#the hot TA saga continues...

[stephaniedola]

bro he is so hot and i literally dont even know what to do ;;

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

It's Always Been Us - Michael Kinsella x Reader (Chapter 2 - Reader)

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x F!Reader

Story Summary: The continuing saga of Michael and Reader, starting with the morning after It's Always Been You.

Warnings/Tags for entire story: S2E7 & S2E8 AU, Oral sex (m & f receiving), p in v sex (like... a lot of it -- these two have 20 years to make up for), past attempted non-con (if you've seen S2 you know what's up), other additional tags to be added as we go along.

Word Count: ~3800 for this chapter

A/N: Here we are with chapter 2 -- please mind the tags here, especially the past attempted non-con one. Otherwise, enjoy!

Y/N leaned her back against the door after she shut it, a huge smile on her face. Oh my God.

She still couldn't believe that Michael had always reciprocated the feelings she had held for him for so long. Getting to wake up in his arms had been a dream come true, as was the absolutely phenomenal sex that they had had the previous night and that morning (and would hopefully have again that night).

She pushed off the door and headed back into her living room, picking up the empty beer bottles and wine glass from the evening before and bringing them into her kitchen. 

She cleaned up from breakfast then made her way back into her bedroom, pausing in front of her mirror as she spotted the love bite Michael had left on her neck that morning.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the way his hands and lips had felt on her body, the look of adoration in his eyes as he had swept them over her naked form, the sound of his voice as her name had spilled out of his mouth while he had spilled inside of her…

Y/N shivered. It had almost felt like her first time all over again -- and in many ways, it had been. It had been her first (and second, and third, and fourth) time with Michael, her first time ever without a barrier between her and her partner, and her first time with someone she truly loved who also loved her back.

She opened her eyes and slipped her robe down her shoulders in order to examine her upper chest.

Michael had left an array of love bites in varying sizes and shades of purple on her the previous night in addition to the one he had left on her neck that morning.

Y/N trailed her fingers across a line of love bites on her chest, the memory of Michael nipping and sucking at her skin as he had made love to her heating her up all over again. Mine, he had murmured.

Yours, Y/N had breathily agreed. Every part of her belonged to Michael -- her body, her heart, her soul .

She grabbed her phone out of her robe's pocket then snapped a photo.

She pulled up her text thread with Michael and attached the picture she had just taken. Thought you'd like a little reminder of your handiwork from last night, she captioned it before hitting send .

A minute later, her phone chimed with a reply. Fuckin hell, love, ya trying ta kill me? How am I supposed to concentrate on my meetings now?

Y/N grinned. I'm sure you'll survive somehow, sweetheart. 

She sucked in a breath as a photo came in. It was a selfie of Michael, fresh from the shower with a very noticeable bulge in his boxers. Can't say I don't appreciate the reminder though , it was captioned . I'll talk to ya after my meetings, okay?

Okay, love.

Y/N disrobed completely and hung her robe back on her robe hook, then went to go take a shower. 

As she stepped in under the warm spray of water, her mind drifted to the photo Michael had just sent her... and what she knew his boxers were concealing.

She resisted the temptation to touch herself to the memory of Michael being inside her, preferring to wait until she got the real thing later, and instead took a long, hot shower then dressed in jeans and a light blue shirt that hid the love bite Michael had left on her neck that morning. 

She picked her phone back up and smiled at another text from Michael. On my way to my other meeting and I keep thinking about that photo you sent me earlier. Might need to add a few more marks a bit lower on ya after dinner tonight so you'll send me another one. 😏

Y/N bit her lip. Or you can just take some photos of me yourself tonight…

Fuck, Y/N, now I know you're tryin ta kill me. 

Y/N grinned to herself. Love you.

Love you too, pet.

Y/N stuck her phone in her pocket then began busying herself with some housekeeping that she had needed to catch up on in between shifts at work.

She had just finished straightening up her house and completing a load of laundry when her phone began to ring, Michael's name flashing across the screen.

She smiled. "Hello, love."

"Hiya, pet," Michael replied. "Just lettin' ya know tha' I'm on my way home, be there in about 15 minutes."

"Okay, I'll head over ta yer place then and we can walk over ta tha park together."

"Okay. Sounds good, love."

"See ya soon, Mikey. Bye."

"Bye."

Y/N hung up the phone, already happy to see Michael again.

She grabbed her keys and purse before locking her door and walking the few blocks to Michael's.

As she neared she could see Michael's cab pull up to his house, Michael stepping out and waiting for her at the end of his driveway.

He had changed into a gray t-shirt with his green pullover over it. God, he's gorgeous.

Y/N gave him a hug. "Hello, love."

"Mmm. Hi." Michael pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Ready ta go talk ta Anna?"

Y/N nodded. "Are you ?"

Michael took a deep breath. "Hopefully she'll realize tha' I'm just tryin' ta keep her safe. I've already lost enough time wit' her, I don' wan' ta spend any more of it fightin'."

Y/N nodded. "It'll be okay, love."

They headed down the street towards the park. 

"So how were yer meetin's?" Y/N asked. "Ya don't have ta give me any details, but just… in general."

"Well the outcome of the first meetin' is that it's gonna take some more plannin'-- there's not enough people involved at the moment for it ta work. And as fer the second…" Michael sighed. "It went fine, I guess."

"How are ya on Narcan?"

Michael shrugged. "No one's had ta use it as far as I know, so everyone's supply should be okay."

Y/N nodded. Supplying Narcan to the Kinsellas helped ease the conflicting feelings she had about Michael's line of work, especially compared to her own.

Michael slipped his hand into hers and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "And how was yer' mornin'?"

Y/N smiled over at him. "It was fine. Got some housework done, did a load of laundry. Thought about goin' ta tha grocers, but decided ta wait 'till this afternoon fer tha'. Needed something ta do ta kill time before our date tonight."

Michael looked over at her. "Tha' reminds me, I made reservations fer 6:30 a' 1900 if tha's alright."

Y/N's heart fluttered at Michael's mention of the fancy steakhouse. She had offhandedly mentioned wanting to go there a few months prior but honestly hadn't expected Michael to have remembered that.

She stopped walking and pulled Michael in for a kiss. 

Michael grinned at her. "Is tha' a yes?"

Y/N nodded and kissed him again. "Yes."

Michael's grin grew wider. "Good. I'll pick ya up at 6 then."

They walked hand-in-hand the rest of the way to the park then found a picnic table to sit at while they waited for Anna.

A few minutes after they had arrived Y/N spotted Anna walking up. "There she is."

They stood as Anna approached.

Y/N gave Anna a hug. "Hi, sweetheart." 

Anna sat across from them. "So wha'd ya wan' ta meet up about?" she asked.

"A couple'a things," Y/N began. "First, we need ta talk about yer granddad. I know yer da' told ya ta stay away from him, and he's right. Bren really isn't a safe person fer ya ta be around."

"How do you know?" Anna said with a scoff. "Because Michael told ya he isn't?"

"Anna…" Michael said warningly.

Y/N shook her head. "No, no, it's alrigh'." She had been waffling between bringing up her own past experience with Bren but ultimately decided that Anna needed to hear about it… as did Michael. 

She took a deep breath. "Yes, but I also actually know from personal experience because Bren tried ta assault me when I was 16."

Michael's head whipped towards her in shock, a thunderous expression on his face. "He fuckin' what ?"

Y/N grimaced. She had never told Michael what had transpired that day, preferring to bury it deep into her subconscious and never mention it to anyone. "It happened not long after yer da' and I first met," she explained to Anna. "I had gone over ta his house ta see if he wanted ta hang out and yer' grandad had let me in. Apparently yer da' was at ta tha market and I'm not quite sure where yer Uncle Jimmy was, but I didn' know no one else was home until after I was already inside."

"So wha' happened?" Anna asked.

"I asked where yer da' was and Bren said that he had run ta tha market and would be right back and tha' I could just wait fer him there. Yer da' had already warned me tha' yer granddad wasn't safe ta be around, so I said tha' was alright, tha'd I'd just come back later, but Bren blocked my path ta tha' door and asked why I was in such a hurry." Y/N took a shaky breath. "Then he started talkin' about how pretty I was and how there was no way I was 16 because I looked 'so much more mature', and then -- then he asked me if I had slept with yer da' yet."

