#that being said!!!! it's honestly a very touching show with a really good cast of characters and i love them alllllll so much

[littlepetbee]

okay you guys ready for this Cancelable post? so my sister started watching 911 a few weeks back and i was like hey what the hell and decided to see what all the buzz was about aaaand. we're 4 seasons in and i gotta get this off my chest: the whole b*ddie thing is genuinely baffling to me. i'm sorry, i'm so sorry, i support you guys and i'm glad you're having fun but. I See Nothing. this is like st*rek all over again except even st*rek had more going on. I'M SORRY. i realize that i'm only about halfway through the show though so maybe some Developments happen?? idk. i'm willing to be proved wrong and eat my words, but i just need you guys to know that i've actually loved this show so much more than i thought i would and zero of that is because of the best buddies (badum tss)

[beemochi-art]

Kaaaahhh!! *falls & eats the curb and drops all of my chaos Terran doodles.* BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING I KNOW CARS ISN’T DREAMWORKS!! I already got erm actually-ed. Spitfire and Am my poor doomed kids.

For both their designs I took a lil spin on it. For Am this the way I like to draw him. He acts gross so now he can look gross. He also doesn’t look baby in the show so meh, No further comments.

For Spitfire I gave her features that make look stronger and meaner even tho she’s mostly supposed to look just like Twitch. To me there is no point in drawing her just like twitch because the evil twin thing can be ruled out because they are completely different colors and they also went with the body swap thing. So I think making her look stockier and emo is more fun. I should draw a side-by-side comparison sometime.

Spoiler S2 rant* I get a little bit into delulu land so bear with me.

Jokes aside. I liked the chaos Terrans and the way they were handled wasn’t right. I hope they are able to make a comeback In the future and get redeemed because they deserve it. I feel really bad for them. It’s like they were labeled as Chaos and not to be trusted from the beginning I don’t think anyone truly understood them. I get that the chaos Terrans had wronged the Malto’s multiple times from the start but I think the way they went about handling them was so laxed. They just let the decepticons have them so they could be further influenced into the wrong path. It’s like they were doomed from the start.

After all they were just kids. I’ve been labeled as the bad, dumb, asshole kid before. Most of my school days I was in special ED and I was also pretty high energy too. So I can relate, if you are already labeled as bad or dumb why try to be anything else? Or trying to be cool and hanging around the wrong crowd just to be taken advantage of in the end.

They weren’t completely chaos either. They listened to the Decepticons. Following orders till the very end, if they were chaotic like their name implying would they just not listen to anyone and do whatever they wanted without any care of anyone else? Here’s what I think. The chaos Terrans (mostly Spitfire.) we’re trying to impress what they perceived as the cooler badder bots. That’s some kid shit, most kids try to get in with the group of cool kids. Why not stay with the Maltos? Cause that’s not cool to them. Do you want to hang out with the teachers pet or steal and break shit.

In defense of Aftermath. He’s capable of playing nice, he’s not evil. Him and Jb had a relatively good day with each other. He didn’t out right attack on sight. I think he took the water cause he didn’t want to seem like a looser in his heavily flawed mindset. Am is more of an impediment of Chaos, he just smashes and breaks shit cause he can. Honestly I think if you him just take him to a rage room he’d be fine.

In defense of Spitfire (who is a wayy more complicated case.) She was literally born that morning how was she supposed to know not hurting humans was an autobot rule. I think deep down she was jealous of Twitch’s family and opportunities. She has a competitive spirit and I think she wanted that mission to impress the bigger bots (even if she was rude to them.) when she was in Twitch’s body and said things like Chaos Terrans are bad and not to be trusted I wound if she was projecting what she thought they were thinking about her already. When she was cast out and went with the decepticons was they don’t like me and they don’t like you either so I’ll just hang with you guys. With that being said she’s naive too (it’s fine BECAUSE SHES A KID.) see the way starscream tells her good job or touches her shoulder, she wants his approval and to make him just like all kids with their parents. And then when she is ultimately betrayed, she’s a deer in headlights, shocked and afraid, probably realizing that she provided the weapon needed to killer her and her brother. She looked up to Starscream. Showing her fear and shock by being betrayed like that really showed us that Spitfire is so much more than just a bad guy. It really made me sad when she was screaming and saying no, god she needed help.

None of the chaos Terrans had gotten the opportunity to really learn or get to find something they like to do. The other Terrans had plenty of time to think about an alt mode, learn lessons get nurtured and cared for. The chaos Terrans had to get their alt modes immediately both out of necessity. Most of the time Am was just wandering around bored, he wasn’t being nurtured or taught anything. The cons didn’t care about them at all, neither did the autobots or Maltos that much. 

Saying Chaos Terrans are going to chaos or decepticons are gonna do what they do. Is super incorrect. It’s just labeling and not expecting anything more from these individuals which goes against the entire point of season one.

HOLY CRAP IF YOU READ ALL THIS. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Hopefully Some of this made sense.

[the-s1lly-corner]

tadc cast with a s/o who hates touch.

BUT when they finally get comfortable with the characters they get soooo touchy (as in hugs ,hand holding etc)

Sorry if i didnt make myself clear

And thank you for your work!! ;)

TADC cast x reader who's warming up to touch!

So sorry for taking so long to get to this anon <\3!! I recently went back to writing on mobile due to back pain from sitting at my computer and it's really done a number on my efficiency <\3

That said I hope you enjoy!

Side note does anyone know any tips on how to soothe sore throats? Preferably not with honey because honey naoes my throat swell and itch 😭😭

This post ended up being waaaaaay longer than I first intended so I hope yall are ready to eat up

LAST MINUTE NOTE I misread/misinterpreted this as "reader finally taking a step towards initiating affection for the first time" and not "they're already comfortable and LOVE touch" I am so so dumb but I already have this written <\3 I hope you enjoy this regardless anon 😭😭😭

CAINE:

I think Caine would struggle with the no touching thing especially since I see him being very affectionate both verbally and physically. That said I do think he eventually gets the hang of it and stops himself from throwing his arms around you for a hug... he amps up the verbal affirmations to make up for it though! He doesnt wanna make you unhappy so hes gonna respect your boundaries and take things slow!

As for when you start easing yourself into it, I think he would try to not make a big deal out of it, as not to risk embarrassing you. As someone who doesnt like touch as well as being hesitant to initiate it, I think I wouldnt want a big hoorah about it you know? But that's just me

He does subtly know hes proud of you for being able to take that step, even if you two are only holding hands via linking your pinkies together

POMNI:

I dont think pomni would be crazy about touch imo, she seems like the type to seize up when you touch her without warning. And I'm not saying that as something to be ashamed of because honestly me too. So I think this is one where you both need to have heavy communication in order to push past that and get used to touching one another ! Team work makes the dream work or however the saying goes

That said imagine you two grab each others hands bc something startles you/you both run from something (be it a prank from jax or an IHA or an abstracted) and you both just

Stare down at your interlocked hands. Experimentally squeezing each other before both relaxing into it

I think that would be a cute idea

RAGATHA:

Just like caine she is so so understanding. But unlike caine, she doesnt struggle all that much with trying go restrain from giving you physical affection. Ragatha naturally shows her love through quality time and gift giving, so she doesnt often feel the urge to wrap her arms around you, much less unprompted. Especially with your discomfort in mind

In the event that you come over to her, maybe lay your head on her shoulder while shes reading, I think she would stiffen up a little out of surprise, before gently leaning her heads against yours. Its nice, its quiet, and its comfortable. You two both peacefully exist like that for a while... good thing you guys probably dont have organs because ragathas heart would be pounding so fast, shes just so proud of you that the adrenaline kind of gets to her

JAX:

I think this might be the main one where there may be conflict.

Not because jax belittles your discomfort or tries to push the boundaries. No, I dont think he would, especially when you two get serious. Like would he probably poke you in the beginning before realizing it genuinely brings great discomfort? Yes. Would he stop when he finds out it's an issue for you? Also yes. Again, hes an asshole but I dont think he would be outright ab*sive

No, the reason why I think kay there may be conflict is because behind closed doors, jax can be very clingy and physically touchy, he would want to lay on top of you and hold you and that kind of stuff. That one ask with clingy jax hcs changed me

I think, if you ever try to initiate touch first he would say something kind of mean before he can stop himself. "About time" or something. Like he means it lightheartedly but like. He immediately regrets it, especially since that can just be so... eidkcmc.. when you're trying to come out of your shell in regards to something

Easily has the worst reaction, make him sleep on the metaphorical couch

I think he would do anything to fix that though, you're his lil bun afterall

KINGER:

Kinger is big on touch, he likes handholding and putting his hand on your shoulder. But ultimately he would respect you and not touch you.. honestly kinger can be the same way depending on the day. Either he hates touch and doesnt want anyone or anything touching him, or he needs to be held in order to keep his mind set straight. Poor guy. He just like me frfr.

Honestly gets a little spooked when you gently set your head on his lap, announcing you're going to take a nap while you two hang out in the pillow fort. Kind of gives a soft and surprised "oh!" Before going as still as a statue. Does he stay put? Does he run his hand through your hair? Does he keep up his bug ramble? Does he pipe down?

Ultimately he sits there quietly while you sleep

Expects that to be a one time thing, but he notices you're slowly becoming more physically affectionate. He outwardly shows his support and pride for you

ZOOBLE:

Another one who doesnt really like touch, but instead of it being a discomfort it's just a "I dont like it" thing you know? I mean what did you expect? Zooble doesnt interact much with people unless they're forced to, so it makes sense that touch isnt their thing. So this actually works out very well for you two.

Just like the pomni segment, you guys are going to have to do a lot of communication in regards to introducing stuff like cuddling and hand holding ect into the relationship and finding what works for you while keeping both parties satisfied. I think in the end zooble would be supportive, and even try to esse themselves into the whole thing. So you dont have to do it alone, you know?

