#ok so the job offer seems to be legit

[burger-goblin]

.

[starguardianniom]

Billy background

Ok so thanks to chapter 4 we got some background on Billy now and like I promised here are some of the many pictures I took about it, (it took me an hour just to get through it all because I legit took a picture of almost pratically all dialogue but I'll spare you all the details and just jump straight into it) and some more.

The Sons of Calydon just straight up trust Billy with their truck and their freaking bangboo for starters because he used to work for them, surprise surprise, we all thought so from the beginning and we were right. Still the fact that they are on good terms enough for that kind of job already warms my heart a lot you have no idea.

What fate are we talking about exactly? Why did you leave? You seemed pretty well liked, I don't get it. I need more information, you are being so vague about the details it drives me nuts, still love you though, but dang you will make me work to get your secrets won't you? Fine, that just makes you even more interesting in my eyes. ^^

Just like that Billy you just saved us a lot of trouble I feel. I bet Nicole was so relieved.

So you talked to Lucy then, must have been interesting.

Well, since you are the messenger it would be rude to decline their offer.

Wow, you really just follow orders to the tee and Nicole cares enough to actually be willing to let go of the case if we refuse, dang the honor code is strong with The Cunning Hares. ^^ Don't worry my dear I want Perlman in jail as much as you guys do so we'll go meet them~.

So you are doing a side job for a few days for them and Nicole is letting you, good for you my man. Wait does that means that Red Moccus actually is staying with you and the Cunning Hares for the next few days? Wild. I bet Amillion was thrilled.

Dang, I guess Nicole is mad that you let Perlman get away right under your nose, don't worry I'll make sure that we get him back so that you get paid. I do hope that Nicole would still actually pay you even if you did let him go considering the sole reason why she, Anby and Nekomata are still alive was because you were there to help Lycaon climb aboard to save everyone so I do hope she will go easy on you.

Sibling concern as usual, fortunatly~

No dice on what was my answer, right? ^^

My thoughts exactly, pretty nice to see that out of the Cunning Hares Billy seems to be the only one who could still go back to people and friends he knew if it came to that, even if he doesn't seem interested in going back for some reason.

Yeah, if you're friends with Billy that automatically makes you friends with the Sons of Calydon, hell yeah! They aren't even mad that they had to rescue us and that Billy left them all that time ago, this is how you leave groups people, on good terms, take notes y'all. Caesar is so wholesome.

On the other hand, why are these the only options available after this wholesome dialogue, hoyo do you want us to have a problem being friends with Billy despite me already having maxed his trust, or make us tsunderes? Stop making me insult my boy please!

That ain't convincing very much Belle but I feared the other possible answer too much so sorry about that Billy you are still my favorite character in the game and Hoyo will never make me dislike you, try all you want he's still gonna be in my heart forever.

That one question I've been waiting for is finally here!!!

This. I straight up swear, while the Cunning Hares are a found family, you don't see Nicole and Anby calling Billy "bro", the Sons on another hand do. I keep hearing Anby saying "I got you sis" refering to Nicole in battle, and telling Billy to get some repairs while she's switching with him.

I would like to highlight that Caesar is saying that even if Billy has left the gang for a while so I guess he still has the title even if he isn't with them anymore, guess that means that if he ever leaves the Cunning Hares he can just go back to the Sons and get back his title and nobody will protest.

So Billy had a pretty big job in the Sons, neat. With all the responsabilities and stress that comes with it. Interesting~

Lighter having Billy has a rival, he also calls Billy his predecessor, meaning Billy had the position first and then it went to Lighter I guess. Lighter saw Billy in action and found him worthy of being his rival. Also that last sentence makes me thinks that Lighter forgot that Billy was literally made for battle, he's an Intelligent Tactical Unit, a battle android, he was made to fight so of course his combat skills are something else. But I really am tempted to pull Lighter just to have a few more info on Billy, given he seems interested in a duel with him and admires him, it seems legit that he might talk about him in some of his trust events, I sure hope so at least, because I will be very disappointed with Hoyo otherwise.

Again Hoyo, stop dissing my boy when others are praising him, like I know we might be used to the goofy side of Billy but like we also go on commission with him and the Cunning Hares a lot so surely we would be used to seeing him in action by now shouldn't we and like we are proxies not fighters we legit have no room to talk Billy is the one going in the Hollows risking his life we just give him the directions and the exit but if Eous is damaged we'll be safe at home, while Billy won't, so can we just stop with dissing him already? Please and thank you.

Going by that comment I assume Billy used to behave a lot more differently in the Sons than how he is now, but it does beg the question of how much drastic the change was, I mean an entire freaking gang of thugs ran away from him when they recognized him, so he must have been pretty scary and intimidating back then, but now he seems to look back on that side of him with a bit of shame? Anyway seems like he's pretty happy with his life with the Cunning Hares according to Lighter, being his dream life, which again, good for him this is wholesome on so many levels. ^^

Finally done, this took a while. I got fed with Caesar and Lighter happily providing info on Billy, but I still need more!

Still it was all very interesting, I will stay on the lookout for more info on Billy, feel free to also come at me with what you find about him too, or just talk about him, or gush about him, or shoot me your headcanons too, I will talk about him forever. ^^

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep4 Musings - Armand's Backstory (Spoilers)

AMC IS PULLING ZERO PUNCHES!

Lestat's shady smirk, GOD, go away.

Inquiring minds want to know! Cuz I don't trust you yet!

OH GOD!?!!

BEARDED Marius, wtf?

WAIT. So 20 y/o Armand was offered as the donation/payment for the painting!? 😱 (NGL, AMC, y'all couldn't find a better matching painting? That don't look at thing like him.)

AMC SAID EFF MARIUS, OMG. 💀

But yeah, that kinda tracks with the book--Marius pushed Amadeo into sexcapades he really didn't want to join. This seems way skeevier though.

book!Armand was around 15 when Marius bought him, so that tracks. Arun, meaning "tawny/reddish/red-headed" in Sanskrit -- AMC thinks they're HILARIOUS!!!! That's why they gave him reddish/orange eyes--I see you!

OK, so they kept the sex slave background intact, but what about the religious zealot icon-painter childhood? Was he Hindu? Muslim? (I assume Muslim?)

TVA spinoff WHENNNNNNN?

Ok, so they're taking out Armand's boyfriend Lord Harlech poisoning him. Armand was 27 when he was turned--WOW. book!Armand was 17! So he lived with Marius for 12 years--that's A LOT longer than in the books. 👀 How was Marius able to hide his vampirism from him that long without Amadeo taking an axe to his door? 😅

I wanna see Santino & Alessandraaaaa.

I wanna see Marius on fiiiiiiiiire. (He'll be fine. 😅)

I HATE this change--PLEASE stop associating Magnus with the Children of Satan/Darkness. He legit had nothing to do with any of them, omfg.

I hope that was Sam's nerd fanboy rejecting that bit of the story.

Unfortunately, Coven Master pretty much becomes part of Armand's identity in the books. He's the boogeyman of the younger fledglings, and Lestat's left hand in the Prince Lestat trilogy, basically. :\

My question is: did Marius actually kick him out of the villa when Amadeo turned 17/18? At that age you were a full adult in Venice--Amadeo would've been treated like the other boys Marius sponsored; given money and a job/position somewhere--Marius offered Amadeo way more though, ofc, as his favorite. So did Armand have a career before he was turned? What was he doing from 17-27? Unfortunately, I assume not much. Cuz Armand seems to have nothing he's been living for or aspiring to.

AMC, I DEMAND a full season with Armand & Marius & Bianca & Santino & the CoD/S and Benji & Sybelle.

[feroshgirlsims]

Chapter 5.4 - Conspiracies of the Nether Regions

MIKO

“What kind of place is this?” Miko demands, panic building as she looks around the posh setting. 

“A coffee shop,” Emmett holds her hand and refuses to stop walking, forcing her to follow along. 

“This is not a coffee shop,” she murmurs as they walk through another set of doors. 

Plants and string lights stretched from floor to ceiling, fountains bubble, and a few sims talk to each other in low voices. She glances back at the honest-to-Watcher grand piano they just passed. 

“They serve coffee,” Emmett insists with a chuckle, “That makes it a coffee shop. Although in the evenings, they open the bar. I come here with my friends.”

He says it like it’s no big deal, telling Miko everything she needs to know about Emmett and his financial status. Numbly, she follows him, croaking out her order when asked, and waits for the voice in her head to say something.

Anything.

Any-fucking-thing at all.

But nothing happens, and of course, it doesn’t. That’s the thing about being crazy, it’s unpredictable. Maybe now is a good time to freak out about losing her wits. She can just get up and—

"Relax. You’re not crazy," the voice says.

“Oh, that’s so comforting,” Miko scowls, forgetting to talk in her head.

Emmett doesn’t respond at first. But once he settles them at a table, he tilts his head, a smile ghosting at the corner of his mouth. It’s not unkind, exactly, just amused. “So, what’s your deal? And I’m not trying to be a smart ass, I’m genuinely asking.”

"Go on," the voice encourages, "Tell him."

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Miko sniffs, ignoring the voice. She takes a sip of her coffee. “I don’t have a deal.”

Emmett blows out a breath. “Miko, you definitely have a deal. You’re hard to get a read on. And that’s probably understating it. You hate Hande and me, but you want our help. Or you don’t want it, I guess, since you complained but then volunteered to do it all yourself. I mean, you said yes to coffee, but you’re not even paying attention.”

At that, Miko makes a mental note to be kinder to Alice next time she zones out. Although, to be fair, Alice isn’t zoning out because she hears a voice in her head and is having a breakdown. She’s just flighty. 

“You’re clearly stressed,” his eyes soften, “And you won’t talk about it.”

There are no alarm bells, not like there were with Walsh. And Emmett has been trying to be nice to her since the beginning of the semester. Alice was her best friend, yes, but she couldn’t handle Miko falling apart. Not when she was so vulnerable. 

Hell, she’d probably ask Vladislaus for help.

“You look like you just had a thousand thoughts.”

“I did. I…I am a little stressed out," Miko admits. When Emmett laughs, she relaxes. “Ok, I’m a lot stressed out. My grandma just informed me we need a new water heater, but I don’t have a job this semester because I was hoping to get an internship. I’m graduating, but I can’t even focus on my shit because my best friend is on the verge of failing out. I’m tired, and I don’t trust anyone, which is why I’m such a bitch, and I do everything myself.”

“You’re not a bitch,” he says, “And that sounds like a lot. No wonder you’re stressed out.”

“Wow.”

“Wow, what?”

“I wasn’t expecting that. Usually, when I talk about everything I have going on, my friends try to minimize it. Or tell me that I’m worrying about shit that ain't my problem.”

Emmett shrugs, “I don’t know you or your problems well enough to say that. They seem legit to me. Home appliance repairs are expensive. I guess the question is, do you want help?”

The word makes Miko cringe. “I’m not trying to offend you when I say this,” she begins.

“I hope not. You don’t even know what I’m going to offer.”

The speech she planned evaporates. “Uh…okay. Fair. What are you offering?”

“I’ll convince Hande to lower her pitchfork and work on the submission system training together.”

“And I have a lead on a job. Honestly, it would be a favor to get a family friend off my back. She owns an apothecary shop in Glimmerbrook and needs some part-time staff. It would be a lot of selling expensive gems and fake potions to sims who want to heal their energy or mend a broken heart or whatever,” he rolls his eyes playfully.

Miko suppresses a giggle. “I could do that. I’m very convincing.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. You know, if we hang around for another forty-five minutes, Happy Hour will start. You in?”

She worries about the cost of drinks, and when she realizes that Emmett will probably pay for everything, she worries about using him. But outside her circle of worry is a feeling from the voice in her head that maybe just this once, she should relax. 

“Sounds good,” Miko says. “What’s your favorite drink?”

