#the captain is our straight icon

[kajibunny]

⊹ . ݁ ⟡ the kaji fanclub (ren kaji x reader) ft. kusumi ₊✩‧₊˚

✿ summary: you and kaji’s vice captain created your own fanclub, a kaji fanclub. kaji finds out about it, so long story short, he gives you his honest feedback. ✿ contains: fluffy crack (is that a thing), suggestive themes (only on bonus part), kaji is your boyfriend, teasing and nonstop praise for kaji (i could talk about this man all day watch me)  ✿ a/n: my first wb fic!! kusumi would absolutely be the best wingman for you and kaji! (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) i really like kusumi and his character design! he is so underrated but he's one of the cutest!  ✿ wc: 1.2k

ren kaji knew that you had been up to something lately. 

you and his vice captain kusumi have been busy giggling nonstop and checking your phones like a bunch of middle school girls, with you gushing and gasping about "how cute!" and "that's so perfect!" while looking down at your screen, showing only kusumi what was on it, receiving a reaffirming nod from the vice captain. 

at first, kaji was fine with it and did not care at all. he found it nice that you got along so well with kusumi, but after an hour of you two still going at it and not paying full attention to him when he tried to tell you something, he swore he was about to throw a fit if you didn't quit it.

what kaji didn't know was that you and kusumi are the co-presidents of the "kaji club" on social media, where you post pictures of daily kaji updates. 

at first, it was just because you found everything about your boyfriend so insufferably cute - his bowl haircut, his blond hair that he dyed all by himself, his unreadable expression, his never ending supply of lollipops, his iconic high kick, his sharp little canines (that sometimes you received little love bites from), his unpenetrable eardrums that were exposed to such loud music everyday, and much, much more. 

you wanted to give the whole world a glimpse of that cuteness - but that goes without saying that only you got the full package to yourself. 

so you thought about how funny it would be if he had his own fanclub. well, why not? if people loved him enough to vote him as their grade captain, then for sure he'd have lots of fans, right? and eventually, your idea turned into a reality. 

kusumi would send you the pictures he took that day, and you would manage the fanclub account. this time it was of kaji jumping into the water to save a cat while on patrol (as well as him patrolling topless afterwards - needless to say that particular picture was saved in your phone in a heartbeat, but you never uploaded it, it was for you and only you, his lover, to see and appreciate.) 

eventually, the kaji fanclub blew up to be an overnight sensation, mostly members of bofurin and the townspeople of makochi are among his biggest fans, but of course, you will always be ren kaji's number one fan.

"what the hell are you two laughing about?" kaji huffed in annoyance, trying to get a peek at your phone screen. 

you smile sweetly at him, letting out a "hm?", acting all innocent and telling him it was nothing and that he shouldn't worry about it. 

kaji, still having his suspicions that you were up to your shenanigans again, grabbed your phone from your hands and took a look at what you were so fixated with - it was a picture of kaji drinking from his bottled water with the caption "here is our super cool grade captain reminding everyone to always stay hydrated!~" then next it was a close up of kaji holding his lollipop. "today's lollipop flavor is peach! fun fact: it is also ren kaji's favorite fruit." it says.

oh. so that's what it was.

it was so random, that kaji couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching upwards, almost smiling. he found it so unexpected and ridiculous but managed to keep a straight face.

"delete it." he cleared his throat, trying to fight back his amusement at the two of you coming up with something like this for him.

"no! give it back, ren! it's for our kaji fanclub! it already has more than a hundred likes, see! umemiya even commented-" you started, whining and pouting at your boyfriend, who rolled his eyes at you.

he hands you back your phone and sighs. "i don't need a hundred likes." kaji says, firmly. "because i already have the one like i need right here." 

you gasped when you realized that kaji was referring to none other than you, his "one like" that he needed. kaji, upon becoming aware of how lovestruck he probably sounded, turned his back away from you and put his headphones back on.

you fangirled so hard at that moment, all giddy and smiling at your boyfriend, teasing him about how you were of course his number one fan and that you wanted to have his autograph.

kusumi was sitting across the both of you, and snapped a picture when you were rubbing your cheek against kaji's, him side-eye glancing at your overjoyed, smiling face. kaji is still so fond of you, even if you did silly things like this.

kusumi, beaming from ear to ear, shows the both of you the picture he took, and typed a message on his phone. it read: "you two are so cute, my favorite couple! <3 get a guy that looks at you with so much love the way kaji does! >///< #couplegoals" he adds "i really ship you two!" 

you and kaji read the message on kusumi's notes app. when he finished reading, he let out an exasperated sigh. kaji points at you and kusumi. "i have no idea what a "ship" is, but right now i just want to ship you two off to somewhere far away." 

he was kidding, of course. you knew that he would let you do what you wanted anyway, as long as he could see your lovely smile and how happy he made you, kaji wouldn't ask for nothing more. because plot twist, ren kaji is also your number one fan.

ꕤ bonus ꕤ

once you got home, kaji made sure to let you know his exact thoughts regarding your fanclub.

"tch. you don't need to have my face on your phone, you know. you can have the real thing right here." he leans in closer to you, pulling his lollipop out of his mouth and replacing it with your lips.

the next morning, after waking up from a long and eventful night with kaji, you expressed your shock upon gazing at yourself in the mirror and finding out you've been marked up by little purple bruises and love bites that left some of kaji's teeth marks littering everywhere, but most prominently on your neck, thighs and chest area.

"ren kaji! what the hell is this!" you exclaimed, waking him up with a jolt, you pointing at all the parts he left his marks on. 

he stared at it for a second, admiring his handiwork. "you said you wanted to have my autograph."

"i didn't mean it like this!" you sighed, wondering how in the world you would be able to go out looking like this, all bitten and marked up by kaji. 

"i can always sign it again for you if it fades. i'm all yours, after all." he said it with such a straight but smug face and he was so unapologetic about it that you wanted to smack him. or have him devour you again. or both. 

you can't be the only one showing him your appreciation, because kaji has his ways of showing his too.

© kajibunny 2024 / all rights reserved

[ghost-with-a-teacup]

Okay okay, hear me out.

A bantery sort of annoying best friend trope with Miguel O'Hara. Like, hes stubborn, but reader is just as stubborn and hard headed. So like, on a mission Miguel is like "Why werent you paying attention?" and SpiderPerson!Reader is like "You're a very distracting man." And then like, the classic upside down Spiderman kiss. Apologies if this is a mess, the brainrot is real.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Reader

Warnings: None, just some good ol' fluff paired alongside some classic best friends to lovers. You know the dealio :3

It wasn’t easy being best friends with Miguel O’Hara.

He was stubborn, stoic, annoying, always thought he was right, and incredibly grumpy (almost all the time! It must be exhausting) amongst many other things. But all those things made him who he was, alongside the kindness and care he has for everyone, hidden behind that Spider-Society leader guise.

It wasn’t easy, but he was your best friend just as you were his. Your favourite person amongst the millions of people on this planet, and the billions upon trillions of people in the multiverse.

But it was even more difficult when you had the biggest raging crush on him. You felt like a little teenager, lost in the vastness of your own heart that quickly grew more and more fond of the person you loved with each day that passed.

Your feelings made you act silly and lovesick (and you knew damn well he noticed, he just never said anything about it), but they weren’t going anywhere for the time being so here they stayed.

They weren’t too great during missions though.

~

“Hey, Miguel~,” you say, sidling up to him with a stupid grin on your face. He stops you with a palm on your face, not allowing you to get too close.

“Ugh, what-?” he says, pulling his hand back in disgust. “Did you just lick me?!”

“Don’t put your hand in front of my face then, you should know by now the consequences of that,” you say with a tsk, before bursting into laughter at his expression.

“Unfortunately,” he sighs, rubbing it onto your suit. “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” you say, pretending to be confused.

“What do you mean what- The mission? Are you ready for the mission we’re supposed to be going on in the next minute,” he huffs incredulously.

“Obviously, Miguel,” you snort. “How long have we been doing this job? Have you so little faith in me?” you ask.

“Yes,” he deadpans, and you gasp.

“How dare you?” you say, pressing a hand to your chest in offence.

“You are the most dramatic person I know,” he says, glancing over toward you as he programs the watch to the universe you were both headed to.

“You love me,” you say in turn.

“Unfortunately,” he says, and you grin widely.

“Awwww, Miguel~,” you say, pulling him into a hug that he hesitantly returns (though you knew he loved hugs, he would just rather die than admit it).

“Alright, alright,” he says pulling away. “Focus up, we need to be on our A-game for this guy.”

“Aye, aye, captain! Lead the way,” you say, and he rolls his eyes but can’t quite conceal the smile on his face at your antics before his mask reforms on his face.

Together you both make your way through the portal, getting transported past thousands of worlds in mere seconds before arriving at the one with the anomaly.

“Oh, cool~,” you say with a childlike wonder. Around you is a world that looked like it came straight out of a painting, everything looking almost acrylic in nature and beauty.

“You saw this in the briefing,” he says to you but looks around himself with a sort of wonder.

“A picture on a screen is entirely different from seeing something like this in real life, Miguel,” you retort, still looking around in awe. Looking down at your own form, your costume was blended in splotches of your iconic colours, like you had walked right out of a portrait.

He doesn’t say anything to that, instead patting your head once before walking away toward the mission site.

“C’mon. The faster we finish up, the sooner we can head back. We can have a movie night back at my place, yeah?” he says, and you perk up immediately before running after him.

“That sounds perfect, ‘cause I baked too many cookies that I don’t know what to do with,” you say embarrassed, knowing full well that you had baked them for him. He always did love your baking.

