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attapullman · 6 months

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Step Into Christmas | Robert "Bob" Floyd

POV: It’s the first Christmas with your husband Bob in your new (to you) home. He pulls out all the stops to make it special.

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings & Notes: gn! reader. no warnings except mentions of food and excessive Christmas fluffiness! Happy December 1st! I was thrilled when @lewmagoo announced their Christmas celebration because Christmas is the best time of year! Tried something different with a little mood board and then doing clips of scenes paired with the song (listen to it here). And then basically indulged myself in imagining living in an old house with Bob at Christmas where he made me dinner (I wish!) I hope you enjoy and happy holidays!

Welcome to my Christmas song I'd like to thank you for the year So I'm sending you this Christmas card To say it's nice to have you here

The whistling creaks of this old house echo. Its charm and unique coziness you both fell in love with disappears without the lamp normally in the corner of the living room. And now a tall tree looms over the furniture, grim.

There's a rustle, and Bob’s smiling earnest face peaks out from behind a few branches, eager to see your expression at what he does next. He slots the plug into the outlet and bundles of warm lights come to life, filling the room with seasonal delight. The house is suddenly so alive, not a relic at all! He is delighted by the wide grin that splits your face in two.

As he bends over the ornament boxes - matte, glitter, pendants, glossy, oversized, metallic, his broad shoulders shrugging as he decides which ornaments deserve top spot - he is bathed in the tree lights like a bespectacled angel, frames glimmering in the light as his forehead scrunches. The slightly scratchy sweater his great aunt knit him during his first deployment sits a little lopsided on his collarbone. His hair messy from crawling under the branches. A Christmas angel in your midst.

Your husband - husband, you were still adjusting to that - comes to stand beside you, hips kissing with the perfect ornament in hand. His lips brush your cheek discreetly. “Would you like to put on the first ornament?”

Together, you string on the first ornament to a prime spot - in the center, a little higher than the middle. Just Married sits among the pine needles, and it brings a fresh joy to your heart. You glance at your husband again, and smile. Celebrating your first Christmas freshly married in your new home. It’s so good to be here.

I'd like to sing about all the things Your eyes and mind can see So hop aboard the turntable Oh step into Christmas with me

The house casts a cheery glow, the decorated tree lighting up even the most desolate of corners. The star on top twinkles with its shimmering surface. The Christmas spirit is alive and well in this room and will quickly flood the rest of the Floyd homestead.

Behind you, Bob puts on a record, the upbeat sounds of his favorite Christmas tunes creating the playlist for the beautiful night. He catches your eye across the room, blue eyes sparkling in the low light.

He holds out his hand to you, a small smile curling at the corners of his mouth. You haven’t danced together since your wedding. Enveloped in his grasp, he immediately begins twirling you around the room giddily. The air is light, frivolity directing your movements. He dips you slightly during the downbeats, and wiggles your hips at the crescendos. Giggles escape as he brings you to his chest, softly swaying one beat off.

A slower song rounds out the side, sweet harpsichord ringing out. Eyes close as your foreheads connect, grounding you to each other. Small puffs of air against your lips as he softly sings the lyrics to you. The universe existing only in this song you share.

Let's join together We can watch the snow fall forever and ever

Coats scrape against hooks. Boots thump against the hardwood. Laughter fills the mudroom as you watch Bob wrap his scarf a few too many times. From the window, fat, lazy snowflakes swim down from the inky sky. Bob rests himself against your back, watching the flakes float down softly onto the ground. Fluffy and inviting.

Before either of you can brace yourselves, the door is swung open and the cold air attacks your uncovered cheeks. You’re dragging him out into the snow, endearingly watching how his breath fogs his glasses as he finds his footing. He sticks out his tongue as you mimic him trying not to slip on the icy pavement.

Neither of you are sure who started it, but soon you’re both ducking behind trees in the neighborhood, packed snow in your mittened hands. Bob’s gotten you once - on the shoulder - and you’ve done nothing but grow his ego with how quick he is.

“You can’t catch me, sweetheart!” He jokingly taunts, wiggling his fingers at you. Your quiet, reserved man dissolved into giggles and childish gestures the second snow falls. Your breathless laughs disrupt the night air as you trudge after him. A second look at a new car on the street distracts him, and you catch up to him, finally in better firing range. The densely packed snowball makes contact with the side of his chest and he turns to you, all wide cobalt eyes. Big hands snap up to clutch the lapels of his jacket. He mimics a slow, dramatic death silently in the snow, clutching at where your snowball has annihilated him.

As you stand over his still form, he blinks open one eyes. “Best two out of three?”

By the end of the afternoon you are both soaked in melted snow, cheeks drenched in deep pink. Your husband takes your hand, threading your mittened hands together, and you watch the fresh powder fall as he walks you home.

Eat, drink and be merry Come along with me

There’s a tinkling in the kitchen. You follow the sounds of Elton John and the scent of alfredo sauce. Pushing open the door, there’s Bob humming along as he stirs this and salts that. Not wanting to disturb him, you slip onto one of the stools at the counter, leaning on your elbows as you watch him nod his head along to the beat.

He glances over his shoulder to check the recipe and jumps at your unexpected, but welcome, company. “Didn’t hear you come in, sweets. You want something to drink?”

You shrug a shoulder and stretch your neck to see what he’s making. But your husband shakes his head and shields your view with his broad frame. He’s been excited to surprise you all day. Leaning over the counter to place a short peck to your lips, he busies himself with pouring you both a beverage, cheersing over the salad bowl.

“Thank you for making dinner.” You’re still trying to steal peeks over his shoulder, where he’s putting on the finishing touches. He glances back at you grinning, acts of service his love language. Those metal frames gleaming in the stovetop light.

After making sure you’re fully settled at the counter - albeit impatiently - he finally brings the pot over to serve up.

“Christmas fettuccine!” The glossy off-white noodles freckled with bits of pepper shine as he twirls the fork above your plate. The nests of noodles on your plates are stunning as he garnishes with a bit of parsley, asking if you’d like extra parmesan. The joyous grin on your face makes his surprise worth every moment over that hot stove.

Taking the stool beside you, elbows just inches from each other, Bob tips his glass to yours. “Merry Christmas, my darling.”

And keep smiling through the days If we can help to entertain you Oh we will find the ways

Bob stokes the fireplace and adds a new log, keeping up the cozy atmosphere. The sound of crackling fire soothing over the natural creaks of the ancient house. He hands you a mug of cocoa and leads you to the sofa, resting your backs against the soft fabric as you sit on the floor, legs tangled. He grabs the new Boeing manual he’s been working his way through and flips it open, semi-reading aloud as he explains trajectory and basic mechanics.

His voice is soothing, the soft vibrations of his chest against your back making your eyes sleepy.

“Am I boring you?” His voice is worried. “Sorry, sweets, not doing a good job entertaining you, am I?”

You shake your head, assuring him you are fine looking through the manual. But he’s already tucking it into the magazine rack on the side, his fingers going through what else is available. He huffs that it’s mostly old copies of Consumer Digest and a random Skymall catalog. But your husband refuses to let the moment go to waste and pulls out his phone, internet searching with the screen tilted away from you.

When he finally settles, his temple pressed to yours, one hand caressing your skin caringly, you see he’s looked up Christmas stories for children. You watch familiar characters taking over the screen, a round-headed boy and his canine friend finding the real meaning of Christmas. Bob’s voice crackles like the fire, and you are safe.

So merry Christmas one and all There's no place I'd rather be Than asking you if you'd oblige Stepping into Christmas with me

Cocoa is brewing and the record player is alive with another festive record. The jaunty Santa hat on Bob’s head threatens to fall off as he perfectly arranges the presents in the order he would like you to open them. The scents of the room fight to be noticed - rosemary, peppermint, and the cinnamon-y sugar of the rolls you just put in the oven.

