#the fact that you all call me marcia is so cute

[marciabrady]

Hullo Marcia! I was wondering, what- for you- are the most annoying misconceptions Disney fans have about Disney (or if you want to narrow it down, just Walt's original three)? I feel like fans for the last 20-30 years are just so intellectually far removed from the franchise and don't understand anything about it which is why we have stupid takes like "Mulan would hate those boring feminine princesses" or "Snow White is passive" or "Rapunzel is the healthiest most feminist Disney film" being passed around like basic facts.

Oooh that's a good prompt. I have so many more, I was actually thinking about making a post about this soon but:

Belle is the smartest princess because she likes to read lol you all knew this would be coming!! It's the most painful because it's overly simplistic, to the point of being glib, but she also probably makes the stupidest decisions out of any princess and doesn't showcase intelligence at all throughout the film, imo. The fact that she holds a eight page illustrated edition of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn't absolve her of her terrible choices, nor the fact that she probably is the most communicatively ineffective character I've ever seen lol

That the original three princesses are practically interchangeable when they could not be further apart in terms of visual decision, storytelling approach, or vocal performance- *especially* when the past two or three decades have given us nothing but Belle and Rapunzel variants.

Snow White being 14 and the Prince being 31...I don't think the people who repeat this actually believe it either, it's just false outrage at this point.

Cinderella waited for a Prince to save her or that Ariel went to the surface only for her man/gave up her voice and family for him (which like...this is already a reach but you have to actively not pay attention to the film to think this).

That Tiana's "girl boss" status is aspirational when that's actually the part of Tiana that's pre arc. Contributing to grind culture isn't a good thing and the movie acknowledges that there's only so much in Tiana's direct control. She grows after she discovers that there's more to aspire to, outside of something that's so restricted to the capitalistic structure. I think we all need to relisten to "Dig a Little Deeper" lol idk if she's a princess, but I feel this about Meg too. Her jaded side isn't #goals the way most people make it out to be, like it's one thing to be relatable but I don't think we should necessarily cheer her being damaged before she works to overcome it.

When they summarize or promote any Princess as "the first who's not looking for a man." At a 2017 D23 panel of four princesses, Annika, Auli'i, and Paige all said the same thing about their princesses by defining them on their relationships to men while only Jodi was smart enough to avoid this trap lol add to this: when they promote a Princess as "breaking the mold," which is the mold at this point.

When they market any princess as the only one to have x attribute or be the most y (it's normally strongest, bravest, fill in your patriarchal attribute here). It's passe at this point and comparing apples to oranges. Tiana isn't the only one that has a business acumen, Belle isn't the only one not looking for a man, etc.

[girlishwhimsies]

ok I have some ideas on how they managed to afford the baby- I think once Cherry had told soda (I headcanon that when she found out she was with Marcia, who comforted her) she started taking this class at her school on finances- and she was one of the only girls in the class and the teacher was really sexist, and no one really knew why she was taking the class. I think she asked the hospital she was volunteering at for some sort of front office job that she did after school, and I think she also dropped cheerleading. And I think you mentioned this before but she pulled some strings so soda could get a job as a mechanic in the west side where the pay is a lot better. But I also think that when Cherry ran away/was kicked out she realized that she wasn’t gonna get any financial support from her parents, so she took a bunch of her super fancy jewelry to sell.

sorry this ended up being so long but I’ve been thinking about this au all day and it’s killing me 😭

never apologize for writing the most correct thing ever.

her finding out with marcia is SOOOO ugh. also the fact she probably would have had to wait WEEKS to get her test results back ugh she would have been so stressed waiting for that call. marcia being right there for her is so cute and sweet i love them so bad they are best friends fr don’t playyyy

also no you’re so smart for the cherry getting a job at the hospital and selling her jewlery and stuff ugh you’re so right. imagine her having to sell bobs promise ring…. yeah i’m gonna be soooo insane over this

[bamboobrat]

succession s4 e5 recap: swedish elon and his logan roy tribute band

time is a flat circle and we are back to ken hyping himself listening to rap, driving to the office.

anyone feeling nostalgic yet?

he is immediately caught off guard by the fact that roman and shiv are already there.

also he seems like the worst boss ever.

i really don't like ken when he is not hitting rock bottom.

(there is a movie about a sleeping robot in a cave that takes up too much time in this episode. let's not get into all that)

the old guard checks up on the CE-bros before their trip to norway.

matchy matchy<3

turns out mattson wants them all there (why wouldn't he?) so THE GANG IS GOING TO NORWAY! lets bleed the swede!*

*as a norwegian, i approve this message

mortality has set into team krank, as they put on compression socks before the flight.

krank is not here to have fun. krank has no young mistress to impress. krank is serious.

shiv has noticed ken's leaks to the media from last week because she is boss. it's the comeback we've been waiting for.

but most importantly, she is waging a very important war against tom and his stupid new sneakers:

the sibs say they can kill tom for her. that's brotherly love.

hugo is not having a good time.

i am tho.

gerri rallies the troops by shitting on europeans.

yes mommy tell me i'm weak because i have free healthcare! sit on my face

gerri for CEO. always.

they accurately depict what it is like driving in norway:

(this is why i don't have my licence)

the gang arrives in the motherland and it's beautiful, but rainy (so authentic) and are all like WHY THESE WOOD CABINS SO SMALL?!

ironic because jeremy lives in fucking denmark.

anyway, whatever this is:

I DO NOT APPROVE!

the trip up to mount olympus is interrupted by con saying he can send a picture of their dead dad to the group chat.

nobody wants to see it.

also, marcia is putting logan in a kilt like the fucking bay city rollers and con had to cancel a room full of working class whites in cleveland. the sacrifice.

they give con carte blanche for the whole funeral thing, which is probably a terrible decision.

the funeral is going to be one big campaign rally, i'm serious.

the others have to settle for a nice lil scandi brunch spread. what a hard life.

i don't say this often, but i would be hugo in this scenario, piling onto my plate like it's nobody's business.

karolina has a cute lesbian moment.

she says something in swedish at some point, but let me tell you, i understand swedish and i didn't even pick up on it. no shade to dag, but lol.

hugo doesn't understand how ski jumping works.

i thank the writers for putting this joke in there, even if literally no one other than random scandi people will get it.

it's like the opposite of danny boyle's the beach<3 give back to the community<3

roman enters negotiations and puts his fingers in the caviar.

you think i didn't notice? after all this time, you must know i notice everything.

the CE-bros make the village elders proud, as mattson offers 187 per share as long as he gets ATN.

also, gerri does a second take looking back at roman. these are the crumbs i am destined to live on, i guess. roman doesn't want to give up ATN tho, probably because 1) his dad wanted ATN 2) his dad told him he wouldn't make it at pierce and belongs at ATN 3) he is, somehow, the most rational of the siblings right now????

speaking of rational: how are we feeling about the shiv/mattson potential here? i honestly have zero objections.

shiv is like fuck yeah, sell ATN, that shit is toxic.

agreed, but who gave mencken an open line to ATN-meetings? sounds like something logan told cyd to do during one of those late night calls.

"even dad had a line" rings true zero percent. pass.

get rid of atn. word is, they don't even have tucker carlson anymore? just keep a sweater, much less racist.

we get some important leo dicap representation:

and greg is the bringer of all that is exposition, telling us there is a kill list with 8 to 9 names, ever evolving.

now, as most readers of these recaps would know, i would like to avoid spending any time on greg whatsoever (made even more poignant by the recent rumors about nick), however, this must be one of the best exchanges of dialogue ever made:

greg: da fam shiv: da fuck

that's all.

tom tells the swedes that americans don't care about the rest of the world and it's funny because it's true.

and alex being like "you're ALL related?!"

i see you, succession writers, i see you.

mattson calls waystar a parts shop and has a good take on right wing media:

"i dont think news for angry, old men works"

instead, he opts for bloomberg grey: simple, cheap, huge, ikea'd to fuck. i do love ikea.

he calls the sibs a tribute band which is harsh. even for a scandi, it's fucking harsh.

anyway, SAUNA! SAUNA! SAUNA!

GERRI. IN. SAUNA! (chant with me)

i will never forget what the succession writers took from me.

krank out here just chilling.

i've never shipped anyone more.

we are introduced to ebba. i can tell i'd have more to say on this in any other situation, but it just feels weird (all norwegian know each other, i guess).

anyone else here for the shiv/mattson dynamic?

i'm sorry, i kind of ship it????

ken wants to tank the deal and roman immediately calls him out on his destructive bullshit:

and then immediately caves.

"i think we are good at running the ship" they say after doing it for approximately 24 hours.

i wish i had their confidence.

also, pinky can't dance, according to ken, so they keep shiv out. meanwhile, she gets cozy with lukas, who asks her about her marriage (bad) and tells her he sends liters of blood to ebba (also bad).

shiv shows us why she is paid the big bucks for political advice:

we don't see the end of their night, so i'm just going to assume they fucked. because she's worth it.

also, talking up gerri and karolina? girlies stick together<3

big bi vibes here. huge. idc if she's pregnant and drinking.

meanwhile, the CE-bros use greg to leak that the negotiations are souring. why would you trust greg with anything?

in an attempt to fuck the deal, the CE-bros show a terrible film to the swedish team, as if being scandi doesn't mean you've sat through enough terrible cinema already....

we get the strangest fight in tv history:

lol @ us for thinking this was an important moment for the two of them and then it's a fight about white sneakers and fat earlobes.

i sure hope shiv fucked lukas.

roman receives a photo of his dead dad and it doesn't really put him in the right place to negotiate with mattson:

ouch.

leave it to kieran to make an emmy-worthy speech across from alex skarsgaard peeing.

the plan was: tank the deal, but in a subtle way. what they did: try and tank the deal, but in a not very subtle way. did the deal tank: no.

i hope you understand.

the question is, if a deal collapses in the woods and no one hears it, is it a SEC violation?

mattson ends up offering 192 per share. karl jizzes his pants.

shiv gives the little spelunker tom a lil treat, telling him to fire cyd.

then she asks him out?

and ignores him again because she is taking a call from mattson?

idk my dudes, but i'm into this shiv comeback.

mattson seems happy and flirty and i sure as shit hope this goes somewhere.

as long as it doesn't involve liters of frozen blood.

i have a feeling it will be all good vibes until he learns about her pregnancy. there's always something rotten in the state of denmark (or norway, or sweden, but it's all the same).

the waystar-team receives the kill list after the offer and it's very stressful for a few people who made themselves suffer through a session in the sauna:

not on the kill list: karolina gerri tom because shiv fucking did the thing!!

oh, and karl and frank are on the kill list, but i think they are just fine.

maybe the real treasure was the compression socks we made along the way.

[dcbutinamrev]

✨Introduction✨

ABOUT ME:

Welcome to this hellhole.

You can call me Liz. I use she/her pronouns and I am an autisitc dancer, writer, and artist. My Tumblr varies, as I have so many fandoms it’s hard to focus on one. I’m a theatre kid at heart. I’m a huge Christopher Nolan fan. My ultimate dream is to be a dancing newsboy.

I do like to RP on discord (currently with the Outsiders) so if you are interested in RPing with me feel free to shoot me an ask or dm! If you are under 18 and would like to rp with me, it must be kept PG-13. If you are 18 and over, and would like to rp with me on discord, then it will be R or adult theme. I’m in the trenches at the moment, so I’m always down to RP with anyone if they’re interested!

TIME ZONE: EST

I’m an East Coast girlie!!!

Current fandom:

The Outsiders (1983)/The Outsiders Musical (The Curtis Brothers have been consuming my brain)

Read my latest Historical Fiction Political Drama Novel on ao3: My Dear Kelly linked below!

The untold story of David Jacobs, the co-leader of Jack Kelly’s union in the Newsboy Strike in 1899

Interesting Facts:

We all love interesting facts! So, here's some about me:

I am autistic.

My eighth great great great great great uncle, on my Dad's side, is Benjamin Lincoln--the one who exchanged Cornwallis's sword at the end of Yorktown from Cornwallis's representivative.

I can speak a little Spanish

HUGE Christopher Nolan fan

I am a light board operator for a local college theatre and now actor!!

I like to do one man theatre Broadway performances in my room at 3 am lol

I portrayed Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Arron Burr in Hamilton

I used to do film scores on the piano just by listening to the score itself

Interests

The paranormal

History

Health and Fitness and lifestyle

Writing

Dancing

Fandoms:

The American Revolution

Turn: Washington's Spies

Friends

The Greatest Showman

Dear Evan Hansen

Percy Jackson

Chaos Walking

Newsies

Young Justice - Animated TV show

DC/Batfamily

Elvis (2022)

Stranger Things

The Outsiders (1983 and Broadway musical)

Ships:

Chanoey (Friends) - Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbianni

Percico (Percy Jackson) - Percy Jackson and Nico Di Angelo

Javey (Newsies) - Jack Kelly and David Jacobs

Sprace (Newsies) - Spot Conlon and Racetrack Higgins

Percibeth (Percy Jackson) - Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase

TimKon (Young Justice/DC) - Tim Drake (Red Robin) and Conner Kent (Superboy)

Birdflash (Young Justice/DC) - Dick Grayson (Nightwing) and Wally West (Kid Flash)

JayRoy (Young Justice/DC) - Jason Todd (Red Hood) and Roy Harper (Arsenal)

Timbern (DC) - Tim Drake (Red Robin) and Bernard Dowd

Steddie (Steanger Things) - Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson

PB&J (The Outsiders) - Ponyboy Curtis/Johnny Cade

Stevepop (The Outsiders) - Steve Randle/Sodapop Curtis

Marbit (The Outsiders) - Two-Bit Matthews/Marcia (come on they’re so cute in the book it’s killing me)

Self indulgent Tarry (The Outsiders) Tim Shepard/Darry Curtis (I blame the Outsiders TV show for making me do that one)

SOCIALS:

Wattpad: @Lams_WashingDad

A03: DCbutinamrev

If you have any questions, my ask box is always open and so are my DMs.

[celiamae99]

Sparks Fly -- L.G.

Falling in love with my best friend was never the plan. I mean a girl from the South Side who was just trying to get a two year degree and ignoring the fact that her parents were never coming back, falling for the man who was a recovering alcoholic who had an addict and alcoholic father an a bipolar mother who had the potential to get a degree from any college he wanted?

What could possibly go wrong?

