#so *throws this meta at you like confetti*

[killian-whump]

Okay... so there's a new Colin interview here. It's a joint interview with Rothberg, so be warned of that if he's someone you can't stand. Like all of us. We all can't stand him.

ANYWAY. Moving on. I'm going to put my thoughts about it here, because I have a lot of thoughts - some good, some not-so-good, and I like to share them. Plus, I'm a little bored.

Colin says this about the TSR show: "I love music, I love acting, I love film, and it was an opportunity to get to speak to some really incredible creators and stuff like that, so it was a lot of fun." Which is exactly what I've thought all along - he's in it for the fun of talking to some rock stars about topics he loves. No news there.

He talks more about the interviews and interviewing and the interviewees and... if you're seeing a trend here, I don't think that's on accident. It's obvious this is what Colin's involvement is about. I don't honestly think he could care less about the tech aspects of the project.

Which is why, predictably, as soon as they start talking tech nonsense, they switch to talking to Rothberg. He babbles some bullshit, throwing tech buzzwords around like confetti, then tries to drag Colin into his bullshit by reminding everyone he's a producer on the show: "Having his tutorage, you know, and I've worked in the industry for many years, but his insights into producing is mind-blowing. It was something I was actually shocked to actually see the levels of his knowledge and his foresight, and it has really kept the team going."

Now listen. Being a "producer" on a project can mean anything from nothing to everything, and we don't know where the truth lies - but I don't see Rothberg giving Colin much creative control here at all. Maybe - Maybe - when it comes to the actual interviews and the people/subjects they choose to focus on - you know, the interview stuff Colin's interested in here that Rothberg doesn't seem to give two shits about. But the rest of this project, all the parts we don't like, I highly doubt Colin's leading the team on that front. But nice try at trying to make it sound like he's involved in your tech bro nonsense, Rothberg. Nice try.

And then Colin interrupts Rothberg with, "I only played it down so that he'd say something nice about me. That’s all." Classic Colin being Colin and saying Colin things. But... we also know why he played it down, lol. We know, baby. It's okay. We love you.

So then they start talking about Colin's music career and Rothberg says, "We have very big exciting plans for Colin’s music stuff."

NO YOU DON'T.

BITCH, YOU DON'T.

Don't you touch my baby's music stuff. Don't you even breathe on it. Don't you look at it. It's not for you. I swear to God, if you taint his lovely musical offerings with your money-grubbing douchebag ways, I will hunt you down and do terrible things to you. I'm so upset right now, I cannot even think of terrible things to do to you, but believe me, I will think of them and do them and you will be sorry.

O'Donoghue just laughed, "I’m saying we’ll see. That’s what I’m saying." Oh. Oh, okay. That's Colin-speak for no. Whew. Do not let that man have anything to do with anything he doesn't already have his hands on, Colin.

I need a moment. I need to calm down. Dear God. I need a drink. Maybe a long vacation. I'm too old for this shit.

Anyway, so Rothberg goes on some more about the Metaverse and all these big plans about immersive games and meet-and-greets and a bunch of other things that are on the "roadmap" - a word that basically means nothing in meta-speak, because 95% of the things on it will never, ever happen. Tech bros are basically selling you the idea of things they could do - even though most of them are impossible and/or not financially feasible. He adds, "Of course, there'll be all kinds of wonderful retail opportunities." because of course there will be. If he could get away with it, he'd stick Colin in a box on a street corner and charge people a grand a pop just to look at him.

Then the interview gets to something actually interesting - Once Upon a Time. Even Colin gets visibly interested at this point: 'I also shared that I had purchased a prop from Once Upon a Time a few years ago. It wasn't particularly exciting (Liam Jones' enlistment papers from "Good Form"), but O'Donoghue instantly lit up.' This is why we love this precious cupcake. He wears his heart on his sleeve and when he loves something, you know it.

He takes the interviewer on an adorable tour of the stuff he took from the Once set that I think we're all jealous of. And he goes into what the interviewer calls a "passionate description" about the show and what it means to people and how much it means to him that he was able to be a part of it and... You know what? I'm just gonna say what I already said: When he loves something, you know it.

They talk about the possibility of a reunion (and nothing he says here is indicative of one in the works, so settle yourselves down) and Rothberg chimes in that they could do the reunion in the metaverse and Colin replies, "Or a reunion in the metaverse. But, look, what was great about Once Upon a Time..." which translates to:

Have I mentioned lately that I fucking love him?

The interview continues with more of Colin talking about his experiences on Once and... Look. It's obvious where his heart is and where it isn't - and overall, this is a good and fun interview with Colin, minus the parts where Rothberg and his dumb ideas have any part in what's going on.

And yes, we're going to keep dunking on Rothberg forever, because he's a coward who never once addressed those of us who were speaking out about the n-f-t nonsense for months - but then attacked someone speaking out for the first time because he thought he saw weakness in her that he could exploit and mock. In doing so, he exposed himself as an ableist asshole to us all, and I have no respect whatsoever for him. Also, you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us. We don't put up with bullies in this fandom.

But we sure do love Colin, and that hasn't changed.

And this project is all about using Colin's likeability, Once's popularity, and Colin's already-existing fanbase to prop up and fund Rothberg's tech bro fantasies. That hasn't changed, either.

But Colin knows what's up. We know what's up. We can enjoy the Colin goodness where it shines through and toss the rest.

#colin o'donoghue #purposely not tagging this #with anything else #except #tsr debacle

[lawnhive]

The Power of SEO Content writing behind the success of Digital Marketing

Hey there, let's dive into the world of digital marketing, where we use all those online platforms to shout out about cool products and services to the folks who are actually interested. I mean, who isn't consuming digital stuff every single day, right? Traditional marketing is slowly waving goodbye, and the digital world is taking the stage. The best part? Digital marketing doesn't cost an arm and a leg like the old-school methods.

Now, imagine you're a business – big or small, doesn't matter. Having your online presence is like wearing that trendy jacket to a party. Everyone's doing it. And guess what? This huge demand for SEO content writers is on the rise. What's all the buzz about, you ask? Well, stick around, 'cause I'm about to spill the beans on what SEO content writing is all about and why it's a big deal in the digital marketing universe.

What exactly is  SEO Writing?

SEO content writing is like giving your website a makeover to make it more popular with search engines. You know those results that pop up when you type something on Google? Yeah, we're talking about those. Good SEO content writing means your website struts its stuff right at the top of those search results. And to do that, you gotta be a champ at a few things:

Playing by the Rules: Use those fancy header tags the right way.

Connecting the Dots: Throw in some links inside your site to connect the dots.

No Keyword Overload: Spice up your content with keywords, but don't go overboard.

Everybody's Welcome: Write so well that both humans and search engines love it.

Difference Between SEO and Content  Writing?

Aha, great question! So, SEO content writing is like writing with a mission – to make your website shine on search engines. It's like giving your content a secret weapon that makes it stand out. On the other hand, regular content writing is a bit more chill. It's about talking to your audience, whether it's through blogs, articles, or even social media posts. The goal here? Engage 'em, establish your brand, and maybe get 'em to hit that "buy now" button.

Why's SEO Writing a Big Deal for Websites and Stuff?

Imagine you're throwing a party and you want everyone to show up. SEO content writing is your invitation to the online party. You see, when you use the right words and polish up your content, search engines are like, "Hey, this site's pretty cool!" They push your site higher up in search results. And guess what? More people drop by your virtual party. But it's not just about getting clicks. Quality SEO writing also keeps folks engaged and convinced, which is like winning the party game.

Meet the SEO Content Writer Extraordinaire

The SEO content writer create super interesting content that not only reads like a breeze but also shoots your website up in search results. They're like the wizards of words who dive into keywords, know your audience like a BFF, whip up captivating articles, and sprinkle them with the right keywords so search engines just can't ignore 'em.

Your Guide to Nailing SEO Content

Okay, let's get practical. Whether you're an aspiring SEO writer or a business aiming for online fame, here's your cheat sheet for creating awesome content that both humans and search engines adore:

Unearth Keywords and Topics: Dig up those keywords using cool tools.

Catchy Headlines and Meta Magic: Write headlines that sparkle and meta descriptions that make people curious.

Rock Solid Content: Whip up top-notch stuff that answers questions and solves problems.

Search Engine Love: Sprinkle those keywords like confetti, but keep it natural.

Links Rule: Add links inside and out to keep things interesting and build trust.

And there you have it – the lowdown on mastering the art of SEO content writing in a friendly chat. Ready to give your digital marketing game a boost? You've got this! Remember, it's not just about writing for search engines; it's about creating content that speaks to real people. With engaging headlines, top-notch content, and relevant , researched  keywords, you can make your mark in the online world.

#digital marketing #seo content writing #Lawnhive #Perth #Australia #Website

[aceofwhump]

Hello. I've been debating messaging for a while now, mostly because I'm just so new to this community (if I even count as being a part of it?); I knew about 'whump' long ago back on fanfiction.net and had definitely identified with it in a way I hadn't thought possible, but once I stopped going on there I went back to hiding my whumping away in my dreams and never knowing that there were like-minded people out there. I spent years thinking I was some sort of sadist and being ashamed of myself, and I still am, and am still wildly confused about it all. However, recently I found you and an influx of other 'whump' blogs and it astounded me that you all existed. I suddenly felt less alone and less like a freak. I wanted to say that your blog, among many others, is very relieving and encouraging for me, so I thank you, and I hope to learn more and more about this 'Whump' stuff and all it entails, and maybe make more sense about how I feel about it and why and all that jazz. I don't know how I'll figure that stuff out but I'm hoping to try. XD Anyway, I hope you have a lovely day, and keep up the whumpy goodness, 'cause I'm loving it. :)

Hi there!! First of all WELCOME THE WHUMP COMMUNITY!!!! *throws confetti* This is the best community. Everyone is so nice and welcoming and don't even worry about if you belong in it or not because EVERYONE is welcome in this community. YOU are welcome in this community! I'm so glad you've found us :D We've all gone through a period of feeling badly about our love of whump best rest assured you are not bad or weird or any of that! Whump is just a genre of fiction that we all like. Nothing bad about that at all! You have nothing to feel ashamed of!

To learn more about whump and what kind of tropes you enjoy and everything else you can start right here! I have a page of trope tags you can check out here. See which ones you enjoy!

The whumpapedia is also good for finding whumpy shows or movies and you can search it by trope too so if you find a trope you like you can use the whumpapedia to find a show with it. Here's a link to the whumpapedia.

This is the whump community directory (@whumpcommunity). Use this to find new blogs to follow. Everyone is super nice and we all love chatting about our favorite whump tropes and fanfics and movies and tv shows and everything so feel free to send messages or respond to posts! We love to chat!

