#we're closing in on the last of the previewed scenes

[traditional-with-a-twist]

xlvii. Beauty and Her Beast

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Parallel scene: A Traveler from Obiyuki Winter Challenge 2018.

Amber liquid splashed in the glass.

As he poured, the tavern keeper’s eyes flickered between his customer and the crowd gathering behind him.

Obi drained the glass and slammed it on the counter. “Another.”

…

Coming to Tanbarun had been a mistake. He hadn’t meant to – hadn’t planned it this way – just set his feet to the road and his face to the wind.

He had no mission, no destination, no purpose – only the necessity of removing himself.

He should have resurfaced somewhere new, somewhere unknown and unknowable, ready to begin again the endless wrestling match of taking enough from life to stay in the game.

…

Instead he found himself here, in her homeland, and everything reminded him of her.

For the first time, his wandering had led him astray, backtracking until he double-crossed himself.

He had shed his old lives as easily as he changed names, as easily as a snake shed its skin. He could remake himself, forget who he had been, leave everything behind — everything but her.

He heard her in their voices. He saw her in their faces. He felt her in the air.

He could forget himself, but he could not escape her.

…

The tavern keeper opened a new bottle. He glanced past Obi again. The night was cold, the bar room drafty, but the man was sweating. 

Every head had turned when Obi walked in, and now every eye was fastened on his back, tracking the stranger’s progress through drink after drink, bottle after bottle. The regulars had banded into knots, muttering to each other behind the rims of their glasses.

Obi showed the owner a coin to soothe him. “Another.”

If he had stopped to think of it, Obi might have noticed the imposing figure he presented: a tall and dark stranger, too bold for his own good, marked with old wounds and that ineffable sense of danger — or rather, dangerous because he knew no danger to fear.

Obi did not notice. 

He thought of only two things now: the pain, and how to end it.

…

He had wondered once if he could ever leave her. Now he had - but she had not left him.

It hadn't been so bad at first because he'd been busy.

Their uninvited guest had had the sense to take himself off during the night, but Obi hadn't left anything to chance. 

He planted false trails leading away from the cottage, taking care to let himself be seen moving north, deeper into Clarines.

…

Then Obi had melted back into the shadows where he belonged, confusing the tracks he left behind to shake any interested parties off his scent.

If anyone was still interested in what had drawn him to that cottage again and again, if they had been hoping to uncover a stockpile or even a treasure trove hidden away among the woods, they would have every reason to believe it had found a new home.

As for the red-haired woman, she and Obi had parted ways. Observers might, if they cared, conclude that he had abandoned her.

…

His hand tightened on the glass.

They wouldn’t be wrong, whoever thought that. What they would not understand was that he had done it for her.

She was better off this way.

…

He had spared a fleeting thought for the old man as he left, pictured briefly his seething rage at the discovery that Obi had confirmed all his worst predictions yet again. 

Then again, perhaps he might instead feel relief, a release from the one responsibility he had ever begrudged. 

The instructions, the threats, the promises had all amounted to words on a page, lines of ink smudged into meaninglessness with a drop of rain — much like every other binding contract Obi had experienced.

That was why his world sealed their contracts in blood. 

…

He couldn’t help but think of that, as he raised the glass once more and a thin scar showed white on his palm.

For the first time since his master’s death, Obi was glad. He had endured a lifetime of disappointing the man responsible for his birth, but the prince was another matter.

No matter what became of him now, it was some small consolation that Zen would never know.

…

He could drink and drink, and the ghosts might watch, but they couldn’t speak.

Another hour of this, and Obi thought he might not be able to, either.

He no longer knew what the bartender poured him, whether it was alcohol or swill–his mouth was too numb to tell the difference. The edges of his vision blurred; his ears were buzzing.

Still, when he closed his eyes, he could see her face.

She smiled, she laughed, she cried – a thousand faces, a thousand moments he had stolen and hoarded until the inevitable good-bye. Now they played in an endless loop behind his eyelids, taunting him with the evidence of his crime.

Obi gripped the bridge of his nose, slumping forward. He couldn’t forget. He’d been drinking for hours, but he couldn’t forget.

…

You’re right, Obi, her voice whispered in his ear. I shouldn’t keep you here.

He had been a fool to think he could make her happy. Week after week, her bloom had faded, the color leaving her cheeks, her laugh losing its luster, until he had returned that night to find her blighted, like a flower transplanted to an unfriendly soil. She didn’t belong with him.

She never had.

…

His fingers dug into the rough wood of the counter, but the sting didn’t balance out what he felt inside. Obi raised his head, staring around wildly for a distraction.

The tavern keeper held out a drink, but he was looking past Obi. His fingers were trembling.

A hand like a bear paw engulfed the cup. It belonged to one of the regulars. He was taller and broader than Mitsuhide, his face battered with old scars. 

He looked like a brawler to Obi — more bulk than speed, flailing fists rather than precision, not likely to kill…unless you stayed still long enough for him to beat you bloody. 

…

The man sat down too close, his elbow jostling Obi’s.

It was the first rule of the underworld to never draw attention. If you wanted to stay free, never give people a reason to remember you. 

If you wanted to stay alive, never make unnecessary enemies.

…

A fight with a bruiser like him wouldn’t end quickly. It would be a messy, noisy affair with broken glass and smashed chairs. 

Everyone in the room would get involved — the angry ones who caught a stray blow by chance, the riled ones who enjoyed the smell of blood in the air, the greedy ones who cut purses in the chaos, even the fearful ones who ran into the streets calling for help. 

Start a fight like that, and you could never show your face in that town again.

…

Perfect, Obi thought.

The stranger tipped back his head and raised the drink.

Quick as a cat, Obi slapped it out of his hand.

The glass struck the counter and shattered, spraying alcohol and fumes over both of them. The man whirled on him, nostrils flaring. The tavern keeper backed away.

Obi grinned.

[rirururu]

Can we talk about how this entire My Hero Academia season 7 stage preview panel was just the voice actors/actresses of Izuku, Katsuki, Toga, Ochako, and Shigaraki discussing Bakudeku and Togachako for 50 minutes? 😭 These screenshots were certainly a choice.

We're getting close to endgame. Season 7 or 8 will probably be the last season. We know Horikoshi had recently confided in Bones on what the ending of MHA was going to be so they could start the production process sooner. Now there's a sudden shift of promotional material and interest towards these two ships in particular which is-- interesting.

Izuocha also briefly appear in the stage discussion but only at around the 40 minute mark near the end. They also made sure to put those screenshots below the Bakudeku apology scene. No hate towards Izuocha of course. I'm just saying: this is not how you treat a pairing in marketing if they were meant to be endgame.

Does this mean anything? Probably not. We've all sung this song before with shounen manga and been hurt in the past. But Bakudeku and Togachako might actually stand a chance here. Regardless if this comes true, I'll still love both pairings and appreciate the time these VAs took to discussing them.

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: Episode 5 Preview (A walk in Sand's 'Rough & Dusty' World)

I'm really looking forward to where Episode 5 is taking us with Ray and Sand's storyline. This almost feels like the proper start to these two as a 'couple'. Having seen more to Ray last week, we're now getting a better insight into Sand's life, which looks peppered with sweet and spicy moments throughout.

We start with breakfast at Sand's. Can we safely assume this is a morning after scene, which means they slept together again? (How adorable does Ray look whilst he peeks into the kitchen? He's an actual child, I weep).

At the end of Episode 4, Ray seems to have arrived at the conclusion that he's now open to the idea of welcoming Sand into his life, and being more sincere about their (cough) 'friendship'. And with that, he intends to make more of a conscious effort, to show he has taken on board what Sand said.