You notice the side of his mask shifts upward slightly, a telltale sign that he was happy even with the mask concealing most of his expressions but you don’t say anything, only smiling softly to yourself.

“Lyla, do a full sweep of the building before we head in. I don’t want any surprises,” he calls out, and the AI pops up immediately.

“Ugh, so bossy,” she says, and you snort.

“You could say that again,” you say in turn, while Miguel only sighs.

“Are you two done insulting me yet?” he says, and you turn to face him, walking backwards as you do.

“Never!” you say, before you’re snatched off of the ground with a yelp. He calls out your name, immediately swinging in after you.

“NOT COOL DUDE,” you shout to the villain who had his tentacles wrapped around your waist, dangling you upside down as she stuck to the ceiling. “Shouldn’t you be in the sea, doing…whatever octopuses do?”

“This seems a lot more fun,” the villain says, her voice a gurgling sort of low tone that sounds much more ominous than it should.

You shoot your webs out onto the ceiling, trying to pull yourself up and out of her grasp to no avail, her hold too strong.

Bit by bit her hold continued to tighten, inhibiting your ability to breathe.

“H-hey, we can talk about this right?” you gasp out, but before you know it Miguel was flying up toward you.

He looked so serious and intent on getting you out, his muscles flexing as he held on to his webbing.

Quite frankly, it was hot.

So hot that you failed to notice that Miguel had smacked you out of the villain’s grasp, expecting you to swing yourself out. Instead, you fall to the floor with a thud and a loud groan. It wasn’t a far fall, and all your limbs were still intact but the wind that was already limited in your lungs was smacked out of you, and the ground was definitely going to leave a bruise.

“FOCUS!” he shouts to you, sending another punch to the villain’s face to knock her off balance. That luckily snaps you out of your reverie as you stand back onto your feet, swinging up to help him out.

You use your webbing to pull the tentacles off of the wall, meanwhile, Miguel acts as a distraction so she can’t focus on the fact that she’s being brought down to the ground where a trap lay for her to land in.

Bit by bit more tentacles become loose, and with one last hit from Miguel she falls to the floor with a scream, the force field raising around her immediately.

“You won’t get away with this!” she says angrily, but you only smirk, swinging down to her level.

“Doesn’t seem like there’s much you can do in this position, can you? Don’t worry, we won’t keep you for long. You’ll be back in your universe in no time~” you say, opening up a portal straight into the holding room for the other anomalies and pushing her in.

“Bye!” you say simply before the portal closes, taking her with it.

Then, the building is quiet, and you wince as you feel Miguel’s imposing aura behind you. Grasping your shoulder, he whirls you around as he looks at you exasperatedly.

"Why the hell weren’t you paying attention?" he asks you, arms moving animatedly as they usually do.

“In my defence…you didn’t notice her coming either,” you say.

“That’s not an excuse! You have your Spidey-sense, you have an instinct that tells you when you’re in danger,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And that fall, what was that? You saw me coming, why are you so distracted today?” he says with a sigh.

“Well, you’re a very distracting man,” you mumble, and his eyes widen slightly under his mask before it dissipates, leaving only his handsome face behind. You pull off your mask in turn, only staring into his eyes.

He stares back before sighing.

“Are you hurt?” he says, his eyes running over your body scanning for any injuries.

“I’ve taken worse hits than that, you know,” you say in turn, your face heating up slightly.

“An injury is an injury regardless of how bad it is,” he says, walking around you to make sure nothing is out of place.

“Jeez, you should take your own advice Mr. ‘I don’t need to go to the infirmary ever’” you huff.

“That’s different,” he retorts.

“It’s really not.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”

“I’m not gonna argue with you right now,” he rolls his eyes.

“Oh c’mon, you know that’s your favourite pastime,” you smirk.

“It’s not.”

“Don’t lie to yourself, it is.”

“I only tell the truth, it’s not.”

“You say that, but here you are arguing with me again,” you grin, and he groans.

“Regardless, you did good today,” he says after a moment.

“I always do good, what do you mean,” and he looks at you incredulously.

“Can you just allow me to compliment you?”

You just shrug.

“Ehhhh, I struggle to accept compliments because deep down I’m incredibly insecure and can’t make myself believe that I can do well, let alone have other people think that so…yeah!”

“…we’ll talk about this later,” he says, patting your shoulder (the tiniest bit awkwardly, which made you almost laugh considering how long you two have known each other).

“So, since you think I ‘did good’ today, what’s my reward?” you ask expectantly, the corner of your mouth quirked up. He hums for a moment before slinging his webs onto the ceiling, swinging himself up so that he hung upside-down.

“C’mere,” he says, and you look at him confused.

“What on Earth are you doing?” you say.

“Can you just listen to me for once and come here?” he says exasperatedly, so you relent and walk so you’re about a foot away from him.

“Closer,” he says, and you step closer hesitantly, the proximity making you nervous. He only huffs, reaching out to grasp onto your arm so you’re standing face to face.

The hand on your arm reaches up, softly placing itself on your cheek as you let out a little gasp. His eyes bore into yours, and you get lost in the swirling crimson and gold.

“Is this alright?” he says softly, his breath fanning across your face. You felt your heartbeat pick up as the warmth of his hand pressed into your cheek gently. You can’t do anything but nod.

His lips press into yours, slightly chapped but soft as he kissed you softly.

You had never felt anything so right.

“What was that for?” you whisper as he pulls away after a few seconds that felt like an eternity condensed into a single moment.

He snorts softly before swinging back onto his feet, pulling you into his chest with a hug.

“I know you have feelings for me,” he says, and your body tenses for a moment at the blatant comment.

“I-” you start, but he interjects calmly.

“Hasn’t it been obvious that I have feelings for you too?” he asks as he pulls away, cupping your cheeks in both his hands.

“I, I thought it was just because I was your best friend,” you say as all those little moments you’ve had over the years play through your head. It makes him laugh softly, oh how you loved that laugh.

“You’re painfully oblivious sometimes, you know,” he says, but the fondness is evident in his voice.

“Can you kiss me again?” you ask, a tad bit flustered but you already missed the feeling of his lips on yours.

He smiles down at you before kissing you tenderly, fingers tangling through your hair as your hand rests on his chest, feeling his racing heart.

Finally, you felt complete.

~

~

“I didn’t know you were so soft,” you giggle as you return back to HQ.

“I am not soft,” he says almost offendedly, but the corner of his lip is quirked up the tiniest bit. “Though if I was, it would only be for you.”

Taglist: @beiroviski, @scaraza, @blueoorchid, @remuslupinwifee, @local-mr-frog, @johfaam0, @rawegggohan, @honeycriess, @alexenoirex, @chimpkinnuggies, @rqdior, @banana—belle, @notasadgirlipromise, @6billionyearsold, @gods-perfectidiot, @ieatmunson, @honeii-puff, @wh0re4zaynmalik, @toplinehyunjin, @ohworm-writes

A/N: Two updates in one day? That's wild, haha. Am I writing this because I saw this prompt and I myself am in love with my best friend? Absolutely, but hey! Coping mechanisms, am I right :)

[bidisasterevankinard]

Tease tidbit Tuesday

Hey! I'm back with some frat boy and Buck on the date night in a dress

fratboys where Buck is like: I'm straight and I'm gonna appreciate the beauty of all my roommates as an ally:

“And the last, but not the least, our living room, where you can hang all the time and catch with the boys,” Eric, the guy who met him near the house and showed everything inside, ends his little tour around the house, where he more likely, as Evan hopes, will next four years. 

Evan nods, smiling at the older guy and then blushes when he catches the eyes of another three in the room. 

“Evan, meet Marcus,” Eric nods at the blonde guy with incredible green eyes in the armchair, “Justin,” another blonde, who is lying on the lovesac in the middle of the room, but this one with piercing blue eyes, who smiles and winks and Evan, making him blush more, “Andrea,” beautiful latino guy sends him peace sign and Buck sends one back, “And the captain of the basketball team since this year and absolute icon of the college, who somehow is straight A student, with girls hanging on him constantly, Tommy,” the brunette, who’s lying alone on the couch the closest to the door, gets up.

“Nice to meet you, Evan,” Tommy shakes his hand with the smile that encourages Buck to smile back, feeling less anxious, “and welcome.”

and Buck in a dress:

Any skill to form any coherent thought runs away and all he can do is blink with an open mouth with his eyes running over his boyfriend's body and clothes. Or better say over a tight bright red dress, that hugs his boyfriends broad body almost like second skin, accentuating his pale skin, black ink of tattoos and highlighting his beautiful pink birthmark. 

The dress has a low square neck with thin shoulder-straps, and they leave so little on imagination that is hidden under them. Perfect lines of Evan’s pecs with pebbling nipples look so appealing under red thin soft material and Tommy wants to put his mouth on them right now. 

The perfect waist, Tommy held just two days ago fucking into this body, stands out and long for days legs look even longer with the dress ending just over the middle of man’s thigh. 

The way his brain short circuits, taking all the detail of his boyfriend's look, might be shown on his face, because Evan crosses his hands around himself, turning away from him.

“I can change if-if you are uncomfortable to go out with me wearing a dress.”

