#those two are always bonkers insane but they are ON ONE this season

[to-be-a-dreamer]

I can't even explain why but this is one of the funniest screencaps I've ever taken

[thelongestway]

some very sudden and unoriginal Star Trek Prodigy thoughts

do we know from anywhere that the Living Construct was developed by the Vau N'Akat?

because I was just thinking on the thematic parallels of two civilizations suddenly tearing themselves apart. to a point, this could be a product of the Vau N'Akat sense of poetic justice. but I am suddenly not so sure it was. now, I might be deeply misremembering, but I woke at 1 AM to write this, so hear me out.

either the fault lines in Vau N'AKat society need to run deep enough that slight provocation could tear them wide open, or… the Living Construct is neither Vau N'Akat nor Starfleet. Instead, it's entirely its own. Perhaps something of an eldritch opposite to the Borg: an entity which tears apart social connections instead of forging them by force. Most obviously by messing up language; a living punishment for daring to build a Tower of Babel. But perhaps also in more subtle ways?

and who should be able to work on that ship if not people whose existence has hitherto been defined by profound, destructive loneliness? who are always resigned to the possibility that it could, in the end, be their fate?

there is nothing more the Construct can do to those who have lived and breathed loneliness and know it as the baseline norm of existence unless they do something about it with their own hands. Who would it attack? Dal, the only one of his kind, raised by a particularly ruthless Ferengi? Rok-Tahk, perceived as monstrous and dimwitted when she is curious, smart and kind? Zero, who has already lived through being torn away from their people and their link, and has been used as a weapon for who knows how long afterwards? Jankom Pog, alone on a Sleeper ship, with his bitter "if there's one more problem I can't fix, how can I call myself an engineer" and dreams of royalty? Murf, who is too alien to participate in most forms of communication the others form together? The only person who has had even shreds of recent belonging was Gwyndala, and that ended on-screen, with "You chose the ship."

and Janeway. the right way, the wrong way, and the Janeway way, as that recent post said on the insane, warping loneliness of command and loyalty when you're 70k light years away from home (or however long it was). and the Protostar Janeway cannot even rely on her experience being lived.

but the Construct knows Protostar Janeway, and it knows what she misses. so it stays dormant and infects an optimistic Starfleet, used to Community.

In this context, the Construct could easily be the first cause, and at the same time the Vau N'Akat could just as easily have thought it originated from Starfleet. Imagine if the Protostar came in with that weapon embedded in it (from Wormhole shenanigans*), and collectively Chakotay and the Vau N'Akat figured it out too late, at which point the Vau N'Akat decided it was Starfleet's plan all along. Chakotay crashing his ship Prophets knows where makes sense: isolate the isolator. In this case, the Borg being weird about the construct makes sense (need to rewatch), and also Zero being able to just walk out on them. Way less attack surface.

And another thing: the training the Diviner puts Gwyndala through is insane. he wasn't just preparing a wartime interpreter, that'd be a couple of languages plus a Drednok. Teaching a child… Dozens if not hundreds of languages? Why? What past war and experience was he preparing her for? Why make her learn ways of thinking until she could know most of the races in the galaxy blind? Was he ensuring that, no matter what, she could reach someone? Even if everyone else were to be affected - in the land of the blind, the one-eyed lady is queen.

I really, really want to see how season 2 will handle it. and I have faith that they will, and that they will find a new home. we need more linguistics in our science fiction, and even if this theory is totally bonkers, the themes of loneliness, understanding, and literally being able to speak to one another will be there. because the writers are good, and that's what they chose to explore, and showed it like 5 min in of episode 1.

I think Suzette Haden Elgin would've loved Star Trek Prodigy, and that it would be a high compliment.

*crack version: it's a stray Pah-wraith. Instead of "why do you exist here", it goes "you HAVE and WILL ALWAYS exist HERE". The Bajorans were mostly immune to them for the same reason the Prodigy crew is: there is a limit after which loneliness and uncertainty become the default, and then those beings lose their power (and the people thrown into it? die or have the kind of scars we're shown). And also this is how they get Kai Winn - after what, four decades including concentration camps and empty prayer? Took 'em a while EVEN WITH the seeds planted for them by Winn Adami herself!

[heungmins]

Anon from before and oh my god… you understand me perfectly. Sonny loving Harry loudly because he wants everyone to love and see Harry like he does but Harry loving Sonny quietly because he wants to be the only one who loves Sonny like this. I’m going to pull my hair out.

It just really gets me, you know. The way that Harry is Harry Kane, Tottenham legend and England captain, and how he’s built this personality over the years that he shows to the media. Solid, dependable, stoic, whatever you want to call it - he’s not the kind of guy who shows a lot of emotion in interviews or towards reporters. But man, when Sonny’s there with him? He changes, he lights up, he smiles and laughs so much more. You can see it interviews like the “Who Am I? Tottenham Teammates” where Harry’s just so open and fond of Sonny. And even just quieter, like the video he made after the recent 4-0 win against Crystal Palace where Sonny scored, and he mentioned Sonny by name, and couldn’t control his slight smile when talking about him.

Maybe I’m insane for writing all of these about two footballers. But the way Harry loves Sonny is actually so special. The way he catches him, every time, from every angle. That’s love to me.

!!! and what also drives me bonkers is how heungmin's usually the one who needs more reassurance - he's a footballer and a captain of a national team but he still depends on the support he gets from fans and those around him a lot more than harry, and harry is very confident in himself, thrives on self-confidence more than anything. but together, it's so funny how heungmin just knows that harry loves him, is always looking out for him, and that harry's always going to be there while he goes and does his thing, but harry is always looking for the confirmation, almost. like in that interview they did in the 17/18? season after beating everton at wembley, and other interviews as well, harry always looks like a weight is lifted from his shoulders everytime heungmin goes on and on about harry… and it's just sooo… <33333

[raywritesthings]

My mind is still buzzing about Margaret thanks to that poll so bear with me for a second here. Margaret is someone who becomes good at her job overtime and over the course of her development, but the idea that she’s good at it the whole way through is bonkers to me. And I mean specifically the job of Head Nurse.

Now, she’s a good nurse the whole way through. She’s a good Major at the start, to the army’s perspective. But her job isn’t to just be a nurse or an army major, it’s to be in charge of all the other nurses. And on that score, for almost the first half of the show Margaret is a great Major for the army but not a great manager to her subordinates.

She has insanely exacting standards, which on its own would be fine; if she’s in a bad mood, she takes it out on the people around her and rarely apologizes afterwards; she will speak up in defense of the nurses when Hawkeye/Trapper/etc make what she deems (and to her credit often is) a lewd remark, yet is conspicuously quiet when Frank verbally abuses them to cover for his own mistakes; in “The Nurses” she basically blames them all for not reaching out to her to make friends when to their perspective, she’s been a hard-ass and an authoritarian who spends all her free time on her affairs (and as their boss, it was really Margaret’s job to set the tone and expectations of their relationship to her, it’s not then their fault that she set it badly). Margaret is a nightmare of a manager.

For the record, this is all also stuff that makes her a fascinating, three-dimensional, and oftentimes funny (largely down to Loretta Switt’s performance) character. It’s also indicative of how her function in the narrative changed overtime. And it would have really helped to have one or two more nurses join the main cast to really demonstrate on-screen how Margaret’s approach as Head Nurse changed and developed into something better than at the start, rather than there being a couple of brief moments here and there and a general implication that she got better.

Like sure, the nurses always respect Margaret. In the earlier seasons, that respect has just as much if not more to do with fear over her retaliating against them than any genuine admiration. Margaret definitely ascribed to the “better to be feared than loved” approach in those early days. But when it’s Hawkeye and Trapper or BJ who are having to step in to comfort the nurses or help with their personal problems, it kind of makes it obvious that they’re not going to Margaret for those things and that they probably have a good reason not to.

And I know it’s still the early seasons when Hawkeye and Klinger call her their “favorite nurse in the whole US Army” — and I love that scene! It’s crucial to Margaret’s development and the development of her friendships with Hawkeye and Klinger — but I want to stress that Margaret is neither of their direct supervisor, even if she outranks them. If Margaret treated Hawkeye and Klinger the same way she was treating her nurses at that time, there is no way they would have the same affection for her there.

I’d give Margaret the “most improved at her job” award if it existed, but I wouldn’t argue that she was always great at it.

[lazybakerart]

I stumbled across your account while in the Billy tag. I have to say I am genuinely so happy that someone out there loves him as much as I do. I am so freaking tired of defending him and justifying my love for him. And being told it’s only because I find him attractive. It makes me want to pull all of my hair out. Keep fighting the good fight! I’m not on here a lot, but if you’d like someone to talk to about him or any character. I’m here. I’m always looking for more friends, especially Billy stans. My question for you is, which outfit of Billy’s is your favorite?

my dearest. my darling. thank you.

first up, the Honorary Mention, since it's in a bit of a grey area. billy did wear this, but it was only in a photo.

the one and only crop-top

in a show that purportedly loves the 80s, the lack of crop tops was felt, deeply, and some say may have impacted the show's realism and its commitment to deepthroating nostalgia, but we got our crumbs and if anyone was going to strut around in an itty-bitty shirt, thankfully it was billy because it could only be billy. no one else could pull it off. don’t even argue. don’t even start. you know i’m right. shh.

now, let's get into it.

TOP FIVE BILLIAM OUTFITS

#5

metalhead-tastic

we don't see billy in black all that much and i am on the floor in love with this style of shirt for him because it's such a contrast to our go-to tits-out billiam that we adore. it's a crew neck + sleeveless to show off his arms. billy is all about putting his best assets out first: tits, face, ass, and - you know it - arms. he's a metalhead and he should be in more black! but i'll take what i can get.

#4

niagara baby

the most insane outfit ever. i firmly believe he stole every bit of it from the lost & found at the pool/from his coworkers. it's bonkers. it goes against everything billy believes in style wise. a cap that covers his gorgeous hair he always makes sure is Perfection. a long sleeve shirt that covers his chest and abs AND ARMS? it is iconic. it is trucker-chic. it proves billy can wear absolutely anything and still be damn hawt.

#3 

gym rat

this shirt and his gym shorts? honey. let’s not even get into the one curl that is so exact and so perfectly captures a goldilocks curl straight out of the woods that it could have only been brought into existence with precision and purpose -  we know two things about billy hargrove: he does not fuck around with his hair or girls. back to the outfit, which is really about the shirt. i love it. once again the crew neck collar, but it’s the sleeves that bumps this outfit up the list. wide open. to show off not just his beefy arms, but to give us a peek of side-boob and those wonderful abdominal muscles. this shirt says, ‘yeah, you can look, but you ain’t getting the whole show for free.’ he wants dinner first. he wants to be romanced. he wants a guy to squeeze his bicep and say ‘wow, you’re really strong.’

#2

nice and toit

season three was a hot mess, but it did give us some A++ looks and this one cannot be overlooked. it’s simple. it’s elegant. it’s rough. this is what a metalhead who drives a camaro wears. tight white tank top and a pair of tight-tight jeans. [insert that one gif of dacre and joe talking about those jeans/dacre’s ass here] you cannot go wrong with this look. it encapsulates who billy is - the irony being, of course, technically this is not currently billy wearing it, but let’s not drown in the details, lets gag on the aesthetic - it’s summer. it’s hot. it shows off everything billy wants to show off. he’s a guy who pumps iron while smoking and drinking, he is not working out to get healthy, he’s putting on mass to get that dick. it shows off his chest. his abs. his shoulders. his arms. those jeans show off every damn thing going on down there and it is nothing but good for miles. tight shirt. tight jeans. you know it. you know.

#1

the classic

when i think of billy, well, i think of a lot of things, but that denim jacket is front and center with billy hargrove. no other character quite embraces denim like billy and this jacket is like another limb for him. the cuffed sleeves. the pack of smokes in the pocket. the kiss mark on the sleeve that gives a person ideas and thoughts not exactly pertinent to this post. the cherry on top that pushes this ensemble to number one is the unbuttoned shirt. that’s billy. that’s dacre giving us a piece of himself. it’s that slip of rebellion added to the water. a white buttoned shirt half-undone to drive the population of hawkins wild + the denim jacket and those tight-tight jeans to make sure no one who looks billy’s way will think he’s someone to mess with. he’s a bad boy. he’s trouble. he’s no good. he’s looking to get his neck chomped on. he’s strutting in jeans he can barely sit down in looking to get dicked down. the classic. the original. the best. done. perfect. god i love him.

