#but i have to hand it to the jonas writers: it's pretty amazing how you managed to be soooo racist while only using white people

[gedankenspaziergang]

Diversmagazin Interview  Translation

Diversmagazin released an interview with director Sarah Blaßkiewitz and Head-Writer Jasmina Wesolowski today. Read it here in German.

Jasmina (she/her), DRUCK writer since season four and head writer since season six together with Jonas Lindt. In a writers Room with Paulina Lorenz and Raquel Kishori Dukpa (Jünglinge)

Sarah (she/her) director of the last four episodes from season six

I’m leaving out the general introductory questions.

Alicia: Can you talk about the writing process? And what’s the most important thing for you while writing and telling stories?

Jasmina: We especially wanted the profound exchange with young adults who represent our protagonists. For season six we had the challenge that we wanted to tell the lovestory of a Gambian-German girl and a Vietnamese-German girl, perspectives that aren’t represented in the writer’s room. That’s why we talked a lot to research partners, to make up for our lack of knowledge/ experience, but we also talked to the actors and actresses.

Alicia: Why do different directors work on DRUCK?

Sarah: We try to produce as much in real-time as possible. And of course, we have to pre-produce but still have to work [overlappingly]. While one director is already in the editing phase, the next one already starts to shoot. Another reason is of course, that this way, also in the writer’s room, there’s more space for diversity.

 Alicia: It’s similar to the writer’s room. You’re also dividing the writing of scenes between different people. … Are you working together with racism and LGBTQIA+ experts?

Jasmina: I think we all have blind spots and that it’s absolutely impossible to end up with a perfect result. It was an important first step, that the Jünglinge collective joined. They are big advocates for queer BIPoc representation in German media. They were always present for feedback loops and made all of us, crew, actors and actresses, participate in an anti-racism workshop. We were lucky to have the brilliant author and anti-racism trainer Arpana Berndt, who advised us on these topics. On top of that, we did a lot of research on different topics. I think now it should be the only way to produce movies and shows this way, with an intensive research phase. This way you don’t appropriate the stories of others and also don’t tell inauthentic stories or, in the worst case, use hurtful clichés/stereotypes. It was helpful and needed that Black perspectives were present also behind the camera – Sara as a director, but also in the social media team, make-up department or costume design. But we are also aware that more can be done.

Sarah: It’s important to me to highlight the make-up and costume design department. When I, an afro-German person, joined this project and met other afro-German women in those departments, who can relate to me, the character of Fatou and Ava, I was really glad. I can say from many years of experience that that’s not a given.

 Alicia: How about experts on LGBTQIA+ issues?

Jasmina: To talk a bit about the process: We were set on Fatou being a lesbian pretty early on, and that was already discussed in the earlier writer’s room, where that perspective wasn’t present yet. In the beginning, those were loose ideas, and we had to implement them with the casting. The casting team Raquel Kishori Dupka, Melek Yaparak and Angelika Buschina worked closely with the directors and contacted different institutions and specifically asked for actors and actresses who could be queer. At this age this is of course a super sensitive topic. You don’t want to force young people to [define themselves/come out]. It’s a huge challenge to handle that with care and it was extremely important that the Jünglinge collective was part of the casting process.

But also, apart from the casting process, we profited a lot from the queer people in the writer’s room in the cast.

Sarah: For my part I asked the authors and queer people “What would you like? What is nice? What hurts? What’s important? Or what have I never seen before?” And then I put those different experiences into the different scenes. On top you of course need common sense (?) to portray something that you haven’t experienced yourself.

 Jasmin: I just thought of a small really beautiful example: How Fatou was given these rainbow socks as a Christmas present. You immediately notice, that was the idea of a queer person who knows what non-queer parents give to their kids as gifts. The fans notice: Queer people were in the writer’s room. Or “Ah, these actresses know, what they’re doing.“ And those are the small things that make a difference.

 Alicia: For sure! In DRUCK you notice that queer people were part of this in really subtle ways, and that [resulted] in really nice fan-moments. I can confirm that.

Right now, the community is discussing the conflict between Mailin and Ava a lot. What role does that conflict play for you and what does it teach us?

 Sarah: I’m editing the last episodes right now, so I really feel it, also because you already see the reactions online.

For me, the conflict is important because it shows over a long period of time, that not everything is always only good or only bad. That it takes a lot of time, patience and confrontation to understand all nuances of that kind of conflict.

That Ava could be prevented to outright say what’s bothering her, because we’re talking about a really serious trauma of exclusion. How do you even tell people really personal stuff when you were bullied for years? And now we have that conflict, that seemingly takes forever, and you’re always asking yourself: “Why aren’t they talking to each other?” But it’s only in real time that you realize how hurtful this conflict is. How hurtful it is what they experience. What racism means, and also what it means to [deal] with that topic as a white  German girl. And I think it’s really important that everyone is going through that with this season. That takes time and sometimes hurts. And you don’t always understand Ava and you don’t always understand Mailin. When we really [dedicate ourselves to understand this conflict] then I think, we can experience what for example a person like me experienced their whole adolescence. I’m not saying I was bullied my whole adolescence, and maybe it wasn’t because of the color of my skin, but because of something else. But that went on for half a year. After being bullied in school for half a year you’re not up for school and your classmates anymore. And you don’t talk to them anymore. And if people realize that because of this season then I’m glad. I think it’s really touching that this conflict takes up so much space.

 Jasmina: I found it really interesting what you said about the nuances, because it was a real process for me to learn how many facets this conflict has. And especially that us white people, who grow up in a society with structural racism, have a particular idea about what racism means. And that’s not a detailed and uncritical perspective of that topic: As soon as you call me racist, I feel attacked and start defending myself.

The role that this conflict played for us was to show how incredibly exhausting it is as a Person of Color, to always have to deal with these problems and that there’s a kind of fatigue, that you don’t want to talk (or should want to talk) about certain topics anymore, especially if you have other things going on in your life on top of it.

On the other hand, we have Mailin, who has a strong desire to understand. She’s not aware of her privileges as a white girl. We want to take this journey together, when she starts to realize things and when she goes through different stages; until she understands, what it is really about. We also have an arc there that isn’t finished. Because in real life, you have to deal with some topics over and over again. We think it’s especially important to show that it’s not the job of Black people to explain racism to their white  friends. By now, they have all the resources to educate themselves and to talk with other white people about this topic, to unburden Black people.

 Alicia: That’s really interesting! The lovestory of Kieu My and Fatou is an important part of season six, which many queer young adults love. How is the relationship between Fatou and Kieu My representative for a generation?

Sarah: I can actually also see it in an older generation. When I send the cuddle clip of Kieu My and Fatou to my grandpa, he says “Wow, how amazing that a Viet-German and a Afro-German girl are lying in bed together, talk in German and are in a relationship.” This generation hopefully isn’t alone anymore, for example in the sense of: being the only Afro-German person in a small city. That changed and now we see it in that second and third generation. And that’s why it shows me something very real and beautiful.

 Alicia: Which scene are you really proud of and why?

Sarah: My favorite scene, and one I’m really proud of and that was really important concerning the pressure of school, was with the main character Fatou. It’s about a path of finding yourself from Fatou and a [Reinigungsmoment] with her brother. Two people, who know each other from the moment of their birth, are sitting together. When I read that scene I thought yes, I can relate, I can feel that, and when we shot that, a world opened for me. And that was partly because of the music, which was decided before we shot this scene. Then we shot it and it was fucking cold, but we shot it again and again but every time we really felt it like the first time. And when I now watch that scene while editing, it really is the perfect moment. Every facial expression is perfect, every reaction. And that’s that kind of truthful (?) moment you’re looking for as an actor, actress, director or author. When everything fits.

 (There’s a script for every social media part, What’s App Chats and ideas for social media stories. )

 Alicia: When can we expect the next season and what will it be about?

Jasmina: For now, DRUCK is finished and we have to wait how it will continue. Fingers are crossed and of course we’re hoping for a new season.

[Note by me: We‘re not gonna spiral, Jünglinge looked for more writers, Black writers, on facebook a while ago. Nothing is safe but they probably don’t want to make any promises]

#druck #I hope it's understandabl vghghv #It was really cool to hear their thoughts on the mailin ava conflict and bullying storyline

[lucidpantone]

In your opinion, what are the bottom aka worst 5 seasons of the skam universe and why do you feel that way?

Ughhh I feel bad its a split between new gen seasons and sana seasons but not because of the sana's they are all amazing but the writing for some seasons yikes.

Worse to least worse:

Wtfock s4 kato: I hate that season so much for multitude of reasons. Racist, bad main acting, awful writing, mediocre directing. Like you name it happed in this season.

skamfr s6 lola: My god was this season bleak, heavy handed, problematic and just a sides way cake of fucked up. I was exhausted after watching it. Also i am fine with the topic of addiction but then we forget like the next season that lola is meant to be clean. Yea it was a whole shitshow burrito.

Amira ES and Yasmina wtfock (sana seasons) and imane : The actresses were great I adore Nora and Hajar. But man these scripts were rough. Firstly why the fuck did we spend so much time on anyone but our Sana's?!?!? Happened in both remakes like I do not care about Blonde ambition and the Lucas recreating an Isak mini season it was not for me. Both girls were just treated like shit throughout the whole season. At least yasmina had younes and tho I love dani I didnt like him with Amira. Mainly because wasn't a fan of his attitude towards her beliefs and I know thats what the writers wanted to show her struggles but it felt like all the Espana girls got these beautiful love stories and Amira got an overcooked pancake. I felt like they did baby girl dirty and i didnt like it. Yasmina, yea she gets younes which am happy but the season also highlights how all the girls are shitty friends and that she should probably drop them as soon as she gets to college. Yea idk those season were super rough for me.........also Skamfr S4 Everyone's a fucking racist and terrible friends. Thats the plot.

Skam Austin s1 literally made the most unlikeable jonas character ever. You know usually I have empathy for both sides of the eva/jonas relationships. But with Marlon, fuck that guy. Pretty sure he was also dealing or whatever on the side. Megan was legit experiencing some form of trauma with all the drinking too. Once again they made marlon/jonas so terrible the only thing I wanted out of that season was for them to break up about two episodes in. He isn't miguel espana s3 bad but marlon is a fucking asshole and not in the redeemable way. Ughhhh really made the most unshippable eva/jonas remake couple.

Note-able mention: skamfr s2. Charles is a demon. Thats all.

#skam france #wtfock #skam austin #skam espana

[stoneantler]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite works

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works.

Thank you @iressails for tagging me :)

1. I really love eternity is also full of eyes, which is a Dark fic about our favorite doomed trio (Noah, Jonas, Elisabeth) struggling against the apocalypse, themselves, and fate itself. There’s lots of parts of this series that I love but what’s really special about it for me is what I learned while writing it. I don’t really consider myself much of a fiction writer and my true love will always be poetry but something clicked for me while writing this series. I kept pushing it and rewriting it and revising in a way I’d never done before until I had this story I liked and understood. I’ve also gained a few friends from this fic which is a bonus :)

2. This drawing of Flint and Madi. They’re both so pretty? I have a ton of failed Flint sketches but this one came out so nicely? Somehow leaving Madi’s clothes unfinished has a kind poetry to it?

3. My Trust FX fic Cleanse us of our human skin. It was cathartic and ugly to write and I love it. In particular, I love all the lyrical little moments in this fic. The swifts in the evening sky as two people are sitting around talking, the cigarette exchanged in the dark in the wake of violence, the crying dog in the yard and how it parallels Primo.

4. I haven’t posted these anywhere else yet but I did of series of 20+ bird paintings this month. Here’s my favorites from the whole batch:

5. I’M NOT LINKING THIS BUT I FINISHED MY THESIS THIS YEAR AND I JUST NEED TO GUSH ABOUT IT! I finished a small volume of poetry for my MA this year and I cannot emphasize enough how much I love it. I did a public Zoom reading with my graduating class and just, it was a beautiful moment for me, listening to the music of my words and the music of everyone else’s words. I found the draft of my thesis that advisor handed back to me right before quarantine started and I remember the first thing she said at that meeting was, “This is such a beautiful collection, you have the beginning of a book here.”

I’m tagging @deadendtracks, @caravaggiosbrushes, @agarlandoffreshlycuttears, @empirics, @kahootqueen69, @vikkicomics, @pippinlindenmere, and @pendragyn or anyone else who thinks this looks fun!

#my art #tag game #writing #my fic

[lukasalexanderupdates]

Highlights Lukas Interview with serienjunkies

Here are some highlights of the podcast with Lukas, 2 writers of season 3 and the director of the final 3 episodes of season 4 which was recorded during the DRUCK Fan Event in Berlin:

Lukas

he talks about how David joins the show in season 3, that he is new at the school and how we don’t know much about him. He mentions how David meets the main character of the season Matteo and that we immediately notice there is a different kind of relationship between them. Throughout the season we discover that they have a romantic relationship and that David has a secret. That he is transgender and that it’s difficult for him to deal with that in regards to Matteo.

He talks about how in the original the character was bi polar but that in DRUCK it was restructured, that the casting call asked specifically for a transgender actor.

