#this quote f*cking destroys me

[redfirefox-55]

[imbecominggayer]

How To Write Cuddling

This my third part to my series where I get specific requests from people about what advice they want. Here we have @12-cluh to explain what about cuddling is getting them confused:

"Idk how to really describe what I'm going after. I'd say I'm more confused on how to describe the way the bodies are laying together? That sounds weird but you get it-"

Perfect, so our key problem is how to establish a character's positioning in the cuddling!

First: How Are These People Cuddling?

Here is some great writing advice for all manners of situations: try to physically establish where the characters are

Heck, you could draw a nice stickman cuddling session in order to get everything down.

This is mostly to prevent a type of "I gently wrapped my arms around her in an unending hug as I let my free hand grasp onto her colder fingers." situation. If you didn't notice, human character grew a third hand and certainly didn't tell me.

And obviously, reread your material out loud so your pesky brain wont perform it's own autocorrect

Next, there are tons of different cuddling positions that evoke different types of atmospheres from the sultry to the affectionate to the hilarious.

Based on what I googled, there are many different names and Shingles is the weirdest thing to name a cuddling style.

Since this cuddling is taking place between "a couple who finally get a day off. (featuring her tracing his scars! :3" I'm guess that @12-cluh is probably going for affectionate.

I probably would recommend "Sweetheart's Cradle" or "The Honeymoon Hug" if you are going for an ultra-affectionate cuddle.

If you are looking for something more casual yet still affectionate then "The Spoon" and, uhh, "Shingles" . The "Sweetheart's Cradle" could still work here but that's up to your interpretation of what Romance On The Go is talking about.

2. Actual Description

Quote: "...how to describe the way the bodies are laying together?

Obviously, it's hard for me to give specific details on how to describe the scene since it's feelings which change the world and influence how it arrives to the audience.

If this is a somber affair, based on the scar tracing, then that's obviously going to influence the atmosphere. If it's a highly affectionate get-together then that's the diction.

However, in general, you don't need proper "he laid down on her" type of weirdly phrased descriptions.

You just need to get the emotion across.

For example, "He lowers them onto the bed once again, the back of his hand brushing against her cheek. She latches onto him and refuses to let go for the rest of the night. She refuses to let go for forever, actually. She prayes that she wasn't alone. That this isn't just another dream or mistake. When the sunlight glimmers through the curtain, she will thank the gods for this blessed union."

I hoped I communicated the deep love and desperation between these characters :3 God, I am such a bad writer.

Anyway, as you can see there wasn't a lot of detail focused on where my female character was latching onto. All the detail you need is for the movements that display emotion such as the caressing

Here is a more comedic example for more proof: "What nobody told him about cuddling is how f*cking uncomfortable it was. What should've been a delicate and affectionate affair was instead a mess of limbs and sweat as his boyfriend's ability to light up his life was far more literal then he wanted. But even if his hand may never function again as this brick shithouse of a man has lovingly passed out on it, the feeling of just being together in this shitty cot makes his soul tremble in the sweetest, strangest way. "

I regret writing examples of this. I am going to get destroyed in the comments for my shitty writing ability :`(

Anyway, there is little set-up for what limbs are where and what everyone is specifically doing.

There are other things you can do to show the audience where your characters are. "Our breath mixed together". Or "I could hear his heartbeat".

And now I need to ask you "doth that satisfy thou my liege?" I tried to do this advice right since it's you and for some reason I care about you more then I should, darling.

So please give me my validation and feel free to ask me for more writing advice. I am forever at your beck and call.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

(repost of this with the video directly in the post because vimeo links are acting up)

Rewatching this scene for the sweet angst, something struck me. In hindsight it's extremely obvious but I'd never thought about it this way.

There's the very obvious parallels with Qui-Gon's death, down to Satine caressing Obi-Wan's cheek, there's that amazing bit of mirrored exchange, where Obi-Wan starts off confrontational and angry and Maul gloating, and then Obi-Wan becomes soft-spoken and empathetic and Maul starts to shake with rage and pain and can't even properly face him, and then there's this.

Maul boasts that the Dark Side is "more powerful than [Obi-Wan] knows," that Obi-Wan's "noble flaw" is a weakness, so why is he trying to make him more powerful? Why tell him to use the Dark Side? Why basically give him a crash course about how it works? Does he want Obi-Wan to retaliate? To escape?

The obvious answer is that Maul isn't trying to make Obi-Wan more powerful. After all, he's well aware that Obi-Wan is a dogshit fighter when he's angry.

Immediately after that last quote, he says "that is not the Jedi way, is it?" as a taunt, and again in The Lawless, he insists "You should have chosen the Dark Side, Master Jedi."

So he's simply trying to destroy him as a Jedi, right? Because he knows that's what make Obi-Wan who he is, and he blames Obi-Wan for robbing him of his status along with his life, so he wants to destroy Obi-Wan's life in the ways that matter (since, as Obi-Wan says, just killing him is nothing like destroying him). But if that's the case, then we're back to the "power" issue. What's the point of destroying Obi-Wan if it's by giving him what Maul claims is his own identity, and the key to freedom?

And imo the answer lies right here:

Why would killing Satine make Obi-Wan share Maul's pain? Why would Maul regard the pain of losing a loved one (something he's completely unfamiliar with at this point) as equal to his torment? Why isn't he chopping Obi-Wan in half and keeping him alive with Nightsister magick instead? Why would the murder of one of Obi-Wan's loved ones, picked almost at random, be THE "moment" Maul has been thinking about "for years"?

I think he really isn't talking about Satine's murder in and of itself when he talks of pain. The pain he wants Obi-Wan to share isn't the pain of loss, but very simply the pain of living in the Dark Side.

That's why Satine really is just a "tool" to his vengeance, as he says, and not the main point. That's why he's so enraged that Obi-Wan insists on showing him compassion even through his fear and anger - being kind leaves you open to grief but protects from the agony of the Dark.

Maul wants Obi-Wan to Fall, to stop being a Jedi, not because he truly believes the Dark Side gives you good things, but because he knows the Dark Side makes you miserable.

He tries to freaking teach Obi-Wan how to Fall, like Obi-Wan is a Sith apprentice, because being a Sith is the most miserable you're ever going to get! He tries to make Obi-Wan suffer by making him like him! He's so self-loathing his hatred of Obi-Wan materializes as self-hatred!

And hey, that greatly complements the end of the episode - Obi-Wan resists the Dark Side and escapes the planet, and Maul revels in it and immediately loses the only person he cares about and ends up crawling and crying while Sidious gleefully tortures him. Maul falls victim to every form of suffering he wanted to inflict on Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan flies away. In the end, Maul is proven right: being Fallen really f*cking sucks.

Really accentuates that Maul wanted relief above all when he sought out Obi-Wan in Rebels. He went to the only person who had shown him actual compassion, and the person he knew was best at resisting the Dark Side - so he could finally be free.

[glasskey]

I’m Gonna Cut Your F#cking Heart Out - The June Osborne Hit List Pt 3.

With Season 6 in the making and its release just a few months away, I have been hammering out a few more of these to vent my frustration and calm my nerves, as I quietly climb the walls. Today I’m kicking off with a quote I failed to mention from S2, and oh boy it was a good one.

Thank you for bringing me that.

I neglected to include this one in last seasons Hit list and I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry. Nick returns from Canada, delivering a message from June’s family and friends. She’s not seen them in years, by now Blaine’s neck deep in love with Osborne and this is the most precious thing he could possibly give her. At first she greets him enthusiastically, she’s missed him, but somethings not quite right. During his recent jaunt to Canada Blaine suddenly became aware of his ultimate impermanence, and is now slightly distant. “I met your husband” he says and immediately her face drops. Moss plays this scene beautifully, there’s a litany of emotions that pass over her, as she learns about Luke and Moira. She’s deeply concerned and yet so overjoyed her eyes fill with tears.

“Thank you for bringing me that” she says through her tears, it’s an incredible gift and Osborne is aware it’s come at a cost. Blaine is in love with her, this was painful, not to mention incredibly dangerous. In later episodes Fred arranges for June to see Hannah as “an act of kindness”, but it’s just 5 minutes, only to have her daughter ripped from her once again, leaving Nick holding a distraught June. This was not a gift, this was a painful reminder of what it was like to lose her daughter and it drew a sharp line between the two men, and their innate sense of kindness and compassion.

As Blaine watches an elated June swept up in the news and memories of her family and friends, he acknowledges with simple clarity his newfound understanding; “I should go” Blaine says. He intends to extricate himself from her emotionally and return her to her family, but before he leaves the room he tells her he loves her. Why? Nick Blaine regardless of his position wants June to know that while she cannot be with her family in Canada, there is someone here who loves her. She is pregnant, she is vulnerable, but she is not alone. His character was criticized for the timing of this statement, but this message from her family and his confession was one of greatest acts of tenderness we ever saw from Blaine.

Meeting Luke was an uncomfortable revelation that she indeed had another life, that she was stolen from a happy family. In S5 Ep 10 Nicks words “I’m nothing” brought this moment back so vividly, his meeting with Luke painfully revealing his value as merely a placeholder for a loving family…”Just a driver.” In S5 Ep10, Blaine silently sits at her bedside, watching, never waking her…..”I should go” he’d said to her…….”It’s probably better if she doesn’t know I was here” he echoes to Tuello. She stirs as he leaves the room. He never knew she nearly woke. She never knew he was there. “Thank you for bringing me that” June says to him and as Blaine almost limps out of the room, the weight of his pain is almost visible. He’s utterly heartbroken. Her joy had cost him, but when it came to paying the price, ultimately Blaine never gave a fuck.

You will never be free of me

It’s the infamous Serena and June break up scene and I am here for it. June’s angry and hurt. Serena has betrayed her, Nick has abandoned her and her country has been destroyed by these fascist fucks. Time to lay it all out and give Serena a dose of reality. Nicole and Hannah are HER daughters, and June’s here to tell her that anything Serena may have cooked up to the contrary in her twisted little psyche, is an absolute fantasy.

She was never a baby momma, and nothing she does is going to fill the giant vacant black hole inside her; not a vast evil empire and definitely not June’s stolen daughter. June HATES her, and what’s worse is she’s determined to haunt her every step, either through her actual physical self or the insurmountable guilt of her collective acts, until both her daughters are free. As June lays it out, calling Serena cold and empty, her words echo around the cold empty pavilion.