You join your husband by the tree, letting him wrap his arms around you like a big human bow. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Claus.”

He laugh is infectious, and quickly you’re both giggling as he walks you through his gift madness. He’s spoiled you as usual, always thoughtfully selecting a gift only to find something even better after he’s arrived home. With a flourish, Bob places a package into your waiting hands, instantly eager to see your reaction.

“Thank you, Santa,” you tease. As your fingers untwine the bow, you look up at him. “Thank you for making this holiday so special.”

His cheeks match his hat as he accepts your gratitude. His hand strokes your knee as he praises you. “Thanks for stepping into Christmas with me, honey, I wanted it to be big. First year in the house and all.”

Your smile conveys all your thanks, gooey warmth inside your chest. He impatiently gestures to the gift in your lap again, he’s ready to see your reaction!

Step into Christmas The admission's free

The late afternoon sun streams through the aging windows, bright light bouncing off the freshly fallen snow. A quieter record plays and Bob is snoozing on your shoulder, a little cinnamon sugar still on his lip. This first Christmas in this old house with the big windows that show off the tree is perfect. Your husband is perfect from where he wraps his arm around your waist, curling into you sleepily with his floppy red hat.

And this memory? This memory will be like stepping into Christmas every time it passes your mind.

#a lew magoo christmas #bob floyd fic #robert bob floyd fic #robert bob floyd fan fiction #bob floyd fan fiction #top gun maverick fan fiction #robert bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x you #robert bob floyd x you #gn!reader #robert bob floyd fluff #bob floyd fluff #robert bob floyd #bob floyd #christmas!bob #moodboards by mo

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lucy90712 · 9 months

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Could you do a Joao angst/fluff where like he comes home after the fanchats he got (look up if u don’t know) and he comes home all sad and reader comforts him and it’s all sappy🤭🤭 Thanks love❤️

WC: 1.8k Life has been tough recently with Joao coming back from loan at Chelsea and not feeling welcome at all back at Atletico. It's been awful watching Joao dread going to training every morning and coming back so upset but there is nothing I can do to change anything which makes things even harder. Throughout preseason Joao hasn't played a single minute and he's been publicly told that he isn't in the teams plan and he needs to earn a spot if he ever wants to play which we both know won't happen. Joao hasn't helped his situation by saying he wants to play at Barcelona which looks unlikely but anything can happen in the transfer window.

Today brings with it the first match of the season and all day Joao has been moping around the house and I've been trying to cheer him up but nothing seems to be working. We went on a walk with floki this morning which usually helps clear Joao's mind but today it didn't he was just as quiet and downbeat as before. I even tried to get him to bake with me as he loves that but he turned me down straight away so I gave up on trying to distract him and just let him mope around the house. Over the course of the summer Joao has been extra clingy it's like he's been hanging onto me in order to feel some sense of security which makes me want to cry just thinking about it. He's been the exact same way today, since we woke up he's been to touching me in some way which has mostly been cuddling on the sofa which his head on my chest.

When it came to the time that Joao had to leave he really didn't want to go but we both knew he had to so we said long goodbye to each other before Joao made his way to the stadium. He told me not to go to this game even though the team are playing at home as he's well aware that he's not going to get any minutes and he doesn't want me to be there to watch him just sit on the bench. I considered going anyway as I want to show my support but I chose not to in the end as I want to respect what Joao wants plus I think I'd cry if I had to see him sat there the entire game just wishing he could play.

Throughout the build up to the game Joao was texting me and sending me pictures with him and his teammates as he still gets on really well with a few of them. In return I was sending him pictures of me cuddled up on the sofa and some of me in his jersey as I know he'll like that. The texts stopped when kick off came around and I turned the tv on to watch as Joao is still part of the team and I like to see them do well. The game went really well with the team scoring 3 goals although they did concede 1 but a win is still a win.

After the match finished I went to change and do my skincare leaving the tv on while I did so like I always do as they often interview the players after the game and I'm used to waiting to see if they speak to Joao. When I came back they had a camera on the pitch which showed Joao training on the pitch which at first made me smile but then I got closer to the tv and heard what was going on. At first I thought I was hearing things but I quickly realised that the fans were actually chanting those horrible things at him. It made me so mad as he's still human and he's still part of their club but these fans have decided they can say those awful things about him just because they think he no longer belongs. The anger soon dissipated and turned into sadness and worry as I know Joao is going to come back super upset and just feeling incredibly down and I want to be there for him and try and make him feel better.

The wait for Joao to get home felt like eternity but eventually I saw the headlights of his car come through the windows at the front of the house. As soon as I heard the door begin to open I sprung up from the sofa and ran and jumped into Joao's arms which luckily he saw coming and caught me so I didn't fall on the floor. While I was in his arms I gave him lots of kisses all over his face before kissing his lips to show him lots of love as I know that's what he needs right now. As I went to pull away from the kiss he pulled me right back in for another kiss which I was happy to go along with. When we finally both pulled away Joao walked to the sofa with me still in his arms and got us situated so we were laying next to each other under the blanket I had earlier. Just as I was about to ask Joao how he was doing I looked into his eyes and all of a sudden tears began flowing down his face.

"Oh baby it's ok let all of your feelings out" I said laying his head on my chest and beginning to wipe his tears

"No one wants me" he sobs

"You know thats not true Joao you were loved at Chelsea it just wasn't meant to be and I'm sure Barcelona would love to have you if they had the money plus I very much want you around" I said trying to comfort him

"Even the fans hate me y/n how can I keep going to training knowing they everyone around me doesn't want me there" he said

"Those people aren't true fans any true fans wouldn't do that no matter what and you know your teammates like you I can see your phone blowing up with texts from them asking if you are doing ok" I said

"I know things are tough right now but I'm here for you and I will continue to be here no matter what" I added

"Thank you love I'm sorry for being so miserable having you here has made all of this bearable" he said

"You don't need to apologise I understand it's hard and I'll do anything I can to help" I told him

This time he didn't say anything else he simply just kissed the part of my neck that he could reach from his position. As much as I loved having him resting on my chest I had an idea of how to cheer him up that required me to get up so I let him cuddle with me a bit more before I told him to get comfy in our bed and I'd meet him there. Once he was gone I headed to the kitchen and to the freezer where I knew we had Joao's favourite ice cream. Usually he won't eat ice cream during the season as he's supposed to stick to his diet but ice cream always makes me feel better and I'm hoping I can convince him that the same will go for him. I got myself some ice cream as well because I think I need some too before heading to the bedroom with my two bowls.

Joao was waiting for me patiently sat in bed just looking at the door but a slight smile appeared on his face once I entered the room. His expression then turned to confusion when he noticed the bowls in my hands that was until I gave him his bowl which he tried to give back to me straight away telling me he can't break his diet. Eventually I managed to convince him that it was ok to break his diet this once and that I wouldn't tell anyone which was enough for him to decide to enjoy some ice cream with me. While we were eating I put Joao's favourite show on which he's watched a million times before but he is always telling me he could never get sick of it and I thought he would enjoy watching a few episodes.

He wanted to cuddle with me again so he settled in again with his head on my chest but this time he had his arms fully wrapped around me so we could be as close together as physically possible. Naturally one of my hands went to play with his hair which was a bit of a mess but I absolutely love it like that so it didn't stop me running my hands through it and scratching his scalp which he really enjoys. As we were laying together I couldn't help but let my mind drift to some of my favourite memories I have with Joao including some from recently which was just a reminder that even during hard times life offers beautiful moments.