So Ray suggests they spend the day together, "Can I stay with you? I wanna get to know you better." (A nice parallel to Ray's usual 'stay with me') It's an immediate indication that someone is starting to take you seriously, because they are initiating opportunities to see your world, to understand your perspective - to better appreciate all the things that make you who you are.

So far, Sand has mainly operated in Ray's world when they've crossed paths. Ray knows very little of Sand's life, other than his job as a bar singer. The fact that Ray is taking an active interest is a huge step. This isn't 'I'm paying or begging you to spend time with me' (aka Ray wanting Sand to keep him company), it's 'I want to spend time with you' (I'm keeping you company). That's a very notable distinction.

This request also means that Sand will be leading the day's activities, with Ray following along. That's another role reversal of how their dynamic has played out so far. Ray is the one who dictates what he'd like to do, and he persuades Sand to agree. Giving Sand full control is another example of Ray welcoming his opinion and preferences. It's a sign of moving towards more equality and balance in their relationship.

(How powerful is Sand in the leather jacket? The whole riding a motorbike together screams boyfriend energy).

Try to stay sane folks, because we should also be getting THIS notorious scene. It looks like they're in a changing room but who knows, maybe Sand has a weird privacy corner in his flat? The shirt Ray wears for the rest of the episode is hanging on the wall. We get Sand changing Ray (because his role as Ray's caretaker reigns supreme), and whilst doing so, he goes in for a cheeky fondle.

Sand continues to open Ray's eyes through music at a gig, which is a nice continuation of the lovely scene they shared at the record store. They also return to the go-go bar, where Ray publicly serenades our resident singer?

And we'll bear witness to Sand falling more and more visibly in love by the second. It's just as Mew called it - Ray should be a ray of sunshine and that's exactly the way Sand looks at him. That gaze is full of warmth and awe. Sand is completely aware of Ray's faults and bad habits, because he saw those first and upfront. And yet he sees Ray beaming underneath, despite all those things.

(As a side note to Ray - the superficial attention of many doesn't come close when compared against the all-encompassing attention of just one. Do you see how that man looks at you??)

After a long day out of playing actual boyfriends, they have a quiet, steamy make out session on Sand's balcony. Having had Ray accompany him all day, there's no doubt Sand is even more head over heels now.

If they did indeed sleep together the previous night and were gunning for 2 in a row, I really don't think you can shirk that off as 'friendship' anymore. I don't care how deep or convincing you think your denial is.

Aaaand OH. It was only a matter of time before this inevitably happened. Either Sand would walk in on Boston/Nick wildin', or they would catch him and Ray doing the dirty. My worry is how Boston is going to react, because not only has Top given him the cold shoulder, Ray is swiftly veering off his plan and how he ideally wanted to manipulate the situation. In a desperate bid to clutch at straws, I really hope Boston doesn't try to stir shit up with Sand instead (in regards to that Ray and Mew kiss).

Boston, you better steer well clear of our unproblematic couple. Let them be happy without the fuckery that is your mind games.

(Ray's expression cracked me up. He looks completely out of it 'Huh? What's happening? Who dis?' Boy was so consumed in kissing Sand, he forgot who he was).

[lemotmo]

So it seems everyone thought it was awkward. And interesting observations.

Q. I have random questions but after I re-watched the episode I was just confused. The lack of any kind of physical contact at all between Buck and Tommy, and full disclosure I have liked them together so far, was noticeable and weird. If the show thought no one would notice they were wrong. Lots of chatter about it, and from both fan groups. I think they could kind of get away with it in an episode where Buck had something you could say Tommy didn't know wasn't contagious but they won't be able to get away with it anymore. If we're actually to the point where they can't write them as even kind of coupley then what are we even doing here? And I don't understand why they needed to stop all the BTS stuff when they started filming this episode there was nothing big in that episode. And the preview using something cut from season 7 was just insane. What are they doing? And the Buddie stuff I can't make heads or tales of.

A. Lol this was a lot of random thoughts but they were questions lots of other people seemed to have as well, anon so I get it. I think lots of us required a rewatch to really kind of appreciate the episode more. First things first though the writer for that episode is not one of their stronger writers, in my opinion. Taylor's writing tends to be random at times. She is after all the same writer who had Buck tell Eddie Diaz 'she really sees me'. So I don't put a lot of stock into her work, but I do think this episode had some genuinely nice stuff, especially for Buck. Should it have been as hyped up as it was, probably not, but I get why Oliver enjoyed it so I have no problem with him being excited about it. The lack of any kind of physical contact between Buck and Tommy was glaringly obvious and very awkward. I know there are lots of theories as to why they were written that way and we'll probably never know the real reason, but they definitely can't work as a couple if they're going to be written like that going forward. But I don't think the plan is to keep them as a couple so I don't think it's going to be an issue much longer. I do think the working relationship between Oliver and Lou is stilted at best though, and it is noticeable in their scenes. They don't have chemistry and no amount of screaming in people's ask boxes is going to change that. I have said since last season that Ryan and Lou have the better chemistry. It's not spectacular chemistry, but it's certainly better than Oliver and Lou. I genuinely don't believe he will be around for more than a few more episodes though so I don't foresee them putting much effort into trying to force anything at this point either. And people also need to remember that Lou himself said in an interview that he told Tim he wasn't interested in doing any heavy kissing or intimate scenes so I also think they're writing his scenes at his intimacy comfort level. But again he's short term so they're not going to try too hard to force anything.

ABC is the one who cut the BTS stuff because something for one of their other shows got spoiled. The show has been very closed off regarding future episodes though, you are correct there. But it had nothing to do with the episode we just saw. They were filming things for episode 6 while they were filming episodes 4 and 5 though and that's the reason for the secrecy. I don't know why they needed to film episode 6 so out of order and so all over the place, but for whatever reason the show believed they needed to, so I guess we will see. There are only two justifiable reasons for using the cut call from season 7 in the preview. It was either because they believed the real scenes and stills were more spoilery than they were comfortable with or the call is actually being used as a flashback. There is still a really big part of me that believes the Eddie storyline was supposed to start last season prior to the renewal, and Tim deciding to slow things down. They cut lots and lots of scenes last season and it's possible the call with the divorced dad was the cut call from last season, and they need whatever they filmed during that scene to provide context for another scene. Tim definitely over inflates his own hype from time to time but I don't think even he would believe he could get away with passing off a scene that is more than a year old as new content. Buck looks entirely different and Eddie doesn't have his mustache so it would be ridiculous to try that, and just expect the audience to pretend they don't notice. So I believe it's a flashback or they didn't want to show anything from the episode but the well. Those are really the only two options.

I genuinely don't understand why anyone would believe the Buddie stuff would or should happen in one episode. Buddie won't officially start until Eddie has his moment. There is nothing wrong with the way the show is pacing things so far. Eddie isn't out and Buck is technically dating someone. Everyone screaming about how it's been 6 years and that's long enough are intentionally ignoring the fact that it hasn't been 6 years of waiting as far as Buck and Eddie themselves are concerned. They aren't aware yet. The pacing is fine. I know that people have wanted this since season 2 but Buck and Eddie haven't, and while the story is of course for the audience the pacing needs to be fair to the characters and the storyline. Let them tell the story. I'm hoping once Tommy is gone people will calm down, and will stop demanding Buddie kiss and declare their love in the span of one episode. No one should want it rushed. Let them build up to it. Let them each come to their own realization and then build up to the relationship. That is by far the more satisfying way to go. Let the story build.

Thank you Nonny! As always!

This was a very interesting post with lots of topics I talked about as well the last couple of days.

The last one is so crucial though. Give the Buddie storyline time to breathe you guys! I know that it has been years for us, but for the characters there'll be a lot of new emotions coming up or even older emotions that will resurface. All of this cannot be resolved in one single episode. This is the kind of story that needs to percolate to be brought to perfection. It can't be rushed.

