#right now it's a toss up on if I still dislike her as a character or now like her

[spicedfink]

Break down of Lumpy Space Princess (or something? Idk)

LSP is one of the few characters we know the age of being listed as 15 when Finn was 12/13 so we know by the finale she's 19 or 20 years old

The basic time line is that she lived in lumpy space and only visited Ooo every now and then before getting into an arguments with her parents and running away to prove she can make it on her own

LSP then spends a good chunk of her teenaged years living out in the woods

LSP has complained about her parents through out the series and even gone as far as to compare them to monsters in her Fionna and Cake fanfic - the show frames these complaints as unreasonable. The problem with this is that children rarely act out for no reason and she continues to resent them even when she's had time and distance away from them

Her parents think she acts out on purpose - this sort of mentality made LSP feel like they saw her as a villain and was extremely frustrating since she didn't actually understand what she was doing wrong

Her parents are at the very least don't know how to meet her needs at worse are intentionally abusive towards her (there isn't really enough shown of them to determine a solid placement)

LSP has a hard time understanding how her actions effect others and is easily upset when people express displeasure with her - either from the delay between her actions and their reactions or she has a knee jerk stress from past experiences (probably from authority figures)

LSP is deeply insecure. Her insecurities can be seen in cases like risking life and limb for a plump lip potion, punching herself smooth for "the nice king" and when she asked Finn and Jake to preform plastic surgery on her to make her hot

Her confidents isn't faked however, her desire to change isn't based on how she actually feels about her body but instead based on wanting to be liked by others - a theme in LSP's story is wanting to be liked by others (especially romantically) Even though they don't really change how they draw the characters much it could also be implied that LSP's insecurities came from the changes her body had during puberty

But also Brad messed her up. They had an on again off again relationship where Brad would date her friends to make her jealous and ignore her boundaries and yet LSP spends years focusing on their relationship. He's a creep who tore LSP down and made her think she was somehow underserving of anything better

When LSP got with Johnnie it showed her as really supportive and loving, the second she was flirting with someone who actually liked her back it went smoothly things only went wrong when Johnnie said she couldn't go to the dinner because it's a private business dinner with PB. She immediately thinks PB is trying to steal him from her, this is a clear reflection of her trauma from having Brad betray her trust and playing with her feelings so much

Side note on "Bad Timing" PB threaten to go to war with lumpy space because LSP was being rude despite knowing full well LSP has very little if anything to do with lumpy space's politics at this point (girl is homeless and PB is treating her as if she's a spoiled brat with a sliver spoon in her mouth)

I'm going to have to mention "Breezy", I know we want to collectively ignore it but I want to make a point about what this suggest about LSP's character. Her actions are a reflection of her own boundaries having been crossed repeatedly through out her life and she was told by the people crossing them that they weren't doing anything wrong which leads to her thinking that's what normal people do. It doesn't make it right but it's insight towards her world view where she rather see it as normal behavior then accept that people she cared for didn't care about hurting her

On how LSP communicates with others, she knows that other people don't say what they mean and that she is suppose to read between the lines but she doesn't know how so that leads to misunderstandings as she fills in the blanks (alt she's filling in the blanks based on lumpy space's social norms and can't wrap her head around Ooo having different ones) I think the best example is in "Gatcha" when she assumes Finn is in love with her because he's being nice to her and ignoring the part where she's flirting with him (he isn't taking her too seriously and doesn't know what she's talking about) The problem is others don't try to talk to her in a way she can understand: they get annoyed, frustrated or feel it's pointless so they ignore her. They yell and lecture at her for doing things wrong (she can't understand what people are trying to tell her when they lecture). Or they walk on eggshells and treat her like she'll go off at any random little thing, they just go along with what she says to keep her happy or go out of their way to make sure she doesn't get frustrated because they don't want to deal with her

The exception is Marceline. In "Princess Day" Marceline compliment LSP showing an appreciation for her bad girl behavior, she doesn't tell her she was in the wrong and supports her actions. This leads to them taking things too far but at no point does Marceline shame LSP for it, Marceline also owns up to her own part in the escalation. When LSP expresses concern about if these actions mean they're bad people Marceline doesn't dismiss LSP's feelings on this, she instead explains her own view saying she doesn't think there's such a thing as a "bad person" and that people just make mistakes. This was the first time LSP was able to explore her own guilt without being shamed or told she hadn't done anything wrong. Marceline supported and validated LSP's feelings through out the episode. This was the kind of support LSP needed the entire time but this is the first time she actually got it

LSP wouldn't have been able to grow as a person without that connection. Up until that point LSP had been become more and more detached from others, lashing out with emotional fits. After becoming friends with Marceline however she seemed to regulate and truly mature

One thing that reflects her growth is in her date with Lemongrab, when he gets up to leave she says he's afraid of intimacy, which while this shows she's still putting words in other people's mouths at this point there is a key difference in the words she using and even the tone of voice she says them. She says it as if she feels genuine concern for him, it's not indigent or aggressive it's soft. And she isn't talking about how his actions reflect on her looks but instead she thinks it's an insecurity he's feeling. She wants him to be able to face this supposed fear not because she feels cheated out of her date but because she doesn't want him being personally held back by it (Lemongrab doesn't actually have this issue)

You can also see growth in the Elementals episodes where she's the calmest she's ever been towards Finn. She's still hitting on him (I'm assuming it's a reflection of the fact she thinks everyone else is stuck in these changed forms and is seeking comfort via romantic escapism)

The finale shows her growth the most. She went to war to aid PB compare that to when LSP barely helped Finn cure Jake and treated it like a huge inconvenience that she isn't responsible for (despite them needing a cure because she accidently bit Jake)

Marceline is LSP's closest friend but Turtle Princess is LSP's BFF Turtle Princess and LSP can talk for hours, they listen to the other info dump and love trashy books, romance and gossip. They have trouble talking about other things and both become uncomfortable if they try. Turtle Princess thinks LSP is really hot and cool and looks up to her a lot. LSP thinks Turtle Princess is also hot and cool and will hype Turtle Princess up all the time

In summary, I think she has a lot of trauma and made a lot of bad decisions but is able to grow once she has a support system with friends who actually care about her

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Might I ask for the Phantom Thief Girls with an S/O who flips a coin to make decisions? Yes, this idea came from that Rune Factory 5 post from @genshingorlsrevengeance however, I am ninety percent sure that if any more asks are added to his inbox it will collapse into a singularity and devour him. Also, I want to see your twist on it since you and him are two of my faves when it comes to character x reader writing.

Thank you for the kind words, however I am sure Chris could have done this better than I, even if he had to do so from the void after his Inbox ate him, nonetheless, I still gave it my best try and I hope you enjoy.

The temptation I had to make Baofu/Kaoru Saga jokes and references throughout all of writing this was immense.

Also, Two-Face wants his gimmick back.

Now! Your Wish Is My Command!

Ann found the coin to be… interesting.

The loud Ting when you flipped it always caught her attention.

Heads or Tails?

Black or Red?

Yes or No?

On one hand it was irritating when she lost.

On the other, the tension of making a split second decision of what to call when the coin goes up was exhilarating.

Especially when she called the right side.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The coin hung in the air for a split second as you opened your palm to catch it.

Ann’s eyes were firmly on the coin, as were yours.

It was time to make the decision.

Heads?

Tails?

What to choose?

“Heads!” Ann exclaimed excitedly.

“Tails!” you exclaimed with a grin as the coin began to fall and land in your palm.

Ann let out a cheer.

You chuckled and gave a mental apology to your wallet as you rolled the coin into the space between your fingers and then over your knuckles before tossing it to your other hand and then placing it into your pocket.

The coin landed on heads, the red side that depicted a smiling Jester's mask in gold.

“It’s decided! You’ll be taking me out to get as many sweets as I want!” Ann exclaimed with a mischievous smile.

Don’t worry, she won’t bankrupt you.

Probably.

Makoto was not a huge fan of the coin.

Sure, it added some flair to day to day life.

However, Makoto was not a big fan of leaving things to fate.

Especially when it comes to important decisions.

That said… It did help her when she was indecisive about something.

When she hesitated to act or did not know what choice to make, she would always see the glint of the coin in her vision and the sound of the Ting it made when you flipped it.

She knew what the answers were.

Heads or Tails.

Yes or No.

It forced her to make a decision.

Will she take the leap?

Or will she err on the side of caution.

No matter what side the coin landed on, she knew what her answer was.

And you know that too.

So, no matter how much she pestered you about the answer the coin gave you, you would never tell.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Tell me.” Makoto demanded with a rather petulant whine as the two of you sat on the couch, watching TV and awaiting for Sae to return.

“Hmmm… I think not.” you said with a mockingly thoughtful face.

“Then flip the coin!” Makoto exclaimed, the outcome of the previous toss eating at her like nothing else.

You smirked before teasingly asking “I thought you disliked the coin toss?”

This earned you a solid wallop to the shoulder.

“Ow! Okay! Okay! Yeesh! I’m going to tell Sae about this domestic abuse when she gets back.” you muttered as you pulled the coin out from behind Makoto’s ear with a simple bit of sleight of hand.

“If you do, you know she’s going to side with me, right?” Makoto asked as you rolled the coin over your knuckles and into place over your thumb.

“We’ll see.” you said with a grin and then flipped the coin, sending it flying.

“Heads!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Tails!” you stated with a smile.

The coin came down and into your hand.

Makoto promptly grabbed you by the shoulders and screamed into your chest.

It landed on the black side, tails, with a frowning golden jester's mask facing up.

Futaba was sure you were cheating somehow with your tosses.

She could do the math that told her the outcome of the toss in her head with ease.

And yet, with every toss, it almost never went the way she expected.

Every time she would smugly declare her choice, confident in her answer, it would land on the opposite side.

She had no idea how you were doing it, but you HAD to be cheating.

She was tempted to try and strangle the answer out of you.

Alas, she was afflicted with the most terrible of curses.

Weak Nerd Arms.

So, she had to try different means.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Futaba turned the coin over in her hand, examining it closely at her desk while you smugly watched her doing so as you sat on her bed.

Futaba was getting irritated.

There were no imperfections on the coin, nothing that could skew the results that her math gave her.

She had even examined how you did it!

No sleight of hand, no tricks, nothing!

Futaba placed the coin atop her thumb and flipped high into the air with a solid Ting reverberating through the room, already doing the math in her head.

“Heads!” you declared with a smile.

“Tails!” Futaba exclaimed confidently.

Half a second later, Futaba threw the coin at you as fast and hard as she could.

You caught the pathetically weak lob with ease as Futaba slammed her head into her desk.

“Life Is Not Daijoubu.” Futaba muttered.

“Aww, I love you too.” you said smugly before walking over to kiss the top of her head.

Haru absolutely loved the coin.

Every second of her life had been planned out before she met you.

But now?

Things were random, left to chance.

It was exhilarating!

Why, it almost brought her as much joy as hearing the Shadows beg for mercy!

Not to mention the antics the coin could cause.

Several yes’s in a row and then a no to change it all.

The solid Ting The coin made whenever it was sent to the sky never failed to send a tingle down her spine.

Random chance leads to strange occurrences, strange occurrences leads to interesting decisions.

It was the path that following the coin always led down.

It was a truly interesting show to watch and partake in.

Especially when she was the one putting you on the back foot.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Dear, what is a “Sadist”, the others had me take a test and it said I was one?” Haru asked rather innocently despite her, admittedly, somewhat evil intentions.

She had to fight the urge to giggle when you looked at her as if a day you had been dreading for all your life had finally arrived before turning your back to her and flipping the coin.

Your shoulders promptly slumped and you looked to the heavens, seemingly trying to ask god “Why?”.

You then turned to her, looked her dead in the eyes with the most broken expression she had ever seen and proceeded to explain what a sadist was.

This was truly the most entertaining event to ever occur from the coin yet.

Sumire was intrigued by your habit of tossing the coin.

Leaving everything to fate, hedging all your bets on a 50/50 gamble.

You and Joker would probably get along.

