#(plus later on in the second season he realizes how much of a loser he is and tries to fix it)

[yogurts-bullshit]

CW: HAZBIN HOTEL SPOILERS AHEAD

Alright so here's my take on the new Hazbin Hotel season.

Bad. ):

The only good parts were vox/alastors song and the first half of Lucifer's episode. THE WHOLE SHOW IS SO FUCKING LAZY. They stripped everything that made it good. It's not funny anymore, it seems like there was no thought put into it, the placement of the music doesn't make sense a LOT. Sometimes they throw in little throwback jokes to be like "hey remember the pilot? Remember when this show was good?"

And it's so FAST, like the whole thing with the extermination timeframe being cut in half felt like such a lazy cop out. To me in read like they don't think they are gonna get another season and so they knew they only had 6 episodes to shove in all those plot points. Or they just wanted instant gratification for everything and felt like because this show has such a big fan base already they just assumed they didn't NEED to introduce you to these characters, like you should already know they are and have a connection with them. Like Hazbin Hotel thinks because it has a popular pilot it's a legacy show like the Simpsons and doesn't need to introduce anything, you should know it all by now.

And goes by so quick but despite how much time we are supposed to see go by, these characters NEVER FUCKING GROW. They're supposed to! They have groundbreaking realizations about who they are and stuff, and then a second later they are THE SAME PERSON AS BEFORE. And then there is that whole scene in the final episode where Charlie is like "look! Angel Dust has redeemed so much!" But I really feel like he hasn't, and we haven't seen any redemption from him at all. Plus there was this whole song about the similarities between Husk and Angel (Loser, Baby), which don't get me wrong, I loved, but it just really revealed how much of fucking clones they are, which is SO FUCKING LAZY.

Plus all of the "big reveals to keep you hooked and shock you!!!" We're just things that people have theorized about for 8 fucking years since the first concept art was released. Like the whole "vaggie is an exterminator!" or "Husk was a Overlord!" The whole time I got the impression that this was supposed to be a big thing but I was just like... Yeah.... I know.

Oh and Zestiel was also dope as fuck in his 2 minutes for screen time, but I feel like I only liked him because he was acting like what Alastor was SUPPOSED to be, but they made him really nice I feel like. And I understand that Alastor is canonically supposed to be a nice, gentlemanly Mama's boy, but I feel like this show felt like since all of the leaks and lore and stuff released about these characters, it had to show that IMMEDIATELY so instead of that being a slow build up and reveal it dumped it on you instead of showing you who Alastor depicts himself as and it felt like a mockery to the depths of his character. The show didn't earn being able to show how kind Alastor is.

And I feel like that's the reason that I think the show is so lazy because, yes, it has all these big cool reveals and moments, but the show doesn't earn any of those moments. Like there are so many big reveals, like Charlie's big song about her daddy issues, that I feel like could have hit so hard! If we had mentioned her daddy issues more than 2 times beforehand. Or with the whole Carmilla (I might be spelling that wrong) thing with the angel. The angels death could have been such a big story and plot hook and even if they didn't wanna carry it into the next season, they could have made the reveal and big season finale thing. It just felt so weird that instead of it being something big, it was just this lady who we don't even really know, who walked into screen, sang about how she did it, and then we never see her again. Cause I mean like, say what you will about shows with lost of filler early on, but at least they build on everything. You get to know these characters and this setting so that when there are big reveals and songs and moments with them you really feel it. Instead in hazbin all of the moments just feel so unearned and underbaked.

Plus instead of just embracing the fact that there are new voices, they had all the new voices basically do impressions of the old voices, like Blake Roman was basically doing a poor impression of Micheal Kovach the whole time and it brought him down so much. Like, I like Blake Roman, he's a good voice actor, we didn't have to pretend he's Micheal Kovach. 

Really, honestly, I was thinking about it today, and Hazbin Hotel is a show about a bunch of dead people realizing that the heaven and hell system is messed up and trying to fix it and redeem themselves in the process. Y'know what else is a show with the same concept? THE GOOD PLACE. One of my favorite shows, very beautifully written, and every single point and moment Hazbin Hotel makes, The Good Place does 30x better.

so yeah, there's my Hazbin Hotel rant. Did not like the show, really pissed off about it, I'm gonna go rewatch the pilot, and then probably rewatch The Good Place.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin angel dust #hazbin alastor #hazbin husk #hazbin charlie #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin vaggie #hazbin hotel vaggie #Hazbin #the good place #hazbin hotel season 1 #hazbin hotel spoilers #Hazbin hotel rant

[studiobeebo]

Hey Bee, super excited to see you writing again even if just for a bit! Might I be so bold as to ask for Hawks making breakfast in bed for reader? 🍳 I'd love some snuggly domestic fluff. Also, are people submitting pets? I'm not sure why or if it's a thing, but incoming pictures of my little bastard fur baby.

HHHHHHH VIX I HOPE THIS IS BETTER LATE THAN NEVER TY FOR REQUESTING MY FAV CHICKEN ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE IVE BEEN INSPIRED TO WRITE FOR HIM  ALSO THANK U FOR SHOWING ME UR BASTARD

Hawks / Keigo Takami

Legally, even heroes amongst the top ranks were required to have days off. An unstable hero is an ineffective hero, after all. For a long time, however, days off were just that for Keigo: a necessary component to be the hero he was trained to be. It took him a while to see days off as most people saw it, a time to relax, even if those days off were usually interrupted in one way or another. Still, that never stopped him from dreaming of a world where he could have genuine free time to fill with whatever random shit he could think of, but for now he was making do with ‘enjoying the little things’, something that you had drilled into his brain when the two of you first started talking, and since then he’d had plenty of time to realize that you were one of his favorite ‘little things’ to enjoy.

He didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with you, but over time you became one of the main factors in why he wanted to be done with the difficulty of hero work. He liked being with you, as cheesy as it sounded, and he found himself always hoping he’d have a little extra time in his day to swing by your place so the two of you could talk over lame late night sitcoms and some terribly unhealthy food.

The two of you never outright called your little get togethers ‘dates’ and you never even dared get into the conversation of finally calling it how it is and saying you were together, but compared to just about everything else in his life, the issue there wasn’t actually his job, it was just how the two of you were. Despite how cheeky and suave he liked to act, he could never really figure out the right way to go about this sort of thing. He mulled over the idea of just flat out asking or mentioned the two of you dating, he never had problems keeping other things to himself anyways so it sounded like the most natural way to go, but he could never bring himself to just say something. It never felt like the right time and to be fair, you could always be the one to say something too but you found yourself in the same dilemma. It seemed like the two of you were in a constant cycle of ‘Eh, I’ll just bring it up next time’, always assuming but never really realizing how much the other wanted to make things a bit more official.

So that’s how things went and have been going, the two of you dancing around the idea of just sharing your feelings and growing closer in the process. Even with work becoming more overbearing than ever, he still always managed to get lost in the way you made him feel the moment the two of you were together. You, on the other hand, spent your time excitedly wondering when he’d come by next, even going as far as to try and spend more evenings at home instead of out with friends just to heighten the chance of hanging out with him. Needless to say, you knew you were head over heels for that winged idiot and after weeks of consideration you finally decided on saving your confession for a few days before the upcoming White Day.

The idea was that, if he returned your feelings like you hoped he would, you’d then be able to get him a gift a few days later. Cliche maybe, but you figured that would make for an extra special anniversary if things ever happened to get that far. Plus, even if he rejected you, you figured at least that wouldn’t ruin the holiday for either of you.

Unlike you, Keigo really wasn’t that inept at the whole ‘think before you act’ thing in regards to relationships.

He wasn’t an idiot (well, not in this regard) and he knew he had insane hots for you at this point and since his idea of just casually dropping that he wanted to be with you wasn’t coming to fruition, he figured he’d try to do something a little more structured and came up with what he thought was a fantastic idea.

Valentine’s Day was romantic, right? So what better day to confess his feelings? He didn’t bother worrying about the whole ‘what if you say no’ thing and instead started thinking about what he could do to make it less lame than ‘hey we should go out for real’. He started paying more mind to couples he’d see out and about while patrolling and even would watch any of the seasonal abundance of romance movies that he’d pass by while scrolling through television channels when he had the time, but everything he saw seemed a bit too romantic and totally not his style. He wanted to do something sweet but a bit more laid back and with no other thoughts in mind, after some time he finally settled on the classic act of breakfast in bed.

Of course in his plans he sort of omitted a few things that tend to make ‘breakfast in bed’ a special thing, the first being that, well..he didn’t know how to go about cooking breakfast. Growing up his diet was extremely regulated and he was rarely allowed to cook for himself, so the only things that were his choice were snack foods or pre made meals he’d grab from a 7/11. Sure he was a few years out of the constant regulations and overbearing ‘caretakers’, but he was out of the frying pan and into the fire in a way so he never had a lot of chances to improve his skills past a basic enough level of cooking to keep himself alive. 

With that in mind, his plan was to pick something nice up for you and maybe if he was feeling it he’d get some flowers or something as well before finally stopping by and sneaking in with the extra key you had given him to surprise you. You’d probably call him a loser for waking up so early, ask him what the hell he did this for, and his answer would be that somehow he managed to fall for you. It was easy as pie in his mind and he was actually pretty chipper in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, but things never quite go as planned for him, do they?

For starters he was out much later than he had planned the night before which pissed him off because every little issue that popped up felt so insignificant and not worth the price of pushing back his plans. He wasn’t some narcissistic asshole, but when he’s out until three in the morning dealing with little mishaps that cops should have been able to handle, he tends to get a bit irritated despite not showing it. Still, by the time he got home he barely had a few hours to rest before he had to get his plan into motion of picking up things and making his way to you. He wasn’t even planning on closing his eyes when he sat down for a ‘minute’ and when he woke up an hour or so to a call for aid from his agency he barely had time to worry about what was ahead. Even then by the time he was done as the sun began to rise, not only was he behind in general but the call took him a good distance away from where you were so it would take at least an hour to fly there and even more to get what he needed so instead, in his exhausted state he ended up saying ‘fuck it’ and dropping his ass into a family mart, picking up a bagful of breakfast pastries and coffee, and then rushing over to your place where he was finally able to give his wings some damn rest.

He was relieved enough to have made it a little after the time you mentioned you usually woke up around and being as jittery as he was he didn’t give a second thought to unlocking your door and practically slamming it open in the process before cursing to himself for being so damn loud when this was supposed to be a surprise, but with all his clattering around he spilled still very hot coffee all over himself and proceeded to practically throw the bag of goods in surprise as he cussed himself out some more.

Of course meanwhile all that was happening on your end was being woken up by your front door being slammed open followed by noise and cursing. You immediately tensed as you snuck your way closer to the intrusion, a small knife in hand in the event your quirk was rendered useless. As your heart raced in your chest you rounded the corner before bracing yourself, only for your eyes to widen at the sight of the absolute idiot you had fallen in love with whisper-yelling at himself surrounded by a now spilled puddle of coffee and various packaged breakfast pastries.

“Keigo?!” You practically screamed, rushing over him to see what the hell he was doing, but when he looked up at you as if he should be surprised you couldn’t help but sigh and cross your arms.

“A knife?? Jesus, (Y/N) the hells’ a matter with you.” He said with a smile, only half preparing himself for the huff of annoyance and smack to the side of his head.

“What’s the matter with me?! What the hell are you doing breaking into my apartment and making a fool of yourself???”

That made him groan and run a hand through his hair as he looked around to realize exactly what you meant about him looking ridiculous.

“Well you gave me a key so I wasn’t really ‘breaking in’, right?” He questioned, raising a brow as he moved to grab a kitchen towel to attempt to blot his clothes dry, but when he saw the look on your face that screamed you were tired and cranky and not having his jokes, he finally let out a sigh before leaning his back up against your kitchen counter.

“Was trying to do the whole ‘breakfast in bed’ thing, figured it would be best to make myself look good to confess or whatever you want to call it, with it being Valentine’s Day and all.” 

He immediately tensed as his brain caught up with what he had just said before slouching his shoulders upon realizing that in the end, he ended up going with his original plan of just blurting it out like an idiot. 

You scoffed, bending over to begin to pick up what he had dropped before stopping in your tracks as you heard the rest of his sentence. Now your heart was beginning to beat faster for a different reason as your brain replayed what he had just said as you picked up one of the pastries off the ground. After a moment of calming yourself so you wouldn’t embarrassingly bust your own feelings open like you had planned to do in the upcoming month, you stood up and smiled, holding up a one of the things you had picked up.

“You tried to make yourself look good with store bought pastries and crappy convenience store coffee?” You teased, making your way over to him and stopping so you were face to face with him and that ridiculously annoying and attractive smirk of his.

“What can I say, if you don’t love me at my worst you probably won’t love me at my best.”

“What would you have done if I didn’t love you at all?”

“Pfft,” He huffed, “When you go sayin’ things like that it makes it sound like you do love me.”

A moment later his face dropped and he let out a quiet ‘Oh’ as you gave him a look that said ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m trying to say’. All this time not worrying about whether or not you actually liked him back and him thinking that surely you did since the two of you had gotten so close, and yet when you put it so clearly like that it made his stomach do ecstatic flips not knowing that you were just as thrilled as he was.

