#pay no attention i'm just excited for the next ep

[criticallyinneedofadar]

Alliance of Shadows (2)

A/N: Thank you for all the love! I'm super excited for this series to really get moving. Side note- this series becomes non canon compliant starting from S2 Ep 7

Pairing: Adar x Reader

Word Count: 1597

Warnings: None

Previous - Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a sense of unease in your halls tonight. Your apprentices look on with distrust as Adar and his companions are escorted through the halls. The orcs- or Uruk as Adar had informed you- look similarly uncomfortable. They are not as frightening as you had been led to believe. A touch smelly perhaps, but not the vile monsters that the elves had made them out to be. 

When you reach the dining hall, Adar’s companions are urged to stand guard at the door, one taking their place and the other staying close behind their leader. Lanterns flicker with pale blue flames, casting ghostly shadows that dance along the ancient stone walls. You sit at the head of the table, regal and composed, your eyes fixed on Adar as he takes his seat opposite you, his guard standing just to the right of his shoulder. Between you, the air is thick with tension, both of you aware that this meal is a prelude to something far greater.

Your staff moves silently, placing before you a spread of dishes made from the mountain’s wild game, herbs, and roots. The scent of roasted venison and spiced wine fills the room, but neither of you pays much attention to the food. Your focus is on each other, on the words left unsaid.

He watches you carefully, his eyes dark and calculating, but you feel the wariness in him. Despite his confidence, there is something else lurking behind it—a quiet unease. He has heard of your power, of course. He must wonder if the rumors are true.

After a moment, you break the silence, your voice smooth, yet edged with an air of authority. "You have come seeking my aid, Adar, but tell me—why should I risk my people for your cause? We have lived safely in these mountains, untouched by the wars of the world below. Why should we leave the sanctuary of this place for a conflict that does not concern us?"

Adar doesn’t respond immediately. He picks up his goblet, taking a measured sip of the wine, his eyes never leaving yours. "Your people are safe for now," he says, his voice low, steady. "But safety is fleeting. The world is changing, and those who hide will eventually be found. You may think the mountains protect you, but they cannot shield you forever."

You smile faintly, swirling the wine in your goblet. His words are not new to you; others have tried to convince you of the same before. But Adar is different. He does not plead. He does not beg. He speaks as though his vision is inevitable.

"And you believe you are the answer?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. "You, who seeks to build a new world from the ashes of the old one?"

Adar’s jaw tightens, but he remains composed. "I offer you more than just survival. I offer you a place in that new world, as equals. Your people, my children—together, we can create something stronger than what the elves, the men, or the dwarves have ever known."

As he speaks, you decide to test him. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, you let your power unfurl. The shadows in the room deepen, shifting unnaturally, stretching toward him. The blue flames in the lanterns flicker and dim as though a sudden wind has swept through, though the air remains still. The wine in his goblet ripples, the surface trembling with a quiet force.

Adar notices, his eyes flicking to the shadows moving across the walls, to the subtle warping of reality around him. You sense the flicker of fear that passes through him—a crack in his stoic mask. His fingers tense around the goblet, knuckles white as he realizes that this is no simple trick. You are not like the other sorcerers he has encountered. Your power does not command the elements, nor bend them; it reshapes the world itself.

"You play dangerous games," he says, his voice low, but there is a bite to it now, a threat simmering beneath the surface. He brings his hand, covered in that fearsome gauntlet, to wipe a drop of wine from the corner of his pale lips. "Whatever magic you wield, do not think to use it against me. If you try to sway my mind or bend my will, I will kill you where you stand."

At his words, your apprentices go to step forward, but you wave a hand, dismissing their caution. You study him for a long moment, the corner of your mouth curving into a smile. His vitriol amuses you, though you do not dismiss the threat he poses. There is truth in his words—Adar is not a man to be taken lightly. But you have lived long enough to know when a creature is cornered, lashing out in the face of power it cannot control. You pause for a moment, there is true fear hidden there somewhere. A pain, likely from his time in Sauron's grip, that has not yet healed. It softens you somewhat.

"Bold," you say softly, leaning forward, your gaze locked on his. "Very bold to threaten a spider in her own den."

The shadows retreat, releasing their grip on the room as if you had never commanded them. The flames return to their steady flicker, and the tension in the air eases, though the power still hums quietly beneath your skin. You watch him carefully, noting how he straightens in his chair, regaining a sense of control, though the fear remains, simmering just beneath the surface.

Adar’s expression hardens, but you see the careful calculation in his eyes. He may not trust you, but he knows that his survival—his vision—depends on your aid. Whatever power he commands, it is not enough on its own. He needs you. And that is what gives you the upper hand.

"You seek to build a kingdom from the ruins of the world," you say, your voice regaining its steady, regal tone. "But kingdoms are built on more than just promises of power. What guarantee do I have that my people will not be sacrificed for your ambition?"

Adar takes a deep breath, composing himself before answering. "You will have more than a promise. You will have a place in this new world, not as pawns, but as equals. I am not Galadriel, offering hollow alliances. I seek something greater—a world where those cast aside by the light can thrive."

You study him for a long moment, considering the weight of his words. There is truth in them, and you cannot deny the appeal of what he offers. But you are not one to act out of impulse. You need more than promises.

"You say we will be equals," you say, your voice softening but holding a dangerous edge. "Prove it."

Adar frowns, unsure of your meaning, but you hold his gaze, unblinking. Then, slowly, his eyes widen with realization. He reaches into his cloak and pulls something from within—a small, glimmering object that catches the dim light.

A ring.

Not just any ring, but one unmistakably elven. Delicate vines and etchings cover its silver band, and you recognize the craftsmanship at once—Celebrimbor's. The magic that pulses from it is ancient, powerful, and undeniably alluring.

Adar places it on the table between you, his dark eyes never leaving yours. "Galadriel sought to use it to subdue Sauron. In her foolishness, it has come to me. This ring, her ring, would be yours. A symbol of my defiance... and of our potential."

You lean forward, your fingers hovering over the ring, but you do not touch it. Instead, you look at Adar, studying him once more. He has offered you the heart of his defiance, a symbol of the very world he seeks to tear down. In that moment, you realize that he may not be bluffing. He is willing to cast aside the light entirely—and he wants you to join him in the darkness.

You withdraw your hand and sit back, the faintest smile on your lips. "I will admit to being intrigued by your proposal, Adar, if your vision is worth the risk. But know this—if you ever attempt to sway me with tricks or force my hand, the spider will strike back."

Adar’s eyes narrow, his grip tightening on the goblet once more, but he nods. "I would expect nothing less."

You raise your glass in a silent toast, your gaze locked with his. “I would ask for three days to make my decision. War is not an undertaking to decide on rashly. I will speak with my council and give you my decision. In the meantime, you are welcome to explore the royal quarters. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you unrestricted access to our home- you understand?” 

He nods in acquiescence, “I accept the conditions. Though I would urge haste, Sauron’s power can only grow the longer he sits in Eregion.” 

You stand from your place, Adar rising as you do. “My staff will show you to rooms where you may take your rest. Should you require anything, please send for me.” Your eyes roam over him once more, tall and proud. His dark eyes lock with yours, and there it is again, that tremble of connection. For a moment, it makes you sway where you stand, and you quickly mask it by reaching for your goblet of wine. The slightest smirk on his handsome face is the only indication that he may have caught your slip. 

As you take one last sip of wine, the taste sharp and rich, you feel the weight of the future settling over you. A new world is on the horizon, and you will either help shape it—or destroy it.

The choice, it seems, is now yours.