Tagged by @hippolotamus @tizniz @wikiangela 💙💙💙

Tagging @queerbuck @watchyourbuck @eddiiediaz @evnnkinard @rogerzsteven @theotherbuckley @pirrusstuff @saybiwithme @shortsighted-owl @spaceprincessem @spotsandsocks @devirnis @diazsdimples @fortheloveofbuddie @loveyouanyway @loserdiaz @cal-daisies-and-briars @bewilderedbuckley @bigfootsmom @eddiebabygirldiaz @neverevan @monsterrae1 and anyone who wants

[kitkatsudon]

A brief foray into the military ranks of TKEM characters…

It’s no secret that our favourite boys from the Kingdom of Corea have a history in the military - but apart from Gon being bottom of his class in the Naval Academy (as confirmed by Choi Gitae in Ep4), what else do we know? As with every tiny detail that sparks my interest in this show, I took it upon myself to find out, and gave myself a headache in the process. Let’s have a look, shall we?

Lee Jihun:

I’m starting with him because he’s the only one I could find a concrete answer for, thanks to him being from a universe very similar to ours. Though we only see him very briefly in Ep16, from that short scene we can glean a little bit of information about what he was doing:

To find his rank, one needs only to look at his epaulettes. You can see that his are black, with three gold stripes: two thick ones, with a thin stripe in the middle. This identifies his rank as follows:

He’s a Soryeong, which is the equivalent rank to a Lieutenant Commander.

However, what I find perhaps more interesting for Jihun is this badge he’s wearing:

Though it’s blurry when you zoom in, I’m pretty sure it’s this one:

You heard it here first, folks. Lee Jihun is a Navy SEAL. They didn’t have to include this detail - you’d probably have to be quite familiar with the military to recognise it straight away, and I doubt that even most Korean fans would be able to recognise it, because I can tell you for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to recognise the equivalent for my own country. Someone on the production team decided this, and I want to give them a big kiss on the mouth, because now it’s confirmed that the sweet little Jihun we saw grew up to be totally badass after his abusive father passed away. I sincerely hope that it was a good life that led him to joining this branch of the military, and not some combination of horrible factors that pushed him into joining one of the most intense and dangerous branches… hm. I’m not going to dwell on that, actually. You can all make your own conclusions here.

Now… to the Kingdom. *sigh.* This is where things start to get more vague and confusing. I’m going to start with ranks first, and then go onto what they were doing as one big section because, spoiler alert, I haven’t got any sort of concrete idea.

Lee Gon:

His rank is easiest to determine, because Choi Gitae says it explicitly when they met at his father’s funeral in Ep4. I cross-referenced this with the closed-caption Korean subtitles, and everything adds up nicely: though he’s the Commander-in-Chief of all the armed forces in the Kingdom, thanks to his position as the monarch, while he was actually serving, he rose to the rank of Daewi, or Lieutenant - the highest rank of the junior officers - before leaving the navy.

Jo Yeong:

When we see Yeong in his navy uniform in Ep6, this is what we can see:

Once again, that same pattern emerges on his epaulettes of two thick stripes surrounding a thin stripe - he’s a Soryeong, a Lieutenant Commander. This means that Yeong ranked one rank higher than Gon before he left the navy, which is something that brings me quite a lot of joy.

However, something I like even more than that is Yeong’s current title, as the leader of the Royal Guard. We all know him and love him as Captain Jo, but in Korean he’s referred to as 조영 대장 - Jo Yeong Daejang. This is what Gon calls him in the iconic “Are you having fun, Captain Jo?” and you can also see that title of Daejang on his character page on the official TKEM website. On WordReference, this is what happens if I search for 대장:

Ignoring the results about other things, it doesn’t seem to mean “Captain” explicitly, it’s more like a general kind of leader title. His rank isn’t necessarily “Captain,” it’s whatever Daejang is equivalent to. So… how good is a Daejang? Looking at the South Korean armed forces, in the army, air force, and marine corps, Daejang is equivalent to General, and in the navy, Daejang is equivalent to Admiral. To put this into context a little better, the only rank in the South Korean navy higher than Daejang is Wonsu, and this rank only exists on paper and has never been given to any officer of the South Korean armed forces. To achieve this rank of Wonsu, you’re appointed from the rank of Daejang when you have “distinguished achievements.”

In conclusion: Yeong has an incredibly high rank in the armed forces, second only really to Gon himself, assuming no one from the Kingdom has ever been appointed the rank of Wonsu either. However… there’s a first time for everything, and though I’m only speculating and of course could never say anything for sure, if anyone was going to get those distinguished achievements needed to be a Wonsu, it would be our Jo Yeong Daejang.

Choi Gitae:

I’m including him briefly because I have a bone to pick with the subtitles. In English, he’s Captain Choi. In Korean, Gon refers to him as Hamjang, which, as far as I can tell, doesn’t exist in the South Korean navy of our universe. In the Korean subtitles in Ep4, he’s named as 최 소령, Choi Soryeong, and he’s just… he’s not that. Let’s take a look at some pictures:

The epaulettes on the first picture and the star badge on the second tell us that his rank should be this:

He’s a Junjang, equivalent to a Rear Admiral (lower half). Not a Captain, and not a Lieutenant Commander. As for the Hamjang/Junjang disparity, I’m going to suggest that Hamjang is the Kingdom of Corea’s equivalent to the Republic’s Junjang.

So, what was everyone doing in the navy?

The only clue we have is a badge:

This is from Yeong’s uniform, but in Ep6 Choi Gitae was wearing the same, and Gon was wearing a gold version of it. However, for the life of me, I can’t seem to figure out what it is! The design seems to be that of a ship sailing through the waters, but that just gives ✨navy✨ in a general sense. Browsing google images, I’ve noticed the same golden badge that Gon wears on other high ranking members of the South Korean navy, so maybe it signifies a high rank? Or maybe it just means that the wearer is in the navy? I don’t know! I can’t work it out! What it tells us at least is, if Yeong isn’t wearing a “specialised” badge like Jihun… it’s unlikely that he served in any kind of special forces… which I feel is a piece of information that might break some hearts in the fandom as their headcanons shatter into pieces. I’m disappointed too, because when I saw Yeong’s badge without paying attention to any of the other characters, I thought that the two shapes on the sides looked a little like submariner dolphins, so I’ve spent half a year or so thinking that’s what Yeong did in the navy, before I realised that Gon and Choi Gitae had the exact same badge.

So, if anyone has been bothered enough to read this far and also happens to be a Korean military buff, I would love you forever if you could tell me exactly what this badge means, and whether it gives us any indication of what Yeong or Gon or anyone else was doing in the navy. However, maybe it’s good that it’s unclear, because that leaves fic writers plenty of room to wonder about what Gon and Yeong were doing in the military - whether they were doing different things, strengthening their bond as best bros doing the same thing, and if you’re on the same side of this fandom as me, whether they were repressing some big feelings at seeing each other in their military uniforms, or whether they were engaging in certain activities that are maybe stereotypical of sailors cooped together on the same boat without women to spend their nights with… there’s plenty of room for interpretation :D

[moo9395]

My ghosts sexuality hcs

I literally change these at any point to fit my mood/ daydream so I've included a few different ones for some characters

Captain:

Obviously he's canon gay but I also occasionally put him ace spec

Mary:

Lesbian/ Bi/ Homo-flexible

Screams she/they

Robyn:

Aro

Pansexual

When he's not Aro he's also pan romantic

Poly (Canon I think)

Pat:

Pan icon

Thomas:

hes asexual and I will die on this hill. Did you see the fear when Alison started taking off her shirt. Bro nearly died.

Sometimes I do him as Cupioromantic but that does make me sad.

Sometimes bros just bi (sexual and romantic)

Sometimes he's straight

But he's always on the ace spectrum.

Annie:

Lesbian. Moving on.

Kitty:

Bi.

Humphrey:

I feel like he could be bi.

Maybe hetero flexible.

He defo has a preference for women

(He/They kind of slay though) (that rhymes)

Lady B:

She's probably straight.

And that's okay.

We love our straight queen.

(I don't see her as a lesbian I'm sorry.)

Maybe hetero flexible or a male preference bi icon

Julian:

Aromantic icon.

When he's not aromantic he's aro spec.

(we adore the aro but not ace rep)

Probably poly as well

yeah.

[leighlew3]

For some reason I couldn’t send the link of this post but I could download the picture and send it (hopefully)

This is what I was references in that ask to you lol

Ah. And... yeah. A painful and unnecessary creative choice.

Look, overall I'm loving Picard, despite quite a few issues with some creative choices and contradictions, because this nostalgia is incredible and so appreciated and being able to witness these characters in action again has been WONDERFUL.

That being said... well, I'm about to launch into a ramble.

Buckle up, and keep reading if you'd like...

Picard had an ICONIC legacy female character in an interracial wlw relationship with a dynamic new Black female character -- both women over the age of 50 no less, an amazing thing to explore on screen -- and it worked. And so many fans loved it and felt represented and thrilled to kingdom come. And it fit with the Star Trek brand of inclusion and acceptance in a modern society. It also made Voyager fans of 25 years feel vindicated and seen, having Seven not only confirmed as sapphic, but actually exploring it on screen and finding love, even if a "happy ending" for Seven was never in the cards for many reasons, they could have explored why instead of just sweeping it under the rug off screen and reducing it to one awkward glance between them, a joke from Worf, and that was it. Seven and Raffi deserved better. Queer fans deserved better.

Alas, they tossed it in the trash for no valid reason at all, and at the worst possible time in our current social and political landscape of an outdated and frighteningly dangerous resurgence of homophobia, transphobia, etc. Life imitates art, and art imitates life. And thus, now we see conservative-run media companies catering again to the vocal, hateful little groups and extremist far right fear mongers. There is a very obvious bias of late again against LGBTQ content (especially wlw due to the frightening rise in misogyny yet again lately) across nearly every channel and streamer and studio.

