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jetgirl1832 · 5 months

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20 Questions More

This is a deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. @nottawriter hit me with a tag, I have been attacked lol.

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship / fandom? A dash of shower thoughts, with a pinch of I watched a movie and couldn't help but think... Yes, that will work. They often feel like the come from nowhere.

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good? That's not fair how dare you ask me this!!!! Uhhh I'm mostly reading Supercorp stuff these days sooo... @jazzfordshire, @mycatismyeditor, @fazedlight, @innamorament0, @scribblingpunk, @fyonahmacnally to name a few. AAAAND my co-author and a vast array of things @tomatopudding! Why? Idk, I just get drawn a lot to these works and think they're lovely, and I love their depictions of these characters I love.... with @tomatopudding we just vibe very well, sharing the same five brain cells helps.

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write? If we're talking Supergirl... That's so hard, but I might have to say Brainy and Nia if really pressed... and Alex. I really enjoy Alex.

Otherwise, my other faves include all of the Les Amis from Les Miserables (if you know you know), specifically Courfeyrac and Marius and their hilarious dynamic. Other faves include Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton, Eponine Thenardier and... This could go on for a very long time, are you sure you have time?

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you’d never write about? Which ones? Not putting Kara and Lena together just makes me sad... So Supercorp ftw all the way, they are my top (I am a lot more amenable in other fandoms I've written for)

Tropes... I'm unlikely to do Omega-verse, I haven't done it and I can't see myself starting even if I sometimes read it.

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?

When I worked in retail I wrote on stupid little scraps and probably lost about 75% of them. Sometimes the method is hand writing, and then typing and making edits during that process as well. The handwritten can vary drastically from the typed draft lol.

I tend to fly by the seat of my pants unless someone is keeping me in line. I'm pretty darn chaotic.

I doubt myself a lot, so I always think whatever I write is garbage no matter how much proof there is that's not true. Also, sometimes I get burnt out, or my muse dies and then I feel terrible. Yay.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process? Falling down rabbit holes, looking into fun topics. Likely ending up on a government watch list for the stuff I've searched up over the years

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic? Uhhh.... hmm. I have no idea what the weirdest is lol. Cause it's on my mind, probably looking up what types of wood are easiest to chop, and why. (There is definitely weirder, but I don't remember right now).

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)? Commas. They hate me, and I hate them.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why? Oof. Uhhh... This is so hard! Honestly there is a lot of stuff in my co-written very long series Hamilton Family Album that was *a lot* between research and feels.

Especially when you're co-author hits you with unexpected feels out of nowhere that you weren't anticipating (YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID).

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely? Of course, they have. It happens all the time.

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why? Ohhh... Hands down Kara and Lena, I wish they could be my friends and we could hang out. Why? I think that they are absolutely incredible, wonderful and I could just sing their praises for ever.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing? Oooo, I'm a sucker for fluffy romances, and I've been dabbling in smut recently. Other themes for me can be like found family is a really popular one for me.

Since I've written both a lot of Les Mis and Hamilton stuff (among other similar things) I've done a lot of "Modern AU's" as well, which are uhhh varied to say the least. If I can treat anything they way the treat most Shakespeare pieces these days I do it.

13) What’s your most important resource as a writer? Asking for help! Soundboarding with other writers, I love doing it. It helps me make sense of my ideas... Or decide they're maybe too out there (almost never lol)

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work? Reading it out loud, I have a hard time noticing errors otherwise. Asking someone you trust to look it over as well, take your time and double and triple check if you're unsure about something.

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic? D. All of the Above

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it? I try to just write for myself, usually because I haven't seen something like it and think it should exist. I do really enjoy getting comments if only because I'm always curious to hear what readers think about my work.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character / ship? I don't, and if I did it would be odd... I'm the most massive theater nerd. I do have songs that I think fit the vibes, and some shows I listen to have more apt things than others. Or if it's Les Mis it's the whole dang album lol.

Supercorp things if anyone is curious (and wondering how odd it could get): Mercury Rising from Lizzie, Come Home With Me, Anyway the Wind Blows, Wait for Me and Wedding Song from Hadestown, In A Crowd of Thousands from Anastasia, Origin of Love from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Maybe I introduced you to something fun today.

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it? Oh dear... I don't know. The thing I'd love to see art for isn't up yet and I just think it would be fun but it will be called What Was I Made For... And we're gonna leave at that for now.

