#with just a dash of taking a cartoon kid show way too seriously

[warsamongthestars]

On to the ranting, because the ride never ends for me.

( Warning to you Hunter fans, I am going after him this time. Avert your gazes, for I am going to shred this man like cheese. )

That end message of the finale with the whole "We can't be Clone Force 99 without Tech"... and the whole "We can be who we want to be now!"

... Dude, they spent 2 seasons being CF99 without you, Cross. Didn't even discuss anything about it either. They went "We have this kid now, that we knew all of 30 minutes, and went back for without ever talking to you once while you were going insane in front of ours eye... Buh-Bye now!"

Tech was not the glue holding the team together.

Frankly, nothing was holding the team together besides contrivance... because everything that made CF99 into CF99 was left behind in the Clone Wars Show, in favor of a copycat idiot plot where the Writers and Directors fanfic'd three seasons outta nonsense, and left all the important bits off the script.

As for "We CaN bE wHaT wE wAnT". ( Which still fucking kills me )

Congratulations, it took TBB Hunter 3 years to grasp, what TCWs Hunter already knew in less than 15 minutes outta a 4 episode arc.

And it only took the brainwashing and torture of one brother, and the entire death of another. At a certain point, I'm pretty sure TBB Hunter is the antagonist here, just not the villian (Because we cannot attribute to malice, what can clearly be seen as sheer unadulterated stupid).

TCWs Hunter would've fucking killed him. I place credits on it.

Its not a case of "Oh past hunter doesn't like future self" oh no no no. TBBshow is an entire alternate universe to TCWshow, as it bends on the whims of amateur writers and corporate greed rather than the story and characters.

( And there is no reason for any of what happened, to have happened. The only thing that ever had any guarantee of what folks have called "canon", had been Order 66.... and that's it. )

Its a case of:

THe original Hunter would've taken one look at this sad spineless excuse of an alternate version of him, saw the negligence that cost 3 teammates, 2 of which are likely life-long batchmates (HCs aside), and would've just fucking lost his gods damn mind. Would've just outright shown that he isn't just Billy from Predator, but in fact, Predator in clone form. You don't get a name like Hunter for a Modified-Gene Super Soldier with Super Senses and think he's an average gods damn joe you find at Walmart.

And you don't get a tight-knit squad like TCWs CFF99, without having some real consequences on what happens when one of them is taken or dies.

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.34--Episodes 4-5

I have watched through S4E5; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—How can anybody keep a straight face about that funky lil hat? If Rumple ever actually wears it I will no longer be able to take him seriously.

—The Sorcerer’s Apprentice got turned into a mouse I CANT EVEN

—Are we never actually going to see the Sorcerer? If he could create a hat this powerful, he must be something else.

—I love that Rumple enchanted a broom to do the thing! Sorcerer’s Apprentice is hands-down one of my favorite Disney cartoons, so any reference to its iconic bits delight me.

—How can nobody see the Snow Queen’s castle? It’s an ice palace! IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST! And a thing like that has got to generate some kind of supercool temperatures around it, so it should be pretty obvious when anybody gets close to it.

—The Snow Queen’s weird obsession with mirrors is an interesting nod back to the original Snow Queen story. Which, in itself, has some pretty solid themes.

—That backstory stuff with Emma and her buddy Lilith is fruity as heck.

—So the Snow Queen was Emma’s foster mom? Oh, the intrigue! The question still remains: did she know who Emma was at the time? It seems almost impossible for it to be that big of a coincidence.

—I enjoy a bit of leg as much as the next person, but Elsa needs some new clothes. Her dress simply isn’t practical in Storybrooke. But she could keep the sparkly purple cape, I wouldn’t mind.

—On the other hand, it kinda makes me sad that Hook is out of his pirate clothes. Those are mostly practical, and they’re quite dashing.

—I can’t believe Will Scarlett is actually of some narrative significance. I’ve watched the Disney Robin Hood where they’re all animals, and I’m not sure he was even in that one; I’ve also watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in which he happens to be one of the main draws for me. His part in the story seems to be largely variable. The Wonderland stuff has some potential; the drawing he tore out of the book was, I think, of the Red Queen? Which might have cool implications if he’s actually from Wonderland, given his last name.

—If Hook ever risks his relationship with Emma to take Rumple down, I’m gonna mad. Mostly because I am now ride-or-die for CaptainSwan, but also because if Rumple’s marriage falls apart I will cry.

—Emma’s date-night dress was gorgeous. I love Elsa being confused about how little of it there was, compared to Arendellian fashion—but then again, has she looked in a mirror lately?

—Snow and Charming mother-henning about Emma’s date with Hook was adorable. I love when the Charmings get to have normal domestic moments like that.

—We’ve seen how much Hook cares for Emma—he traded the Jolly Roger to help her, for Pete’s sake! (Which is peak romance if you happen to be dating a pirate captain.) Having Emma show him some of her childhood keepsakes was a good way to balance out their relationship and show that she trusts him and cares for him too.

—It’s not such a big deal that Will escaped and got pardoned, considering he was in jail for a pretty minor offense and was apparently being kept there for longer than he should have been.

—I kinda wish the other Snow Queen had a hair color other than blonde. It’s a classic, but it might’ve been more interesting to give her dark or ginger hair. Heck, maybe even just straight white would’ve been cool. Or pale blue. Or light purple. Her dress is pretty, though.

—Regina and Emma being grudging frenemies is amusing. I love how salty they are around each other.

—I’m not sure how I feel about the turn Henry’s taken. Snooping around Rumple’s store is one thing; using the ‘connection to Baelfire’ card to manipulate his way into a job there is another. He’s definitely Regina’s kid.

—Elsa’s story kills me, especially in Frozen 2 (I cry at Show Yourself every frickin time) but this version hits a bit harder. Her parents actively searched for something to change her so she would be “normal.” It’s kinda the next logical step for them, seeing as they were pretty crappy parents in Frozen to begin with, but it’s so much worse. Good golly.

[chosonore]

part one | oblivion

oblivion [noun. the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one]

pairing: kamo noritoshi/f!reader

summary: your relationship with noritoshi was like a game of cat and mouse; no matter how hard you tried to escape from him, he would always find his way back to you.

wordcount: 3.9k

content/warnings: friends to enemies to lovers, language, noritoshi is kind of a dick but i promise it gets better so please don’t lose faith in him, we’re not strictly following the manga timeline bc while i am reading it, i do have a goldfish brain, lowercase intended

a/n: hello, here’s the first installment of my sanguine series! it’s the prequel of this drabble (nsfw) i wrote the other week while i was working on the outline of the fic. it’s a little slow burn because i wanted to spend some more time exploring their relationship and the groundwork for it, so yeah. i’ll try to update it regularly, but since i’ve only planned five parts for sanguine, it might take a while bc i want to take my time with it. if you want to stay updated with the series, i’ll post the masterlist to it shortly! i do hope you enjoy it though :) and stay safe, everybody! [tagging @sukirichi​ the sukuna to my yuuji, who just gets spammed when i start rambling about my aus but always screams with me (´• ω •`)]

masterlist - next 

"y/n!" you look up to see miwa storming towards you, thrusting a book in your direction. "could you- could you please give this to noritoshi? i borrowed this book from him like a week ago and if i don't return this anytime soon, i think he's gonna kill me." 

scowling at her, you look at the book in disdain. you wanted to avoid crossing paths with noritoshi as much as possible and miwa was well aware that you didn't like hi- 

"please," miwa pleaded again, taking your hands and placing the book in it. "i'm really scared of him. he always looks like he's going to shoot me soon. even todo is pretty nice if you don't interrupt his takada-chan time!" 

you sighed in annoyance, you just couldn't say no. ever since coming to the kyoto metropolitan curse tech, miwa and you had been pretty close because you strongly disliked the other students. most of them were arrogant and stuck-up, thinking they were better than the other; the two that belonged to the three clans were even worse. on your first day here you'd promptly gotten into a fight with mai, disliking how haughty she was and trying to prove everyone that she was better than them. much to your chagrin, the fight ended in a tie.

"fine, but you owe me some mango," miwa's face lit up in relief and she gave you a thumbs up before dashing to her room, most likely to escape noritoshi's wrath. you inspected the book. was it even worth returning it? maybe you could just throw it in the trash. if noritoshi ever found out, he'd kill miwa first and then you. you let out another sigh before making your way towards the training grounds. he most likely was outside to practice, either with one of the guys or alone. as you were nearing the training grounds, you could already hear the sound of arrows whistling and the dull thuds of them hitting the target. it was hard to spot him through all the trees; you weren't entirely sure where he was. your ears perked up when you heard him release another arrow until you realized that it was heading your way. this bastard. fortunately, you were able to slash the arrow clean in the middle, angrily pointing your sword in his direction. you still couldn't see him anywhere.

"you fucking idiot! you could've killed me," you snarled, stomping deeper into the forest. an amused laugh echoed through the trees. 

"you're acting like i can't control my arrows. it's not my fault you let your guard down," noritoshi retorted smugly, lowering his bow as he saw you approaching. you were fuming, hurling the book at him. how dare he? you watched with satisfaction as it hit him square in the chest - who was caught off guard now, huh? he deserved it anyways. 

"miwa asked me to return your book," you curtly explained and turned back around to leave but apparently, noritoshi had other plans. instead of saying anything else, he just followed you which unsettled you even more. 

"stop following me." 

"who said i was following you? i'm just going back to the dorms. i'm sorry you can't handle me being near you."

you whirled around, sword pointing dangerously close to his neck. he smirked at you triumphantly, it was just too easy to get a rouse out of you. "another word and i'll cut you, seriously. you're pissing me off," you gritted your teeth, hating that you always fell for his stupid games. he knew you all to well, what made you angry, what made you happy, what motivated you. once upon a time, you'd thought the same about him; until he changed so rapidly, so unlike your expectations. you were worlds apart and yet you'd reserved an ounce of hope that he wouldn't turn out to be as arrogant as the clan heads. swift as the wind, noritoshi grabbed your wrist, dragging it upwards and towards him until he could lean down to you. your heartbeat sped up - holy shit why was he so close to you - and you froze in shock. 

"i'd like to see you try, princess," he whispered in your ear, the grip on your wrist tightening. "you wouldn't dare to."

the first time you met noritoshi, he was sitting outside in the garden with his mum. both seemed to have a good time. noritoshi's hair was tousled from the soft summer breeze and he had a soft smile on his face, happily munching away on the snacks that were displayed on the table. while he looked friendly enough, you were wary of meeting and talking to him because you felt kind of queasy around the kamo family. you couldn’t quite place a finger on the feeling, the older members of the family intimidating you to no end. much to your dismay, you felt like you had to be watchful - your parents worked for the kamo family, so naturally the apartment you lived in was close to the estate. you avoided any run ins with the adults, they weren’t exactly friendly to you. noritoshi’s mum had befriended your mum and they spent a lot of time together when possible. and yet you’d never met noritoshi before, seeing how busy he was with his various classes.

the fit that you threw, not wanting to tag along with your mum, was long forgotten when you’d spotted the jar of cookies on the table. before your mum could react, you pulled your hand away from hers and quickly ran towards it. “hello miss!” you greeted enthusiastically, your eyes shining at the sight of the sweets. “my name is y/n! i’m here with my mum and i uhm… could i have some of the cookies? please?” when your mum finally caught up to you, she scolded you quietly and greeted the other two, taking a seat beside noritoshi’s mum. you pouted, immediately climbing on her lap as you refused to sit next to the boy. his mum handed you a cookie which you happily took and thanked her politely. noritoshi was curiously eyeing you; it wasn’t often that he saw other children around his age and he didn’t have any friends to play with. his everyday life revolved around reading books, studying, taking archery classes and sometimes spending time with his mum. noritoshi barely even knew what fun was - he’d only ever felt at peace when he was around his mum.

“y/n, sweetie, why don’t you go and play with noritoshi?” your mum prompted but you immediately shook your head, hiding your face in her chest. she simply laughed and shook her head, brushing your hair back softly. “come on, noritoshi is really nice. you can be his friend one day, right? didn’t i tell you that friends are important?” 

you frowned. then huffed. when she worded it like this, there was no way you could refuse. the cartoon that you religiously watched featured a group of friends that went on adventures and helped each other out. you’d told your mum that you wanted to be like that too! begrudgingly, you slid off her lap and trudged towards noritoshi who looked at you with big eyes. you held your hand out, waiting for him to shake it. “my name is y/n. uhm… nice to meet you,” you shyly whispered, eyes darting away from him. 

it took a while until noritoshi reacted, shaking your hand gently and answering: “hello y/n, i’m noritoshi.”

much to your surprise, noritoshi was actually fun to be around with. he showed you his collection of books, the bow that he was practicing with and you often played the card game you’d received for your birthday together. he was smart and witty, often explaining you things that he’d read in a book but he was also attentive when he listened to you ramble about the other kids in school or when you told him about the cartoon that you were watching. for you, noritoshi was becoming your best friend - for noritoshi, you were his first friend. he cherished you and how unabashedly true to yourself you were. spending time with you was something he looked forward to; you always made him laugh and you didn’t care whether he lived up to the kamo family name or not. to you, he was simply noritoshi. you were like a fresh breeze of air in his life.

noritoshi didn't quite understand why the elders were always so hard on him, so strict and unrelenting. they expected only the best results from him and didn't show any understanding when he exhausted. he didn't enjoy practice anymore, the lessons becoming a chore and burden on his mind. but whenever he saw your face light up at his newly acquired skills, he thought it was worth the trouble. you came to visit him everyday after school, never skipping a day. sometimes he questioned why you weren't visiting your friends from school but you shook your head, poking his chest indignantly. "you're my best friend, 'toshi. of course i'd want to spend more time with you." noritoshi was glad you always chose him, without fail.

even though your parents had always warned you to be careful around noritoshi because his family was strict and didn't like outside influences distracting the heir, you never really strayed from his side. noritoshi didn't have any other friends, who would keep him company or listen to his troubles then? you didn't understand why your parents were suddenly going back on their word. they'd always told you that family and friends were important. you couldn't pinpoint your feelings for him - but your parents saw it. it was obvious; the stars in your eyes when you looked at him, the slight blush on your cheeks when he complimented you and how happy you were when you got to spend time with him. the more time you spent with him, the more they were worried for you. 

"'toshi!" you yelled in excitement as you ran towards him, waving wildly. he dropped his bow and turned to you, a soft smile gracing his lips as he opened his arms to hug you. you squeezed him tightly. two weeks you hadn't seen him due to a school trip after which you got sick and weren't able to leave the house. you'd missed him a lot and you were excited to show him the souvenirs you brought him. 

"look, i bought you an omamori!" you handed him the small object, then pointing on your bag to show him the one you'd bought for yourself. "i got myself a matching one too! my teacher said it wards off evil spirits and brings you luck." noritoshi's smile was bright, so bright. he was happy you thought of him and were always kind to him. your eyes widened as he leaned in to kiss your cheek before thanking you. the two of you were blushing, neither saying a word but not minding what had just happened.

the day noritoshi's mother left the estate was the day you were slowly starting to lose him. noritoshi grew more forlorn and didn't seem to easily find joy in anything anymore. the departure left a deep, deep gap in his heart. it had shocked him deep to the core when she left him. him. why couldn't she stay? why did she leave him when she was the only person who protected him, loved him? she did say that she was hindering his growth but who was she to decide that? he didn't want to become stronger, didn't want to protect other people like she'd told him to. he wanted to stay with her. "'toshi? 'toshi!" a concerned voice broke through his trance, pulling him back into reality. "i asked you a question! you weren't even listening to me." 

you were pouting at him, tugging at his sleeve impatiently. noritoshi apologized, patting your head to soothe your temper. "what do you want to do in the future? mum said it's important to work towards your dreams!" you asked him curiously, grasping his hand to hold it. the gesture filled him with indescribable warmth, drawing him in like a moth to the flames. "my mum said i have a special power, i can heal people! i want to become a doctor in the future, so i can help everyone that got hurt," you explained to him so earnestly that he felt bad for the lie he was about to tell. noritoshi didn't have big dreams or ambitions just yet. he didn't even know what would be suitable to him - he was strictly following orders, never allowed to think for himself. 

but when he looked at you, he only had one wish. "i think… i think i want to help people, protect them. especially those that i love."

with each year passing, you noticed that noritoshi was putting more and more distance between the two of you. at first you'd brushed it off as the stress of his training and number of classes he was attending. but as you spent less and less time together, the weight of the situation didn’t escape you. he was easily irritable, cold and arrogant, often rude towards employees of the kamo estate. every now and then when you’d scold him for being an asshole, he’d simply scoff at you and haughtily ask you how it was any of your business. you sighed, tossing and turning in your bed as you thought about how much noritoshi had changed. it kept you up at night, just thinking about how he wasn’t your ‘toshi anymore. you didn’t know this person. ‘toshi was always gentle and kind, he tended to overthink many things and sometimes he was a little bit of a crybaby but you still loved him regardless. you sneaked out of your room, finally mustering up enough courage to ask your mother for advice. the thought of her discovering your blooming crush on noritoshi was scaring you. your parents were wary around the kamos despite working from them - even more so ever since noritoshi’s mother left and the elders had free reign over her son.

“noritoshi! noritoshi, stop walking away from me! hey, i’m talking to you!” you yelled frustrated as you were trying to keep up with him. noritoshi was crossing the garden in long strides, it was nearly impossible to stop him as you couldn’t catch up to him. you lunged forward, getting hold of his sleeve and tugged him back harshly. noritoshi yanked his arm out of your grip, glaring at you annoyed. 

“what do you want from me? i have better things to do than to quibble with you,” he hissed irritated. you couldn’t believe him, he had the nerve to dismiss you like this when he was in the wrong? 

“you know exactly what i want from you! you can’t just go around and talk to people like you did before just because they’re not from a reputable family! noritoshi, you’re not any better than them just because your last name is kamo.”

as much as noritoshi scared you, you stood your ground. you knew he didn’t take you serious, not with the amused look he gave you. in the past month or two, noritoshi was suddenly hit by a growth spurt - you barely reached his shoulder now and he took advantage of that to mock you, often treating you like an armrest. he pat your head condescendingly, pouting at you in fake regret. “aw, did i hurt your feelings? did i make itty bitty little y/n sad?” he mocked you, before abruptly grabbing your cheeks to make you look at him. “i don’t care what you think of me, cry all you want. i strongly suggest you hold that sharp tongue of yours if you know what’s good. know your place.” 

tears filled your eyes; noritoshi had never talked to you this way. what has gotten into him? your heart broke in pieces, unable to take the pain any longer. you were no longer his equal but below him, much like everyone else.

“mum?” you cautiously knocked at the door of her study, waiting for her response. your mother was most likely still awake and dealing with paperwork like she usually did. upon hearing the affirmative noise she made, you flitted inside, closing the door behind you so your father didn’t catch any wind of this. it was already embarrassing enough and you were sure your mother could offer you better advice. you gingerly took a seat on the armchair, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close to your body. how were you going to approach this? hey mum, i have a crush on noritoshi and he’s weird to me now and i don’t know why? uh yeah mum, i caught feelings for the guy you warned me about and now i look like a fool crawling up to you like this? 