That and probably correct her on the actual chances being something like 51/49 or something to that effect.

Nonetheless, the Ting of the coin never failed to grab her attention.

The questions you left to the coin always ranged wildly.

From what food you were going to eat for lunch to if you were going to randomly carry Sumiere around like a bride.

Your whims were always decided by the coin and Sumiere was always excited to see what the answer would be.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Uhh… Yoshizawa?” Ryuji asked as he peered out the window of Ren’s room.

“Yes?” Sumire answered while turning to the blonde.

“Is that your spouse down there?” the blonde asked.

Sumire flushed red before exclaiming for the thousandth time since you pulled that stunt.

“WE’RE NOT MARRIED!!!”

She had to bite the inside of her mouth to avoid adding on the “Yet” to the end of that sentence.

“Yeah, yeah whatever-” Ryuji began to say before the bell rang and the voice of The Boss rang out.

“Hey there! Yoshizawa’s upstairs with the kid and the others.”

“Thanks Boss! Would you mind going ahead and making me something to drink while I head up there?” you asked.

“No problem, the usual?” Sojiro asked.

The sound of the coin being flipped rang out.

“Dealers choice today, Boss.” you stated before the sound of someone walking up the stairs hit everyone's ears.

“Hello everyone!” you greeted before walking over to Sumiere.

You then proceed to gently place your hand on the side of her face, and kiss her on the lips.

After a few moments, you pulled away with a smile before saying “Goodbye everyone, it was nice seeing you all!” and then walking away and back down the stairs to grab and pay for your drink, leaving Sumiere blushing as red as her hair and a dazed look in her eyes.

“You’d think she’d have gotten used to them coming by just to kiss her by now.” Ann said as she flipped through her magazine.

“Yeah, then again, the coin does leave everything to chance.” Ren said before taking a sip of his coffee.

[starlightandfairies]

Helloooo :) i hope you’re having a wonderful day or night! Or just both lol. Anyways, is it okay if I ask for a Klaus Mikaelson x Female reader one-shot? For me, I don’t like where the reader just falls in love with him so quickly, despite everything he has done. I was thinking of something with fluff and he has to work for her love? So basically, reader has been friends with Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline since childhood, but she’s still human. And she hates Klaus for what he has done to her friends and family, but despite everything he has done he hasn’t don’t anything to harm her physically in any way. (Hint hint, cause it means he likes her lol). And because of this, he tries to show he genuinely cares about her. It takes her a long while to eventually warm up to him.

Sorry, this is a lot -_-…uh, and not very detailed lol. I wanted to leave it up to your imagination, but totally fine if you can’t cause writers block and other things. Anyway, an idea: maybe reader gets saved by Klaus and he admits he likes her but she kinda plays hard to get. of course, she can’t help but to be flattered by his accent, his flattery, his looks, etc. And because she is human, being tortured or just kidnapped by supernatural beings is genuinely terrifying and he comforts her? I hope this is all okay! Of course you can change or add whatever you’d like. I love Klaus so much, and I love your writing!

Description: If the great Niklaus Mikaelson wants to become closer to the reader then he would have to push through thick and thin to do so.

Warnings: she/her pronouns, fluff, swearing

*Requests are open, please send through as many requests as you want, check my character list and requesting rules.*

Thank you for requesting this! I hope you enjoy it! I really tried my best to show this eventual bonding that is more realistic, while also not rambling on for a story length.

Key: Y/N = Your Name, L/N = Last name, POV = Point of view, F/fs = favourite flowers

Word Count: 1, 915

First Person's POV 

Niklaus Mikaelson drove me insane, I do not understand how he thought he could follow me around, begging for my interest like he hasn't done anything wrong to those around him. The great Klaus Mikaelson was many things but he wasn't the type of man I would bend over backwards to show that their past didn't matter. I won't lie, there were times when it was hard to really show my distaste for the Hybrid due to that accent, his looks and his charisma but I do like to pride myself on my stubbornness and the fact that I'm not that easy to charm. 

Besides Matt, I was the only other human, sure Bonnie was in a sense human but she had her magic to protect her and I had nothing. I didn't have any of that. I was just a straight-up human who could die at any second or become permanently injured if tossed around too harshly. The girls have grown to somewhat like him and every now and again will remind me of the fact that not once has he ever tried to hurt me, not once has he ever used me as bait or tried threatening me in any way shape or form.

Bonnie, Caroline and Elena have all expressed their hatred for the man and it only fueled mine. I have no clue what it would take for me to show any sign of sympathy for the man or any sense of forgiveness considering what he's done. There were times when I even disliked Damon and Stefan for what they've done. Sure, it might be contractionary of me to like the Salvatores and not hate them like I did Klaus... but still. 

It's at least been a good two years of having the Mikaelsons in our lives. Rebekah and Elijah were tolerable. I felt for Rebekah and Elijah seemed true to his word, even if he was sometimes conflicted between his family and his morals. Klaus was 

"Hey, Y/n!" I huffed, stopping in my tracks, knowing there was no use in continuing on when he could easily Casper the ghost right in front of me. I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow, not impressed by his persistent attitude. 

"What do you want Niklaus? 

"Well, love... I was hoping I could treat you to some dinner. Show you some of the best places. Things you couldn't possibly comprehend seeing." I rolled my eyes, shook my head, sucked my lips into a straight line and raised an eyebrow.

"Really, Niklaus? Every time it's been a no. What makes you think this will be a yes?" 

"I saw your play last night, I think you are a pretty amazing actress." I didn't believe him, I think that he's making stuff up, trying to show that he's a good guy. 

"Prove it, what happened when the actor playing Stanley threw his chair." Klaus chuckled lightly, licking his lips for a moment before he walked closer and leaned in for a moment. 

"You tripped over your own feet, fell over... you worked it into your performance, no one in that audience would've known any different. I think skill like that is pretty talented. I have seen many performers across my lifetime and not many could do that." I rocked on my feet, biting my lips and huffing for a moment. 

"You came to my performance?" I questioned my tone soft for a moment, surprised that Klaus came. The girls weren't able to due to supernatural issues happening again, I didn't want to show any sign of falling for his charm.

"Yes, I did. I don't know why you sound so surprised..." I shrugged, taking a breath, glancing away for a moment trying to remain as stoic as I could.  

"I have to go, goodbye, Klaus." I carried on my way, going back to doing what I originally planned on doing before. Tonight was the closing night of A Streetcar Named Desire the girls were meant to show but once again due to the new big bad in town, they didn't show. I stood in my dressing room, wiping off my makeup before the tears could come. I was just about to open the door before I was stopped by Klaus.

"K-Klaus... what, what are you doing here?" He handed me a bouquet of my F/fs, I took them with a small smile and stepped aside to allow him into the dressing room. 

"You got your own dressing room, that's pretty neat..." The Hybrid trailed off, glancing at the desk that was covered in tissues, I moved to clean them up but he moved in front of me before I could. 

"Why are you crying...?" 

"I'm okay Niklaus." I turned to him hearing his chuckle, I raised an eyebrow in question, how dare he laugh at me!

"I promise, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the fact that when I'm getting closer to breaking down your walls, you call me Klaus but when you realise that you're dropping your walls you go right back to calling me Niklaus." I sat back down, staring at him surprised that he picked up on something that I hadn't actively been aware of doing. 

"My friends couldn't come. They promised that they would but because of the new big bad in town... they couldn't and because I'm human-" Realising I was sharing my than I would like to Klaus, I bit my lip trying to remind myself that I couldn't get close to Klaus. 

"Let me read you something." He pulled out a newspaper, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, just for once but turned my attention to continuing to remove my makeup. 

"Y/n L/n's performance as Blanche DuBois has been spectacular on all nights of the production. In my years as a critic, I have never seen this much dedication and accuracy similar to the vision Tennessee Williams had when picturing Blanche DuBois. I admire Y/n greatly as a performer and know that she is an actress highly dedicated to perfecting her characters' mannerisms and hope that she goes far with her acting journey." I stared at Klaus surprised, I jumped to my feet, staring at Klaus with intrigue and took the paper from his hands. 

I read the words, staring at them in shock that this was actually true, the author's name is what shocked me the most. Klaus M

"You wrote this?" 

"I did." 

"And you mean it?" 

"I do." Maybe... maybe if a man who didn't know me could make the time to watch all of my performances... maybe he wasn't so bad. 

"Thank you, Klaus... it means a lot." 

It took two years, four months and 18 days for Klaus Mikaelson to get me to warm up to him, I think I deserve a trophy for just how long I've made him work to get to know me better. The truth is, I am terrified of getting killed, kidnapped or tortured by the supernatural me, I mean what if someone worse than Klaus comes into town and because I am one of the very few humans left in town I get used as collateral? 

I was walking home from the Grill, minding my own business until everything went dark and I finally came to find myself tied up in a chair, blood dripping from my nose, head and stomach. I cried out, looking around terrified of who could be hurting me and what they would do if they didn't get what they wanted. 

"Hmm, you're awake again. Try not to pass out this time... the blood loss will really be screwing with your head. I would apologise but I really don't care I just need that damn hybrid to come forward and save your ass-" 

"Who are you?" I cried out, trying my best to not show weakness but the pain in my limbs and the fear that was coming in made it impossible to think of anything but my pain. 

"Who I am isn't important, I tried to keep your face pretty but you know." The unknown figure shrugs, leaning in closer and grabbing my face in his hands with a glare forming and with a snarl he reveals his fangs. I shake my head, feeling his breath on my skin and whimper feeling his fangs pierce my neck. 

It fades away swiftly, the tears cascade down my cheeks, and I stare in shock seeing Klaus standing there and dropping the man's heart onto the floor. Within an instant I was in his arms, I grabbed onto his shirt letting out a sob and whimpering as the pain seemed to increase. 

"Shh, love, it's okay... you're gonna be okay. I've got you." Klaus reassured, biting into his wrist, he gestures to his wrist and I slowly suck on his wrist. 

"I won't let anything happen to you, love. I am very fond of you, I will not let anything happen before I can tell you just how fond I am of you." I stared in fascination as my body healed instantly, it always surprised me and always made me curious to realise how lucky these supernatural beings were. 

"Please, please don't let them hurt me. Don't let them get to me." 

"It's okay, love. I've got you." 

"I'm so scared, every day, I'm scared that I'm going to be kidnapped or tortured... being human, I know I'm nothing compared-"

"I won't let that happen. Love, I won't let anyone hurt you, not again. I swear to you." He hummed lightly, rocking me in his arms and whispered over and over again kind and soothing words. I decided to bring it back to his starting words, once I felt okay and able to move on from what just happened. 

"You're fond of me? Nothing new-" I stated, with a shrug, biting back the smile I wanted to show, Klaus chuckled and helped me to my feet. I stared at him, surely making a weird expression as I hid my emotions. 

"I am fond of you, I like you, quite a bit and I want you to know, love I will do anything to keep you safe. Even if you hate me for the rest of eternity, I will do what I can to keep you safe." My heart skipped a beat, it made me feel special knowing that someone cared for me that much, I nodded and sucked in a breath gradually letting a smile come through. 

"Thank you for saving me... "

"You're welcome, love. Love, I hope you know how gorgeous you are." I blushed, scrunching my face up as his normal charm got to me more than normal. 

"Flattery only gets you so far." 

"Yet, it got me to becoming closer to you." I shrugged, smirking for a moment and sucked in a deep breath. I grabbed his hand, smiling happily and tried my best to not focus in on the blood on my clothes, his clothes and the floor from the attacker. 

"Well, then, perhaps I'll let you in closer." 

[prismozo]

Stay Gone

☆Warnings: (Some) Strong language, Arguments, Attempted Murder, Small amounts of Physical conflict.

☆Genre: Angst

☆Character/Person: Tate Langdon

★Summary: You sent him away.. but he won’t stay away.

★A/N: I’ve been super in AHS recently so it only feels right to indulge my obsessions into my writing :P

p.s definitely didn’t proofread this it’s like a drabble so ignore any mistakes or things that may not make sense i was yapping :3

———————————————————————

laying on the couch of the new family you flick through their tv “None of my shows are playing anymore what am i supposed to watch now” you groan turning off the tv and tossing the remote on the couch, standing up you hear keys jingle in the door.