Serena starts to feel a bit sorry for herself here, her eyes fill with tears and as June talks she looks like she’s about to crumble. But why would she care? Serena’s the resident ice queen and she’s been nothing but hostile and cold blooded to June since she arrived, with a few exceptions. Well it’s worth remembering that Serena doesn’t really have any friends, she’s just surrounded by fellow back-stabbing, pearl-clutching Gilead wives and creepy old Fred. As fancy as the Waterford’s may be, Serena Waterford is anything but a typical compliant Gilead wifey; she’s written books, she’s an academic, she’s smart, articulate and time and time again we see her attempt to establish some semblance of power equal to her male counterparts.

Serena constantly struggles between what she sees as the virtue of female servitude, and her desire to have the freedom that comes with gender equality. The fact is Serena admires June, her strength, her resourcefulness, her power, her ability to garner devotion and inspire true love. June is the embodiment of everything Serena wants and she gave it all up for shitty old Fred who doesn’t love her, and cut off her finger. “I should have put a ring in your mouth” Serena seethes, wishing she could silence the constant voice of liberty from tempting her. “I should have let you burn when I had the chance” says June, regretting she didn’t see the formation of Gilead coming, and destroy or at least escape it in time.

Technically Serena’s won this one, she makes her kneel in front of a legion of handmaids, but for the next season and a half she’ll be sporting that trademark June sized hole in her icy black heart.

Bad Luck

June has just been dragged into Gilead torture central, they’ve water boarded her, locked her in a box and pushed her friends off a roof. None of it worked. She’s not talking and something must be done. Nick’s been busy plotting and twisting arms behind the scenes, and lo and behold here comes Lawrence to try and talk some sense into her about giving up the Handmaid’s. During their friendly chat, Lawrence lets slip a bunch of commanders have become a tad unwell from being poisoned at a Jezebels June just happened to be in the local vicinity of. Oops.

“It’s bad luck” gloats June casually, they both know who’s responsible here. Lawrence has had the full measure of June before, the reckless sacrifice she is willing to make in order to get shit done, be it a plane load of kids, or a bunch of dead commanders. It’s not the first time she’s killed one and it certainly won’t be the last, in fact apart from Nick and Lawrence, there’s nary a commander alive that she wouldn’t slaughter given half the chance. Unfortunately she’s forgotten who else is at stake here; her own daughter. June has been running amuck confident in the knowledge that while Gilead would happily see her swing, it would never lay a pinky on a child. After all isn’t that what all this old timey fuss and bother is all about?

Apparently not, Lawrence informs her, as with any good regime it’s all about power and in Gilead’s case, children are the currency. Sadly this includes Hannah. At first she doesn’t believe him but unfortunately Lawrence is not in the habit of lying; Gilead have their own methods of illustrating their point no matter how painful. The next scene is one of the most heartbreaking and difficult scenes I’ve ever had to watch on this show. June is taken to see Hannah trapped in clear glass box under unyielding lights.

She scurries away from June, petrified by the sight of this shackled woman she barely recognizes. June’s at first startled. Shocked by the realization that her own child is terrified of her, and then gently she tries to pacify her, inching towards her and speaking softly. It’s like watching someone trying to soothe a scared animal.

Hannah looks at June with those huge, familiar, brown eyes, whimpering, cornered. And just like that, Gilead broke her.

Do You Understand Me?

This one is a call back to Season 1 when Serena went from 0 to 100 in the space of 10 seconds slamming June to the floor in a fit of rage because she hadn’t managed to get knocked up. Personally I think this was a culminative reaction, it’s not simply her losing shit over the absence of a baby. Serena loathes the ceremony, you can tell from her icy request for June to get the fuck out after Fred was done with her. Consider for a moment that June is not the first handmaid that has dwelt under the Waterford’s roof, and you may begin to understand EXACTLY how many times Serena has participated in this horrific ordeal. The fact is, she’s overjoyed she won’t have to go through one more incidence of watching her own husband trying to impregnate another woman. It’s absolutely grueling. In later episodes there’s a reference to the fact that Fred had previously inflicted extra-curricular activities on his former handmaid, activities that Serena had been aware of. When June arrives at the house Serena is quick to advise June that Fred is HER husband, unfortunately Fred wastes no time in dissolving the illusion that they are actually in love and proceeds to get handsy with June.

As Serena hurtles June to the floor and screams in her face there’s a bitter sense of not only rage but frustration. When will she be free of this nightmare? What ensues is a battle of wills and wits that June eventually wins. No matter, Serena never forgets….back to the plotting corner. In Season 4 June learns that Serena’s in Canada. Fucking Serena. Can’t even move countries without tripping over her it seems. Not only that but she IS in fact preggers and lo and behold it’s Fred’s. June is seething; had she endured all this shit for nothing? Locked in a room for weeks, raped, electrocuted, beaten, threatened. Time to pay Serena a visit. June, like everyone else has realized there’s nothing quite like bathing in Serena tears, it’s deliciously therapeutic. As June strolls into her cushy little “prison”, Serena is stupid enough to tell June that she “prayed for this”, assuming that simply asking for forgiveness will guarantee it. It doesn’t.

June’s come to deliver a message and she won’t be giving Serena anything, in fact she intends to take a proverbial pound of flesh while she’s at it. She’s seething with rage and in a display of biblical wrath, she lays down a good old fashioned curse on Serena’s unborn progeny. Serena deteriorates into a sobbing mess, the whole incident signaling the Handmaid Lite role that Serena was to undertake in season 5.

This phrase shows up again in season 5, this time with an almost forgiving tone after Noah is born. “Do you understand me?” binds these women together as their relationship shifts and grows throughout the seasons. June and Serena are almost mirror images and as such this asks not only if they understand one another, but also if they understand themselves.

[wanderingchocolateeclair]

A BIG collection of my favourite randomly generated incorrect quotes with the top 5 (+ edgejeanist unsurprisingly - I think I got pretty lucky for that part) :

@ohpleaseiwillendyou idk I just thought you might enjoy these 🥰

———————

Tsunagu: Hey, I’m getting in the shower. Wanna help me out?

Shinya: ...Have you never taken a shower before?

———————

Enji: You remind me of the ocean.

Shinya: Because I'm deep and mysterious?

Enji: No, because you're full of salt and you scare people.

———————

Tsunagu: Where the devil is Shinya?

Rumi: Well, it is raining outside... Maybe he melted?

Keigo : Shall I look outside for a pointy hat?

———————

Keigo : Make no mistake. Not only am I party rocking, but I am also in the house tonight.

Tsunagu: But are you shuffling?

Keigo : Everyday.

Shinya: What language are you two speaking??

———————

Tsunagu: So, what are we doing?

Shinya: Wasting our lives.

Tsunagu: I meant for lunch...

———————

Keigo: Words ending in 'ie' just sound so adorable. Like cutie, sweetie, cookie-

Rumi: Eyy, homie!

Shinya: But then there's cootie...

Tsunagu: Die.

———————

Enji: What does “take out” mean?

Keigo: Food.

Rumi: Dating.

Tsunagu: Murder.

Shinya: It can be all three if you’re brave enough.

———————

*Comments under an image of a really hot knife cutting bread*

Rumi: Imagine stabbing someone with this knife.

Enji: It would instantly cauterize the wound, so the person wouldn't bleed, so it's not very useful.

Tsunagu: if you want information it is

Keigo : why would you STAB a person when you can have TOAST?

———————

*playing twister*

Rumi: Right hand red.

Shinya: *ends up on top of Tsunagu*

Tsunagu: You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

Rumi: I stopped spinning like 15 minutes ago. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't notice.

———————

Shinya: What do we think of Tsunagu?

*pause*

Keigo : *sighs* Nice pal.

Enji: I think he’s gay.

———————

Keigo : What do rainbows mean to you?

Tsunagu: Gay rights.

Shinya: There's money.

Rumi: The sign of God's promise to never destroy the whole Earth with a flood.

Enji: It is an optical phenomenon that separates sunlight into its continuous spectrum when the sun shines on raindrops.

———————

Tsunagu: Unfortunately, due to several experiences in my youth, I cannot just 'walk up and join a circle of people talking', but it does sound lovely, thank you.

———————

Keigo : If you took a shot for every time you made a bad decision, how drunk would you be?

Rumi: Maybe a bit tipsy?

Enji: Drunk.

Shinya: Wasted.

Tsunagu: Dead.

———————

Enji: A pessimist sees a dark tunnel.

Keigo : An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Shinya: A realist sees a freight train.

Tsunagu: The train driver sees three idiots standing on the tracks.

———————

Rumi: Is this your plan B?

Shinya: Technically, this is plan P.

Rumi: Plan P? Is there a plan M?

Shinya: Yes, but I marry Tsunagu in plan M.

Tsunagu: I like plan M.

———————

Kidnapper: We have your child

Enji: I don’t have a child?

Kidnapper: Then who just asked for warm milk and made us cut the crusts off their sandwich?

Enji: Oh god, you have Keigo

(I kinda wanted to change this particular one to Tsunagu, but I think it’s funnier if Enji says this one - especially with the ‘I don’t have a child’ lmao)

———————

Tsunagu: Time for plan G.

Enji: Don’t you mean plan B?

Tsunagu: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties.

Keigo : What about plan D?

Tsunagu: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago.

Rumi: What about plan E?

Tsunagu: I’m hoping not to use it. Shinya dies in plan E.

Shinya: I like plan E.

———————

Shinya: Guys, I’ve been meaning to tell you… Tsunagu and I are dating.

Tsunagu, Rumi, Keigo , and Enji: *gasp*

Shinya: Tsunagu, why are you surprised?!

————————

Uh oh I’m getting carried away there’s so much more:

————————

Enji: For self defense reasons, I'm going to pretend to be a burglar and you guys have to act wisely.

Keigo, Tsunagu , & Rumi: Okay.

Enji: If you don't want to die, give me all your money.

Keigo: Bold of you to assume I have money.

Tsunagu : Bold of you to assume I don't want to die.

Rumi: Bold of you to assume I can die.

———————

Keigo : Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and…

Enji: Was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Keigo : Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said…

Tsunagu: You might be entitled to financial compensation if he or a loved one dies.

———————

Shinya: Can we go out to get icecream?