She swallowed. "I -- I told him no, tha' yer da' and I didn' have tha' kinda' relationship, and were jus' friends, and he -- he said tha' yer da' clearly couldn't see wha' was right in front of him then and tha' maybe I needed a 'real man' anyway, one who could 'teach me a thing or two'. He kept movin' closer and closer ta me, and before I even knew wha' was happening he had me cornered. He was so close and so much bigger than me tha' I couldn't duck around him ta escape."

She heard Michael suck in a sharp breath and glanced at him before continuing. "He started rubbin' my arms and touchin' my hips and talkin' about how 'sweet' I was and how he'd have ta sit yer da' down and show him exactly wha' ta do with a girl like me. I was so uncomfortable -- I had actually never even kissed a boy before, much less done anythin' else -- and so scared tha' I just squeezed my eyes shut and started prayin' fer your da' ta come home and save me."

"So wha' happened after tha'?" Anna asked before looking at Michael. " Did ya come home?"

Y/N sighed and shook her head. "No, but thankfully yer Uncle Jimmy did. Bren had jus' gotten his hand under my shirt when he heard tha key in tha lock and stepped away from me, then I got outta there before Jimmy even made it inta tha house properly. I wen' home and took tha hottest shower I could stand then I burned tha clothes I had been wearin', shoes 'n all."

She looked down at the table. "I was fortunate -- there are others before me who weren' able ta get away from Bren before it was too late, those who are still sufferin' because a' wha' he did ta them."

Anna sucked in a breath. "Like what?"

Y/N shook her head as she looked back up at Anna. "It's not my place ta tell ya anyone else's story, love, only my own."

Anna sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry ya had ta go through tha', Y/N."

Y/N bit her lip. "I spent tha followin' week avoidin' yer da' while I figured out how I was goin' ta tell him wha' had happened."

She glanced at Michael again, who was looking at her with a mix of sadness and anger. When he hadn't heard from her for a few days he had come to check on her, but instead of telling him the truth Y/N had wound up telling him that she hadn't been feeling well for the past few days but was getting better.

She shook her head. "I actually never did tell yer da' or anyone else fer tha' matter -- although I made damn sure ta never go back over ta yer da's house again when I wasn' absolutely sure tha' he was home, and even if he was I also made sure ta never be left alone in a room with Bren. Thankfully yer da' always stuck by me and would find an excuse ta whisk me away if Bren got too close. He was always tryin' ta protect me, jus' like he's tryin' ta protect ya now."

Anna sighed and took off the necklace that Bren had given her, then set it on the table. "I'll stay away from him," she said softly.

Thank God. Y/N took Anna's hand in hers. "I'm really sorry, sweetheart. I know yer' disappointed."

Anna shook her head. "It's fine."

Y/N sighed. "I know it's actually not fine, pet, but I appreciate ya listenin' ta me. I'm not tellin' ya wha' happened in order ta scare ya, but because I love ya and I jus' wan' ya ta be safe."

Her heart fluttered as she looked over at Michael. "Yer da and I both do."

Michael cleared his throat. "I also wanted ta apologize fer shoutin' at ya yesterday," he said to Anna. "I'm sorry I los' me temper. I'm jus' tryin' ta keep ya out'a harm's way, is all."

Anna sighed. "I'm sorry fer not believin' ya."

Michael nodded. "It's alrigh'."

Y/N patted Anna's hand before letting it go. "There, now that Kinsella family therapy is done, how's school?"

Anna shrugged. "'S okay, I guess. I was thinkin' about joinin' the ladies' football team."

Michael smiled. "Oh, that's grand. I know how much you loved football when you were younger."

"Yeah, I --" Anna's eyes narrowed. "Wait… Y/N, is that a love bite on yer neck?"

Y/N's eyes widened. Fuck.

She hurriedly adjusted her shirt in order to cover it back up. "Oh, er, I, um--"

A wide grin spread across Anna's face. "It is ! Ya might not've been gettin' any when ya were my age, but yer' certainly gettin' ya some now . Who's the lucky fella?"

Y/N looked over at Michael, who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck.  "Er, funny you should ask tha'..."

Anna's jaw dropped as she looked between the two of them. "No fuckin' way. Michael left tha' on yer neck?" 

She shook her head. "Okay, first off, ugh. Second, how long has this been goin' on?"

"The feelin's have been there fer a really long time fer tha both of us," Y/N replied. "But as far as actually actin' on 'em, just since yesterday evenin'. Yer da' came 'round fer a drink and a chat after yer argument yesterday and, well… We, err, talked ."

Anna huffed out a laugh. "Clearly ya did a lot more than just talk."

She pointed between the two of them. "So this is real?"

Y/N's brow furrowed. "What do ya mean, love?"

"I mean like this is actually happening, not ya two got drunk, hooked up, and are sayin' it was a mistake or somethin'."

Michael shook his head and took Y/N's hand in his. "Tha's actually part of tha reason we asked ya here. We wanted ya ta be tha first ta know tha' we're giving this a go."

Anna thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay then."

Michael looked surprised. "Okay?"

Anna shrugged. "Yeah, okay. To be honest I'm trying ta not think about it too much -- it's like ya know tha' yer parents have had sex but ya don' wan' ta actually think about yer parents having sex."

Y/N huffed out a laugh. "Understandable."

Anna picked up her bag. "I've got ta get ta dance rehearsal, but Y/N, can I talk to ya alone fer a minute before I go?"

Y/N nodded. Anna frequently came to her for advice so her request wasn't anything unusual. "Of course."

Michael stood and gave Y/N a kiss on the cheek. "I'll just be over there."

"Okay, love."

Y/N waited until Michael had sat on the low wall separating the car park from the rest of the park before turning her attention back to Anna. "Bren hasn't actually tried any funny business wit' ya tha' ya just don' wan' ta tell yer da' about, right?"

Anna shook her head. "No, nothin's happened."

Y/N nodded, relieved. "Okay. Good. What'd ya wan' ta talk about then, love?"

Anna glanced over at where Michael sat. "I just wanted ta tell ya tha' I'm actually really happy tha' ya and my da' are together. I figured he'd eventually move on and start datin' again, but since ya've always been like a mum ta me anyway yer' really the only person I don' think I'd mind seein' him wit'."

Y/N smiled. She hadn't been sure how Anna would take the news, so to hear that she not only approved but was genuinely happy for her and Michael made Y/N's heart fill with joy. "I appreciate tha', love, and I've always considered ya like a daughter ta me too so I'm glad you approve of me datin' yer da'."

Anna stood. "Alrigh', I got ta get goin' or else I'm gonna be late fer dance."

"Wan' a ride? Yer da' and I walked here but I can bring ya if ya wan' ta walk back ta mine wit' us."

Anna shook her head as she stood. "Nah, tha's alrigh'. I can make it if I hurry."

"Okay." Y/N stood and walked around to the other side of the picnic table. 

Anna gave her a hug. "Love ya, Y/N."

Y/N hugged her back. "I love ya too, pet, and I want ya ta know, no matter wha' happens between me and yer' father I'm still yer Auntie Y/N. Ya can come ta me about absolutely anythin' a' any time and it'll stay between us, okay? None of tha' is gonna change, I promise ya'."

Anna nodded, a small look of relief on her face. "Okay. Thanks, Y/N."

"Of course, darlin'."

She and Anna made their way back over to Michael, who stood as they walked up to him. "Everythin' okay?"

Y/N nodded. "Yeah, everythin's grand. Anna jus' needed a wee bit of girl talk, right, love?"

Anna grinned, her face blooming into one of the first genuinely happy expressions Y/N had seen on her in a long time. "Right."

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I'll see ya later."

Michael nodded. "If Bren tries contactin' ya again let me or Y/N know immediately, okay?"

Anna nodded. "I will."

Y/N gave Anna another quick hug. "Bye, love."

As soon as Anna had made her way out of the park, Michael turned to Y/N. "Wha' ya told Anna about Bren… Was tha' actually all tha' had happened?"

Y/N took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, tha' -- tha' was it. I think Bren liked that fact tha' I was scared, so he kept drawin' it out. Thank God Jimmy had come home when he did, though, because if he hadn't --" Her voice broke, the long-buried memory resurfacing once again.

Michael wrapped his arms around her protectively. "Shh, hey, no, it's okay darlin', yer' okay. I got ya."

Y/N snuggled against his chest. "Are ya angry at me fer not tellin' ya?"

Michael huffed out a breath. "I'm a bit upset tha' I had ta find out about it now instead of over 20 years ago, yeah."

