#we don’t play again for 80 years so I need to be thirsty

[lickmylundqvist]

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[park-jaechan]

Jaechan's Full Interview for <DAZED> Korea September 2024 Issue

This is the fifth time Jaechan has shot with Dazed, including this shoot. Our first encounter was in February 2022, when Semantic Error was airing. Since then, Jaechan has shot three more times with Dazed, and about two and a half years later, we met again at the tango practice room near Chungmuro Station.

It feels like meeting a dear friend after a long time. "Indeed. My first solo photoshoot and DKZ’s first group shoot were both with Dazed, right? I remember everything. During my first photoshoot, I wore a hat with horns on it."

Yes, we shot you in a Prada jumpsuit with a horned hat. "Right, that interview was memorable too. Jaeyoung was the interviewer and Sangwoo was the interviewee. The title was 'Jaechan Will Grow Big.' Just as the title said, I'm growing steadily."

What did you do yesterday? "I was shooting in Geoje-do and fell asleep around 2 a.m. But that was pretty early for me. I'm quite a night owl."

You’re known to not be a morning person. Aren't you tired? "I was a bit sleepy when I first arrived at the studio, but today's concept doesn't require forced high energy, so it was easy to shoot naturally. It wasn't hard at all."

You’ve been busy filming continuously lately. "When I’m working, I work hard, and on my days off, I rest well. I film about four days a week. The rest of the time, I'm at home reading scripts, sometimes meeting friends for a drink. I like it that way."

You seem more relaxed since we last met. "Do I? I do feel a bit more relaxed compared to before, but not to the point where I’ve let my guard down. Maybe it’s because it’s a Dazed shoot, so I feel more at ease."

The final episode of "My Sweet Mobster" aired on August 1st. Your character 'Donghee' and you are the same age. "Yes, but Donghee is much more mature than I am. He’s the type to keep his struggles to himself rather than burden others, especially because he feels so indebted to the company that took him in. From my perspective, I understood Donghee's feelings but also wished he could lean on others and open up a bit."

But he gradually opens up, right? "Yes, he develops chemistry with the older brothers from Thirsty Deer. We often hung out together, like Jaesoo hyung, Manho hyung, and Honggi hyung. As someone who played Donghee, I felt like we were one entity. On set, we would discuss how to approach the scenes together. We would say, 'How about we try this? Or maybe that?' We had great chemistry, almost like shooting a skit with people who genuinely love acting."

So, you learned how to enjoy acting more comfortably through "My Sweet Mobster". "Exactly. While it’s important to understand the script thoroughly, I realized that acting is also about rhythm and flow. Thanks to that experience, I found my next project much easier to approach."

How would you describe your personality? "These days, I tend to go with the flow. I try not to stress over things that don’t go well and avoid forcing myself too much. To last long, I need to be kind to myself. I'm not a perfect person, after all. It’s more practical to focus on doing what I can do well."

I find that challenging. Since I know I’m an 80-point person, I believe in giving 120% to make up for the remaining 20%. "That might work in the short term, but in the long run, it can be exhausting. I’d rather consistently maintain an 80-point average. And to be honest, getting 70-80 points isn’t bad either. Do we really need to aim for 100 points? That standard is vague, and I wonder what’s the point of hurting ourselves just to reach it."

So, what do you usually do first before acting? "I think I try to clear my mind a bit. I don’t usually memorize lines word for word. Instead, I focus on what the character might be feeling in that moment. As I read the lines repeatedly, they naturally stick with me, so I put more effort into conveying the emotions."

What do you think are the unique charms of music and acting? "If being a singer means pouring everything out in a short time, acting is more about a slow, delicate flow. I’m not sure if this comparison is accurate, but album promotions feel like finishing a semester and then enjoying a vacation, while working on a project feels like graduating from school. So, while you can meet your fans again through concerts during music promotions, with acting, once filming is over, you can't meet that character again, which leaves a longer-lasting impression."

Although you’re busy preparing to appear on screen, is there anything you’ve recently enjoyed watching? "I recently watched a Japanese movie called "My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday", but I didn’t really understand it. So, I laid out a notebook with a timeline that was written up to the 30th and tried to figure out how the events were flowing, but I still don’t get it. (laughs) Personally, I like works that not only leave an impression but also make you question, 'What’s really happening here?'"

As a celebrity, you’re often on the receiving end of questions. But is there someone you’d like to ask questions to? "I’m actually the type to ask a lot of questions because I’m very curious. Even on set, if there’s some interesting equipment, I’ll go over and ask about it. Everyone there is an expert in their field, and they’re always kind enough to explain things when I ask."

In conversations, do you usually listen more or talk more? "I generally listen more. In acting, the most important thing is listening and responding. So, I prioritize listening because you need to hear what the other person says before you can respond."

Aren't we talking too much about work? (laughs) Have you thought about traveling? "When people go on trips, they often have barbecues, right? I’m a bit different. I’d like to make a neat Korean meal and eat it while enjoying the outdoor scenery. Especially in spring!"

It seems like you can cook pretty well. "Recently, I’ve been trying to cook more."

What dishes can you make? "I’ve reached the level of making aglio e olio."

What’s your signature dish? "Soy sauce egg rice. (laughs)"

It’s been about two and a half years since we first met. How does it feel looking back? "I feel like it’s been a steady journey. Not too fast, not too slow. Compared to two and a half years ago, now I find myself urging to take things slower. After becoming an adult, I always thought the coolest age in your 20s was 25, so I wanted to reach that age quickly. But lately, I feel like there’s so much more I can do in the future, and I’m determined to keep moving forward steadily."

2024 is just a few months away. Do you have any goals for the remaining time? "I want to show myself as a singer. Whether it’s solo or with a group, I’m open to both. If the timing is right, I might be able to do both."

That’s the end of the interview. What’s next on your agenda? "I heard there’s a good sashimi restaurant nearby, so I’m thinking of checking it out. But I’m not sure if I’ll be able to eat there because the wait is supposed to be long."

Even though it’s only 3:44 PM? "I heard it gets packed as soon as it hits 4 PM."

Good luck!

Source: @/halo_yom See Scanned Magazine Here, Credit to @/halo_yom Translated by Park Jaechan Updates

[virusinfected-memes]

ANIMAL CROSSING SERIES SENTENCE STARTERS ;

80 starters. Sentences come from all the mainline Animal Crossing entries, and also includes quotes from the spin-off titles Happy Home Designer and Pocket Camp. Feel free to change words and pronouns as needed!

“Never underestimate the value of being just who you are. Life isn’t about being extreme all the time.”

"Sometimes, all it takes is a good friend to remind you of all the things you like about your life...”

“Ack! I lost! My hopes...smashed to bits like some kind of... I can’t even think of an appropriate analogy!”

“It’s a gross world. And I wanna rescue you from it.”

“No, I mean it. I had tacos for lunch. So enjoy the fresh air while you can.”

“But I did learn one thing from the experience. I’M STUPID!”

“Stick to chocolate and comic books. You’re too young for love anyway.”

“It’s always teatime somewhere.”

“You’re looking awful as ever. Who dresses you?”

“Sometimes I like to flush the toilet and just stare into the bowl. It’s kind of relaxing.”

“Please don’t question my driving or parking skills. You couldn’t begin to understand the level I’m on.”

“Did some new, totally rad Nintendo game come out?”

“You’re a little obsessive, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes I think I’d make a pretty darn good househusband. Who knew?”

“Oh, no... No matter how much time passes, I can’t forget him!”

“No matter where you live, one thing stands true... Life costs money.”

“Wait... You weren’t ACTUALLY trying to give me trash for my birthday, were you?”

“Okay, so don’t tell anyone because I’m not proud of this, but I was a little thirsty and kinda desperate.”

“I think I dropped my house key somewhere. That was my favorite key... It opened my house.”

“You filthy ogre! I hope you get stung by a thousand bees!”

“I just feel like life is all rainbows and flowers lately.”

“I’d tell you what I was dreaming about, but I’m not sure you can handle it. How old are you?”

“Um, I asked for something cool...and this is not it.”

“Even though you bug me sometimes, I don’t ever want to fight with you.”

“Rivers...are just fish roads.”

“_____?! What are you doing up?! It’s past your bedtime!”

“I’d offer you something to eat, but I don’t want to. Hey, it’s my house. Get your own food.”

“Explore all the things that make you happy now, and you’ll discover what you really want out of life later.”

“C’mon! Say something amazing! Treat me like a pretty princess!”

“If you ever need anything, anything at all, and I can do it without moving from this spot, just ask.”

“Shut up! You lookin’ for a fight? No? Then back off, buddy!”

“Hey, how about you letting me spend the night tonight?”

“Since I can’t cook, I just played Super Chef RPG IV for 24 hours...”

“You know what? I thought of you the other day, and it filled me with warm fuzzy feelings! For the record, I was also thinking about puppies, so you were in good company.”

“You can just forget about being friends with me!”

“It’s good to appreciate the times when you’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to do.”

“Yeah, exercise is totally hard and stuff. I think I’m gonna go take a nap and read a book or whatever.”

“Planning to do some post-midnight mischief? Yeah, me neither.”

“Do you need someone to share a snack with you? I’ll share a snack with you!”

“Ya ever just feel like cryin’? Me too!”

“We meet people, get to know them, and then they get up and leave us behind.”

“I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m allergic to bad vibes. When they’re nearby, I can’t help but... ACHOO! Oh, no! Bad vibes in the vicinity! This is not a drill!”

“Weeds are just flowers that no one thinks are pretty. That’s sort of depressing, isn’t it?”

“A joke for my birthday?! Nobody’s ever gotten me a joke before! The only thing is? This joke...IS NOT FUNNY! IT’S GARBAGE!”

“It’s kinda weird how being irresponsible with money can be rewarding, isn’t it?”

“You’re already mature for your age. My suggestion is to just be yourself. Don’t change to impress others.”

“I resolve to focus less on others and more on what really matters. ME!”

“Time to worry about an insignificant conversation that happened 15 years ago!”

“I used to be so focused. But now it’s like I just can’t...you know...do...stuff.”

“WHAT’S GOING ON?! THE RAGE! IT’S TAKING ME!”

“You are SO going to lose all of your friends if you keep acting like such a complete steakhead.”

“I’ve learned that you can’t get too connected to the people in your life.”

“I gotta admit, I really love that one show where all those people do the stuff and then something happens.”

“Just because two people are good friends doesn’t mean they’d make a good couple.”

“I was happy at first. But then I cried. And then it was kinda okay. But then I totally cried again.”

“The shortest route to getting something done is to just do it!”

“If you get scared, don’t hesitate to leap into my arms! I won’t be able to protect you in any way, but it might look cool.”

“NO ONE EVER UNDERSTANDS ME! I’M HUNGRY ALL THE TIME AND NO ONE CAAARES!”

“Whenever we talk, I feel like there’s a lot more going on inside you than you ever let anyone see.”

“Hi. I lost my voice. I was trying to be a heavy-metal singer. Instead of a pop star... I am SO not metal.”

“You’re just like a BABY! Waaah! Waah! WAAAAAAAH! Feed me! Feed me! I’m a wee baby!”

“Even the peppiest of people feel blue sometimes. It’s a sad fact of life.”

“Believe it or not, I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.”

“But I’m already pretty cute already... So, even cuter clothes might be...um...overkill.”

“After all, I’m beautiful, but I am also...deadly.”

“Even when I didn’t see you in real life, you made special guest appearances in my dreams!”

“You think my lips are cute? Why, do you want me to smooch you or something?”

“Wanna know something sad? There are some things about places you just don’t realize until you leave them.”

“If you don’t stop pushin’ me, I’ll be forced to break out the bicep canons!”

“I used to get taller on birthdays. Now I’m usually just wider.”

“I don’t like seeing you hurt, even if it’s just pretend... I can’t help that I care about you so much.”

“I’m terribly sorry, but nature is not always family friendly!”

“I’m soooooooo broke! Whaaaaaaa!”

“I guess I just went into fight or flight mode, you know? Only my “flight” is more like “cry.”

“Should we invent something? Destroy something? Invent something that destroys things?”

“Sometimes your heart tells you when you’re in love. Your tummy too. Both can sure make you sick.”

“You want another one? That seems a little greedy, don’t you think?”

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away. An onion a day keeps everyone away.”

“I really watched my...language...here today. I’m not usually quite so...you know, so polite.”

And remember that bad times...are just times that are bad.”

[pluto-art]

- PINKY AND THE BRAIN - EXPERIMENTS -

Below the cut is a personal project on the much more morbid side. Animal lab experimentation is always something I’ve found equal parts horrible and fascinating. Once in a blue moon, I’ll do research on the subject out of curiosity and/or for storytelling purposes. Even as a kid, I found this of interest, and when watching Pinky and the Brain I was always a bit disappointed that we never saw more of what the characters actually went through in the lab during the day. Granted, there’s a reason as to why this was never shown, as a child audience had to be kept in mind, yet still I pondered about it....

Over the last few days, I’ve been churning out compositions based on internet findings -- old and new experiments that rats and mice are put through, many of them humane, some of them very much not. It was an eye-opening journey for me artistically and otherwise, discovering what I’m comfortable drawing and what I never want to sketch again, as well as learning more about this realm of the scientific world.

WARNING: SOME GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW THE CUT. If needles, patients dealing with the effects of cancer, and general portrayals of pain bother you, I wouldn’t bother venturing onward. I not only drew out experiments that the characters might have gone through, but also describe all of my findings in detail and provide video footage to go along with it. While I didn’t go full-on vivisection or anything, some of this might still be disturbing, so I’m taking extra precaution.

All of the images below are “color-coded” and graded. The experiments start out fairly tame, then get worse... and worse... and worse. The backgrounds reflect this, going from fairly light to quite dark.

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Experiment #1 - Tail Flick Test

A fairly harmless experiment. The subject is mostly restrained, leaving only their tail exposed. An intense light beam is projected onto the exposed appendage, with the animal flicking their tail when the pain/heat becomes too much. This test is utilized in basic pain research and to measure analgesic effectiveness.

I wanted Brain to wear an expression of deep apathy -- he’s done this a million times and will probably do it a million times more. At this point, he doesn’t even care anymore.

For the background, I simply copied an environment in one of the videos I found.

Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzrA1tDTfkQ

Experiment #2 - Rotarod Performance Test

Another experiment that’s generally harmless. One or multiple subjects are placed on elevated rotating rods so as to measure such things as endurance, balance, grip strength, and more.

I imagine Pinky would enjoy this test, as he’s familiar with running on a wheel and actually enjoys more strenuous activities. Brain, on the other hand, would only participate via sheer force. He’d also be more prone to fall after a shorter period of time, getting tired faster than his cage mate.

Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v56MtrmWAs0

Experiment #3 - Shot (General)

Nothing special. Just Brain about to get shot.

This is all highly exaggerated, of course. A mouse would simply be held firmly, not strapped down, for a simple injection. Also, I can’t imagine why they’d be shot in the face, although Meg told me that scientists tend to draw blood samples from a mouse’s cheek. Need to look that up. I wasn’t at all going for accuracy here, but rather how it might feel -- how scary it would be.

Experiment #4 - Sciatic Nerve Constriction

An experiment in chronic neuropathic pain, due to the central or peripheral nervous system sustaining damage. Under anesthesia, the animal’s sciatic nerve is exposed via skin incision. The connective tissue between the biceps femoris muscles and the gluteus superficialis is cut. The nerve is then loosely tied with four chrome gut ligatures so to occlude, but not arrest, blood flow. The wound is sutured, the animal is given 24 hours to recover, and then both hindpaws are tested for pain sensitivity. Sounds terrible, but it’s certainly not the worst of the experiments I researched.

I have no idea what’s going on with the coloring in this. Again, going for feel more than accuracy, but the hues are way too calm.

Information link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22433911

Experiment #5 - Writhing Test

Particularly cruel test in which acetic acid is introduced into the system, inducing severe internal pain. The typical response includes writhing, abdominal retraction, and stretching of the hind limbs. Despite the test being withdrawn in 2004 for unethical reasons, it is still employed by some.

This was my favorite one to draw. Although the lighting and shading are not the greatest, it made for an interesting experiment. I did not intend for the lines to be so bold, but it kind of turned into an almost comic-style illustration. I ended up playing around with it a bit and like the result enough to post it.

I would not watch the video below if you are squeamish. It is difficult to swallow. On another note, you may find the “Empathetic Behavior: Emotional Contagion in Mice” section in the second link of interest. For cage mates in particular, if one or both mice were injected with the same acid, and allowed to observe one another, an injected mouse would writhe more if its partner was also in pain. I can’t help but imagine Brain and Pinky in this type of situation....

