#like i guess we'll get a happy ending but with the direction the story seems to be going the ending arc has bad writing written all over it

[loupy-mongoose]

I wish my art motivation and my "want-to-move-the-story-along" motivation would get along, lol.

There's so much I rather would've drawn for this, but my brain is still in the Hisui rot. So, I'll have to make due.

Speech guide:

Randy's speech Jamie's speech (Pokespeak in parentheses) ~~Telepathy is in... these things... Whatever they're called. XD~~

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~~~~~~

The group spread out among the foliage, keeping their eyes keen and calling out Midas' name.

As they searched, Akoya sent her husband a private vent.

~~Rrrrrrrrrgggghhh! ~~ ~~Why'd she have to come with us?!~~ ~~We'll find him fine on our own, then get right back to her. She doesn't need to babysit us! What threat do we pose anyway??~~

Randy struggled to suppress a sigh. ~~I know, Hon. But we really shouldn't do anything to upset her. We're on her turf right now, and she seems to be a high authority on it.~~

~~Huh. Well I'll be happy to be done with this and back home safely in Paldea.~~

~~I know. Believe me, I know. But let's just focus on one thing at a time, okay? Right now we need to make our way to Midas without her figuring out we can feel him.~~

Randy felt a stab of regret from her direction, and glance at her to see her giving him a remorseful look.

~~...I'm sorry.~~

Randy struggled to hide shock from Jamie.

~~For what?~~

~~For being difficult...~~ ~~Thank you for being patient with me, and... all this...~~

Seeing that Jamie was searching facing away from them, he met his wife's eyes and gave her a warm smile.

~~Of course, Akoya!~~ ~~I look forward to having Midas back and getting a chance to really talk in private.~~

Akoya sighed lightly.

~~Me too...~~

Midaaaas!

The pink-and-blue Mew perked up his ears, his tear-stained eyes opening wide.

(Mamah?)

His companion, a fluffy pink and russet Mew, also looked toward the calling voice. A purr was rattling from her in an attempt to calm the poor child she'd come across and curled around reassuringly.

Suddenly the young Mew bolted, startling his companion into silence.

(MAMAH!)

Midas slammed into his mother's chest. His voice came out as a whimper.

(Mamah...)

After a brief shock, Akoya smiled and hugged the little Mew close under her chin, and her eyes welled with tears. Midas... Oh thank Arceus...

Midas' fluffy companion flew up and nuzzled Jamie's head. Before Randy could comment on her, the girl gave her a startled look, but quickly recomposed herself.

(Hey, Jamie! Good to see you!)

It's good to see you too! But... a little surprising. Randy caught the quickest dart of her eyes in their direction. Clearly she was implying something, but what that was, he had no idea.

The stranger Mew smiled at the three newcomers. There was an... odd gleam in her eyes, but she turned back to Jamie, not giving any chance to ponder it.

Randy and Akoya exchanged glances. There was no avoiding it this time. She'd caught them all red-handed.

The man sighed. Yes, we all understand it.

Akoya's face turned serious, although she couldn't hide the shock she'd received. How did you know?

Educated guess. You reacted when Clover mentioned the bag. The red-haired girl met Akoya's eyes, but she appeared neutral, rather than hostile. Randy noticed that that subtle curiosity had returned.

Beside him, he saw his wife shudder. ...I don't like how sharp you are...

Much to Randy's surprise, Jamie gave a regretful smile. Force of habit. She took a snappy breath, as if to recenter herself, and straightened her postured. Shall we move on to the house?

The three Lindens looked at each other and nodded, and they set off again. But before they went far, Jamie turned to look at Akoya once more.

...So, did Midas call you "Mama"?

Feeling a wave of exasperation from Akoya, Randy answered for her, desperate to escape this weird dance of secrets they'd ended up in. We'll explain later. Can we just get somewhere where we can breathe?

The group continued on as the sun began to sink. Jamie's fluffy Mew buddy, Pari, floated leisurely around them, sometimes humming happily, sometimes picking up a chat with Jamie. Sometimes they would pass folks on the road, and Pari would wave cheerfully or let them pet her as she purred.

Randy realized then what Jamie had meant about this being a safe place for Midas to be lost at. Clearly the locals were used to having a Mew around--or two, if Jovie was as friendly and close to the people as Pari. Some Pokemon that roamed close by would come greet Jamie warmly, happy to see her back after her time away. And Randy caught glimpses of a deep, genuine smile on her face as she talked with them

He sighed, wishing things could be straight-forward, and hoped the two parties could soon find a comfortable middle ground.

He felt a gentle hand take his own, and looked over at his wife, unable to resist a soft smile as he met her eyes. Her other arm was tucked into her jacket to support Midas, who had refused to go back into the bag and was now hidden in there. Randy had taken possession of the bag.

He looked to his other side at Lav, who seemed as drained as he was. She'd been very quiet since they arrived, and he longed to pick her brain. But now wasn't the time. He felt a pang of guilt that she'd been so sidelined by all this.

He placed his hand on her far shoulder, looking for a cue that a hug would be okay. She turned up to him with tired eyes, giving a half-hearted smile and leaning into him. He tightened his grip around her.

As they walked, seeing their escort and new Mew companion at ease with the residents, his children safe in their arms and his wife and best friend by his side... he felt a deep peace settle in him.

Once they could get all the secrets and misunderstandings out of the way...