Y/N sighed and leaned back to look at him. "I know I shoulda told ya back when it happened, but I jus' didn' know how ta handle it and the longer time went on, the harder it got ta tell ya, and eventually Bren wen' ta prison so it wasn' really an issue any longer."

Michael reached up and cupped her face in his hands, then pressed a kiss to her lips. "Either way, I'm goin' ta make sure Bren can never hurt anyone else ever again, especially you and Anna."

Y/N bit her lip and nodded.

Michael took her hand. "Here, let me walk ya home."

They headed hand-in-hand back towards Y/N's house. "So ya really won' tell me wha' ya and Anna talked about?" Michael asked.

Y/N shook her head. "No, sorry love, but everythin' is fine with her, I promise. There's certain things girls just can' discuss wit' their fathers."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "If she was ever in any kind a' real danger I'd let ya know, but otherwise I'm no' gonna betray her trust in me. Keep tryin' wit' her though, she'll open up ta ya one day."

Michael nodded. "Thanks fer talkin' ta her. I definitely think it helped ta hear from someone who wasn' me how dangerous Bren is, especially someone who's had first-hand dealin's wit' him."

Y/N bit her lip. "I'm sorry fer not tellin' ya about tha' back when we were teenagers."

Michael shook his head. "I'm just glad ya wound up bein' okay. I'd never forgive myself if he'd have actually assaulted ya."

They slowed as they walked up Y/N's driveway. "So I'll see ya at 6?" Y/N said.

Michael nodded as they stopped in front of Y/N's door. "I'm lookin' forward ta it."

Y/N smiled. "Me too, but jus' so ya know, I'd have been fine wit' us just goin' fer fish and chips down a' tha pub."

Michael shook his head. "I know, but I told ya I wanted ta do this right, so let me take ya out fer a nice fancy dinner jus' this once. Next time we can go fer fish and chips."

Y/N let out a light laugh. "Already plannin' a second date? Mighty presumptuous of ya, Mr. Kinsella."

Michael grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What can I say, pet? I'm cautiously optimistic that tonigh' will go well."

Y/N shivered as Michael's thumb traced the love bite on her neck. "Mmm, well we'll jus' hafta see, now won' we?"

Michael smiled and gave her a kiss. "Love ya."

"Love ya too, Mikey. See ya tonigh'."

Y/N unlocked her door and headed inside, already thinking about what she would wear to dinner. She just hoped that nothing would happen to ruin their evening.

[duhragonball]

I am not sure why you decided to cover Evangelion all of a sudden, but I am hella old like you and haven't watched it for whatever reason either. (which was strange because it was all the rage back at school thousands of years ago)

Not sure why this series eluded you also, but anyway I just want to thank you for this opportunity as I have decided to watch along. Looking forward to seeing more of your analysis.

Do you have any other bucket list 90s anime series that you have some interest in covering? I recently got around to Martian Successor Nabisco myself because the theme song is amazing

PS: You're a chemist right? Please make some crazy chemical that will make oldness go away for your sake and mine, it's 2024 I can't believe we haven't invented immortality yet

Thank you for reading.

I don't remember exactly when I first heard of NGE, but I'm pretty sure it was in the late 90s, probably in the Diamond Previews or Wizard Magazine. As I got deeper into comic book collecting, I bought both of those publications, and as anime started to gain a foothold in North American nerd culture, I started to see more and more anime/manga products referenced or advertised in Wizard and Previews.

I pretty much despised anime in the early 90s, mostly thanks to poor localizations of shows like Superbook and Speed Racer, which made the whole genre look like a bad joke. I remember those ads for "Japanimation" that tried so hard to make it sound badass and cool, but the ads were so corny that they ended up making the stuff look even dumber. By 1997 or so I had kind of learned to tolerate it as a concept, although I still had no interest in it. Sailor Moon was on Toonami, but it seemed like they only put it in the block to add a certain variety to the show. Vintage superhero fare, Thundercats, Sailor Moon, and that Johnny Quest show with CGI. Then they added an obscure show called Dragon Ball Z to the lineup, and that slowly won me over.

By 2000 I was tuning into Toonami mainly for Batman and Superman TAS, and getting hooked on DBZ and Tenchi Muyo! at the same time. I refer to these as the "Four Horsemen of Toonami" for that reason. In 2001 I started writing a Superman/Tenchi crossover, which basically cemented my status as a huge weeb. (Luffa is just a continuation of my effort to do fanfics of the Four Horsemen block of Toonami.*)

Anyway, somewhere in this period I probably started seeing merch for Rei and Asuka in their plugsuits or whatever they're called. I might have seen the Evas but let's be real, a mech wouldn't have stood out much in a genre full of giant robots. I'd see ads for things like Eva and Revolutionary Girl Utena and wonder just what the hell these things were about, but I also just shrugged and accepted that I would probably never find out, since anime was expensive and difficult to find, and I wasn't going to go out of my way just to satisfy idle curiosity. Back in those days, anime was an investment, and I wasn't going to pay thirty bucks for three episodes of something unless I knew it would be good. I tried a few things like Noir and Excel Saga, but only because I had a fairly decent idea what I was getting into.

By 2016, I had more disposable income, and this blog was pretty well established as a way to spend my free time, so I started looking for new things to watch. I checked out Hellsing Ultimate mostly so I'd be able to understand the jokes in Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. I checked out JJBA because it was red hot at the time, and everyone was talking about who their favorite Jojo was, and I wanted to know what that meant. I checked out Utena because I got a tip that it was available for free on YouTube, and I watched the first season of Sailor Moon. I didn't do all of that in 2016. It probably took me until 2018 to get all that watched.

So it was probably somewhere in there that I gave serious thought to tracking down Neon Genesis Evangelion, because it's one of those that I always wondered about, and now I had the means to actually find it and watch it, and I had enough anime experience that I felt reasonably confident that I could appreciate it. I suspect that I could have screened it between 1997 and 2010 I just would have been confused. But I've seen people talk about it for a lot of years, and probably a lot of that's been on tumblr, and it's just one of those things that's been on the fringes of my pop culture awareness.

I think NGE finally became available on Netflix in 2020 or something? But there were fans complaining about the dubs and the subs, so I thought I should hold off for a while. In 2021 I finally just said "fuck it" and bought a used copy of the "Perfect Collection" on DVD. My thing was, if I was going to watch this, I wanted to get it right the first time. I've savored Dragon Ball for decades by watching the dub, then the subs, but if I'm going to try out new stuff I don't want to have to keep going back to get the "true" experience.

I'm doing it now mainly because I hadn't had time before. I've been caught up in other things, and 2024 looked wide open, so I started thinking about things I've been putting off that I really wanted to do, and this was one of the first things I thought of. I just want to scratch that itch, and even if this show turns out to be awful, at least I can have the satisfaction of knowing I finally saw for myself.

As far as other old anime titles, I don't have any immediate plans. I still need to watch the Akira movie, but I read the manga so that sort of damped my interest in checking out the movie version. Galaxy Express 999 is on my bucket list, kind of for the same reasons as Evangelion and Utena, where I used to see ads for it and wondered what it was about. Fist of the North Star also interests me, because it has a kickass theme song, and I'm pretty sure it had a profound influence on the early years of JJBA. But I probably won't get around to them for a while.

Ultimately, there's only so much I can do with the time I have on this planet. There is no elixir of life, and unless they let you watch anime in heaven, I have to set priorities. One gripe with anime that I still retain from my youth is that it's pretty damn impenetrable. What I mean by that is that you can't even remotely judge a title by its cover, and so much of this stuff runs together that it's impossible to tell what would appeal to me and what isn't worth my time. I think that's why I've let popular culture and memes guide me in recent years. Stuff like JoJo Fridays and "Bitch, I Drink People" are tips that these shows had lasting appeal, and you don't make an impression like that without having a solid story. They can put a bunch of boobs on a DVD cover, but they can't draw a picture of the stuff that counts.

[polariscroquis]

The Hellish Misadventures of Axel & Angie | The Poochie Saga | Part 2

Angie: "You know, I was still making tea."

Axel: "I know, but we have an important early one today."

Angie: "Oh."

Sound effect: Ta-da!

Angie: "What do I owe the pleasure of your summoning, then?" (dear uncle)

Axel: "Our little friend here has a contract. We need to take a look." (dear niece)

Angie: "Oh, that will be easy."

Narration: "There are many teams working to maintain order in the underworld"

Angie: "Hold out your hands like this, little one!"

