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sbdskate · 10 months

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Laws Of Attraction (Part 6) - DR x lawyer!fem!reader

Summary: McLaren is in breach of contract, dr3 hires a lawyer to deal with the aftermath. Tropes ensue. Slow burn. Enemies(kind of) -> Friends/colleagues -> Lovers

Pairing: lawyer!fem!reader x Daniel Ricciardo

Warnings: language, slight angst, alcohol consumption, mature themes

Word Count: 3,635

A/N: That’s right, I broke the ending into another part which means another chapter is on the way. If you’ve been keeping up, I appreciate you sticking with me through my draughts and generally inconsistent posting schedule. Thank you again for every like, comment, and reblog. Please let me know what you think and enjoy ❤️

The week passed more quickly than you anticipated. You pulled an all-nighter to draft the language you promised. It helped that you couldn’t sleep anyways. You tried to make up for it on the twenty-hour flight from Brazil to Abu Dhabi but again, rest evaded you. It didn’t help that between the travel and the time difference you basically lost a day and a half. You threw yourself deeper into your work as a distraction. You were thankful that there were lots of back and forths of redlines, as expected.

But no matter how busy you kept yourself, you couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss that had now been tattooed in your mind. You wished it wasn’t good. You wished he had chapped lips and tasted like onions. But it had enveloped you. The way he grabbed you and the feeling of his stubble on your face set off butterflies in your stomach and other places down south. You were pretty sure you saw through space and time and you suddenly had the ability to hear colors.

And even though the kiss was so good, it was made bittersweet by everything that was discussed afterwards. You didn’t miss the warmth leaving his eyes and his obvious disappointment. On one hand, you handled the situation the best way you knew how. You had been very clear in Mexico on the limits of your relationship, that should not have been a surprise to him. Your job was to be professional and you reestablished those boundaries. On the other, you had somehow removed every laugh line from his face. You missed the crinkles around his eyes and the reverberating bravado of his laugh. If there was another way you could have gone about the conversation, it was lost on you. Leaning into the kiss and those feelings surrounding it was legally impossible. He would simply have to pick up his bruised ego and move on, which you were sure wouldn’t be difficult. The thought helped you somewhat – he was still a handsome, charismatic celebrity who could get any girl he wanted. You were one piece of parsley in an endless buffet. Poor little rich boy couldn’t have the one dish he wanted right now, but as soon as the season was over and you went your separate ways, you would be a distant memory he would laugh at in retrospect. Amongst the models, actresses, singers, and influencers he could pick from, he had trauma bonded with his very average and nerdy lawyer during a particularly vulnerable point in his life.

As your thoughts meandered during the course of the long flight, you were appreciative that you would not be on your own this weekend. The partner apparently decided to show up in Abu Dhabi, finally making Daniel a priority knowing that the matter would be closing. You had gotten somewhat frustrated with Joe, that he kept cancelling on meetings last minute leaving you to deal with everything. There were several silver linings, however. First, you hoped it meant he trusted you with the significant responsibility, which again would likely lead to a positive performance review and a hefty bonus. It may even come in handy a few years from now when you would become eligible to make partner yourself. Second, in picking up that responsibility, you had grown a lot professionally in the last few months. Belgium felt like a lifetime ago, in more ways than one. In the last few restless days your mind kept reflecting back to that first race weekend when you were full of nerves, but lately you didn’t quite feel like the same young associate with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Third, for better or worse, you grew to know you client in a way you would not have been able to but for the partner’s absence and that transfer of duty. Because you knew him so well now, you were better able to represent him. This was, of course, a double-edged sword. You’d unintentionally gotten to know the driver far better than you intended. Over the course of months, he poked little holes in your armor leaving you open and vulnerable and inching you closer towards that delicate line you dared not cross. The two of you had danced around it for weeks. If you hadn’t crossed it before, kissing certainly pushed the two of you over the edge together. You wondered what he thought about all this, considering he had far less to lose from the predicament. It would probably be awkward the next time you saw each other, but hopefully still respectful and professional if nothing else.

Meanwhile, Daniel along with the rest of the grid arrived in Abu Dhabi a day early to have a retirement dinner party for Seb. Seb had been unexpected source of support during this uncertain time in his career. Not all of the drivers had reached out to him when news about his early termination with McLaren broke. Of those that did reach out, some were simply surface level exchanges lacking compassion and depth. Seb, however, had helped him navigate a slew of existential crisis. The least Daniel could do was return that support to his friend. He sat next to Lando and Pierre, the drivers chatting amongst themselves during the meal. Of course there was a general curiosity about his plans for next year, but he playfully remained tight-lipped. The conversation was light, reminiscing and debriefing on some of the post-race debauchery over the course of the season. It was all fun and games until Pierre brought up Halloween in Mexico and his failed attempts at bringing home an instragram influencer and a model that night.

“I think I might be losing my touch. But that was a fun night though, yeah?”

“It was, I’m surprised you remember most of it,” Daniel teased.

“Honestly, me too. That girl dressed as you, she was a good time.” Daniel did his best to remain casual, though his heart skipped at beat at your mention.

“Yeah, y/n is fun when she’s not working.”

“I’ve seen her around the paddock a few times. She’s your lawyer, right?” He took a long drink, not liking the direction the conversation was headed.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe when the season is over I can grab her number.” It was more of a statement than a question. Daniel feigned ignorance at the request and laughed.

“I mean I can give it to you, but she probably wouldn’t be able to help you.”

“How so?” Pierre looked at Daniel, both men visibly confused.

“I mean I’m no lawyer myself, but wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for her?”

“Oh no dude, I don’t want her services – or, uh legal services I should say,” he said cheekily. Daniel’s ears immediately turned red, his jaw clenched, and hand balled into a fist. He did his best to control his facial muscles to not let on to the fact that Pierre had unknowingly stepped on an emotional landmine. Lando, who had been talking to Zhou across from him, sensed the shift in the driver sitting next to him. He diverted his attention for a moment to try to break the tension before Daniel could say or do something he would regret.

“Pierre, she’s way too smart for you and you’re not her type,” he said casually, earning a laugh from the others including Pierre.

“What are you talking about, I’m everybody’s type,” he said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I think that might be part of the problem,” Lando responded. “Plus, you’re already in a committed relationship with this one,” jabbing his thumb in the direction of Yuki. That side of the table continued to laugh and joke, Daniel included, but he didn’t miss the chance to lock eyes with his teammate to silently convey his thanks for discreetly deflecting the conversation away from the woman that had taken up so much space in his mind. Had he really almost punched his friend at a fancy restaurant during his mentor’s retirement party? He was in deep. Hook, line, and sinker.

Daniel had bought himself more time extending the signing with Red Bull, but he had no idea what he was doing. You had made it abundantly clear that nothing could happen until after everything was signed. You also hadn’t explicitly said whether you wanted anything to happen afterwards... All he knew, whether or not anything progressed further between the two of you, he just needed to be near you. He needed more time with you, beyond Monday.

The evening continued with heartfelt sentiments exchanged, and Daniel found himself more and more in his feelings especially as the drinks flowed. He thought he recovered from Pierre’s comments at dinner, but then Seb gave a speech to the rest of grid that brought him to the brink of tears. His mentor’s goodbye made him reflect and contemplate his own journey over the year. Though neither driver would be on the grid next season, Daniel was envious that Seb had the opportunity to leave the sport on his own terms compared to the lack of agency he felt with his tenure with McLaren. Feeling unmoored, you showed up out of nowhere to turn his ship around at the eleventh hour. He wasn’t sure what was next for him, but he knew he couldn’t do it without you by his side. Maybe another drink would take his mind off you.