“it’s about noritoshi, isn’t it?” your mother interrupted your stream of thought, spinning her swivel chair towards you. 

“huh? oh no it isn’t, why would it be? i have-” 

“y/n.” 

“ugh okay fine, maybe it is about him,” you sighed defeated, of course she would look right through you. she always seemed to know what you were thinking, even when you hadn’t confided in her before. “but promise me you won’t judge me!” the look in your mother’s eyes told you that she was going to judge you regardless but you knew she meant well - she simply wanted the best for you.

“i- i just don’t understand why he’s been such a pain in the ass lately. and he’s been treating everyone like dirt too, including me! mum, he’s becoming someone else and i… i don’t know what to do,” you sniffled inconsolably, wiping at your eyes with the sleeves of your sweater. she wasn’t supposed to see you getting emotional. “he’s always busy and when we do get to see each other, he doesn’t want to spend time with me. what if he doesn’t like me anymore? and i don’t like how he’s treating you! it’s the same issue with the elders, they don’t know any human decency at all!” 

your mother motioned you to scoot over a little and sat next to you, wrapping her arms around you and patting your back to console you. while she meant well, it accomplished the opposite - you broke down in tears, unable to stop your sobs. “i just want my ‘toshi back,” you whimpered upset, burying your face in the pillow to muffle the sound of you crying. “i know you didn’t like that i became good friends with him but i couldn’t help it and i just really like him and- you weren’t supposed to find that out.”

“sweetheart, i know you love noritoshi,” she handed you a tissue. “you let a lot more on than you were aware of; dad and me always knew you were in love with him.” as if on cue, your sobbing stopped and you just looked at her in disbelief. she knew. she knew. you wanted the earth to swallow you whole. “i think it was always pretty obvious, to be honest. you always looked at him as if he was your entire world and no matter what happened, you were always by his side. i know it’s hard to accept when a dear friend is changing but sometimes you just have to, right? both of you are still growing, there’s no way of telling how your personalities change.”

“but i don’t want him to change like this,” you protested stubbornly, glaring at her. she was talking about it as if it was a matter of simply discarding a bad apple in the trash. it wasn’t easy and it made you anxious. you grew up together, shared secrets and memories. he was the person you’d always looked up to.

“y/n.” your mother sounded stern but you didn’t back down, not yet. “is it really worth it? if a person is changing so rapidly and you’re not getting through to them, you’ll have to let it go. there’s only so much you can do. people grow apart sometimes, it’s only natural. you have to let go of them, temporarily, so you both can heal and grow. y/n, i know you’re being stubborn about this but you’ll have to let him figure things out on his own. fate has curious ways to bring people back together.”

when the time came, noritoshi left to attend the kyoto metropolitan curse tech school without telling you a word. you were disappointed, apparently you weren’t worth saying goodbye to. whatever his reason was, it must’ve been pretty important. important enough to forget the promise that you’d always stay in contact. you wondered whether he'd change again, for the better maybe? maybe you would reconcile when you could finally attend the school as well and train together. you were excited to show him your sword skills, having received your family's heirloom, an elegant steel blue sword. though your skills probably weren’t up to par with the other students, you still wanted to show them off, show him what you’d learned in the year that you spent apart.

noritoshi had changed but not for the better. holy shit, did he get on your nerves. the first time he'd practiced with you, you realized that he had mutated into an insufferable know-it-all. he would give you backhanded compliments or make snide remarks about your posture, how you were supposed to hold your sword, how inefficient your fighting style was. sometimes you wished you could just beat him for once and have him shut up. there was no denying though, noritoshi was way too strong and you had a long way to go. judging from the reactions of the others, barely anyone had beat him either. 

and just like that, your feelings for him were buried. you’d taken your mother’s advice to heart, keeping conversations and interactions with him to a minimum but somehow noritoshi always found his way to you. he was everywhere and a quarrel was inevitable. noritoshi got under your skin and he knew how to push your buttons. why he chose to pick on you was beyond your comprehension; he didn’t pay much attention to the other students nor was he particularly liked by them. just how much was he going to get on everyone else’s nerves? out of all the second years, todo aoi was the most amicable; you had the (dis)pleasure to run into him on your first day and for some reason, he took a liking to you. while he was loud and boisterous, mostly doing whatever he wanted, you couldn’t deny that he was a good friend. even though he didn’t care about anyone as much as he cared about takada-chan. at one point, he’d looked at you in sympathy when he caught you staring at noritoshi, patting your shoulder (too forceful): “i’m sorry, y/n, i’m so sorry.” 

you still didn’t know what he meant by that.

ps.: todo knows and he’s kinda judging you for your taste in men 

[crystal-moon-101]

Y and U? For the unnamed ask?

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?: I familiar with shows like Troll Hunter & Miraculous Lady Bug through a friend of mine, and I have been meaning to get into them, just a little busy and have a lack of energy 😅. I am also familiar with Yugioh (At least the earlier series), mostly because of the abridge and because I’m really into Season 0 stuff, as it’s more my kind of thing.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites: Given you gave me three, I think it’s only natural for me to pick from The Secret Generator 10 trio, as I always up to talk about these three and what they mean to me. Of course, they’re hardly perfect character, but they all are special in their on way for me, and I thought I’d discuss why.

Rex: My favourite out of the three, with his show being my all-time favourite. Development, interesting background, mystery, angst, tragic, fun to watch, mostly consistent, amazing powers, and gets so much found family stuff going on, he hits a lot of marks of what I love to see in a character, and the same does do good enough of a job with him. Rex is a character that plays well with the concept of being a child soldier, having amnesia, and being the key to the larger story at hand, and the show still treats him like a real person, living and breathing, and not just a means to screw over every time they want to plot to work. 

He has many layers to him, at the start seeming like a cocky, daredevil, rule-breaking and rebellious teen, who you sometimes question he understands the weight of what is happening to the world and himself, but then you learn that he does understand, so much more than he lets on. While he is naturally charismatic and a jokester, you can tell he often puts up this mask of joy and playfulness just to make a dark world around him feel a little lighter, along with hiding how alone and scared he actually feels. Because well, who wouldn’t be when placed in a role like that? He knows very well he has powers tied to saving the die, even if he doesn’t fully understand them. He knows the danger the nanites and EVOs pose, but also knows the danger that humankind can pose if they’re not willing to listen to reason. When things do get tough, he knows when to cut the crap and be serious. He’s someone who knows the world isn’t black and white, even if he hates to admit it at times.

While we didn’t get to see much of it, I’ve always seen Rex as a part of three worlds. He works closely with normal humans, like Six and Holiday (As normal as you can be at Providence), and he understands how scared the world is, how scared every day people are that any second they or someone they love could turn into a monster and go on a rampage. And sometimes that hurts for Rex is that he often tries to connect to this part of the world, because he knows he was once part of it, and he thinks it can make him happy, but the obstacle blocking him is that he isn’t human anymore, and that many people are scared of him, even if he saves them. And yet despite all the harsh things people have said or done to him, Rex always comes back to be the hero, because he knows he can help and that there are people that need his help, and it’s commendable that he’s willing to put aside those issues to save the day, even if he doesn’t get a thank you out of it.

His second ties are, of course, to his EVO world. It’s interesting that, at the very start of the show, Rex use to have this view that everything EVO was wrong, most likely something he picked up at Providence, despite being one himself. He’s hesitant around them, and while he’s not one to kill, he’s often quick to think they’ll be a danger. And while he can be right about that most of the time, he does start to learn it’s not all that it seems. His Hong Kong friends, Circe, Breach, even someone like Biowulf eventually. He even eventually learns that, while he’s not normal, he’s not a bad person for being something not human. And it’s an interesting thought that while he’s one of the most human-looking EVOs, he can be considered one of the most dangerous, even more so than EVOs that look like overgrown monsters. His ties to the EVO world are what make him start to see the world isn’t black and white.

And then his third ties, kind of, are to his nanites and history. Despite how human looking Rex is, and that he is an EVO, he’s very much something different to both sides, a middle ground thanks to his connection to the nanites. It’s always fascinated me that something about him, out of anyone in the world, he has this tie to nanites that no one else has. That can be explained by a number of things, but I also like to think it’s also because of the person he is. I mean, you get someone like Black Knight who got similar powers to him, but you never see her have a level connection with them like Rex does. And that can be explained by poor writing, but again I like to tie it back to who he is as a person, and how the nanites have evolved to be around him. And with how long he’s been tied to him, they just feel like a natural part of him, even if he may reject it sometimes. And to have him be once part of the past that involved how the nanites came to be, it adds a whole another layer to this boy. I will admit the writing can get to him at times, sadly, especially around season 3, and we don’t get certain answers to question about him, but he’s still a great character in my eyes, with so much potential for the stories and ideas you can play around him. I respect him for his hope for wanting to do things a better way, and yet knowing that sometimes you have to do the hard and logical things to do good, even if it’s not easy to do. I could ramble on more, but I got to move onto the next one. 💙

Zak: Ah, my sweet cryptid boy, have season 2 gave you crippling anxiety. Zak I would say, out of these three, is the most consistent with his writing. He’s still the same cryptid loving, cool kid, with a passion for his job back at the start of things, but he also grows in a believable way over time, especially when learning what he really is. The twist with making Kur adds such a spin on who he is and how he feels in a great way that I love, because he was someone who was building up to be the hero of the story by everyone around him, only to learn that the supposed villain he was meant to fight was himself. I think one of the interesting things that The Secret Saturdays does is that it never really answers the question if destiny is real, and if Zak is meant to kill all humans. It’s a question left up in the air, and while there seems to be facts that say otherwise, the idea that this boy could kill all humans makes people scared or eager, making everyone say that his destiny is real, even if there is no proof. And because of this, it makes Zak fear and believes that it’s real too, that he is bad just by simply being Kur’s reincarnation, even if he hasn’t done anything that makes him bad. And yet, as easy as it would have been for Zak to just accept this, he doesn’t, he still plays the hero and goes out of his way to help those that need it. Because whether or not destiny is real, Zak is willing to fight it, and that makes a noble character. And while we don’t get clear answers about destiny and Kur, many of us get to play with the idea of what it means for Zak and this world he’s in. I personally thing that Kur’s history is more complicated than him being ‘evil’ as I’ve written before, but Zak is his own character, his own person, and it’s fun to see who he is, how he reacts and how he grows. I also love that, while he’s pitched as one of those classic kid/teen boys during the 2000s action cartoon eras, he does things you wouldn’t expect. While he can get into fights and combat and have fun with it, if he knows the fight endangers someone or a cryptid, he will always take it seriously. Like when they found the cryptid fighting ring, he was always disgusted by it and keeps repeating the notion that he wanted to stop it as soon a possible, even hating to have to put Fisk into the fight just to stall and get info. He clearly as a loving passion with cryptids and the world he’s in, and is always out there looking to see more to the story than others may see. He’s not quick to label someone as a monster unless he’s 100% certain that’s what they are.  And his family relationships are just golden, I love the Saturdays. It’s adorable how, instead of calling them pets, he treats Fisk, Zon and Komodo like his siblings. He respects them as equals, and while he can argue with them, he’s willing to listen and understand that they have their own needs and wants, and the four of them are always by each other’s sides. Drew and Doc, being one of my favourite couples of all time, have different relationships towards Zak, but both love and respect him very much. Even when they find out Zak is Kur, not once do they ever turn their back on their own child, and do everything they can to help him see he’s not a monster. Zak clearly looks up to them, and it’s great to see the growth they have by letting Zak spread his wings, and stop trying to be over-protective with him. And, of course, Uncle Doyle is great, in that he’s always respected Zak, even if he’s a child. He’s willing to be level with him, and push him when he knows Zak needs it, and the fact that Zak was the one in the family to be so quick to have him join is just so well done, as he never had a doubt that Doyle could be a better person. Zak love the world he’s in, and the beings and secrets that lay within it. Despite how it might push and hurt him, he’s often willing to get back up and show who he really is, that the labels that people put on him don’t define who he is. Despite how his world turned upside down with one sentence, he’s doesn’t give up.🧡

Ben: Oof, right...*Cracks knuckles* Time to get into the more iffy ones of the trio. Right away, I have no trouble saying that Ben has a lot of issues and flaws as a character. I have no issue denying that he can be an ass, and has done many dumb things. However, I’m not one to hate or fault characters when it’s the writing that screws them over. Because at his concept and core, the person he was meant to be, Ben is quite an interesting character. He’s not the standard hero with a cape, he’s very much flawed, can sometimes be a jerk and cocky often, and has been shown to be young and naive. But that doesn’t make him a bad person, in fact he adds an interesting element to the normal hero archetypes. When written well, he’s quite fun to follow and has quite the concept to play around with. Despite his outgoing and witty outside, Ben does go through a lot of crap ever since he got the watch. His teen years and parts of his childhood are mostly just dealing with the foes he’s made, and the troubles that comes with being the main hero of the galaxy, which is defiantly not an easy task to take. And yet he does it, he goes through all the dangers just to help people and the worlds around them. He’s often willing to stand back up and crack a smirk because he’s not one to give up. He sees hope, he sees potential and light beyond the darkness, and he wants to give others the chance to see that. And while his cocky nature can get in the way when written wrong, I do think it’s a trait that makes sense. People across the galaxy praise him since he was young, which can cloud his judgement, it’s a natural flaw that fits him as a character, and it has been shown he acts this way to hide how scared he really is. Cause I mean, with all that he has to fight, it is actually quite a struggle, so it is amazing to see just how much he takes and never backs down. He’s not a boring character to watch, he’s not a perfect hero that gleams in a golden light, he’s flawed and hows so many issues to tackle, but have a noble and bold side to him that you can respect. He’s been shown to bring people up, to teach and to guide, to take on the hassles of others just so they can get by in life. And while he does like the praise he gets out of it, you know deep down he does this because it’s good to just do good, even if it doesn’t benefit you always. He could have easily given up the watch and hand it back to Azmuth, but he never does. And his connection with alien and the watch have always been a personal interest with me, even if canon doesn’t delve much into it as they should. The thing with Ben is that he’s perfect for the watch, because he has no problem shaping into another being. And while it’s still Ben underneath, he does change parts of himself for the time being. And the reason he’s fine with this is because he sees life and potential with all the aliens he can be. He sees the different powers they hold and wants to show just what they can do to help, what the galaxy could build if they worked together. It’s funny that the omnitrix was build for peace purposes, and while Ben took it a different way than what Azmuth wanted, he found a way to make it work. I know other characters wouldn’t be able to handle the watch like this the way Ben does, even Albedo proves this by how he acts with his aliens, seeing them as nothing but tools while treating himself as the higher being, while Ben accepts what he turns into, and understands what makes certain aliens special.  Sadly, Ben is a tragic character when it comes to the poor writing and constant switch in series, as Cartoon Network can’t seem to understand what to do with him. But that does make him a fun character to work off of and write, and I’ve seen some amazing things in the fandom with what they’ve done with him. So I've seen hated Ben, because I often see his as wasted potential for the character he could have been, and he does have great moments that are canon that I love. 💚

[purplesurveys]

941

ACH

Do you listen to anything by Bach? I’ve probably encountered some of his material since I like looking for classical musical playlists to listen to on Spotify, but I’m nowhere near being a devoted fan or anything like that.

ASH

Do you like ash trees? I’m not attached to any kind of tree, really – but I know I have nothing against this kind, haha.

Do you have the ashes of a family member or a pet? No. The only ashes I’ve gotten to encounter are my grandpa’s, but we’ve since placed them in our local ossuary so that he can rest in peace.

How often do you feel like you want to bash your head against a wall? Before September, quite seldom. But with this month being so turbulent, chaotic, and nothing like I expected it to be, seldom has turned into every day.

Has anyone ever thrown you a big birthday bash? Sure. I had a big party when I was 7 and I also had a nice slew of celebrations when I turned 18. But if you mean a surprise birthday bash then no, no one has thrown one for me.

Do you know anyone who is brash? I do, but fortunately I haven’t had to work with her for a while now. I certainly often felt annoyed when I used to have to.

Do you typically carry cash or a credit/debit card? OMG Y’ALL I finally opened my own bank account last Friday I’ve never felt so grown-up until now haha. My dad helped me set up my first card, which is a debit card. :)

Have you ever crashed someone else’s party before? No, that sounds so annoying omg. I’d never want to be known as a gatecrasher. I know I’d be pissed if someone showed up to any of my parties uninvited.

Have you ever been involved in a car crash? Yes but fortunately they’ve all been super mild ones. One of my biggest fears is getting involved in a car crash where things would be out of my control and becoming seriously injured, like if a drunk driver crashed into me or if a 12-wheeler loses its brakes and slams into my car or something. I think I’d live in resentment for the rest of my life if that sort of thing happened to me and still ended up alive.

Do you use Door Dash? I didn’t know what this is so I had to look it up, and even though we don’t have Door Dash we do have several apps that do exactly the same services.

How often do you use a dash in your writing? I like using them in more casual contexts like survey entries, personal essays, feature articles, etc. I avoid dashes in academic writing since dashes are not really the most formal of punctuation marks.

Last place you made a mad dash to? The car repair shop that my dad asked me to meet him at because his situation was a little urgent at the time.

Do you make it a habit to flash people? Oh wow, no I don’t. That’s one of the last things anyone can expect from me. I like wearing revealing or skin-tight articles of clothing, but that doesn’t mean I like giving absolutely everything away lol

Do you prefer flash or no flash on a camera? No flash, always. I hate the effect that flash does and I never go for it, unless I’m in an area where lighting is poor.

Is the Flash one of your favorite superheroes? No. I’m not very big on superheroes to begin with.

Do you use the phrase “I’ll be back in a flash”? Not really. I find myself using “I’ll be super quick” more, or using ‘jiffy’ instead of flash.

Have you ever had a gash in your head before? Anywhere else on your body? I sported a gash near my eyebrow once because of some cousin who tried to blind me by hurling a glass jar towards my left eye and just narrowly missing my actual eyeball. Now there’s a scar in its place. Currently, I have multiple gashes on my arms and legs because Cooper.

Do you like hash browns? They’re okay, but I can’t have them all the time because I find them way too greasy for my enjoyment.

Do you do hash? No.

How often do you use hash tags? Almost never, unless I’m fighting for a political cause like BLM or calling for free mass testing. Hashtags got real lame real quick when they started getting popular around 7-8 years ago.

Do you have long eyelashes? Yes, it’s my favorite feature of mine and I get compliments on them fairly often.

How often do you lash out at others? For what reasons? Not often, but when I do it’s almost always because I’m already buckling under immense pressure and probably have nowhere to release my stress onto. I don’t turn it into an automatic mechanism though, because I don’t want to make others feel like shit for things they didn’t do.

