#some of the people from that scene have grown to be total douches

[mmhawkes]

I was looking back through some old drawings, and have to say that I miss the chaotic weirdness that was the steampunk scene circa 2007-2015. Like, people made so much weird shit, everyone had a space pirate persona of some kind, there was a lot of fun music, and general shenanigans.

#some of the people from that scene have grown to be total douches #definitely way more into the “nostalgia for empire” thing than the “subversive punk” thing #but some of them are still cool #hell some are legit famous now #anyway #it was rad and weird #and I should redraw some of these #college me was very into it #also it played with queerness in a big way that was not as common back then

[bossbex]

5x06 Reaction

JARCHIE!!! I missed their interactions so much... like honestly in S4 they barely spoke.  I’m loving the “roommates” dynamic.  

Ok the kevin/fangs/toni apartment(?) is... amazing!!

I love how they hired actual teenagers (or close to it) to play the high school kids... since all the “teachers” were playing high school students, what, 3 episodes ago?? 

Ok mechanic Betty is SO HOT

DORITOS I AM CRYING AT THIS PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Veronica’s taking over the Blue Velvet!!! Why not reuse that set lmao

Thoughts on this initial barchie interaction: 

I’ve seen all the discourse about it seeming like Archie doesn’t care about Betty’s problems, or not taking them seriously, and people comparing Archie’s “oof - that sucks” to jughead’s “white noise” speech in 1x08 (which I thought was cringy AF and I even liked b*ghead at the time) and here’s what I’ll say: 

His “oof - that sucks” comment as MATCHING Betty’s tone - she says it kind of matter of factly and with a bit of an eyeroll, she does NOT seem very upset about it, and she is a grown ass adult who DOESN’T need Archie’s condolences in that moment - and Archie knows that. 

She then brings up Polly, and Archie ASKS A FOLLOW UP QUESTION: “didn’t your mom say she does this? Takes off for a couple of days” which shows that he is referring to a previous conversation about this - they’ve BEEN talking about it and he DOES care (not to mention they showed that he had texted her about Polly at the end of the last episode)

She says she’s trying not to panic - because she knows this is something Polly does and may not actually be in danger - SO HE OFFERS A DISTRACTION during a time when she is basically asking for one, and then SHE COMES UP WITH THE IDEA OF WHERE TO GO HAVE SEX

Anyway I have argued with enough people on twitter about this lol.. I feel strongly.  Also, this scene was super cute and both Archie and Betty look so good in it.  

I love Tabitha.  Smart, enterprising, witty... I’m all for the Jugitha pairing. (seriously though, is a ship name decided for them? I’ve seen Tabhead and Jabitha as well, lol.  

Uhhhhh ok this car sex scene? It somehow feels even more explicit than the shower scene?? The moaning and breathing?? HOW DARE THESE STONEWALL KIDS INTERRUPT THIS

LMAO NIGHT JOGGING

Is it just me or is Sheriff Keller looking really hot? Silver fox??  

I have to note that Archie’s hair colour looks SO BAD in this whole episode but especially this football scene with the Reggie confrontation.  It’s like, almost burgundy? But somehow bright orange at the same time? I hate it.  

Ok Cole is absolutely nailing this “down on his luck, beaten down” adult Jughead.  His character is funny all the sudden?? I love that he kept the money in the tip jar like OF COURSE

Ok Chad coming into Veronica’s class HE’S THE WORST!!! And then SITTING AT THE BACK I HATE HIM SO MUCH FOR THIS

Alright, now we have another scene that has people talking, which is where Archie meets Chad.  My thoughts: 

Archie clearly sizes up Chad.  I mean, he dated Veronica for 3-ish years (in the show’s timeline) so yeah, it’s normal to meet your ex’s new partner and size them up.  It read more like “he thinks Chads a douche” as opposed to “he’s jealous of Chad because he wants to be with V”.  

They show makes a point of showing Betty’s reaction to them meeting.  THIS SHOT IS NOT RANDOM.  Yes, I’m sure the show will go there, she’ll get jealous of V at some point.  Betty thinking that Archie is jealous of Chad is not the same as Archie actually being jealous of Chad.  

I kind of loved how Chad just jumps in here to join in the karaoke night - he didn’t redeem himself from the previous scene where he SAT IN THE BACK OF HER CLASS WHILE SHE WORKED but I like how they’re not playing him completely evil

Next scene: BETTY AND TONI ARE TALKING!!! I REPEAT!!! BETTY AND TONI ARE TALKING!!! Seriously, it’s so refreshing that they’re actually letting all kinds of new dynamics and character interactions happen this season.  

Also, NEDSLIST!!!! THIS SHOW!!!!

I am living for Cheryl being completely beautiful whilst yelling at construction workers.  

So like... she actually doesn’t have that much money. She couldn’t really afford the donation for the school... I kind of wish that once she says “I can’t afford it” people would like, not keep pushing? I’m looking at you Toni, whom I absolutely adore, I just wish the writers didn’t make it like Cheryl’s being squeezed dry.  I get that it’s needed for plot purposes but I don’t love it.  

Kevin and Betty are friends again!!! Love it!!! 

Karaoke night thoughts: 

At no point is Jughead hanging out or interacting with the rest of the group.  He stays separate from them - with Tabitha, which I appreciate, but I am just noting this because I’m sure it was done purposefully. 

“She probably forgot it’s Gekko now” uhhhh didn’t Toni announce V as “Veronica Gekko” in the last episode?? LOL THE SHADE

I love Veronica’s voice

Ok so Chad actually comes off so great in this scene?? I guess this is part of his manipulation - come off as such a great guy in front of all her friends to get them to like him? 

Jughead’s reaction to the duet is so me every time I’ve watched people do karaoke lmao

During the “or do you need more? Is there something else you’re searching for” they cut to Archie’s and Betty’s reaction.  Archie is not thinking about V in that moment.  

I am not seeing one iota of jealousy from Archie.  He looks genuinely happy for them.  

This Chad and Veronica bed scene makes me uncomfortable.  But I’m glad they’re showing their softer moments! 

The Archie/football recruitment sequence... Chad in the back of Veronica’s classroom again??? HOW IS THIS HAPPENING I HATE THIS!! Also, this is another scene where Chad looks jealous of Archie... not the other way around. 

Britta!!! I love her.  And I feel like the writers inserted her in specifically for Britta Lundin, former Riverdale writer and acclaimed author (read her book Ship It, seriously, it’s so good), and I love that. BUT THE WAY ARCHIE LOOKS AT BETTY IN THIS SCENE IS THAT EVEN LEGAL

We get the first glimpse Toni’s “Operation Bring Cheryl Out Of Hiding” plan here, when Archie asks her for funding for the football team and says its earmarked for something else (hmmmmmmm... this plan has been in the works for a while... and I’m here for it) 

Ok. This scene where Archie goes to ask Cheryl for money is... a mess.  My first reaction is that it was so OOC for Archie to bring up Jason in that way.  Then I got to thinking... Archie probably would want to honour his dad in that way and was genuinely suggesting that as something that might actually be helpful to her, as opposed to purposely trying to manipulate her.  He knows what it’s like to lose a family member, he just didn’t realize that Cheryl doesn’t grieve in the same way. The boy doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body.  Anyway, now he’s been banished from Thornhill! But don’t we see him (and everyone) there in a bts photo from possibly 5x08? Isn’t that at Thornhill? Will this be addressed or will the writers just forget it ever happened?

I love Betty and Kevin investigating together. It’s so refreshing. 

Ok this place Jughead is going to is legit the creepiest shit I’ve ever seen.  I am having trouble making myself care about this “Mothmen” plot??

Betty’s “Straight to the Point” interrogation style is actually effective in this truck stop stakeout scene.  

Alice again with her wine... I wonder if there will actually be an “Alice is an alcoholic” storyline or is the wine just part of her personality now?

Ok like it’s so inappropriate for a teacher to be wearing an HBIC shirt BUT I AM HERE FOR THIS DRAMATIC VIXENS HALLWAY WALK!! And Toni is correct, Cheer is a sport so sit down, Archie.  Notably Toni adds in “not even Cheryl managed to do that” - I’m thinking she new Ms. Bell would be eavesdropping ;)

WHY IS THIS PORTAIT OF JASON WORTH SO MUCH?? 

Is this Minerva character going to be important?? I keep seeing people talking about how she and Cheryl are going to hook up but is that just because she’s a female character who interacts with Cheryl? I’m not seeing it yet but hey, it’s Riverdale.  

JUGHEAD BRINGING UP THE EPIC HIGHS AND LOWS OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL I SCREAMED

Seriously though, since we know Jughead wasn’t there when Archie said that, there’s two options: Either Archie told him he said it, or (my preferable theory) Archie used to just SAY THAT REGULARLY and has said it in front of Jug lmao.

Chad again seems legit supportive when she tells him about her jewelry store plan?? THEY’RE SO UP AND DOWN!!! 

Ok, so Betty is an FBI agent (trainee, whatever) and she JUST NOW THOUGHT OF TRACING POLLY’S CELL PHONE

This scene... when Veronica finds out Chad has been talking to Hiram behind her back... this is where she decides she’s done with Chad. 

Another scene with Archie - I am still getting zero vibes that he’s into Veronica? And zero vibes that Veronica’s into Archie? It makes complete sense that Veronica would want to help the bulldogs.  Chad is a total dick here and is definitely threatened by Archie... again, not the other way around.  Side note: Chad, if threatened by Archie, is a TOTAL IDIOT for suggesting Archie renovates the Pembrooke - like, he’s going to be working? All the time? Where Veronica is staying? And probably taking his shirt off because he’s sweaty from all the working?? WHYYYYY WOULD CHAD ENCOURAGE THIS

This little flirty scene between Jughead and Tabitha (and it’s the first that I would say has any flirty undertones whatsoever) is pretty cute.  

THIS BARCHIE PORCH SCENE I HAVE THOUGHTS

The fact that people are suggesting Betty showed up there because she wanted to talk to Jughead is SENDINNNNGGGGGG

Let’s be clear, she only asked about Jughead so she could make sure he wasn’t home so that she could bone Archie. There is no other interpretation for this. 

THIS IS THE BEST BARCHIE KISS TO DATE

They are playing the song from the porch scene in the pilot... DON’T TELL ME BARCHIE IS MEANINGLESS WHEN THEY ARE USING THIS SONG

I think the fact that this is the first time they had sex and we didn’t see it is meaningful - they are showing that the relationship is deepening and they are more than “just sex”

As Betty leaves, Archie looks like he wants to reach out for her and then stops himself - he is definitely falling hard and he’s afraid Betty isn’t feeling the same way

Ok, Cheryl is straight up wearing lingerie in Toni’s office!!! And the red lipstick is back - notably, throughout the entire show, she has worn the red lipstick as a kind of shield - she never has it for her “vulnerable” scenes.  Seems like that is still happening. AND this is where we see Boss Toni’s plan come into fruition - she started up the vixens and MADE SURE CHERYL FOUND OUT ABOUT IT because she knew that was the one thing that would make Cheryl come out of her Thornhill hiding spot.  Well played, Toni.  

Archie and Veronica announcing the bulldog funding... again, I’m not seeing ANY “romantic/attraction” vibes here? He does react when she says her last name is Lodge again but like, anyone would? 

MS. BELL YOU GOSSIP I’M OK WITH YOU REPORTING TO CHERYL BUT I DRAW THE LINE AT HIRAM

Is Reggie... filing his nails? Lmao

I really hope Polly isn’t dead?? Like I very much want a Polly redemption story!! 

Sooooo I guess Archie and Jughead are both going to die in this fire? Lol... well... they’re main characters so I’m sure they’re good.  

I’m doooone for this week! So far really enjoying the timejump? Obviously because of barchie but also, everyone is just - better. 

Well this turned out to be a novel.  If you made it this far, thanks for reading :) 

#riverdale #barchie #riverdale thoughts #riverdale 5x06 #5x06 #riverdale season 5

[calliopecalling]

Queen of the South 5x05 Debrief

I'm way late with this... been a busy week. But I do have some 5x05 thoughts beyond my Teresa appreciation post on Thursday, lol.

First, to continue in the long-running discussion about clothing themes, has anyone else noticed that Teresa wears all white when she's talking about going legit or makes a business move in the legit direction? I haven't had time to fully back-track through the episodes but she wears all white when she shows up at the hotel and a different all-white outfit when she signs the paperwork to buy the hotel. She's wearing her all-white blazer in 5x02 when she's talking to James about her plan to go legit. What others? Is this a pattern or am I making this up in my head? Maybe I'm reaching but I really want the queenpin-in-white visions to be the version of herself that got out of the drug business. 😁

Second, I appreciated seeing the Teresa who takes care of her own again this episode -- allying herself with Oksana by telling Oleg she'd only make a deal with him under the condition that he work with her; telling Kelly Anne that she didn't want her working twice as hard to prove herself just because she was pregnant. The queenpin that has grown overly ambitious and focused on her need to achieve safety by hording power but retains her care of and loyalty towards her "family" is a much more believable queenpin to me than one who lashes out at her family. So I'm glad we're not totally losing sight of this part of her?

Third, and look, I watch this show for Teresa and not for Jeresa; and when I started watching the show originally I was actually sort of skeptical of a romantic story-line for her that went past season 2 because I'd already read the book and LOVED it and her character truly stands on its own in the book without needing a love interest to carry through the full story; but this show really is better with a strong Jeresa element than without it. I loved episode 2 not just because they gave us another Jeresa kiss (although, ahem, thank you for that) but because the character James really gives us a looking-glass straight into Teresa's actual inner self and the two of them had lots of screen time in that episode. Episodes 3 and 4 were maybe trying to show us how dark she can get when she's trying to force distance between them and turn away from love? Now this episode we finally got a little bit of them interacting again but I felt like they could've revealed a LITTLE more.

James isn't just her love interest, he's the only character in the show now who's been around since the beginning of season 1 (not counting Pote because he didn't really become an important show character until the very end of that season even though he existed as a person obviously). He's our connection to Teresa's past self, and her connection to that past self, now that Tony is dead. I get it that that's part of why Teresa may be avoiding him. That really totally makes sense. And even so, I think seeing more of the tension between the two of them on-screen would make the central conflict of the season--the tension between Teresa now and the Teresa she used to be--a lot clearer.

So, I appreciated the flickers of that in this episode. The looks they exchanged in every scene they had together. The subtle ("black market antiques dealer, used to work out of Berlin") and not so subtle (motorcycle stoppie) moments of James peacocking for her and her slightly-longer-than-necessary eye contact with him after each of them. Her sincere but slightly breathless "thank you" after he delivered the artwork to her, which I interpreted as partly relief and partly being caught off guard by his sexiness (and competence!). And then her following him out to the balcony to have a... 15-second conversation about taking over Europe 😑 Come on! Their 5x06 conversation on the couch with drinks had better be longer than 15 seconds is all I can say. 🤞

I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed the episode. I still think we'll get payoff. (I mean, Dailyn wrote episode 3x09, so she's gotta be a shipper too, right?! She also wrote 3x12, which is the one in which Teresa finally tells James she doesn't want to lose him. I try not to follow anything she says on social, though, because I feel like she's a bit of a game-player with the fans lol.) But I am ready for more of their duo featuring! I can't wait to see what they bring.

Other thoughts:

POTE. Stop being a freaking chauvinist weirdo about your kid being a boy. Finally people are calling him out on that.

Also, POTE. Stop being such a douche to James! What's with all the grumbling at the man?! (Seriously, what is the point of that from a story perspective...?)

I really really love Teresa and Oksana together. I loved their dynamic back in Season 4 and I loved it this episode. I think part of it is that, without Camila, and without Castel (why didn't Castel become a major character in Season 4 though?), we don't have another female crime boss for Teresa to collaborate with and it's just, it's refreshing having her dealing with another woman. Also Vera Cherny is a babe. And I love the very very low-key sexual tension between them.

George and Boaz. Yes, Boaz is a loose cannon clearly. I'm not sure how George isn't picking up on that but I still loved all George's great lines.

How Boaz thinks he can take over Teresa's business and run a global cartel lololol clearly the guy is delusional and understands nothing about how she actually got as far a she did. But good luck trying buddy. I mean, maybe that's not even his end-game, maybe he's just tired of reporting to a boss who's way less volatile than him? Maybe he's just, as Pote says, a ticking time bomb? Either way, you got it good man, I wouldn't go messing around with a good thing. He's going to, of course, but it's almost funny if he ends up being the final villain.

That said, if he IS the final villain, there's something poetic about that too -- that the ultimate enemy is back home in Mexico where it all started? I kinda like that, tbh.

I know I said I wasn't going to speculate about the rest of the season. Clearly I'm bad at not doing that and who knows, maybe Boaz is just a temporary problem. But I would be surprised if we're already halfway through and the final villain is yet to be introduced.

Unless it's Oksana? It had better not be Oksana.

Or just Teresa herself?

I've seen people talk about Pote and/or KA dying and James and Teresa running off to raise their baby together. FWIW I can get around that as an ending way better than just a "James and Teresa happily ever after" ending. I doubt the series will kill off both of them but at this point for the sake of the story I hope at least one of them does get killed. And sorry Pote but at the moment I hope it's you 😬

#qots spoilers #probably reaching too much with the clothing symbolism #can you tell how much I am hoping for an ending where Teresa gets out of the business lol #also I'm debating attempting a Teresa/James/Oksana smut fic #with apologies to everyone who loathes the idea of contaminating Jeresa #but that Teresa-Oksana 1-2 punch-kick action in Durand's office after the allusion to Oksana's taste in women was too good #and I have no problem believing Teresa could be just a LITTLE queer #gonna stop this now before I do more damage in my tags #queen of the south #qots #season 5 #5x05 #txt post #qots reaction post

[helisol]

:)

again not a finished fic but very extensive notes, this one’s a chonker, 4k words

tl;dr: take it a ds9 but make it into high fantasy wizards. garashir, kiradax and quodo. we’ve got it all here folks.

SO BASICALLY 

I read a book about a young witch apprentice in a world where every magician has a ~special name~ based on an object/plant/animal they’re spiritually connected to.

then I watched ds9 and got introduced to the concept of cardassians being lizards.

the result- wizard lizard.

So Garak “The Lizard” is a mage that got exiled from his home country and ended up taking a pretty neat job in a rural area of a larger empire where being a wizard is Cool and Widely Accepted. 

his duties include keeping the villages around his tower safe, looking for young mages to turn into apprentices, and sometimes making clothes because he’s Still A Tailor.

however, because of his chronic “i no wanna work” disease, this lizard has not actually been looking around the villages near him for magically gifted children. shame on him. 

because through his negligence Julian Bashir, young village doctor, grew up without even knowing that he can do ~magic~

but he soon finds out when his town gets attacked by a Big Evil Magic Monster. The Lizard is taking his sweet time to come to their rescue and Julian can’t just sit by and watch innocent people get mauled by a Chimera or Giant Mantis.

So Julian does the heroic thing and jumps inbetween a wounded child and the monster in the exact second Garak shows up.

And he gets to watch as Julian unleashes some Magic for the first time.

Then Garak Kind Of Abducts Julian So He Can Teach Him Magic

Garak is contractually obligated and allowed to take on anyone who is capable of magic as an apprentice, and he finds Julian’s magic interesting enough to invoke that contract now. Not Julian himself though. Only his magic. for now.

Julian- for like, the first week- is NOT OKAY with being teleported into a tower fortress by a wizard he finds intimidating and scary, and he loudly protests when Garak actually starts to teach him magic spells.

However, this is Julian, and he *is* intrigued by the thought of being able to use magic For Doing Good.

So one night he admits defeat and slinks up to the tower and goes “Okay. Compromise. Teach me healing magic.”

To which Garak is like 👀 “Okay.”