Little Girl: "Wooah!"

Angie: "Your name is Olive, right?"

Little Girl: "Yes!"

Angie: "Now that I have your energy, finding your contract will be easy-peasy!"

Narration: "Out of all the teams..."

Angie: (sing-song tune) "I'll be back in no time!"

Narration: "Axel and Angie are the most... 'Special'."

Axel: "What about some hot chocolate while we wait?"

Olive: "I love chocolate!"

To be continued!

Aaaand here we go with episode two: now we know both Axel and Angie!

I started posting on Webtoon too, so if you think it's easier following there and receiving the updates when I post them (weekly!), I'll leave the link to it! Webtoon Link - Hellish Misadventures

Also, do share with people you think will enjoy to read it - I'm only here on tumblr currently, and, well, it's by spreading the word people will know my work "^^

Thank you so much and see you next week!

[reactingtosomething]

Reacting to X-Men: Evolution

An Entry Into the "Popular Girl Who Isn't a Bitch" Genre

The Setup: Find Miri and guest reactor Caroline’s reaction to the 90s X-Men cartoon, specifically the Dark Phoenix Saga, here. This installment directly continues that conversation and covers both X-Men: Evolution and comparisons between the two series.

Among other things, Evolution has the distinction of introducing Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, who soon migrated to the comics, and whom most people now know from Logan. But as previously established, Miri is especially fond of Evolution’s Rogue, so for comparison to the 90s animated series, she and Caroline watched some Rogue-centric episodes and some Jean-centric ones: the pilot, “Power Surge,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Self Possessed.”

 MIRI: Ok, X-Men Evolution!

This show was one of the first pieces of culture that I can remember loving

CAROLINE: So as a youth I was SUPER against it on principle

Because I loved TAS so much

MIRI: Because it was SO different from what you knew and loved?

CAROLINE: So I never even gave it a chance

MIRI: Makes total sense to me

I appreciate you doing so now

What did you think?

CAROLINE: BUT I watched some maybe two years ago with a friend and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them!

MIRI: Yay!

CAROLINE: And I felt that way again watching these

MIRI: It’s just so charming, right?

CAROLINE: It's a very different take but one I can definitely enjoy

Oh for sure. Super charming

And I love anything that centers on a Jean/Scott love story

MIRI: I will say they are all shockingly bad at being subtle about their mutant powers. Like, the secret would be out in no time

Yes, they do the love triangle very interestingly, because it’s doubled with the whole football boyfriend thing

(Duncan?)

Yes, Duncan. AKA Jean’s terrible football boyfriend

CAROLINE: So this my main problem with the show I think: I either want ALL the X-Men to be mutant teens secretly figuring out their lives at a normal high school. Or I want the show to be set entirely at Xavier's school where everyone is a mutant

Doing both locations is just confusing to me and feels illogical within the world

MIRI: Huh. I feel like it works the way Buffy works. But I’m very biased, obviously

CAROLINE: It feels like having Xavier in their lives is too much of a safety net

Or the high school stuff is at odds with the training stuff somehow

MIRI: I see it more along the lines of Kim Possible having her life and her missions, and the tension of both against each other make each side more complex

But I will admit that the stakes are fairly uneven

CAROLINE: I guess I'm just used to the idea of the X-Mansion being a school

MIRI: And it’s unclear the extent to which they are being trained and for what purpose.

CAROLINE: So it's weird to me that they have two schools

MIRI: That makes sense

CAROLINE: And they live at one of those schools but learn at the other

MIRI: I think they may have tried to straddle the line between training these kids to be superheroes and training them to control their abilities for their own good/the safety of others

And kind of gone back and forth as the plot demanded, which isn’t great

CAROLINE: I was super into the high school stuff though

Which is why I wanted more of it

MIRI: Yeah, I think that is what works better

CAROLINE: Also Storm 100% should've been a teen too

I was a little mad about that

MIRI: Huh, so just Xavier, Wolverine, and Beast as the adults? That would have been entertaining

CAROLINE: Or... no adults

JUST TEENS

MIRI: Ooh, just all of them in high school?

I’m into that

CAROLINE: And no Wolverine, that voice actor was terrible

MIRI: What are you talking about, bub?

CAROLINE: Ha!

K: I do prefer this costume to his classic one, though

Even Wolverine as a teen would've been fine

I mean I realize that is entirely against the canon as he's ageless

But they could've made it work

Angsty teen Wolverine

MIRI: Eh, there’s plenty that’s against canon or just outside of it

Ok, I need to take a moment to just gush about how much I love angsty goth teen Rogue

Because it is A LOT

CAROLINE: Go for it!

MIRI: She has so many feelings and she wants to be loved so badly! And she makes the ridiculous outfits work shockingly well!

Basically, she was one of my first crushes and I had NO idea that was true until like 4 years ago

M: Bisexuality in a heteronormative world is an adventure, kids.

CAROLINE: I feel like the movies and these two series give us three VERY different takes on Rogue

Yet they all work really well on their own ways

MIRI: And the voice actress is amazing.

Yes! I’d say this one is a little closer to the film one, but still pretty different

CAROLINE: Yeah she's great! I great cartoon crush all around

MIRI: Hahahah thanks

Honestly, I thought the Scott/Jean/Rogue love triangle moments at the end of the “Power Surge” episode were the most compelling storytelling EVER as a kid. Especially when Jean talks through Rogue at the end

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that was heartbreaking

MIRI: I think the way people changed from x-men to Brotherhood in this show is really interesting

CAROLINE: And Rogue's powers being a metaphor for unrequited high school love is perfect

Oh yeah that one dude was super hot

Speaking of cartoon crushes

MIRI: Which one?

CAROLINE: Quake maybe?

In my head he was Gambit, which he definitely wasn't

MIRI: Ohhhhh Lance? The one Kitty seems to be dating in the second episode?

CAROLINE: Yes! I was super into him

MIRI: Not my type of unwashed 90s boy, but I respect your opinion

I like that they can be dating or friends or whatever, which on “Enemy” teams

CAROLINE: It's a fun idea

MIRI: And Tabitha can change sides, but then also be a in a girl gang with Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and Amara

CAROLINE: And another reason I feel like the show would've been better if it were an all high school series

MIRI: You may be converting me here

CAROLINE: Aahaha

I did really enjoy Kitty as well!

She wasn't a big part of TAS or really the movies either

K: In the comics, she’s actually introduced in the Dark Phoenix arc

MIRI: The fake Valley Girl thing bothered me at first, but you get used to it super fast and I like the character a lot

CAROLINE: And this series encapsulates her nicely

MIRI: No, she was super secondary in the movies

Which is a shame because Ellen Page

CAROLINE: I love how diverse the X-Men are in terms of personality types

That's a fun conceit of the show

These people probably wouldn't have been high school friends if they weren't linked by their powers

MIRI: And on that score, the conceit of them all living in the Institute is nice

CAROLINE: And now they all have to figure out how to get along

That's true

MIRI: Because they’re pseudo siblings in a way they wouldn’t be without living together

CAROLINE: But also they're all dating each other?

MIRI: ….yes

CAROLINE: This is where things get weird

MIRI: Also yes

CAROLINE: And the amount of supervision they have is confusing to me

It's either a ton or none

MIRI: Mostly none

CAROLINE: The show probably just didn't want to deal with parents, which I get

But I don't think this Xavier is a great caretaker of teens

MIRI: I like the terrible attempts at lamp-shading like when the kids say “I can’t believe Duncan’s parents let him have parties”

Yeah, this Xavier is more of a Fun Uncle than a parent

CAROLINE: A recipe for disaster

Anyway the interpersonal dynamics between the teens were all great

Especially Scott and Jean, as I mentioned before

This Scott voice actor is SO much better than TAS guy

MIRI: Yeah, they really are fun. I totally forgot that it takes them so long to get together

In part because they’re clearly endgame from the beginning

CAROLINE: "Boring couples who take a long time to get together" is my favorite thing in the world

MIRI: And in part because my heart always lay with Rogue and I had a lot of sympathy for her doomed crush, since Scott clearly loved Jean

Hahahahaha

Also, they both have amazing hair

CAROLINE: SO amazing

Although I feel like this version of Jean is a little off somehow?

MIRI: Scott’s little floppy front bits are the most of the era thing

How so?