It wouldn't be so bad here.

~~~~~~

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#Linden Roots #art #comic #writing #full #Babbies

[freyyzu]

PROMISE

All Cove wants is to see you happy, and all Baxter wants is to reassure him that he was going to do exactly that.

a/n; takes place some time during step 4 when your friends throw you another surprise party and you're off talking to someone else. i just think the two most important men in mc's life should interact a little more. implied step 3 ending on a bad note.

The twinkle of the fairy lights that hang from every wall of the first floor is mesmerizing. It's simple decoration, easy to put up, easy to get down, but beautiful all the same. The soft glow it emits puts Baxter at ease; even more so when accompanied by the sight of your smiling face.

His heart skips a beat when you glance over in his direction, your eyes meeting for the briefest moments. You discreetly wave at him, trying your best to not interrupt whatever story Terry is going on about, and he gives you a wave of his own back. He doesn't even try to fight the smile that tugs at his lips.

It was such a straightforward interaction, one that lasted all but three seconds, but just that was enough for him to feel the butterflies in his stomach lurch into a frenzy.

He's so enthralled by you, in fact, that he doesn't even notice the sound of someone making their way closer to him until they're already speaking.

"Uhm, how... how are you enjoying the party?" It's an expected question coming from an unexpected source.

Baxter turns to face the new presence by his side, more than a little surprised. Out of all the people here, Cove Holden would be the last person he expected to initiate a conversation, but the appearance isn't unwelcomed. Far from it.

"It's been fun," he says with full sincerity.

Despite the sparse decorations and only handful of people here, Baxter would say with his full heart that this is the best party he's ever been to. Surrounded by people who really care for him, those who took the time out of their day to surprise him even after all the stunts he's pulled. "Thank you for your part in this. I deeply appreciate it."

"Oh," Cove sputters, apparently flustered by the earnestness. "It's no problem. I'm... glad you're enjoying yourself."

Baxter smiles knowingly, "is there something on your mind?"

The taller male doesn't answer, but he fixes his gaze on a particular person across the room, still intently listening to Terry's story. Miranda and Xavier have joined them by this point.

'Ah.' his expression softens. "Are you worried about them?"

"Of course I am," he replies. Any hesitation in his voice from before lost within those four words. His hands clench and loosen by his sides a few times and he glances down at his feet, as if debating whether or not it was okay to say the next words.

You had forgiven Baxter a long time ago, that was a fact, but Cove couldn't forget your dejected expression or how many false smiles you wore to assure everyone you weren't hurt that summer.

Baxter waits quietly. He doesn't know exactly what your best friend intends to say, but from his fidgeting alone, he could garner a guess. Eventually though, he does break the silence. "I won't hurt them."

Cove looks over to your boyfriend, unable to keep the doubt from his expression. He trusts you, he wants you to be happy, that's all he ever wants for you; but that's even more of a reason for him to be wary. Baxter had broken your heart once, and he never wants to see that happen again.

"Can you promise that?"

There's a pause, and then a shake of a head from the black color haired man and Cove feels his heart nearly sink. "I'm not like you. I haven't known them my entire life. I'm just someone who showed up to the doorstep of your neighborhood one summer and then left."

There's a gleam in his brown eyes that make them seem to sparkle even more than the lights decorated around the room. "We'll have arguments, we'll get into fights," his voice lowers, "but I hope I can learn from those mistakes. That I'll make a better decision the next time." He turns to face Cove. "I can promise that."

Cove swallows the lump in his throat. He had come here to talk to Baxter, but in the end he ended up not being able to say anything at all. Though, maybe that was okay too. Whatever the lead up was, he heard what he needed to hear.

"Thank you," he says.

Baxter's face lights up at those words, eyes widening with boyish glee, before reverting back to his more well-known smirk. "No, thank you for coming over and chatting with me. I'm thankful we got to have this time together."

"Aha," Cove chuckles awkwardly now that the air has cleared. "But uh, Baxter?" He calls, wanting to get just one last word in.

"Yes?"

"You... should take care of yourself, too." And with that final statement, he steps forward to join your group.

Baxter blinks once.

He takes a moment to reign in his shock. Did Cove Holden of all people just give him some encouragement? He chuckles, straightening up as he spots you splitting from the circle to make your way over to his side.

This week has been full of surprises.

#Our Life #Our Life: Beginning and Always #baxter ward #baxter ward x mc #baxter ward x reader #cove holden #i'm really happy cove doesn't just hit it off with baxter honestly #but i think he would try if it made mc happy #and that's what spurred this on

[maleyanderecafe]

My Yandere Neighbor (Manga)

Created by:  杏蜜

Genre: Comedy/Slice of Life

So this is a translation that we picked up, and while we have five chapters of raws currently, only one of them has been translated and typeset, so we'll be going off of that. The story so far has some yandere action between Kishi and Okada but is overall pretty light, with Okada mostly just being confused and slightly offput by Kishi as of now.

The story starts out with Okada working with Kishi and her being offput by him as he seems to be following and noticing very minute details about how many inches of hair she's cut off of her bangs and that she's sighing more than usual. We learn that Okada has recently been promoted to Art Director and is currently very busy. Kishi can be helpful towards Okada which she appreciates but is still a bit weirded out by her reaction. We get a backstory about how the two meet with Kishi grumbling outside and Okada concerned and bringing him in so they can talk. We find out that Kishi has been mistreated by his boss, as he's made a mistake which caused his boss to severely berate him and forcing him to apologize to everyone. Okada feels sympathetic towards Kishi and his situation and decides to help by talking to her boss about it to get the situation resolved. This leads to Kishi being transferred to her department, allowing him to get a better job and to be closer to Okada, which leads to him just becoming a stalker. We get to Kishi hanging out with coworkers after hours, with them eventually rooting for Okada to look after him after hearing his story. Kishi then goes on an entire thing where he talks about how much he worships her and even ends up following her to the bathroom just to tell her that they were all going to sing karaoke. When it's Okada's turn to sing, Kishi brings an entire boom mic just to record her, though Okada promptly shuts it down. After singing and drinking, Kishi brings her home and he's pretty drunk and she's shocked to find that the two are now neighbors as he's moved in next door.

So already starting out, we can kind of see how the comedy of Kishi and Okada has unfolded, though it doesn't seem like it'll be a very drastic in terms of yandere actions are more of a light comedy type of thing, at least so far considering Okada's attitude. She doesn't seem really scared of Kishi only weirded out by the things that he does and Kishi is at least kind enough respond to Okada when she tells him not to do something like go into the girl's bathroom as well as try to actually help her during her job. This seems like a quirky love that might bloom between them then, along with a lot more comedic moments, though it's hard to judge from the first chapter alone.

Kishi himself seems to be the worshipping type as noted by his own words (and his own imaginations of him), which makes a lot of sense considering Okada basically was able to fish him out of an abusive boss and eventually land him a much better and healthier job. Most of his actions are strange, but relatively harmless, from trying to record Okada's voice while singing karaoke, to knowing what kind of tea she likes, to I guess following her to the bathroom. I imagine as the series continues, these actions will just get more and more bizarre but ultimately harmless and only really affecting Okada's suspension of disbelief. If they wanted to go a more serious route, they could also probably run in the direction of Kishi slowly realizing that Okada isn't as much of a goddess as he thinks she is, treating her more as person as the story goes on, or maybe just continuing the hijinks as they are.

Anyways, I'm curious to see where this series will go after all of this time. Since we're translating it, I would be very happy if you all read it so I can see your reactions.

#My Yandere Neighbor #male yandere #yandere boy #yandere #recommendation #ongoing #manga

[twothpaste]

also if you're still doing the character asks 🔥Flint. Complex character imo i used to think of him a lot

awww man, flint is sooo complex. i feel like he Very Often gets flattened down to a one-note Deadbeat Dad - or sometimes even a straight up abusive father - and i think that kinda take is just objectively misreading & misrepresenting the character. like. way way worse than with dr andonuts. flint's a cautionary tale about how grief can destroy good people. an amnesiac stripped of any conceivable tools he might've had to process trauma, stranded in a community that was likewise stripped of any means to empathize with him, denied support by the changing world around him. he desperately tries to restore his family & help lucas recover in the only way he knows how, blindly hoping he'll find the son he lost. and in so doing, abandons the son he's still got. his response to loss sets piss-poor examples for the twins, and spurs both of them to develop as characters themselves - in tragically opposite directions.

flint fucks up horrendously, and the consequences are severe as hell - but everything he does, he does out of love. the way he praises lucas' strength & independence, though deeply misguided, is loving. the way he eagerly tells lucas he's finally found claus, like he earnestly believes it's the one thing that'll make lucas happy again, is loving. flint cares so desperately that it blinds him. when he's portrayed as callous, uncaring, or cruel, it just makes my head spin. y'don't gotta be an outright monster to fail as a parent. sometimes people who care deeply still end up losing their way, and causing irreparable harm. flint is foundational to mother 3's entire central message, by god, the man deserves nuance.

as a bonus, i've seen lotsa folks lament that we didn't get eb64's party member version of flint. suggesting the flint we got is underdeveloped and unlikable by comparison. idk if this is a particularly unpopular opinion or not, but i dearly love flint as he stands. i get the impression a cool action cowboy dad who was present throughout lucas' journey wouldda been a totally different character - which would've changed the game's story & messages significantly. impossible to tell what the writers were cooking back then. it just kinda seems like a "grass is always greener on the other side" kinda deal to me, i guess. and a bummer to disparage the fascinating character we do have, all 'cause we're holding him to the completely different standard of a mysterious heroic cowboy we'll never get to meet.

#ask tag #unpopular opinion ask prompt #2thtalks

[firendgold]

Dumbledore for the unhinged character bingo?

but of course!

whew boy, no bingos but this was a lot.

guess we'll go left to right row by row?