‘It’s Colin’

You move to peak out the front window and you immediately notice Colin, he’s the boy who moved in with his parents a little bit after you died in here. He finally makes his way in the house and looks around unknowingly staring right through you.

You’ve been watching him for a while.. he’s handsome and there isn’t really anyone else around that you can really bond with.. well not anymore.

he marches up the stairs and you take this as an opportunity, moving swiftly past him you go into his room and look through his comics as if you’ve been there already “who are you?” You don’t look up as he walks in “How do you manage to buy all the worst comics.. invest in some of the good venom comics or something.”

“How did you get in my house?” You brush off the question closing the comic and tossing it back on his bed “I’m Y/n i live in the neighborhood” You lean against his bed.

He looks at you suspiciously before nodding softly “Those are my favorite comic i don’t know how anyone would dislike them” and with that you two fall into hours of conversation debating over comics.

————————————

You and Colin started hanging out more often after the first interaction. like usual you and him are laying in the floor discussing his taste in music which is often a topic between you two.

“Your taste in music is definitely better then your taste in comics” you nod to the beat of the song as he pushes your shoulder “Those are my favorite ones i’m not taking criticism from you” he chuckles softly and you roll your eyes.

unbeknownst to you and the human boy in the room there was someone else in the room. Tate, you refused to speak with him after finding out why he died in this house and had sent him away with the same words he taught you.

he watches you two with jealousy running through his mind, he just wants you to look at him again with those beautiful eyes like you look at the boy in front of you.

running a hand through his hair he sighs as his heart aches in his chest.. he wants you to be happy with him, but if you won’t come back to him he has no choice but to help you be happy without him.

————————————

It’s been almost 2 months of you and Colin hanging out almost regularly, but even after all that time you still failed to notice Tate watching you two no matter where your at in the house.

so now here he stands in Colin’s doorway, the clock on the nightstand reads 3:28 am.. Tate picked this time specifically because he knew you wouldn’t be around watching Colin as usual. Closing and locking the door behind him he makes his way towards Colin.

he walks slowly on the side of the bed before reaching and grabbing a fist full of Colin’s hair dragging him up and out of bed, Colin’s awake now and frantically swinging at Tate, he lands a blow on his side causing his grip to release from his hair.

Quickly he stands trying to take in the appearance of the man who attacked him.“What the fuck who-“ he doesn’t get to finish as tate lands a blow to his face, he stumbles into his bed hand holding his now aching jaw.

Swing. he missed as tate steps back before landing another blow right on his nose, A nasty crunch echos through the room before he grabs Colin once more putting a knife to his neck “I just want her to be happy.. it’s so lonely here and i don’t want that for her” Tate had tears running down his face as his lip quivered.

“I just need her to be happy”He runs the knife across his throat before dropping him to the floor with a thud to leave him to slowly bleed out. He wipes the knife on his jeans not minding the blood as he turns to leave.. the doors open and you stand there with a horrific look on your face.

“What did you do?!” Your frantic pushing past him as you grab Colin and lay his head in your lap “you poor thing.. it’ll be alright were gunna get you out of here” you stroke his hair gently tears streaming down your face, you peck his forehead before putting a shirt around his neck to try and stop the bleeding. In a panic you quickly get up to try and find a phone you can use.

“I did it for you.. so you aren’t lonely” Tate’s voice sounds sweet and endearing which only upsets you more. You scream at him frantically tossing stuff at him along the way still searching for a phone “I won’t allow you to keep someone in this miserable house” Finding a home phone in his parents room you quickly grab it to dial 911.

Tate grabs your hand and you flinch away “But if he’s here with you, you’ll never have to be lonely.” He still reaches for you trying to justify his actions. “There has been enough death in this house.” Your cold, glaring daggers into the blonde in front of you as you dial 911. Crying desperately into the phone you give the address and information right before hanging up.

“Why couldn’t you just stay away!!” His face drops moving towards you “I love you Y/n i can’t stay away!!” his voice gets louder with every word, your boiling in anger now pushing him away you scream “Your a god damn psychopath who murders people just cause” he shakes his head tears running down his face as he sobs “p-please i’m sorry” he in front of you again but he’s tugging at your sweater looking at you “i wish we never met because then i never would’ve been stuck with you.”

He breaks and you can see the switch in his eyes right before pushing you hard against the wall.. the sirens are closer to the house and eventually they kick in the door but it doesn’t stop the heated argument unbeknownst to them between two ghosts “Why can’t you see how much i love you.. and need you” a few tears escape from your eyes, you wipes them away quickly before speaking “go away tate” the room shakes around him and he looks like a scared child “please i can be better”

“GO AWAY TATE!” Your eyes are closed as you scream over and over again until his cries are heard no more. Once your eyes are open again you walk into the hall just in time to watch them drag out Colin on a stretcher.. this will be the last time you see each other.

————————————

Colin made it out alive with serious damage to his vocal cords. due to the traumatic event Colin’s parents made the decision to abandon the house and move not to long after the event, it saddened you to see Colin with those bandages around his throat.. they still don’t know if he’ll be able to speak even after he’d fully healed.. watching through the window as the last box is loaded into the moving truck.

He takes one more look at the house before climbing in the car, you watch the vehicles drive until you can’t see them anymore.. yet you don’t leave the window for hours until moira comes to find you.

She gently leads you away from the window and towards the kitchen but you can’t help but notice the flash of blonde hair peaking at you from the hall.

———————————————————————

★A/N: So this is my first time writing in like almost two years for an actor and not a character😭 so cut me some slack.. i doubt this is very good but if you enjoyed yay ig

ANYWAY spare me i’m still recovering from my long ass writers block.

[laf-outloud]

Hi, I hope it's okay to vent this out here. I'm sorry, I just don't know where I can safely share this opinion and criticism and not get attacked for it so I hope it doesn't have any hate tossed your way if you decide to post this (if you don't, that's totally fine, I understand, I don't want you to get attacked either).

I've admittedly been a fan of Jensen for the last few years, Supernatural longer, but recently more and more my respect and appreciation of him as an individual has been waning. I still appreciate the characters he plays, the shows he's on, him as a performer, but as a person, he has been straight up saying (and doing) some problematic things that have opened my eyes and pulled me out of the stream of blind consciousness known as AA-world. From what happened with prequelgate (which history has now shown just how much of a cash cow it was and how shady he acted about it, this new One Tree Hill show proving this is how the Ackles apparently conduct themselves professionally) to "Bitch Alba" to the way he speaks about his kids sometimes (and that includes Danneel, I'm not a fan of hers but in general, that's how you talk about your wife and mother of your three kids?), the inflating of his ego, the constant adaptation of his demeanor depending on who he's with (Misha and JDM are the worst, he acts like Misha and he always seems to want to impress JDM), "old titties", and now last night. My respect for him was slowly sliding down to the bottom of the mountain of all of these things he's been doing and saying lately, and then it finally flatlined last night.

I'm all for respecting people's political beliefs and even though I can't stand Misha (I have never had a good feeling about that guy even before I found out all of his problematic history in the fandom and how now it's painfully obvious how attention seeking he is), I have to admit that the guy has been consistent when it comes to his politics and taking action. Despite my dislike for him, I do believe he is very genuine when it comes to that particular arena. I saw it in action with the last election for example, so this one didn't surprise me that he got involved with some of the Harris-themed livestreams. Had Jared been there (I have no idea if he was invited, couldn't make it, or what), I do feel that he would have been genuine in his presence there as well as his answers. He's a genuine guy who appears to wear his heart on his sleeve a lot. Mark was very genuine. Jim Beaver, too. Curtis. They all listed why they were there and why they were voting for Harris.

Then there was Jensen. Sigh. To be fair, I didn't see the whole Boys section so perhaps he answered further during that segment if Eric or someone else asked him, but during the Supernatural one...I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. I'm not defending him (obviously) but I do think nerves played somewhat of a part because he looked a bit uncomfortable, but that still doesn't excuse (in my opinion) how disingenuous his answer was. I can understand the kids part because that absolutely makes sense, but he worded it in a way that made it sound like a) that was the only reason he was voting this way & b) almost as if it was their fault so if anyone got annoyed with him voting for Harris, they're being used as a tool to keep people appeased. Because how can you argue or get mad or disappointed in his choice if he's doing the right thing as any parent would and consider their kids' futures? And here's the thing, I never would have thought that it sounded like a ploy had he not done this previously at cons, when meeting fans, in interviews, etc. He always downplays something he says or does that he thinks is going to be problematic for his fanbase and shifts responsibility in a way that isn't super obvious (except to those of us paying attention and not drinking the AA kool-aid). He may have been aggressive with the whole "hate watch" commentary about TW but he even eventually set up Danneel, the cast, and others to be blamed if it didn't work out. There is ALWAYS one reason or another that he throws up there on why no one should or would ever blame him. So that's why this one, while yes a valid reason (and could be part of the real reason he chose this candidate), it sounded like yet another shield to throw up "don't blame me if you don't like my choice, I have kids and I have to do what's right for them, don't get mad at me" etc.

Then he tries to stall to think of something he can say that's non-specific (and non-committal in my opinion) by making the joke that Mark just listed the many reasons, the several various reasons, everyone is there. That's a copout if I've ever seen one.

Then he says "When you look at the two candidates, there's just no question of who I want to be on the right side of history with." This to me is the most disingenuous of all. Having watched this guy speak publicly the last few years, this reeks of image to me and not genuine endorsement or even concern for the kids' futures he just referred to or about any policies or the direction the country should head in or hope or change or anything. It's about "who I want to be on the right side of history with". Who even says that except someone thinking ahead on how this will affect their image and if they're not on the "right side of history" with? I get it, he's an actor, he has to think about his image in that way and how it will affect his present and future work opportunities, and Misha did indeed corner him by purposely drawing attention to Jensen specifically and asking him that question (to be fair, he wasn't the only one asked during that segment and who answered), but come on. I believed Curtis when he spoke. I believed Jim when he spoke. I believed Mark when he spoke. I even believed Misha (like I said, yuck about the guy, but he is genuine in this one topic). But Jensen saying that just royally pissed me off because to me it was so obvious that he truly doesn't give a shit as to why everyone else is there. (the same guy who has a public platform and could use it for something other than himself or his brewery for example) He was there because of Vought Rising and Soldier Boy being up front and center, because of Amazon Prime and Countdown, and to "be seen". That's it. He wasn't there because he wanted to be an activist like Misha or because he truly believes in Harris or the Democractic party or any politics (except Hollywood's). I know he's been part of political events and discourse before (I forgot how long ago he and Danneel were at that campaign event in Texas after endorsing that candidate and Danneel has spoken about politics before on social media when they lived down there), but this just reeked of "opportunity" to me and not the kind Harris keeps talking about. It was purely self-serving and good PR for him (in his and his team's minds anyway). Why do I believe that? Because he then follows it up with "But for my kids" as the last thing he says on the subject. Once again, throwing that you'd-be-an-asshole-to-question-this-reasoning shield up.

My respect for him as an individual person completely tanked once he finished speaking. Totally, without a doubt, fully disingenuous bullshit answer in my opinion. I'm not saying this because I expect him to be fully committed to his politics or this election or passionate about any of it like someone like Misha for instance. It's not because I wanted to hear him say something different. It's not about his political beliefs or mine or anyone else's. That's not why this was so disappointing (and slightly infuriating if I'm honest) to me. It's because it was more of the same crap from him, just in a different arena. And this election, no matter who you vote for, no matter which party, really matters. I truly believe that. Like any election. Rich celebrities are always trotted out during these times to help sway the vote one way or another, and to be able to tell the hard-working middle class what's best for them while their bank accounts and tables are full, sitting in a cushy house (or mansion) and never having to worry about their kids' education. Because rich celebrities always know what's right for the American people of various economic and living situations as a whole (can you sense my sarcasm here?).

