#i have no idea what he's actually looking at but i'm presuming that they're showing the goal on the jumbotron

[thedrarrylibrarian]

hi!! I first off wanted to say THANK YOUU!! I came across your page abt two months ago when I needed new fics and I use your recs so often!! I was wondering, what are a few of your all-time favorite fics, if you had to choose? (:

Oh my goodness! I'm so glad to hear that you've been enjoying my blog! I can't believe I've been running this blog for 3 years today!

What a fun ask (I've been sitting on this so I could use it for today!) I really struggled to pick fics - or more accurately, not to pick ALL the fics! I picked fics that are my go to rereads - whether it's because they make me laugh or because they pull at my heartstrings, or because they're so hot, these are some of my personal favorites.

Cupboard Love by @shealwaysreads (4,184 words, rated G)

Cupboard Love: the psychoanalytic theory of an infant’s primary drive being food which, when satisfied, leads naturally to a secondary drive for attachment.

Harry’s life, and love, in food.

Still Warm, Still Warm by @tsauergrass (4,899 words, rated G)

Harry is up to something. Why else would he keep giving Draco presents?

Five Little Things by @bixgirl1 (6,197 words, rated T)

Harry was supposed to be good at this.

Headway by orphan_account (7,482 words, rated M)

“It’s called courting,” Draco spat suddenly, livid and red in the face. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand a single thing about it, actually Potter, since it’s formal, and there are rules, and neither of those are concepts you’d know anything about even if they took on human form and kicked you right in the fucking dick.”

The Exhale by spqr (7,506 words, rated T)

Hermione makes a soft, concerned sound. "Harry, look at this." She shows him an article with a photo, but the photo's not moving; it must be a Muggle newspaper. "NASA have just landed a rover on Mars. It's called Curiosity, and look, this is so--I don't know if it's sweet or sad, but--it's all alone out there, and they programmed it to sing itself Happy Birthday."

Nothing is wrong, but Harry starts crying.

Silverpoint by @tackytigerfic (8,836 words, rated E)

It seems fairly simple to you, but you know that you don't really understand love - how could you, after all? You've never known how to talk about it, but you've never had to before. Everyone you ended up loving has always understood. You've been able to show them, by fighting for them, dying for them.

That seems a bit much- after all, Malfoy just wants tea in bed and his cock in your mouth (not usually at the same time).

It's ok to love him, you reason with yourself - he doesn't have to know. No one ever has to know.

Quick as a Flash of Lightning, Unhurried as Eternity by @onbeinganangel and @babooshkart (10,000 words, rated E)

Can you fall in love with someone by simply watching them fiercely love another version of yourself?

The Way These Days Seem to Go (And Go) by @firethesound (15,230 words, rated T)

Stress baking isn’t a hobby Harry ever thought he’d pick up, but he’s surprised to find how much it helps him to get through those long months post-war. It keeps his hands busy, it keeps his mind occupied, and when Draco Malfoy steadily pushes his way back into Harry's life, it helps with that too.

Let him lead me to the banquet by @harryromper (16,066 words, rated T)

The worst part is Harry’s got no idea why Malfoy keeps sending him invites. He’s never replied to a single one. And if the whole dinner is as exclusive and sought-after as the Prophet keeps breathlessly reporting, then presumably the only reason Malfoy wants him there is in his capacity as the Chosen One. So, really, he can fuck right off. Harry doesn’t care about Draco Malfoy’s redemption tour. And he’s certainly not going to help him with it.

Draco Malfoy Absolutely Does Not Need to Be Loved by Harry Bloody Potter by @nv-md (18,153 words, rated E)

It’s not easy to be bonded to your childhood rival, turned fuckbuddy, who you also have extremely uncomfortable but repressed feelings for—just ask Draco Malfoy.

When You Kiss Me (What A Lovely Way to Burn) by @femmequixotic (22,167 words, rated E)

A drag fairytale of New York in which Draco wears red lipstick and Potter can’t get enough.

In the dark, the light by phrynne (32,203 words, rated E)

‘Potter… It’s Malfoy. Do you still want this?’ It started like that. Malfoy’s breath on his ear, his voice low, hot against his skin. Harry shivered, though he could feel the heat from Malfoy’s body just behind him, too close, but not touching him. Even if he could. For the rest of the night, he could do whatever the hell he wanted with Harry.

Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon by @drarrytrash (36,733 words, rated E)

According to Harry’s personal narrative regarding the incident, he’d hooked up with Draco Malfoy for purely self-destructive reasons, or out of convenience, or by some unlucky accident. Looking at him, sprawled in the moonlight, Harry is devastated to recall that he’d hooked up with Draco Malfoy because he’s hot.

Draco is a secret werewolf and Harry is doing his best and they've got criminals to catch, darn it.

Boiling Point by @goldentruth813 (42,882 words, rated M)

After an Auror raid gone wrong, Draco ends up trapped in a dodgy safehouse with nothing but Harry Potter’s dubious company and a dwindling supply of food. With only each other and the walls surrounding them, they're forced to confront their past and their feelings which have long been threatening to boil over.

The Liars Department by @dorthyanndrarry (103,395 words, rated T)

This is a story about Harry meeting up with Draco Malfoy four years after the war. And a story about Harry, well, not hating his job per say, but it's not like he has much to compare it to and it seemed fine. His whole life seemed fine. Then Malfoy came along with and his flashy suits and fast car making everything seem dull in comparison, and Harry... Harry couldn't just leave well enough alone.

Grounds for Divorce by @tepre (122,217 words, rated E)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.

A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym (131,086 words, rated M)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

Love forever,

The Drarry Librarian

#my favorites #my favorite fics #the drarry librarian's favorite fics #drarry #harry potter #draco malfoy #harry x draco #the drarry librarian #happy blog anniversary to me! 3 years! #blog anniversary

[dandylovesturtles]

Whats Draxum’s redemption arc in sideline look like (if he even gets one lmaooo)

thanks for the ask! this got long so I'm putting a lot of it under a cut

at this point, I have committed to Draxum's redemption arc in Sidelined, because I like Draxum and I love a good redemption arc haha. That said, as I've said a few times before, it wouldn't be easy for him, and it definitely wouldn't go down like in the show, where Mikey just kind of drags him into it. he'd have to work for it himself

it's probably good to start this by talking about my own interpretation of Draxum and the Draxum characterization I'm working with in this AU. while I love a good Evil Bastard Draxum, in canon I read him as more of one of those people who truly believed he was the hero so hard he tipped over into villainy on accident. which doesn't mean he didn't enjoy what he was doing, and he's definitely uncaring of the lives around him (he's got some of that mad scientist spark), but in contrast to the Foot Clan who are actively trying to subjugate the whole world (presumably under the belief that they'll get to be the top brass in the new world order), Draxum is actually just trying to save his people. a noble end, even if the means he's choosing involves eradicating another race of beings entirely. and I'm generally of the belief that if Draxum had actually kept the turtles, if he had been in charge of their raising, he might have initially started out thinking of them purely as warriors to be molded for his aims, but eventually would have come to see them as their own people, as children (yes, it's entirely possible to raise children and still have disregard for them as people, but I'm giving Draxum the benefit of the doubt in this one).

however, Draxum didn't raise them from babies - they just showed up at his house one day, raising weapons against him and blowing up his lab. so he's still thinking of them purely as warriors - young and inexperienced warriors, sure, but warriors nonetheless. he's not really thinking about how they're only teenagers, about how they might have dreams and wants and needs that have nothing to do with fighting, how they actually love and care for each other as a family. I said this in another ask, but Draxum thinks the idea of them calling each other "brothers" and Lou Jitsu "father" is actually laughable. in his mind, it's just pointless to even read any kind of family structure into their relationship. they are at most superiors and subordinates.

when Draxum put Leo in the Dark Armor, Splinter saw it as his fourteen-year-old son, his Baby Blue, being tortured and possibly killed right before his eyes. Draxum saw it as sacrificing a pawn in front of a general.

of course, callous disregard for a living person is bad no matter how you see it, but there's still a definite difference in perception here.

it's not until 1, Draxum realizes he was horribly wrong about what the Armor is and what the consequences of awakening it are, and 2, he witnesses the way the family reacts to what is happening to Leo, not as group of warriors down a man but as a family desperately trying to save a loved one, a piece of themselves, that it finally clicks for him what he's done.

Draxum goes on a long soul-searching retreat after that (he's also hiding from the Hidden City government but that's a side note). how could the love he had for his people drive him down such a dark and reckless path? how could he not see what was right in front of him, until he caused serious damage to the place he was trying so hard to save? how could he be so callous to someone who, annoying as he may be, is ultimately innocent?

initially he does this soul-searching far away from the Hamatos. he still has his powers in this timeline, so he makes do with stealing and finding places to take over and live. but at some point he starts thinking, maybe he wants to try and make amends for what he did, even if it's in just a small way. and even with his humbling he's still a little full of himself, so he's like, of course this ragtag bunch would want the help of Baron Draxum

(they do not)

so he starts by trying to give them practical help. he can imagine that Leonardo has significant medical issues following his time in the armor, and while it's not his primary field he knows enough about healing draughts to get by, and while there's no magic potion that will "fix" Leo, there are ones that can help with the pain and fatigue, in some ways better than human medicines, and that can help strengthen his immune system. He tries to give these to the Hamatos (specifically Mikey and Donnie while they're out scavenging one day) and gets pretty soundly rebuffed. Donnie is in "kill on sight" mode, and while Mikey is more likely to at least hear Draxum out, he also has no reason to trust anything the man gives them, especially when he suggests they feed it to Leo. so they don't take the offerings initially. Draxum eventually settles for leaving them in a cache near one of the sewer tunnel entrances, if they want it.

and then Leo gets really sick, and is in a lot of pain. Leo's immune system, like everything else about his body, is pretty weak following the armor, and he can't fight off the flu or an infection as well as he could before. so Leo is sick and in pain and Donnie and Mikey remember the cache of healing potions.

(I actually considered writing this fic awhile back and then never did haha, but here's what I had in my notes for it:

Splinter kneels on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry, Blue. We'll get you more medicine soon."

Leo reaches one hand out and Splinter takes it quickly. "Daddy," he whines, tears starting to roll down his cheeks, and oh, Donnie realizes, Leo really is hurting.

He quietly and casually deletes the last ten minutes of audio in his recordings. No one else needs to hear this.)

again, they aren't stupid - they aren't just going to feed Leo some random potions given to them by the guy that hurt him in the first place. but they can go find out if the potions are legit. so time for a trip to Witch Town!

they probably have some kind of misadventure while they're there (I'm imagining Mikey is joining Donnie and April this time), but they do manage to ascertain that the potions are legit. still, they end up getting the same potions made by someone else instead, just in case. but they remember that Draxum did try to help them, that time.

I imagine this happens several times, where Draxum just shows up to help them, they tell him to get lost after, before it starts to sink in that maybe Draxum is actually trying to turn things around. I don't think it ever quite gets to "Mikey calling him their second dad" level, but they do start to accept him as a begrudging ally and eventual weird uncle.

he has to seriously and sincerely apologize to Leo first, though. and Leo doesn't want to forgive him at first, and that's okay. these things take time.

anyway that's all. thanks for the ask again!

#sidelined au #I feel like I make Leo's relationship with Draxum wildly different in all my AUs lol #because his eventually relationship with him in 100ft is shaping up to be so much more positive

[ineffable-suffering]

Ceci n'est pas une plume.

(from this doc of all of Neil's answered asks)

The meta goes a little like this: I like nerdy stuff about language (and also Good Omens), so I wanted to elaborate on why Angels and Demons don't actually ever speak any language except their own. They simply have the ability to flick a translation switch and (make anyone) understand what's being said in whatever other language.

Also, I end up making a way deeper point of it and why it's so telling that Aziraphale would learn French (and magic) the hard way, in the end.

Find out with me under the cut!

(Word count: 1820 | Reading time: ~8 minutes )

Aziraphale and Crowley's exchange in front of Marguerite's restaurant started me down this path and I'm pretty sure that this is actually how it works. Because it ties together a few other loose strings that have been floating around in my head about the whole langue deal in Good Omens.

Let's structure this by the questions Neil has already answered about it.

The Lead Balloon

I feel like the "in the beginning"-scene in S2 showed us that Crowley did not actually have much of an idea what exactly the plan for Earth and the humans were (instead, Aziraphale did). He might have found out later still, after asking his questions, but I feel like the second part of that answer is more likely to be true, since they both seem to understand this metaphor. This is further supported by:

Ergo: They're speaking in the language of Angels but we understand it in English (or whatever language we selected on our Amazon Prime). Automatically translated for us because Crowley and Aziraphale wanted us to understand them.

"Ciao. It's Italian. It means Food."

They sort of are, yes. Idiots who either forgot to turn on their own auto-translator, or idiots who aren't aware that they have one for other languages except English, or idiots who were miffed that Crowley actually knew-knew a word in another language and didn't want to admit that they didn't.

Où est la plume de la jardinière de ma tante?