For that matter, even beyond LGBTQ stories, there's also a significant reduction in the exploration of ANY sexuality on screen across the board lately, even for cishet couples. We somehow went from Hollywood being absurdly and unfairly exploitive towards women and putting actors in uncomfortable and unnecessary situations, to some sort of bizarre, puritanical, utterly sexless exploration of romance on screen. And even a reduction of romance entirely in many cases, for that matter. We went from one extreme to the other, and it's absolutely nuts.

Anyway, back on the topic of Picard, the two actresses who previously were captains of the ship and ALL about the pairing have since seemingly now had to backtrack, make excuses for this bizarre decision, or just not speak on it at all. And that's beyond sad.

And again, it makes me concerned that if Seven does get her own spin-off or is a part of a new spin-off again, they'd likely not include Raffi nor explore Seven being with women further. Which would just be LITERALLY going backwards in time to the days of Voyager where many (not all) straight male fans tried to claim her as theirs and theirs alone while reducing her to just "the hot Borg in a cat suit" even though everyone else knew she was three dimensional as hell, one of the best written and acted characters in franchise history, and inherently representative of the LGBTQ community.

Anyway, I really really hope they prove me wrong and Saffi get a satisfying ending in this show, and if nothing else, even if they don't have a future together in other series, any other shows at least continue to embrace Seven's pansexuality. It's important.

Alas right now my trust in creatives in the TV space who are under the pressures of conservative-run media conglomerates... is limited. Even once seeming allies are showing sides to themselves lately that are... concerning, to say the least. People who previously would tell incels to F' off, and weren't afraid to stand up to and block phobes on Twitter are now blocking queer fans for just asking "WTF?" about queer favorites being sidelined or ships being tossed in the trash. People who previously seemed to truly see and value queer fans are now bordering on just using them for clicks and stringing them along on likely hopeless efforts regarding show survival. And people who actually do mean well and usually stand up loud and strong for LGBTQ audiences are suddenly growing very, very quiet if not even in some cases TURNING on their queer fans entirely as TPTB remove more and more wlw content from airwaves and streamer services.

It's all very disheartening. As a writer who has had this conversation so often with producers and executives, I GET IT. The fight is NOT an easy one. And most the time inclusion efforts are flat out shot down. But it feels like so few people are walking the talk anymore. People who capitalized heavily on LGBTQ characters and ships and fans for a few years when it was hot are now turning their backs when the going has gotten rough. And that's frustrating for us all.

But, the good news: these things are often cyclical. So if everybody can hang in there, stay strong, and fight the good fight online and IRL, rock the VOTE, etc and drown out the hateful voices that want the LGBTQ community silenced or worse, then I believe we can set (or force, in many cases) the misguided, fearful, extremist-rightwing-catering media companies back to the proper side of history.

[girljeremystrong]

✨best books i read in 2022 in no particular order✨ 

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (2021)

This "memoir of an undocumented childhood" is a beautiful story of a family who cared for and looked after one another and of a child who had a lot of fears but was at the same time wonderfully brave and curious and determined.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011)

This is the story of Elena and Lila, two childhood friends living in a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Napoli. We follow their story, narrated by Elena, until they become teenagers, when their paths diverge and their friendship is transformed forever.

Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Persuasion tells the story of a second chance, the reawakening of love between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth, whom eight years earlier she had been persuaded not to marry.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (1956)

This is the story of David, an american man living in Paris, living off the little money his father is willing to lend him, while his girlfriend is in Spain, On a night out he meets a young bartender named Giovanni and goes home with him.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (2021)

Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works, how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (1961)

When Franny’s emotional and spiritual doubts reach new heights, her older brother Zooey, a misanthropic former child genius, offers her consolation and brotherly advice. These two stories offer a touching snapshot of the distraught mindset of early adulthood and are full of insightful emotional observations and witty turns of phrase.

Jazz by Toni Morrison (1993)

a passionate, profound story of love and obsession that brings us back and forth in time, as a narrative is assembled from the emotions, hopes, fears, and deep realities of black urban life.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (2021)

This is the story of Ailey and her ancestor's journey in America through centuries, from the colonial slave trade to our days. We meet Ailey when she is a child and watch her grow up, until the moment when, as a college graduate, she embarks on a journey to uncover her family's past.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (2022)

Growing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James are born under different stars--Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic--and they should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all. Yet against all odds, they become best friends.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor (2020)

Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. But over the course of a weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with a straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2011)

This is the story of Henry Skrimshander who gets recruited by a small college to play baseball and quickly becomes the star of the team, and of Mike Schwartz, the baseball team captain who recruited Henry, and who doesn't know what to do with his life, as his relationship with Henry becomes more and more co-dependent.

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (2022)

Emma was set to start med school but her father got sick with a brain disease and she decided to go back home to New Hampshire. At home her dad and her mum are in a fight, her brother is just out of rehab her childhood best friend is missing and Emma’s dad started seeing ghosts.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920)

Amory is a boy with family money who attends a private high school, and then Princeton and then gradually becomes disillusioned with life.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999)

Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations.

Fight Night by Miriam Toews (2021)

It is told in the unforgettable voice of Swiv, a nine-year-old living in Toronto with her pregnant mother, who is raising Swiv while caring for her own elderly, frail, yet extraordinarily lively mother.

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (1938)

William Booth is a young man living in the countryside, writing for a newspaper little colums about nature, and he is sent by mistake (he has the same surname as a much cooler novelist) to the fictional country Ishmaelia to cover a war for his newspaper. Various other little mishaps ensue.

Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer (2022)

This is the story of Lia, Harry and their daughter Iris, a beautiful loving family. Iris is a teenager and has to navigate all that comes with that while, at the same time, learning to live with the fact that her mum's cancer has come back, and doctors are telling them it's terminal.

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937)

It narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (2016)

The memoir of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1952)

It is the story of an epic struggle between an Santiago, an old, seasoned fisherman and his life's greatest catch of fish, after eighty-four days that he has set out to sea and every time returned empty-handed.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)

One day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. She is getting ready for a party she is hosting at her house. It is also a day in the life of a young veteran, Septimus who fought in WWI and got shellshocked: his last day. The two move around London and think back to episodes of their past.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (1932)

Poirot is vacationing in Cornwall, meets young "Nick" Buckley and her friends. He is persuaded that someone is out to kill her.  Though he aims to protect Nick, a murder happens that provokes Poirot to mount a serious investigation.

[its-tortle]

wrapped game!!!! stucky (obvi) & number 23 my love xx

hi teesha! this one was slightly tough -- to me, this is a song about the religious iconization of technology and capitalism in our modern society -- but i think i made it work? it's a bit weird, but i hope you like it anyway!

You're gonna get yourself killed

Before you can run

Just 'cause you've got your own theme song

(Fastest gun in the solar system)

Don't think you're alone

Don't think you're whole, love

Don't mean that you're holy

Don't mean you're the only one

To save us all

The moments after returning to base camp are chaotic. There are so many soldiers at once, most of the celebratory, many of them exhausted. The troops from the base camp gather and mingle with the rescued soldiers, and for moment Bucky is lost in a sea of back-claps and cheers and a number of relieved and tearful hugs.

The whole thing is overwhelming, honestly, after the dank dark rooms of the Hydra base and the ache he still feels down to his tired bones. He slinks away the first moment he can.

He walks through the camp a little bit aimlessly, thinking he’ll find Steve’s tent or maybe just pass out in the first empty one he finds that isn’t too mothbitten. His eyes scan the sea of tarp and then the long lines of the barracks. There’s what looks to be stage beside it all, and while it has the desolate look about it that everything here does, it’s adorned with bright flags and banners in red, white, and blue. 

Bucky vaguely registers himself walk to it, not sure if it’s the colors that draw him to it -- brighter than he feels he’s seen in years -- or the peculiarity of the show stage amidst the hellscape they’re all living in.

As he steps closer, his eyes hone in on the set of posters stapled to the structure. They’re nearly as garish in color as the banners.

Captain America! they read. The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan.

The subtitles go on about the USO girls and the show to win the war. It all looks like a blur of patriotic bullshit that Bucky doesn't know he ever really believed, but certainly doesn't after what he’s seen here. He almost wants to rip the paper off of the wood.

But then, in the middle of all the pop up writing and star-spangled banners, is Steve’s face. It’s not a perfect likeness -- the nose is too straight and the eyes not green enough, and they didn’t get the freckle on his cheek -- but it’s Steve all the same. It’s his smile and his brow, and that familiar determined set to his jaw that is so familiar to Bucky, even if the jaw is a bit squarer than he’s used to.

Staring at the poster, there’s a twist of something in Bucky’s gut, something indefinable. There’s some pride in it, sure, and whole lot of love, but intwined with it is a sting of resentment and bitterness. Bucky almost hates the man on the poster. He loves Steve.

“There you are.”

Bucky jumps at the sudden voice behind him, immediately calmed by the familiar cadence. He turns to find Steve looking at him, his eyes the right shade of turquoise and his nose crooked from that fight with Tommy K. in fifth grade. The twisted something in Bucky’s chest warms.

“Hey,” he says a little dumbly. “I was- I needed some air.”

Steve just nods. His gaze on Bucky is heavy, and Bucky would be squirming beneath it if he didn’t know he was leveling the same one back at Steve.

After a moment, or maybe four, Steve gestures at the stage behind Bucky. “You missed the show,” he says, and his little self-deprecating smile is so familiar is makes Bucky want to cry.

“Was it any good?” he asks instead.

Steve shakes his head with a little snort. “Absolutely not. They threw stuff at me.”

“Can’t blame them,” Bucky says before he can tell himself not to. “I mighta done the same if it didn’t know it was you.”

