#gotta max level them to prove a point

[plsleafmelon]

so today in a sad attempt to show that i was a nearl simp

i max levelled them (uncle is in the room !!) (ntrk is already m9 !!) (defender nearl is s1m3!!) and now i am Poor like. what was i doing. why did i feel the need to do this ????

#arknights #nearls #ok see like first of all #i was such a loser i was going to m9 all of them #like i did ntrk #i was going to do blemi #and uh normal nearls masteries goes all the way back to like cc3 or wtv heat pump cc was #zofia doesn't exist...yet #and uncle is literally in the room soon to be m9 bcs i love him #but nooo i was like man #this isnt simp enough #gotta max level them to prove a point #TO WHO AM I PROVING THIS TO #i am not a whale #i just came back from a hiatus (dv) #and like.... im amazed #that i even have lmd #okay i should stop omg #also anyone who wants to add me can add!! #if u need any op on support just dm me ig

[agentravensong]

hello, fellow hatchetfield fans! here are my stray nerdy prudes must die thoughts, which i'm going to try to keep brief (she said, before spending an hour writing this)

the production level of the show as a whole really blew me away. the lighting; demon!max's costume and makeup; even the way it was shot and edited felt even more electric than past shows

this is the only one of the full-length hatchetfield musicals to have one consistent antagonist throughout (black friday has linda but half the leads don't know about her at all until the climax, plus there's wilbur and wiggly). and i gotta say, max's actor really killed it. hilarious, terrifying, and even with moments of nuance. he repeatedly stole the show.

some of the songs are already stuck in my head. off the top of my head i can't think of any that stood out in a bad/unmemorable way (though i could just be forgetting them, lol). ruth's song in particular i think is gonna really stick with me once i listen to it a few more times.

and i love the way the "i'm not a loser" motif gets used throughout the show. the closest any of the songs got me to having the visceral reaction i have to "did you know that i wanted to live with you" in "not your seed" and the bridge + ending of "let it out" ("i've never been happy...") was when richie sings that line right before... well.

speaking of richie: as a paul stan, what this show proved to me more than anything is that when jon matteson plays a sympathetic lead (or side character - hi daniel/stopwatch), he will always break my heart. he's just. really good.

thinking about how in the last of the originally planned 3 hatchetfield shows, initially conceptualized as the first, jon's character is the first one to sing, whereas in the first of those shows, conceptualized as the last, the whole crux of the musical is him refusing to sing, the audience essentially waiting for the moment he breaks and does it. thinking about how the opening of npmd tells us richie is going to die, already dying, already dead, while the opening number of tgwdlm tells us paul is the target, the Doomed Hero, the "star of the show" "destined to go viral" [read: get infected], whose story is going to be told, already written.

thinking about how singing dooms paul, and how richie singing "i'm not a loser", reigniting max's ire, is the final nail in his coffin.

...i'm normal.

there's a lot of meta jokes and nods of that sort throughout the show. maybe a few too many? like, at a certain point, as a fan, i do feel like i'm being pandered to a bit.

i liked the lords in black's scene, it was a lot of fun! it's always great to see jon get to let loose with crazy characters, and the others were great too. but i do wonder how it plays for people who haven't been following nightmare time stuff. like, i get that in one world this was our introduction to these characters, but even in that world, i wonder if including all five of them with their specific names and allusions to their individual deals is a bit too much for what the plot of this show needs. there's something to be said for not showing all your cards right away.

on the other hand, i feel like the paulkins coffee scene actually fully earned its inclusion: because when pete comes in asking for his hot chocolate, it reads differently when we're coming at it from having followed his perspective up to this point versus having been following paul in tgwdlm, in a way that strengthens both scenes. it's a nice reminder that emma and paul can be... rude, i guess. assholes, even (she really didn't need to spit in it). that idea of perspectives affecting how we categorize people arguably even plays into the themes of this show! how about that.

ah, yes, Themes. there are Themes to be drawn out of this show about the experience of high school, especially in an intertextual comparison to how tom and becky talk about their time in high school in black friday. something about how the two of them see it as this idealistic time they want to go back to, whereas the teens (the nerds/outcasts) in npmd sing that they'll "still despise it when [they're] gone". something about how in ruth's solo number, the fantasy future she imagines for herself (even in the context of it being a performance for an audience of no one) is of a standard, arguably dreary, middle-aged existence. there's definitely stuff there to be dissected.

and also there's arguably a theme of continuing cycles of cruelty, brought into focus by the ending, but also implied with the way the adults failed the kids (see max referencing his dad belittling him).

...but also, i feel like they could have done more with that.

that's my one big thing with this show, and it could very easily just be that the genre of this show isn't as much my jam, but i'll say it anyway: i wanted more from the characters, and more emotional weight in regards to certain things.

like, between this and tgwdlm, i think tgwdlm is still the better written show. there's just, a subtly to the characters there, a grounded human-ness, that i didn't quite get from all of the teens here.

as much as i clearly have a soft spot for richie, that's mostly on jon; as written, there really isn't much there, beyond "anime nerd" and "generally nice kid who wants to be liked". the scene right before he dies is comedic in how obvious it's setting things up, but its obvious-ness also makes it feel kind of cheap in terms of pulling on the heartstrings. similarly, ruth is initially just a gimmick (though hers at least ties into a deeper insecurity) and only gets her real moment of depth right before she dies. neither of them feel like they have much affect / haunting presence on the surviving teens once they're dead, past the initial shock of the reveals of their deaths.

and steph and pete are good, but... idk. i wanted a bit more from each of them. if they got to have a talk like paul and emma before "join us and die" - not even for the sake of the romance, but just for the sake of giving us more on each of them outside of their basic stereotypes and the romance - that would've helped, i think.

grace was great, though, no qualms. initially there was a part of me that was disappointed that the stereotype max was pushing on her about her being secretly repressed and horny was in fact true, but the way it gets used makes up for it, and in between max's death and when that specific thing comes up again in the climax, she gets to do a lot with the two conflicting sides of her personality, wanting to be good but having a capacity and arguable instinct for scheming and ruthlessness.

(also, as i mentioned earlier, max has a surprising amount going on, especially once you get into the Implications)

it could just be that i see those depths in the tgwdlm cast because i've had more time to chew on that cast, and that in time i'll see these teens in the same light. but i don't think it's just that.

i think part of it is how there are so many jokes about the teens being nerdy prudes (really, mostly just nerds). and like, that's part of the point, obviously, that they were being forced into those boxes and that they were still people with the potential to be more. but... i don't know if the show does enough to really make that point. again, richie doesn't really get to be more (and it's not for lack of time - there's a good amount of show before max comes back as the demon and kills for the first time).

in tgwdlm, the mains are all arguably based on stock characters, but they have more depth through their relationships. look at ted, the stock asshole sleazeball, who's shown to feel genuine remorse when he loses people he loves, in a way that contextualizes his bitterness. and there's a lot less highlighting of the stockness of them in their show than there is of the teens in npmd.

and the thing is, i think the cast of npmd at their foundations are more likable than the cast of tgwdlm (see the earlier point about emma and paul being assholes at times). they had a lot of potential. but i don't think enough of it is realized for the majority of them. the edges the tgwdlm cast has are part of what makes them compelling, and it's something the teens (minus grace) are largely missing.

the thing is, i know the fandom is going to see that potential and run with it. i know that they're gonna develop the teens' characterizations and relationships. i know they'll get into the trauma and the implications from everything that happened to them in the show. i know they'll get into... pete's survivor's guilt, and steph losing her dad(!!!), and what richie and ruth could have been, and all that. i know that they'll fill in the gaps. because that's what fans do. i guess i just wish there weren't so many gaps to fill. or, that the gaps wouldn't take so much effort from them to fill.

again, i acknowledge, maybe i'm expecting too much from the genre of show this is. it doesn't need to have A Point, i guess, it can just be fun, a comedic horror slasher in musical form. and it is fun, a lot of fun! ...but, tgwdlm was also a lot of fun. not as bombastic, for sure, but i'd say just as humorous. and it was also incredibly tightly written, and satisfying, with strong character arcs for multiple leads. it had commentary on musicals, on what makes a protagonist and what it means to be one, on conformity and institutions of authority, on romance even (you could do a very interesting aromantic reading of this show, trust me). and with a show that's titled nerdy prudes must die, that is About high school, there's, similarly, a lot you can do. and there's a fair amount of seeds planted there. but i don't think it all quite coheres. and it could've, if they really wanted it to.

...i did not keep that brief. ah well. i might disagree with half of this by the time i wake up tomorrow, i just needed to get it out of me. tl;dr, in my opinion, this show is stronger than black friday, but tgwdlm is still my favorite. all the cast and crew put a lot of love into this production and it really shows. i had a great time! :D but i'm always going to overanalyze things i care about as much as i care about the hatchetfield universe, and hence, here we are.

#starkid #nerdy prudes must die #tgwdlm #npmd spoilers #nerdy prudes spoilers #if people have deeper reads of the teens based on stuff in the show itself that i didn't pick up on #i'd love to hear them! #for reference if anyone's curious: my absolute fav hatchetfield characters are #paul - hannah - lex - and ms halloway

[iamtheoneandonlyever]

my color theory on byler and mlvn

i made this color theory a couple months ago when i wasn't on tumblr so its been lying around. so imma share it

its kinda long so beware i guess?

i have two ways of imagining this theory so that it includes more possibilities. for reference i imagine the main trio's individual colors as

mike-blue (for obvious reasons) will-yellow (for obvious reasons) el-purple (bcoz purple flowers)

and just for understanding, max-red (i picture her as a flame and a flame for me is red)

according to this color scheme,

mike + el = just a bluer purple or navy blue

there is nothing new we get out of it. its repetitive and they dont mix together all that well. its JUST a mixture of them as people.

also, its interesting that el = mike + max according to the color scheme.

the only people el has interacted with (just not on a surface level interaction but actually made an impression on her) who also her age are: mike and max. this just shows she's still picking up on things around her and is still just trying to be her own person.

also note that the result is the same for both additive color mixing and subtractive color mixing.

symbolism of navy blue: trust, stability, reliability last season proved that el has been lying to mike and vice versa. they are both lying to each other even though it was introduced by mike(in the show) that friends dont lie. their relationship is not stable at this point. el is not happy that mike is unable to say ily to her and while that issue is solved at the end of the season, we are shown that el is still not talking to mike. that doesnt sound exactly stable and reliable even though that's what the symbolism tells us. you wanna know WHY?

because el and mike aren't showing their true colors! (sorry, not sorry lol) not to each other at least.

and onto byler:

subtractive color mixing: mike + will = green

as compared to mlvn, we see that mike and will together make something new, something fresh.

green symbolizes growth, new beginnings, safety mike and will confide in each other. they do that coz they are best friends. they feel safe with each other. it also accounts for character growth in both of them. will realizing that, yes, he can have good things, he does deserve what he wants and for mike, he deserves someone who loves him unconditionally, is at an equal level as him and that he too can actually have what he wants. it also give both the characters new beginnings. i could go on and on but for the sake of not extending this post longer than it has to be,

additive color mixing: mike + will = white

white symbolizes purity, innocence, loyalty purity directly counters the fact that lgbt people were said to be unpure and carriers of AIDS during the 80s. this shows how love cannot be impure. love is the best thing this world can offer. they are just innocent kids who have been through too much, just experiencing young love.

all of this is also applicable in the context of friendship as their deep friendship is the root of the romance.

and this next part is for the people who say they think of el as red instead of purple, making mike, will and el all primary colors as they are the primary components of the story.

as mike found el while trying to find will who went missing due to some events, which are byproducts of el's actions. it all comes full circle to the 3 of them. i am not saying will went missing because of el, but you've gotta admit that el does come into the loop a little.

so

subtractive color mixing: mike + el = purple

purple symbolizes royalty and luxury. most people want to be royals, but the dealbreaker is:

dun dun dun

conformity

people dont want to be restricted by always having to follow some restrictions all the time. mike also has to follow the restrictions from liking boys. he is forced to like el. forced by whom? himself. for him, it should be a luxury to be able to date el, a superhero, an amazing, kind-hearted girl, he has expressed this.

additive color mixing: mike + el = magenta (ignore the fact this is pink)

magenta symbolizes balance and harmony. there has been no evidence in the show itself that they balance each other out or are in harmony. it shows that mike sees el on a pedestal (you are a superhero) and they have not had more than two happy moments in one season alone when they started dating. you see, they were just fine when they were friends. the trouble started when they started dating.

also note the fact that byler works both for friends (as we have seen in the show) and romantic (as they probably will end) but mlvn as shown in the show for romance does not work out (s3 and s4), but as friends they can actually bond well and be friends (s1) as for s2, el probably finds the entire thing romantic but i dont think mike tries as much and just wants her back as he considered her as his friend (he does not move at all, either towards or away from el, when she tries to kiss him before going to close the gate with hopper).

also note that magenta and purple are both a bit similar to look at while there is obviously a huge difference between green and white.

to make it easy, i quote garnet from steven universe: i am more than the two of them together or something. i dont remember it exactly but this is the general idea.

if you made it this far, i am sorry. if i hurt your brain, i am sorry. if what i wrote is gibberish and makes no sense, i am sorry. *cries*

this is literally my third post ever on tumblr so i dont how to tag. i am not a native english speaker. Thank you for reading. i appreciate it.

#byler #byler analysis #or just an analysis? idk #how to tag?

[tabbi-mysteries]

Detective Conan Rewatch Episodes 487-490 + OVA 8

Metropolitan police detective love story 8! Okay case is whatever, the victim kinda deserves it tho but the main point of the love stories is naturally Sato and Tagaki and I love them their romance is the funniest while remaining really sweet and can be really heartfelt too. In this case Sato's obliviousness is at max level but that's part of what makes it funny, girls gotta have a weak point somewhere XD and poor Tagaki is just confused. And Yumi meddler she is proves she can't be trusted to have your best interests at heart if your suffering is more entertaining for her XD

The devil at the TV station is... an odd choice for a special? But like the case is pretty good, the howdunnit instead of the whodunnit makes for a nice change when we get it every so often and the trick is a fun one to understand

Courtroom confrontation 3 is... well it's not bad and I like what they were going for definitely with the character arcs and stuff and like I wanna like Eri's court cases cause I like Eri and seeing her in EPs but the courtroom feels a bit bland compared to a deduction show :( Also that man ascended in the funniest way before falling which made it kinda hard to take seriously 😅

Deduction battle on the ski slope!!! It's everything I wanted out of that adaptation!!!! I love the Heiji cases and this one's top tier from the gorgeous animation (that snow!!!) And the case itself being fun, younger teens Heiji and Shiinichi at that interesting point in their lives were they're still learning to be detectives and not fully acknowledged as such by many others so striving to prove themselves (in a way that also (in)conveniently means they can't meet XD) it's really good up there with some of my favourite overall episodes of the whole series.

OVA 8 - casebook of high school detective Suzuki Sonoko. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect going into each OVA and I was honestly not expecting this one to be so funny! I was laughing so hard when the detective boys rescued E.T. it's a really funny, very enjoyable watch

#dcmk rewatch #all set up for the 14 parter!!! #my friend has some good deductions going but isn't quite there yet so im excited to see their reactions!

[msermesth]

What Avengers line up (existing or selected by you) would you send to Greendale Community College for max hijinx and personal journeys? They can be 1-1 stand ins for the Community cast or just a general, “it would be funny/entertaining/sexy if this character had to deal with going to a bananas community college in Colorado with these other characters”. Or if you want! send an Avenger or 2 too spend a semester with the canon Community gang, MCU Tony hanging out with Troy&Abed, maybe Ults Steve talking the Shirley about god and their discomfort around The Gays™ or befriending Pierce and then punching him in the face after a while, Any!Carol and Britta NotDating but being put up on the blog “Sibling or Dating” then actually dating to Prove A Point and the messy break up

(Tony would make a good Jeff tbh, and canon or AU, I’d like to see Tony have to go take the general classes at a normal pace amongst the general populous OR other Avengers. I can see the Dean (or like say Nick Fury sr/jr) forcing him to not get any accelerated courses or special treatment so he has to attend every class and do the homework one week at a time, no doing it all in one day and just handing it in throughout! He in fact gets special treatment to not get special treatment cus the assignments are planned out for everyone else to see but Tony as special assignments he can’t pre-write lol.)