“That’s cool.” Was all he could manage to say, figuring he would save at least some of his pride by not going into a love stricken rant about just how much he had come to love you.

“Just cool?” You asked, biting at your cheek in an attempt to keep your smile at bay but failing miserably at keeping your happiness on the inside, your hands itching to do something you had only previously dreamed of as you reached up to rest your hands on his shoulders before actually wrapping them around his neck as he leaned into your touch which effectively bolstered your confidence and lowered any inhibitions you had.

“Maybe a bit more than ‘just cool’. At least extra cool, maybe even insanely cool if we really want to push it. But h-“ His words were pleasantly cut off by your lips pressing against his own, a little desperate and very much eager after waiting so long to feel his lips pressed against your own. He was supposed to be the cool and suave ‘Hawks’, the nation’s number two hero, but just like that he was melting against your touch as his hands gripped your waist, gently at first but giving a desperate tug as you finally pulled away from him and he tried to lean in for more, the only thing stopping him being the fact that he just had to savor the look of happiness on your face that he was sure matched his own as you bit your lip out of slight embarrassment as the wave of ‘I cannot believe I just did that’ finally hit, though to him that look along with the fact that he now knew you really liked him back only made you that much more attractive.

“Sorry..” You muttered, a smile still on your face as you couldn’t help but chuckle at seeing him flustered and looking so naturally himself, the self that you had learned to love maybe a bit too much. “I’ve been kinda wanting to do that for a while.”

If he wasn’t already relieved before, hearing you confirm that you’ve been aching to be his as much as he was yearning to be yours made his heart soar with adoration and a liiittle bit of an ego boost that he probably didn’t need.

“Was it cool? Even without breakfast or the bed?” He questioned, still trying to keep things casual in a way, but with you, even being in a position he never thought he’d actually be in, it was easy to act naturally since he so naturally loved you.

“Oh yeah.” You laughed, pulling him closely into a tight hug that fit the two of you together so perfectly that it made it feel like you should have done this ages ago. “Perfectly,-“ You pulled back, giving him a peck on the lips that felt so right it made you giddy, “Extra-“, another kiss, this time with him returning the favor while trying hard not to let his own excitement take him too far as he relished in the fact that this was real and you were his and if he could help it, there’d be nothing in the world to change that “- and insanely cool.”

#my hero academia #mha #my hero academia fanfiction #bnha #boku no hero academia #hawks #hawks x reader #keigo takami #keigo takami x reader #takami keigo #takami keigo x reader #bees hcs

[beepbeep-losers]

mistletoe

happy holidays all!!!!!! merry christmas eve to those that celebrate!! (and merry christmas to some already lmao). here is a piece of Christmassy, modern au, 15yo reddie fluff for @uhhcanigetabyeler for @it-secretsanta-2018 !!! I hope you enjoy it and that you have a wonderful holiday season! much love ❤❤❤

(warning: I'm on mobile and so I can't put a cut so....long post forgive me)

A fifteen year old Richie Tozier annoyed many people throughout the year, but at the Toziers' holiday party he was doing a really spectacular job of it.

He had brought a few bundles of mistletoe, shoved into his pockets, and was doing his absolute best to try to goad as many people into kissing as possible. He'd already dangled it between Bill and Stan and Bill had turned red and almost punched him. Stan, wearing his Hanukkah sweater and really only there because of the food, had looked bored out of his mind with Richie's antics.

When Richie had shoved it between his parents, he'd made a show of shouting "EWWWWWWW" when Wentworth gave a small peck to Maggie's lips. He confiscated that bundle of misteltoe afterward.

The threat of impending mistletoe had been enough to make Eddie wary any time Richie was near all night. Eddie's crush on Richie was forced to the forefront of his mind with all the stupid kissing, and it was really stressing him out. Plus, what was he even supposed to do if Richie tried to get him to kiss someone else? Eddie didn't like the thought.

The losers club had been at the Toziers', like every twenty-second day of every December since they were eleven, since five that evening. They'd played several rounds of Uno, the final round ending when Stan and Eddie had bickered for ten minutes because Eddie was sure thay Stan had cheated. Their bickering had only ceased when Richie dangled the mistletoe between them and they'd both shoved him so hard they'd been afraid he would fall into the Toziers' Christmas tree and then they'd all be kicked out.

They were up late. They always were at their parties. They'd played their Uno, and their Dirty Santa, and they'd all stuffed themselves with all of Maggie and Went's cooking, and were slumped all over the den's furniture watching How the Grinch Stoel Christmas, which Stan was having a really great time making jokes about. It was putting them all in stitches, anyway, because if anyone could come up with witty and snide jokes it was Stan - especially at the expense of a Christmas movie that he'd watched with them several times.

Eddie wound up leaning against Richie, but that wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be. Richie kept laughing at Stan's jokes, and he laughed with his entire body and kept jostling him. He kept poking Richie in the ribs to try to get him to quit moving, and maybe to hide that he was really smitten every time he looked up to see tears of laughter in Richie's eyes, and his glasses crooked on his nose, and his grin so big that his cheeks must hurt.

Leaning on Richie got even more distracting after that, and Eddie got restless and stood up.

"Where ya goin', Edsie?" Richie asked immediately, reaching out and grabbing onto his shirt. Eddie batted his hand away, blushing.

"I'm getting a drink," he told him, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And don't call me that, jackass."

"I'll come with!" Richie said, ignoring any qualms Eddie had with his nicknames, and he popped up and threw his arm around Eddie's shoulders.

Eddie slipped out from under Richie's arm, but didn't complain when Richie followed him into the Toziers' kitchen to find drinks. Richie opened up the fridge and tossed Eddie a pop, then grabbed one for himself. They were both facing the fridge, and didn't notice anyone else in the kitchen, but when they turned around they were met with a loud,

"GOTCHA!"

Beverly was there, beaming a toothy grin at them, and the rest of the losers club peeking into the room from the entry. Dangling from Beverly's fingers right between Eddie and Richie was a sprig of mistletoe.

Eddie could have kicked her right in the shin, but he was frozen. His mouth had dropped open, and he whipped to look at Richie, whose eyes looked even more huge than normal, and whose cheeks and ears and neck were bright red.

"Go on, big shot," Bev said teasingly to Richie, still grinning at them. When Eddie caught her eye she winked at him - winked! Damn her! "Put your money where your mouth is!"

"More like his mouth where his mouth is," Stan piped up, and then snickered at himself.

Eddie turned back to Richie, right as he swooped down. His glasses and nose hit Eddie in the face awkwardly, and Bill told Eddie later that he made a noise a lot like a mouse squeaking right before Richie's lips pressed against his.

It was quick, only a few seconds, but Eddie thought he might turn into a living puddle in the time it took. When Richie pulled away, Eddie had a blush to match Richie's and all the rest of the club were oohing and aahing at them.

"You've had yer fun, now get yerselves outta here!" Richie said loudly at them, in a flustered attempt at an accent.

They filed out after a minute, and Eddie set down his pop on the counter next to them; he'd just realized that his hand was cold. He wiped it on his pants.

"Guess I got what was comin' to me, huh, Eds?" Richie said, and when Eddie looked at him, he actually looked nervous. His smile was lopsided but he looked a little tense.

Eddie nodded at him thoughtfully. "I guess you did. But it was kind of a shit kiss," he added with a surge of confidence. Then he blushed, and grabbed his pop, and rushed back toward the den.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Richie called after him.

Eddie plopped down on the couch, asked himself why the holy hell he had said that, and tried to focus on the movie and not on the fact that Richie was still away. He had popped open his pop and drank a third of it by the time Richie came back.

Richie sat down next to Eddie quietly for several minutes, and there were a few inches between them that made Eddie unreasonably antsy.

Then, after ten minutes, Richie leaned over and planted a kiss on Eddie's cheek. Eddie's eyes widened, and he felt his cheeks redden, and he froze up for only a moment before leaning back into Richie.

Maybe the mistletoe wasn't all that bad overall.

#itsecretsanta18 #ashton writes #reddie #i hope you enjoy! ahh #mistletoe didnt look like a real word to me for like two hours after writing this lmao #it fanfic #it fanfiction #the losers club #stan is just here to roast people

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Ninjago Be More Chill AU

This is really long whoops guys I have so many Ninjago BMC headcanons y’all have no idea. This won’t leave my head especially since I’ve been seeing some great BMC / Ninjago stuff recently mmm

Who would be who?

Jay as Jeremy:

Okay so like that not original but, Jay gives off such Jeremy vibes! Jay is really self-conscious, as we see in s1 ep8, aka his true potential episode, as we see in season three with the love triangle, and as we can see in season six with the fact that he knowingly makes wishes to “better himself” from Nadakhan. Jeremy also does some things he regrets, some things that come off kind of creepy and not okay, like what he did to get with Christine, luckily, he realizes that, and it’s one reason why most people don’t think they end up staying together. Jay had a few not necessarily okay and kind of creepy actions towards Nya, again specifically in season six, also a little in season three. But, Jeremy is an all around good person, he didn’t intend to hurt anyone and neither did Jay. Jeremy took the SQUIP, which gave some pretty bad advice much like how and why Jay made wishes from Nadakhan. Jeremy is also awkward and fidgety, again, Jay traits. He ditches his best friend for a girl (kind of season three?) but ends up apologizing and trying to make up for it (kind of season four). Not to mention, Loser Geek Whatever is such a Jay song.

Cole as Michael:

Okay so, this is kind of a popular one but? So Michael Mell is the free spirited, I’ll do what I want and if you don’t like it well leave me alone kind of guy. He’s more closed off towards others, but he’s one of the best best friends a guy could have. Cole isn’t as free spirited as Michael, per say, especially with his father, but in the end he can be. Cole doesn’t necessarily care what others think of him all the time (though he does in season 5 after turning into a ghost and kind of in season 3 because of the love triangle and my take on it). Most people in the fandom associate Cole and Jay as best friends, yet another reason why Cole is a good Michael. In the Jay / Jeremy description, I put some blame on Jay / Jeremy for hurting Cole / Michael, but they messed up too. Michael, while being the best friend, knew that Jeremy was unhappy and knew he wanted more, he chose to ignore that. When Michael approached Jeremy at the Halloween party, yeah he had good intentions but he didn’t do it the best way, and heck yeah, not helping Jeremy who was clearly under the control of the SQUIP at the play until he got an apology was a trashy move. Cole’s messed up too. He shouldn’t have tried anything with Nya, and in the way I view the love triangle, it makes more sense as to why, but he knew how much Jay cared about Nya and he knew that “pursuing” her was bad, but he did it anyway. He ignored what he knew about Jay for his own good (Michael ignoring Jeremy wanting more to keep him as his best friend). Cole also did some crappy things in response to what Jay did in Skybound. Sure Skybound is a little ooc and not always the best, but, hey, I’m proving a point haha. Cole and Jay shared unfair words with each other as well, but they made up for it. Michael went to the play and brought the Mountain Dew Red, Cole gave up the jade blade in Tournament and went back for him in Skybound even though he felt hurt. Not to mention, I mean, their love for music (because even though not necessarily show canon, most people believe Cole has a deep love for music). Not to mention, I headcanon both of them as gay also. I also almost made Cole Christine just for Bruise but like... Michael Mell... also most people think it’s canon that Michael has feelings for Jeremy and I think that Michael like tries to kiss Jeremy in the revival during Two-Player Game sooo...

Kai as Rich:

Okay so, another obviousish one. Kai is one of the most self conscious people in the show, but one with more of a self destructive mode that can effect others. Rich, much like Jeremy, was unhappy and ambitious. He wanted more from himself and he genuinely cared about the way people viewed him (much like Jay and Jeremy). Even in the first season with Kai wanting to be the green ninja, we saw Kai trying to prove himself and prove himself but failing sometimes (aka his intense want to be the green ninja). Kai was also the first ninja to wish himself away in Skybound (again, not always the most credible but, still). Rich and Kai share a lot of similarities on that part. They also have a fierce protectiveness for what they care about. Kai is loyal. He is so insanely loyal and one of the best friends anyone could ask for, he is incredibly dependable. Rich is a good friend too. While he didn’t always have control over his actions, he truly cared for Jake and for his other friends. Heck, Rich set a fire to prevent the SQUIPs from spreading because he didn’t want his friends to go through this. Kai would also definitely set a fire to protect Lloyd and his friends. Kai and Rich are / were both insecure, but the both grow and I love them both. So much. Also sometimes they’re both angry boys and I headcanon Kai as bi and Rich is bi in canon just those lovely little things!