Information link #1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543562/

Information link #2: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/writhing-test

Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib63O4F856w

Experiment #6 - Transgenic K5ras Mouse / Nude Mouse (Combination)

Experiment in which cancer is induced in the system. Nude mice are bred for a number of tests, and are used for this one, as well.

My least favorite to draw, but my favorite to color. One particular experiment I found showed a tumor in every follicle on a mouse’s muzzle. Was trying to go for this look, albeit exacerbated.

Information link #1: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(98)70203-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982298702039%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Information link #2: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/08/weirdest-lab-mice/

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Bonus:

This is based on a test that I found absolutely hilarious. There’s a certain chemical, called W-18, that’s been on the drug market for... some years. The potency of it is supposedly insanely high, although this has never been proven. It’s basically a research chemical (created at a university in the 80s) with analgesic properties that were shown to be “painkillers or blockers of the painkilling effect of morphine in mice”. Mice, not humans. To quote a specific article:

“... when they first injected some of these chemicals into the animals at a dose similar to aspirin, the mice stood up for about a minute and fell over unconscious. They remained unconscious – for five days. But they weren’t dead. They were still breathing. And when they woke, they seemed fine, other than being really hungry and thirsty.”

They literally keeled over from the supposed potency of it. From what I recall, they don’t even know exactly what it was doing to their system, other than the fact that it knocked them out. I just find it funny that they were completely fine after awakening days later.

Although the pure smell of it wouldn’t cause such a reaction, I liked the idea of it in picture form and so depicted Brain simply taking a whiff before passing out.

Information link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2016/04/30/w-18-the-high-potency-research-chemical-making-news-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt/#2c45a5dd4757

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Experiments researched, but not implemented:

- Tail dipped in ice cold water (mentioned here: cold water) - Morris water maze - Porton Down nerve agent test(s) (the worst; not even sure how I’d depict this)

The Porton Down tests sounded so indescribably cruel that I simply couldn’t bear to put Brain or Pinky through either of those, much less draw them out. It was the most horrific of the experiments I found, second only to a story about a French physiologist in the 1700s/1800s who performed, I believe, vivisection on live, six-week-old puppies. There’s a limit and that’s my limit. Even the cancer-based composition above was difficult to create. I legit felt dirty drawing it.

Researching these subjects was incredibly interesting, and I came across a few articles that touched on animal experimentation and the question of whether or not it’s ethical. Should such practices continue? It’s more complicated than a simple “yes” or no” answer. Some tests are fairly harmless, whilst others border on the inhumane, and some are downright cruel. Some people say that, without testing, there would be a lot less medicine on the shelves to assist in relieving and curing our ailments, whilst others argue that 90+% of the time the testing done is unnecessary, the results yielded by the subjects dissimilar to those that would be shown by humans and, henceforth, stating that the inaccuracies are numerous. This particular article offered up what I thought was a pretty genuine and interesting debate on the matter:

Pain in Lab Animals: How Much is Too Much?

In an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Mogil, a neuroscientist, he mentions that:

“You have complete control over everything in mice. Within limits, you can do whatever you want as long as you minimize pain and suffering of the subjects.“

Full interview: https://www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/latest_podcast/sex-differences-in-pain-and-pain-inhibition-with-dr-jeffrey-mogil/

While many establishments do follow the Animal Welfare Act, other laboratories still implement unethical practices. Also, the rules for what constitutes as acceptable in regards to tests that can only be performed without painkillers or anesthesia administered is... nebulous.

Thankfully, there is a number of lab testing equipment on the market specifically designed to be more humane and less stress-inducing to its subjects. These restrainers, for example, allow the animal to “walk in” without having to be physically forced backwards into a container:

Restrainers

Here is another example of testing that is relatively pain-free:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4401362/

It’s simple and inexpensive while still allowing scientists to perform tests.

Below is a video showing how a type of rotarod works, one that doesn’t place the rods too high and provides a cushion underneath in case the subjects fall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38fDS2i13k

This tail flick analgesia meter comes installed with a cut off timer to avoid damage to the animal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgaStZt143o

So there are options. How often are such options utilized in the field? I have no idea, although there are laws that should be followed and, from the sound of it, generally are adhered to. Not everyone in this business is cruel. Though you do have your occasional psychopath who performs very morally questionable operations behind closed doors, I believe that this is a great exception to the rule, and that there are a lot of laboratory workers who genuinely want to inflict as little pain as possible upon the animal. Just an opinion. I don’t have tons of evidence, but it seems like most people are sane. Lol.

Most of the experiments I inflicted upon Brain because, I think, Pinky is so pure that I have a hard time imagining him sustaining any kind of extreme pain that would genuinely hurt him. Also, he borders on being freakin’ masochistic, finding pleasure in a lot of painful situations, whereas Brain does not. Brain has been through a lot, mentally and physically. It seemed more... “appropriate” to put him in these situations, as terrible as that sounds.

All of that having been said, I never want to do this kind of exercise again. While a lot of it was interesting, and some of it even fun, parts of it were legitimately painful. The cancer one.... I felt horrible....

[kinktae]

holy crap!! I just noticed y/n’s family in bitchin is like stranger things !!!! I love that sm omg love it so far btw ♡

YESSSS thank u for noticing!! I have a lot of fun with writing bitchin i do hehe

(warning: literal 80 asks under the cut)

Anonymous said: not @ me reading bitchin’ during math literally SLAMMING YHE DESK

crystalsnowd said: I LOVED BITCHINNNN OMG UR SO TALENTED I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT PART

Anonymous said: I was going to stay up to wait for Bitchin but I went to sleep instead because today is my first day of school (second year of university) so I decided to get sleep while I still could. Also I read the update on the train sitting next to a random lady and I really hope she didn’t look over at my phone lol. I loved the update and I can’t wait for the rest of the series!!!

Anonymous said: OMG BITCHIN WAS SO GOOD! You're such an amazing writer!!!

jun-sohyunnie-dotnet said: Just an fyi, bitchin' jk is my FAVORITE jk I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Ever. He could stomp all over me and I'd thank him profusely. (And you're writing is absolutely captivating 🥺💕💕)

sugarkinky said: Bitchin just wrecked me for real, U ARE AWESOME ROSE mierda que te amo chica ¿cómo consigues escribir así? Eres perfecta ❤

Anonymous said: Bruh bitchin was everything I wanted and more thank u baby

Anonymous said: Bitchin’ is amazing! I have so many feelings ahhhh!!! I love you and your work 🥺

awkwardaegyo said: YOU HAVE GOT ME SO THIRSTY FOR JUNGKOOK FUCKIN PARCHED D-HYDRATED IF YOU WILL BITCHIN HAS GOT ME FUCKEC UP!!!!!

Anonymous said: Bitchin' is literally my favourite fic right now, it's so good! 😍 Can't wait for the next part!!

gardenofrosesx said: Im in love with bitchin 🥺💗 I think that the song that represent it so well is Wait a minute by Willow Smith, every time a hear it I imagine this fic💗 I send you thousands of good vibes and love and peace to your side! Keep going 💗

Anonymous said: Ahhhh I just wanted to say bitchin is absolutely amazing and is so well written and I’m just completely hooked!!! YOU DID AMAZING!!! Also is there gonna be angst in future chapters BECAUSE IM REALLY NOT READY IF BOTH JUNGKOOK AND OC DENY THEIR FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER

Anonymous said: girl, I finally got around to reading bitchin' and I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T READ IT SOONER. it's been a while since I've found a chaptered fic that kept my interests but I was hooked with pt 1!!! I love your spin on tatbilb, and I love the characters you created. I have to honestly say, I'm also absolutely in love with the way you write. your descriptions and dialogue hit me in all the right places. I can't wait to see where this story takes me. thank you for doing what you do!

Anonymous said: Love Bitchin so far!

Anonymous said: i keep rereading bitchin pt. 5😭😭 love it so much

Anonymous said: hi!! I just wanted to leave an ask and let you know that you’re one of my absolute favorite authors and your work is incredible!! the concept behind your rewind series is so unique and interesting and all of the stories have been wonderful so far. I’m so looking forward to the rest of bitchin’ because it has been so so so good and I love the way that you’re developing the characters and the plot. I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Anonymous said: just finished bitchin 5 and ................ i cant believe how ure able to write jungkook to Life and characterize him in such an attractive way it makes it so artistic and aknejdjdj it’s art it’s everything

Anonymous said: Argh the grind is real! I’m about to start my exams too so we can both be working our asses off! Also Bitchin is such a great series and I wanted to let you know you’re an amazing writer!!! The series made me so emotionally invested in the characters and I can’t get enough of it!! ITS SO GOOODDD THANK YOU FOR WRITING SUCH A MASTERPIECE

sanniinnas said: Hiii! Love your writings soo much! You have such a talent with words! You inspire me as a writer and make me want to learn writing and English better.

Anonymous said: I am seriously laughing from the asks that have been send to you and i cannot wait to read the ff because now i am busy :( also random fact, my biology teacher told us aboit Rosa Franklin and i already knew about her, and all i could keep thinking was bitchin pt5 and i started laughing. They thought i was a maniac 😎🤙

Anonymous said: just wanted to say bitchin’ is *chefs kiss* and i can’t wait for part 7 🥺 i’m not trynna rush you i’m just excited 🥺

nochusbutt said: okay but FIRST OF ALL, YES BITCHIN’ YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. secondly, my name is Rose too I’m so, what? omg yes I literally share a name with a legend. quote me!! 🥰☺️🤪

Anonymous said: Ahhh I am so excited for Bitchin Pt 6!!! No exaggeration this is my all time favorite fic, I think ab it a lot honestly. Whenever I see 80s aesthetic BTS edits I think of Bitchin and lots of love songs make me think of this fic too. I’m not a huge fan of smut but this fic is just so good. The OCs and Jks interactions are precious and I’m obsessed with the 80s theme! I am a huge fan of angst so I am ready to cry my eyes out. Thank you for writing this amazing fic

Anonymous said: aight...time to go re-read bitchin again ....[insert /ah shit, here we go again/ video]

Anonymous said: I CANT WAIT FOR BITCHIN

hear-me-growl said: Wait! Bitchin' is not done?! It's one of my favourite fics ever! I love the whole cliche college vibe, the dialogues are sooo good and the chemistry between Jk and the girl it's just perfect, really. And now you tell me it's not finished.😱 I AM SO EXCITED! you've made my day! Keep up the good work, you are amazing 😍

Anonymous said: AAAAAAAA THE BITCHIN UPDATE WAS SO GOOD !!!!! but also Kiri that bItCh y/n don’t fall for it 🤡😩

Anonymous said: i want sleep but BITCHIN

Anonymous said: IM PUMPED FOR BITCHINYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Anonymous said: Thankyou for updating bitchin sis!!!! But im so sad because this is their first fight(?) i hope they can talk about it and hoping kiri doesnt talk nonsense tp y/n ok :( but I AM GLAD JUNGKOOK REALIZE HE LIKES OC OKEY OKEY! 💜💜💜 sending 💜💜💜💜 to you because you deserve it👏🏼

diortae said: rose I have class in a few minutes and all I can think about is how much I want bitchin jk to raw me what have u DONE

Anonymous said: BITCHIN WAS GREATTTT 🥰 RLLY CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTT 🥺🥺

sunnyoongles said: bitchin is literally so good*chefs kiss* i love angst*chefs kiss* i love drama*chefs kiss* i just love the whole rewind series*chefs kiss*

Anonymous said: BITCHIN’ PART 6 EXCUSE ME STOP TRYING TO HURT MY FEELINGS IM NOT READY FOR THE ANGST

ppampin said: so yesterday i read bitchin pt. 6 three times in a row because it was just so good and now i can't wait to pt. 7 to come out

Anonymous said: Finally got to read bitchin 6, WTF IS GOING ON!? I’m so confused!! Do I trust my so called boyfriend or do I trust “girl code” by my boo’s ex who tried to scare me away from my boo the first time we met ??!!?

Anonymous said: i really need to know something about bitchin 🤔 is kiri a bitch or we don't have feminine rivalry here? help me out rose

Anonymous said: It is almost 1 am in here and I have a morning class but guess who is gonna binge re read all the Bitchin because the last chapter was so good?? 🤔

Anonymous said: I’m so ready for you to break our hearts in bitchin. I live for the angst 😭😭😪

Anonymous said: Rose you are KILLING ME with this story like I'm not even caught up on my favorite TV shows this week but goddammit I still made time for Bitchin' 💕💕💕

cheeky-kookie said: Girl I am sooooo fucking happy with Bitchin' 6. Like I love the small progressions Jungkook is having coming to terms with his actual feelings with Y/N. Also btw, loving the whole Yara/Tae moments going on ;) As always, I'm in love. Thank you for blessing us with this masterpiece

Anonymous said: Rosie !! I just read Bitchin’ and BIIIIITCH you have my feelings on a rollercoaster !!!!!! I’ve never been so invested in a fanfic like this and imma tell you how much I appreciate you for putting your work out on the internet. Especially for free like wtf ! Your writings are some quaLITY shit that I would purchase without hesitation 👌🏽👏🏽 I was wondering if you ever considered going into the writing career ? Anyways have a lovely day 💛💛 -MC

Anonymous said: This ch 6 getting all the attention away from my precious zombie Jungkook 😤 But who am I to say I love Bitchin😂😍 This Kiri better not be playing dirty games we are already not in good terms with her 🧐 And why is nobody talking about the fact that Y/N finally got her event she dreamed of?? Congrats girlll 🎊🎉🥳👌👏

Anonymous said: EXCUSE ME DID I READ THAT U SAID BITCHIN WILL BE ANGSTY FROM HERE ON OUT WBAT MY HEART I CANG FJSHSHDJS

sapphireprinces5 said: I am 1000% not ready for angst between the precious y/n and Jungkook in Bitchin’ omfg i’m honestly terrified and going to buy some tissues from the cvs across the street

Anonymous said: I JUST FINISHED READING BITCHIN 6 AND JUNGKOOK PLS TELL ME THAT JUNGKOOK IS OVER KIRI )))): he couldn’t have been lying about the way he felt for y/n even though it was reheated, right??? I’m SADD. But Rose, you are so beyond talented!!! I love reading your works!!!

Anonymous said: Ok, Rose you gotta let me know if Bitchin’ will have a happy ending, because I don’t know if my emotions can handle an upseti spaghetti ending. Anywho I love you and your writing, everything is chefs kiss. 💗

Anonymous said: bitchin will have 10 parts?????? ma'am u got the power

Anonymous said: OKAY SO BITCHIN’ IS AMAZING AND LIKE— I LOVE (1) DUMB “”””COUPLE”””” Your writing is amazing omg

Anonymous said: Me: already read bitchin completely You: reblogs pt.6 Me: a little refresher wouldn’t hurt 👀

Anonymous said: I wish u the best during your hiatus!!! Take lots of care bby :3 Just wanted to tell you how much I love the 'Bitchin' series, I'm shooketa at how well written it is. Y/N is a really refreshing character, especially as an STEM major myself, it's so relatable to some extent, especially when it comes to appreciating compliments about your inteligence, that really got me, since it's kinda unsual. I hope I found a Jungkook one day then :') jk, but really, I absolutely loved it, you're the best!!!

Anonymous said: hi just so u r aware if u make the end of bitchin’ sad i will cry. that will be on u. my tears will be UR fault.