GANGLE:

Honestly I think shes too shy and/or unconfident to initiate physical affection herself so the topic never really came up. Which... is a bit odd since it regards a comfort thing for you as well as gangle possibly thinking that you dont enjoy her company; assuming you never really tell her that touch brings you discomfort

But because we love healthy stuff here, let's assume you guys set down boundaries and stuff before getting together

I still think gangle would have some teeny tiny feeling that they arent the best for you. She knows its unfair to think that for both of you, but like. Its one of those nagging mean voices we all have/get at some point, you know?

Probably lets out a little squeak when you slowly wrap one of her arms around your hand and wrist. Kind of just stands there frozen. Too scared to speak up or move, fearing she would ruin the moment

Honestly I think gangle isnt used to touch (that isnt neutral or in passing), so this is going to be a little experience for her. You're both in this together now, basically

[buffyfan145]

The s2 "Rings of Power" finale was great!!! 😀 A lot happened that I expected, and actually was leaked again, but still had some surprises too. Overall, I really enjoyed the season and what we got, including for Haladriel. All the spoilery things behind a cut, but also we're getting great interviews with the cast/writers now too with more insight, especially from Charlie, and about s3 and I'm so excited for that even if we likely have to wait 2 years again. LOL But so much to talk about.

Have to start with Haladriel and honestly I'm totally fine with what we got. I know wanted more but again I had low expectations for the season and we got so much more than I expected. This finale did confirm to me that Sauron does love her, but it's now twisted like a lot of other enemies to lovers ships. They had him tell her back in Halbrand form that again he didn't lie about everything and that what he felt and they had was real. He also again told her about how they do have things in common and she felt it too. Then about how he was going to have her as queen and that he was going to serve her had she said yes. Also being happy to see Nenya and how beautiful it was, even though like an angry ex-fiance/husband he wanted it back. LOL Seems to confirm that in the show he and Celebrimbor designed it for her. Then even though he stabbed her with the crown it was in the shoulder and he even told her he didn't want to kill her. I'm also certain he helped slow her fall (which was part of a now true leak a few days ago about Galadriel jumping and Gil Galad & Elrond healing her) as he was shocked she jumped off the cliff and a fall from that height would've killed her instantly. They showed mostly her falling and didn't show him after he first reached for her, so that seems intentional.

Plus, I agree with others that she likely isn't fully healed from Morgoth's crown stab wound either and that it'll connect her further to Sauron. I noticed she kept touching it and was still weak and recovering. And we got to see Sauron talking with her telepathically now too. Charlie also in interviews this morning brought up how there will be more with Sauron and Galadriel too and that he never wanted her dead. We all knows this fits with the books too and he never stops trying to contact her and see her till the One Ring is destroyed by Frodo, so we're going to get more and show that this is one of the big dynamics of shows.

Also loved seeing Morfydd and Charlie hug and laugh in that bts video after the episode aired too. Those scenes had to have been hard to film, and with Charles Edwards too.

Still so sad about Celebrimbor even though I knew it was coming from the books. Loved though that he foresaw about Frodo too and the One Ring being Sauron's downfall, including that he would never go to Valinor again and being a prisoner in Middle Earth as that is exactly what happened as he's supposedly still stuck as a formless spirit to this day for those that think Middle Earth turned into our world. Really hope at least both the Charlies get Emmy awards as they deserve it.

Very happy they finally confirmed that The Stranger is Gandalf!!! 😀 I figured he was this whole time and now it's finally out there. Curious what will happen for him next and for Nori, as I saw the writers say she'll be on her own journey in s3 too. They writers also confirmed now The Dark Wizard is not Saruman, so he's likely the first Blue Wizard that went evil. So likely Saruman, Radagast, and the 2nd Blue will show up too.

Then happy Arondir is still alive, Elrond realized the rings are good, and the elves founded Imladris/Rivendell and are starting the war on Sauron. Also loved Isildur and Estrid kissed, and that was the most passionate kiss I've ever seen on the show so far. Was hoping Elendil and Miriel would kiss too but loved she gave him Narsil, and he's on his way to find his other son Anarion, who I still wonder if Tom Taylor is playing as his agency is still tagging him on posts and maybe the show cut his scenes till s3. Adar's death was so well done too and I'm glad Nenya healed him too and he was able to reconcile with Galadriel before that. Loved Durin III realized the rings were bad too and went after the balrog to save the others. Now Durin IV is king and his brother is coming to dispute it, which might be another reason they hired a writer from "The Crown" for s3.

I can't wait for s3 and already have seen Charlie teasing that him giving out the 9 is the main storyline for him. I still think he'll switch back to Halbrand or a more regal form of him to recruit the 9 men to his side. He also teased about making the One Ring but isn't sure yet when that happens and if it happens before Sauron goes to Numenor or after. And we know Numenor will be a huge part now that Isildur is going back and Elendil & Anarion will lead the Faithful. Hoping too Galadriel gets more screentime too and Morfydd's schedule is clear so her other projects don't interfere like this time, and since there is a gap in her storyline in the books that the show could add to. And I've got some fics ideas and I'm sure we'll get a lot of fan content till it's finally back.

[what-is-it-to-be-pk-esque]

Welp I did it y'all, I met half of the main BG3 cast! Everyone was super kind of course, very chill too. Lines weren't bad at all, probably because it was an anime con? Which is great planning on my part haha. The longest line for me was Neil's (ofc), at only 1 hr and a few minutes to wait

Here's what I got signed:

I have to admit I was hella nervous and wasn't planning to see them on Day 1 when I was jetlagged and not super made up, but we finally mustered up the courage to talk to them starting with Lae'zel's VA Devora Wilde. Dev loved my partner's nails and recognized the leather underwear lol, she was like ":O is that her thingy--!?". She also gave us very British compliments when we first walked up (which I can't remember what it was now ofc), and I was like "you too! You look amazing!" And she really did, from what I can tell she always is very gorg and glam <3 She was like 🥺 when she saw our prints. She looked at them for a bit, admiring the prints, and asked if this was the scene at the end where she leaves on the dragon and I said "yeah, this was the scene where your acting as Lae'zel made me cry in my game!" which I think she was flattered by, and my partner mentioned that in their game their character was a githyanki who went with Lae'zel, and I think Dev realized that was the "bad ending" and made a jokingly horrified face haha. Anyway she seemed very touched by our interaction and called us "true Lae'zel fans" 💞 I think it went really well and she probably doesn't get many people who are really into Lae'zel coming up to chat, so it was probably a nice change of pace

Next we saw Theo, who was telling a story to the guy in front of me so I heard it too, which was about how he already knew the VA for Mizora, Tammy, so one day he was going to the studio to record, said hi to her, asked her who she was playing and she pointed to Mizora behind Wyll on the poster so he was like "wait, no. You're my enemy!?" Anyway he was super chill, we chatted about the con a bit. Theo was also very impressed and told me I had "the best hair" at the con when he saw me haha. He said it'll be jam packed tomorrow (Saturday), but I think since the venue was so large it wasn't too bad by then. When I showed him my print from my game he was like "Spoiler! I haven't gotten here yet!" and I was like "oops!" and we joked about spoiling it for him, but he wasn't being serious, and said he can't wait to get there, noting how Karlach and Wyll make a cute couple. I was like "you record lines out of order, yeah?" and he confirmed, talking about how sometimes he'll hear a line Wyll says and he doesn't remember saying it, but I mean, clearly he did haha. Anyway he was super relatable and easy to talk to, really enjoyed chatting with him and I look forward to popping into his streams.

Jennifer and Aliona were very sweet, Jen of course commented on my hair too, and I think Aliona walked away for a min to grab a snack cause Jen grabbed a quick bite of something and apologized to me right after, sheepishly noting that they don't get breaks 😭 but it was totally fine and I was patient & understood. I was only having Jennifer sign because it was getting expensive 😬 so it was also no biggie that Aliona used that opportunity to take a break. I complimented Jen's nails, which were a super cute blue and pink with sparkles pattern, and apparently it was an Arcane reference? She asked me if I'd seen it, I told her "no, it's on my list," but she was like "oh, it's really good you've got to see it!" then as we said our goodbyes she was like "promise me you'll watch it - Shadowheart demands you watch it!" lol so I guess I'll watch sooner rather than later haha.

I chatted a bit with someone before I got to Neil, I believe it was Blue from his streams/discord? Which I have been hesitant to watch or participate in to avoid ruining my BG3 immersion, but I will now since honestly they all seem like normal people and are nothing like their characters imo. It'd be weird to hear the "character voice" saying too much OOC haha. Anyway Blue was very nice, asking about my Tav while we waited and impressed by the handmade Darkmoons earrings I was wearing which were the same as my Tav's 💖

Neil was very sweet; I walked up and he was like "wow, your hair," and I complimented him on his nails, which were like a pretty black/silver/blue? color, and he seemed genuinely flattered (idk anymore, all of it was a blur - I imagine most dudes don't get nail compliments so I like to give em out when I see it). He saw my print and was like "oh I see it's true love then" lol and I was like "yeahhhh" and mentioned that Astarion was my favorite. He asked what we were writing and I said "it's time to try living again" to which he responded "that's a good one." I also told him that I've played for 1400 hours and he was shocked, he was like "1400?" And I elaborated saying since Feb I've played it in like all of my free time when not working and he was still very shocked, like "since feburary!?" I was like "I know, I'm crazy" lol. But I told him thank you for all his hard work and that I use freecam to zoom out and see all his mocap, which was so well done, and he was very appreciative of that. He seemed pretty tired and jetlagged himself, stretching before the pic, and very sincerely respectfully asked me if it was okay to put his arm around me for it, which of course it was. We did a selfie and it's probs obvious I was nervous but I tried to relax and look natural for the pic (the attendant takes it so.. not really a selfie but whatevs). I saw him giving hugs before it was my turn, so as he was about to say bye I asked him for one and he agreed. I said afterwards to him "you're so nice!" And he did his usual peace/bow before turning to the next person in line. Also, I was still so short next to him even in my 4in heels, he literally had to bend down to hug me 😭

Orin's VA was there and I considered meeting Maggie too, but I didn't realize she'd be there until the last min before my trip and I felt weird about going up to say hi without buying anything 😭 I could have gotten an art print I suppose? But as I said, it was getting expensive, and I wasn't familiar with Lady Dimitrescu outside of memes