The night continued, one by one the other drivers called it a night. But Daniel stayed until the wee hours of the morning with some of the younger drivers who had higher tolerances. Lando took note of his teammate’s condition who refused to believe he couldn’t keep up. They hadn’t discussed the elephant in the room, but he could put two and two together even if he didn’t have all the details. You might have been discreet, but Daniel was anything but. He noticed how Daniel perked up just a little on the days you had meetings. He noticed the stupid looks you gave each other, each party oblivious to the other. He noticed all the times you went out with the drivers at Daniel’s invitation, which was surely not in your job description. And right now for whatever reason likely involving you, Daniel was miserable, his melancholia exasperated by alcohol.

“Hey mate, I think it’s time to go back to the hotel,” Lando said as he put an arm around Daniel.

“Nooo, but we’re having fun! For Seb!” Daniel slurred as he held up his drink triumphantly.

“We are having fun, but we have to get up really early. Remember?”

Daniel was too tired to fight back. So he pouted as Lando corralled him into the backseat of the car back to the hotel.

You rolled into Abu Dhabi at 2am. You were exhausted. You had no shame about rocking under eye patches and a face mask mid-flight to at least hopefully make it look like you’d gotten some type of rest over the last two days. Unfortunately, the dark circles that remained begged to differ.

You were in the middle of checking in when you heard commotion in the lobby behind you. You rolled your eyes at the drunks stumbling in, keeping your head down to avoid any interaction.

“That’s it, almost there mate.” You knew that voice. You slowly turned to find Lando struggling to guide a dazed Daniel towards the elevator. You rubbed your eyes and blinked a few times to make sure you were seeing clearly. That made you wake up.

“Lando? Daniel?”

Both drivers looked your way. You suddenly became very aware and self-conscious of your grungy airport outfit: messy bun, no makeup, and full Enchante sweatsuit Daniel had gifted you after Japan. You couldn’t decipher the look Lando gave you that was equal parts relieved and concerned, but Daniel’s face lit up immediately showing off those darn dimples.

“Y/n!”

“Hi. What are you guys doing?” you asked hesitantly. It was mostly directed at Lando since he still had his wits about him, but Daniel answered anyways.

“We had to say goodbye to Seb,” he said solemnly. Lando rolled his eyes seeing the immediate look of concern and confusion on your face.

“Jesus Christ. The guy’s retiring, he didn’t die.”

You gave a polite smile. “I’m sorry, I think I’m missing something.”

“The whole grid had a retirement party for Seb, not a funeral as this one might have you believe. It started with dinner but some guys stayed out and well… he’s just been slightly overserved.” You pursed your lips together to keep from laughing. You could tell Lando’s patience had run thin, but despite his annoyance he had made sure Daniel got back safe which you appreciated.

“Well, thank you for taking care of my client.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m fine,” Daniel slurred a few feet away, leaning against a pillar in the opulent lobby – immediately followed by him almost slipping but quickly catching himself. He smiled again, proud and satisfied with his own rescue effort.

“Right…” you drawled. You turned to the concierge who had been patient and stoic as the scene unfolded. You’d been informed that the hotel catered to Westerners, but you were still cautious being in a country that technically followed Sharia law despite the many exceptions for expats and tourists. “My apologies ma’am, is it ok if I help escort my friend to his room for a moment? I can finish checking in afterwards.”

“Of course Miss l/n. I’ll still be here.” Having the green light to accompany the two boys, you and Lando flanked Daniel linking your arms through his to walk him to the elevator.

“I don’t need help,” *hiccup* “I’m a strong, independent woman,” he said, though he did nothing to resist your assistance.

“You are maybe half of those things,” you retorted.

“That’s being generous, I give him zero out of three,” Lando chimed in.

“Oh be nice, you know you can feel those muscles,” you lightly countered as you gave Daniel’s bicep a quick squeeze. You gave him a tired, playful smile and the look he returned you was so full of adoration it felt like your heart was going to burst at the seams. He leaned his head on your shoulder when you stepped in the elevator and you wished you could put the moment on pause to keep him there a while longer.

“You can’t possibly be referring to these chicken wings,” Lando replied. “Do you have your room key?” Lando asked Daniel, breaking your daze. Daniel shuffled for a second, patting his pockets, then nodding in confirmation. “Good, I’m going to bed.” He pressed the floor for himself, then Daniel’s.

“I’m sorry, what?” Lando gave you a knowing smile.

“I already did 90% of the heavy lifting, I’m sure you can handle it from here.” You shot daggers his way, Daniel still between the two of you, blissfully unaware of your quarrel. “See you in seven hours,” he said as he got off the elevator.

You sighed as the elevator doors closed, leaving the two of you alone. Daniel was too drunk to feel awkward about the predicament given how you last left things, a lazy smile still on his face.

“You called me your friend. To the concierge.”

“I did.”

“I thought I was your client.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive.” He hummed in response. The answer seemed to make him happy. His eyes grazed over you, his smile growing.

“You’re wearing my clothes.”

“An astute observation.”

“They look good on you.” The elevator doors opened as a blush crept to your face. You guided him into the hallway and ignored his comment.

“Ok, what number are you?”

“This way,” he said, ignoring your question and yanking you to the right. You kept your arm around him to steady his swaying. You could smell the alcohol coming off him, making you wonder about the events leading up to this but whatever it was wasn’t a conversation for today. He finally stopped in front of a door and fumbled with his pockets. You waited to make sure he could get into his room, but after a minute or two you got concerned.

“I can go back to the concierge to get another key-”

“No, no, I got it.” You watched as he fished it out from the depths of his front pocket, then struggled with getting it to work on the fob.

“Here, let me help you.” Your own patience running low, you took the key from his hands and opened the door. You had planned on finishing your check-in when you knew he made it inside, but felt bad leaving him in the condition he was in. You reasoned that it was to help him avoid a hangover in the morning so that he would be as camera ready as possible for press day, but it was a loose excuse.

You cautiously entered his room and turned on some lights. Your jaw dropped for a moment – his room was at least triple the size of every other hotel room you had stayed at over the course of the season, every detail pristine. You held the door open for him as you ogled in the foyer. He pinballed off the door frame to make his way inside, leaning against the wall across from you. He openly took you in, admiring how his merch hung from your body more perfectly than he ever could have imagined. He didn’t turn away when you returned his gaze.

“Come on let’s get you tucked in, you have a long day tomorrow – or in six and a half hours.” You grabbed his arm again and brought him towards the bed, and he happily followed you like a puppy. You were relieved he was at least cooperating. You sat him down. “Ok sir, where do you keep your pajamas?” He gave you a wicked grin.

“I don’t wear any,” he said shamelessly. You pursed your lips, you knew you walked into that one.

“Of course you don’t. Well when I leave you can get undressed. Just sit tight for a sec.” You opened up the bottle of water by the coffee maker and poured it into a glass. “Here, drink this.” He guzzled the water, so you poured him another. “Good job. How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.” He showed off his pearly whites with a giant smile, closing his eyes as his head flopped back.

Oh my God, you’re so drunk, you said under your breath. “I’m serious, do you feel nauseous at all? Headache?”

“I’m peachy,” he said as he swung his legs back and forth off the bed. He played with his hands in his lap. Seemingly able to entertain himself at least for a minute, you walked into the bathroom to go through his toiletries to find some Advil and maybe some tums for the morning. When you returned, your patient was already taking off his shirt and had started undoing his belt.

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down there tiger. Why don’t you take two Advil first?”

“I’ll do anything you tell me,” he said before swallowing the pills you handed him. “I’m going to miss you when you leave.” His sudden shift in tone threw you off. You sat down next to him to show your support and solidarity.

“You know you can always call me. It will be like I never left.”

“As a friend?” he asked hopefully. You smiled and put a reassuring hand on his thigh.

“Yes, definitely as a friend.” There was a pause.

“What about as more than a friend?” *hiccup* “Like, afterwards?” You bit your lip, but smiled.

“I think that’s a conversation for another time.”

“You didn’t say no.” You laughed.

“You’re drunk as a skunk and this is the moment you choose to dissect semantics.” He picked up your hand resting on his thigh, bringing it to his lips to kiss without breaking eye contact.

