#the show should've at least given them an actual conversation

[scootersscooter]

Something beautiful about Will and Jack not getting together in the original Will & Grace. Something cowardly about them not getting together in the reboot.

[cmyk-anaglyph-honeycomb]

Helluva Boss S2E9 blind blogging

[did the minimum about of editing and half of it was done while I was at work, so please excuse any grammar mistakes.]

(Mostly relating to the last episode)

Again, Stolas refuses to just talk. He was walking away and teleported Blitzo out of the building but now, after ignoring texts, he gets pissy cuz Blitzo wants to talk. 100% of this is because Stolas doesn't want a conversation. Blitzo misunderstands his intentions and jumps to conclusions, but when at least 3 opportunities to talk are given, Stolas shuts down.

Also where was this desire for a real relationship months ago after Blitzo admitted that he didn’t see their relationship as anything other than Stolas wanting to sleep with him. THAT is when they should've had an honest talk not mouths of avoiding each other.

(Okay now this ep)

God they made Blitzo so obnoxious to prove a point.

Veronika is a famous popstar, wtf does she care enough to throw an anti-Blitzo party? They have barely interacted in the show, never once in this season, why is she suddenly so pissed at him? How does she know Stolas is an ex, that happened recently.

If Stolas is that ‘done’ with Blitzo why doesn’t he just teleport him off the property again?

"Im UnCoMfOrTaBlE wITh HoW yOuRe SpEaCkInG tO mE nOw" fuck off. You had no problem going on a rant about all the dirty shit you wanted to do to him while he was being fucking gun down but now that shits uncomfortable. 

Stolas said whatever he wanted to Blitzo whenever he wanted and the second he doesn't feel like it, talking like that is breaking a huge boundary. Jump off a bridge.

Where did he get the impression that Blitzo and Striker were friends? Besides the games he never saw them around each other. Gives of the ‘these kids are near each other so they must be best friends’ energy. Like, no, they just met.

"You knew someone was trying to assassinate me?" 🥺 Yeah your wife was screaming about it two feet from your face. If it wasn’t important then, it isn’t important now.

I'll give Stolas the Striker thing and immediately take it away cuz it wasn’t like Stolas sounded afraid or even concerned during the phone call. How tf was Blitzo supposed to know royals could get hurt? Striker only had one angel weapon as far as IMP knew.

"Why would I allow everyone to see how much I like you? How I’ve tried to try so fucking hard to show I like you, to support you."

Fucking when? Where? Name literally one time. That shit at the harvest moon festival doesn't count because if Stolas actually cared he would've paid attention to how uncomfortable Blitzo was with him shouting pet names directly into the microphone. He’d know that him and Striker aren’t friends. Blitzo using the book was an arrangement for sex that Stolas offered. That is not support.

The one and only time their relationship was called out by others Stolas hid his face. Anything after has been in private and not where anyone, not even Blitzo was a witness. Ozzie is the only other person Stolas has openly confessed his feelings for. And he's with his own imp, so of course he isn't going to make a big deal about it.

“That was still the gayest thing I’ve heard all day!” Ignoring the actual line, why is he going feral? Wtf is this scene for? It's so out of place for what’s going on. This is something Loona would do.

“I don’t own you dick.” He’s right tho. Stolas tried to change the relationship without giving Blitzo a heads up or even communicating properly and then got butthurt when he didn’t get the answer he wanted and that was before Blitzo went off on him. And that’s after months of avoiding each other. This talk about changing their arrangement should’ve happen after Ozzie’s. Or at least hinted in Seeing Stars.

Why is the murder family wife getting an apology like she didn't try to kill IMP too ?Why does Blitzo know where she lives. DHORKS shouldn’t get apologies either, kinda ruins the point of Blitzo doing this ‘my name is Earl joke’ if he's apologizing to these people he had the right to hurt. I wonder if Moxxie got an apology.

The party has no music, making it the funniest scene in the series.

I knew they were going to make Veronika the bad one but good lord what is this. Are she and Stella drinking the same crazy juice? That made her Lute levels of crazy. 

You're telling me that ALL these people are Blitzo's exes? That insufferable ass? Is he supposed to drop dead gorgeous and the crew didn't tell us?? cuz no way this annoying man can pull that many people.

How did Blitzo get that far into the party and no one, all of which are there because of how much they hate him, didn't notice? Did he sleep with that many people or just date them? Why are any of these people wasting their time like this? Blitzo isn't important, he doesn't do anything. He is another asshole in hell, a place filled with assholes. Wtf is Blitzo's shitty behavior so out of place?

Oh look another situation where Stolas being in a relationship with an imp is not given any levels of importance or notice. 

So Tex is just mouthing the words right, cuz no way his voice is just blending in like that. Why is he here? 

Did they recast Stolas's singing actor? This song is bland. The singing is okay, but the music might as well not be there.

He's whining about still wanting Blitzo but refuses to speak with him or attempting to get him to have a serious conversation. He has no idea what Blitzo wants and has never asked once.

Stolas is drunk now? He only had a few drinks. In the circus he downed an entire bottle and was fine. Now a few drinks of spiked punch and he's wasted?

They throw this party every year!? You are shitting me. Why? He has signs posted everywhere. His crew is three other people, just kill him if he's that big of a problem. 

The creators cannot convince me that all these people care more about Blitzo than the oppressive society they live in, a member of which Stolas is.

Stolas's drunk rant kinda reveals that he wants to be loved and less that he wants to be in a loving relationship with Blitzo specifically. Interesting.

Seconds later Stolas is flustered by some random guy just asking to dance. Interesting.

How does Verosika know about the apology tour? He walked out on her when she said I love you, okay that's bad, but after spending so much of the episode making her look like a crazy ex, it gives off the impression that he dodged a bullet. At the very least Blitzo is actually in the wrong and it isn't some misunderstanding like with Fizz.

Glad they addressed that Blitzo being bad at relationships is a weird thing to focus on but it isn't explained. Unless he is extremely abusive, many people should not care about him / still be angry. These people live in an environment where they can be murdered at any time and almost no one would care / do anything to help. Compared to all that, a shitty boyfriend is kinda nothing.

I’m glad Verosika wasn’t completely shat on during this episode, especially in the last bit. We probably won’t be seeing her again but at least she got to leave with grace. 

I like the ending song.

Final thoughts. This episode worked overtime to make Blitzo the bad guy. It pulled maybe 100 people out of nowhere to justify Stolas’s anger and for what? The way he was so quick to hook up with another guy, shows he doesn’t care about Blitzo, he cares about the idea of a good relationship. That’s fine on its own, but the first part of this episode and the end of the last was about Stolas making his shattered pipe dream Blitzo’s problem.

Out of all the episodes that do not have a B plot why is it this one?

[cupcraft]

Okay but what really guts me about S6E21 the therapy episode is the moment where I think House really feels like Dr. Nolan's not hearing him or getting him which contributes to his feelings of distrust to um gtfo of therapy 5ever. Which this is not to say House should've done that or that Dr. Nolan is bad, it's more like this contributed quite a lot because well I'm making 0 sense let me explain.

So, I'm thinking about the scene where Dr. Nolan was like "what do you think Cuddy & Wilson talked about together. Walk me through the conversation?" House does and he basically concludes to his therapist that his interpretation of his friends is that they view him as the "House Problem" that they're more worried he's going to do something "bad" or "attention seeking" or "[insert anti-addict recovery rhetoric/ablelism/etc thing] here" because of Wilson kicking House out, out of the blue. And in a way, this is truthful and from an audience's perspective it is a believable interpretation. House is generally pretty perceptive about the people around him and their impression of him given that he does purposefully construct a certain impression of himself (so that he is not harmed by people by allowing himself to be genuine). And even though Cuddy and Wilson are the people he's the most genuine to, he still self-destructs around them and struggles with trust. Anyway, based on how Wilson and Cuddy have handled a lot of things in the past (not everything) such as the Morphine/saline thing, the first time he went cold-turkey on opiates, the tritter situation, forcing him to go to his abusive father's funeral, etc. it really does seem believable they'd view him as the House Problem, or in a way it makes sense House thinks that way overall.

Though this is not to say House is right. He is right and valid to think that they'd be worry he'd relapse/etc. and he is right to have trauma from previous horrible responses done to him and thus not have faith in any different. But House is in fact wrong because Cuddy and Wilson do genuinely care about him and do not actually see him at this current stage in the show as the "House Problem". Especially Wilson, which it was clear Wilson later realized his actions were impulsiveness and fucked up and not at all recovery informed (especially as the person of stability he agreed to be for House's recovery) since House felt forced to go back home. There's also the issue that Wilson created a home for him and House (as reiterated by Dr. Nolan and the fact the thing Wilson chose for himself was the organ, solidifying House's permanency in that home) only for him to be like jk i dont see a future for you here even though Sam who hates you doesnt mind. House doesn't realize that a Cuddy/Wilson conversation would be done out of care and guilt of an impulsive mistake and not because they just keep him around to stop him from being a "Problem".

SO, Dr. Nolan does challenge this rightfully so but he doesn't do it in the right way which contributes to House feeling unheard and stuck and realizing god I am miserable and i distrust this. Dr. Nolan challenges it by imagining the conversation in a way we the audience knows would not be how at the very least Wilson would talk. He posits Wilson as a very rational person to the point it is comical because Wilson is also toxic and irrational (again the very thing that Nolan says it was a home for you both and then he kicked House out!). I think even House recognizes this because he looks as though Nolan grew a second head like what on earth Wilson would never say that which I think really in the end makes House feel unheard. Because the message "Hey Wilson and Cuddy do in fact love and care about you" didn't come across. The "I think wilson is being rational" is what actually comes across, when House feels hurt by Wilson over what is an irrational reaction (especially given Wilson's apology to house goes poorly and comes off as more guilt than accountability, see the apartment scene).

So it guts me. it guts me that their communication got crossed and the outcome didn't work out. That House felt unheard and that Nolan wasn't able to reach him. Because it does bode poorly for House to leave therapy right now as he is at a point of crisis in his support network and he's returned home to the place that is triggering to him for a lot of reasons (hallucination/relapse/etc).

and as always for my ramblings feel free to add on/send asks/etc. :)

[wild-magic-oops]

I finally finished DATV!

It takes a lot for a game to make me cry but DATV did that a few times. The writing at times is definitely lacking or cringe but ultimately I don't mind a more fluffy YA type of story, so it doesn't matter to me much. But the main story questline is filled with absolute bangers, especially Act 3. I think the majority of the main story questline was the first thing that got done, so it's the most polished. Then some side quests that pack a punch and some of the companions quests (or at least parts of them). Then the rest, so it shows.

But back to Act 3 - fantastic, especially playing as a Shadow Dragon. DA2 tried really hard to make Hawke care about Kirkwall but ultimately it failed to make me care about it or give me a reason for my Hawke to do so. DATV actually made me care about saving Minrathous. My Rook did it once and then it got blighted anyway at the end, which adds to his frustration and helplessness that's been building during the story.

There were so many moments that I wasn't sure whether everyone possible would make it and I absolutely loved the suspense. At the end everyone except Harding survived so I'm pleased with my results. What I really liked is that the exploration, building relationships with factions and companions, actually plays a role in the end. And it's not boiled down to some extra spells I can use in the final encounter (I'm looking directly at you BG3). Companions and factions are actually woven into the final battle and I love that.