19) How many WIPs do you currently have? I'm finishing up You've Got New Followers (One chapter left!), I think three other WIP's (two more plotted than others) and my WIP for May-Hem... So five?

20) What’s your advice to new fanfic writers? Don't be afraid just because you've never done it before. That's why fanfic is amazing. You can do what you want and in reality no one can stop you, just make sure you're having fun.

My fics: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/works?page=1

Tagging but no pressure: @tomatopudding and @innamorament0

#les mis #les miserables #supercorp #kara x lena #kara danvers #kara zor el #lena luthor #katie mcgrath #supergirl #hamilton #les amis de l'abc

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zzoupz · 1 year

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oc questions !!! feel free to answer all or none :))

1. tell me about your favorite! (/pos)

2. tell me about your least favorite! (/pos) (stinky awful garbage man *gender neutral)

3. anything living in your head rent free? story concept, single scene without context, oc concept you wont get around to making?

4. tell me about your favorite relationship (friendship included!) between ocs!

5. do you have a favorite oc name? what is it and how'd you get it?

6. anything driving you truly batshit? going insane over them?

7. tell me something sad about an oc!

8. tell me something sweet about an oc!

9. any ""retired"" ocs you still think about?

10. pick a favorite character n tell me three songs you think theyd like!

hihi! sorry this is a bit late I want to get back on my pc for this

1. oh damn I have multiple favorites! I think ones that I enjoy the most (at the moment) are them

(yellow: Lee Harrison | blue: Bryan Dickinson)

they are basically a (in the 2000s) newbie punk band formed by two friends who are like brothers to each other. they bonded over both having not so great families (not like tragic-backstory awful but yknow. the average traditional family)

yeah I still can't figure out what their band name would be. yeah since 2020. sorry. such is life.

while they're not the ones I've wrote the most about, as in not much at all, I just really like them :)

2. Bartholomew. I used to like him then I realize how generic he is so I hate him now (/j) (yeah I actually do want to post about him less though)

3. been thinking about the dynamic normal human x immortal who finds them in every life. so simple and common but I go insane over it every time. I think it would be fun

4. ohohohoho man ok here are some in no particular orders

Time & Denial core, Denial/Dan (black hair, also the last image) is by @/ akamavarii

they were basically our coresonas, but they've became their own characters at this point so I think it counts

friends who commits OSHA violations together!!!

they share 1 brain cell and takes turns over it like an Xbox (quote from ami himself)

Iandithas & Lumeous (if you noticed one of the name changed its bc I did)

a bard & a wizard duo who are retired and are now a shopkeeper & a chemist

its funny I care about them this much bc Lumeous was supposed to be a dad and a side character to my other oc and Iandithas was a doodle of a random guy and now they mean the world to me

there have been like 5 people who pointed out that they look like a couple and you're right and I fucking hate that you're right. and they were roommates etc

Overseer / Conqueror

this one is new very obviously but I've been thinking about them for a LONG while.

friends to lovers to enemies heehoo heehoo heehoo heehoo heeh

can you tell I like it when queer relationships

5. Fakzky HAS to have my favorite origin. fun fact there's a bot on facebook that would combine the names of their followers (only if they request, don't worry) and it was my source of inspo for my fantroll names in 2020, Fakz is the only one I took completely from it and the post is still there!

6. the 35 awesome and cool animatics that exists in MY mind

7. oh man I don't wanna say something sad :( mostly bc I'm bad at it and it would sound cringe :(

8. I have a plague doc oc and she has 3 pet rats ^_^ they're all named after murderers from the bible but yeah whatever

(Dias Cain Jael in that order btw)

9. hmmm them I think. I make stuff about them way less nowadays but still draw them time to time. Cath is from 2018 and funnily is originally a fusion of two characters. and Danya is from early 2021 when I was just trying stuff out. I made them friends just cuz I think they look like they would do drugs together

10. I have no idea man I created them not know them (I am so so bad at this)

#WOO this takes me like an HOUR #ty for this ask I love talking about characters. even if I'm bad at it #oc stuff #I'm not tagging all of them

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beyondd-dazedd · 3 years

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EPISODE👏 REVIEW👏 hsmtmts season 2 episode 10: get ready for some enthusiastic writing and a little too much looking into details

first off seb doing the intro made my heart happy i love him

ok i know everyone has been saying it but there is no way in hell they’re winning the menkies. unless the writers just go with the main character favoritism route, there’s just no way. however for the sake of comedy, watching ashlyn give us everything in the transformation scene and ricky being an absolute disaster is SO funny to me. like shout out to joshua because that scene made me laugh so hard. also a trio i need more of is kourt, red and ej. i just feel like they would be dramatic gossipy bitches and i love that for them.