“Enchante.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, but it sure is charming as heck,” you said between laughs. You pulled your hand back and stood up. “On that note, I think you have everything you need so I’m going to head out. You have two more ibuprofen on your nightstand for the morning and two tums in case you get heartburn or an upset stomach. I set your alarm for 8:00 so you can sleep in a little, but still gives you an hour to get ready before you need to head to the paddock. I think it’s ok if you’re fashionably late.” He pouted. “Oh come on now, no need to frown. You get to take off those pants and go to bed. I’m going to go to bed too.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to stay?” He gave the best puppy eyes he could. Matched with his bare torso, six pack on full display, and unbuttoned belt and pants, anyone with a weaker constitution would’ve folded immediately. But at this point you were a trained soldier, the end of your internal battle in sight. You did make one concession though.

Maybe it was impulse. Maybe it was the jet lag. Maybe it was the possibility he wouldn’t remember any of it in the morning. But in a streak of boldness, you brought your hand to the side of his face, feeling the sharpness of his jawline and the texture of his stubble. You bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Maybe next time,” you murmured, your lips ghosting over his.

His eyes were flying saucers when you stood. “Good night, Daniel. Get some rest.”

Despite how tired he was, it was hard for him to fall asleep after that.

Taglist: @ravenqueen27 @leslizzle @zendayabelova @eitak-t @chiliwhore @wewoo1233 @thatchickwiththecamera

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cowgurrrl · 1 year

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“I want to be great or nothing.”

Summary: When world famous rockstar Joel Miller finds himself in some hot water with the press, his PR team suggests fake dating an up and coming actress to refine his image. However, when they actually start spending time together, the happy couple can’t stand each other. Will they be able to turn it around for the cameras or will it all be for nothing?

Warnings: smut indicated with an asterisk, tlou au, fake dating, enemies to ???, Sarah is alive :D

01. Smile You’re on Camera [1.7k]

02. When The Sun Goes Down [2.6k]

03. BWFW [3.8k]

04. Kiwi [3.8k]

05. A plea for tenderness* [7.3k]

06. Blueberry Pancakes* [4.5k]

07. Losing My Cool [1.1k]

08. Never Thought [3.5k]

09. Layla [2.3k]

10. Pine Point [4.7k]

11. Old Friends Die Hard [3.6k]

12. Too Close [2.5k]

13. The Chain [2.6k]

14. From the Dining Table [4.5k]

15. Wonderfully Bizarre [1.2k]

🎸🎸🎸

Drabbles

A Soulmate Who Wasn’t Meant to Be: You settle into life without Joel

Night Shift: Joel settles into life without you

Tennessee Whiskey: A (somewhat) quiet night as you and Joel adjust to sharing life again

Thank God I Found You: You and Joel talk about going public with your relationship

Gold Dust Woman: Oscars season with Joel

The Actress: Red carpet interviews with Joel

Je te laisserai des mots: You and Joel realize forever doesn’t sound too bad

I Want To Marry You: Joel asks you The Question

Kiss Me Once, and Kiss Me Twice: You and Joel get married

Heavy Metal Drummer: When Joel’s drummer suddenly drops out, who better to fill in than the girl who’s been there since the beginning?

Just A Boy: Joel struggles with your newest cast mate

Small Bump: You tell the girls you’re pregnant

Beautiful Boy: You and Joel find out the gender of your baby

Hayloft: Joel being protective of his family

Choreomania: Sammy tries to figure out if he likes what his dad does

Brooklyn Baby: You and Joel welcome your son

Iris: Sarah and Ellie hold Sam for the first time

Hey Me, Hey Mama: Mother’s Day

Jackie and Wilson: A night in the Miller household

Little Wonders: When Mom Guilt takes over, Joel finds a way to support you

Mama’s Boy: Sam’s going through a phase

Daydream Believer: Daisy seems to know something you don’t

As It Was: You and Joel have an announcement

At Last: Sam doesn’t seem to know the difference between real life and acting

Daylight: An almost perfect Texas day with the Millers

Yo Gotti: You and Joel read thirst tweets together

Beautiful Girls: Your first night at home with your twins

Love You: Joel being the best dad to tiny baby angels

Unknown: You find out Violet has asthma

I’m Still Standing: Actors on Actors: You and Carolina Garcia-Long

My Girls: The first of many Sophia and Violet days

Lucky: The girls are going through a phase

Girls On Film: Joel accidentally starts discourse

I’m Just Ken: A Halloween fashion show with the Millers

Live from New York: You and Joel take on SNL

Please Come Home for Christmas: The Christmas season with the Millers

Bug: The BuzzFeed Puppy Interview

So This Is Love: A Beach Day

Salad Days: The t-shirt coup

The Millers: A Year in The Life: A documentary about your lives

Good Old Days: A SAG-AFTRA Career Retrospective

🎸🎸🎸

Extras 🤠

Joel and sundress season*

Dancing with Joel

Your instagram story 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

ACL with the Millers

Joel’s tattoos

You and Joel find out you’re having a baby

Your reaction to questions about kids

Family headcanons

Random thoughts 1

Random thoughts 2

Honeymoon with Joel

Actress!reader freaking out about Joel on Instagram

Talking about your relationship with Joel

Sammy Insta posts

Family instagram posts

Sophia and Violet

Birthday headcanons

What the kids do later in life

Text threads :D 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The kids’ instagrams

Grandpa Joel

Grandpa Joel pt. 2

Instagram stories: Barbie edition

Random family thoughts

#one for the money two for the show #the last of us #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #joel tlou #the last of us x reader #joel miller the last of us #the last of us au #the last of us fluff #Joel au #joel the last of us #joel miller x female reader #joel miller fluff

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whateverisbeautiful · 5 days

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Richonne in Retrospect - Master List

TWD Season 3 - Season 6

Season 3

#1: The Draw (3x07)

#2: The “Don’t You Ever Touch Me Again” (3.07)

#3: The “You Need Me” (3.08)

#4: The Stares (3.09)

#5: The Sense (3.10)

#6: The Drive (3.12)

#7: The Spark (3.12)

#8: The Save (3.12)

#9: The Co-Parenting (3.12)

#10: The Seeing Things (3.12)

#11: The Deal (3.13)

#12: The Return (3.15)

#13: The “Something Else” (3.16)

#14: The Partnership (3.16)

Season 4

#15: The Whole New Plant (4.01)

#16: The Catch (4.01)

#17: The Kids (4.02)

#18: The Assistance (4.05)

#19: The Mom (4.11)

#20: The Track (4.15)

#21: The Fire (4.16)

#22: The “How” (4.16)

Season 5

#23: The Sword (5.02)

#24: The Instinct (5.03)

#25: The Parents (5.07)

#26: The Consolation (5.09)

#27: The Gift (5.09)

#28: The Look (5.11)

#29: The Finding Out (5.11)

#30: The Direction (5.11)

#31: The Leap of Faith (5.11)

#32: The Rule Change (5.11)

#33: The Observations (5.12)

#34: The Interconnection (5.12)

#35: The Authority (5.13)

Season 6

#36: The Pair (6.01)

#37: The Love Story (6.03)

#38: The Advocate (6.03)

#39: The Perspective (6.07)

#40: The Message (6.08)

#richonne #richonne in retrospect #list & links #s3 - s6 #richonne fandom #richonne family #michonne grimes #rick grimes #rick x michonne

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the-great-knight-gay · 3 months

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My PJO episode ratings

Before I wanted to start I just wanted to say that I reserved all judgement about the show until it was over because I decided to trust the writers and let me tell you i LOVED pretty much every change because thats what adaptations are about

changing whats not good anymore or improving where it can be

and mainly KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF THE BOOKS WHICH WAS DONE MASTERFULLY

SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY

Now on to the rankings

EP1: 7/10

This was a solid start to the series which pretty much perfected most of the characterizations. I had a few issues originally but these were pretty quicky turned around.