Right, so. The exchange that fuelled this meta. First of all, as a funny side note, the origin of that peculiar sentence:

La plume de ma tante ("my aunt's quill") is a phrase in popular culture, attributed to elementary French language instruction (possibly as early as the 19th century) and used as an example of grammatically correct phrases with limited practical application that are sometimes taught in introductory foreign language texts. As Life magazine said in 1958, "As every student knows, the most idiotically useless phrase in a beginner's French textbook is la plume de ma tante (the quill of my aunt)." The phrase is also used to refer to something deemed completely irrelevant. [link]

So basically, it's historically the most nonsensical and dumb phrase any student of the French language gets taught. And yet Aziraphale has been "wittering on about it for the last 250 years". Even looking smug about it, to this very day. Gave me a good chuckle.

Also:

In the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, Catholic priest Damien Karras interviews [...] a girl believed to suffer from demonic possession. While Karras probes to determine whether the possession is a hoax, the demon Pazuzu—who has possessed the girl—speaks in Latin and French, languages presumably unknown to the girl. When Karras demands "Quod nomen mihi est?/What is my name?" in Latin, the demon exclaims "La plume de ma tante!", using the phrase as a non sequitur to mock and evade Karras' line of questioning. [link]

Using that particular phrase to avoid answering a question you're being asked? Like: "You speak every language in the world perfectly ...

Neil, Neil, Neil, *shakes head fondly*, is there anything that you don't give layered meaning to, ever? No. No, of course you don't. And I adore you for it.

The whereabouts of the aunt's gardener's pen questioned, Aziraphale then says "But you still understood me" when Crowley calls him out for his bad French.

This is curious and affirming of my auro-translator theory for two reasons:

1) Aziraphale wouldn't have said this if he'd uttered this sentence in the language of Angels and simply hit the auto-translate button. Because if he had done it that way, of course Crowley would have understood him. But the reason Crowley understands him is not because Aziraphale used his language auto-translate, but because, again, Aziraphale, for two hundred and fifty years, has been wittering on about the plume of his imaginary tante.

2) Point one is further proven by a tiny French nerdy fact I can provide because I actually did learn and graduate in French back in school, lol. Because Crowley actually makes a mistake while trying to not-automatically translate the sentence. He says:

But "jarndinère" is actually a female gardener (le jardinier = male, la jardinière = female). So, when Crowley says "he doesn't have a pen", he actually gets it wrong, which further proves to me that he (as well as all other angels and demons) doesn't actually understand the phrase like someone does who has learnt the language in a human way.

Crowley doesn't have the automated translation on in this moment, so he doesn't translate it correctly. Because he doesn't actually speak French. At least not in the sense that us humans interpret "speaking a language".

Comment ça?

Basically, what I'm trying to get at is: Would you say that Google Translate speaks every language in the world? That it's native and fluent in every tongue ever spoken? Or is it simply a program that can access all the language knowledge its been fed and as soon as you hit enter, it translates any and every language back to you?

Google Translate never learnt any language, it never sat down and went through the onslaughts of vocabulary and grammar that studying a language comes with. It never got frustrated with seemingly nonsensical sentence structures, subjonctifs (French-learnes, you know what I mean) tenses and conjugations. It never spent ages trying to understand different dialects and accents, never spoke with natives to figure out the hidden slangs and sarcasms that would never be translated on paper. It never went to night classes where the teacher wittered on about pens and gardeners and aunts.

No. Google Translate is being told a sentence and it soullessly, programatically recognizes the language through its binary coded translation filter and mirrors the equivalent in whatever other language you want it to.

It's furthest any-a thing could be from speaking a language.

And exactly like that.

Exactly like that is how angels and demons "speak" every language in the World. Hitting an imaginary auto-translate-and-auto-recognition button.

Aziraphale and French (and magic)

Just like with Aziraphale being giddy about the idea of human magic, of learning card tricks and pulling coins out from behind ears, Aziraphale chose to never hit his translate button when it came to French.

Why does Aziraphale learn magic the human way? Because he knows how to do it the ethereal way but that's "no fun."

And why does Aziraphale learn French the human way? Because he knows how to do it the ethereal way, but that's "no fun".

Let me recap real quick: Two of the very base principles of any angel's job and/or purpose (on Earth) is to 1) do miracles for humankind to ensure their souls will at some point be added to Heaven's tab and 2) be a being of Love and love all of Her creations.

Or, the condensed version: Magic and Love.

And what are the two things Aziraphale finds no fun (= boring and unsatisfying) to do the way it was intended for all angels?

Magic and (the language of) Love.

Aziraphale chose to try and learn magic as well as the language of love organically, without the God-given ability and the binary coded translation system Heaven provided his corporation with.

He wanted to learn it the human way. The hard way. The fun way.

Neil: "It's like magic tricks, which he is terrible at but loves to do, and miracles, which are no fun, but which he does very well."

Because that's the point, isn't it? Most of us think: "Wow, wouldn't it be great to be able to do actual magic? Simply snap your fingers and have any-a wish come true? Speak every and any language in the universe and never have to pick up a dictionary ever again?"

Sure, for the first few exciting moments, miracles and conversations maybe. But sooner or later, it renders everything meaningless. Soulless. Flavourless. And who loves flavour more than Aziraphale?

It's somewhat similar to why typing a sentence into Google Translate is never going to be as exciting as being able to finally translate it yourself after years of practising. Or why telling an AI to conjure up a picture of a beautiful landscape will never, ever be the same as working years on your own painting skills to one day finally be able to paint it yourself.

Heaven (and ultimately Hell) don't care about the process. The hardship. The pain and passion of putting work and effort into the journey. They only care about the end result. The means to an end.

Crowley: "They don‘t care how it gets done, they just want to know they can cross it off their list."

Want to speak any language in the world? There you go, automatic translator. Want to ensure humans will be added to the Heavenly/Hellish soul tab? Boom, you can do real magic. Get to work, then!

So, for Aziraphale to choose to learn the two things he was provided with to do his Heavenly work in the most efficient, soulless and flavourless way possible the human way instead, really says it all, doesn't it?

But he learnt the most important one the hard way, without his auto-translator.

The one language all angels are supposed to know fluently and wordlessly anyway.

The one language that makes an angel.

The language of Love.

Except that when it's programmed into you with the intent to only ever work as a means to and end instead of the beautiful journey it is, it will never be the real, organic, passionate, hard and wonderful thing it was meant to be.

And Aziraphale knows this.

Which is exactly why he learnt magic and French the real, human way.

***

Small addendum that I couldn't really fit into any paragraph up there: I think it's also really telling that Aziraphale only properly committed to learning French the right way by going to Monsieur Rossignol's (for those who haven’t seen it yet: rossignol means nightingale in French) night classes in 1760 after the first time we see Crowley rescue him (Bastille, 1739). There might have been a time before that where Crowley got him out of a precarious situation, but for all we know, it was the first one where Crowley really showed up for an angel in need who was absolutely swooning over it. Time to let the nightingale to teach you how to become fluent in Love!

#good omens #good omens meta #my own meta #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 #gos2 #go2 #good omens s2 #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #language #good omens language #why? #love #aziraphale is a romantic #and also the only good angel out there #and all of it because of a god damn pen

[yukidragon]

Remember that pic that voltageous Posted of Jack all angey. Do you think Alice would ever be in similar situation like that? Btw I love your character Alice and all the headcanons and stories that make!

Aww! Thank you so much! I'm really happy that you enjoy my writing, ideas, and Alice. 💖

I presume you're talking about this lovely picture, right? Jack's pose is very appealing, but his expression in particular is striking. Between that, the composition of the scene, and the lyrics, a story is being told that has sparked so many thoughts.

I actually made a short thread on twitter discussing Alice and this picture's scenario. I think this is the perfect opportunity to expand on that idea with a bit of a ramble, and maybe do a bit of writing.

Quick reminder that this fandom is for Adults Only. Mature topics will be discussed like sex, cheating, and such.

In that spirit, let's really look at the picture and talk about it, shall we? I think the main thing that really caught my, and a lot of other people's attention is the look Jack is giving the person standing in shadow in the doorway, presumably MC. We've never seen Jack actually show such an angry expression to his sunshine outside of fan art.

I mean look at that face. Jack is glaring daggers, at his sunshine no less! That is the look of a lover betrayed by their cheating partner if I ever saw it. Sauce does great work with their art and expressions. Full credit goes to them as always for their awesome work.

Speaking of which, consider joining the SnaccPop Studios patreon for more cool art that they haven't shared on twitter. Just remember not to share anything that's privately posted there.

Something I actually only noticed when really looking at Jack's face in close up, he has a slight distortion going on similar to what was applied to his sprites earlier in development. You can really see it in the slight blurring of his red marks.

As was mentioned on the official tumblr, Jack can touch and interact with things the more attached he is to his sunshine. In the demo, Jack picking up MC and making food is treated as a new development, showing how close they've become. MC can't touch him anymore when they distance themselves from him in the "no" route. When they could choose to "not make things weird" and keep Jack at arm's length emotionally, he started to feel cold and distant from them even though he was holding them close.

It was mentioned that Jack was given an intentional 3D/VHS distortion in earlier builds, which I think was to further emphasize that he wasn't quite real. MC is the one making him more real with their love and attachment. I suspect that the blur would've lessened and disappeared altogether as he became more real.

So now we see Jack with a hint of that distortion, glaring angrily up at the person casting a shadow over him in a darkened room. I think we can all guess this is supposed to be MC, and the lyrics give us a very strong hint as to what's going on here and why he's so upset.

It would seem that this picture is implying that MC was out all night at another love interest's place, likely having sex with them. They're choosing someone else to love, and Jack is probably barely keeping himself together as their attachment towards him wanes.

Jack has every reason to be pissed off in this scenario. Not only does this put him at risk, but this would make MC a cheater in the "yes" route. It's debatable if they would be one in the "no" route, since they did have sex, but it would no doubt still sting even if MC just regarded him as a friend with benefits.

It can leave Jack feeling hurt and betrayed. Remember how he questioned what more he could be doing in the "no" route? This is even worse. He tries to give MC everything - his love, patience, understanding, acceptance... even physical pleasure if that's what they want. Even still, they chose someone else to have sex with, showing even that wasn't enough to keep them.

So, yeah, this seems to be Jack having trouble remaining in MC's life while also feeling hurt and betrayed by them... and no doubt possessive and dangerous.

The lyrics might ask where MC was last night, but given Jack's supernatural abilities, I suspect that he knows exactly where they were, who they were with, and what they were doing... or rather who they were doing instead of him.

I suspect that Jack can go greater distances than a normal person can by walking while using his supernatural abilities. He might be able to track down MC or others he's targeted even at a distance. After all, he was haunting Nick for a while with those nightmares. If MC didn't come home one night, I'd expect Jack would go out looking for them.

MC probably got swept up with another love interest while Jack was at home waiting for them. They were late, so Jack went looking for them... and found his worst nightmare. He could've confronted them there and then, tried to stop them from what they were doing, but, as we've seen in the demo, when other people are taking MC's attention away from Jack, he has a difficult time bringing it back to him until they're alone or unless he exerts a little more pressure like the yes/no choice.

Given the situation, MC might have been way too distracted by their lover to even notice Jack... and I'm sure that it was emotionally devastating to Jack.

So Jack goes back to the apartment. He waits for MC, tries to figure out what to do, but he's hurt, betrayed, panicked... What more can he give them? What more can he do for them? What more do they want from him? What can that other man give them that he can't? He has to do damage control, make them feel the need to make it up to him and want to be closer to him, but he's also hurt.

Jack can't even confront the rival at that moment while they're with MC. His sunshine might see. Even if his jealousy and betrayal might make him not care, he can't risk them wanting him to go away.

So Jack waits for MC to come back, to confront them. No doubt he'll play his few remaining cards of guilt for leaving him behind and forgetting him for a night, while struggling to keep himself together, both emotionally and metaphysically.

Finally, when MC comes home the next day, it's to the scene in the picture.

Now... with all that said, considering how I've repeatedly stated that Jack and Alice are my OTP and I want to give them a happy ending in Sunshine in Hell... I think you can guess that this cheating scenario isn't going to happen between Alice and Jack, hahaha.

I did a post before about what a fight between Alice and Jack might look like, and how far it might go. It's very unlikely that it's going to go as far as what Jack's face is telling us here with all that anger he's showing, especially for such an implied awful reason.

For one thing, Alice wouldn't cheat. She wouldn't do it even before Ian cheated on her and showed her just how much it hurts to be cheated on. She also wouldn't be having sex outside of a relationship. Alice is on the aro/ace spectrum. On top of that, she has issues when it comes to sex. Between SA trauma and her first and only consenting sexual partner being, shall we say, less than attentive to her needs... she isn't interested in sleeping with people after the breakup with Ian. She needs to take it slow in order to trust a partner enough with that level of physical and emotional intimacy.

For Alice, sex with another person is something she can only do with a partner that she loves with the intention to make them happy and feel good. Sure she enjoys masturbation, but when other people have been involved, the sex has been, well... not great. The primary satisfaction she got from sex with Ian was his pleasure. Sadly, he never managed to make her orgasm, and it was actually uncomfortable and painful for her at times. She really did herself a disservice not advocating for her wants and comfort, but she didn't want to make Ian feel bad for a poor performance when it was too easy to hurt his feelings. Really, their troubled, one-sided sex life and lack of open and honest communication are a couple big reasons why her relationship with Ian deteriorated like it did.