Now I'm not saying they should draw it out for seasons, because we all know how easy it is for shows to get cancelled these days. But let them use the entirety of season 8 to show us the story we've been longing to see for so long.

It'll be sooooo incredibly satisfying to watch these two men finally get it right. I want to savour every single morsel of that storyline. It will be so rewarding to see it unfold, knowing that we were right for all those years.

Let's give the show the time to do this story justice.

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

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If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[tatasoom]

PREVIEW IS TEASING US

Well, after that episode 6 I was like "screw it!". Any predictions doesn't work with P'Aof trying to kill us all with unpredictable scenes. I wanted to apologize for my previous prediction and found a way for it: a new bunch of shots from behind the scenes for next episodes!

And they're healing ones!

So yeah, we will discuss some moments from upcoming episode 7, but without unnecessary drama. Enjoy!

First of all let me tell you again about this Phojay and Mhok scene.

- Speaking as you ex, I'm envious of Day's ability to make you smile.

I hope we'll have this phrase finally, but I'm curious if it's a morning before b-day party or after. I mean in this scene Phojay is telling Mhok not letting Day to know about Mhok's feelings and we all know that by the end of episode 6 it's too late giiiirl~

And why I'm douting timing? Because it seems after that unbelievably beautiful rooftop scene Mhok is going to drive Day back home to give him another hangover pill or whatever you call it (save Day's liver!) first.

Maybe the most exciting part of the preview for me is these two sitting together in a car talking about feelings! But do you know why Mhok is smiling on another shots from this scene?..

Because he's trying to fasten a belt for Day and Day's panicking being completely aware of how it feels to have Mhok's face and hands and everything really close! Finally some hidden cuteness and not hidden angst!

And what about running?

A whole spectrum of good vibes! Cuteness, teasing and Sea trying to sleep everytime he has this opportunity lol

And for everyone who's heart was broken by that little moment of replacing old fixed by Mhok shoes by new one "from" August... take a look:

Okay, maybe I need to call the most exciting part the one where Day visiting Mhok. Yeah, it's definitely Day having dinner with Mhok and Phojay in Mhok's house!

I love all that flirting! Actually Mhok is telling Phojay about what type of persons Day likes and Mhok's already this type! Caring. Warm. Like that perfume. Also who else is dreaming of Day sniffing Mhok's clothing or even neck in a very sexual way with Mhok being unable to be patient anymore?.. Give us some more, P'Aof, the master of hand porn!

I also can't stand Jimmy and Sea cute photos lately. They're both talented, handsome, hard working men with smiles striking right into my heart!

And last thing to keep your mood high after all this stuff:

Not Sea walking there in this T-shirt from the sleeping together scene while Jimmy needs to have some action with Phojay's boyfriend ahhh! I'm also laughing so hard because of Namtan's face here! Queen!

Actually Sea here is asking what he (as Day) should do when seeing P'Mhok being hurt... and sorry, Sea, but Day can't see! Let him just imagine all that bruises and hope for Mhok not dealing with punching douchebags again!

Thank you for reading this less informative, but more cute investigation. We're close to the second part of the show and I guess will have some calm scenes before the real pain. I also have thoughts on how P'Aof is gonna ruin our expectations for beach trip scenes. But let it be after Christmas or even New Year, we actually I need to have some fluff to run away from misery of a country I live in. Let episode 7 be kind to us all!

[raelle-writing]

DFF Final Episode trailer: analysis and speculation

Co-credit for this analysis goes to @kerrikins - this was also cross-posted from our fan account on Twitter @.DFF_Fanatics

If you want to just reblog the trailer and not our analysis, I uploaded it in this post.

There are a lot of interesting details in this trailer, so we've analyzed it all below:

The trailer starts off with what basically seems like a recap of the show so far. Showing us the group going into the woods, them being friends at school... and then showing snippets of Phee and Jin getting close, as well as Tee and White.

Then, as the trailer continues, we see Jin and Non together, and then the last shot that goes black and white is Phee and Non... reminding us of the real reason that everything in the present is happening now.

Then, of course, we see Tan mixing the hallucinogen. We already know he used this to spike the drinks of the friend group when they first entered the woods. And in the preview for episode 11, we see Tan lighting a joint - perhaps getting them all high on hallucinogens again...? Which could be what causes the hallucinations in this trailer.

From this point on, we can assume what we're seeing are hallucinations. The drug that Tan uses, he previously mentioned can cause people to hallucinate their fears - but also their secrets. So we have to wonder if what we're seeing are the boys' fears, or something they're hiding.

The first we see is Fluke, and on the surface it seems straightforward. His fear is being arrested - as we already know, he's scared of something tainting his record and preventing him from becoming a doctor.

But then when you look closely, there's some interesting details. Fluke is standing in the hallway outside of Keng's office at the tutor school - and why would Fluke's subconscious be manifesting that he'd be arrested specifically right there?

Perhaps because he did something wrong there, something that still haunts him? Could be he feels guilty for not stopping Jin from recording or releasing the video... or could be he did something more, since he says to the hallucination of Non that he's sorry he did something bad?

(I still strongly suspect that Jin wasn't the one who released the video - though he likely thinks he did - and that Fluke was involved in the release, as I previously wrote in another meta).

Next, we see Top, hallucinating Non. My first question is, is Top still alive? Is he hallucinating while he's bleeding out on the floor? Did the gunshot somehow miss vital organs so he's relatively "fine"? How is he still involved in the action, considering I definitely thought he was dead?

rom the start, Top was the strongest believer that Non was dead and haunting them. His fear is manifesting here, in Non haunting him. Also because he was the one who helped Tee carry Non away - he may feel directly culpable in Non's death, if he doesn't know that Tee was involved with Non later. That might be why his fear of Non haunting him is so strong.

Next we see Tee holding a knife. Then we're shown scenes in quick flashes - what looks to be Tee stabbing Non (who is wearing the same shirt he disappeared in) and then White, laying on the floor of a gaming arcade, bleeding out.

In the preview for episode 11, we see Tee promise to help Non, and then later we see him screaming as if in grief.

My interpretation is that the hallucination above was of Tee killing Non - perhaps because Tee believes that he caused Non's death, and that's the secret he carries. Or perhaps Tee did kill Non himself, and that's why he hallucinates that same scenario. And then the sudden switch to White bleeding out could be Tee's fear. That he'll kill White, too. Or cause his death somehow, just like he did to Non.

Next, we see Jin. First we see him holding the knife, then we see him standing in front of a bunch of screens, all showing scenes of Jin in compromising positions. Jin's secret? His secret that he was the one who filmed Non... or his fear? Jin's fear could be exposure. Having his vulnerability put on display the way he did to Non.

It's also interesting that some of the scenes shown in those videos aren't ones we've seen yet. My guess is that they're more times that Phee and Jin had sex, that just weren't shown to the audience.

Or perhaps, it's a manifestation of Jin's guilt. That his fear is twisting him, putting himself in Non's position to understand what Non felt when Jin recorded that video...

And last, we see Phee. It starts with Non talking to Phee, saying roughly "when you said you would protect me it was a lie wasn't it?" Then we see a shot of Non in a bloody bathtub - which seems like a clear reference to suicide.

Phee's next hallucination is the same - he's running, but unable to reach Non before he jumps off the building and falls to his death. Phee's fear - that his final words to Non were what then caused Non's death. That when he told Non to "get lost and die," Non went and did just that.

Now of course another question here is - why is Phee hallucinating? So far he's been the one who got the antidote since he worked with New. The likely answer is that he betrayed New by telling Jin about their plan, and therefore is now in New's way...

One final thought: It's very interesting that we don't get a hallucination scene in this trailer for White. Is he dead? Unconscious? Involved...? We have no idea, and the trailer gives no hints.