CAROLINE: From her comic book characterization I mean

I'm not sure I would immediately see her as a popular star athlete

Her empathy is spot on

MIRI: Yeah, I think they felt like that was a high school archetype they had to use or something

CAROLINE: But in my mind she would be a student council leader or something

Well-liked but maybe not "popular" in the conventional sense

MIRI: The perfect student who is perfect at everything and feels so much pressure from it feels like a story that was on every other show at the time

CAROLINE: True

MIRI: It is interesting to see an x-men (x-man?) who is popular

CAROLINE: But that is basically what I imagine for her

True!

MIRI: since they are fundamentally outsiders in so many ways

I wonder if a non-mutant friend/frenemy who inhabited that spot would have worked better

CAROLINE: There’s an interesting subtext in X-Men about mutants that can "pass" as human.

Especially with Kurt as a kind of POV character in the premiere

MIRI: VERY!

CAROLINE: Who obviously has such a bigger hurdle than Jean when it comes to joining normal society

MIRI: They did interesting (and unfortunately on the nose) things with that concept re: Beast and Mystique in First Class

And here it’s less explicitly addressed but I feel like I’m ok with that

CAROLINE: Agreed. And TAS doesn't necessarily delve into much at all

TAS kind of focuses on the big social metaphors

Whereas Evolution is about the personal side of being a mutant

MIRI: The opening Toad stuff delves into this a bit too--those guys made a lot of toad puns/insults for people who didn’t know he was a mutant

CAROLINE: And both are super compelling parts of the X-Men franchise!

MIRI: And I think the contrast of that kind of thing versus the loving “fuzzy elf” comments to Kurt from the other Xmen is interesting

Yeah, there’s a lot of different ways to use the “mutants as other” thing well

CAROLINE: I will say, while Evolutions is incredibly watchable, the episodes we watched could also feel a little shallow?

TAS crams WAY more story into 20 minutes than Evolutions seem to

MIRI: Yeah, I will not argue with that

CAROLINE: Even if it does so in a pretty stilted way

MIRI: I think this is a very clear shift to the idea that kids shows should be about kids and Kid Things

CAROLINE: Agreed

Kind of talking down to the audience at times.

MIRI: They do more than that sometimes, and there are episodes that deal with more serialized plot elements that we didn’t watch

But for the most part they are simple stories with not a whole ton going on

CAROLINE: But with solid nuance in the subtext!

MIRI: true!

CAROLINE: Just not maybe in the actual storytelling

MIRI: exactly

I think it was very much designed to be watched as a Saturday morning cartoon, in a block with like 5 other shows

CAROLINE: But I could still totally see myself watching more when I'm bored someday

They are fun and sweet and require very little from you

MIRI: I might be wrong about that, but that’s how I remember it

CAROLINE: Whereas TAS tends to feel drawn out

In a way that's both good and bad

MIRI: Yeah, it’s very easy to just let Evolutions play on autoplay

I did really love the concept of one of these episodes though, and it will probably surprise no one which it was

CAROLINE: Ha! The Rogue one?

MIRI: Actually not! I like the character moments in that a lot, but as a discrete episode concept “Walk on the Wild Side” may be one of my favorite things that has ever happened

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that one was abused and delightful

MIRI: I mean it’s kind of terrible and every genre show ever has done version of it

CAROLINE: *absurd

MIRI: but is adored it

*I

CAROLINE: It's very fun!

MIRI: A musical roller blading superhero girl gang getting dressed and bonding sequence is basically what’s lacking from all current superhero media.

(That and enough female characters of consequence to actually have a girl gang. SHADE INTENDED)

CAROLINE: And a random music video sequence!

Please see the amazing music video sequence at the end of this post!

Who doesn't want one of those?

MIRI: No one I want to know

CAROLINE: I also really loved the Rogue/Jean dynamic that seems to exist throughout the series

Kind of like the Cyclops/Wolverine one in TAS

MIRI: Yes! There’s always a tension, but also a love and kind of understanding

Like, we’re both in versions of the same situation and we can hate each other or understand each other

CAROLINE: They maybe don't always get along and are sometimes rivals but there's mutual respect and admiration there

MIRI: I really like that

CAROLINE: Not making the two "rival" female characters hate each other feels pretty progressive for the early 2000s

Or for now

MIRI: Sadly true

The gender stuff is handled super clumsily and I’m pretty sure Tabitha is a full 7 years older than Amara, but I just love the girl gang dynamic they get to SO MUCH

CAROLINE: Ha! I was really not into Tabitha

But I did love Amara

MIRI: She’s annoying, but I love that she can be well intentioned and also bad at it

I mean, she’s an asshole. Honestly, stop blowing people up in the shower and shaving people’s heads

CAROLINE: Yeah she was way too much for me

MIRI: But her destroying the car and thinking that was helpful seems very true to form to me

CAROLINE: Jean's feminist rage was amazing

MIRI: Defintiely

(I cannot type that word correctly today!)

I also really loved Scott falling out of his chair

CAROLINE: And as much as I don't fully buy into Jean's characterization I do like her as an entry into the "popular girl who isn't a bitch" genre

MIRI: A rare and compelling genre!

CAROLINE: See also: Liz in Spider-Man Homecoming

MIRI: LOVED her

CAROLINE: That blonde girl in Princess and the Frog

MIRI: Also a fave

CAROLINE: It's an underserved genre

And, again, an asset of having a big ensemble cast

Lots of POVs to sympathize with

MIRI: They did a good job of letting the focus shift in different episodes

CAROLINE: And some really solid high school metaphors! The idea of being along onstage and being able to read everyone's critiques of you is legit terrifying

MIRI: There’s a pretty reliable core of Jean/Scott/Rogue, but there are definitely episodes that focus on Kitty and Kurt, or Spyke or whoever

CAROLINE: *mentally read

MIRI: This episode and the Buffy telepathy episode combined to convince me that telepathy would be a horrifying super power

CAROLINE: I remember liking Spyke a lot, although he wasn't in any of the episodes we watched for this

MIRI: I know! I’m sorry about that

CAROLINE: Although I still maintain they just should've made Storm a teen rather than giving her a nephew

MIRI: I did get to be reminded of the fact that he SKATEBOARDS INTO BATTLE though

hahahahaha noted

CAROLINE: Keep Spyke, just make her Storm's cousin or something

*him

MIRI: I like how adamant you are on this point

CAROLINE: I feel VERY strongly about it

MIRI: Does Storm being one of the adults in the (earlier) movies bother you?

CAROLINE: No because it felt like we were supposed to be equally invested in the adults and the kids there

Although Storm was definitely underutilized, which sucks

But this is CLEARLY a teen show first and foremost

MIRI: Ahhh, it’s the sidelining that bugs you. That’s a good point

Yeah, I’m with you there

CAROLINE: Although going back to costumes, Storm's costume here is pretty cool!

MIRI: The adults don’t have plots, with the sort of exception of Mystique

CAROLINE: Not as iconic as in TAS but a sleek update

MIRI: Yes! Basically Storm is always amazing looking

CAROLINE: I was pretty happy with all the designs

Kitty's collar was adorable

Jean's costume is MUCH more flattering than in TAS

MIRI: I have serious questions about Mystique’s little skull details around her waist

Yeah, Jean upgraded

Rogue’s goth outfits are obviously amazing

CAROLINE: I have serious questions about Mystique in this series

MIRI: YES, please ask them

I do too

How long did Mystique raise Rogue? Like, did she take 5-10 years off of being Magneto’s henchwoman? Was she a stay at home mom? did she have a day job?

CAROLINE: I guess mainly just: Does she need to be here?

Ahahah

Different lines of questioning

But those too!

MIRI: Let’s do yours first, because there’s no way to answer mine

CAROLINE: She just felt out of place to me

Not sure if it's a performance thing or what

MIRI: I like her as a betrayer for Rogue, and the danger being right there in the school in a way they couldn’t fight

I feel like it may have worked better if we’d watched the whole arc, but I may just be being generous in my recollections

CAROLINE: No that's super fair

I think she was just WAY too much of a cackling villain in the premiere

And I kind of tuned out

MIRI: The moments where she talked to shadow monster Magneto (which, what even??) did feel really out of place to me

CAROLINE: Again, I kind of just want it to be a low stakes (but high for the characters) high school show

MIRI: I wonder if it was a case of the writers wanting to do the big plotty arcs like Apocalypse but not knowing how to marry them with the high school problem of the week thing

CAROLINE: Without the mythology stuff

Yeah there's clashing creative impulses there for sure

MIRI: Yeah, I think you’re right

Honestly, I didn’t remember anything about magneto or Apocalypse in this series

Not a bit

But I could have described the scene where Jean is floating in the air surrounded by stuff and they all try to help her in perfect detail

CAROLINE: Totally

MIRI: They definitely did a much better job with the teen stuff, you’re right

CAROLINE: Secretly I don't care about plot at all

I just want character moments

That's how I feel about TAS too

I don't remember storylines but I remember Storm's claustrophobia.