Lukas says how he watched SKAM and was critical of DRUCK at first but was positively surprised. He says that he started acting when he was 10 years old so he knows the casting process. He was more nervous for the casting for DRUCK though. At first he sent in a video, had to wait a month a half, that they made him wait but then eventually they invited him for a live casting which he did with Anselm (Jonas) since Michelangelo was working at the time. He says how no-one ever came up to him and told him he got the part. It just happened somehow. When he then ended up on set and was filming his scenes he figured he got the part.

He was asked if he got involved with the writing, if he was happy with how the writers handled it all. Lukas says the writers are super nice, that he is actually friends with a lot of them now. He explains how the writers met and wrote with a lot of people who are transgender before he got even cast to find out what it all entails to be transgender which Lukas really appreciates. For the final 3 episodes where the topic is featured heavily they consulted Lukas and he also worked together with the director of those episodes Chris Miera, to adjust the scripts, for instance how you say things, how you pronounce things. Lukas appreciates that they gave him the opportunity. He is asked if he got a writing credit. He doesn’t think so but he got a credit as a consultant. He jokes how he can put it on his CV.

They ask him about transgender characters in US shows like Pose, Orange is The New Black. They ask how he sees the development in the US and what he wishes for Germany. He is really happy with the development in the US. That it’s nice to see more trans rep. That it’s one reason why he did DRUCK. That he did it for his old self since he wishes he had had such a role model himself back then. He thinks in Germany things are happening as well. He does say we need to give Germany a bit more time to develop. He points out how there are trans characters but they typically get played by cis people. He thinks that’s ok for the moment since it’s a development. That it’s positive that there are trans characters at all. 

The interviewer points out how the only trans characters in Germany she can think of were in soap operas. She asks if he can think of any. He says he can’t. Back then he didn’t find any either. For him it was a British guy on YouTube. He says he thinks it’s super important to have someone to look up to. He is super happy if David can that be for some. 

He says a lot of fans write him via social media. That it’s so much that it’s hard to really grasp sometimes. He gushes a bit about the convention in Paris. How some came up to him to thank him for David but also his presence on social media. How it was amazing to meet fans face to face. How it made him truly realize in a way that there are real people behind the icons and accounts. He is really thankful.

The interviewer says she has heard a lot of international fans enjoy DRUCK. She asks Lukas if he has noticed that as well. Lukas says yes and explains that he has noticed and that’s why he runs his social media accounts in English to communicate and interact with everyone. 

He is asked about any future projects. He mentions “Soko Leipzig” and the 2 movies for the “Käthe und Ich” movie series. He says he has an agency now and that DRUCK opened a lot of doors for him.

At the end he gets asked which show he binged last. He says it’s an anime called “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood”. That it’s a really good anime.

Writers/Director

I’ll only focus on the David/Lukas related questions and answers. Also due to length the rest is under the cut.

They are asked how they approached the season. If they did a lot of research. They point out how it was a big help to have Lukas on the team. They mention how they listened to a lot of men telling their coming out stories. That the idea came from a fan whom they also interviewed. One question they asked themselves is when you ignore body parts as a whole. What do you fall for when you fall in love? They say how it was a deep and sensitive process. They thank everyone who was involved in the process for telling their stories.

The writers say they joined the team as the decision about doing this transgender storyline was already set. They asked themselves if they want to and are able to tell the story. After doing research they decided that yes, they want to and they think they can. At the end of the day it’s a story about two boys falling in love.

The interviewer asks if they wanted David being trans to be a secret. The writers said that the fans are always on top of things. A lot of the fans followed Pola Beck so they knew they were looking for a trans actor. Still some people come up to them to this day and mention how they didn’t know until the end which makes them happy, especially for Lukas. Since it’s still Matteo’s season they were debating when exactly David’s coming out should be. They wanted Matteo to have his coming out first. Additionally, since Matteo is a “slacky” they then wanted him to have to really fight for his love. The writers highlight the moment in episode 309 when Matteo yells “but now I am here” and how that gets under your skin.

They get asked which scene was the hardest to write. One of the writers points out how the original is structured really well. That once they decided how they want to do it it was actually pretty easy. Also people might imagine that the final 3 episodes were difficult since they stray away from the original quite a bit but it wasn’t actually difficult. The other writer then jumps in and says that actually the scene after their first kiss when they lay in bed in Matteo’s room was difficult. They say it was difficult because that’s the first time they had them together, it was a process to truly develop their first moment of love. They revised it and revised it and revised it. They also mention the scene in episode 301 when they meet outside of the abi prank committee. Originally they pictured a different interaction between the two but the advantage of DRUCK is that they can write towards the actors. They discussed it quite a bit and then landed on the eyelash interaction. The beginning [of the whole story] was a bit of more work, the ending basically happened automatically. 

They also get asked about the development in the US and Germany. One of them points out how great it is to have more trans rep in the media but she also points out how it’s mainly mtf, basically no ftm rep. That there is work to be done. She is thankful that the team decided to tell the story they did and that the fans’ reaction showed how much they were rooting for David. In Germany they can only think of one movie with a trans character called “Trans Pappa” but that’s it. On one hand they think it was great since that way they got to tell the story but on the other it also put a lot of responsibility on them since then it’s THE story that is told about this topic. They also say doing this season has taught them a lot about representation and what it means. That back in the day stories about trans people usually ended in them getting beat up or dying. So to positively show a trans character as a love interest, to have Matteo fall in love with David and that we as the audience also fall in love with David too. That is representation.

#druck #lukas alexander #druck fan event

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Isak season rankings (so far)

I’ve seen people doing this, and while we wait for SKAM Austin to get renewed 🤞 I thought I’d rank the Isak seasons that are out so far, according to my personal preference. People who wanted to read my Matteo and Cris meta, this is the very short version of it. 

Warning: I am super critical in this ranking. If you’d rather read only compliments, don’t click the Read More. 

SKAM s3 – Isak: I don’t consider myself a Skam supremacist or whatever the term in vogue is these days. There are many things about Skam that I’m not happy with. I wasn’t really into the idea of the remakes at first, but when they started coming out I hoped that some of the stuff I had issues with in Skam was handled better in the remakes. That said… I never had issues with season 3. I think it’s as perfect a TV season as it can get. The writing, the acting, the music, the cinematography… Everything has a reason for being there and nothing got unresolved. I don’t feel Isak’s season needs “fixing.” A good remake of Isak’s season, for me, is one that takes what Skam did and flips it and does entirely different things with it, not one that aims to tell the same story with cosmetic changes here and there.

DRUCK s3 – Matteo: I’m not sure if Matteo’s season would be as high for me personally if it weren’t for David, tbh! I fell in love with David before I even knew his name was David. My main issues with Druck s3 are these: Druck put a lot of effort in adapting the original storyline to David and Matteo’s personalities, but I don’t see the same effort with the internalized homophobia storyline. I don’t think the writing is consistent there. I also didn’t like the way they hinted at Matteo having a MI, but never committed to it. In fact, I’m not even sure the writers think Matteo has a MI? When the writers have done interviews they’ve talked of Matteo as a “slacker-type” character, not a character with mental health issues. I also have really mixed emotions about the way David’s outing clip was scripted and shot. But overall I had so much fun watching the season, I love David, I love David and Matteo together, and I love a lot of the musical moments. And honestly, it’s amazing that the writers decided David’s movie was going to be Only Lovers Left Alive, built the whole character around that idea, and that single trait explains so much about how David views himself, Matteo and the world.

SKAM España s2 – Cris: If it weren’t for David’s existence, Cris’ season would have the second spot. My issues with Cris’ season are that I feel like the writers had a much firmer hand when adapting Eva’s season. With Eva, they seemed more confident about getting rid of iconic moments or putting their own spin on them. With Cris, I felt like the criticisms they got in Eva’s season about getting rid of iconic moments made them try and include them even when they didn’t make sense for Cris and Joana. I’m thinking specifically of using 21:21and the pool scene, which had no significance for Cris or Joana’s characters. I also thoroughly hate Lucas getting hate crimed, and yes, it was handled better than in other remakes, but still. I’m from Spain, so yes, I’m aware of the cultural reasons for doing it, and I still think it was unnecessary on every level. (I’ll probably write something longer on this, because I do want to get into the ~cultural reasons,~ but not right now.) The music isn’t amazing because the music licensing costs in Spain are more expensive, but it does affect my overall enjoyment when the use of music was one of the things I loved about Skam. I also think Skam España tried to keep every fandom satisfied, which led to a more scattered season. (That said, compared to Skam’s Sana season, the POV was tight as fuck.) I don’t like that Cris and Joana didn’t have a sex scene. I understand that Irene was a minor at the time, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that Skam and Druck delivered extremely beautiful, non objectified sex scenes, and Skam España didn’t. Now, for the good: aside from the moments I mentioned, Cris and Joana were fully their own characters, Cris isn’t Isak and had her own struggles and character flaws she had to overcome, same for Joana. Cris and Amira’s friendship is everything, and considering how other remakes have handled friendships between a LGBTI character and a character of color, it’s almost enough to declare Skam España the holy grail of remakes. Also, one of the reasons it’s sad that the focus on the girl squad moves to the boy squad for Isak’s season is that the squad is at its most supportive and loving of the main in Isak’s season. By contrast, Eva, Noora and Sana’s seasons are full of betrayal and infighting. It was really so gratifying to get to see the girl squad support and love Cris. I also really liked that it was almost two queer seasons in one, with Cris and Lucas having their own journeys on Youtube and the episodes, which sometimes converged. I also loved the exploration of Viri’s character. Loved the borderline PD awareness content on instagram, for me the only valid use of Minutt for Minutt by a remake. I’m aware of the elephant in the room I’m not mentioning, but I feel like if it hadn’t been for the actors going wild on social media, that scene would have been a non event. Which brings me to…

SKAM Italia s2 – Martino: I really liked Eva Brighi’s season and I was really looking forward to Skam Italia’s take on Isak’s season. I really liked Martino in season 1. Martino’s season opened with a very powerful, factual voiceover of queer Italian people calling into a helpline to set the tableau of what it means to be queer in Italy. And then… it just got off the rails, man. Now, I did finish season 2 (racial slur and all), but I’m not sure I would have if it hadn’t been the first remake of Isak’s season. First off, they switched the order of the seasons, but instead of doing their due diligence and keep developing the Eleonora and Edoardo relationship (like Skam España did), they simply sent Eleonora to the cornfield to avoid having to deal with it. Second, the Skam España writers forced a few Isak and Even elements on Cris and Joana that didn’t fit them… Bessegato forced plenty more elements that didn’t have any relevance to Martino and Niccoló onto them. The obvious network interference when it came to Martino and Niccolò’s intimate scenes. And when I say intimate, I don’t mean sexy sex sex scenes, I mean the scenes that in Skam were Isak and Even existing in their own bubble. In Skam Italia, these scenes were intruded upon by the boy squad again and again. I’m not sure whether the Skam Italia fandom realizes that the reason the Italian boy squad is so loved is because they had a much larger role in Martino’s season that infringed on Martino and Niccolò’s dynamic. Anyway, I thought the boy squad was gross, honestly. The way the volleyball scene was shot was less about Martino’s discomfort and more about close up shots of a 14-year old actress’ sweaty butt and crotch. And for my money, I can’t understand why keeping Francesco Centorame meant they absolutely couldn’t cast an actor of color to play Luca. People talk about wtFOCK using certain tropes for shock value, but can we talk about the way Skam Italia had Niccolò literally run around Milan naked and giggling for the viewer to see? It appears that Skam was too tactful only giving us a glimpse of Even’s bare ass leaving the hotel room. We really needed to sensationalize the whole event, or otherwise it would fly over our heads how serious Niccolò’s crisis was. And Bessegato’s instagram tantrum when called out on Niccolò randomly dropping a racial slur mid-conversation was just the cherry on top. Oh, and I also hated the inclusion of Martino’s mom, but that’s more personal, so I’ll leave it at me having an issue with that decision because of hugely personal reasons I won’t go into. (Edit: I forgot to say that Filippo’s Pride speech is one of the best remakes of that scene, if not the best so far.)

