#than the epic that pretends to be super realistic

[birdkeeperklink]

The first half of The Hedge Knight is literally A Knight's Tale. Dunk's a poor lad who got taken in by a knight, squired for him, and then kinda lied about being a knight afterwards, taking the dead knight's horses and equipment to carry on with, just like William.

Just realized that, good night

[wafflebloggies]

Interlude

People said, music came from the soul. A melody in the right hands could disclose the secrets of a musician’s heart.

The Captain’s keytar wailed, the sound at once melancholy, petulant, and honestly kind of annoying. In the red room, in the usual corner, he sat keeled over to the side like an abandoned couch cushion, extemporizing a piece that might have been titled Variations on a Snit in B Minor.

It was unfortunate that the keytar, although naturally the super-epic stadium rockstar of the chordophone family, couldn’t exactly pull off the gravitas of its more sensible, more grounded brother, the piano keyboard. It lacked solemnity, even when it wasn’t blazing firetruck red with Atarashii Gakko! stickers all over the back. It was an instrument for big audiences, raucous crowds, slamming out blistering solos and sliding across the stage on your knees. You really didn’t get many aching ballads of loss and regret arranged for keytar, but the Captain was making do with what he had.

Beyond the noodling dirge of electronic lament, the ship was very quiet. Flare was probably shrieking at children in PvP lobbies from a temporary streaming nook somewhere on board, but he was nowhere within earshot. Although he was, in general, profoundly deaf to everything beyond his own scattershot interests, even he had picked up on the Tragic Vibes.

The Captain, clear-headed, eloquent, so skilled at expressing himself when it came to the concepts and stories surrounding the one thing he was supposed to be for, had run out of words. Years, and he was no better at being a person, keeping all the straggling and fragile little threads of a real life together and guarded from the estranging chaos that surrounded the tight-controlled core of his work. Careless, still, because if you cared you had to either understand, or admit you didn't.

Try harder, do more, do better. He kept this mantra close to his chest, significantly less shiny and generally acceptable than love with your heart, etcetera. He had shown his hand once, to everyone, in the really cool and fun way he had of displaying something horribly personal to the world as if it was just a weightless joke.

(I’m sorry! I can do better!)

Nobody had really noticed, because of course they weren’t going to notice when you snuck things that really pained you into a funny monologue about keeping healthy deadlines. Nobody had thought twice about it. Or… nearly nobody. Reading through that part of the script, Alan had looked at him in an odd way; uncertain, wondering, caught between concern and reluctance. That was before, of course, back when Alan still looked at him sometimes, looked at him properly as if he was a person and not some kind of optical trip-mine that would explode if viewed directly.

Everything was doing fine. The channel was doing fine. Disillusion Industries was doing- fine. And all the time, all the time, he felt as if he was doing worse. He felt as if he was slipping, as if he lived balanced on a tilting floor, watching everything roll away, keeping his place with more and more difficulty as his position became more and more impossible. And the things that fell, dragged away downhill by time and gravity, they weren’t meaningless ballast but the parts of a life, the things that mattered, the people around him- everything, that wasn’t just him, sitting in this red corner, talking to nobody.

The keytar yowled.

Now, Ami had stuff to do. Now, Blair was distant and uninterested- the Dreamfinder, not interested, not even curious no matter what. Now, Ellie wasn’t showing up every Monday morning, wasn’t even picking up her phone. Now-

Now, Alan was at lunch. Funny thing. Alan had been at lunch for two and a half days at this point. The Captain was dealing with it very well, very sensibly and realistically, by pretending it wasn’t happening and not allowing it to register emotionally at all.

Staring with wide glazed eyes right through the ceiling, the Captain played a complex, mournful chord, thumb wavering on the pitch wheel until the notes sobbed and trembled into nothing.

Ellie had been his first friend, the first real friend he’d made on his own. This was true, in a way that hurt, but not exactly true at the same time. His keen sense of accuracy, of objective truth, refused to let him forget for even a moment that before Ellie- before everyone and everything- he’d found Alan, and Alan had found him.

Alan had always been there. Except for right now, because right now Alan was, well...

At lunch.

[porcupine-girl]

This is long and contains more theater history than you probably want in a meta post but here it is anyhow!

Okay, here is my totally insane out-there theory that I shouldn’t be typing up, I should be editing and posting my lectures for tomorrow but here we are.

The pie scene that’s been released (see here) has a few things going on besides Dean being weirdly okay with Cas gone, more okay than Sam:

In the background we’ve got a truck that says Dabb’s Pies. Could just be a cute shoutout. Could be more.

Dean’s very first lines are “Oh, I don’t have a choice. This is my destiny.” This is the man who literally just spent an entire season freaking the fuck out over his lack of free will. Sure, Dean might make a joke about this, but the writers chose this to be (most likely) the very first thing he says one episode after finally shaking off destiny to get real free will?

Sam acts like Dean is crying and Dean responds as if he is trying to hide the fact that he’s crying when... he’s clearly not? At all? We’ve seen Dean cry so many times and it is not happening here?

(I say it’s probably the first thing Dean says in the episode because a) the scenes they release are almost always very very early in the episode and b) the music sounds like what they play when we come out of the cold open into a goofy Sam & Dean scene.)

Also do not forget that between the promo pics and the actual promo they seem to at some point deal with people who are very plainly dressed up as monsters but may or may not be monsters underneath. The initial photo took me to very meta places to start with, and it’s only gotten worse.

Okay so like, here are my crazy fucking thoughts that probably have nothing to do with what will actually happen:

Sam and Dean, of course, don’t actually have free will. They are still characters in a TV show written by other people. Dabb, in this case.

It’s Dabb’s Pies! Dabb is the one who caused the pie festival, and who is causing Sam and Dean to go there and eat pie!

My initial thought when I saw that photo, as it says, was “Did Brecht direct this episode?” Brecht was a playwright in the first half of the 20th century whose whole thing was breaking down the 4th wall. At the time theater tried to be as realistic as possible - hiding lights with set pieces, all sorts of stuff - in an attempt to make the audience forget they’re watching a play and get full immersion.

Brecht said “but what if we did not that?” and worked to make it explicitly clear to the audience that they are definitely watching a play and not real life. The movement was called “epic theater” or “dialectical theater” and the goal was to make the audience aware of their place as the audience and think critically about the thing they are watching as a play that was written and is being produced with the intention of communicating with them.

Brecht and others used a lot of techniques for this, from writing narrators and other 4th-wall-breaks into the plays to making it obvious that what you’re seeing are set pieces and props and not real things. Having what is obviously a man in a black costume with a skull mask play a monster (possibly a floating skull) would be right up his alley.

@shinychimera had a great comment on that post saying “They could squeeze a bit more meta in if it’s a real crew member playing something like a kuroko stagehand (from kabuki) who’s been pulled into the story…“

Kabuki is another theater tradition that explicitly does not try for anything like realism. You probably know it for its elaborate costumes and makeup, but yes, one part of it is that stagehands regularly come onstage to move things etc, dressed all in black and you’re supposed to pretend they’re invisible.

So anyhow what I’m saying is that what that photo SCREAMS at me is fourth-wall-breaking, meta, theatrical traditions that do those things.

I think the episode starts with what we’ve got here - Sam and Dean are moving on with their lives, probably on a pretty standard MOTW hunt, blissfully unaware that they are still not 100% free.

Somehow, this is going to start breaking down, Truman Show-style. I don’t know exactly how. A crew member wanders into the shot? Whatever.

From there it devolves into something super-meta and SUPER-trippy.

They realize that Cas is only in the Empty because the writers put him there, but somehow the fact that in real life Cas actually has affected the narrative in ways the writers didn’t expect is addressed. Cas loving Dean literally is something the writers never intended to be there but that grew organically because of who he is. Maybe same for Dean loving him back? Or maybe that doesn’t get addressed til later.

So now Dean knows that Cas really is the only real thing in his life and they gotta get him back.

However they get him back is gonna be, again, super trippy. They have to fight monsters like these, that are clearly not their-world-monsters but are people from our world dressed up as monsters.

They probably have to go through either Cas or Dean’s memories or both.

Dabb himself likely appears on-camera to talk to them at some point.

The one barn that that photo looks the most like to me is the one in On the Head of a Pin, which is one place where Cas could’ve died but didn’t (unclear whether it’s where they initially intended for him to die, sources conflict).

So maybe we’ll get a tour of the places where Cas’s love for Dean changed the narrative. Maybe Dabb himself will even explain them to us.

At some point, whether by Dabb himself or not, it will be explicitly mentioned that fans helped shape this, that we saw what was happening in Cas before they did.

IDK how this mindfuck ends but there is definitely kissing and Dean realizing that he’s been pushing down his feelings and denying them to fit a mold that the writers created for him years ago that doesn’t fit anymore.

So, uh, there you go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[otometearoom]

I Finished Tsumugu Logic!! Overview/Rant

It took me a month, but I finished the last chapter of the game and got the true ending. I will keep playing to get all of the other bad ends, etc. 

I have so so many feels about this game, y’all. I will be highlighting a few chapters in the game, so if you haven’t finished it. Beware of spoilers!!

[MANY SPOILERS/ENDINGS BELOW]

To recount my feelings throughout the game for each character: 

1. Tsumugu is a cutie pie. I actually really related to him, because I’m also at that point in my life where I have to decide what exactly I want to do for the rest of my life. I just finished university, but I’m still unsure about my career ahahah. So, seeing Tsumugu struggle to figure his life out was refreshing. 

2. “Sosei” is so hot. I laid eyes on him and thought, uh-oh, he’s my new addiction ahahah. I would buy his merchandise if there was any. The dude loves sweets (how cute is that) and he has such a good head for mysteries (my dream man). Plus, he’s a tsundere but really cares about Tsumugu, often giving hints and advice to him. He’s a very trustworthy older brother/senpai. I could gush over how much I love Sosei for ages. His drunken habits -> those are to die for. He becomes so lewd and straightforward. I love it. 

“Koyo”, on the other hand, I didn’t like him as much as Sosei. Which is weird, cause I love ikemen. Maybe I’m just drawn more into the withdrawn, mysterious guys?? I do like the concept of twin brothers though. I have a bit of a dirty mind so when the twins said they shared everything, even their gf, I was like ohohoho, 3p? 

I absolutely enjoyed the twins together though. I love seeing them pretend to be the other. I wish they had more of an appearance lol. I could even say that Sosei and Koyo are a scale higher than Tsumugu for me. I wish the twins were the main protagonists ahahah. No offense Tsumugu. 

I’ll just summarize my first impressions for others real quick: 

3. Kotoko - I thought she was cute, but I never really liked her and couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly why. This feeling will come into play later on. So at first, I was like meh, she’s okay, I guess. But, as I learned more about her, I really didn’t like her character that much. I mean, I wouldn’t say I hated her but I didn’t find her as a good fit for Tsumugu. 

- When she told Tsumugu to be a salesman or whatever. I was like, do you even know Tsumugu? Lmao. I didn’t know if it was just me empathizing with Tsumugu cuz I’ve often been told of what I should be, but no one asks what I want to be. 

- When she didn’t want to help Mirei, I thought how odd, for someone who tries to befriend everyone, she’s not doing so well as a heroine. I mean, it was realistic, at least. But, I think the chapter where she admits that she tries really hard to fit in so others will like her was starting to draw some red flags for me. It made me wonder how much of her was ‘real’. Idk if I’m making any sense though.

- When she swung the knife at Tsumugu, I didn’t hate her as much as I did when she swung the knife at Sosei (who protected Tsumugu) and killed him. I was furious then. 

4. Sally - I admit I was really turned off by the girly lolita style. Mainly because I’m more tomboyish irl. But, she had a good sense of justice so I actually liked her. It did come as a shock to me though that she was the “gorilla” girl that was forced to kiss Nozaki. Tbh, I was kinda sad she died at the end. Like, I know she killed Hikone, but I could understand her motive better than I could understand Kotoko’s motive. Maybe cuz I have an older brother and can’t see myself being a brocon? ahahah. 