MIRI: I didn’t know she was claustrophobic

That’s so relatable

I love it

CAROLINE: Yes! It's SUCH a great character detail

She's an all-powerful goddess

But also has a completely relatable fear

I think there's an episode where a building collapses and she's trapped in rubble

MIRI: Also it makes total sense because her powers would not help at all

CAROLINE: I remember finding that SO compelling as a kid

MIRI: Ahhhhh that is a nightmare to me

(I actually am claustrophobic)

CAROLINE: I always relate to characters way more through their weaknesses than their strengths

YOU ARE STORM

MIRI: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO FLATTERED

M: Look at Storm, living her best life, raising some plants, being an inspiration

K: One of the great sorrows of the movie rights separation of the X-Men from the MCU is that we may never see Storm as the Black Panther’s One Who Got Away (or, well, The One His Marriage to Whom He Annulled Because an X-Man Flooded the Capital of Wakanda While Possessed by a Fragment of the Phoenix Force)

M: I have a lot of questions

Actually that’s a lie: I was once told that I looked like the female leader of an otherwise male motor cycle gang

CAROLINE: Ha!

MIRI: And while it’s utterly untrue and ridiculous, I hold that compliment close to my heart to this day

CAROLINE: As you should!

MIRI: I look like a preschool teacher more than anything else, but I want to look like a motor cycle gang leader

At least the tv version of one

CAROLINE: You can be both

MIRI: Thank you ❤️

CAROLINE: Preschoolers are just a mini motorcycle gang

MIRI: that is SO true

Ok, one more episode that I do want to talk about specifically--the Rogue one, aka “Self Possessed”

I like that this storyline totally follows the same early beats as “Power Surge” and they have zero shame about it. They even show flashes of scenes from “Power Surge” in the cold open

CAROLINE: And I enjoyed both episodes!

MIRI: Same!

I’m also really impressed on an animation front--all of these transformations must have been a job and a half

CAROLINE: The Evolutions animation style is just so much more pleasing to watch

MIRI: Yeah, I’m way more into this one visual

CAROLINE: Even as I can appreciate the detail of TAA

MIRI: *visually

CAROLINE: *TAS

I do think "Self Possessed" gets a little style over substance at the end though

As I think Evolutions often does

MIRI: Yeah, it’s that light on story, heavy on Coolness thing again

CAROLINE: Yeah they could've crammed a lot more story in there I think

As TAS makes clear, even separate from the multi-episode structure

MIRI: The amount of story they did have definitely could have happened in 12 minutes or so

Made super clear by the way they reused clips--we only watched 3 other episodes, and we’d already seen several chunks of this episode

Also, I really can’t tell if Sabertooth has plot lines or if he just shows up to cause some indiscriminate violence whenever they need it

CAROLINE: I feel like that's what Sabertooth is best at

MIRI: I know that’s not super relevant in this episode, but it reminded me of it

That’s fair

Also, he seems to be Wolverine’s dad in this iteration??

CAROLINE: I love how drastically storylines can change between iterations

MIRI: Or maybe it was brother, which is what I think they are in other versions. I don’t know.

K: Just in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was so bad that the Days of Future Past movie retconned most of it out of existence.

M: I may have read the graphic novelization prequel to the Wolverine origins movie.

Yeah, same toys in drastically different sandboxes

Oh, on that score--Can Mystique transform into animals in other iterations?

CAROLINE: Ooh good question!

I'm not sure

K: Not originally, but I haven’t gone through all the alternate reality versions

MIRI: It was very cool but also kind of felt like cheating to me

CAROLINE: She changes into a statue in the first live action movie

So there's that

MIRI: Ohhh, the mini state of liberty? Am I remembering that right?

CAROLINE: Yes!

MIRI: Hmmmmmm, but did she actually change to statue, or just to be a woman who looks like a statue?

Either way it’s very cool

CAROLINE: Very

Okay so I think my thesis here is that TAS and Evolutions are different in intention and flawed in different ways, but they're both GREAT with characters in their own ways.

MIRI: Agreed!

For all “Self Possessed” is story light, I do like the question of identity Rogue is always wrestling with in the face of multiple people in her head

That’s very high school/human

CAROLINE: For sure! And they do cool stuff with that in the movies as well

Kind of

MIRI: Yeah, especially the first one. Then they move more into how do I be myself when I’m so limited in how I can touch people and express myself to the world

Which is also cool and important

CAROLINE: God, X-Men are just the best

I love sci-fi as metaphor

Or superheroes as metaphor

MIRI: Me too

Honestly, one of my least favorite things about the MCU and now the DCEU is that superheroes are so Adult now

Because the exploration of it all as metaphor for teenage things is so right to me

But obviously that’s not all they can/should be used for!

Look at the government business in the beginning of the first Xmen movie

CAROLINE: X-Men as a franchise is truly always relevant

In so many ways

MIRI: That’s such solid use of sci fi as 1:1 metaphor for real life. And it’s done SO well

I really just love the Xmen franchise a lot

CAROLINE: I must say, there's one area in which TAS is CLEARLY superior to every other X-Men iteration

And that's the THEME SONG

MIRI: hahahahahahhaha

CAROLINE: Maybe the best superhero theme song ever

K: So good that this fan-made alternate title sequence for X-Men: First Class riffs on it in a cool-yet-unsettling way. (But my favorite superhero theme is probably Shirley Walker’s Danny Elfman-based Batman theme for the 90s-early 2000s DC cartoons.)

MIRI: BUT you must admit that the individual stylings of the names in the Evolution credits are delightful

CAROLINE: Sure sure. But it has nothing on that music

MIRI: Also the fact that the “credits” have their mutant names, not character names or actors’

CAROLINE: Which I was truly jamming out to while watching these eps

MIRI: Yes, the TAS music is better

CAROLINE: I had the same thought!

About the names

It's adorable

MIRI: Yes!

CAROLINE: And genuinely helpful for new viewers

MIRI: I am utterly mindblown that the two shows were so close together chronologically, because they’re so stylistically different

On every front

CAROLINE: The 90s to early 2000s was a surprisingly big shift

MIRI: TAS ran from 92-97, and Exolution was 2000-2003

(I saw that typo and left it in because I love it)

CAROLINE: And I think both series are REALLY tethered to the eras in which they were released

MIRI: Yeah, they 97 to 2000 jump sounds short, but it looks like TAS stayed very true to itself, so it’s really a difference  between a show started in 92 and one started in 2000, which is much more different

CAROLINE: Agreed

MIRI: Honestly I thought TAS was 80s at first

CAROLINE: It very much feels like that

Again because I think it was so influenced by the comics

MIRI: Whereas Evolution is so self consciously “current”

CAROLINE: And pulls almost entirely from that aesthetic

MIRI: Like, Scott has his stupid sunglasses

Which are so early 2000s and so clearly too flimsy for their intended purpose

CAROLINE: Ha! Totally

Okay: Have we reach any grand X-conclusions here?

MIRI: We seem to mostly think that all X-iterations are good X-iterations

Which may not be earth shattering, but I think is a good thing to explore

They’re trying to do very different things and mostly succeeding

CAROLINE: And that X-Men are a flexible enough idea to handle many different concepts

MIRI: Also, media creators should trust their audiences more than they usually do

CAROLINE: Which I suppose is why they were invented in the first place!

MIRI: Which is true both in TAS and Evolutions, but in different ways!

True!

Basically, it’s a great franchise and should be in everyone’s top 3 at the very least

CAROLINE: There's something for everyone in X-Men!

K: I have a special fondness for Colossus, whom I always played in the old arcade game, and who is the best part of Deadpool. Something something afraid of vulnerability something...

MIRI: What surprised you the most upon rewatch of each?

CAROLINE: Probably the depth of the character drama in both actually

MIRI: Yeah, I would have to agree there. That and how much I loved TAS Rogue. All Rogues are good Rogues, apparently

CAROLINE: #RogueForever

#BlastedSalami

MIRI: Oh, I meant to ask you--why is Jean Grey your favorite character?