Tsunagu: Did you ask Rumi?

Shinya: She said no.

Tsunagu: Then why did you ask me?

Shinya: She’s not the boss of you.

Tsunagu, internally: It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap.

———————

Keigo : Where's Shinya?

Rumi: Don't worry, I'll find him.

Rumi, shouting: Tsunagu sucks!

Shinya, distantly: Tsunagu is the best person ever! F*ck you!

Rumi: Found him.

(I am genuinely surprised with how lucky I got with these ones, they make me so happy wow)

———————

Shinya, watching Enji & Tsunagu panic : What's going on?

Keigo : Enji is having a midlife crisis and Tsunagu is just having a crisis.

———————

Rumi: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast?

Keigo : Several traffic violations.

Shinya: Three counts of resisting arrest.

Tsunagu: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks.

Enji: Also, that’s not our car.

——————

Shinya: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine.

Tsunagu: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again.

Shinya: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns??

Tsunagu: Is it working?

(Again, was not expecting this one to be randomly generated but hey I’m definitely not complaining lmao plus he’d totally do this)

——————

Tsunagu: Rumi, what do you have?

Rumi: A KNIFE!

Tsunagu: Okay, have fu-

Shinya: NO!

———————

Police: You’re under arrest for trying to carry three people on a single motorcycle.

Shinya, with Enji and Keigo behind them: Wait, what do you mean THREE?!

Police: Yes…three.

Shinya: Oh, my God—

Police: Wha-

Shinya: Tsunagu FELL OFF!

———————

Enji: You know you can die from that, right?

Keigo: *smoking a cigarette* That’s the point.

Shinya: *drinking alcohol* We’re trying to speed this up.

Tsunagu: *Eating raw cookie dough and nodding*

———————

Shinya, trying to convince Enji to join the group: You know... I thought it'd be good to have someone come along who's really... strong!

Keigo: And loud!

Tsunagu: And grumpy!

Rumi: And oblivious to reality!

Enji:

———————

*The gang responding to being stabbed by a sword*

Shinya: Rude.

Tsunagu: That's fair.

Enji: Not again.

Rumi: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?

———————

Keigo: Shinya-

Shinya: *sighs* Tsunagu used to call me Shinya...

Keigo: ...Because it's your f*cking name.

———————

Rumi: Do you cook?

Tsunagu: I made a cake once.

Shinya: Yeah, it was good.

Tsunagu: Really?

Shinya: Don’t make me lie twice, Tsunagu.

———————

Enji: And now for a gay update with Shinya and Tsunagu.

Tsunagu: Getting gayer.

Enji: Thank you, Tsunagu.

(Of course of course)

———————

Tsunagu: Do you want to play 20 Questions?

Shinya: Sure!

Shinya: Whats your favorite color?

Tsunagu, laser focused: Triangle. Do you like men?

(This is accurate. Why is this accurate ahaha)

—————————

Tsunagu: I have one foot in the grave but in a kind of fun flirty way, the way one might slip on a fishnet stocking.

———————

Ahaha okay I think that’s enough it’s late now- I have way more but hey, that’ll have to be later

[hamliet]

BNHA. Gotta admit, I was kinda lukewarm about a "small progress/changes" ending, particularly since I came to BNHA from TG, which should've destroyed society and didn't. But Tartarus is the last straw for me. Gonna riot if Hero society, and Tartarus, don't get demolished in the endgame. I guess I'm just tired of seeing a deplorable fictional society that doesn't go with burning it down and rebuilding better.

I dearly hope you’re right and that the kids start to realize it sooner rather than later. Like, this is, to quote a friend, like saying “welcome to f*cking Guantanamo Bay” which is a pretty damn big switch from “heroes always try their best.” If Tartarus is the best heroes can do in regards to villains, then good grief, no wonder Ending would rather die than end up there again. 

Again, it’s difficult because I don’t think fiction is a 1:1 parallel to reality, but it does reflect it, and... prisons in most countries really aren’t much better than Tartarus. I’d argue the Federal Supermax in the US is worse, in fact. Not to mention, of course, Gitmo. 

I know people in general have a very “throw away the key” idea of prison as punishment, where it’s basically death but without guilt for anyone involved in “justice,” but punitive justice is almost always barking up the wrong tree because it doesn’t fix anything; it treats the symptoms but not the cause. It removes a tumor without addressing what’s wrong with the body to grow a tumor in the first place (not that people are cancer). I don’t even think bloody Overhaul deserves that, and I Do Not Like that guy. 

Anyways, I doubt Shouto is going to be satisfied with his brother ending up in such a nightmare by the end of the series, and I like that Tartarus has been seemingly destroyed. I hope it’s destroyed beyond repair because I think they need to redo the entire prison system and reform justice in hero society, to have justice be defined as saving people and restoring them rather than throwing away the key. 

[companionjones]

Nevermore: A Story Around A Campfire

Hi! This is for @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​‘s Once Upon A Midnight Dreary Challenge, even though it is a few days late. I’m sorry for that.

My quote was “Nevermore” and my prompt was Stories told around a campfire.

Pairings: Virgil Sanders x Reader, Slight!Logicality

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Summary: Janus, Thomas, Logan, Remus, Roman, and Patton are telling stories around a campfire. Patton’s story involves a boy named Virgil, and you.

Author’s Note: Virgil’s the only one with the last name Sanders in this. I didn’t mention the others’ last names. The only two that are related are Roman and Remus.

Warnings: abusive relationship cursing but I tried to write it in the same way the Sanders Sides curse in the videos

*******

    “Okay, everybody. I think I finally have a story!” Patton called the attention of his friends.

    He wasn’t met with much positive energy.

    Janus responded first. His tone was absolutely drenched in sarcasm. “This has got to be good.”

    Roman objected, “Patton, you know I love you, but I think you should leave the campfire stories to the real creative of this group--”

    “Me!” Remus excitedly interrupted his brother. “So, it all starts with a rat, a cockroach, and a stick of deodorant--”

    The crazy boy was cut off then by everyone else around the campfire. Most of them were groaning “Ugh” or “Noo,” but Janus just sighed, “A stick of deodorant. How original.”

    “Guys, come on,” Thomas mediated, “Let Patton tell his story. Everyone should get a turn.”

    Logan got up from his seat next to Patton on an over-turned tree trunk. As he stretched, he encouraged, “Go ahead, Patton, tell your story. I’m going to get more wood for the fire, but don’t feel the need to wait for me.”

    Finally, the group calmed down enough for Patton to tell his story.

    The dad friend settled into his seat and began his tale...

    “Y/n L/n was very beautiful, despite their view of themself. And when I say beautiful, I mean on the inside and out. Y/n always made it a point to be kind to whoever they met.

    “At one point in their life, Y/n realized that their kindness might’ve lead them to be in one of their worst relationships. It just so happened to be an abusive relationship. Now, I don’t mean to get too explicit, but Y/n’s boyfriend would hit them whenever he got mad, which was pretty often--”

    Roman interrupted his friend, “Whoa there. We were telling horror stories around this campfire. Talking about abuse is taking it to another level.”

    “Even I agree with Princey, and I’m me,” Remus emphasized.

    Thomas defended Patton. “Hang on guys. Technically, this has all the makings of a horror story. It has a villain, and honestly, how much worse of a villain can you have than an abusive boyfriend?”

    “Oh...that’s a...horrible idea,” commented Janus. But remember, the boy always said the opposite of what he meant.

    Patton continued...

    “Okay, so it may be true that Y/n believed it was because they were too kind, and that had gotten them into the worst relationship of their life, but it was also true that their kindness gave them the best friend they ever had.

    “Virgil Sanders was not a boy to form attachments to anyone. The bad attitude he put on in public assured that others stayed away.

    “Then Y/n came along. They were unrelentingly sweet to Virgil. Enough so, that they eventually eroded down Virgil’s dark and gloomy exterior to his authentic dark and lovely self.

    “The two became best friends. On the rare occasion that Y/n’s boyfriend let them out by themselves, Y/n would always be at Virgil’s house.

    “That’s why they knew where to go when their boyfriend beat them so awful, they could barely stand.”

    “Hey, everyone. I’m back with the firewood,” Logan announced.

    In response, a chorus of “boos!” and “shut ups!” filled the air. The rest of the group were annoyed that Logan had interrupted the story.

    “What? What? What’d I miss?” Logan wondered.

    Remus explained, “Patton was at a f*cking good part of his story!”

    “Oh. I apologize.” Logan held back some laughter as he took his seat again. He found amusement in how much everyone had gotten into Patton’s story. “I’ll try not to interrupt again.”

    Once more, Patton went on...

    “When Virgil opened his door and saw a bloody Y/n standing there, two trains of thought ran through his head: One, he knew that he was going to bring Y/n in and take care of Y/n for the night. His second train of thought was a lot more violent, and it was aimed at Y/n’s trash bag of a boyfriend. But Virgil tried not to think of anything else but Y/n in the moment.

    “He took Y/n in, and cleaned up their wounds. He comforted them as they cried, and held them as they slept.

    “The following day, however, Virgil had plans. He woke Y/n up, and spoke his thoughts out loud.

    “For Y/n, it took some convincing, but a person can only take so much pain. They eventually agreed. It was settled.

    “A few hours later, Y/n was back at their house, this time with Virgil with them. They climbed the steps to the front door together. When Y/n’s boyfriend opened the door, he immediately started cursing out both Virgil and Y/n. The protagonists of our story pushed past the abuser.

    “He was confused as he shut the front door, but that confusion didn’t last long because Virgil hit him over the head with a metal bat.

    “The blow put Y/n’s boyfriend--well, ex-boyfriend now-- on the ground, but he wasn’t knocked out yet. He was able to fight back. The brawl destroyed the house, and both sides landed hits.

    “For a second, it looked like Virgil was going to lose. Y/n’s boyfriend had Virgil pinned against a counter with a knife to Virgil’s throat.

    “Fortunately, that was right next to the back door. The sliding glass back door. Y/n took their opportunity, and pushed their ex-boyfriend through the door, shattering the glass. The villain of our story fell through the glass, and down the stairs outside. That, along with all the other injuries he had sustained from Virgil, was enough to kill him.

    “Y/n went outside to the top of the stairs to witness their work.

    “Virgil joined his best friend and took their hand. One word left his lips. It was cold, ominous...final.

