#they've been with Laurence for a while now

[darlingofdots]

Formal vs Informal Address in German Temeraire Translations: a report

So I have picked up my German copies of the Temeraire books for the first time in over a decade for reasons unrelated to this post but I immediately got distracted by the matter of formal address in German and how translators have to make a very specific and important choice when translating from English. German (like French and many other languages) has two forms of direct address in the 2nd person, an informal one for friends, family, children etc., and a formal address for strangers, teachers, colleagues, professional contacts. It is famously a Whole Thing when you switch from formal to informal with somebody: usually the person with a 'higher' position in the relationship has to explicitly offer it and it can be a big deal! A common instance might be when you've worked at a new job for a while and your colleagues tell you to use informal to indicate they consider you Part Of The Team, or your girlfriend's parents do it when you've been dating a while and they signal that you're part of the family now. In translation, this can be a really tricky choice! For instance, I have not watched Elementary in German but I would say Sherlock and Joan would absolutely start out addressing each other formally (Sherlock calls her "Watson" most of the time), but by the end of the show there is no way they would not have switched. Obviously English-language media does not have an explicit conversation about this and the closest analogue would be switching to first names when they've only ever used last names before, but you can't rely on that and translators end up having to make choices about characterisation and relationships based on like, vibes. With all that said!

In the Temeraire series, there's a lot of formal address around, such as among officers; I knew Laurence would be addressing his cadets formally because even though they are like, 9 years old, they are his officers and deserve to be treated with that respect. I only have books 1-5 in German but I'd be willing to bet that this doesn't change even Emily's been with him for nigh on ten years, and the same goes for Temeraire. Also Laurence uses formal address with both his parents, in case you were wondering.

What I was not sure about was a) how other people address dragons and how dragons address each other and b) the finer interpersonal relationships among aviators. Jane addresses Iskierka formally but Temeraire informally; the dragons of the formation are formal with each other but Temeraire, Lily, and Maximus are not, and Temeraire quite happily scolds Iskierka like a misbehaving child. I would LOVE to find a bit of, say, Laurence talking to Lily or Berkley to Temeraire!

Among the aviators, Laurence and Jane are informal with each other once they've slept together, but I just saw that Laurence is also informal with Harcourt but not with Chenery, which is interesting but I suppose makes sense if you go by the dragons' relationships too. What really fascinates me is that at the end of Victory of Eagles, Laurence and Granby are still formal, which makes sense because until five minutes ago Laurence was his superior officer, but if I were the translator for this series I'd have them switch to informal with the beginning of book six but unfortunately I do not have that on hand so I can't check.

Now for the main event: Tharkay uses formal address with Laurence when he leaves to fetch more ferals at the beginning of book 4, and I thought he switched for the infamous "Laurence, what are you doing" which would have been exactly the right moment if you'd asked me, but in fact there is one random informal when they're out rescuing Granby in London (loose quotation: "that is [Woolvey's] problem and for those who would weep for him, even if they are close to your [informal] heart")? And then he goes right back to formal all the way to "Laurence, what are you [informal] doing" and finally switches properly, at which point Laurence follows his example. At first I thought that was weird and I am not sure if it was done on purpose, but on second thought I kind of like that he tries it out first when speaking of something personal (Laurence's concern for Edith) but isn't sure of it yet and retreats back to familiar territory until he realises that he needs to shock Laurence out of his war crime depression.

It's interesting to me that Tharkay was the one to take that step. Traditionally, like I said, it would be on the person in a position of authority to offer or, like with Granby, Laurence could have just switched once Granby was confirmed in rank to indicate that he wants to be friends now that he doesn't give orders anymore. Of course it makes perfect sense that Tharkay would not care one bit about rank, and he's not really an officer anyway and he certainly does not consider Laurence to have authority over him. I love that the translator (Marianne Schmidt) recognised that moment on campaign for what I think it is: not so much a turning point in their relationship but one that cements a degree of intimacy that Laurence doesn't have with anyone else. They would not have had access to book 6, I think, when they were working on book 5, so it very much is a deliberate choice based on their interactions up to this point. I made a list recently about people that Will Laurence calls by their first name (former first lieutenants, Catherine Harcourt, 1 FWB, and Tharkay) and now I feel like I need to make another list of people German!Will Laurence uses informal address with!

#dottie rambles #temeraire #i should be working on my actual dissertation and here I am instead #this will be interesting to like. 3 people.

[katyahina]

Gascoigne's beast form stuff (ask reply)

@ anon I decided to respond in this blog instead of my personal/rambles one, hope this is ok!

(Model ripped by tokami-fuko on dA ( x ))

I think this is a fair suggestion that his transformation might go even further, especially considering the fact that he not only barely has any fur, but also his skin keeps its color! Beasthood has a consistent trend of making skin that unnatural grey color:

(LOVE that they bothered to give bestial hunter's normal form unnatural skin color too despite the fact that we can't see it in game! Sometimes their attention to detail is just.. something)

Amelia is probably the biggest pointer as we are clearly shown her human skin color on her hands in a cutscene.. In fact, arguably, Gascoigne is doing a bit better than average Huntsmen, or even better than the fellow Old Hunters (look at hostile Old Hunter mob and 'true' form of Bestial Hunter). He has been losing himself to the hunt and paranoia for a while now and finally lost it, but he doesn't have that much fur, his skin color didn't alter. (He also doesn't have horns unlike Cleric Beasts, Abhorrent Beasts and even Large Huntsmen, but these are not for all beasts so we don't have to count them!)

I think that Huntsmen are transforming gradually over time, consumed by blood and aggression, and their 'final' form is Scourge Beast type, when they become completely animalistic:

I think it is valid to believe that Gascoigne could transform even further, there are enough reasons to think so! He is still too humanoid, all things considered! I will just move onto my personal interpretation now!

The thing about Cleric Beast-leaning Gascoigne is a really great topic of discussion! He already was a 'Father' (as in, religious figure) in his homeland, so, a cleric! As for Yharnam life, not only he was with the Healing Church once and quit it, but also his transformation happens extremely abruptly, that we only saw with Amelia!

(Interviews: ( x ))

The thing about Cleric Beasts is that they're so horrible because they've been holding back for so long. I can imagine Gascoigne being the same, as someone struggling to hold back so much for his family. We just happen to meet him when he finally breaks, but the guy must have had a huge will power to last as much as he did. +Also, please correct me if this was debunked, but as someone who always uses hunter summons to examine their patterns I've noticed that Gascoigne is the only one who never even once uses Blood Vials? If this is intentional, it could be a further evidence of his self-restraint: avoiding consuming the blood being aware of its addicting properties!

But here is why personally I do not headcanon that Gascoigne could transform even further! Unlike average people that are turning gradually, with strongly self-restraining people whatever form they take when they finally break IS their inner beast, it its truest form! This IS already his "cleric beast" form.... And it is not all that big and scary or impressive, because HE didn't have as much evil to hold back as average clerics in Healing Church. One person's very worst won't be the same as another person's very worst, but I also think it psychologically "helped" him to waste some aggression in the hunt - something Laurence and Amelia didn't have!

He murdered and part of the dark urges would escape through it, but he did not hunt in the same unhinged way as Ludwig either, so he is not transforming into someone as big and scary as him. He is just helping people! Not to mention Viola helping him to calm down with the music box when he was forgetting himself in the hunt. Just the right balance between what impulses to restrain and what to unleash!

My personal headcanon is that he cut the ties with the Healing Church over its corruption and wish to self-isolate and abandon the hunt (with the exception of its own walls), leaving the citizens to fend for themselves and defaming Oedon Chapel to bury the "proper" hunt as a concept. He was a honest man with a sense of justice and could not stand resorting to safety and not doing anything to help... But he still had religious principles of self-restrain and patience internalized; if not Healing Church ones, then those of the Church in whatever country he came from! It is also why whereas I believe that Cheric Beast of the Bridge was a Healing Church hunter too, since he drops Sword Hunter badge, he certainly avoided the hunt except for maybe defending Amelia, and mostly participated indirectly as the commander. (Honorable mention: Henriett that did the same, because her clothes imitate Old Hunters' set and she is a summon against Healing Church bosses, but she has Church weapons).

_____________________

Thank you very much for an ask, it was interesting to think about and it helped me to shape my interpretation of the character better! He definitely has something in common with Cleric Beasts, but I just personally like to think that as a 'hold back and snap' kind of beast rather than 'gradually transforming' kind of beast, this IS his "worst"- Still very strong and fearsome, but far from how much evil the corrupt clerics held back! He is just a good boy!

#bloodborne #bloodborne theory #father gascoigne #not art #text post #ask reply #basically clerics suck but not gascoigne tho he is a good dog fdhsfhsdsd

[aquadestinyswriting]

Hey, Aqua! Happy (near) Halloween! :D Hope this ask finds you well, because . . . TRICK OR TREAT. 8) 🎃🎃🎃🎃

Thanks for the ask Jax. Since you gave me a treat, have one in exchange from me. I'll tell you what the original plan was with regard to putting Moradin's Anvil back together. Kinda-sorta spoilers for Fangthane's Folly under the cut

Ok so, the plan was for the party to go off into the mountains to locate the biggest pieces of anvil and find a way to being them back to Kar Kherril, where they'd left Meredith and Yoruk. Now while the party was gone, the Emerald Dragon had a bit of time to work with Meredith to hone her Shaping skills and explain that they would work with anything that was infused with sufficient Creation Magic and that it wasn't limited to the God Clay (which was now all gone anyway). So Meredith knows that Moradin uses his anvil to help Him shape the souls of dwarves across the multiverse, that's the first thing every dwarf that worships Moradin is taught. This sounds suspiciously similar to Shaping, and she realises that the anvil - the most sacred and magically powerful religious relic that she can think of that can possibly exist- must, therefore, be stuffed to the brim with Creation Magic. Given that the only way it can return back to Celestia is if the thing is made whole again (because something something godly magic bs), the pieces will need to be put back together, and Meredith is the only person on Titan that can do that.

Now, bear in mind how much of a toll using the God Clay took on Merri when she resurrected Deep Sachellas. The only reason she didn't die in that attempt is because Destiny (i.e the DM) had other plans for her and gave her Plot Armour*. Also remember that, at this point, Meredith is now an NPC (as I am the DM). So there I was, totally ready to go through with what was probably going to be the most gut-wrenching session the party had been through yet. And my Dear Husband decides that the easiest way to solve the problem is by summoning a genie and making a Wish.

It gets even better. The first genie he summons isn't quite high enough, and the party doesn't have enough pieces anyway, so Laurence shrugs his shoulders and figures he'll try again when the party have found another couple of pieces. A couple of sessions later, they've got all the biggest bits of the anvil in more or less one place, and he tries again. Once more he gets a genie that's too small to help, but he then has the sheer gall to ask for this genie's manager because he's a lazy sod and doesn't want to take these big, heavy chunks of star metal all the way back to Kar Kherril. Thinking this will make for a humorous interaction, I make him roll for persuasion.... Natural fucking twenty (we'd been using crits for skill checks as a homebrew rule all campaign and I wasn't about to change that). So, in the end, the Anvil was Wished back together and sent back to Celestia. Queue me figuratively throwing out all my notes and having to deal with the emotional rollercoaster of realising that Merri was probably going to survive the rest of the campaign after I'd already made peace with her demise (which, although not guaranteed, was extremely likely given the DCs of the checks I'd be rolling for her). I mean, I'm obviously happy that the original plan didn't come to pass in the end, but at the time, I was so miffed.

*To be fair, I did only fail two out of five or so checks and had Elowyn Helping the whole time, so the likelihood of failure due to dice rolling wasn't very high. Obviously, in terms of the story, Moradin was the one that wanted Meredith alive, so she did have help from her deity as well.

#writeblr trick or treat #answered ask #titan fighting fantasy #writing meta #d&d shenanigans #meredith gruksdottir

[papervo1d]

random bloodborne thoughts that have probably got a well known answer but it's been a while since i've played the game and i was scrolling through the bloodborne reddit. i've always had this idea that hunters in the dream are trapped in their body as they are - moon presence has bound their soul to the hunter's dream, and so they can't become a beast because they are stuck in the dream as a human. it's the same reason why i have always had it in my mind that the hunter only ascends into a great one after they kill moon presence, as i'm sure if the hunter wasn't a part of the dream, they would have turned the moment they both killed the wet nurse and consumed the three umbilical cords: they absorbed the echoes of a god, as well as aquiring the insight level to a great one. but flora has trapped them, and so they ascend only after they've freed themselves from the dream.

anyways, back to the point of this post: the blood drunk hunters found in the dlc. i don't have a huge point to make or anything, so this is all waffle really. i wonder if becoming blood drunk is the worst state for a hunter who is tied to a dream. if a hunter can't become a beast, then they fall to the next worst thing, which is losing their mind. a beast mindset, in a human body. and that's why there are so many blood drunk hunters in the hunter's nightmare, seeing as they're only there because of kos's curse. the moment byrgenwerth meddled with kos at the hamlet, they were doomed.

so laurence and ludwig being exceptions, as they appear to us as beasts in the nightmare, and gehrman as well for being an old hunter, but not in the hunter's nightmare. i think this comes down to the moment these three interacted with moon presence for the first time. so, laurence summoned the moon presence, and gehrman is snatched away. this is the moment i'm assuming the hunter's dream is formed, and so the formation of hunters as we know them in the game. this is purely my headcanon, but i imagine ludwig and laurence were also bound to the dream as hunters, at least ludwig was. maria i imagine to have committed suicide before this event, explaining why she retains sanity despite being in the nightmare - she died before she could ever go blood drunk.

laurence and ludwig, on the other hand, are hunters for at least a little bit, before escaping somehow. now i admit this doesn't quite line up with gehrman calling for laurence, or not knowing where he is. so i wonder if they were hunters for a very short time, perhaps even one night. in my mind, the night they summoned moon presence was the same night old yharnam burned down. so by the end of one eventful night, laurence and ludwig are swept away and returned, just like our hunter if we go for the yharnam sunrise ending. so they're both somewhat returned to being human, regular humans, and i wonder if this is enough for them to be able to turn into beasts and be bound to the hunter's nightmare. it might also have to do with their faith, with how their faith in the church/old blood etc was so strong that ultimately it lead them to an even worse outcome than any other regular old hunter, who end up blood drunk at their worst.

#hello bloodborne fandom i am here to offer you a post telling you things you already know #i dont even have any real reason why i just starting thinking about the blood drunk hunters and it got out of hand #bloodborne

[starrayblogs]

here's a continuation of that zane reader insert i made a while back! i'm thinking of making this a full on book book and publish to ao3+wattpad but i still need a title for this story. i've been calling it 'tranquility' in my head but let me know what you think and if you have any titles in mind too! anyways, have a fun read c;

"Thank Irene, I'm finally done..." You breathed out, plopping down on your couch after you had finally unpacked everything from those boxes. "Ew, I'm sweaty."

You wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand. Then, you heard knocking on your door. "Oh, come on. I just sat down." You groaned, closing your eyes tight before pushing yourself off the couch.

When you opened the door, you were greeted by a smiling Aphmau. "Hi, Y/N! Would you like eat lunch with us?" She asked, cheerfully. "Oh, today?" You asked, leaning out your door frame. "Yeah, around 12. Since we just moved in, we don't really have a lot right now so we're going to buy necessities for our houses."

"Huh. Well, I'm pretty much done with my house-"

"What!? Didn't you just move in yesterday? Plus, this road was pretty reserved until yesterday because we... had some connections." Aphmau placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. You chuckled.

"I have connections too. Anyway, I'm not opposed to going out and eating with some friends! Who's coming?" You smiled gently. "Just the people you met yesterday plus some other friends." She replied, rocking herself with her heel and toe. "I'm sure you're going to love them." She looked excited to introduce you.

"I see..." You bit the inside of your lip, despite smiling at the girl. You were excited but you were also kind of nervous since, as Aphmau told you, they've been long time friends and you just arrived a day ago. "Well, I'll be there! Where's our meeting point?"

"We'll be eating at Ikea first before going to the mall right next to it. You'll find us waiting outside Ikea!" Aphmau said. "See you there, Y/N!" You waved her goodbye as she jogged off your porch before closing your door and glancing at your clock. It was almost quarter to 12. You wince.

"Sorry, Aph... Might be late." You whispered to yourself while you made your to your bathroom.

You parked your car at one of the slots right next to Ikea. You looked out your window to see if Aphmau was there before you stepped out and there she was accompanied with Aaron, Garroth, Zane, Laurence, and four other people you didn't recognize. Taking a deep breath, you lightly squeezed the steering wheel before letting go. 12:15, you made an audible 'yeesh'.

You pulled down the sun visor and looked at your reflection, checking to make sure you look okay. You had worn a white shirt underneath your favorite wool vest, black dress pants, some white sneakers, and a satchel you had.

You shook your hands while letting out a long breathe before turning the key to shut down your car. You stepped out your car and checked yourself on the window one last time before locking the car.

You jogged over to a waving Aphmau and Garroth with a sheepish smile. "Oh my Irene, I am so sorry that I'm late, I just finished unpacking everything when Aphmau dropped by so I had to shower." You apologized while approaching the group.

"Don't worry about it, we're just happy you made it!" Aphmau said, reaching out for a hug to which you happily accepted. "Y/N, let me introduce you. This is Katelyn, Kawaii-chan, Dante, and Travis. There's one more person but she's never up when the sun is." You looked at her confused at the last statement for a second. Then, you looked at the four people you didn't recognize earlier and smiled.

Except Dante didn't pay mind to you and was staring at the distance. "Looks like one of your friends is out of it." You pointed to Dante while chuckling and everyone looked at him, confused. Travis elbowed him.

"Ow! Can't a guy admire a car and acknowledge the fact that one of us can drive?" Dante pointed to your parked car. "Oh my Irene, look at how beautiful it is..." He says softly, as if he was in love with your car.

"Don't think about robbing it, Dante." You joked as you smirked his way which caused his head to turn to you. He met your gaze and looked down, red tinting his cheeks a little in embarassment. "Come on, you guys! Let's eat before we do some shopping." Aphmau cheered, leading us into the food court of Ikea.

Everyone all got in line with you lagging behind everyone else. Well, aside from Zane who has standing behind you as you grabbed your tray. "Hi, Zane." You greeted, giving him a smile before you walked to get yourself a glass. "Hello..." He greeted you back, sounding groggy.

"Did you get dragged along?" You chuckled, picking up a dessert plate for yourself as you received a groan. "Dragged is... No, I was begged to come along by Garroth and Aph." You watched as he glanced longingly at the dessert selection before walking away.

"Hm... Well, at least you get to be with your favorite dentist." You giggled, as you waited for Aphmau to move so you could order your food. "Really? I could've sworn my favorite dentist was from that k-drama last night."

You gasped, placing a hand to your chest in a light shock which made Zane chuckle a little. "How dare you..." You whispered before moving forward and asking for your food of choice.

"Oh, I do dare." Zane replied as you moved forward before getting his order. You rolled your eyes at him with a smile as you got a side dish for yourself. "So, how'd you sleep last night?"

"Like there was a thunderstorm." He replied, irritated. "I told you, Garroth was snoring the night away." He added while rolling his eye, getting himself a side dish as well. "Maybe you're just a light sleeper." You told him, getting in line for the cashier to pay for your food.

"Maybe you should try sleeping when Garroth's in the next room." He gave you a death stare as he got in line with you. You laughed and his face slowly relaxed. "No thanks, it's funnier to hear about it from you."

You told him, setting down the tray on the bar so the cashier can total your order while you fish for your wallet. You paid and got your change so you went through, waiting for Zane to pay for his food since he was the only one left.

"You and Zane seem to get along." Aphmau said, nudging you lightly with her shoulder while you gave her a questionable look. "Is that strange?"

"Well, Zane has a hard time getting along with most of us and he's known us for years! But he just met you and he seems to be doing alright." She told you with a smile as she looked at Zane, as if proud of him. "Huh... That's nice?" You replied, turning away from Aphmau to look at the approaching Zane.

"Come on, I found a table for all of us!" Garroth exclaimed, pointing to a table that could fit the whole group. Well, they were two seperate tables but if you conjoined them then everyone would fit. Which is exactly what Garroth and Aaron were doing.

You watched as everyone else settled naturally, sitting next to they're roommate while you awkwardly waited for the last seat by being the only one left standing.

"Y/N, come sit next to me!" Garroth pointed the empty seat next to him which was situated between him and Zane. You smiled and made your way over, pulling your chair out and taking a seat.

"Zane didn't let you sit next to him?" You chuckled while Garroth sighed in defeat, in a wordless 'yes'. You turned to smile at Zane again but he stared at you for a bit before going to take his food out the tray for him to eat.

"I'm guessing my brother apologized to you yesterday?" Garroth whispered, closely, which caught you off guard. "Uh, yeah! He helped me unpack more too and I bought us some dinner."

"So that's why he told me he was busy. He was busy making a frieeeennndddd." He leaned forward and looked at Zane with a smirk. You chuckled and turn to Zane, who was glaring daggers at his brother. "Shut. Up." He threatened and Garroth just giggled before leaning back into his seat.

You sent a sympathetic smile to Zane while chuckling before preparing to eat your food aswell.

It was a nice lunch. Everyone at the table was nice and welcoming to you, asking general questions about yourself and your life. It was such a nice turn of events since you thought you were just going to awkwardly pick on your food.

Now, here you were entering the mall that was connected to Ikea. You realized how they were planning to travel as one whole group and how that was probably going to probably be a bad idea. "Um, excuse me? Can I offer something?" You asked, raising your hand.

"Yes?" Aphmau stopped in her tracks to turn to you, along with the rest of the group. "Uh, well... If we all went together in a store, we could block other people's way if we're all at one isle since we're such a big group."

"So, what do you suggest?" Laurence asked and you cleared your throat before you answered. "I suggest we travel with the people we live with since it'll be easier. Plus, I think all of us would want different things at different times." You smiled, adjusting your satchel.

"Well, wouldn't that mean Y/N-senpai would be alone?" KC asked, her tail wagging slowly as her brows furrowed slightly. "She can come with us!" Garroth piped in, grabbing you by the shoulder and pulling you with him, Laurence, and Zane.

"Well, I guess that's settled! Let's all meet up at Starbucks at 3." Katelyn said as KC intertwined her arm with the blue haired girl. You smiled as you watched everyone drift with their roommate while the four of you stayed back. You glanced at your phone and it read 13:17.

"You can let go of her now, Garroth." Zane said with crossed arms and a grumpy look on his face. "Aw, is somebody jealous that I'm hogging their new friend?" Garroth teased as he pulled you in closer, while you just giggled. "No, I just feel bad she has to be so close to you." Zane replied, rolling his eye at his brother.

"Oooh, burn." Laurence jumped in, chuckling. Garroth did a dramatic gasp, letting go of you in the process. "Let's just go already." Zane said, uncrossing his arms. "Where do we go first?" You asked, looking at the several stores around you.

"Toiletries. I can't stand another day using some hotel shampoo Garroth stole a while back." Zane grumbled the last part with a scowl. "What?" You asked, laughing halfway.

"That shampoo makes me smell nice, okay!?" Garroth defended himself while you and Laurence laughed at him. "We should check if they have a body shop here but if you want to get cheap stuff, we should just hit the supermarket here." You smiled.

"Will you recommend us the best toothpaste too?" Garroth asked and you rolled your eyes. "Sure, Garroth." You gently patted the tall blond's back. "So? Where to?"

"Let's just hit the supermarket so our wallets don't cry. That way we can also buy groceries." Laurence said, looking down on his phone. "It should be the next floor down." He said, leading the group.

"Me and Laurence will go get food first, you two do your thing." Garroth said, smiling and entering the market with the brunette.

So, you and Zane were left outside. "Do you want to look for toiletries together?" You asked, glancing up at him. "Sure... Recommend something good, doctor." He chuckled, walking in to get two shopping baskets.

"Doctor just in teeth, Zane." You replied, laughing as you entered the place and grabbing the other basket from Zane. You two started to look for the personal care isle.

"Surely you learned about other stuff." Zane said as you arrived at the isle shortly. "Well, you're right but at this point I've forgotten most of what wasn't included in my field." You chuckled, smelling a shampoo bottle before handing it to Zane. He reluctantly smelled it through his mask.

"Smells too flowery." He commented and you nodded your head while he returned the bottle to the shelf. "How about this?" You gave him a shampoo and he opened up the cap to have a sniff. "This is... Actually, not bad?"

"What's it smell like?" You grabbed the same bottle you gave him, ready to open it up yourself. "Smells like peppermint and some kind of flower?" He said and you decided to open the shampoo yourself. You inhale its scent and hum with a smile.

"You're right, this is pretty good! And I think you're smelling lavender." You said, setting the bottle back to its original place. "So, are you gonna buy it?" Zane asked, holding the shampoo in his hand.

"Huh? Oh, I thought we could go shopping for your shampoo first." You chuckled, slightly walking away to find a shampoo for yourself.

"And the first choice was something only bees would enjoy?" He sounded slightly offended but when you looked back, the bottom of his eye slightly curved up.

He was being sarcastic. "Maybe you'd like it." You replied, shrugging your shoulders while laughing.

"Ha. Ha. That's very. Flattering." He moved his head side to side for every punctuation. "What about you?" He asked afterwards and you grabbed a shampoo bottle from the bottom. Popping the cap open, you take a whiff and fell in love with the scent. If you wanted to smell like anything, it would be this.

"Here, smell this one." Zane rolled his eye and grabbed the bottle from you to smell the product. "Hm... This is good. It suits you. I... I mean." He facepalmed himself before murmuring something.

You laughed lightly, grabbing the same bottle from the shelf before standing up. "It's okay, Zane. Your shampoo suits you too." You sent a soft smile his way and lent your arm out for the shampoo bottle in his hand.

He places the bottle in your basket instead without making eye contact with you. "Sorry. If that was weird to say..." He told you while you placed the one you were holding in the basket too.

"Hm? It wasn't weird at all. Why would telling me that I smell good be weird?" He looked at you in disbelief and you caught on to what he was staring so long for. "Oh, well! We're friends so it's compliment for me." You smiled, walking away to look for soap bars.

Friends? You two were friends? Zane watched as you looked for soap bars while he stood motionless and speechless. You were friends? These moments where it's just the two of you wasn't just coincidences the world that was funny? Friends?

You noticed how Zane was just standing there, holding his basket. "Zane.." You called out, concerned. He seemed to snap out of his state of shock? Was he in shock?

He slowly made his way over to you, looking through soap bars too. "Did I say something wrong?" You asked, grabbing a soap bar to smell. "...No."

"What happened there?" You hummed as you acknowledged it smelled like peppermint through its container before handing it to Zane. "I... I'd rather not say." He said, hoping you wouldn't push it.

Learning from the first time you pushed him for an answer, you just nodded your head. "That's alright but if you want, you can tell me." You smiled.

Zane stared at you for a bit with slightly opened eyes before breaking eye contact to smell the soap.

You watched as he did a satisfactory nod and placed the soap brand in his basket before reaching a soap bar he saw at the top of the shelf. He sniffs it and hands it to you. "It... Matches your shampoo." You take a smell for yourself and smile, agreeing with him.

"You're right. Could you get one more, please?" You asked, placing the soap in your basket. Zane perfectly tosses the same bar in your basket and you thank him. "Actually, I need some conditioner so let's go back closer to the shampoo." You said, walking past him to grab a conditioner.

"Do you use conditioner?" You ask him, bending down to check the several brands. "Hm, sometimes..?" He replied, looking for brands above you. "My hair's already pretty good without it." You loudly huff which earned a snicker from the man.

"Here, this is yours." "Here, this suits you."

You two stare at each other with surprised looks. You would've noticed how the small exposed skin under his eye turned red if you didn't laugh at how you two talked at the same time. Zane was flustered, to say the least. Your laugh was nice, he thought.

He shook his head at the thought, shocked he would think that.

You finally calmed down from your joyride as you exhaled a long breath of air with your hand on your chest. You stood up from your crouching position and dropped the conditioner in Zane's basket while he dropped the product in yours.

You trusted Zane enough so you didn't bother smelling it and Zane seemed to do the same. "Alright, now it's time to recommend you some toothpaste."

You turned around for the other toiletries and made your way to the toothpaste shelf, with Zane trailing behind you.

"What about this?" Zane said, picking out a random toothpaste. You hummed, gently taking it from his hands and looking at the ingredients before placing it back. "Sodium fluoride is good, but it's better if we look for stannous fluoride as one of the ingridients. Do you have sensitive teeth?" You said, browsing the options.

"What's that?"

"Does your teeth hurt whenever you eat anything sweet, cold, hot, or highly acidic?"

"Am I paying for this check-up?" You smirked while rolling your eyes. "Hm, no. Not that I've observed." He replied seriously this time.

"Hm, I think this will do." You grabbed the toothpaste you use and usually recommend. You grabbed another box for yourself and handed one to Zane. "Do you think either Laurence or Garroth has sensitive teeth?"

"Those two? They eat anything and everything with no complaints at all." He said, placing the toothpaste in his basket. "Well, it's best for you to get an extra one since you guys are roommates." You said, handing him an extra box.

"Do you need toothbrush too?" You move over and Zane followed behind you. "Actually, yeah. It's been almost three months."

"Wow, gold star for that." You giggled, handing him a pack of toothbrushes while you got yourself a solo toothbrush. "Do I get candy?" He asked, chuckling. You chuckle with him while shaking your head. "No, sir. No, you don't."

You make your way to the mouthwash section. You pick out the brand you regularly use before turning to Zane. "Do any of you have-"

"Y/N! There you two are!" Garroth's strong bass voice interrupts you. You turn your head to see him and Laurence approaching with a cart full of, mainly, food and some other necessities they needed at home.

"Are you two just throwing stuff in the cart without checking the prices?" Zane asks, approaching them and pointing to the groceries. "Uh, you're in on this portion too, Zane." Laurence raised a finger, gesturing to him then the cart.

"That's... A lot of food." You commented, turning to the three men in the isle. "I should've gotten a cart too..." You murmured before turning back to the mouthwash, putting the mouthwash you've been holding in your basket.

You reached out for two of a brand that you normally recommend to patients. "Zane, take these. Use them after you brush your teeth but don't rinse it out with water."

You informed him, placing the products in his basket. "Were you out here getting a free check-up without me and Garroth?" Laurence asked, leaning on the cart. You laughed softly. "This is favoritism!" Garroth whined, crossing his arms and glancing at his brother.

"Oh, well. Seems like you two have to pay for her services now." Zane was smirking underneath his mask as he chuckled darkly. You chuckled with him, peering over the cart. "Anyway, I should probably buy groceries too. I got too occupied shopping for toiletries that I just got a basket."

"I'll come with." Zane said, dropping his basket on top of the cart. "You two pick out your own shampoo, I'm not the brightest on sharing..." He grumbled, sending the two of them a glare.

"Thanks, Zane." You smiled his way, not catching the looks of disbelief across the blond and brunette. Those looks were wiped away immediately when you turned to Garroth and Laurence.

"Since you've already bought groceries for your house, I'll just buy mine. Let's exchange my numbers so I can give you a call when I'm done." You said, bringing out your phone and handing it to Laurence first, who brought out his phone and then it became a triangle of exchanging phones.

"Great! I won't be too long." You smiled at them when you got your phone back. You waved goodbye to get a cart with Zane following behind you.

"Did Zane just..."

"Yeah..."

"Do you think we're..?"

"Hallucinating? No, I don't think so..." Laurence breathed out, watching you two disappear from the personal care isle.

"Zane..." You called out.

"Zane, come on..." You called out again to the shaking man who was slouching over himself.

"Zane, please..." You were straining your body at this point and then an outburst of laughter brought you back on the ground.

"Zane, this isn't funny!" You furrowed your brows at him. "Please just help me get the cereal..." You begged him, sagging your shoulders with a sigh of defeat. You could reach the top shelf but the cereal brand's box is pretty tall.

Zane's laughter went down several volumes and there he was, slouching over your cart and shaking slightly. "Zaaaane..." You whined out his name, throwing your head back in defeat.

"Okay, I've got it." Zane said, in between laughs before approaching you to get the box. You knew he was obviously taller but this is just unfair. "Zane, how tall are you?" You asked, watching him place the cereal box in your cart. He paused to think.

"5'10''? It's been a while since I checked so perhaps I've grown an inch. How about you?" You huff. "You don't get to ask that." You replied, moving the cart to get the last of your groceries. He chuckled in response. "Afraid to admit you're short?"

You weren't short. You were definitely taller than Aphmau and KC but you weren't as tall as Katelyn. You were at least above Zane's shoulders. You just looked smaller because you had to glance up a little to talk to the guy.

"Excuse you, I am tall." You sent a glare his way and he just chuckled again. "Whatever makes you sleep at night, Y/N." He told you as you arrived at the milk section for your cereal.

Honestly, why didn't you go get your cereal first before you got your other necessities? Well, you were almost done anyway.

You let out a shaky breath as you enter the cold isle for the milk. "Oh? Is the weather cold down there?" Zane commented, unprovoked. You gasp and look at Zane in disbelief.

"I am this close to leaving you in this isle, Zane." You told him, showing your point finger nearly touch your thumb. You two stare at each other for a bit before you laughed and Zane chuckled. "Can you grab me a gallon? I'll call the other two so we can meet up at one of the cashiers."

Zane nodded, walking to get what you asked while you pulled out your phone to call Garroth. After a few rings, he picked up when Zane arrived with your request. "Hi, Garroth! We're almost done here, how about you?"

"We're done too, we just finished a few minutes ago." He told you.

"Great, let's go meet up at a cashier but don't get in line yet." You turned the cart to head for the cashiers.

"No problem! We'll be at the cashier at the far right." You heard him calling for Laurence after that.

"See you, Y/N!" He said. "See youuu." You smiled, hanging up the call and motioned Zane to walk next to you. "They said they'll be waiting at the right cashier."

"We're not that far." Zane commented, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

When you two arrived at the middle of the cashiers, Zane motioned to your right and your head turns to see Laurence waving with his cart. You and Zane approach.

"Alright, we totaled everything and it's divisible by the three of us." Laurence explained to Zane how much was his share. Your cart wasn't as full compared to the boys but you lived alone, so it made sense.

"Y/N, would you like to go first?" Garroth asked, motioning your cart then to the cashier in front of your group. "Sure, I'll wait for you guys outside." You smiled, pushing the cart to get in line and place your groceries on the conveyer belt.

The boys got in line behind you and waited for you to finish paying for your stuff. You smiled at the employee and walked away, carrying your groceries.

"So, Zane." Garroth started out to his brother, who was placing their groceries on the conveyer belt. "What?"

"How was shopping with Y/N?" He teased, prolonging the last syllable of your name. "Yeah, after you surprisingly went with her on your own will." Laurence murmured loud enough for Garroth to nudge his elbow.

"Is it that surprising?"

"Yeah." "Yes."

Zane gave them a stare before rolling his eye. "Y/N just happens to be less annoying than you two and..."

"And..?" Garroth anticipated.

"The rest is none of your business. Now, get over here and pay your share." Zane replied, giving him a glare before pulling out his wallet. Garroth was surprised.

Not at Zane's attitude, no he was used to that. He was surprised how Zane was getting along with someone he just met. Granted, he had trouble getting along with everyone right now but that was because the things he did in the past made him reluctant to open up to people. Yet he was casually laughing and making sarcastic comments with you, someone who didn't know about what he's done before and is just getting to know him. He was happy for Zane though. He knew Zane could always up to Aphmau but having more than one person to listen was always good. That person was you. Yes, he was happy for Zane.

Once the three boys were done paying for their groceries, they went out and found you standing up with your groceries on the ground next to you. It was quarter to 3.

"Should we head to Starbucks now?" You asked, getting up from your seat while grabbing your grocery bags. "Here." Zane stepped forward, grabbing the ones on your left arm and placing them in the cart.

"Why didn't you get a cart?" Laurence asked, watching as Zane took the last groceries from your right to mix with theirs. Two for the left, two for the right.

"I thought I didn't need one." You squinted your eyes at Zane with a smile, who just looked at you confused. "Anyways, should we?" You asked again.

"Sure, we'll have to go up two floors though." Laurence said, looking on the floor map on his phone. "No problem." You replied, moving next to Laurence.

"You guys want drinks when we get there?" You asked as the four of you began walking. "Are you treating us?" Garroth asked, batting his eyes at you. You laughed and nodded your head. "Sure, think of it as my gift for being such nice neighbors."

"Woah, I was kidding. You're actually going to buy us drinks?" Garroth asked, surprised. You pouted your lip and shrugged your shoulders as you approached an elevator. "Yeah, why not? Get whatever you want." You smiled at him as you entered the elevator.

"You probably shouldn't say that." Zane jumped in, standing across the three of you in the rising elevator. "Now they're going to buy the whole coffee shop." He added.

You raised a brow and looked at the two boys next to you. "He's exaggerating." Laurence said while laughing as he left the elevator first. "I'm not." Zane whispered in your ear, craning his neck down slightly.

You huffed lightly while rolling your eyes as the four of you approached Starbucks. "We're the first ones here." You pointed out, watching as the guys settled down at a round table outside with 4 seats. Laurence set the cart next to him.

"So, what are your orders?" You asked, bringing out your phone and wallet. "Wow, you really are buying us drinks..." Laurence commented before telling you his order, then Garroth, and lastly Zane.

You smiled as you finished typing in everyone's order on your phone. "Okay, I'll be right back." You told them, turning around to head inside.

"I'll come with." Zane said, getting out of his seat to follow you. You waited and smiled at him once he stood next to you before entering the cafe.

You missed to hear Garroth's comment on you two since you were already about to enter.

"They look so hilarious together. Zane's like this scary labrador while Y/N's a cute poodle." Laurence hysterically laughed at this, covering his face.

When the two of you had returned, Aphmau and Aaron were seated at the table beside yours. You waved at the both of them while you set down the coffee tray.

"Hi, Aphmau!" You greeted her and she waved. You glanced at their cart full of house decor and a few groceries. "Hi, Y/N! How was your shopping?"

"It was great." You smiled, letting Zane take the inside seat while you sat on the outer end. "Just bought groceries for myself since I've kind of decorated my house already." You chuckled.

"Here are your drinks, boys." You got the drinks out of the tray and gave them to the boys, remembering who ordered what. "Aw, did Y/N buy you free drinks?" Aphmau pouted, looking at your table with envy.

"Whaaaattt..." A whiney voicd appeared from behind you and when you turned around, you met Travis and Dante carrying a few bags. "That's not fair, we're on the same street! Y/N, come on!" Travis whined while you just laughed. They took a seat at the table behind Aphmau.

"Are we late?" Katelyn appeared behind Travis' table and took the table behind yours. Now, your friend group all sat together in a square-like format. "Nope, we all just arrived. Y/N got the guys free drinks though." Aphmau replied, pointing to your table which had a smug Garroth and Laurence.

"Shocking how those two didn't get more than one drink." Katelyn replied, laughing at her own comment with the rest of the group joining in. "Did everyone get what they need?" You asked, turning to look at what everyone's brought with them. Only you and Aphmau had a cart.

Everyone talked over each other in agreement. "Can we rest first? I think I might collapse if I carry any more of Travis' garbage." Dante sighed, throwing his head back and leaning into his chair. "This isn't garbage, this is very much needed for us!" The target defended.

"I'm fine with resting for a bit." You agreed with Dante, leaning into your chair a little bit more while taking a sip of your drink.

"Alright, I'll get ready to book us a taxi." Aaron said, pulling out his phone and resting his arms on the table.

"Oh, you guys should just ride with me then." Your attention perked at the topic of how to get home while your eyes looked at the boys you've been with for the past hour.

"Hell yeah!" Laurence and Garroth high-fived each other, immediately accepting the offer. "I call shotgun!" Garroth immediately exclaimed afterwards much to Laurence's hopes to get front seat.

"This isn't even fair..." Dante faked a cry, sinking into his seat more and you sent a smile his way. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll all get to ride my car at some point."

Katelyn made a fist to the air and KC's tail waved excitingly. "No one's ever driving it though." You added and you heard a quiet curse from Dante. You chuckled before continuing your drink.

You waved goodbye to the other people as you, Garroth, Zane, and Laurence walked to your car. "Here, Laurence. I'll help you place the groceries at the back." You jogged to your car and unlocked it before opening the trunk.

"You don't have to." Laurence smiled, parking the cart next to your trunk. "I don't mind." You said, reaching out for some groceries and arranging them at the back.

"How is this car so clean!?" Garroth praised as he looked around from the passenger seat while Zane was behind the driver's seat, leaning back with crossed arms.

You and Laurence shared a chuckle before finishing up at the back. You got into the driver's seat and inserted your key, then turning it to start the engine. "Sweet." Laurence praised. "This is a pretty good car, how much did you get it for?"

You chuckled. "It was a graduation gift." Your brother gave you a medium-sized car and kept the price hidden from you when he surprised you with it. You searched up the model though and you were left speechless when you saw the price. Your car was mainly white but it had black accents on the outside, along with the inside. "For... This model?" Garroth made an audible gulp.

"I know, my brother's insane." You chuckled. "Your brother's older than you, right?" Garroth asked and Laurence leaned in curiously as well. "Mhm." You replied, turning on the AC. "By how many years?" Laurence added.

"Hm... 11, I think?" You tried doing the math in your head. "No, he's 12 years older." You turned to look at Garroth and Laurence, who had their brows raised and mouth wide open. "What?" You asked.

"That's such a big age difference." Laurence commented and you just shrugged your shoulders. "That's what everyone says but I couldn't ask for a better brother to grow up with..."

"Actually, I could've asked for that one brother in that sci-fi movie with the marshmallow robot." You jokingly changed your mind and Laurence went back to his seat, laughing. "Didn't he die?" Zane joined in.

"Sadly." You sighed, reaching down to the pocket to your side and grabbing your breath mints. "Mint?" You popped yourself the treat before handing it to Laurence. He handed it to the back after giving himself one and Garroth took two.

Zane got one and tapped your shoulder with the container. "Thanks, Zane." You grabbed the bottle from him before checking your back to see if there were any cars passing.

"Sit back and relax, guys." You replied, throwing your shoulder over your seat while one hand stayed on the steering wheel. You carefully reversed and left the parking lot, not before slowly stopping in front of your other friends still waiting on their taxi.

You pressed the button to slide down Garroth's window and leaned to the right. "We're gonna get going now! Get home safe, everybody." You grinned at them and they gave you their goodbyes. Some of them calling out the smug look on Garroth's face.

You waved at them one last time before telling Garroth to put up the window. You drove away with your music playing on the speakers and talking with the boys. Well, Zane's moments were his short sarcastic comments.

"We're here!" You parked in front of the boys' house and opened the drunk with one of the buttons in front of you. "I'll get the door open." Garroth commented, letting himself out and getting the key from his pocket. You set down your window and rested your arm outside, watching as the blond unlocked the door.

"C'mon, Zane. Let's start with the groceries." Laurence ordered Zane and they both started heading to the back, carefully searching which bags were theirs and which were yours.

Laurence had a few bags in his hands before walking over to the door and plopping the bags on the porch. Zane made his way to your window with groceries in his hand.

"Today wasn't as bad as I thought... Thanks to you." He murmured and you almost didn't catch what he said. You blinked before smiling brightly at him. "Thank you too, Zane. Today was fun."

"Do you... Want help with your groceries?" He offered, readjusting the current bags he was holding. You chuckled and waved a hand. "Don't worry about me. I can handle it. You should help Laurence and Garroth since you guys have a lot to unravel."

You motioned to the bags in his hand before you met his eye again. He looked at you before averting his gaze. "I guess... Bye, Y/N." He said, walking off. He sounded disappointed, you thought while watching him approach the house. "See you, Zane!" You call out cheerfully, hoping to lighten him up.

"Y/N, we've got everything! I'll close the trunk." Laurence called out from the back and you heard the gentle click of the trunk, indicating it was locked. He walked up to your window, holding the last groceries.

"Thanks for the ride back, we really appreciate it." He smiled. "No problem, you guys take care for the night." You said, getting your hand on your stick shift.

"You too." He walked away and you brought your window back up before shifting the stick to drive. You opened up your garage with the remote that was attached to your house-key before parking. You grabbed your groceries and made your way back into your house with a small smile remaining on your lips.

Today was nice, you thought as you locked your door from the inside.

#fanfic #more like fanfic in progress #this is beta btw #mystreet #aphmau minecraft mystreet #aphmau mystreet #aphmau #zane #zane ro'meave #aphmau zane #mystreet lovers' lane #mystreet lovers lane #zane romeave x reader #zane x reader #aphmau reader insert #childhood crush that is still rotting in my brain #help its been almost a week he's living in my mind rent free #✩ starraywrites #✩ starraywrites aphmau mystreet #✩ starraywrites slnd

[anewbeginningagain]

I think there are valid arguments for IAM being more proactive with respect to the Sorensen allegations but I also can understand that they may not want to step into the fray. It’s more complicated because they also have a PR/Agent relationship and presumably those services were used to help craft the statements that he and Laurence made. I would not be surprised if the team retires after worlds — it would not surprise me if it IAM has at least removed any minors from sessions with them.

But the other question of why fans are so obsessed with IAM, part of it is the way IAM have positioned themselves and their prominence in the sport. I mean there are other sports with dominant coaching teams but IAM is unique even within that category.

But I think it’s also a vestige of having such a large VM component in the figure skating fandom. VMies were overly invested in IAM and especially in Patch and Marie-France as the mentors and friends of VM and the embodiment of the shipper fanfic fantasy of VM coaching together in Montreal or whatever. And Scott continuing to operate a branch of IAM adds fuel to that fire. I’m hoping that that aspect of the fandom continues to fade out.

That's false to my knowledge, I.AM are not the agents nor do they do PR for their skaters. They politick for them and they likely advice them on how to conduct themselves for appearances so judges will reward them, but most skaters are represented by IMG or other agencies (if at all) and those agencies help book them shows, interviews, sponsorship, and so on. It's not I.AM who get any of that for their skaters. I would expect the statements made by FB/S were drafted after consulting with lawyers, not PR agencies (or at least a combination of legal and PR services). And yes, I too expect FB/S to retire after worlds.

There's definitely a part of the interest in I.AM that stems from their connection with V/M. That being said at this point I don't think that's the biggest factor. Essentially I.AM are so dominant that it's a given to hate them right now. You keep seeing the Twitter fs fandom lashing our about I.AM "ruining skating" and how they can't wait for their demise, with the proofs being F/G and C/B. While I find both teams overscored and lacking, it is not a coincidence that they getting hit while G/P for example are mostly getting a pass although they've been producing a lot of mediocre skating since 2021/22 (Piper in particular unfortunately). It's normal to hate the #1 school, and I.AM dominance is kind of unheard of in terms of the sheer number of world level teams they coach. And it also didn't help that TSL started the "Marie France is collecting judges" crap (and let's as usual ignore the misogyny side of putting it on her and not on her two male partners), though it definitely helps them, looking closely at the protocols shows that the "voting blocks" are formed not by their relation to I.AM but by the relation between federations.

[rivertalesien]

how do you get someone on the motherland bandwagon?

I really don't know how anything like that works, how people get into whatever they get into. Something about it just appeals deeply to a person. Talking about the show helps, especially if you are enthusiastic, and maybe it will catch on with those around you. But I think there almost has to be something immediate that hooks. If it isn't there, it isn't there.

Either the idea of X-men-like witches in an alternate USA where women are in charge (especially Black women) and the morality of "legal" mass murder vs. "non-legal" is a lynchpin all the characters revolve around really works for you or it doesn't.

I think the story of Motherland is probably multiple-novel worthy, something (creator) Eliot Laurence has been working on for years. I can only imagine what he's had to throw away just to translate this story to the screen. All the moments that would fill in so many blanks and help us make more complete sense of everything. As it is, I think the show, for all of its limitations, does incredibly well at giving us a big slice of his vision. That's credit to Eliot and his writers.

They've made some missteps, no doubt, like this season centering themes of heteronormativity within witch society (and putting Abigail in the most awkward storyline); this really could have been left out so we could give focus where it is needed: fleshing out the Camarilla and the struggle of dodgers/fighting conscription and how someone like Scylla could join such a cause like the Spree.

Because this seems to be the biggest drawback right now: how do you root for someone who has willingly committed mass murder and how do you root for her with the unproblematic lead? Especially when she doesn't seem particularly regretful?

I think the show challenges us here (not always neatly or perfectly), because there is a dark, subversive mirror being held up for Scylla. I've been wanting to write about it for a while, but waiting for this finale.

I do wish people could look past budget limitations and even some acting/director choices to see what is really going on underneath isn't so far removed from the insane popularity of the MCU, with similar themes, characters, heroes, villains and anti-heroes. It's almost a challenge to something like the MCU to do better: see, this is how easy it is to have queer characters, to center anything other than white men as your heroes and it works.

Because it does work. It isn't fast food just because the wrapper looks familiar. This isn't a show to give you a little thrill without taking your brain along for the ride. If it had an MCU-style budget, we wouldn't be worried about whether it will have more seasons or whether even Raylla is a "good" ship or not. We accept dark, complex character dynamics when its all glossy and well-knowns are attached and its on the big screen.

But look here: it's right in our hands. Give it a chance.

#questions #motherland: fort salem #motherland #x-men #mcu #raylla #freeform #hulu

[thegeneralreturns]

Thoughts on THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

I've never put much stock in the philosophical or symbolic weight of The Matrix. I didn't when it came out, and the time since then has only reinforced my opinion with every subsequent work that The Wachowskis have released. They've been having screenplays produced since 1995, and I think I can count the number of times any of their characters have had anything interesting to say on one hand. It's hard to marvel at the supposed metaphorical depth of The Matrix when its two creators didn't have the self-awareness to know ahead of time that the yellowface in Cloud Atlas was a bad idea.

But at the very least, I liked The Matrix movies because they served, if nothing else, as genuinely thrilling front-to-back action pictures.

Or at least they did.

The Matrix Resurrections doesn't.

I can put up with the first forty-five minutes of the movie, which are meta and self-referential to the point of painful cringe as long as I get some well-choreographed shoot-outs or fight scenes. What we get is jittery, poorly edited with next to no concern for the scene's geography, and confined to tiny, cramped sets that just barely allow for movement of either the actors or the camera.

Everyone was concerned by the absence of Lilly Wachowski and Laurence Fishburne from this fourth movie. But we lost Zach Staenberg's editing, we lost Don Davis' music, we lost Bill Pope's cinematography, AND WE FOR DAMN SURE lost Yuen Woo-Ping's fight choreography. Those were fatal.

Normally I'd have fascination or at least respect for a movie that blows this much of a studio's money while seeming utterly disinterested in the prospect of anyone watching it, but The Matrix Resurrections can't even pull that off. It's Lana Wachowski's self-pitying moan about sequel culture, that Warner Bros. got her to do this in the first place, and over two decades of being suffocated by everyone else's interpretation of her work. Yes, including those who scream "IT'S A TRANS NARRATIVE!" every time The Matrix comes up. To Miss Wachowski, their interpretation is about as useful as, well, my complaints.

But do you know who I feel sorry for? Jessica Henwick, who plays Bugs. She keeps finding herself doing good work in foundational properties just when they're at their most flaccid and uninspired. First Netflix Marvel, then Star Wars, then Game of Thrones, and now The Matrix. She's like Ted McGinley... Only, y'know, a damn sight more talented and charismatic. She deserves better than this.

The Matrix Resurrections isn't even interesting enough for me to hate.