#watched this yesterday and it was TOO SAD FOR ME RIP

[kitts-mechanix]

I just had a huge realisation yesterday and I wanted to share this after going through some pretty horrible stuff over the weekend: Something I've always asked myself ever since getting into G1 Transformers was "why do you like Starscream so much even though he's a narcissistic bully? Why are you, someone who is a victim of narcissistic abuse, taking comfort in a narcissistic character?" Well, I think I finally figured it out. Because Starscream is also a victim of that very same abuse. I mean, he's beaten, called names, bullied, unappreciated, abused, and put through the wringer…and he internalised all that abuse because he knew no other way. He had no one to turn to, and the few bots who did support him, he treated like dirt. Once he had that freedom and power, he abused it and became the very thing that abused him. I have no doubt he was always self-centred, selfish, had a huge ego, etc. before all that but honestly? I think Megatron's abuse caused him to turn out the way he did. I could have turned out that way and it's a little scary, some of the parallels I'm drawing with him.

@ichbinmeltdown wrote a great analysis on Starscream that I want to share here:

"Megatron was abusive as hell to Starscream. He treated him horribly, and I legitimately almost cried a few times watching it. There's an episode called Starscream's Brigade that introduces the Combaticons, and I think that perfectly demonstrates the cycle of abuse. The entire world is against Starscream at pretty much every turn throughout the series, but none more so than Megatron. Every word out of his speech synthesizer to Starscream is to berate him, and he's constantly throwing him around, beating him, even ripping out his speech synthesizer in a scene from a previous episode (Hoist Goes Hollywood, IIRC). His own teammates don't like him, and even his brothers- Skywarp and Thundercracker, going off of the idea they're brothers- just... allow Megatron to abuse him. (Not to get into headcanons here, but I personally believe that Megatron's abuse fractured the Elite Trine's family dynamic. They are still brothers and love each other, but they're all too afraid of Megatron to really... stand up for each other as they did in the past.) And Starscream seemed to just snap in this episode. He treated the Combaticons poorly, and even when teaming up with Shockwave, he subjected him to a lot of the same ridicule and torment that Megatron put him through. He failed to realize Shockwave was the one of the only bots who would give him a chance- and unfortunately lashed out at him, which ruined his chances of Shockwave ever being a true friend and ally to him. Once Starscream had finally gotten a taste of power and not being under another bot's boot, he too became the very thing that he lived in fear of. And that really is how the cycle goes- when you're finally free from abuse, it can be tempting to overcompensate and take back all the power you were robbed of, at any cost whatsoever. Starscream, like D16 in Transformers One, snapped up this opportunity."

And the sad thing is, I've seen this in real life and I've internalised some of the abuse I've dealt with too. I'm not proud of it. Like the Seeker Trine, my own family dynamic has been fractured by similar abuse. I know there's traces of narcissism in my behaviour too, and I'm NOT proud of it. Maybe this is why I can forgive Starscream for being a narc, because I can see a little bit of my own personality/attitude/behaviour in him. Maybe it's because I know where it came from, I get why he acts that way and it's not just random and out of the blue. Maybe it's because--and I know this is a bold statement--I don't think he would do some of the stuff my own family did to me (blah blah blah he's a fictional character).

I didn't mean for this to turn into a long rant, so

TLDR: I finally figured out that part of the reason I love and relate to Starscream so much despite him internalising some of the abuse I went through, is because he was the victim of that same abuse.

[gretavanflame]

Kiss Me Good

Jake Kiszka x Reader (f)

Cw: SMUT including: fingering, oral (f) reviving, the word daddy (said one time), a ridiculous amount of pet names, arrogant cocky jake, slight overstimulation, slight choking, kissing, nipple play, teasing, slight mentions of pain, slight hair pulling.

Summary: Your surprise for Jake, fresh back from tour, finally gets noticed, and in turn- heavily rewarded.

Word Count: 2k

It started out as a simple idea really. One that took root and sprouted in your brain until it just had to be done.

Your friend had mentioned something. A wax job she got that, “made my man go into a frenzy over my pussy.”

It was funny first, but then you began to wonder what it would look like for your man to, well… do that.

It’s not like he hasn’t before. In fact you’re his favorite meal, and he tells you that every time he indulges. But because of the tour, it’s been a while. He got back only yesterday, and had been too tired to touch you, and at this point- you’re craving him.

Long story short, you got the name and number of her esthetician and booked an appointment right away, and since then, you’ve just been waiting.

Now you lay on your side, silently watching the rise and fall of Jake’s chest through his state of sleep. It has always perplexed you how a man can look so beautiful while sleeping. And Jake often perplexes you.

You reach your finger out to trace along his nose and down to his lips. You run the finger over them, just feeling the soft skin that your lips miss. This however, wakes him, and his eyes blink open and turn to you.

You smile at your boyfriend like a puppy in love and sit up higher to watch him realize he’s not on a tour bus. A stupid grin stretches across his face and he sits up on his hands so that his face is right in front of yours.

“Good morning Jakey.”

“Good morning doll-face.”

You swallow, taking a moment to get used to the sweet sound of his morning voice. It's low and grumbly, and it makes you want to rip off your clothes right here, which would spoil the surprise entirely.

“So are you feeling well rested?”

He laughs, shaking his head, leaning in.

“Are you still all pouty that I denied you last night? Hmm? Did my pretty girl not get what she wanted?”

Now you do pout, and push his face away. He only laughs again.

“Com’ere, give me a kiss.”

You lean in, letting your eyes close as your lips connect, sparks flying through your body. His hand comes up to your cheek, just resting there as you taste his breath, hot on your tongue. The kiss is slow, every move intentional and full of love and longing as your tongues intertwine in a way that is less than ladylike, setting prickles all over your skin.

He breaks away, a wet pop filling the air.

“You missed me.”

“I did Jake. So much.”

“Did you miss all of me?”

You smirk, meeting his eye with a knowing look.

“Come. Have me.”

He gestures to his body, you internally chuckle at the double meaning behind his words. He pulls out his arms and you crash into them, grabbing and pulling at the material of his soft t-shirt as you attack his mouth.

He’s slightly pushed back at the force, laughing against your mouth before his tongue licks into it. His arms wrap around you, tight, possessive. You’re like two magnets, unable to be pulled away from each other.

You break away just to breathe, “You know what I really missed Jake?”

You lean back in to bite along his bottom lip, waiting for response. A soft whimper that he tries to hide, ricochets off his warm tongue and you drink it down, the ache between your thighs growing significantly.

“I missed your tongue. I want it all over me. Please Jake. I need it.”

“Oh you neeed it?” He draws out the word, teasing you, pouting his lips and contorting his face into one of feigned sadness.

“Shut up.” You challenge, words coming out as a whine before his hand comes to loosely wrap around your throat. The remaining air is pulled from your lungs, sounding like a pitiful moan. And there's no pressure in his hold, it merely reminds you who’s incharge.

His other hand grabs your waist, turning you on the bed so that you’re lying beneath him.

“You know what princess?” He asks, dipping down to nip little purple splotches into your neck. “I think I am feeling well rested.” His mouth harshley sucks the skin above your breast, leaving a glistening pink hue in its wake. “Thank you so much for your concern, baby.”

He’s playing a game now. Giving you exactly what you want, but not without a little fun for himself.

His hands come to your tank top, gripping the neckline and ripping until the fabric opens up, exposing your bare breasts to him. An animalistic groan escapes him and he immediately latches his mouth onto your nipple.

He sucks one long kiss into your skin and pops off with a breath, looking up at you through wild eyes. He smirks, lowering his face to your stomach, kissing and licking along it until he reaches the waistline of your boxers- or rather his.

“What are these, baby? Are these some other guy’s? Did you cheat on me while I was away?”

He smiles, amused, knowing that they’re only his.

“My princess got so horny she had to fuck some other guy? She wouldn’t do that, would she? I think she would wait until Daddy gets home. I think she would wait until she could have his mouth.”

You’re panting now, back arching as you try to lift back up into his touch. A single finger traces down your stomach, stopping short at the top of his boxers. You shudder under his touch as you’re reminded of the familiar calloused fingertips. The ones that are the product of spending hours tearing up ‘The Beloved.’ Treating her just as he treats you.

His fingertips hook into them, pulling them down at a tantalizing pace as he kisses just above it. His eyes open to stare at yours as his mouth lowers. When he realizes you aren’t wearing any underwear he smirks, his eyes still on you. Your heart is racing with anticipation and he’s better than you even remembered. Every word, every touch makes you feel like you’re falling deep deep into the abscess with him holding you steadily behind.

“No panties? You’re terrible.”

He looks down, finally, at the grand surprise. The thin ‘landing strip’ you had waxed into you sits neatly and his mouth parts, leaving him panting above you.

“Holy fuck sugar. This all for me?”

You nod slowly and he grants you a prideful smile. Your heart skips a beat and melts all at once while he takes a moment just to look at his favorite girl.

He drops his back down and his tongue speaks out to lick a slow stipe right next to the bit of hair. He moves his head to the other side, and you feel the cold air hit the moisture in contrast to how warm his tongue felt just moments ago. He repeats the action on the other side, landing with a kiss to the top of your mound.

You feel yourself practically leaking out of you, feeling his tongue so so close, but just not enough. You feel like begging, like letting go of all shame and screaming for his mouth on your cunt. But you know begging gets you nothing. He’s taught you better than that.

You bite your lip as his tongue kisses the inside of your thigh, just teasing you now, denying you of your deepest desires. He knows it too, by the smug look on his face as he moves to the other leg, licking the supple flesh.

Finally, finally, his tongue flattens, and runs from your entrance, all the way up to circle your clit. The sudden pleasure is white hot and travels up your whole body, making a moan drift off your tongue.

“That’s it bunny. You just lay there making all those pretty sounds. Make’s my fucking cock ache.”

Your pussy clenches at his words in their obscenity. And the fact that you have some effect on him turns you on beyond belief.

Then he breaks, finally diving into your pussy, licking and sucking with no mercy. Your back arches from the bed once more, chasing his tongue as it spoils your clit rotten. He rolls it into his mouth, lapping his tongue over and over again, the wet noises blaring into your ears.

You wrap your hand into his chocolate locks, pulling like they’re reigns, guiding his mouth down onto you. You moan his name as your legs wrap around his head, then releasing it through a shake. His lips continue, moving down to your entrance to suck up the arousal that drips out of you.

He takes the juices on his tongue, bringing them back up to your clit before drinking them down with a quivering moan. Your clit is throbbing now as his tongue gains in speed. Embarrassment is out the window now. Jake begins to absolutely devour you while you just lay there and take it.

You tug on his hair again, just to test the waters as he works you. He sighs again into your cunt, the vibrations settling you wild before he pulls away to say, “You taste so fucking good.”

He brings two fingers up now, teasing them over your entrance. A choked groan gasps out of you as he inches them in.

“Jake.”

He pauses, looking up at your face, amused by your flushed, out of breath state.

“I touched myself while you were gone. But my fingers- they weren't as big as yours- didn’t feel as good.”

“Aw that’s too bad, angel.”