5. Toma - In terms of hotness, he comes 2nd right after Sosei. He’s a really good friend. And I absolutely adore how he scares ppl with his glare lol. i love yankees ahaha. He’s not afraid to speak his mind. He’s a very solid character.

6. Daimon - My girl crush. High key curious who she’s arranged to marry because her fiance seems boring. Who takes an hour to choose a handkerchief? Anyways, Im sad that Daimon and Sosei never got to meet because I’m low key shipping them. Idk if they’d click well romantically because they’re so similar, but I would’ve loved for some sort of interaction. They’d make for an epic couple, solving mysteries. I really wanna write a fic for them. 

7. Tsukasa Tsukasa - I didn’t like him because of the cheating and blaming on my poor Toma, but after that, he was okay. Plus, he helped write the Tsumugu’s love letter to Kotoko. Which I find is funny, because Kotoko copied Tsukasa’s writing, thinking it was Tsumugu’s. Ahahah. The lesson here, folks, is that don’t use your own handwriting in love letters, you never know if you’re crush will copy said handwriting into your own suicide letter. 

8. Mirei - that girl can sing. I kinda cried after hearing it cuz I was going through something at the time and it really encouraged me. 

9. Landlady & Hikkimori - Both names that I can’t remember off the top of my head. I think both people are fun. The landlady is super supportive. And the hikkimori refusing to talk with Sosei made for a fun dynamic. I genuinely enjoyed seeing Sosei offended. Nice way to see emotions on my fave character. 

10. Other characters (Rindo, Happy, Travel Club Members) - I genuinely did not care enough about ahahah. I think I even enjoyed seeing some of them murdered, tbh. They were really horrible people in different ways. 

The Black club members headed under Fumi. Like what? How do you control victims to be assailants and live with yourself to be a future kindergarten teacher? Like what? I couldn’t live with myself if I was her. Plus, her disproportionately large boobs were really weirding me out. I can’t believe Yu died all because Fumi wanted to f*ck him. It’s like one day you’re living your best life and someone thinks, ah, I wanna ruin this person. 

Don’t even get me started with Nozaki. That dude is a piece of trash. Human garbage. He knows how it feels to be a victim and yet thinks it’s his right to assault women. I wanted to slap that guy so hard. So many times. He was like the boy who cried wolf. He kept pretending to be dead and eventually died in the hands of Kotoko. XD I wonder what his last thoughts were. To have died in the hands of someone he trusted. 

Hikone was another nutcase. From what I understood, he just saw everyone else as characters in his book. Sure, he didn’t physically harm anyone, but doing nothing and observing is just as much of a crime as committing it. 

Shun. I never really like cutesy guys. But when he turned out to be an ex-pimp plus lover of Fumi, he fell off the likeable scale. 

Yoshimoto being an uncontrollable drunk murderer was the only thing needed to complete the psycho Travel Club members. Tbh, I thought he was the one behind the killings at first ahaha. 

Suguha. I thought she was a tough chick. It was cool to know that she had another motive to get closer to Fumi. Because I thought it was weird how she took her cellphone at the BBQ restaurant. It’s nice to know that SEEC still foreshadows like that. 

[metalandmagi]

Summer 2020 Anime Worth Watching!

Apparently it’s time for the summer anime season, even though it feels like time is meaningless at this point. But somehow, there are still new shows coming out, so if you’re looking for something to watch when you’re stuck at home, here’s a list of the first impressions I got from this season. I don’t really know if it’s going to be worth it, considering how the spring season delayed so much, but here we are. 

As always, not all of these are available on Crunchyroll, but I’ll put a * next to the ones that are.

And if you’re looking for a bit more variety, I have lists for 2019 and the rest of this year’s seasons too...because remember when there was good anime being released instead of just everything being an ecchi or a second season?

2019 master list

My master list for every season of 2020 anime

New Shows!

*The God of High School: An over the top action anime consisting of one big tournament arc! It follows a group of teenagers competing in the epic “god of high school” martial arts tournament to determine the best fighter in the country. Following in the footsteps of Tower of God, this is the newest “crunchyroll original” that is being adapted from a South Korean webcomic. You can tell from the first episode that this will be a spectacle with crazy characters and lots of wild action and humor!

Great Pretender: When a Japanese con man pickpockets the wrong person, he ends up hopping on a plane to Los Angeles and getting wrapped up in a scheme with a sassy Frenchman named Laurent...who basically runs the mafia. There’s humor, there’s plot, there’s great characters, and it’s kinda gay. It’s an exciting original anime from studio Wit, so the animation is bursting with character, and both the music and the general vibe remind me a lot of Baccano or even Lupin III. And since it takes place in America with several foreign characters, there's hilarious English and accent shenanigans abound! The bad news is it’s still in Netflix jail, so if you want to watch it legally you’re kinda stuck for now. 

Japan Sinks 2020: A giant earthquake hits Japan, and a family must cope with the mayhem together. Because what the hell else could possibly go wrong this year? This is a new series (based on a novel) made by Masaaki Yuasa, the guy behind Ride Your Wave and Walk On Girl, if that tells you anything about the style of this anime. I’ve only watched the first two episodes so far, but I heard it goes from being a gripping realistic disaster series to a balls to the wall adventure. To be honest, disaster shows/movies freak me out, and this one is pretty devastating so far, which is a testament to how well it's made. But I appreciate that they include glimmers of hope when they’re needed. The best moments are the quiet ones that focus on the actual people and the narration that juxtaposes the time periods. There’s so much atmosphere, and the music really enhances the experience. And it’s all out on Netflix now, with a dub and a sub!

Deca-Dence: When humanity has been pushed to the edge of extinction by monsters called the Gadoll, the rest of civilization is forced to live in enormous mobile fortresses and send groups out to battle the unknown monsters. So basically like Mortal Engines but the fortresses can turn themselves into giant fists and punch the monsters. We follow a girl named Natsume who wants to be one of the soldiers who fight the Gadoll, but she is constantly rejected because of her prosthetic arm. So she ends up with five years of cleaning duty supervised by a stern but mysterious badass named Kaburagi. I honestly don’t care at all about the plot of the anime, because for me the characters are what drives everything, and these character dynamics are great. I’m not going to say it’s the most original story, but I think it’s fun so far. 

*Rent-a-Girlfriend: A typical harem/romance anime that follows the world’s most annoying protagonist named Kazuya. After Kazuya is dumped by his first girlfriend, he seeks out a rental girlfriend out of self pity….BECAUSE APPARENTLY THAT’S A REAL SERVICE THAT EXISTS IN JAPAN?! Like you can actually rent moms/dads/girlfriends/boyfriends and so on. Anyway, his fake girlfriend is the picture of anime waifu perfection...until Kazuya starts being his typical asshole self and she reveals her true nature of being an absolute sass master who don’t take no shit from no boring ass main character. Shenanigans happen and the two of them end up having to pretend they are in a real relationship. And I’m just calling it now...Kazuya’s grandma is the real best girl of the series. If you want a harem that’s actually funny and doesn’t mind roasting the protagonist, give this one a shot. Although I wish this were just a straight up romance instead of a harem because there is no way in hell that any girl, let alone more than one would want actually to date this guy. 

Next Seasons and Continuations!

*Fruits Basket 2019 (Season 2): Thank goodness Fruits Basket wasn’t delayed or cancelled last season because sometimes I feel like it was the only thing getting me through the spring. I’ve ranted about how good it is enough by now. If it can’t brighten your year, then nothing will. Just watch it if you haven’t already. 

*Re:ZERO-Starting Life in Another World (Season 2): Subaru is still trapped in another world, and he’s still as angsty as ever, but that’s not going to stop him from constantly putting himself through hell when he keeps dying horribly every time he needs to reset the timeline! There are mysterious new villains, nobody knows who Rem is (again) and I think there’s a plot somewhere under all the suffer porn. Seriously though, this show is pretty cool (even if I was two years late to the party). It’s one of the most interesting isekai anime I’ve ever seen, and it feels like it’s acting as a deconstruction of the genre, kinda like how Madoka Magica is for magical girl anime...both shows certainly have enough crying. The story is weird but interesting, the world building is cool, the villains (and sometimes the heroes) are batshit crazy to watch, and I like its moments of humor. 

No Guns Life (season 2): The story of Juzo, the hard boiled detective who plays by his own rules continues in the second season of No Guns Life. In case you missed the first season, this is a mystery/action anime that feels like an old noir film had a cyberpunk baby. There’s underground conspiracies, there’s interesting side characters, and...oh yeah the main character has a gun for a head. That’s right. we came to see a bara detective with a literal gun for a face, but we stayed for the world building and mysterious plots!

*Fire Force (Season 2): I’m going to be honest here, I really didn’t know if I should include this one or not. I have a major love hate relationship with Fire Force, but I figured there may be other people out there who would like it more than I do. So in case you missed the first season, this show follows a group of firefighters who puts out fires caused by spontaneous combustion using a mixture of guns and super powers. It was created by Atsushi Ōkubo, aka the guy who made Soul Eater. So it’s bound to be amazing right?

Not necessarily. Strap in for this one lads. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with this show overall. Its main characters just aren’t that interesting most of the time, it can’t decide on what kind of show it wants to be, and so much of it just dragged for a good part of the series. I don’t know if it was a problem of pacing or if the plot was just that uninteresting for a while. The first couple episodes set up a very unique plot, filled with intriguing moral dilemmas. And then it proceeded to abandon everything interesting in favor of badly timed fan-service. It just couldn’t strike the balance that Soul Eater had between its humor and its sincerity. If they wanted to make an ecchi show, they should have just made one instead of inserting the same overplayed scenarios into every episode. I don’t care if a show has fan-service as long as it fits the tone, or if it only has certain episodes dedicated to playing up the humor. But Fire Force has a habit of just inserting it wherever it wants regardless of what’s actually happening in the episode. Also, some of the humor revolves around one of the main female characters who has a really messed up self image because she’s slightly more muscular, and not a tiny delicate flower like some of the other girls. Not going to pretend that doesn’t bug me. 

But that doesn’t mean there is nothing good about it! If there wasn’t, I wouldn’t have finished the first season, and I wouldn’t be including this one. So far, the second season has actually been funny because it made the first episode more like filler, instead of cramming in too much plot all at once. And to the surprise of no one, the animation is absolutely god tier. I wish it was being used for something other than clumsy fan-service, but it’s still really something to see. The world building is super creative and 100% my aesthetic, and there were a couple side characters I really loved later in the series (Benimaru). And I did like the twists and turns the series took later in the season when it actually focused on the conspiracy behind the fire force and the cult. When it follows the mysteries it sets up, it’s more fun to watch. Who would have thought? 

TLDR: There’s good stuff and there’s bad stuff. This show is really something you have to watch for yourself to decide if it’s going to be worth it. I’m going to at least try the second season, because I want to see where this goes, but it’s on thin ice. 

Honorable Mentions

Isekai edition! Both of these came out last season, but I hadn’t mentioned them when I made my spring list. But they’re both getting dubs now so I’m still counting them.

*My Next Life as a Villainess- All Routes Lead to Doom!: A twist on the isekai genre where our main protagonist wakes up as a character in her favorite otome game...only to find that she’s actually the bitchy rival side character who ends up either dead or exiled in every route of the game. So naturally she does everything she can to prevent this by becoming a sweet and caring supporting character...who inadvertently makes every single other character in the game fall in love with her. I ignored this show for the first few episodes because I need another isekai in the world like I need a hole in the head, but after hearing everyone rave about it, I caught up with it in no time. It’s a fun take on the otome game tropes, and it manages to be funny and sweet while not committing to any particular pairing.