"Joao do you remember the first time we went to Portugal together and you showed me the sunset on the beach?" I asked

"Yeah why?" He questioned

"No real reason I was just reminiscing and I love that memory it was such a lovely day and that just topped it off" I said

"I loved that day too you looked so pretty in the dimming light I just couldn't get over how I found someone so perfect" he said

"Little things like that always stick in my mind like the other day when we sat outside together just looking at the stars trying to name them even though we both know nothing about astrology" I laughed

"I think our names were better anyway" he smiled

"You know things like that always remind me that even though things are tough right now we still have each other and we can still create good memories which make everything just that little bit better" I said

"You're right love no matter what's going on and how hard it is having you to help me through it really does make everything so much easier I don't know what I do without you to remind me of what's important in life" he said

I could tell he was feeling much better about life after that as the light was back in his eyes and the smile on his face was no longer forced. Instead of focusing on all the stress in our lives he was looking at all of the good things instead which is exactly what I was aiming for as Joao just needed a new outlook on things to make life that little bit better.

#joao felix imagines #joao felix imagine #joao felix #joao felix x reader #football imagine

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thesparklingwriter · 10 months

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to love a dragon

Perhaps, he thinks to himself, there’s more than one dragon in this house.

tags: established relationship, gn!reader, zhongli is half dragon i have warned you, fluff, literally no plot to this sorry

masterlist | ao3 link | taglist | next

You’ve already settled yourself in the living room when Zhongli finally returns home. He’s been needed over the past few nights for the funeral of a high-ranking dignitary, and despite his protests, you like to stay up waiting for him, using the time to catch up on a new novel. Of course, he can’t deny that he enjoys coming home to see you waiting patiently for him, your head tilted to the side as you tear through your book.

“I’m home,” Zhongli mutters as he crosses the threshold, taking his shoes off. You watch over the top of your book as he takes off his coat and blazer. His movements are graceful but wearier than usual, his perfect posture ever so slightly slumped, and his amber eyes laced with exhaustion.

“Long day?” You ask him as he approaches you, raising your head to kiss him lightly. Zhongli nods.

“It’s been…troublesome at best,” he chuckles lightly, sinking into the seat beside you as you open your arms and tug him closer to you. “How has your day been, love?”

You laugh. Your day hasn’t been particularly easy either, but you’re loath to bothering him with petty problems, especially when it pertains to hillichurls. “It’s been a day,” you respond, gently guiding his head to your shoulder so you can run your hands through his hair. “You seem tired.”

You feel him sigh, as he wraps his arms around you, his clawed nails slightly digging into your sides. His expression is blissful as he shifts his head to rest against your chest. It makes you laugh when he’s like this, on the rare days where he doesn’t feel like talking and just wants to be in the same space as you. It also goes straight to your head. The esteemed, educated consultant of the funeral parlour comes home from work to shove his face in his beloved’s chest and complain about his ‘troublesome’ day.

“My, my, how unseemly.” you tease, gently dragging your nails against his scalp. Any attempt to move away from him results in his tail shamelessly grabbing at you before settling around your waist again, gently rubbing circles into your side.

“I sincerely apologise,” Zhongli replies, but you can’t detect any remorse in his tone as he relaxes even more into your touch. “You smell like hilichurls.”

“Possibly because I’ve been fighting them all day.” You shift your hands as you feel his horns erupt from his head, focussing your fingers elsewhere. “Does that offend you?” You could easily stay like this for hours on end without a single care in the world.

He nods. “Take your jumper off.”

“How would the people of Liyue react to seeing their archon in such a state?” You smile, as you oblige him. Regardless of how much you tease him, you know how sensitive he is to scents, especially when they aren’t yours. He gives a satisfied hum before returning to where he was before with an indulgent sigh.

“Given how much you tease me, I’d hope that they’d have pity on me.”

You chuckle again, kissing the top of his head. “I doubt it. Has the smell of the hilichurls gone away or are you going to request that I take my shirt off too?”

“Is that an offer?” he asks, the hopeful tone in his voice impossible to miss.

“No.”

“Then I suppose I shall have to cope with it.” He grumbles. You laugh at him then, unable to hold back your amusement.

“Tell me more about your day. What’s made you feel so downbeat that your only cure is treating me like your personal pillow?”

Of course, Zhongli could have told you that he dropped his pen, and that would have been sufficient evidence for his current behaviour to you. As much as you tease him, you’d give him anything he asked of you in a heartbeat. He begins to tell you about the day he’s had, the deep timbre of his voice a soothing lullaby for your exhausted mind. Being around him always seems to make you feel sleepy, as well the gentle purring that’s coming from his chest.

“Am I boring you, love?” He asks upon noticing that your fingers have stopped moving and your breathing has slowed slightly. You don’t respond, a half-formed snore bubbling in your throat. He smiles softly at the way you’ve dozed off, conflicted as to whether he should risk waking you up for the sake of your neck. He decides it is more important that you wake up without aches and pains, moving his arm to gently sit up, but you tighten your grip on him despite being fast asleep.

Perhaps, he thinks to himself, there’s more than one dragon in this house.

notes: cael was texting me as i was queueing this. this damn post took me like half an hour to set up. don't say i do work hard for you guys. i can not believe its gonna be september when this is posted wow

taglist: @ainescribe @thelonelyarchon @aixaingela @medusuu

#zhongli fluff #zhongli x reader #zhongli fanfic #tswzhongliflufftober #zhongli #genshin impact #genshin fluff #fanfiction #zhongli flufftober #flufftober #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact fan fiction #genshin fan fiction #genshin zhongli #zhongli genshin x reader #zhongli genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader

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broken-clover · 9 months

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I don't think Triffany would get overtly depressed a lot since her whole thing is being incredibly cheerful while talking about messed up stuff but I think whenever she does get downbeat and listless Wambus would gather up a bunch of bones from last night's dinner and some knickknacks from the house and bury them out in an emptier part of the farm for her to dig up as enrichment

#basically that one covid-era post about digging in the backyard #'Triffy do ya want me to bury a pot fer you to dig up'#I do not know why I have so many thoughts about them #bugsnax #wambus troubleham #triffany lottablog #op back on her bullshit

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j4m3s-b4k3r · 4 months

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Slow Horses

Fave viewing over the past few years has been SLOW HORSES on AppleTV+. A spy show with all the intrigues of a John le Carré novel, but if George Smiley was written as a sarcastic smart arse and every other spy was a downbeat comedian.

River Cartwright chased by one of ’The Dogs’.

The show focusses on spies who’ve disgraced themselves, but for various reasons can’t be set free into the wild. We are led into this espionage backwater by an earnest young spy who has become persona non grata with Mi5. His efforts to get back into the slick world of Regent’s Park puts him at the heart of the action in the series. Though he’s from Mi5 royalty (as his grandfather used to head the organisation) he’s banished to a shabby facility called Slough House.

Lamb uses his signature flatulent power-move on Taverner.

This kingdom of losers is ruled by Jackson Lamb, hilariously played by Gary Oldman. Famed for being a chameleon, Oldman is clearly having enormous fun here, playing this jaded old cold warrior, who doesn’t care any more. Lamb has let himself go physically, but is still mentally sharp enough to anticipate when he’s being setup. Which is often, and most likely by his Mi5 boss Diana Taverner (played with deadpan ice queen flair by Kristin Scott Thomas). Her disdain for the screwups of Slough House doesn’t stop her from using their services. These ‘Slow Horses’ are ostensibly kept on by ‘the service’ for menial jobs - filing and desk work - but they are sometimes caught up in intrigues too. Simply because Mi5 often needs fall guys.

Shirley & Marcus pinned down by The Tiger Team.

Mi5 is portrayed as a world of grasping political climbers. The higher up the political totem pole, the more damehoods & knighthoods there are. But ruthless sociopaths abound too. More than willing to sacrifice their underlings if it advances their own interests, or covers up a blunder. The traditional baddies of spy stories are here, but rather than the Russians or international terrorists, domestic political dirty dealing is responsible for most of the body count.