“Come on, get in, I’ll drive you the the bar for work.” Lip told me getting up from the couch, as I was getting ready to walk to work.

“You just got back from work,” I reminded him. I knew that after his shift at the garage he would want to sleep, but he ignored my comment and slipped his coat on an a hat over my head.

“It’s negative ten degrees out,” he commented. “The fuck you’re walking to the bar from here.”

“But—“ I tried to protest but it was useless.

“Get your ass in the car, Lily.”

I never thought the passenger seat of lips old car would ever be as inviting as it was, but as we listened to music and he smoked, I realized I was in love with Lip. Fuck.

The worst part was, and I knew it, was that everybody basically knew that I liked Lip, besides Lip. He was the only consistent person in my life besides Fiona and Ian, and the only true person to care about me in a way that was more special than Ian and Fiona did. I loved my Gallagher’s like they were my own, but Lip was different.

He could smile at me and I would forget how to breathe. He could hold me in bed and I would forget all my problems. He punched a kid at a party who tried to roofie me and I swear in that moment I had never felt more loved.

He held me the whole night as I cried for hours because my mom was never coming back home, never once getting upset even though he had brought it up before.

He held me two days after I got raped and I refused to leave Carl’s bed. He slid in behind me as I faced the wall and held me for hours and hours. He didn’t make me talk, he didn’t make me cry, he didn’t have me look at him. He held me until I was able to to turn around and face him and the truth of what had happened.

He was there when my dad had died. He came to the funeral, he held my hand, he made small talk with my grandma and everything. He sat with me while I sat by the grave and cried after everybody had left.

He was there when nobody else was.

“It’s just so hard at night,” he commented as he flicked his smoke. “That’s when it all sets in and I can only thinking about alcohol.”

“How do you not drink?” I asked. “I mean you come to the bar and hangout with me, V, and Kev, and then you go home and everybody but me and Debby drink. I just don’t know how you do it.” I commented, pulling my leg to my chest.

“Honestly? It’s why I sneak into yours and Liam’s room.” I stared at him and waited for him to continue. “Liam’s basically my child. And sometimes just watching you both so peacefully is enough to get me through the night.”

“What about when Liam sleeps with Carl or Debby because I work late?” That was the real question. Lip ended up in my room almost every night, whether Liam was there or not. Most nights, because I worked the bar until closing, Liam slept in Debby’s room or with Carl. That didn’t stop Lip from climbing into bed with me.

He scratched the back of his neck, his nervous tick. “I think you’re my light in a dark place.” He muttered. “You stood by me through it all, ya know? Karen, Fiona, Frank, Marcia, the stuff with school, Ian, Debby having a baby, rehab, twice. You were just always there. The one consistent thing in my life.” He focused solely on the road and I smiled to myself. “And even when you’re sleeping, I know it’s enough to keep me from stopping to drink.”

I grabbed his hand lightly and threaded our fingers together, and kissed his cheek. “Stay at the bar until I close?” I asked quietly. Lip kissed the back of my hand and my cheeks flamed rosy red.

“Don’t I always?” It was true, when I worked at the bar, Lip stayed and had one to many cokes and scared off the spiteful men that tried to get in my pants.

“Sometimes you you go off with a girl,” I muttered bashfully. I did not want Lip to know the sinking feeling I got in my stomach when I knew he was with a girl.

“Haven’t since I got out of rehab.” He breathed lowly. I thought back on it. Had it been that long? Really? “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

I gave an embarrassing smile. “Are you saying I’m only cute when I’m jealous of other girls?”

Lip didn’t miss a beat. “You’re always cute. You’re cute when you cling yourself to me even though half the bed is yours. You’re cute when you try to reason with Carl and you scrunch your nose up. You’re cute when you and Liam dance in the kitchen to Johnny Cash. You’re cute when you get angry at your chemistry homework. Scratch that, you’re hot when you’re angry. You’re cute when you come home from work and just drop into bed after changing into my shirt. You’re cute when you blush. You’re cute when you wake up in the morning. You’re cute when I come downstairs and you’re making breakfast in my shirt and boxers. I think that’s when I find you the cutest.” I stared at Lip as he pulled into the bar. “What?” He asked as he felt my stare on him.

“You -- you,” I stumbled for words. “How the hell am I suppose to go to work for seven hours with all I want to do is kiss you?” 

Lip barked out a laugh. “Well, princess, I guess you’ll just have to wait until after the ball for you prince charming to kiss you.”

I scoffed, and swung myself over the console, straight on to Lip’s lap.

“Not even a kiss for the girl who’s sitting on your lap?” I leaned my head to one side and let my hair fall around us like a blanket.

“If I’m going to kiss you,” He breathed into my ear making me shiver, “It’s going to be my moment. This,” He gestured between us. “Is extremely hot, don’t get me wrong, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on, and you better believe we are going to do it in the car, but our first moment will not be here.”

“Okay,” I muttered, trying to ignore the bile in my stomach from rejection and tried to think of the possibilities that would happen when I left work.

“Hey,” He gripped my thighs tightly. “I want this badly, baby. Just not like this. You deserve special. And this isn’t special.” My heart fluttered, he knew I had never been with anyone or done anything, that I was waiting for the right person. I didn’t want what happened with my parents to ever happen with me.

“Okay,” I said more bashfully, now shy at my forwardness, biting my lip.

“Don’t do that,” Lip said, gripping my thighs tighter. 

“Don’t do what?” I muttered, confused.

“You bite your lip.” I stared at him, very confused.

“Yeah, so? I do it all the time,” I muttered off handedly, failing to notice the problem.

“It’s hot.” Blushed bright red for what felt like the hundredth time today.

“It’s hot when I do that, but yet you don’t want to kiss me?” I quirked my eye at the 23 year old. 

“Come here,” He muttered. He pulled me to his chest and I shifted to get comfortable. That’s when I felt it. He was hard. “Yeah, that,” He muttered softly. “Is from you. And it’s probably going to stay that way until we get back to the house.”

“I should get to work,” I muttered, my hot breath making goosebumps arise on his neck.

“And Liam is sleeping with somebody else tonight. The only person who gets you tonight is me.” I kissed his pulse point softly before scrambling out of the car, looking at a flustered Lip.

“Are you coming?” I asked, looking back at him, finally noticing how flustered he was. “Awe, are you the one that’s all hot and bothered now?” I giggled.

He glared at me before hopping quickly out of the car and dashing towards me. I shrieked and made a mad dash for the bar. I quickly ran in and ran behind Kev. “Save me,” I pleaded as Lip came in flying behind me. 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you for the pretty lady.” Lip said with a fake, horrible, British accent. I squealed and ran into the back.

Kev laughed, “Y’all are idiots!” Kev called after us as Lip chased me.

“I got you,” he slammed me against the door of the girls bathroom and I took a deep breath as his hot breath fanned my face and his arms went above my head.

“Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it mister. As far as we’re concerned nothing’s happening until after my shift.” I said in the brattiest voice I could muster.

“Don’t be a brat just because you’re not getting your way,” he threaded his fingers through my hair and tugged harshly. I gulped. I knew this was what I wanted.

“Right,” I nodded slowly. “But I am a brat, so what are you going to do about it?” I taunted, pushing my chest forward, knowing how to use my assets.

Lip took a deep breath as his eyes glanced between my eyes and my chest.

“You’re going to go to work and then when we get home,” He moved so his hands were set just below my breasts and he rubbed the underside of them. My breath hitched in my throat. “Then, we will have fun, you brat.”

I’ll admit, him calling me a brat turned me on more than I wanted to admit. “Okay, I mumbled.”

“Now go work before Kev comes and yells at you.” Lip muttered, kissing my forehead firmly. I pranced out to the bar, knowing full well that Lip was watching my ass.

Throughout my shift, I knew Lip was watching me. I laughed with Veronica throughout the whole shift.

“V!” I giggled as she made another joke about Kev. “You can’t say that about your husband!”

“Lip’s looking at you again,” She wiggled her eyebrows and gave me a knowing look. My cheeks flamed bright red. “You finally admit that you guys like each other?” 

“Kinda,” I muttered. “We’re not gonna define it, I don’t think.” I said softly. “The last thing he needs is me going crazy on him trying to define something when we don’t even know what it is.”

“Girl, you trippin’ if you don’t see how he looks at you.” I stared at her blankly. “I mean, you both have had eyes on each other for years.”

“Yeah, maybe me, but no way for him.” I mumbled wiping a glass. “He had Karen, and then he had Mandy. Then he had that thing with his professor and then quickly moved on to Sierra. And I look nothing like them. Plus I have all my scars and that’s a lot of trauma.”

“Look at me.” She said softly. “It doesn’t matter that you don’t look like them, baby. He loves you and that’s what matters. Your trauma is also his, he’s been there through it all. Also, you’ve been with him through all the things too. He loves you girl, don’t doubt that.” V told me honestly. “Plus, you’re hot as fuck girl.”

After my shift, V told me that she would lock everything up with Kev. I smiled as Lip pulled me into his side. 

“You ready to go home?” He asked, glancing down at me as I nervously fidgeted.

“Yeah, but,” I hesitated briefly, “Can we take it slow?” I whispered, nervously.

“Yeah,” He muttered, pressing his lips to forehead. “Whatever you want.” 

My heart warmed at his sweetness and I hugged him tightly as we made our way to Lip’s car. I gnawed my lip as he opened my car door. I was in for a long night.

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

CHAPTER I

Phone Call: Birthday Girl, Blanche Dion

Walpurga Nacht Computer Lab

Blanche: To think that this day would come too. Nevermind, it will pass soon. Everybody will be too busy with their jobs and responsibilities, and will surely forget-

[Ring, Ring]

Blanche: ...

[Ring, Ring]

Blanche: ...

[Ring, Ring]

Blanche: I suppose... I will have to answer it...

[Ring, Ring]

Blanche: ... Very well. Hello. I apologize for the wait.

Deuce: It's no trouble at all, Dion-senpai! I'm sorry for bothering you like this today of all days!

Ace: Hey, blockhead, the first thing you do when she answers the phone is say 'Happy Birthday!', not apologize. Is this your first time or something?

Deuce: N-No! And I don't see you following your own advice either!

Ace: That's cause I gotta teach you how to behave. Man, you're such a difficult guy~

Deuce: HA?!

Blanche: Deuce... and Ace... To think that it would be the two of you calling of all people...

Deuce: Eh? Is something wrong senpai?

Blanche: ... No. Nothing at all. I was simply surprised by the fact that it was the two of you. That is all. I was not aware that you knew it was my birthday.

Ace: I mean, it's kinda hard to miss when Magicam is set to remind you about it, you know?

Blanche: Magicam... Ah, yes, Marcia had set up an account for me a while ago, but I never bothered much with it. So you are saying that the app will record even such things?

Ace: Yep~ Really nifty, right? Makes keeping up with everybody that much easier and it's less of a hassle overall too.

Blanche: Indeed... So then you have called me today with the purpose of giving me your well-wishes?

Deuce: Ah! That's true! Sorry for taking so long to get to the point, but 'Happy Birthday!'

Ace: Happy Birthday~

Blanche: ... Heh.

Deuce: Dion-senpai?

Blanche: My apologies. Thank you. This was very kind of you both.

Ace: Well, we're dependable kouhai, you know? Showing respect to our senpai is in our nature.

Deuce: ...

Blanche: ... hahahahaha!

Ace: Huh?! What's with that laugh?!

Blanche: To think that you'd be this bold towards me.

Ace: Haaa, so you figured it out?

Blanche: No, no, it's alright. I found it quite endearing. The two of you have always had a talent for this sort of pantomime. And it put me in a good mood as well. Now - Just what is it that you needed help with actually?

CHAPTER II

Blanche: Hm...

Deuce: Is that grave?!

Blanche: Rather than grave... I think it is impossible.

Deuce: I-IMPOSSIBLE?!

Blanche: I am afraid so. To be able to study the entire textbook in under 36 hours is not something that can be achieved, I believe. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it seems like you will most likely fail the exam regardless of my intervention or not.

Ace: Haaaa, that was what I was afraid of...

Blanche: Unfortunately. Still, it surprised me to see that you would contact me like this when you knew that things could not be salvaged anymore.

Ace: Ah, well, we thought that since you're a wonder child you would have been able to lend a helping hand and all that, so...

Blanche: A wonder... child... ? Ah. So you must be aware of it...

Deuce: Diamond-senpai seemed rather knowledgeable about this so let us know as well. Your family participates in all sorts of radio trivia quizzes, isn't that right?

Blanche: ... That is true. We've made quite a name for ourselves in this particular domain ever since we were young. It's tradition at this point that when we come to a certain age, we'll be asked to participate and demonstrate our own abilities. All my brothers and sisters before me have obliged as well. But...

Deuce: Senpai?

Blanche: No, nevermind. What I meant is that in spite of all this, it is rather ridiculous to think that I would be able to do something like this under any circumstances.

Deuce: I-I see...

Ace: Haaa, I figured as much...

Deuce: Huh?! So you already knew it would turn out this way?!

Ace: More or less. If you think about it it'd be impossible for anybody who's not a genius to do this so easily. It was worth a try, anyway!

Deuce: You say that but if we fail Prefect Rosehearts will surely get mad at us again...

Ace: Haaa, guess it's off with our heads again...

Blanche: ... You two.

Ace: ?

Blanche: I'm quite free today so if you need assistance...

Deuce: Re-Really?! Then thank you very much, senpai!

Ace: Blanche-senpai is really kind after all~

Blanche: It's what you were after, weren't you?

Ace: Huh? You mean me? No way~

CHAPTER III

Deuce: Ah, but...

Blanche: Hm? Is something wrong? Are you having second thoughts?

Deuce: Well, today is your birthday, isn't it? Is it really ok for us to take up your time like this? Won't your family be displeased?

Blanche: There is no need to concern yourself with this.

Deuce: Ah? Is that so...

Blanche: Thank you for the concern but I believe it is best to simply proceed with the tutoring session as suggested. I may not be successful in getting you updated on all the things that you might need to score high on the exam, but I'm sure that you'll at least manage a passing grade.

Ace: Haaa, that's not ideal, but since it's the best we've got...

Blanche: This is the result of your own sloppiness, rather than anything else so the result is to be expected.

Ace: Man, that's super harsh, you really don't let up on the discipline.