Now about Solas - he was one of the reasons I bought the game. I was really curious how his story would go and I have to say I'm very satisfied in that regard. His interactions with Rook were always intriguing to me, and they're delicious in Act 3.

I expected the ending slides to be a disappointment bc that's something that would be probably done at the very end anyway, so no surprises there. I definitely wish there was more. But tbh, the fact that the game came out at all, with no microtransactions, no day 1 paid dlcs that hide important lore, no major bugs (and barely any for me at least), fun gameplay, amazing qol stuff - it's a surprise. And I feel like people who are very disappointed are so bc they went into it with high expectations, which they should've tempered given what was known about the development hell the game went through and about EA. Despite its flaws, the game offers much to fans to enjoy if they actually want to do that and are not obsessed over what it could've or should've been. And that's only taking into consideration the valid criticism. This is the place to say I actually don't care that the game was a soft reboot and ignored previous choices. Ofc it would've been great if it wasn't like that, but I honestly didn't expect much bc bioware always pushed their own canon and mostly ignored other choices or retconned how your previous character felt about certain things. And not to mention how the Divine choice would've been an absolute hell to implement to begin with, unless they once again made certain choices not matter, which would've been worse imo.

I love Mass Effect much more than Dragon Age. And DATV felt like a fantasy ME game, so I liked it for what it is. I honestly don't miss the "but what if oppression is actually excusable and a valid choice ehehe" type of bs from the previous games, I don't miss the South, and I don't miss slurs and xenophobic remarks thrown in my or companions' faces every second conversation bc the game doesn't trust me to really get that smth is wrong without overdoing it and feeding me like a baby. Yes, Veilguard doesn't stress those topics enough, but that's mostly bc it focuses on bigger problems. But they're still there, often in the main questline. And I want to point out that I do in fact love intriguing political knots set in fantasy lands. But in my book DA has not been great at this, so I don't care that they did away with that and focused on an epic save-the-world story instead for this particular game (which fans should've known was the path bc Tresspasser basically tells you that).

Time for a replay now ofc

[okkos-ferrum]

Unorganized helluva boss apology tour rant cuz I think I'm going crazy

Disclaimer, cuz I know helluva fans can get defensive: A lot of this is probably my subjective opinion. I'll state my tldr as my actual objective piece of criticism, but otherwise my gripes throughout this could be based on my tastes and expectations. I genuinely don't want to take away anyone's enjoyment of this show nor hate on anyone involved, so if u just want to enjoy helluva, totally skip this :]

I think I'll actually have to give my hot take here and criticize this episode, because everyone has given way too much praise for an episode I think - in the long run - hurts the show

Im not gonna even bother organizing my thoughts I'm just gonna rant, but to start, i think the decision to start the ep right after full moon chronologically wasn't the best move. The full moon episode cliffhanger was an impactful scene and a dramatic way to start the rift between stolas and blitzo. It's where the dam of two-ish seasons finally breaks, where to me, stolas and blitzo have already said everything needed to be said, at least at the emotional maturity they currently are at. Any changes in said conversation about their relationship would require growth from both separately in order to foster a healthy discussion.

So to undercut that tension by IMMIEDTLY having blitzo somehow wiggle his way back into stolas's private property to have both double down on their stance diminishes the weight new moon's finale had. The conversation, while it does add further clarity, feels repetitive and emotionally taxing to watch, because the show has literally zero scenes of either of them reflecting on the previous night. So it's just them starting up the same fight with the same talking points we already know.

Yeah, maybe it is in character for blitzo to demand a conversation after new moon, but it shouldn't have been the path the show took. It should've allowed the story to stew in the feelings brought out in new moon, both in a narrative and meta sense by taking a break from stolatiz.

Cuz honestly I'm a bit drained of it atm. The show sells itself on the premise of blitzo being a "boss" (a hell of a bos-) and him working with imp. But all of s2 has had this obsession with stolatiz ever since the popularity of ozzie's (for good reason that episode was amazing and one of my personal favs still).

Just abt half the eps in s2 carry an emotional weight around the stolitz relationship. (where s1 has stolitz is make out sessions and the occasional threat to their life, s2 takes it up to actual life or death situations and full backstories) . This increased tension and focus draws away from the intial episodic format to become a more serialized (and imo) melodrama abt the status of the stolitz relationship. Rather than concern itself over any of the imp characters and their emotions, helluva has made all of its emotional beats and stakes throughtout the whole season relate to stoltiz in some way (or it's parallel with fizz and Ozzie in ep 7).

To return back to the ep, I also take issue with its writing of verosika. I will admit that this could be subjective, as my partner, who loves verosika and was worried abt her writing going into the ep, enjoyed how the ep integrated her. But idk, I think it is so lame that an ep like full moon, which is marketed to be abt stolitz, is fine wasting its time writing the cherubs for 90% of the episode, while can't bother making verosika a larger character in her own ep.

Like she's a SINGER, but no she's back up for STOLAS'S SONG this ep. And it's not stolas's hasn't had the chance to sing love ballads before, he's got plenty. But no, the host of the party can't even be a duet to stolas, she's gotta be back up. Like it couldve been a way stronger connection between these two if they sang a duet, rather than the show AGAIN prioritizing verbalizing stolas's emotions again.

We get a full flashback to blitzo's relationship with both fizz and stolas, but nothing on his other significant relationship??? Just a line or two of how it went down and that's it??

Side tangent: It gets on my nerves how so many people are realizing now that verosika is not a bad person. Like it's clear from even in her intro ep in s1 ep 3 she's angry rightfully for how blitzo screwed her over. But now that she actually is being nice and forgiving to stolas and blitzo respectively, now she has earned the fandom's respect??? Like the amt of comments of "Oh wow, verosika isn't a villain, she's an anatognist" drives me insane

Like to me, this ep should've stepped away from stolas directly, and focus on blitzo and verosika. Have blitzo go back to ignoring his feelings by jumping back head first into business, now with the asmodeous crystal. Then bump into verosika somehow. However it may happen, verosika and blitzo, either angrily or calmly, reflect on their own past relationship at the end, which might have blitzo making a realization of how he is repeating his past mistakes. Use the episodic format to slowly allow blitzo to mature so the next time he meets stolas, he won't just double down like he did in the beginning of the ep.

I think, personally, the decision to have verosika host the anti blitzo party diminishes her as a character. It chooses to again define her by how blitzo hurt her, rather than touching on the other underdeveloped parts of her character. She has shown to be very petty yes, but to go through all this effort seems too much, since she is a pop star and should have better things to do.

Maybe explore how she, a succubus, who is meant to have primarily sexual relationships, goes abt on her day to day as a celebrity who went to rehab. Or her relationship with maybe knowing barbie. Or the other ways to explore the set ups for her in ep 3. But no, she plays second fiddle to her second focus ep for the stoltiz drama. But yeah sure, let's have full moon be abt the cherubs.

On a final and likely my most pettiest point, this ep made me cringe a lot. I'm sorry, this is very subjective of me, but I need to say it. So much of this ep felt like fanfic. Always hammering in how "he's a prince and you're an imp" kind of deal. Stolas getting overly drunk after taking a swig of one drink to have blitzo handle him being drunk. The million puppy dog eyes by blitzo, like it felt too pitying. The rushed pacing felt like a result of this indulgent kind of writing, where it priotizes creating the cute shipping scenes before thinking about the actual plot and its effect later on. Again, just my taste tho

Alright I think I ranted enough but ...

Tl;dr: Apology tour messes up the pacing and focus of the show by continously centering itself around the stolitz drama rather than allowing time to reflect by themselves

[commsroom]

Some silly eiffel questions that idk if you’ve talked about before but:

- would he play dnd? (I think yeah lol but I’m curious what you think) and if so what class would he play as?

- his favorite flavor of slushy

- how does he cook marshmallows? (Burn them, carefully toast them, eat them out of the bag, etc?)

- if he could choose to be a fantasy creature, which one would he choose?

Anyways I hope you feel better and that these distract you from the icky feelings!

have you seen the doug eiffel dnd script? i love to show people the doug eiffel dnd script. it was written a couple of years ago as part of the fundraising for unseen, and is obviously non-canon, however. it's non-canon in the sense that this group of people in these circumstances would never play dnd. i think the anecdotes + attitudes expressed by eiffel are perfectly on brand and they are canon to me. so... how he feels about dnd, and at least one answer to 'what class would he play' is in there. it's very funny to me that he's a minmaxer, and that his character is trained in "bazooka karate" like... sigh... yeah. of course. i don't think his tastes have changed that much since he was a teenager. (he would be a bard though, obviously, if that was the question.) i also think eiffel would be just insufferable to play dnd with because, like. if he's a player, he's going to be mad that he can't tell the story he wants to. if he's the DM, he's going to do zero planning and go on wild tangents having conversations between NPCs and forget he's not just supposed to be telling a story to himself. lost in his own world.

blue raspberry. he loves sugary artificial garbage that doesn't resemble any real world flavor, and blue raspberry is like, the 90's flavor. so many of his preferences are just nostalgia. he would also be really obnoxious about showing people how it dyed his tongue. (i don't think he's too picky about his sugary garbage, though.)

well. you already know he's not doing it carefully. even if he tried to do it carefully, he would still burn them, but i think he prefers them kinda burnt anyway. he would make fun of someone (minkowski) for how meticulously she toasts marshmallows. and he does also get impatient and shovel handfuls of them into his mouth directly out of the bag in-between the ones he immolates. eiffel is the kind of guy who would show off by proving how many marshmallows he can put in his mouth. i guarantee that guy has nearly choked trying to defend his honor as the reigning chubby bunny champion.

actually given the choice, i think he's perfectly happy to be human (and wouldn't trust an offer like that anyway) ... as an icebreaker question, though? he immediately gives a basic, 'cool' answer like werewolf, and then his brain catches up to his mouth and he goes wait, hold on, can i take that back? because all of the potential downsides just occurred to him, and he starts jumping around with his answer and getting more and more specific until it derails the whole conversation and he's just asking, like, if there would be a catch and what powers he's allowed to have, etc. and whoever asked is like, um... whatever you want, i guess? (<- regretting it.) the person after him says they'd be a dragon and he's like, ugh. no fair. i should've been a dragon.

[fireemblems24]

Golden Wildfire Ch 10

Spoilers for GW up to Ch 10 below.

STORY

Now Claude's taking Ls in the Kingdom too.

I love how much they always try to drum up sympathy for Randolph when the man's only character trait is "I want to murder people to gain personal status." And then he also has the gall to act like he's better than the people defending themselves when he goes to kill them.

I never really put that much thought into him before, but yeah he's kinda just a piece of shit, isn't he? Low key one of the worst human beings in the game.

They should've made it Fredinand or like Linhardt's dad or someone likeable.

Funny seeing Claude play Edelgard like a fiddle though. His army is fine, and hers is crushed lamo.

Haha, Fleche is back to her vengeance act. It's gonna be funny if a tiny girl child is a final boss.

The same conversation with Jeralt and Bylethas I saw elsewhere, I think. Yeah, here comes the sword again.

I love how they make Rhea out to be such a big deal, but literally no one gives a shit that they declared war on her. Like, pick one, game. You either have Claude be an unpopular ruler or Rhea actually be a problem.

Raphael called it right. Commoners don't give a shit. So Edelgard getting everyone killed over noble squabbles.

Hilda kinda seems like the Kingdom stan here. She's always the one upset about it.

Claude is such an idiot. I cannot take him seriously. Claiming he wants to spare lives moments after sacrificing Randolph and wanting to wipe a church no one gives a shit about off the map. Am I supposed to take this seriously?

