#fashion police squad spoilers

[golvio]

Fashion Police Squad is a game that asks, “What if Liquid Snake was voiced by Tim Gunn?” and I think that’s a beautiful thing.

#his little ‘beep beep~!’ voice line in the final fight also killed me #fashion police squad #fashion police squad spoilers

[shirtlesssammy]

1x20: Dead Man's Blood

Guys! We really wanted to save this VERY SPECIAL episode until the end, but it’s just SO special we couldn’t wait. It’s the episode that all mythology of the show balances on --John being a deadbeat on his own hunts, JENNY!!, and vampires (aka, the one thing Dean can’t kill and also something this family has never run into before so, you know, John could HAVE never described masked ones in his journal)

Fun fact: Jenny isn’t actually named in this episode (because woman don’t matter enough to name, silly!) Giving this character a name is the slowest burn storyline this entire show had!

Then:

John Winchester: Father of the Decade

Now:

Manning, Colorado

Mr. Elkins sits at a bar, pouring over his hunter journal. Some rowdy newcomers appear. 

Mr. Elkins takes off for home --a run down cabin in the woods. One of the bar newcomers is waiting for him. Her eyes flash and he throws a knife into her torso. She pulls it out without issue and chases him. He runs to his safe and pulls out the Colt (do we know about the Colt yet? Whatever, spoiler!) but it’s too late, he’s attacked by a couple of other dudes that fly in from the ceiling. Dinner time for the monsters!

At a diner, Dean suggests they head east to find Sarah Blake again. 

Sam dismisses such foolishness (because the idea of Sam ending up happy with a woman that we know and like is pure nonsense!!) and mentions the death of Daniel Elkins. Dean remembers that name from John’s journal. ‘

The brothers head to Colorado and check out Elkins’ home. Dean finds Elkins’ journal. 

They also find the place torn apart --and weird scratches on the floor. Dean takes a rubbing and realizes that it’s a message for a post box. They head there next and find a note for ‘JW’ in the box. 

Before they can open the letter, good ol’ John Winchester appears. He tells them that he saw them at Daniel’s place. Sam asks why he didn’t come in. “You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed.” LISTEN, asshole, these two brothers are doing JUST FINE without you. 

John tells the boys that he knew Daniel, but they had a falling out (Jesus, who didn’t you fight with back in the day, John?) John reads Daniel’s letter to him.

John asks if they saw a gun at Elkins’ place. Nope. John rushes out insistent on catching the things that killed Elkins. Sam and Dean ask what they are. 

Vampires!

Sam and Dean are shocked that they’re real. John goes over the lore for this show. 

We watch the vamps hunt for dinner. A couple is stopped by a body in the road, and while the dude goes to check it out, the woman calls 911. The dude doesn’t last long (and the lady probably doesn’t either.) 

John hears the news on the police scanner. Without explanation, he tells his sons to follow him to find the vamps. John confirms that they’re on the right trail for the vampires but Sam wants proof. 

He found a fang. They head out --but not before John gets a dig into Dean about how he takes care of his car. 

While driving, Sam and Dean break down their mutual feelings about having John back. Dean’s the little soldier and Sam is not. (And Sam is driving, like Dean can’t even be in control and drive the car he loves so much because he can’t truly handle his father’s overbearing abuse?)

At an abandoned barn, the vamps party it up while the couple stay tied up and freaking out about their fate. Then the Keifer Sutherland of the group arrives, giving them permission to feed on the dude. 

Kate tells Luther about Daniel Elkins, and he gets upset. More people will track them now. He then sees the Colt. “This is no ordinary gun.” 

On the road, Dean tells Sam to pull over because John said so. Sam gets pissy and has a little drag race with pops. And that’s the last time Sam ever drove the Impala. Sam gets in John’s grill about the gun and what they’re doing. 

Dean tries to play peacemaker, but it is REALLY TOUGH with these two. John accuses Sam of leaving. Sam accuses John of shutting him out. Dean just wants a HAPPY FAMILY. 

Kate and Luther attack the lone surviving victim, Jenny, feeding her Kate’s blood. Somebody wrote on Tumblr recently about this scene and I had blocked it out. Pretty sure I’ve only seen this episode a few times and BELIEVE IT OR NOT Jenny’s fate just did not stick with me. I’d forgotten how highly sexualized they’d made this vampire scene, and then gone further and draped it in assault. Jenny “dies” terrified, victim of one of the few same-sex kisses (on screen) in this entire damn show. Excuse me while I stomp around for a while rending my hair and hurling curses!

Later outside the vampires’ lair, the Winchesters surveil the place. Vamps CAN walk in the sunshine and they do NOT sparkle. John reveals his intricate plan: just...walk into the barn while they’re asleep.

For Still Beautiful, Still Dean Winchester Science:

John fills them in FINALLY on the Colt. Samuel Colt made a gun on the same night as the Battle of the Alamo. Sorry. Just. This is such a random story detail that has literally nothing to do with the Colt? Anyway, Colt made the gun for a hunter and gave him thirteen bullets. The hunter disappeared with only half the bullets used up because the FIRST RULE of the elder wand - I mean, the Colt - is never to brag about the Colt, probably. 

The kicker is that the Colt can purportedly kill anything! Like bigfoot! Or God! Or the legendary, rumored-to-be-extinct vampire! (Or, sure, the demon that killed Mary Winchester.) John is hinging their demon-killing success on getting the Colt. The potential vampire killing is just blood-red icing on the cake. 

In the barn, John creeps up slowly on the sleeping Kate and Luther, eyes set on the Colt dangling on their bedpost. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean stop their search for the Colt when they realize that there are people trapped for food in the barn. (Good beans!) They work to set them free when Jenny wakes up. She immediately lets out an inhuman roar as soon as she sees Sam.

Luther wakes up and chucks John across the room. He shouts for them to split, and the Winchesters flee. “Once a vampire gets your scent, it’s for life,” John explains. [insert Benny/Dean joke here] 

While Dean’s raiding a funeral home, John “bonds” with Sam in the motel. He reveals that he put $100 in a college fund for Sam and Dean when they were born. He did that up until Mary died, and then he shifted his focus to raising his boys to be soldiers. (So literally just $100 for Sam’s account, then.) “Somewhere along the line I stopped being your father.” NO SHIT, JOHN. 

Sam tells John that he used to think they were different, but after Jess died he’s wholly in the fight. They bond over their twin quests for revenge and when John reveals that he spent his boys’ college funds on ammunition, Sam laughs. What a Hallmark moment! Dean returns with dead man’s blood, and they get to work.

That night, Dean gets dangled out as bait: the dude-in-distress bending over a “broken-down” Impala. I just. Can’t even. With this show. 

Kate finds him and they trade witty banter. She also kisses him which…. Excuse me, I’m going to stare into the middle distance for a while, grinding my teeth. 

Arrows thwack into the vampires’ chests just in time, I guess? The dead-man’s-blood soaked arrows start to leach into their system, slowing them down. The Winchesters capture Kate, and kill the second vampire. 

Sam confronts John about his plan to get the Colt and then scuttle away from his sons again. “You can’t treat us like this. Like children.” 

“That’s crap,” Dean calls out John. “You know what Sammy and I have been hunting. Hell, you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself. You can’t be that worried about keeping us safe.” John’s got to do the hunt ALONE! It’s the only way! 

Back with the vamp family, Luther learns about the hunters who’ve captured Kate (and severed their first head). 

Luther zeroes in on John’s truck, tearing down the highway. He can tell that Kate’s inside it. And sure enough, Kate starts to wake up next to John. The vamp squad pursues the truck. 

At the barn, Sam and Dean break in to confront the lone, possibly drunk vampire. It’s time to go antiquing! ALSO Dean Winchester breaks out the blood prisoners. “I told you I’d come back!” Readers, I love him.

With the vamps, John demands a trade: the Colt for Kate. He almost gets the Colt, but Kate overpowers him, knocking him out. It looks like the end for John Winchester EXCEPT an arrow thwacks into a vampire out of nowhere. Cue triumphant music, for it’s Sam and Dean Winchester to the rescue! Sam gets captured in the fight, and John blows one of the Colt’s precious bullets right into Luther’s forehead. The vampire dies in slow motion dramatic glorious fashion.

Jenny takes off to - APPARENTLY - live on in infamy on the back end of the show. John tells his kids that they are, in fact, stronger as a family. It’s time to hunt the demon together! Aw, bonding time! 

Buffy the Vampquote Slayer:

Vampires? I thought there was no such thing

Revenge isn't worth much if you end up dead

We’re stronger as a family

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

#spn recap #dean winchester #sam winchester #john winchester #JENNY #spn 1x20 #dean man's blood #supernatural season 1

[trinketprince]

Calming Detective Osomatsu (and it’s spin-offs)

Not including plain Detective and Thief costumes that have no relation to Calming Detective like the Phantom Thieves set from Hesokuri Wars, Pazzmatsu or Tabimatsu or the detective promo art from the Osomatsu Movie x Cafe collab.

Basically I just rewatched Calming Detective and I wanna compile how deep this rabbit hole goes. Sorry for another long post, like my youkai compilation post. But!!! Let’s get started shall we?

“Calming Detective Osomatsu” from Osomatsu-san S1E8

The original iteration, Iconic. Oso stans love Calming Detective Osomatsu. This skit parodies detective mystery novels, playing with it’s tropes.

Osomatsu - Calming Detective (dressed in the stereotypical 1800′s detective. This is important)

Karamatsu - Victim who owns the Mansion

Choromatsu - Head Inspector

Ichimatsu - Red Herring

Jyushimatsu - Forensics Team

Todomatsu - Assistant Inspector

Hijirisawa Shonosuke - Killer

Dayon, Dekapan, Hatabou, Chibita, Iyami - Secondary Victims

Since it’s a season 1 skit a lot of games used this au early on.

I’m only gonna show the Hesokuri Wars Banner but it was also used in Damematsu, Tabimatsu, Osomatsu Sanpo, Pazzmatsu (not documented), and Matsuno Family Dependents (Not documented). Shimamatsu also had this set, including a second altered outfit when you level the unit up.

Hesokuri Wars also featured the mansion itself called the Calming Mansion which has a short story.

“Jyushimatsu and a Bomb” from Osomatsu-san S1E17

This AU will later be expanded with “Jyushimatsu and a Bomb”, although dropping the mystery aspect and instead parodies a high-tension bomb diffusion. This skit would later be used in Hesokuri Wars, and this is the only game it’s appeared in so far.

Ichimatsu - Head Inspector (I assume since he’s in the same getup as Choromatsu)

Jyushimatsu - Bomb Squad

Todomatsu - Assistant Inspector (The only connection to Calming Detective Osomatsu)

Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu get new roles for this skit and so far Karamatsu is the only one a role in the police force (other than the Pachinko Police, but that doesn’t count... right now) or a significant role in general. Well that changes in the next entry.

“The Return of Calming Detective Osomatsu” from DaVinci May 2016 issue

A story written by Otsuichi. A retelling of the original Calming Detective Osomatsu Skit, but rather than going all the way with the parody, it’s a bit more serious and there is more mystery involved without losing the charm of Calming Detective Osomatsu. More backstory is given to the denizens of the Mansion. You can read parts 1 & 2 here and parts 3 & 4 here, with a lovely translation by @intra-fiducia​. The new roles given to the cast are: *SPOILERS, Please read the story first if you do not want to be spoiled. It’s a good story and very well written.*

Karamatsu - Flashy Gardener who becomes a victim

Totoko - Maid (who dreams of becoming an idol, on friendly terms with Karamatsu)

Chibita - Chef (only cooks oden, friendly terms with Karamatsu)

Iyami - Owns the Mansion

*SPOILERS FOR REAL* Ichimatsu - Real Owner of the mansion, locked away by Iyami underground 

*END SPOILERS*

Dayon and Dekapan - Travelers headed north (yeah it’s a reference to that one skit)

All other sextuplets keep their original roles.

“Matsumoto Kiyoshi” Merchandise from their Osomatsu-san Collab

Last minute addition, I didn’t even realize that something was different. While almost everyone kept their original roles, Karamatsu and Ichimatsu were changed. Even the setting has changed, rather than your typical mansion the murder happens in a high-rise apartment. There is also a 20-second commercial featuring original animation.

Karamatsu - now an owner of a high-rise apartment, he still dies and writes a dying message

Ichimatsu - presumably still a red herring, he traded his Jason butcher outfit for an oni costume.

Jyushimatsu - still forensics team but his demeanor has changed back to his original jyushimatsu personality rather than serious forensics team.

“Detectives and Theives Poster” from the Osomatsu-san Character Book #3

Ok so remember when I said that you should remember that Osomatsu’s detective outfit is based on 1800′s detective fashion? Well turns out that Phantom Thieves (or Gentlemen Thieves/Kaito in Japan) and Detective stories like Arsene Lupin and Sherlock Holmes which take place around the same time period is super popular in Japan. Like Kaito Kid and Lupin III. Another departure from the mansion murder mystery of the original skit, this poster features:

Osomatsu - Calming Detective / Sherlock role (?)

Karamatsu - Inspector Lestrade role (?)

Choromatsu - Doctor Watson role (?)

Otoutomatsu - Gentlemen Thieves

Phantom Thieves and Detectives set from Damematsu

Damematsu released a second set very loosely based on Calming Detective Osomatsu where they’re detectives by day and Phantom Thieves by night. The detectives and thieves are all references to various detectives and thieves in media, I don’t know all the references but I’m p sure Karamatsu references Zorro and Todomatsu references Luke from Professor Layton and Kaito Kid.

Pachinko Machine Designs from D-Light/Daiichi a Pachinko Machine Manufacturer

This one is VERY very loosely related to Calming Detective Osomatsu. This time, Choromatsu dons the Calming Detective Osomatsu design, and that’s really the only connection it has to Calming detective. Jyushimatsu’s dog form from the Pachinko Police returns, as a crossover from Pachinko Police and Calming Detective. The other four are various Phantom Thieves.

Clumsy Detective Jyushimatsu from Tabimatsu

Yeah that’s right, you read that right. Calming Detective Osomatsu got a spin-off event for Tabimatsu called Clumsy Detective Jyushimatsu.

Anyway, those are all the variants of calming detective osomatsu so far. I’m not really hoping for another CDO skit soon, since the 1st one is already ok. But I do love me some mystery and it seems like the Werewolf skit next episode will deliver!! Who knows maybe they might throw in some CDO bones for us!! My favorite one has to be the Otsuichi story, I really doubt we’ll get a lot of those kinds of stories in the anime (aside from the occasional ones here and there), but I’ve always loved when the anime throws in a few low-energy, less-gags, skits in the season like “Inn” from Season 2, and the story really scratches that itch.

Edit: turns out that the mansion in the werewolf skit next week is the same mansion calming detective osomatsu is in 👀👀

#Osomatsu san #Calming Detective Osomatsu #Calming Detective #Long Post #Ok listen I know I just did my Youkai post but I got into detective stuff!! #also yes i did plug my youkai post cause i recently updated it and i need serotonin in these trying times #Edit: Ok i admit in my excitement i may have been a bit less coherent in this post. i just fixed some grammar lmao #osomatsu

[aion-rsa]

Wellington Paranormal Books the Creatures What We Do in the Shadows Overlooks

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Wellington Paranormal article contains no spoilers.

Wellington Paranormal does for cops what What We Do In the Shadows does for vampires: not really much. People didn’t offer their throats to Staten Island bloodsuckers, asking to be made immortal after the FX series, and there won’t be a run on the New Zealand police academy any time soon, even after any cadets learn there is a paranormal unit in some of the local precincts. Hardly any law officer has even visited the basement office of the paranormal unit at the Wellington station. It’s not because it’s such a tightly guarded secret. They just have no interest. The series brilliantly lampoons the entire force in farce.

The cops at the center of Wellington Paranormal are the most normal paranormal investigators ever assigned to cover “extraterresticle” activity. They treat supernatural law enforcement like it’s the most natural thing imaginable. At their most irate, they are merely nonplussed. It isn’t because they are hardened veterans, made cynical after years of spectral pursuit. It is because they are new at all this, not very good at it, and not that bright to begin with.

Wellington Paranormal is created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the same people who dropped What We Do In the Shadows (first the movie, then the show) on us. It is a spinoff, officers Minogue (Mike Minogue) and O’Leary (Karen O’Leary), are from the film. Waititi and Clement are masters of capturing intellectual want. It isn’t like they go after the lowest common denominator, though. They mine mundane stupidity for gems which most artists overlook while trying to be clever. But this is a clever show, and an intellectual one which makes people smarter by watching it. We learn in spite of ourselves, and the cops trying to teach it.

We aren’t going to learn from the leads. Police officers often speak about going with their gut, which is like a super-powerful intuition. We can’t really trust Minogue and O’Leary on anything. When there’s nothing on the books to detain a suspect, who is telekinetically tossing non-lethal, but very annoying, objects at them, they try to make a case for breaking the law of gravity. They want to know if they identify a flying object, does it get reclassified as an IFO. Just because they are new at the job doesn’t mean they jump to rookie conclusions. When their commanding officer briefs them on reports of another cow in the tree, and notes it seems to be a pattern. They still ask if it’s paranormal. But is it normal?