    ““Nevermore.”

    “So, what do you guys think?” With his story finished, Patton eagerly asked for his friends’ opinions.

    No one responded at first.

    “Well, I liked it.” Logan was the first to break the silence.

    His words got everyone else out of their haze. In their own way, they all told Patton that they completely agreed with Logan.

    “I hated it,” Janus bluntly stated, but we all know what that means.

    Patton giggled, “Thanks, guys.” He cuddled into Logan, and Logan put his arm around the cardigan-clad boy.

    The two waited for the next story.

    “Okay, so it all started in a sewer, with a stick of deodorant--” Remus began.

    Roman cut him off, “You’re not allowed to tell your disgusting stories anymore, Remus!”

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading! Thank you again to @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​ for putting together this challenge! So sorry again that I wasn’t able to post this in time. If you liked reading this, please take the time to like and reblog. If you would like to read more, I have more stories about the Sanders Sides over on my page. You should check it out. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[strawberry-kin-blog]

quick little vent

trigger warning ahead, mentions of bullying and destroying of our food friends

hey everyone (｡•́︿•̀｡) Strawberry here.

I wanted to quickly vent about a serious thing that happened to me while at school. I’m fairly upset about the encounter and wanted to share this experience with you all in hopes to bring awareness to these kinds of things.

I have to go to on sight school because of personal reasons, and I’m forced to go lunch with everyone else. I have explained to the staff several times why I would like to have a private lunch and why it makes me uncomfortable but instead they brush it off, insisting that I am not a strawberry. 

so I’m sitting at a table, alone, because everyone refers to me as the weird kid who thinks they’re a strawberry. apparently someone found out about it(I didn’t want the school to know, just the staff) and they told everyone. so now I’m being ostracized for that.

anyways, as I sat there at the table playing games on my phone in secret this kid came up to me. I had seen him a few times before but never really knew him, but I did know that he was one of the kids who would constantly make fun of me behind my back.

I didn’t want to get hurt or in trouble, so I ignored him. he told me to look at him so I did. he laughed at me and told me that I was a human, not some, and I quote “a f*cking berry”. I wanted to cry because a lot of people were looking at me now and giggling. he pulled out a large container of strawberries from his bag and I knew what he was going to do.

and sure enough, he threw them on the floor and began stomping on them, taunting me by saying “you see these as your family? you’re f*cking insane. go to the looney bin where you belong you sicko”

I started to cry and ran to the bathroom where I hid there for the rest of the day. I got weekend detention and the school has to talk to my parents because of it.

to all the kinphobes out there, you can hate us but please do not do this to us. it’s one thing to not understand and to privately mock us but this is too far.

anyways, I will see you guys later. I plan on posting a bit more tonight. although this was a horrible experience I’m going to try and not let it bring me down because I know to the few followers I have you guys appreciate me! and that’s enough to keep this little strawberry going. （＾▽＾） 

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2008

19 to 20 years old, and... hang on. Is that a mediocre year with actual filler on the list and only three honorable mentions? That’s kind of refreshing in a decade where each and every single one of my lists was a mile long.

The top 3 is still great, mind you.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

2008. Finished my History Licence, started my Master degree. To quote one of the biggest hits of the year, my funds were ‘low, low, low, low, low, low’, my nickname was still ‘the hobo’, and I was constantly on the verge of a breakdown even though things were not nearly as bad as they were five years before. But I finally had my own computer and a reliable internet access, so that was a thing. I made a LOT of cd compilations that year.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: the French charts usually tend to salvage bad years for these lists I’m making, but the 2008 French year-end list is absolutely rotten, so this didn’t happen here, obviously. I have no idea why Human (The Killers), Kids (MGMT), Integral (Pet Shop Boys), Big Girls (Mika) and basically everything from Bloc Party aren’t elligible songs, but this is bad and the charts should feel bad. Have a very short list of honorable mentions instead.

Low (Flo Rida) - This was absolutely everywhere. I didn’t mind at all.

Dégénération (Mylène Farmer) - I mean. It’s not bad. But. Like. What the hell was that.

Je Réalise (Sinik & James Blunt) - Not better than the previous two, but made James Blunt palatable even though I find him nearly unlistenable in his own songs, and that’s an impressive feat.

And now, the list.

10 - Hot n Cold (Katy Perry)

US: #36 / FR: #52

My s.o absolutely LOVED Katy Perry that year. I loathed I Kissed a Girl. Thankfully, Hot n Cold was fun and catchy, so I didn’t mind hearing that one way, way too many times. He still loves most of her albums and he sings some of her songs while playing games from time to time.

For those who are wondering, yes, this is the same person who’s also a big fan of Metallica, and Gorillaz, and Mika, because I guess I can only get along with someone who also has weird and debatable musical tastes.

9 - Don’t Stop the Music (Rihanna)

US: #17 / FR: Not on the list

This was a honorable mention before I noticed I couldn’t fill the list with songs I actively listened to. I have nothing to say about it. It’s reasonably fun and catchy. Not her best, not her worst.

8 - Disturbia (Rihanna)

US: #16 / FR: #36

No Rihanna, you’re not scaring me. But that “bum bum bee dum” hook is an earworm and a half, so I’ll take it.

7- Apologise (OneRepublic ft Timbaland)

US: #5 / FR: Not on the list

This is just as pleasant (if slightly bland) as drinking hot chocolate and the fact that this was enough to put it at #7 tells a lot about how unimpressed I was with hit songs in 2008.

6 - This is the life (Amy McDonald)

US: Not on the list / FR: #34

This is also pleasant, if a bit repetitive. I have literally nothing else to say. Thankfully, everything after that are songs are actually like.

5 - Shake it (Metro Station)

US: #32 / FR: Not on the list

This is incredibly stupid, and also incredibly fun, and it was a delight every time it was on the radio. Thankfully the following year would bring many, many more fun, upbeat, stupid songs, but in 2008 it was like breathing fresh air.

4 - Just Dance (Lady Gaga)

US: Not on the list (...................yet) / FR: #56

I was way too broke in 2008 (and in every single previous year) to have any party that wasn’t something like “find a deserted place and burn a couple of things together” apart from one (1) party at a friend’s house which went nearly as bad as that song. It’s great.

I really like Lady Gaga, for the record, even if I was never a fan, and my initial opinion of her around 2009/2010 was basically “oh good, the US found their own Mylène Farmer. It’s about time.”

3 - Let It Rock (Kevin Rudolf ft Lil Wayne)

US: #65 / FR: Not on the list

I’m shocked this is so high on the list. I first put it at the bottom, then relistened to it just to make sure, felt pure, undiluted joy, and now here we are.

It’s so strange to think that this was one of the only great rock songs on the year end list if not the only one, and it has Lil Wayne on it, of all people. But yeah, kickass song, kickass guitar, a ton of fun to sing along with it. We needed more hits like this, and we still do, if I’m being honest.

2 - Shadow of the Day (Linkin Park)

US: #55 / FR: Not on the list

At the time, looking back at the previous years and everything I had been through, this song was extremely relatable, and powerful, and it was very difficult to listen to it without crying because that crescendo at the end was almost too beautiful. It was like a suicide note written in gold. You want to admire it and maybe frame it but it’s gonna destroy you emotionally everytime you look at it.

For very, very obvious reasons, it is close to unlistenable to me since 2017. Relistening to it just to make this list made me cry my eyes out on my f█cking desk.

This would probably top the list without all the painful bagage that comes with it. Can I genuinely put a nearly unlistenable song so high on a list even if it isn’t at #1? Considering how mediocre the pool of 2008 hit songs is, I can, and I will.

I’m also still crying, by the way.

1 - Viva la Vida (Coldplay)

US: #13 / FR: #44

Behold, the thrilling beginning of “Johannes finally loves Coldplay” Act 2, that would reach its epic conclusion with Life In Technicolor II a year later, one of my favorite songs ever from the band, but sadly (or not, there’s already a shit ton of great music in 2009 and I’m not even sure I can make a top 10 instead of 12) isn’t elligible for 2009.

Anyhow. Bells? Strings? Actual energy in a Coldplay song? Epic choirs? Lyrics that tell an interesting story? Actual... fun?? What happened to these guys? Were they even the same band?

I still don’t know what happened but that was so, so refreshing. I was sincerely hoping they’d stay on these new tracks, and they definitely did.

Good.

Next up: Johannes was dead certain the song they wanted to put at the top of the list was elligible, but it isn’t, and many walls were punched that day

[smokeybrand]

Bad Manager

Story time. All this talk of Karens has got me reminiscing about my time in retail. Way back in the wild of my youth, before my chick and i really started getting heavy into out relationship and she mellowed me out, I was a manager at the most ghetto Gamestop in the greater Sacramento area. I actually got the job like i got most things back then; After an argument over Dragon Ball Z. That’s actually how i met my chick, and argument over DBZ, but i digress. I had a thirty minute debate with the assistant manager at the time and he immediately gave me an interview with the store manager. This is, of course, before i found out how sh*tty Gamestop corporate is in real life. In about a year, I worked my way up from seasonal part-time, all the way to Store Manager and i have a Karen story for each phase of my brief career.

Seasonal Part-Time: When you’re a part timer at the ‘Stop, you are basically house b*tch. They make you do the most mundane bullsh*t. Clean the bathrooms, take out the garbage, vacuum the stores, etc. B*tch sh*t. The most mundane task you have, though, is f*cking alphabetizing the goddamn game racks. I HATED that sh*t. it was tedious and f*cking stupid. Once, it took me my entire four hour shift just to properly arrange the PS2 rack. Sh*t was whack, son!

So i finish this sh*t early one day, probably about an hour and a half before i’m off, and this Karen comes in with her kid. He wants a PS2 game. Fine. This little asshole f*cks up the entire system because he can’t find his game. I kept telling the little sh*t that everything was in alphabetical order but he ain’t care. He’s an idiot. After about ten minutes of watching this bundle of cooties and Capri Sun ruin my hard work, i ask him if he knows what “Alphabetize” means and his mom blows up! She accuses me of being cruel and how i had no right to chastise her child and that she would have my job.Obviously, this dumb b*tch escalated the scenario and i had to get my manager. She actually demanded a free game because i asked if her kid understood the order of his ABCs.