They start having regular magic lessons mostly focused on healing, which Julian is just naturally good at. So they move on to other things. Which Julian is Not naturally good at.

And he becomes very frustrated.

Garak tries to assuage him and says that he doesn’t have to be accomplished in every single field and discipline- which is logically true- but Julian is having none of it since Garak is accomplished in every field.

In a fit of anger Julian unleashes emotional magic again and breaks some of Garak’s things. Books, vials, a desk, nothing super major. But Julian is still surprised and shocked at himself for causing trouble like this and he Runs Away. Straight up exits stage left.

And Garak, who just got flung against the wall by his little apprentice, just rushes to the window and looks as Julian runs away and he is. Disappointed.

Next we have Julian returning home and everyone is like "Doctor!!! You were gone for half a year???" And Julian is like "I thought I was only gone for a month at most-"

Yeah the joke is time flies when you’re having fun because Julian *did* have fun living with Garak. He doesn’t regret leaving though, after all Garak was probably furious after he wrecked his study he wasn’t.

So Julian says to himself "Hmph. I'll just stay home for a week. Garak will hardly notice I'm gone. And then I can make it up to him."

But Then He Stays For A Whole Month

He has to instruct a new doctor to take over the nearby villages, do some paperwork, help some sick people, practice some magic on his own- and at the end of the month He Doesn’t Want To Stay Any Longer.

He’s always been different from the other village people, and now he finally got a taste of what it’s like to have someone help you to achieve your potential and widen your horizon and he *doesn’t* want to give that up for a boring but busy country life.

So back to the tower it is. Julian arrives, the place is kind of messy, and when he finds Garak he is in his study. on the floor. a little drunk, definitely sad, and Very Surprised To See Him.

Here we get a scene where Garak tipsily tells Julian how much he’s grown to appreciate him, not just for his magic talent, but as a person- and that he’s missed him.

But The Next Morning Garak Does Not Remember

And he's just like "Oh Julian. Youre back. I'd almost forgotten about you."

For a second Julian wants to punch a wall because *Yesterday You Told Me You Missed Me*, but then he just Smiles. settles for what they have right now. and asks Garak to continue teaching him magic.

so they go on. and have. so many gay moments.

And then Garak gets told to attend some kind of magic council meeting/banquet.

Julian says something along the lines of "Oh well, guess I'll stay home. You know, protect the fort. Practice magic." but he's a little sad about it.

But garak just goes "Hmm No. I'm taking you with me"

"What-" "I'm introducing you as my apprentice to the magic council." "W h a t-" "Oh also you need pretty clothes for this so I'm gonna make you some. Since you’re a commoner with no actual taste." "W H A T-"

So garak makes a really nice suit for Julian and for himself they match and they go to the Cool Wizard Banquet.

At which Julian meets a lot of wizards and witches and he's like "Wow this is so exciting!" but he also realises he is a Total Country Bumpkin And Noob compared to these people and their apprentices.

He also hears that Apparently the Local Wizard of every region is supposed to do a 5-yearly sweep of the surrounding towns to check for kids that have magic potential and then send them to Magic School/take them in as their apprentice directly.

And Garak. Did not do that.

He was Lazy and Angery. Exile will do that to you.

Julian isn’t too happy when he learns about this and he walks out of the banquet hall into the garden- to where Garak follows him.

"So just because you were all bitchy about having to follow this country's rules about magic you let me grow up not knowing my full potential? How many of my childhood friends might be able to do magic if they tried?"

“I was in a really bad place back then."

"SO WHAT? Things are okay now because you found me? If you had been two minutes early during that attack you wouldnt even know I could use magic!"

"...but I *wasn’t* early!"

So Julian just throws up his hands in frustration and leaves to get away from Garak for a while.

The next day he mingles more with the other apprentices and they exchange Ideas and Skills and also Gossip about their teachers.

Some of the apprentices suggest that Julian could go to magic school for a while before applying for a *new* teacher, since obviously Garak did him wrong.

This doesn’t sound like a bad idea, so he talks with some older mages and most of them are friendly and are like “Oh yeah, sure, we’d love to take you in.”

But then it turns out a lot of people are talking behind his back about how much of an outlier he is.

(wizard culture is like 50% magic and 50% gossip)

So Julian is standing on a balcony and down below he hears a group of Douche Wizards discussing his inadequacies.

And it kinda makes Julian feel like absolute shit, so his powers go wobbly again. But then enter stage right: Garak

Who properly puts those wizards into their rightful place like "Say one more bad thing about my apprentice and I’ll blast your punk ass back to Romulus. You should KNOW the reason why I dont usually take apprentices, but here you are anyway saying he has no power. He has more power in his pinky than all of you combined."

Turns out there’s an extra layer to Why Garak didn’t do the "Check for Magicians in your Area" thing- it’s because he openly has no interest in training or working with anyone who isnt Special or Powerful.

Which means Julians happens to be. very special. and very powerful.

And hearing that from Garak makes him go 😳

His emotions are running high and he starts *floating*. Probably the worst thing to do on a first floor balcony out of All The Things To Do On A First Floor Balcony.

So he’s Floating and he doesnt know how to make that Stop.

He panics, starts falling and basically crashes right into Garaks arms.

"Oh great, youre right on time. We're leaving."

"What? But the banquet lasts for a week?" also I'm still a little mad but also a little in love with you?

But Garak has already teleported them back to the tower before he can really argue.

Anyway Julian is upset about many things overall, but mostly that he didnt get to dance. He practiced a lot in his off time.

Thank God Garak Knows This 

"...I know how to make magic music. Let’s have a little fun at least."

They dance and Julian starts floating *again*.

Garak 👀’s @ Julian floating "Okay I’ve been recording most of your emotion based powers. This is new."

Julian just Floats Higher out of embarrassment, so garak is like ‘well I'll just join him up there.’

So he does and Julian is like “WHY CAN YOU DO THAT. SHOW ME HOW TO DO THAT. HOW CAN I CONTROL THIS."

Turns out his emotions are too unclear, which makes his magic unbalanced, so really all they have to do is get him some Clarity.

Garak is like "Well one very easy way to do that is-" and then they kiss in the air. Floating. because I’m gay and I will use gay magic tropes as I see fit.

so that’s the garashir side of things, on to kiradax

There's Some Slow Burn In There

Basically Kira is a mage, but instead of using magic to fight she just Enchants Swords/Arrows/Other Weapons.

Because she fought in a wizard war and when there's not a lot of mana potions to go around you have to get creative.

She didn’t get a proper magician name because she was actually never anyone’s apprentice, but people still call her The Blade because she is just so cool.

Anyway in this universe mages age very slowly, and Kira is probably around 60 years old when she meets Jadzia. Which is not a lot in wizard years.

She does feels a little inadequate about being so Young and Inexperienced she didn’t really expect nor wanted to run into the legendary Jadzia Dax who everyone thinks is like 300 years old, maybe more.

So meeting someone who is her complete opposite just makes her go "Hmph. I dont wanna associate with you." 

But Jadzia keeps popping in randomly around her almost every day until Kira snaps like "WHAT is your problem???"

“I never learned how to enchant tools."

"What."

"Can you teach me?"

"The great Dax has never enchanted a single tool or weapon?"

"I took care of everything with other types of magic. Will you teach me?"

So Kira Nerys, The Blade, the person everyone looked down on because she uses enchanted tools instead of magic for everything- is being asked by this legendary mage to teach her something. What an honor. What an incredible thing.

But She Says No

So Jadzia keeps bothering her every day.

But eventually bothering her turned into "Hey wanna get some coffee? Wanna go to the library with me? Can I look at you while youre in the smithy? Do you wanna look at me while I come up with new magic formulas? Wanna get drunk together and maybe kiss but definitely have no recollection of it in the morning?"

- over a span of 10 years.

But at the end of those 10 years Jadzia still hasnt learned how to enchant tools.

And it takes One day at the magic banquet for Nerys to actually realise the Implications of that.

It’s the third banquet they've been to- together, as each other’s plus one.

They color coordinate their robes and wear matching accessoires. The works.

And Kira decides that now is the day to grill her Totally-Not-Girlfriend about the reason why she sticks around.

"You could have just gotten someone else to teach you how to enchant things."

"Why would I need anyone to teach me, I have you to enchant things *for me*."

"No but before I started doing it for you. Like the whole first five years of knowing me."

"Oh well I didn’t want anyone else because I was very much infatuated with you."

And Kira just bluescreens. Error 404 nerys.exe not found.

Until she catches herself.

"You...*were* infatuated with me?"

"Yes? You obviously never saw me that way though. So I stuck around for the good company and the coffee."

Now you see over the course of 10 years Kira’s irritation about Jadzia slowly turned into Something Else. But she thought Jadzia only saw her as a friend.

On the other hand Jadzia definitely had feelings from the start, but because kira was in Denial she didnt act on those feelings.

If I were a shitty writer or- god foirbid- *Straight*, I would have there be a miscommunication right about now and prolong their useless lesbian suffering.

But I’m not.

Basically Kira just goes 

"Okay but when you say *were* attracted to me does that mean you *stopped*?"

"Uh. No?"

"Cool. Excuse me, I need a moment."

So she tries to hide from this sudden revelation and her feelings in a hedge maze, but there’s no use hiding from Jadzia.

 Who, instead of just walking around the labyrinth to find her like a normal person, basically whacks down the bushes in a straight line until she reaches Kira.

"THERE YOU ARE! I used this completely unenchanted sword to get to you and tell you I definitely still like you. Now will you PLEASE teach me how to enchant tools as your first courting gift?"

And Kira is like "God yes you dumbass-" and they kiss.

now wizard quodo is funny because I kind of started this part as a joke but then it all got Serious

First of all Quark is Actually A Really Powerful Magician.

But what does he do with his great power?

Move from his home country to the city of wizards and open a bar.

Because he is still fundamentally *Quark*.

And Odo is still fundamentally Odo, because he is a Shapeshifting Alien From Actual Outer Space You Know.

He still went through the whole "I was studied by scientists (wizards) and couldnt let them know I was sentient for a long time which made me very grouchy and lonely" thing.

So Odo spends like ~100 years going from captivity/being an object of scientific study to living as a guard in the city of wizards.

Basically everyone thinks that Odo cant use magic- including Odo- because, well, he’s a bunch of slime that came from a meteor.

Then he meets Quark, powerful wizard and bartender.

And he has *no* idea who he is.

Only that he’s the guy who runs that one shady gambling bar and is involved in some illegal business.

And Quark is like "Ah finally. A worthy opponent."

So he and Quark have the same vibe as on DS9- where Quark keeps doing illegal stuff and Odo tries to stop him and the universe decides to say enemies to lovers 400k words slowburn.

And one day Quark gets into some Seriously shady business with some people who are now very aggressively demanding Quark give them their money back

and they're. you know. threatening violence.

Odo shows up and right before this one dude is about to straight up sucker punch Quark he's like "HALT!" and Wow He Made A Magic Happen.

Now. Because Quark is Indebted to Odo. He is expected to take him on as his magic apprentice.

At first he is Not Down For That. They both aren’t. So even though technically they are teacher and apprentice they both just refuse to work together.

Until Odo goes to check up on Quark one day- because as we all know he makes it a point to drop by his bar four times a day just to let him know he's thinking about him- and Quark is in trouble again.

Only this time Odo is like "I'm not gonna help him. I dont even know how I *could* help him. Since he hasn’t taught me any magic, the bastard."

So he wants to just pass by and leave when Quark basically starts to just Demolish these people with magic in a frightening and totally not impressive display.

MIND YOU Quark is still generally incompetent. If this was D&D he'd have like, very low skill points but unlimited spell slots.

Anyway Odo goes 👀

Because him being unable to use magic in a country/city where everyone he *knows* can use magic has always made him feel bad.

So he goes to Quark like "Okay. I changed my mind. Please teach me magic."

And Quark tries to teach Odo magic, earnestly. 

And Odo tries to learn magic from Quark, for real. 

But the key word here is *try*.

Because neither is very good at what theyre *trying* to do.

Odo didn’t Really want to learn from Quark and that's pretty much the reason why Quark doesnt Really want to teach Odo. But They Try.

There’s a lot of fights and arguments and "You’re not doing it right" vs "You’re not explaining it right"

But hey, at least Odo can now do some magic, which makes his guard job a lot easier.

He also gets to socialise more with other wizards and their apprentices, and he becomes a generally happier pile of humanoid goo!

Meanwhile Quark slowly but surely turns into a more Respected wizard. And his bar also becomes a bit more respectable as well.

it's almost like,,they both wanna be,,,,their best selves,,

and learning to work together has Somehow set them on the right path,,,

idk man sounds kinda gay,,,,

But then the banquet rolls around.

Quark is like "Oh fuck I Have to take Odo to this social function because hes my apprentice and thems are the rules."

and Odo is like "Oh fuck I Have to attend this social function with Quark because thems the rules."

The vibe they’re both getting is- "It's all fun and games when we're by ourselves but Somehow acting friendly in public feels Wrong." 

So they agree to Arrive together and then split up and spend as little time as possible together lest they fall victim to some kind of *feeling*.

And like all plans that Odo and Quark make it works out brilliantly for Exactly 5 Minutes.

Because while Quark is talking to his accomplished and very boring wizard acquaintances he kinda realises "God I wish Odo were here-"

And as Odo is talking to all these annoying ass apprentices he kinda realises "God I wish Quark was here-"

So that's what they do on the first day of the banquet. and the second. and the third. 

They just keep only seeing each other from the corner of their eyes but dont really get to talk/argue about anything and it's making them feel Not So Good, Actually

Now the fourth day is the kicker.

Because while Odo is talking to some people he gets tapped on the shoulder and there he is! The worst father on this side of the galaxy! Doctor Mora- but like, as a wizard scientist.

"Oh my god Odo? You’re here? How did you manage that? You can’t use magic dont be silly! *I* studied you and who would know you better than me? What? *you* know yourself better? Nonsense, now walk with me- how have you been :)?"

Obviously Odo is getting Very distressed but he can't exactly say No, so he walks around with Mora.

They sit down near a fountain and his ‘father’ just starts grilling Odo about what he's been up to.

And eventually they start talking about Quark

"Wait, *Quark*? The absolute magic failure who runs that disgusting establishment? That Quark?"

"Well I wouldnt put it like that, he’s not-"

But Mora goes on- "Oh no my dear boy that won't do! You have to learn from a *good* wizard. Like me! Dont you want that? Oh I'm sure you want that. That nasty good for nothing will resign as your teacher first thing tomorrow!"

And Odo is like "Now wait a minute, Quark might have his flaws, but-"

"There! See, you admitted it. He's flawed. He can't possibly be a good teacher for you. But I would be! I *raised* you."

But Odo is getting Rather Angy right about now.

"Well you did a pretty bad job raising me considering you didnt even know I could do magic until now."

"I can’t believe it. Quark is such a bad influence on you. You never used to talk back at me. This is what happens when you hang around with people who dont know you like I do."

Then something in him snaps and Odo just goes Off on Mora.

"MAYBE *YOU* DONT KNOW *HIM* LIKE I DO!"

And he basically breaks the fountain theyre sitting at with some accidental emotional magic.

So after Mora goes "...I better get someone to fix that-" and runs off, Odo is standing in front of this broken fountain and thinks about how this might be a cruel metaphor for his life. And then the worst possible thing happens.

He Spots Quark Badly Hidden Behind A Pillar

Internally he just goes 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' 

Externally though it’s more like "How much of that did you hear???"

Quark’s trying to lighten the mood with a "Haha well it's hard to avoid hearing things with lobes as big as mine!" 

But Odo is not playing, so he breaks the fountain some more. As intimidation.

So Quark goes "Okay. Alright. I heard all the parts where you defended my honor. Now move aside."

And Odo goes 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAA' inside again, so he doesnt really move but just gets nudged aside by Quark.

Who returns the fountain back to its previous state.

Things are nice and silent for a second but then Quark disturbs the moment by saying "Okay now, real talk- you want another teacher, is that right?"

So Odos head whips up and he goes "No??? What the fuck quark. I thought you listened to that conversation. Youre the only one I want-"

and he Immediately slaps a hand over his mouth because Oh God That Came Out Wrong-

But Quark is just Laughing and being his usual little shit self like "Haha good one, let's go back inside now. (where the social conventions will force us to remain apart so we dont have to confront what you just said.)"

on the inside though- Quark is just as 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' as Odo

"I absolutely Cannot go inside and socialise right now, I’ve had Quite enough of that." 

"Oh...well then...i'll leave you be?"

"No don’t-"

So Odo quickly grabs Quark’s hand (and Quark just fuckin uh dies on the spot) but he's not very communicative at the moment. So Quark kinda has to just interpret that for himself.

"Aaaaalright- let’s just take a walk then."

So they walk through the rose garden. holding *hands*. and Quark points out nice or interesting things while Odo just nods or hums in agreement.

Until they’ve come full circle and end up back at the fountain, where Quark is like "Okay. Wanna go back inside *now*?" 

Because he swears if they spend one more second like this he will HAVE to kiss this pile of space goo and he’d rather Odo make that decision for him.

And Odo is like "I just want to stay with you."

So Quark is like ‘Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool’, pulls them behind a hedge and kisses Odo.

because on GOD I enjoy the “going from an argument straight into kissing” trope, but that one is actually too on brand for quodo so I HAD to change it up.

#ds9 #garashir #kiradax #quodo #deep space nine #hahahahahahaahahow did i get this to four thousand words #wizard lizard #yea thats what im calling it

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.69

Never had Keith gone about an investigation the way Lance did. The Pidge was strong in his boyfriend, as was the “teacher” vibe. Coloured Markers, corflute boards, budget printer print-out photos of Lotor and his gang, contrasting against the photos of the crime scenes that Shiro had fetched for them. Curtis’s idea of supplies hadn’t been up to Lance’s standards, so Lance had done some online shopping then picked up the order, as well as far too many snacks. Keith kind of thought it was over kill. His boyfriend’s room wasn’t big enough for everything, as it was Keith was squashed between Shiro and Curtis on Lance’s bed. Blue was smacking marker lids across the floor, jumping out to knock down a new marker each time one was taken away from her. Kosmo was snoring on the bed, he’d tried pulling one of Lance’s pillows apart, a sock sacrificed to keep the puppy busy.

Pacing back and forth, they’d lost Lance in the crime scene files. Lance was processing, pausing to ask the occasional question as he read, and drank from the bag of blood he’d tucked into his top pocket. Keith worried that Lance shouldn’t be on his feet, but he couldn’t point that out. His boyfriend was so busy pacing that he shouldn’t notice each time Shiro dug his elbow into Keith’s ribs, or Curtis passed over a snack, he’d fix them with a stare for a moment, before going back to reading. For a team briefing, the three of them were useless, all they could do it wait... awkwardly. Keith wanted to pull Lance into his lap and tell him to rest. He felt like maybe this was too much. That maybe he’d put too much pressure on Lance and Lance wasn’t actually reading the documents before him, and was actually procrastinating breaking up with him because he’d known he’d eaten literal trash. He hadn’t told him he’d nearly ended up a vampires dinner and that was how Shiro had found him.

Shiro caved first. For all his patience, his brother could be pretty impatient

“Lance, are you going to talk to us?”

“We have been”

Keith sucked his lips in to hide his smile. It’d been a while since Lance used that line on him

“No, you’ve been asking questions and making a hole in the floor”

“Ahhh, but we did talk, did we not. I think I want to see the bodies? Can I see the bodies?”

That wasn’t what Keith expected. Lance was gentle and piece loving person... a dead body kind of stuck with you... as did the smell

“Hold up. Why don’t you tell us what you’re thinking first?”