Daddy Issues: um, yeah. It might be glossed over in canon and fanon, but it seems pretty clear that Albus has at least some. Percival Dumbledore was taken from him early, after a moment where he lost control and inflicted violence on those who were both crueler and weaker than him, all in the name of protecting his family. That probably left very deep impressions on the young Albus' psyche: both I can't let myself be locked away like he was, my family needs me and doing the right thing means suffering.

Adult!Albus takes many risks and makes many choices that lead to unhappiness twined with safety, and I think it all comes back to his parents and his home life. We also don't ever see him with a mentor: we know he "worked with" Nicolas Flamel but we don't have a clear idea of how close they were, how long they worked together or anything like that. Like many men in the HP series, he's probably another one who searches in vain for a father figure to replace his original one.

*Incoherent sobbing*: me every day since I finished Half-Blood Prince as a kid, honestly. I'm still not over it. Deathly Hallows was the second of the one-two punches. And then more Dumbledore and Dumbledore family meta is coming out all the time, digging into just how lonely Albus must have been for years and years. Think about how the people he let himself love toward the end of his life all either died or nearly died. Think about how major themes of Albus' life story are trust and love and betrayal. You'll start crying too.

Angst Angst ANGST: So, Albus never gets to be a child past the age of about ten. His parents' combined choices mean that he has to spend all his school years lying to most of his acquaintances about the most intimate parts of his home life and his sister. He also learns a lot of direct and indirect fucked up lessons that stick with him until he's at least seventeen. His brother resents him. His father dies in jail with people cursing his name. His mother is killed by his sister as he graduates school. Then, at seventeen-almost-eighteen, Albus falls in love!... with a budding fascist and future genocidal murderer. They plot to Take Over the World, but in a nice way maybe?

And then The Big Fight happens, Ariana dies too, Aberforth becomes estranged from him, Grindelwald leaves and his whole worldview gets upended. Rather than take some time to go to therapy, Albus spends the rest of his life overachieving to make up for what he did, never allowing himself the weakness of personal attachments... that is, until he finds himself having budding fatherly feelings for Harry. But since he didn't do any of that therapy stuff, he fucks up at a critical moment and chooses his long-dead family over said potential-son by putting on an old ugly ring, and then he dies to try and save the wizarding world with a convoluted plan that worked by miracle's light. The end.

God fucking damn it let them be happy: This is directed more at the fandom than it is at That Woman. Can y'all please write something nice about Albus and Harry for once instead of the same mustache-twirling manipulative fascist-fucking greater good garbage? I'm so sick of it lol.

I want to cradle them gently in my arms: I mean... Albus would not let me. He's almost allergic to intimacy. But if he would...

Go to FUCKING therapy: ...self-explanatory in my other answers. I am firm in my belief that if Albus had just gone to fucking therapy he would be alive today, searching google for funny Muggle cat videos and sending them to his hot old French boyfriend. And he and Harry would meet up for tea and biscuits every week because they would have long since sorted out all their issues and moved on to just loving each other. *sniff*

WHY Are They Like This: tru. I mean... I have a general idea of Why Albus Is The Way He Is, but it doesn't mean I don't still ask this question often. The fact that we got a whole movie called The Secrets of Dumbledore but we didn't learn any of Albus' important fucking secrets kind of supports my unhinged obsessed researching though.

I'm SO normal about them: ...*nervous laughter*

I would take a bullet for them: ...or, you know, I would if he wasn't dead already. But if we're talking about all the incorrect and unnecessary shots he takes from the fandom, then absolutely this applies.

LEAVE. THEM. ALONE!: seriously, fandom, holy shit. Don't y'all want to attack some people who have slid past morally gray territory and into "actual irredeemable monster" territory once in a while? You know, like some of those green-robed fellows you lust after?

Mommy Issues: oh, broooo. if Albus has daddy issues then he for sure has mommy issues too. Kendra Dumbledore shaped the majority of his life by virtue of being the only parent around in his formative years. All the things she taught him keep cropping up in his mannerisms and decisions even a hundred years later. Secrets, misdirection, hiding people and things and ideas away... draw a line back to his mum and you've solved half the puzzle.

Hey do you want to hear a ten hour speech about this character: because I don't like going outside, it would be more of a "five hour tumblr post" that's a billion paragraphs, but yeah. I can almost always find something new to talk about with Albus. ^^

And that's everything! Thanks and sorry it took me so long!

#thanks for the ask! #Albus Dumbledore #unhinged character bingo #bingo board #not fireandgold #dumbledore meta #the dumbledore family #Albus and his family

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I don't know what it is about the new marvel characters lately but they all kind of feel plastic? Like the old characters i can feel like the actors/actresses are tired of the direction their characters are being taken (Elizabeth and chris for example) and the new characters give off "I'm superior and here to replace this character" vibes and i guess that for me personally is the downfall of the mcu i never cared about the movies leading up to sth or a saga it has always been about these characters.

I feel you, it was the same for me. In the past, the characters were properly introduced and characterization was Marvel's forte. But now the way they have introduced some new characters is by having them ridicule the old ones, they prove themselves to the OG characters by being superior to them and mocking their struggles... That's not something I want to see and it blows my mind that Feige thought it was a good idea.

It's nice when it's a partnership like Kate and Clint. Or Yelena and Natasha. Yelena doesn't need to make her whole existence a competition because her characterization speaks for her.

It seems the current writers feel the need to laugh at what came before just so they can introduce the new, and that got real tiring real quick. I don't want Jen to invalidate Bruce's pain, I don't want Sylvie to mock Loki, I don't need Stephen to be laughed at or Thor to be treated like a freaking idiot instead of the god he is.

And they only have to do this because the new characters are not being written well. At the end of the day, what do the new characters truly contribute to the story? The only thing they contribute to the story is something they can do, not what or who they are.

You just need someone who can enchant a cloud monster but she doesn't need to be a Loki, not really, who she is doesn't change anything in the story because at the end of the day we know nothing about her anyway.

You just need a girl who can travel between universes but she could be anybody. We know nothing about her and all the things that make her who she is are ignored. The same with Wanda. It's not who she is, it's what she does. She has the magic and the book and the fancy spells.

You just need a little girl who will be given to Thor for some reason I still don't understand so he can have a happy ending in a movie that explains nothing about anything. It's just a bunch of scenes put together that make no freaking sense whatsoever and the kid doesn't even get a proper name. Well, neither does Valkyrie (or her horse!) and she has been around for longer...

It's all so pointless. There are exceptions like Moon Knight, WandaVision, GoTG3 and Wakanda Forever... and Secret Invasion looks good, we'll see... but the rest have been so forgettable.

#mcu critical #mcu salt

[frazzledsoul]

One more post-Emmys thought:

It seems that in the streaming age there tends to be one show that hangs onto the Emmy glory, at least in the comedy category, for a limited amount of time: in 2018-2019, it was Mrs. Maisel: then we had an off year with the pandemic and Schitt's Creek won everything: then from 2021-2022 Ted Lasso was dominant: now it's The Bear's turn. That will last for another year, I think. In earlier years the same shows and the same people would win over and over, because they were network shows and it was a collective shared cultural experience. Now it's all over the place, and I think attention spans are shorter, and the memory of these shows fades faster. Maisels's fans seemed to be happy with the ending and as someone who keeps track with ratings it did do well there but Amazon Prime did not promote that last season at all, choosing to focus on Citadel, one of their many male-oriented procedurals. Ted Lasso was well-watched but it seemed a lot of fans and people involved with the series were over it by the last season. Now you have The Bear, which I don't think is probably going to have a similar shelf life. Maybe that's not bad.

(It's so weird being a huge fan of a favorite, honestly. Usually I'm into one show that occasionally gets an award like This Is Us at the most).

The other thing I had to say is that (some) House of The Dragon fans have this mistaken belief that Succession was the only thing standing in the way of awards glory for their show. However...the guilds ignored them (SAG, WGA DGA, and PGA) and they did not pick up some acting noms for other award ceremonies but those are voted on by the press, who were adamant that House of The Dragon made up for Game of Thrones 's sins by not disappointing them. The industry doesn't seem to like the show. If Succession is the only thing keeping it from Emmy glory, why didn't they pick up any acting or directing or writing nominations? The Emmys threw those at The White Lotus and The Last of Us even though they didn't win most of them.

It's fine to be an immensely popular popcorn show and nothing else. House of The Dragon seems to win over the media and the fans by giving them what they want: a lurid soap opera about a beleaguered Targ princess who is treated as the pinnacle of royalty but still has to fight "evil" foes who would deny her the coronation she truly deserves. This is the morality play GoT fans and the media wanted and were cruelly denied: the crowning of their beloved Targaryen queen. That's the story they wanted and the one HOTD seeks to tell. It's rather shallow but it's what the fandom screamed for. So thus, no awards.

Now you may say uh Frazzled, the source material for House of The Dragon does not end in an epic triumph for Princess Rhae Rhae. True, but I don't think the writers have gotten that far along and GRRM is pretty much letting them do whatever they want, so we'll see how that shakes out. At the very least they're pretending that Rhaenyra planned to do something about the threat of ice zombies, although it's not clear what. You may also say that not everyone watched GoT to see Daenerys get what she wanted, which is very true, but the Targ fans were the loudest and they included much of the media, so that's who the franchise hopes to please. I myself am still watching HOTD and rooting for the "villains", so I guess a lot of GoT fans chose to overlook the fact that HOTD has a pretty narrow and superficial scope, myself included.

So it's a popcorn show. Nothing wrong with that, really, but I don't expect things to change while it's still on the air.

#more emmy thoughts from frazzled #house of the dragon #game of thrones

[popculturebuffet]

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye Retrospective Issue 6: Interiors