So in my opinion, it's like, if you're going to sign up to do one of these things, then nut up or shut up. Not saying he has to divulge his private thoughts on the matter or go knocking on doors like some, but if you're going to use this for PR and so people can continue thinking "well" of you (and thinking of you period) and everyone around you states something realistic in relation to the event you are there for, then perhaps don't continue your usual bullshit? Perhaps don't make it obvious that you're only there to get PR perks and bonus points with your friends and those who can employ you/are employing you? Don't be so fucking transparent that you don't mind being up front and center in front of the camera for Supernatural (I know he stayed in the back of The Boys one, but I personally think it had to do with Karen and Erin being there, that's not me implying anything about them or him, more like implying something about his image and Danneel, etc) but then looking like you'd rather be elsewhere when the not-a-surprise question is then posed to you of why you're there? And maybe not make some awkward joke about alcohol while you stall for time to think of the most neutral self-conscious image-positive answer you could think of, all while throwing your kids up as a shield?

Maybe you disagree with me and you didn't see his answer that way. Maybe some others might, too, and that's cool if you or any of them do. We should all think for ourselves (I think one of the most important messages to come out of the Supernatural segment of the livestream last night). But for me, it was beyond disappointing that this was yet another confirmation that this guy appears to be full of shit everywhere we turn, and that he thinks all of his fanbase is that stupid and unable to see it for what it is, newsflash: not all of us are AA's, Jensen, some of us actually use that big spongy thing inside our heads). And it's even more frustrating that any other celebrity can be called out for this bullshit ploy online, no matter their wealth or status in the industry, including his castmates on any show, and yet you can't say a fucking word of genuine criticism when it comes to him. Instead, you have to enroll yourself in the Ackles Critic Protection Program and state anything less than a "he's king and she's queen and they can do no wrong ever" mentality anonymously. So, that all being said, I've lost complete respect for him and I'm done being a fan of his. That doesn't mean I hate Dean or Supernatural all of a sudden or any of his work, I can compartmentalize, but when it comes to the actor/individual himself, nope, no more. He can keep his sheeple of a stanbase who will be there to keep swallowing and buying (literally) the bullshit he gives and sells them. I'll be over here, actually using my brain and eyes that were given to me, and I'll head off on my merry way.

I'm truly sorry for the long rant, but that really bothered me last night and put me off of him for good. This is the last time I'm even going to refer to him online. I truly feel sorry for those who can't (and those who won't) see past the image he projects. Maybe that's why most of his fanbase focuses shallowly on his looks most of the time. Perhaps that is a reflection of the individual.

A public persona who likes their private life private is one thing, but this is a whole other in my opinion. Never meet your heroes is very true, but I would add to that never look for any authenticity that doesn't come with a dollar sign or Instagram follower count attached from them either. Extremely disappointing.

Thanks for letting me get that out. Again, if you don't want to post this, I wouldn't blame you. If you do decide to post, I hope no one attacks you for my stated opinion. If they do... 🐑 Enough said. Thanks for listening.

I've had a few people rant in my inbox before. Welcome!

It was easy to see last night who's truly engaged in the process and who isn't. Though, I will disagree about Misha. He may be vocal and consistent, but he's still only doing it for attention and exposure. He even said early on that the reason he got into politics, and then acting, was to be famous.

And while I don't believe everyone has to be as passionate about politics as someone else (I'm certainly not), I do see what your saying about Jensen's appearance. It felt very rehearsed and disingenuous, like he was there simply because Eric's his boss and that it would be good publicity. Frankly, there are other ways to get publicity than attending any event and acting disinterested the majority of the time. The most sincere words that came from Jensen were when he was saying Hi to Cory Booker.

As for his politics, there's only one time I saw a genuine interest from Jensen and that was when he supported a bill that would help his brewery. I don't expect him to share his politics with the world, but if he's going to attend a political rally event, he should at least act more interested than what we saw. He is an actor, after all.

[bonebabbles]

God the new ultimate guide sucks

It's not JUST the awful art, either. The art's just worth mentioning because even if the book's info had been terrible or contained nothing new, really cute art can make it still worth having.

But, no, it's even full of recycled lines we've been hearing for years like "Bramblestar Can Match Squirrelflight's Fire Not Contain It," and that's when it DOES get everything right. These entries leave out major, important details (making them bad summaries) and are sometimes even straight-up incorrect.

SUMMARY THOUGHTS

Leafpool is said to have watched Brambleclaw kill Hawkfrost to save Firestar-- but for one, no, she was not there because Ashfur was still leading her and Squilf towards the scene. For two, no, Brambleclaw did not kill Hawkfrost just to save Firestar, it was self-defense. Hawkfrost had him pinned and was going to kill him.

They're REAL cute about Leafpool's death, too, neglecting to mention WHY the Sisters needed to be saved at all and just saying Leafpool's "generosity" lead to her death in that cave-in.

I'm not even going to get into everything on Bramble's entry jesus christ.

Sagewhisker's entry is ESPECIALLY fucken' dandy, framing Yellowfang's Secret like she was simply waiting patiently for Yellow to realize her 'destiny' and not actively shoving it on her at every opportunity.

Leopardstar's entry states that romantic interest in Tigerstar was part of her motivation. "Perhaps she'd hoped he would be her mate" please speak to a woman irl for once in your life.

Gray Wing's entry forgot that the reason he "blamed himself" for Bright Stream's death is because he was literally staring at his big strong brother too much and tripped on a root in front of him. It IS his fault she died.

Clear Sky/Skystar's entry is just obscene. "He regretted abandoning his son and after a fire, he encouraged him to live with him" instead of "saw his teenage child was useful now and bullied and belittled the kid and his uncle into letting Thunder come with him." "Retaining his fierceness towards his cats and outsiders which caused his son to leave" instead of "murdering, brutalizing, and abusing everyone around him caused Thunder to leave." I'll just say this tho; "Fierce" is an interesting way to spell "Cruel."

It's interesting that they don't point out that a major part of Jagged Peak's arc was proving he was "Just As Good" as every other cat in spite of his disability, thanks to his introduced-and-pregnant-in-the-same-book wife becoming his life coach, only earning Clear Sky's respect after being allowed to physically lead a patrol in Blazing Star. Instead they frame him finding his place through taking care of kits, which... was something he seemed to resent in the actual series, considering how the books suddenly treat Gray Wing's protective treatment of him as a terrible thing in Blazing Star because he "didn't give him a chance". But at the same time I actually strongly dislike Jagged Peak and his messy, frustrating character arc so I'm not really UPSET with it. Just... noting it. I suppose this is the official direction they're taking away from it?

Shadowstar's entry is barely even 3 paragraphs yikes.

SHORT STORY THOUGHTS

And if you're wondering if the 4 brand new stories they smooshed into the end in a desperate attempt to make the rush job worth buying are good? No. Of course not. They're all slop.

Story 1: Firestar and Graystripe

First one's a marginally cute story about Graystripe and Firestar which is setting up the framing device linking the mini-tales together. They both remember this situation where Firestar fell into a ditch wrong. The punchline is that Thunderstar remembers it perfectly and they're both like, "WOW! Too bad Thunderstar's memory sucks!"

It's not terrible, but it does feel a bit pointless. But, hey, if you want more Firestar and Graystripe in the series that tosses them fanservice at every turn, who am I to judge?

Story 2: Dovewing and Ivypool

The next one is the Dovewing/Ivypool reconciliation passage everyone's talking about. It's... fine, but immensely dissatisfying to me.

Dovewing is apparently having problems adjusting to her Clan, grapples a little bit with the fact she has no friends but is going to be finding meaning in helping tigerHeartstar "bring the new ShadowClan into existence." She ultimately decides that she needs to talk to her sister, and begs for reassurance that Ivypool believes in her, feeling that her support can help her get through this difficult time in her life.

I think its biggest problem is that Dovewing was not the right choice for the POV here.

Dove was never the one responsible for the rift in their relationship. Ivypool is. Ivypool is the one who was jealous, willing to sabotage anything that would put Dovewing closer to Tigerheart, and continues to be generally aggressive towards her. So when Dovewing is reaching out to Ivypool in hopes of them reconciling, it feels wrong because Ivypool is the one that should be reaching out to Dovewing. SHE is the one who has some things to apologize for, and to show how much she loves and misses her.

It's even kind of frustrating, because Dovewing can never catch a break. She has to have these problems to force her to reach out, Ivypool even ends up suggesting that she leave and come home and take her kids with her, but in the end even a LITTLE bit of assurance from her aggressive sister helps.

I feel super bad for Dovewing, man. She deserves better than this cheap writing. What was the point of such an unsatisfying, rushed reconciliation, shoved into a crummy field guide, when we KNOW from the newest book that they're just going to use tension between them as part of the drama anyway?

shouldn't have even been written, imo. Even ends off with, "They'll always have each other :)" which is so... cliche. It's TIRED. Are any of you really happy with just getting a retconned platitude in a good-for-nothing field guide, instead of seeing complicated, INTERESTING feelings in a main book?

Story 3: Alderheart and Twigbranch

A tale of Cherryfall getting sick during TBC and Alderheart sneaks back into the territory to treat her. Also Crowfeather has a scene where he yells at him. Charming.

Twigbranch comes up with a diversion while Alderheart does his work, which is cute. It's a fine story.

Story 4: Clear Sky

Trash. Three dogs spawn in the middle of a gathering so that Skystar can have an uwu big boy sendoff saving his grandkit. Then he goes to StarClan and throws a fit because they can't give him ANOTHER life, becoming so upset that he attacks the nearest woman. Naturally, Shadowstar brushes it off because it's not the first time Clear Sky has pummeled her in the midst of an adult tantrum and this book series thinks violence is fine if their favorite sadboy does it.

Then Gray Wing brings him to the magic mirror pool where you can see the living, to confirm that Star Flower is ok and that makes him feel better.

Then it launches into Firestar saying "ouuuugh yum I LOVE the taste of his butthole. Clear Sky is so misunderstood, He Just Loved Too Much."

to which Graystripe responds, "Yes, he was a good and amazing person and his farts smells SO good, and can you believe that some people think StarClan punished his Clan for his arrogance? As if he ever did anything wrong, ever?"

Firestar, indignant, refutes it with, "Ugh!! StarClan would NEVER be interesting, we don't punish living cats we just float around and make vague, frustrating prophecies that do nothing but pad the word count. Why cant ppl understand that, gosh."

who wrote this? Gray Wing??

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Batgirl (2024) #1

writer: Tate Brombal artist: Takeshi Miyazawa colors: Mike Spicer

I guess the comics creation process has changed in the last 20 years, because there's no longer separately credited pencils and inks. Is inking just not a job anymore? If not, who does that part now? "artist" or "colors"? Lettering is still a separate job - Tom Napolitano for this issue. I haven't been listing letterers with these reviews... should I be? & should I be calling out editors, for that matter?

Just a heads up: I didn't dislike this issue overall, and I do call out the stuff I liked, but I spend a lot of this post comparing it negatively to Batgirl 2000. If you're a Cass fan who's just hyped that she has a new solo title, and don't want to read a bunch of negativity while you're still celebrating then maybe skip this one.

Anyway, Cassandra Cain finally has a proper new solo ongoing title as Batgirl again, and the Cass fans on tumblr have seemingly been pretty hype about it. I'm considerably more trepidatious going in, because my reread of Cass's original appearances (link) has mostly shown me that I'm maybe not so much a 'Cassandra Cain' fan as I am a fan specifically of the initial Puckett/Scott run of Batgirl (2000). Of the unique tone and story-telling style of those issues, of the particular relationships between Cass and her main supporting cast at the time - Bruce, David, Barbara, later Stephanie.

I recently wrote a too-long post about what I was hoping for out of the new book (link) - but to recap I DON'T want to see a return of OG Cass's character and continuity - that version of the character is too tied up in her particular relationships with other characters that either don't exist or don't exist in the same form anymore. Plus, the impulse of middle age comic creators to try to force continuity back to whatever the status quo was when they first became fans is exactly what led to original Cass getting tossed aside and trampled over in the first place. New Cass is a new character, and I don't want her fans to have to go through what I went through just because people my age are in charge of editorial now.