Didn’t finish:

SKAM France s3 – Lucas: Okay, so here’s my Skam France story. Unlike a not small part of the fandom, I did watch s1 shortly after it came out. Now, I love Eva and Isak on Skam, they are two of my very favorites. I didn’t like Emma or Lucas. However, I love Jonas Vasquez and I felt like Yann was the only phase 1 remake Jonas that really did Jonas V justice. Not Jonas A, not Giovanni G, not Marlon F. Yann. So I came into s3 not very interested in Lucas (or Eliott to be completely honest), but fully pumped to see my boy Yann be the supportive friend Jonas had been in Skam and Yann had been in s1 and s2. Folks… I ragequit Skam France the moment Yann abandoned Lucas in that bench. And yeah, it can be argued that, while they used that moment for shock value, they stuck the landing. I personally disagree, the damage was done there, but it can be argued. Anyway, that was the end of episode 6, and by then I knew I didn’t vibe with Lucas (hadn’t liked him since s1 as aforementioned), Eliott had done nothing to get me onboard, couldn’t care less about the girl squad being forced into the season through network mandate, hated Basile and the Daphné/Basile storyline, and was bored as hell of people fawning over Arthur when the character was as lacking in substance as Mahdi, but fandom never went crazy over Mahdi in the same way (fun fact! Despite Skam fandom being much larger than any remake fandom, there were never essays about how great Sacha’s acting was, how carefully constructed his character, there weren’t people fighting for Mahdi-related usernames… I could go on). I simply can’t understand how the writers came up with the whole Polaris thing and then dropped it entirely after episode 4, and didn’t bother coming up with a twist on that motif. (You know, like the R+J and Pretty Woman twist, or how Druck used the vampire motif, or how Skam España used the Dangerous Liaisons motif throughout the season.) Like… Instead of using an existing piece of media, they created one tailored to what they wanted to do, but they didn’t follow through with it? Almost completely wasted the potential of the Lucas/light/darkness symbolism/motif. And, as I’ve mentioned with Skam España, I realize that the music licensing costs for France are astronomical, but again it does affect my overall enjoyment of the show, and the piano music didn’t make up for it.

wtFOCK s3 — Robbe: I gave Skam France six episodes before I quit. By the middle of week 2 of wtfock I was already checked out. The decision to delay Sander’s intro just completely ruined the pacing and anticipation for me. The lack of a tight POV was another nail in the coffin. How utterly loathsome Moyo and Jens were in that first week and a half was another factor. The way they resolved the issue of Milan leaning in for the kiss with Robbe was yet another. The wtfock characters having no nuance (most of them have one character trait, the most any of them have is three) was another. Initially I quit watching because I thought I’d write episode by episode posts, and I wanted to keep my reactions fresh. So I just read the transcripts. And every single thing I read in those transcripts only served to prove I was right in dropping it.  But here’s one thing I liked! I liked the blurring of the fourth wall with the spray painting of the garbage truck and the garbage truck servicing Antwerp at the time the season aired. (I could draw a parallel between the garbage truck being the first motif the season deployed, and how the rest of the season turned out, and... well, I guess I just did.)

#skam #druck #skam españa #skam italia #skam france #wtfock #brain vomit

[babypop-phantom]

I just got into Danny Phantom and made a sideblog (phantomsstars). Do you have any blogs to recommend so I can get active in the community? Thx!!

Well hello and welcome to the PhAnDoM @phantomsstars! I hope this is a good enough list. They are listed in no particualr order. 😅 I totally did not just spend an hour writing it all out.

@dannyphandump - Tali is a literal sweetheart and she was my first friend on here. Top notch Danny Phantom content and art. Also helps me run the @phandomphightclub and puts up with me and my shenanigans. Love her so much.👌

@ceciliaspen - Cecilia is sooooooo talented and a great friend of mine. Lots of Danny Phantom art and lots for her amazing OCs as well. Aesthetic and spooky af. I would die for her style. 13/10 👻

@wastefulreverie - Rev is an amazing author. Hands down at the top of my list for my favorite fanfic writers. She is super talented and so kind and she deserves so much. 💜

@ghostgothgeek - Steph is basically my mom. A quality Danny Phantom blog. Super sweet and caring. Crazy about the Jonas Brothers. 💚

@lumanae - Luma is an amazing human being. More of a multi fandom blog, but pretty active in the Phandom. Praises herself on her endoskeletons post. Very funny and fun to talk to. Makes my day a whole lot better. 🐿

@lexosaurus - Lexx runs the official Danny Phantom dumpster fire blog. Just quality shitposts. Love her so much. I still owe her for the time when I started an apocalypse in her name. So sorry. 🔥

@qlinq-qhost - Dee is a little child who needs protecting. Sooooooo sweet. Fun and funny content. Starts a lot of chaos, but everyone thinks she is too innocent. 💕

@dannyphantomisameme - Lily is a very talented artist and a very good friend of mine. Lovely to talk to. Also a great writer. 😉

@plazmawulf - Rus is sooo nice and fun to talk to! Amazing art and animation. Always shares their art progress pics with me and I LOVE them. 💚

@ecto-american - Nick deserves credit for his amazing writing skills!!! He is also so caring towards everyone and deserves more love!🖤

@reallydumbdannyphantomaus - Bug is so sweet. Blog is basically dedicated to seeing how many crazy Danny Phantom AUs the Phandom can come up with. 🐛

@kinglazrus - Laz is so good at art and writing like WhAt!?!?!? One of her fics roped me into reading more Danny Phantom fanfics and that’s kind of how I ended up here? Love her. 👑

@thelegendaryloaf - Loaf is so funny!!?!?! Love her so much. A great artist and a great friend. I always laugh at the comments she leaves on my posts. 🐝

@going-dead - Riley can write. Like heck her writing is so good. I’ve read through her blog a few times and I’m completely and utterly blown away a each time. 📝

@phantombreadproject - Dallas is so sweet and an amazing artist! I love her style so much and she needs to realize how cute it is. 💛

@daddyphannypack - Tay’s quality DP blog. I’m pretty sure we are mutuals? Anyways, I smile when I see her in my feed. 💙

@voidetrap - Fen is an amazing writer and runs a solid quality Phandom blog. 🌌

@ectopusses - Zach’s memes are great. Quality Phandom blog. I looked up to this blog a lot when I first joined the Phandom on tumblr. 🧡

@ectolights - A solid Danny Phanom blog. Good content. I like their profile picture. 💚

@shinyspooks - Kimberly makes some amazing posts. Very funny and good concepts. I love reading though her blog. ✨

@horrendoushag - Hag is a good artist. A solid Danny Phantom blog and very active. 🖌

@sputniik-spaced-out - Sput has a good blog. I believe we are mutuals? Seems super cool and runs a good Phandom blog. ⭐️

@ifellbecausegravity - Not all Danny Phantom content, but I really like this blog. ☺️

@heyheyitsstillgay - Anri is so nice!!! Super good writer! 💜

@wolfsongroar - Wolf is a great artist and runs a top notch blog. Good memes. Much like. 💗

@snappingsound - My FAVE Danny Phantom fanfic. 100% recommend following the blog for amazing art and updates on the book. 🚬

@earthphantom - Monica’s art is SO GOOD. I love her style so much!!!

@the-nerdiest-nerd-in-the-galaxy - Jules is a sweetie. Multi fandom blog, but mostly Danny Phantom. 💙

@planetgalactica - Kitt is very nice and a good friend of mine. Very talented artist. 💞

@auroraphantasma - Aura has a good blog. Much love. Very Danny Phantom. 💖

@quishaphantom - Quisha is super nice. Good art and blog. 🧡

@ghosty-graveyard - Pj has an amazing art style!!!! I could scroll through this blog for hours looking at the amazing art. It’s SOOO gooddddd!!! ❤️

@amethystocean-adr - Amazing Danny Phantom style art. Super cool. 💫

@diddly-darn-ghost - Diddly isn’t super active, but there are some top notch shitposts and art. 🥚

@d-o-t-s - Dots is a great Phandom artist. I love her use of colors and textures! Makes me very happy when I see her post a new piece! 🌈

@what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me - Also an amazing Phandom artist!!!?! Like dang the art just pops! 💖

#i just spent forever writing that #god i hope i didnt miss somebody #danny phantom #blog recs #inbox

[itsana004]

Zexal month Day 2: Kattubingu brings us together

I have many favourite characters, but only few of them really really holds a special place in my heart, and those people are:

Kaito Tenjo, Haruto Tenjo, Droite, Chris Arclight, Ryoga Kamishiro, Rio Kamishiro

But I need to mention the Seven Barian Emperors and some families for sure

There were so many other interesting characters but I don't know why I didn't get attached to it...

Kaito Tenjo because...

Kaito Tenjo is a great character! Who doesn't love him? He was such an iconic character from day he appeared on the screen of my TV. I pretended to hate him but who was I kidding? My heart melted everytime I saw his face (exception of when he does the world domination pose lol). Apart from his amazing hair and very very handsome face, let's talk about his character. I love everything about him, I really love when he roasts Yuma and Shark and snaps when Heartland arrives again in Zexal II (oh the insults were priceless) but I mostly love his other character shown to people who he cares about, his caring side. He is also very selfless, proven when he was fighting for Haruto and in the moon. I also love his egao and pride XD but it can't never reach the level of egao Mizael has for himself. I could go on and on but let's stop here.

Haruto Tenjo because...

Do I need to say more? He such a cute and a sweet kid! He is the unlucky kid who developed the illness and this had led his father, Dr. Faker to cause many outrageous stuff, and Tron/Vetrix to lead more outregeous stuff. And who could blame him? He wasn't himself, what he did to the Astral world wasn't him, he was operated to survive with what Vector given them, and also lost every memories and his father and Heartland controlled him ;-; This is such a tragedy, everything he went through, but it was only to cure him. He was a kid and deserved to live. His caring character also makes him so lovable, his worry towards his brother, chocolate and everything is so cute! :3 And omg, he loves butterflies, and he also had a butterfly deck in the manga, yeet

Droite/Dextra/Dolowa because...

I know she is a secondary character and her character is very undeveloped but she holds a special place in my heart, I think it's because I always imagined how she could have been used based on her character. I really really had hope that she could beat Tron/Vetrix but my heart was broken at the end. But hell I loved how selfless she was, and so accepting! I don't care if she's older than one year, Priyanka Chopra is 10 years older than Nick Jonas and they got married and do you think I am gonna even care 1 year age gap! And I loved how caring she was towards Gauche, they had a beautiful brother and sister relationship and my thoughts were confirmed in Zexal II in the italian dub. She is also a very cool and collected person. I also loved her roasts to Yuma, like Kaito XD Droite is a rare type of character, she threatened Kaito (who fled away XD) to protect him against Tron, and later on, he really did lose. She also holds into those memories to feel strong! Strong enough to not have her memories taken easily. Maybe they didn't show in the dub but in the sub, before Nasch activated the card 7 Barian Force card, Dumon said "You're a tough one" so she really had a chance against them. But her lack of screentime and her role really reduced her to a minor character, like many other characters. But really interested me is her past, which made me theorise and think more. But she really did change my world and I am grateful that she's one of my top favourite female characters.

Chris Arclight/V because...

He is such a great character! The Arclights, in general, were great! In complete honesty, I hated him when I saw him the first, and all the other Arclights except for Michael/III. The reasoning of their revenge was so flawed, I mean I know you hate Dr. Faker for what he did and want him to feel the same way you feel, but why do that?! Kaito and Haruto did nothing to you and don't make things worse for them than it is, don't even dare to put hands on my precious babies! Of course, Tron is a villain so be it, but V? How could he? He was Kaito's mentor and he should know how he feels, the sons are not to be blamed for what their father has done. But after I saw the good side of him, I calmed down, and I actually got to like him and imagining all sorts of comical scenes inside their livelihoods in my head XD I got to love him as a character after I saw the roleplayers tbh. But then Zexal II came out, and their return made me so excited and loved him teaming up with his disceple and how much they humiliated Mizael for the first time in his life in a duel XD

Kamishiro twins because...

They are also my precious babies and I love both of them individually and together because they are one of the best siblings in my list.

Ryoga was just another school bully antagonist that becomes a good boy at the end... or that's what I thought. But I had no idea that he would be Yugi Muto 2.0, I mean he wasn't only the leader of the Barians, but was also a king, and was reincarnated into a human body, sounds familiar right? XD

But he is a great person inside, loves his sister to death, lots of egao XD, and he's so goddamn serious that everyone imagines comical scenes with him either with his sister, Barians, the trio they are (Yuma and Kaito), and Arclights obviously IV (I know you do don't lie). I also love his deck and his caring side towards Yuma, everyone finds him gay but I find that he's a trustworthy bud like any great friend, or Yuma would have died by now and they needed to make his caring side consistent. I know he betrayed Yuma in the end but deep down inside he was chasing him all along... oops sorry wrong line!-

Now let's talk about Rio. She was the only female who was treated fairly in Zexal II and I loved her sass and the way she handles her brother and speaks over him XD It's hilarious her phobia of cats but completely neutral about snakes. Her backstory is sad and she died like 3 or 4 times??? Forget about writers treating her fairly but I intended the role ^^ I was about to dislike her because they easily changed their minds and when they find other suspicious but they were their enemy now, but I never could dislike the Kamishiro's, they were just too precious and understood how they felt.

The 7 Barian Emperors

I love them lol.

I love Alito and Gilag's humour.

I love Mizael and his egao.

I love Dumon's precatious nature and his friendship towards Nasch

I love Vector's trolling side but dislike him as a person ^^' but I loved the one before he was cursed. Hey don't come at me it's just an opinion 😢 I don't like him as a person but I find it funny! Exception for his past, which was brutal. All of them has sad backstories, which made them more interesting and intriguing. I also dig in a bit looking into the location, the writer's did a pretty good job I would say and I found out more about them.

Now favourite friendships

Yuma and Astral: Do I need to say more???

Yuma x Ryoga x Kaito: They are the best tsun trio buds ever!