Mrs Dodds fight at the MET was too short but was made up for by her increased appearances across the season which was really nice imo

random cuts to black to avoid showing the car crash - (i had this problem two other times in the show which was during ep2 and ep5 but i dont mind it anymore but ill discuss that later)

grover felt kinda sleazy for me at the start but i did make my peace with this change overall because of something later on.

EP2: 8/10

Ep2 had the same feel as Ep1 being so very Percy Jackson esque with the humour and the characterizations

LUKE WAS JUST SO LIKEABLE AND IT BROKE MY HEART THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO SEE HIM BETRAY PERCY LATER

ANNABETH JUST SAYING YES SHE STALKS PERCY WAS JUST ICONIC

The fight choreography was also just top notch and Dior's scream was just amazing and i cannot believe that it was unscripted

just goes to show how the casting is so perfect - does not matter at all that they don't look book accurate

again the cut to black was kinda annoying for me as we just skipped the council of cloven elders scene which had SUCH A GOOD SET and i was so dissapointed when we didn't see it but otherwise i had a really good time

DIONYSUS WAS JUST PERFECT TOO

I don't mind that they cut the bowing for the claiming but they could have done it so only the big three kids are bowed to which shows how revered they are

percy not wanting to go on the quest and only going when grover says his mom is in the underworld just exemplifies percy's momma boi tendencies and fixed grovers character for me which made it all the worthwhile

EP3: 9/10 - MEDUSA WAS SO GOOD

I LOVED ALL THE CHANGES IN MEDUSAS STORYLINE THEY WERE SO GOOD AND ACTUALLY FIT THE CHARACTER

This is one of the most accurate mixed of greek and roman mythology for medusa i have ever seen.

in the original greek medusa was more of a monstrous figure while the romans started to paint her as a victim of the gods spats and this i feel captures both parts to that really well and JPK just kills it.

Grover is really good in this episode just trying to hold it together and then giving percabeth a reality check at the end is so good.

EP4: 8/10

Step down from ep3 for me mainly because i wanted to see more of the chimera fight and because it was a little too expositiony at the beginning but overall really solid episode and the change in the fall from the arch is really well done

not much to say really

the kids are getting better and better throughout the show

'its like you want me to make fun of you'

this is percabeth just how i imagined them

walker and leah killed it and aryan is just amazing as well.

EP5: 10/10

WHAT IS LOVE

BABY DONT HURT ME

DONT HURT ME

NO MORE

EP6: 7/10

lets be honest the only reason people wanted to see the lotus scenes was because the movie popularized it and retrospectively because of nico and bianca

if was a tiny (but significant) part of the book and didn't really need to be the whole episode pretty much but I did like how they handled it as compared to the movie version which, while fun, did not really fit a percy jackson kind of vibe to me personally.

Lin Manuel Miranda was really good at playing Hermes and grovers scenes were some of my favourite (especially because thats where we get the di angelos easter egg but whatever)

overall a bit of a dip but still really fun for me to watch

plus i love dua lipa so the music change was a big win for me

EP7 9/10:

HADES WAS JUST AS I IMAGINED HIM. NO HOLLYWOOD HES NOT A BIG TERRIFYING SUPERVILLAIN HES ACTUALLY KINDA CHILL AND THE FLASHBACKS WERE JUST SO GOOD

THE UNDERWORLD CGI WAS GREAT

Procrustes could have been done a little better because it really feels like the suspense was taken away during that scene but the flashbacks were so good

THAT POSEIDON SCENE

THE SHOW WAS SETTING ME UP TO HATE HIM AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM IN LIKE 2 SECONDS

NO ONE SAID TOBY STEPHENS VOICE SOUNDED LIKE THAT

THE THUNDER FOLLOWED BY 'ONE DAY'

CHEFS KISS

ABSOLUTE KUDOS TO THE WRITERS YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING

EP8: 8471782487261078480/10:

JUST PERFECT. ARES FIGHT WAS REALLY WELL DONE

PERCY AND POSEIDON JUST BROKE MY HEART AND MENDED IT THREE TIMES WITH LIKE 4 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

'do you ever dream about mom?'

AND I LOVED LANCE REDDICK AS ZEUS (RIP)

I AM SO UPSET WE DO NOT GET TO SEE MORE BECAUSE IT WAS SO AWESOME TO WATCH

LUKE WAS JUST AMAZING

THE KRONOS SCENE WAS SO GOOD

THE BETRAYAL JUST BROKE MY HEART

'i heard everything'

I DID NOT EXPECT ANNABETH TO SHOW UP THERE

THE DISNEYLAND REFERENCE

SEARCH THE SEAS GROVER AND GET US A SEASON 2 BECAUSE WE NEED IT ASAP

OVERALL THE SHOW IS LIKE A FULL 9/10 FOR ME

#percy jackson #rick riordan #pjo fandom #pjo hoo toa #pjo series #annabeth chase #percabeth #percy jackon and the olympians #percy pjo #pjo #luke castellan #hermes #zeus #zeus pjo #ares #poseidon

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earthstellar · 7 months

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A List of Transformers Halloween Episodes Currently Officially Available on YouTube! (With Some Important Notes on Transmutate)

Since the Hasbro official YouTube channels have put up a ton of various Transformers media, including Halloween specials from multiple TF shows, I figured I'd link them here for Spooky Season hype! :)

Some of these episodes are not explicitly Halloween Specials, but are rather episodes known to give off a creepy/horror vibe.

I have not included any episodes from Energon, Armada, etc. because I can't seem to find them on YouTube at the moment.

Each spooky episode has been listed in chronological order of release!

That having been said, enjoy! <3

Transformers Halloween Episodes

Transformers G1 - Dweller in the Depths (Season 3 Episode 18)

Beast Wars - Call of the Wild (Season 1 Episode 19) (this one's not technically on a Hasbro channel but IDK,it's a 4K remaster which I think was made by fans, not 100% sure)

Transformers Animated - Along Came a Spider (Season 1 Episode 9) (this one's not technically on a Hasbro channel either, IDK how it's still up)

Transformers Prime - Thirst (Season 3 Episode 8)

Rescue Bots - Feed the Beast (Season 2 Episode 9)

Rescue Bots Academy - Trick or Treat (Season 1 Episode 26)

Important Note: Beast Wars, Ableism in Horror Media, and Transmutate

Some people find the Transmutate episode to be the scariest episode of Beast Wars. At the time, most fans would have agreed with that.

However, this always felt somewhat uncomfortable to me due to the fact that the perceived horror in that episode comes from a combination of the animation/character design, some less-than-great implications of the plot/resolution to the episode, and the fact that she is suggested to be developmentally disabled as being a source of "horror", so especially as a disabled person myself, I don't want to feed into that.

It feels ableist to me (although at the time in the 90s it was very progressive to include disabled characters in anything at all, I find the way it was done in Beast Wars with Transmutate to be somewhat uncomfortable especially in retrospect), to the degree that I'm not including that episode on this list despite the fact that it is infamous for being "scary".

Generally, there is a common problem of depictions of disability in horror themed media being used as a source of fear or shock value to a presumed-abled audience, which is often ableist in that the disability (or features/traits commonly associated with various disabilities) are treated as a source of repulsion or cause of terror in and of themselves, which needless to say, is in poor taste at best and outright offensive at worst.

This issue is part of why I'm a bit wary of Transmutate being included in any Transformers horror lists, as she is heavily implied to have multiple disabilities, and at the very least, some traits associated with certain disabilities are used to intentionally make her character seem strange and othered in comparison to the main cast, which feels a little... Hmmm.

Additional Context: Disability Rights and The Impact on Media Inclusivity

Now, to be fair, Transmutate is by far not the worst depiction of a disabled character in 90s media. Not by a long shot.

And it is important to remember that it was around the start of the 90s that more shows started to make an effort to include disabled characters at all--

--In the USA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was only introduced and passed as civil rights law in 1990, and Transformers as a whole has historically attempted to include disabled characters (including Chip Chase in G1, back in the 80s) long before it was normal or expected in any way to have a disabled character as part of any show's main cast (especially on a recurring basis).