Hello all you happy autbots and welcome back aboard the lost light. So there's a few bits of buisness to attend to before we hop back on board after our detour with the Wreckers for some needed context, something i'm glad we did as I forgot this issue is essentially a direct sequel to last stand. While Lost Light follows up on some plot points, this one directly follows up on Fort Max and what he went through… and also ties some other threads into it, one being why Whirl is in court mandated therapy in the first place, the other i'll save as if you have context, it's one hell of a cliffhanger. If your me and you didn't, you just scratch your head a bit.

The first is some great news: Brotoman.exe in addition to paying for the wreckers review is now doubling down on patreon, being my first 10 dollar patreon in some time and thus we'll be covering the issues 2 at a time instead of 1.. and sometimes more if he feels like it. While I have something of a schedule ready, it's flexible, so you can expect AT LEAST two issues a month and sometimes more from here on out. We also plan to thread in the two drift mini series, the second wreckers mini series, and the final wreckers one shot as we go.

Threading things in also leads to the second announcment which is a story thing: As a result of how we're doing this the next two months are going to be a bit different barring Brotoman adding any issues as the next three sets of issues are all something diffrent: We'll be covering the two spotlight issues next month. During Phase 1 of IDW Transformers, they frequently did issues like this, little issues to spotlight one character and help widen the story outside of ongoings, the central mini series and what have you. I liked that system a lot, and it's something IDW was really great at and did later again with TMNT, though with Microseries instead (i.e. a one shot with a neat name). There were only two made for the Lost Light side of things and after this phase they stopped doing them, likely both due to both series being so plot dense it was hard to squeeze them in and the addition of Windblade as a third ongoing likely making it finacially tough. We'd still get a few one shots later on with a christmas special and a revolution tie in, but both are more fun side stories.

Then while MTMTE returns in March, it's for our first Scavengers arc. If you haven't read the series, buckle up and if you had, then you know it means our heroes will take a breather so a new bunch of screw ups from the other side of the forever war can take stage. Finally we'll be covering Chaos Theory, which while intended as a prequel to the Chaos arc that ended the Carey era of transformers and ushered in the MTMTE and RID era, it also serves as one ot this series as it sets up cybertron's past, something that will become heavily important to the series and also stealth introduces Whirl. T

So before things change, we've got a hostage situation to deal with so join me as we spend a lot of time in a therapists office under the cut

We open in Rung's office where Fort Max is in therapy. He's not exactly opening up about G9 despite rung prodding, not wanting to relive his trauma… which as we see had Overlord planning to murder someone every second he didn't reveal the truth. We also find out why Overlord was intrested in Aquetius and thus had max plugged in, as in hindsight , and I kick myself for not thinking of this he had no reason to other than to be a dick, which was probable but didn't seem right. Why would a rogue decpticon care about airing the autobots dirty laundry? That wouldn't get megatron to notice him and fufill his death wish any faster. No he wanted something UNDER IT. There was something else there and having forgotten what i'm chomping at the bit to find out. Point is he's not opening up.

What is open , for now anyways is swerve as they play a rousing game of guess who transformed, which Chromedome is great at though Rewind is usually better. Pipes.. is alive?!

Yeah I was floored by this. While I remember a lot about more than meets the eye, some details just slipped so i'd just.. assumed pipes was good and dead last time but other than being shaky about transforming, for obvious reasons, he's fine… for now. As for where Rewind is he's outside as Tailgate finds out when he sits down, having asked Cyclonus to join them and got the response you'd respect

We also get a hint of how the two met .. at a relinquishment clinic but that's all we ge tfor now

Ultra Magnus walks in… and as you'd expect yells at swerve before dragging him off in chains.. well handcuffs, Rodimus hid the chains for obvious reasons. Fort Max then comes in grumpy.. and just up and shoots pipes. Yeah I forgot about this part.. I knew what he did NEXT… but it's one of the only joys of my spotty memory: sometimes you forget a moment or something, and thus you get to be suprised all over again.

So things then went from bad to worse as we find out in the situation room later that day: Max didn't stop with just pipes, shooting 4 robots we've never heard of on his way out and now holding Rung hostage. Thanks to Blaster, Soundwaves sadly undeerultized autobot counterpart, they have visual. Magnus also stops in and naturally is very I told you so.. and has earned it as he's absoltuely right that the recently traumatized POW should NOT have been carring around his big old gun. HE still probably coudl've done what he's done so far WITHOUT one, granted, but it wouldn't be nearly as easy. Our heroes find a ray of hope though someone's in there with him who Rodimus hopes is a beacon of stablity and calm to help defuse this tense situa…

We also find out why he's doing this besides you know, clearly needing the therapy he's refused to actually take seriously

While what he's doing is not right he's holding an innocent man and whirl hostage to vent his anger is horrible… said anger is understandable. G9 went silent for years and while sure, we know part of it was Megatron's invasion left the autobots barely functoning due to a combination of their numbers being worn down to next to nothing and bad writing, he dosent know that and even if he did.. they stilll sent ONE SQUAD two years later. It's hard not to feel for the guy even as he's holding an innocent bot whose using his thumb microphone to broadcast the sound hostage… which backfires as soon as Fort Max catches on.. and immdeitly uses up said sympathy twice in a row. He assholishly demands Rodimus turn the ship around and refuses to talk to him or listen to the fact their FAR too far from cybertron for that to actually work anyway, and then rips out Rung's thumb.

One final touch i'll note from all this.. the fact Rodimus.. looked sad as he figured out what Fort Max meant. The guy has enough flaws to fill several more issues of this very comic, but it shows he does care and does feel horrible about what max went through.. even if he's not about to aquiese to his demands.

In the medbay for a thankful break Ratchet notices a pattern.. he'll say it later but all the victims.. look like overlord. Not exactly, pipes for instance has a cool visor thing, but they all have purple eyes and light blue and dark blue chasis.

Back at the hostage situation

Whirl just says to kill them already and be done with it, especially since as he put earlier, telling Rodimus to do something he dosen't want to do never works. This does get Fort Max curious.. why is HE in therapy and in the dog house and while Whirl being.. whirl refuses to answer at first, it's telling that when Max threatens to shoot rung he instantly complies. Whirl was kicked out of the wreckers, we'll find out why shortly, and took it "shoot up the place" badly, so hence the therapy. He also reveals a key part of his backstory for the first time

We'll get a more fleshed out version of this soon enough, but for now comnand notice rungs pointing at his model of the lost light.. specifically to where he is.. and to it's window.

Outside the unlikely duo of Swerve and Rewind are re-riviting the ship as punishment: Swirl for his bar, which he figures he'll keep since while Magnus naturally hates it, Rodimus will brush it off, and Rewind for those discs we saw him get back in issue 1, one of our first chekovs guns to get fired. I really should've been counting every time this series foreshadows something. Maybe next time. Point is we find out they were essentially snuff films: heavy casualty battles that sort of thing. Though rewind isn't a monster.. .he just wants to find someone. He dosent' open up who, yet another setup for later, but we will indeed find out. For now our heroes are useful as being outside they can reach the window and pull a gun on the guy pulling a gun.

Back at the office, Whirl continues his story…

This.. is where Whirl really grew on me. At first he just seems like a quippy, trigger happy robot dead pool but actually forced to get the therapy needs…. that's not bad.. but like wade himself finding out WHY he's like that and seeing the heart underneath really makes him more loveable. He just wanted to make watches, lost that, became a thug, and while he clearly again needs help… it's easy to see why he turned out like this. He was only an autobot because Prime saw good in him.. while Whirl dosen't phrase it that way.. that's really how I feel it. Optimus may be many things.. but he's a good bot and while i'm sure not letting megatron gain more followers was a tiny consideration, the fact is knowing him.. he just saw a bot who was lost and needed a better purpose and took him in for that. It's also likely why, however misguided, he tried to end springer: he saw a friend in pain. Granted it wasn't the best call and he shoudln't of done that, but given what Springer had been through emotinally and physically on garrus 9, you can understand why he might try to do a one flew over the cuckoos nest.

Him declaring rung his friend is also sweet and reframes his actions this whole issue. Sure on paper he's putting everyone at risk because he dosen't care if he nor anyone lives or dies.. but in practice, it's kept the gun AWAY from rung. It's kept Max, aside from the whole thumb incident, focused not on harming Whirl's friend.. but on Whirl himself, who can not only take the hit (He earlier took two punches to the face from Max, but likely figures if he gets shot, then it'll force the bots outside to rush in. He's trying to sacrifcie himself to save Whirl. Why he considers him a friend, to close this bit out… is also easy: Most people on the ship see Whirl as an unstable screwup and while it's mildly true… Rung so far is the only person to treat the guy with kindness, humanity and as a person and not just the mistakes that person made or his mental illness. He's someone trying to help who genuinely belives hin him and that's likely barely happened in the poor bots life.

Things then deteroiate fast as Fort notices they aren't moving and is somehow suprised Rodimus hasn't reverserd course because you know.. why would he? Swerve tries to take the shot, but with Fort max under a pillar Rewind is forced to use those snuff films to his advantage.. using footage of Garrus 9. We get a truly heartbreaking sequence afterwords: Rung manages to calm a freaked out max down.. but not wanting to take a chance Rodimus orders the shot. As a result rewind accidently hits poor Rung, while Whirl stabs Fort Max for causing all of this.

So we end rather grimly: Rodimus is clearly wracked with guilt, the art doing a nice amount of the lifting to show this, and wants Max locked down tight by Red Alert… while Drift is concerned as Red Alert's been acting paranoid hearing voices.. but as we learned last issue those voices are real.. and as we see at the close of this one we not only find out what he was hearing.. but just what Prowl had the duobots smuggle on board

I told you overlord would be important did i?