I've mentioned before in some past posts, but the sexual intimacy Alice shares with Jack is going to start off slowly, and only after they're together in a romantic relationship. Because he takes her needs and comfort into account, she's pleasantly surprised to discover that sex with her partner actually can be pleasant, especially with a partner who makes sure she has multiple orgasms, and her libido increases as a result.

However, this newfound interest in having sex only applies to Jack, since Alice falls into the demisexual part of the ace spectrum. She loves him, and he's her partner. He makes her feel safe and good enough to actually want and enjoy sex.

If someone else hit Alice up for a one night stand, that would be a big pile of "NOPE!" from her. Even a friend propositioning her would make her feel wildly uncomfortable. She's just not comfortable with casual sex or sex without romantic attachment. Without that deep emotional connection of love, trust, and intimacy, sex is something intimidating and unwanted for her.

While I did consider a what if scenario where Alice and Shaun get together, that was a slow burn that took a long time for Alice to trust Shaun that intimately, and she never even knew of Jack's existence. How he would be as a lover and how that would affect her relationship with sex would be speculation best left for another post.

Jack isn't about to give Shaun or anyone else a chance to win Alice's heart when he's around, and with how much he fulfils her needs emotionally, she doesn't feel the need to consider getting into a relationship with anyone else.

Would Alice potentially get together with Nick if circumstances were right? No idea. I'd have to see more of how he interacts with others, especially his partner. I do know that him asking her out at work made her wildly uncomfortable and was definitely working against him. It's hard to say if it could work out between the two in an AU, even without Jack around.

Would Alice ever sleep with Ian again, even if just "for old time's sake" or "to say goodbye" and end things between them for good? Oh hell no. The only enjoyment she got out of sex with Ian was making him feel good because she loved him and trusted him with that level of intimacy. Needless to say, the trust is gone. Even after she tried forgiving him for cheating, she couldn't handle sex with him anymore. Ian is never getting into Alice's pants ever again.

That's all to say that even though Alice might improve her relationship with Ian, stay good friends with Shaun, and possibly befriend Nick if things go favorably... she's not going to think about sleeping with any of them, and certainly not with someone she doesn't know at all. Even then, she wouldn't even consider cheating on her partner.

So this situation of Jack waiting for Alice to come home, furious and upset that he caught her cheating, just isn't going to happen.

It would take a lot to make Jack angry with his sunshine, and I can't think of anything Alice would do to provoke that sort of glare from him.

Now, with all that said, would there be a scenario where Alice didn't come home one night and made Jack worry about where she was... maybe even worry about what she might be doing and who she was doing it with? I think so. Some places don't have landline phones, and Alice can't afford a second cell phone for Jack, so if she winds up unable to go home, she can't call him to let him know. It certainly provides some potential for drama... especially when Alice has a chronic illness that sometimes flares up beyond what her medication can handle.

So, as I said in the twitter thread, it sounds like a scenario just begging to be written out in a flashfic, so how about we do that now, shall we? Funny enough, as I was writing it, I wound up with something of a sequel to a previous flashfic I wrote a little while ago. I hope you enjoy this piece of hurt/comfort fluff between Jack and Alice!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

...

Alice was late. She should have been home over half an hour ago. The dinner Jack made with love in anticipation of her return had already gone cold.

Jack tried not to let the ticking of the clock get to him. He tried not to overthink what it could mean. He tried to ignore the twisting inside his gut that kept him looking at the clock despite himself. It hadn’t been that long since Alice was supposed to be home. It wasn’t strange to be a little bit late like this. After all, that gosh darn manager of hers was always springing overtime on her after she was supposed to clock out, or she had to stay longer to clean up some mess Carol left behind for her to take care of.

But Alice wasn’t at work. She wasn’t a mere ten minute walk away. She left in her car after lunch, saying that she had errands to do without ever telling him exactly what those errands were.

Like a fool, Jack let her go anyway. He let her kiss distract him from asking questions. Her, “I love you,” left him feeling too happy and flustered to think too much about why she wanted to go alone. She promised to be home in time for dinner, but that promise had been broken half an hour ago.

Jack wished that he could call Alice and check on her, find out what was keeping her and when she was coming home to him. He had her cell phone number memorized, but he didn’t have one of his own that he could use to call her, and the apartment had no landline phone.

Where was Alice? What were the errands that kept her away from him? Why was she late? Jack could kick himself for not getting a straight answer before she left, or for not trying harder to go with her. She could be anywhere by now, be with anyone.

Including that darn Ian.

The nightmare from the night before flashed through his mind. Jack could still vividly remember the helplessness he felt trapped behind the screen as Alice kissed Ian and professed her love for the fake pretending to be him. The memory made his insides twist into knots.

Jack gave himself a hard mental shake. “What am I thinking?” he muttered under his breath, chiding himself for the very thought. It was almost as if he was suspecting Alice of cheating on him. That was absurd. How could he, Sunny Day Jack, think something like that of his sunshine? Sunny Day Jack didn’t get jealous or possessive of anyone, and he certainly wouldn’t suspect his beloved sunshine, the sweetest and kindest person in the world, who loved him just as much as he loved her, on the basis of her simply being out late.

He wasn’t a fake pretending to be Sunny Day Jack like Ian intended to do with that farce of a reboot that lied about being the first and only SunnyTime Crew Show.

Ever since Jack heard about the show and Ian’s part in it, he had been on edge, and the nightmare he experienced didn’t help. The only bright spot in everything was Alice. He still vividly remembered the way she comforted him that night, promising to always be there for him as she held him close and sang the sweetest song to soothe away all his woes and worries.

So why wasn’t she here now?

“I better check to see if she’s okay,” Jack mumbled to himself. He promised to be there when Alice got home, but she also promised to be home forty-five minutes ago, so it was only fair.

…

A rest stop was far from an ideal place for a woman traveling alone to lie down in her car, but at least it beat pulling over at the side of the road in the middle of the desert. Unfortunately, Alice didn’t have a lot of options at the moment. At least the tinted windows blocked prying eyes as effectively as they did the scorching Texas sun.

Pain tore her attention away from potential threats outside the car and turned her attention inward. Alice bit back a whimper, instead hissing ragged breaths through gritted teeth as she did her best to ride through the intensifying sensation of jagged blades cutting and twisting through her insides. The pain rolled in like the tide until it flooded her senses and made her eyes sting with tears, leaving her helpless but to wait for it to recede again to something a little more bearable.

Eventually the pain lessened, at least enough that her breathing came a little more easily. Still, Alice took care to move as little as possible from the reclined front seat while she carefully lifted up the cell phone that she held in a death grip. Through watery eyes she saw that ten minutes had passed since she took her medicine.

Only ten minutes. Fuck. It was going to be at least twenty more before Alice started noticing any real difference. She wished that she had better, faster acting painkillers for these attacks, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

Shit. It had been weeks since Alice last had an attack like this. Why did one have to happen while she was out on her own like this? Why couldn’t it happen at home? At least there she wouldn’t be alone and so vulnerable. At least Jack would be there to take care of her.

Alice was supposed to be home almost an hour ago. If it wasn’t bad enough that things had dragged on way longer than she anticipated, her chronic illness decided to flare up at the worst possible timing - right when she was driving down the middle of the highway. It was all she could do to force herself to keep driving until she was someplace at least relatively safer to park.

“Fuck,” Alice hissed as she carefully lowered the phone, wincing how even speaking made her insides twinge in pain. Jack was probably worried by now, and she couldn’t even call him. She was too used to having him always around; she never considered something like this happening. She could kick herself for taking for granted that it had been so long since her last attack.

Helplessly, Alice couldn’t do anything but wait for the medicine to take the edge off the pain. As another intense wave rolled over her, it was all she could do not to give in to the instinctive urge to double over as pain tore through her insides without mercy. She knew well from experience that any pressure on her abdomen would only make this hell even worse. She clawed instead at the seat’s cushion and her thigh in a desperate attempt to distract herself from the pain as she tried to keep her breathing even.

I wish Jack was here.

“Alice?”

Alice flinched at the sound of her name. For a moment, she thought that she only imagined it, but that unmistakable voice came again from just outside the car.

“Alice?” Jack repeated a little louder this time, his worry only increasing. He could feel Alice’s pain leaking through their connection even before he saw the agony twisted in her expression through the car’s tinted window. “Are you okay? Can you unlock the door?”

Relief washed over Alice almost as intense as the pain as she realized that Jack really was there. She tried to keep her movements minimal as she dropped her phone on the center console beside her car keys before pushing the unlock button.

No sooner than Jack heard the click than he threw the door open and leaned inside, practically covering her like a blanket, though he was careful not to put any of his weight on her. “Don’t worry, sunshine, I’m here.”

“Jack…,” Alice forced out through ragged breaths, her voice cracking with pain. “I-I’m s-sor-”

Jack shushed her gently. “It’s okay.” He touched her cheek delicately, afraid of making things worse. “You don’t have to talk if it’s too hard for you right now. I’m not going anywhere, sunshine. Don’t worry… I’ll take care of you.”

Alice held her fist up and bobbed it up and down, which Jack recognized her as signing, “Yes.”

Jack managed a small but encouraging smile at that. “Is it your illness acting up again?” When Alice nodded her hand again, his heart went out to her. He knew about her chronic illness, particularly that it couldn’t be cured. Her medicine managed it most of the time, but sometimes it wasn’t enough to stop an attack from leaving her debilitated. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Alice grimaced and brought two fingers up before bringing them down on her thumb in a definitive, “No.”

“I see… that’s good at least,” Jack said, the words coming out in nearly a sigh of relief. “Do you need me to bring you any medicine?” Another negative indication. “I see… You took some already, is that right?” A nod of her fist. “Good, good… Then we’ll just wait here until you’re feeling better.” When her fist moved again in the affirmative, he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere.”

Alice returned the gesture, but her gentle squeeze quickly turned into a crushing grip as the pain intensified again. She forced herself to release him, but Jack refused to let her go and placed his other hand to secure her grip on him.

“It’s okay,” Jack said soothingly. “You can keep squeezing me if you need to. If it helps you deal with the pain, you can squeeze as hard as you like.” He offered her a lopsided smile that would have been more playful if his eyes weren’t so filled with concern for her. “Don’t worry, I can take it.”

Reluctantly, Alice tightened her grip on his hand again until her knuckles turned white as she rode through the latest wave of pain. When she could breathe a little more easily, her hold on him slackened, and her mind began to focus on the situation.

How did Jack find her? How did he get here? She was in the middle of nowhere, miles from home. Was this part of his supernatural abilities too?

Upon remembering where they were, Alice felt a shiver run through her, and her eyes darted to the darkened parking lot. She could see Jack with her, someone big and imposing, but anyone who happened to come by would only see a vulnerable short woman lying down in her car, illuminated by her car light. It was practically an invitation to rob her, steal her car, or worse. Could Jack stop someone if they decided to take advantage of the situation?

Jack caught the frightened thought right away. “Hold on, let me get inside.”

Just like that, the car was soon locked and dark once more, with Jack seated in the now reclined passenger seat so that he could be as close to Alice as possible. He took her hand in his and with the other hand he stroked her forehead, brushing sweat and strands of her hair away from her watery eyes.

“There now,” Jack said, his voice soft and soothing. “You’re safe here with me, Alice. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. We’ll wait here until the medicine starts working. When you feel ready to go, I’ll drive us home.”

Alice furrowed her brow before deliberately raising her eyebrows as she pointed at Jack.

Jack chuckled as he caught the simple signed question. “Yes me, silly. You’re in no shape to drive, and you need to rest. We’ll switch seats as soon as you’re feeling a little better.”

Alice frowned a little, as what she wanted to say required too much movement for her to accurately convey her meaning without the risk of causing the pain to intensify.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to, as Jack picked up on her fears immediately. “Don’t worry, it’s too dark for anyone to see who’s driving the car.” He paused to chuckle. “Or ‘not’ driving.” He bent down to kiss her forehead and smooth the furrows from her brow. “You don’t need to worry about anything like that. All you need to focus on right now is feeling better.”

Alice sighed at the gentle kisses he pressed upon her flushed skin, though her breathing was still ragged and harsh. She nodded with her fist again as she focused on Jack, his gentle presence soothing her far more than the medicine.

Jack leaned back just enough to see his sunshine’s face. He wanted to hold her close, but he knew about her condition, particularly how pressure on her abdomen, especially in the wrong spot, could make it so much worse. It made him careful how he touched her, softly stroking her brow and letting her squeeze his hand until the pain subsided.

When silence settled in between them, Alice grunted. She wiggled her fingers in front of her mouth before pointing at Jack and raising her eyebrows.

Jack nodded in understanding as he smiled gently at her. “Of course, sunshine. I can talk as much as you want. Don’t worry about needing to respond either. Just focus only on me and my voice. Don’t pay attention to anything else.”

Alice squeezed his hand again, but gently and intentionally this time. His voice, soft and smooth, flowed over her like water on a burn. It didn’t magically make her pain disappear, but hearing him talking to her and feeling his gentle touches grounded her, reminding her that she wasn’t alone and vulnerable. She had Jack with her now.

“That’s right, Alice,” he said. “I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you, sunshine.” Gently, he dabbed away at the wetness that still lingered in her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. I promise, I’ll always take care of you… forever.”