What I DO want is a return of original Cass's storytelling style. Self contained stories, sombre tone, focus on emotion over action, leaning into Cass's personal motivations and fraught interpersonal relationships (just those of new Cass instead of old Cass), with a heavy emphasis on the individual humanity of all parties involved, with story and emotions conveyed primarily through the art - especially the facial expressions - while minimizing the reliance on dialog and especially narration blocks wherever possible.

That's a tall order, especially the last bit. There's a reason Batgirl 2000 caught my attention and stuck in my head. It takes a special kind of artist to be able to convey all that visually, and a special kind of writer to understand that less is more, to trust the artist to convey these things and trust the reader to pick up on them without spelling it all out explicitly in text.

So that's all what I want. But what do I expect? I'm a old school Cass fan. What I expect is disappointment.

...............................

So, first two pages, and we have some positives and negatives right off the bat. The art & colors are good. I mostly like the way Miyazawa draws Cass. It's a solid take on her costume, even if I prefer the wider angle ears from the recent Birds of Prey run. I like the classic chonky yellow belt pouches, though I'm not as big a fan of the yellow outline bat symbol. Yes it's also a classic, but it's a bit fiddly and doesn't read terribly well when she's smaller in the panel, like on that second page, so I always though a solid yellow bat symbol would have been better. I like the white eyes.

Cass's proportions feel a bit off. I like the emphasis on her musculature, but the overall figure feels too hour glassy, and the head to body ratio kind of visually implies a much taller Cass that I'm used to, especially for her post-reboot incarnation. This is an issue in Birds of Prey as well, if maybe not to the same extent.

New Cass was apparently supposed to be 16 when she was first introduced in B&RE & her earlier Detective run and like 17 or 18 in later Detective, outsiders, and Batgirls appearances - through from the way she was drawn and depicted I had thought she was like three years younger than that the whole time. Now she's 18 or 19, and has apparently gone through an extremely late and extremely sudden puberty? Eh, continuity in Bat books especially regarding canon ages was never good and has been an absolute wreck ever since new 52, so that's not something to fault this book in particular for. But even so, the body type feels a bit off.

The big tragedy, is, of course, the way Cass's mask blocks her face - especially her mouth. This is another throwback to her original batgirl costume, but Damion Scott was still able to convey a full range of emotions on Cass by just ignoring physics and drawing her face straight through the mask. Miyazawa seems to be going for a slightly more... I don't know, 'realistic' maybe isn't the right word. And there is some expression still showing, but given how much more expressive Shiva's face manages to be in this issue, it really feels like breaking from tradition to go with something that keeps her face exposed, like the domino mask of the Blackbat costume, would have better served Miyazawa's style.

Speaking of Shiva...

Yup, that's post reboot Shiva there, looking basically exactly how I expect her to look. Which is to say she looks fine. Good even. Her face is very expressive throughout the comic, which I really like, and I also like that she's deliberately drawn a bit older - something about the lines on her face, the sharpness of it. This is a woman with a history, been around the world, killed a lot of people, and that experience shows on her face. This in particular I can credit Miyazawa above Scott on, because in their first few meetings in particular back in Batgirl 2000 Cass and her mom looked about the same age.

There's a deliberate choice in this first introduction to pose her away from Cass, despite the fact that in the narrative she's the one going to Cass and Cass is rejecting her. But while it doesn't fit the narrative, it does play into some of the underlying character dynamics between them. It ties into the idea that since she understands body language like Cass does, she can 'speak' that language deliberately, allowing her to deceive Cass in a way that normal people can't. Her interior emotions are closed off to Cass - not because Shiva isn't expressing emotions but because her ability to lie means Cass can't - and doesn't - trust what Shiva 'says'.

That's all good stuff. The kind of interpersonal dynamics that I want to see out of Cass stories, so in that at least I'm happy. Most of the Cass-Shiva stuff in this issue is really solid. It was a natural and imo correct choice to start the book with a narrow focus on Cass's relationship to Shiva, given how core that relationship has been to both of their characterizations since Cass's post-reboot reintroduction. But that's for both better and worse, especially in Shiva's case. I know there are fans of Shiva out there who don't like how much of her individual character and motivation has been pushed aside to just make her 'Cass's Mom'. Unfortunately, that particular problem isn't one that's going to be fixed in a Cass Cain solo title.

Less good is how much Brombal relies on blunt narration blocks to explain this dynamic between Cass and Shiva to the reader, instead of allowing the reader to pick up on the emotional undercurrent through the art the way Cass perceives it through body language.

I'm willing to cut Brombal some slack here, because where they're working with Shiva - a reserved, withdrawn, calculating, and emotionally deceptive evil parent - Puckett & Scott were working with og David Cain. He was original character they crafted specifically to fit the kind of story they were trying to tell, so they made Cain the kind of man that never had a sincere emotion that he didn't wear all over his face for the world to see. Like, here he is in Batman 567, Cass's first appearance, with the Puckett/Scott creative team.

look at this man

Look at his face! See how expressive it is!

And yeah, Shiva's just not going to be expressive in the same way. So it really is honestly impressive how good a job Miyazawa does with her face in this issue:

Those are some good & fun faces. It's a good thing Miyazawa is doing such a good job with Shiva's face, though because it's near about the only face we get to see in this issue. Which is a problem I pitch a big old fit about below regarding the antagonists, but even more than that it's kind of frustrating that we don't get to see Cass's face even one time in the first issue of her new ongoing.

And while these Shiva faces are good, they're rarely the focus of the page. We're never given the kind of close up faces that take up half a page or more to really let us drink in the characters' emotions like Batgirl 2000 used so effectively.

.....

That's about as much as I can wring out of those two pages. Unfortunately that means I have to get to the actual content of the book.

First, what the hell is Cass doing in that first panel.

Second... come on. This book wants me to believe that Shiva is worried about some random assassins killing her and Cassandra? In this continuity the League of Assassins are the worlds top evil ninja society that every other random evil ninja society is afraid of, except for the League of Shadows who are the super secret even more ultra evil ninja society that even the League of Assassins is afraid of, and Shiva and Cass are each individually established as being so far beyond even them that either of them could outfight and take down the entire League of Assassins on their own. "Faceless ninja mooks Trained killers are coming to get us" is so far beneath either of these characters as far as threats go that Shiva should feel insulted, not afraid.

And I guess that's supposed to be the point? Like the writer is saying "these guys who you've never heard of are so scarry that even Shiva is afraid! Aren't you intrigued?" And, like, no. I'm not. If Shiva isn't feeling disdainful and insulted, then I'm just kind of forced to feel insulted on her behalf. This isn't something Shiva should think Cass needs help with, and if Cass did end up needing help I'd expect Shiva to help, but also to make a big show of how disappointed she was that Cass couldn't handle it on her own the entire time.

That last panel with Cass and Shiva is cute. Again, most of the direct interactions between them in this book are good, and they're the ledge I'm desperately clinging to in order to say I don't actively dislike the whole issue altogether.

On the other hand when I say 'faceless ninja mooks' I mean it. These guys are as generic as mooks get, with no individuality at all. Store bought ninja halloween costumes, swords and bows instead of guns or anything serious. These guys aren't people, they're the putties from Power Rangers. They don't even have real dialog, just a corny mantra.

Compare to these generic thugs from Batgirl (2000) #1. Even without names and almost no dialog, each one is a completely unique individual, to the point that we easily recognize 'Merc' in the middle when he shows up later in the issue.

Mob guys, bank robbers, just random civilians on the city streets, everyone who shared a panel with Cass with under Scott's pencil had a unique face, and whenever any of these background characters stepped forward to actually take part in the story Puckett invested them with personalities and motivations and lives of their own.

And I'm not just harping on it because I like that kind of storytelling better, it was part and parcel to Cass as a character. Her unique superpower, her whole body-reading gimmick, essentially amounts to super-empathy. It's why she doesn't kill, it's why the one time she did kill as a child messed her up so bad. It, along with the guilt from that murder, forces her to connect to even the villains she interacts with, to see them as full human beings and not just enemies that need to be stopped. It's why Bruce once characterized her as 'gentle', despite all the killing skills that were trained into her. And yeah, new Cass is a new character, but these core elements are, or at least should be, shared between both versions, between every version of this character, even as the specific details of that history vary from continuity to continuity.

Emphasizing the individual humanity of all the characters in a Cass story - from Cass herself to the primary antagonists to the random mooks to the background extras - is essential to conveying that aspect of Cass as a character.

And these guys are the literal opposite of that.

Now, they're not all bad. We do get a bit of a fun fight scene out of them. Very 70s hong kong martial arts movie vibe, which Cass and Shiva can play into. And a faceless crowd of ninja mooks makes sense in that context. This isn't as fundamentally obviously a terrible decision on the creative team's part as I'm making out.

But there are any number of martial artist characters in the DC canon that can be used to do this sort of thing. IMO it just doesn't speak to what's uniquely compelling about Cassandra - old or new. Which is a problem for the first issue of her new ongoing title.

And nothing here illuminates why Shiva would be in any way worried about these guys. They're not uniquely skilled, they're not uniquely anything, and they're not portrayed as being on Cass or Shiva's level.

Cass and Shiva eventually get bored of fighting generic nobodies & make their way down to the street via window and hang-glider-cape, where we get this bit... that I actively kind of hate?

Because, see, the incident Shiva is talking about is something that happened in Batgirl (2000). This shouldn't be in continuity anymore, and it doesn't fit into current Cass timeline at all - unless there was some other shiva-worshipping temple in gotham death/revival incident with Cass post-reboot that I don't remember.

I've seen people celebrating this exact line as marking the return of pre-reboot Cass's continuity and the wholesale erasure of post-reboot Cass. Apart from the frustrating indifference of that sentiment towards any fans of post-reboot Cass, especially coming from fans who should know better, it doesn't even work. Because the Shiva we've spent this whole issue with is 100% post-reboot Shiva. This IS NOT the character that Cass fought in that temple. As out of character as it is for this Shiva to be afraid of random mooks, we can at least accept her behavior IF we suspend disbelief about those mooks representing any sort of threat to her and Cass in the first place.

But the Shiva og Cass fought in Batgirl (2000)?

Death matches, putting her own life on the line to test her skills against the deadliest martial artists in the world, was her whole deal. Batgirl (2000)'s contribution to that deal was that Shiva was such a skilled fighter because she had the same body-reading ability as Cass, and just like Cass that ability forced Shiva to experience the deaths of those she killed as they experienced it. And just like Cass had been consumed by guilt from that experience, Shiva had been consumed with... well, not guilt exactly. But a burden of karmic debt. She had killed and she deserved to die for it. But her martial pride didn't allow her to just take her own life, so she traveled the world looking for someone who could give her the warrior's death she deserved.

After Shiva "killed" and then revived Cass, she hoped that Cass would be, at least for a moment, sufficiently freed from the sense of guilt that prevented her from killing again to go all out against Shiva and finally put an end to her. Cass, recognizing how much they had in common, was then able to use her new understanding of the death wish they shared to defeat Shiva without killing her.

All this is to say that if the Shiva Cass fought in that temple had been confronted with an ancient secret order of martial artists out to kill her and so skilled that they could actually do it, she would have relished the chance to finally meet the end she had been chasing across the world for decades. This Shiva is not her, so the comic deliberately invoking that story via this temple reference is kind of jarring to me.

This is part of why I didn't want this book to try to revive pre-reboot Cass's history, whether in part or in whole. That character was founded on relationships with a bunch of other characters whose present versions are all as different from the versions og Cassandra knew as the Cass of Batman & Robin Eternal was from the Cass of Batgirl (2000).

The clock only turns the one way. You can't turn it back, you have to build forward from where you are.

If we ignore this line, and the inclusion of this temple in the story, then I'd argue the comic at least begins to do that with the relationship Cass and Shiva's have built up in Detective and Outsiders and Shiva's brief appearance in Batgirls... but are any of those events even in continuity anymore? I don't know, and that's pretty frustrating.