Lloyd as Jake:

This is where it began getting harder, but I will FIGHT FOR THIS ONE!! Let’s start with Jake. He’s the most popular boy in school, he does pretty much every activity and runs or plays an integral part in those activities. The school has standards for him that they in a sense expect him, popular boy Jake, to live up to. He mentions to Christine that he feels the need to be perfect to please everyone all the time and it’s so much pressure and it’s clear that he dislikes that. Not only that, but he says in Upgrade that: “my parents wont be home so it’s alright, they laundered money now their on the run. Which means the house is empty so that’s fun”. Jake has absent parents, he lives alone. He most likely absorbs himself in what he does to distract himself from his home life. Okay now, let’s talk about Lloyd. Lloyd is the green ninja. He did not choose this, he did not choose to have all of this happen to him. The world looks up to Lloyd. They depend on Lloyd. Lloyd’s teammates depend on him. The pressure this boy faces is incredible. He’s popular, yeah a lot of people like him, but the pressure and the expectations everyone has for him... well we’ve seen him snap a few times. Not to mention, LLOYD GREW UP WITH NO PARENTS! His dad was evil and his mom left him to try and make his dad not evil, he was alone. So, Lloyd distracted himself by trying to be evil and trying to get revenge on the tribes and people that wronged him and stealing and just he distracted himself with so many things so he wouldn’t have to focus on “my parents left me”. Jake and Lloyd both face absentee parents, both of which aren’t necessarily good (I mean... Jake’s parents are criminals and Lloyd’s dad is Lord Garmadon...), they both have so much pressure to be the best and be amazing and be popular and happy. They both have to be happy because you can’t be popular in school if you’re sad and you can’t save the world if you focus on your problems. You can’t lead after school activities or lead a team of ninja if you get too much in your head. These boys face a lot, a lot is expected of them, and sometimes, the things their parents do do effect them in ways they don’t see. Jake isn’t always the nicest. He knows Rich is a bully, he lets it happen. He called Jeremy a freak at the mall, he’s probably (I headcanon) a sweet guy, but his upbringing causes some problems, much like Lloyd’s (I mean... the first half of season one). Plus, they both have a best friend who would burn their house down to protect them (because let’s be real here, Rich burned it down to protect others by killing himself and Kai would burn the world for Lloyd) pLUS Jake broke his legs saving Rich and they got worse after the SQUIP made him walk on them and Lloyd broke his foot fighting his father and faced the Overlord with a broken foot. *mic drop* I rest my case.

Nya as Brooke:

okay so I feel like this is kind of a weird one, but like, hear me out. So, Nya as Brooke. My first thought when trying to figure out who Nya would be was, obviously, Christine. But when I think about it, I do see some Nya in Christine, I do, but I kind of see her a little more in Brooke. Let’s start with Brooke. Brooke is popular Chloe Valentine’s best friend, she’s, in a sense, a tool, but more than anything she just wants to belong. She wants to be popular, she wants to not only have her status, but to earn her status. She doesn’t just want it because she’s Chloe Valentine’s best friend, she doesn’t just want it because she’s dated a few popular guys, she wants that status because of who she is, which is one thing that makes her different than Jenna (I can say a lot more about that but I won’t get into it because I LOVE JENNA ROLAN). Brooke is sweet, she’s kind, but bruh she is fierce and she could probably destroy you if she wanted, maybe not in the same aggressive way as Chloe, which she grows into in the show. We see Brooke as the second best all of the time, always in Chloe’s shadow and she’s pretty insecure about it, and herself in general. She wishes to be more, she wishes for someone to love her as her and to have the right to speak her mind and to just be herself, which she gets near the end of the show as she begins sticking up for herself, and most people in the fandom believe that she becomes the right amount of assertive after the show. Now onto Nya. Nya is always second best, she’s always in the ninja’s shadow. She literally gave herself a false identity so she could be enough and more than “the girl”, “Kai’s sister”, “Jay’s girlfriend”, and “the smart girl”. Much like Brooke, she wants more. So she does it herself, which isn’t something Brooke has the courage to do until later, but then again Nya hid for awhile too. Nya can be sweet, she can be gentle, and yo this girl is fierce too. She often feels second best as well, second best to Kai, to the team… not to mention how she feels in season five, trying to get an understanding of her identity and her place in the team (as opposed to her place in school). Brooke gets mad too. She gets mad at Chloe when she wrongs her. She gets mad at Jeremy. Nya gets mad as well. She gets mad at Jay, she gets mad at Cole and Kai and honestly Nya’s probably gotten mad at all of the ninja at some point. But she can still defend herself, and it may have taken Nya some time for people to realize that and to be assertive enough to tell everyone that and freaking mean it, but she does it. Brooke gets the nerves to do that too in act two. Plus Brooke dates Jeremy at one point but then they break up and if I had made this Bruise wouldn’t it have fit perfectly?? I know this one is weird and maybe isn’t the best, but Nya and Brooke are both sweet, kind, and freaking fierce girls and I love. Also it just makes complete sense in my head. (Also I know Christine has this thing about discovering herself but... just read the last part...)

Some other ones I’m thinking for right now but won’t type because this is long enough as it is are: Pixal as Jenna Rolan, Skylor (or Harumi but mostly Skylor) as Chloe Valentine, and Nadakhan as SQUIP (though the Overlord was my original idea and does work… I’m liking this Nadakhan as SQUIP thing a whole heck of a lot as I started writing all of these descriptions…) and for the life of me, guys, I just can’t figure out Zane! Like maybe Zane as Christine, especially since Christine has this whole discovering who she is bit and it takes her and Zane awhile to figure out who they are and be comfortable with it, but I didn’t really want to go the Techno route here (nothing against Techno, it just doesn’t seem like a very BMC ship I don’t know… don’t get me wrong though, I LOVE TECHNO!) I mean I suppose Zane would be a rad Christine if we went the Boyf Riends shipping route with this… Anyways that’s all! Do you agree with any of these? If you have different opinions please tell me because I love headcanons so much and I would genuinely love to read them! If anyone wants to hear anymore BMC / Ninjago AU headcanons please lemme know because I honestly might post some more anyways for the heck of it because I want to because I love this okay love y’all bye!

#ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago jay #ninjago kai #ninjago lloyd #ninjago nya #ninjago au #be more chill au

[smallmarvel]

Tiny Town

Pairing: Sam Winchester x reader

Summary: While on a hunt, you meet Sam Winchester in a bar. You��d figured it’d be the last you saw of him. You were wrong.

WC: 1.6k

A/N: First Sam fic! I was debating on whether or not to make it smut, but for some reason, I just couldn’t. Oops. Here’s some little season 1 Sam for you!

Warnings: swearing, death, driving while intoxicated (don’t drink and drive kids!!!!!!)

Knocking back another shot, you cursed yourself for having such a high alcohol tolerance. 5 shots in and you still felt nothing. All you wanted to do was take the edge off from today’s hunt. This time, a little girl was killed. You were too late to get the creature that did it. Even though in the back of your mind, you knew that you had ultimately saved more people, you hated yourself for not being able to save her.

All of the sudden, you felt a cold splash that soaked through your clothes immediately. If you weren’t sober before, you sure as hell were now. Turning around, prepared to curse whoever just wasted you 20 bucks, you were cut off by an attractive young man who was apologizing profusely.

“I’m so so sorry, I tripped and I’m sorry,” he stuttered. Damn, were you really that scary?

“I guess it’s alright,” you sighed. You only let him off the hook because he actually seemed sorry. It also helped that he was cute. He had shaggy brown hair that fell just above his brow bone. You took in how tall he was, about 6′4″, and how broad. 

“Please, let me buy you a drink,” he said. You shrugged and turned back towards the bar as he sat down. He flagged down the bartender to order the drink. “So, what’re you doing in town?” he smiled, showing perfectly white teeth. 

“Just a little family business, I’m only staying a few days,” you sipped your drink. He smiled again. “What’re you doing in town? Do you live here?”

“Oh, my brother and I are doing a few odd jobs around town,” he explained. “We don’t stay in one place for too long, sort of like drifters.” You nodded. You understood all too well. You noticed he was drinking just water.

“It’s Friday night, why aren’t you drinking?” You asked. At least your back wouldn’t be sticky later. You didn’t have too many clothes to change into. He pointed to his brother, who was busy getting cosy in the corner with a blonde airhead. He was a bit shorter than Sam, although that wasn’t saying much. He still stood above 6′0″ with a sharp jawline. Their parents must have been gods, you decided. Their genes were too good to be true.

“My brother Dean over there and I flipped a coin like we always do,” he explained. “Loser is designated driver.” After a few more minutes of conversation, you looked at the clock above the bar wall. 11 pm. You had to get up early to flush the nest of the creatures you were in town to kill, and they slept in the early morning. The perfect time to attack and get the rest of the bastards who’d been terrorizing a small family on the outskirts of town. 

“It’s been fun, but I have to get up early tomorrow,” you stood and grabbed your jacket. “Thanks for the drink...” you trailed off, asking for a name. 

“Sam,” he smiled and stood up with you. “What’s your name?” You don’t know why, but you don’t lie and give him one of your many aliases as usual.

“(Y/N),” you smiled back. “Thanks for tonight, Sam.”

“Let me walk you out?” you nodded and he followed you out the door, cursing when he realized that Dean had left him there, no doubt to hook up with the blonde bimbo he’d cornered. He got out his phone. “My damn brother left me again. So much for being designated driver, huh.” 

“I could take you home? It’s really not a big deal, although I’m not sure I’ll have space,” you laughed. “Where are you staying?”

“The motel on fifth,” he answered, typing on his phone.

“Hey, me too!” you said as you opened your saddlebag and pulled out two helmets.

“But you’ve been drinking,” he pointed out, putting his phone away.

“Don’t worry, a couple shots and a martini don’t affect me at all, plus this town is tiny,” you threw him your extra helmet and strapped yours on. “The motel isn’t that far,” His eyes widened.

“Wait, this is yours?” he nodded to your 1968 Triumph Bonneville. You smiled proudly and hopped on.

“Yep, restored her myself,” he buckled on his own helmet and you patted the space behind you. You started the engine and he sat down. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you pulled out of the parking lot, and you blushed. His entire body pressed to yours as you wound through the streets of the small town. He laughed when you drove 30 over the speed limit. His chest rumbled with the laughter and you smiled. When the ride was over, you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. 

“Thanks for the ride,” he handed you the helmet, then reached for his motel key. “Shit, Dean has the key, and there’s no way he’s going to answer the door.” he rolled his eyes. You kicked up the parking stand and laughed, putting the helmets back in your saddlebag.

“Do you want to come back to my room for a drink?” you asked. He smiled and nodded, following you to your room. You opened the door, revealing the severely outdated carpeting and appliances. Your one bag lie on the ground. You kicked off your shoes, encouraged Sam to do the same, then flopped face first on the bed. 

The rest of the night, you both just laid on the bed, watched old sitcoms, drank the free booze in your room, and talked. Still, you knew you weren’t drunk, and you knew Sam was no lightweight. You both maintained intellectual conversations about the future, your hopes and dreams, even some of your favourite memories in the past. He was like the best friend you never had. You were incredibly attracted to him, though. It was kind of hard not to be. He had infectious laughter, the kind that boomed and resonated through the room. It was warm and hearty. One that crinkled his eyes and made his head go back. 

Eventually, you both wound down, tired and content. You lie next to each other. You were very aware of the fact that you were touching. He radiated warmth and smelled so damn good. You never could resist a man that wore good smelling cologne. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt this warm and satisfied inside. With the sounds of the tube TV and Sam’s breathing in your ears, you drifted to sleep. 

The sunlight peeking in through the bottom of the blinds woke you up. You were aware of the weight that you bore around your middle. Sam was curled up behind you, spooning you. You closed your eyes blissfully before you remembered the hunt. The only reason you were in town. Your eyes frantically searched for the alarm clock. You read it as 6:30, thanking your lucky stars. 

You slipped out of Sam’s grasp, heading for the door. You looked back at him once more, smiling at how peaceful and cute he looked. You closed the door behind you and walked to your bike. Starting the engine, you pulled out of the parking lot and made your way to the nest. You rehearsed how it would go in your head. You wanted to make them pay after what they’d done to this sleepy town.

You crouched behind the doorframe, watching the creatures as they slept. Your gun was in your hand and your breathing was shaky. No matter how many hunts you would go on, how many creatures you would kill, right before it was go time, you’d choke. Just a little. Just enough to make you hesitate for a few seconds. Nothing major. Nothing that would screw up the mission for you. You were prepared for this. 

What you weren’t prepared for was the movement out of the corner of your eyes and the rustling to your right. Immediately, you pointed your gun at the noise. Sam and Dean walked out with fingers to their lips. “What the hell are you doing here?” you whispered at Sam. 

“What are you doing here?” he whispered back. Dean hit him on the back of the head and held up a finger to his lips once more. They moved so that they had a good look at the nest, right next to you. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but we’ve got this,” Sam said. You rolled your eyes.

“It’s obvious what I’m doing,” you retorted. “And I’m not just leaving. I have some business to finish with these assholes.” Dean looked at Sam.

“Ohhh, that’s where the lot of them went,” he said. “We were wondering where they’d gone. Good on ya.” You just nodded and turned back to the nest. 

“On three,” Dean said. 

Needless to say, you obliterated the nest. They didn’t even know what hit them. Afterwards, you and Sam and Dean went for breakfast at the only restaurant in town. 

“So you’re a hunter,” Sam asked. He sat across from you, next to Dean who was shoving his face full of eggs. 

“Yeah, what did you think the family business was in this tiny town?” you laughed. “I suppose there aren’t many odd jobs here either, though,” Sam laughed this time.

“Usually I say the family business line, so I panicked,” he took a sip of his coffee. You marvelled at how large his hand was compared to the coffee cup. 

“So where are you going next?” you asked. You’d forgotten how lonely it’s been hunting by yourself. You didn’t expect them to just accept you as a partner, but you hoped you’d at least be invited to one more. You’d all kicked ass together today. It felt pretty damn good. Plus, you’d definitely miss Sam.