He sinks an inch deeper and you cry out.

“You have my fingers… now.” He plunges both the digits deep into you with no warning. You cry out, your breath strangled and desperate. His fingers hit you so deep, stretching you out so good, just like how you remembered.

His name falls from your lips and he curls the fingers into you, hitting your g-spot with ease. His mouth reconnects too, tongue delivering small kitten licks to your clit. His hands pick up a slow rhythm.

The paired pleasure makes you tip your brows back, mouth opening in shock as the licks get sloppier, wetter. As his fingers start to thrust into you.

You bring both hands down into his hair, pulling him by it to get his face as close as possible. He groans into your pussy, licking a thick over your slit.

His thrusts get a little harder now, the painful dull ache melting into pleasure in a few moments. His mouth picks up speed, fully connected to you, kissing and licking any surface his hopeless tongue can find.

Your legs begin to shake now. Slowly, from deep within it like a faraway rumbling of a train. You start to slowly rock your hips into his face, his mouth moving with you.

He comes up for air, breathing in a struggled breath as he rasps, “That’s right. Fucking cum on my face. Be a good girl.”

With one final jab of his fingers into you, his mouth working alongside the rhyme, you burst.

Your eyes roll back as your hips lock in place, your whole body shaking. Your hands pull him to you, needing to feel him even closer, if that, possible. Your legs clamp around his head, pushing around his head and pull it down, cutting off his oxygen as you cum all over his face. You chant his name again and again, a sound he’ll remember and use as recollection for when he’s away. It flows off your tongue hurried and grating, syllables scraping for air.

In one quick second, his euphoric touch turns to pain, feeling white hot as you try to push his searching mouth away. You whine and hiss before he finally does, completely out of breath and fucked out.

It’s only then do you release how completely soaked he is, his face glistening with your cum. You lay back, exhausted, the twitching muscles in your legs slowly beginning to settle, your pussy convulsing and clenching around nothing. He tilts his head down to grant you one last lick, and laughs when you jolt and whimper.

“I missed you too Y/n. For the record.”

.

.

.

Taglist <3 - To join click here

@jazzyfigz @gold-mines-melting @musicislove3389 @valentine264 @jenniferkiszka @knoxious-dalton @torun-was-here @ageofmaglc @allof--mylove @fleetingjake @ff-liveyourlegend-ttiol @cheersdannyx2

[bellafemme]

I didn't go to the UK show Lana did yesterday but two of my friends did. This is their review as they told me.

First is the setlist. They weren't thrilled about it. They saw her at her festival shows in 2023 and they felt it was a repeat in songs. They liked that she play 3 new songs from the country album but were pissed she left Bluebird out. They couldn't hear the Howl poem the hologram was doing. The rest of the setlist was the same songs she sang before. She only sang a small part of Salvatore, using a fan's phone for the lyrics. I don't understand why fans are including it as part of the setlist because it wasn't. Singing a small piece of the song in a capella form is not a song that was "performed" so why include it as part of the setlist.

The stadium was half empty. These are photos taken from my friends seat.

The merch was ridiculously over-priced and ugly. She also pulled out old merch she couldn't sell from her past shows.

I warned my friends not to spend the money to go to this Lana show. Go see Halsey when she goes to the UK. She puts on a show worth every penny and Halsey's shows aren't expensive. Go see Dua Lipa or Charli xcx or Olivia Rodrigo! So many better choices then spending money to see a boring show with the same setlists and terrible dancers.

Rollingstone UK gave the show a good review which is freakin ridiculous. RS is full of shit. The show was awful and boring! Those long winded interludes! To Howl! Which isnt even one of her poems! Removing Bluebird was criminal! They also gave her good reviews for her past messy shows so why am I surprised? The Guardian gave a good review and The Times too!

I watched videos from the show and Lana looked like she didn't want to be there. She was not into it! Then she got emotional and ran into Jeremy's arms and walked solemnly back on stage. It felt like I was watching a person who is being forced to be on stage and sing. Remember how dull Britney Spears was with her performances during her conservataship? That was the same energy from Lana at that Cardiff show. Members at Lana Boards are ripping the show apart on their thread! All 67 pages of it! The same is going on reddit, X, tiktok.

I think the new fans who have never seen Lana on stage before enjoyed the show. I'm glad for them.

Because I know how Lana stans can act, this is my review from my friends who were there last night. Calm down and don't start attacking me. I will block you. If you threaten my life I will report you to the police. Some of you Lana stans are worst then the Swiftey's or the Bey- hive so I'm warning you to behave yourselves when it comes to my review.

Last thing. Just because you can put on a stadium show doesn't mean you should. She should have done smaller theaters for this mini UK tour if this was the type of show she was putting on. The stadium is half empty. Most people like my friends were all the way in the back because the seats were cheaper! The pit wasn't even filled up to capacity!

Stagecoach was so good. It was perfect. It was beautiful and she sang loudly and looked like she wanted to be there. It was everything abd more!

I hope there are adjustments for the next following dates. Addison Rae is opening up for two of the shows. I'm more excited to see video clips from Addison's set then Lana's. How sad is that?

[slashire]

I just found your Kai Parker fic and gorl I need more of your tvd writing IT WAS AMAZING. idek what I'd want for the request ngl but either more tension with Kai or Jeremy Gilbert in his vampire hunting era fr

remind me

Summary: Jeremy's mind is going in every direction and doesn't know how to just be anymore. You ground him back into himself.

Jeremy Gilbert x human!reader

notes/warnings: no warnings really, and idk why i made this a little sad.

WC:1513

The woods behind the Gilbert lake house was still and cold, but the tension threading through Jeremy’s shoulders burned hotter than vervain. You watched from a short distance, arms wrapped tightly around yourself, your boots crunching faintly in the leaves as you stepped closer. He hadn't noticed you yet, he was too busy driving a stake over and over into the cracked bark of a tree, like the wood could bleed answers if he just hit it hard enough.

You didn't say anything right away. He had always carried too much weight for someone his age. Ever since the mark started spreading up his arm, it was like he'd been replaced piece by piece. His voice had sharpened. His focus had narrowed. His smile was gone entirely.

You waited until he paused, chest heaving, arm trembling from the sheer force he was using. “If that tree was a vampire,” you said. “I think it got the message.” he stiffened but didn't look at you. “What are you doing out here?”

“I needed to hit something,” he muttered, yanking the stake from the wood. You stepped closer, close enough now to see the fresh lines inked into his skin, wrapping up his bicep like ivy. They hadn't been there yesterday.

You swallowed. “The mark grew again.”

“Yeah.” his tone was clipped, but there was a tight edge under it, like he hated admitting it aloud. “Elena said there was a couple nearby. Stefan wants to scope it out, but I said no. If I get too far ahead of the mark, I lose control. I… I feel it now.”

You moved slowly, stepping beside him, holding a hoodie you grabbed for him, letting the silence settle. “Feel what?”

“That thing in my head,” he said. “The urge. It's not just about killing vampires. It's about hunting them. Like if I'm not tracking something, I don't know who I am anymore.”

He wasn't looking at you, but his knuckles were white around the stake. You gently reached out and placed your fingers over his hand. It was still trembling.

“You're still Jeremy.” you said quietly.

“You don't know that,” he snapped before his eyes flicked up to yours, wide and apologetic a second later. “I mean…you don't see what I do. When I sleep, I dream about ripping hearts out. I wake up with scratches on my arms. Yesterday I almost put an arrow through Stefan's chest because he came up behind me too fast. I don't even remember pulling the trigger.”

“Then let us help you,” you said. “You don't have to go through this alone.”

He gave a harsh, humorless laugh. “I'm not sure anyone can help. I'm not even a real person anymore. I'm just…this tool. A weapon. And the worst part? Some part of me likes it.”

That cracked something in your chest. Jeremy had always been the boy who wanted to protect everyone, quietly, selflessly. Now he was turning that instinct inward, weaponizing it until it burned him from the inside out.

You tightened your grip on his hand. “You don't get to decide you're not real just because you're hurting. I've known you since before this mark ever showed up. When you could you would pick up your sister's favorite cereal when you go to the store. You still leave your boots by the door so you don't track mud into the house. You still hold the door open for people. And yeah, maybe you're different now, but that doesn't erase who you are.”

He looked at you then. Really looked. Like he hadn't been sure you were real until that moment.

The silence stretched between you. Then, very quietly, he said, “You should stay away from me.”

You didn't move. “I won't.”

“I could hurt you.”

“You won't.”

He pulled his hand back like it burned him and turned away, his voice tight. “You don't know that.”

“I do,” you said. “Because even now, with everything going on in your head, you're still holding yourself back. You're still fighting it.”

He shook his head. “For how long?”

“As long as it takes.”

The wind stirred through the trees. He didn't speak again, but you stayed beside him, and when his hand dropped the stake and reached for yours again, hesitant, unsteady, you laced your fingers through his like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Because even if he didn't believe in himself anymore, you did. And you weren't going anywhere.

Jermeys fingers tightened slightly around yours, his palm rough and calloused against your skin. The moment felt like glass, fragile, suspended in quiet tension, waiting for something to shatter it. And something did.

A twig snapped to your right.

He was moving before your mind caught up. In one breath, his arm was around your waist, and in the next, your feet left the ground for a second as he pulled you behind him, placing himself between you and the darkness just beyond the tree line. His eyes had gone sharp, scanning the woods with a kind of feral precision that reminded you this wasn't just Jeremy anymore. This was the hunter.

“Don't move.” he said, voice low, firm. You didn't.

A blur darted past the trees, too fast to follow with human eyes. You caught a flash of someone getting closer, a low snarl that didn't sound entirely human. Jeremy dropped into a fighting stance, the stake already back in his hand like it had never left.

“Come out,” he growled. “I know you're there.”

For a second, nothing moved. Then a figure stepped from the shadows, cocky, tall, with a jagged scar cutting through one cheek. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and he licked his lips as he looked between you and him.

“Well, well,” the vampire purred. “Looks like I found a late-night snack…and the hunter boy himself. Jackpot.” 

Jeremy didn't answer. He didn't blink. His breathing slowed, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as his muscles coiled.

The vampire lunged.

Jeremy shoved you back without looking, and the world became a blur of movement and chaos. The vampire was fast, faster than Jeremy, but he wasn’t normal anymore. The mark had changed him. He pivoted as the vampire aimed for his throat, ducked, twisted, and drove the stake up toward the ribs. The vampire snarled, teeth catching jeremy's shoulder and tearing through the fabric of his hoodie. Blood bloomed instantly, soaking into the cotton.

He grunted but didn't stop. He rolled with the momentum, getting behind the vampire and kicking out one leg hard enough to send the creature sprawling into the leaves. In the same breath, he was in him again, pinning him with his forearm and raising the stake with his other hand.

“You shouldn't have come here,” he muttered.

Then he drove the stake straight through the vampire's heart.

The body stilled, arched, eyes wide in shock, mouth forming a silent scream, and then the blue, black veins formed, consuming the body that lay still. 

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then he staggered back, one hand going to his bleeding shoulder. You were already rushing to him.