If you want to explore some more meta stuff about whump (why we like it, what it is, etc.) check out my tags #why%20we%20like%20whump, #whump%20community, #what%20is%20whump,

I've got a tag full of whumpy prompts for fic writing and such but can also be a fun way to see which tropes you enjoy.

And finally I've put together an ongoing fanfic rec list that you can find here that has all the whump fanfics I've read listed by fandom.

Go forth and enjoy yourself!!! You are not alone at all and I promise you we have all been where you are. Don't be afraid to ask questions, talk to people, and check out different things :D We're a good community here. I love this community.

#ask #mod replies #whump community #WELCOME! #this is a queue

[kehideni]

Ahh right i owe a Guild Wars 2 What lies beneath post..

SO!! Good things first: the suggested topic of the following who-knows-how-many installments. I really didn’t expect Arenanet, and i’ll go further: ANY mmorpg to EVER even come close to smelling a single WIFF of the mental state their main character is in due to the things the writers and the players put them through. I think it’s a great idea, just like when they killed the commander in PoF. It was ballsy, dramatic, and payed off well. If they can repeat that i’m gonna kiss my monitor for granting me the privilege to see this with one character twice.

The jokes were funny, the animations (exspecially charr eating ramen x’‘‘D if you haven’t seen it yet, look it up. it’s so funny and adorable and real), the connections between the rag-tag team we got for ourselves now. A+

BUT!

Icebrood Saga started out great just like this, and due to poor planning and a sudden steer of the wheel we all know how that panned out. Eventhough the charr and the norn really deserved to have the sort of spotlight IBS promised. And i can’t help but be kinda salty that once again, we are human focused. (and by human spotlight... i mean...that kinda involves everything GW1... it’s nice to get stuff from the source material, but mine too deep and you end up like World of Warcraft, an incoherent mess that lacks direction and literally had to take back SIX(6) expansion’s worth of steps, to be back on square 1 again, and i find it hilarious that this is why DF is praised so much as an expansion)

Once again, nothing wrong with taking from the source material, just don’t let that be your go-to every single time. GW2 is known for reinventing ideas, i just don’t want them to stop that good habit of theirs.

Onto the regrettable stuff: this update was too short. I hope it was this short only because it’s a prologue but IBS burned me once, i’m not gonna hold out my hand twice.

Also wtf Marjory, why wasn’t i invited to the wedding? How are you on your honeymoon with Kas if i WASN’T.AT.THE.FKEN.WEDDING?! Yes i know, that’s not really a thing a player can... er... play but like a little sniplet from it would have been enough... maybe show the new character animations there? Surely the commander could have slurped ramen at their wedding... and throw confetti, and like just have a 1-2 liner with characters you wanna check up on. How is my man Rytlock doing???? You wouldn’t even need voiceacting for it, just regular ol’ chat bubbles, come AAAWWWWN

The sinfully bad:

The new lootchests are a fkin scam. Mate-y, if i do a meta event then i want my reward. When all i had to pay for keys are shitty scraps i could farm without any active farming, just doing the meta there was no problem. But to pay for keys with MATERIALS??!?! B** I’M COLLECTING THE MATERIALS FOR LEGENDARIES!!! WHY WOULD I TRADE THAT UP FOR SHITTY GREEN UNIDENTIFIED STUFF?! uuuuuuuuuuuuuugggh Anet, who thought of this?! Why didn’t you give them a cup of coffee to wake up?!

Also ambushes are fkin brutal man... i love the extra challenge but come on.. atleast give those fkers’ abilities a cooldown where i can fakkIIIN USE ANY OF MY ABILITIES!! Once again, everyone that is not a guardian is fked over.

To close it in a positive note: the male charr voiceactor was perfect, they sounded just as broken and traumatised as i wanted a big ass warrior cat to be after being put through 5 different hells and back, and dying, and then losing their dragon-jesus daughter, and PTSD, and you all know i could still go on. Can’t wait to hear Palawa Joko’s monologue echo back on us, i’m calling it now!

“The scars you have gouged into it spell out your name for ALL to see” rawest. fkin. line. in an MMO. ever!!!

#guild wars 2 #spoilers #rant #what lies beneath #end of dragons

[dissonantdreamer]

“We let you both live...”

Abby lowers the gun in her hand. For all that she went through, all the pain of losing her father that killing Joel didn’t mitigate. The anguish of waking up and knowing that the blood on her hands didn’t cancel out her father’s drying blood on the hospital floor. To walk away from Jackson to go back to the same life as before, this time with the weight of the heinous act she committed added on to the weight of grief and loss. Lev and Yara, they lightened the load. Brought her direction after years of focusing every waking moment honing her mind and body to complete an ultimately fruitless goal that she lost not only herself in but her friends and loved ones too. What she wouldn’t give for a chance to walk away the second she found out Joel’s name. To keep her burden to herself. Yet here these two are, they came here from Jackson and killed everyone she has ever cared about. After she spared them? Spared them from the torment she suffered and her they went and sought it out themselves. Abby levels the gun at this ungrateful woman before her.

“... And you wasted it.” 

The girl runs and remorse leaves Abby with the pull of the trigger as her bullet pierces Tommy’s skull. He took more from her than Joel ever did and this girl, she helped him, why else would she be here hundreds of miles from Jackson threatening her all throughout their twisted, deadly game of hide and seek.

Blood is shed, and it coats more than just her skin and clothes. Finally after getting the upper hand, Abby heaves the unconscious body of the pregnant girl who rushed her to protect her stupid friend, who sliced open Abby’s arms and cheek open, to face her limp body towards this girl, this Ellie. Bleeding... begging and pleading, on the ground front of her.

This girl’s mouth moves but she hears none of it, not with the rush of her own blood crashing in her ears like waves against the shore drowning out everything but the droning rage in her limbs.  Abby stares as her blood and blood of any of her friends’ Ellie helped Tommy kill stains her blue shirt. After all this girl said she’d fucking kill Abby, screamed the words at her as she brought down the 9 iron one final time. What she mistook for anguish had clearly become a promise.

Abby knows this blood between them will seep into this girl’s soul, where it will weigh her down. Late at night if, she’s exhausted herself enough to fall asleep, this endless cycle of guilt and hatred, will wake her up. Lingering on the razors edge that separates her dreams from reality; and it will haunt her every waking moment in between. Abby recognizes the anger, watches it ebb away to fear, to helplessness.  The same  despondent stare she saw in her own reflection when she washed Joel’s blood off her face, before smashing the mirror in the chalet bathroom.

It’s Abby’s survival instinct that disarmed and subdued this girl in her arms. It’s Abby’s own grief, built up, into a thin armor, a second skin, over the hours, the days, the months, the years, that revels at the thought of an eye for an eye. It’s her own rage, molten in her veins, that picked up the discarded knife, and sets to dig it into this unconscious girls throat, draw blood.  A final payment for their transgressions.

How foolish, Abby thinks, to make the same mistakes. You followed my path and now we both suffer for your arrogance. She clenches her jaw, it’s good, they won’t have to suffer much longer.

Lev calls her name and saves her from becoming this husk again. He keeps Abby from twisting her own arm until it pops out its socket and hangs limply at her side. From crippling herself until she’s once again flitting around aimlessly, a bird with a clipped wing.

She stands. Sparing this broken shell of a person one last glance.

“Don’t ever let me see you again.”

Abby walks past Lev and up the stairs. His quiet footsteps follow her out.

Back through the theater.

Past the dead.

She turns to Lev, he's still with her.

They push out into the storm.

The rain cleanses her wounds, washes her clean.

And she’s gone.

#this started off as an analysis about how abby probably saw herself in ellie during their fight #put two and two together even if she didn't know who joel was to ellie exactly but saw the same pain she felt for years #and how close their parallels really were #even though abby wasn't spared by joel the extension of living to ellie was supposed to help her sleep #and it didn't work #then it turned into this #because it's late and i've gotten very few hours of sleep these last two days #so *throws this meta at you like confetti* #enjoy #shit's tense #by which i mean #i have forgotten what tenses are #abby #abby anderson #the last of us 2 #meta? #dissonantscreams #there is something about rain cleansing abby and the ocean cleansing ellie #that is riiiiiiiight there that i'll explore after i sleep

[dmmd-color-theory]

Hey! I... Guess you'll never see this post, considering your old post was made so long ago... But I just stumbled across this blog and thought it was a great idea. I know you've never seen me before, and I probably shouldn't care, but after reading your last post... I can only hope you're doing okay. And if you have any other blog where you're still active, it'd be cool to follow you there!

*throws confetti up in the air bc social distancing means I can't get someone to help with my dramatic entrance*

Hi, hello, admin here!! Thanks for your concern and your ask, I've been sitting on this one for a while because I was still processing the fact that someone out there found this blog years after I made it and cared enough to come check on me. (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

If you're adjacent to or new to DRAMAtical murder, have a belated welcome to the fandom (or at least a wave on your way past)! I know you said that we don't know each other and maybe you shouldn't care, but I'd like to respectfully disagree. I'm very happy (and touched!!!) that a stranger on the internet saw I was struggling in 2017 and took the time to come drop something into my ask box even though they knew there was a high chance I might never see it. That year was a low point in my mental health journey and I've never quite hit that level again until this pandemic. I wish I could tell you with confidence that I'm okay, but that would be very close to a lie. I don't think anyone right now is truly "okay," but wherever you are I hope you are doing well and you have a good 2022. ♥️

If there's anyone else who's still following this blog and active on this site, I hope you don't mind the random post on your dash. I saw that @dmmdresources had a burst of unexpected (though very welcome!) activity recently and it caused me to think of this side blog and this ask.

This isn't really an update but more like me gauging how many people on here still want DMMD content on their dash in 2022. I've some things to say so this will be a bit longer than I'd like.👇👇

If there's enough interest I may reconsider my decision to stop posting on this blog, though I will caution y'all that it'll take a while to retrieve my thoughts and meta before I make another post proper if that's the case. Disclaimer: this is not a guaranteed return, I will only consider it if this is something someone other than myself is invested in and wants to see. If there's anyone out there that wants this, let me know by reblogging this post or shooting me an ask directly! Since my last post I have developed chronic pain issues and I can't afford to put all my eggs in one basket.

So if you've missed this concept and want to see more of it, you can thank @javitaxy789 for the nudge, reblog or hit up the askbox. If not, then have a good one and thanks for giving this a bit of your time. It'll be sad for me to close the chapter of my life that was centered on this fandom, but I feel like if it ends this way then at least I'll have had some closure.

#admin speaks #older but not necessarily wiser lol #javitaxy789 #sorry for tagging you randomly i would really like you to see I appreciated your ask a lot!! #if you still want to follow me elsewhere on this site just shoot me another ask and I'll private answer you #ask dmmd-color-theory #dramatical murder

[zayray030]

Iris West Allen Birthday Headcanon

Barry Allen-Her Husband

Barry wakes up at the crack of dawn and always gives makes her the best birthday breakfast ever. He also runs around preparing the area for her when she wakes up.