So generally, Transformers has been very progressive about including disability and disabled characters in various TF shows and media, but the bar historically was set unfortunately low across the board, and any attempts at disability inclusion in any television media at all are relatively recent when you take into consideration how long TV has been around and how few disabled characters there are in TV media.

Transmutate is a very interesting and unique case, and should be viewed with the contextual knowledge that disabled people only gained basic rights in the USA eight years prior to the premiere of the episode.

Most shows did not have openly disabled staff on their production teams, including writers or artists, but as there was still a fear of being fired for disclosing disabilities well into the 90s (remember, the ADA was brand new), we'll likely never know how many disabled people worked in media production or animation at the time. I don't know if any of the staff working on Beast Wars may have been disabled, or familiar with any of the disability traits they either intentionally or unintentionally gave Transmutate.

And it's worth remembering that abled fans used to be absolutely fucking awful in general whenever a disabled character was included in anything.

One 90s show that did have disabled staff working on the inclusion of a disabled character was Extreme Ghostbusters, which introduced Garrett Miller, a wheelchair user and Ghostbuster. This was met with unholy, vitriolic, highly vocal backlash from abled fans, which was generally a fucking nightmare to witness as a disabled fan. I can only imagine how the disabled staff members felt.

Keep in mind, the Extreme Ghostbusters backlash happened in 1997. Beast Wars came out in 1996, but the Transmutate episode was in production and aired in 1998 -- AFTER the introduction of Garrett and the associated ableist shitstorm.

So I honestly give Beast Wars credit for even daring to include a character like Transmutate who is suggested to have both physical and cognitive disabilities-- Especially because depictions of cognitive disability/developmental disability/etc. in media are still so fucking rare, and including a character like this in your show could get you absolutely shit on by your audience. Because oh my god, abled fans were unbelievably awful about this kind of thing at the time.

Back in the day, abled audiences used to get really, really fucking angry if disabled characters were introduced. All sorts of awful ableist shit. So it's worth knowing that this is part of why a lot of disabled characters in the 90s were only featured in one-off episodes, typically killed off to reassure the ableist fans that they wouldn't have to see that character return again.

If that makes you mad, good, because it sucked. I was a disabled kid in the 90s watching all this shit at the time. It was not great.

I don't know if any fear of the type of backlash that Extreme Ghostbusters got was part of the decision making with the Transmutate character or episode, but it wouldn't surprise me--

--Of course, that assumes that the Beast Wars crew were aware of the implications of certain choices they made with the design and character traits they gave Transmutate, and I don't know, the 90s were a rough time for disability awareness. I'm not sure if they fully realised how that episode or character might come across when viewed through a disability-aware lens.

I don't think the Beast Wars crew were being malicious at all-- In fact, the opposite!

The inclusion of a disabled character at all in any way was still very innovative at the time (it should not have been so rare, but it was), and when I watched the episode when it originally aired, I remembered thinking it was a really good and emotional depiction of a disabled character.

I still think this, personally, because disability awareness did not really exist in the 90s unless you yourself were disabled (or had a friend/family member who was). I didn't expect any show to do it right, and at least Beast Wars did it with compassion and a clear attempt to make Transmutate a likable (if potentially unsettling) character deserving of friendship and compassion (although the compassion may come across as purely pity, which is also not necessarily great).

I have to say, I personally love Transmutate. I could relate to a lot of aspects of their character and experience with struggling to understand or effectively communicate with the others, in particular; I'm Autistic, and I've heard similar praise of the character from some other Autistic fans.

In the 90s, any representation at all was considered good representation, for the most part, and this is partially because we were so fucking hungry for representation in general and there was a real vibe that since the ADA got passed, maybe we could actually get some legit representation. Holy shit! And Beast Wars did a pretty good job, all things considered.

But the potentially ableist implications are there, especially when most people still seem to agree that Transmutate is "scary" to them-- You have to look at WHY people think this character is scary.

For some people, this is because of the character's design purely because it was so starkly different from all the other main cast designs. For some it's the animation which comes across as particularly creepy, which that's a little more understandable as the entire show can sometimes fall into the uncanny valley a bit. And that's all totally fine!

But for other people, it's the character's mannerisms and physical differences which inherently provide the horror for them, and that's what I find potentially ableist in the context of everything I've said above.

I have no idea how modern audiences would perceive Transmutate, but I do find a lot of the comments on the Chris McFeely Transmutate episode of Transformers: The Basics to be very interesting. Most are very positive-- Which is good! :)

I will make a separate post about Transmutate at some point in the future, as I do want to give the episode and character their due spotlight and a more thorough analysis at some point.

But anyway, I just wanted to explain my reasoning here, because I know someone will eventually mention Transmutate as being the famously "terrifying" episode of Beast Wars, and I don't think it's actually a horror themed episode. I think it just freaked people out, for various reasons, but I hope you can see why that might come across as... possibly not good.

So, Why "Call of the Wild"? What Makes It Not Ableist?

I think Call of the Wild provides more of a tension-based fear which is felt by the characters themselves, centred around the actual challenge of the episode and the concept of forced loss of identity (going feral), which is a less ableist horror plot all around.

Despite Transmutate's reputation for being "the scariest Beast Wars episode", I think that Call of the Wild is a more appropriate choice for a horror media list. It contains actual horror tropes, and touches on a real world common fear (loss of identity) as a primary theme of the episode.

While a sense of lost identity or loss of self-control (emotional regulation, etc.) are also part of some real world disabilities, in the context in which these tropes are used in Call of the Wild, it is not ableist because it does not resemble any of these real world conditions. It is depicted in a way that is unique to their situation, and is dependent on having a beast alt-mode-- Things that cannot be replicated in real life.

Whereas with Transmutate, real world people can and do have developmental disabilities or similar conditions. Neurodivergent people are certainly real (I myself am one, lol), and some of Transmutate's character traits which are intended to make her come across as "odd" and potentially "disturbing" closely resemble these real world traits.

Therefore, Transmutate's traits being depicted or described as "creepy" can potentially harm real world people, as there is a resemblance to real neurodivergent and otherwise disabled traits that actual human beings have, and which have been used against people in discriminatory ways both historically and in the modern day.

Using these traits as a way to other Transmutate and set them apart in a seemingly intentionally unsettling way can be hurtful to watch if you yourself have those traits, whereas depicting beastformers going feral is not potentially harmful to real human beings.

TL;DR Conclusion: oh god this post got long

Simply put, Call of the Wild plays on real fears in a purely fictional manner.

Transmutate, on the other hand, can be interpreted as potentially ableist due to the episode's use of real world traits associated with various disabilities as a way to single out the character in a way that can come across as scary and repulsive, which can be hurtful for some people who have some of these traits in real life.

Transmutate was handled better than most media involving disabled characters at the time the episode originally aired, as mentioned previously, but still.

Personally I love Transmutate, possibly because I saw it during it's original airing back when media was, let's say, less than inclusive and TV media was still struggling very much with trying to figure out how to handle disability without fucking it up completely. I identified with Transmutate, and I still love the character to this day.

But especially as a disabled person myself, I can see how it is hit or miss with other disabled fans-- Particularly those of us who lived through a lot of the 90s era ableist ignorance/90s backlash against disabled characters in general--And I don't want to ruin anyone's Halloween by bringing up shitty memories or negative real world experiences. <3

Therefore, to avoid any potential bad vibes, I have chosen Call of the Wild as the spooky season episode of choice for Beast Wars!

----

This turned into a very long post-- Thank you to anyone who stuck around and actually read any of this!!! <3

If you enjoy Transformers Halloween content, if you might be interested, please feel free to check out my Terror Transformed Halloween Event! :)

It's 2:30 AM now, I'm going to bed!!!

#transformers #transmutate #beast wars #rescue bots #disability in media #transformers prime #transformers animated #maccadams #maccadam #halloween #transformers g1 #long post

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lunar-and-ardent · 3 months

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Some headcanons regarding Winx's appearance I like/have

While the cartoon doesn't really have different body types, there are some headcanons about Winx I really like (and it looks like some of them, mostly about Layla/Aisha and Musa, will become canon in the 9th season/reboot, so maybe I'm onto something!).

