#but that was like 5% of the season and simon's feelings never once strayed from wille like that is present throughout the entire season | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

girlobsessed21 · 5 years

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The 100 6x11 discussion - burning desires of change

Hey guys, as usual, here’s my breakdown of the episode. Props to Mr. Bob Morley on his directing debut - insert applause emoji here. All in all, it was great, I enjoyed it, albeit a little weird. But it’s to be expected of a conversion episode taking us into the finale.

Like I explained in my 2nd predictions post, “Ashes to Ashes’ has Biblical connotation and it’s also a British crime drama about time traveling back to the early 80′s as well as David Bowie’s 1980 hit single about addiction.

Apart from Ash being Echo’s real name, I struggled to find the link to the title until it hit me with a wrench from behind. It’s about cycles, repetition, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (which Einstein did not say btw). Only now, it’s breaking that rotation. Demons are overcome (apart from Madi), and it’s time to do better.

Octavia’s no longer Bellamy’s responsibility, Clarke refuses to kill innocents, the children of Gabriel learn the truth, Miller disobeyed to transcend and Echo (or Ash), well, I’ll talk about her later. To Monty! Will this also be the end of the ‘will they, won’t they’ dance for Bellamy and Clarke? See my thoughts on this.

That said, let’s fall into the recap.

A child possessed

Okay, Sheidheda was a lot creepier in this episode than the previous ones. if Madi wasn’t completely overthrown before, it seems like she is now and her driving force is pure vengeance. The bond between Madi and Clarke is harder to break than diamonds, which we saw in season 5 and here again.

For six years, all they had were each other. Since the little Natblida was only six when Clarke found her, she won’t even remember her real family all that well. To Madi, Clarke was her savior, her family, her protector, her mother and basically everything else. Having such an influence taken away from you is artery-slicing.

The demon in her head knows this, plays on it and manipulates in a way an abuser lures children in with sweets. Given her age and lack of experience, she follows blindly. I have a feeling this might continue onto season 7 but I hope Raven finds a way to eliminate him. That face freaks me out. For now, he’s gonna cause a lot more damage than we anticipate and will probably be a spoil of war for the peaceful plan.

John Murphy - court jester or hero?

Yeah, he’s been a fence-sitter the entire season, but you have to admit, Murphy provides some much needed comical relief. Granted, the writers have turned up the humor via Bellamy, Clarke, and Diyoza, yet Murphy’s sarcasm should never be taken for granted. “Houdini Miller.” He might not make it to the end of the season.

If someone threatens the life of the person you love, will you protect everyone else or only that person? Ask Bellamy, he did the exact same thing. Risked the lives of everyone else to save his girl, of course Murphy will do the same. He wants to marry Emori, he’ll face hell to ensure her safety.

Still, he warns Echo in good old Cockroach fashion. Don’t let them find out I’m on your side, there’s but one side and it’s mine - and Emori’s. As long as the primes think that, he’ll have a chance of being spared. Murphy is such a great character, sure, he has deviated from being good, but that’s what makes him interesting.

The more layers and substance a character has, the more convincing and relatable they are. All of us have flaws, Murphy’s biggest one is his selfishness, does this make him a bad person? Absolutely not. He struggles and sometimes stumbles due to it but he still cares. Only the size of his heart’s in question, not the existence and it gets them out of some serious syrupy situations.

The makes of the Blakes

So, Bellamy doesn’t care about the delusional cult followers, he merely wants to save his people, to hell with the rest. In a sense, he betrayed them to rescue his love? soulmate? person? and has to make up for it. Now, Bellamy, did Monty not teach you anything?

Being so determined, he calls his sister the queen of cannibals. Killing her own people to ensure their survival. She did what she had to do, why can’t he? I didn’t know Bellamy even knew about this, why didn’t they show his reaction to finding out? Wouldn’t it have led to him cutting her some slack? He was in the exact same situation many times before.

Probably not. His whole life has always revolved around her, everything he did was to protect his sister to the point of borderline, unhealthy codependency. Octavia was his purpose and yet she threw him in a fighting pit to die after he once again tried to save her - from herself.

Gabriel then tells Bellamy his sister is special, she returned from the greatest mystery of Sanctum. If I remember correctly, Lincoln called her special too when she was unaffected by the biological warfare. There’s more to it though, in my opinion, I still think Diyoza will return, they were both called by the anomaly, why would only O survive? That anomaly is going to be some crazy wow-factor, I’m certain.

I believe a cult won’t be too happy to find out that its leader is the exact thing they’re rebelling against. And the children of Gabriel seemed pretty pissed, especially Xavier’s sister. That is until Bellamy gives them a plan to fulfill their cause. Unfortunately for him, it means teaming up with O to find the powerful red sun toxin. For once the cultists weren’t useless!

Poor Gabriel, all he wants is peace. I thought Jordan would be a Monty reincarnator but apparently, that’s Gabriel. Or he’s more of Lincoln II? Either way, I hope he doesn’t die. Speaking of Jordan, I miss him in his recovery bed.

Anyway, “what do you say when sorry isn’t good enough?” Despite Bellamy’s countless efforts to keep O occupied, she won’t stop breaking down the walls around his heart. Those mushrooms were strong, Bell, we saw it. Octavia’s speech was so deep, honest and touching that Bellamy’s stray tears hardly seem enough.

The way it was resolved though, is more than satisfactory. After everything that’s happened, it wouldn’t be enough development for him to simply accept what she’s done and move on. But, he’s willing to give her a chance to prove herself while no longer being the core of his world. “You’re my sister, but you’re not my responsibility, not anymore” is probably the best metamorphosis I’ve witnessed on this show. It clips the umbilical cord for both of them to emerge as individuals.

Echoes of a cold-hearted spy

So, I assume Echo protected Ryker thinking she could bank on his morality to spare her. And of course, she keeps scraping at the flesh wound. But Ryker believes saving his family keeps the peace, killing Echo saves everyone else. One life instead of thousands - it’s for the greater good, right? Wrong. The acting here was great, I was totally convinced of Ryker’s bouncing morals.

Off-topic, I completely forgot Miller used to be a thief and I’m glad we got to see his pick-pocketing skills in action. He deserves some credit and screentime, since being a part of this show for six seasons. Oh, and the transcending moment between him and Gaia was super sweet.

For a second I thought Echo would become Simone and then I remembered that she also took ALIE’s chip and they wouldn’t rehash the neural mesh storyline. Meaning my fears were quickly soothed.

Onto the important part, what was that back story supposed to mean? All I got out of it, is that Echo’s cycle isn’t broken. That leopard hasn’t changed its spots. Don’t get me wrong, it broke my heart that she had to kill her friend and resume her identity in order to survive. But, it felt like a turning point in Echo’s character that plunged her into heartlessness. Will she become that person again?

I know Echo might not be a fan favourite, but she’s really grown on me this season. She’s smart, loyal and fierce, I like her. Not Bellamy and Echo together though, I can’t see a semblance of a connection between them. And their relationship is only hurting their characters.

Why would they build her up as a great character just to show that she cares about no-one, not even her friends? I mean I get why she killed Ryker, leaving him alive was too much of a risk - he would tell Russel about her, Miller and Gaia being at large. Though that murderous glint in her eyes tells me that was purely for revenge and completely against their newfound lifestyle. Maybe I’m wrong.

I’m curious to know what being a nightblood will mean for her now and how her character might change after being held at gunpoint.

Meanwhile, Monty’s mantra rings through Clarke

Oy, Bellamy risked everything and everyone to save Clarke and if she can’t play the part of Josephine convincingly, that was all for nothing. And our boy’s not happy about it - at all. Only, Clarke refuses a Mount Weather do-over.

I just need to mention Bellamy’s face when Murphy come’s through the tent - priceless. Then Jade finally gets a chance to knock someone out too. Yay for her!

The moment Clarke’s safe, she goes straight to Bellamy for reassurance and goodbye. Backtracking to the start of the episode, the way he flung to her side when she woke, touched and comforted her was toothachingly soft and way too intimate to be non-romantic.

Bellamy gets this shy, ‘aw it’s nothing’ expression when Clarke thanks him for saving her life. Because to him, it really is nothing, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. And while he’s making heart-eyes at his friend, his girlfriend is being prepped for a blood transplant and murder. I cannot see how there won’t be any followthrough on this.

If there’s not, it’s altogether bad writing, showcasing and wasted potential. Right now, there’s too much going on for a decent conversation that’s years overdue and I’m hopeful they’ll get it. In the synopsis of the finale, there’s a hint at romance and I truly believe it’s theirs.