And when Iris wakes up, it's always to the amazing smell of food and sees her house full of iris's.

Barry tries to stop her from leaving the house, using some *ahem* conventional methods.

(The turtle necks can be unbearable but she'll survive the rest of the day with dignity considering her friends are crazy.)

Team Citizen (Linda, Cynthia and Chester included)

Confetti is poped the moment she walks into the room.

A ton of pictures are taken and put on everyone's insta.

They all sing her happy birthday. No matter how off key it is.

They all make a group effort to make her a cake. She tries not to judge it by its cover and was so happy that she didn't.

Chester makes her a fancy gadget. (Be creative on what it can be cause I honestly don't know.)

Allegra always makes her a nice card, gives her a hug and gives her a cool leather jacket.

Kamilla shows her a scrapbook of all the photos that she's taken of Iris. Some are sexy, some are goofy and and some are cute. She looks good in every single one of them.

Linda let's her use her account for a week to buy as much coffee as she wants. That's probably the greatest gift given, considering how many articles that girl has.

Cynthia alway breaches over and gives her something unique from another earth. (The multiverse exists. Fuck you bitch)

West Family

Her dad always sings her the most unique birthday songs that has everone in tears by the end of it.

Cecile always makes sure to drop in subtle hints about new cases she can work on. (Joe hates it but the look of pure happiness on Iris's face stops him from talking)

Wally gives her an important gem or rune from his travel that symbolises something important. He also squeezes her real tight in a hug to remind himself that it's actually Iris there.

Joe also gives her a huge hug and tells her a story about her mother before the drugs happened. She's always grateful.

Jackie (fuck you she's a West) gives her some pretty clothes and make up that suits her skin tone.

Jenna (although young) gives her a hand drawn card and it's the cutest thing ever.

Team Flash

Oh my Lord, it's humiliating.

Cisco, while amazing, can't sing. It's basically a screach.

Iris just sits there and takes it because he seems so happy.

Well at least until Killer Frost has enough and threatens to throw an icicle at him.

(he takes the hint quickly)

Caitlin gives her a pare of really nice earrings and a nice jacket. She also brings a note with it that says sorry.

(Iris has tried to get her to stop but she won't listen.)

Killer Frost gets her an icicle pendant along with a chocker. She also makes her a custom ice sculpture. She also has a little note that says sorry for killing her. She also grants her infinite hugs for the rest of the day.

Cisco, my boy, gets her 3 different outfits. 1) Work. She needs to look elegant but he adds his own Cisco twist to it. 2) Meta fighting. Even though she doesn't have powers she's a bad ass and he makes sure her outfits are useful to fight. 3)Lounge wear. That boy knows comfy mood and he's got her

Ralph always gives her some new article to work on and they team up for one day any day when Iris wants.

Sue gets her beautiful jewellery .

(she still doesn't know whether she stole it or not)

All the Wells team up to help give a iris her gift. They always either tell her a story, give her beautiful relics or write up a book for her. She's always grateful for them.

Team Arrow

It's madness.

They all like to pretend that they have this in the bag.

But they don't.

They're scared that something would go wrong after Oliver (who's alive) brought her a mirror.

(it was the scariest moment of everyones life when she dropped it and started screaming and crying.)

So after that they always panic and try to get her a perfect gift.

Thea always gets her clothes. She makes sure that they would suit her skin type and limited make up.

Roy, bless his soul, gives her mint chip chocolate and is instantly swarmed with a hug.

(he didn't comment on the small tears.)

Felicity gets her 2 bottles of expensive wines from the Queen cellar along with with chocolate strawberry.

Oliver always gives her an exclusive interview and a really expensive gift.

(he tried to joke that he would show her his abs but when Barry zoomed over and his eyes crackled with lighting he shut his mouth up. Barry's scary when someone else tries to make a move on Iris.)

Laurel gets her purse and a gift bag. In the gift bag there's a small knife and gun along with jewellery.

Diggle and Lyla team up on the gift. They give her a pretty ring that Diggle made (Oliver gave him lessons.) Lyla also makes sure to fill her on in what happens at ARGUS.

The rest all buy her a chocolate cake.

Rogues

Lisa gives her a hug and a golden accessory.

(the gold goes really well with Iris's skin tone and Lisa is always jealous.)

Snart gives her an ice sculpture and teaches her a few words in Russian.

Mick writes her a book. It ranges from writing a list of reasons why people like her to a fantasy story about vampires.

The rest of the rogues make sure not to attack Central City to the week leading up to her birthday to the week after the birthday.

Team Supergirl

Kara gives her a huge hug. No matter what. Iris will always get a hug and a fly around Metropolis.

Alex gets her a gun. She knows it's not exactly normal but she knows it'll protect Iris against aliens that don't take a hint.

Mon-El (fuck you. Him and Kara are amazing) gets her a gift bag full of twizlers.

The rest of the team make a bunch of cupcakes.

Winn makes her some new tech and tries to out make Chester and sometimes Cisco to see who can make the best gift.

Lois gives her a coupon to an amazing spa because she understands the pain of having an idiot husband who's a superhero.

Clark gives her an exclusive for CC Citizen.

Batwoman

Mary makes sure that she gives Iris a shout out on her Insta because she adores her newspaper.

Kate gets her the most expensive gifts and tries to out do Oliver. It's always a competition between those two.

Luke makes her some fancy gadgets and bakes her some cookies.

Everyone teams up to get her a ton of bottles of wine, a dozen boxes of chocolates and a ton of roses.

Legends

Sara gets her artifacts from the different time lines even if it ruins the time line.

Ray gets her a pair of heels

(the first time he does it it was inside joke between him and Iris. After it became a tradition)

John Constantine makes sure to ward her. He places a ton of protective spells around her.

(everyone's grateful)

The rest of the Legends get her books.

Charlie gets her make up knowing what will suit her skin tone.

All Together

It's a fucking nightmare.

There's balloons and tinsel everywhere.

The mess is unreal.

They get dumb drunk.

They sing her happy birthday.

They eat all the cake.

(they're all glad that everyone bought Iris so much cake with Barry and Wally there along with Jesse.)

All criminals are taken care of by the rogues

In the end Barry helps Iris carry all her gifts home and as they lay down she remembers she's still loved and everyone will always protect her.

Iris West Allen is fucking loved.

Spread the fucking word.

#Iris West is loved #fuck anyone who doesn't think so #i love this queen #A lot of references to the mirror verse #im still fucking salty #protect iris West Allen #Iris West deserves better.

#iris west #iris west allen #barry allen #dctv #westallen #Joe West #wally west #cisco ramon #caitlin snow #killer frost #Harrison Wells #ralph dibny #Sue Dearbon #kamilla hwang #Allegra #Chester #Linda Park #Cecile Horton #Karamel #mon el #Team Arrow #Team Supergirl #Kate Kane #Mon El #oliver queen #felicity smoak #Roy Harper #team legends #Rogues #lisa snart

[flying-elliska]

The transformation of Lucas Lallemant pt 1 : Hell Week.

Skam OG S3  can be more or less divided in three acts, and this is even more obvious in Skam France, which has a more...dramatic style of storytelling, let’s say. Act I : Lucas meets Eliott, struggles with his internalized homophobia, develops feelings, ends with Eliott’s apparent betrayal. Act II : Lucas is isolated, struggles, finally comes out to his friends and to the world, Eliott and Lucas reunite. Act III is what’s yet to come, the revelation of Eliott’s MI, possibly elements related to Lucas’ parents and religion, and the resolution. 

I want to take a look at Act II as a unit and the essential character developpment that takes place within it, starting from the disastrous party scene at the end of Vendredi 19h21 and ending with the paint scene in Vendredi 18h34, because this is really where we can see Lucas’s arc pivot, as he is left alone to confront himself, and the nuance with which it was done is incredible in terms of storytelling. 

Fair warning, it’s going to be a long one. 

Vendredi 19h21 : Fête de trop 

It has been pointed out by many that, whereas Isak and Martino punched into bushes and garbage cans during this scene, Lucas hurts himself until his knuckles are bloody. He’s angry at the world for sure, getting in a fight with his friends, but it’s ultimately himself he blames - for having feelings, for caring, for thinking he had a chance with Eliott, for being attracted to a boy, for wanting a family that supports him, for wanting to be loved. Chloe possibly outing him by yelling Lucas is gay in a crowd, Arthur joking about his family, Eliott kissing a girl - it brings all his worst pains and fears to a head, and things he’s been repressing for the longest time just boil over, in the shape of rage and inarticulate despair. He punches his hand into the wall because he cannot speak, cannot think, cannot do anything else. It’s violence and self-harm as a symptom of powerlessness. The look on his face at the end I read as him being totally overwhelmed.

 In the background the song talks about partying to pretend to be alright - but emptiness and chaos catch on eventually. It’s ironic in a sense because the singer is talking about glitter and kissing boys in public, things Lucas very much shies away from, but in the end the result is the same, loneliness and alienation. The association of the two brings up very old themes in queer culture, specifically things gay men have had to deal with - feeling adrift, disconnected from family and people and feelings, internalized hatred, self-harm, feeling like you have nowhere to go, putting on a happy face even when you’re spiralling out, partying as a substitute for connection, and what happens when the facade breaks. At the same time, the drop after excess can have a revelatory effect. 

Even if it’s painful, this scene is necessary and kickstarts the part of his journey where he is facing his fears on his own. The hurt is a recognition of what is happening to him and how important it is. 

Lundi 08h52 : Scared but doing it anyway

That's the definition of courage.  With his bandaged hand and the slow opening, as he puts his hoodie up, he looks like a boxer stepping into the ring. Lighting is at its most overcast, blue-tinted, dark and depressing. This clip is heartbreaking, bringing Lucas's worst fears to the light. Being mocked and ostracized, turned into a vulgar joke, having been played for a fool. 

Fear number one. He sees his friends laughing at him. Lucas is a character with huge abandonment issues, understandably. As his familial situation went sideways and his sense of self was put in turmoil, he’s relied on the normalcy of his friendgroup to keep him afloat, going to great lengths to preserve their view of him - even declaring love to a girl he feels nothing for. Them laughing would feel like the ground disappearing under his feet. 

Fear number two. We can see Alex mimicking a blowjob. Through his rant to Mika about dick shaped confetti or his reaction to “Krindr” dick picks, we can see that he seems to be uneasy when it comes to the overly sexual way the gay community is often presented. And homophobic jokes and behavior tends to be overly sexual too, reducing gayness to a series of sexual acts presented as disgusting, instead of the whole love, identity and culture aspects (not that there is anything wrong with gay sexuality in itself, but when it’s reduced to only that, it would be understandable he has issues with it, especially for a teenager who’s just discovering things, belying the cliché that all men are naturally horndogs.) He's afraid of his intimate feelings and process of discovery becoming a vulgar joke, that’s very understandable. 