Haha, Arval said he can think for both of them when I had Shez say she's more brawn than brain lamo. And Shez believes it too, omg. Shez is great. I need a comedy show with them.

Oh, nice! Looks like another single-battle map. BC, honestly, I got Spiritfarer for Christmas and I'm DYING to play it, but need to finish this first.

BASE/SIDE BATTLES

Lamo, Arval just said trying to unify different people under one king is dumb, won't work, and looks forward to the day humanity moves beyond it.

LORENZ/IGNATZ/RAPHAEL PARALOGUE

So is this the paralogue that's going to rewrite it so Lorenz's dad did nothing wrong? Given the description, I'm betting it's that.

Ignatz is being awkward around Lorenz now that he's been promoted.

Gloucester evades all of Lorenz's questions about these bandits.

And now Lorenz is demanding Raphael do what Ignatz did and is upset he's so casual lamo.

So are they making it so his dad wasn't the one who ordered the hit that killed Raphael's parents? Lol. This game really likes whitewashing some of these guys, but Glouster's probably the worst offender.

Let me take a wild guess. TWSITD.

It's really a shame that Raphael is such a one-note character. It would've been interesting if he had more in-depth conversations with the rest of the cast who were unable to move beyond trauma.

IGNATZ & LEONIE B SUPPORT

Their one and only support.

They're hunting and the deer only has one arrow. So they try to figure out who successfully shot the deer.

They both hit the same place. Mystery solved.

LORENZ & CONSTANCE C SUPPORT

This one should be better.

Constance is challenging a cat to a staring contest. Yes, this one is already better.

Lamo, he says he would've considered her as a wife if she restored her house. But withdraws because she's a weirdo. (I mean, no loss?)

Constance gets back at him by saying she'd never consider him lol.

Now they're arguing over who's house is more noble.

Much more entertaining.

SHEZ & RAPAEL B SUPPORT

It's about food.

It's nice to see Raphael actually have passion about something instead of just repeating "meat!" over and over.

SHEZ & IGNATZ B SUPPORT

You know, going through supports has made me realize that Golden Deer probably has my overall least favorite cast.

Ignatz has an older brother. He likes his brother at least.

Ignatz is finally talking about how he doesn't love being a knight. He really didn't have much of anything going on removing that conflict.

It's nice to hear Ignatz have his own convictions to become a knight. He's getting more sides to him, which is good.

SHEZ & HOLST B SUPPORT

Holst sneaks with Shez into enemy territory. He's doing it because scouts are going missing. Shez is impressed someone of his status is doing that.

LYSITHEA & RAPHAEL B SUPPORT

Lysithea studied too long and is out after dark. Gets scared by noises. She runs into Raphael and they talk about strengths and weaknesses.

The weird noises she heard wasn't Raphael.

MARIANNE & HILDA PARALOGUE

Marianne needs help from Shez organizing because she sucks at it.

Wow, Hilda not only volunteered to help Marianne clean up the mess, but also to do the scouting mission they were supposed to go on all by herself. It's love.

Hilda doesn't show up for awhile, so they get worried and go to check on her. Given that it dumps me to prepare for the battle next, I'm thinking that was a good call.

Not my favorite paralogue. I had to fight Ingrid :(

They talk about Marianne's typical issues.

It has very "safe" shipping dialogue throughout.

MAIN BATTLE

I don't want to invade the Kingdom. Especially since it makes no sense for Claude to do so.

Hahahahaha, lamo, you deserve it Claude. Fleche raised an army to fight him. Seeing this tiny girl as the final boss is going to be hysterical.

Oh, Arval and Shez stuff. I almost forgot Arval existed. They've got bad feelings. I'm guessing it's because Byleth is fused with Sothis.

Ok guys, I restarted this chapter over and over trying to recruit Byleth, but Claude just stands there in one seized area and won't move until Byleth reaches him - even when no one else is around.

I really just want to be done with this playthrough to be honest (there are so many other games I want to play right now), so I'm not going to bother with recruiting Byleth. I'll try in SB, but the only one I'm going to put any real effort in is AG.

Seeing Fleche as a final boss is funny.

I'm guessing we don't fight Jeralt if you recruit successfully. Got a cool cut scene for not bothering though!

So Byleth doesn't join you because you kill Jeralt, I'm assuming. Though, Byleth doesn't seem to have any issue joining Edelgard when she plays a role in that lamo.

Also, gotta say, I love how there's a chapter you can't use the lords. And for Edelgard and Claude it's because they randomly just don't fight that chapter. For Dimitri, it's epic story reasons lol.

Aw, shit, did Byleth just kill Judith?? That sucks. Oh well. Not restarting. This 3 route thing is too much. I just want to play this again, but one route only.

You know, after Claude's dumbfuckery throughout this route, he kinda deserves this lamo.

So who is it in SB and AG that dies?

Byleth so callous about Jeralt's death. Far cry from the crying in Houses, a bit sad actually.

It's kinda funny that Judith died because Fleche went on another rampage. I'm going to miss seeing her around though.

Is whoever dies in AG bad enough that I should push through and recruit Byleth? I may look that up to give me the proper motivation, but that could backfire if it's someone I don't care enough, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a single character I don't care enough about. Even like Sylvain's dad would make me too sad for Sylvain and I couldn't do it.

Aww, Arval is upset for Shez.

So is Sothis and Byleth merging merging or something?

xxxx

[scarabjewels]

My Only Qualm With The Nightmare Before Christmas

We are all thinking it, so I'll say it out loud: Sally and Jack should have had better chemistry in the movie, other than Sally being down bad.

I know that this goofy spooky tale of a burnout artist rediscovering passion by committing a plethora of crimes yet turned out to be a beloved weirdo favourite character of all time is a beautiful movie, I just wish the side love story was BETTER.

I'll say it: Tim Burton should've had more say in that part of the story because Henry made it a little too...meh.

From what I have observed from Burton's work on love stories, he does know how to incorporate chemistry within his characters, even if they aren't in love stories. I only knew 3 movies of Selick and his work on how couples work isn't too bad but not so great either. This is purely opinionated, by the way, to take these words with a grain or maybe a teaspoon of salt. In James in the Giant Peach, the centipede and Miss Spider were given "already married" vibes. Their chemistry was good, but their journey was not fleshed out at all because it wasn't needed. The same goes for Coraline's parents. I don't think he clicks well with those kinds of stories. Otherwise, he is very good with epics or the classic "hero's journey." For Tim, he is actually quite the romantic. He did well with his previous works that I saw, like Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, and even Dark Shadows. Before you say Wednesday, it was okay. I just didn't like Tyler, I was suspicious of him from the get- go, my sensors were going off the roof. Anyway, the point is it would have been a little different if Burton had directed it, but he loved Batman Returns a little more.

Now, to the important topic, Jack and Sally's love story.

The movie didn't really give them the chance to progress and build ACTUAL chemistry. We were literally introduced to Sally sneaking around to see or stalk Jack, which can be normal given the context that the townsfolk of Halloween Town is well Halloween-y, but we don't get much about them together. If the love story wasn't added but those scenes of them interact remain, I would've thought they were good friends with potential, and fanfictions would have written better plots for them to get together. Honestly, we know they did. They are good friends, and I can really see that, but they really missed the mark in the show and tell with their relationship.

Case 1: Sally is basically living her own tale already, yet had little interaction with Jack.

I understand that she is supposed to have a crush on her friend, the Pumpkin King, but she was doing quite well with her own arc! The movie showed her estranged relationship with her "creator," often sneaking out and would even go to lengths of poisoning just to have some agency for her life. That was already pretty good, yet the point of her character was supposed to be...Jack's rock?

Look, Sally as a stand alone character is so good but the lackluster of actual substance between her and Jack is just so empty and it's like there was no build up for their ending. The movies just gave us their similarities and differences, separate journeys as individuals, and how well they can actually work together. Yet we get a nom conversation scene of Sally sneaking out to help Jack with her potions and ideas, sewing Jack's Santa suit and Sally blushing when she gets saved by Jack. Hello? Where is the chemistry??? At least give me small cute interactions of "Hey Sally" "Hey Jack" every time they interact.

Case 2: Jack and Sally seemed to be friends and then out of no where, they become a couple?

I was young and stuff but I feel like I missed the build up of them falling in love?? Its like The movie convincing me that there was a ham on the table the whole time when I smelled no meat cooking? Gaslighting me much???

Sally has a crush on him. WE GET IT. How about Jack??? What he saves her then suddenly he realizes he liked her the whole time? HOW? It's frustrating to find no clues at all other than polite words of "I am trusting you with this important task, my dear friend!" With that showmanship gusto. What I'm just seeing is that Jack sees her as a good friend, like how he sees most of the citizens in Halloween Town. We didn't see an actual intimate status of how deep their friendship is. I mean, if a small conversation of them just happened when Sally gave her trinkets to help him on his midlife crisis (actually, I want to just call it a hyperfixation), they really could've done something more with that storyline. A HUGE MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

Case 3: The movie literally was gaslighting us with this "love story"

The whole time, we were LED to believe Sally's feelings were unrequited and that she was at least APPRECIATED by Jack. And then, Jack saves her and Santa, suddenly he realizes he likes her? HOW DID WE EVEN GET THERE??

I was losing my mind like, did I miss something? When did all of that happen? What kind of message is this movie sending?

"Hey kids! Remember, if you try hard enough, they just might like you back".

Look, Sally is quirky and as much as I adore her, I do not condone her stalking tendencies. I get that she was trying to help in her own way and in the context of Halloween Town, this kind of behaviour is probably either fine or normal. The citizens' job is to literally sneak and scare. But, it still could send a misguided message.

I was reminded of Dylan's (Dylan Matthews, Dylan is in Trouble) commentary on "The Devil Wears Prada" where he said that movies really have to be careful with sending messages, he was referring to how Andy was seeing success in her job but dropped a dress size. While a lot of people could interpret this as bad sacrifices for a career, some could misinterpreting it as success equals those types of sacrifices, which is a no-no. The point of that scene is that Andy was engaging in toxic behaviours to succeed in a career she didn't even like in the first place.

Now, with the Nightmare Before Christmas, they were a little careless with the messages of how the two characters' love story worked. It came across lacklustre and had terrible to NO progression at all. They really messed up with this. Lucky for them, people still loved those characters as their individualities were fleshed out well. Also, because the games and books fixed this problem a little bit.

To my point, there was no love story during the whole movie, just a lovestruck girlie pop and a burnt out artist. Then, a Houdini magic show somehow came into the picture and decided to have Jack and Sally kiss by the end.

But here is the thing, the video games gave us the chemistry that lacked in the movie.

Kingdom Hearts delivered what I was deprived of.

Also, I got this image from a subreddit post that didn't like Sally because she "never believed in him". And the replies were good: "because Jack has bad ideas" and a reply to that comment: "that's the exactly the point, the town always gets swept up by his ideas and Sally is level headed enough to see that it's not a great idea".

She really is though, Jack is a showman with either hit or miss ideas and Sally is essentially the woman behind the man, so I guess it kinda makes sense that she would be the town's Pumpkin Queen.

I have YET TO READ IT AND I HAVE THE PDF!!!

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 19 - 21

Episode 19:

Hush Sharky: I should've picked Mark, nothing exciting will ever happen following Thran!