PREV | NEXT

(Part 4 of 5)

(NGL @herecirmsims saved this entire scene with those bar table poses. I was afraid I would be stuck raising everyone with WW or the tool Mod 😭)

[acetv]

One thing I hope they address on station 19 is finally deal with Maya captaincy. Granted I've only really seen YouTube clips but it feels like it's never dealt with. She was forced to step down in order to save her house and then it's rubbed in her face along with being bullied. Yeah while spiraling she made bad choices but honestly she was backed into a corner with no support. I'm not dismissing Carina but Maya life wasn't in her hands like it was the teams and later Carina was a different problem. Maya wasn't allowed to show herself as a leader if she wanted to keep her job. She didn't get a hearing or anything and time after time it's proven that she is being kept in place by the higher ups. The one time it seems like she has a chance at captain again and she doesn't take it they make it about her wanting Carina more than her job and it's some big growth on Maya's part.

This isn't true Yes she loves Carina and their family and yes they are more important than her job but it doesn't mean she no longer cares about her job. She is just simply done with the drama like she told Jack and she knew she never had a chance at it so why throw her hat in with everyone else's? Carina married Maya as a captain, her getting that spot back wouldn't have affected their relationship negatively as long as Maya went about it the right way. Carina didn't like how Maya was allowing the job to affect her health. When they started over Maya made it clear she still wanted to be captain again that it was important to her but she wanted it the right way. Carina was ok with that but she was traumatized by Maya behavior because it brought back old trauma. She didn't move back home because Maya turned down the chance. In fact I'd say Carina was legit worried about Maya until she saw that Maya was resigned to being stuck as LT. but she was taking herself out of the drama and that's why she was ok going home for good because Maya was taking care of herself.

Maya at the stage of realizing in order to grow or become captain again she'll have to leave her home and family but for the moment she's ok being Andy's sic but not forever.

I see one of two things happening Andy steps down realizing the job not what she truly wants and Maya becomes captain or Maya is offered captain somewhere else.

Yes I'm aware it's unlikely to happen but I can hope right

[hoperays-song]

Jia Information!!!

Ok, so I recently realised I never posted anything about Jia, my OC version of Johnny's mum, and considering how important of a character she is in legit nearly all of my works, I obviously had to remedy that.

So here we go, some info on the one and only Jia Taylor!

(Picrew, Info, and Backstory actually lol)

------------------------------------------------------------

------Picrew------

------Info------

Legal Name: Jia Saanvi Taylor ‘nee Sutar

Common Name: Jia Taylor

Nicknames: Ji

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 34 (at death)

Birthday: February 13, 1975

Sexuality: Omnisexual

Gender Identity: Cisgender

Height: 5'7"

Ethnicity: Indian

Languages Spoken: Hindi, English

Diagnosis: Depression, PTSD

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Golden Brown

Scars/Tattoos/Piercings/Markings: Two piercings each ear

Family Members: Bio father (Aarav), Bio Mom (Reeva), Bio older sister (Jahnavi), Bio younger brother (Jahnu), and Bio Child (Johnny)

Habits/Stims: Tapping fingers like playing a piano, humming songs at random

Romantic Partners: Marcus Taylor (husband)

Notes:

worked as a pianist and a music teacher

died due to complications with her Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, just like both her siblings

moved to England when she was 12 years old

was a devout Hindu and a vegetarian

loved cooking since her father was a chef, and taught all the recipes to her husband before she passed

her final words were telling her six year old son she loved him

------Backstory: TW: Death, Chronic Disorders------

Born in Madurai, India as Jia Saanvi Sutar, Jia was the technical second child to her parents. However, her older sister had passed away suddenly as a baby and it was hardly ever talked about in her household. She was quickly flagged and tested positive for Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy and began using a cane as a child. Other than that though, early childhood for Jia was largely uneventful.

When she was around seven, she started playing piano and it became very obvious she was a prodigy. She was sent to a private music school so she could hone her skills. The next year was a mixed bag however as she lost her mother and her baby brother was born. Jahnu, her brother, quickly turned into one of the two center points for Jia's world, music being the other, essentially become coping mechanisms when her mother passed away due to complications with his birth.

But again, her life settled into a pretty mundane but steady rhythm for four years, only focusing on her studies and her family. When a job came up for her dad in London, she encouraged him to accept it, leading to the family moving. They all did well with the move and there were little problems on their end of things, the children even planning to get dual-citizenship when they got older.

Jia seemed to thrive in her new school and started playing gigs not long after the move. She was offered scholarships while still in school and it was pretty obvious that she had a good career ahead of her in the music industry. On the side, Jia became vocal in lots of local movements for equality and justice, even leading them at times. Her family were extremely proud of this and even helped her prepare for them, her brother making signs, and her dad packing food to hand out. Within two years, things were definitely looking up.

However, Jahnu also tested positive for Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy soon after, with his progressing scarily faster than his sister. he had to be hospitalized at eight, Jia and her dad moving across town so they could stay near his bedside. And while that was a harsh adjustment period, life continued as usual for the trio for a few years. It was during this chaos that Jia and her family also were finally given dual-citizenship, a small up not to their year.

Jahnu passed away after four years, spending his final moments with his sister and father. Jia was heartbroken, having lost her remaining sibling and the boy she had raised at the same time. Her father Aarav seemed to feel the same, as not long after, he passed away too, seemingly of a broken heart. This left Jia, by that time a music major in university, without any family or support system. This caused her to spiral a bit and throw herself into her work as a coping mechanism, though her mental health took a huge toll.

Somehow, she managed to scrape by for a year and a half on her own before running into a boy two years her senior at a protest she was organizing. After punching his older brother in the face for being an absolute arse to her, the boy apologized for the whole scenario for several hours, even helping her with the event as a way to make it up to her. By the end of the day, she agreed to meet him again the next day in the same spot, and eventually started dating the man, who's name was Marcus.

Jia and Marcus got on like wildfire, and spent nearly all their free time together, both glad they finally had someone that they could rely on to be there for them. She encouraged him to pursue his passion of being a mechanic and he encouraged her to write her own songs for her own album. They spent a lot of time together going to protests and fundraiser events, as well as work and school, with most of their dates just being them doing their daily routines together. Marcus moved in with her around a year into the relationship as well, though that was largely due to his disownment.

Jia graduated a year later with a master's degree in music and quickly began working as a music teacher for young kids and a piano tutor on the side. Money was tight for the couple, even after Marcus found a job as a mechanic. But surprisingly, not counting the usual couple spats, the two barely fought, and ended up getting married after a few years at Jia's temple. And the couple only seemed to keep doing well from there, with both of them very happy about life and looking forward to the future.

Jia ended up having her only child when she was 28 years old, a son she named Johnathan Demarcus Taylor, with nods to her siblings and parents being prevalent in both his English and Hindi names. The one original part of his Hindi name (aka the only bit not after a family member) was Jiyaan, meaning near heart, which was Jia's way of telling her son she would always be with him, despite her condition worsening.

Jia continued her life as usual after her son was born, still a leading figure in a lot of social movements as well as a music teacher. Her LGMD had progressed to the point where she was wheelchair bound but she claimed to her husband that it did not bother her much, and in fact, made bringing Johnny out a bit easier. However, neither of them actually believed it much. She started dealing with a lot more chronic pain than she had before and began working furiously again, feeling like she had to take advantage of every moment she could.

Jia was 33 was when her health really started deteriorating rapidly however. She collapsed at work, leading to her being rushed to the hospital. She was kept there for several days, before being told that with her current progression, she likely wouldn't live much longer. Jia insisted on returning home, saying that if she was going to die, she wouldn't spend her final months just sitting around waiting for it. The doctors were not fans of this but allowed it and released her into family care.

Jia waited a month and a half before taking medical leave for work, and dedicating her time to taking care of Johnny even more, teaching him as much as she could about their shared interest, music, hoping that that piece of her would be able to bring him comfort when she passed. When he was in school, Jia spent all of her time writing music and letters for her family to open in the future when she wouldn't be there, so at least a part of her would be.

Marcus also started taking more and more time off to spend with them. He had learned most of Jia's favourite recipes by heart years ago when cooking began to get hard for her and now the three spent time together teaching them to Johnny as well. Her son was too young to really understand what was going on and serval times tried to make his mum better with bandaids and kisses, something that Jia always played along with, even though it broke her heart to do so.

In September of that year, when Jia was just 34 years old, she collapsed again when Marcus was out of the apartment for only a second, leading 6 year old Johnny to make a desperate phone call to emergency services when she wouldn't wake up. Marcus returned right after and did CPR until the paramedics arrived and took over, taking Jia back to the hospital.

She remained there this time, too weak to move much on her own. Marcus brought Johnny to see her every single day, right after school and Jia made sure to at least pretend that everything was ok when he was there, singing and humming with him like usual, though at that point she knew she wouldn't be returning home.

Jia died mid-October, with Marcus and Johnny beside her. Her final words were telling her son how much she loved him and always would, no matter what. She has a memorial plaque at a cemetery not far from her old temple in London, besides her father's and brother's, which her husband and son visit every opportunity they have.

Jia was a huge impact on her family's lives but also the lives of others as well. She was a leading advocate for disabled, women's, and queer rights, touching the hearts and minds of dozens. She was also well loved by her colleagues, students, neighbors, and fellow temple goers. Jia was commonly described as loving, dedicated, and a spit-fire, never backing down from what she believed in. She also had a sarcastic streak a kilometer wide and a tendency to be a bit of a jokester with close friends and family.

[writing-rat]

The Photographer

Pairing: Tara x Amber

Content Warning: CEO Amber, Photographer Tara

Summary: Tara has to take photos for the local newspaper but she can't help it when she sees a pretty woman

Tara was bored and she was unable to do her job. She was a photographer for the local newspaper and she was looking for what photos to take. She was at an event, so she had already taken tons of photos but she felt like they weren’t good enough. This was not helping her pay her rent, that was for sure. She was about to give up as she was leaned against the fountain, covering her face and thinking of what to do instead that was to do with a story, that was at least until she saw a girl sitting at the fountain near her. She smiled, deciding to see if she could try and get her number. 

She went over to the girl, camera still around her neck. The girl had on some earphones, one out of her ear though. She was also on her phone, seemingly texting somebody. “Hey, is it ok if I take photo of you? Free of charge as I don’t take photos of people usually,” Tara asked, smiling politely. The girl looked up, raising an eyebrow before she was nodding. “Sure. I have some freetime, my friend isn’t here yet,” the girl spoke. Tara smiled, putting her camera on. The girl started to pose near the fountain then, seemingly having fun. 

Soon, Tara said, “Think I have enough now. Can I have your number to send them to you?”. The girl smirked before she was nodding. 

“Smooth way to get my number,” she hummed out, writing it down before she was handing it over. Tara nodded.

“They will be with you within the next 24 hours,” she spoke and wandered off after a bye. She was fist bumping the air happily then, smirking as she was soon taking photos of the even, getting new motivation.

-

At 8pm that night, Amber received the photos. Tara was laid down in her bed as she sent them to Amber, smiling as she was naming Amber’s contact. She named it ‘Beautiful woman’. She wasn’t expecting a reply, until she heard her phone ding. She blinked in shock before she was checking it.

‘Thank you. What’s your name by the way? I am Amber’ the message read. Tara grinned like a school girl.

‘It’s no problem! You just caught my eye. And my name is Tara’ she sent back.

‘You should be a runway model photo taker. They’re that good. What would you say if I offered you the chance?’ was the response. Tara blinked in shock.

‘And how would you offer me a chance? You famous or something, lol?’ Tara sent back, confused. She wasn’t expecting a quick response.

‘Yep! I make clothes, and they sell. I am the CEO of Fruits of Amber’ she sent back. Tara quickly did research on the company from the internet when she realised it was legit. 

‘And will I be paid? Either way I would take the job’ Tara responded, anxious. She needed more money for rent or she would possibly be causing trouble for her sister by making her pay again.

‘Of course you would be paid! How about a trial run this weekend?’ Amber texted back. Tara couldn’t help the emotion as she fist bumped the air before she was responding. She didn’t want to seem too excited.

‘Of course I can do that :]’ Tara responded. 