I did have a strong temptation to go back and chitchat if their lines were empty, but I felt weird about doing that without paying for something cause like, it's probably a bit of a faux pax right? Just seemed like it might be awkward even though it would be fun to discuss what their process was or what it was like to record and do mocap etc etc

Anyway on Saturday I wore my Tav eye makeup and we saw the BG3 panel, which was mostly silly and not very informative, but I guess after a year of doing these they've gotten a bit more chaotic haha

There was also a Baldur's Gate 3 themed photoshoot area that we took pics in front of, and Sungwon Cho, ProZD was also there, so we went up to say hi and let him know that we love his comedy and quote several of his skits almost daily. He was like "I'm honored" and asked us if we wanted a pic, which of course we did. I felt a little bad that I didn't know his actual VA work that well since I'm guessing he'd prefer that, but what do I know 😅

Anyway all in all a good time! Not bad for the first con in 15 years, maybe I'll go to another one if the cast comes to the SF bay area or if Gale and Karlach's or any of the extended cast come to Norcal

[maybeimamuppet]

OKAY MUPPETS IT IS TIIIIME FOR EZZYS OPINION HOUR

i saw the mean girls movie yesterday and i have THOUGHTS. spoilers below the cut but general thoughts up here

1. is it objectively not a super great movie? yes

2. is it my new favorite movie? yes

3. will i defend this movie tooth and nail from people who don’t like it just bc it’s a musical or bc they’re a 2004 purist? YES

4. did this movie make me feel so many conflicting emotions back to back i have now had a tummyache for 24 hours? YESSS

5. will i ever, ever, EVER IN MY LIFE forgive tina fey for the ending? no.

alright babes welcome to below the elementary school gym class parachute

last spoiler warning!!

these aren’t all in order and are most definitely not all the thoughts i had bc i have the memory storage of a flea and once an experience is over it is GONE FROM MY HEAD so this is the list of thoughts i struggled to put together when i got home lmao

overall thoughts:

it felt very gimmicky. the stage production felt gimmicky too but in a fun way, this was gimmicky in a way that kinda gave me a touch of the ick

it did not feel to me very much like a cohesive movie. it felt like browsing ig or tiktok and just seeing a hodgepodge of scenes stuck together. which is a cool idea but idk how well it worked in practice and i also don’t know if it was intentional.

this is not the word i’m looking for but in terms of personality they absolutely whitewashed all of the characters and i really don’t care for that. the visuals and the casting were so immaculate but in terms of personality they just made them all taste like unsweetened corn flakes.

i’m biased and didn’t care for most of the tweaks they made to the songs individually BUT i think they blended with each other more cohesively than they do in the stage production so that was cool. and i am able to understand why they made them more pop-esque than theatre-y it’s just not my personal vibe

it all felt very emma watson’s beauty and the beast. like. not deserving of much hate but also just not as good. it has its time and place but i still just. the changes they made were too much for me. that being said i am gonna be the #1 viewer whenever it’s released to streaming platforms was not kidding when i said this is a new favorite movie

the whole like. tiktok and iphone camera thing was an interesting??? idea. i really liked it for cautionary tale but the rest. i think it was a better idea than the way they executed it.

i miss do this thing!! i wish they had done like a mashup with it and the stupid with love reprise but i wasn’t mad at the reprise so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

fourth wall break was real cringe!!

thoughts abt cady:

angourie is so cute!!!!!!! she has the perfect look for cady. her costumes were kinda yikes but physically she’s mwah chefs kiss perfection

cady is so viscerally autistic in this version and it is DELIGHTFUL

but again i feel like they took so much from her. in the show she’s this overexcited little bubbly (autistic again but still) thing and she’s naive and then it’s revealed she’s conniving and manipulative and has this serious dark streak in her. in the movie it felt like she was just. awkward and then straight to conniving and manipulative. it was interesting but i miss my little jumping bean i wish they had given her some more spice

this movie has turned me into a cadina shipper of THE HIGHEST ORDER i’m already writing a fic for them and i call diiiiibs nobody else do it i write slow /j

i honestly really liked what ifs. i didn’t enjoy it as much as it roars but i think for the screen and for angourie’s voice it was a better fit. and i think it blended better with the new versions of the songs than it roars would have. not mad at it and the staging of it was really cool

cady being the one with a single parent is so interesting to me!! idk why they did that but i think it’s interesting. makes me wonder what happened to her dad but also go mom!!! women in stem!!!

her relationship with the art freaks was so???? weird??? it seemed like damian was the only one who really wanted all of them to be friends. i love this version of janis and damian together but when they were with cady it was all just so BLAND. it didn’t really feel like she and janis were friends at all which is what’s supposed to make the betrayal sting so much

whatever they were aiming for with someone gets hurt they missed hard bc holy cadina batman that shits gay dude BUT THE STAGING WAS SO COOL with everyone like frozen and then they all kick back in all crazy with the music it was great

janis thoughts:

THEY FUCKING RUINED HEEEEEEEER

AULI’I WAS SO PERFECT SHE WAS SO CUTE AND HER OUTFITS ARE SO COOL BUT THEY JUST TOOK AWAY ALL OF HER PERSONALITY

janis is supposed to be spunky and angry and hurt and vengeful and quirky and out there and firey and she’s meant to HAVE GRIT GOTDANGIT but again she just felt so whitewashed. like here’s a vaguely leftist lesbian in ripped jeans and cool eyeshadow that’s janis right?? LIKE NO IT IS NOT

i’d rather be me, while it had a little less vocal oomph behind it than the stage show, was as transcendent as i hoped for and i got chills multiple times. also the comedic timing of the bus was immaculate and the sound it made made me cackle

i can’t tell how i feel about the new middle school incident. i think it takes so much of the pain out of it for janis which is meant to be her main motivator. she was not supposed to be KICKED OUT she was PULLED OUT but i do kind of like that they clearly made it where regina kissed a girl and liked it and freaked out and that was the catalyst for everything

i do not ship this version of cadnis and that to me is unforgivable. they have sooo little chemistry as friends let alone lovers i just can’t stand it. janis doesn’t ever even seem like she wants cady around. it seems so much like they took away what makes janis janis just to turn her into another catalyst for regina and cady’s stories

apex predator was fun!! i honestly like it being janis and damian singing it better than janis and cady i think it works better as a warning and stuff! and also the band in the tree made me laugh so hard. i’m glad cady had them as her tour guides but again that’s all it felt like they were to each other and i miss them being a little posse

REVENGE PARTYYYYYYUH. i thought the staging was really fucking weird?? like all the pastels and shit didn’t really fit i would’ve much preferred it to start like that and then have blood dripping down the walls or something when they’re talking ABOUT PEOPLES HEADS ON SPIKES. but musically it was my favorite of everything!! i’m so happy they put the original verse back i almost screamed out loud in the theater when i heard it!!!!!

i never thought i would say this but i wish they had not canonically made her a lesbian. i will never forgive tina fey for having her end up with that random girl. no shade to the girl, she’s gorgeous and i’m glad we got some on screen, good, healthy queer rep. but in my eyes that is absolutely just a cop out because they know people wanted her to end up with cady or regina. they’re spitting on us and saying “here have your fucking lesbian and enjoy it this is what you get” and expect us to be happy with it. i get so angry every time i think about it and it honestly kind of ruined the whole thing for me. i would rather she have ended up with kevin g again. or like. honestly damian romantically would’ve made more sense in a twisted fucked up way. i just absolutely hate how they handled that.

damian thoughts:

HE! WAS! PERFECT! i am a grey henson stan first and a human being second but by golly he might be my new favorite. comedic timing on point and the fact we barely get to hear him sing is a FELONY. he was delightful and i love him also we love black queer rep!!! fuck yeah!!!! his bit with the fan before id rather be me. sent me into the dang stratosphere i love him so much

ALSO HIS DATE AT RHE END WE LOVE THESTRE BOYYYYY!!! ugh so cute i love

regina thoughts:

HOW DID THEY MAKE HER SUCH A COWARD???? HOW DO YOU TAKE A CHARACTER WITH SO MUCH POWER AND FUCK HER UP THIS BAD???

again everything that’s a core tenet of her personality was removed. i wasn’t afraid of her which is a CRIME bc renee on broadway’s regina was TERRIFYING. she just felt like one of those girls that every hs has like 7 of. they’re a dime a dozen, they’re rich and hot shit and they know it but you don’t care what they do because you know they’ll be divorced and broke and probably fat at your 10 year reunion. it’s giving peaked in high school and not queen bee which is really sad honestly

it made cady seem so much more evil tho?? like regina seemed. hurt. and cady was still so gung ho about taking her down. and it made janis seem much more manipulative too. i don’t care for either of those things

her costumes were so weird??? half that shit regina would not touch with a ten foot pole but it’s renee and she would and she’s hot so i do not care. also this isn’t a criticism but her halloween costume was giving gargoyle more than angel lol

plastics thoughts:

gretchen again felt really reductive. she was all anxiety. not that gretchen isn’t that onstage but it just felt like that was her entire personality. but bebe was adorable and i loved what’s wrong with me she did a great job

avantika was DELIGHTFUL. i loved her so much more than i was expecting to she was the only one where i never had a moment like “i am watching people acting in a movie they are repeating written lines” it felt much more like fluid with her. 10/10 beautifully done to her

aaron thoughts:

HOW DID THEY MAKE HIM MORE BORING????? MY GOD

he was already the most redundant character in the whole goddamn thing and they somehow made him even more useless. he could’ve been removed from the movie entirely and it would’ve changed NOTHING. he is white bread if he was a spice he’d be flour. didn’t think it was possible to make him more that but by golly they did it

HOW DID HE AND CADY END UP TOGETHER HE HAS THE CHEMISTRY OF A BRICK WALL. she has so much more romantic fire and chemistry with regina this is some of the most comphet shit i’ve ever seen. it’s giving wicked levels of comphet like gooooddamn.

misc. thoughts:

THAT LINDSAY LOHAN CAMEO HAD ME OUTBOF MY SEAT I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING BUT IT WAS AMAZING also that “i don’t know your life” was mwah

MS NORBURY SND MR DUVALLLL WERE SO CUUUUUTE i squealed ngl i love them

overall like 7/10 good movie i’m angry about a whole bunch but this is also amazing i’m so glad we got this new content and i am definitely hyperfixating on it now. so not that different from my stage show opinions lol

[risingshards]

Spring 2024 anime review!