“Oh my god,” you breathed, grabbing his other arm to steady him. “Let me see-”

“Im fine,” he said quickly, but the wince he failed to hide said otherwise. You peeled back the shredded fabric of his hoodie and winced at the gash underneath.

“That's gonna need stitches.”

“I've had worse.” but his voice softened now, the adrenaline ebbing out of him in waves. He looked at you, eyes searching your face, and this time there was something different behind them. Not just the cold focus of a killer, but something human. Something scared.

“You okay?” he asked. You blinked at him. 

“Me? You're the one bleeding.”

He gave a weak, half smile. “Still. I had to make sure.”

Your throat tightened. “You saved my life.”

His smile faded into something more serious. “That's the only thing that feels right anymore. Protecting you.” he shook his head slightly. “Everything else…the hunter stuff, the mark, the voices in my head, it's all noise. But when I saw him wanting to go for you, there wasn't a choice. There was no hesitation.”

Your chest ached. “Because youre still jermey.”

He didn't speak. Instead, his hand found yours again, stained with blood. You held on, grounding him, anchoring him to something real, something steady.

“Let's get you stitched up.” you said gently.

He nodded, and as you started walking back through the woods together, his arms brushing yours, body warm despite the cold, you realized that no matter how much darkness the hunters mark carved into him, you would be there to remind him of the light. And he would fight to protect it. Every time.

[wewereagoodteam]

Probably my last Thunderbolts* spoilers post, as I'm going to share my very random and scattered thoughts. There will be no rhyme or reason to any of them.

I'm glad Yelena saved the guinea pig.

I love how John's "on your left" has pissed off a lot of Sam fans. In the moment, when I heard that line, I knew some people were going to be angry about it. I unashamedly stand by my belief that John was the most interesting Captain America.

Speaking of John and lines that pissed people off. I hated Ava saying John killed an innocent person in front of the public...A super soldier who was a part of a terrorist organization who was an accessory to the attempted murder of John and an accessory to the murder of Lemar (and others)...Yup. Totally an innocent guy. And I'll always mention the video on YouTube posted by an army vet who explains why John was justified in killing that guy. It's worth a watch, if you haven't seen it yet.

I really enjoyed John in the movie. Seeming him in his first MCU movie was wonderful. I think my favorite scene was the cactus fruit one. As short and quick a moment as it was. It just shows what a good guy he is.

Oh, RIP Taskmaster. A part of me believed the lack of Taskmaster in the trailers and whatnot was a trick, but I guess not. I'm not sad to see her go and hope the MCU does the actual Taskmaster at some point because I love him in the comics.

The little nuggets from the comics in regards to the Sentry. I won't list them all here, but I got them and appreciated them.

I do enjoy how they handled Bob. Not the same exact origin story as in the comics. I'd say they managed to make it even more tragic--what with him being taken advantage of versus in the comics where he breaks into a lab and drinks the serum on his own.

I've always liked Yelena, but this movie made me love her.

I also enjoyed Alexei and Ava. Have to give them a quick shoutout too. And Bucky. Can never complain about seeing him.

The team dynamic was everything I wanted it to be and more. I watched an interview yesterday where David Harbour talked about how they had to make a good movie because, on paper, who really wants to see this group of characters together. I was always excited from the get-go to see these characters together, but I can imagine I was in the minority for that.

I cried a lot more than I expected to. As someone who suffers from various mental health issues, this movie spoke to me on a very personal level, as it did for so many others.

I'm still super happy that they're the New Avengers. I was also kind of worried they'd be sucked under Sam's leadership, but I'm glad (for now at least) they're their own thing.

I think that covers everything. The movie is still somewhere around a 9.0-9.5/10 for me. I won't be seeing it again in theaters, and I'll be impatiently waiting for it to come out on VOD. I'll certainly be rewatching it the very day it does.

[brattaire]

Ok I think I can be more coherent on my thoughts now from Les mis yesterday

First up I forgot how much Valjean gets the shit beaten out of him in the first two songs. Rip my guy

The bishop? Incredible

We had Emily Fink as Fantine and she was INCREDIBLE! I don't usually cry during I dreamed a dream but man that got me.

The confrontation 100/10 Colin Anderson Valjean and Nick Rehberger Javert are insane. My race is not yet run always gives me chills and this did not disappoint

Master of the house. Oh my god I could write a whole post on this song. The Thenardiers were so good. Matt Crowle was fucking hilarious. Kyle Adams cameo going THRU it they fed him his own vomit???? I was in tears. Also him and that woman 100/10 good for him (and her)

Bye bye Baguette will live rent free in my mind for the rest of my life

Enjolras??? I would follow him to my death too.

Eponine is INCREDIBLE! Also I met Mya Rena Hunter after the show and she was really nice! But oh my god her and Marius. And she's really badass. And her voice yall.

Ok red and black. There's SO MUCH! Enjolras 100/10 once again would follow to my death. Grantaire fucking around the entire song, prancing around the stage and I think he sat in multiple people's laps? Also long hair Grantaire was an amazing choice whoever did that you're a genius. Staring longingly at Enjolras in between fucking around. Book accurate Grantaire for the win.

GRANTAIRE AND GAVROCHE! Fucking killed me. I'm still not over it. After DYHTPS they're pretty much together the rest of the show and god they fucking kill me. Grantaire protecting Gavroche multiple times. Bruh

You guys Marius and Cosette are so awkward and adorable. Cosette disappearing in the window and Marius "I'm doing this all wrong" sad puppy face. Eponine in the background god.

ONE DAY MORE! The song of all time I'm not even kidding.

Ok ok I'm gonna write less now but

On my own and a little fall of rain broke me. Once again Eponine was incredible. Gavroche being the one to notice that she's dying in Marius' arms and once again Grantaire comforting him, and the rest of the barricade turning to watch.

Grantaire guarding Javert oh my god. I would pay actual money to know what he said to Javert.

DRINK WITH ME! Oh my god. Everyone giving a cheer when Grantaire starts because they think he'll say something funny, and instead he says that. The change in attitude. Him and Enjolras. Gavroche comforting him. Afterwards they're in the corner of the stage and and you can see them hugging.

Bring him home was incredible. Again. Chills.

I could also do a whole post on Gavroche's death. First of all Grantaire is pulled away from going after him and just stands facing the audience. The look on his face. You hear a gunshot and then silence, and then Gavroche climbs back up and there's so much relief and Enjolras is holding his shirt to pull him down and then he gets shot. Enjolras catches him. Grantaire walks over and gestures for Enjolras to hand him the body and then is holding Gavroche until the final battle.

Final battle bruh. Grantaire kissing Gavroche's head, laying him down, and then going to the barricade. He and Enjolras' moment. Enjolras climbing the barricade and falling forwards when he's shot. I'm pretty sure I heard "long live the republic I am one of them" Grantaire being the last to die. The theater was completely still and silent afterwards.

The fucking cart carrying Enjolras' body made me audibly say what the fuck. Javert looking at Gavroche's body.

Empty chairs at empty tables. The choreography was incredible I feel like it's usually just them standing there but it was more with candles and stuff. Yes I was crying.

the wedding/beggars at the feast. Once again Thenardiers are amazing. Kyle Adams as the wedding guy once again prancing around stage. Amazing dance moves. BATF is one of my favorite songs. Lyrics changes to "this one's a queer I might try it too" and Thenardier dancing with a man. Insane.

And then I ugly cried my way thru the epilogue

Afterwards I met Mya and Kyle and they were SO NICE! I made a joke post about screaming crying throwing up on IG that Kyle reposted and then he was screaming crying throwing up in our pictures and I was laughing my ass off. He's really funny. Mya was so nice! Her and my friend were talking because they're both Mya's and both have septum piercings lmao

I'm very tempted to go see it again before it leaves

[frozenjokes]

mumbo jumbo jealousy arc

ao3 link

“Tell me everything.”

Etho was expecting to get cornered by Scar at the first opportunity, but honestly, he thought he might get more than 24 hours given that Scar had a job. According to Scar though, ‘what else are lunch breaks for?’ He cited a concern that Etho might forget everything if left for too long, which seemed dramatic, but it was true that Etho never had the best of memories. However, most of Etho’s memory problems were due to an issue of Chronic Spacing Out, and there was none of that happening at the beach yesterday.

“Mumbo didn’t understand what Grian did with his face. Mermaids also shave. I don’t know why he was so confused. I just don’t think he liked it. That was his biggest concern yesterday.”

Etho knew that would get him, Scar cackling so hard that Etho was truly shocked he could manage to dial Grian’s number at the same time.

///

‘And while I was away? What did you talk about then?’ Mumbo was dying to know, and while he had planned to leave Altas and Etho alone while he tended to the humans, he couldn’t help checking back in on their conversation, needing to know every tidbit of information and human knowledge shared between them. Mumbo was just so curious, and learning about the humans from his original sources was great, but there was a certain catharsis in learning directly, having Atlas ask the questions and receive clear, direct answers.

But Atlas had been cagey in the few days that had passed after Etho’s visit, and while Mumbo had been hoping they would gain enough confidence to interact with a real human face to face, Atlas only cringed away at the sound of Scar’s voice above the water, more touchy than they were in the first place. Mumbo didn’t understand why. Sure, getting Atlas to change their tune about humanity as a species was a grand notion of optimism that Mumbo was not naive enough to play into too much, but this change was almost more unexpected; pure aggression to more of a.. discomfort? Disgust, maybe, like the smell of rot or infection.

Despite this, whatever was bothering them was kept tightly sealed. Though perhaps underestimating the power of human eyesight, Atlas did surface a couple days later to watch Scar and Mumbo in the shallows. Scar was playing some kind of game where he chased Mumbo’s tail, grasping at the fins. Scar’s grand move was a hearty leap to grasp his quarry, but a miss left Scar momentarily immobilized as he inevitably face planted into the sand. A perfect opportunity for Mumbo to batter Scar’s head with the very tail fins he was chasing. It was a good game, Mumbo quite liked seeing Scar flail and scream a little. As much as human noise could be a headache, something about it in the context of play made everything much more satisfying. Though, without this context, it probably sounded like Mumbo was ripping off Scar’s scalp with his teeth. Was Atlas wondering if Mumbo finally snapped?

Scar must have had a secret sense for when mers who hated him were around, because despite his engagement in active warfare, he noticed almost immediately, breaking off their game to wave, then deflating when Atlas retreated in the next moment. Scar sat in the swallows after that, arms wrapped around his legs with his chin on his knees looking distinctly sad, and despite Scar’s obnoxiousness when it came to Atlas these days, Mumbo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Humans were social and loud, and this one just really loved making connections, even if he didn’t always know how.

“I don’t mean to scare him off..” Scar mumbled, and while Mumbo didn’t know what he was saying, he got the sense the human was referring to Atlas, “I just want him to come around, right? To know it’s okay.”

Mumbo didn’t know how to help him. He couldn’t explain, though with how pushy and nosey both humans could be, Mumbo was sure they had already heard from Etho about Atlas’s distaste for their kind. However, Mumbo could sing, and that quiet comfort was the best that he could offer for a downcast heart. It brought Mumbo peace to see Scar relax under his song.