As the pain started to ebb again, Alice managed a weak smile. She held up a hand in a particular gesture that made Jack’s heartbeat quicken when he realized what she was signing.

“I love you too, Alice,” Jack said before pressing a soft kiss on her lips, which she weakly returned. “I love you so much, Alice… my sunshine.”

The pain radiating from Alice was horrible, and it took all of his acting skills to make sure that she didn’t realize that Jack felt it too. He could feel it even more clearly with how close they were like this, but he refused to leave his sunshine to suffer alone. The worst part was that he was sure that the pain he felt at that moment was only a fraction of what she was experiencing.

“You’re so strong,” Jack said, his voice hushed with admiration. “You’re doing so well. I’m so proud of you.” He kissed her forehead again and was rewarded with a soft, but pleased sigh from her in return. “That’s it, just focus on me. You don’t have to face this alone anymore. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Alice squeezed his hand again in gentle affirmation as she closed her eyes to focus on his soothing voice and gentle warmth.

Despite the situation, relief washed over Jack, and he could feel some of the same emotion coming from Alice as well. A small pang of guilt crept in underneath it, but he hid such feelings from her. She didn’t need to worry about the irrational fear he had before, that silly split-second when a part of him feared the worst, no matter how impossible that was. It felt laughable now to think that this precious ray of sunshine in front of him could’ve been doing anything as awful as cheating on him, not when he could practically taste her love and gratitude for him as clearly as the pain that - mercifully - was starting to wane.

Jack knew that it was silly to let some stupid nightmare influence him like this, no matter how awful it was. Alice didn’t deserve to be suspected of such a thing, not even for an instant, and especially not during a time when she was suffering so much. She needed him. For as much as he hated that she was suffering, he couldn’t help but feel relieved by that simple truth.

A flash of inspiration struck Jack, chasing away his gloomy thoughts. “Oh! I know. How about I sing a song for you? Would you like that, sunshine?”

Alice opened her eyes again and answered with a soft smile and another bob of her fist.

“Now how did it go…?” Jack turned his eyes up towards the roof of the car as he thought back to the song Alice sang for him. He didn’t remember the first part, but he could improvise, making up new lyrics for the same sweet melody that she shared for him. It was their song now, in his mind, and he made sure to let his sunshine know with his version of the lyrics that he would be here for her no matter what storms and pain may come to help her shine bright with happiness.

Alice couldn’t help but smile crookedly as Jack changed the song, but somehow she liked his version better. She made a mental note to tell him later when she felt well enough to speak again. For now though, she let his gentle voice cast its soothing spell over her, filling her with love and slowly chasing away the pain.

Jack continued to sing until he was certain that Alice had fallen asleep. He pressed another sweet kiss to her forehead and used his influence to make sure that she wouldn’t wake up until she was safely back home in bed with him.

“Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings #Ask #My Writing #Sauce-y Art

[effloradox]

Do you still write for Mark’s characters? If so could you write for Wilford with the prompt ‘you okay? caught you staring off into space again’?

it’s been a hot minute but i do still write for those characters!

As much as you adore Wilford, some days it's difficult to be around him. The moustachioed man is one of your favourite people to be around in the manor, but it's been clear since you first bumped into him before breakfast that this is going to be one of his bad days.

They're less frequent than they used to be and that brings you some comfort, but it's still hard going for breakfast and him rushing past you without even acknowledging you and know that it's because he doesn't recognise you.

Dark is always quick to notice when Wilford is having a bad day, but there's no such thing as privacy in the manor when it comes to this. You don't have to look towards the dining table to see the other egos exchanging glances. Wilford usually takes great delight in welcoming you downstairs for breakfast, your coffee in his hand, and ideas spilling from his lips for how the two of you could spend the day. For him to ignore you completely is almost unheard of unless he's having a bad day.

The morning sun always seems duller without him by your side, though Dark is quick to approach you, two coffees in his hands. He offers one to you with a carefully constructed expression on his face.

"Give him time. You know what he's like." You nod and try to smile at your oldest friend, but it feels like all the muscles in your face are betraying you, and your smile falls flat. You're sure Dark notices but he doesn't comment, making his way out of the dining room presumably to his office. You offer quick pleasantries to the others in the room as you gather your usual breakfast and make your way outside. It takes time but you manage to put the mornings events out of your mind.

"You okay? Caught you staring off into space again." The voice from behind you jolts you from your thoughts and you flinch back involuntarily.

Wilford has always had an uncanny ability to sneak up on you, he's one of the few people that can actually do so. He gestures to the empty seat across from you, and you nod, waiting for him to settle himself before you reply to his question.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How are you?" The man across from you shrugs lightly, though you can't discern what that means.

"I missed you at breakfast."

"Wil, you saw me at breakfast." Your tone is soft as you speak, careful not to spark an argument with your friend.

"No I didn't. I had your coffee all ready to go and you never showed!"

"Dark gave me my coffee this morning. You walked past me as I was coming down for breakfast."

"No, I walked past one of the interns. If it had been you I would've..." Wilford's voice trails off as he replays the mornings events in his mind. He takes a moment to come to terms with the situation. "It's one of those days then." Something changes in his face, and you're reminded all at once how old Wilford is, how old you both are. How much he's been through. There's something so horribly sad about the introspective look that settles on his brows that you can't resist the temptation to lean over and take his hand in yours. He tangles his fingers through yours without hesitation.

"Wil?"

"I'm sorry dear."

"One day at a time, Wil. We just need to take it one day at a time."

"I think I better go and have a chat with our esteemed leader. Would you be so good as to join me?" He's on his feet and extending his arm to you in the time it takes you to blink, and you allow him to pull you to your feet. He slots your arm into the crook of his as the two of you make your way inside, your coffee all but forgotten.

#my writing #drabbles #requested #wilford warfstache x reader #who killed markiplier x reader #wkm x reader

[gustavgiles]

It's time to put Way Too Much Thought into cats playing chess

Or: an overanalysis of this short, in which I try to find a story where one doesn't exist, and also I leave vapid dribblings about my favorite ship (Vikdecai!!!) everywhere because Fuck You That's Why.

TL;DR: Viktor wants Mordecai bishop. Viktor takes Mordecai bishop.

First off, some caveats: 1.) I'm actually pretty fucking bad at chess. I'm going to offer some commentary on their game later, and although I'm going to put on a very confident face in the interest of making this entertaining to read, you should know that I'm *probably* wrong about lots of stuff, and I'm *definitely* going to massage the analysis to make a story out of it.

2.) I don't think anybody ever intended for the chess board to stand up to scrutiny, since Mordecai's queen and king are the wrong way around and the a2 square (Mordecai's pawn in front of his leftmost rook) is black when it should be white, showing that the chess board is set up sideways:

...But as a Vikdecai shipper I am eminently practiced in the art of expending ridiculous amounts of brainpower reading patterns and subtext where they don't exist. So! Let us sally bravely forth, heedless of the futility of our efforts.

First, a reconstruction of the board, or at least a realistic position that's close to what's presented (the obvious change to make is to put Mordecai's king and queen the right way round). The screenshot above gives us a pretty good idea of what Mordecai's half of the board is; we can combine this with the opposing shot of Viktor to learn some things:

Both of Mordecai's bishops have been captured, so the first shot of Mordecai actually shows the positions of all of White's pieces. Then White's board looks something like this:

Viktor's side of the board is a lot harder to construct because the angle's quite poor, so let's start again with Mordecai's shot and see what we can do. One of his bishops has been captured; from Viktor's shot we can see it's his dark-squared bishop (light-squared in the short because remember, the square colors are backwards in the animation). He's just taken a White bishop on b3 with his knight (presumably the queenside Knight, since the position looks quite early), and he's got a pawn butting up against the White e4 pawn, but it looks like no other pawns contesting the center. So let's lock rows 1-5 of the board down as something like this:

Now the guesswork begins. Black's kingside pawn structure looks unchanged, and his kingside Knight is developed somewhat, I'm going to assume to f6. I have absolutely no idea what the hell's going on with his queenside pawn structure. His d-column pawn is no longer in the d column, but it hasn't been captured? We can see from this shot that he's got two pawns on row 5 (side note look how CLOSE TOGETHER they are in this shot they're MERE INCHES from KISSING):

...*ahem*. So let's assume that his d-rank pawn was pushed to d6, then captured something on c5. That lines up with his shot where we can see an advanced pawn on a light square (so dark in our correctly-colored reconstruction). Then the final board position looks something like this:

After all that work I was super excited to plug this into some online chess databases and find out if it actually matched any historical games...

...Only to be quite disappointed. But wait! If we roll back one move, before Viktor initiates the bishop<>knight exchange that's put such a bee in Mordecai's bonnet, we *do* get something: Olga Dolzhikova vs. Nikolay Bodnar in a 1998 correspondence game.

That game ended in a draw, though Viktor and Mordecai's might not have, after Viktor's divergence. Getting to that would be jumping the gun, though. First, let us stray even further from the folds of probable reality and assume that Viktor and Mordecai played *exactly* this game, which lets us crack on with the narrativizing:

First we have e4...e5, a very standard opener:

Then Mordecai bares his teeth with the Vienna Game:

The Vienna Game is quietly threatening, but at this point noncommittal. The idea here is to threaten pushing a pawn to f4, making an immediate and aggressive play for the center. Of course, we know from the position we reconstructed earlier that this *doesn't* happen. So was Mordecai just posturing, or did Viktor manage to defuse the threat?

Viktor plays Nc6, the Max Lange Defence:

Which takes the fangs out of the Vienna Gambit. Pawn to f4 is most dangerous when Black plays Nf6 rather than Nc6 because there's a nasty trap line to the intuitive response from Black, namely e5xf4 followed by e4 e5, which forces the f6 knight back into its hidey-hole and allows White uncontested control of the center, where he can set a whole slew of hazards for Black to step into trying to get out of the cramped back rank.

None of that matters since Viktor played the Max Lange.

Perhaps Mordecai chose the Vienna Game hoping to catch Viktor, whom he suspects has no formal chess education, with his pants down (yes that wording is very much intentional); it seems Viktor's wise to the tricks, though.

The game continues with Bc4:

So Mordecai settles in for the long haul and plays for the center in a more reserved way, now preventing Viktor from moving his d pawn by threatening d5 with three separate pieces. Viktor responds with...

The Copycat Variation?????

Once when I was a young child who was tired of getting their ass beat by their dad in chess, I decided "fuck it" and just mirrored the moves he made. We ended up in this exact position.

My dad played Qg4. I suspect his intention was that if Black continues copying and plays Qg5, then White takes g5xg4 and now White's up a queen. So Black can no longer mirror White's move; if Black was *actually* just brainlessly copying White, then this forces them to stop it and think about what they're doing, and Black will wind up adrift with no real gameplan. Easy pickings.

Of course, that's assuming your opponent is an actual literal child, which might not be the case. It's not like this position isn't one that a serious player would never wind up in; much like the board is symmetrical, the advantage is symmetrical, and I believe the Vienna Game, Copycat Variation is considered generally even.

So there's a distinct possibility that Viktor *does* know what he's doing, and he's just decided to play the Copycat Variation for whatever reason.

Maybe that reason is because he knows Mordecai will be pleased by the symmetry and he likes seeing Mordecai happy.

Mordecai chooses to play d2 d3 instead of developing his queen:

Is this... begrudging respect?? Another compact push for the center instead of a trap with the queen. Granted it's not much respect, the only assumption you have to make is that your opponent isn't a total idiot with the chess ability of a toddler, but still! My Partner's Not an Idiot With an Underdeveloped Brain! That's the first small kernel that leads to the blossoming of a beautiful marriage friendship!

Viktor continues with a conventional sort of play, developing his knight:

And Mordecai pushes his bishop to e3, offering an exchange of bishops:

I'm not sure what Mordecai's going for here; the obvious line for Black is now c5xe3...f2xe3, which is still pretty much a dead even position. Maybe he thinks a more open center will let him outmaneuver Viktor?

It doesn't matter, anyways; Viktor doesn't take the exchange, instead pushing a pawn up to defend against the threat while keeping the exchange open:

"No." Viktor says obstinately. "You come to me."

At first glance I thought this was just *worse* than Viktor taking the exchange, and I was watching Viktor hurt himself by being obdurate about not dancing to Mordecai's beat. My thought was that now we'll see e3xc5...d6xc5 and Viktor will lack a pawn on the d column, denying him potential center influence...

But on second examination, the d column pawn was already pretty locked down, and now his queen and bishop are opened up. The positions are still even, but that was a surprisingly deft way of not initiating the exchange.

Mordecai rolls his eyes and does what he was going to do anyway:

And Viktor, satisfied that Mordecai had to take the first step, gladly reciprocates:

With that little do-si-do out of the way, Mordecai continues developing his pieces:

And Viktor makes a mistake:

It's not the end of the world, but it's still not amazing -- Stockfish (a chess computer) evaluates Viktor's previous position at -0.1, meaning pretty much even but with an imperceptible advantage for black (more negative means black has more advantage, more positive means white has more advantage), while it evaluates this position at +0.3, a 0.4 point swing.

Insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the largest difference in this game so far has only been 0.2 points, so this is a change in advantage twice as large as anything that's happened before.