Deuce: Dion-senpai's family is pretty high up in the Rose Kingdom, isn't it? I remember my mother saying that Minister Dion was a pretty public figure and would often organize fundraisers for charities and such. His work ethic inside the department itself was unparalleled so it's not surprising that those same values were instilled in her as well.

Blanche: ...

Ace: Hm? Senpai are you still there?

Blanche: Yes. My apologies. I had something else on my mind...In any case, yes, I suppose that our upbringing was rather... disciplinarian, so there is not much that I can do about my own teaching style. We were taught even as children that failure was not an option for those who prepared beforehand. So we always made sure to do our best to perform up to expectations and such.

Ace: Isn't that kinda overkill?

Blanche: ... Perhaps. But, you must understand, that as the children of such a high standing public figure we must always ensure to never bring any shame upon our family name. Whether it's overkill or not is unimportant. These are the facts of the world and they cannot be changed.

Ace: Ah...

Deuce: ...

Blanche: ! My apologies... I seem to have caused to feel uncomfortable, have I not?

Deuce: Uh, no- it's just-

Ace: Speak for yourself. I was really weirded out by this hyper cynical episode, you know!

Deuce: O-Oi! Don't say it like that- Think about Dion-senpai's feelings too!

Ace: Says the guy who brought up the subject in the first place!

Deuce: T-That-!

Blanche: That's enough, you two.

Ace/Deuce: !!

Blanche: I was in the wrong here to bring up such matters in the first place. It was impolite and for that, I apologize. Now, I would also ask you to cease your fighting. It's not proper behaviour for students of Night Raven such as yourselves.

Deuce: I-I'm sorry...

Ace: ...

Deuce: You apologize too!

Ace: Huh? What for? Senpai herself admitted that it was her fault, so I don't see the point at all.

Deuce: O-Oi!

Blanche: ... haha.

Deuce: Eh?

Blanche: You really are as impetuous as always, aren't you? Hahahaha.

Ace: You say that but you're cracking up!

Blanche: Hahahahaha!

Ace: Seriously, senpai, I think that for today at least you should take it up a little easier. So since it's your birthday, how about relaxing with your cute kouhai and giving them a little help!

Blanche: Hm, since you're so insistent, I suppose there's no harm in it.

Ace: That's the spirit! Then- let's get to work! Ah, though before that, I almost forgot-

Ace/Deuce: Happy Birthday, senpai!

[365days365movies]

February 3, 2021: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

The year: 1986. A small new fictionation is founded as part of a disparate group of similar territories. Near to another civilization founded by Woody Allen (we’ll get to him later this month, whoof), a new settlement was founded by one Nora Ephron. It began with Heartburn, a rom-com starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. While it was somewhat successful, it wasn’t exactly a dynamo by any means. And that is when Nora met the future Empress of her fictonation.

Her name was Meg Ryan, and the film...was When Harry Met Sally.

Ephron only wrote this film, rather than direct it. But it didn’t matter, as this film was CRAZY successful (and I’ll be watching it later this month). Some years past, and both Ryan and Ephron rose in power. Ephron became a director, Ryan became a movie star, and the two pillars would reunite for greater things. And THAT is when the future Empress met her Emperor.

Enter Joe vs. the Volcano, where Meg Ryan...met Tom Hanks.

Now, was this movie amazing? No, not from what I’ve heard. But the two new co-stars apparently made an impression on Hollywood at this point, as their respective stars would only grow brighter. And so, when 1993 came along, the three pillars finally met, and ascended to their true roles as the rulers of a now united Holy Romance Empire. And that film...was Sleepless in Seattle.

Time to witness a nation RISE. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

We start where all romantic comedies should start: at a Chicago graveyard!

Architect Sam Baldwin’s (Tom Hanks) wife, Maggie, has sadly passed away, leaving Sam and their son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). Sam’s clearly broken, understandably, and he decides to move from Chicago in order to leave behind the bittersweet memories of his wife. And where he’s headed? You know where.

Jimmy Durante’s rendition of “As Time Goes By”

Jimmy Durante sings us in (I love this song, for the record), and we head not to Seattle, but to Baltimore, 18 months afterwards. There, reporter Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) is going to a Christmas party with her new fiancée, Walter Jackson (Bill Pullman), which is announced to great aplomb at the party. Her brother Dennis is played by Niles from Frasier (David Hyde Pierce), and I nearly spit out my sandwich.

That night, Annie’s mother gives her her old wedding dress, and have a VERY frank conversation about their sexual relationships. It is...awkward. Anyway, the dress tears, which Annie sees as a sign. In any case, she still seems happy...I think. On the way to Walter’s parents’ place, she tunes into a radio talk show, where a child is making a Christmas wish to the station.

This child is, of course, Jonah, calling on behalf of his father from Seattle. He tells the host, Dr. Marcia Fieldstone (Caroline Aaron), that his father is lonely after his wife’s death, and that he wishes he had a new wife. She convinces Jonah to put him on the phone, and while he’s reluctant to do so (understandably), he accepts. All the while, Annie’s listening, and seems to sympathize deeply with him and his sarcastic responses.

However, Sam begins to open up, and Dr. Fieldstone christens him “Sleepless in Seattle,” after the fact that he doesn’t sleep much at all these days. His story resonates with a number of people, Annie included. A few people call in to respond to him, and at the end of the call, he describes how much and why he misses his wife. And I gotta be honest, I’m with Annie here. It is...very moving.

Damn you, Tom Hanks, it’s only 20 minutes in, why are you already making me FEEEEEEL?

The next day, it’s a splash, and over 2,000 women call in in response to this. This is discounted by her co-worker and friend, Becky (Rosie O’Donnell). At the New Year’s party soon after, she and Walter make a date to meet in New York City, and register for their eventual wedding. Meanwhile, Sam tucks Jonah in to sleep, as Nat King Cole serenades us (I ALSO love Nat King Cole, real talk) and Sam stares at the fireworks off of his houseboat.

And, mentally haunted by the ghost of his wife, he’s seemingly literally haunted by the ghost of his wife, Maggie (Carey Lowell). The next morning, he goes to help a client, Barbara (Dana Ivey), and his co-worker Jay Matthews (Rob Reiner) with a house, and finds out that everybody knows who he is at this point. Additionally, Jonah also give the radio station their address, and MANY women are now soliciting Sam, including...his third-grade teacher. Ew. EW.

Sam and Jonah next have a talk about whether or not a prospective new wife would have sex with Sam, and I wonder if sexual conversations with your parents are supposed to be this common, or if I’m just crazy. Because me and my Dad? Nuh-uh. And no worries if your relationship with your folks is like this, but mine DEFINITELY IS NOT, lemme tell you.

Annie and Walter prepare for bed, and Ray Charles sings them to sleep, followed by Carly Simon talking about the wee small hours of the morning. During those hours, Annie gets up, also unable to sleep, and turns on the Dr. Marcia Fieldstone show. During the highlight reel for the show, Disappointed in Denver notes that:

Everytime I come close to orgasm, he goes and makes himself a sandwich.

...Wow. Um. Asshole? And then Marcia tells her to make a sandwich for him beforehand, WHICH IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM. Anyway, Sam is also featured in that highlight reel, and Annie cries again as he talks about his wife, and it’s a disproportionately long excerpt compared to the others, what the hell? Marooned in Miami is DISAPPOINTED now.

Annie goes to meet her brother Niles (he’s basically Niles from Frasier, seriously) the next day, and explains that she’s fantasizing about Sam, a man she’s never even MET. She’s also feeling doubt about her upcoming marriage, which is...interesting. I’ll get to that later. In Seattle, meanwhile, Sam asks Jay what it’s like as a single man in Seattle, and they have a conversation about how cute Sam’s butt is. Nice.

Upon the realization that his 9-year old son is hanging out with more girls than he is (yeah, there’s a kid named Jessica hanging out with him when Sam gets home, it’s awkward), Sam’s back in the saddle again (as the song indicates; that said, goddamn is the music choice on the nose sometimes, seriously). He calls a woman named Victoria (Barbara Garrick), and asks her out on a date.

Annie’s watching the movie An Affair to Remember (lateeeeeer) at Becky’s, as she’s lamenting her fixation on Sam, while also struggling to fully understand how she feels about Walter. Becky RIGHTFULLY accuses her of believing in Hollywood, movie love, which is demonstrated by Annie’s meaningless platitudes about her supposed love for Walter. This is while she’s writing a letter to Sam, then aborts it when she realizes what she’s doing. She sits on the couch with Becky, they mouth the words together in the movie, and they cry while I laugh, because that was funny.

Things aren’t as jovial for Sam and Jonah, as Jonah’s had a nightmare, and the two reminisce over missing their mother. Sam notes that Maggie could peel an apple in one long...curly...strip. You mean...like Annie was doing earlier? I see what you did there, movie. I see what you did there. As if to compound their invisible connection, both of them sit on a dock, staring into two separate oceans at night.

Sam proceeds to write a story for the paper on “Sleepless in Seattle,” and through some...mildly creepy personal invasion, she finds his address in Seattle, and a hell of a lot more personal information. Like I said, it’s a little creepy. Sam, meanwhile, is going on a date with Victoria, when Jonah opens a letter...from Annie.

Annie. What’re you doin’?

Jonah appears to IMMEDIATELY ship the two, but Sam quotes the coast-to-coast distance as being a bit too much, and goes on the date with Victoria. While on the date, Jonah tries to hook Sam up with Annie by getting him to agree to take them to New York City on Valentine’s Day. Damn, Jonah, you lookin’ to escape a whale, because you are BUILDING A GODDAMN SHIP

Victoria, a woman with an amazingly obnoxious laugh, does not rub off well on Jonah, or me, or my girlfriend. I’m really hoping that somehow, in SOME WAY, Victoria and Walter get together. He’s boring, she’s obnoxious, who knows? They might like each other. My ship...is being built.

Jonah, meanwhile, is TAKING THE FUCKING WHEEL of this ship. He calls the radio station once again, and Annie is alerted to this by Becky. She wakes up, punching Walter in the process (dude gets HURT), and goes downstairs to listen. Jonah’s telling the station that Victoria SUUUUUCKS, and straight up calls her “a ho.” He hangs up abruptly, and screams to stop his father from kissing Victoria. Annie, meanwhile, listens to this in the closet for some reason.

The next day, Jonah’s friend, Jessica, tells Jonah to send a letter to Annie on his father’s behalf. Meanwhile, Annie flies to Seattle in the guise of doing a story, when she’s actually going to try and meet Sam. Victoria, meanwhile, is leaving from the airport, where Sam and Jonah are seeing her off. Victoria basically implies that she’d like to ditch the kid and go fuck someplace sometime, which might FINALLY rub Sam the wrong way.

Sam talks to Jonah about the fact that he’s dating Victoria, not marrying her, and that she might not be the one for him. He also says that there’s no such thing as soul- 

-mates.

Yeah, they actually did just do that. Sam loses Annie at the airport, after immediately chasing after her. They’re perfect for each other, as Annie goes RIGHT to Sam’s houseboat address. She hangs around the neighborhood, and sees them having fun on the beach together as Harry Connick Jr. plays in the background. That night, she confides in Becky about her guilt in lying to Walter.

And if I can just say this...yeah, THAT isn’t great. I get that there’s some cinematic paegentry to the whole thing, but, like...tell your FIANCEE about your FEELINGS. It’s hard, yeah, duh, but YOU GOTTA DO IT. You most certainly owe it to Walter. At least she appears to know it, though.

Annie at the hotel

The next day, Annie goes once again to weirdly spy on Jonah, and sees him hug a woman very happily, and of course believes that that’s Victoria. However, this is his friend, Suzy (Rita Wilson), who’s visiting with her husband, Greg (Victor Garber). In any case, this leads to Sam and Annie seeing each other for the first time. He says hello. She says hello. Then she almost gets hit by a taxi, and she IMMEDIATELY flies back home WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUH

We find this out later, but the taxi and the fact that all she could say was “Hello” is actually all a reference to the film seen earlier, An Affair to Remember (again, later this month). This is also part of the repeating motif that this film has: signs. Y’know, the kind of “IT’S A SIGN” thing. However, the real twist here is that the signs are the ones that they can’t see. Like the apple and the hello thing. Not yet, anyway.

Also, dear lord, An Affair to Remember is just making EVERY woman in the film cry, even when they’re TALKING about it. And every time, the men just look at each other like “WOMEN, with their EMOTIONS and their VAGOOOOOOS.” Jesus, ‘90s movies. Even JESSICA (Gaby Hoffman), Jonah’s friend, the LITTLE GIRL, is crying at this movie. JESUS, I’m really interested in seeing this movie now.

Jessica and Jonah start conspiring on how to get to New York to meet Annie, and do so by FAKING AIRLINE TICKETS OK THEN. Meanwhile, Annie’s given up on the whole “Sleepless in Seattle” thing, and goes to meet Walter for their Valentine’s date in NYC. Walter rightfully comments that Annie’s seemed distant, and here’s the thing: Walter deserves better than this. Yeah, he’s BORING AS SHIT, but the dude’s committed to her, and she’s amazingly flaky in comparison. I dunno, maybe it’s because it’s Bill Pullman, but I feel bad for him.

Anyway, in New York, the two begin to rekindle their relationship, and Walter gets a ring for her at FUCKING TIFFANY’S HOLY SHIT. Meanwhile, Sam’s THIRSTY AS FUUUUUUUCK, and is leaving to spend the weekend with Victoria, which Jonah is NOT a fan of. This ship is gonna SAIL if JONAH HAS TO FLY TO NEW YORK CITY HIMSELF

So, Jonah flies to New York City himself, in order to...meet his new mother. This movie has some VERY interesting issues, Jesus. Jonah does, indeed go to the top of the Empire State Building to look for Annie, and he asks all the girls on the Observation Deck if they’re Annie. Which, of course, none of them are. Why?

Annie’s at dinner, that’s why, and at the FUCKING RAINBOW ROOM DEAR LORD HOW MUCH MONEY DOES WALTER MAKE? Sam also makes his way to New York, probably to DESTROY HIS CHILD

And at dinner, Annie actually redeems herself by telling Walter the ENTIRE TRUTH about her feelings, and about “Sleepless in Seattle.” And Walter is a CLASSY-ASS GUY ABOUT THE ENTIRE THING, and the two break off their engagement amicably. Annie says that she doesn’t deserve Walter, and BY GOD SHE’S RIGHT. Walter’s a sweet dude. And as soon as they break up...a sign.