“I’m thinking that this was an amateur... No. someone trying hard to look like one. We know they’re not human, a human couldn’t take on a wolf like this. Each of them had to be lured. A vampire and a wolf is difficult, we’ve got egos. Even a lowly vampire has an ego. Top quality blood is a myth, selling dodgy blood to pick a fight is a possibility. We’ve all gotta eat and bad blood is bad for everyone involved... but you guys have already thought of all this...”

Keith tried not to stare at Lance. His boyfriend might be a lawyer, but he’d make a hell of a teacher too. He just had that aura about him right now. Tall, shoulders back, the way Keith kind of felt like a kid again...

“I don’t think Coran would give us access. There’s autopsy reports...”

“Yeah, but there’s some things you can’t get a from a photo. Scent, size, that kind of thing... that’s okay. It was just an idea, any scents probably wore off by now. Do we know how long Lotor’s been here?”

“From talking to him, about a month. Do you think he’s involved?”

Lance raised an eyebrow

“He’s not the killer. Can you imagine him messing up his dress shoes with a lowly vampires blood? He’d probably be insulted at the thought, and make them scrub his shoes clean before they expired. If he’s behind it, he would have sent a minion. You can Google up a thousand pages on how to kill a vampire. Nah. Not him. Axca is thinking of turning on him. She’s not happy and you can see it. She’s probably been pushed to the outside, there’s a difference between her and Lotor. Narti clearly lets her ego get the better of her. Ezor and Zethrid are dating. I’d say that’s pretty much the pecking order”

Shiro let out a whistle as he crossed his arms. Kosmo thought he was wanted as he started nosing between the pair of them, his nap interrupted. Shifting enough, his pup climbed into his arms

“You haven’t even met them”

“Don’t need to. Can we go to the park? Where the werewolf and vamp was found?”

“Why?”

“I want to take a look around?”

Lance stated it like it was obvious

“We searched...”

“I wanna get a feel for it. Use these spooky vampire senses on mine”

Lance wiggled his fingers, Shiro bringing up a hand to cover his face

“This isn’t a joke”

“No, if it was a joke, it’d be Professor Plum with a candlestick in the sewers”

Keith didn’t get the reference, but it made Curtis laugh. Looking at him, Lance sighed

“Babe, it’s from Cluedo. Shiro, how could you have not played Cluedo with him?”

Because they weren’t really board game people?

“Don’t look at me”

“I am looking at you. Fiiiiine. Can we at least do drivebys?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m trying to understand? How else am I supposed to help?”

“You’re not a hunter...”

Lance waved his hand at Shiro, like he was shooing him

“Hunter, smunter. You sound like Keith. I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him, you’ve got a team of supernatural people around you who want to help. We don’t know shit on SmallDick, only that I want to punch him and he’s Zarkon’s dog who’s hear to bring back the prodigal son. Blah. Shiro, you should totally talk to Matt and Rieva. Rieva said some pretty concerning things about Honerva being on the nuts side. Out of everywhere in the damn world... Nope. Never mind, Allura is pretty unforgettable, though Lotor has rocks in his head if he thinks she’ll be wooed so easily”

Shiro leaned in, loudly whispering

“He does this a lot, doesn’t he?”

“Yep. He didn’t warn you, but anyone judgmental gets punched in the dick and sent out into to hall”

Lance cleared his throat, reaching over, he plucked up a piece of paper from in front of his laptop

“Excuse you, you heathens. I made a sign”

He had indeed. “Free Dick Punches For Judgemental Douches”. Keith tried not to laugh. The orange writing in very neat cursive that didn’t look threatening at all. Especially not when there was a smiley face in yellow at the bottom of the page. Curtis raised his hand, Lance pointing at him

“What?”

“You’re not going to keep everything about the investigation in here, are you?”

Lance shrugged

“Why not?”

“Because we still need to fit Coran, Allura, Matt and Rieva in here”

Lance opened his mouth and closed it. Only Curtis was brave enough to point that out

“Curtis has a point. We can’t uninclude them”

“We’re not. We were just... ugh. I don’t want to leave everything upstairs where anyone could see it. We need a secret headquarters”

Lance had gone slightly crazy. Pidge’s kind of crazy. Talking too fast, thoughts a million miles an hour, crazy. They were literally inside a kind of secret headquarters. His boyfriend had used up too much of brain and needed to calm down

“Babe... You’re talking really fast again. No more permanent markers, or whiteboard markers. Curtis is right. We have a conference room for a reason. I like that you wanted me to feel safe, but if we’re going to be a team, we need everyone’s opinions”

Lance frowned at him, crossing his arms

“You didn’t raise you hand”

Shiro elbowed his side

“Yeah, Keith. You have to raise your hand”

He was not being teased by the pair of them. He didn’t sign up for that

“Fuck off. Lance and I will go to the park, while you two move all this stuff to the conference room. Or maybe ask Coran if there’s a storeroom we can use. We’re likely to be laughed at by the Blades for Lance’s use of colour if any of them saw this”

Lance looked scandalised

“My use of colour is on point. I’m not afraid to punch them in the dicks”

God. Okay. Lance needed out before Shiro started pointing out the flaws in his plan... like some members not having dicks. Standing up, Keith moved to take Lance’s hand as he cradled Kosmo against his chest with his busted hand

“Babe, we’re going. You know we talked about this”

Lance stumbled, lightly resisting being tugged along

“I knooooow, but every time I think about them hurting your feelings I want to hit them... and it makes me more determined to work this out without them”

He’d encountered determined Lance before... Determined Lance could definitely be determined, but Keith was briefinged out

“And we will... just... after we take a break and get some fresh air. I think your high or something”

Lance pulled out of his hold, crossing his arms again

“I’m not “high or something”. I’m Lance, and I think you’re fine...”

Oh lord... Now Shiro was chuckling at Lance’s dad joke. Curtis pointed out

“Keith’s right. You have grown more animated”

Lance frowned down at his pocket, pulling the bag out, he sniffed at it

“I think the blood is super fresh. When it’s really fresh or I’ve drunk too much, it’s all buzzy and my ego gets huge. Am I being weird? I feel like I’m being weird”

Lance was always kind of weird

“Yes, babe. You’re being weird. Now we’re going to take a walk and then we’re going to go for a drive”

“If we’re going for a drive, we need my keys. Our precious fur son is not going on that bike of yours”

Keith took a deep breath, before slowly releasing it. Fresh blood was like caffeine for Lance... Too much “caffeine” meant too much “ego”. Too much “ego” meant a Lance acting without thinking. He’d take Lance and Kosmo to the park, where hopefully Lance would burn off some energy...

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid

[nancydrew65]

SKAM Austin Season 2 Episode 10 (SEASON FINALE) Thoughts

We’re on the home stretch! Last episode, guys. I am going to be sad to see SKAM Austin go. Despite my misgivings about this season, I think they did an excellent job with the sexual assault storyline and it had several fantastic scenes. I hope SKAM Austin does Season 3 this fall, so that we can squeeze in Zoya’s season before the girls graduate.

Something Else

Are they sleeping on a couch? OK, not important.

I would have liked to linger on them sleeping a bit longer. In OG, this scene was so long, but it really gave you a feel of Noorhelm’s dynamic as a couple. You know, when William wasn’t acting like a total douche.

Daniel apologizes for his brother’s awful behavior which like, yeah, good… BUT dude, apologize for your own messed-up behavior too. This is one of the things that pisses me off the most about this character. He treats his girlfriend like shit when she tells him she may have been sexually assaulted and then he NEVER apologizes for it.

Grace proceeds to tell Daniel about her boyfriend back in Dallas. It is pretty much the same story as Noora’s. Daniel is very understanding about it which I appreciate. At least he hasn’t been like William, who basically disregarded Noora when she said she didn’t want to have sex.

For the most part, I actually really enjoyed this clip. I like that we got to see the conversation between Grace and Daniel about Grace’s past.

Future

Grace and Daniel are chilling as Grace finishes up her essay. It is too late for the deadline, but it did her some good just writing.

Daniel gets a call from Jo’s dad, his lawyer. If he gets charged, he might lose his scholarship and get jail time. Good job, SKAM Austin in actually providing stakes for Daniel. He has something to lose by telling the truth in this situation which will ultimately make his decision to do so that much more mature.

Grace asks if he is going to lie, and he says maybe. He has to think about his future.

Life in Italics

Grace and Daniel are going to Marlon’s band’s concert. On a Sunday? What?

They bump into Shay and Megan finally apologizes to her. Thank god. Shay tells her that Nic didn’t break up with her (Yay, Nic’s actually a good guy!) and she is sorry that she blamed the end of that relationship on Megan. This was a weird scene. I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Are they hinting at Megan/Shay? But then they mentioned Marlon again, so I don’t know.

The band performs. They have an… interesting sound.

Eve shows up and mentions that Shay is hot. Forshadowing for Shay moving into Grace’s house?

Can’t With You

I’m not quite sure what the girls are doing, but I think Jo is studying for an exam, perhaps?

Megan is sad that they have another pointless year until they graduate and… same, girl.

The girls tell Grace they are very proud of her for writing the essay and posting it online.

Kelsey says that her favorite line is: “Being brave is telling the truth to the people you love.” I’m guessing that alludes to Grace being brave enough to share her sexual assault with the girls.

Jo storms out right after that and Grace goes to follow her. She asks what is wrong.

Then we have this beautiful, original scene courtesy of SKAM Austin. Jo tells her that Grace can always count on her in a crisis and that she didn’t want to bring up anything before because Grace was going through a rough time, but now Grace is doing better and she has to get this off her chest. Jo is angry that Grace lied to Kelsey for over a year about the whole Daniel situation. She knows Kelsey forgave Grace, but she isn’t ready to do the same. I love Jo so much and I am infinitely glad they gave this speech to her. GIVE JO A SEASON!!!!!! I think this scene addresses a glossed-over aspect of Season 2, namely Grace’s treatment of Kelsey. In my opinion, Kelsey forgave Grace very quickly and that is OK, I am all for girls getting over boy drama between them. However, it never really felt like Grace’s behavior was ever addressed as being very wrong. I think SKAM Austin overall has done a really fabulous job with this topic. I loved Kelsey’s speech (it was my favorite out of all the Vilde’s) and I love this scene. It shows what a true friend Jo is to Kelsey and I am here for it. I think Grace really needed to hear this.

What Happens Now?

Grace is waiting outside the courthouse for Daniel (in a gorgeous outfit, I may add). 

Side note: I feel like in Season 1, Grace didn’t really have Noora’s distinctive style (which I really liked!), but in Season 2, they really emphasized Noora’s style in her. I feel like it made her less of her own character, so I wasn’t a big fan of that choice. (I still think all her outfits are really cute, though.)

Daniel tells Grace that he told the truth. He couldn’t get her voice out of his head. This is the moment where this character gets the most character growth. Dare I say, the ONLY moment he gets character growth? And I really like that, obviously. (No one is campaigning harder than me for the William character to be a good guy). However, this is Grace’s season and I wish she had her own moment of growth in the last episode, like Eva and Isak and Sana did in their own seasons. This is the one season where I feel like the main character doesn’t really grow as much as she could have, given the opportunity. And that is my main problem with Season 2 as a whole. It makes me very sad. Noora/Grace deserves better.

Losers

The little banter between Zoya and Grace about history class was so cute! I’m gonna miss these beautiful women.

Zoya says she kept her locker because she wanted to remind people that what happened to her was not normal. She and Grace talk about letting go of anger and getting closure. “Maybe closure is not getting closure” Zoya quotes. OK, be existentialist, girl.

Kelsey and the other girls come bounding in, handing Zoya and Grace pink fanny packs with the word ‘SENIOR’ on them. Nice.

Kelsey talks about how good carbs are for a person and how she is done beating herself up about her weight. Yes!

Then the girls go in for a group handshake. Go Los Losers!

Ready

Grace and Zoya are chilling at the party for Daniel, when Hunter approaches Zoya. Why? Why do we have to spend even another minute on this storyline? Just let it die. Please. Hunter is still a jerk, Zoya is still way too good for him. Luckily, it seemed like she was not taking his shit.

Marlon and Megan are making out. I really wished they had kept this couple apart. I haven’t really seen much on Marlon’s part showing that he has grown since his past relationship with Megan.

Jo sees a boy and quickly runs away. Grace follows her to the bathroom. Nice callback to earlier in the episode with the Grace and Jo scene that mirrors this one.

Side-note: Grace’s dress is so pretty and I didn’t realize how short it was until she ran after Jo.

Aw, I think it’s so sweet that Jo doesn’t want Grace to go get Kelsey because Kelsey is having a fun time and she doesn’t want to ruin that for her.

So, Damian (the guy Jo has been texting) just showed up. He lives 4 hours away! While I appreciate the gesture, a heads-up would have been nice for Jo. How does he even know where she is? Like, it’s not her house.

Grace does a great job of calming Jo down and giving her a pep talk. I think their friendship is reaching a better place.

Jo and Damian hit it off after a bit of awkward banter. He seems like a cool dude.

Grace and Daniel go to her room. Daniel asks if she’s sure she wants to have sex. Yay! She nods, and he asks: “So, I don’t have to keep asking?” Why did they put that line in there? It’s not like he’s really been asking her to have sex. It just makes him seem like more of a jerk.

I really enjoyed how they played the rest of the scene. It was much more awkward when Grace and Daniel were about to have sex. It was more realistic IMO.

In between the sex scene, they spliced shots of the party. Pen Joe looks rather jealous of Damian flirting with Jo. Hmm, this is a new development.

OK, Eve seemed to be hardcore flirting with Shay. She also said earlier that Shay was “hot”. Are they making this a thing?

Grace and Tyler have a bit of an awkward conversation before Grace goes off to her friends. Then we see Tyler take a drink out of his cup. His fingernails are painted green! So, people were right when they thought Tyler was Green Nails. Wow, I still don’t know if it was him in the bed with Grace and Clay because I think Grace would have recognized him. That also calls into question whether Tyler was telling the truth about what Clay did or did not do that night. I have so many questions! But this ending does seem to hint that Season 3 will be about both Shay and Tyler. I am not completely opposed to that, but it sure does make me feel so much more grateful that we got Cris’ season in SKAM España. This fandom needs more wlw love.

General Thoughts

Well, here’s the end. Another season of SKAM Austin over. I hope they don’t wait another whole year before releasing a new one. I liked this episode a lot. There wasn’t a whole lot of Daniel being a dick, so that was great! Overall, I think SKAM Austin has had a few stellar scenes this season that really brought the level of this show up. My favorites were Kelsey’s monologue when Grace finally tells her about Daniel, Grace confronting Clay about the possible sexual assault, and the most recent clip they released with Jo explaining how she isn’t ready to forgive Grace for what she did to Kelsey. I am excited for Season 3!

#skam austin #skam remakes #skam reaction

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 4X06 - Family Business

After spending ten minutes trying to make a pun for this one, I don’t SNOW if I can do it!

...Well, there you go!

Review’s under the cut!

Main Takeaways

Past

I’m torn between disliking and liking the writing choice to have Anna doubt Ingrid so fiercely. On one level, I sort of get it. After being betrayed by Hans (And more recently, Rumple), Anna’s become a bit less trusting. That’s good character development. However, to have Anna be untrusting to this degree is just a little too far fetched for me. I think had Anna wanted to accept her and been more outright friendly, but was too curious to settle for Ingrid’s non answers, the story would’ve been a bit more palatable for me.

So, as far as Belle goes, I’m kind of inclined to treat this episode in a way as a precursor to Belle’s attitude later in life, kind of like“Best Laid Plans.” Just like how Snowing dedicated themselves to being the best people they could be after their horrible sin, Belle does the same thing through a combination of seeing Anna be taken and learning the truth behind her mother’s death. That also having been said, I feel like had they stated that the stone of memories was a one-off item, I wouldn’t be so frustrated with Belle because why not just get another stone after saving Anna?

That also having been said, I get that it didn’t matter. What mattered in this segment was that Belle’s selfishness fucked over someone and the point of this episode was to realize that and show that she’s grown from it. And that is the important part of the episode and it was delivered well. What I pointed out were smaller narrative crumbles that don’t amount to absolutely nothing, but are ultimately less important than the delivery of the theme.

Present

I can talk about a lot of aspects of this episode (And I will), but let’s be real here: The big part of this episode really comes down to a singular moment. While most of this episode is pretty clearly framed otherwise, so much so that I wonder just how much can write about, this moment’s where shit gets complicated and messy. That, of course, is Belle’s use of the “dagger” to make Rumple take her to the Snow Queen’s fortress.

Let’s break my thoughts on this down a bit.

It’s...a complicated situation. I’m sympathetic to Belle in the sense that she’s trying to stop The Snow Queen and making a hard choice like that is something she sees as just something that has to be done. Additionally, the mirror scene establishes that Belle might have doubts about the validity of the dagger, so there might have been a part of her doubting that it would work. I also get that this was Belle’s weakest moment and thus, it’s something she doesn’t want relayed.

That having been said, this episode frames Belle’s motivation as wanting to keep a secret. That’s the reason why she doesn’t relay her information to Emma and Elsa. And for a secret that is so relatively small in the grand scheme of not only the scope of the universe, but what villains have been forgiven for around in these parts, I find it rather weak and makes for a stark contrast to her attitude of just shutting up from the present scenes prior It’s brought on by a sad conversation with Elsa and Belle finds it more appropriate to use the dagger on her husband than just simply tell the truth, a moment that when finally comes to pass, isn’t given any gravitas, meaning that Belle keeping that secret wasn’t that big of a deal. It’d be one thing if Elsa was so mad that she froze Belle or shut her out or something like that, but she doesn’t, making the reason Belle wants to hold out telling the truth fall flat.

I also almost wish this moment had come earlier in the season, maybe before “The Apprentice” because that look of fear on Rumple’s face when he realized that his own wife is using the dagger to control him would’ve been a hella effective point in showing why Rumple feels like he needs to go to the extreme of putting people in a magic hat to ensure that he never has to be controlled again. That said, it does work here, albeit not as effectively.

I do think that the framing of this moment works. Ignoring the motivation behind it, Belle is shown as going too far by using the dagger, BUT the more complicated nature of the dagger being as real as a $3 bill isn’t ignored by the narrative either.

Okay, now that that’s done, let’s move on.

The mirror scene is a really chilling look into Belle’s psyche. Not only is there a great display of Belle’s insecurities on display in this scene, but it truly sets up the mirror as a genuine threat. Belle is one of the purest characters in the show, second to probably only Ariel at this point. And yet the mirror is able to pull at the weaknesses she doesn’t possess as easily as loose Jenga pieces. Within a minute, she feels helpless.

I also really like the way Rumple is presented here! He’s at once a villain and a victim in a way and the balancing of that was well done!

Stream of Consciousness

-I like the costume Belle has in the first bit of her flashback. It does a really good job of painting her youth and naivete.

-I love how literally every piece of Belle’s wardrobe and decorations in her room are Beauty and the Beast colors!!! Dude, if she wasn’t the actual Belle, I’d accuse her of being the biggest fangirl in the world! XD

-Really, Rumple? Belle doesn’t know about the hidden safe by this point?

-”Before we open.” So I guess that library scene really didn’t carry over in any capacity. That’s a shame.

-I absolutely LOVE the zoom out shot as everyone takes in the Snow Queen video tape! All eight of the mains are in the shot as well as Elsa! And everyone is so serious, even the woman in the blue sparkly dress! I know it’s been said 1,000 times, but it’s totally CSI Storybrooke up in this bitch! XD

-Belle, you are amazing at tracking! And you dig any chance to be a hero! Why the fuck are you willingly stepping down?! XD

-Why does everyone diss books?! And if you’re gonna diss the book, maybe take the book? Like, I don’t want Maurice to take the book, but if he’s gonna go to the trouble of being a douche nozzle, at least go all the way.