“Oklahoma, how about you?” you shrugged. Sam looked at Dean who narrowed his eyes. “Do you want to come along? I don’t know if you have plans or anything, I just figured since we did so well back there-” you laughed, cutting off his rant.

“Yeah, I’d love to.”

#sam #sam x reader #sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #supernatural #spn #supernatural x reader #spn x reader #reader insert #x reader

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Falling (Part 3)

Summary: Now that the season is over with and they’re on hiatus, the reader and Jensen decide to move in together...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x reader

Word Count: 1,400ish

Warnings: none

A/N: Written for @thing-you-do-with-that-thing ‘s  Seasons of Love - Bloom of Spring Challenge where my prompt was the gif above…

“Hey uber dork, what’s a pink label mean?” asked Jensen, holding up a box from the back of the moving truck.

“If you’d looked at the sheet I made you, you’d know,” you said, cocking your head, Jensen pursing his lips. 

“I didn’t realize there’d be a test,” he said, walking down the ramp and setting it down in the driveway.

“It’s bathroom stuff. Hair brushes, hair dryer, curler, hair ties, makeup-”

“I get like 10% of the bathroom from now on, don’t I,” he said with a smirk.

“It’s one box,” you said, Jensen shrugging. “You have way more crap than I do.”

“No way,” he said, grabbing the box and walking through the front door, up the stairs and down the hall to the master, cutting into the bathroom and setting it down. “Look. My stuff. Your stuff...and you just got me to carry that upstairs for you didn’t you.”

“I can’t help if you’re gullible,” you teased, jogging out of there and down to the kitchen before he caught up with you. “Want to take a break?”

“Eh, let’s finish. There isn’t that much crap left,” he said, waddling the two of you back outside. 

“Okay,” you said, wiping your forehead with the back of your hand. You knew it’d be hot moving to Texas but you still weren’t prepared to be sweating 24/7.

“On second thought, why don’t you grab a drink and I’ll do a little more,” he said, patting your bottom back to the kitchen.

“I’m fine,” you said. 

“Take five minutes. I made some lemonade this morning,” he said. He turned and headed back out through his front door, your front door, whistling as he went.

You’d been living together in Vancouver for about a month and when Jensen brought up you moving in with him in Austin now that hiatus had begun, it seemed like the next natural step in your relationship.

But even in Vancouver, it wasn’t like you spent all that much time in your apartments. You spent half the time at work, most of the rest traveling or sleeping. Just looking around at his house, your house you had to keep reminding yourself, was going to be a big change.

You’d been there plenty of times over the winter and early spring, knowing which cabinet had the glasses, which side of the fridge had the drinks, that you were safer to just grab ice straight from the freezer than tempt the possessed ice maker.

“Shit, that’s good,” you said when you took a sip of your drink. You poured one for Jensen, the glass sweating before you even got halfway down the driveway. You spun around, expecting him in the back of the truck but simply found a few boxes. “Where did you run off too...”

A giggle, much too tiny and adorable even for him, made your head spin to the left, a row of giant privacy hedges with a fence in there somewhere the only thing in sight.

“Riley...” you half-heard Jensen say. “Riley...”

You walked down to the end of the driveway and down the street a little ways, poking your head into the next yard to see Jensen pretending to play hide and seek behind a sapling with what looked like a four year old boy.

“I can see you!” he said, Jensen shaking his head.

“Nope, I’m hiding,” he said, the little boy running around and tagging Jensen’s leg. “You got super powers or something kid.”

“Hi there,” you said, Jensen spinning around with a grin. “Hi Riley.”

“Hi,” said the boy, staring up at Jensen.

“Riley, this is Y/N. She’s my girlfriend. She’s going to live with me from now on,” said Jensen, picking up the boy, throwing him on his shoulders. “Y/N, this is our neighbor, Riley. Mark, his dad, popped over and asked if I’d watch him for half an hour while he ran to the store.”

“That’s no problem,” you said, handing Jensen his glass. 

An hour later after meeting the Joneses, Jensen was setting the last box down in the house, letting out a sigh.

“You have nice neighbors,” you said. “I thought they’d be...”

“Stuck up? This is a pretty good street. Everybody takes care of their house, if you need something, people help each other out. We have that good ole southern hospitality and all that,” he said.

“Well so far it seems like a good place to live,” you said.

“Well I hope you didn’t move here for the neighbors,” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I was more interested in the roommate,” you said, Jensen rolling his eyes.

“The roommate’s gonna want to hookup with you when he gets a shower in, just an fyi,” he said.

“Isn’t that a little fast, roomie?” you teased.

“You’re such a loser,” he said.

“Love you too,” you said. Jensen laughed as he pressed a quick kiss to your lips, your phone going off somewhere in the house. 

“Hm, I wonder what that could be...” he said, making a curious face.

“You’re up to something,” you said, wandering around and finding it on the couch, grabbing it on the last ring. “Hello...mhm...mhm...okay...okay...mhm...I’ll look at it later...thanks.”

“What was that?” he asked, biting his bottom lip.

“You know how they killed me off in the season finale? Turns out I’m coming back. Full season contract,” you said, Jensen holding a hand to his chest.

“That’s fantastic!” he said, giggling as you srunched up your face.

“How long have you known?” you asked.

“I knew nothing,” he teased, looking away guiltily. “Okay, I’ve known for a couple days but we were busy driving from LA and packing and all that. Plus I wanted you to know that I had no bearing on the decision.”

“None at all?” you asked, Jensen nodding his head.

“I had a preference for sure but I didn’t do anything,” he said. “You got it on your own.”

“Well I suppose I can live with working with you for another year,” you teased, your phone going off again. “Geez, I haven’t even read my email yet guys. Give a girl a minute.”

“Okay, now this call I actually have no idea on,” said Jensen, watching your face light up as you listened to the other end. 

“Oh my...uh huh...uh huh...I can do that...uh huh...yes...Thursday? I can do Thursday...I can’t believe...I was nervous...yes...okay, thank you so much,” you said, Jensen more than curious. “Uh, so I, I sort of submitted a portfolio when I thought I got killed off for another job.”

“Your writing? That’s great,” said Jensen, face in a big grin. 

“I submitted it to Singer,” you said, Jensen taking a step back. “They want me to be an associate writer on the show this year.”

“Really? That’s amazing!” said Jensen, lifting you up in a big hug.

“Yeah, they...they might even give me an episode to write in the second half of the year if the acting and the helping out everyone else isn’t too much for me,” you said.

“You’re officially moved in, two job offers today...screw the pizza and beer, I’m taking you out tonight to celebrate,” he said, hiking his hands under your legs, carrying you over to the stairs.

“Jay, it’s not that big of a deal,” you said with a blush. He carried you up anyways and sat you down in the bathroom, finding a box of your clothes in the room and cutting it open.

“Nope, it’s a huge deal. Now you wash up while I bring back the moving truck and when I get back home, I’ll clean up fast and take you downtown for the best dinner ever,” he said. “How’s that sound?”

“I’ll see you when you get home then, Jay,” you said with a smile.

“Now honey, that, I can get used to hearing.”

A/N: Part 4 coming summer 2018

@baconlover001 @jensenackesl @captainemwinchester @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @anokhi07 @akshi8278 @fandom--shipper

@zeusmyster @atc74 @aingealcethlenn @pillow223 @alilianamendez @dancingalone21 @smoothdogsgirl @docharleythegeekqueen @jaelami @roxyspearing @kickasscas67 @gallifreyansass @untitled39887 @charliebradbury1104 @quiddy-writes @arryn-nyxx @poukothenerd @feelmyroarrrr @mrsbatesmotel53 @idalinette @evyiione @jayankles @samisimportant @maddieburcham1 @demonic-meatball @hey-um-misha @flufy07 @its-not-a-tulpa @whit85-blog @mrswhozeewhatsis @extreme-supernatural-lover @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels @spn-ficfanatic

#sol - bloom of spring challenge #spn #supernatural #jensen x reader #jensen ackles #au #spn reader insert #supernatural reader insert #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #one shot #jensen x #dean winchester

[rationaromanceblog]

Hurtles through weight loss: Part I

  I remember the day it dawned on me that maybe I was going about this weight loss thing  all wrong. I was down 20 pounds and coming out of a 2 month long stint of depression. I’d started a job as a sushi chef and it had a promising future. Things were looking up. My appetite was back and I was enjoying the benefits of the job, with a California roll halfway in my mouth a horrifying realization made my blood run cold. I am getting happy again.

This was easily my 10th time going through this pattern.  Once I reached a place of contentment, I would go right back to not caring what I weighed. I would gain it back and proceed to hit my ‘low’ point. You know, the highest weight you’ve seen on the scale, the highest pant size you’ve had to buy, or to be shocked by yourself in a picture. Whatever the cold splash of water is this time. The low point wakes you right out of unconsciousness and reminds you to care again. There has to be a way out of this. I thought,  fear running through me as I walked off the sushi line to search google for an answer. 

 At around age 10 I  started to suspect something about my body wasn’t quite right. The memory of Alondra and I in the bathroom, stretching (thinking that was how you exercise), fretting that our moms kept comparing us to Ana, our thinner cousin, is my earliest one. “We all eat the same things.” We seemed convinced.  “Ana just doesn't finish hers all the time.” I moaned with sadness. Which, by the way, was crazy. A perfectly delicious and unfinished bowl of Coco Puffs just sitting in front of her, and she had no interest? Unimaginable. We were too young to really understand why it mattered, but knew enough to care. 

Shopping with my mother became a nightmare of inadequacy. At 11 my cousins and I were preparing for our first communion. A catholic ritual we went to classes for all summer. It ended with a ceremony that required a long white dress. The classes were fun but shopping for the dress on weekends filled me with dread. I don't know what I did so that every dress in the first communion shops refused to fit my round frame, but it must have been very bad based on the frustration on my mom’s face. When Ana and Alondra came with us, Ana seemed to have more fun with it than I did.  Ana’s struggled to decide whether it was the style she wanted or not, and I never got to that part. I got stuck at the ‘will this one fit’ part. Eventually we found the appropriate dress in the plus size section at Ross instead. I learned to avoid shopping whenever possible after that.

Once the first communion ended I started drinking Herbalife. We need to do something about this. My mom thought. Herbalife was a popular weight loss (and pyramid scheme) product a few women in my neighborhood sold at the time. As I understood it, it flushed all the fat out of your body if you drank it all the time. It was given to a few kids in the neighborhood. We met before school to take the supplement. A couple of weeks after starting I asked the woman selling it why it wasn’t working. “Well…” She looked at me curiously “are you diet and exercising?” Ha! Of course not. I  thought. Why do I need this product if I am going to diet and exercise? I just shrugged and looked away, shy to admit that I didn’t know I was supposed to.  My mom decided to stop paying for me to take it a few weeks later. With no impending celebrations or dresses to wear, my weight stop being a main issue of focus. 

I was 12 when I had my first binge. My friend and I joined the Girl Scouts for the summer and we joined just in time for cookie selling season. I sold cookies to all of my teachers and neighbors. One of the orders that I made was wrong and the teacher said she didn’t want it, I could have it. My mother rarely allowed candy, chips, or soda in the house. If it was there it was probably because my dad had bought it. I got really excited and stashed the box in my bookbag. I thought about it all day, and when I got home I ran to my room and put it in the closet under my jeans. I waited until I was sure my mom was busy, went into the room and ate the entire box in minutes.  I remember feeling like I was getting away with something, and wrong for doing so. I felt utterly out of control. I hated and loved it at the same time. 

 I knew I was supposed to be getting thinner but felt utterly helpless to do so.  I tried not eating, but I loved food so much I always gave up when I got too hungry. Instead I tried  eating a saltine and then drinking as much water as I could, so I could feel full. When I got hungry again, I’d eat one saltine and gorge on water. I did this all day long, just peeing constantly.  Obviously, this didn’t work but at least I could feel like I was doing something. 

My first effective diet happened a few years later at 14.  I was poised to turn 15 in March and it was January. As a young hispanic woman, a quinceañera was customary. Unfortunately for me, my mother hated parties.  Quinceañeras are usually planned a year in advance so I knew I wouldn’t be getting one. But I hoped, I could at least get something bigger than your normal birthday party. I built up all of my bravery, went into my parents bedroom and dared to ask the question. “Can we plan a small quinceañera?” My mom seemed in a good mood, and she considered it. “I'll tell you what,” she proposed after a long pause “If you agree to lose weight so you can look nice in your dress, we will plan you something.” I was in shock and ectatic. My dream right before my eyes and all I had to do was lose weight or whatever? Done!

I told my best friend about the agreement but she seems dubious. “What’s wrong? This is great! I am getting a party.”  

“Sure... but the ‘you having to lose weight’ part is kinda weird. Can we talk to Mrs. Washington?” Mrs. Washignton was our health teacher, she was also a beloved confidant all of the 7th graders went to with their problems. When Vicky and I gave her the run through and Vicky expressed her concern at the agreement, Mrs. Washington seemed perfectly okay. “You can even ask Mr.Washington for help!” She offered cheerfully. Coincidentally, Mrs. Washington’s husband had just been a contestant on the show The Biggest Loser. He became our music teacher the year before but disappeared half of it for the show. I peeked into his classroom after lunch and was shocked by the unrecognizable person in the room. I shook my head, vaguely intimidated, and decided to figure it out on my own. 