(( Why Tony needs to get a college degree and why THIS school? Maybe when he got into MIT as a teen he wanted to skip the general undergraduate year and bribed someone to let him just go straight to Engineering and the press found out and to save face his dad is making him get an undergraduate year one level amount of general credits the slow way at a not so prestigious school or he gets cut off publicly and Tony is like “pshaw, easy old man” and then there is much learning (emotional). But near of the academic year there has maybe not been much learning (academic) as Tony would crave (and also the “professors are often factually incorrect and the textbooks are from 1985) so he starts teaching his own classes in the library on a lark one episode and he gets in trouble with the teacher's union for teaching without being part of the union, this somehow leading to a strike and oops Tony's shut down the school right near exams (also there was a fire in the server room and all the marks and academic history got destroyed thanks to so,e whacky strike breaking attempts or something!) and now he’s gotta stay for another year cus NO ONE got their credits!!! And when they get back for season 2 I mean the next semester everyone is PISSED at Tony, who has to prove he DIDN’T cause the fire in order to stay an extra year because he’s attached to everyone and wanted to stay!))

(((Also, which Avengers is it? 616, Ults, MCU, a devilish mix of characters from different universes etc and what are they trying to achieve being at college? I assume Steve is trying to get used to the future/connect with the common man, Jan wants to take management or HR courses cus the Avengers NEED IT and SOMEONE has to learn how to do it properly, Myabe Jennifer is the Jeff/MC and Steve&Tony are her Troy&Abed (tho let’s be real they’re her Britta&Annie haha) etc)))

OMG thank you for this ask, there isn't an idea here that I wouldn't drop everything to read. In general this is a concept that would work really well with the Avengers because it allows everyone to be at different points in their lives and still connect with each other. Just imagine them all around the study table. It makes me Feel Things.

If I was doing a Community AU for the Avengers, I wouldn't do a one-for-one substitution but instead try to capture some of the dynamics. I also stuck with just Avengers characters and not Marvel characters in general. For the study group I'd do Ults!Tony as the too-cool-for-school type who is hiding a desperate need for human connection and quickly becomes overly invested in his friends lives. He's in community college because he was ordered to attend by a judge (seems just as possible as getting a law degree without an undergraduate). He chose Greendale because he wanted to take the Who's The Boss class. It would be a running gag that at least one member of the study group doesn't know he's one of the most famous people in the world.

MCU!Steve would be next. My favorite AU trope is when everything's different but Steve's still Captain America, except, like, it's a secret. I'm going with the MCU version because I think he's the most isolated Steve and I like the idea of him being defrosted and having nobody and then moving halfway across the country to restart his life. He never went to college and this feels like the 'normal' thing to do. He's prone to speechifying enough that he's regularly called 'the worst' (affectionate).

Then I'd add 616!Kate Bishop as my third member. She never went to college because she was too busy having an evil dad, a codependent friendship with Clint, and solving mysteries in LA. She enrolls in Greendale while hunting down a lead and then solves the mystery two episodes in, but by then she's committed to figuring out who the fuck this mysterious Steve is. She's too precocious for her own good and regularly volunteers the group for things.

616!America has transferred from Sotomayor University after a particularly messy breakup with an ex-girlfriend. After spending her life hopping between dimensions settling down at Greendale is kind of strange. She likes to threaten to punch people but really she's the most protective in the bunch.

Then let's go with 616!Pietro because you need an asshole that frusterated everyone but he is also well meaning. He's estranged from his daughter and is trying to better himself so that she might want to have a relationship with him. Constantly talks about his twin sister who's never seen throughout the show.

I chose MCU!Clint because you need someone with a real life outside of Greendale. In this AU he's actually trying to be undercover with his family and Colorado is far away from whatever villain is trying to hunt him down.

616!Riri is my last member because I wanted someone who's smart but unlike Tony, also sincere. While Kate and America are also pretty young, Riri's the one that makes everyone feel old. She's the hardest to make up a reason for why she's at Greendale. Maybe she's very close to completing a graduate degree but it turns out some of her undergrad credits were invalid so she needs to take a class and...I dunno. I'm still thinking about it.

Other characters who should show up are Ults!Thor (more righteous than Steve), 616!Sam (the reasonable one), 616!Jennifer (just having a good time), MCU!Carol (just because seeing Brie Larson would be meta), 616!Gwenpool (need someone genre aware), and MCU!Scott (obsessed with Steve.)

The whole thing starts when Tony spots Steve in a physics class he's taking because he thinks it's hilarious. He sells Steve on the idea of being his tutor but Steve invites everyone else. Hijinks ensue. No one figures out who Steve is until paintball.

#avengers #this was a lot of fun thank you so much anon

[princess-of-the-corner]

S2 ep24

It is Jerry's birthday. Since all the years Justin and Alex share the same gift which Justin only works on, Max always uses the same Cat which Jerry thinks he has a collection of. But this time Justin won't share Alex his gift which is a magical pencil holder/sharpener, But this time Justin allows Max to share his gift.

Therefore, Alex wants to get him something that he'll remember. She ends up giving him Merlin's Hat, which grants him any wish he could dream of. When his first wish is pencils for Justin's gift, Alex gets frustrated and Justin points out that Jerry is using her gift to make Justin's gift better. Alex uses the hat to turn the Sub Station into her dad's favorite restaurant as a child, The Asteroid Belt, to prove that he should not waste her gift, but mostly to prove that her gift is better than Justin's. The new restaurant then becomes a big success, but trouble arrives when aliens come to Waverly Place in an attempt to steal the long-lost milkshake machine.

Oh boy I’ve been waiting for this one

Alex is very close to falling off the edge, when she comes back with the hat, she’s covered in blood with a grin saying they wouldn’t let go of the hat

Yadayada

It all comes crashing down when the aliens invade, and start whrecking the shop, ruining her fathers birthday and his special gift…she falls

This is when I imagine her family finally realizes how powerful she truly is and that the evil spell was never broken,

She killed all the aliens using magic that only experts should be able to use and it ends with her floating with a menacing aura with her family staring at her in shock and fear as she looked towrlards them when

To be continued appears on the screen

OH YEAH ABSOLUTELY.

Like maybe not go for straight up murder because like. We gotta keep the rating and all that.

But she is definitely just going right to the overreaction and the terrifying fuck them up with Magic.

And yeah just. Them seeing her cast several high level and terrifying spells in succession, but also be that aggressive is... unnerving as hell.

They are sure something is wrong, and combined with Harper bringing up other events from the season,...

#wizards of waverly place

[gra-sonas]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was the year time jump because of the pandemic? To sidestep making that too central to the plot, or was that always the plan?

JEANINE MASON: That was always our intention and it was just sort of a saving grace in that way. We also don't acknowledge the pandemic in real-time on our show. There are no masks and that was just so wonderful just to get work in that way and have that time where it was a little more normal. Also, that's just our show — we want you to come to us the way you always do, which is for nineties nostalgia, sexy Cowboys, brilliant scientists, you know? CHRIS HOLLIER: So we wanted to drop our characters in a year later, let them stew in their individual decisions that were made last season. We want everyone to root for our poster couple but we want to honor what happens in real life, which is sometimes you step away from that person, even if you are entwined with them in a very particular way. So we wanted it to be a real enough time and distance so that they could live a little life on their own.

With showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie departing at the end of season 2, has much changed? Or are you still working with ideas she had in place?'

HOLLIER: It's a little bit of both. There are things that Carina and I built that live all the way through and then once the story got up on its feet, discoveries were made with our new crop of people that we were like, "Oh, we're going to bend it this other way."

Jeanine, how is Liz doing in her new life in L.A. when we pick up this season?

MASON: Well, it's been a year and at this point, her life is actually pretty great. She just hasn't taken a second to acknowledge that. She's doing what she does best, which is just full head in her work and trying to figure out what she could use of her discoveries and her brilliance to save Maria. She has a great job, a really nice place, and an awesome partner at work who is a good time and a real match for her in terms of intellect and ambition. He begins to ask her to recognize that and to maybe give something a chance that she's been reluctant to because of how drawn she is to Roswell and to Max. It's a fun first episode. It's sexy. It's fun to find opportunities for her. She's our hero so she's got a lot on her shoulders and anytime where we can find levity for her is always a real treat for the writers and for me.

And no Crashdown waitress uniform must be nice?

MASON: Honestly, I miss it quite a lot right now. I have a note in my notes with Chris, I'm like, "I gotta tell him we gotta find him more opportunities for it."

Should Liz and Max shippers be worried about them finding their way back to one another after he destroyed her work and didn't follow her to L.A.? Should we resign ourselves to a season apart?

MASON: This season really is about these characters having themselves mirrored to each other. Max and Liz need some growing and ultimately they can't do anything but be orbiting each other. We found so many opportunities to have such a beautiful language around the cosmic element of their connection. They're asking, "Is this our decision, or are we just acting off of a decision that the cosmos made for us?" It was so fun to navigate that. I always have such a good time with Chris Hollier and with Nathan Dean, just finding the little tiny notches, a tiny bit of movement towards where they're going next. I really loved following them. It's my favorite Max and Liz season to date.

HOLLIER: It's not a season apart. I'll tease that they, in an unexpected way, end up in front of each other relatively soon. But it's really about when am I ready? And what does it mean to talk to my ex? When someone makes such a big influence in your life, when do you know it's over and when do you know you should fight again? We tried to give them real grown-up lives.

Steven Krueger (The Originals) also joined the cast as Heath this season. What can you tease about his character?

HOLLIER: He's just an awesome human being. I know him from The Originals and we were like, "If we're going to have to be stuck with people in the desert, who do we want?" You want to be stuck with a handsome and lovely and charming Steven Krueger. So really this was looking at, "Well, what did Liz want and what does it look like when you start to give Liz versions of what she wants?" Heath is somebody that is beyond being just a lovely person, he is smart and wants to advance science and that's appealing to Liz. It becomes, "What does it look like when the man that I hang around with all day is also into the same things that I am?" MASON: I love him. Heath is just such a fun, whip-smart, fantastic character. His humor was so fun. We've been having a good time with kicking the humor up really through season two and in season three, we just took it up another notch. There are some moments that are like, "Is this a drama or is it a sitcom?" Looking back on it, he was such a fun partner to spar with. They're both such intellectual characters and I love that there's a real meeting of the minds. It makes it competitive and sexy. I know a lot of fans are so excited because they know him from The Originals and he's going to be a great addition.

Technically, Mr. Jones is a new character too. Can you tell us anything at all about him?

HOLLIER: I'd say he's a new character — and a fully-fleshed interesting new character. Mr. Jones has an awesome beard. At some point, he might lose that beard. A lot of people are asking me, "Is Jones good or bad?" And what I would argue is that's a perspective based upon who you are in the conversation that you're having with him. He knows a lot about our heroes' story and he knows a lot about home. He'll be able to answer questions for them. This season our heroes will get to learn why they ended up here on earth. One of the things I think that people will love is that they're going to get to see that home planet this year. We asked ourselves a lot about this whole season, "What have we set up for the past two?" We look at these first three seasons almost like a trilogy so a lot of things are going to be paid off.

Has Nathan enjoyed pulling double duty this season? Or is he just exhausted?

MASON: He's exhausted, but he's such a champ. That really is the beginning of this mirroring thing that starts with Max and Jones with him actually getting to look at himself to a degree and those questions that come up. The self-analysis that it provokes in him is really the beginning of what is happening to all of our characters this year; everybody's being confronted with themselves. I loved that the Max/Jones of it was also a real sci-fi element.

Did he really grow that beard or was that not possible if he had to go between the two characters?

MASON: That was a prosthetic beard and our makeup team killed it. He was not accustomed to early mornings, which, of course, all of us babes are. It was a lot of extra time in the chair for him.

Can Jones dupe Liz into thinking he's actually Max since she doesn't know he exists?

MASON: You're totally on to something. It's a real and pressing threat. I mean, she's totally in the dark and he looks like her cosmic lover!

HOLLIER: What I will say is that, Liz — beyond her being number one on the call sheet — is integral to this story in a way that she and none of our characters are going to perceive when they start episode one. We're bringing [the characters] to a new crossroads moment in their lives and they're getting, through Jones, a mirror into their own lives to decide what they're going to become next.

How's Rosa (Amber Midthunder) doing this season?

MASON: By the end of season two, Rosa really makes the decision to start taking care of herself. She really becomes an incredible asset to the Scooby-Doo gang. It's something that Liz is in constant adjustment to. As much as she's the younger sister, she feels very protective of her sister and Liz has had to make adjustments in her trust and faith in Rosa. I loved it because it just felt like a real personal, authentic thing that sisters would go through, but also that Hispanic sisters would go through. I think we sometimes, culturally, have a tendency to baby our women — maybe that's the wrong word — but just to underestimate their physical ability and what they might take on, and sort of 'queen' our women in a way where we treat them tenderly. I hate that. I'm a tough bitch and so is Rosa. So Liz has to confront that and go, "I'm an idiot to underestimate you. You've done nothing but prove me wrong."

What about Maria and her visions?

HOLLIER: This year I think Maria has the most complete arc of any season, as she recognizes things about herself that cause more questions about who she is, who her family is, how she's linked to this story. We dive into it in the present-day and we dive deliciously back in time too.

In the exclusive clip above we see her have a vision of a funeral, can you tease anything about who potentially might be about to die?

HOLLIER: Maria is front and center in driving the first half of the mystery for us. She's burdened with trying to figure out whose death she is seeing. It takes a few episodes to unravel and we use it to ask, is this linked to our supernatural stories or real-world stories that are going on politically? Is it bad luck? Is it herself? There's a whole gambit at play. We joke that we solved a past murder, now we're going to try to stop one.

Can Malex (Michael and Alex) shippers have hope that this might finally be their time?

HOLLIER: What I would say is that I think that Malex fans are really going to dig this journey. We, as writers, put them at the same level of importance as Max and Liz. So we wanted to really honor the next step in what they may or may not be. How did they grow up and how did they have those hard conversations just like Liz and Max are going to have?

Is Isobel going to continue to date women this season?

HOLLIER: Isobel is going to go on a more personal journey. You got to love yourself before you can love someone else. We lean into those possibilities by the end of who she might love. It's not something that is dropped all season — it is something that you'll see. We play some romantic comedy stuff with her character this year and with Maria that I think fans are gonna dig. There's a lot going on in the world and wanted to pump some humor and hope into it.

Will see more of Liz fighting to challenge the perception of the Latinx community?

MASON: I think that just by nature of it being one of such few shows that are led by a Latin woman, it's always going to be, to an extent, a protest or an assertion of the space that I get to fill and that Liz Ortecho gets to fill on network TV. I was really excited to just have Chris as a collaborator. Over our hiatus, before the season started, I was doing a lot of reading. I chronicled the books that play into Liz every season on my Instagram. I was reading some Sonia Sotomayor. Her book is just incredible. I was texting him screenshots of pages of the book with things underlined. Ten episodes deep into season 3, he's like, "Remember that page you sent me?" He's a real dream collaborator. I loved him for that. A pressing struggle for people of color is going through the ranks in these big corporations and then sometimes coming to find out that those corporations are purporting to support marginalized groups but actually aren't following through. So how do you, as someone who's having your success, your dreams become reality, navigate supporting the company and giving so much of your intelligence and your work — that they often legally own, especially with science — to a company that isn't going to be for your people?