Back to the game: the obvious intent here was to threaten the c4 bishop with his knight, but not only did he have to lower the threat level on d4 to do it, but he's also pushed his knight to the edge of the board where it's quite boxed in.

The threat against the bishop is idle, as well; the bishop can simply retreat to b3, still threatening d5 but making the exchange unappetizing for Black, since then a5xb3...a2xb3 results in an even exchange of material for a slightly better White position.

It's an odd misstep for how solid Viktor's been playing so far.

Mordecai, testing the waters, retreats his bishop:

And Viktor takes the bait, pushing the evaluation to +0.5 and realizing the losing exchange:

Mordecai's perception is unravelling now. He's slowly coming to the conclusion that Viktor doesn't know the Vienna Game. He doesn't know the term 'Max Lange Defense'. Maybe he played the Copycat Variation for shits and fucking giggles, or because he wanted to make a joke about Mordecai's predilection for geometric perfection.

Viktor has not been driven by tactical acumen and a surprisingly agile intellect, carefully considering all variables before picking lines of play. He has not been carrying on a delicately intricate wordless conversation with Mordecai.

Viktor's been putting pieces Wherever the Fuck He Wants because Fuck You, That's Why.

And Mordecai is *incensed* by this because he can't stop imagining Viktor pursuing him with that same brutish efficacy Viktor's almost kept pace with him while putting in 5% of the work and brainpower.

"Wait," Mordecai says.

"*What* is that?"

#vikdecai #viktor vasko #mordecai heller #lackadaisy cats #lackadaisy #not tagging chess cus I know someone watching that tag will tear holes in my analysis with their Giant Chess Dick which I'm not ready for

[sonkitty]

The Pocket Trick Touch #4 - Triple Part 3 - Between Car Windows

Action #4 (Episode 5; Triple Part 3; Car Windows)

This scene was one I had to look for to figure out a Triple existed for this overall Trick.

I recently looked for it again to see if I could find a device to confirm something. As such, I was not searching frame-by-frame in a video. The scene is so quick, it's no wonder I missed it until deliberately looking for some missing pocket touch.

The action takes place in an area between the coffee shop and the restaurant in front of the music shop. Aziraphale is inviting Justine. Crowley will eventually sit on the bench to handle his touches for the ball invitations.

It has two parts.

Crowley is first shown from the back with his left thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger visible. He looks positioned to have his pocket touch in place, which will be confirmed soon. For the ring finger and pinky finger, their tips can be shown. The thumb tip itself seems to be there.

Crowley's shadow is encompassed by shadows around him.

Additionally, the camera zooms until it looks like the shadow or edges of the thumb and pinky meet each other. The ring finger is doing an illusionary touch on the edge of a bicycle wheel, near the edge of Crowley's pants.

If we go with the idea of the pocket chain carrying us into this scene, that actually helps explain its structure of two parts, one for each pocket from the last touch, and in turn, one for each pocket frame. In front of Crowley is the hole in the wall that leads to the music shop. That hole in the wall might not have a door, but it does have a frame of where a door would be.

The Rainbow Connection is on Blue, confirmed with a blue car passing by. A human is carrying a blue plastic bag. Well, that's nice since we connected to a blue shopping bag through shadows back in Triple Part 2. That's a clue to look for anything of value with this blue bag.

The human carrying the blue plastic bag is wearing brown. They are going to cross paths with another human wearing brown. Together, they're going to form a pocket close to the bag-carrying human's right thumb joint.

The thumb joint might be borrowed because "brown" and "borrow" are so similar in letters and can alliterate. But even if not, the other value is that it helps find the exact frame of the illusionary touch Crowley's digits are doing. This illusionary touch for the bike wheel just so happens to be in front of the door frame and overall surrounded by it, which might be what is allowing that illusionary touch to happen.

The joint of the left thumb is touching the bottom outer right edge of the jacket, probably at a vertex, especially since it is not a vertex from the front.

The camera gives Crowley a little break with a blur to show the front and confirm he is indeed standing with that pocket touch that will become clear soon enough. My current understanding is that the blur is assisting with the switch in the Rainbow Connection from Blue to Green. If there is anything else to it, I don't know and am not going to waste my time on it.

Once ready for the front view, Crowley can be seen with his jacket folded onto his right hand. That includes covering the right thumb joint. His shirt sleeve is also extended out enough such that the jacket and shirt are touching each other. I think the jacket is forming an incredibly dark pocket onto itself, but it's hard to see with the dark the jacket is.

With no visible right thumb joint, the tassel of the tie strand on Crowley's right is conveniently not even there. If it is there, the lighting has done an excellent job to the point I simply cannot see it, and that too is probably intentional. I'm going to say it's missing, moving forward.

This time, despite its position and the missing other tassel, the strand closer to the left hand looks like it is actually the strand meant to link with the right hand. Since they start off mirrored, presumably when tied, that actually does fit. The strand goes down the middle of his vest such that the tip just barely reaches the shirt under his vest. The shirt is what is touching the jacket that is touching his right hand.

Meanwhile, the other strand that is presumably linked with the jacket looks to just be trying to stay out of the way on the right and not be as extended while being over the vest, thanks to its missing tassel. This change might be related to how the left thumb joint is actually over the jacket instead of at the edge of it, when viewed from the front. It did its own separate thing from the earlier back view.

Each visible digit is making an illusionary threshold touch. The thumb is visually on the side edge of the sidewalk. The index fingertip is visually on the edge of where that sidewalk meets the ground and has a wet area near it. The middle fingertip is on the edge of one of the lights from the restaurant.

We should look for the pocket chain. We already had a door frame. So, we must find some paper.

Is there any paper in the scene?

Yes, yes there is. The left side of Crowley's head is, in fact, visually, in front of some papers across the street. In addition to that, there is a nearby human who is going to pass over Crowley. As that human draws closer, it is then easier to tell that yes, that paper is lined up to be outside of where those digits are doing those illusionary touches if you drew a straight line down from their sides to that area over the screenshot.

I was curious enough to check more directly myself:

Unlike the touches from before, Crowley is mostly standing still but not completely still. He makes a subtle head movement in feigned annoyance.

Now let's find the actual pocket frame that's intended for Crowley overall for this touch.

First, I must admit there are humans blocking the pocket frame of one of the car windows, but due the last touch in this overall Trick, I still think it's supposed to be car windows, not wheels and not humans.

Maybe the wheels from the back view are allowed to help Crowley out. They were bike wheels but still...wheels. They weren't framing Crowley, but they were framed by something from the last pocket chain.

The car wheels do frame Crowley without human disruption for a few frames.

If that's allowed since they are connected to each car, that helps. From there, we frame based on the wheels and extend based on the fact they are connected to the cars that have the car windows.

I could be making a glaring error here and will correct if I ever understand it better.

There is a lot of complex stuff happening with the Rainbow Connection switching because it actually goes through so many colors here. You can find out more in this post: The Pocket Chain Rainbow Connection Part 3 - The Pocket Trick - Triple Part 3 and Single

I'll also say that the human at the door in the coffee shop wearing black and white has my attention. They are wearing black and white with black suspenders on their back in particular. So, my current frustrated guess is that they are part of "suspending" yellow before an eventual switch to orange. They're also part of why I suspect black-and-white together trap colors.

If the tied hands get their mirror flipped, I would guess it happens only close to the end with a nearby human wearing an orange vest. I mentioned him in Triple Part 2 with the Nina intermission. The human passes such that his reflection can be found in the window pane. He crosses at a place where you can't exactly see Crowley but can figure out, thanks to the human, that's where Crowley's reflection would be if it weren't for a frame in the way.

All the same, Crowley is indeed visually between two car windows on screen, whatever is happening with the wheels.

The pocket frame itself is smaller than usual. Below each car window are a number of things, such as a post that can box Crowley in further. Along the lower right, the restaurant railing, lights and plants box him in all the more.

Here is my best guess on the actual Pocket Frame touch point:

The guess is largely based on two particular humans. One is behind Crowley and has her shoe in an imaginary pocket between Crowley's left jacket sleeve and left jacket torso side. The pocket itself is notably slender, but it exists. Another human makes some convenient pockets with his own shoe and a metal structure nearby. Also, no one is in the way of the wheels by Crowley for any help in the Car Windows framing.

This time, there is a double of Overhead Lights here in this touch. One of them is more directly over Crowley's head though not fully centered. It's still slightly to his left. Then there's a whole extra one further to Crowley's left.

For any further silly imaginary pocketing from just Crowley, he's got a wet spot between his legs. Within that wet spot is a black post. So, whatever silly pocket powers we can muster, we can pocket the post by extension if we like. He's actually going to be touching a different black post soon for Nina's ball invitations instead of the Trick itself. He is also going to be using a pocket, just not one of the touches in this particular Trick.

Speaking of that incoming touch and invitation, let's take a look at those silly tie strands...

The missing tassel has returned.

The tassels are thumbs, if you're new here, and they don't usually spread themselves out, especially like the one on Crowley's left did. I can't tell you what these things are up to here, sorry. I can tell you that they won't really be all that visible for the actual pocket touch itself, and the hand going into the pocket is actually going to be the left hand. Only the Double in The Pocket Trick involves the left hand having a digit in the pocket, and even then, it was only the thumb. The Nina invitation will make sure we see the thumb and index finger of the left hand before the pocket itself is used.

...

The Pocket Trick: Basics

#crowley #good omens 2 #good omens s2 #good omens #david tennant #good omens season 2 #good omens analysis #good omens meta #good omens 2 thresholds #good omens 2 the pocket trick #good omens 2 multiplicative threshold tricks #good omens crowley #crowley good omens

[bugslaststraw]

I want to write but I'm having really bad pain and no creativity so I'll just say this; there is something wrong with the Now Now and not a day goes by that I don't think about it at least a bit. Because what was that phase even about? The plot is so intricate. I guess the idea was "let's stick the guy stopping everyone from being their true free selves in jail n see what happens," right? That's about how Hewlett (or was it Albarn) put it. And from Murdoc's pov it's pretty easy to understand; he's jealous, alone, and going through both literal withdrawal and the horrifying realisation that his band doesn't need him. So far so good, right? (block o' text under cut)

Except that really, nobody actually seemed to have a good time during that phase. Or did they? They seem to want to imply it, since they speak vaguely positively. Saying things are calmer and cleaner and quieter now. That should theoretically be a good thing. Only all the songs are so damn sad, even songs that seem happy have some sort of underlying melancholy to them, and when asked why, Russel says "have you ever woken up from a dream to find out it wasn't real?" Speaking of, why did he trip 2-D over in Humility? We were never told. How come Noodle spends half the time worried that 2-D is possessed by something? Are those two reasons related? Are either of those people even relaxing at all? Did they talk about it? And what's with the sketchbook or notebook or whatever, why does that have so many odd scribbles- and the lyrics, he wrote all of them himself. He calls it his solo album when prompted. Why are those scribbled over pictures of Murdoc in there? There's a sketch of what looks like the clip used from Stylo next to the lyrics for Souk Eye. And what does he mean by "where have you gone"? Why does the demon drawn on one page look so much like the thing Murdoc said saved his life? What did all those slogans mean, like "G is the magic number" and "save us from him" and, actually, how did Murdoc even survive to begin with, since he already sold his own soul off and didn't have any convenient virgins to use instead? Why do Russ and 2-D go total radio silence as soon as he's presumed dead, giving no interviews or social media presence or shows or songs or texts for months while Noodle was in Patagonia? Why doesn't she mention them? What were any of them really feeling during the Now Now? What was going on-?? What is this fucking story even trying to say? That you become unbearably cocky if you don't have someone around to hurl insult at you 24/7, I think not? If that was the case why do they all come off like they're hiding some big awful secret the whole time and just pretending to be happy- gods I don't even know anymore fuck this here are some of the well scanned pages I have

#grillyz #gorillaz #the now now #gorillaz 2d #gorillaz russel #gorillaz noodle #idk man. i do not

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

THE FACT THAT EPISODE 4 HAS LUCIUS AND IZZY DEMONSTRATE THE EXACT SAME LEVEL OF SAILING SKILL AND SEAFARING KNOWLEDGE

before i really dive into that tho i just want to quick point out how perfectly the show sets up this comparison:

so when ed asks izzy, "What've we got here?" izzy gives his summary of the situation. the ship is damaged, and the crew is "bottom of the barrel." what's interesting about this is how, as izzy's saying this, the camera pans from roach and frenchie picking up wood and debris off the deck (which is actually useful work) to lucius absentmindedly tapping the railing with a hammer while he listens to pete talk, not even looking at what he's doing. and in case we missed it, the next time that the camera cuts away from izzy and ed's conversation it brings us to lucius and pete, and the audience clearly sees how lucius is putting minimal effort into fixing the ship. he has one hand on his cocked hip, the other one loosely holding the hammer, and he's not so much hitting the railing as he is letting the hammer bob around in his loose wrist, occasionally knocking against the railing. so clearly the show wants us to know that lucius is not one for manual labor, and it wants us to know that izzy knows this about him, and that's why izzy considers lucius to be "bottom of the barrel"

now, getting into how this episode shows us that Izzy Is Not That Great At Sailing:

FIRSTLY we have the frankfurter cloud conversation. ive already discussed how this scene serves as proof of izzy's sailing incompetence so im not gonna get into that in depth here (if you read that post i recommend also looking through the notes, there are a lot of good takes there). the short version: izzy should've known that the weather matters in sailing. i'm not saying he should've been able to figure out ed's whole plan, or that he should've known that the cloud shape meant that the fog would roll in, but he should've at LEAST realized that when his pirate captain asked him a question about the clouds, he wasn't just commenting on the shape of the clouds for the hell of it. izzy should've wondered if the shape of the clouds meant anything to ed, and he should've asked ed about it.