Kaito x Chris

Shark x IV

Kaito x Mizael: They are more like rivals but hopefully they will become friends

Alito x Gilag: They are just hilarious 😂

Rio x Tori

Favourite families

-Tenjos, Tsukumos, Arclights, Kamishiros

Okay, this blog is longer than it should have been so I am going to stop right here now ^^"

#zexal #ygo zexal #yugioh zexal #zexal month #day 2 #kaito tenjo #kite tenjo #haruto tenjo #hart tenjo #droite #dextra #dolowa #chris arclight #v #rio kamishiro #ryouga kamishiro #barian emperors #astral #that's a huge list... #zexal month 2019

[allaboutthebooz]

Send My Love (To Your New Lover) Part Eighteen

Summary: Y/N goes dress shopping.

Warnings: A smidge of angst, some fluff.

A/N: Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry y’all! Life has been ridiculous and I was hit by major writer’s block, but here it is! Part 18! It’s not super long, but things are moving! The next few chapters will include some time jumps. Not all of them, but most. This was important, but nothing too huge! I hope to get everything moving again. I hope you all enjoy! You’ve been so patient!

(not reader’s actual dress)

Six Months Later

You haven’t heard from Jensen in months and you haven’t asked Jared or Gen about him. That doesn’t mean you haven’t wondered what happened after he left your apartment. You’ve thought about calling him. You want to make sure that he’s okay, but you’ve been so busy. With filming, all the constant traveling, and wedding planning, you haven’t had a chance to call him. You wanted to.

Sitting in your hotel room in Atlanta, Amanda was buzzing around you, settling your schedule for the week. Wedding catalogs spread across the table in front of you. You had an appointment scheduled with one of the assistants at Bridals by Lori in a few hours and were waiting for Gen and your mom to arrive before going. ‘I know. I know. How cliche of me? Not my fault the show is so addictive.’ You think as you pick up a catalog full of wedding gowns. You were having a hard time deciding on which style to try on. Planning your wedding with Jake has been hard. Not because you didn’t want to, but because you had planned your dream wedding already and it blew up in your face. You had the perfect dress, the perfect colors, season, etc. and yet, you were left behind.

It was hard to try and plan the wedding you had always dreamed about, when it had already been done. Young girls don’t plan multiple dream weddings. They plan one. One giant fairy-tale wedding to the most perfect man of your dreams. And how you wasted that wedding.

Biting your freshly manicured thumb nail, you flipped through the pages looking at dress after dress. You couldn’t decide and you could feel the panic rising within you. You could feel your heart racing in your chest and your breaths getting quicker and heavier. Your vision becoming blurry with tears. You can hear someone choking on something, but you don’t realize it’s you until Amanda’s concerned face becomes clear through your tears. Her hands gripping your upper arms. She’s talking, but you can’t hear her. All you can hear is your heartbeat and your choking sobs.

She disappears for a few moments, before filling your vision again. She’s handing you a small blue object. Your inhaler. You quickly pop it open and push two puffs into your lungs. She rubs your back as you try and slow your breathing. Sound begins to flood you ears and you can start to hear Amanda’s words of encouragement. Telling you to just breathe. Eventually, your breathing calms and your heart slows. Your tears still flowing, but your sobs have stopped. You suck in a couple bigger breaths before looking at her.

“What happened?”

You shake your head. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I don’t even know where to start.” You gesture to the magazines in front of you. “It was easier last time. I knew exactly what I wanted with Jensen and now I have no clue. I’ve been planning my wedding since I was a kid and he just took it from me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You worked so hard to plan that wedding, but you can’t let Jensen ruin this for you. This isn’t about him. This is about you and Jake.”

“I know that.” You tell her, standing and moving to the kitchen.

“Then act like it. You and Jake are nothing like you and Jensen. You’re thinking too much about how Jensen made you feel. You need to let your feelings for Jake, guide you in planning this wedding. Take all that love that you have for him and let that help you decide.”

You grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’m trying.”

Amanda sighs and stands up. “No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be having this much trouble.” You shrug in defeat. “We’re going to pick out your wedding dress. When you try them on, don’t think about the other dress and if it looks the best on you or what we think. Think about how Jake will look at you, when he sees you walking down the aisle towards him in it.”

You stare beyond her and consider what she says, before nodding.

“You need to let everything go and let how much you love that man, guide you with planning this wedding.”

“I’ll try.” You take a sip from the bottle in your hands, just as the door to your room opens and Genevieve and your mom waltz through it with squeals and laughter, instantly making the mood lighter and brighter.

+++

Your browsing the rows and rows of dresses, the assistant following behind. She offers help and advice as you move along. You pull different styles and colors. Whatever catches your eye. You’re allowed five dresses at a time and one by one, you turn them down. You and Jake had talked about getting married in December. You hoped to rent out the lodge that you stayed at when he proposed. The views were amazing. The mountains covered in snow were the amazing and you wanted to share that experience with your friends and family as husband and wife.

You were looking through the winter gowns, dressed in your silk robe. Nothing was catching your eye. You puckered you lips and sighed. You turned and scanned the room, until your eyes settle on a manikin. You step towards it. Pointing at the dress that is on the manikin, you tun to the assistant.

“Are there any more of these?”

“I’m almost positive there are. The designer isn’t too big, but they’re dresses are great quality. Some of the best bead work that I’ve seen.”

You smile. “Can we see if it’s in my size? I have a good feeling about it.”

She smiles at you. “Of course! Let me look and I’ll bring it to you.”

+++

You stood in the dressing room. Staring at your reflection after the dress was in place. Your heart fluttered and you could already see Jake’s face in your mind. Your stomach flips.

“Shall we show the girls?” The assistant, Julie, asks.

“Definitely.” You gather the front of the skirt in your hands as she opens the door and picks up the back. You move into the main room where your mom, Gen, and Amanda are waiting. You peek around the corner at them, a wide smile on your face. You move into their line of sight and nothing, but gasps leave their bodies. You step onto the platform and look at the dress in the mirror before shifting to look at them behind you.

“Well?”

You see your mom reach for the tissues, handing one to Amanda and Gen. Taking one for herself. “It’s perfect.” She whispers.

“Really?” You ask.

They nod.

“Do you even have to ask?”

You shake your head. You look towards Julie and smile even bigger than you thought possible. “I think this is it.” Tears well in your eyes and you turn to look at the girls. “This is the one.”

@liebemeineslebensx @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @cookiechipdough @maralisa124 @spnfamily-thewinchesters @tmiships4life @greyeyedsmile14 @aomi-nabi @keikoraventeller @captaindorit0 @frozenhuntress67 @nerdygirlwithacrush @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @everyfallentear @jxnnxbrxwn @staradroned @parkeret @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @mml232 @sing4mejensen @supersupernaturalfan @voideandotherstuff @samuelwillliamwinchester @sherlockedtash88 @smoothdogsgirl @cap-just-said-language @31shadesofbrown @deansbbysblog @linki-locks11 @mirandaaustin93 @hiraethclaire @love-my-not-natural-babies @nickigv @flamencodiva @gh0stgurl @holylulusworld @heyitscam99 @atlas-of-the-world @colie87 @woodworthti666 @princessizzy36 @pretty-fortune @death-unbecomes-you @theloudkilljoy @nea90sweetie @idrkwhatthisisimsorry @mypassionsarenysins @sarah--jonas @fashion--addict @charlybradburry @familiardestruction @simonsbluee @lemondropirwin @please-dont-walk-away-2

#Jensen Ackles #jensen ackles x reader #jake gyllenhaal #Jared Padalecki #jared padalecki x reader #jake gyllenhaal x reader #dean winchester #dean one shot #dean x reader #dean winchester reader insert #Sam Winchester #Sam Winchester reader insert #sam one shot #sam x reader #supernatural #supernatural series #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural reader insert #supernatural one shot

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1303

Monday, March 2, 2020

 This is a public service announcement. You will be ticketed for parking on the street during a parking ban even though the snow has already been cleared from the roads. We got a ticket parked in front of our house last week because we couldn't get into our driveway after the grader left a big snow bank at the end of it. I hope to spare anyone from being dinged with what I think is an unfair fine.

 Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #2 - Mat Johnson (writer) Mack Chater (art pages 1-12) Francesco Mobili (art pages 13-20) Dono Sanchez-Almara, Protobunker & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I can't read the rest of this 5-issue mini. The art really bothered me this issue. It was hard to tell what was going on the first few pages and then seeing Peter Parker in civvies looking almost exactly like the bad guy confused me further. There are interesting mysteries about Spidey's webbing and a Wilson Fisk involvement with an explosion, but this story probably won't matter in the grand scheme of things, so I don't think I'll miss anything if I bail out here.

 Punisher Soviet #4 - Garth Ennis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Nolan Woodard (colours) Rob Steen (letters). Frank and Valery go after Konstantin by kidnapping his trophy wife. She's amenable to divorce by Punisher. Thank Garth for improving my mood.

 Basketful of Heads #5 - Joe Hill (writer) Leomacs (art) Riccardo La Bella (additional pencils) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Everything leading up to this issue has been circumstantial. Now the villain tells the complete story. I'm rooting for June to survive this mess.

 Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting & Javier Fernandez (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Heh, it's the Joker who helps Lex beat the Batman Who Laughs. It looks like next issue's pulse pounding conclusion will be Lex and his super villains versus the Batman Who Laughs and his infected super heroes. It's been a while since the Main Man has been in a comic that I've read.

 Avengers #31 - Jason Aaron (writer) Gerardo Zaffino, Geraldo Borges, Szymon Kudranski, Oscar Bazaldua, Robert Gill & Mattia De Iulis (art) Rachelle Rosenberg & Mattia De Iulis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I haven't seen Tony Stark in a while so I assumed he was dead. Nope. He was zapped a million years into the past by the master manipulator Mephisto. The devil tries to get Tony's soul. This is a wonderful full issue of Iron Man and if Jason wrote an Iron Man book, I'd read it.

 Amethyst #1 - Amy Reeder (story & art) Gabriela Downie (letters). I remember reading the original Amethyst book when it hit the racks in 1983 with the Ernie Colon art. It was fun and weird with a plucky heroine. This new Wonder Comics book has the appeal of having art by Amy Reeder who wowed me with her work on Madame Xanadu and Rocket Girl. Here she is writing as well and the art and story is tight and concise. This is a nice substitute for the dearly departed Naomi book.

 Avengers of the Wastelands #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Jonas Scharf (art) Neeraj Menon (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the origin of Captain America of the Wastelands. His name is Grant. I think this is a great way to change tried and true Marvel characters to make them fresh and new. Having them fight an evil Doctor Doom is nice and simple. Four Avengers may become five but they have to contend with a super villain first.

 Suicide Squad #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Bruno Redondo (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). The new Squad's first mission under Lok's leadership does not go according to plan. Neither are these super villains what they seem. This is why I read Tom Taylor books. Forget about any new Crises and DCeased and pick up this most excellent comic book for some straight up action and skulduggery.

 Kill Lock #3 - Livio Ramondelli (story & art) Tom B. Long (letters). I get why the calligraphy font is used in the Wraith's word balloons but man, is it hard to read. This issue explains why The Kid is innocent and shouldn't be branded. The four droids find the one who can lead them to the Kill Lock's off switch but she betrays them. This universe of sentient robots is pretty cool.

 Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #4 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Each issue has started off with Jessica held captive by the bad guy. The end of this issue reveals who that is and how she was killed and resurrected. I am looking forward to the conclusion to see how she defeats the villain.

 Batman Superman #7 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave McCaig (colours) John J. Hill (letters). A new story starts here. Part 1 of "The Kandor Compromise" pits the World's Finest duo against Ra's Al Ghul and General Zod. One of the bad guys is working with the good guys. I got bored of the fight between Superman and Rogol Zaar so what happened to the city of Kandor was a surprise to me. I'm interested to see the final fate of the shrunken city.

 Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This mostly wordless $4.99 US one-shot will be a quick read but I read it twice just to soak in the beautiful art. The story starts with the discovery Storm's body and ends with a problem after Ororo is resurrected. This leads into a story where Jean, Emma, Logan and Scott will have to save Storm again.

 Leviathan Dawn #1- Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Josh Reed (letters). Leviathan succeeded in shutting down every spy agency and the leader has been revealed to be an ex-spy named Mark Shaw. The good guys are still trying to fight back but they're going to need help. Time for Kingsley Jacobs to start up Check Mate again. I like the players he's gathered. I'm looking forward to watching this game unfold.

 Finger Guns #1 - Justin Richards (writer) Val Halvorson (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). And now for something completely different. This new urban fantasy introduces two teenagers with a weird power. Wes discovers that when he shoots people with his left hand he can make them angry. Sadie can calm people down when she uses her right finger gun. They meet by accident at the mall and try to get a handle on their newfound powers. It's a cool concept and I wonder where these kids are going to end up.

 Fantastic Four: Grimm Noir #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This one's all about Ben's bad dreams. I thought the bad guy was Nightmare but it's another one of those mystical villains that generally mess with Doctor Strange. I expected some sort of Mickey Spillane type story but there's no murder, just a pretty dame needing rescue. It's a nice character study of the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing.