…

‘I just don’t understand how you can be so comfortable with it, let it so close,’ Atlas had started, the words coming out of nowhere, hours after Scar had left. This wasn’t the first time this sentiment had been expressed, but judgement was not at the forefront of Atlas’s concern tonight, the mer shrinking in their discomfort. ‘I don’t think it’s natural behavior for humans either, it should be afraid of you, not interested like it is, especially not in me.’

‘They’re curious things,’ Mumbo whistled simply in response, and while he was a little tired of this line of conversation, he really did want to be patient. This was deeply antithetical to everything Atlas had known back home, and honestly, without the harsh edge to their questioning, the repetivity of the matter bothered Mumbo far less. ‘Scars especially is a very curious thing. You won’t have the same problem with Red.’

‘I don’t like it. Your Scars. I don’t like the way it regards you.’ Atlas’s clicks carried an emotion Mumbo couldn’t quite parse. He communicated this with a small flick of his tail and fins, asking for elaboration. Atlas was quiet for some time, deliberating.

‘Ghost had a few things to say about that human’s interest in us.’

Mumbo’s curiosity was instantly piqued, though Atlas only looked discomforted when Mumbo goaded them on, like they were hoping Mumbo would pluck the answers right out of their mind. This was distinct in its oddness; Atlas was not the type of mer to talk in circles. Finally, Mumbo had to prompt them vocally.

‘Say what you mean?’

‘It has..’ the hairs on Atlas’s shoulders prickled, ‘Courting motivations.’

Mumbo imagined that if the humans heard this, they’d laugh so hard that their lungs would fail to support them. He himself let loose a delighted trill, much to Atlas’s alarm.

‘Did you know? Does it not disturb you? Why didn’t you warn me!’

Mumbo waved them off with his tail, ‘Scars is not interested in you, don’t be ridiculous. Their fascination with mermaids mirrors my own curiosity with humanity. Whatever Ghost told you, they exaggerated.’

Atlas was not to be persuaded. ‘They seemed certain.’

‘Human emotion is difficult enough to read on a human-born. Ghost is particularly difficult to decipher, and they do nothing to make it easier. If your intentions are to study the basics of human language once Ghost returns in their proper form, you’d benefit from spending a little time near the beach. They’re expressive creatures, Scars especially.’

Atlas didn’t need to say a word for Mumbo to know they hated the idea of that in any capacity. ‘That one worries me.’

Mumbo couldn’t help but snort. He hadn’t been intending on telling Atlas this as he knew he’d never hear the end of it, but Mumbo figured it would be worth it to quell this ridiculous anxiety.

‘If there were to be any courting between human and mer, it would be between Scars and I only. If Ghost was feeling snide, that’s what they were referencing.’

It looked like Atlas didn’t know if they wanted to snarl or flee. Mumbo got the message loud and clear, though a deep satisfaction turned his tail inward in a soft curl. He was pleased, even if the status of whatever relationship he and Scar had kindled was unclear. Mumbo didn’t particularly care! He quite liked the human casual, the relationship without commitments. He liked having Scar’s attention, far more than he’d ever cared for a mermaid’s. It was novel. Special. And honestly, human or mer, Mumbo had never known anyone else to hang off everything he did and said with such keen interest.

‘Surely you’re not serious,’ Atlas finally said, to which Mumbo purposely misconstrued the meaning.

‘We won't be trading scales any time soon, no, no.’

Atlas seemed to short circuit at the suggestion that this was even on the table, then clearly chose to ignore the sentiment, shaking themself off, ‘That human is not to be trusted. This- Practicality aside, this is deeply disturbing.’

‘If courting is all about practicality to you, I recommend you never find a lover.’

‘You can’t just exclude semantics from these discussions! What is it expecting of you? You of it? You can not mate, you can not occupy the same spaces comfortably- even besides the concept of interspecies courting being entirely antithetical, there is just no way something like this could work long term!’

Flippantly, Mumbo turned away, ‘I can do whatever I please.’ He could waste his time responding to all those questions, but what was the point when Atlas didn’t care for the answers. It wasn’t like Mumbo cared for the answers either, his interest solely in living freely and indulging in whatever was currently sparking joy. So what if he acted on fleeting whims, it’s not like he was hurting anyone.

‘I don’t trust it,’ Atlas said when they realized Mumbo would not be humoring them anymore, ‘Ghost spoke of an interest in the sea. Anything with fins, scales, and sharp teeth. They made it sound fickle.’

‘Ghost’s own disinterest in courting infects every word they speak about it, mermaid, human, or otherwise. Scars does not care for you; they will be too busy looking at me.’ Mumbo gave a pointed flick of his tail, all his fins now twitching in annoyance. Scar was outgoing, he went out of his way to put himself out there, but Mumbo would not consider him fickle. Whatever Scar and Grian got up to was none of his concern; as far as he knew humans were just like that, fighting over each other and mating with reckless abandon. There was still so much that Mumbo did not know about humans, but these weren’t the things that would keep him up at night. Mumbo was experimenting! He was having fun! As far as he could tell, so was Scar! It wasn’t- It wasn’t fickle! Fickle. Ridiculous.

Mumbo abandoned Atlas on the sandy floor, withdrawing in a huff to the burrow where he kept his things and slept.

His mind wandered. It took him down a path he hated to travel, though his thoughts lingered on the end of it all, defending Scar from the monster he seemed so eager to befriend. No one had been pleased about this, but Scar didn’t care at all, and while Mumbo had struggled to glean the meaning of everything he was doing and saying, Grian had admonished him for.. Scar had been chasing a monster whose scale had already been traded (metaphorically, at least. Mumbo had looked, and he saw none of Joel’s dark scales etched into theirs.)

Mumbo had been so startled by the question of mermaid monogamy that the implications hadn’t fully set in. Not that he was bothered if humans took multiple partners, honestly, that surprised him very little, but..

What if Scar really was only interested in fins and scales? It didn’t matter who they were attached to or the things they'd done to hurt someone.. Mumbo’s gut coiled. Was it so simple? If Etho had said it, insisted that’s really all Scar cared about- once Scar learned of Etho’s condition, had he pursued them as well?

Maybe Mumbo was the novelty.

///

“-one hundred years, Mumbo, one hundred years! The whole team got cursed by that goat, that’s why the Cubs never won a World Series for that long, but they pulled through! The curse is broken! Well, that specific curse at least. Apparently the Cubs have a lot of curses, like, a lot, Bdubs and I were looking that stuff up for a while last night, just all sorts of baseball stuff- sports fans are very superstitious it turns out! Who knew? One hundred years. Pretty cool!”

“Your ice is gonna melt, bud,” Grian called from where he was fiddling with his fishing gear; Mumbo was thrilled to see him back at his hobbies! Scar jumped to attention, looking mildly sheepish before babbling on.

“Well, I just wanted you to know where the name came from. Cub. Cubby Cub Cub. Cubby Wubby Cub Dub. Bdubs and I couldn’t stop with that last night, just Cubby Cubbing for like an hour, Etho just about killed us. But I was thinking about it, and I was like, huh! If this mermaid is sticking around for the foreseeable future, he needs a name! He- it- they- ohh, I don’t know what to call Cub actually! I wish you could ask them what they’d prefer..”

“I doubt it cares, Scar,” Grian said again, answering a question Scar did not ask. “People pronouns probably don’t mean anything to mermaids. Etho said gender was different for him, right? Probably the only reason he calls himself ‘he’ is because that’s what Joel started calling him.”

“Well I don’t want to call them it.”

“Then don’t.”

Whatever Grian had said must have made perfect sense, Scar shooting up like he’d had some great epiphany. “Great point! Anyway, I’ve been a little down because I know your friend doesn’t like Grian and I and that’s okay, but selfishly it's also extremely not okay to me and I need them to like me. I need it. But clearly my current methods aren’t working, so I was like, what else can I do? And then I didn’t come up with anything. So I called Grian! And Grian suggested delivering a gift through you, which was a great idea, but I was stumped on what to give them, y’know? I figured no human stuff, you like the humans stuff but- oh! That reminds me, I’ve got a trinket for you, don’t let me forget it- Anyway, I asked Etho, and Etho told me to stop calling him, but then after I called five more times he told me that Cub would never like me which was rude and also sad. After that though, he told me it’s really hot on the surface compared to the deep water, and that you guys have to travel a little ways out to actually hunt, and I thought well, why not give you a frozen treat! At first I was just gonna bring some still frozen fish in a cooler, but Grian, genius Grian, suggested I let you have the ice too! I got you a biodegradable bag for it and everything, but I hope you don’t try to eat that too. Do you like to eat ice? I do. Dentist said it was bad for my teeth and I had to stop, but sometimes I just can’t resist. Whatever kind of ice they put in your drinks at restaurants, that’s the good shit. Can’t let it go to waste.”

Scar retreated back to his and Grian’s bags, where he heaved a new container up off the sand, waddling back with it in his arms. Must’ve been quite heavy; Scar had never brought something like this to the beach before. Mumbo’s interest was piqued, though Scar never left the box’s side, making it frustrating to investigate. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to pull it off the beach and right into the water, then he could have his way. Scar seemed to anticipate this though (it’s not like Mumbo had a history of stealing! This was blasphemy!), using his body as a shield from Mumbo’s grabby hands and positioning his weight strategically so that he could fall on top of the box if Mumbo made a break for it anyway. Foul human, Scar never had any fun.

“Now, most of this is for Cub, but I have some for you too of course. Not even portions- I’m just trying to make a good impression here, I hope you understand.” Carefully, without turning his back on Mumbo, Scar opened the box, pulling out a- fish. Oh. Well, Mumbo was a little underwhelmed, he wouldn’t lie. It was quite stiff too, and almost shiny? Actually, now that he was seeing all this together, he recognized this box. Scar used to bring it often when Mumbo’s tail was busted; did he think he needed to provide food again? With all due respect, Mumbo hoped not. He wasn’t trying to be rude though, Scar must have hunted very hard for this fish! He took it, but nearly dropped it at the revelation that it was cold.

Now, this wasn’t entirely new, and fish given by the humans had always been a little cold, but never to this degree. The fish was nearly frozen solid- no wonder it was so stiff! Mumbo was utterly perplexed, but he didn’t want to give Scar the impression he was ungrateful, so he proceeded to devour the whole thing. It wasn’t unpleasant, not by any means, but seeing Scar’s delighted smile made all the strangeness worth it.

“Gift.” Scar started, and Mumbo perked up, paying closer attention now that Scar was actively trying to communicate with him. “For Cub. Gift for Cub.” Scar pointed across the lake, which was rippling in the light breeze. “For Cub.”

Was.. he trying to give something to Atlas?

“Gift for Mumbo.” Scar produced one bag from the box, handing it over gingerly. It was tied tight at the top, and cold. Holding from the bottom, Mumbo felt a lot of loose pieces inside. Scar pulled another, larger bag up as well, struggling to point over the weight of it. “Gift for Cub. Cub.”