Roswell, New Mexico returns Monday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

#long post is long #jeanine mason #chris hollier #liz ortecho #max evans #echo #isobel evans #rosa ortecho #malex #alex manes #michael guerin #rnm spoilers #maria deluca #rnm cast interviews #roswell new mexico s3 #roswell new mexico

[femmeharringrove]

see, it's not like steve's ever been good at coping.

it's bad after starcourt, but instead of dealing with it then steve just puts everything into healing others. he comforts eleven, stays on the phone all night with lucas or dustin, helps will learn not to fear the cold, gives billy a shoulder to cry on and a place to live.

and so billy gets a front-row seat to steve's self-destruction.

he doesn't think it's his place to speak, initially, but he does worry when steve leaves early in the afternoon and comes back wasted, bruises on his throat and traces of powder on his clothes. some weekends he doesn't come home, he goes to indianapolis and shows up late sunday evening with a massive hangover and billy just gets him to eat and drink a little before getting him in bed. steve's not eating enough, he's losing weight and billy worries because this is his best friend, not even heather matches their level. and steve's done so much good for him but he doesn't know how to return the favor - not until steve barrels out of the bathroom one night shaking like a leaf, tears streaming down his face. billy takes one look inside, catches sight of two life-changing sticks, and rushes out after him.

and it's then, when he finds steve out by the quarry in a panic, that he knows how to help.

"i didn't mean to get pregnant," steve sniffles, and the moment billy crouches next to him the brunette is shuffling closer, scared and in need of comfort. and billy's still working on the physical thing, learning it's okay to be affectionate, but he doesn't hesitate to hold steve as close as he can.

"i know," he murmurs. "it's okay. we'll figure it out. you aren't doing this alone, you hear me?" and initially billy thinks he's fucked up because steve starts crying again, but when this round of sobs passes the other boy gives him a shaky smile.

"you promise?"

"cross my heart and all that shit." and that's just it. whatever steve needs, billy's got him.

steve initially doesn't want to go through with it, but decides ultimately it could be a good thing. he's thought about parenthood before, always wondered if he could be a better father than his own. this is a chance to prove it. and billy gives him all the support in the world. nobody messes with the only child of the harrington family, they can't afford the fallout, but he's always gotten dirty looks after coming out and they get worse now that he's pregnant. but billy follows him everywhere now amd anyone who gives him a look has to face the blonde's anger. and sure, he's not where he once was. he's still putting on muscle and learning to use his hands again, but half of what makes billy hargrove scary is the way he presents himself, the glare that suggests he knows people won't mess with him. and they don't, amd they don't mess with steve either for the same reason.

and when billy isn't around to do the protecting, steve's got others. joyce has kicked people out of melvad's before, for harassing a fifteen year-old steve. and five years later she still does it, voice calm and eyes steely. claudia is at every appointment he has, making sure the other nurses and doctors call him by the right name and pronouns. she's there when steve sees the baby's hand for the first time and has a breakdown because he's growing a whole person and doesn't know if he'll really be able to take care of them.

and claudia, she remembers being confused and a little judgemental when steve came out as steve, but that was before she caught him shuffling down the aisles of the library one day, small and clearly anxious about everyone he came across. thirteen year-old steve had lacked the easy confidence he sported now, and it was when she saw him that it sort of clicked. she didn't understand how someone could be a gender other than the one they were born as, but she made a point to greet him as steve any time she saw him and made an effort to accept him. now he's like the older son she never had, dustin's big brother, and when he weeps frantically over the daunting trial of parenthood she takes him by the shoulders and gives him the most serious look she can muster.

"nobody is ever ready for parenthood," she tells him, and one hand comes to wipe his tears away. "but you have exactly the heart for this job. you're going to be the best father in this whole town."

which steve doesn't agree with. the best dad in town is hopper.

hopper, who's been harassing people for harassing steve for years, but is more aggressive about it now because steve really means something to him now. sometimes, eleven calls him her brother, and hop figures, yeah, the kid could use a dad. so he makes a habit of checking up on him, and it gets more frequent now because he's also checking on billy, and with a baby on the way hopper's protectiveness is at an all-time high. nobody wants to fuck with the chief, so no one fucks with steve.

when the harringtons find out, steve's dad is livid, but it's steve's mother who keeps him from lashing out. the couple can't stand the blow to their social life and so it's off to lansing for them, a fresh start or whatever. the house stays under their name, though, and steve and billy make it theirs. the cosy master bedroom becomes steve's, billy finally decorates the guest room downstairs as his own. his mother calls sort of regularly, she's not thrilled about the situation but she's eager for a grandbaby to spoil, and steve counts that as a blessing.

of course, the party freaks out when steve announces his pregnancy. it's not like they didn't know steve could get pregnant, but they've never considered the idea that he would. eleven, max, and will are immediately thrilled, discussing baby names and wanting to pat his belly - especially el, who's never really experienced a pregnancy. mike and lucas are a little weirded out, but mike brings steve a bunch of baby books left over from holly and lucas donates his own old toys, declaring that baby harrington was going to be the coolest baby ever if he got to help look out for the little one. dustin doesn't know how to feel initially, which stresses steve out, but when someone throws a slur at steve three weeks after that dustin flips out, yells himself hoarse at the fucker, and declares himself steve and the baby's most ardent protector. the whole group has already discussed babysitting schedules and, yeah, maybe steve did cry about it, but he's pregnant and it was probably the hormones and not anything else, thank you.

robin gently berates him about sleeping with strangers out of town when she finds out, but after that she takes her position as aunt very seriously. within four weeks she buys three outfits, five stuffed animals, and a french record to help the baby learn the language.

"no such thing as too early," she says as she drops it on the dresser in steve's old room. the new nursery.

it's a labor of love, mostly by billy. woodworking is a big help with his hands so he was all too happy to make a crib himself. again, steve cried, but this time he feels it's justified. billy's put a rocking chair in too, and a record player too - "your taste in music is shit," he'd deadpanned as he brought the thing in. "someone's gotta culture the little snot." amd billy does that all the time, he's called the baby a snot, a turd, a little shit, all that jazz. but his face is softer than it's ever been and that makes steve smile every single time.

steve's labor of love starts five weeks early, much to his horror, and it hurts like a bitch. he gives birth early in the morning after a rainy night. she's a little replica of steve, down to the moles on her cheek, and he doesn't think he's ever known love until he looks at his daughter and feels the almost painful swell in his chest. he cries as he hugs her against his chest and swears on his life he'll do right by this wondrous little girl. her name is nikita - no, not after the elton john song, though later when she asks that's what he tells her, just so she can throw her head back and groan, "daaad!"

no, she's named after his grandmother. and she gets rosaline for a middle name after billy's mother. because, even if they didn't say it, it's clear billy intends to co-parent. he doesn't call it that, he just says he's helping a friend, but he's the one who changes her diaper at night and bounces her to sleep listening to metallica and teaches her to eat spaghetti.

and originally, he's the one she calls dad.

first it's baba, which steve thinks is in reference to the fact that billy bottlefeeds her, and billy thinks it's similar enough to "billy" to not be anything more than that. but she gets older and learns to say billy and steve, and still calls him baba. baba and papa. and to the outside world it makes sense, they're a little family, steve and billy ooze a chemistry anyone else can't deny. but it takes them three extra years to get with the program and become a couple.

to this day, niki claims there aren't more clueless people out than her dads when it comes to love.

#steebie writes #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things au #steve harrington #billy hargrove #harringrove #i'll come up with a name for this au later but y'all should ask me about it

[miraculouscontent]

(miraculous asks)

Anonymous said:

Oh My Gosh!!!! I was just thinking about Party Crasher and man I hate how they had Ladybug get captured for the men to save! It's a continuous thing you see in media: strong heroic woman gets put in peril so that the men can shine. I didn't even realize it until you said it! I get that it was probably meant to be a "role reversal" of Chat always getting kidnapped or brainwashed for Ladybug to save, but the fact that this is the "guys' episode" it read like "well damn, we can't have the guys be strong if a girl is in the way; let's have the girl get captured so the boys can prove their worth by rescuing her!".

At least in Sandboy, Ladybug was still competent and came up with the plans, but this?! It makes me sick, and it's all too easy to fall into these traps; even Kim Possible did it! In my magical girl story, the heroine does get put in a magical coma and require someone to bail her out, but it's her female friends AND her boyfriend who save her, so it's not just a girl being weakened so a boy can be powerful, especially since said boy actually does a minority of the work required to save her; the focus is on the female characters so it's her girl friends who do most of it. I still ended up scrapping that side plot anyway, and do you know why? Because regardless of who saved her, I still didn't want my female protagonist to be put in distress at all due to the unfortunate implications! Needing help in a fight? Sure. But outright being captured or kidnapped? Nah fam.

I was honestly thinking about that when the first episode came out. Like, they could’ve just had Marinette NOT SHOW UP in time so the guys take care of things, which at least gives more of a message that Paris wouldn’t go to hell just because Ladybug is a little late or something.

And yeah, the “boys squad episode so gotta toss the girl out” is... sigh.

Anonymous said:

I think the writers were trying to show Chat angsting to show his regret instead of an actual apology. Still doesn't explain why Aeon didn't bring up her death afterwards. Did Olympia delete that from her memory banks?

I guess? :|

I don’t know why Chat can’t just apologize without fishing or trying to earn sympathy. Like JUST SAY YOU’RE SORRY, DAMMIT.

Anonymous said:

If you haven't read Maribat, then you won't regret it. I am not in the DC universe but I started reading it and WOW. Literally every single time Marinette is a badass queen and gets her complete revenge and is actually happy! Even if you absolutely love Lukanette (which I have nothing against) you should totally try it.

Appreciate the comment, but I find it hard to ship other Marinette ships outside of Lukanette. Ivanette is a very loose exception and it’s not like I ship it hard or anything.

Anonymous said:

Despite not being a Lukanette shipper I love you. Why? Because you amazing, so right in literally everything and I love you <33

gkdfjgfdngjkfdg thank you

bat-anon said:

The NY Special made it so that Max is literally the only Black/Brown kid that doesn’t exist to make Love Square happen and that just makes me hate it even more.

I wish you didn’t make me have this realization because I hate it.

At least Delmar existed in the New York special???? I guess???? I dunno, I’m trying here, I don’t recall him doing anything love square centric.

Anonymous said:

I honestly don't mind Alix's outfit as Bunnix! I feel like it fits her, plus she's an adult so its not much of a problem, not saying it can't be improved however. I DO have issues with the designs for the underage girls outfits however....those are very sus

Yeah, the problem I take with Bunnyx’s is that it’s a bodysuit. If there was just more definition, like having actual boots, I wouldn’t complain as much.

Anonymous said:

I actually just really like the idea of the new bee being a genuinely nice person who becomes friends with Marinette. Not exactly close friends (since I like the idea of friendly working relationships without actual personal stakes in them). I also enjoy the idea of the new bee having some small animosity for Chat Noir- just because their personalities aren't the greatest mix. I also think that it would make sense for the miraculous of subjection to be at odds with the miraculous of destruction

Full agreement but we know how much the writers are resistant to have characters go against Chat.

Anonymous said:

Not gonna lie the scene where the girl squad gets akumatized almost makes it seem like they got akumatized on purpose, similar to Manon in Puppeteer 2(although she was a little kid who was probably just imagining she could enact revenge). And why can't they have a uniformed design, like they're a team but wear different colors, similar to the Sailor Senshi(like, Alya's the leader and wears orange, Rose wears pink, Alix wears green, Juleka wears purple, and Mylene wears yellow). It's so boring.

Mood.

Not to mention that WE ARE SO TIRED OF THEM GETTING AKUMATIZED INTO THE SAME AKUMA.

AT LEAST PALETTE SWAP THEM.

Anonymous said:

Relating to the Didn't Need Burrows and Treatment of Marinette bingo cards, have you considered making one for whenever the show fails at girl power? It could say things like "sexualized frames of teenage girls" "boy tells girl what to do" "girls don't get to keep Miraculouses", and "girls are forced to apologize whenever a situation goes wrong". And in the center, it could say "Don't show this to your daughter!"! Lol! What do you think?

lol I feel like I have enough cards, otherwise I would.

Anonymous said:

I saw another post that talked about Miraculous New York, and they theorized that it was rewritten to focus more on Marinette and Adrien in order to get viewers invested in the Love Square again after more people started to lose faith in the ship. Do you think that's a possibility?

I think so. The whole special comes off as trying to reassure love square shippers because of how hard it goes for him. I cut out Marinette’s crushing and it cuts like 18% from the episode, meaning it’s even worse than Season 3 (15%).

Anonymous said:

Maybe the point of the [break-up episodes] is meant to discourage people from shipping Lukanette and Adrigami too?

Spoiler alert: didn’t work.

Anonymous said:

Are we not gonna talk about how in one ask, somebody legit said "(long dreamy sigh) Viperion"? Like same.

RIGHT????

Same.

Anonymous said:

Ml fandom: I hate how Ladybug keeps secrets from Chat Noir! He sacrifices himself for her all the time and she never appreciates him for it! He has EVERY right to get mad at her!!

ML Fandom when Chat Noir does the same thing in the special: ....Wow Ladybug was way to harsh on Chat Noir!! She doesn’t appreciate him at all!! Shes so mean to him!

:|

i hate it

Anonymous said:

Idk if it's just me, but a majority of the fandom is split in two; it's never one or the other "MARINETTE SUCKS AND IS A HORRIBLE PERSON GUARDIAN MARY SUE WHO SEXUALLY HARRASSES" or "ADRIEN SUCKS HE WAS NEVER ON MARINETTES SIDE" but im personally on the latter, but not to that extreme. i hate videos bashing marinette and then never acknowledge adriens faults

Yeah, the fandom gets more divided as time goes on because of the writers trying to increase the drama/tension.

Anonymous said:

I am PERSONALLY offended they gave Luka the snake miraculous. Snakes have such a negative connotation. A lot of people insult Lila by calling her a SNAKE. And now those ML writers DARE insult the best character in ML?! HOW DARE THEY!?????

I adore Viperion but I agree that I first heard he was getting snake and was like, “BUT MY BOI???”

It gets awkward too because other animals like the pig have negative connotations, like how Daizzi basically means “idiot/stupid” and they’re giving it to the freaking blond character, really???

Anonymous said:

I think that Ivanette would be even better if Marinette was plus-sized character.

I see why you’d think that. I just disagree because then it turns the ship into “let’s pair the heavyset characters together because they heavyset.”

Anonymous asked:

On the topic of romance failures and general series salt, my main issue right now is how the series puts so much focus on romantic relationships while failing to consider other levels of relationship or what they affect.

On the L² front I can completely buy Marinette being in love with Adrien. Most of the time she genuinely wants him to be happy and is ready to take a step back for him, however much it hurts. But in terms of romantic love? It. Is. A. Crush! But if we step back from the formula, what is there left between them? Their civilian relationship is held together by a “comedy” of errors and without that there is surprisingly little left. Well, besides two “best friends” desperately trying to make it happen because somehow they lost their individual characters and instead of being friends became matchmakers?

I too like Luka and Marinette together. Their relationship is pretty nice to see and all. But sometimes it feels like it happens in a dimension of its own, like the writers want to make the endgame clear in that the “sideships” can be easily cut out of the big “how they got together”-recaps. I especially miss reactions from and interactions with Juleka. She is Luka’s sister, Marinette’s friend, and IIRC someone aware of if not even a bit player in the great shipping game. She is in a prime position to step up and bring progress on all fronts: She can talk with Luka. She can either give Marinette helpful pointers or go “All in or nothing”, i.e. trying to make Marinette get her Adrien-feelings in order as she does not want her brother to get less than Marinette’s full heart. Similarly, she can counteract “friendly acts” and stop humiliating situations from escalating, or she herself can escalate them in the “All or Nothing”-scenario. Yet she remains basically a background character who gets little attention from the camera and almost no “non-focus identity”

As for Kagami, I may be too biased. *Any* positive Kagami/Marinette relationship is to me what Lukanette is to you. So naturally I have lots of opinions when it comes to her role ;) But can I just say that Adrien/Kagami is the weirdest ship for me? They have a few cute scenes and I think if they’d spend a lot more time together, they’d do each other good but I don’t know how they work. “No Hesitation” Kagami would lob Adrien’s head straight off with all his…everything. If we are meant to take Adrien’s love for LB seriously (and I guess we have to because how in the name of sanity is any form of the stated endgame gonna work otherwise???), how does Kagami fit into that picture as a girl who can hardly express emotions while Adrien is the definition of a  guy who can not stop flirting or goes for all kinds of romantic gestures? Sometimes it feels more like a “social fit” and “Mommy/Daddy approves” kind of deal which is quite the shame! Normally I like these kind of relationships in fictions but they need a solid underlining or good development. One they haven’t and one the series has not been giving to anyone so far.