+ ★★★★★

sexy time

billy and his date night shirt. we have the iconic tight jeans telegraphing the speed at which a man could bounce a quarter off billy’s ass + THE red shirt. this is not any ordinary red shirt. this is the red shirt billy has chosen to wear to whatever date he’s been cockblocked from attending (likely with a few boys from the football team, canon was never very specific, but the subtext tells us everything we need to know on billy’s love life - dudes and a lot of them when steve still refuses to give him his number). it’s one of the only shirts we see on him with a pattern - outside of this, it’s plain colored shirts with a variety of sleeve lengths. this is his nice shirt. this is the quality shirt. this is the shirt a guy will touch and think, yeah, he’s gonna touch billy a little more. add in that it’s barely buttoned with billy’s best assets in the spotlight - eye catching + easy access - you can’t go wrong. and neither can billy. this is his fuck-me shirt. his fight-me shirt. violence and love married in red.

[birdhaslostit]

🎁🎄❄️What the Lupin Gang would do for Christmas!❄️🎄🎁

Helloooooooo Lupin fans! You may or may not remember me as that one chick who made that Halloween headcanon post a few months back, as well as the Jigen’s bangs post. I’m back with a Christmas post!!!

Please note: Personally, I really only celebrate Christmas in a non-Jesus-y way. (Which is how I’m also writing this post, because let’s be honest, do you really think Lupin is going to confession and shit? Absolutely not.) It’s purely out of habit because I was raised Catholic, but I practice witchcraft now. My family doesn’t know that though. Because of this, I considered also making posts for other winter holidays, so I could include Lupin fans that don’t celebrate Christmas. But I didn’t want to accidentally mess it up, or write something inaccurate about a holiday that I don’t celebrate. It felt disingenuous to make a Hanukkah post because I’m not Jewish and it doesn’t seem like my place, and I didn’t want to do a Yule one either, because no two people celebrate it the same way. So, I strongly encourage others to add their respective winter festivities to this post if they want to! We’re all about inclusivity here.

Without further ado:

🎁LUPIN:

I don’t feel like it needs saying, but this man goes bonkers for Christmas.

He flip-flops his choice of red or green jacket by the year. But it always comes with an equally garish Christmas-themed tie, just to make explicitly clear that this is The Christmas Jacket for the year, as opposed to the standard red/green jacket.

The hideout(s) are always decorated to the GILLS inside. It’s an odd mix of older classy decorations he’s inherited from his family, and absolutely horrendously tacky ones he’s bought himself. 

Picture real branch garlands, wrapped tastefully around gilded candelabras that have been passed down through several generations. And then one of those singing, dancing stuffed animals from Walmart that plays “Jingle Bell Rock” when you squeeze its paw, right next to it.

Christmas-themed heists? You know it, baby. But he won’t steal anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas. It just isn’t in the spirit of the season, in his opinion. But he’ll leave a little something-something with his calling cards during the rest of December. A candy cane, a sprig of mistletoe, a bough of holly, etc.

Lupin despises eggnog. He loves any other Christmas drink, just not eggnog. He’s too grossed out by the idea of drinking eggs with alcohol- some things just shouldn’t be mixed.

Will not allow anyone to mention the truth about Santa Claus in his presence. Yeah, he knows, but that’s not the point. It just feels like bad luck to say it out loud. The harder Jigen tries to debate with him that Santa isn’t real, the harder he digs in his heels that “of course he is you absolute Scrooge, how dare you! If you don’t believe, you don’t receive.”

Favorite Christmas Songs: Anything peppy! 

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney

Step Into Christmas by Elton John

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

We Need a Little Christmas by Percy Faith and his Orchestra

A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Santa Claus’ Party by Les Baxter

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Literally anything except eggnog.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Anything obscenely sugary. Especially gingerbread men and other decorated pastries.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Loves to ice skate and make gingerbread houses! But his houses usually look fairly pathetic, no matter how hard he tries.

Favorite Christmas Movie(s): 

The Grinch (Jim Carrey version)

Home Alone

Scrooged

Christmas Gifts: The king of gag gifts, but he also gives surprisingly thoughtful presents too. He’s the kind of guy that would get a person something they mentioned once offhandedly that they really liked, and he’d go back and get it for them.

🎅JIGEN:

Lupin always wants to decorate the hideout(s) the second Halloween ends, but it never happens. With Jigen being the only American in the gang, he always puts a stop to it in order to preserve the quickly-disappearing border between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What can I say, dude loves his Thanksgiving excuse to eat like shit and do nothing for a day. Even if it is a fucked-up holiday, historically speaking.

But once the Thanksgiving meal is over, he gives Lupin the okay to go crazy. He’s pretty stoked about Christmas too, but too full of turkey to contribute, so he just watches Lupin hang up Christmas lights everywhere while he lays on the couch and digests.

Jigen likes Christmas a lot, but like, in a normal person kind of way. Nowhere near Lupin’s insane level. He’s surprisingly open about his enthusiasm too. The average person would think he doesn’t really care about Christmas much (or anything else really), but to the gang, Christmastime is the most openly excited they’ve ever seen him.

One year’s Christmas-themed heist involved Jigen dressing up as a mall Santa as a part of the plan. The gang powdered his beard, gave him a pillow for his stomach, and sent him on his way. Everything went surprisingly smoothly, and he actually did pretty well with the kids. At first they were a little intimidated, and Jigen was kind of nervous- but he gave them all candy canes and they changed their minds pretty quickly.

Jigen enjoyed it a lot, actually... to the point that he may have potentially started volunteering to be the local mall Santa. Every year during December, he leaves for a day or two on “business.” Nobody in the gang can prove it though, and trust me, they’ve tried.

Favorite Christmas Songs: The classics and the chill ones, with a few rock ones thrown in for a little kick.

Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby

Sleigh Bells by Gene Autry

(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays by Perry Como

Jingle Bells by Frank Sinatra

Caroling, Caroling by Nat King Cole

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow by Dean Martin

Silver Bells by Dean Martin

Happy Holiday by Bing Crosby

Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry

Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen (Sang this once after too much eggnog and will never live it down)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Barenaked Ladies (He’s not into all the Jesus-y stuff, but it’s pretty catchy.)

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Jigen is ALL. ABOUT. THAT. NOG. He’ll make his cup a little stronger than everyone else’s.

Favorite Christmas Foods: He really likes candy canes, especially the mini ones. He’ll keep a few in his pocket with his cigs, and switch between them depending on his mood. Out of habit, it’ll usually dangle out of his mouth like a cigarette would.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Watching Christmas movies and laughing at Lupin’s shitty gingerbread houses.

Favorite Christmas Movies: 

Anything that’s on at the moment, really. He likes to lounge by the TV, and he’s not picky. 

He has a soft spot for A Charlie Brown Christmas though.

A Christmas Story, solely because of the BB gun.

Scrooged, because Bill Murray’s hilarious.

Christmas Gifts: Something practical and useful that the person never realized they needed until they opened the box.

☃️GOEMON:

Goemon wasn’t originally a huge fan of Christmas. Shocking, I know.

He now enjoys some aspects of it, and tolerates others. He likes the idea of giving heartfelt gifts and spending time with loved ones as a tradition, but dislikes the cheesy commercial aspect of Christmas.

He already enjoys the snow and walking through the forest, so the gang usually commissions him to pick a tree for them and cut it down with Zantetsuken. (If they’re somewhere where that’s an option.)

Unbeknownst to the rest of the gang, he will always replant the tree he cut down, and he will wrap something cozy around the bottom of the sapling to keep it safe. Yes, this was directly inspired by A Charlie Brown Christmas. No, he will not admit to this.

Favorite Christmas Songs: The instrumentals, and a few he’d rather die than admit to liking.

The Nutcracker March from The Nutcracker

Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker

Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Greensleeves by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Last Christmas by Wham! (He likes the storyline and the romantic aspect of it.)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid (He likes that it was for a good cause, even if it has its flaws.)

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Again, flawed, but he enjoys the intended message of peace. Also, represents Japan on the side with Yoko Ono.)

White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Surprisingly fond of hot cocoa. Heavy on the whipped cream and marshmallows. 

Favorite Christmas Foods: Doesn’t really like eating gingerbread men, but enjoys decorating them. They’re always pristine, like something you’d get in a bakery.

Favorite Christmas Activities: See above. Also enjoys going out in the snow, and making ice sculptures with Zantetsuken.

Favorite Christmas Movies: Refuses to admit he likes any of these.

Any of the classic Rankin Bass claymation specials.

Any other animated ones for kids. Has a soft spot for A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Polar Express.

A few of those cheesy Hallmark ones.

Christmas Gifts: Something small and sentimental he saw while walking by a store that reminded him of the person he’s giving it to. Nothing extravagant, but thoughtful nonetheless.

⛸FUJIKO:

Fujiko decorates the tree. Period. Lupin cannot be trusted to do this on his own. Goemon picks the tree, Lupin and Jigen put it in the stand, and from there, it’s all Fujiko. The ornaments, lights, and tree skirt are all perfectly color/theme coordinated, and arranged like a pristine store display. 

She also has a few ornaments that she bought for each specific member of the gang. Lupin’s is a monkey (he was not pleased, but he’s whipped for her, so he let her keep it). Jigen’s is a carved wooden pistol. Goemon’s is porcelain, with hand-painted sakura blossoms on it. She bought one for Zenigata too as a joke one year- a tiny bowl of ramen noodles.

Her ornament? The star on top of the tree, because she’s the star of the show, baby. It’s actually a snowflake, made of the finest crystal she could steal.

Favorite Christmas Songs: Pop music and Motown’s finest.

Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande

This Christmas by Donny Hathaway

What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder

Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes 

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

A Marshmallow World by Darlene Love

I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells) by Peggy Lee

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Hot chocolate and mulled wine.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Loves baking and eating gingerbread men. She lets Goemon decorate them with her. Hers have lots of candy and sprinkles on them, while his are just icing.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Along with baking, ice skating! She’s the best at it out of the whole group. None of the guys are particularly good at it, but she makes them go with her at least once regardless.

Favorite Christmas Movies:

Hallmark ones, solely to make fun of them.

Babes In Toyland, but only the 1986 one, because it has Keanu Reeves in it, and “I don’t care if I’m your girlfriend, Lupin. In this house, we support Keanu Reeves.”

Christmas Gifts: Something expensive/extravagant that will make the person think of her every time they use it.

🎄ZENIGATA:

Zenigata is the second biggest Christmas enthusiast, just behind Lupin.

He doesn’t get to settle down and decorate anything really, since he’s always running after the gang, but he does lots of other little things to celebrate instead. Like getting hot chocolate instead of coffee, tuning the squad car radio to the Christmas station, getting an air freshener that smells like gingerbread, and wearing a festive scarf and gloves with his trench coat to keep out the cold.

In years past, Zenigata still had to work on Christmas Eve/Christmas, even if Lupin wasn’t out stealing anything. Lupin found out and thought that was a little harsh of ICPO, so he came up with a plan. 

Each year he sends a calling card to the station with the conditions that only Zenigata can come to investigate. Zenigata does some research, shows up to the location on Christmas Eve, and every year, nothing’s there except for a neatly wrapped present from Lupin. 

Zenigata keeps the present as “evidence,” goes back to the station, and they give him Christmas off to go investigate on his own, in case Lupin tries anything else. Lupin never does, but the station doesn’t know that. Bada bing, bada boom, Lupin just got Zenigata a vacation.

Zenigata never catches on, bless his heart.

Favorite Christmas Songs: Ones he can sing/hum along to in the squad car.

The Man With All The Toys by The Beach Boys

Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins

Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano (Does Zenigata understand Spanish? Absolutely not. Does he get the point and think it’s festive? Darn right.)

A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Dean Martin

Winter Wonderland by the Eurythmics

Silver Bells by Dean Martin

Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season by Andy Williams

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town by Gene Autry

December by Earth, Wind, and Fire (Let him have this okay, it’s a good song and he gets made fun of for liking it by the rest of ICPO)

Skating by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Favorite Christmas Drinks: Hot cocoa and eggnog, but not strong eggnog like Jigen’s.

Favorite Christmas Foods: Anything, really. It’s something besides cup noodles, so he’s grateful. Lupin’s gift always includes lots of various Christmas goodies because of this.

Favorite Christmas Activities: Zenigata enjoys the snow in theory, but doesn’t handle the cold well. So he likes to watch the snow from his window while he listens to Christmas music in his squad car and sips his hot cocoa.

Favorite Christmas Movies: He doesn’t really have a lot of time to sit down a watch a movie, with how hard he works. But he remembers a few from when he was younger, and he really likes those. His favorite is Frosty the Snowman.