[peachblossomdrama]

The Trainee ep 8 thoughts

Tae and BaMhee's sweet first love story ended this ep and we all knew it was coming for a long time

P'Judy and BaMhee seem to have some sweet moments next week and I feel like this show/Tae's character is the type to have a plotline where BaMhee feels guilty or doubtful about pursuing a relationship with P'Judy and Tae will be the one to encourage/reassure her

I really appreciate that they didn't make Tae a complete 'loser boyfriend.' It's so clear to the audience that he loves BaMhee-- he worked his ass off for their anniversary dinner, he has their photos plastered all over his walls, he listens to her reminders to drink water, etc., but BaMhee was unable to see all of this (I also don't think Tae is good at expressing his feelings given Pah had to encourage him to go cry in the sound booth) (I am also very grateful for Pah's character, I feel like he represents many of the viewers who are also sad with Tae and a little mad at BaMhee for breaking his heart)

P'Judy is older, she's further in her career and has a better work life balance. She knows how to take care of people because that's her job. Meanwhile Tae is just starting out (like BaMhee) and he has a job where he's overworked and constantly on a computer. Of course P'Judy is going to be able to pay more attention to BaMhee-- and to some degree she should. As BaMhee's mentor, she should pay attention to her, and it's good to be friendly with coworkers, and this is something that has been missing from BaMhee's relationship with Tae. It's not surprising that BaMhee was able to fall for P'Judy, and in doing so, she started to take her work more seriously and sought to improve herself

However, P'Judy crossed the line of mentor/mentee (P'Jane's jealousy also crossed the same line with Ryan this episode which makes me wonder where the heck is this company's HR department) I think P'Judy does view Tae as a 'loser boyfriend' since she doesn't really know him and often sees BaMhee sad about him-- I don't think she feels sorry for kissing BaMhee while she was in a relationship with Tae (and while I think BaMhee was sad about the situation she found herself in, she didn't seem too torn up about ending her relationship with Tae)

I'm very excited to see where this series goes, so far it has met and exceeded all expectations. This series is full of heart fluttering, heart breaking, and funny moments. Even though the situation between Tae/BaMhee/Judy is so complicated, I am rooting for all of the characters

[bengiyo]

Cherry Magic TH Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Achi grappled with what it meant to have someone interested in him. He enjoyed the attention, but felt like he might be taking advantage. Eventually, he came to understand that one sided attraction is also difficult for the person holding back. We left the two on a rooftop after Achi stressed that Karan wasn't making him uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Jinta also developed the same powers as Achi and had a less than stellar interaction with Min as a result.

Cannot believe I am watching BL in standard def in 2023 because Square Enix is greedy as fuck.

I kinda like that the whole office interrupted instead of just Rock.

LOL, Jinta actually has really practical concerns about this power.

Oh ho, who is Pai worried Bout running into?

I'm so glad this version of Kurosawa is also impatient with Rock for getting between him and Achi.

This whole office trip is new to me, but I'm liking it a lot. The manager seems to care about her people and seems to genuinely want them to have a good time.

Okay, that onsen scene was great.

Ah, so this is what they're replacing the fake dating for the parents with. Pai is trying to impress an ex boyfriend instead.

Well well well. You can't fall in love if you ain't clumsy.

Newwie is extremely attractive as Achi.

I like that we still got the scene where Pai realizes that she's okay by herself and then Karan shows up to defend them from street toughs. Achi even still got scraped.

Wound tending, my beloved.

This fond smirk is giving, "P'pEtE aBoUt AbOyZ"

For once they don't want me to believe this man is a good singer.

Pai's ex is played by Papang!!! Wow, be sucks!

YES, BITCH, YESS! READ HIM! READ HIM FOR FILTH! READ HIM FOR BLOOD!

Welcome back, baby is a messy eater. Marc is beautiful, holy shit.

Karan is down bad for Achi. I'm so glad they got Tay Tawan for this. He is so valid for that internal scream.

I'm excited about Songkran next week, but not Pai having a crush on Achi!!

The company trip was new to me this week, but I really loved it, and how they incorporated what was familiar. This is one of my favorite watches of the week. It's nice to be enjoying the GMMTV weekend block again, even if it requires me to jump through so many hoops.

[ying-doodles]

// webtoon spoilers (ep 157)

this episode is so good but it ends on such a tense cliffhanger oml- ∑( 口 ||

to sum it up: lloyd discovers the jewel of truth will cause a giant typhoon once it's complete, javier goes on vacation, and the counts get suspicious about lloyd..

yay for the summons!! o(≧∀≦)o I feel like it's been a minute since I last saw them, especially bibeong since he's always protecting the lake-

yikes, reading the novel's description of the typhoon was one thing but seeing it in full colour is terrifying,,

so much destruction and power..

AUGH JAVIER PLAYING WITH THE SUMMONS IS SO CUTE!! MY HEART,, qwq reminds me of the novel illustration nali was talking about the other day-

lloyd being stressed and javier being sad and wishing he could help lloyd more.. :( but also javier gets to go on vacation yippee-

aww, javier wondering when lloyd can join everyone else who's thriving and living happily in the estate because of him is so sweet,,

also side note, the little lloyd and javier lookalikes?? hello?? they're so tiny and cute oh my god- 😭 the little pot on little javier's head,,

also also, note that I cut out a fair chunk of this section cause it was just highlighting side characters like bayern and solitas and I only have so many photos I can shove in one post before I'm just posting the entire episode.. (even though I am kinda doing that.. ><") anyways, go read it for yourself if you want to see them lol.

oh no they're becoming suspicious about lloyd's identity.. although it's only fair since you know, as they say themselves, he doesn't act like og lloyd at all.. (￣ ￣|||

formal attire?? passed down when one becomes the local lord?? this is news to me-

but it would explain why lloyd looks so plain in comparison, og lloyd wasn't allowed to wear it cause of his poor behaviour..

(also I need to draw lloyd in it at some point fr.)

oh he looks so tired and dishevelled,, :( my poor boy, working himself to the bone once again.. but also the lack of reaction because he's not og lloyd and doesn't care about the clothes? uh oh-

not lloyd failing to notice the grandfather mention was a test because he was too busy (and tired) to actually pay attention..

I'm obsessed with that panel of him in shadow as he walks away though omg it's so good,, and that growing distance between him and the counts in the next one?? excellent-

augh javier being restless because he's usually out protecting lloyd is so good,, what good is a sword if it's not being used in battle, really..

side note, I love the counts gardening together, that's so cute!!

!! the change in their expressions?? them asking about the real lloyd?? AAAA!! *starts vibrating*

(novel spoilers ahead) I would say I doubt javier will actually reveal anything to them cause they're supposed to find out through suho's letter in the end but also things have changed so much already that it's all up in the air now as to what will happen next-

so now I'm super curious as to what javier will say in response.. where do your loyalties lie sir?? agh now I'm so excited for the next episode,,

[acesofspadess]

Endless Love 8

a/n: thank you for going on this ride with me... much love- Ace

After party

You walked down the carpet with a line of interviewers waiting to talk to you.

You stood next to Niall with some distance to not give anything away. You and Niall both looked behind you at the same time before paying attention to the question. “What I love about tonight is that you are The Voice. Hollywood dreams are being made overnight. How do you feel?” you watched Niall smile at the interviewees question. “I'm really excited. I've just stopped crying, but I'm really excited and happy to be here and grateful. And I love my family and friends who have been cheering for me since day one.”

“What did they say?”

“Well my family is sleeping so they don't know yet but i called my friend Harry who had just gone on his intermission at his concert and he ran back on stage -with me on facetime- to tell everyone. That was really special. But I'm just very grateful that everyone that voted for Team Niall.” you said as you rested your head on his shoulder softly. 

“Tell me about Niall and your relationship and how he mentored you over the season.” you took your head off his shoulder and shook your head. “Where do I even start? Born in Mullingar- no i'm just kidding-,” you said as Niall laughed with a clap. “He's pretty cool.” you shrugged off. “No I'm absolutely not, but.” you laughed as he looked away from you, “thanks anyway Bleu.” he laughed nervously. “No, he truly has been a great mentor and an even better friend. I've said it before but I really do mean it. Don't tell him that though, he’ll get a big head.” you chuckled, rubbing his arm. “But he's truly been one the best friends and mentors a girl could ever ask for. Every single day I'm so happy that Niall chose me and I chose him.” you watched Niall rub his ear and you smiled knowing he only did that when he was flustered and fidgety.

“Where were you last year? Take me back to that moment.” 

“Oh I have no idea. Oh yes I do, I was graduating Uni. Oh my god that was a year ago.” you said with your hand now over your mouth in shock. “Only you would forget you graduated Uni two years early.” Niall teased and you laughed with your head in your hands. “But we’re here now and I think that's a pretty crazy difference.”

“Your EP: This is me. Who are you?”

“Well I just won the voice so I’d say winner of the voice?” you laughed lightly with a big smile as you saw Niall smile. 

“Last night you sang ‘Diamonds’ by Rihana, is she a big influence for you?