Cub. Mumbo had never heard that word before, but Scar had been saying it quite a lot today. Is that what he’d decided to call Atlas? Mumbo gave him a thumbs up, relatively sure he understood Scar’s intentions, and briefly set down his own gift so that his and Scar’s hands would not have to touch in the exchange. He couldn’t help but notice that Atlas’s package was bigger than his own, but it was possible this was on the account that Scar had given Mumbo part of his gift early, showing off what was inside.

“Go now,” Scar said, almost shooing Mumbo back. He got the idea, though was a little confused why Scar wanted him to leave so abruptly.. it’s not like the fish were fresh. Regardless, Mumbo dutifully delivered the parcels, waking a sleepy Atlas on the lake floor.

Immediate suspicion was a given. ‘What is this.’ However, Atlas sensed the cold, sparking interest as they drifted closer.

‘I think Scars has realized they can’t reach you on the surface. This is a new method it seems.’

‘Scars..’ Atlas repeated the name, distaste prickling across the hairs on their shoulder. Whatever intrigue they previously possessed seemed to die, repeating themself. ‘What is it.’

‘Fish, I think. Can’t say I know why, but it’s not poison.’

Atlas’s tentacles twitched in their suspicion. Mumbo couldn’t blame them, clicking, ‘You don’t have to eat them. They’re odd, frozen. Not inedible, just different.’

Mumbo couldn’t tell if the gesture Atlas lent him was amused or mildly incredulous, ‘You’re crazy.’

‘Not the first or last time a mer will call me that.’ Mumbo made to undo the ties on his own bag, only to be frightened as tiny shards of ice floated up and out in every direction, along with one or two fish. Even Atlas looked surprised, though Mumbo was silently delighted at the little trill that left their throat.

‘Stupid, stupid animals.’

‘Effective at least!’ Mumbo tried, all in good humor.

‘I’ll just sit on mine in that case.’ Atlas curled around their own gift, melting over the cold with closed eyes. Mumbo hadn’t planned on speaking, but Atlas intercepted before he could have anyway. ‘Not a word. And don’t let that human trash float away, they’re always shitting up the water.’

And with that, Mumbo was quite pleased for a while. He didn’t care either way for the ice, though he did enjoy chasing and eating the floating pieces. However, Atlas really seemed to be enjoying the cold, which was great! Mumbo was quite pleased Scar had found a way to get through to them, even if the human didn’t know it yet. When the two mers first arrived here, Mumbo had really been getting fed up with Atlas’s whining, but this was the hottest place Atlas had ever visited by far, and Mumbo felt for them when Atlas was still suffering in the heat after Mumbo had long since adjusted. Mumbo was very glad he happened to bring them here at the start of the cold months.

Mumbo left them like that, returning to his humans. Despite the fact that Atlas would rather be skinned alive than tell any human they liked their little offering, Mumbo couldn’t help but give Scar a thumbs up. Scar’s expression of unbridled delight was worth the wrath of Atlas if they ever found out. Mumbo had to hand it to him, it was thoughtful, even if the ice wasn’t supposed to be the main event.

Mumbo felt less good the moment he realized how much bigger Atlas’s gift was than his. Atlas didn’t notice; at least Mumbo was pretty sure they didn’t, they weren’t even interested in the fish, but they certainly noticed the next day, and the day after that. It was absurd, honestly! And maybe it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, this was such a stupid thing to get caught up on. Scar was working harder to befriend Atlas because they were the one he needed to prove himself to, it made perfect sense! Atlas benefitted far more from the ice anyway, Mumbo was glad they got more of it- he gave all his to Atlas anyway! Atlas wouldn’t even eat the fish, but- he didn’t know! It was about the principle!

He tried not to let Atlas see he was bothered. This was impossible, every itch of irritation painted clearly in the picture of his constantly flicking fins, but Mumbo did try. Atlas might’ve been nearly as uncomfortable with this as Mumbo was; the last thing they wanted was Scar’s attention, and they wanted even less to get between them, especially if this was courting behavior. Honestly- Mumbo really didn’t know!

It didn’t matter.

At first, Mumbo attempted to remedy his own insecurity by bothering Scar incessantly for the next few days. When this didn’t work, Mumbo ghosted him. But then Scar got sad, just wailing at the beach for hours (minutes), and Mumbo caved to a day of typical activities. Scar did not take well to being ignored, and not in the way Mumbo wanted either; he was just persistent, deterred by nothing but straight up aggression, and Mumbo wasn’t trying to be aggressive! Scar just needed a healthy dose of his own medicine, to have his feelings minorly hurt or feel like some kind of replaceable commodity or- whatever. Mumbo only wanted to stop feeling like Scar would be perfectly content with any other- No!

This was so stupid!

Mumbo would show him. Humans could be expendable too- Mumbo could love just about anyone as long as they had legs!

Wait a minute. Grian had legs. Yes. Yes! Grian had legs! And he would be back soon- oohhh this would be perfect. Sure, after shaving Grian had gone down a couple pegs in terms of attractiveness- not that this mattered, but come on! He looked like an infant! Something about the death of that mustache which sparked Mumbo’s original inspiration was so deeply tragic, but he would persevere for the cause!

Mumbo would break Scar, he would regret ever- ever- Scar would surely regret!

[deyisacherry]

hi i have two (2) questions

are you the person on yt that makes those masm sun x moon comps... bc if so, i have watched those so many times and im losing my mind i love them so much thank u for the content

bwahaha what are ur opinions on the episodes from today n yesterday (11/28 and 29) :3 ... rip any chance for sun and moon to be together legitimately EAHAHGFHA

OH HAIII

AJALDHWKD YEAHHH IT'S MEE KICKS A ROCK,,, OMGG YOU'VE SEEN THOSE AHWLFHEKFHWJJFD thank you so much for watching my silly compilations<'3333, the gays got me a YouTube editor arc fr

AND UHHHGHEJSWJHXKSFJ I HAVE SOSOSOSO MUCH TO SAAAY MANNNNNN YEAH ugbsuwhfjd iii guess we'll never have them siiigh idk what do i expect from this bois (no hate, just used to it)...

with complete honesty i do not support moon using a love potion on sun, HE SHOULD'VE TRIED SOMETHING ELSE, BE BETTER TO HIM, ANYTHING BUT THAAAT but then again my goodness he's so clueless he's so dumb he's SO INNOCENT AHWLFHEKF MY GUY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS NO ONE HAS ACTUALLY GUIDED HIM PROPERLY TO KNOW WHAT TO DO, YEAH "BE NICER" BUT TELL HIM HOOOOW HE'S TOO SILLY

forcing someone to love you with love potions is crazy and not good, THEN AGAIN, MORAL?? SUN DID THE SAME AND NO ONE WAS TRASHING ON HIM FOR IT, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY HSQLHD??? and also

i

had so many cute little sun x moon moments without moon actually breaking any boundary MORE THAN JUST GIVING HIM A LIL KISSY ON THE CHEEK that i can't truly be grossed out by it

IT WAS ON HIS CHEEK WHEN IT COULD'VE BEEN ON HIS LIPS!!!! AND HE DIDN'T!!!! HE RESPECTS HIM!!!!! WJLSGEKJD

he was GENUINELY BEING SO NICE TO HIM, MY BOY WENT TO MAAAAKE CUPCAKES FOR HIM, NOT EVEN BUY, MAKE, HE MADE 129 CUPCAKES CAUSE DIDN'T KNOW WICH ONE WOULD HE LIKE THE MOOOSTGHJSJHSJSHSH

and and abqndbwnndbebfkf

don't get me wrong i don't HATE or despise Roxanne, i just don't like they're making her this DIRTY, THAT EVIL LAUGH GOT ME DEATH STARING AT MY PHONE AHQKHFKWGH ??? WHY WOULD SHE ACT LIKE THAAAT

on god was it just for the potion i would support her but this

THIS

TAKING SUN ON A DATE RIGHT AFTER HEARING HOW HEARTBROKEN MOON WAS???? THAT'S NOT COOL ROXANNE

they're all so fricking dumb dumb blocky dummies omg

AND DUDE MOON WASN'T EVEN MAD (yet) AT ROXANNE, HE WAS JUST SHOCKED AND SAD AND WALKED AWAYYYYYY, UGHHHHDWJZJS HE LITERALLY PROVED HE WOULD BE A GOOD BOYFRIEND

UGH MOONNNNN IF YOU ONLY HAD AN IDEA OF WHAT TO DO TO MAKE SUN THINK IT THROUGH AGAINNNNN

ughhhanshnebf but i guess by sun's words he will never like moon, i guess, i suppose, i dunno, i'm so saaaaaaaaaaad i just want my gay people, why is that so much to ask foooor THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE LOVEY DOVEY I JUST WANT THEM TO PLAY TOGETHER AND MOON GETTING SUN A LITTLE FLUSTERED AGAINNNN I CAN HAVE THAAAAT

anyway anygay......... i still like my ship

i respectfully don't fw roxanne x sun.......

and i am doomed to like doomed yaoi

THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONSSSS AAA

[llamaisllama777]

A VERY late Laes,Tsams,Rwags,and Eaps review!!!

Hey, sorry, I know this is SUPER late, but here is my review of yesterday's episodes

..... I... I may have to stop the whole "DOWN WITH THE ASTRALS VIVA-LA-REVALUTION!" thing... like.. wow! This was an interesting episode.

We learned a lot about Turuas and how he sees himself. He doesn't like to view himself as a Destoryer but more of... a maid. He clears the metaphorically dust of the universe.

We also learn.... (BIG SPOILER IN 3...2....1....)

CETUS WAS FRIENDS WITH TURUAS! Cetus was like Lunar! Cetus=Lunar!

Cetus was like Lunar! He was gifted with powers like Lunar but then lost his mind. Wow.

I can't wait for Lunar to meet Cetus. Interacting is gonna be fun to watch.

Turuas... I will admit.. I didn't like you at all at first. In fact, I despised you, but... you have grown on me. I feel for you, man... BUT DON'T EVER TRY TO KILL EARTH EVER AGAIN!

But I am officially shutting down the "Down with the Astrals revaluation."

Solar... STOP WATCHING THINGS THAT MAKES YOU SAD! WE WILL RIP THAT COMPUTER OUT OF THE WALL IF WE MUST!!!

I really fear for Solar when he looks at stuff like this. It's never good to dwell on what ifs and Solar keeps dwelling on What ifs... I wonder if this will become a problem in the future or not?

Okay, so, I know I never really talked about a lot of the other shows but...

HOLY COW! This episode was awesome!!!

So, for anyone who hasn't watched the show, Gregory recently met a strange star child named Nova. (He is not an Astrals. He has a literal star for a head) Nova can apparently grant wishes, and Gregory wished for Roxy's brother, Rocky, to come back from the dead and Roxy is all happy and everything but this new villain named Mystic hippo kidnapped Nova and is going to use his powers to get her powers back and destroy the world and the only way to stop Mystic is to unwish everything but that would mean Rocky has to die again and needless to say...

ROXANNE ISN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT!