-I feel the need to ask if Ingrid has employees at “Any Given Sundae.” Does she just switch off between driving the truck and running the shop? Did she ever have an intern? XD

-”Was she afraid someone was gonna steal the rocky road?” You’re three episodes off, Emma.

-Ice powers are the world’s most dangerous mood rings! XD

-”Do you really think she would’ve discovered that if I didn’t want her to?” And what part did you have to play in Emma discovering that evidence? Like, every piece of evidence Emma has uncovered has been by total coincidence! The video, the truck? Both of those were spur of the moment decisions!

-I feel like mirror Belle is what would happen if Lacey had Belle’s memories.

-Ummm, if that was the real dagger, would that slash have killed Rumple or would it kind of be like what happened with Dark Hook where only the lethal cuts matter? But then again, that was close to the throat.

-Belle, where the hell did that gorgeous ass coat come from? Because holy hell, I LOVE it!

-Okay, am I the only one who feels like Maurice had some personal experience with Rumple prior to Belle’s summoning?

-”Spend a little more time in this town love, and you’ll realize that just about everyone’s related.” This is true and I LOVE it! XD

Favorite Dynamic

Regina and Robin. I really like Regina’s scene with Robin in the forest. Lana perfectly shows Regina’s frustration at having tried every possible approach to waking Marian and failing at it as well as this sense of resignation about what she has to tell him. It’s a fantastic moment in how it’s performed and written. Regina’s in her best form by being blunt, but not unsympathetic: If Robin wants to save Marian, he has to fall in love with her again, no if’s, and’s, or but’s. You can tell that this is the last thing she wants to say, but she knows it’s the truth. It’s a really good display of her growth as a character. Something very difficult for her to do and the truth isn’t pretty, but she’s delivering it anyway, even at her own expense. The added bits of snark additionally really help it too by giving the scene a bit of levity and gives the dialogue a bit of that Regina fierceness.

Writer

Kalinda Vazquez comes in for her second episode in a row, a first for a writer for this series outside of A&E! Alongside her is Andrew Chambliss. I gotta say, it’s nice not having a newbie this episode. While there are some character issues, I think the episode works more than it doesn’t due to the more complicated nature of the present segment’s story and the fact that the framing is spot on.

Rating

8/10. I think there are a fair amount of good elements to this episode. The delivery of the themes is solid and that is the ultimate make or break piece of an episode like this. Additionally, the framing of this story was hard, but successful.

-----

Hey! Sorry this wasn’t my best review. I don’t know what happened with this episode, but it just took me so long to figure out how I felt about it. I hope what I put out made sense.

Thank you for reading, if you did as well as to @watchingfairytales and @daensarah. Love you!!!!

Season 3 Total (42/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (9/60) Jane Espenson: (10/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (10/50) Andrew Chambliss: (14/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (14/40) Scott Nimerfro: (6/30)

*Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. They take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 4x06 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat

[larenoz]

Roswell New Mexico - Live Rewatch - Ep 3 - Tearin' Up My Heart

What matters is the science

The power to heal or harm. Hhhhmm, I wonder who else that might apply to in the future?

Hey lab rat!

Subtle, Liz. Real subtle.

No, he's not just stressed Liz

It's all a plan to get Max to get his gear off.

His heart isn't racing because he's scared of Liz. Neither of these people has a subtle bone in their body.

Die Jesse Manes Die

Hey there Kyle.

Alien hunting buddy, four war hero sons.

"Are you calling Alex faint of heart?" You go Kyle.

Die Jesse Manes Die

See now I think this is where Jesse made his biggest mistake. Threatening Kyle's life is one thing, but threatening his friends. That just kicks his protective side into high gear. Especially when it comes to ALex who he feels he owes. Probably gets his competitive side going as well

OMG Kyles face as Jesse walks away.

"I don't need an Airman, I need a Valenti"

"The light show whenever I feel anything" Yeah, we know what your talking about Max

Yeah, we know why you didn't Iz and Michael about the experiments.

So that's a yes then.

"Please don't touch me". Oh, that's gonna hurt the feels

Busted. Not sure how I feel about that shirt Iz is wearing though. I think we might be trying a bit too hard for the New Mexico aesthetic.

"We have a connection, we did, I think" Not too sure there Max

OK, now that's just mean Iz, with the Kyle/Liz hookup.

Especially when you know it's gonna hurt Max.

Now here we have on rewatch the first scene where I'm not sure if it's Iz or Noah??

Where she talks about his hand print on Liz's chest, just seems a bit Noah like??

Which would also explain the meanness?

Arguements about who knows each other best and relationships built on lies.

That's a set of criteria where everyone is on pretty shaken ground at this stage.

Max as golden retriever or X-file. Kyle being all caregivery. Fuck, I would give anything to see him in a nice white shirt. Sorry, I digress.

Provocation. Another theme we see again and again through the show.

Not a fan of this whole treasure hunt storyline tbh

Yes Kyle, we all love Max because he's tall.

OK Nancy Drew"

Fuck, you cannot just cut to THIS scene like that. Fuck me.

The song, the hand caressing that skin.

Fuuuuccck

Once again I am not emotionally prepared.

"Your awake"

"You staaayed"

God, such little dialogue that just tells us so much.

That Michael isn't used to Alex being there in the morning. That he leaves.

The way Michael looks over at Alex. So soft and happy.

Alex's barely there smile as he looks at Michael.

They just break my heart these two.

Fuck me.

The physical intimacy in this scene is just.... I don't even have words for it. It's so soft and gentle and ...

Michael's face.

It's just such an amazing scene especially for a queer couple.

The chemistry these two have as actors is insane.

God fucking damn it Isobel.

And fuck here it comes.

"it's just Isobel"

"Does she know about us?"

"would it be so bad if she did?"

"Yeah"

"Nah, don't worry about it"

Fuck me. Michael goes from being so happy to being someone's dirty little secret in seconds.

Now I'm pretty sure that's not what Alex thinks, but that's sure as shit how Michael interprets it.

All his insecurity and self-loathing just brings his armour back up.

oh shit yeah

It applies just as much to Alex as well.

The thing that hurts to the most is that Michael is so resigned to it. Like yep, this is how it always goes.

And I think that might apply to not just Alex, but other people he sleeps with. Good enough to fuck, but not good enough to be seen with. And that's just fucked up.

Especially for someone like Michael who is so tactile. That his way of connecting with people is so distained.

And Alex's face. He know's he's hurt Michael, even though that wasn't his intention.

But as they say, about paving the road to hell.

Tbh honest, I didn't notice until it was discussed in another channel that this ISN'T the morning after "I never look away" and that the Airstream has moved.

I blame opening the scene with all that golden skin. It's very distracting.

I offer that line as public domain to any fic writer that wants it!!

God how I hate that Michael is probably alot of people's dirty little secret. Fuck them.

"He's letting Liz experiment on him"

"Please say sexually"

Not gonna lie. THat is one of the best lines ever on tv.

Also Michael with no shirt.

Also if they ever get Michael in a nice white button up I'm gonna die.

Yes I have a white shirt kink.

Iz's face. :laughing:

Kids, kids kids. Have we learned nothing?

Plans involving Liz never end well.

Secrets, always about the secrets

Mix cd

Clues, Nancy Drew

Teen melodrama is our thing.

So cheeky Liz. It's a good look on you.

Liz is wearing armour lipstick.

Of course Maria is coming on the treasure hunt.

Cam buying Max a first edition. Nerd boner. Don't ever change Cam.

Max, max, max. It's not the time.

Don't dig into the past. HOld onto the good memories. Exactly the advice Kyle gave Liz last ep.

And he doesn't listen either. Lucky he's so pretty.

I really hope we get to see the hold your hair while puking, slash your exe's tires Rosa in S2. It's such a great description by Maria. Gives a great sense of the real Rosa.

"She's isn't what leftover in the dirty crevices of this town." That is such a great line - gives a great insight into Maria.

which in no way makes up for that fucking powder blue skivvy he wore!! Jesus that was ugly. So I need more white shirts to balance it out. Bonus points for linen.

But more likely on Kyle than Michael, not that I wouldn't be cool with that.

Ophiuchus

Liz's don't lie to me face.

And here we go with more heart break. THis show never stops.

I love so much that in this fandom a dark green and black flannel shirt is what constitutes the "slutty" outfit.

I love that he is alergic to buttons.

Scared of not being the number 1 person in Max's life. Tbh. he's not wrong.

Michael and his touching people to check in with them.

Annnd here comes the start of more pain.

Not to be shallow, but Alex's outfit in this scene is interesting. I know we haven't seen him in civies much yet, but even so this stands out. It's such a light palette. So different to the dark colours we've seen before and everything that we see him in after.

A reflection of the lightness he feels from reconnecting with Michael? That disappears after the drive in and never really returns for the rest of the season?

Maybe? I lean towards more unconscious choice.

A willingness to be seen?

Which then is picked up later with his "can't be seen with a criminal" comments.

?

Where he goes back to not standing out, even in civies

Gods, the looks on their faces. They just love each other so much but Alex is still struggling.

Alex's smile when Michael sits down.

Kyle you are so gonna get busted.

Your mum is the sheriff dude.

Seriously Max. take a fucking chill pill.

I know it's the overpower but seriously. How do people not notice?

Yes Kyle, this massive over reaction is about Liz.

OK, I know Kyle is doing it on purpose, but that is cold.

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, alot of people want to hit you, don't encourage them.

And even if he was human Max has height and weight on him as well.

That smart arse smirk of Kyle's.

Damn, Jenna looks good with her hair like that.

Damn Kyles eyes.

And Kyle's little puff after Max leaves. He knows how close he came to getting his arse kicked in some way.

Die Jesse Manes Die.

Alex, ALex don't listen to the evil man. Please!!

And what about Michael, sitting so close to the man who mutilated him? Any person would have trouble keeping their cool.

Knowing Jesse is around is one thing, but what must it do to Micahel to see him like this?

"Can't lie to a psychic, hmm mmm"

Liz, spying on Max and Cam is a little bit creepy. Jealous much?

Not sure why Iz sees Rosa when trying to influence Liz??

Oh, Rosa's saying the lines she says to Iz later on after Noah is exposed.

Run and puke face.

Don't be a douche MIchael

Might not be a high school crush. More paralleling.

Max, don't be a dick to Cam. More than just try. And don't make it sound like a burden for fuck sakes.

"xenophobia sells more tickets"

I have Maria boot envy

And here comes the heartbreak

"I was dating a Chad"

"All the Chad's end up being Chad's"

That is some grade A dialogue right there.

Poor Diego

2 min break, I need a hot drink to stop myself coughing.

BRB

Could be. Might also be that Noah's blocks are weakening?

You go for it Cam.

Oh OK. Max you fucking dork.

OMG Liz, not cool.

Cam shutting this shit down right now.

Max making possibly the worst life choice ever seen on tv

Kyle Manuel Valenti!

And the most shit I'm busted face ever seen on a grown man.

Kyle why did you say love triangle? Don't say that.

Totally, he's hopeless but extra hopeless when your Mum is sheriff.

Sheriff Valenti has Jesse mans sussed out.

Tbh, I feel Max's pain as Liz reads out that letter. I found some stuff recently that I wrote at that age. OMFG, it was pretentious and oh so serious.

I like the hot sauce homage to OG

And then Liz just goes all in.

Don't do it Alex.

Fair warning I'm about to say some stuff about Alex that people might not like.

"I'm an airman, I can't be with a criminal".

Gods, Alex, no. You just let your Dad win.

You just told Michael he isn't important.

"All my life, the system has put me at the mercy of ciminals"

This line. FUck me.

Just another example of Michael flat out telling people the honest, painful, fucking private truth about his life and people then just blowing him off.

He just does it over and over again and then people have the fucking gall to say "we didn't know" How the fuck did you not know?

From anyone else it's bad but from Alex? Alex who knows Michael, who knows Michaels life, who has seen more of the cruelty of the world than anyone else in the show, from Alex it's a betrayal.

Yep, and using that as an excuse just compounds it. Because he's using the actions that Michael takes in order to survive against him. Compounds that betrayal.

And for me, if any action by Alex could be described as being a dick move, it's this one.

And I know why Alex does it, I really, really do, but fuck, it's still really, really bad.

And, And, all this happens in Michael's truck, his home, that Alex fucking knows he lived in during high school.

"Just trying to survive it"

Again, truth.

Not live, not escape. Survive.

Exactly.

Yes, he is Michael.

Fuck no, Alex. You don't get to say that. You don't get to blame Michael for your choices.

And Michael's sigh. Not even disappointed. Just resigned. Same ole, same ole.

Fair cop Liz. You don't really think Max killed Rosa.

But I'm also sorted glad they didn't make Liz into the sort of person who dismisses her own experience and world view just because she likes someone.

Max, it's not you place to decide what Liz can handle.

"That's what everything is about for me". Max, Max, Max. I'm impressed you could say that without coming off as a creepy stalker type.

You know what Max, now would be an excellent time to come clean about everything, just sayin'.

true

Noah, Noah

"I knew what I was marrying into" we now know what an understatement that was from Noah.

Gotta be honest, telling your husband that someone else is your person is a bit harsh.

You have two unhappy brothers Iz, pay attention.

True, but also Michael's abuser as well? I sort of read it as they both know the other isn't OK and they just don't talk about it with each other?

Noah, I'm trying really hard to block out that you are not a good guy.

Maria - "Max is so harmless" and Liz's face.

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle.

I really like how they actually have the smart person (a doctor) actaually be smart? He knows Jesse has power.

Paul Ryan comment

He cooperates just enough. Though I think part of that is he still doesn't trust Max.

Oh yeah

Max loosing his shit

Shut up Jesse, just shut the fuck up.

Yeah, not subtle but still good.

Overall not a bad episode.

As I said, not really a fan of the treasure hunt storyline.

I'm really happy with the way they handled Kyle dealing with Jesse. Again another example of a storyline that would drag out for seasons on other shows.

More backstory for Alex and Michael. My poor boys.

Love Maria giving us a more balanced view of Rosa. Who I am really looking forward to seeing in S2.

Yep, so many examples of how out of the loop people are keeping Maria. And we know it's just going to get worse. I really need for them to give her an opportunity in S2 to really rip into everyone for keeping her in the dark.

And Jesse fucking Manes. Just about everything he says makes sense. He's actually right about aliens. Even right about there being bad ones. But we also know that he's a violent, vindictive dick.

#roswell new mexico #Roswell Nm #roswellnm #rewatch-larenoz

[sacks-of-kittans]

Do a long ass Ino post

Are you even ready for that

I love Ino so much.

ALRIGHT We ready!!

Her lessons

Learning to respect people you found weak

Showing kindness to people will help them grow

Move on from douchebags that dont give you the time of day

Learn more than what is expected out of you

You’re probably thinking how? How is this secondary character can matter this much. You can “it’s not that deep fam” all you want but hear me out.

She stops babying Sakura during the fight. Do you y’all know Millie and Nina from code geass? Millie is always trying to protect Nina, but Nina sees that as a sign of weakness and it boils over to the point of Nina being like “Shut the fuck up Millie” which was what Sakura had to do at chunin exams. Yeah Ino tried saving Sakura and saved her from bullies but Sakura didn’t want to feel like Ino’s burden. Even though they weren’t “friends” Ino never stopped caring for Sakura.

Her kindness help Sakura grow. I bet Sakura as a four year old wanted to become a ninja cause Ino was. And Ino was like yeah go girl! If Ino wasn’t the first pillar of support how far would Sakura go? Would she make it through the bullies making fun of her forehead? And I bet the rivalry kept the two going. Ino made Sakura more than a one diminisonal fan girl! Yeah they’re we’re fighting over a crush but there was more than that. A power struggle, clan vs no clan. Born Confidence vs grown confidence.

And the last lesson moving on from a douche bag. Sasuke never really talks to Ino all that much and I wish they did because given the shot things would have gone better for the both of them. But they don’t. Sakura gets with Sasuke and damn he’s kinda a bad parent. Almost kills his daughter, hasn’t seen her in years, talks to naruto but not his wife. Sakura haters could be like “he didn’t want to live in the village” he could have brought them and kept them away from the dangerous parts. What about salads schooling? Well she’s learning how to be a ninja in a “peaceful world” I bet traveling would be cool. Remember he wanted to expand his clan again and had Sakura do it, and then just bailed like he did back in the good old days. The writers milked ino’s crush as much as they could but remembered they made her apart of an important clan and needs a kid with someone else. SO SAI off brand Sasuke. As much as I wanna be angry about those two being put together, they end up being the best parents in Boruto. Fight me. Temari and Shikamaru are good, yeah the hitting was comic relief, but we domt get to them hella supporting shikadai during a real low moment but they still do.

Design

Now she’s the character wth long beautiful hair, hot bod, and style. She’s confident, smart and even though the show tried to make her “mean” her scolding did have improtsnce most the time unless the writers were really just sucking.

At first she is seen in purple her out fit mirrors Sasuke’s. She had long blond hair but then cuts for the sake of a fight she should have won.

A lot of her casual clothes have orange in them which always makes me wonder if Kishi wanted to make her design more orange based. I also feel like we see her in her casual clothes a lot. Which makes me feel like appearance wasn’t all that for her.

Her part two outfit had more skin. It was easy for her to move around in. Her hair doesn’t bother her. Yeah idk why her belly has to be out but it is.

Blank period they reduced her to being a booby character

Like her tits were a decent size and then BAM look at them. I feel like the writers did that to her because of the backclash of giving Hinata boobs so they wanted another booby character. They made Ino and Sakura jealous of Tsunade’s boobs (pretty sure it’s filler but it’s not a stretch) and then bam now she got titties. I also feel like Ino doesn’t look like herself. It might be the make up. BUT HER HAIR why is she fighting with all that hair loose it’s gonna block her field of vision. It just seems like the two gifs I use are two different characters. I still like her.

Boruto period she looks like Ino again. With more hair and have aged. I would have love to see a bun attempt to change up her hair or a braid. I felt like the show felt they needed to change her and did but also not.

DEVELOPMENT

Part 1

We first meet her as Sakura rival. Even though the show wants us to see them as equals there is a power imbalance. In the chunin exams it’s flash back time. Sakura is shy and insecure and Ino is confident and ready to protect. She later accepts Sakura as her equal, not due to strength, but due to seeing her determination. Let’s face it, Sakura wasn’t physically kick anyone ass during that time. But that’s not even the kicker to her development, she even looks up to Sakura for training under Tsunade and asks to train with her. We see her in fillers which I did enjoy cause she needs to be in the show more. One of the fakest things of the show was trying to call Ino a peep who gets all the boys cause Lee and Naruto loves Sakura but nobody was crushing on Ino. She’s just too hella cool for everyone.

Part 2

So I’m gonna start at that chunin 2 filler. She worried about Sakura not wanting to do the chunin exam without naruto and Sasuke but she should do it so she will get ahead. Like Ino is always ready to help Sakura. So they’re all chunins and Ino and Sakura are besties but still feel insecure about each other with their nicknames. She looses her sensei who tells her “never lose to Sakura in love or fighting” which in my opinion could work shallow or deep. It annoys me that her crush on Sasuke is still relevant, and still comparing her to Sakura. However that’s all we know about her in the show, her rivalry with Sakura isn’t really forgotten until Boruto. In Boruto she defiantly won in love, fighting maybe not so much. Yeah she still an awesome fighter but Sakura was in the final fight I’m pretty sure so I’m sorry it just does. We do get a lot of InoXKiba teasers this part of naruto

Of course that’s the only thing I could find with the gifs. She also keeps being exactly the opposite the writers want to make her. She’s suppose to be a girl obessed with her looks, mean, bully like, but she’s always making sure Sakura is fine and training. The writers just refuse to use her in actual fights. Then the war arc happen and she was really good. She was really important fighting her sensei again, the weather kid, and Madara. She loses her father but still remains strong throughout the war.

Blank period.