On that cliffhanger we close this issue. I'm pausing the soundtrack reviews for now both due to the increased workload a coming, and because they just haven't been clicking. They've felt like an afterthrought and it's better to just roll out when the issue does. So i'll see you next month for some Decpticon Shenanigans, and till all are one thanks for reading.

#transformers more than meets the eye #transformers #fortress maximus #rung #whirl #swerve #overlord

[bluebear-d]

Thing is: why torture Will so much if there's no objective to it?

What he's going through in s4 is just too cruel not to be balanced by something later on or lead up to something.

If he's just gonna suffer silently till the end or be rejected, then what's the point?

Everyone involved in ST knows full well this is torture for Will. Especially with Noah's heartbreaking performance or him saying that Will is never happy like other characters. And with the way Will's pain is constantly brought to our attention, not just kept in the background. This is how it's written, directed, acted and shot.

In the case of lumax they both were directly involved in the plot, they were at the centre of everything happening this season, so as painful and cruel as Max's ordeal and d*ath are, at least there is a clear purpose to her character and overall narrative.

But as many have pointed out, Will could have been easily written differently or given another role, yet at this point just seems to exist to suffer, erase himself and help mileven at his own expense?

No. Just no. I don't believe it.

No creator with any understanding of storytelling will do this.

Judging by the previous material, I can't truly say the duffers don't understand storytelling. Volume 2 seems to have let us down, but what about everything up to this point? Did we love a mirage this whole time? I don't think so. S1, s2 and (less so) s3 are well-rounded stories, even irt byler.

So if Will isn't getting over Mike any time soon (and he isn't, i mean look at him; his love is deep and true), than what is it leading up to? Where is it meant to go? What's THE POINT of his arc this season?

If Will seems to suffer pointlessly in s4, then we shouldn't JUST be complaining and hurting (though it's important to get it out of our system), we should also be asking why and to what end.

We'll find out when we find out i guess, but I'm saying byler still has a decent chance of happening. The biggest thing against it is Mike's confession, but even that is undermined by a lot of things, as many people have noticed.

And if not byler, then it's something else for Will's character, be it related to the plot or his personal life or at least his characterization.

This MUST have a point from a storytelling perspective. It's not purposeless. All of this will lead Will somewhere in s5.

#will byers #byler #stranger things #st4 spoilers #st4

[tiffanylamps]

I cannot help but think BE scriptwriter is the kindest person. She didn’t end the drama at the arrest scene. She added the NSB anniversary to

1. Confirm that Manyang people are HJW’s family now. (Jihwa mentioned that she tried to contacted Juwon multiple times but he did not respond. She was smiling when she mentioned it. Awww that’s family. ) I have heartache thinking about Juwon. Know that he has manyang people helps somewhat.

2. Juwon’s warm smile. (I guess it is the first time YJG act a little similar to who he actually is even it is still more reserved. 😎) Juwon has been cold, annoying, miserable, painful…throughout the whole drama. Nice to see him as a real and lovable person.

3. The last teasing remark “Don’t drop the formal. Lee Don sik. “ He still has his personality. He still tease/flirt with Donsik in a playful way. I feel that sentence alone inspired many fanfic on post canon. I am grateful to see the liveliness of Juwon.

Just want to share my muse in the middle of the night. Thanks for reading! And thank you for your work in the BE community !

Hello anon, thank you for sending me this lovely message 🤩 I adore everything you just said! You are so right, Kim Su Jin is truly an incredible writer. She created and developed characters with such depth and helped tell a story with real feeling and sincerity. Beyond Evil seems to be a very special project because it was a collaborative experience. Not only did Kim Su Jin create a brilliant foundation but she gave Director Shim Na Yeon* creative freedom to work with her crew and cast (especially Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo) to develop these characters and their story further.

Beyond Evil feels like a project that was made with so much care and a lot of love. I think it really shines through in the final product. * I just want to gush about Shim Na Yeon's directing style. I LOVE the way she conducted her sets. I LOVE that she got her actors to rehearse the scenes before shooting and that these rehearsals weren't rushed but were a collaborative experience, where the actors can discuss their character's actions, emotions, and intentions and give their opinion. I think they even changed and cut lines because the actors didn't feel it suited their characters. THAT is wonderful directing, that's how you get the best out of the experience. I just.... yeah.... the BTS videos are such a treat.

(from circulate900 on Twitter. Just further proof of what a great director Shim Na Yeon is)

I also love the ending of Beyond Evil, my only gripe is that I wish we got to see more of it within the run time of the episode. But I know why they only gave us snippets. At the end of the story, Joo Won gains a family - a real family - that not only loves him but accepts him. Yes and thank you, that is some of the best shit. Joo Won is so purposely icy and guarded. He has conditioned himself to protect himself by pushing others away. Oftentimes, the softest, most sensitive people - those who are really hurting - are the ones who behave like this because they can't stand to have their feelings hurt. I think that's very true of Joo Won.

So, for him to finally have a family that knows this about him and can see the soft gooey centre inside that icy façade and still say "Hey! We like that guy. He's ours. We'll nurture and protect him." GIVE ME 5 SEASONS OF THAT SHIT. I cannot express how much I adore the Manyang family and Joo Won's complicated place there. I will add that I don't believe it's going to be a future of endless happy families. I think Joo Won will distance himself many times, only be brought back in again. I think he'll often be absent for long periods of time (mostly for work) BUT there's always a seat saved for him by Dong Sik's side, and he knows that. Once he's sorted his mind out and has healed, I think he'll stick around and they'll have to spray bug repellent to get of the kid. (I can't find it right now but there is that screenshot of Yeo Jin Goo expressing the same belief) I kinda really like Joo Won's flirting because it's either subtle little teases and hints like the one you pointed out, or it's I'M GOING TO RAM "MY HORNS OF JUSTICE" INTO YOU. There doesn't seem to be a healthy middle ground and I just think that's rather silly and stupid (but charming, in a silly and stupid way).

But what I really love about the jwds dynamic is that Dong Sik can read Joo Won so effortlessly. (they're cut from the same cloth, they're two sides of the same coin, they're waiting for each other at either end of their red thread of fate, they're kindred spirits). He understands Joo Won on a level I don't think anyone ever has. He can read all of Joo Won's micro-expressions:

"Ah, a frown with pursed lips looking off the side? That means Joo Won is hungry"

"A sigh in a-flat minor? I wonder what he's confused about"

"A twitch of the right brow means I'm in trouble and a flick of the left brow.... well.... it means I'm in trouble 😏"

I'm being silly but you get what I'm trying to say. Dong Sik gets Joo Won and Joo Won wants to understand Dong Sik. Also, heelloooo, drop the details of that fanfic so I can live in post-canon flirty jwds bliss. Please and thank you 🙏 Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I love post-interlude and new beginnings Beyond Evil. I love on the cusp of spring, jwds looking like they might just love each other and forgive each other and want to grow past their trauma Beyond Evil. Don't get me wrong, I love the angst, sass and tears, I love the pain but I cherish the happy moments. I'm kind of sad that we're probably never going to see future Manyang. But it's a good sad because it means what we got is so beautiful and I want to know more. Thank god for fanfiction haha Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate you!!

#anon answered #beyond evil replies #i want so many episodes of jwds growing together and making mistakes but forgiving each other and showing us WHAT LOVE REALLY MEANS #i'm going to be dramatic about it bc i'm never going to get it

[oakwookandink]

white lotus s2 finale rundown 

(spoilers ahead)

in case you're wondering, here are the characters that survived the second season: Daphne and Cameron (the supposed scammers, played by Meghann Fahy and Theo James) Harper and Ethan Spiller (the couple on the rocks, played by Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe) Albie, Dominic and Bert Di Grasso (all of the men who were on some sort of heritage trip, played by Adam DiMarco, Michael Imperioli and F. Murray Abraham) Portia (Tanya's assistant, who gets whisked away to Sicily, played by Haley Lu Richardson) Jack (the supposed nephew of the head gay, played by Leo Woodall) Valentina, and the rest of the hotel staff (she's the director of this location, who is played by Sabrina Impacciatore) Lucia and Mia, my problematic faves (both of whom use their bodies to get what they want, and the only non guests involved, played by Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannó) presumably Greg, Tanya's husband who we met last season in Hawai'i (played by Jon Gries) although we don't have any confirmation of this fact

that means the dead characters are: Tanya McQuoid, Quentin, Didier and Niccoló (played by Jennifer Coolidge, Tom Hollander, Bruno Gouery [from Emily in Paris] and Stefano Gianino), putting the death toll at 4. it is not told whether or not Hugo or the captain of the boat survived, but I would personally doubt it, because they did seem significantly far out from the shore. in the end, I'm sure only mike white knows for sure.

now, let's talk about that season finale.

first off, I'm wondering if greg actually was planning something, or if tanya blew it out of proportion in some way. I guess we'll never know, although there were definitely some red flags, especially with the way that jack was acting.

let's talk about jack for a second. I'm so happy that he redeemed himself in my eyes, and let portia go and even gave her advice that probably saved her life. who knows what might've happened if portia went back to the hotel? I'm a jack fan at the end of this season, because the guy was just doing what he could with the cards he was dealt, but didn't want to actively hurt someone (because if tanya had gotten hurt, he would've been peripherally involved, but wouldn't have played a direct part in her demise)

the digrassos. I feel like they could've used some comeuppance, apart from albie. it sucks that dominic will probably just go back to what he's been doing, and that albie vouched for his dad. I feel like the fact that none of these men have been affected by their experiences is shown in the airport scene, where a young woman walks by and they all turn their heads to ogle her. I think it shows that this gross misogyny kind of runs in their family (because they kind of perpetuate it) and that it would be hard for them to change without serious introspection.

super happy for valentina. did mia use her? sure. but it was definitely mutually beneficial, and mia does say that she wants to help valentina find a lesbian, and even take her out to bars, so I foresee a prosperous future for valentina. also gotta say, small win for the gays because valentina wasn't killed at the end of this season.

isabella and rocco seem fine. I'm happy that Isabella was always so polite to valentina, and I think she genuinely wanted to be friends with her, so a good future for these two and hopefully they have a good life.