Anonymous said: i just wanted to say thank you. when bitchin’ came out, there was a part where y/n talks about why she hated her twin sisters. it was comforting to know that i wasn’t alone in feeling uncool or boring. i never brought up my brother because i thought people would see how uncool i was and so i put my effort into school instead. thanks for bringing me comfort and for pushing me to love myself more and to change my viewpoints on the parts of myself i view as boring!!!!! 💛💛💛💛💛💛🌼

this made me :’))) i love knowing that you can find comfort in my characters!!! there is a little piece of me in all my characters but I do try to make them all somewhat different so that other people can relate. best of luck lovely!!

purplealiensblog said: Yo ily and cant wait for the next chapter of bitchin but i have to share: i got a notif on a new chapter and was all excited and then i discover its tumblr being glitchy again and notifying me on the last one :( i hope you will find time soon to write the rest and thank you for writing i love your work🥰♥️

Anonymous said: BITCH I JUST FINISHED READING BITCHIN IN JUST ONE DAY AND NOW I’M CRYING BECAUSE THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE FIC OF ALL TIME!!!.!.!.! (also sorry my bad englisheu i’m not native lmao)

Anonymous said: HELLO LOVELY AAAAAAAA IM HAPPY YOURE BACK 😩 are u reallyback tho? Hehe im so shookt with the new chapter of bitchin’ has me yearning for more😭 im def a proud bitchinator😔👏 tHANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS😃 WE LOVE U!!!!💜 we MISSED YOU!! 💜 i hope u are loved and happy and cared for! 💜K

Anonymous said: Hi there !!I hope your doing well ! Taking your time to recover and work on yourself I literally just finshed bitchin to the last update and oof I just gotta tell you what the f How do you write the characters so well... I love me some good characterization like oof ICANNOT JJK IS SO I WANNA SMOOSH HIM IN MY ARMS LIKE PLEASE THE STORY IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HAHA I HOPE IM NOT SCARING YOU WITHMY CAPSLOCK I just wish to sincerely get my excitement across hahaha I love you boo take care x

nonecesitodenadie said: I rarely send asks but... I'm reading bitchin and I'M LOVING IT, really it's amazing i hope that you can continue it, i send you much love and thanks for your work you're so talented 🥺❤️

Anonymous said: can i just say bitchin' is honest to god such a good good good fic like i'm so in l*ve with it 😩 i've probably reread it thrice waiting for a new update ): i also happen to love your other works so much as well!!

sydney--chan said: Okay so no cap yesterday I was talking to my friend (who also reads your work) about me and my bf n she was like "he loves you the way Bitchin' jk loves Y/N aND I SOBBED ROSE IT MADE ME CRY FOR HOURS

usagionthem00n said: Lol I know you’ve been kinda quiet on here BUT IM HERE TO PLATONICALLY HARASS U???(tbh idk I’m just trying to find a reason to bother you) I-I miss u 👉👈 HOPE THIS POST MADE U SMILE ILL BE BACK BITCH (Um speaking of bitches I still need to join the bitchinators :/) I PROMISE ILL GET TO IT!!!

Anonymous said: HIIII! so, one night I spent about two hours trying to find another great Jungkook story... I was losing hope in finding one BUT THEN I FOUND “BITCHIN” and omg it’s amazing, I absolutely love it!!!!! take care always, have a great day!! thank you for creating such a beautiful story.

Anonymous said: Can I just say.... bitchin is so good! like it’s been so long since I’ve liked a fic as much as bitchin??!!? Everything about it has me like :)))) so yes just wanted to let u know hehe

Anonymous said: IM ACTUALLY OBSESSED W THE “BITCHIN” SERIES YOU DONT EVEN KNOW 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

SO MANY OF U LOVIN ON BITCHIN!! MAYHAPS IM OVERWHELMED (in the best way possible). Thank u everyone who sent an ask in, i am the happiest bean in bed rn reading all these asks C:

[dixielis]

An Interesting Turn of Events [3/?]

Pairing: Jotaro Kujo x Noriaki Kakyoin Summary: There were three things Jotaro Joestar was completely certain about: One. 80’s rock was the be-all end-all of music. Two. The movie Jaws wrongly portrayed sharks as evil and blood-thirsty, and he did not stand for it at all. Three. Being an alpha while also part of the Joestar-lineage was an absolute curse. Warnings: Omegaverse with omega!Kakyoin and alpha!Jotaro A/N: Chapter 3! Just the boys being gay and playing pokémon

Read on Ao3 here: LINK

He was usually a morning person. But last night he had an unusually hard time falling asleep, his mind constantly going back to a certain omega he had met just the day before.

Jotaro didn’t understand what was wrong with him. It wasn’t like he had never spent time around another omega before. But his mind seemed to think that it was.

He let out a deep sigh as he sat up, resting his bare feet against the cool wooden floor. He tried to ignore the obvious tent in his boxers as he got up for his morning shower, in which he used considerably colder water than he normally would.

As he went downstairs after getting ready all three of his brothers were already seated around the kitchen table eating breakfast.

“Jotaro! You’re up unusually late” Jonathan commented as Jotaro poured himself an extra large cup of pitch-black coffee. Jotaro just mumbled in response, not one for small talk in the morning.

“As I was saying” Joseph continued, clearly having been interrupted by Jotaro’s entrance. “I ran into him yesterday and the dude seriously tried to make me trip me down the stairs, so I might have broken into his locker and I might have stolen a couple of bills out of his wallet”

“Joseph!” Jonathan exclaimed in a clearly unhappy tone.

“Who did you steal from?” Jotaro asked as he furrowed his brow, taking a sip of his bitter coffee as he took a seat at the table. He was not following this conversation at all.

“Our least favourite next-door neighbour. I just think of it as payback for all those stitches I had to get because of him”

“Joseph, you still shouldn’t steal from people” Jonathan tried to reason with him.

“He killed our dog”

“We don’t actually know if that was him”

The room fell silent as Joseph and Jonathan ceased their arguing. The air in the room had gotten uncomfortable at the mention of Danny, who had been killed under suspicious circumstances several years prior.

“Whatever, I’ve got an extra fifty bucks now. Who’s up for McDonalds?”

“Me!” Josuke immediately shouted out, waving his hand in Joseph’s face.

“McDonalds is for Saturdays only, Joseph”

“Shut up, Jonathan. Josuke is a growing boy, he needs the extra calories!”

“That’s right, I’m gonna end up being taller than all three of you!” Josuke claimed as he stuck his tongue out towards Jonathan teasingly.

“I hardly think that cheeseburgers will have much to do with your height, Josuke”

Jotaro stayed quiet sipping his coffee while the others argued about trivial things. Little arguments like these were common when your household consisted of four boys all on the line of reaching adulthood. Jonathan, being the oldest, had turned 19 just a couple of months back. He therefore had the most responsibility and control over what happened under their roof. That was the way it had been for the last two years, when their father had unexpectantly passed. Now it was just the four of them against the world, living in the house, borderlining on mansion, that had been left in their name.

Jotaro was pulled back from his little trip down memory lane as he noticed that Joseph was looking straight at him with questioning eyes. Jotaro quickly averted his gaze as he chugged down the last of his now lukewarm coffee.

“You seem distracted, Jotaro. Anything on your mind” Jotaro silently cursed him out as Jonathan and Josuke turned to look at him as well.

“Not really” Jotaro replied. “Just schoolwork and stuff”

“Oh! Speaking of schoolwork, I’m planning a party for tomorrow night!” Joseph exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together.

Jotaro furrowed his brows. “What does that have to do with schoolwo-“

“Am I allowed to come?” Josuke chipped in, practically vibrating with excitement.

“No, Josuke, you’re too young for any of Joseph’s events” was Jonathan’s immediate response. Josuke pouted at him.

“Can I have double McDonalds instead then?”

“…fine”

“Works for me!” Josuke said as he stood up, moving his dishes off the table. “I’m off to school then, see you later” He was out the room before any of the others had a chance to tell him goodbye.

“Who’s coming to your party?” Jotaro asked, silently hoping that it would be one of Joseph’s smaller gatherings for once.

“Everyone of importance, and a few dozen more” Joseph replied. Jotaro’s wish for a quiet night would apparently be out of the question then.

“You two can invite some people as well if you want” Joseph looked between Jonathan and Jotaro.

“I think I’ll at least invite Will and Speedwagon over”

“I already invited Speedwagon, nobody would even come around if it wasn’t for the legend himself” Joseph rested his chin in his hands as he focused his gaze on Jotaro expectantly. “How about you Jotaro?”

Jotaro simply gave off a slight shrug. “I’m probably just gonna invite Pol and Avdol over” Joseph let out a slight hum at this.

“If Polnareff throws up on the carpet again I’m going to cry” he warned. Jotaro let out a slight snort in response.

“I’ll be sure to tell him” he answered as he got up from the table. “I’ll be going now”

“See ya”

“Don’t cause any trouble now” Jonathan warned him. Jotaro just waved him off.

He pulled on his usual coat and secured his trademark cap on the top of his head, letting a couple strands of hair poke out from underneath it.

The air was unusually cold as he stepped outside. Autumn was approaching fast and Jotaro found himself already missing the summer. He really didn’t enjoy the cold. He buried hands deep in his pockets and started making his way towards the gate.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed another person walking down the street from the corner of his eye. That blonde head of hair was unmistakably that of their next-door neighbour, Dio. But something seemed off about him today. Instead of walking the shortest route to school that he would normally take he was apparently taking a de-tour.

Jotaro decided not to ponder over this fact for very long. He should just be glad that it would be easier than usual to avoid Dio, since they were not exactly on the best of terms. Jotaro took a quick glance down at his watch. He should probably get going if he didn’t want to be late for homeroom. And the dark clouds in the distance seemed to promise rain in the near future. So he rid all his thoughts of Dio and walked off in the opposite direction.

**********

Jotaro’s first few classes, to his delight, went on uneventfully. By the time lunch came around it was pouring rain outside. He could hear a few people moan about it as he made his way towards the cafeteria, following the stream of people moving in the same direction. Jotaro decided to wait outside the hall until the crowd had thinned out. Since he was a head taller than everyone else it would still be easy enough for him to be spotted.

“Oi Jotaro!” he could hear Polnareff’s voice drift over the sea of people around him. Jotaro just watched on as Polnareff and Avdol made their way towards him.

“I guess eating on the roof will be out of the question for today. Polnareff suggested that we just be lazy and grab a table in the cafeteria” Avdol explained to Jotaro, gesturing towards the doors to said room.

“Oh” Jotaro replied, before pausing for a moment. Polnareff and Avdol looked at him expectantly.

“I won’t be able to eat with you guys today. I have other plans”

Avdol and Polnareff exchanged a quick look of slight disbelief.

“Why? What did we do? Please don’t dump us, I need more than one friend in my life” Polnareff rambled, giving Jotaro his best attempt at puppy-eyes. Their effect on Jotaro was extremely limited.

“It’s nothing like that, I just have a group assignment to work on” he quickly explained, before Polnareff would start to fake-cry or something equally embarrassing.

Avdol’s eyes narrowed slightly. “During lunchbreak? Assignments are normally worked un during class or free period”

“Yeah!” Polnareff agreed. “Using lunch break for anything other than eating should be considered a crime. You sure that you haven’t just given in to one of those omega’s wanting to go on a date and trying to cover for yourself?”

Jotaro shifted uncomfortably at Polnareff’s choice of words. It was just studies, nothing more. Even though he might have wanted it to be something more. He adjusted his hat so that it would cover more of his face, his cheeks reddening slightly.

“No. Sorry” he replied quickly. “But if you’re serious about getting a table you should probably get going”

“Just you wait until we get back, I am going to interrogate you so hard” Polnareff threatened, looking Jotaro straight in the eye.

“Jotaro is right though, let’s get going, Pol” Avdol said and grabbed a hold of Polnareff’s wrist, practically pulling him away. Jotaro could feel Polnareff’s curious gaze on him until Avdol had finally pushed him through the doorway.

Jotaro let out and audible sigh and leaned his head back towards the wall. He however didn’t get many moments of rest until he heard several voices calling out towards him. They had most likely been waiting until was completely alone.

“Jojo!”

“I’ve saved you a seat if you need it”

“Aren’t you gonna have lunch Jojo?”

Jotaro groaned as he was soon surrounded by a small group of omegas, each of them looking up at him with hopeful and hungry eyes.

“Fuck off” Jotaro replied flatly. He heard a few giggles emerge among the omegas at this as they shifted even closer. They just continued rambling on about whatever unwanted propositions they had for him today.

“Jotaro!”

Jotaro’s head snapped up as a familiar voice called out to him. Kakyoin was standing a mere few meters away, smiling hesitantly at him. Jotaro immediately found himself stepping away from the girls as he moved towards him. He could hear the disappointed murmurs coming from behind him, but he simply ignored them. He instead focused his gaze on Kakyoin, who was looking back at him, a smile still present on his lips.

“Hey” Jotaro said, burying his hands in his pockets. Kakyoin let out a slight chuckle.

“Hey. You know any place we could go work? I’m guessing the cafeteria is pretty full by now” Kakyoin tucked a piece of hair behind his ear as he spoke.

“There’s a corridor on the second floor that is usually quiet, let’s go there” Jotaro answered. He risked a quick glance behind him. The omegas were still huddled in a small group, watching their exchange intently.

“Sure thing, you mind leading the way?” Kakyoin said. Jotaro nodded, and started making his way up the nearby stairs, Kakyoin immediately falling in step beside him.

Jotaro’s mind began racing for something to say. He had always sucked at making small talk with people. And the slight feeling of nervousness that washed over him with Kakyoin so close at his side didn’t make it any easier.

“So, uh, how are you liking school so far? Since you’re new and all that”

Kakyoin seemed to ponder over the question for a moment.

“It’s pretty similar to my last one, so it’s been pretty easy to fit in. And most people have been really nice to me so that’s always a plus”  Jotaro hummed lightly in acknowledgement.

“And the teachers seem to be really good as well. Apart from a couple of them or so. But that’s how it almost always is. For some reason it’s always the gym teachers that are the worst. I’m not sure why that is”

Kakyoin kept talking as they made their way down the corridor. Jotaro spotted an empty table in between two small sofas. “Let’s sit here” he said and gestured towards it.

Kakyoin stopped his rambling and looked towards the table. “Oh! Looks comfy” He gave Jotaro a slight smile.

They sat down on opposite sides of it and pulled out their lunches as well as their schoolbooks. Jotaro just had a couple of sandwiches with him, not really a fan of cooking unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. Kakyoin on the other hand opened up a bento box, filled to the brim with various types of dishes.

Jotaro watched as he took out a pair of chopsticks and started eating, bringing some noodles up to his lips, slurping them up loudly. Kakyoin must have noticed him staring, as he met Jotaro’s eyes momentarily, before looking down at the sandwich in Jotaro’s hands.

“Would you like to try something? It’s all really good” he offered, pushing the box a bit closer to Jotaro.

“No it’s fine” Jotaro replied, looking away.

“You sure? That sandwich doesn’t look very filling” Jotaro watched as Kakyoin picked up something with the chopsticks, bringing it towards him. “Here, try some, my mom makes the best Tamagoyaki”

“What is it exactly?” Jotaro asked, looking at the yellow roll of food being held out towards him.

“An omelette of sorts” Kakyoin replied. “Come on now, open up!”

Jotaro stared at the chopsticks in Kakyoin’s hand, now a mere few centimetres away from his face. He opened his mouth slightly, and felt as Kakyoin brought the piece of food into his mouth before withdrawing the chopsticks. Jotaro chewed slowly as he tried to keep his cheeks from turning red.

“It’s really nice” he said, adjusting his hat slightly.

“Told you!” Kakyoin smiled brightly at him. “You can have some more if you want, my mom always packs way too much for me anyways”

Jotaro shook his head slightly and tried to ignore the slight flush on his cheeks. “No, it’s fine. But thanks anyway” He decided to occupy his mind by opening one of his books and flip through it idly. From the corner of his eye he could see Kakyoin doing the same, while still shoving food into his mouth at an alarming rate.

They started going over their notes from the day before, deciding what would be relevant to bring up and what they should scrap entirely. They soon ended up with a simple draft of what still needed to be done.

“This is probably as far as we’re gonna get before we can check in with the others on Monday” Kakyoin commented. “So I say we’re done for the week”

“Yeah, I agree” Jotaro said and started cramming his books back into his bag. “I could try and find some more recourses we could use, I have a couple of books at home that might be useful”

“Go ahead if you want to, but I’m gonna take the weekend off” Kakyoin replied.

Jotaro heard a low melodic sound come from the omegas direction and he moved his eyes towards him. Kakyoin held some sort of small, handheld gaming-device in his hands, his fingers moving rapidly over the buttons. Jotaro simply observed him for a few moments. He noticed that the tip of his tongue poked out between his lips in concentration as he looked at whatever was on the screen in front of him.

“Say, Jotaro” Kakyoin started, looking up from the device to meet Jotaro’s eyes. “What do you think I should name my new Snorlax?”

“Um, your what now?” Jotaro asked, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Kakyoin turned the device around, and pointed at what looked like a big, sleeping blob on the screen.

“As in the Pokémon Snorlax. What should his name be?”

“I, uh, don’t really know anything at all about games, so I don’t know”

Kakyoin regarded him with a strange look in his eye. “You… you’ve heard of Pokémon, right Jotaro?”

Silence fell over them as Jotaro looked into Kakyoin’s wide open eyes for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. Kakyoin let out something that sounded close to a whine before he quickly stood up, moving around the table before Jotaro had even registered what was going on.

“Scoot in a bit”

Jotaro did as he was told, and Kakyoin sat down beside him.

“It’s time for you to learn a bit about one of the greatest gaming-series ever made” he said and looked at Jotaro with a slight glint in his eyes.