*Ascendance of a Bookworm (Season 2): That’s right, it’s another isekai where an adult is reincarnated into the body of a child in a fantasy world. But this time, it’s a nerdy girl whose entire purpose in life revolves around reading books (can relate). However, when our main character Mine is thrust into this fantasy world, she quickly realizes that this particular fantasy setting is a little too...medieval  for her tastes...meaning a family of commoners like hers would have no clue how to read and books are only meant for rich people or the church. So of course Mine has to figure out how to either get her hands on some books or make them herself. This is a super cute show that I waited a long time to finally watch, and since the second season is finally being dubbed I wanted to shout it out. It’s just a wholesome isekai version of Dr. Stone. There’s no real action, but it’s a relaxing watch if nothing else. 

Well, there you have it. Hopefully nothing else gets delayed or cancelled because it’s pretty slim pickings as it is. And before anyone asks, I didn’t include GIBIATE because I thought it was a massive disappointment that somehow made a time travel horror anime plot boring. There’s also My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu, but it’s been 5 years since I watched the other seasons and don’t remember anything about it. But there’s that too in case anyone is a fan of the series and didn’t know it got another season. 

See you next season…if the world is still here by then?

[editmytermpaper]

A Spark of Blue: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie

Wow, that is a mouthful. This week we all read Stonewall Award Winning/Honored Books in the Young Adult Category. That’s an even bigger mouthful. In my case I chose “A Spark of Blue” which was an honored book in the young adult category.

Summary:

“A Spark of Blue” is a coming out and a coming together story. It follows a day in the life of Debbie and she’s been harboring a crush on her best friend Lisa since middle school. So much that she’s pretended to be Methodist. When Lisa starts dating this guy, Norman, Debbie realizes that she has to tell Lisa how she feels and hopes that Lisa feels the same. On this day she meets Emma and Tim who are outcasts who’ve come up with their own religion and they will tell you all about it for five dollars. Through an epic quest through their town in Iowa (who knew interesting things happened in Iowa) the trio bond over their insecurities and hopes. Through a series of misadventures this story is really much bigger than one would think could happen in one day while being entirely plausable.

Stonewall Honor:

I think that this book is entirely deserving of it’s honor. It is so realistic it’s heartbreaking. Debbie’s crush on her best friend? Fear of being outed before you can out yourself? Finding friends who accept you as you are? Someone knowing without you having to tell them? I think it’s realistic and without giving too much away I think that this is the coming out story I wished I’d read in high school. It’s got a happy ending but not exactly the way Debbie thinks it’s going to end and that is as much as I’m saying. Please read this book, it’s super cheap on Amazon.

Personal Relation to the Book:

I like to joke with people who know me well that “I am half-gay on my mother’s side” which is my own way of saying that I am somewhere around pansexual on the spectrum of sexuality. So I personally remember having a crush on my best friend and I also remember running around town in someone’s beat up car in high school, though my friends weren’t as cool as Emma and Tim. So to my experience this story is really realistic to me and kind of endearing in a way that I wished I’d had when I was the same age as these characters. Maybe I would have come out sooner than in college, I knew like in middle school and kept quiet until I was far away from my home and I KNEW my family would be accepting. It was my high school friends I was afraid of coming out to, kind of like Debbie. So I didn’t come out until I met the fabulous people at Western.

So that is my take on the book. It’s super cute, exactly the kind of positivity you need to read during quarantine, and perfectly realistic in all the right ways of representation. 

My Score 5/5 would read again. Would love to see Hollywood make this into a movie because I would watch it on repeat it is so freaking cute.

[what-the-fuck-is-anime]

In Amazon Sword Leaf’s mind, this fight means more than just the end goal of becoming a hero, it means overcoming everything he has endured up until now. To him, it means he has changed, it represents welcoming a changed world and the better life that comes along with it.

Sword Leaf was born without a Quirk (allegedly) and was bullied and doubted and harassed his whole life over it. Society saw a kid without a Quirk, and saw a kid that was lesser of a person in a world where those with Quirks are elites and those without are basically second class. Sword Leaf does not understand, identify, or otherwise address abuse very well, as demonstrated by his extraordinarily lacking response to his classmate revealing the violence he endures at home. Me personally wanting to assume the best of his mother, he potentially never even told her that his best “friend” was assaulting him regularly despite the likelihood that she would have questioned where the burn marks on his clothing were coming from. And if he did tell her, then yikes why did she let the two of them be in the same class or anything or hang out at all

So it is not too big of a stretch to say that when he was being bullied growing up, he saw himself being bullied as an extension of his own life circumstances instead of a fault with the people that were hurting him. He viewed the biggest problem in his life as not having a Quirk. He had plenty of other far more realistic avenues for becoming a hero, like taking martial arts, or being an engineer, or even starting out as an engineer in a support course and then transitioning to a hero. He barely had any confidence, and no effort was shown of him trying to improve even that. Instead, he was so laser focused on thinking that his lack of a Quirk was the source of all of his problems and wallowed in his sorrows instead of doing anything to make his dream closer to a reality. It was his belief that his lack of a Quirk was why people hurt him, that was why his mother doubted him, that was why nobody believed in him in his mind. He was convinced that his lack of Quirk was causing even problems that he could have approached on his own. He pretended he could do nothing to improve himself or improvise to reach his dream. He made himself powerless far beyond the sense of not having a Quirk.

To him, winning right now means he is no longer weak, and no longer weak means he has solved all of his problems and that society is finally ready to welcome him with open arms. After all, he is in UA, and he finally managed to score a win on someone who had been giving him burns on a near daily basis. By proving how powerful he is right now, he hopes society will finally let him into the role of cool hero that he had been denied and mocked for all along. He fights with all of his might to put his past behind him, to move forward, and to enjoy his new privileged life of having a powerful Quirk.

Sword Leaf is fighting with his life on the line because he truly believes that his life is on the line unless he can prove himself. He believes that proving his physical strength is part of leaving his suffering and all of the problems he faced growing up behind, and that if he had a Quirk growing up, he never would have encountered what he did. He believes the world has finally changed.

Except he is wrong. He was not bullied and abused because he lacked a Quirk, he was bullied by people who were abusive. He was abused because he was surrounded by people that were abusive. He was shunned by society because he lives in a society that shuns people without Quirks. His mother still doubts him because she is a nervous doubtful person. Sword Leaf is so laser focused on what he wants in the moment, to the point of completely disregarding someone experiencing ongoing abuse at home. He insists on wanting to be a hero, but cannot even recognize when someone else needs saving, partially because he is at the moment too entirely focused on him overcoming his own weakness in a way that he wants to overcome it. And that means proving himself to society.

Yet society is still the same, too. The same society that outcast him for not having a Quirk is finally listening to him because of his Quirk, because that is what society values. His physical abilities finally lined up with what an ableist society wanted of him. Even though he managed to acquire a Quirk, the Quirkless are still going to be hurt just like he was. He still personally has not come to terms with his inability to stray from whatever path he sets himself on, even if others need him.

He wants everything to be...perfect. He wanted to get into UA without a Quirk, without any training, without doing much else to increase his chances. He claims to want to save others, but only from burning buildings. He wants to move onto his new life, but only through overcoming physical hurdles and lining up with what a cruel society expects instead of improving his own faults. His idea of strength is being cool and epic and invoking those feelings in others without paying much mind to the world that needs those heroes.

Being just like the man in the YouTube video had been his goal since he was young enough to use a computer, yet he made little practical effort beyond studying. He acknowledged that there was no precedent for someone like him getting into UA’s hero course, meaning only someone extraordinary could get in with no Quirk, and he did nothing to be extraordinary. The notebooks filled with strategies were meaningless if he refused to figure out a way to apply them. There was never even contemplation on how to increase his chances of getting in, he just insisted he was going to do it because he wanted to do it. No engineering classes, no martial arts classes, no support classes, no going to the gym. No conflict resolution classes. There was a girl who got in with a Quirk to see far away. Physically, she is the equivalent of someone with a telescope on their belt, but her practical skills were so remarkable that she was able to compete with everyone else. Had he learned how to be an engineer, he could have at least been on par with her, which is a lot given how far she got in the competition. His idol was someone who acted heroic and knew how to handle conflict and interact with others, but he never made an effort to be less of a nervous wreck or take speaking classes. Even if these were covered in hero courses, he was trying to get in without a Quirk, while doing nothing to make himself stand out from any other Quirkless civilian beyond studying a lot. Plenty of people have notebooks filled with writings about things they are interested in, and plenty of people enjoy analysis. Critical thought is an expectation for applicants of a top school, not a unique trait. When asked how he was planning on getting in, he just insisted he wanted to. When told that was not enough, instead of trying to do more, he got upset.

During the scene with the slime monster in the second episode, he wanted to help someone and unconsciously jumped in without a plan. Wanting to help is immensely valuable, but in a world of super powered villains, it is nowhere near enough on its own to be on par with others who have super powers, especially in terms of getting into UA’s hero course. His dream was to be the one to jump in and save others with epic heroics like in the videos. It could even be argued that it was evidence of a lack of self-control. So in a sense, even trying to fight the slime guy, had it been premeditated, was still just a demonstration of his one track mind. He wanted to help someone with no experience in doing it at all, just in the same that he wanted to get into UA with absolutely no relevant practical experience.

Sword Leaf wanted to be the Quirkless UA precedent and apparently expected all of the hero traits to be taught to him only after he somehow was going to get in. There was very little he did on his own to make himself seem appealing as a student. No effort to try to meet a superhero school halfway to convince them to consider him as equal to other students who were born with physical abilities making them more suitable as heroes beyond those notebooks and enjoying analysis. He spent plenty of time learning about the places that heroes worked, sure, but going on tours does not have anywhere near as much relevance in the field as learning skills. Sword Leaf went on and on and on with his inner dialogue about how he had to work harder than others because he had no Quirk, but his entire idea of working harder to become on par with superheroes was 50% studying, 50% really wanting to be a hero, and 0% practical skills.

The resentment towards everyone who tried to deny him the path towards his dream clouded his common sense and he wanted all or nothing. It was only through a series of events largely out of his control that he was able to make it in at all, and he only accepted training himself because it meant having a Quirk at the end, and he was being told to train by someone he respected. Only when he was guaranteed to have everything he wanted did he step out of his comfort zone or actually do anything productive to get in or take anyone’s advice. With a dream to be as powerful as those with basically magic, it would make a lot more sense to try to become Iron Man or Batman, but he made up his mind to become Superman because he ONLY wanted to be like Superman. Conveniently enough, Superman showed right up and taught him the way of being Superman without him having to confront his own tunnel vision. If not for that luck, his dream would have come crashing down. He has immense willpower for getting what he wants, but he only applies that willpower towards getting what he wants exactly how he wants it.

He breaks his bones with the will to leave his old life behind, and to finally follow his dreams, in exactly the way he wants. He now fights for himself a little more, and he can physically fight much more. The purple streaks on his arms and fingers are physical evidence of the changed world he is ready to participate in.

Except Sword Leaf still lives in the same world. He sees the world as having changed, he sees life itself as having changed, but he is the only one who has changed, and most of that change is purely physical. His narrow-minded attitude is that he would rather do nothing instead of working towards exactly what he wants, and until he addresses his own faults, he has not changed much at all.

[metalgearkong]

Spider-Man: Far From Home - Review

7/8/19

Directed by Jon Watts (Marvel Studios / Disney)

Spider-Man is my favorite super hero of all time, and I’m thrilled to see so much of the web head on the big screen in the past years. While Tom Holland isn’t my personal favorite Peter Parker, (that will always go to the original Tobey Maguire) he still does a fantastic job of being a version of Peter, and it works for this series. Far From Home is the first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take place post-Endgame, and I was curious how the story would handle the fallout after the big “snap.” The movie begins with Peter and his class on a trip to Europe, where they are attacked by a giant “elemental” made of water. Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), appearing out of nowhere, and seemingly a good guy, swoops in and helps Peter defeat this giant water golem.

Of course, the most obvious thing in the world if you know anything about classic Spider-Man, is that Mysterio will become the villain, or is feigning from the beginning to be a good guy. Mysterio is one of the main members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery from comics, cartoons, games, and other mediums. I’ve always liked who he has been as a villain (a special effects expert with a grudge) and was looking forward to seeing how they would interpret the character for modern screens. Peter struggles with living in the shadow of his mentor Tony Stark, but is given a set of his glasses equipped with the most powerful and useful augmented reality and AI Tony has ever made. The movie really pushes that Spider-Man is going to be the replacement Iron Man, something I never felt the series should go, as they are such different people with incredibly different powers (although they do have savvy scientific minds).