This is all just speculation of course - it'll be interesting to see how things play out in the next two episodes!

ETA: someone on Twitter pointed out that the shot of Tee and White in the computer room is likely White’s hallucination since he’s wearing the clothes from the forest and Tee is not. But I have no idea what his hallucination might mean

[breckstonevailskier]

"Jumanji" speculation

This is the synopsis for the upcoming sixth episode of Gen V (source).

My guesses are that:

"Emma goes to find Sam" - Seems like she probably returns to Godolkin's campus since we last saw her in episode 5 with Sam at the drive-in, calling the others to warn them about Cate.

"Marie, Jordan and Andre are forced to see things from Cate's perspective." My guess is this will be a limelight episode for Cate with a fair number of extended flashbacks that illustrate just how Cate came into Shetty's control, and also probably give us more Golden Boy as well as tell us just how Brink fits into this all (and why exactly Golden Boy killed him). Since Cate clearly is wracked with guilt about wiping their minds, it would make sense that she'd want to divulge everything she can to regain their trust. There was a preview shot in episode 6 of Cate's eyes looking pretty bloodshot, suggesting she restored all of their memories, not just Andre's.

"Dr. Cardosa makes a breakthrough with a mysterious virus, and Shetty makes a terrifying request with dire consequences." We're definitely going to be seeing follow-up to the scene that Shetty had with Cardosa in the Woods corridor. Definitely seems like he wants Marie's blood to perfect his virus that can control Supes (which I personally think might also tie in with why Cate was under Shetty's control, given her particular powerset).

Edison Cardosa: [Sam] nearly killed my family, Indira! He's far more trouble than he's worth, and Golden Boy is dead anyway. The point is, I'm done with Sam. He's not my problem anymore. I'm tired of babysitting psychopaths. Indira Shetty: Babysitting psychopaths is literally your job. Edison Cardosa: Those kids found out about him! Indira Shetty: Those kids have been handled. They won't be a problem. Edison Cardosa: Come on. You know it's just a matter of time before they find out about everything else we're doing down here. I am this fսcking close to perfecting the virus, a viable way to control them for good. But if they discover that? I'm not paid nearly enough to die for this shit. Indira Shetty: So you want a raise? Edison Cardosa: No, that's not what I... Indira Shetty: So why don't you tell me what it is you do want? Because we both know you're not going anywhere. Cutting up Supes and seeing how they tick is a skill that won't quite shine on your LinkedIn profile. Edison Cardosa: I want the girl. Marie. Her abilities are the rarest I've ever seen. She doesn't understand how powerful she really is. She's the perfect subject, could speed up my timeline. Indira Shetty: She is special. But no. You're not the only one interested in Moreau. She has a benefactor, and because of that, she's strictly off-limits. For now.

This will probably include some explanation as to what Soldier Boy might be doing in this show. But then there's the question of who Marie's benefactor is. It's probably not Shetty herself because I don't see why Shetty would refer to herself in the third person, so it's probably someone else within Vought or associated with Vought. Could be Victoria Neuman (since we will see her in person in one of these episodes), but I like the theory that Marie's benefactor is Stan Edgar. As New Rockstars pointed out, he's got a history of taking interest in orphaned Supes from Red River who accidentally killed their own parents (can't be a coincidence that we actually saw Marie's picture briefly on the computer screen when Hughie was at Red River investigating Victoria's past and uncovered her connection to Edgar; Victoria's and Marie's parents also died in similar fashion); he'd want a new asset in the wake of Victoria's double cross, and seeing as Edgar was the one who signed off on Payback betraying Soldier Boy to replace him with Homelander back in 1985, it would make sense for him to have a contingency plan up his sleeve (and be secretly coordinating with Shetty and the many other insiders he probably still has within Vought).

[butterflydm]

wot rewatch 1x4: the dragon reborn

spoilers for s1 of the show plus the s2 teasers and trailers, plus through The Dragon Reborn ish in the books. And one casting spoiler for S3.

I really do love the cold opens. This one tells us so much! We're introduced to Logain but we're also introduced to the corruption on saidin, to how much power can be wielded by users of the One Power, and to how the corruption can both influence someone but Logain still has the choice of whether or not to listen to the voices talking to him.

We see the madness in Logain but also his own strength of character and ability to show mercy even when he's hearing whispers that he should just kill those opposed to him. Great preview of the future for Rand. Especially since Moiraine is going to later on believe that Logain hearing the voices of 'the previous Dragon' to be a sign that he isn't the Dragon Reborn, but it's another thing that she's got her wishful thinking goggles on for.

"There's a place for anyone at my side, even my enemies." ; "The last Dragon broke the world; I plan to bind it." I feel like we're seeing the seeds of some of the choices that Rand will also make in the future here, already being set up (the benefits of being able to tell the story knowing the ending). Logain understands the assignment... he's just not the actual rebirth of the last Dragon.

So we go from Logain at the height of his strength to Nynaeve looking over the camp where he's captured. Having the Greens join the Reds on this hunt makes a lot of sense -- we know that this specific one was requested for by the White Tower, and we can see the difference between this approved hunt to take down a false Dragon (where he gets shielded and put in a cage to stand trial back in Tar Valon) vs the Red-only "gentle ASAP" approach from the cold open of the first episode. Authorized vs unauthorized hunts.

It makes a ton of logistical sense for them to scale down the number of people required to hold the shield on Logain. Just from a 'how many characters we're going to have in this scene' standpoint. Jordan could have as many characters in a scene as he wanted, because he didn't need to have any actors playing them. Plus, this way, we can focus more on the characters that do exist and really get to know them better.

So we already have two factions set up -- Kerene supporting the Amyrlin and Tower Law, and Liandrin arguing that they have the right to administer 'field justice'. Will the fault line of the coup fall along similar lines? I also think it was a good idea to have the Vileness currently happening rather than having happened in the past.

I love all the insights we get in these episodes about Warders, and Warders having their own subculture within the White Tower. And the fun confirmation that Moiraine and Lan are Just Like That and are closed off even to other Aes Sedai and Warders.

Also love all the Lan & Nynaeve build-up that we get as well. <3 a lot of good bonding time and banter and I love that she just clicks with the Warders.

The time that Egwene and Perrin spend with Aram & co is very lovely and charming. Removing Elyas from the equation and putting the hesitation on Perrin was a good move, because it lets the Tuatha'an explain themselves rather than having them explained by an outsider who disapproves of their ways.

Everything about Rand and Mat's roadtrip with Thom is so great. 10/10 would have loved another episode of it but since Amazon didn't let them have one, I do think they did a great job of boiling the trip down to both the narrative and emotional essentials. It really does make me curious about how Thom will be weaved back into the story because he only has connections to three characters now (I'm assuming the backstory with Elayne is intact), rather than knowing the whole troupe, so it feels like it needs to be Rand or Mat that bring him back into the story, but we'll have passed the canon moments when that happens.

There is so much useful lore information in Alanna and Moiraine's convo that show haters just flat-out ignored because it didn't fit their narratives - Alanna straight-up talks about not being able to see Logain's weaves!

Protective!Rand really begins to peek out in this episode, even here at the start with the farmer but more and more as Mat gets worse. Also poor Rand and Mat are covered in mud.

13. Mat and bonding with little girls! If we do get Olver, I hope we get a young girl instead of a boy, to keep on theme. And Birgitte namedrop, still exciting to hear.

14. Last episode, Thom bonded with Mat and, this episode, he bonds with Rand (over concern about Mat). Thom also helpfully puts the idea into Rand's head that Mat has 'all the signs' of being a male channeler, accidentally enabling Rand's massive case of denial that lasts until Moiraine heals Mat and tells them it was the dagger causing his issues. Oh, Thom's story is so heartbreaking here. And Thom promises here to try to keep the two of them safe, and away from Aes Sedai. Really really curious how this setup will play out when Thom returns in s3.