So, now, Gregory and Cassie are basically pulling "a Dante's inferno" to try and find Nova, and now Gregory has met the one the only...

OLD MAN CONSEQUENCES!

(Can I just say I love the voice old man consequences has. Seriously, I have no idea who voices him, but holy cow, that voice WORKS! Like when I imagine Old man consequences that's pretty close to the voice I imagine he has)

Old man consequences basically tells Gregory you messed up kid, you've been acting like a child for so long, and your childish actions with messing the life and death have now caused a ripple effect. He tries to get Gregory to turn back, but Gregory tells him they don't really have a choice and have to stop Mystic. Old man relents and let's them go. So, now Gregory and Cassie are on a mission, and there is no going back now cause if they fail.... well, there might not be a home to go back to.

So, ya, watch the Roxanne and Gregory show it's really good!

We.... WELCOME BACK JAKE!

(And Andrew)

So, somehow, Jake (this universe's Jake) is back. He's not dead anymore but now he's.... this.

I thought Jake actually moved on. Like to the afterlife and stuff but no! Jake is here again.

HOW?!

We have so many questions...

Someone had to build the Stitchwraith here, but it can't be Creator cause he's dead here.

Someone else is behind the child killing here, and it isn't Wanda Afton cause she's like old old.

And where is the other Foxy?

(Cause Monica accidentally let this universe's Foxy out of the cell Puppet and Eclipse kept him in. So... there's that.)

I have so many questions!!!

I really love what the Eclipse and Puppet show is doing, and I'm super excited to see what's gonna happen next! Everything is finally starting to kick off!

INCREDIBLE EPISODES

12/10!!!!

Welcome to TSBS Old Man Consequences.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 59 Pain Posting

Here we go, dear void. What fresh hell awaits our MC this week? We are back to setting up for the next big story moment, for one, so there's lots to speculate over before waiting to see how it all plays out. Oh, and suffering of course. There's plenty of that for almost everyone.

Bad TL of editor's notes and the colour page (second editor's note could technically be spoilers I guess):

First page: 慘状を前に… [sanjou wo maeni...] "Standing in front of a terrible scene..."] Last page: 死んだハズ… だが…?! [shinda hazu... daga...?!] "Supposedly dead... and yet...?!"

Colour Page Text (removed in EN version): 見据える過酷な旅路 [misueru kakoku na tabiji; "Sights fixed on the difficult journey ahead"]

Not much to say about the colour page except I like how moody it is (and big Makizumi guy is pretty cute with his pose). Guess I was wrong as usual about the Makizumi following Samura. Would be cool if they acted like personal bodyguards to Chihiro! They're the only ones who can really fight against Samura right now due to being presence-less ninjas after all. That's a really interesting conflict for them too- they clearly care for him a lot as the only person who treated them as actual people, and he definitely cares for them in return. His desire to save them during the Hishaku raid wasn't an act in the slightest! But more on that later.

Samura vs. Chihiro: Round 1

Stressed-out scribble-eye Chihiro returns... someone give him a hug.

Glad I didn't try to predict shit because I would have been totally flabbergasted by how this went. Way to make a (technical) liar out of me by saying Chihiro can't die since he's the MC, Hokazono-sensei.

Watching Chihiro break down in real time was so hard, man. This poor guy got his shit rocked by John yesterday at the Rakuzaichi, watched Tenri die a pointless death for the same reasons he's on his own journey, witnessed the horror of his dad's Civilian Murderton 3000 at 1% capacity, and now Samura, one of his heroes, betrayed them all with his dad's legacy. He even got one-tapped when he finally lost his cool for real.

Chihiro seriously can't handle all of this and it's so heartbreaking to see. This guy was not built for a bloody revenge mission at all. Now that he died, though... seriously, what's going to happen next?! Do we switch PoV to a different character while Chihiro's dealing with whatever's happening to him in what looks like a hospital morgue?

There are also some questions about the circumstances of his death and apparent revival- did he really die, or was that Kamunabi misinformation for/from the Hishaku mole? If he did, then how did he come back? And how does that affect his contract with Enten? There's absolutely nothing to go on right now so it's time to hunker down and not go crazy waiting for answers.

Apropos of nothing: I wonder if that wound that Samura gave him will scar. If so, it would mirror the one Uruha had on his shoulder:

RIP I'm still not over you, Uruha.

Probably just a nit-picky detail thing that won't amount to anything, but I wanted to post Uruha from when he was still alive so there you go. I'd be very surprised if Uruha came back somehow even though Chihiro apparently may have escaped death... It seems super-duper extra final that he's toast thanks to the duel he had with his master before getting done in. May you please reappear in flashbacks from time to time so I can get sad that you're no longer with us all over again.

One last thing before we move on to the Hishaku at Disused Building Full of Trash HQ:

SHIBAAAAAA SAVE YOUR NEPHEW AND HIS (BOY)FRIEND

Shiba showing up was in "delusions" territory for me but I'm so glad he's here!

Of course he's getting called out (kind of) for not telling Chihiro the truth- we saw him being one of Kunishige's top glazers back in chapter 1 despite how uncomfortable it made the dude to be praised. So we just have to sit back and wait for the secrets to come out once Chihiro's well enough to at least listen. And if Shiba can bring himself to talk. All the older guys in this manga are so guilty they'd put a Catholic to shame and Shiba already struggles with not being able to deter Chihiro from taking this bloody path in the first place. He almost failed to save a Rokuhira twice now too.

Samura's kindness towards Chihiro is so genuine even when he's trying to kill the kid. Don't ruin the image of Kunishige for him, Shiba- let him live and die in ignorant bliss.

"Your dad's legacy is the problem."

A man who shared Kunishige's vision has come to want to destroy everything about it and help expose the lies that made them into "heroes"... man, is there any non-Hishaku character in this manga that isn't encumbered by some huge amount of guilt?

Toxic Old Man Yaoi

Nice trashed warehouse HQ, bros. Definitely getting "we lost the war and suffered for it" vibes from these guys. I'm willing to stake 1 (ONE) slice of birthday cheesecake on everything I've talked about in the past regarding their origin- that the Seitei War was a civil war, and the Hishaku were on an imperialistic/dynastic side that lost. BECAUSE:

The Owl spread was AMAZEBALLS

MY NEMESIS

It's deliberate! This is the third time this damn vase has shown up, and in four panels this chapter no less! I need lovingly detailed close-ups of every flower to better ID them for the hanakotoba interpretations but I've only gotten a few so far. Most importantly, a matsumoto (elegance/nobility), sakurasou (deep desire), kiku (Imperial imagery), and what might be a poppy (for assured victory) but I'm not completely confident on the last one.

But anyway, yeah. Another yaoi bomb has hit the fandom.

Look at John talking like a five-year-old about unbreakable pinky promises lmao

Did it have to be pinky rings? What's next, they're connected by a red string? HOKAZONOOOOOOOOOOOO

They're in some kind of toxic stew of a relationship for sure with how things went down this chapter. Worst Jeanist helpfully gave us the details of the pact they made to get Samura's help and he's the only one who's concerned that the guy can actually make good on his "promise" to kill them all. Hope he's got some good anxiety management techniques because John won't say a damn thing about what his contingency plans are until they're enacted, apparently.

Can't run from the blind man.

How do you manoeuver against the guy who is set up to be the tactician of the war, though? His ability to super sense things and scout with that awesome-looking Owl power will definitely make it difficult to go against him despite being blind. And the EN TL says "control" here but the wording in JP was closer to "flushing out" like someone who pursues and exposes prey animals or drives cattle/sheep/etc. So Samura's definitely someone who's used to scouting and hunting, making him quite the formidable assassin.

Of course they're using each other though. And of course there's a separate Kamunabi mole that gave away the Rokuhira household's info. Guess we'll get into that shortly since I'm doing a dangerous thing and assuming that the Kamunabi have rounded up the rest of the Bearers at the HQ to chill with them and the Sword Master. Will they have enough manpower to stand against both the Hishaku and Samura by next week? Will Hakuri even wake up by then? Will Chihiro be able to fight at all? Probably since this is a high-octane action series! I'll just have to shut up and accept the condensed timeline sooner or later. (Seriously though, only a week?!)

"消耗 [used up/exhausted/depleted]" is one way to put it, I guess.

Wonder why they didn't kill Hakuri outright if he was such a problem. Do they have something planned for him later? It's not like John cares about sparing people's lives in the way Samura does, so wouldn't he have mentioned it would have been better to get rid of him for good? Eh, probably just a pointless nitpick. Hakuri's staying to the end of the series in all probability, so he just couldn't die here.

Needing to negotiate with other members-John's a first among equals like Beard Guy at the Kamunabi, maybe? Let's meet all the Hishaku members soon to find out!

Samura, Chihiro, Hiurhiko, and Worst Jeanist Musings

[slaps Samura] This bad boy can fit so much misguided grief in it.

This guy is already an incredibly compelling villain that I've done analysis on bit by bit as we got new info, and I gotta say that if I wasn't sold hard on Kyora for personal reasons then Samura would easily be #1 already. He's so complex and multi-layered! I think the detail that makes him great as a "villain" is that his convictions are colder than the surface of Pluto compared to Chihiro's (and most other character's) who burn bright and hot. Samura doesn't have any passion behind what he's doing, just an inflexible will to see a miserable but necessary job through to the end. If Chihiro's an unstable blazing young star, Samura is the black hole that remains after a supernova finally burns out.

The contrast during their first face-off is extremely telling too. Neither hesitate but Samura easily wins due to his composure alone, never mind the skill and experience gap. Poor Chihro's broken inside and out after finding out one of the people his dad trusted is helping his mortal enemies; the stoicism that John fractured the day before completely falls apart here to reveal Chihiro at his lowest.

"Better dead than a guilty sinner," is it? Too late for that!

And Samura's doing it all because he wants to spare him from becoming a tainted sinner. I can't hate Samura at all- he's doing this as an act of kindness with sympathetic motivations despite how far gone off the rails he is. This isn't a typical villain who just wants the world to burn after he wallowed in his misery for too long! I'm looking forward to seeing how Chihiro recovers and prepares to face him again. If he's going to be the one to do it, that is.

Look at this pathetic ugly frog guy.

Just putting this in my back pocket to pull out later if it manifests somehow. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about Hiruhiko being the one to kill Samura right now, but I do hope he's not redeemed somehow to join the main cast. My feelings on why are extremely petty so I'll just leave it at "don't make him the bonkers former criminal ally guy that everyone sorta tolerates because he's earnest and useful". I will concede that he was almost cute this chapter, though. Worst Jeanist probably deserves a raise for putting up with him.

And now we know how John got his arm back too.

Another healing utility person like the Makizumi, huh? I wonder if we'll get more lore on if this is a field of study that anyone who can use sorcery can take advantage of (like tools), or if it's how their personal abilities manifest. Probably won't get answers unless we spend more time with the Makizumi so here's hoping!

WARNING: TERMINAL BRAIN ROT AHEAD

Not kidding in the slightest about the absolutely mind-numbingly stupid takes about this (very cool!) cover illustration. Skip this if I don't cut it from the final draft of the post unless you're into batshit ramblings from an insane fudanshi.