“Oh most definitely. I grew up listening to her because she's Caribbean and having someone I connect to in the music world definitely helped me get to where I am.”

“Now Niall, if this young woman is not busy, could maybe she join you on tour and open for you on The Show?”

“Oh I would love that, at some point. We could get her on some shows. Things will have to happen in the background but, yeah absolutely. I have a feeling she'll be there anyway,” he looked at you with a knowing smile and you smiled back. “I mean she is- i've been saying it for so long and i feel like no one was listening.” he pouted and you giggled. “Um but she is- like you know a talent when you hear it and uh, she's got it. There's no reason why she wouldn't open up for me sometime.”

After Niall answered about the one direction group chat you piped in. “A couple messages are from me when I steal Harry’s phone.” you laugh and Niall joined you. 

“Congratulations! How are you feeling right now? I mean your face was pure shock. Please take us into it.” another interviewer asked you.

“It was just really crazy. I didnt think they would call me name so when they did -oh man, im gonna start crying again-,” Niall rubbed your back softly with a small smile. “It was just really crazy. Everyone in the Top 5 had really smashing performances since ‘the blinds’, so i think everyone just did really well, and i'm happy to even be here.” you almost cried again and covered your face as you saw Niall smile widely. 

“Wow, and your almost in tears right now.” the interviewer pointed out. “Eveyone did well, but you did well too.”

“Oh thank you.” you replied back to her with a slightly shocked smile.

“So I mean in that moment though take me through it. What was going through your mind?”

You laughed softly, “honestly i couldn’t even tell ya’. Like I heard my name and like I lost all hearing.” you chuckled again at Nialls smile aimed towards the ground. “I looked at Niall and saw him with the biggest shit eating grin- oh sorry I don't think i can curse, apologies,” Nialls boisterous laugh cut you off and you looked at him with wide eyes. “So I looked at him to make sure like ‘they didn't call second place did they?’ and when i saw him standing up with the biggest smile i just crumpled. I think I’d still be there crying if it wasn’t for Grace.” you laughed behind your hand. “Im okay right now, but if i get asked a serious question I’m gonna lose it.” you finished off. 

“Niall I can just see in your face like you're just so happy for  Bleu. How does it feel being her coach and knowing that she won? Like what was your reaction?”

“Well as Bleu put it so elegantly earlier,” he said, which made you giggle. “I was just so happy for her. I always kinda knew… what she was capable of from her first audition, when she was a nervous wreck -self admittedly- i just knew that she had a tone that would really spike the nation's interest. A voice like that just stands out. The way she's just been constantly herself on camera and everywhere she's been, it just speaks to people. I'm just proud of her.” he looked at you as he said it and smiled at him softly.

“I think we were all shocked because of the level of talent in the final, it's just been- it could have been any of those 5. But apparently it's been the tightest win of all time, which says alot about Grace too. But,” he shrugged, “got a winner, and my Bleu.” he looked at you with a big closed lip smile and you knew the melty feeling you got was written all over your face.

As you finished up interviews Niall took your hand and walked you to your changing rooms for the after party. “I'll see you there baby.” he said as he gave you a kiss, then followed it with a few more pecks before your giggling ruined it.

When you made it to the after party after changing you met Niall at the entrance and he took your face in his hands and kissed you. “It's been too long since I last did that.” you smiled and kissed him again before getting interrupted by Kelly. “C’mon love birds we wanna celebrate!” she screamed with a laugh. You hid your face in Niall's chest and walked with him hand-in-hand inside where everyone was waiting. 

You all danced and talked and had a good time. You were doing a 360 video and Niall wrapped his arm around your shoulder while getting everyone to shout ‘Bleu’. The camera was spinning around you guys when Niall took his free hand and angled your chin towards him. He looked at your eyes for a brief second and attached his lips to yours in a loving kiss.

The screams around you is what brought you guys out of your bubble. “I love you Bleu, so much.”

“I love you Niall, more than words can ever express.” he kissed you again and you smiled eagerly kissing him back. 

bleuwilson was told only winners get kisses

User7 Yesssss

niallhoran my winner

↳ harrystyles our* winner

↳↳ bleuwilson I love you so much Haza

User9 biggest slay

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niall Taglist:

@youcan-nolonger-run @ravenclawdirectioner

@luxiorchive @maeflowers653

[ballonleaparadise]

A Review of Pokemon Horizons Ep. 1-12

We are (as I'm writing this) a dozen episodes into the new pokemon anime, so I thought it would be a good time to make a review. When it was first announced that Ash was being retired as the main character, I was unsure how the anime would continue. After 25 years of Ash Ketchum, it must have been a difficult decision for the writers to replace him. However, Pokemon Horizons has proven to be a breath of fresh air, and I'm loving it so far. *Major spoilers ahead for eps 1-12*

I'm going to start with Liko. Firstly, I'm glad that the writers did not make her a clone of Ash. On the contrary, she has a personality that is very distinct from Ash's daring and bold character. She is shy, and finds it difficult to approach others. It's refreshing to watch pokemon from the perspective of a more introspective character. However, the main reason why I like Liko is due to the way in which she has been handled. She fills in for the narrator, which gives us a glimpse into her inner thoughts and feelings. This makes her relatable, as it shows us as an audience what Liko thinks versus what she says out loud. Finally, Sprigatito is the perfect partner pokemon for Liko. They are both reserved, wary and a little reckless. While anipoke feels weird without Ash, I think Liko has a lot of potential, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she develops.

Moving on to Roy, I also really like his characterisation. He's more similar to Ash in terms of his enthusiasm, and his compassion for pokemon. However, he has his own unique traits, including his curiosity about the ancient explorer and his friendship with Fuecoco. Speaking of Fuecoco, I love this little guy and his comedic moments. All of the pokemon in the main cast have individual personalities, and I'm here for it. In addition, I really like Roy's relationship with his grandfather, who appears to have had a significant influence on both him and Friede. In terms of Roy's goal, I'm excited to see where his pursuit of Rayquaza goes. The latest episode gave us more information about the ancient explorer, so it'll be interesting how the story progresses.

Next, I have to touch on the other crew members of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Friede is a loveable dork who just happens to be a professor. Orla is best girl and I can't wait to see more of her. Murdock, Mollie, Ludlow and Dot are also interesting characters. Dot is slowly warming to Liko and Roy, which is nice to see. To add, I have to mention Mollie's backstory in episode 11. Although I thought there was something to the nurse Joy theory, I never expected it to be confirmed true- so this episode proved me wrong lol. I like how Mollie subverts the traditional role of working in a pokemon centre by helping injured pokemon in the wild. It shows how caring she is, and I hope her backstory is expanded on later in the series.

Another thing that Horizons has done well so far, is depicting the Paldea region. The very first episodes set up the main story, with Liko and Roy joining the RVTs and the Explorers chasing Liko's pendant. However, the last four episodes have slowly introduced Paldea. We've already had appearances from Nemona and Brassius. On top of this, we will be seeing Iono in the coming weeks. It's a relief that the new region is getting the attention that it deserves.

I don't have any huge complaints about Horizons so far. Generally, I'm really enjoying the show. One problem I will mention is that the pacing is very slow at times. However, I think that this will pay off later in the series. The writers are taking time to establish and develop all of the new characters, which will make the overall story more engaging.

On a side note, I appreciate the variety of adult characters in Pokemon Horizons. Of course, Liko and Roy are the protagonists, which makes sense for a kid's show. However, the dynamics between the older members of the cast make it more watcheable for adults, imo. For example, moments such as the convo between Friede, Orla and Murdock in episode 11 create a more mature tone, even if it's only to a small extent. Also, as an adult fan, it feels as if the anime has suddenly grown up with us. Friede resembles an older Ash, while Orla and Mollie are like grown up female companions. The show really mixes the familiar with the unfamiliar, which is a great approach to the first series without Ash.

Overall, I'm thoroughly enjoying Pokemon Horizons. Until July 14th, the pokemon anime will be on a hiatus. However, the show has done an amazing job so far of introducing the characters and plot. We're only 12 episodes in, but I have high hopes for the series going forward.

[virtualpeople]

Get to know you: Sims Style

tagged by @goatskickin, thank you this was strangely relaxing :D

What's your favourite sims death? It's got to be the flight simulator in TS1. You ever been so sleepy you just drift right off into space? What about physically this time?