15. Nynaeve getting through her moment of poly confusion now is a great little moment of setup for the viewers too -- showing that this can be acknowledged as a valid relationship in this world. And we will maybe get a hint about Aiel culture next season as well.

16. Poor Moiraine and her pangs of uncertainty over Logain. Uncertainty that will only grow once Nynaeve's power is revealed.

17. Last episode, it was Rand's turn to remind us about his relationship with Egwene -- this episode, it's Egwene's turn, during her private conversation with Aram. I do love Egwene falling into a new culture and immediately finding things about it to love and appreciate. And Perrin is taking the Tuatha'an more seriously than in the books, because it's so much more grounded in the reality and the faith of their world and culture.

18. Rand trying to comfort and reassure Mat, I'm fine. Totally fine. Not emotional at all. And even before they know that the Fade is there in the farmhouse, Thom and Rand are just wanting to get Mat out and safe. Thom is ride or die for these kids after knowing them for a handful of days.

19. Nynaeve is SO curious about Lan and so hesitant to admit to it. You are not intruding! He already has a big crush on you! It's such a lovely moment between them.

20. Moiraine taking advantage of the attack to interrogate Logain... Lirandrin taking advantage of the battle as a reason to justify gentling Logain... they get to be shadows and mirrors of each other too. (Did Liandrin let her part of the shield drop to try to manufacture an excuse, once she realized that his army was attacking or was it just her genuinely taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity once she's able? If Liandrin is being sincere then that lends weight to the speculation that she isn't Black Ajah yet and we'll see her wooed into it over the early parts of S2)

21. I do think it was, again, very smart of the show to actually show us the effects of an Aes Sedai and Warder's bond being severed before it happens to any main characters. And we actually get to see Greens being the Battle Ajah here too.

22. Nynaeve's power burst here really creates another point of uncertainty for Moiraine about the identity of the Dragon Reborn. If Nynaeve is stronger than Egwene, then Egwene cannot be the Dragon. But Nynaeve is too old to fit the prophecy. So now Moiraine has some thinking to do.

[buckets-and-trees]

I thought I would finish a fic I've been working on this weekend, but we're not quite there... but we're close. I wrote more plot into the penultimate scene than I originally intended.

BUT

I thought I'd share just a little preview...

“Come on,” he urged you. “It’s your last night, and it’s a full moon. You have to see the forest bathed in the light of the full moon. Come with me.” “Yes,” you heard the word tumble out of your mouth, unable to deny him at those last three words. His eyes darkened and sparkled. “I promise you’ll see things you’ve never seen before.”

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Manga Ch.100

Yes, Cheelai, we have finally reached the end of the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog, but in particular, we've also finally reached the end of the seemingly endless manga adaptation of the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie.

And yeah, this seems like an anticlimactic place to close out the year, but that's kind of how this entire liveblog has been, when you get down to it. I've had fun going through all this stuff, but there's a reason I'm referring to it all as "apocryphal". The Tournament of Power is a lot of fun, and the two DBS feature films are instant classics, but none of it really feels essential to Dragon Ball. From the OAVs to GT to Super, the main theme here is "Hey, remember Dragon Ball? Let's make more of that!" Everything ends up being a sequel or a callback or an easter-eggy kind of deal. And that's not the worst thing that can happen to a franchise, but it's probably fitting that we're closing out on the final chapter of a comic book adaptation of a movie that serves as a sequel to the Android arc that was a continuation of the Red Ribbon Army arc.

Chapter 100 just retells the last several minutes of the Super Hero movie, and I already went over the film, so let's just concentrate on how the manga depicts it differently. We'll start with Gohan's right arm, which got some heat a few days ago when the previews came out.

I refuse to dogpile on Toyotaro, since he's a far better artist than I'll ever be, and I've genuinely enjoyed his art through this entire read-through, even when the writing has been bad. That said... yeah, Gohan's arm looks kind of weird. Maybe while Gohan was teaching himself the Special Beam Cannon, he learned how to do Piccolo's stretchy arm thing too.

I do think it's pretty dumb how chuds on Twitter will nitpick Toyotaro's art as though the original Dragon Ball manga was some kind of showcase of photorealistic anatomy. I've been a fan of this thing for a quarter-century now, and the key to loving Dragon Ball is to make peace with the fact that it's fundamentally goofy and stupid. Sometimes a guy's arm gets drawn longer than his other arm. Sometimes characters scream so loud that their jaws unhinge like when a snake swallows an egg whole. Bulma wasted a wish on the Dragon Balls to make her ass look hotter, because if she didn't, then Frieza would come back and use the wish to make himself taller. Goku grew his tail back by having a guy tug on his ass with a pair of pliers. This show was always a hot mess, so don't blame Toyotaro. It was like this when he got here.

Anyway, Cell Max tries to block the Special Beam Cannon like he did in the movie, but Gohan has a harder time punching through, so in this version Goten and Trunks jump in to distract Cell and give Gohan a boost. In the movie, they were still Gotenks until after the fight ended, but in this version the battle must have taken a little longer, since they de-fused a little earlier.

Of course, this is just a way for Toyotaro to show off the Great Saiyaman X-1 and X-2 costumes one more time. It's kind of pointless, because all of the added Goten and Trunks scenes in this arc have been pointless. Also, Trunks' pose looks really awkward here. He looks like he got sawed in half, and both halves are still kind of flying forward in the same direction, but he's no longer connected.

I will say that I'm grateful for this final appearance of X-1 and X-2, because it gives me a chance to critique their outfits one last time. I hate the superhero undies they wear over their tights. They look baggy and puffy for some reason, which make it look like Goten and Trunks are wearing diapers. I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what the boys were going for.

I mean, the outfits aren't that bad, but what irritates me is how Toyotaro keeps showing them off like this is the coolest thing going on in this story. The designs are presented like they somehow connect all these different things. Goten and Trunks were inspired by Cleangod, and they named their personas after Great Siayaman, and then Dr. Hedo saw them and supposedly based the Gammas' costumes off their look. Except X-1 and X-2 don't actually look anything like Great Saiyaman, or Cleangod, or the Gammas. It's just frustrating.

Anyway, we get the same bit about cosmetic skin alteration from the movie, except Gotenks has already separated in this version, so Bulma can address Goten and Trunks separately.

I also like this part after Pan shows off her flying ability. This segued into the credits of the movie, but here we see Gohan calling out for her to stay closer to the ground. It's pretty cute, since it kind of calls back to when Gohan was a timid child way back in the early days of DBZ. Now he's older and braver, but I bet when he sees Pan up so high in the air he thinks about how scared he was whenever he was up really high.

Meanwhile, some Red Ribbon goons have survived the battle and appear to be slowly getting away. This is nice because I noticed these guys escorting Carmine to safety in one of the previous chapters, and I've always wondered if any of the Red Ribbon guys made it out of the base alive. Pan knocked Carmine out, so it seemed reasonable to assume that he was vaporized during the Cell Max battle. Actually, in the movie, it looked like the entire crater was flattened, but here it looks like the destruction stayed confined to that area.

Anyway, the implication is that Carmine will return to Red Pharmaceutical and try to figure out his next move, but it seems unlikely that he could be much of a threat. Magenta's dead, the base is destroyed, and a bunch of their soldiers either died or deserted in this battle. Remember, even with the base and all those soldiers, Magenta still wasn't ready to make a big move. Dr. Hedo's androids were supposed to be his game-changing weapon, and now Hedo's turned against the Red Ribbon, so what can Carmine possibly do from here?

We get some additional material of the Goku/Vegeta fight in the movie. In the post-credits scene, they were practically moving in slow-motion and we only got to see the final blow. Here, we see Goku and Vegeta each land one last punch before the one that ends it all. These boys look all rowdy and badass and it's great.