The first third of this movie is where it peaked. For once this time, I enjoyed the high school angst and comedy more than the big epic CGI-filled action. Holland and all the other young actors all have great chemistry and feel like good friends, at least for a film. Overall I identified a lot with the characters, mainly on a interpersonal level. The movie is full of tiny examples to keep them human and identifiable. The bigger picture, unfortunately, is still filled with nit picks I have with the MCU, including deus-ex-machina technology, and over reliance on VFX, over uses of bathos, and yes, sadly, a lame villain. Gyllenhaal plays an intriguing role at first, in his phase of pretending to be a hero. Once he reveals who he is to the audience, and goes on one of the worst exposition dumps I can remember, his character goes from having potential and mystery, to being a cackling and embarrassing Saturday morning villain.

Motivation falls by the wayside. His origins and goals don’t really have a personal connection to Peter, and simply feels like someone who has to be outsmarted and stopped. I also couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough of exactly what the true nature of the elementals were and how he was pulling off his illusions (but going into that may be regarded as small spoilers). It could work for a video game or comic possibly, but not a modern day realistic take on the Marvel universe. Although the stronger scenes of the movie with the most potential was when Mysterio began to mess with Peter’s mind and became more of a mental/psychological threat more so than a physical threat. More could have been done with it and I wish the movie took a more introspective route.

The music in the MCU has been hugely upgraded in recent years, utilizing much clearer theme music for heroes and events. The editing, camera work, and sound all flow together very well to make a good action-comedy, even if I feel like the action, nor the comedy always worked as well as intended. One of my biggest problems with the movie is how it treats the events of Endgame like a joke. The world simply calls it “the blip,” and society doesn’t seem to be affected by it as a whole. If half of the world’s population, including plants and animals, all suddenly evaporated, and the world had to continue on after such a tragedy, you could fill several episodes worth of a TV show just explaining the after effects of such an existential event. Everyone left over had to live 5 years knowing their loved ones and organic resources simply disappeared, an event more destructive than all the world’s tragedies combined, and this movie glazed it over like a mild inconvenience.

Far From Home is another charming entry to the MCU, and the film makers did a great job doing what they had to do. The main problem I have is sometimes this series being convenient for the sake of pumping out 3 movies per year. The MCU will likely never have a Logan, or something on that level. Few films in the MCU will ever have the gravitas of events such as in Infinity War and Endgame because the franchise is just too damned profitable to put many of the main characters in too much peril or danger. If hardly anyone dies ever, especially with the sort of action they are thrown into, tension dissolves faster than a “snap” victim. This is doubly true for the several character who have conveniently come back from the dead in order to serve more films/media. Far From Home is enjoyable from a character stand point, and while it does have good CGI, action set pieces, acting, and music, it still carries almost all of my nit picks of the series and doesn’t dive into the more interesting details of this world and the consequences of its events.

6.5/10

[perispinel]

Adventure Time Finale Liveblog

Already this episode is off to a weird start, starting with a flashforward in the future with two random one-off characters and- OH MY GOSH THEY FOUND FINN’S ARM AND THEY LIVE IN MARCELINE’S HOUSE NOW!

Did Finn like die? THis has to be a fakeout about this.

King of Ooo is alive far int he future? he melted in the fire as wax remember writers? 

Oh my gosh this is why they showed the Enchiridion episode last, Mount Kragdor is back!

the king of Ooo is BMO! Wait why does he have PB’s crown... oh my god BMO outlived everybody. he is unfazed by death

BMO is kickin’ em out already, what a savage

That arm is giving BMO some flashbacks. Awww adorable!

Heh after so long BMO is having trouble remembering Finn’s name.

The plot description said NEPTR was telling the story, they faked us out totally!

Finally, more Betty! 

Finally, more Maja!

Looking at Finn is like “you die eventually. BMO has your arm now.”

Having BMO narrate the whole story makes it sound like a five year old trying to describe World War II. 

Finally Duke of Nuts, my favorite character!

Literally no one likes him, he wants to be MacGyver

Justin Roiland has work while R n M is off

Princess Bubblegum is going the Leia route of going from Princess to General

Oh no a little cake spy.

Huntress Wizard, played by Mona Lisa from Parks and Rec, did a good job getting rid of that sky

Come along with me, it is time for war you seeeee

Marceline and PB better makeout RIGHT NOW Marceline, yes, please reconsider PB Oh geez Marceline is just casually like “I saw people die PB.” Marceline be like “I felt worse” all over us

Finn is right.

W-what? Finn whatcha goin on about with nightmares? I thought he was gonna break the fourth wall

I love when a war begins with someone repeating “WAR” over and over

Yep yep there goes the banana guards. What a great plan

“You’re weird” isn’t what I’d say honestly

He doesn’t know what fruit is apparently

Lemongrab is totally piiiiiissed... Oh he’s just sad.

Gumbald literally is backing UP because of them being serious Finny boy

Hey Fern, remember when I accidentally killed ya? Good times boi

“You’re a toddler” is the cue for “I kill you or you give up”

What a great time for a commercial break. 

Okay, time for my thoughts in-between the show: this is giving me crazy feelings. Like, knowing BMO outlives everyone, regardless of the war’s outcome... wait, BMO said Finn was heroic til the end right? Oh my gosh will Finn sacrifice himself? Well either way BMO probably SAW him die, old age or not. BMO is literally the imbodement of a child who doesn’t understand the consequences of anything. Back to the show!

Nice job making me almost sad BMO.

Unconscious world? That’s crazy man.

So no war? Aiight.

Finn was all like “go to dreamworld and talk things out” and they be like “let’s have a war again”

Ooh cool, let’s get those songs for the album here

Jake is going back to his roots

Ooh let’s get Tom Sharpling up in this guys

Aww poor Fern. 

PB isn’t reluctant at all to kill someone even if they look like Finn, as long as they be an enemy. 

Oh sweet evolution Fern! 

Fern is going the toddler solution, that’s fine.

Okay Greg from Steven Universe, enjoy your appearance while it lasts.

Is John DiMaggio spending the episode in a dream state?

Pinching people in the dreamworld really wakes you up? That’s dope.

W-what? why’d they just vibrate

Fern does sound like a knockoff Finn sometimes honestly. Heh prove you’re tormented Finn! 

Oh geez this is really dark, PB had a messup life. Recreating that scene for some symbolism I suppose!

Ooh subconscious world!

Aww his girlfriend is here- I wish I spoke korean.

It’s nice his kids- oh nevermind. 

Is this symbolism for him being connected to his wife like by the sides?

Hahah we got a fart joke everyone, wrap it up! Just kiddin I don’t care either way

I bet Pb is learning what it was like living as a completely unintelligent being without any choice. Will this cause some empathy?

Yeah repressed memories must smell awful.

Obviously Fern and Finn share the same memories, but it’s cool to see them confront it Mindful Education-style

I missed Adventure Time’s art style honestly. 

Oh I get it, Fern originated from the Finnsword.

Oh wow, all of that took place in the span of one second!

PB and Gumbald are learning empathy now, are we not having a war or?

“No no no that happened next.” Good job faking out the fake out.

I love these breaks telling us small bits of lore and secrets about what’s going on that we’re not noticing. Anyway, I am excited to find out what this portal is exactly- I’m guessing Magic Man, Betty, and Maga’s weird cryptic chant is gonna cause some big bad event. Will Adventure Time end with the end of the world? I’d be mega shocked if Finn just died. Wait why isn’t Marceline in the future? Realistically she should be there UNLESS she got killed, soooo... back to the show!! :D

We saved the day! Big scary baby is definitely good!

Wait Fern is in the real world now???

Ice King was just gonna leave until he had that flashback

It is so cute seeing Betty and Simon’s past, I wwant fanart of them having a happy life.

Did I mention FP is super cute? I love Flame Princess

This is getting quite dark man. Even Marcy is scared.

PB don’t martyr yourself

Aww what a great leader, telling her army to flee in terror instead of dying without purpose!

Oooh Fern is on good side now!

Gumball Guardians are her real children

Is this even a kids episode? this should be rared PG-13 man

I hope all this rogue gallery characters still get lines. oh there they go

Heh Jake and Amethyst have some similarities don’t they

Wow what a dark end for someone, skull cracks open and innards bounce around and endanger people

Ice King is the savior! How cute

This is more epic than Reunited but that’s not fair to say exactly, one is finale and one is a special

Oh no poor bananas, so dumb

Let’s go Jake, doing what he does best and being helpful!

Did Jake explode and die?

Remember when LSP and Lemongrab dated?

Aww Lemongrab and LSP is a canon ship, only straight ship allowed for those two

Come on Ice King, remember who you and Betty are!

Ice King is reciting the song from the episode. Oh my gosh come on dude, replace at least ONE word in the song silly!

Betty is too crazy to not throw a tantrum I guess.

Maga the Sky Witch- Kill Count 1

No no no Flame Princesssss! Maybe she’s okay?

Fernnn! 

Did PB just die? Oh my glob

Oh Marcy’s going back to her roots

Okay PB is alive, it’s fine.

Marceline just had a PLanet Hulk moment right there.

Aww it’s canon now guys! Marceline X Bubblegum eternally and they kissssed! Guys they made up for so long of teasing!

Oh no I think they’re breaking them apart layer-by-layer

Ice King is Simon again, yeyyy!

I love that the moment PB and Marcy are confirmed gay for real they just have them holding each other close to prove it even more

Finally Jakei s confirmed not dead

Oh no is Jake dead, 2.0.?

Finally we have a reason BMO knows what happens. He nearly died.

Okay so... Flame Princess and Fern are taken out while Maga is definitely dead. I have a feeling Marceline might die,or else we’ll need a thorough explanation for why she’s not living in her house. Like I can tell that this character voiced by Willow Smith is Jake’s descendant but Marceline is potentially an immortal I assumed so they wouldn’t have her be gone without explanation. Then, here’s a question: is Jake about to sacrifice himself to save BMO?? Also, BMO straight-up says the world ended so I have a feeling that he wasn’t just being coy.

Oh my glob, what’s about to happen. Jake and Finnn’s home is destroyed. 

BMO is getting deep. Okay HE’S SINGING THE SONG :D

Is this about to have a Rogue One ending? How is this going to end happily?

This song is meant to be bittersweet, no way is this a happy ending song guys.

Is BMO secretly badass? CARTOON CONSPIRACY No it’s just the power of music.

Oh I get it! Discord, Harmony, Music, it all makes sense! 

Oh literally everyone sings this! along with screaming!

They got so many voice actors for this! 

Is he going to explode? Oh my glob?

Here lies Finn. he was a good man. I love him. 

“No one gets to choose how it happens. the most important thing is that we’re here together.” Nice way to make me sad twice

Is Simon going to become Simon forever? What’s going on here? Is Betty going to get her bones crushed???

Aww how cute of you Betty. not making my heart any calmer

Ooh yes he’s Simon again :DDD

Oh my gosh this is a crazy kind of ending

Oh no I’m scared now.

thanks for the reminder of The Tandem Elephant’s existence man. Okay, so... this is crazy. Simon is back, like for real, he’s not dying or anything... Betty is potentially dead... Finn didn’t die, which is dope... my eyes are watering, definitely not about to cry. I can’t believe it I’m emotional over cartoon show wow. Just knowing I have eight more minutes until it for real is all over. Maybe I’ll just like, watch it again so I can pretend it didn’t end yet? No that’d be fake. I normally don’t even cry in situations where it’d make sense so this is telling for me I guess. These commercials really make me appreciate how good the show I’m watching are. :’D Okay so, I don’t think Magi actually died, although it’s hard to tell really since I didn’t get a good look at her. I have no idea what is about to happen but I am freaking out. 