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? i guess semi-real? I've lost track of where the realism levels are at tbh. I love me some texture and shiny eyes is all I can specifically say, generally I just download whatever takes my fancy and hope for the best lmao

(now I'm just gonna derail this slightly to do my best grouchy old fucker impression and protest bitterly at the way the word alpha has come to be used to describe realistic CC, like arggghghghghg anything can have an alpha should you wish, why is this a thing >:( , ok grouch over)

Do you cheat your sims weight? Implying I ever play this game in a normal manner enough to have sims actually change weight from what they were originally created with in the first place

Do you move objects? Imagine playing sims 2 and not being able to move objects, truly a hellscape

Favourite mod? It's not exciting, but it's the SimBlender. Couldn't live (mode) without you, lil plant* fella.

*Other models are available

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? Here's a vague answer for you all: The first sims game I got was the TS1 complete collection, so technically it was all the sims 1 EPs. And then when I got TS2 I got about 8 EPs/SPs in one go off ebay, can't exactly remember which ones other than it didn't include Apartment Life or Seasons, so what came first was really a good 50% of the whole game

Slightly off topic but the only sims I've ever bought new was the IKEA stuff pack when it was on clearance. Enjoy your £3 for this entire series, EA ;)

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing? LIVing, it's the mode where all the little computer people live :)

Who’s your favourite sim that you’ve made? Don't make me choose it could be so many of them ;-; Ok, maybe this guy. Or maybe this guy. Or maybe…

Have you made a simself? i tried a long long time ago but with very little resemblance. I have a very strange face that's hard to reproduce in <1000 polygons apparently.

Which is your favourite EA hair color? I'm quite fond of that slightly desaturated basegame brown shade, it's nice. Shame it's not really common in any of the more popular hair colour actions

Favourite EA hair? haircaesar, that short one that came with seasons. It's so… basic. So versatile. My beloved.

Favourite life stage? Adult. Elders second. I barely play any of the others tbh

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? I'd say technically for building, although it's more building characters and the world they live in. Gameplay does come into it, but more for letting sims play out storylines and interact with their world like in a soap opera way than the usual motives way of playing, if that makes sense - I'm constantly dishing out maxmotives because I had an idea of what I wanted to happen next but the sims would've otherwise been too grumpy lol

Are you a CC creator? As long as the title of CC creator doesn't expire after a couple of years of doing absolutely nothing (but definitely not retiring either) then yes

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? I have been here for so many years and yet I've never said much beyond a couple of sentences to anyone, let alone having an entire squad lmao. Not deliberately, I've just got a habit of sitting here and collecting dust vibing

Do you have any sims merch? no, I don't think I've even seen any sims merch irl actually

Do you have a YouTube for sims? no.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? Many eons ago, back in the distant mists of time, I used to be able to churn out sims and buildings at a rapid rate all day long. Now I… can't. Am I getting more picky? Am I paying more attention to detail? Am I just getting old? Who knows

Who’s your favourite CC creator? Over all these years?? It wouldn't be fair to pick just one even if I could, there's so many people propping up my game and making it look nice :O

How long have you had Simblr? 4293 days apparently, that's a lot of days.

How do you edit your pictures? do I look like I know what editing is? These days I don't even crop my pictures, I just dump screenshots into a presized photoshop document and shunt them around a bit until the composition looks ok. At a push I'll boost the contrast/saturation a tiny bit, particularly if I've left low blue light mode on again and the colours look a bit odd

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite? TS1 - you know I think it might be superstar. I love how silly studio town is with all those fun things like the fashion runway and the film sets. The celebrity system is amusing too, and is a convenient way of making sims of famous people a bit less weird to have around as opposed to just having them as playables (imo anyway). Shoutout to makin' magic too though, still my favourite implementation of magic in the entire sims series

TS2 - Apartment life. The ability to build functional flats and having magic back (if in a slightly disappointing way compared to TS1)? Height-shiftable things? Nice.

I tag: YOU. (totally not a copout I mean it i love reading these things)

[thesinglesjukebox]

TORI KELLY - "CUT"

Alex brings us some UK garage not actually from the UK...

[6.64]

Alex Ostroff: At the end of the first year without any regular Singles Jukebox coverage, the prospect of selecting just one track for Amnesty Week was daunting. Should I choose a fun quirky pop-rap track that reflected the continued importance of TikTok in drawing attention to new music in 2023? Or maybe a pop-country break-up anthem that draws equally from 'Tim McGraw' and 'We Belong Together' that would have been Jukebox catnip back in 2009 but can't seem to break through in 2023? Or maybe yet another British attempt to revive the spirit of R&B girl groups? Ultimately, I picked Tori Kelly's "cut" - a track that I suggested was an American big-pop-chorus approach to PinkPantheress' UK garage revivalism in an earlier Amnesty Week blurb. But while there are undeniable 2step influences here (the first single from Tori's 2023 EP samples Craig David directly), "cut" functions equally as millennium pop revivalism. Darkchild and Timbaland both get writing credits, although presumably just for the vibe that Kelly and producer Jon Bellion are trying to evoke and the ad-libs that Timbaland added when they sent him the track. For years, I couldn't tell you the first thing about Tori Kelly's music. She seemed to be one of those artists with an incredible voice who was perpetually singing as part of award show tributes, but who never settled into a clear artistic identity; cursory research indicates that she yo-yoed from a 2015 Max Martin-produced debut to two explicitly Christian gospel albums to acoustic YouTube performances. There's nothing particularly novel or boundary-pushing about "cut": a trilling acoustic guitar loop, garage drums, arpeggiated violins, Timbo mumbling in the background, Tori jumping the octave for the final chorus, an onomatopoeiac hook that tries to evoke the sound of a skipping heartbeat. But it somehow embedded itself in my brain all autumn and never let up. "cut," and the rest of this year's Tori EP, made me sit up and pay attention to Tori Kelly for the first time a full eight years into her career -- and made me actively excited to see what she does next. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: Timbaland jumping on a trend in 2023, and Tori Kelly jumping on a trend at any time, is probably a sign that the trend is on its way out. The returns haven't totally diminished, though. [6]

Micha Cavaseno: When UK garage touched US shores, a lot of the forms were unrecognizable compared to the source material -- Craig David's "Fill Me In" is one thing, but "7 Days" isn't exactly bubble & squeak. I would like to say that there was a big period of us dancing to Monsta Boy or Masters of Ceremony just so my own nerdy adolescent pursuits felt a little more valid, but no, I'm pretty sure we just listened to Blu Cantrell and that Mary J. Blige comeback record around that time. So really, I'm just fascinated at anyone from the US deciding to emulate a style that's so comparatively niche. As far as retro-UKG from the last few years, it's definitely not hitting "One Kiss" levels, nor is it even Jorja quality, but maybe that's the consequence of things getting lost in translation. [7]

Aaron Bergstrom: Tori gives it a valiant effort, but this still sounds like the batteries slowly running out on a Timbaland Speak & Spell. [4]

Taylor Alatorre: A second-string Timbaland beat scores some major points off the bench, assisted by Tori Kelly's infectious enthusiasm at being allowed on a Timbaland beat of any sort. One can choose to dismiss Tori as Ariana Grande for church moms who did the math on "34+35," or one can choose to celebrate her for that same reason. Her brand of pop soul is clean in more than one sense of the word -- witness how she skims across those challenging vocal phrases like they're beginners' exercises, or how she uses the pauses in the production to turn a lead-in to the chorus into a game of musical jump rope. Let's not agonize over the fact that the definitive slumber party music of two decades ago is now reappearing as adult contemporary; instead, let's call it incremental progress. [8]

Brad Shoup: Howling at the possibility that Timbaland is going to become a hired-gun ad-lib guy, like how a few years back everyone was hiring Nile Rodgers to strum a little. At least Nile gets some co-production credits! [6]

Nortey Dowuona: The skipping garage drums are well mixed. They slip underneath Tori's voice comfortably and bind it tightly, spinning in a dervish across the chorus. The boxy bassline synth below it is a nice counterpoint to the topline synths, which are surprisingly thinned out by reverb and EQ once the last chorus kicks in. It's a good idea and a good choice, but not something you will remember once you stop listening. [6]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: The sound effect at the beginning of the chorus is so bizarre that multiple times while listening to this, I literally looked around to check whether there was a pipe that was emitting steam, a large man sighing slowly, or a freezer opening. Aside from that, "Cut" is expertly crafted pop reminiscent of the early 2000s, each motif stitched together tightly with Tori Kelly's adept voice. [7]

Ian Mathers: I wish they'd built out the "singing the drum part" bit into the chorus, because it's better and more distinctive than the actual chorus. [6]

Oliver Maier: Lots of fun if not especially sticky. Not often does a pop song feel like it's distinctly missing a guest rap verse, but such is the void that opens up at around 2:18. [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "I'm glad she's having fun" is classic smug pan verbiage but this genuinely works because Tori Kelly is having a lot of fun! It still never breaks through to be anything more than really really good Timbaland/Darkchild cosplay, but I'm not sure if it aspires to anything greater either. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[arziaisfrench]

▪︎ IPKKND Ep 29 recap : Arnav is very worried about Khushi

"Di, please, I don't want to talk about Khushi now."