Fear number three. Eliott looking at him smugly. Basically confirming that he’s a player,  that this very special connection they had, something that allowed Lucas to open up and be vulnerable and artistic and bold, and muse about alternate universes and play the piano and feel comfortable enough to be happy kissing another boy - was a lie. Eliott doesn’t care and now he’s able to be on the side of the bullies because to him - like the cliché “bisexuality” Lucas had in mind talking to the girls - his attraction to boys is just a fun side piece, he can just go back to his girlfriend afterwards, whereas Lucas can’t. He’s “stuck being gay” and he’s failed at maintaing a straight façade. 

To close it off, there’s Chloé, fulfilling the narrative purpose of a ticking clock and a reminder of Lucas’ failure at straightness and imminent outing. This of course, is not really happening, but this paranoia is very typical of being a closeted queer person, of constantly having to wonder who is going to love you anyway and who is going to reject you because even when your people are mostly liberal and tolerant, there is no way to really know because of how deep homophobia is rooted in our society (see my meta about French humor). It really is Schodinger’s unconditional love. 

And then there’s Daphné. This is the first of several ‘tonal breaks’ in this arc, in which the angst is cut with moments of levity, randomness and wacky jokes that seem a little out of place but do serve a purpose narratively and in terms of themes. In this one, she goes out of her way to praise Lucas’ masculinity. It wouldn’t surprise me she already heard rumors, going from the alarmed look on her face, and wants to reassure Lucas he is still a man in her eyes. Daphné is an interesting character to do this. Because she has little brain to mouth filter, she tends to say stupid things and offend people, but at the same time, she can break through people’s walls and isolation - the foyer, meant to bring different people together, is a symbol of this. She’s a key representative of Skam’s central theme of people being flawed, able to learn, and of -trying and reaching out, even with mixed results, being a super important thing. Therefore, it’s interesting she’s the first to reach Lucas in this difficult phase, and this will happen again later. At the same time her words about defenseless women needing a strong man is a reminder of the overwhelming clichés about gender roles that make Lucas’ life so difficult. 

Lundi 14h03 : Ennemies and Allies

Chloe's threat of outing Lucas whenever she wants gives the whole episode a feeling of urgency. She is extremely hurt and he can’t catch her, either physically or symbolically. She’s a loose cannon, and her holding Lucas’ outing hostage as revenge feels very violent. It's not clear that anybody knows yet, but she could take Lucas's choice from him any time now. His harsh and terrified words (”I’m not a f*g”) illustrate the level of denial he is trying to stay in as it’s slipping away from him, the powerlessness he feels. The scene taking place in PE class with people throwing balls at one person standing in a goal reinforces the overal symbolism of being put on the spot. 

On the opposite side, Yann's reminder of support sets up what happens later. He wants to be there for Lucas, but he’s also been hurt by his silence. He doesn’t want the squad to be Lucas’ punching ball if he can’t verbalize. 

Mardi 13h08 : Miscommunication. 

Eliott is trying to make a joke about the time they met and he couldn’t chose what to get from the vending machine ; Lucas interprets it as him saying he wants both Lucas and his gf, and he responds harshly. Lucas is pretty much standing up for himself here, as painful as it is. He signals to Eliott he's not game to just forgive and forget, to do as if what happens didn't matter. Him alluding to a choice that Eliott needs to make - there's still a sliver of hope there though, as agonizing as it seems.

Lucas not finding a place to sit and leaving the canteen represents his worst fears about coming out - being left alone. It’s a classic high school story trope, not knowing at which table to sit, eg. not fitting in anywhere, so he chooses not to feed himself. (Again, hurting himself). 

Mercredi 13h37 : Sorting through your old shit

This moment of levity after the heavy angst serves as a reminder that life, whether you are ready for it or not, goes on. It’s also the second time that the show subverts horror tropes - first in the first kiss scene for romantic purposes, here for comedic purposes with the creepy dolls everywhere and the guy with an axe. The theme is that things that look scary at first often aren’t, and can even bring unexpected gifts. The overall scene doesn’t have much impact on the plot, but it can symbolize several things - the need to do away with the messy things of the past (like all the shit in the shop and internalized homophobia), giving things that are still useful a new place where they can be better appreciated (the couch is a metaphor for Lucas being gay lmao), the difficulty of dealing with grief and your baggage alone and the need for outside help (like the shopkeeper who can’t get rid of his brother’s things), the importance of playfulness and unexpected gifts (table football). 

The girls opening up about their dating woes puts Lucas’ struggles in the larger context of teenage boys being trash, normalizing what he goes through. On the other hand, again, Daphne’s comments and Imane’s joke show that the girl squad have their own problems with gender clichés. Manon denouncing them marks her as a safe place for Lucas, as well as her going through the deeper kind of turmoil of love troubles. 

Lundi 01h48 : In the abyss

The scene is dark and drenched in blue light, giving it an oceanic, almost submarine vibe. This is Skam taking full advantage of its real time format, showing the story at a time where viewers are very likely to be in the same state of exhaustion and half-consciousness as the characters. 

Even though he doesn't show it much, Lucas is a deeply caring character. He's just been extremely burned out, possibly by his family situation, and what happened with Eliott. And yet, it's still there. We can see it here in how he comforts Manon, trying to be stoic, but it's getting to him in the end. Compassion is often much easier to extend to others than to yourself. He might punish himself for feeling too much, but he would never do that to Manon. 

This scene is, to me, the most pivotal moment of the season yet along with the piano scene : they're moments where we see Lucas's soul come to the surface. And as vulnerability is key to the plot, those moments of openness really move things along. The piano scene was Lucas letting out his more passionate, artistic, sensitive side ; this moment is more raw and ugly, about what lies beneath the anger, the despair of caring too much. And yet there is beauty and relief in owning it. In this particular context the shell of anger Lucas protects himself with is meaningless - it’s just the utter loneliness of the night and two people who are broken and lost. Manon is also from a broken home of sorts, she’s also been given a lot of reasons to give up on love. The fact that they’re able to share this intimacy of letting themselves feel like that, at a moment where words are beyond them, is however a sign that they’re not giving up. They’re feeling the feelings, as painful as it is, and they have a witness. It’s beautiful. 

Vendredi 09h14 : Exhaustion

Lucas's body is basically close to giving up on him. He can front all he wants, but he's still only human. So he goes to see the school nurse for insomnia. He thinks maybe if he can solve the physical problem, maybe get pills, he can go back to being tough and pretending nothing is wrong. The nurse’s answer - not exposing himself to any screens or blue light before sleeping - is laughably unadapted to his problems, which in turn makes the idea that Lucas can solve his problems this way ridiculous as well.

The nurse is a mess - is she cheating on her actual husband there ? Why is she talking about her (murder)fantasies to a student ? Teacher’s back acne ? She illustrates that adults still have problems (again, normalizing what Lucas goes through) and that life in general is messy and you need people on your side who can be there even though you are going through ugly, difficult things. Lucas cannot talk to her, they’re not on the same wavelength at all, but there’s still someone he can talk to. The medecine is not pills, it’s human support and trust. 

Vendredi 17h05 : Trust issues 

This clip is very painful to watch. 

First Eliott’s drawing. At this point in the story it feels like a cruel joke. This guy played him, and now he’s talking about destiny ? Lucas really bought into the whole Polaris thing, we could see he was starving for a real connection, and maybe he thinks Eliott is using that against him, tugging on the heartstrings like a true artsy fuckboi. At the same time, the loneliness that emanates from the drawing is heartbreaking for us, who know what’s up with Eliott. 

Lucas decides to go talk to Yann. That’s his destiny. I thought he was going to walk up to Eliott for a moment, the filming is deliberately ambiguous, but no. In a way, he’s choosing himself, deciding to bring stability to his life by opening up to the guy who’s been his main support system for years : Yann. And he lays it all on the table - his problems with his family, his insomnia, the mess with Chloe, the difficulty talking, having a crush of sorts for Yann, falling in love with Eliott. He’s so brave. He banks on his ability to trust Yann, he wants to believe he’ll be there for him. He’s finally coming out to someone on his own terms, with clear words. 

It doesn’t work. Now, I never believed Yann was homophobic - his face only shuts down when Lucas starts talking about all the people who already know. But after Lucas’ slow, painful journey towards opening up, it feels like a bucket of ice water in the face. However, it is thematically appropriate. 

This story arc tries to balance two concepts very delicately : on one side, as a teenager it’s important to realize that you’re not as alone as you think, not alone struggling. On the other hand, both internalized homophobia and French culture’s latent homophobia (that makes people do shitty things even though they’re not homophobic at heart, without realizing it) make this process of teenage alienation vs self discovery and acceptance, a thousand times more painful than it needs to be. Ending the episode on this note signifies that the struggle is real, that however brave you might be, sometimes the world is going to try and slap you down anyway. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there, but for Lucas, this is the bottom of the pit. As his instagram post says ‘god needs your lifeboat as an ashtray’. Sometimes your best efforts mean nothing. This seems like a very pessimistic and cruel conclusion but I believe it’s an important beat in the story, recognizing that sometimes things go wrong through no fault of your own. It’s the system that is to blame, that has not given the tools to Yann to react properly and for the both of them to communicate better and for Lucas to accept who he is and not hurt people around him in order to hide. They’ve gone the road of validation over comfort and I think it’s a very interesting choice. (Even though I can also understand people who needed a more positive message and were hurt by this). But like a lot of queer people, I’ve had my share of half-botched coming outs and it’s important to show how you come back from that. 

...

So in a nutshell : this week, we bear witness to the slow death of Lucas’ tough, uncaring, player straight guy facade. His feelings have reached a boiling point, and he can’t ignore them any longer, it’s taking a toll on his body and isolating him from his friends. The moments of levity serve to dedramatize and normalize what Lucas goes through, encouraging him to reach out, while at the same time, the show takes his pain and fear seriously, by showing the minute toll it takes on his health and the less than ideal reaction of the people around him. However, through it all, he finds the courage to keep facing his feelings and opening up. He is staring his worst fears in the face - abandonment, ostracization, having his feelings used against him - and he still manages to choose trust. Eliott might have been a catalyst, but in the end he chooses to do what’s right for himself. He talks, even though it’s almost a moment of symbolic death, but the transformation can take root from there. Honesty is grueling sometimes, but it’s still necessary.  It’s better than letting the lie ruin your health and your relationship, better than hurting yourself in an attempt to push down the truth, better than violent powerlessness or night time devastation. Lucas is so good at wearing a mask, but how he reacts in this crisis is revelatory of his own deepest need for change and love. 

In short, I love this character with the intensity of a thousand suns and even though it's super painful I love that we got to go on this journey with him.

Thank you for reading this monster of a post, and see you next time for pt 2 : Acceptance ! 