Is that meta

Well this romance between Mark and Nina-8 is progressing quickly huh

Nina-8 says it's hard for her to trust others hmmmm

And there we have it, an explanation for Ahito's sleepiness – he stores the Breath within himself, which can wear him out. Pretty cool, although it does bring up some questions. Does his dad do that too, since he has the same problem? How did that excess get released before he started playing Galactik Football? Why is he just doing better now I don't think we ever actually covered that in season 2

OK imagine you're chilling having a normal conversation and your friend just does a backflip out of nowhere. I would definitely be reacting like D'jok hahah

Thran: I'm coming with you Clamp! Clamp: No, it's too dangerous!

Thran: But the writers said it's MY turn to have a fun adventure with the pirates!

Thran really said, if the writers aren't gonna give me any interesting sideplots, I'll do it myself! RESPECT.

Artegor (completely deadpan): I am excited. It doesn't show?

HE'S JUST LIKE ME FR FR

Ahito covering for Thran is so cute, of course Thran would let his brother know

Why ARE the Paradisia girls referred to by their numbers?

Huh, this data link thing that the Paradisia players do is pretty cool

This hack for the space port entry code is pretty dumb but it's fine I'll just insert some star trek technobabble here in my mind. Aaaaand done, GO THRAN! And yaaaay Thran the Pirates fan gets approval from the man himself

A rare corner kick!

I don't know anything about football but this goalkeeper goal seems kind of bullshit to me. Like was that necessary?

NOOOOO WARREN :( Barry calling it an end of an era, I guess it's not just the Snow Kids who get that press treatment after losing a match. But the Lightnings haven't been to the finals in three seasons and Warren is probably getting older :(

Team Paradisia slayed though

Awww poor Nina-8 :( Hmm what plan is Nikki-4 talking about, I don't remember much after the Paradisia tournament. I do like the conflict between the two, they may be twins but Nina-8 has a much softer personality than Nikki-4. And with her not being on the team until D'jok left, I wonder if she was already trying to distance herself from them a bit and try to live her own life. Which is pretty symbolic for an identical twin.

Well Mark's love drama has more potential than the love triangles they were doing until now, if only they'd given it more screentime and development

Hush Sharky is kind of underreacting for a journalist who just found out a galaxy-class footballer and his coach are in cahoots with the leader of the pirates

Again, the budget of this show might be low, but they actually have quite a lot of locations and the background art is always really good.

Sonny taking his mask off on Paradisia because he saw some plants sfjkdfssf that was unnecessary, he's so extra! And they're lucky the weather conditions are still perfectly fine for humans.

Episode 20:

I guess Mice Delight is delicious to robots only haha

D'jok Mei and Micro-Ice being besties ahhhh I love it

Mice is playing a delicate game? Since he lied to Zo-leen so he could hide he's going to meet Yuki, what are they implying there?

Oooo 3-2 to the Xenons! The Rykers really gave them a run for their money!

STEVENS INTERVIEW! STEVENS IS GONNA TALK EVERYONE SHUT UP!!

OH THEY FUCKED UP HIS DUB VOICE. NEVER MIND.

But seriously Callie should get a raise for finding them LOL, nice little animation touch of him looking around the whole time he's talking to her. Sir you would be harder to spot if you weren't wearing your football kit. It's ok, yeah I know the animators don't have the budget. Hang in there, buddy

Stevens top scorer in the cup!! It might seem strange with him not having a flux, but it seems reasonable to me considering the Pirate's style of play. They always score at least one goal in their games, and he's pretty much always the one who does it. For other teams, the goal scoring is a bit more shared between different players. Plus it's still early in the cup.

KING. I LOVE THIS INTERACTION. Stevens keeping it real even before the Technoids showed up, I'll say we've had some good Pirates moments this season

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm are they suggesting Micro-Ice is two-timing between Zo-Leen and Yuki? Uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh.................

And since when was Zo-Leen all over Micro-Ice again anyway? She seemed just friendly during the Paradisia tournament

Why is this friendship between Harvey and Lord Phoenix actually kind of cute?

Awwww the Snow Kids are the best Yuki fanclub

These seats at Genesis stadium aren't actually seats, it's more like an amphitheater and they're not very comfortable. No back rest!

I love Stevens's goals, obviously he can't just use the flux to smash it so his style is more technical

ASHDFJSDF in this season you can hear the Pirates celebrating (and also grunting while running?) and it's so silly, they just gave them stereotypical gruff pirate voices

Games between other teams are funny because there will be like. Exactly one new animation in the whole game. Literally everything else is stock footage

This soundtrack slaps by the way

The Pirates goalkeeper's signature head shake lol

Sorry guys I love Yuki I really do but you know who I'm rooting for

The Elektra's flux confuses me, it looks solid enough for them to ride on it?

This season is really just dunking on Barry whenever they can huh, Artegor's laugh and trying to pass it off as nerves SDJFKDFS I LOVE HIM THANK YOU VOICE ACTOR FOR NOT LEAVING

Oooo that water skating trick does look really cool! I like that since season 1, we've seen more creative fluxes

Well as much as I love the Pirates I'm happy for the Elektras, and Yuki! She's come so far from her nervous self in season 2 and I'm so proud of her

TIA SECOND TOP SCORER YESSS!!! I would go back to check if the number of goals is actually correct but I cba

If I had a nickel for every time a romantic breakup has happened this season at the taxi stop with one of the parties telling the other to forget about them, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

AND NOW MICE IS HAPPY JUST BECAUSE ZO-LEEN KISSED HIM?? YUKI ALREADY KISSED YOU IN SEASON 2! YOU JUST FORGOT ABOUT HER NOW? YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE FOR ZO-LEEN This love plot with Mice is so stupid I can't even be bothered to comment on it anymore.

Episode 21:

D'jok seems to be perfectly back to normal and on friendly terms with the others as if nothing happened. Compare to season 2 where Rocket's Netherball stint had consequences and his return was not so smooth!

Ahito you couldn't think of a better excuse for Thran leaving? 😂 I do feel like we could have had a better reason in the story for Thran ending up with the Pirates, it IS a bit weird that he says he has to go on a mission with them but he doesn't actually have a reason to, and this is before the SEMI-FINAL. That's a bit too important to be sneaking off because... you just want to?

I need this screenshot in good quality

I love that Bennett being the hacker guy is a thing that's consistent throughout the season

Lord Phoenix somehow grabbed literally all of them at once sijfsdkdk except Harvey. Fuck robot rights I guess

Warren coaching time! I love how he's always willing to lend a helping hand for these things, whether it's giving D'jok a talk about what's important in season 1, trying to get Rocket out of Netherball in season 2 or helping with training here. What a guy, truly Mr. Galactik Football

Huh, that's an interesting little way to use the Lightning's flux. It's like static electricity keeping them together

sfdkjdsf I would do this too. Actually I do do this to my short friends. I'm also short but they're shorter so I gotta take my wins when I can

Micro-Ice and Tia duo! I love them I wish we saw more of them as a fun pair, they would get up to such hijinks together. Sibling vibes!

Emo Mark hours

Well, you tried Mice. Maybe try to get him to open up about his problem instead of just trying to cheer him up?

Clamp: No, that's not it, it's- Sonny: What is it, Clamp? Say something!

Clamp: BITCH I WAS ABOUT TO BEFORE YOU INTERRUPTED ME

Nice one Brim Simbra, I like that we got to see him actually doing something lol

This dilemma about Adim and Aarch's relationship due to her being league president was never mentioned before, why did they never consider this? Should've built that up earlier instead of that random Artegor plot

Lord Phoenix: Paradisia was such a beautiful planet

Idk man it doesn't look THAT bad right now, the UK looks like that every day

I can't show the video because I used my 1 video per post limit for Stevens talking but there's this super fucking weird segment where Nork says the Elektras-Paradisia match will be the first all female semi-final ever, and Barry dreamily says this is a "fantasy" GFC? And Nork is like "you said it! Team Paradisia...." in this dreamy way again and Callie has to cough and change the subject? Hey what the fuck was that???? This season tried to be more blatant with the girl power messaging but then puts in moments like this?????

YAAAAAAY XENONS TIME

Wait Thran is in this teamup shot? Did he already get back?

Oh I really love this interaction between D'jok and Luur before kickoff – no intimidation dance from the Xenons, just a meaningful handshake between a guy who almost plummeted to his death last season, and the player that saved him. Idk if the writers were intentional with this but if so, it's a really nice example of subtle writing and events of the previous season carrying over.

Wait yeah the Pirates aren't back yet! In which case, Aarch is pretty chill for a coach who is missing a player for A SEMI-FINAL MATCH. Eh I guess at this point he's just given up with these kids

Oh damn Brim Simbra actually died, I like that they went through with that so the explosion on Paradisia had consequences. Could have also opened up some interesting avenues with the new flux society leader in season 4 – maybe he'd want to do things differently?

But it's also kind of hilarious that Brim Simbra's very last action as flux society leader... was to delegate the galaxy saving to Sonny Blackbones yet again LOL

[mable-stitchpunk]

So hi, big fan of your work. Too few fics touch on like the whole possession aspect of FNAF, imo. Seriously I swear I’ve seen more time travel fix it fics than like ones that actually attempt to cover the whole ghost aspects of FNAF, which admittedly cannon is not helping.

Anyway, tangent aside, I wanna ask an odd question, both in fic(s) and or generally.

Remember how in like sister location where there was like those two technicians that were hung for no good reason? You know those very important characters that uhhh… got an all of an ‘ok’ from the fandom. Thoughts?

seriously can’t believe how much death matters so little in this franchise, where the main villain is like a mad scientist two kills people over remnant or whatever and yet we get absolutely nothing about his crimes. not even like a concrete number??? like c’mon? it’s like William someone Saturday morning cartoon villian and not an actual horror game villain, thou I suppose that would require Scott to you know write a character that isn’t like rambling about at this point arguably ‘supernatural’ gloop. Like c’mon, can we get more than like ‘I am so evil and smart��� out of William, please.

Sorry about the ramble I have thoughts

Oh, thank you so much! And glad to hear it! 8D I can get it though. Possession can be a whole lot to get into. I got lucky enough making a really insanely long fic, but if I would've stuck to only twelve chapters it would've been much harder to handle it.

Though I do LOVE handling it. My favorite part being able to deconstruct where characters end and where the person they used to be starts. There's just so many layers to it! Not to mention the supernatural aspect of how far you can push it.

I will... admit that I haven't thought much about those technicians, but largely because they weren't really given much to think on. XD SL was a pretty short game, but if it HAD been longer, it might've been cool to have more moments where you could overhear the technicians talking. It could've added more context to the situation in the facility and shown the distance and dissonance between Michael and his other workers- I.E. contextually show he's a loner or showing that he is purposefully distancing himself from his co-workers. Or just showing how poorly the whole thing is being managed.

Heck, there could've been a segment where Michael has a conversation over the radio with one of them- a one-sided conversation or recording- that could've also added story context.

I suppose that wasn't required, but it could've given then a little more.

However, I definitely feel there should've been at least one line from Baby that explained why they couldn't use their bodies. Because I've seen people questioning this, and while it could be as simple as 'they wouldn't fit' or more likely 'Baby was targeting who she thought was Afton', the game doesn't specify either.

Really a line such as "It can only be you" or "You are the only one who fits" could've gone a long way.

As for in Home, at least, I actually played around with the idea of bringing the technicians back as animatronics in the future... but then I thought it would be too much of a reach. So instead, we must settle on Michael Afton and that Body we found in the Vent.

...

...

...