For the first time Arnav accidently reveals to his family how Khushi occupies his thoughts. He was so worried about her, he didn't pay enough attention to hide who is stealing all his thoughts ! And he gets so embarrassed lol , he keeps all their interactions a secret.

Not because he feels ashamed (or anything like that) but rather, I think, because he wants to keep their relationship his secret garden, a way of not having to share her with others.

He's also, for the second time, making a weird transfer between Lavanya and Khushi. They were asking about Lavanya but he spoke about Khushi instead.

He uses Lavanya as a way to surpress or hide what he feels for Khushi (the first time was when he was trying to supress the lust he felt for Khushi by getting intimate with Lavanya).

This is honestly so fuc*ed up, and that's one of the few things I really dislike from the writing.

When he was touching gently the cut on his hand, he definitely was thinking of Khushi, about how vulnerable she was, and more importantly how he touched her face for the first time.

And what's even more meaningful about this scene is the next one where Khushi precisely is dreaming of him touching her face. And I think she dreamed of it exactly at the moment he was thinking of it ! They are already so connected emotionally and they aren't even aware of it. uuugh this is so romantic !!

Do you remember the first time Khushi dreamed of Arnav? Well, my theory is that at the same moment, Arnav was thinking of her !!! (ep9)

Their behaviors in that dream mirrored their next actual real interaction in the parking lot !!! (ep14)

That's why both were excited to argue lool she dreamed of it while he thought of it !! Poor Khushi tho hahaha in her dream, she was with a much more passive Arnav looool giiirl went back to reality real quick !!! 🤣😂🤣😂

"I don't care about love. I know very well what I'm doing at every moment of my life. What you call love, that feeling has no place in my life. I'm saying this cause I don't believe in anyone else more than me."

Remember his words : "I don't believe in anyone else more than me" ! He deeply means them. They're very VERY important to understand the future episodes and his behavior with Khushi. He used to not trust her. Now, he's more incline to start believing her words, not trusting her fully tho.

These words also in my opinion explains why he lets her fall in ep16, and I wrote about this : "It’s the intend to demonstrate the trust they hold for one another. By letting her fall, he’s cutting her little trust she has for him and he’s giving up on the little trust he has for her."

Not believing her more than he believes in himself will be the reason he will misunderstands Khushi in the worst way possible in the future (aka thinking she's having an affair with his brother-in-law).

His grandma already knows the idea of marriage isn't something he absolutely hates.

"-You chose the wrong girl -I won't leave Lavanaya nor will I marry her because I don't believe in marriage."

He's dating someone he's comfortable with, who lets him be, and is ok with what he wants to give her. Lavanya doesn't ask more (at least for now). He doesn't love her enough to marry her. But he likes her enough to date her.

But a new problem arrived to him and is messing with his initial agenda, Khushi.

Khushi is the problem.

Not only she amuses him as if he was a little boy, but she also makes him feel deep with their arguments about life and faith, she makes him feel like a man* , the attraction he feels for her seems to be something he never experienced before, not at that intensity.

She makes him feel so alive !

(*I hope this expression that I often use here don't triggers anymone, I'm not saying you need to feel attracted to a woman to feel like a man, I'm just trying to say in a clumsy and childish way that she makes him horny lool. If it triggered you in anyway, I'm sorry.)

[oldsargasso]

4 Minutes ep 2 thoughts

stream of conscious thoughts under the cut

the ATMOSPHERE!!! the LIGHTING. perfect. don't remember who anyone is or what they look like so no idea who that is. not the best way to kill a man but I understand the need for brutality sometimes

I am kissing the camerawork on the head and tucking it into bed I love it SO much.

I love the way this actress delivers her lines with such believable weariness/exhaustion. she's at the end of her rope and you can feel it.

oohhh that LOOK still gets me. Great holding onto the papers slightly too long, he's useless just like us :)

hospital staff are powered by gossip so this scene is perfect. bisexual Tyme is canon and beautiful.

genuine question: should we recognise any of these people?

22% battery??? at 8.45AM god Great is a MESS.

okay so his school buddy is the dick from the previous scene. I like his dangly earring.

omg he killed her didn't he!! this is why you shouldn't date men

turquoise lockers was a bold choice but I love it

if I could eat cinematography I would be doing that rn. that noise in the background is 10/10. more flashes or just remembering?

GREAT HAS A LAVA LAMP 💀

"I have something fun for you to help with" at 11pm? girl that is not the way

Great was NOT concerned enough about his friend locking his girlfriend away for my liking. but I do enjoy that he's sometimes terrible.

let bible say fuck! 😔

I wanna live in tv world where being knocked unconscious for a while doesn't have any permnanent consequences

a bar fight? show us that please

is it a lighthouse? in the opening scene I thought like a guard tower. anyway the moving light works so well I want every scene lit like this

my one criticism…that's not the right noise for bashing someone's head in with a rock.

wow they're both terrible at punching you love to see it

omg Great's face. a poor little meow meow for SURE

that might be the most superfluous hood ever. the black scrubs are a Look imo

!! a little primping!! THE SHIRT TUCK. Bee clocked him immediately. this is gonna fuel night shift for hours (powered by gossip!) try a power pose Tyme my guy. the dude has a headwound he may see two of you

okAY. is this standard procedure mr doctor

omg the funky music. I need to consume the whole soundtrack immediately

Great is sooo useless I love him

why wouldn't you just say you saw his name on the chart Tyme my god

this nurse...my love…marry me

that pause was Tyme evaluating if Great's hot enough to combat the crazy

if he's dead does someone know where View (?) is and can free her!!

this is a stunning indictement of whoever processed the crime scene originally

god we're definitely supposed to recognise some of these dudes aren't we 😬 sorry your brother (?) died, whoever you are

well whatever cop has dead guy's phone knows who did it by now Great

oh thank god great got View out

the ticking clock as the soundtrack to this fight…chef's kiss

WAIT I THOUGHT HE WAS A HALLUCINATION WHO IS DEAD what is HAPPENING. has the good doctor being doing a little light stalking perhaps

Tyme's actor is the king of micro expressions. love the progression from "damn I should've been nice" to "well if he isn't going to be nice…"

smooth mr doctor smooth. although I thought he was gonna go for "just to be safe I'll walk you home"

also I'm just saying next episode Great should have serious bruIsing on his neck

oh no…such a shame….no online gambling….

ohhh it was THIS guy. okay. not showing us who the picture is I see! (idk if there's a guy missing that we've seen before or what because I can't remember anyone except the two leads) brutal. dump that guy! although I thought it was gonna be this guy involved in hacking the gambling sites idk

that shot through the wine glass omgggg. wasn't really paying attention to what else happened in this scene because I'm too busy psychically willing this woman to marry me

TYME with the secret business OKAY. so excited to see how this plays out!! I'm hoping ep 3 kick starts the plot a bit more

[caribouv]

2022 best

If it's first it means it's not last. This is probably the most underwhelming and unexciting yearly list I've ever put together.

+ ALBUM

Foxtails - fawn

FONTAINES D.C. - Skinity Fia

Drunk Uncle - Look Up

Birds in Row - Gris Klein

Pool Kids - s/t

OCULA - Crossroad

Le Youth - Reminders

Horsegirl - Versions

Beach House - Once Twice Melody

Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever

+ SONG

Chase Plato - Set You Free

djimboh - Up Here (with Lumynesynth)

+ RECORD/COVER

Honestly, whatever Lane 8 / This Never Happened cooked up this year. I spent too much time listening to mixes and not enough time paying attention to what was actually playing.