#skam france #skam meta #skamfr meta #lucas lallemant #elu #lucas x eliott #my meta #analysis

[directoravasharpe]

lucy’s spoilery thoughts on 4.01 (FINALLY)

under the cut is a literal scene by scene breakdown of the episode. i’m trying to pre-empt questions i might get but i’m sure i miss things but. eh 

the first scene cracked me up, with zari not being able to tell the beatles apart (very lesbian of you) and ray knwoing them all (very bi of you)

i loved the sequence in the waverider. i got sad wally is gone. i love nate’s kissy faces when ava calls, i love how sara goes soft when ava calls, i love how her face changes when her kids start making fun of her. the call between ava and sara is SO SOFT like wow i love them

i think it’s so funny that sara always uses that gary is scared of mick as the way to motivate him. gary’s ‘i wish’ about john getting him to squeal was fucking HILARIOUS #get gary laid

the surprise party is adorable. ava’s face when the confetti cannon fails is amazing, as is her face when gary doesn’t get out of the way. THE WAY SHE LOOKS AT SARA AND THE WAY SARA LOOKS AT HER just like. fuck me up

when they snuck of to have a ‘tour’ aka fuck in ava’s office was the first time i died these two women are not subtle AT ALL like come ON i know you’re both hot and horny and riding a high of fixing time but give me a BREAK. also idk why they shot sara so close up but i LOVE IT

the little dahrkatom bit was so cute, and i loveeee ray and zari’s friendship.

AND THEN THE BED SCENE. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO /SAY/ IT’S SO SOFT THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH. how in love they are is SO OBVIOUS. sara is such a soft top. ava is such a soft bottom. she’s so NERVOUS about asking sara, and does all those cute hand gestures and sara is just. so reassuring and loving and THREE FUCKING BED KISSES EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU CW FOR LETTING US HAVE THAt.

ava’s look at the end literally KILLED ME she is SO SOFT AND IN LOVE I’M SO FUCKING. I LOVE HER SO MUCH MY LITERAL SOFT BABY CHILD

anyway they definitely had sex at the office and then at their house

the scene with john is so funny. he just fucking. turns up. to be like. stop having sex with ava and fix the damn timeline. and sara’s like. no i will not stop having sex with ava we have a House and a Throw now so you can suck it

i’m really incredibly glad that they didn’t make a bigger thing out of ava finidning them together - like it’s iNCREDIBLY sketchy but she is mostly joking when she’s like ‘should i be worried’ which is just. very nice. it shows they’re comfortable and that she doesn’t actually think there’d be a thing with john.

the nose boop was SO CUTE. and the neck kiss was EVEN CUTER BUT ALSO INCREDIBLY HOT LIKE WOW. and that smile that sara does at the neck kiss. they’re. so in love. also they have sex again before sara leaves i don’t make the rules they just do

the mick/nate stuff was very entertaining, and i’m interested to see what the hank/ava relationship looks like

i love love LOVE with a passion the scene where they all get to woodstock. it’s so funny and campy and i love the editing and it’s just. generally a joy. i love the hugs and high fives when they join up. i love my children.

i also love how low cut sara’s top is like everyone say thank you legends costume department

ray and nate are bronies which is. so cursed. murder unicorn is murdery, sara hides behind her teammates - classic sara. like obvs it’s just a plot device to make sure she doesn’t get high but still. very funny. poor zari and the blue goo.

john and his threesome cracked me up, as did nate and micks hallucination with the rat and nate’s dad, and the dahrkatom bit absolutely KILLED ME ray has such a crush wow

and then john trying to be all dramatic and telling sara she should ditch ava and like. it’s so refreshing to see sara pushing against that, and ACCEPTING being in a relationship and that it’s a good thing and not letting john be all doom and gloom

and then them seeing the high legends just. tops it all off it was SO FUNNY just like yes your kids are great sara but also right now they’re high

the bit where ray offers to cut off a finger like. baby boy. please. and like. why does sara know who john is talking about when he suggests a virgin. the answer is that gary tells ava about all of his escapades and so sara knows that he’s a  virgin and it is. terrible for both sara and ava

ALSO GOD SARA’S ARMS IN THAT SCENE. SHE LEGIT WORE TWO SLEEVELESS SHIRTS IN THAT EP IT’S WHAT I DESERVE

the whole scene where they’re convincing gary is. gold. so many good facial expressions from all of them

and then ‘are you sure im a virgin because that *hand gestures* thing we did’ like oh my god the writers are just like. going for it, huh. AND SARA’S EXPRESSION AFTER THAT JUST LIKE LOOKING AT JOHN LIKE ‘OKAY I SEE’

murder unicorn is murdery. not sure how gary’s hand didn’t get bitten off. sara throwing the knife was very hot.

‘maybe the bureau will up our ratings. people really do love the supernatural’ VERY META

RIP gary’s nipple

zari’s scene with ray was just. wow. astounding. i’m so glad theyre still going into her past, but, god. that scene was rough and important and SO EMOTIONAL my heart ACHES for her and it is. so horribly relevant rn. and it’s just like. god. she’s from the future but she was. alive in 2018 and it’s. so hard.

and then. god. GODDDD

THIS END SCENE. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE WATCHED THIS END SCENE

sara coming home to ava. ava having COOKED FOR THEM. ava hanging up the medals because she’s endlessly proud of sara. ava going in for another neck kiss. that face sara makes before she confesses everything. the face ava is making when sara is confessing

i am never going to be over how you can SEE sara relax as ava says she knows. i’m also not over gary calling ava about his nipple. more proof he tells ava everything sexual. also the way ava says nipple rt your kink

AVA SAYS I LOVE YOU LIKE FUCK ME THE HELL UP LIKE /SERIOUSLY/ THEY’RE IN LOVE AND YES I’M SAD WE MISSED THEM GETTING TOGETHER AND THE FIRST I LOVE YOU FROM HER BUT G O D SEEING THEM JUST BE IN A COMFY PLACE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP??? I WANT TO DIE

and when sara is like ‘even after constantine’ and ava is like ʸᵉᵃʰ ᵒᵏᵃʸ ᶦ ᵈᶦᵈⁿ'ᵗ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᵗᵃˡᵏ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᶜᵒⁿˢᵗᵃⁿᵗ���ⁿᵉ and it’s just like baby i love you but i’m so glad you love sara more than caring about that like wow development and she’s so reassuring and lovely and wow when can i get an ava.

and then we get another i lve you from sara and at this point i have died about a million times and ava’s smile when sara has her hands on her face is. so soft and lovely and THEY KISS AGAIN

and then sara ditches the living together thing but it’s OKAY because their relationship is going to GROW and they’re going to FIGURE IT OUT

AND THEN ANOTHER KISS AND AVA MOVES HER HAIR FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHICH MEANS THERE WAS SOMEONE TELLING  JES TO MOVE HER HAIR SO THE STANS COULD SEE OR SE JUST DID IT HERSELF LIKE WOW JES IS THE ONLY TRUE GAY ALLY

AND THAT KISS FUCKED ME UP SO MUCH AND I THOUGHT IT COULDN’T FUCK ME UP ANYMORE AND THEN IT ZOOMED OUT AND SARA’S LEGS ARE ON TOP OF AVA’S WHICH MEANS SHE’S BASICALLY I N  H E R  L A P AND I GENUINELY. ASCENDED.

and then there’s the scene with poor miserable john and i’m so hot for how sara says misrable and then some stuff with demons happens

ANYWAY THAT’S MY RECAP I HOPE I PRE-EMPTED MOST OF PEOPLE’S QUESTIONS BUT ALSO I’VE HAD A MONTH TO THINK ABOUT THIS SO I’M SURE I MISSED SOME STUFF OUT. ANYWAY. LUCY OUT.

#avalance #legends of tomorrow

[scribemallow]

kirburbia ch. 11- after the sun sets

wooooo, second chapter of kirburbia being posted on tumblr! and the first to be on this blog. this one is a flashback chapter, and hopefully it’ll give you guys a nice idea of where we’re heading with these two in the future. as always thank you for reading, and if you like it i hugely appreciate kudos, comments, bookmarks and donations (linked in my description)!

ao3 link: here

full text is below the cut!

 One year earlier, at Dedede’s castle…

At this point in the night, Dedede thinks, the balcony is far from the worst place to hide from your family. Despite the summer’s day, only moonlight illuminates the grounds now, and an unseasonal chill has set in the air. And so everyone else ha headed inside, away from the cold. Their voices are distant to him now, their fancy formal outfits but a vision inside his head. What a shame, he thinks, that it’s his house and only here can he get a single moment of solitude. I don’t want to see anyone here anyway. He looks up at the sky and the night and the stars and tries to think of them and not why he’s so uncomfortable with his family planning a party at his house and only telling him two days in advance, leading him to panic in his room for one night and hurriedly make it presentable the next. Or why he’s so uncomfortable with all of the girls his family bring around to parade in front of him and try and win his attention. Why he’d prefer to be seeing Kirby of all people than spending any longer with the people who raised him.

He’s trying to not think about it, but it’s tougher than it should be. What a terrible night this has been. He looks down at the wide doors at the bottom and wonders how easily he’d be able to leave without someone noticing, considering how wrapped up they are in their own business, only looking for him when they need something.

Then, he sees something move in the distance. It’s nearly invisible against the darkness of the night sky, but for a second or so it blots out a little of the moon’s light, and Dedede’s sure it was there. He takes a single step to follow it before realizing that he’s still on the balcony, and sighing from the disappointment of knowing that unless he did something stupid he wouldn’t be able to get to it. But then he sees it again- covering a few stars this time, even faster than before, enough to make him doubt his own sanity a little. Until it starts to come closer. He’s not sure for a few seconds, but he’s surer than anything when he begins to hear the woosh of air and the sound of disrupted wind.

Meta Knight. Before he can really take in what happened, the masked fighter is standing on the ledge of the balcony, draping his cape across his face in a dramatic fashion. Unlike himself in the moment, Dedede smiles, knowing how typical this was of the almost-mysterious figure of confusing origin and motive. And before Meta Knight can announce his presence formally, Dedede addresses him like an old friend.

“Hey, Meta.” Taken aback, Meta stumbles for a few seconds on his words.

“Don’t call me that. Would you find it appropriate if I called you Dedede?”

“I don’t really care.” Dedede replies, smirking as he does to throw Meta Knight further off his balance.

“Regardless.” Meta Knight coughs into his cape suddenly. “It seems you have quite a commotion going on around here.” Dedede shrugs.

“It’s just a party. You know. Family around, they try to introduce me to some dame, we have punch and then there’s confetti and balloons everywhere.” The lack of facial response from Meta Knight intimidates Dedede still, but he expects it from someone wearing a mask.

Meta Knight takes up a sarcastic tone of voice. “I’m aggrieved by your decision to not invite me.”