Ultimate Adventure continues now

Oh wow Betty fused with the crystal boi

Simon and Marcy, reunited for real

Imagine how much it must suck to wake up after so long of being stuck as someone else

I DON’T FEEL SO GOOD. is that a reference... Oooniverse?

Okay so Gunter is the future beard boy I guess.

Oh wow they grew a Fern. and found a new sword. 

YES HE SCREAMED. THE BOY SCREAMSSS!

Thanks for disobeying me Finn

Finn officially has the singular arm. Dope.

Future baby boy has a big beard

Finn and Jake can’t live forever, this is the past yes

Ooh the music hole is here again! Epic callback broos

Ooh the hole sings the End Credits Song oh geez

New Ice King is Gunter, old ICe King is Simon

Ooh nice glimpses of what might become of some of our friends in the future

Ooooh Lemongrab and Jake get along better. 

Aww cute his dad is going to space now

Flame Princess and NEPTR friends forever

Jiggler callback! 

Susan is here!

Normal Man is cool!

Huntress Wizard continues to be fun! 

PB and Marcy are still gay, Pep But is still edgyyyy

THE HUMANS ARE BAAAAAACCCCCKKKK

They found the sword oh glorb! 

OH WOW THEY JUST HINTED AT WHAT A FUTURE ADVENTURE TIME SPINOFF WOULD BE LIKE!

I LOVE THE FACT THAT THEY DIDN’T RESET BUTTON US BUT DIDN’T KILL EVERYBODY OR SOMETHING! 

Okay I have a lot of thoughts... that was a ffinale. It really was. It was not something I got disappointed in because they didn’t wrap up anything. It wasn’t like waiting 10 years for 10 more episodes of a cartoon. It was like epic man. I naerly teared up guys. It didn’t end with a Reset Button like some finales would- Everything Stays, but it still changed. Sorry, this post is too long for anyone to read all the way through, but I still hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the last Adventure Time episode. A zillion out of ten guys.

[theaterwit]

Skittles Commercial The Broadway Musical The Essay

So, this is how I spent my Sunday...

I was up at four am and at the airport by 5:15am.  But WHY?

I had a mission. I was off to meet my friend Tim in NYC.  We were about to see

Yes.  Will Eno wrote a thirty minute Broadway musical that will open and close today. One performance only. 

I’ve known Will for about twelve years and since we just finished working on The Realistic Joneses, it was pretty much a must-see. On the way in, I saw this flyer on the train.

Obviously, I called. “Will my life be transformed by 1:30 PM today?“

Keano:”Very transformed. Your spirit is strong and ready. Believe in yourself”

At 1pm, Tim and I arrive at Town Hall. It's packed.  The line to pick up tickets stretches around the corner. A woman is selling T-shirts outside the theater for $10.  (Oddly, the T-shirts *inside* the theater are $20.) The mood in the room is ... buoyant. I do not know if this is a love of Skittles, an excitement about the difficult-to-get-tickets-for event or a carefully group curated ironic positioning in relation to the event.

I'm pretty amused already, and the gentleman to my left is bouncing with enthusiasm. He's brought his 10 year old daughter. It's the first time he's been at Town Hall since performing as a child dancer in a ballet show 20 years ago. I tell him that Skittles Commercial The Broadway Musical is virtually guaranteed to be the same experience so it's great he gets to share his youth with her. It's her first live musical. I don't know what 10 year old me would have thought was going on. I ask her and she says "I like Skittles, so..." and shrugs.

I look through the program and discover to my delight that the director of this epic is none other than Sarah Benson, the artistic director of Soho Rep, a downtown theatre I have a little bit of a crush on (the theater, not the AD). Someone at DDB Needham is a subversive genius. We may never know who thought this up, but if I ever find out, they'll be the first person I buy a drink for at Soho House.  The second person (if not the same person) is Nathaniel Lawler, the copywriter/lyricist co-credited with Will on the book.

The lights dim with a musical fanfare and we're off.

And the next 30 minutes are freaking hilarious while combining a deep questioning about advertising, the communual ethics of the event itself, and a look at the performative dynamics between the show and the live audience in this hall.

And it's about mortality: death, and what we leave behind.  And Skittles. In three very short acts.

So, what actually happens in Skittles Commercial The Broadway Musical?  It's honestly difficult to describe but here's the plot as detailed as I can recall, and no doubt horribly reductive:

Part I

Several NYC residents are at a bodega before the Super Bowl. One of them is a regular, the others are there to buy contact lens solution or a snack.  No one is there to buy Skittles. The first two minutes are straight up Will Eno. The characters are in a mild and gentle existential crisis. There is a big game, but they are ambivalent toward it. There is no contact lens solution. No one seems likely to leave the store. There is no mention of Skittles, although there are several references to the futility of existence.

Then Michael C. Hall enters in an absolutely genius and ridiculous cat costume. He exudes weary despair and wanders around the store, occasionally slipping into his cat persona and batting at objects on the shelves and cat toys. Everyone on stage is excited and awkward about this celebrity appearance in the bodega.

Michael C. Hall explains that he is doing a Super Bowl commercial. No, not for TV. For the stage. He's feeling like this might be a big mistake and sings a ballad about this ambiguity ("This Might Have been a Bad Idea"). Will he still be respected for participating in such a stunt? Is this the ultimate sell-out? Or—after he tastes a Skittle—a wholehearted endorsement of a product he actually loves and will he become famous for the show we are watching at the moment. Or maybe he has to sing that because we're still in a commercial.

The bodega owner yells "NO!!" and tries to fend off something in the house with a broom. Musical flourish and he returns to the action.

At this point, someone in the audience stands up and interrupts the show to ask a question. (“Actually, a two part statement and a follow up question.”) She's trying to understand what's going on.  Another member interrupts to answer her.  A third person in the balcony complains he can't see anyone who's talking at the moment. A fourth man says this is all very well, but shouldn't we be using this time together in the spirit of the Town Hall and discuss something important, like a national high speed rail system? Multiple audience members get involved. Michael C. Hall gets increasingly impatient with all the interruptions. He's one angry kitty. He says he knew this was a terrible idea and says the show is over.  He walks off. The curtains close. House lights up.  

The interrupting audience members get up and leave, disgruntled, including several who hadn't spoken.  About a minute of silence follows. No one in the audience is talking. I am chortling (quietly).

Part II

House lights dim again, curtains open and the bodega has been replaced with an exterior of the Town Hall, complete with table selling the $10 T-Shirts.  Michael C. Hall (to be clear, I keep repeating his full name because the characters always say it in full) is leaving the theater.  The heckling "audience" from the first part descend on him (including the $10 T-shirt vendor), complaining that he abandoned the show and they didn't get the experience they had hoped for. McH argues that it is only a commercial and they didn't miss anything important. In a Pirandello-esque twist, he reminds them that they are all characters in the commercial anyway so it's all still happening. One of the women argues that she couldn't say anything horrible about Skittles ("they make you sad") because Skittles wouldn't write anything like that for a commercial.  Michael C. Hall replies "Wierdly enough, they did."  

The cast sings "Advertising Ruins Everything".  In despair and fury, they turn on Michael C. Hall and the bodega for betraying them.  They pull the exterior drop aside and rush the bodega owner and his broom, tearing apart the set in a Baccanalian frenzy.

Obviously, they kill Michael C. Hall in a flurry of lights and smoke, which brings us to...

Part III

As the smoke clears, Michael C. Hall reappears over his body, wrapped in white plastic chains in a lovely Jacob Marley/Christmas Carol moment. He's now in the afterlife, where he has a brief conversation with Winston Churchill and an even briefer conversation with Amelia Erhardt. Michael C. Hall is now doomed to walk eternity regretting his life choices. He and the chorus sing "This Definitely Was a Bad Idea".  

They eat Skittles.

End of play. The audience cheers.

While I can't recreate the wit of the thing, I'm hoping this helps everyone get a sense of the essential weirdness and theatricality of the experience. Mars was filming an archival copy, but I honestly hope that they don't release it. Benson, Eno and Hall made an inspired little piece of NYC theater mythology that probably can't be recreated but which I will enjoy recounting for years. It was a delight. Well worth 1400 miles of travel in a single day to see. Plus I didn't have to pretend to care about the Super Bowl, so the day was a win-win for me.

After the audience left, I got a farewell stage shot. Everyone off to Sardi’s for a celebration.

And If you've seen The Realistic Joneses (and if not, why not?), I will leave you with one final crossover thought:

"I like Skittles.  Skittle."

[blackjacketmuses]

frost blue, burnt umber, tea orange, vermillion, coral, bougainvillaea, currant, crimson, mallow, cadmium yellow, anise, new leaf, sanguine, cool grey for you newest muses~

frost blue: does your muse enjoy the snow and cold? or are they the type to enjoy summer more?

Dazai: Dazai hates cold weather. Hates it! He’s too skinny for this he hates being cold, catch him burying himself in six blankets or draping himself dramatically across a space heater. He’s not a fan of sweaty weather, either, but summer is less awful.

Poe: Edgar prefers the snowy season and winter most of all, mostly because it’s the season for blankets and warm drinks and snuggling up in your room to write. And really, ‘strangers stuck in a building during a snowstorm’ is a classic mystery trope and one of his favorites.

burnt umber: how stable is your muse, mentally and/or emotionally?

Dazai: Ahahahaha. Okay, no, he’s actually fairly stable? In a, uh, very specific sort of way. He’s functional, by some description, and not A Mess, but...he’s stable in that we can expect him to keep his cool and not have a meltdown? But he’s definitely not...he’s mentally stable, I’d say, yes, but not emotionally stable. He’s just very good at pretending otherwise.

Poe: Ha, not really? He’s far better now than he was at the bottom of his epic downward spiral, but he’s definitely not the most stable man. Too much anxiety and depression and cripplingly low self-esteem and shyness. 

tea orange: what is something that your muse is fascinated with?

Dazai: Suicide. I mean, besides that, uh. He actually has a fascination with reading about gods and monsters and folk legends? Part of that is absolutely because of Chuuya and Arahabaki, but part of it is a desire to both find something so out of the normal that it might actually kill him, or find an explanation for why he is how he is.

Poe: Cryptography! Word puzzles and ciphers and codes are so neat, and he loves making them and solving them. He’s considering making some to give to Ranpo to try out for a change of pace from mystery solving, but he’s not sure if the other man would be interested...

vermillion: is your muse courageous, or would they consider themselves to be more of a coward?

Dazai: Well, Dazai doesn’t think in terms of courage/cowardice? He has a very utilitarian “if it needs done, it needs done” view of things; no matter what it is, if it’s necessary to do, he’ll do it. More generally, I’m not sure he even can feel genuine fear? He can be concerned or worried or shocked, but real fear is a little beyond him.

Poe: Oh, he absolutely thinks of himself as a coward! He refuses to fight and would much rather just avoid any confrontation altogether, and hates raised voices and loud noises and crowds. (He does however have an extremely high tolerance for spooky/scary things and occult creepiness, he loves that shit, so there is that.)

coral: what is your muse's romantic and sexual orientations?

Dazai: Bisexual biromantic. However, he’s also...I wouldn’t say he’s demisexual or demiromantic, but though he’s absolutely flirtatious on occasion (of late, it’s just a new thing he’s playing around with trying) and has had sex before, it’s not something that he really puts much thought into. Feelings are hard enough to parse without putting romance into it, and he sees sex as more of a way to feel things and as a release more than anything intrinsically tied to romance. He is capable of it, though, it’s just. Complicated to say the least. 

Poe: Edgar is absolutely deeply, deeply asexual, and he’s not very sure about romantic orientation? He has had crushes on a few girls before, but he’s very much also crushing hard on Ranpo. So I’d really put him as biromantic, but still somewhat closeted.

bougainvillaea: would your muse consider themselves as blunt, or do they beat around the bush instead?

Dazai: Ha. He can be vague about things when he wants to be, and he is a lot of the time --- he treats a lot of things as only need-to-know basis, especially his plans --- but when the chips are down he can be pretty brutally blunt.