+ SET/MIX

Deep Woods with Pretty Pink was awesome, but Lane 8's season mixes played on repeat this year from start to finish. You could just throw any of these on and you've got instant 2-3 hours of deep house, trance. I'm listening to Fall 2022 right now.

Foxtails on Audiotree is awesome too. It's wild the vocals coming out of that girl.

+ MOVIE

This Place Rules (even though fucking Andrew certainly doesn't.)

Trainwreck Woodstock 99'

Nope

Pearl

Movies sort of sucked this year for me. Though to be fair I'm wildly behind on my list: The Whale, Marcel Shoes, Inisherin, Till, Quiet Girl, Avatar 2, All Quiet, etc. etc.

+ TV SHOW

Andor and Queen's Gambit. Without a dobut. Vox Machina is so so so good, but those two shows are on a different level.

Also to note: TV was really, really good this year. Half Bad, Power Rings, Dragon House, Yellowjackets, Arcane, Cyberpunk, Midnight Club, Eps 4 7 8 of Curiositiy Cabinents, Stranger Things 4, End is Nye, Prehistoric Planet, White Lotus, Severance, 1899, Wednesday, Maisel 4, Fleabag 2. I really don't think I watched much anything I didn't like other than that Salt Fat Acid garbage.

+ ACTOR

Voice actors from Vox Machina. I'm so stoked for s2 coming up here next week.

+ VIDEO GAME

Another year of Dead By Daylight. I can't get away from this game.

Project Zomboid and 7 Days To Die are both stellar. It reminds me of the Minecraft/Terraria split from 2010. WOTLK was generally a lot of fun, but I think it's more than just playing resto shaman is a blast. Cycle Frontier was cool af and the only reason I quit is because of how cracked the players are at it. But DBD. D. B. D. I think I'm at like 1,850 hours in it.

+ BOOK

Still going through Wheel of Time. I'm at book 9. They are not mindblowing anymore and I'm getting bored of the constant gender distrust themes, but they are absolutely epics.

+ ATHLETE

M FUCKING BPAPPE. I haven't seen a soccer game as exciting as that world cup final in years.

+ PERSON

Penny or Houdini or my Mom

+ FOOD

I stopped eating out as much this year and instead tried making the food I'd order because budget. Pad Thai, Enchiladas, Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, Ragu, Soups, Roasts, etc.

The best thing I made over and over this year was Biba's Ragu though. It's dumb how easy it is for how good it is.

Also onions. No matter what you're making, if you add onion to it then it will be better. Spaghetti, eggs, potatoes, ramen, sandwich, burger, salad, pizza, chicken, soup, noodles, rice, beans, etc. ADD ONIONS.

+ TRIP

I went nowhere this year.

+ MOMENT

Probably quitting and getting the fuck out of my mismanaged firm. God damn that was liberating af. Two other attorneys peaced the fuck out right after me too.

+ BIGGEST LETDOWN

Losing Luigi was horrible.

The new Odesza and Flume albums were trash.

Blowing my ankles out in late Feburary sucked because I was starting to really get going with running in a good way.

Clerks 3 had such a brilliant concept to go full circle, but instead it just degrading into  clunky fan service, old references, and cameos.

//

Goals for 2023: Read more nonfiction & a bit the same as 2022: create something be it flash fiction, story, game, whatever.

[cipi127]

I am Pondering.

[russellshaws]

What are your thoughts on the way the episode ended. I loved the episode and am so excited for what comes next but I’ve been a bit worried to see people saying that what happened with Chris means the end for chenford and they’ll never be able to get passed this?

i was so surprised by the ending (in a good way) -- i wasn't sure how, exactly, they were going to serve that splash of cold water that needed to happen...because chenford wasn't going to hook up there, we as an audience knew that. it would be too easy, too messy, and too soon. but chenford didn't know that, and so i was thinking like...an alive chris, or a phone call, or something else.

never did i expect to see sanford half-dead on the couch and wowowowow did it work for me. tbh i have not really been paying attention to anyone else's takes on this episode or storyline 😂 i am watching this season for myself and i will, obviously, answer questions/share opinions as i see fit, but when i flood myself with other people's noise, it really fucks with my personal enjoyment of the show and the content i choose to create. that being said: the incredible things about chenford being in this situation together that:

they are trained to handle situations like this. obviously not to this degree, not in this personal vein, etc. – that's a little more traumatizing – but the fact that they were able to turn tactical immediately and do their jobs will, in some ways, make that experience a bit less harrowing, imo. obviously, we are still going to see them both drawback because whoa there what would've happened if chris hadn't been bleeding out on your couch and hoo boy we were both about to cheat on our partners and now look what happened to your partner, how are we supposed to just ignore all that – but! at the end of the day...

nothing actually happened in that hallway/entryway. they have plausible deniability there, and that is something i think they'll both cling onto. what i think we're ultimately going to see is lucy drawing into herself and whatever guilt she feels/pushing away from tim, while tim is going to try to stay grounded and probably keep things as ~normal~ as possible while subtly pushing lucy towards chris. my guess is that at some point in the season, chris will break up with lucy. i don't see it going the other way around at the moment. i also don't know how confident i feel in any of that analysis bc having seen 1 ep of the season, i can't judge full fledged storylines just yet.

either way, to tl;dr your question: i have the utmost confidence in chenford happening, i think they made it clear in that premiere that it's what they're shooting for and how we get there is kind of irrelevant, i'm just excited to see what they do. i think it's going to take the entire season if not more, but i had anticipated that already. they showed us their hand in this episode – remember, a premiere sets the tone of the entire season. last season we saw tim and lucy cross a line with physical intimacy in 4x01. that theme repeated in all the touch point episodes of the season (4x09, 4x22) and culminated in them doing the same thing, but bigger. in this episode, we saw an acknowledgment of feelings and an almost hookup. i imagine these are going to be the themes that ebb and flow through the chenford story this season – and ultimately it will culminate in something bigger than before.

i hope you're enjoying the post-premiere buzz! don't let the fandom noise get you down 💕

[one-strugling-bean]

Random Thoughts on HTTYD RttE S2 (Ep1-7)

(This one is a lot bigger so gonna divide it by episodes)

Ep1 - why do the twins get so many pets

Snotlout's sadness over not being able to train his dad, that was funny

"What did he do?" "He's Snotlout's dad" "Enough said" - there is more than one way to interpret this and i think im gonna take the protective! Astrid one

Ep2&3- Okay, im gonna make a wild guess and start assuming this show is gonna be hurting Astrid a lot

How strong is Toothless?? He's just able to carry a Mostrous Nightmare like that

Hm, gotta say I'm disappointed Heather betrayed them already - like, with Dagur being her brother and all, one immediately expects a betrayal to happen eventually, but this was really fast and too sudden I'd say

Im gonna make another guess before i move on with the episode, and that is Heather is either double-crossing Dagur or she'll regret going on to his side and goes back to helping the Riders

Also, not sure how to feel about Ryker yet - he seems too competent and too much of a real threat for this show. Then again the show does seem to building itself up to a more serious plot

Ruffnut pickpocketed the guard omg yessssssssss

Ep4 - aww, it's nice to see the twins caring about eachother

Aaaand Ruffnut got really pissed at Snotlout for his stunt, wow

Fishlegs is such a cute nerd ahhh

Omg Snotlout's been bitten so much, Ruff has 0 chill

I swear this scene on the cliff with the twins is just, so weird. Its supposed to be kinda emotional but its so so silly and bizarre i can't pay total attention to the actual emotional part - guess that's just the twins for you

Snolout should've died like, 3 hours ago pretty sure

He caught a wolf in that state???

This episode was so so weird but so so enjoyable

Ep5 - Heyy it's Spitelout time - cant wait

First few lines of the two 'louts interacting and they're already giving me Draco&Lucius vibes

"Hope you're at least smart enough to figure that one out" - eh excuse me, le what. He just called his son stupid in front of all his friends and threatened him at the same time. Okay yeah, im starting to understand why no one likes this guy

God that axe is so getting destroyed

Fishlegs and Ruffnut got married, poor Fishlegs

Meatlug!! Ruff, don't throw the lady out!