Yeah, the whole thing with the love square versus side ships ends up feeling extremely forced. Keeping Luka away and forcing Adrien into Lukanette episode are the biggest giveaways, basically a big fat sign that says, “We know Marinette would forget that Adrien exists if she hung around Luka for more than five minutes.”

AND YEAH, KAGAMI WOULDN’T PUT UP WITH ADRIEN’S GARBAGE. I liked Adrimi but it’s definitely more flawed than Lukanette.

Anonymous said:

Watched your opinion on the New York special and I agree with you. It was mediocre at best. It could have been something nice, like if they added Kagami and Luka, for example, so that we can get a bit of development from the new couples on season 4, so that it doesn’t feel rushed when they start dating on season 4. It could also be a good opportunity to see the other temporary heroes one last time, since Marinette technically has the miracle box.

They could have had an epic fight with the American Superheroes, maybe even giving the bee miraculous temporally to Aeon or Jess so that we didn’t need to see their awful and uncreative superheroes designs. It would have been nice if they made something more useful other than being characters that believe that Adrien and Marinette are “Meant to be”, like, we already got a ton of these already, couldn’t we get someone who didn’t feel something about this ship? It has so much wasted potential that I don’t even know how to start. Do you agree with anything I said?

I agree, yes. They could’ve easily thrown Luka/Kagami into the mix (or had Marinette/Adrien stay behind while flipping perspectives or something; flawed but they could make it work).

Anonymous said:

I'm rereading ladybugout and wow... the moment of silence after "chat deserves that kiss" gets me every time. Everyone stopping and just staring because wow he really just said that

Me whenever Chat Noir opens his mouth in the show.

Anonymous said:

I saw the Backwarder post you just talked about and yes, it is so totally ridiculous. They forgot another thing, though. Miraculous isn't just about comedy, action, and romance, it's about embarrassing Marinette. And the fact that almost everyone in the comments was acting like the medicine scene at the end was funny was just stupid and saddening to hear or read about, because it shows how people have been conditioned to hate and rally against Marinette without even realizing it. Granted, there was one lady who said it reminded her of her husband, so I guess that's okay(but all it means is that Adrien will be Marinette's--aka "his lady's"--husband like eeerrrgh!). And there was one person who said they liked that Juleka's advice because "If you're friend isn't willing to commit crimes for your happiness, is she even your friend?". But everyone else liked the ending. And I don't get the person who said we got "Subtle progression with Adrien and Marinette". We're right where we started.

Weeeeell, I understand the “comedy, action, romance” comment because all of those basically boil down to embarrassing Marinette or invalidating her. Comedy and romance goes without saying while action involves her dealing with Chat “Nice Guy” Noir.

Anonymous said:

Is it just me, or does Snow White's "Red Shoes" form look a lot like Marinette. I know, I know, Marinette is Chinese and Red Shoes is Korean, but they still look strikingly similar. They're bodies are really similar, too, but that might just be because animation tends to use eerily similar body types for its female characters on a whole. It's sad and it makes me think of how cute Marinette would be if she was fat. I also think Snow White was cuter than Red Shoes but that's kind of the point.

I think it’s the body type thing but that’s just a guess since I didn’t immediately make the connection.

I agree that Snow White is cuter.

Anonymous said:

Am I the only one who's never liked "destined to fail" characters? Basically this is when characters aren't allowed to be good at/succeed at something or else the whole universe will somehow fall apart. Think of how in The Amazing World of Gumball, if Richard gets a job, the world will be in complete and utter chaos. So he's better off as a lazy, bumbling dad. In Phineas and Ferb, Candace is always trying to rat out her younger brothers but if she gives up or succeeds something bad will happen.

TV Tropes put it the best: "Not only is she not allowed to succeed, but she's also not allowed to stop trying!"(conveniently under the Cosmic Plaything trope). I just don't like it because it shows that the writers just want to lead them on with the promise of success then snatch it away at the last minute. And now we're back at Miraculous Ladybug, where Marinette is humiliated every time she doesn't sign a gift that's for Adrien, and yet when she does, everyone in Paris DIES. Except for...HIM.

you: *mentions Candace*

me: [a million awful flashbacks]

Also, yeah, it’s so hard to watch, especially in “Chat Blanc” because it’s like, “Oh, you want to give a gift to a boy and you dArEd to use your powers for it? Congrats, but everyone else is DEAD and you can hang out with him as much as you want! You’re welcome!”

Anonymous said:

I think it’d become a “faintest idea blackout card”rather than a bingo.

(referring to my “Faintest Idea” card)

We’re getting there.

darkmoonravewolf said:

I hate that everything on that list could happen and very likely will

(referring to “Didn’t Need Burrow”)

Yeah, and it makes me sad :’)

Anonymous said:

That’s be real here. Miraculous ladybug is not a show about Marinette; Miraculous Ladybug is a show about Adrien. Adrien is the real main character.

Notice that when they focused on Adrien in “Lies,” they only cut back to Marinette (IN A SCENE THAT CAN’T EXIST) to have her fawn over him.

Anonymous said:

Is it just me or are Lady Noire's eyes huge? Maybe it's just the green but they seem way bigger than Marinette's

I’m not sure, but considering Rena’s facial structure being different from Alya’s, it wouldn’t surprise me.

asexual-individual said:

With what you've said about Adrien lacking a reason to exist outside of development for Marinette and Gabriel, I have to wonder how different the show would be if Chat Noir's identity was also kept from the audience. Adrien would still be there as himself, but he only gets as much focus as Alya, and Chat Noir's identity is treated as a mystery (a Tuxedo Mask type mystery, but a mystery all the same).

I see what you mean but it might cause Adrien+Chat’s screentime to feel excessive once the reveal happens, because suddenly their screentime gets combined and it’s like, “oh wow so the combined screentime is his then.”

Anonymous said:

I know that the kwami's really only exist so we can hear our protagonists' thoughts outloud (like what the Coraline movie did with adding Wybie to the story). But honestly, what's the point in having magical gods in the jewelry if you're not going to do anything with them?

Marketing with “cute” side characters.

guisendisguise said:

It's funny, originally, I had shipped Marichat in the sense that Chat and Mari start hanging out and both fall in love with the other's supposedly less perfect, more real selves. Then Luka was introduced and I ended up putting both lukanette and marichat at the same level. Then S3 hit and killed any love I had for Marichat. The writers themselves killed the Love Square for me. At this point, it's very clear they are living in a delusion where the Love Square could ever work narratively without Deus ex Machina or Deus Lo Vult (God wills it). Basically, they've gone past scraping the bottom of the writing skills barrel and are now shoulder deep in the hole they dug thru the bottom of said barrel. I'd like to point out that the bottom of the barrel is writing poop and now they're digging thru the useless plastic landfill the barrel was sitting on top of

Uggggh, yeah. Any appreciation I could’ve had for Marichat died in “Weredad.” I already didn’t like Adrien/Chat and then “Weredad” just showed his complete lack of... well, ANYTHING.

cosmostellar said:

Honestly feels like MLBs writers are going based off the "JUST IMAGINE EVERY POC CHARACTER YOU'RE WRITING AS WHITE" instead of, yknow, fleshing them out while developing them also in the context of their cultures and giving them these little things that the audiences who belong to the same minority can identify with. I don't mean "have Marinette walk in qipao 24/7" bcs thats just... bad on its own but man, /some/ casual acknowledgments of her culture would be nice.

Reading the sentence “JUST IMAGINE EVERY POC CHARACTER YOU'RE WRITING AS WHITE” physically hurts me.

Anonymous said:

Ok, I've always thought that Chloe was robbed of redemption (they held it in front of us, but then jerked it away while Astruc says, "She's irredeemable! We thought she was redeemable, but she wasn't :)!" What are your thoughts! Also, I just recently found your blog and I really like it :)

Thank you!

But I have no sympathy for bully characters, so I didn’t want Chloe redeemed. Maybe I’m still bitter about my own bullying experience, but I just wasn’t here for Marinette being forced to forgive Chloe, which is basically what they did until they backpedaled.

The time spent on her was wasted though and that I can agree on.

Anonymous said:

Me: Writes a 1k rant about how the tweet makes no sense as the "mistake" is about motivation and not the critical plot. Also me: Remembers that in MLB the plot always comes back to the romance. Finally me: Wonders why he got involved with the series post-S3 when all the red flags were already everywhere.

Mistakes were made.

Anonymous said:

I'm semi-catching up on miraculous, and- is it my impression, or does Kagami rebel against her mother more in few episodes she's in (even though her mother's influences on her seem to be stronger in general), than Adrien in the entire show? I /know/ that I don't want to see Adrien free himself from his father w/ the desperation I want to see Kagami free herself from her mother and realize that the standards she's held up to are unhealthy and too strong.

Yeah, I’m way more invested in Kagami than Adrien.

Anonymous said:

Am I the only one confused about whether the staff stopped caring and half-asses the series or cares too much and over-produces the hell out of it?

Nah. It really feels like they secretly hate the love square so they have to keep forcing it.

Anonymous said:

ngl I haven't watched any new episodes since Chameleon and I've been getting all that Miraculous News via tumblr to avoid that Marinette Brand Second Hand Embarrassment™

Understandable.

Anonymous said:

If they aired the 6th one first WHAT WHAT HAPPENED TO LEAD UP TO THIS???? WE ARE ON SEASON FOUR WITH TWO SPEICALS, GETTING A THIRD, AND ANY DEVELOPMENT WE HAD HAS GONE BACKWARDS, SUCKED, OR STATUS QUO YO-ED AWAY!!!!! HOW THE HECK DO WE GET ADRIENETTE FROM FOUR SEASONS OF NOTHING?????? I USED TO FANGIRL AT THIS NOW I AM TERRIFIED.

Answer: We don’t get Adrienette. We get forced love square and rushed/fake “development” of it while being constantly confused as episodes air out of order.

Anonymous said:

im sorry But adrienette has been suck in this limbo of one sidedness for 3 seasons. neither of them have become closer, neither of them have confided in one another, but somehow people still ship it? at least luka was able to make a move on marinette lol adrien still repeats the same boring “shes just a friend” line. adrienette is a really boring ship.

lol don’t apologize, you’re absolutely right.

nahte123456 said:

Very minor bit of salt to throw to the pile, but can this show just decide on how strong Miraculous holders are? Yes it's a cartoon and not the focus but in the Furious Fu episode we literally get Ladybug dodging lighting and then Su who seems mostly human and is at least slower then Fu was outspeeding her. It's distracting trying to figure out what is and isn't a serious threat in this show.

The deciding factor in the strength of the miraculous holders is “whatever works for the plot.”

Anonymous said:

At this point the only thing I'm excited for concerning Miraculous Ladybug is when it gets a reboot in like, a decade with actually competent writers

Best case scenario is that Zag goes bankrupt and Disney/Netflix picks up the series and gives it to competent people.

Problem is that the love square has been ruined so badly for me that even a “good” version of it wouldn’t be something I’d be into, but still.

Anonymous said:

Honestly, the problem with having all of Marinette's mistakes result in huge disasters (ex. Feast), is that is gives off the impression that teenagers aren't allowed to make mistakes. This show clearly doesn't like giving second chances to the protagonist, so why would life give one to you? Am I right, kids?

Exactly.

Marinette makes mistakes and suddenly the world is ending.

Anonymous said:

If your gonna watch the show, at least pirate the episodes so the writers dont get your support

Don’t worry, I have no interest in financially supporting the show.

Anonymous said:

ml in a nutshell: wasted potential, then giving themselves more potential, only to turn the rest of it into a dumpster fire

Yup, that’s it.

Anonymous said:

u know, when My Little Pony, Sofia The First, and fanfiction carries out character development, respect, romance, and the main plot better than the original show, especially when the shows mentioned above are aimed more at little girls and the original show is aimed at slightly older audiences... somethings wrong

*sigh*

And then it’s like--people will excuse the show because “it’s a kids’ show” and then I’m just “okay then, why are there actually good kids’ show?”

If shows get a pass for being for children then all childrens’ shows should just not try and be garbage since the standard is so low.

Anonymous said:

ive seen some cool fic ideas/concepts/reviews that made me think: ml could use so much more looking into how a character thinks in some situations. one fic i read had alya in chameleon (i know its been forever since the ep came out but hey) not question lila cus she thought: "hey, lb wouldnt befriend a bad person" w and added a plot line of lila making her think lb was cobsidering replacing rena rougue. like, just a few lines to make them seem better pls?

YES. Like, show us characters’ perspectives and why they’re rolling with the facts that they’re rolling with, otherwise they just end up looking like jerks.

We sort of got it in “Ikari Gozen” with Kagami but of course it was just to make Marinette look bad.

Anonymous said:

You know I’m honestly considering making reviews of this show and if I do I could create hour long rants about the show just from that mans twitter.

Yeaaaaaah, once you had in the Twitter stuff, it just becomes, “okay so this is going to add another hour or two then.”

Anonymous said:

Okay one thing that bothers me is how plain marinette's suits are despite being a DESIGNER. Her multimouse suit it just blocks of color and her ladynoir suit is just grey with green lines. I think the lines are supposed to represent actually clothes. Like the limes on the calves are supposed to make it look like boots but why not actually GIVE her boots. (Right, because she has to have a skintight suit unlike the boys who get some layers.)

THE SHEER DISRESPECT OF HAVING THE FASHION DESIGNER WEAR SUCH A PLAIN SUIT.

It also goes to show who really designs here, like oh, interesting, the girls get skin-tight simplistic bodysuits and the boys gets all the cool stuff--

Anonymous said:

I heard some people in my class saying they watched Miraculous Ladybug for the first time, and they were saying how good it was, and I was like: 'Oh you poor fools. You have NO idea what it's truly like.'

You know what they say: ignorance is bliss.

bat-anon said:

Isn’t it INTERESTING how in Frozer, Luka understands that Marinette is torn between her crushes and continues to support her even though he knows she probably won’t chose him, and in the exact same episode Chat Noir refuses to help save the city because Ladybug told him AGAIN that she wasn’t romantically interested in him? HMMM 🤔😑

dbfgjbdfjkgf

I’M REMINDED OF “FELIX” WHERE IT’S LIKE--THEY WERE CLEARLY TRYING TO SHOW HOW MUCH “BETTER” CHAT NOIR IS THAN FELIX, BUT LUKA WAS THE RESPECTFUL ONE.

Anonymous said:

You know what I want to see? An evil kwami, like they just want to commit crimes. No moral high grounds, just chaotic evil.

That’d be amazing just because I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously.

Anonymous said:

Watching S1 and S3 episodes back to back, it feels like reading salt fics at times, especially in regards to the L². Like, Marinette was happy about weird plans, she both needed and wanted the final push, and most of the time there was at least something coming out of it. Nowadays it just makes her sad, Alya and the girls act *against* her, and we get shipping for shipping's sake.

That’s a good point. The shift from Seasons 1 to 2 to 3 is rather noticeable.

Anonymous said:

I hate how Adrien's busy schedule seems to only matter when it's used to make Marinette feel bad, but the second Marinette has a bit more to do, it somehow has a negative effect on not only her, but also everyone/everything she cares about, like, what's up with that??

I’m reminded of “Lies” here and I hate it. :|

Anonymous said:

Honestly, the way the show treats teenage girls is horse ass. The show treats the teenage girls of this show as if they're stupid, naive, emotional, clumsy, and need a boy to tell them what opinions to have. Marinette is always treated like the show's punching bag and blamed for everything that goes wrong because she's "emotional" or "obsessed with Adrien", Chloe could've been redeemed but the writers would rather keep her a brain-dead Alpha Bitch Valley Girl(even though Gabriel and Felix, the latter of whom is a teenage boy introduced in one episode, get to be treated as redeemable, despite the things they do being far, far worse), and Lila is a conniving, self-absorbed fox.

And even though Kagami seems better, she's still roped into the "girls catfight over an oblivious guy" cliche and so far, all of her akumatizations have been because of Adrien. Whenever Marinette tries to move on from Adrien the other characters tell her what's good for her and steer her in the "right" direction because she apparently can't think for herself, and the writers LOVE to use the girl squad to tell us who Marinette should be with, because they apparently know better than she does.