Well done Eliza! For playing Clarke and Josephine, Clarke as Josephine and vice versa. She’s an amazing actress and has come a long way from, “Stop, the air could be toxic!.”

The woman must have been devastated when she walked in on Madi strapped to a chair, being drained for her blood. Yet, in the scheme of greater good, she acts oblivious. She plays the part of a nonchalant sociopath so well, while sparing Madi via a sedative and shifting the focus to her mind drive.

Those newlyweds sure know how to act and direct!! Like always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, did I read the Echo backstory correctly? Till next week, bye!

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a-lbeit · 5 years

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2018: a year in review

rang in the new year with really good people actually watching the ball drop for the first time in a few years. it always makes me sad in a happy way.

had my friend (from california) i met while studying in berlin come to visit!!! but there was a giant (relatively speaking) snowstorm that came through, so we had to rearrange a couple things we had planned on doing. but most things worked out, especially since i didn’t have to go to work for like 5 days lmfao. we did a ghost tour, went to a few historical sites, and even drove to savannah for a day.

went to waffle house with a few people the night before i left for my last semester at american university and....tbh....started feeling some things about someone again (but it’s gone away lmao)

returned to dc for the last time for a while

actually started booking things for the best goddamn spring break -- a trip to western south dakota to visit badlands national park and everything around it

saw the devil makes three

started an internship with rock creek park, my own door into the nps

went to the bars on u street for the first time for my friend’s birthday. almost got projectile vomited on during the pregame lmfaooooo

saw arlo guthrie

got moviepass at the height of it. i saw many films with it, some of my favorites being lean on pete, three billboards outside ebbing, missouri, and bad times at the el royale. however, the company obviously went downhill. i was all right with only being able to see 3 movies a month, because for 10 bucks, that’s still not bad. but then showtimes started disappearing and i finally gave up hope. it was nice while it lasted.

took my german midterm and skrrted right out of dc to embark on one of the greatest journeys of my life. i’d had this spring break in mind for a year and a half, and i feel so grateful that i could actually accomplish virtually everything i had dreamed of:

drove to dayton, ohio, then waterloo, iowa, then wall, south dakota, my final destination. along the way, i saw a zoo that was my window to a west i had only ever heard about, a statue of abraham lincoln right next to the mississippi, the world’s largest truck stop, a hobo memorial, an intricate and delicate and intriguing grotto, a tri-state marker, a corn palace, the goddamn missouri river, and all the farmland and life that make up the heartland of the united states. i was mesmerized and i had barely started.

reached my motel in the evening with a backdrop of the sunset over the badlands, got nervous by a group of men wearing camo and carrying what seemed to be hunting or fishing gear, went to dairy queen, and came back to a once-again empty motel parking lot. i felt better.

spent the next day in the national park. it was the off season, so the entrance i went through was unmanned. i saw countless sheep and prairie dogs, sometimes within a few feet of me, and admired the bright, layered colors in the rock. i played springsteen’s “badlands” with nobody in sight, miles of land in every direction that seemed both right there and unreachable at the same time. the visitor’s center had information and nice people. the cliff shelf trail was a small introduction to my hiking in the park. the notch trail was fun and gave me a bruise and let me see the badlands as they are meant to be seen -- you get to climb a ladder and get into the formations. there is an astonishing view, but if you go a bit further than most people do, it’s even more incredible. i lay down backwards and looked at everything upside down. i drove back the way i came and stopped to admire the sunset over the jagged and far-off edges. it was still the beginning.

(got an email saying i was accepted into the disney college program lmfao)

with the next day came a further destination. in belle fourche, sd, there is the true geographical center of the us. you go down a gravel road for around 8 miles. it’s scary when the fog doesn’t let you see more than 200 feet in front of you and the farms on either side of you are encased in snow. but the mysticism surrounding the decor -- a homemade cross, a simple “the true center of the nation” declaration, and various hiking boots stuck in the fence -- especially when you seem to be the only person for miles, is surreal. i left there and finally found my way out of the fog and went on into wyoming to see devils tower. the sky was a piercing blue and i was blinded by the light, but snow is always on the ground that time of the year, i guess, and i hiked knee-deep through 2 miles of it. i dropped to my knees in happiness like a weakling when i saw my car again, but i felt like cheryl strayed. people feed the prairie dogs so much there that they come right up to you. the squeaks were unending and cute. i drove the 2 or 2.5 hours back, mostly in the dark, my feet water-logged but my heart full.

i drove to mount rushmore the next day. it’s strange always knowing of something and finally seeing it in person. i love the sculpture and i don’t know how people are able to do things like that. i wish i could have hiked closer to it, but the trails were still closed for winter. then, through the black hills i continued, coming up to the crazy horse memorial and reluctantly paying the admission fee, although i know it helps their progress. i know i probably won’t be alive when (and if) it’s completed, but it’s nice to see at least part of it. i wish i could go up to it. maybe one day. wind cave national park came after, and i saw bison munching on grass 10 feet away from me. i wish i could have gone into the cave. maybe one day. i walked along the grassland without a jacket on. i couldn’t believe it. i left and took the backroads to return to mount rushmore to see it at night. it was scary, especially navigating the never-ending curves in the black of the unpopulated areas, but coming closer to the monument, i passed through one-car tunnels that framed the sculpture perfectly.

the next day was my second time around at the badlands. i hiked half of the castle trail and climbed some of the formations, able to admire all i could see from a throne made of crumbly rock. there was fog in the morning which lifted to another sunny day. there were cacti and deer and even phone lines. the shadows in the creases of the hills kill me with their nonchalant elegance. i went back to my motel and came back into the park at night. i had never seen so many stars, although it was so goddamn frightening being in a parking lot unable to see 5 feet in front of me that i left after a few minutes.

my last day, i was supposed to go to jewel cave national monument, but it snowed and caused some of the roads to close. instead, i walked through the storm to wall drug store and meandered around the kitschiness. i want to bring people there to show them how incredible it is.

i drove back to washington over the next 3 days, stopping at the now snow-covered badlands for one last look, the green giant in minnesota, effigy mounds national monument, dubuque, and everywhere in between along the way.

native american history around all of the places i have mentioned is rich and cannot be underestimated. i didn’t talk about it, but these places are of course sacred to the tribes of the region and it is paramount to respect that. i think the nps tries to educate, but it could do more.

i went about 4,200 miles on that trip. i miss the days of driving with my playlist that took months to create.

i came back to washington and didn’t really talk about my journey except for a mention of it when discussing what we had done over spring break in german class. i love to recount this 10 day period, but i don’t do so very much because i feel inarticulate and i don’t want to minimize the effect it has had on me.

saw langhorne slim, don mclean, and george ezra (on 3 separate occasions)

was a part of park rx day with rock creek park

saw old crow medicine show (which has become a yearly tradition i guess lmfao)

went to the graduation happy hour for the library circulation desk. that night was something i’ll never forget. i miss that place so much.

the next day, drove to clemson to see melissa graduate! what a time in our lives. then promptly drove back to dc for my own graduation

but the night before my ceremony, i saw david byrne. it was wild but not as great as i had hoped, mostly because i couldn’t see too well.

graduated from american university, but continued to be on its campus a few days a week until mid-august because i couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the library or the campus. i love that place more than i thought i ever would.

saw shakey graves 2 days in a row, as you do

saw pussy riot thanks to a recommendation from my german professor

visited my work friend’s farm just outside of baltimore

saw pauly d dj at a club lmfaoooooo

found a shark’s tooth at calvert cliffs state park

went to new york for a day to visit brandon before he moved to san francisco! i got in around 5:30am and had the first part of the day to myself. i went to staten island and all the nps sites downtown, then met him at his brother’s apartment a couple blocks from central park (???!!!!). we went to greenwich village, ate lunch at the white horse tavern, and then had a second lunch from mcdonald’s in washington square park. he had to go after a while, but i walked over to the high line to see the sunset. i walked ~45k steps that day but the joy is remembered more than the pain in the end.

i worked and flirted with a nice guy. i might visit him in california in may.

went to nashville to see paul simon with my friend callie. we rocked and enjoyed trashy nashy. that same day, paul simon announced his final show in queens was to be in september. i thought about how i could attend.

we came back to charleston through the smokies and went swimming in the rain. the beauty of that area is unlike anything else. then we met lauren for lunch and it was so goddamn nice. i wish it could have been for longer.

saw harry styles bc i love myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

had a couple friends visit and we did the touristy stuff of dc. it was nice to do that with people for once.

had a couple more friends visit and we went to asbury park for the fourth of july. it was atmospheric and i couldn’t believe i was in springsteen’s stomping ground, especially as one of his song’s namesakes.