 Detective Comics #1020 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Two-Face is back and he's more bipolar than ever. This is what I like to see, an old villain presented in a slightly new way. We still have the scarred coin dictating how Harvey acts but there's a new twist with a cult of fanatics and the Church of the Two Strikes. I love how the first page hints at the return of the Court of Owls too.

 Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 - Derek Landy (writer) Federico Vicentini (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This 5-issue team-up starts off with a heavily armed and armoured hit squad attacking Bucky Barnes in his home. The Winter Soldier emerges unscathed and hops his motorcycle to find out who sent the killers. Meanwhile Sam Wilson is searching for a missing vet. The two meet at a government agency office where all the staff are dead. Wanting to know who's doing all the killing has got me interested in reading the rest but when a preppy killer shows up and kicks both of the heroes asses I decided to put this mini on my "must read" list. The kid's name is the Natural. Picture a blonde Damian Wayne in a pair of Chuck Taylors.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #40 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello & Ze Carlos (art) Brian Reber & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The fight between Spider-Man and Chance had to do with a bet that Chance could get one of Spidey's web shooters. What bothered me was how easily that was done and Spider-Man's lack of urgency to get it back. There's a couple of foreshadowing scenes that will keep me reading however. One involves the Clairvoyant device and the other is who Norah Winters is working with.

 X-Men #7 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue is dedicated to a new Mutant Ritual called the Crucible. It's a lot shorter than calling it the Arena of Death and Rebirth. It shows how mutants who have lost their powers can get them back. But first we have to endure a deep philosophical discussion between Cyclops and Nightcrawler. It's a real snoozer if you're an action fan.

 Action Comics #1020 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). I wish they would stop with the deceiving covers. It looks like Superman is trying to come between Lex Luthor and Leviathan but what actually happens inside is Superman fighting Lex and the Legion of Doom. If it weren't for Young Justice helping out I would have found this issue boring.

 X-Men/Fantastic Four #2 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Terry Dodson (pencils) Rachel Dodson, Karl Story & Ransom Getty (inks) Laura Martin (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). There's a lot of heroes accusing heroes of shenanigans concerning the disappearance of Franklin and Valeria. They are actually guests of Doctor Doom. Victor wants to reverse what Reed did to his son and I want to know why. With the X-Men converging on Doom Island, good old Doc Doom is prepared for an attack.

 X-Force #8 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Bazaldua (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Why did Oscar Bazaldua stop using his first name in the credits? Domino and Colossus attack the flesh factory making assassins using Neena's DNA. The organisation funding the flesh factory has a mysterious benefactor and I'm hanging around to find out who that is. I wish they would change either Sage or Jubilee's costume. I keep getting them confused.

[ronniesqueen]

A Journey To Find True Love

We start off with Archie as the bachelor, Ronnie is in his season. The story progresses, and she becomes the next bachelorette after he finishes his season. Both of them go on their journey to find true love.

I will be writing this AU in the form of a tv show. Since, we all know that “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” are reality tv shows.

Previously on “The Bachelor”

 Archie met all ten of his women

 Cheryl was ravishing in red

 Ronnie was a class act

 Ethel was bashful and adorable

 Betty gave Archie literal butterflies 

 Melody gave Archie chocolate. 

 Not the biggest gesture, but it got her past Night One.

 Josie serenaded him “Lovebug” by The Jonas Brothers

 Midge decided to change the game by offering Archie a rose

 Ginger could’ve done a lot more than just a bag of cinnamon

 Katherine got him a dog. Guess Vegas has a lil friend now 

 But the one who really stood out to him, was Valerie.

 Who arrived in a sloth costume, to symbolize that she likes to take relationships slow.

 Valerie got the first impression rose

 Ginger and Katherine got sent home at the rose ceremony.

 Cheryl, Ronnie, Ethel, Betty, Melody, Josie, Midge, and Valerie remain.

 Who will win Archie’s final rose?

 Okay. Without further ado,

 Buckle up, buckaroos!!!

Week Two.

(setting: Confessional Booth)

                      “I had such an amazing time last night. These women are incredible. And they’re all so gorgeous. But, I definitely know who I want to see more of,” Archie said, grinning.

(setting: Bachelor Mansion, living room)

           The women were sitting on the couches, talking among themselves when Chris Harrison entered the room. “Hello ladies.”

           The women smiled at Chris. “Congrats on making it past night one! You’ve all made an impression on Archie. And I’ve got in my hands, the first date card. Enjoy your time here. Enjoy Archie. And I’ll see you all soon,” Chris said, placing the date card on the table, then exiting.

          Betty walked over to the table, and picked up the date card. “It’s a group date.”

         All the women leaned forward. They were all hoping NOT to hear their name. Because they knew that whoever’s name is not on that date card.....

        Is getting the first one-on-one date with Archie.

       Betty crossed her fingers from behind the date card as she began to read aloud. “Midge.”

      Midge sighed.

       “Veronica,” Betty continued.

      Veronica pouted.

      “Melody.”

      “Why am I not surprised,” Melody sulked.

      “Josie.”

     “Really?” Josie asked, narrowing her eyes.

     “Valerie.”

    Valerie smiled. “I’m just grateful to even get time with him. Whether it’s a group date or a one-on-one.”

    Betty sighed. “Betty.”

    Cheryl smiled proudly. Ethel slouched in her seat.

    Betty glanced at both of them before answering.

    “Cheryl.”

   “SON OF A BITCH” Cheryl yelled. Getting up, and walking away.

   Ethel smiled widely. “I’m....I’m...”

   “You got the one-on-one!” Veronica said, putting her arm around Ethel. “Congrats. I hope you two have fun.”

     Ethel grew bashful. “Thanks Veronica.”

(setting: Confessional Booth)

           “You know why she got it, right?” Cheryl laughed towards the camera. “It’s the pity date. It’s redundant.”

           She did a hair flip. “Nonetheless. I’m not here for roses and dates. I’m here to win Archie’s heart.”

(setting: Riverdale Performing Arts Center)

             The women arrived at the Riverdale Performing Arts Center. Bewildered as to what Archie has in store for them.

           “If this is a singing competition, I totally have all of you beat,” Josie laughed.

          “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Veronica said. “I happen to sing.”

          Betty smiled. “You sing?” she asked.

           “Like a canary,” Veronica responded.

         Archie appeared on stage. “Actually,” he began speaking through the microphone. “This isn’t a singing competition. But more...a writing competition.”

        All the women looked at Archie with question marks on their faces. “Let me rephrase that. We’re all going to be telling stories about our firsts. It could be anything. First kiss, first time riding a bike, first day of school, anything. Just be yourself and have fun.”

(setting: Confessional Booth)

            “I’m excited,” Betty began. “I can’t wait to hear everyone story. And I can’t wait to share my story with Archie. I think it’ll be really great, and it’ll show Archie my fun silly side.”

(setting: Riverdale Performing Arts Center)

           “And then the squirrel landed right in front of me, and my first instinct was to use the windshield wipers,” Melody laughed hysterically. “Poor little guy didn’t have a chance.”

           All the women were awkwardly laughing. 

      “And that,” Melody continued. “Is the story of the time I first learned how to drive.”

        Archie stood up and applauded. “A+ for effort!!”

       Cheryl leaned towards Josie. “Bless his heart. He has to be nice to everyone even though their stories are painful to listen to,” she whispered.

     Josie shrugged. “Wasn’t that bad to me.”

(setting: Confessional Booth)

                   “My story is going to blow everyone away. I could not be more excited about this,” Cheryl giggled. 

(setting: Performing Arts Center)

             “I knocked on the door and was like, who the hell are you? And turns out, it wasn’t even my apartment!” Midge laughed.

            All the women were laughing with her. 

   “And that,” Midge added. “Is the story of the first time I ever got drunk at a family reunion.”

            Archie stood up and applauded. “That’s hilarious. My parents would freak out if I ever did that.”

           “Mine never found out,” Midge said.

       Betty leaned towards Veronica. “My mom doesn’t even let me drink at family parties.”

       “I have mimosas for breakfast on the reg, and my mom doesn’t say a word,” Veronica laughed.

     Betty laughed. “Hey, when all this is over, you need to take me with you.”

     “Aww, I’d love that!”

   “What part of Riverdale do you live in, anyway?”

   “The Pembrooke.”

   “Whoa. I always drive by because I could never afford to even step inside without feeling bad about myself,” Betty laughed.

   “Aww, well you’re always welcome with me. Mi casa es su casa,” Veronica said, smiling.

(setting: Riverdale Performing Arts Center)

                    “As I sat there, he looked at me. And in my heart, I felt the acceleration. I knew this was a moment I’d always look back on, and smile,” Valerie said. “And that, is the story of when I got the first impression rose.”

                  Archie sat in the audience, blushing.

               “Very original,” Cheryl smirked to Josie.

           “Salt in the wound,” Josie said in agreement.

              As Valerie got off stage, Betty got on. She giggled. “My mom used to always read to me at night before going to bed when I was a little kid. My sister Polly and I used to compete against who read the fastest, and who read the most books over the summer. I always won,” she laughed to herself. Archie smiled. 

        “Then one day, in the 5th grade, my mom thought it would be a good idea to enter me in a spelling bee. She wanted to brag to all the other parents how proud she was of me. And I didn’t want to let her down. So, I go up there for my first few words, and I made it through. But then... I make it to the final three. Potential. That was the word. The first guy spelled it like Potenchal. The second guy spelled it like Potenshul. And then I...” she started cracking up.

      “I spelled it like Putenswal. It was so humiliating! We all tied for first place obviously. But, I went home that night, and started to write about that moment in my diary. And, going over it, I was able to re-live it. And that,” she continued. “Is the story of the time, I first realized I wanted to be a writer.”

                     Archie stood up and applauded.

(setting: Confessional Booth)

            “YAAAAAAAWN,” Cheryl yelled. “Is it my turn yet? These bitches are dull as dishwater.”

(setting: Riverdale Performing Arts Center)

          “Okay, last story of the night,” Archie said. “Cheryl!”

       Cheryl got on stage. “I was at this party. And I met this guy, who was unbelievably charming. He was a yummy snack. And I wanted to kiss him but I was too scared. Usually when I see something I want, I am bold enough to go after it immediately. And so I had to tell myself, I’m not waiting any longer. When I want something, I’m going after it.”

    She walked off stage, over to Archie, and started kissing him.

            The audience applauded.

      Cheryl walked back to the microphone. “And that is the story of how I won the first group date rose.”

(setting: Confessional Booth)

             “My stomach went into a knot when she did that. Obviously we all want to kiss Archie. But I also want to actually establish a connection with him first, instead of just forcing it on him like that,” Valerie said.

(setting: Cocktail Party after the group date)

          “So,” Cheryl said, approaching Archie by the wine celler. “What’d you think of my story?”

         Archie laughed bashfully. “I thought it was pretty bold. But, I did really like it.”

        Cheryl giggled. “I wanted to show you how fearless I can be.”

     “Oh I noticed,” Archie chuckled. “You’re a very confident lady.”

(setting: Confessional Booth)

                  “Cheryl surprised me today. She is a very.....confident lady. She is undeniably herself. And, I do find that attractive in a woman. But at the same time, we did just meet last night. So I do feel that her kissing me was a bit rushed,” Archie admitted.

(setting: Cocktail Party)

               “Knock knock,” Veronica said, knocking on the door to the ballroom where Archie sat alone, on the floor.

           “Hey,” he said, standing up to greet her with a hug. “How are you?”

          “I’m good,” Veronica said. “That was a really fun date.”

        “It was,” Archie said, putting his arm around her as she sat beside him on the floor. “But I really liked your story.”

       “Thank you Archiekins,” she said. “Moving from New York to Riverdale was a whole new experience.”

       “What made your mom want to move to Riverdale?” Archie asked.

      “She said she grew up here. I can’t imagine that, honestly. My first thought when I set foot here was that, I’m Breakfast at Tiffany’s and this place is strictly In Cold Blood. I was filled with dread.”

      Archie laughed. “I’d love to take you to Pops. That’s truly the heart of Riverdale. It would be a chance for me to un-fill you with dread.”

      Veronica blushed. “Sounds like a date.”

      She sighed. “What is it?” Archie asked.

      She looked at him with glossy eyes. “I didn’t tell you the whole truth. The main reason my mom wanted to leave New York was for a fresh start. My father had just gotten arrested recently,” Veronica confessed.

     “Oh my gosh,” Archie reacted. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

     “He was committing crimes right under my nose. I had no idea who he truly was, all along. And it scares me. Sometimes I feel like, I can’t always trust myself with my emotions. Like I’m reading things wrong from how they truly are.”

     He hugged her close. “Hey, I completely get it. It’s really scary to allow yourself to feel. Because, we never know what’s going to happen.”

      She looked up at him as he continued, “When I first found out I was picked to be the bachelor, I was terrified. I was scared of misinterpreting situations and living a false reality. But I think it’s also really important that, I trust my gut. Trust my heart. And use that trust to feel confident in my decisions here.”