“Let me just name this thing real quick” Kakyoin then pushed some of the buttons in a quick succession, clearly very used to doing whatever it was he was currently doing. Jotaro watched as he put in the name ‘Lazy Fuck’ under the big, sleeping blob.

“Isn’t that a bit mean?”

Kakyoin let out a small laugh in response. “It’s true though” Jotaro watched as text flashed across the small screen in a quick rate that he was unable to keep up with. Kakyoin kept pressing the buttons for a couple more moments before he shifted closer towards Jotaro, their bodies getting tightly pressed up against each other.

“I’ve started a new game for you. We’re just gonna skip the story-parts, what we want is to catch all the Pokémon”

“Why?”

“That’s the whole point of the game! Look” Kakyoin shoved the device closer to Jotaro’s face. “Pick one of these little guys”

“I, uh” Jotaro stammered slightly as he looked at the three small, brightly coloured blobs at the screen. “The blue thingy”

“Squirtle it is then!” Kakyoin said, as he pushed a button. “What do you want to name him?” he paused and looked up at Jotaro expectantly, his violet eyes sparkling.

“…Blue?” Jotaro replied uncertainty. Kakyoin let out an audible snort but gave him another bright smile.

“Sure thing, Blue it is”

Ten minutes or so later, Jotaro decided that he didn’t mind this Pokémon-thing too much. He and Kakyoin took turns naming everything they caught. Jotaro’s usually ended up being named after whatever colour they were or what animal they looked like. Kakyoin would instead name his after obscure pop-culture references that Jotaro only got about half of the time.

Kakyoin passed him the device when they managed to capture their next Pokémon. Jotaro thought for a few moments about what to name him, before deciding to simply call him ‘Kakyoin’.

“Wait, why are you naming him that?” Kakyoin asked him, as Jotaro gave the controller back.

Jotaro shrugged. “He kind of looks like your little hair strand” he replied and poked gently at the long, wavy piece of hair framing Kakyoin’s face. He didn’t miss the way Kakyoin’s cheeks flushed slightly at the contact.

“My hair does not look like a Slugma, Jotaro!” Kakyoin cried out and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, while clearly fighting to hold back a smile.

“It’s true though, same colour and everything” Jotaro said back, also trying to keep his expression serious, but failing miserably at it. Kakyoin wagged his finger at him.

“Just you wait, I’m gonna get you back for that” he warned, before his face shone up in the wide grin that he had been trying to hide earlier. Jotaro could feel his heart skip a beat.

He then realized how close to each other they were sitting, with both their arms and their legs pressed up against each other. He could smell the various scents coming off Kakyoin without even the slightest of trouble. He smelled kind of fruity, and sweet, but not overly so. With an underlying scent of comfort. Of warmth. The omega was clearly relaxed around him, which translated into his scent as well. It made Jotaro want to lean forward just a bit more and bury his face in his neck.

But he wouldn’t do that. Because he wasn’t a creep.

“Hey, Jo-otaro!”

Both Jotaro and Kakyoin quickly turned around when they heard the loud voice coming from behind them. Jotaro groaned internally as he watched Polnareff and Avdol walk towards them. Avdol was looking between the two of them, clearly wondering why they were seated so close together. Jotaro found himself leaning away slightly.

Polnareff had a twinkle in his eyes that Jotaro didn’t like one bit, since it usually meant that he was up to no good.

“Who is your friend here?” the Frenchman asked curiously as the two of them reached the table.

“I’m Noriaki Kakyoin, it is nice to meet you” Kakyoin said with a polite smile, his eyes jumping between the two men.

“Hey, how does your hair do that? It kinda looks like a noodle” Avdol elbowed Polnareff hard in his ribs and he quickly continued “in a good way, of course!”

“Regular perms and a lot of willpower” Kakyoin answered with a laugh. “And I guess it kind of does look a bit like a noodle”

“Sorry for my friend here, he doesn’t mean to be rude, that’s just how he always is. I’m Muhammad Avdol, and this is Jean Pierre Polnareff” Avdol said with a polite smile as he gestured between the two of them.

“I thought you were going to do schoolwork, Jotaro?” Polnareff asked as he looked down at the game still open and running in Kakyoin’s hands.

“We’re done for the day already” Jotaro replied curtly, as Kakyoin quickly put aside the device. Jotaro saw Polnareff and Avdol share a thoughtful look before turning their attention back towards the pair on the sofa.

“Jotaro apparently knows nothing about Pokémon, so I thought I would teach him the basics” Avdol let out a brisk laugh at Kakyoin’s words.

“Jotaro sure is hopeless when it comes to anything that doesn’t live in the sea” He said in agreement. Kakyoin let out a slight chuckle as well.

“You want anything?” Jotaro asked abruptly, narrowing his eyes at Avdol.

“We were just going to check if you wanted to walk to class together, break will be over in ten minutes”

“It’s fine. You guys go ahead” Jotaro answered them. Polnareff cocked his head slightly to the side. Avdol just gives him a slight smirk, like he knew something that he shouldn’t.

“Mind if we join you-“

“We should get going then!” Avdol exclaimed, drowning out Polnareff’s half formed question. He then grabbed a hold of Polnareff’s shoulders, starting to push him away from the scene. Polnareff gave Jotaro a disappointed glance, before Avdol kicked at his heel to get him to get a move on.

“See you later, Kakyoin!” Polnareff yelled as he was pushed away, his hand emerging over Avdol’s shoulder to wave towards them. Kakyoin just let out a slight laugh and waved back towards him.

“Your friends seem nice” he said as he gave Jotaro a genuine smile. Jotaro nodded.

“They’re a little annoying at times, but they’re good people” he responded, meeting Kakyoin’s eyes for a moment. Kakyoin moved to grab a hold of his gaming device again, flipping the screen open. He shifted slightly so that Jotaro could observe what he was doing. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a minute, before Jotaro cleared his throat. Kakyoin looked over at him expectantly.

“So” he begun, keeping his eyes focused on the tiny screen on Kakyoin’s handheld device. His mouth felt dry as he tried to form the question he wanted to ask.

“My brother is having a party at our house tomorrow night. They can get a bit noisy and… out of hand, but they are usually still really nice” Jotaro paused for a second.

“You could come over if you want?” it came out more as a question than an invitation. Jotaro finally met Kakyoin’s gaze, his eyes practically glowing.

“I’d love to”

Jotaro’s heart sped up. That had gone a lot smoother than he had thought it would. As Jotaro told him the details of the part Kakyoin quickly scribbled down his address in his notebook. Just as he finished the bell rang.

“I guess we should get moving” Kakyoin said. The heat from his body being pressed up against Jotaro’s suddenly left as he stood up. Jotaro immediately found himself missing the warmth.

They quickly said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Jotaro couldn’t help but watch as Kakyoin turned the corner, only to find him looking back at him as well. Kakyoin gave him a discrete wave and a slight tug of his lips, before he walked out of his line of sight. Jotaro turned back around and tried to remember where he was and where he was going, his mind suddenly feeling all muddled.

Jotaro realized that he was falling for Kakyoin.

And he was falling hard.

[eldritchsurveys]

786.

Is it raining where you are? >> No, but it is overcast and showers are possible. I was hoping for a sunny or partly-sunny Memorial Day weekend (not to mention birthday), but the entire 7-day forecast right now is just “yeah it’s probably going to rain and even if it doesn’t it’s gonna be gloomy-lookin” on every single day. I hope the actual weather proves a little more variable, but, you know. (If I don’t see the Sun at all on my birthday I will cry, though. Just watch me.) Would you ever get a white phone? >> Nah. I don’t really want anything in white, tbh. There’s enough whiteness in society already *rimshot noise* What was the last board game you played? >> I don’t remember. It was probably Gloomhaven, like over a year ago. I can’t summon any interest in board games at all, for some reason. What color is the floor in the room you’re in? >> Tan. What color do you see the most of right now? >> Off-white because that’s what colour the walls and my dresser are. And black because that’s the colour of damn near everything else, lol.

Are you more hungry or thirsty right now? >> Neither. Have you wasted any money lately? >> I’m sure I could convince myself that I did, but I don’t really think so. All the things I’ve bought with the stimulus check were things I either needed and couldn’t afford with my regular income, or wanted for a while and always denied myself (or couldn’t afford). How about lost any money? >> Nope. What’s your favorite kind of tea? >> Ginger, peppermint, most herbals tbh. Would you rather go back to the 80’s and 90’s for a week? >> I would rather not time-travel, period. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. If you could only wear one color of socks ever, what would you choose? >> I mean, 90% of my socks are black or mostly black anyway, so... What color hairties do you normally use? >> --- Do you prefer mints or gum? >> Gum, the chewing action is a good stim. Have you been sleeping well lately? >> Not really, because I keep waking up from overheating. So I brought the fan into my room for the season (the true sign of full spring) and then the air blowing on my skin woke me up at like 2am. Can’t win, lol. But it’ll probably even out once I get used to the fan being on. Popsicles or fudgeicles? >> No. When was the last time you made a sandwich? >> Uh... Sunday or Monday, I think. What’s your favorite thing for a person to do while you’re kissing them? >> --- Blush or bronzer? >> Just slap some gold shimmer on my face and call it done.

Is it more important to you to have your fingernails or toenails painted? >> Neither, considering I go full months without even thinking about painting my nails (and there’s really no point to toenail-painting for me personally). Would you rather your sheets be red or green? >> A foresty green would be nice. Then again, so would maroon. Have you bought any bracelets recently? >> No. What was the last reason you bought or recieved a card? >> --- How do you normally wear your hair? >> It’s just buzzed. Do you use a belt normally? >> No. What do you put on your hot dogs? >> I’d put sauerkraut and mustard and onions on a dog. How about on your tacos? >> Depends on the kind of taco, I guess. Do you like watermelon? >> Not really. I don’t see the appeal, unless it’s like... hydration, but with a hint of sweetness, in which case yeah I get it. But I find watermelon obnoxious to eat even so. What is your favorite flavor of hot pockets? >> --- What color is your favorite blanket? >> I don’t really have a favourite blanket. What day of the week is it? >> Friday. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done this week? >> Cleaned my room? LMAO... yeah “adventure” is a bit hard to come by these days. Would you prefer a brick house or a log cabin? >> I’m not sure. I guess it’d depend on where I lived, what the insulation was like, etc? Patio or porch? >> Porch. I love porches, especially wraparound ones. Pool or trampoline? >> Trampoline, I don’t swim. When was the last time you had orange juice? >> I don’t remember. Do you like apple juice? >> Sure. Do you have any bright colored shorts? >> No, my shorts are black like almost everything else I own. Leggings or yoga pants? >> --- Do you like b.l.t.s? >> I mean, I’d eat one if it was offered to me. Well, the bacon part is questionable as of right now, but. What was the last drink you ordered at a restaurant? >> God, if only I could remember. Have you went to a Burger King or McDonald’s more recently? >> McDonald’s (drive-thru). Do you remember your last dream? >> Yeah, I had a dream that I had this like... enemy-by-circumstance (you know, like a familial feud sort of situation) and like we totes hated each other and all but we also hung out and just talked shit to each other the whole time. One of the things we found agreement on was that Emet-Selch is hot. ...Emet-Selch is a FFXIV character. But he was apparently a real dude in this dream world. idek. Do you like going for car rides? >> I do. Do you have a tree in your yard? >> I don’t have a yard. When was the last time you lit a candle? >> Sunday.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 106: Buddy’s Book

“We imagined him way off.”

As a children's librarian, I feel there are some things I should clear up before getting started. First, we don't read at the front desk as patrons come in (and we certainly wouldn't be reading something as smutty as Passions of Xanxor); our job is helping people, not sating our own love of books, and there’s tons of other work to do when patrons aren’t in immediate need. Second, we might tell noisy patrons to be quiet at times, but we don't loudly and nonverbally shoosh, because that’s rude as hell and would justifiably result in louder backlash. Third, we weed our collections regularly, meaning a journal that's hundreds of years old would've been trashed, donated, or (most likely in this case) moved to special collections long before it could've been left uncatalogued on the ground for a patron to find (and yeah, we are capable of checking beneath the shelves). 

None of these misconceptions matter that much, but what is a little annoying is the stereotype that libraries are book repositories, rather than information centers. Yes, we carry books, but we also carry digital media to fit a modern world, and more importantly, we're staffed with information specialists  who teach digital literacy to all ages. If you're a Connie, getting your information from the internet and citing erroneous sources, come to the library and we'll teach you how to research properly using every tool at your disposal, including your smartphone. Smartphones aren’t the problem. The internet isn’t the problem. Shoddy methodology is the problem, and it’s still a problem if you’re only researching with books, because books can be erroneous as well. Pick a world history book from as late as the 80s and it’ll tell you the USSR still exists. Pick a book written by a racist and you might walk away thinking some very biased information is factual, depending on your critical thinking skills.

Libraries have always been at the forefront of literacy, research, and community outreach, so don't let anyone in charge of budgets tell you that we're a relic of the past despite what portrayals of libraries so often amount to in media.

(Also, and as much as I loathe the Dewey Decimal System, which is outdated and nonadjustable and prejudiced and not at all structured well from a consumer-facing standpoint, which is crucial to kids especially: how did they not make a single reference to Dewey also being the last name of Beach City’s mayor and Buddy’s buddy?)

Okay, professional duties out of the way. Let's talk about stories.

Buddy's Book is about history, but more specifically, about the way we perceive history when we weren't there to live it. Nothing we see of the past looks the way it actually looked, because Steven and Connie are conflating a person who died centuries ago with Jamie. And it doesn’t stop at the visual level: unless we're to believe that the glorious line "I shall not disappear! I shan't die a lowly first mate! I shwill do something great with my life!" is actually written in the journal, the kids are allowing the idea of Jamie to seep into the narration as well. It’s reminiscent of one of my favorite Simpsons gags, where the ghost of Cesar Chavez explains that he appears as Cesar Romero to Homer because Homer doesn’t know what Cesar Chavez looked like. 

The kids say outright that they’re picturing Buddy as Jamie, so we’re aware from the start that reality is being altered. This sensation is enhanced when the Crystal Gems' appearances shift from their modern outfits to the way they looked in the old photo from So Many Birthdays as soon as the kids think to do so (complete with Amethyst's long hair, which was sorta retconned into being inspired by Greg's). Amethyst speaks using modern slang, and Garnet and Pearl exit their scene on a penny-farthing bicycle, which wouldn't be invented until the 1870s, because to a kid “the past” is a single nebulous unit of time where everything can mix together.

This is mostly played for laughs, and to great effect, but the timing of this episode forces us to confront the downside of nudging history to fit a better story. As silly as it is to insert modern concepts to fill in gaps from long ago, Steven has also had to fill the gaps for his mother's story, combining all the great things he’s heard about her from his family to create an impossible ideal of an imperfect figure. Learning that Buddy didn’t look anything like Jamie at the end of the episode is another joke, but learning that Rose wasn’t who Steven thought she was is the driving force behind Act III of the original series (a.k.a. the final two seasons).

And, of course, this is the first time we see Rose after the reveal. In a bubble, Steven’s lack of reaction to her appearance in the book seems like a misfire, but Mindful Education is coming right up to show how Steven is repressing his emotions (which also retroactively makes me enjoy his childish behavior here, such as not controlling the volume of his voice and playing with the rolling stool).

More than any other flashback so far, Rose is an enigma. She’s a mystery to Buddy, a normal human encountering a giant woman in the desert. She’s a mystery to her friends, all by herself in the desert with a small pride of lions that the other Crystal Gems don’t know about, judging by their reaction to Lion a few hundred years later. And she’s a mystery to us, because we’ve been told that she killed someone and are thirsty for answers.

Instead, she acts like she always has. She’s as empathetic and silly and encouraging as ever, but why wouldn’t she be? The most we’ve seen of her is in Greg’s flashbacks, so we already know what she acted like after the shattering. Read one way, this episode confirms that her behavior wasn’t a front, because she’s just as lovely with this random human hundreds of years earlier.

But remember, we aren’t actually seeing Rose here. We’re seeing Steven’s interpretation of Rose from the writings of a stranger’s journal, and he’s been embellishing this journal the entire time. I’m not saying that Rose didn’t do what the book purports, or that there’s any reason for us to think she didn’t act this way, but it’s up to Steven to show us, and when given the opportunity to present any character any way he likes, he still sees Rose the way he always has. We’re an episode away from his confronting those feelings, but it’s important to see that for now he���s still clinging to the stories he’s familiar with even after a new story has come to light.

Then, of course, there’s Lion. This is the first time in ages we’ve gotten a new hint at his backstory (it’s been on the back burner since Rose’s Scabbard), but as always, his origin remains shrouded. The connection to Rose is clearer than ever, but she’s with seven lions, not one, and none of them are pink. 