The paranormal unit takes up space in a storage closet. It has not been cleared out, it is still over-crowded with files and brooms, but there is enough room for a desk and a whiteboard. It is run by Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu). He takes the assignment very seriously. He knows, for example, everything there is to know about the walking dead. He learned it by watching The Walking Dead. He is the only man on the squad who knows the one-digit PIN code to open the secret closet, and guards that number with his life, and all the Mission: Impossible technobabble he can mumble.

Maaka is also the only member of the police who doesn’t treat the new class of incarcerates in a matter-of-fact fashion. As opposed to FBI Assistant Director Skinner on The X-Files, who routinely shot down the most outlandish claims of his secret FBI unit, Maaka encourages and even suggests more outrageous possibilities. But you can count on him when the chips are down. Maaka has a degree in ass-kicking. He’ll even kick his own ass “and that’s not an easy thing to do,” he assures his underlings.

We get two cameos from the film What We Do in the Shadows. Cohen Holloway does his lycanthropic best to keep a tidy home, while Cori Gonzalez-Macuer’s vampire Nick has a new job. He’s working at the Blood Bank, and is finally getting the hang of all the glamor magic all the other vampires keep going on about.

Much of the humor comes in the run-of-the-mill style of policing the two leads employ, and how they attempt to translate these into understandable cop jargon. As a mother who is possessed by a demon evades arrest, officer Minogue calls in backup because he is “in pursuit of a highly acrobatic housewife.” Other times he pulls in from common pop culture, assuming at one point he’s in the Upside Down when he’s merely on the wrong floor.

O’Leary is so down to earth, she tells a werewolf to heel, repeatedly, and is more peeved at millennial demons for ignoring protocol because they’re checking their cell phones than biting interrogating officers. Both officers get very excited when they get to turn on the flashy lights, and positively possessive when it comes to tasers. No matter how much experience Minogue and O’Leary learn from on-the-job training, we can be assured they will not retain a thing. They’ll still issue a noise complaint summons to some poltergeists who’ve been partying since 1974.  

The six-episode New Zealand parody merges The X-Files with Cops!. Written by Clement, together with Paul Yates, Melanie Bracewell and Jessica Hansell, and directed by Clement, Jackie van Beek and Tim van Dammen, it maintains the mockumentary format which has become their trademark. It is shot with handheld cameras, bodycams, and dashcams. Every police reality show cliché gets twisted into increasingly malformed situations. The officers talk to the camera, explaining procedures, and occasionally tell the camera operators them to run for their lives, because everyone is on their own when otherworldly plants start spewing acid.

Wellington has a lot of supernatural activity for a relatively small city. In the first episode, Minogue and O’Leary find a drunk demon in a pedestrian mall. They go on to chase aliens, ghosts, yokai, fellow-officers-turned-zombies, and paper bag demons. They look like regular plastic, shopping bags, blowing in the wind. But looks are often deceiving on Wellington Paranormal. The creatures are rendered on a very small budget, which gives the show license to highlight the silly over the frightening. Though a particular chase through a corn field is exceptionally suspenseful.

A creepy killer-clown car scene is classic TV sitcom comedy, and a major highlight in a series which is rife with funny visuals, sight gags, and abnormally effective physical comedy. Please watch the backgrounds, any security screens, and computer monitors. There is a lot more going on than just the jokes. Wellington Paranormal is dense and funny as a shallow grave.

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Wellington Paranormal airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

The post Wellington Paranormal Books the Creatures What We Do in the Shadows Overlooks appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3edk8vu

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[whoson1st]

Are you in the official King Falls server at all? Just trying to get an idea of what's going on and who knows what's going on

Hoooooo BOISE.

So, long story short, yes. Yes I’m in the discord, yes I know what’s going on, and it’s all really, really stupid. I think that there were mistakes made on a lot of fronts, but I also think that the end result is, in a lot of ways, a long time coming.

I haven’t been responding to things I’ve seen on social media for the most part, and wasn’t REALLY keen to respond to this, but there’s also a lot of misinformation happening due to hurt feelings. There’s plenty of abridged accounts of what’s going on, and I’m pretty sure you know that. I’m taking this question on good faith that it’s genuinely asking and not setting me up to get torn down but...honestly, either way, I don’t care. I’m not on tumblr much these days anyway so it doesn’t really matter, and internet drama is just….it’s always dumb. But there’s a lot of “evidence” being put forth that is out of context or in bad faith, and the people who are being the loudest are a whole lot of the problem, so I’ll put in my account and opinions.

Anyway, I’m putting everything under a cut because it’s...a lot.

So first off, full disclosure, I used to be a mod on the discord. I left the team at the beginning of the year of my own volition because I’m an adult with a job and a life and things to take care of that aren’t that and needed a break. I’m still friends with all the current mods, and talk to them regularly, as well as being on good terms with the cast and creators. Just in case you’re dead set on hating any of them, you should know that. I try to keep a pretty good perspective, and I’m a little more removed than I was a few months ago, but I won’t say I’m totally free of bias either. If that’s what you’re into, just go ahead and skip this.

This all started with a piece of fan art, which honestly should be a clue as to how petty this all is. The fanart included The Dirt in a BDSM outfit as part of a larger work, and it was posted in the fanart section of the discord. It was bordering on NSFW, and the artist maybe should have asked the mods and/or put it behind a spoiler tag--which is probably as far as the mods would have gone had they been consulted, because it was 1) part of a larger thing and 2) canon compliant (it’s Jacob Williams, what do you want?). Neither of those things happened, people complained, the art was taken down. Then Kyle Brown, one of the writers, retweeted the copy that had been uploaded to twitter on his personal account--his account, not KFAM official--and someone complained that it made them uncomfortable and was not safe for work. Another cast member, Trent Shumway, replied that twitter isn’t a safe for work site, which it’s not. Which then led to both Kyle and Trent being socially crucified for not taking more care in what their followers see on their personal accounts on an open social media platform that is not dedicated to any single person or work.

It was already stupid. Really, really stupid. Especially since this is not a SFW podcast. It never has been. Everyone remember the third episode with Archie’s pomchies? And I know that certain aspects of that make people uncomfortable but if you are choosing to listen to the show regardless of that, it’s on you. An artist isn’t going to repaint something because you’re not a fan of green. And the SFW rule on the server has always been “within the guidelines of the show”.

So then, someone made this post that has since been deleted but I’m including mostly because if other people want to go ahead and pull receipts, I’m also going to.

Before I go ANY further with this, I want to say this: this person has been a problem for a LONG TIME. Months, at least, since before I left the mod team, and is honestly part of the reason being a mod became so difficult for me. They have displayed a pattern of abuse of the mods, the creators, and other members of the community on both twitter and tumblr, and have made people on the discord server uncomfortable enough that they either don’t participate or have left completely. This one person. And they have a bully squad behind them. And it sucks. But in the end, it was always decided that we couldn’t police what people did on their individual accounts or single someone out who hadn’t technically broken guidelines in the server, despite numerous complaints, because the mods and creators want to make everyone feel that they’re included. This decision was made...numerous times. After multiple incidents. For months.

I had my own issues with this decision, but that’s neither here nor there, and doesn’t really matter anymore. Because that post was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Kyle, misunderstanding the term, took it as a threat. Not hard to do, given the already heightened emotions, the tags, and this person’s history. So the person was immediately banned. The fact is, even without misunderstanding, that’s a really shitty post. That’s hating one a writer and a cast member and still wanting to pretend they have nothing to do with the THING THEY CREATE because this person doesn’t like what they said on twitter.

Following that, one of their friends--who had also been a longstanding problem--attempted to start a knockdown dragout in the general chat with one of the mods over this, and was upset when the mod in question first said they’d be happy to talk on DM but not on the server, and then ignored them when they repeatedly tried to carry on the argument.

Then they lit a candle in the channel the banned person had pitched a fit in order to form, as if the person was dead and not just a jerk. And then they made this post:

They also got banned, because OBVIOUSLY. Again, misunderstanding or not, that’s a horrible way to deal with it. You can’t possibly expect to call someone an illiterate fuckwad and still want to be included in spaces they created, much less EXPECT to be. 

And then several other people who were attempting the same nonsense publicly. And then invites were taken away when the mods got word that there was a possible plan in the works to spam the server. And there’s a weird campaign to EXPOSE THE CREATORS FOR THE ASSHOLES THEY ARE.

And that’s...about where things are at now. A lot of people are upset and hurt across the board. And it sucks.

Here’s the thing. Mistakes were made. Kyle misunderstood Death of the Author, and has a tendency toward knee-jerk, unedited reactions. The mods should have been more on top of the problem and not let it fester. There were ways that this could have been mitigated and done better. There always are.

But this was always going to happen in some fashion.

Podcasts and podcast communities are not new anymore, folks. But it still seems like people have a hard time grasping their actual level of involvement in the creation because of how active some creators are. You’re free to say whatever you want, but you are not free from consequence. And you’re not exempt from being wrong. This isn’t just a matter of the creators of KFAM--or any work, to be honest--not being able to take criticism, this is a matter of people thinking that their criticism is 100% correct 100% of the time, and the entitled attitude that comes with that. KFAM isn’t perfect, I have my own criticisms of it, because I have criticisms about basically everything under the sun, so it’s not just blind following. But it is trust in the creators and the people around them to find the best way to tell their story, to the see their problems and strive for better. And we’ve literally seen that happen in KFAM, in changes made to Walt, in Emily’s storyline, in Lily’s...everything. In the addition of “guys, gals, and non-binary pals”. They’re trying. They’re not perfect, but they’re not deaf. They’re also not obligated or beholden to everything their audience says regarding their story.

The whole argument that they can’t take criticism is undercut when it’s being made by people who think that everything they say should be taken as gospel, and treat every instance where someone disagrees with them as a personal attack. The scope of hypocrisy here is just...breathtaking.

Also, when not withstanding some nonsense attacks, they’re all genuinely kind and friendly. I already admitted some bias here, but seriously, they go out of their way to check on people and respond to people and lift people up. It’s total horse dookie to act like they don’t care about their fans.

And as for the discord--god, just get a life. The mods there work SO HARD to make everyone feel included, to encourage participation, the create a positive environment for people to talk about the things they love and make friends. They have meetings and spreadsheets and calendars and work together as a team and with Kyle to keep the place working smoothly even though there’s FIVE of them running a HUGE server. The person who was initially banned was forever complaining about the discord and how the mods ran it, even while some suggestions they had were implemented. But that discord has like 1500 people in it, gang, it’s not about what one person wants all the time. And that person has their own server anyway so just go be unhappy there and leave everyone else alone. It’s what you were doing anyway.

TL;DR: There was a lot of manufactured outrage over something incredibly dumb, and some misunderstandings, and resulted in actions that had been looming for a long time and just finally popped off. Kyle and the mods aren’t perfect, but they aren’t the villains. The people who were banned have a history of negativity and bullying that led to the decision to remove them.

If anyone takes anything from this, please let it be that it’s a GODDAMN PODCAST. If it makes you angry, if you don’t like it, go watch a movie. Eat a snack. Knit a sweater. Take a nap. Listen to a new music album. Literally anything. There’s so many things to do in this life that aren’t LOOKING for things to be upset about.

Remember the golden rule, and don’t be a dick.

#kfam #King Falls AM #drama llama #I blocked out names because if you want to know you can find them #but I'm not here to call out names #because I just don't give enough of a fuck about them to deal with them later #and this is all really dumb and overblown #Anonymous

[thatguyniles]

Blog Post #1

Out of all the films we had to watch, Mid 90’s was the most interesting to me. I’m interested in learning to skate and the retro look has always been cool to me. It was also one of the only films to hold my full attention to the point where I rewatched scenes for my own pleasure. Long story short this movie is lit. One of the characters I most identified with would be Ray. 

In the skate shop, Ray explains how it is being black because Fourth Grade asks if it’s cool. Spoiler it’s pretty cool not gonna lie. Ray gives an example that I wasn’t expecting from the movie. He says when they skate in Beverly Hills, they already get looked at some type of way and people say they’re vandalizing and stuff, but it feels like it comes down harder on him. After hearing him say that it was apparent that I would probably relate to him the most since i’m a young black man, and have also felt that some instances the consequences are harder for myself. 

When Ruben is explaining to Stevie everyone's nicknames, he says that Ray doesn’t need one because he’s cool without one. I feel a similar way about nicknames. I don’t need a nickname to feel different or cooler because A) I’m already cool, and B) I feel like my name is cool and having a nickname would take away from who I am. Stevie also says that ray is cooler without a nickname. Ray’s friends obviously see him in a positive light, which is the same with mine (I hope). They’ve told me I’m a cool dude, even though I don’t see anything I do that makes me seem any cooler than the average guy. If I had to take a guess It’s probably how I carry myself, like Ray I come off as a chill, laid back kinda guy and I also have a knack for clowning on people. We both also question authority, whether it be demands or rules that are set in place.

 When Ray and his squad are posted up on the steps of a school, a security guard walks up and tells them that they gotta skidaddle before they get their asses beat. Of course in classic teen fashion they say no and start roasting his ass lmao. Ray and the guard get into an F-you match and Ray says “you smokin cigarettes on school property” and the guard says Jesus smokes cigarettes. Ray immediately claps back with “what kinda cigarettes he smoke”. The guard, caught off guard (pun intended) stumbles over his words and storms off. Long story short I’m a smart ass.

There are three common themes in the films we watched and they are, drugs, acceptance and alcohol. In Mid 90’s Stevie smokes cigarettes with Ruben because he wants to fit in. Ruben saying he should be more like him because he smokes, skates, and dips his pen in someone else’s ink *wink*probably gave Stevie more incentive to try and fit in within the group of skaters especially since it appears that Stevie is younger than Ruben is. In KIDS Telly steals a 40 and drinks it throughout the next scene. Later Telly is offered Whip its in one of his homeboys crib and does one, immediately feeling the high. Back to Mid 90’s, Fuck Shit gives Ruben and Stevie some of his ADD medication, much to the dislike of Ray. In the next scene the group goes to a party and Stevie is seen smoking weed with a girl he met that night. These themes are relatable to youth culture because teens and young adults are at a vulnerable point socially in life. 

Teens usually try to fit into groups that they see as popular or successful at that point in time.They try to feel accepted because they themselves are unsure of what they want to do or who they are. Humans are social creatures so not fitting in any group hits us hard mentally.

Now the part I’ve been looking forward to the most, a new soundtrack for Mid 90’s! I’m about to give you the greatest soundtrack ever just so you know. 

The first song I thought of was “There They Go”, a South african rapper named  Nasty C. This song in my opinion fits well in the scene where everyone is skating at the courthouse and the police arrive. Everyone scatters and I think the name of the song fits the situation well. The song just sounds like good chase music to me.

 Next is “Dr Birds”, by rap collective Griselda. This song fits more as an instrumental in the scene where Fuck Shit accidently hits Stevie’s older brother with his board during a trick. The two then stand face to face and Fuck Shit punks him making him walk off. The song gives off a standoff vibe and has a bell sound that reminds me of the standoffs from Dragonball Z right before a fight.

“Fubu” by rapper Royce Da 5’9” featuring Conway the machine comes to mind as soon as I saw the party scene. The song is from Royce’s album “The Allegory”, and like always he come with bars. The beat gives off a mischievous and sneaky vibe that I think would go along well with the low lit lighting and the weed they smoke since obviously they wouldn’t want anyone to know what’s happening here.

“Wish You Well” by rapper Amir Obe would fit perfectly during the scene when Stevie comes home high off the drugs he took before and after the party and runs from his brother around the house. The song has an intensity that isn’t too overpowering for the scene, even if only the beat is used.

“Kingdom Come” by Raury played in the back of my head when Ruben and Stevie were talking about nicknames. The song reminds me of togetherness with its calm mood and slower tempo. I think it works well when characters are connecting or expanding their relationship between one another.

“I’m Good Luv, Enjoy” by rapper Aaron May is a song I personally love to cruise to, so it’s only fitting I have it play during the scene when the group of skaters (and Stevie) are riding their boards down the street after Ray suggest they go skateboarding at the skate shop. The song would continue to play during the security guard interaction. The song has a good bounce along with the lyrics “I ain’t got time for you, get up out my face” work well because Ray gets in the guards face and clowns him which makes him leave. It reminds me of high school when me and my friends would crack jokes on the security guard at lunch.

“PTSD” by rap label Dreamville is a much better song to play when Ray and Stevie skate after his mother tells him he can’t hang with the skaters anymore. After his mom does her motherly duty Ray and Stevie have a heart to heart, and ray opens up about his younger brother who passed away. The song that actually plays during this scene is ass I’m not gonna lie. They needed to have me select the songs, Jonah Hill should cut me a check I’m just saying.