saw southside johnny and the asbury jukes

saw a ship belonging to the spanish navy when it docked in charleston for a couple days

started my second long trip of the year

drove from dc to cleveland, first of all. i spent as much time as i could in the rock and roll hall of fame. i saw all the stuff i had learned about in my rock and roll history class and stuff i had grown up with and everything else i didn’t know about. “bruce juice,” pete seeger’s banjo head, and a couple free games of pinball were memorable moments. then, i went on to the cleveland museum of art, where i took a photo i wasn’t supposed to and recognized a couple pieces from my art class sophomore year. i loved cleveland way more than i thought i would and saw myself as a resident there.

went to cuyahoga valley national park the next morning, admiring the only national park in ohio with its waterfalls and greenery, and continued on to bowling green, kentucky. on the way, i went to kent state (which affected me more than i thought -- the military is too often a disgusting institution).

took a 4 hour tour deep into mammoth cave and saw things i couldn’t have even fathomed before. i couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that we were underground where it is always dark yet still teeming with life. the change in humidity when coming back outside made my camera fog up for a good few minutes. it was funny, really. afterwards, i took advantage of the parts of mammoth cave national park that light does touch -- i got soaked in a rainstorm but seeing the green river and having a butterfly land on my finger were things i will always remember. wet and cold, i went on a second tour of a different part of the cave by lantern light in the evening. we saw cave graffiti and even a bat.

i left that area and moved on to the cumberland gap. it was the day before my 22nd birthday and i was in 3 states at once (for the second time this year). “salt seeking buffalo, moccasin clad warriors, dreaming pioneer, battling civil war soldiers. each was here in the historic cumberland gap, and now so are you.” [punctuation added] has got to be one of my favorite signs i’ve ever seen. it conveys the history in simple terms, which is the way i like things. it’s endlessly meaningful without being pretentious.

on my birthday, i toured the forbidden caverns near the smokies, then hiked some of the alum cave bluffs trail. i wish i could have done the whole thing, but i was short on time, as i wanted to be back in charleston by the evening to celebrate my birthday with my parents.

the day after, i slept in for once, went to the angel oak with melissa, and saw brian wilson and the gang perform all of pet sounds with callie. it was nice but there were so many empty seats that it was a little sad.

started my travels again, going back to the smokies area but stopping in blowing rock first and then going down the blue ridge parkway. the next day, i went to pigeon forge and rode an alpine coaster and finally did a somewhat substantial hike in the smokies -- charlies bunion. i saw a mother bear and her 2 babies and was alone on the trail with a beautiful deer. after that hike, i did the tail of the dragon drive and went to fontana dam, where the fog along the water made for an otherworldly feeling in my heart.

came back to charleston once again, but not before swimming around looking glass falls and feeling that this is what summer should look like. also made a stop at the carl sandburg home nhs.

started my drive back to dc for the last time, but took the scenic route -- south of the border, luray caverns, and the hardest hike i’ve ever done over in shenandoah. the famed old rag. it was a rainy tuesday, and the rocks were slippery. i didn’t see a single other person. i clutched those rocks for dear life at times, but i made that 10 mile hike and it was invigorating. i miss getting grimy in the forest.

that whole trip took me 3,755 miles around the eastern us with my ipod, 60s on 6, and phlash phelps’s voice in the morning as my soundtrack.

acknowledged in my head that it was nearly time to the leave the library, a home of mine for the past three and a half years. i told people the date of my departure and it inched closer despite my desire for time to stop progressing.

had a tour of the towers of the national cathedral. it’s not something many people have done and i’m glad to have seen the not-so-showy parts of the structure, along with a closer-up look at the showy parts we know and love.

had a visit from lauren -- we went to nando’s, the portrait gallery, and thrift shops with paige. i wish it would have lasted longer.

went to six flags with my friend from work, where we rode every ride we wanted to. it was carefree, even though my pants ripped.

my final day at the library inevitably came and went. instagram follows and facebook friends increased as i knew this was now the only way to see the people i had known for so long. i got choked up, and i’m choked up even writing this. to say i miss it is to put it very insignificantly. i have left some of myself there.

went back to new york for a few days, where i met up with my father so that we could see a concert in central park celebrating the greenwich village folk scene of the 60s. the mc was richard barone, who we’d met 2 years prior when he gave us a tour of greenwich village. on that trip, i saw theodore roosevelt’s birthplace (thank god for him, sincerely), the cloisters, staten island again, the seinfeld restaurant, and even coney island. we took the bus back to dc and drove my ‘97 ford escort back to charleston.

for the few days i had in charleston before moving to orlando to work for disney, i hung out with people like old times. trivia, the beach, apartments. the circuit.

i really fuckin moved to orlando, i guess. i moved in with 7 other people. we resort-hopped before we got our entrance passes to the parks. i felt mostly unmoved by the orientations that they try so hard to brainwash us with. i took a huge paycut coming here.

i started working at the food and wine festival. goddamn, i miss working at epcot. i saw the groovin alps play their bavarian percussion music and i poured beer and served lobster rolls and korma chicken and lentil stew and everything in between. i met dozens of beautiful people, some of whom are gone back now to from where they came. but i’m still here.

i mentioned earlier that paul simon announced back in june that his final concert would be in queens in late september. i bought a ticket the day they went on sale and was determined to find a way to attend. i did. i flew to new york for a few days -- came into penn station from newark, walked around to greenwich village and the brooklyn bridge and went to the museum of the moving image late in the evening on a friday when it was free. the next day, i visited the queens museum in flushing-meadows corona park (where the concert was also being held) and was in line for the show by 11:30am. i waited for like 8 hours in all, but i was front row. that final paul simon show (which we all know isn’t really the final one, but it did have a certain finality to it) was transformative for me, paul, and everyone else in the audience. i saw lorde, jimmy fallon, and john mulaney. i cried and was recorded and tapped along and admired the performances of “the cool, cool river” and “the obvious child” and every other goddamn song he played. i stuck around as long as i could. the next day, i flew back to orlando and returned to work, but i felt different.

lived the typical life of a college program participant: work, go to the parks, work, go to the parks, sleep.

voted somewhere along the way and was overjoyed that democrats took back the house.

went to st augustine with sarah

eventually, the food and wine festival ended and i was transferred to port orleans riverside, where i currently am. it’s awful but i’m alive.

spent thanksgiving, christmas, and every other holiday at work. it wasn’t really a big deal but it was obviously depressing.

at the beginning of december, broke down and bought a plane ticket back to dc. i had to pick up a poster from the anthem (a music venue), anyway. i stayed with paige and saw my old work friends and just had a good time. goddamn, it was cold, but it was worth it. i finally was able to tour the department of the interior and and i went to theodore roosevelt island for the first time since like freshman year. we even saw zoo lights and went to the christmas pop-up bar on 7th street again.

played basketball one time lmao

played jackbox countless times with my roommates and we made a few trips to jellyrolls, one of the best parts of disney world. i love to go there and sing and hear the piano.

spent new year’s eve at jellyrolls, coincidentally, where i stole a noisemaker and we all wore hats and sang “auld lang syne” when the clock struck midnight, just as you’re supposed to do.

laughed and cried while going through so many large life changes but still understanding that there is always some sort of constant in your life

drove more than i think i ever have before

went to several of the concerts they had for the food and wine festival -- saw people like air supply, starship, and the plain white t’s

listened to countless hours of music -- i think my most listened-to artists were springsteen, dylan, paul simon, maybe david cassidy, old crow medicine show, and lorde.

song of the year: “fare thee well (dink’s song),” marcus mumford and oscar isaac (from inside llewyn davis). it’s an incredible song to travel to.

was always conflicted about working for disney, but really became disgusted with the corporation the more i worked here. i will be happy to not work for them anymore when the time comes because it makes me so uncomfortable to be employed by an entity that doesn’t give a shit about its employees and milks every single fucking penny that it can out of its customers, all under the guise of being giving and magical by using terminology such as “interactions,” “magical moments,” and “guests”

considered my options after this is all over

loved the national park service and even wrote a capstone on it

2018 was the most eventful year of my life. i am not in school for the first time that i can remember; i have a degree. i travelled to more of the us than i ever knew really existed, i saw incredible concerts, and i met some truly wonderful people. but of course, the difficult moves that come along with a year like this were depressing. i knew i would be completely heartbroken when i had to leave the library back in august, but i didn’t realize how sorry i would also be to see my roommates go back to their homes at the end of their tenure at disney. it’s been 2 days, but i miss being able to hang out with them. to gain all the life experience i did, it was necessary to lose some really great parts of my old life. and that blew. but you get over it.

this year in review has taken me so long to write because i had so much to include that it seemed overwhelming to try to articulate it all. i think back to when i would wait until the night before a paper was due to start it, and i feel the same way. but the power in finishing it and having something tangible that points to a certain time in your life and explains the way you felt at that moment is like nothing else. even if the paper you write is shit, it never seems as bad (at least, to me) when you return to read through it a year or two later. it’s your thoughts set in stone, frozen in time. it’s a nice reminder. and i really enjoy writing these posts and i generally like what i write and how i say things, despite the inevitable procrastination in doing so.

i always think of “auld lang syne” when i do a year in review. sure, it’s a standard song for the new year and these year in reviews are written on or around the new year. but to write this, i have to think back to days gone by, before the year even started. and i get this feeling in my stomach of nostalgia and wistfulness (i’ve written about it before, i know) reflecting on the good ol days of these past 365 days and the times before them. we live in strange times right now, especially during what has become a two-week long (and counting!) partial government shutdown, but the memories of the warm past and the dreams of a better future are always going to be around to steady your head. without the abstract, how would we get to the concrete?