SECONDLY. so this one's a small one but when lucius walks in on ed staring at stede, presumably he's doing it to try and get his captain to help with The Situation. it's unclear if lucius wants help with the fact that they're currently being occupied by blackbeard's crew, or if he's referring to the fact that the scene right before this one is buttons pointing out the approaching spanish ships. the way lucius says "things have taken a very-" makes me think he was gonna talk about "things" taking a turn for the worse, meaning that lucius is seeking out his captain to get his help avoiding Death By Spanish. aka The Thing Izzy Spends The Whole Episode Doing

so lucius, who izzy considers to be a "bottom of the barrel" and "absolutely useless" crew member, has the same strategy for trying to escape the spanish that izzy does: he asks his boss to do something about it. izzy doesnt come up with a plan until it's too late for anything except "fight to the death," which is a terrible idea and would definitely get them all killed.

THIRDLY, FOURTHLY, AND SO ON: ok so. izzy shouldve thought about the cloud conversation a bit more. he and lucius both had the same Ask The Boss approach to problem solving. but it's the reveal of ed's genius plan where things get really interesting.

at the reveal of The Fog, everyone thinks ed's solved everything with his sheer genius, including izzy. he says "i don't believe it" because how ed could've predicted the weather down to the minute like this, but ed fixes him with this stare and izzy decides not to question ed any further

interestingly enough, stede does question further by asking ed how he knew this would happen, and that's how we end up getting an actual explanation of how ed knew this fog was coming. it makes me wonder if izzy ever asks ed to explain how ed comes up with his plans, or if he just lets himself be impressed and amazed (which would further reinforce izzy's image of ed as the most brilliant sailor he’s ever met and also half-insane). i also think it's worth pointing out that it's not just the clouds that helped ed predict the weather. ed says, "the color of this morning's sky coupled with the brisk westerly wind made me think we'd be safe." and notice how izzy is paying attention. just like stede, izzy also needs an explanation to understand how ed knew this would happen. ed's plan is just as mystifying and brilliant to izzy as it is to the rest of the crew. (and that's not a diss on izzy, more a remark on how ed is written to be a Literal Genius)

and when ed says, "and then the shape of the clouds confirmed it," that's when izzy realizes that ed's been planning for this the whole time. and crucially, izzy isn't mad at ed for not being upfront with him. muttering "fuck me" under his breath implies that izzy's mad at himself for not realizing ed had a plan. izzy HIMSELF recognizes that he should've been able to pick up ed's hint about the frankfurters

but do you know what izzy doesn't realize?? another crucial piece of ed's plan that izzy doesn't question, and that izzy most likely wouldn't have questioned even if ed had told him outright that he knew a fog was going to roll in once dusk fell and they'd be hidden from the spanish??

the Revenge is right in their path

izzy hands, alleged "only competent sailor on the Revenge," did not think about this fact. nobody thought of this fact except for ed, who thought he'd successfully planned around it, and buttons. buttons, who is implied to be the only person on stede's crew with actual significant sailing experience, who can spot ships without a telescope and is implied to have some level of magical ability. and this tells me that even if ed had actually told izzy "fog's gonna roll in at dusk, we'll be fine" it is a goddamn reach to say that izzy would've had anything to say aside from "good plan, boss."

then, and ONLY then, does ed mention the date. and another important detail: ed also says that tonight's a full moon, and that's not what izzy contests. ed could've said tonight was a full moon without saying it was september 2nd, and it's very possible that izzy wouldn't have realized ed was wrong. izzy doesn't deny that it's a full moon. the only thing izzy denies is the calendar date. and he's not the only one who does that

LUCIUS. COMPLETELY USELESS, BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, CANT EVEN HOLD A HAMMER RIGHT LUCIUS. IZZY WAS NOT ESSENTIAL TO ED'S ABILITY TO COME UP WITH A PLAN. THE INFORMATION THAT IZZY PROVIDED WAS NOT SOMETHING ONLY IZZY COULD PROVIDE.

one of the very first things izzy does this episode is call stede's crew shitty, but the the only skill or expertise that izzy demonstrates this entire episode is poor management skills and the ability to read Ye Olde Calendar. the one piece of relevant information izzy provides the whole episode is something that the ship's Laziest Gay also knew. the camera pans to lucius when izzy's calling stede's crew useless, but izzy ends up being ends up being exactly as useful to ed this episode as lucius is. less, if you remember that ed used lucius as a timer!!!!

#ofmd #our flag means death #our flag means gay #ofmd meta #izzy hands #lucius spriggs #ofmd izzy #ofmd lucius #israel hands #ofmd israel hands #pic #txt #mine #meta #if this post is in the izcourse tag no it isnt u just dont know how to use tumblr #dizzy izzy #s1e04 #og #and everyone already knows about it but me #HAS this connection been made #i havent seen it but every time i think ive connected some dots i get paranoid that someone else already connected them

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth

This one's gonna be pretty quick, but I wanted to get it out of the way before I tackled End of Evangelion.

All right, so the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series (1995-1996) was a success, and there was also a strong fan demand for a different ending. I'm pretty sure fans thought the original ending in Episodes 25 and 26 was an incoherent mess, but maybe they were more supportive about it. Anyway, those two factors led to the release of the first NGE movie, Death and Rebirth, in March 1997.

The movie is actually two smaller movies and both of them are kind of bullshit. The first half, Death, is just a trumped up clip show, which is pretty rich considering how much footage they already recycled making Episodes 14, 25, and 26. The second half, Rebirth is actually all-new material that serves as an alternate ending, but only the first 25 minutes' worth of that ending. This 25 minute segment ends on a cliffhanger, and it would air again, along with the conclusion, in End of Evangelion, released in July 1997.

So really, Death and Rebirth was just an extended preview of End of Evangelion. A fan would have gone to the theater for D&R in March, and gotten a recap of the TV series, followed by the opening third of EoE. That would presumably whet the fans' appetite to come back in four months to see EoE in its entirety.

So in 1997, this was probably a cool idea. By that time, NGE had been off the air for about a full year, and fans might have appreciated a highlight reel of all the big moments from the series before diving into the next thing. And seeing 25 minutes of a new episode doesn't sound like such a bad deal either.

But, it's 2024, and from my vantage this just comes across like a cheap stunt. It looks a lot like End of Evangelion was the movie they wanted to make all along, but they couldn't get it finished in time, so they slapped together what they had and padded it out with old clips. Then they released End of Evangelion as they had originally intended, but this way they got their fans to pay twice for that same 25 minutes of footage.

Any way you slice it, there's not much of value in Death and Rebirth. The first portion is just clips from the TV series, and the second portion is just the first portion of End of Evangelion. What does that leave?

Well, a little. I think this "found footage" clip from Misato's dad's lab is new? I could be wrong. There's not much to it. You hear people talking about stuff and then everyone gets upset because Adam is awakening or something, and then Second Impact happens.

There's also a bit with Kaji and Asuka talking while they're en route to Japan. Kaji tells her that one of the other Eva pilots is a boy, but she doesn't care about boys her own age, all she wants is Kaji.

There's a framing sequence where the Eva pilots each show up to the empty theater from Episodes 25 and 26, and they prepare to play classical music. Shinji's on cello, and I can barely tell what the others are even doing. It's all meaningless filler disguised as some sort of powerful, meaningful thing.

I think this is new footage of Unit 00 removing the Lance of Longinus from Adam Lilith's body. When the lance comes out, the bottom half of Lilith expands and grows into a pair of humanoid legs, as opposed to the bulbous mass of many teeny legs.

Maybe this was in the TV episode, but I feel like I would have remembered seeing this before.

Also new, maybe? This scene of Clownshoes talking to Yui Ikari and baby Shinji. He isn't keen on SEELE and their predicted scenario of Third Impact happening in the next ten years. Yui's a member of SEELE, and she assures him that they're just trying to ensure that Third Impact happens in a way that humanity will survive and be prepared for. Clownshoes also says that he basically got an offer he can't refuse from SEELE, which is why he's reluctantly helping them. And mybe this was in Episode 21, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I remember wondering when and how Clownshoes joined up and being irritated that a scene like this didn't exist to spell it out.

Oh, here's that suitcase with the embryonic Angel in it, remember that? Gendo called it "Adam" when Kaji delivered it, and I didn't understand this. Then they called the big white angel on the cross "Adam", except it turned out to be Lilith. Well, what they did was they shrank Adam down into embryo form so he'd be easier to move around. This also had the benefit of keeping him hidden when the other Angels attacked NERV in search of him. We found out Lilith was kept on the cross as sort of a decoy, but where was the real Adam, then?

Uh, in this guy's hand? I guess? They never show whose hand this is, but it just occurred to me that Gendo always wears gloves, and there were a couple of battles in the TV show where things were looking pretty dicey and he got up to leave his command post. Maybe he was trying to keep Adam away from the intruding Angel during those moments.

We also get a clip of Kaji greeting whoever shot him, but instead of the gunshot we hear a slap, and then Shinji telling Asuka that Kaji is gone. She refuses to believe it.

After that, things pretty much wrap up with the final battle against the 17th Angel. That segment is basically a quick rundown of Episode 24, but the stuff before that is a jumbled collage. I think they tried to organize it thematically. A bunch of Shinji stuff, then Asuka moments, then Rei moments, and so on. When I first learned about this movie, I assumed the Death portion was like an abridged treatment of the TV show, but it really isn't. This would be a terrible way to introduce a new viewer to the franchise. All the big important story beats are included, but in a jumbled order, often with no context. It's designed for a fan to watch and go "Yeah, I remember when that happened."

Anyway, the kids wrap up their music practice and exit the stage. Whatever.

Then there's an intermission clock before the Rebirth feature starts. Cute. I made sure to take a screenshot of the clock on 4:20, because that's the weed number. Ha ha, can you imagine what it would be like if everyone in Evangelion was high? On weed? The NERV logo would be green, and instead of a maple leaf it would be a marajuana leaf, because that's the weed plant! And when they get in their entry plug, they would be full of bongwater, and it would be green from all the weed molecules in it. Instead of LCL fluid, they would call it "THC fluid", amirite? Also Shinji and Asuka would be a lot less upset all the time.

After that, Rebirth starts, but I'm not going to get into that here. We'll save it all for End of Evangelion, since the whole thing is supposed to be there. It might take me a little longer to write that up, but I'm sure it'll be ready this weekend. Doncha dare miss it!

#neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #death and rebirth #shinji ikari #asuka langley soryu #rei ayanami #yui ikari #clownshoes #yeah i guess that's about it

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

God, I'm probably going to rewatch the entirety of Hazbin for weeks, something I occasionally do with Helluva. Again, both mostly just passive interests away from my blog... until the actual show dropped and my absolute hyperfixation mode went haywire

Say what you want about the plot and designs themselves, I understand if it's not someone's cup of tea (Personally, I don't particularly like South Park, Family Guy, or Rick and Morty (anymore)), and the fact that it's pretty rushed, a fact I'll certainly agree with, but it is a fucking ACHIEVEMENT

I LOVE the busy designs and saturated colors, even if most are shades of red (If I had a show, it'd be mostly green and purple, lmao). I love the hand drawn and more cartoony style with fantastic VFX animation and backgrounds. I love the concept of Heaven vs Hell with demons and angels where angels can suck and demons can be good. I actually like that Adam was an entitled asshole because he didn't have to try for his wives, they were made FOR him

I don't go around looking for adult animation anymore because there's so many fucking Family Guy and Rick and Morty repetitive ass shows that use rigging and the same goddamn adult animation art style formula. Brickleberry, Paradise PD, American Dad, so on and so forth. Episodic drivel that KIND of teases a plot to keep you watching but it's the television equivalent of empty calories that you put on in the background. I stopped watching Rick and Morty after season 4 because it was just keeping the carrot on the stick way too far for me to care enough to keep watching (that and the whole Justin Roiland fiasco)

There's good adult shows, don't get me wrong, but almost nothing ANIMATED that's substantial and fun. There's a few, but it's smothered under Family Guy copycats and horribly stiff rigging that's cheap and bland by this point, and some are just downright depressing (Sorry Bojack and Tuca, I just couldn't handle you, I'm already sad half the time). To be honest, I almost didn't watch Inside Job because of the style, and even though it was mostly episodic it was fantastic!