“Almeda” by Solonge is more of a joke selection. Don’t get me wrong the song is good, but if it were to play when Stevie downs a 40, that would be hilarious! Think about it as Steve chugs the bottle Solonge goes “pour my drank, sip, sip, sip,” lmao pure gold right there.

“Y U DON’T LOVE ME (MISS AMERIKKKA)” by Joey Bada$$ would play a little after Stevie gets drunk to Solonge. A lot happens in this scene and the trippy sound the beat has would complement Stevie and his impaired state especially when he gets into a fight with Ruben at a skatepark.

The final song I couldn’t decide between “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” by Nas, or “93 ‘Till Infinity” by Souls Of Mischief. These songs would play during Fourth Grade’s movie he was filming throughout the whole movie. The song that plays in the movie is an old school hip hop record, so I figured why not keep the similar sound, especially since he named the film wait for it….Mid 90’s.

You probably want to listen to this marvelous and swaggy soundtrack, oh what’s this a link to the soundtrack where did that come from. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0eFLRkG3KEgyMbWTGcJefn?si=RBLAKIsrTFqDLrsaLG_PSQ

[rachelking2819]

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

SPOILER ALERT  SPOILER  ALERT SPOILER  ALERT  SPOILER  ALERT SPOILER ALERT

 Last week I went to see Birds of Prey. In the aftermath of Suicide Squad, I wasn’t expecting for this movie to be anything impressive. Don’t get me wrong, Suicide Squad wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. So, to say that I enjoyed BoP thoroughly, is not something I expected.

BoP is about a heartbroken Harley Quinn after her breakup with Joker. When this becomes public knowledge, old enemies paint her vulnerable and go after her. The main villain however, Black Mask, wants her dead the most. The reason: unclear. He also has other plans tho. He is in the possession of the encoded Bertinelli diamond. This diamond gets stolen however by teenage Cassandra Cain. Black Mask eventually gets his hands on Harley and vows to kill her. Harley stops him, saying she can help him get the diamond back. Of course, he accepts this deal and sends Harley on her way. Meanwhile, he places a bounty on Cassandra to up the stakes.

 Harley finds Cassandra at the GCPD and needs to break her out in true clown criminal fashion. She goes into the precinct with beanbag/glitter/colored smoke canons blazing. Something else for sure, but a whole lot of fun to see. What has me asking questions though is why it is so easy to knock down all of these officers and broken out thugs, but later on when she fights detective Renee Montoya, a small woman if I may say so myself, Harley struggles to defeat her?  And with everything we’ve seen from her thus far, we know it should be an easy job done.

 Speaking about the fight sequences, I loved them all despite the minor inconsistency. Harley surely is no damsel in distress and can handle anything thrown her way, literally. In true DC fashion though, a lot of stunts were unnecessarily put through a slow-motion take.

 The movie did a great job of displaying Harley’s chaotic mind while also providing an easy to follow story with time jumps back and forth halfway through stories. Sounds very contradictive, I know, but in a way, it makes sense. Harley herself is the embodiment of contradiction: presenting herself as a happy go lucky gal, but in reality, she’s a messed up aggressive bad B.

 The other aggressive bad B’s in this movie were definitely my highlight. And of course, I am talking about Dinah Lance and Helena Bertinelli. As a former Arrow fan, I was already acquainted with those characters, so I thought I kind of knew what to expect from them, but boy was I wrong. I love these versions way more. First, Helena’s backstory in BoP is a whole lot more dramatic, bad ass and compelling story to tell. That is a movie I would have loved to watch. I also learned that her name is pronounced differently than what I’ve heard them call her in Arrow.

Now I was never a big Dinah/Laurel Lance fan, but BoP changed that point of view somewhat. The movie doesn’t spend much time on breaking down a story for her, but we get to know that she has a soft spot for Cassandra, works for Black Mask, as a singer at his club and as a personal driver, and that it puts her in a tough spot. She can also hold her own in a fight and her canary cry is very very powerful. Now that I am listing her qualities, I realize that is all she is and not much more is to like about her…

 On to the main event at the funhouse of an abandoned carnival/theme park. I have to praise the people who were responsible for the set for the big fight at the end. It was beautifully made and perfectly thought out. This is also the first time Harley, Renee, Dinah, Helena and Cassandra are all in the same place. They fight briefly but ultimately decide to team up in order to fight Black Mask and his little friends waiting outside. While gearing up we get a cameo of the t-shirt Harley wore in Suicide Squad and the classic red and black corset from the cartoons and comics. Even her baseball bet gets to have a little fun.

 I totally forgot to mention what Cassandra’s deal was. The first time we see her is at a roller derby and she pickpockets someone. Next time we meet her as Dinah’s neighbor whose parents are constantly fighting. Not much later we see her skipping down the street and pickpocketing the people walking by (this is also where she gets the Bertinelli diamond). Cassandra gets arrested and while on her way to the police station she swallows the diamond (how is that even possible? That diamond is not a small thing, she must have had damaged something internally.). So, for the rest of the movie everybody’s waiting for her to either poop out the thing or they are going to cut her open. I personally thought of Cassandra as a little brat and I spent half of the movie trying to remember if Cassandra Cain was either the name of Batgirl or Overwatch (I know now it was Batgirl: maybe something for future movies?). Cassandra didn’t do much for me, but her friendship with Harley was kinda cute, almost sisterly.

 After everything is good and well and the bad guy has been defeated, the five ladies gather for drinks and talk about their next step. Cassandra eventually goes number two after some laxative, prune juice and burritos. Her and Harley fall in an apprenticeship for crime and Helena, Renee and Dinah fight crime as the Birds of Prey.

 The movie was a joy to watch and the characters somehow fit well together. While the title card claims to be about the Birds of Prey, this is most definitely Harley’s movie. One could argue it to be an origin story for the vigilantes tho. I 100% recommend going to this movie, expect nothing and let yourself be surprised.

 What did you think of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (longest title ever btw)?

‘Till Next Review!

#birds of prey #harley quinn #cassandra cain #dinah lance #renee montoya #helena bertinelli #black canary #huntress #RachelKingReview

[alluran]

if you like causin’ trouble up in hotel rooms and if you like having secret little rendezvous

a/n: I wrote at least a year and a half ago, so there are some things that probably don’t actually count as canon, but canon compliant. This happens before Shiro disappears and there’s one reference to a Garrison flashback when they’re younger that’s shown in s7e1, but no season 7 spoilers. also, I haven’t written is a long time, but I wanted to do something so here is 4k+ of bonding and revelations

It was easier to slink into the control room unnoticed than he thought it would be with Coran and Pidge keeping the weirdest hours and the space mice popping up out of nowhere constantly. Keith moved to a control board, holding his breath as he listened to the Castle’s hum in the quiet hour.

He had fumbled a bit trying to get Allura’s light show up and running - he wasn’t even trying to get it settled on one particular constellation, just reached a hand out to follow the trail of a comet in motion when suddenly the entire projection went spinning. He slammed his eyes shut against the onslaught of dizziness, though the lights still danced behind his eyelids, and threw his arms up; a yell torn from his lips.

The rough growl of his voice echoed in the room, he opened his eyes frantically glancing back toward the hall way to make sure someone hadn’t heard him or could be running to investigate.

Could blaming it on lingering phantom venom in the castle still be within the realm of blame? Ooor had he expired that excuse when he had broken the-

Keith shook his head, turning back from the doorway to the projection. He wasn’t expecting the Milky Way - that would have been too cliche and besides, he wasn’t really looking for that one - but wherever he did land, had more than plenty to look at. He sucked in a breath, there were at least 14 planets and maybe a hundred moons. Planets with thin rings or wide rings. One smaller planet was almost completely hidden behind its many rings that looped and expanded like the years on a tree. His eyes traced the room at a crawl and it could have been seconds or hours or maybe the entire night by the time his eyes fell to his shoes, studying the neon storms curling over varying constellations and blips of untold worlds on moons and planets and asteroid belts hovering by his ankles. The blue lights were stark against the scuffed up knees of his black jeans where they glowed and pulsed with life. He - carefully, very carefully not to send the entire room spinning again - raised his hands, slowly uncurling his fingers and okay he felt something watching the light of stars wink back up at him from his palms.

He huffed a laugh, “The Garrison’s got nothing on this.”

Keith shrugged out of his jacket, folding it end over end before placing it on floor. The cool temperature of the floor felt good against his back and shoulders, slowly easing him down from the high of beating another one of the gladiator’s levels. It soothed the dull, satisfying ache in his muscles.

Space didn’t really adhere to internal time clocks (adjusting their human bodies to the constant dark of space had been the worst and deemed fit to even deal them jet lag that lasted for whatever two and a half weeks looked like out here.), but at least on some biological basis Earthlings and Alteans had synchronized enough that there was a solid block of time where everyone was quiet, sleeping or getting around to it. When they converted 24 hours to ticks for Allura and Coran had gone on for ages how infinitesimal human days were, how no wonder why they were still primitive. It had been a trip and he still got a migraine thinking about the formulas and charts that had littered the control room in the mathematical process.

So, he didn’t believe Coran and Allura literally went to bed when they did, Altean days had translated to around 32 hours with only six of them needed for rest.

Altean militia worked on four.

Children and adolescents were given eight, but when you reached maturity and able-bodied it was considered lazy.

Honestly, he was just glad Shiro had made it apparent from day one that sleep wasn’t really a matter of negotiation with humans, especially teenagers. He omitted the little detail where the Garrison trained them like the army, up and in uniform before the sun so much as grazed the horizon. Keith didn’t need nine to nine and a half each night, but the look on Coran and Allura’s faces when Shiro had told them stopped Keith from correcting him.

A middle ground was found and, unfortunately, an automatic timer had been put in place on the training deck to shut down after a certain time at ‘night’- as requested by Shiro, chief of curfew police.

Which is what brought him here, breath evening out and muscles still buzzing with an entire solar system arced around him. It reminded him of the desert - weird, since it wasn’t like the desert at all and he hated the desert towards the end of it. The wind had been brutal out there sometimes, turning the skin on his face raw (which is why he had to start wearing the bandanna, not as a fashion statement in homage to old cowboy movies like Lance had accused him of), but it was far off the Garrison’s radar, and property line, he had checked. Not so much that he was biased, which he unabashedly was, the Garrison worked more like a prison with curfew enforcers (guards that probably did a term on the brute squad) and always a light on, somewhere. Of course the instructors and government officials didn’t have curfews, certainly not for the scientists constantly churning out new tech to beat out other countries. Midnight and sometimes you could barely see your shadow on the sidewalk.

But the desert?

Miles and miles and miles out from the Garrison?

It was like space.

He’d use the filched hovercraft and siphoned the fuel energy to get it running just to go out farther, as far as he could go with enough to get there and back and a little left over in case something came up. There was a trail of ridges cut out from thousands of years erosion that he could lay out on and it was like it was just him and the sky - no other point of land high enough to break his line of sight, to break the illusion. It’s what he felt in the cockpit, piloting to the highest point in the sky until the only thing bringing him down was the radio fuzz laced with the familiar, warm voice of his instructor telling him the takeoff example had sufficiently been done 1200 feet ago-

“Now, bring it back in, cadet, before Iverson really does think you’ve hot-wired it this time.”

He chuckled into the comm, “Hey, all he had was a chip on his shoulder and circumstantial evidence, but copy that.”

Just him and the sky.

It set something like butterflies loose in his stomach.

Back in the desert, he got the chance to remap the sky like he did as a kid, not in vectors or pounds of air pressure, but constellations. He’d all but forgotten about the stories he had strung together to memorize the placement of each if you looked backward or forward, up or down. He always liked Aquila the Eagle in summer and Ursa Major the Great Bear in spring, but his favorite was Orion in winter even the relentless teasing from Shiro about Keith always being ready for a fight too hadn’t bothered him (he may have gotten one or two newer digs in since of course Keith’s bayard is a sword).

Sure he missed the familiarity of the Milky Way, but it wasn’t so bad laying under the jumbled mass of stars he didn’t know the names of. It gave him a little bit of freedom, no human eyes had laid on the stars or planets and he could trace out his own constellations - like the mice or maybe one that immortalizes the time he punched Sendak, he’s not picky.

He fit his hand under his head, cushioning it better against the floor and stretched out a leg. He could lay there for hours, even if it meant getting two hours sleep tops before Shiro was knocking on his door for wake-up ca-

“Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world. Closing time, turn all of the lights on over e-ver-y boy and e-ver-y girl.”

Keith cursed under his breath and sat up, mentally scanning through a list of escape possibilities. Maybe if he made a run for it Lance (because it was obviously Lance, no one had that much bravado singing to themselves in the middle of the night - let alone that song - and because the universe hated him.) wouldn’t catch him? He could easily hide out in a shadowed corner of the room while Lance cut the projection, mumbling to himself about it being Pidge.

Keith would never be the first suspect, when she’d left it up and running more times than any of them could count.

But was that what happened?

No.

“Closing time, you don’t have to go home, but ya can’t stay here. I know who I want to take me ho-”

The second he sat up and turned around it was just in time to startle Lance on his way past the doorway, he jumped at the sudden movement, frozen in some weird combative stance that just highlighted his lanky limbs and then, took to blinking owlishly back at Keith once he snapped back to himself. His thin brows rose high on his forehead when they made eye contact and Keith groaned as Lance pulled out one of his earbuds. Keith could hear the guitar riffs all the way from his spot halfway across the room. Didn’t he know that could cause him permanent hearing loss? And being a Paladin sort of meant they were supposed to be at their peak form. It was torture watching Lance look around the room slowly, so agonizingly slowly. He was going to ride Keith’s case about being some dopey romantic laying under the stars for weeks, probably years knowing Lance.

He was doomed.

There was no way he was getting out of this.

He’d be nagged and laughed at for being some dopey romantic that took long naps under artificial stars.

Lance nodded his head once, “‘Sup.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “I’ll punch you if you tell anyone.”

Lance snorted and rolled his eyes as he walked into the room, “That’s dramatic. Dunno what you’ve got going on in that messy mullet head of yours but I guarantee you ‘likes to cool down after training by watching the stars’ is weak material - we were literally enrolled in the same school because we like this stuff. Mind if I pull up a jacket?”

He didn’t say anything, only narrowed his eyes and scooted his jacket over so they wouldn’t be sitting so close together.

Lance sighed, folding his jacket over and fixing the hood as extra cushion. When he laid down, he offered Keith one of the ear pieces on his headphones, turning his phone off and pocketing it with both earbuds when Keith shook his head. It was almost unnerving having someone do that, making a show of giving him their undivided attention and wanting to include him without a second thought. Especially when it came from Lance ‘KEITH AND LANCE, NECK-AND-NECK, RIVAL PILOTS’ McClain.

Lance situated his hands under his head and looked up.

Keith had barely caught the almost imperceptible gasp from Lance. Part of him hated that he only did because he was still watching him.

Not in a weird way. He just still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t going to turn into some sort of roast at his expense, he had to keep his guard up.

“This isn’t the Milky Way.”

“Nope.”

“It’s not any of the ones we’ve received distress signals from either?” Lance scanned the room fervently and Keith distantly wondered if he saw the same constellations or if he formed his own on the unexplored frontier.

Keith laid back down, looking back up at the stars and waving his hand in the air. “Nah, but finding this one...wasn’t exactly intentional. Just, uh, don’t wave your arms in the air or anything like that. Trust me.”

“Got it.” The blue paladin tilted his head, shuffling his legs as he moved the toe of his sneaker out of the rings of a planet. “When I was a kid, I went through at least 20 packs of those glow-in-the-dark stars and planets.” Lance laughed, “I’m pretty sure the white sticky tack is permanently fused into our ceiling.”

Lance looked over at him, expectantly, and Keith felt apprehension, they were sharing, this was a thing, before the words came stumbling far too easily. “I never got to do the glow-stars-on-the-ceiling thing, I never stayed anywhere long enough.”

For a moment, he’s afraid he’s broken some unspoken agreement when Lance flinched, like the clunky words had punched his side. Keith was sure everyone knew his business after the incident with Griffin, the Garrison was overrun with gossips and rumor mills and, unfortunately, he had been the unlucky candidate to have their rumor confirmed as fact. Just as he thought he was going to drown in awkward and be left to wallow in his crap communication skills, Lance spoke up.

“Did you ever want them?”

Keith huffed bemusedly, “Not really, my dad and I lived in the desert, so we saw the real thing that far out from the base. I didn’t really care to notice space as a career or anything until I was shipped off to the Garrison. It was kind of a last stop as a ward of the state - either make something of my life and stop being a parasite on society or go back to juvenile detention.”

Lance cringed. “That sounds like one of Iverson’s more rallying pep talks. Dude, that’s...that’s quiznaked. Or is Quiznacked?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re saying them the say way, does it really matter?” Keith shrugged. “I didn’t always know I wanted this or even liked it, but then, I did. I didn’t mind the lectures or the homework or mandatory assignments that had us set an alarm at 2 a.m. to catch a meteor shower if it got at the pilot controls.”