Full-Time: Once you graduate to full-time, you get to be looked upon like you are a responsible individual and not house b*tch anymore. There’s usually new part-timers for that. I became third key, a person who’s basically management but gets no management pay, after the ASM who hired me, left. Everyone moved up a rank after that. I started getting opening shifts and sh*t. This is before i was disillusioned with work life and still applied myself for faceless conglomerate who see you as expendable numbers. Don’t worry, we’ll get there soon. Since i’m Third Key, i get opening shifts now. Still don’t do payroll or take corporate calls, but i do everything else management does. As such, thee  are days when it’s just me in the store. I’m the proxy manager because the two others above me make too much hourly and it’s cheaper for me to act as management instead of paying actual management.

It’s, like, six minutes before the store closes. My pat-timer is winding down their ABCing busy work because corporate decreed it so. I’m closing out one o the registers and setting the alarm on the safe to open because that sh*t takes, like, 30 minutes and my ass wants to go home ASAP. We are breezing, man, and about to be out this b*tch in record time. NOPE! Six minutes, man. I remember very distinctly because i glanced at the little clock on the register. Six minutes. This wild Karen rushes my door with her four goddamn crotch spawns six goddamn minutes before lock up! They destroy my store. My part-timer and eye can only watch in dismay. all that work. all that prep. all of it, mute. The f*cked up thing? This b*tch ain’t even buy nothing. We were located next to a Togos.She had the audacity to walk up and small talk at me about how they were waiting for their sandwiches to finish and just needed to kill time.

I tell her that we were closing and she told me, and i quote, “Not with me and my kids in the store.” 9 rolls around and  tell her we have to lock the doors and she’s like, “Go ahead.” I explain to her that i’m not legally allowed to lock up the store with customers on the premises. She looks me dead in the eyes and says, “ Well i guess you’re gonna get some OT tonight then, right?” I’ll never forget that sh*t. That was the first time i felt Retail Rage. I wanted to murder this b*tch. Straight up keelhaul this hoe and set her little monsters on fire. I maintained my composure and after about forty extra minutes, they left. I ended up finishing the close by myself because i had to sen the part-timer home. that’s ABCs, Shelving, closing registers, re-timing the safe, etc. I didn’t get ot of that store until about 11 pm. And had a morning shift at 7. All because a Karen turned my store into a waiting room/playground six minutes before close.

Assistant Manager: My Store Manager got into some sh*t with corporate and they fired him on straight BS. Probably time card fraud, i dunno. I do know he had been with the company for eleven years so f*ck em. I got bumped up to Second Key. Got a little it of a raise. Made schedules now, officially, even though i’d been doing that sh*t since i was Third Key. It’s fine. I can do refunds now and give discounts. I’m “The Manager” and, boy, do you hear about it!

Gamestop is about money. They never want to lose a sale. As such, we have a POS system that let’s you look up merchandise throughout the district. If we don’t have something, we can send you to another store that does. That’s how this story starts. I get a call from another store asking about a game. We have one copy left. They tell me to hold it because someone is coming to get it. Fine. Karen comes in a backpack full of trade-in to pay for this game and get a few extra credits for a birthday gift. Whatever. Back then, we had to test every game that came i. This b*tch had, like, 30. Fine. She also had an old, ratty, PS1. The rectangle ones. That was going to be an argument because she was only getting, like, four dollars for it. She kept gloating about how she got it at launch when she was young and what not. Motherf*cker was as old as Jesus. Also, it rattled. We found out later that was because there was dead roaches in it but that’s a story for another day.

I finish this ridiculous trade in; Tested all the games, made sure they read on both PS2 and PSOne. a few were too scratched to read so i had to run them through the disc cleaner and they ended up being viable after. I trade all of this sh*t in, and the b*tch gets upset when i tell her she’s walking out with less than a hundred in credit and even less than that in cash. She blows up on me, demands to see my manager. I tell her i am the manger, and she just starts going in. I immediately disengage and become visibly indifferent because, if i don’t, i would have beat that b*tch up in front of her children. Like, straight up curb stomp cunts and sh*t. She berates me for being an hourly employee and how she makes more than i do the entire year in a week and all this other sh*t. She just kept getting more and more upset at the fact that i was indifferent to her bullsh*t. B*tch even drops the n*gga wit hte hard “R” a few times, like i didn’t notice. I maintain through all of this racist disrespect. That ain’t what she expected and it definitely wasn’t the reaction she wanted. She demands the corporate number, takes all her games, leaves the Sony RoachMotel, and storms out. I get written up a week later for being an asshole to the customer. I literally just stood there while she turned bright red racist hulk, all over my person, but i’m in the wrong. Okay, Karen.

Bad Manager: My Senior ASM quits because Gamestop is on that bullsh*t so now i’m big man on campus. My DM is forced to promote me to acting Store Manager. Basically, i’m responsible for everything the actual manager does, but i don’t get paid what the manager i pad. It’s that Third Key bullsh*t but, you know, not. By now, it’s been about six months and i do not care. Full on disillusioned and well on my way to outright militant. That’s what Retail does to you. It slowly kills your joy and makes you hate people. I already hated people but this? This sh*t just effortlessly validated why. So it’s me and the other ASM in the store. I hire some regular to round out the staff an change literally everything about the store.

First thing to go was that whack ass dress code. I believe you do your best work when you’re comfortable so it had to go. The next thing i nixed was the ABCs. That sh*t was stupid and a waste of time. As long as the helves were neat, we were good. The next thing i did was spread the reserve and sh*t around. I held a meeting and everyone agreed that was best for the entire store. Numbers were met and no one straggled. Everyone got to keep their jobs and i didn’t have to cut hours. The last major change i instituted was letting staff play games, in store, during downtime. If everything was legit int the store and it was slow, go ahead, pop one of the used titles in a test station, and have a blast. I don’t care. Just don’t be a dick to customers because i don’t want to get hassled. I don’t want you to get hassled. No one wants t get hassled. The time that i was in charge of that store, our numbers were spectacular and we killed even the richest stores in the district. It’s dope how well a team works together when they have high morale ya dig.

One day, i get a call from my new Third key. He and his part timer, his wife at the time, were opening. I wasn’t scheduled to come in that day but he was hysterical. Apparently, this Karen didn’t like her trade in quote and called the f*cking cops. Sac PD was in my store, intimidating the sh*t out of my staff, all because this b*tch thought she deserved more than 20 dollar for her used Gamecube or some sh*t. I walk my ass all the way to work, on my day off, and diffuse the situation with the cops. I explain that prices are set by corporate and there was nothing we could do about the trade in value. I then ask way the f*ck they were even giving validity to this crazy b*tches allegations when she freely admits nothing of hers was actually stolen. Cops didn’t like my questioning their motives and hassled us for another thirty minutes but whatever. They left eventually. I left. The Karen left. The it came back.

This b*tch was in my store for a total of three f*cking hours, trying to sabotage every transaction throughout my Third Key’s shift. Eventually, he clocked out and left. His wife stayed for a few extra hours and this Karen b*tch took the opportunity to just assault her with insults. My part-timer maintained a strong facade. I was so proud of her, man. A lot of the sh*t said was very cruel personal attacks about my part timer’s heritage and status. She was a Ukranian refugee, came over to escape Russian aggression. Gorgeous chick, for real. Very funny. Very affable. Bluest eyes i’ve ever seen on a person. They were unnervingly clear and mad piercing. She was also dummy thicc. Like, she had that super stronk Snow Bunny charm. Let’s just say i made sure to schedule her for a full shift when the Madden and 2K reserves went live.

Anyway, the actual scheduled ASM just hid in the back room while this assault was occurring because he was weenie. Sweet kid, total puss. Karen was going in on how immigrants were the worst and that since she couldn’t understand my part timer’s accent she didn’t deserve to be in the country or have this job. She effectively called her a slut, several times, by insinuating she probably “F*ck your big black boss for this job.” My part timer endured for hours. When she took her break, she immediately called me in tears. She filled me in on the situation. I couldn’t make it back to my store fast enough, man. i blew up on this Karen. I called her out on her elitist bullsh*t, her classist ignorance, and the fact that we didn’t need her stupid f*cking business. I attacked her appearance. infantilized her entire lifestyle. I told her she was a depleted cum-dumpster jealous that my part timer was so vibrant with because her genuine shine reminded the Karen of everything you lost by being a suburban cliche. A middle class punchline. I banned her for being a toxic b*tch. She left my store in gross, sobbing, tears. No one f*cks with my crew like that. I got written up again.

The next day, i was on shift and the Karen bought her husband in to “speak” with me. Part timer and i opened and this big ass, corn-fed, white boy, walks in, bobbing his head around like a rooster. I’m half-sleep behind the register because insomnia, so i let my part timer do her thing. I’m over yonder, full Sith mode, Decepticon hoodie full cowl and bad attitude, wishing a motherf*cker would. And a motherf*cker did. This motherf*cker is right red, trying to assail my part timer, again, just like his wife did before.Speaking of Karen, she’s out front, pacing the entrance like a shark, expecting the fireworks her beau was supposed to bring. Not today, Satan. My part timer was standing her ground, using a lot of firm language, but this motherf*cker is big and i start seeing him using that size to intimidate.

I, immediately, physically step between dude and my part timer. He’s about three inches taller than i am so he presses my gangster. I pull back my hood, and tell him i’m the manager of the store but i can clock out and just be a n*gga in the street if he wanted the Smoke. He didn’t want the Smoke. I called him a b*tch to his face, his wife a cock-gobbling hoe, and his mother a slut. He still did not want the Smoke. He bailed. His wife started gassing on him for being a b*tch as they both shrunk away like the cowards they really were. Never saw either one after that. I didn’t get written up for that though. No f*cks given. Bad Manager life. Gang gang, n*gga.

[twilight-town-gays]

KH3 Final Battle Trailer Summery

Sorry for the late post, this trailer drained me emotionally and when I'm trying to recover, not great for productivity, but here we are!!

-opens with Xehanort summoning Kingdom Hearts and Sora narrating

-either KH being consumed by darkness or being completed

-brief Sora shot looking very worried

-Aqua falling/being consumed by the darkness

-all new organisation members standing on top of tall pieces of rock in the Keyblade Graveyard- Demyx, Luxord, Larxene and Marluxia are clearly visible

-scene from the Together trailer of volcanic rock falling and destroying parts of the Olympus world

-SDG and Mike, Sully and Boo running from explosions then falling. The factory is exploding

-BUZZ VANISHES INTO DARKNESS????? UMMM?????? WHAT??