Christmas Gifts: Something inexpensive because ICPO vastly underpays this poor man, and he’s always embarrassed because of that, but it’s always something super sweet and heartfelt.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! And for those who don’t celebrate it, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! <3

[fandom-space-princess]

fic writer interview

tagged by @sinaesthete - thanks boo 💕

How many works do you have on AO3?

18. Somehow. I only started posting them in January, which means I've been averaging more than 2 per month?! Granted, most of them are one-shots, but still. Bonkers.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

79,889. I have contributed one novel's worth of questionable fandom content to the greater ecosystem. Joy unbounded.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

The only fics I've published where anyone else could see them (or finished, for that matter) are for Supernatural. Others exist. I may even dredge them out into the light one day. Especially the Dragon Age ones, when DA4 comes out and inflicts some inevitable violence upon my poor little heart.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In descending order:

- Wayward Family: (T, 31589 words/26 chapters) Sitcomnatural, aka Seven Fools In A Bunker AU. Stream-of-consciousness first drafts from the beginning of the year, when I was starting to catch up on the show again after having dipped out sometime around season 6-7ish originally. I honestly expected zero readership for this, and was pleasantly surprised that so many people responded so well to it. Because I was definitely still knocking the dust off my writing skills at that point, lol. Maybe one day I'll go back to it and make it better - there's definitely stuff I'd do differently next time around.

- Some Live Like Orpheus: (T, 6193 words/1 chapter) Adam rescues Michael from the Empty, featuring Adam as Orpheus and Michael as Eurydice, with special appearances from Jack and the Shadow. The first thing I wrote that I was really, genuinely pleased with myself over.

- Vox Celeste: (E, 1909 words/1 chapter) Midam smut. PWP, in fact. Lyrical, pretty smut (or at least, that's what I was going for), but all the same.

- The First Day of the Rest of Your Afterlife: (T, 4558 words/1 chapter) Sequel to 'Orpheus'. Michael and Adam having their happily-ever-after together. This might be the most utterly self-indulgent fluff I have written. I love it.

- Two Weddings and an Engagement: (T, 7812 words/1 chapter) Written for the tumblr Midam wedding day. The Love Is Requited, They're Just Idiots - truly the most trope of all time. Featuring background sabrileena, because I am a joyful polyamorous disaster bisexual and I think they should all get to be, too.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Uh. To my great shame, I mostly don't. I always want to - the fact that people take time to comment on my writing is not lost on me as an act of love involving effort, and I can't express how much it means to me. I read and cherish every single comment I get. But interacting on AO3 takes a lot of spoons for me for some reason - and usually I just. Don't have it in me.

I'm working on it.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't write much angst, because I am first and foremost a cinnamon roll in need of fluff and comfort. But it does happen occasionally. I think the angstiest fic is Reliquary - more of a ficlet, really, since it's only about 600 words. But they're 600 words of Major Character Death, and I made myself cry writing it, so probably that one.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Nah. Not really my jam.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No direct hate! The closest I've gotten was someone getting rude about characterization, which was more funny than anything else. What a strange thing to pick a fight over.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Quite happily, yes. I find physical intimacy to be very fulfilling, personally, and writing about my characters having those experiences themselves is fun.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge...?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also not that I'm aware of.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not. I kind of suspect I'd be a nightmare to co-write anything with. My writing brain works when it wants to work, not when I want it to work necessarily. And I have no way of predicting when that will be.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I have a terrible time choosing favorites of anything, so I aggressively multiship. That said, in spn? Michael/Adam. Very closely followed by (exclusively S5 & earlier) Lucifer/Sam.

Outside of Supernatural, it's kind of a tossup. Probably the DA2 OT5 polycule (Hawke/Anders/Fenris/Isabela/Merrill). I'm aware this is a ship for insane people; I will not be accepting criticism at this time 💀

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

As of now, I actually plan to finish all my current WIPs! Pyrphoros was in very real danger of ending up in WIP purgatory for a while, but fortunately or unfortunately for everyone involved, Sin read the first chapter and gave me a pile of compliments. So now I am honor-bound to finish it (<creature brain> Friend liked fic must write more fic must please the Friend </creature brain>). It's getting worked on, bit by bit around my other projects, but still. It's happening.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm decent at getting emotions across? I'm also good at vivid visualization - in my head, I can usually see very clearly what I'm trying to describe, and I feel like that's helpful in getting it down effectively. Beyond that, I'm honestly not sure what you'd call my strengths.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I have close to zero control over when I'll have both time and motivation to write. Some of that is just the reality of balancing a more-than-full-time job with my hobby. Some of it is the executive dysfunction. But it does mean that when I'll finish anything can be... unpredictable.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I can't do it, and I don't love reading it. If I have to go looking for a translation somewhere in the notes, it wrecks my immersion in the story. No shade to people who do enjoy it; languages are gorgeous, and translations are imperfect at the best of times. Often the language something is written in is inseparable from the tone and cultural context it is meant to convey. But if given the choice, I don't seek it out.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Like I said, Supernatural is the only fandom with anything published. I think the first fandom I ever actually created anything for was Buffy. (Is that cringe? Yes. But consider: I live free of the shackles of shame. I am cringe, and I am happy).

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably one of the mini Midam week ones from earlier this year. Tie between Radio Silence and Every Day's Most Quiet Need, both of which turned out much better than I expected.

Not tagging anybody this time because my brain is currently scrambled eggs, although if anyone wants to do this please consider yourself tagged and feel free!

[takaraphoenix]

As of finishing season 1 of Phineas and Ferb, how about some faves and most memorable (not always the same) songs, inventions and most insane theory they brought to the screen? If you don't mind, it's okay if you don't want to or even post this.

Of course do I not mind! I actually enjoy talking about this weird, weird show a lot!

Songs. Honestly, only the Vanessa/Candace duet about busting really stuck with me, but that is 90% due to it being a duet between the two of them.

The songs aren’t bad, they don’t make me wanna skip or anything, occasionally I sing along, but when I’m on the next episode I kind of already forgot the last song. They’re not really... memorable and so far none have woken that feeling of “I must have this song so I can relisten to it”. That’s not really bad! Like I said, while they’re on, they very much fit and I like them. Not every TV show that pumps out a song per episode can afford charts-worthy song-writing, obviously.

But I still got a lot of episodes ahead of me, so there might still be some in it that really get me. Alas, so far, I am definitely not watching this show because it is the peak musical experience I have longed for, so to speak.

Inventions. Well, that’d be two different categories then.

For one, Heinz’s inventions. Mmh... The most bonkers so far was probably, to me, that time he flew all the way to London so he could steal the Big Ben to put it in front of his house because his watch was too small. I just... He makes a lot of silly things - a lot - but the fact that he came up with all of that and thought it was less of a hassle than buying a bigger watch was... peculiar, even for him.

On the boys’ side of things, well... A favorite of mine is the haunted house they built because Isabella had the hiccups, like, that was just entirely too sweet and I loved the adorableness of it.

Another would be the golf course, because it actually... benefitted someone long-term? Usually, these inventions are one-day-and-gone just for fun, but this one was carried over to the golf course that was closed down and thus allowed the couple running it to stay in business instead of losing their source of income, thus doing lasting good.

On levels of ridiculousness though, it has to be the fucking beach. Like. As ridiculous and impossible by time as a factor alone as these inventions are, this one is just... logicistically impossible? HOW did they manage to put the water there like did they put up walls and then how did the waves work? There was a lot of water there; more than the empty lot behind their house would have provided, when it comes to space. And usually, these inventions do at least... acknowledge the fact that they have to fit into a limited space. This one, did not.

Also still THAT TIME THEY ENLARGED THE ENTIRE FREAKING UNIVERSE WITH NO CONSEQUENCES DESPITE THE DISTANCES BETWEEN PLANETS NOW BEING CHANGED FOREVER.

The most insane theories they brought to the screen? We now have three (3) separate accounts of Phineas and Ferb confirming alien life forms. They just. But no one else does. And it’s only. I just... THERE IS ALIENS AND THOSE KIDS ARE LIKE “COOL” AND THEN MOVE ON THE NEXT DAY.

Like, there’s small-scale fun stuff - like the golf-course or the haunted house - things they build and invent just for funsies. But then they do actually ground-breaking things - inventing time-travel, confirming life on Mars, inventing a devise with which they could speak to animals - and then they’re just brushed aside the end of the day and it baffles me.

[gra-sonas]

With only two episodes left to Season 2 of The CW series Roswell, New Mexico, questions are piling up and everyone is desperate for answers, as the town welcomes CrashCon and Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Max (Nathan Parsons) find themselves trying to piece together who’s behind a potentially deadly plan targeting the popular festival. Before all is said and done, there are sure to be life-or-death stakes to survive, heart-wrenching choices to endure, big moves to make, and loose ends to be tied.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Jeanine Mason talked about what it was like to make it to Season 2, getting to have a much deeper understanding of her character, what she’s learned about leading a TV series, seeing Liz come to terms with the fact that she can’t solve every problem, having her past come back into her life, the affect CrashCon will have on Roswell, her reaction to the Season 2 finale, and how Shiri Appleby has inspired her.

Collider: You’ve previously talked about doing seven pilots and a couple of TV shows that only had one season. What was it like to learn that you’d have a second season for this show, and then to also now have a third season pick-up?

JEANINE MASON: It’s crazy. It’s so bonkers. I’ve been hoping for this, for so long, that it was so cool to get that pick-up news. It’s layers of confronting the excitement and the nervousness, of course. But the most honest one for me was, I sat down, as I do every year, to work with my acting coach, who’s half of my brain, and in our first session, we started breaking down the script and I said, “Okay, so in the pilot . . .” I assumed it was the pilot again, instead of Episode 201, and he was like, “No, no, no, this is 201.” I was like, “Oh, my god, it’s 201. We’ve gotten to 201. This is crazy!” It was awesome. That was my personal favorite moment, in which it hit me that this was no longer starting from the beginning. We were getting to move forward from having a really deep understanding of these characters.

From what you just said, clearly your acting coach is important to you. Was that something that you sought out having? Was that something that you always felt like you wanted to have there for you?

MASON: It’s the way that I’ve always worked. It’s the way I was, as a dancer, as well, before this. I’m just someone who operates as an athlete, as well as an artist, in whatever I’m doing. So, it makes sense to me to have coaches. It’s also a celebration of the collaboration of it all, which is ultimately my favorite thing about this. Different people contribute and are pieces of the puzzle, and to see it all come together, it’s not just one person’s effort, so it makes sense to me to get the opinions of the people that I admire most. Along with my acting coach, I have a good girlfriend, who’s an actress, an activist, and a Chicana. I’m Cuban, so she’s another person that I lean on, a lot. She’s been indispensable for me in this process, as well. I’m just someone who loves the collaboration of it and loves having help. I love leaning on people.

How does it feel to return to a show where you’ve already set up the character, in the first season, and established these relationships that she has? What’s been the most fun about digging even deeper, in the second season?

MASON: The most rewarding thing about it has been the moments in which it really pays off, on set. We all are in a groove now, and the moments in which Lily [Cowles] will suggest a joke for Isobel, and it gets a reaction out of myself and Liz that we can possibly feel, is spot on. That’s the best feeling in the world. That is Season 2. That is the delight of having a second round.

This is also your first time leading a show. Does that get any easier in Season 2, or is it even more challenging, as they give you more because they know you can do more?

MASON: I think they would say that they’re definitely doing that, and I love it. I feel like I’m more confident and I’ve acquired a lot of skills from Season 1, that I am more proficient at now. That being said, the nature of this job is that there’s always more to learn, and I’m learning, every day, things that are just taking it up a notch. It’s asking me to be a better and more consistent number one, and I love that about this, so much. The most rewarding bit of this job has been seeing how much being in this leadership position teaches you. I always knew that. I always knew, of course, you’re gonna learn, and you’re gonna have more time on camera, more say, and more of an impact, but actually being in it, it’s insane to me. Every day, I go to work nervous because I know it’s like, “Okay, let me try to be on my game,” because I know new things are gonna be asked of me, and that’s huge. I feel like I lead every season, like an acting titan. It’s great.

Did you also have to figure out how to mentally and physically keep that up? When you’re doing 13 episodes a season, and each one has to have the same level of energy as the last one, how do you keep that consistent? Does your dance background help with that?