     Veronica smiled. “That’s really insightful. I didn’t know you were so wise, Archiekins.”

      He laughed. “I try. But hey, I really appreciate you being so open with me about all of this. When I’m with you, I just always want to know more.”

      She blushed. “And you will. I want to know more about you too.”

        The two leaned in for their first kiss.

     *************Commercial Break**************

(setting: Cocktail Party. Living room.)

         There was one rose on the table.

         The group date rose.

      Archie walked over to the table where Valerie, Midge, Betty, Cheryl, Josie, and Melody were sitting. He picked up the rose and walked back to the ballroom.

       “Oh....” Betty whispered.

      “Well this is really uncomfortable now,” Josie said.

      Valerie was looking down. A tear rolled down her cheek.

  (setting: Confessional Booth)

           “Did this really happen? Did this-okay I’m over it. I swept him off his feet at the group date. Why the hell is SHE getting that rose? Ugh, I’m over it. I better get a rose at the ceremony because this was so uncalled for,” Cheryl groaned.

(setting: Ballroom)

           Archie entered the ballroom, with the rose in his hand.

        Veronica gasped. 

        “Ronnie, I just want to say that I really appreciate you showing me a completely different side of you tonight. I definitely feel like I’m catching feelings for you and I’m really excited to see where this relationship could go,” Archie began. “Ronnie, will you accept this rose?”

      She kissed him. “That’s a yes, Archiekins.”

(setting: Later that night. Confessional Booth)               

             “Tonight’s my first date with Archie!!” Ethel cheered. “I’m so excited to have this one-on-one time with him, without all the other girls.”

(setting: Pelagio restaurant)

                 Ethel got off the limo, wearing a white sequin dress, eyes lit up with excitement as she spotted Archie outside the restaurant, waiting for her.

          “Hey Archie!” she greeted him.

     “Hey Ethel!” He greeted her with a hug. “You look gorgeous.”

     “Thank you,” she giggled.

          The two found their table, and ordered their dinner.

       As Ethel took a sip of her glass of wine, she admitted, “I was really shocked when I found out you chose me today.”

       “Aww why?” Archie asked.

      “Cheryl is stunning, and Veronica looks like a freaking Greek goddess. Betty is so beautiful on the inside AND on the outside. Josie sings like an angel and even looks like an angel too. It’s just hard. Fighting for your love when all these girls are so perfect.”

       Archie took her hand. “Ethel, you stood out to me that first night not only because of how beautiful you are, but because you showed me that you have such a big heart. I feel like you have so much to give. And I have so much I want to give you, too.”

       Ethel blushed. “That really means the world to me, Archie.”

       He smiled.

      “I do want to share with you some things that happened in my life, that made me who I am,” Ethel said, taking a deep breath.

    “Absolutely, go for it,” Archie said, giving her his full attention.

    “My family was struggling financially for a really long time. And my dad, he really wanted to do everything he could for us. He wanted for me and my siblings to have a good life. He....he got mislead, by this really evil man. And my family lost everything. And my dad felt so much pain, that he..”

    Archie held her hand tighter.

     “He wanted to take his own life. But, he didn’t go through with it, and is in recovery. But I just know that it was out of love that he made those decisions for us. And he showed me that with love, you become self-less. You always do what’s best for others. And that’s just a huge part of being who you are.”

    “Ethel I’m so sorry, I really didn’t know,” he said, putting his arms around her, holding her. “But, I’m glad he’s doing okay. And I know you both are coming out of this situation so much stronger, and better in the long run.”

     She smiled. “Thank you Archie.”

     He picked up the rose. “You just confirmed to me what I always thought about you, since the first night. That you have such a beautiful soul, heart, and mind. And that you take things that happen into something meaningful and positive. And I can’t wait to explore this connection we have,” Archie said. Ethel had tears in her eyes.

        “Ethel, will you accept this rose?”

      “Of course,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

(setting: Rose Ceremony. End of the night.)

    Veronica, Ethel, Cheryl, Melody, Josie, Betty, Midge, and Valerie entered the ballroom. There were four roses on the table.

      Archie entered the room. “I loved getting to know you ladies more and more. I hope to continue to grow these relationships as time goes by. Before I go into this, I just want to say, thank you for making this experience so amazing for me. And if you don’t get a rose tonight, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t incredible. And I’m really sorry. But I just have to go with my heart, and I do feel confident in the decisions that I made.”

    He picked up the first rose. Took a deep breath. “Betty.”

    Betty smiled and walked over to him. “Betty, will you accept this...chrose?” Archie chuckled.

   “Chyes,” Betty laughed. 

    Archie laughed and picked up the second rose. “Josie.”

   Josie walked over to him. “Josie, will you accept this rose?”

  “Duh!” She giggled playfully.

   He laughed and picked up the third rose. “Cheryl.”

   Cheryl walked over to him. “Cheryl, will you accept this rose?”

   “Nothing would make my heart sing more.” 

   He chuckled and picked up the final rose of the night.

   Midge, Valerie, and Melody were intently watching him.

   He took a deep breath. “Valerie.”

   Valerie walked over to him. “Valerie, will you accept this rose?”

   “I....really thought you’d never ask.”

   He laughed. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting. But you did say you wanted us to take things slow,” he said playfully.

   Chris Harrison entered the room. “Melody, Midge, I’m sorry. Take a moment. Say your goodbyes.”

     Melody walked over to Archie, and gave him a hug. “Thank you for this experience. I enjoyed my time with you so much.”

     He smiled. “Me too.”

      Midge walked over to him. “I’m sorry this didn't work for you. But I think you’re a really cool dude, with a good head on your shoulders. I know no matter who you chose, you’ll be happy.”

    He grinned as she hugged him. “Thank you Midge.”

    The two women exited the mansion.

    Archie looked at the remaining six women. “I’m glad you guys are here. Because we’re going to SINGAPORE!!!”

    All the women cheered in excitement. 

-----------END CREDITS--------

#varchie #barchie #archosie #charchie #This episode wasn't AS long as the first episode so yeah #I HOPE YA'LL LOVE IT #I made a lot of references to Colton's season #And to Riverdale season one #ronniesqueenAU

[hopevalley]

Do you reckon they are going to write Bill off - give him a judgeship and heave ho - he's on his way out of HV! The extended preview makes it seem like that!

I definitely had that thought. It’s obvious to me that they’re not really sure what to do with Bill as a character. They spent S5 and so far S6 making him into a punching bag for bad jokes (while also writing him as a giant jerkwad). It wouldn’t surprise me too much if they decided they’d had enough of his character taking up space in a main slot and decided to ditch him for younger men with more obvious roles to play.

If so, that’d be a real shame. I have to admit that losing Bill as a character might tempt me pretty hard to stop watching. I don’t like how they age all the women down with layers of makeup. They try to do the same with the men but it doesn’t work very well. I know there were a few times they just made Lee and Bill look about ten years older instead of younger. Yikes!

Anyway, a judgeship would be an easy way to get rid of Bill. I maintain that without a DAMN good bit of character development (aka, a reason for Bill to take it), it wouldn’t make sense for his character to do so. He quit being a Mountie because he had to adhere to the law too much to do his job. Becoming a judge is more of that, but like, with even more eyes on him. That said, easiest way to write it so it makes sense? Bill has his own personal arc featuring an identity crisis. Without his Big Important Job and Big Important Title, he doesn’t really know who or what he is anymore; he’s…lost, I guess. Directionless.  That isn’t hard to imagine, you know? Remember, Bill lost both parents before he was finished with his schooling, but Jonas took him in, paid for that schooling, and put Bill on the path to being a Mountie. If I remember right, when Bill quits the Mounties, he says something like, “For the first time in my life, I get to decide what I want to do.” He’s never had that option. To be fair, lots of people didn’t get that option in that time period; you just did what was expected of you. But you’re not a big important person with power, influence, and an amazing reputation for 30 years for nothing! Quitting that…maybe it felt freeing for a while, but now everything is stale. 

Is he making a difference? Is he really helping anybody as sheriff to Hope Valley? 

Once Nathan shows up, he can assist Nathan, but…that’s all he is. An assist. It’s possible that, for Bill…Nathan’s presence will put him in a position where he’s kind of at a crossroads. He owns part of the café, but it’s possible that Abigail’s dip into the stock market will leave her with more money so she can buy him out. Then what would he do? Retire on that money? Waste away? 

Sure, Jack Wagner’s not really that spry, but we’re supposed to see Bill as exactly that kind of person. He’s a doer–he does things. Hands on. 

So maybe this judgeship offer comes along and he gets some of those old feelings back. You know, the itch to go and do something. To make a difference. To do some good. Hope Valley won’t need him anymore, and it’s not good for him to languish there forever. He has no family left to go to. Just a few friends. Sometimes that’s all a person needs, but…he still has to live the rest of his life. How is he going to spend that time? Meandering around Hope Valley, aimless, without goals?

Anyway, something else the writers could do if they really wanted to make it work, especially since it may be that AJ isn’t going to be making an appearance this season… Assuming AJ is still in prison, she’s been there six months already. I’ve said before her *many* crimes could probably net her 10 years or more as a maximum sentence; just because Georgia told Bill that she would suggest less time than Henry doesn’t mean that she got less time than Henry. It’s still up to the judge. So hey, easy way to get Bill to accept a judgeship? Just bring up AJ. If he was in a position like that, he could protect people like her and punish those who actually deserve it.

Anyway, I hate the idea, but I can figure out how to write it so that it works. My one true talent lol. I find it hard to believe they’d want to toss Jack Wagner into the trash after all this time, but…I guess you never know, right?

I can’t speak for what they’ll actually do, but I’m hoping that no matter what route they choose, they make it count. The way Bill seemed to approach Abigail about it was…odd. Kind of dazed? More emotional than they usually give the character. Maybe he’s just shocked it’s real. I would be.

It’s the kind of thing a young Bill might have thought would have been The Ultimate Goal but which current Bill would probably say, “Ugh, that’d tie me down too much, and I can’t do whatever I want, but it’s still a really high honor…do I want to pass that up?”

As a slight aside, they could have him accept it, be gone half a season, and then return because he actually hated it. I think that’d be absolutely ridiculous (Bill isn’t much of a quitter), but they wrote him as a lazy piece of shit in S5 for absolutely no reason, completely contradicting his established character, soo… shrug?

#season 6 spoilers #season 6 shenanigans #bill avery #answered mail #anonymously asked

[onestowatch]

Q&A: Alt-Pop Artist Vesperteen Unveils New EP feat. Lostboycrow and Josh Dun Collabs

For many artists, growing your fanbase on social media doesn’t often translate well in real life — but it seems that alt-pop musician Vesperteen has found the secret.

After years of drumming in another band, House of Heroes, Vesperteen (AKA Colin Rigsby) decided to take a break and work on a project of his own. The songs were released under the moniker of his new solo act, Vesperteen, back in 2015. After a few live shows in which Colin plays his drums whilst standing up, fans took notice and Colin found himself suddenly in high demand for live appearances and a non-stop tour that lasted nearly three years. In fact, there was so much touring that Colin was hardly able to find time to record new music. But being out on the road gave Colin a solid fan base, who would drive hours to be at multiple live shows and stream and download his music.

Today, Colin finally released his second EP, The Hype is Dead. The EP is a turbulent ride through mixed genres and even includes a drum appearance from Colin’s close friend, Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots. With all-star producers and co-writers like Lostboycrow, John Feldman (Blink 182, 5 Seconds of Summer) and PJ Bianco (Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, A R I Z O N A ), the EP presents some of Colin’s best work yet.

Besides his ability to win live audiences over with his music, Colin is the best example of DIY we’ve seen in a while. He writes and co-produces all of his music and creates all of his own artwork — and the visuals for The Hype is Dead are certainly interesting on their own. Add in the music for good measure, and you’ll be intrigued to know more about just who Vesperteen is.

Take a listen to The Hype is Dead and read our Q&A with Colin below.

OTW: On the new EP, which song do you think sounds the most like what you would describe as your "signature" sound?

Colin: Honestly, I feel like I’m still in the exploration of my sound. Maybe it will always be evolving though. I think the signature thread that runs through all the songs is my voice. From a rap-ish part to a raw pop punk part to a ballad part it’s still all my voice coming through in the same way.

OTW: Where did you come up with the name, The Hype is Dead? 

Colin: Like most great ideas, I’m pretty sure this one came to me in the shower. I was just in the middle of considering the remarkable upward trajectory that this music had generated, and then felt sort of cynical about it — like nothing lasts. I was afraid that people would soon lose interest in what I was doing. But then I kind of turned it around and thought, “Well, now I get to see who is really into my music and who was just into it cause it was some new hot fresh thing they heard about.” So its been freeing to shed “the hype” even if it is all in my head, which it most certainly is. 

OTW: You worked with a few different well-known producers on this EP — would you say working with each of them is different? Do each of them bring out a different part of you as a writer/artist?