-Repunzul scene with Mother Gothal. This directly from the movie and is when she realises that she is the lost princess

-SDG and Flynn riding Maximus to presumably save Repunzul

-TIGGER!!!! Pouncing on Sora

-SCROOGE MCDUCK IS HERE!!!! Looks like he's in Twilight Town because of the surroundings and Remy is on top of Sora's head at the time

-Sora and Remy high five!! (Which is the sweetest thing ever, holy crap, I may have cried)

-Let it go scene with Elsa- looks exactly like the movie (apart from Sora is in the background)

-Krisoff running towards Anna in what would be the climax of the movie

-Captain Jack Sparrow fighting Davy Jones

-Sora attacking dark Baymax with Baymax's help!!

-Stitch summon/link shown in action

-RIKU. RIKU IS THE SECOND PLAYABLE CHARACTER AHHHHHH!!!!! HE'S FIGHTING AGAINST A DEMON TOWER!!

-He is using Dark Firaga but has no focus bar (and no party members). The keyblade that he is using is Braveheart

-looks like Sora has a Ratatouille themed keyblade with one of the forms called frying pan!!

-rare heartless minigames are back in what looks to be a similar thing to Mushroom XIII from KH2

-Sora dancing in Cornona!!!! Most we've seen of the dancing minigame!!! (Also, Sora is breakdancing which has links to Ven)

-heartless (mini?)boss montage across the worlds

-I'm not entirely sure but it looks like we can use the gigas in Monsters Inc??? At least, it looks like it's there

-SORA FIGHTING DAVY JONES!!!

-Battle Of 1 Million Heartless Gameplay (it looks like the heartless in the backgroynd are 2D sprites in order for the consoles to actually cope)

-Kairi talking to Lea about training

-Kairi quotes Xion which makes Lea recall some memories

-Sora unsuccessfully tries to strike Young Xehanort with him telling Sora to find the hearts connected to his

-SAÏX FACE REVEAL!!!!!!!! LOOKING GOOD!!!!

-he's talking to another member about him failing to deliver their final vessel. Looking closer I seriously haven't got a clue who this is- I thought it was Demyx, but the coat is off then Marluxia but the proportions are a little different?? I think it might just be the angle, but definitely thinking Marly

-VANITAS WHACKS SORA'S KEYBLADE OUT OF HIS HAND AND TELLS HIM TO JOIN HIS HEART WITH HIS- VENTUS APPEARS!!!!!!!

-Pete talking to Maleficent and her response was that the Keyblade War is upon them

-Chrithy talking to Sora asking if he's learnt how to restore someone's heart after losing it

-Lea and Saïx talking!!!!! On the clock tower!!!!! My heart is gonna go!!!!!

-Mickey quoting High School Musical to Sora

-Ansem the Wise and Ansem SoD talking about the people who have suffered outside of the Old Mansion. Alluding to Naminé?

-Riku and... Riku fighting- I think this might be Repliku??

-Young Xehanort getting inside Sora's head again and ending with and ominous "there's no saving you". Looks like this is taking place in San Fransokyo?

-Sora, Riku and Kairi fighting off heartless

-Lea asking a hooded figure who they are, with them pointing their key at him. Xemnas is looming behind them (this has gotta be Xion!!!!)

-Xemnas then proceeds to do the attack that gave me a hard time from the first time I played KH2- the infinite bullets- on Lea with Saïx watching in berserk mode

-chains grab Sora and Ven. These look like a dark version of Eraqus' chains, so this has either got to be Aqua or Terra doing this

-Mickey getting sucked into one of Luxord's cards

-laser attack? THEN DONALD MCFREAKING DUCK DIES?!!! I WAS JOKING ABOUT HIM DYING IN KH3- F*CKING HELL

-Kairi protects Lea from a wave of heartless

-they consume everyone around Sora, including Kairi as she reaches for Sora

-Riku protects Sora from the same fate saying "you don't believe that, I know you don't"

-followed by a very painful scream from Sora

-all of Xehanort's selfs in a new world with Sora- Scala Ad Caelum, which was once seat of power for all keyblade wielders. This looks like the concepts for Cable Town!!

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Rewatching this scene for the sweet angst, something struck me. In hindsight it's extremely obvious but I'd never thought about it this way.

There's the very obvious parallels with Qui-Gon's death, down to Satine caressing Obi-Wan's cheek, there's that amazing bit of mirrored exchange, where Obi-Wan starts off confrontational and angry and Maul gloating, and then Obi-Wan becomes soft-spoken and empathetic and Maul starts to shake with rage and pain and can't even properly face him, and then there's this.

Maul boasts that the Dark Side is "more powerful than [Obi-Wan] knows," that Obi-Wan's "noble flaw" is a weakness, so why is he trying to make him more powerful? Why tell him to use the Dark Side? Why basically give him a crash course about how it works? Does he want Obi-Wan to retaliate? To escape?

The obvious answer is that Maul isn't trying to make Obi-Wan more powerful. After all, he's well aware that Obi-Wan is a dogshit fighter when he's angry.

Immediately after that last quote, he says "that is not the Jedi way, is it?" as a taunt, and again in The Lawless, he insists "You should have chosen the Dark Side, Master Jedi."

So he's simply trying to destroy him as a Jedi, right? Because he knows that's what make Obi-Wan who he is, and he blames Obi-Wan for robbing him of his status along with his life, so he wants to destroy Obi-Wan's life in the ways that matter (since, as Obi-Wan says, just killing him is nothing like destroying him). But if that's the case, then we're back to the "power" issue. What's the point of destroying Obi-Wan if it's by giving him what Maul claims is his own identity, and the key to freedom?

And imo the answer lies right here:

Why would killing Satine make Obi-Wan share Maul's pain? Why would Maul regard the pain of losing a loved one (something he's completely unfamiliar with at this point) as equal to his torment? Why isn't he chopping Obi-Wan in half and keeping him alive with Nightsister magick instead? Why would the murder of one of Obi-Wan's loved ones, picked almost at random, be THE "moment" Maul has been thinking about "for years"?

I think he really isn't talking about Satine's murder in and of itself when he talks of pain. The pain he wants Obi-Wan to share isn't the pain of loss, but very simply the pain of living in the Dark Side.

That's why Satine really is just a "tool" to his vengeance, as he says, and not the main point. That's why he's so enraged that Obi-Wan insists on showing him compassion even through his fear and anger - being kind leaves you open to grief but protects from the agony of the Dark.

Maul wants Obi-Wan to Fall, to stop being a Jedi, not because he truly believes the Dark Side gives you good things, but because he knows the Dark Side makes you miserable.

He tries to freaking teach Obi-Wan how to Fall, like Obi-Wan is a Sith apprentice, because being a Sith is the most miserable you're ever going to get! He tries to make Obi-Wan suffer by making him like him! He's so self-loathing his hatred of Obi-Wan materializes as self-hatred!

And hey, that greatly complements the end of the episode - Obi-Wan resists the Dark Side and escapes the planet, and Maul revels in it and immediately loses the only person he cares about and ends up crawling and crying while Sidious gleefully tortures him. Maul falls victim to every form of suffering he wanted to inflict on Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan flies away. In the end, Maul is proven right: being Fallen really f*cking sucks.

Really accentuate that Maul wanted relief above all when he sought out Obi-Wan in Rebels. He went to the only person who had shown him actual compassion, and the person he knew was best at resisting the Dark Side - so he could finally be free.

[glasskey]

I’m Gonna Cut Your F#cking Heart Out - The June Osborne Hit List Pt 1.

You guessed it, time for our girl to finally get her own playlist. She’s been busy to say the least, so there’s certainly surplus to requirement here. Let’s start with some of her most memorable hits from The Handmaid’s Tale season 1.

Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum (Don’t let the bastards grind you down)

The infamous words of defiance and hope scrawled on the inside of June’s wardrobe from the previous Handmaid, who tragically, ultimately, let the bastards (Fred) grind her down. It was fitting that at the beginning of season 1, June had absolutely no idea what these words meant, but by the end of S2 she’d plastered them across the wall of her prison in foot high letters. Suitably she found this secret call to freedom destroyed upon her unceremonious return at the beginning of S2. We watched as Aunt Lydia and Serena proceeded to join forces to crush her spirit, leaving June catatonic and bleeding in the garden bed. It seemed poetic that June had to ask Fred their meaning, for their very essence incited rebellion and he was after all, her jailer. His response that it was a joke, indicated that the very concept of kicking against the system was laughable. It was a message contained in one of Fred’s boyhood school books, signifying a long since dead rebellious youth. Here in Gilead these words belong to June and she treats them like a prayer for strength against the resident “bastard” Fred, and his unending onslaught of rape and obsessive creepiness. The moment Fred is confronted by the words on June’s bedroom wall as he is held at gun point by Nick, is juxtaposed with his demise in that dark forest at the hands of Nick and June. The phrase signed off across his hung lifeless body marking June and Fred’s separation and the end of a sinister chapter. In her testimony June had asked for justice for the nameless, voiceless many and here it was at last, for the previous anonymous Handmaid who had hung herself in despair in the Waterford's attic.

Standing there in her room staring at those words, Fred of all people should have understood their subtext, but consumed with obsession and arrogance, he chose to ignore them. How was he to know they weren’t just a good old fashioned fuck you from Osborne, but also a prophetic warning.

What else is there to live for?

As much as I hated Fred, he did get some of the best lines and this one scene has three of his greats. This quote from Fred and the philosophical debate he has with June is one of my favorite Osborne moments. It encapsulates the difference in nature between their respective two worlds. Fred’s musings about life pre Gilead come loaded with allusions to men and women’s displacement from their traditional roles. Fred, and later Lawrence, argue that as these lines blurred and women attempted to exceed their “biological destinies”, men felt they lost their purpose and society crumbled. Fred believes that the sole purpose of humanity is to breed and perpetuate the human race, anything else such as love, is nothing more than sentimental garbage invented to facilitate this process. “Now you’re free to fulfil your biological destinies….what else is there to live for?” he asks “Love” June replies almost astonished at his ignorance. To her the answer is so self-evident and obvious; because unlike Fred she’s actually experienced it, and isn’t the emotional equivalent of a cavernous black hole. He scoffs dismissing it as lust, and she unfortunately overestimates the length of the leash Fred has her on. She drops the careless quip; “Maybe for you, but not for me”, questioning both his emotional depth and the authenticity of his feelings for Serena. He is less than amused. He proceeds to give her a not so subtle warning by telling her exactly what they did to Emily. It’s clear that in this world women’s needs or pleasure are not only irrelevant, but a hindrance to the cause.