When Whis finally responds to Bulma's messages, we get this cute shot of everyone sleeping in the back of her aircraft. Gohan talks about taking her to the amusement park, which seems kind of random, but it occurred to me that this might be setting up some filler story for Chapter 101. Like Gohan and Pan go to the amusement park for the day, and Carmine tries to kill them or something to avenge the Red Ribbon Army. That probably wouldn't be a bad idea, although I really don't want that to happen, because it sounds similar to the "Hedo vs. Goten and Trunks" stuff we had in Chapters 88-90. Everyone thinks Toyotaro has been champing at the bit to get done with this arc so he can return to his Black Frieza business, but for all we know he's been enjoying this whole bit, and he'll blow the next six months on filler stories with Goten and Trunks goofing around with Sgt. Nutz.

Anyway, this is the last page and this was the last little bit of the movie too, so Toyotaro has definitely run out of movie to adapt. Also, Bulma looks really cute on this page, so I wanted to add that to the record.

So that pretty much wraps things up, except for one minor detail. Where's the big twist?

I ran across this last month when I was checking to see if Chapter 99 would wrap up the arc or not. CBR.com did an article entitled "Dragon Ball Super Chapter 100's 'Unbelievable' Twist to Lead to "'Crazy Developments'" The story stems from comments made by V-Jump editor Victory Uchida, who was hyping DBS chapters 99 and 100 while appearing in an unboxing video for some reason.

The video is in Japanese, so I can't just pull out direct quotes from the man, so maybe this was all some big misunderstanding. Maybe it was a mistranslation, maybe Uchida got confused and was referring to material that wouldn't see print until Chapter 101. Or maybe he was just doing a standard hype job for his publication without thinking about what was actually in the magazine. After all, how can Chapter 100 have an "unbelievable twist" when it's doing a shot-for-shot repeat of a year-old movie?

So I assumed this meant there would be some sort of epilogue scene in the final pages, designed to set up the next arc. Sort of like how the last chapter of the Tournament of Power arc had the scene where the Galactic Patrol kidnaps Majin Buu. But Chapter 100 had no such thing. No Black Frieza, no Cell Max suddenly turning the tables on Gohan to win the movie, no mysterious appearance from Purple Turles or Red Bojack. Not even a lousy cameo from Platinum Cooler.

Does this make Victory Uchida an unreliable source of information? Or has he simply been misunderstood? I feel like his ridiculous yellow wig/hat thing kind of holds the answer to that question.

Anyway, the ultimate fate of Dragon Ball Super lies in Chapter 101 and beyond, but those stories will be printed in 2024, which means they fall outside the scope of this liveblog. So unless Toei or Shueisha has a new movie or anime coming out in the next eleven days, I'm done. This has been the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog. Good night, everybody!

[thatgirl4815]

do you think the ex will be coming back? i’m starting to think they won’t at this point but who knows since bls love to throw in the ex storyline at last minute (well this isn’t your stereotypical/cliche kind of bl however they have been tackling many bl tropes head on and spinning them/doing a commentary on them so they might do it with the ex too). i fear for ray’s reaction if the ex comes back but i also fear for sand’s. i don’t believe sand would be swayed if he and ray decided to go all in but there’s clearly still a lot of hurt and bitterness there towards his ex so he clearly still cares and if for example the ex is good at manipulating …who knows what could happen.

i’m also curious as to when sand’s sex scene with someone not in the main cast is coming. where will sand and ray’s relationship be? will it be a flashback (doubt it at this point unless they decide to really give us ex backstory)? are sand and ray are in a bad place again possibly after the apartment fight and he wants to not feel lonely or get his mind off ray (would once again be scared for when/if ray finds out) so he gets a one night stand or even worse it’s with the ex? i’m so curious about it simply because of the positive way the sandray relationship seems to be going next ep (that we know won’t last but still).

I keep expecting the ex to show up, but he never does, and at this point we're getting pretty close to the end. If Ray's alcoholism/mental health issues occupy as much of the plot as I think they're going to, then that doesn't leave much room for an ex storyline. To your point about the series subverting common tropes--if the ex comes in, I don't think the series will follow a typical "ex comes to stir up drama and jealousy" arc. Up to now, the whole reason the "Sand ex" thing has come up at all is because it's contextualized Sand's feelings about Top and given him motivation to tell Ray about the sex tape. So it's hardly related to Sand and Ray's storyline at all (yet).

From a SandRay storyline perspective, I don't know if we need to see Ray be jealous of Sand's ex to move their plot forward...we can already infer how Ray would react to that. Plus, we saw it on a smaller scale with the Freddie Mercury guy in Ep8. It could give Ray more clarity about his feelings for Sand I suppose, but tbh I think Ray isn't too far away from admitting how he truly feels with or without an ex plotline to rile him up.

Sand's sex scene with someone else is something I cannot reconcile with the plot at this point. I feel like it would almost have to be a flashback, or he and Ray have a huge fight that leads him to cut off Ray permanently (or what he thinks is permanently) leading him to distract himself with someone else. Idk why, but I don't get the feeling that Sand would hookup with someone right after an argument as a way of getting back at Ray? Though I suppose it depends on just how nasty the argument they have is. If Sand thinks they can still come back from it, I don't think he'd go after anyone else.

But a flashback at this stage of the plot? For an ex that can't take up too much of the storyline? Idk. I've seen some people speculate that the love scene Jojo hinted at next episode with the blurry-ass photo is Sand and Nick, which...:/ I can't pick apart the pixels and peer through all the blurriness, but I am 99.999% sure it's Sand and Ray. Hopefully I don't jinx it by saying that.

So all in all, I am very confused about the ex's involvement in the plot. The preview doesn't indicate that they will appear next episode either. So where does that leave them? I'm on the edge of my seat.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.5 thoughts

[Don't Ya Wanna See UMA Clothes on Me?]

(Contents: Animation, griping)

Admittedly, I think this was the weakest episode so far, but that's to be expected since this was pretty much entirely a set-up episode and not one that really required too much allocation of budget

I still would have liked a bit more energy to it, though; while Apocalypse had that really cool moment when the Quests were being listed with the stylistic dark flames, Apocalypse himself had pretty stiff movements that, as I am always dreading, just looked like stills from the manga given animation cycles rather than being full bespoke animations

Clothes kind of had that too once his face came out, though I will say I really liked seeing how much difficulty it had forming into a cohesive outfit at first. I really got the feeling that he was trying to properly take shape but just didn't know how to do it

The Union's introduction was also somewhat lackluster, but that might just be because I've been building it up in my head for so long, a weakness that I've been anticipating for the last fouryearsandananime. I think other people won't have this issue, and newcomers especially will probably just accept it at face value as a cool moment where we're meeting the cast that we'll come to know and love later, but I think that the anime didn't quite go as far with making that scene its own as it could have. I liked that we actually got everyone's names and a brief preview of the fact that we don't know what their abilities are yet, but I think there must have been a better way to build hype for them than just...counting them one at a time

What I'm especially disappointed with, though...UMA Eat's intro was really lame!!! Burn was all shadowy, Sean had a little cutscene, Language was a bit more stylized and showed off what the language unification would look like, and we even got a little preview of Unrepair, but...Eat was just...mouths...floating...they weren't even actually chewing the food!!! I wanted the mouths to emerge from the darkness and start voraciously devouring whatever they could find, to show us a bit more than the manga since it's a UMA we'll likely never actually see, but...somehow it gave us less! It's such a minor little gripe, but it's indicative of what I don't like about a lot of anime adaptations - even if it's in isolation and other things took precedence, I still want an anime adaptation to actually bring the material to life! And that felt like the director or the animators or someone decided that that was a moment that wasn't important enough to bring to life!