CAROLINE: I really love female characters who are super powerful but also afraid and uncertain about their powers

Going back to the "flaws are relatable" thing

And I love that she's fundamentally good

Which I think some people dismiss as "boring"

But which I really love in superheroes

MIRI: That makes total sense and I think I have not given Jean Grey her due in the past

CAROLINE: She's a very easy character to overlook I think

MIRI: I’ve never been anti Jean, just never thought about her that much

Exactly

Well then I’m glad we got some good Jean focus in here!

CAROLINE: Also I feel like the male X-Men always get the most focus

MIRI: Ughhhhhhh so true

CAROLINE: So I'm glad we took a different approach

Rogue and Jean forever!

MIRI: Rogue and Jean forever!!!

CAROLINE: Separately or together

Thanks so much to Caroline for joining us! Remember to follow her on Twitter, and if you feel like it, us too.

X-Men: Evolution is streaming on Hulu.

Of course, we couldn’t leave you without the very early-aughts opening titles:

Plus, the entirety of Bayville Sirens musical superhero suit-up sequence. Please watch it, because life is hard and you deserve good things:

[themjinterviews-blog]

11. hey slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?

What are some of your favorite cities you’ve been to?

New York City(NY), Lake Placid(NY), Idaho Springs(CO), New Orleans(LO), Del Mar(CA)

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? (assuming you want any)

Yeah, no sense being q control freak about it…I’d want my kiddos to feel cool being open with me about stupid shit like that rather than sneaking around.

Did you ever go through a phase where you thought guys in bands were ‘hot?’

I never had a specific hard on for guys in bands compared to guys not in bands…but some were and are still hot.

What’s something about adult life you were never warned of or prepared for?

Well, everything actually. I presumed there was some sort of metaphorical sleeper agent mode or light switch that would activate post-graduation and somehow alo those grown-up things I was supposed to do next like mortgages, marriage and kids would manifest because well, that’s what comes with the conventional adulthood package, right? Except that wasn’t what I wanted post-college. I desperately needed an entire decade of destructive self-discovery. (And I don’t regret any of it one bit, btw).

Did your parents teach you proper ta able manners when you were growing up?

They tried. I say please and thank you but I never really think about taking my shoes off inside or talking while chewing.

What was the last thing you baked?

Oh, no dear, I don’t bake. Unless we’re talking about getting baked, then like a month ago.

Do you live more than 5 hours away from the nearest international border?

Sometimes. I live on the road in a semi-truck. I’m in Nevada now, so no.

Does your town havea farmer’s market?

My hometown does. There's a pickle vendor there with dank-ass pickles.

What’s the westernmost point you’ve been to?

California.

What is the last restaurant that you made reservations for?

Nowhere. I’m not classy.

When did you last feel lonely?

I don’t know, not for quite some time.

Can you easily tell when others are masking their true emotions?

Sometimes. I like to think I’m perceptive about that sort of shit, but I’m definitely not a mind-reader so realistically, it’s heresay.

How often do you wash your car?

I do not own an automobile.

When did you last lend money to a friend?

That would entail having money wouldn’t it? I work remotely from the road and don’t make much at the moment.

Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from?

Facebook, Tumblr and Design Home.

Do you own a Dutch oven? If so, what was the last thing you cooked in it?

That'd be a cumbersome item to have in a semi-truck, wouldn’t it?

Do you find it easy to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes?

Yeah. But it’s important to remember even if you imagine yourself walking in their shoes, you haven’t actually walked in their shoes and have no right to judge their journey.

What is currently on your kitchen table?

No kitchen table.

What is your favorite time period in history to learn about?

I enjoy going to the Renaissance Faire.

How old were you when you met your current best friend?

Preschool.

Have you ever kissed a smoker?

Yes. And I used to be a smoker, too.

What is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license in your state/country? Do you think this is an appropriate age, or should it be higher/lower?

Probably 16. I have no opinion on the age laws, as they currently don’t effect me personally.

If you won the lottery, do you think any of your family members would ask you to give them some of your money?

They wouldn’t need to ask, I’d voluntarily share. Unless, of course, I only won like $20.

What is the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at your workplace?

Some guy flipped out and called me an asshole in front of the whole restaurant because we ran out of Rigatoni pasta and the chefs used Penne instead. Clearly a catastrophic offense.

Do you own any home automation gadgets like wifi thermostats or wifi bulbs?

The fuck are those?

What is something you gave up on after many failed attempts?

Trying to logically explain to my delusional ex that I wasn’t conspiring with total strangers to elaborately torture him, that he probably isn’t the Messiah and the entire saga of madness was mainly a byproduct of unaddressed logical fallacies piling up and feeding off each other. He seemed to prefer to believe his interpretation of things, logic be damned. So I eventually accepted I couldn’t force personal epiphanies or change fixated delusions by quoting super profound philosophy.

How old were you when you started to seriously think about what career path you wanted to pursue?

When I was 5, I wrote that I wanted to be a cashier at the Square Deli in the career blurb in the yearbook. My career goals never really took off from there. Always hovered a hair above not giving a single fuck.

Have you ever disliked a book so much that you didn’t finish it?

Probably.

Would you rather read a book, or listen to the audiobook?

Read. Being able to underline and scribble notes in the margins helps me retain the content. I get too distracted and its hard to focus because Audiobook narrators always read it different than the narrative voice in my head does.

Do you think tomorrow will be a better day than today?

No day is better or worse than the next. All days are a continuous string of moments and experiences.

[magic5ball]

Nature Trail to Hell Arc II: Watt Outta Hell (8)

Chapter 8: A Dik-Dik Screws us Over

 If there’s one thing you need to know about the WEEB life, it’s that it doesn’t last.

The day things came tumbling down, F-Bomb and I were just sittin’ in front of the T.V. watching reruns of F-Bomb’s personal favorite series, Sailor Moon high on WEEB (we were using F-Bomb’s favorite method: eating it straight from a bowl covered in milk). As for Sailor Moon (F-Bomb’s pillow, that is), she was sitting propped up on the bed so she could look at the T.V., too. Of course, F-Bomb had insisted that he didn’t like Sailor Moon that much and was only doing it for his girl’s sake, but I dunno. I’d get embarrassed watching myself get beat up and bailed out last minute by a hot guy in a suit for the hundredth time.

           Now, when we did these things, I should remind the audience we always watched with subtitles. The first reason was it delivered a more authentic experience that wasn’t dumbed down by an idiot who wouldn’t know a donut from a rice ball if either got lodged in his throat. The second reason was F-Bomb would always, always, always start ranting about his personal problems to Sailor Moon and me. And on that particular day, the topic was how everyone was being an ungrateful jerk to Sailor mini-Moon.

“Like, everyone says ‘Oh, she’s so annoying! Oh, she’s so mean!’ But I know the real reason they all hate her: it’s ‘cause she’s short! She’s small, and clueless, and scared, so they think they can pick on her!”

At times like this, Moon and I would just focus on the screen and roll our eyes. Maybe add in an “Uh-huh.” To look like we were listening. Frankly, I just liked Sailor Mini Moon ‘cause she was cute, but F-Bomb? He always, and I mean always had to go into a five paragraph essay about this stuff.

“And maybe if those noobs were paying attention, they’d realize that she might just be lonely ‘cause she’s been sent back in time with a bunch of weirdos she barely knows, struggling to find her place in the world, while they keep putting her down just ‘cause she’s a kid!”

There was an awkward silence in the room as F-Bomb took several seconds of deep breaths.

“Anyways, what do you think, Moon?”

Silence.

“Moon!?”

Again, nothing. And not just Moon’s usual silence, either. This was deep silence. The kind that eats up all the noise in a room.

F-Bomb paused the DVD and we turned around. Sailor Moon was gone.

For the first time, I saw F-Bomb on the verge of tears. His whole body trembled with shock.

“OhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGodOhPorecelainGod…”

Thinking fast, I brightened the dim lights. The good news was we found her, resting on her side in a corner of the room. The bad news was she was trapped in the diabolically adorable hooves of none other than Weena.

F-Bomb slowly pulled his machine gun out from under the bed; pointed it directly at Weena. “PUT. MY GIRL. THE FORK. DOWN.”