Fred then drops what is possibly my favorite line for this entire series; “Every love story is a tragedy if you wait long enough”, it speaks volumes about the deterioration of his and Serena’s relationship. Once loving and affectionate it has become bitter and resentful within the bounds of Gilead, for in Gilead, anything beautiful decays. These words are both heartbreaking and loaded with foreboding, and it’s poetic that upon leaving his study she runs straight into Nick. The similarities and differences between Fred and Serena’s and Nick and June’s relationship are played out time after time throughout the seasons. This moment in particular leaves you wondering, will the other shoe indeed drop? Or are Fred and Serena actually the antithesis of what Nick and June will eventually become? Fred’s a cynic, he’s a monster but he can also recognize that Gilead comes at a personal cost to June and here we see the closest thing to an apology or at the very least an acknowledgment from Fred: “Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some.” It is notable that June, quotes this back to Nick in season 2, reluctant to abandon both he and Hannah in a place where love is not a purpose but merely a device.

What are you gonna trade us for? Fucking chocolate?

Here June gets her first lesson in just how much of a commodity women have become, on a global scale, even to other women. Alma lets her know from the very beginning the seedy details of the deals that are actually being made, and it sure as fuck isn’t for oranges. June unfortunately thinks that the Ambassador has some sort of interest in June’s imprisonment and if she only knew the appalling conditions June was being kept in she would undoubtedly do something about it. She’s wrong. When they first met she dutifully kept her trap shut, but then Serena had to go and parade all those children around in front of her. The spoils of Gilead and the consequence of the Handmaids enslavement. When the Ambassador turns up toting a tin of choccy to thank June for her candor about life in Gilead she lets her know exactly what being a Handmaid is all about, complete with the eye gouging and cattle prods. Contrary to belief she hasn’t sacrificed herself to the glory of Gilead; she was kidnapped, enslaved and her own child stolen. The Ambassador is of course horrified but willing to do exactly jack shit about it lest it endanger her trade deal for a shipment of Handmaids.

June’s suitably stunned and angry; she’s demanding some answers. Turns out the Ambassadors country desperately needs repopulating; although I was challenged to see what shipping over some fresh wombs would do without the whole Gilead old timey scrub down to go along with it, as this actually seemed to be the secret sauce. June accuses the Ambassador of trading the Handmaids for chocolate, it’s a stab at her moral fiber; chocolate serves no purpose but pleasure, it’s a trivial luxury, and as such she must view these women as mere chattels to trade them for it. If these people want to start trading red tags, June will make sure they see exactly what it costs them personally, and it’s a lot more than oranges and chocolate.

I’m sorry Aunt Lydia

Here we see the birth of Mayday or rather June’s true baptism as its unofficial leader. When faced with the prospect of stoning Janine to death, June chose instead to give Aunt Lydia the equivalent of the middle finger in front of her peers, complete with a smug “I’m sorry Aunt Lydia.” Much to Aunt Lydia’s horror her buddies all followed suit…..it was enough to make a cuddly old fascists blood boil. As the Handmaids walked in lockstep back to their respective homes, there was an undeniable new confident swagger to them. Nevermind, Gilead will shortly torture and terrify that out of them, but the damage is done, the rebellious rot has now set in for good.

Janine was the best behaved one out of the bunch and even she ended up a stone’s throw away from a salvaging; it could have been any one of them and they all knew it. In your run of the mill dictatorship, unquestioning loyalty is bred through fear and the reward of remaining alive. However, Gilead seemed to have made the fatal mistake of punishing it's innocent, leaving the Handmaids to reach the logical conclusion that they were fucked either way. Regimes such as these are ripe for rebellion. Gilead had unintentionally turned their handmaids attire from a ritualistic binding into a rebels uniform in one fell swoop, and unfortunately no amount of stylistic alterations were going to change it back now. This was the moment that the Handmaids realized that they had nothing to lose, and there’s nothing more dangerous than solidarity amongst those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause.

While we all wait faithfully for S6, I'll be back with more playlists. See you then.

[douxreviews]

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘Terms of Service’ Review

"The power is in the Palm(er) of your hands."

Is it rude to point out that the Emperor has no clothes, if you point out at the same time that the Emperor is super ripped and has been clearly doing a lot of cardio?

Because.... Damn, Emperor. You got it going on.

Which is, of course, my frivolous and subtextually homoerotic way of saying that there's an embarrassment of riches in this episode when it comes to things to like, but they all kind of rely on some serious glossing over of problem spots.

The problem in a nutshell can be boiled down to one thing. The basic opening foundation for this episode doesn't match at all with where things were left at the end of the previous one. I'm tempted to assume that I'd missed an entire episode worth of plot development, except that I know perfectly well that I didn't. It's almost as if the writers room broke a 17 episode series of stories and then just completely excised one of them when they found out they were only getting 16 to air.

For the love of God, CW, please start giving Legends a full boat of 22 episodes. It's getting embarrassing.

OK, so here's what I mean. A not insignificant portion of the plot development tonight entirely relies on the fairy godmother currently being under Gary's control. That's actually an inspired plot development, and his relationship both with Tabitha and with the next inheritor of the fairy godmother mantle were pure gold as far as both comedy and plot development goes.

The problem is, when exactly did Fairy Godmother bond herself to Gary? He calls to her at the end of the previous episode and she saves him from Mona as if their relationship was an established thing, but unless I missed something significant completely, that was not a thing they'd ever set up.

I'll be fair. I drink a lot of wine. If I missed something that explains this, please do let me know in the comments.

Additionally, at the end of 'Nip/Stuck,' Mona ate off Gary's evil nipple – not a sentence you get to type every day – and Gary was rushed out of the Time Bureau with unconscious Mona, Tabitha, and Neron in Ray's body. The implication strongly was that Gary's nipple was behind the mass hypnosis of the Bureau, and now that it had been destroyed the bureau was saved. Left behind to witness the bad guys escape was Nora, Ava, and Sara.

This week we open with the bad guys still in possession of the Bureau, only now it's due to Gary's influence over the fairy godmother rather than his fancy hypnotic nipple. Not only do we see no evidence of the bad guys leaving the bureau together, they aren't even all in a group anymore. Mona is imprisoned in the Bureau cells, which makes no sense if they were fleeing with her body ten minutes earlier. Neron and Tabitha aren't even there anymore as they're busy setting up 'PalmerX 2019,' a low key tech con with only one panel and one guest. Ava and Sara are back on the Waverider as if they'd never liberated the Bureau in the first place, and Nora is Die Harding her way to rescue Mona with no mention of how she got separated from them.

I'm sorry, show, but I have to ask. Did you smoke a gigantic bag of crack between these two episodes, or what?

It's all very frustrating, because I said earlier, where they take all of those plot threads is fantastic. Neron's plan to create fear using the monsters so that people will download an app in order to locate the monsters and in doing so sell their immortal souls through a lengthy terms of service agreement is both goat-shit crazy and completely brilliant. What's more, it would absolutely work. If you doubt it, just consider how much none of us noticed when the guests of PalmerX were shown agreeing to a terms of service agreement that they didn't read. Seriously, go back and look. The camera shots practically luxuriate on people swiping through the TOS as fast as they can, but nothing about that reads as unusual or sinister to us anymore and so we just blanked it out.

Similarly, Tabitha's plan to trick Nora into taking on her fairy godmother mantle was inspired, despite being lifted pretty completely from genie-lore, particularly Disney's Live Action Aladdin Soon in Theaters Near You. And God bless the show for keeping Jane Carr around as Tabitha. I absolutely expected that they'd find an excuse to recast Tabitha into the body of someone younger and sexier as soon as they possibly could, because that's the kind of gross thing that network execs tend to insist on. I love, love, love that they're keeping her around as Neron's love interest. And while we're talking about it, it's such a good choice for them to show that Neron and Tabitha do genuinely love each other. It would have been so easy to tumble into the cliché of a villain team eager to backstab one another.

But the best choice this episode made was in the nature of Gary Green himself. Wonderful reveal that Gary was perfectly aware the entire time that the fairy godmother was trying to get him to wish hurt on the Legends and so he was deliberately just focusing on wishing to hang out with them as a way of defying her. Even when 'Dark Gary' finally gets called forth, his glorious flow of vengeance never goes further than acne and tap dancing. Gary is a good man, fundamentally. And he's absolutely right, he does not deserve to be laughed at. I've been saying since the beginning of the season that the Legends need to face a consequence for the way they're played Gary as convenient bait that can be had for a little flattery. I think they finally learned that lesson here.

Which brings lastly to John Constantine, in a plotline I like to call, 'This should absolutely have been an entire episode all on its own.'

When they mentioned Hell's Triumvirate I briefly entertained the thought that they might be about to do the good parts of 'Dangerous Habits' that everybody always leaves out when they try to adapt it, but alas, no. It felt right that he chose Astra over Ray, as much as it broke my heart, and it felt equally right that Astra betrayed him. Can't wait to see what will happen there when Nora gets to Hell to rescue John. I do, however, which that they'd gone with the imagery from the comics and had Astra only have one arm.

Everybody remember where we parked:

There was actually shockingly little travel this week. The Waverider just hung around Washington D.C. in 2019, and a couple of our heroes went to Hell, which may or may not equate to the same time zone, it's hard to tell.

What is interesting is the reveal that Zari grew up a little outside of D.C. Did we know that already, or was that a reveal of convenience this week? Zari appeared to me to be in the 8-10 range, although I am a notoriously bad judge of age so she might be a bit older. That actually answers a couple of longstanding questions I was pondering last year about what baby Zari might be up to in our time period.

Zari mentions that it's only a few years away from when ARGUS takes over everything and creates an anti-Meta, anti-Muslim Dystopia. We're all kind of assuming they're just never going to deal with that, aren't we?

Quotes:

Sara: "Mick, Nate, do you think you can handle Tabitha?" Mick: "Granny’s dead."