We do get this cute moment of Cass disappearing on Shiva and Shiva blaming 'her father's influence' - by which she obviously means Bruce. Again, mostly good character interaction between Cass and Shiva. Unfortunately this cute moment is immediately undercut by Cass just being there anyway in the next panel, but still.

....

I'm getting tired, and this has taken way too long already, what's left?

Yeah, Shiva's temple explodes, Cass & Shiva go there and meet the temple keeper from the same story back in Batgirl (2000) as he dies, the faceless ninjas attack again. There's at least one more really good bit with Cass and Shiva worth calling out:

This is good. This is a good moment, calling back to the start of the issue when Shiva was trying to convince Cassandra how much she she meant her, and Cass accused her of lying, while here she is trying to convince the putty patrol that Cass doesn't mean anything to her, and Cass can tell that that's the real lie.

This is probably my favorite Cass & Shiva bit in an issue that has a lot of good bits to point to in that regard.

Unfortunately the comic pretty much ends here, which brings me to my last big complaint about Batgirl (2024) #1: It doesn't tell a complete story. It doesn't even come close - hardly anything even happens. Cass & Shiva barely talk in a pent house, fight some random nobodies for a few panels, barely talk outside, and then end on a cliff hanger fighting the same nobodies in a burning building. That's it. We barely recap Cass's backstory at all, we don't find out who these guys are or why they want Cass & Shiva dead, we hardly interact with any characters, and they end on a cliffhanger after hardly doing anything only 20 pages in, wasting like 6 pages on an adds for wrestling comics after that.

Batgirl (2000) #1 managed to do so much more with only a few more pages - giving us flashbacks to Cass as a child beating up 'Merc' & the thugs as part of training with David, training with barbara, Barbara trying and failing to connect with her, another flashback to cass after she had left david encountering Merc again, patrolling with batman, barbara and bruce talking about her abilities and disabilities, the little wham moment of Babs being like 'No wonder she's so good at stick fighting, I just thought it was from Cain training her', and Brucy replying 'Cain never taught her stick fighting, I did, last week, took five minutes', Bruce & Cass sparring - which the comic doesn't even show because the page space was better used on close ups of their faces to convey their emotions afterwards, Cass patrolling again and starting to find herself as batgirl when she meets Merc for a third and final time, how that final meeting tied the rest of the issue together in a satisfying way, tying together the drifting life that led to her becoming Batgirl, before closing on Batman laying down the rules for Cass as a crimefighter (no costumed criminals, etc) which also served as a message to readers about what to expect from the book.

....

I get that it's not fair to compare this book to the Puckett/Scott run of Batgirl 2000, one of my favorite comic book works and probably my absolute favorite mainstream superhero comic work ever. I will stick with this book and post my reactions to it going forward, but I don't intend to do this kind of expectations-laden comparison to Batgirl 2000 again. I hadn't even intended to do it this time, except that while I was working on this post I kept seeing "Cass is so back!" style reactions from old school Cass fans at the kind of sort of maybe restoration of an unspecified amount of her pre-reboot continuity, and that's just frustrating to me.

Because to me what made og Cass special wasn't a fan-wiki style breakdown of her lore, it was the way her stories were told, and how that storytelling style brought the characters and relationships in it to life. Batgirl 2024 #1 isn't a bad book at all. In terms of modern Cass appearances, so far I like more than B&RE or Outsiders or Birds of Prey, but a bit less than Detective or Batgirls or Spirit world - though there's plenty of room for Batgirl 2024 to surpass those books in my estimation going forward.

But one thing it absolutely isn't is the second coming of Batgirl 2000.

[thequeenofsastiel]

My thoughts on Red, White, and Royal Blue the movie(spoilers for the book and movie)

I'll start with the good parts:

The casting was very good. I loved Uma Thurman as Ellen Claremont-Diaz.

The main characters had excellent chemistry, and the scenes in which they were intimate were well directed. They genuinely seemed to desire each other.

Building on that last point, I appreciated the fact that the movie didn't dial down the fact that they were extremely sexually attracted to each other. It didn't try to desexualize(yes that's a word now) them in order to make it more palatable for people who are still homophobic. Granted, it's unlikely that very homophobic people would watch the movie, but I can imagine people who are at least somewhat homophobic getting persuaded to watch it by someone they love. This movie didn't cater to that audience, and I think that's great.

The movie did a good job at showing us their texts and emails in a way that's more enjoyable than just having us see their texts. It effectively made them cinematic.

It was very funny when it wanted to be, and moving when it wanted to be.

The score was excellent.

Now onto things I didn't like:

They shouldn't have gotten rid of Alex's sister, June. She was a significant part of his life and I think the movie suffered for not having her there.

While I understand changing the fact that Ellen got divorced made things simpler, and wasn't relevant to the main plot in any way, I still would have preferred it if that had stayed the same.

I wish they hadn't gotten rid of Rafael Luna. I totally get it, he was an expendable character, and the movie was already two hours long. They didn't need him figuring out that Richards was spying on Alex and Henry to win the election. That plot point could be tossed aside. I still didn't like it.

I absolutely hated the fact that Alex didn't fly to England asap to see Henry the way he did in the book, and emotionally supported Henry for quite a bit.

I also disliked the fact that Henry's mother wasn't there to support him. It was inspiring to see the way her son's distress drove her out of her depression so she could be there for him. The way she stood up to her mother to protect Henry was one of my favorite scenes in the novel, and I was crushed that they just tossed that to the side.

I detest that Alex gave a speech confirming their relationship without consulting Henry. In the novel they made that decision together and Henry was right by his side. The movie made it seem like he was outing Henry without Henry's consent, and that's a big no-no in the queer community. We don't out each other. Ever. For all movie Alex knew, Henry was planning on calling the emails a hoax. The movie did Alex dirty.

"History, huh?" In the book, that was something that got said in one of their emails, and people took that quote and made shirts about it. It made me cry. I hate that they changed it.

I also feel like they should have included more emails. In the novel, Henry and Alex grow more and more verbally affectionate with each other even before the "I love you," so it felt a lot more natural in the book when Alex was ready to say it.

It's hard for me to grade this movie, because I'm comparing it to the book, which I know is very often a bad idea. But still. This movie was a lot of fun. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't feel like I was watching the book on fast forward with some of my favorite scenes cut out. If you haven't read the novel, I do recommend it. They did a good job adapting it to the screen, despite what they cut out. For the most part, the things that got cut weren't crucial to the plot, so the movie didn't feel incomplete. My biggest gripe is about Alex giving the speech without Henry. It made him look bad. In the novel, Alex was very, very cautious about making sure that Henry was entirely ready to come out to the world. He was encouraging without being overtly pressuring. So to have him confess to the world without talking to Henry first...it was deeply upsetting.

Still, overall it's a good movie. I'll probably rewatch it at some point, though if I do it with other people I might be the obnoxious person going "ACHTUALLY, IN THE BOOK--"

I will say, I think the movie was too short for the novel. It should have been three hours long, so they could have included all the events and people that were cut out. But honestly I tend to think that in general movies are too short. It's probably why I prefer television series.

Thanks for reading!

[frankensteined]

31 Days of Dragon Age (Days 18-20)

Oct 18 - Favorite DA2 NPC

i'm not gonna go find a picture of her because her makeup is terrible. but i'm really fond of orana, hadriana's former slave that you can rescue and employ at the hawke mansion. she really ends up becoming a part of the family if you hire her, from the little lines you get about her music skills, to sandal's keenness towards her (she smells like cinnamon buns!), to the genuine sympathy she displays after leandra's death.

and i know that gamlen is far from a likable dude, but i still find him to be a sympathetic character in a lot of ways as well. yeah, he sure did gamble away his sister's inheritance, but i really don't like the attitude that surrounds it because not only had leandra not intended to ever return to kirkwall for it, but it was gamlen who'd taken care of their ailing parents until their passing, to no credit. the chip on his shoulder makes a lot of sense if you look at his perspective there, and he is also capable of softening up towards hawke as the game progresses as well, so i find it hard to really dislike him. he feels human. introducing him to charade is a highlight for me, as is his interactions with hawke after leandra's passing, and if he's all that they have left after the legacy dlc. lowlights for him really do circle around his commentary re: your love interest, and how he acts toward isabela to the point where she complains about him in MotA, but i also need to keep in mind how gross a lot of the dialogue can get in that game (the amount of slut shaming from both your companions, and even hawke themself? woof), so it's not just a gamlen problem, and it doesn't negate the nuance of his character that i appreciate.

Oct 19 - Favorite DA2 scene/dialogue

orsino's transformation at the end of the game is utterly nonsensical if you side with the mages (so much so that it's lampshaded in inquisition!), but the scene leading up to it is heartbreaking and shows the desperation that even a mage who'd "done everything right" can feel when faced with the hatred the rest of the world has for them. his dialogue -"why don't they just drown us as infants? why wait? why give us the illusion of hope?"- with the unspoken implication of they're just going to kill us all eventually anyway, is so memorable and so devastating that the scene has stuck with me since 2011.

and. of course. gotta toss in flemeth's big line here too. it's a classic: "we stand upon the precipice of change. the world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. watch for that moment… and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. it is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly."

Oct 20 - Favorite DA2 lore/codex entry

this game gave us a deeper look at the qunari and their societal structure from a variety of viewpoints, so while i can't pinpoint an exact codex entry, i'll definitely give this one to: alla that. from the arishok, to ketojan, to seamus dumar trying to understand them, to even tallis and her lore dumps in MotA, i really appreciated getting to understand more about the qun from the people actually operating within it. i haven't yet read the comics that delve a bit deeper into this stuff, so i still hold this game up as my standard in terms of Qunari Stuff. for now. hopefully there'll be more in the future!

[blimbo-buddy]

HI HI i think you have requests open or maybe not. im not sure but this isnt about that i dunno if this is a weird question but did you wanna talk about why you love tigerheartstar?? im genuinely curious cuz i dont hear ppl talking about it at all and i personally have barely rid a few books with him in them and i figure talking about ur favorite cat might be fun if you feel like it !! cheers

Not a weird question at all! I really like TigerHeartStar because, well, I just think he's super neat and interesting. The entire thing with him being named after his grandfather on his mother's side adds on a lot of layers to his character I think, especially now that he shares a name with TigerStar letter-for-letter. I like his beef with IvyPool because as much as the narrative wants you to think that it's IvyPool who's in the right, I'm still easily able to look right through that and see that TigerHeart's disliking towards her is justified. He literally witnessed IvyPool almost destroy FlameTail's spirit forever, I think he's going to hold a grudge towards her

His stuff in AVoS is pretty neat too, even if I barely remember anything about the arc. TigerHeart's Shadow isn't as bad as people say it is, it definitely has it's infuriating moments, but, what warrior cats book doesn't have that? Also to clear things up, no, TigerHeart never "colonized" The Guardians, you guys just love to toss that word around like candy. I love the idea of him having a strained relationship with his parents, RowanStar for being, well, RowanStar, and TawnyPelt for naming him after TigerStar to try and separate the Tiger prefix from TigerStar 1, only to then keep going "Wow you're being just like TigerStar". Like, yeah I don't think RowanStar or TawnyPelt are the best parents

And this isn't even to begin talking about his relationship with DoveWing. I know that forbidden love is a trope that Warriors fans are tired of seeing, but, I genuinely think that this forbidden love is an exception, it's great. They actually start off not immediately being in love with each other, they both become friends at first but slowly they begin to grow feelings for one another. It feels genuinely natural. TigerHeart and DoveWing are the best canon couple in warrior cats, they actually talk and communicate to each other, they let the other know how they're feeling about the things that the other one is doing and they work their way through solving the issue at hand. When do you see this with couples like FireSand, when do you see this level of communication with any canon couples or even friendships in warrior cats? (Don't say TallJake, you know damn well those two barely communicated and barely got to know each other)

In TBC he's just, a fucking powerhouse, willing to defend his son with every ounce of energy in his body and willing to hide secrets from everybody else so that his son can be protected. TigerHeartStar loves his family so much and we especially see this in TBC. And in the recent books of ASC, he's even better. TigerHeartStar needs Riverclan to get their shit together, he realizes that if nothing is done about their situation, then their clan will shrivel away forever and disband, just like Shadowclan in AVoS. The common argument is that TigerHeart is "taking over" Riverclan, but that's just not true, he literally just needs Riverclan to get their shit figured out and he takes up the leadership role for them temporarily because CLEARLY they can't pick a leader for themselves without sitting on their asses, waiting for Starclan to spoon feed them information. What sucks is that the books keep trying to make us hate TigerHeartStar, but really, every attempt at doing so is just making me like him and making me go "He has a point though, why are you booing him, he's right". Once again, this is another situation that makes people claim he's colonizing Riverclan, but that's just stupid fucking talk because clearly this fandom made up of primarily white fans has this skewed idea on what colonization is and what makes a colonizer. They think LeafStar is "getting his ass" but they just want even a shred of stuff to praise LeafStar for. LeafStar sucks in this situation, I don't care if I lose more followers for this.

