn’s there ,JR,Dustin,Dreamer,Daniels,Brandi.I’m there.” Jon stared into my eyes,giving me a meaningful look. Playing with a strand of My long dark hair. “You said before I Ieft here that you were scared of losing me like you lost Punk. I don’t want that to happen,not with us. I love you. It could be just us two,together the way it should be.” 

“Without the competition you mean.” I replied,half joking. 

“Hell yeah. I prefer My competition in the ring. But I’d fight for you,you know that. We could make one hell of a team.” 

I gave him a small smile. “We already do. A crazy power couple.” I considered.

Jon looked at me expectantly. ‘Well?” Jon had let me go now,his hands together,bouncing from one foot to the other,I could tell he was anxious. 

“I’ll talk to Vince.” 

“And if he says No.”

I kissed Jon lightly on the lips before answering with a sly smile. “Well then I might have to just get a little unstable.” 

Moxley let out a light chuckle at that. “I’ll see you out there.” Jon brushed My bottom lip with his thumb then disappeared into the shadows of the parking lot. 

Awhile Later...

I took a deep breath and steeling myself opened the door of Vince’s office. I was greeted with not only Vince Mcmahon but Triple H and Shane as well. *Shit,so not the time.* I thought to myself but remembering what Jon had said I gathered up My nerve and spoke up. “Vince we need to talk.” 

Vince starts to show MY Men out but I stop him. “No this is not a social call,they should hear this too.”

Vince nods,”Alright.”

As Triple H and Shane remain where they were standing in the room. “Roxy what’s going on?” Shane asks in concern.

I don’t acknowledge him though,I stare straight at Vince and let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “I want to go to AEW.”  I blurt out in a rush. Glad,for the moment,that it was out. 

I finally look at Hunter and Shane who are staring at one another in shock and worry over how Vince will react of course. Frankly I was worried about that too,I’d be stupid not to be. 

I turn My gaze back to Vince who was just standing there,hands clasped in front of him,a smile on his face,I didn’t like it. “You want to what?”

“Not permanently,just go back and forth like I did with Impact.” I tried to explain,hastily. 

“Impact is a joke,not competition,which is why I let you go.” Vince replied,I disagreed but I wasn’t about to argue over that. 

“if this is about creative.” Triple H added,trying to smooth things over. 

“It’s not,well a bit yes,but I just want to spread My wings,have more freedom,something less...stale.” I knew I’d gone to far with that when I heard Vince hit his desk,hard. 

“No.” Vince said quietly through clenched teeth. 

“What? But I-”

“I said No! You’re not going anywhere.” Vince glared at me but I also saw something else,fear. Jon was right AEW did make Vince nervous. 

I wouldn’t back down though not on this. “Moxley was right you are a control freak.” I stepped up to him,our eyes locking in a battle of wills. 

Hunter stood just beside us ready to stop either of us from doing something stupid. Too late.

Vince’s look turned from domineering Boss to one of realization at what I’d said. “Ambrose is here?” Before I could stop him,Vince had stormed out of the office and down the hall as I tried to catch up with him. 

“No he’s not!” I lied. “Dammit Vince If you don’t let me go,I’ll leave for AEW and never come back!” I yelled out in frustration. I didn’t want to but if that was the only way he’d listen. It was.

Vince whirled on me“Fine you want to go to AEW huh Roxy?! Then you’re-” Vince was interrupted by Shane who got into his face before he could mutter those two famous last words. 

“Dad! No. you need to cool it!” Shane pointed at Vince angrily,backing him away from me. “Just calm down,let’s go,you need to relax!” Shane shouted at him. 

But it was already too late,looking around I noticed most of The Superstars standing around in shock had heard Vince’s outburst of almost firing me and AEW in one sentence. 

I looked down embarrassed that my leaving had become so public,not how I wanted everyone to know. Especially when I noticed Randy,AJ and Baron in the crowd. AJ looked at me in sympathy but Randy just shook his head in disappointment and walked away. Baron crossed his arms and stared at me in disapprovel. 

“Guys I...” i trailed off not knowing what to say until I felt a hand on my arm and Triple H’s voice in My ear. “C’mon Baby lets just forget this. You got Vince’s attention,hell you got everyone’s attention now.”

That snapped me out of any regret I had as I pulled away from Triple H. “I’m not doing this for attention Hunter.” I said though gritted teeth. 

I turn toward a still Angry Vince and tell him, “You know what Vince you can’t fire me,I quit!” 

I start to walk off in false bravado but Baron stops me holding onto My arms. “Rox don’t do this.” 

“Baron let me go.” I told him quietly obviously upset but not at him. 

Until Vince’s angry voice shouted out. “You can’t quit,this business is all you have!” 

“Watch me.” I try to get out of Baron’s grip,but his hold didn’t lessen. I looked up at him but he simply shook his head,let out a low growl,I knew it was a last attempt to make me stay but it wouldn’t work this time. 