Weena, not giving a crap,  used her hind leg to scratch behind her ear. It was the most adorable freakin’ thing I’d ever laid eyes on. But like most adorable things in the underworld, Weena had a dark side. Mere seconds later the furry abomination was ripping the corner of Sailor Moon with her tiny widdle teeth, pulling out the soft clouds of cotton that made up Moon’s life force. It took all my strength not to hurl. F-Bomb wasn’t as lucky. Before he could pull the trigger on his gun, he was coughing his WEEB up all over the floor, leaving a sickly rainbow puddle at his feet. If anybody was going to fix this mess, it would have to be me. Granted, my mind was whirring a million miles a minute, mostly through stupid anime references, but gosh darn it, I had to do something before Sailor Moon became Weena’s latest chew toy. My legs began trembling, like they usually do when I’m nervous. I reached for my machine gun- only for my eyes make contact with Weena’s. The moment I stared into those, dark, sunken, adorable orbs I found myself unable to pull the trigger. My eyes darted, searching for something slightly less lethal. This turned out to be a very shiny rock resting on F-Bomb’s bookshelf with all his anime figurines. Grabbing it, I flung it near Weena, just enough to scare her away. Yet somehow, someway, I hit my mark square on the leg, leaving a thin red line running down it. At first I cheered, having finally done something right. Then the cheering stopped as I remembered that whenever I thought I did anything right, it usually meant I did something horribly wrong. And who better to affirm my crippling doubts that recently awakened F-Bomb!

“Y-you forkin’ idiot…” he grumbled. “What have you done?!”

Despite Weena’s wound looking like nothing worse than a paper cut (though to be fair, I once spent an entire day in the school nurse’s office because of one) she really put on a show. She’d dramatically dragged her body away from Sailor Moon, leaving only the faintest trail of blood behind, finally resting with her legs in the air and her tongue rolling out of her mouth. My triumph was now ice cold dread. I’d killed Weena! The spirit that kept the entire gang alive! The closest thing the boss had to a girlfriend! If A-Hole found out about this, getting caught smoking WEEB would be the least of my worries. But there was one thing I could do. Swallowing my last shred of pride, I prepared to deliver the breath of life to Weena’s lips. Only for F-Bomb to grab my ankle.

“Oh, for fork’s sake, ya moron. Weena ain’t dead!”

“She’s not?!” Relief shot through me as I realized my first kiss might not have to be a Dik-Dik after all.

“For starters, you barely scratched the girl. Second, and listen close, this is real important.” I leaned in close, eager to hear what wisdom my friend had to dispense. “WE’RE IN HELL, YOU FORKIN’ MORON! WE JUST REGENERATE WHEN WE DIE! HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS?!” Several deep breaths later, he continued, his mind slowly sobering up from the WEEB. “A-and to top it all of, of all the weapons on my shelf, you had to use my mint-condition, authentic CashMoney Stone! Do you know what forkin’ happens to anyone hit by that thing?!”

“Uh… something?” Specifically, Weena had dropped her façade and now faced us, lightning bolts flashing in her eyes. Literally. Left sparks on the floor and everything.

F-Bomb sighed. “Just look at it this way: we’re not getting Moon back without a fight!”

           The second he finished, Weena charged us, a trail of thunderbolts in her wake. F-Bomb and I tried to dodge, but the little raptor wasn’t able to get his tail out of the way fast enough. He let out a screech of pain as his feathers stood up end on end before crumpling on the ground like a thanksgiving turkey. I tried to run, only to realize my hair was standing on end. There would be no escaping the judgement of the Dik-Dik. Satisfied she’d fried us into chicken dinner, Weena went right on back to pulling the stuffing out of Sailor Moon. You should have seen it. Man, it was GRIZZLY! Of course, even being reduced to a barbeque turkey wasn’t enough to stop the ‘Bomb, especially when his waifu was on the line.

“Watt” he croaked, “if there was ever a forking time I wanted you to do me a genuine solid and not fork everything up, now is the forking time! Now, if I’m right (and you know I forking am), Weena was pokevolved into Weenachu. She can cover anything around her in static electricity, and it gets stronger the closer you are to her body!”

“So we just moisterize our skin?” I asked, remembering something my science teacher taught me.

“Is that what our forkin’ schools are teaching kids these frokin’ days? No wonder American education has gone down the forkin’ tubes! No, ya forkin’ dingbutt! Weren’t ya payin’ attention when I told you about Pokémon? Electric types are weak ta grass types! And I have the most powerful kinda grass in the world right under my bed! While I’m going ta get it, I need you ta get the largest piece of plant matter I own.”

An audible gasp escaped my mouth, almost enough to alert Weena. “Y-you mean, we have to sacrifice our secret WEEB stash?! But I-”

“No, you forking moron! I mean my Naruto Omnibus. Like Hell I’m giving up WEEB!”

The Naruto Omnibus. An epic saga consisting of every Naruto chapter ever published (including spin off series)! It was wider than I was tall and consisted of more pages than the complete works of Shakespeare, Tolkien, and Dr. Seuss combined. As I crept down the shelf, I wondered why Weena wasn’t doing everything. Didn’t take long to find out why, though, ‘cause the closer I inched to the sacred tome, the closer I got to Weena,  the more every single hair on my body stood on end, tingling with electrical power, reminding me all too much of the time I crawled up a slide. One bad move, and I could be sparked out of existence. And through this suffering, I could only watch as Weena tore the stuffing out of Sailor Woon and sleep in the cottony aftermath. After what felt like an hour, I finally made it to my destination: the giant omnibus that took up an entire shelf worth of space. So of course then was when I realized I couldn’t carry the thing in my wildest dreams! When I tried to signal F-Bomb about this, he just gave a thumb (though it was more like a finger) up and tossed his secret weapon out from under the bed: a single floret of giga-broccoli. Weena sniffed it tepidly, then, doubting it was a threat swallowed it whole. Keep in mind the little Dik-Dik was a vegetarian, so her head didn’t exactly explode, but based on the way her pupils expanded, it was definitely having some kind of effect on her.

F-Bomb gave me a middle finger from under the bed. It was time to act.

With all the strength I could muster I took that omnibus and slammed it right on top of Weenna. A loud thud, like thunder, shook the room as the tome hit its’ target squashing her flatter than a pancake on Jupiter. When F-Bomb and I finally removed the tome, all that remained was a pink stain that smelled like cotton candy and baby kittens. To the last (until she regenerated, at least), Weena had been absolutely adorable. What wasn’t adorable was the loud sound of footsteps coming from the entrance tunnel.

“Hey, guys, I was wondering if either of you had se- OHMYPORECELAINGODWHATDIDYOUDOTOMYWEENA???!!!”

“Get the fork off our case, boss.” Muttered F-Bomb “It ain’t her. Just Turdsy here spilled his strawberry milk while was was learnin’ to vivisect caribou!” I had to hand it to F-Bomb, when he wasn’t being a curse spouting, animu hoarding spazz, he could really hold his own under pressure.

A-Hole sniffed the air with his undeceiveable Deinono nose.

“You smell that, you forkin’ turds? That’s definitely baby kittens and smiles. You guys can’t forkin’ fool me!” For a split second, I saw an expression that looked jarringly out of place on A-Hole. The rest of the gang, if you ever meet them, will deny it ever happened, but I know what I saw, and what I saw was…

A-Hole crying, a single tear sliding down his hideous, scaly face. “Now how am I supposed to attract the babes?!”

“Oh, for fork’s sake, you forkin’ baby! We’re in forkin’ Hell! She’ll probably forkin’ regenerate in a few days and show up somewhere random like she always forkin’ does!” cried F-Bomb, mustering up one final insult before our inevitable doom. Or destroying any chance A-Hole might have mercy on us, depending on your point of view.

To which A-Hole cried “It’s not the same after regeneration!”

           As for me, I stared at the pink splatter on the floor, trying to imagine my life was flashing before my eyes for a good reason and not because A-Hole was gonna give it to us. Sailor Moon still sat in the corner, stuffing pulled out, injured but alive. And just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse (something I really need to stop doing) A-Hole sniffed the air.

“Wait a second, is that…”

F-Bomb, at last, broke. “I-I dunno what the fork you’re talkin’ about! Just take us to our punishment already! N-nothing to hide anymore, no siree!”

Too late. By the time F-Bomb had finished his sentence, our verdict had been laid down by A-Hole, our private judge, jury, and executioner.

One look. Just one look at the stuff was all he needed to know.

All he did was point a single finger-claw at us; the rage in the room palpable “Come to my office.” He beckoned.