It's time for my annual anime season review! I had a lot more shows to watch this season than last, which at times got a bit hectic! It's not quite done yet but it's done enough that I think I can put this up. Warning: Long post incoming where I ramble about the many anime shows I watched and personal reflection about how Going Through It™ affected my watching.

Laid Back Camp Season 3: My fav of the season, I'm obsessed with these camping girlies and any more time with them is always a treat. The combo of the suspension bridge arc with the wacky over the top arc is a fun jarring one, and the last trip was so sweet. Rin and Nadeshiko felt even gayer this season which is impressive, they're the most girlfriends to me, Chiaki and Aoi too (or maybe I should just ship full camping polycule???) It was only a few second scenes too but I love that they added Aya into the later arcs as well. I've been in a rough place mentally for a while and it kicked into a new gear this summer, so the comfort vibes of the show hit differently. I'm a super anxious person so chill times where everything is OK is such a nice escape from the world. Shout out to the OP/ED for being my favs this season! Also highly recommend both sub and dub, because the dub cast is SOOOO good once more. Celeste Perez is so fantastic as Rin, and Morgan Laure Garrett does an incredible performance as Nadeshiko. The whole cast is so great I could ramble on and on about them.

Whisper Me a Love Song: Not technically done yet as eps 11 and 12 are delayed, but in spite of the production woes this one has my heart this season in that "I love the manga and am happy to see this animated, I am hyperfixated, and warts and all I love watching it and get way way WAYYYY too sensitive about it seriously chiral go touch grass instead of having anxiety attacks about an anime" kind of way. The voice cast is SO perfect and everyone fits their characters so well and it's a treat to see the manga adapted. Himari and Yori's fluffy relationship was so sweet and I teared up a lot at their big moments. My beloved Aki got so many delicious angsty scenes while also showing her as not a bad person, just someone who's caught up in a crush while heartbroken about her true love leaving her (a true love that she didn't even realize was true love). Speaking about that true love, Shiho getting to be a feral cat storming into the proceedings is a treat, and I love that we get to see her earlier in the anime than in the manga.

The downsides ofc are the production that delayed two of the episodes, and now has the last two pushed to a later date, and my big qualm is the festival getting skipped over (well still kinda animated in the visual comic they released with the voice actors doing great on it), that's a bummer. I can see structurally what they were going for, 6 eps for Himari/Yori and 6 eps for the very popular Aki/Shiho storyline, and having the 'lost' ep voice acted helps a bit. But ughghggh even with all that...IDK it's still my babg and they're my babygorls so I'm rooting for 11 and 12 to be really great and for me to not engage with any fandom discussion about it LOL. Like I said this one had my heart this season, and when something latches onto your heart like that, I think it's good to cherish that a bit.

Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night: I heard the buzz a few episodes in about this and was hooked pretty quickly. The animation quality was great, I adored the characters, and I loved the queerness in it with the nonbinary talks, trans yakuza ladie, the kiss, and while I wish they went more in on the romance, we still got a lot of queerness that I don't want to count out. It's another case where I really need to disengage with what people think about something when it's special to me (that might be the moral of the season, honestly). My big downside for this is it got a little too stressful for me, the big fight towards the end of the show kept me up at night. I might be going through it pretty bad if watching anime does that to me BUT we stay silly.

Train to the End of the World: I didn't realize until I saw a post about it like yesterday that this had the same director as Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann and in hindsight yeah that tracks. This was such a wild ride, I love a good journey story and this scratched that itch well. A group of girls go on a weird, hilarious, and heartfelt journey via train through a bizarre world? It made me really want to write a journey story. Funniest show of the season by far, crazy visuals, fun action, each episode being a strange little journey on its own helped the vibe.

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio: This was a really cute one, bubbly gyaru x stoic girlie is a fun dynamic. Going by the structure, I assume this was the first 3 light novels adapted, since each arc was 4 eps IIRC. I hope the light novels get translated here because I'd love to see where the story goes next. My downside to this is this one also got STRESSFUL stressful in that like social kind of way as the main duo deals with stalkers, assholes online, shitty voice directors (I hope that voice director that was giving Yasumi a hard time gets super fired in season 2) and that took away from the fluff at times. Still was a definite highlight of the season.

Nijiyon Animation 2: Maybe even weirder than the first season, I was really glad to get more of this one, weekly 3 minute adventures of a wacky gay harem really is good for the soul. I love the vibe of like "yeah we're doing this premise this week let's just go with it" that a lot of the episodes had. Do Season 3 cmon!

Vexations of a Shut in Vampire Princess dub: I am a big stan for Vexations, and this dub has not disappointed so far (I think just one or two episodes to go for it), VERY well cast with Brittney Karbowski (of Railgun fame) putting in a STELLAR performance as Komari, showcasing all the facets of Komari's personality, like her spoiled bratty princess side, her anxious about being plopped into a dire situation side, the theater kid performance that helps her through this, and many other sides, it's really fantastic work by her. Vill, Sakuna, and Millicent are standouts as well (every Millicent scene I needed to pause afterwards because wow 🥵).

I also watched the back half of Dungeon Meshi (which is so big rn that I feel like I don't know what to add? It's great!), the new Spice and Wolf which was nice, Bartender: Glass of God which was VERY chill, and a coworker friend rec'd Condition Called Love, but I did not really enjoy that one.

All in all despite the bumpy road, I was really happy with this season and got SO much yuri. I do still need to watch Girls Band Cry and will rectify that soon, I just had way too many shows to watch at once.

Next season I am mainly looking forward to My Deer Friend Nokotan, and started watching Suicide Squad Isekai mainly for the ED lol. Next season big goal also: Chiral touches grass and her hypersensitive ass stops getting so worried about what other people think of the anime she watches and to just enjoy the anime hyperfixation while it's in full swing like this.

[laurasbailey]

hey, sorry to come out of nowhere with this, feel free to ignore! just wanted to get a bit of perspective on the c3 negativity i've been seeing for so long, which i've tried and failed to avoid and has been bumming me out more than i would like. this is my first campaign, it has brought me so much joy and company, but every time i end up reading a deeply negative take i can't really shake off the feeling that they're actually right, cause some of it makes sense to me and i can't unsee that. i know i'm being paranoid about it and truly setting myself up to be miserable and ruin the whole thing, which at this point i might've already done, but i just get sad wishing i could've had experienced the things everyone raves about (like different pacing and a lot of RP) for this campaign, which i'm so close to. do you think c3 is actually, objectively, worse or shallower than the previous ones? is there truth to the criticism (about it being too plot-driven, about the characters making each other worse and not being a good fit for this story, about the cast not being as into it and so on) or is the internet being the internet, and i should basically touch grass? it's not like i would drop it, honestly, i'm just sad thinking about how this story and these characters could've worked out if the "quality" was the one i keep seeing everyone talk about in regards to c1/c2. i know it's not that deep and it shouldn't matter in the long run, i'm just struggling a bit to not give in to the negativity and wanted to get your take on it, as someone's who's navigated this fandom longer! and again, truly sorry for the unprompted rant and thanks in general for being cool and taking the time to make gifs and recaps :)

you said it's brought you joy and company and it's seeing the negativity that's starting to ruin it, which is, honestly and sadly, a common thing that happens in online fandoms. negativity will bring the mood down regardless, because it just spirals into further misery. personally i stopped looking at fandom opinions and i've been a lot happier ever since! half the stuff you've said in here i've never heard before, that's how off the grid i am now lmao.

to answer your question, no, i don't think c3 is necessarily "worse" because, while people are entitled to their opinion, i think that's such a lazy, basic ass way of looking at it. also i just don't think a dnd game with people who are storytellers for a living can be shallow unless that's their goal, quite frankly. are there aspects of c3 i dislike? of course! but the same is true for all campaigns. there were parts of c2 i thought were very weak, despite the entire internet praising it like the second coming of jesus. there are things i think c3 does better than c2, even. and there are things c1 does better than both c2 and c3, and so on.

do i like that most of the campaign has been bells hells vs. a ticking clock? not really, it does mean certain sacrifices are made. do certain characters get on my last nerve? absolutely (but that's not exclusive to c3 lmao). at the same time though, i get the three women front and centre of the main plot, which has never happened before. i get a laura/marisha character romance after watching them have great chemistry for years. i get c1-level stakes and fantastic female npcs/villains, which c2 was mostly lacking. i get ashley full time (!!!) coming out of her shell and being her best and most chaotic self. and i get SO MUCH of the c1 characters? i'm fucking spoiled if you ask me.

maybe some of the criticism is very real and warranted (again, haven't seen it and don't plan to) but at the end of the day, this isn't my game of dnd or yours or any of the viewers'. we are literally watching other people play an improv game where they're crying one minute and making dick jokes the next, you just have to be along for the ride. going into the campaign with certain expectations is really silly and critiquing it the way you would a tv show just doesn't work. also unless these people are friends with the cast and speaking to them irl, how could they possibly know they aren't enjoying it as much like be serious 💀

i'm gonna be so honest here: idk if the people who are constantly spouting negativity are just miserable, but they sure look it! also stupid! why? because normal people who hate something simply ✨ stop watching and move on ✨. sure, hatewatching can be fun if you and your friends are in someone's living room or discord call shooting the shit, but doing it online day after day after day? honestly i just feel sorry for those people. happy people do not spend their time throwing essays worth of negativity up for the big wide world to see! how do i know this? because i was that person in my teens and i was severely unlikeable!

if you've enjoyed something without the bias of someone else's opinion, then you've enjoyed it! but your opinion can also change as the campaign goes, that can also be true! i would be interested to hear the reasons you loved it initially, because i think you'll find that most of that core stuff is present in all three campaigns.

the recent plot of c3 has been more stressful than any plot in previous campaigns, so understandably people have big feelings. my advice: the block button is your friend but so is the follow button! criticism is healthy, find people who deliver it in a way that's not some whiny entitled baby. letting someone else's opinion influence yours will never make you happy.