Bloom - the whole point of her character is being an average girl that turns out to be a fairy and a princess of the lost kingdom, so I think that she should look rather average (aside from her red hair + blue eyes combo, of course). You know, like 168cm tall and with nothing too specific/characteristic about her body shape.

Stella - as a kid I always wondered why Stella likes sunbathing so much, yet it is never visible on her body. This is why I like to think that, aside from winter and especially during summer, she is more or less tanned. I also like to imagine her as tall, like 178cm, to fit into this model-like archetype, but I think it would be nice for her to be a little chubbier and/or have a pear body shape. For two reasons. First, to have the most fashionable character not fitting fully into the conventional standards of beauty. Second, I think it would be interesting in relation to her being "the ugly child" (this one retrospection of her being like 10, in S2), showing her confidence.

Flora - her version from 1999, the conceptual one, had glasses and I think that she would look so cute in round ones. Plus a little more representation of people wearing glasses, and not a super-stereotypical one at that! For variety, she could sometimes wear glasses, sometimes contacts. Moreover, I like this headcanon in the community that she is chubby, with a round/apple shape, such strong mom friend vibes! Alternatively, I think that it would be also fitting for her to be like 175cm tall (you know, tall, but not super-tall) and rather skinny. I'm thinking rectangle/candle body type. I think that this could get the idea of her being shy. Of course, body shapes have nothing to do with your personality, don't understand me wrong! I'm thinking more about how characters are designed and the vibes they can instantly give. Oh, and she likes doing experiments, so maybe one went wrong, and now she has a prosthesis made from branches of trees? This could look cool, plus I'm pretty sure Flora would be like "well, stuff happens".

Layla/Aisha - for some reason I like to imagine her being tall, like the tallest of the group, maybe like 182cm. And of course with a toned body! After all, she's very into sport and dance, I think her muscles would be visible. An hourglass or a rectangle shape, I think.

Musa - while Layla for some reason is tall in my mind, I imagine Musa as the shortest one. Maybe because of her fiery temper, short characters with fire personalities are always entertaining. Plus, this would add the dynamic tall friend&short friend with Aisha. Also, a rectangle shape. Or maybe an inverted triangle?

Tecna - I think it would be funny if she looked like an ideal model. An hourglass shape, 180cm. Stella would be like "ohmygodgirlyoulooksostunningcanyouwearmyprojectspleasepleaseplease" and Tecna, just hella confused, would answer "...thanks?". The beautiful girl that has no idea how beautiful she is, just minding her own business.

an official art of the reboot/season 9 for reference

#winx #winx club #winx bloom #winx flora #winx musa #winx stella #winx tecna #winx layla #winx aisha #winx headcanons #winx theories #winx reboot #winx season 9

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fullyvisible · 9 months

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I found it interesting/useful to make a list of all the songs in Heartstopper Season One paired with what's happening in the show while the song plays, so I decided to do the same for Season Two! Obviously, spoilers ahead:

1. Shatter - opening scene, Charlie and Nick texting and meeting at school

2. Out of My League - sleepover!

3. Pressure to Party - sleepover dancing!

4. The Beach - Charlie telling Tori he'll make sure it's better for Nick; end of episode one

5. Coming of Age - beginning of episode 2; parent teacher conferences

6. Paradise - playing with Nellie in the park and then kissing and looking at the photos

7. Welcome to the Sidelines - Elle at the art school open day making friends

8. You Wouldn't Like Me - sad texting about being grounded and it being hard to come out; Nick's reassuring voice message; Tao looking at posts of Elle and her new art school friends

9. Retrospect - exams, easy writing, Tao looking up how to ask out Elle

10. Things Will Be Fine - cinema date

11. The Sound - arriving at the end of term party

12. Le Temps de L'Amour - in the cinema

13. Miss U - the party continues; Tao and Elle are sad, Nick is unwell

14. Lovesong - Charlie holds Nick; end of episode 3

15. Obsessed - beginning of episode 4; loading up the busses

16. Trésor - arrival in Paris and driving past the sights

17. Un Peu Plus Souvent - wandering around Paris in pairs

18. Mona Lisa - Tao and Elle explore the museum

19. Freak Out - Charlie sees the hickey and almost says fuck; end of episode 4

20. Nobody Really Cares - beginning of episode 5; Nick texting his dad then checking on Charlie; resumes to go down to breakfast

21. Doesn't Matter (voleur de soliel) - climbing the Eiffel Tower

22. Fall in Love With a Girl - first kiss!!

23. Never Be the Same - Nick and Charlie run through Paris to meet Nick's dad; end of episode 5

24. On Était Beau - beginning of episode 6; Nick and Charlie meet Nick's dad

25. Bros - Paris Gang explores together

26. 3D Feelings - Tara's birthday party

27. Then It All Goes Away - Party continues; Tara is unhappy, Tao and Elle are in the bathroom, Isaac is surrounded by couples, Nick and Charlie see Ben

28. Hot & Heavy - Isaac goes back to the party after kissing James; Nick and Charlie on the balcony

29. Pretty Girl Lie - Charlie shuts the door on Harry; party plays spin the bottle/truth or dare

30. Deep End - Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk talk; fade to black; Nick and Charlie sleep; bus back to England; end of episode 6

31. We Can Be Anything - beginning of episode 7; Tara and Darcy have a sleepover; Nick looks through his photos and worries about Charlie; Charlie looks at photos and gets message from Ben; Elle gets into Lambert; Tao dances around his room

32. People Watching - prom outfit shopping

33. Cry! - the gang arrives at the art show and they find out Elle got in

34. Crush Culture - Isaac looks at the piece on being aro/ace and gets his leaves moment! Continues through Imogen arriving and Darcy leaving

35. Skin - background while Tao and Elle talk

36. Blush - Nick googles eating disorders; Darcy's mom yells at her and Darcy leaves; end of episode 7

37. Colors Of You - beginning of episode 8; Nick wakes up and looks at pictures of him and Charlie and posts about being boyfriends and bi

38. Run Away With Me - Tao and Elle agree to be boyfriend/girlfriend; prom setup

39. Young - the gang arrives at prom

40. Happy New Year - prom; Tara is looking for Darcy

41. Just Like Heaven - Tao and Elle dance, Mr. Farouk arrives, Isaac takes the ace book, Imogen watches Sahar play

42. All the Things - prom continues; Nick and Charlie hold hands and decide to leave; Darcy arrives

43. Seven - Tara and Darcy say "I love you" and the gang has their own prom party

44. UR So Pretty - Charlie and Nick kiss and Charlie leaves; contemplates texting "I love you;" end of season 2

#heartstopper #heartstopper soundtrack #heartstopper season 2 #heartstopper spoilers #music #I DID like the Season One soundtrack better but Season Two is still very solid

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historicallyaccuratecheese · 4 months

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I’m now halfway through The Magnus Archives’ 1st season, so I thought it would be cool to just post my thoughts on each episode so far :). (Spoilers, I like all of them, and this podcast is going to be all I care about for a while.) Also NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!!

Link to Masterpost (contains all of these thought posts)

- Episode 1, Anglerfish 🚬

Statement of Nathan Watts, regarding an encounter on Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh.

Really strong start, not the scariest episode so far but definitely unnerving, and it gives a good first impression and layer of intrigue. While the story is simple in comparison to the later ones, it was still enjoyable, and I was just appreciating the atmosphere and framing device of the episode as well.

- Episode 2, Do Not Open ⚰️

Statement of Joshua Gillespie, regarding his time in the possession of an apparently empty wooden casket.

This is still one of my favorites. The whole time I was on edge, and this was the first episode that really kept me up at night. I went from wanting to know what was inside the coffin desperately, to wanting to stay away from it as much as possible. Joshua’s insuring dread and creative solution to his problems was fantastic, and it ends with some intriguing plot threads being set up.