“Eh, I didn’t plan this shindig anyway. It’s all a family affair. Hell, I didn’t even decide to throw the thing. I found out about it Wednesday night.” Then Dedede remembers the half-empty glass he’s balanced precariously on the ledge of the balcony. “Want some punch?” he quips, holding it out to Meta Knight, and to his surprise Meta Knight picks it up and drinks it through his mask. That must be pretty inconvenient.

“Who throws a party in someone else’s house without their permission?”

Dedede shrugs. “Ask my parents. If I do they’ll probably ream me out for being ungrateful or something. I don’t like parties that much.”

“Is nobody missing the host?”

“Eh, they’ll live without me.” Meta Knight picks up the glass again to shake the last few drops of punch out of it.

“Flying here made me thirsty.”

“I can’t imagine it’s something you can do easily.” There’s a silence as Meta Knight turns to face Dedede’s direction- out across the courtyard and towards the horizon- and then he speaks again.

“So… A dame, huh?”

“Eh, don’t be like that about it. This happens all the time, you’re just not usually around for it to happen. My parents love to get these big ideas about who I’ll marry.” Dedede rustles around in the pocket of his formal robe for a hip flask, stainless steel but otherwise featureless, then takes a sip from it.

“What’s in that?” Meta Knight asks.

“More punch.”

“Right. So… Were you interested in her at all?”

“No. Having my parents around kills the mood dead, but even without them… She could be a nice person, but I prefer being alone. Like you.”

“We’re not alone now, are we?”

“I guess that’s true. More that I don’t want to marry yet. It turns me off when I think about it.” Another unspoken silence,  gazing off into the stars, Meta Knight recounting the constellations in his mind as Dedede wonders what it’d be like to live on another planet somewhere out there. “Thanks for letting me talk about this. It’s not something I get to say to anyone else, so… Invite yourself to one of these shitty parties any time you want.” Dedede holds out his hip flask to refill Meta Knight’s drink, the pinkish liquid and its strong scent of fruit and spice filling the glass til it was nearly half-full. He clinks them together, a distinctive sharp sound in the chill of night. “To loneliness, my friend.”

“To loneliness.”

They take a sip together, joined in the moment.

#kirby #metadede #meta knight #king dedede #ssbu #kirburbia

[elennemigo]

First ILY Anniversary!!

On January 15, is gonna be a year since Sherlock and Molly said I Love You to each other for the first time! *ugly sobbings*

So, @writingwife-83 and I were thinking that we should properly celebrate this day like the significant Sherlolly date that is, right?

That day let’s fill the tag with all the content about this precious moment: art, fics, gifs, meta, comments, anything that involves the ILY scene.

Everything to celebrate this moment that we will never forget, and will always live in canon! *we know, right?*

We’re going to track the tag #ILYanniversary2018 , so please, include this in your post’s tags so everyone can see and share your contribution!

Maybe you were planning to do something for this day, maybe you didn’t but it would be fun if we gather together and share all our works, to celebrate our first ILY anniversary! *throws confetti*

To sum up

When: Monday, January 15.

What to post: You can post anything you want for this day. (We will reblog as long it’s positive and SFW.)

Theme: The ILY scene! (feat. the coffin scene, of course)

Tag: ILYanniversary2018

Feels: all of them!

Pairing: These two idiots in love!

#first ily anniversary #sherlolly #mollock #january 15 #a year of feels #ILYanniversary2018 #signal boost

[ladystylestores]

Paper Mario: The Origami King folds the usual RPG tropes into knots

Enlarge / The origami theme adds quite a bit of physical depth to Paper Mario‘s beautiful vast environments.

Of all the spin-offs Mario has starred in over the years, the Paper Mario games (and the related Mario & Luigi series) most ably expanded the character past his basic platforming roots. The familiar characters, locations, and items are still there in Paper Mario titles, but they’re supplemented by completely new settings and situations that often wouldn’t feel out of place in a traditional Japanese RPG. And even the familiar Mario characters get new life in these games, revealing rich interior lives and characterizations that the simple save-the-princess-again plots can’t hope to match.

Paper Mario: The Origami King continues this tradition, telling a cheesy-but-engaging, family-friendly story with verve and charm. But it messes with the series’ usual RPG trappings so much that it’s still finding its footing even as the final credits roll. As a complete package, Origami King often feels like a mishmash of original ideas—some good, some mediocre—which never quite come together as more than the sum of their parts.

Into the fold

As often happens in Mario’s RPG titles, King Bowser has been pushed (and folded) aside in favor of a more interesting antagonist for Origami King. This time around, that antagonist is Olly, a floating, folded being imbued with the usual ill-defined, plot-moving magical powers. Olly gives off some not-so-subtle racial supremacist vibes in loudly announcing his desire to transform the flat paper denizens of Paper Mario‘s kingdom into thicker, folded origami versions of themselves. And if those folded versions become zombie-like automata beholden to Olly’s will, it’s all the better for his new world order.

Olly starts things off by transforming Princess Peach into an extremely off-putting origami-fied version of herself, then tops himself by wrapping her castle in a series of colorful streamers and lifting it away to the top of a volcano. He also goes about converting many of Bowser’s minions into zombie-origami folded soldiers, leaving the remaining flat-paper versions of Bowser’s minions happy to help Mario in an enemy-of-my-enemy kind of alliance. With the help of Olivia, Olly’s non-monomaniacal origami sister, the crew has to trace all those streamers to their source and convert them to confetti to free Peach and the Kingdom.

It’s not exactly Shakespeare, but the family-friendly, magic-infused plotting hums along with the requisite number of twists and red herrings. The quest takes you through the usual settings (desert, ice, water, forest), each filled to the brim with highly animated and talkative characters—though their motivations tend to be as paper-thin as their appearances. What seems like a straightforward task in each area inevitably expands into a telescoping series of required subquests; each presents a barrier to the final streamer-busting goal, and each is more ridiculous than the last.

Bowser is folded into a harmless sandwich board early in the proceedings.

I love what you’ve done with the place. Is that new wallpaper?

You’ll be using these fun origami-arms to uncover all manner of hidden secrets—but only in preset “Magic Circle” locations.

Get used to this scene. You will be seeing these kinds of enemy-shifting puzzles a lot.

Olivia can gain new powers to fold into powerful vellumental shapes. But she’s extremely limited in when and where she can use them.

The writing is pretty sharp, mixing light character growth with a healthy heaping of hijinks (and some genuine laugh-out-loud meta moments for adults). The game even squeezes in its fair share of lightly affecting character moments focused on the power of personal sacrifice. (Saying more would spoil too much). What Origami King lacks in depth and complexity, it makes up for in joyful silliness.

Round and round

Even for a series that’s always been content to ignore many RPG gameplay tropes, Origami King is not a traditional RPG. This comes through clearly in the game’s battle system, which is more about spatial-relation puzzles than the usual turn-based affair.

Origami King‘s battles all take place on a segmented circle, cut into radial and lateral slices like a Star Wars chess board. Mario stands on the hub in the center for the vast majority of these battles, while enemies arrange themselves around the “squares” on the round board.

Before each turn starts, Mario has the opportunity to move those enemies about, either by rotating one of the board’s circular sections around the central axis or by shifting a slice laterally. The goal of these moves is to line enemies up either in nice straight lines (for successive jumping) or 2×2 blocks (for easy bashing with a hammer). If you can get everything neat and tidy, you get a 50 percent attack-damage multiplier, which is often the difference between an easy one-turn fight and a drawn-out back-and-forth battle.

Even spatially challenged players could probably eventually shuffle their way through most of these arrangements. But Origami King adds additional challenge by introducing a short time limit and a finite number of moves for each puzzle. This turns what could have been a relaxing and intriguing puzzle game in its own right into a stress-inducing, white-knuckle fight to decipher visual chaos under strict conditions.

The game does throw players a few bones: it gives you the option to spend earned coins on extra time and/or one free rearrangement move (and Origami King always throws you plenty of extra coins to make these hints accessible). But it’s hard not to feel like a failure when leaning on these crutches. And while the enemy-shifting puzzles start out simple, by the end I was spending multiple minutes at a time staring at cluttered boards before giving up and going for the hint.

After a while, rather than trying to kill every last enemy, I found myself relatively eager to avoid as many of these battles as I could. That’s partly because the rotational puzzles started to get annoying. But it’s also because the game doesn’t really offer enough reward to make the hassle worth it.

Origami King‘s boss battles do mix things up by placing a powerful foe at the center of the rotational board and Mario on the outer ring. Here, Mario has to arrange arrows and power-boosting attack icons on the board in order to position himself perfectly to do damage to the boss.

These fights are by far the most engaging and clever in the game, each with its own twist that requires new tactics to get through the boss’ unique and evolving defenses. I wouldn’t have minded a bit if the traditional battles looked more like these varied and improvisation-filled boss fights.

For a game made almost completely out of folded paper, Origami King has some breathtaking scenes.

Don’t be scared, Kamek is here to help this time around.

One of a seemingly endless array of mini-game that Origami King throws at the player.

There’s a lot going on here…

Level up?

Unlike most RPGs, battles here don’t grant you extra experience toward leveling up your characters with more powers and new skills. Instead, battles only reward you with the same coins that can be found in copious quantities just by looking for hidden and not-so-hidden items on the map. When you can get literally thousands of coins from a single question-mark block, going through the motions of yet another puzzle-battle for a few hundred more can feel like a waste.

The closest thing Origami King has to a leveling system is a set of origami hearts, which raise Mario’s health and power in conjunction at preset points. You can also convert your not-so-hard-earned coins into more powerful boots and hammers, all of which eventually break and need replacement after too much use. By the end of the game, though, I was absolutely overloaded with more ultra-powerful weapons than I knew what to do with, making the whole pseudo-leveling system seem moot.

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#World Wide News

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

No, I did not forget to do this! ...exactly...

I am super late again this month—buuuut I wanted to wait until I’d posted the delayed Precipice chapter, so.

Fanfic:

Precipice:

Sorry, sorry, sorry for all the delays in the last couple of updates—the last two weekends were super-busy, and then last week ended up being slammed at work and my brain just went pfft. Anyway, there will be another update this week/weekend (probably Rex and Leia), and I’ll hopefully meander back on schedule after that.

And I finally finished Commander! \o/ It was a fun arc. I’m very fond of that arc. But…yeah, it’s a long one, particularly given that very little in-story time passes. (Seventeen chapters to cover one very eventful week…)

So, yeah. Lessons is going to be a much quieter arc, something along the lines of Homecoming in terms of content/pacing. Resetting ourselves, establishing our new patterns, etc. Leia starts getting trained, Luke starts helping Mamma at work more, and bonding with Lavinia/actively being the human ray of sunshine he is. Probably Winter will turn up, too. I’m going to try and focus more on the Coruscant/Imperial Center thread this arc, particularly since Commander was so heavily about our Jedi friends…anyway, I’m guessing this will be a relatively short arc (8 or 9 chapters), and not much Drama/not very Plot-heavy. Other than Infernalis introducing himself. (He’s a lot of fun—there’s a bit I have half written where he’s all “yeah, I know Sidious is using me, but a) that’s what sentients do; we use each other and b) I’m using him too and c) I get to do ALL THIS AWESOME SHIT. So I kinda feel like it’s worth it.” Like…I don’t write unapologetic/Always Chaotic Evil/for the LULZ villains very often, but Infernalis is in that mold.)