This time my mom invested in the whole herbalife product line. They had teas, smoothies and a liquid you put into your water. It turned your pee a strange color and odor, proof that it was working, or doing something anyway. Knowing better this time I also started running and eating less. I was 20lbs down by March and was able to make my mother happy when we went dress shopping. My weight loss was greatly celebrated by my family and community of friends too, and getting the party I had been working for was wonderful. I was filled with the feeling that I had accomplished something significant.  The party allowed me to feel like a beautiful girl, and losing weight made me feel worthy of the praise and attention. It was amazing. I secretly wished getting good grades matter this much, I was much better at doing that.We ended up having tons of leftover birthday cake, and since I’d already earned my reward what did I really care about being thin? I’m sure I gained half the weight back just on that. It was so yummy, and I could go back to enjoying life. 

I noticed that the people around me always seemed to be dieting,  being thin was the thing to aim for. I tried to lose weight again a few months later, excited that I finally knew how to and looking forward to the praise I’d get at the end. I managed to get low enough for people to notice, and then feeling good about myself I’d go back to eating like I used to.This was the beginning of a cycle that would continue for years.  

In the midst of these cycles I started purging to feel better. I had unintentionally started a deprivation and surplus pattern, I was either dieting or eating everything. Wanting food started to consume me and my thoughts more than ever. I was in the middle of a diet cycle and knew I was suppose to be restricting food but the desire to eat overcame me. I slipped and ate too much. In order to cancel out my mistakes and rid myself of guilt I went into the bathroom and put the end of the toothbrush in my mouth. I filled with relief and the awul deed of over eating was undone. I never considered myself bulimic. I was certain I wouldn’t do it so much it would become a problem. It helped me grasp at a sense of control after I felt utterly out of it. Like a fail safe in my back pocket I promised not to resort to it until my darkest moments, having read all the literature of the extremes bulimia can take. 

At 16 I got my heart broken. After that I started a weight loss effort fueled by pain and rejection. Conveniently the heartache resulted in a loss of appetite so I used that to my advantage. I’ll show you! I thought with passion on my runs. You’ll regret rejecting me, and then I will get to reject you! Or in my less angry moments, I will become irresistible and you’ll have no choice but to want me, I’d think as I refused the second helping for dinner. I started in April and by August I was so thin I didn’t recognize myself. There was a strange shock and disconnect that started to accompany my reflection. But also a thrill. That’s me, I did it. The pride of my accomplishment accompanied me everywhere. I never got to show that boy anything ultimately. My family moved to Denver shortly after that. I decided to use my new look to start over around people that knew nothing about me instead. What an amazing opportunity! I get to be a new person. But I didn’t know who I was going to be. At no point did I build any sense of confidence or even identify with my physical self anymore. I never thought much about who I was, just who I was told I should be. My new thinness felt precarious and foreign. Like wearing an uncomfortable outfit and waiting for it to fit. The attention I started to get from guys confused me. I never got attention before.  I’d forget they were seeing a version of me I wasn’t used to yet.  

I met Daniel during this time. Daniel liked me. But I didn’t like myself yet.  Knowing I wasn’t interested in him romantically I dated him anyway. Partially believing I wasn’t capable of attracting anyone else. During the year and a half that we dated I gained all the weight back and probably more. Ultimately feeling much more comfortable as the bigger version of myself I was familiar with. So grateful to Daniel that he didn’t care what I looked like, he just loved me.

Once we broke up I started my routine of dieting again. Most of the time my efforts would start from a dark place; heartache, depression, a sense of hopelessness. I used losing weight to motivate me and give myself something to do, something to strive for, something to look forward to. Like always, things would get better, I would feel good about myself and things would go back to normal. I used food to celebrate my happiness and numb away my pain. I restricted food to give me a sense of control. I never  approached weight loss with the mentality of what happens after. Not until the day at my new job when I caught myself entering the cycle again. I felt desperate to get out. On that google search I found many answers. I just needed to start asking the right questions.

#self love #weight loss #growing up #body image #self esteem

[aion-rsa]

How It: Chapter Two Expands on the Legend

https://ift.tt/2ZJW4pR

Screenwriter Gary Dauberman walks us through the process of scripting It: Chapter Two.

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With It: Chapter Two, screenwriter Gary Dauberman returns to finish the job than he and director/co-writer Andy Muschietti started in 2017, when they adapted one half of Stephen King’s 1,100-page novel for the screen.

After telling in It: Chapter One the simultaneously terrifying and sweet-natured story of the Losers Club, seven kids who faced down a malevolent, shape-shifting monster in the town of Derry in the summer of 1989, Dauberman and Muschietti have now followed up with the rest of King’s tale.

Here the Losers Club are now adults, each achieving a certain amount of success in their lives, but still haunted in some ways by the past -- even if all but one of them have forgotten the events of 1989. When It reawakens in Derry, once again using the visage of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard) to create the fear and hate it feasts upon, the Losers must return and try to destroy It once and for all.

read more: It: Chapter Two Review

In between both chapters of It, Dauberman has continued to go from success to success himself, making his directorial debut with the creepy Annabelle Comes Home earlier in the summer and acting as executive producer on DC Universe’s short-lived but highly acclaimed Swamp Thing series.

A longtime Stephen King reader, he is currently working on the script for a new theatrical version of King’s classic vampire novel, ‘Salem’s Lot, with James Wan producing. We spoke about that, bringing the second half of It to life, and more when we sat with him at a press day for It: Chapter Two in Los Angeles, but began with his genuine fan enthusiasm for comics, including not just DC but Marvel.

Gary Dauberman: What was the biggest surprise at (Disney expo) D23?

Den of Geek: All the new Marvel series on Disney Plus. Nobody saw She-Hulk coming. There were rumors about Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel.

I'm so jealous of Moon Knight because he's like one of my favorite Marvel characters for sure. At Comic-Con this year I got a sweet limited edition Moon Knight figure.

Well hey man, go take a meeting.

(Laughs) I'm guessing if they're announcing it they're already have their showrunner and stuff.

Aside from Moon Knight, if you could write a superhero movie for Marvel, what would you pitch?

I don't know man. Fuck. What would it be? I do love Moon Knight. Ghost Rider. I fuckin' love Daredevil but they did that on Netflix. It's hard, I'm trying to think of ones they haven't done yet. There's quite a few.

Would you lean horror?

Not necessarily. Man, there's just a lot. There's a lot of stuff. I still read comics. "What do you have?" is the question I would ask. "Who do you need me to work on, because I will do it." There is so much great stuff over there. I think that would be how I would approach the conversation. That makes me sound like a whore or something (laughs), but they have so much great stuff and I'm such a huge fan of comic books that just being able to play around in that universe, Marvel or DC, is just fantastic. I mean, we did it with Swamp Thing on TV. That's one of the things that I'm always asking people if they work for Marvel or DC. I'm always like, give me some gossip. What's happening? I need to know.

read more: 10 Best Stephen King Horror Novels

Right. On to the matter at hand. Aside from the clear concept that It: Chapter Two would focus on the Losers as adults, were there ideas already in motion for the second picture while you were doing the first one?

We had this conversation, just because it's hard not to talk about the kids without talking about how they are as adults. I think the conversation we had for Chapter One was how can we tell this story and make it feel complete but also, if we get the opportunity to make a second one, it doesn't feel complete enough where it's like, why are we going? Fortunately this is built into the DNA of the story that 27 years later It comes back. You wanted to feel like they got away with it at the end of the first one. They did vanquish that evil.

Then we certainly had the book as a template of how to use those things. I think one of the more challenging things we talked about was once they get back into Derry and we show that they don't remember, how can we visually tell that? That they remember. In the book it starts out with them as adults and it kind of weaves in and out of between youth and being an adult. It was like, how can we do that if we just have them as adults in the second one, which is when we arrived at the decision of bringing the kids back for the second one as devices to tell that story and also them recapturing their youth, remembering the trauma they went through in Derry.

Was there a lot of playing around with how many flashbacks to use?

Yeah. That was a dance of because you don't want to take away from the adults. We've seen the kids' story in the first one so it's like how can we just get into it so they can relive some of these memories that we didn't see in the first one but really make sure the focus is on them as adults. That's a lot of editing. First couple drafts you throw everything there at the page and then it's where do we have to pull back? That was just an ongoing conversation throughout the process.

Similarly, in terms of what to use and what not to use, did you go back and forth about how metaphysical to go with the origins of It, the macroverse, the "real" deadlights and those elements?

Yeah, one of the major conversations we had going forward was how to tackle that. We felt like we knew what the first act was going to be. We meet the characters, realize they don't remember anything, they've got to get to Derry, they all come back. Kind of know what the second act is going to be -- them trying to remember. In the book, it's very metaphysical, which would be tough to take literally and put on the screen. So it was like how can we get to the intent of what King was going for but tell it in a cinematic way that everybody's going to understand. That goes to the Ritual of Chud, which was different in the movie than it is in the book, and talking about the steps of what it is to achieve that.

We wanted to really be true to the spirit of the third act of the book, while realizing that we need to take some creative license with how we achieve that.

The actors have said that there was quite a bit of improv on the set. When you went to see dailies or rough cuts, were you surprised at how they maybe went off book in a few spots?

No. It's just nature of the process. Having gone through it on so many other movies, I understand that and it's one of my favorite parts of the process, being surprised. You live with stuff for so long and then you watch it and it does feel new in that regard. When you have this cast, you're hoping that they make it better. Not that I think what I do is terrible but you hire these people because you want them to elevate what is there on the page. Just having directed Annabelle Comes Home, that was also my favorite part of that too, the improv. Stuff inspires you on the day. The set looks different or someone says something that sparks something. I'm never shocked when that happens because I imagine it's fun for them too.

read more: 31 Best Horror Movies to Stream

Were you writing the script as it was being cast and did that influence you?

I wrote up to like a month out from production so everyone was in place. It got to be where I was writing with them in mind but starting out, I don't cast my movie, because I find I'll spend too much time doing that than I do actually writing. But yeah, that is an interesting change that once the thing gets cast because now you've seen them and you're familiar with their roles and things they've done in the past and all that. It's exciting.

What is easy to adapt about Stephen King and conversely what is hard?

I think the joy is that the source material is so good. You can always go back to it. There's a lot of books out there that people adapt that the concept's good but the book's not. With King, especially It, 'Salem's Lot, these are books that are so fucking good that it's kind of an embarrassment of riches. Conversely though that also makes it very difficult to adapt because there is so much good stuff so it's like, what can you leave out? There are things you have to lose and you hope that you don't cut away so much that the story loses what makes it special. With beloved novels like 'Salem's Lot or this one, It, I want to make sure I'm making the movie I want to see as a fan. I'm just trying to capture what I want to see as a fan first and foremost as opposed to what's easy to do production wise or whatever.

Was 'Salem's Lot your first King book?

No, it was Different Seasons, "The Body." My first exposure to 'Salem's Lot was actually the '79 miniseries when I was a kid. Danny Glick tapping out on the window -- being able to write Georgie at the sewer and then being able to write Danny Glick at the window is just like fucking amazing to me. And then the dad throwing himself on the fucking coffin...it's funny because I was actually working on that this morning and it's fucking disturbing. Being able to write those scenes is awesome.

'Salem's Lot is also a big book, but a different structure. It's more linear, it doesn't go back and forth in time, and it starts out with this big canvas, all these townspeople, and then slowly boils down to this core group. Are you trying to retain that and trying to capture that feel? Obviously you can't have 100 different townspeople on screen.

No but I'm fucking trying (laughs). I want to give life to this town before we suck it dry. I want to give 'Salem's Lot the canvas and make sure you see little bits of life because it really is about the town starting to thin out. I'm trying to be as true to the book as I can. You go into this, you got to take some swings, you got to take a couple chances because again it's a movie. But I'm trying to be true as much as I can.

Are you trying to keep as many of the main characters intact as you can? The miniseries combined a few of them.

Yeah. I mean much like I did with the miniseries of It, me watching it as a kid left such an impression on me that I have not gone back to revisit it because I have been burned by that before. Not saying it won't live up but I just haven't done it. I want to use the book as the source material. I don't want to muddy the waters with anybody else's interpretation of the story.

Before we wrap up, we're seeing some longer horror movies out there like It: Chapter Two and Midsommar described as "epic" horror. Do you feel like this is a great time to tell these big canvas stories in this field?

I guess it depends on the story. I guess if the story is deserving of the two hour plus thing then yeah by all means tell it. I also love the 90 minute format. Annabelle Comes Home was 90 some odd minutes. It takes place in the course of one night. But I'm so excited that when you have a bigger story to tell you have the time to tell it. So if it doesn't feel like you're watching a long movie then it becomes arbitrary to me what the runtime is, if that makes sense. It's more about what the movie feels like as opposed to what it actually is.

It: Chapter Two is out in theaters this Friday (September 6).