MASON: My dance background helps so much with that. I am so grateful. I remember being in dance class and having my teacher say to me and to all of us that, regardless of where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do, this was preparing us. I really do believe that athletics, but particularly dance, because it’s the athlete and the artist together, in a way that doesn’t really exist much, except for maybe ice skating, and I’m always amazed by the way that prepares me. I think the mindset stuff is the biggest, and that is my dad’s realm. He’s just fed me a little bit of that sports mentality, for years. Even on set, people will laugh because our camera operator and I will be talking about something and I’ll equate it to baseball, but that’s my dad. That’s the way my brain works. I’ll be like, “Okay, let’s give it another at bat.” When it gets tough and people get tired, that’s when people start to get sloppy and that’s when I can trust that I will stay on the straight and narrow. That’s a huge relief to me because then I know that I can utilize the rest of my brain to try to connect to that ephemeral thing of, can I give a great performance?

You’ve said that you knew, early on, that Max was going to die at the end of the season and that Rosa was going to be resurrected. What was your reaction, when you first heard that, and how do you feel now about the way that all played out and how that’s affected the second season?

MASON: I loved it, immediately. I thought it was so brave and that it honored the sci-fi nature of our show, but it felt impossible to connect to that amount of grief and elation, and the blurry way that they cross over each other. I immediately got excited about trying to figure that out for Liz and trying to play with that big of an event. That’s the cool thing about doing a sci-fi show. You get these big stakes moments that very rarely exists in shows that are just about mere mortals. Acting wise, it’s just like the Olympics. So, that felt really exciting for our show, and I was pumped about it. And then, the way it played out, I thought was quite brave, as well, and right for Liz, in that it was such an immediate thing for Max to save her, as the catalyst for our show and our pilot episode, but it’s not as immediate for Liz. We were able to get those five episodes of her and the Scooby gang bringing him back to life, and I loved every bit of seeing her work through her grief and her frustration, and having that fuel her work. It felt really human and honest, in an impossible situation.

Now, the two of them both have things that they’re dealing with, that Liz can’t really help them through. They have to get through these things they’re dealing with on their own. What’s it like for her to have these two people that she loves, back in her life, but also see them going through these things that she can’t really help them with?

MASON: It’s so hard for Liz. She likes to be able to take care of people, and she’s a problem solver. When it comes to her people, the woman will mountains, without question. So, for her to not be able to solve this for them, kills her, but she has to learn. That’s what I love about a protagonist that’s truly on a journey. I’m so sick of shows, where there’s nothing to be learned or earned for your protagonist. She has to let go. She has to realize that this is Rosa’s journey, and as much as she wants to be like, “Sit here and let me make it work,” Rosa is like, “Girl, I’ve gotta go to rehab. Lemme be.” Rosa is right, and Liz is learning. It’s really fun to watch her try.

Liz has had to deal with the return of Rosa, the return of Mama Ortecho, and now Diego is back in her life. What’s it like for her to have her past reuniting with her present? How is she able to handle all of that, with everything that she’s been through?

MASON: Yeah. What I loved about Mama Ortecho and Diego coming right now is that, we all go through changes and every decade we can notice shifts, but the shift that has happened in Liz’s life, in this two-year period is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to her. She was so closed off. She was someone who kept you at arms length. She was someone who was used to running. She was someone who felt very abandoned. The first season is her heart getting pried open. So, for the two of them to come in, it really felt like whiplash. It might have just been a year, but she’s such a different person now. So, that was really exciting to me. It was fun to imagine the little flashbacks with Diego, where we could go back to her life pre her return to Roswell, pre-Max, pre knowing there are aliens in the world. To see her then, you really get a sense of how far you’ve already been with her, how far you’ve seen her go, and how happy you are for where she is right now. I liked that it clued the fans back into that.

I think it’s fun that you’ll be having a CrashCon episode (Episode 212), which pays homage to the original series and their UFO Convention episode. What can you say about having this convention in town, the attention that brings, and how that’ll affect the story?

MASON: Oh, man, it’s so fun. It’s gives you so much OG Roswell nostalgia. It’s pretty great. There are a couple of really fun Easter eggs, and we just kept dying on set, every time we encountered posters that said things. We were just like, “That’s really good. Good work, writers.” It’s huge. What I love about The CW is that there’s always an episode, or a pair of episodes, centered around a big event. Last year, we had the gala, and this year, it’s this. Small town events are massive. Everybody’s out. With the amount of extras and the costume pieces, and the creativity of our wardrobe department and our props department, in dressing everybody in alien and sci-fi and actual properties that get little nods, I think it’s gonna be a feast for the eyes. I think it’s gonna be so visually beautiful. I was impressed. I read a script and get so excited by the writer’s ideas, and then we get to set and we try to figure out the logistics, three times over, and how to do it justice and do right by the excitement of the words. These last two episodes, that happen in the convention/carnival, exceeded everything that I had imagined and it was incredible to see. I can’t wait for people to see. I really think the last two episodes are gonna have people on the edge of their seat.

Without giving away spoilers, what was your reaction to reading the finale and seeing how things would end up for this season, and how do you think fans will react to it?

MASON: The beautiful thing about this season is that things have been weaving in and out, and so much has been set up, in a way that fans are conscious about it. There’s so much stuff that you wouldn’t have thought twice about, that’s gonna come back, and there are so many people that we’ve met, even in passing, who are gonna have such prominence, in the last two episodes. They’re so full. So much is connected and a lot is revealed, in terms of the mythology of our world. But then, there are also personal decisions made that are heartbreaking and that are really not where some characters thought they would find themselves, for sure not at the beginning of the season and definitely not even a week before this whole convention goes down. I’m proud of the decision that characters make, to look out for themselves, but it definitely sets us up for a lot of complication to sort through in Season 3.

Max has been finding out some new and unexpected things about his alien side. Will we also see that affect his relationship with Liz?

MASON: Yeah, absolutely. That’s a lot of what I’m trying to dance around. I’ve gotten some little hints, as to where we’re going for Season 3, and our show is about otherness. That’s what it is and has been, from day one, and feeling other. You can’t help but wonder when you’ll be satiated and when you’ll feel like you have enough information, either in front of you or historically, to feel like you’re  happy with where you are. Ultimately, a lot of our characters are still asking those questions for themselves.

Have you also started to have conversations about how to go back to work and make sure that it is safe for everyone?

MASON: Absolutely. It’s been really inspiring to see the way that everyone is so willing to be creative and to take it very seriously, to figure out a way that we can get back to work, but do so safely. Everyone is just guessing, right now, and a lot of the suggestions range in possibilities, but the main thing we’re all saying is that we’re grateful that we’re now going to be a Season 3 show. We feel confident and we feel like we got in such a groove by Season, as a production, that I’m excited we’ll be able to get back to set. Even in honoring all of the protocol that we have to, I feel like we’ll be able to just connect back to the well-oiled machine that we are now. That is just a really gorgeous gift.

What’s it been like to be directed by Shiri Appleby? She’s been an actress for many years, she’s led a show more than once, herself, and she even played Liz in the original Roswell series. What sort of insight do you feel that gives her, as a director, that makes her different from everybody else?

MASON: The woman is a dream. People always ask me about what’s been the most surprising thing about being number one, and the most surprising thing is that I like it. I didn’t know how it would feel on me, and I love it. I hope to have a career like Shiri, where I get to do this again and again. I admire her because the reason she’s had that career is because she’s such a boss. She is 100, constantly. The woman is a machine, and it’s really just inspiring to be around her to see her life force at work. I’m a huge Shiri Appleby fan. I cannot wait for her to be back for Season 3, to direct us again. Every time she’s there, it’s fun to just pick her brain and get her advice. ’m living in New York now, and that was something I read by Shiri. She was like, “Oh, hell yeah, go to New York.” And I was like, “Okay.”

Has she inspired you to want to step behind the camera, at some point? Is directing something that you’re also looking to do?

MASON: Yeah. I’ve directed for stage. I love it, and I wanna do more of it. As of late, I’ve gotten more inspired. I think it’s also because I’m in New York and, prior to the pandemic, was seeing so much theater. I’m excited about just getting involved out here more, and finding my people out here. So, directing for stage excites me. It just brings back my dancing and all of the things I love about physicality and relation. I love the medium and the palette that is the stage. I’m excited about that, right now. But, we’ll see. Maybe, eventually, working with the camera will be exciting. To be honest, where I’m at right now, in my journey, is excitement about working with directors that I love. That will be next, hopefully.

Do you have a dream list of directors that you’d like to do a project?

MASON: Oh, man, so many. I would love to work with Guillermo Del Toro. He has such a love of cinema and a love of movement, and I love his brand of magic. I would love to play in his movies. It would be so fun. I have a lot of film aspirations. That’s the next frontier. I’ve always had aspirations to work with great filmmakers, absolutely, but now, it’s changed to great filmmakers who seem like a great time. I’m getting older. My 30s are coming, and what I really wanna do is spend my time, preciously. I wanna be with my family, and if I’m gonna be working, then I wanna be working with legit and delightful people. Hopefully, that’ll be the 30s.

~ Collider

[stillinaincrad]

The NineSpot: Anime I Really Liked with Sequels I Really Didn’t

Am not calling any of these the worst sequels of all time or likewise calling any of the originals the best ever by any stretch of anyone’s imagination, but these are sequels to anime series I fell in love with and didn’t really care at all for what came next. (am not considering OVAs or movies based on entire shows, btw, because they both almost always suck compared to entire seasons anime)

1. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka)

The original DanMachi series was proof-positive that predictable and cliché can still yield a really great tale when the directing and production is top notch. Everything that should have made it lackluster couldn’t outweigh the feels and I always end up smiling earlobe to earlobe. The characters are beyond well crafted, and it is still crystalline-clear that this project was someone’s pride and joy. I adore the original series. The Sword Oratorio spinoff was -meh- to me, it leaned too much on the original for hooks as it tried to fill in Ais’ backstory and ended up being more about Lefiya anyways (plus they blatantly stole the marquee anthem from Last of the Mohicans, which turns me off a thousand times every time it plays now). Oratorio provided some levity, but did nothing at all to advance the story. Then we got DanMachi 2, which started out with mediocre writing but a killer arc and the backbone surfaced for some amazing story depth to amass, but all we got in the end was the horribly lame Ishtar arc where a depressed fox girl doesn’t want to be a prostitute and Bell feels bad about it. I’ve felt exactly nothing for these characters since the original.

2. Overlord

Take a peruse through my blog and you will see that I have never campaigned for a second season of anything more than I did Overlord. I LOVE the first season, it is an absolute favorite of mine, and being that it is yet another Madhouse anime I honestly never expected more but always clamored for it because Overlord was absolutely deserving. When we finally got S2, it threw me for a loop because the original cast barely appears in the first four episodes, but then I found my feet and eventually got myself into the new episodes. Ironically, that is about all that this second season had to offer to me. The lizardmen arc is fantastic, definitely watch it, but when that ends? Here’s about all you need to know: Sebas has a softer side, Climb is a little bitch. There you go, onto season 3 (which is fantastic, btw). 

3. Full Metal Panic

FMP is one of my favorite old-school anime ever, because it balances great humor, great characters, and - despite a shload of filler in the second half - a great all-around story. It is SUCH a gem. Second Raid was a tad bumpy due to a new studio, but still fantastic, and Fumoffu was the comedic break that an already goofball of an anime conjured up and it totally fit as long as no one took it too seriously. Then, some 15yrs later out of nowhere we get Invisible Victory, which Xebec used to completely rewrite everything, and not in a good way. From go, Kyouka - an important supporting character from the outset - is killed and totally glossed over like it wasn’t significant asf, and I got pissed. Then all the already-established characters took on totally new personalities of grave seriousness, which was never the brand. When you take previously established characters who have always been hopeful, energetic, and buoyant to a fault, always looking forward and up - and suddenly make all of them overtly dramatic, hardened, and inordinately austere across the board, it totally cheapens the original and to an extent that superflous doesen't even begin to describe. Massive franchise fail, Xebec - dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow. Easily the sequel I have hated the most. As in, ever. 

4. Sword Art Online

Look, I am the last person you need to tell how much bad this series has divulged into. I was so all-in on the concept, the characters, the drama, and the love of the original series. Do you think it’s ironic that I’ve been doing this almost 5yrs now and haven’t changed my URL? I’ve always said that if the first Matrix movie were left alone and that was it - Neo giving that threat and then flying off into the credits and we have to make up the reality that may or may not have transpired after that -  that it would be in the top 10 movies ever made. That’s how I see the first arc of SAO. It was THAT good, I have somehow watched it more than anything ever made. I originally considered the whole second half of the first season to be filler and am always turned off at the molestation that it celebrates, but said it was ‘for the story’. Then the Sterben shiz happened and I said ‘yes, it’s the EXACT SAME STORY  but it’s going somewhere’, and then it did, to somewhere absolutely worse. I made it about halfway through Alicization and I up and quit altogether. SAO is such a shit franchise - the only thing that has gotten worse than the animation is the writing, the characters that used to be great are so incredibly shallow and annoying now, and I have made more fun of something I used to love than anyone. I am the first to admit I am a huge heel for most of what I have said in support of it in the past. But omg those first 14 episodes. I can’t label the initial tale of SAO as anything but amazing. And if those 14 episodes were the only episodes we ever got, I would easily call it one of the best anime ever made.