They then discussed the place to meet, at the headquarters of the company itself, and what time, which would be at 12pm. Tara couldn’t wait. She was also nervous as she’d be around a pretty girl for a while. 

-

The day had finally arrived, and Tara had woken up at 8am to get ready. She quickly put on her nicest blue jeans, which showed off her ass. She was proud of that. She then also put on a blue shirt, which was loose on her. She admired herself in the mirror, jumping when she saw Sam in the mirror. “Who are you dressing for?” Sam asked, taking a sip from the coffee mug in her hand. The strong smell of coffee was also invading the room. 

“This CEO. Took photos of her at the event and she offered a trial run for me today at 12pm. She wants me to take photos of people and oh my god she’s so pretty,” she spoke happily. 

“And what is her name?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow then glanced at the jeans and laughed. “You seriously are trying to impress her, huh?” she teased. Tara got flustered almost immediately then nodded. 

“Her name is Amber. She runs Fruits of Amber,” she responded, embarrassed. Sam smirked and nodded.

“Breakfast is ready anyway,” Sam spoke before leaving. Tara was embarrassed she was caught out.

12pm couldn’t come sooner. Tara was even more excited as she was outside the company doors, texting Amber. She was going to say she was there, but jumped once her shoulder was touched. “Hey Tara. How are you today?” Amber asked. Tara just smiled. 

“I’m doing well! What about you?” Tara asked. Amber just smirked. 

“Doing better now. Come on, we have some work to do now don’t we?” Amber spoke. Tara nodded as she was quick to follow the taller girl. 

Soon they were in a room where she saw a brown haired boy who had streaks of blonde in his hair. “Hey, this the new cameraman?” he asked smiling. 

“Oh yeah, I just allow anyone in the room where we take photos. You didn’t know that? Of course it’s the new cameraman,” Amber snarked out. Tara just stared at her in awe as she was smiled gently.

“Names Wes,” he spoke,

looking at Tara and held his hand out. Tara shook it while she introduced herself.

“My name is Tara,” she spoke smiling. 

“I am the model for today. Better get ready for a long day with perfectionist Amber,” he spoke. Amber rolled her eyes but couldn’t help and smirk. Tara nodded. 

“I’m sure I can handle it,” Tara spoke. 

-

A few short weeks later and Tara was working for them. It paid better than the local newspaper so she had quit her job and started working full time at Amber’s company. The bad side was that her crush on the taller girl had grown exponentially. 

She was currently on her lunch break, when Amber decided to take hers too. It was just her Tara in the lunch room as she had a film on her phone, Stab 1. “I love that film,” Amber spoke, breaking the silence. Tara jumped out of her skin as she widened her eyes, before slowly calming down and nodded. 

“I… haven’t really watched it before but I was recommended it so here I am,” Tara spoke as she was finishing her sandwich off and was looking at Amber. 

“Hey Tara… I was just wondering… do you wanna go out sometime?” Amber asked. Tara blinked in shock and was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, curious if it was a date.

“Of course we can. Why? When? Where?” was the response that Tara said, excited to see if it was a date. 

“I… just like you a lot and I want to see how it goes on a date. I was wondering about tomorrow at 5pm. We go out to a pizza place and we go to the park and go on a walk then the pub? I’ll pay for everything since I asked,” Amber spoke, scratching her neck shyly. Tara smiled before she nodded.

“I was hoping you’d like me back,” Tara spoke. “It’s a date.”

[foxedthecards]

Truthfully, things had been sort of rough lately for Jonas, even he, the king of denial had to admit that. He was as they so delicately put it, between housing at the moment, which meant he had just enough money scraped together to get a shabby hotel room for a few days before getting kicked out. Didn't even come with fun blue haired neighbors like the place he'd been at a few years back (but at least there wasn't a terrifying science weirdo trying to kick him off roofs or strangely attractive serial killers around...that he knew of. Look, no one ever said Jonas was smart when it came to dating. Let's not even touch the giant. Jonas still wasn’t sure if that guy was a very persistent hallucination or not but at least he was pleasant? Pretty sure the pink haired chick had been real even if most of his memory from that night was a blank.)

Fewer things to pawn (and frankly he was embarrassed as shit to go back to that last shop even if the owner did seem like a pretty decent sort with a neat pet crow.) Still no word back yet on the latest job opportunity. At this point he'd take anything, even three straight days of card tricks at the table with hundreds of drunk little old ladies or weird (ok but kind of good looking) cowboys with devil tails. But until he knew he had the funding to do so, it also looked like any kind of medical visits, shrinks or otherwise would have to be put on hold.

He still had the card. That odd night at the bus stop...and that whole conversation too just kept itching at the back of his head. Of course his shitty brain would dump stuff like gig interviews or calls about job opportunities but hold onto a weird few hours at a bus stop in...hell he couldn't even remember the name of the place now or why he'd been there. Figured.

So ok yes he was gonna take full advantage of a free session at this spa place because why not? Maybe his chakras needed to be aligned with the fourth moon of Jupiter or he needed to be rolled up in seaweed like a California roll and dunked in mineral mud imported from Tibet or whatever kind of treatments they offered. What was important was...it was free. And the place looked legit as he walked in. Gentle piano music in the background, furniture in neutral tones, vaguely humanoid statues in funky yoga looking poses. And...nobody at the front desk. Ok. Well it wasn't like he had anywhere to be urgently. Or that anyone would miss him.

That thought and the sound of piano music created a little ache inside of his chest. No. Not anymore. He was good at screwing up, wasn't he...

He plopped down on the nearest couch and stared up at the ceiling. Huh. Bamboo rafters, little windchime looking thingies. Classy. Too bad there wasn't something alcoholic. Although knowing this place, it'd probably be like...cucumber water kombucha or kale smoothies or...something.

God. He was exhausted and this couch was a hell of a lot more comfortable than that thing they called a bed back at his hotel room.

[space-helen]

There's a guy that comes into my work now and then and he's always so polite and refers to me as ma'am which I just automatically find endearing because sir I am only 25 I don't feel like I am qualified to be referred to as ma'am lol also its just not commonly said in my country like at all. One day when he was leaving he tipped his hat at me and said goodbye ma'am and oh my heaven above it was so old timey and cute and i love old Hollywood and dressing vintage and all that jazz so the hat tip really did me in

Anyway I forgot about that because it was months and months ago, well anyway he came back in recently and was still just being all polite and throwing the ma'ams out. And then I realised oh it's hat guy! and tbh i have crappy self confidence and I shit you not I couldn't even look at him, I was just typing away getting the info he needed and trying not to blush, on the freaking way out this guy does the thank you ma'am and then just as he was going through the door he turned and went you're gorgeous by the way. I am so glad he was leaving when he said that because I had to duck behind my computer screen I could not stop smiling I was legit swooning like what!? But yeah my lack of self confidence I convinced myself that somehow he could sense my insecurity and he just said that to be nice and boost my self esteem just being a nice dude like there's no way he meant it

Helennnnn he came back again and asked me out and I said no even though I really really wanted to say yes. I do not like my appearance to the point where I am saving for cosmetic surgery and have been on consultations with two surgeons. I was never planning on dating being an option for me (was mentally ill in my younger years and thought I wouldn't make it to this age). I have acne scars and I never leave the house without makeup like I can't. There's also the fact that all I do is work, go for a walk, come home and rot on tumblr for hours because I had accepted that that's good enough for me I'll do my job and spend time with my family and get my social and relationship fullments through fics 🤣 So I have no real hobbies and no personality so not only would I be soo so insecure about how I look but I wouldn't even have anything to say I wouldn't even be able to talk to him. So I had to turn him down even though I seriously didn't want to but like how can I even attempt to go on one single date when I'm not even comfortable with myself 😢 I do kind of envy the past generations when it comes to dating like my mum was married and had me by the age I am now and all I have is tumblr. I'm now convinced I'll never find anyone again because I went and said no to someone I actually liked because I don't like myself 🙃 😭

So I read this as soon as I woke up this morning and I've been thinking about it all day. First of all I'm super sorry you feel like this - these emotions are THE WORST and I know those words won't fix everything, or even anything, but I get it. Putting the rest under the cut so people on tumblr don't get mad.

This guy sounds really lovely and as you day, endearing. I love that he asked you out on a date and that's super positive!! He seems like such a gentleman/cutie.

I get why you rejected his offer. I 1000% get it. I also self sabotage a lot like you. I grew up bigger than everyone else both height and weight wise, I also had acne/spots from the age of like 8. I got bullied so much because of it all the way through school and man, it sticks. I've always been looking for love but when it actually comes to asking someone out? I just don't do it because I don't think I'm worthy of it at all. When someone shows interest (not that it happens often) I always deny it because I can't possibly see how anyone would fine me attractive. Yeah somedays I think, damn I look good and will take some photos. But it comes in waves. Most of last year I was ok and had more good days with my body image than bad. This year? the amount of times I don't like myself has increased.

I'm really really sorry you feel similar, I know it's not entirely the same but I get some of what you're feeling. Hopefully he comes back in and you can have a little conversation - I'm not saying apologise, don't do that for now, but try and spark up normal, friendly conversation if circumstances allow. Just to show that you don't dislike the guy and then maybe one day when you're feeling confident he can ask again or you can ask him. If that doesn't happen? That's also ok too! Absolutely no pressure.

I know this post isn't enough to address everything but I do want to say thank you for trusting me/putting this in my ask box. If you want to message me about it please do!! I'm always happy to chat

[mylittleredgirl]

main difference: The Vibes™️.

the 1993 version was both chiller and creepier—more ambiance, more "this is sci-fi isn't this cooooool" things, all the kosh-is-so-alien scenes taking longer.

the 1998 re-cut (now in 4:3 for television!) has tons of added and extended scenes, but the runtime is the same, so it's a tight edit.

they also updated the visual/audio effects and replaced the score, so in look and tone it feels like a season 4 episode.

less focus on the setting/creating sci-fi awe, more focus on the characters.

they specifically do a better job personally attaching me to the characters we never see again (takashima, kyle, and carolyn), which is pretty cruel when you think about it.

if you said "i don't remember that!" about anything in my first recap, it's because it's not in this one.

1998 version objectively better, but lacks the vintage 70s-meets-80s-in-1993 flavor of the original, so i think you should watch both <3

bullet point recap:

the "please stay on the approved list of fuckable aliens ;)" scene being sinclair's intro is hilarious. JMS sat down with this script like ok, very first thing on the agenda: we gotta let the audience know that humans CAN and DO fuck aliens. some of them even die trying.

sinclair's SECOND new scene is an amazing character intro—a random hostage situation in the airport where he walks out unarmed to offer the guy a way off the station (and then keeps his word). great intro for him.

no more tour of the alien sector :( bye bye alien puppets.

shortening the scene with g'kar propositioning lyta to breed with him was a good call. the original version of this was so dehumanizing and threatening, yikes.

takashima sure is beautiful in those randomly swinging c&c lights <3

the station in general seems more operational and complete. in the super cute extended scene where takashima tells kyle she's growing secret coffee, she says the station went operational "last year."

those two are the BEST part of the changes!! they're such good friends and i didn't know! <3 <3

"i can't think of anyone i'd rather have alongside when we face court martial"

her backstory drop is in both versions but it's only now hitting me how funny it is that sinclair went to mars and collected a bunch of loose cannon career fail officers in the style of a devoted "there are no bad dogs just mismatched owners :)" animal rescuer.

new scene of garibaldi suspecting sinclair because the tube malfunction wasn't logged.

lyta scanning kosh: kosh now straight up greets fake sinclair as "entil'zah valen." which would be valuable information if lyta ever had any idea what it meant.

carolyn randomly walking into delenn's quarters to yell at her for abstaining from the vote gives a sense that she's a seriously consistent part of sinclair's life, if she has personal relationships with the ambassadors.

the battle of the line scene: the extended bookends of the scene placing it in context are great, but my least favorite change is how they added the flashback voiceover/music to his monologue. the sound cue really took away from the intensity of watching him slowly slip into a flashback.

okay i love catherine sakai soooo much but honestly sinclair/carolyn chemistry legit 🔥

the new cut has a lot more "oh that's why this happened" dots connected, but i still don't know why or how delenn randomly showed up at the fight scene.

kyle tells laurel that he has "looked upon the face of a vorlon and nothing is the same anymore." i hope they got yoinked back to earth together at least :( i might need to write it. i love them now.

going to watch babylon 5 the gathering for the first time in twenty years. and be normal about it

[imagine-you]

Living As Foes (5/11) [Eddie Munson/Reader]

Summary: It only takes you one week to realize Eddie Munson hates you. It only takes you one year to fall in love with him. Go figure.