ethan nearly chokes cameron, and I am so unhappy that cameron lives at the end of the season. I think it would be cool to have a cameo from daphne next season, where she is ending her stay at a white lotus with her trainer and her sons, and we just assume that she killed cameron or something. I am happy for ethan and harper, but it seems like a bandaid on their situation, so I'm not sure what the future looks like for these couples. I do think their stories could have been wrapped up better, and I wonder if mike white found himself burdened by the inclusion of so many characters this season, because the ending did not seem as closed as season one.

lucia and mia are doing well, lucia has loads of money that she got after scamming albie, and mia has a job at the white lotus as a singer, so good for them. I could care less about albie, and as he says, that amount is a drop in the bucket for his father anyway. I also think it is legitimate karmic payment, that dominic will inadvertently help the lives of these two women after destroying the lives of the women in his family. I'm also happy that lucia and mia live, because I think there is a trend in media where promiscuous women are killed because of their promiscuity, so seeing them live was super endearing. especially since lucia says earlier in the season that she's worried that she will die because she's a prostitute, and prostitutes always die.

I'm kind of happy for portia, but I can't help but compare her to belinda. it feels kind of significant that one of these characters was a guest and the other an employee, and that one was white and the other was black, in terms of where they ended up. I do think the show could've paralleled their arcs better in this finale, and driven home the point that portia was coming from a point of privilege, and that's why she survived and got off relatively easy.

what was the point of including the story of the woman from the moors? who was that supposed to represent after the finale? my guess was tanya, but I don't think we'll get a follow up on her storyline, so the symbolism here doesn't really work. also, if it was tanya, the story is backwards, because she dies and the cheating spouse doesn't. is the point of the statues that this was the path one of the main couples was heading down, and then the statue breaking is a subversion, and their story won't end in tragedy? honestly, I have no idea.

I'm happy that tanya died. I was getting tired of her character, and I was scared that if she survived this season mike white would bring her back for season three, and I think the series will work better without through lines or continuing stories, and instead focuses on the only point of contact being the white lotus resorts.

I'm happy that the piano guy is gone. he wasn't that interesting, and I'm happy for mia.

greg, will we ever see him again? will we get a conclusion to his story?

it's really ironic that tanya ends up killing herself, because if greg was after her money, he's got it now. I would like to see greg get comeuppance, because I think he sucks.

just like greg, I feel like cameron didn't get his comeuppance, but I guess we might have to wait for another season to see if anything bad comes to him.

I feel kind of bad for the group of gays, but I also don't. I have mixed feelings about their group, and my thoughts about their ending are still developing. I do think that it's possible tanya overreacted and killed a bunch of people who didn't have completely nefarious intentions. this is another storyline that could've used a defter hand, because it feels incomplete.

I do think that it's weird that there is a kind of bury your gays going on with the show, considering that armond is the only death in season one (and we're shown that he's gay) and then we have two of the gays dying in this season. I doubt these are white's intentions, but it is kind of weird to look at this together, and I think the next season will cement the trends of the show.

final thoughts:

I would rate this season maybe a 6 or 6.5 out of 10. it was not as good as the first, however it was possibly more entertaining than the first. I think involving so many characters made it harder to have satisfying story beats for all of them, and loads of people online have pointed out that there is not a lot of interaction between the guests, or even that a lot of important plot points aren't taking place at the hotel. the first season seemed a lot more focused in its scope. I do believe that the show was intended to be a limited series, and I think it should have stayed that way, because I think it will only get worse as it goes on, when it could've ended on a high note last season. I'm down to watch the third season and see if mike white can redeem himself, and because there are a lot of technical aspects of the show that I enjoy, but I'm not eagerly anticipating it like I am other good shows like succession.

I do hope that mike white finds a way to tie up all of the loose ends of this season somehow, but I think all of the loose ends and dropped story beats really cheapened this season. it also makes me think that season one was lightning in a bottle that he will never be able to replicate.

anyway, a pretty disappointing follow up.

#white lotus #mike white #tanya mcquoid #harper spiller #ethan spiller #lucia #mia #cameron sullivan #daphne sullivan #valentina #the white lotus #white lotus spoilers #bury your gays

[bmacreadz]

"Once Upon a Broken Heart" by Stephanie Garber

"Once Upon a Broken Heart" is the first book in a trilogy that seems like it will definitely be worth the read (and the wait!).

This story follows Evangeline who, through heartbreaking circumstances, ends up making a deal with an infamous magic being who is rumored to be cunning and unpredictable. If you've read Garber's "Caraval" series, then you've already met Jacks.

In this story, Jacks is not what he appears to be, or what he appeared to be in the previous trilogy. He's definitely not an angel, but we are able to see him thaw a little towards Evangeline. And it is a thawing because there's not a whole lot of "romance" in this one.

I was a worried initially because I really wanted this book to give me something in the direction of romance. The title wasn't promising romance, and the description wasn't really giving me anything either (and for me to expect any different was absolutely on me). However, I'm very happy with the direction I see this story going. Granted, I am positive that I will have to read every book in this trilogy before finally having my breath taken away by that blessed feeling of falling in love, but from what I know of Garber, she always gives us something. I'm guessing we'll have enough to hold onto throughout each installment that we'll want to keep reading and rooting for Evangeline and Jacks.

What Garber didn't really give us so much was world-building. I, personally, didn't miss it too much because I was so focused on what was going on with Evangeline. It becomes pretty clear that Jacks isn't the only one hiding things from her and I don't anticipate her misfortune letting up any time soon. Regardless, it's hard for me to picture in my head the world that Garber set this story in. Evangeline travels somewhere north of where "Legendary" and "Finale" are set - where fairytales, myths, and legends hold some grain of truth. She is sent there by the newly-established Empress Scarlett Dragna to meet the crowned prince and serve as an ambassador on behalf of Valenda and the Meridian Empire. But I don't really know much about the actual place of The Magnificent North. Once again, from what I know of Garber, I'm certain she'll reveal even more to us as we continue reading the rest of the series.

The ending of "Once Upon a Broken Heart" definitely shocked me into a "I-can't-believe-she-just-ended-it-like-that!" state. Garber definitely wanted her readers to come back. So, I immediately bought the second book, "The Ballad of Never After" on my Kindle. And that review will be coming soon(-ish).

Sidenote #1: I read one review that stated something along the lines of "this book was just a setup for sequels." I have to agree, I think. It's pretty clear that this first installment is just a taste of what will come, but that's definitely not a deterrent for me. I want the subsequent books to be better and tell me more and make me feel all the things. To each their own, of course, but I wasn't entirely put-off by the idea that this book was just an introduction. In fact, thinking of it like that only makes me more excited for part two!

Sidenote #2: I haven't been posting as much because I haven't been reading as much. Last year, I think I read so many good books that I set myself up for failure because it's been so hard for me to keep interest in some of the stories I've been trying to read. I have some on my TBR list that I was waiting to buy in paperback, but will probably just get on my Kindle so I can go ahead and read try them out. That being said, book recommendations are appreciated. :)

#book review #stephanie garber #once upon a broken heart

[acourtofthought]

Have you seen the Eris/Az ship? This is new to me and maybe it’s just people randomly throwing characters together bc at the end of the day you can “ship” whoever you want. But… it seems so random? No evidence, no foreshadowing, just pure hatred as far as I’m concerned lol. I’m also not in love with Eris like so many people… he just hasn’t done enough for me at this point to really like. I know we don’t have the full story with him and Mor but I guess I’m missing something bc I’m just not on the Eris train yet 😂 Do you have any thoughts on him? Do you think we’ll get the truth in the next book?

If there were any real hints pointing in the direction of Azris, I could see them being a great couple.

They are both a bit vicious / angry, struggle with the knowledge of their past actions and seem to have issues with vulnerability so seeing the two of them find acceptance from one another and peace together would have been a great story. Whereas Az will probably become a gentle version of himself around a female because of how his mother was treated, that seems like it will take away a big part of who Azriel is and I think some readers don't like the thought of him being watered down like that. Azris would have allowed both Azriel and Eris to express themselves through angry hate sex.

The potential could have been there if SJM had furthered developed it.

But I haven't seen anything suggesting that Azris will be an actual contender. Maybe I've missed clues since I never went searching for them but the fact that he instantly fell in love with Mor (and has been for 500+ years), then fixated on Elain then experiences calmness around Gwyn, mentions her charming nature and shares Mate coded language with her doesn't really put the idea out there that he's interested in other males.

Helion very clearly appreciates males and females so if he weren't still in love with the LOA, I wouldn't have him lean towards one or the other. But Az the way Az has been written, I've never picked up on interest in males.

I do think we'll eventually get the truth about what happened between Mor and Eris. My guess is he gave Mor the freedom he knew she wanted but in the cruelest way possible to make it believable to his father. Because he either knows Mor's preference, is her Mate and knew she wouldn't be happy in Autumn so he let her go, or both.

#azris #eris vanserra #azriel acotar #mor acotar

[rinisbowen]

ASK 1. I know you are a Ricky stan, I will talk a little bit about him in this ask. This is the last ask about EJ’s arc.  