[steve0discusses]

Ep 46 Pt 2: Seto is Sad Now

I just want to take the time to fully appreciate Seto and Yami on the back of this horse.

You can’t tell me that the image alone of them on horse back where Seto is just on the back like it’s a motorcycle or something? Two cousins trying not to be weird about this mode of transportation while the tall one sits in the tiny seat?

 (which by the way, I didn’t realize it at the time, but uh my condolences to the shippers of Yami and Seto, they are...damn! They sure are cousins, aren’t they? Like a reverse Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune situation right here. Well, you still got modern Seto, but...sooo many lost fanfics out there, I’m sure, who were...probably not happy with this revelation.)

So I had to look this up because I’m not a horse girl, regrettably, I do not know enough about horses to know if two grown men can fit on the back of a horse without busting that horse’s spine in half. But, what I found out is: you don’t do this to a horse. I mean you can, but you shouldn’t.

Thing is...Yami is technically a kid in size, if memory serves, Yugi is still less than 100 lbs.

Maybe this horse is OK? this horse they occasionally use to skate down mountainsides? It’s not a real horse anyway, and honestly, this whole idea of the two on a horse is very funny to me so who cares.

(read more under the cut)

Also speaking of scientifically incorrect things in Yugioh, this was also very funny,

FAR BE IT FROM ME to get all technical and make some weird youtube video about all the historical inaccuracies in TV shows (which damn, I sure do hate those videos) but I can still laugh at it when it happens.

Bro just told me “bold of you to trust Google” and he’s correct. For all we know some AI just lied to me just now, so if you know some deep lore about trebuchets don’t be afraid to speak up.

Their horse pulls up to the line of out of touch trebuchets and warriors flanking the city, where we reunite as a cast minus Karim.

Yami then dumps this on me and it was so outlandish I could not tell if this was canon to the manga/original translation or if the dub decided this would be OK to do.

Just let the man die! He divorced his wife on horseback and then did not raise Seto, he abandoned this boy to kill thousands of people, just let Aknadin freakin die. Please, Yami, this is not up for debate, Yami. Let Aknadin freakin die he hella deserves it.

Agh, Dartz all over again, I swear this show didn’t used to feel the need to redeem it’s villains, youknow? Or maybe it was always like this but I forgot because of freakin long covid wiping a year of my life, I don’t freaking know. But if/when Aknadin comes back I genuinely can’t see how he and Seto could ever fix their relationship on this planet Earth.

Anyway, speaking of being tired beyond your ability, Yami remembers just how many fireballs he took to the chest today and decides to just keel over. Good thing he didn’t do this on the back of the horse.

Relatable, honestly, this is what I do nowadays when I have to stand too long because I decided to cook 2 things instead of 1. Yami just has long covid, he’ll be fine. Just find a couch and do a big sittie, Yami.

Like damn, Yami, maybe should’ve let Seto at least drive the horse?

And so the trebuchets fire off with all this animation that a bunch of people looked at, and after them, these scenes passed over like 100 more people’s hands, and no one at any point said “yo they used sleds instead of wheels in Egyptian sands, right?” and they were...like they were from the wrong anime really, but please admire the wings on these “trebuchets”

freakin nerf guns made out of logs hahaha.

Anyway, Bakura noticed.

Sad Seto starts botching it so poorly that it, in fact, triggers the end of the world.

Could’ve been Isis commanding the troops. Or Grandpa. Or Shad- no wait, no actually...

...probably shouldn’t be Shada.

But I think that Isis would not have needed that necklace to know throwing logs at the enemy would not work. Especially since this particular enemy is like...all log.

Thanks for the America shout-out Yugioh, my warm and fuzzy patriotic vibes go off in my heart every time I see lady liberty in an apocalyptic setting, not gonna lie.

I make fun, but it really did take Yami a while to figure out what the hell Bakura was implying here.

Lets admire the guy in the very back who looks like he just lost his glasses so he’s just gonna sit it out directly on the ground.

I will not revise the death count. They died. They died right in front of me. This is clearly a ghost.

They’re just back now. They’ve done this before where they magically come back to life, it’s never explained, and I’m used to it. Rex and Weevil are god tier and it’s never ever explained. I’m ready for them to die again every time I see them on this show. But this show will never let go of these bastards because like...well I don’t know, really, but it feels like the show runners REALLY like these two and I’ll let them have their comfort OCs.

LISTEN.

So I know I was going to put a towel on this boy’s enormous smiling dong, but it would, in fact, make it more obscene to put the towel on him in this particular scene than to go without the towel.

And yes, it did grow larger than the last time we saw it, and no... I don’t think we should analyze that.

Meanwhile we have run out of useless logs and their out of place trebuchets.

Blue Eyes just sitting on the bleachers being like “no dawg, it’s fine! I’m fine, we’re all fine!”

And then we uh, killed Shadi.

It happened so quickly I think the dub actually removed a scene where he gets hit. Like suddenly Yami’s in danger, then it cuts away, and then Shadi is just on the ground like “you get em buddy” and he kicks it.

What an unceremonious way for this creep to die.

And of all the times! He has been threatening to die this entire season! And I guess it’s better than getting bricked in the head by Aknadin, but still...a lightning bolt huh?

And in case you were like “so why is he this weird ghost that haunts us 5000 years later?” That’s apparently answered in like the movie, from what bro tells me. I forget which. I want to say it’s Dark Side of Dimensions, that movie I keep threatening to watch. He hasn’t seen it either, he doesn’t know.

Anyway, we made it through another episode, and yes, it was Shadi who died.

I cannot believe how long Grandpa has held out this season, can you? I can’t believe it at all.

We’ll catch up again next episode, where...it feels like this is the finale guys. Wow. We’ve come so far. And again, I wish I was in a better state to write, because I feel like I used to be a lot more in depth and just...more analytical. 

But really, this season is just pretty freaking weird. Like there is stuff to analyze here. There are things to get out of it. But I spend so long being like “and then this weird thing happened, and that weird thing happened” that I’m still just stringing together the nonsense and I’m not really appreciating the forest for the trees.

But I’m sure those things will come to me in time, if they really are that important to glean from this season, even if it may be in some later episode or some sort of post-season essay I feel like writing (I probably won’t). But until then, we’ll just admire the dickface they convinced 4kids to put on TV.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[athetos]

I finally (after years of putting it off) watched annihilation and honestly I was pleasantly surprised because while I don’t think it was superior to the book in any way, it served as a nice complement. It took the main themes and vibes and made something enjoyable and unsettling that can stand on its own. I think the metaphor about refraction was a really nice addition, and the many (so, so many) changes from the book were mostly born from necessity as it would be impossible to translate them to a visual medium. I’m glad it didn’t try to just copy the book’s plot and characterization because it would never hold a candle to Jeff vandermeer’s writing.

However, with all that said, there are two glaring detractions. Firstly, the ending was disappointing. If I had the ability to change just one detail, it would be to make it ambiguous as to whether the shimmer truly disappeared, or if it advanced to encompass the entire planet. That alone would be much more interesting. Obviously I don’t expect them to tackle questions like “what IS the shimmer” because even the novels don’t really answer that question (I mean there’s a 4th book in the works so MAYBE but c’mon it’s Jeff vandermeer he’s not going to give a definitive answer).

The second major criticism I have is that there’s no tower or crawler! I know they kind of merged the tower with the lighthouse but it’s a pretty weird omission to me since the tower is the most significant part of the first book and whenever I think about them, I always picture the tower and the nonsensical but chilling scripture first. I do understand why it might not have been included for budget and set purposes but I’m so distraught over this…

I guess the last two, smaller criticisms I have is that they had to throw in a contrived affair (why does every other movie feel the need to do this) and that they didn’t explain what annihilation meant. I won’t spoil it for people who haven’t read it but it has a very specific meaning that gave me chills when it was explained. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention the psychologist using any type of hypnotism or mind tricks on them at all. It adds a lot more to Ventress’ character even without the backstory for her we get in the other two books, and it would play way more into the “are we being manipulated to turn on each other” question that arose.

Other than that I think most of the changes made sense from a filmmaking perspective. Lena is ex-military so they can show her shooting big damn guns. They let them bring electronics into the shimmer because finding a videotape left behind is way more interesting to the audience than reading a journal entry. They gave the other survey members backstories to make the audience get more attached to them. They let Kane live because they needed another ‘changed’ person for the ending. Kane (presumably the original) committed suicide because it was a great way to show the plot twist. Etc etc

I also want to address that there is whitewashing in this movie but it seems to come from a place of genuine unawareness. The main character is Asian and the psychologist is indigenous in the books however they’re both white in the movie, but their races are never touched on until the second book, which was being written and cast at the time of the script’s writing (the rights for the film adaptation were acquired before the first book was even officially released!) I truly don’t think anyone involved was aware of this information, as it just wasn’t available. I don’t know enough about the filming process to know if they could have altered it after the second book came out or if it was too late in the process, so that’s all I have to say, but I don’t think it was done with malicious intent at all.

TLDR: it was a good movie and I recommend it but I recommend the books way harder go read them right now

[quemirabobo]

My thoughts that literally no one asked for in Percy Jackson's serie

I started this in like January and completely forgot about it and then I was lazy but @atomicdarknight I finished it for you😘

Gonna start with the positive

The cast:

The cast, guys the fucking cast, every demigod is absolutely perfect, not only they have the correct fucking age (although that bar is low) I could completely see them as the characters, they are the perfect representation of each character. With the movies I always complained, out of the three of them and ignoring the age, I could only see Logan Lerman as an older Percy, I think mostly because he looks like the physical description from the books (it was important really important to me that the characters and the actors had the same appearance lol), not sure I've never rewatch them. I remember I would parrot "Annabeth is blonde" as one of my strongest critics and when we were watching them my mom asked me "what do you think so far? I mean they don't look like the book, do you care?" Although I was already onboard, also had shot down my obsession with "actors have to look exactly as the books describe them" and I was very excited to see how an accurate cast would finally be like, and gods it was perfect. I wholeheartedly believe that no one would have made a better Annabeth, Percy nor Grover. They are perfect, they truly understood their roles in a level that it didn't happened in those pathetic movies. Aryan will forever be my Grover, Leah is and forever will be the perfect and my Wise Girl, she definitely is a daughter of Athena, and Walker is no doubt the one and only Percy. I also loved Clarisse, Luke, Dionysus, Sally, almost everyone honestly, because they were so accurate and understood their characters. Every decision they made about how to perform them was on spot and made me so fucking happy💚

Medusa

I was very curious to see what they would do with her since there has been a new perspective of her story (it has always been there, I mean that it's wildly known now) and I was not displeased at all! I liked the actress, how she portrayed her and I loved her monologue.