Plus the show loves to treat all the girls as the same, making them all either fight over Adrien or be obsessed with shipping, as if teenage girls are all one assimilating, homogenized group(also when they treat Marinette as if she's "just as bad as Chloe", rinse and repeat for the other ladies.). Honestly, the show feels like it was written by those types of people who think "teenage girls are the worst" so they make them all mood-swingy, obsessive, showoffs, emotional, and downright clingy.

Plus the way Thomas Astruc talks about the female characters on Twitter is even worse, and only serves to make this more evident: he claims Marinette "has poor control over her emotions"(all the while calling Adrien "perfect"), that Chloe was racist in Kung Food "because she's stupid"(so rather than having that scene serve as a lesson on respecting other's cultures, he just did it to pick on Chloe and make her look "stupid"), that she's incapable of being redeemed, that Lila's unlikable but Gabriel and Felix aren't(even though he claimed Felix was a terrible character and a "cliche", that's not what the show says my guy), and other such nonsense.

Other Twitter users have also called out Miraculous Ladybug and its stereotypical treatment of teenage girls. The only shows I've ever seen do this worse are those pretentious "darker" Magical Girl "deconstructions" aimed at grown men such as Madoka Magica and Yuki Yuna, as well as most shonen/seinen shows such as Naruto and Death Note, which says a lot. Honestly, whenever I feel like watching a show with empowering and respectful depictions of teenage girls that treats them as bright and intelligent and actually unique from one another, I just watch Equestria Girls, Liv and Maddie, LoliRock, ANT Farm, Moesha, PreCure, or Sailor Moon. Because the way the show acts towards them is deplorable, absolutely deplorable.

Yes to all of the above. Almost all of the girls are involved in love affairs in some way, the two teenage girls are irredeemable while Felix got a sympathetic backstory right away (Chloe took forever to get hers which is a failure), and Marinette is flawed because she’s “too emotional” (a misogynistic stereotype).

Anonymous said:

Hi, I'm the anon who got upset at the lady who made the "Miraculous Ladybug is a Mess" rant, and yes, thank you zodiacspirit17 for liking and agreeing with my rant! I'm glad someone else saw that video! And ugh, Marinette learning to love Chat Noir? Really? I don't remember that line but I also don't want to go back and revisit it to make sure so I'll take your word for it. Ew. That was actually one of the things I hated about the Glaciator scene. Chat was supposedly comforting Marinette by taking her to the rooftop where he planned Ladybug's date, and yet only Marinette finds out about Chat's crush on Ladybug and comforts him on that(while rethinking her feelings), while all Chat knows is that Marinette's heart was also broken. He never asks who it is, or tries to help her get over her crush even if he doesn't know it's coincidentally him.

I know it's because of the "love square" but it's unfair that only Chat's love problems are directly addressed. Come to think of it, the reason Chat took Marinette to the rooftop...I know he was doing it in-universe to help her instead of intruding on her personal feelings(which might have also been why he didn't ask her who her crush was, he was probably thinking along the lines of "we don't have to talk about it right now, we can just have fun!"), but meta-wise, since we know she's Ladybug, the writers were probably trying to tell her "See? This is what you could've been doing, but you missed it. Shame on you!" That's a huge issue I have with the show: characters will do things in-universe to help Marinette, but the show has a different motive in mind. Compare to how Tikki gave actual advice to Marinette in Puppeteer 2, but the writers intended that for the statue scene so they could embarrass her in front of Adrien and the thousands of eyes watching the show(except we're not laughing.). Even if characters do support her, the writer is using them as props for her ritualized humiliation. And yet Luka is the problem somehow.

If Marinette needs to learn how to love Chat Noir, then it should at least be balanced out by Adrien learning to Marinette. I'm sick of this double standard that "girls need to learn to accept boys who like them but guys can do what they want". Another thing she said was that "Marinette needs to learn to define herself outside of who she's crushing on." NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. You see, unlike Adrien, Marinette HAS a life outside of who she's crushing on: she has school, she has Kitty Section, she has her "girl squad", she has her parents, she has her outside family, she babysits Alya's and Nino's siblings, and she has OH YEAH HER FASHION DESIGNING! I didn't even count being a superhero since Adrien does that, too. She has so many things to do outside of Adrien, and yet the fact that she makes gifts for Adrien or dreams about Adrien or wants to have kids with Adrien somehow makes her nothing but an "Adrien fangirl"?

First of all, she's the bloody protagonist?! That's such a "Real Women Don't Wear Dresses" argument, that she can't have her own life AND be in love at the same time! And somehow her crushing on Luka also means her life revolves around him, too! But Adrien's life doesn't revolve around Ladybug even though he doesn't really have anything going for him in his ordinary life? Outside of being rich, hot, white, and male, that is? What are his interests and hobbies, besides what Gabriel lets him do to pass the time? He doesn't even like modeling! And the Agreste plot is more about Gabriel, Emilie, and Nathalie than it is about him.

And what about his friendship with Nino? He didn't even care that Nino was getting strung along by Lila with the others! What about his friendship with Chloe that also waxes and wanes? Granted, Chloe's not a GOOD person, which that lady acknowledged, but she at least tried to change and has more development than him, the writers just won't let her change. I hate when people come for Marinette for doing literally anything when the show won't let her have agency and progress. It's so unfair of her and I wish they could see that. These double standards are driving me insane and they're sexist(maybe even a little bit racist, too), and it hurts even more when a woman's doing those things.

(I had to cut off some of this ask because I didn’t get all of it, so I cut it off at the point where it still seemed like a full ask.)

I FEEL THE “GLACIATOR” THING SO BAD. It hurts even worse when you realize that “Frozer” has to take place after “Glaciator,” so Chat Noir heard that Marinette has love problems and then ignored it to ask her for advice about his own love problems later on. The total lack of insensitivity???

Also, the idea that Marinette’s life would revolve around her crush on Luka is stupid. It’s the exact opposite, in fact.

Meanwhile, Adrien has so little going for him and the “interesting” parts of him involve who he’s connected to or what his father has forced him into.

#other: askplosion #category: salt #episode: Party Crasher #special: Miraculous New York #character: Bunnyx #other: ml spoilers #episode: Gang of Secrets #episode: Truth #episode: Lies #category: fandom #episode: Backwarder #character: Lady Noire #character: Kagami Tsurugi #relationship: love square #relationship: Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain Cheng #relationship: Adrien Agreste & Kagami Tsurugi #category: staff #episode: Furious Fu #character: Marinette Dupain Cheng #character: Adrien Agreste #character: Luka Couffaine #character: Viperion

[princessfanonanona]

Okay so I'm just gonna ramble here for a hot minute: when I first rejoined (joined?) the phandom I was absolutely baffled by the term "core" and had negative understanding of what "ghost cores" meant.

You know what I related "core" to? Cultivation core because I read way too many manwhas and mangas, and webcomics etc. (also my dash is inundated with The Untamed and similar didn't help)

So imagine for a moment, ghost cores function like a cultivation core wherein a ghost can meditate and train and do special things with it and can grow stronger.

I mean logically it all fits though (it can and imma prove it)

So a proper cultivation has stages and levels. Each stage is made up of levels that require major training, some of which have what are called bottle necks where it becomes exponentially harder to pass through. Each stage is like a Major Breakthrough and defines very specific things

To start on your cultivation journey, one has to meditate and control their ki and compress it, this starts when their young as it's the easiest time to start the journey but when their kids its soft and malleable. This is referred to as Ki Condensation (Not all ghosts have a core right? and sometimes it takes awhile for shades and blobs to form cause they gotta build that ectoplasm)

Also note this stage has 2 bottlenecks and are the defining point of whether or not you can continue a cultivation journey.

Great now you have a core, well you gotta train and meditate with it to bring it to the Foundation Establishment which describes molding your body to be able to using ki smoothly and prepping it for future cultivation (Danny I'm looking at you as you had to relearn how to human without intangibility causing all sorts of accidents)

Now you get to Core Formation where you compress your spiritual energy further to forming the core (you can argue how long it takes Danny to form his core, whether he jumpstarted the process or it formed unconsciously as he had to fight which has very interesting long term consequences for both options)

There's a bunch more layers in the 1st level, I just not going to max out describing all of them but notable points:

As you progress higher on you cultivation, you have to pads the tribulations, which are basically heaven set tests to test your focus and will power.

One of which is the 9 Heavenly Lightning Tribulation. It is usually one of the last if not last Tribulation and requires the cultivator to stand under spiritual lightning that's apparently More Important than regular lightning. (Who do we know got struck by special lightning and is headcannoned to getting his ice powers after? Hmmm hard to think of one)

From there you train for the Heavenly Realm and the Ancestral Heavenly Realm.

Which basically puts cultivators on the level of demi gods and gods. (Vortex and Undergrowth could be seen as being part of the Heavenly Realm and Clockwork, Nocturne, Pandora would be Ancestral Heavenly Realm)

Considering all of the fights that Danny goes through by the end, you can imagine him hanging out pretty midway of the Heavenly Realm stages by the end of the show.

(Please note that a lot of these terms change based on the work that decides to explore the cultivation journey, Ki and Qi are fairly interchangeable, the names of the later stages and realms also shift. However the actual steps of the 1st stage are basically set in stone and do not change)

Do with this info what you will, I just think the concept is v intriguing and possibly fun to play with.

#danny phantom #cultivation au #ramblings of a fanona

[roswellnmsource]

Jeanine Mason and Roswell, New Mexico showrunner preview season 3 of the extraterrestrial drama

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was the year time jump because of the pandemic? To sidestep making that too central to the plot, or was that always the plan?

JEANINE MASON: That was always our intention and it was just sort of a saving grace in that way. We also don't acknowledge the pandemic in real-time on our show. There are no masks and that was just so wonderful just to get work in that way and have that time where it was a little more normal. Also, that's just our show — we want you to come to us the way you always do, which is for nineties nostalgia, sexy Cowboys, brilliant scientists, you know?

CHRIS HOLLIER: So we wanted to drop our characters in a year later, let them stew in their individual decisions that were made last season. We want everyone to root for our poster couple but we want to honor what happens in real life, which is sometimes you step away from that person, even if you are entwined with them in a very particular way. So we wanted it to be a real enough time and distance so that they could live a little life on their own.

With showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie departing at the end of season 2, has much changed? Or are you still working with ideas she had in place?'

HOLLIER: It's a little bit of both. There are things that Carina and I built that live all the way through and then once the story got up on its feet, discoveries were made with our new crop of people that we were like, "Oh, we're going to bend it this other way."

Jeanine, how is Liz doing in her new life in L.A. when we pick up this season?

MASON: Well, it's been a year and at this point, her life is actually pretty great. She just hasn't taken a second to acknowledge that. She's doing what she does best, which is just full head in her work and trying to figure out what she could use of her discoveries and her brilliance to save Maria. She has a great job, a really nice place, and an awesome partner at work who is a good time and a real match for her in terms of intellect and ambition. He begins to ask her to recognize that and to maybe give something a chance that she's been reluctant to because of how drawn she is to Roswell and to Max. It's a fun first episode. It's sexy. It's fun to find opportunities for her. She's our hero so she's got a lot on her shoulders and anytime where we can find levity for her is always a real treat for the writers and for me.

And no Crashdown waitress uniform must be nice?

MASON: Honestly, I miss it quite a lot right now. I have a note in my notes with Chris, I'm like, "I gotta tell him we gotta find him more opportunities for it."

Should Liz and Max shippers be worried about them finding their way back to one another after he destroyed her work and didn't follow her to L.A.? Should we resign ourselves to a season apart?

MASON: This season really is about these characters having themselves mirrored to each other. Max and Liz need some growing and ultimately they can't do anything but be orbiting each other. We found so many opportunities to have such a beautiful language around the cosmic element of their connection. They're asking, "Is this our decision, or are we just acting off of a decision that the cosmos made for us?" It was so fun to navigate that. I always have such a good time with Chris Hollier and with Nathan Dean, just finding the little tiny notches, a tiny bit of movement towards where they're going next. I really loved following them. It's my favorite Max and Liz season to date.

HOLLIER: It's not a season apart. I'll tease that they, in an unexpected way, end up in front of each other relatively soon. But it's really about when am I ready? And what does it mean to talk to my ex? When someone makes such a big influence in your life, when do you know it's over and when do you know you should fight again? We tried to give them real grown-up lives.

Steven Krueger (The Originals) also joined the cast as Heath this season. What can you tease about his character?

HOLLIER: He's just an awesome human being. I know him from The Originals and we were like, "If we're going to have to be stuck with people in the desert, who do we want?" You want to be stuck with a handsome and lovely and charming Steven Krueger. So really this was looking at, "Well, what did Liz want and what does it look like when you start to give Liz versions of what she wants?" Heath is somebody that is beyond being just a lovely person, he is smart and wants to advance science and that's appealing to Liz. It becomes, "What does it look like when the man that I hang around with all day is also into the same things that I am?"

MASON: I love him. Heath is just such a fun, whip-smart, fantastic character. His humor was so fun. We've been having a good time with kicking the humor up really through season two and in season three, we just took it up another notch. There are some moments that are like, "Is this a drama or is it a sitcom?" Looking back on it, he was such a fun partner to spar with. They're both such intellectual characters and I love that there's a real meeting of the minds. It makes it competitive and sexy. I know a lot of fans are so excited because they know him from The Originals and he's going to be a great addition.

Technically, Mr. Jones is a new character too. Can you tell us anything at all about him?

HOLLIER: I'd say he's a new character — and a fully-fleshed interesting new character. Mr. Jones has an awesome beard. At some point, he might lose that beard. A lot of people are asking me, "Is Jones good or bad?" And what I would argue is that's a perspective based upon who you are in the conversation that you're having with him. He knows a lot about our heroes' story and he knows a lot about home. He'll be able to answer questions for them. This season our heroes will get to learn why they ended up here on earth. One of the things I think that people will love is that they're going to get to see that home planet this year. We asked ourselves a lot about this whole season, "What have we set up for the past two?" We look at these first three seasons almost like a trilogy so a lot of things are going to be paid off.

Has Nathan enjoyed pulling double duty this season? Or is he just exhausted?

MASON: He's exhausted, but he's such a champ. That really is the beginning of this mirroring thing that starts with Max and Jones with him actually getting to look at himself to a degree and those questions that come up. The self-analysis that it provokes in him is really the beginning of what is happening to all of our characters this year; everybody's being confronted with themselves. I loved that the Max/Jones of it was also a real sci-fi element.

Did he really grow that beard or was that not possible if he had to go between the two characters?

MASON: That was a prosthetic beard and our makeup team killed it. He was not accustomed to early mornings, which, of course, all of us babes are. It was a lot of extra time in the chair for him.

Can Jones dupe Liz into thinking he's actually Max since she doesn't know he exists?

MASON: You're totally on to something. It's a real and pressing threat. I mean, she's totally in the dark and he looks like her cosmic lover!

HOLLIER: What I will say is that, Liz — beyond her being number one on the call sheet — is integral to this story in a way that she and none of our characters are going to perceive when they start episode one. We're bringing [the characters] to a new crossroads moment in their lives and they're getting, through Jones, a mirror into their own lives to decide what they're going to become next.

How's Rosa (Amber Midthunder) doing this season?

MASON: By the end of season two, Rosa really makes the decision to start taking care of herself. She really becomes an incredible asset to the Scooby-Doo gang. It's something that Liz is in constant adjustment to. As much as she's the younger sister, she feels very protective of her sister and Liz has had to make adjustments in her trust and faith in Rosa. I loved it because it just felt like a real personal, authentic thing that sisters would go through, but also that Hispanic sisters would go through. I think we sometimes, culturally, have a tendency to baby our women — maybe that's the wrong word — but just to underestimate their physical ability and what they might take on, and sort of 'queen' our women in a way where we treat them tenderly. I hate that. I'm a tough bitch and so is Rosa. So Liz has to confront that and go, "I'm an idiot to underestimate you. You've done nothing but prove me wrong."

What about Maria and her visions?

HOLLIER: This year I think Maria has the most complete arc of any season, as she recognizes things about herself that cause more questions about who she is, who her family is, how she's linked to this story. We dive into it in the present-day and we dive deliciously back in time too.