I'm going to stop myself from rambling more and more about TigerHeartStar, but hopefully my… essay-long ramblings have helped with your question!

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Galaxy Cup is actually really good overall

I said back when the arc first finished that it was just as bad as the previous arc up until Kuaidul's introduction.

...yeah, no I don't think that's accurate to my feelings anymore. I didn't really remember the arc much differently, most of it felt very familiar rewatching it, I think I was honestly just in a bad fucking mood during nearly every episode of this arc before episode 74.

I was so burnt out by the amount of bad writing choices and overabundance of Sevens fanservice hijacking the plot in the previous arc that even though the darkness cards plot was inherently cool, I couldn't get invested in it because I just assumed the mastermind was going to be Otes and as a result, didn't care.

Rewatching this arc and KNOWING that the mastermind is actually this amazing new character pulling the strings enhanced the arc tenfold, especially the duels involving the darkness cards.

Kuaidul, and the foreshadowing and build up to him, is undeniably the best part of the arc. The final three episodes of this arc pop off so hard and are just peak Yugioh. As stated previously,

KUAIDUL VELGEAR

Plus, I absolutely adore the setup of the other characters having to defeat the protagonist who is playing right into the villain's hands without the villain even having to do anything. That is so cool and unique and amazing and HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE KUAIUDL?! HE'S A SASSY PUPPETMASTER WITH A HAND IN EVERYTHING AND AH HE'S SO DAMN COOL! :D

Um... So anyways, the rest of the arc is uh... it's pretty good. I kind of like Zaion now. He's funny. But let's be real for a moment: he was just a filler villain to tide us over before Kuaidul. Zaion was a tiny lil mozzarella stick tossed to us to make us shut up while we wait for our Kuaidul pizza. And while Zaion was a nice little enjoyable mozzarella stick, he did still feel like a distraction that... honestly still hasn't amounted to much, at least in the grand scheme of things. I dunno, the current upcoming episode at the time of writing this (A Clockwork Zaion) could change that but at the current moment, his presence in Galaxy Cup felt like a distraction and... messed with the pacing and focus of the arc a bit.

The big problem with this arc in general is that it was pretty aimless and all over the place before Kuaidul graced us with his presence. Before that... only one character gets properly taken over by a darkness card (Yuamu), which is supposed to the A plot, because the plot has to balance screentime with Zaion's furniture excursion, Yudias training Epoch, Manabu having my most hated episode in the show (again, not bothering to go into detail, we all know why it's bad) and then the fallout, Epoch learning that cheating is bad- oh wait, she never actually learned that because the arc was balancing too many plots at once and Epoch went right back to cheating in Spacetime. Ha ha oops. I don't dislike Epoch for this like I used to. She is just a kid and has other qualities that do make her a likeable character despite this but... the cheating thing really needs to be addressed.

This arc spent so much time introducing more and more subplots before the finals that to this day, it's left a lot of things unaddressed for way too long. Tremolo and co. are currently STILL FURNITURE and this arc ended in SEPTEMBER. There's just... too much going on this arc and it makes the episodes feel disjointed. That being said, the stuff that's going on is all good (except the Manabu thing). Yudias mentoring Epoch is really cute and Zaion is a funny ridiculous mozzarella stick of a villain. Most of the parts are good. They just don't completely mesh at times and makes the pacing a bit of a mess.

Seriously, Yudias getting into Galaxy Cup (something that's crucial for the finale of the arc to happen) felt so rushed and out of nowhere, as though the creators ran out of episodes to have him naturally get into the tournament with. However, I can ultimately forgive that as what it lead to was good. This arc is disjointed but apart from two episodes (the Manabu and Mitsuko ones), it's overall enjoyable and the payoff is well worth it. It definitely put Go Rush back on the right track, even if some of the problems from the last arc unfortunately carried over into this arc.

[the-lunar-library]

TO THE RAVENS

Genesius, a respected Roman soldier. Born in Carthage with Aithiopian roots, he's come to have many misgivings with his role in the imperial army, but he serves as a chance to gain full citizenship. Analytical, cautious, and agnostic, he knows Alexandros is no prophet. He wishes Akantha weren't caught up in Alexandros' plot – but it's the strength of those feelings that keeps him from stopping her.

Click through to learn more about the conflicted soldier with the nice smile.

Genesius was another character who came along very early in the process, though for the longest time he had no name. I wanted an outsider perspective on Alexandros' cult, and I think he's very important as a narrative counter-point to Alexandros; Genesius is someone who's skeptical without being condescending, who has a lot of humor while still being thoughtful and full of common-sense, who's proven himself fiercely on the field of battle, but who actually retreats from personal confrontation.

I also wanted a character who was somewhat based on Lucian himself, my historical source for the cult that inspired this novel. Now, Genesius isn't a point-by-point stand-in for Lucian – Lucian was Syrian, not Carthaginian-Aithiopian, and Lucian was (possibly) a government official under Rome rather than a soldier in its army. But at times I toyed with making Genesius a traveling rhetorician, as Lucian was. Like Lucian, Genesius was born in a Roman colony, attempted to make a go of things as a sculptor, and was sufficiently educated to have a great deal of Greek and Roman literature, as well as Greek rhetoric, at his fingertips. And, most tellingly, he's a religious skeptic with a strong sense of the absurd, though an agnostic rather than an atheist and altogether humbler about it than Lucian was. Fans of Lucian will also note a few more key similarities to Lucian as the novel progresses.

Genesius is interesting to me because he exists halfway in a number of spaces. As a soldier, he carries some Roman privileges and authority, but isn't yet a citizen. He has no choice but to remain enlisted despite having a debilitating injury to his right arm. His life isn't at all his own, but he has the freedom to come and go throughout the city, having the trust of some influential people without much direct power of his own. He realizes Alexandros is a fraud, but doesn't overtly oppose him, which increasingly becomes a point of conflict in his own heart.

For some reason, naming him was really difficult. I never considered naming him Lucian or any variant of it. I thought about using Nekas (Greek, “a heap of slain”) as a professional nickname for him, an appellation speaking to his fighting ability, but which he personally dislikes, but I decided against it. I liked Celsus as a name; Celsus the Epicurean (not the more famous Celsus) was another skeptic and a correspondent of Lucian's. In English, I hear it with a soft c, which I like, but in Latin it would either be a k or ch sound, which I didn't like so much. One name that hung on for a while in the notes, if not definitely decided upon in my own mind, was Zopyron. Which is a really dorky name. But it means “spark”, combing zoe (“life”) and pyr (“fire”), and I thought that was really neat. But he escaped that clunker of a name.

One day in frustration, I told my mom I was having difficulty naming the third most important character in the book. She has some grounding in Greek and Latin names, and she lightly tossed off “Genesius!” And there it was, the shaft of celestial light, the singing of angels. It fit immediately. It's a good name. There's a lot of syllables, but they bounce rather than clunk. I pronounce it with a soft g, which probably isn't correct, but at this point I don't care. The only difficulty is making sure not to type Genesuis or Genesis.

Anyway, there's Genesius for you. I love him. I think he's a great character, and I always looked forward to his scenes.

[choicesmc]

For Rin, Rams, and Fiona:

13 for Appearance

17 for Objects

3 for Food

19 for Weather and Nature

18 for Community and Relationships

13 for Mind, Body, and Soul

4 for Hobbies and Activities

thank you for including rams and rin!! really fun answering asks for them!!

13. What is something your character would refuse to wear?

RAMS - Dark academia. Just looking at it makes him tired. All the plaids and browns and blacks and beiges —it’s just sad. If this makes sense: dark academia comes with a certain personality accessory, you know the insular academic with niche interests in literature etc. The way Rams sees it, if he wears dark academia then he’s gotta adopt the dark academia personality and it’ll drag down his regular personality. 

FIONA - Fiona’s pretty open to everything… just as long as he can put he bought it. No offense to his friends but Gigi is the only person he really trusts to pick out clothes for him. As in, anyone can recommend clothes to him (since that leaves the final choosing up to Fiona)but actually buying and gifting him clothes gets under his skin especially if it’s something he wouldn’t wear. 

RIN - Beige khaki shorts and cheetah print/animal print. It makes her look tacky, at least in her opinion. She does not have the charisma or the confidence to pull off those looks at all. Not that she’s interested in it in the first place but it’d be a limitation even if she wanted to.

17. What is most important to your character when shopping?

RAMS - Comfort+Aesthetic, hands down. Co wants to enjoy using whatever co’s buying. Plus, cos room has a very inviting cozy feel so co wouldn’t want to contradict those vibes (assuming whatever co’s buying is for cos room). 

RIN - Price/Quality ratio. She’s pretty budget conscious with her money but still wants all the best stuff. Which results in her being a really great shopper, she does her research beforehand so she knows exactly what she’s getting and at what price and if the quality’s alright. She’s the type of person who knows the price of stuff at all the nearby stores off the top of her head.

FIONA - The Vibes. Money isn’t really a problem anymore so everything is on a vibes-with-it-basis. Sure, actual use is important but vibes trump that. 

9. Is there a food or drink your character is unwilling to try?

No. For all of ‘em. Anything and everything is worth ONE try minimum. 

19. What animal would your character say best represents them?

Will not lie, I haven’t really thought about this. So this is subject to change but for now this is what I think! 

RIN: “Something pretty dangerous, but doesn’t just attack without reason. Probably a hippo.” (Accurate)

RAMS: “A ferret? Maybe? Friendly and slippery? I think?” (inaccurate: rams is more like an alpine ibex)

FIONA: “Oh, easy. A swan. Striking, elegant, and looks pretty in most colors.” (accurate enough) 

18. What is your character's favorite form of affection?

FIONA - Gifts + Words of Affection 

RAMS - Physical touch + Quality Time

RIN - Acts of Service + Quality Time 

13. How does your character relax? 

RIN - ultimate relaxation technique? Amusement park rides! But that’s not something she can do everyday or easily so… bungee jumping, horror movies, anything that makes her adrenaline spike 

FIONA - If he needs to relax right after work then he’s heading to the roller rink! If he’s at home, then toss on a podcast and knit some sweaters!  

RAMS - 1) Music + 2) Friends + 3) Quietly Spending Time together = A happy and relaxed Rams. Rams can very much be the ‘cat’ of the group. Literally just lounging around on everyone. It’s great, it’s fun.  

4. Is there an activity your character used to enjoy that they now dislike?

RAMS - Academics in general? He used to be super into school, doing assignments, and talking to to teachers/making friends at school. But crashed and burned during high school and he still loves learning just... not school. 

RIN -Not really? She didn’t do much as a kid so most of the stuff she did she still enjoys in mostly unchanged form. 

FIONA - Speeches… He is a pretty good orator and used to take huge pride in it because it made his parents super happy. They took any chance to have him speak in front of people especially through church service youth days when he’d pastor 😬 Now it’s… a thing he can do. 