- Episode 3, Across The Street 📓

Statement of Amy Patel, regarding the alleged disappearance of her acquaintance Graham Folger.

I think I share a common sentiment when I say that Amy stalking Graham was almost as creepy as the actual horror lmao. Overall I don’t have that much to say about this one, but it was very enjoyable, and I feel really bad for Graham in retrospect :(.

- Episode 4, Pageturner 📕

Statement of Dominic Swain, regarding a book briefly in his possession in the winter of 2012.

I…feel like I should hold off on talking about this one for now. While it was definitely well written and creepy, it just seems to be so full of setup for future plot lines that I almost don’t feel like I can form a concise opinion on it until I really get what’s going on. Honestly, my only complaint with this episode is that maybe it’s setting up TOO much in one go, but I still had a good time with it overall.

- Episode 5, Thrown Away 🗑️

Statement of Kieran Woodward, regarding items recovered from the refuse of 93 Lancaster Road, Walthamstowe.

This one actually did a pretty good job at getting me to think about waste disposal workers lmao, I never really thought about them like that before. This one was just really creepy, but also kind of fun in a weird twisted way. It did a great job keeping me on edge as well.

- Episode 6, Squirm 🪱

Statement of Timothy Hodge, regarding his sexual encounter with Harriet Lee and her subsequent death.

I am simultaneously horrified, and unfortunately aroused by what happened here.

- Episode 7, The Piper 🔫

Statement of Staff Sgt. Clarence Berry, regarding his time serving with Wilfred Owen in the Great War.

Having an episode set nearly 100 years ago is a really fun idea, and it’s executed perfectly here. It was interesting how it also featured a real person, and I liked how the paranormal activity felt more metaphorical here, it really did feel like it was showcasing the horror of war.

- Episode 8, Burned Out 🌳

Statement of Ivo Lensik, regarding his experiences during the construction of a house on Hill Top Road, Oxford.

I found this one to be very nerve-wracking, since not only was the whole scenario with the tree just, like…three creepy things happening at once, but the fact that the statement was given by someone with schizophrenia did a good job making me question it’s validity, even though I’m certain it’s true after listening to a later statement. I also hope that I get to see how the history of the house is unveiled in the future.

- Episode 9, A Father’s Love 💡

Statement of Julia Montauk, regarding the actions and motivations of her father, the serial killer Robert Montauk.

This one made me feel really sad :(. I really felt Julia’s despair in this one (Jonathan Sims does such great voice acting for every statement btw, both the character and the actual person), and I was even more saddened by the implications of why Robert did what he did. If my assumptions are correct, then…SCREW THE MOTHER! It was also the first one that got me thinking about where exactly all of the paranormal stuff comes from, and later episodes only add to my theory that it’s all due to demons/cults/higher powers.

- Episode 10, Vampire Killer 🧛‍♂️

Statement of Trevor Herbert, regarding his life as a self-proclaimed vampire hunter.

Much like Episode 8, this one did a really good job at making me question the validity of the statement, although I became more sure of its truth a bit earlier. I also just love how nonchalant Trevor comes off as, compared to all of the other traumatized horror victims. (Also, I’m guessing that the name Trevor and the episode title are meant to be a Castlevania reference?) While vampires aren’t the most creative thing for an episode, at least in comparison to everything else, the beast-like execution here more than made up for it in my opinion.

- Episode 11, Dreamer 💭

Statement of Antonio Blake, regarding his recent dreams about Gertrude Robinson, previous Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute.

Yeah…Gertrude Robinson did not die a normal death. My guess is that she was caught by ✨the horrors✨, but I’ll wait and see. This was another very tense episode, with the prophetic dream world being really, REALLY creepy. I do hope we get to see more of “Antonio” in the future, as I think he could be quite important. (I also hope he gets punched for DUMPING GRAHAM IN HIS TIME OF NEED-)

- Episode 12, First Aid 🏥

Statement of Lesere Saraki, regarding a recent night-shift at St. Thomas Hospital, London.

OMG GERARD KEAY HI HI HI HI HOW ARE YOU!!! Yeah I audibly gasped when he showed up again, it was such a cool moment. Anyways, hospitals already creep me the fuck out so this was pretty effective. Definitely some great setup here, and it helped to make a bit more sense of Pageturner, now that I have a better idea of what Gerard’s whole deal is. It also added some good fuel to the whole cult idea, and my god this poor nurse. Having to deal with all of this in a single night sounds like hell.

- Episode 13, Alone 🌫️

Statement of Naomi Herne, regarding the events following the funeral of her fiancé, Evan Lukas. Statement taken direct from subject.

Having a new voice in this episode was really cool, and Katie Davison did an excellent job as Naomi! It was also cool to see how Jon interacts with other people, he was…nicer than expected. This episode honestly felt like it was calling me out, as I am also someone who’s confident in my independence, but if I was in Naomi’s place I would also probably be scared shitless. I really hope she’ll get a happy ending :(. Also, The Lukas family is quite intriguing, especially since we now know they have a connection to The Institute…

- Episode 14, Piecemeal 👆

Statement of Lee Rentoul, regarding the murder of his associate Paul Noriega.

Firstly, this is probably my favorite of Jon’s vocal deliveries. His performance of Lee Rentoul just feels perfect. (Once again, this applies to both the writer and the character, I’m genuinely convinced the latter is an ex-theatre kid.) Outside of that, THIS ONE CREEPED ME OUT. The body horror was very effective, with the only thing holding it back being the fact that Lee isn’t the most likable protagonist in the podcast, but if this happened to someone else I’d be even more upset. Still though, it was a very creative concept, and the whole vibe and execution of the episode made it great.

- Episode 15, Lost Johns’ Cave 🕯️

Statement of Laura Popham, regarding her experience exploring the Three Counties System of caves with her sister Alena Sanderson.

What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fu-

- Episode 16, Arachnophobia 🕷️

Statement of Carlos Vittery, regarding his arachnophobia and its manifestations.

The way they tackled the concept in the title was really well done. Arachnophobia is seen as an irrational fear by a lot of people, so having it portrayed as an effect of childhood trauma was a good call. And as someone who is not arachnophobic, this episode got me close to feeling that way. What ever force was making Carlos relive his trauma is a sick fuck. Also the cat was a real one, glad he survived the whole situation. (Also THE WORMS, HOLY SHIT IT’S THE SEX WORMS!!!)

- Episode 17, The Boneturner’s Tale 🦴

Statement of Sebastian Adekoya, regarding a new acquisition at Chiswick Library.

This episode really compelled me to get out the rubber bands connecting images lmao. I really liked all of the connections to past statements here, like the presence of another book from the library of Jurgen Leitner, to the mention of Micheal Crew. The body horror here was once again very creepy, (outside of the flat rat, that was morbidly funny), but my favorite part of the episode was the introduction of Elias, which was a humorous, but also very intriguing scene. Also, the themes of books containing power was great as well. Great stuff all around.

- Episode 18, The Man Upstairs 🥩

Statement of Christof Rudenko, regarding his interactions with a first floor resident of Welbeck House, Wandsworth.

…ew. Ok in all seriousness, this is probably my least favorite episode so far. Still very far from bad, but after all of the extremely interesting themes and plot threads, having an episode where the idea was just “What if a guy had a house covered in meat? Wouldn’t that be fucked up?”, felt just a little bit underwhelming. Which like, the fact that my least favorite episode’s biggest problem is that I find it slightly pales in comparison to previous ones is just a testament to how much I’ve been enjoying the podcast. Still though, there were definitely a few things I really liked. The reveal of the room was creepy (especially considering the meat that seemed…alive…), and as someone who has had to deal with upstairs neighbors making noise for hours during construction, this episode definitely scared me.

- Episode 19, Confession, and Episode 20, Desecrated Host ✝️

Statement of Father Edwin Burroughs, regarding his claimed demonic possession.