[feral screeching]

I've got really strong feelings about this cover. REALLY strong. Only the first of them is justified though. Kinda.

One, HIYUKI IT'S BEEN SO LONG I MISS YOU COME BACK TO THE MAIN STORY SOON! She looks so cool too! I love that she doesn't have to do blatantly feminine stuff ever- she's 100% badass and awesome every time she shows up. I'm waiting warmly for your return, my Spaghetti Queen! Use your frenemy rival status to help Chihiro overcome his issues this arc!

This cover and some of the community's reactions to it sparked a lot of thoughts that I've been working out for the past few days. Some about how leaks are being handled, some about how people are reacting to the characters and the composition, a lot about Hiyuki herself. The first easy enough: yes, this cover and colour page count as leaks. Don't spread that shit all over social media! Keep leaks a purely opt-in experience for everyone. The rest, well... probably going to have another massive essay since I love Hiyuki but I don't love why she's so refreshing, if that makes sense? And by God do I hate the way she gets treated by most of the fandom. But I'll work all that out over time.

Two, the Hiyuki-Chihiro design parallels are getting to me in a bad way. Like "tinfoil hat and red string on a tack board" levels of baseless speculation. But I think it's extremely deliberate on the author's part to keep using the same black-with-a-splash-of-red-up-top colour palette for them now that they even have matching undone bandages in this art for some reason. Why not have those two do their own thing like Hakuri got to? He actually kind of sticks out as if no one told him to dress all in black for this photo shoot!

I don't want to let my HakuHiro shipper bias get the better of me here though, so I'll just keep the crazy to myself until we learn more and/or I finish getting the Hiyuki thoughts in order.

Three, HEROINE HAKURI PROPAGANDA!

I'm being completely serious here! I've been banging pots and pans while screaming from the rooftops (internally) about how Hakuri is in the traditional heroine role since I wrote that HakuHiro essay around Chapter 38! He spares Hiyuki from having to balance things out by providing a soft touch because that's his job. And he's so good at it!

Seriously look at his pose! He's leaning in to Chihiro and doing a cute little gesture with his hands, looking so soft while Chihiro and Hiyuki are the baddest motherfuckers to ever exist! Hokazono-sensei was extremely serious when he said he intended for Hakuri to add cuteness. He's so cute! CUTE! But it's not like he's a total uwu marshmallow either- he's still got a really cool outfit on that highlights his boyish charm. He's just the "soft" one to Chihiro's cool and Hiyuki's fierce.

I know I'm a delusional lunatic for going nuts over this. And I hope it's clear that I'm not taking this as a sign that Hakuri's going to be an actual love interest. I'm not that far gone. I'm just always appreciating that Hakuri and Hiyuki essentially swapped roles in a traditional shounen trio in terms of what kind of balance they bring to the dynamic. I think it's an underrated aspect of Kagurabachi's appeal and I wish more shounen did this! Hokazono-sensei seems to love cute guys and cool women and I am 100% behind him if that's the case.

Rough entry but I'm not having a good time lately. Do your best to survive the rest of the year, kind void. We'll make it through for the sake of finding out how the Kagurabachi cast suffers from week to week if nothing else. Give yourself a little treat today, okay?

[smile-files]

after my roommate left yesterday i wrote a letter for them on one of my big lined notepads. i wanted to make sure they knew how much i cared about them, and how much they've meant to me. a bit of the top edge of the paper got ripped off as i tore it out. i left it on her bed before i went to sleep last night, hoping when she came the next day she'd read it and be happy.

i was at the park for much of today and came back to find the note gone: but then there was all sorts of stuff folded up on the bed, so perhaps it had simply been put away as so many other things had. someone i can only assume to be a family member of theirs was helping them pack up the stuff they hadn't taken yesterday. clothes, toiletries, food, the little wheely cabinet she'd kept by the window... of course, that also included the rug between our beds; it's the first time in a while i've seen the wood floor underneath. i've sat on that rug often in the recent past, staying up and thinking or playing ukulele.

i wondered where my roommate was, and if she'd seen what i'd written. eventually she came in herself and, with this supposed family member, wheeled the rest of the stuff out of the dorm. as my roommate was going through things in the room i couldn't find it in myself to say anything to them, only to gaze at them sadly. well, i did ask if they needed any help, but they politely declined. as the two of them left the room i bid her farewell and she said, perhaps sadly too, "i'll see you when i see you!" at least, it seemed, they were open to the possibility of seeing me again.

after they were gone i went over to the window overlooking the street. it had been opened a crack, even though it was sweltering outside. i could see her mom's car double-parked below, and waited and watched as eventually my roommate emerged from the building and had everything stowed away. did they have my note? their words still rang in my mind. i'll see you when i see you. i'll see you when i see you. i'll see you when i see you. i kept singing it to myself, perhaps plaintively, as i looked at her coming around to open the car door and sit shotgun, clicking her seatbelt into place. she was going home. wasn't this home, once? it certainly wasn't anymore.

i saw that my roommate had a folded piece of paper in their hands. suddenly, inadvertently, i made eye contact with the relative in the backseat; i smiled and waved, prompting them to do the same, and then my roommate. with some level of happiness i said "bye!" to her through the open window, seeing her look back at me as she said the same. i think we're friends, or would like to think so. as our gazes detached once more i began singing to myself again, a dim hope leveled at that mysterious paper. the car began to pull away. they unfolded it. a bit of the top edge of the paper was ripped off... my letter has been received...

my roommate's side of the room now looks just as it did before she moved in, which is a sight i'm only now seeing for the first time, as she arrived and began moving in just some minutes before i did. now, in some strange way, it's as if they were never here. after she was gone i lowered the blinds, turned off the air conditioner, and turned off the lights. i kept it as dark and as quiet as it felt, for around an hour or so. then i ate soup at the table, now naked without its placemats, and read on the couch, now cold without its blanket and lonely without its accompanying ottoman.

one could argue that she was driven out. i suppose i wouldn't know for sure, as nobody has told me anything. people here have fights i do not know about. usually i am happy to stay out of the loop, but now i was sad to know nothing. in any event, whatever was wrong, i didn't do anything to fix it; perhaps i wasn't able to. either way, my roommate is gone. my friend is gone. she's gone home. i'm glad, at least, that they know they made this place home for me...

[thetokentrans]

so I have thoughts about this week's episode of 911. My partner and I ranted at one another when we watched it yesterday, and I need to put my thoughts out into the world. Spoilers under the cut. Also tagged though, just to be safe.

Alright so, I wanna say first that while I've mostly enjoyed this season, some of the arcs and basically all of the pacing has me really frustrated? And not frustrated because of cliffhangers and not frustrated because the writing wants me to be. Frustrated because the pacing has been far too quick - though, I expect the super truncated season is to be blamed for that - but also some of the writing and character arcs just..... Do not fit the vibe of the show up until this season? Plus, the lack of calls/focus on characters personal lives has also got me sad. Like, I love the characters and love seeing the peeks into their loves, but I really hope the show doesn't maintain the equation of one big emergency, a few calls sprinkled through out the season, and then mostly focused on the characters lives because *I* preferred the balance it was before. Or would have been happy with a tiny bit more focus on their personal lives, but not to the extent it is now, know?

Eddie and Kim are a great example. Especially what it culminated to in 7x09. It just makes no God damned sense and does not fit Eddie's characterization in my opinion? It came out of left field. It's a really, really weird god damned story line. I *am* glad that Buck approached Eddie about it AS SOON as he learned about the situation though. Like if it wasn't anything, Eddie... You wouldn't have hid her from Buck OR Marisol. If it wasn't anything, you wouldn't have lied and said you didn't have a gf. And it frustrates me that before this episode, he had been looking back on his relationship with Shannon with such rose colored glasses and forgetting the very large, sort of insurmountable issues that they had. Though that isn't out of character for him, I just hated it. Lol

And the stuff with the councilwoman in this episode also made me insanely angry. And went way too quick. Politicians can grease a lot of wheels but that entire situation - Maria's adoption getting stopped, AND her getting ripped out of their house because their foster license got revoked - really felt like it happened way too quick and should have raised some red flags/encountered some road blocks in the system???

Also I hate that NO ONE outside of Athena seemed to question Bobby's definitely very weird behavior. Like I feel like super anxious to every change in someone's demeanor Buck, and INSANELY perceptive Hen would have picked up that something was wrong????

Also idk man, Athena going to Amir, AND BRINGING HIM INTO HER HOUSE THAT HAS ALL OF THIS EVIDENCE OF HOW GOOD BOBBY HAS IT NOW - even if Bobby doesn't think he deserves it, even if Bobby has been stewing in his self loathing basically since childhood and his dad dying - to help with Bobby's spiralings/self destruction cycle felt a little out of characterly naive of her?

Like.. I don't think he's the one who set the house on fire at the end of the episode - I did at first, but my partner pointed out that it'd be the too obvious choice - but I just don't think either Bobby OR Amir are ready for that. And I feel like history shows, and her characterization shows, that she'd be more perceptive and realize that.

That being said, some things I *liked* about the episode:

Chim getting to clapback at racist homophobic Gerrard (spelling?) at the award ceremony

Bobby telling Buck that he knows Tommy is good for him because Buck hasn't spiraled about their relationship/ranted about it to him.

Buck telling Eddie that he's worried about him. That interaction, Buck calling Eddie out, it felt good and like the 911 I'm used to.

Athena calling Bobby out on his self destruction cycle. I do wish she would have pointed out how often she has leaned on him (as much as a chronically independent woman like her, can anyway) especially when it came to finally solving her fiancé's murder for instance.

Idk man, the show just doesn't feel the same as it has in the past and I'm really hoping it's because of the change in network and is just an adjustment period.