5. Date a Live

I almost have to laugh that I am about to mention Date a Live after that. DAL was never going to be confused with a good anime, but it was fun. It was silly and rampant and insane, but you still fell in love with the characters because they were totally and completely worth falling in love with. Then DAL2 happened, and I hate this season a little too much. It was released too soon, it was done too poorly, it was just every kind of measurable cringe. The only thing worse than the writing was the lackadaisical and pedestrian voice acting, and that’s saying a lot considering how intern-worthy the animation of the second season was. DAL3 redeems itself plenty, the characters become likeable again, and there is an actual story and it isn’t awful and harkens back to seeds planted that were never developed, and at least part of the budget was dedicated to better artwork. But wow - DAL2 is just pure hot garbage.

6. A Certain Magical Index (Toaru Majutsu no Index)

The first two seasons of both Raildex series have casts I'd pretty much take on an entire den of Wendol with a soup spoon to protect. They're just that good, so I was beyond excited when a third Index season was announced. I've never read the source material, so maybe some were ready for it more than I was, but Index III started off TOTALLY different - the blood and brutality is turned up past 10, everybody up and turned into an a-hole about everything, and it all felt very foreign to me compared to everything before it. But, I stayed in because I was still invested in the characters and wanted to see where it all went. It eventually reminded me a lot of the good 'ol days of anime where it wasn't always happy, where sometimes even the good guys made you feel bad, and where there was a fairly complex storyline that you really had to pay attention to if you wanted to keep up. The difference is, a lot of those shows were good. Index III just... was. I got nothing out of choking my way through the entire season, and really didn't care about anything but finishing it long before I ever did. I still feel a bit betrayed that this was the anime that fans waited 8 years for. 

7. Eureka 7 Ao

No need for any exposé. Screencap says it all. How you follow up one of the most epic mecha anime ever with this fail of a series is beyond me. Great music, absolutely abysmal writing. 

8. Infinite Stratos

Was Infinite Stratos good? Original, yes. Fun, yes, Characters that made you care about them, yes. But good? BWAHAHAHA NO, it absolutely was not good. IS is one of a handful of titles I chuckle about saying I enjoyed, because it's quite bad. Which is how you know IS2 is total dregs, because it's so very bad that it makes the first season look kinda decent. There was a story worth developing in place in the second season, they just chose to go full potato on the harem and fanservice elements instead, and decided that the writing didn't really matter. The ensuing episodes are for the most part just too much stupid to watch. 

9. Blood Blockade Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen)

A bit of an odd duck, Kekkai Sensen introduced us to a world of enigmatic and strange bedfellows traversing a totally bonkers landscape of a world that somehow all manages to come together as a collective yaaas in the end. There is a unity that develops between them which task by wacky task binds these otherwise incongruent personalities together towards a common goal, and interpersonal gold eventually develops between them. The strengths of the individual are blended like watercolor to reinforce the weaknesses of the individual within the resulting eccentric genus. A cliché but nonetheless robust red string of fate ties all the loose ends together and a fantastic actuality of cognizance materializes between the ragtag cast and the forces that amass against them, and the first season ends with a feel-good that no one could have ever seen coming. It really is a great ride. Then the second season happens, and the glue that holds it all together feathers and ‘stuff just happens’. I was disappointed that all that great writing and plot that intertwines in the first season is totally absent in the second, and in the end it becomes just tales. I wanted so much more and got barfly stories regaled secondhand. 

[borrovved]

Off Season pt 2

part 1

kinda like that one taylor swift song but not really, promise. instead, it involves basketball

jaehyun x reader

word count: 2,543

Summary: Jaehyun does something unexpected for what he believes is the cutest band nerd ever- you.

It was a race against time to see who can type a response the fastest, it seemed like. The group chat is always like that after something insane happens, like Doyoung getting hit on by a guy (who is totally out of his league), Yeri passing the Great Gatsby test with flying colors in english class when a majority of the class made below sixty percent, and you, having the school’s cutest boy taking you out in an hour.

“What do I say to him during the date? I can’t make conversation for shit when I’m under pressure.” you say while Yeri curls a strand of your hair. You were too worried that you would burn your fingers considering how you’re so frazzled at the moment.

Doyoung holds your fluffy cat close to his chest and absent-mindedly responds, “I think you’re making this a bigger deal than it is.”

Yeri huffs while starting on the next strand of hair, “I think you’re not getting the big picture. What if this date turns out amazing and they start going out? She will become the it girl among the band and the locals!”

“Yeri, stop calling them locals. It’s demeaning and makes them sound like bland people. You don’t even know the popular kids enough to label them like that.” you say.

Yeri chuckles,”You know damn well those kids are boring and have no ounce of weirdness in them. They. Are. Locals.”

“What if Jaehyun is boring and doesn’t respond well when you show him memes?” Doyoung says, now fully aware of the situation.

You sigh.”We’re so getting off track. Help me think of what to say!”

Yeri soundly responds,“Honey, it’s no big deal. Talk to him like you would talk to us. He’s probably freaking out like you, because you know, you’re such a babe.”

Doyoung giggles at you swatting at Yeri for her comment.

“Only he gets to call me that.” you say with flushed cheeks.

“Alright, fine, fine. From this moment on we will be actually helpful.” Yeri says.

“Make sure you don’t talk too much about yourself, makes you look full of yourself.” Doyoung says while petting the cat.

“Ask how his friends are like...and mention us if you wanna.” Yeri says. The last part was barely audible.

“You want to get with his friends, don’t you Yeri.” Doyoung says, more as a statement than a question.

“Want me to burn you with this curling wand? And so what if i want to get with his friends? Leave me be.” Yeri says.

“Doyoung, do you know what would be fun?” you say.

“What, Y/N?”

“Guessing which boy she likes.”

“My money is on Ten.” You can visibly see Yeri grip the curling wand out of the corner of your eye.

“Shut up..” she says quietly. You smile, realizing that your friend is doing you a huge favor, and that you should return the favor as well.

“I’ll ask him if he’s available.”

“You don’t have to do that, you know.”

 You turn in your seat to fully face her.

“I need to finish your hair-”

“Yeri, you’re doing my hair. You’re here for me. You could be doing anything else way better than this, but you chose to stick by me. I want to do it, so let me.” you say.

“Accept the favor, accept the favor!” Doyoung whisper yells.

“Alright. You can ask, now turn back around. I’m almost done.”

-

Yeri and Doyoung hug you before they leave, both wishing you good luck. Jaehyun arrives any minute now, and you feel confident. All those nerves from before has turned into bewildering excitement. Even if this date crashes and burns, you look great and feel great.

It felt like the text couldn’t come any sooner, but you finally get the “here” text. You race out of your room and bid your mother a kiss goodbye, and nonchalantly walk out of your house like it’s no big deal. Jaehyun greets you by rolling down his window and flashing those adorable dimples. He gets out of his car to give the most gentle hug you’ve ever received. He held you like a china doll and it made your heart feel so full. He grabs your hand and walks you to the passenger side. He of course opens the door for you. You were worried you would hit your head getting in and make a fool of yourself. So far, so good.

His next actions make you want to combust. You expected him to open the door like a gentleman, but what you didn’t expect were those five words.

“Can I hold your hand?” Your eyes widen at the question.

“While you drive? Is that safe?”

He lets out the most melodic laugh pass his lips. 

“We’ll be fine.”

With that being said, you offer your hand and hope that they’re not as clammy as you think they are. 

-

The drive to the little boba cafe was quiet and peaceful. The only time Jaehyun let go of your hand was to move the gear shift and unbuckle his seatbelt. Walking into the cafe, he continued holding your hand.

“You’ve been here a few times, right?” he asks.

“Plenty.” you smile up at him. You remember the numerous times you, Yeri, and Doyoung have been here. It was the hang out place for your school, so many people would visit. There have been multiple times where both Jaehyun and you were there at the same time, sharing glances at each other from across the room. Neither of you knew how into each other you were- so oblivious to feelings shared. It was highly obvious to friends surrounding, though.

Jaehyun offers to order for both of you, and thank god he did, because the nerves are coming back and you’re worried you’ll be a stuttering mess. You both get situated on the table near the window. Along the window were pretty fairy lights around the border. Such small and delicate lights made Jaehyun’s eyes beam in the most beautiful way; the reflection in his eyes reminded you of stars. It was impossible to look him straight in the eyes when he looked that charming and handsome.

“Tell me about yourself.” His words snapped you out of your trance and brought you back to reality.

You softly smile and nervously put a strand of hair behind your ear. Simple stuff like that keeps your anxious hands occupied.

“I’m co-section leader of the clarinet section, I’m a cat lover but dogs are still a weakness for me, I always wanted to have my hair lilac, and I love doing what I do- performing.”

Jaehyun intently listens as you tell him about yourself. He has his chin resting in the palm of his hand, a habit he has to keep his nervous hands at bay. He’s lost in the way your mouth moves and the way words roll off your tongue. Everything you say sounds like a catchy tune he can put on repeat all the time. You’re so beautiful, yet so unaware of it.

“You sound passionate about music, can you go into more depth about it? I love artsy people. There’s something inviting about them.”

You blush. “Am I inviting?”

“So much so, I can listen to you all day.”

You vividly remember Doyoung telling you not to blabber so much about yourself, but in this moment, you’re going to hang onto every little command Jaehyun gives. 

“I love the ache in my hands when I’ve been holding my clarinet for too long, it means I’ve been playing for a long time, which means progress, which means hard work being made. I strive for progress. I want to be better than I was yesterday, and better than I am today and tomorrow. I don’t know what I would be playing without the clarinet. The flute is pretty but it takes too much air, saxophone players have such big egos, but so do trumpet players. The clarinet is just..for me.”

“Go on.” he urges.

“I wish the band got more recognition. They work so hard as a unit, they grow as a family. It’s very near and dear to my heart. I don’t know where I would be without this program, and I don’t see myself anywhere else. I just wish we had more funds. The band grows each year, and some students don’t have the access to purchase their own instruments, so the program lends it to them.”

The guy behind the counter already called for your order, but Jaehyun is so engrossed into what you have to say, he doesn’t want to leave his spot.

“The thing is, we’re limited on everything. Some school owned instruments are ten years old. It costs $20,000 for a bass drum. Do you know how many holes are put into those things? Percussionists have no self control.” Jaehyun chuckles at your statement. He feels like he’s speaking to the band director himself.

“Go get our drinks, all this talking is burning the hell out of my throat.” You pretend to be exhausted and start fanning yourself.  Jaehyun lets out a beaming smile, and does what you asked. 

Not only has Jaehyun learned how passionate you are, he learned about how compassionate you are with the people around you. He’s in love with how big your heart is and how much care you put into your craft. You of course ask if Ten is seeing anybody for Yeri’s sake, and Jaehyun’s heart drops for a second, thinking the question was for you to ask. You chuckle and smoothly say you have a way hotter guy in front of you. This time he’s right in front of you, so you can see the blush forming on his cheeks. It’s not your imagination.

The date unfortunately comes to an end, and he has to take you home. Before he lets you go though, he spares you a kiss on the forehead. Again, the group chat goes bonkers. Doyoung says “he should’ve went in with a proper kiss, a real one.” Yeri says “who gives a rat’s ass, a kiss is a kiss.”

On Jaehyun’s end, things go down similarly. Ten tells him “Good job, I hope you had a good time :)” and Johnny says “you aren’t even that tall, you could’ve totally bent over and ACTUALLY kiss her. Dumb ass.”

All night, Jaehyun thinks of ways to thank you for the night shared between you two. He could kiss you next time, but he thinks it’s too sudden. He could take you on another date, but he wants to do something more grand. Something that will pull at your heart strings and put the biggest smile on your face. Something you won’t forget. It suddenly hits him once he thinks over all those things you said about your biggest love- band. He runs down the stairs of his house and begs his mom to make several dozens of her infamous cookies.

“Um, why?”

“Just please say yes.”

“Fine, but you owe me.” 

You were in on the best gift a boy has ever given you.

-

The weekend rolled around and you wasted more time doing nothing than you care to admit. The walk in the hallway is always bustling and loud, but on this Monday morning, everything seems to be more eccentric. The sounds weren’t surrounding you, it was coming from one source and one source only. A large group of people were bunched together in no particular order. You couldn’t see the commotion for yourself yet, because Yeri and Doyoung came running towards your way with cookies in hand.