Word Count: 2.5k

Author's Note: Based on a prompt I received: "ok random idea because eddie seems like a bug flirt but when he has a legit crush hes hopeless so reader is so confused because eddie flirts with everyone except her"

Thank you to everyone for your patience. I've been so exhausted lately. But please know I haven't abandoned this or any of my fics. Also, this is now a fix-it fic. Because I have to.

June 1985:

You thought you would feel different once you graduated.

You should feel liberated. You should feel free. The whole rest of your life was right there in front of you, ready to be explored.

Instead, you just felt a bit confused and lost and disappointed.

You assumed that since you didn't have school, you would still have work. You had to save up for college, which meant you would need to take every shift Colleen could throw your way.

It turned out that your dad and Colleen had other plans for you.

When you walked into the diner during the first weekend of June, only to realize your hours had been cut, you felt like your whole world was coming down around you. Was Colleen gearing up to fire you? Were you not doing a good enough job? What would you do when you had no money and no future and no hope?

You felt like you were on the verge of panicking right in the middle of the Saturday night dinner rush, which was visibly apparent enough that Colleen pulled you aside right after serving drinks to a family of five.

"C'mon, honey," Colleen coaxed, ushering you into her office. "We've got to talk."

"I'm sorry," you blurted out once the door was shut.

Colleen quirked an eyebrow at you before gesturing for you to take a seat in her office chair. "Sorry? What for?"

"I must've done something, right? Because you're firing me?"

"Oh, no, honey," Colleen sighed, moving to lean against her desk. "I'm not firing you. As long as I'm alive and running this place, you'll always have a job here. So, don't go worrying about that, alright?"

You furrowed your brow in confusion, frowning up at Colleen. "But if I'm not fired, then why are you cutting my hours? I've got school to worry about. And my family--"

"And that's why," Colleen cut you off, "you're going to enjoy your summer."

"But--"

"No," Colleen immediately argued, shaking her head. "I haven't known you for very long, but I know you've got the whole world on your shoulders. Most kids these days would be partying away their last summer before college, but all you want to do is work. And I know you think you've got to, but I've had a talk with your father, and we both think you need to enjoy this time while you can."

"My dad?" You blurted in surprise, wondering just when the hell he had found the time to have a conversation with your boss.

"He's worried about you," Colleen answered, offering you a sympathetic look. "And I am too. You're going to burn yourself out before you even take your first class this fall. I want you to enjoy this summer. Have fun and do something stupid and make some memories, sweetheart."

"But I've got to save up--"

"Don't worry about that," Colleen interrupted you again. "You've spent all this time taking care of others, let someone take care of you for once."

You figured Colleen wasn't about to let you argue with her, but you were still worried. Was your dad going to take care of your tuition? There was no way he could afford it. If you didn't work all summer long, there was no way you could afford it either. The last thing you needed now was a pay cut.

It wasn't until you got your first paycheck that you realized exactly what Colleen had meant.

You had only worked half your usual hours, but received full time pay.

You tried to tell Colleen it was too much, and you couldn't accept money for work you hadn't done, but Colleen wouldn't let you refund any of the extra pay. Instead, she merely smiled at you and then sent you home with a fresh-baked pie to share with your family.

Your sister was off at summer camp having the time of her life and your dad was busy working, so Stacy was more than happy to make sure you enjoyed your free time. She dragged you to Starcourt and made you go shopping, which you secretly loved. You both went to the pool, where Stacy did her best to get Billy Hargrove's attention, and you tried not to roll your eyes too hard. You both went to Scoops Ahoy, where you traded awkward nods and smiles with Steve, and tried not to remember kissing him in front of half the senior class.

By mid-June, you had to admit to yourself, you were having a fantastic summer. You were still saving up for college, but you were also taking the time to enjoy yourself without worrying about your other responsibilities. Your sister was sending you letters every other day, assuring you she was having fun and making friends, and your dad didn’t seem so stressed out once he realized that both his kids were happy.

Whenever Stacy couldn't hang out with you, you still found yourself following a routine. You would go to the pool in the morning, and then hit the mall in the afternoon. You would get a cone from Scoops Ahoy, indulging in small talk with Steve, before either making your way to the diner for your shift or going home for dinner with your dad.

It was on one of those Stacy-free mornings when you struck up an odd friendship with Billy Hargrove.

You were sitting in one of the pool loungers, halfway through your book pick of the week, when a shadow fell over you.

You glanced up to see Billy standing there, a smirk on his face before he popped a stick of gum in his mouth.

"Where's your friend?"  

"At her aunt's house," you told him, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Just wondered why she wasn't here practically begging me to fuck her."

"Gross," you groaned, shaking your head. "That's my best friend."

"Yeah? Well, your best friend has it bad. It's kind of pathetic."

You shot a glare up at Billy. "Don't you have a job to do?" You couldn't help but ask, wondering why today of all days, Billy Hargrove had decided to talk to you.

"Well, yeah," Billy said, dropping down onto the lounger beside you. "But it's all little brats running around and housewives eyeing me up. You're the only one here who's actually my age."

"So? Doesn't mean I'm interested in you."

Billy laughed, shooting you a look like he didn't fully believe you. "Oh, c'mon. I'm bored, alright? Talk to me about anything. I don't even care what it is, just anything."

You frowned at Billy for a moment, before you held up the book in your hand. "Want me to tell you about The Shining?"

Billy squinted his eyes at the cover for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders. "Beats watching a bunch of snot-nosed kids run around. What's it about?"

You struck up an odd camaraderie with Billy that mostly consisted of Billy griping about his job and Hawkins and his family while you told him about whatever book you were currently reading or about your job at the diner.

While you never thought you'd be able to stand Billy Hargrove, he turned out to have a sarcastic, biting wit that surprised laughs out of you when you least expected it. Stacy didn't seem to know what to make out of the development, but once she actually started joining in on your conversations, you knew her crush on Billy only got worse.

You started spending more and more of your free time at the pool, so by the time July was approaching, you found yourself looking forward to the moments when you could do anything but try to play wing woman for Stacy.

You loved Stacy. She was your best friend. But you didn't want to feel like an awkward third wheel for your whole summer break.

"It's just, he's so hot, y'know?" Stacy said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. You were on your lunch break in the middle of a slow night at the diner, so you doubted Earl at the bar gave a damn about Stacy's crush or the family of four sitting across the room, which made Stacy's attempt at secrecy even more amusing. "But he's also kind of a dick. But I think he might like me. Do you think he likes me? I mean, he hasn't asked me out or anything, but maybe he will. That big Fourth of July celebration is coming up. Maybe I should see if he's going," Stacy continued, ignoring the sound of the bell over the door sounding, letting you know someone else had entered the diner.

You glanced up, freezing at the sight of Eddie Munson walking through the door.

"Oh look, it's the freak," Stacy sneered over her shoulder.

"He's not a freak," you immediately defended as you watched Eddie curiously look around the diner. He noticed you sitting near the back corner of the room with Stacy and ducked his head. He went to the booth closest to the door and dropped down into the seat that had his back facing you.

He glanced quickly over his shoulder at you before picking up his menu and studying it. When you looked back at Stacy, she was already watching you.

"Oh my God," she breathed.

"Shut up," you snapped.

"You have a thing for Munson?!" Stacy hissed in surprise.

"Shut up," you groaned, resisting the urge to hit your head against the table.

"I mean, Steve, that would make sense. It's Steve Harrington, you know? But him?" Stacy asked, her voice an insulting shade of incredulity.

"Could you just not? It's just a phase, alright? A really unfortunate phase, because I’m pretty sure he hates me."

"I doubt that," Stacy snorted. "You're like...the most likable person I know. He'd be an idiot not to have a thing for you too."

You couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for Stacy in that moment. She thought Eddie was no better than a piece of trash she'd find stuck to her shoe, but she quickly went from insulting him to reassuring you that he had to like you back. You knew you had truly lucked out in the best friend department, and you would be forever grateful that life had decided to throw the two of you together.

"I've got to get back to work," you sighed, reluctantly pushing yourself to stand. "Want another milkshake?"

"On the house?" Stacy checked, already pushing her empty glass towards you.

"Duh," you muttered, shooting her a grin.

You got Stacy another strawberry milkshake, making sure to add extra cherries, but go easy on the whipped cream just like she preferred, before you forced yourself to approach Eddie.

You had to practically give yourself a pep talk as you walked towards his table.

It's okay.

You've got this.

He won't bite.

Destroy you, sure, you thought. But only because he didn't know about your doomed crush.

"Welcome to Colleen's," you found yourself saying once you were standing next to him. "What can I get for you?" You were glad you had entered your own personal mode of autopilot since you were secretly freaking out. 

"Hey, uh, there," Eddie started, drumming his fingers on the tabletop before he started absentmindedly playing with the sugar packets he had pulled out of the holder that also housed the ketchup, mustard, and pancake syrup. "Right, I should order something," he grumbled. He bit his bottom lip, staring determinedly at the menu before glancing nervously up at you. "How about coffee? That sounds good."

"Alright," you agreed, simply writing down 'coffee' on your order pad just to give yourself something to do. "Coming right up."

You shot Stacy a panicked look as you crossed over to the bar. You nodded at Earl when he shot you a worried look before moving to grab a mug from the stand next to the coffee pot. You didn't know if Eddie wanted decaf or not, but since you were currently out of decaf, you figured he would just have to settle for regular coffee.

When you turned back around, you were surprised to see Colleen standing next to Eddie's table. She had a huge grin on her face as she listened to whatever Eddie was telling her.

You were glad to at least have Colleen as a buffer, but as you got closer, you felt ridiculously jealous of her. What the hell was Eddie telling her to make her look like that?

"Well, you know, I heard this was the hottest spot in town, but it's not because of the food. Should've figured a pretty lady like you would be bringing in all the business," Eddie flirted, gifting Colleen with a wide grin.

"Oh, well, aren't you sweet? But I'll have you know," Colleen started, her eyes flicking up to meet yours. You felt yourself freeze for a moment, instinctively knowing that whatever was about to happen was going to be incredibly embarrassing. "Y/N here is way prettier than I am, so she must be the one bringing in all the customers."

Eddie looked up at you as you set down his cup of coffee in front of him. There was an awkward, expectant silence before Eddie cleared his throat and wrapped his hands around the mug. "Shit," he hissed, shaking out his hands. "That's hot."

Colleen glanced from Eddie to you and back again before her jovial demeanor changed. "Right, well, best to drink your coffee and go, young man. It's getting late," she told him before she walked away, sending you a pointed look.

"Right, right," Eddie agreed, nodding his head. "Well, I shouldn't be drinking coffee anyways. Makes me too damn jittery. Thanks, though" he sighed before he stood up. He placed a five-dollar bill down on the table, not even bothering to look at you, before brushing past you. You watched him take the time to stick his tongue out at the toddler sitting with her family, before practically stumbling through the exit into the parking lot. You stood there, thoughts a whirlwind, wondering why the hell he would leave a four dollar tip for a cup of coffee he didn't even bother to drink.

"So, what's his deal?" Colleen asked, startling you. "Kid was all smooth until you came over. He got a problem with you? Because if he's giving you trouble, then I won't allow him in here anymore."

"No, don't worry about it," you sighed, watching Eddie's van taillights slowly pull out of the parking lot. "He's just...a guy I knew from school," you finally conceded with a grimace.