Sam finds Jonah on the Observation Deck, and the two tearfully reunite. And as they two unite, and everybody else leaves the Observation Deck as it closes for the night, Annie rushes on her way there. An Affair to Remember is invoked one last time, as Annie convinces the guard to let her up there. But, OF GODDAMN COURSE...she goes up in one elevator, and Sam and Jonah head down in another.

But wait. Isn’t that Jonah’s backpack on the ground of the Observation Deck? 

Yup. THERE’S the happy ending we’re lookin’ for. They finally formally introduce each other, and Sam says that they’d better leave...ALL of them, together. Love at first sight. PLAY US OUT JIMMY DURANTE!!!! And yeah, I know that Celine Dion sings the end credits song, but NOPE! TAKE ME AWAY, JIMMY! MAKE ME HAPPY!

And that was Sleepless in Seattle! And again, I liked it! I’ll get more into it during the Review!

[mst3kproject]

307: Daddy-O

I am nearly convinced that Alphabet Antics represents some kind of early MKULTRA experiment. There’s something about the juxtaposition of the chaotic imagery and the narrator’s soothing voice… like it’s trying to put me into a trance and a seizure at the same time.  I don’t yet feel any need to ask my neighbours if they’re communists but it might take a while to sink in.

On to the movie.  Our hero is Phil, who’s sort of a prototype of Buffalo Bill from Riding With Death in that he’s a singer, a trucker, and a racecar driver all in one.  As the film opens he’s just met a girl named Janet who’s even worse at both driving and social skills than he is – clearly they were made for each other.  Sure enough, they team up to investigate the death of Phil’s nerdy friend Sonny, and discover he was making deliveries for a drug ring.  Unusually for a movie like this, they do end up agreeing to call the cops, but only after they have committed several more crimes, and this waiting nearly gets them both killed.

I don’t like Daddy-O, but that’s not so much because of anything the movie does wrong as just because it’s not the kind of film I enjoy.  As MST3K features go, it’s actually not bad – not great, certainly, but solid enough.  The race scenes aren’t all that exciting, but we’re never at a loss for what’s going on.  The exposition can be clunky, but it tells us what we need to know.  The main character doesn’t make much of an impression, but we’re only gonna be spending seventy-three minutes with him and there’s enough going on that it doesn’t matter, and the movie never tries to do anything that’s beyond its meager budget.

The music, meanwhile, is pretty good.  I’m not gonna run out and buy the album (was there an album?) but the songs are quite catchy in a good way, and the score as a whole isn’t bad. I guess that makes sense, since the John Williams who wrote it was in fact that John Williams.  Like Vilmos Zsigmund shooting Mixed-Up Zombies or J. J. Abrams mixing sound for Nightbeast, everybody’s gotta start somewhere.  The music even approaches having some story relevance: the first song Phil sings is Rock Candy Baby, about a woman whose defining feature is her sweetness, and whom the narrator views as a possession (Rock Candy Baby, you’re mine).  Wait’ll I Get You Home suggests a less innocent relationship, in which both parties are a little more aggressive – he directs this towards Marcia, but we are meant to see that his tastes have changed as he grows to like the abrasive Janet.

Why he likes her I don’t know. I don’t know why any of us are supposed to like Janet (it’s so weird to think there was a time when that name could belong to a cute blonde in a sports car, rather than a woman who wants to speak to your manager).  She’s smug and rude the first time we meet her, lies in the knowledge that the road workers will take her side because boobies, and only changes her attitude towards Phil when she realizes he could make a pretty convincing case that she’s a murderer.  She’s supposed to be a ‘liberated woman’, doing what she wants and keeping the company that pleases her, but Phil disapproves of this and so does the movie.

The way Phil behaves towards Janet isn’t particularly admirable, either.  He talks down to her and manhandles her, and declares several times that if she were a man he’d punch her.  I hope nobody in my audience is the type of clown who’d ask ‘if women are equal does that mean men are allowed to hit them?’ but in case somebody is: I don’t think people should hit each other at all, outside of in self-defense or sports that require it.  Since neither of these apply to Phil and Janet then no, he should not hit her, no matter how obnoxious she’s being, and this would be true if she were a man, too.

Why are we supposed to root for these two to hook up?  None of their interactions are romantic and their arguments, rather than building sexual tension, just make it look like they can’t stand each other.  The ‘rivals to lovers’ trope was already old when Shakespeare did it, but Much Ado About Nothing makes it clear from the beginning that Beatrice and Benedick are actually rather fond of each other and enjoy their insult contests.  When our first interaction between our romantic leads has one party threatening to deck the other, that doesn’t work.

Another character I don’t quite get is Daddy-O’s criminal mastermind, Mr. Sidney Chillas.  Between his way of talking and his love of steam baths and manicures, I have a feeling he might be a gay stereotype of some sort, but I don’t know enough about the 50’s mindset to say.  He seems to think very highly of himself, particularly his intellect, and yet his reasons for hiring Phil don’t make much sense.  If he were half as smart as he claimed to be he would have turned this man away as soon as he learned that Phil had been taking an interest in Sonny’s death – or at least watched him far more closely, as he implied to his lackeys he would.

Is this the joke, that Chillas thinks he’s smart and he’s not? If so, it should be a repeated source of humour, rather than just a single doozy of a stupid mistake.  Or is he actually supposed to be a brilliant strategist and businessman?  Because if that’s the case, then I don’t buy it.

Chillas’ questionable intelligence is linked to another thing in the plot that doesn’t work – it seems to be a complete coincidence that he decides he wants to hire Phil.  When I sat down to watch the movie again, I remembered it as Phil deliberately seeking employment with Chillas in order to find out what happened to Sonny.  I think this is supposed to be part of the reason, but it’s mostly implied, and it’s Chillas who approaches Phil in the club to talk employment with him.  At this point he should have already seen that Phil was hanging out with Sonny the night the latter was murdered.  Or if Chillas sought out Phil specifically to keep an eye on him (or indeed, both), that would work, too, but Chillas specifically says he does not find Phil suspicious.  The movie has already had a big coincidence when Sonny just happens to die along the route where Phil and Janet were racing.  It’s not allowed a second one.

Other than that, though, the movie works pretty well.  Events follow one another in a fairly logical sequence, and the clue that Sonny left exists for a reason other than being A Clue. Daddy-O really isn’t trying to teach us anything, but that’s okay.  All a movie really has to do is tell an engaging story, although ones that don’t have a psychological theme often end up feeling, as this one does, a bit unsatisfying.  The only thing it really emphasizes and returns to is that women are bad drivers.

Janet’s driving and her bad manners are the focus of what I guess is her character arc – at the beginning she’s driving like a madwoman and nearly causing accidents just to entertain herself, at the end she’s using her skills to deliver Chillas’ lackeys to the police.  At the beginning she’s rude and abrasive to Phil, by the end she’s fallen in love with him.  We’re not given any better a reason why she likes him than for him to like her. He’s been a jerk to her, too.

Phil’s arc is supposed to be falling in love with Janet, and that’s pretty much it.  He doesn’t learn anything much about himself or the world in the process.  It seems like he ought to confront the fact that his best friend, Sonny, didn’t trust him with the truth – shouldn’t there be some angst about that, or the fact that Sonny didn’t ask Phil for help paying for his mother’s treatment rather than turning to a life of crime?  Between that and the fact that Janet turns out to be a lot nicer once you get to know her, the movie could have been about how you can never be sure you know somebody, but they didn’t bother.

The friendship between Phil and Sonny was particularly poorly-handled. Phil says, some people have brothers, I had Sonny, but this is the epitome of telling rather than showing.  When we see the two interact, Sonny refuses to talk about what’s bothering, gives Phil a locker key, and vanishes.  We know nothing about Sonny other than that he apparently wasn’t too bright (he hid the drugs in his locker at a gym owned by a guy he must know works for Chillas), and so we find it hard to get involved in Phil’s quest to find out what happened to him.  We believe far more in Phil’s driving skills because we saw those in the opening sequence. It’s disappointing that the later scenes mostly just show him at a steering wheel in front of a projection screen, but because we’ve already seen him on the road, we can believe in it.

The problems in Daddy-O are pretty easy to pick out, and could have been fixed with just one more script rewrite – none of them would have required more money or even better actors, and they would have made the whole story much more satisfying and meaningful.  The movie as it is works well enough for a crummy B-picture, but just a little more work could have made it an A.  It was also supposed to be career musician Dick Contino’s big break into film, but he ended up being in only four movies between 1958 and 1960 before deciding it just wasn’t worth it.  Since one of the other three was Girls Town, that means no less than half his entire filmography was featured on MST3K!

[kushamisaru]

all the class 1-a boys for the "send me a character and i’ll list" one ;B

I fear you are going to be very disappointed with this list since I don’t have super strong feelings on a lot of these boys but I will do my best! I’ll be going by seating chart order:

Aoyama:

favorite thing about them- Being an extra person myself, I appreciate a character who also very extra. I’ll admit I found him kind of annoying at first but on this second rewatch he’s grown on me.

least favorite thing about them- I don’t have anything I dislike about him. I guess I think he could have a better quirk?

favorite line- “You like him, don’t you?”

brOTP- Uh idk? Who does he really hang out with?

OTP- himself

nOTP- Any of the adults I guess? (this goes for all of these kids but I’m gonna say it here and only here)

random headcanon- He practices smooth heroic one liners and poses in the mirror. Sometimes he accidently activates his quirk too and temporarily blinds himself.

unpopular opinion- If people overall tend to like him, I guess my unpopular opinion would be that I didn’t originally?

song i associate with them- Diamonds by Rhianna (but only the chorus. It’s on repeat in his head all the time)

Iida

favorite thing about them- He’s got a good heart and he tries his best!

least favorite thing about them- Nothing now, but in the past he was quick to act based on his emotions :/ Glad he seems to have learned from that.

favorite line

brOTP- Him and his brother, him and Midoriya, him and Uraraka

OTP- Idk if it has a ship name (rarepair is hell) but IidaxMomo

nOTP- Iida and his brother, I guess?

random headcanon- Is the kid that complains that they’re totally gonna fail (insert test here) and passes with an A+ every. single. time.

unpopular opinion- Probably my otp for him. They just have a lot in common and I think they’d be cute together!

song i associate with them -  The distance by Cake

Ojiro

favorite thing about them- He’s a very honourable guy, he works hard and doesn’t take what he thinks he doesn’t deserve. ALSO APPARENTLY HIS TAIL WAGS WHEN HE’S HAPPY OR EXCITED WHICH IS SUPER CUTE

least favorite thing about them- The fact that I had to look this character up to get a summary of his personality because I wouldn’t know shit about him besides his looks otherwise

favorite line- … I got nothing…

brOTP-  just on looks and personality alone probably Rikido?

OTP- I mean, I’ve seen art of him and Toru that’s pretty cute but I feel like people started shipping them when she stripped in front of him or w/e and she was like “Don’t look at me!” which is :///// I just think their personalities would be interesting together, him being a humble guy and her wanting to stand in the spotlight

nOTP- I don’t know this character well enough to have an opinion on this.

random headcanon- see above

unpopular opinion- do people have strong opinions on this character? I would need to know what they think

song i associate with them - talespin theme song

Denki

favorite thing about them- The fact that he’s the best boy

least favorite thing about them- He can be kind of gross and he hangs out a lot with the worst boy :/ but at least he’s like. A normal teenage boy amount of gross instead of that being his only character trait.

favorite line- that noise he makes when he short circuts

brOTP- Anybody really.

OTP- Don’t have anyone I super hard ship him with? I guess him and Jirou is a little cute but I don’t really ship it.

nOTP- none

random headcanon- Pichu main

unpopular opinion- I have one but it’s about events the toonami crew hasn’t reached yet so I can’t discuss it

song i associate with them- Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths

Kirishima

favorite thing about them- He’s so friendly! He literally wants to make friends with everyone!

least favorite thing about them- I guess a fandom interpretation? I don’t dislike anything about him as a character

favorite line-

brOTP- Him and everyone in the class (This time reluctantly including M*neta because unfortunately Kirishima is just that magnetic)

OTP- Kiribaku, I suppose. I also think KiriMina is cute but that’s at least partially because those are my boyfriend and my favorite students respectively.

nOTP- none

random headcanon- Would probably be a skater kid if this was a 90′s cartoon

unpopular opinion- I feel like Kirishima is a lot more layered than your average fandom headcanon gives him credit for. Like yeah, my favorite thing about him is that he’s a sweetheart, but he’s not JUST a sweetheart. He’s a rough and tumble kind of guy. He’s insecure, but working on becoming more confident. He’s a stand up guy, but not totally above mischief. He’s just a really interesting character and oh my god is he becoming my new fave boy? What the fuck is happening?

song i associate with them- Gotta Fly Now (theme from Rocky)

Koji

favorite thing about them- A SWEETHEART! GENTLE GIANT!

least favorite thing about them- This is gonna sound so mean but… his face…

favorite line- I don’t remember the exact words but when he conquered his fear of the bugs to pass that exam… that was good.

brOTP- I guess Jirou?

OTP- None

nOTP- None

random headcanon- Dinosaurs are his favorite

unpopular opinion- What are the general opinions on this guy in the first place? Idk.

song i associate with them- You know that scene in Shrek where Fiona sings that duet with that bird and the bird explodes. That. Not the actual song, just that rendition of it, in that scene.