normally i think ms. jenn’s reactions are over the top but after seeing the shit show that just occurred 2 mins before... i think her reaction is very valid because oh god.

continuing with the theme of friendship dynamics we haven’t seen a lot of but we absolutely need more of, ashlyn and ricky!! that scene was so sweet and wholesome. i’m so so so glad the writers didn’t fall into the trap of making characters take sides after a break up. i just feel like it’s been done a million times before. but seeing ashlyn being so genuine when checking up in ricky made me so happy. the caswells remain being the superior characters (including gina obvs)

ms. jenn and mr. mazzarra are cute don’t get me wrong but they should’ve spent more time developing that relationship instead giving ms. jenn like 3 random love interests and that’s all i’ll say on that.

i love imagining what characters are saying when they’re just ad libbing. like what could ej, gina, ricky and red be talking about before carlos shows up to start the scene?? my guess is they’re all gushing about how amazing ash is and no i don’t take criticisms on that.

alright i’ll say it. the seblos drama is weak at best. they didn’t spend enough time developing it and kind of pushed it to the background so when it was one of the main focuses of the episode it was kind of like ok?? HOWEVER i did love the resolution to it and the deeper look into their individual characters. (i’ll talk more about this later)

carlos calling ms. jenn mother and everyone immediately knowing who he was talking about sent me omfg. but also who the fuck let these high schoolers try to figure out this transformation scene by themselves?? they collectively have 2 brain cells and they just bounce around between the 9 of them depending on the scene. but playful sleepover competition!! also gina nudging ej when he goes a little too ej 1.0 was everything.

i hate lily and i love sassy red. that’s all.

(im going to talk about the boys/girls sleepovers like they’re each one continuous scene respectively because it’s way easier than switching back and forth)

fun new friendship dynamics!! the boys!! sebbie and the girls! iconic. i know that the show is meant to be in a mockumentary style so we only see parts of the characters lives but i would give my left arm to see the boys getting closer and becoming friends. this is also the first scene where i really noticed ricky’s shirt. ricky is queer disney are just cowards. i’m not a big ricky/ ej shipper but the pretty boy had me feeling some type of way. carlos being worried about seb and their relationship and then red being like well this is why. bc he’s got a spy on the inside was peak friendship. but seriously disney?? just say gay. it’s not a bad word. now imma freak out about PORTWELL OMFG I WAS ALREADY FREAKING OUT DURING THIS SCENE SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW WELL I WAS DOING LATER ON. but ej just being like im not ready to put myself out there because of nini i don’t wanna get rejected... again. my heart went out to him. you can really see how much he’s grown as a person. but sure ej y’all are “buddies” also him saying the one thing i’m proud of from my time with nini was letting her go and ricky’s reaction to that hurt me to my core.

alright let’s talk about the girls and seb. first off i love that they’re actually working and the boys are doing fuck all LOL. seb actually talking about how he feels?? good for him. i hate that he thinks that carlos is only with him because there’s limited options but at least he’s talking about it. a moment of silence for ash’s scissor bucket (i won’t make a gay joke. i won’t make a gay joke. i won’t-) anyways... i really thought that maybe ash would know about portwell but it’s fucking EVERYONE. like y’all are that perceptive about other peoples relationships but not your own?? that’s why all y’all have relationship drama. gina not wanting to put herself out there because she’s afraid of getting hurt?? ouch. gina thinking ej is just being nice?? ouch but also gina, sis?? what. also nini reacting that way to the chocolates is so out of pocket. like 1) y’all aren’t dating anymore so what’s got you so pressed? 2) gina made it clear that they weren’t actually from ricky 3) nini you know they had some sort of chemistry before you and ricky got back together so this really shouldn’t be that surprising.

anyways the scene with ricky and carlos broke me. the decision for ricky to not show nini the song was so mature. despite wanting to get her back, he KNOWS that that would only drag her back and that’s not fair to her and he knows it. but his awareness of seblos’s relationship and wanting to help carlos work things out with seb was so wholesome and so sweet and is kind of a big moment of character development for him this season. like he was generally very selfish this season (again i’m a ricky apologist til the day i die but he was so selfish) and seeing him take the focus away from his problems to help carlos out was so sweet. also i need more ricky/carlos friendship moments.