"Well, if I need to ban him, you just let me know," Colleen told you, patting you on the shoulder, before walking over to Earl to ask how he was liking his burger.

You picked up Eddie's abandoned cup of coffee and moved to pour it out in the sink in the kitchen. You didn't know why Eddie would show up at Colleen's and you certainly didn't know why he would order something he had no intention of drinking. You started wiping down the bar, one thought stuck in your mind for the rest of your shift.

What the hell was Eddie's deal?

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Life has been crazy and stressful. We just had to call the cops on an angry drunk guy the other night because he threatened to kill my manager...so...yeah. Life has been a lot. Thank you everyone for your patience! I promise to let up on the slow burn soon.

[wromwood]

So, earlier this month, I stopped working at one of my part-time jobs. While I still believe it was the best choice, considering how the job’s responsibilities changed since most Broadway theaters stopped requiring vax card checks, I will miss one of the big perks that the job offered: the opportunity to watch Broadway shows for free after shifts.

Now that it’s over, I think it’s time to share the full list of shows that I had the opportunity to see, ranked in order of how much I enjoyed them, from least to most. However, keep in mind that I didn’t think ANY of these plays were necessarily bad, nor did I hate any of them.

Take a moment to remind yourself that this is ranked based on pure enjoyment, and here we go!

Macbeth

Yeahhhh, sorry Daniel Craig, but this production of the Scottish Play definitely made the bottom of the list. (Or top, since we’re going from least to most.)

Again, I didn’t HATE this production, but this show confused me the most, and not in a good way. I’ve read Macbeth before, and I still found this production hard to follow. The staging was simple and vaguely modern, meaning that context and furniture were the main clues as to where any of the characters were at any time. Combine this with frequent double-roles for a lot of the actors, and I often couldn’t place who was speaking, where, and why.

This show was also the play of weird artistic choices. No matter what happened, there was almost always FOG, which worked sometimes, but just seemed to cover up lacking scenery at others. When Macbeth gets stabbed at the end, he seems to get stabbed in the crotch, and the spray of blood seems to come directly out of his butthole. When dramatic/spooky things happen, they LOUDLY blare what sounds like the Psycho knife screech, which just made those moments jarring and silly to me. Finally, at the end, when MacDuff is about to kill Macbeth, they FLASH bright white lights to slightly (but not totally) blind the audience as to what’s about to happen.

... then all the characters, dead and alive, sit by the wall, nursing their wounds while the last bit of the play happens. The Weird Sisters pass around bowls of soup, and they all eat while one of them sings a modern song that I don’t know well enough to understand why it connects to the scene. I know what this moment was GOING FOR, but it honestly felt like MacDuff stopped murdering Macbeth at the last minute and went “.... You know, violence isn’t going to solve anything. We all made mistakes. Let’s just call it off, apologize, and eat soup.”

There was one side character who, during the performance I saw, spoke into a handheld mic for no reason (with popping P audio to boot, which annoyed me), dressed in a Steve Jobs turtleneck, and spoke with a tone of voice that just seemed flippant and not totally immersed in the drama. I can’t even relate to being confused by this character to other coworkers who saw the show, since they remember a totally different actor (apparently one of them used a wheelchair), or at least a portrayal who didn’t use a handheld mic.

That leads into another aspect of the show that doesn’t help my rating: not only does it have a limited engagement, it was technically still in previews when I saw it, so it was always changing. However, every time I heard of the changes, they never really seemed to be for the better. The core flaws always remain.

Daniel Craig’s performance was OK. He’s a good actor, and he wasn’t bad in the role. However, he also wasn’t great. I’ve seen more engaging Macbeths. I put this down to direction, though. The same could be said for Ruth Negga as Lady Macbeth, although I believe her performance was a little stronger.

Finally: points off for causing undue stress on me and my coworkers, who had to avoid saying the name of the show while we were working in different theaters. Bad luck did legit happen after people said it. Also, both times I worked at this theater, it rained and made my job harder.

Now for a couple moments of positivity: I thought the porter scene was super funny and that the actor did it well. Props for that!

Also, since I had to stand in the balcony, I did not see that what I thought was the back wall of theater (a brick wall with piping) was actually the set itself. This meant that when, at the end of the show, the wall MOVED FORWARD, limiting Macbeth’s space, forcing him into conflict, and making him feel that there’s nowhere to run from MacDuff seeking his revenge, I was LEGIT SCARED. THE WALL WAS MOVING, WALLS SHOULDN’T MOVE, WTF

Anyway. Next show!

The Phantom of the Opera

Ah, Phantom. Phantom, Phantom, Phantom. Not gonna lie, you’re so low down partly because your theater is hell to work at. So many tourists, and so many of them angry.

But this show is also farther down partly because the specific performance I saw felt off. I saw this show during the period where so many Broadway actors were coming down with COVID that they had to rely on all the understudies at their disposal. As a result, nearly the entire cast were understudies, and I think it showed. The show felt a little bit offbeat, especially in regards to the Phantom himself. His performance felt more silly than dramatic in some parts, although the show itself doesn’t help in that regard. Christine was good acting wise, but her voice just wasn’t strong enough during a few numbers. Eric also could’ve used a singing boost. It’s not a good sign when your performance of Phantom needs stronger singing.

I want to make one thing clear: I LIKE Phantom of the Opera. (i’m so sorry, best friend who hates it) I don’t love it, but I do like it. I think the music is good, and I find the dramatic shenanigans to be NUTS, yet entertaining. Maybe that’s why this performance felt off to me. I’ve seen a version of the show that I like better in the past, and have my own thoughts on how the show should  be done. The performance I attended just didn’t satisfy that itch. Maybe later non-understudy performances were better! Who can say.

Still. It was Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic theater. The sets and effects were still amazing, and the acting was still good. It was a net positive overall, but it could’ve been better.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Ah, now we TRULY get to the proof that this list isn’t so much “worst to best” as “least fun to most fun.” I honestly wish this show wasn’t so far down the list, as I really did like it. It’s a great adaptation of the book, with great actors, sets, and direction. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie To Kill A Mockingbird, you know what this is about, and you know what happens in it. But it’s still a good story, and it makes for a good show. I remember that for being a Mockingbird adaptation, and dealing with some pretty heavy stuff, this show managed to still have a lot of humor in it. I laughed a surprising amount during the show, but fortunately, it still knew when to keep things serious and solemn.

The show DID add a few new elements. While the play utilized Scout’s recollection of the past as the main narrative force, there were a couple scenes that Scout couldn’t have witnessed, such as Atticus Finch convincing Tom Robinson to let  Atticus be his lawyer for the case. This is a cool moment to see, as this is Atticus and Tom Robinson’s first interaction with each other. However, it’s interesting that Atticus learns that Tom felt sorry for Mayella beforehand, and warns him not to say that in court. It feels like they wanted it to be foreshadowing, or at least a setup so that when Tom says it later, the audience KNOWS that the trial is essentially lost, or that Tom really felt pressured into telling the absolute truth of the matter. However, since we didn’t get (or NEED) that kind of setup in the book or the movie, it feels a little extraneous. Still, it wasn’t bad at all, so I’m fine with its presence in the show.

Jeff Daniels was great as Atticus Finch. As someone who mainly knew him from Dumb and Dumber, a film that I don’t really find entertaining, I was pleasantly surprised to see him excellently play this intelligent, (mostly) soft-spoken, and principled man. When he put Bob Ewell in a headlock, despite having to stand the whole time, I was so pumped that I stood on my tiptoes to watch.

The other actors also do their roles justice. They cast young-looking adults as the kids, no child actors here, and they were great at embodying the characters. All three “kids” actually have their own moments of “narrating” and recounting the events of the story.

The actor who plays the man who pretends to be a drunk (a review of the show says that Sorkin combined three characters into one for his play: Link Deas, Reverend Sykes, and Dolphus Raymond) was not only the same actor for Boo Radley, but he was also the one deaf actor in the show. This worked very well. Not only is the “drunk” man an outcast for being deaf AS WELL AS for having had a mixed kid with a black woman, but also Boo has another dimension to him for his own silence and outcast status. Scout even signs “thank you” to him shortly before the very end of the play.

Also. I gotta give props to this play for making Scout’s big old ham costume. I was waiting for that and it delivered. Bravo.

Despite not being closer to the top, this show was still great, and I’ll fondly remember watching it. (although I won’t fondly remember how an usher pressured me to sit in a seat that someone had already bought a ticket for, how I tripped and fell flat on my face getting back out, and how another usher SHUSHED me after SHE ASKED ME to explain what had happened)

Chicago

Ah, now we’re getting to the fun stuff! I went into this pretty much blind and had a great time. I honestly don’t have much criticism. It was just real good. I think the cast was mostly comprised of understudies, since I saw it during the period where so many Broadway actors were coming down with COVID that they had to rely on all the understudies at their disposal, but if so, they did an excellent job. The singing and choreography were phenomenal, the content was FUN, and I had a good time.

Also, I love that both the male and female chorus members wore sexy outfits.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

If there’s any show I’m glad my job let me watch for free, it’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This way, I didn’t give J.K. Rowling my money, and I supported the people I DO care about: Broadway actors.

While it’s true that the show’s script wasn’t personally penned by Rowling, she DID essentially give it her blessing. She was present when the writers formed the story, and even answered questions that they had. There’s no uncertainty that she at least contributed to this, so I still consider this partially her responsibility.

This show is most convoluted thing I’ve ever seen in my goddamned life.

This definitely isn’t helped by the fact that this is the TRIMMED version. At least for NYC, they changed the show from two separate two-and-a-half hour performances to one three-and-a-half hour performance. As a result, it feels like the “Summer Once Again” episode of The Goes Wrong Show... in reverse. Before intermission, the show runs at a breakneck pace, with little room to breathe, let alone establish ANYTHING. It’s only after intermission that things finally run at a human speed again. Or maybe I was just used to it. Either way, it took over an hour for things to feel normal.

The plot’s still a MESS. The protagonists’/antagonists’ kids angle can’t help but make it feel like a direct-to-DVD Disney sequel, or a child OC fanfic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I never really got into Albus (unsure why. I think it felt like he was just complaining after a while), while I unexpectedly grew more on Scorpius as the show went on. He was a bit annoying to me at first, but then he just became sweet and fun. I wish him the best.

The Voldemort’s daughter thing is, of course, ridiculous. And with how little the character is “set up” (she’s hiding as someone else for a while), it just kinda feels like she came out of nowhere. This show’s biggest fault is that it’s trying to tell a Harry Potter years-long story in one Broadway show. There’s just too much to cram into one viewing, or maybe even two. I’m not saying the answer is to make one show for each school year, though. That would make no sense. I also don’t think you NEED to limit the story to just one school year, although that would make things simpler. I think, overall, it needs to be presented in a more concise and better paced way. Preferably after scrapping the time travel plot, or at least making the time travel more like how it occurred in Prisoner of Azkaban.

SPEAKING OF WHICH. I don’t like how this show utterly throws out how the Time Turner is set up in Prisoner of Azkaban. Despite technically creating paradoxes, I like how the Time Turner is used in that book/movie. It establishes that while you can use it to mess about in time and do the right thing, there’s still a degree of certainty to the true timeline. All the things that the characters try to fix end up resulting in what they already experienced. This creates a few bootstrap paradoxes, but it shows that while their actions are useful, they can’t really CHANGE anything. This made the timeline feel secure, and prevented the time travel from being too powerful. I always respected that about the Time Turner, even when I was younger and loved the idea of changing the past to affect the future.

.... and then they go in a totally different direction for Cursed Child. It turns out that you CAN change the past, and that you CAN create a totally different future, and that if you do the wrong thing, whoopsie! Now Hogwarts is run by Headmaster Umbridge, is guarded by Dementors, and you’re late to celebrating Voldemort Day.

Yes, all that happens in one of the alternate futures of this show. Yes, I did actually laugh at the reveal.

So. After all the faults I just listed (and more I didn’t list), why is this show here on my list? How did it beat Phantom, Mockingbird, and even Chicago?