This, alongside Lost Johns’ Cave, was one (or I guess, two…) of those episodes that seriously fucked me up. While I am not religious, I have always had fears of how religion can negatively affect me and the people around me, despite the good that it seems to do for so many people. So seeing Edwin be charged for every “sin” he committed by a higher power that wishes to steal its faith, and then not get judged by it, but by the people around him for his one true sin, was absolutely haunting, and I hope he turns out ok in the end. Outside of the horror, the episodes were fantastic. Listening to the events of Episode 8 from Edwin’s perspective, and seeing how Ivo’s actions saved him, was really cool, and solidifies in my mind that Ivo’s experience was real. The connections to demonic magic and Latin script thickened, and it was overall just a great mid-season finale. In conclusion, I hope that Martin feels better soon, and if he isn’t actually sick and is being plagued by ✨the horrors✨, well then I hope he survives :).

Thank you for reading my silly little thoughts if you’ve made it this far, it really means a lot to me :). I’ll probably update this every time I finish half of a season, so hopefully my thoughts on episodes 21-40 will be here in the Reblogs soon. :)

#tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #Gertrude Robinson #elias bouchard #joshua gillespie #gerard keay #jurgen leitner #Ivo lensik #Edwin Burroughs #naomi herne #Julia Montauk #Robert Montauk

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weaselbeaselpants · 3 months

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If I were a cartoon review youtuber, some of my videos would definitely be:

Underrated Animated films you should see vol. 1 - ongoing

Complete look at Skunk Fu! and all it's episodes

What's ACTUALLY wrong with Illumination films (spoiler: it's not the designs). And that video would probably have a sequel ironically unironically accusing Chris Meladandri of being a White Walker who rips out movies' souls.

Disturbing Animated Film Iceberg.

A calming, sweet short retrospective on The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends.

Killing off the idea of "endgame". Tho, tbf, I'm definitely going to be writing that thesis statement down someday. I guess in video format it'd be a big "did this series REALLY fall off cuz the creator catered to fans?" breakdown of a few shows.

A video about 9. Because of course I'd make something about 9.

Politically heavy (but not horror) animated films.

An essay explaining the difference between what I want to see in a story vs what's actually good in a story; and likewise the difference between what I personally do/don't find offensive and what's objectively offensive as a viewer.

The dichotomy and standards between different talking animal films.

A review about Mary and Max and why I like it but it's okay if other autists don't. which would be a broader video about how to listen to the opinions of demographics and minorities and not to treat any one as a hivemind.

Movies that I dislike but aren't actually bad.

Movies I love that aren't really all that good.

A deeper dive on my take that Steven Universe was always deeply flawed but having an otherwise working ending; where Star vs was a well-written show that utterly biffed it on the ending.

The Swan Princess is secret conservative propaganda.

The 31 dumbest things in Oogies Revenge.

Zero's Journey is the only good TNBC continuation.

13 Horror animated Feature Films. For Halloween, of course...

My issue with Dreamworks' stans and why I dislike How to Train You Dragon 2.

My issues with Anti v Proshipping. Def would be a multi part series explaining why I think most of the problem is just people really aggresively bulling one another -AND THEN, getting into heinous fandom shit that no one talks about and the ethics of children online and freedom of expression.

Prolly then would make an exclusive (cuz it's dirty) review abt the rights of r34 and adult artists and what they had to/have to put up with both from peers and websites banning explicit material.

What absolutely doesn't work about Pocahontas and Anastasia.

I'd do a series called "Spitball Re-haul" wherein I go through a revisioned show's premise and then explain all the reasons for the changes. I'd make:

How I'd rewrite The Owl House season 3.

How I'd rewrite Star vs the Forces of Evil "Cleaved".

How I'd rewrite Strange Magic.

How I'd rewrite Raya and the Last Dragon.

How I'd rewrite Seasons 4-8 of Friendship is Magic.

My tinfoil hat video on Disney trying to profit so much off of fans is hurting their bases.

Mapping out and analyzing different types of crossover fiction, their merits and their issues with story-keeping.

Mythological and cultural animated films.

and finally, for when I'd muster up the strength:

an HBomberGuy-type callout/deepdive into MysteriousMrEnter and Lily Orchard and how they've made cartoon reviews worse.

#cartoon #cartoon criticism #animation criticism #cartoon reviewers #animation review #critical fandom #the owl house critical #svtfoe critical #Steven Universe critical #mysteriousmrenter #mr enter #lily orchard

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upchuckedgaming · 5 months

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Sharing Hermitcraft with the Person I Love

Growing up, I never really thought about the person that I would potentially spend the rest of my life with; how our separate interests would interact and coexist. And probably, it was because I didn't think I'd meet someone with those interests or someone who would accept me for who I am. So that just never really crossed my mind, until I met my partner.

Ever since the middle of high school and into college, I always felt my interests were a little 'childish', not necessarily because they were specifically made for children, but rather that it wasn't the 'standard, main-stream' things to like. One of those interest that have been with me for a long time and is very dear to me is the Minecraft SMP server Hermitcraft. As someone who grew up with series like Minecrack and watching some veterans of the Minecraft YouTube space (SethBling, Ethoslab, GenerikB, etc), when I was introduced to Hermitcraft back in Season 2, it was something that I truly felt like I was missing before then. I had seen Minecrack, The Cube, and many other servers rise and fall over my time watching Minecraft content, but no server had ever felt so special to me and, obviously, so many others.

As such, I was hesitant to share Hermitcraft with my partner, who I knew was never in the Minecraft YouTube space much (but likes playing Minecraft), because I was scared. What if my partner thinks this is dumb? What if they think that I need to focus on other things? In retrospect, this is dumb. My partner loves me and supports me every second of every day, but that's beside the point.

At the start of Season 9 of Hermitcraft, I decided to introduced my partner to GeminiTay, one of the newer Hermitcraft players at the time, and started watching her episodes together at the start of the season so they could have a fresh start. And I am so happy I did. We have watched all of Gem's videos this season as they came out, and over the course of the season, we started watching more creators from Hermitcraft and that general Traffic SMP sphere together, and I cannot imagine enjoying this content without my partner at this point. From the start of Beef's development on Hermitcraft TCG to the depths of the Frost Citadel and Decked Out 2, we watched this world develop and I cannot be happier.

What really kicked off this post, however, was the release of the physical version of Hermitcraft TCG. Now, this was actually something that my partner bought for me first, as they ordered me the combo booster box and playbox they had on sale. But within the day or two after they bought a set for me, I decided to get my partner a set as well. So after months of waiting, they finally got delivered about a week ago. My package came a day before theirs, so we waited until we unboxed them together. Since we got the combo, we each received a special slabbed card with the potential for a signed card. As my partner opened theirs, they saw that they received a signed Bdubs card, and they were so shocked and surprised! They knew that I had been watching him for years, but also, he has become a favorite for them (both with the Hermitcraft series, but also Building with Bdubs), and it just made me so happy that they got someone that they knew and enjoyed (for those wondering: I got a signed foil XB card, aww yeah)!

And as we opened up the packs that came in the booster box, my partner was so excited to pull rare Gem, Cleo, and Scar cards (some of their faves) and already started thinking about making a deck with them. I cannot tell you how much happiness I felt in that moment as we shared our mutual love for this silly Minecraft SMP and the people that contribute to it. We joked that we initially were only going to get a single set, but getting one for each of us was so incredibly worth it. Heck, my partner even said, "Well, now we have cards for Hermits to sign if we meet!"

Now, is there really a point to this post? Not really, more so just wanted to both put my experience into perspective for myself, but also to thank all those creators in the Hermitcraft/Traffic SMP sphere for creating a space where sharing my interest of the server not only helped me grow closer with my partner, but also spawned a new fan at the same time! Sorry for the rambling!

#hermitcraft #hermitblr #traffic smp #trafficblr #geminitay #bdoubleo100 #goodtimeswithscar #zombiecleo #xbcrafted #vintagebeef #hermitcraft tcg #text post #ramblings

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