In the exclusive clip above we see her have a vision of a funeral, can you tease anything about who potentially might be about to die?

HOLLIER: Maria is front and center in driving the first half of the mystery for us. She's burdened with trying to figure out whose death she is seeing. It takes a few episodes to unravel and we use it to ask, is this linked to our supernatural stories or real-world stories that are going on politically? Is it bad luck? Is it herself? There's a whole gambit at play. We joke that we solved a past murder, now we're going to try to stop one.

Can Malex (Michael and Alex) shippers have hope that this might finally be their time?

HOLLIER: What I would say is that I think that Malex fans are really going to dig this journey. We, as writers, put them at the same level of importance as Max and Liz. So we wanted to really honor the next step in what they may or may not be. How did they grow up and how did they have those hard conversations just like Liz and Max are going to have?

Is Isobel going to continue to date women this season?

HOLLIER: Isobel is going to go on a more personal journey. You got to love yourself before you can love someone else. We lean into those possibilities by the end of who she might love. It's not something that is dropped all season — it is something that you'll see. We play some romantic comedy stuff with her character this year and with Maria that I think fans are gonna dig. There's a lot going on in the world and wanted to pump some humor and hope into it.

Will see more of Liz fighting to challenge the perception of the Latinx community?

MASON: I think that just by nature of it being one of such few shows that are led by a Latin woman, it's always going to be, to an extent, a protest or an assertion of the space that I get to fill and that Liz Ortecho gets to fill on network TV. I was really excited to just have Chris as a collaborator. Over our hiatus, before the season started, I was doing a lot of reading. I chronicled the books that play into Liz every season on my Instagram. I was reading some Sonia Sotomayor. Her book is just incredible. I was texting him screenshots of pages of the book with things underlined. Ten episodes deep into season 3, he's like, "Remember that page you sent me?" He's a real dream collaborator. I loved him for that. A pressing struggle for people of color is going through the ranks in these big corporations and then sometimes coming to find out that those corporations are purporting to support marginalized groups but actually aren't following through. So how do you, as someone who's having your success, your dreams become reality, navigate supporting the company and giving so much of your intelligence and your work — that they often legally own, especially with science — to a company that isn't going to be for your people?

#jeanine mason #chris hollier #roswell new mexico #press #cast #rnm spoilers #follow link for a maria/greg/vision clip!

[planetsam]

Michael Sanders prompt: could you do a follow up where Walt makes Michael go to college? 

Follow up to THIS

Walt isn’t surprised to see Alex waiting there alone.

Alex looks heartbreakingly young but still every bit the stubborn punk whose defied his father enough times to be sent away. Walt wishes he could say he’s disappointed Jesse isn’t here to see his son off, but he expected that from him. No, Walt realizes the person he’s disappointed in his own son. Which he’s planning on dealing with in due time. But first things first. He puts the truck in park and tries not to watch hope and then disappointment fall over Alex’s features.

“Don’t look too disappointed.”

“Mr. Sanders,” he says respectfully, “I’m sorry I thought—“ he stops and Walt remembers that the military is about as understanding as Alex’s father, “Sorry.”

“You don’t gotta apologize, I saw you waiting here, figured you might want the company.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Alex says.

“It’s nothing. Apparently my son was an idiot last night and punched out Wyatt Long’s tires,” Alex’s face falls and Walt realizes he’s not the only one disappointed in Michael’s behavior, “I gotta go knock some sense into him.”

Alex pales and Walt realizes his mistake instantly. He’s never raised a hand to Michael in his life and he sure as hell isn’t about to start, but it’s a sore subject. Especially for someone like Alex. He looks like the kid in the principals office. It breaks Walt’s heart to see him looking like that.

“Shit I didn’t—“

“I know you wouldn’t,” Alex says. Walt nods, “I have to go,” he adds abruptly, “this is my chance, you know? I don’t want to but—“

“I know,” Walt cuts in, “you should take your chance,” he adds, “It doesn’t mean anything about that,” he adds, “you’re both young anyway, you got lives to live and shit to figure out.”

“I don’t need to figure that out,” Alex says.

Walt hates it when he’s proved so epically wrong about something. He’s always tried not to judge Alex but he’s never been the boy’s biggest fan. He remembers his family too well for that. But he’s going to have to make an exception. He hasn’t had this big of an “I told you so” since he put down the bottle all those years ago. Right down to the headache.

“You know he’s doing this so he doesn’t have to say goodbye,” Walt says. Alex nods, “doesn’t mean you have to forgive him right now, he should be here, but in his own way he’s trying to say how much he cares.”

“He’s also saying how hurt he is,” Alex adds. He straightens up more if possible and turns to him, “you know he’s spiraling right? You can stop him can’t you? I tried but—he won’t listen to me.”

Walt doesn’t think there’s anyone on either planet that can make Michael do what he wants but that sure as hell isn’t going to stop him from trying. But Alex’s worrying is another point in his favor, not that he needs more of them. Walt’s got no frame of reference here, is he supposed to approve of the boys Michael brings home? Is that even a thing? He digs into his pocket and pulls out one of those business cards Michael made up to help compensate for his people skills. He scribbles the number on the back and hands it to him.

“I’ll deal with my boy, but if you need anything that’s my cell. Damn social worker said parents needed to have one and I never bothered to shut it off.”

Alex looks stunned but nods, quickly putting the card in his wallet. They both turn to look at the bus that pulls up. Walt wants to tell them to fuck off but he remembers Michael’s drying out in a cell, if he shows up they’ve got bigger problems. Alex gets up. Walt wishes he had something wise to say but he’s never been that kind of guy.

“He’d want you right now,” he says, “but no boy of mine is being with someone who hasn’t graduated college or proved himself in some other impressive way so I’m convinced to approve when he asks in person—so you’d better go make something of yourself and come back here, you hear? It doesn’t count if you die.”

“Yes Mr. Sanders,” he says, “can you tell Michael I said goodbye?”

He nods.

Alex gets on the bus.

He looks for Michael the entire way until it’s a speck in the distance, never once giving up hope.

Walt drives to the police station. If he wasn’t mad before, he’s damn near livid when he forks over bail and is presented with his son. Michael stinks of alcohol and acetone, like he got drunk in a beauty parlor. He stumbles out with a stupid grin that falls the moment he sees it’s not his brother. Max feels guilty still about them being separated, Walt can’t hold that against him. But when Michael gets ugly mad that doesn’t stop him from using it. Walt’s got no such leverage over his head.

“I thought you were Max,” he says.

“Well I was in the neighborhood seeing Alex off, so I guess we’re all having a shit disappointing morning,” he says, “get in.”

Michael clenches his jaw. Walt doesn’t blame him for wanting to say no, but he’s also not doing this. Michael stares him down for a moment, then he wisely gets in the car. Walt slides in too. Michael reeks worse in the closed space. Walt’s never had to wonder how much it takes to get an alien drunk, Michael isn’t that kind of kid. But the answer is apparently ‘a lot’. He looks ahead as Michael slouches in his seat, like he’s on a quest to annoy him as much as possible.

“I want to know what happened.”

“Alex left—“

“Bullshit,” Walt cuts in, “you think I was born yesterday because you managed to hide some boy behind my back for a few months?” Michael looks down, “what happened?”

“I can’t tell you,” Michael says finally.

Apparently Alex isn’t the only one whose trying to look young. It’s like looking at Michael when he first came to him. He was all broken edges then. Now he just seems broken. It’s not something Walt wants to see. He’s never been the best parent but at the moment he feels like a failure. A part of him wants to let Michael have this, but the rest of him refuse. Letting Michael go or have his secrets has never served Michael well.

“You got words don’t you?” Walt says, “or should I call Isobel?” Michael’s jaw clenches, “okay so this involves her. You want to spit it out or should I keep playing 20 questions.”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Michael says stubbornly.

“Then stop acting like one,” Walt shoots back, “you’re a man. A man takes responsibility for his actions,” Michael’s jaw clenches, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on—and don’t tell me you don’t want my help. I’m your father. You being an adult isn’t going to change that.”

Michael stares ahead but the stubborn clench of his jaw softens and his straight spine slopes slightly. Michael’s always worn his heart on his sleeve. Walt can see him starting to crack, even if a moment later he’s back to sitting up straight with a clenched jaw. Walt knows he’s not gonna be able to just pry what happened out of Michael. But he can’t exactly let him just take his sweet time if he’s in real trouble. Not after letting him take his sweet time resulted in him being maimed. He figures lightening the mood will maybe get him to let his guard down.

“Come on, it’s not like you murdered someone.”

Michael folds.

The boy doesn’t have much of a poker face when it comes down to it. Not with people he loves. Walt stares at him. He may not have fully succeeded in raising Michael to be an outstanding member of society but he sure as hell thought he got him over the ‘don’t murder’ part of that curve. Walt’s spent the past decade evading the law on one level or another, depending on how you looked at it. But Michael murdering someone is a whole different story.

“Shit,” He says.

“Yeah,” Michael agrees. He glances at Walt out of the corner of his eye, “I guess I should—“

“Just wait a damn minute,” Walt snaps as he reaches for the door, “let me think.”

“You’re not going to turn me in?” Michael asks.

“Just wait,” Walt repeats.

This isn’t something he thought he’d have to weigh. He almost feels sympathetic to Jim Valenti, though nothing Kyle did in their school days comes close to full on murder. Still Jim was stern but he stood by him. Walt didn’t think he was going to have to feel sympathy for what happened there.

“Walk me through what happened,” he says. Michael stares at him, “everything. Every damn detail,” Michael looks at him, “Now, Michael.”

“It was Isobel,” he whispers.

Walt’s glad he’s sitting down because otherwise he’d be on his ass with relief. It’s a horrible thing to feel, someone got murdered and Michael was somehow involved. But finding out your son isn’t a murder is relieving. And makes a lot of sense. Michael would trust him with everything except his siblings. Walt knows that there’s a difference and he’s always done his best to respect that.

“I—“

“Shut up and let me enjoy the fact I don’t have to be sympathetic to Jim Valenti,” he says. Michael raises his eyebrows. But he keeps quiet until Walt straightens up, “now tell me what happened.”

“Isobel killed them,” he says, “she blacked out and she killed them. Max and I made it look like a car crash,” he swallows tightly, “I told her I did it so she wouldn’t feel bad.”

“Shit,” Walt says finally.

“Yeah, shit,” Michael echoes.

“There anything else?”

Michael shakes his head. He’s gone back to looking small and miserable and Walt finds himself torn between hugging him and shaking him. It makes a damn lot of sense why he’s been acting the way he has. Like lying, subtly has never been Michael’s forte. He looks exhausted too but Walt can’t tell if that’s the hangover or the fact that the weight he’s been carrying is less.

“Right,” Walt says, “here’s what we’re gonna do—“
 “Isobel can’t go to jail,” Michael says abruptly, “I have the most control. I can figure it out.”

“No-one is going to jail!” Walt cuts in, “none of you belong there. What’s wrong with your sister is—a problem for another day,” he says. It’s not like Isobel can go to the doctor or anything, “but you sure as hell ain’t going for her.”

Michael doesn’t like that answer, but Walt’s used to Michael needing to protect the people ehe loves no matter what. He’s too hungover and a murder is the biggest thing happening but Walt’s not stupid enough to think that Alex leaving is just going to be brushed aside. It’s too much happening at once, but they have to start somewhere. He puts the car into gear and figures home is a good place to start. He’s not cruel but there’s no way to get there without passing the damn bus stop. Michael peers out the window just like Alex did.

“Bus came about an hour ago,” he says, “but you knew that.”

“Did you see him?” Michael asks quietly.

“Course I saw him,” Walt says, “I wasn’t going to let him ship off standing there alone,” Michael cringes, “you thought his dad was going to see him off?”

“I didn’t deserve to say goodbye,” Michael mutters.

“Alex’d disagree with that,” Walt says, “not that it matters but he earned that goodbye from you,” Michael gives a slight nod, “instead he had to make due with me. I told him he wasn’t getting near you until he went to college or did something impressive,” he says, “since his dad isn’t going to say it, I’ll say the same thing to you.”

“Say what?”

“You aren’t getting within 100 feet of him without going to college,” Walt says.

Michael gives a miserable sort of smile.

“They probably took back my acceptance,” he says, “I got arrested.”

“Then you’re going to reapply,” Walt tells him, “it’ll probably put you and Alex graduating at the same time. If that’s any incentive,” he clears his throat, “in the meantime, you can work in the yard.”

“I already work in the yard,” Michael points out.

“You gonna undo everything I say?” Walt demands.

Michael shakes his head.

Walt feels relief coursing though his veins. He might not drink but he sure as hell is going to need some coffee to get his head back on straight. He’s damn proud of Michael for a lot of things, but mostly he’s relieved it looks like his boy is back. Still Walt’s not about to commend him too much and risk it going away. He claps Michael on the shoulder instead.

“Good,” Walt says, putting the car into park, “I got a car they just brought in that needs some new tires and an apology.”

#walt sanders #michael sanders #alex manes #roswell new mexico #malex #Michael guerin #malex fic #roswell nm #roswell nm fanfic #roswell nm fic

[shhh-no-ones-home]

all i ever wanted jack daniels x reader

++++++++

imo this one is much better than the last. plus we get to see more of our faves lol. i hope yall like it!

Song: youre the one by greta van fleet

tag list: @cynic-spirit

+++++++++

"max! come back!"

i yelled, chasing after my six year old. i heard him giggle as he ran towards the front door of the office.

"gotcha!"

i said, grabbing his hand before reaching around him and picking him, placing him against my hip with a huff.

"mommy i wanna go."

he whined and i shook my head, opening the door.

"i know baby but you have to be quiet, there are people working."

i said and he nodded, twisting his fist into my red blazer as we got in the elevator.

"do i get to see your office again?"

he asked excitedly and i sent him a smile.

"yes baby, you get to tour the lab too if ginger remembered you where coming today."

i said and he bounced against me, kicking his legs. i could barely hold onto him.

"mommy look!"

he pointed as the elevator opened, the large statesman emblem was embossed on the wall. i nodded with a smile.

"you wanna touch it?"

i asked and he nodded, leaning forward with his hand outstretched. he placed his hand against it, rubbing his fingers into the grooves like he had the last few times he'd visited.

"is that my favorite little man?"

i heard from behind me and turned to look at champ making his way down the hall.

"champ!"

he screamed, wiggling out of my grasp and running into his arms.

"you're getting so big."

champ said with a groan as he hoisted him up into his arms.

"im six now!"

max said loudly as we began the short walk down the hall to my office.

"six?! you're practically a grown up!"

champ said, making max giggle.

"no silly, im not that old."

he said with a smile as we rounded the corner.

"well, big man, what do we have on our list of things to do today?"

he asked as i moved to my desk to start my computer.

"ginger said i could tour the lab!"

he said loudly as champ sat in the chair opposite me, looking up to me and giving me an almost impressed look as max got comfy in his lap.

"well doesnt that sound fun."

max nodded quickly.

"hey kiddo, how about when you're done, you have ginger bring you by my office. i got a present for ya."

champ said and i sent him a look.

"really?!"

max said, wrapping his arms around champs neck in a hug.

"thanks."

he said, champ laughing a little bit as he hugged him back.

"well i gotta get back to work buddy, ill see after the tour. yeah?"

he said, holding him and standing up, setting him down in the chair.

"okay champ!"

he said with a wave and i nodded to champ as he made his way to the door.

"dont forget that mission assessment today either."

he said and i nodded.

"im meeting with jack during the tour."

i said and he nodded before closing the door behind him.

"mommy when do i get to see ginger?"

max asked impatiently as i sat, laughing a little bit.

"let me call her baby and i will let you know."

°°°°°°°°°

"ginger!"

max yelled, letting go of my hand and running to her as the doors opened. to my surprise jack was standing there talking to her, looking to me with an interested look as max came barreling into ginger for a hug. she crouched down and ruffled his hair as he pulled her glasses off, tucking the temples behind his ears and smiling at her widely. i laughed a little bit.

"baby you cant just take peoples glasses without asking first."

i said and he looked to me with a frown.