Why can't I, for the decades of life I presumably still have past 18, have life in an animation made for adults? Charm? Pizzazz? Plot and color and FUN? Fucking anything more than the capitalistic weeds that choke the market just to turn a profit for the companies involved. I get it. Companies need to make a profit or they'll go in the red, lose money, yada, yada

But, in an already bleak fucking world where it's only getting bleaker and some corporations want to replace NINETY percent of an animated film/show process to AI eventually? I'm choked and burnout and everyday feels like there's no point in trying to make anything because the fucking programs will do it for us anyways, probably by stealing MORE from people who try. I don't need to see Meg from Family Guy get farted on or abused for no reason, or the Family Guy rip off equivalents that do it for shock value. I don't need copypaste stale material or IP revivals that beat over original ideas because they're safe and nostalgic, inevitably fucking up most of the time

Hazbin Hotel is far from perfect, but it got greenlit. It got picked up. It got to be written and MADE. I can almost guarantee you that Amazon only gave them eight episodes to start with, without certainty on whether or not it would be continued with them. I can almost guarantee you they had SOMEONE keep an eye on Helluva Boss's reception on YouTube to see if it would be profitable enough to continue Hazbin (After all, similar target demographic, right?) and the team wasn't informed until halfway through full production of season one that they'd get a second one. There may have even been the chance of them dropping Hazbin if Helluva's numbers didn't stay up

I love Hazbin and Helluva with so much of my heart because they're small oasis's in the corporate world that would prefer people work the warehouse and not the arts. Yes, I know Hazbin is on Amazon and 'Amazon bad', but if it's not encouraged by viewage (Which I'm sure it's doing well in right now) then original works will continue to be looked over in favor of shitty reboots or live action recreations

Ugh, anyways. I'm not sure how to end this. I just had to get my thoughts out

#cinntalks #unnecessary ramble #i love these two fucking shows #like way too much #cry happiness kind of love #didn't mean to talk this much again #long post #hazbin thoughts

[raayllum]

I remember starting the show because my friend told me about Callum and Rayla and how cute they were together. But after binge watching all 5 seasons, I just feel like the writers don’t really give a damn about them, in many ways, compared to other couples. But, to be fair, I have lots of issue with the writing. But, to me, the primary idea was to make Callum and Claudia a couple (no, I don’t ship them together), because they actually have a background, development, even chemistry too. So, I don’t understand why the writers changed their minds on this (please, tell me if they ever addressed this issue). I just think that him moving on from a childhood love, like that, out of nowhere to Raylla was again a bit odd and out of nowhere. Because nothing indicated that in the first 2 seasons. Same goes to Rayla too. And, in S5 they have acted more as friends than anything else. It’s just weird. What’s your opinion about this? And again, I don’t ship Callum with Claudia, it’s just my opinion after watching all seasons.

Thank you for sharing your feelings, I definitely have been in fandoms where the Big Ship (canon or fanon, in show or in fandom) have just not been things I could click or with or understand, so you have my sympathies. The crew has gone on record saying that Callum and Rayla being a couple was not originally the plan (we don't know if there were any endgames being considered for either of them as alternatives, but I lean toward no) with Janaya and Ruthari presumably being the main couples. This changed in 2x04 with the lightning flash and moment the two share on the boat, "everyone in the room saw it" (legit quote from showrunner) and they began to write and develop it. It is unknown if they went back to add or shift anything in S1 (we know the crew works on seasons simultaneously) but it wouldn't surprise me given the vibes

I definitely can't promise to change your mind (I'm obviously a big Rayllum shipper and I have been since S1, so I'm clearly coming at it from a different perspective) but I do have some metas that do address what you've brought up, I'm gonna link them below and then do a quick summary in case you understandably don't wanna read all that!

Rayllum and Loneliness (Post S3): a meta about how it is likely (now confirmed in supplementary material) that Rayla grew up pretty friendless and a deeper dive into how Rayla is/was the first person Callum had who was unequivocally his peer and his friend (as Soren bullied and Callum's crush - as well as other things - made him and Claudia have a fair amount of distance.)

Callum and Claudia: You Already Did (Post S3): On what appeal the ship has, why it may not appeal to others, and why I don't think Callum and Claudia were actually that close pre-S1, the various factors why, and why they were doomed to fall apart since 1x02.

How/Why Callum's feelings for Claudia and Rayla Were Overlapping (Post-S3): Exactly what it says on the tin, mostly because he is obsessed with Rayla lowkey in S1 (trying to get her to laugh three times in 1x05, taking a flirty tone with her when they aren't arguing in 1x06, etc) and then outright devoted in S2, trusting her over Claudia in 2x03.

Rebuttals to Rayllum Reservations (Claudia, Pacing, Etc) Post-S3: Pacing, emotional intimacy, platonic development and romantic feelings, etc. Probably the simplest meta and the most on brand for what you're (presumably) looking for, but the other metas I think uh do contribute nicely to explaining why Rayllum is what it is and som of the reasons it appeals to people.

It's also honestly not surprising to me that in S5 they just feel like Friends (hopefully best friends) given that a decent chunk of the Rayllum fandom, myself included, are on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrums, and don't really care if they're Romantic as long as they're Life Partners. (Aspec Rayllum tag here) Callum and Ezran are two of the, if not the, most important people in Rayla's life, and Rayla and Ezran are two of the most important people in Callum's life. To me, romance / devotion / whatever you want to call it intermingling makes sense. One of the things I've loved most about S4-S5 is the fact that whatever they are, they have each other's backs, and they care for and protect each other, no romance required, which hits different since they do both also have romantic feelings for each other. It's just not a pre-requisite for them and a lack of it is never something they'd hold against one another. In other words:

Chemistry is also something that's hard to pin down sometimes - like all shipping preferences are subjective, but evaluations of chemistry tend to be in particular (for example, I don't really think Callum and Claudia have chemistry in that way, but that doesn't mean that they can't or they don't).

That said: platonic Rayllum tag here and foils Rayllum tag here, and I hope whatever parts of the show you do enjoy, well, give you joy.

#rayllum #thanks for asking #anonymous #shipping

[lemonadedino]

74, 77 for prompts ask! huddling for warmth, and in vino veritas -- wiz

i'm so sorry that this took soo long wiz!! life started kicking my butt and my thoughts wouldn't settle

made this one lestappen for funsies

charles is the owner of an ice cream shop that specializes in making really elaborate ice cream confections. his store lowkey went viral on tiktok because their creations are super impressive looking, but mostly everyone in the comments was thirsting over charles when he appeared in the video to explain how they flavor the ice cream. obviously, his social media guy lando is absolutely thrilled with the heightened engagement.

one day after work, charles brings his puppy leo to the vet. they've been going to dr. vettel for forever and they both adore him. so imagine charles' shock when he checks in the with receptionist, an australian with remarkably swoopy hair who seems to have replaced the middle-aged woman with a perpetually pinched face that charles remembers form his previous visits, and is informed that dr. vettel has retired, moved to the alps to save the bees, and has left his personal phone number to charles in case he ever needs something.

after processing some emotions, charles finally asks the gold ticket question.

"who is leo seeing today, then?"

and then a blond man dressed in navy blue scrubs steps out from behind the door separating the rest of the clinic from the lobby. he doesn't seem to notice charles. charles doesn't mind because he's too busy ogling this gorgeous man who's exactly his type. he's always been a sucker for blue eyes, sue him.

"oscar, do you know if the 6'oclock appointment is coming in? they're already 15 minutes late, and the sooner i can get back to jimmy and sassy the better."

"charles, meet dr. max verstappen. he's taking over the clinic now that dr. vettel has retired," oscar says.

and boom introductions are made. they have a perfectly lovely vet appointment, where charles accidently said that leo is 4 years old instead of 8 months because the way max's mouth moved was just sooo mesmerizing wdym i actually have to have a functioning brain??

the next day, max shows up at the ice cream shop, presumably on his day off. charles is like "omg is he here to see me... but i don't want to read too much into it, yk?"

while paying for his scoop of vanilla ice cream on a waffle cone, max admits that he had no idea that charles owned the place. apparently, oscar had casually suggested the ice cream parlor as the best place in town for dessert. lando, who had been puttering around somewhere next to charles, trying to act like he wasn't listening in on their conversation, knocked over a rack of scrapers as soon at the mention of oscar's name. weird, right? crazyyyy

some time passes. max and charles become closer. leo is suddenly having a lot more vet visits than normal, even though he’s in perfect health so that charles has an excuse to see max. he’s aware that it’s getting borderline pathetic, and he’s pretty sure that oscar agrees, since the aussie has memorized his number due to how frequently charles calls to schedule appointments.

they're mutually pining but the feelings are kept under lock and key because i-dont-want-to-damage-our-friendship-what-if-he-doesn’t-like-me-back-am-I-allowed-to-date-my-dog’s-vet-blahblahblah.

charles’ shop gets nominated for a prestigious award, created to highlight innovators in the gastronomic world internationally. to celebrate, his best friend, pierre, throws him a surprise party at the ice cream store after hours. all of their friends are invited, as well as seb. having listened to charles mope about the hot vet countless times, he pops by the veterinarian office and invites max, telling him to bring a friend if he’d like so that he’s more comfortable.

and that’s how max ends up at charles’ surprise party, cradling a bottle of what he hopes is acceptable wine, oscar in tow.

upon seeing max, charles has a brief moment of “i am actually going to to murder pierre omg how am I supposed to handle being with him outside of a work context without combusting” before realizing “OMG I GET TO BE NEAR MY CRUSH!!!!”

charles notices that oscar and lando seem super awkward and stiff around each other but doesn’t know why and chooses not to press it (so actually landoscar had a one night stand that lando fled at 5AM because commitment is scary and he’s worried because he likes this guy way more than he should for someone he’s met less than 12 hours ago. better leave before it get too real)

The night progresses, more wine is poured and toasts are made. Basically everyone is tipsy by the time the party winds down and people start to trickle out.

max is the last guest to leave, constantly finding himself caught in conversation with charles again and again. just as he steps out the door, charles grabs his arm.

“wait hold on, do you want to try next week’s special edition flavor? you’re special, so you can taste test before the official public release.” charles says and then proceeds to wink horrifically. max agrees and the two of them make their way to the walk in freezer in the back where charles stores flavors to restock.

the door closes behind them and they realize a little too late that charles forgot to unlock the door from the inside so they’re now trapped.

cue immense panic from both of them. thankfully, charles has his phone on him and calls lando, to whom he had given a spare pair of keys to let them out. in the meantime, they ultimately end up cuddling for warmth in an effort to not freeze before lando could get to them.

wrapped up in max’s embrace and lulled by the wine on his tongue, charles confesses to max. mutually reciprocated declarations of love ensue and just and they’re about to kiss, a lock clicks and lando opens the door.

laying in his bed that night, max asleep next to him, charles realizes that the bruises on lando’s throat definitely wasn’t because of the shop’s weird lighting casting shadows. they were most definitely hickeys and charles remembers lando slipping out of the party at much the same time as a certain receptionist.

#formula 1 rpf #landoscar

[anneapocalypse]

I got to the scene last night that I'm sure everyone spectating my Urianger Problem has been waiting for me to get to. 🥺

I knew the scene with Moenbryda's parents was coming (it pops up in basically any youtube search for "Urianger" no matter what you're actually looking for), but I didn't know when or how it would go, and so it still managed to surprise me, in the manner of "I'll just turn in this quest and go to bed OH SHIT WE'RE HERE"

It was really good, even more so than I expected, not just in how much emotion it gets to show in Urianger but in how it brings a lot of his character setup full circle.

It was good to hear someone tell him Moenbryda's death wasn't his fault, especially someone he might actually believe, at a time when he might almost be ready to hear. I don't think he'll ever completely stop feeling responsible for it (especially given that what he says on the moon implies he was just offscreen when it happened and he could have stopped her and didn't). But it's clearly that it's been mostly shame over his part in it that has kept him from contacting her parents since, and now that he knows they don't blame him... maybe he can finally make some peace with it.

I love the anecdotes about the two of them in childhood. That Moenbryda was the one who sought out his friendship, that she acted as a protector when he was bullied, completely tracks and fits the pictured I'd already tentatively formed of them. That Urianger is a nerd (affectionate) even by Sharlayan standards is something we definitely already knew (I had the thought early on, which I think a lot of people had, "...Do all the archons talk like this? Ah, no, he's just Like That") but the story Moenbryda's parents tell just confirms it, that he was not just a loner but a bit of an outcast. Even in a culture like Sharlayan's, kids are kids. I love having a clearer picture of their childhood together and how they became the friends they were.

It's clear that Moenbryda's parents were also a big part of Urianger's childhood, and that they love him like a son too.

Which, to me, really raises again the question of Urianger's own family. To the best of my memory, he has never mentioned his own parents. Even upon arriving in Sharlayan, where they presumably live or at least did, he says nothing about visiting them. This wouldn't be particularly unusual for another Scion--Y'shtola, for example, rarely talks about herself period, so her not bringing up her family or childhood unless it's directly relevant to the current quest isn't particularly noteworthy. But Urianger seeking out Moenbryda's parents, and particularly the way the writing frames the Warrior of Light as someone he feels close to and trusts, both in the way he confides in them on the moon and in the way he thanks them for being present at the reunion--it draws attention to the fact that he's never once spoken of his own family. In that context, the fact he makes no mention of visiting them on returning to Sharlayan becomes meaningful. Either he does not have a relationship with his parents, or they are dead. To be honest, I was beginning to wonder if he was an orphan. I'm told there's a very brief mention of his parents in the lorebook, and it's to say they weren't around much in his childhood, and we have no idea if they're even alive in the present day. (Thank you, @farfromdaylight 💜)

And all of this adds context to who he is, his tendency to self-isolate while also longing for companionship and to place his trust in others. I wonder who he would have grown up to be without a Moenbryda in his life--I imagine someone far less trusting, with a more cynical outlook toward others perhaps, without someone in his formative years going out of their way to defend him and befriend him (I especially loved the bit about Moenbryda reading the same books as him because she wanted to understand him), without these surrogate parents who clearly loved him and cared for him. I imagine having those people in his life has gone a long way toward shaping his faith in other people, even when they're very different from himself.