“we all cherish our children’s futures. and we are all mortal.”

#about me #me #a year in review #2018

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spnnolifegirl · 6 years

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A New Lifestlye

Requested by @jo-stark :Could you do one where the reader gets like a stomach ache and fever, but doesn't want Sam and Dean (maybe even Adam) take care of her, but she gives in and they take care of her very FLUFFil

..........

A/N: Here you go! I hope you enjoy! It ended way better than what I planned. Also, this story I situated in season 5 and Adam didn’t die.

(Y/F/M) = Your Favorite Movie.

It has only been a few weeks since Sam and Dean rescued you and your twin brother Adam from the Ghouls. Dean had arrived just in time to save you and Adam from a certain death. Since then, you have been living with them, because you had no other family.

Your two older brothers had even started training Adam, but wanted to wait before doing the same for you. You are still healing from the Ghouls, you got cut up good onto your stomach, and had to spend a week at the hospital.

You were now seated at the table of this small motel room. You were working on a math problem Sam assigned you. He wanted you and Adam to still have education, and Dean wanted you two to learn how to be a hunter. So, you are now home-schooled, taught by Sam and trained by Dean. You already feel yourself as a burden. You and Adam used to take care of yourselves, your mother always gone at work to bring food on the table. Now, Sam and Dean are almost like parents, always being there for you and buying you your favorite diner food.

Even though you enjoy the attention, you do not know if they are doing this because they care or because they pity. In your opinion, they pity you. You just lost your mother, you just knew the father you never really know is dead and you also learned that monsters are real.

Because of all this, you decided to help them out as much as you can. You go out to get groceries, get them there morning coffee and everything they need, instead of resting to heal your injury. You did not listen to your brothers, having now an infected cut. You did everything you could to get it better, but every day it is worse and worse.

You enter the motel room, carrying the coffees in a stray. Dean is the only one up, seated at the table in front of the newspaper.

“Hey, kid” he greeted getting up.

He takes the stray from you, setting it on the table and pointing a chair so you can take a seat.

“Thanks for the coffee” he said “but you know that you don’t need to go and get it. You should be resting”.

“No, it’s fine” you lied.

Dean stares at you, seeing the lie into your eyes. It has only been a few weeks, but he already know you well, and love you and your twin.

“You sure? You don’t look that good”.

“I’m sure” you nodded with a smile.

You go to the bathroom to go check on your wound. You lift up your shirt and peel off the bandage slowly, hissing in pain. Tears go up in your eyes at the sight of a big puffy red cut, even thinking of telling your twin.

Someone knocks on the door, making you jump out of your skin.

“Hey” Adam calls out “you almost done sis? I need to go pee”.

“One sec, Adam”.

You put the bandage back on, adding to your list to put another one.

Before opening the door, you take a deep breath, to hide the fact that you could fall at any second.

The second you open the door, Adam knows something is wrong. The both of you are almost one person, you even can talk without talking, only with the looks you know what the other person needs.

“(Y/n), are you okay?”

“Yeah, you-“

“No, no, no”.

Adam grabs you gently by your arms and sits you on the bed you share. By the time you went to the bathroom, Sam had woken up, and is now staring at you worriedly, Dean copying him.

Your twin places a hand on your forehead, the coldness of his hand made you feel good.

“You have a fever”.

“I knew something was wrong” Dean sighed, getting up “why did you lie to me?”

“I’m sorry” you said your voice breaking “I didn’t want to worry you”.

“(Y/N)” Sam said sitting beside you “you’re our little sister, of course we worry”.

“But I’m only your half-sister” you say tears streaming down your face “I-“

“No” Dean cut you off “you may be our half-sister, but we consider you and Adam, like family”.

Adam wipes off your tears with his thumb, giving you his comforting smile you always liked.

“Now, let’s get you rested” Dean said pulling the overs of the bed.

You bite your lip, looking down at your stomach, knowing that lying down will not help.

“Actually… I uh… it won’t help” you sigh “the cut I got from the Ghoul is infected”.

Adam lifts up your shirt to check, his jaw clenching when he peels off your bandage.

“Okay, I guess we have ourselves a trip to the hospital” Dean said.

You groan, not happy at all to go back to the hospital when you just got out.

………………………………………..

Your three brothers never left your side for the few days you spent at the hospital. You would not stop telling them to go back to the motel to get some sleep, but they always refused.

“Hello (Y/N)” doctor Simon said entering the room “you are officially free to go home. I will only need your guardian to fill out some papers”.

Dean gets up, ruffling your hair before following the doctor out the room.

“Well, looks like someone is finally going home” Adam happily said.

“I’ll go get your bag from the Impala” Sam said getting up.

You nod with a giant smile on your face. The only thought of having your normal clothes back makes you excited to jump out of bed.

“Okay, sis” Adam started once Sam left “I need you to promise me something”.

“I promise I’ll tell you or Sam or Dean if I am hurting”.

Adam smiles, ruffling your hair, getting a groan from you.

“Not you too!” You exclaimed placing your hair back.

“So, for your resting time at home, until you are one hundred percent okay, I already planned a movie marathon”.

“Oh! Can we watch (Y/F/M)?”

“Again? We watched that movie like a hundred time!”

“Please?”

You give him your best puppy eyes you learned from Sam. It always works on Adam, him having a soft spot for you.

“Fine” he sighed “but only one time, not two times”.

“No promises” you chuckled.

Adam laughs, making you the happiest sister in the world. It has been such a hard time for you two. Losing your normal life, losing your mother and getting a traumatizing experience with ghouls, it took time to recover. But today, you finally feel like you can be happy, with three overprotective brothers.

“Hey, (Y/N), got your bag”.

You thank Sam as you take the bag and head to the bathroom, wincing slightly at each movement. You are still not used to move your body, since the boys didn’t let you move.

“You okay?” Sam asked holding your shoulder “need any help changing?”

“No Sam, I’m fine, it might just take me a little longer than normal”.

You lock eyes with Adam, telling him that if ever something happens, you will call. Getting the message from your look, Adam smiles.

In ten minutes, you managed to get dressed in your black jeans and Adam’s white shirt you had stolen. You looked at yourself in the mirror, felling whole again, you look healthier and happier.

Once you get out of the bathroom, your heart gets even happier seeing the three people you love the most.

“Papers are signed” Dean said “ready to go?”

“Always”.

The four of you head outside the hospital room, you reach the stairs, ready to get your legs to work, but Dean pulls you away.

“Nop, we are using the elevator, we don’t need you working too hard”.

You groan, but accept to follow him knowing that it is going to be a long few days of full recovery.

……………………….

It has been so many hours on the road, Dean insisted to drive slower so he does not hurt your injury. During the trip, all you did was sleep, laying your head on Adam’s lap as he played with your hair.

Sam had the idea to bring you at Bobby’s house, a close friend of them they call family. When you arrived, you were happy to see a house, you were getting tired of sleeping in motel rooms.

You also understood why they called Bobby family. The second you entered the house, Bobby had already prepared a bed for you in the living room so you wouldn’t have to take the stairs. Even though you would have been capable of going upstairs.

Dean had already gone up to bed, Bobby was seated at his desk reading an old book and Adam sitting with you, your head on his lap. Sam entered the living room, his hands in his pockets.

“You need water?” He asked you.

“No” you shook your head “I think I’m gonna try and get some sleep”.

“Okay, then I’m gonna go up to bed, night (Y/N), Adam” he looks at Bobby “night Bobby”.

“Night” you, Adam and Bobby answered at the same time.