Min & Louisa surprise an intruder at Slough House.

For all their flaws, the Slow Horses have more decency than the ‘winners’. They are prickly & snarky characters, that are nevertheless likeable. A fave of mine is Roddy Ho, Slough House’s IT expert. His hilariously pompous dialog is brilliantly played to the smugly annoying hilt by Christopher Chung. Pint-sized firecracker Shirley Dander (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and wily old school operative Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) are a couple of other faves, but honestly, all the characters have their moments.

Roddy analyses the kidnap photo of Standish.

The show-runner is standup comedian & writer Will Smith, who manages to deliver laughs aplenty but also real drama. Main characters can die, and probably when you’d just learned to love them. We enjoyed watching this show so much that, after finishing the 3rd season, we RE-watched the entire thing, and were entertained even more the 2nd time.

Jackson Lamb has an ice cream.

Having just exhausted all the viewing options available, Julia & I just began the book series that the show is based on, by Mick Herron. Though many details differ, the books are remarkably similar to the TV series, tonally. Added background details to the characters & plots make them enjoyable even after seeing the show. Hopefully they will feed us enough Lamb until season 4 drops at the end of 2024.

#illustration #reviews #tv #slow horses #jackson lamb #drawing #roddy ho #shirley dander #catherine standish #diana taverner #marcus longridge #louisa guy

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suffersinfandom · 5 months

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A Summary of The OFMD Meta (Part IV)

This is part four of an incomplete summary of A Meta-Discussion Of The Subtext by meratrishoslee (Mera) on AO3 (linked to, as the author requests). I’m trying to stay impartial and present the content fairly and with context. Like, I started reading this 140K beast after I saw a wild screencap and thought, "Surely there's context that makes this make sense," so I do want to provide at least that much.

This part includes interviews and a response to one of the “concern trolls that couldn't quite manage to wipe the foamy froth from their mouths long enough to keep it from dripping on their keyboards.”

No more chapter numbers because they keep being reordered.

Other posts Part I Part II Part III

Chapter The Vanity Fair Article - A Wondrous Fuckery

Here’s the article that chapter is about.

Mera suspects that the interview happened via text, giving David Jenkins time to sort out what he was going to say. They note that they’re “going on vibes and subtext, which is really more [their] wheelhouse.” You’re welcome to disagree with them.

“First off, I was trained in the House of Moftiss/BBC Sherlock fandom, where we just assumed that every word the showrunners spoke in an interview or on social media was a shameless distortion at best, and an outright lie at worst -- so that's where my mind goes first. [...] Having said that... so much of the Vanity Fair interview is an actual gift. You do have to cherrypick somewhat... but again, DJenks just released an episode with a major character death. He can't go back and reverse himself and suggest on any textual level that the death was less than permanent.”

VF mentions the happy endings in the finale, and Jenkins says, same-sex relationships end on a dour, downbeat note, where one of them dies and it’s unrequited or it’s unrealized; something horrible happens and they’re punished in a way.

“That's not a happy ending -- and that's exactly what you apparently fucking did with a central character. Gosh, how weird of you to bring it up here. So why? Is it... is it something you left open for a third season? That the horrible death of an unrequited love isn't what it appears?”

Jenkins says that Izzy is kind of a mentor to Blackbeard and that he is kind of a father figure. Mera says that “this is the closest he gets to queerbaiting us” because Izzy is definitely not Ed’s father figure.

“Notice we are still given the subtext here: mostly dead is slightly alive, and "kind of a father figure" feels like a limp gesture in the direction of explanation. The rest of it... if you feel insulted on Con's behalf, that Izzy Hands was reduced to an old dog being put down at the vet's office here ("beautiful arc", "does a lot of things", "it's time", "full meal" -- god, a day at the dog park and a last fucking supper with cheeseburgers and pie and all the human food he never got to have otherwise she says sarcastically) -- YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO.”

Jenkins keeps mentioning “magic, love, turning, losing, changing, rebirth, resurrection, present tense about Izzy Hands, ghosts/life after death, or anything of those flavors.” He is “legitimizing repetition” in order “to prime your mind to see the subtext. You can only look for something if you know what it looks like: he is giving you the key to the season.”

Jenkins reminds us that “he was not a straight white guy alone in that writers room, and he's telling you the story worked for everyone in that room of all queerness/genders.”

“And then he brings our head back around and goes ‘hey, look at Izzy again. It's almost like he's the key to everything. Hey, look at me using present tense on a character that's supposed to be dead and gone which would be past tense. God I love Con O'Neill, and I need you to hear that in every single interview I ever give EVER. His character IS a joy to write.’”

Mera mentions all of the “subtextual queer references and coding” put into Izzy. “You don't create a Queer Avatar by fucking accident. And these professionals certainly did not.”

Mera encourages their readers to read the Q&A that wraps the article “with the mindset that we will have an S3 where a queer self-sacrificing man rises from the dead in a damn near explicit Christ metaphor and our Izzy Hands is safe and whole and loved.”

“The Vanity Fair interview, as far as I'm concerned, is not some painful/cruel gloat. It is a subtextual love letter back to the fans, published just in time to be ready to soothe our hurting hearts -- if we know how to parse it.”

Chapter "Who Do Ya Trust If You Can't Trust God?"

“I'm finding myself tired at being the point of the spear. No one prepared me for how exhausting it is to be among the first to realize a massive truth.”

This chapter is about coping with fandom and contains some solid advice: “The block button is our friend. The unfollow button is our friend. The mute option is our friend. If someone's relentless negativity hurts your feelings or drags you down, mute/unfollow/block them as needed.”

But then:

“I choose to believe my daily-growing mountain of evidence that Izzy Hands is alive and that the writers intend that he be hollered home from the gravy basket.

“Furthermore? If I can be painfully real for a minute? I am amazed at the trust the writers have given us.

“Because we the Unseen Crew have been put into the position of Izzy's future lover -- to be to Izzy what Stede was to Ed. We are called on for our audience participation now, to hold his hand and beg his return -- not for a minute, an hour, or a day... but potentially for the next several months, over a year or more, until we get Season 3.

“I do tend to have this fatal flaw of wanting to uphold others' trust in me, and to be loyal to those who show loyalty in return.”

Mera reminds us that her word is not canon. She isn’t affiliated with the show and is just trying to provide hope and positivity.

“Even though I often will get tired... I am determined to stay positive. When I can't say something nice, I close the window or the app and say nothing at all. You will find me on my social media being as unrelentingly kind as I know how to be.”

Next: interviews and what we can take from them. “Interviews have exactly two purposes: pocket money for the subject of said interview, and promotion for the show. I was trained to never fully trust what is said in interviews.” Engagement and getting people clicking is more important than imparting useful and truthful information, and nothing engages people like anger.

That’s how we get the early “interviews that are half touching and half enraging, with seriously tone-deaf seeming self-conflicting statements from the writers/showrunners [...]. We can trust that if the interviews are live/verbal, they'll be more irritating rather than less. The showrunners would much rather say too little or say something wrong than give away something too big or too true accidentally, and in the pressure of the moment they will fall back on phrases they've memorized as safe to use.”

Don’t trust that interviews are telling you the truth (but they might be saying something truth-adjacent).

Mera has doubts about Jenkins telling O’Neill about Izzy’s death mid-season. She doesn’t think that Jenkins is that stupid. “It's not too far a stretch to think that this "mid-season" conversation occurred in the middle of filming the first season, and all DJenks is prevaricating about is the timing thereof.”

Jenkins realized mid season one that Con is an amazing actor, so he takes him out for dinner and says, “Next season I want to kill Izzy 3 times. The first time will be Stede's dream sequence, and the next two will be actual Passion Plays, because we're setting Izzy up to be Jesus and Westley from The Princess Bride and Han Solo from Star Wars.”