Astrid is once again so so done with Snotlout - can't blame her honestly, the guy has butter fingers

Okay, that beach scene went a whole lot better than what many made me expect, but then again, it seems Hiccup, Astrid and Snotlout were expecting worse too

The scene was scary until Spitelout talked - the music, the dark of the night, the clear fear of Snotlout confronting his dad and the apprehension in both Hiccup and Astrid's faces

Not as afraid of the man anymore, but still not a fan - also he's voiced by David Tennant so he's gotta get a pass

"We're the model of a modern viking family" this made me laugh a lot, my humor might be broken i know

Ep6 - Hookster? That's a new one. Another extremely original nickname to add to the list of Hookfang's nicknames given by Snotlout, right next to Hooky and Fangster

"He's really become a tyrant, huh?" "Power'll do that to ya" Twins, don't ever change

Aw Barf&Belch are gratefuuuul, that's cute, i rarely see anything about them anywhere, this is nice to watch

"Ah, no Toothless, don't laugh! You're better than that!" Ha poor Hiccup

Nooo don't ditch the double-headed baby, he's gonna get caught by hunters!!

Hiccup is just giving me tired dad vibes this ep and I'm loving it

Ahhh Barf&Belch are sho cute, how come I've never noticed this??

"I guess we're gonna have to put you in some real danger" yeahhhhh don't ever ask that of the Thorston twins

The look of pure happiness and giddy excitement on Tuff's face as they saw the tree trunks roll down towards Hiccup is everything

What is "Bjorn Boars"

"I can only think of one man that souless" Of course it's fucking Snotlout, how did i knowww

"WHAT. IS. WRONG WITH YOU??"

Okay, what did the twins do to make Snotlout go along with this, i gotta know

"Unfortunately, we weren't expecting Thor's mighty hammer to meet Snotlout's paper jaw" I swear this kid delivers the best one liners

I love how the ending is just mass destruction of the ship

"Will someone tell this lunatic it's over?!" Hiccup deserves so many breaks

Ep7 - "Heather won't be a problem, okay?" Hmmmm i had wondered how Astrid had been able to escape so easily from Heather on ep3 without us seeing their fight - im guessing Heather revealed to Astrid that she's playing double spy

Aw cute Thorston sandwich, but damn does Snotlout look annoyed. Good for him

Yeahhhh i saw that alliance coming

"You can't just run off on your own. I rely on you, Astrid" Oof, that hurt

"Dagur was right, you don't look like much" Astrid was right, you look like a psycho" "Not exactly the compliment I would've led with" These lines are fun

Ha, sassy, taunting Hiccup is fun Hiccup

"I saw it! You did that on purpose!" Uhm, excuse me sir, how did you see that? Your back was turned!

So, Ryker is indeed smart. Like, he's intelligent and an actual threat. Me likey the high-ing of stakes

"Maybe if you didn't move and kept your mouth shut!" Fishlegs sassying the others brings me endless joy

"Feels like they're going left. No, right. Left. Which one's which??" Mood. That's me everytime someone asks where's left and right

"Heather's not evil? There goes that dream" What does that mean? Im confused

Aw, Fishlegs, you're nice

Yeah, i hope she knows what she's doing too Hiccup

This is getting too long, so gonna stop this here

Im really excited to see where this is going now, and apparently people like to read my dumb commentary so the 2nd part of season 2 should be coming soon

[rairites]

Episode 7: Psychoanalyzing Stolitz/Why the Episode Ended the Way it Did

So, I've seen a lot of posts (not just on Tumblr) where people argue about who is to blame for what happened at the end of the newest episode of Helluva Boss, and I had to say something. Some blame Stolas for not defending Blitzø, some blame Blitzø for leading Stolas on, and we're sitting arguing about the worst thing to deal with in an abusive relationship such as this one, but after a lot of thought, I've come to the conclusion that this is not how Vivienne wanted viewers to interpret what happened, and here's why:

ART BY PANDALEAFS ON TWITTER

First of all, we know for sure that Stolas has feelings for Blitzø deeper than just sexual, evidenced by his excitement that Blitzø called him to take him on a date (PLEASE RECALL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EPISODE STOLAS DID THINK THEY WERE GOING ON A DATE). He thought this because, although he was the one to call it a date originally, Blitzø did not deny it. Or, rather, he did not deny what it looked like. What Stolas interpreted it as. I'm afraid this was red flag one, people.

The next largest thing I noticed but did not fully understand until after reading a shit ton of YouTube comments, Tumblr posts, and rewatching the episode about ten times, was where the turning point was for Blitzø, because I think it's extremely important if we want to understand exactly what happened here and why it happened.

So, obviously, the entire humiliation scene in general would probably be enough to put anyone in a bad mood, but it's hard to believe that Blitzø's acting out at the end of the episode was only caused by seeing Verosika and Fizz again. He's seen them both before and been called out by both before, albeit separately, yet neither of those episodes ended in a similar way at all to this one. In fact, this is the first time we've seen either Blitzø or Stolas cry, and I wanted to know why that was. I wanted to know exactly which buttons were pushed to make a character like Blitzø so upset. And, after paying very close attention to facial expressions and body language, we can start to piece together where exactly it all went wrong: from the moment they stepped into that club to the moment they left, and which emotions who felt when.

After they're sat down at a table, Blitzø starts to spy on M&M, which is what he came there to do. He doesn't stop to think that what he's doing is rude or unfair, because his and Stolas's relationship has been written as strictly sexual up until this episode. Fans (including myself) have been shipping Stolitz for a very long time but we forget that a romantic relationship between these two characters is technically only semi-canonical. Although they may not have seen each other in a while and Stolas seems to think Blitzø has asked him out on a date, Blitzø still most likely assumes that the relationship they've established thus far, from pilot-ep 6, has not changed. A relationship that can be summarized as: if you do this for me, I'll do this for you. Red flag two, folks.

When Stolas realizes that Blitzø didn't really invite him to spend time with him, and when Blitzø realizes that Stolas really did think this was a romantic date (see above picture), things get awkward. Thankfully for Blitzø, Fizz interrupts this conversation.

Fast-forward to after Blitzø calls attention to himself in an attempt to defend Moxxie (which is for another break-down). He then goes on to be humiliated by Fizz in front of an audience: "Last I checked, your love life is a pile of shit" he says, and although visibly upset, this doesn't necessarily seem to be the thing that fazes Blitzø.

When it's Verosika's turn to roast, Blitzø rolls his eyes and appears annoyed. Although, his expression changes as, at the last line of her song, she calls him "reckless" and a heartbreaker.

Stolas rises from his seat, most likely in concern, only to have Asmodeus recognize him. I believe that this is where things really take a turn for the worst.

"Who's that at your table? Is your date a demon prince? Stolas, is that you? My dark lord, how the mighty do fall. You used to have a smoking wife, a kid, you had it all.

I hope you didn't give it up so you and him could get it up."

Stolas is visibly uncomfortable to have his and Blitzø's relationship scrutinized and judged so mercilessly by the audience, but Asmodeus himself isn't criticizing Stolas. The Prince of Lust is ecstatic at a display such as Blitzø and Stolas's because their relationship began out of sheer lust for one another. That same sheer lust which, arguably, ended Stolas's marriage and put a damper on his relationship with his daughter. Asmodeus lives for that shit.

And what hurts Stolas is the fact that he CAN'T DENY IT. He can't deny the fact that his sexual attraction to Blitzø may just have ended his marriage, or that his daughter thinks less of him because of it, which brings us to the Menu scene, which is so very easy to misinterpret and isn't talked about enough.

"You sold your life for a thrust

Now that's the spirit of lust."

Blitzø, at this point, feels terrible for asking Stolas here after they both just got attacked. He's embarrassed beyond belief and recognizes that Stolas is as well, so he looks at him apologetically, which Stolas responds to by blocking Blitzø from his view.

From Blitzø's perspective, Stolas did this because he was ashamed to have slept with an imp (imps being the lowest class in Hell, superior only to Hellhounds). Red flag tres. It's not Blitzø's fault that his mind immediately resorts to the most likely conclusion based on his personal experiences. After all, it's a very human thing to do. But it is an issue that I'm sure must be resolved in some way if these two ever have a chance of becoming a couple. No one can be romantically involved with someone whose superiority makes them self conscious. I.e., Blitzø could never be with Stolas if he keeps believing that someone so high-class can't love someone who's lower-class.