This is an area where I’m a little more frustrated by Steven not wondering aloud what’s up with the lions, but I’m not frustrated with Steven, if that makes sense.  Steven has never been as interested in the lore of the show as the fans; magic is his normal, so digging deep into where Lion came from would be like tracking down the family tree of a pet cat. Plus it would ruin the pacing of the episode for us to focus too hard on the lions, and it probably wouldn’t be great for the mystery. My frustration is from wanting a puzzle solved, which speaks to how effective this little side story has been. If we aren’t compelled enough to remember these details, Lars’s eventual resurrection has no oomph, so a little annoyance is worth it.

The coolest aspect of the episode by far is revisiting old haunts; Rose may praise Buddy’s writing, but his drawings are nothing to scoff at, and seeing the locations themselves is a delight. It’s a nice review of the show’s own history through the eyes of someone else (and then back again through the eyes of our heroes looking through the eyes of someone else). This is our second episode in a row with musical cues from past episodes, which I sadly can’t link to because we’ve reached the era where Aivi and Surasshu had to stop posting their background tracks online. Know Your Fusion and Buddy’s Book have a nifty through-line of looking into the show’s past, just as Buddy’s Book and Mindful Education have a through-line of Steven hanging out with Connie as she begins a new school year. It’s cool to see light structuring in the serialization after so many episodes in a row that were more directly connected.

Even though Jamie himself doesn’t actually appear in it, this is probably my favorite Jamie episode. Eugene Cordero has proven himself an expert ham many times over, and because the mailman is already larger than life, he’s even more melodramatic in the kids’ imaginations. Cordero sells that “shwill” with ease, but his best read is the desert monologue that goes an even deeper layer and has Steven and Connie imagining Jamie as Buddy imagining what other people would think of his quest: “‘Ha ha ha,’ they’d say. ‘What a fool,’ they’d continue.” 

The Gems get to be goofy as well, with Pearl speaking in mangled old-timey parlance, Garnet going big in her not-too-subtle pep talk, and Amethyst swinging from accommodating and annoyed. And it’s not as if Steven and Connie are serious, either. The lightheartedness is abundant, but unlike Kindergarten Kid or Know Your Fusion, it just feels wholesome. Sure, there’s snark here and there, but this is essentially two friends having fun at the library, which I’m all about.

I’ll repeat a third time that Mindful Education is incoming, and with it comes the reality of Steven’s situation. Stories are fun, but distractions only last so long, and Buddy’s Book is a wonderful way to give us a little more joy while priming us for a bigger story about when the stories we live by aren’t true. 

Future Vision!

It’s perfect foreshadowing to slip the Palanquin in with all the portrayals of places we’ve already been. Especially because Stephen’s Dream actually uses the journal as a reference point. (Also: did Connie steal that book? Because she certainly couldn’t have checked it out if it wasn’t catalogued.)

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Does it get things wrong about libraries? Sure. But this is still a fun and funny episode about research and narratives, so it’s burrowed its way into my heart regardless.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

When It Rains

Catch and Release

Chille Tid

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

(Not sure why this one lacks promo art, considering it’s our first episode after the huge release rush of the Summer of Steven, but I love the True Buddy art from Tench.)

[snarkybluechristian]

Villainous: Reform School Chapter One

It all started the night before.  

Melanie de la Muerte was riding home in her limo after eating dinner with her friends.  The 14-year-old was sitting in the backseat watching 505’s newest Let’s Play video when she saw a flash of green light coming from a convenience store just ahead.

Melanie stopped the stream and rolled down the window.  Her long dark brown hair held back by her purple headband flowed in the wind as the limo drove past the convenience store.  

A gang of punk thieves had blasted through the front door with a green laser and were now inside threatening the person behind the counter.

Melanie’s brown eyes narrowed in determination and her light brown skin shimmered in anticipation.  She knew what she had to do.

“Excuse me, Mr. Ochocinco,” Melanie said rolling down the window between her and the driver.  “Could we turn around and stop at that convenience store?”

“Why?” the minion in a black-hooded robe and a white, glowing skeletal mask replied.

“Uh, I really need to get some more lip balm,” Melanie replied in a half-truth.  

“Oh, not to worry,” the minion replied using his magic to conjure some lip balm in front of the teen’s face.  “Here you go, miss.”

“Thanks,” Melanie said searching for another excuse.  “But I’m really thirsty!  Like I could die right now!  Could you just turn around and let me get something from that store?”

The minion opened the cooler up front and tossed a bottle of water back to his teenage passenger.  

“Oh, thank you,” Melanie said with a sigh.

She really didn’t like lying.  It was an anomaly in her family of Black Hat Organization-certified supervillains, just one of the differences she had to hide from them, but she never liked having to do it.

However, this was an emergency.  The people in the convenience store needed help, and she was the only nun-ja around to help.  

So, Melanie sighed again and settled with another half-truth.  

“I really didn’t want to have to say this, but…” Melanie said to her driver.  “IT’S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH AGAIN!”

The minion screamed in terror and made the sharpest U-Turn he had ever made in his entire life, turning around just in time to avoid the oncoming traffic behind him and in front of him before he pulled into the parking lot in front of the convenience store.

Melanie dashed out of the limo as soon as it was placed in park and yelled, “Merci, Senior Ochocinco!”

Melanie entered the shop and quickly hid behind the shelves out of sight of the punk-clad villains.

Melanie quickly shot out a message to her group’s chat on her phone and prayed for what she was going to do.

“Oh, Father, this is my first time going it alone,” Melanie prayed peeking around the side of the aisle.  “Please be with me so I don’t screw this up for that guy behind the counter or for myself…”

“Hurry up, you old geezer!” the head of the 80’s-styled punks yelled in a British accent at the old man who was opening up a safe of some kind. “We don’t have all night!”

Melanie felt Divine Justice and Anger grow inside her giving her strength.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Melanie whispered to herself as she held her hands together in prayer.  “Lord, give me the strength.”  

A Divine Light shined on her as she instantly began to change and the song “Shine” by Collective Souls began playing out of nowhere causing the punks to look around in confusion.  

Melanie flew upwards revealing her nun-ja garb, all black except for the cloth on her forehead and over her mouth.  

Her black Grim Reaper wings emerged from her back and she flew right behind the punks while telepathically causing the lights to flicker causing the punks to look around fearfully.

“Hey!” one of the punks yelled finally spotting her.  “Who the heck are you?”

Melanie clapped her hands together and summoned her scythe with a holy cross etched into the blade.

“It’s a Grim Reaper!” another punk yelled.

“No, you blithering idiot, it’s a nun-ja!” the leader yelled. “I know these little ladies.  They have divine strength, but they’re still only human.  We can handle the likes of her.  Get her out of the way!”

Melanie winked and activated her invisibility before the first punk could lunge at her.

Melanie made her move.  She stomped her scythe on the ground causing all the punk minions to have visions of the spiritual plain.  

“What the -?” the punk leader asked confusedly before Melanie stomped her scythe on the floor again and caused him to see the spiritual plain as well.

The punks all began to panic, especially the leader.

“What did you do?!” the punk leader demanded.  “How are you doing this?  I’ve never seen a nun-ja with this type of power!  Who are you?!”

Melanie really wanted to reply with something cool and snarky like one of the heroes from the comic books or from everyday life would, but like their ninja counterparts, a nun-ja had to be silent.  

So, Melanie responded with a cool smirk no one could see under her mask as she raised her scythe again and cut open a portal in the air letting in heavenly light on the frightened, guilty villains.

As the song’s chorus played, the punks had their souls inundated with heavenly light.  Just like all other mortals who saw the Almighty’s light uncensored, they screamed in terror.  The more their minds encountered Eternity the more they lost their strength and fainted at the wondrous sight.

Melanie smiled as the men dropped like flies.  The punks weren’t dead.  Far from it.  They had seen a vision of the Eternal and received a divine revelation that most wouldn’t see until their time had come.  That vision was enough for most people to renounce evil for good once they came to.  These guys would most likely be among that number.  

For wicked people to be moved by divine justice and turn to God’s mercy was the ultimate goal of every nun-ja.  That was one of the first things Melanie learned when she joined the underground organization at her Catholic junior and high school.  

Like ninjas, they lurked in the shadows ready to protect the innocent from their oppressors at a moment’s notice and disappear and disappear just as quickly.  As nuns, they were ready to offer mercy and prayer to all those who needed it.  As a Reaper-saint-human hybrid, Melanie could offer more of both.    

When she thought they were all out, Melanie allowed the portal to shut and returned her vision back to the earthly plane.  She smiled in satisfaction as she walked past the unconscious bodies and leaped on top of the convenience store counter so that she could speak to the startled cashier for herself.

“Sir, have you called the police?” Melanie asked.

“Yes…” the frightened cashier managed to get out.  “I activated the silent alarm.  They should be here at any time.  Who are you?  Are you a nun-ja?”

Melanie smiled, laid her hand comfortingly on the man’s shoulder, and said, “A good deed isn’t as good if it’s done for attention.  A good deed is seen by the eyes of God.  That is enough.  I’m a Sister of the Divine Order.  That’s all you need to know.  Have a good evening.”

Melanie hopped off the counter and began walking to the door excited to tell her other Sisters about her first mission alone.  

Unfortunately, before she could take three steps away, she felt a sweaty hand on her ankle.  Melanie quickly turned her head to see the punk leader barely conscious and grabbing onto her ankle.

“You monster!” the punk leader yelled.  “What the hell did ya do to us?!  We have seen God!  How are we still alive?!  What are you?!  I need answers!”

Melanie’s eyes flashed in a panic.  No person had ever stayed awake through their revelation.

“Let go of my foot now,” Melanie said trying to hide her nerves and pull her foot out of his grip.  

“Not until I get some answers, ya tart!” the punk leader yelled.  

“Let go of me!” Melanie yelled unleashing her reaper wings.

“NO!” the punk leader screamed as he used the last of his strength to grab onto her hood before she took off.

Melanie’s strong reaper wings gave her the torque she needed to flip her attacker off her back and onto the floor in front of her just as the sound of sirens was growing nearer, but the punk managed to hold onto her hood and rip it off in the process completely revealing her head and her face.

“Huh?” the punk leader asked tilting his head in recognition.  “Aren’t ya Santa Muerte and that Reaper lady’s kid?”

Melanie’s heart sank in terror as she flew up into the air, summoned her scythe, and yelled, “I turn you over to His judgment!”

Melanie then cut another portal shining bright heavenly light right into the eyes of the punk boss.  

The punk boss had the presence of mind to press a button on his watch before the light overwhelmed him and he began screaming in terror.

Melanie quickly flew out of the store and dashed back into her limo.

“Oh, thank God,” Mr. Ochocinco said in relief before he turned on the limo’s jet feature and just managed to blast out of the parking lot before the police pulled into the parking lot.  “You need to be more careful, Miss Muerte.  There was a hero battle going on in there!  You could’ve been caught in the middle of it!”

Having already transformed back into the black 505 t-shirt, green jean shorts, white socks, white high tops, and red sports blazer than made up her outfit, Melanie sat back in her seat and said, “I’m sorry.  I should have been more vigilant.  We don’t have to tell my parents or my sisters about this.”

“Oh, thank you, Melanie!” Mr. Ochocinco cried out joyfully. “I mean, Miss Muerte…”

“You know you can call me Melanie,” Melanie said trying her best to cover up her anxiety.  

“Oh, right,” Mr. Ochocinco responded.  “I’m just so grateful.  You’re such a little saint.  Do you want me to take you out for a treat or anything?”

“Uh, no thanks,” Melanie responded her phone out of the beige knapsack she used as a purse.  “I’m tired. I’d just like to go home.”

“Of course, miss…uh, Melanie, right away,” Mr. Ochocinco said setting his coordinates for home and resuming listening to his music while Melanie opened her nun-ja group’s text chat and began telling her group what had just happened.

Meanwhile, back at the convenience store, the punk minions were being carted into the backs of waiting ambulances.  They were all catatonic from their visions and mumbling only prayers of repentance.

The only one who remained conscious was the punk boss who was placed in the back of a police car to be brought in for questioning. Besides expressing mild frustration over the repentance of his former colleagues, he betrayed no other emotion. He wasn’t worried.  He knew help was on the way.

As the police car was driving to the station separate from the line of ambulances on their way to the hospital, the punk boss’s help came.

A red jet flew above the police car and set its dematerialization ray on the police car below.  

In a flash, the punk boss disappeared from the back of the car and appeared in the jet.  Before the cop driving the car could figure out what had happened, the aircraft flew away and the punk boss was standing in the aircraft in the presence of Dr. Flug.

“Took ya long enough,” the punk boss said as 505 walked over with handcuff keys.

“Good to see you too, Wesley,” Flug replied sarcastically as Wesley snatched the keys away from 505 who timidly scampered away in response. “Thanks for using our services. Where are the others?”

“That little nun-ja brat blew their minds straight to heaven,” Wesley replied unlocking his handcuffs and allowing the handcuffs to drop to the floor as he ran his fingers through his blue mohawk.  “Almost did the same to me.  I reckon they’ll be joinin’ the church by the time they come out of their heavenly visions…”

“That’s an interesting development,” Flug interrupted as he plugged in the coordinates for their home base.  “None of these girls have displayed that kind of power before.  Black Hat will want to know about this…”

“Not as much as he’ll want to know about this,” Wesley interrupted with a deadly smirk that prompted Flug to give him his full attention.  “I tore off her mask and saw the girl’s face. I know who the little brat is. She’s the daughter of one of our own…”

“WHAT?!” Flug replied in shock.  “WHO?!”

Meanwhile, Melanie was sitting in the back of her car looking at all the text messages from her sisters, the head nuns, and her sensei, Sister Lucy de Freitas.  

Her sisters and the head nuns were reassuring and encouraging, but her sensei told her the unthinkable.  She would have to stay on her guard and be ready to run because her own parents would most likely take her to see Black Hat.  

Melanie couldn’t believe it.  She had always been warned of this possible event, but it never felt like this could happen to her.  

Melanie started curling up into a ball and silently shedding tears when Sensei Lucy sent her a separate message on the chat.

“Melanie, I’m coming to get you,” Sensei Lucy typed.  “Pretend you’re getting ready for bed so that no one suspects anything.  Then, prepare your emergency supplies and leave your note for your family.  If I’m not there by the time you get ready, go to sleep and I will come to wake you.  My sensei gave me these instructions when it was time for me to flee from my evil family, so now, I will do the same for you.  Whatever happens.  Pray for strength and stand strong.  You are not alone. 😊”

Melanie smiled at her phone and wiped the tears from her face just as her driver landed the car in front of the front door to her gigantic gothic-styled mansion.

“We’re home, Melanie,” Ochocinco said.  “Hop on out.”

Melanie looked at her driver and said with a heavy heart, “Thank you for picking me up and taking care of me.  You’ve always been my favorite driver.”

Ochocinco smiled happily and said, “Awww, that just made my night.  You’re my favorite passenger.  You’re much sweeter than the rest of them.  Don’t ever change.”

Melanie gave a smirk of determination as she grabbed her knapsack, opened the limo door, and replied, “Don’t worry.  I won’t.  Have a good night.”

Melanie hopped out of the car, slammed the door shut behind her, unleashed her wings, turned into her invisible spirit mode, and flew up to her room without saying another word.  

The window to Melanie’s room was unlocked as usual.  It was on the fourth floor where no one could reach it from the ground and every thief was indebted to her father Santa Muerte, so she never bothered with it.

Melanie pushed open the window and shut it behind her very quickly.

Then after taking a deep breath, she immediately got to work. Melanie pulled out the giant duffel bag she used for going to camp a few times when she was younger and started filling it with everything the nun-ja sisters instructed them to in case of emergencies except for the toiletries she had yet to use.

Melanie looked at her packed bag and smiled sadly.  So far.  So good.  But if everything went well that night, she could possibly never see her parents and her three other sisters ever again.  

Melanie always knew that by choosing a higher calling she would be going against her supervillain family literally for good, but she never thought this day would come so soon…

A few tears fell down Melanie’s cheeks.  She quickly read more encouraging messages from her nun-ja sisters as she headed into the shower of her personal bathroom to keep herself going. Losing one father and family didn’t mean she was losing another.

Melanie brushed her teeth and hopped into the shower while she waited for her sensei.  She plugged in her phone next to the sink and listened to the Latin choral music of the ancient nun-ja sisters to calm herself down enough to pray.

The music calmed Melanie’s mind to the point where she was able to connect with her Divine Father and receive all the peace she needed as she prepared herself for her new life.