The comfort of home, the slight light coming from the television and Bobby’s desk. The most important, you have your twin brother, falling asleep sitting on the couch with you, like the good old days, but a new life style.

……………………………..

TAGS : @rosie-winchester @evyiione @jamric @awkwardandawesome @the-third-winchester-warrior

Want to be tagged? Send me an ASK!

#supernatural #imagine #fanfiction #spn fanfic #SPN #SISTER WINCHESTER #dean winchester #dean #sam #Sam Winchester #sam wincehster #adam milligan #sister winchester one shot #dean winchester one shot #sam winchester one shot #adam twin

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abitscripturient · 4 years

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May

1. What is your character's secret dream? What one goal, ambition or desire does she keep hidden from others, and why? What would she do to achieve it? Aija would love a life where her mother was a part of it. She has always felt like her mother’s absence in her life impacted it deeply.

*Write a list of your character's top five lifetime achievement goals. -To be a better woman -To travel somewhere in the world -To have a supportive man in her life -To start a family -To be successful

2. What is your character's worst fear? How far would she go to avoid it? To be a druggie like her mother was. To be a nobody in life.

3. If your character could be any famous person, whom would she choose and why? Eartha Kitt *List your character's favorite celebrities. Ellen, Maya Angelou, Natalie Cole, Nina Simone, Kelly Rowland

4. If your character could achieve any one position of authority, what would she choose and why? Queen- she feels like she can be any kind of queen if she wanted to be.

5. If your character could change the entire world in one tiny but pervasive way, what would it be? Cure Cancer

6. If your character knew she would die tomorrow, what would she do today? Probably spend the day with her loved ones or maybe a trip to the beach with Hikaru

7. Who was your character's favorite teacher and why? Aija didn’t have a favorite teacher. She was very rebellious in school.

8. Does your character tend to focus her efforts on one project at a time, or does she spread her efforts across a variety of projects? Aija likes to do a variety of things at once. She thinks she’ll get things down faster.

9. Does your character like to cook? If so, what does she like to cook and how good is she at it? Aija loves to cook and is mostly seen cooking all her meals. While she does love going out, she would rather make meals that she can taste and experiment with flavors.

10. If someone tried to blackmail your character, what would she do? How easy or difficult would it be? Aija does get blackmailed by either Nicole or Mizuki. It was hard because Aija wasn’t really bad after her high school years, but whoever did it, found out that she wasn’t all that perfect.

11. If your character needed a security clearance for a job she wanted, would she be able to get one? Oh yeah! If there is somebody with a charming personality, it’s Aija. She would chat her way in and then send a gift to that person after.

12. There's someone who hates your character, but your character doesn't realize it. Who is this person and why does he hate your character so much? Mizuki- she hates Aija because she knows that Aija is the one marrying Hikaru. She is supposed to be in an arranged marriage with him.

*How would your character find out? Hearing Mizuki’s plans in half Japanese as she tells a friend. *What would she do about it? She would foil the plans as politely as she could and give Mizuki a sweet smile afterwards.

13. Someone is secretly in love with your character. Who is it and how does your character feel about him? Nobody is in love with Aija but in lust. Reggie was always wanting Aija sexually. Finn pretends to want her for helping Nicole get revenge on Hikaru, but he does end up actually wanting her a little.

14. Is your character at all spiritual or religious? If so, what religion or spiritual path does she follow? Yes. She is a Christian.

How devout is she? She is not church going but she does believe in God

*Does she hate all members of any religion(s)? No. *Is she tolerant of other religions? If so, how tolerant? She is aware that Hikaru is a different religion and she is fine with it. She is the same with other people and other religions She doesn’t understand how people are agnostic, but it’s not her business in her opinion.

15. What hurt will your character never forgive? How old (and how minor or major) is this hurt? How much does it affect her life? She will never forgive how her mother got into drugs so much that she was taken away from her. She’s had this hurt for 19 years.

16. One of your character's parents said something to her that she'll never forget. What are the words that will always echo in her ears? Yvone told Aija always as a child: “You are a queen. You will always be a queen.” Aija has never forgotten that.

17. What is your character's favorite color to wear? Is it the same as or different than her favorite color? Aija loves wearing cream or white colored clothes. She feels like it goes with her complexion well.

18. Open up your character's kitchen cupboards. What do you see? Coffee cups, plates and other dishes in a couple, spices and seasonings in another, breakfast items in another one.

19. What does a typical grocery list look like for your character? Meats, organic veggies, spices, seasonings and herbs, fruits, pastries, chesses, wine are some things on her list.

20. Does your character prefer recreational activities that involve other people, or solo activities? It’s more a balance of both.

21. Does your character ever get drunk or high? What is she like at those times? Aija is usually good with alcohol but there has been some times that she’s gone a little overboard like at parties. When she gets drunk she is laughing really high and stumbling all over the place. She usually needs help getting home. Because of that she watches what she drinks. Sake is not her friend.

22. From your point of view, what is your character's worst flaw? She’s very emotional and when she is, she blows up in people’s faces.

23. From your point of view, what is your character's greatest strength? She has extreme confidence-for somebody that has had such a hard upbringing.

24. From the point of view of someone close to your character, what is her worst flaw? That from the start she’s nice and sweet and then when she’s upset her moods are explosive.

25. A stray cat (or dog) shows up on your character's doorstep several days in a row and appears to have no home. What does she do? She takes care of the animal. In fact she ends up fostering a stray kitten that she and Hikaru name Neko.

26. From the point of view of someone close to your character, what is her greatest strength? That she never shows any fear. She is always good and calm at what she does.

27. Your character arrives home to find her door unlocked and slightly ajar, and she's sure she locked it on her way out. What does she do? If she is with her father, she drives back to the station. If she is with Hikaru, she heads to his apartment. If she is alone, she calls the police and goes back to her car.

28. From your character's point of view, what is her worst flaw? That she a procrastinator when it comes to her life. She wants to be much better than she is.

29. If someone told your character that she had a mental illness, how would she react? She would be shocked at first but then she would find out how to take care of it.

30. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert, definitely

31. From your character's point of view, what is her greatest strength? That she tries not to let anything get her down.

#series: medicinal love #char: aija edwards #365 questions #character building #queued

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andryuska · 7 years

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REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck ! TAGGED. stolen off the dash! TAGGING. @extasiie @moscowsdragon @goodcousin @dearbewildered @inburgundy @anastcsie @bolkonskxya @youngwiife

BASICS. FULL NAME : Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky NICKNAME : Andre, Andryushka (and many more, see this post) AGE : mid/late 20s - early 30s BIRTHDAY : November 13, sometime in the late 18th century. ETHNIC GROUP : White NATIONALITY : Russian LANGUAGE / S : French, Russian, English, German. SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Greysexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Demiromantic. RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Verse and year dependent - Married in 1805, single from 1806 - 1809, courting and then being betrothed to Natasha in 1810 - 1811, single again in 1812. Generally dating Natasha in modern college verse, and single in modern verse. CLASS : Titled Nobility HOME TOWN / AREA : Bald Hills, Russia CURRENT HOME : Bugocharovo, Russia, as well as various other estates. PROFESSION : Adjutant to General Kutuzov, member of Military Council, Army Officer.