Do you like mashed potatoes? I enjoy them but they’re not really my favorite dish. I can do 4-5 spoonfuls of them before getting over them haha, like I can never seem to finish a serving of it.

Do you typically gnash your teeth together? No I HATEEEE the sensation and the sound that it makes. My sister grinds her teeth in her sleep and it drives me nuts whenever we’re on a family trip and we share a room.

Do you know someone who speaks balderdash? Sure.

What color is the backsplash of your kitchen? White.

Have you ever had any rashes before? What kinds? Yes. Back in high school I used to occasionally get a random itchy area on my leg and whenever I’d scratch it, it would turn into an ugly patch of rashes. I never figured what the condition was but I’m just glad it’s never happened again.

Do you typically make rash decisions? Sometimes. I really tend to impulsive. The last one I made was swapping a full-time job opportunity for an internship with much lesser pay. Even I was surprised by how quick I jumped into the latter, but I like the nature of the work of the internship SO MUCH MORE, and I dunno if I’ll be happy with what I would be doing in the full-time gig. Plus, internships here are never even paid ones, so the fact that they even offered to give me an allowance per day just goes to show how good the company I’m interning for is.

Have you ever worn a sash before? I probably have but I don’t remember what for anymore.

Do you often find that your personality clashes with others’ around you? Yes, but I’m also good at adjusting to all kinds of personalities so I’m not too bothered by the clashes.

Whose tires would you like to slash? Any racist’s tires, really.

Who would you like to smash with? No one at the moment.

What was the last thing you smashed out of anger? I don’t really tend to be violent when I’m angry. The last angry thing I did was to throw my head against a pillow, but that’s it.

Do you have a secret stash of something hidden anywhere? Nopes.

How often do you take out the trash? My parents prefer to do it so they don’t really ask us to.

Has anyone ever told you that you look like trash? Other than myself, no.

Do you like to splash in the pool, the bathtub, or in puddles? I wouldn’t call it my favorite thing to do; I hate the mess that it makes, ha.

Have you ever thrashed violently before? What was the cause? Yeah. I probably embarrassed my grandma for life when I did so, but it was when I had to be confined to the hospital and they needed to insert the IV thing on me. It sent me into the worst panic attack I’ve ever gotten and I ended up thrashing a lot and several people had to hold me down so that the nurse could stick the thing into my wrist.

Do you own and use an eyelash curler? No. Those make me cringe so bad...I hate how they get so close to the eyeball. Kate brought her makeup kit to school everyday and she always made me try to learn how to curl my own lashes, but it just made me feel so nauseated lol

Have you ever experienced backlash from others? A few times before.

Have you ever had whiplash before? Never.

ATH

Do you prefer a shower or a bath? Shower. Much more efficient. Baths are relaxing, but I don’t like how I end up bathing in what’s pretty much dirty water.

Have you ever given another person or an animal a bath before? I’ve only given Kimi a bath. I let my dad bathe Cooper since he’s too much of a handful for now, plus I think it’s fair if we bathe one dog each haha.

How good are you at math? I can answer advanced algebra, statistics, and geometry questions if you give me enough time to review and get reacquainted with the formulas, but I’m perfectly alright with no longer revisiting trigonometry and calculus for the rest of my life.

Do you feel like your life is on the right path? Career-wise it definitely is; I’m happy with the direction it’s going right now. Everything else seems so turbulent at the moment and I can’t say I’m happy.

Are there any bike paths or footpaths in your area? We have sidewalks, if they count.

Have you ever gone on the warpath before? Not really. I do get very angry with certain people if I think they’ve been behaving badly, but I rarely get confrontational.

Is there a birdbath in your yard? No, those aren’t common here at all. I’ve only seen those in cartoons, I think.

Have you ever had a footbath before? Nopes.

What’s the last thing you’ve had to deal with the aftermath of? I can think of one thing but it’s still pretty triggering so I don’t feel like bringing it up at the moment.

Have you ever witnessed a bloodbath? Thankfully I haven’t. I get so queasy when I see blood though; it’s so much better off this way because I wouldn’t be able to deal with one at all.

Are you a sociopath or a psychopath? Do you know anyone who might be? No lol. I don’t think I know of anyone who could possibly be either. I wouldn’t want to associate myself with one in the first place.

Who’s the last person that you faced the wrath of? Myself.

AMP

Do you have an instrument that you plug into an amp? Nope, I own 0 instruments.

When’s the last time you felt amped up? What was the reason? Thursday morning when I parked in front of the office I was gonna have my job interview in. I needed to hype myself up to feel confident so I spent a couple of minutes in the car pumping my chest and screaming and shit, lol

Have you ever gone to day camp or overnight sleepaway camp? No. My mom wouldn’t have allowed me as a kid.

When’s the last time you felt like a champ? It’s been a while. I haven’t exactly felt like I’ve been winning in anything.

Last time it was damp where you lived? This afternoon. It was really humid for a good few hours and then it ended up raining.

Weirdest place you’ve ever had a cramp? My index finger whenever I’d try to use chopsticks; and my toes when I hiked in Sagada. The toe cramps were so bizarre I was actually laughing-crying the whole time the tour guide was treating me; my dad was taking photos of me too loooooool

Do you refer to your grandfather as “Gramps”? No. I call both of them Lolo, which is our local version of Grandpa.

Have you ever worn a headlamp before? No, I’ve never really had to.

Do you have a ramp anywhere in your house? I don’t think so, no.

Has anyone ever called you “scamp” before? No.

How many lamps are in the room you’re in? How many are actually turned on? There is one lamp, and it is currently turned on.

Do you stamp your feet when you are angry? It doesn’t tend to be a behavior of mine, no.

Last time you used a postage stamp? Not sure...grade school, probably? I never used those a lot.

Are there streetlamps on your street? What time do they turn on? Yep. I don’t keep track of their schedule but a safe guess would be either 6 or 6:30 PM.

Last place/area that you wanted to revamp? My room.

Do you know anyone who is a tramp? No.

Have you seen Lady and the Tramp before? Not the full movie but I’ve seen a lot of excerpts from watching Magic English as a kid.

Do you know anyone with a “tramp stamp”? I don’t think so.

AWK/AULK/ALK

Is the squawk of certain birds annoying? Which ones? I’ve never found any of them annoying, but maybe that’s also because there aren’t a lot of different birds flying around where I live.

Do you prefer hawks or falcons? And…why? I don’t have a preference; I’ve never encountered either.

Has anyone ever watched you like a hawk before? That sounds a little creepy and I wouldn’t want to know if anyone has.

What was the last thing you used caulk on?   I’m almost positive I’ve never handled that, haha.

[a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[scourgewins]

Avenge Me!

(I felt like writing something fun for the winter season, so have a snowball fight. I included most of the studio people, even though I know Bertrum came into the picture long after Henry. Just go with it. None of this really makes sense.)

(Warnings: None? I guess people getting knocked out and violence, but it’s all comedic.)

“Thomas, I-I don’t think we can beat them.”

“Don’t talk like that, Wally! We can’t show them fear!”

“But we’re outnumbered! Outgunned!”

“Shut up and listen to Thomas, Wally! We can’t doubt ourselves, not now.”

“But I’m scared, Lacie!”

“Just stay behind us, kid, and stay out of their line of sight.”

Wally obeyed and ducked behind the mechanics. Murray stood a few yards away, peeking over the edge of the wall. His breath came in clouds of steam that blew away with the chilly wind.

He checked his watch, “It’s almost time.”

“Get ready to fire.” Thomas grabbed up his ammo. Wally followed suit, his hands trembling from fear and cold. He glanced about himself.

“Where’d Boris go?” he asked.

The three mechanics whirled around, “Boris?!”

“Yes?” Wally sighed in relief as the cartoon wolf poked his head out from behind a snow drift, a can of bacon soup in hand.

“Get down!” Thomas grabbed him by the strap of his overalls and yanked him behind the barricade. Boris crouched down in the fresh powder and opened his can of soup.

“Okay,” Murray spoke quietly, eyes glued to his watch. Wally and the others tensed and clenched their ammo in nervous fists (Boris alone remained unconcerned). Wally squeezed his eyes shut, relishing the last few moments of peace before war broke out.

“In five, four, three, two, GO!”

Screams echoed about the vacant, snow covered lot as arms emerged from behind the three snow banks and released a rain of snowballs.

“Get down!” Lacie called. Wally threw his arms over his head, expecting at any moment to be struck down by a volley of snowballs, but miraculously survived. The janitor felt a surge of confidence and took hold of another snowball and chucked it over the barricade.

Somebody cried out in alarm from the snow bank to their left and there was a pause in their team’s attack.

“Nice shot, Wally!” Murray cried, hurling snowballs two at a time, “That’ll even the odds a bit!”

Grinning broadly, Wally gathered up his next ball and prepared to join the conflict in earnest.

Johnny was down in a matter of seconds despite being the one most sheltered by the barricade. Susie looked over at him as he fell backward, a ring of snow on his coat indicating where he’d been hit.

“We’re a man down!” She called to her teammates as she chucked a snowball.

“This game is stupid!” Grant said, ducking as a snowball sailed over his head.

“No, Johnny!” Shawn cried, reaching an arm out to the fallen organ player, “He was so young!”

“I’m not dead.” Johnny said nervously.

“Conserve your strength, Johnny! We’ll avenge you!”

Grant rolled his eyes, “You know this isn’t actual war, right?”

Shawn didn’t hear him over his own war cry.

Bertrum looked up from his place beside Grant. The theme park designer had decided sitting in the snow was beneath him and rolled out a mat to rest on.

He turned up the collar of his coat and glared, “Why did Drew have to drag us into this?”

“Joey thought it’d be a good team building exercise.” Alice replied as she gathered a snowball up in her gloved hands. The cartoon had on a scarf and winter dress, despite the fact that the cartoons couldn’t feel cold.

“Squatting in the snow and catching our death of cold while playing an idiotic game of snowball warfare is meant to strengthen our team bonds?”

“Yep,” Susie said, “So start throwing.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“We’re already a man down. You and Grant better get up and help us,” Susie threw a glare their way, “Or else.”

The obvious response was “Or else what?” but Grant and Bertrum didn’t much care to find out and begrudgingly took up the snowballs.

This is going perfectly! Joey thought to himself as he risked a glance over the snow bank, I can almost feel all the team bonding going on!

“Ow! You elbowed my ribs!” Joey turned as Sammy glared accusingly at Jack.

Jack glared back, “Well, you shouldn’t have been in the way!”

The lyricist raised an arm to throw his snowball but Sammy shoved him over, throwing his aim off. Jack plopped down in the snow and struggled to sit back up under the weight of his layers of warm clothing.

“What was that for?!” he exclaimed.

“You shouldn’t have been in the way!” Sammy replied, sounding smug.

Jack managed to roll back up to his knees and grabbed up some snow to throw at the music director. Sammy followed suit.

“No! Attack them, not each other!” Joey called hopelessly as they began pelting each other. 

“Hey, cut it out!” Henry called from his post at the end of the barricade and rushed to stop the quarreling co-workers. Norman watched as the animator dashed by.

“Sammy and Jack are out. There’s only four of us left.”

“Don’t worry, Norman! We can do it!” Bendy stretched his rubbery arms wide and started to gather up a huge ball of snow, “This’ll knock a few of ‘em out!”

“We’ll cover you!” Joey said and lowered his voice, “Norman, you sneak up behind them.”

He indicated the bank where the mechanics lay in hiding. Norman nodded quickly and slunk off, keeping low to the snow and hugging the barricade. Joey glanced over in time to see both Sammy and Jack chuck their snowballs at Henry. His last words were “Are you kidding me?”

Guess we’re down to three, now, Joey thought, suddenly regretting his decision to have a snowball fight.

Turmoil appeared to have erupted among Joey’s ranks. Good, Thomas thought.

“Keep it up!” he called, “If we keep up our stream of fire they won’t be able to react.”

“We’re running out of ammo!” Lacie called, gesturing to their scant stockpile of ready-made snowballs. Thomas nodded to Wally.

“Start making more!” Wally nodded and got to work furiously packing the snow into ammunition. Murray slid over to help him.

Thomas continued his attack. One of his projectiles elicited another cry from the snow bank to their left.

“Got one!”

Wally looked up from his work to see and gasped.

“Ambush!”

Thomas whipped around in time to see Wally and Murray go down as Norman rose up seemingly out of nowhere. He and Lacie dove behind another snow heap as even more snowballs whistled over their heads.

“How’d he sneak up on us?” Thomas said.

Lacie shook her head, “I don’t know, but we need to take him down.”

“Agreed.” Thomas risked a glance, “I’ll rush him, you cover me.”

Lacie took up her last handfuls of snow, “Go.”

Thomas leaped forward, rolling over the small hill of snow. Norman looked up from his cover behind their barricade but immediately ducked down again as Lacie’s snowballs came at him.

Thomas’s feet flew over the snow and leaped over Wally and Murray, who both looked disappointed at dying.

“Avenge us, Thomas!” Wally called after him.

Thomas lunged forward with a cry and chucked his snowballs as Norman reeled backward and threw his own. The mechanic knew he’d been hit at the tell-tale thud against his chest but still managed to get a good shot in. Norman took the snowball full in the face as he landed on the ground, Thomas coming to fall beside him.

They lay where they’d fallen, listening to the sounds of carnage around them. Norman cleared the snow from his face and nodded to Thomas.

“Good game.” he said, offering a hand.

Thomas glanced at him and slowly accepted the shake, “Yeah, you too.”

Mentally cursing Joey, Grant threw his snowball over the barricade and watched it land with a disappointing plop in no man’s land. He looked back up in time to see a snowball headed straight for him. He hit the turf with a yelp. Someone behind him cried out in dismay and he turned to see Alice eyeing the new stain of snow on her dress.

“Darn it, we were so close to winning!”

Susie looked over at her, “Don’t worry, Al. We’ll still win.”

“We’ll avenge you, too!” Shawn yelled, and lobbed another snowball.

Alice slouched down onto the snow beside Johnny, who was rocking back and forth to keep himself warm.

“Hey,” Shawn said, looking over the snow bank, “I think something’s going down in Thomas’s territory!”

Susie and Grant risked a glance while Bertrum hung back. Sure enough, someone was throwing snowballs at Thomas and Lacie.

“This gives us a chance!” Susie exclaimed, “We have the most people left!”

“Victory is ours!” Shawn grinned at Grant, who couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Look out!”

Bertrum’s warning jarred Grant from his visions of a nice, warm office and he looked up in time to see the mother of all snowballs descend down towards him. He felt rooted to the spot, unable to save himself. Then Shawn was shoving into him and he was sprawling into a patch of snow that fogged up his glasses. Grant swiped his coat sleeve across the lenses and turned back around.

“Shawn?”

Shawn was lying face-down, partially buried by the mountain of a snowball. Grant’s eyes widened and he lunged forward, as did Susie and Bertrum.

“Shawn! Are you okay?” Grant furiously shoveled the snow off him and turned him over. The disoriented Irishman blinked up at him.

“Wow, that hurt.” he said quietly.

“We will accept your surrender!” Joey called.

“Yeah!” came Bendy’s squeaky voice.

Susie stood up from where she was crouched, “Are you kidding me? You might have seriously injured someone with that-”

A snowball (a considerably smaller one) sailed over the other barricade and right into Susie’s face. The voice actress sputtered and backed away.

“Bendy!” Alice cried indignantly.

“What? We didn’t call a truce!”

“I think this game is over.” Henry stood up from behind the snow bank, “Let’s all go back inside and-”

“Never!” Bendy chucked a snowball at him.

“We gotta see who wins!” Joey roared.

“Indeed we do.” Grant turned as Bertrum spoke. The older man’s lined face had set in a mask of determination.

“Go.” Grant turned back at Shawn’s weak voice, “I’ll be okay.”

“I won’t let you down.” Grant choked out.

“I know you won’t.” Shawn smiled and sank back into the snow.

Grant stood beside Bertrum, “I will avenge you.” he promised.

There was a scuffling to their right and they both turned as Lacie dashed across no man’s land and leaped over the snow bank.

She rolled to her feet and held her hands up, “Truce?”

Grant and Bertrum shared a glance and nodded.

“Truce.”

“Aw, heck.”

“What?”

Bendy gestured to the force of three preparing to attack them, “Lacie’s still alive!”

Joey followed where the cartoon pointed, “Aw, heck.”

“What are we gonna do?”

“Hold our ground!” Joey declared, gathering his snowballs closer to him, “Get another monster snowball ready!”

“I think you guys are taking this too far.” Henry came forward, brushing Bendy’s snowball from his beard, “You may have actually hurt Shawn.”

“Aw, c’mon, Henry!” Bendy waved aside the concern as he formed another huge snowball, “He’s fine!”

He raised his voice, “You’re fine, right Shawn?”

“I think you knocked him out!” Susie shouted back.

Bendy paused, looking surprised, “Really?”

“Oh, he’s just being dramatic!” Joey assured, “Keep going, Bendy!”

“No, don’t keep going, Bendy!”

“Would you be quiet?” Norman spoke up from where he sat further back from the front lines, “I want to see what happens!”

“You’re blocking the view!” Sammy added as Jack gestured for him to sit down. Both seemed to have forgotten their anger with each other. The other corpses (minus Shawn) gathered closer to see the outcome.

Henry glared at them, “I will not back down until you all-”

Whatever the animator was going to say was cut short as yet another snowball met with his face.

Joey whipped back to face their attackers. Lacie, Grant, and Bertrum had taken up Bertrum’s mat and were using it as a makeshift shield. The three of them charged forward with an enraged cry, sending snowballs at their targets as they ran.

“Isn’t that cheating?” Bendy asked as he ducked down.

Joey crouched beside him, “I never really laid down any rules!”

“This is going to be good.” Norman laughed.

Joey and Bendy jolted back as their opponents leaped over the barricade, their feet sinking into the snow. Lacie separated from the rest and plowed straight into Joey, sending the air right out of his lungs. Joey looked with fear into Lacie’s triumphant grin.

Then Bendy was hurling his gigantic snowball, “Get away from my dad!”

The mechanic jerked away right as the snowball was about to hit her, unfortunately giving it a clear path to Joey, who was immediately knocked out at the impact.

“Ha!” Grant cried, “Revenge!”

“I’m sorry!” Bendy called to his creator’s still form, “I will avenge you!”

“You won’t have the chance!” Bertrum flung his snowballs at Bendy, forcing the little demon to dodge. Grant and Lacie charged forward as Bendy leaped for the safety of a snow bank. With his cartoon speed, he created a mass of snowballs within seconds and hurled them at his adversaries. At the same time, Grant, Lacie, and Bertrum released theirs.

All four went down under the fire. No one was left alive.

“We won!” they all cried simultaneously.

“No, we did!”

“I hit you first!”

“You did not!”

“It’s a tie, okay!” Henry yelled from his place beside Joey, “Now can we all get inside and help Joey and Shawn?”

Grant nodded and broke away to assist Shawn. The others looked more than a little indignant but were at least willing to let the argument rest to take care of the wounded.