Also! As of this Thursday, I will have officially been posting this behemoth for a whole entire year. I’m going to do a bonus fic (I’ll probably put up a prompt call post later tonight or tomorrow), and I’m hoping to commission art as well, either a full cover or one or more arc covers (for completed arc(s)). [Eventually, I probably will want ALL of the covers (i.e., main title/all planned arcs); but that’s a long range project because lol budget.]

ANYWAY if you have any specific requests for bonus fic and/or are interested in getting paid to draw pretty things/know someone who does this kind of thing and is open for commissions (since I do not know how to draw pretty things), let me know!

Distaff:

I FINALLY CONQUERED THE OPERA HOUSE \o/ ::throws confetti::

...heh.

Anyway, yeah. So, that’s moving again! Next chapter should not take nearly five months to come out, as it’s a lot less…mmmm…I’m trying to figure out how to word it. The Opera House was hard, because—look, it’s kind of dumb; Anakin is being really really dumb, we make fun of that scene for a reason, but it’s also one of if not the most important scenes in this entire arc? In terms of what Palpatine’s trying to do, I would argue that it’s even more of a key moment than the final revelation in his office some indeterminate time later, after Grievous is killed. Or, at least, it’s a bigger risk—once he gets Anakin past this point, the next one will come much easier.

Plus, you know, having to figure out an alternative Sith Legend™ to throw at her, since Plagueis doesn’t really apply. And Palps’s hand, so to speak, isn’t quite as strong as it is in canon (but, I mean, we’re talking if canon was, like, a straight flush, in Distaff he’s playing four of a kind or a full house; so still almost certainly a win). So there’s all of those factors to consider, too. (Also, it was his POV, which is…a fun headspace to get in, let me tell you, internet. Although whining about that at my ever-patient roommates did lead to me nicknaming him Skeev Palpatine which honestly I’m surprised I hadn’t thought of sooner.)

Buuuuuuut anyway. I make no promises for exactly when the next chapter will be out, but it definitely won’t take quite so long. Should be sometime this month. Fingers crossed, anyhow.

Masks:

…blaaaaaaaaaaaah. I don’t want it to die. I really don’t. On the other hand, I’ve got a whole lot of other projects ongoing, plus RL and all, plus I’m still having trouble getting into ANH!Vader’s head, so…ehhh, IDK. Essentially, I’ve decided that this is really super back-burner for the time being. Possibly I’ll do it in AU Outline form at some point, if I don’t manage a proper update, but for now, it’s on a vaguely-defined “if my brain cooperates” hiatus. I am (probably) locking canon for it as of TFA (meaning it won’t be as much of an In Spite of a Nail AU past that; and more just an…AU AU, if that makes sense?), though, because I like the plot I have. Though I reserve the right to change my mind on that after TLJ. Anyway, I’ll probably stop talking about this one (unless I use one of the spinoff versions of it as an AU Outline or something) until I actually write/post more.

Auxiliaries:

Update will be up very soon! Not a direct continuation of the last bit I posted, because I’m still working on that, but still something! (Ahsoka is involved because I love her.)

AU Outline:

…yeah, I dropped the ball on this one again. It was going to be the Mask of Zorro/California Gold Rush AU No One One Person Asked For, but I need to sit down and watch Zorro again to put that together, and I haven’t gotten around to that. Also, Ventress and her Tiny Time-Travelling Conscience were speaking to me. …well, less them and another thread of that same AU, plus a couple unrelated AUs... Anyway, I’m going to try and put something up sometime in the next couple days. It’ll probably be the continuation of the Ventress and Luke one but we shall see.

Original fic:

…yeah, I didn’t actually write any this month, lol. I’ll do better in October.

Miscellaneous Other Things:

[In a generic list format because why not]

- Epic Crossover RP OF DOOM! I’ll keep posting snippets from time to time, because it entertains me. And my RP partner and I think we’re funny/clever.

- NaNo is coming up next month! I’m probably going to do the same thing I did last year—set myself an ambitious Total Word Count goal for the month, rather than focusing on a single project. Possibly give myself a list of projects to choose from; probably set a minimum amount that must be on original work/not fanfic. More on that when we actually get close, probably.

- I’ll probably do another Open Question Night sometime halfway through the month, because those are always fun.

- …should I do something Special for Halloween? (Like I did holiday bonus fics for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?) If I did, what would y’all want to see?

Goal Lists:

September Recap:

1. Keep up with Precipice updates.--not so much

2. Opera House.--FINALLY \o/

3. Another Auxiliaries snippet--missed

4. Work on Masks--missed

5. Another crack outline--missed

6. Update Lux and Farglass Cycle archives--someday I will actually do this

7. At least 5k on projects that are not Precipice--not quite, but I think between half-finished snippets and 3k worth of Distaff text I churned out, I got to like 4k or so?

8. At least 15k total on any/all projects--Not quite, no.

9. At least two pieces to Rainbowfic.--Nope.

10. Put some text down on something publishable.--Nope.

October Goals:

1. Keep up with Precipice updates.

2. Update Distaff.

3. Update <i>Auxiliaries.</i>

4. AU Outline--Mask of Zorro fusion and/or continuation of the Ventress one unless something New and Exciting comes up.

5. At least two pieces to RF.

6. Update the Lux and Feredar archives.

8. Write at least 15k total, at least 5k must not be Precipice

9. Write at least 10k on Precipice (bonus fic counts, meta/answered asks do not)

10. Put some text down on something publishable

#coming attractions #miscellania #shadowsong writes star wars #shadowsong writes crossovers #shadowsong cowrites stuff #shadowsong writes original fic #shadowsong26fic

[imaginedmelody]

THIS IS SPARTA!!!!

Well, it was a couple of accounts that may or may not be promotional/spam accounts that did it, but I finally hit the 300-follower milestone this morning! I’m so glad you all are here! Below I’ve copy-pasted (with small edits) the blog info I posted back last year when I hit 200 followers; all of these still stand true. Despite there being 300 of you here, though, I feel like I don’t KNOW a lot of you. So consider this an open invitation, anon or not, to come into my inbox! If you need a prompt for what to say, recommend me a TV show/movie and your favorite coffee shop or cafe from your area (or your favorite you’ve ever been to, if you don’t want me to know what geographical area you’re in for whatever reason). Or prompt me to talk about something related to a fandom we share. Y’all know I’m always up for those. :)

Blog info:

As you can see, the TV series Fargo and YA/New Adult lit like The Foxhole Court and The Raven Cycle are my primary fandoms at the moment- but it was Black Sails starting in 2015, and Shameless before that, and a lot of other fandoms on the side. You’ll probably see all of them here on a semi-regular basis, plus a whole host of other things. (Note: this blog is the farthest thing from spoiler-free. Be warned!)

As far as follows go, feel free to come and go as you please. I’m slow to check out the blogs of people who follow me, and me not following back can mean many things, up to and including:

- The most recent posts on your blog are all already showing up numerous times on my dash, even if they are posts I like

- We haven’t talked very much and I need more interaction before I follow back

- We don’t appear to have that many fandoms in common

- I haven’t even looked at your blog yet because as I said, I am slow to check up on new blogs

It probably doesn’t mean I don’t like you. You’re free to stick around, or not, as long as you like.

My askbox and chat messenger are always open and I will accept LITERALLY ANYTHING in them, anon or not. I am an approachable person, although somewhat distractable; if you don’t get a response, it’s probably just because I wandered off in another direction. I’ll come back eventually. :)

Links to my meta and fic recs tags are on the right, since the posts I make that go in those tags tend to overall be my more popular posts. My AO3 link is also on the right. Sometimes I even finish fics and post them!

*throws confetti* Welcome!

(P.S. If you want to follow me on another social media site, like twitter, send me a message and I’ll inbox you the info. I am open to followers pretty much anywhere, but I’m a little more protective of accounts under my real name, so you gotta ask me for that info!)

[euphoriccalliope-blog]

Pinpricks: Moftiss, Doyle and Coded Messages

ARG Meta. You know you want it.

So. Some of the most dedicated and responsive TJLC blogs are receiving anonymous asks that are enciphered cryptograms. **fondly leans out of window at epic ticker-tape parade, throws armfuls of confetti onto each puzzle-solver and puzzle-tracker**  Some of these cryptograms seem to be coming from a person written in character as moriarty. When solved, these in turn have ties to other aspects of this ARG (alternate reality game) -- tweets from the @contact_jm twitter account, for example. Possibly also ties to the thelostspecial.com website, which is somewhat quiet for now but may not remain that way.

TJLC Languishes in Prison; TPTB Baking Files in Cakes

I dunno whether this is relevant or might become so, but in case it is -- I was just digging around learning about Victorian-era cryptography, and stumbled across this account of how ACD used the text of his own Sherlock Holmes stories as a means of communicating news from England to British POWs held in Germany during WWI. ACD was speaking at a convention dinner in 1921. A pamphlet describing the convention dinner speeches and events ended up in the British Library, and the keeper of the website at this link transcribed the relevant ACD info for the benefit of online Sherlockians in 2014. (X)

Bold emphasis mine, natch:

That Conan Doyle was familiar with this type of secret message transferal is evident when during the Stoll Convention Dinner he reveals how he used this cipher to communicate with a friend by employing pinpricks underneath letters of his stories:

“My creation of Holmes did, after all, a small bit of war work. It is hardly worth mentioning, but I had a friend who was shut up in the Magdeburg Military Prison in Germany. As he and his brother officers were getting no news from England, I took a volume of Sherlock Holmes and in it I pricked out all the news letter by letter, beginning with the third chapter --- pricking under each letter of the message with a needle I sent the book to him with a note saying: “This may relieve your prison captivity and afterwards be placed in the prison library. It is slow but perhaps you might find the third chapter to be a little more interesting.” I thought that would be good enough for him, but as a matter of fact he missed it. There was however, another officer, Capt. The Hon. Keppel, of the Guards who with extraordinary sagacity, “got on” to it. The result was that the British officers in captivity got the whole of the news of England at that time. I then got another letter saying “Please send us another Sherlock Holmes story.” I continued to send them with all the news pricked out in them to those officers until I learned that they were actually being allowed to have English newspapers, and then I desisted.”

What if We Get an Ur-Cipher?