I love that they took the time to see what to do with her, not just ignore everything and make it like the book, and I was so intrigued by how they would do it because in here, Poseidon is one of the good guys, you can't openly say he raped her. All things considered I think they did it pretty well, although maybe erasing her hate for Annabeth wasn't the best plotwise, since in the first part of the book Percy starts to realize that having a god as a parent also means you inherit all the hatred anyone has for them.

The fight with Ares

One word, perfect. I loved everything about it, the choreography, how tiny Percy looked but how he kicked his ass nonetheless, the effects, the way they edit it to show his training with Luke, EVERYTHING! That being said, Ares was amazing too, spot on actor and portraying, this big ass dude giving his all to fight an 11yo who just learned to grab a sword but getting his ass whooped in exchange, just amazing 💚

Sally

I got mixed feelings with her, I loved that we got to see more of her, how lost she felt and how difficult was raising a demigod but at the same time she had way too much screen time considering how many things were ignored when the final cut was made. Also, even if teaching him mythology and greek was a nice touch at the same time it was a mistake adding it since it was tempting fate, in canon the less they knew about their godly side the safer they were. So giving too much knowledge about mythology was putting him at risk, and Sally was very careful with the way she raised Percy, so it was weird for me.

Now, the negative:

Gabe, just... why??

I will forever be mad about this and I'll never understand it, why would you make him a pathetic, passive aggressive and pretty much harmless looser? Because his character was important and significant, it has a very important impact in how Percy was raised, why he likes blue food, why he feels so guilty every time he gets kicked out, how his house is such a bittersweet place, the conflicts he has with Sally and also it has an impact in the plot too.

If you erase how abusive he was, towards both Percy and Sally, and decide to make him just plain pathetic, it's honestly disrespectful to the characters. Percy loves his mother to death yes, but he also feels like he has to protect her, save her, from the gods and monsters once he realizes he's a demigod but that's not when it started. For years he put up with Gabe's abuse, physical and verbal alike, because he felt he had to do it for his mother, to protect her, he shoulders all that so Sally doesn't has to, because for some reason she's with him so that's his burden as a "troubled kid".

And Sally? Her fucking sacrifice of staying with that disgusting man, who abuse her physically, monetary and verbally, for years because it's the only way she has to protect Percy? Because he fucking reeks to mortal and that will keep the monsters at bay, so the few days her son is at home he can be as safe as she can make it. Even if he got kicked out a lot, Percy was at boarding schools so she had to have that piece of shit all year round just for those brief weeks? How dare they make her huge sacrifice and the awful abuse just go as "he's annoying and stupid"?

To be honest I think that Gabe's abuse was never truly approached at the books either, it was never talked about again after the first book and it left no trauma or lasting consequence on Percy, not the point right now tho

I'm getting mad again so, to the plot part, first I would have loved for Percy to appear on the news and breaking havock for Gabe, wasted moment I swear. But most importantly, the Medusa's head part?? Are we really tacking that too from Sally? To get revenge of the man that abused her and Percy for years? All she's left with is kicking him out and changing the lock, seriously? Not to mention that Percy realizing that Sally also was getting beat by him and wanting to kill him there and then? Where's my boy realizing that all that he putted up to so his mother wouldn't get hurt wasn't enough? That he couldn't protect her? WHY DO YOU TURNED AN ABUSIVE TO A LOOSER?? I'm never forgiving this.

Why make it so short?

This new tendency of making show short is super annoying but specially when those are based on books. I know you can't make every chapter of a book a chapter of the series because sometimes you can condense half of the chapter with just the scene, the dialogue and stuff like that, and I agree actually. The problem comes when the chapters can be condensed to at least 14 episodes but you make 8, cutting everything you deem unnecessary but are important or significant things.

I think everyone can relate when I say that the most appealing thing you think when your fave book it's being adapted to a serie it's that "hey they don't have to condense everything in 2hs, they can take their time and include things that we all love like x and z" So why make it an 8 episode serie? I know everything is money but Percy Jackson has a pretty big fanbase so, unless they fucked up big time like the movies, it surely was going to be a hit

The way they cut all the monsters' traps

If your only focus it's the main plot and cutting down every moment that leads to the key points of it then a lot it's left out. The monsters and theirs traps were spotted even before they could talk, so they ended up on the underworld like it was no big deal. That shady lady? Medusa, off with the head. That mattress store? Not gonna fall Procrustes! They might as well just took a plane to Los Angeles. It felt like they were just crossing items from a list rather than actually integrating parts of the original story in the serie. Besides the way they overcome each of the monsters and adversities is fundamental for character development and growth of the trio, erasing that has a significant impact on them

Percy knowing everything right away downplaying Annabeth

Sounds stupid, I know, but we know how smart our wise girl is and I feel that the moment they decided that Percy was going to be the one to identify the monster and the traps before her, it was unfair for both characters and erased big part of their characters. Percy, even after more than 6 years and 13 books can barely remember and recognize the basic of greek mythology and the monster he fought before. Even if it's funny and some times exasperating, it's part of his character, that kind of knowledge isn't his thing, but you know what is? Coming up with a weird plan out of thin air and making it somehow work. He brings a perspective to the trio that Annabeth, basically raised to be a fighter and strategist, and Grover, with years of experience out there, don't have. He's impulsive and unpredictable, he's a good fighter and is quick-witted, he is smart, even if fandom likes to ignore it, just not the kind of smart that will make him memorize a bestiary. Now, Annabeth? Smart from hair to toe, she's also a quick thinker, sees the danger and comes up with a plan accordingly. She's not just book smart, she's also a problem solver, she is running her fucking cabin like a clock and her siblings put her in that position for a reason, she's the smartest. She's also a strategist, different kind from Percy whose biggest help is his instinct, she has other kind of knowledge at her disposal and you can bet your ass that she'll use it.

Now we all know this because we've seen it when they fight adversities, when they crawl nails and teeth out of a monster's trap, which in the serie we could barely see. One of the ways we get to see Annabeth deep knowledge in mythology is when she spots the covert monsters, that looks like a little granny or just some weird guy. But when you make Percy, who just discovered this world, see through all this that Annabeth couldn't see? Well, you're doing her injustice, she just looks like an amateur, not the smartest person of her generation. I'm not going to talk that it affects Percy character too.

One of the moments I hoped we could see, in which Percy (and I when I read it for the first time lol) truly realizes how out of this world Annabeth intelligence goes is when they have to jump from the boat of the love ride. My wise girl, as they were going to a certain death, did the math to determine the exact moment to jump so they wouldn't die (because if they had jump earlier they would die too, I can't remember why tho, sorry) and she was right. I remember that Percy was baffled by how she did all that in just second, for me that was the most important part of the incident. That and that Percy realize how gods behave and treats them like puppets. Buuuut what did we get? Percy shouting to jump and just that.. It was an important moment to demonstrate how intelligent Annabeth is but it was completely lost for no reason at all

Also, Percy discovering that Chronos is behind everything just like that?????? What the fuck???? It makes no fucking sense, it literally brings nothing to the plot just whatthefuuuuck

Hades... Why?

Hades being pathetic and super chill?? Like honestly wtf? Are you Mr D or Hades dude? This is the guy that's gonna say Nico that he rather he died instead of Bianca? Seriously?? It was by far the most out of character (maybe second to Gabe), besides it just takes the fun away of Percy saying "oh Lord Hades" once and then all "hey uncle". I think I rather the gloomy emo version that hollywood loves so much

I probably had more things to say but completely forgot about it, sorry ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[the-s1lly-corner]

TADC cast x short and fluffy reader? (Maybe the reader has an extra fluffy tail)

TADC cast x short and fluffy!reader !

Ooo I wanna make brioche, but I also wanna make macarons... but I also wanna make scones... OOOOOO but I also wanna make butterscotch haystacks (having a crisis) (this is totally unrelated to the ask I just be yappin)

CAINE:

Now to be fair, you didnt specify how short you are so to Caine you're probably just normal sized/j .. absolutely loves your fluff, probably runs his hands through it every chance he gets, regardless of if its hair, feathers, or fur! Since you're on the smaller side he can pro comfortably hold you in his arms while flying around! Loves showing you how the grounds look from above, I think!

No thoughts only Caine taking you up to fly over the grounds while its nighttime and you see all the lights down below and everything looks so pretty!!

He wont drop you I promise

POMNI:

You're normal sized in her eyes/j

Keeps her hands to herself but if you offer to let her pet your tail! Good stress relief, I think! Pomni never really initiates it before you offer, though, since she doesnt really want to invade your personal bubble

Please communicate with her that it's fine and it's not something you mind!

RAGATHA:

Occasional pets! She kind of lies somewhere between pomni and jax in terms of how much shes going to pet you without any prompting! More so a head pats person than a tail.. stuff?? Trust me the "tail stuff" makes more sense when you read jax's part..! Doesnt make fun of you for your height, i just cant see ragatha doing that. I was originally gonna say she would make petnames for you based on it, but I'm not actually sure she would.. has probably made bows and stuff for your tail!