Hella hot. But at this point we know how naruto ends so they had to explain how Sai and ino end up. I just wish there was more. At the end they tried shoving Hinata and Naruto down. Temari and Shikamaru had decent development. They just don’t know how to write romance. I’m glad for that one scene but I wanted to see the date. Is the blank period arc done? I hope there’s more.

Boruto

She’s a good mom. She’s a good wife. She’s a good flourist and I’m pretty sure she has her dads old job.

Relationships

Shikamaru and her

They’re like the mom and dad of team ten. They could have ended together, lazy genius with beautiful girl getting him to move would be cool. But Temari and him are cool too. They try to better Choiji together

Choiji and Ino

Even though she jabs at him a lot I feel like she would protect him against others. I wasn’t totally seeing them marrying each other just cause they’re more like siblings. Choiji even joins Ino and Sakura hang outs which I find cute.

Sakura and ino

I feel like I said enough. I do feel that Ino is the better friend cause she’s always helping Sakura or even fighting her. But I feel like the outburst of rage she has is just the writers trying to give her a flaw. Ino fucking loves Sakura to pieces

Naruto and ino

Should have more screen time together even just fillers they’re funny.

Sasuke and ino

If he just talked to her more I feel like he’d cope with naruto being hella cool more.

Lee and ino

Should have talked more. Like asking her how to impress Sakura. As a part 1 filler Ino could try and set them up so she could talk to Sasuke, shallow yeah but it’s be funny episode.

Temari and ino

In Boruto they seem to be friends but Christ it would be funny if they talked more. Ino would try to get something embarrassing about Shikamaru and bring it to team ten meetings.

Hinata and ino

They seem to talk. Ino is always protecting Sakura and Choiji but Hinata should have gotten some, then again Ino probably had her plate full.

Tenten and ino

During the war arc I think Ino takes away the fam that takes up to much power away from Tenten to save her. I feel like they would be close cause Tenten and Sakura are a lot alike.

Kiba and ino

We see him save her during the war arc, he tells her to stop crying over Sasuke. I thought it was hidden jealousy but no we just don’t get to see them together. It would work. Pretty girl whose got an attitude had outdoors guy who tries to get her feet dirty. We all watch that movie.

Sai and ino

They need expand it more in the before setting. Yeah they work in Boruto but I wanna see how they got that way.

She was a cool likeable character that if you put her with anyone it would be a enjoyable moment to watch.

Conclusion

She’s my fav

#ino yamanaka #naruto #ask #anon

[thefoxesboxes]

A Gathering of Guys

Time to get back into the saddle on these reviews! This one has been a long time coming, something I honestly meant to review many months ago. But, between teaching English and travelling around the world, this writing fox has had a significant decrease in available brainpower. Did watching this movie for a second time help? Will it have passed the vulpine standards check? Look under the cut to find out as we discuss the “First R-Rated CGI Cartoon”, Sausage Party.

To begin, I will preface two things. First, I love animation. The creativity and freedom that can be made from almost any kind of animated movie has always been an easy way to make me happy. Look at movies like Zootopia, Spirited Away, and even Aladdin. These movies are each dramatically different in tone, style, and overall thematics. But they’re all some of my favorite movies. Even if I think CGI is overdone in the modern animation market, it still doesn’t detract from my love of watching something creative and fresh.

I also don’t mind movies that are using raunchy or vulgar humor. A movie like Deadpool can make me laugh pretty hard at the stupid jokes and over the top violence that it employs. A movie like this should use the language and themes to push the style of the movie. Is it a violent story with a murderous mercenary hell bent on revenge? Yeah, dark and violent, but add in the fun. These things can break up the movie into a more manageable tone than most people would like. Look at the difference in things like DC and Marvel, or new Ghostbusters and old Ghostbusters. That’s a coming review, by the way.

So the big point is that this movie is awful. It’s a raunchy and joke filled movie, but it’s never creative. It’s like someone took the movie FoodFight and pushed up the production quality and age rating. The movie is graphic, violent, and full of warnings for mature content and imagery. The whole movie tries very, very hard to make sure you know that this is mature and grown up.

Maturity, in this sense, means something that says the word ‘fuck’ approximately 1.85 times a minute, often in heavy bursts. Maturity is something that makes incredibly sophomoric and heavy handed assertions about the nature of religion and real life interactions between thousand year old cultures. Mature is when you have the movies plotline come to a screeching halt to constantly point out how edgy you are over and over again. Mature, in this sense, is being a 15 year old on Reddit screaming about how you took the red pill and don’t believe in things like religion, man.

There is nothing really mature here. At all.

“Just the tips” What the fuck is a tip? Your finger? Why does a hotdog have a glove but the lady doesn’t? Save it. It’ll keep.

But let’s talk detail. First, the movie has a song. It’s not a bad song, at least for how it’s written and sung. It’s really mostly just kind of tuneless and shifts a lot into ways that obviously want to invoke religious worship songs, but doesn’t do that very well. The song does a great job of setting the tone of this movie, which is “Religious people are dumb, ya here?”. It’s not really something I want to get into, but it slides nicely into the hotdog bun of hatred I have for this movie.

The writing.

As mentioned, the writing is self-congratulatory about the idea of being R-rated when it doesn’t know what that should mean. It decided to go out of its way to be a cartoon about hotdogs and sex before seemingly having any direction, as the world itself and characters are all over the place. Do they make any particular point using food that couldn’t be done with a different material? Nope. Do they make timely or classical references throughout the movie? Well, Meatloaf plays a singing Meatloaf. They make a “To Sir with Love” reference, which intrudes on one of my absolutely favorite films ever. Saving Private Ryan? Not exactly timeless.

But the writing reflects worst on characters and dialogue. While the voice acting is, mostly, fine it’s really just the characters are a bunch of assholes. Remember that scene in Star Wars where Han Solo doesn’t believe in the Force and Luke lectures him despite having learned about it that afternoon? That happens about atheism. Our beef tube hero who’s name I really don’t care to remember (it’s Frank) learns that the Gods are evil people who eat them! Oh no! So he immediately starts bashing everyone for believing in the Gods that he believed in until literally an hour ago. He makes no good points, he seems ridiculously hypocritical, and he’s just kind of a douche.

A running theme in this movie, the main villain is a literal douche. A douche who gets a tear and loses his douchey fluids, so he needs to replenish them to restore his superpowers. This begins with him forcefully and graphically violating a damaged juice container in a way obviously reminiscent of forceful oral sex. This scene was the first one that was simply disgusting, including him commenting that he’s “Juicin’ up” to reference steroids. A rape scene, classy as hell. This only continues as this literal douche walks about to murder the main heroes will constantly repeating the same joke over and over again. His plans involved him being able to teleport, his reason for revenge was almost understandable, but being a rapist murderer really made me not care about this villain.

Also. This joke. Five fucking times.

Other than the Frankfurter Hero and Douchey Villain, we have side characters. Jewish Bagel, Mexican Lesbian Taco, overly voluptuous hotdog bun, Muslim/Middle Eastern lavash, gay Twinkee, black grits, and Firewater. These stereotypes are the closest thing to characters that exist in this film and they mostly exist pretty much solely within those roles. They exist to either be stereotypes, be annoying, or try to poke mature points at the concept of geographically interconnected regions and classically dependent cultures having feuds with each other. But let’s talk about that in terms of the world.

These foods exist for, what, a week? They exist in the same aisles, for the same goals, and often have to interact with each other for their entire existence. Their existences, mind you, which are created for explicit purpose. Why do they have different viewpoints of the Gods, to the point where it is this disseminated? Is it to make a point about the rapid distribution of altering ideals among short lived humanity? I don’t know, it just seems to be extremely crass ways to point out that these things exist and are stupid. Again a running theme.

The last major theme I want to mention is consistency. A world needs to be made in a way that follows an internal logic. Yes, magic should be explained, a world should be detailed, and even comedy should follow some form and function. If there is no law dictated within the world, then there’s no reason for me to really pay attention to what you’re doing. It’s all just whitenoise for the pretense of having jokes.

This movie fails worldbuilding with a capital F and a giant minus. The food is alive, so are douches and some other inanimate objects! But things like shoes and ladles are not, why? Why isn’t the knife alive? When we open up a thing of off brand Mentos, each of those little mints is alive. Is this things ass full of living organisms that will proceed to exist in total isolation until released?  If I make a sandwich, is it a composite of painfully attached different creatures to each other? They did show that composite foods exist as a single entity, so does that mean that pushing cheese and wheat germ together creates a new living entity? The entire idea doesn’t make sense when you show that some things would require the painful things to exist. Pizza, sandwiches, all of it. How does it work? The movie doesn’t tell you.

This line here indicates that the peanut butter, married to jelly, is only alive as it is the container. But why isn’t the bag the hotdogs were in alive, or the box? There’s no sense to be had in this madness. Just extremely dry hotdogs.

Not that the external world is any better. Remember in Toy Story where the toys could move and had to very specifically hide that fact? Yeah, this movie says fuck it. Some of the foods move and we see people view it as a hot dog rolling around. But then the hot dog gets up, dodges, ducks, dips, dives, and dodges. They even stab a hot dog standing up in the middle of the air, or they can run across the street. Do people see them or not? It’s pointed out that they need to be literally high on bath salts to see the  food moving, but then can the food interact with the world when not on bath salts? How come the food never moves and people don’t notice it? Why do I even watch anything attached to Seth Rogan? Why did you ruin my night, Seth?

This isn’t even getting into the ending. The movie ended two separate times at the end, once when the orgy of murder happened, and once when the orgy that murdered the movie happened. There’s a full orgy, it takes actually 5 minutes to get through. Does it add to the plot? Nope. Does it push anything? Nah, it’s also the scaled down version from the honestly horrifying original script Seth Rogan spent years drafting up. Fuck him so much.

There’s also a murder orgy where the food kills everyone. Apparently we can’t beat hotdogs. Who knew? A guy gets turned into a testicle puppet by the douche, carries a giant revolver that apparently has 8 bullets in it. They make Terminator and Wizard of Oz references. A merry time was had by apparently a lot of people that aren’t me.

Also, the food smoke weed that is… Apparently not alive? Why is the marijuana not alive? Fuck it. Probably some stupid point.

The main point is this. The movie contains many flaws and

Fuck this movie. Fuck you Seth Rogan for your grinning assholery. Fuck the critics who think this movie is an insightful and raunchy godsend so they can openly enjoy cartoons. Fuck the idea that this movie grossed tons of money and will probably get some kinda sequel or spinoff. Fuck the media that believes that maturity is the juvenile banter of an idiot who cannot stop dragging his political diatribes into a different subject. And fuck this movie for killing any chance Kubo and the Two Strings had of being a financial success.

Summary? This movie is crass, brash, vulgar and tasteless. It’s also somehow not brave enough to say anything that has any real merit or in a way that’s unique. It’s a movie obsessed with its own egotistical idea of being the ‘first’ but has no idea of how to make that something worth seeing. This movie is just a waste of time. It’s a mix of immature and well past it’s expiration date.

#sausage party #movie review #review #bottom of the barrel #angry #animated #fox box season 3 #I will be here

[websitesls364]

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time

Some believe that online dating is useless and desperate. Others swear that it is the best way of meeting a partner in the modern age. So, the question has to be asked, is online dating a waste of time?

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Book

What Is The Success Rate Of Eharmony

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Meaning

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Crossword

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Meme

Is Online Dating A Waste Of Time

Fm Static Waste Of Time

My Review of EHarmony. A few months back, I got an e-mail offer from EHarmony that was impossible to refuse. Their service is normally anywhere from $12.95 to $60.00 per month (roughly) depending on how long you sign up for. ($13 per month if you sign up for a year, $60 for one month) They ran a special a few months ago that I was able to sign. The eHarmony site also launched an app for easier and quicker access from anywhere at any time. The eHarmony app is available for both Android and iOS users and can be downloaded at no charge. Other websites may be more fun and may help you meet more people to go on dates with, but if you are looking for THE ONE, it could all be a waste of time. On the other hand, the money spent on eHarmony may be all worth it if you find your life partner. Mar 19, 2015 By the time I realized this, I couldn’t cancel my subscription. While I realize that I should have read the fine print, and totally am fine paying for 6+ months I’m not going to use, the whole process felt very scammy. So, with eHarmony- if the product works and you find love, you still pay for it. EHarmony: Waste of time? I signed up for the Black Friday deal. 6 months for $45. Figured it was a pretty darn good deal so why not, right? So far it’s been a.

No. Online dating has been proven to work for people for the last 25 years. Your success depends on what dating platform you use and whether you use it correctly.

When done right, online dating can thus end up saving you a lot of time.

However, this requires that you choose a platform that fits your goals. You will also need to avoid some common mistakes that many singles make when they match with someone.

I am going to show you how to avoid common online dating mistakes and how not to waste time dating online. You will also learn how to make it an effective tool, rather than a desperate measure.

Know what you want

The most important rule for not wasting your time with online dating is to always be clear about what your goal is.

Tinder is a great app for quickly going on dates and matching with people at a rapid rate. It is however horrible at producing relationships that last more than 1 month.

As such, Tinder is a great dating app if you are looking to go on dates quickly, and you don’t care about establishing a long-lasting relationship. However, if you are looking for a long-lasting relationship though, Tinder will be a massive waste of time.

If you are just looking for something casual, you can read my guide on how to approach Tinder dates here.

Match.com is a great platform for finding other people who are looking for a more serious and long-lived relationship.

The site is better than its competitors at producing long-lasting relationships. As such it will be a time-saver rather than time waster if your goal is a lasting relationship.

It will be a complete waste of time to use Match for hookups, but it can save you a lot of time when looking for a lasting relationship.

If you are looking for a long-term partner, I have written this guide on how to test out Match.com for free.

Premium sites like EliteSingles and eHarmony are great if you are looking for marriage with a stable and compatible partner.

eHarmony produces some significantly stronger relationships than offline dating has ever done.

On the flip side, these sites will be a waste of your time if you are just looking for a relationship without having plans of ever getting married.

If your end goal is marriage, I have written an in-depth comparison of Harmony and Elite Singles here.

Show what you want

Many people who date online do so because it makes conversating easier.

This is fine, but it does not mean that you should only be communicating through gifs and smilies. This will lead to you having endless “conversations” that have no substance that does not end up going anywhere.

If you are interested in someone, you should establish trust and connection so that you can meet in real-life. This is because the goal of online dating should always be to meet offline. Thus, if you want to meet someone in real life, make sure that you communicate this clearly to them.

The reason online dating is depressing for some is that they do not pursue real-life meetings. They end up getting hooked on matching, as this validates them and can be great short-term entertainment.

Not only is this a waste of time, but it is also addicting and bad for your mental health. In extreme cases, it can even make it harder for you to have proper conversations with desirable partners if you ever arrange a date.

You do not have to act overly formal with matches, you are meant to have fun. The point is that you also have to show a genuine interest in getting to know the other person. You need to do this by genuinely asking questions and letting your match talk about themselves.

By taking initiative, asking questions, and showing what you want you can avoid making online dating a waste of time. You also stop it from becoming a self-damaging vicious cycle.

Show who you are

This is something many get wrong. When dating online it is important that you are honest about who you are. If you don`t, this will end up decreasing your chance of finding a fitting partner, and thus wasting your time.

Most people on dating sites are there to get to know potential partners. If you converse back and forth and find out you could be a good match, the next step is a real-life date.

If you go on a date and it turns out one of you is a vastly different person from who you said you were online, things will not end well. You, like most people, would probably be offended and annoyed if this were to happen.

Even if the date does not end as soon as it starts, chances are low that it will lead to anything long-term. Starting things of with lies is a massive red glad, whether you are on the receiving end of them or not.

Presenting yourself as someone you are not on dating sites will lead to you wasting your own, as well as other people`s time.

Do not get hung up on people

Sometimes you are going to hit it off well with someone online. Then, out of the blue, they will stop showing interest.

You might get ignored or the person might start acting indifferently towards you. They might also not be willing to meet in real life, despite showing interest in doing so previously.

If this happens you can end up wasting a lot of time if you get hung up on the person.

The best thing to do in this case is to outright ask how they feel about the situation.

They might be going through a hard time or be busy. They might also not be interested in you and tell you. If this happens it is only good that they told you so that you can act appropriately.

If you are unlucky, someone might lead you on. It can be acceptable if they cancel a date once (even though this is a red flag in itself). If you agree on a second date and they no-show or cancel again, do not bother with them.

These types of people will not be worth your time. There is also a decent chance that they are in fact a scammer (as I have explained in my article on the dangers of online dating.)

Conclusion

Is online dating a waste of time? No, as long as you go about it correctly.

When it`s done incorrectly, It can be an endless and addicting way of wasting your time (and money).

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Book

As long as you are aware of the pitfalls outlined in this article you will be able to avoid this, though.

Know what you are looking for and make sure you are using the appropriate platforms. Then, show what you want and take the initiative to move things offline as soon as possible.

By the end of the day, online dating will only be as much of a time-waster as you make it.

If you want to learn more about how likely internet dating is to lead to marriage, continue by reading my article on the subject here.

What Is The Success Rate Of Eharmony

What you’ll learn on this page:

eHarmony Review: Why eHarmony is better than Match & okCupid

Learn how to message women on eHarmony & have a date by this weekend.

Downloadable Templates that improve responses by 800%

See clear examples.

The latest eHarmony discount promo code – 2015

eHarmony is perfectly suited for Men of any age who:

► Are Getting back into the dating scene after a long relationship ► Or want to start dating more attractive women ► Live in the either the United States, Canada, United Kingdom or Australia

eHarmony vs Match: Fight!

eHarmony did not start out as my favorite dating site.

But I’m in the middle of my 150 Date Challenge now and more than half of all my dates come from eHarmony and I’ve grown to really like it.

Don’t get me wrong, both Match & okcupid are good and I use both but the results I’ve been getting on eHarmony are better and many eDatingDoc Academy students are having the same experience.

HOWEVER, if you don’t use the site properly, you’ll get crappy results.

Ahhhh, but have no fear.

Below, I’ve compiled all of my eHarmony specific secrets & best practices for you to use. The devil is in the details so be sure to pay close attention.

eHarmony Review: Why is eHarmony so good?

Quality of Women

Lack of Competition

I skeptically joined eHarmony thinking it wouldn’t be very good. I read over & over again that eHarmony was a waste of time from several different PUA’s (that’s pick-up artists) This consistent low view of eHarmony in the PUA community is exactly what I think has made it so good. The douche PUA guys don’t recommend it, so the PUA minions don’t flock to it, so there is less competition and the guys that do join are just regular guys (not PUA’s) that lack online dating training. So when my academy students join they dominate the website and easily meet the women they are most interested in. On top of that the women only receive a small number of matches per day so they literally can’t be bombarded by messages like they are on other dating sites.

Ok, Let’s get started with the eHarmony specific details:

Lesson #1: Making first contact: eHarmony Email Tips

There are a few ways to make contact on eHarmony but you’ll only use two of them.

Quick Questions (This begins the guided communication)

eH Mail (This skips the guided communication)

Send a smile (Never use this)

Secure Call (Never use this)

1. When to use the eHarmony guided communication quick questions:

Start with the quick questions if the girl is somewhat close to your “league”.

2. When to skip & go straight to eH Mail:

Go straight to eH Mail contact option if she is a way outside of your “league” or you are REALLY interested in her.

Note: You know, how we give women a number, like “WHOAH!She’s a solid 10 baby!” In person, you may be a 8 or 9 but if you haven’t been through the eDatingDoc Academy then your “online number” is probably much lower. A good sign is if you are not getting responses from the women that you know would like you in person. If this is happening to you, there is a 100% chance you are doing something wrong so check this out after reading this guide.

How to use the Quick Questions with Examples

After you send your quick-questions, she’ll respond and ask you 5 quick questions in return.