Steve swallows, but then just nods again. He looks at Bucky like he knows there’s more coming. He’s always been able to read him like a book.

“I just-” He loosely gestures at the posters behind his shoulder. “What is this? Did you ask for this?”

Steve shakes his head quickly. “No. I didn’t. You know me, Buck.”

“Then why?”

“I wanted to fight,” Steve says, with such quick determination it almost cuts Bucky off. “I wanted to fight, and you were in Europe, and I kept getting kicked out of every enlistment center because I was 5’1’’ and couldn’t breathe right. So, when they gave me a chance, I took it. I didn’t know they were gonna put me in tights.”

Despite himself, Bucky can feel his lips quirk at the corners. “It’s not the tights I have a problem with.”

Steve snorts. Bucky’s lucky he can’t tell what flirting is, really.

“And anyway,” Steve continues, “I can’t be mad about it at the end of the day, cause it got me here. I- I got you back, and now I get to do what I set out to.”

Bucky is almost surprised, then wonders how he ever could have been. “You’re gonna fight.”

“Yeah,” Steve says. And then he must tell that Bucky is getting angry, because he lets out an exasperated huff and gestures to his body, the one that’s still so unfamiliar. “C’mon Buck, that’s what this was made for.”

“This?” Bucky repeats. Steve’s early retort had done nothing to soothe his anger. “What do you mean, this. Steve, it’s you. I don’t care that the serum is a weapon, not when it’s become your body.”

Steve’s shoulders square. “I’m not some fragile little kid anymore, Buck-”

“And yet you still have something to prove!” 

That shuts Steve up. Bucky watches his stony expression and feels his anger give way to desperation.

“I just-” He takes a deep breath. “I know you, and I know you want to- need to fight. And I will have your back, but I don’t want you to mistake your Captian America schtick for invincibility. Just because you’ve got big muscles and your own theme song doesn’t make you the sole holy hero that’s gonna win this war. You’re gonna get yourself killed, going into it alone.”

A muscle is Steve’s jaw twitches, and Bucky thinks he’s already learning how to read Steve through the changes in his body. After a moment, the blond nods.

“You’re right,” he says. “And I don’t- I didn’t ask to be the icon, really. I just wanted to keep you safe.”

Bucky laughs a little, despite that ever-twisting something in his gut. “Well, you better believe that goes both ways.”

Steve smiles then, and it’s one of those wide, pretty ones that set Bucky alight. He opens his arms, and Bucky steps in between them like he’s been doing it for years. His cheek fits perfectly in the crook of Steve’s shoulder.

“Thanks for calling me out on my bullshit, Buck,” Steve mumbles into the side of Bucky’s head.

Bucky laughs into Steve’s skin. “That’s what I’m here for, punk.”

send me a number and a ship and i'll write a ficlet to match the song on my wrapped playlist!

[livvyofthelake]

i have things to say about my little tv shows now ok. 1) the big thing i know we all care so much about. the change in showrunners for greys from krista vernoff (my enemy for real) to someone new. i had to look her up it’s meg marinis and i have tentatively decided to trust her because i looked up what episodes she’s written and she HAPPENS to be the writer behind my favorite greys episode ever. not that that makes the episode good i was just 17 and there was a scene in there that gay 17 year old beth desperately needed at that time. we don’t have to get into it. also she wrote the last 2 episodes of season 19 which i remember being INSANE in the straight people department (lucas and simone!!!!) so. i’m trusting her. meg i am putting my faith in you. do not let me down.

2) jo and link BORING. don’t care for them sorry! not all straight people are winners some of them are lame and pale in comparison to the interns realness and the iconicity of miranda bailey and ben warren…. 3) speaking of my queen miranda bailey. oh it’s all coming together… full circle moment!! she’s in charge of the interns! she’s the best damn teacher in that hospital! yay! rip what’s his name we hardly knew you. because you were boring. (referring to meredith’s lame boyfriend who was previously teaching the interns and is now moving to boston to be with meredith)

and now. station 19, first of all they set my girl up… they changed the time slot to 10 and made this their last season… all for what. 911??? someone needs to kill themselves for this. i’ll see you in hell whatever abc executive designed this. anyway. 2) the good thing about this being. the end 😐 (and we all know how well i do with endings.) is that finally the endgames will become clear. this is a show in which. SO much has happened with every character’s arc i don’t even remember it all it’s been on for seven years ok it started as a show about a woman trying to fill her father’s shoes on her way to becoming the captain of the fire station they both work in. our girl has lost so many times it is unreal, she has had that captain position stolen from her roughly a thousand times, her romantic life has been in shambles since day one i won’t even go there rn. anyway so from episode one it’s clear that her arc this season now that she HAS the captain title is going to be about becoming the BEST captain, and she will!! i believe in my girl and i always have!! and jack’s arc will clearly be about figuring out his life without being a firefighter now that he has all that brain damage. and so on and so forth. we can finally see an end in sight to these characters hectic ass lives and thank fucking god because station 19 is one of the most stress inducing shows i’ve ever watched. 3) as well as that. the romantic endgames will become clear. i can see the full picture forming i can finally begin to see it all… as i said earlier i have been rooting for jack and andy endgame since day one and frankly if that one in a million win happens. i’ll probably explode idk i never thought what might happen if i actually won there i don’t really expect to. the romantic endgames are not all clear i was using this point as a lead in to point 4. so 4) travis… well i’ve known for years they were always going to go back to travis and emmett. i knew that random british man was not long for my man travis the second he came in. listen. travis and emmett started ages ago, and they broke up and became friends and the actor playing emmett left the show and then they brought him back cuz they liked him so much. and i knew the moment they kept bringing him back. this is endgame and i better get used to it. so it’s a good thing i never had anything against travis and emmett because well it looks like i was right this is endgame bye british guy hashtag america strong hashtag declaration of independence hashtag go back to where you came from etc. sorry i really don’t care for that british man he was like. mildly tolerable last season but i never wanted him to stay around this long it’s fucked up. anyway. loved travis and emmett’s little cheating moment as emmett grieves his shitty dead dad who we all hated for being a republican <3 loved that they had sex in emmett’s mother’s house while she was probably like two rooms away and also i have a keen eye and like that was a room without a damn door they were in when they started tearing each other’s clothes off. as my mother commented. “in the living room???” real as fuck mom… anyway slay. point 3a) vic and ruiz can’t possibly be endgame right. god they probably are. fuck my life ��� god he’ll never be ripley…. you had to be there at the time it was the moment at the time….

yeah. anyway. lots of wins for straight people tonight. i wish they were real :( also some wins for the gays of those shows, maya and carina as always serving up their bland boring network tv lesbian couple swag. kinda obsessed tbh. maya has had a rough time of it in these seven seasons she deserves to be boring and lame now i think <3 my buddy schmidt still kinda losing the Take Me Seriously war. i fear if these six years have been any indication he never will win that battle. BUT. remember that meg is running the show now…. meg loves him… i mean clearly meg loves him she wrote The Episode….. meg i won’t ask for much but if it’s not too much trouble could you perhaps give a think on bringing back nico before they pull the plug on your show… just consider…. i’d really like it a lot if i got to see him even just one more time….. no worries if not meg i’m not trying to get greedy out here. however if you give my guy a krista core bullshit love interest i’ll kill you myself. peace and love. (krista core means bad btw. we HATE krista vernoff. boooooo) anyway. so that’s my thoughts. heart

[growingstronglikeahighgardenrose]

Watched The Last Voyage of the Demeter last night and I... Just can't understand how even Stephen King and Del Torro are fans? I'm happy so many people enjoyed it but I found it baffling in its disregard for the plot, the characters and any and all lore, and just good cinema? It's such a pity because I was so hyped. And even more of a pity because the movie is SO beautiful in regards to set, filmography and score. Gah!

Spoilers below

The rules set up in the book? Toss them: not a single rule aside from Dracula only coming out at night (which is not even a fixed rule in the book) is followed. Dracula isn't bothered by crucifixes and does not use his morphing power to become other creatures. Which means the iconic final scenes of the captain being bound to the ship an dog-ula jumping off the ship did not happen.

creature design: by the time dracula leaves his castle he's looking like a nice old man with an eccentric mustache and can speak perfect English. He planned his departure for decades at least. This Dracula looks like a half-decayed corpse monster, which I could have understood as a creative decision (i.e. dracula not bothering to look nice since he'll kill them all anyways) but dracula is also weakened and seems to be barely able to understand English. I'm supposed to think this creature managed to plot to have his coffin brought to the ship and multiple residences having been set up in the UK for him when he's this weak and monsterly? And the design after looking at it for a while doesn't look monsterly, just very ugly and dumb. And the burning scenes for the sired crew looked bad. very bad. The gruesomeness was cool though.

Book-dracula is dumb, he's dumber: so book dracula is dumb because he ate his way through the crew before arriving safely, right? and his hubris gets him killed in the end as well. But this thing? Even more dumb. Book dracula planned his trip for decades at least. He's got tons of wooden crates with dirt because he knows he might need to be able to hide in them when another coffin is found out. But it also has the added benefit of making it harder to find him, because there's many identical boxes, and if the crew were to start searching, the odds of finding him before he managed to escape were lower. This dumbo has x amount of random crates, and then one MEGACRATE with his crest which is so obvious it's stupid. Also: what's his game? Hiding or not hiding? He hides his first body but not the blood on the ship? But then some other killings he's not even ashamed of being seen? Why?

bad movie making: why add additional people? Is there a point to Clemens' backstory? He didn't use his doctor skills a lot and his backstory has no pay off in the end. Anna is just an infodump. The boy is a great actor and lovely, but he was just inserted to draw on our heartstrings. On top of that the movie doesn't set up its reveals properly. Sure, dracula sired/half transformed some of the crew and Anna, but with the first man he is first just a transforming mess, then becomes possessed at night when dracula practices control over him, and at dawn he's suddenly sensible somewhat? He's immediately dying to sunlight. Then Toby. No transformation, just straight up dead? And then turns monsterly during the day??? That's another way of it happening, no logical repeat. Then Anna is suddenly revealed to have been slowly dying? But it wasn't set up by any kind of sun-sensitivity or her temporarily losing control over her actions? A shame.