JAX:

(Bumping my fists on the table) jax fidget hc jax fidget hc !!!!! Messes with your tail when its within reach; usually just messing with the fur or lightly bapping it around and watching it instinctively move around in response! He would already tease you for being shorter than him... but if you're actually below the average height (or at least, the average within the digital world) then hes gonna lean really into it! Makes a show of getting something down for you, probably overstretches himself and gets on his tip tops to sell the point (he, of course, not needing to do any of thst thanks to his height)

KINGER:

The "how to talk to short people" meme but hes on the incorrect side by crouching down to your height/j he doesnt mean anything rude by it..! Sometimes likes to mess with your tail by petting the fur when you guys cuddle inside the pillow fort! Honestly I can see him with a fidgeting habit, too, like jax! But I think his is less intense and he has a little more restraint.. that said once you give him the go ahead hes gonna be constantly petting your tail if it's long enough

ZOOBLE:

(Watches your tail swish around) "oh... cool.."

Zooble doesn't exactly feel this way or that about your tail, however I will say you extra fluff makes cuddling with them more enjoyable since they look like they're made of hard plastic (Zooble I'm sorry I love you)

Probably lightly teases you for your height; not to the extent jax does it but they probably let out a flat "haah.. short.." when you briefly struggle with something non important

GANGLE:

Short person x person who can (physically and emotionally) be knocked down easily; you guys both have your own struggles/j

Would never ever in a million years make any mean comments on your height, and this includes teasing and nicknames; she doesn't have the heart to even lightly poke fun at you

Petting can be a little weird, since gangle doesnt exactly.. have hands.. I mean she does, but they're like the ends of ribbon; she doesnt have palms or fingers, nor can she put the most force behind her touches (at least that's my personal hc, she doesnt strike me as someone who's. Strong... or even proportionally strengthed? Idk shes ribbon)

Very silly she loves it when your tail starts swishing around when you see her!!

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 7 Minagoroshi pt. 10

Come to think of it, this is probably the most emotion we've seen Rika display in any of the arcs up to this point. Also, this section shows that Shion Sonozaki might actually be dumber than Keiichi.

I wonder if Japan has a fundamentally different interpretation of what a witch is compared to your more traditional European style witch? Or maybe I'm just woefully out of touch in that regard and the idea of a witch being basically immortal is the more commonly accepted idea.

Hanyuu and her nice new bag of I told you so's. Now, I know I've said this before in regards to the characters in the past, but Rika is such a dramatic child. She suffers one singular misfortune and she writes off all of her accumulated good luck as just gone forever. I'm not saying she's wrong for feeling that way, I'd be lying if I said I never experienced days where if one single thing went wrong I would start thinking everything was ruined forever. I'm just saying she's been such a rather optimistic character lately that this change to complete and utter defeatism is kind of darkly funny.

If Rika gives up and loses her last shreds of hope and becomes something that's no longer Rika, does that mean that Hanyuu was born from a similar situation? They've said multiple times that she's existed for a lot longer than Rika, so was Hanyuu formerly a human? I don't know if that's the case at all, but it's a fun little thought experiment I think.

Skipping ahead a little, Rika goes to school the next day in the vain hopes that Satoko will be there as well. When she's not she let's her despair takes over and starts being Rude Rika, telling Chie to shut up and she's going home. Chie then takes this thoroughly morose Rika to the teachers office and gets the skinny from Rika about how Teppei has come back and is basically making her life a living hell.

The rest of the main cast eavesdrop and overhear about Satoko's situation.

Say what you will about Keiichi, and I have, at length, and will again. But at least when he decided to plan, and then carry out a murderous plot he at least had the good sense to not scream it out loud in front of witnesses. Sure, everyone knew anyway because despite the idea that people remember the past arcs has only really become a thing as of Tsumihoroboshi everyone somehow knows everything everyone has ever done in this series.

Wanting to put a delay on Tatarigoroshi: Shion Edition Chie drives off to Satoko's home. Would Tatarigoroshi: Shion Edition give her the ability to kill people with her mind, do you think? I think it would. Anyway, she arrives at Satoko's house and is immediately screamed and shouted at by Teppei. Upon being yelled at that yes she's here, no you can't see her, she's just sick, trust me Chie goes back to the school.

Shion rants and raves at Chie's uselessness in this scenario and once again talks about "come on guys, murder!"

Rena proves once again to be the brains of this outfit, because honestly, if you're gonna kill the guy just do it, don't yell and scream about it. Shion decides the next logical course of action is to beat anyone who gets in her way with a chair. Which she does. She smacks Keiichi around with the chair until he convinces her to quit giving him brain damage and to calm down for a second.

Something that I like so far in this chapter is the fact that the TIPs are back to being more than just documents. I recall in chapter one the TIPs would have these extra documents yes, but it also had scenes like Rena and Mion talking secretively about how Ooishi is a servant of Oyashiro and the like. Then up until Minagoroshi here, the TIPs were all just extra lore building documents. So it's neat to see them go back to extra scenes and actions outside of the main narrative.

I'm trying to be more upfront with what I like so far with this chapter, because in very short order I won't have much positivity about it. Once the narrative switches back to Keiichi as the viewpoint I had a pretty miserable time of it, up until it switches back to Rika's perspective.

[faerywhimsy]

Shit, this re-read of TVL has quickly turned into The Armand Show, because of course it is. But can we please sit and talk a bit about both 'slave' and riches when it comes to Armand? (The more I look at it, the more I'm glad we have a PoC actor cast into the TV series. I've seen consensual M/s stuff discussed by PoC and it always forms a really powerful discussion).

I'm not even going to look at the times it's implied by Armand's calling Marius 'Master'. This post does a really good job of pulling in a LOT more Master/slave language than this one is going to.

Sidebar: And, I mean, yes, Lestat is a self proclaimed "slave of my own obsessions and fascination" but it's also explicitly different because he is the seventh son of a wealthy land owner and was never in any danger of literal slavery.

So.

"You've been the slave of everything that ever claimed you." "I was the leader of my coven!" "No. You were the slave of Marius and then of the Children of Darkness. You fell under the spell of one and then the other. What you suffer now is the absence of a spell. I think I shudder that you caused me so to understand it for a little while, to know it as if I were a different being than I am."

Sure, yes, I agree with @uncivilcivilservice that something in both Armand and Lestat's souls do seem to recognise the other on first meeting. But there are huge differences in their psyche and, honestly, just lived experience. This, and wealth, are just two of them.

Lestat identifies here that the kind of slave, or the thing he means by the word 'slave' when applied to him is a different thing to how he applies it to Armand. Lestat is a slave to his own ego; Armand is a slave to others. The endless people pleaser. The only person Lestat consistently seeks to please is himself.

He's not wrong, though, is the thing.

When I see Armand using the word in TVA, I wonder if it's more of a reclaiming thing for him.

"Amadeo, you play the devil." "Don't you want me to, Master? Didn't you like it? You took my blood and it made you my slave!" Marius laughed. "So that's the twist you put on it, isn't it?"

I've touched on the moment Lestat is basically all, 'go buy yourself something nice, just leave me alone' but I just find myself... needing to go... a little deeper here. The specific passage in question:

"You can take this tower for your lair," I said. "Use it as long as you wish. Magnus found it safe enough." After a moment, he nodded with a grave politeness, but he didn't say anything. "Let Lestat give you the gold needed to make you a gentleman," Gabrielle said.

A kind reading of the text might indicate this moment is Lestat offering something to Armand from the goodness of his heart. A slightly less charitable reading would probably point out that, with riches such as Lestat has grown up with, he likely doesn't appreciate the value in what he offers here to someone Armand.

It's only money and land. I can see Gabrielle's aware of it though; she's the one who's cognisant that wealth alone can turn one into a gentleman.

The last obvious reading is, of course, Lestat is here using his gold to buy Nicolas' wellbeing.

"If you will not go to them," I said slowly, "then do not hurt them. Do not hurt Nicolas." And when I spoke these words, Armand's face changed very subtly. It was almost a smile that crept over his features. And his eyes shifted slowly to me. And I saw the scorn in them. I looked away but the look had affected me as much as a blow. "I don't want him to be harmed," I said in a tense whisper.

Probably, there's an argument for a combination of all three.

Suffice to say: this moment's incredibly fraught. Not just from Lestat's motivations, but from Armand's acceptance. Armand's swift cycle through expressions in the above passage—especially from a character so renowned for his blank expressions—is incredibly telling.

I could go into another longer diatribe here, but honestly this post is long already. So I've condensed what I see in this moment of fraught contrasts between Lestat and Armand to the following 3 points:

The one who has been a slave finally being given money for his freedom, instead of being bought as he was by Marius vs. the strings that are clearly evident and expected in Armand's behaviour should he accept Lestat's money,

Money as an established exchange for sex; something Armand is no stranger to vs. BOTH Lestat declaring he wants nothing further to do with Armand and that the physical act of sex is not something TVC vampires are capable of, then finally

Bribery, which is more or less the simplest of these points, but kinda has its claws woven into both previous points in different ways.

Yup, these two boys are not even playing from the same book when they meet each other at this point in their stories.

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

Uppast's Tour Commentary time!!!

unfortunately tumblr decided to delete the first commentary post i made before i could post it, so this might be missing some details!

if you have any questions on a specific actor/character, let me know!!

i saw the 8:00 p.m. show on 3/4/2023!

cast changes:

Gracie as Tantomile

Kieran as Mistoffelees

if i talk about a Cats character, i will be using that cat's name and pronouns, but obviously, if i'm talking about an actor, I will be using their names and pronouns (so Demeter and Skimble I will be using she/her and he/him, but obviously, for Nora and Zamb, i will be using they/them)

Act 1:

SUCH a powerful cast holy shit

like their harmonies were so strong, and every dance mark was hit perfectly

I think they’re the strongest cast I’ve seen

Plato and Tori are????? So in love????? Sobbing?????