“Who knew? Keith Kogane actually listening in class.” Lance scrunched his eyebrows in thought, his words hedged nervously. “But, you never paid attention in the classes we had together? That is, when you bothered to show up at all.”

“Things changed after my first handful of times in the simulator and I got assigned to pilot class. It was fine for awhile, Shiro was the instructor and he bailed me out of hot water I don’t know how many times. For the first time, I could see something past detention halls and rides shoved in the back of official vehicles. He was even looking into guardianship papers.”

Lance’s face lit up. “No way, man.”

“Yeah, it was pretty cool. But then, the Kerberos assignment came up and Shiro had to leave for prep and Iverson stepped in. ‘The Garrison Machine’ started to make sense to me and I hated it. People wouldn’t stop pushing me further and further - Takashi Shirogane was going up into space and there was someone that needed to fill in as top of the class, the next Garrison success story.

“Suddenly, Shiro wasn’t coming back and it went from being honed for his place to “Maybe you can learn from his mistakes.” Got caught breaking curfew to pilot illegal space crafts on a racing circuit and on top of my grades and the fights, that was it.” Keith sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “I had kinda forgotten what it was like to look up at the sky and not see government chains.”

“Understandable.” Lance shrugged as he stood, aloof. “That’s great and all - I mean, congrats on finding your passion again - but using your free time just laying underneath a projection isn’t the solution, Black Parade.”

Keith bristled, his voice racking up a few octaves again. “Are you kidding me?! We were having a moment, I just spilled my guts out to you!” Lance ignored him to shut down the projection and Keith felt his blood pressure rise. Every single time. “Nope, don’t remember. Didn’t happen.”

“You’re an a-”

“Take a deep breath, Mayday Parade.“ The blue paladin scoffed and waved his arms dramatically. “My point is: you’re spending all of your time down here when the real thing is right there, man. C’mon, I have something to show you.”

Keith threw his hands up and huffed. “Wh- Those aren’t even the same thing, Lance. One is a song and the other is a band.”

Lance cackled and he realized too late that he had walked into something. “You would know, mullet. Now, let’s jet.”

Keith didn’t get a chance to answer as Lance yanked him to his feet and dragged him toward the door. It was almost dizzying the amount of hallways and turns he was pulled in. Just when he thought they would be lost in the far caverns of the Castle for eternity, they passed a door and Lance threw on the emergency breaks, nearly reverse slingshot-ting them into the door frame.

“I found this place about a month or so ago when I definitely not snooping.”

“How am I supposed to take that sentence as you not actively admitting you were snooping?”

“I’ll have you know, I was stumbling innocently back from the bathroom and missed our hallway at whatever substitutes as 3 a.m. around here.”

“Fair enough.”

Lance yanked him in front of a door, it was just like every single other door in the castle - crisp and shiny and suspiciously clean if Lance had been coming back and forth here. He was not about to release his breath yet because this wasn’t a Saturday morning cartoon where hidden rooms or forbidden wings were marked with a creepy encryption or giant, bold faced letter spelling KEEP OUT. Allura’s sudden wrath if the mice sent her some ESP message that they were lurking around her house and just going wherever they pleased was a lot more likely though.

He didn’t know what he was expecting, everyone had learned through individualized experiences the hard way about expecting or assuming certain outcomes from Lance’s ‘surprises’, Lance finally dropped his hand to enter a code into the key pad, bringing Keith to another detailed revelation.

Since when did Lance keep up physical contact with him for extended periods of time without griping about it? (i.e. the cuffs, any time they had to train in pairs, or that one time they were the only ones cuffed as a punishment because Coran couldn’t find a garment big enough to fit both of them after Pidge enlightened him on ‘Get Along’ shirts.) And since when was he not painfully aware of every second of physical contact? He blamed Shiro’s comforting dad shoulder pats that lingered for just the right amount of time and Hunk’s not-really-terrible group hugs. The point was, it was still Lance.

Oil and water or, after that one mission, lighter fluid.

It wasn’t a bad thing, it just shocked him.

The doors swooshed open, scrambling Keith out of his thoughts as Lance swept an arm out in a grand gesture. “After you.”

An observation deck definitely wasn’t one of his possible guesses.

The air lock? Yeah, maybe. But not this. “It’s an observation deck, Lance.”

“Thank you, dropout.”

“When are you going to let that go? And technically, you, Pidge, and Hunk are dropouts too, so that insult is null and void.”

“Okay, but we dropped out to save the universe, you dropped out to go sulk in a sand dune.”

His fingers flexed at his side, palm warm and begrudgingly memorizing the feel of Lance’s next to his. He wanted to get along with the team, he didn’t particularly enjoy feeling like the last pick in gym class any time he hung out with Pidge, Hunk, and Lance while they talked endlessly about inside jokes and stories, but he figured it would be harder than this. Keith couldn’t name the day or hour or which planet they had been on when he and Lance didn’t constantly need a buffer or ref. It had been irritating sure after a year out in the desert doing his own, quiet thing whenever, going from that to knowing that he could have been walking off the edge of a cliff and Lance would still be trailing a few paces behind him and working to catch up - talking about marketplace stalls that looked cool or complaining about one of their old professors or asking if it mattered which restroom he went in or goading him into making puns or carrying on a conversation in puns after he had found out that Keith had seen The Princess Bride more than once and knew some of the references.

It was a...development.

That still didn’t change the fact he was standing on a regular, old training deck. He scrunched his eyebrows as he looked into the dark room, eyes trailing deliriously high to follow the dome of the ceiling.

“A little faith, please, Keith.” Lance quipped as he watched Keith look increasingly doubtful.

“Okay, last time you said that we almost wound up in jail on Zowhara and got a month of pod-cleaning duty for the trouble and time it took Allura and Shiro to get us out.”

“Anyways, the point is this isn’t like the other training decks and it’s worth it.” Lance jerked his head in a direction, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and turning on his heel.

Begrudgingly, Keith followed. Even if it turned out to be a legitimate claim the ‘it’s not like the others’ statement made him concerned and someone had to be there in case Lance somehow wound up getting yanked out into space - again. He felt a little validated in his worry when Lance traipsed up to a window not blocked by a safety handrail.

So he didn’t feel like his hesitancy was unfounded.

He hung back as Lance turned to see if he was following, he looked like he wanted to tease Keith for being the red paladin - temperamental, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants, zero impulse control - and hesitating, but he didn’t. Not even an eye roll, just grinned at him. “You ever see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”

Keith laughed full and loud, the sound echoing off through the high ceiling. He barely managed to wheeze, “Suddenly, everything about you makes sense.”

“Ha-ha. Hilarious. Just get over here, chuckles. We don’t have all night, our wake-up call is in four hours and I want to get some rest.”

Keith felt an old reflex curl on his tongue, the “You didn’t have to stay with me.” all too ready. Hunk had graciously walked him through that one, just because they hadn’t known Keith as long didn’t mean they saw him as less of a friend. He still had a long road ahead of him working through what too many foster placements and a solitary year in the desert did. Lance raised his eyebrow, silently calling him out on it, daring him to say it out loud.

“Get over here, Kogane.” Lance faced the window again, shuffling forward until his toes were touching the window, the bright white of them reflecting in the glass. He bent forward, until his head was angled down against it.

Keith copied his stance, his hair tickling his nose where it was flattened between him and the glass, and looked down, only managing a pathetic attempt at actual words and resigning himself to an audible gasp. Lance mercifully didn’t throw the embarrassing sound back in his face, but Keith could hear his smiles in his words.

“It’s awesome, right? Back in Cuba, I would wake up right before dawn to get to the beach. There were so many of us that it was a thrill just in itself getting changed and out the door without someone waking up or already awake. We’re a big family and I love them, love being around them constantly, but going out there in the morning was my quiet space. I’d paddle out as far as I could.” Something Keith doesn’t think is for him to see flits and settled itself across Lance’s face. There’s a tilt to one side of his mouth that lifted up in a way he hadn’t seen before. His eyes looked out onto the galaxy, but it wasn’t the stars he was seeing judging by the light and distant glaze that envelope his eyes.

‘Varadero,’ Keith’s mind supplied, the scene forming in his head like he could smell the ocean and hear the lapping of the waves or caw of birds. The crisp wind whipping past him. It’s something private and-

Oh.

“I’d get to where the shore was behind me and everything in my direction was sun and sky and the sun lighting up the ocean. In one tiny second of time, the sky and the water are the same and it’s just...just-

“It all feels like flying, y’know? Like, that part in the simulator where you have to maneuver through the tailspin and a dive and it looks like it’s just you free falling into nothing but sky, but way better.”

Him and sky.

And Lance.

#Keith #Lance #klance #Voltron: Legendary Defender #the writing tag #i've stared at this for too long so sorry for any mistakes #I may eventually give it more time and editing to put up on my ao3 #cliche 1d song and i'm only a little sorry

[shewhowantsmouseears]

TvTropes in My Disney Fanfics

Sometimes when I’m bored I like to look up tv tropes and see which ones fit my (currently finished) fanfics. I kept them in a doc, and decided to share them today. It covers The Scarlet, Segreto, As Dawn Broke, The Nutcracker Prince, The Last Straw, and Love Like Lava.

If you haven’t read my stuff and are curious what they’re about, think of this as a promoted blurb.

The Scarlet

An AU Disney fanfic starring Mickey Mouse and the gang in an extremely loose retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the second full-length Disney story she's written. Unlike PVP, this one focuses mainly on the animal characters you'd find in Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons and stories, as do the rest of her works.

In Steampunk France, Mickey is a poor orphan paperboy by day, with a gigantic crush on his childhood friend Duchess Minerva. By night, he's The Scarlet, an amazing swordsman who vows to help the helpless and prevent a “Third Bloody Sunday.” Daisy and her band of cohorts are planning a revolution to get revenge on the rich. Duke Fantome and his band of baddies are seeking to create a new rule over France. These and other threads intertwine, resulting in a climatic showdown between red and black.

Tropes:

Abhorrent Admirer: Mortimer towards Minnie. He can't, or won't, get the hint that Minnie wants absolutely nothing to do with him. It takes a scream and a slam of the door to the face for him to finally get it.

Accidental Kiss: Played with. Minnie offers to kiss The Scarlet for saving her, and while he's tempted, he can't go through with it. He intends to tell her so – until a child's ball smacks him in the back of his head, causing his mouth to mash with Minnie's. She thinks he was just being nervous with the kiss, and thus reciprocates.

And Now You Must Marry Me: Gladstone threatens Daisy into marriage. Played with, in that he honestly doesn't want to marry her either, but Fantome is forcing his hand.

Aren't You Going To Ravish Me?: Katarina, believing her good looks and the Scarlet's ladykiller persona combined will make him helpless before her. Instead, her seduction attempt is met with flat disappointment and a desperate escape. She's stunned, and then pissed.

Aristocrats Are Evil: Daisy believes this, and given some of their attitudes it's not hard to see why. But she eventually learns that they're just people, who can be bad, good, or somewhere in-between.

Asshole Victim: Gladstone, Mortimer.

As You Know: Ludwig explaining to Gyro their operations so the audience knows what they're doing. Lampshaded immediately by Gyro who asks why Ludwig is explaining what they already know. Ludwig replies he's been called Mr. Exposition.

Bad Boss: Fantome is more than willing to threaten, injure, and kill those working for him to get what he wants.

Battle Amongst The Flames: The Scarlet and Fantome's last duel takes place in a burning building.

Becoming The Mask: Daisy was, initially, only pretending to be Donald's friend so she could find a way to use his uncle for the sake of the revolution. But when she sees how kind he is and how deeply he loves his family, she not only becomes his real friend, she falls for him.

The Big Damn Kiss: When Minnie discovers that Mickey and the Scarlet are one and the same, [spoiler] he gets the kiss of a lifetime. Plus a whole lot extra.[spoiler]

Cannot Spit It Out: Mickey just can't tell Minnie he loves her...The Scarlet has an easier time.

Cats Are Mean: Pete and Katarina, the main cats in the story, are on the bad guys side.

Childhood Friend Romance: Mickey and Minnie.

Clark Kenting: Even though Mickey has a device that changes his voice, the “disguise” he wears is just a mask around his eyes. Lampshaded by Donald when he learns who the Scarlet is, as he's stunned that he never made the obvious connection.

Damsel In Distress: Minnie is this several times.

Dance Of Romance: Mickey, as the Scarlet, shares a ballroom dance with Minnie, flirting with her all the while.

Dirty Cop: Pete, the chief of police, and his subordinate Horace.

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Horace loves Clarabelle, and the two manage to make a Heel Face Turn. Pete and Katarina, [spoiler]being related,[spoiler] also have this but it's put to the test when Fantome orders Pete to kill her after her failure.

Everyone Can See it: Amusingly, [spoiler] the Queen says this was the case with Mickey and Minnie's feelings even when they were kids.[spoiler]

Evil Genius: Fou is revealed to have been one. [spoiler] and still is.[spoiler]

Flashback: Minnie has a lengthy one, about the day she first met Mickey.

Freudian Slip: Minnie, struggling to distract Mickey, insists she has a sleep over with him. But she's so flustered it comes out as “I demand you sleep with me!” Subverted in a more innocent fashion when Donald pushes Scrooge back to be with his “fiends.” “You mean friends?” “I know what I said.”

Gibberish Of Love: Mickey is reduced to this whenever he tries to tell Minnie about his feelings. As the Scarlet, he can speak freely of how much she means to him.

Go Seduce My Archnemisis: Fantome seems to be fond of this trope. He sends Mortimer after Minnie, Gladstone after Daisy, and [spoiler] Katarina after The Scarlet.[spoiler] He's also amazingly bad at it, since none of the targets desire who's after them at all.

Green-Eyed Monster: Mickey nearly slips up about his alter ego when Mortimer is involved, even though Minnie makes it obviously clear she can't stand the snob. Even when he's on the job as the Scarlet, Mickey makes it clear how much he loathes Mortimer.

Happily Married : [spoiler] After the timeskip, Mickey and Minnie are this, as are Donald and Daisy.[spoiler]

Heel Face Turn: Clarabelle and Horace. Implied to be this with Pete and Katarina.

Honey Trap: Subverted. [spoiler] Katarina tries this on The Scarlet. It only works at the beginning because he believes the invitation was from Minnie. The second he sees who it really is, he's heading for the exit.[spoiler]

I Don't Want To Ruin Our Friendship: Ultimately what is preventing Mickey and Minnie from confessing their feelings.

Imagine Spot: Mickey is suggested to have one when he thinks the seductive invitation he received is from Minnie. Minnie is also implied to have one concerning her feelings for Mickey and the Scarlet, and for half a second considers something with the number three – and then IMMEDIATELY reprimands herself and gets off that train of thought.

Informed Attractiveness: Katarina is insulted by the Scarlet's rejection because supposedly no one has ever turned her down and she's the most beautiful woman in all of France. No evidence of either of this was stated or shown before – although it could just be part of her massive ego.

Inter-Class Romance: One of the sources of conflict between Mickey and Minnie's relationship, since it would be highly improper. Also occurs between Donald with Daisy, and Max with Roxanne.

I Was Told There Would Be Cake: When Mortimer, Horace, and Clarabelle are tasked with killing Duke Roger Rabbit, they find him eating cake with the Scarlet.

Kissed Keepsake: Mickey kisses the scarf Minnie gave him.

Light Is Not Good: Fantome is usually dressed in all white, as opposed to the Scarlet's dark colors. Fantome is absolutely the bad guy.

Love Epiphany: When Goldie, Brigetta, and Magica try to convince Daisy she could love Gladstone, their “suggestions” make her realize she's actually in love with Donald.

Loves My Alter Ego: Mickey assumes Minnie is in love with The Scarlet, as does Fantome. [spoiler] They're wrong. She truly loves Mickey.[spoiler]

Love Triangle: Mickey thinks it's this with his alter ago and Minnie. Gets worse with Mortimer going after Minnie and Daisy falling for the Scarlet.

Morally Bankrupt Banker: Slyvester Shyster.

Nice Hat: The Scarlet's got a pretty cool one.

Not Distracted By The Sexy: Katarina's seduction towards The Scarlet doesn't work. At all. He looks at her for maybe a second before leaving.

Not Good With Rejection: Mortimer and Gladstone handle theirs pretty badly, complete with French swears.

Paper-Thin Disguise: As mentioned in Clark Kenting, Mickey's “disguise” is really just a mask around his eyes.

Parental Abandonment: Given that Mickey is an orphan, you get this. Minnie's parents are said to constantly be traveling all over the world and are never home, treating their daughter more as a toy or a trophy than a blood relative.

Parental Substitute: Ludwig and Gyro are this towards Mickey.

Parents As People: Goofy is doing his best with Max, but sometimes his best just isn't good enough.

Protagonist Title: Mickey as The Scarlet.

Politically Incorrect Villain: You could blame the times, but the male villains can be pretty sexist. Fantome is heavily classist.