Sure, it was a tiny moment, and sure, if something else needed the budget something needed to be trimmed down, but STILL! Even if it was just a little chewing motion, that would have been better than the mouths vaguely bobbing up and down! I'll likely forget about it by the time the next episode comes out, and it certainly won't color my interpretation of the rest of the series (not on its own, anyway), but in the moment it's disappointing to see

Oh, I also don't love that Shaft David Pro keeps clearing every non-Negator out of every scene. Andy and Fuuko being alone in a closed restaurant is really strange, and means that Andy can't make a point of ordering a third glass of vodka to represent Gina. Sure, it lets Fuuko cry louder since she doesn't need to be mindful of anyone, and the candlelit dinner is a bit more striking visually, but I feel that something is lost in having every scene take place in wide open, lifeless vignettes

I hate that I have so little good to say about this episode. I don't want to give the impression that I had a bad time, it's just that so few of the good parts were good in a way that was unique to the rest of the series so far, so I don't really feel any need to discuss them. They weren't novel, but the complaints are pretty specific, so I ended up focusing pretty much solely on them

To keep from giving too negative of an impression, I'll close by saying that I think it's good for an episode like this to happen; as a lower stakes, less bombastic episode, the surrounding episodes will feel so much more impactful, and with what's to come, this is a well appreciated chance to breathe

[rising-volteccers]

Puts on my tinfoil hat. These are just some miscellaneous thoughts on what I'd like to see happen in HZ023. Seeing that there's sparkles around this week's episode, I'm assuming that something big or significant will happen / be revealed.

I would love to see Friede and Amethio temporarily calling a truce, or briefly working together while they're trapped with Galarian Moltres. Personally I'd love to see them get affected by that stamina sapping aura (mostly cause I wanna see them both vulnerable on the ground) but generally seeing them having to work together would make me happy.

The kids alerting the rest of the RVT on what happened. I want to see them coming up with something that allowed them to head back inside the mine. I imagine the kids found a separate entrance, or Friede and Amethio busted their way out.

Friede revealing a third Pokemon. Seeing the recent release of Ceruledge and Armorouge in anime style, it would be fun if it was revealed that he had an Armorouge to be rivals with Amethio's Ceruledge. I'd prefer him to have more type diversity than another Fire-type but it'd be neat to see him have one. The last time they had the sparkles around the date was when they revealed Friede's Charizard to have Tera Dark, a week before the release of the new TCG deck + they gave us a Charizard a gift in game. I think they have the opportunity to release Armorouge as a gift too to tie it together.

Liko finding a way to calm down the Galarian Moltres. Seeing that there was a scene of Sprigatito on Charizard's head in the mines, I think those two would work together to come in close with the Moltres. Sprigatito knows how to utilize its Leafage depending on the situation (reminiscent of Agile and Strong Style from LA). We know that the scent it releases can make those around it relax or outright knocking a Pokemon to sleep. What I'm thinking is that Sprigatito would infuse its Leafage with that scent before firing it towards Moltres in the hopes of calming the Legendary down.

They have another scene with Lucius. Like how it was with Arboliva, the kids catch another glimpse of Lucius through Liko's pendant resonating with Moltres's Ancient Pokeball.

Moltres won't stay captured but it would come to their aid if needed. It'd be pretty fast paced if they already two of the six Heroes with them, even more so when one of them is a Legendary.

Sprigatito learns a new move or the kids' Pokemon evolve into either Floragato or Crocalor. We're 20+ episodes in so it won't be surprising if an evolution happens seeing that Goh's Scorbunny evolved into Raboot only after 13 episodes back in Journeys.

The other Explorers finding out about Amethio's insubordination. That, or Amethio skulks back into the shadows, considering his next move. Some kind of consequence for going against Gibeon's wishes would be interesting to see, or we get glimpses of the other Explorers again.

Getting a glimpse of Diana's look in the preview for HZ024.

Regardless of what happens, I'm just excited to see the end of this arc and see a preview of the next one. Where will they go next after coming across Diana?

[jerzwriter]

Sunday Six 12.18.2022

Hey all! This week will likely be spent on Holiday Fics - the three I previewed last week that are just about done. But I also have some WIPs ready to come out shortly thereafter - maybe even this week - I've decided to ditch half my holiday duties. Just not feeling it this year. lol

So, here is a sneak peek at Part 4 of Vegas, Casey & Tobias's Wedding Rehearsal, and a scene that will either be a part of A Mother's Journal Part 3 or maybe a stand-alone associated with it.

I'm finishing Tobias & Casey's Wedding Day, too. I hope that will be our right after the rehearsal (just like in real life, lol), Reset is coming along, as is Where It Goes From Here, and I promised to wrap up Sometimes Love Is For. I also have an outline for another short series. I'm debating just how angsty I want to make it. But it's about what happens when the seemingly perfect couple who believed they were titanium comes to learn they may not be after all. It will explore being unfaithful... in different ways. So as you can see, I'm busy! lol

What Happened in Vegas, Part 4 | Ethan Ramsey x MC (Casey)

"This is OK," she said, pacing the floor, "this is absolutely OK. It's fine. We're in Vegas... right? Vegas. You think we're the first couple to get drunk and get married? If you can get married in a day, I'm sure you can get an annulment in a day, too, right?"

"I...I'm not sure it works that way, Casey."

"It has to. I'm Googling this. You should too."

But he didn't move quickly enough for her liking.

"Ethan! Take out your phone and Google it!"

"Casey, I think we should...."

"GOOGLE IT!!!"

It's Just a Rehearsal | Tobias Carrick x MC (Casey)

Casey was walking back toward the dining room when Tobias jumped out from the coat closet, holding his finger over her lips to ensure she did not speak. After leading her into the closet, he closed the door and leaned against it. No one was getting in here but the two... well, maybe three... of them.

"Tobias Carrick, are you kidnapping me on the eve of our wedding," she smiled, "is that what's going on here."

"Trust me, I've considered it."

"Well, if that's not your intention, why are we here... and we're not having sex. Everyone we love in this world is right outside that door."

"For once, that's not the reason I'm getting you alone... I tend to agree... it wouldn't be wise."

She snuggled in next to him and placed her head against his chest.

"Not that I'm complaining, but if you're not kidnapping me, and you're not trying to have sex with me... why are we hiding in this closet."

"Who was the idiot that said we shouldn't spend tonight together?"

"I think that was you, dear."

"God, I'm an asshole. Why are you marrying me?"

"Tobias!"

"I just needed, I needed a moment with you. There's something I have to do before tomorrow, and now's the time."

Wake the Dead WIP | Eli Sipes, Eli's family (pre-series)

"David!" Eli yelled, perplexed over why his brother insisted on walking so far ahead. This was unusual, but also dangerous. When his brother failed to respond, Eli picked up his pace to a slow jog to catch up with him.

"David, what the hell are you doing! You know we have to stick together when we're out here."

But his eyes stayed fixed on the gravel road underneath his feet. "I... I'm sorry... I just...." his voice was almost pained, and as his words tapered off, Eli's concern was turning into worry.

"What's going on? Did I do something to upset you?"

"No," he shook his head. "Not you...."

"Well, who did? Talk to me," he said, gripping his younger brother's shoulder and bringing him to a halt. "We're alone, and you know you can tell me anything. What's going on?"

"Are you in love with Vanessa?"

Eli raised his brow, he and Nessa thought they had been discreet but, perhaps not as much as they had thought.

"Do I, uh... love... uh... well, yeah. She's my best friend."

David finally allowed their eyes to meet, even if it was only to give his brother a sarcastic smirk.

"OK," Eli admitted nervously; lying to his sibling was not something he enjoyed doing. "It may be a little more than friends, it's... it's a little confusing, to be honest... but it's not 'in love', if that's what you're asking."