Poe: He hates being straightforward, it makes him anxious that people will be mad at him, so he’s gotten really good at beating around the bush and talking around things. He is a mystery writer after all.

currant: what's something that absolutely disgusts your muse (can be a person, place, thing, ect)?

Dazai: Waste of life. He’s very pragmatic and efficient and straightforward with all he does, and even if his plans are left mysterious and a little convoluted at times they’re all plotted to get the result as quickly and simply as he can manage; he hates any sort of thing where people die or are hurt for no reason, like how Mori basically threw Oda away, or Mori releasing Q without caring about collateral damage. Can you tell he isn’t a big fan of Mori? He didn’t like him before, but despite him being genuinely devoted to the mafia, his habit of making moves that don’t seem to care about getting people killed who don’t have to get killed has really not helped. 

Poe: Bad writing!! Purposefully bad writing!!! Writing that shows you give zero fucks about the actual characters and plot of your work, just the end goal of whatever you’re writing!! Writers selling out and going paint-by-numbers with their plots because they care more about the money than the work itself!! He’s very passionate about this!!!

crimson: how passionate is your muse about the things they love most?

Dazai: Passion is difficult. I wouldn’t say that he’s passionate about the things he cares about most, even suicide, but he’s devoted. Passion implies a level of emotion that he’s not really capable of experiencing quite as much as most people, but he’s devoted to the things he cares about, so that’s in a way the same thing.

Poe: Super passionate. Mysteries and writing (and to a lesser extent the occult and cryptography) are basically the only things that get him excited and able to actually talk and gesture and get really happy and passionate and vibrant, that really let him come out of his anxious shell and be the huge dramatic dork that he is.

mallow: what sorts of things might remind your muse of those close to them? any scents, objects, sounds?

Dazai: Wine, stupid fancy hats, cats, curry, bourbon and jazz music, schedules, the sound of a chainsaw, butterflies, straw hats, piles of candy, stuffed rabbits or stuffed tigers, a default cellphone ring, black coats, ochazuke.

Poe: Candy, newsboy caps, the smell of grapes and the ocean mixed together, snowglobes and tea, the scratch of a pen on paper, green eyes.

cadmium yellow: what subjects or topics does your muse avoid, because they bring up harmful / painful memories?

Dazai: Don’t talk to him about the mafia, don’t talk to him about Lupin, don’t talk to him about Ango or Odasaku, don’t ask him about his history with Akutagawa or Mori, don’t ask him about why he’s so obsessed with suicide (and expect a straight answer). In fact, he tends to avoid talking about anything from before he joined the ADA as much as he possibly can. He’s started a new life, as far as he’s concerned, and wants the ADA to know as little about who he was then as possible. Not necessarily that he cares if they think less of him, it’s just...he wants to do what he promised Odasaku. He doesn’t want to bring the person he used to be back into this.

Poe: He doesn’t talk about his parents much, and he sure as hell avoids talking about the six years between his defeat at Ranpo’s hands and his arrival in Japan with the Guild. He can give basics to others if necessary, but he doesn’t want to relive that time.

anise: when it comes to self-care, what does your muse do to take care of themselves? do they take care to spend time on it, or do they feel they don't deserve it?

Dazai: What’s self care? His sleep patterns are pretty irregular if he sleeps at all, and he either eats normally or forgets to eat for days at a time, it varies wildly at best. Self care for Dazai is, in all honesty, trying to kill himself. Yes, you can be worried, this is definitely unhealthy.

Poe: Self care is blanket burritos, hot cider or mulled wine, and a good book. He has enough bad days that sometimes this is literally all he can do, and though he’s trying not to drink as much anymore, it still happens.

new leaf: what message would your muse send to their past self, if any

Dazai: He can’t think of anything, and even if he could, it’s not like it’s going to change anything. What’s the point in it? He knows the person he was wouldn’t listen.

Poe: Please don’t give up. If you keep working hard, you’ll see him again and he’ll acknowledge you.

sanguine: does your muse typically have an optimistic, pessimistic, or some middle ground outlook on life?

Dazai: He’s pretty realistic, almost pragmatically so. People are idiots, prone to thinking emotionally, evil people exist and win more than they lose, and life is full of bullshit and things you can’t stop or change even if they suck. But somehow, people still live. People still live, and that’s...probably enough for them. As for personally, it’s....a lot more complicated. 

Poe: He’s pretty pessimistic as a general rule, poor thing.

cool grey: if your muse could ensure one thing for certain in their future to come, what would it be?

Dazai: (manga spoilers) If he could ensure one thing in the future, it would be that the ADA gets their reputation back after they defeat Fyodor and can go back to their usual lives without being hated or chased down or accused of things they’d never do/have never done. He doesn’t care so much about himself, but he wants the rest of the ADA to get their lives back.

Poe: One thing for certain? That none of the people he cares about die or are lost to him. What’s going on right now is scary, and he’s afraid for the people involved in it. (That, or that he gets to keep Ranpo’s respect.)

[inloveandwords]

I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

All of the books I mention in this video can be found and purchased on my storefront here.

  Quiet Girl in a noisy world by Debbie Tung

4 stars

This is a graphic novel that is basically a series of scenarios that will be very relatable to true introverts. I am much more of an extroverted introvert, so there were some things that I didn’t fully relate to, but I totally understood. The illustrations were adorable and I read this book within an hour. I think this book would make a great gift for your introvert friends who don’t get enough love in this noisy world.

Can I Come Over by Whitney G

4 Stars

I saw that a friend of mine on bookstagram was reading a couple of Whitney G novels and this was one of them. It definitely inspired me to pick it up since it was my birthday and her novels tend to be short and sweet – like a little treat on a day of relaxation.

This book had so many great romance tropes happening in it. First of all, the heroine, not unlike Whitney G, is a successful author of short, self-published, steamy romance novels. She joins this sort of pen pal ish service that is supposed to be strictly platonic and starts talking to this guy. At first he’s a douche, but then they work things out. Turns out he is her dad’s good friend. So there is a forbidden and age gap scenario.

I have to be honest, I didn’t love this at first. I really didn’t like the way the hero was talking to our heroine at all and I worried he wouldn’t redeem himself.

He did and I ended up really enjoying this. Whitney G does what few authors can when it comes to steamy novellas: she builds chemistry quickly and crafts a believable romance in otherwise outlandish settings. Her and Katee Robert are my two very favorite short, steamy, romance writers for that reason.

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

5 Stars

I finally did it! I read a Tessa Dare novel and everyone was right. I freaking loved it.

This book is about a woman who is incredibly introverted and to avoid having to do the typical coming out in society thing, she makes up a pretend boyfriend. A Scottish soldier who, it turns out, actually exists.

He has been receiving her letters and learns all about her from them, so when he shows up unexpectedly at the house she inherited because of her fake engagement to him, she’s obviously surprised.

For those who don’t normally like historical romances, I think Tessa Dare is the perfect place to ease your way into the genre. Her heroines aren’t annoyingly innocent and naive. Her books feel modern even though they are not.

This had so many elements of a great romance: fake dating, a little bit of enemies-to-lovers, and an adorable meetcute.

I can’t wait to read more Tessa Dare!

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

5 Stars

This is a coming-of-age memoir about a mixed-race gay teen who eventually finds himself when he discovers drag, written in verse. Obviously I can’t personally speak for the rep in this novel, but I can tell you that it was beautifully written.

I’m a big fan of modern poetry and though I connected a little more with the poetry in The Poet X a little more, I still really liked this one. While I loved the audiobook, I have seen a few pages of the book and I wish I had it as I was reading as well.

I feel like this book is so important for young people to read, to help them see outside of their boxes – or to help them find themselves on page. To help them not feel so alone.

Cherry Magic

4 stars

My very first official manga was gifted to me by my sweet friend, @genkireader, for my birthday. There was definitely a learning curve when it came to reading this. I was messaging her on Instagram with questions like, “Wait, this book is backwards, where do I start? Do I read right to left or left to right?” It was surprisingly more difficult than I expected, but I REALLY enjoyed this book. So much so that I ended up buying a few more of her favorites.

This book was quirky and cute. It’s about a guy who has developed the power to read people’s mind through touch and he thinks it is because he’s a 30yo virgin. He ends up reading the mind of a charasmatic, good-looking guy in his office and discovers that he is attracted to him. So many adorable moments ensue, a ton of over-thinking and awkwardness, but also super sweet, swoony moments, too. I feel like this will speak to any of us who overthink every little thing when we are falling for someone. Especially when it is unexpected.

Thank you, De’Siree for this gift, it was like you gifted me a piece of yourself because I know how much you love these stories. Lovelovelovelovelove.

Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon

3 Stars

This is a cute romance between a buff, tattooed nanny who begins working for a savant young surgeon and mother of two girls.

This book was fine, though I didn’t see anything special about it. Maybe I gave in a little to the hype surrounding it and that was the issue, but mostly the romance was just ok. I felt like it was a little rushed, I wished there was more pining and more of a forbidden aspect to this, but it seemed like they both gave in pretty quickly.

Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittany C Cherry

5 stars

This was a super angsty, emotional story about a girl and a guy who are both dealing with terrible tragedy and find solace in each other. The first night they meet is filled with unbelievable chemistry, it’s almost too good to be true.

And it turns out to be. Because it turns out he is her high school teacher.

The heroine was held back in school because of a medical condition, so she is 19 years old and a senior. He is a young teacher, in his early twenties, so the age gap isn’t really a thing, but it doesn’t make it any less forbidden.

When they realize the situation, it’s heartbreaking because of how intense their first meeting was. A series of super angsty things happen and it’s all very intense, but in the best epic love kind of way.

I was rooting for this couple the entire time, but not only that, I loved the heroine’s relationship with her step siblings even with all that drama.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds

5 Stars

This is a super relevant fictional story that is somewhat reminiscent of The Hating Game.

This is about a boy in the ROTC in high school who is falsely accused of stealing by a racist, hateful police officer who ends up beating him until he is unconscious which stirs protests in his town that is sick of this constantly happening.

Sound familiar?

What’s interesting about this story is how it follows the perspective both of the victim and a white boy that goes to his school who is linked to the police officer.

I was completely invested in this story, while also cautious. I was super curious about how this book would end. Would it be far too optimistic or would it be realistic?

When I finally came to the end, I very much appreciated it. It was hopeful without being naive. It left questions that we still need answers to, but it didn’t feel too unresolved that it leaves you unsettled. I almost took it as… let’s let current events tell us how this story is going to end.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

5 Stars

I read this sweet, heartwarming graphic novel with my girls. They adored it from the very first night we read it before bed.

This story is about a prince who likes to wear dresses and hires, in secret, a dressmaker to make him custom dresses.

I didn’t tell them what it was about, I wanted them to discover it on their own and ask questions as they came up.

Books are an essential parenting tool for me.

The girls begged me every night to keep going. They loved the characters in this book and they were excited to see what was going to happen.

This entire book, but especially the ending was so adorable. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author. Especially if I can share the experience with my girls.

Addicted series books 1 & 1.5 by Krista and Becca Ritchie

5 stars and 4 stars

A lot of my friends have read and loved this series, between that and the premise, I’ve been super excited to read it.

This is about a woman who is a sex addict and her best friend she’s in a fake relationship with who is an alcoholic.

This is a super angsty, dark, gritty series so far with such a strong romance. These are extremely troubled characters who are using their relationship and each other to hide their addictions.

I found this book, ironically enough, addicting to read and I can’t wait to read on in the series.

The second book did seem to drag on a bit, I feel like it could’ve been half as long as it was, but I know it was necessary.