“And Con takes up the challenge of being coded as an OVERT Queer Messiah (with an additional layer of subtextual HIV/AIDS)... because of course he does. Of course he fucking does. If he can pull it off -- and if anyone can, it's him -- it's the role of a fucking lifetime. It's a role for history books and media studies for the next fifty or one hundred years.

“Doesn't that sound a bit more likely? Doesn't that sound a bit more real?”

Mera predicts that interviews and articles will start publishing ideas about Izzy still being alive, and talking about how weird and off the end of season two was. Everyone involved with the show, after all, will “know we inspect every frame and every pixel of every BTS and teaser they release,” so they’ll feed us enough to keep us guessing at the truth.

“Here is my promise to you: if/when I'm wrong about any of this, I will edit this chapter only to admit I was wrong and when and how. I will not remove my evidence. I am comfortable being wrong. If I was never wrong, I would never have tried and failed and learned from my failures!”

Chapter Until You Come Full Circle

This chapter is about interviews. “We’ve had, just in the last week, two very sweet and classy interviews with Con (which I did predict, although that was about as safe as saying the sun would rise in the east this morning) – and one that seemed… less so, with Taika.”

First interview with Con.

Con says to trust David Jenkins, which immediately makes Mera think of Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. “Now. Am I delulu, as the kids are calling it these days, suggesting that Con might intentionally be throwing some religious vibes at us?”

Con is also “earnest and intense” in his praise of OFMD’s writing. This is a good sign; that means he thinks the show is written well, and that’s further evidence that Izzy will be back.

Second interview with Con.

Con “seems to me to be very reluctant to outright lie, which is awesome for a meta writer and squares with my experience of him. Lying is easy in the moment and difficult in the future – a person has to remember what lies they’ve told in order to remain sufficiently consistent in their stories. It takes more skill to tell just enough of the truth that it's both vague in the moment but pays off later.” This makes interviews with him extra valuable.

A short analysis of one of his quotes: “Everything Izzy is in Season 2 was there in Season 1, only understated and repressed. According to the actor who played him: he didn’t change who he was. Izzy just got safe enough to let what was inside him out to where others could see it too.”

One of Con’s quotes backs up Mera’s Sacred Heart meta, namely the part about Izzy trying to serve the crew that loves him.

Now a Taika interview.

This interview bolsters Mera’s idea of Ed as Judas.

From the article: When Consequence asks writer/director/actor Taika Waititi if he’s feeling optimistic about a third season of Our Flag Means Death, his initial response is this: “Have you seen the end?”

“I think we can safely assume that Taika’s not asking the interviewer if he’s literally seen the last episode of Season 2. This feels to me like the blunt, sardonic, dry humor Taika’s evinced (and occasionally gotten into trouble over) during other interviews, aimed at the word ‘optimistic.’ ‘Have you seen the end? How optimistic did you think it was?’”

It’s not an optimistic ending. The interview mentions the inn’s renovations, but we don’t see anyone doing any renovating. Ed and Stede don’t even have food as the Revenge sails away.

From the article: For Waititi, though, the Season 2 finale “feels like a natural end to their story. Just because I feel like, you know, they’ve been through so much and then wind up in that nice place at a happy ending.”

What nice place? What happy ending?

From the article: Waititi says, though, that “I don’t want it to feel like Rambo III suddenly, you know, when you’re like, ‘Oh man, they have to leave their idyllic life again.'”

“Okay, everything else was fucky as fuck… but that feels wrong enough to be a lighthouse.” So Mera went and watched Rambo III, which is more relevant than she expected.

Rambo’s “idyllic” life isn’t that great. “We don’t see an emotional, human connection. We see a white guy who’s on tolerance in a place he doesn’t really belong, separated by a language he doesn’t fluently speak. We see a man tormenting himself with boredom and isolation.”

“When you look at John Rambo through most of this movie, you see a pretty good correlation to Edward at the start of the last episode of OFMD S2: on tolerance in a place that’s not truly his home, trying to fit a life and do a job he’s not suited to… and he gives it up without another thought because a man he cares about is in danger.” A hint to season three?

Chapter My Ridiculous Obsession With Love

In this chapter, Mera addresses one of her “haters.”

For anyone who forgot the thesis of this meta: “The overarching hypothesis I'm building in this meta-discussion is that Izzy's death was more serious because HIV/AIDS and queer grief is serious. He had to go into the grave and take the full journey of the passion play to be able to leave it behind him, and to re-emerge as someone that can touch, kiss, and love again.”

Commenter: “None of that makes this a definitive interpretation, or one that the creative team can reasonably be held responsible for.”

Mera: “... yes? Okay, sure? (Dear non-haters: just picture that John Travolta confusion gif again, because if I threw it in here every time I rammed up against an example of begging the question in this comment, there'd be like 30 of them and we'd all get tired of them.)”

Commenter: “The crew hold back because Ed is the person Izzy dedicated his life to and has not yet fully reconciled with- they're giving him space to sort things with Ed so he can go in peace. Etc etc.”

Mera: “I see a rapid parade of images and sounds. "He's a dick, but he's our dick." Jim snarling "He was your friend" up into their captain's face, even though they know for a fact that could get them killed. The crew make the unicorn's leg for him together but they leave it at his door because they know he can't (yet) let himself accept it if anyone's watching: what an incredibly emotionally intelligent maneuver. The easy way that we see Jim and Lucius and Frenchie and Fang interact with Izzy in later eps-- all touching him or letting him lean on him, just never skin to skin. The way that we see Izzy go into Wee John's arms and stay held there for a while as he commits the incredibly vulnerable act of singing for them. The way that Izzy lays his hand on Stede's knee while they're talking at Jackie's bar, and there's no real animosity from them on either side then.

“So I'll give you this one, 100%. I can't say that you're wrong or prove it in any way. Your reading is absolutely as valid as mine, no more and no less.”

Commenter: “Isn't it heavily implied that people touch him with bare hands while dealing with his leg? And if he is coded as having AIDS and being untouchable, why would the crew be so willing to dive in and get covered in his blood when they treat his leg, especially when they're also scraped up at the time?”

Mera: “I haven't had a chance to write up this meta yet, but in a nutshell: we see Jim and Archie amputate his leg (with their hands pressed together in visual union atop it). They're covered in blood and this is one of the least realistic depictions of a survivable amputation attempt in media ever, frankly... and yet Izzy lives through it! [...]

“Notably we do NOT see Fang cleaning up. I need to go back and verify, but I'm like 99% sure.

“Why? Is Fang lazy or unhelpful? No, I'd say two reasons. One, he's paralyzed with grief (and the men in this show are so emotional, as Auntie rightfully notes). But two, certain classifications of men were more susceptible to Izzy's subtextual disease. [...]

“I think it's a direct subtextual sign post to the part that lesbians/wlw/AFAB people had to play in the care of queer men dying of AIDS. [...] Jim won't catch Izzy's subtextual HIV/AIDS, ever. Jim's hands heal and comfort, with both Izzy and Auntie -- repetition (usually) legitimizes, as I've said elsewhere.”

Commenter: “...while I know I have no control over this... it's alarming to see other commenters accepting this elaborate interpretation as if it's definitive.”

Mera: “Ooooh, I'd pay a dollar to find out how many comments you leave on fix-it fics. Are they also dwelling in their delusions of a world where a fictional character in a show overcomes a fictional death in the same show? Is it a sign of mental illness to indulge in word count or WORSE -- for them to irresponsibly leave those insane words just out there online where other people can also continue their madness by READING THEM?!?! The absolute horror. We writers should be ashamed, etc etc.

“There's every possibility all the words I'm spilling over this are worth just as much as you paid for them: exactly nothing.

“So thank goodness we have you and others like you, willing to do the purely altruistic and entirely virtuous work of... leaving comments to tell us you didn't agree? I guess? Honestly I don't have a full lock on what your goal was here, if something other than trying to make people feel bad but fortunately not being very skilled at it.”