kourt talking about howie learning her love language?? bitch you mean espionage?? i mean me too but that’s so fucking funny

ALRIGHT THIS IS THE PARAGRAPH WHERE I SCREAM ABOUT PORTWELL!!! i am so so so so happy right now about this. the fact that ej asked about risotto but for real was so satisfying and was blatantly like him saying i know we faked being in a relationship but what about it not being fake and omfg that’s so amazing. also gina being skeptical and asking if ash put him up to it and him saying not that i know of?? THE PARALLELS?? also gina this whole season has been talking about signs and finding reasons to stay, finding signs to know if someone is right for her and you can literally see the moment she realizes she said the same thing about the duke sweatshirt to jack. SHE KNOWS THIS IS HER SIGN and that’s so special to me. also ej’s nervous laugh after she says yes?? omfg. let’s look at ej’s character. historically he’s confident, cocky and generally puts on this facade of having his shit together but gina makes him nervous (in a good way). he doesn’t feel like he has to pretend to be confident around her. he’s showing her that he’s just as nervous as she is about this and that is just *chefs kiss* honestly not to be an andi mack stan but ej’s little nervous chuckle and ok after she says yes sounds like he’s letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding which seriously parallels tj after the tyrus confession. i’m just saying. ALSO GINA’S LITTLE EXCITED WALK BACK TO THE GROUP AHHHHHH

the seblos song?? i have no notes. it was incredible. frankie killed that shit. it was such a good song. so sweet. so wholesome. also ricky and carlos’s hug was so fucking meaningful to both of them and you can tell. ricky was absolutely beaming because he helped the two of them and it feels like a little bit of season 1 ricky shining through.

WHO THE FUCK LET A BUNCH OF HIGH SCHOOLERS RIG A KID IN THE AIR COMPLETELY UNSUPERVISED?? of course ricky fucking fell. that group shares 2 brain cells. obviously some dumb shit was going to happen

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts spoilers #seblos #portwell #rini #brenn’s hsmtmts shitpost

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gizkasparadise · 4 years

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cdrama rec/review: go ahead

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: go ahead Episodes: 40 Genres: family, healing/melodrama, slice of life, romance Spoilers in the Rec: for the first 20% ish/set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: reply 1988, le coup de foudre, find yourself (same production company/main male actor), rain or shine/just between lovers, found family stories, meet again stories

Rank: 10/10** (see Drawbacks section)

PREMISE

widower hai chao and his 6 year old daughter jian jian live happily above his noodle restaurant despite the recent, tragic death of his wife. one day, dysfunction junction a married couple (he ping, a police officer, and chen ting, a real piece of work) move into the same building with their 7 year old son, ling xiao. immediately, jian jian attaches herself to ling xiao, who is unexpectedly grim for a small child.

because ling xiao’s family is less-than-healthily grieving the loss of their youngest child, ling xiao’s sister who died in a terrible accident. The Apartment of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms eventually implodes, ending with chen ting abandoning her husband and son. he ping, suddenly a single father, and hai chao come to a friendly partnership that is clearly alluding to gay marriage where they co-raise both of their kids--hai chao as the primary caregiver, and he ping supporting them financially through his job as a policeman.

meanwhile, the neighborhood busybody is dead-set on getting hia chao remarried. eventually she introduces him to a divorced single mother, he mei, and her son zi qiu, who is ling xiao’s age. they sort of start to date, but it culminates in he mei skipping town and leaving zi qiu behind. hai chao, man with a heart of gold, informally adopts him and zi qiu becomes jianjian’s foster brother.

from there, the trio grow up happily and become inseparable. but once zi qiu and ling xiao graduate high school, the bullshit parade their respective childhood skeletons reappear in their lives. circumstances lead to the boys moving overseas, leaving jianjian and their fathers behind.

they reunite after 9 years, when the boys return to a home where they hope to pick things back up from where they left off. things are more complicated than that, as jianjian finds herself in a new life and surrounded by new people.