I will start by talking about something I would have liked to be included in EJ's arc (apparently, initially, the writers wanted, but they didn't go in that direction at all and Idk why bc it would've added more realism to this character; however, they filmed a scene that seems to indicate that (it's in the s1 medley video), but it didn't appear in the show). Idk if you know about the initial character descriptions. I will talk about a specific part of his description: "E.J. is supremely confident but secretly prone to anxiety attacks when anything goes off-plan". Lbr, someone like him who does so many things, with the pressure he feels from his family should have shown signs of tiredness and anxiety (not necessarily anxiety attacks), but at least these 2. I am myself a perfectionist and hardworking person (and I didn't achieve as much as him) and I've recently experienced anxiety attacks during my senior year bc of all that pressure. Maybe there is time to include this in the story, Idk how exactly they will do it (just mention it happened, or sth happens, Irdk). What I know is that this pb should've been explored and should be explored. I am sure that many viewers can relate to that.

Ricky has shown signs of anxiety and I am all in for a plot where he goes to a therapist (this starting with s4; Idk if you've watched Never have I ever, but the plotline with the therapist is very well done (like I'd go to that therapist :)) ) and is one of my fav parts of that show). If that description about EJ turns out to be true somehow, I feel like it will be a great way to make these two bond. A good way they can do this is if it is revealed that EJ went to therapy (I saw that meme with him about lying to the therapist bc of the image he has to maintain and I laughed so hard when I saw it. I can picture him saying something like: "I lied to my therapist for 3 months until he figured it out bc I couldn't keep up with all the lies" :))) ). Ricky, being afraid of change and talking about his family pb mostly with Nini (he tends to open up, sometimes, when he is asked about his pbs, but willingly he went only to Nini), will certainly not like the idea of talking to a stranger about his pbs. Maybe, if he talks to someone who went there, will help him open up to this idea.

I know that they prob won't go in the therapy direction. Ricky already started to accept the situation (ex. the talk with Miss Jenn in 2x12). I feel like his friends will be there for him and he will learn to open up to them and the things will get easier for him by having their support. Anyway, I hope they don't resolve this pb as easily as they did with EJ's "conflict" with his dad. As much as I want to see Ricky being fully happy by accepting the divorce situation of his parents as soon as possible, I don't want this story to be rushed. I want it to be sth gradual. However, I think this season is the start of his happy era.

Some s2 thoughts

Coming back to EJ, another thing that I hoped would've gone a different route is his relationship with his dad. In ep 2x4, from his conv with Nini, you can see that it is hard for him to tell his father about his failure. Also, he looks afraid when he tells his dad about not going to Duke in ep 2x8. So, it was implied that he is somehow scared of his dad. But, in ep 2x11 they ended that storyline (ok, for s2 it ended and I know that story can still be explored) with a few good talks. To me, the conflict was resolved too easily. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this storyline continues.

EJ's arc is also very similar to the arc of the Beast. He started as the bad guy. I saw many ppl talking about what he said in ep 2x10, about the fear of rejection, that he was rejected by Nini bc of his fault. It is true, but they're missing some things. Nini told him that she can't trust him and even after she saw that he was trying to do better (to apologize for everything he's done wrong) she still rejected him in ep 1x10. He knows that everyone knows about his past mistakes. In ep 2x8 he blames himself for them and can't forgive himself. That's why he is afraid of rejection, bc how can sb love him knowing all the bad things he has done.

okay! part 2 of our little series of asks. let's go!

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the ej character description involving anxiety attacks... i think the reason they changed that was likely when they made a bunch of other changes, including we know that when they cast josh as ricky, they made alterations to his character (and since he was the first one cast, they may have changed others to fit better with what they changed about ricky). i would be willing to bet that either a) with the anxiety factor that josh brings to his portrayal of ricky bowen, they thought it was better to keep this mental health aspect to one character, and not make ej too similar to ricky in that sense, or b) that disney wasn't ready to go there. but for the first point- they really don't want these two characters- rivals on their face in season 1, to look too close to one another where the lines get muddied. ej being very different from ricky makes him a far more attractive option to a nini who's trying to be entirely a new person (and entirely over ricky. dating someone who seems like ricky is not very conducive to that).

i did have to look up the medley video to watch it and find what you were talking about, and honestly- i really don't remember if i've seen it before or not. i don't know that i have, and if i did it was a LONG time ago. i knew the medley was a thing because of the soundtrack, but i did not know they'd done an almost trailer type thing with it. it gives a lot of focus to the dancers which is cool? (i'm assuming to avoid too much spoilers but y'know- still neat). i'd guess maybe it's from the original pilot though, if you're talking about him sorta collapsing against the lockers looking drained anyway. maybe in relation to not getting the lead, maybe it's to go with his frustration with the whole nini thing later in the season so not in the pilot... idk. we do see him breaking down in his car in front of nini's house in s1, though that's not connected to any potential anxiety i'd say. scenes also just get taken out sometimes, just for time restrictions. who knows...

ej's pressure filled life with perfect grades and lots of high pressure extracurriculars, on top of that presumed need for the duke admission (not technically an ivy but it's close) could for sure make someone stressed out and anxious. to maintain that sort of grade point average can take a lot of work, given the number of aps he'd have to be balancing. idk if they have time to bring that in for ej's character this late in the game, but they could reference it i suppose.

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ricky has 100% shown signs of anxiety, and honestly even depression as well, which i could totally make a post about ricky's mental health sometime, but i struggle every day with whether or not i think the show is willing to actually go there. like even if tim wants to- whether disney's down with that. they did go there with jonah in the last season of andi mack (i think it was the last season), and representations of anxiety and mental health in general have improved a good bit, like never have i ever's inclusion of those excellent therapy scenes, and even when katie in alexa & katie (another netflix teen series, so good job to netflix i suppose), has struggles with anxiety. alexa also sees the therapist, but not for anxiety in the way katie does. i still don't know if they're going to do it or not. also yes- i have seen love never have i ever, i love that show so much and i'm genuinely so excited that they're the ones the cast is facing on family feud.

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ricky does struggle with opening up to people, in some ways not wanting to burden them with his problems, but also it is of course an issue of he doesn't know these people too... so that makes it harder. plus- he doesn't even talk to big red about stuff usually, it was always nini. like you say- he does open up to some characters when asked, gina for example, but he doesn't freely share with anyone but nini. and he even struggles to talk to her a bit at times. talking to a therapist would for sure be tough for him in that sense, bc it's a complete stranger. if ej has gone to therapy, that could for sure be something where ej could be like listen dude it can really help you. and even though ej and ricky aren't particularly close, maybe ricky would try listening to him, given he listened in 2.10 when ej mentioned letting nini go was a good choice. (though that was self reflective on ricky's part and not ej giving ricky advice)

i wish they would've kept lily on to a greater extent this season, because i think that would've been a really smart choice to help him get through the divorce / his parents dating again thing. but i agree that ricky maybe starting to rely on his friends a bit more in general could be a positive development for him. idk if that's something they do this season or not. i agree that he's not there yet, but he's making positive steps in the sense of giving miss jenn his blessing to date his dad. even though we all know that's for sure going to be sucky for him to watch. i never know whether to expect this show to let ricky be truly happy- my inclination is usually no- but hopefully he'll have more than his season 1 total of 51 seconds of happiness at least lol.

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ej's college thing was lowkey his only personality trait in the first few episodes and then they really didn't use it as much as they could've at the same time especially in that latter portion of the season. i do think they could've given a bit more to the dynamic with his family- given what he says in 2.04 about how is he going to tell his dad... and of course in 2.08 that sense of trepidation... idk if ej's so much afraid of his dad as he is afraid of disappointing him / breaking the family tradition, etc. but that's not established super well by the show so lbr it's up for interpretation. they didn't exactly entirely close the door on the story- though they did wrap it up with that moment where ej said he and his dad have had some good conversations. with ej likely considering what he actually does next, we could see more of him thinking about what his family will think of this pursuit he winds up going for.

they could've done a lot more, particularly in the career day episode. and as much as gina wearing the duke sweatshirt (which was very much not the duke sweatshirt- that continuity was not done well) was a decent moment for the ship in question especially bc it added layers to the jack thing and such, if they had ej and ashlyn exploring childhood memories and ej with his duke sweatshirt sort of... thinking about his past and his future together it could've been a really powerful thing. (this could be another post lowkey i'm getting ideas...)

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i do think ej and nini's relationship failing was a culmination of a lot of things... the actual dissolution that happened when it did was in fact his own fault for overstepping some serious boundaries. but let's be honest- she didn't love him like she did ricky and that was always going to be an issue whether ej violated her privacy or not. i'm proud of her for breaking up with him when she did and then standing her ground on it though. too often disney expects these things to be brushed off and forgiven. good luck charlie's spencer the two timer comes to mind. (not comparing the actions taken, just the concept of betrayal and then fawning over the same guy later like it's no big deal). maybe i'm mostly proud of the writers for not doing that- rather than nini. but also nini. i think it's fair that even after someone works to improve themselves, you don't have to take them back. and i think nini can see ej's improvement (like she clearly has by 2.04, given they seem civil if not friends in their little convo), without feeling like she could trust him as her boyfriend because he broke that. (and again- she doesn't like him enough to want him again anyway.)