You could select the multiple choice answers like most guys do.

And you could pack your bags and call it a day.

Because that’s why most guys fail – doing what every other guy does…

Here’s what to do instead. (This is powerful so don’t disregard it)

ALWAYS CHOOSE“Write your own response” (examples below)

This works SO well yet is so simple.

Always write out awesome responses.

In terms of getting women to move on to the next step. Writing my own response worked 8 times better than choosing multiple choice answers. That’s an 800% increase.

I know, I know

This would take a ton of time if you have to write out a great response every time but you only need to write an awesome response once.

Then save it to a word document so you can cut & paste that answer when the question is asked again by another girl, and it will be asked again.

And to make it even easier for you.

I created that word document for you. Here is The eDatingDoc Quick-Response Blueprint for eHarmony with the top questions women ask and example answers.

You can use the examples as a guide but definitely add responses that are authentic, true to your life & personality. Here are the examples in the download.

(fu)

eHarmony Quick Questions & Answer Examples

If you were taken by your date to a party where you knew no one, how would you respond? ►Start twerking and wait for the ladies to crowd around, oh yeah! (or not)

On Saturday night, would you rather go to: ►I like to change it up but I’m going Downtown for the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity event with some friends this Saturday. (It’s a great cause – do good while having fun!)

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Meaning

Would you rather date someone who is: ►So damn amazing that every time you walk away I make a fist, reach up in the sky and say LORD help me! Then lean over to whoever is around and say, “Yup – I’m dating her”.

Which sort of date sounds like the most fun to you? ►A comedy club sounds like a good idea. You know what makes the comedians even funnier?

When in a relationship, how much personal space do you generally find you need? ►I think personal space and having one’s own time is important to making any relationship work.

If I had a bad day, what is the first thing you would do for me? ►I’d say awww baby, give you a big hug and kisses then do the sexy man shuffle in my speedos (Surprise!)

Your idea of a romantic time would be: ►A wine and Vosges chocolate picnic at the park in the evening.

Your idea of adventure is: ►Finding a hidden pirate ship in a cave 🙂

Which of the following quirks would bother you most about your partner? ►Squeezing the toothpaste from the middle so it looks like it was attacked by a monkey. (/fu)

Remember to be balanced!

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Crossword

As you can see, some of my answers are playful while others are straight forward. I can’t emphasize this enough! If you’re too playful your results will tank because she’ll think you’re childish. If you’re too serious, you’re results will tank because she’ll think you take life too seriously and can’t have fun!

Advanced Tip: Have a conversation within the quick-question response area to build more of a connection.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

Her interesting response to one of the quick-questions:

So when she sends me her quick questions, I made one response into a mini conversation by mentioning what she just wrote.

This builds more of a connection and makes the guided communication process even more interesting.

Making you the Most Interesting Man in the World… well at least on eHarmony.

Lesson #2: – eHarmony Makes or Breaks

The next step in the guided communication is the Makes or Breaks.

Not a big deal right?

el Wrong-o!

Pay attention because these can communicate a lot about you.

Especially the Breaks.

For example, I’ve seen guys select these breaks:

What does this communicate to the girl?

That you’ve probably been cheated on, you have trust issues because you were cheated on, there was probably a reason you were cheated on and she doesn’t want to waste her time finding out why you were cheated on….

The best breaks to select are centered around the type of person she is internally not how she is with others.

There are a few exceptions.

Lesson #3: – eHarmony Dig Deeper Questions

This is the final step of the guided communication before you make it to eH mail.

Eharmony Is A Waste Of Time Meme

You must type out your response to these questions.

Time to shine.

Most guys reply with boring answers at every step that scream “I’m lazy and I’m boring!”

Is Online Dating A Waste Of Time

But you?

Hell to the NO!

Your answers will sometimes be silly… sometimes be intelligent and informative but never DULL & LAZY.

And just like the quick questions, save your responses (to the eDatingDoc eHarmony Quick-Response Blueprint) so you can just cut & paste that answer when the same question is asked again by another girl. And like I said before, it will be asked again.

To make that easier & clearer, I listed the top Dig Deeper questions women ask and included example answers to each of these.

If you didn’t download it earlier, click here to get it..

(fu)

eHarmony Dig Deeper Questions & eHarmony Response Examples

Tonight you can do anything you want, no penalties, no reprisals, and the cost is unimportant. What are you going to do? ►Run around and knock a bunch of shit off all the shelves at Walmart while it’s really busy and yell “Whoaaaaaaa Yeaaahhhhhhhh.”

What do you think are the three best traits you have to offer a partner? ►A sexy sexy beast, laid back & logical. An example of my superior logic: Mom says, “Alcohol is your enemy.” Jesus says, “Love your enemy.” Case closed.

Fm Static Waste Of Time

What is the most adventures thing you’ve done in the past year? ►I drove across Europe for 2 months checking out 11 countries. Awesome experience! Had a beer at the same bar the character Robin Hood was based on drank at in the year 1100. Pretty cool.

What are you looking for in a relationship partner? ►You have depth and a good heart, You don’t get your happiness through material possessions, not to get too mushy but someone that’s affectionate, you’re balanced so enjoy nights out.

They say life is about simple pleasures, what is your simplest pleasure, and how does it make you feel? ►Playing basketball with friends – It’s this physical thing to push myself until I’m destroyed and I sleep like a baby and wake up rejuvenated. That and perfect Apple Pie.

What is the best thing an ex could say about you? ►That I changed her life for the better.

If they were making a movie about your life, what would it be called and which actor would play you? ►It would be called “I’ve never done that – Let’s do it!” of course it would be played by Brad Pitt.

Describe your parents’ relationship with each other. ►They have an amazing relationship: My mom recently convinced my Dad to change the horn on the car so it makes gunshot sounds. People move out of the way much faster now.(/fu)

Lesson #4: – eHarmony Mail

I’m throwing in a secret right now for the guys that were not lazy and actually read this far.

I call this step “Squash the Slackers”

I recommend combining the previous step with this step every single time.

So instead of sending the girl your 3 Dig Deeper questions within the normal eHarmony process. You instead skip to the eHarmony mail and send those same questions. (Example email below)

Women are very interested in your answers to their 3 questions. So you’re still answering them but you’re making it more interesting and doing something no other guy is doing. You’re also shortening the long process and making that first email come very easily. Now you don’t have to wonder how to start the conversation. This email does it for you.

Here is the sample eHarmony email to send when you skip this step:

Now you need to send the next few emails & get her phone number. This is where my 3×5 email system comes in. See item #2 in the quick-action homework below.

Your Quick-Action Homework for a great date in less than 7 days on eHarmony:

Sign-up to eHarmony – Here is the special registration page where you can try it for free. If you use this guide you will want to continue the membership so use this (2015 Discount Promo Code : EHCODE12)

Follow this guide you just read when contacting the women you’re interested in & you’ll have a date with an amazing girl this week.

[icecreambat]

Story time: Dating everyone in P5 turned Joker into a sociopath

The first time I ended up dating more than one girl in a Persona game, it was an honest accident. I’d already imprinted on Chie in Persona 4, and had no idea comforting Yukiko during her social link would turn me into a two-timing douche. A quick save-state reload rectified this mistake, but it taught me an important lesson: in Persona games, monogamy is not the limit of your teenage life.

As Persona 5 rolled around, I grew fond of Makoto on my first playthrough. With her on my side I experienced the Phantom Thief thrill ride, maxing my social links while gently turning other girls down. It wasn’t until the NewGame+ that I wondered: wouldn’t it be interesting to try the multi-dating thing? That way I could fast-forward all romance scenarios and not watch them on Youtube later like a loser, duh. If this game was intentionally giving me the opportunity to be Tokyo’s biggest Don Juan, then by Mona, I’d do it!

Little did I know, though, that as I embarked on a quest to bag all the single ladies* the whole atmosphere of the game changed. What had been a more or less generic adventure about truth and justice took on some… rather disturbing undertones, ones that went beyond the actual dating scenarios. In fact, the game turned out to be such an interesting social experiment that I wanted to write about it, so here I am. So, this is a recap of how dating multiple people in Persona 5 turned my Joker into a sociopath.

* except for Makoto, because a) I already romanced her before and b)…. it didn’t feel right, her being my first and all. SO SUE ME I’M A LOSER AFTER ALL

So. Here we are again, moving to Tokyo, whoop de doo. NewGame+ means not having to waste days on working out the ropes, so you can focus on the stuff that matters: getting as overpowered as you can in the least amount of time possible. For me, this meant maxing out Kawakami’s social link as fast as I could, because her bonuses are pretty swank – I really could have used the post-Mementos or post-palace massages during my first playthrough too, but kinda forgot about her right after Operation Maidwatch. Well, no more! I was bringing that teacher home left and right at every possible instance, so obviously I ended up maxing her link first. Ergo, we entered a relationship. 

I’m not gonna lie: the Kawakami romance is some weird (and arguably illegal) shit. Maybe that kinda set the tone of this adventure from the start, giving me an mc who was 100% ok with romancing his homeroom teacher slash part time maid. Uh… huh. Given that my suspension of disbelief went out of the window right about there, it was easy to pick the “omg i totally like, care about you and stuff” dialogue options that went with it; I mean, I was doing this for science and stuff, no big deal.

That’s why it surprised me that when it was time to romance the next (un)lucky girl, I felt like shit about it. Not because of Kawakami, but because Ann wasn’t some ludicrous dating option pulled out of the “lol what if we let the players date everyone!!” shitpost book. Instead, Ann and the mc had already been through Some Shit together, best friend suicide attempts and sexually abusive PE teachers included, and she was a teenage girl looking for her place in the world. So when Ann confided in me about her feelings and told the mc she loved him, “returning” her feelings –while knowing I was already dating my…. uhh, homeroom teacher slash part time maid– genuinely made me feel like the absolute scum of the earth.

“I can’t do this,” I thought at this point, “Even if these are fictional characters in a fictional game, I feel like shit lying to these girls that I care about them, because obviously that’s not true if I’m so callously dating someone else behind their back. How can people do that in real life if I can’t even do it in a video game? Oh, naïve me! Because my lesson in the callousness of man had only just begun.

Anyway, so. Here I am, dating Kawakami and Ann. I think I figured that lying to my teammates didn’t Feel Very Good so headlining for randos seemed like the better choice to make next: Ohya the reporter ended up being the third girl I romanced, and it was relieving she seemed to understand the unlikely nature of our relationship. “I get that we probably won’t stay together forever,” she was telling me, almost like she knew she was only the third wheel in my extended trailer truck, headed to nowhere fast; the same kinda goes for Tae, the punk rock doctor, whose reservedness somehow made it easier to ignore the serial cheater vibes in the dynamic.

Chihaya, on the other hand, was different. Seemingly a little younger than the other grown-ups, she was already a lot more straightforward about her interest in the mc, and harbored all sorts of weird fantasies about them staying together forever. Which is exactly what I told her would happen. Not! Funny that for a fortune teller she couldn’t see I was also spouting this same shit to four other girls, huh? Chihaya reminded me of Ann, in a way, which is why the Bad Feels actually started to resurface here – it’s one thing to lie boldly in the face of girls (women) who aren’t really that invested in you to begin with, but when it’s people who actually believe said lies… well.

Now, I know, I know. There’s no actual reason to feel guilty, because these choices don’t affect the gameplay in any way. Whether or not the mc is an asshole in some ways will still result in everyone loving the shit out of him, and being sad when he leaves. Sure, there’s the scene after Valentine’s Day where you get beat up for being a cheater and the girls kind of call him out on it, but that’s about it; this isn’t Mass Effect, you can’t go full renegade, etc. etc. But even if the game barely acknowledges the clear disparity in the mc’s words and actions, it’s really hard to overlook as the player, and as I said, it kinda changes the tone of the whole game.

You see, during the course of the story the mc ends up establishing a whole bunch of social links: Ryuji, Yusuke, Mishima and even Sojiro are but few of the guys you end up making heartfelt bonds with too. Only problem is, once you go the Lie Route with the girls, the mc hardly comes across as any more honest with the guys – and this is what really puts a spin on his reliability. Everyone’s always going on about what a great guy he is, but none of them know what a quadruple-timing, lying asshole he is at the same time. And why would they? All he does is tell people what they want to hear!

Apparently the devs of Dream Daddy wanted to challenge the notion that this kind of behaviour automatically leads to “good endings” in visual novels, because it only makes the mc seem a little sociopathic. Sure enough, that’s exactly the word I would use to describe how my mc started to come across in all his social interactions in P5. Well, not all, actually; there was one character whose exchanges with the mc came across as genuine even when virtually nothing else did. Yeah, you guessed it: Akechi.

I’m taking a brief interlude here to talk about Akechi, because my social experiment with the mc’s romances actually ended up underlining how similar he and Akechi are as people. It’s what the game hints at continuously with the whole ~two sides of the same coin stuff anyway, but the point really gets hammered home when you repeatedly watch the mc fake his way through life just like Akechi puts on his own double persona (pun not intended). In that sense, it’s only natural that the two would recognize each other as equals, and that their interactions ring more sincere than any other discussion they have in the game.

But back to serial dating, if you will. After Chihaya, I started dating Hifumi the shogi girl, but to be completely honest I sort of mentally fazed her out; with every new girl I tricked into dating me, the initial unease seemed to diminish until I couldn’t remember what had made me feel so disgusted in the first place. I mean, I was already lying to so many people, what did it matter if I lied to one more, right? It’s not like I actually hung out with anyone ever again after I “entered a relationship” with them, and it’s not like my actions carried over to pre-scripted cutscenes, so who cares, right? Nobody (well, apart from a physical game engine) was forcing these girls to believe my bullshit, so really, the fault was theirs for being so gullible, right!!11

…Well, I might have been able to go along with that type of douchebag logic if I’d only kept dating randos. Since I skipped Makoto, the next girl I got cozy with was Futaba… and this is where the skeezy-ville started to nag on my consciousness again, because like with Ann, you know that Futaba’s been through A Lot: she basically spent the past couple of years as a hikikomori, convinced that her mother committed suicide because of her. Trust is a really big thing for her, so throwing a cheating mc into that equation gets really ugly when you think about how he gains that trust just to betray it. When you add in Sojiro, you’re essentially screwing both of them over while pretending to be a happy little family. If you take these events at face value, it kinda makes you wonder: seriously dude, what on earth is your damage?!

If that wasn’t disturbing enough, we finish with Haru. She is also running from one abuser but, if dating a cheating mc, kind of ends up in the arms of another. Although she enters the story fairly late in the game, it’s no less shitty to listen to her be so grateful for your “support”, knowing you’ve sat through variations of this scene with half a dozen other girls already. I just kind of kept staring at the mc’s poker face (pun not intended, again) while wondering how much worse it seems that none of these choices affect anything tangible in the game, even when the whole theme is helping other people (and shitty authority figures, sure, but mainly helping people).

And you know, it’s really that endless poker face that gives the whole thing such a weird ass vibe: this is a 17-year-old kid who’s moved to Tokyo for a year, and ends up constructing a meticulously crafted fake personality that has everyone treating him like the greatest guy on earth. If you perceive this as the intended story (as opposed to the mismatch of a fixed script and optional gameplay choices that it actually is), Persona 5 suddenly becomes a story much darker than its original premise. Who is the real mc, and why is he doing any of this? What is his actual sense of truth and justice, if he spins it so grotesquely to suit his given situation? How troubled does he have to be for this kind of behaviour to emerge, and what caused it?

I know getting busted on Valentine’s Day is played mainly for laughs, but when you put all this together it’s obvious just getting dumped doesn’t even begin to cover the actual consequences of the mc’s actions should have. For the 100% fake personality he’s clearly constructed up until this point, how anyone can still follow him into the depths of Mementos is beyond me. But hey, I know we’re not operating on earth logic here.

Still, as I mentioned, this levels the mc with Akechi a lot – suddenly it’s very hard to condemn Akechi, even in theory, for the route he ended up taking in life, because isn’t the mc basically doing the same thing? Taking advantage of as many people he can to advance his own ends, with the only difference that he ended up on the winning side? Not only that, but it makes it harder to root for the “good guys”, knowing that you’re not a good guy – you’re just some guy with a big enough charm stat to make people follow your fake ideals, whatever those might in reality be.

Personally, I was also surprised at how easy it was to go from “this is horrible I hate this I can’t lie to these girls” to the “eh whatever, I’ve done this long enough that I’ve distanced myself from giving a shit”, then back to “oh shit oh shit this is so wrong” over the course of a single game. I know this sounds like a hyperbole, but in that sense I’m… actually not that surprised at how people find themselves ignoring those same patterns in real life. Which is why it’s so disheartening there’s only one scene dedicated to the consequences; it would be so interesting if there was something more tangible to remind the player that yeah, you’re entitled to picking these options, but it does turn the mc into someone pretty damn messed up.

I mean, damn – by December I’d maxed out all my social links, and suddenly had shit all to do, and because I couldn’t sit through a single fake date with one of my fake ass girlfriends again, I ended up making my mc train every day and night just so I had something to occupy my time between going out and murdering things in Mementos and/or a palace. Watching him do shirtless pull-ups in his room I sorta realized: Oh my god, I turned my mc into a high school version of Patrick Bateman. This game sure took a turn.

So I suppose the point of this story time is that while dating anyone in P5 (and most Persona games, I’d assume) is ultimately only a gameplay element meant for the player’s extra entertainment, sometimes those seemingly superfluous gameplay elements can turn into unintentional story elements – in this case, an experiment of how easily lying to one person turns into lying to everyone, and how sometimes it’s not that easy to tell at what point you stop being genuine at all. Wow, them video games, huh? Always a source of profound inspiration.... or something.