Commenter: “I wish you and every other fan nothing but the best, and for that reason, I find this hard to watch.”

Mera: “My sibling in Shiva: the 'back' button and the 'x' to close the window are available in every single web browser I have ever used in the history of the internet, ever. But I appreciate your martyrdom in staying here and nobly suffering so hard in an attempt to save me and my readers from ourselves!”

Commenter: “It seems like you are setting yourself and others up for even more rage and heartbreak than there would otherwise need to be.”

Mera: “I want to point out that I've tried to be very careful in not speculating about Season 3; I think it's reasonable for any fan to assume all characters living at the end of S2x08 will return in S3 unless real life status of the actors, scheduling, or budgetary considerations prevent that.

“I want to point out that all I have are the first two seasons, and I am telling you that Izzy Hands, inside the last second of S2x08, is "mostly dead but slightly alive" -- and he's in the house, being the cause of the smell that Edward doesn't want to recognize (as he is at least twice before shown refusing to recognize what he's done as Blackbeard after the fact) but does actually recognize all the same.”

Mera admits that there are two options: “Either I'm correctly parsing the absolute bounty of subtext available in every aspect of the show, or I'm not.”

“On the day that we get that confirmation, I will feel one of two things: either the delicious vindication that I was right -- or amazement that they could build such a wondrous sky castle of subtext, whether consciously or subconsciously, and fail to complete it satisfactorily.”

“I've been wrong before and will freely and cheerfully admit it [...]. That's also why I put in my first meta post that I had been a TJLC'er -- and why I've left it in there, actually. It's correct and it's honest. Straight off I admitted I was wrong about Something Big.

“See, it's [...] ‘hater bait,’ and it's already caught several. Lots of concern trolls that couldn't quite manage to wipe the foamy froth from their mouths long enough to keep it from dripping on their keyboards, because all of them had mentioned it... until you.”

“I've cackled my way through all of the writing of this post, even as I've tried to be very kind in reply -- you should have seen some of the shots I chose not to take due to their cruelty (even though they were fucking hilarious) -- so thank you for a most diverting morning. I even got more meta and more word count out of this, so it wasn't actually a waste of productive time!”

Commenter: “I urge you to reconsider this approach that you're taking.”

Mera: “Here's where I'm gonna get all the way real again. Because I'm not talking to [...] that poor dear any more. I'm talking to the ones who are here with me in the stinking dark of the Pit of Despair, holding onto Izzy's naked right hand with no glove between us any more or hopefully ever again, hollering him back home out of the gravy basket.”

“If one sound had been added, everyone would know what the author knows. “We have the house. We have the grave -- with Izzy's collar on it like the dog collars on the dog graves in Pet Sematary -- where whatever comes back often comes back wrong. We've got the concept of a bad smell. We've got Stede reacting to something awful with a scream [the one thing Mera’s adding in this scenario].

“DONE.

“Now the fandom is convinced that Izzy is alive, just as most of us were convinced in the last 18 months that Lucius was still alive.”

“This is part of what convinced me in the first seconds after the episode was over that Izzy wasn't dead. If I could both change the story and prove it to everyone else with just one small addition... then he's not dead.”

After Lucius was pushed overboard in season one, “I just trusted that this soft and sweet little show wouldn't actually permanently kill one of its gays. [...] And I still trust that it didn't actually permanently forever and truly kill the most gay-coded of its gays.”

#ofmd #izzy critical #not really but it's for that crowd tbh #“you don't create a queer avatar by fucking accident”#i want to type unkind things #keep not reading that meta it's way too long #and not even that fun to read #i promise i brought all the fun parts over

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demilypyro · 1 year

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dunno if you're still looking for manga with canon trans characters, but i recently read through 'double house' and enjoyed it. it's a quiet little story about a trans woman becoming friends with her neighbour, and about the other trans women at the bar where she works. the fantranslation i read did have some slurs in it, which given that it was written in the 90s im not shocked by. overall though i'd say it's less dramatic / downbeat than a lot of stuff published more recently. it's only three chapters so it's a quick read either way.

I've read that one. Not really a fan. I find the characters unrelatable, and I don't like how it presents the trans woman as being uninformed on women's matters. But maybe others would like it.

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izzy-the-spewer · 5 months

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I've just gotten into Big Brother UK and binged watched all the episodes over the past week and I'm completely shocked that at least Jordan and Henry aren't all over tumblr. Like the whole mess of a triangle situation is straight outta someone's tumblr post and seeing Jordan slowly open up to Henry, Henry being incredibly supportive and patient without being too pushy and them both falling in love over the 6 weeks and of course seeing them all lovey-dovey after leaving the house should be a 5 course meal for tumblr

Not to mention that Jordan and Henry fit the whole dark/light, sun/moon, black cat/ginger cat, upbeat/downbeat, etc. vibes that is so popular on tumblr

LITERALLY!! I'm always looking for new content on them, but the tags (below) are getting more frequent with the jenry stuff. it's usually just their stories lol

it's good though bc they're real people and it would be odd if there was like that usual tumblr stuff on them, bc this app is dark AF

#jenry #jordan and henry #jordan sangha #henry southan

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shinygoku · 21 days

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Help! (1965)

It’s May Day, and a Mayday is a cry for Help!

Released shortly after the film of the same name [I gotta find better quality footage of it lmao], this album has only 2 covers and may have the most iconic songs featured since A Hard Day's Night. Does the whole selection hold up or could it have done with a bit more ....NUJV?!

That's right, in Flag Semaphore they aren't spelling HELP, but NUJV, which naturally I only know from reading about The Band haha. Done that way for more pizzaz, don'cha know. A very minimalist cover, I like it more than With The Beatles but I wonder why they tinted their black garb to be blue?

SIDE ONE

Help!: While they've dabbled in "Depression song set to upbeat music" before, I think this is their most iconic of that genre. I also think it's well known – at least among Beatlemanics, that it's a lot less ironic. John wrote this one quickly and in doing so put a lot of himself in there. With that knowledge, I feel a little more guilty going "Haha #mood", as I think it's safe to say the average listener has fewer Problems than John did, not least the lack of being on a microscope slide as The Beatles were... but it IS still a relatable number that's a fun song, too! For an anxiety number it makes a great opening, which is odd to say, but here we are. Splendid backing vocals and drums with occasional moments of very audible guitar also lift it above similar vibe'd numbers.

The Night Before: I love this one, and the depiction of the Stonehenge scene with interesting camera angles from the movie is forever married to the music in my mind! I think it says something that I'm much more into the "Hey Girl don't be mean to me" style than I was on past albums, maybe it's related to the dude being on the receiving end of someone leaving in the morning this time having it feel fresher? idk. Groovy instruments drive it very nicely and the harmonies add dimension to the mournful vibes in counter to the almost rock 'n' roll flavour, methinks.

You've Got to Hide your Love Away: I'm not as keen on this one myself... again, the sequence in the Film comes clearly to mind for this, but in that they were like, slouching in the communal house and that matches the sluggish energy. This feels like it shoulda been on the previous album with the slower tempo and grumpy lyrics. But all that said, it's still very solid and well performed, and again I know people connect to the exasperated words. Also hi, Tambourine! "Two foot small" is the standout line to me, and I think there could be allegory for non-heterosexual relationships in here, but a lot of the song is murky and mumbly. Maybe on purpose, it sure adds to the Mood, but it again makes me less energised.

I Need You: This was also in the film, but it wasn't as distinct a cinematography sponge. I think it shared the Stonehenge scene but The Night Before overshadowed it somewhat lol. Sorry, George! ^^;; – I guess it's down to this being much more mild and downbeat, even though the themes on paper are pretty damn similar. I'm not into the stated thesis of trying to guilt a relationship back on, which is a common pop song template. The bridges[?] are really lovely though, the stringing and bongos make a dope backing track with more "aaahhh-hhhh" type harmonies.