Colin: Yeah, everyone has a different way of working on music and collaborating. So it takes a different amount of time with each person to feel each other out on how we flow. I like learning people’s strengths so I can know when to lean on them and trust their instinct. I’m a little bit controlling when it comes to writing, but I’ve learned a great deal how to listen and know that my perspective may not always be the right one. It’s hard, but super necessary and beneficial.

OTW: What is "Memory" about? 

Colin: “Memory” is about erasing someone from your brain — or trying to, at least. It’s about that decision to aggressively move on. It’s about not living in regret, or letting the effects of another person linger with you.

OTW: What is your current favorite song on the EP? 

Colin: Man, I literally do not have a favorite! I am so excited about each one for what it is. But, if I could say I’m most proud of one it would be “Blue.” I know for sure it’s the best song I’ve ever written and one of the best songs I’ve released in a while.

OTW: We've heard a rumor that Josh Dun plays on "Speed of Light"? Is that true/How did that happen? 

Colin: Josh and I have been friends a long time and are both drummers. And actually John Feldmann (who produced “Speed of Light”) is the one who thought of having him on. I wondered at first if it’d be weird to have a guest drummer on a record since I AM a drummer. So I will say that Josh is really the only one I’d ever be cool with having play drums on one of my songs. Or Dave Grohl. He definitely could too, if he wants.

Photo Credit: @bradheaton

OTW: You just played a bunch of dates including a really big show in your hometown.... did you play any songs from the new EP? What was the reaction from your fans?

Colin: Yeah!! We played five of the songs from the new EP. I always worry about playing a new song live that the crowd doesn’t know yet. But there was so much anticipation and amazing energy at the show that it felt great! It made everyone very excited for the release.

OTW: Tell us a secret/weird story about the making of a song on this EP. Did anything weird or coincidental happen? 

Colin: We recorded “Blue” at midnight during a big snowstorm in Nashville. I remember being very hungry and no pizza place would deliver to the studio because of the snow storm. I’m sure there’s some more interesting stuff, but I have a terrible memory. Maybe that’s why I’m a writer and have to write songs so I don’t forget the stories and feelings.

OTW: We've heard you designed all the artwork for this EP... what inspired that?  

Colin: Yeah I did, actually my cousin is a good friend of mine and a talented designer as well and he and I came up with these concepts together and he shot the photos we used. I wanted it to represent the death and decay of something with a shiny fake-looking surface to reflect the theme of any  superficial hype just falling away. And my hand at my own throat represents how I am doing all of this to myself. I’m choosing to let the shell crack and reveal the next layer.

OTW: What's next for you? More touring? 

Colin: Yeah some touring for sure — and actually a lot more new music. I want to have a lot of songs ready to go so we can do another release before the end of the year. And a video or two!

Photo Credit: @JordanSmellz

#interview #vesperteen #rock #alternative #lostboycrow #twenty one pilots

[officialmaleclibrary]

This month we’re showcasing an author in the fandom who has written popular works such as Your touch is contagious and forces on the heart. Mel is on ao3 as melbopo and tumblr as @mel-iorn, and we’d like to thank her once again for taking part in the OML author showcase! 

1. When did you start writing fics? Tell us a little of your journey as a fic writer.

Ho Boy! I started writing fics in middle school but I didn’t know I was writing fanfics to be honest. I am pretty sure I started with writing Jonas Brothers fanfics (that were self insert sometimes?) when I was like 12 or 13 years old. Then I sort of left the world of writing fics after about a year and entered the world of online role playing (wizarding world of Harry Potter and some original mythical worlds) for a couple of years because it had that creative writing that I love. Then I stopped writing characters or rping for many years (a combination of poor self esteem, mental health issues, and not feeling connected anymore to fandom spaces). Then in college I was finally in a safe environment that let me examine myself, my interests, and I embraced this nerdy side of myself. So I re-discovered fanfiction. And as I was reexamining all these aspects of me, including my sexuality, I began to notice a big gap in femslash fanfiction and that is ultimately what brought me back to writing. I wanted to write stories for people like me, passionate about characters they already related to and with a desire to see these characters in relatable (if maybe unrealistic) scenarios. In a world where there are so few out LGBT+ characters in books and media, creating content that depicts us as we are: beautiful, important, valid, and worth writing about is really, truly healing. I started writing fanfiction again at the same time I was finally learning to accept my sexual orientation and the process has been really helpful for me to fully embrace being queer.

2. What fic of yours are you most proud of and why?

I think the fics that I am most proud of are my two opening fics for my Handful of Days of Magnus Bane because I’m really proud of my characterization of Magnus (which still isn’t perfect), who is one of my favorite characters but someone I struggle to write in a way I think he deserves. I also love my two universes of forces on the heart (Malec and Mizzy) and never say never (Jimon) because I love alternate universes and exploring how the characters would react in them.

3. Who is your favorite character to write and why? Which character do you find the most challenging to write?

My favorite character to write is Simon to be honest because it feels the most genuine for me. I’ve always felt really connected to Simon so I feel like I write him in character the best. He also has this nervous ramble habit that I love to use to touch upon important topics. 

I think Canon Magnus specifically is difficult for me to write because there are so many nuances to him that I tend to feel like I’m always just a little bit off which really annoys me because he is also one of my favorite characters for that very reason. I do reference a lot of meta posts on tumblr for writing Magnus which definitely helps but I think I just need to practice with more introspection fics.

4. What is the hardest part about being a fic author? The easiest?

For me, the hardest part about being a fic author is not just actually writing the words on the page but asking for feedback. I know I’m not an amazing writer but I struggle to ask people to beta/edit my fics in a way that gives me constructive criticism back so that I can improve and be a better writer. On one hand I really crave that sort of helpful editing/soundboarding but on the other hand, I’m hesitant to ask people to take time out of their day to read something they might not like as well as be truly honest with me (aka not just be nice and fluffy even though I do appreciate support!). 

The easiest part of being a fic author for me has to be coming up with alternate universe fic - if you look in my collection, it’s 90% of what I write. I am always getting ideas of different scenarios or words to place characters. I also find making graphics for my fics relatively easy and something I like to do (even though if I do a graphic before I finish the fic, I’ll never finish the fic…).

5. What inspires you? Where do you find your muse?

Honestly, this is a little corny but I’m inspired by my life and my friends (in real life and online) most often. Writing is an important outlet for me because creativity is really important to me and my mental well being. I write to share stories I have inside of me and share lessons that I have learned (or I am still in the process of learning). Knowing that I have friends that support me and encourage me to write (regardless of if they read what I write or not), really pushes me as well. Also knowing that other people are connecting with and enjoying my stories with their ao3 comments or tumblr tags can also re-energize my muse.

6. Do you write original content as well as fic?

I actually just had my first inspiration for an original story (a folklore piece) this year which is really exciting for me! I’m probably going to adapt it to a Shadowhunters Maia x Izzy fic instead but it was exciting to have that bit of original character inspiration! For original content, I do write poetry occasionally actually!

7. Do you have a favorite fic from another author?

I have to be honest, I am so so behind in fics that I want to read (it’s embarrassing and sad!) but some of my favorite writers I have queued up to read include works from these tumblrs: francy @hufflebee’s mine and charl @lightwoodlesbians and elle’s @magnusragnor Days of Dark !

8. What’s something you’re looking forward to in the upcoming season of Shadowhunters?

LORENZO!!! I love Javi already and can’t wait to see what kind of difficulty he is going to make for Magnus as well as seeing more Luke and Maia interactions now that Alisha is a main character! I’m scared for my love Simon and hope he’s okay.

9. Can you give us a sneak peek to what you’re writing next? Or at least any hints to what’s to come?

Currently I’m working on my first chaptered Shadowhunters fic! I’m honestly really excited about it because it touches upon coming out stories, found families, sexuality exploration, and the Lightwood siblings’ bond. I mostly wrote it for myself and to push myself to attempt Nano but it’s be a really rewarding process. It’s called a rainbow colored corner of the world so keep a look out for that (if it sounds interesting to you!) - I’m using the tag rainbow colored corner on tumblr if anyone wants to stay up to date! Down the line I already have some more fics planned/outlined that include: Shadowhunters 99, farm folklore, and high school reunions!

10. Do you have advice for anyone who might be interested in writing fan fiction?

I’d say if you have a story you want to share that isn’t harmful, then absolutely go for it! You only get better at writing by actually writing. And if you want to share a story that makes you question if it is harmful or offensive in anyway, maybe ask yourself why you want to share this specific story and really examine that answer.

11. Does writing energize or exhaust you? Why?

Honestly, writing does a bit of both. When I’m writing a scene I’m really excited about or I think touches about some really important topics, I feel so energized and that feels carries over when I finish it. But if I’m writing a scene that I don’t really have planned out but I know some important plot points should be included, then I feel drained as I try to drag it out and just force something out. I am really bad at just writing to write because I am bad at going back to edit my work. So part of why writing can be exhausting for me is that I obsess too much over making sure I am saying exactly what I want to say instead of writing down the bare minimum and knowing I will go back and make it better. I think it ties in with my issue with asking for feedback/a beta because I feel like I have to catch these errors or wordings while I’m writing since I don’t like rereading my own work.

#melbopo #author showcase #shadowhunters

[flabnbone]

With Stage 3 Lock downs in place in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, I am finding myself working from home and having plenty of time to do the things I have always wanted to do but never had the time to do previously.

Listed below are some of the things I have been doing at home and its been keeping me perfectly occupied 😀

Working From Home

I have been working from home for the past week now and this will go on indefinitely or until the outbreak is controlled I guess. Working from home has been pretty good so far. There’s no crazy morning rush to wake up early, to eat a quick breakfast and then to dash out the door to get to the office on time. I have more “me-time”, and from a well-being perspective, its getting all the ticks.

We were allowed to take monitors, keyboards and the office mouse back home to set up our home office. Some people even took their office chair home. What do you think of my set up? The book shelf to the right is full of toys and games because as a speech-pathologist working in schools, it is important we have lots of motivating games and reinforces to treat the kids after they have done lots of work! Plus, I am a sucker for all things cute and colour, so the bookshelf brings some life to what would be an otherwise boring looking office (I’m looking at your rainbow llama-corn :p)

Fitness at Home

I am a huge gym junkie. With gyms closed and finesses classes on hold for now, I have been doing lots of online live classes instead. In particular, I have been doing the live classes offered by Monash Sport Active Bodies Online (Monday-Friday 1pm-1:30pm), and the Les Mills On Demand service. Initially, it did feel a bit weird doing a fitness class off a screen, but after a few lessons I got used to it. On other days, I might do my own HIIT training using weights and resistance bands. Its been going well and I am still putting up a good sweat from it like I would if I was at the gym.

Passion Projects at Home

With more time at home, I started going back to my passion project which is writing that fantasy novel of mine. You know that fantasy story which I started AGES ago and put on hold due to massive writer’s block – well now I figured is the perfect time to overcome that block and see what miracles I can do it.

I have also gotten back into reading (has to be fantasy tho). I am re-reading the Heir Chronicle Series by Cinda Williams Chima because I love her so much and all her book series are amazing! I can’t believe Book 1 of the Heir Chronicles (The Warrior Heir) came out in 2006 – that’s a massive 14 years ago.

I joined some Fantasy writer’s and reader’s groups on Facebook. I had a quick look through the posts, and a lot of the questions people are asking are very relevant to me. These social media groups will be useful as I move forward with my own writing.

The Plant Corner at Home

More time at home means I am paying more attention to my plant babies. For example, the other day I noticed my Pilea has a new baby sprouting – I could not contain my excitement even though I have like 6 or 7 pots of Pilea now 😀

In addition to my main account for photography (@flabnbone) and my other account for documenting my food adventures (@flabnbone_food), I also started a new Instagram account just for my plants called @Flabnbone_Plants (check it out for you daily splash of green). I am loving all the beautiful plants I am seeing from other like-minded Insta-grammers.

Photo Editing + Updating the Blog

My hard-drive has so many folders of unedited photos from all my road-trips, I probably have enough photos to edit to last me a life time haha! Now is the perfect time to go through all those folders of photos and do some editing, sharing on the gram, uploading stock photos to Shutter-Stock and updating this blog.

Cooking

I am doing a lot more cooking now. Just in the past week at home, I have made butterscotch pudding, pizza, carrot cake, pasta bakes, and tonight, I want to attempt a Vietnamese caramelized chicken with pickled vegetables (recipe courtesy of my aunt). The Russian Honey Cake is still in the back of my mind (someone bought one to work last year and it was the most delicious cake I have ever tasted). Since then, I have googled a few recipes but it sounds very tricky to make. Since the lock-down is expected to last a while longer, maybe I should rise up to the challenge and tackle the honey cake.

When I go out to buy groceries (“essential travel”), I make sure to get a coffee because its my weekly treat and it’s also important to keep supporting local businesses during these tough times. Love it when they leave cute little messages on the lid. Stay safe too ❤

Spotify

My playlist has been getting a bit old and rusty. With all this extra time at home now, I finally have had the chance to find some new music. My top 10 songs currently would be:

Polaroid– Jonas Blue

What a man gotta do– Jonas Brothers

These are the Lies – The Cab

Who do you Love – The Chainsmokers

Big Plans– Why Don’t We

Unbelievable – Why Don’t We

No one compares to you– Jack & Jack

Circles– Post Malone

Intentions– Justin Bieber

10000 Hours– Dan & Shay ❤

I was so excited when I found out a video game from my childhood (Sword of Mana) released an updated sound track. The update has been out for a while now, but I have clearly been living under a rock and did not know until now. Reminiscing my childhood through music does wonders.