Partly, this is due to the effects. Whenever I asked someone how Cursed Child was, they replied with “Oh, the effects are GREAT!” Which... may not have been a good sign for the story, but it turned out to be absolutely true. The effects are, indeed, astounding. The crew took the challenge of representing magic on a Broadway stage and answered it phenomenally. There were moments that took my breath away in how real they looked, especially in regards to the Dementors.

Another reason this show is here on the lists is.... well, I had a fun time.

I DID have a fun time in a way the show didn’t intend, though. Now that I care less about the Harry Potter series overall, I was able to laugh at this show a lot more than I would have as a kid . It was definitely FUN to see how this story is a convoluted mess. Also, the acting is still good, so there were still good performances.

Also, there were some parts of the show that successfully hit the little parts of the Harry Potter fan that still reside in me, or at least the Potter fan of the past. The Dementors made me feel like a scared kid again. Seeing magic and hearing the familiar spells thrilled me. I feel like if I was a stronger fan, I’d dislike how some characters were done dirty. But I’d also like an excuse to see other characters return and give one last hurrah.

Finally. One shout-out to the moment that legit felt like it could have been from a Potter book or movie. While most of the show felt like new Rowling stuff, stuff that’s weak or weird or just extraneous, there was ONE moment that wowed me in effects, execution, and nostalgia:

The trolley lady.

There’s a moment in the show where Albus and Scorpius climb on the roof of the Hogwarts Express to leap off before they reach school. However, as they do, the trolley lady suddenly appears, perfectly balanced, even her trolley full of snacks.

Then she reveals herself to be an eternal aspect of the train who helps to ensure that every student REMAINS on the train. She even says the Marauders couldn’t escape her. She turns into a monster, her fingertips ELONGATING before our very eyes into claws, as she roars at the two boys escaping.

That was NUTS. My heart was pounding in my chest, and for the first time in years, I felt like a true Potter fan experiencing more genuine Harry Potter.

Still, I’m glad I didn’t pay for it. And I’ll continue my boycott of anything J.K. Rowling. I haven’t seen the new Fantastic Beasts, nor do I intend to. PLEASE don’t give any money to Rowling, as she’s done so much harm to the trans community.

But credit where credit is due. I did enjoy this Broadway experience, even as I scratched my head at it. If you have an opportunity to see it for free (no money to J.K. involved), then take it.

The Little Prince

Ahh, now onto another head scratcher! This show delves into the artsy abstract, with lots of dancing, maneuvering on aerial straps, and projected animated landscapes. While there IS a narrator onstage recounting the story, they do not physically resemble the Aviator, and they also speak aloud the “dialogue” that the other characters would be saying.

It didn’t help that I went into the show totally blind, not knowing what it would be like. I hadn’t even read the BOOK before. For most of the show, my reaction was that one Krusty GIF:

However. This show grew on me, and eventually won me over. It might look overly artsy at first, but it really is beautiful. The music and choreography are just gorgeous. Every part was fascinating, even if I didn’t know what was going on. I was confused, but also intrigued, thoughtful, and entertained; these emotional states lasted all the way until the end, when they showered us in red paper petals shaped like hearts.

Also, there was a part after the bows where someone went on the aerial straps and actually swung OVER the crowd like Spiderman. That was cool. :3

Now that I’ve read the book, the show makes a lot more sense, and I appreciate it as an adaptation in retrospect. Even if the vain main was adapted into a clown-looking dude who uses a smartphone. I truly wish I could see this again with my newfound knowledge of the book in mind.

Plaza Suite

Now onto the rich person play! This is what I and a few other coworkers called it because 1) it’s at a very fancy looking theater and 2) the crowds that came to see it were typically (but not always) rich New Yorkers and tourists. Half of them acted SO privileged, and the Mask Up folks were even told to be more lenient with them. While we still had to tell them to keep their masks up, we were also advised to not be as “forceful” or “commanding” as we would be at other theaters, which left a sour taste in my mouth every time I heard it.

However, the show itself is great, and definitely gets better the more it goes on. Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker act very well in it, and they understandably have incredible chemistry together. Broderick especially surprised me with the amount of physical comedy that he does in the second and third parts of the play. He’s a bit of a hit or miss actor in most of the things I’ve seen him in, but this play is a hit. Plaza Suite is also just a very clever play overall, with the humor only getting better with each part, so the actors have wonderful material to work with.

Also, the play takes advantage of the fact that there are no set changes. The set looks AMAZING. It looks just like a fancy expensive plaza suite was chopped out of a building and plopped onto the stage. The special effects (the few times they were necessary) were also great! When the rainstorm happened outside the windows in the third part, it looked and sounded pretty real!

Overall, despite attracting grumpy privileged rich people, it was a fun time!

A Strange Loop

Ohhhh, talk about FUN. Almost all of my coworkers were scrambling to get their hands on a shift for this show. I came in mostly blind, but I knew a few important things: 1) It’s the tenth musical to win the Pulitzer Prize, 2) it's the first musical to win a Pulitzer written by a black person to win, 3) it’s the first musical to win a Pulitzer without first having a Broadway run, and 4) it’s unabashedly black and queer.

Not only was I able to watch the show after my only shift there, but I was  also extremely lucky to get a ticket in the third row of the orchestra. (Someone just gave the ticket back to the theater; I guess they had to cancel? Unsure) Anyway, I had a CLEAR view of this wild, meta, and heart wrenching show. Everybody in the cast is so talented, and I was surprised to learn this is Jaquel Spivey’s Broadway debut. He plays Usher, the lead, and he does it wonderfully.

Honestly, there’s not much else I have to say here. The music is great, the acting’s phenomenal, the emotions are powerful, and the bare cheeks of the chorus member who stood on my side of the stage during “Exile in Gayville” are tight.

Also, the crowd for this show was definitely the most understanding and mask-wearing crowd I had ever worked with. Loved that.

Company

This was a blast. Company was another show I went into mostly blind, and I’m glad I did for this production. In fact, I’m curious about the effects of going into this one blind, as this production of Company has some big gender swaps. The male lead Bobby is now a woman (Bobbie), the bride-to-be with cold feet Amy is now an anxious gay groom named Jamie, and the three girls that Bobby dates are now three men. The only time the genderswap feels noticeable is a moment late in the play where Patti Lupone’s character proposes that Bobbie should sleep with her husband. In the original, she proposes that she should sleep with Bobby. I think the original works better tonally. Aside from that, everything else felt so natural that, if you hadn’t told me there was a genderswap at all, I don’t think I would’ve guessed.

Genderswap or not, this was a great time. I’m usually not the biggest fan of abstract staging; it’s gotta be done well for me to really be on board. This production does it super well! From the big neon letters, to hiding the number 35 in various places, to changing prop sizes, all the ways the staging plays with Bobbie’s psyche are both entertaining and thought provoking.

Since I came into Company blind, I was legit surprised by the power of the show’s comedy. Company could have achieved a high place on this list through laugh-power alone.

The acting and singing are, of course, amazing, and I’m so glad I got to see Patti Lupone in a Broadway show. She may not have too major a role, but she performs it so well. She just has a dazzling presence to her, and a beautiful voice to boot.

The rest of the cast are great too! My favorite number was Jamie’s “I Am Not Getting Married Today.” His performance was wildly entertaining, as was the random priest popping out of the fridge and freaking him out. Comedy gold.

Come From Away

I’m surprised that I was able to watch this show totally blind. I didn’t know a THING about it until a couple of days before my first shift there. The one thing I learned before I saw it?

“It’s about 9/11.″

That definitely gave me the wrong idea of what this show would be like. I came into it expecting a consistently dark, somber, and mournful story. However, while it does center around a tragic event, and it touches on some of the paranoia, stress, and xenophobia that people felt during/after 9/11, the show surprised me with lots of fun music, warmth, and goodwill. It even taught me about part of the aftermath of 9/11 that I never knew about- that after US airspace was closed, 38 international aircraft were forced to reroute and land in Gander, Newfoundland. Luckily, the town of Gander welcomed the hundreds of new people, provided them with food and shelter over the next week, and stayed in touch with their new friends in the years afterward. It’s such an interesting and heartwarming story, and as I watched from standing room, I was bouncing to the tune of the music all the way through.

(Also, thank you for being under 2 hours. It’s nice to watch a Broadway show that’s the length of a movie.)

The Music Man

Now for the show that so many people are dying to see and willing to spend hundreds of dollars on tickets for- The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. While I knew the basic story of The Music Man beforehand, I still hadn’t actually watched it before, so I had a fun time watching this partially blind. The story’s silly, and parts are clearly old fashioned, but I thought it was very entertaining. The music is great, and it was nice to hear an official (yet slightly changed for modern audiences) version of “Shipoopi” after being so familiar with the Family Guy rendition.

The two aspects that really blew me away, though, were the look of the show and the acting.

This show was fun just to watch. The sets and costumes are all gorgeous. Also, during “The Wells Fargo Wagon”, they did a couple of neat things with the horse-drawn wagon. First, they had little moving cutouts of the horse galloping with the wagon in tow in the “distance”, which was fun. Then they had the “horse” (people in a really great horse costume) come out on stage, which was so impressive.

And as for the acting? It’s Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, of COURSE it was amazing. This was actually my first real experience seeing Hugh Jackman sing and dance, and he’s excellent at both. The rest of the cast is great too; everyone was full of energy and immensely talented.

This show might’ve given me a couple tough crowds to work with, but being able to watch it was worth it.

Hangmen

I couldn’t help but love Hangmen. I loved it so much that it was the only show I saw twice during my old Broadway job. Sadly, both times, I had to miss the first ten minutes, in which (as far as I could piece together) the main character condemns to death the man who sets the whole plot in motion. I went into the show mostly blind, knowing only that it took place in the 1960s, after hanging is abolished in the UK, and that it was written by Martin McDonagh. (He created The Pillowman)

This play is a great dark comedy. Despite the dark subject matter and the attitudes of some of the characters, nearly every joke landed. Even if the laughs were sometimes surprised or slightly uncomfortable, the jokes WORKED. There’s so much great setup and payoff, and I was always invested in what was going on.

The sets are also wonderful. While I couldn’t really appreciate the first set (jail room), I loved looking at the detail of the later pub set. Like the plaza suite in Plaza Suite, it truly looked like they carved out a real location (in this case, a 60s British pub) and put in on a Broadway stage. Also, there’s a short scene in a cafe that was stage marvelously, literally taking place ABOVE the pub set. It was practically hidden up there, only revealed when it had to be, and it still looked realistic, with a THUNDERSTORM visibly happening outside its windows. So cool.

Alfie Allen of Game of Thrones fame is in this production, and he’s marvelous. Even before I knew he was in Game of Thrones (I did not watch it), I thought he was one of the strongest actors in Hangmen. He just has this ENERGY of great acting ability on that stage. Then I learned what he’s been in, and I thought “Oh, that makes sense.”

Without going into spoilers, I will say that the hanging in Hangmen (that I did see, at least) is chilling to watch. I had to keep telling myself that there had to be a harness, that there were precautions in place, that they wouldn’t risk the life of an actor. Great acting combined with great effects equal legit fear that someone’s gonna die.

Finally, I really liked the excuse to listen to Northern accents for a couple hours. It’s just nice. Reminded me of when I was studying in Manchester, even though Hangmen takes place in Lancashire. Speaking of which, I was super amused to hear the hometown of one of my friends, Burnley, get name-dropped a half-dozen times over the course of the show. I don’t hear about it much outside of him and football, so that was a nice surprise.

And that concludes my thoughts of all the Broadway shows I saw during my old job. I did get a NEW job working on Broadway, but it won’t provide the same show-watching opportunities that the old one did. (Fortunately, people will be WAY more polite to me because I’m not working COVID safety anymore) Still, I’ll always be grateful for this period in which I saw what is probably nearly a thousand dollars worth of Broadway shows.

Thanks for sticking around to read all this! If you’ve seen these shows, lemme know your thoughts. :3

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Buddie 4x14 review - if you haven’t watched it yet don’t read.