And yeah, the death thing bothers me too. >.< BUT the death thing bothers me a lot more with the addition of Remnant not just being metal infused with souls, but also a God material that reanimates and replaces flesh and brings back the dead.

Death willy-nilly causes it to lose impact (Walking Dead lol), but introducing something that ERASES death is hands down the biggest way to lose all stakes in a story. It is a crime against writing, lol.

This might seem weird to say because of how death is treated in Home- where someone may die and become an animatronic- but there's both an absolute death, where one cannot return, AND when someone 'dies' and becomes an animatronic they still have to deal with very serious consequences. Their life is now completely changed; in a way, they have still lost that old life.

But with remnant, there is no drawbacks. There isn't a Death Becomes Her twist where the body still breaks down. As long as you're not made of scrap metal- in which case you just have to carry remnant (a material without a shelf life) around with you- it basically fixes you up like brand-new.

And the fact that it also erases the need for death to explain animatronic creation makes the whole system very wibbly-wobbly. Though I suppose we can take consolation in the fact that so far, remnants application in the games isn't nearly as severe.

...Err, sorry about the length of that. XD

[evilwickedme]

" I'm going to bed now but let me know if anybody wants to know my full analysis of why Lana's ending is the worst scene in the whole show"

@ritachiquitafajita

Two requests?? how could I refuse

So as I've mentioned repeatedly before, this show's main theme is choice and destiny. The central question of the show is, do we choose who we become or are we bound by fate? And the show repeatedly responds with "it's about choice, it's about fate, we are constantly choosing to become who we were meant to be". The show's main thesis is that we only know the end because these characters were naturally going to make these choices. You take Clark's powers away and he still chooses to be a hero, you give Lex a taste of goodness and he still chooses to be selfish.

So when it comes to the end of Clark and Lana, the issue is not that they're not actually given a choice by the narrative, but that Clark doesn't make the choice at all. Superficially, Clark and Lana are given a choice on that roof - be together or defuse a kryptonite bomb, and they make the choice to defuse the bomb. But the thing is Clark still holds on to Lana even after her touch literally poisons him.

There are a few problems with this. The first is that it's not a character driven choice, but rather a plot driven one. The most important choices in the series - whether it's Lex choosing to kill his child self or Lana choosing to marry Lex or Clark choosing to work at the Daily Planet and become a hero - are motivated by their character. Here, Lex is threatening the lives of countless people. Of course Clark and Lana are going to save those people even when their relationship is at stake. It's not even really a choice at all, but if you still view it as a choice, it's a diminished one because it's not motivated by their character development. Clark would have made this exact choice in season one or four or six, before Lois was a proper love interest.

Which leads us to the second problem, which is that Lois is not involved in this choice at all. Clark should, ideally, be faced with his two main love interests and make the explicit choice of Lois over Lana. Lois is not seen in the show from the episode where Lana comes back until after she leaves, which is a colossal mistake narratively. If Clark is meant to be constantly choosing who he will be, he shouldn't be making a choice that involves only not having Lana anymore, he should be making a choice that involves having Lois from now on.

Finally, and the biggest problem of them all: Clark doesn't actually make a choice here at all. The final scene is Lana making his choice for him. He says to her, we can still make this work, and she's the one who leaves. It makes it so that Lois is who he's with because the better option isn't available, rather than because she's his soulmate, which is utter bullshit. I repeat: in this show that is entirely about choosing your destiny, Clark does not choose his destiny.

This is not a bad scene in that it's badly acted or that the phrasing is awkward, it's a bad scene in that it betrays the entire ethos of the show. The show had already dragged Clana far beyond its natural lifespan - ideally by season six they should have written her off and kept Lex and Clark's rivalry alive with other means - but when they did finally start building Clois up they only ever did it with Lana off screen at the end of season seven, and the moment Lana is back Clark immediately abandons Lois in favor of who should've have been his puppy love and nothing else.

If I were to write this exact same arc with seasons one through seven exactly as they are, I would've still had the Clois kiss interrupted by Lana's return. I think that's actually a wonderful choice on the writers' part, creating real tension. However, I would have Lois in at least two scenes in every following episode. I would have Lois and Lana have a conversation immediately after the wedding, preferably with Clark within their sights, with Lana suspecting their true feelings for each other and seeing their chemistry. And when Clark realizes he can choose happiness, I want him to go back to a scene that has both of them there, with the ending remaining ambiguous. I wouldn't have the supersuit at all. Instead I would have Lana return so she can defeat Lex once and for all, saying it's to protect Clark and not seeing Clark's side of things, and I would have Clark realize they are not compatible with each other. Clark then looks at the person Lana has become, one who thirsts for power - yes, to help other people, but who's still driven by the power first and foremost and the need to help others second - and looks at the person Lois is - one who seeks justice and truth even when she's entirely powerless - and he tells Lana that he doesn't want her, and this time we know he means it. Lana is written off the show naturally as she decides to travel the world and help people elsewhere, and the episode ends with Clark at Lois's desk, asking her about the day's news before speeding off to help someone.

Maybe I'll write this into a fic. It's certainly a fix it that needs to exist.

Anyway yeah thanks for asking folks I have an entirely normal amount of feelings about this show

[piglet26]

A Year In the Mess and the Millennial Cross Rory Bears. SPRING

Hell, this might as well be the identity crisis.

I will give the creators this credit and it is well earn.... In many of their scenes they have heavy lifting to do. Think of a show being only 6 and half episodes long. Beginning, middle, and end. That's all you got. Give us something new to watch but give us nostalgia as much as you can. Find time for 40 odd cameos and find a justifiable reason for them to be there. This isn't even mentioning scheduling around actor's schedules. It's also a credit to the Palladino's that all of these actors wanted to come back and work with them.

Rory turns down a job she obviously needs because she thinks she too good for it. I see what you're doing show. Why doesn't Rory just work at McDonalds?! Is she too good for that or isn't she? There is a moment here to get into relatable territory. What happens when your designated career path shifts? Literally the industry just shifts such as your plant closes down, or the business declares bankruptcy. Or, they reduce staffing size because people don't read anymore.

Interesting storylines. Relatable. Instead, we got millennial bashing. Uneventfully Rory thought she was too good for not one but two jobs. ShaddySacks or whatever and a teaching position at Chilton. FUCK YOU SHOW.

Emily is being exceptionally rude with everyone now, including Rory, but she's grieving so it's fine. For now. Again, this scene below is a glimpse of the original Rory we see in this show.

The shrink Emily chose sucks. She doesn't encourage any talking nor does she direct Emily and Lorelai. It's literally Emily and Lorelai somehow flying even more blind than they did before. Their conversations are exhausting. Emily seems to be incapable of saying "Lorelai before I go, I would like to see you settled and married to the man you love." Instead, she scolds her. Lorelai actually got a lot accomplished on her own with the shrink. Like a lot accomplished. Emily also accomplishes a lot on her own.

I understand Emily's frustration though. Luke and Lorelai waste a lot of damn time not communicating when they should. Still. Maybe forever. Richard and Emily were couple goals. They are the only people to even hit a marriage anniversary on this show with the exception of Sookie and Jackson.

Does no one else find it odd that for a husband and wife to be long term functional collaborators they don't find happy couples interesting?

Paris: "Aw Chilton, I cannot remember the books I have read any more than the meals I have eaten even so they have made me" BEAUTIFUL.

It felt good to be back at Chilton. I missed the uniforms. It felt like revisiting a high school you actually enjoyed going to. This feeling was short-lived. Instead, you get the sense of Rory used to be and why you liked her. Paris is highly intelligent, witty and funny, but she's bullish and she runs her surrogacy company like a sex trafficking ring. Rory on the other hand was always gentle with people, passionate and likeable. Frankly, she'd make an excellent teacher.

Maybe that is the core issue at least in terms of Rory's character. Rory's inability to shift goals or career paths. Perhaps it's Rory dedication to her feminist stance. Hell, it's never made sense why she didn't marry Logan to begin with. She could've married him and achieved financial stability while pursuing her career with journalistic integrity.

Rory in so many ways is the heart of the show and I'm wondering what the show is getting out of going the route we're going. She's immature, annoying and unprofessional. WHY?!?!?!?! Dear God! Give us something. Something over the last 9 years that would've given us a clue as what the fuck is going on in this girl's brain.

Paris Gellar continues to be amazing. Tristan Dugray oh the story arc you should've had. It would have been better had Tristan and Paris actually slept together and that's what triggered the divorce with Doyle. Something other than Paris and Doyle are both just neurotic and ultimately need Rory to be in their third to function. Paris and Tristan honestly could work as a couple if Rory was their third as well. Rory seems to only be destined for side boo status at this point as well. By sleeping with the Wookie she's cheated on Logan AND Paul. Unless Logan doesn't care who she sleeps with at this point.

MAE WHITMAN!!!!!!! We love you. Good Girls 4 Life.

Doyle had me at hello and a part of me is thrilled that he's living his best sell out life in California possibly with a hot actress.

Logan also been given zero-character development up until this point. All we know is that he's seemingly success eating off his daddy's plate. Why? No idea. What's he do? No clue.

Again, they are trying, bless them, to fill out these gaps, but it's frustrating at this point. Like what's going on.

If this was a new show I wouldn't watch it cause this episode was all about creating the point that Rory (Millennial is entitled) You want to make a show that's a fuck you to millennials my fuck you back is not contributing to ratings. Alas, choice seasons of the original and characters will always have my heart.

[midnightactual]

if I had to articulate the problem with Bleach, it's that Bleach ultimately doesn't work well as a shōnen story centered around one dude (Ichigo). that structure works fine for like, Yu Yu Hakusho, because that follows Yusuke's small group pretty much exclusively; and it works fine for One Piece and Naruto, because Luffy and Naruto are just the foremost guys of many, many independent competing teams. but Ichigo becoming Soul Society's pointman who must Do All The Things™ every single time gets really old really fast, and reduces everyone else to supporting characters in a really lame way

this feels extra dumb because the adults are still having all the adult conversations and making all the big decisions and we just don't see it happening because we have to follow a teenager. so we're following a relatively clueless guy with little to no agency as he plays gofer for those around him. like, so don't make it about the teenager then? you can split up the POV character and the protagonist. Mad Max: Fury Road did this perfectly. it would still be lame to have Ichigo being the solution to every problem, but it'd be a lot less bad if he wasn't also the focus. and no, saying this is vital for J. J. Abrams mystery box reasons doesn't excuse it, the mysteries and their payoffs are simply never that good

and you know what? the teenagers are the least interesting part of the series. of course they are! because teenagers… are teenagers! the most interesting teenager in the world will never be as interesting as the most boring thousand-year old in the world. their main function in a story driven by and composed of adults is to question the values and premises the adults are operating on (also given most of WSJ's readership is adults, as this 2012 survey by Shueisha shows, and Bleach was mostly read by girls, "it's for boys" is not an excuse so miss me with that)

and like, yeah, it's a shōnen. I've been accused of wanting things to be a different genre before. well, duh! because they very clearly want to be a different genre themselves! why do you think Kubo ditched Karakura as a setting when he'd planned to highlight everyone in Ichigo's class by turn? why do you think he dipped to explore so many other characters in FKT and TYBW besides Ichigo and company? why do you think LSS was a weird horror plot? why do you think SAFWY and CFYOW don't feature Ichigo or any other mains at all? because he (and everyone else involved) was sick of it too! in One Piece, even though the story follows Luffy and the Straw Hats, you get the sense everyone else is maneuvering around in their own ways even if you don't see it. in Bleach, pretty much everything waits for Ichigo. and it honestly sucks