“That was… fun.” Bertrum said, sounding surprised.

“Yup. Ruthlessly pummeling each other with snowballs has its perks.” Lacie agreed.

“Can we do it again?” Wally asked excitedly.

Thomas patted his shoulder, “Maybe after we’ve recovered from this one.”

All the studio members straggled inside, Grant supporting Shawn and Henry carrying Joey. Bendy looked more than a little guilty.

Then a pair of cartoonish looking ears popped up above the snow, followed by a cartoon snout.

“Is the game over?” Boris asked.

Everyone slowly turned around and stared. Boris looked back in confusion.

“What?”

“Boris, you…” Alice shook her head, “You’re alive.”

“Yes.” Boris agreed.

“Then that means-”

“WE WON!” the mechanics hollered. Everyone jumped in fright as Thomas, Wally, Lacie, and Murray gathered together and cheered their victory.

“But- But that’s not fair!” Bendy said, “He didn’t do anything!”

“We didn’t lay down any rules.” Norman said with a small smirk.

Boris looked more than a little shocked as his teammates rushed forward and lifted him up, making him drop his empty can of soup.

“Out of the way!” Murray called, “Winners coming through!”

Everyone stepped aside as the mechanics carried the very confused wolf inside. Muttering to themselves, the rest of the studio filed after them.

Joey was roused slightly by the elation in the air. He looked up at Henry and smiled wanly.

“See? Told you a team building exercise would do them good.”

Henry just gave Joey a withering glare.

Joey nodded, “I’ll shut up now,” and passed out again.

[mustangshelby04]

Boston Boy - Chapter 3

A/N This chapter is pure fluff. Enjoy!!

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Kate asked as Chris walked into her hotel room.

“I thought we could hit up some museums.  Maybe check out the aquarium.” Chris said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Someone’s excited today.”

“Yeah.  I have good reason to be.” He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Do you have something planned?”

“Nope.  I’m just spending the day with you.”

She chuckled. “Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but I keep telling you that I’m not that exciting.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.  Besides, the first day I met you, you ended up in dog shit.  The next day, you ended up with a broken tooth.”  

“I’m hoping that particular pattern doesn’t continue.”

“Well, if it does, I’m here to make sure you’re ok.”

“My hero.”

“Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll sweep you off your feet later.”

She laughed. “I doubt that.  I’m heavier than I look.  It’s all in the boobs and butt.”

He shrugged and suddenly swept her up in his arms.  She clung to his neck as her eyes widened and she realized he was actually holding her up. “I lift a lot of weights.” He kissed her cheek before setting her down. “And you’re not that heavy.”

She laughed. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.”

“No one’s ever swept you up in their arms before?”

“Not since I was in my early teens.  It wasn’t so much a sweep-me-off-my-feet thing.  It was more to get me up on doctor’s tables or put me back in my wheelchair or on my crutches.  I was in a leg brace for a while after breaking my kneecap and tearing my ACL.”

“Ouch!  What happened?”

“I was practicing a sit spin and I was too close to the boards.  I travelled into them and my knee bent the wrong way before I sling-shotted back around and hit my kneecap hard enough to crack it in three places.”

“Fuck!” He shook his head. “What’s a sit spin?”

“Did I fail to mention that I was a figure skater from age six till age thirteen?”

“Yes.”

“I was a figure skater from age six till age thirteen.” She laughed. “And a sit spin is where you spin on one blade in a crouched position with the other leg extended in front of you.”

“Oh!  I didn’t know what it was called.  So, can you still skate?”

“Not at all like I used to.  It’s not like riding a bike.  I can still go forwards and backwards and sideways and do some spins and stops, but no jumps or fancy footwork or anything really cool.  I still go skate every now and then.”

“Nice.  It’s good you didn’t leave it completely behind.”

“If I hadn’t busted my knee, I would’ve continued in competitive skating.  I loved it.  A lot.  For a while it was my escape from everything bad in my life.  It still kind of is sometimes.  There’s nothing in the world like turning on the music and having the ice all to yourself while you feel the cold air flying past you.  It’s my form of meditation, I guess.  Nothing else exists when I’m on the ice.” She sighed. “I did get one thing from my busted knee, though.  I can tell you when rain or snow is coming.  And neither of them are going to bother us today, so let’s go enjoy the day, shall we?”

He laughed. “We shall.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Chris and Kate made their way through the aquarium side by side.  They’d strolled through two museums before making their way to the aquarium.  They’d been there for the last hour and a half just enjoying each other’s company.  At the moment, he was enjoying her reactions to the penguins.  She laughed when one penguin tried to jump from one rock to the next and failed, splashing into the water.

“I love penguins.” She said. “I think they’re my spirit animal.”

“Yeah?  How come?”

“They’re klutzy and adorable.  I want one.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure they’d make a great pet.”

“Are you kidding me?  Penguins love humans.  I imagine they’d be like puppies.”

“How would you house break them?”

“Good question.  Maybe just like a puppy?  Positive reinforcement.  Give them an anchovy whenever they piddle on the puppy pad.”

“Well what about their climate?  They need cold.”

“Not all penguins.” She pointed at the little African penguins. “They don’t live in the cold all the time.  They’re from South Africa.”

“You’ve got this all planned out, huh?”

“Not entirely.  It’s mostly just a long shot of a dream.” She turned and began to walk.  He caught up with her and she said, “Dolphins.”

“What about them?” He asked.

“They’re my favorite animal.  Ever since I was a kid.  One day I want to go swimming with them.  There’s this place in Florida….”

“Discovery Cove.  Yeah, I’ve heard of it.  Never been, though.”

“Me either.  But I want to go.” They walked into the gift shop and started browsing. “When I was little, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer.  I wanted to be able to work alongside these beautiful animals and help take care of them…. I still wouldn’t hate it.”

“Then why don’t you go for it?”

She laughed. “I’m much too old to be a dolphin trainer now.”

“You’re only 30.”

“Hey.  I’m 29.  I’ve got a couple of weeks left before I hit that particular milestone birthday.”

“It’s not bad.”

“Oh, I know.  In fact, I’d like to celebrate it.  Lauren and I always talked about going to Disneyworld for our 30th birthdays, but she’s not seeming so interested in it now.  We were supposed to start planning this year, but every time I bring it up, she has an excuse.” She sighed. “One day I’ll go to Disneyworld.”

“Wait, you’ve never been?”

“Nope.  It’s a thorn in my relationship with my mother.” She laughed. “That woman has been telling me she’ll take me to Disneyworld for almost 30 years and I still haven’t seen the inside of the most magical place on earth.  For someone who has lived and breathed Disney most of her life, it pains my heart.”

“Why haven’t you gone?”

“Not enough time or money…. Or anyone to go with.  I told mom that even if I had a family of my own, when I do go to Disney, she’s paying for me.”

He laughed. “So you’re a Disney fan, huh?”

“Of course!  What, you couldn’t tell by the Merida costume?”

He laughed. “I probably should have.  It was fairly elaborate.  Right up there with Merida from Disneyworld.”

“I know.  My niece went to Disneyworld this summer.  Thank god the woman playing the part was a good actress because Hailey wanted to talk all about the time Merida came to visit for her birthday.”

“It’s pretty impressive that she remembers it.”

“I know!  She was only two!” She looked around. “I’ve got to use the restroom.  I’ll be right back.” She lightly touched his arm before rushing off.  When she came out, Chris was waiting for her with a fluffy stuffed penguin in his arms.

“I know it’s not a real one, but I thought it was a start for your long shot dream.” He handed it to her. “And a way to remember our visit.”

She laughed. “I think I’ll name him Cap.  He looks like an honorable penguin.” He laughed. “Well, what about you?  What’s your favorite animal?”

Chris paused to think for a minute. “Probably an elephant.  They’re such majestic, peaceful creatures.”

Kate smiled at him. “Good choice.”

“Thanks.  Are you hungry?  I have an idea for dinner.”

“Oh, you have an idea, huh?  I didn’t know you could have those.”

“Ha!  Come on, blondie.  Let’s go.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled to himself.  He was glad they were able to pick on each other without either of them getting offended.  It meant, at least to him, that they were getting comfortable with each other.

“You’re not going to tell me your idea?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ll figure it out kinda quick.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Chris pulled into the parking lot of Whole Foods and she looked at him suspiciously. “I make a mean chicken carbonara.  Unfortunately, I don’t have everything I need, so I have to make a pit stop.”

“Wait…. You’re going to cook for me?” She asked. “Where?”

“At my place.” He smiled at her shocked face. “I just thought a night in away from the hotel would be nice.  I know it can start to feel cramped in a hotel room even after a couple of days.”

“You want to take me to your place?” “Why not?  Afraid I’ll give you food poisoning?”

“No.  I don’t know why not.  I was just…. Surprised that you wanted to show me your place.”

“Technically this is our third date.” He got out and came around to open her door for her.

“Well, it’s our first if you’re counting the fact that you didn’t ask me to see where this goes until last night.”

“True.  But that’s just a technicality.” He stopped and she turned to face him. “I mean it when I say that I’ve never felt so comfortable with someone so quickly.  Usually I have a problem with the English language and I sweat profusely and it’s never a good thing, but….” He reached out and took her hands. “I like you.  You’ve got this light that I’m just drawn to.”

“Like a bug zapper?” She laughed, trying to brush off the seriousness that had descended upon them.

“Only if you choose to keep your guard up.”

The seriousness in his voice stopped any jokes she was about to make. “I don’t mean to, Chris.”

“I know.  You’ve been hurt bad by multiple men in your life.  One of them you were supposed to be able to trust not to ever hurt you.  So, I know that it might take some time for you to completely grasp that I like you and I’m willing to keep trying until you trust me.”

“They’re just stories, though.”

“What?”

“Fairytales.  They’re just stories.”

“This feels like a fairytale to you?”

She shrugged. “Three days and the handsome prince is star struck by the peasant girl.  If only we’d met in the woods and gone dancing, maybe this would sink in better.  I don’t know.” He chuckled. “Well, you are blonde like Sleeping Beauty and just as pale.”

“And you’re just as handsome as Prince Phillip.  Who was my first crush, by the way.”

Chris took her hand and they walked into the store. “You had a crush on a cartoon?”

“Don’t judge.”

“Oh, I’m not.  My first crush was Maid Marian from Robin Hood.”

“The Disney version?”

He blushed slightly. “Yeah.” “I thought Robin Hood was cute.”

That made him laugh. “What was it about Prince Phillip that you liked?”

“He was dashing and brave and very well drawn.  And he talked to his horse like he was a person.  I’ve always talked to my animals like that.” He grinned. “What was it about Maid Marian that you liked?” “She was spunky.  I thought I could have fun with her.  I used to run around pretending to be Robin Hood.  I would say all of his lines for him when the movie was on.  Which would make my sister Carly come after me.”

“You’re the second oldest child, right?”

“Yup.  Carly, then me, then Scott, and then Shanna.”

“What are they like?  Well, besides Scott, because I met him and he’s a pretty cool guy.”

Chris smiled as he picked out the cheese he was planning to use that evening. “Carly is your typical older sister.  Bossy, slightly overbearing, used to be a bully to her younger siblings, but you never fucked with her family or she would come after you like Jason Borne.” She laughed and followed him down the next aisle. “Scott and I were always close growing up.  I would usually get us in trouble and he would always take the heat for it because he was too nice.  And Shanna…. She’s your typical younger sister.  She’s the baby, you know.  Bratty, kind of annoying, but not loud.  She’s one of the quiet ones.  Definitely prefers to keep to herself.  I can’t say I blame her with a family as loud as ours is.  But she’s my baby sister and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

“What about your mom?”

“She’s insane.”

She laughed. “Isn’t that description of most mothers?”

“Probably?  Is yours?”

“You have no idea.”

He laughed. “Ma is…. She collects anything and everything I’ve ever done.  Every newspaper or magazine that I’m in, she collects it.  She has a shelf with nothing but DVDs and Blurays of my movies and even the TV shows I’ve done.  She’s so proud of me that she’s bursting at the seams with it.  And she’s one of my best friends.  I tell her everything.  I always have.” She smiled. “She sounds great.  Your whole family does.”

“What about yours?”

“Uh…. Mom is definitely insane.  We don’t always get along, though.  She has very strong opinions and isn’t afraid to shove them on you.  Sometimes I get the feeling that she thinks I’m still a misguided kid that she needs to guide by the hand.  Though she’s never really had to worry too much about me because I’m boring.  I’ve never done drugs.  I didn’t have sex until I knew I was ready and it was with someone I’d been with for a really long time.  The first time I skipped school was senior year the day before prom to go shopping and like a bad episode of Saved By The Bell, I got caught by a news crew doing interviews with teenagers about the new program they were implementing at the mall.  And much to my surprise, mom wasn’t mad.  She was excited that I had done something semi-bad.”

Chris had finished getting everything he needed and they headed for the checkout counter. “So you were a goody two shoes?”

“Yeah, I guess.  I did go through a goth phase for a while.  Drove my mom bonkers because all I wanted to do was shop at Hot Topic, listen to rock music, and read vampire novels.  I even dyed my hair blonde on top and blood red on bottom.”

Chris looked her up and down. “I cannot see you as a goth.  Please tell me there’s photographic proof.”

“Unfortunately there is.  But, fortunately, I don’t have any with me.  It’s all back home in photo albums.”

He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “I can’t wait to see them.  I feel like I’m going to have the best blackmail on the planet.” They stepped up to pay and before he could get in his wallet, she ducked under him and swiped her card. “What are you doing?”

“Paying.” She grinned up at him as she put in her pin. “You’ve gotten dinner the last two nights.  At least let me get this since you’re cooking.”

“I don’t think I have a choice now.” He playfully bumped her with his hip as she took the receipt and he picked up the bags.  The girl that had rung them up was staring unabashedly at Chris and giving Kate the stink eye from the side of her stare.  Chris seemed completely oblivious as he dug in his pocket for his car key.  Kate smiled politely at the girl and followed Chris out.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“Well, this is it.” Chris said as they walked back into the living room of the spacious apartment. “I keep it for when I need some time to myself.”

“Or when you have a girl over that hasn’t made it to family meeting level yet?” “Uh, I guess so.  I haven’t actually had any girls over here since I got the place.  You’re the first.”

She blushed and walked over to the windows overlooking the city. “It has a great view.” They were at the top floor of a fourteen story building.

“The roof is mine, too.  I’ve got a little patio set up there with a grill.”

“Nice.” She turned back around to see him in the kitchen getting everything ready to cook.  Walking over to the island, she slid onto a stool and watched him work for a moment.  He shot her some smiles as she sat there.

“Oh!  Would you like something to drink?  Fuck, I’m a moron for not thinking of it.” He opened the refrigerator and rifled around. “I have beer, beer, water, beer, and oh look…. A bottle of white.  No idea how that got in there.  I’m blaming Scott.”

“Well, whoever it was, I’ll thank them later.”

“White wine?”

“Sounds good to me.” 

Chris rummaged through the drawers till he found a corkscrew and opened the bottle.  He pulled down a wine glass and poured her a generous amount. “I have no idea what kind it is.”

She grabbed the bottle and tilted it. “Oh, yum.  It’s a Riesling.  I love Rieslings.  Busch Gardens in Williamsburg has this shop in their Germany section that sells a bottle from this winery called…. I think…. Zeppelin.  It’s all in German and has a picture of a zeppelin on it.  And the lady at the store said that it was served on the Hindenburg.  But I love it.  I get a bottle pretty much every time I go.”

“Busch Gardens?  The amusement park in Florida?”

“Well, there’s two of them.  One in Florida and the one near me in Williamsburg.  The one in Florida is more Africa themed, I think.  I’ve never been.  I know they have a lot of wildlife there.  The one in Williamsburg is called Busch Gardens Europe.  It has different sections that are different countries.  Kind of like Epcot, but not.” She chuckled. “I have a season pass.  They’re doing Hallowscream right now.”

“Cool.  Do you think we can go?”

“I don’t know.  I mean, I think this weekend is the last before they start setting up Christmastown.”

Chris stopped what he was doing and turned to her. “Christmastown?”

“Yeah.  They turn the entire place into a Christmas wonderland.  There’s lights everywhere!  One section of the park has snow.  And there’s hot chocolate for days!  The Santa they have looks like the real deal.  They have different Christmas shows and some of the rides are open.  It’s really neat.  And I’m extremely excited because Elvis Stojko has a show this year.” At his blank look, she elaborated. “He’s a pretty famous figure skater from the 90s.  Kinda known as the bad boy of skating.”

“Oh.  That’s really cool.  I’d like to go to Christmastown.  It sounds awesome.”

“Well, I may know someone who can get you in at a discounted rate.”

“Yeah?  You may need to call her up and tell her to make plans for a date one evening.” He winked at her and got back to work.  She blushed and looked into her wine glass.  Three days in and he was talking about making future plans with her.  What was happening? “So, tell me more about your family.  You said your sister is a long story.”

“Ugh!  Where do I even begin with her?”

“Well, generally the beginning is a good start.”

“Ok.  I’m three years older than her and she’s not supposed to exist.  My mom got her tubes tied when she had me.  She didn’t want another kid.  But somehow, one of the tubes came untied or something and my sister was conceived.  She was six weeks early and had all kinds of problems.  We didn’t find out until about three or four years later that she’s partially deaf.  My mom babied her and my father loved her.  He never hurt her like he did my mom and I.” She took a long sip of wine and he turned to look at her. “I had a lot of anger when my parents split up and my mom moved us to a different state and she married someone new and I broke my knee and couldn’t skate anymore…. I took it out on Janice.  I turned into my father.  My mom sent me away to my grandmother’s house.  My father was living with her, but Memaw was sort of my protector.  He didn’t really mess with me.  And then my father decided he wanted custody of us both and fought my mom.  He won and my sister stayed in Kentucky with us.  Then my grandma died and I was front and center for the mental and physical abuse.  Jan was completely oblivious to it.  When my mom found out I had planned to kill myself, she brought me here for spring break and told me that when I finished my freshman year I would be moving back with her.  She wanted to bring my sister, too, but Jan chose to stay with our father.  She was going to a school where she wasn’t getting the help she needed and our father didn’t give a shit about her, so she just…. Wilted.  My sister is a 73 year old woman stuck in a 27 year old body.  Lara is going to school for her masters in psychology and she’s pretty sure Jan has Asperger’s.  All of her little quirks made sense once I read up on it.  But the damage is done.  Jan and I don’t get along that great.  I love her.  She’s my sister.  I will defend her with my life and have a couple of times.  But we spend a lot of time at each other’s throats.”

Chris turned back to his cooking before he burned anything. “It’s a sibling thing, maybe?”

“She’s a stick in the mud.  I’m a…. Well, the word vivacious gets thrown around a lot.  She doesn’t have a sense of humor, I’m kind of a sarcastic jerk like the rest of my family.  She’s the black sheep of the family.”