MAIN CHARACTERS

li jian jian

hai chao’s daughter and the only girl in the family. she attended the required short-hair-low-grades training program required of all cdrama youth female leads. super positive and outgoing, as well as the youngest of the three pseudo-siblings, jian jian grows up spoiled and over protected by her father and brothers, and as a result is completely devastated once her family falls apart. it’s so sad.

after the time skip, she’s an on-the-verge successful artist who makes woodcarvings, and exudes big art bro energy. inhales sugar like it’s nobody’s business. she inherited her father’s disease called caring too much, and it’s incurable!!

ling xiao

the eldest brother and resident fun police. ling xiao comes from a seriously toxic home that finally seems to improve once his mother leaves. but then she comes back. fucking great. introverted to the point of being withdrawn to anyone but his chosen family, ling xiao’s had to carry a lot of emotional weight that takes a larger and larger toll on him as the series progresses. please get this boy some therapy.

becomes a dentist because jian jian needs one. wears a lot of monochromatic outfits with low necklines because heavy angst but make it fashion. has been in love with jian jian since high school and is still carrying that torch 9 years later.

he zi qiu

the middle child who grows up in hai chao and jian jian’s home, and is her foster brother in all but paperwork. hotheaded, zi qiu and jian jian basically share two brain cells that ling xiao routinely takes from them for safekeeping. he spoils jian jian, sneaking her snacks and junk food and wants to become a pastry chef so he can open a sweet shop for her!!

my favorite character. just wants to be wanted 8( him and hai chao’s relationship is my favorite dynamic in the series. will sob while driving a pink moped. is too proud to beg

li hai chao (left) and ling he ping (right)

the greatest (hai chao) and okayest (he ping) dads in the world! noodle dad/hai chao has never done anything wrong in his life, ever, and we know this and we love him. he ping isn’t a bad person, but demonstrates pretty classic absentee parenting/isn’t as emotionally present in his son’s life as hai chao. hai chao is the heart of the family, and would do anything for his kids 8(

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS

tang can (left) and qiu ming yue (right)

jian jian’s #GirlGang and roommates. they, like literally everyone in this drama, have some severe mom issue hang-ups. tang can (left) is a former child actress who is struggling with her lack of success as an adult and gives well-meaning but absolutely terrible advice on the regular.

ming yue (right) is jian jian’s best friend since childhood and as an adult is trying to break free from her mother’s controlling nature--she’s also had a thing for ling xiao for the last 9 years. raises fish for symbolism purposes.

chen ting

ling xiao’s mom and certified garbage human. unable to cope with the death of her daughter that was her fault lbr, she abandons her family and disappears for ten years. she forces her way back into ling xiao’s life when he turns 18, where it’s revealed that she’s remarried and ling xiao has a younger half-sister chengzi (”little orange”). shit goes down, and soon ling xiao is forced to move back to singapore to serve as primary caregiver to both his mother who abandoned him and the half sister he barely knows.

emotionally abusive and basically hits every single square on the toxic parent bingo card. i just. i just hate her. even typing this out is making me mad.

he mei

zi qiu’s mother. after a few dates with hai chao, she ends up ditching her kid and disappearing for unknown reasons. is a slightly better parent than chen ting but that’s like saying some poison kills you slower. the show tries to bring us around on her but it didnt work for me.

SOME OTHERS

zhuang bei, zi qiu’s best friend growing up who i would like a lot less if he wasn’t played by the same actor who played my beloved dachuan

zheng shuran, jian jian’s first boyfriend and fellow artist who’s got a weird thing for women’s waists and pretentious artists’ statements

du juan, jian jian’s friend who co-owns their woodworking studio. has absolute trash taste in men

chengzi, ling xiao’s half-sister who can be a brat but dear god does she need to be protected/saved

**DRAWBACKS

so this is a weird one for me. what i didn’t like i really didn’t like, but what i loved i really loved. ultimately, the factors/uniqueness of this show and the loveability of the main characters outweighed the negatives and it’s one of my favorite dramas.

THAT SAID. i got some #thoughts on this one.

first, there are literally no positive mother figures in this show. not a damn one. they are all negligent or controlling at best or down right abusive at worst. no woman over 30 is portrayed positively and that’s a big No from me.

the last 10 eps have some pacing issues and focus on the wrong people. spending the remaining episodes focused on one of the most universally hated characters vs. the main family was a bad move

the show tried to redeem or make us sympathize with characters that were, to me, completely irredeemable. one case is worse than the other, but both of them were terrible people that deserved to be cut out of the main family’s lives.

REASONS TO WATCH

the main family. the characters are so wonderful and nuanced, and their dynamics with one another were amazing. you’ll fall in love with hai chao aka noodle dad and the trio. they go through so many trials but they still stick together and it’s ultimately a healing drama and i loved it very much.

the central romance was less in focus, but the pining is enough to make jane austen emerge from the grave. i loved the leads together, and while LOL ling xiao’s attachment to jian jian was not always healthy, they supported each other and it made me smile. i love me a tortured pining dude.