Post-Kiss Catatonia: After having a pretty long kiss with Minnie, Mickey makes it about three steps before falling face-first in a happy stupor.

Prince Charmless: Technically Dukes, but they are related to royalty – Fantome, Mortimer, and Gladstone (and eventually Fou) are shown to be royal pains.

Purple Is Powerful: Minnie's main color scheme is purple, and by the timeskip, [spoiler] she's a butt-kicking heroine named The Violet.[spoiler]

Quirky Miniboss Squad: Pete, Shyster, Horace and Clarabelle work for Fantome. Gladstone, Mortimer, [spoiler] Katarina and Fou [spoiler] join in as well.

Rapunzel Hair: Minnie's long locks go almost all the way down to her feet.

Rousing Speech: The Scarlet tends to give these whenever he has a big audience.

Sadistic Choice: Daisy can either marry Gladstone, dooming her to a life of misery and effectively killing the revolution since all of its members will have lost faith in her, or he can report all the members of the revolution to the police, and since they'll be seen as traitors to the crown, they'll most likely be executed.

Seduction-Proof Marriage: Even though he's not married to Minnie [spoiler]yet[spoiler], Mickey feels absolutely nothing for any other woman, even when they constantly throw themselves at his Scarlet alter ego.  

Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: When Fantome completely loses it upon the revelation his plans were stopped by a mere paperboy, the remaining villains decide to cut their losses and make a break for it.

Shipper With An Agenda: Subtle, but in one scene Minnie seems to support and encourage Donald and Daisy's getting together. [spoiler] Most likely because if a rich boy and a poor girl can be together, maybe a rich girl and a poor boy can too.[spoiler]

Show Some Leg: Katarina's attempt to seduce The Scarlet. It doesn't work.

Small Name, Big Ego: Mortimer. He thinks he's the most popular and well-known man alive. Nobody really knows who he is, nor cares, and Fantome himself needs a minute to remember about him upon his introduction.

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace: Donald and The Scarlet interrupt the wedding via dropping down on a GIGANTIC church bell.

Shout Out: To Darkwing Duck in one quip.

Time Skip: The last scene of the last chapter takes place one year later.

Unwanted Harem: Scrooge has this with Goldie, Magica, and Brigetta.

Would Hit A Girl: The Scarlet isn't afraid to treat Clarabelle as roughly as he does his other enemies.

Villainous Breakdown: Fantome has this three times over, due to finding out the Scarlet's identity, [spoiler] being told that his master plan would mean no one would serve him, and all of France coming to Mickey's defense.[spoiler]

Would Hurt A Child: Fantome [spoiler] is revealed to have run down a child from the poorer part of town, via carriage, just to ignite a war between the poor and rich.[spoiler]

As Dawn Broke

An AU Disney fanfic starring Mickey Mouse and the gang. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the fourth full-length Disney story she's written. The Sun Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom have only recently ended their centuries-long war, but communication between the two is forbidden. This doesn't stop Princess Minnie of the Moon Kingdom from inviting Prince Mickey of the Sun Kingdom to her birthday party. From then on, the two kingdoms will never be the same – love potions, floods, grandbabies, many different stories come together, but which one can stop the genocidal madness of a man obsessed with making history?

Tropes:

Accidentally Broke The MacGuffin: Where has the Sun Talisman been all this time? It turns that Mickey, as a child, thought it was a giant cookie and ate it.

The Alcoholic: Panchito.

All Amazons Want Hercules: Implied to be the reason Peg is attracted to Pete.

All Part Of The Show: Panchito convinces the Sun Kingdom that the near-collapse of the giant straw doll at the New Year's Festival was part of the show.

Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The Moon and Sun Talismans.

And I Must Scream: It's shown that while the Queen [spoiler] was frozen solid, she still had her mind and could hear what was going on around her – like how much her daughter thinks her mother hates her.[spoiler]

And Now You Must Marry Me: Mortimer threatens Minnie – either she marries him or he'll drown the Sun Kingdom. [spoiler] He's planning to do it anyway.[spoiler]

Arranged Marriage: Minnie is to marry Mortimer, if he passes all the requirements. It's stated that this is a Moon Royalty tradition, as Queen Lune was also arranged to marry Minnie's father.

Badly Battered Babysitter: Horace suffers this thanks to Mickey.

Becoming The Mask: Millie flirts with Goofy to get his money, but falls for him for real.

Big Beautiful Woman: Clara Cluck.

Big Brother Instinct: Donald begins to feel this way towards his student, Minnie. Possibly also Goofy towards Mickey.

Big Entrance: Mickey brings an entire singing, dancing entourage as he heads into the Moon Kingdom for Minnie's birthday. It's pretty much a direct homage to Prince Ali from Aladdin.

Body Horror: Some of it shows up after Queen Lune is freed from her icy prison. [spoiler] It's stated she lost several fingers.[spoiler]

Break His Heart To Save Him: Minnie does this to Mickey, trying to keep him out of the Moon Kingdom and safe from Mortimer's plans.

The Cameo: Since he doesn't show up again and isn't truly plot relevant, Fethry's appearance can be seen as this.

The Casanova: Panchito is implied to be this, as he flirts with all the women in his bar, and Mickey thinks he's an expert on romance. But it's ultimately shown that it's just his way of being friendly, and he's truly in love with Clara Cluck.

Crash-Into Hello: Horace and Clarabelle meet when he accidentally smacks her in the face with a door.

Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: Goofy. When Millie is in danger, he proves he didn't get his bodyguard position just because of his father.

Dance Of Romance: Minnie teaches Mickey how to waltz, and they grow closer as they dance.

Deus Ex Machina: A surprising literal version takes place because of the Talismans.

Did You Actually Believe...? : Mortimer tells Pete he wouldn't hurt any Moons to get his plan to work. When Pete finds out Mortimer doesn't care who gets hurt, Sun or Moon, Mortimer mocks him for actually thinking he would tell the truth.

Dramatic Irony: On the day of Minnie's birthday, the Queen struggles to give Minnie a compliment and call her a lady. Minnie sadly thinks it's because she's so incompetent that the Queen can't imagine her as a proper lady. The Queen is actually lamenting that her baby girl is all grown up and one day will no longer need her. Similar occurrences happen as a result of the Queen's stiff upper lip coming across as disappointment.

Dramatic Necklace Removal: Played with - Minnie does this to herself, in order to convince Mickey she no longer wants to be with him.

Drowning My Sorrows: It turns out Panchito's constant drinking is this, as he's haunted by memories of the war.

The Door Slams You: Donald, as a result of Mickey's Big Entrance.

Dude, Where's My Respect?: Pete suffers this, and is a cause behind a lot of his more villainous actions. The problem is that he is respected, it's just that no one bothers to tell him.

Evil Minions: The Beagles are this for Mortimer.

Evil Plan: Mortimer's ultimate plan is to [spoiler] use the Moon Talisman to control the Moon Kingdom's water and flood the Sun Kingdom, effectively drowning all the Sun people.[spoiler]

Expository Hairstyle Change: In the Moon Kingdom, long hair on women is seen as a beautiful trait, even if it makes it impossible to manage and difficult to get around, like in Minnie's case. [spoiler] After the time-skip, she cuts most of it off, symbolizing her newfound independence and the courage to break tradition.[spoiler]

Face Heel Turn: Pete starts working for Mortimer when he sees the opportunity to be “useful” again. He turns back just in time.

Fantastic Racism: Suns and Moons toward each other. Suns see Moons as snobs, Moons see Suns as savages, etc.

Freudian Excuse: Mortimer claims to have this, having grown up in a family of soldiers that constantly bragged about their accomplishments in the war – accomplishments that he could never have, since the war was over by the time he was old enough to participate. He wanted to have his own accomplishment, and what greater accomplishment could he have then by killing all the Suns?

Give Away The Bride: In lieu of her father, Scrooge is the one to walk Minnie down the aisle.

Gold Digger: Millie, initially.

Happily Married: Horace says that the King and Queen of the Sun were very much this. Queen Lune says this was also the case when her husband was alive. [spoiler] It's implied that Goofy and Millie will be the same, as well as, inevitably, Mickey and Minnie.[spoiler]

He Knows Too Much: When Donald and Daisy overheard that Mortimer plans to drown the Sun Kingdom, Mortimer sends his goons after them.

I Lied : Mortimer directly says this to [spoiler] Pete when she says he promised he wouldn't hurt the Moons. He even seems to mock Pete for thinking he'd keep his deal. [spoiler]

I Want Grandkids: King Solaris keeps harping on how he wants grandbabies. [spoiler] Queen Lune also begins to insist once everything's patched up.[spoiler]

Lap Pillow: Mickey enjoys this once he and Minnie begin dating.

Love At First Sight: Mickey and Minnie toward each other, Clarabelle toward Horace. Possibly with Goofy towards Millie.

Love Epiphany: When Horace speaks of Mickey's mother, Mickey suddenly realizes that, like how his mother loved his father, he too loves Minnie.

Love Potion: Morgana says she can make these, although Minnie instantly realizes they're fake. Morgana admits it, and says the real “magic” is the confidence she instills in those she sells the potions to.

The Matchmaker: Daisy sees herself as this, determined to get Mickey and Minnie together.

Meaningful Name: King Solaris – Solaris is latin meaning “pertaining to the sun”. Queen Lune – a crescent shaped figure, like the moon.

Musicalis Interruptus: Amusingly in a written form. Mickey's Big Entrance consists of his servants and friends singing his praise... and they don't stop when they arrive. It comes to a complete halt when Queen Lune slams her staff and effectively tells them that this could be a reason for them going back to war!

My God, What Have I Done? : Queen Lune gets hit with this big-time when she realizes she's the reason behind Minnie's horrible self-confidence – and that Minnie is convinced Lune hates her.

Not Now, We're Too Busy Crying Over You: It takes Goofy a minute or two to realize that [spoiler] Millie survived the flood.[spoiler]

Overly Long Name: Panchito Romero Gonzales!

Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Queen Lune and her husband turned out to be this, as they loved each other deeply.

Please, I Will Do Anything!: Minnie says as much when Mortimer reveals his plan to drown the Sun Kingdom.

Private Tutor: Horace is Mickey's, and Donald is Minnie's.

Purple Is Powerful: It's stated that Queen Lune dresses in dark purples and blues, as does Minnie sometimes.

Rapunzel Hair: In the Moon Kingdom, long hair is seen as extremely beautiful, so most women have this. Daisy is an exception, and it's implied she cuts her hair to be different from the crowd.

Reality Ensues: Peace between two warring factions isn't as easy as “love conquers all!” It requires reparations, cooperation, and real communication. Also, risking your entire kingdom over a girl you like and keeping it a secret is going to royally piss off some folks. And a happy drunk is probably drinking that heavily because of something not-so-happy – like, say, the real effects of a war, PTSD.

Rebel Prince: Mickey to a T.

Rescue Romance: When Drake saves Morgana, and she sees he did so because he'd do it for anyone and not just because she's beautiful, she falls for him. In a much smaller scale, Daisy fell for Donald when the heel of her shoe broke and he happened to catch her before she would've fallen down a flight of stairs.

Running Gag: Grandbabies!

Sadistic Choice: Minnie can either marry Mortimer, dooming her to a life of misery for her and no doubt putting a terrible ruler on the throne so her kingdom will also suffer...Or Mortimer will drown an entire kingdom. [spoiler] He plans to do the latter anyway.[spoiler]

Secret Relationship: Mickey and Minnie, of course.

Shout Out : The Lion King and Aladdin both get musical-ish mentions. Mickey's entire first arrival into the Sun Kingdom is based on Prince Ali's parade.

Slapstick Knows No Gender: Clarabelle knows this, like a door to the face.

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace: At Minnie's wedding, Mickey and the entire Sun Army burst in.

Spit Take: Panchito's reaction when Mickey says he loves Minnie. Goofy is on the receiving end.

Star-Crossed Lovers: Again, Mickey and Minnie.

Taken for Granite: Mortimer freezes Queen Lune in ice.

Tempting Fate: Pete tells Minnie he needs more trouble from her and the Queen like he needs a kick in the head. Cue Peg.

Those Two Bad Guys: Bankjob and Bigtime Beagle.

Time Skip: The last scene of the last chapter takes place several months ahead.

Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Clara to Panchito, Morgana to Drake.

Title Drop: Comes up as the last three words of the story.

Villain Has A Point: As awful as Mortimer is, he has a slight point in that since he was raised to hate the Suns and barely a day can go by without someone saying how much they despise the Suns, it's no real shock that he wants them all dead. A small case of Society Is To Blame, but it still doesn't excuse what he does.

War Is Hell: Played absolutely straight. Even though it ended many years ago, both sides are still struggling with the aftermath.

“Well Done, Son!” Guy: Female version. Minnie desperately wants her mother's approval, but seems to do nothing but disappoint her. But the truth is the Queen is already proud of her, and assumed Minnie already knew.

Who Names Their Kid “Dude”?: Lampshaded by Millie towards Goofy. “That's not a name, it's an insult!”

Would Hit A Girl: The Beagles to Daisy and Millie – and it's implied they'd like to do worse.

You Shall Not Pass: Morgana and Jose take on the Beagles so Daisy can escape and warn the Sun Kingdom of Mortimer's plan.

Young Love Versus Old Hate: At first this is the case – but then it's revealed there are plenty in the young generation also full of hate.

Segreto

An AU Disney fanfic starring Mickey Mouse and the gang. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the second full-length Disney story she's written. A Gender Flip telling of The Little Mermaid, Mickey the mermouse is terrified of being forgotten and never making an impact on anyone. When he falls for, and saves, a beautiful castle maid, he's determined to make sure her memories of him last. A wizard of the sea offers his aide, but in pursuing her heart, Mickey unknowingly leads Minnie and an entire kingdom into peril.

Tropes:

Badly Battered Babysitter: Implied that Nemo this is to Mickey.

Compelling Voice: All mermen and mermaid have this. Mickey never even thinks of using it on Minnie. [spoiler] Our villain, on the other hand...[spoiler]

Damsel In Distress: Minnie, twice over.

Deal With The Devil: Mickey signs [villain's] contract to gain legs so he can be with Minnie.

Evil Detecting Dog: Pluto understands instantly that [Villain] is bad news, trying to bite and claw at him.

Evil Plan: [villain] 's plan all along was [spoiler] to use Mickey's Compelling Voice to hypnotize the Queen into marrying him, this gaining him back his heart and rule over the kingdom.[spoiler]

Gold Digger: Daisy, initially.

I Lied : [Villain] says as much to Mickey, even saying that he's the bad guy, of course he's going to lie.

Inter-Class Romance: Technically, as Mickey is a prince and Minnie is a maid. Played with Daisy and Donald, as she sees herself as above Donald's position, even though they are actually in the same place.

Love At First Sight: Mickey towards Minnie.

Magically Binding Contract: Wouldn't be a Little Mermaid story without one!

Massive Number Siblings: Mickey has over 70 brothers!

Meaningful Name: Segreto means secret, and Mickey's got a big one. The Kingdom of Nereid – nereid are mystical sea creatures, which, again, ties to Mickey.

Our Mermaids Are Different: Mermaids themselves are barely mentioned. Mermen have long tails, and royal mermen's tails are even longer and blue. They also have the siren singing, which compels people to do whatever they command and love them unconditionally. They can understand fish-talk as well.

Parental Abandonment: Minnie's parents died at sea. Mickey's mother is never mentioned, and it's clear his father really couldn't care less about him unless he causes trouble.

Protagonist Title: Sort of – Segreto is the nickname Mickey gets when he can't tell his land-friends his real name. It also means “secret”, of which characters hide several.

Purple Is Powerful: The Wizard wears mostly purple (and was based off the Vocaloid Gakupo) , and is supposedly the most powerful character in the story.

Reality Ensues: True Love's Kiss isn't always First Kiss – both people have to be in love. Being kissed by what is essentially a complete stranger can make a girl angry at you for a long time.

Rescue Romance: When Mickey says Minnie from Mortimer and Pete, her feelings for him truly materialize.

Sadistic Choice: If Mickey tries to stop the wedding, [villain] will erase everyone's memories of him. If he doesn't, the kingdom will be ruled by an absolutely evil figure, dooming just about everyone.

Self-Disposing Villain: If [Villain] hadn't tried to use the ocean to drown our heroes, [spoiler] Bruce wouldn't have swam in and eaten the heart. [spoiler]

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace: In a different take on this trope, the wedding isn't (at first) interrupted by an outsider, but someone already there. Minnie, then Daisy, speak up, voicing their objections. Then the boys come in.

Threatening Shark: Subverted with Bruce, who loves his pals and would do anything for them. [spoiler] But his chompers sure do come in handy later.[spoiler]

True Love's Kiss: What Mickey needs to keep his legs. He keeps trying to kiss Minnie, conveniently ignoring the fact she doesn't love him yet.