Don Kaye is a Los Angeles-based entertainment journalist and associate editor of Den of Geek. Other current and past outlets include Syfy, United Stations Radio Networks, Fandango, MSN, RollingStone.com and many more. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @donkaye

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Interview

Books

Don Kaye

Sep 4, 2019

Horror Movies

Stephen King

It: Chapter Two

from Books https://ift.tt/2ZNjJpm

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[vrmbles12]

Total Drama First Generation Cast Ranking

My Choice- I’m just using seasons 1-3. I haven’t re-watched 5 since it aired, but I don’t think it affected these standings. Ridonculous Race didn’t affect these either

1- Duncan- Duncan has been my love since episode one. So he was definitely getting a top three spot. We got so much characterization from him though, making the merge every season. Of course characterization is how I like you or not. Plus I just loved his bad boy but secretly good side, it was a fun line to see throughout the seasons.

2- Noah- I love his sarcasm. He’s been my favorite for about five years or so, whenever I started becoming really sarcastic.

3- Lindsay- Honestly, I’ve been re-watching and really love Lindsay. I wanted to bump her up higher, but I love the other two as well but for longer. Though just saying that Lindsay could honestly have made a contest for number 1 (Sorry Noah you were either 2 or 3), if I hadn’t loved Duncan since episode 1. Her TDI elimination deserves it’s own spot.

4- Heather- If you asked me to make this in 2008, now way would Heather have been anywhere but the bottom. Season 3 though with the introduction of Al made it so you wanted Heather to win, at least for me to win. As I rewatch the first season, I do have to respect her playing the game for all the times except for Lindsay’s elimination, because as Duncan said “that’s cold”. I do like her manipulation tactics in the game.

5- Gwen- Gwen I always felt was the sane character of TDI when she was first introduced. Which to childhood me, was not what i thought of for goths. I thought of them as scary (like everyone’s reaction to Ennui and Crimson’s outfits in the air guitar challenge from RR). She just seemed like an honest, relateable character.

6- Al- Al is like Justin 2.0. I felt like Justin disappointed me as a villain (more in his section), but Al improved. Al was able to take his looks and his words to turn himself into a threat. He also knew how to play the game as well as Heather, if not better. He made me start to cheer for Heather, something I used to think impossible. At the same time, I was cheering for him. What can I say, he did his job good.

7- Owen- I loved Owen as the comedic relief. Though sometimes I thought the fart jokes were over used, he provided some other great examples, like Mr. Coconut (The real number one of this list. I forgot to add him and renumbering is too much work). Like Gwen, he seemed like a relateable guy that you might hang out with in real life. I mean I love Duncan, but he’s not the kind you’d hang out with. Owen you would. I also loved to see him in all of the alliances or friendships he had.

8- Cody- I loved Cody season three. He turned into someone I came to love that I was rather indifferent towards earlier. After Duncan got eliminated, I wanted him to be the winner. He’s just a fun, awkward, dork, and who doesn’t love someone like that?

9- Izzy- Can’t deny that Izzy was whack. That’s what made it fun to watch her. She started off as slightly crazy, and even season one had her as on hte RCMP list. I also really love how she was able to cheat the system to come back in season two by competing as E-Scope, not Izzy. My only problem was that you knew she was always going to be eliminated and come back, after the first season. She was never a competitor that I felt you honestly would think would win. She was fun to watch, but because of that fact, it limits her.

10- Leshawna- I loved Leshawna and Heather’s fights, mostly in season one. I felt like that was where they were the strongest. Throwing her off the cliff was great.

11- Geoff- Geoff was a bro, and not like the douchy frat-boy bro. He was the relateable one that you could probably be friends with. I don’t like him as much as the ones above, but he’s nice and relatable, so he’s got to be higher up.

12- Harold- Harold was someone I grew to like over re-runs. I used to like Courtney, so he was disliked for quite a while for eliminating her. I actually like that now, not because of my stance on Courtney. I liked that because it made Harold seem like he could have actually been a threat to others in the competition with doing that. Sadly he gets eliminated the next episode and doesn’t get a chance to act similar to this again. I would’ve loved to see a new direction of him to be an evil dork, but it wasn’t done.

13- Courtney- I know some people will hate this, but Courtney is my middle. She’s not here because I’m indifferent towards her. She’s here because sometimes I like her, like most of TDI, and other times she would get on my last nerve. I’d think about it for the week after the episode. She’s a character that I want to like when I see season one, but in the other seasons I start to lose that interest. So 13 was halfway since she’s either liked or my bottom.

14- DJ- DJ is a fine character. I liked seeing him in the guys’ alliance. Though I did get confused why he’d help or be okay with pulling pranks on Harold then later turned into the ultimate sweetheart. Like it almost seemed out of character, but it’s how it started. It could’ve worked if he saw Momma and she told him she was disappointed with him, thus why he turned more soft. But it sometimes seemed like that edge of him was gone. I mean you can pull a prank but be an over all nice person, but the 2&3 seasons didn’t want that to be for DJ.

15- Sierra- Sierra was an alright character. I mean I understand her obsession with tv characters, but sometimes it got annoying. Since she only appeared in episodes with Cody, we didn’t get much to see her without that. Yeah she’s a X generation basket weaver, but that’s not personality. I know 5 dealt with that more, but I’m not including that here. She’s also middle because she only got one season of the original three to develop her. If she had more, she might have moved positions.

16- Tyler- I loved him with Lindsay, or the time before when he tried to flirt with her. Dumb jock who was a comedic relief when he got the pain. I just felt like he got sent home so early in season 1, and didn’t compete in 2 that it limited his character. He got to grow in 4, but he didn’t get enough.

17-  Bridgette- Bridgette I used to really like when I first watched the series, mostly in the time of season one. I lost that attraction as time went on and never gained it back. I don’t hate Bridgette, I’m just not necessarily a fan of hers. She’s nice, but eh, I don’t feel her.

18- Trent- I used to love Trent, especially season one. Well until that Heather kiss. Yes Heather kisses him, but he melds in, no rejection. Had he pushed her away I would’ve liked him longer. I loved that ship as a child. Also season two I didn’t like the whole number nine thing. I think it would’ve been cool if it was executed better. You first see Trent’s obsession and he’s eliminated the next episode later. I felt like it was thrown in last second as a reason to get rid of him. Good idea, execution not so much. Also the fact that he wasn’t cool with Gwen and Duncan being friends. Like yeah I know that was a jump from last season, but that was only two days after the last special. Clearly you would’ve all been at playa des losers, and seen it grow. (You the longest since you were the first eliminated out of the three). Like there wasn’t really much space for them to hide and start anything without you or the cameras. Plus in a house of 22 teens, no one would’ve seen anything (Looking to Tyler at season 3). Had Trent stayed calm like season 1, I would’ve liked him more. 

19- Zeke- Zeke I don’t necessarily like. As himself he’s pretty neutral. Yeah I didn’t appreciate the sexist comment, but you do see him realize his mistake by the episode between seasons 1 and 2. He can agree to not be sexist to be part of a team. So he does get growth. Obviously he’s always eliminated first episode so not much characterization is given to him so he can’t be high. I just liked the transformation he got as a fun thing to watch. It brought in fun to the series. 

20- Beth- I don’t really have anything for or against Beth. She’s not my favorite but is in no way a bad character. She’s here because everyone else I like more (well except when I don’t for Courtney), and basically everyone below I dislike. Just need some neutral ground here. She’s the bottom here for the ones I’m fine with but don’t hate because I’ve just never got into liking her. Not like dislike form of not liking, I just don’t necessarily care for her one way or another.

21- Eva- Eva actually seems like she could have been a fun character to watch. Never someone I’d probably like, but her anger was fun to watch. Only problem was she basically never appeared in the series, and all she was only ever angry. Katie and Sadie could be dumb but have a fight, but Eva didn’t get the chance. She had potential and didn’t annoy me so she’s up here.

22- Katie- Katie and Sadie are two characters that pretty much equally annoy me. They were tolerable for like the two seconds they were introduced or whatever but not really otherwise. Katie is ranked higher only because from one of the later episodes when she calls Sadie too fat for the bus, it made me laugh. Just gave me one line to like her more so she’s just so slightly higher.

23- Justin- I just never felt anything with Justin except annoyance. I mean season one he doesn’t speak and is a theme song and was tolerable for not lasting long, but season 2 I just remember being annoyed by him. He was someone I was open to liking, but it came off to annoy me. Only because of Katie’s one line making me laugh, thus a moment of not annoyance is why she’s higher.

24- Sadie- Sadie along with Katie, are just frankly annoying and irritating. Sadie had more screen time and failed to impress me in any way, shape, or form.

25- Blaineley- Blaineley’s here because she wasn’t on the show that long. She’s appeared in ten episodes on the series and only spoken in six. Only two of these was she a contestant. I live in America, where we never saw the aftermaths (You had to know they were online and I didn’t. Never saw in reference to being on tv.) So her speaking lines for me were shorter. I just felt like with Celebrity Manhunt she was boring, and I only got two more speaking episodes from her. She didn’t wow me with her words enough to be higher because she didn’t have much of a character, though more than Justin in TDI.

[jodyedgarus]

The Good, The Bad And The WTF Of NBA Free Agency

There have been a handful of seismic shifts since NBA free agency began earlier this month — LeBron James heading west to join the Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins signing with Golden State and Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard being shipped to Canada for DeMar DeRozan — but the dust is finally beginning to settle some, allowing us to make sense of what has happened.

Two things have become relatively clear: 1) This was a lean, challenging year for players who might have otherwise taken long-term deals, as around half of the pacts this summer have been for a single season; 2) With Cousins in tow, the Warriors may be in a league of their own again when it comes to contending for the title.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t give a brief rundown of the teams that have wowed, disappointed or befuddled us this offseason. Here’s our look at the good, the bad and the confusing from the past month.

Winners

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were arguably the league’s biggest surprise last season, going from what many analysts figured would be a lottery team after the Paul George trade with Oklahoma City to one win away from knocking out LeBron and the Cavaliers in the first round. An enormous part of that, of course, was Victor Oladipo having a better statistical campaign than George en route to becoming an All-Star and winning the Most Improved Player award.

The other element flew under the radar but was just as integral: Indiana’s offense, gladly taking what the defense gave it, went against the grain and launched far more midrange jump shots than any other club, essentially making the Pacers the antithesis of the Rockets. With a group of decent jump-shooters, the strategy worked. But as a team that doesn’t shoot a ton of threes or get to the line much (Indiana had the NBA’s fifth-lowest 3-point attempt rate and the fifth-worst free-throw rate), the Pacers could have entered the 2018-19 season somewhat vulnerable to opponents who can score in bunches more quickly and efficiently.

But inking perpetual-motion sharpshooter Doug McDermott should make Indiana less predictable and more of a threat from outside. And Tyreke Evans — who has quietly shot nearly 39 percent from the arc over the past three years after shooting about 28 percent in his first six seasons — was a solid, under-the-radar pickup who should be a huge upgrade over Lance Stephenson.

Kyle O’Quinn, who came over for the room exception at one year and $4.5 million, will fit right in with the Pacers’ offensive philosophy; he hit better than 44 percent of his long 2s last season. He can get himself in trouble as a playmaker, but he’ll be a more-than-adequate backup to Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis.

Almost no analyst will pick the Pacers to land a top-three seed in the East. But should the Celtics, Raptors or Sixers struggle out of the gate, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Indiana did just that. The Pacers finished just outside the top 10 last season in both offensive and defensive efficiency — a hint that they weren’t far from contention. If things break right for them this year, they could reach that level with their improved roster.

Memphis Grizzlies

Just when we thought we had left the Grit-n-Grind era behind us, it found its way back into our hearts and, soon enough, onto the court at FedEx Forum.

The Grizzlies battled through a miserable year that included the firing of coach David Fizdale after he and center Marc Gasol failed to see eye-to-eye, and that was after losing point guard Mike Conley to a heel injury that eventually led to season-ending surgery. From the outside, a total teardown might have seemed like the best course of action. But for a small-market franchise — which has big-money deals on the books and is already dealing with attendance problems — that avenue might have been too dire, leading the club to reload instead.

Memphis did so by trying to get back to what made it special a few years ago: It loaded up on solid players who aren’t the most glitzy but tend to get the job done on both ends of the floor.

While they started that process at the draft with forward Jaren Jackson Jr. — a player whom FiveThirtyEight’s projection models like a great deal — the Grizzlies also landed advanced-stats darling Kyle Anderson, who ranked second among small forwards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus this past season. With his ball-handling ability and size, Anderson is a lower-scoring, better-defending version of the Grizzlies’ Chandler Parsons, who has been sapped by injuries in recent years. Memphis also picked up wing Garrett Temple, a reliable defender and 39-percent 3-point shooter this past year, from Sacramento via trade.

It’s not often that a 22-win team jumps into the playoff conversation without adding a bona fide star. But merely getting healthy again after adding this many capable two-way players could let the Grizzlies improve by leaps and bounds.

Losers

Portland Trail Blazers

Similar to how the Raptors needed a shakeup after multiple seasons fizzled out in a similar manner, the Blazers seemingly needed one in 2017-18, too. Even after realizing they couldn’t go about things the exact same way and altering a handful of schematic details, those fixes weren’t nearly enough, and the club got swept in the first round by Anthony Davis and the Pelicans.