Sara: "OK, can you guys stop being dragon baby crazy right now?"

Gary: "And now I have three nipples, because a spare never hurts." Having a third nipple was historically a sign of witchcraft. There is a zero percent chance the writers don't know that.

Calibraxis: "You’re dead, demon hunter!" Constantine: "I was gonna be a demon proctologist, but the pay wasn’t as good."

Calibraxis: "I’m a demon, not a pirate, John."

Zari: "It’s a demon app. I’m gonna read the fine print."

Charlie: "If I die, I’m gonna come back and haunt you." Zari: "I would love a ghost friend."

Nora: "Gary, you dick!"

Bits and Pieces:

-- This season has for some reason brought up a lot of embarrassing confessions from me. Adding to the list that already contains my love of semiotics and the assembly of flatpack furniture, this week I have to tell you how much I love logo design. Honestly. I bring this up because the PalmerX logo is a masterwork. The solid 3-D cube implied by the background framing device conveys an unspoken implication of solidity and dependability with the third implied square breaking the frame and shooting 'toward' the viewer implying a daring willingness to work outside conventional rules and by implication 'think outside the box.' The coloring, meanwhile, subtly underscores the 'Palmer' portion of the name, thus reinforcing the higher brand. Honestly, and with no ironic joking involved, the PalmerX logo is a f*cking masterpiece of work.

-- I actually have a startling number of opinions on the quality of logo design. Feel free to ask, but I warn you that the answers get lengthy.

-- I get that they were underscoring the connection between Tala Ashe and Zari's younger self, but that hairstyle just fundamentally did not work for her. That's actually kind of rare and notable for her. Just about every hairstyle they've ever given her has looked gorgeous.

-- Looks like Wixtable the dragon is hatching in time for the season finale.

-- I went back and forth on whether or not it was smart or stupid for Zari to have brought the egg with her on the mission. Ultimately, I think there was no guaranteed safe place for the egg, given how often messed up stuff happens on the Waverider when they aren't there.

-- I hope Nate is understanding about Zari leaving the egg behind.

-- So many questions about why Nate has a 'Kid Steel' costume hanging around. And why Gary picked it.

-- This week's fabulous dress watch. Jane Carr looked stunning in that evil black number she adopted once she'd ditched her godmother duties. Also, the designer of that asymmetrical sheath number that Nora wore to PalmerX is underpaid. Regardless of how much he or she is paid, they are underpaid. That dress was amazing. Please, please, Courtney Ford, tell me that you stole that dress and have it in your personal collection. Also, call me. We'll brunch.

-- They're really getting their money out of the Stein puppet. Bless.

-- Hell's triumvirate included Satan, not Lucifer. Which means a crossover with Lucifer is still possible. Fun fact, in the comics the triumvirate in Hell stepped in to rule when Lucifer left to go open up his nightclub in LA. Which means it all totally works together if they can get Tom Ellis to make a stop in the Waverider. And then possibly he and Matt Ryan could share a torrid embrace and... I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?

-- That's like the third episode in a row where they've mentioned Damien Darhk. Dare we hope to see him again next season?

If you squint at it and assume that we missed an episode of plot development, this would easily be a four. Sadly, we can't, and so I can't in good conscience give it more than three out of four fantastic logos.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[hopeless-weakness]

2022 Books I’ve Read

112/150

Violet Craves by Bex Dawn

(The Trichotomy of New York book #.5)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book ends on a cliffhanger-ish!

Trigger Warnings include:

racial and sexual slurs, talk of sexual orientation/coming out and the struggles associated with that, physical and mental abuse, death/murder, drug/alcohol use. 

kinks that include: choking, breath play, orgasm denial, impact play, spitting, hitting/slapping, bondage, gagging, degradation, edging, and more.

This is the PERFECT set up for a series! We get to spend time with the characters without being interrupted by the world around them. And after getting to know the characters, that definitely makes a difference! Between the dedication, trigger warnings, and playlist I was 100% IN from the beginning! We are introduced to Violet first. She’s officially through her divorce, the smutty book she’s been writing to get her through it is completed, and now it’s time to celebrate! So what are the chances that those glorious men she’s been eyeballing at the gym, who her book characters are based on, are at the SAME CLUB she ends up at. Oh, the chances are GREAT since it was perfectly planned. And boy do they have PLANS for her! You’ll have to read to find out how perfect they are to her, for her. For as demanding and controlling as they are, they’re equally compassionate and gentle. We get so many details throughout the book, and the best timed switching of POVs to each of the guys. It isn’t until the end we find out the truth of their identities…and it is a glorious twist of events that makes me SO excited for more! I wasn’t expecting to get emotional reading this. But there was a moment that cracked my heart. And now I am completely protective of these men! The already established connection between the guys, and the immediate undeniable connection between them and Violet was plenty enough to leave me needing more! And then you tack on their true identities…and I’m addicted!

good girl: 8

Little Flower: 31

kitten: 41

princess: 38

My Favorite Quotes:

• “Do you enjoy making every c!ck in here hard?”

• “Don’t talk about my hard c!ck unless you’re willing to take care of it.”

• “Your anger turns me the f!ck on. It will be so much more fun to toss you around my bed with your claws out.”

• “We may demand things of your body tonight, but you have the final say.”

• “We want to f!ck you with those on.”

• “What you need to do is shut your pretty little mouth and do as you’re told.”

• “Roll your eyes at me again, I f!cking dare you.”

• “I would dislocate my jaw for these men.”

• “I don’t need to know you to destroy you for all other men that come after me.”

• “That was just a taste of what’s in store for you tonight. You’re ours for the night. Ours to f!ck, ours to dominate, ours to ruin. Our perfect, pretty little f!ck toy.”

• “New kink unlocked.”

• “I want to feel your c!ck while we f!ck her together.”

• “You sound so f!cking pretty when you beg.”

• “You’re so f!cking beautiful when you cry like this.”

• “You did so good sweet girl, I’m so proud of you.”

• ‘I let three nameless men f!ck, degrade, debase and use me last night. But it wasn’t until this exact moment that I truly felt dirty.’

8/10 BDSM

10/10 Dirty Birdy

10/10 Reverse Harem

goodreads account

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[darkzorua100]

So is it safe to call Yusaku/Playmaker x Takeru/Soulburner “Firestormshipping”now? Because oh my god, Soulburner is freaking extra. The freaking dude shows up in a f*cking fire tornado. I love how much he is trying to one up Revolver, it is amazing. Screw Yusaku and Takeru meeting, I want Takeru/Soulburner and Ryoken/Revolver to meet now. That is going to be the best five seconds of interactions ever before they out right try and kill each other.

But yeah, what did I think of episode 48? Well for the most part, it was just the conclusion of Playmaker vs Bowman but can I just say that Bowman is not helping with the whole brainwashing theory. It looks like that yellow glowing thing around him was controlling him and once that was gone, the dude just starts freaking out, wondering what was going on. Also, it was confirmed that Bowman and Haru are siblings (I don’t think blood related though) and apparently they are fighting to regain their memories of something (of them not being human I’m guessing) and then Bowman’s eyes starts glowing and it looks like he’s being controlled again. 

And once again, I am scared for Yusaku because I’m convinced he’s going to end up brainwashed by the end of this if this has anything to do with the Lost Children or their connection to the Ignises. It also doesn’t help the theory of Takeru/Soulburner being our Vector for the show since Bowman’s eyes started glowing the same color as Soulburner’s pupils. There are a lot of close ups of the eyes that you can look at for yourself if you don’t believe me. Yu-Gi-Oh has made me paranoid even about the smallest of things if you couldn’t have tell.

Other then the foreshadowing to something bigger going on, we got three new important monsters for Yusaku during this duel: his Ritual Monster, Cyberse Magician (which honestly came out of nowhere and after ARC-V, I’m really surprised that no one really made a big deal out of it (then again, its been a three month time skip so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised that Yusaku now has that in his deck and wasn’t just an ass pull out of nowhere), his Ritual Link support monster, Cyberse Witch, and our final Code Talker, Shootingcode Talker, which got him the win in the end which reminded me way to much of GX (when Judai would use Feather Shot and the Avian combo to get over only using one monster to attack per Battle Phase). 

So after that duel, Playmaker tries to get Jin back and Ai ends up devouring a Ignis virus instead so now he’s out of commission for a bit until he can get it out of his system. Guess we know now why he isn’t in the cast list for episode 49. All we are going to get from him is just groans in pain if anything. 

Haru shows up to rescue Bowman and sends in his lackeys, Bit and Boot, to by them some time to get away. And that’s when Mr. Extra shows up with red lighting and everything. How the actual hell did he even do that? I don’t know and I don’t care, that’s how you make an entrance!

Even before this, Soulburner and Flame showed up at the beginning of the episode before the opening, watching Playmaker on the top of the new Link Vrains’s tower. Soulburner talks about how they found Flame’s “friend” while Flame states that Ai isn’t his friend and that he is nothing but an “airhead” and for Soulburner to not associate him with the other Ignis. Wow, I feel bad for the other Ignises now. Ai has not given them a very good reputation, has he?

So yeah, it looks like Soulburner is taking on Bit and Boot next week while Playmaker goes after Haru and Bowman. So how badly do you guys think Soulburner is going to destroy them? I just want to know if he is going to be using Fusions and if that dragon we see of his in the opening and ending is a Fusion. If it is, regardless if Soulburner = Vector 2.0 isn’t real, the dude is going to end up losing his mind sometime during this show because Fusion Madness is a real thing in Yu-Gi-Oh. You can’t use Fusions without losing your mind at some point or another. 

And once again, I just love how extra Soulburner is because he just summons a ball of fire in his hand, yes he can do that apparently (what did I say about him having fire powers again?) and I quote “I’ll burn you up with these flames!” 

Oh Soulburner is going to be such a cocky little bastard, isn’t he? Watch as Takeru is the exact opposite and an absolute klutz that Flames spends yelling at all the time. I’m so looking forward to seeing their partnership next week and just more of Soulburner in general because I already love this guy just for that entrance alone. A f*cking fire tornado, are you seriously boy? That is just amazing. 

And in the distance, you can hear Ryoken screaming as he loses his boyfriend to this asshole. The freaking look they gave each other. I love it. 

#Firestormshipping FTW (I still love Datastormshipping to death before anyone says anything)