I'm obviously super-biased, but to be what it clearly wants to be by series' end, the premise of Bleach should've been a seinen focused upon the Urahara Shōten on one end, and the Captain's meetings on the other, intercutting between those as events unfolded and focusing far more on the lives and perspectives of the people actually making the calls, especially given, unlike oh say Mobile Suit Gundam, as is there is virtually no payoff in the form of how all this actually affected the child soldiers who are the "main characters"

just the wrong damn format for the story it wanted to become, sorry not sorry. if you wanna focus Ichigo & Co. and Rukia, keep the story small. if you wanna focus a big sprawling epic, deemphasize them. pick one. you're not Tolkien, Kubo, you can't do both, and you clearly wanted the latter (yet you're still frustratingly obsessed with both the format and "mystery", both of which you also suck at)

[mkmarlene]

Perhaps she should've tried and remained more in control of her impulses, she knew better after all. The only issue was the fact that she knew she was standing in front of the wizard who'd taken her family's demise in his own hands and she couldn't really prove it. It was driving her insane, unable to take the revenge she so desperately sought and most definitely deserved. However, Marlene knew there was no way to do it by the law, the Ministry having proved to be useless and every day less reliable as people like Rabastan kept walking around with their heads held high and as though they had all the power. It was hard to admit, but at this point there was no winning any war if they couldn't accept the hard truths, but maybe they did have all the power as not even the highest ranking members of the Order had as much intel and control as those standing on the opposite side seemed to do. They kept slipping through the cracks, finding the way to remain untouched, unquestionable, forcing everyone to turn a blind eye. Most feared them, the ones hiding behind the masks, surely because they could only suspect who they were and just how far the extent of their resources went. Most feared them, maybe she should, especially knowing what they were capable of. But the witch was far too gone to even care at this point, there was nothing else that could be taken from here, nothing worth losing, not even her own life. Marlene knew her chances, scarce as they were, and she knew her time was coming, a year at most she believed-- that was what made it worth not holding back, unleashing her wrath however she could and make sure that when she went down, she'd taken more than one of them with her.

"The law, you say? Hypocritical suits you just fine, Rabastan." The brunette responded, planted on her spot as she watched him open the door. "It's not particularly difficult to read you, a respectable wizard, at least that's what you try to show keeping to traditions and such. And you do care about the law, not that surprising given that you believe it should actually be tougher, more strict. Which is a fact we agree on--" She made a pause, chuckling at the absurdity of her own words. "Difference is you believe we should punish the witches and wizards regarding their blood status, and I believe we should punish those who attempt against someone's life." A shrug of her shoulders as Marlene decided she was just as done with this conversations as he was. "No need for further discussion, clearly. Don't you worry that the Ministry or my Department won't bother you anymore, at all. Mark my words though, I may be long gone when it happens, but your time will come and when you're locked away without your privileges or your wand-- well, won't it be fun?" Offering one sneaky smile, the witch walked towards the open door where he stood. "T'was my pleasure." She allowed sarcastically though with feigned politeness as she nodded her head once, stepping out of the office at last.

She really was an annoying little bitch. Rabastan was not reckless or innately drawn to violence, but the desire to curse her was painfully strong. This was a prime example of a blood traitor who dearly needed to know her place. What a pity that the deaths of those closest to her had been in vain. She'd learned nothing from it. He'd held the impression that there was a brain somewhere inside that head of hers, but perhaps she was stupid, after all. Standing stock still, he tolerated the spit with as much detached grace as he could muster, sorely tempted to wrap a hand around her throat and shove her up against the glass cases lining this office. If she wanted to behave like a dirty blooded muggle, there could be no better way to retaliate than with like-minded physicality. But he would not give her the satisfaction of lowering himself to her level, choosing not to react at all, aside from wiping it away.

"You should respond to the law, my dear. Not to me. But since you are so blindly hypocritical, I expect nothing from you except baseless accusations and petty persecution." Having said what he came to say, he moved around her, stepping towards the door that led back into the heart of the Ministry. It was with vindictive amusement that caused him to pause, turning as he wrapped a hand around the handle and pulled the door wide open. Workers passed by outside, blissfully unaware of the confrontation happening across the thresh hold. "Next time, use your magic against me. You put your family to shame, behaving like a wandless beast. Your brothers always used their wands." Even as the flames engulfed them, screams and torment rocketing into the cold night's air, spells had soared from within, fruitless against the fire. It had created quite the pyrotechnic display, the orange of the flames against the green of the Dark Mark, laser-like spells dancing between both.

[traailmix]

Nervous || Ankasa

[can be platonic or romantic, polyamorous if romantic!!]

Summary: An won't stop fidgeting over how to ask Kohane out, so she hangs out with Tsukasa to calm her nerves. Maybe even get some advice!

Heavily Mentioned Anhane !!

[ I apologize if this is cheesy, offensive, or inaccurate in any way. I'm just tryna have fun. <3 ]

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

An paced the hallways, a bead of sweat making it's way down her cheek. She tried to ease her racing heart, but to no avail.

'Man, I really am I mess, aren't I?'

She chuckled to herself at the thought. Really, it should've been the other way around, shouldn't it?

Kohane looked up to her, An knew this. She thought of her as a bright, beaming star, in the dead of night. But, ironically, that just makes things worse—at least right now.

How could this glimmering singer that her blonde friend looked up to so much, be such a dork?

She couldn't even figure out how to ask her out on a date, or tell her how she feels, dang it!

This star was dimming and flickering, and she knew it. So she had no choice but to go to a fellow star for help.

"Tsukasa-kun, would you like to have lunch together?"

The strawberry blonde was absolutely delighted by the request, and happily accepted. Lucky for An, Tsukasa liked her, a lot. She'd often find him and Rui doing something stupid, and after hastily trying to explain that he had no part in Rui's preposterous acts, he'd strike up a conversation with her.

She thought he was strange, but he was also enduring.

So, thus led them to now. Sitting on a bench on the roof, slightly leaning against eachother. Tsukasa was talk-talk-talking away, while An was semi-listening, but also had another thing clouding her mind.

"—And, BAM! Zombies started chasing me! But thankfully, with amazing reflexes such as mine, I was able to climb up in time and escape the treacherous beings. I cannot lie, I truly had outdone myself in that particular show! Oh, and so had the others! Our dear director did an excellent jo—"

In the middle of his rambling, An sighed, which... must have given off the wrong idea.

"Eh?! Are my stories boring to you?" The blonde boy beside her looked at her with a half-panicked, half-betrayed look.

"NO! That's not it at all! It's—just.." she sighed again, not quite sure how to put it.

"Shiraishi, is something bothering you? Now that I think of it, you've seemed quite distant this entire time.." He tilted his head. The dark hair sighed, smiling sadly. She couldn't really hide it now, might as well vent it all out.

It's okay. Maybe it'll make her feel better!

"Well, yeah. There is something, actually.."

Tsukasa gazed at her expectantly. "Do you wanna tell me?"

"i might as well." She chuckles half-heartedly. "You know my friend, Kohane?"

"Ah yes, Azusawa! Quite timid, isn't she?" He replied thoughtfully. An nods.

"She's gotten much less timid!! And—Well, I..like her."

"Ah well of course! Friends do tend to like eachother, and you two seem quite close."

"Yeah, well—No—I mean—"

Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. She looked away, her cheeks heating up a bit.

'He's pretty dense, isn't he..'

"I mean I.. Like her, like her.."

He stares for a moment, before his eyes widen, quickly understanding as his own cheeks darken. "I see.."

"And..well, I really wanna tell her!"

"So..why don't you?"

"Well—" She pauses, and looks down. Swallowing, she continues. "I'm nervous."

She looks at him, a part of her almost expecting a laugh, but all she sees is a focused, waiting gaze.

"..She sees me as such a person to look up to, a confident person—Somebody..WAYY better than I actually am, but who I strive to be regardless." She softly chuckles. "I guess I'm just afraid that..What if I mess things up between us? What if I do something dumb, or embarrassing, or just downright—wrong and that completely shatters her view of me? And to make matters worse .. she'd probably think I'd be so much more confident than this. Not cowering out over it.." She looks down, fiddling with her skirt a bit. A sad smile still graces her face. "I really am selfish, aren't I? Heheh.."

The atmosphere is silent, with only the wind filling it as it softly whooshes through their hair and clothes, tickling their faces gently. An's smile fades a bit at the silence. Had she spoke too much?

"..An-chan."

She looked up, a bit surprised to hear—well—her name.

Tsukasa seemed to have the same surprised look, but for an entirely different reason. Considering she had practically poured her heart out, though, what did she expect?

"I..think the fact you're even thinking about confessing shows courage."

She tilts her head fondly.

"And..plus!! Being brave or confident isn't just not being nervous or afraid—it's doing things even when you are afraid." He smiles a bit. "I once told a friend..

'A sure way not to make mistakes is not to try anything new at all'. Unruly mishaps are going to happen—regardless of wether you welcome them or not, but, that doesn't make you any less of who you are, no? And I think Azusawa would feel the same—"

An watched with wide, amber eyes as he went on.

"—It's okay to be nervous, or afraid about what the future may hold. That's natural! Especially in a time like this! But in a situation where I know the person of your dreams would adore a girl like you,"

He suddenly stood up, gently taking An's wrist and sticking it in the air triumphantly, along with his own as he beamed a smile, causing her to gasp softly.

"Then you should go for it, head on!!" He gazes at her confidently, causing her to gape.

She stares for a moment, then two, then about three.

Before she starts laughing.

"O- Okay—you know what?" Her bright smile returns to her, to both her and Tsukasa's relief, "I will!"

"I AM GOING TO CONFESS TO AZUSAWA KOHANE!!!"

"WONDERHOY!"

An blinks, before her melodic laugh returns to her. She joins him, "WONDERHOY!"

Tsukasa gives a confident, though genuine laugh at this reaction. He's glad to see her back to her usual self.

Before he can let any more thoughts run, he suddenly feels arms wrap around him "-?!"

"Thanks, Tsukasa." He hears from his shoulder. He can't help but feel his face heat up a bit from the action, but he smiles, hugging back.

"Of course!"

:}

[wh6res]

three's a crowd | nomin

synopsis. picking favorites is impossible when you like neither of them.

warning. read at your own risk. abuse, bullying, poly relationship, yandere themes, manipulation, nonconsensual touching, noncon, degradation, smut threesome oop

disclaimer. i do not condone whatever tf i wrote in this nor does it reflect my beliefs or values or morals and such. it is all pure fiction and i also dont think jaemin or jeno would act like this in real life.

note. this was meant to be a new year's gift lmao i obviously got a lil carried away 👀 anyway a late happy new year to you all! we survived 2020, let's start living in 2021, yeah? lmao if covid lets us grr mwah!

the relationship you had with the two of them was a weird one, bordering on taboo, but it wasn't as if you willfully chose to be who they wanted you to be and it took jaemin's unwanted pining and jeno's intimidating demeanor for you to fall right into their arms.

it was a joint effort on their part, you couldn't've possibly stood a chance.

"this many?" the cashier asked. "are you sure?"

stepping back and studying the whole situation, you figured you only had your addiction to caffeine and procrastination to blame. it was a chain reaction you didn't even know will lead up to your inevitable doom.

if you hadn't been slacking off during your first semester of junior year college, you wouldn't be forced to overwork yourself trying to catch up to the looming deadlines, but to be able to 'work yourself to the bone' you need your boost of energy… and that was when you met one of them.