Take a Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

5 Stars

I am absolutely LOVING these Brown sisters books! Chloe’s book was fantastic, but I think this one might be my favorite so far.⁣

⁣

Dani is a smart, independent savvy woman who is not interested in a long term relationship. Zaf is basically the complete opposite.⁣

⁣

The two of them have not had much more than a nice rapport – he’s the security guard at the school she teaches at, until Dani gets trapped in an elevator and Zaf rescues her. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the entire rescue didn’t get caught on film and go viral.⁣

⁣

The “going viral” thing seems to be really popular lately and it’s not normally something I would gravitate towed. Honestly, I tend to prefer if romance novels just pretend that social media didn’t exist. I think it’s tricky including anything involving technology in contemporary romance novels only because things change so rapidly, it’s easy to become outdated.⁣

⁣

However, I didn’t care what this book was about, I knew I was going to read it and fully expected to love it … and I was right.⁣

⁣

As always, Talia’s steamy scenes are SO on point, but more than anything, she writes sweet heroes SO well. I adored Zaf with everything I am. I can’t handle how much I love his side job and that despite being a big guy, he’s a big softie. ⁣

⁣

And, of course, I adored Dani. I love how badass and confident and independent she is, even if it does complicate her relationships.⁣

Becoming by Michelle Obama

5 Stars

I borrowed this on a whim from my library. I’ve been reading a few nonfiction books lately and have enjoyed all that I’ve picked up.⁣

⁣

I have to admit, though, I loved this one the most.⁣

⁣

I didn’t realize Michelle’s father had MS. As soon as she mentioned his symptoms, my stomach dropped and I just KNEW it. It’s always hard for me to read about people who have Multiple Sclerosis, especially nonfiction because I’m always wondering if that will be me and when.⁣⁣

⁣

As a romance reader, I adored Michelle and Obama’s romance. I officially ship them SO hard. Watching their relationship unfold was so satisfying and adorable.⁣

⁣

I’m not a big crier while reading, but I got choked up so many times. When she talked about visiting the VA, when she talked about Sandy Hook… it wasn’t overly dramatic, but it was enough to have me covering my mouth with my hand trying not to cry.⁣

⁣

I’ve always admired this woman, but even more now than I did before learning more about her. ⁣

  Recent Reads: June 14-27 I read a total of 14 books between June 14 & June 27 and there were so many great ones!

[charjo]

Fictional favorites tag game! I was tagged by @aplpaca (forever ago, sorry about that) thank you <3

(pass on to twenty mutuals.)

1. What is your MBTI? INFJ, last time I checked.

2. What is your Hogwarts House? Hufflepuff!

3. Are you a book person or a TV person? They both have their advantages/disadvantages. I can focus better on TV shows rn but i kinda feel like TV shows aren’t living up to their hype nowadays.

4. What is your favorite book series? Cosmere. Cosmere Cosmere Cosmere. Within the Cosmere, Mistborn, probably. actually a lot of the answers for these are gonna be really Cosmere-centric bc that’s my Thing rn

5. What is your favorite TV series/anime? Leverage! I don’t really watch anime.

6. Which fantasy universe would you most like to live in? Cosmere.

7. Favorite character ever: my kneejerk reaction is Vin. because I love Vin. but I love a lot of characters 

8. Character you would like to personally slap in the face: I would suplex Chaos (Leverage) at any given point in time. also Draco Malfoy

9. Character you would like to personally murder: Zane (Mistborn). I would die very quickly but I’d like to at least try... and Amaram. I’d say Sadeas but Adolin did that for me already. lol

10. Character you would gladly intern under: so many. Vin, Sazed, Rey, Eliot Spencer, Kaladin, Rosa Diaz...

11. Character you would totally have tea with: don’t drink tea but I’d like to have a nice chat with Sazed. or Zenyatta. 

12. Character that you feel really needs a hug: all of them except the ones i don’t like

13. Character you love that you would probably hate irl: Ezekiel Jones, from the Librarians. he’s hilarious but I feel like I’d want to punch him if I ever met him without context

14. Character you would realistically be friends with irl: maybe Shallan? I become friends with many witty/sarcastic people, often by accident

15. First character you had a crush on (if any): don’t really get crushes on fictional people, just kind of fixations for a bit

16. Favorite ships: Shakadolin, ReyFinnPoe, Vinlend, Lenily... probably a bunch more but those are the ones that immediately come to mind

17. Series (TV/book) that you feel ended terribly: couldn’t even finish Allegiant, wasn’t super happy with the ending of Harry Potter. 

18. Series (TV/book) that had so much potential but was actually an epic disaster: haven’t watched Iron Fist for obvious reasons but boyyy howdy. Doctor Strange had some great visual effects in the trailer but :/

19. Worst book/movie/TV show you’ve ever read/seen: I did Not like the Giver. read it in elementary school. didn’t like Flowers for Algernon much. Waterland is just kind of strange. other than that I’ve probably repressed the memories of the not great things I have read/watched

20. Favorite book from your childhood: I memorized The Very Hungry Caterpillar at two years old so I could pretend I was reading it to myself. somewhere from 8-10 years old I really loved Grimm’s Fairy Tales. 

21. 3 Favorite Tropes: 'give up all your weapons’ *three minutes of emptying out weapons from every conceivable and inconceivable place where one could hide a weapon*; angry smaller person + p chill taller person; the quiet/nonthreatening person suddenly busts out an awesome sequence, destroying the expectations of the people around them (esp if i don’t see it coming)

22. 3 Most Hated Tropes: i frickin hate love triangles they’re so overdone and overused... I’m so tired of them. polyamory ftw. really don’t like the ‘catty girls that hate each other at first sight’ thing either. also the ‘character dies/character comes back to life’ is just overdone at this point. deaths really don’t mean as much when you know they could be/will be resurrected

23. Scariest thing you’ve ever watched/read: I don’t read/watch a lot of horror/scary stuff, but I tried reading Jurassic Park when I was around eight. got super shaken up about the dinosaurs eating the baby in the first few pages. haven’t picked it up since. love dinosaurs tho.

24. Anything you’d like to recommend? Cosmere (!!!!!!)

25. Would you like any recommendations? HECK FRICKIN YES PLEASE! I can’t promise I’ll get around to reading them in this decade but I love getting recs. no smut please tho

i don’t have that many mutuals so a lot of y’all are getting tagged. @heyyoufriendthere, @call-me-tears, @lyliacs, @annecasap, @theothertardis, @lifelongpotterhead, @idontknownothin, @fenric25, @raggedyradiant, @kingkilling-and-stormlight, @gyornhrathen, @shadowsofselfdoubt, @aurigeae, @the-awkward-math-writer, @spooperheroes-are-my-life, @nerdinadisguse, @hrebekka, @atium, @tchallastoebeans, @endlessvegetables

ik i don’t interact much with y’all (even though you’re lovely people) so feel free to ignore this if you’d like!

[jandjsalmon]

First Lines

I was tagged by lovely and wonderful @javajunkieao3​. THANK you, my dear. 😘

Soooo most of you have absolutely no clue that I used to write - and I used to write a LOT - but then I had a horrible break-up with a writing partner and since then I’ve literally had THE WORST case of writer’s block/destroyed self confidence - so I’ve written very little actual fiction in recent years.

HOWEVER - this is a fun exercise, so I wanted to play anyway but I didn’t choose 20 stories - I’ve written more than that - but a lot of it was written with that writing partner and she sometimes started the fic. 

Rules: Paste the 1st line paragraph of your last 20 stories. Then tag ten of your favourite writers to complete the challenge, too. I’m not gonna tag anyone - because I think I’ve seen a bajillion of you already tagged. But here we go:

Riverdale Fic first lines (Currently the first of three WIPs not finished yet)

Feud Bughead (unpublished and untitled)

It was no secret that maple syrup was the lifeblood of Riverdale. Thicker than blood, more precious than oil, wasn’t that what they said here? To Jughead Jones, this was a ridiculous oversimplification. He was a hard kid to impress after all.

Parmiga Fic - American Love Story  

Taissa hadn’t planned on living this life. For as long as she could remember, she was going to be a veterinarian – not an actress. It wasn’t as though she’d been born ‘in the business’ even with an Oscar nominated older sister. But when Taissa had agreed to do Vera’s movie, everything changed. She’d thought it would just mean a new set of wheels when she finally got her license, but after Sundance, Taissa knew there was no way she could ever go back to the way things were before.

American Horror Story - Keep Away from My Daughter

Ben was a realist but that didn't make things any easier. What he wanted to do was lock Violet away... to scream Keep away from my daughter at the halls and walls and the monster that held them in this House. He knew that an eternity was a long time to hold a grudge but he just hadn't expected his daugher's resolve to weaken so soon. It hadn't even been centuries yet.

Battlestar Galactica - Something (my only attempt at a gen!fic. SO hard!)

They could hear her laugh as they walked through the chain-linked gate. It was the first thing that had made him smile since his father had been transferred there from the Colonial Fleet Headquarters on Picon.

Harry Potter Fics:

Crooked Paths (rare!pair epic - unpublished and super naughty)

Terence Higgs, or Higgs as he preferred to be called, was in a foul mood. After having stormed around the dungeons for a while, his no-good best friend had all but ordered him out of the common room. It wasn't like he would actually come out and curse the little firsties who'd had the gall to talk back, but the threat wasn't hurting anyone, least of all ickle-Malfoy and his little friends.

Victory’s Prize (D/G WWII AU)

Pulling her scratchy wool cloak tighter around her neck, Ginny hurried through the fog toward the park at the far end of Diagon Alley. She’d lost track of time at work and was running late, which was something that normally drove Draco mad. Ginny decided he’d just have to live with it, since it was partially his fault anyway. He was the one who’d encouraged her to join the Ministry and he was the only one who really knew how important her contribution to the war effort was, so he’d just have to forgive her for being fifteen minutes late for their rendezvous.

Choices (D/G my only angsty fic)

Draco was alone when he heard the knock on the solid oak door. It had been raining all day, and the steady cadence hitting the windows had comforted him as he’d been left alone in the dark house. Snape wasn’t due back for hours, so the first thing Draco thought of was, what kind of idiotic wretch would choose to be outside on a night like that.

Close our eyes, pretend to fly (rare!pair fic)

The room was dark, but Greg could still see the silhouette of Tracey's almost naked form beside him as he ran his fingers up and down her side. He wasn't exactly sure how it happened, and it had only been a matter of weeks since they had finally got their heads out of their arses, but Greg was counting every second with her blessed. Things were finally the way they were supposed to be after years of muckitups and almosts.

Grief D/G

“I told you he was still here, Blaise,” Pansy giggled as they came around the corner of the Quidditch stands. They’d been laughing about Draco all afternoon and it seemed that they had more in store from the looks of things. “I didn’t doubt you, Pansy. I’m just appalled that he’d still be in the exact same position we left him in two hours ago.” He grinned at her. “Right embarrassing, that is.”    

Their Time Before (rare!pair fic)

The only reason Lindy Bobbin agreed to pose for Mæja's art class in the first place is because her friend had owled the night before, half-hysterical and sobbing in broken English, certain that she was going to lose her commission at the art school if she didn't find a replacement for the flake of an acting student who was hired to do it.

Much Better D/G (my first somewhat smutty fic)

Draco had her up against the cold stone wall of his chamber. His perfectly manicured hands roamed up her gray pleated skirt to find and play with her damp lacy knickers. She wrapped both of her legs around his waist, leaning against the wall for support while she frantically tried to unbutton his shirt. Groaning as she rubbed herself against the growing bulge in his trousers, he softly carried her to his bed.

Coming Home D/G

He wondered if he’d been forgotten in the cold, blank room that was almost sterile in its emptiness. Draco could feel the blood on his cheek, and he was sure the gash on his forehead was open again. The last thing he wanted was a damn scar.

A Happy Thought (My very first fic and only Harry/Ginny fic)

“Harry looked around. He was a mess. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been lying there unconscious, but if the soft light breaking over the horizon was any indication, it had been a while. Why wasn’t he dead?” 

[evakteket]

Watchlist update!

The usual: When it’s been more than three weeks since a fic was updated we consider it as on hiatus and remove it from the watchlist. Then we sob just a little. However, we don’t cancel our subscriptions and if one of the removed fics gets updated again, we will put it right back on the list.

The usual II: feel free to send us an ask if you have suggestions for fics we should check out!