Another Girl: Ahh yes, in the film the Beatles were in the Bahamas and miming this song, like Paul playing the Bikini Wearing Girl - Anyway this is kinda another "Nyah nyah sucks to be you, I've UPGRADED with New Girl" that was common in AHDN and BFS, but I'm feeling more generous this time, maybe as it's got a jaunty tempo and more cheerful energy, even with spite lacing it lol. The short guitar solos add a certain je ne sais quoi.

You're Gonna Lose That Girl: Ok, first of all the whiplash from the previous title to this is soooo funny. I've also seen comparison to She Loves You, that this one offers a Quiet Part Said Loud; You've upset your Girl and you can either make nice with her pronto, or I'm gonna shoot my shot and be a better BF at that lmao. Either way, it's pretty refreshing to hear this kind of counterpoint to the hypothetical situations in other songs, this one isn't bragging or pleading but Stating that Improvement is needed, Dude. Albeit still with a smidge of arrogance to assume the girl will so easily fall into the POV's arms hahaa. Still, any nod to Girls Having Agency is groovy, like the instruments (includes Bongos this time!) and oooohhh man the smoke and colour filled Studio in the film.... you're making Smoking look too cool!! Aaaaaa! (It’s my 2nd Fave Music Vid sequence in the whole movie~)

Ticket to Ride: Did someone ask for another mopey song? I didn't, but I'm not complaining. The instrumental opening and strumming that continues until the sudden build up in the Bridge(?) makes this really fun to listen to! I forget if this is the one that may be about a prostitute or not, but it could explain the Girl's nonchalance about heading off lol, but it could be another sign of a slow to dawn realisation that 'Oh yeah, Girls do things off their own bat sometimes too....' which seems to be a theme in this album so far. Also seen a hypothesis /Paul allegedly claimed that the Ticket is to Ryde in the Isle of Wight, but as ya can see it's spelled different, so that may be a Reach. ALSO!! The Alps Music Vid from the film set to this music is my absolute fave part of the movie, even though the Bugs mucking about in the snow has no relevance to the song, it's just sooo pretty and a joy to watch while cool music plays~ And it has a fun coda, too!

SIDE TWO

Act Naturally: WOOOOOOOOO!!! YEAH, BAYBEE!! This may be my absolute favourite Cover the boys have performed, it's utterly perfect for Ringo and the bouncy energy really make this one I go out of my way to listen to. In keeping with the album's theme, it's up-tempo and has lyrics about how dang miserable the POV looks that he's the obvious pick for a particularly depressed role in a film! Uh... yay? (Pushes Depressing Ringo Lore away for this.) Seeing how Ringo seems to still do performances of this in more modern times, I think he's really fond of it, too~ And it is eerie how close this song is to Ringo's role in AHDN [Film] and Help! [Film] where he's the poor little Meow Meow undergoing the Horrors, and doing a pretty great act when not completely baked (and tbh, in Help! I think their High-ness enhances a daft plot rather than dragging it down). Also Paul's backing vocals in the chorus are very nice lol

It's Only Love: I don't recall hearing this one before. Maybe as it's not as good? lol. John's words are a bit tricky to parse out from the energetically strumming guitar. Again I'm keen on the music but the main Theme is "Girl you're difficult or something girl. Ow my feelings" and I'm not sure if it's meant to be a good or bad thing in this song's narrative. idk, mebbe this song would grow on me if I heard it more, but I'm not inclined to put it on the Underrated Gem shelf with IHJTDWY from AHDN or an upcoming song from Revolver...

You Like Me Too Much: George's 2nd whack at a song on the album! And I don't think I've heard this before either. And I'm not sure I'll remember this one later today lmao. I like the piano opening. Seems to be about a less-than-healthy relationship where the Girl is incapable of staying away... but has POV done anything to cause this? It seems like they threaten to get the girl even if she did leave successfully, so, assuming I didn't get the wrong end of the stick (which is possible as the sound balance is a bit murky on the mono uploads) then yeah, another L here. Geoooorge!! You can and will do better, but this ain't it!

Tell Me What You See: Not heard this one before lol. It seems less Creepy and more optimistic than most'a these less-than-memorable numbers, but it's not doing much for me, so yet again I will warmly comment on the Instrument work, a very consistent strength (which may be getting stronger and stronger, but it's less clear in this exact song lmao). The humming at the end wasn't very good though.

I've Just Seen A Face: Ohh! It's much faster tempo'd than expected! This shock to the system gets me liking it more than expected lmao. Somehow it seems more modern in this way (when I refer to Modern music, that's not actually a compliment most times fyi), but I dig it. Woooow that guitar is being strummed and a half!

Yesterday: Ahh yes. This song is quite load bearing indeed. Hearing the melody in a dream. Scrambled Eggs. The string quartet. Paul's work without any significant contributions from the others but released as Lennon/McCartney anyway as these days were so early and something like this hadn't been done yet. Potentially a first crack between that pair, it's later cited in John's Diss Song after the divorce... But I'm not planning to delve into conjecture, and other than my own fruit loop takes I don't wanna get too deep into rabbitholes here. It's easy to be mislead on Beatle Theory, tediously! But it's a beautiful, heart tugging song and it's no surprize that it's become the most covered of 'em all. So sad, mournful and regretful, yet compelling and easy to find yourself murmuring as you go about your day.

While I don't rate any covers over the original [listen to it on the '23 Red Album ver!!], I do get a kick outta an instrumental cover with Japanese Instruments (in part cause of my Weeb Leanings, but it's SOOOO JRPG End Credits material too lmao)

Dizzy Miss Lizzy: And we close the album with one more cover! ........Yeah, a bit of a damp squib to end on lmao. Anything is gonna be a Coughing Baby after the Hydrogen Bomb that is Yesterday, but it doesn't even seem to have many lyrics to speak of! Feels very much like Live Performance Filler when they need to space the Good Stuff out and have a bit of a break hsdjhjgdfhdf

CONCLUSION

Best 3: Help!, You're Gonna Lose That Girl, Yesterday

Blurst 3: It's Only Love, You Like Me Too Much, Tell Me What You See

I've had a hard time picking only 3 to put in the Best Category before, but this time it's even trickier as there's more Noticeably Strong Songs and Act Naturally is such a charming cover I wanted to cram more in! (something something The Economy Class Beatles getting just pushed out of my own spotlight on AHDN/Help!, oh woe is me as I love their songs!) That's good!! But again the Off Vibes for some'a these, especially on Side 2 again, make that easy to fill too. Still, this is an overall advancement over the previous 4 Albums, so I'd say overall Help! is Promising. But we aren't quite at the stage where they cement their position as the greatest Band of all time, but I think it's soon, VERY soon indeed...

🪲🪲🪲🪲

Once more I do wanna get into the Sillay Time that is their Movies, but I'm focusing on the Albums first and will do a reccy for missed Notable Songs and other media if I can get my paws on 'em ¬w¬;; - But what'll come next is exciting and not quite what is on the underside of shoes by spelling differences. That's right, Rubber Soul!