“Every family has one.” She took another long sip of her wine and realized she had drank it all. “Here,” Chris grabbed the bottle out of the fridge and poured her some more. “What about your brother?  Where was he in all that?”

“Uh, my brother is actually my step-brother.  It’s very rare that I distinguish that.  He’s been in my life since I was really young.  He’s had a tough childhood, too.  His mother was a raving lunatic and forged his dad’s signature on papers that signed his parental rights away so Killi could be adopted by her new husband.  My step-dad is an alcoholic, so he was too drunk to know what happened until much later.  He’s been sober for the last sixteen plus years.  January will be seventeen years.  Anyway, Killi lived with his mom in Tennessee and came out to visit more and more.  He went to college in Alabama and while he was in his junior year, his mother committed suicide and blamed it on him.  Left him a note saying it was because he left her and went away to college.  He was really messed up about it.  It’s only recently that he sought help.”

“Fuck!  Poor guy.  You’re closer to your brother, then?”

“Oh yeah.  Bad childhoods make instant connections.” She chuckled. “He’s my big brother and he acts like it.  We pick on each other and we share things that no one else knows.  He’s the one that convinced my mom not to lose her shit about me getting a tattoo.  When the asshole cheated on me, my sister in law said she had to beg and plead with Killi not to grab his gun and drive up to ‘take care of things’.  He was incredibly proud of me for giving the asshole a nice shiner.”

Chris laughed. “I’d say he deserved worse than a shiner.”

“Well, yeah.  He probably would’ve gotten it too if he hadn’t run off like he did.” She took a deep breath. “It smells great.” “It’ll be done soon.”

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“Watching my family.  We’re part Italian, so there’s always someone cooking something.  I just watched and learned.  Truthfully, this is about as skillful as I get on my own.” He checked the bread in the oven before leaning his arms against the island in front of her. “What about you?  Can you cook?”

“Uh, yes and no.  I can cook, but I’m much better at baking.  I love to make bread.  It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is usually worth it.”

“Where did you learn?” “My mom.  She and my father were both chefs for a while.  Well, my father still is.  Mom cooks almost every night.  There’s a bookshelf in the corner of the house that’s filled with cookbooks.  Everything you’ve ever wanted to make is probably in that bookshelf.”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“Oh god…. Uh…. Do I have to choose just one?” 

He laughed. “A foodie, huh?”

“Lately, yes.  I’ve decided to try new things.  I was a picky eater for a long time.  While I was skating, my diet was pretty strict.  So was the regimen.  I’m pretty sure that it would’ve made your training for Cap look like child’s play.”

“Try me.”

“Ok.  I was up about 4:30 every morning, went to the rink to train, came home, ate breakfast, did whatever studying I needed to do for that day, then it was off to school.  After school, depending on what day it was, I would go to ballet class, or pilates, or gymnastics, or weight training, then it would be back to the rink to work on choreography before going home and doing homework, eating dinner, and then going to sleep before doing it all again the next day.  I was a machine.  At the age of twelve I could leg press 375 pounds.”

“Fuck!  Every day?”

“Every day.  I got started kind of late age-wise.  I trained like crazy to catch up and be the best I could be.  And all the while, I had to maintain no less than Bs in all of my classes or else mom would make me stop skating.”

“Yeah, I just eat healthy and lift weights every day.  Lots of protein shakes.”

“Ugh!  I always hated those.  I didn’t need them much, though.  The curse is trying to put on muscle without putting on weight.  Just a couple of pounds could throw off your center of gravity and that leads to all kinds of badness.  The list of injuries I could give you that I’ve been through is as tall as me.”

“Oh, then that’s not that long, then.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, yeah.  I’m short.”

He laughed and went back to finish the chicken carbonara. “So, you’re trying new things, huh?”

“Richmond is full of restaurants.  It’s a very bohemian city, so there’s lots of different types of food offered there.  I’ve started trying new restaurants and new cuisines.”

“Ok, so what’s the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth?”

“Um…. There’s a place in Williamsburg called Le Yaca.  It’s a French restaurant that actually came from France.  I think the original is still in France.  But their food is sinfully good.  Their bread is amazing.  I love their French Onion Soup and their house salad.  But they have this dish called la crêpe au crabe.  It’s fresh crab meat and béchamel sauce with Swiss cheese and sometimes there’s vegetables all wrapped in a crêpe.  It’s so good it’s made my eyes mist just thinking about it.”

“I think I might have to break my diet for that next week.”

“I think you might have to, too.  It’s not my favorite restaurant, though.  That title belongs to Pattis in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  I’ve been going there since I was a baby.  I always get excited when I see the signs for it on the interstate.”

“It’s funny.  You really don’t strike me as someone from a small town.”

She laughed. “Well, I am.  I almost fell into the small town life.  Like a good small town girl, I had a boyfriend from seventh grade all the way until the summer before senior year.  At Christmas in our junior year, he proposed to me and I said yes because I did love him.  But a year and a half before that I had moved to Virginia and it was definitely changing me.  When I went back home in summer, I broke it off because I didn’t want to get married at eighteen.  I really didn’t want to move back to a small town with bad memories and he wouldn’t move away because he was inheriting his parent’s very successful real estate company.  But if I had chosen to go back, I would’ve been a really young mother with a white picket fence and a dog.”

“Do you regret giving that up?”

She smiled. “Not in the slightest.  If I had, I wouldn’t be sitting in Boston with someone I admire cooking for me and wanting to spend a ridiculous amount of time with me.”

Chris smiled brightly and she fought the urge to get up and pin him against the counter with a fiery kiss.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

After dinner, which had been delicious, they relaxed on the sofa.  The bottle of wine was nearly empty now.  It was sitting on the coffee table next to her wine glass.  The conversation between them had flowed easily and the silence that was surrounding them now was peaceful.  They had tried to find a movie to watch, but nothing had really jumped out at them.  Her legs were stretched out in front of her and resting on Chris’s lap where he’d placed them.  His hands ran lightly up and down her jean clad shins absentmindedly.

It was Chris who finally broke the silence. “So, what should we do tomorrow?”

“The whale watching trip sounds like fun.  I’ve never done that.  And I’d like to visit the U.S.S. Constitution.”

“Sounds like fun to me.”

“Chris, do you want to go to the game with me Thursday?  Since I have the extra ticket.”

He smiled at her. “Yeah.  I’d love to go to the game with you.  Let’s make sure the people in front of us don’t have a cell phone, though.”

“Good idea.”

“Hey, nothing crazy happened today.”

“I thought for sure I’d end up at least tripping and falling into the penguin habitat.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t have minded.”

“Nope.  I’d have found a way to sneak one of them out.”

“Cap would’ve had a friend.”

“Well, it’s ok.  He’ll have plenty of other friends at home.”

“You have lots of stuffed penguins?”

“I have lots of stuffed animals.  He’ll probably end up with Captain Bearica.”

Chris laughed. “Captain Bearica?”

“When I was back home this past June, my best friend Amanda and I took her son David, my ‘nephew’ to the Zoo and to the Science Museum in St. Louis.  They have a Build A Bear on the bottom floor and he begged to go in there.  He wouldn’t make a bear until I’d picked one out for myself.  They had one Captain America bear left, so I grabbed him and I named him Captain Bearica.  He hangs out with Thumper from ‘Bambi’.”

“Awe!  I love Thumper.”

“Me too.  My Thumper is old.  I’ve had him since I was a baby.  He’s been thoroughly loved.”

“I have a stuffed Copper from when I was a baby.”

“From ‘Fox and the Hound’?”

Chris smiled brightly. “Yeah!  Good guess.”

“I told you I’m a Disney fan.”

“I’m getting that.”

She smiled and noticed that the tattoo on his chest was peeking out from his open henley shirt.  Without thinking, she reached over and ran a finger across it. “What does it say?”

“My tattoo?” She nodded. “‘When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself.  When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.’  It’s a quote by Eckhart Tolle.”

“Pretty.  And very insightful.”

“Thank you.  It’s just a little reminder to myself.”

“I have one of those.” She lifted her left leg and pulled the leg of her jeans up, twisting it to reveal a tattoo on the lower part of her shin just above the ankle.  Around a four-leaf clover, it read “Tomorrow is another day.” “It has different levels of meaning to me.”

Chris traced the tattoo with his finger. “‘Gone With the Wind.’”

“It’s my favorite movie.  I try to watch it at least once a year.  I got to see it on the big screen for the first time ever last year and I completely lost my shit.  I didn’t even make it to the opening credits before I started sobbing.  The music swelled and I was lost.  My mom thought it was hilarious.  It’s also the very last line of the book, which I love, and a way to tell myself to be as strong as Scarlet was.  Because she was right.  It may be hard and you feel completely hopeless today, but there’s always tomorrow to deal with it.”

He looked up at her and was smiling brightly. “You’re incredible.”

She smiled back. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Tag List:

@joannaliceevans-fanficblog @jamielea81 @southerngracela @kelbabyblue @introvertedmouse @tfandtws @sullyosully @deidrahouseofpain @lovinevans

[shinovii]

Was today rather gloomy or tiring for you? Well regardless, it's all good when you're hyped up on a double feature of new episodes! Goodness do I miss these!

I just know I'm really excited to give my impressions when we get a Lucy episode to start things off! Good to know I'm not making a "Grave Mistake" with these! No way I can let something like this slip by me, so let's get started!!!

It was a dark and cold night....the graveyards were filled with dread and sorrow......and a bunch of goth kids sitting in chairs? Yes, the Mortician's Club is having a meeting, and surprising news has come up! Bertrand, the president of the club is moving away, meaning someone has to take his place in charge. Lucy, after having expressed her feelings about the result to Lincoln, feels quite confident that she'd be selected as the next prez, but that soon gets dashed as Haiku has been chosen to run the Mortician's Club. Disappointed and outright confused, Lucy proclaims that she's quite capable of being in charge and wishes to be president. Bertrand, after a bit of deliberation, decides to put it to a vote, and thus the run for the top spot begins!

Yes! This was quite a nice episode! Giving Lucy an episode involving her and the Mortician's Club was a good idea, as it opens more of a light on her activities outside of the family. She was seen in more assertive go-getter role while still keeping her usual personality. Also nice seeing Lincoln fill the sidekick role in this episode, being the helpful big brother that he is (well, as helpful as our lovable goofball can be), which also resulted in the most "out there" attire for him yet (was the goth outfit from "Space Invader" destroyed in the wash or something? lol). Gotta say though, this episode felt a bit too fast-paced in some scenes, almost as if it wanted to rush to the closing moments, not that it seriously detracted from the overall quality of this episode. Speaking of, boy did the closing moments show a surprising level of over-the-top antics (I'd question how, but I know not to do that with cartoon logic). Nevertheless, it ended on a somber, yet sweet note, leaving me quite satisfied with how good this episode was.

Also, is it just me or did they make Haiku a bit more adorable this time around?

Ohhh Leni......what can an episode like this do to keep me hyped?

Simple answer: A lot!!! Shall we begin with a look into the retail world in "Leader of the Rack"!

We join our three mall amigos, Leni, Fiona, and Miguel, out on a lunch break before getting back to work. Unfortunately, they're much too exhausted after being run ragged by their boss, Ms. Carmichael. After an.....odd lunch mix choice by Miguel, the trio are called back into work for a staff meeting. Fortunately, this works in their favor as Ms. C is off to represent them in a......sock folding conference (Wha?), and so must leave the store with a temporary manager. Said position then falls onto none other than........Leni, with enthusiastic responses from her coworkers!!! There's just one problem: with how much Ms. C was running the trio ragged, Leni worries that her work buddies may not like how she may run the place. Thankfully, with some helpful advice from Lori, Leni takes her new managerial role in a new direction.....a fun one (not fon)! Question is, will it be enough?

If my hype level wasn't high enough, this one just shot it high off the charts!!! Between Leni's bubbly cheerfulness and her friend's upbeat energy, I couldn't stop smiling from how damn energetic this episode was! Being a manager in retail has got to be extremely tiresome (both for the manager and the workers), and it really shows early on! Thankfully Leni being a "funager" had to be a good morale booster in workplace efficiency, showing us that......apparently Leni can take charge in leadership! I love this, Leni is being shown that she's capable of higher level work, giving her more to her character than what we've seen before (not to mention she seems to pick up on things a lot quicker now. Good detail!). Of course, we know hijinks can occur and it can really get out of hand. By the ending moments, it was nice seeing how Leni learned to handle her position and do what needs to be done. It ended well and I loved this episode so much! Definitely watching again!!

Also, can I just say that....

I like Fiona a whole lot now!!! Just when I thought I was cool liking Carol Pingrey a lot (and I still do! Give her more screentime!), Fiona just made it to that level for me!

I really love making these posts, it was a great way to spend Labor Day! Hopefully the next batch of episodes will be even better! Plus we got The Casagrandes in October, my goodness is this half of the year going strong!!! Until next time everybody, and stay Loud and Proud!!!

[miinkyuu]

[ PARK JIMIN, 21, DEMIBOY, HE/HIM, HOMOSEXUAL ] – welcome to the love island villa, MINKYU MOON! they’re a COMIC BOOK ARTIST/DANCER from SEOUL and they’re the BABYDOLL. people describe them as CLINGY and MELODRAMATIC, but once you get to know them they’re AFFECTIONATE and RESILIENT. i’d recognize them by their ( color-faded bleached hair in need of a touch-up, ill-fitting hoodies worn with tights, dainty ink smudged hands ). honestly, i think they’re really here for MONEY.

hi i’m cece and it has been a While since i’ve made a new muse so please be patient with me. i’ve also currently got bwl on repeat so pls put that on for the soundtrack of reading this bio, thank you.

tw bullying, homophobia

*cracks knuckles* prepare yourself for the worst intro ever because minkyu is... an amalgamation of ideas i wanted to bring to a group, all mixed up in one tiny body, okay? okay.

born on the outskirts of seoul, minkyu never really had much. an average childhood, coming from an average family with parents working average wage jobs with little leftover ‘frivolous spending’

minkyu was a student who tried hard but didn’t always do the best, much to his parents’ chagrin. he was more of a creative spirit, head up in the clouds and feet tapping out the beat to an invisible tune

he often got in trouble for daydreaming during class or doodling in the margins of his notes and tests. there was just! too much imagination to keep contained but with his parents lowkey pressuring him to go into something lucrative like business or finance, he felt stifled.

there was definitely no money in the moon funds for dance lessons but minnie.... wanted to dance so badly. he actually wanted to be an idol and would spend hours after school in the gym practicing

was kind of made fun of for it. masculinity scoffs wasn’t his strongest suit and he’d eventually decide it didn’t really suit him at all so he tried not to care. but being constantly torn down and picked apart for the thing that made him happy was hard

especially since it’s not like he was supported in it at home. so with his dancing / idol dreams dashed, he focused on another creative outlet: art 

it still wasn’t exactly the route they wanted for their child but they allowed it. he was mostly inclined to manga style art but also dabbled in cartoon characters, pop art and realism. he was very talented and sort of got an ‘in’ with the art kids at his school. it was his first friendship group and he still keeps in touch with them. 

ANYWAYS, fast forward to teenagedom. minkyu’s gender and sexuality were very much repressed but also he had them figured out. he wasn’t quite cis and he definitely wasn’t quite straight. he dressed the part, acted the part, faked it until he made it. he came out to his parents to avoid living a lie at home but it was promptly ignored and so he took that as his cue not to bring it up again.

he sent out portfolios and ended up interning for a fairly well know publishing company. that gave his parents the assurance they needed that this was a viable career but it was still begrudging at best. 

that company had an international presence and so minkyu began learning english. he’s got a solid few years of intense dedication under his belt (partially, also, because he knows idols learn it and thinks they’re so cool) and is somewhat close to bilingual now but still struggles to grasp the right words from time to time. 

he also... still wants to dance. that’s why he’s on this show in the first place. he wants to make enough money to get himself some actual dance lessons and make his hobby a REALITY, a dream career. he thinks its a little too late to become the idol like those he’s emulated but if he could at least find a career within his passion, that’d come first and foremost 

and he knows he’s good at it too. he’s got a few routines up on youtube or something probably and has garnered a tiny audience of his own. that’s probably how the show found him in the first place and so now he’s putting his comic book career on hold to pursue what he thinks is the last chance he has at making a name for himself in the dance world

LOVE HISTORY --  minkyu has had a handful of relationships. they were all short and most of them ended due to his closeting tbh but even when he was out, it was difficult. he was clingy and became affectionately dependent on his partners. he doesn’t think he’s ever been in love because it’s never been particularly mutual. if he happens to actually find his one true love on this godforsaken show then it’s an added benefit to the monetary payout. he’s a little hopeless about it. 

PERSONALITY -- in this household, we take the babydoll label very seriously & literally. minkyu just wants to be cared for, supported, liked by all. he’s a little needy and whines when he doesn’t get his way but he’s also kind of... used to it? like he’s actually put up with a lot of shit and so now that he’s finally being given the means to be his true self he’s not really sure how to act. the theatrics are played up a lot for the show because he’s DETERMINED to get a good outcome. his whole future career depends on it? underneath that ambition and drive is a very soft little thing who just wants to be soft.

[ladala99]

Spyro Reignited Countdown - Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage

Like Spyro 1, I was obsessed with this game as a kid, to the point that I would grab the controller from guests to march into the Colossus “boss fight” because I found it hilarious. I specifically have a memory of that happening. Probably only happened once.

Anyway, onto the review!

Gameplay

I’m just going to go over the points as they differ from previous titles just to avoid repeating myself too much.

The basic controls are exactly the same as Spyro 1. The models have been updated, but it still essentially feels the same. I really can’t say much here.

As the game progresses, though, Spyro gains new abilities.

He first gets the power to swim underwater, which opens up an entirely different style of gameplay. Honestly, Spyro’s underwater controls are the best underwater controls I’ve had in any game. They just feel right, and the freedom of movement you get makes underwater-heavy levels my absolute favorite in the series. Like Aquaria Towers is my absolute favorite level. Ever. No contest. Just because you can swim anywhere.

Climbing lets you get higher. It doesn’t add much gameplay itself (but was used cleverly in Magma Cone), but allows there to be certain vertical surfaces you can move up without making an awkward staircase or whirlwind. Although really it doesn’t do much of anything a whirlwind doesn’t do other than block progress until you get it and the aforementioned Magma Cone. Kind of underwhelming.

And finally, Headbash. It’s a new move. That’s usable in very specific circumstances. And yet somehow has made it into every game, including The Legend of Spyro and Skylanders. It is super satisfying to Headbash into water (and use it for swimming-in-air glitches) but otherwise it’s not all that impressive.

The only real improvement is swimming, but hey, at least they gave Spyro new abilities. Not sure why you need to bribe a guy to tell you to hold onto a ladder, though.

Collectables

This game keeps the gems, gets rid of the eggs and dragons, and replaces them with orbs.

Orbs are gotten for completing challenges. They’re also scattered around a few homeworlds, but for the most part, NPCs will hand them to you once you complete challenges for them. These challenges have a star rating that shows their relative difficulty. I’d say those star ratings are fairly accurate, for the most part.