Update summary:

Completed: 3 Added: 1 Removed: 1

News:

Home Is Wherever I'm With You by @cuteandtwisted NEW

It has to be said, the pining in this travelling AU spanning YEARS is INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. In a good way. Mostly. And well, it's epic and over the top, but it's also moving and heartbreaking and sweet and funny. - immy

Things Look Different in the Morning by allyasavedtheday (@littlespooneven) COMPLETED

Complete, rec here.

The Notion of Falling by smokeshop (@supermansplaining) COMPLETED

Complete, rec here.

I’ll Be Coming Home, Wait For Me by @dahlstrom COMPLETED

Complete, rec here.

Still on the watchlist:

making new clichés by strangetowns (@yousanaisendgame)

This is in its early days, but oh-so promising! It’s another Evak as best friends AU, but it’s incredibly well-written thus far and it has a very realistic, nuanced portrayal of their relationship, which is already just close enough that it has us absolutely stoked for the moment it tips over into feelings too big to ignore. - kit and immy

Checking from Behind by DickAnderton (@wecanjustbreathe)

A slight disclaimer is probably in order here, because I (Kit) am betaing this fic, but I’m too obsessed with it not to rec it. This is a hate-to-love AU, set in my absolute favourite of AU universes–college ice hockey! You don’t need to know anything about the sport to be intrigued by this fic, which definitely isn’t your standard Evak storyline. Warning: Isak and Even both explore relationships with women in this one, so see the author’s notes. -kit

Twice by intothewind (@brokenveinssay) This fake dating/band fic is a delicious addition to the world of Evak AUs, and we’re completely here for it. Isak pretends to be Jonas’s boyfriend, which leads to some borderline Josak/Jovak-esque moments here, and we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t already read that shotgunning scene MULTIPLE TIMES. - kit and immy

the city of illusions, the city of yearning by elisewin (@books-figuero) A different city AU where the slightly older SKAM characters are exchange students in Rome, and where the author obviously knows the city and writes it well. Sweet and humorous so far, with a fair bit of the banter we adore so much in SKAM fics. - kit and immy

A Collection of Even & Isak’s First Kiss AU Shorts by @fandomlimb Just what it says on the tin: first kisses, a different AU in each chapter. Adorable short stories, varying POVs and varying amounts of fluff. - immy

Livredderen by Kudzibisa (Norwegian)

AU where Even is the first to arrive at the scene when Isak has been in a car crash. As usual from Kudzibisa, short clipped chapters keeping the reader on tenterhooks, peppered with beautifully crafted evocative sentences, for those truly blessed people who can read Norwegian. - immy

Livet skjer med meg by neelabrenner (@nilabrenner) (Norwegian) Post season 3 canon divergent story about Isak and Even’s life together, from Even’s POV. So far feelgood and funny and precious, but not without angst and other deep and not always pleasant emotions. Capturing the characters well from Even’s POV. Yes, those who can read Norwegian are indeed truly blessed. - immy

Expect the Unexpected by bri_ness (@brionbroadway)

This Big Brother AU had us at ‘snakesak’, and takes that tag to a whole new level. We’re transfixed by the mix of Big Brother gameplay and manipulation and the genuine interactions between Even and Isak, and we love how this fic feels really fresh while still giving nods to canon and staying in character. This is tagged ‘messy relationships abound’ and we’re totally here for it. - kit and immy

Straight up (series) by (@nofeartina)

From the second work in this series, this is rated explicit… and rightfully so, omg. It’s nearly impossible to say anything useful about this because we’re (hopefully temporarily) not very capable of explressing ourselves beyond vague rambling about “fluffly smut” and “hot” and “holy shit this is hot” and “have we mentioned yet that this is hot”. We’ll let you know when we pick our jaws up off the floor. - kit and immy

a mental archive of love unknown by chevythunder (@icelandcurry)

This fic begins with Even in love with Mikael and moving into the kollektiv with Isak and Linn–a combo we didn’t know we wanted. We’re already loving the angst and the growing friendship between Isak and Even, as well as the dynamic with the balloon squad, whose friendship here is ultimately #goals. Although we all know how this fic is gonna end, this feels like a breath of fresh air, and we can’t wait to read more. - kit and immy

Mental kampsport by Peer (Norwegian)

Starting during Even's depressive episode in S3 and being told from Even's POV, this is an unforgettably beautiful and moving story. Every bit of it feels true to Even and the SKAM universe, while also bringing a feeling of fresh new perspectives to the table. Only in Norwegian, unfortunately, but if you can read that you should definitely read this. - immy

The Weight of Us by verlore_poplap (@mimi-fics)

This is a very interesting fic, in part because it’s so different to a lot of the stuff in the fandom so far. Isak and Even meet when they’re older, and in serious relationships with Emma and Sonja–in case alarm bells are ringing, yes, Isak and Emma are together, but the author uses the context of their relationship to explore what would have happened if he’d repressed his sexuality, which I think is very cool. The author also treats Emma very fairly. The fic has a few minor niggles–Isak, for example, at one point performs a super rare kind of heart surgery–but overall this fic has me really intrigued, and I can’t wait to read the rest. - kit

Stupid Cupid by BluebeardsWife … an AU with Isak as Eros evicted from Olympos and Even as, well, something supernatural not yet revealed (but based on his choice in films I can guess)? Oh yes. It’s well written and so far it’s really funny, but the tags hint of angst to come. - immy

[punchdrunkdoc]

Arrow’s storytelling problems

I was originally going to tack this onto a response to an excellent piece by @eilowyn1 but it became SUPER long and I didn’t want to hijack her post. (But you should definitely read her thoughts, as my post is still in direct response to it. It’s also just a great read from the perspective of an aspiring screen writer). 

Now, I’ve never had ambitions to be a screenwriter but the process of constructing a story fascinates me, and I’ve had a lot of thoughts about Arrow’s narrative issues for a while now. I guess today was the day to let them out.

Point 1:

This concerns the serialised vs semi-serialised TV structures @eilowyn1 mentioned:

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer, like The X-Files and Supernatural, is semi-serialized, and this is why I think it’s more successful: there is an ongoing, season-long arc (the “mythology” episodes on The X-Files), but there are also character-driven one-shots that deal with a monster-of-the-week that usually helps reveal things about the characters you wouldn’t get to explore if you were going for non-stop plot.”

I was a BIG X-Phile back in the day and, I believe (correct me if I’m wrong), it was the first show to adopt this type of structure. It revolutionised long form TV storytelling structure - a structure which I think Arrow tries to emulate in a way, with their ‘Big Bads’.

They were somewhat successful in S1 and S2 - the two seasons in which the storytelling felt tight, organic and relatively well-plotted.  

Season 1

It slowly became clear that there was an underlying conspiracy linking certain people and events to a mysterious ‘Undertaking’. Solving the mystery of this undertaking then became a parallel goal running alongside the ‘monster of the week (MOTW)’ takedowns and it all came to a head towards the end of the season.

This was the closest Arrow has ever come to the X-Files mytharc, and it actually has quite a few parallels; the conspiracy tangentially involved Oliver via his own tragedy (being on the island and losing his father vs Mulder’s sister being abducted) and his parent’s collusion (also similar to Mulder). But the undertaking (like the Alien mytharc) wasn’t happening as a direct consequence of the main protagonist - it was a decades-long plot that he stumbled upon, and decided to stop. This, I think, was crucial to its success. It’s why you can realistically go several episodes focusing on MOTW without directly dealing with the conspiracy; the architects of the conspiracy aren’t spending all their time plotting against the hero, they’re too caught up in their own machinations.

Season 2

There was a similar underlying conspiracy linking certain events and people, but this time it was orchestrated by Slade as a revenge-plot DIRECTLY against Oliver. Even though this goes against what I said above, it was still somewhat successful, because the reveal happened quite late in the show, and we were fully invested in this plot because the show had taken the time to introduce the character and build his relationship with Oliver. Also (and this is just from memory, so may be wrong), it felt like once the Slade reveal happened, the rest of the season was pretty much dedicated to stopping him.

In season 4 and 5, the writers tried to recreate these two formulas, but without the same success. (I’m going to ignore Season 3 because that was just a giant mess in terms of the season long mytharc/big bad).

Season 4: They tried the season 1 formula; you had a Machiavellian BigBad intent on his years-long plot of villainy, which Oliver tried to stop. Oliver was not the direct target, but was tangentially involved because of his links to LOA. 

But, the reason season 4 failed was because they introduced Damien Darhk as the (super powerful) BigBad FAR TOO EARLY. The writers then had to twist themselves into narrative knots to explain A) how Oliver and the team could waste time on MOTW storylines that had nothing to do with DD and his plot for world domination and B) why DD didn’t just kill Oliver in episode 4x01. Remember DD’s magnanimous ‘time out’? And how the team destroyed the totem halfway through the season, then had to rebuild it for plot purposes?

EPIC FAIL!

Season 5: This is recapitulating season 2′s formula; a BigBad from Oliver’s past who is intent on revenge. But, again, they introduced him and his motivations far too early and (unlike Slade) they haven’t given us a reason to care - we don’t know Prometheus or the father that (supposedly) sparked off this crusade. Now, the writers may bait and switch later in the season (there seems to be a reason he hasn’t been unmasked) but at present, his back story is supremely uninteresting. Another reason this season is failing in terms of plot and pacing, is that the writers aren’t even TRYING to come up with a reason why the team can ignore Prometheus (and he can ignore the team) from week-to-week while they deal with MOTWs. He’s conveniently leaving them alone while Oliver hunts for birds and fights aliens.

I know there are still 9 episodes left, but this season long arc already feels like an EPIC FAIL!

The writers are PROFESSIONALS! They are being paid to create this! And yet, I’ve read better plotted fanfic. It’s so frustrating!!

Point 2:

Based on this quote: “Arrow doesn’t have one-off episodes to focus on character building. It doesn’t have wacky meta episodes like Supernatural, it doesn’t have concept episodes like The X-Files and it doesn’t have madcap absurdist comedy episodes like Buffy.All of this, I think, is to Arrow’s detriment.”

THIS!!

This is an incredibly wasted opportunity on a COMIC BOOK SHOW! The X-files managed to do it, and that was a MUCH more grounded, serious show. Arrow is about frickin’ superheroes! Characters run around in masks and leather and fight crime with magic rags and super-powered screams! There were even aliens this year. ALIENS!!

So why is the storytelling so god-damn conventional? I know the show started as gritty and dark and ‘realistic’ but we’re a long way from that now (no matter how ‘back-to-basics’ they pretend to be - need I mention ‘Aliens’ again?)

Why can’t they embrace their ridiculousness a bit more and have fun with their structure?

Give me a bottle-episode, where OTA are trapped in an abandoned, bomb-ridden building for the entire 43 minutes and must use their combined talents to escape. 

Give me an amnesia episode where they all wake up in the lair with no memory of each other, and have to work out their connections and purpose

Give me a ‘Bad Blood’ episode, where Oliver and Felicity tell conflicting stories to Digg about a botched mission. 

Give me an episode entirely from the point of view of a BigBad’s henchman as he tries to do his job while that annoying Green Arrow guy keeps getting in the way

Or from the point of view of Green Arrow’s biggest fangirl or unofficial biographer while he tries to rescue them

Give me a proper ‘Small Potatoes’-style Human Target farce

Give me a ‘Cops’-style episode where all the episode footage is shot by Star City residents on their cellphones 

Hell, embrace Flashpoint for real and give me Earth2 Digg and Felicity interacting with the team

The X-files was a serious show, with death and cancer and abductions, but they still had episodes which were pure comedic relief. And it worked! 

Why can’t it work in a universe that has time travel and magic? Does a comic book show need to be so conventional?

So those were my thoughts - criticisms really. And it’s not just because I’m in a negative space with the show in general. These are thoughts I’ve had since well before season 5, and it comes from a place of frustration more than bitterness. Because I’ve always felt Arrow had the potential to be SO MUCH MORE than what it has turned out to be.

And that’s a shame.

P.s. Feel free to add on your wacky episode wishlist - I’d love to hear them!