The Nutcracker Prince

An AU Disney fanfic starring Donald Duck and the gang. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the fifth full-length Disney story she's written. Unlike most of her stories, which focus on Mickey and Minnie as the hero/heroine and romance being the main subject, this one has Donald and Minnie as siblings being first and foremost, and family as the biggest theme.

In a retelling of the famous ballet/story, The Nutcracker, Donald and Minnie thought they were going to live with their uncle in a magical kingdom, only for him to refuse and leave them for years. When his letters stop coming, Minnie convinces Donald to go to the kingdom to find out what happened and why he wouldn't take them in. Donald believes nothing but heartbreak and lies await them – only to discover something much worse on the horizon.

Tropes:

0% Approval Rating: The “Prince” that sits atop the throne. And it doesn't take long to find out why.

And I Must Scream: It turns out the Sugar Plum Fairy is a case of this, as is, of course, the Nutcracker Prince.

Happily Married: [spoiler] implied to be the case for Mickey and Minnie at the end.[spoiler]

Imagine Spot: Minnie has one, fantasizing about meeting Mickey in person. Donald cuts her off before it gets too far.

Insistent Terminology: Mickey is a nutcracker, NOT a toy.

Inter-Class Romance: Mickey is a prince, Minnie is a commoner. Sort of.

Meaningful Name: The Kingdom's name literally means Mouse King.

My Sister Is Off Limits!: Donald does NOT like how instantly chummy Mickey and Minnie are.

Parental Abandonment: Minnie and Donald's parents died in a car crash. Mickey's parents also died when he was young. It's implied it's because of some mystical connection between the families.

Post-Kiss Catatonia: Despite Mickey not being able to feel anything, after Minnie kisses him, he falls over in a near-dead faint.

Pretend to Be Brainwashed: Mortimer uses the crown to make Minnie his slave of love, and she drapes herself around him. But it's all an act to snatch the crown.

Protagonist Title: Averted. While Mickey is a main character, the story's heroes are actually Donald and Minnie.

Reality Ensues: Forgiveness isn't easily given, even after a life-changing event.

Rescue Romance: After Donald [spoilers] unknowingly saves Daisy from her Sugar Plum Fairy Form, she's instantly devoted to him.[spoilers]

True Love's Kiss: Minnie, being Wrong Genre Savvy, thinks one of these will cure Mickey. It doesn't.

Wrong Genre Savvy: Minnie thinks it's a basic fairy tale with black and white sides, where True Love's Kiss will cure everything and a happily ever after is guaranteed. It's much more complicated than that.

Love Like Lava

An AU Disney fanfic starring Mickey Mouse and the gang. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the sixth full-length Disney story she's written. This time it's a take on classic Greek mythology, with Minnie as Aphrodite and Mickey as Hephaestus. As a newly awakened goddess, Minnie tries to understand her place in the world, where Mickey, believing role in life is to always be rejected, shuns everyone. The goddess of love falls for him instantly, but it turns out he hates her. What better way to start a relationship than by lying about who you are? Not only that, but it's got Pygmalion-Goofy, Persephone-Daisy, and Hades-Donald. It's about love, loss, acceptance, and the occasional mermaid.

Abhorrent Admirer: Minnie has her own Unwanted Harem with Gladstone, Mortimer, Pete, and (somewhat) Zeus.

Age-Gap Romance: Played with. Donald and Mickey are, technically, hundreds of years older than their female love interests. Also confusingly lampshaded with Agalma, as she wonders if it counts that she used to be marble, so theoretically she could be centuries older than Goofy.

The Alcoholic: Mortimer as Dyonsis. Played with in that as a god, he technically can't get drunk, but he sure does act like it.

Arranged Marriage: Hera tries to make one for Minnie, and it backfires spectacularly.

The Big Damn Kiss: Minnie, as the goddess of love, has a pretty powerful one. It sends such strong waves of love all across the world that it causes couples to propose, love to be requited, poems written, etc.

Cats Are Mean: As the singular cat in the cast, Pete fits the bill.

Childhood Friend Romance: The case with Goofy and Millie.

Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: Goofy surprises everyone, including himself, after he socks Bouncer Beagle in the nose.

Everyone Can See It: It becomes pretty clear, even to the ditzy mermaids and clueless Goofy, that Mickey is in love with Minnie.

Evil Plan: Pete's is to create a statue army which Minnie will bring to life, so he can have his “Forever War”.

Flashback: One chapter has Daisy telling Minnie how she met, and fell, for Donald.

Furry Confusion: Horace is in the chariot race. You know, with a horse. Try not to think about too much.

The Glomp: Minnie tends to give these to anyone she likes.

Happily Married: Donald and Daisy.

Interspecies Romance: Daisy's parents – her mother was a goddess, and her father was a human.

Love At First Sight: Minnie for Mickey, HARD. It's implied that this was the case for Mickey too, but he was immediately in denial about it.

Love Makes You Evil: Slightly – when Daisy's father died, her mother went bananas and became incredibly over-protective of Daisy.

Meaningful Name: Agalma means “statue” in Greek. The town the horse race takes place in also means “horse”.

Not Good With Rejection: Gladstone and Mortimer get over Minnie, but Pete doesn't handle it very well.

Parental Abandonment: When Hera discovered her baby was weak and deformed, she threw him down into the mortal plane, and has since then forbidden his name to ever be spoken.

Post-Kiss Catatonia : Mickey nearly faints after his first kiss with Minnie.

Reality Ensues: Bringing the statue of a dead lover to life is going to have consequences. The story of Goofy and Agalma takes Pygmalion to its logical, heart-breaking turns.

Reincarnation Romance: Implied to happen in the epilouge.

Second Love: Goofy with Agalma.

Seduction-Proof Marriage: One of the Fates has tried to flirt with Donald before but nothing ever works.

Shipper On Deck: Minnie for Goofy/Agalma.

Those Two Bad Guys: Burger and Bouncer Beagle for the mortals, Gladstone and Mortimer for the gods.

World's Most Beautiful Woman: As Aphrodite, Minnie is technically this.

The Last Straw

An AU Disney fanfic starring Mickey Mouse and the gang. Written by the author behind Pirates Versus Privates, this is the seventh full-length Disney story she's written. This time she warps the classic story of Rumpelstiltskin. Minnie and Donald are a pair of poor siblings in a dwindling kingdom, ruled over by a narcissistic king. When one of Donald's big lies gets his little sister into bigger trouble, they get unexpected help from a mysterious wizard. Something is missing from the kingdom, but can anyone remember it in time?

0% Approval Rating: King Mortimer. No one, absolutely no one, likes him.

And Now You Must Marry Me: Mortimer threatens Minnie with this – later subverted when Minnie actually asks Mortimer to marry her.

Bad Boss: Mortimer treats Pete very cruelly.

The Big Damn Kiss: When Mickey and Minnie are reunited, you know it's gunna happen.

Damsel In Distress: Played with in that Minnie puts herself in distress on purpose.

Dude, Where's My Respect?: Pete, and to a way more ego-maniac level, Mortimer.

Face-Heel Turn: At a crucial moment, Pete finally snaps and gives Mortimer what he had coming.

Green-Eyed Monster: Part of Mortimer's issues. He's insanely jealous of Mickey.

Inter-class Romance: Mickey, a prince, and Minnie, a commoner.

My Sister Is Off Limits!: Subverted – Donald wholly encourages the romance between Mickey and Minnie.

It's All About Me: MORTIMER.

Prince Charmless: MORTIMER.

#disney #fanfic #mickey mouse #minnie mouse #donald duck #daisy duck #goofy

[golvio]

#music #fashion police squad #the almighty tailor #fashion police squad spoilers #this game is so silly and i love it #and it has a bangin' soundtrack too #what even is this? gothic electrofunk?

[if-only-we-could-read-it]

( @ava-burton-writing you mentioned wanting to know more about my oc’s, so I hope you don’t mind me tagging you in this!)

It’s occurred to me (or, rather, it did occur to me, twelve days ago, when I started writing this post) that aside from a few responses to asks, I haven’t actually explained what prov is, or who anyone in it is. Which, considering I’m a writblr, and I made this blog to talk about my wips and oc’s, literally makes no sense. So here’s a post on Prov:

What is Prov? 

‘Prov’, short for ‘The Provect Gene’, is my current (main) wip. It’s a YA sci-fi set in a ‘post-dystopian’ society with a (large) ensemble cast. 

It’s ‘history’: It’s been building in the back of my brain for so long I can’t actually remember when I first came up with the idea. I do remember making a wattpad and debating uploading it, but instead using the account to read other people’s works and to make notes and write extracts for other works I had planned (including fanfiction). Eventually, some of my friends discovered and decided to write their own books, so I decided to write Prov at the same time. Initially, it was called Psykes, short for Psysimalae (or something like that), for some reason, was written in first person despite being a multipov book, and a lot of the characters were clearly my attempt at just inserting my friends into the book (I didn’t even… change their names…) instead of the half fleshed characters I wanted. It as nothing like what I envisioned and was so badly planned and written that I literally gave up. I tried several times to come back to it and couldn’t because the quality of writing was so poor and there was so many inconsistencies in the story. Considering I could write pretty well at that time, the only thing I could think of is that my desire to get the book written fast/at the same pace as my friends overruled my ability to write. Eventually, after years of continuing to write the story in my mind, I came back to it and started to write it properly. 

Summary (that started off ridiculous and somehow got serious at the end): Once upon a time, there was a very rich, very smart, but not particularly nice, man named Cyrus. After years of theorising and making calculations, he came to the conclusion he could create a superpowered race of people for an army. Because he was the kind of person who wants to make superpowered armies. Through coercion, manipulation, lying, the occasional murder and other generally unethical means, he brought the people he wanted to experiment on into his labs and began testing. The only problem was that these people were teenagers, and teenagers are in that in between stage where they’re full of rebelliousness and ‘fight the system’ urges, and didn’t appreciate being locked up and prodded with needles. Eventually one of them who’d figured out he had powers used them to blow up a large portion of the lab, killing some people but freeing many others. The main problem – or, in Cyrus’ case, consolation – was that most of them had not learnt about their powers in the lab, and therefore didn’t know they existed. This made it easier for Cyrus to recapture them. He also managed to spread the word that they were ‘dangerous individuals’, which, in a world that’s fueled by paranoia, has a major impact. So now the police and government are after them too, which isn’t good for them. 

The book starts approximately one year after these events, when three small groups of the experiments are forced together, only to discover they have powers. Tired of always hiding and running, they decide it’s time they tried to put a stop to Cyrus and his experiments, and convince everyone that they’re not dangerous. This, along with them trying to figure out their powers, and trying to avoid simply getting caught and thrown back into the tests, make life very hard for them. Along the way, they discover more people like them, and more factors than they ever could have imagined, including corruption that goes far beyond what they thought. Loyalties are questioned, families are torn apart and sanity balances on the edge of a knife. After all, what’s the point of morals if only you stick to them?

Characters

Mains:

Isabelle: Has the power to manipulate light. The literal mother of the group, makes sure everyone eats and sleeps and doesn’t get themselves killed. Knows everybody’s secrets but nobody knows hers. Very sarcastic. Just wants to sleep. Original squad. 

Damian*: Can manipulate electricity. Isabelle’s (slightly) younger brother. Kind of an asshole but it’s not intentional. Actually tries to be nice he’s just not used to other people (or their feelings). Very smart. Basically the tactician. Original squad.

Barry: Psychic. Drinks way too much coffee, he’s probably at least 85% caffeine at this point. Hyperactive. Basically the child of the group. Was sick before being taken by Cyptem and missed a lot of schooling. References TV shows a lot. Original squad.  

Calypso: Can manipulate water. Very into fashion. Is willing to die for the aesthetic. Seems like the kind of person who in any other situation would have her life together. Isn’t going to let a small thing like people wanting to kill her hold her back. Original squad. 

Will: Astral projection. The medic of the group. Wanted to be a doctor. Tries his best. Frequently questions how moral it is to hoard medicinal drugs. The most reasonable of the group. Done with everything. Original squad.

Leo: Can manipulate molecules to cause them to freeze or ignite. Makes a lot of bad jokes. Scared most of the time, but would do anything for his friends. Acts like he knows what’s going on but literally never does. Going through an internal identity crisis. Original squad.   

Pyra: Can manipulate her own molecular structure (basically, shapeshift). Smol but could kill you. Took about a million self-defense and fighting lessons. Always ready to fight. Tough exterior, slightly sweeter interior. Original squad.

Beth**: Relationship detection and empathy. Definitely hates you. Virtually unreadable. Good at manipulating people and situations. Thinks she’s the strategist of the team. Pessimistic. Usually right. Smart. Original squad.    

Lara: Can teleport. Badass. Basically saves everyone multiple times. Probably better than you at everything. Slightly paranoid. Would kill a man. Acts like she doesn’t like you but secretly would probably die for you. Doesn’t need a squad.

Chris: Telepath and telekinetic. Lived in a cave for like a year. Tries to be skeptical of people to protect himself but can’t resist helping everyone he meets. Uses obscure plants to treat injuries and illnesses. Book two squad.     

Matt: Molecular immobilisation. Strong. Good at fighting. Pretends to be quiet and grumpy but is actually a sweet heart. Could crush a rock with his hands. Likes hand-to-hand combat. Finds it funny that people are uncomfortable around him. Book two squad.

Seth: Molecular combustion. Matt’s twin. Not as strong as his brother. Very concerned about Matt’s tendency to get into fights. More prone to panicking in situations. The guy who tries to lean on the wall and act cool only to fall through an open doorway. Book two squad.       

Meg: Pain manipulation. Really a nice person but is being manipulated. Starts off hating everyone she meets but warms up to them quickly. Spends a lot of time being used. Doesn’t need anyone else. Technically book two squad, but also doesn’t need a squad.

Cyrus: Can manipulate shadows/darkness. The villain. Spent years trying to prove that superpowers were possible. Loose morals. A good actor. Could probably be a politician with all the lies he makes people believe.           

Wyatt: Shield manipulation. Literally a child. Was put through a lot before he was rescued from Cyptem. Is basically adopted by Isabelle. Generally distrustful of people, but very protective of the people he cares about.

Sides

Melody: Sound manipulation. 100% done. Not as mean as she initially seems. Doesn’t like people trying to control her. Would probably become a politician if she didn’t hate the government so much.           

Alex: None. Is an intern at Cyptem who discovered what was going on. Is willing to help everyone even though they seem crazy. Has no idea what’s going on most of the time. Spends a lot of his time eyerolling.

Paige: Heat manipulation. Isabelle and Damian’s older sister. Has done very questionable things but is still a good person. Cares about her siblings, but doesn’t show it well. Inadvertently causes drama.         

Renee: Illusion manipulation. Also a child. Spends more time in Cyptem than Wyatt. Likes to draw. Hard to explain without spoilers.

Amara: Fear manipulation. Cyrus’s right-hand women. Cold blooded. Willing to apply whatever force is necessary to get the job done – and in this case that involves helping get the kids back in and figure out how to make them more compliant.          

*The spelling of Damian has been a bit iffy through the years. When I initially wrote Prov, my friends asked if I’d spelled it wrong, and implied it wasn’t meant to be spelled the way it should. eventually, I changed the spelling, but I kept getting muddled up between the two. Then I went, ‘screw it, my character, my spelling’ - except I’d forgotten which was the original spelling. So for a while I just alternated between the two before settling on ‘Damian’. 

**Beth’s name has been subject to repeated change. Initially she was called Beth after someone I knew, and didn’t like, but who was part of my friendship group so I felt obliged to include. When I rewrote it, I changed her name along with everyone else’s, and she became Ellie. Except ‘Beth’ always fit her more so I eventually changed it back, before realising that meant I have a ‘Beth’ and a ‘Seth’ - who also have quite a lot of interaction, which is very important to the plot. I put my foot down at changing Seth’s name, so chances are, Beth is going to become Ellie, or some other not-Beth name. 

Tags: Prov tag, Isabelle, Damian/also-Damian, Barry, Calypso, Will, Leo, Pyra, Beth, Lara, Chris, Seth, and Matt. (Some characters have a lot more information in their tags than others, because I’m inconsistent with tagging. Which is going to change from this post on. Meg, Cyrus, Wyatt and the side characters do not yet have tags.)

So, there, finally: my wip and its characters laid out. So now when I talk about it, people will actually know what I’m talking about.

#prov tag #Isabelle #beth #damian #leo #calypso #will #barry #pyra #lara #chris #matt #seth #writing #my writing #my wip #writblr

[inhumansforever]

Ms. Marvel #22 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

The topical ‘Mecca’ story-arc comes to an unexpected conclusion in this latest issue of Ms. Marvel from the creative team of  G. Willow Wilson, Marco Falla and Ian Herring.  Full recap and review following the jump.