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Dark brown, and kept fairly short. What slightly longer parts there are near the top of his head are significantly wavy, but not necessarily curly. Parted on the left. EYES : Dark brown and very intense, made prominent by dark eyelashes and slight bags underneath. NOSE : Average and pretty much not notable. One nostril is slightly larger than the other. It has never been broken. FACE : Conventionally handsome, though slightly asymmetrical. He has fairly well defined lines with his cheekbones and jawline ( though the latter is hidden under a short and well kept beard ). His eyes are deeply set and averagely far apart, and dark rimmed as well. He has no laugh lines, but his forehead has a couple wrinkles on it from stress, and there’s a crease between his well-shaped eyebrows that becomes especially visible when he’s troubled by something. LIPS : Thin and usually pressed into a thin line. He’s usually either neutral or frowning. COMPLEXION : White and pale, but not to the point of being quite noticeable. Has a better tan on his face and hands than everywhere else, on account of wearing a uniform. BLEMISHES : Two small moles on his neck. A small birthmark that’s paler than the rest of him on his left hip, where the bone protrudes a little. SCARS : Some small, faded scars on his arms from childhood roughhousing. Larger scars on his side + back from being wounded at Austerlitz ( he was knocked over the head while carrying the standard into battle, and in lying there, was likely injured further in being trampled or by stray artillery fire. ) TATTOOS : None. HEIGHT : 6′0″. WEIGHT : 170 lbs. BUILD : Fit, but on the thinner side. FEATURES : Generally assertive and adult-looking. His features make him look responsible, though not entirely friendly. As said, he’s conventionally handsome. ALLERGIES : None. USUAL HAIR STYLE : Well-kept, and otherwise left as it is. USUAL FACE LOOK : Andrei’s resting expression is a rather annoyed one. He doesn’t naturally smile or frown, but has a neutral mouth, and his eyes give off a very intent sort of apathy and indifference. He looks like he’s bored with everything and has seen it all before, and is irritated to have to experience anything at all. Of course, as soon as someone he likes engages him, or gets him on a topic that he has opinions about, he’ll animate in a very intense way, take on a very perplexed and troubled expression in arguing for what he thinks is correct. He very rarely smiles, and when it does, it’s usually small and somewhat veiled, and often without any real joy. USUAL CLOTHING : A staple to any of his outfits is black boots and trousers. At home, he usually wears a shirt that’s somewhat open at the collar, and often prefers suspenders to a belt. Most of his shirts are whites or light blues, with minimal patterns, and most suspenders are darker colors, again without a lot of vibrant patterns. He tends to roll his sleeves. In going out, he has a heavy grey coat that’s fairly long, with leather sown into the shoulders for protection against rain and cold. His more formal wear is usually his military uniform, which consists of a green coat darker gold embellishments, occasionally worn with a sash. There are white trousers and a black leather belt to go with these. In terms of accessories, he has a saber and a pistol, both worn off a belt for that specific purpose, though he prefers not to carry these things around with him.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Failure, lacking a proper legacy, appearing vulnerable or weak, being completely isolated and unreachable, being inadequate, intensely emotional discussions... ASPIRATION / S : At first, Andrei wants very hard to define himself as a military commander and to rise to greatness in leadership. After Austerlitz, he makes it a goal to reform the military code as to bring more order to warfare. Once Natasha breaks her engagement to him, however, Andrei wants to punish Anatole on a very low level, and otherwise has not life goals or aspirations, he’s just tired of living. POSITIVE TRAITS : Intelligent, polite, considerate, loyal, reflective, determined, responsible, trustworthy, committed, thoughtful. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Irritable, cold, tends to over analyze, doubtful, selfish, easily bored, self-isolating, tends to internalize, unfriendly, condescending, MBTI : INTJ ZODIAC : Scorpio TEMPERAMENT : Melancholic VICE HABIT / S : Paces relentlessly, escapism via intellectual discourses, doesn’t hold eye contact, clicks / plays with writing utensil ( or whatever is in his hands ), occasionally argumentative on purpose. FAITH : Russian Orthodox, but not strictly devout or heavily practicing. GHOSTS ? : Undecided. AFTERLIFE ? : No. REINCARNATION ? : No. ALIENS ? : No. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Conservative, and loyal to the Russian Empire. ECONOMIC PREFERENCE : Used to living with wealth, though largely unconscious of it. He doesn’t care much for luxuries, and instead would rather his money be used for functional purposes and necessities. SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION : High class. EDUCATION LEVEL : Taught both at home and abroad by his father and a variety of hired tutors. Extremely well-read, and knowledgeable of politics, philosophy, and history. Still has some education to complete in military affairs. His poorest subject is mathematics.

FAMILY. FATHER : Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky MOTHER : Unknown, died when he was young. SIBLINGS : Marya Bolkonskaya EXTENDED FAMILY : None of note. NAME MEANING / S : Manly, brave. HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : It’s likely that the Bolkonsky family was modeled after the historical Volkonsky family, which had a few Russian generals who would have been Andrei’s age during the course of the Napoleonic wars. Additionally, it’s likely that Andrei was named after his grandfather.

FAVOURITES. BOOK : Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes. He thinks it fairly correct in many of its assessments, and himself has little optimism about human nature. MOVIE : Dunkirk (2017) dir. Christopher Nolan 5 SONGS : I Am a Rock - Simon and Garfunkel // The Show Must Go On - Queen // Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - The Platters // Tell My Father - Civil War // Miserere Mei Deus - Allegri DEITY : None. HOLIDAY : None. MONTH : None. SEASON : Autumn. PLACE : His study at home. WEATHER : Partly cloudy and somewhat cool. SOUND : Natasha’s voice when she sings. SCENT / S : Vanilla, cold autumn air, pine forests. TASTE / S : Rye bread, white tea with sugar. FEEL / S : Finely spun wool that’s very soft, being held by someone he loves / trusts, cool polished wood, cold marble, clean linens, general smooth, cool or cold surfaces. ANIMAL / S : Snowy owls, barn owls. NUMBER : Three. COLOUR : Blue.

EXTRA. TALENTS : Content analysis, writing academic prose, understanding political problems, organization and planning, debating and arguing, leadership. BAD AT : Casual conversation and small talk, complex mathematics, handling emotions in a healthy way, comforting others, being supportive. TURN ONS : Infectious laughs and smiles, unburdened happiness and brightness, private / secret intimacy, possessive talk ( you’re mine / you belong to me / etc. ), gentle and genuine reinforcement. TURN OFFS : Overdone emotions and extreme acts of affection, publicity and PDA, vulgar talk, idiocy and ignorance. HOBBIES : Reading and writing. TROPES : Byronic Hero, Awful Wedded Life, Intelligence Equals Isolation, The Stoic. QUOTES : “To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness.” - Erich Fromm. // “The majority of the people of that time paid not attention to the general course of things, but were guided only by the personal interests of the day. And those people were the most useful figures of that time.” - Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace // “It’s not given to people to judge what’s right or wrong. People have eternally been mistaken and will be mistaken, and in nothing more so than in what they consider right and wrong.” - Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace.

FC INFO. MAIN FC / S : Nicholas Belton ALT FC / S : Blake DeLong OLDER FC / S : None YOUNGER FC / S : None VOICE CLAIM / S : Nicholas Belton GENDERBENT FC / S : None.

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : Okay, so if I made a movie about Andrei’s life ( it would be sort of a biopic, but it would mostly focus on the wars ) it would be called War Weary and it would be a pretty stylized drama. I’d want to use a lot of symbolic methods for exposition and have mostly just natural sounds, and hold off on an elaborate soundtrack. It would start with the sky at Austerlitz and end with the Borodino wound, so it would kind of go full circle. It would get like three Oscars, I promise. Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : It would be largely instrumental, and done in late classical style. Lots of minor keys and broken chords. It would have to give the impression of thoughtfulness, of never having any stillness, as to represent Andrei’s inability to stop thinking of things. The only really bright part would still have to be slow, and wouldn’t come to the very end. Heavy use of stringed instruments and piano, with some underlying percussion. Dave Malloy would compose it. Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : I read War and Peace, and identified a lot with Andrei right at the beginning. That kind of gave me the idea of making a blog for him, but at the time, I wasn’t really in RP at all. After reading the book, I made a blog, and it sat there for a bit before I finally decided to start to actually put effort into it. INTJ solidarity also played a part, and encouragement from others on RP blogs that I did try and bring back later in this past summer. I really don’t make blogs lightly, and I don’t make a lot of them, so it really must have been a strong connection, because here I am, writing Andrei. Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4 : He’s so disinterested in social situations and other people, like he comes in to Anna Pavlovna’s soiree and just... Does not want to be there at all, basically insults a bunch of people, then goes off and complains about it to his only friend. That’s me. That’s a thing I have done. So yeah, I kept an eye on him since. Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : He can be such an asshole sometimes, let me tell you... Like there are reasons behind it, which you can find in numerous headcanon posts, but he can just come off in such a terrible and cold way. It’s especially bad when it’s to the people who are trying to help him / be good to him. it kills me that he pushes them away in favor of just isolating himself instead of dealing with his problems. Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : Lonely. Single. One friend. In seriousness though, all those things, plus some more. We share a personality type and a general cynicism about the world and about other people. Honestly, I probably have a lot of his bad traits, which isn’t great, but hey, if there’s one thing Andrei and I can’t do, it’s change for the better. Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : We would probably be intellectual rivals... I can see us fighting over politics and philosophy, on account of having rather different ideological views. But like, not in an angry way, in a courteous and debating way. I don’t think Andrei would like me, to be fully honest. Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8 : ANATOLE KURAGIN ( blame extasiie, kay made me aware of anadrei ), Pierre, Natasha, Marya B and Marya D ( especially in my modern college verse ), Sonya ( aka bring on the Angst ), and a whole lot of others. Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : Reading War & Peace. There’s a few sections that I go to and reread if I don’t have muse - Andrei’s introduction through to his dinner with Pierre, his return from Austerlitz and the trauma that follows, sections with Natasha, his last conversation with Pierre, and his death. These usually get me thinking in character and it helps to read the source to get the style of prose right. For modern college verse, which I write in a lot, I can usually just go right into it without a lot of inspiration, because college!Andrei and I have plenty of similarities. Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : I didn’t do it all in some sitting, so I don’t know. A couple hours at least.