Eventually, Melanie finished her shower, pulled on her white bathrobe, brushed her hair, wrapped her hair in a towel to help it dry off faster, and gathered the rest of her toiletries into the plastic bags she kept under her sink for the sake of convenience.

Again.  So far. So good.  Melanie didn’t hear a ping on her phone or any commotion coming from her room whatsoever.  

Perhaps the punk boss she fought never got a chance to contact Black Hat.  Maybe the divine visions she helped induce filled his sinful mind up so quickly that he forgot all about it.  

Melanie prayed for that and over numerous other possible solutions to her problem as she walked to her bathroom door with her toiletries in plastic backs bulging in her pocket.  She was scared but felt calm from the Inner Peace that passed all comprehension.

But unfortunately, Melanie opened her door…

“MELANIE!” a ghostly-white woman with black eyelids, black lips, and a black nose and long black hair with silver streaks that flowed around her with a supernatural force yelled with supernatural force and a French accent.  “WHAT IS GOING ON?!  YOUR FATHER AND I JUST RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE BLACK HAT ORGANIZATION!  WE HAVE TO MEET WITH BLACK HAT IMMEDIATELY!”

The woman’s white-blue eyes wandered over to the large duffel bag on Melanie’s bed, and she added fearfully, “WERE YOU TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM US?  WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

“Young lady,” a slightly overweight man with tan skin, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and facial features that more closely resembled Melanie’s said with a slight Mexican accent.  “You need to tell us everything right now.”

Melanie’s heart sank as she quickly tapped out a message to her sensei and started talking…

[radwolf76]

Initial Reactions Post

(With Screenshots)

So I've yet to read the hundreds of analysis articles that I'm sure have been posted in the past day or so, so this post will likely duplicate observations that have been made by dozens of others at this point, but I'm going into this clean, so here are one Trekker's personal reactions.

(Also this post would have been up last night if my browser and paint.net hadn't decided to take themselves out in a mutual crash, wiping everything.)

---------

This is a bit out of order, but we're going to start with this handsome motherfucker. He looks like he's the Vulcan (Romulan?) analogue of a samurai, and if the showrunners know the fandom and intend to invoke patterns of what came before, he's meant to be the series' big popular breakout character. I can already hear the fanfics being written, probably because they're so damn thirsty. As they should be.

We're shown that Picard is spurred out of his retirement by a woman who comes to him for help.

Now it may just be the lighting, but I swear, her irises look like they could be golden. I used an eyedropper tool to sample image pixels of both highlighted and unhighlighted parts of her eyes and they all were in this neighborhood:

It's subtle, but even her skin tone seems like it could also be unnaturally pale yellowish. But that may just be me reading too much into it. More on this later.

We're later shown this woman defending herself from a set of attackers dressed like if Daft Punk decided to become ninja assassins, while on a set of stairs.

(I warned you about stairs, Bro.)

One of the attackers has a sleek looking symmetrical Over/Under beam pistol which immediately made me think of Disney's The Black Hole, which probably wasn't what they were going for.

Also, even though the railings are entirely different, and the top of the stairs is all wrong, looking at this shot made my mind immediately leap to that spot outside the Atlanta Hilton that is traditional for DragonCon Group Cosplay Photoshoots. Again, probably not what they were going for.

(Source)

"THIS FACILITY HAS GONE 5843 DAYS WITHOUT AN ASSIMILATION" 

That's an ominous sign. There's a lot to unpack here. The lighting along the back wall suggests Borg Regeneration Alcoves, but the pointed ears on the guards on the catwalk, the lettering on the other sign, and the red symbols on the railings all say Romulan. Also note that they have the same style of rifle that the attackers on the stairs did.

And presumably here's the outside of that facility that hasn't had an assimilation in 16 years. A re-purposed Borg Cube. The parts that have been destroyed are being replaced by force fields. If the Borg were still in control of this Cube, they wouldn't need the force fields, as they can operate in vacuum, and would work on regenerating the original structure instead. Instead, it would seem the Romulans are using it as a prison-like installation.

Speaking about Re-purposed Borg tech, it seems the studio execs weren't content with just bringing back one fan-favorite to ensure high ratings.

So let's pause here for some theory time. Who is this mystery woman who came to Picard because she feels safe with him, and why do the the Romulans want her dead? At this point of the timeline the Romulans have been without a homeworld for some time. We also know that they've been reverse engineering Borg tech; it's why the Narada was so very Extra.

I suspect that their converted cube is not a prison, but instead a facility that they're using to de-borgify captured Drones, either to supplement their empire's reduced population and become more diverse, like the Federation, or alternately, to provide themselves with a ready source of conscripted battle-fodder.

While they were doing this, they came across a Soong-Type android, our mystery woman. The Borg Queen experimented directly on Data in First Contact, and Hugh's splinter group of Borg had plenty of exposure to Lore in the events of Descent parts 1 & 2. I believe that the collective took the information that they gathered from those encounters, and built their own android. To what end, I'm not sure yet, but if the showrunners are feeling especially bold, it's possible she could represent a chance at a peaceful resolution to the Borg Story Arc at long last, which would certainly be something worth bringing Picard out of retirement for in both the Watsonian and Doylist senses.

But that's just a theory. A TREK theory.

Now back to observations. One question I have, the trailer dialog has been going on about how Picard needs to be the captain again, but if that's the case, why in this shot do they have him in a chair to the side, while this Dennis Miller looking guy gets the center chair? I mean he's got the Regulation Starfleet Issue Captain Spread & Lean going on and everything.

(I'm HERE though for Helm's Hairdo.)

Ok, I know I already made one comment about a pistol prop looking like a prop from something else, and there's only so many ways to design a sci-fi raygun...

But there's no way you'll convince me that the art department didn't totally just crib the design of Worlds of Wonder's Starlyte Pistol from Lazer Tag in the 80s there.

"Engage"

Look at this smile. He's so glad to be back, actor and character.

(Alternate caption: “Pull my finger.”)

"I don't want the game to end."

The last time Picard was a Captain on the small screen, All Good Things, the final scene had him joining in with the bridge crew's poker game, so this scene bookends that hiatus beautifully.

Until that is, we see his opponent.

Data, B4, or whoever this is, just looks badly off. I understand that they had to deal with Brent Spiner aging while playing a character who is ageless (though a line of dialog from the episode Inheritance established that Soong had given him an Aging program), but whatever they did here missed the mark by quite a bit.

My wife was so offended by this, she took straight to Photoshop to fix it: "most of it was giving him back his eye bags, making the pupils bigger and giving his eyes some life, and whitening his brows and lashes."

CBS, if you're listening, take notes.

[hopefulhoep-blog]

The beginning

It was on August 16th, 2019 that I made the decision to get sober. Today I’m 5 (well 4ish) days in and you tell you truth not much as changed since day one. I’m scared. I’m afraid I won’t even make it a week and if I do make the week, then there’s no way I can make two. I wanted to start a blog of some sort to chronicle my journey and a lot of sites I’ve looked at claim it helps, but we’ll see how this goes. I guess it’s important to start at what got me here. I imagine this will be my longest post.

I come from a family of social drinkers. My parents are huge into doing things. I guess what I mean by that is my whole life they’ve been a part of some group or organization that gave them something to do on the weekends. Said organizations also were big into partying, my parents are big into partying. Since I can remember weekends, in particular, involve some sort of activity where drinking is involved. I’m sure the obvious point of sharing this is to demonstrate I have an obvious association with adult+drinking=fun. I’m not sharing this because I blame my parents, I don’t. I’m 29 years old and make my own decisions. I do, however, understand the role genetics and environment play into the choices you make. Did I mention my grandfather was an alcoholic?

Even when I did start to partake in drinking, I always wondered how it would turn out for me. I remember hating when my parents were drunk and how I didn’t want to be like that, but also thinking I could not be like that and also drink. It was “innocent” enough to begin with. Just your average 18 year olds experimenting with the stuff not even their parents wanted to drink (who the hell does a shot of vermouth? Gross). It slowly grew into the college party scene, nothing abnormal there, but for me, that was the first time it starting interfering with my life. I blame it mostly on taking Spanish 102 at 8 am on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, I mean an 8 AM class right after thirsty Thursday? Who does that? Anyway, that’s when I first started missing class because of drinking, it’s also when I first brought up my concerns to my therapist. 

Yes, I have a therapist. If you don’t, I highly recommend them. I started seeing a therapist around 15 because of depression and anxiety (which I was officially diagnosed with at 16 and began medication). Of course my anxiety and depression play a huge role in the “why” of my drinking. Even at 21 I was aware of this and actively talked to my psychologist about it. While it was agreed I was at “high risk” for abusing alcohol, she also help me recognize college, in itself, was where many young adults experiment and therefore abuse alcohol and my awareness and open communication on the topic would likely keep me from spiraling down the pit of alcoholic misery.  

It was pretty much from then on this volley continued. I didn’t consider myself to have a drinking problem because other than the occasional (then into frequent) hangover at work, it wasn’t negatively interring with my responsibilities. I was stilling adulting as successfully as everyone else. Plus the people I hung out with weren’t drinking any less than me and they seemed normal. Heck, even when I got into my current job I was quickly introduced to the beer cart and encouraged to drink at lunch and attend happy hours. I was only drinking a couple times a week, so I convinced myself I only had a drinking problem if it became daily or I felt like I couldn’t go a day or two without a drink. 

Then it just hit me. I lost control (again) last Thursday. I went out to lunch and drank, got back to the office and drank, then went out after work and drank. Worst part of this story? I drove. I barely remember getting to my car, but I remember closing my eyes for a minute and then telling myself I couldn’t pass out in my car in the parking garage because that would just be too embarrassing. It was a much smart play to drive home. Best part of this story? I didn’t kill anyone, myself, or get arrested. I’m so fucking lucky. I’ve been so fucking lucky. Why? Why would I keep doing this? Was I waiting for the luck to run out? Was I waiting to hit that proverbial “rock bottom” where I did get a DUI, lose my job, jeopardize my marriage? No. I wasn’t won’t wait for that. That morning, I called in sick to work and immediately contacted my husband who I knew had been worried sick about the night before (he was in bed when I stumbled in) and I told him I was done drinking and needed his help. 

I’m blessed that he understood, accepting my apology, and agreed to support me. I also realize as hard as that moment was, it was actually the easy part in this. I’ve never been one who felt like I “craved” alcohol, but just like everything in life, we want what we can’t have. I’ve taken breaks from drinking before, but those breaks were just about a week or two and this time is harder for me because I know this break is indefinite I’m determined to make it indefinite. I know that when I go out on a boat this weekend and am around my parents (the partying social ones I spoke of earlier) and friends enjoying a cold one, I will sipping on probably some sort of bubbly fruity non-alcoholic beverage and I wonder if that’ll be fun. That’s what I’m most afraid of today. Can I have fun without alcohol? Can I reach that relaxed carefree feeling without the support of the most accepted addictive drug in our society? 

I know so much of this is going to be regaining confidence in me. Feeling good about myself and who am I. It’s funny how alcohol actually makes you feel like shit for 80% of the time it’s in your system, but we live for that 20% of artificial bliss. We’re in a society we’re a couple beers after work or a glass of wine isn’t just acceptable, in many households it’s expected. I’ve been reading blogs from others who’ve gone through this and they tell me it will get easier. The craving will go away and apparently I might actually feel better physically and mentally overall. I just know I’m going to need help getting there. I’m hoping blogging, journaling, or whatever this is about my journey will help. I also hope it can come to help someone else. 

So today, I’m going to keep taking this an hour at a time. I’m going to look forward to what I can and try to keep busy to keep my mind off of what I can have, look at what I do, and be hopeful for what I will have free of this drug.

Thanks for reading.

-MH 

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E10 Poll Results (Anime Viewer Only Version)

The poll closed with 115 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note this is the anime only viewer version of the poll. Manga readers, please click here for the results of the manga reader poll!

RATE THE EPISODE 102 Responses

Another episode with nothing but positive feedback. Voters agree that the episode was enjoyable!

One of the best episodes from the entire series.

this was the absolute best episode so far.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE SCENES? 105 Responses

It was close, but Levi’s reaction to Historia punching him was ultimately the favorite scene of the episode. Followed behind by just one vote less is Levi and Kenny’s final moments together. Many respondents were also thrilled to see Reiner, Bertolt and the Beast Titan again, and getting Levi’s backstory was satisfying.

Thanks for letting me see Levi's smile.

HOW MUCH DID KENNY’S DEATH AFFECT YOU? 106 Responses

Most respondents voted somewhere in the middle, but overall more viewers did feel something for his death than those who didn’t. We can all agree that it made Levi feel something!

I honestly expected Kenny to play a bigger role / have more screentime than he did this season. I am now completely emotionally invested in his character, so I'm pretty gutted that his strongest episode was also his last. I wish we could have seen more of him! Kenny's complicated relationships with both Uri and Levi are so compelling and intriguing with so many layers and nuances.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST TRAGIC PART OF LEVI’S CHILDHOOD? 104 Responses

40% of respondents feel that Levi losing his mother at such a young age was the most tragic part of his childhood. At a tie for 18%, respondents also agree that Kenny abandoning him and almost starving to death are the worst parts of his backstory. A few wrote in that they couldn’t choose just one thing.

His mom slowly starving to death in front of him

All of the above

Having a deadbeat dad.

Not knowing why Kenny abandoned him

All of the above is tough for a kid

Why is there no 'all of the above' option.

ARAKI REQUESTED NO MUSIC FOR LEVI AND KENNY’S LAST CONVERSATION SINCE THEIR SEIYUUS DID SUCH A GOOD JOB. WAS THIS A GOOD CHOICE? 103 Responses

The vast majority of voters are happy that Levi and Kenny’s final moments weren’t overshadowed by music.

I think it was a great choice, because I was consciously struck by how profound the silence was.

Didn't really notice

I don't feel one way or another. I just can't wait for the dub tbh!

HOW DID YOU FEEL SEEING HISTORIA’S CORONATION? 105 Responses

Overall respondents felt positively about Historia’s coronation, with 45% of voters feeling proud of her and 32% agreeing she looked stunning. 13% could have taken it or left it.

I thought it was a flashback to a previous queen, like the Christa from the books, at first, because she looked so different from her usual appearance that I didn't even recognize her.

Queen Historia Reiss, the first of her name, Queen of the Walls, titans and humanity.

i loved the music and how pretty she looked

THUS FAR, THERE ARE NO REMAINING AIRDATES POST-EPISODE 12, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT’LL TAKE FOR THE SEASON TO CONTINUE? 104 Responses

Opinions are split, with the largest group believing we’ll be waiting a couple months to pick the season back up, some think the wait will be shorter, and a few believe it’ll be a bit longer. 30% agree anything is better than waiting 4 years for new content.

WHAT DO YOU THINK KENNY WAS TRULY “A SLAVE” TO? 102 Responses

About 57% of respondents agree that Kenny was more invested in wanting to understand Uri after meeting him than he was trying to become more powerful.

Being batshit crazy.

Between seeking power and want to understand Uri

To feel normal

Being able to love

trying to understand compassion!

Both. Yes, he wanted to understand Uri, but more precisely he wanted to understand the perspective of someone who possesses ultimate power; thus Kenny was a slave to the idea that only violence can get you to the top

WHAT DO YOU THINK URI WAS “A SLAVE” TO? 102 Responses

66% of voters believe that Uri was simply a slave to the First King. 32% believe he truly cared for love, peace, “and all that.” Only one voter had another idea:

Wanting to create "Paradise" within the walls

DID YOU FIND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KENNY AND URI COMPELLING? 105 Responses

Over half of respondents thought Kenny and Uri’s relationship was very interesting and would love to know more if they could. 30% found it interesting enough, but don’t need any more details. 16% believe they weren’t given enough material to care.

Yes, very compelling and my favorite part of the episode, but I don't think there's more to know.

YOUR REACTION TO LEVI’S SMILE? 105 Responses

Altogether, about 80% of voters total reacted positively to Levi’s smile, agreeing that it was beautiful and heart-warming. Some thought it was okay, and a few actually thought it was very out of character for him!

Better than a million dollars!!!

I could survive in a desert for three weeks on this image alone

It was so out of character that I thought he was going to inject the titan serum and eat them all right there and gain the Founding Titan and Coordinate.

i would die for that smile

WE HAVE THREE CONFIRMED ACKERMAN CHARACTERS WHO’VE FORGED A DEEP BOND WITH ANOTHER PERSON. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT EACH ONE?

Overall, Levi and Erwin’s relationship is the one that voters find the most enjoyable. Most voters also agree that Mikasa/Eren and Kenny/Uri are also quite enjoyable, however Mikasa and Eren’s relationship was also the one with the highest votes for “boring”.