"It's not?"

"No, it's... I don't know, Dave, it's confusing, and we're working it out is all I can say right now. But... why do you ask?"

"Because... I think I'm in love."

Eli's eyes went wide once more. They didn't have know many people, so the options here were precious few. And as complicated as things were between him and Nessa, he wondered if they were about to become a whole lot more.

"Are you... do... are you saying you're in love with Nessa?"

"In love... yes," David replied. "I think so, but... not with Nessa."

@choicesficwriterscreations

Tagging separately.

[inconsistentracoon]

Brought Back Chapter 19: Always Connected

Kairi has a surprise for Riku and the Seasalt Trio come to visit.

Also more sleepy cuddles :3

--------

"Am I interrupting?"

Riku looked up and turned red at her smug grin as she used his own quip against him, and quickly took his hand away from the sleeping Sora's hair. She giggled and came in to sit on the end of the bed.

"I'm guessing you two made up then?"

"Uhh, yeah... What have you got there?" He gestured at a bag she had slung over her shoulder, thankful for an easy way to change the subject.

She took the bag off and reached into it, pulling out a handful of Thalassa shells. "I made a stop at the island on my way back. I thought it was about time I made another Wayfinder."

"A new one?"

"Yep, and it will be for you."

"What?"

She grinned at his surprised expression. "I'm making one for you, and then one for me as well. I should have done this ages ago. Aqua made one each for her, Terra, and Ven, and they kept them connected. I want all three of us to have one as well."

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Full chapter on AO3

More preview, featuring the Seasalt Trio, below:

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In the early evening, Kairi heard the distinct sound of a Gummi Ship landing outside. She looked up from the Wayfinder she had almost finished and turned to ask the boys who they thought it might be. She stopped herself though when she realised they were both asleep, Sora sprawled across Riku's chest and Riku with his arms wrapped around him. 

The healing spells seemed to have exhausted Sora as much as Aqua had warned him they would. He'd spent barely an hour awake since morning. She was surprised to see Riku fast asleep during the day, although considering how emotionally draining the last two weeks had been it wasn't all that surprising he was worn out as well.

The sound of the ship was soon followed by voices and the tower door opening. She tiptoed to the bedroom door, hoping to cut off whoever was here before they had a chance to wake the others. She entered the office just in time, as Axel, Roxas, and Xion came through the opposite door.

"Hey, Kai-" Axel stopped mid-sentence as Kairi waved a hand and put a finger to her lips, urgently signalling that they should be quiet. The three of them stared at her, nonplussed, each with two chocolate ice creams in their hands. She grinned and opened the door behind her a little and jerked her head, gesturing for them to come over and look. The three stuck their heads around the door frame.

They drew back and Kairi closed the door quietly. Xion and Roxas were smiling at the cute scene, but Axel was smirking knowingly. "Well well well, guess you were right then Kairi." He held out an ice cream to her.

"I told you so!" she said gleefully as she took it. 

Xion and Roxas exchanged puzzled looks. "What are you guys talking about?" Roxas asked.

"Oh nothing..." Axel crossed his arms and continued smirking. "Just a little theory Kairi had."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh!" Xion gasped and put her hands up to her mouth as she realised what might be going on. She quickly lowered them again though, still confused. "But Kairi, I thought you...?"

"Nah," she shook her head, still grinning. "That was a while ago, things have changed a little."

Xion grinned widely now as well. Roxas looked from each of them to the next with increasing annoyance.

"What's going on? Tell me!"

"Shhh Roxas, you'll wake them up!" Kairi put her finger to her mouth again, but it was too late. They heard muffled voices from the next room and Kairi crossed her arms, giving Roxas a chastising look.

"Don't worry about it right now," Xion told him, not wanting to risk Sora and Riku hearing them.

"But-"

"We wanted to stop by and let you all and Baymax know how things are in his world, pretty sure we got rid of all the Heartless," Axel told Kairi.

"But what-"

"Is it OK that we're here though? If Sora's still too tired we can leave," Xion asked, a little worried after seeing Sora still sleeping.

"Hey-"

"It's OK! he's still tired but loads better, and he'll be happy to see you all."

By this point Roxas was furious. "Will one of you please tell me what's going on!?"

Axel sighed and leant an elbow on his head. "I'll tell you later dumbass."

Kairi heard footsteps behind her and jumped away from the door. Roxas had opened his mouth to retaliate but Kairi stomped on his foot as Riku opened the bedroom door. "Riku! Look who just arrived!" she cried, a little too enthusiastically, trying to cover Roxas's yelp.

"We brought ice cream!" Xion held one out to him. Axel was still smirking.

"Oh, hey, uhh... thanks." Riku took the ice cream, a little overwhelmed after having woken up 30 seconds ago, and moved out of the doorway so they could come in. 

Xion and Kairi followed him, while Roxas shoved Axel's elbow off of his head. "You better tell me later..." he grumbled.

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[yesthatssadirichardslove]

'Swifties' flock to movie theaters for record-breaking 'Eras' film

LOS ANGELES

Taylor Swift fans sporting friendship bracelets and glittery cowboy boots packed into early screenings of the pop megastar's concert film at movie theaters across the United States on Thursday.

Thanks to the hysteria surrounding the singer's ongoing and record-setting world tour, a filmed version of her concert -- "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" -- is already tipped to be one of the year's biggest movies.

Usual cinema etiquette has been thrown out the window, with multiplexes such as AMC encouraging customers to dance, sing and even take selfies throughout screenings.

"At the top of my lungs, I will be screaming in my seat, and dancing around, and hopefully trading more friendship bracelets," said Jamie Concha, 20, at a screening in Los Angeles' Century City.

"I love every Swiftie. I think we're all very connected," she said, referring to the nickname adopted by Swift's fiercely loyal fanbase.

Shot during three recent sold-out Los Angeles shows, the film contains no interviews, commentary or behind-the-scenes footage.

Instead, the film's demand relies on drawing fans who missed out on tickets to the actual tour, or want to relive the phenomenon again, up close and alongside fellow obsessives.

In the concession line before the first screening in Century City, a pair of teenage girls arrived carrying a bag stuffed with friendship bracelets, which they handed out to fellow Swifties.

The colorful, beaded accessories have become a key part of "Eras" fandom, with concertgoers creating and swapping bracelets bearing references to their favorite Swift lyrics and quotes.

The Midwest-based Marcus Theatres has even promised "friendship bracelet making stations" at its screenings.

Almost all the moviegoers at Century City on Thursday had been to see the live shows already, and many were planning repeat viewings at the multiplex.

"I'm coming to four screenings, and I saw the concert three times," said Amber Eaves, 33.

"It was the best concert experience I've ever been to... I was crying the entire time, I had makeup streaming down my face," said Kasey Longstreet, 24. "It was such a special night that I wanted to come back and see it again."

Domestic opening weekend box office estimates are as high as $150 million -- a record for a concert film, and numbers comparable to this summer's reigning smash hit movie, "Barbie."

Theaters -- still recovering from the pandemic, and faced with a dearth of new movies thanks to the ongoing Hollywood strikes -- were also cashing in on demand for Swift merchandise Thursday.

AMC charged $19.89 -- a reference to Swift's album "1989" -- for Swift-branded popcorn tins.

Staff reported fans arriving since the morning just to purchase empty soda cups, at the full price of $11.99. Some left with the maximum five cups allowed per movie ticket.

The movie had been set to hit screens Friday, but the singer announced on Wednesday that "due to unprecedented demand," preview screenings would begin a day earlier.

"I'm already going this weekend, but when she dropped this at the last second, I was like, 'I gotta go after work, oh my god," said Eaves. "It's just gonna be one of those cultural phenomenons that you can look back and say 'I was a part of that.'"