At that moment I saw a figure fly at us as I was pulled away from Baron and Jon wailed on Corbin. “Let her go,she can do what he fuck she wants!” Jon yelled at them,riled up,he must have got out of that Car fast. 

I grabbed Jon shouting at him to stop. “Mox that’s enough!” Mox let Baron fall to the pavement,breathing heavy as he put an arm around my waist. 

Seeing Moxley made Vince become even more irate. “You little shit,this is your fault!” It took both Shane and Hunter to hold Vince back this time. Though I could tell it took everything Triple H had not pummel Jon right then and Shane was turning red with anger. 

“It was My decision Vince,I told you what would happen if you pushed me,us.” I told them. “I’m sorry this all had to happen.” And I really was,but there was no going back now. With one last look I let Jon lead me to the car.

Once inside I broke down in both relief and sadness as Jon held me in his arms while we drove away. From The WWE and My Family I hoped not for the last time. 

TO BE CONTINUED....

A/N: Hope you liked it! there will be more where that comes from! Maybe with less drama but probably not lol

[ashleyspinelliburnbook]

S1E7: I Will Kick No More Forever/The Kid Came Back

It was bound to happen eventually, but these two were...not as good as the others? I don’t know, y’all. I didn’t feel fulfilled or inspired watching this pair of episodes. But I tried...for one of them, anyway.

I Will Kick No More Forever

Well, okay, there was one inspiring thing. Gretchen and Gus doing commentary for the kickball games made me think they should probably do a podcast together. So here’s a sports podcast that happens to be about the plot of this episode!

(I’m just going to write this all at once and see what happens. I have only ever written TV scripts, so I’m just winging it. Forgive me.)

GRETCHEN: I’m Gretchen Grundler.

GUS: And I’m Gus Griswald.

GRETCHEN: And this is “I am in Sports.”

[theme music]

[theme music fades]

[nat sound: kickball noises]

GRETCHEN: Kickball. Or as it’s known in most of Canada, “soccer baseball.” A sport of humble origins, and today, one of the most popular recess games in the United States.

GUS: You might not know all the names of some of the great kickballers in the storied history of the sport, but today, we’d like to introduce you to one in particular who took the playground by storm.

[nat sound fades]

ANNOUNCER (SOT): “Here comes Vince ‘The Foot’ LaSalle!”

ANNOUNCER 2 (SOT): “Kicks lefty, throws righty...”

ANNOUNCER 3 (SOT): “And that ball’s not coming back! A home run!”

ANNOUNCER 4 (SOT): “The undisputed, single greatest kicker that Third Street School has ever seen.”

GRETCHEN: Vince LaSalle. A fourth-grader in name only, he made everyone from kindergarteners to sixth-graders quiver in their kickball shoes whenever he stepped up to the plate.

GUS: His trajectory was storied. He was the only known kindergartener in Third Street School history to be invited to play with the first-grade kickball team, and by second grade, he was challenging sixth-graders to play.

GRETCHEN: This confidence was impressive. Inspiring, even. But it wasn’t meant to last.

VINCE (SOT): “Okay, everyone! Outfield in!”

GRETCHEN: It was a regular Tuesday, bottom of the ninth inning. Recess would be over in about two minutes. Ashley Q. was at the plate, fresh off a phone call, and Vince made the call to bring the outfield in.

GUS: It would be the last time anyone on the playground would trust him for a long time.

ANNOUNCER 5 (SOT): “That ball is up! And up! And up! Good golly, that ball is gone! It’s out of this world! Ashley Q., ladies and gentlemen!”

- SOT -

VINCE (on phone): “It was...horrible.”

GUS: “Horrible?”

VINCE: “When you make a call like that, bringing the outfield in, bringing everyone in, you don’t...that’s not what’s supposed to happen.”

GUS: “What is supposed to happen?”

VINCE: “Well, the opposite of that.”

- END SOT -

GRETCHEN: The next day, Third Street School received a long distance call — very long-distance. This call was from a busy street in Beijing, China.

PRINCIPAL PRICKLY (SOT, on phone): “They said they found our ball. I was like, what? What ball? And the man on the phone explained, you know, your ball. It says your school’s name right here.”

GRETCHEN: Ashley Q. had recorded the longest kick the school had ever seen. And Vince? Well, he didn’t take it so well.

- SOT -

VINCE (on phone): “I just started whiffing.”

GUS: “Whiffing?”

VINCE: “Everything. Just, missing everything. The next game, you know, the ball would be rolled to me just like usual. Kicked it right back into the pitcher’s hands. Kicked it foul. Missed it entirely.”

GUS: “What about after that game?”

VINCE: [sighs] “You know what’s worse than being picked last?”

GUS: “Not really. I’m picked last a lot.”

VINCE: “Have you ever not been picked at all?”

GUS: “Wow, no. How did that make you feel?”

VINCE: [laughs] “Well, after that, I left the sport.”

- END SOT -

[brooding music]

VINCE (SOT): “I am announcing my retirement from kickball. I will kick no more, forever.”