[robertphilip]

I was here for Robselle and the main four reuniting! I love Idina even more now, so seeing her reprise her role as Nancy made me happy 🫠🩷 I'm seeing her in July!! Edward didn't change at all lmao.

I have my dislikes but one of my biggest issues was that Morgan had no personality. The (witty) teenager-hates-her-life-and-has-no-friends character trope is so overdone and nothing original. Also, the writers really couldn't give her something to be passionate about or even a hobby? For example, fashion played a huge role in the first film, so it would've been sweet to see that Morgan was so inspired by her former, almost stepmother and current stepmother (both of who were fashion designers) that she wanted to try and follow in their footsteps and become a fashion designer herself. You know what I mean? Speaking of fashion, what did happen to Andalasia Fashions and Nancy Tremaine Studios??

Anyways, thank you for responding! I apologize if I sound too harsh. That's me and my wishful thinking.

you're totally fine!

I agree Morgan's character needed a bit of work, but I didn't mind that she was written that way, personally. She kind of adopted Robert's old personality, which, for me, I love characters like that, so Morgan acting like him, and rolling her eyes constantly was like. perfect sdifjsidjfods

also, even though it's while she was cursed, I feel like the lyrics in "Perfect" were kind of Morgan's true feelings, and I think it's interesting that she mentions secretly longing for adventure and romance.

also, also, I spend way too much time looking at the background details in movies, and while that doesn't excuse them not fleshing Morgan out all that much, there's a few hints about what her hobbies could be~

the dress forms make me think she has at least a small interest in fashion, and I can't remember what that instrument is called, but I find it very interesting she has it. I do agree the movie should've actually included these things, instead of tossing them into the background, but it's still interesting to me. I have my own different headcanons for what her hobbies are, though, but !! it's something.

there's also a bit in the Junior Novel where Giselle is wearing a sweater that says "World's Greatest Mom" that Morgan made her, and I wish that had been left in the movie, because it's so cute 🤧

as for Andalasia Fashions, there's nothing in the movie or novel that says it closed, so I personally headcanon it's still open, Giselle was just on maternity leave, and then they moved. I imagine she still owns it, she just doesn't go in anymore? And in the novel, she tells Malvina she plans on opening a new studio in Monroeville, and at the end, Pip says she does open it right beside Robert's new firm, and it's called A Fairy-Tale Life.

I really, really wish that had been kept in the movie, and I don't understand why those specific lines were cut, but yeah, Giselle gets a new shop! that's canon :3

Disenchanted for me is like. there's ideas in there I really love and can pluck things from it, and flesh them out on my own, yk? there's just enough ingredients in there for me to cook up something fun, and I enjoy doing so. does that excuse the movie not being The Best Thing Ever? no, but I'm still having a lot fun with what they did give me 😇

[musicalrecs]

Today's shameless promotion is for one of my favorite musicals that I can't believe isn't more people's favorite: Bring It On: the musical.

tl;dr: This is going to be a long post, so allow me to sum up: if you like Newsies but wish it had a cast of about 2/3 girls and don't really care about the plot so long as there's idealistic teenagers singing and dancing like they've consumed a dozen energy drinks each, building up to a happy ending with more singing and dancing, then you'll love Bring It On. You may now press "j" to skip to the next tumblr post.

Still here? Then please, allow me to reminisce. When I first saw Bring It On, it was on tour before debuting on Broadway, and they were still getting the kinks out. This means I got to see, for example, the original staging of Killer Instinct, and while I get why they changed it for Campbell's character development, I do prefer the original narratively.

It also meant there was no cast album available, and no internet hype that I was aware of. I was there strictly because I saw most shows at this theater if I didn't actively dislike them, and was all "Cheerleading in a musical? Even if the plot is bad it should be a lot of fun!" When I sat down and perused my program I recall turning to my date and excitedly saying "Oh wow, Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on this! You don't know who he is, but he did In The Heights and Sesame Street, this might actually be good!" I also had no idea Ariana DeBose was anyone of import. I should dig out that program and see if I got her to sign it...

I had only the first movie to go on for the plot, which I vaguely remembered the end of. This meant a) I rolled my eyes at conveniently putting Campbell on the "right" team early on and b) I was quite surprised by the ending.

Whatever I was expecting, it was BETTER. Bring It On grabs you with the beat from the get go and and then starts throwing cheerleaders in the air as rapaciously as Jim Henson ever tossed penguins. I hadn't been so captivated by a show's live energy since I first saw Rent.

And the plot? Reader, it was my very favorite kind of plot: girl is in unfamiliar situation, does her best, makes surprising new friends, screws up, learns something, demonstrates leadership, ends with stronger friendships and supportive love interest to boot. (See also: Legally Blonde) You know, the kind of plot guys have had catering to them for millennia so much that the second I hear "coming of age story" I peace out. But it turns out I am not immune to gender-targeted storytelling, particularly when it also has dancing.

It's been an age since I read the reviews, but I recall complaints that Jackson high school was much too "nice," "diverse," "unrealistic" and, had those reviews been written today, they would have almost certainly included "woke." I, on the other hand, was thrilled to see high school portrayed not as a battleground but as groups of friends supporting each other while still enjoying "krunking in the parking lot." (I have never been cool enough to do any equivalent to "krunking" but I admire kids with the confidence to do so, and I did overall enjoy my high school years.)

I am the kind of person who unironically appreciates songs about how it doesn't matter if you're fat or trans or otherwise not society's ideal so long as you love yourself, and songs about how winning doesn't matter as long as you know who you are and have friends. So I loved "It Ain't No Thing" and "Cross the Line."

Plus, a supportive, non-threatening soft boy singing about how high school isn't forever so you might as well "Enjoy the Trip"? Keep your "cringe"; I'll take a dozen more musicals just like this one, please. (No, really. Please let me know if they make any.)

So I mentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda up there, but this wasn't just his show. To quote Wikipedia, "Bring It On: The Musical is a musical with music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda, and book by Jeff Whitty."

Tom Kitt has a pretty eclectic resume, ranging from Jagged Little Pill to Next to Normal to Spongebob. Lin-Manuel Miranda, of course, is best known for trying to sell real estate to Big Bird.

Sidenote: Tom Kitt and LMM had another collab that you may have heard of: the 2013 Tonys opening number, "Bigger!"

Although I couldn't get my hands on the album for over a year after I fell in love with the show, since one didn't exist, nowadays you can of course listen to the whole thing on Youtube, Spotify, or wherever. You can even buy the CD; it comes with a nice booklet with all the lyrics!

But as for seeing the show, I don't recommend trying to watch it online. A quick search doesn't turn up any proshots, and local productions just aren't going to be the same. Half the cast was made up of pro cheerleaders, and their intense choreography is part of the thrill. If a tour ever comes near your town, I highly recommend you get yourself tickets. Even if the moving screens aren't as cool and innovative now as they were in 2011, it's still a wonderful spectacle.

So that's Bring It On: the musical. I suppose I could have actually described the plot (head cheerleader Campbell gets redistricted to another school which - gasp! - has no cheerleading team), but really, does it matter? You're there for the characters expressing themselves through song and dance (and cheerleading), not how easy it is to fool gullible teens by editing Wikipedia (actual plot point). I hope you get a chance yourself to fall in love with its unabashed enthusiasm for friendship and being tossed really high on stage.

[capeline-cutemeister]

OPINIOMS ON GRANBY…..?????

Jesus Christ three of yall messaged me about Granby why does everyone want opinions on him specifically First impression: It feels so long ago but i started the first book like less than a month ago bwahhhhhhh. At first I had mixed opinions on him. I thought he was going to be like Dayes (so cringe), and my opinion of him really didn't change that much until like, he obviously started not being a dick lol lmao. I honestly really like his character arc in the first book specifically because like. Mans got the courage to be like "Fuck im sorry for being rude and uncouth but I *cannot* let things continue this way" and honestly thats a really cool and chill moment. Like i love long and drawn out sentences (i love Jane Austen i love Jane Austen) but also i really like it when a character is real blunt and just doesn't drag it out. That also especially took guts because the last time that he did something like that Laurence threatened to get him in trouble for insubordination (very smooth Laurence)

Second Impression: Thats right baby Granby gets three impressions because hes that cool. This is Granby precisely from the beginning of Throne of Jade to *right* before he gets Iskierka. Just absolutely most badass guy imo. Super reliable. Best friends with Laurence, super competent. This is Granby at his best and treated with the most respect, and I think Novik had to give him Iskierka to nerf him.

Impression now: I feel so fucking bad for Granby. My severe dislike for Iskierka is not really hidden but she has dragged my poor Glorbo through the mud. When I think of Granby now i just think of that cat that had its face in milk and looks miserable and sad. Like goddamn what did they do to you. Hes still a really strong and awesome character, and it was AWESOME seeing him storm up to Poole in LoD; but he gets so much horrible stuff just tossed on him because Iskierka is a petulant child. Genuine princess behavior, hes a tired king.

Favorite moment: Its a tie between him telling Iskierka to fuck off and listen to him for once, and him in a blistering rage and storming up to Poole. Like you cannot understand how much i love those moments. Just Granby finally putting his foot down and going "No. I will not deal with this bullshit any longer, there are going to be consequences now." Of course that doesn't really go anywhere in LoD because Laurence is also a fucking badass, but meh. The heart was there, man was about to commit civil war in the Aviator Corp just for his friend. I really appreciate that <3 But also on the other hand I REALLY like him standing up to Iskierka in Crucible of Gold because HOLY SHIT she was so insanely disrespectful to him. Like I don't *care* that she is 'his dragon', it was like borderline homophobia in my eyes and the fact that it came from someone so close to him and the entire point of his service in the corp just broke my heart. So i'm glad that he put his foot down for once and made her listen to him. Setting boundaries is really important, and I think that he set them quite well.

Idea for a story: Any of them where he gets a better dragon than Iskierka. JKJKJKKJKJKJKJK Nah but fr i think my only real story idea with Granby would be to explore all of the things that he was doing when he wasn't with Laurence. His constant Struggles with Iskierka and having to deal with being friends with someone that committed treason for a cause he believed in. Most importantly how he developed and maintained any sort of relationship with Little. I dont have anything super unique unfortunately, its hard for me to do something that would be in character without getting rid of the things that make his character, if that makes sense?

Unpopular opinion: Hmmmmmmm well I haven't been around the fandom long enough to really see what is and isn't popular opinion with the blorbo, but i think that my most controversial statement about Granby is that I don't find him that amusing. I love and adore him and i think hes great but he is very sincere in my eyes and that leaves very little in the way of him actually being funny. I think there are only a couple of moments where I think hes funny/in a funny situation. But oh well.

Favorite relationship: Finding any non platonic relationship in Temeraire is so hard for me. I want to say my favorite relationship is him and little, but also i dont care about little that much. I think hes cute! But i was given very little to work with in the books in the way of *their* relationship other than that they have fucked. And like, idk. I think my favorite relationship in general though, is probably him with Iskierka, funnily enough. I think it shows the best of both characters whenever its done right, and I think it really let Granby Be His Own Character. Like everyone in the Corp wants a dragon. Duh. But when Granby gets his, she's a nightmare! He has to go through this long and twisting road where he is afraid to take too wrong of a step because Iskierka, and because hes friends with Laurence(traitor adjacent), and because hes always wanted dragon and hes afraid to fuck it up and etc etc etc. And he kinda has to learn to stand up for himself and others in a way that he probably hasn't had to before. Its not really a path that the other Aviators get to take, they just become background characters after they get their dragon. I mean even Ferris just drops off the face of the earth when he gets his Prussian.

And Iskierka is great because despite how horrible she acts she really does care for him, im not blind to that. But her path in their relationship is that she has to learn to stop being so overbearing, so crazy, so difficult to work with. She has to understand that she is not infallible, and that the things that hurt her are not the same as the things that hurt other dragons, and that realization comes at a pretty horrible time in her life. She has to grow up, which while we see other dragons grow up in this series (like mentally i mean), i dont think that theres ever so stark a comparison as with her.

Idk if that makes sense, but I like their relationship the most out of Granby's relationships because its the most unique for both characters, imo.