It makes it significantly different from dragons, since these challenges vary greatly, from using powerups to do various tasks, to defeating enemies within a time limit, to finding additional collectables around a level. There’s a lot of different challenges, and some are in fact a lot easier than others.

Gems have a new use as well: paying Moneybags to give you new abilities and in many cases let you progress. It’s not all that functionally different from the balloonists telling you that you need X number of whatever collectable to progress, but it does add flavor. And makes you hate that bear. Moneybags is the character Spyro fans love to hate.

Powerups

Superflame gets a huge upgrade from the previous game, becoming a giant fireball that shoots straight at whatever you aim at. You even get a helpful aiming receptacle when you have the powerup. It’s also usable underwater, unlike your regular flame breath, and it has this really cool spiraling star effect that somehow doesn’t affect your aim.

Supercharge is as great as ever, but isn’t nearly as necessary to complete a level. Now, however, almost all (maybe actually all?) of the Supercharge areas have a track you can infinitely circle if you so desire. It’s also used in Speedways in this game, a feature which I neglected to mention in my Spyro 1 review a couple of days ago.

Superjump is used a few times. Neatly animated, but it honestly doesn’t do anything a whirlwind or a ladder wouldn’t be able to do.

Superfreeze is a new powerup used in one level. You use it to freeze enemies in blocks of ice. Neat! It also has a huge range, but since the enemies unfreeze so quickly, it’s best to be right next to them, so that part’s kinda useless.

Superfly is now in a few levels, and it is super overpowered. The developers knew it, and made the timer run out really quickly when you exit the intended area. Much like swimming, though, it adds a great deal of exploration ability to the levels you can use it in. Flying freely is always satisfying.

Invincibility is used once, and it’s pretty neat - allowing you to walk on usually-dangerous terrain. Definitely feels very freeing.

And there’s a combo Superflame/Superfly powerup in one of the last few levels. It does exactly what it says it does, and it’s amazing.

There’s also rocks you can spit, for basically a ranged charge attack. This singlehandedly taught me about arcs in aiming. It wasn’t used too much, though.

And there’s some turret(?) guns in a few levels to blast some particularly strong enemies and break down walls. Again, it taught me a lot about arcs. The fact that it doesn’t show you were exactly it’ll land like most games would is both annoying and satisfying when you figure it out.

Speedways

Forgot about these last time. Speedways now have a hidden challenge involving Hunter, but otherwise they’re pretty similar to the Flights in the first game.

These levels are pretty polarizing because they’re fairly different: they’re free-flying levels where you have to destroy/go through various objects and enemies around the track under a certain time limit. I love them, because I love flying around them. I also really love Hunter’s challenges (even though the last one in this game is way too loud).

Bosses

There’s fewer bosses in this game than the last, but they’re all much improved from the last game. They definitely scale with difficulty, with Ripto being the hardest, and Ripto’s fight is by far the most impressive boss fight in the game, if not the entire series.

Crush is pretty straightforward and is somewhat similar to Spyro 1 bosses: you dodge his attacks, then flame him when you have the chance. The difference is that he attempts to attack you back and ends up harming himself.

Gulp is huge, has two attacks of his own, and also can use the weapons you gain to use against him. This is my favorite type of boss fight, and racing your opponent to the weapons is really fun.

Ripto takes Gulp up to eleven. First two phases you’re fighting him for the powered-up orbs, and then the last phase takes place in the air as you use a combination powerup orb to fly and shoot fireballs at him. No time limit. Great fight. Difficult fight, but great fight.

All in all, very effective bosses.

Levels

They’re well-designed and well-themed. They cover various cartoon locations and are varied and distinct. Unlike the first game, some do require backtracking once you gain new abilities, which is in some ways annoying, but in other ways makes the new abilities more fulfilling. When I was younger, I definitely preferred this method, since I didn’t like saying goodbye to a level forever, but nowadays I just want to get it all done with in one go. So, I’m a bit neutral towards this.

Levels now have NPCs in them that introduce the main task of the level (almost always just to get to the end) and other side-missions which give you orbs. As before, I’m neutral towards this, since I like the simplicity of the first game, but I also love the minigames in this game.

Minigames

This is the one Spyro game with minigames in which I like them all. They’re all integrated into the level, and use the game’s controls in unusual ways to provide more variety. And speaking of variety, they are all very different. From Idol Springs’ puzzle-solving to the dashing around a small cave racing Hunter to crystals in Magma Cone to Trouble With The Trolley(tm) to the trade quest in Mystic Marsh, there’s so many different things you do. You haven’t seen them all until you get to the end.

Story

Spyro wants to go on vacation from the rainy Dragon Realms (as someone also from a rainy city, I get you, Spyro). He decides to head to Dragon Shores for a vacation.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Avalar are altering a portal to hijack a dragon to solve their problems: there’s this guy called Ripto who hates dragons, and he’s decided to take over the place.

Spyro gets transported to Avalar and, at least since Ripto blasted the portal he came from, agrees to help them out. The citizens of Avalar promise to get him to Dragon Shores as soon as they’re able. Friendliest kidnapping ever.

Honestly a bit of an excuse plot just to get Spyro out and somewhere new. But the characters introduced show a lot of personality through both cutscenes and when you speak to them in gameplay.

Each level also has a mini-story mostly unrelated to the overarching story. It’s shown in cutscenes before and after the level, and of course in the level itself. Avalar has more problems than just Ripto, and it takes a fire-breathing dragon who helps the first person to talk to him to sort things out, for better or for worse. (Like seriously, you help thieves in Scorch. And help both sides of the Breeze Builder/Land Blubber war.)

The story isn’t going to make you rethink your life or write deep fanfiction, but it serves its purpose well and is entertaining. Perfect for the Spyro world, even if it gives off a very different feel from the first game.

Unique in the Series?

This game codifies the series. NPCs, powerup gates, minigames, and especially the cast all move on to other games.

The one thing I can think of that’s truly unique to this game is the Soul Particle system - where instead of giving you treasure, slain enemies power the powerup gates. Not a bad system, but definitely is forgettable.

And Elora. She’s in cutscenes in Spyro 3 and in a trading card in Spyro Orange, but this is her only full appearance in the series until the remakes. Which as someone who does not care for romance subplots, I’m fine with. She’s a neat character, but her crush on Spyro would have been her main trait if she stayed in the series, I’m sure.

Conclusion

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage is tied with the first game as one of my favorite games of all time. It’s fun to play, and I have a huge amount of nostalgia for it. Definitely looking foward to seeing it again on my Switch, with all the graphical improvements.

[crayfish-critical]

I'm honestly super glad your blog isn't purely SU critical tbh, because at least blogs like this don't have an obvious bias towards one show and they act completely stricter on one show compared to the other. While I personally casually enjoy Voltron and BNHA (I do agree there's issues with how both treat some of their characters), and love SU, your points are extremely valid and you give good reasoning behind them besides reaching for subtext that can be interpreted in many different ways.

Aw gosh thank you anon, this honestly means a lot to me!  My goal is to be fair to most of the media I criticize.  To be honest, I probably criticize Voltron about as much as SU (and then BNHA more since I have such strong opinions on pedophilia) and I really think both of them are good shows.  I just like to scream, but I also like being fair about it!

Criticism whose goal isn’t to positively influence the original media’s creator or positively influence others is ultimately worthless imho; like hey, free country, you can say what you want about it.  As an aspiring cartoon/kids show creator, I learn from criticizing the shows of others and put their mistakes as something I can learn from.  I’ve honestly learned a lot about pacing, story structure, and character building from my problems with both SU and Voltron, and they’ve helped me sort out what does and doesn’t make a good story since some parts of them are so good and other parts aren’t.  Honestly it’s kinda embarrassing to look back on my original story now, having learned everything from SU and Voltron - but hey, that’s alright!  I’m far, far from above the writers of either of those shows, yknow?  I don’t think they’re bad people or bad writers; at worse they have a skill level similar to me.

I’ve also first-handedly put the pieces together of a show that became a mess for seemingly no reason, realizing that there was a reason and it was basically unavoidable.  There was a sitcom I watched that’s overarching love triangle bullshit became an absolute goddamn nightmare of a mess (sprinkled in between with various weak episodes that didn’t even reference the drama).  But, when you put together that a major reoccurring character would have likely been part of that plot since the beginning (as opposed to just being in the very end), whose actor got into a serious accident around the time when the episodes would’ve been filmed, the original intention of the arc makes a lot more sense.  Like seriously, once you watch the episodes with that knowledge, the pieces fit in perfectly.  The show was a horrible victim of circumstance and I just hope all the actors and writers have a good rest of their lives.

Point being, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes of a show, so I think it’s unfair to act like minor plot holes and weird pacing are some moral failing of the writers.  Yes, it’s their job to write a good story, and yes, you have a right to dislike their writing.  But it shouldn’t be seen as such a crime??

The crewniverse has made mistakes, like the Concrete incident, but they’ve tried to fix issues that they’ve caused.  Quite frankly, racism is the only argument in SU that I can’t defend them against; not only is it not my place, but it’s hardly revolutionary like their LGBT representation.  As a dumbass white person, I can tell you that Rebecca and her clue is probably more clueless than the SU critical community realizes (if you don’t live in SoCal, you don’t know how sheltered us middle-class white folks are) but that doesn’t make it okay.

However, everything else I find to be rather shit.  As a fat person, Steven becoming “thinner” isn’t fatphobia; the art style changed.  Rebecca is a BISEXUAL NONBINARY WOMAN, and I will literally never forgive the SU critical community for their insistence that her nonbinary rep is enbyphobic (bc they “present as women” and “go by she/her pronouns” and “sure stevonnie goes by they/them but they act like nonbinary is just male + female and its not” and “either way they don’t call themselves nonbinary in the canon” even though nonbinary people can present and go by whatever pronouns they want, bigender people exist, and the only valid point is the last one but its still fucking stupidly insignificant.  Like Korra and Asami didn’t call themselves bisexual [ok scratch that korra called herself “buy-curious”] but they’re still bisexual.).  And yeah, “lgbt people can fetishize other parts of the lgbt community” but do you know how hard it is for a bisexual woman to fetishize lesbians?  It’s.  Pretty fucking hard, considering she’s a wlw.  She can be lesbophobic but when you have one (1) “predatory lesbian stereotype” out of a cast of different types of lesbians, maybe you should uhhh stop policing how lgbt people are allowed to act?  There’s a big difference between a predatory lesbian stereotype and a lesbian who happens to be predatory (and pearl isn’t a predator anyways, she’s an abuse victim - that doesn’t excuse her behavior but I digress)

god I dunno, there’s just so much stupid shit that goes on in SU critical, which is a shame because it’s an idea with a lot of promise.  Really, the SU critical community developed because fans didn’t like having negativity towards something they cared about on their dash.  But since it became an isolated pocket of everything negative towards SU, it just festered and festered and what started as simple criticisms has turned into outright hatred and malice.

Personally, I hope that SU’s portrayal of LGBT people becomes outdated some day - it’s really not that bad and I think even if we make great strives in the next decades, it’ll still be able to hold its own, but as an lgbt person I think Rebecca would agree with me that only good things can come from kids shows being better than SU.  But for now, it’s far far ahead of anything else in its time, showing LGBT people as real people (or….aliens), as flawed individuals.  It doesn’t make them particularly evil nor does it make them particularly good.  They’re characters who happen to be their sexuality, and that’s alright, and that’s normal.  And that should be celebrated.  People should be allowed to celebrate what SU has done so far, and I hate how SU critical likes to shit on fans minding their own goddamn business.

I feel bad for SU critical too, because keeping yourself in that kind of environment becomes very toxic.  I’ve been trying to keep my own opinions under control (actually, that’s part of the reason I made this blog) because I can become very angry and opinionated while typing and I know that that can hurt other people.  But it’s just exhausting and toxic for me at this point to keep doing it too much, so I just write what I can but also try to embrace the positive so I don’t die of a heart attack lmao.  I can’t imagine what running an SU critical blog 24/7 must be like, it sounds absolutely exhausting and immensely unhealthy.

You have the freedom to choose to do that, but as someone who shares some of your opinions and mindsets I advise you to take a break and have things you DO like in the things you critique.  Point out things you like alongside things you dislike.  It’ll make the world so much better for you.

Overall though sorry for rambling anon haha, but thank you for the kind words!

[cdc1345711]

Rick And Morty/My Little Pony Crossover Part 3

(After last night’s night of drunken intoxication the Mane 6 and the two humans are woken up by the most useful means of wake ups-the sun)

Rick:(Feeling the sunlight on his face get’s up and yells out the window)HEY CELESTIA TURN THAT GOD DAMN OVERSIZE LAMP OFF I’M TRYING TO SLEEP!!!!!”

Twilight:(Waking up)Uuuuh(and seeing everyone passed out and sleeping in weird positions)Oh sweet Celestia what did we do last night?”

Rick:(Pointing in the direction of Twilight)Don’t you WHO you did last night haha”

(Just then Rarity wakes up........right next to Twilight)

Rarity:Morning Dar......(sees she’s next to Twilight and they both blush causing a big squeal)”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

Morty:OH MY GOD WHAT-UH(feels his head)God my head hurts.....”

Fluttershy/Rainbow Dash:(Seeing the other sleeping next to each other)AAH”

Fluttershy:OH MY GOODNESS I’M SO SORRY RAINBOW DASH”

Rainbow Dash:NO I’M SORRY FLUTTERSHY!!!!”

Applejack:I think I speak for everypony......I uh mean every-BODY here when I say never again will we drink ‘that’ type of cider again”

Rick:Not making any promises to that(drinks from his flask and sees someone is missing)hey were’s that annoying pink one with the ear bleeding high voice?”

Twilight:What??? where’s Pinkie”

Morty:AWE CRAP WE LOST HER”

Rick:Fan-Fucking-Tastic,looks like we got ourselves a ‘Hangover’ scenario Pony edition”

(Just then Pinkie arrives with boxes that is most likely breakfast)

Pinkie:(Acting like she was unaffected by the alcohol)Morning everyone-while you guys were sleeping I went out to get us supplies for breakfast-I got pancakes,muffins,toast and waffles”

Rick:How about some bacon and eggs?”

Pinkie:Tee-hee silly Ricky,ponies don’t eat meat or eggs”

Rick:Call me Ricky again and i’ll send you to-oh wait use that line already-shit-uh........know what call me ‘Ricky’ again and you can go fu-UGH-ck yourself,because I doubt any’pony’ else wants too”

Pinkie:Well I would but again this is a kids show so I can’t really ‘fudge’ myself”

Rick:Nor do I want to see you ‘fudge’ yourself.......be a waste of fudge”

Twilight:(Confused by what they’re saying she looks at the clock and freaks out)OH NO WE’RE GONNA MISS THE TRAIN TO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!!”

(So the group hauls flanks and asses to the train station-ignoring their hangovers-and gets there in time to buy tickets and get their seats and arrives at the Crystal Empire-only to be greeted by Cadence herself)

Morty:(Still feeling the hangover)Ugh-my head is still hurting,how do you deal with this Rick?”

Rick:Years of practice Morty.......(sips from his flask)years of practice)”

Cadence:Welcome everypony to(sees their faces)my goodness what happened to you girls?”

Twilight:Please don’t ask(she hears small baby talk and immediately thinks)is Flurry here?”

Cadence:Yes she is(brings out Flurry to meet her Auntie Twily)”

Flurry:Twi-lah uhh”

Twilight:AWE(uses her magic to float her over to her)Your Auntie missed you so much(kisses her cheeks)”

Rick:(To Morty)Morty whose the baby?”

Morty:Flurry Hearts Princess Cadence’s daughter and Twilight’s niece”

Rick:How the Hell did 2 lesbian ponies make a baby-did they magic themselves up some dicks to help?”

Morty:Princess Cadence is married to Twilight’s brother Shining Armor”

Rick:(Hearing the word ‘brother’)Wait the’re ‘straight’ couples in this show? I just thought all the ponies were gay”

Morty:No they’re-well some are-but not all”

Rainbow Dash:Hey know were the nearest bathroom is.....”

Cadence:Yes it’s right there(and in a flash Rainbow flies off to the bathroom)wow-but seriously why are you girls like this?”

Twilight:Well uh you see......”

Morty:We stayed up all night partying and we’re still kinda tired”

Cadence:Awe-okay makes sense”

Rick:You know that’s bullshit right?”

Morty:Well sorry I didn’t want word getting out Twilight and the others got drunk and ruin her image”

Rick:Uuugh-God dammit Morty”

(While they wait for her- Rainbow Dash flew out of the bathroom-whether to either use it or puke-she spots a newspaper with an ‘interesting’ image)

Rainbow Dash:Oh by the Princesses(grabs the newspaper and flies to her friends)GUUUUUUUUUYS(puts it on Rick’s lap)look at this...”

Rick:My God.........you use Newspapers,I mean I know you don’t have the Techno-UUUGH-gy for smartphones or tablets but......”

Rainbow Dash:It’s what’s on the front page(the image was Rainbow and Fluttershy making out while the others watched with the title ‘Princess Twilight’s Royal Fun Night’-much to the other embarrassment)

Rick:(Reading the paper)As of last night Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle,her friends and 2 monkey like creatures were drinking what looks like cider but has a different ‘affect’ than normal ones causing her friends to grow closer to one another,maybe being promoted to the Princess of ‘Love’.....’-’Monkey Like Creatures? those mother Fuc.....”

Fluttershy:(Tearing up)Oh.....my....Nooooo”

Rainbow Dash:Our lives are ruined”

Twilight:Who did this???”

 Morty:(Reading who wrote it)Awe crap.........Flim and Flam”

Mane 6:’GASP’”

Rick:Da fucks a ‘Flim and Flam’?”

Morty:Two con-ponies who try to trick ponies into giving them their bits”

AppleJack:Those low-down dirty varmints”

Rarity:The nerve they’ve gone too far”

Cadence:I swear we’ll stop them”

(On their way to the castle they meet with Shining Armor-reading the newspaper)

Shining Armor:Twily I read the paper and don’t worry we’ll stop the Pony who made these articles pay”

Twilight:It’s nothing important-what is important is helping Rick and Morty find a crystal to get home”

Morty:Really Twilight? I mean it is our fault(whispers ‘Mostly Rick’s’)that this happened maybe we should.....”

Twilight:Morty I get what you’re saying but bringing you home is more important-I bet your family is worried sick about you”

Morty:(Realizing he hasn’t been home for a day)Oh man I like totally forgot about Mom.Dad and Summer”

Rick:I take you on adventures that last a month or even a year-I doubt they’ll be worried”

(Int he real world......or at least Rick and Morty’s Universe-Jerry is trying to call his son......for the 14th time)

Jerry:MORTIMER SMITH YOU CALL ME BACK RIGHT NOW!!!!”

Beth:Wait Morty’s full name isn’t ‘Mortimer’?”

Jerry:Wait it’s not? always thought it was?”