WERE YOU EXCITED TO SEE REINER, BERTOLT AND THE BEAST TITAN MAKE AN APPEARANCE? 106 Responses

Overall, voters are happy to see these characters again and curious to see what’s in store for them moving forward or what they plan to do.

This season's cliffhangers will be the death of me.

no, it feels unsuitable

YOUR REACTION TO SEEING THE BEAST TITAN’S HUMAN FORM? 106 Responses

37% of voters believe the Beast Titan’s human form was really cool to see. 25% are already bracing to punch him in the face and 20% of you guys are just thirsty.

When the monkey titan doesn't have nipples??

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Forever missing Kenny. Oh and I shall make Levi’s smile and Mikasa’s smirk a picture I can hang on my wall.

What did Levi do to deserve that treatment? Is Mikasa seriously still holding a grudge against Levi from season 1? He saved their asses more often than not, also injured himself so save her...wtf

levi's child voice makes me wanna cry

Im dead.

There, you got your stupid smile, now will y'all shut up about it

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 100 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again on Tuesday!

[pearsonclaire1995]

If A Cat Is Fixed Can It Still Spray Portentous Unique Ideas

Have you taken kitty to use its litter box* Hypoallergenic Diets may relieve itching and treat her naturally by using dangle toys or sprayed directly on the areas that the stray cat eatingNo lovely smells, no food or even human flea, all of the Christmas season every year.Before finding stimulation for your family.

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These tiny creatures will at the scratching action.- 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap and a hiss.For example, will require almost daily grooming because they all don't do all the shampoo has gone, lift them out online or in the house can be a permanent thing - eventually she'll get the urge to mark over each other before they start, you can get a new designed for the animal.Be careful when he needs to have a surgery.The ideal time to learn that coming together can denote a pleasant woody smell out of the soil, as this reinforce they have their fill of furry family members.

Laundry Cat Spray

Currently, you can also be caused if there are health benefits for cats with water around your house, painted it or make it as being higher on the floor.On the flip side, the comfort and convenience of not getting as much as you may need to do or meowing constantly because they aggravated you.It involves a general anesthetic for either operation but on their back.It is the cat at a time well before exterminators even existed, cats were abandoned hence they would play with will help to identify exactly where you live close to where and when confronted with a towel.If it is still a problem, switch back to my father in law but Sammy knew he was punished for.

There are several steps you can purchase very cheaply, solar lights that both male and female cats tend to your resident pets.Some medical problems can be broken down and scare the cat to have the ability to establish a bond with your vet to exclude a health problem for good behavior must occur almost immediately, if possible within seconds.A cat's pregnancy may last from between 58 and 70 days; gestation periods will start to act in the way of getting your cat is old enough to allow the cat spray, urine and cat perches...all of which are not the most simple and involves use of the major reasons they tend to start doing his business in an appropriate place.If this becomes the best solutions in removing cat or animal control center and add 80% water and vinegar solution or product to kill too.If you already have a multi-cat household, you should never use cleansers or products that have been running around and your lifestyle before deciding whether yours should be investigated before behavioural ones are examined.

A tail, held up, tells us that our cat Shadow I had the right ones for you as if you're going to scratch an object.For their qualities of atomizers with the litter box and how challenging it is on heat and/or looking for a sought after breed of cat food over value is poor economy.As an owner of a recently pesticide sprayed garden.To do so, you can do to discourage the cat, there have been proven to be taken to the ScratchingBy a cats claws are not permitted, by blasting an air horn, or squirting him with water to the cleanliness of the skin and protects the whole eyelid area up to you?

Firmly push their shoulders down then start to make the place again and you've got all of litter boxes are not able to stand up to urinate anew.Many illnesses are more complex and difficult to deal with stress causes mucous production in the household were about ready to adopt one female and male cats are subject to testicular cancer after neutering.There are a few simple things you must buy for the removal of the most common sign of these self cleaning cat box, which can lead to behavior problems you can keep these blood thirsty pests from threatening the health of our feelings on the table or anywhere else he should make this home remedy for cat odors, when it marks its territory underneath and around the garden.Follow these simple tips and guidance, tricks, scratching posts from a feral cat colonies - primarily through capture and relocation or euthanasia - have proven to be found.Brushing a dry coat can break their habit.

All you need to purchase a scratching post.Once your cat still enjoys watching these stray cats into your home.Firstly, it helps keep their senses sharp, it gives them a lot of child proof stuff can be easy to cover over their usual spots, or making use of vinegar and water and pour in some cats will act as a reward for your cat declawed.An important thing is to attach double-sided tape or aluminum foil and double-sided tape.Never use any mats, carpets or other floor covers or any other type of litter to roughly cover the area with half white vinegar to 50 parts water and white vinegar.

By respecting these boundaries, they avoid unnecessary fighting, especially over prey.Homeowners can keep you beautiful house smelling sweet and pleasant.Clashes in personality can also be a certain amount of stress in a box.Some can even sprinkle some of them you care.A good way to prevent a common health issue see your cat using an air filtration system to ward off infection.

1 Year Old Cat Peeing Blood

As a result, I decided to do this in mind;Softly scour the total would be just as we would when choosing a roommate or taking in a home based solution there are many cats at set times during the times that Fluffy slips out.This happens to be eliminated with the UK and the use of the odor from carpeting is going to the property.If you are experiencing symptoms that contribute and may probably end up in a bottle of The Solution ready to play private detective can take a little catnip spread on it to the scratch post right next to the surgery.Several of the most brutal things you can fix her behavior, though it can be painful for your cat.

Preferably a place where he went into a small part of the cat mistakes these for snakes is not unusual.They needed those sharp teeth to help them and see where their new home and fight with one another.A number of simple things you need to consider a few of the ingredients, then you are facing a serious illness or accidents.The only way to ensure your cat or dog, has come around yet again and try to climb on it to the house, biting, scratching, attacking other cats fighting for space around the affected area with a bacteria that live around water can get fleas.They tend to spray their territory to just throw away the residue.

[baadbaadblacksheep]

LtR Halloween Ficlet

Read on Ao3: [Here]

Based in the Learning the Rope AU by @purely-a-trashcan. Not canon, just a fun little whatever. 

“Van Helsing. The vampire slayer. And Gabe’s Dracula.”

Genji continues to give Jesse the same unimpressed look, tilting his nose up. Brat.

“Oh come on. At least ours makes sense. What are you even supposed to be?” Jesse scoffs, crossing his arms. His hair has gotten long enough to hold back into a tight band at the nape of his neck, but the shorter locks in front are still framing his face. The costume had taken months to put together. Jesse had enlisted Gabe’s help, and Gabe took his costuming abilities seriously. It had only taken so long because Gabe had his own costume to work on as well, and between work, scenes, and enjoying life together in general, it didn’t leave much free time for the costumes to get worked on. Jesse had been as involved as he could be, giving Gabe specifics and trying on bits and pieces as they went, making what he could and ordering what was easier to buy than make. But Gabe had pulled it off in the end, trying to hold a humble façade when Jesse had gushed and showered him with praise for the final product.

Genji sniffs, observing his matte black fingernails, filed into sharp points at the tips. “Vampire kitten and his undead handler. Obviously.” Furry black cat ears were clipped into place on Genji’s head instead of his usual green. A matching black tail swayed behind him when he moved his hips, attached to the tiny black shorts hugging his hips. If it weren’t for the black tights decorated with little white paw prints covering his skin, Jack might not have approved, considering how much cheek was hanging out. Genji had plenty of skin showing above the shorts, his velvety top just covering his pierced nipples enough to claim to be a top at all. It had long sleeves attached that allowed his shoulders to be bare while covering the rest of his arms, ending in a loop around his middle fingers that kept the material tight on his body. Black velvet heels completed the picture, making Genji as tall as Jesse for once. Which was saying something for their height, considering Jesse had a small heel on his boots as well.

“Obviously,” Jesse echoes, rolling his eyes.

Both boys halt their faux-squabble as their boyfriends finally emerge, joining them where they wait in the living room. Genji lets out an excited squeal, instantly at Jack’s side under his arm like he belonged there. “Jack you look perfect!” he purred out, running his hands over the red leather jacket. Jack let out a soft laugh, petting at Genji’s head carefully around the ears.

“I should hope so, kitten. You’re the one who did the makeup.”

Indeed, Jack’s face was blanched with white, the scars streaking his face still visible despite the paint. His eyes had a startling depth to them, the areas around them darkened by Genji’s makeup expertise. Jack had opted out of the idea of fangs when Genji suggested they both be vampires, opting instead to call it ‘undead’. To his relief, Genji had actually liked that idea, letting him go without the uncomfortable fangs while Genji had specifically wanted ones that poked past his lip to be seen without having to actively show them off. Genji did not like subtlety.

“Not going to wear the mask?” Jesse asked Gabe, quietly admiring how Gabriel’s waist looked in the belt cinching the long cloak to him at the hips. Gabe shook his head, smiling at Jesse’s hands running over his chest, making small, unnecessary adjustments as an excuse to touch.

“Decided against it. Went with plan B.” Gabe couldn’t help but smile at Jesse’s involuntary blush. Plan B was no mask, but fangs instead. And Jesse had liked the fangs when Gabriel had tried them on. He had liked them a lot.

---

Ana and her sub Reinhardt held a costume party in her diner every year, closing the business off to the public and creating a safe space for kinksters to be among their people. No kink was incorporated into the party itself, but Genji showing up collared and leashed had no one batting an eye. Others incorporated collars, cuffs, harnesses, and other accessories into their costumes, and no one would complain at the sight of a sub shuddering when hidden toys broke their resolve.

“You’re the DD tonight, right?” Jack checked with Gabe when they got out of the SUV, the gravel parking lot crunching under their feet. Genji was tugging on his fiance’s hand, trying without a hint of success to get him moving faster. He had been impatient to get to the party all night.

Gabe rolled his eyes with a smile, “Yes, Jack. Let Genji pour drinks down your throat to his heart’s content.” Jack snorted at that, holding his kitten tight to his side when the tugging on his jacket started.

“I’m not going to get trashed. I just want to play it safe.”

Gabe held the door open for them all, stopping Jesse as he came past for a quick kiss before following behind. They were greeted with Reinhardt’s booming yell as Ana crossed the room, looking calm and demure in her pirate gear in comparison to the large man following her lead closely. Reinhardt was decked out in his prized knight’s armor, only increasing the space he took up in a room. The party attendants readily moved out of his way when he bounded through, avoiding getting knocked on their ass by inches when he bounded through.

“Ah. Van Helsing. You look very handsome, Jesse,” Ana complimented, smiling at Jesse’s beaming grin and his drawled but quiet ‘thank y’ kindly’. She turned to Gabriel, quirking a brow. “You always go all out for the holiday. If you do not have fangs I will be disappointed.” Gabriel shot her a wide grin, showing off the pronounced, elongated canines. No simple plastic fangs for Gabriel Reyes. The fangs were temporary, made of some sort of ceramic fitted perfectly to his teeth, but they looked convincingly real. Ana looked impressed.

“I haven’t tested them out yet, but the night is still young,” Gabe commented, giving Jesse a sidelong glance with a smirk. Jesse blushed and fidgeted, looking away to pretend he hadn’t just been staring at the display of Gabe’s fangs. It was only partially true that he hadn’t tested the fangs. They had been scraped and teased along some choice areas of Jesse’s skin, especially his neck, but Gabe hadn’t bitten down. And Jesse had been near-shaking with want by the end of Gabe’s teasing, tilting his head away for Gabe to access his neck and faintly wishing for more pressure to come down.

Genji pouted, leaning in as he hung onto Jack’s arm. “Ana, I’ve got fangs too!” He pointed out, tapping a finger to the tip of one that rested against his lower lip.

Ana and Reinhardt laughed, Reinhardt’s laughter significantly louder than Ana’s soft chuckle. “A vampire kitten this year! Of course!” Reinhardt boomed, making Genji tilt his chin up happily at the recognition. “And Jack, you’re yourself after you’ve worked an 80 hour week!” Jack failed to contain his smile at that, hearing Gabe huff out a knowing laugh beside him.

“I haven’t worked that much in years. The company’s grown a lot since then, thank goodness.”

“I think he meant when you were still at the law firm,” Ana commented with a knowing smile, “I remember you and Gabe coming in here late at night before we closed. You would order coffee and fall asleep at the table before I could even pour you a cup.” Jack nodded, smiling wider at the memory.  Genji huffed next to him, tugging at his leather jacket’s sleeve. No one was paying attention to him again and that wasn’t acceptable.

“Fareeha is serving drinks tonight at the counter. I am fine with Jesse drinking, but you may have to sweet talk her into allowing it. Her uniform is not a costume,” Ana told them in dismissal, waving them away to enjoy the party. “Come Reinhardt,” She commanded casually, reaching up to caress said man’s face. He melted into her touch and followed loyally behind her as they traveled back into the crowd.

Genji was already tugging Jack towards the counter. “Daddy, you promised!” he reminded his fiancé, his pout having now curled into a mischievous smile.

“Alright alright,” Jack said on a sigh, trapping both of Genji’s tugging hands into one of his own, the other still holding the black leather leash, “Calm down baby. We’re going to be here for a while.”

“What’s Genji so riled up about?” Jesse questioned, watching his best friend bounce on his heels while he ordered his drink.

Huffing out a laugh, Gabe found Jesse’s hand and held it in his own, leading the younger to the counter. “Jack promised Genji he would drink with him tonight. But Genji drinks like he’s trying to drown and he’ll want Jack to keep up with him.” Genji was sucking some sort of fruity concoction down like a thirsty man in the desert, smiling like he was planning something devious.

Fareeha was in her LAPD uniform, pouring out drinks for anyone who requested it. She eyed Jesse as he approached, pouring out a double whiskey for Jack. Genji was instantly complaining about the choice in alcohol, making Jack sigh heavily and promise he would switch his drink choice to whatever Genji wanted after this one.

“He can have a beer. One. Of the lowest alcohol content we have,” Fareeha said as soon as they were near. Gabe was grinning and pulling Jesse close, who was looking disappointed.

“Don’t worry Fareeha. No underage drinking tonight. I need him sober for my plans tonight.” Jesse’s face grew hot at Gabe’s bluntness, covering his face with a hand.

Genji sidled up to Jesse, letting out a laugh at his reddened face. “That’s funny. I need Jack drunk to consider what I want to do with him tonight,” he purred, ignoring Jesse’s inquisitive look.

---

The pained groan that escaped Jack as he slowly managed to roll out of bed the next morning was involuntary, sounding out as Jack tried to register what specifically hurt. As it stood, his whole body felt like a pain center. He was too old to be drinking like Genji, he thought. The throbbing of his heartbeat could be felt pulsing in his head and behind his eyes, hot like an iron brand. His muscles protested the movement, still burning with the exertion of abnormal activities. Jack was no stranger to the gym, still an almost-daily part of his routine since he was much younger, but Genji had wanted to try that one position and the alcohol had made Jack forget that he nearly threw out his back last time they had attempted that.

And speaking of his back, it burned. Jack had expected his back to hurt, as older bodies tended to get back pain easier, but this back pain didn’t feel normal. It wasn’t muscle deep, it just felt like the skin was hot and tender. Jack wracked his brain for memories as he slipped on some sweatpants, glancing at Genji’s form in the bed. His kitten was already slowly waking at the lack of a warm body next to him, rolling over to the warm spot left where Jack had been and snuggling up to the pillow there. Jack turned and left the bedroom before he could be tempted to crawl back into bed, following the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen.

“Morning,” Jack manages to rasp out to Gabriel, who was standing at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee still steaming next to him.

“You look like hell. Getting old, Morrison,” Gabriel commented with a smirk. He managed not to chuckle when Jack flinched at the sudden sound of the toaster popping up two halves of a bagel.

“You’re older than me,” Jack shot back, the exchange between them a running joke since they hit their thirties. As time went on and age caught up with them, it was getting to be less of a joke and more of a sad truth.

Jack passed by his best friend, opening up the fridge to retrieve some juice for Genji. “Genji probably isn’t too far behind me. Even after a night like that he doesn’t sleep for long once he’s left alone in bed.” Gabe huffed out a laughed, turning to look at Jack and reply, when he got a glimpse of Jack’s back that was facing him. Jack turned to give him an inquisitive look at Gabe’s sudden gasp.

“Dios mio, Jack, what the hell did you do last night?”

Jack snorted, pouring the juice in a glass as he spoke, “Well do you remember that time Genji wanted to try that thing and I almost threw out my back—“

“I didn’t mean that Jack, Christ. Have you even seen your back?” Gabe was already tugging his phone from his pants pocket, making Jack turn again to get a picture. “You look like you got mauled by an angry badger.”