"sorry."

he said bashfully, handing them back to her and watching her stand.

"its okay max. are we ready for that tour?"

she asked, placing them back on her face, and he nodded quickly.

"please, please, please!"

he said quickly, taking her hand.

"ill see you when we're done?"

she asked and i nodded.

"oh, i almost forgot, take him to the conference room when you're done. champ said he had something for the little mans birthday."

i said looking down at him and raising my brows.

"oh thats right."

she said, also looking down at him.

"youre what? twelve?"

she asked playfully and he laughed.

"ginger, you know i just turned six."

he informed her and she nodded, closing her eyes and acting it up.

"oh thats right! six!"

she said, leaning down to his eyes level.

"i think we have something special just for you in here too."

she said and his eyes went wide.

"really?"

he asked and she nodded.

"yep, but we have to wait till we go see champ before you can have it."

she said and he nodded quickly, squeezing her hand and pulling her forward.

"lets get to it then!"

he said and i laughed, waving as they disappeared further into the room. i shook my head and looked to jack.

"ready to get that meeting started?"

i asked and he nodded, following me as i turned to walk out of the lab.

"so,"

he said and i sent him a raised brow.

"whose kid?"

he asked and i huffed out a laugh.

"mine, jack, he's mine."

i said and he nodded.

"funny, you didnt mention him."

he said and i shook my head.

"forgive me for not informing the out of towner."

i said with a wink and he rolled his eyes.

"hey y/n."

tequila greeted as he rounded the corner just as we did. he tipped his hat to jack.

"whiskey."

he said. i turned around and walked backwards to look at tequila as he got further away.

"max is in the lab with ginger, party in the conference room after their tour."

i said and he fist pumped.

"ill be there!"

i nodded once before turning back around. jack sent me a look.

"what?"

i asked innocently and he shook his head.

"am i the only one that didn't know you had a kid?"

he asked and i laughed.

"guess so cowboy."

i said, opening the door to my office and letting him in.

"as your boyfriend i feel like i shouldve known before now."

he said and i snorted.

"jack you are not my boyfriend."

i reminded and he sent me a look.

"have we not been going on dates?"

he asked and i closed my eyes, shaking my head and making my way behind my desk.

"missions are not dates jack."

i pointed out and he shrugged, dropping into the chair on the other side.

"why not? if i remember correctly most missions aren't supposed to end with your tongue down my throat."

he said and i sent him a stern look.

"jack-"

he held his hands up.

"no, no, i get it. you dont want a relationship as much as i don't. we're on the same page."

he said and i sighed.

"jack we talked about this. we both have our reasons for not getting into it. i just... i dont want him to get used to someone and then things end badly again. hes already lost one dad, i cant live with the guilt of breaking his heart like that again."

i said and he nodded.

"darlin, i know better than anyone what its like to lose your family, but that doesnt mean we both cant move forward. we have shared experience in that department, maybe it could make our relationship stronger."

i looked to my desk for a moment.

"let me prove it to you. let me take you out on a proper date, let your kiddo get used to me as another statesman agent, and if things get serious later on down the line then great, we can let him know about us."

he said and i looked back to him, chewing the inside of my lip.

"fine. ill let him get close to you today, see if he likes you if you really do plan on hanging around for a bit."

he nodded.

"champ needs me here for a while, i wont be going back to new york long term for at least a few months. besides, you know how badly i wanted to be a dad once upon a time, let me show you i can do this."

he said and i sighed.

"alright, ill give you a shot. but for now lets just get to work. we have to finish this mission report before the tour is over."

he nodded once.

"yes ma'am."

°°°°°°°°°

"mommy look!"

max shouted as jack and i walked into the conference room, running to me wearing his very own black Stetson and bolo tie.

"champ said im an honorary statesman!"

he said excitedly, fixing the tie into place. i laughed a little bit, looking to champ sat at the desk before crouching down in front of him.

"and you are the cutest statesman there ever was."

i said, holding his waist lightly and kissing his cheek. he giggled at me before hugging me quickly and running back to the table.

"now you look like whiskey."

tequila joked, pointing to jack and max looked at him. his eyes went wide as he set his crayon down onto the coloring page he was working on.

"i wanna be like whiskey!"

he said boldly, sliding off the chair and standing next to him, copying the exact way he was standing. jack dropped to one knee and looked over at max.

"its like looking in a tiny mirror."

jack said, max beaming at his words. they both looked up at me.

"what do we think mom? dont we look alike?"

jack tormented and i sent him a testing look.

"i guess we have a new favorite huh?"

i said slightly amused and max side nodded.

"mommy, no one could replace you, but i cant dress like you your shoes are to hard to walk in."

he said, making us all laugh as he climbed back into the chair and went back to coloring.

"thank you baby, i appreciate that."

i said, taking the seat next to him and looking at the page he was working so diligently on.

"did we get more horses?"

i asked, looking to ginger and her nodding.

"i remembered how much he loved going to the stables last time he was here."

she said and i sent her a knowing smile.

"oh, yeah, he has been obsessed ever since."

i said, looking back to him. my gaze made its way to jack as he looked down at him coloring.

"you like horses buddy?"

he asked and max nodded.

"my favorite is the mustang. mommy even lets me watch spirit before dinner every night."

he said proudly, not looking away from his project.

"how would you like to see a real life one?"

jack asked and i sent him a look. max's head snapped in his direction quickly.

"you have a mustang?!"

he asked bewildered and jack laughed.

"yeah i do. ill make you a deal."

he said, pointing at max and max was hooked.

"next time you come in with your mommy, and she's okay with it, ill take ya to go see him. and maybe take ya for a ride around the complex."

he said and max looked to me quickly.

"mommy! mommy please! i wanna see the mustang!"

he said and i sighed, brushing some of the hairs out of his eyes.

"okay baby, next time you visit we can go see whiskeys mustang."

i said and he fist pumped the air.

"yes! thank you mommy!"

he said hugging me. i watched jack with a burning gaze as he sat on the other side of max. i looked to champ and he sent me an amused look.

"kids will be kids."

he said and i rolled my eyes.

"now, how about that birthday cake we talked about?"

#wattpad #x reader #jack daniels #agent whiskey #imagines #one shots #kingsman golden circle #303

[capricornsims]

Strangetown Mystery 12: Covert scientists 

With Jenny locked away with her family in the barracks, the Curious brothers worked behind closed doors in the bunker’s hidden laboratory. Albeit skeptical of the general’s intentions, the brothers accepted the opportunity to work in higher paying positions with the added bonus of being close to their sister. Overall, their task was simple, find a cure for the syndrome and ultimately connect the cause to extraterrestrial threats. The brothers considered that working for the enemy would cover their tracks regarding the breach in the [Redacted] lab, not that they would openly admit their crimes. In order to keep their behinds safe from the General’s wrath, they simply smiled and nodded to whatever orders he gave them along with instructions given by the Dudes in Black to keep their operations in secrecy. While his brothers worked diligently in the lab, keeping their heads down and doing what they were told, Pascal wasted no time investigating their new inside job. 

Pascal: Lazlo, we need to be very quiet, but I think something weird is going on here, this whole lab is suspicious. 

Lazlo: Other than the fact that our sister is imprisoned in the other room? What is it Pascal? 

Pascal: My theory about the aliens and the government is real. Just look at them, the Dudes in Black, they’re blue, they are clearly aliens and what makes it worse is that Buzz is working with them. 

Lazlo: I don’t know man, those suits and hats seem pretty convincing to me. But I wouldn’t doubt that Buzz is up to something sketchy. 

Pascal: Wake up Lazlo! The Dudes in Black are are plotting something big and they’re using PT9 as a distraction for Buzz so they can do whatever they want. We need to find out what’s really going on in the [ Redacted ] lab or we’re all doomed! 

Lazlo: Are you seriously going back there? That place is dangerous, Pascal. 

Pascal: WE are going back there and we’re meeting up with Erwin later to investigate the lab and collect some spore samples. You also said that you would help me, we’re the Curious brothers not Curious brother! 

Lazlo: I know, but I don’t want you to get infected or get caught by the military. 

Pascal: Don’t worry, Lazlo, with your help we can stop whatever is causing the syndrome. 

Lazlo: I’ll do my best, but this investigation is escalating quickly. Let’s just hope that Vidcund is on board with our plans. 

Later that night, the brothers entered the foreboding gates of the [ Redacted ] lab, avoiding detection from the watch towers and sneaking passed security cameras. Pascal almost dragged Vidcund by his ear through the broken fence, annoyed by his reluctance to join them. Beyond barrier they encountered a familiar face waving back at them, it was Erwin with his flashy collider tin hat pacing back and forth clearly paranoid about something. To the conspiracy theorist, the three lab coated clad men looked like they were out to get him, brandished with government issued badges and everything. Despite Erwin’s suspicions, Pascal assured his friend that they were merely working for the government so they could get more information about the bizarre plants . He even presented his friend with a spore scanner that they needed for their research to further prove his loyalty. Shaking his head, Erwin hesitantly trusted Pascal’s motives but he was still weary about the other two brothers, especially Vidcund.  

Vidcund: Hey Erwin, long time no see! Damn it feels like ages since we broke into this lab and released a deadly infection. 

Erwin: Hello...Vidcund..if that is your real name. 

Lazlo: Dude, shush, we didn’t release it ,Pascal did. 

Erwin: Anyways, Where did you even get the spore scanner? The feds didn’t give it to you right? 

 -Flashback to that morning - 

Pascal: Give me the infection scanner or ELSE I’LL KICK YOUR BUTT INTO NEXT TUESDAY!

Military guy: *sniffle* Okay man, just..just...take it, you didn’t have to beat me up that bad *sniffle*

Lazlo: Nah, he beat up a soldier in broad daylight when he wouldn’t negotiate with him. He scared the feds so bad that they just left us alone. 

Vidcund: Yeah our older brother is kind of crazy. 

Erwin: Wow he’s more dedicated than I thought he was, heh. Anyways let’s get inside before we get spotted by the watch towers. 

They returned to the sub level of the lab, going passed the toxic cloud of spores that shrouded the other corridor. The distinct sounds of machinery and loud air vents added to the eerie atmosphere of the abandoned laboratory, but Pascal went ahead of his party unfazed by fear. Meanwhile his brothers speculated the relationship between Erwin and Pascal, wondering if it was even good for him to hang out with the conspiracy theorist. “ He’s going too far, we’re going to get in trouble if we keep coming here. This whole investigation isn’t worth our time” Vidcund whispered to Lazlo as they paced themselves behind Erwin. Instead of responding to his older brother, Lazlo just nodded his head avoiding the prospect of choosing sides. He believed that Pascal knew what he was doing despite the dangers that it held, remembering how his brother got himself abducted for science. “ I trust him, Vid. All we can do is be supportive.” He frowned and continued their trek deeper into the corridor. 

The end of the darkened hallway revealed a laboratory with everything still intact as if scientists dropped what they were doing and fled their work. Pascal took in the rest of the room, noting the sterilized air and the numerous plants in containment pods similar to the mutated bizarre plants around town. In the center of the room he spotted what looked to be lab equipment equal to the ones in the bunker’s laboratory. This was it, this was the place where they would finally understand what the spores did and how they they were going to stop it. In addition to his own mission, he was informed to research the spores properties in order to build a filter for the hazmat suit he was building. 

Pascal: Don’t touch anything, we have to run these spores through the analyzer and figure these things out. 

Lazlo: Wow, these plants look so much cooler when they’re not trying to kill you. 

Pascal: We have them back at our lab, the scientists must have been analyzing the plants before they were interrupted by the explosion. 

Erwin: I can’t believe you guys are working with the military now, doesn’t that put you more at risk? Especially with the Dudes in Black?!

Lazlo+Vidcund: YES 

Pascal: Nope, in fact, it keeps us safe from suspicion because we’re doing everything they say, but I’m doing more behind their back. I can tell that the Dudes in Black are using Buzz for their own gain and using us humans as pawns in their game. 

Lazlo: Our brother-in-law is also being imprisoned by the General, who knows what the Dudes in Black are really doing.

Erwin: SEE the Aliens and the Government are both trying to kill us! Wake up SHEEPLE we have to expose them!!!

Pascal: We will expose them once I get all the evidence. So far I have a clear analysis of the spores, and other evidence about the plants, but finding the cause is the next step. 

Lazlo: If we can’t connect the syndrome to the Dudes, the best case scenario is that we prove that PT9 isn’t the cause of it and we free him. 

Erwin: And we find a cure along the way right? That’ll also be good! 

Vidcund: I’m happy that you found the properties and stuff, Pascal, but I have to go. This whole investigation is fun and all but I have a life to attend to. 

Pascal: Vid, you’re a plant scientist I need you here for this. 

Vidcund: I’ll work with you in our house lab, now I really gotta go. I have a date. 

Pascal: ...Fine, good luck on your “date”, Vid. 

-Later that night at the Beaker Castle- 

Circe: I thought you couldn’t make it for our date. I was getting worried that Loki would walk in on us. 

Vidcund: I ditched Pascal at the lab so I wouldn’t be late. He was totally butt hurt that I didn’t want to be on his fetch quest. 

Circe: Well Loki isn’t going to be here for a few hours so we can hang out for a bit. 

Vidcund: Great! I can’t wait to tell you about my new experiment! it involves reanimating guinea pig tissue with microwave radiation...but guinea pigs are very expensive in bulk so I ended up drying up my bank account and all my credit cards are maxed out.

Circe: Oh my goodness, I feel so sorry for you.

Vidcund: Don’t be, at this point I need a miracle if I want to complete this experiment. 

Circe: You work for a top secret lab right now, you’re going to get money no matter what. As for your miracle, you could work something out with your employers. 

Vidcund: How would that work? 

Circe: Just do them a few favors and maybe they’ll give you some extra cash. As a scientist you have to do anything to achieve your goals no matter what it takes. 

Vidcund: Yeah, maybe I will do them a favor... 

(( Note: It’s been a while since I updated Strangetown Mystery, but this story is very fun to write so it’s only going to get more weird. 

#strangetown mystery #strangetown #strangerville #pascal curious #vidcund curious #lazlo curious #sims 2 psp #sims 2 to sims 4 #simblr #sims story #premades #erwin pries #circe beaker #the dudes in black

[sovonight]

am i really so desperate that i’m looking through the dialogue file at atton’s action lines??? maybe

{Atton Action Dialogue THIS LINE SHOULD BE SET TO NO VO} {Character is poisoned; Gritted teeth} Been poisoned. {Party has rejoined} Miss me?

i’ve gotta do this to hear it sometime, i never split the party up

{Party has split up} Stand back a bit - I'll check things out. {Succeeded in opening a lock; Like saying "royal flush," means no problem} Pure pazaak. {Failed to open a lock} Damn thing's stuck. {Starting to open a lock} Let me take care of this. {Entering search mode} Let me look around. {Entering stealth mode} Wait here. {Disarming a mine} Too easy. {Laying a mine; Pleased} I'll just leave this right here. {Target immune to attack} I'm not even scratching this one! {Succeeds with critical hit} More where that came from!

oh so constantly hearing “more where that came from” was a good thing??? shoulda told me that in the game guide

{Knocked unconscious} ::Grunt as he falls:: {At low hit points; Trying to keep it together} Hurting... bad...

sorry i read this as a caveman “pain bad” and laughed

{Pain Grunt 2}::Pain Grunt::{Pain Grunt 1}::Pain Grunt::{Attack Grunt 3}::Attack Grunt::{Attack Grunt 2}::Attack Grunt::{Attack Grunt 1}::Attack Grunt:: {Selected 3} Just say the word. {Selected 2} I hear you. {Selected 1} Yeah? {Battlecry 6; Grim, threatening} Your luck's run out.

i can play the other battlecries in my head, but i swear i haven’t heard this one? i’ll have to keep an ear out

{Battlecry 5; Grim} Let's settle this. {Battlecry 4} Time to take you down to size! {Battlecry 3} Everyone, down! {Battlecry 2} Time to even the odds. {Battlecry 1; Not too over the top} ::Rebel yell as he attacks::

"not too over the top okay, atton’s too cool and deadly to sound silly”

{[Temp Node: Sith assassins show up, materialize around Atton.]}{Casual response, he just murdered three Sith assassins, but he's playing it straight-faced so the player won't know} Nothing I couldn't handle. About time you got back. Find anything? {Speaking to enemies who have just turned off their invisibility fields, keep it serious, deadly - Atton is about to kill them} I thought I sensed something.

okay okay, atton is kind of cool

{Form node}{Slight grumbling} I didn't know this training thing was going to be so much work. Got it - I'll be sure to make use of it. All right, I'm game. What did you want to show me? All right - I think I've got it. I'll try to practice it when I get the chance. Yeah - I guess I just had to prove something to myself, and I never had a chance to put it to the test until then.

he’s such a good student, i’m so proud

I thought getting in touch with the Force might leave me more vulnerable - but it's actually made me stronger. So... uh, thanks. For helping me.

i was wondering where he says this line and it’s actually here??? it’s so sweet but i’ve never heard it in-game, i only get “got it” and “all right”. i hope i don’t have to max out his level or anything to hear it

Oh yeah? All right, let me have it. {Sighs, like just being told to clean his room} Well, you've got that look in your eye, so who am I to argue? Uh... all right. But I tell you, I think you're carrying this teacher thing too far.

sure i could just extract the audio files but where else would i be able to see direction notes like "sighs like just being told to clean his room”

[neshabeingchildish]

Time to Strike

Family Danger fans know I love me a Thundermans/Team Danger dynamic, but this time, instead of it being a Danger team with Thundermans (I can’t BELIEVE they called their new team Danger Force, a year and a half after my Danger Force); this is a Thunderman team with Dangers. And where the Family Danger team was Danger Force, this one is the Strike Force. I know it’s generic, but I wanted to keep with Force mode for my brand.You don;t have to be an FD fan but SHOUT OUT TO MY FAMILY DANGER OGS!!! I know that Lamia and Noah been here that long. If you been here since FD and still reading reading at my Share-a-Lair, know that you a real one. 