His issues don't end there, though. Blitzø clearly hates himself, as evidenced by all those pictures with his face scribbled out in his and Loona's apartment. Until he finds a reason to stop hating himself, I don't see how he'd ever be able to allow Stolas to love him, even if he wanted him to.

The fourth red flag is the reason why Stolas felt the need to block Blitzø from view in the first place. Unless that's not what he's doing. I think the easiest way to explain this is to say: Stolas isn't trying to keep from seeing Blitzø, he's trying to keep Blitzø from seeing him.

Hmmmmm, nope. Still confusing.

Stolas is ashamed, which we've established, but while Blitzø believes that he's ashamed of Blitzø, what he's truly ashamed of is himself. He hides behind the menu because he doesn't want Blitzø to think less of him. Because what Asmodeus said was true: he "sold his life for a thrust" and it's not something he's proud of, but he still has feelings for Blitzø.

ART BY AMES_ARTNANIMATION ON TWITTER

Although, unfortunately, neither have any way of knowing what the other is thinking, and this LACK OF COMMUNICATION is what really hinders any hope Stolitz may have in the future. Their problem is that neither of them know how to say the things they need to say.

When Stolas reaches across the table towards the end of the episode, only to have Blitzø reject him, it's so hard to watch because after that menu scene, we see Blitzø's guard go completely up, and Stolas doesn't understand why.

When Blitzø drops Stolas off at his house, it's clear that this whole experience, from Stolas's perspective, was nothing more than a date gone wrong. So, he invites him inside.

Blitzø, who is now completely certain that Stolas could never want anything more from him than sex, (because how could he? they're on such different levels) doesn't believe Stolas when he tells him they don't have to have sex that night. He doesn't believe that Stolas could genuinely ever want to spend time with him because he must be ashamed of him. And Blitzø thinks Stolas is lying to him when he tells him that he enjoyed their time together, which makes it all the more heartbreaking, because we, the viewers, now know for sure that he isn't lying.

"Stolas, don't act like what we have is anything but you wanting me to fuck you, okay? You make that really clear all the time."

Previously, I had struggled a lot with determining whether Stolas's affections for Blitzø were reciprocated, but I think this scene confirms what we've speculated for a long time: there are feelings on both sides that go deeper than the physical. That line really changed the game.

And I screamed at the tv, too, when Stolas let Blitzø drive home without declaring his love for him, but I get it. No one isn't scared of rejection, not even demon royalty. Why he didn't deny only wanting sex from Blitzø, I couldn't tell you. Maybe he figured it wasn't the right time, or that, similarly in episode two, he just doesn't "have the words." Whatever his reasons for not clearing this up, he doesn't do it intentionally, but as was made clear, the car scene obviously struck a nerve.

I don't believe that either of them would have been so upset by what happened if they didn't care. But it was still difficult to see Blitzø's sobbing at the end of the episode after seeing that picture of his mother and sister(?) which seemed to basically drive him over the edge.

In conclusion, I really don't know what they're going to do after this. Most likely, someone's dying, but I don't really want to think about who. Who who.

Please stop arguing about who did what and who's more fucked up. They're both fucked up. They both have issues. It's neither one's fault. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments : )

[iemondropsss]

Hello friends. So, like many a person waiting on haitus I too have imagined what the perfect next season of moominvalley will be like. I'm sure there's bound to be SOMETHING wrong with it because idk no one at studios ever listens to common sense and community input? Idk man but here we are. I myself have decided to create a pretty solid season 3 and we'll see how much I get right or wrong. I'm sure this will age like Orange Juice (which by orange juice I actually how no idea if orange juice can spoil just like I have no idea WHAT the studio has in plan) but we do know a few things so I kind of tried to keep with the spirit, the way their characters have progressed and how far they still have to go, and also what we all want. Some things I have in mind will continue/happen in my fake season 4 so maybe I'll do that later we'll see but for now have a presentable season :)

(I'll put it under the cut I know it'll be long lol. also apparently there is a 10 image limit so I'll put the second part of the season in a new reblog don't worry)

Episode 1 - Moomintroll's grand adventure

-moomintroll gets a sea adventure all on his own. he learns the struggles of independence and gets to feel the wind in his fur. it's all rather lovely, but he finds that it isn't exactly as easy as he thought.

-Things to keep in mind: in this ep we want to show how he has become more independent and drifting from the kind of shadow his father left. He still wants to fit under it a little (that's why it's a sea adventure) but as it goes on he needs to realize he is his own person and that is great

Episode 2 - If snufkin feels one (1) more emotion he's gonna snap

-the moominparents, little my, and the lightouse keeper return to the valley on the keeper's boat

-the moomins go into hiberations and the fisherman and toft/toffle bond and find family in each other and go back to the island. This way they are both able to find the companionship they both so desperatly need and the fisherman basically adopts toffle, that way they don't need the moomins anymore :)

-so anyway, naturally, during all this snufkin is emotionally DESTROYED and runs off to the woods. there is nothing worse than skyrocketing your hopes only to have them come crashing down once again

-however, before runing away completely snufkin consults too-ticky who has just recently started to settle down in the boathouse for the winter

-he talks about his emotions, because he feels that she would understand this kind of thing, and how it's really weird. he's always missed moomintroll while he's away but it's different now and there's something different and maybe there alway has been he doesn't know!! it's all so confusing

-too-ticky gives him some wise words (basically: aye, ye gaye bastard) and he goes on his way

-Through the forest he sees several memories flash before him in the form of magical looking apparition that look really cool (the animators can flex their particle engines with the memories as illustrated below which I think would be,,, pretty cool)

-The memories are old, like when he and moomintroll first met or a few small adventures they've had

-he realized that he's never had a friend like this ever not even with the rest of his group or even the several interesting characters he's met on his travels

-at least.... never someone to come home to

-home. that scares him. he heads on his way and promises to find moomintroll again no matter what

-this memory montage has an indie banger over it, of course

Episode 3- Little My the Asexual Pirate Queen

-Little My isn't hibernating this year. She's decided to have her own adventure, if everyone else is getting one

-Pirates come to the valley and she boards their ship but gets thrown in the brig before she can do too much

-She meets a few people in the brig with her and they all stage a mutiny against the captain

-little my becomes the new captain with the person who helped her as her first mate

Episode 4 - Beauty Queen gets character development

-sniff and snorkmaiden look for snork

-they face a couple things and snorkmaiden shows how she can be a really great and independent leader

-snork, when they find him, is excited to go to the valley with them because he will be able to finally get all the materials to build his flying ship with/finally fly/test it!

Episode 5: The Real treasure was the bf (best friend) we had all along

-moomintroll meet little my and her pirate crew

-one of the pirates says they know about a treasure on an island and they go to find it

-kind of like the hattifattener episode

-but now with actual pirates and real treasure lol

-the find the chest and celebrate theier newfound riches

-now that moomintroll has had his adventures he decides that it's time to go back to the valley

-after all it is almost spring and he doesn't want to miss snufkin

-through this adventure moomintroll and little my aren't as mean to each other and understand each other more, becoming more like adopted siblings

Episode 6 - Backstreets back alright dunununn

-Snufkin is playing his newest spring tune solemnly against a tree

-here he is back in the valley but moomintroll still hasn't returned

-he puts up his tent anyway and basically mopes

-moominmamma comforts him over tea and they talk a bit

-the finally finally he's back babyyy

-now here's the most important part pay attention

-they both run across the way and collapse into a

-you guessed it

-spin hug!!

-which is as it sounds moomintroll picks snufkin up and they spin around (kind of like when snorkmaiden and moomintroll broke up but it's better and means the opposite)

-another indie song plays over this scene of course so everytime we listen to it on the album we can cry

-snufkin whispers "I missed you" in moomintroll's ear

-moomintroll laughs and says "now you know what it feel like" but in a teasing way he doesn't mean anything bad by it. he gets it now.

-but snufkin still stiffens and realizes what that means. he tries to apologize for leaving all the time and tries to promise things moomintroll knows it would hurt him to keep so he assures him that it is okay he understands and loves him no matter if they're appart

-snufkin has a gay panic moment obviously he doesnt mean it like *that*

-so they part each other's embrace on good terms and snufkin thanks him

-there is probably a sub plot to this episode but none of us remember what it was because we had whiplash for like a full 10 minutes after this

to be continued.....