#about #headcanon #this took about a million years jeez

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Misfits: The 5 Best (And 5 Worst Couples) | ScreenRant

When you're stuck doing community service in a dull neighborhood in London, there's not much to stop you from hooking up with your fellow societal disruptors. Not even getting cool super powers in a freak geo-storm changes that sort of human behavior. Misfits, the popular British series that wondered what would happen if ordinary reprobates suddenly gained superhuman abilities, ran for five seasons and proved a welcome respite to the ordinarily upbeat superhero shows on television.

RELATED: Misfits: The 5 Best Powers (& The 5 Weirdest)

It's premise and at times depressing atmosphere was made accessible by the strength of its young leads, each responsible for moments of great tenderness, black comedy, and gripping drama. As they all dealt with their powers in different ways, they also developed feelings for one another. Here are the 5 best, and 5 worst couples of the series. It's available to stream on Hulu.

10 BEST: SIMON AND ALISHA

While they might seem like complete opposites on the outside (Simon is a lonely introvert, and Alisha is a beautiful social butterfly), what make them different from one another also make them complementary. Alisha helps Simon become more confident in his abilities, and he keeps Alisha grounded and practical.

Simon treats Alisha as more than a pretty face, and she makes Simon realize he is worthy enough to be noticed. Simon begins the series with the power of invisibility, but later changes it to clairvoyance. Alisha began with the ability to make anyone sexually desire her, and traded it to be able to see through another person's eyes. Unfortunately, their relationship is doomed once they experience a tragic time loop.

9 WORST: SIMON AND SALLY

Simon and Sally's "relationship" was unfortunate from start to finish. It began with the two of them meeting at the community center where Sally was the new probation worker. Simon and the gang had no idea she was secretly gathering information as the disappearance of their previous probation worker, who happened to be her fiance.

Related: Netflix Developing The One Adaptation From Misfits Creator

She manipulates Simon from the beginning, appearing as a lonely girl online for him to speak to in a chatroom, as well as using her feigned empathy to his antisocial behaviors in real life to get close to him. After he discovers what she's been up to one of their dates, he's forced to kill her. She would come back as a ghost later to cause trouble for him and Alisha.

8 BEST: ALISHA AND CURTIS

One of the first pairings to occur on the show, Alisha and Curtis seemed like the perfect match. Alisha was popular because of her good looks and vivacious personality, while Curtis was a previously famous track star with a lot of potential outside of community service.

Unfortunately, due to Alisha's powerful affect, they couldn't be intimate, which strained them in ways they didn't anticipate. Eventually, it was her realizing her feelings for Sam that drove a wedge between them that Curtis could sent, resulting in them calling it quits.

7 WORST: NATHAN AND MARNIE

While Nathan never exhibited any indication he was going to end up with a real winner, some random pregnant girl he meets in the corridors of the community center requires a little mental gymnastics to accept. They're virtual strangers, but before long he's introducing her to the rest of the crew and then later delivering her baby.

Why Nathan would suddenly care about anyone other than himself, going so far as to sell his power (immortality, a Class A power) for a measly two thousand pounds for someone he barely knows, is a struggle to believe. Nathan does a 180 in personality without any character development, and promptly leaves the show with Marnie.

6 BEST: KELLY AND BRUNO

She was a girl. He was a gorilla turned into a boy. Their meeting was by chance, but it turned into one of the most meaningful romantic moments in the series. She could read his thoughts, and knew that the way he felt about her was different than other boys her age.

Related: 10 Most Powerful Characters Of Misfits Ranked

Unfortunately, she didn't find out that the kind, hulking boy she met had formerly been a gorilla before the geo-storm, whose only wish was to be human and find a nice human girl. He's shot and killed by police, and he dies in Kelly's arms, telling her it was worth being human just to meet and be with her.

5 WORST: CURTIS AND NIKKI

We didn't get to know Nikki long enough to decide if she was the best for Curtis or not, because a stray bullet takes her out in a robbery that should never have happened. Before that though, her and Curtis were planning on traveling the world with the money they'd made selling their powers.

Nikki came into Curtis's life when he was still trying to determine how he felt about Alisha, and her very presence seemed to make that decision for him. He ultimately decided to see where things would go with Nikki, and she always seemed like a rebound, without any real personality.

4 BEST: KELLY AND SETH

One of the best couples of the series was Kelly and Seth, probably because they were the most successful and ended up lasting the longest. Even fan favorites Simon and Alisha had temporal anomalies get in the way of their relationship, dooming them to a tragic time loop forever.

Related: Misfit Reboot Finds Its Leads

While Simon and Alisha were doomed to save each other and die for each other perpetually, Seth and Kelly formed an unlikely bond. Seth liked Kelly's unapologetic attitude, and Kelly liked Seth's grounded practicality. Not even his resurrected zombie girlfriend could tear them apart.

3 WORST: RUDY AND JESS

When Rudy appeared on the show, he took the place of fan favorite Nathan, who starred in the first two seasons and then left for greener pastures (catch the actor in The Umbrella Academy). This left a hole for a rowdy, foul-mouthed rogue, and Rudy fit that times two. Literally, because his power meant he had two (and at one point) three versions of himself.

When he finally curbed his lecherous ways to be with Jess, it seemed forced. Jess, a new addition to the cast in Season 3, didn't begin to fully develop as a character until Season 4, and her power to see through solid objects revealed to her many times what a lout Rudy was, making their relationship very awkward.

2 BEST: JESS AND ALEX

Alex joined the cast as a regular in Season 4, and was nothing more than a barman with Curtis at the local pub when Jess first set her eyes on him. Reserved and distant at first, Jess assumed he didn't like her, but he was really under the control of someone else's power despite having none of his own.

When he received a lung transplant from a victim of the storm, he gained the ability to take powers from others by being intimate with them, and in Season 5 heroically saves Jess by breaking into the community center when a possessed Finn is attacking her. It's a shame she would actually end up with Rudy.

1 WORST: CURTIS AND LOLA

Lola mesmerized Curtis from the moment he laid eyes on her - she was striking, with dark hair and pale skin, and often wore vintage inspired clothing that evoked a femme fatale aesthetic. She was in fact a black widow, turned into the character she was auditioning for at her community theater when the storm struck.

She lured Curtis into a relationship, and made him kill her ex, a man who knew how she really treated men. When Curtis resurrected him to learn the truth about her, Curtis was bitten, sealing his fate on the series as a zombie that would need to be eventually killed off.

NEXT: Arrowverse: The 5 Best and 5 Worst Couples

source https://screenrant.com/misfits-best-worst-couples/

#screenrant

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rugbyquit5-blog · 5 years

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In a funny but scattered episode, The Good Place and Bad Place frantically fight it out on Earth

D’Arcy Carden, Ted Danson

Photo: Justin Lubin (NBC)

“Is that bad?” “I don’t know, but it’s weird, man!”

The Good Place has been so consistently great at subverting our expectations that even calling “The Brainy Bunch” my least favorite episode of the series so far isn’t the warning flare it might be otherwise. Things are getting sweaty and desperate in this third episode (“Every part of my body is either too dry or too wet,” complains Michael to Janet), both for the Good Place and Bad Place teams. The thing is, it also feels a little uncharacteristically sweaty and desperate for The Good Place, too.

Restating the danger represented by Bad Place douchebag Trevor (Adam Scott, you were missed) as “a diabolical, sadistic agent of evil” sees Michael once more sneaking down to Earth. Thwarted by Trevor’s ability to disruptively blend with Chidi’s study group of the damned (since Michael is known to the group as Zack Pizzazz, Gordon Indigo, and the world’s most reassuring bartender and librarian, respectively), Michael enlists Janet to keep an eye on Trevor’s attempts to drive the group apart with bad advice, bottomless shots, incessant “dank memes,” and general try-hard Ned Flanders-esque chipper obnoxiousness. (Jason thinks Trevor is cool, which is a red flag.) But, since both Janet and Michael share Trevor’s earthbound powerlessness, they’re stuck trying to counter Trevor’s deviousness from the shadows. Or, in Janet’s case, from the beer-fetching cowgirl waitress persona she adopts at the garish Cowboy Skyscraper Buffet Trevor insists they go to. (“I will go physically pick those up I guess, and then walk them back there with my feet,” says the powerless Janet through clenched teeth after failing to make the group’s first round magically appear.)