@adorkable-blackgirl​ @chenoahchantel​ @kiddangers 

Share a Lair 19

“I'll think of something.” She smiled all through Henry and Jasper's visit. She and Max of course erased all evidence of them ever speaking, but just knowing the brain power of her man and the fact that he was willing to try to see her? She couldn't help but to smile. Henry was suspicious of her sudden change in moods. Jasper was confused, but just happy to see his bestie seeming happy *enough. 

And Max? Well… He had his own things happening, as well. Whenever he reentered the tavern, Zenovia quickly wondered where he had gone to. He brushed off the question and soon left for the night. She invited herself over, but he declined, excusing himself for not feeling very well. She looked suspicious, but accepted it eventually and let him go. 

She had no idea that her cherub faced mad scientist was in the process of gathering everything that he could to arrange a massive superhero sting. Charlotte probably thought that when he told her that he would think of something, that meant that he would orchestrate some kind of scheme to get her to be able to visit or him to be able to come home… Well… He definitely had a scheme being produced. 

The Russian public didn’t know that Dangerstrike wasn’t present and they were not as familiar with Thunderstrike as they were with him… But… Max was sure that he could get this current assignment wrapped up sooner, rather than later if he acted fairly quickly, and… that might mean having to handle it by himself. 

He called Henry after he set everything up, to talk to him about it. 

“Yo, yo, Borya, my Man! Kinda chillin with fam…” Henry answered, in character.

“Strike Team is set to attack,” Max said.

Henry cleared his throat and wondered, “How’s that now? I’m not there...”

“I just wanted to let you know.”

“Wait wait wait… By yourself? Are you insane?”

“Little bit. So… see you soon… hopefully.”

“Max…” Henry said, but Max hung up, If the call was intercepted or anything before he had a chance to do this, it could ruin everything. Henry shut his eyes and pressed his phone against his forehead, as he tried to gather his thoughts. 

“What’s going on?” Charlotte wondered, worried, after having heard him say Max’s name, then look distressed AF. 

“Max is moving forward with a strike without me,” he said.

“WHAT?” Jasper squealed.

“Why would he do something so dangerous?” Piper wondered. “Isn’t he up against like… supervillains right now?”

“Everybody just…” Henry still had his eyes shut and needed to think for a moment. 

Charlotte whimpered, “He’s doing this for me.”

“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Henry hissed. Then he got up, “I’ve gotta get back there before he gets himself killed. Everybody that he could possibly strike against is dangerous. Like world domination level dangerous! And he plans a strike against them? WITHOUT ME??? What the heck could’ve happened between the last time I saw him and now for him to go on this… this suicide mission?” He was asking rhetorically.

“I sort of reached out to him and begged him to be able to see him soon…” Charlotte admitted, feeling super guilty and ashamed. Piper, Jasper and Henry stared at her. “I missed him and…”

“And you  thought that seeing him in a casket was better than waiting a little bit until we had gotten the Russian crime syndicate handled?” Henry snapped.

“That’s not fair, Henry,” Jasper said, his voice soft, but stern.

“Jasper, you know what these people are capable of! Unlike Charlotte, you’v4 been around them and exposed to their depravity. Max doesn’t stand a chance on his own! And she basically SENT him to his doom.”

“Maybe you just don’t realize what Max is capable of!” Charlotte said, angrily. “If he’s doing something, he’s already thought out everything. There’s no way. There is no way that he would risk himself if he thought it was unlikely. He wouldn’t do that to me.”

“He’s stupid when it comes to you!’ Henry yelled. The two of them were arguing and coming towards each other, getting in each other's faces, Jasper attempted to hold them at bay while Piper ate and watched. 

The argument traveled with them all the way back to the Hero League Headquarters. Piper came through the golden portal with them and said, “Whoa, that was pretty cool…” They scoffed and noticed that she was with them. 

“And now look what you’ve done!” Henry fussed at Charlotte. “You’ve let Piper come along!”

“I’m the only one who was able to open the dang portal. YOU should’ve been the one to make sure that your sister didn’t come through…” There was a lot more fussing. Jasper had given up on making peace. “It’s like I have to do everything!”

“Sending Max to his death was doing enough, I think..”

“LOW! JUST LOW!!!” She shrieked, not wanting to say anything else to him at all or even LOOK at him, at this point. For the moment, she and Henry stopped arguing. Jasper directed Piper to where they would be able to wait, Charlotte and Henry continued towards the department that they would have to gain access to a portal to Russia. 

That was really the only way that they could get there quickly enough. A jet would most likely be later than they needed, but approval might take just as long, so while Henry explained his emergency situation, she tried to work the system to see if she might be able to create one herself. 

She could get in A LOT of trouble for it, but she was pretty sure that she figured out the proper coordinates and configurations for it… But, she also felt like she only had enough skill to get Henry through unnoticed, then MAYBE she might hang back and clear her tracks.

“Miss Page-” Charlotte yelped whenever she heard Super President Kickbutt say her name. The woman wore a stern look that reminded her of whenever her mom was disappointed. “Come with me, please.” As Charlotte followed, sad and scared, the woman quickly appeased her fears with, “You aren’t in trouble… yet. I actually could use your help with something.”

“MY help?” Charlotte repeated, 

“You’re the young lady who keeps sending me her success updated resume to gain a place in crisis management, correct?”

“Yes,” Charlotte said, wondering if maybe they hadn’t caught her trying to hack their transport, or if she was about to have to work her way out of punishment for being detected. Either way, she couldn’t say no to whatever this was.

“As I believe you know, Max Thunderman has given us the go ahead to apprehend 13 high profile criminals he has connections to in Russia…”

“I may have heard something about it... okay, so wait… You know, so that means that he has backup available? So, I didn’t send him rushing into a loveblind suicide mission!”

She stopped walking to turn and look at Charlotte and give her an incredulous look. “Of course. Who do you think is running things around here?”

“In my defense, I worked for Captain Man, for many years…” Charlotte said. 

The woman looked for a moment like she totally got it. She chuckled a little, turned sharply, smirked and waved a hand in her direction as she continued walking, “Come along.” President Kickbutt explained that she needed her to evaluate the scene and help the crisis team with tech backup, In the meantime, Henry would be debriefed and sent back to Russia, per his request. 

Charlotte went into the crisis center and there were various techs, some speaking on lines, some indicating things on screens, and various other controlled chaos. The team she was introduced to was lead by a clairvoyant super who apparently knew that she would be there tonight and also had seen that Charlotte would be the person to make sure that this assignment went successfully. That was a lot of pressure, but she had to just pump herself up and go for it. She had an opportunity both to help Max and Henry AND prove herself worthy of a position in Metroburg, doing her dream job...

.

Borya had a full set of facial hair. Sometimes, Max would get stubble back home, but Charlotte’s responses would quickly let him know when it was time to shave. He hadn’t focused on it as much whenever they were preparing to leave and since they had been in Russia, he continued to let it grow, the hair up top, as well, and he was typically pretty hairy bodily. In other words, his alias was a hairy guy and generally in winter clothes, covering most of himself. Zenovia had seen some of him, but not so much that she could detect him in his super suit, especially with a freshly shaven face and a body virtually identical to his Borya body available. 

A lifeless clone. He didn’t want to activate the thing, knowing that it would be destroyed, but he also needed to make it like Borya was gone, by the end of this, lest stragglers try to find him whenever he didn’t wind up locked up like the rest. The set up would involve him calling an emergency meeting to say that he believed that agents were on to him and he would need all of them to take their product (whatever he might be providing to each of them) and move it.

Now, one might think that they would send goons, and he was willing to risk that happening because he had surveillance on everyone in the secret lair anyway, BUT, most of them had very sensitive orders that they would most likely want to be certain to get themselves and in the event that they didn’t, or found it suspicious, well… Max had gotten word that Kickbutt pulled Charlotte into Headquarters to work out contingency details with the logistics team. He let out a sigh of relief whenever Simone told him. That was more of a relief than the fact that Henry was on his way back. “Dude, I could kiss you and kill you, then kiss your corpse for what you put me through!” He heard Henry say as soon as he came through the portal. They hugged and Max said, “I’m glad you could make it. I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t worked with my siblings in a long time.”

“They’re gonna be here?” Henry asked, “Even your sister?”

“My very unavailable sister will be here. They were able to provide backup faster than I could get you back here and I didn’t want to take you away from Charlotte over the holidays…”

“Okay, LISTEN. If we live past this mission, this ends, alright? I can handle big boy hero things and Charlotte can handle big girl solo things, if something too terrible happens. We’re the team, now, you and me. DangerStrike and ThunderStrike, the Strike Force, and it’s time to strike these bastards.” They got into their costumes and left the door open so that their guests could wander to Borya’s lab and find him dead. 

The place was surrounded by Billy, Nora, and Chloe. Phoebe was on the roof with Simone. Billy and Chloe had to be ready to run or teleport after escaping criminals. Simone and Phoebe were ready to kick butt and  make arrests. Henry and Max would have the hard job of striking their targets as they came in and trying to make sure that they didn’t get out or make things look too suspicious as to scare away any of the others. 

A couple of them hadn’t shown up but sent goons in their place, in both cases, Max reluctantly had to send a younger sibling with Hero League backup to retrieve them. Last, but not least, Zenovia showed up. She looked like she immediately realized that things were off. Phoebe and Simone had ten criminals unconscious and bound in the jet, but the mansion looked disheveled and the sounds weren’t the same. She wanted to flee, but had to see about Borya. Was he okay? She found his body and rushed away, in anguish, but was cut off by ThunderStrike. They immediately engaged in fighting and she was still quite the opponent, but she noticed something… his movements - how familiar they were and she stared at him, seeing his eyes, but nothing else familiar. “You played me,” it was a statement. Not a question. She laughed. “We’ll find out who you really are, and everyone that you love…” He punched her unconscious and she fell and hit her head against the stone railing. She was bleeding. 

“Were… you trying to kill her?” Henry asked.

“No! Of course not… But…” He checked her pulse. She was alive, but she had hit her head pretty hard. “Thundergirl and Kicker can get her taken care of. I’m going to rendezvous with Pop Out. You’re with Turbo Toes.” Henry nodded and they each rushed to their emergency vehicles. 

Dangerstrike had motorcycle and Thunderstrike, a hoverboard that was akin to jet surfing. 

“Dangerstrike, do you copy?” Henry heard Charlotte ask. 

“Go for Danger!”

“I’m going to send you an alternate route to get to where Turbo is. You have a very small window and they are shutting down traffic surrounding their lair. You two are gonna have to grab or kill your target and jet set it straight to Thunderstrike and Pop.”

“Copy that, Pagemaster!”

“Don’t call me… Actually… I like that.”

“Yeah, that was good.”

“Hey, just in case, I’m sorr…”

“No. We’re gonna talk it out later. Love you. Byeeeeee.” 

Charlotte took a deep breath and then said, “Thunderstrike, do you copy?”

His heart leaped around in his chest and he said, “Thunder, at the ready.”

“Good luck… I love you.” He heard a chorus of “Ooooooooooooo”s in the background.

“See you soon,” he said and rushed to Chloe’s aid with a newfound excitement. 

.

Charlotte was waiting with Hank and Barb, Piper, Jasper, Ray, and Schwoz in headquarters. They could see Phoebe and Simone, carrying in several Russian baddies. Then Nora, Billy, Chloe… And at the rear, Henry and Max, holding themselves, and each other up, but walking and alive. She rushed out of the area and ran over to them with Jasper right behind her. The others were sensible enough to wait. Charlotte leapt onto Max and he caught her, though he groaned when he did, because he’d taken quite a few beatings, but he’d be damned if he was going to let her go anytime soon.

Jasper stared incredulously and shook his head, “No regards for his safety. Come on, let’s get you to medical, stat.” He helped Henry in the direction that he needed to go. Charlotte found the floor with her legs and cried against Max’s super suit, standing on her own again, but not letting him go. 

“Rough night?” He asked.

“I thought something terrible would happen and that it would be my fault,” she admitted in a shaky voice. 

He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. “I told you that I would see you soon. Maybe you oughtta listen to me next time,” he said and when she looked up at him he winked at her. She told him to shut up, then pulled him to kiss her and he knew that she had to be going through something, because she never liked to do stuff like that in front of strangers, much less in this professional setting. “As much as I want to do this all night long, I really should probably see medical,” he said. She snapped to and quickly went along with him to do so. 

The Russian assignment was finally one of stationary protection, now that they had gotten the big shots out of the way, there were a lot of petty criminals trying to take on roles much too big for them. 

The next few years, with the Strike Force taking care of things, Max didn’t feel the need for any bright ideas to be undercover, although he was meeting a lot of his favorite Russian scientists and even working with some. 

Charlotte’s performance in the crisis was noticed by not only the Hero League, but acknowledged by the FBI, CIA, and some other alphabets that she didn’t even know existed. Max told her to market herself as freelance, not to take up any type of residence in any of those organizations - that way she could work and travel on her own time (and visit him in Russia when she didn’t have assignments). And… it was working out. They were both very busy in their separate careers, but they weren’t too busy and he wasn’t too hidden that they couldn’t talk regularly and see each other for special occasions. 

Piper and Jasper had signed up for superhero sessions whenever they were at Headquarters, because, what the heck? They worked with them for a while, anyways. Maybe they could bet some perks or something if they took some classes. Piper wound up getting assigned to Billy and Nora for training and shadowing, while Max recommended that Henry was ready to take Jasper under his wing. “Are you sure, Dude? You think that I’ve learned all that there is to learn from you? Because like…”

“If you compare me to Ray Manchester, I swear I’m going to freeze you,” Max said. Henry shut up. It was cold enough without all of that. 

“So, are you like my super grandpa?” Jasper asked. 

“Don’t freeze him!” Henry warned Max. 

The three bickered a little bit, up until the point that the monitor sounded, “Incoming call from the future Mrs. Thunderman…” Max smirked and told the others, “I’m gonna take that in my chambers.”

“Tell Char we said hi!” Jasper cheered. 

Max opened the video call to see her radiant face, beaming with a smile and her eyes twinkling. He wanted to always see her like that. And the next time he saw her in person, he was going to get down on one knee and ask her if he could have the pleasure of doing so.

#Share a Lair #Henry Danger #The Thundermans #crossover #crossover fanfic #Nesha Crossover #Thundanger #Thunderbolt