But the beatdown didn’t bring about big changes for the West’s No. 3 seed. Instead, the Blazers brought back restricted free agent center Jusuf Nurkic (who’s highly productive when he’s not getting whacked in the face) while losing solid bench contributors in guard Shabazz Napier and reserve big Ed Davis.1

If there’s a sour taste in the mouths of Blazers fans, though, it should stem from the notion that Portland could have — and possibly would have — completed a sign-and-trade for Cousins had it not been that he and Nurkic have representatives who work for the same agency, potentially creating a conflict. Such a deal would have provided the sort of shakeup that a capped-out team like Portland needs. Instead, we may see this team — one of the few that enjoyed good health last year — finish near the bottom of the playoff pool in the West.

Houston Rockets

Any way you slice it, it’s tough to make sense of the Rockets’ offseason. This team was one decent half away from knocking off the vaunted Warriors and reaching the NBA Finals when its players short-circuited and couldn’t make a 3-pointer to save their lives.

The Rockets were close enough that you could almost understand bringing back the same team to try again. But instead, Houston lost starting forward Trevor Ariza right out of the gate (granted, for big money at $15 million this season with a young Phoenix team).Then Luc Mbah a Moute followed suit, rejoining the Clippers about a week later for just one year and $4.3 million. Both were enormous contributors to the Rockets’ vast defensive improvement, and they played key roles in the team’s switch-everything scheme, a must-have against a club like Golden State, which screens away from the ball so well.

Houston’s interest in Carmelo Anthony wasn’t terribly surprising, after it pursued him the year before. Yet while there’s a chance Anthony plays far better with the Rockets than he did in a down year with Oklahoma City, it’s hard to see him being much better than either of the two aforementioned wing players, given how Anthony is frequently exploited on defense.

James Ennis may help in replacing the lost production on D, and getting guard De’Anthony Melton in the second round of the draft was seemingly a steal. Still, with the gap between the Rockets and Warriors as small as it was in the postseason, you get the feeling that these moves might have widened the chasm.

Somewhere in between

Chicago Bulls

Even if you don’t think Zach LaVine is worth the four years and $78 million that the Bulls ponied up to keep him from becoming a Sacramento King, the logic is clear: LaVine, at one point, was the centerpiece of what Chicago got in the Jimmy Butler deal last summer.

What’s tougher to understand is the logic behind pairing LaVine with free agent Jabari Parker.

Yes, this ACL-hobbled duo has clear scoring chops, and both are just 23. But neither can really defend on the wing just yet, potentially making life far more challenging for impressive youngster Wendell Carter Jr. than it should be this early on.

“Well, I don’t know — I just stick to my strengths,” Parker said when asked about defense during a Chicago radio interview. “Look at everybody in the league. They don’t pay players to play defense. … I’m not gonna say I won’t, but to say that’s a weakness is like saying that’s everybody’s weakness. I’ve scored 30s and 20s off of guys who say they try to play defense.”

The Parker deal, for two years and $40 million, isn’t awful. The second year of the contract is a team option, giving the Bulls an out if he doesn’t return to form. But the biggest challenge, and one that gives analysts around the league pause, is his defense. Statistically, Parker has surrendered2 more blow-by opportunities on D than any other NBA player over the past three seasons, according to data from Second Spectrum. Some of that, of course, stems from the head-scratching scheme the Bucks used for so long. But other times, it was a function of Parker playing out of position at small forward, where he’s not quick enough to stay in front.

It’s safe to assume that someone — be it Parker, the guy he’s guarding or both — is going to score a lot next season. We look forward to seeing who gets the upper hand.

Los Angeles Lakers

No one is knocking the LeBron signing itself. (How could you?) But add me to the list of people who have struggled to understand the free-agent signings around him.

Regardless of whether you plan to have James control the ball a ton or you prefer that he operates more from the post, he would benefit most by having a stable of capable jump-shooters to give him the time and space he needs to create scoring chances.

For the better part of eight years, James’s rosters have generally featured several shooting specialists who afford him ample room to drive and kick. A number of players — James Jones, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Matthew Dellavedova, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, just to name a few — have logged seasons in which they shot 40 percent or better3 from deep when playing alongside James. By contrast, no one on this Lakers roster — outside of James — has ever logged even one season of 40 percent or better.4

This might be an arbitrary threshold. Aside from the fact that many players on this club are in the early stages of their career, Brandon Ingram shot 39.0 percent from there last year, and Josh Hart was at 39.6 percent. And it seems a given that the team’s best young players stand to take massive steps forward by playing with a great setup man who demands so much of the opponent’s attention.

The bigger question, in light of comments he made during the NBA Finals, is whether this team will possess the sort of collective basketball IQ that James feels he needs around him. We know Rajon Rondo, however combustible he might be, is set in that regard. But the additions of Stephenson and JaVale McGee were tougher to square from that standpoint.

At their best, with the right surroundings, Stephenson and McGee can lead the NBA in triple-doubles and wreak havoc in pick-and-roll scenarios, respectively. At their worst, they create blooper reels. We have no idea which versions will emerge. But rest assured: LeBron and the youthful Lakers will be anything but boring as we tune in to find out.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-good-the-bad-and-the-wtf-of-nba-free-agency/

[latestnews2018-blog]

Why Was Trent Lane From 'Daria' So Hot? An Investigation.

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/why-was-trent-lane-from-daria-so-hot-an-investigation/

Why Was Trent Lane From 'Daria' So Hot? An Investigation.

MTV announced last week that it plans to bring back “Daria,” an animated show with a titular outcast who became an icon of snark for a generation. As I thought back to the episodes I’d watched devotedly as a teen, specifics of what happened over the five seasons eluded me, save for something I still know to be true: Trent Lane was totally hot. 

Let’s review the facts: Trent, the older brother of Daria’s BFF, had perfectly mussed hair, a cool gravelly voice and multiple piercings. He hated authority and loved music. He was uncomplicated. He had a tattoo (that he copied from a tattoo magazine)! He was Daria’s ultimate crush, which made him my crush, too.

Adding to the fixation was the fact that, aside from not being real, he also wasn’t perfect. He was completely oblivious, flaky — “I’m always late. That’s why I don’t wear a watch. They depress me,” he said in one episode — and lacked any of the chutzpah required to actually get something going with Daria. When I was a teen, Trent was the beacon of all the frustratingly delicious obsessions to come; now that I’m an adult, he’s the memory of veiled flirtations that never went anywhere, someone to look back on with both nostalgia and relief.

If only I could relay all these feelings to Trent Lane himself. But he’s, as I mentioned, not real. Only Alvaro J. Gonzalez, the man who voiced the animated character, is. And he’s a biomagnetist whose natural voice sounds nothing like Trent’s, as I learned after finding Gonzalez on LinkedIn, calling him and convincing him to talk to me about my Mystik Spiral frontman crush.

When Gonzalez hopped on the call to talk about his time on the series, I was shocked he didn’t greet me with Trent’s characteristic low growl. Gonzalez can still easily slip into his old character’s voice when provoked, but his actual tone is light, amiable and unrecognizable.

“I’m a professional voice actor,” he reminded me gently. (“I’m not Trent, Jill,” he might as well have proclaimed.)

To this day, Gonzalez continues to work in voice acting, but he’s had a series of other unrelated jobs too, which is decidedly un-Trent-like. “It was sort of like doing the yin and yang thing, where I tapped into what I felt was the opposite of me,” he said of what it was like to embody the character in the late ’90s and early 2000s. 

Throughout our chat, Gonzalez was kind, informative and expressly eager to be involved in the “Daria” reboot. Check out our conversation below to hear more about his time on “Daria,” what he’s been up to since then and how I should reconcile my crush on an unattainable man.

(Listen to Gonzalez become Trent and revert to Gonzalez again in the soundbite above.)

The thing that most surprised me about getting on the phone with you is how different your voice sounds from Trent’s.

[Puts on Trent voice] Well, my voice can sound like Trent if I want it to. [Laughs] No, I’m a trained professional voice actor, so I can do a lot of voices.

I was in my early teens when the show was on and I had such a crush on Trent. I don’t think I was the only one who felt that way.

Oh, no! They would tell me of the fan mail that they would get and I would laugh, like, “It’s a cartoon. It’s a voice. Oh, my goodness.” There was a lot of that, and to this day, if I ever meet someone that — roughly in their 30s is the age demographic now. If they knew the show and I say I was Trent, they usually ― [Gasps] Ooooh! It’s an older show and people remember it, so it’s cool.

What do you think about Trent was so attractive, even if he was just a drawing?

Well, I think one of the main draws of Trent was that he was just so grounded. Even though he would be classified [by] society as a drifter, a loser, he really was centered, probably the most centered of the series, because he never really diverted. He was about his music and about taking naps, pretty much. It was refreshing to get a character that was honest and didn’t have an angle to get something over you. He was very sweet in that way.

The whole dynamic between Trent and Daria and this crush that she had on him ― his whole lackadaisical “I love music and naps!” ― is great. But then it’s also frustrating if you’re someone who has a crush on him and you’re like, “Why don’t you like me [back]?!” 

The main reason I think Daria fell for him was because he was an outsider. He didn’t fall into [society], and that was, I think, the real draw ― was between the two characters, was because Trent himself was refusing to do what society was telling him to do: Get a job, be responsible, be a good [guy]. And I think what happened eventually in the series after Daria decided that they couldn’t be a couple because he was so far off on the fringes … that was beyond her limit. That was beyond her threshold of tolerance for that kind of person, even though she was extremely attracted to that.

Do you think Trent was an obvious cartoon crush because he was kind of this mysterious, older guy in Daria’s eyes? 

Yes, I do. He was mysterious and in a way very philosophical. Trent’s personality was very calm and Zen, something Daria greatly lacked in her own family life. This calmness and laid-backness was a draw to many fans of the show, plus he was a musician, a nonconformist and in a band!

Can you tell me how you got the role?

My girlfriend at the time was attending [New York University] and in one of the hallways there was this nondescript flyer saying, “Hey, we’re looking for voices of high school kids.” It was a recorded voice audition, I think that’s what everyone did. They said, “OK, at the tone, give us the voices.”

So I called up and I did an entire classroom full. I did the most voices. They said, “Yeah, we’re really impressed. You did the principal, the teacher, 10 kids in the class.” I didn’t just wing it. I wrote out a little script for myself — that’s all I was doing then. Basically voice-over work and off-Broadway stuff then.

Did they tell you anything after that?

They then called [me] in for a second round, and they had me actually go into the booth and gave me some parameters of what they wanted me to do, and one of those was Trent. It felt natural. It was a really cool character, very laid-back, sort of very Zen, in his own way. And I just gravitated toward that one. Then the head writer [Susie Lewis] said, “That’s the voice I had in my head. That’s it.”

Did you have a favorite episode or storyline? 

My favorite episode was “Road Worriers.” That was one of the few where a lot of the technicians came up to me and said, “That work was stellar. I think that one really was a standout.” They really thought I captured, without getting too mushy, making Trent sensitive enough to connect with Daria on a meaningful level without getting too, you know, sappy.

Do you wish that Trent and Daria made it work?

I don’t know if you know this — and it got pretty far — I had pitched a sequel called “Mystik Spiral” which was following Trent and his band, Mystik Spiral. Glenn [Eichler] was on board, and I think it got to the point of first-stage animation, and then MTV pulled the plug on their animation.

Would that have just been following the adventures of the band?

Yeah, and of course Daria would have been in and out, like she was in college and she would come back. We had planned episodes like that. There was a whole pitch where the whole season, 18, 19 episodes [were] outlined. Daria would not have appeared in the first season. But, we had hoped to have her meet up with Trent later on and realize something was still there — but still unattainable; great cartoon drama!

Did you have any role in writing Mystik Spiral’s songs?

Oh, no. “Ow! My Face,” “Icebox Woman,” no. But I did sing them all, I sang everything. All of Trent is me. That also includes “Freakin’ Friends” and all that. 

Did you have any other favorite characters on the show that weren’t Trent?

[Puts on Upchuck voice] Well, you know, I was up for Upchuck, you know, once.

Ladieeees. I think I did one episode, but then one of the producers said I sounded too much like Urkel. But I did that. … In the episode “Esteemsters,” I did several voices, lines here and there. At that point, the show was new, so they gave actors several lines. I didn’t just do Trent. I did the security guard, I did the guy who was in the laundry room. I think I did a couple more in that episode. Periodically, they’d say, “Oh we’ve got this one-liner. Do you want to try it?”

Why do you think the show has had such a lasting legacy?

I think because it had to do with a strong female character expressing herself and not being told what to do and how to do it, but doing it in a way that she felt was right for herself. Very strong, independent woman. Back in the ’90s, when this was happening, not to say that there wasn’t a women’s rights movement going on, but it hadn’t really been prevalent, especially in a cartoon world, especially on a station like MTV.

Once Daria ended, you did some voice acting, but I see you have a different profession now.

I started off in recruitment advertising as an account executive. I went from there to a mortgage broker. I went from there to director of sales for a toy company. I went from there to a customized vitamin company. … I then started studying alternative medicines and then from there I became what I do now, which is a biomagnetist. I still do voice-over work when I get called, but my main gig now is biomagnetism, which is basically acupuncture without the needles. I use magnets.

What do you think Trent would think of your long résumé of recent careers? Would he think, like, “Hey, man, you’re working too much”?

[Puts on Trent voice] Way too complicated. [Laughs] I think Trent would be like: [puts on Trent voice again] You’re trying too hard, man.