“Did you put him up to this? You’re such a genius!” Doyoung exclaims.

“So like..did y’all bang or something? Spell coconut with your hips maybe?” Yeri says with a mouthful of cookies.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, and no! We’ve only been on one date!”

“A lot can happen in a few days..” Doyoung says.

“What the hell is going on? Someone, anyone, please tell me.”

“Wait..you seriously have no idea?” Yeri says, shocked.

“Was there a fight or something?”

“So like..you have no idea where we got these cookies?” Doyoung stammers.

“I figured it was from the cafeteria and plus, this isn’t the center of the issue here.” you usher at the large group of people nearby.

“Jaehyun is selling cookies for the band so we can buy more equipment! Isn’t that amazing?” You’re at a standstill as soon as Yeri lets the words spill out of her mouth. Your heart started beating faster than you could think, and your ears started heating up like mad.

You immediately barged your way through the crowd to find Jaehyun. Were you going to thank him? How are you supposed to react? You were thankful for sure, but shocked anyone would go out of their way to do an act of kindness like that for you. You finally found him, smiling and accepting money from people as Johnny handed out cookies. 

You're staring at Jaehyun once again like that Friday night during the basketball game. He's stunning, not just in looks, but within his soul. He captured your heart, and the action has you feeling overwhelmed. No one would ever go out of their way to talk to a band nerd like you, let alone do an act as big as this when it doesn't benefit you alone, it benefits a whole union of kids with dreams like yours. He's your biggest dream, and he came to life before your eyes.

"Would you like a cookie? Free of charge." You're brought back to reality once you see Jaehyun right in front of you.

"W-why?"

"What do you mean babe?" If you weren't flustered then, you surely are now.

"Why? Why do this for me?"

"Because people with dreams deserve a wish come true."

"Jaehyun.."

"Take a cookie. Please, I made too much." Both of you laugh, and you gladly accept a cookie or two.

“Did you do this for me?”

“Yes, but I also did it for the band.”

“I know I’m getting repetitive and you already answered this, but just why?” He looked at you fondly and grabbed a hold of your unoccupied hand.

“Because your people aren’t recognized for the effort you do. Not nearly enough as you should be, everyone deserves to be appreciated for the work they do. I want more people to be proud of you- I’m proud of you.”

Tears almost brim your eyes, but you try so hard to hold it back. It’s been a long time since someone outside of the program said they were proud of the band. Your heart starts to swell, and you just break right then, right there. You throw your arms around Jaehyun and bury your face into his chest, and let the tears roll against your cheeks. Jaehyun holds you, and lets you sob softly. You two are in your own world, and you don’t care if people are watching. You loosen your hold on Jaehyun and look deeply in his warm brown eyes.

“You’re unbelievable, did you know that?”

“That’s good though, right?” You crack a small smile.

“Is a G flat the same as an F sharp?”

“Er, yes?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

A/N: this story is very special and important to me because it reflects what my dreams are as a musician, and as a person in an amazing program that is more than just some extra curricular activity. it’s home, it’s work, it’s what i love. thank you so much for reading <3

[beabaseball]

this is a delirious 11pm post for Adults Only guys

Leave this space, child!

...

...

...

...y’all teenagers are going to be tweaked out of their goddamn minds.

Like, not necessarily in the drugged way, though some maybe yes in the drugged way, but like. Specifically in the non-drug way, they’re going to be snippy, and inattentive, and self centered. And that’s probably fine.

Like. Of course teens are self-centered, their bodies are doing weird shit for the first time and people keep making jokes they don’t understand yet, and some of these fuckers haven’t been given sex ed so they don’t even know what’s coming.

The younger teens have just emerged from the child form that has only just started being able to comprehend a larger world. In elementary school, sure I was reading time magazine for kids and we prayed for people who were being reported (religious school; recent tsunami, it happens) and when I was in 1st or 2nd grade we heard rumors that once upon a time women weren’t allowed to do the same stuff as men, but like— you can feel those things, but it’s not really something that you comprehend unless it’s right then a part of your life. I remember the first time I really ‘got’ sexism was in ninth grade in a gym class of 24 boys to 3 + me girls, and I wrote bad poetry about it in my phone for like three months trying to process it.

When I was like 16 our car broke down midway to school and we had to call my dorm parent to come drive me the next 5 mins, and so he’s in a bad mood bc he has to pick me up, and mom is in a bad mood bc car she gets a feeling dorm parent didn’t believe her when she said the car broke down, and it’s like 80 out but more importantly the humidity is a swamp, and I just remember being in his car driving the rest of the way to school and he’s complaining about sunburns bc he’s super pale and Irish, but he’s trying to talk so I kind of say “huh well i’ve never gotten a sunburn. I tan real fast and then go inside and I’m white again.”

and even in the moment I remember being like “that’s not really what he wanted to hear” and I think he even made a face, but I was too out of it and hot and tired to really do anything passed that. And I do feel kind of bad about it? Like, I did not mean to demean his pain of sunburns and I know also that at the time he was having A Rough Time with his marriage, to the point where he had us doing religious plays about parenthood for three seasons straight.

But also, I was a teenager. And looking back I can’t exactly blame my past self for just kinda... saying some words and feeling bad the rest of the car ride but also too tired to care. Theater teacher man wasn’t a bad guy; we were definitely not good at reading each other and he thought musicals sucked, but he also was the one who comforted me out of a panic attack when we had a tornado warning and I ended up convinced my daystudent friend was going to die.

Because that’s what I cared about at the time. Me-related things. Yes, tornado, but I am worried about one (1) person, and that mattered to me. I stayed behind when we got an actual sex-ed person in 7th grade because I was scared that reading yaoi would send me to hell. I had a breakdown in front of my history professor because one of my friends was discovering her gender identity and I was scared I was ‘losing her’ (you know the words!)

Now, someone comes out to me or someone doesn’t understand a term and I’m over here like “yea which definition u wanna use” but back then I was a kid and I had never experienced anything like this before, my hormones were wild—which didn’t mean I was horny and wanted boyfriend, it meant I was in constant fear of bleeding through things and every now and then I would wake up and my body would be in surprise unknowable pain (aka I was finally big enough to cut off my own circulation in my sleep and also growing pains)

Now, I’ve got a lot of that under control. When I wake up with a body in pain I usually know why and probably it is my fault actually. I know a bit better how to get through days when I’m too hot, or too groggy, or just dissociation or mad. (The trick is: say aloud, “sorry if I’m not responding much, I’m just really hot/groggy/out of it/still upset about that.” )

That’s not something a lot of teens have down yet. I saw a kid with a naruto shirt on at work once and I said “hey naruto” and he looked at me like he’d seen the face of god, he was so surprised someone knew what naruto was. To someone even MILDLY in my age range, the idea of not knowing who Naruto is is preposterous. But this was like, 12-15 year old at the most. Not hit his growth spurt yet. Just absolutely blindsided that there was an outside world which recognized something he liked, which I’m gonna wildly guess his parents probably aren’t into or don’t talk about it with him, because the thought of talking Naruto with your kid is horrifying.

Obviously, thinking other people don’t know about naruto is a similar kind of self-centered thought along the lines of “I bet thigh chick isn’t a REAL fan of x” or “EVERYONE has an opinion on me and there is no in between” where like the world... sort of revolves around you.

And like, once that person grows up if they keep that sort of self-focus, that’s usually the time you start trying to ditch them, but even older teens are still just coming out of that larval childhood state. They know a lot more about the world than we probably did at their age—I know a lot of them aren’t having the same existential crisis over their friends’ gender like I did, which is a big ol step— but there are still days that it’s going to be too much new shit to deal with, plus whatever else is happening inside them personally. And it’ll take a while to learn how to handle that.

In the meantime, they might be snappish, or out of it, or just kind of give up and have a ‘fuck it’ attitude sometimes, and it drives a lot of adults just goddamn insane it seems, according to all the mildly aggressive parents at work, trying to get kids who don’t want to be there to give the right reactions. It’s probably not even anything personal to the event that’s making them unhappy. One time I talked to a kid who was crying, and when I got her to tell me what was bothering her, it turned out that some people on her family reunion were mean to her. Nothing about the immediate ‘now’, just a lot of emotion that needed to go somewhere, and that somewhere ended up being crying, and it was not at all about respect or disrespect or anything related to us. Probably most of what was needed was to talk about it (success) and take a long nap.

The first time I remember having a meltdown with a ‘trigger’ like that, I was in 5th grade and my first assignment was something like “what did you do over summer” so I lost my entire shit and cried on the couch for an hour. Passed out, slept til 7, woke up and was fed soup, and have no idea if I finished that paper but presumably I did because I remember a nap and food working.

I would keep having these homework meltdowns periodically, and I don’t know when they stopped, but I had at least one, maybe two, in my first year of college.

And eventually I’ve just kinda.... stopped having them. Stress about a big project wasn’t something that bothered me anymore. You just did it one step at a time, and when you started thinking “maybe I’ll do it in the morning”, you immediately go to bed because you’ve already lost the fight and even if you don’t do it in the morning at least you won’t face it sleep deprived.

It takes time and living to get these experiences, and while one kid might not have the same issues with school work I had, maybe something else just knocks them on their ass every time (same) and it is just. Literally something you need to live through a couple times before you know how to deal with it. You can provide Blank Slate Alien Person with all the mental health tips and anecdotal advice and chamomile tea as you want, but the first couple times they face stress, none of those tips help if they don’t know how to implement them.

If you’ve ever assembled something by instructions and ended up building it upside down—it’s easier to build it again once you’ve gotten mad and undone it and started again. Because you’ve practiced. You already had the instructions, but now you have the experience of building it already, even if the result wasn’t the one you wanted.

Teens are learning a) how to read instructions, and b) that their assembly is probably upside down. and in the meantime, the world is also bonkers wild right now.

When they have that moment of rage, or giving up, or aloofness upon finding shit got built upside down— just. Let them.

You don’t have to ‘fix’ it or ‘fix’ them for having these emotions, or lack of them.

These are normal reactions. They make sense. All I’m asking is that we understand it’s going to happen. These emotions are going to happen.

Don’t let yourself justify being mean to kids and teens by telling yourself they’re being disrespectful. The world and their lives and emotions also don’t revolve around you. It’s not always a rebellion or reason to fight when things get too high strung to hold total control of.

That doesn’t mean ignore them. I was maybe 12 or 13, and it was 90 on a metal ship, and i was wearing an under shirt because i didn’t have a bra, so two layers of clothes on a hot metal ship, on my period— and all I remember is asking my dad to let us sit down and eat some lunch, because i was dizzy and dehydrated, and all he just kept saying we would do it once he saw the tour. I have no idea how long it was but I probably could’ve cried and been called moody or uncooperative.

Life is difficult. Especially for people who aren’t yet in control of their situations. Who are still bursting out with emotions they can’t otherwise articulate.

Be kind to that.

[ctl-yuejie]

Do you have any recommendations for wlw dramas?? P. S. I love your blog! C:

aww, you are too cute! also: perfect timing, I was just ranting with @earthpodd​ about having no wlw shows to watch.

i’ll just give you the shows I’ve watched and would recommend, just note that there sadly is a lack of well-written and interesting wlw shows in general, even more so if I am solely considering the main characters or the main storyline. i don’t include fetishizing content, shows that bury their gays and those that have incest storylines (side-eyes Japan hard).

the sad reality is that most wlw content can only be found in super dramatic or artistic movies, often made by men. there are some wonderful exceptions (listed below) and there are promising things announced for after 2019, but not as many series.

i usually prefer asian series because they feel like elaborate movies (not a fan of too many seasons) and i am always on the look out for wlw content that’s not only “just” a romcom, but alas, there’s not much to choose from. (give me space lesbians with a solid adventure storyline! give me bi women as main characters in fantasy epics!)

(i also haven’t watched some popular shows like “The L Word” so they are missing from this list -> if anyone has further suggestions feel free to add to this list in the comments!)

going to sort them after my sapphic meter: the more wlw romance and the more important the sexuality of the main character for the story, the higher it is on this list!

Gentleman Jack (2019, HBO, USA/GB)  - Historical Dramaperiod drama based on the real life of Anne Lister, lesbian and industrialist. I haven’t finished this yet but I live for the main character, she is a badass and she and her love interest are everything together. this show is also super intense, with all the conflicts that arise when male landowners and other industrialists want to get a piece of her land.

EDIT: finished it and it is brilliant!!