The story so far has seen the municipal government of Jersey City taken over by the dastardly Chuck Worthy.  Worthy, a villain who has had ties to Hydra, has weaseled his way into the mayoral office, riding a wave of xenophobia and demagoguery.  Jersey City is right across the Hudson from New York; in the Marvel Universe New York is filled with all manner if super powered beings, heroes and villain, Mutants and Inhumans.  Worthy has proposed to make Jersey City free of such weirdness, a place where only normal, non-powered humans are allowed.  And through the power of fear and some tricky back-door political shenanigans, Worthy has replaced the mayor and instituted his normies-only agenda.  And to enforce this agenda, Worthy’s office has deputized a force of baseball hat-clad goons to round up and deport anyone who doesn’t fit in with their idea of what constitutes normalcy, led by the chief lieutenants, Lockdown and Discord (two teenagers empowered by specialized suits).  

The xenophobic fever has spread through Jersey City, with neighbor rating out neighbor and Worthy’s goon squad roving the streets, apprehending anyone they see as not belonging.  Among these detainees has been Ms. Marvel’s brother, Aamir, who possessed superpowers for a short while during the Last Days story-arc.  

Of course Ms. Marvel (Jersey City’s very own super hero) is the one ‘freak’ Worthy’s forces is most interested in detaining and deporting - seeing her as the main source of what has brought Manhattan-style super powered mayhem to the peaceful confines of Jersey City.  

Ms. Marvel had helped Aamir and many of the others escape, but was overpowered and were forced to flee, taking refuge the Masjib (a local Muslim community center).  Yet the villains tracked them down for a final confrontation.  Discord’s suit enables him electricity powers and it turns out this is a substantial weakness for her.  Te electrical volts appeared to have a weakening effect on Ms. Marvel, draining her energies and making it all but impossible for her to use her powers.  

In their final battle, Ms. Marvel unmasked Discord, only to discover his true identity as Josh, one of Kamal’s classmates and longtime friend.  In turn, Kamla removed her own mask and Josh was shocked to discover this enemy he had fought so hard against was actually someone he grew up with.   Their true identities doesn’t change the predicament they find themselves in.  This is whop Josh has decided to be.  It doesn’t matter that that he can be better, that he’s shown himself to be a better person in the past.  Putting back on his mask, Josh states that he will let Kamala go, and keep her identity a secret, but from here on out, they are enemies.   Ms. Marvel departs, ingloriously by flopping out of a window and Discord covers her escape.  

Meanwhile, a large group of citizens have gathered to march in opposition to the unconstitutional actions of the Worthy Administration.  Front and center of this march is Kamala’s sister-in-law, Tyesha and her best friend, Nakia.  Making their way to the Masjib, Tyesha and Nakia have a very interesting discussion of the modernized and more traditional usages of the hijab.   

Armed with a bullhorn. Tyesha demands that Worthy’s forces disperse and release all of the individuals they have illegally detained.  When the head goon asks on whose authority Tyesha can make these demands, she produces a piece of paper and replies: ‘The Third Circuit Court of Appeals.’   Boom

A quick civics lesson.  The American government is split into three separate but equal branches: the executive branch (made up of the president and their cabinet), the legislative branch (composed of congress, the senate and house of representatives) and the judicial branch (which includes the supreme court and state based federal courts).  This divide into three branches is designed so that no one face can try to impose laws that defy the basic tenets of the American Constitution.  

For example, when the trump Administration instituted a travel ban on Muslim majority countries it was unconstitutional in that the constitution stipulates that individuals cannot have laws forced against them on the basis of their religious faith.  The legislation originally came from the executive branch, but was stopped by the judicial branch (namely the ninth circuit court of appeals).  This is how it is supposed to work, with the three branches keeping each other in check and ensuring that no one branch oversteps its authority.    

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals serves New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands.  The Worthy administration’s institution of a ban on Mutants and Inhumans was a vast overstep of its authority and the Third Circuit Court has issued a judgement that the act was unconstitutional.   Of course, Worthy’s goons are armed and think their cause is righteous.  They not going to give in to the mob’s demands.  This all changes, however, when the state police arrive to enforce the decision of the Third Circuit Court.

Elsewhere, Ms. Marvel stumbles down the street thoroughly exausted.  She wants to help, but is just too tired and depleted.  It’s hard for her not to feel forlorn.  She’s tired, has just discovered that a boy she’s known since childhood has turned into a super villain; plus she’s still reeling from the fact that Bruno hates her and half of Jersey City wants her gone.  It feels like everyone and everything has abandoned her.  And it is just then that help arrives in an unexpected form.  

As shown in a recent issue of Black Bolt, Lockjaw seems to possess a sixth sense that enables him to know when his friends are most in need.  He teleports onto the scene and takes Ms. Marvel to a local Mediterranean restaurant where the manager sets her up with a deluxe combo and an extra large coffee.  

Ms. Marvel’s embiggining powers use up a huge amount of calories, and gorging herself on an extra large wrap of lamb and vegetables with a bunch of fries is just what she needs to recalibrate her powers.  As she eats, the waiters and patrons comment on how Jersey City has seemed to have lost its mind; that it needs Ms. Marvel now more than ever.  These comments offer Kamala just as much sustenance as the food.  Not all of Jersey City has turned its back on her, just a part of it… the world isn’t black and white, all good or all bad.  Different people have different views and Kamala was naive to think that she could have everybody like her.  She has to stick with what she thinks is right and just and make peace with the fact that everybody is not going to agree with it… but there will always be plenty of folks out there who do agree and Kamala is going to have to fight extra hard for them.  

Invigorated by the food and pep talk, Ms. Marvel and Lockjaw teleport to the Masjib to take on Lockdown and Discord before they can attack the protestors.  Lockjaw tackles Discord before he can use his electrical attack on Ms. Marvel while Ms. Marvel slams Lockdown with a well-deserved embiggoned-fist punch.  Seeing her forces as overwhelmed, Lockdown calls in an airstrike.  Discord argues against such an action, noting that civilians (and themselves) would be caught in the ensuring carnage.  Yet Lockdown is too blinded by rage to listen.  Before she can initiate the airstrike, however, Ms, Marvel uses her powers in a new fashion, reforming her malleable body into a blanket like form, swooping over and completely covering Lockdow.  It’s kind of icky, but nonetheless effective.  

The villains are defeated and former Mayor Machesi has arrived, noting the the Third Circuit has nullified Worthy’s coup and reinstated her as the rightful Mayor.  Discord manages to escape, but Lockdown and her goons are all rounded up and arrested.  Sheikh Abdullah emerges from the Mosque and notes that the Masjib is open to all, just in time for evening prayers.   It’s a happy ending, yet it is clear that much has changed for Kamala.  

And it is here that the story-arc’s title ‘Mecca’ finally makes sense.   To go to Mecca entails a pilgrimage, a journey of self discovery.  One cannot return from such a journey unchanged, horizons are broadened and perspective becomes more focused.  The enhanced perspective allows one to see things more clearly, a more multidimensional fashion.  What was simple has become complex and the pilgrim has to contend with the fact that world is not as safe and simple and easily discernible and they may have once believed.  

This story arc was something of Kamala’s own pilgrimage to a metaphorical Mecca.  Having returned from the pilgrimage she must now contend with a world that is far more complicated than she had once thought it to be.  Not everyone can be trusted; she cannot hope that everyone will love her.  Sometime those who she thought were good and honorable turn out to be bad and selfish.  And there will be people who hate her not for what she has done, but who she is… leaving it her job to fight on and stay true to her own sense of right and wrong.  

Wow, another really intense story-arc in the pages of Ms. Marvel.  With the Civil Warr II story, followed by the Doc.X story and now this, Ms. Marvel has become a pretty heavy book.  Poor Kamala deserves a break.  Cover art for the next issue promises an adventure alongside The Red Dagger and I’m kind of hoping the tale proves a light-hearted (possibly romantic) romp… it’s make for a welcome change of pace.

At the same time, I don’t at all blame Wilson and company for wanting to put forward such a pertinent and topical tale.  I don’t really know how long it takes to write illustrate and produce a comic, but I would not be surprised to learn that this story was born out of dismaying goings-on when the Muslim Travel ban was first instituted by The trump Administration.  Whether you agree or disagree with the rational behind this ban, it’s impossible not to sympathize with all who are effected and the basic message it puts forth.  Religious freedom has and will always be a central tenet to what America is all about.  The ban defies this tenet, hidden behind the guise of keeping the nation safe.  It’s merely a power play meant to further galvanize those who believe the United States should be a Christian Nation (despite the fact that persecuting others is just about the most non-Christian thing one can do (John 3:16).  

Super hero comics have always been an especially fertile soil for metaphor.  Some such metaphors are heavier handed than others, yet sometimes such heavy handedness is warranted.  Ms. Marvel is one of the only (and certainly the most popular) heroes who is herself a Muslim.  It would be irresponsible to completely sidestep the very pressing real-world issues facing American and would-be American Muslims.  Mayor Worthy’s anti-Inhuman legislation is a metaphorical stand in for President trump’s Muslim Ban.  And just as the third circuit facilitated an injunction against Worthy’s unconstitutional actions so too did the ninth circuit facilitated an injunction against trump’s similarly unconstitutional actions.  The ban is now scheduled to be argued in front of the Supreme Court and there is no way of knowing on what side the Court will ultimately come down on.  It’s all pretty frightening… strike that, it’s terrifying.  Instituting laws on the basis of an individual’s religion is as slippery a slope as it gets and ratification of the ban by the Supreme Court could very well usher dark, dark days here in the states.

Considering how frightening this all is, being able to grapple with the matter in the relatively safe confines of The Marvel Universe makes for a nice respite.  

Definitely recommended.  Four out of Five Lockjaws.

#Ms. Marvel #Kamala Khan #spoilers #Inhumans #G. Willow Wilson #Marco Falla #Ian Herring #review

[aion-rsa]

Shameless Season 11 Episode 9 Review: Survivors

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This Shameless review contains spoilers.

Shameless Season 11 Episode 9

“The only thing that’s permanent is impermanence. Change is the only constant…”

Change is not an easy thing. This entire farewell season of Shameless has functioned as an examination of change from many different angles, but the characters have reached a point where they have to stop running and confront these developments now that there are only three episodes left in the series. 

“Survivors” is a busy episode that puts every character outside of their comfort zone and in the middle of transformations of various severities. 

Kevin taking over parenting duties for an afternoon or Carl’s transfer to another police department are hardly as drastic as Vee’s mother moving from Chicago or the ultimate fate of the Gallagher home, but they all light a fire under everyone in the same way. The Gallaghers are a resilient family of lovable cockroaches, but “Survivors” pushes the message that if you don’t move with the changes then the changes will definitely move you.

The past few episodes of Shameless have largely been preoccupied with the sad decline of Terry Milkovich, which has also functioned as a strong counterpoint to the Gallaghers’ own situation with Frank’s health. Terry is now gone, but his spirit heavily lingers in “Survivors” and it drives forward some of the episode’s most rewarding material. Mickey casually echoed the sentiment, “family is family,” a few episodes back  and Terry’s death has prompted Mickey to truly stand by these words. It leads to some growth that surprises Mickey more than anyone and he’s constantly at odds with the confusing and raw feelings that bombard him all episode.

Mickey is typically one of Shameless’ broader characters and this season has thrown him into several caricature-like situations that take advantage of his no filter attitude. Sincerity is not typically the character’s strong suit, yet Mickey’s free floating grief over his dad is actually compelling, new territory for him. He and Ian involve themselves with an earnest and sweet story that does manage to humanize Terry in a way and almost act as an “origin story” for his despicable racism. 

Some of Noel Fisher’s best work from the entire series is in this episode as he wistfully reminisces over horrendous moments from his childhood. It becomes a little repetitive, but Ian’s deadpan reactions to Mickey’s “precious moments” all land and it’s a refreshing change of pace to have Ian act as this grounded foil. Mickey’s turn as the sympathetic one in this adventure is also the right approach. Mickey and Ian’s characterization was a little questionable at the start of this season, but it’s comforting to see these past few episodes really hit the sweet spot of their relationship.

Frank launches into an important chapter from his past just as Ian and Mickey get to learn more about Terry’s younger years. Frank’s plan is considerably more maudlin than Terry’s elegy over unrequited love. The idea that Lip is selling the house stays in Frank’s head long enough that he launches a scheme to get the necessary money to just purchase the house himself. Frank has been involved with lots of ridiculous shenanigans over the course of Shameless, but none have been as deluded as a plan to rob the Art Institute of Chicago. This would be a near impossible task for even an accomplished thief, so a severely impaired Frank doesn’t seem like he has the best odds of turning this scheme into a reality.

“Survivors” has some fun as Frank tries to get the (literally) old gang back together, but this wild pipe dream transforms into a morbid reality check for Frank. He’s surrounded with signs of decay and he’s unexpectedly forced to come to terms with how he’s also at the end of his rope. Frank gets caught up on if he’ll still have an effective wheelman for his art heist when he should appreciate that he somehow still has people in his corner that care about him. Frank’s family is infinitely more valuable than some treasure.

Some of the most interesting moments from this season of Shameless involve Frank’s frailty and how everyone treats him after they become aware of his diagnosis. It gives each of his interactions a little extra impact and pathos. “Survivors” chips away at the idea of Frank’s legacy in yet another interesting fashion, yet in the end it seems like he was somehow able to pull off this art heist entirely by himself?

Speaking of crime, Lip was fully at odds with Brad in the previous episode and ready to take things into seriously dark territory, but now they’re pulled together more tightly than ever before. Their volatile situation becomes even more combustible after they learn that their former employer has deep ties with the mafia because it seems like 90% of Chicago is corrupt according to this season of Shameless. The awkward Godfather-esque music cue that’s used when Lip and Brad meet the crime family also doesn’t improve upon the scenario in the way that the episode thinks that it does. It’s a very unusual way to seemingly resolve the heavy danger that’s followed Lip for a quarter of the season.

On the other side of the law, Carl’s reckless act of altruism with the vice squad reunites him with his former partner on the eviction squad. It’s nice to have Joshua Malina back in this nebbish role and it seemed strange to just have him pop in for a single episode before. His new zen attitude about destiny raises some superfluous questions for Carl, but the character doesn’t feel that different from before and this material fails to amount to much. Carl’s work for the police has made for rewarding character development, but his constant rotation throughout Chicago’s police departments is beginning to feel repetitive and aimless. 

Between Carl’s work on the eviction unit and the prospect of the Gallagher house going up for sale there’s a lot of focus on whether the lack of a home means the lack of a family. Vee finds herself in a situation that oddly parallels the Gallaghers’ current instability when her mom moves away from Chicago and tries to establish new roots in Louisville. Vee is mostly critical that her mother’s actions are impulsive and that they won’t last. She worries about losing a connection with her mother and it becomes another situation where everyone is so caught up on what they might lose that they lose stock of what they already have. Veronica’s maturity with her mother gets juxtaposed with Kevin’s complete regression and failure to parent for less than 24 hours. It does not go well and it’s slightly misguided that this parental disaster ends as a punchline and not a cautionary tale. 

Vee’s mom has a fancy new house in Louisville, but Liam is still left worrying if he’ll have any home at all if the Gallagher residence goes on the market. In perfect Liam fashion he attempts to resolve his paranoia over the future in a manner that’s more professional than every other Gallagher. There’s an inherent comedic nature during Liam’s attempts to get put into a foster home or become adopted so that he’ll have a place to live after his house gets sold. 

They’re exaggerated moments, but Liam’s concern is very real and it remains impressive to see how self-sufficient he’s become. He continually thinks rationally about the future while his siblings ward off the mob and pray that they don’t have any sexually-transmitted diseases. Honestly, put Liam in charge of the family and they’ll be thriving within six months.

All of the chaos in “Survivors” begins and ends because of Lip’s stubborn attitude over selling the house. Lip’s insistence to force his family to move just because his life is imploding is still super problematic, but thankfully everyone finally just talks to each other and gets their fears and doubts out in the open. The final moments of “Survivors” are genuinely nice and it’s long overdue that Lip actually communicates and listens to the people that he cares about. 

It’s really sweet that Lip promises Liam that he’ll be a part of his home and that the family’s sense of community isn’t going to change, even if their living arrangements do. However, this is also something that should have happened at the same time as Lip’s initial proposal to sell the house rather than the renegade sledgehammer that went through the wall. It’s led to a few episodes of unnecessary drama, but the Gallaghers are at least on a collective front now as the series heads into its final three episodes. 

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“Survivors” is a confident step forward for Shameless. It figures out how to balance the series’ more tender sensibilities with the wackier antics that were more prominent during the show’s earliest seasons. Characters operate as functional units and finally listen to each other before they’re left with fractured relationships that no longer feel like a family. There’s still a lot of growing up to do, but not that everyone’s on the same page and working towards a common goal it actually feels like Shameless might end in hugs rather than heartbreak.