The episode starts where we left it, once Buck was on the ground, it seems like he was thrust back into reality. I noticed two things here (connected with 4x13) Eddie didn’t close his eyes until Buck was safe behind the truck on the ground. And the second thing is that Buck was spurred into action the moment Eddie’s eyes closed.

And I mean this was some BAMF Buckley right there, that was SEALS trained Evan Buckley! 😱🤩 It’s like training and instinct kicked in and all that mattered was to get to Eddie and get him help as soon as possible, sniper’s bullets be damned. I gotta say it was executed to perfection❣

Big kudos to both Oliver and Ryan for delivering this whole sequence in a heart-wrenching, beautiful manner.

The shooting doesn’t stop and they get Eddie out of there under fire, I really like the 133 captain and crew, they worked so well with the members of the 118, it seemed effortless. (I’m not touching that subject, but let’s picture Buck lifting Eddie bodily up into his arms and in to the truck for just a second here. - I mean we wanted it but not under these circumstances)

Buck taking the role of medic when finally getting Eddie into the truck, is so amazing, he’s usually the one either in need for treatment or the one who stands back and let’s Hen, Chim and Eddie do the medic stuff, it is their jobs after all, but he doesn’t sit back and let the medics of the 133 to take over, he does it himself. 

He tore Eddie’s uniform’s buttons open (again, that’s not how any of us wished for this to happen), tore the pressure bandage wrap open and pressed it down on the wound, he did not step back from Eddie, until he absolutely has to, at the hospital. 😭

Eddie, my poor baby, was lying on the ground of the truck, bleeding and half conscious and the one thing he focused on was the blood on Buck’s shirt and he asked him if he’s hurt. I mean I could totally cry, because that’s Eddie. Best friend, combat medic, protective and caring, that never goes away even as he’s lying there bleeding. 🥺🥺

Eddie was legit ready to forget his injuries and try to get up and take care of Buck if he was hurt too. He loses consciousness only when Buck assures him that he’s not hurt.

Buck’s frantic litany of “Just hang on, we’re almost there.” and “I need you to hang on” (“I need you”, not we, not Christopher, “I need you”) was really hard to watch, because even though we all read and wrote it in fanfics thousands of times, watching it actually play out was heartbreaking, I totally teared up with Buck there.🥺🥺

For firefighters the job ends at the hospital doors, so Buck naturally, out of instinct stops from following. But that’s Eddie taken away from him and he looks frozen, at that moment he must have thousands of thoughts running around his head.

“You ok Buckley?”

Buck’s broken “No.” was maybe expected, but it was also earth shattering of sorts. This is Buck standing there, knowing (especially after the well incident) that when Eddie is not okay, he’s not either. 😭❤

I want to point out that I loved the fact that the 133 didn’t just drive away or waited outside for the cops, they went in after Eddie. And after trying to check in on Buck, the Captain of the 133 went in too.

I’m going to point out a parallel here between S3 Finale and S4 finale, in 3x18 Eddie asks Buck if he’s ok as his ex-girlfriend was taken in the ambulance with her new fiancé, Buck’s response was “What’s next?” and going back to work. He was okay, because Eddie was with him, and there was still work to be done.

Here in 4x14, Eddie is taken from him to the hospital, and Buck doesn’t know if he’ll live, so Buck’s obvious answer here is ‘No’.

Later we see Buck exiting the hospital, in his firefighter uniform. I’m a little disappointed we don’t see him cleaning up, I know that could have made for a hell of a scene, Oliver would have killed it, and us in my opinion.

Taylor is coming to the hospital, not as a reporter but as a friend. She was worried. I like that side of her, when she knows to put away the reporter and to make sure her friend is in one piece. Her character development is shown beautifully in this scene. 

Buck, in no condition to pretend and speak to the press, turns away from her, he doesn’t trust her at that moment and he doesn’t trust himself not to break down there. He’s teary, still in shock and his hands are shaking like crazy. (in complete contrast to the usual Buck, where he can be in danger or wrap up a crazy rescue and he is normally completely steady.)

Taylor, offered to take Buck to Eddie’s house to see Christopher, telling him he can’t go see Chris looking like he does now. “You can’t got see his son like that.” - At first hear and several others it sounded like “Your son.” - of course it’s not but either way it would have been true too, because in a way Buck has been co-parenting Christopher for a very long time now. And indeed later when Buck gets to Eddie’s house he is washed and dressed in civilian clothes.

The scene with Oli and Gavin killed me! I thought for sure the breaking down will be done in private, but Buck couldn’t hold it together in front of Christopher once he found out Eddie is going to be ok, and Christopher comforting Buck was so so sweet.

Christopher’s “like the ones who fixed you?” Kind of gives us a certain idea as to the conversation Eddie had to have with Christopher when Buck was hurt. His sweet “Then he’s going to be ok,” he says it with such conviction, only adding “right?” only as an afterthought.

And as if he manifested it himself Buck then gets a text from Bobby that tells him that Eddie pulled through surgery and it looks good.

Buck actually dropped the phone from the relief and he started to cry, and sweet, adorable, national treasure Christopher puts an arm around him and tells him that Eddie is going to be okay. I definitely cried with Buck here. It was such a powerful scene and it was portrayed so well by Oliver and Gavin. 

The “it’s going to be okay Buck” was kind of a call back to 3x01 - when Christopher reassures Buck and tells him “You’re going to be okay kid.” - I love these two together so much! ❤❤

When Bobby gives them the talk in the firehouse about how they proceed from there, Buck is standing with his arms crossed, looking completely dejected. And when Hen asks about the safety of their families, Bobby says there's no reason to believe they are in danger, Buck pipes in with “We didn’t have a reason to believe Eddie will get shot helping a kid either.” Buck is traumatized, and worried, he sleeps at Eddie’s house looking after Christopher.

I loved Christopher waking Buck up, and them having cereal breakfast together, a call back to Eddie and Christopher having breakfast together in 2x04. Buck doesn’t sit next to Chris, but across from him - to me it says that the seat between them is usually reserved to Eddie when they’re together at the house.

I love how Christopher’s teasing Buck about him snoring. And Buck is later confused because he’s unsure of whether or not Chris really understands what’s happening, but Carla assures him that he already lost his mother, unfortunately he understands better than he or she thinks. Which again should give people a new appreciation for Christopher’s sunshine child attitude.🥺❤

Carla showing up to take Christopher to school, is showing relief that Buck could finally sleep, which means that he didn’t for at least a couple of nights. She’s also asking him how it feels to go to work, Buck doesn’t even think about the sniper, for him all that matters is that Eddie is not out there with him and it feels off. (call back to 2x18 when Eddie seemed pensive about being back at work but Buck was not with them.)

Carla, bless her, retorts that that is not what she was asking - obviously she meant, she was worried about the sniper, but that is not Buck’s main worry, his head and his heart are somewhere else.

The crane scene was insane! I laughed when Chimney looked to Bobby and asked him “Can you blame him cap?” and Bobby flat out responded “Yeah!” 😂

The rescue was really impressive. However if Eddie ever found out about this he would probably hit Buck over the head with something heavy. It just goes to show that Eddie is Buck’s impulse control and vice-versa.

Bobby and Buck’s interaction wasn’t one of anger, Bobby was terrified and Buck was guilty but unapologetic, because he couldn’t protect Eddie but he could protect the rest of his family, so he did just that. Bobby didn’t have anything to say other than give him the same response Eddie did in Monsters - “Don’t do it again.” - Because for one, in my opinion, Bobby knows where Buck is coming from and also Bobby knows, he knows Eddie is Buck’s impulse control, knows he’s his anchor, he knows that Buck will only be his relatively normal self when Eddie comes back.

I’m not even going to touch the Taylor scene, yes she was worried, and yes she scolded him in a friendly way, but that kiss felt so out of left field for me, especially since Buck was just packing a bag to go stay with Christopher and Eddie was still unconscious at the hospital.

Also she freaking friendzoned him last episode, how fickle do male writers think women are? She gets a little scared and kisses the guy? Lucky they didn’t write in a sex scene! That was an insult to women everywhere in my opinion. It could have been set in so many better opportunities, why now? And if she’s scared now what’s to say that won’t make her leave like Ali did? I have a whole tirade about it but I will let it go for now.

Now I know ya’ll are like - Eddie woke up because his spidey senses told him someone was kissing his Buck (and I do not negate that point lol), but he just woke up and he asked for Buck. I find it so deliriously endearing that I need a moment even as I’m writing this.🤗🤗

I have to point out that there is no scene of Buck, Eddie and she who will not be name together other than the second when Buck walks in (read ran through the hospital corridors) and Eddie has only eyes for his partner. 👀❤

Afterwards it just the two of them, with a brief facetime to Christopher. I love that Eddie thanks Buck for staying with Chris, and Buck pretty much breaks down the logic behind the decision, like a true parent. - Christopher’s comfort came first in Buck’s eyes, and really that just demanded a hug right there.

“Is he doing ok?” 

Buck’s response here, was very honest, a lot more honest than I expected, “better than me.” He said. Buck openly admits to Eddie, “I kinda lost it when I told him you got shot. I’m sorry I should have held it together.” To be honest, I’m very curious as to the ins and outs of Buck and Eddie’s friendship, especially during quarantine, they seem so much closer, a lot more open. More honest than you'd expect two male, straight, lead characters to be with their friends.

Buck would have played it down and shared only the essentials when it’s anybody else. With Eddie he openly saying here, in his own way, ‘I was terrified, and heartbroken, and ‘couldn’t imagine my world without you.’ - ‘I couldn’t function with a clear head.’ - ‘all my masks were shattered.’ 

“You were there for him when I couldn’t be, that’s what matters.” Eddie knows, buck, he understands him better than anyone, he’s telling him here in his own way that it’s okay, and he loves him just the way he is - it was his way to reassure Buck that he was doing just fine.

But Buck’s “Still I think it might have been better for him if I was the one who got shot.” - Eddie looked like he was ready to get up and smack some sense into Buck. 

I want to point out that Buck’s response to Eddie being hurt or in danger is nowhere near the same as his response to anyone else in danger. Case in point in 4x14 is Bobby, he is inside, probably injured, in a fire with a gunman - if it was Eddie, Buck would have waited 0.1 seconds before he disappeared back into the flames to help Eddie. 

With Bobby, he was calm, cool, calculated, he knew what Athena would do because that’s exactly what he would have done if it had been Eddie and he is ready with helpful details and a plan. He wants to go with her, but doesn’t argue when she says no. 

Eddie is Buck’s Bobby, and it reflects all throughout this episode, and I think I had some parallels pointed out in 4x13 too. So I don’t know what scripts Tim reads or if we’re all watching the same show but buddie exists and thriving as far as I’m concerned.

Buck is also the one to pick Eddie up at the hospital - he tells him that the nurse is getting his meds and discharge papers ready, which means that Buck did all that process, he was busy getting Eddie discharged. (Take a moment to soak it in.)😌

Eddie sits Buck down to talk, to be honest this talk went pretty much the way I expected it. 

Eddie explains why he had his will updated, and that Buck is Christopher’s legal guardian if anything happens to Eddie. - I love that after all this time, sweet Buck is still surprised. 

He asks if Eddie didn’t need his consent for this and Eddie’s reply is: “My attorney said you could refuse.”  

I also love, that even shell-shocked, Buck knows that Eddie knows him “You know I wouldn’t.”

And Eddie assures him that he does in fact know Buck, and he knows that Buck loves Christopher as much as Eddie does “I know you wouldn’t.” 

(”I had to do it.” - “Yeah, I know you did.” this was a call back to 4x05 where Eddie understood why Buck did what he did. And knowing what we know now, I can assume that even though Eddie understood and forgave Buck, he didn’t have to like it.)

“No one will ever fight for my son as hard as you.” - call back to 3x03 anyone? 

“There’s no one I trust with my son more than you.” - and Eddie proves it time and again.

And here he is basically giving Buck permission to give hell to his parents or anyone who tries to take Christopher away from His Buck. - And I love it!! 🤗❤

Buck, smart, handsome guy that he is, asks the right question again - “Why are you just telling me now?”