(And while Jerry and Beth are talking Summer is sitting on the couch flipping through channels until she hits......)

Summer:Uh Mom Dad.........Morty and Grandpa Rick are on My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic”

Jerry/Beth:WHAT??”

Jerry:Honey that is impossible(sees Morty and Rick talking with the Mane 6,Cadence and Shining Armor)holy crap they are on MLP-and it looks like they found Twilight,Pinkie Pie,Applejack,Fluttershy,Rarity and Rainbow Dash, that’s smart(Beth and Summer look at Jerry in a kind of ‘really,you watch this kid’s show’ look)hey it’s a good show that me and Morty like to watch”

Summer:Dad-a grown man watching a show about cartoon ponies with his son is creepy”

Beth:Summer-rewind the episode and see why they’re on My Little Pony(as they rewind a voice says ‘previously on My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic’ and Rick and Morty say their portal gun is destroyed,need to get back and the Mane six helps them)so that’s it”

Jerry:(Makes an annoying sound)Why.......why does Rick have to ruin everything I love(Beth and Summer look at them)hey this show is the only thing that makes me happy-except you Beth heh heh(Beth just roles her eyes)”

Summer:What should we do? what would Grandpa Rick do?”

Jerry:Get shit-faced,sleep,wake up,make fun of us just for living then make something in his garage”

Beth:That’s.........actually pretty accurate”

Beth:So let’s do it then-me and Jerry will find something to make into some dimension-portal hopping device while you Summer stay here and keep an eye on Dad and Morty”

Jerry:(Wanting to be the one to watch it)Uuuuuh”

Beth:Shut it Jerry”

(Back in Equestria-Rick and Morty and the Mane 6 walk to the Crystal Mine and are looked by everypony whose read the newspaper)

Rarity:Doh I wish they’d stop staring at us”

Rainbow Dash:Hey at least you don’t have your face on the cover like me and Flutters here(Fluttershy covering her face with her wings)”

Applejack:(Spots something that burns her eyes)Oh no......(it’s Flim and Flam selling the news papers)”

Flim:Step right up-don’t be shy”

Flam:Come and get the hottest selling paper ever to hit the shelves”

Twilight:Let’s go another way”

(But it’s too late the brothers see them and immediately take action)

Flam:Well if it isn’t the Princess herself along with the love-ponies ‘FlutterDash’-”

Flim:Mind giving us another picture?”

Rick:I take you ass-bags are Flim and Flam which by the way retarded names”

Flam:Oh and they brought their monkey companions too”

Rick:I ain’t no fucking monkey you horse-shit con-artists”

Flim:Certainly has a mouth on him dear brother”

Flam:Quite dear brother......”

Twilight:Please let;s just go......”

Morty:Come on Rick these two aren’t worth it”

Rick:(Begrudgingly grrs)You’re lucky(sips from his flask)”

Flam:I wonder what he’s drinking?”

Flim:Whatever it is,must be awful”

Flam:Possibly the same liquid that made the Princess and her companions act like fools”

Flim:Seems like it dear brother”

Flam:Of course more profit for us”

Flim/Flam:Hahahahahaahahhaha”

(Rick sees that their taunting is making the girls even more sad and decides......)

Rick:Fuck it-Morty hold my flask(gives the flask to Morty and walks up to Flim and Flam)”

Flam:Oh look the Monkey is back”

Flim:Care for a banana....Wait what are you......”

(And in seconds-and off panel)Rick is beating the crap out of both brothers causing all kinds of bodily pain to the pony brothers)

Rick:(Over their beaten bodies)ANY OF YOU ASS-HOLES GIVE THESE PONY SHIT FOR WHAT THEY DID LAST NIGHT-THIS IS GONNA BE YOU(lifts up Flim and Flam’s head while the ponies drop the newspaper and run away-Rick then let’s go of them)”

Morty:(Runs up and kicks Flim in the side and Flam in the face)That’s what you get BITCHES-HUWAHHHHH”

Rick:You’re welcome......”

Applejack:Didn’t have to beat them to a pulp you know.........but I’m glad you did”

Rarity:Me too”

Fluttershy:Me three”

Pinkie:Me Four haha”

Rick:(Smiling)Again you’re welcome”

Rainbow Dash:And Morty nice kick”

Morty:Thanks”

Twilight:Alright-let’s help these two Mo-”

Rick:Don’t you fucking dare.......”

Twilight:Teehee-let’s help these 2 people get home”

Rick:That’s better”

(The Mane 6 and Rick and Morty head off to the Crystal Mines to find suitable diamonds for Rick’s machine)

THE END

[lovelycheollie]

Equally, Just Like Him (Jun)

“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Words: 2545

SEJUN=JUN’S CHILD

Hello everyone! This a requested made by an anon, and I personally had fun writing it. Somehow I was motivated and stuff and I imagined how adorable it might be. Anyway! Please be reminded that Sejun is the name of Jun's child for this one idk I wanted to use Jun's name for the child's name as well

I hope you like it!

"Jun," you mumbled under your breath, eyes still closed and dozing within the covers. Your body shifted to the side as Jun stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel covering his lower torso. He rested his sight on your slumbering state. His hair was damp from the morning shower, droplets sliding on his nape one at a time and his skin smelling like jasmine with a musky touch in it. A warm smile grew on him as he walked closer to the bed and palmed your face.

"Hey, Y/N wake up," he whispered to your ear, making your shoulders jerk a little from the tickling sensation. But you didn't budge, instead you continued to dance with him in wonderland.

"Wake up sweetie."

"Ssh, it's too early to get out of bed," you replied with a falling tone on the end and covered your face with another pillow. Jun was sure you weren't in your usual self yet, and he was very fascinated by it.

"Too early? It's 8:25 Y/N."

Shocked upon hearing the time, you rose, sitting straight with bed-ridden hair and grabbed the alarm clock on the night stand. 8:25, he was right, and it was the horrible truth.

You heard him chuckle as you rushed to fix your bed and lock yourself in the bathroom. You had no time to scold him and ask about his laughing fit. "What's the rush for sweetie?"

"I have to drive our son to your mom's house by 9:00!" You grabbed the knob, opened the medicine cabinet and eyed its contents. You took out the tube of minty toothpaste and toothbrush and busied yourself with thoughts. One minute to brush, thirty second to rinse, then two minutes to wash your face, it'll be fine.

Jun calmly opened the closet door and strolled inside to see what he could wear on the fanmeet today. He was humming with rhythm on his feet, and the grin on his cheeks never faded as he took out a dark blue turtleneck shirt and black oversized coat. He knew you'd swoon on your toes at the sight of him wearing such, just like how you did when he kneeled in front of you.

"Is Sejun awake? Please, at least tell me you woke him up," you cried as you rinsed the foam off on your face. Your silk shirt became heavy as water seeped into it, and some of your hair got wet as well. You cursed in a very soft manner, grabbed the hair blower in the drawer and styled your hair into natural waves.

"He's awake, I served him a bowl of cereal and milk, toast on the side. He's probably watching some cartoons downstairs," a snicker echoed outside the bathroom once more. "But seriously, how can you oversleep on the day you'll visit mom?"

The door opened to the side, exposing a somehow fresher version of you in curls and in wet silk. You dashed forward to him, and Jun prepared himself for the worst. Your sight was away from him though, you were scanning the closet for decent clothes. Luckily for you, the white long sleeves and black pair of slacks were still available for today.

As you were to step outside the walk-in closet, Jun blocked the doorway, extending his arms right to the other side. "You shall not pass!"

"Good reference, but I'm in a hurry, so move aside."

"Nope, nuh-uh. You're not passing Y/N."

"Jun, come on! I have to leave before 9."

His fingers pointed at his right cheek as his face went closer to you. He winked, and like the fangirl you were, your heart took a leap and your cheeks were blossoming with a bright shade of red. "Give me a kiss first. You're my wife after all. Care to give a farewell kiss before I hit the road."

"What? Oh, right. You're having a fanmeet today. What time is it again?"

"What's up with you and the time? It's 10:30 a.m. but I have to meet up with the others by 9:30, so I should go, but I can't."

"And why is that?"

He pointed to his cheek once more, putting emphasis with the look on his eyes and the pout on his lips. Jun was clever. Charming. Cleverly charming, and all you could do was roll your eyes and plant your lips on him. As soon as you did, he was beaming with joy, his smile was a virus and it lightened up your mood.

Remembering the state you were in, your dearest husband moved to the side to make way for his beloved wife. The two of you were a couple of smiling idiots, him helping you out with your accessories and leaning for a kiss as he bid his goodbye.

So you went downstairs, your attention in a sweet trance as your heels clicked on the wooden floor. The red handbag dangled on your arms while you strolled to the living room. Your son Sejun was sitting in the middle of the sofa, in his striped shirt and pants, together with the stuffed panda his father gave him last night. He was the spitting image of Jun, and you loved them both equally.

His ears perked up as you went nearer to his side. His small head turned, and the straight, curious look turned into the warmest smile you've ever seen. The kid bounced up and down, showing you that he was ready for today's adventure.

"Mama, mama! We're going to grandma's house today right?" He said between breaths as you turned the TV off and sat across him. You settled the empty glass and bowl on the tray and walked towards the kitchen. Your child trailed from behind, still holding on the stuffed toy.

"Yes Sejun. I see you finished your breakfast. I'm proud of you."

He then showered you with his loving grin, the smile glittering with the rows of his pearly whites. "You should eat too mama."

"Oh I ate already Sejun, now hold mama's hand. We're leaving now,"you told him and he obeyed. His little hand rested on your own, walking to the garage as the maid opened the gates for you. Sejun climbed to the back, his 6 year-old self wearing the seatbelt on his own while staring at your reflection.

You turned to your wristwatch, 8:45 a.m., you still had 15 minutes to spare. You thanked the heavens for giving you some time, and your husband as well for waking you up that early. The car's engine hummed in the hushed state of the morning, and soon the two of you were driving on the main road.

Seventeen's music was showcased in the morning radio as your child listened attentively and looked at the passing scenery outside. Sejun's gaze fell on the empty passenger's seat in front, then to you. "Mama, where is papa?"

"Oh, well, he has to be with your uncles for today. They're meeting their fans."

"Fans? The one that papa calls carats?"

"Yes Sejun, and he has to spend a day with them since they are his friends."

"Oh, can we go too? I want to see papa and the carats!" You took a glimpse of your child on the mirror and back to the road again.

"Sejun, papa is going to be busy today. Plus grandma is waiting for us-" a ringtone excused itself within the talk and you figured that your mother-in-law was trying to reach you. Your thumb pressed answer and turned it to speaker mode.

"Hello?"

"Yes mom, it's me Y/N. I'm with Sejun now, we're on our way."

"Oh my, where are you?"

"In the main road, why mom?"

You heard some sighs on the end of the line. "I have to cancel today's plans. I have to go to the mall and buy some furniture because this dog of mine tore some leather again. I'm so sorry dear."

"It's okay mom," you looked at your son once more. He wore a sad pout on his lips, eyes a little bit teary and all. You knew that look very well from a certain man, and he just had to pass it on to his son. "Sejun wanted to go and visit someone today anyway."

"I see, then we'll just see each other around some other time. Goodbye Y/N, take care."

"Yes mom, see you soon," as you pressed the red button on the screen, you drove to the nearest u-turn and turned to your son's delight. The sparkle on his eyes appeared again, the kid turning into a whirligig of energy.

"Mama, are we going to see papa?"

"Yes Sejun, but first we have to make a short stopover."

The thirteen men sat on the edge of their seats, smiles plastered on them and giggles were heard here and there. They were dancing and singing together at the center hours ago, showing off their talent, laughing together with the fans and making them giddy and excited. The hall was filled with melody and stunning visuals as the relationship between Seventeen and carats bloomed.

They took a breather from the fun-filled chaos for an hour and filled their stomachs, giving them enough energy to last for the whole afternoon. Soon, they were back to the front again, sitting in one line and holding on to their markers to greet their loyal fans.

Jun was the first in line since it was his job to properly thank the carats, or he believed that it was his task. His grip on the marker was firm, grinning and pleasing every carat with his soothing yet sexy voice. The glitter in his eyes never wavered as he wrote his messages and posed for the cameras. He was a professional at these kinds of things. He'd send them off to the next member beside him, aiding them while holding their hands like how a prince would. But he figured that if you were there, he'd never let you off with the others.

As he thanked and guided the fan to Wonwoo who sat beside him, a little boy wearing a Jun headband presented their album and gave him a box of his favorite doughnut. What made Jun's heart flutter more was when he learned that the kid was no other than his own little Sejun. His eyes became watery as he looked lovingly to his son. The kid was on the tip of his toes, offering the album with a grin, just like his father's. "Hello papa!"

"Sejun! Is this for me?"

"Yes it is. Please sign this album for mama!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Well," he shifted his foot to the back of his other leg and fiddled with his stuffed toy. "Grandma had to go somewhere today, so I asked mama if we could come and visit you!"

"Where is mama?" He motioned his hands in a way to tell his son to come to him. Sejun followed his father, and was awarded by letting him sit on his lap as he signed the album. Fans were head-over-heels with the duo, squealing and taking pictures of the two. The fansite noonas focused their lenses to the young boy and his father who took their sweet time.

The kid then pointed at the far back of the crowd, directly to you who smiled along with the managers. "Mama is over there. Hi mama, I'm with papa!"

"Oh, it's little Sejun!" Wonwoo exclaimed and took the attention of the other members. They waved their hands to him, fascinated by Jun's carbon copy. Jun settled the child on the floor to greet his uncles and pose with them. And as you watched the others having fun onstage, you heard a ring and checked your phone to see Jun's text for you.

The managers beside you hooted and cheered, saying that your family was perfect and such, enough to make you flustered as you accepted their compliments. You saw Jun in the middle of the stage and carried his son with the microphone on. "This is my son Wen Sejun, isn't he handsome like me? My wife is over there! Y/N! I love you, thank you for visiting!"

Everyone's eyes were on you, grinning and applauding as you turned into a blushing mess. Carats knew that the man was married, and even before you introduced yourself as his wife to the public, they knew Jun was in good hands, and that he was going to be happy. In fact, he was lucky to be married to you and to be called as your husband.

After the fanmeeting, Jun quickly ran to you, together with Sejun and the other twelve. You were still taken aback from earlier, and being the center of attention was still new to you and made you nervous. The kid ran to you and hugged your knees while hiding from his father who carried the stuffed toy and the signed album.

"You know you could've just asked me to let the others sign this album right? Did you really have to make Sejun fall in line?" Jun asked as he pinched your reddened cheeks.

"Sejun wanted to surprise you, plus he wanted to experience the feeling of waiting and falling in line."

"Did we surprise you papa?" Your child asked, and all that Jun could do was carry him once more and press his cheeks to his own.

"Yes, you and mama did. Thank you for visiting Sejun, papa loves you and mama too," he looked at you and winked, the members whistled as he locked his hand with yours. "Now let's go and eat! Uncle Woozi said he'll treat us today!"

And so, the fifteen of you celebrated the success of the event in a private karaoke room, chomping and eating to your heart's content together with the child you called your treasure. Sejun was charming and talented, attracting the hearts of all especially his parents'. As he sang his father's favorite song with his grown uncles, you and Jun shared a quick peck, hiding from Sejun's wandering eyes.

"You took me by surprise earlier Y/N. Really, you always keep on making me love you more."

"Oh geez, it's all Sejun's idea. But if he's happy with it, then I'm happy as well."

"You're too good to be true, Mrs. Wen. I'm lucky to have you as my wife."

You looked and stared at his brown orbs as you felt the same. You sneaked another kiss on his lips once more before making a satisfied sigh. Oh how lucky you were to have this man as your child's son and your husband.

"The feeling's mutual Jun. And I'm thankful to have you as well. You're not a bad father after all."

"You have to be kidding me-."

"And I love you."

He chuckled and rested his head on you. Another afternoon was perfect because you and Sejun were right beside him. And within his thoughts, he wished that the day didn't have to end. But if it was to end, he wanted to see the hues and the setting sun with the two people he loved the most.

"I love you too, and Sejun too. And I'll never stop loving the two of you."

[ashencreature]

Needless to say, when I made Ella back in June, I wasn’t expecting her to get very many partners or last as long as she has! I’m still convinced most of y’all are lost, but as a thank you for being here, I’ve thrown together a bias list of my favorite people under the cut. Thank you guys so so much for sticking around, loving my little sunshine child, and helping us grow and develop together! <3 <3 Without many of you, neither of Ella nor I would be here today! Also keep your eyes open for another surprise coming up soon. 

Section 1: The lights of my life

Aka My absolute favorites who I am keeping forever

@personnages - Lynna, you’re basically the reason I got into rping in the first place! The last 5 or 6 years have been pretty rough for us both, but we’ve stuck through them together and I hope we continue to for a long, long time in the future! I love you so much and you’re without a doubt one of my best friends! 

@annastrxng & @ladyangelaliberty - Lyssa and Angie, oh my gosh I don’t even know where to start! The three of us have also had a pretty rough last few years. But we’ll always have each other and our trip to Hershey to look back on! I miss our all night video chats and talking almost every day. But I love the two of you very much and I’m always gonna be here prodding you to look after yourselves, like a big sister should. 

@ithilwcn - Ayla!! Time sure has flown by, hasn’t it? I know I can be a pain in the ass at times, but you’re always there to listen and keep me company and I love you to death for it?? I love each and every one of your characters and writing with you! Don’t ever change.

@tulog - Ran, gosh, we’re getting to be such fossils, aren’t we? In all seriousness, though, idk where I’d be today if you and Wu hadn’t given me a chance with Wen/Ellie waaaay back in the NRP days. I still adore everyone who was in the group, even if we don’t talk much anymore, or at all. You guys truly are my family and I’ll love you all the rest of my life. 

@nogoodnessimproveme - Ari is literally my favorite Adam ever?? No lie I was intimidated when we first met just because you were so fantastic and I’m an awkward little potato. But you’re for real one of the sweetest people ever, and I would go to war for you ok? I’m so proud of you, and give Stella a big hug for me!

@i-want-adventure / @kit-itskit - Meghan was another one who intimidated me with her awesomeness. We don’t talk much anymore, but I know you’re busy and you have to look after school and yourself first, especially with how bad the last year has been. I hope things get better soon! Your Belle and Kit will always be near and dear to me for helping me find so much with my own Belle and Ella. You’re great and you can fight me!

@charmingisms - Tara is another phenomenal Kit! She’s so true to his charm and sweetness and just the way that he adores Ella. Every time I get a reply from her, I’m grinning like a fool. I wish we talked more ooc, but I adore seeing you!

@ncvcrlctgo - Milla is, I swearm my favorite Ella that I’ve seen so far. I can’t even hold half a candle to her, and the fact that she actually wants to write with me is mind boggling? I love talking with her ooc and plotting things, and just laughing in general. If I ever make it to Brazil we totally have to meet up!