Sense8 (2015-2018, Netflix, USA) - Sci-Fii think most people have heard of this so i don’t think i need to write much about the plot. finally some sci-fi content with an unusual amount of queer main characters. netflix was a dick to this series but it was great and something different.

Skam España (2018 -, Moviestar+, Spain) - Teen Dramathis is the spanish adaptation of the norwegian tv series skam. innovative in its format it tells the daily life of teenagers in short clips and on social media accounts. the third season’s main story focuses on two girls falling in love and it is a GOOD. they tackle some serious issues but overall this is more of a school/coming of age romance. (note that the other adaptations and the og don’t feature a wlw couple in the main story)

Killing Eve (2018 -, BBC America, UK) - Spy Thrillerdespite horrifying killings that need investigating this series, genre typically, focusses on the relationship of its two main characters. we follow MI6 agent eve polastri (sandra oh) on her hunt for assassin villanelle (jodie comer), who takes an unsettling liking to her. we don’t know their sexualities but villanelle is canonically not straight and for eve, we have to wait and see. they do have insane chemistry and sexual tension which is also very important for the plot. and fiona shaw (actual lesbian) is in this so win-win for representation. the acting is superb.

Fleabag (2016 - 2019, Amazon, UK) - Drama Comedythe stories centers around fleabag, an angry, unstable, and sexually insatiable woman. great use of the fourth wall. even though the main love interests are male, fleabag is bi and it plays an important role in the story. the writing is so on point this series is pure perfection. phoebe waller-bridge is super attractive and a scarily relatable mess as fleabag. fantastic depiction of trauma and how people deal with it while being funny af. has fiona shaw (actual lesbian) and andrew scott (actual gay) in it, so win-win-win for representation. also: olivia colman is in it. 

Brooklyn 99  (2013 -, NBC, USA) - Sit Commost people are aware of this brilliant sit com which features an amazing bi main character. it’s an ensemble cast so it counts.

Derry Girls (2018 -, Channel 4, UK) - Sit Comset during the Troubles in northern ireland the series follows a group of catholic school girls (plus their lovely male english rose) on their adventures. there’s a wee lesbian in the ensemble cast and she’s great and important.

Diary of Tootsies (2016-2017, GMM 25, Thailand) - Comedythe show follows 4 friends, 3 gay drag queens and a lesbian with terrible taste in women, on their search for love. this show is bonkers but has a super satisfying lesbian storyline

The Good Place (2016 -, NBC, USA) - Sit Com -> disclaimer: I haven’t seen the newest season so idk how heavily the bisexual part features in itthis show has a super interesting premise and focuses more on philosophical questions. nevertheless it has a bi main character and some wlw content.

honorary mentions (under the cut)

these are not ranked, just in the order they popped into my mind

Legend of Korra (2012-2014, Nickelodeon, USA)animated series so i didn’t include it on the main list but still a good story with a wlw storyline that took everyone by surprise. 

Colette (2018, USA / UK) - Historical Dramabased on the life of the french novelist of the same name it is a great movie about feminism and emancipation. keira knightly is pure bisexual perfection in this and has multiple romances with women, including a fabulous butch lesbian.

Queer as Folk (2000-2005, Showtime, USA / Canada) - Dramaputting this here because the lesbian couple was more of a side couple. still a good series this somehow manages to be bold in 2019, even though it’s old. the lesbian couple get a tad more disappointing over the seasons.

Atomic Blonde (2017, USA) - Action Spy Thrillerthe plot is absolute nonsense and the production value is sometimes questionable. but it has charlize theron beating up people with great fight choreography and she makes out with female french spies. charlize theron puts the wlw in every scene of this movie.

The Handmaiden (2016, South Korea) - Period Dramasuper interesting plot, very enjoyable overall, i had some problems with the male gaze in this though

In Between (2016, Israel / France)  - Dramavery moving film about three Palestinian women sharing a flat in tel aviv. the desire for personal and sexual freedom is the center piece of this movie and allows an unusual insight into the progressive Palestinian underground scene.

Cloudburst (2011, Canada / USA) - Comedy Dramaabout a senior lesbian couple that decides to elope to Canada to get married, after one of them gets put into a nursing home by her granddaughter. the last 12 minutes are horrible (mostly the writing) but everything before that is absolutely great. i live for badass grandmothers in love. 

Boss in Love (2018, South Korea) - RomComsuper cute short movie with some great sex positivity.

Don’t Say Sorry (2018, South Korea) - Romancevery beautiful short movie about discovering one’s sexuality and first love.

The Favourite (2018, UK / Ireland / USA) - Black Comedyolivia colman as pitiful queen anne and rachel weisz and emma stone playing two cousins competing for her favour. absolutely hysterical, wonderfully shot and very gay. rachel weisz is so attractive in male clothes i don’t know what to do with myself. 

iStories L (2018, Thailand)actually filmed as a commercial this lesbian short film is wonderful and has a great aesthetic. its about an assistant producer helping the main actress with her lines and developing feelings for her in the process.

last but not least: there’s some movies that I know are good & important but haven’t watched yet such as Rafiki (Kenya), Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (India) etc.

the Korean short movies are on vimeo, the Thai stuff has official uploads on youtube, and with the rest google should help. didn’t include any german wlw even though there is a bunch, because I have yet to find something that really satisfies me (don’t get me started on tv series).

[jeremiahwasajoker]

Verisimilitude Trumps Precaution!

Okay, so this post has to do with what happened with Ecco in the finale. I’d say it’s more of a personal headcanon more than anything, but I guess it could pass as a theory. Oh well! SPOILERS AHEAD! This is probably going to be longer so I can explain everything, just an FYI.

I know that some people are going to be reading this and rolling their eyes like, “C’mon, she died!”, “We get it, we want your ship to have a happy ending!”, “Just face the facts!” and so on, but you have to hear me out. I am fully aware that Eccomiah (at least after the insanity gas) is not a healthy ship. However, this does not mean they don’t love each other, at least in my eyes. I’ve always had a different view on their relationship than some people have, and I’m fully aware of this. Here we go:

We all know that Jeremiah plans EVRYTHING out. Every little possibility. He’s an engineer, and a very good one! He’s also an amazing actor, too. (Shoutout to Cameron Monaghan. The fact that he can play a person acting like another person so flawlessly is incredible!) I always had the headcanon that Jeremiah and Ecco took a Theater class at St. Ignatius and that they took to the craft so well. Where does this fit in? Well, let me explain. Jeremiah obviously was planning for his escape to be when Bruce came home, so that gave him ten years to sort out what to do and how to do it. This also gave him the time to talk to Ecco about it and sort out what could happen. 

What I think happened was that Ecco was ordered to break Jeremiah out when they heard that Bruce was back. They had planned for his grand entrance back into crime, and they decided that they would target baby Barbara Gordon. They figured the place to go would be to the Siren’s club, since baby Barbara was usually with Babs a lot of the time, and he figured that during this time that all of the crime was happening in the city, she would get her gun. They would then try to distract her and get her down to where they would be. Barbara would see Ecco, and Jeremiah would sneak behind her, allowing Ecco to grab ahold of her.

Now, in order to explain the next part, I need to explain another headcanon/theory. After Jeremiah was sprayed with the insanity gas, it is very noticeable that his pain tolerance got much higher than usual, and he tends to heal very quickly. This is evident with the shot in the shoulder during 4x22, getting punched by Alfred, getting stabbed NINE times in the STOMACH (which I remind you is a VERY sensitive part of the body), AND surviving the Ace Chemicals incident. Yeah, I’m pretty sure the insanity gas made him immortal. This would be the perfect plan for revenge from Jerome, as he can never escape the madness, no matter what happens to him. I think I’ve said this like 100 times, but I’ve always thought that Ecco also got sprayed too, minus the cosmetic effects. This could explain why she switched so quickly to the dark side like Jeremiah did. This also explains why she survived a shot to the head, which is also very rare to survive. (Only 5% do!!!!) Her healing for that seemed to be super quick, too, as I would assume that it would take months of recovery after an incident like that. Pain wasn’t that big of a deal to them. They could survive anything! This brings me to my next part.

Ecco is an actress in a way. One second, she can be stone cold, another a psychotic maniac. I’ve always stayed with the thought that the absolutely bonkers side of her was just an act as an attempt to scare people, and that her true nature was more similar to what it was at the end of season 4. The bullet made her crazier in the way the gas progressed Jeremiah’s madness before the fall into the chemicals. If you’ve ever heard the song 6 inch, that’s the vibe I get from her. (If you haven’t, you should! I think the chorus suits her well, same with the overall vibe of the song.) She’s also pretty smart and strong. Assuming my theory on her past is correct, she was trained as an assassin, meaning that she was also intelligent in the terms of self defense. She let Selina defeat her easily so she could run away and lead her to Jeremiah for the plan. I honestly doubt that she would be so caught off guard to let herself get stabbed like she did.

What I’m trying to say is I think Ecco’s death was an act. There had to be one possibility where Jeremiah thought baby Barbara would attempt to attack Ecco in some way, giving Babs leverage to stab her. Now, a stab wound would not be that big of a deal for her, as we have seen Jeremiah recover fine from that. Jeremiah would then shoot Ecco to make it seem like she were dead. What I’ve noticed about that scene is that it is pretty dramatic on Ecco’s part. Her reaction is nothing like we’ve ever seen before, in fact, it kind of makes her look foolish in a way. That’s the Ecco that we sort of see when she’s using this “scare tactic” that I mentioned beforehand. We also have an audience to watch this, which is Babs and Barbara Lee. Jim would see the body, too, as Jeremiah told Babs to call him to come over to the club. He probably knows Ecco the most out of all of the heroes she’s dealt with. Since Harvey called an ambulance, she would be transported and taken a doctor. Which one you ask? The same one that did the plastic surgery on those two civilians to make them look like the Waynes (and the one I suspected that Jeremiah got a hold of after she shot herself in the head). Now, what would the purpose be of Ecco faking her death? 

I think that it would be for her to lay low and stay more undercover like she did previously, before she started doing her crimes in public. I also think that this is so he could protect her, just as he did when she was laying low before the bridges blew. If people assumed she were dead, then she could sneak around the city and gain intel much easier, and she would also maintain her job in Arkham just incase Jeremiah gets in there again. Her doctor name? Harleen Quinzel. It would be a code name, and, since it’s Arkham, no one would notice that she left for a period of time because A: she would be Jeremiah’s personal psychiatrist/nurse, and B: Arkham is so lousy that even the people working there don’t really care about what happens. She would wear her mask more often to avoid being recognized, and would avoid being around Jim because he knows she wears those masks. Even if she got caught by him with the mask on, he could assume it would be “just another fish in the sea”. She would also help Jeremiah out whenever he got injured. Ecco’s skilled at sewing wounds, so he would need her to help him out with that in the future.

I honestly doubt that Jeremiah would kill Ecco. She devoted her life to him, and he highly values that. Not only this, but they’ve known each other since their adolescent years, which I can guess is for about 20. To have her actually die like that throws away everything they’ve experienced all of those years together, both in friendship and romance. I've always been one to think that Jeremiah loved Ecco as much as she loved him, but he was reluctant to show it in public because he thought it would make him look weak and make people target her. I doubt that, even though he has changed since the Ace Chemicals incident, he would just toss her away like that. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s what makes most sense. You could see pain in his eyes as he looks at Ecco after the stabbing, and after she got shot too. According to this headcanon, it would be because it would pain him greatly to do this, even though he knew she would survive in the end. It would remind him of the one time she shot herself for him and he thought she was dead, and to see her like that again would shake him up. 

After she recovered from the hospital (only a few days because the healing was so quick), she would meet up with Jeremiah again, and they would finally be together outside of Arkham after all of those years. The first thing that would happen after that is they would hire their doctor again to return Jeremiah back to looking like his old self, as he missed his good looks. (When I say this I mean his season 5 look before the acid). His hair would grow back as a blackish green (kind of like how it was, but a tiny bit more green.) They would then live happily ever after in Gotham city, being the Clown Prince and Princess of crime. 

To be honest, I was scared that Ecco was going to die, but, as they always say, no one truly dies in Gotham. Or, as Jeremiah says, Verisimilitude trumps precaution! I came up with this after seeing an article saying she died (I didn’t watch the episode yet, but was desperate to know). I hope this made sense, and that it could at least make all of the depressed Eccomiah shippers feel happy again. I know that there are people being really negative about them during this time, but I wanted to spread some positivity with something I came up with so maybe others can do the same. That’s why I’m posting this! Thanks for reading!

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: March 2019

We are 25% through the year!

……….FILM……….