Dumb actions; they hammer the ship shut so dracula "only has one way out". But dude? he's literally gotten into every room of the ship without explanation or broke his way through. Why wouldn't he be able to now? Are the characters amnesiacs?

This was so frustrating because I LOVE the books, and I love almost all dracula movies, and there's a lot of bad ones and B-movies and even C-movies. Bad special effects, gore and unfaithful adaptations don't phase me. But I need the characters to be consistent and not dumb, for there to be some rules about vampires, for the movie to be consistent and for the plot to make sense, for characterization to be a chekhov's gun instead of random trivia.

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

highly associate lauretta w алоэвера 's songs aka rus icon of free love

^ idk if she's bisexual but she's (her songs) bisexual icon to me bc song below is adressed from one women to another

Каждую мою весну ты заползаешь мне в уши Голосом душишь, разрываешь на куски, на подвязки Вяжешь в узлы мои голосовые связки Каждую мою весну Бесцеремонно садишься на кресло, мол Здесь мой дом, здесь мне место, здесь не тесно И ты привязана ко мне, как леской Я тебя до одуренья люблю Я твои следы языком лизала Детка, знаешь, я целую петлю Которой шею ты мою обвязала Обвязала tr: Every spring you crawl into my ears. Strangling my voice, tearing it to pieces, tearing it to garters. Tie my vocal cords in knots Every spring of my life You sit unceremoniously on the chair, saying: "This is my home, this is where I belong, this isn't crowded" And you're tied to me like a fishing line I love you to bits I've been licking your footprints with my tongue Baby, you know I kiss the noose That you tied around my neck ****

Урок благонравия: введение. Женщина неприемлемого поведения - Это та, что с путешественником, капитаном и пьяным матросом Целуется, не задавая вопросов

Смеется громко, оголяет плечи Делает это все в один вечер Делает это регулярно и часто И, черт возьми, счастлива tr:

A lesson in good behavior: an introduction. A woman of unacceptable behavior: She's the one with the traveler, the captain and the drunken sailor. kisses without asking questions

Laughs loudly, bares her shoulders Does it all in one night. She does it regularly and often. And she's happy as hell (same song but: Бросайте мужей нелюбимых, жен несчастливых, сбегайте к морям Срывай якоря, поднимай парус, я не останусь здесь никогда / Leave unloved husbands, unhappy wives, flee to the seas. Break the anchor, hoist the sail, I'll never stay here. <- goes to eddie!) *** goes to falcone polycule Мы отбились от стаи На ночной аллее Я растаяла Чулки в районе коленей Ни совести тени, ни капли сомнений И без угрызений смеется ночь звонко И даже пустой переход Дышит словом «подонки» Кажется нас спалили Перекошены смехом лица Будет о чем рассказать Друзьям заграницей Мол, это просто Ёбург-стайл И даже до Праги доносится новость Что мы совсем оборзели И потеряли совесть tr: We broke away from the pack On a nighttime alley I melted Stockings around my knees No shadows of conscience, no doubts. And without remorse, the night laughs loudly. And even the empty crosswalk Breathes the word "scumbags." (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I think we've been caught Their faces are twisted with laughter There's something to tell To friends abroad "It's just a Random city-style And even Prague (😭) has heard the news That we've lost our self-control* And lost our conscience" *uhh it's a light curse in the original. Оборзели means smth like gone crazy but funny thing that "бОрзая" is a (past)criminal/gopnik slang for "impertinent" and "борзАя" means "borzoi" (dog) so it's lowkey means "turned animals" but like. crazy impertinent beasts

*** goes to carlo/lauretta Оправданий нет Мы были трезвыми Безбашенными, резвыми, взрослыми Доброе утро, мой выбор. Статный. Рослый. Не отвертеться.

Испытывал терпенье, томил Прогибал и лез всюду Я еще не виновата, но виновата буду Верни меня домой, верни к мосту Оба знаем: мы - в деле Вы мне так нужны, я с вами расту Вы со мною молодели Бессовестные пальцы жгут Пылок, обожжен Я же вижу кольца жмут Лезу на рожон Эта встреча нас чернит Нужно быть не с теми tr:

There's no excuses. We were sober. Crazy, frisky, grown-up. Good morning, my choice. Stately. Tall. There's no escape now

Tried my patience, languished me Bending and meddling all over me I'm not guilty yet, but I will be. Bring me home, bring me back to the bridge! We both know we're in business I need you so much, I'm growing with you You're getting younger with me*

Shameless fingers stinging Dusty, burned I see the rings are tight** I'm getting straight in the way This meeting makes us worse We should be with others *they're one year apart in age to me so it's more bout emotions/status etc etc **the song implies a married man. but let's pretend it's about engaged lauretta *** goes to lauretta & her fiance

В этот раз ничего непристойного нет Как ни прискорбно С вами удобно, в шерстяных не знобко С вами не кружевное, а хлопковое

В этом доме спокойно Но спокойно - это не повод С Вами можно в разведку А я хочу в омут, я хочу в омут (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

*** С Вами свободно, вечерами сносно С Вами не каблуки, а на плоской

Наши чувства не броски И уже набили оскому С Вами можно в разведку А я хочу в омут, я хочу в омут tr:

Nothing obscene this time It's unfortunate. You're comfortable, I don't get chilly in woolen ones. I don't wear lace, but cotton.

There's peace in this house. But peace isn't a good reason You're the one to go scouting with. And I wanna go into the maelstrom, I wanna go into the maelstrom (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

No pitfalls this time The evenings are fine I'm not in heels with you, I wear flat soles Our feelings aren't catchy And I'm sick of it already You're the one to scout with And I wanna go to the maelstrom _________________________________________ not алоэвера's songs but i just got out of track:

Если хочешь быть со мной Неси мне свои ваучеры Ведь мир такой изменчивый Ведь мир такой обманчивый Время ночи три часа Мы стоим у банкомата Евро, доллары, рубли Я любой валюте рада В банкомате нет любви Но её мне и не надо

На моих часах уже одиннадцать ноль-ноль Собирайся, милая, мы едем в Метрополь Не волнуйся, за такси я скоро заплачу Жить красиво — это сложно, но я научу Видишь справа мужика В том вельветовом костюме У него три кабака И гостиница в Батуми Или как тебе вот тот Из Америки вернулся Он за нас оплатит счёт Стоит только улыбнуться Летом на Майорку отвезёт тебя майор А зимой тебя согреет шуба от Диор Может, счастье ты себе не купишь. Ну и что? Быть несчастной лучше в лимузине, чем пешком Всё считай как ЭВМ Будь умнее, но не слишком Мир спасёт не красота Мир спасёт моя сберкнижка Не смотри так на меня Знаешь, ведь не в правде сила tr:

If you want to be with me. Bring me your vouchers 'Cause the world is such a fickle place The world is so deceitful It's three o'clock at night We're standing at the ATM Euros, dollars, rubles I'm happy with any currency There's no love at the ATM But I don't need it

It's 11AM on my watch. Come on, honey, we're going to Metropol'* Don't worry, I'll pay for the cab soon. Living beautifully is hard, but I'll teach you. See that man on the right? In that corduroy suit. He's got three pubs. And a hotel in Batumi. Or how about that one over there He's back from America. He'll pay for us If you just smile A captain** will take you to Mallorca in summer And in winter you'll be warmed by a Dior coat. Maybe you can't buy your own happiness. So what? I'd rather be miserable in a limo than on foot. Count like a computer. Be smart, but not too smart It's not beauty that saves the world. It's my bank account that saves the world. Don't look at me like that. You know that the power isn't in the truth *Metropol' - a five-star hotel in the center of moscow **police captian ([mayor] in rus - sounds like mallorca [mayorka]. so it's just a word play) *** goes to carlo/lauretta Ну! Разденься! Выйди на улицу голой И я подавлю свою ревность Если так нужно для дела Разденься! Пусть они удивятся Пусть делают вид, что не видят тебя Но им ни за что не забыть Их мысли заполнит твоё тело Разденься!

tr: Come on! Take your clothes off! Go outside naked And I'll suppress my jealousy. If it's necessary for the cause. Take your clothes off! Let them be surprised Let them pretend they don't see you But they'll never forget Their minds will be filled with your naked body Take your clothes off! ***

Я бандитов вечерами чаем угощаю Рэкетиров на пороге иногда встречаю С адвокатом мы ночами в шахматы играем Ну, а про майора так никто и не узнает Новенькой подводкой я накрашу себе стрелочки *** Ты и правда думаешь, что меня можно напугать? (Ха-ха) tr:

I serve* tea for the gangsters in the evenings. Sometimes I meet racketeers on my doorstep I play chess with the lawyer at night. And no one will ever know about the police captain. I'll paint my eyes with new eyeliner. You really think I can be scared? (ha-ha)** *my brain is small and i didn't understand how to translate it correctly but here the meaning is "to treat" and not "to serve". so a warm attitude is implied **Makes me think of possible Vito & Lauretta interaction