The post Shameless Season 11 Episode 9 Review: Survivors appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[custer-mp3]

long-ass general life update for you nosy bitches // tw: men, my bad legs

so boring to say i’m settling in but i am, i just wish there was something better to call it

there was somebody camped out in the back of the park across from our house down by the railroad tracks, on what we think is technically railroad property, and the parks department came today and tried to haul their shit away without a police order cuz “it’s just trash” no dude it’s a tent that’s someone’s home you leave it the fuck alone so Agatha screamed at them until they went away but then the cops came by & tagged it so now they have 3 days to move or the parks department’s allowed to come back & take their shit away

when we were trying to figure out whose site it so so we could reach out to them thru the drop-in center we noticed the tent was locked but had been cut open and the rain fly was ripped off and Agatha says it’s probably fine but it looked like somebody rolled their shit hella bad & i’m just worried about whoever it is, it looked like multiple people (or at least a guy and a girl) and i hope they’re okay like. physically

thanksgiving weekend launched me into the flare of the century i’m still not recovered from. i dared unpack my boxes of books yesterday (which were all small!! 6 free USPS boxes!!) and my knees had just. Had It. from that 20 minutes of activity. my wrists and elbows are flaring rly bad rn too & i had to buy ankle braces cuz my Achilles was already super fucked up from moving & like. whole body hurts.

i was limping around super bad at work--like unable to actually walk, just kinda toddling around in slow-mo if they needed me to move somewhere--and my manager made fun of me to my face IMITATING MY LIMP ON BLACK FRIDAY when i requested a break then my ASM and tenured keyholder ALSO made fun of me on Hell Saturday and i’m going to burn the entire store down

marina says report them to HR but that’s not very anarchist of me and i just don’t care enough to ruin their lives cuz it’s a temp job anyway and i can make it thru the holiday surely but it’s also like. i am the most able-bodied disabled person i know. i get more shit done in a day with 2 nonfunctional legs and fucked up arms and guts that are trying to escape my body and The Brain Fog TM than most people in full health do. if you’re being this awful to ME to my fkn FACE, ON THE CLOCK, how awful are you to “““actually disabled”““ ppl like out in the world on your free time

i just hate that there are no buses on sundays, no buses after 7, and i keep getting put on these dumb fucking late closes that mean either paying $15 for an Uber or walking the 3 miles home in the dark and the cold and some days i just physically Cannot with my Body and have to pay for the Uber which sucks ass cuz i’m making barely above federal minimum wage again

but i’ve been walking dogs and stuff with Kara. she’s got a hot friend who saw the picture of my halloween costume she threw in the groupchat and apparently thinks i’m cute and has been inquiring about my existence ever since so she asked me if she could give him my number and like sure bro i’ve met this dude exactly once AND I DIDN’T HAVE EYEBROWS ON AND WAS STANDING THERE RUBBING MY EYEBROW STUBBLE IN MY OVERSIZED SLIPKNOT HOODIE AND PAJAMA PANTS but i would like him to throw me thru a brick wall so sure but then he tEXTED ME and we set up a hangout which was supposed to just be coffee but turned into a whole-ass actual lunch date which like. worm. and made out in my living room cuz why not.

yesterday we hung out again (the coffee i was promised) and walked dogs with Kara in the cemetery and went to Kinko’s and the sketchy Halloween store that’s still open in fkn December and also made out, and then he was like “we should have an Actual Date For Real People” and i was like mfkr what?!?????? is that not???? no??????????????

so that occurred t o d a y cuz you can’t call me anything but efficient and spoiler alert, it was NOT a Real People Date, it was a fkn punk shitbag date, we definitely smashed then cuddled and tried to get Parsnip to interact with the other cat in a peaceful fashion and listened to Ministry and helped Agatha with the camp/park service situation and dealt with the cops when they showed up and had the aUDAciTY to park in front of our house to pull that shit then ran errands and cuddled and went to a Food Not Bombs meeting like. mfkr. that aint a date. that’s hanging out. how. is the prior 2 things with designated start times and wearing Nice Shirts and Going In Public Together Solo and shit not dates but tODaY was a date. fkn. WHAT

anyway he’s simple and sweet and hilarious and pro-SW anarcho communist and insanely hot and self-deprecating and i want to climb him like a tree but he too is divorced once over and we’ve Talked about it & it’s made me feel Better about my own shit & like. i want him to throw me through a brick wall and buy me food and leave me alone, and he’s in a non-monogamous relationship with one of Kara’s friends and his partner’s like “bro u need to date other ppl so i don’t feel bad” and y’know, that’s fuckin stellar imo. for me.

like what this whole fkn Ordeal has made me realize is i actually hate being in capital-R-Relationships. i do NOT want the pressure of being somebody’s whole world, i do not want the EXPECTATION of being solely responsible for somebody’s emotional happiness and well-being, i just wanna be friends with people and hang out and make art and occasionally make out and otherwise be left alone to do my own thing so this is like. rad as fuck. that this just sorta fell into my lap fully-formed and i didn’t have to do a bunch of screening and dealing with fuckboys and everything i was dreading abt y’know. finding someone to make out with in the midwest

and it was all because of my dumbass pun-based nu-metal halloween costume, which is the best thing that’s happened to me in decades, so. thank u jonathan davis

but i’m making friends--mostly thru Kara, but the other fellow new KH at work is the oldest person in the store (older than me by a couple years) and ALSO super into all things manson-adjacent and ALSO super queer and everything and has given me a ride home a couple times and i love her so maybe we’ll end up being friends in the long run too--and like living with Kara’s been good cuz there are always people around and she doesn’t mind me inviting myself on stuff sometimes so

there’s some sort of Krampus parade thing this Saturday in which for $2 you can actually be beaten with sticks and the squad’s going to that and we’re all doing FNB on Sunday and i know aforementioned dude is gonna be there but also so is his partner so like. that’ll be Inch Resting. but. we’ll survive. ‘we’  meaning me.

idk if it’s some sort of fucked up coping mechanism from coming dead last in my own monogamous relationships for uhhhhhhhhhhhh my entire fucking life but y’know. i kinda just feel whatever abt it!! like cool!! there is the dude i am fast friends with and def have a mutual crush on and am also currently fucking! and there’s the person he’s been dating for 3.5 years and owns a house with, and they’re a Thing!! and idk where i fit and what the vibe’ll be idk if the partner’s other ppl are gonna be there too so it’ll be weird fr all of us or it’s just me and like honestly how do y’all NAVIGATE i just don’t wanna make fkn heart eyes at the wrong time or NOT make heart eyes at the wrong time U FEEL ME

but also y’know what, whatever, fine. i’m like the least possessive person in the universe. like. i like that it’s all out in the open and people aren’t running around on me or anybody else. can’t believe this is my life, honestly. idk if the squad was conspiring on this or what cuz kara has terminal Nice Person disease but. good job fam. 

i was in a real dark place this time last week and it only got worse over Hell Weekend, like. feeling directionless / unmotivated / isolated / lonely / traumatized / failure. it’s really been hitting me hard that i’m [redacted] years old & getting d*vorced & back in a punk house in a city i’d never set foot in before & working the shittiest shit job in the history of shit jobs and i’m never gonna see this person that was my best friend for so long again (cuz, y’know, i know i don’t talk abt the Private Life on here very often/in very concrete terms ~~this post being the exception~~ but. we were Best Friends. for a very long time) & i’m officially losing this friendship that meant so much to me and does mean so much to me, because i do care about him as a friend. like. fuck him as a spouse, he’s terrible at that, but as a friend i don’t want to see him struggling. which is bullshit. cuz he was abusing me and my life was a living goddamn hell in VA. but it’s hard to let go of the basis of the whole goddamn Ordeal to start with, and it’s hard to reconcile My Friend Whomst I Adore with My Ex-Husband Who Triggers Me On Purpose & Reads My Instagram Messages & Has Been Blackout Drunk For Months & Won’t Let Me Have Space Even In My Own Office, and it’s hard cuz the only people i know who’ve gone through something like this are dead. and all of that’s hitting at once. and i can put up with a lot of shit but i cannot put up with feeling like a failure within myself. and shit was truly fucking bleak.

so the whole social life thing just came at a good time y’know & even if things otherwise aren’t going the way i want there’s at least one good spot in my life. i got friends, i’m getting out of the house, i figured out where the good cemetery is, people are buying me food & talking me through all of this & rubbing the shaved part of my head & i’m happy

kara’s got a dr’s appt tmrw AM & the dude is apparently our designated Responsible Adult With Car so he’s picking her up from that & will be in my house once again tmrw morning & i fully plan on hiding in my room and pretending to be asleep cuz fuck that lmao don’t make me socialize i was not emotionally prepared for that

hayden sent me a 1995 Marilyn Manson gig poster and an enamel pin of a jackalope wearing a cone of shame & honestly??? i do not deserve him, talk about great friends

we need to get a frame for the poster but then me & kara are starting a MM wall in one of our living rooms & it’s gonna be great. the dude’s gonna come over with a drill & help me hang shelves in my room some time soon so i can finish getting unpacked cuz i’m just down to the boxes of art and getting all my shelf crap squared away & then i can finally finish Unpacking For Good

me & kara cried on the kitchen floor together last night from laughter bc i still have not learned my lesson in How Much Soup A Bowl Can Hold and my lizard brain was convinced if i got the beans under the liquid it would all fit, which, spoiler--it did not, and all my makeup ran off my face. it was that good. i love her so much

anyway thanks for listening check out the distro so i can buy groceries until my food stamp paperwork clears which will probably not be for almost another goddamn month i’m so pissed

xo

[marinette-buginette]

Tales of Miss Fortune(Part 2)

Here we are folks, part 2. There is no sin in this, unfortunately, but we get a look at Marinette and Adrien’s daily lives. And a cliffhanger.

First | Next

It was a general agreement that Monday sucked. It was even more of an agreement that Monday mornings, specifically, sucked even more. In fact, it was common knowledge that Monday mornings were the moment when most hopes and dreams died. And when there was a Monday morning at the Agreste Headquarters, well, that was when all aspirations, happiness, self-esteem, and trust went down the gutter. Adrien’s included. He tried to put his best professional face to show that he was a very equilibrated man, who gets a full night rest and is nothing short of a responsible adult and a perfect CEO for the Agreste fashion empire. As he walked confidently through the building, the employees were greeting him with that usual air of ‘shit, that’s the boss’, so he assumed his façade was working.

(Honestly, was he that scary? He certainly hoped not.)

When he was finally in the privacy of his office, he let his head fall on the table as he groaned miserably. He had a night from hell. Not only was he left with a boner, but also tied to a chair. And it was very hard to try to get out of that death grip without knocking the candle overs and setting the whole Louvre on fire. He arrived home exhausted and only managed to get two hours of sleep. And just when the sleep was the sweetest that’s when his alarm decided to wake him up. Hell knows the dark circles under his eyes were only hidden because of that luxurious concealer he was wearing. Whining again softly, he rested his cheek against his desk considering taking a nap right that second. But of course, he didn’t have the chance. A cup of coffee and a bag with a pastry were put in front of him. And if there was one thing he loved more than sleep it was food. His head shot up immediately.

“A café noisette and a croissant with extra butter.” Marinette Dupain-Cheng declared. As he dug in his breakfast, she glanced at the clock on the wall. “And just in time. 9:15.”

“I never knew you were a morning person.” he remarked in between two sips of coffee.

“Oh, I’m not a morning person. I just had a very busy night and just didn’t go to sleep at all.” she said with a satisfied smirk.

Busy night? She must have worked on designs, Adrien thought. Marinette was, after all, an amazing designer. He had been impressed with her portfolio when she applied for the internship and he decided there was no way he would let her carry the coffee and lunch orders of everybody in the design department for the year long period of the internship. Well, she was still bringing him coffee, yes, but she was also able to work on her designs whenever she was done with the tasks he was giving her. And he knew all too well how cut throat the fashion industry was and how sabotage and mental games worked when it came to newcomers. And while Marinette was a force to be reckoned with, he would rather save her all that trouble. He had been dealing with those things since he began to walk, he would rather not have anybody go through the same thing if he could help it.

“So, what’s on today’s agenda?” Marinette asked as he finished his croissant.

“Just arrange the schedule for the week and then you are free to design. If anything else comes up, I’ll tell you.”

Marinette nodded with a smile, moving to her desk on the other side of the great room. Adrien finished his coffee, depositing the bag and the empty cup in the trash bin under his desk and decided to try his best to focus on work. The coffee had helped a little, but not enough to make up for all the lost hours of sleep. A low tune filled the air and his eyes slipped to Marinette, who got to work already while humming a familiar tune. It sounded like the last Jagged Stone hit. Ah, Marinette had really great taste in music. And video games. And fashion. And food. And… everything really. She was a very efficient assistant and just a lovely person to be around in general. Sometimes Adrien wished he had a friend like her. Huh, friend. He tilted his head, wondering if it was a good idea to ask.

“Hey, Marinette,” he called across the room, getting her attention. First name basis was something he insisted on. Monsieur Agreste sounded too much like his father and it was making him feel super weird. The only two instances when they used formal titles were when they were joking around or when they were in front of other people. “Do you… do you consider me a friend?”

Marinette blinked surprised and Adrien wanted to punch himself in the face for asking. Until her lips curled in a smirk and a mischevious glint appeared in her eyes. It almost gave him a feeling of deja vu, for whatever reason. “Oh, my, Monsieur Agreste, what an improper question. So unbusinesslike.” she teased, before she gave him a genuine smile. “Sure, Adrien. I can be your friend.”

“Thank you.” he breathed out, turning back to his work and missing the sad expression that took over her features.

“No need to thank me.” she said back with a fond smile.

Well, at least Marinette was considering him a friend. Her and the fluffy god of destruction currently sleeping in his pocket. What a squad. Sometimes he wished he would have went to school like everybody ese, and make friends who might have liked him for more than his money or looks. He never had that chance. And ever since his father died, well, being a CEO as we as a supe hero didn’t give him th chance to mingel. Adrien sighed and begann typing an email.

Maybe he will just have a peaceful day for once.

(Spoiler alert: he doesn’t.)

He and Marinette were just exiting the building, deciding to go to get some dinner, cause they will be stuck at work over the program yet again. That was when four police cars with the sirens ringing passed by fastly. Adrien wanted to scream. Seriously? Again? Didn’t Miss Fortune have a life to take care of that didn’t imply robbing every museum in Paris?

“I wonder what that is.” Marinette thought out loud.

“A robbery, most likely.” Adrien said, while checking his pocket for Plagg. “You know, Marinette, why don’t you just go home. I’m giving you a free night.”

“Wait, where are you… ?” she didn’t have the chance to ask because he already took off running.

“I just forgot something I need to take care off.” he called over his shoulder. “Have a nice evening!”

And with that he disappeared around the corner, leaving a very confused Marinette behind him.

As it turned out, it hadn’t been Miss Fortune this time. Just a gang trying to steal from a jewelry store. Honestly, the fight didn’t last that long, but they had the boss of the store and two employees taken as prisoners so he had to get them out first. Chat Noir dropped in a dark alley, making sure no one was around as he dropped his transformation. Catching a yawning Plagg in his hands he snorted.

“Me too, buddy. Let’s go home.” the kwami didn’t even bother to ask for cheese.

As he made his way out o the alley carefully, he didn’t notice the pair of striking blue eyes following his every move.

“My, my,” a sweet voice mocked. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

#miraculous ladybug #adrien x marinette #adrinette #ladybug x chat noir #ladynoir #otp:un coup de foudre #my writing #tales of miss fortune

[goodailynews]

Ben Stokes will not travel to Australia with the rest of England's Ashes squad. The travelling party will depart on October 28 but the ECB has confirmed Stokes will not travel amid a police investigation into an incident outside a nightclub. Steve Finn has been added to the England squad for the full five-match series. .................................................................................................. [HOT] Brownlow fashion: WAGS have it down pat : ♫ https://youtu.be/EPI4sVQWqIE [HOT] Emmerdale spoilers: Is Finn Barton dead in devastating twist as Emma flees? : ♫ https://youtu.be/dg9Xn2TKBzc [HOT] 'Game of Thrones' is casting eight new very interesting characters for the final season : ♫ https://youtu.be/acucF0REMmY [HOT] No, Tom Cruise Did Not Wear Prosthetic Butt for 'Valkyrie' : ♫ https://youtu.be/haHo38L2z-M [HOT] Why Jackman's voting Yes for SSM : ♫ https://youtu.be/2liusDDTzaA .................................................................................................. SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/Gd5aaC FACEBOOK: https://goo.gl/ybp8jQ TWITTER: https://goo.gl/o24hEF ✖ Follow GOO Daily News channel(SUBSCRIBE) to look for that. GOO Daily News - New videos evreyday! MONDAY - SUNDAY. Thanks for watching! Background music video is allowed by FreeBackgroundMusic. Please visit their channel to view more: FreeBackgroundMusic: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdbJ_mnXo5tf-4hVNgJ5Wg Thank you! .................................................................................................. ...[continued]... us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia. 'Steven is a high-quality cricketer, with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions. 'We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudices the outcome of the ongoing police investigation.' Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett and Jake Ball have all been given formal written warnings. An internal investigation found the trio had failed to conduct themselves professionally in a recent one-day squad.

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