#persona 5 #idk what to tag this #maybe i'll add a new category for my rantings #and call it #story time #ok for the sake of archiving i'll also add #meta

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

CSUAVS prt 46 start

Finding Lance was easy, he was leaning against the wall a few steps away from the dining room doors. With his mask pulled down, he had one hand over his mouth as he leaned his forehead against his bent arm "I know I shouldn't have snapped. It's just Pidge being Pidge and trying to show she's happy for us. This on me, not her" "No. Yes and no. You're not the only one who wanted to be able to tell people when we were ready" Turning, Lance leaned his back on the wall with a sigh "I know. I wanted to... it wasn't a great secret, but everyone we told respected us enough to not make a huge deal. I wanted to talk to Hunk first. He knows something awful happened on that prison ship. Then Pidge... Like, when I was ready. And you... you just got outed in front of everyone for dating me" Walking over to Lance, Keith nodded as he flopped himself back against the wall to stand next to his boyfriend "I don't care. I have no idea how we're going to work out any of this if we're both working seperate jobs, but I know that I want to be with you, no matter how frustrating you are" "Well that's great. I'm frustrating and you're gay" Looking to Lance, Lance had a smile on his lips "Tell me something I don't know?" "I wear a size 10" Keith raised an eyebrow, Lance lifting his right foot to roll his ankle and show off his boot "I didn't know that" Shrugging, Lance seemed to be doing better than he thought he was. Especially if he could crack a joke "You asked for something you didn't know" "I know I did. How do you feel? Do you want to talk about it?" "There's not much to say. I snapped at Pidge. Pidge caused me to snap because she doesn't know I'm messed up in the head. I'm still angry, and now everyone knows we're dating... I'm sorry, babe. If I hadn't freaked..." Nudging Lance, Keith slipped his hand in Lance's "There's nothing to be sorry about. I was the one teasing you in the alcove. I have no idea how Pidge managed to hear us" "The gremlin probably built some super spy tech she wanted test and then heard us by accident" "That does sound like something she'd do. I swear I didn't know she was coming" "It's ok. I mean, if I'd known, it would have been something else to be a douche over" Keith rolled his eyes. So Lance wasn't crying because he internally berating himself "You're not being a douche. You're shaken up. We can totally skip out on dinner. Go back to my room, eat the metric ton of chocolate I had your mum pick up for us. Take that bubble bath?" "Yeah... I mean, I'd like to say yes, but if we don't go back, it's going to be worse. Pidge and Hunk are going to be asking if we're alright. We're getting to get smothered all over again. Coran can keep a secret, but he often blabs when it comes to comforting someone else..." That was true. Lance had nearly blurted out they were married. He'd been literally ticks away from saying so. Coran probably wouldn't have someone to interrupt him in there "So you want to go back in?" "I don't want to but that's, you know, part of being adult" "Being a adult is over rated. Can I hold your hand?" Laughing at him, Lance pulled him off the wall, stealing a quick kiss "You're already holding my hand, mullet" "I know. I want to hold it when we walk back in. I've waited so long to tell everyone you're finally mine" Lance's smile wavered "I'm sorry... I should have..." Shit. He didn't mean it like that. He wasn't trying to accuse Lance of anything. He needed time. They still needed time "No! No, babe. I mean, I'm so fucking proud to be yours. That's all. I love you" "I love you, too. I'm sorry, you couldn't tell everyone sooner because of me. I'm still... I don't know. I know I love you, but you know how it goes. First comes kisses, then making out, then sex... and I don't know how to cope with that... I didn't know how to cope with... earlier. I wasn't.. disgusted. You know that right? You don't disgust me. I just wasn't expecting it... or to, you know, react to it. I don't know what to do" Tugging Lance up to him, Keith wrapped his free arm around him "Babe. I don't expect you to do anything at all. And I think this is a conversation we need to sit down and have. We can work out what's ok, what's too much, and what makes you feel good. I want you to feel good" "I want you to feel good too... What was happening in your dream?" Keith hadn't meant having the conversation here, ok... he could do this. They probably weren't expecting them back at all, and if it helped him calm, then it was worth it "Well... You don't get to laugh, ok" "No laughing. I promise" "Have you ever had a dream where you wake up in it, and you think you're actually awake?" Lance snorted, Keith growling "Not laughing. But yes... mostly back on Earth" "I had a dream I woke up with you in my arms and I was horny as hell, but when I went into the bathroom you caught me as I came. Then you said you didn't want to run away anymore. I was eating you out, kind of moaning your name and woke up when you threw those clothes on me" Lance shivered against him. Keith's words had tumbled out in one long embarrassed mumble "Shit... that's kind of..." "I won't make you do that" "No... no... ugh... I was going to say hot. I can see why you... Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Let's just go back to dinner?" "Are you ok, babe?" Lance smelt aroused. It wasn't strong, but it was enough for him to want to whisk him away "Mmm... yeah... you can smell it. I can hear you sniffing" Sniffing was bad. Quiznak. Sniffing was bad because Galra had repeatedly commented on Lance's scent and now he kind of felt like was acting like they had "Sorry. I promise I won't do anything" "I know you won't. Ok. Let's head in..." Dinner had continued without them. Their barely touched first courses had been replaced with cooling soup for the second course. Pidge was now talking, arguing, with Zak over some tech thing. Daehra and Lucteal were whispering to Coran. Shiro had his "worried dad" face on, but that softened when they walked back in the room. Possibly warned against making a scene, Pidge continued talking to Zak as they took their seats "Sorry about that. I'm sorry for losing my temper" No one expected an apology from Lance, but being Lance, he couldn't help himself. Leaning in, Keith kissed Lance's temple "It's ok, babe. Let's eat?" "Yeah..." Slowly picking up on conversation, Keith covered for the lapses in Lance answering. Fine tremors seemed to be running through his boyfriend without his mask up to protect him from the smells of the room. Hunk was staring at them like he was confused, as he had been before they'd taken those few doboshes, but Shay was happy. Congratulating them politely, Keith was reminded why Shay was the best out of the partners around the table, not including Lance. Curtis could be grumpy. Veronica was scary. Kolivan didn't speak, and Ezor was Ezor. Shay was always soft and genuine, yet fiery when she needed. Curtis earned himself a mental demotion with no clue at all... but none of them compared to Lance, and he wasn't dating any of them, so his opinion really didn't matter that much. It was all Lance's fault he was even thinking about everyone else. His boyfriend had made him realise how weirdly shallow his world was, or was he not shallow because simply accepted it all, as long as his friends were happy... Now he just needed Lance to eat a little more, and things would be prefect. Keith knew the Galra across from the table weren't a threat, Lance knew they weren't a threat, but the slightest loud scrape of cutlery from had Lance inching closer to him discretely. Or it had been discretely. Lance was nearly in his lap now. His shaking had only grown worse. Nudging him gently, Lance looked paled as he faced him "Babe, do you want to go back to our room?" Nodding, Lance placed down his cutlery clumsily "Sorry, I don't feel very well" "That's fine... Mum, Lance and I are going to grab his stuff from the Telula. We'll see you later" Krolia nodded with a kind smile that didn't reach her eyes as she realised Lance didn't look well "Of course. It's wonderful to have you here. If you, or your team, needs anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask" "Thanks, Krolia. Thank you for dinner. Sorry guys, I'm still a bit wiped out from work. Breakfast tomorrow?" Posing the question to the table, Shiro's team and his both agreed. Speaking up for Lance's team, nothing got by Daehra "We shall accompany you to collect our own belongings. Thank you for your kind hospitality. Daibazaal is a beautiful planet" "We like it. Enjoy your stay. Keith, don't forget to let Kosmo out for the night" "I won't" He wouldn't forget because his wolf had already deserted him.

[drewxmay]

Contestshipping Review - Part Eighteen - Spontaneous Cumbusken

Previous

Next

Index

-The Title-

For this episode I actually finally figured out how to correctly spell “Cumbusken” and for a little fun fact about this episode, when it was originally released the people who made the episode title also accidentally misspelled it at “Cumbuskin” This was later corrected, though the error remained on the DVD version, foreign language dubs and when it re-aired several other times.

-Episode Link-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhohlPGa0Mg

-The Review-

0:00

The episode starts out with the narrator explain how everybody has finally arrived on Chrysanthemum island.

0:14

And Ceptile still can’t use any attacks due to last episode.

Ash: Hey c’mon you can do those moves, you just have to try harder! Get that stuff out of your mind and do it!

Drew: You’re just making it worse y’know.

Everybody: Huh?? :turns over to see Drew:

Drew: You’re not thinking about it from Ceptile’s point of view.

22 seconds in and he’s already here to scold somebody on their training ability.

0:33

and now the theme song was immediately finished when that happened.

Huh.

0:43

So now it’s back to that scene like the theme song never happened.

So Drew

Drew: Telling your Pokemon to try hard just gives them more stress, and you don’t need that.

Like if you just listen to the tone of voice he is saying this is he isn’t acting rude or anything he’s just giving advice and overall acting nice. Granted, that might be the new voice actor not knowing what he was supposed to do although I highly doubt it becuase of the music playing in the background.

0:50

May: Uh, hey Drew, :hold up letter: did you send this to me?

Drew: Huh?

May: See, I’d love to be in the contest with you... but mark me words! I’m gonna beat you!

Drew: Except I didn’t send that.

May: Huh?

Drew: Come on May. :flicks hair: You should at least know that that isn’t my style.

Everybody: We should, huh?

I don’t get the joke what does the Japanese version say

1:10

Drew: Truthfully I’m not even going to be in this Contest.

May: Huh? You’re not?

Drew: I’ve been in so many Contests lately my Pokemon have been wipes, so we came to Chrysanthemum island for a little RNR.

He’s been in more than five contest lately I wonder who he lost to them.

May: RNR? Go figure... :looks back down at her letter: But if you didn’t send me this... I wonder who did.

1:30

Now for the Team Rocket scene. skip to  1:59 if you don’t want to hear it.

So Jessie wants to enter herself and Mime.JR into the contest.

Also, James:

James: Jessie the point of a Pokemon contest is to show of your Pokemon not how you look in an evening gown.

and

James: If you’re going to be a fool must it involve the children?

1:59

So May is using Cumbusken and Munchlax to win the contest, so before she is trying to train. When Munchlax tries to use focus punch on Cumbusken, he jumps into the air and how of the way, but Munchlax keeps going forward with the focus punch, already being in the air and all, and:

2:16

I think it was intended that she ducked but it looked like Munchlax was just a little off to the side.

May: I’m so sorry! Are you okay?

Briana: Ya! But I’m not too sure about your Munchlax.

“Naw I’m fine"

2:28

May: “chuckles” Me and that Munchlax. I guess we’re a little overly hyped!

Briana: That’s becuase you lost in the Wisteria Contest and Munchlax wants to make up for it, right?

May: Now, how did you know about the Wisteria contest?

May you seem to forget that there are thousands of people watching contests live and probably even more on re-runs.

Briana: Yup! I was there, I really wanted to meet you becuase I thought you might’ve been feeling bad after the contest, but I couldn’t find you and I left the rose and card instead!

May: :Hold up card: So this card from from you?

Briana: Yup! and now I get to meet you face-to-face in person! Oh ya! I’m Briana here’s a ro-

May: Munchlax how rude!

Hopefully they don’t do this to all of May’s roses. The roses are flowers that butterflies eat and the rose was meant for Beautifly.

It was totally meant for Beautifly.

Briana: Well at least we know that Munchlax likes roses too!

May: About the card, the confusion started becuase you forgot to put your name on it.

Briana: Huh??? :takes card: Oh! that’s awful! I’m sorry!

You know what I’d also like to point out that she only wrote one sentence on the letter put nvm that...

May: That’s okay! I thought it was from a friend of mine named Drew and I just asked him about it.

You know what it was only back in “Hi Ho Silver Wind” that he was Rival zoned now he is Friend zoned.

But seriously she considers Drew as a friend now.

Briana: you did???

Briana: You mean Mr.Drew’s here right now???

3:23

You know what May is being so nice to Briana she wanted to meet Drew :)

Also look at how anti-nipple this show is. Like he doesn’t need a towl shouldn’t he be swimming?

My brother: Why is nobody in the pool?

The water is completely still wtf.

May: See there he is!

Briana: You were right!  I’m actually breathing the same air he is!

Not from that distance you aren’t, unless you mean you’re breathing oxygen.

May: I could introduce you.

Briana: That’d be awesome!

May: :Both May and Briana start running over to him: Dreeeew!

Drew: Huh? :Looks over and sees May then sits up: May what’s up?

May: I’ve got a new friend! Her name’s Briana, and she’s a big fan of yours who became a coordinator after watching you preform!

Drew: :stands up: Wow you did?

Drew: Hey thank you!

You know what everybody keeps saying Drew is a douche and although he said some “rude” stuff to May that I’ve explained multiple times before to anybody else (That isn’t taking advantage of May like Harley) he is actually an extremely nice boy and he just seems to be trying to be nice to people, like for example Briana right here. He knows that he is a fan and probably has a lot of anxiety from meeting him so he’s just trying to be nice and all that.

3:50

Briana: It-it’s nice to meet you...

May: And it was Briana who sent me that card!

Briana: I didn’t sign my name and I feel like such a total fool!!!

Drew: You didn’t do anything wrong. May just made another silly mistake.

Back to the contestshipping I know and love. Just Drew poking fun of May.

May: Well there’s only one person like that that i know would send me something like that Mr.Rose!

Drew: Mr. Rose??? :blushes:

Rosellia: :Starts laughing:

Drew: Rosellia!

Rosellia: Throws arms up into the air: Rosellia!

I think Rosellia likes seeing her trainer in flustering situations

Like

Did you see that blush?

I don’t even have to explain it DID YOU SEE THAT BLUSH WHEN MAY CALLED HIM MR. ROSE.

4:15 May: :turns to Briana: Y’know, If you’d like to shake Drew’s hand I’m sure he’d love to!

Briana: Ya! Really...?

Drew: I’d be happy to.

Briana: It’s so awesome to meet you...

4:24

“You’ve done this before right?”

“And you talk too much.”

This is the most popular Contestshipping gif becuase of how out of context it can be taken.

Drew: Starts walking off: Bye! Good luck at the contest!

4:36

Max: :watching from a distance with and Ash Brock: Drew is such a weenie.

Those of you who read these and have never watched any of these episode will not believe how popular that line is.

4:40

Briana: Wow... he’s cute!

Briana: :turns over to May with angry face and tone of voice: So! It’s you and me!

May: Huh?!?!

Briana: I’m aiming for you in this contest and I’m gonna win!

May: But why me???

Briana: Look. I’ve seen every contest that you and Drew have entered and I know for a fact that you’re the only female coordinator he has respect for!

He also has respect for Robert who is a guy so

Also what about Solidad?

Actually know Briana doesn’t know who she is

And nor did the writers at this point I bet she was just a really ruched in character.

May: I didn’t know that!

Briana: Duh! I may be inexperienced and haven't won a single ribbon yet but one day I’m going to be a top class coordinator and Mr.Drew will respect me! And I figured that the quickest way to get his respect is to beat you in a contest!I’ve been training for this moment like crazy and I’m ready to go! So get ready for a fight!

You know Briana, you might’ve seen every contest that they’ve went to but you haven’t seen their conversations backstage or the exact reason why Drew respects May so much. Last time he fought he she was extremely inexperienced, the reason she respects her isn’t just becuase of how her capabilities have grown but actually talking to her and figuring out her personality outside of battles, and backstage conversations are also an important thing here too.

5:21

Max: Wow, someones after May again.

Like in order to undertand this you need to watch it just listen to max.

“Someones after May again...”

Like

“This happens every episode...”

5:31

Yay! The contest has started!

5:52

Drew is sitting next to May’s friends for the contest.

I find this notable you can figure out why.

5:59

And now for Jessie’s appeal round.

So it starts out with Jessie running onto the stage with some Hawaiian outfit or whatever. She announces herself as “Jessiebella”

James: Now there’s a stretch Jessiebella.

Okay I feel like I need to explain this joke becuase most people reading this don’t get it.

Every time Jessie enters a Pokemon contest she changes her name slightly, we all know this. “Jessiebella” doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch, but actually let me explain.

As everybody knows James comes from an extremely wealthy home, but what confuses people is “Well if that’s true then how come those three are always broke and how comes James is a team rocket member in the first place if he could just live with his wealthy and loving family?” and there is actually a very realistic answer to this.

So when James was around ten years old he has a Growlith. This will be important later. He met a girl named “Jessiebella”and being ten he got a playful crush on her. At one point he was playfully chatting with her and he playfully asked her to marry him as ten year old do.

Somehow they actually got engaged and would marry once James becomes Eighteen (He is Seventeen if you need my indefinite proof on that I’ll tell you if you ask), but Jessiebella is actually a bitch and at one point she tries to make him get red of his beloved Growlith. After that James was able to realize what a bitch she actually is and isn’t able to call off the marriage so he ran way from home and if he tries to go home he’ll have to marry the bitch.

Also, this is how she looks:

The only difference between her and Jessie is what she wears, her name, her personality, and she has green eyes not blue like Jessie.

BACK TO THE FUCKING REVIEW

6:10

So then Jessie releases Mime.Jr and it comes out spinning on their head. Hopefully Jessie got some cuteness points from that. After that Jessie and Mine.Jr do the tango and we get this funny scene:

James: Groove Mime Jr. !!!

6:49

Now for May’s appeal!

May sends out Munchlax and immediately tells him to use Solar Beam. Because the sun is visible he is able to pull it off immediately. Brock explains this, and Drew says “It would’ve been a god attack for a resort like this.”

I wonder if there was any way for May to know that the sun would be out.

May calls out for Metrenome.

Max: Oh why is she calling for that attack at a time like this!

Ash: It’s a chance!

Drew: It’s a chance, but I think it’s worth it. If she pulls it off it’s a showcase. It puts your Pokemon in a great position.

Once the attack finally pulls off it becomes rest. Munchlax falls asleep. May doesn’t seem to worry too long when she pulls out her Pokeblock it immediately wakes up Munchlax and he jumps into the air to catch it, and in order to have a soft landing he uses focus punch right above the ground. Her rounds ends.

8:44

And now for Briana’s appeal.

Briana sends out a Sirskit who uses Ice beam on the ground and turns it completely to ice. Sirskit uses Agility to glide across the ice, until it jumps into the air and starts spinning like a top. this gives it a soft landing on the ice and once it does get on the ice it continues spinning like a top. it suddenly stops and poses signifying that the turn has ended.

9:34

May and Briana backstage.

May: Briana! That was awesome!

Briana: Thanks! After I remembered Mr.Drew was watching, I got so scared. I bet I’ll never made it to the second rounds after that!

Well based off of your preformence you seemed to have complete control over your nervousness and that must’ve what made your amazing preformence.

May: You’ve got to be kidding! You had the audience in the palm of your hand! You’re going to the second round for sure!

10:00

and now for the scores!

How did May and Jessie get a higher score than Briana?

I’m seriously judging the judges becuase of this choice,

10:30

Max: Drew, how do you think May’s going today? (preformence wise)

Drew: Is she using Munchlax is round two?

Brock: I think she said that she’d be using Cumbusken.

Drew: Aww give me a break! Doesn't’ she remember that Munchlax’ Solar Beam Recharges quicker in the sun? Well that’s too bad. It would’ve given her a huge advantage. Sorry guys, it seem that May messed up again.

Brock (In mocking voice): Gee Drew why don’t you tell us how you really feel?

I swear my soul Brock HAS to be talking about Contestshipping.

10:55

May: Watch closely Drew, you’re going to see a win you’ll never forget!

Briana: We’ll see...

May: I’m finally going to be able to show Drew I’m a winner!

Briana: Come on May!

May: huh?

Briana: It seems to me your feelings for Drew go way beyond Contests and battling!

May (voice a bit shaky): Huh? Me and Drew? He’s just a rival!

Briana: Oh ya??? Well I wanna know if you like Drew!

May: Like him? To be honestly... I haven't given it much thought...

Briana: Well after I win this contest I’m going to tell him that I love him!

May: That’s fine with me aside from the “When I win this”  part!

Okay so this is the scene I’ve been waiting to review, waiting to talk about, waiting to explain what I’ve been saying sense the 12th review.

In the final scene of “Rhapsody in Drew”, May and Drew were talking. Drew said that he hoped to see her in the next grand festival, and told how how he and many other coordinators deal with loss. As he walked off May just stood there staring, and was extremely startled when Ash offered her the Ice Cream.

That is what Started what I’ve been calling “The unknowing crush”. She likes him, but hadn’t realized it. Little things like the letter. May was exited from the next contest, and that note made her even more exited becuase she’d finally have a chance to gain the respect from Drew, that in the back of her mind already knew she had, she just wanted to impress him, and didn’t really know why, or even realize it. That letter made her way more exited.

She gets exited to see Drew again, and feels as if she needs to impress him, even if she doesn’t know why, or even realize why. She knows she already has his respect, but her mind tried to make up a reason for why she was even more edited to go to the next contest. It never hit her that she liked him, until Briana had to point it out.

I could go on with this for much longer, but I’ll stop here. I think I’ve gotten my point through.

Jessie: All spare in love and war, but don’t you think you should save it for the battle?

Jessie: Ah young love. I’d pay to see a battle between you two!

May: This should be good, you’re be second round opponent y’know.

11:53

And now for Jessie and May’s fight.

May sends out Cumbusken and Jessie sends out Mime Jr. May starts it out by using Fire spin. When the fire spin starts going towards Mime.Jr, they dodge and uses Mimic. Mime Jr.’s Fire Spin hits and May looses points. Cumbisken uses quick attack and it’s a direct hit to Mime. Jr. Mime Jr. counters by jumping onto Cumbusken’s back and tickling him. May lost an extremely huge amount of her points by that. Mime Jr. uses Fire Spin again. When it hits Cumbusken it actually heals him, becuase he is a fire type. Cumbusken then uses Sky Uppercut on Mime Jr. and wins the battle at 13:35.