**** carlo/lauretta mostly but falcone polycule dynamics also (i love this song so much fr) Моя паранжа горит - мой хужа без лишних слов Поджёг её на мне своими чёрными очами А луноликий мой господин пьян в дым и горит Как лампа под прицелом моих молчаливых глаз Дым в доме дым-дым-дым - у нас так всегда Куришь на меня кальян, дымится на мне сафьян Как красиво мы горим… Как красиво мы горим Как красиво и безмолвно мы сгораем без следа! Горим-горим ясно, горим от ревности днём Ночью горим от страсти, горим первобытным огнём Горим от ярости, горим от гордыни и ни слова От любви и ненависти в нашей газовой пустыне Кто ночью твоя загорелая рабыня? - Я Наутро кто тихая погибель твоя? – Я Кто ночью ты? Лизни меня в лицо языком пламени Наутро окно распахни Из дома сгоревшего выгони дым-дым tr: My burqa's on fire, my huzha*, without a word Burned it on me with his black eyes And my moon-faced lord is drunk on smoke and he's on fire Like a lamp in the crosshairs of my silent eyes. Smoke in the house. Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke — It's always like this with us. Smoking a hookah on me, morocco is burning on me How beautifully we burn How beautifully and silently we burn without a trace! We burn bright, we burn with jealousy by day. We burn with passion at night, we burn with primal fire. We burn with rage, we burn with pride And not a word from love and hate in our gaseous desert Who is your tanned slave at night? - Me In the morning, who is your silent doom? - Me Who are you in the night? Lick my face with the tongue of flame Open the window in the morning Drive the smoke out of the burned house

Хуҗа (tatar) - Master

rip falcone polycule its a shame u never smoked a hookah. imo

anyway! уж так замыслил нас господь, что каждый день мы на охоте ничто не остановит плоть, хотящую отведать плоти

god designed us to be out hunting every day nothing can stop the flesh from savouring the flesh of another✌

[goldenworldsabound]

OKAY so anyway that aside I also forgot to mention my husband and I will be starting to watch Star Trek Discovery.

Many of you are new here and will not know that Spock is the OG fave for me. TOS Spock specifically. When I self shipped in high school (I wrote so. much. fic. in my diary. loved that for me, helped me cope so good) it was Spock and Spock only. Everyone in my life knew I was obsessed with him. And you know what? I knew SO MUCH about TOS. Grown ass men tried to gatekeep my high school self and got fucking schooled by me. I knew everything there was to know about Vulcan.

I don't, anymore. It's been some time. But Spock still holds the SPECIALEST place in my heart even though I haven't talked about him much later. I did revamp our ship a few years ago - or rather, made a new version since I'm too attached to the original but wanted something more...mm...more like how I make my ships now, I guess? The original one was a straight isekai - due to time travel shenanigans I end up on the Enterprise and Spock and I fall in love (I knew it was him though like there was still Star Trek on TV and all that so fdksjahf). It was really helpful to me at the time and honestly it could fully happen with how TOS tends to be. Time travel is par for the course KJFHEWKFHW that one was "Love is Fascinating".

The new one is "Across Time and Space" and also came with me shipping with Kirk as well ("Solar Flare Love") and naturally the poly (cause how can you be a fan of TOS and not ship Spirk (I'm joking but like also it's truly iconic and important for popularizing slash fic)) which is "Interwoven Stars".

And that one I am QUITE proud of what I came up with. Beneath the cut.

In the new lore, Spock and I grow up together on Vulcan. We're really close. I'm not a Vulcan - I wasn't born there, and I've lived on a multitude of planets since they've moved for their jobs a lot. I'm a human. But we stay on Vulcan the longest of any of them. Spock and I, accidentally and unbeknownst to us, sort of form a childish and ill-formed Bond. A telepathic one, as Vulcans do. We don't realize this and no one else does either.

Eventually, I have to move away. It sucks. No one liked that.

Somewhere along the way, something goes super wrong during our travels. My parents die and I'm cryogenically frozen for several years. I'm eventually rescued and revived but...well my family is dead now. Oops.

I go into Starfleet, several years behind Spock.

Which puts us in this position that my first assignment is the Enterprise. And Spock is the Enterprise's Science Officer. And I am reporting directly to him.

We recognize each other!!! It's exciting.

Unfortunately. Spock has realized that we have this awkward incomplete bond. And once we've taken off he determines that, well, he's engaged, so, he's gotta break this off. And he does. And omg it fucking hurts. For both of us. Our minds have been in contact for so long. He's always been with me even if I didn't realize it. So I'm. Upset.

There's a shore leave right then (which is why he waited until then to do it) and I go to that and am Hella Depressed and LO AND BEHOLD Kirk and Bones are like ? We're adopting you as our friend now. You WILL have fun and that IS a threat.

So now I'm besties with the CAPTAIN and the doctor. And Bones and I bond real fucking fast I tell you fkjdhsakjf Kirk thinks I'm cute but like he's well aware of the power dynamic so he's not trying to make a move.

Anyway I don't tell either of them what happened.

Over time I think it just becomes apparent that Spock and I have feelings for each other/are awkward, and Bones gets on me about it like, "you and the green-blooded hobgoblin should just get together already" and I brush him off a bunch until I finally snap about how we can't cause he's engaged. He's very sympathetic after that.

Kirk and I are also somewhat awkwardly on and off trying out dating (with an open relationship) which is like. I like him!!! He likes me!!! But we also both like Spock and it's just...tense and awkward at times?

the whole Pon Farr thing will happen and then Spock is free to...to choose me fkjdhsakjfhdsak and we'll rebond and stuff. And Kirk is like, "congrats" all awkwardly thinking he's out of the picture now. But Spock and I will invite him into our relationship after some time of getting to know each other again!!!

so yeah that was a lot fkjsadhfkjds but that's the basic premise. I love Spock a lot-

[mnstcrbnll]

"GALS, PALS, NONBINARY PALS: WELCOME TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF: SECRETS FROM THE STARS!

Our WONDERFUL contestants sent their secrets, and soon they will recieve a message! Their goal is simple: find out to who that secret belongs to and send their answer to us within THREE DAYS! Anything is allowed to find out who their target could be... as long as it's allowed to be shown on live TV!"

cue canned laughter

"You can have a maximum of three points: one for guessing correctly, another if you guessed without having to use... drastic methods, and another more if, after your first guess, you manage to guess someone else's secret too! Remember: you can't get the third point without guessing your secret first... and if you send the wrong guess, you will get zero points! Quite the bummer, isn't it?

NOW, let's meet our STARLIGHTS of the night!!

straight from Alola, here comes our recent Island Tour Champion: REE! // @skullkxd

will this detective prove his skills? A round of applause for: JOHN! // @turnecoat

beauty and the beast are ready to enter the scene... but which one is which? Say hello to FRANCIS and BRUTO! // @planespc

paldean Elite Four and recent Twitter heartthrob, say hello to: RIKA! // @monterraverde

will this little girl prove she can discover everyone's secret? Here comes ANZU! // @dandieliongirl

time for this Alolan Trial Captain to prove he's as smart as he looks: say hello to MOLAYNE! // @bigmolayne

will this Dark Type Gym Leader prove she can move in the shadows? Here comes STRELITZIA! // @darkestaken

a young promise in the battle scene... and an elusive one at that! A big applause for: WILLOW! // @soardived

will this fashion icon prove she can discover everyone's dirty laundry? Here's MABLE! // @costofbeauty

directly from Area Zero, she's here to discover even more mysteries! A round of applause for: SADA! // @prosada

a smile that could kill... wonder if that will be enough to go to the top! Come in, PROTON! // @chounaifu

nobody can stop one of the Johto Campions! Say hi, LYRA! // @kotoyin

a mysterious gentleman, out there looking for some fun! Here he is: RILEY! // @auraguardians

will this cold gym leader hide the warmest of secrets? Come on in, GRUSHA! // @crushed-ice

time to make things a little more electrifying! straight from Sinnoh: VOLKNER! // @low-charge

NOW GET READY...

AND SHINE, STARDUSTS!"

[thealmightyemprex]

Disney VHS review Treasure Island

So I have a fondness for old home media formats and have a bunch of Disney movies on VHS ,thought it would be fun to let my mutuals pick which ones I watch .And to answer your question ,I am watching these specific films on VHS ,cause it legit adds to the nostalgic feel

Requested by @ariel-seagull-wings our first film is :Treasure Island

The plot of this 1950 film is Jim Hawkins (Bobby Driscoll ) comes into a poessesion of a Treasure Map ,and joins an expedition lead by the foolish Squire Trelawney (Walter Fitzgerald ) who hires a one legged sea cook named Long John Silver (Robert Newton ) who becomes fast friends with Jim…..Not knowing Silver is a trecherous pirate

So withthese VHS reviews I wanna talk about my personal relationship with these films,talk about my nostalgia for them …..Yeah this one I dont have any .I hsve nostalgia for the book which I read twice as a kid and funnily enough ,I have nostalgia for two other Disney film versions :Muppet Trasure Island (Which I shall review next month ) and Trasure Planet (Which I reviewed not long ago ). I knew of the film,the trailer was a bonus feature on the Treasure Planet DVD ,but I could never find it ,untl say about 2010 I think when I found the VHS at aflea market ….And the first time I tried watching I fell asleep cause I was tired and just never tried rewatching this VHS ..It wasnt till Disney+ that I finally saw the film in full a few years ago

Now this is a very important film ,being Disney's first totally live action film ,the sucess of this film ,lead to more adventure films shot in England then eventually to a big budget adventure film with 20000 LEagues Under The Sea which solidified Disney as maker of live action films as well as animation .Its also highly influential as Robert Newtons take on Long John Silver is SO iconic ,pirate talk we use now is just an impression of Newton.This film is certainly a classic…But for me its just missing something