"uhm," you scratch the back of your head sheepishly as you eye the six glass bottles of iced coffee. sure, it looks bad and you kinda appreciate the look of concern the cashier throws your way but it was none of his business.

"yes. now could you, like, you know… hurry up? i'm in a little bit of a time crunch right now."

screw it. although you hardly snap like that with other people on a daily basis, it'll be a whole different conversation if you were under a significant amount of stress and today, unfortunately, is one of those days.

now can he just fucking stop asking questions and give you your six bottles of death drink to keep your fucking brain going so you can pass an eight-page essay tomorrow? thank you very much!

the guy snickered, the beeping sound of a barcode being read sounding a thousand times more annoying than it usually sounds as he keeps his hand busy by punching your items out.

you fail to notice how he studies you through the gaps of his lashes, finding you interesting rather than threatening as you stood before him with your messy hair and oversized hoodie.

"haven't seen you around university grounds 'till today," he tries striking another conversation with you. "you new? i'm jaemin."

this was your first mistake, you shouldn't have been so… downright rude when you met him. if you were granted the miracle of meeting him a 2nd time, you would've acted more nice, throwing yourself at his feet even to blend in with the rest of his fangirls you didn't even know about at the time. you would've done anything to make sure he never gives you a second glance, to never pique his interest.

jaemin is the pep squad captain. flying over colored blue mats and doing tumblings in the air with no ounce of fear. he was the best in his team, that much was evident when your friend dragged you into watching a pep rally practice. his landings were clean, balanced, and executed to the best he can at all times.

no wonder he was popular, his talent is outstanding and his looks are a bonus. his killer combo of a smile and wink after pulling off a tough flip is enough to send them squealing in their seats.

he spotted you that day and since then, he snuck the quickest glances at the bench during practices. recognizing you as the coffee girl he met during his convenience store shift. jaemin tries not to let his disappointment show too much when he doesn't see you, but of course, a pair of cold calculating eyes could see right through him.

"i saw that," his boyfriend said, hand darting forward to hold jaemin's gym bag for him. "you kept looking at the crowd. do you want to see her that much?"

"but she reminds me so much of you, jeno!" he retorts, pouting at the slight grumpy tone the other boy used. "i can't help it. she doesn't seem to give a fuck around me so she's quite interesting. maybe she can even be a great addition to our relationship!"

"well," jeno replies after a beat of silence, plastering a small smirk on his face before slinging an arm around jaemin's shoulder.

"convince me?"

you don't like jaemin's attention. not in the slightest. and it seems that was enough reason for the reign of terror his little fanclub has subjected you too.

it wasn't the petty elementary forms of bullying like pulling at your hair or calling you names. they pale in comparison to the other things they do to you—beating you up, messing with your homework, "accidentally" dumping their food trays on you.

and you weren't stupid.

you knew exactly who was behind it, knew how jaemin spectates the whole thing from afar so that he can swoop in at the end to play your knight in shining armor.

"oh, you poor thing. do you need help?"

the first time you accepted his "help" you ended up in a supply closet near the gym during your free period, cornered and weak as your cries for help drowns under the squeaking of shoes and the booming sounds of rubber balls hitting the floor.

if it weren't for jeno appearing out of thin air and prying the boy off of you, you would've been painted blue and red from the death grip he had on your wrist, neck, and waist.

you can still remember feeling the soreness of your scalp from when he pulled your hair too hard. remembered feeling his teeth gnawing at your lips as if he wanted to tear them off.

that time hadn't been the first time you saw jeno. you've shared a few classes with him and it strikes you how polar opposites they are with one another.

while jaemin likes to bask in his professor and classmates' recognition by confidently reciting his answers, jeno would rather keep to himself. liked sitting at the last row, near the window, so he'd be the first to go once the professor ends their lecture. while jaemin loved the attention of his fangirls, jeno preferred solitude. while jaemin is impulsive and wild, jeno liked to think things through.

it was within these reasons that you decided to do what you did. but your judgement of character has never been more wrong.

you approached jeno one day in the library, tried to make yourself appear as stoic and confident as possible. but your constant slouching and averting eyes was a dead giveaway.

you came to talk to him about what jaemin has been doing, hoping there's one person left in this entire school that isn't under the cheer captain's trance. the one reasonable person that has already saved you once and (hopefully) is willing enough to save you again. the only one that probably has a certain level of control over jaemin, if the supply closet incident is anything to go by.

but you've overestimated lee jeno.

"you should've just given jaemin what he wanted."

"but—but aren't you two lovers? isn't it bothering you?"

you try baiting him, only for an uncomfortable shiver to start crawling down your spine when he chuckled humorlessly, pushing his school materials to the side while pinning you with an unreadable stare.

how can a person make someone feel so small just by a gaze alone? it was nothing like you've felt with jaemin. this is way worse.

"the only thing that's bothering me is why you're not ours yet."

you feel cold fingers creeping their way under your shirt, going higher and higher until it brushes against your bra. and when your eyes meet, the look on his face was unmistakable—what are you going to do about it, huh?

you stood up in lightning speed, the chair you've been sitting on scraping loudly against the floor.

you've never ran out as fast as you did.

and jeno swears it'll be the last.

you tried everything in your power to ignore them for the next following weeks but it soon became useless when the two boys took it upon themselves to give you your space.

although judging by the pinpricks you feel on your back, and the constant weight of a stare you feel on your shoulders, you knew they weren't done with you yet. far from it. and for some reason, you just knew they wanted to lull you into a false sense of security first before striking again.

and while they continued to ogle at you from afar like a hawk circling its prey in a desert, you took it upon yourself to return the favor. not because you were the slightest bit interested in those creeps but maybe, just maybe, if you look hard enough you'll find a way out, a weakness.

but what you realized made your insides churn in great discomfort—although it may seem that jeno holds the reins in the relationship since his reserved nature fits the role, it's actually the other way around.

jaemin might appear too self-centered, too focused on himself to give a fuck about his surroundings but in actuality, he has quite a knack for reading people. even more so than jeno. and it was scary how he used it to his advantage, and paired up with his devoted fangirls? it was hell on earth.

you found it alarming how the two seem to magically appear wherever you are.

although you weren't in the least bit surprised. for some reason, you can't take your eyes away when jaemin's devotees flock around him (and jeno) in a circle.

it almost reminds you of a shoal of piranhas, waiting for their meal to drop into the water before ripping it to shreds with their teeth. only their "meal" isn't actual flesh but the carefully crafted words jaemin says that drive them into a sick frenzy.

one that has them doing everything in their power to satisfy him like the loyal dogs they are.

so this was how he got them to bully you?

"oh, that? don't worry! yangyang just ran into me during cheer rehearsal. no biggie. my cheek stung a little bit, though…" is what he said but really he's telling them "scruff him up a bit for me, why don't ya?"

"of course, i can't be the best all the time. haechan is just too good, maybe even better than me…" is what he said but really he's telling them "can you remind him where his place should be?"

all the while jeno did nothing to hold him back.

no matter how wrong jaemin is, how much of an asshole he is, jeno will stick by his side through and through. so as much as jaemin is a puppeteer that gets a kick for controlling people, jeno is as much at fault for looking the other way.

because in jeno's perspective, why the fuck would he do shit when he can just get off from the entertainment that comes with jaemin's sweet little mind games?

we lost :(

you had been busy sorting through paperwork for one of your professors in the faculty when your friend texted you the results of the intercollegiate cheer dance competition. a frown paints your face, heart feeling heavy at the bad news.

in all honesty, you still supported the pep squad—you just hated the captain and his boyfriend. they've been practicing non-stop for this and prior to the weeks of the competition, jeno looked a lot more tense and jaemin less smiley than usual. you swore you even saw the latter snap at one of his fangirls.

not to mention, they paid less attention to you, too, and it was the best three weeks of your life.

tension starts rising in your shoulders, fingers absentmindedly running through the edge of the papers you had been sorting until you became immersed with your thoughts.

jaemin must be in the worst mood yet.

and jeno too, probably. if anything, that guy gets triggered the most when something bad happens to jaemin or when he catches snippets of people talking shit about his oh so "perfect" boyfriend.

jeno is a lot scarier when jaemin is in one of his mood swings, you noticed. he steps up in the relationship to offer comfort to the other boy and for outsiders? it isn't a great experience to go through—being on the receiving end of jeno's ice cold stare is a position you don't want to find yourself in after that time in the library.

he is still as much a threat to your peaceful life like his lover.

you snap out of it when the blinding headlights of a vehicle seep through the closed blinds. you hear the gentle hum of an engine switching off as the headlights vanished as quick as they had appeared. that must be the cheer squad's bus.

as you look around the empty faculty room, something in your gut tells you to ditch file sorting duty for professor kim tonight and fucking get the hell out of campus grounds as quick as you can.

after haphazardly throwing the unsorted papers back into the cabinet, you groan aloud when the keys to the office drop out of your skirt’s pocket.

the indoor gym where the cheering squad practices is right across the hallway. you sure as hell don't want to bump into jaemin. or jeno, too, if he had decided to ride along the cheer squad's bus on the way home.

you kept looking for the keys underneath the cubicles, cursing aloud when you heard the telltale squeaks of shoes rubbing against linoleum. you almost hit your head against a table when you quickly got back up your feet, darting forward to shut the lights for the faculty room.

they can't know you're here. alone. and if it meant sitting in the dark for a few hours 'till they leave, meant going back home a little later than usual is what you have to do then so be it.

you try not to react so violently when the door you're leaning on jolts when someone from outside slams their back against it.

"it's not like we didn't do our best, right guys? i don't have regrets. it might sound fucking cheesy and although i'm sad myself, atleast we did what we can."

it's jaemin. his voice clear as day.

you try peaking, craning your neck up from your place on the floor. only to see the back of his head leaning against the glass section of the door. someone else joins in on the conversation, followed by coach park himself, and you slowly tune out whatever they're saying as you stealthily start scanning the faculty room.

you curse under your breath. is there no other exit other than this door? jesus christ! even classrooms in this university had two doors—

"what are you doing here?"

the switch flickers on, basking the once dark room with light. only when you hear an echo of your name being called, did you snap out of it and quickly picked yourself up from the floor.

"i said, what are you doing here?"

their coach asks, drilling the question as he looks at you skeptically with his arms crossed. you try not to look at the people behind him.

particularly, not at his cheer captain standing on his right.

particularly, not at jeno, who stands out like a sore thumb with his blue hair, a protective arm snaked around jaemin’s shoulders.

this isn't your lucky day, too, you guess.

"i was…" you cursed yourself for stuttering. "i was, uhm, i was file sorting for prof—professor kim, sir."

coach park looked like he didn't believe you as he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. your nerves are going haywire and you can feel the sharp pins of their stare with how close they are.

you kept juggling your weight with the balls of your feet, hands fisting and unfisting behind your back. you want to leave. you have to leave.

"file sorting… in the dark?" he asked incredulously.

fuck this.