Us (2019) I don’t do well with scary movies; It’s the one genre where I have to know as much as possible before seeing it. With this (and Get Out) I found it thoroughly enjoyable knowing the full plot and so I guess I’m suggesting you see this movie twice? It’s layered and weird and demands suspension of disbelief but that in no way lessens the impact of what’s on screen.  

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part  (2019) I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I loved the first one, but reviews and theatre attendance seemed to imply that it just wasn’t that good. With that in mind, I think I went into the movie with the same hesitation as the first film and was equally surprised! It would be impossible to surprise you with a twist as big as the first movie, while still being a sequel, and for that I give it some leeway. The jokes were just as funny, the plot was just as sincere and commenting on the nature of play, and the animation was stellar. It’s hard when a sequel is just as good cause I think that feels like a letdown to some, but I was thoroughly satisfied and would highly recommend.

Captain Marvel (2019) Really good! Culturally important and a couple great messages tucked away in there. Carol Danvers seems like a super interesting character and I’m excited for her to shine in future films, but I suppose I’m spoiled by the weirdness of Spider-Verse and Ragnarok now and want all my superhero movies to be over-the-top.

Sorry to Bother You (2018) To say too much is to possibly spoil this movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. I will say that I wish I knew the genre of the film before going into the movie, as I think it would’ve mentally prepared me a little more for some of the bigger plot points. With that said, those same points hit harder BECAUSE I was so unprepared. Did it overwhelm the metaphor with its surprise? Yes. Is it worth a second viewing so I can better appreciate what the movie is trying to do? 100%.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Bachelor (Episode 23.08 to 23.12) Oofadoof. Credit where credit is due: that wall-jump was as good as the season-long tease and rarely does the show deliver like that. With that said, I really think this season was a good example of why the show should integrate therapy a little more. Or simply allow the show to be less extreme. Bachelorette Canada is still one of my favourite seasons of the franchise and it was just a nice person meeting nice people and the natural drama from that environment. Maybe it’s too different of a culture (there weren’t any content creators vying for the Canadian lead’s heart) but I believe it could work. Also Hannah B is bonkers.

Brooklyn Nine Nine (Episode 6.04 to 6.07) It’s sad to see Gina go but her send off was perfect. I just...I just love this show so much.

Umbrella Academy (Episode 1.03 to 1.10) The first few episodes were rocky for me. Not because it’s a bad show, but because the tone was so different from the comic book that it took me a while to adjust. I suppose an adaptation like this couldn’t fully capture the spirit of the source material without breaking the bank, but it does a good job at what it wants to do. While I won’t say one or the other is better (they really are too different to truly compare), I’ll admit that the book has an energy and zaniness that I love and that’s just not what the show is going for.

Queer Eye (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) Finally starting this and it’s been great! The guys are a little...mean...that first episode, but everyone seems to be finding their groove and the overall tone is really settling in to one of positivity and growth.

……….READING……….

The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities by James Lovegrove (Complete) A combination of two of my favourite corners of literature? Sign. Me. Up. It delivers on the promise as well; there’s lots of investigating and Holmesness to the novel (even structured in two parts like the original stories) and the added layer of Lovecraftian horror ratchets everything up a notch! This appears to be book 2 in a trilogy but I didn’t feel like I’d missed anything.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Complete) One of my faves and this is a little research for a D&D setting I’m working up that will be set in a version of Neverland!

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 4 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) While I say this after reading each volume, this series continues to impress. It has a great balance of straying from form while never feeling inconsistent. The characters continue to grow and the danger feels real and ever-present. Such a good read.

Alien: The Illustrated Story by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson (Complete) This is a beautiful adaptation of the film! Simonson does a great job at capturing each character’s spirit (not exclusively relying on the actors’ likenesses or stills from the film) and the pacing is strong. The chestburster scene wasn’t what I was expecting, but maybe I’d just built it up too much.

Last Man: The Stranger by Bastien Vivès, Balak, Michaël Sanlaville (Complete) There’s something so refreshing about the art style and I think it’s maybe just that I don’t read enough French comics? It was light and simple is some panels, yet communicates so much and has so much nuance in the characters. The story so far is fun (always love a good fighting competition as a framework for character drama) but I was a little bummed that the collection didn’t really offer a satisfying arch. Maybe it’s meant to be one long read and couldn’t really be naturally broken up into chunks, but it still left me feeling shortchanged.

……….GAMING……….

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Bandai Namco) Loved this the first time around and it’s just as great on Switch. It took a while to get back into the wonky controls but I just love how insane this game is. I know some of the later games weren’t as well-reviewed by I’d love to try them out (for the first time) on this console.

A Red & Pleasant Land (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) The party continues to explore this strange land while waiting to crash the Hatter’s party. They saved a fish priest despite receiving ominous origami telling to beware the fish’s fingers and they even risked death by giant twin babies to do so!

Maze of the Blue Medusa (Satyr Press) The group continues to explore the gardens and have defeated a toad demon, a priest made of mulch, and made a friend of a shambling puppeteer!

Curse of Strahd (Wizards of the Coast) We had our first knockout! To a swarm of beetles! Who knew a bunch of bugs were more lethal that ghasts and cultists. The party is still exploring the mysterious basement to the haunted house and everyone is having a great time!

And that’s it! As always, feel free to send recommendations and happy Sunday!

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

Lin-Manuel Miranda: ‘Hamilton is an insane idea, but the story works’

“Helen Mirren was one of the first people to see Hamilton,” recalls the 37-year-old Miranda, his voice urgent, conspiratorial. “She saw it very early and I said, ‘If we’re lucky enough to go to London, are they going to be bothered by King George?’ And she said, ‘Nahhh! We love it when you take the piss!’”

Miranda cracks up. “So I’m not worried,” he goes on. “I’m excited.”

...

If Miranda is feeling any pressure about the transfer, he isn’t showing it. On the morning we meet, in the offices of theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh in Bloomsbury, he bounces into the room, wearing a T-shirt, jeans and running shoes, all blue. The ponytail and goatee he had on stage in New York have been clipped and it has the effect of making him look two centuries younger. Miranda is a prolific tweeter and he has provided regular updates on the new production since arriving in the UK in late November. After the first run-through, he wrote: “London, gird your heart. This company is not playing around.” A couple of days earlier, he gushed: “This company is so fuhuuucking good.”

None of the cast is a household name: Jamael Westman, one of a pair of Alexander Hamiltons, graduated from Rada last year and this is just his fourth credit. “It’s a similar mix of vets and newcomers as we had in our original company on Broadway,” says Miranda, who has no plans to step into Hamilton’s blouse and breeches in this run. “I can’t wait for London audiences to get in front of this show. I’m curious how certain things will play: there’s a couple of New Jersey jokes and I’m like, ‘That’s going to be huge…’” Miranda rolls his eyes.

...

From the beginning, Hamilton has had a political agenda if you scratch the surface. The first time Miranda performed any material from the musical in public was in May 2009, when he was asked by the Obamas to participate in an evening celebrating “the American experience” at the White House. When the approach was made, the expectation was that Miranda would sing something from his debut musical, In the Heights. This was a semi-autobiographical tale of growing up on a multicultural block in New York that had won four Tony awards, best musical among them.

Instead, Miranda tried out “16 hot bars about Alexander Hamilton”. There’s YouTube evidence of the performance and it’s clear that Miranda, who’d never met the president before, is nervous; well, as nervous as Miranda ever gets, which is not especially. Still, in his introduction to the song, there’s more “ums” than usual and even a little stammering. When he explains the concept, people, including the Obamas, giggle, not sure if they should take him seriously.

“Yeah, it was really scary and it’s a little bit like showing the ultrasound at five weeks,” says Miranda. “I had a lot of people look at me like I was crazy for a very long time. I mean, you can kind of see the reaction in miniature at the White House. I state what I’m going to do and everyone just laughs at me. And I go, ‘You laugh but it’s true!’ Just trying to keep my cool, because I’m also performing in front of the leader of the free world for the first time in my life. And then you see people get sucked into the story. Then their heads start bobbing. And that’s been the story of Hamilton: it’s been an insane idea but the story works. The story is compelling, it’s a human one. And yeah, that’s that.”

For a piece of art that was “the musical of the Obama era”, according to the New Yorker, the Trump years were always going to present some challenges. The aftermath of the statement to Mike Pence was especially uncomfortable. “When the president sends a tweet he’s also sending trolls and bots your way,” says Miranda. “It is a way of targeting, so we had to deal with death threats for several weeks and we had to wait for that kerfuffle to blow over. So we lived through it. There was a bit of a pendulum swing, right; we were beloved by the Obama administration; we’re really not beloved by the current administration.”

Did Miranda consider putting “Highly overrated: Donald Trump” on the Hamilton poster? “Haha!” he replies. “There are certainly those who would wear that with a badge of pride, but I would not trade it for the stress of those weeks. These are just not normal times. We have a president who targets people and goes after them and that’s really without precedent and scary, but that’s where we are.”

Miranda, though, does not shy away from a fight, either. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September, killing at least 500 people and destroying the electrical grid, he was furious at Trump for his inaction. While the president quickly offered reassurance and funds to Texas and Florida after the natural disasters that affected those states, he was much quieter about Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated US territory. Nearly three months on, a third of the island remains without power. Miranda’s response was to tweet Trump: “You’re going straight to hell.”

“What does that tell the people of Puerto Rico about the person who is supposedly in charge?” he asks. “Those are 3.5m American citizens. So that’s when the rhetoric is heartbreaking: you know relief could come with one signing of the pen and it’s just not. Because he doesn’t care.”

Miranda, who has raised $2.5m for the relief effort from a charity song, also recently announced that he would be taking a production of Hamilton to Puerto Rico in early 2019. He did a similar tour in 2010 with In the Heights and it remains one of his proudest achievements. “I find it hard to talk about it without tearing up,” he says and it’s true, he looks like he might cry. “Growing up, I’d get sent to Puerto Rico for a month a year where I was the kid with a fucked-up Spanish accent who couldn’t really speak it well enough to hang with kids my age. I was like the weird exchange kid. I loved Puerto Rico, but I never felt at home with it. Then to have In the Heights be embraced in English, the way I wrote it, it closed some hole in me that I didn’t know was open.”

These are manic, sometimes confounding times for Miranda. Hamilton took the best part of six years to write but now life seems to be happening in fast-forward. So far, he has only been accepting offers “that are just so bonkers that you’d kick yourself for ever if you didn’t jump at the chance to do them”. These have included a pivotal cameo in the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm and a six-month spell in London to shoot a lead role in Mary Poppins Returns, which will be released Christmas next year. The film is directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) and stars Emily Blunt as the umbrella-wielding hero, as well as Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer.

“Poppins was both incredibly hard work and sort of this joyous vacation,” says Miranda. “Because I had just been in Hamilton-mania in the States, it was starting to get to the point where I couldn’t ride the train without having a conversation about Hamilton. So the only sane response is to chop off all your hair and leave the country. I was really very anonymous here and that was a wonderful thing to reclaim, to ride the tube around and take my kid to Lady Di park. To sort of do normal things was wonderful, because it was getting weird. Like, famous-person weird.”

This is just the tip of it. The Weinstein Company had optioned the film rights to In the Heights, so Miranda is endeavouring to extricate himself from that. (“So monstrous,” he says. “I met Harvey several times. I knew he was never going to win a nice-guy competition, but I didn’t know about all of this other stuff.”) Miranda’s first child, Sebastian, was born two weeks before rehearsals for Hamilton started in 2014 and he revealed last week that his wife Vanessa Nadal, a corporate lawyer, is expecting their second. He would also like to start work on a new musical, but he probably just needs to lie in a pool to figure out what the subject is.

“You’re right,” he exclaims, “I should take more vacations, thank you! Yeah, that is the hardest lesson to take hold of: the good idea comes when you are walking your dog or in the shower or resting. And waking up from sleep. I don’t believe it’s an accident that on my first vacation from In the Heights, the best idea of my life shows up. So I have a couple of ideas, but I’m waiting to see which one grabs hold and doesn’t let go.”

Until then, Miranda will keep on doing what he’s done every day since Hamilton opened in New York in early 2015: field requests for tickets for the show. In London, it is sure not to be any different. Miranda made some good friends here when he was filming Mary Poppins Returns –Whishaw and the chef Yotam Ottolenghi among them – and he is excited for them to see the show. Otherwise, there’s only so much he can do. “People tweeting me, ‘I can’t believe I paid $2,000,’” he says. “I didn’t charge you $2,000! I don’t know why you paid that.”

What about the royal family? “Oh, I’ll give Prince Harry some engagement tickets, that would be an absolute treat,” Miranda smiles. “Obviously that would be an honour for us.” Let’s just hope he isn’t too offended by the portrayal of his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather.