#too bad they decided to be mediocre for half a fucking season

[goatsandgangsters]

shadow and bone episode 6 liveblog: all two minutes of it before I turned off the TV

wow Baghra sure doesn’t…….. give a flying fuck that Alina plans to kill her son. which would be fucked up in a vacuum, but like. in the books, her motivation THE ENTIRE TIME is “saving him.” her ENTIRE THING is that SHE DOES NOT CARE about anything but herself and her son’s survival. EVERYTHING ELSE is expendable, the entire country is expendable, even Alina is expendable. BUT SURE!!! LET’S JUST NOT CARE THAT THE ONLY ONE OF YOUR MANY CHILDREN YOU BOTHERED TO RAISE AND THE ONLY CONSTANT OVER LIKE 800 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE IS GONNA GET MURDERATED

I am paused two minutes into the episode debating if this show is worth finishing

Darkling stans, I’ve always thought our section of the fandom unfairly vilified Baghra. but I am now maintaining that opinion only about book!Baghra. this is extremely cruel writing.

god. even book!darkling—an objectively worse and Deader Inside person than his show counterpart—had the decency to be extremely fucked up over Baghra’s death. and she just isn’t phased by the reverse prospect at all?

how did book!darkling, an objectively worse person who did far worse to everyone around him, get a more sympathetic treatment than what we’re doing now? like, what was the point of all the work they did to humanize the character and make him more three-dimensional, who DOESN’T EVEN DO HALF THE HEINOUS THINGS AS HIS BOOK COUNTERPART, only to turn around and take away sympathy for him that existed in the books

I was already expecting this liveblog would be a big rant about the decision to have baghra HELP alina with the amplifiers even though that is so outrageously counter to Literally Everything She Stands For And Believes In, but this just decked me in the face, so we might not even get far enough for me to do That Particular Rant

I’ve turned off the TV

an hour has passed, I’ve taken a shower, I’ve continued to debate with myself if I should just be done with the entire franchise and care about things that are actually good, instead of caring too much about things because I wish they were good

we’ll see what I decide. I’m gonna sleep on it 

don’t tell me anything / be very vague. I can ask Kara specifics for my mind-making-up-process but I still want to have control over what/how much info I take in to make that decision 

I really……. didn’t foresee a world where I wouldn’t like season 2

because like, I read the books. on the whole, I enjoyed them. even though objectively 5 of them are mediocre at best. I made it through. I had fun. they’re not good, but they’re entertaining, and that has value. and that was always my assurance. “well, if nothing else, the show won’t be WORSE than the books.” and I’m not so sure about that right now.

all things considered, I’m actually the world’s most easy-to-appease Darkling Stan. I don’t want a different ending. I like both deaths, in r&r and row. honestly, all I’ve ever wanted is for the narrative to be less heavy-handed on lecturing the audience, stop telling me how I’m supposed to feel, and respect the tragedy of someone who’s fought so hard and so long that there’s nothing left of him. Respect that that’s tragic.

and based on season 1, I thought, perfect, you’re golden, on the right track, just keep this up. I’m looking forward to that sweet sweet tragedy 

and I do not understand how this version of the character—who is nowhere near as bad as his book counterpart—is being treated with even less sympathy. I don’t understand it. his own mother doesn’t give a shit??? you can’t even give him THAT? there is not a single soul in this whole entire world with even a scrap of sympathy, despite the fact that there are multiple characters in the book who feel that? they trust the audience so little? 

my ask was so minimal. respect the tragedy of the character. and right now, it seems like they’re doing a WORSE job than the book did. 

#episode 6 verdict (minutes 1–2): I made it through rule of wolves but I might not make it through this #don’t tell me anything / be very vague #I can ask kara for specifics for making-up-my-mind but I still wanna have control over what/how much info I take in to make that decision #sab liveblog

[littlerosetrove]

CRITICAL THOUGHTS INCOMING

If the writers never make Buddie canon, I honestly think it’ll be a big disappointment and a dumb decision. Let me explain. 

If the writers decide to keep Buck and Eddie with either A) Natalia and Marisol or B) some other women down the line, either case is, TO ME, uninteresting and boring. And frankly a disservice to the characters of Buck and Eddie. 

Look, I already don’t have that much faith in the writers to - again if they decide to keep Marisol and Natalia around - make these two interesting, just for starters. History, aka canon, shows that the writers and powers that be don’t have much interest in making any love interest for Buck or Eddie interesting or particularly compelling. 

Abby is an exception because she was a main character in season one. Shannon in her own way is an exception too, despite being a temporary side character. 

TK, I guess, would be considered the second best “developed” character/love interest. But good god, at what cost? We effectively had to sit with TK for a season and a half to have it drilled into us that she’s selfish, career driven (in a bad way), struggles to be nice or have sympathy for others in any capacity, has unresolved daddy issues that she refuses to work on, and is an overall bitch. Wow, so glad we had to witness this for a season and a half. Oh and, no, TK may be a shitty person, but I didn’t find her to be all that interesting. (the actress was mediocre too, so that didn’t help matters)

Ali had a little sass to her and couldn’t handle the reality of Buck’s job (which is fine. it’s good she recognized they weren’t compatible). Not much else to her. Ana was a teacher, low key ableist, “nice,” and... fuck if I know what else. She was there and, to me, she was uninteresting. 

Marisol hasn’t even been set up in any way beyond us, the audience, knowing that Eddie met her on a call, she pointed out the right glue in front of Eddie’s face, and she does DIY. At best she’s a one dimensional character right now. 

Natalia is also, at present, pretty one dimensional as well. We only know her profession, but we’ve been given nothing else of substance to understand really why she has done or said anything in the show. We were shown she’s uncomfortable with Buck and his life, so she left, but came back because???? Natalia says she likes Buck, but we haven’t been shown why she does beyond her initial intrigue with his death. Her character already has a weird and rocky start, so.... Good luck to the writers.

Whether the writers decide to keep Natalia and Marisol and make them endgame, or bring in two new love interests at some point, I simply don’t have faith that the writers will make them good, compelling, and even somewhat decently developed characters. Yes I get that this show is a first responders show, and so that’s their focus, but my gosh if they can make interesting characters out of the people on their calls (not always, but sometimes), then why can’t they make the love interests for Main Characters interesting and fun to watch?????

The writers honestly wrote themselves into a corner making Buck and Eddie so incredibly stellar as an obvious romantic pairing. They WROTE these two as always having each others backs, always supporting each other, having fun together, being silly together, understanding each other on such a deep level truly no one else compares, loving each other, being protective of each other, having fantastic chemistry (that’s on the actors), and on and on. They WROTE these two as, truly, being perfect for one another in every way. 

I really do think it will be such a bizarre and dumb decision to, potentially, never make Buck and Eddie canon. 

I will also say that, for me, even if whatever LI Buck and Eddie end up with (that’s not each other) are developed well or even decently, I know I still won’t care about them. Why? Because again I already know Buck and Eddie are perfect for each other, so no one can compare. 

Yes I’m a big Buddie shipper. I also recognize there are definitely people out there that easily accept simple (underdeveloped in my eyes) characters like Ali or Ana or Marisol, etc. I get that people will go with the flow of, “Buck/Eddie seem happy with this person, so that’s good enough for me.” I get that. But I’m not one of them, and definitely not for characters like Buck and Eddie who I think deserve better than poorly developed love interests. Like gd, am I really asking that much of the writers to do better when I know they have it in them? 

In relation to all this I’ve stated in other posts that I don’t really care for Marisol or Natalia, and I don’t have to. I’m allowed to say “yeah I don’t really care for this character” without there being some deep and/or terrible reasoning behind it. I also don’t have to like specific storylines for characters. As this post indicates, I don’t care for the current romantic storylines of Eddie and Buck, but especially Buck (we’ve seen this movie four gd times already). If someone likes it in any way, that’s totally cool. You feel how you feel. 

I doubt I’ll have anyone coming onto my post debating me about this, but just in case? Please don’t bother. I don’t care that the likelihood of Buck and Natalia lasting are probably low. Same with Eddie and Marisol. I just don’t care because I don’t care for these storylines. I’m not looking forward to seeing more of either of these storylines, no matter how long or short they last. 

EDIT: Also? Holy shit I'm also just tired of Buck and Eddie being paired off with unmemorable and forgettable people. The most “memorable” one would probably be TK, but only because she’s such a bitch, and yet still uninteresting. 

TL;DR? I want better for Buck and Eddie. Letting them get together and be together romantically is, I think, the best and logical decision for these characters. 

#911 critical #911 discourse #9-1-1 #Eddie Diaz #Evan Buckley #Buddie #I'm sure some folks may think Eddie dating #just for fun right now makes sense because of #the pseudo retcon of Eddie and Shannon's age and story #but uhhhh the writers didn't have to do that #as I've said in other posts #the writers absolutely could have worked the #entirety of s6 making Buddie canon... #but they didn't #IF the writers ever do decide to make Buddie canon #to me s6 is a big example of them just absolutely #dragging their feet at making Buddie canon #creating unnecessary roadblocks #idk when I'll be 'done' venting about my frustrastions #for s6 but that's why I always tag posts like this #as 'critical' and discourse' in case y'all don't #want to see this stuff #anyway #my thoughts

[roguemonsterfucker]

It pains me to say cause I love most supernatural shows out thier, but I can't think of a single thing that makes teen wolf really worth keeping in. All of it has bad pacing, and the best writing it has is in season 3 but even its mediocre at best. It just remains mostly boring and disappointing and I think its because they mostly rely on the actors looks to carry them through rather than have any substance. And again i really love supernatural things! Werewolves are some of my fave monsters! But I just couldn't and it makes me weep ;o;

That's what I was afraid of. 😔

I stopped watching at some point, though I can't remember exactly when. It was not long after Alison died, I think. But then I saw that Gideon Emery was on more episodes and being totally not obsessed with Fenris' voice actor, I decided to jump to those episodes, skipping at least a whole season and a half if memory serves. And... it didn't feel like I'd missed a single fucking thing.

I think my old original tumblr blog has posts on it about how excited I was to see Gideon Emery because I was deep in my Dragon Age obsession and totally liked Gideon Emery a normal healthy amount.

All that said, I'm gonna really try hard to watch it. I may spend entire episodes playing Pokemon during it so I don't have to dedicate too much of my brain to the show. 😂

[harlivies]

the way legacies gave us one of my least favorite episodes ever last week and arguably one of the best of the entire show this week... much to think about

#legacies #ines watches legacies #text #josie saltzman #lizzie saltzman #they have the range #too bad they decided to be mediocre for half a fucking season

[poguesgold]

how did you feel about season? i know most people liked it better than season 1 but i’m not sure how i feel yet🤔 might need to rewatch it

okay this ended up soooo long so i'm giving a tl;dr review here and if anyone cares to read my insanely long thought dump you can feel free. this part is spoiler free also!!

cons: i think they should have further developed the s1 storyline rather than conjuring up an entirely new treasure and conflict; i don't think they did the characters justice a lot of the time, particularly kie and jj; too much yelling and running not enough hanging out; the finale cliff hanger was a stupid writing choice

pros: cleo!!; pope-centric plotline!!!; amazing jjpope moments in the improv sequences; never a boring moment; rafebarry oh my god????; neck kiss shirtless wrestling holding hands standing unnecessarily close jjpope rot; just a straight up nine hour long adrenaline rush and i love that shit.

overall: i definitely did not like it more than s1, but i still REALLY loved it. i think it's worth the watch, just don't go into it expecting good writing or realistic injuries or a comprehensive plot LMFAO. what saves the season is the pogues' chemistry and their improv sequences, for real. and cleo. you WILL get angry about the shitty script and characterization if you’re really invested in that part of things, but as far as vibes and dopamine high it was awesome. it was a fun watch and i'll definitely rewatch at least once to soak it in properly

please this is going to be soooo long i apologize in advance. but i have a lot of thoughts. also ⚠️⚠️spoilers ahead!!⚠️⚠️

most of this review is going to be criticisms tbh so sorry for that but this show kinda sucks (affectionately<3)

i thought season 2 was an absolute TRAINWRECK as far as writing goes. jonas pate was basically like. this season we're going to have an even BIGGER and BETTER treasure!!! but the exact same thing is going to happen. like. we already had gold. and that's what they were going to the bahamas for at the end of season 1 for anyway????? it would have been so easy to just develop the original storyline further, i just cannot figure out why they would completely abandon it for another mediocre storyline. (i LOVED that this other mediocre storyline was pope-centric and the main character energy he was given this season. but. they. could have done that?? with the first storyline?????)

i hate that they brought big john back so so much. SO much. literally it was the stupidest most idiotic lazy cheesy plot choice in the world. it doesn't make sense, we like saw his literal bones at one point like his lifeless corpse, and WHY would they bring back a key character from the PREVIOUS ARC when they created an ENTIRELY NEW CONFLICT AND PLOTLINE FOR THIS SEASON???? jonas pate stuck it in for shock value and cliff hanger in hopes of securing a season 3, and i hate him for it. he's such a terrible writer white men have it so easy

someone in the neck kiss truthers discord earlier pointed out that jb's dead father returning after like a year and a half of thinking he was dead would probably be more traumatic that healing at this point, and i agree so much. also, you know that they're not going to use it for good either way. they're going to use his dad coming back as a way to further traumatize him somehow because obx writers are jombeephobic. and i wouldn't put it past them to bring him back just to kill him off again. jonas pate wants to write john b torture porn and i am TIRED of it

my least favorite thing about season 2 was the characterization. they really did just disregard the characters they created in season 1. kie was completely ooc for like three episodes, and it wasn't because she was mourning. it was just shitty writing. she had no character outside of her relationships this season, which has been my fear from the very beginning and why i have never wanted kie with any of the pogues. season 2 diminished her character to the female love interest, and that just sucked so bad for her.

whether you're a jjpope or not, season 2 completely changed their friendship dynamic. the only time we got glimpses of the season 1 jjpope dynamic was in the improv sequences when rudy and jd took it upon themselves. also during their hugs LMFAO. which is also an acting choice. the writing completely disregarded their friendship and dynamic. it was weird as fuck it was all weird. i also hated that kie and sarah's scripted interactions were just them talking about boys. another case of friendships again being completely disregarded for the cishet relationships. 

i just really feel like all of the characters were handled poorly this season, which is crazy because literally ALL we asked for was backstory and character development and pogue screentime. but jonas pate instead decided to write ten episodes of nonstop running and yelling and fuckinf adrenaline, with an ooc script. for funsies

i feel like the magic of season 1 was lost. the vibe of season 1 that makes it so comforting and rewatchable and lovely is sort of just lost in all the silly plot. we see snatches of it here and there, but they feel crammed between unnecessary action scenes and stunts and shouting when we would have been happy with ten episodes of the pogues hanging out in each other's bedrooms.

NOW IM GOING TO TALK THINGS I LIKED OKAY OKAY

i seriously DID love watching it. we pulled an all nighter in the neck truthers discord and binged the entire season and the adrenaline of that kept me going for the rest of the week. it was literally fucking insane absolutely batshit and i LOVED it. the writing was horrible but like. it's obx we know it isn't good LMFAOO. it's part of the charm

i definitely don't like it more than s1, but i did still like it a lot. i LOVED how pope centric it was, like he fr had such main character energy this season and it was wonderful. even though the storyline was weird and didn't make sense jd did so well lolol he did so wonderfully. i loved seeing pope get the attention he deserves this season.

JJPOPE MOMENTS. i was definitely sad they didn't have an arc to themselves like they did season 1, but oh my god jd and rudy FED US with jjpope improv moments this season. the NECK KISS? the WRESTLING? every single one of their hugs?????? they're insane. it sucked that they really didn't have any scenes alone but we take what we can get.

SPEAKING OF GAYS LET'S TALK ABOUT RAFEBARRY. because?? oh my god??? first season it was like a crack ship and then season 2 came out and... what are we supposed to do ignore it? they are literally??? gay????? it's jarring they're insane. i am so so invested in them it's kind of unreal how deep i got into this ship in such a short amount of time (follow @rafebarry babies <33)

cleo. i love cleo. the best new thing to come out of this season for sure. clarah is coming strong i can feel it and i am SO ready. i know that they're most likely going to move toward a cleopope romance next season, which i don't hate? i'm bothered only because a) it's obvious it's mostly being done to get pope out of the way for jiara, and b) i think people often push two dark-skinned characters into a ship just because they're both dark-skinned, and that yucks me out. but i will say i really liked their moments together in s2 and i think they could be really good together if they're canon s3 (which they probably will be.)

overall like. it was a fun watch. i retained like 2% of the plot i was just there for the vibes and dopamine high and that was totally fine. i want to take the pogues out of jonas pate’s greedy little white man fingers and give them the character and relationship development they deserve, but we can’t have it all i guess. the cinematography this season i think i liked better than season 1, wasn’t a huge fan of that weird yellow filter tho. also the lighting. obx lighting guys get demoted challenge. umm yeah season 1 supremacy but season 2 had amazing vibes

#jesus clearly i haven't talked about this enough yet #send in other asks if you want i'm absolutely insane #sorry if there's typos i am not reading through this again #if i'm incoherent you'll just have to deal #asks #s2 asks

[thanksjro]

Dark Cybertron Chapter 12: That’s the Power of Love, Babeyyyyy

Thank fucking god, it’s almost over.

Our issue opens up with Ironhide deadnaming Slug, like the out-of-touch grandpa that he is. Everything is going to shit, the whole city’s covered in lasers like the world’s worst rave, and someone thought it was a good idea to let Swerve have a gun.

As the Ammonites try to murder everyone in sight, Whirl and Arcee have a little chat about how Whirl’s seemingly caused every problem ever in the last four million years.

…Whirl, you have been keeping up with your appointments with Rung, right? Like, I know he’s not the best therapist around by any stretch of the imagination, but surely something would be better than nothing in this case.

On the Lost Light, Hound, Perceptor, and Mainframe are keeping track of how many Ammonites have been killed. Everyone is extra British in this bit. Perceptor basically calls Hound a fucking idiot, because even with all the guys who’ve been taken out, there are still literally BILLIONS of these suckers running around.

Which seems a little overkill to me, but what do I know? Warcrimes aren’t my specialty.

Meanwhile, in the Mystical City of Making Science Cry, Starscream apparently knows what cosplay is, and takes a potshot at Jhiaxus for stealing his look. Metalhawk explains how the Ammonites got here in the first place, which, y’know, is cool. Love me some technobabble exposition.

I don’t actually love it.

I’m sorry for lying.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE FOR METALHAWK TO PUT A STOP TO THIS

BUT WE’VE GOT ANOTHER 19 PAGES TO GO

SO I GUESS LIFE JUST ISN’T FUCKING FAIR RATTRAP

While Metalhawk contemplates ending the comic event early, Starscream is getting his ass kicked by an old man who spent the war sitting on his butt in the Dead Universe.

Over with Team -Imus, Brainstorm’s taking a breather after getting Robertsed at the end of last issue. Ultra Magnus makes a pun, I guess to cope with the fact that he doesn’t understand anything that’s going on. Cyclonus is still dying, but this isn’t about him. Nightbeat is also dying. Oh, and Kup. Turns out, being a part of the Dead Universe is sort of an issue when you’re out of it.

Even though Galvatron was fine. And Jhiaxus. And Nova Prime, for the little bit he was out of it.

I feel like this plot point kinda just shows up when it’s convenient.

Anyway.

Brainstorm has shit in his lab that can help them not die, but he and Skids are gonna need help to get all these undead morons back to the Lost Light, which means that only two folks would be going to face Shockwave in this final confrontation.

Speaking of Shockwave, he’s gone full Burning Justice with that time drive shoved into his chest, as he makes fun of Megatron for being a dumb stupid idiot who gave him everything he needed to end the universe. He reveals himself to be a nihilist, claiming that a Cybertron which only exists for existence’s sake- and without any form of life- is the ultimate in perfection. Also, he’s a communist now. A nihilistic communist.

Just… whatever, Shockwave.

Megatron’s annoyed by all this posturing- which, same- but enough about him, it’s time for Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime drop down from… somewhere… to kick some ass. Shockwave promptly shoots Magnus, and is about to do the same to Optimus, when this starts happening:

Huh. Wonder what all that’s about.

Shockwave snaps out of his stupor and proceeds to fire on Optimus, yelling about being the only thing that exists as he does.

Over with Rodimus and friends, Cyclonus is bitching about Rodimus not leaving him behind so he could go fight Shockwave. Nightbeat, who I guess just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, tells Cyclonus to quit it, because they all know that he just misses his boyfriend. Cyclonus, though blatantly annoyed, doesn’t actually refute this claim. Brainstorm wonders aloud just how this gaggle of assholes managed to escape the Dead Universe without murdering each other.

Rodimus explains that when they heard the singing at Swerve’s, it proved they could still get out of the Dead Universe, so they desecrated Nova Prime’s corpse to make a space bridge. Brainstorm became a doorway, because he’s very nearly dead, and oh yeah, he should probably fix that when they get back to the lab, and also reconsider his lab safety protocols.

The gang reaches the outside world, and Rodimus is given a chance to spout off his personal philosophies.

Fantastic, you funky little man.

Then everyone looks up in the sky and sees some real bullshit.

Hey, Cahill? I just wanna talk, man. Just wanna talk about this boobie Windblade you’ve cursed my eyes with.

Back over with Jhiaxus and Starscream, Jhiaxus just cannot shut up. He just keeps waxing poetic about how smart Shockwave’s plan is. I couldn’t even tell you what the guy’s saying- my eyes glaze over whenever he gets a speech bubble.

Metalhawk at this point has had quite enough of all this nonsense, and decides he’s gonna throw himself into the equation that allows the Dark Cybertron prophecy to manifest.

By killing himself.

He just fuckin’… tosses himself into some heavy machinery and explodes, and that throws all the ores out of wack, since he’s got the Resurrection Ore in him. Jhiaxus is distracted by a man just straight-up dying in the same room as him, and this give Starscream the opening he needs to stab Jhiaxus in the gut.

Then the background just straight up disappears, as Rattrap lets everyone know that it’s all still going to shit, but in the opposite direction.

Really not sure about this art direction, but whatever. I’m over it.

Back outside, all the Ammonites are exploding. All of them. Billions of the little suckers, just popping off like fire crackers. The environment’s going to be ruined at this rate. Metroplex is having a great fucking time. Happy for him.

The Lost Light calls the ladies inside Metroplex’s brain room, and lets them know that they’re gonna break up Monstructor like the mediocre boy-band he is, though not without Mainframe being difficult beforehand. The ladies jump out and enter the fray, admiring Arcee’s style as they do.

Back with Rodimus and pals, Nightbeat’s being fucking cryptic, and Brainstorm gets to work making it so folks aren’t dying from being in the wrong universe, after a little prodding to his ego.

Back in Shockwave’s Super Saiyan Energy Bubble of Pure Unadulterated Logic, Shockwave says that’s he’s fucking ripped, and Optimus couldn’t beat him in a fight. Clearly, this means we’ll have to use our words to resolve this, like adults. Optimus isn’t too sure about that option, however.

I mean, do I even have to- Optimus, that’s GAY.

I have the sneaking suspicion that Roberts wrote this portion of the script. Y’know, just given his track record.

Then Megatron blasts Shockwave with his fusion cannon, and makes fun of Optimus for being a sentimental fool.

The fact that “Dark Cybertron” is telling me this makes me so mad. Like, you don’t get to talk, Exposition Central.

It’s at this point that Megatron drops a bomb on everyone present- he’s done with being a Decepticon. He’s gonna be an Autobot now.

See, ol’ Megsy here has seen the error of his ways- that by fighting the Senate, he allowed them to change him into a murderous warlord. To prove how much of a nice guy he is, he’s ripped the Autobrand off of Bumblebee’s lifeless body and duct-taped it to his chest.

Which seems a tad disrespectful, but okay.

…Megatron, you do realize that, as the leader of the Decepticons, you could just tell everyone that they need to be nice, and that would more or less be the end of it, right? You could just say “not evil anymore, I want to be loved now”, and everyone would be all “sir yes sir.” This is going to be a PR nightmare, I can already tell. Shockwave certainly seems to agree with me.

I really like this panel structure. Want to say this is the only place it happens, too. It’s just too bad it lives in “Dark Cybertron”.

Shockwave’s not having a good time right now, and he’s convinced that Optimus and Megatron have teamed up just to make him upset so he loses control of the time drive. The two spout off a little Autobot propaganda, and then Shockwave Remembers™.

Shockwave, having had his shadowplay reverse violently and abruptly, is horrified to find what he’s become. Alas, it’s too late for him- the only way to stop the time drive is for Optimus to kill him. Optimus promises to remember who Shockwave was- a callback to the line Shockwave gave him back before his empurata- and then shoots the everloving fuck out of the guy. Megatron helps.

And that’s a series wrap on Shoc-

-holy fucking shit.

The gang high-tails it outta there, IDW Optimus once again proving to be the shittiest version of everyone’s space-dad, as he leaves Bumblebee’s body to be consumed by the Shockwave Singularity. It’s looking pretty hopeless, but luckily none of these bastards can die without fucking up Season 2 of MTMTE, so the Lost Light swoops in to save the day.

Down below, Soundwave and his gaggle of small children and animals watch as the Lost Light fucks off into the distance. Soundwave’s having a time and a half, as he realizes with his balls-to-the-wall senses that Megatron’s joined the Autobots. Galvatron shows up to try to work out a deal. We won’t be seeing where this goes, because that’ll be covered later on.

The Lost Light lands in front of Metroplex, and over to the left of that are Rattrap and Starscream, climbing over the wreckage of the city. Rattrap tries to warn Starscream that things are gonna be tough, now that the Dark Cybertron prophecy has come to pass, but Starscream isn’t really having it. He’s gotten very paranoid, likely due to stress, and tells Rattrap to not play this game, because he’s the best player who’s ever lived. Then the Lost Light gang shows up and we get this face:

Sure.

Later on, Megatron and Optimus are hanging out in the Sky Roller, not-talking, until Megatron tells Optimus to get on with it, since the issue’s about to end. Megatron was totally serious about becoming an Autobot. Optimus isn’t really sure what to do with that. I don’t think anyone’s really sure what to do with that, to be honest.

Megatron, in turn, asks Optimus if he really could look past all the bullshit Shockwave pulled in the last several million years, and he gets a non-answer, because addressing your feelings is for losers, clearly. The two exit the ship, and I guess everyone else was just… standing outside waiting for them to talk it out. Weird.

...And with THAT, I am finally released from Comic Event Hell!

If you hear any distant, triumphant screeching right now, that’s likely me.

#transformers #jro #dark cybertron #issue 12 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #comic script writing

[sigridhr]

Darcyverse Drabbles

Written for the Darcyverse Drabble Race game on discord. If you'd like to join the Darcyverse on discord, drop me a line! We'd love to have you, and we're always looking for new Darcy fans to hang out with.

Prompt 1: Ultraviolet

There’s something about the way Carol looks in the dark, a glow off of her skin, that makes Darcy feel like she’s peering into an alien world. Like colour is suddenly brighter and more wild than she’s ever thought it was possible to be before. She can almost see the far bits of the spectrum, just beyond what her eye can reach, dancing on Carol’s skin.

She wonders what it’s like to hold so much magic within you. But beneath her touch, Carol’s skin comes alive, sparking under her hands, and Darcy thinks she’s come close to knowing after all.

…

Wanda’s magic leaves a faint smell of ozone in the atmosphere, so when Darcy walks through the door she knows something is up. Cautiously, she pads into the kitchen, making no noise, and puts the shopping on the counter.

Wanda’s by the window, her hair flowing in a breeze of her own creation, dark purple swirling around her.

“Bad day?” Darcy asks softly.

The magic falls, the smell in the air clears, and the room lights up once more. “In a manner of speaking,” says Wanda. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Darcy rests her chin on Wanda’s shoulder and says, “always.”

…

The problem with an alien species that is ultraviolet in colour is that they’re fucking invisible. At least, they are to people who aren’t mantis shrimps, which is the first time Darcy has wondered if life would be simpler if she were a shrimp.

She’s holding one of Jane’s scanners up like a weapon, wandering around the lab with her arm carefully outstretched and wondering if this is truly going to be her inglorious and undignified end.

It’s then that Jane flips a switch flooding the lab with a strange purple light and making the creature visible. Darcy strikes.

…

Space is weird. Space is super weird, and Darcy has decided that space is arguably too weird to live in and that she’s had quite enough of everything being super, stupidly weird.

“So, let me get this straight,” she says, furious at the weird stupid space predicament. “They shot us with a light ray that somehow took out our sensors.”

“That is about the shape of it,” says Rocket. “I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming.”

“So, you’re saying we’ve been… blinded by the light.”

Peter gives her a high five, but all Darcy feels is annoyed. Honestly, fuck space.

…

Prompt 2: Black Hole

“Ah,” said Carol mildly. “Shit.”

“Shit?” Darcy asked, a little less mildly. “No, not shit. Don’t say shit when you’re flying a space ship. Do pilots say shit? No. Because shit is bad! No shit!”

“Yeah, shit is bad,” said Carol. “We, uh, may or may not be going into a black hole.”

“A black hole?” Darcy said.

Carol sighed. “You know what I’m gonna just go out and push.”

There was nothing Carol had ever done, or possibly ever could do after this, that would be more astounding to Darcy than watching her literally push the ship out of the gravitational pull of the black hole.

…

Black Hole coffee was the only place in town that served java bitter enough to suit Valkyrie, whose taste in coffee was that it should be nearly undrinkable. Darcy’d got used to it though, braving blacker and blacker coffee until the caffeinated sludge the Black Hole served started to actually become appealing.

Valkyrie smiled at her over her cup, a half-torn glow-in-the dark print of one of the Hubble photographs peeling off the wall behind her. Everything about the black hole screamed bitter grunge, but Darcy was surprised to find it had suddenly become the happiest place she’d ever been.

…

Valkyrie joining a Ska band was somehow both something Darcy hadn’t expected and something that made total sense as soon as she said it. Anyway, it was for this reason that Darcy wound up spending most of her nights tucked away in the corner of the Black Hole, curled up at the back table, watching her girlfriend’s mediocre-at-best band play.

It was worth it, for the smiles Valkyrie flashed at her – just for her – or the way she came over and kissed her at the end of the set, her breath tasting like coffee.

Darcy bought the band’s shirt for everyone she knew.

…

“I just don’t think it could. There are rules about matter – it might be magic, but it’s still matter,” said Jane emphatically, gesturing with her mug.

“Yeah, but it’s a magic hammer. It’s virtually indestructible. I think it would make it through.”

Jane sighed. “Virtually doesn’t mean actually. The laws of physics still apply, Darcy.”

“Says you. We could always try it…” Darcy suggested, grinning maniacally.

Jane gave her a flat look. “No,” she said bluntly. “We are not asking Thor if we can throw his hammer through a black hole.”

“But it’s for science!” shouted Darcy. ...

Prompt 3: Solar

Darcy first gets the sinking feeling when the little kid says, “mister Obi-Wan, sir?” in a voice that suggests something is about to go completely, thoroughly and utterly tits up.

“It’s just, we’re going to have to pass through a solar flare,” the kid says, very earnestly.

Darcy can’t really see why it’s a problem, but all of her senses say this kid knows something she doesn’t. The Mister Obi-Wan Sir in question, however, carries on.

It’s only later when they’d crash landed in a strange and foreign galaxy, camping under the worlds most undulating and pungent trees, that Darcy gives the kid a nod. “No solar flares; got it.”

…

Carol can feel the power humming just beneath her skin, wanting to be let out. It’s like holding on to a sun in her bare hands. Every touch she gives to Darcy has to be careful, so careful – careful she doesn’t burn, or hurt. She feels sometimes like the energy within her is burning her up like a real sun, and that one day she’ll be consumed by it.

Alone at night, so glows faintly in the dark. Her skin is luminous and the light flows out through her. And she lets it out, lets it burn through her, bright and hot, until she can lie back down on the grass and stare up at the stars.

…

There’s a side to Valkyrie Darcy really hadn’t seen coming. They’re waiting for the sun to rise again on the longest day of the year – it’s barely set, and she can still see the faint flicker of light on the horizon, a pale gold that catches Valkyrie’s face and seems to bring out the colour of her skin. Valkyrie is staring intently at the horizon, waiting.

“We used to hear them call,” she says softly. “This was a holy day.”

Looking at Valkyrie’s face, so enraptured by the sun, surrounded by the survivors of Asgard, Darcy says softly, “it still is.”

…

New Asgard does everything by the sun, and it’s a kind of living Darcy thrives in. Before you never would have caught her dead out of bed at 6am, but now, now she rises and moves with the sun, changing with the seasons. It’s on New Asgard that Darcy finds herself again, post-snap, post-everything. She presses her hands into the earth, weeding around seedlings and watching over them as they grow. And as the press up through the dirt, rising to meet the sun, so does she.

For the first time since the snap, Darcy remembers what it is to be alive.

…

“Are you growing weed?” is the first thing Jane asks when she visits Darcy’s apartment.

“No, I’m growing houseplants. Why, do you need weed?”

“It’s just, it looks like a grow-op in here.” And it sort-of does, with all of her grow-lights everywhere, blasting artificial sunlight down on her sun-starved houseplants. Darcy grimaces from within a small jungle of calatheas around her desk.

“I ran out of windows.”

Jane snorts, managing to find a seat nestled between two huge parlour palms.

“Well, I suppose as hobbies go, this one is fairly inoffensive,” Jane says. “Although I don’t know how you get any work done.”

...

Prompt 4: Cluster

There’s a gaggle of space penguins in the lab that definitely weren’t there when Darcy left to get a sandwich. They’re clustered around what Darcy has nicknamed ‘the teleporter’, an attempt by her and Jane to replicate Strange’s magic. Which, by the look of the space penguins, worked.

“Uh…?” was the best version of the question Darcy managed to ask.

Jane sighed, looking distinctly wet. “They came in on a wave through the teleporter. I can’t figure out why it’s not connecting to the right point.”

One of them nestled up to Jane’s leg, and there rest of the cluster seemed to take the hint and surrounded her.

Darcy did the only logical thing: snapped a photo.

…

Star clusters looked amazing from the telescopes Darcy had access to. Both in terms of the data she had, but also just to look at – bright collections of light in the night sky.

Turns out, flying a ship through them was horrible.

“Do you guys do this often, because I’m not gonna lie, it feels like we’re gonna die,” she said.

“As long as we don’t run into a solar flare, we’re fine,” said Rocket. “I’ve heard weird things about solar flares.”

As always, in space, Darcy came to better understand the difference between observing and being – and she wished she were back home.

…

Total number: 15

#darcylanddrabblerace #darcy lewis #darcyverse discord #stark r&d

[carols-review-box]

My Thoughts on Ginny & Georgia: Season 1 

These are my thoughts.

Right off the bat, I want to address that this is, by no means, a comprehensive review. I’m not even sure if it can be called a review. These are just my thoughts on the show, and it may or may not cover everything (in fact, it most certainly won’t cover everything), and I’ll try my best to write it out in an organized manner, but I can’t make promises. (Though, in all fairness, this is just a blog for my own entertainment, and I don’t expect anyone to actually read it.) 

Now, moving on. Ginny & Georgia, season 1. Where do I begin? 

First Impressions 

I first encountered Ginny & Georgia on Netflix when the website decided to auto play its trailer while I was scrolling through it. I watched--almost begrudgingly-- a short, 1 minute clip of Ginny complaining to her teacher about how all the books on the curriculum were written by white men. While I understand where Ginny was coming from, and while I understand that a lot of high school literature is written by authors who sometimes are not representative of their audience, Ginny’s introduction just came off as obnoxious and annoying. I thought, “Imagine moving to a new school, and that’s the first thing you say to the teacher.” I rolled my eyes, wrote the show off as another try-hard feminist woke piece (or something like that), and didn’t think I’d watch it. 

Well, at some point, I obviously decided to give the show a try. And by the middle of the first episode, I was actually really surprised when Ginny didn’t turn out to be insufferable in the beginning. I say in the beginning-- because her character really slides downhill past a certain point.

Plot 

Throughout the entire show, I was probably a thousand times more interested in Georgia’s plot than Ginny’s. 

It makes sense-- Ginny’s plot is... well, pretty much a generic teen soap opera that I’ve seen hundreds of times before. There are some unique themes to her story that I’ve rarely seen portrayed in other shows, like her experience as a biracial person, but other than that, it seems to be your run-of-the-mill drama. 

On the other hand, Georgia’s plot is fresher. I haven’t personally seen any black-widow narratives (if Georgia could be called that), so I was intrigued and curious by how her story would play out. Not to mention, I liked Georgia’s love interests far better than Ginny’s, but maybe that’s just my personal taste.

In comparing these two plots, I do feel like the writers did Ginny wrong. Georgia is given an interesting storyline with a relevant backstory and plot points that actually make sense, whereas Ginny’s story is mediocre, we rarely get to see her side of the past, and half the stuff that goes down in her life is either unrealistic and overdramatized or it just makes no damn sense. 

Characters 

I could probably talk a great deal about the characters in this show. I have the most to say about Ginny (75% of it is criticism, honestly), so I’ll dedicate an entire section to her later. For now, I’ll start with these characters:

Georgia: Georgia, oh Georgia. To put it simply, Georgia is a psychopath hidden behind a large smile and a buzzing Southern accent. For the first 5 episodes, I was so fooled by her act (and her beauty) that I forgot she’s a literal murderer and most likely not a good human being. But I guess that’s, in part, what makes her very interesting to watch. 

Hunter: I literally felt nothing but a mixture of boredom and pity whenever Hunter was on screen. For the first 8 episodes, he is just an extraordinarily boring character-- and his boringness is used as a justification by Ginny to cheat on him (that’s where the pity part comes in). I enjoyed how how he got more character in the ending episodes, and I could understand his struggles when he fought with Ginny (in that scene). But if he wasn’t dating Ginny, then he would’ve been a completely forgettable character.

Marcus: Marcus ALWAYS looks like he’s high. I don’t think there’s a single scene in the show where he doesn’t look like he just smoked something. He also has little personality, other than being the “bad boy.” I guess his hotness makes up for it, or something?

Maxine: While I enjoy Max overall, I think she can be really annoying, talkative and insensitive at times. Emphasis on the last part, because she does this irritating thing where she says something racist, and then asks if she just said something racist. 

Abby: Out of the friend group, I feel like Abby is the most dramatic without being overdramatic. She experiences things that a regular teenager would. However, she can be a bad friend at times, and I don’t like how the characters gives her a pass on some questionable choices she makes. 

Paul: I like Paul. It is a little bit hypocritical of me to say Paul is a good character when he basically has the same exact personality as Hunter, but I’m going to say it: He’s a good character.

Zion: Zion is smooth, and I enjoy his little wisdom bits with Ginny. But he was introduced too late into the show, and I can’t see him being a good fit for Georgia. 

Joe: I love Joe. Just like some of the other characters, he is kind of plain. Kind of vanilla, daresay boring, but for some reason, I love him. Maybe it’s because of his adorable connection with Georgia. Maybe it’s because he offers some much-needed comedic relief in this overdramatized show. Maybe it’s because he has attractive qualities, like running a “successful” business, or maybe he’s just my type. For many, many episodes, I wanted Georgia to get together with Joe the most. 

Austin: I forgot Austin existed for half the time. Like, I know the kid stabbed someone, but in the grand scheme of things, he’s just so forgettable.

Character: Ginny

Ginny. Ah, where do I even begin with Ginny? 

First, I’m just going to say this: I know the writers intended to depict a biracial person’s experience in America through Ginny. I’m not biracial myself, and I don’t fully understand the issues that biracial people go through, so I’m not going to comment too much on how the authors managed to fuck up. I say “how” and not “if,” because a lot of biracial people have said that Ginny & Georgia is kind of a bad example of their life, and also because even I can see the problems with the show from a mile away. 

Getting that out of the way, I’ll start with Ginny’s overall character. 

One would think that a character who is depicted as-- for a lack of better words-- as “woke,”... as in, a character who is supposed to have better moral values than others (the definition comes from the word’s general connotative interpretation from leftist media), would be a good human being. But time and time again, we see that Ginny is everything but. 

These are my biggest issues with Ginny’s character:

1) She acts like she’s better than everyone else, but also like she’s super oppressed. I know these two personality traits aren’t mutually exclusive, but they’re not a good combination either. 

2) She thinks she’s the only person in the entire town who has real issues. Other characters confront her about this, and she eventually mellows down, but it’s astounding to me the amount of people she had to offend before she got the point.

3) She can be really ungrateful and rude towards her mom. I know Georgia is not a perfect mother-- not even close-- and she can be genuinely crazy at times, but Ginny is very rarely appreciative of her mom’s efforts. 

4) Despite Ginny’s intelligence, she is not smart. She commits a bunch of dumb mistakes. Now, some of these can be attributed to her just being a teenager-- like having unprotected sex, sending nudes, being peer pressured into stealing, etc. Whereas other choices-- most notably cheating on her boyfriend-- are just a product of her shitty personality.

5) There is a really bad implication concerning Ginny’s views on race. I can probably talk a lot about race in this show, but true to my word, I’ll keep this short and talk about the one thing that really bothered me: Ginny ignores the black kids. There’s a line in the show where Ginny says she’s too white for the black folks and too black for the white folks... and she uses this to justify never having any friends or not fitting in. But when she gets to Wellsbury, she’s accepted by everyone, including black people, yet she chooses to ignore them. She only sits with them near the end of the show when her friend group kicks her out. And she looks miserable. 

Ginny likes to complain a lot about her white side, but all things considered, I think she has an issue with her black side instead. I don’t know if this is representative of the biracial experience, but I imagine this can’t be a good thing to portray on screen. 

I know it’s crazy of me to say this right after I just ripped Ginny apart. However, despite everything, I actually like Ginny as a character. Do I like her as much as I like Georgia or Joe? No, but she swings more good than bad. What can I say? She’s entertaining (in the same way that Cheryl from Riverdale is entertaining). She’s at least somewhat relatable, and I wouldn’t have watched the entire season if I truly found her to be unbearable. 

That being said, Ginny does have a lot of potential to grow, and I sincerely hope the writers do her better in the next season. 

Themes 

*At some point in the future, I may add more to this section.  

Family: Despite a significant portion of this show being terribly unrealistic, I appreciate the show’s overall depiction of family and separation. For one, the show represents families who aren’t stereotypically nuclear. Our main protagonists are a single mother-daughter combo. The Bakers next door have a deaf father and a mother who doesn’t fit into a perfect mold. There’s a biracial family (Hunter) who connects far more with their American side than their Taiwanese-- so much that Hunter and his sister don’t even speak a lick of Mandarin. The small details and nuances which are added into the show makes them far more representative of the general American population. 

Conversations: This show gives conversations that are far overdue in media. While Hunter and Ginny’s fight scene is 98% pure cringe, the remaining 2% of it is an important reminder on being biracial (or a person of color) in America. Many of us struggle with our racial identity, and it’s unproductive to compare who has it worse. 

Overall + Rating 

To me, the first season of Ginny & Georgia is a 6.5/10. (Five being the average; so this would be a little better than average). While it showed a lot of potential at the beginning, the show eventually devolved to nothing more than a standard melodrama-- even on Georgia’s part. It tried hard to be another Gilmore Girls but ended up falling quite short. I am looking forward to its second season though; and hopefully, it’s much better than the first. 

#shows #netflix #7 #ginny and georgia #ginny & georgia #ginny&georgia

[baebeyza]

Pros and Cons of all the TF shows I watched [updated: Unicron Trilogy and BW Neo]

Update info: Whyever the hell I wrote this and why people care about my opinion is beyond my current understanding, but @chaoticgirl23 asked for the Unicron Trilogy I hadn't watched back then, so- Also decided to write down if I actually like the show or not xD

(also I removed wfc, because I cant really judge after all with the show not being finished) My personal opinions + stuff that can be dubbed controversial and problematic, so beware for racism and sexism! But also beware of my idiotic attempts at humour

G1 (loved the show with all my heart)

Pros:

- The original show

- big cast of loveable characters

- Really awesome human side characters

- Very clever and witty dialogue

- fucking batshit insane

- Rodimus Prime is babe

Cons:

- apart from Arcee, female autobots being treated like a subspecies and only appearing in like one episode (3 if you are generous)

- Motherfucking country called “Carbombya”

- Some human characters are actually shit (those boys from B.O.T)

- Rodimus fucks as a human and not as a robot

- Everything animated by AKOM

- Galvatron’s portrayal as a person with brain-damage reads as ableistic (Personally I still love his G1 version more than the others I’ve seen)

- The “You’re only truly disabled if you lose your courage” line from Chip, it was explained to me that it’s ableistic as well

Headmasters (loved the show)

Pros:

- exciting plot

- characters die, fuck yeah

- Planets get destroyed, fuck yeah

- <3 ~ Power of Friendship ~ <3

- Sixshot is babe

Cons:

- Everything about Cyclonus and Wheelie

- Rodimus fucks off after episode 10 and never comes back

- Arcee going from warrior to secretary

- If you come from IDW I have to break it to you that Chromedome is straight

SuperGod  Masterforce (loved the show with all my heart)

Pros:

- A darker and more serious storyline if you’re into that

- Lots of character arcs and well-written characters in general

- Decepticons having a more family like dynamic

- Decepticons with a level of depth to them

- Redemption much

- Ginrai is babe

Cons:

- This show’s focus is on the humans so if you don’t like human TF characters, this aint for you

- The character Cab has a level of racist stereotyping - he comes from a fictional country in Oceania called Karin and the depiction of that country is everyone living in wood homes and having no electricity. (The show plays in the future so that makes it worse) Cab himself gets introduced as a Tarzan kinda dude who can talk with animals.

While I found Cab himself not bad as a character, the problem with how his background is written sure is stupid and insulting. There isn’t a lot of focus on his country in the show however, but it’s still there

- There is a scene in which the boys Shuta and Cab spy on girls during swim class (they get called out and apologize for it though and the “fanservice” scene itself is really damn modest and tame)

Victory (loved the show)

Pros:

- Similiar fun tone as G1

- lovable cast of idiots

- Exciting episode plots

- Leozack is babe

Cons:

- The only two prominent female characters are love interests and nothing else (which is drop in quality when compared to Masterforce, which had Minerva as a fleshed out autobot with agency and Mega as an interesting female villain)

- Leozack never punches Deszaras in the face

- Fucking retcons the destruction of Mars in Headmasters

Beast Wars (loved with all my heart)

Pros:

- Really compelling story and characters!!!

- Well written dialogue

- Wonderful character animation

- Dinobot is HONOUR and babe. Also I’m crying

- Megatron and his bullshit

Cons:

- Megatron and his bullshit

- That stupid love triangle subplot in season 3

- Some major plotline not being fully developed (the Vok plotline)

Beast Wars II (liked the show)

Pros:

- The Predacons in general

- Lio Convoy (the Optimus of the show) having a son

- Galvatron is babe and so is Starscream

Cons:

- Maximals are lame apart from Lio Convoy and the arc with his son Lio Junior

- A lot of uninteresting characters an episodes

- The Jointrons as racist mexican stereotypes

- Only female robot is part of a love triangle (even more annoying than the love triangle in Beast Wars)

Beast Wars Neo (liked the show)

Pros:

- Big Convoy being a lone wolf turned teacher was a really sweet story to follow <3 How he and his team learnt to trust each other over the course of the show was really nice!

- Unicron in this show was a delight

- D-Navi was always fun

- Magmatron was a rather nice Decepticon leader

- Heinrad is babe

Cons:

- No girls (Boo!)

Beast Machines (very conflicted, tend to dislike)

Pros:

- Plays entirely on Cybertron

- Explores themes of technology and organic life forms and really tries to be something different and deep

- The last episode is really nice

- Jetstorm is babe

Cons:

- No fun allowed - the maximals are really frustrating because we only ever see them being angry and fighting and a lot of them only show us their worst sides

- The maximal character models are HIDEOUS

- You may not actually like the philosophical aspect of the show, especially when you think too long about it and realise it’s kinda shit

Robots in Disguise 2001/ Car Robots (liked the show)

Pros:

- New continuity! New story, new take!

- Funny and lighthearted

- Cute characters

- Sky-Byte/Gel-Shark is babe

- Ultra Magnus/God Magnus is a fucking jerk and I love it 

Cons:

- Sideburn/Speedbreaker’s gag about loving red sport cars and chasing after them - it’s played as a joke all the time but I can see that stuff making people uncomfortable when they see the female driver trying to get away from him and his catcalling (Apart from that I do like him a lot though)

Armada/Micron Densetsu (disliked the show)

Pros:

- Lots of feels between Megatron and Optimus

- Starscream's arc

- The ending arc

- Jetfire was babe

Cons:

- The pacing was unbearable

- Half the time the characters didn't act like people and I was confused about almost every conflict, action and point they made. It's not a great story when I watch episode and need an hour to figure what the hell the story even was

- The parts I liked in concept are not helped by how unnatural and weird the characters acted at times. I liked the ending, but how they got there was so weird that I just can't enjoy it

Energon/Superlink (loved the show)

Pros:

- Megatron/Galvatron - Everything about him

- The japanese voice acting was fantastic!

- Really nice death scenes (I love death scenes btw)

- Mirage/Shockfleet being in love with Megatron

- Bringing back old names apart from Megatron and Optimus

- Rodimus being an equal to Optimus was a nice touch

- The few scenes it was 2D animated

- Jetfire/Skyfire is babe

Cons:

- Animation

- The "for the toys" thing kinda ruined some characters, where instead of getting the toys as completely new characters, they killed old ones and brought them back with a new model. It did suck story-telling wise (and me, loving death scenes, get annoyed when a death scene gets ruined by bringing the character back). So you got all these character arcs that feel like the just stopped

Cybertron/Galaxy Force (loved the show with all my heart)

Pros:

- Love the setting and world with all the different colonies and how they were explored ~

- Optimus Prime, this one is my favourite version of him!

- Vector Prime, they should bring him back

- All the different leaders

- The friendship between the characters- this show has my favourite set of Autobots from all TF media

- This also has my favourite Mega&Star dynamic

- Starscream himself is so well done here!

- Jetfire/Dreadlock was babe

Cons:

- Megatron was lacklustre. When it came to him and his dynamics with other characters (apart from Starscream), he was hardly written as a person with feelings. He never reacts to anything happening within the ranks of Decepticons and it is really disappointing, because there was a lot of potential! (with Flame Convoy and Chromia specifically)

Animated (loved the show)

Pros:

- Character writing, plot and themes!

- Lighthearted tone but enough scenes that dig a little deeper

- Really nice and smooth animation

- Optimus is baby

Cons:

- The chins

- No 4th season

Prime (loved the show)

Pros:

- Best friggin fight scenes and animation in general

- Really exciting plot 

- Ratchet is babe

Cons:

- Predacon Rising exists

- Characters dying for budget reasons (Just don’t hire celebrities when you cannot pay them for more?)

Robots in Disguise 2015 (it's okay)

Pros:

- ...the Stunticons are babe

Cons:

- characters never developing and learning the same shit over and over again

- almost no interesting villains

- even the interesting ones being shoved aside a lot 

- no real built-up for the climax

- lots of filler and not enough time spent on the actual plot of a corrupt Cybertron goverment

Prime Wars Trilogy (loved the show with all my heart)

Pros:

- Megatron, everything about him, he’s babe

- I really like the soundtrack

Cons:

- Bad storytelling, both narrative and visual

- Horrible or mediocre voice acting

- Static and bad facial expressions

- Static and bad character animation

- Feels like no one involved in the production had any idea how to tell a story

Cyberverse (meh)

Pros:

- Really cute as fuck

- Big cast 

- Astrotrain is babe

Cons:

- No time for character arcs, they just jump from set up to conclusion with nothing in-between

- Unfocused plot that jumps from one idea to another

- Megatron broke my heart and I hate him

#transformers #tfa #tfp #g1 #beast wars #bwii #prime wars trilogy #cyberverse #headmasters #masterforce #victory #beast machines #rid01 #rid15 #bey's shit #transformer posting

[wearevillaneve]

Killing Eve S3, E6: “End of Game” Close, Not Close Enough

I don't watch Killing Eve for Paul or Bear or Jaime. I don't watch it for Konstantin and Carolyn or Geraldine or Irina or Dasha or Helene.   If you do, you should be pleased with “End of Game” because they all showed up.  I watch Killing Eve to see the interaction of Eve and Villanelle. Period.   Come for the relationship.  Stay for the plot. I know for some, if you're not wildly cheering every moment on Killing Eve, you must be bashing it, but that’s an unfair accusation. What got me interested in this show was[probably the same thing you were interested in: the bond between the two principle characters.  As much I enjoy the Konstantin/Villanelle, Carolyn/Konstantin and Irina/Villanelle encounters, none of those relationships are as essential as that of Eve and Villanelle. I go back to Phoebe Waller Bridge and what she said the raison d etre of Killing Eve was which was "...every moment in this show exists so that these two women can end up alone in a room together…”

Season 3 has not done much to get us to that moment.   “End of Game” edges us a bit closer, but it’s a rough ride. 

Konstantin's half-baked escape plan, Villanelle desiring a career change and Irina demonstrating her budding psychopath, and Carolyn's relationship with twitchy Geraldine all contribute to the plot, Carolyn meets with Eve to tell her about Dasha and meets with one of her contacts about Kenny’s phone records and confronts Paul and intimidates a flustered Konstantin into fessing up Kenny asking if he was his father admitting Geraldine kissed him in more-than-a-friendly manner and squares off with Geraldine over what’s for dinner, their fractured family and confront her daughter that she knows Geraldine has been lying to her face.

On top of all this we learn Helene and Dasha have been playing Villanelle for a sucker as the promotion to Keeper gives her a pay raise and a few more perks, but she’s still only a grunt taking orders, not giving them.   This is not what anticipated and it sends her off to meet Konstantin in Russia where she pleads to allow her to escape from The Twelve.  

The price of the ticket is high.  Villanelle has to leave the fancy clothes, the beautiful apartment...and Eve...all behind.  Without hesitation, she agrees. 

Surprising. 

There were a lot of moving parts in “End of Game.”   Niko told Eve to piss off forever.  Carolyn learned Paul is a member of The Twelve and that Kenny called Konstantin to and Geraldine is horny for him.  Eve figured out  in five minutes it was Dasha and not Villanelle who pitchforked Nico in Poland.  Villanelle can have a bad hair day and still look fabulous.  Eve knows a lot more about bowling that she tells Dasha.  Dasha tells Eve she will never touch Villanelle again and the she is a killing machine moving up in the world and Eve will never touch her again.  Paul shows up in Konstantin’s apartment and wants him to find out who ordered the hit on the accountant’s wife (Villanelle killed them both).   Konstantin decides to make a run for it and calls Irina to be ready.  When he shows up to pick her up, he’s shocked to see Irina hit her mother’s boyfriend with the SUV she’s driving and then smile at her horrified father.  And I don’t care.   Exposition-heavy episodes crammed full of dialogue and talking heads are commonly known as “info dumps” and there was a fucking ton of ii in “End of Game.” I’m sure I skipped something because at a certain point I threw up my hands and stopped giving a shit.  If all of this doesn’t serve to put E&V together again to explore what it is they have, then what’s the point? Emerald Fennell was not interested in pursuing that direction for  slammed them together in an illogical scenario that made zero sense. Suzanne Heathcote is enamored with Villanelle and has eased Eve into a guest star on Killing Villanelle.

KES3 has too many characters and plots, most of which is "whodunit" TV procedural bs and not nearly enough of the one-on-one between the two principal characters. PWB struck a perfect balance. Emerald and Suzanne either gave too much or not enough of E&V. That's bad writing. Season 3 has been a series of bright moments surrounded by a lot of dead air and dead weight new characters and supporting ones, whose need for screen time, has stolen it away from the Eve and Villanelle interaction and in “End of Game” more screen time is devoted to several Carolyn backstories than Eve’s.

That was a terrible, terrible mistake.

When PWB was writing Eve and Villanelle it was the interaction between the two of them that was the fuel that fired the rest of the show. It was NEVER the plot. The plot was secondary because it was so basic. One really smart, but socially stunted and somewhat maladroit character chases after an equally smart, but socially stunted and seriously messed up character and shenanigans ensue. With Fennell and Heathcote, the two women and the same-sex attraction/electricity between them has taken a back seat to various plots and sub-plots which will have to scramble to finish up.  

It’s not that I don't care about the plot as much as I care more about the lead character.    Villanelle’s been a wreck, but Eve in particular, has become secondary to a storyline  that doesn’t give her a damn thing to do. I can get standard spy-vs-spy crap anywhere.  The queerness of Killing Eve is a rare bird indeed, but where has it gone?  Villanelle’s wife?  They didn’t even kiss.  Checking out a pretty girl in Barcelona?  Nice, but it didn’t go anywhere.   Take out the bus scene and what’s left? Not much, and that is a criminal wasting of Oh and Comer’s  talents. At least she’s fared slightly better with the Emmy-bait bottle episode to elevate her from the mediocrity of this season, but where’s the classic kills?  Where’s the wit?  How much longer is she going to be a complete mess?  The final two shows may prove to be the absolute best KE episodes of Heathcote’s run as showrunner, and by doing so, stick the landing and elevate what has almost certified itself as the third-best (or the first worst) of the three seasons of Killing Eve.   My skepticism has never been higher that it will.

Final Grade: B-

#Killing Eve #Eve Polastri #Villanelle #suzanne heathcote #Sandra Oh #Jodie Comer #ke s3

[rebel-in-white]

The Perfect Ending for Dean and Sam? - Supernatural 15x20

As I read reviews about the Supernatural series, nothing disturbs me more than reading things like the title of this essay, “This was the Perfect Ending for Sam and Dean.” It’s disturbing because as fans of this 15-year show, we are accepting mediocrity. Far from being a perfect ending, this was one of the worst television show endings that I have ever seen because the characters weren’t allowed to change and grow. 

When I watched the Supernatural series finale, I was struck by the realization that this could have easily been the finale of season 1. In season 1, we were dealing with Dean’s feelings of being second best, Sam wanting a “normal” life, Dean choosing the dangerous world of hunting, and the value of saving the innocent despite the dangers. In episode 15x20, the episode implies that we are still dealing with the same themes from episode 1, even though SO many events have passed, and Sam and Dean dealt with their own issues in varying ways. Dean’s death during a mundane hunt harks back to season 1’s warnings and omens about the dangerous life of a hunter. Meanwhile in season 15, the Winchesters are fighting God and survived that battle. Sam’s “happy” ending harks back to his desire to be with Jessica and find a happy, “apple pie” (normal) life. Meanwhile in season 15, Sam has lost everything… again. He lost his adopted son, his good friend, his mother for the second time, his surrogate father, his girlfriend (what happened to Eileen?), and his brother. Also, let’s not forget that Adam died and was a Winchester. Season 15 does not agree with, and contradicts, its final episode. 

Everything that has happened after season 1 and right before the series finale doesn’t matter. That is the message the series finale communicated with fans. Some fans might be alright with this message because it’s such a long series, too much has happened, but there are many fans who have avidly watched these characters grow and change. They themselves have grown and changed with these characters! Watching the finale felt like a slap in the face, a surreal dream, because the writers and the show-runner shut the door on any type of meaningful change that has occurred throughout the series. Throughout the years, Sam and Dean were able to create meaningful connections outside of their partnership, noticeably with Jack and Cas. Both were only mentioned. That merits repeating again. Castiel, who had become a fan favorite in the series, only gets a few mentions. Dean, the one with whom he shares a profound bond, shrugs off his death and continues enjoying his pie. Like the last 12 years of developing that friendship, emphasizing their bond, and teasing fans with their deep connection meant nothing. Because ultimately, the show sent a clear message to its viewers: it doesn’t matter what these characters have gone through, it doesn’t matter the people who have come and enriched their lives, but what matters is where they started. The journey, and the accompanying life experiences, don’t matter.

I read a really hurtful review about the series finale that implied that Sam could only be happy on Earth because his brother had died. He was no longer his brother’s keeper, so now he could have everything he wanted- a family and normalcy. That was the Sam of season 1 - before his brother died for him, before he died for his brother, before his demon blood addiction, before he saved the world numerous times, before he adopted a half angel kid into his family, before meeting his Mom again. All of those experiences profoundly change a person. His idea of normal and happiness changed, became vastly different. The show hinted at this when we saw the names carved on the table in episode 15x19. Sam stopped running away from hunting, his duties, struggled with his destiny, and fought for his freedom and seemed content with what he had. The show even implied a budding romance with a fellow hunter, Eileen. Sam from season 1 would have turned away from all this because it interfered with his desire to be normal. However, this was shoved at Sam in the most confusing, contrived, and sickening manner. After Dean dies during the series finale, Sam mopes for a bit, then he goes on a hunt, and reverts back to Sam of season 1 with ease. He gets everything he’d wanted- an unnamed, unseen wife and a child who he names Dean. If Sam from episode 15x19, 15x18, from any episode after season 1, saw this ending for himself, he would have run away screaming. He wouldn’t be able to accept it. Why? Because that’s not what he wanted for himself anymore. He wanted to be with his loved ones, which included Dean plus his extended family. 

If Sam’s ending was problematic, Dean’s is inconceivable. This is a character who has struggled with so many issues and low self-esteem and has gone through so many ups and downs that to see him die, impaled on a nail by clowns, devastated and confused many fans. I actually laughed out loud when he died because it was so ridiculous. It hurt to see a beloved character treated like trash, then proceed to accept his death with arms wide open. Where was Dean’s desire to live? This is the man who survived hell, saved the world several times, sacrificed himself for Sam, and had to fight daily to survive. And I don’t mean in a I’m-a-hunter-and-life-is-dangerous way, but in a real, this-world-is-fucked-up-and-I-can’t-do-it anymore way. 

That was what always attracted me to Dean. His fight to survive in a world that didn’t make sense to him, and his ability to cling to life despite feeling too broken and inadequate. For many of the fans, they resonated with that and admired him for his grit and his humanity. In the series finale, Dean gives up. He accepts death, accepts this strange looking heaven, even though he was weirded out by heaven when he first encountered it. He rides around in his car- alone and waiting for Sam. That’s what Dean boils down to- alone and living for Sam. The show sends a message that Dean doesn’t deserve anything else. Despite everything he’s done throughout the 15 years of this series, Dean can’t escape his destiny to die on a mundane hunt.  The same death that had been foreshadowed in season 1. With only his brother with him to see him go. Dean fought so hard to be free from Chuck’s stories and from his own demons that to see him reduced to drinking beer and riding around in the Impala felt like he’s regressed 15 years. And some fans think he deserved this? What has Dean done to you?

Dean had potential to show growth and to show true change and progress through a possible relationship with Castiel, but the show metaphorically gave its queer fans, their allies, and narrowed minded viewers a big middle finger. Yes, even people who hated the idea of Destiel, you should be angry. Instead of the show stretching your thinking and challenging you to accept something different and progressive, the show decided to pat you on the head and feed you some metaphorical shit. Please don’t eat it. Throughout the show, there had been signs that Dean and Castiel shared a profound bond that extended into a romantic subtext. It started with the angel’s entrance and charisma, and Dean’s acceptance of him into his life (very rare for Dean to form lasting relationships), and it ended with a confirmed love confession. Now, imagine that you’ve been hoping for years that all these hints, looks, and jokes would go somewhere. That maybe someone will validate your views and make you feel like you’ve brought progressive change to television. Well, that’s what it felt like to be a Destiel fan after episode 15x18. Destiel became half canon! Castiel declared his romantic feelings to Dean, which Misha Collins confirmed to be of a homosexual nature, but he knew that he couldn’t have what he wanted. He died to save a shell-shocked Dean Winchester. Not only did the show kill Castiel, but they sent him to hell (granted, he didn’t stay long), and they sent Dean Winchester, the man who stayed “straight,” to heaven. 

This was problematic in many ways. One, the message is homophobic, heinous, but subtle. If you’re gay or queer, you are thrown away, never to be seen again because your feelings will upset the masses. It’s what happened to Castiel, a confirmed queer character. When episode 15x20 finished and Dean hadn’t even mentioned Castiel out of his own freewill, I was upset. Here comes the second problem. This show had used queer-baiting for the past 12 years or so to keep its numbers up and to keep itself on the air. It used queer-baiting to a most hurtful and insidious way to attract viewers to the series finale. Then, they shut it down after teasing something that several, enthusiastic fans had wanted for years. Why open this pandora box if you aren’t going to do anything with it? What is the point? Leading people to create false assumptions, playing with people’s emotions in a negative way, reinforcing negative heteronomative stereotypes- this is what the show has accomplished. This is its legacy.

I wrote this essay to free myself from this show. After this, I am not a Supernatural fan anymore. This show has left a bad taste in my mouth, and I want nothing to do with it or anyone associated with it. I urge you to free yourselves as well and also to not accept this mediocrity that Supernatural gave us. Stop other shows and networks from manipulating and leading on its fans. Stop them from ignoring years of growth in order to feed you the same story and keep you mediocre and small. I know the pandemic of 2020 made things difficult, but that’s no excuse to create the subpar work the Supernatural writers/show-runner/staff did. With just a little bit of creativity and intelligence, they could have produced something great, no matter the obstacles. I used to believe in that.

Supernatural, thank you for the years of enjoyment, but I never want to see you again.

#supernatural #supernatural series finale #supernatural series #dean winchester #sam winchester #cw spn #carry on #supernatural 15x20 #15x20 carry on #essay

[noorakardemmomesaetre]

Through the Snowfall - Chapter Three 

Or Read It On Ao3

Pairing: Betty Cooper x Jughead Jones

Summary: The Coopers and Andrews have rented the same cabin in the woods every holiday season since their kids were two years old.

And with Archie and Betty leaving for college in just a few months, Betty is determined to make this Christmas a memorable one…by telling Archie how she really feels.

What she doesn’t plan for is Archie bringing his best friend.

Or the way her gaze is suddenly lingering on the wild dark curls peeking out from beneath a crown beanie rather than the ginger spikes she’d set her sights on so long ago.

Chapter Three: Dusk

Betty is sipping the pumpkin spice latte she'd taught herself how to make last Christmas when Jughead makes his way into the kitchen. He's in sweats and a black hoodie and something about seeing him in such casual attire has a warmth pooling in the pit of Betty's stomach that she refuses to acknowledge.

He smiles at her, one of his more reserved smiles, as he reaches for the coffee pot, a soft and teasing, "goodnight Betty," leaving his lips.

It's an inside joke. Their inside joke now and Betty smiles at him over the rim of her coffee mug, murmuring a goodnight to him as well.

He tugs his bottom lip between his teeth thoughtfully as he pulls down one of the mugs and Betty's gaze falls to the strip of skin his lifted sweatshirt has revealed, olive and toned and-

Veronica clears her throat behind Jughead, raising an eyebrow at the two of them before pressing her lips together in an amused smile. "Something particularly interesting about the coffee this morning, Betty?"

Betty chokes on the sip of latte she'd just taken, blaming the heat and avoiding eye contact with either of them as she quickly moves out of the kitchen to snuggle up on the couch.

She's just gotten over the sheer embarrassment and into the chapter of the book she'd been reading on the flight over when Mary and Alice waltz into the room chatting loudly about the Snowflake Soiree. Mary tugs a blanket off the back of the couch and lays it across where Betty is curled up, winking at her when Betty mouths a genuine thank you.

"And I was explaining to Fred that you and I simply must go into town to purchase new gowns for the Soiree! We can't look out of season, Mar."

"And I'm sure Fred was completely understanding," Mary responds and her and Alice share a look before giggling.

"Betty, dear, do you know what you're wearing to the Soiree?" Mary asks, sipping from her environmentally friendly reusable water bottle.

Betty nods, closing her book with her finger marked on the page so she can tell Mary about the gown she’d chosen, but her mother takes her pause as an invitation to answer.

"Oh, Betty got her dress ages ago," Alice speaks for her with a bright smile before her eyebrows furrow and she turns her attention to her daughter. "Have you tried it on recently, Elizabeth? I'm not sure it will still fit what with cheer season ending and the way you've been eating."

"Alice," Mary chides, shooting Betty an apologetic look. Betty's cheeks are hot and she's currently praying for the patience not to scream. Could her mother be any more of a-

“Honesty really is always the best policy. Isn’t that right, Elizabeth?”

Betty fingers curl into fists threatening to break the scarred skin of her palms once more when she notices Mary’s eyebrow lift, her sights set on something just behind Betty.

Curiosity gets the better of her and she turns around to see what could have possibly caught her eye. To her surprise, she finds Archie and Veronica walking up the driveway from what must've been a morning stroll through the village together. Veronica is smiling, her hands wrapped around a thermos, and Archie is pointing to different areas around the cabin.

Probably telling her stories from when they were young.

But what surprises Betty the most is that it doesn't hurt to see them together as much as she'd thought it would.

-----------------

With only a few days left until Christmas, Betty knows it's now or never to do one of her least favorite tasks: wrapping gifts.

Scissors. Double-sided tape. Wrapping paper. Boxes. Holiday-themed bows.

Everything is laid out exactly how she wants it to be and she's already sent Veronica with Hal and Fred down to the lodge where the town will be hosting the Snowflake Soiree in order to keep her from popping into the bedroom and spoiling her gift before it's wrapped - something Veronica has become suspiciously good at since her and Betty had become close friends.

After an hour, there's a few loud bangs on the door that send Betty's palm to her pounding heart as she tries to regain her composure.

The door swings open revealing a grinning Archie and Betty considers throwing a pillow at his face.  

"Seriously, Archie, did you have to pound on the door like that?" she says with a sigh, feeling relieved that she had already wrapped the small frame with a picture of the two of them in their baby Christmas sweaters together.

He laughs and walks over to her bed, falling on his back. He's holding a baseball and he tosses it casually in the air again and again while she sets up the wrapping for the next gift.

She'd missed this. Just the two of them hanging out without so much self-inflicted pressure. She’s been so caught up in her feelings for him, perhaps she’s neglected their friendship this holiday season, she thinks.

"What'd you get me, Betty?"

"I never fall for that."

She catches his eye and they laugh, the falling baseball almost smacking him in the face.

"Remember that one year you gave me a macaroni noodle drawing of me that you made in your art class?"

She winces as she remembers the hideous arts and crafts picture and how he had stared at it for five minutes before asking his dad how he was supposed to eat it.

"That wasn't even half as bad as the year you got me a football with your own autograph on it."

"Hey, peewee football was the start of my career! That's going to be worth something someday."

They both laugh and Betty shakes her head because her friend couldn't possibly be more ridiculous. He stops tossing the ball and turns to look at her and she holds his gaze for a second before turning back to her almost-finished task.

She knows this is the moment.

The moment where she's supposed to tell him how she truly feels about him. About them.

But her heart isn't pounding and the tips of her ears aren't burning and this time alone with him doesn't feel any different than any other moment with him has before.

-----------------

It's 1:00 in the morning and once again Betty is left staring at her ceiling while Veronica sleeps peacefully in her bed. Betty had wanted to ask her what she thinks of Archie several times that night, but Veronica had avoided the subject continuously like it was the plague and Betty has a pretty good idea what she thinks of him anyways.  

She sighs, tapping her fingers against her stomach for a few seconds before the thought of sneaking downstairs and heating up a pumpkin spice pancake to eat in spite of her mother's cruel words from earlier sounds too tempting to pass up.

Slipping into her robe and slippers, she pads her way to the stairs, only stopping when she notices the hazy glow of the fireplace still being lit.

She wonders why her father or Fred didn't put out the fire before bed as she leans over the railing, but decides if they aren’t worrying about it, neither should she.

She heads into the kitchen, turning the corner and-

“Shit!”

“Fuck!”

Jughead immediately turns around, his hand mirroring Betty’s as it presses against his racing heart. They both stand there for a moment taking each other in before breaking into soft laughter.

“Sorry, Betts, did I wake you?” he asks quietly as she walks over to where he’s adding mini-marshmallows to a mug of her mother’s hot chocolate. He motions to an empty mug near the sink and she nods, deciding hot chocolate may be a better investment this late at night.

Or a better excuse to spend time with him, but she won’t begin to unpack why she’d want to do that.

“No, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me either,” he says as he pours her a mug, adding a small spoonful of the marshmallows. She takes it from him, ignoring the tingling in the tips of her fingers as they brush his. Only the glow from the digital clock on the counter casts light between them and she feels herself looking down at her mug and smiling when she catches him staring at her.

“So, um...” he clears his throat and she lifts her gaze to meet his, the ends of her ponytail brushing against the soft cotton of her robe. “If you’re planning to stay up a little longer, I could use a pair of Ivy League eyes on something I’m writing.”

“I’m not Ivy League yet.”

“But you will be.” And the absolute certainness in his tone makes her heart dip in a way that pinkens her cheeks.

“I’d love to read what you’re writing, Jug,” she finally says and he smiles sheepishly as he runs his fingers through his hair and then motions for her to follow him with the same hand. He’s beanieless and she fights the urge to card her own fingers through his hair, to feel how soft the strands must be.

As soon as they sit down across from each other on the fancy decorative rug that came with the cabin (though Betty’s sure her mother was the one to purchase it many winters ago), he picks up his laptop and sets it on his lap as though to give her a preface before allowing her to read what he’s written.

“I’ve been working on a novel-” her eyebrows raise in an impressed way that he immediately waves off “-not like a great novel, it’s probably mediocre at best, but I’d love for you to read this paragraph and help me figure out what I’m trying to say.”

She sets the mug down and smiles assuredly at him before she takes the laptop and dives into the paragraph he’s pointed out to her. After a few seconds, she finds herself wishing she’d started from the beginning of his novel. The paragraph alone is beautifully written with sound sentence structure and a true grasp of his voice she wishes she had on her own.

“This is really good, Jug, like really.”

His hand falls to the back of his neck as he shrugs and it’s only then she notices that they’re both sitting cross-legged and their knees are touching. He doesn’t say anything or jerk his knee away though so she pretends not to have noticed and continues.

“And the word I think you’re looking for is ‘kismet.’”

She feels her heartbeat quicken when she looks up to find him watching her with such an intensity she’s not sure if she feels warm from the heat of the fire blazing beside them, or from being this close to him.

“That’s exactly the word I was looking for,” he murmurs, reaching out to take his laptop back. “'Fate or destiny.' Kind of crazy how that happens sometimes. You meet someone and it’s just...kismet.”

“Is that what happened with you and your girlfriend?” The words tumble out of her mouth without her meaning them to and she silently wishes the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

“I know this may come as a surprise to you, Cooper, what with my charming good looks and enviable intellect,” he says after chuckling at her question, his voice dripping with sarcasm before he continues, “but I have no girlfriend.”

“That does surprise me.” He lifts his gaze to meet hers once more and she finds that what’s actually surprising her is how honest she’s being about what she thinks of him. But there’s something about being alone with him that draws that from her and she wishes she knew why that is.

Or why hearing he has no girlfriend makes her tug her bottom lip between her teeth.

“So, now you know my big dark secret about writing a 'novel,'” he says with a grin, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. He’s only countable inches from her now and she can see the barely noticeable few freckles speckled across his face and she finds that she wants to brush her fingers gently against each one.

Which throws her enough to completely miss what he’s said.

“I’m sorry, what?”

He laughs and slowly runs his tongue against his bottom lip before he softly repeats himself, “I asked what you do for fun?”

“Oh!” she shakes her head and giggles before setting her mug down. Normally she wouldn’t tell just anyone this, but she has a feeling Jughead isn’t the kind of guy to make a snide comment or tease her about it. He hasn’t about her college secret yet anyways. “I really enjoy working on cars with my dad.”

“Really?” It’s his turn to be impressed.

“Yeah,” she continues, looking down at her slippered feet to tug at a loose thread absentmindedly as she speaks. “My dad and I used to work on them together when I was little out in the garage. He’s more into working with my mom on the newspaper now, so lately I've been working on them by myself, but I find it to be really relaxing and quite satisfying when they start working again, you know?”

His smile is so genuine and he looks so incredibly handsome in the warmth of the fire burning behind him and -”God, I think you might be made for me.”

He closes his eyes as soon as the words leave his mouth and her breath catches.

“I mean, because- not like, I mean- my dad owns a garage back home and I-” he’s stumbling over his words and all she finds herself wanting to do is press her lips against his soft, pouted ones.

The tips of her ears are burning and time seems to stop as her heart beats millions of miles a second and just as she's leaning in-

“Jug? Betty? Why the hell are you two still up?”

The sound of Archie’s groggy voice interrupts the moment like a shotgun firing and Betty jerks away from Jughead, standing up quickly as her other best friend makes his way downstairs.

Something unfamiliar tugs on her heart and she almost misses the look in Jughead’s eyes as he glances between her and Archie, the slightest hint of a frown tugging on the corners of his mouth.

-----------------

I hope you're all enjoying this holiday season! ☃️ hearing your thoughts as the story progresses has been my absolute favorite part of this little bughead holiday journey, so let me know what you think in a comment if you'd like!

#bughead fanfiction #bughead #bughead holiday fanfiction #betty cooper x jughead jones #riverdaleevents #comet: traditions #through the snowfall #a little bit of a tropefest #mixed with as much of a slow burn as five chapters will allow lol

[thisizaraisu]

Fall 2020 Superlatives

I definitely turned this season into a massive undertaking. After graduating college, I found a lot of free time on my hands, and in a season with 38 brand-new shows there were a good number of them that appealed to me. I started with 18 series on my docket and only ended up watching 11 of them the whole way through. Still, I ended up with plenty of options for this season’s Superlatives, so enjoy my terrible opinions as I hand out these awards.

Best OP

Most of the shows this season had OPs that were at least passable, but there were only a small handful that I felt were remarkable in any sense. In terms of visuals and tone-setting I think I Believe What You Said from Higurashi NEW is phenomenal, but there’s one thing that’s really holding it back and that’s the facial animations because they are REALLY bad. Literature from Majo no Tabitabi is also great from a visual standpoint but the song isn’t quite as breathtaking as the landscapes. There is ONE OP this season, however, that hit all the right notes... no pun intended.

Winner: “Dying Wish” - Moriarty the Patriot

Dying Wish immediately establishes Moriarty the Patriot as something special. It’s gritty and sinister, and the visuals reflect this tone perfectly. The ominous London backdrop complimented by the intense chorus and strings sent chills down my spine the first time I saw it. There’s knife fights, gun fights, Moriarty jumps off Big Ben and points a gun at his own head, it’s a great 90 second sequence that manages to be more tense than Higurashi NEW’s OP in part because of how grounded it is. This is one of those OPs that I just love everything about, and I had a strong feeling this would be my pick for Fall 2020′s best OP right after my first viewing.

Honorable Mentions: -”I Believe What You Said” - Higurashi NEW -”Higher’s High” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -”Literature” - Majo no Tabitabi -”Needleknot” - Ikebukuro West Gate Park -”Kaikai Kitan” - Jujutsu Kaisen

Best ED

Winner: “Lost in Paradise” - Jujutsu Kaisen

Yeah I’m not even gonna bother with any build-up here. I mean, what else could it possibly be? Lost in Paradise is one of the greatest visual and auditory treats that I’ve ever seen not just in an anime, but in any form of media, and I can easily call it my favorite anime song of all time. Its visual style is just as fun as the song itself, it’s jazzy and upbeat and hits you with that perfect feeling of whiplash immediately after a tense conclusion to most episodes, setting things up perfectly for Juju Stroll. It’s just a perfect sequence in every sense of the word.

Honorable Mentions: -”Sayonara Namida” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa (Seriously in any other season this would have been an easy winner) -”Etoile” - Noblesse

Worst OP

This is an award that I probably won’t be handing out too often. Even the shows that I found more mediocre this season like Ikebukuro West Gate Park or Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear have really good OPs. That said, if you’ve been following the blog you know there’s one OP from this season that I absolutely detest.

Winner: “STEAL!!” - Akudama Drive

I love Akudama Drive, I think it’s a stylistically brilliant show with great fights and characters, as well as one of the most satisfying conclusions a single-season anime original could possibly offer. That being said, HOLY FUCK is this song terrible. Seriously, you have to actively TRY to make a song this bad. It’s essentially just the words “KISS ME” looped over and over, with constantly varying tempos and no effort to hit the right notes. It’s a shame too because like the rest of the show, the visuals are really cool, but it’s held back so much by just how god-awful the vocals are. My least favorite moment in the entire show is the bit towards the end of the finale where they play the OP in the background during the chase scene because I had to mute a goddamn chase scene. There aren’t many shows where I’ll always skip the OP no matter what mood I’m in, but Akudama Drive is definitely one of them. STEAL!! is ear-bleeding garbage and the one positive about Akudama Drive coming to a close is that I’ll never have to subject my ears to the screeching of KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME ever again.

Most Pleasant Surprise

I was going to make this a tie between two series originally, but as it turns out, they have a very common trait between them. What do I mean, you may ask?

Winner: A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures hit me with two shows this season that I absolutely love: Hypnosis Mic and Warlords of Sigrdrifa. Going into Fall 2020 and poring through every synopsis to see what shows would interest me, both of these were the two shows that really had me going back and forth, internally debating whether or not I should watch them. In the end, I decided to take a chance on them, thinking that if I didn’t enjoy them all that much I could say I tried and move on. What I ended up with were two of my top 5 shows this season, and shows that I would unironically give an 8/10 to. Hypnosis Mic was just a TON of fun to watch every week with stunningly well-implemented CG animation, diverse characters, great music and a lot of personality. Sigrdrifa is a much more serious, emotionally-charged series that baits you in with promises of cute anime girls only to expertly deliver themes of coping with failure and discovering who your true family is. A-1 Pictures absolutely KILLED it for me this season, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on their works for Winter 2021 in the hopes of finding another set of hidden gems.

Also the Sigrdrifa dub is pretty damn good too.

Biggest Disappointment

There were two strong contenders for this award, so I really had to sit and ask myself: which one gave me less to enjoy than the other? In the end the conclusion I reached was about what I expected.

Winner: Burn the Witch

I’ve already talked at-length about why I absolutely hate Burn the Witch. It’s a terrible excuse for a movie that’s completely dedicated to the idea of doing nothing with its characters (except Balgo who is the worst character I’ve seen in an anime), with an insultingly bad conclusion and the animation being the only PASSABLE aspect of it all. Even after dropping 7 shows this season, the only competition Burn the Witch really had was Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, but at the end of the day my disappointment with that show was based on my personal expectations (and love of BOFURI) vs reality. Burn the Witch is terrible on its own, and is completely deserving of this distinction.

Best Character

Winner: Satoru Gojo - Jujutsu Kaisen

I’ll be blunt, I don’t watch many shonen anime, so for me to really get into a shonen series, it needs a strong selling point. Obviously the shonen I have the most experience with is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and the selling point for that series was honestly the memes. Jujutsu Kaisen, on the other hand, had me sold on the strength of its characters. Itadori is a great lead, but Gojo stands tall above the rest. Jujutsu Kaisen perfectly balances his overpowered nature with his fantastic comedic relief potential, and I love every scene he’s in whether it’s a fight or a joke. I’m definitely excited to see what Gojo has to offer in Jujutsu Kaisen’s 11 remaining episodes.

Honorable mentions: -Syalis - Maoujou de Oyasumi -Swindler - Akudama Drive -Sonoka - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -Ramuda - Hypnosis Mic

Worst Character

Winner: Balgo - Burn the Witch

I HATE YOU. Not even gonna waste any more time on this one.

Honorable mentions: -Shimamura - Adachi and Shimamura

Best Scene

Winner: Brawler vs Executioner (Akudama Drive, episode 6)

HOW DO YOU CHOREOGRAPH A FIGHT THIS PERFECT? IN AN ANIME-ORIGINAL SERIES, NO LESS???

Everything about this fight is objectively perfect. The innovative uses of the setting, the incredible rain effects, the weight behind every punch, the emotional climax, every second, every blow, is just jaw-dropping perfection. The fact that there was no source material behind this scene to make it such a perfect sequence is baffling to me, and it was the scene that cemented Akudama Drive as something truly special to me.

Best Episode

Winner: A Deep Sorrow from the Past (Majo no Tabitabi)

Majo no Tabitabi has three episodes alone that were in contention for this award, but in the end, A Deep Sorrow from the Past hits harder than any other episode this season (figuratively not literally, read the paragraph above for the episode that literally hits hardest). For an episodic and often comedic show like Majo no Tabitabi to so perfectly present an emotional, legitimately horrifying story of betrayal, I was totally blindsided. There were many good episodes this season and I’m definitely gonna have a few honorable mentions here, but this still feels like an obvious award to give.

Honorable mentions: -”The Princess Without Subjects” - Majo no Tabitabi -”The Two Apprentices” - Majo no Tabitabi -”Tateyama Castle Swimsuit Skirmish!” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -”BROTHER” - Akudama Drive -”Marriage” - Tonikaku Kawaii

Worst Episode

This award would be too easy to give to a show that I’ve dropped, so I’m going to set a rule right here and now, I can only give this award to a show I’ve watched all the way through.

Winner: The Day of Battling Tiles (The Day I Became a God)

Say what you will about The Day I Became a God, I definitely found it enjoyable for the most part and even found the ending to be rather satisfying. Episode 4, however, was definitely the biggest roadblock. Like most Jun Maeda shows, the comedy in the show’s opening half was rather stellar, but The Day of Battling Tiles didn’t make me laugh so much as scratch my head and wonder “What the hell were they thinking?” Like I don’t even hate Tengan but I just didn’t find the idea of a newswoman getting turned on by a minor because he made up some shit about mahjong that funny, and it isn’t even the moral aspect that bothers me so much as just how uncomfortable the whole thing feels as it drags on. Also I can’t decide if I’d like or dislike this episode more if I actually knew anything about Mahjong.

Anime of the Season

There were some phenomenal shows this season. Jujutsu Kaisen, Sigrdrifa, Hypnosis Mic, Moriarty and Tonikawa are all shows that are going to hold a place in my heart going forward, but you know damn well that there’s one that stands above the rest.

Winner: Akudama Drive

Akudama Drive is the best anime that I’ve actually watched on a weekly basis. I know I just talked shit about the OP but it’s literally the only thing I dislike about this show. Akudama Drive is the Suicide Squad premise done as right as possible, the cyberpunk aesthetic is incredible, the action is expertly choreographed with Brawler vs Executioner being the greatest fight I’ve seen in anime, the story is full of wild dystopian twists and turns while still making some sense in context, the characters are irredeemable as they should be, and the conclusion is satisfying to a degree that I did not anticipate. There’s seriously almost nothing to dislike here, and honestly I was ready to hand this award out by the end of episode 6. Thank you Studio Pierrot for this absolute gem of a show.

#anime #anime review #awards #fall 2020 #Seasonal anime

[aspiratixxn]

Hey Dollface

Summary: The best surprise after a really long, hard day at work. 

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 3086

Notes: For @bucky-smiles​ since they’ve had some hard times lately! It’s me, your Bucky anon haha. I just wanted to be really soft and writing Bucky for you really inspired me! I hope you like it :) 

Tagging: @holy-captain​

It’s a shit day. It’s a really, really shit day.

It all started with a burnt pancake, on Monday of all days. Pancakes are a Monday tradition you picked up from your mom, who always made them sprinkled with different fruits to give you a pick-me-up (because Mondays you know?). And you had never burned a pancake, not even the one you made alone at the tender age of seven.

You’re not the superstitious type, not really, but a burnt pancake spelled out trouble and you knew it. You were quick to toss the thing but not quick enough for the smoke detector. Its shrill shriek pierced the morning calm and you heard a clattering through the thin walls of your (mediocre on a good day) apartment. And you had winced when someone banged on your door, asking if you were okay. Of course, you had to answer them, meekly peeking from behind the door. Although they had taken it gracefully, it had already put a damper on your day, which really only got worse from there.

Cleaning the pancake and clearing the smoke detector debacle took up your morning, which meant you didn’t have breakfast. At all. Not even a grab and go banana. Instead, you went sprinting down and out, nearly running over your two floors down neighbor’s dog and getting a shouted earful about that. And of course it was drizzling, enough that an umbrella wasn’t going to keep you from getting uncomfortably damp. Your sneakers squish as you walk in the building, your co-workers wincing when they see you. Your best friend Wanda fusses over you for just a moment, trying to pat moisture out of your shirt.

“Really (Name), you’re such a mess today. I mean more than usual. Did someone get some,” She glances in both directions and whispers in your ear, “Action last night?”

You sputter, pushing her away gently. “Why would you think that?!” He’s not even home right now so it’s not like you could anyways.

She just giggles. “I’m kidding, kidding! Here.” You take the towel and try to dry your hair. You hate this because now you’re going to look like a puffball. “I made some of my famous soup today! For you and me and Natasha, so you’ll be warmed up before you know it.”

You heave a great sigh and drape yourself over her lap. “Oh Wanda, my love, what would I do without you?”

“Starve? Maybe suffer a soupless life?” You gasp, flinging your arm over your eyes. She just laughs again and pats you on the head before she sneaks back to her desk. You’re grateful she’s willing to suffer the wrath of the boss, who pushes productivity to the max.

You take a pause to check your phone before you move and light up when you see (1) message from Bucky.

BUCKY: Good morning beautiful BUCKY: Just wanted to remind you that you are the bestest, most awesome person in the world and you’re gonna rock your day!

You work a classic office job, the kind in weird half cubicles where the walls are too short to hide anything from anyone. Before you even start working you have to clear away all the sticky notes and remnants from last Friday when you had dragged yourself home after some overtime. When your workspace is adequately cleaned (or at least cleaned enough you aren’t knocking over things when you shift), you get to answering your emails.

Which of course, leads to another bad thing. The client was infuriated with the current status of the project. In his eyes, it should have been done a week and a half ago, when you know full well that this project isn’t going to be done for another week if not two. It’s an intense request that just takes time and you’re already doing your best, putting in the overtime to try and reach his ridiculous goals. Heinrich Zemo really needs someone to knock him down a peg and you might just be the person to do it if you ever meet him in person.

So begins the back and forth emailing between you two, filled to the brim with polite fuck you’s. And since he seems to zing back mail at the speed of light, you can’t even work on anything else you’re supposed to, like the design blueprints for Natasha or the business plan outline for Sam. And they’re shooting you little looks because they kind of need that stuff for the next steps of their own projects. Sympathetic looks but looks just the same. And it makes you burn with frustration because you want to get it done, you want to be productive but you just. Can’t.

In between your phone keeps pinging with messages from Bucky, which is the only reason why you survive this entire frustrating situation.

BUCKY: i love your fashion sense. It’s so chic and sleek and ugh, so perfect for you

BUCKY: can’t wait to dance with you again darling! Hope you’re ready to try some tango this time ;)

BUCKY: do you want s’mores pie or banana cream? i’m thinking s’mores because y’know, chocolate. marshmallows. what’s not to love?

BUCKY: next date at the flower garden? we can have a picnic!

BUCKY: holy shit I am so ready for blueberry season again. I know it’s a while away but ugh, I really want some right now :(

BUCKY: you got this babe! I believe in you!

BUCKY: do you want to get Chinese or Italian when I see you again? I’m feeling a strong Chinese vibe. YOU: Chinese BUCKY: that’s my girl

The morning is a blur of pent up anger that ends with you squishing the ever loving shit out of a pumpkin plush, a desk leftover from Halloween. You’re half surprised the thing doesn’t pop under the pressure but you feel bad, placing it back down and patting it. Finally Zemo shuts up and you’re left with fifteen minutes before lunch, which really isn’t time to start anything for work. Instead, you bring out your white bound planner, a bullet journal you’ve been steadily working on, and start to build the next month. End of the month means needing to prep all the pages for February, and you sigh as you stare lovingly at your collection of pens just for this. They’re all absolutely lovely, shades that you adore and a quality that can’t be beat. You mill briefly, deciding between a pastel and a hard pink. The pastel wins out of course and you smooth out the page, already covered in neat pen lines from last night. You begin to fill in banners and hearts and…

Just your goddamn luck your pen starts to fizzle out. Which really sucks because these puppies are not cheap in the slightest. You growl and thunk your head on the desk, making Sam snicker.

“Not your day?”

“Not now Wilson.”

“Aw, c’mon. I’m pretty sure there’s something good in your horoscope for today.” He’s teasing you now for sure. He’s not even into horoscopes, not even as a joke. You turn your head enough to give him your darkest stink eye, which just makes him grin wider. He pats your shoulder and slides over some chocolates, dark like you like it. You huff and your hands come up to open the blue foil, fumbling a bit before popping it in your mouth.

Your phone pings and you glance at it with dull eyes. Sam can visibly see them getting their spark back though and he can guess who’s messaged.

(1) message from Bucky

BUCKY: hey sweetheart, just wanted to tell you that you’re my favorite girl and it’s lunch time! I made myself a sandwich today, look! BUCKY: (1 photo attached)

YOU: why’s it so full? it’s practically bursting! YOU: if you take a bite you’re gonna spill everything out of the bread

BUCKY: hey! rude! >:( BUCKY: I’ll have you know I am a sandwich expert and it will not spill everywhere

YOU: sure it won’t babe ;)

BUCKY: >:T

“(Name)!!” Wanda comes bursting back in, holding up a thermos for you to see. It does brighten up your day, especially when Natasha pops up right after with a box of sandwiches from the best deli on the block. She even got you extra fries. God your friends are so good.

At least lunch passes without any scruples. You don’t spill any of Wanda’s spicy and absolutely delicious soup and you don’t drip any mayo on your blouse from the sandwich. There’s a close call with some ketchup for the fries but it lands next to your leg instead of on it.

“Absolutely not. How dare you even assume Eliza has a chance?” Natasha jabs a fry in your direction.

“Well it’s better than Martha! Did you see her bedroom eyes at him? And he just straight up ignored her!” Wanda throws her hands up in frustration. “Honestly, does this guy even like any of the contestants? It’s like he has the stiffest face in the world.”

You shrug, thoughtfully munching for a moment. “I just think Eliza’s nice y’know? She’s sweet and she’s not pushy, which I mean. It’s probably not great for ratings but Nick hasn’t eliminated her yet so that has to count for something right?”

“Nuh-uh! Angelica’s a favorite here. Did you see how he was laughing on their fake date? I can tell flirting when I see it. And she’s a real firecracker type, which means she’s definitely there to spice up his life if you know what I mean~” Natasha wiggles her eyebrows and you snort, nearly choking on your ice tea.

“Y’all are crazy! It’s definitely gotta be Delanie! Cute, small, hips fit real well.” Sam runs his hands in the same, also wiggling his eyebrows. “And did you see how he was watching her when she was talking about her family? How she wanted a cute little wedding like her parents? That’s a catch.”

You sigh and put your head in your hands. “It’s so artificial though. Like I know all this is scripted and framed and stuff so like, what does it matter? I’d want something real.”

“You sound really dreamy there (name). Got some embarrassing sappy things you want to say to us?” Wanda has her face pressed up to yours and you blush, pushing her away again. Wanda’s really dangerous like that, able to sniff out feelings and stories just like that.

“No! Shut your smug little faces.” All three have taken on that look that you know oh so well. You shovel another few fries in your face and then shut the empty container. Around a mouthful of the dry potatoes, you mumble, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some outlines and blueprints to work on.”

How is this day not already over? Honestly it feels like it’s been an eternity.

Your phone pings with a message. Steve, inviting you to a Monday movie night. Since movies are cheap as hell, Steve likes to visit the theaters often and see what the new thing is. Not surprising given his theatrical/acting/film study obsession.

STEVE: Movie night?

YOU: what movie?

STEVE: Cats (2019) STEVE: I know, I know I just really want to see it. It’s so interesting, the CGI work!

YOU: i dont really want to pay money to see that though YOU: like its YOU: so weird YOU: and like not YOU: i dunno i just don’t really want to see it

STEVE: :( STEVE: C’mon, it’ll be fun! We’ll get caramel corn.

YOU: ooooh tempting me YOU: but no i think imma go home and like wine night it YOU: its been a long day :/

STEVE: Ouch. Well it’s the same place as usual, 6 PM if you wanna come.

YOU: probs not but thanks anyways

STEVE: :)

You plug in your headphones and scroll through your music, settling for some chilled out tunes to slowly progress through the dense documents you have to read before you can properly plan out Sam’s thing. It sucks because you can already feel a headache starting to bud and you have to stop periodically to press on your eyes. You also frequently get up to get water, which means you’re also going to the bathroom a lot and today’s productivity has just slam dunked down the drain. To compensate for not doing literally any work in the morning (gee, thanks Zemo), you put in some overtime hours, which means you’re definitely movie night. You don’t even leave the office until your eyes are burning with the strain of staring at a screen for seven or so hours. You stumble out and rub your eyes, yawning and stretching, trying to get some of the tension out of your shoulders.

(1) message from Bucky

BUCKY: have you been at work this whole time? Damn girl BUCKY: the grind never stops💪

YOU: i wish it did YOU: ugh i’m so tired :(

BUCKY: well you’re almost home right? BUCKY: im sure there’s something good waiting for you at home BUCKY: like dinner! what are you thinking today?

You don’t even know what you’re going to do for dinner, but you’ll deal with that when you get home. At worst you have some cheap instant noodle thing that you can spice up with some eggs. It’s still dreary out and it feels like rain in your skin so you almost sprint home, sticking to the well-lit areas because you are not in the mood to punch a mugger in the nose.

You stop by the corner store though and buy yourself two bottles of wine. You buy something that’s nice, indulging a little. Or you try to anyways, when you discover you left your ID at home. You groan in frustration and instead grab some peach-mango juice and a bag of BBQ chips, hovering momentarily over the big blocks of cheese. You really could just use one to bite into, but you refrain, knowing you have shredded cheese at home, and you can just eat that with a spoon.

Trudging up the stairs, you nearly kick the dog again because it comes shooting around the corner of the stairs. As it is, you end up swerving and kicking the wall which makes you drop your grocery goods and you just.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

You gather the groceries in your arms again and make it finally to your apartment, nearly staggering into the door. You fumble with the keys, missing the lock a few times before jamming it in and twisting. You’re ready to collapse on the couch and chug your juice straight from the gallon container but you don’t because when you lift your eyes up from the ground, you’re met with the bestest, sweetest, slightly crooked smile in the world.

“Bucky!” You drop everything and full body launch yourself at him, nearly tipping him over. Whatever he says about being strong and sturdy, you’re a force to be reckoned with and you snuggle your face up against his neck, breathing in the pine needle and wood smoke scent he has. “I thought you weren’t going to be back for another week!”

“Decided to surprise you doll face.” He peppers your cheeks with kisses, and you can’t help the giggle that bubbles out of you. His lips are so warm against your chilled skin and you try your best to catch them against yours.

He hefts you up a bit so you’re almost sitting on his hip. He bends down to get the fallen chips and you squeal, tightening your hold on his neck. He fakes a choking sound and you loosen a little, feeling him smile against your cheeks.

“You’re so prickly.” Your fingers run along his jawline that’s covered in stubble.

You can feel his laugh, from his chest where you’re pressed. “Sorry pumpkin, I didn’t have a lot of time between there and here.” He stands back up again and you shriek again, burying your face at the sudden moment. “Sounds like you’re still full of energy though.”

“Noooo. I’m really tired Bucky, I had a hard day at work. I’ve had a hard day all dayyyyy.” You turn with a pout, which makes him kiss your puffed cheeks. His eyes sparkle with mirth and you feel like the entire day has completely melted away.

He carries you to the couch, depositing you in front of some of your favorite Chinese take-out. The smell alone makes you wanna drool and you lean forward to take a big, deep breath. “You are a god send.” He waives it out with another full belly laugh, handing you a pair of chopsticks. He got your favorite dumplings and sour-spicy soup and of course, shrimp lo mien. You practically inhale the food. “It’s so good babe, oh my god. I have been revived from the dead.” He flicks on the TV, finding some movie marathon. It sounds like Harry Potter but you’re way to invested in the food in front of you.

It makes you feel so overwhelmingly warm to have him home again after being away for so long. Soon enough, the empty cartons are abandoned on the table and you’re curled up against his side, exhaustion seeping into your warm, full body. Bucky’s got his arm around you, gently playing with the hair that curls by your neck. He’s telling a story, something about how he had found an adorable kitten at work who had clung to his shoulder all day.  His voice runs over you like honey tea, so warm and comforting. You have his other hand in your own hands, tracing the scars that lace over his knuckles and across his palm. Everyone your fingers cover, you follow with kisses.

“I love you.” You yawn in the middle, but he just leans over to kiss your forehead, simultaneously pulling over the blanket from the edge of the couch towards you. It’s your favorite blanket, and it definitely wasn’t on the couch this morning. God he’s so sweet.

“I love you too (name).” He gives you another forehead kiss and begins to play with your hair, which you almost purr at. This is it, this is peak comfort. You grip his shirt tightly, slightly worried this is just some fever dream you’re having at being so tired. “Tell me about your day. Don’t leave out a single detail!”

“Mm, well it started with a burnt pancake…”

#Bucky Barnes #marvel #bucky barnes x reader #oneshot #Reader insert

[sandrawrites13]

pinned down | | day sixteen

“if we met, at midnight, 

                                                                                          in the hanging tree. ”

welcome to day sixteen of the thirty-one days of horror! i’ve decided i’m going to include a quote from a song that you can listen to while reading for more of a spooky effect. the quote you read above is by jennifer lawrence and is entitled the hanging tree.

which, brings me right into the sixteenth prompt: pinned down. following reader and lily rabe, best known for her work in american horror story and fractured. 

triggers: honestly this is adorable

“hide and seek!” exclaimed a very excited evan, his hands in the air, pointing finger guns at you, “you said i could pick.” 

today was the first friday of the month (also the one you were thankfully given a break for from filming the new season of american horror story), which meant that everyone hanged out to spend some time together.

and, well, we’ve established that you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed. 

you enlisted this month to have evan have full control over what you did. it was slightly disappointing that you couldn’t find one person to choose the planning, thus excluding him again, but alas, it was finally the dreadful day. 

and his decision? 

surprisingly, not as bad as you thought. 

you were filming coven, so, of course, he made the executive decision to take advantage of the large house you all seemed to spend way too much time inside. and, namely, play a game of hide and seek. 

“really?” you asked, “how old ‘re you? like. . . nine?” 

“ten,” he snarked back. “ten and a half on weekdays.” 

“i’m excited,” sarah commented, pulling some of her hair behind her ear. you rolled your eyes dramatically. 

“of course you are. why did i even think for a moment you wouldn’t be?” you asked. evan chuckled, but put a finger to his lips anyway. 

“okay, shush now, everyone,” he demanded, now walking around the “dinner table” you all were sitting at. “we’re gonna have two teams. the cool team, with me, and the mediocre team with taissa.” 

“hey!” squealed an offended taissa, who was narrowing her eyes. “from what i remember, you died in the first episode.” 

gasps squeaked out of people’s throats as they covered their mouths. “she went there,” lily said, shocked, “sucks to suck. she got you there.” 

evan, unable to place a real debate in the air, just stammered for a moment and then growled, “that’s it. your team just went from mediocre to bad.” he clapped his hands together. “alright, you guys ready? we’re gonna go down the table and you’re gonna choose a table. now, i know that you all wanna be teamed with me--.”

“i call taissa,” jamie said immediately. 

“same,” gaburey added. 

evan, discouraged, pursed his lips, his glance only being able to be described by sheer disappointment and betrayal. “you two. . . disgust me,” he criticized. “come on. y/n, lily, i know y’all are gonna pair with me.” 

placing a hand under your chin, you fauxed thinking. however, when you looked back up and saw his serious face, you deflated, “fine,” you choked back laughter. “fine, fine, i’ll be on your team. lily?” 

lily, your beautiful, amazing (amongst a lot of other adjectives) girlfriend, gave a smile and nodded. “sure, evan. sorry, taissa. another time.” 

taissa shrugged. “if you wanna lose, whatever,” she joked. 

at the end, sarah was along with you guys, while jamie, gaburey, taissa, and emma were with the loser team. 

“rules are simple. taissa’s team counts first--.” 

“what? why?” emma asked dramatically, sighing heavily as she crossed her arms. 

“because i’m evan peters,” he replied, coaxing amusement from the rest of your team. “you’re gonna stand outside for a minute, and then you’re gonna set a timer on your phone. whoever tagssss all of the people in the least amount of time wins.” his grin never left his face, even when he clapped his hands together. “and even better? it’s going to be all in the dark.”

“so this is hide and seek tag? in the dark?” sarah cried in worry. “as in, we’re really not gonna turn on any lights?” 

“is this why we’re sitting in the dark right now?” you asked, groaning.  

“yup times four,” evan responded. “alright. no more dilly-dallying. you four losers outside right now!” he was jumping in excitement, pushing them out the door. he even shut it right in time for taissa to open her mouth to open a question. “as lily said earlier, sucks to suck. and we’re not gonna suck. got that, evan’s angels?” 

“evan’s--.” 

“it’s our team name,” he grinned. there was a moment of silence, of you guys standing there for a moment, before his eyes went wide. “fuck, we only have a minute!” he yelled, running off in the other direction.  

you shook your head, giving lily a kiss on the cheek and then bolting. she, confused, grabbed your arm and yanked you back. “wait, y/n, where are you going? we’re separating?” she asked, surprised. 

with a cheeky smile, you gently took her hand off of you and shrugged, walking backwards. “hey, we gotta win. and me? i’m a hide and seek master. gotta go lone wolf. love you, ba--” you were mid walk backward before you stumbled over the chair and were almost sent down to the floor. 

lily cocked her eyebrow, and you flashed a grin. “that was part of the plan,” you promised, “’kay, bye!” 

she yelled after you, followed with some laughter, but hey, this is your game, yo.

you ended up running up the stairs, into where zoe’s “room” in coven was. when you reached the top, however, you realized that evan was already there, looking around. “dude, i know i’m attractive but--,” he began, but you didn’t even want to hear the end of the sentence. 

you continued down the hall, running into the bathroom and shutting the door just a crack, leaving it open. 

they’d never suspect an open door, you promised to yourself in disapproval of your shitty hiding spot. in the midst of darkness, you were barely able to find the bathtub. luckily, given the fact it hasn’t been used, you were able to lay down in it without residue water sticking on you or gross, musky knowledge of someone standing before you haunting you. 

you held your breath, resting your shoulders and keeping your eyes open (though you really couldn’t see anything, anyway). 

it didn’t take long before you heard the loud, obnoxious voices of your friends enter the house and the door swinging open. 

from the rooms below, you could narrowly make out some sentences that made you cough away laughter into your hand: 

“waIT, WAIT I DIDN’T START THE TiMeR!!!11″

“$20 we’re gonna find sarah first.” 

“nah, we’re gonna emma first.” 

“i’m right here.” 

“oh yeah. . . i forgot that you’re on our team.” 

“gUYS SERIOUSLY I DIDN’T START THE TIMER STOP LOOKING!” 

after a few moments, and a few more laugh tempting situations, they were on the move. you could hear them taunting you, trying to coax you guys from your hiding spots by offering even cash. but you knew that evan would surely kill you if you even thought about surrendering to them. 

you instead stayed still, not moving, and not breathing whenever there was a creak or a giggle. 

and then, that’s when it happened. 

a gasp. 

a squeal. 

and running. 

you could quickly identify the gasp belonging to taissa, who was screaming the entire time and quickly identifying the person she was chasing. “guys, GUYS, I FOUND HER!! GUYS--,” a smack against the stairs and a curse, “EVAN, WE REALLY HAD TO PLAY IN THE DARK?” 

there were quick footsteps running around the hallway, and you internally prayed that she wouldn’t come into the bathroom and give away your hiding spot. 

but, this unnamed girl, sounded like she was running right there. 

“who the Hell did you find?” gabourey asked from the bottom of the stairs. 

she wasn’t able to respond before your hearing when dull and you groaned, moaning in pain from the weight of someone quite literally jumping on top of you. 

“lily!” you whisper shouted, more so wheezed, before a hand was over your mouth. that didn’t stop you from continuing, albeit muffled: “you fucking ding dong!” 

“shhh, i’m sorry, babe,” she whispered through laughter, “but shhh.” she kept one hand on your mouth, her other hand on your shoulder, pinning you down. “we can’t get caught.” 

“we most certainly can if i have a broken rib!” you once again complained, very muffled. after a second, you posed to stop and bitch faced her with your eyes despite her not being able to see it.

taissa and emma could be heard running up the stairs, and then bolting down the hallways. “come on, lily, we know you’re up here. expose yourself or we will not refrain from firearms!” 

“little violent there, emma,” taissa argued, approaching dangerously close to your room. so close, in fact, you could hear her breathing. 

lily dipped low, her head against your chest as she tried to keep quiet. you shut your eyes, awaiting the unwanted die to approach. 

“i found her!” shouted emma, and you winced against her words. “wait. . . evan?” 

evan let out a series of stringed laughter. “bahahha! you thought you would find evan’s angels before me? mistake, ms. roberts, mistake! my angels are prepared for such intimate, angering, intense moments--” 

“evan is so nice, isn’t he, y/n?” lily asked, an inch from you, yet accidentally saying it as if you were across the room, causing everyone to stop talking and you to insult her with your eyes. 

dammit, lily.  

“well,” evan said with a laugh, “at least we still have sarah.” 

“found sarah!” jamie called from downstairs. 

#whumptober #no. 16 #lily rabe x reader #lily rabe #ahs x reader #american horror story #american horror story x reader #lily rabe imagines #lily rabe drabbles

[almondbiscotti]

Stuff I’ve Watched this CB

Sorry, really got a lot. I’ve ranked them from most recommended to least recommended. And separated movies from series. And have included some shows I’m planning to watch! 

Series

Kim’s Convenience S4 I LOVE APPA. Was a bit appalled I didn’t know S4 was out on Netflix because it’s one of my favourite shows on Netflix. It’s REALLY GOOD. So many laugh out loud moments, the characters are WONDERFULLY fleshed out and the chemistry between the actors is through the roof. Story telling is also amazeballs. 10/10 would recommend.

Dirty Money S1&2  10/10 would recommend! I really liked Dirty Money because I learned so so so so much from the show! I do think the producers had no intention of being unbiased and presenting a neutral stance on the “villains” because I wanted to punch every single “villain” every damn episode. If you’re looking for objectivity and “both sides of the story”, I don’t think this show is for you. But that said, everything presented is factual so I did learn a lot. Supplemented with additional reading post show, I felt like a whole new world was opened to me. :) 

Kingdom S1&2  JUST WATCH THIS. IT’S SO DAMN GOOD. 

Only issue I had was how damn ridiculous it was that whenever a horde of zombies were running towards our protagonists, they’d just stand there and do their typical Korean AISSSSSHEEEEBYEFUCK stance for like a full 17342154 minutes while the music and tension builds and the zombie horde comes closer and closer and closer and THEN they finally decide to run. Eh friend, what siah. Also, I concluded from watching Kingdom that if there ever was a Zombie apocalypse, I’m completely and utterly FUCKED. But I live in ridiculously hot Singapore surrounded by water... so I guess I’ll be alright? 9.5/10 

Derry Girls S1-2 Irish Catholic School Girls, I’M SOLD. I mean, come on. How can I not LOVE this show? It’s HILARIOUS. And having spent 10 years in an all girl catholic school, Derry Girls really really resonated with me. The characters are laugh out loud hilarious, and all really likeable! The only issue I had with it is that the characters don’t really grow very much over the course of 2 seasons. So season 1 first episode vs season 2 final episode, it won’t matter even if you watched it backwards.

Because the seasons are very short, only 6 episodes per season and there are only 2 seasons so far, it doesn’t matter very much. For now. But I reckon if they had like 7 seasons, it’s going to get VERY repetitive. But at the moment, ISSA GREAT! 9/10

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency S1 8 Episodes of ABSOLUTE CRACK. It’s based off something Douglas Adams wrote so I wouldn’t expect anything less. Acting isn’t great but the storytelling is riveting. If you enjoy Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book), it’s very likely you’d enjoy this. It can get quite frustrating sometimes though because it’s so ridiculous so if you’re looking for a detective series based on solid logic, look somewhere else. But if you just want some fun and silliness mixed with some smart, this is wonderful. 8/10 

Never Have I Ever S1 I had a lot of trouble liking the main character but on retrospect, it might be because the character doesn’t even like herself that much to begin with. Had quite a few laugh out loud moments and the Asian family moments were very relatable.  THE MOTHER. THE MOTHER IS EVERYTHING. She’s my favourite, I would watch an entire series with just her. The main problem with Never Have I Ever (in my opinion) is that it tried to do a lot of things to prove the same point. So it does get a bit frustrating after a while. By the 3rd episode, I’m just like GET ON WITH IT I GET IT. I GET THAT FAMILY IS MOST IMPORTANT, I GET THAT SHE’S NOT GRIEVING HER FATHER. So... it can get a little cliche and repetitive. To me la. But still funny, still good. :)  8/10 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S1-4 The opening track really really grows on you. UNBREAKABLE! They’re alive, damn it! IT’S A MIRACLE! Created by Tina Fey, this show is silly and full of fun.

I really liked S1-3. It’s a very light-hearted show that makes you feel really good watching it because it’s just so positive and optimistic. S4 got a bit too ridiculous for me and the characters started doing some really weird shit that is a bit too incredulous (it was never a logical show based too much on reality to begin with but S4 was really a bit much). But if you like shows like The Good Place, I reckon you’d like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 8/10

The Circle USA Can’t remember why Housemate and I started on this but it was actually not bad! I think it’s because the OG characters were really likeable! JOEY! JOEY IS A PRECIOUS PUPPY THAT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. It’s not very intellectual and I was never too invested in any of the characters or relationships. BUT! great if you don’t want to think too much and just watch some mindless TV that isn’t absolute trash. (TOO HOT TO HANDLE I’M LOOKING AT YOU.)  7/10 

Tiger King S1 SIEOW ONE THIS SHOW. It’s an absolute MINDFUCK. I started with many questions, I finished with A BILLION more. I don’t even know how to describe or explain this show. IT’S MADNESS. There are big cats, gay husbands who turn out not to be gay, tiger queen who allegedly killed her husband and fed him to her tigers, crazy dude who tried to pay some other dude 5k (i think? or 3k? seriously it’s crazy) to kill tiger queen, big guns and expired meat and pizzas?!?!! Yah, Mindfuck. CRAZY/10

Cable Girls S1-4  Season 1 and 2 were BEAUTIFUL. The characters have so much depth, the acting is impeccable, the costumes are AMAZING, the cinematography is inspiring, the story telling was riveting. Then season 3 and season 4 happened and... I will pretend the show ended in S2. -_- Character development took a major hit from season 3 onwards. But I would still recommend Cable Girls because the acting, the acting is AMAZING. 10/10 for s1&2. 5/10 for 3&4.

Money Heist S4 Was quite hyped for this and was really quite let down. The beauty of Money Heist has always been structure in chaos, elegance in the mess. S4 was very frustrating because it didn’t have that. I felt like they were trying very hard to make you think the heist team was going to fail and started to fill in weird impossible things to ensure the plot was still able to proceed. Did not enjoy S4 as much as I thought I would. :(  But if you have invested in the previous seasons, you know you’re gonna watch it even if it’s absolute crap anyway. 6/10

The Letter For The King S1 Ep 1&2 Premise was quite interesting, trailer was interesting enough. But DEAR GOD WAS IT SLOW. And also, literally ALL the characters were unlikeable! I don’t understand why anyone would make a show with entirely unlikeable characters. I couldn’t get past the 2nd episode but I went ahead to read a few reviews and recaps. Yeah, was a good idea to stop at episode 2. Would not recommend. 2/10

Movies

Game Night  Rachel McAdams is QUEEN. A really loltastic film. Is a really good post dinner wind down to end the day film. And particularly because I can relate to how competitive our main couple was. :) Some parts don’t add up and there are a few times I think the story becomes a bit too much for itself, trying to layer upon layer of twists, but still a good fun movie! :) 7.5/10 

The Half of It Heartwarming. :) Enjoyed it because i think the main protagonist is very likeable. And she’s so... plain and relatable. I hate to say this though but... I found the whole movie quite forgettable. Like, it didn’t feel very deep to me though it did touch on quite a few intense and deep topics of first love, family, self acceptance etc. But it’s just doesn’t reverberate through every cell of my being. The whole movie is just so gentle and because it is so mild, it becomes forgettable. Acting is good, character development is okay I guess. But generally... just mediocre to me. But not bad. I just wished it wasn’t so... light and airy. I wish it made me cry. 7/10

Cabin in the Woods Housemate wanted to watch it because it’s horror-esque. I was okay with it cos it’s horror comedy. And also Chris Hemsworth. :D Was quite loltastic. Though SPOILER ALERT Chris Hemsworth’s character dies a bit too early for my liking. I really liked the over the top inclusion of various different monsters near the end. Was fun trying to identify them. Fun movie! Not very scary but quite a bit of gore that’s peppered with lots of humour to make it okay. 7/10

Extraction LOTS OF CHRIS HEMSWORTH. But plot wise... hmm... Housemate enjoyed it because he said the fight scenes and the things our extractor does are very real and is what a trained professional would do in the high pressure situations he finds himself in. They probably had a great consultant to keep things realistic.  I didn’t enjoy it as much because I felt that our hero was... too powerful and the bad guy was too bad. Almost caricature-ish. Difficult to have character development like that. But hey, I didn’t watch it for depth, I watched it for Chris Hemsworth’s face so... very much satisfied. :) 7/10 

Other Stuff I’m Planning to Watch 

After Life S2 I liked S1 so... just a continuation I guess. Typical English humour. Also, I watched S1 dealing with a death of a friend so the show does have some sentimental meaning for me.

Hollywood S1 New show seems promising! There are blacks, gays, sex, extortion, glitzy costumes, glamour and really blonde blondes. Also the guy who plays Sheldon Cooper in BBT. High hopes, I have high hopes! 

The Victims’ Game DETECTIVE SHOW SOLVING CRIMES. I’M SOLD. 

Whoa fuck, I really watch a lot of Netflix. 

#netflix #NessaBingeLogs