Sato

favorite thing about them- idk why but his quirk strikes me as funny

least favorite thing about them- not a fan of his costume. it’s not the worst costume though… I guess

favorite line- just him explaining his quirk

brOTP- nobody right now but I feel like if someone came along with an eating related quirk, or was just a big eater, they’d get along well

OTP- see above

nOTP- none

random headcanon- so canonically he’s a good baker, especially with deserts, but I bet he sucks at cooking.

unpopular opinion- don’t really have one

song i associate with them- cooking by the book (from lazytown)

Shoji

send me a character and i’ll list:

favorite thing about them- TOL

least favorite thing about them- I’m not a fan of his whole design. It makes me… uncomfortable.

favorite line- not sure

brOTP- I guess just based on personality, Tokoyami? Not sure how much they interact though

OTP- none

nOTP- none

random headcanon- would never lose his earpods but would also never own them

unpopular opinion- idk

song i associate with them- handyman by awolnation

Sero

favorite thing about them- If I’m being perfectly honest, the only reason I like this character as much as I do is because of a mob psycho crossover fic where he and Mob effectively replace M*neta (Mob literally by like taking his spot at UA, and Sero through their similarish quirks). Don’t know much about his canon character traits but if he’s anything like in that story he’s cool by me

least favorite thing about them- that he could replace the bad one mentioned above but does not.

favorite line- none

brOTP- none

OTP- none

nOTP- none

random headcanon- will try to tape anything he can together and call it fixed.

unpopular opinion- I don’t know a lot about how this character is viewed so I couldn’t say

song i associate with them- Tape Song by The Kills

Tokoyami

favorite thing about them- he’s just REALLY funny like he tries to be dark and mysterious but he’s just… not. it’s great.

least favorite thing about them- not something I hate or even dislike so much as something I’m dying to know: what’s up with the head? apparently that’s not part of his quirk so??? what’s going on there???

favorite line- most things that come out of his mouth are gold

brOTP- Tsuyu

OTP- Also Tsuyu! I like them a lot as bffs and bf/gf!

nOTP- none that I can think of.

random headcanon- Meta Knight main

unpopular opinion- I don’t think I have one? I think most people like this character and agree with what I said so…

song i associate with them- Linkin Park’s entire discography.

Todoroki

favorite thing about them- I guess you could say he’s… a pretty cool guy ;^)

least favorite thing about them- HIS HERO NAME IS SO DUMB. SO DUMB. I GET MAD EVERYTIME I THINK ABOUT IT. WHY IS BAKUGOU’S DUMB NICKNAME FOR HIM SO MUCH BETTER. I’M MAD.

favorite line- Not a line, but I liked when he finally used his fire power, reclaiming it from his asshole dad.

brOTP- Him and Momo I guess. Also him and Midoriya.

OTP- If I MUST choose, I guess Tododeku.

nOTP- Notp sounds so harsh but honestly? I don’t ship him with anyone. so kind of sort of everyone applies.

random headcanon- I saw a comic someone made suggesting he likes to do goofy things when only one person is watching because no one will ever believe it happened. I like that.

unpopular opinion- I don’t really like either of Todoroki’s most popular ships. I have a hard time imagining a reason outside of school Momo and Todoroki would ever hang out, and even then I can’t see anything growing there beyond friendship. As for Midoriya and Todoroki… I can see why people ship it I guess, but as someone who came into the fandom knowing that was a fairly popular ship the moment that launched it didn’t even phase me, at least not in that way. It wasn’t until my second watching that I realized that was probably what started the ship and I feel like not a whooole lot has happened between them since? At least not to my knowledge. Todoroki, in my opinion, isn’t close enough to ANYONE yet for romance to be a viable option.

song i associate with them Hot n’ Cold by Katy Perry

Bakugou

favorite thing about them- when he gets bullied

least favorite thing about them- literally told someone to kill themselves

favorite line- DEKUUUU! DID YOU JUST BLINK YOUR EYELIDS?! YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!!

brOTP- I kind of like the concept of the Bakusquad.

OTP- KiriBaku (though I’m fine with Bakugou just being alone too)

nOTP- BkDk

random headcanon- Dark Pit Main

unpopular opinion- Bakugou is not the worst student and I don’t hate him.

song i associate with them- Boom by Black Eyed Peas

Midoriya

favorite thing about them- A sweet boy! Works his ass off all the time!

least favorite thing about them- His heart is in the right place, but he can be very reckless with his own safety.

favorite line- I’m the Deku that always does his best!

brOTP- Iida, Todoroki (ig)

OTP- IzuOcha!

nOTP- BkDk

random headcanon- Since you wanna be cute and shit this one is just for you: Someone once tricked Midoriya into thinking he ate a pot brownie and he cried for an hour (”What will mom think?! What will All Might think?!”)

unpopular opinion- I’ve seen some people say they don’t like Midoriya as a main character because like… his character is boring? Don’t agree with that. Not sure how popular that opinion is though.

song i associate with them- Zero to Hero from Hercules

Ugh… Mineta

favorite thing about them- Nothing.

least favorite thing about them- The fact that he’s still alive

favorite line- none

brOTP- none

OTP- none

nOTP- none

random headcanon- I try not think about Mineta more than absolutely necessary (meaning he’s either in front of me or being discussed) so none.

unpopular opinion- Mineta is infinitely to the infinite power times worse than Bakugou is and/or will ever be, and unlike Bakugou, does not deserve the character development he’s apparently getting. Since Horikoshi is too much of a perv and a coward to literally kill him, the next best thing would be to let him die metaphorically of irrelevance. But I know he won’t do that either.

song i associate with them- none

[mooneec]

Fatherless Daughters: How Growing up Without a Dad Affects Women

Growing Up Without a Dad Shapes Who You Are

It took six decades, but I can finally utter a huge truth that caused me tremendous shame and sadness: My father didn't love me. I never spoke that deep, dark secret, but it was always festering inside of me. It manifested itself in many ways throughout my life as I struggled with a food obsession, low self-esteem, social anxiety, and depression.

Whether a dad was present but rejecting like mine or walked away from his fatherly duties entirely, his absence leaves an indelible mark on a daughter's psyche as she grows into adulthood. What does the research say about woman who grew up with fathers who didn't love them—daughters who were never daddy's little girl?

Below, you'll find six ways a daughter may be affected by an uninvolved dad.

Fathers provide their daughters with a masculine example. They teach their children about respect and boundaries and help put daughters at ease with other men throughout their lives. [...] So if she didn't grow up with a proper example, she will have less insight and she'll be more likely to go for a man that will replicate the abandonment of her father.

— Caitlin Marvaso, AMFT, a grief counselor and therapist in Oakland, CA

1. Fatherless Daughters Have Self-Esteem Issues

According to Deborah Moskovitch, an author and divorce consultant, kids often blame themselves when dad leaves the home and becomes less involved in their lives. When they aren't given an explanation about why dad left, they make up their own scenario and jump to the conclusion that it's their fault and that they're unlovable.

This is especially true for daughters. Countless studies have shown that fatherlessness has an extremely negative impact on daughters' self esteem. Her confidence in her own abilities and value as a human being can be greatly diminished if her father isn't there. Academically, personally, professionally, physically, socially, and romantically, a woman's self esteem is diminished in every setting if she did not form a healthy relationship with her father.

As a child, I watched television shows like The Brady Bunch and Happy Days in which the fathers showered their daughters with tremendous amounts of attention and affection. Because I never got that from my dad, I convinced myself it was because I wasn't cute enough. I thought if I had blond hair and talked with a lisp like Cindy Brady I would then have my dad's devotion. I hated the way I looked because I thought it caused my father's disinterest in me. As I got older, my self-esteem plummeted and I was sure no man would ever find me attractive.

2. Daughters With Absent Fathers Struggle to Build and Maintain Relationships

According to Pamela Thomas, author of Fatherless Daughters (a book that examines how women cope with the loss of a father via death or divorce), women who grew up with absent dads find it difficult to form lasting relationships. Because they were scarred by their dad's rejection of them, they don't want to risk getting hurt again. Consciously or unconsciously, they avoid getting close to people. They may form superficial relationships in which they reveal little of themselves and put very little effort into getting to know others. They may become promiscuous as a way of getting male attention without becoming too emotionally involved.

Ever since childhood, I've built walls around myself. I didn't open up to people. I didn't ask questions about their families, jobs, or hobbies. I kept my life private, and I remained socially isolated. These were all self-protective measures so I wouldn't experience rejection like I did with my dad. Knowing this intellectually did nothing to help me change my behavior because my fear of rejection was more powerful than my desire to make connections.

3. Women With Absent Fathers Are More Likely to Have Eating Disorders

In their book The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders, the authors Marcia Herrin and Nancy Matsumoto write eloquently about the fact that girls with physically or emotionally absent fathers are at greater risk of developing eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge-eating, body dysmorphia, unhealthy preoccupations with food or body weight, and other eating disorders are all more likely if a girl does not have a father figure as she's growing up. Daughters without dads are also twice as likely to be obese. Because her longing to have a close relationship with her dad is denied, she may develop what Margo Maine (author of Father Hunger: Fathers, Daughters, & Food) calls “father hunger,” a deep emptiness and a profound insecurity. Daughters are left wondering: What's so wrong with me that my own father doesn't love me? If I looked different—if I was thin—would I earn daddy's love?

I've struggled with "father hunger" throughout my life—stuffing my face to fill the void, dieting to get model-thin, and always obsessing about food. My days have been filled with thoughts of eating—either doing it or struggling mightily not to. When I accepted that my dad didn't love me and that he was an unhappy man with deep-rooted problems, I finally started eating normally and began maintaining a healthy weight. I began treating myself in a loving way by exercising, gardening, reading, walking in the woods, and spending time with family. For the first time in my life, I only thought about food when I was truly hungry. This freed me to enjoy my life in so many wonderful ways.

4. Daughters of Absent Fathers Are More Prone to Depression

Not surprisingly, girls who grew up with dads who were emotionally or physically absent are more likely to struggle with depression as adults. Because they fear abandonment and rejection, these women often isolate themselves emotionally. They avoid healthy romantic relationships because they don't feel deserving and fear getting hurt, but they might jump into unhealthy relationships that ultimately lead to heartbreak. In either scenario, the women are in emotional peril and frequently become depressed. If they don't deal with the cause of their sadness—an absent dad—they may never be able to develop healthy relationships with men.

To top it all off, data suggests that children without fathers are more than twice as likely to commit suicide.

According to Denna Babul and Karin Louise, authors of The Fatherless Daughter Project, it's helpful to simply realize that we're not alone. In fact, one in three women see themselves as fatherless and struggle with feelings of abandonment. Knowing this fact helps us see that there's a whole sisterhood out there who share a common pain and a need to connect. When we open up and share our journey, we help both ourselves and each other. Whether we feel the loss of a dad through death, divorce, drug addiction, estrangement, or emotional neglect, we must grieve in order to move forward. Read Five Steps to Heal Her Pain: How a Fatherless Daughter Can Move On From Her Dad's Rejection for ideas on how to avoid falling into depression. A gifted therapist can be key to helping us do just that and becoming happier people.

5. Dadless Daughters Are More Likely to Become Sexually Active Earlier

Studies have shown the many benefits that come from a strong father-daughter bond. Most notably, girls who are close to their dads are less likely to get pregnant as teens. They delay engaging in sexual relationships, wait longer to get married and have children, and when they do find a husband, their marriages are more emotionally satisfying, stable, and long-lasting.

Countless studies also show that women who have unstable or absent paternal relationships are more likely to start having sex earlier and engage risky sexual behaviors. Daughters are four times more likely to get pregnant as a teen if dad isn't in the picture. Studies show that more than 70% of unplanned teenage pregnancies occur in homes where there is no father.

My older sister (who, like me, did not have a relationship with our father) met her future husband when she was just 18 and married him when she turned 22, straight out of college. He was the only guy she ever dated. Without a doubt, she was looking for the love and validation she never got from our dad. She was looking for an alternative to a man who never said "I love you" or "you're pretty" and never gave the unconditional acceptance one craves from a parent. Although she is still married, her union has been a difficult one, and she discourages her own daughters from marrying young.

6. Abandoned Daughters Are Susceptible to Addiction

As with depression, eating disorders, and low self esteem, the absence of a father can trap a daughter in a negative repetitive pattern she can't easily break out of and turn to drugs to self-medicate and help numb the pain. She is more likely to find herself trapped in a cycle of substance abuse, for example. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse. Not only are kids in father-absent households about four times more likely to be poor (which can trigger many negative cycles), fatherless adolescents were found to be 69% more likely to use drugs and 76% more likely to commit crimes.

Can a Daughter Survive Without a Father?

Try as I might, I was never been able to get any traction, always making a mess of this or that and never able to form long-lasting friendships. I rejected happiness because I never felt worthy of it. I did so much to sabotage my life and make myself miserable.

Then last year my older sister revealed to me that she, too, had felt unloved by him. I immediately felt enormous relief and then great euphoria. I realized it had never been about me—that I was bad, ugly, stupid and undeserving. It had always been about him—his unhappy childhood, his cold mother, his negative nature, and his dissatisfaction with being a husband and father. It had never been about me...never.

I could finally shout: “You were a piece of crap and now I'm done with you! I'm not your prisoner any more!"

According to Caitlin Marvaso, AMFT, a grief counselor and therapist, to recover from a father's abandonment, a woman "must learn how to father herself, hold herself, and receive the type of love a father provides. It is a lifelong process, but with the proper support, tools, and patience, it is totally possible. That being said, the grief and pain never goes away, it just changes."

A daughter whose father abandoned her can grow, thrive, learn, excel, succeed, love and be loved, and live a wonderful life when she realizes that the problem isn't her, it's him. This is the first step toward healing.

[monsterleadmehome]

Thoughts On TLJ novelization:

-I loved Jason Fry’s writing. I think he captured Rian’s story well while still having his voice come through.

-the crazy dream prologue was so sad. Like an alternate timeline of normal Luke.

-Han’s hasty memorial was fitting. I love anything from Leia’s POV.

-the Paige and Rose scene made me cry. Especially how Rose kept talking to her throughout the rest of the book. Pae Pae! Ugh I’m dead.

-seeing “General Hugs” in print literally made my day

-I see Fulmanatrix and think Dominatrix. Intentional?

-“Stiff fins and sharp teeth” is the “clear eyes full heart” on Mon Cala

-I had to wait 65 pages for Kylo Ren?!

-KYLO DIDN’T FIRE ON LEIA BECAUSE HE FELT THAT SHE STILL CARED ABOUT HIM. “She was worried for him, he realized. And she wasn’t angry. She ached for him to come back to her.” Excuse me while I go cry.

-also he would’ve stopped the torpedo if he hadn’t been caught by surprise. Because he is THAT STRONG IN THE FORCE OMG.

-I was not a huge fan of Rose’s jealousy of Rey and am glad that didn’t feature in the movie. The “Rey Rey Rey” was a little too “Marcia Marcia Marcia” for me.

-Luke fucking slapped Rey for going to the dark without hesitation. How dare.

-I know this has been said, but Rey wondered if they could touch as early as the second force bond! Like what even? “Could they actually touch, across a galaxy?” (p 136)

-Then after she calls him a monster:

“She stared back at him — and found his eyes full of hurt. Hurt — and conflict.