My feelings of the film is it is a good adventure movie but its missing a spark . I think Byron Haskin (Later Director of War of the Worlds ) does a competent job directing ,the action scenes are decent , and the supporting actors do their job ,I especially like Ralph Truman as traitorous pirate George Merry (Also Patrick Troughton is a pirate here but you have to keep your eyes out for him cause he is basically an extra ) .However its kind of just a good movie ,I wouldnt even say its the best film based on the book cause it leaves out a bunch of good stuff (Poor Billy Bones ,Doctor Livsey,Captain Smollet and Blind Pew just feel kind of there.They even cut Pews death scene ) .I think the film became a classic beause the two central performances are really damn good .The central performances /central relationship is so good it elevates it

Now we get to the requestees questions,sopics they specifically want me to cover

1.Bob Driscoll and Robert Newton's performances as Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver , and their contrast with the side actors/characters

Bobby Driscoll I think is a great Jim Hawkins.Yes he is the solo American in a British cast but its not too distracting and Hawkins is kind oof a view point character ,but I think he nails the role ,I compare him to the two other straight adaptations of the book I have seen the 34 film where Jackie Cooper played Jim and the 1990 film where Christain Bale played Jim .Where I thought Cooper was too overthe top naïve and Bale too damn serious,Driscoll is how I see Jim ,a bit naive but a smart and brave kid .My favborite scene in the film is when he has to shoot Mr Hands , cause the look on his face shows both fear for his own life (If I dont shoot this guy he will kill me ) and the fear of can he pull the trigger (Do I have it in me to take a mans life ).Also while I like other takes on the Jim and Silver relationship ,I lkike the conflict in this version which is ,is the friendship real,I am micxed on the ending but I do like the moment where Jim is prepared to be shot but Silver cant do it (Though Muppets did it better )

Robert Newton is not a favorite actor of mine ....But Hot DAMN is he MAGNIFICENT here .He almost carries the movie .While Tim Curry is my favorite Silver ,Robert Newton is hands down the BEST .A key to Silver is he is a villain you just LOVE ,and boy is Newton a lovable rogue .You know he could stab you but at the sametime you wanna hear him tell you tales of his adventures .Im not surprised Newton reprised the role a few times cause he is excellent,he nealrly carries the movie and his performance is so gooo it elevates the film.ANd up to the end I love how ambiguious he is ,you dont know if he really cares for Jim or is just using him .Definately one of the best live action villains Disney has ever had

I think the problem with the supporting cast is they just feel like they are playing parts ......While Newton is embodying a character, I feel like there is a history to him before and after the film . All the other characters feel one note ,though they play those notes well .Trelawney is a blowhardt,Livsey is a nice smart guy,Smollet is stern,Hands is brutal,George Merry is rebelious ,Ben Gunn is kooky .They all are good,I especially like Geoffrey Keen as Hands ,Ralph Truman as George Merry and Walter Fitzgerald as Trelawney ......Ive jus seen other takes where some of these characters are better

2.The passing of the movie in the context of being a 1950 production

I think its very good in its time. I honestly think it is a very good adventure film ,and I see why it was a hit

Its legacy among Disney live actions films, and why it doesn't have a bigger following like 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins or Bedknobs and Broomsticks

In comaprison to those films,its not as grand.It has a great villain,good story ,fine action and there is some emotion .....But there is no SIGNATURE scene.This is a very dry talky film ,with one GREAT character . With the three you mention you get many great setpieces (Kirk Douglas and James Mason fight a Giant Squid ,Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke singing in a cartoon environment , Angela Lansbury on a broom stick leading an army of armor against Nazis ,etc )as well as great charcters and stories .When I think of Disney I think of my favorite scenes

OVerall,I want to stress ,I reccomend it ,it is a very good movie,I enjoyed it watching it and by Thunder ,Newton is amazing as well as Driscoll ....But I dont love it ,and I wish I loved it

@ariel-seagull-wings @goodanswerfoxmonster @princesssarisa@the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @filmcityworld1

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #8:

Judy Collins' Fifth Album

Judy Collins had it rough.

Like just about everyone else in history, her songwriting could never compare with that of Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny or Leonard Cohen; rather she introduced the world to those artists by covering Clouds, Who Knows Where the Time Goes and Susanne. Nearly 60 years later we're more than content to listen to Joni, Sandy and Leonard's own versions and forget all about poor Judy.

And her version of Amazing Grace is nice, sure, but comparing her take to Aretha Franklin's is as silly as comparing my writing to that of my famous brother.

And no matter how many times she posed in the nude with odd, defiant joy Collins could never compete in the looks department with Linda Ronstadt. Who could? All Linda had to do was put on a Porky Pig tank top.

Collins couldn't even win the boyfriend war. Joan Baez claimed Bob Dylan long before his ship came in, so Collins had to shack up with none other than our forever nemesis Stephen Stills, her sweet blue eyes serving as the muse for one of his only good songs before he wandered off to forever suck.

So it's no wonder that the Dollar Bin is chock full of Judy Collins.

(Please note that I bought my copy for a mere 91 cents. And that was in the last year. After noting this, please join me in praise of the God of the Dollar Bin, from whom all blessings flow.)

Anyway, don't be fooled when you see Judy's Fifth Album lodged between Captain & Tennille's corpulent dogs and CS&N's schooner of certain destruction. Snap Fifth Album up; it's awesome.

So let's drop the needle!

Collins' spent her first four albums stuck in the Hootenanny Spin Cycle, producing an album every 6 months full of churning, seasick guitar work and strident, declarative singing. Baez's sound at the time is similar; like stage actors 25 years earlier who couldn't adjust to film's close ups, early 60's folk singers, Dylan excepted, all belt to the back row when in the studio. It's as if they are unsure how exactly this new fangeled thing called "amplification" works.

But with Fifth Album, recorded in 1965, Collins achieves comfort and ease before the microphone, setting the stage for every studio singer who's come since; she sings to us rather than at us, and every moment is wonderful.

Let's start with Thirsty Boots. I always wondered why Dylan covered the song, pretty terribly, for Self Portrait. Now I know. Bob wanted to sound like Judy.

Equally great is her take on Mr. Tambourine Man. There's a lot to say about the track; here it is if you'd like to listen while I ramble.

Dylan's original hit the street in March 65; the Byrds altered the world's axis with their cover a month later. Collins' version didn't come out until the next Fall but it's unclear when she actually recorded the song.

Without any proof, I'd argue that she laid her take down that same Spring. After all, she doesn't sing the song as if it's a Dylan or Byrds cover. Instead, it sounds like she heard Bob sing the song in her apartment one night, demanded the lyrics, then went into the studio and owned it on her own terms the next day.

Sure, Roger McGuinn, who'd served as a mediocre player and arranger for Collins on her previous studio record, invented that iconic 12 electric string sound. Sure, Dylan knew his way around a six string. But Collins straight up shreds on the guitar; no one else is playing for her here. Had she been born 20 or 30 years later and not been shackled by 60's and 70's sexism, it's easy to imagine Judy showing Kim Deal, Kristin Hersh, PJ Harvey and all the boygeniuses who followed how to rock.

There's a lot more to this record. Collins' does her trademark thing yet again, introducing the world to Gordon Lightfoot via her cover of Early Morning Rain. Yes, I know, Ian and Sylvia put out their version a month earlier. But who wants to listen to them when we could listen to Judy?

A year or so later she'd take her talent agent shtick to a whole other level by famously talking Leonard Cohen out of his reticence to even get on stage. Collins knew talent when she heard it, long before others. That's why she relegated Stills to bass in her band in the late 60's and never covered one of his crummy songs.

Let's end with perhaps the most obscure track on the record, The Coming of the Roads. I keep a list in my wallet of previously unknown-to-me artists to seek out whenever I'm deep in the Dollar Bin. Because of Collins' cover of this song, Billy Edd Wheeler is currently underlined on that list.

Dear friends, I hope you are all well. Thank you for reading. I hope your next hunt through the Dollar Bin turns up something half as beautiful as this track.

[ghostthemaddhatter]

One Piece Odyssey

Hey, there Ghosts and Ghouls or should I say Ahoy mateys! Captain Ghost here setting sail to review One Piece Odyssey, the first JRPG based on the iconic anime. After questing for the great treasure, my crew and I had our powers taken away on a mysterious island. I gotta say this game oozes charm for One Piece fans while also serving up fun anime-style combat. So let's weigh anchor and dive into the ratings!

Gameplay: 4/5 Straw Hats. One Piece Odyssey mixes turn-based battles with action commands to pull off flashy attacks. Switching between crew members adds variety and there's satisfying progression as you learn new skills. Some repetitive fetch quests knock it down a peg.

Story: 5/5 Straw Hats. Fans will get a nostalgic thrill seeing Peak Adventure recreated in RPG form. The original tale has humor and heart. The new plot does a great job of capturing the spirit of One Piece.

Replayability: 3/5 Straw Hats. While there are side quests, the main adventure is pretty linear which cuts down on replay value. Still, anime fans will enjoy multiple playthroughs.

Graphics: 4/5 Straw Hats. Thick black lines and vibrant colors make characters feel straight out of manga and anime. The fantasy environments could be more detailed but combat animations are on point.

Overall, I'm giving One Piece Odyssey a 4/5 Straw Hats! It's a fun tribute for fans and a solid JRPG for newcomers too. Join Luffy's crew to experience an imaginative anime adventure with challenges to test your battle skills. Now let's set a course for Laugh Tale!