@thewonderingsorceress - Ella is such a great oc! Her character is so complex but true and effortless, and my Ella adores her. And she’s the sweetest person ooc as well. I love chatting ooc and venting about problems. 

@innocentmanwithabounty - Rose is such a darling, and Vin is the cutest thing ever? I’ve never really been big on the old west genre, but Vin is literally to sweet to resist? He’s such a gentleman and all of my girls that he’s met so far adore him. I can’t wait to see what comes for him and Ella!

@safeinmyheartjxr - Allie! From the moment you first messages me about making Miles, I knew we’d be close. I’m super protective of you, and anyone that messes with you has to go through me first! I know things are rough rn with school, but I’m always here if you ever just need to talk. We don’t even have to be writing, ok? I’m always here. 

@villagebeauty - I miss Sam! Her Belle was so sweet and fantastic! And she was such a doll to  talk to ooc. I hope everything is going well for you, darling! 

@roastytoastyprincxss - Amy is such a great Nuka, like?? My inner child just squeals every time I see her on my dash because I feel like I’m watching the movie again. Not to mention, he and Ella are the cutest thing ever! Our poor babies! They’re gonna say screw everyone that hurt them and make it on their own!

@avaloranxchancellor - Raven is such a doll! I don’t know like anything about Elena, Avalor, or Esteban, but I adore him anyway? He’s so polite and gentlemanly. And how protective he is of Ella is the sweetest thing. God knows my poor girl needs it! I can’t wait to see what else we can come up for for them!

@smallmeanssafe - PAPA!!! XD The best Maurice right here, ok? Ella, Belle, and I all adore writing and talking with you, darling!! Plus, I love hearing your ideas for fics and how to make our poor little family suffer. 

@mcrmaidscales - Foxxy is such a great Ariel! I haven’t gotten that far into OUAT yet, sadly. But I can definietly hear the cartoon Ariel coming through in her writing. If the show is anything like this, I’ll love her! Plus like I love her and Ella’s friendship? They’re so supportive and caring, and like sisters should be. Give me Ella being friends with more princesses! I want it! 

Section 2: I just wanna love you

Mainly those, partners and not, I don’t know very well, don’t speak to that often, or just love in general.

@asktheprinceofdarkness - Maddy was so understanding of the fact that I know absolutely nothing about KH, and I’m glad that she was willing to overlook that because Xeha with Ella is so cute. I get the feeling he doesn’t trust easy but the fact that he does her is just the cutest thing!

@mostpeculiarmademoiselleetmsieur - Caity is another fantastic Belle that I’ve looked up to for a very long time! It was amazing getting to write with her on my Belle, and I just want to thank her for giving me a chance and tell her to never change and keep writing no matter what because she’s amazing! 

@the-one-true-queen / @forgottenroyal - Jessi and Alice are fantasic? She’s one of my favorite Ocs that I’ve come across in my like 6 years on Tumblr rping. She’s so well developed and natural, and I’m jealous honestly??

@ellasmxther - Oh gosh where do I even start? When I made Ella, I honestly wasn’t expecting to find either of her parents, or if I did, I figured they’d all be inactive. And when Tara followed me, I had a mini heart attack. I love giving Ella and Elias a chance to spend time with their mom, and hope we get to do more stuff in the future!

@findthebxrd - Ok, talk about screaming! When I first found out there was a Dug blog, I’m pretty sure I cried because Dug is the best, and everything about this is just too precious, too pure, and too perfect. I love having Ella interact with him as a puppy and a dog, and I can’t wait to see how it goes with him as a human! 

@imthelcstprincess - I’ve seen and followed quite a few Rapunzels across my blogs, and Lissa is a great one. She gets the innocence and carefree part of her nature with ease. Plus like I love her fcs! AnnaSophia is perfect for younger Punz, and I honestly wouldn’t have pegged Taylor as being older Punz, but I dig it in a way??

@whatshouldbedone - Kira is another amazing Ella that I can’t believe followed me, and another of my favorites! We don’t write together, although I’d love to! I hope everything is going well for you, dear, and your hiatus is the break you need!

@askjoeharper - Jenny and I haven’t written together other than Joe and Ilse, but she’s very sweet and he is a precious little dear! I honestly couldn’t get through Tom Sawyer, but I adore Joe and I would love to write with both of them again.

@riisingfromashes - Annie is such a sweetheart! I love that her muses are all so different and they all seem amazing! Belle loved Antoinette. I’d love to write with her again as well!

@princebete - Honestly another fantastic Adam that I’ve admired for years! I’m so glad to see that they’re still around and haven’t given him up! Seeing them on my dash is just such a great thing, and I always smile!

@fatherofnarnia - I miss Lina and would love to get to write with her again as well! Her Aslan is fantastic and I’m honestly blown away by how she’s able to do it. 

@sweepthecinders - Aurélie is precious and Ella totally wants to take her under her wing. She’s such a well developed OC and a precious little one! Plus like, writing little kids is hard? But they do it fantastically well! 

@wcnderment - I’ve only interacted with them briefly for Aurora, but I loved it! Her fc was perfect! And she was so sweet how she looked after Ella. I’d definitely love to write with them more! 

Section 3: Those I admire from afar

Mutuals I’d love to interact with and adore seeing on my dash

@flxbber @demoliticnist @scoobydudee @notgettingawaythistime @riffrcffed @prince-kivuli @skidrowflorist @thedonewithsleepingbeauty @gliitchiing @do-i-win-yet @minamxrray @wcstenra @heavensliight @adolescentmxrmaid @sncwkissedqveen @notalone-butfree @ncturebcy @thiingmabobs

[darkcloud-kcalifornia]

Ugh… I am already so friggin’ sick of hot weather.  I swear after this I’m gonna hole up in my nice dark room with my fan blowing and Christmas tunes playing so as to help me think cool thoughts.

 Anyway, this episode of My Little Pony is “Marks for Effort”.  No idea what it’s about so let’s just get started.

* The CMC show how unlike normal kids they are by trying to break into a school.

* Scootaloo sees a broom, dust pans, mops, scorch marks from dragon fire…

* I have doubts about the academic credentials of the teachers in that school.

* Did Twilight just leave Spike in charge of her class?!  I mean OK, the kid helps prepare the lectures so he likely knows what she wants to talk about, but that doesn’t make a kid who just hit puberty a qualified substitute.  Even if he is probably more qualified than some of the ones I had growing up.  I swear thanks to nobody passing along any info we must have had the same lesson a dozen times…

* Starlight is bored out of her mind.  That could be trouble.  Boredom sometimes leads to ill advised acts similar to villainous schemes.

* And Twilight shoots down the CMC immediately.  They know friendship.  They need regular learnin’.  Get back to Cheerilee’s class.

* Meanwhile Dragon Lord Spike takes loyalty oaths.  Probably for the best Smoulder is currently in AJ’s class.  I’m not sure if she’d mock him incessantly for this or join in the fun, but either way it’s probably for the best.

* The CMC are going to be intentionally trying to make themselves look like horrible friends so they can get into the more fun looking School of Friendship.  Whelp, here come the wacky shenanigans.

* Rainbow Dash was actually thrown off by a pair of joke glasses.  Maybe she’s the one who needs eyewear.

* Oh hey, something other than shenanigans!  The CMC actually have something to do this episode.

* So the pink filly with blue curls, freckles, and a sickingly sweet tone of voice is crying because she’s finding the School of Friendship too hard as she’s new and doesn’t have any friends there.  Sounds like a job for… the guidance counselor!  No seriously, she’d love you immediately just for giving her something to do.

* “Cozy Glow”?  Not sure I’m hearing that right over her saccharine accent.  Seriously, this kid is just ugh.  And that’s coming from a guy who choses to watch a cartoon about pastel ponies being friends.

* I wonder if the ponies in question know that they’re supposed to be the recipients of good deeds for homework.  And if they all got assigned the same ponies or if it’s a random selection from people around town.

* Also, I wouldn’t really be too broken up about not knowing anything about Sweetie Drops/Bon Bon. She’s a secret agent, that’s part of the job description.

* Pink Spore sure is free with other ponies’ belongings.  Also, I’m pretty sure there had to be a better way of transporting a cactus.

* Yeah, uh, an actual confectioner is likely to already have separately colored sprinkles if she needs them.

* Hey, at least Big Mac’s went well.  Giving him more time to mac on his special somepony is a nice gift.

* Now I’m kinda curious about what the history of radishes is.  I mean, I don’t recall hearing anything about them in that culinary history lecture series I downloaded.  Though there was plenty of other interesting stuff in there.  Hmm… maybe I’m not the best judge of whether or not a subject would be interesting.

* Pink Spore is intentionally making doe eyes to get favors.  I think I know why she’s having trouble in a school of friendship.

* To be fair magic has been used for mind control on several occasions thus far.  Also, Pink Spore values Intelligence and Control.  She’s obviously a villain in the making.

* Can Twilight call ponies into her office that aren’t in her school?  I mean, she could do a royal summons I guess, but she was definitely acting in the roll of Headmare there, not Princess.

* Did… did MLP just use a “your mom” joke?

* Starlight is being completely adorkable right now.  Also, I wouldn’t say no to any of those offers.

* Ooh, I’ll take a midnight confessions, please!

* Resist the call of evil, Starlight.  Just keep drinking the empathy cocoa.

* Ugh, even in Equestria people are jerks about their gum.

* THE COUNCIL OF FRIENDSHIP HAS BEEN CALLED TO PASS JUDGEMENT UPON THEE.

* Congrats, you pass and now have jobs.  I wonder if official tutoring positions come with pay?

 Anyway, that’s the episode. It was meh for the most part, but Starlight was an absolute delight.  I’d be fine if Cozy Glow didn’t show up again.  I mean she wasn’t a bad character, but she was just annoying in her over the top cuteness.  If she shows up again I’m gonna keep calling her Pink Spore.  No, I don’t care that Chibi-Usa has a pony counterpart.  She isn’t nearly as aggravating as the pony Pink Spore.

[hereissomestuffiwrote]

2020 Hyundai Elantra

Rental cars are so great- it’s like getting to sidestep your daily driver for a car mistress, or car gigolo. Not that I have any desire to do such a thing, as I’m in a perfectly healthy relationship with an older Volkswagen. But she needed a few days off, and with this virus business I didn’t wanna Uber, so a rental it would have to be. Wanting to save money to put towards the Jetta’s possible costly maintenance, I first checked Turo, which was crazy cheap, but all they had available were a bunch of 2012 Fiat 500s. Fun fact- when my Honda got stolen in 2012 I tried to rent a car from a company through my insurance- all they had available was a then brand new Fiat 500, but they couldn’t let me rent it they said, because it kept breaking down on them. Back in 2012. So no thanks on the same car eight year later. I moved on to Enterprise, and I decided to go with the lowest-priced deal possible, which promised a Mitsubishi Mirage or similar. I’m furloughed at the moment, so this thing would just have to get me home from and then back to my mechanic’s. I could deal with an economy car just for that. 

The plan was to meet the rental agent at the repair shop where I was leaving my car, sign some stuff, and then take off in the Mirage or similar. Wanting to socially isolate as much as possible, I decided to wait in my car until the rental agent and the employee who was driving them back to their office both showed up. First, I saw a brand new Hyundai Elantra with out of state plates and a barcode on the windshield pull into a spot. I figured that was the shuttle back, so I got out of my car, figuring my rental was right behind the Hyundai. And sure enough, moments later a Chevy Sonic pulled up. A Sonic is similar to a Mirage, right? I immediately noticed that the Sonic was absolutely filthy and kinda dented up, which, whatever, I’m renting from the bottom shelf, but also that the driver was an elderly man with no face mask. Huh. Well, okay. “Is that mine?” I cheerfully asked the man, who looked back at me completely bewildered. “No” he said gruffly, and then started taking some boxes out of his back seat. Oh man, should I have upgraded to Compact or Standard? Could Economy really be this bad? But just then- “Excuse me, sir?”, I heard from the direction of the Hyundai, “I’m with Enterprise! We have your car right over here!” It turns out they upgraded me two full vehicle classes- score! So the Elantra was mine, the rental agent’s shuttle was a Chrysler Pacifica that rolled up a few minutes later, and that dirty Sonic was a parts delivery guy. Oops.  

Even though I have a perfectly valid credit card and a perfectly legitimate checking account, when I signed the Enterprise agent’s iPad iFelt like Preston in Blank Check pulling off one of his many bullshit “Mr. Macintosh” transactions. Like, handing over a piece of plastic and scribbling incoherently with my finger on a tablet screen = unlimited access to a brand new motor vehicle? Whaaaat? But it seriously was that easy! Plus, COVID-19 precautions meant my agent just straight up left the keys in the ignition with the car running- one less point of contagion. He was super nice though, and wiped down everything before leaving the car to me. Of course, I pretended that we were both criminals and he was cleaning his fingerprints off a getaway car before handing it over to me for disposal. I also kept thinking about the rental car scene in the awesome buddy-comedy My Fellow Americans in which a little Hyundai is used as a punchline-

Spoiler alert- things go really, really well with the Lexus-

Jesus, what was it with abusing rental cars in 80′s and 90′s comedies? The poor things got less than no respect. 

Insane that twenty-four years later, the two brands really aren’t a whole lot different anymore. Side by side, my brand new Elantra and a Lexus IS don’t even look particularly dissimilar from one another, save for the latter one’s more pronounced gaping O face. Even with a more staid design, the Hyundai certainly doesn’t at all appear notably goofier or cheaper in comparison.

Once inside, the Elantra seemed like a nice enough place. I went to grab a CD out of the Jetta (Yes, like a grandpa I still listen to compact discs in the car, don’t judge) and then realized upon closer inspection that the Elantra didn’t even have a CD slot. Since I couldn’t understand the deal with the satellite radio- it seemed to me like the previous renter had only activated five stations, and they were all Catholic talk radio stations- I just defaulted to my favorite local FM channel. Whenever I’ve been given a rental car in the past, I compulsively have to see how loud the volume on the stereo will go before it starts hurting my ears. And I’m happy to report that the Elantra was capable of boosting “High” by The Cure to an acceptably window-shaking volume. With that important business out of the way, I could see what else was up with this car. It had a sportshift kinda gear box, I guess Hyundai’s is called SHIFTRONIC®. 

I messed around with it, it seemed responsive. Downshifts really did slow the car considerably, and upshifts seemed to make it go faster, but I don’t know, my foot was also on the gas, so maybe it was just a placebo effect? Either way, I’m a big fan of manumatics- it’s always good to look down and see the little S and the plus/minus. It’s a welcome bonus touch, like when a deli sandwich comes with a pickle. Even if you’re never going to want or use that pickle, it’s just nice someone made the effort.

Next, I needed to push this “Drive Mode” button and see what that did. Sadly, hitting it did not cause toothpicks to dispense from the sun visor and “Nightcall” by Kavinsky to boom over the sound system, lame. But, instead, it pulled up this dope TRON-esque graphic of the Elantra on the touch screen-

I just love it when digital renderings of cars appear on their dash screens. Second only to visual equalizers, they’re my favorite completely unnecessary yet supremely cool thing that a display can offer me. The fun cartoon in the Elantra explained that I had the choice of three modes- Smart, Normal and Sport. The Catholic talk radio renter had been driving it in Normal, no surprise there. I was on the highway at this point, so I decided to get crazy and punch it into Sport. And believe it or not, it made a huge difference! I once drove a Mini Cooper S with a manual, and while Elantra Sport Mode certainly wasn’t that vivacious, it was much, much more fun than Elantra Normal or Elantra Smart. Okay, full disclosure- I didn’t even bother to check out Elantra Smart- I spent too many years driving a Prius to care to see what the “nerd setting” felt like- I can imagine vividly, thanks. 

It wasn’t until I arrived home that I even bothered to see what the key situation was. Like I said, they were theoretically in it, as the engine was on, but not until pulling up near my house did I think to make sure that they were actually in the car. They were though, dangling from an ignition cylinder the way car keys are supposed to. I myself hate proximity fobs, push starts and such- they make me feel too disconnected. I have too many years of the muscle memory of my fingers gripping a physical car key, turning it, and feeling the vibration of the engine starting to ever get used to anything else. To me, that sensation also turns a key in my brain, and once that’s turned, it is like “Okay, we’re operating a car now, pay attention”. Without that ritual, I can’t focus on my driving quite the same way. I would imagine it would be similarly disorienting if suddenly all cigarettes just came magically lit right out of the pack, long time smokers would say “What the hell? I enjoy the act of flicking my Zippo, that’s part of the whole thing!” You know? Lucky for me, the Hyundai had keys-keys, albeit surprisingly budget looking ones-

My friend’s mom had a 2004 Elantra that he’d borrow and I’m fairly certain the keys for that thing looked almost identical. A quick Google search proved me right.

C’mon Hyundai! This thing was a two-thousand and twenty! And it wasn’t even the base model. Not even a switchblade? Or a buttons-built-into-the-top-of-the-key type deal? Nope. Key and separate fob, 1995 style. Oh well. Since I’m on furlough at the moment, I didn’t really have anywhere I needed to go, so I just left the Hyundai to sit until the Jetta was ready. When I got word that the VW was all put back together, I headed back into the countryside in the Elantra.  

Enhance! It’s hard to tell, but that’s a genuine Passat W8 all-wheel-drive wagon in front of me. 

When I got closer, I noticed that it was full of yard work equipment, and getting pretty beat looking. Sitting behind it at a red light, I noticed the two young guys in it were rocking out to music. It was warm out that day, so since we both had our windows down I could immediately recognize Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” slapping through the Passat’s Monsoon speakers. The two guys nodded along with it enthusiastically for a few moments before starting to laugh and changing tracks on either a mix CD or a Spotify playlist or whatever. Ohhhh, they were rocking out to it ironically. The plot thickened. If it was a mix CD, were they driving a borrowed car and laughing at someone’s taste, as my friends and I did when we commandeered a dad’s Lincoln LS and found “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins deep within the trunk mounted CD changer? Or were they a couple of Gen Zs cycling archaeologically through a Woodstock ‘99 playlist on a streaming device of some sort? I’ll never know. Anyway, bawitda-back to my story about the Elantra. I had to put a bank-busting $3.12 worth of gas into it so that it would have a full tank before dumping the keys into my mechanic’s after hours slot and happily reclaiming the Jetta. Not that there was anything wrong with the Elantra- as has been stated endlessly elsewhere, it’s truly amazing how far Hyundai has come over the last twenty or so years. I guess the rental company wasn’t as enthusiastic about the little car’s innovations or maybe they were just used to them, as I got a call from my mechanic a few days later telling me it still hadn’t been picked up. I called the rental people who assured me they would be coming to grab it, they had just been busy. Since my mechanic has plenty of land, and since my credit card had stopped being charged, I left the situation at that. I’ve heard nothing further, so for all I know the car either got collected or it’s still just sitting out there in the fields, now in use as the nicest chicken coop in all of the Amish Country. If that’s the case, those chickens are in for a real treat! Hopefully they’ll have more luck figuring out the satellite radio than I did.