It was so bittersweet to hear how happy Moenbryda was to hear from him, calling her to Eorzea. I feel like it really can't be understated how much Louisoix leaving her behind, while taking her best friend, hurt her, and I feel some kind of way about the fact that his approach to that was "I won't tell you why, figure it out" instead of just... I don't know, giving her a choice? Saying, "I understand you have doubts, and I want you to choose your own path; I'll respect you whatever you choose." I can see there that classically Sharlayan attitude of "I alone am burdened with the knowledge of What Is Best, and it is my duty to protect everyone else from the burden of this knowledge," which Urianger very much picked up from him. (I've talked about this before, but I have a lot of feelings about the influence Louisoix seems to have had on the Scions as a whole and I don't think the effect is wholly positive.)

There is probably a lot more that I could say (and there is definitely a larger Thing I want to write about Urianger once I'm done with Endwalker) but overall it was a really great scene. None of was especially surprising or jarring, which I think is a sign of how strong his character arc has been; it's a really strong payoff to a lot of great setup. It has me thinking about a lot of things and I want to roll around in it for a while.

#anne plays ffxiv #ew spoilers #i'm not finished so no spoilers please #afk by the aetheryte

[oneatlatime]

The Avatar Returns

Exposition as an opening theme song is an interesting choice. I thought that was a quirk of the first episode, but nope. Less catchy than an actual song, but probably less annoying that hearing a song 50+ times in a row.

Episode 2 starts right where episode 1 left off, making me think that this must have been a two part premiere.

Yeah, Sokka is right. Gran-gran is right. Katara's known this boy for five minutes and she's already breaking what seem to be basic, long-established, life or death rules. See this is why gran-gran weighs Katara down with washing Sokka's dirty socks (and probably any other chore she can find). The first time this girl has more than five minutes to herself she endangers everyone (albeit with help). But Aang seriously doesn't get how dangerous the situation is, what with him being frozen for a hundred years. Katara had to be the responsible one with regards to the ship and she blew it. And now presumably they're all gonna get melted to death. Or burnt. Fireburnt? Firebended? Killed a bunch.

"Well I'm banished too!" UUUGGGHHH wrong hill to die on! This girl goes from 0 to 100 lightning fast. Although if the Fire nation do attack, Katara may be setting herself up to be the sole survivor of her village.

Why does the temporally dislocated 12 year old have more sense that Katara? So bossy and hotheaded and teenage girl-like. And she's known him for five minutes, why is she heartbroken by his leaving? Girl you feel too much.

"I haven't cleaned my room in 100 years" such a simple joke but it completely caught me off guard. Aang's priorities are so in line with what an actual 12 year old prioritises. I love it.

Laying it on thick.

You know it's too bad that igloos don't have wooden doors because I think Katara would feel a lot better slamming one right about now. Don't yell at your grandma.

Can ice do this? Also Appa looks so comfy. The one time I lived somewhere with bay windows & box seats I sat like this all the time. Messed my neck up every time I did, but that didn't stop me. The comfiness outweighs the pain.

They weren't kidding when they said all the men went to war. I was expecting a Helm's Deep type situation where old men and younger teenagers would be there to man the defences. But it's really just Sokka. That's an impossible burden.

This is the second episode of a kids' cartoon so I don't think they're going to kill anyone, but if this were a more realistic show, or real life, that whole village would be doomed.

What a shot! And he's not running. That's an unquantifiable level of courage.

Boat's got no brakes

That is not where I was expecting that ship to open.

The fire benders have horns. And I bet that steam coming out of the ship smells sulphurous.

That might be the best possible outcome. Head first in a snowbank is embarrassing but not fatal. Also war cries are manly but they give advance warning to your target. Hush up.

I love the "show no fear!" kid. Sokka's genuinely got these little kids believing in him. The potty break scene last episode shows that he pretty much has no idea what he's talking about but he's got the kids convinced! And the moms probably appreciate him taking charge of them for a few hours, even if he has no actual combat experience. And he keeps getting up!

How hard did he throw that boomerang!?! It took 24 seconds according to my DVD for it to come back.

It honked. Lord have mercy it honked. I have a weakness for well-placed sound effects and this one got me. Also these other soldiers must have orders to be as useless as possible. And do they all have the same face?

Zuko's spent years meditating? Don't believe it. Unless angry meditation is a thing? Maybe he has to meditate himself into angriness before he can burn stuff? Like work up a rage? Just guessing.

"Well you're just a teenager" They're all babies! All of them!

I repeat, Katara you feel too much! You need to grow up apathetic and cynical like the rest of us dried up adult husks ASAP or else you're really gonna be hurting.

"Take care of Appa for me until I get back!" I love this. He's announcing at maximum volume that he's going to escape and none of the fire soldiers react?

Sokka my man of practicality and action. Gran-gran my grandma of practicality and action. Katara my annoying little sister.

Is Zuko's little speech to Aang supposed to be a veiled insult or is he just making small talk? Obviously it's exposition for the viewer re: how monks are raised, but why did he feel the need to say that? Also your dad likes sticks? Cool. We all have hobbies.

So pretty.

Sokka, my man of synonyms. So Appa understands basic language commands but not spoken English. Heartfelt pleas won't get him flying, but yipyip will.

These two are such siblings. "big deal he's flying" careful there Sokka, you were nearly uncool in front of your younger sister. That can be fatal.

Aang is so polite when he's wiping the floor with full grown men. Also he has crazy good aim. That trick to break the ropes? How?

To be fair, Aang said he'd go with them, not that he'd stay with them.

Burrito Zuko

Aang's whole defense is running away. And it's working! Not the bit with burrito Zuko but he's actually winning this fight.

That mattress slam is brutal. I know this is a cartoon and physics isn't real here, but that caught me off guard. How is Zuko still conscious?

Prince burrito is a parkour champ.

Appa! Has the same problem as Sokka re: announcing sneak strikes.

Zuko what was your plan? Knocking him into the water doesn't recapture him.

Yep. Appropriate reaction to cyclone Aang.

So Aang does know how to waterbend. Katara didn't need to go north after all.

Love the head bonking callback.

This is genius on the fly problem solving. Only works backwards? Then do it backwards! Also these guys are dead. They'll suffocate long before they freeze.

"Shoot them down!" He orders... himself?

Siding with Zuko over the old man on this one. Aang is crazy powerful.

I just realised his eyes are different sizes. Does that impact his vision? For that matter, if that is a burn from taking a fireball to the face, how does he still have an eye?

So so pretty.

A literal cloud passes over when a cloud passes over their conversation. Clever.

Aang's waterbending was instinctive? Or only accessible during the glow-up. So they do still need to go north.

Katara you know your brother so well. He does indeed want to knock some fire bender heads. Sokka, having defeated his nemesis the potty break, now moves on to greater targets.

No matter what goes on in the show, all episodes end on a high note because that credits song is just so good.

Final thoughts

This was good! I think I liked this episode better than the first one, which makes sense. The first episode has to do all the set up, it's the next one that can have fun. Those moves Aang was pulling in the ship were really impressive. And really clever too.

Still loving Sokka, still loving Aang, Zuko was less of an asshole this episode. He also felt more competent, or maybe coherent? Like his character hangs together better, despite the butt honking. I laughed just typing that. I'm still not used to Zuko's voice actor though. I like how unique all of the characters' voices are in this show so far, but Zuko's still feels out of place to me.

The show doesn't dwell too much on Sokka facing down the fire nation ship (there is lots of build up but it gets played for laughs), but I think it's the stand out moment for me in this episode. Obviously it was foolhardy and a doomed effort, but it was also Sokka very literally fulfilling his responsibilities to the village. He was tasked with protecting his sister; he did. Goofy as it is, this moment is a win for Sokka. Not wise, but a win.

I love that Aang is 12, and feels 12. So often fiction about kid heroes that is intended for young readers/viewers has characters that feel like adults despite their stated age, but Aang feels 12. Katara feels like she's trying to be a grown-up so hard but keeps slipping up and acting her actual age. Sokka feels like he's trying to act as he thinks a man should, but keeps getting called out by Katara and responding in a way that fits his actual age. They close out this episode with plans for a multi-stage animal-riding safari. I love these priorities. Saving the world can wait, hopping llamas cannot.

My one problem with this episode is Katara. She needs to slow down, dial it back, stop yelling at grandmothers, and stop feeling everything at 110% before she exhausts herself. I get that the South pole and a grand total of like 25 people is probably a really boring way to grow up, but she threw herself heart first at Aang with near-suicidal enthusiasm, assuming that banishment in the South Pole would actually be a death sentence. I don't know how old she is, but that is such a teenage girl thing to do. And she's gonna get hurt!

Next episode needs more Sokka quips and more Appa. I would watch whole episodes with just Appa. I'd watch a whole Sokka episode too.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #The Avatar Returns #avatar the last airbender

[animeomegas]

Someone already beat me to this idea but🤣

Royalty AU with Itachi and his bodyguard alpha, with a secret relationship that they have been keeping under covers for a long time but Itachi’s tired of it, tired of feeling guilty for loving someone and Ho-oh someone catches them in the act… Sasuke

Oooh, this would be so dramatic!!!! I love it!! @sarutobihyuga

Very gentle n-sfw below

Also, warning, Sasuke assumes there's some non consenual stuff going on, but it isn't actually. Blood as well.

"Are they too tight, darling?" you whispered, fiddling with the rope tying your secret lover's wrists to his headboard.

The room was bathed in a flickering candle light and you were both keeping as silent as possible. It was a song and dance you'd done many times before, but that didn't mean it was any less serious or dangerous if you were caught.

"They're perfect," Itachi breathed, looking up at you like you hung the moon and stars in the sky. "Have you got the blindfold?"

"Of course," you smiled, taking the velvet blindfold out of your pocket. "Are you sure about trying this?"

"Yes, I trust you and I want to try this."

Gently, you slipped the blindfold over his eyes, softly adjusting his hair around the strap. You had both been eager to try some sensory play, and now that Itachi was bare, tied up and blind folded, you picked up the feather from the bedside table.

"Okay, darling, I'm starting now," you said, eagerness slipping in to your voice. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Itachi breathed out, arching towards you already. "I'm so ready."

And then the door opened.

"Itachi, have you seen my-" Sasuke walked in through the door you had obviously forgotten to lock but froze when he saw what was happening.

He saw you, shirtless, leaning over a naked and tied up Itachi, and obviously his mind reached a conclusion that he didn't like.

Sasuke's face twisted into a rage like you'd never seen. He pulled out his sword immediately, pointing it towards you.

"Get off him!" Sasuke hissed, hands shaking in rage.

"Prince Sasuke, it's not what it looks like-" you tentatively climbed off of Itachi and held up your hands. Your words didn't stop him and soon you had a sword pressing into the skin of your neck.

"Sasuke, stop, please," Itachi said, wrestling against his restraints. "Don't hurt them!"

Sasuke ignored him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" Sasuke spat at you, growling fiercely.

"It was consensual," you blurted out, terrified. "I promise, Itachi asked me to-"

Wrong thing to say.

"You dare?!" he hissed, pressing the sword further into your flesh. "You dare to claim my brother asked you to assault him?! I'll kill you! I'll drag you out in front of everyone and behead you as slowly as I can before I display your head in the dungeons!"

"Sasuke, stop, please!" Itachi cried from the bed, voice panicked. A quick glance showed that he had managed to get the blindfold off, but one of his hands was still tied to the bed. He would only need a few more seconds to get out, but you could feel blood trickling down your neck and weren't quite sure you had a few seconds left.

"You will regret ever looking at him," Sasuke growled before opening his mouth and angling his head towards the door, presumably to call the guards.

"Stop!" Itachi finally wrestled his hand free and tackled Sasuke, dragging the sword away from your throat. "Stop! Don't hurt them!"

As soon as the sword clattered onto the floor, Itachi stood and ran his way over to you, immediately fretting over your injury.

"Oh goodness, this is all my fault, I'm so sorry," Itachi cried, hands fluttering around your neck.

You swallowed heavily, and took both of his hands in yours.

"It's alright, darling, it's not your fault, here," your voice was shaky, but you ignored it and instead grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair and draped it over him to give him something to cover his bare skin. Itachi wrapped the blanket around himself and leant into your chest.

Sasuke was now standing by the door, holding his sword once more.

"What have you done to my brother?" he asked, horrified. "How long has this been happening?"

"Sasuke, they haven't forced me into anything-"

"No, you won't get away with this," Sasuke shook his head, walking into the corridor. "Guards!"

#naruto #Au theme #sasuke #itachi x reader #omegaverse #a/b/o #royal au #n-sfw #headcanons #alpha!reader #hcs