13:52

Small scene of Briana beating her opponent with Vibrava.

Food for thought: Sirskit evolves into Masqurain and Vibrava evolves into Flygon.

She might have a Budew as well but you are only supposed to use two Pokemon in this Contest.

13:57

Small scene where May defeats somebody by using quick attack.

14:02

Small scene where Briana’s Vibrava defeats somebody by using Dragon Breath.

14:08

And finally time for May and Briana’s battle!

The battle starts off with May releasing Cumbusken and Briana releasing Vibrava. May starts off by using Quick attack, but it is quickly stopped when Vibrava uses Screech. In order, to make the Vibrava stop, Cumbusken uses Fire Spin. This land a direct hit, and Vibrava then slowly pushes the Fire back with Dragon Breath before it dissapeares. When it does dissapear, Vibrava uses sand Tomb, which completely covers  Cumbusken's entire lower body in sand, making him unable to move. May begs for her Pokemon to get out, and suddenly, Cumbusken's top feathers and the sand starts glowing blue, and then Cumbusken jumps out of the sand with his feet also glowing.

*Cumbusken learned Mega Kick!

Vibrava uses Dragon breath which gets a direct hit on Cumbusken. Cumbusken then tries using Sky Uppercut on Vibrava, but misses. Vibrava attempts to completely cover Cumbusken in Sand Tomb, but Cumbusken uses Mega Kick which makes all of the sand go away, and while Cumbusken is falling back to the ground he plants his foot on Vibrava and slams the ground/dragon type Pokemon into the ground, knocking them out.

May wins the battle at 17:25.

18:08

You know what sometimes you just need to appreciate the backgrounds in Pokemon they are so beautiful but sadly don’t get much attention.

Briana: You were great, really great! I can see why Mr.Drew has total respect for your talent!

May: Thanks, that really means a lot to me Briana.

Briana: Tell you what, when I get my first ribbon then I’ll tell him how I feel!

18:25

Max: Hey you guys!

Brock: I had a feeling we’d find you two over here.

Briana: Oh no May it’s Mr.Drew! :hides behind May:

Ash: You two sure know how to have a great battle!

Max: That was a great win too May!

Brock: That makes three [ribbons] right May?

May: :nods: Hey Drew I was wondering you you thought of my battle skills sense you last saw me!

Drew: To tell you the truth, I think you got lucky with that Mega kick, so if I were you :flicks hair: I’d be really grateful.

May: Thanks.

Drew: Briana, that’s your name right?

Briana: Uh- yes sir!

Drew: You were good. Very good. It’s obvious you’ve trained your Vibrava well. It’s hard work making it all the way to Flygon, but I’m sure you’ll make it.

Briana: Gee thanks! I’ll work extra hard! :faints:

Max: He sure knows how to make an impression.

Brock: Like fingernails on a blackboard.

That made me burst out laughing but where did this sudden hatred Brock has for Drew come from?

19:12

Drew: Hey May.

May: Huh?

Drew: Just two more ribbons.

May: Just... curious... how many do you have?

Drew: What counts? I just figured in your case you might need somebody to remind you! :walks off:

-Conclusion-

“I’m hoping to see you back here next year to May.” - Rhapsody in Drew

“Hey, May, just two more ribbons.” - Spontaneous Combusken

May never forgot what Drew said after the Grand Festival. She never forgot how kindly he had said that to her. Now, she is blushing like “Oh my god I’m falling in love” blushing. After Drew has reminded her about those two ribbons, she was also reminded of what Briana had said and what he had said all the way back then. What Briana had said earlier made her finally start considering the fact that she has feelings for Drew. If I had to say anything about this episode, I’d say that this is the scene where May finally realizes her feelings for Drew.

Drew didn’t forget what happened after the Grand Festival either. He actually reminded her that she needed two more ribbons before the next Grand Festival he was hoping he’d meet her at. Their first serious romantic moment was on the beach after the Grand Festival, and now their here again with a whole new revelation on May’s part. Instead of being mystified at Drew’s sudden kind words she is standing there acting like a schoolgirl in love with her crush who is standing right in from of her. Just look and compare this scene to the scene after the Grand Festival, there has been character development, and there will be so much more.

To be completely honest no other ship in the entire Pokemon anime has come this close to being canon. Not Pokeshipping, not Penguinshipping, and not even Armorshipping, where they actually kissed. Pokeshipping came close, but it was more of a joke to the writers. Sure they had their moments, but it was mainly a joke. Penguinshipping felt forced in, like it came in during the episodes where Dawn was about to leave the show, and Dawn even rejected him in the end. Armorshipping is a similure story, Serena is about to leave the show and she kisses Ash right before she leaves. It felt like her crush came from almost nowhere, and it also felt like to most standered love story for a kids show. “This girl has a crush on this boy and as she is about to go she kisses him”. It isn’t even confirmed is Ash likes her back.

I honestly have no idea what to add onto this. Consider this the ending of the conclusion. :)

#contestshipping #may #drew #pokemon #pokeani #pokemon drew #pokemon may #trainer may #trainer drew #coordinator may #coordinator drew #shuu #haruka #shuuharu

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

It's cool cos we're like, adventurers: Cameron and Donna go about things differently than they normally would in "Adventure", or, a H&CF recap

The fifth episode of Halt and Catch Fire is named for a computer game that everyone (or, a good portion of the Cardiff staff) gets sucked into; in the end, the coders who cheated/re-coded (?) their way through the game are the only ones who get to keep their jobs. It is Peak Halt and Catch Fire Metaphor, in this case for an episode where our main characters are initiating or escalating a different sort of game, and finding out what kind of players they are. J*e toys with his father (and also Bos, who only has one scene in this ep?), unwilling and also not really able to see him, and vacillates between behaving as obnoxiously as his father does and trying to be a better, kinder type of executive. Gordon steps out of his hardware geek comfort zone and attempts to wine and dine his father-in-law and Japanese executives, and it works out in the end, but just barely, and because he begs for help. Ultimately, both seem to recognize their limits.

Donna gets very little screen time in this episode, and most of it is with Hunt, of all people (RosaDiazEyeroll DOT GIF). Her parents are all over this episode, though they interact more with Gordon, and the way Donna gets eclipsed feels significant. When we do see her she's making French toast for her father's birthday, or making peach pies for her parents' barbeque. Ever the perfect wife, she even buys her father a putter and tells him it's from Gordon. All of this elaborately sets up Gordon's arc, in which he decides his p.c. is worth asking his douche of a father-in-law for a round of golf so he can ask him to set up a meeting executives from a Japanese tech company.

By contrast, Donna's scenes with Hunt are one-on-one, with no major professional stakes. Echoing J*e's evil boss act, Hunt yells at Donna for not submitting the right report, and then after she explains that the report is under a supplemental report, he snaps at her for not putting the report he wanted on top. Let that sink in -- Hunt yelled at Donna because he's so entitled and incompetent that he couldn't shuffle through a stack of papers; again, how is he her boss? (LOL jk I know how, it starts with a 'p' and ends with 'atriarchy') -- but later he calls her at home to talk about it, just after Donna has hung up on a drunk Gordon who's panicking about offending the Japanese executives. (Which sounds mean, but anyone who's been paying attention can see where Donna would be tired of having to endlessly listen to and reassure Gordon.) Hunt compliments her work and her efforts, and then he apologizes for taking his frustration out on her. They have a weird conversation about 'peach pie' (…..), and because Donna is so starved for halfway decent conversation with a vaguely grown up, emotionally responsible person, she gets out and ~plays her electric piano~ that night. Which sounds funny and like a cheesy, too on the nose metaphor, but this is one of the first times we see Donna by herself, not doing some kind of domestic labor, and it's when she starts to lean into and enjoy the tension between her and Hunt.

It seems like Cameron is always doing what Donna wishes she could do (as in, what Donna wishes she could do professionally, not in terms of 'piano playing'…), and this episode is no different. Cameron spends most of "Adventure" assertively claiming credit for her work, arguing with coworkers, and figuring out how to get herself promoted. She comes back from a business trip (which she understandably worries was another of J*e's set ups, even without really knowing what happened in the previous episode) to an office full of new people and a short lecture on how corporate and tech culture don't accommodate anxious introverts who'd rather do all the coding on their own so that they don't have to try to communicate with other human beings. She goes directly from the lecture to The Kill Room where Gordon and his team are coming up with the most ridiculously cliche geek culture names for her code. "Excuse me? I wrote the BIOS. I name it. Lovelace." After she reminds them that Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer ever, they test the BIOS and it turns on. They pop champagne and congratulate themselves; Cameron skulks out without a word before they can offer her some, though she probably would've had to demand that from them, too, to get any.

In the following scenes Cameron struggles to adjust to having a new boss, fellow coders, and, as America's Next Top Model Host Tyra Banks might put it, not being the prettiest girl at school anymore. Meaning, Cameron isn't the only young misfit software writer at the office anymore, and it's both inconvenient and genuinely emotionally challenging for her. The writers and Mackenzie Davis quietly add considerable depth to an already compelling character here, addressing and unpacking a lot of gripes that unsympathetic viewers continue to have about Cameron. We see her interact successfully, if awkwardly with Lev and especially Yo-yo, who invites her to a group hang, and she hesitates; so yeah, she's anti-social, but she's also scared, and seems like she really isn't used to people not judging or looking down on her.

She interacts far less successfully with her new boss, and yeah, she doesn't respond well to authority -- but with how both the boss and J*e treat her ("no need to get your panties in a wad"; "If I've given you the impression that because of this thing we've got going on that you're entitled to special treatment…") , she frankly has good reason to not trust them. (And yeah, I'm gonna be That Bitch and point out that neither of them would have spoken to a male employee that way.) And yes, Cameron in an entitled young white woman (though lets be real, no one would be calling a white boy genius entitled), but she also is apparently qualified, it's just that she has to be unattractively forward about showing it. File under: Before You Write Cameron Howe Off As An Unlikeable Brat.

Of course all of this sets up Cameron's unexpected meeting with J*e Sr., which is surprisingly satisfying despite being miserable and uncomfortable. We see a retread of the pilot scene where J*e figured out that the way to get to her is to paternally and warmly praise her work; Cameron is characteristically ~sassy~ with J*e Sr. until he tells her, "When my guys came back to New York they couldn't stop talking about this prodigy named Cameron Howe!" She's skeptical, and then he says, "They said you're the modern Ada Lovelace." Boom. In the next scene they're having drinks. It's going fine and Cameron is adorably geeking out over how J*e Sr. worked with Grace Hopper until he figures out that Cameron's father was killed in action while serving as a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam. Anyone who's lost a parent who actually took care of them feels Cameron's reaction. She excuses herself, and J*e Sr. smiles unctuously. Because of course he’s been playing her.

Cameron figures it out though, and it results in her eventual triumph. Or well, she mostly figures it out -- she uses her very real grief to act all wounded and emotional and pump J*e Sr. for more information, before calling him out on trying to manipulate her into convincing J*e to see him. I'm pretty sure J*e Sr. was trying to poach her because it would hurt J*e, and that Cameron is still underestimating just how comfortable they are with turning people into pawns. She gets what she needs, though, and the following day she uses her rarely seen practical knowledge to dazzle J*e into giving her her boss' job; in effect, she figures out the (corporate bro) code, and rewrites it into her promotion. Cameron is slowly learning what someone like Donna already knows about corporate structures and dealing with male upper management. Now they just gotta figure out how to not sublimate their ambitions into pesky crushes on the upper management!

Stray bytes:

I love how all we see of Cameron's business trip is her spending Cardiff's money on hotel amenities. #incharacter I still have weird feelings about her not knowing what a concierge is, though

The opening montage is brutal though, did you see J*e trying to put on his shoe? Reminder that yes, he's an out of control abuser, but that J*e was the victim of p*lice violence/brutality. The beating he got in the previous episode was no joke.

J*e, who lied his way into a company, forced it do his bidding, and nearly destroyed it, calling Cameron 'entitled': L M A O

Today in "Oh my G-D Gordon STFU": "I'm not the one screwing Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" You're not in a position to judge anyone's sanity OR sex life, GORDON, also just accept that Cameron is WAY OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE AND WOULD NEVER DATE YOU

How do we feel about how the show portrays the Japanese executives? Total Orientalist-type nightmare, or am I being overly-critical?

The storyline with the Japanese and their apparently strict corporate etiquette is very Mad Men, which is fine with me, tbh

"Donna was right, you're all hat and no cattle!" Speaking of which, Gordon is officially Halt's Pete Campbell/white dude who has ridiculous sounding outbursts, right? ("Hell's bells, Trudy!" "Not great, Bob!" "It's a shameful, SHAMEFUL DAY!")

As much as Gordon annoys me, his in-laws are terrible to him. Like, Susan really believed the putter was from Gordon? Gary thought Gordon wanted to spend time with him?! W T F. RICH WH*TE PEOPLE ARE SO WEIRD.

Compare Cameron's 'I name the BIOS' with Donna's facetious, "Don't you mean Susan Fairchild?"

According to the internet, a helicopter crew chief's primary job is to maintain the helicopter itself. Cameron's dad was basically a helicopter mechanic, which makes so much sense, if anyone needs me I will be tearing up over the idea of Cameron coping with her grief by taking apart computers as a kid

"You're both disgusting." Cameron Howe, Computer Programmer, Game Designer, and Misandrist

Steve, on Cameron: "She's got a real attitude problem." #THATSMYGIRL

The scene near the end where J*e seems to quietly panic at the idea of Cameron meeting his father. This…is textbook childhood abuse stuff. Just saying.

I'm just gonna say it, ICYMI: petition to make 'playing her electric keyboard' a common euphemism for female masturbation

‘It’s cool cos we’re like, adventures’: Be Your Own Pet, also fronted by a bratty, skinny, Southern bleached blonde known for heckling her own openers actually wrote a song called “Adventurers” back in 2006. How weird is that?!

#new season starts in 2 days and the world is exploding but i'm all 'let me keep recapping tho' #again no cut for accessibility #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson #the h&cf rewatch #halt and catch fire s1 #1x05 #adventure #halt and catch fire to the max originals! #hacf to the max original recaps

[blackbatpurplecat]

My Thoughts on “Wonder Woman” (no, not that one)

As you know, I saw Wonder Woman on Friday. So yesterday, I thought I should sit down and watch the animated movie Wonder Woman from 2009. ‘I’m sure it’s cool. Most of the animated DC movies of the last decades were cool. So lemme check it out!’

...

...

...

What the hell was that?!

What the flying fuck, how did they manage to make a Wonder Woman movie that sexist?!

Okay, so on the surface, the animated and the live-action version sound similar: We have an Amazon war at the beginning, then we spend time on Themyscira and watch Diana train, Steve crashes his plane being chased by enemies, the women use the lasso of truth to interrogate him, Diana joins him on his way back to the outside world, she needs to get “normal” clothes, is excited to see children, plans to defeat the God of War, Ares, and sees that not all humans are bad because that’s what Steve taught her.

And that’s where the similarities end.

So after the war at the beginning of the movie, Hera turns Ares into a mortal by putting cuffs on him which only a God could destroy. The Amazons imprison him but he makes his guard fall in love with him because women are so easily conquered by sweet words, right? No matter how awful and murderous she knows the man is. He and the guard escape and head towards the outside world so Diana wins a tournament to accompany Steve back to New York. They find out that Ares is planning to open a gate to Hades and they try to stop him. Diana gets knocked unconscious and instead of stopping Ares from entering Hades and unleashing chaos and hate, Steve saves Diana and gets pissy when she punches him for that.

So Hades breaks the cuffs and Ares begins to wreak havoc. Diana can’t take him alone but luckily, the Amazons arrive! Ares raises an army of zombie Amazons to fight their sisters. Eventually, Ares gets struck by a lightning and Diana beheads him. The battle is won, Ares now serves Hades, the Amazons return to Themyscira, and Diana and Steve start a life together with her being both Diana and also Wonder Woman.

A summary of the movie doesn’t sound so bad but more details and especially the dialogues make this an awful mess of a film!

I think they tried to give us a feminist and progressive movie but holy shit did they FAIL at that! The Amazons are brave and strong and extremely capable warrioresses but they lack compassion or love for the arts. One Amazon is being mocked for reading a lot. Why?! You are Amazons, you’re not mindless slaughter machines!

Also the movie’s message towards the end was all women want to have kids and a family, and for that, they need to give up their careers. You can’t be both a mother AND a warrior, oh no, you need to give up one option. Ugh. Seriously?! You’re telling me an Amazon frees a murderous, treacherous God and betrays her sisters and practically dooms the entire planet for the chance to have babies?! Hippolyta had a baby and didn’t need to a man for that so what the hell?! Or just, I dunno, tell someone that you want to have babies and a family so you can talk about it and find a less deadly solution.

And the main shitty thing about this film is Steve Trevor!

Steve Trevor is a disgusting chauvinistic pig who keeps talking about Diana’s 'rack’ and in one scene even tries to get her drunk and then moves in to kiss her. Luckily, Diana apparently can’t get drunk and punches him in the face. Oh God, I can’t stand that douche. When they try to make him sympathetic by saying hE’s OnLy A wOmAnIzEr BeCaUsE hE dOeSn’T wAnT tO gEt HuRt, I shook my head. Nope, this is not how it works, my sympathy isn’t that cheaply earned. He also can take Diana in a fight because YEAH SURE THAT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE! It’s not like Diana is part of a tribe of ancient, god-like warriors who surpass Man in almost every way. She needs to kick him in the balls to take him down. I facepalmed so hard.

There’s also absolutely no romance between Diana and Steve, yet at the end, they kiss and get together. Of course. I mean he did say he cared about her which I didn’t buy since they never talked and he kept trying to get into her pants. But Diana is a female character so she needs a love interest. A woman is nothing without a man after all. Ugh!

I appreciate that we got scenes of Diana teaching a little girl how to fight and beat some mean boys, that she demanded an apology from a mugger, and kept calling out our world’s sexism. BUT Steve liked to interrupt her or respond to her observations with sarcasm, making her criticism appear as if she was overreacting. In one scene, he tells her to ‘get over it’ when she repeatedly expresses distaste for his foul language. He also had a wonderful mansplaining monologue when his ego couldn’t take being called out for being an ass anymore and instead of thinking about his awful behavior and how he represents men, he called the Amazons pretentious cowards and basically yelled ‘NOT ALL MEN.’ Classic. And it ends with Diana apologizing to him. Are you kidding me?!

There are some good points about this movie though: the voice-acting was solid, the animation was nice, we got some good, pretty brutal and bloody fight scenes (warriors are getting slaughtered on-screen, people lose their heads, it’s AWESOME), the interactions between the Amazons are quite nice, and Wonder Woman (for the most part) as well as Hippolyta are portrayed as progressive. Btw Hippolyta is the best character in the movie! She is proof that a woman can do whatever she wants. She can have sex, she can be a mother, she can be a warrioress, she can be a leader, fierce and compassionate and wise. Loved her! (but why the hell did they write in a child ares had forced upon her?! that didn’t serve any purpose! oh right, a movie about women needs at least one rape-related plot point. sorry, DC, I forgot how you roll.)

Diana was as I said for the most part well-written. Not as naive as the one in the live-action movie but wiser, more steadfast and fierce. But she falls victim to bad writing when it comes to Steve.

Seriously, if I had grown up on an isolated island and THAT Steve was the first man I met, I’d be like ‘do your worst, Ares, destroy all of humanity. they’re scum!”

In conclusion, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this movie. Maybe watch it to compare how far we’ve come since then or if you want to see more of the badass Amazons. But prepare yourselves for cringy scenes and sexist bullshit.

#Personal note #Wonder Woman #review