Adam Scott as Trevor

Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC

There, Trevor plants seeds of ethical misgivings in Chidi for hanging out with the subjects of his study, drives Eleanor back to her motel room with personalized team sweatshirts and reprehensible Jamaican accents (Adam Scott channeling Michael Scott at his worst), and tries to hook up a drunk Tahani and Jason, thinking that the morning-after shame will send Tahani home on the first private jet. Meanwhile, the rattled Janet is stuck being unable to just manifest things, ranting to Michael about how so much of humans’ lives is spent “just waiting for things to be over.” (Draft beer takes forever.) While Michael proclaims his faith that Chidi, like he’s done every single time over 800 do-overs, will choose to help Eleanor, he—decked out in a trenchcoat and fedora, as is his Dick Tracy conception of cool and surreptitious—can’t help but betray his shaken confidence. So much so that he tries to reprise his avuncular librarian character on the fly to Chidi, introducing his much-less-natural advice by introducing himself as “the librarian, from the library.”

But Michael, soulless creature from the pits of DMV hell that he’s been for all eternity, does have faith. “These four humans are all I care about in the universe,” Michael snaps at the smug Trevor, and, as ever, this immortal weirdo’s transformation remains terribly affecting, even as “The Brainy Bunch” admits some doubts as to the season’s direction. To start, the earthly shenanigans this time out aren’t as fresh as they have been. The Aussie all-American restaurant gags feel forced, from Trevor admiring the “swamp stench” of the Florida table, to the Mount Rushmore of Hulk Hogan, Judge Judy, Paris Hilton, and David Hasselhoff, to the restaurant’s “manifest destiny special” where you can pay extra to kick anyone off of any table you want, it’s all clever enough, I suppose. But it comes off just the wrong side of wacky, like a—and I don’t say this lightly—a latter-season Simpsons conceit. (The same goes for Eleanor’s choice of Australian gossip mag, Aus Weekly.)

Manny Jacinto, Jameela Jamil

Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC

And yet . . .

When Michael and Janet (and the gloating Trevor) are summoned by Mike O’Malley’s Doorman (we find out his name’s Jeff) back to the Judge’s realm, Judge Gen explains how all these repeated incursions have, as Michael hinted last week, caused “ripple effects” on Earth’s reality. There’s a lot to unpack in Gen’s assertions that some of the inexplicable changes (the Jacksonville Jaguars being sort-of good, The World’s Greatest Showman being a hit, Brexit) are things that have actually happened on our Earth. But it’s also tantalizing how the Cowboy Skyscraper Cafe and its attendant food gags (including the drink special, The Fourth Of July, consisting of half a blended apple pie, Southern Comfort, and Coke, served in a Chevy hubcap) smack of Michael’s effortful fake Good Place. (Think last week’s muffin cart, “We Crumb From A Land Down Under,” too.) It’s like the old reality of Michael’s neighborhood is infecting our Earth. If it is, indeed, our Earth. Conspiracy theories in the comments, please.

Manny Jacinto, jameela Jamil, Adam Scott

Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC

And then there’s the Judge, played to loopy yet authoritative perfection by Maya Rudolph. Upon discovering that Michael and Janet have disobeyed the terms of their experiment, she—after a series of exaggerated vocal tics and hand gestures that suggest just how long Gen has been bored out of her mind in her NCIS-bingeing solitude—plans to summarily whisk them both back to the Bad Place. (She simply hurls suck-up Trevor into the void.) On one hand, that’s only fair. There was a deal, one that stretched the very rules of existence, and they violated it. Gen’s still willing to let their experiment play out sans interference (saying the humans “need to hit the regular point threshold” on their own), but is indifferent to the fact that her decision means Michael will be “retired” (a lot more painful than it sounds, as you recall), and Janet will be turned into an inert marble for all eternity. Again, fair enough, if fairness is indeed what the show’s universe, as presented, is truly built upon.

Gen is by far the fairest nigh-omniscient figure we’ve met, seemingly free from Shawn’s vindictive glee in tormenting others (goo-cocoons aren’t just for his enemies), or Michael’s muddled aspiration. When the four humans told her their plight, she listened, she empathized, and she sentenced them to hell, essentially, because rules are rules. There’s a gnawing unease about that aspect of The Good Place’s universe that’s a lot more existentially frightening than all the penis-flatteners and food that turns to spiders in your mouth that supposedly await the damned in the Bad Place. Rudolph makes Gen a figure of genial, even sentimental amorality in the service of supposed impartiality. Remember when the Judge teared up at the Facebook video she made of her brief time together with the four people she was about to send to hell? That chilling mix of personal mushiness with institutional coldness runs through the episode here, just as it’s lurked through every episode of The Good Place. If the so-called arbiters of good and evil can recognize, and even embody, human faults without sympathy for those struggling against them, then we have to ask again, what the fuck sort of moral system is this?

William Jackson Harper, Kirby Howell-Baptiste

Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC

And so we cheer on Michael and Janet’s decision to use Janet’s backlog of manifested items as distraction to make a break back to Earth. And we’re roused by the dour Doorman’s decision to betray his boss, tossing his sacred key to Michael with the tersely hilarious, “Good luck, frog man. I’m pulling for you.” Gen, hurling Janet’s heap of human wishes after Trevor into the void, is cast as the villain, not because anything she’s done is wrong, but because the system she’s enforcing appears rigged against anyone who steps out of line. (Remember, we have never received reliable information about a single person who’s racked up enough points to make it to the Good Place.) And so The Good Place blows itself up again, and, as it’s done repeatedly throughout, it does so by leaping through a door before we expect it.

If the squabbles and subterfuge taking place on Earth in this third episode paled in comparison to what we’re used to from The Good Place, the fact that The Good Place (episode written by Dan Schofield) rushes ahead of our expectations suggests that Michael Schur and company, as ever, have a grand design that will only come together in retrospect.

Stray observations

For all Trevor’s assholery , Chidi and Eleanor’s bond is tested most this episode by Chidi’s enthusiasm for his new study, leaving Eleanor feeling like she’s come all the way from Arizona only to be cast aside. As she explains, “I feel like last week I had my own personal ninja master and now I’m taking tai chi with a bunch of farting housewives.”

William Jackson Harper gets some fantastic physical Chidi comedy this time out, especially when his ethical quandary robs him of all but eight non-consecutive minutes of sleep. “It’s fine, you’re not even that blurry,” he assures Simone.

In the end, Chidi and Eleanor’s bond is reaffirmed, if only for a three-month trial period while Chidi tries to find a work-friendship balance. He also answers an imaginary door knock, and can’t remember how he got to Eleanor’s room, holding a socket wrench.

Tahani and Jason, too, show some promise in recapturing their former closeness, as Jason took the very drunk Tahani safely home, and then happily spent the night in a dumpster because he couldn’t remember where he was staying.

Tahani apologizes for the only semi-professional quality of her morning-after apology notes, explaining that she couldn’t find a decent 5 a.m. calligrapher.

Trevor is also like Adam Scott’s Ben Wyatt at his worst, Ben’s Star Wars fandom transformed into Trevor’s enthusiastic wish for a Spaceballs reboot.

Another issue is that I’m not sold on Trevor’s reasoning that Shawn isn’t just outing Michael to the Judge because messing with his friends is “more fun.”

Read into Janet’s pile of manifested junk what you will: easy chair, tortoise, nachos, tractor, army tank, piles of cash, lots of cardboard boxes, backpack, bicycle, 24-hour donut hut, barrel of radioactive waste, traffic cones, steamroller, shopping cart, giraffe, and billboard (in Michael’s Good Place font) reading “Trevor stinks!—Janet.”

Judge Gen, further explaining the chaos Michael has wrought: “Blake Bortles is kind of okay, maybe? I don’t know, it’s being debated among experts.”

Also: Gen: “Byron Allen owns the Weather Channel now!” Michael: “Is that bad?” Gen: “I don’t know, but it’s weird, man!”

Planning to go into the MRI machine for Chidi and Simone’s study, Tahani wonders if her bra will be a problem, since it is made of “very thin but very pure gold.” Also, Jason brings in a very bitey spider, hoping for superpowers.

The group winds up at the restaurant’s Montana table, featuring a picture of the Church Lady. Dana Carvey is, indeed, from Missoula, Montana.

Janet freaks out because, robbed of her powers, she can no longer determine if a man in South American finished the ham sandwich he was eating. “I have to go find him!,” she tells Michael frantically.

As ever, check out our annotated Good Place, complete with stuff you caught but we missed because you’re all so smart.

Source: https://tv.avclub.com/in-a-funny-but-scattered-episode-the-good-place-and-ba-1829530347

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