‘Yes I am,’ Kylo said and there was no menace in his voice — only misery.”

This just reinforces that Kylo is ok with everyone else seeing him as a monster, but he had hoped Rey would think differently.

-Luke being a dick then turning around and asking Rey to dance is such a Skywalker thing to do. No wonder Kylo keeps striking out. Also badass Rey was scared of dancing. That was kind of cute.

-BB-8 loves murder. No surprise there.

-Rey is so distracted by shirtless Kylo. She “forced herself to look into his eyes,” then “...Rey made herself focus.” 😏

-“His gaze was hungry — and knowing.” (p 175) I’m sorry, did I stumble into a harlequin romance novel?

-CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT LUKE WAS GOING TO GO BACK WITH REY BEFORE HE CAUGHT HER WITH KYLO?!?!?!?

Like, he opened himself to the Force, sensed Leia then was all oh shit the galaxy does need me. Then, he finds Rey holding hands with his naughty nephew and decided NEVERMIND?! I can’t even.

-Rey had that traumatic experience in the cave and there was only one person she wanted to talk to, “someone who would understand how solitude and loss could eat away at you until there was nothing left.” 😩

-the hut scene is just as beautiful on the page as it was in the movie... except they are sitting NEXT TO EACH OTHER. And Rey thinks about touching him AGAIN. “As if she could actually reach out and touch his hand, his face, his hair.” Um, she wants to what? Reach out and caress his face and run her fingers through his hair? Cuz SAME GIRL SAME.

-“Luke Skywalker walked into the hut — to find Rey and Kylo with their hands clasped, staring into each other’s eyes.” Are you serious?! I am so scandalized. *clutches pearls*

-Then Rey hands his ass to him for fucking up a perfectly good Ben Solo and peaces out.

-I wanted more Holdo.

-We still don’t know what Chewie offered to say to Finn

-The witty flirty banter between Rey and Kylo when she arrives on The Supremacy is gold and should have been in the movie. Also WE WERE ROBBED OF A SMILE.

-Rey saw longing in his eyes in the elevator. That’s canon.

-Snoke’s whole internal monologue about how he’s been this mastermind and manipulated Ben since he was a child as well as all these events in the galaxy just to get to this point was the epitome of hubris. He takes credit for bridging their minds and congratulates himself on a job well done, all while failing to overlook one very important thing: love. Like, hi you thought it was a good idea to bring the two loneliest people in the galaxy together? These young attractive people? You didn’t think that your apprentice would fall head over heels and trade his allegiance from you to her? LOL. Real evil can’t comprehend love.

-Funnily enough, both Snoke and Luke can see that even though he calls himself Kylo Ren, he will always be Ben Solo. Snoke is using him as a means to an end but he doubts he can ever go fully dark. Luke in the confrontation on Crait “sensed that Kylo Ren was just a shell around the same broken boy he had tried so hard to reach.” (p 297)

- what’s that smell? Oh, REDEMPTION.

-I would have liked half the praetorian guard fight from Kylo’s POV.

-“He advanced on Rey, the ignited lightsaber held loosely in one hand. But there was no threat in his approach.

Somehow, suddenly, that scared her even more.” Why is that, Rey? Hmm? Possibly because you know what he wants???

Then, “Rey tried to find the strength to deny him, to shove him away. But he was right.” OMFG HOW CLOSE IS HE STANDING TO HER?!

-I loved Poe’s little pep talk to Rose about how she is needed. Gave me the warm fuzzies.

-I also somehow liked the Finnrose kiss more in the book? It was sweeter.

- “‘Rey,’ Kylo said, speaking her name like it was poison.” Omg this tore my heart out. He is SO hurt by her leaving. Like the other thing I noticed is that from Kylo’s POV we still don’t get a lot of what he’s thinking. He keeps everything so guarded, from all those years with Snoke in his mind. Rey works through stuff. Kylo doesn’t expand on anything. You just get hurt and betrayal and fear and anger. It’s so heartbreaking. He also has a hard time believing anyone cares for him. ughhhhh

-Literally every scene with Hux foreshadows how he’s going to overthrow Kylo in IX. It’s happening.

-I really enjoyed the little end scene with the caretaker cleaning up Luke’s things and talking about all the outsiders that come.

So yeah, overall I really enjoyed it! I think I might try to read the junior novelization later on as well. It seems like there’s some hopeful/lighter additions there.

[moonaft]

The Winter Long - Reread

Rosemary and Rue

A Local Habitation

An Artificial Night

Late Eclipses

One Salt Sea

Ashes of Honor

Chimes At Midnight

Interlude : Full of Briers

As always, spoilers up to The Brightest Fell and October 2018 for the Patreon stories. No spoilers for Night and Silence, and at this point I think I’ll have finished the entire reread by the time I get my copy. Which is just as well.

First off, ‘the winter long’ is one line after ‘rosemary and rue’. Is the final book going to be ‘Grace and Remembrance’? 

I really like TWL. This was a good book, filled with shifting allies and cameos by my favorite people. It’s probably my favorite after The Brightest Fell and not just because of Simon. 

I am going to ignore the fact that the knowe is called ‘Muir Woods’ even before it was named that in 1908. Maybe? Maybe Arden took up the name really quickly. I can’t find a mention of it by name in Patrick’s first short story and I can’t dig up “In Little Stars” right now to check if it was called Muir Woods back then. Patreon’s search sucks.

Onto the ball! A good ball, in which no one gets poisoned or nearly assassinated and Toby doesn’t commit murder. Yeah, if I was her I also wouldn’t want to go to fancy balls. She takes after Sylvester in that regard. 

Speaking of, hi Sylvester! Hi Li Quin!

Arden has social anxiety and needs more friends than Madden. I am surprised no noble Daoine Sidhe have come a-courting. At least she’ll get Walther and Cassandra to take jobs at court soon. 

I love Arden subtly copying Quentin in table manners. 

Are Raven-maids and -men the opposite of Selkies, born birds and need the feathers to transform?  Jazz takes off her band to turn into a raven. Amandine doesn’t, but presumably her magic can force the transformation regardless. Though Amandine does imply that destroying the band will keep her as a human. 

Yes, it’s time to put everyone to bed. Meanwhile, Toby gets to pull some all nighters.

Hello, Simon.

I love how no one has questioned where he was since Late Eclipses, and that only as a brief mention. He’s the tragic backstory, not meant to show up in the present. Oleander was that too, but now she’s dead and can’t hurt anyone anymore. 

Yeah, she was really not expecting that. Why is it that the bad things only happen to Toby during the books? From the plot summaries, the time between the books is the only time she gets to relax.

Yes, that’s not Sylvester. 

It’s sad how much Toby has internalized him as her personal boogeyman. Dugan, Riordan, Samson, the false Queen could all be fought. It wasn’t easy by any means, but here Toby’s given up without a fight which just doesn’t happen. She’s already determined this is a fight she can’t win. 

I love that the first thing Simon does is praise her. He genuinely does not mean her ill-will.

So Simon has not seen Evening in years prior to TWL and did come to warn Toby about it. Or, turn her into a tree for a hundred years, but to him, that is helping. Evening didn’t send him so he must have gotten word somehow that she was returning. Where was he all those years?

Hello Jazz, you have great timing. Sorry that you are once again attacked in your own home.

Simon didn’t come in limping – Toby turning his spell back against him must have hurt him badly.

Why exactly does Simon have so many transformation spells? Is this his own flower-based transformation or something he got from Evening? It could be his own – he once transformed Patrick’s suit into something more modern and there’s no indication that eventually failed. And why fish? Could he have transformed Patrick into a fish so he and Dianda could spend time together in the Undersea without breathing spells? That would be so cute.

Good job on using your cats to warn Tybalt.

I think even May gets over her feelings by the time of TBF, or at least, she’s willing to let him try so they can save Jazz.

All in all, Simon’s going to get what he wants by the end of this book, namely, Toby’s safety. Sure, he’s elf-shot but so’s Evening. It’s TBF where he’s going to get his ass kicked repeatedly.

Same, Quentin – I too have an endless supply of songs about boats. Five bucks says you’re singing “The Mary Ellen Carter”.

Tybalt probably would still shred Simon to pieces given the change but he’s out of the picture for all of TBF.

Why do you think you can predict what Simon’s going to do, Toby? You know literally nothing about his objectives. He’s also willing to answer what he can of your questions and tell you things without being asked.  

The knowe is willing to let Toby through, and she is family. Would the knowe have let Simon through because he helped build it? What about August?

Way to mess it up, Sylvester. You definitely should have told Toby about Simon before you sent her after him. But that’s in the past and doesn’t matter, does it, Sylvester? Just like September, just like August. It can’t hurt you anymore, right?

I do believe the twins were close once, and by 1840 that’s no longer the case, but it doesn’t matter until 1906. You didn’t help enough to find August, or you encouraged her too much, it doesn’t matter. Simon wanted you to hurt the way he hurt, and if you can’t see that, you have forgotten too much.

Yeah, I can’t imagine Simon hurting Amandine unless it was in direct defense of August or Toby. Sylvester, you should know Amandine’s not going to let him back into her life without August present. You should know this, why don’t you know this?

Tybalt, you told them to run, that is not the Torquills’ fault. Hey, remember that decree that says if you want to marry one of the three, that one can’t refuse?

“I need you to live long enough to be cannon fodder when Simon decides to attack.” Quentin loves you too, Toby.

You are missing a vital, vital piece of why Simon was running around with Oleander. He’s not doing it for shits and giggles, Toby.

Poor Luidaeg. It sucks having the answers and not being able to tell them. Toby’s doing better on the questions this time around.

“At least we know that Simon won’t be able to come after us there.” One small problem with that, Toby.

Does each Library have its own library card, or is it an all access pass?

Mags definitely wanted Toby to show up after Simon left. Whoops. And Toby, you still owe her your mother’s history.

Hi again, Simon. Maybe this time you can actually talk?                                                                        

Yeah, the arrangement with Oleander is definitely non-con. Everyone is glad she’s dead except probably Evening.

Simon has three modes in this book: what he thinks will help Toby, what Toby thinks is helpful, and what he does as a servant of Evening. This is the middle interaction – useful information, no one is transformed or hurt.

Toby, remember you still owe Mags info on your mom.

Amandine definitely ruined your life, Toby, even if you don’t want to admit it.

Good job on raising the dead, Toby.

I guess Evening is a vampire? There’s at least one Snow White legend like that.

“Your lover was a Selkie; he told me quite a bit after he died.” How- What- Did the Luidaeg summon the night haunts to talk to Connor?

How long had Simon been sitting on Toby’s doorstep? He must have gotten straight to Shadowed Hills to get the roses and then back to her place. To the rose gardens at least, he couldn’t have gotten into the halls themselves.

This is the other thing – Toby stops again to ask her personal boogeyman for help. She trusts him enough to do that, which is something we don’t see anywhere else in the series. To be fair, Simon does keep insisting that he’s there to help, which is something no other villain does.

And Simon’s convinced she’s going to die.

May’s benched again, which is a recurring theme that she specifically acknowledges. Let this girl have a field trip with Toby.

Although not into the ocean because that’s where everyone ended up! Hi Dianda. Thanks for saving Toby from drowning.

I wonder what would have happened if Toby told Dianda that Simon gave her the warning. Probably nothing good – here’s yet another trusted authority figure who knew about that relationship and didn’t tell her.

Hello Evening. Hate to see you again. If only Dianda could punch you in the face.

Here her magic is roses and snow but I swear I’ve seen it described as roses and apples somewhere.

So where was she these past few years as she recovered? Does she have another knowe?

So why is Marcia not affected by Evening’s magic? Evening doesn’t recognize Marcia as anything other than changeling, I think. But Evening wouldn’t care that much. I really really want her to be Titania. Maeve would be cool too, but I want her to be Titania.

Good thing no one drowned in that little episode, including Tybalt and Quentin.  

Hi Raj! Everything’s ok!

Props to Toby for being willing to burn the Library down to get it to close, and kudos to Mags for listening to her.

And Simon’s playing double agent on the phone. Toby couldn’t have gotten through this book without him.

Toby hasn’t actually slept since before the Yule ball. How many days and nights has it been since then?

So why did Evening get Quentin sent to Shadowed Hills directly after Luna and Raysel’s return? How did they break free?

Riordan was once in Alameda – how did she move down to Dreamer’s Glass?

And how did Sylvester know they were coming? Simon must have told Evening, or maybe Evening assumed Toby would show up.

Hi Etienne, Bridget and Chelsea!

Yes, leave the boys behind to play Xbox games. Good plan.

Luna does have several points about Evening, Raysel and Karen. Why, exactly, does Stacy have two Seer daughters? She is also smart enough to get her favor from Toby before telling Toby what’s going on.

Is Toby going to have to do a favor for every ally she has?

You can take the Daoine Sidhe out of the Torquill but you can’t take the fox-fur hair and golden eyes.

Poor Raysel. I hope this helps her.

Huzzah, Toby gets to sleep!

Hello again, Simon. OK, Toby doesn’t think he told Evening that she called Shadowed Hills. And he’s back at the house.

There’s something to be said for the image of Simon petting Toby’s rosebush-cat for hours.

Yes, everyone needs group therapy, which clearly doesn’t exist in Faerie.

Correction: there’s nothing in his blood now that she could change. If Toby knew enough to look, could she tell immediately? Maida told Toby that she was once a changeling, and now Toby can look at Quentin and see those watermarks. She has since looked at Sylvester and Simon and been unable to tell that they had human blood once, but Toby misses a lot.

Hmm, Toby is not this… intimate with anyone else. Mind walking while riding Simon’s blood? She’s never done this with living people before. I think if he can be saved in the end, it will involve something similar.

Yep, the non-con is strong here. Simon is a fascinating villain.

So what exactly was Simon planning here? Toby is not a tree. She’s out for several hours and up again. Was Simon buying her time?

Hi Luidaeg! Glad to see you up.

Titania also sounds like a shit mother.

Septiminus was Evening’s grandson. He certainly didn’t get his coloring from her.

“Most of her children died young.” But there were enough grandchildren to establish several Daoine Sidhe lines. Aethlin and Maida aren’t closely related to the Torquills or Dugan or Rhys or Riordan.

Maeve took what vengeance she could against Titania for the Luidaeg’s binding and we don’t know what that is, yet.