[silvermarmoset]

traitors uk episode 8 thoughts/brain dump

alexander is sweet. would not date him because of his severe daniel radcliffe energy but would definitely be pals with him. take long hikes with him and sing silly songs and have long diplomatic arguments with. he's an utter weirdo and i love the DELIGHT he brings to so much of the game

also as someone who also responds to stress/tension by laughter i am for him—that's exactly what i would do in high stress situations. sometimes you can only react to utter buffoonery (leanne) by having a laugh.

i loved the doll challenge! insane and weird and claudia was having a great time. i like challenges where they have to work hard AND be silly!

absolutely bizarre to me there has been NO intention from production apparently to ever draw anyone's eyes to the painting with the writing on it. i guess it's useless evidence now that linda is out and it's her handwriting, but i couldn't believe they'd just let that sit there and instead send them on a wild goose chase through the woods yesterday? That challenge was so boring and didn't seem to do anything other than drag out the Fozia/Leon thing. They could have done something similar with "four players are missing, and one of them was killed" hunt, but instead of driving all over the place just to open the boxes they could have had clues in the house for which ones were missing and who survived, with people running around hunting for clues among the set dec, and then the painting could have been fun, incidental evidence. whereas yesterday they were just....in a car, solving the EASIEST riddles in the world, and then just opening boxes and yelling at the people in them? they could have figured out another way to hide people in the castle that could have been more hide-and-seeky.

tl;dr to above point I wish production would at least give the faithfuls some hard evidence to go off of in the traitor hunt so we can then watch them ignore it. like the fucking painting. come ON lets see some handwriting lets see some clues!!

but anyway the doll challenge was fun and wonderful and exactly what i want in a challenge. i like when the challenges are something i myself would like to do (kind of capture the flag-y) and make me wish i were in the castle so i could play too.

side note i think claudia might hate a lot of these remaining faithfuls. we haven't seen her getting on with or calling out anyone specific this season, whereas in the previous two we saw her speak lovingly of theo and i think banter with some of the other players at breakfast. whereas this season i think she was sympathetic with dan when he was banished (was he the one she called an amazing player?), and that's been about it! (clearly she likes alexander though following this challenge and may i say she has amazing taste)

leanne is an atrocious mean girl and we're rEALLY seeing who she was in high school asjkhgdshglagh i cannot with her. i'm surprised she has any allies left. (maybe she doesn't? would love for her and leon to just manage to banish each other somehow)

joe NEEDS to go he is always targeting my favorites (kaz and alex).

also v sad alex was going, i was following the reddit convo and people were swearing up and down he would stay because he's barely been in the edit but CLEARLY that means nothing. rip alex you seemed like one of the few smart decent ones left! i thought he had on-point observations (when we ever saw them) and i liked his little scottish turns of phrase. sigh.

loved his little scene w lisa too. wish we could have spent more time with them hunting for jellybeans

lisa is smart, i am worried she is not long for the game anymore. she seems to have opened up a rip in reality where she alone is inside a classic murder mystery novella while everyone else has gotten trapped in the preteen cafeteria dimension

i don't really care for charlotte as a person so PRAYING that minah is ten steps ahead and gets her out first. minah is just so lovely and charlotte is meh. (i think her clothes are doing a LOT of heavy lifting in making other faithfuls think she's innocent.)

glad frankie's finally getting heat on her! i like her fine but she is two faced by being SO distressed at banishments that she started. one of those i'm-very-sweet white woman types who i can't trust because you're not that sweet

dream scenario at this point is minah taking the whole thing, there's no way alexander will make it to the end, i don't think lisa will either, and there's nobody else left in there i like or can stand. i hope next series they either make the challenges less cut-throat (because i think that's messing with the faithfuls too much) or just cast way more down to earth people, because this cast has just been way too full of mean people (either naturally or because the challenges are pushing them in selfish directions too quickly).

[zsakuva]

I was watching your stream yesterday, and you mentioned Isaac speaks Japanese.

It made me kinda curious, since, if his mother passed so early on (around 12 if I remember correctly), and his grandfather was from his father’s side, how did he manage to upkeep it for so long? Did he have friends in college who spoke it, or maybe some distant relatives? 

Even if, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for someone who hasn’t had a consistent conversation partner for 17 years to speak 3 languages fluently, (counting Spanish).

I grew up having to juggle three languages at home, and I still find it really difficult to speak and express myself in all of them properly, despite having family and friends I can talk to everyday. A part of me wants to think he tried consuming Japanese media to keep a part of his mother alive, but that’s probably me just overly romanticizing reality haha~. 

I’ve been following Isaac’s series since the beginning, and while it’s sad to see him go, I really enjoyed the ride:)) Thank you for your hard work! All of your characters are super well written and the level of detail, down to the accuracy of the geographical locations (which still blows my mind), and the small links between each of the series is actually insane. I’d kill to meet any of your oc’s irl (except for Alex *cough*). So yeah, thank you:)

(also, please ignore the grammar/spelling, this was one stream of consciousness rip)

I'd assume that, due to how fond he was of his mother and the memories they made together, he'd actively attempt to keep it close. Universities are very diverse, so I can imagine him making Japanese friends, or those who spoke the language.

I'd also think that his job and the clientele he interacts with would be from all over, including Japan, so he'd need to be adept enough in the language to read, write, and speak it. Within his library, I'd expect there to be Japanese books among them too!

In my eyes, he wouldn't forgive himself if he lost that skill because he would view it as losing a part of his mother, something he desperately strives to save.

Thank you so much for the support! (And don't worry about the writing haha)

[avatarskywalker78]

It's Work in Progress Wednesday and I've been trying to make a dent in my WIP list!! I completed and uploaded the Wario centric one yesterday and I've been trying to make some headway into the others using the advice from the WIP clearout post. The first extract is from my 'Alex & Daniel' wip - where Daniel Sousa offers to look after an eight-year-old Alex Thompson for the day, and is a little apprehensive about it.

Daniel would like to say that he didn’t know how he’d been talked into this, but that would be a lie – he’d been talked into it because the Thompsons were practically family and had asked for this favour, and because Peggy was too busy at SHIELD to help look after Alex for the day, so it had been left up to him.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t had to look after children before, of course, but still, he couldn’t help but be a little nervous – he’d only looked after Alex a handful of times and those had been when she was very small, not the bouncy eight-year-old who’d be coming to stay for a few hours, and there was always a worry about having to look after someone else’s child. Especially the granddaughter of one of his closest friends. Plus, he wasn’t exactly getting any younger here, so he wouldn’t be able to keep up as much as he might’ve done back in the day – and he already felt exhausted as Sophia parked the car and Alex came running over with a speed he envied. “Uncle Daniel!” She rushed towards him and for a second he feared she was about to leap at him and expect him to catch her because that really would send him crashing to the floor— She didn’t. She did, however, knock the wind out of him and almost bowl him over with the force of the resulting hug. “Oof.” “Sorry!” She jumped back, apologetic. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? Mom says I get too overexcited sometimes.” “I’m fine.” He assured her as he got his breath back, Sophia coming over and looking faintly amused. “Nothing wrong with a hug, kiddo, you just gotta be a little careful - you could’ve knocked me flying.” “Sorry.” She hugged him gentler this time. “I’ve just been looking forward to this for ages.” “I got that.” He said with a laugh, returning the hug. “It’s great to see you too, Alex.”

I have identified a couple of the main blocks; not only have I not watched the source material for a few years, but...I also don't have a clear plan for the fic!! Which isn't helpful, but now I know I can work on it - I've already found both seasons so a rewatch will be a great help (and not just for this one).

Another one I've been working on is...the Sad Westhallen Fic!! Which might not be as sad as it originally was - Barry's still dead but the bulk of the fic is going to be his friends and family sharing all the good memories they have and celebrating his life - but, of course, Eddie and Iris are still dealing with the loss, compounded by the fact their twins have basically no memories of their dad.

It wasn't meant to be like this. Days after Eddie had been freed from captivity, days after Barry, Oliver, and Teams Flash and Arrow brought down Eobard and called in Rip Hunter to see justice served, that had been when he'd finally start to believe - at least a little - that maybe, maybe things would get better. It had been far from easy, of course - Eddie and Iris's relationship was...not on hold, exactly, but any talk of marriage was shelved for the time being until he got the help he needed, which had made sense, of course, but...part of him had worried that she'd choose Barry in the end after all, because the other man was kind and brave and unflinching, someone who would treat Iris right and all Eddie had ever, ever wanted was for Iris to be happy. And if Barry was the one to make her happy... Who was he to stand in the way of that? Course, this had been a symptom of his depression, and once he'd started going to therapy he'd realised how spectacularly untrue it was. Iris and Barry were nothing but supportive the whole time and Iris assured him that she still loved him and always would. She wasn't going anywhere - and neither was Barry. This had made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside - and he'd finally had to admit that yes, he was in love with Barry too, and had been for some time.

This one needs a rewatch too, so it'll either be this or Agent Carter that I rewatch after I finished OUAT S1.

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @starstruckpurpledragon @dream-beyond-the-fantasy @daughter-of-melpomene

[official-avenger-mess]

You already know what happened yesterday morning with Natasha.

(If you don’t — scroll down. It’s a disaster.)

But what you don’t know is that today… today it exploded.

After crying like an idiot all day, after replaying every second of that stupid movie and every second of her hand in my hair, I decided I couldn’t just let it die in silence.

I needed something.

So after my breakfast today, when everyone else was busy, I found her.

She was in the gym, beating the hell out of a punching bag like it had personally betrayed her.

I stood there for a second, my heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.

I almost turned and left.

I should have.

But instead, I blurted,

“Can we talk?”

My voice cracked halfway through the sentence. Pathetic.

She didn’t even stop punching.

“About what?” she snapped, like she had no idea.

Like she hadn’t shattered me just hours ago.

“About last night,” I said, louder.

She froze.

Dropped her fists. Turned toward me slowly.

Her eyes were cold, unreadable.

“I told you to forget it,” she said, each word sharp enough to bleed.

My hands curled into fists.

“I can’t just forget it!” I shouted, my voice raw.

“You—you made me feel like—"

She stalked toward me, slowly. Really scary.

“Think what, Morgana?”

“That I love you? That this could be anything?”

Her words were cruel, but her eyes —

Her eyes were screaming something else, I swear.

“I don’t know!” I yelled back.

“But you can’t pretend you didn’t feel anything too!”

We were inches apart now.

Breathing hard.

Hearts slamming against ribs like they wanted to break free.

Her hand twitched.

Mine did too.

I could feel the pull between us — magnetic, reckless, inevitable.

And for a second — a single, breathless second —

I thought she was going to kiss me.

She leaned in —

so close I could smell the faint scent of cherries on her skin —

so close I could feel the heat of her breath —

my heart cracked open and reached for her—

And then she blinked.

Shoved the feeling down like it was poison.

Tensed every muscle in her body like she was fighting off a ghost.

She pulled back like I’d burned her.

I saw it happen.

I saw the fear win.

I saw her pick not loving me over maybe loving me.

And it broke something inside me that I can’t even name.

“You’re a coward,” I spat before I could stop myself.

“You’re so scared of feeling anything real that you’d rather destroy both of us.”

Her face went blank.

Not angry. Not sad.

Just empty.

And then — because I am an idiot — I shoved her.

Hard.

She stumbled back.

Her jaw clenched.

She shoved me back, not hard enough to hurt — just enough to say stop — but it didn’t stop anything.

It just made everything worse.

We stood there, trembling, breathing like we’d just run through hell.

Staring at each other like strangers.

“Maybe you should’ve left me alone,” I said, voice shaking.

“Maybe I should’ve,” she whispered back.

And then I ran.

Because I couldn’t survive standing there another second, watching her pretend that none of it mattered.

Watching her pretend I didn’t matter.

I barely made it to my room before the sobs hit — violent, painful, ripping through me like a storm.

I curled up on the floor, clutching the blanket from my bed like it could hold me together, and cried until I couldn’t breathe.

I wanted to hate her.

God, I wanted to.

But all I could think about was the way her arms felt around me.

The way her breath had hitched when she almost kissed me.

The way she shoved it all away.

Why won’t she let herself feel it?

Why am I not enough to be worth the risk?

I don’t know if we’ll ever come back from this.

I don’t know if she even wants to.

All I know is…

It hurts more than anything I’ve ever known.