Nora!Dem and Kade!Munk are also VERY IN LOVE like they're adorble

Michelle is honestly my favorite Jennyanydots, now I've seen her three times, and she's just as amazing

SKIMBLEDOTS IS REAL TY ZAMB AND MICHELLE FOR FEEDING ME SKIMBLEDOTS CONTENT

literally they are the fucking cutest skimbledots

Kade's Tugger is honestly now in my top three Tugger's, and about 50% of that is because i got to talk to him at the stage door and he was the nicest person

but seriously, his Tugger reminded me SO much of John Partridge's Tugger, he was such a rockstar, and his voice is so good

ofc I have to mention the Tugger and Misto dance, they were giving "everyone look at my best friend because my best friend is better than all of you" and that's so valid

also it was adorable but before Tugger's last moment when everyone's gathered around him, Demeter trips him a little and just gives him a little "who, me?" look when he looks at her, and that's what makes him shoo everyone away

Hank and Nora said Tugmeter are best friends rights and once again i am validated

god Nora's version of Demeter is so soft and sympathetic towards Grizabella, and it's honestly heartbreakingly beautiful

This Demeter felt like a younger sister compared to Bombalurina, so once again, ty to Nora for supporting my hcs

tbh even if I don't ship it this tour is really saying demebombalonzostrap rights

Tugger was trying to get Deuteronomy's attention when he arrived, and had to give himself a lil pep talk before greeting him 😭 that's his DAD

literally every single one of my hcs are being so validated by this cast

Tumblebrutus was SUCH a big brother to Pouncival, always making sure he was having fun and it made my heart explode

Tugger gave Mistoffelees a cute lil nudge during the ball, there were so many little moments like that between them, just playful, silly moments and i'm 😭😭😭😭

like this cast really made it more prominent that this is Victoria and Plato's Ball, because everyone was paying a little extra special attention to them, whether it was greeting them, dancing in front of them, or just watching them, and i loved that so much

Plato shared a fist bump with Tumblebrutus and Pouncival before they did their section of the dance at the ball 😭

SKIMBLEDAD SKIMBLEDAD SKIMBLEDAD

Mungojerrie got scared by Grizabella so he cuddled into Skimbleshanks' leg that's his DAD

Tayler did these little gasps as she did the dance before "Memory", and i can't remember if she's done those in the past times that i've seen her, but they added so much to the moment, because it felt like she was either trying to remember the moves, or she was hurt.

Act 2:

Sillabub seemed started by the fact that she was singing during “moments of happiness”, which i thought was a really great touch

overall, I loved Sam's Sillabub so much, she was so sweet, and her voice was gorgeous

Brian Mungo is the Most Mungo to ever Mungo

I'm so happy that Babysitter Plato is one of the decisions that's stuck around, I love seeing Plato minding the kitten trio and just being the best big brother to them

he and Tori were also cuddling together during Gus' song 😭

Jenny and Skimble snuggled during Gus’ song, and first Jenny was laying her head on Skimble’s leg, and then they switched so he was resting on her leg, and I sobbed

and then Tugger and Misto cuddling together during Pekes and Pollicles. That’s it, that’s the post.

Tugger kept trying to hit the pompom on the dog head the queens were wearing

I'm in awe of Erica's voice. She is SUCH a powerful Bomba

Nora has the most unique, gorgeous voice, and their performance during Macavity was one of my favorites, honestly. The way Nora and Erica's voices blended during the song gave me chills

Nora’s Demeter gave me “just joined the Jellicles” vibes. Like, her wig’s a little more wild, and she’s a little more hesitant, and the way she sang during Macavity was more boastful than fearful. I honestly loved this version of Dem, SUCH a good take ngl

like the way Demeter and Munkustrap interacted was very much a "we've only met recently but oh i think i'm falling in love with you" and once again SUCH a good Demestrap take

Nora also played Demeter VERY skittish, and it was honestly heartbreaking watching her during the Macavity fight, she was absolutely terrified

BUT she also protected Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer!!! they were near her and she moved them over to the side

honestly Jerrie and Teazer gave me more 2019 vibes, like they had also just joined the tribe recently

Sammy's Alonzo was SO good, and I loved his moment of preparing himself to face Macavity

MUNK WAS STRUGGLING TO GET UP AFTER THE MACAVITY FIGHT AND DEMETER HELPED HIM BY PUTTING HIS ARM AROUND HER NECK UP I’M SOBBING

When Tugger said “you ought to ask magical mr Mistoffelees” Deméter got startled 😭 and Munkustrap was so concerned about her

Tugger got so excited when Misto brought Deut back, he had to take a moment compose himself which was ADORABLE

They also did like a lil handshake before the final part of the song which was also VERY CUTE

God Tayler is just so so good as Griz

[crescentisleart]

Mapped

(S:AD - Xero) (Xero recalling the first of his adventures in our Wonderland, and recalling… other things…)

So, it's been a month. A whole. Month.

One just doesn't make entire worlds in the course of thirty days. But then again, I'm not Kitten…

Crescent Isle is technically a small island, but only technically. A little patch of livable firmament over an ocean of Void, in the mind of a very pretentious and precocious person. Perplexing but expected.

The problem with mapping a place that exists in someone's mind is that, well, it never sits still. Like trying to measure an eel tip-to-tip. It wriggles and writhes. Oozes and undulates. And, in this case, it likes doing it the most when you try to do the measuring.

Kitten had recalled that flashes of light started appearing deeper into the forest. Back where the creepers thinned and the bushes fallowed, but the trees just grew and grew… Nothing had been there before. Just forest doing forest things. I mapped it earlier, but, as I've mentioned, that doesn't really mean much, now does it?

The walk was fairly nice. Only rains on the isle when it needs to. Only storms when it's stormy outside. When it's stormy for her.

The trees and brush change from tropic to temperate around four miles out from the hut. Around there, the path thins out, only the tiny hoofed ones trot through, and we tend to need to push the thistles and bramble out of the way to get any headway. I had timed this to try and get there by dusk, but I was maybe too adept at all this. Nowhere near time.

I stopped a moment, pull out my map, and look to where I should… most certainly be. 90% sure. Highly accurate. Drew it myself, remember.

Around the lower curve of the 'crescent' of the island. About three or four miles square of temperate forest, sheer drop to the east, rocky incline to the beach to the west.

At one point, Kitten had suggested that the whole place was a crater. I joked and said maybe a Crater Maker, one of the monsters she used to dream of, made it. She then became very quiet. And wondered if it was the crater she made when she got here.

Trees are wonderful things for a Naganin. Climbing is a clamber-y, clumsy thing for beings with limbs. But I can shapeshift. And nothing will get you up a tree like a few hundred pounds of reticulated, toned boa-like muscles lined with scutes instead of wiry little legs.

Yes, the snake was made a snake because 'sin', but, honestly, it's kind of a boon… Don't tell 'Him' that, tho…

In the crook of a great elm, I sat until the light in the sky dimmed… then sharpened as it the sun hit the horizon's edge. Oranges, yellows, reds, and purples. Quivering in the lens of sunset.

I'll have to bring Kitten here some time. Good view.

Not even as the edge of the sky deemed their performance over, did something catch the corner of my eye. Light. Lights. Of all sizes. Some large some small. All wavering and blinking in the growing dark. Hovering close to the ground, all around the tree.

Easy enough to observe. But hard to pinpoint. If there even was a pinpoint... If I wanted to center it, I'd have to climb down.

Nightvision is not an advantage when someone (or something) is putting on an impromptu light show. I circled the stand of trees they danced in as best as I could for at least three minutes. Probably longer. The lights moved elatedly, almost as though leading me. Corralling me. Guiding me… somewhere. They would hang just out of touching distance, then wait. If I turned around, they would shine brighter with a force that seemed to push me physically, back where they wanted me to go.

And they, as any light would, defied touch. They didn't even put off warmth, per say. Nor cast any shadows. Felt like shadows, too, almost. Cold. Shades that learned how to shine. Lights that put off no light.

… Hard to describe…

At some point, I figured out that the only way to actually find out what they were was to let them lead me rather than fight it.

And so, into the night we went.

Deep. Deeper. Deep enough that I started to question the actual amount of forest around me. The endless dark blue of the night sky became more and more displaced with inky, inky black.

And in the dark with lights that put off no light, I walked until all was dark. Until all was gone. Walking in a plane of nothing. Walking until the lights themselves winked away.

The trees thinned to complete openness. The bushes were no more. No sky. The ground now echoed like hardwood floors.

I almost slipped… belly scutes on smooth, polished surfaces: a crapshoot, at best.

'I should change,' I remember thinking, 'No use scuttling in one place like a pet constrictor in a tiktok...'

As I grew legs again, a new light called in the far distance. Not with sound, no, but called, nonetheless.

The light became two. Then four. Then eight. And then many. Many, many little lights. On a… frame? A triangle?

A tree.

Kitten told me, a LONG time ago, that once a year they bring a tree indoors and hang lights on it and sing songs about it and that it was the most awesome, coolest, blinky thing in the whole world.

A tree. A Christmas tree.

Specifically, a plastic pine or spruce tree. At least seven feet tall. The old box said 'Mountain King'. The thing was as old as her. Possibly older. Every year they'd drag it out of the garage, hook the whole thing together, then dress it up for the season. The actual 'Mountain King' is probably smouldering in a garbage heap somewhere. But it's alive and well, here in Kitten's mind.

So odd, remembering what someone else remembers. Every light, every ornament, every silly little toy she'd shove into the tree to help decorate… and then immediately would have her mother tell her not to do that because, dunno, reasons.

Kitten's memory is sharp, but fuzzy. Like a cathode tv; focused, but only where she thought was important.

And yet.

… I had circled the curious little memory of hers at least ten times, recalling, turning it over in my head as though it were mine, when I almost tripped again. Over a baby carriage. Modern. 20th century. A mixture of poly-fibers and cotton, probably. Framed in aluminum, most likely.

And in the blankets and covers, something in it cooed, softly.

'No… is that…?'

I peered in, gently. At the most adorable jewel of a face. A face… staring at lights. Content. Mesmerized.

"Oh," I fombled, "Hello, there… Kitten."

… And if I had not been sure I was hearing things, she might have warbled back her usual, friendly 'Xero~'. But, no, it's just a baby. A baby in a memory.

"You know," I started to utter to her, absentmindedly, "People are a lot like lights. They each shine in their own way. Some brighter, but some very, very dim. And sometimes… you just have to keep shining until someone sees you."

A low, trembling rumble sounded after I said this. Growing stronger and stronger. Shaking. Deafening.

Then black.

And then… I woke up back in the elm. In the dark of the night. The chill of the air.

And with a rumble in the back of my head.