[brooding music fades]

GRETCHEN: Vince was distraught. Even though he was sure in his decision to leave the sport he loved, he didn’t take the transition well.

GUS: We visited him after school one day — a day he’d missed, we weren’t sure why ��� and found him in front of the TV, drinking root beer and eating doughnuts. It wasn’t pretty.

GRETCHEN: He kept repeating something, we didn’t know what at first. We tried to ask him to speak more slowly, articulate, enunciate. And then Gus finally figured it out.

GUS: “I was outkicked by an Ashley.” Over and over again. Just...gut punch.

[SFX - EXPLOSION]

- SOT -

GRETCHEN: “So we are...in my bedroom right now. Me, Gus, TJ, everyone. And I just showed them [crash in background] — Guys, what was that?”

TJ: “Sorry. Lost control of the Flubber again.”

GRETCHEN: “Glorp. It’s called glorp.”

TJ: “Yeah, whatever it is, it’s awesome. This should do the trick.”

- END SOT -

GUS: It was supposed to be a science fair project, right?

GRETCHEN: Yes, it was one of my attempts to invent a substance to replace liquid soap. But what I got instead was a bouncy...well...glorp.

GUS: And remind me what the plan was?

GRETCHEN: The plan was to create a diversion and switch out the kickball with the glorp ball. It’s much easier to kick, and it goes a lot farther. We just wanted to give Vince his confidence back, even if we had to bend the truth a little to do it.

GUS: My job was to switch the ball after Mikey and TJ created the diversion, from the kickball to the glorp ball.

[spy music]

- SOT -

MIKEY: “My foot! My foot!”

TJ: “Mikey! Are you okay? Can you play?”

MIKEY: “No! But if I don’t play, you’ll have to forfeit!”

TJ: “I’m sure there’s someone else we can use.”

- END SOT -

[spy music fade]

GRETCHEN: [laughing] Okay, it was a bad plan. It was not the best plan. But it worked.

ANNOUNCER 6 (SOT): “What’s this? Vince LaSalle, disgraced kickballer, appears to be coming out of retirement to replace the injured Mikey!”

TJ (SOT, on phone): “I was just trying to tell him, like, ‘If you don’t kick, we’ll lose the game,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, well, get used to it.’ And I go, ‘Well, the only thing that makes you a loser is not trying.’ And it did the trick.”

ANNOUNCER 6 (SOT, CONT.): “He’s kicking righty today, maybe a revamped routine to make this try at his career go a little better, and...Oh my! Oh my word! That ball is gone! It’s in the stratosphere! It’s past the stratosphere! Where is that ball! No one knows, but Vince LaSalle has done it! He’s won the game!”

GRETCHEN: Here’s the thing. We all felt incredibly guilty after the fact. Because it was just the glorp ball. It wasn’t Vince. And still, we couldn’t tell him. But then it turned out we didn’t have to tell him.

GUS: I remember this moment so well. I was running back from the bathroom, wondering why the game was over.

GRETCHEN: And we were wondering why you were out of breath. You weren’t the one who had just kicked the ball into parts unknown. But then we learned the reason was...

GUS: I didn’t make the switch. I went to the bathroom, left the glorp ball outside, and when I came back, it was gone.

GRETCHEN: Vince had done it all on his own. His confidence was real.

[SOT - “Vince! Vince! Vince!”]

GRETCHEN: The world’s greatest kickballer was back in business.

[fade SOT]

[theme music]

- SOT -

[phone rings]

PRINCIPAL PRICKLY: “Hello?”

HAROLD STEVENS: “Hey, Principal Prickly, this is Harold Stevens at NASA. Look, I just wanted to reach out and say we won’t be charging you for the damage because this seems like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

PRICKLY: “Excuse me? Damage? What did those kids get up to this time?”

STEVENS: “Oh, well, the kickball dent on the space shuttle. It won’t be a problem.”

PRICKLY: “What?”

[click]

- END SOT -

[theme music fades]

Takeaway: I need a Gus and Gretchen podcast YESTERDAY.

The Kid Came Back

Look, everyone. The previous recap was so long, and I don’t want to overshadow it by going too deep into this one. This episode was just...a baby thriller, you know what I mean? All the elements of a creepy story tailor-made for kids, but absolutely no payoff. It was an insult, frankly.

In short, a kid no one has seen before starts following the gang around, and bad things start happening to them. They decide it’s because of the kid, so they tell him to buzz off, and he starts crying. The gang’s takeaway is that, oops, our bad luck wasn’t caused by this kid! And so they go apologize, and then they learn he has other friends anyway. The lesson is not to tell kids to buzz off...or so we thought, until another mysterious girl shows up at the very end and the gang runs away from her immediately so as to not engage. We never learn what’s causing their bad luck.

Just...skip this one. I hope the next one is better and that we’re not rolling down an infinitely long hill. Who haven’t we checked in with in a while? Have we had a TJ-centered episode yet? I’d be fine with that.

Takeaway: I need to tighten up my scriptwriting so I don’t run out of steam before even getting the chance to make fun of a bad episode, lol.