#The Beatles #Help! (1965)#Help! (Album)#The Beatles Help!#CutCat listens to Bug Music #Music Review #How many variations of the title should I put lmao #Not the beloved Stoner Film but a very tight Album #My music term knowledge is still pretty bad and the chorus and bridge differences blur in my head ^^;;

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vaguely-concerned · 2 years

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do you think if god killed himself, he could use his own thanergy bloom for something, presumably something rrrreal big? it is said that a necromancer just on the verge of dying can be incredibly powerful (which has lead to unfortunate things like the seventh house cancer worship, though pal says that it's only really true for the last few moments before death and I'll trust his expertise on that), and if we magnify that up to the power level john is at comparatively... that would be uh a lot of power.

there are some recurring little things in nona the ninth about john killing himself -- pyrrha saying sending gideon's real body along with ianthe is as good as 'a walking suicide note', his general 'fragile state' over the 'domestic squabble' that caused the sun to briefly go out (never change ianthe), him asking gideon to get alecto, which: Maybe that’s why I made the Tomb, Harrow. It is the death of God. It is the Apocalypse, because it’s my self-preservation in a box. talking about washing everything clean and starting over again. hm. could he technically like... resurrect himself? not just regeneration as he does after mercy tries to kill him, but if he fully died body and soul and came back? could he get his loved ones back all mind wiped once more and start again and get blood of eden? just to get his revenge and then die? like... he seems pretty downbeat, but not fully into just wanting to die or anything. and the use of 'let's put this first draft dream of mine to bed' from the introductory poem is niggling at me a bit.

He said: “But that’s the grace of it, Harrow. If I’m God, I can start over. The Flood, you know. You can wash things clean. That’s all the end of Earth was. Making things clean. It gets dirty again, you clean it again. Like those old power washing ads. ‘Spray and walk away’, right? Sometimes I think the only reason I haven’t done it already is that I can’t bear the idea that I wouldn’t be able to touch them. That they’d still be out there."

chilling! what the fuck are you up to john I would not trust your cosmic cleaning service one goddamn bit!!!

#the locked tomb #nona the ninth #nona the ninth spoilers #nona spoilers #ntn spoilers #the locked tomb spoilers #john gaius #cw suicidal ideation #just to be safe

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pico-digital-studios · 1 month

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Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: The Sonic-cave

After OMT!Tails, CR!Sonic and OMT!Mina escaped the crash site with Mini Sonic in One More Hero, leading into its fifth chapter, Eggman Nega looked down in frustration. His look was hard and intense, but unfocused. As Zeena came into his office, Eggman Nega threw his pen aside, glaring at Zeena.

Eggman Nega: This dimension's Sonic met his end at that creature's hands. Why did I just see another one after Ghost escaped?

Zeena: There's them AND a girl and Prower. No, this is good! This is very, very good. It means you're gonna get what you want. It means the interdimensional energiser works!

She leaned by her chair.

Zeena: All we have to do is kill a few rodents... and the energiser will bring your grandfather back... as many grandfathers as you wish. And SIGU won't be able to stop us.

He nodded to Johnny and Surge, who readied their abilities.

Eggman Nega: Tomorrow evening at my interdimensional energiser! All of you, be there or be square!

Zeena: Er, our interdimensional energiser.

Eggman Nega: Shut up and get back to work!

Zeena: Urgh... Okay, boss.

In a bus departing from Emerald Coast, OMT!Tails and OMT!Mina sat together whilst CR!Sonic was asleep in the back and Mini Sonic jotted his signature on the petition. They looked at the damaged device between them.

Mini Sonic: Did he break it?

OMT!Mina: Yeah. He's actually pretty embarrassed about it. So, let's just keep it between us, alright?

OMT!Tails: I know where we can get a new one. And we won't let him break it this time!

The three smiled to each other.

OMT!Tails: Hey, Mina? I'm... sorry about what happened to your friends back home.

OMT!Mina: Thanks, Tails. I know how hard this is, to have to figure out this stuff out all alone. It's kinda nice not being the only hero around the multiverse.

OMT!Tails: Yeah. If you ever find yourself open to friends again, Mina, a slot's always open for me!

OMT!Mina: Hmm. I'll let you know.

OMT!Tails: Cool!

In the back seat, CR!Sonic was awake and listening, smiling to the two growing closer.

In a small village at the west of the island, the four looked upon a house, with cards, bouquets and toys around the porch.

CR!Sonic: We should probably go.

OMT!Mina: Sonic, we're already on the doorstep.

CR!Sonic (panicking): Bad idea, bad idea, this is a bad idea-!

OMT!Tails: Just stay calm, alright?

The front door opens ajar, with Uncle Chuck's eyes peeping out.

OMT!Chuck: Heh, you kids are all so sweet, but no more fans today, please-.

His eyes widened seeing CR!Sonic as he opened the door to let Rosie Woodchuck see too.

CR!Sonic: I'm not ready for this...

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: Sonic?

CR!Sonic: Hey, Unc... Rosie... So, this is gonna sound crazy, but... I'm pretty sure that I'm from-.

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: -an alternate dimension?

CR!Sonic: Y-Yeah.

Chuck looked at the alternate version of his nephew with concern.

OMT!Chuck: You look tired, Sonny.

CR!Sonic: (trying to stay cheery) Well, I... (downbeat) am tired...

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: And older. And... thicker?

CR!Sonic: Yeah, I heard that already.

OMT!Mina: I was there when things ran amuck. I'm sorry, Charles and Rosie.

OMT!Chuck: And what dimension are you from, young one?

OMT!Mina: PDH-2011. Did Sonic have a place where he could make another one of these?

She held up the damaged device to show them.

OMT!Chuck: One of them goobers, right?

OMT!Tails: Yeah, we know the location!

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: Right this way.

The three natives led the three AU characters to the back yard, where there was a tiny garden shed.

CR!Sonic: Ah, yeah. I got one of these too. A little shed where I keep my gear-.

The door opened to reveal a rather colourful elevator.

CR!Sonic (in surprise): -I-I mean, this place is pretentious!

And down the elevator the six went, leading into a rather spacious underground base taking an aesthetic from Wacky Workbench's Good Future AND Present counterparts. Crammed with day-saving and speed gear, gloves and shoes of all shapes and sizes, photos, hangout furniture (like a SEGA Genesis), not to mention every Sonic-branded product in existence.

OMT!Tails: Been a while since I've come down here!

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: Welcome back to the secret base, Tails!

Mini Sonic: Wow, this place rocks! Was yours anything like this, CR?

CR!Sonic: Mine was like this, but take away the Sea Fox, the Tornado Mk. 2... imagine it way smaller. Imagine a little hangout shed or treehouse. I feel sad for the guy.

OMT!Mina noticed one of the capes and looked back to CR!Sonic, who shrugged seeing it and being proven wrong about his prior point about no Sonic wearing a cape. He also noticed a photo of OMT!Sonic and OMT!Sally together. Happy. It hit him hard as Tails noticed.

OMT!Tails: Hey, I think this is a cape!

CR!Sonic couldn't help but smile at that remark as OMT!Tails looked at the different gear Sonic had.

OMT!Chuck: Sonic knew how dangerous the job was, but he figured the only way he could stop these creeps was just by being himself.

OMT!Tails looked down.

OMT!Tails: Nega knows the four of us will be coming, and there's five on his side, plus all his Badniks! We're gonna end up outnumbered!

OMT!Rosie Woodchuck: Don't be so sure, kids.

She passed the four of them "My name is..." stickers to wear on their gloves or clothing.

OMT!Chuck: There were two more signals me and Rosie picked up before, and judging by who they are, they could definitely turn the tide for you!

OMT!Tails: Sweet! Where do we start looking?

OMT!Chuck: Well, one of them ended up somewhere back in Central City, whilst the other was seen hovering south of the island near Aquatic Ruin.

OMT!Mina: Sounds like some good leads. Where do you guys wanna start?

CR!Sonic: I pick the city! Since I saw it before when I had to be dragged around by Tails, we shouldn't get lost there.

Mini Sonic: Sure thing! Now, let's track down some multiverse men! Or, er, women, or... whichever genders they are.

OMT!Tails: Let's go! We'll take my aircraft between locations!

The team headed off.

#sonic exe #sonic the hedgehog #spider verse #sth #sonic #sonic fandom #sth au #sonic au #spider man

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