We’ve all been on Prison Shutter Island since TFP, and hints within hints can get a gal down after three straight weeks of emotionally invested theorizing. The attention has become a shade annoying.The verifiably “real” cryptograms that are part of the ARG are possibly parts of a puzzle, but what is the end goal of the puzzle? What if the end result of all of this cipher fuckery teamwork is a pattern we can then apply to the existing BBC show footage or shooting scripts to read/generate a completely different set of information than the one TPTB originally told?  This would not be as nice as having more video footage as a new episode, but given what I just read it in Doyle’s own words, I feel like this may come up at some point. Just theorizing here, but I had to mention it, because I like the elegance of Moftiss doing it flat-out. I mean, c’mon. How could they resist following in ACD’s footsteps, pinpricking their own canonical text to bring relief to beleaguered imprisoned friends longing for news? 

Since their medium is audiovisual, though, and not text, it doesn’t entirely make sense that they would limit themselves to the shooting scripts.  Maybe the end result will be a series of time stamps that the fandom can then edit into an alternate canon, perhaps using some additionally provided footage found along the way?

What Do You Think — Do We Make the Lost Special?

The fandom is already thinking of doing this anyway, or already doing it fast, through fix-it fic. . . not a huge leap. I’m still holding out for an actual release, but maybe this is part of the “patience bomb” going off before that happens. They know we can. Would it still be a worthwhile endeavor even if we know on some level it’s all marketing for the real fourth/next episode? Hell, yeah. They said it would be annoying and yet, here I am. I don’t care at this point. I’m serious about them owing us birthday cards though, and public acknowledgment-slash-apology if this goes big à la Kemp/KRATIDES/Geek Interpreter. There is hope here: after all, we only need to do it “. . . until I learned we learn that they were we are actually being allowed to have English TJLC confirmation newspapers.” Or maybe the whole shebang has jumped mediums, and is now a Tumblr meta-project, so all of this is a moot point, and we are making the effort as we speak, and canon is now a swarm of  TJLC Tumblr blog posts. Still interesting, if only because it’s all of you who are making it so.

Caveat: I use “we” on eggshells, as someone who joined Tumblr like 3 weeks ago out of sheer frustration with S4 and a keen need to de/reconstruct it. Total n00b here, offering sincere apologies if I am stepping on anyone’s sense of belongingness. Willing to earn my own. Y’all are rock stars. I’ll be over here just yelling ARG a lot and feeling every cryptopuzzle keenly as a pinprick.

Tagging folks who seem to be engaged in the puzzle-solving or discussion thereof. . .and frequent use of the ARG tag. @teapotsubtext, @inevitably-johnlocked, @jenna221b, @kinklock, @tjlc, @johnlock-incorporated @rowanthestrange

#arg #alternate reality game #tjlc #puzzle solving #clueing for looks #the lost special #meta meta meta

[akafuckyou-blog]

AKA Sign On The Dotted Line || Self

a self para in which jessica makes a decision about registering once and for all. 

3:00 PM, and the clock radio began blaring. Cheesy intro music, and then a news anchor started speaking. ‘Good afternoon! We’ll dive right in with the topic on everyone’s mind today: it’s official Registration Day, fol—‘

Jessica crushed the alarm clock with one hand before the end of that sentence.

She groaned, rolling away from the electric carnage. Her head was pounding, but at least her stomach was empty. Nothing in it to throw up. A half-empty bottle and her phone were on the pillow next to her head. She’d fallen asleep drinking and texting Trish. About her stupidest idea, according to her sister.

But she wasn’t sure that was true.

Jessica sighed irritably as she dragged herself out of bed. Grabbed the bottle before walking out of the room, because admitting a problem wasn’t the same thing as doing something about it.

And she had enough to deal with today.

The shower was hot, the scalding water leaving harsh red marks along her skin. But she hardly noticed. She was thinking about the night before, about the long week, month, years she’d had. Last night she’d dreamt of pens and men in suits grabbing at her and capes tightening around her throat until she couldn’t breathe. Natasha’s voice was ringing in her ears. Bruce’s texts. Clint’s. Pietro’s. The word choice over and over and over. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Snart’s bruised face, his bleeding lip. I made my choice, she’d said to him.

And she had.

Whether it was the right one or not, that much remained to be seen.

She left her phone lying on her pillow.

The building was like every other goddamn government skyscraper. Huge, gray, and imposing. More like a monument than a functioning building. She hadn’t expected it to be this quiet. A few people trickled in and out, but not as many as there should’ve been. Some of them were obviously not… entirely human. But most, Christ, most of them looked normal. You could walk by them on the street and have no idea what they were. Like her.

Some of them walked through the doors with their head held high. Proud. Others kept their eyes low to the ground, never looking up. She stood across the street, wondering, how would she look when she walked inside? How would she look when she walked back out?

Responsibility. That word was floating around her brain, too. Like a mantra to replace the street names. Choice, Responsibility, Responsibility, Choice.

Her choices. Her responsibility.

Nyssa had been trying to teach her to think before she acted, but Jessica couldn’t do that. Not today. Today, she had to be herself. Had to plunge in, dart across the street, slam the doors open before she could stop.

The woman at the desk jumped when she slammed the heavy glass doors open. “Can I help you?” she called coolly, flashing a professional smile. A fake one.

The lobby was littered with people. They glanced up at her when she walked in, but most went back to staring at the forms in their laps. Some of them wrote with ease, looked like they were just waiting at a doctor’s office. Others were biting their nails, fidgeting, tapping their pens against the paper. She couldn’t help but scan for a familiar face, for Natasha or Barry – but she only saw strangers.

“Miss?” the receptionist called again. “Can I help you?”

Jessica crossed the room, avoiding the lingering, too-curious stares, and leaned on the desk. “I’m here for the… I need to register,” she said, her voice quieter than she’d expected. Steady, but quiet.

The woman raised a brow, looked her up and down, then turned to her computer. “Name?” she asked, in a voice that was almost bored.

“Jessica. Jessica Jones,” she answered. Her hands tightened around the edge of the desk.

“Species?”

Jessica gave her a long look, but the receptionist kept her eyes on the screen. Leaned back in her chair like this was nothing, like this was a normal occurrence for her. Maybe after today it was.

“Human,” she said finally, resisting the urge to scoff.

The woman’s hands clacked along the keyboard. “You’re not in the system,” she said. “Apart from a few police records. Not the usual ones we expect with –” Her eyes flicked to Jessica, gazed at her over the rim of her glasses. “Your kind.”

Jessica just gaped at her. “Look, lady, I just wanna get this over with, can we –”

“Powers?” the woman asked, cutting her off. Jessica glanced over her shoulder. Most people were minding their own damn business, but some of them were listening. She could tell from how their pens had stilled against their own forms.

“That’s the government’s business,” she said flatly. “Not yours.”

The receptionist laughed lightly. “Oh, honey,” she cooed. The sound grated against Jessica’s skin, like sandpaper soaked in acid. Like a chemical burn. “After you sign these…” she said, leaning over and grabbing a thick stack of paper. “It’s everyone’s business.”

She dropped the papers onto the desk. Jessica’s eyes darted between them and the woman, glaring. She wanted to grab the stack and rip it in half, wanted to grab the desk and throw it across the room, break windows, smash holes into the walls until this woman was begging her to stop –

But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

She had the control here. Right?

She snatched up the papers, ripped a pen from the nearby cup. Knew she should just walk away, get this done, take responsibility for what she was and what she’d done. But the woman’s smug smile was burning into her skin, the way she stared at Jessica left her feeling like she was some exhibit in a zoo, or some sideshow circus act.

“Fuck you,” she snapped, before stalking off. She heard at least one person in the room let out a low chuckle.

The forms were long. Bureaucratic. Complicated.

Christ, she regretted this already.

They wanted specifics. Name, age, height, weight. How old she was when her abilities manifested. How much control she had over them. Did she have an alias or secret identity? Was she part of a team? Had she ever been a vigilante? How much could she lift? How fast could she run? Could she fly? Turn invisible? How had she used her ‘abilities’ in the past?

It went on. And on.

She bullshitted most of it. Didn’t have the answers they’d wanted – knew she was strong, but how strong? Does it goddamn matter? she couldn’t help but think. They wanted her to rate herself on a thousand different scales, answer dozens after dozens of true or false questions. She tried to answer them quickly, because after a while, they started to sound like the conversations she’d had with Kilgrave. I have to know everything about you, he’d whispered that first night.

But question 112 made her pause.

‘Is anyone else aware of your superhuman/enhanced/meta/inhuman abilities? If so, whom? Please provide all relevant information, name, address, relationship, etc.’

Jessica gripped the pen so tightly it snapped in her hand. She reached into her bag to grab another, hand bumping against her flask.

Christ, she wanted a drink. Wanted to rip these forms into shreds, until their bullshit questions had turned into confetti.

But she was here now. She had made her choice.

No, she wrote. Because her choice wouldn’t fuck up anyone else’s life. She wasn’t going to tell them about Trish. Or Bruce. Or Natasha. Or Malcolm, Claire, Luke, Robyn, Hogarth, or even goddamn motherfucking Snart. This wasn’t their problem to deal with. It was hers.

Choice, Responsibility. Responsibility, Choice.

After what felt like hours, with the room waxing and waning around her as people came and went, she was finally done.

She set the stack of forms on the desk. The receptionist picked it up, flicked through it with a glazed look in her eye. Like she was skimming a goddamn magazine. Jessica couldn’t be here anymore, couldn’t look at her, she needed to find the nearest bar and drown herself, because she’d always made a better alcoholic than a hero.

But as she turned to walk away, the receptionist tutted. “You forgot one thing, dear,” she said, her voice sickly sweet. Saccharine. Manipulative. Jessica turned around slowly, her heart pounding, one hand clenched tightly around the strap of her bag.

“What?” she snapped. “Need me to piss in a cup too, or something?”

The woman shook her head, still smiling bemusedly. “Nothing like that,” she assured her. She flipped to the last page, tapped the bottom of the paper. “You just need to sign here,” she said. “One last time. Signature and initials, if you please.”

Jessica swallowed hard. Noted how it wasn’t phrased as a question or a request. But given, like an order.

Birch Street. Higgins Drive, she thought as she strode slowly back to the desk. She grabbed another pen, placed it against the dotted line, but hesitated. Her fingers were frozen.

She remembered everything she’d said about the act. About how it was wrong to force people into feeling guilty for trying to help. To expose them. To rip their secrets away and plaster them in the public, all in the name of some goddamn greater good.

But for a second – it had felt like this was right. Like it mattered if she chose to walk into this building. If she took responsibility.

“Almost done,” the receptionist prompted, tapping the paper again.

Jessica nodded blankly, like she had whenever he gave her another command.

Shit. What had she done?

She signed her name as fast as she could. Tossed the pen aside like it had burned her, then bolted from the building.

#aka self #aka sign