So if the writers of the reboot called you to pick up Trent again …

Oh, yeah. I’d be there in a heartbeat. In a second. No question.

Was there anything about your time as Trent that you wanted to mention that I didn’t cover?  

It was great. It was sort of, like, my closest brush with fame. When we would have the wrap parties, there would be people like “paparazzi” who would be taking pictures of us and I always thought that was the coolest thing. In hindsight, I’m glad it stopped there, because I see how real famous people can’t even step out their door and I think, “You know, that’s nothing that I want.” Trent would say: [puts on Trent voice one final time] You’ve gone mad, man.

That’s practically the antithesis of Trent, is becoming super famous. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Audio clip edited by Sara Patterson. 

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[thejpfdude-blog]

Initial Impressions of the Fall 2017 Season

Well it’s that time of the year. Halloween The initial impressions of the season post! As always:

Every show I’ve watched has aired at least 3 episodes (actually, this time all the shows aired exactly 3 episodes!), so it’s the time to post what I think is good so far (”so far” being key: shows can get good in the middle/end, and good shows can drop off), complete with lists of random stuff!

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, some words about the season so far. I think it’s fair to say it’s been a hella good start to the season. Now I know I said that for the past few seasons (and they didn’t end so well...) but I can really feel it with this one. There’s a lot of good shows in all sorts of different genres, and though none of the shows I’m watching at this point are a de facto 9 or 10, some of them have the potential to get better as time goes on. We’ll see though: still way too early to really tell.

And with that, here’s the rankings so far for the season, complete with initial scores after 3 episodes:

Rankings:

1. Kino’s Journey (8/10)

2. Shokugeki no Soma S3 (8/10)

3. Just Because! (8/10)

4. Juuni Taisen (7.5/10)

5. Pingu in the City (10/10 ANIME OF THE CENTURY) (7.5/10)

6. Net-juu no Susume (7.5/10)

7. Mahoutsukai no Yome (7/10)

8. Blend S (6/10)

9. Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season (6/10)

10. Animegataris (6/10)

11. Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau (5/10)

12. Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara (4/10)

Awards:

Best Anime: Kino’s Journey (HM: Shokugeki no Soma S3)

As stated above, there hasn’t been a show yet that’s greatly amazed me. But that doesn’t mean this season’s bad: in fact there’s a lot of shows ranging from great to pretty good, and in the long run that ends up being a good thing. Currently, the show on top of the list is Kino’s Journey, a remake of the older series with the same name. Disclaimer: I haven’t watched all of the old series (only 2 episodes). Honestly though, I would say that (so far) the old series is better. The drab colors really added a nice layer to the atmosphere, something that I think the new version lacks with its brighter colors. However, that’s not to say the new series isn’t good. I’ve loved the episodes so far, especially the most recent one with the moving country. They really make you think about the different topics presented: for example, the moving country and who’s morally right in the situation -- the diplomats of the country or the soldiers seeing their country getting run over. It’s that kind of stuff that makes Kino’s Journey a fun watch. No matter what kind of anime fan you are, I would recommend it. Something to really make you think, something you can enjoy even if you aren’t the type to watch that kind of show (like me).

Shoutouts to Shokugeki S3 for returning back to the norm and having a nice balance of competitive food making and fun slice-of-life moments. If it continues like this I wouldn’t be surprised to see this show high up on my list.

Worst Anime: Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara (HM: All the shows I dropped)

So I read the manga for this before, which makes this hard to determine whether the show is actually this bad or if I’m tired of the stuff I already watched. The one thing that bothers me about this show is the whole concept of “cute when drunk”. Like she needs to be drunk to be all lovey-dovey with her husband, which is pretty... questionable. Because at its core, this show’s about an alcoholic and her husband. The romance isn’t really romance, it’s just “hah cute moments”, which compared to ones from a show like “I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying” is pretty shallow. Honestly considering dropping this show even though it’s only 3 minutes, because I haven’t had the greatest experience with 3-minute shorts.

Shoutouts to all the shows I dropped: you know who you are.

Best Surprise: Net-juu no Susume (HM: Just Because! and Juuni Taisen)

I have to say, I had no expectations for this going into it. I actually was planning of dropping it after the first episode. But a second watch with my friends made me realize: this was a super cute romance. It’s straight-forward: there aren’t any rivals or stupid misunderstandings. Just some cute and funny moments with Moriko and the other dude, along with the rest of the guild. Unfortunately this show is only 10 episodes, so I hope they get together soon for that cute adult romance. Or not, because anime romances.

Shoutouts to Just Because and Juuni Taisen:

Just Because wasn’t something I expected much from given the drama tag and how I don’t really like dramas. But so far, it’s been a comfy experience. The atmosphere of the show is very calm (I love the color usage in the show) and there are some humorous moments in the calm slice-of-life. Now how this show does in the long run depends on how good the drama that I 100% know is coming is. But for now, it’s been a pleasant surprise, something I look forward to now.

Juuni Taisen was something that my friend recommended to me, but even with that I didn’t expect much. Well, it’s been a fun ride. Though the deaths are pretty predictable, what isn’t predictable is the stuff that happens in the middle, and that’s where the fun of the show comes from. If you’re expecting twists and turns everywhere, this probably isn’t the show for you. But overall, it’s well thought out and I’m enjoying how the battle royale is progressing so far. Should be interesting to see how it ends, even if we know the winner already.

Worst Disappointment: Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken

I had to dig deep for this one, and it’s a huge reach. I didn’t have much expectations for this show, but what I did expect/see was that it would be like Seitokai Yakuindomo, a show I’ve heard of and was planning to watch sometime. Well, if this show is anything like Seitokai, I might have to delay watching it. Because man, it’s pretty juvenile stuff. I know comedy is subjective and all that, but it didn’t really tickle my funny bone. Something about it annoys me more than anything. Might be the characters. Either way, a meh show in a pretty gud season.

Best Girl: Yoshiko Tsushima (Love Live Sunshine S2) with HM to Megumi Tadakoro (Shokugeki no Soma S3), Kino (Kino’s Journey), and Moriko Morioka (Net-juu no Susume)

Storytime (not really a story but oh well). I have two keychains on my backpack: one of them is of Pickles from Neko Atsume (which is something I won in a raffle). The other is a nesoberi-styled Yoshiko that I bought for twice the original price. Point is, Yoshiko is the best Love Live. And by default, since there isn’t anybody else to compete with her, she’s best girl so far this season. Though she’s pretty controversial in the LL community, I really like her schtick as the geeky loser of the group. I say that in the nicest way possible, because I can relate a lot to her. The chuuni thing isn’t overdone, which is good given I thought I wouldn’t like her at first from that. Though there are a lot of great girls in Aqours, she’s by far my favorite.

Shoutouts to another girl that’s been fun to watch so far in Megumi, a badass in Kino, and an adorable NEET in Moriko.

Best Guy: Kai Musashisakai (Animegataris) with HM to Pingu (Pingu in the City)

Usually this is a hard category for me to pick winners of, and this time wasn’t an exception. I dug deep to find a character I’m enjoying so far: the chuuni. Except he’s a weeb chuuni, so it makes it better. Plus his chuuni moments aren’t annoying, similar to best girl above. It seems that the recent trends are the chuunis who aren’t been too annoying: characters like Kaikai, Yoshiko/Yohane, and Rikka (to an extent). Nice to see that.

Shoutout to a character who I’m not even sure is a guy. But he(she?) is the protag for a show that, memes aside, has actually been a super enjoyable watch. Would recommend.

Worst Girl: Nayuta Kani (Imouto sae Ireba Ii.) with HM to Shizuku Ariyama (Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken)

So literally the reasons I dropped their respective shows. Let me start with Ms. Blunt: every time she talked, I preemptively braced myself for what trash she let out. It got so annoying that it ruined what was probably an all right show that I would still be watching if not for her. I’m honestly kind of surprised she’s so popular among the people watching, but then again the people continuing to watch this show would be the ones who enjoy the characters. Selection bias and all that.

Shoutout to the the other girl who made me drop a show. Childhood friends are usually characters I don’t hate, but my goodness like the above character she didn’t have a filter and it was annoying as heck to watch. Though unlike character/show above, I think even without this character I still would’ve dropped Boku something something for the... other questionable characters.

Worst Guy: Literally Nobody

I honestly can’t think of anybody who gets this award, even in my dropped shows. The closest candidate would probably be the main protagonist from the imouto show, but he wasn’t that bad if you discount his imouto problem. I guess this is a good thing, though?

Best OP: “Kunshi Ayauku mo Chikou yore” (Osomatsu-san 2) with HM to “Aikotoba” (Animegataris), “Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru yo” (Love Live Sunshine S2), “Bon Appétit♡S” (Blend S), “Rupture” (Juuni Taisen), “Ugoku Ugoku” (Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou)

There are a lot of good OPs this season, but my favorite is from a show I’m not even watching. Osomatsu-san 2′s OP has great visuals with a catchy song to boot. I love how they incorporate the credits into the OP: it’s like they were meant to be there instead of just put randomly to the side like most OPs/EDs. Plus the traditional Japanese influence in the song (flute, taiko) is a nice allusion to the show’s theme: a old-time cartoon made many many years later into a modern anime. Good stuff.

Shoutouts to the following other, great OPs:

Animegataris: This was a close second, but ultimately I liked the visuals for Osomatsu-san’s OP a bit better. Song-wise, this one is the winner out of all of the OPs here (well maybe tied with the Love Live OP). A nice electronic beat complete with a nice payoff that makes it hard for me to keep my head still. Visual-wise it’s pretty decent: shows all of the characters, has some shots of the mysterious event that the show hasn’t alluded to yet. Helps that I like the character design (though some of the characters’ eyes are a bit... too spaced apart.

Love Live Sunshine S2: Obligatory LL Sunshine insertion. The song, of course, is top notch. And visual-wise, they really improved on the CG animation. It looks really fluid, and I can actually watch it instead of cringing at how bad it is. A vast improvement. Side note, the arm pumps they do 4 seconds in makes me laugh every time, and I don’t know why. Probably because it looks so stupid. But, hey, if it works.

Blend S: This OP’s been meme’d pretty hard so far, or at least the first few seconds of it have. Past that, you get an OP that’s on par with the Working series OPs complete with a song sung by the cast (which seems to be the norm nowadays with this type of anime). Pretty standard stuff, but it’s the type of stuff I like so I’m rating it higher from that. Helps that it’s a fun, peppy song.

Juuni Taisen: At first I didn’t really like this OP, but as time passed I really got into it. The song’s decent and the visuals are all right. The one thing I can say this OP does well is that it really gets me into the mood of the show. Something about it gets me hyped before each episode. And really, that’s what an OP’s job is, so I give it credit for that.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou: This OP is conflicting to me. On the one hand, I love the electronic song (future funk isn’t really my thing, but it’s nice to listen to here). More electronic songs in anime would be pretty ok-hands. Plus the visuals are fun to watch (not to mention the dab is some dank stuff). Yet on the other hand, it just... doesn’t fit the show’s tone at all. I expect this kind of music with a more cheerful anime. With this show, which from the episode I watched was more of a relaxed slice-of-life with a melancholy setting, I don’t think this OP works with the show. Honestly, if this was the OP to a happy moe slice-of-life show, it would be by far my favorite OP. But as of now it’s at a weird stage of denial and “nice”.

Best ED: "Umarun Taisou” (Himouto! Umaru-chan R) with HM to “Let's Go! Muttsu Go! ~Rokushoku no Niji~” (Osomatsu-san 2) and “Keshin no Kemono” (Juuni Taisen)

Not as much good EDs, but this was an easier choice than the OP section. I’m not even watching this show, but Himouto’s ED is top notch. Now I know that’s not a popular opinion, and trust me I know why. It’s literally just chibis dancing to a moe song. But my god, that’s the kind of stuff that really tickles my fancy. I’ve probably watched it around a hundred times so far. The song is catchy as heck, the chibis are cute as fudge (especially Kirie), and it’s done something nobody or nothing has ever done: made me want to watch the show. But seriously, can I just say how fudging cute this is? Highlights are 0:42 - 0:53 and a minute in with the background dancers (ignoring the Umaru). Good god. The cute levels are out of control.

Shoutouts to the two other EDs I enjoyed:

Osomatsu-san 2: Like the OP, the song + visuals were top notch. I loved the stop-motion animation for the ED. Going through each character was my favorite part of it -- the stuff after that wasn’t as fun, but still overall an enjoyable experience.

Juuni Taisen: Like the OP of this show, I didn’t enjoy this at first. But the song was pretty catchy, and I liked the visuals of showing each fighter in their casual everyday lives. It’s a nice way to show off their personalities and also show what order they’re gonna die in. No surprises so far from this show.

Bonus Awards (complete with short descriptions):

Worst Character Design: Just Because!

My god them some weird eyes.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Love Live Sunshine S2

It’s so bad but I can’t stop watching. Pls help.

The TheJPFDude Happy Show of the Quarter-Season: Net-juu no Susume

Happy romances are happy.

And that’s all! Thanks for reading all of that good stuff. It’s been a good season. I’m enjoying a lot of shows, and though most of them’ll honestly probably fall off within the next few weeks, at least we have some potential good ones.

Well, until next time, I’ll see you in the next post!