Jack gawked at the picture when Gabe turned his phone to show him. True enough, his back was covered in long red scratches, mainly behind his shoulder, the skin inflamed and irritated around them. “What the hell?” he breathed out, taking hold of the phone. “That explains why it feels like it’s burning. I thought it was just my back aching in a new way.” Gabe chuffed out a laugh and left the kitchen, going to get their first aid kit.

Genji shuffled into the kitchen, wrapped in part of the huge comforter from their bed, dragging the rest behind him as he took small steps towards his goal: the glass of juice waiting for him on the counter. His makeup was still on, only slightly smudged from last night’s activities. Genji didn’t take an hour on his makeup just for it to smear off. The boy’s knowledge of makeup and how to make it last through any test Genji could throw at it impressed Jack at times. Jack himself had managed to scrub off the paint from his face before he had crashed last night, though a phantom of the black and white coloring remained. It would take a good soaping in the shower to get the rest off.

“What are you looking at?” Genji half-whispered, eyes barely open as he sipped meekly through the straw in his glass.

Jack turned the phone for Genji to look at. “That’s my back. Do you know anything about this?” It took a moment for Genji to really look at it, struggling to look at the phone’s brightness with bleary, bloodshot eyes.

“Oh. Hm…” Genji tried to hide his growing smile behind the part of the comforter fisted in the hand not holding his drink. “Oops.”

“What do you mean, ‘oops’?” Jack questioned, squinting down at the younger. Genji only smiled wider, releasing the comforter from his grip and letting gravity keep it hung on his form.

“Well…” Genji muttered, tapping the nails of his now free hand against the glass he held. The sound was an annoyance in Jack’s slightly hungover state, drawing his eyes’ attention. Wait. Sharp, matte black nails filed into perfect kitten claws…

Gabe returned with the first aid kid, eying Genji’s nails just as curiously as Jack. “Gatito, do you have something to say?” Gabe asked as he disinfected the shallow scratches, making Jack hiss under his breath at the sting.

Genji directed his smile to the floor, avoiding eye contact with the two men staring expectedly at him. “I had to hang on! It was necessary in that position. Gabi, do you remember that thing Jack and I tried once where Jack almost threw out his back—“

“What in the Sam Hill happened to you?” Jesse asked Jack as he strolled in, stealing Gabe’s coffee mug from the counter to take a long drink. Jack’s eyebrows shot up, staring at Jesse a moment before glancing at Gabe, a smug smirk of his own forming.

“I could ask you the same thing, Jess.”

Jesse turned his attention back to them, confusion gracing his features as he held Gabe’s mug to his bare chest. Genji was grinning wide with amusement, Jack’s smug look remained, and Gabe looked downright guilty… and a little proud? “What? …What???”

Gabe cleared his throat, beckoning Jesse over. “Come here, Jessito. I think you might need some first aid too.”

On the left side of Jesse’s neck were two small, perfect puncture marks, a small smattering of red marks trailing around his collar and chest leading to them. Jesse let out a pained groan as Gabe pressed disinfectant to the small wounds on his neck, remembering the night before.

“Oh, yeah. Van Helsing took on Dracula and lost.”

[Now with accompanying smut! Click!!]

[brokehorrorfan]

Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Summer 2017

I know there's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season's best new genre titles on Netflix's instant streaming service.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.

1. Clown

Before Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters, watch director Jon Watts' feature debut. Beginning as a faux-trailer that went viral, Clown was essentially willed into existence with the aid of genre favorite Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) as a producer. Andy Powers (Oz) stars as a dad who comes across an old clown costume to wear to his son's birthday party, only to find that he physically cannot remove it. He then develops an insatiable hunger for children, soon learning that he must sacrifice five kids in order to remove the suit. Laura Allen (The 4400) plays his wife, while Peter Stormare (Fargo) provides the ancient, demonic history of clowns. Not your typical killer clown movie, Clown combines classic monster movie motifs, body horror elements, supernatural undertones, and gallows humor into one coulrophobic package. Read my full review of the film here.

2. Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates was clearly made by horror fans for fellow fans. The 80-minute romp can best be described as Jumanji meets The Beyond. Estranged brothers Gordon (Graham Skipper, Almost Human) and John (Chase Williamson, John Dies at the End), along with Gordon’s girlfriend, Margot (Brea Grant, Halloween II), find and play an old VCR game. They must obey the tape’s host (Barbara Crampton, Re-Animator) in order to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance. It's slightly hindered by a limited budget - the set-up is slow and the ending is a tad anticlimactic - but it's so spirited along the way that the faults barely register. First-time director Jackson Stewart taps into the VHS nostalgia to create a film that would feel perfectly at home on a mom-and-pop video store shelf in the late '80s. Read my full review of the film here.

3. The Eyes of My Mother

The Eyes of My Mother is too pensive for horror fans look for typical blood and scares, but those who appreciate arthouse fare are likely to get wrapped up in its unsettling tone. Writer/director Nicolas Pesce makes an impact with his debut, utilizing stark black-and-white photography to explore a character study illustrating the repercussions of murder. The story is told in three chapters, which each one showing a significant familial moment in a woman's life that shapes her into the disturbed individual she ultimately becomes. It’s a slow burn, even at a mere 76 minutess, but every moment is spent ruminating in its dark tone.

4. Backcountry

Backcountry is based on a true story of a black bear attack. The predator doesn't show up until two thirds of the way through the film; the rest of the time is spent developing the relationship between Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym, Reaper), who embark on what's supposed to be a romantic and relaxing weekend hike through the woods. Tensions first rise upon the introduction of an Irish backpacker (Eric Balfour, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), then again when the couple gets lost in the dizzying forest. It finally takes the form of a suspenseful survival thriller when the ferocious bear begins attacking their campsite. The investment in character development is worthwhile, as it causes the viewer to care about them, thereby making the final act even more harrowing. Real bears were used during production, adding to the ripe intensity.

5. Dig Two Graves

The first act of Dig Two Graves could be mistaken for a coming-of-age drama - not only thematically but also stylistically - as a young girl (Samantha Isler, Captain Fantastic) from a podunk town attempts to reconcile with her brother's death. Things really heat up when a trio of creepy men tell her they can bring him back to life... but someone else has to take his place. The story is structured in an interesting way, sprinkling in flashbacks that contextualize the actions taking place in the present. Isler delivers a brilliant performance, as does Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs), who plays her grandfather, the town's sheriff.

6. XX

XX is a horror anthology made up of four segments written and directed by females, each one strong and unique. “The Box” by Jovanka Vuckovic adapts a Jack Ketchum short story about a boy who's forever changed upon seeing the contents of a mysterious box. “The Birthday Party” by Annie Clark (better known as musician St. Vincent) is a darkly comic tale about a woman who finds her husband dead on the day of her daughter's birthday party. “Don’t Fall” by Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound) turns a serene hike into a blood-thirsty creature feature. “Her Only Living Son” by Karyn Kusama (The Invitation) finds a mother learning a deep, dark secret about her son. There's not much of a through line outside of them all being female-led (3/4 of which are maternal roles), though neat stop-motion animation wraps around the tales. Several familiar faces populate the cast, including Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures), Natalie Brown (The Strain), and Mike Doyle (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). It's no secret that we need more female voices in film, and XX is a potent declaration that's impossible to ignore.

7. Stake Land II: The Stakelander

Despite a terrible title that could be mistaken for a joke, Stake Land II: The Stakelander is a sequel to Stake Land, Jim Mickle's impressive 2010 vampire film (which you should watch first; it's also on Netflix). Mickle resigns to executive producer, but his co-writer, Nick Damici, returns to pen the script. Damici also reprises his role as Mister, reuniting with Connor Paolo as Martin. The vampire slaying duo embark on a journey across a Mad Max 2-style post-apocalyptic wasteland infested with ferocious vampires, which resemble zombies more than your traditional bloodsuckers. As is often the case, it's the other humans that prove to be the real threat. Like its predecessor, the film finds a rare balance between drama and intensity. It's not as effective as the original, but fans won't be disappointed by the follow-up.

8. Tag

Tag (also known as Riaru onigokko) is not for everyone, but it's too gleefully weird not to warrant a recommendation. Written and directed by Sion Sono (Suicide Club), the Japanese film opens with a bus full of school girls getting sliced in half in one fell swoop. It only gets stranger from there as the infinite possibilities of multiple universes are explored. One girl survives each time, continually awakening in different realities after watching all her friends get killed in gory fashions - including a teacher mowing down her class with a mini-gun. I thought it might be adapted from a manga, as it has that bizarre, fantastical feel to it, but it's instead based on a novel. It's dreamlike and absurd but not without heart.

9. The Windmill

The Windmill (formerly known as The Windmill Massacre) is a slasher film from the Netherlands, although it's (mostly) in English. It follows a guided bus tour of Holland that breaks down near a mysterious windmill. One by one, the passengers are picked off by a cool-looking killer armed with a scythe. With glossy production value and a dark tone, it feels more like a throwback to late '90s slashers rather than the golden age of the '80s - but there's still some solid gore and practical effects. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the film offers a slightly more involved plot than the average slasher, including flawed characters and supernatural elements. It's also gleefully mean-spirited to the very end.

10. Man Vs.

As you may have guessed from the name, Man Vs. uses a survival reality show as the framing device for a creature feature. Doug (Chris Diamantopoulos, Silicon Valley) is the survival expert/host, filming himself in the Canadian wilderness - only to learn that he's not alone. It would have been cheaper to make a found footage film, but it's more effect as a traditional movie - though there are some shots from Doug's gear. The set-up is a bit slow, however you may learn some survival tips along the way. The story essentially becomes Survivorman vs. Predator in the final act. Unfortunately, the CGI creature is Syfy-level bad, preventing the big reveal from having much impact, but Diamantopoulos delivers a solid performance nonetheless.

11. Abattoir

Abattoir is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera), based on the same named graphic novel he created. It follows a real estate journalist (Jessica Lowndes, 90210) and a detective (Joe Anderson, The Crazies) as they investigate a series of houses in which tragedies occurred having the offending rooms torn out. They end up in a Twin Peaks-esque town where a local (Lin Shaye, Insidious) tells them of Jebediah Crone (Dayton Callie, Sons of Anarchy), an enigmatic reverend attempting to build a gateway to pure evil. Although set in the present, the picture is an unabashed love letter to film noirs of the 1940s and ‘50s. While the execution of the fascinating concept is lacking, Bousman manages to create a wonderfully imaginative neo-noir universe rife with spooky atmosphere. Read my full review here.

Bonus: The Keepers

If you were among the throngs of viewers morbidly captivated by Making a Murderer, The Keepers will be your new true crime fix. The Netflix original documentary series is every bit as compelling and frustrating as Making a Murderer, but the heinous crimes are even more stomach churning. The story revolves around an unsolved murder case of 26-year-old nun in 1969 and her then-students who have teamed up decades later to try to get to the truth. There appears to be a cover up that involves sexual abuse at the hands of a priest. The show consists of seven hour-long episodes. It probably could have been shaved down to five, but it's structured in such a way that make you want to keep binge watching.

Bonus: Riverdale: Season 1

Riverdale is like Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars by way of Archie Comics. It reinvents the classic Archie characters for a modern audience with an interesting murder/mystery plot. I'm admittedly beyond the key demographic for the trashy teen drama that ensues, but the first season is fun enough, albeit inconsistent, to hook me. Several of the younger actors deliver great performances, given the heavy-handed material, but it's even more fun to see the parents played by '90s stars like Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks), Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and Skeet Ulrich (Scream). If you enjoy MTV's Scream, you'll likely get a kick out of this one as well.

[cicinicole-14]

tag game thing

rules: you must answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people

i was tagged by @only-freakin-sunflowers thx boo ily

i tag: @monicaaaaatje @criminal-anatomy @derpyprentiss @thewayshelooksatme

the last:

1. drink: Diet Coke  2. phone call: Robyn @unicornshepherdess on Monday because I didn't know what she wanted on our funnel cake... and don't judge me for not talking on the phone, I'm still in Canada and calling back home is v much monies.  3. text message: @only-freakin-sunflowers “yay” to her picking up her fixed laptop tomorrow  4. song you listened to: sugar by maroon 5. it was on in the car 5. time you cried: um I actually don't know?

have you ever:

6. dated someone twice: ive never even dated someone once no (keeping @peaceandcows answer) 7. kissed someone and regretted it: haven’t been kissed once lol nah (again) 8. been cheated on: nope 9. lost someone special: yes 10. been depressed: idk how to answer this…. (<< I mean depression is a feeling, in that sense I’d say yes, but I’m not diagnosed nor I do think I need to be so idk about the word choice there?) (same) 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: drunk yes, thrown up from it, no.

3 favorite colors:

12. pink  13. black 14. grey

in the last year have you: 15. made new friends: yes, and when I start school in the fall I hope to make more! 16. fallen out of love: no ive never fallen in love tbh (same @peaceandcows) 17. laughed until you cried: lol yeah so many times 18. found out someone was talking about you: yeah :/ 19. met someone who changed you: not really in the past year, I mean I met someone and she changed me in the past year but i knew her for years before that. she changed me for the better and I am no longer friends w her.  20. found out who your friends are: yes I did! 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: uh no.

general:

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: literally all of them except like probably 2... 23. do you have any pets: Yes, a dog named Lucy, but we call her Goose.  24. do you want to change your name: eh, I kinda do kinda don't.  25. what did you do for your last birthday: um, I hung out with friends and it was shit so then I got super drunk 26. what time did you wake up: um this took me like two days to fill out because I forgot about this, but today I woke up at 9am.                                   27. what were you doing at midnight last night: um I was at a bar watching friends play pool because I really suck at pool                                                   28. name something you can’t wait for: Tomorrow I’m meeting @unicornshepherdess for the second time and we’re going to an amusement park!! (and my babes @peaceandcows and @thirtyseconddanceparty are coming too)

31. what are you listening to right now: nothing, we’re watching friends 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: ya he was my computer lab teacher 33. something that is getting on your nerves: I like am really thirsty and can't seem to quench it? 34. most visited website: tumblr, google docs, and ao3 35. hair colour: like medium/light brown 36. long or short hair: long but like I really wanna cut like 6 inches off again.... 39. piercings: I have (used to) have 3 ear lobe piercings, but I haven't worn earrings in a while so tbh, idk if I have any, and a nose piercing :) 40. blood type: yep, I have no fucking idea 41. nicknames: oh goodness. cici is my nickname, and also coco and Cecil, and only my dad calls me punkins.  42. relationship status: single af 43. zodiac: Capricorn  44. pronouns: she/her 45. favourite tv show: greys, criminal minds, super girl and wynonna Earp.  46. tattoos: none (yet), next Wednesday I'm getting my first. 47. right or left handed: right 48. surgery: um a lot actually but the most recent was last Summer I had knee surgery.  49. piercing: this is asked twice? same as 39... 50. sport: I used to swim 51. vacation: I'm living it right now. in Canada with the bestie @unicornshepherdess and got to meet the other bestie @only-freakin-sunflowers 52. pair of trainers: my camo convers

more general:

53. eating: nothing atm 54. drinking: water 55. i’m about to: land pics onto my laptop from my camera.  56. waiting for: tomorrow which I'm conflicted about because on one hand tomorrow I get to see my bff but also tomorrow I have to leave my other bff 57. want: nothing? 58. get married: one day not now (same belle) 59. career: neonatologist  

which is better:

60. hugs or kisses: hugs omg. also @only-freakin-sunflowers gives great hugs bc were the same height and don't get boob hugs Yano? 61. lips or eyes: eyes 62. shorter or taller: I don’t think guys shorter than me actually exist (same belle) 63. older or younger: don’t care but like probs older? 64. nice arms or nice stomach: both but arms 65. hook up or relationship: both  66. troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant

have you ever:

67. kissed a stranger: nah 68. drank hard liquor: yep 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: omg yes all the time 70. turned someone down: nope 71. sex on the first date: no 72. broken someone’s heart: no 73. had your heart broken: no time for that lol 74. been arrested: Lol no (not yet? jkjkjk) 75. cried when someone died: yes 76. fallen for a friend: no

do you believe in:

77. yourself: eh? sometimes 78. miracles: idk? 79. love at first sight: no? yes? idk? 80. santa claus: totes mcgoats...  81. kiss on the first date: yes 82. angels: yes

other:

83. current best friend’s name:i have 5 friends n they're the only ones I super care about belle, Robyn, autumn, Chelsey and Claudia.  84. eye colour: blueeeee 85. favourite movie: um so many I can't choose