Ok, yes. This is where the Luidaeg says Evening’s signatures are apples and roses. Her own magic is brackish marshes and ocean air. Toby doesn’t ask about this.

Elizabeth Ryan would probably argue that the Luidaeg stole her heart but she isn’t here right now.  

I am pretty sure Evening is older than the Luidaeg, but the Luidaeg implies Maeve could have had children before her, just not through Oberon. And none of them are living now.

The Luidaeg knows who Amandine’s mother is and can’t say.                                    

Yes Evening, we know you don’t like Dianda and Patrick’s marriage. You can shut up about it now.

Is Dawn one of the things the Luidaeg can’t talk about? She is not mentioned at all in this book, least of all by Toby.

And Simon’s under Evening’s control again. Poor Tybalt.

And Toby’s covered in her own blood again.

Dammit, Sylvester, Simon’s better at giving Toby answers than you are.

Yes, which of the Queens owned that key? And what exactly is it?

Oh you still don’t know better by now, Toby. You are still somewhat blind to what’s going on around you.

Nice job breaking Evening’s spell, Toby.

Oh Simon, you were so close.

Being stabbed with Simon’s elf-shot laced blood is enough to take out a Firstborn but somehow drinking Nolan’s blood didn’t put Toby out.

Though being asleep isn’t going to stop her…

Naww, Tybalt and Toby are cute together.

Man, I really want to see Dianda and Patrick’s reactions on learning that Evening is the Daoine Sidhe Firstborn. And why does no one seem to recall Dawn? Is there a world-wide “don’t think about it” spell? If so, who could cast it?

[lirulii]

It’s time for Good Ole hcs

The week has been such a Todhunter Moon Week i’m loving it

So some wild Sep+Tod apprenticeship headcanons because they’re amazing:

-Every apprenticeship in the Castle has an infamous nickname- For example, Sep and Marcia’s was called ‘The Rekindler’ or ‘The Fyre Apprenticeship’

-With Sep and Tod, however, due to the entire Ancient Ways re-discoveries, the nickname is ‘Nova Terra’ or ‘Nova Mundo’ depending on who you ask

-in the Pathfinder village it’s known as New Geo because the kids try to be cool amirite

-Chicken soup is the last, but very needed, resort when it comes to food courtesy of the blessed @geekyzelda and her stories

-They’re both ridiculously over and under qualified to attend those stuffy formal balls and meetings

-Don’t lie to me they try to see how many pastries they can fit in Tod’s bag

-Tod stays in the Junior ((and later Senior)) Girl’s Dormitories but sometimes she stays up in the Pyramid Library too long and crashes in Sep’s couch

-I know you were expecting angst but the REAL reason why Tod doesn’t sleep in the Apprentice Room like Sep did with Marcia is because while Sep was showing some new apprentices his rooms one of them was fooling around and blew the room up

-Their running joke for procrastination is “OH I/we were repairing the room”

-Sep founds an international Apprentice system with other countries,yet it’s secretly more for him to learn from higher up leaders because his self esteem is on the floor his first couple years as EOW

-CANONICALLY Angie has stated in two different cases that Sep gave Tod a silver version of the Flyte Charm and a star Charm with a silver dot 

-They’re both good in different ways s obs,,,

-Tod makes her month rotation in the Manuscriptorium when she’s 16

-She works as a scribe/Charm organizer but snuck down several times to look at the Historic Way archives with Oskar when she was supposed to be on-duty

-Sep also hands her off to Marwick, Sam, and sometimes Benhira Benhara for 3 weeks Traveling the Ways annually, starting in her 3rd year

-Literally anyone: Extraordinary we need you for a task

Sep, already heading away: call up my apprentice she can do it

Tod, in the middle of a midterm exam, 21 floors above: *looks into the camera like the office*

-The real reason why Sep makes her do that is to teach her responsibility and to not make her as reckless. Works a SOLID 75% percent of the time. Tod is already pretty responsible yet her biggest flaw is that she sees her Apprenticeship as only Magyk and no real-life situations

-The Castle harbors a small half-dislike for her initially due to all the events of Sandrider, and it takes her longer than Sep to earn her people’s respect

-He’s very open and will take his gosh longest to comfort Tod through her adolescence, from picking out dresses to the tangle that is feelings

-Sep picks up on her changes faster than Dan sometimes, which sends him through the roof with jealousy

-They also share a lot of sadness together, though-although Sep can’t relate with the immigrant situation he does remember how hard it was for him to cope with a missing family- Also helps with her PTSD moments ((specifically her Kraan nightmares which she continues to have until her young adulthood))

-Ancient Pathfinder language is a mix of German, Spanish, and Portuguese and in exchange for teaching Sep those Tod learns more about Ancient Scriptures

-There’s different types of green eyes- Sep’s are more Chrysoberyl while Tod’s are bright peridot ((because she’s so young)), but as she matures they become a nice lemon green with some teal undertone

-Tod in pristine robes, year one: h-hello Septimus I am ready for the lesson this afternoon

-Tod again, 19 this time, at 4 am, rolling up with her night clothes on and glow-in-the-dark sunglasses: whaddup hey there’s a cryptid in my room also I learned how to ride a unicycle with only Magyk

-Sep, taking off his own neon sunglasses: holy shit I taught you well

-One day Tod mentions meeting a certain Syrah Syara while doing an errand in the Port and Sep can’t meet her eyes for the next two days

-Sep eventually gets back on good friends terms with Rose again, only because Tod insists on taking extra lessons in Charms 

-In order to gain more knowledge about foreign Magyk, Sep teaches Tod how to use the Flyte Charm, while Tod teaches him how to Navigate the Ways and also breathe Underwater ((with the help of an Air Bubble Charm ofc))

-This results in her slamming into the Palace Walls and Sep nearly drowning- thrice

-From Tod’s 4th year onward they both gradually begin growing out their hair- to the  point where Sep rivals Rose in hair length 

-You: Marcia has light up sketchers

Me, the THM intellectual: Sep and Tod have sparkly heelies

-Tod later teams up with Oskar for the Sled race and Sep and Beetle are proud parents(tm)

-They actually dominate the race track until they get DESTROYED by Queen Jenna, who gets the right to race in Tod’ s senior year 

-It is customary to the EOW to give their Apprentice something in their initiation, but it’s also custom for the Apprentice to give their Teacher something back on their Departure Ball

-She gets them matching bronze rings inlaid with lapis with the words ‘Find a Way’ and Sep cries

-Septimus visits the PathFinder village for more business reasons and he’s honestly so honored like good Christ

-He’s great at fishing but is crap at rowing

-he fell out of his boat twice and tod never let him live it down

-In her junior year, Septimus starts prepping Tod for the Darke exam

-The training goes a little too well and her knowledge in Darke and Hidden Spells increases after her Darke Week, not quite on par with Sep but still making her a more feared

-The first time Tod sees the ghost of Cassi is when she turns 22

-Sep still picks Tod up from literally aNYWHERE with Spit Fyre, whether it be the next block or across an ocean

-If he can’t make it, Jenna makes it on the Dragon Boat

-Other people: Ms. Alice!! Your Teacher is so cool,,,, he’s so imposing and confident,,, he has a dragon,,he’s so cute,,

Tod, having seen Sep cry over the fact that snakes don’t have arms, fallen on his face while dancing with another countries' Princess, and made a rug out of Spit Fyre’s scales: um,,,sure Joanna,,, whatever you say,,,

-When she becomes older (18-19) Tod begins to mimic Sep’s original personality in THM- cold, formal, and cunning

-Sep begins to fear and after some arguments quickly snaps her out of it

-When she graduates from her Apprenticeship Sep names her the Head of the new International Magyk Relations branch of the Wiz- she spents her first two years basically travelling around, hardly seeing her friends, family, or her teacher

-Seps Title is ‘Extraordinary High Grace Septimus Heap’ and when he jokingly says Tod should get one as well, he suggests ‘Shining Lady Diana‘, based on her middle name

-HOWEVER, After finding a Lady bearing the same name, with an unfortunate fate, in the Ancient Archive, Tod decides to change it to ‘Shining Lady Moon’, based on one of her last names. To the irony of everyone, it sticks with her for the rest of her life.

That’s all I got for now ;D

[acuppellarp]

Happy Friday, folks! It’s time for another admin post, and this time we’re all about plotting and connections. We’re lucky enough to have an amazingly talented, involved group of players who keep the dash active and the webs tangled, and we couldn’t possibly express how grateful we are. This, however, paired with the fact that we’ve been playing for over half a year together, can make joining in the fun a little intimidating. Whether you’re a prospective applicant feeling a bit of trepidation over joining an active long-running game, or a player looking for inspiration to broaden your plots and connections, this is the post for you!

1. Everyone Is Connected: The Tangled Webs We Weave.

If ACup had a tagline, it would be this: Everyone is connected. There is a reason we insist on only allowing characters to join if they have pre-established connections with other characters. There’s a reason we insist on nobody being ‘new in town’. No character is an island. The second a character posts on the dash, they already know everyone. Some may be friends, some may be enemies, some may be crushes, and some may be random coffee acquaintances. Look at your character’s bio post. Who is listed there? Go read their bios. It’d be pretty weird if you didn’t know your best friend’s hometown or how they used to date the cute girl behind the bar, right? Did you read that Jan and George were dating, but you just saw an interaction between George and Marcia where they made out? Message them! We have discord, we have Tumblr messaging, and we have a great OOC community. Shoot your connections’ players a message and ask them what your character should know about theirs. Remember everyone is connected, and that includes you, so go tangle the web and enjoy!

2. Chemistry And You: Welcome To The Lab.

If you look at our accepted applications, you’ll see we overwhelmingly list chemistry as our shipping preference. I know this has become shorthand for ‘I don’t mind either way’, but here at ACup, we take it pretty seriously. Chemistry matters. There’s nothing more awesome than seeing an unexpected ship (or brotp!) shower the dash in sparks out of nowhere, and nothing more awful than struggling to write romantic interactions between characters with the mutual attraction of a pair of potted succulents. Does this mean you can’t pre-plot a ship if all muns are into it? Of course you can! Go nuts, pals! What it does mean is even if you haven’t pre-plotted anything, you never know what may happen down the road. Write with everyone, have your characters interact with the rest with no ulterior motive beyond just getting to know your own character and theirs. You never know where you may find sparks!

3. Sandboxes Are Fun But The Castle Won’t Build Itself

This is a sandbox game. We have no overarching plot, no pre-set relationships, no admin-dictated plot drops, no nothing of the sort. We give you a location, the general encouragement to go nuts, and the rest is all up to you. Why are we like this? Because we’re lazy. 

Just kidding.

Let’s call us hands-off.

This means you have more freedom than you would in your average plot-heavy game to just do whatever you like. It also, however, means that you have more work to do than in your average plot-heavy game. If you want a plot, you’ll have to create it yourself. Be proactive! Put yourself in other players’ shoes. If you message someone with something specific such as “Hey! I’ve noticed Jan and George both enjoy competitive porcelain pug painting, so I was wondering if you’d like to have them compete against each other in next week’s tournament,” or even make a request for someone to join your plot like, “Hey guys! So I was thinking Marcia is going to bring her famous deviled eggs to the coffee shop next week but she’ll accidentally give someone food poisoning. Who wants to give their character an e.coli kinda party?” I can almost 100% guarantee you’re going to get a plot going. People love to be offered plots! If you, however, say, “Hey, hit me up if you want to do something!” chances are, you’re not going to get anything, because you’re essentially asking others to come up with plots for you. And that’s not hands-off. That’s lazy.

4. Slice Of Life: Characters Are People, Not Food

Ah, real life. We hate it. But we also set our game in it, so here we are. Real life, to us, means characters act and react like real life people would. If someone is an awful person, chances are other people will not list them as one of their best friends. If someone spills everyone’s secret, people will probably not ask her to keep any of theirs. If someone is openly against romance, they’re unlikely to be asked out on a stroll in the moonlight. You know? Think about your character: what do you know about them? And most importantly, what do other characters know? You may know Cindy only overuses the word ‘moist’ because she’s hiding her unrequited feelings for Bobby, but since other characters don’t know that, you can’t expect them to not tell her to please stop saying moist every time someone asks how she is. Because it’s unsettling, Cindy.

So if you’re feeling like your character’s interactions with others aren’t going the way you hoped they would, think about what kind of person your character is. Maybe their hobbies are wildly different from everyone else’s, and you could have them explore a new one. Maybe you want them to be everyone’s BFF but their personality is more of a villain’s. Maybe you see them as the head bitch in charge but their interactions read more like a scared guinea pig. Do you have to change their personality? No, of course not! But abrasive people can realize they’re coming off as assholes and make an effort to be nicer, or the goody two shoes can buy a pleather biker jacket and stay out past her bedtime for once. People evolve, and your character can, too!

5. Okay, But How Do I Jump In?

Just do it! Have your character hit on someone. What’s the worst thing that could happen, that they’re rejected? Play off it! Not everything turns out right, and that’s totally okay. As long as you don’t force people to do things a certain way, and you stay away from godmodding, you can do whatever you want, and just enjoy the chain reaction that will come from it. 

In short, we’re probably not your typical game, but we’re a friendly bunch and if you’re willing to put in some work and get your creative juices flowing, we’re sure you’ll fit right in!

[nowitsdarkfic]

chapter nine (nancy is so nice)

November 26, 1988. Oswego, New York.

We stayed over in Buffalo for the next two days, including a trip into town on Black Friday, and then my parents and I returned home to Camillus. I stayed over for about an hour and then I decided it was time for me to drive on back home. I confessed I still had no idea what's up with Brick, and that is the truth. I really have no idea what's going on with him, and I haven't heard a word from Spence or either of the Greys about it for that matter.

Once my mom gave me one last hug before I headed out the door, and she pressed her hand onto my stomach to feel me again no less, I climbed back into the hydrogen car Maya had left at my complex and drove back up to Oswego. I may be out on the job but I have my ways as I told her the other day.

I've probably been home an hour when I head up the block to the House of Grey to check on Brick, Barney, and Billy, but the windows are dark. Damn it.

I head on back to my place to call Spence to check on him.

I take off my coat and lay it over the back of the couch once I'm inside of the apartment once again. Faint wisps from the back of Vera's dress drift back from her as she floats down the hall and vanishes into the darkness. For a second, I think I caught a glimpse of Nerissa near the entrance of my bedroom but it's just the shadow cast upon the door frame from the afternoon light. I sink down in my chair and pick up the phone.