“Because Evan.” That first name that even took Buck by surprise, because Eddie only ever called him Buck, to our knowledge anyway. - Eddie was talking to Evan Buckley, not Buck, and yes they are two separate entities living inside one hunky firefighter. - This is Eddie saying, I know you’re frayed around the edges, I know I’m asking for a lot right now but I need you to hear me.

“You came in here the other day and you said it would have been better if you who were the one who was shot,” and I think for Eddie, who was lying on that firetruck floor bleeding out, and his only concern was that Buck may have been hurt, that was the worst thing Buck could have said. 

“you act like you’re expandable but you’re wrong.” 

Eddie has been where Buck is at that moment, losing his wife, watching his best friend nearly die time and again. - Really at this point Eddie just wants him safe, and if telling him about Christopher is what will do the trick, then he is not above playing dirty.

Eddie is telling Buck, you are my partner, you are Christopher's second parent, I love you, Christopher loves you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. - Because Eddie has been without Buck before and he was completely lost. - And that’s before they became even more intertwined as they are now. 

I love the second before Buck and Eddie enter, Eddie’s house, before Buck opens the door, Eddie looks like he’s steeling himself to get in and Buck has a knowing grin on his face, somewhere between ‘ready?’ and ‘they’re happy you’re back be nice.’ 👀😂

I hated the jump forward, but everyone standing on the roof looking good and Eddie with those sunglasses? wow!! 🥵🤩

This was an all out buddie episode, and I was totally there for it!! I really hope for many more, because these two give me life!!

[sasarahsunshine]

Ok I have no idea where my brain got this idea from, so just imagine that during college the hotch scholarship did not cover all his expenses so one day while he was looking for a part time job he ran into the dharma and greg auditions and they simply offer her to audition this is how hotch ends up acting in a part-time 90s sitcom 12 years after the series ended, Garcia finds her now the team just enjoys watching hotch perform, although it's a bit weird see him seem so happy and relaxed

I am legit about to fall asleep because it’s 4 min until midnight here, but my brain had to check tumblr one last time right as this ask was sent to me.

And I think it was a sign because now all I can think about is Hotch acting on this fun little sitcom and he’s actually having fun as an actor, even tho he always thought he was never any good at it (Haley’s the theater expert not him). But he has fun and makes some money and goes on his way.

Then the team finding out and just… a scene of them all sitting in the round table room, eating popcorn and watching Dharma and Greg and giggling at how silly and carefree Hotch’s character is (especially considering how Hotch is lol).

I have no idea if what I’m typing makes sense but yeah <3 this idea is cute and I will be thinking about it as I fall asleep now, lol. Thank you for that, Anon <333

[animatedpixie]

Yo! So, do you have some headcanon how Futuristic Four and Secret Trio met? What was their first meeting like? What did they think about the other team, etc?

I do!!!

They met by Kim!!!

Kim first found Jake up in New York on a mission involving Lilo

It took FOREVER for Kim to track down a legit dragon, not even considering he could have a secret identity

They then found Danny, they heard about weird things about amity park and ghosts. Kim saw Danny and Jake, she got a weird feeling.

“They are just.. children”

This is when she come up with the idea of making a team. She wanted it to be like a support group for scared/overworked/overwhelmed kids with gifts. She refound Danny when he announced his identity.

Boom! Now she got two on her team!!!

Next they went on to find Hiro and Violet, who made names for themselves, Violet making a name as Ms. Disappear, and Hiro of course with Big Hero Six

Hiro felt weird about it at first/ SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF THE SERIES IF YOU HADNT WATCHED IT/

He missed Big Hero 6 but he needed the help, Gogo, Honey, and Wasabi obviously got jobs, they always try to help with big hero 6, but they get busy

Hiro liked the team and was thankful tho to Kim for the help

Violet loved it cause it was her own little thing. Her whole family was special, the team felt like her own, she felt the need to live up to her parents, but with the team, she was just - a simply teen with a gift

Then Kim got Penny, Kim heard of the fire, she got the four to run with her. She saw herself in Penny, she offered her a job as a true spy with Bolt if they choose to or she would give them peace and help with therapy

Penny agreed, wanting to help kids like her, and seeing the four, she felt brave enough to join

They found Randy from a news paper report about his school and The Sorcerer.

Randy didn’t want to seem weak or unfit as he feared, it took Danny and Jake talking to him, about having to hide and the lies. Randy changed his mind and become the 6 member

The last one they found was Wilbur, which was by complete mistake

Wilbur went back to meet up with Lewis, he wanted to check in on his dad from time to time, causing some people saying they saw something flying.

“I COULD HAVE SWORE I SAW THIS WEIRD AIRPLANE?” It read

Kim put it together real fast, Wilbur of course tried to play it off

“Whattt I don’t know what your talking about Imm a normal teen definitely from this period!!”

Kim: “Nope”

Violet: “Definitely not”

Hiro: “You sure about that?��

Baymax: *scans him* “He is from -“

Wilbur: OK OK PLEASE DONT TELL I’LL BE KILLED

[bossbex]

5x05 Reaction

WOW it’s been a while since I did an episode reaction post.  I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHOW AGAIN!!!

The bughead walk home.  I liked this! I liked how it was awkward.  WHAT WAS IN THE VOICEMAIL??? Does Jughead even know what’s in the voicemail? 

Varchie walk home.  Cute! Friendly.  Was getting zero romantic, or even tense vibes.  He tells her that he hasn’t been in a relationship since her, which completely makes sense considering he’s been in the army since high school.  He didn’t say he hasn’t been with anyone, just that he hasn’t been in a relationship.  

Ok how old are the twins? Shouldn’t they be like 10? Alice is talking about them like they’re babies lmao “shhh, I just got them down”

Poor sad Jug.  I actually really like this turn for him... reminds me of S1 Jughead which was honestly the last time I really loved his character?? And obviously they are setting him up to be at his lowest so he can only go up from here (with a few bumps, probably) 

Kevin and Betty friendship YES!!! HOW is Betty only going through Charles’ stuff NOW, 7 years later after he was discovered to be a serial killer? I know it’s obviously just so she can play the Polly tape which is relevant to the plot of this episode and we shouldn’t be asking more questions but COME ON

Veronica and Hiram... this seems... repetitive... but I liked what happened with her character by the end of this episode. 

BOSS TONI I AM OBSESSED!!! And I love that they are all mad about his book, it’s great.  “You mean, the Vipers?” LMAO

AND MORE BOSS TONI!!! THEY’VE BEEN WASTING HER FOR 3 SEASONS SHE IS AMAZING

And Archie back to savior mode, we love to see it.  

Jugitha? Tabhead? I like their banter.  I’m into it.  I’m just really hoping that they don’t use another WOC as a plot device for Jughead to get back with Betty. If it happens, make it meaningful.  

MORE BOSS TONI!!! I love that Toni has never once strayed from her morals... no amount of money is going to make her screw over a bunch of students and work for Hiram lodge. 

“It used to be Kevin and I would sneak peaks through that window, hoping you were shirtless” BETTY YOU ARE SHAMELESS (also I absolutely LOVE a pilot reference) 

Wtf is Reggie doing.  Will he have a redemption arc? I really hope so! Like that he was blackmailed into working for Hiram and he is protecting his family in some way? Or something? Or maybe they have decided that he’s just “bad” now.  His hair is certainly bad...

Ok so Veronica is looking at getting a job as a... sports agent?? In LA?? Ok, Riverdale.  Sure.  And I guess she’s just done with Chad? Which ok, sure, that guy’s awful.  

SMITHERS LIVES!!!!!!!!!!

Lmao of course Monica Posh is back.  And this guy just casually has $30K cash laying around? Sounds legit.  

Ok I really thought the Betty gun scene was going to be Archie but turns out it’s Polly! Which I am happy to see!!! So it seems like Alice and Polly are bitter with Betty for “abandoning” them... which like, I don’t think that going to school and getting a job in a different state is “abandoning” your family.  But it does sound like Betty doesn’t call much and basically hasn’t been back to Riverdale since she left for college? Which is like... kinda shitty.  I wonder if that will be delved into a bit more.  Oh, who am I kidding, I know what show I’m watching.  

Toni at the Cooper house? Toni and Alice team up?? We love to see it!!!  

Ok Jughead lying about staying at the 5 seasons and actually staying in the bunker is just the saddest thing ever.  

Ok, I LOVE Tabitha?? “I think I’d remember a weird-ass name like that” LMAO. I Also love that she called the guy “pumpkin” in response to him calling her “sweetie” lol.  So good.  

Veggie comeback?? I miss them!!! But his hair... I can’t get past his hair. 

I actually love this plot point with Polly being involved with the Ghoulies and that being what gets Betty passionate about the raid (she had already offered help but now she’s IN)

The Betty and Archie arm touch? “You good?” I CAN’T

Can Kevin ever say a line without being interrupted? That’s just a running gag now lol.  I did enjoy the Succession reference though.  AND MORE BOSS TONI like seriously it’s so good.  

Ok I love how the plot point of Riverdale “going private” exists solely to allow all the main characters to become teachers there without having any teaching qualifications whatsoever LMAO.  Sure yes ok.  

I feel like Veronica should be asking her mom for help with Chad and not her dad? Wouldn’t she be more experienced in that side of things? Oh wait, we’re not supposed to ask questions about logic of storylines.  I do like the Hiram refused her help and brought up the scene “7 years ago” where she compared him to a dog, lol.  

Ok I feel like Betty is justified in questioning Polly about lying about where she’s working at the drugs (and since when has she ever done anything sensitively or discreetly?) and Polly is also justified in being defensive about it and thinking it’s none of Betty’s business since she hasn’t been around.  You know who’s business it IS, though? ALICE’S!!! Maybe Alice is overcompensating for sending Polly to SoQM years ago but she is all kinds of enabling her now.  

BARCHIEEEEEEEEEEEEE I could write a whole post on this.  Maybe I should? THE TENSION!! THE AKWARDNESS!!! “Cool” ---ARCHIE WAS SO NERVOUS WITH HER!!! THE SHOWER!!! OF COURSE BETTY CAN’T GO NEXT DOOR AND SHOWER AT HOME THAT WOULD BE TOO LOGICAL!!! THE LOOK THEY GIVE EACH OTHER THEY BOTH JUST FUCKING KNOW!!! THAT WAS SUCH A LONG AND EXPLICIT SEX SCENE FOR THE CW!!!!!! I KNEW IT WAS COMING FROM THE PROMO BUT I WAS STILL NOT READY!!!

Ok I’ve caught my breath... thoughts on this: 

This was LONG overdue.  I thought it was perfect.  They are adults, they both wanted each other, there was absolutely nothing in their way, and the show made sure that there was NO ambiguity about what they were doing.  They fucked in the shower, that’s it.  Some other notes - Betty twice in this episode talks about how Archie hasn’t changed - he is STILL the boy she has loved since she was a kid.

AND THEN THE CONVERSATION IMMEDIATELY AFTER!!! This show would normally not even have the characters address it.  We would have gone straight to the Pop’s scene with no discussion. “Something we’ve been wanting to do since high school but never got around to” I SCREAMED.  And their SMILES they are both so happy. I LOVED THIS!!! So we’re getting FWB barchie, great, I’m here for it.  You can see though, by both of their expressions, it’s more than that for both of them.  BETTY’S LIP BITE AT THE END GIRL IS IN LOOOOOVE

Jug’s speech at the retirement party was really good.  

Ok this Choni scene is just lovely.  They are both so soft I’M CRYING. “If our love ever meant anything to you, help us” SOB. 

Betty is the first one to agree to help Archie, noted.

Uh oh, Jughead is going to get in trouble again for writing about all his friends.  Or will he dig his way out of this? 

One last barchie moment TEXTING they are SICK

Jughead and Archie roomies!!! I love this!!! So much potential for tension and akwardness!! 

TL;DR - this episode was GREAT, barchie is HOT, and Toni is BOSS, this dynamic change up was NEEDED