"uhm, you can ask professor kim himself tomorrow, coach. for now, uh, i'll be going now. i'm sorry you guys lost…"

originally, the exit is on the right side, at the end of the hallway. but no, you are not going to pass by those two while on your way out so you ducked behind a random student standing on the coach's left instead and practically ran away from the scene.

everyone had been too busy. too busy looking at your retreating form to even notice jaemin and jeno exchanging glances, too busy to notice the latter untangling himself from their captain to slip away unnoticed, his hurried steps filled with a burning purpose.

you didn't know why you ran, but you did. your shoes practically booming against the floor as you sped away through darkened hallways. you're sweating profusely, heart hammering in your chest. you can worry about professor kim tomorrow but right now you just had to—

"why are you in such a rush, pet?"

crashing into jeno felt like crashing into a wall. if it hadn't been for his arm quickly wrapping around your waist, then you would've landed on your butt before him.

with the small distance between the two of you, jeno could see as clear as day through your eyes.

jaemin was right.

it was addicting to stare into them.

especially when he can see every single one of your thoughts flying through your pretty little head. but hey, it wasn't their fault you were so easy to read.

jeno barely conceals the wicked smirk on his lips when your hands come up to his chest, trying to push him away but to no avail.

he can see your eyes shifting from shock, to confusion, until it finally settles on fear—to which it's slowly becoming a favorite emotion of his to see on your face.

"you know, jaemin is in a really shitty mood right now. and we were wondering, maybe you can cheer us up?"

no. this can't be happening.

"jeno, please." your dilated eyes and disheveled hair made his blood run south. "let me go. you don't want me. you don't need a third party in your relationship."

you yelp when he lets you go, literally shoving you against a wall—which you found out is actually a door, as it swings open as soon as your body crashes against it.

with jeno looming unforgivingly before you in his full height, the tears stung extra hard but you won't let them fall.

if he wanted to bask in the image of your weakness then it'll be something you'll deprive from him for as long as you can.

"i don't need a stupid bitch like you to tell me what i feel." he scoffs. "don't fucking kid yourself, you little whore—i don't want you. i'm not jaemin."

the echo of the classroom door shutting closed surged through you like a wake up call.

this is really happening.

you've always led a decent life, had done nothing too questionable and you've always thought maybe life will spare you if you lived quietly enough. but the feel of jeno's freezing hands crawling against your skin felt like life itself had spat at you in the eye and left you to rot in a ditch.

"i've always liked how you wore skirts," he comments. playing with the ruffled hem of the soft fabric as he purposely grazed his knuckles against your supple thighs. "gives me easy access, don't you agree?"

you scream when he flips your skirt up to reveal the innocent pink of your cotton panties. it was as if a switch had flipped inside of you and the will to fight started coursing through your veins.

"stop! jeno! i don't want this!"

his brows furrow, grunting as he struggles to push the waistline of your skirt up higher with how much you're thrashing underneath him. you buck your hips, tried curling in on yourself, anything to prolong what he wants to do to you.

with your legs trapped underneath his, you blindly reach forward, relying on your upper body instead to push and scratch whatever your palms and nails reached.

you continue screaming like a banshee until he shoved two fingers into your wet cavern.

"stop fighting me," he sounded strained, as if he's holding himself back. you feel him fisting the fabric of your skirt and you fear he's simply going to rip it apart.

you tried responding to him, only the sound had been muffled, gurgled by the flat of his fingers pushing down against your tongue mercilessly. when you reach forward to push him away, your hands land on the apple of his cheeks, nails digging through skin.

until it slips and—

you lie rigid when red scratch marks in the size of your fingernails slowly appear on jeno's skin, his head turned to the side as he paused. your actions slowly start sinking in to him as he shuts his eyes and bit his lip 'till it looked like it was about to bleed.

oh no.

"jeno—"

the slap he planted on your cheek left your ears ringing. all those hard earned muscles of his put to good use—if the tears hadn't fallen for the last few minutes, then it definitely started falling now.

the hit had been so strong, a few of your hair flew astray, the buzzing feeling of your skin tempting you to reach a hand up to soothe your abused cheek.

until jeno let out a low growl and your hand immediately drops limp against your body, afraid of whatever else he can do to you other than a slap.

"that's more like it," he whispers under his breath. you let out the tiniest of whimpers when his hand darts forward to fist your hair. "do you know what happens to bad girls? they fucking get busted up. do you understand me?"

his patience is nonexistent.

jeno slams your head against the floor when you don't answer because you thought his question had been rhetorical. it felt like your skull had been split in two as you wail in pain.

"are you fucking deaf—i asked you a fucking question!"

the hand that cups your jaw is painful as he squeezed your cheek with his blunt nails. your hand shoots up to wrap around his wrist, silently pleading for him to let up as you sobbed out loud. you started nodding as best as you can despite his firm grip on your face.

your reply was nothing short of pathetic. with lips forcefully pursed and the steady stream of your tears and snot rolling down your face, your response is gargled and hardly incoherent and jeno seemed to thoroughly enjoy your anguish if the condescending curl on his lips is anything to go by.

"look at you," he whispers, his face coming close to yours as he holds you down. there was something in the way jeno stared so intently that it made your skin crawl.

"i think you're prettiest when ruined like this."

with his nose touching yours, he felt too close, bordering on intimate as you felt his hand creep back up your thighs, trailing up with feather-like touches that made goosebumps appear on your skin.

you tried wiggling your legs underneath him but one sharp look from jeno is enough to make you stop.

the hand holding your face moves. coming down from gripping your face to encircling his hand around your neck.

"do you like it when i touch you? freaky bitch."

his hands trail further up, up, up until you felt him slotting a finger underneath your panties.

jeno didn't like how frozen you were underneath him as he pulls at the hem before letting go. the elastic snapping back against your skin.

the action evokes a strong feeling through the young male, promising to have you writhing and screaming and begging because by the end of all this, you'll be so needy and frustrated that you will have no choice but to give in to what your body wanted.

"jeno, didn't i tell you to play nice?"

someone stands by the door, the minimal light from the hallway creating a silhouette with his form but you knew who he was. that deep voice, with the same annoying flippant tone, is a dead giveaway.

you didn't know why you even hoped in the beginning. as if there'll be someone who can save you from these two.

you thought the flash of hurt in your eyes was quick to disappear but jeno noticed it quicker.

in a span of seconds, he pulled you up from your position from the ground and tugged you towards his lap. you haven't even gotten the time to settle on your new position when he already smashed his lips against yours.

it was messy. too much saliva. too much teeth. no tenderness to it at all.

the fabric of his jeans felt rough, not to mention the ice cold belt buckle made you severely uncomfortable as it seeps through the thin fabric of your skirt.

when you attempt to hover over his lap, jeno grunts as he snakes an arm around your waist, pulling you back down without your lips breaking away from each other. you didn't know why he let out a whine, but you understood the moment you fully sat down on his lap and you felt a tent on his jeans hitting your clothed entrance perfectly.

in a normal circumstance, you would've found everything hot and might've actually gotten off from it but not when it's him who’s doing this to you and you didn’t consent to any of this.

you start squirming again. palms lying flat against jeno's chest as you attempt to push him away and jaemin sees this as the opportune moment to slot himself behind you, caging you in between them.

“i want my turn,” he hisses and without an ounce of hesitation, jeno stops to do what he's told.

jaemin doesn't waste any second to grab your face, awkwardly craning your neck up to meet his lips in the same feverish kiss.

while jeno had been all teeth and aggression, practically forcing you to open your mouth and kiss him back, jaemin on the other hand is more soft, more romantic, you daresay. he seemed to like taking his sweet time by clutching your face, kissing you like he actually meant it.

he pulls away slightly, resting his forehead against yours as he murmurs something incoherent under his breath and then he's kissing you again.

you think you heard something along the lines of, "finally."

you've been too distracted by jaemin to notice jeno's nimble fingers quickly fumbling with the buttons of your blouse. it was only when you feel the sensation of his tongue laving against the swell of your breast did you turn away from jaemin, jerking backward in surprise.

"no—!"

your scream is cut off by a hand cupping your mouth. jaemin pulls your back towards his chest, molding your body against his as jeno licked and suckled all he wanted, thankful to have the other boy there to not worry about restraining you and keeping you quiet while he has his fun.

"ah, ah, ah," jaemin teases, going hard over the pleading and teary look you sent his way. it looked pathetic, he wasn't going to lie, but it doesn't mean he didn't love it. "just keep still and appreciate jeno's efforts to take care of you, alright baby?"

you don't like how he talked as if this was all a mutual thing, how he talked slowly like you were some toddler who didn't understand anything.

it's cruel how jaemin giggled and basked in your vulnerable state as he kept his eyes pinned on you while undoing the zipper of your skirt. your muffled cries of his name only serving to egg him on.

the way he stared was similar to jeno, too intently and intrusive, like he wants to burn your image of despair in the back of his head.

you whined involuntarily when jeno got bored of all the licking and thus decided to start biting and nipping at your chest instead. he was hypnotised by how responsive you were, how every little bite and nibble made you shudder.

it was a shame that jaemin had to cover your mouth. he didn't get to hear your pretty mewls but it wasn't as if he'd let the night end without hearing them loud and clear.

jaemin is fast in undressing you, feeling slightly betrayed by how quick your skirt and blouse fell under his hands.

you know what he wants, what he's going to do, and the tears fall harder when you can't dodge away from him. forced to endure and accept whatever they give you.

"you act like you don't like it but look how fucking wet you are," you bit your lip hard when jaemin starts circling the pads of his fingers against your clit, fascinated by how more juices streamed down your thighs.

"jeno, do you see this? fuck."

you can only blink in defeat, staring off to the side as you force down any noise bubbling up your throat, forcing yourself to think of anything else other than what's happening right now.

you try not to think about how they managed to tear all of your clothes off while they're left completely dressed. tried not to think about the fingers lazily drawing up and down your slit to collect your essence.

if they're doing this as a way to further humiliate you, it's working.

"slut," jeno mocked, a wicked curl on his lips when he wraps his fingers around your throat. the moment he dives down to claim your lips again is the same time jaemin pushes two fingers inside you.

"look at how wet you are because of me," jaemin whispers hot against your ear and you feel a sick churn in your stomach when you feel his smile against your skin.

he purposely drives his fingers in and out quicker, settjng a brutal pace, wanting you to hear the lewd squelching sounds. "hear that? do you hear that, darling? that's because of me—"

"don't go talking big now, jaem," jeno retorts, pulling away from your lips to start nibbling on the back of your ear. "i was here first. did you see how she fucking reacted when i sucked on her tits?"

you're quick to catch how jeno particularly loved degrading you. but how he talks about you as if you're literally not in front of him naked made you hit a new all-time low.

you felt… filthy.

his hands find purchase on your butt—only because jaemin has already claimed the front. for now.

you close your eyes tight when he painfully squeezes the flesh of your ass. you swear, his blunt nails will paint your skin black and blue.

"i'm the favorite!"

"i'm the favorite!"

as someone who's part of a varsity team, you already knew a competitive nature runs through jaemin's veins. but never had you thought jeno would share the same sentiment. once again they prove that they're cut from the same cloth.

all of a sudden it wasn't all about claiming you as theirs anymore rather it was all about who can make you moan the loudest, who can make you cum the most, who can make you feel the dirtiest you can be.

you're absolutely terrified for the hours to come.

thankfully, they have yet to ask for your verbal opinion or validation. they let your body do all the talking—every repressed shudder and sharp gasp is enough.

but it's game over once they pop the million dollar question.

"who do you like best?"

you don't want to find out the consequences if you actually answered their question because you didn't know what could be worse.

jaemin's manipulation or jeno's aggression?

but it was all normal. trial and error is inevitable in order to build and mold you into the ideal lover for the both of them.

because adding someone new to the mix has never been easy—after all, three's a crowd.