i'm going to ask really quickly- what do you mean when you say nini rejected ej in 1.10? like yes she got with ricky in 1.10 but- i don't think ej was still trying to pursue nini romantically in 1.10? so she couldn't have rejected him? idk. him getting off stage so nini could do the scene with ricky wasn't about a romantic rejection, (in some senses one could consider it ej backing off his romantic rival, but i think the scene is far more powerful emotionally if you see it as ej not needing to be The Lead rather than ej not needing to be with nini.) like it's a better moment for ej's character if it's about ej's growth personally rather than ej not needing to get with nini. as a sidenote i hated that whole ordeal in a theatre sense because what in the heck are y'all doing talking out of character while performing and stopping the show while the orchestra confusedly vamps... but it was sweet. and also it gave us the rini breaking free scene which was- truly the most iconic thing. i miss them.

for your last point- about the reason ej's afraid of rejection being about his past history of mistakes... i think that plays a part in it, but i do think the reason we talk about nini a lot with this is because the interpretation i got of his character is that she's probably the first person to ever actually reject him / be the one to call it off / not say i love you back when he says it... he has a hard time forgiving himself for his past, and i don't want to downplay that, but i don't think we can say he'd be beating himself up for all of those things on the same timeline if he hadn't had to face that consequence of nini breaking up with him for the phone thing. i think his inability to feel like someone can love him for who he is is hard to separate out from his fear of rejection, they're for sure intertwined, but i do think they're slightly different.

i think ej becoming more self assured again over the course of this season is looking quite likely- but whether he goes down again first will be interesting to see. i'm really curious to see if we see any regression from him this season, given this is the probably the same summer camp he poisoned emily pratt with the deviled egg at. at the very least, he's going to be confronted with that fact when he goes, and that can lead to some really interesting trajectories for his character if the writers decide to go there. he was Mr. Popular when he last was at camp too- the guy who potentially had a new girl every summer... it's going to be interesting for sure. i'm so curious to see where they take ej's storyline this season, and i really do hope it's not solely about his relationship with gina because they can do a lot with him outside of that as well. i think there's room for both, but yeah. college is definitely going to be a big focus for his character this season i'd expect, so i'm hoping they go deeper than just college on the surface but college in terms of growing up and stuff. i think they will- but idk how much they'll devote to it over such a short time span.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts: ej caswell #hsmtmts: ricky bowen #answered #anonymous

[letterstodreams]

A Conversation with Possibility

I am going to indulge in a free-association ramble, because I think it might help keep my creative flame alive, to keep this blog alive, to lead it to its ultimate purpose. But I guess this might be a very idle, what's the point kind of post. I need to get them out of my system, sometimes, maybe. Sometimes they seem to have much more point and purpose in retrospect than I realized while writing, but we'll see.

I am afraid my writing isn't very good, but I don't want to worry too much about that. I seem to enjoy re-reading my writing sometimes, and other times not, and depending on my state of mind the same thing I wrote can appear good or awful. I wanted to create stories that are beautiful but I'm afraid that I won't have the focus, energy or time to do that. I wanted to be readable to others and enjoyable for them to read, if anyone ever read this. But it will be more like a journal type of thing, maybe something others can enjoy, but not the kind of things most people would probably usually read for fun, I guess.

And I wanted to write this in a way that would preserve my privacy, and to be able to appear as someone who won't be too judged too often. And as someone whose tastes and personality and lifestyle do not cause a bad taste in peoples' mouths, or make them think, meh, not for me, she's not like me, I'm not interested. Making them feel like they don't enjoy what I say, so much or at all, just because I'm not like them. I'm weird, tacky, dull, dumb, boring, or just too plain different than they are. My tastes, my style, my personality, all might appear annoying and odd or unrelatable to many, so I wanted to somehow make it appear ordinary, not because I think it's wrong as it is, but because it's not important to me to assert my personality or uniqueness, right here in this subject matter. The important thing is the lessons I can share, that go beyond personality or individuality, to something in common with many people, across many different sectors of reality and humanity. But I don't know if I can avoid bringing my oddness into it. It might be too difficult or impossible to pick it apart from the rest of it all.

I wanted to write about all the ways I think the characters in my mind might help me change my life. I wanted to make it into some inspiring story or some kind of fast-paced adventure, where I'm leaping into change, or at least planning how to do that, figuring it all out. I wanted to maybe talk of the tiny steps to take too, that will change my life until it's where it needs to be, somehow. These are the things I want to make into exciting or exhilarating stories for others, and for myself, too.

But I'm afraid no matter how I portray it, it will be just me, boring, odd, outsider, misunderstood, unpopular, alone, again. And if I am to be happy for what I can give, rather than what I can receive, this might work, but can I really be happy that way? Can I let go of the need for recognition or understanding, but just give what others want or need? Can I be content, or will it be enough for me? Can I be happy to change for my own self, to write all this for my own self? Or will that not work for me because I need understanding, help, insight, perspective, from others? But what if the perspective I need from others is something they just can't give? What if they can't see me clearly enough to give the perspective I need, whilst my own perspective is so very distorted too? We all tend to need others to help us even up, balance out, and clarify our perspective of things. But for some who are so far beyond the norm, it seems no one can see us, and we have no help seeing more clearly.

So I'm afraid this blog will end up going the way of so many of my other blogs- turning into something too distorted, too self-focused, too stagnant and lacking answers or solutions, lacking real action and direction. There was a good reason I took a break from blogging for a long time since losing the place where I felt a tiny bit more heard. I realized the need it served was questionable, to say the least. The need maybe was real, but whether it served the actual need effectively was a big question mark. It never felt real or clear just what was going on.

I don't even want to hear what others have to say about my writing. I've been profusely complimented on my writing before, especially by teachers in high school, but that was so long ago that maybe I've lost much of what I learned or whatever talent or creative flow that helped me write well, back then. But I've also seen plenty of writing criticism which I disagree with in writer's communities. Much of what others like or dislike reading is completely different from my own tastes. I only want writing criticism if it will create writing that I myself would like. So even the idea of wanting to write better just feels like a question that hangs there, can I even know what to do to write better in a way that I even care about? And if not, can I make this writing start to feel less like an endless string of words that is a burden sometimes to tangle through and extract the good ideas again, if there even are any such good ideas? What feels important one day can seem so insignificant or confusing the next, sometimes. What I thought was the solution to my problems can seem dull, ineffectual, impossible to implement. Some earth-shattering epiphany jotted down and reread can appear like jargon, incomprehensible and vague.

But I'm going to try and see if I can somehow piece things together, turn them into a different angle and configuration and make them work and make more sense, even if it means that I must throw a lot of things out and change the whole plan or approach I thought that I was going to have. Truthfully though I have had many great insights and strides made in my life through my journals and blogs. But it needs to be more, or so I hope it can. My life crawls forward but circumstances sometimes surge ahead and I feel I might be stranded if I can't progress faster and further than I've been going for these so many years now, struggling to do all I can. But there's got to be a better way. Or, maybe there is, at least.

[stillwanderingflame]

Loki thoughts

All right, here we go, finale day is upon us. I haven't been this tense about the outcome of a character's story in years. Probably not since Winter Soldier or XMFC. Those were such great movies that had me so invested in the characters and then everything that came after soured me to the point where I've struggled to re-watch the movies. Praying that doesn't happen this time.

Dropping some guesses/predictions under the cut because it's always fun to see what I get wrong.

Based on the scenes still left from the mid-season trailer, I expect we'll see Loki trying more than once to go back in time and stop the Temporal Loom's destruction, possibly going farther and farther back until we get the scene with him and Mobius in the time theater, just after he was brought in. I'm guessing Victor tries twice more to fix the Loom but to no avail, which makes me think Loki eventually realizes he can't fix it by changing the past and has to do something more drastic. This might be where the shot of him out on the walkway without a suit might come in. Maybe he decides he has to go face the Loom and use his new powers to save the day. How exactly he does that, I'm not sure but it seems like they're teasing hints of the God of Stories storyline from the comics. Plus I keep remembering that line in s1 where Loki said "I think we're stronger than we realize."

Not a prediction but a fear that I've voiced before: I really don't want an ending where Loki is alone as the new HWR. I'm hoping they won't go in that direction, especially after the bar scene in ep 5. Just...don't have him show that kind of vulnerability and then stab him right in the weak spot. My heart can't take it.

I have no clue as to what will happen with Sylvie. Part of me thinks the writers will let her go back to her life on the branch (if Loki can restore it) because I just don't see them setting up a Sylki ending. Sylvie seems to understand the need for intervention now, but I don't think she'd be happy monitoring the flow of time, even with Loki by her side.

There's also still that shot of Ravonna in the Void. Seems unlikely that she'd be shown just to be gobbled by Alioth so maybe they're going to try and find redemption for her character.

That's all I've got. I could keep spinning ideas but this show is consuming enough of my brainpower as it is. I can't believe it's already ending. 6 episode seasons are tough after a long streak of only watching kdrama and cdramas (even if I sometimes think the latter don't justify the number of episodes). Guess I'll have to wallow in my feels and see if any new fics pop up to help me cope in the aftermath. 🥲

#loki spoilers #loki season 2 #loki #are they spoilers if they're just guesses? #just trying to pre-process my feels #then I'll have to process even more after the finale