Memes

I have a collection of memes saved on my phone, and have added a few ‘working form home memes’ to laugh at on the days where I am feeling a bit bored or in need of something light-heated. Hands up if you relate to this meme above?

What have you been doing when in home isolation?

…

For photos of my travels check out @Flabnbone

Feeling hungry? @Flabnbone_Food

Daily Splash of Green@Flabnbone_Plants

  Life Update 10#: Staying at Home – how I am keeping myself occupied. With Stage 3 Lock downs in place in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, I am finding myself working from home and having plenty of time to do the things I have always wanted to do but never had the time to do previously.

#home #melbourne #passion project #photography #stay home #wfh #working from home

[overthinkingkdrama]

How do you feel about the ships in Strongest Deliveryman? Do you still ship Jin Gyu and Dan Ah bitterly as I am 😩

Oh, I checked out of the loveline I while back. Just because I knew there was no hope that it would work out the way I wanted it, and I felt that the SLS was already really real as of episode 4. If I didn’t give myself some emotional distance it was going to be She Was Pretty all over again, lol.

But seriously, everyone is entitled to their own tastes and preferences. I know several people and have seen several more through my dash that really like Dan Ah and Kang Soo together and think their romance is cute. Nothing against those people. I don’t think they have bad taste or they were watching a different show than me, or anything like that. It’s just that Jin Gyu was my fucking everything, okay? He pushed all of my buttons. He had some amazing freaking scenes with Dan Ah. And after their heart to heart about their respective suicide attempts and survival I was gone on them. That was it for me.

Kang Soo just never really jived with me, no matter how much I truly enjoy Go Kyung Pyo in most things. I was always trying to see something sinister in him, I guess. A dark side. A complicating factor. Something that broke apart that Robin Hood, righteous warrior thing he had going. I felt like his vengeful streak should have caused bigger problems. His tribe of delivery driving Spartans should have gotten out of hand once or twice, caused problems he couldn’t have predicted. Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I don’t see the world the way Kang Soo does and I think that he approach to life and justice was hopelessly oversimplified and naive.

Jin Gyu is a lot more my kind of character. He’s got some dirt on him. He’s complicated and twisted and broken, trying to find his way in the world. He’s not 100% good or 100% evil. Dan Ah was like that too. Both of them were lovely, flawed people for the first half of the show, and they knew that life wasn’t fair, and they were muddling through the best they could. (I don’t forgive the writer for their handling of Dan Ah’s arc. I think that was poor, patronizing, and I reject the idea that it was feminist character arc.)

This is all as of episode 12 mind, I haven’t seen the last 4 and I don’t know when I’m going to get around to it. If they contradict my expectations by all means tell me so, but I don’t have any expectations at this point.

Somewhere in the middle there the writer just kind of lost me, jettisoned all the stuff I cared about, watered it down, and focused on the start up business and the main pairing. But I will hastily admit the problem probably lies in part with me. Looking for the show to be something it never intended to be. I should have seen it as a quixotic Hong Gil Dong type tale from the beginning and everything would have been a little easier to swallow. @the-feminine-grotesque was talking to me about this show early on and her analysis seems like it was right on the money. I should have listened to her.

I just wish I could kidnap a couple of the characters and situations and transplant them into something a little more worthy of the thought, energy and love they inspired in me. Make the show that I wanted this to be, but it only ever was in my head.

Jona

#answered

[evenstevensranked]

#38: Season 1, Episode 17 - “Get A Job”

In order to afford a Sludgie (a.k.a slushie) machine for his room, Louis opens his own Doggy Daycare. But like most things Louis attempts, it quickly becomes difficult for him to handle. Meanwhile, Steve and Donnie bond over destroying a birdhouse. 

This one opens with Louis trying to butter Steve up in preparation to drop the “Buy me a Sludgie machine” bomb. Which is definitely supposed to be a “Slushie” or “Slush Puppie” machine, but I’m assuming those words are copyrighted. Louis decorates the entire house for Father’s Day… even though it ain’t father’s day. “But, every day is father’s day, Dad… when you have the perfect dad, Dad!” Louis cannot genuinely think that this could work. After prefacing the Sludgie question with a dramatic story about how the machine is going to be thrown out of a store that’s closing unless Louis rescues the inanimate object from the potential clutches of an evil child — Steve drops a bomb of his own: “Get a job.” Oh, boy. Why are those words so… terrifying? Even today as a 24-year-old adult, those 3 words send a shiver down my spine. They scream “you’re getting older, get over it” to me. I don’t know. Louis and old-fashioned work isn’t exactly a match made in heaven, though. So you already know he’s gonna spin the job angle into something ridiculous.

Louis is wearing an “I ♥ DAD” shirt to really sell it!

Steve suggests that Louis should ask Ren for help, since she just so happens to be running a youth career planning center from her room. Of course she is. Something I really like about the scene where Louis asks her for a job, is the names of the other kids already there waiting. Ren refers to them by their last names, and they’re all names of writers/crew members!! “Dearborn” - The show’s creator, Matt Dearborn. “Cunningham” - One of the writers for this episode, Sarah Jane Cunningham. And “Kaiser” another writer for a different episode, Brooke Kaiser. This is so cute to me. It’s not the only time the writers have done something like this either. This only further supports my idea that one of the writers must’ve lived down the street from Del’s Pizzeria. These kids have zero lines though, and it’s kinda funny and obvious that Disney didn’t wanna pay people more than they had to. Ren talks to the kids and they just... smile... as a response, lol. It’s awkward. She gives the Cunningham girl a job at a movie theater concession stand and tells her “Here’s a tip... Extra salt on the popcorn = they’ll buy more drinks.” This has always stuck with me. How slimy. 

So, Louis busts in asking for a “teen job thingy” (perfect!) and I freaking love when Ren questions Louis about his career goals. He’s so sarcastic in the most deadpan way. He says he wants to ride a motorcycle in the globe of doom in Vegas, is “hoping to move to Donnie’s room” in five years time, and refers to some guy at a donut shop with a claw hand as the public figure he most respects. I love Louis. Then we get a montage of Louis failing at every job Ren gives him. This is actually something that’s a little off about this episode, and I never noticed it until my series re-watch for this project. There’s, like.. 5 montages in this episode. I have to admit that’s a little overkill. To an extent, this almost doesn’t even feel like an episode. That many montages means there’s hardly any actual dialogue. It’s weird.

Anyway, one of the jobs Louis fails at is “Mass Mail Marketing” a.k.a licking envelops. They decided to use this annoying CGI tongue for the scene, which I hate and always have hated. It’s not the only time they use the CGI tongue either, tragically. Like I’ve said before, stuff like that just comes across as something thrown in for a cheap laugh. I’ve literally never thought it was funny. In fact, I usually cringe a bit when they pull stuff like this. Sigh. 

Um, this actually looks a little... off-color. Ew. 

Louis returns to Ren asking for another job as long as it doesn’t involve licking. She finds one for him, but quickly takes it back saying “...but that involves some light licking...” WHAT THE HELL kind of jobs does she have in this database of hers?! Louis goes on to fail at being a paper boy and a restaurant mascot. That’s three strikes, so he’s dead to Ren now. Louis goes to a local park, all depressed and emo over being a failure — when suddenly a stray dog sits with him. He has a heart-to-heart with the dog saying “I’m just not one of those job people you hear so much about.” I relate to this on an emotionally deep level. Within a minute, he gets the idea to start "Louis' Doggy Daycare" to hang out with dogs all day and make quick money. There’s a short montage of Louis hanging up fliers and I feel like Shia thought it was hilarious. I mean… Look at the photo on the flier, lol. 

His shirt says “I ♥ DOGS” Amazing. Not to mention, that dog is actually… smiling. The fact that Shia even posed for that photo is iconic, lol. He seems to be genuinely laughing about it here, which is great. 

Louis’ first client, Mrs. Walters, shows up with her little pooch named “Poopsy.” I love this so much. My mom and I quote this lady all the time when we talk to our own little dog. She speaks in such a strangely deep baby voice with all these dips and inflections. We always say “My little pOOOoPSEHHHH!” in her voice, lol. I can’t even explain it. She drops Poopsy off and says “Bye-bye, my preciousss!” but Louis cuts her off by saying “Please. Call me Louis.” I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!

Ren is impressed that Louis seems to’ve thought this through and is babysitting a dog. Until she sees that he’s babysitting, like.. 25 dogs.

Ren: Louis, are you crazy?! 

Louis: Crazy for canines. 

There’s a slightly annoyingly obvious pop culture reference to the famous “Dogs Playing Poker” paintings here. It’s whatever. Fine, I guess. But, it just feels like an easy idea to go with.

Now the dogs get antsy and Louis has to take them for a walk. I swear to GOD!!!! This is one of the funniest moments in the whole series. It’s so simple and stupid but I somehow die laughing every time. The dogs are too much for Louis to handle, so he eventually falls and gets dragged by the dogs. Except Louis becomes an OBVIOUS dummy, which is the point, and it’s hilarious to me.

Look at this. Just LOOK!!! The longer it loops, the funnier it gets. The fact that tiny dogs are dragging him so strongly makes it even better.

When they get back from their walk, Louis puts on The Adventures of Milo and Otis for the dogs to watch.. which is another real life reference. But tell me why all I could think of is the Jonas Brothers episode of Hannah Montana where Miley and Lily disguise themselves as... Milo and Otis... 

Around here is where we really dive into Steve and Donnie’s subplot. Which I actually think has some really strong moments. Both of these characters, especially Donnie, are so underrated. The two find the shambles of an old birdhouse dubbed “Feather-Feather Land” that they started building when Donnie was little, but never finished. They decide to start working on it again and end up completely butting heads about everything all day. Donnie thinks he’s reading the instructions for the birdhouse, but he’s actually reading the instructions for the garage door opener.. which is great. (“Didn’t you find it odd that a birdhouse would have a remote control?!”) They continue to pettily argue over every little thing. One of my favorite moments is when Donnie yells at Steve “You’re making me nervous hovering over me like that!!” To which Steve responds “I’m not hovering… I’m overseeing. At a close distance.” I use this all the time, omg. My other favorite bit is when the mood starts to become less tense and more lighthearted between them. Steve put a “vacancy” sign on the house and Donnie says “What’s with the vacancy sign, Dad? …BIRDS CAN’T READ!” It cracks me up every time. Basically, one thing leads to another and they decide to completely destroy the birdhouse for fun. It’s pretty great.

The sound of destruction coming from the basement causes the dogs to run absolutely wild. This is another montage. It ends with Poopsy completely covered in toilet paper in Ren’s room which I think is super adorable and too cute not to include here.

Louis eventually gets all of the dogs under control conveniently right before all of their owners arrive. This scene is too much. The owners show up one by one to pick up their dogs, and they’re all one-dimensional looking stereotypes??? It’s so ridiculous, lol.

One’s a punk, one’s a hippie, and that last guy is a construction worker you guys! Just in case you couldn’t tell by the fact he’s WEARING HIS HARD HAT LIKE A FASHION STATEMENT.

Louis is all proud of himself once every dog is gone and he’s raked in all the moolah. Except, all the dogs aren’t gone. Mrs. Walters shows up looking for Poopsy. Turns out lil Poopsy is missing in the house somewhere. Louis dramatically puts on a crying act and asks Ren for help with tracking the dog down. Sad violin plays and he starts talking about how Ren was always right… He is a failure. “I’m gonna be in circuses known as The Boy Who Can’t Do Anything. Step right up!! …just don't expect much.” - I love this line sooo much and the way Shia delivers it all fake-sad. Oh my god. This leads us to yet another montage of Louis distracting Mrs. Walters while Ren runs around looking for Poopsy. Obviously, they find him (yes, Poopsy is a boy) and everything’s fine. Yay!

Louis ends up spending his money on a churro machine instead, lol. I never knew what churros were before this show, and Ren’s description of “deep fried dough dipped in sugar” always makes me craaaaave churros. To this day, I still haven’t had one. I never understood how the machine works though. It doesn’t look like the kind of thing that MAKES the churros… rather, just holds them and keeps them hot. So, does Louis make them and then store them in the case??? Who knows.

Another “I ♥ ____” tshirt! That might be one too many, lol. Although, it’s probably meant to highlight Louis’ fickleness. One minute, he loves his dad. The next, he loves dogs. Now? Forget the dogs and the man who gave him life -- churros own his heart. 

So yeah! That’s the episode. This one honestly goes by lightning fast, and I think that’s because of the montages. I’ve always really enjoyed this one, though. From the Poopsy lady, to the Louis dummy, to birds not being able to read vacancy signs... I like it a lot. 

Thanks for reading! :) This review was actually really fun to write, haha. Chime in via Disqus belowww.

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