I dial Spence's number and it rings twice before I catch the machine.

“Hey, Spence, it's Joey. Just wanna know how Brick's doing at the moment. Give me a call back when you get the chance. Love ya, man. Talk to you soon.”

No sooner do I hang up the phone when I hear a knock on the door. I dart past the couch, and open the door, and I'm met with her little head of fine hair over a thick scarf and a heavy coat. She's got a plastic grocery bag in one hand.

“Nancy!” I greet her. “What're you doing here?”

“I have a week off for Thanksgiving,” she replies, “I go back on Monday, so Chris and I are taking the red eye tonight, and he dropped me off here real quick because I told him I wanted to speak to you. So I want to make this quick.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Come on in.” I step out of the way for her and she enters my apartment. I close the door behind her; I'm glad it's still relatively clean in here because it's so weird having a girl over here. “Uh—so what is it? What's up?”

“It's… a couple of things, actually,” she starts, setting the bag on the back on the couch. “The first thing is—this.”

She takes out a sheet of heavy paper protected by a clear sleeve and stretched over a board. She shows it to me: it's a watercolor painting of me, except the colors are bold and bright like that of Japanese block art; I'm seated at a counter, like the counter I was seated at in Junior's, that little cafe back in Portland she worked at, wrapped in my black coat and holding a coffee mug up to my mouth. I gasp at the sight of it.

“This is like… an early Christmas present from me,” she explains. “I made this in two stints in my watercolor class when I had time at the end of each period. It's for being such a sweetie.”

“Oh, thank you! You're too kind.” I put my arms around her and she rests the side of her head against my chest. It's like hugging my mom except Nancy's got more weight to her body. She steps back to look at me in the eye with a warm little smile on her face.

“The other thing I want to say is Lars is doing a lot better,” she starts again, much to my relief; “you know, he was released yesterday and he took the first flight back to Portland.”

“Portland? Not San Francisco?” I think back to what Maya had told me about his wife and the fact he's been here upstate so many times.

“Yeah.” I let go of her and she adjusts the lapels of her coat. “I guess he was flown back there because he told me and Chris that he had a ticket waiting for him. He told me to tell you that he's got a new insight on that girl you found, Maya.”

That copy of After the Watershed. He probably took it with him.

“Did he expand on it?”

“Not really,” she confesses, “like he had a weird dream about her while he was comatose one day. And then he found a copy of some magazine laying on his chest and he read some of it. I guess it was written by her but on the back cover, it said 'for Joey's eyes only' and so he left it on the side table next to him. When he looked again, it was gone.”

Or not.

“What does he think it could be?” I ask her.

“I don't know, he didn't say. He just wants to talk to you when and if he gets a chance, and also when you get the chance.”

“And what else did he say?”

“Two sisters—Marcia and Sonia, he said their names are?”

“Oh, yeah! Marcia and Sonia Bennett—a couple of Portland girls out in Rochester.”

“I guess they're flying back to Portland soon for Christmas and they wanna have lunch with the two of you there.”

“I think I should also tell Lars that I want to make a trip over to Boston at some point,” I confess.

“Why Boston?”

“Maya's family's there. I think if we sleuth around there we'll uncover some more things about her.”

“That's what he told me in what he saw in his dream. Like he saw her family surrounded by a bunch of gears and divets and things. The kind of mechanical stuff we saw in New York City. I'm sure he'll expand on it when you guys meet up again.” She picks up the plastic bag from the back of the couch and takes out a pair of candy canes.

“Also these are from Chris and Kim,” she tells me.

“Once again, too kind,” I reply to her, taking the candies with my free hand; I've got the painting tucked underneath my arm. “I'll find a spot for this painting, too.”

“One last thing before I forget,” she continues, “because you mentioned Boston, Matt and Dominique are actually heading out there—in a couple of nights, I think. It's like she's on assignment with her mentor, Angeline, again, but this time at this little stationary place near the women's school, and Matt's gonna be hanging out there somewhere. You guys can hit it up there if you'd like.”

“Sounds excellent. I'll let Lars rest for a bit and then I'll mosey on over to the City of Roses again.”

She grins at me.

“You really are a sweet guy,” she remarks, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and another one behind her ear, “and yeah. You do remind me of Chris a lot, too.”

I feel my face grow warm at that.

“You said you were taking the red eye back to Seattle?” I recall.

“Yeah.”

“Well, it's still kinda early. You guys wanna grab a coffee before you head on back?”

“Oh—” She closes her eyes and bows her head as the warm smile persists upon her face. “Oh, that's just—you're as sweet as you are cute and handsome.”

My face grows even warmer as a result.

“Well—I dunno 'bout that,” I shrug at her.

“But that's still—just so sweet. But I'm afraid I gotta go, though. I will do this—”

She steps closer to me and, standing on her toes, rises up to my face for a little peck. Her lips are soft and smooth, and the warm combined aroma of chocolate and cinnamon fills my nose. I flutter my eyelashes at her when I feel my eyebrows raise up.

“What was that for?” I sputter out.

“It's all I can do,” she confesses with a shrug. “Believe me, Joey—if I wasn't already in a relationship, I'd want you to be my boyfriend so much. Nancy Kensington dating Joey Belladonna.” She winks at me before heading on out the door. “Anyways, I'll catch you later—”

She closes the door behind her, leaving me there in my own apartment with the candy canes in one hand, the painting tucked under the other arm, and my head feeling as hot as though it's the summer time and my stomach filled with butterflies.

“Okay, time to pick out a place on my wall for this thing,” I mutter to myself, glancing down at the painting under my arm.

[writersriot]

@neepcreature

So so sorry it took me forever to get back to your response to Part 16!! I also apologize for my long-ass response haha, hence why this is in a separate post. Because I am a rambler who talks to much concerning my special interests.

When Two-Bit and Marcia get married (in my mind haha), they would absolutely end the rivalry lol. I just love how they instantly bonded over their shared sense of humor, but then we never heard about them again. Like dude, what happened to my one het ship in this book haha.

The ages!! Oh god the ages lolol. See, the way these characters’ ages are written. . .just doesn’t make sense. I don’t know if this came from Hinton writing as a teenager and making certain assumptions about how people act at certain ages?? I know by the time kids are seniors in high school, around 17-18, they look at the freshmen, around 13-15, and think they’re babies haha. And sometimes the ones who are out of high school but still basically youths seems so much older and wiser (which, lol.)

Darry is 20, but god at 20 I knew nothing, and Darry is holding up his family by himself. Even Two-Bit is 18 going on 19 yet still in school, not even a senior yet. And he’s the oldest of the gang, which really makes me think Darry isn’t usually involved with the gang so much as maybe Soda is. I think Two-Bit even mentions that he’d beat down Pony if he weren’t Soda’s kid brother, so it makes me think this gang is mostly made of these boys who went to the same school for at least some time and who live in the same neighborhood. (So like Pony and Darry are included in the gang because they’re related to Soda I guess)

Because Soda is 16 going on 17, which I assume Steve is as well since they’re best friends. Who else is that age?? Johnny. With Dally only a year older. Like lol forever. Because really, is it Pony wanting to be part of the gang so much and to be taken seriously like you said? Like Pony kind of latches onto Johnny as a type of kindred-spirit as shy, quiet types that Pony makes assumptions about Johnny, seeing him as younger than he is and closer to Pony’s age? ‘Cause even though Johnny is Pony’s friend, I feel like Johnny sees Pony as a younger brother he would (and does) protect.

I also think maybe Pony fundamentally doesn’t understand the relationship Johnny has with the other members of the gang either because he doesn’t see it. I think his notion of this is amended a bit at the end of the book, when it’s too late unfortunately.

So is the infantilizing of Johnny really as bad as it seems in Pony’s perspective? Or is it just Pony’s interpretation of events? I mean, we know Johnny is small for his age, which can happen to kids raised in abusive situations, though of course it could be he’s a little of a late bloomer puberty-wise. And we know the gang wants to protect Johnny due to his abusive and neglectful home life. Pony says Johnny is the “pet” of the gang, which I don’t even know what to make of other than Pony making assumptions.

Here’s a kid very near the same age as most of the guys in the gang, yet due to his size and likely being in the same class as Pony, he maybe gets treated like another little brother. But he’s the little brother you don’t fuck with at all. And honestly, Pony calls Johnny the pet, but we really don’t see that kind of dramatic behavior from the rest of the gang. They’re protective of him, absolutely. But it’s honestly as if the only one who infantilizes Johnny is, in fact, Ponyboy himself? Like, I just don’t get those “he’s the pet” vibes from the rest of the gang so much as “Johnny’s already been through shit so don’t give him any more” vibes.

And this infantilizing of Johnny I think is what makes readers think he’s Pony’s age instead of the same age as most of the gang. And I think it’s why some people are against the Johnny/Dally ship as well? Like they see it as a dramatic age and power difference, when really, I think that’s only due to Pony’s narrative of everyone and not actually what the subtext implies. That’s my analysis of it.

Oh gosh, I followed Hinton on twitter just a little before her rude responses started up and garnered so much attention back in October last year. I thought, oh cool, another author to love -- oh shit nevermind. Like she would tweet some good stuff and then make me kind of despise her when answering questions about The Outsiders lol. So yes, I saw all of her. . .Hinton-ness. She honestly should have said, “That wasn’t my intention writing these characters, but it’s cool if readers see something else,” and left it at that. And maybe people should have stopped asking her if the characters were gay and just said, “I see them as gay no matter what lol bye” like haha that’s the only way I would ever do it because I don’t need an author’s permission to read their book a certain way.

But I stg Hinton needs to go back over what she wrote. Because what she thinks she wrote and what actually made it onto the page appear to be different. Like if she wanted to make Johnny really excited to talk to girls. . .I’m sorry, that just didn’t happen. And she kept saying “where’s the textual evidence?” and I’m like read your fucking book, lady! Or get a queer person to read it and explain it to you because you didn’t actually manage to make Johnny’s heterosexuality set in stone lol. I was twelve, attending Catholic school, and I was like damn that’s hella gay. Like I didn’t even really have a good concept of “gay” but I knew Johnny and Dally were pinging my gaydar haha. And I’m hella aroace and I could still see the subtext of it playing out through the book.

At her age, if Hinton really weren’t homophobic, she could probably look at what she wrote fifty years ago as a teenager and think, “huh maybe this is a little queerer than I thought I was writing back then. Welp.” Because by her own admission she says she didn’t know any queer people growing up, which lol I call BS she just didn’t know any OUT queer people. She’s one of those types of people that says, “Ask anyone if it was cute to be gay in the 60s” as if queer people didn’t exist back then with their own community.

It’s like she’s ignoring the counter-culture of hippies that came about in the 60s. And there was a queer movement from the 50s that resembled the picture of manliness, I forget what it’s called now, which is something Greasers apparently actuated by controlling their emotions and seeming utterly “cool” which honestly, is not the type of Greaser Hinton wrote about with their violent feelings haha. Plus there’s a whole punk and queer movement on the cusp of this, so Hinton can’t convince me everywhere in the 60s was homophobic. Maybe Tulsa, Oklahoma had it’s fair share of bigots but my god.

Queer people existed back then, and now we are all more widely accepted, so maybe instead of contributing to a stifling culture of authorial intent of heteronormativity, how about she reconsider what it could mean for her characters to be considered queer in this day and age as good role models and that sure, it’s okay to be queer. Granted, the two I believe are the most queer are the ones who end up dead so it maybe just adds to the “bury your gays” trope but who knows. In that case, Hinton might think for the 60s that would actually be accurate representation. (I’m sorry, maybe that was mean lol).

Anyway, clearly I’m a little bitter over how she handled the situation because I started writing this series after all.

Johnny absolutely has PTSD! I’m glad you brought that up because you’re right, I haven’t mentioned it in this series yet. But it’s very important to consider that Johnny comes from an abusive and neglectful home, and then he gets attacked by the Socs which is a hugely traumatic event. The kid is a mess, and I feel so badly for him because he’s just trying to survive. But absolutely it’s a concept that isn’t recognized in the book, and honestly I think it’s difficult for kids and even teens to recognize trauma and PTSD for what it is. I know I didn’t recognize being in an abusive situation until much later in life. And it seems like the type of household Johnny came from was common in the 60s because I hear stories from my mom and even my gramma that make me go “wtf that is abusive as shit.” So I definitely think Hinton herself didn’t realize she was writing a character with PTSD as we would analyze it now.

That’s why it is interesting that Cherry does recognize that Johnny has had some kind of trauma. I absolutely believe it’s leaking from Johnny’s pores most of the time, and sometimes stuff like that is more obvious to people who don’t see a person every day. And Pony definitely doesn’t have the vocabulary or knowledge of PTSD, so you’re right, that may very well be why Pony describes Johnny as shy. Because Pony also describes Johnny as looking like a kicked puppy most days, and I just ugh cry a little. It absolutely sounds like Two-Bit triggers a dissociative episode, but that Pony would only see it as Johnny being jumpy and scared. Like Pony would just have no concept of how traumatic the attack was for Johnny, even despite Pony having his own form of PTSD after the death of his parents, which we see a reoccurrence of after Johnny’s death. Just all around, I feel so much for these boys.

I could chalk this up to Hinton’s writing, but again she was a teenager herself, so I want to say that she just needed a narrative device of trauma without necessarily seeing what that means for the characters. Having the narrator say Johnny is shy when he really doesn’t exhibit that behavior just shows me that Hinton didn’t have a great grasp on what she was writing either. That’s why many readers have such a different reaction to the story because we recognize the trauma, the PTSD, the abuse, and yes, the queer subtext. But these are issues that I never heard discussed in any classes, it was always the Socs versus the Greasers and what “the same sunset” bullshit means and asking about the abuse without framing it as abuse. It’s like only a surface-level reading of these characters that I could never stand because I saw so much more to them. It’s a pity that Hinton can’t see beyond the surface of the story she wrote either.

So yeah, anyway. Long post is long, and I hope my rambling made some sort of sense?? Uh, I ALWAYS want discussions like this, even on previous posts or just on their own if you say, “hey I was thinking about this” like I will be right on your page!! Sorry for bombarding you with such a lengthy, nonsensical response, but thank you for having discussions with me, it makes my life meaningful and my special interest in The Outsiders feel like it hasn’t been wasted the last uh almost couple decades haha.