#Acting. everyone played their parts to perfection. the child actors in particular were so well-cast (esp baby zi qiu)

the soundtrack lmao. you watch the opening credits and know you’ll need to buckle up

idk it’s a very unique show, and i haven’t seen one like it. reply 1988 comes close, but it doesn’t tackle the same issues and it was all just very real and earnest.

Final Thoughts.

GOODNIGHT, GOOODBYYYYYE MY CHILDREEEEEEEN

#go ahead #song weilong #zhang xincheng #tan songyun #cdrama #gizka does kdrama

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ridasverkisto · 4 years

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who are your top ten black clover characters and ships (romantic, platonic)? talk about them!

Oooooooh. This is gonna be a long one so buckle in. I’m also splitting the answer into two—so this is top ten ships, and I’ll do top ten characters in a separate post, because this is long. 😅

Before I get going, I’m just going to say this is in no particular order—I’m listing them in the order they come to mind, as I love all of these pairings for different reasons so it’s hard for me to rank them. I’ll also preface that for most of my pairings it usually doesn’t matter much to me whether it’s romantic or platonic, so long as they’re not. Y’know. Actual siblings/family/etc. Also for the purposes of this ask, I’m leaving out stuff like...the Black Bulls as a platonic ship tag. They’re found family, it’s sort of a given, so this isn’t going to focus on that. And before anyone asks, yes, I have crackships. I am not apologizing.

[If this needs a page break to keep from clogging tags lmk, btw]

1. Magna/Luck (and/or Magna & Luck, it’s the same to me)

What can I say? I’m a sucker for two dumbass best friends who share a brain cell living their best lives. Their dynamic is fun and interesting—Luck literally views Magna as fun and interesting and he loves bothering him because of how he reacts, while Magna started out hating it but grew incredibly fond of Luck’s antics.

They’re dumbasses, but they’re loveable dumbasses who bring out both the best and worst in each other, and I just love the way they interact. It’s great and I love them both so much 💕

2. Finral & Langris

Okay okay so. I know there’s baggage here, because Langris is an entitled little asshole trashbaby, but hear me out. Finral gets to be an older brother, exasperated with Langris and trying super hard to be a good sibling, while Langris is still a trashbaby but a softer one. Like.

They are Peak Sibling Energy, because I can see Langris insulting Finral because “polite interaction with my loser brother, how tf?” But the moment someone else tries to insult Finral, Langris gets annoyed. It’s the younger sibling Rights, only the sibling gets to insult the other siblings and if you try to get in on that fuck you. Meanwhile, Finral learns to be the responsible older sibling to Langris, and steps into being more responsible in other parts of his life while repairing his relationship with Langris.

Not going to lie, a lot of my love for this ship is because I’m probably projecting my own relationship with my own brother onto them to some extent, and my love for proper Sibling Energy has no bounds because that shit’s hilarious when done right.

Let Finral and Langris develop the weird half-unspoken language of siblings, let them reference embarrassing things and blackmail each other over stupid shit like “who’s going to go refill the teapot” or something!! Let them be petty and loving and protective as they learn to be siblings again, because growth!!!!

3. Julius & Yami & William

Why yes, I am a polyshipper. But mostly what I really like about this one is the history and the dynamics between the three of them.

On the one hand you have Julius, who’s hugely respected by the other two, basically mentored/parented them both, and loves them both a hell of a lot. (You can’t look at the way Julius looks at Yami and William and tell me that’s not love, fuck you)

On another, you have Yami; he’s the outcast, loner, stranger in a strange land who was given a support system and place to belong by Julius. He also struggles to understand the less forthright William, and is fiercely loyal. Like. This man loves and respects Julius so fucking much, and it’s shown through such small gestures, it’s amazing.

And finally, there’s William—who couldn’t chose between Julius and Patry, yeah. Who’s a coward and a troll and hides behind his words and masks, but has made the choice to atone for his mistakes. He feels a lot, and is so clearly trying to be better it hurts.

The way the three of them interact has a lot of history and intricacy behind it, and even with current events in the series, I really really love their relationship with each other. This isn’t a ship I love for fluff, but for the tension and aching weight of history and growing up that lies heavy on it. It’s got this lovely sort of pain to it that feels like nostalgia in the summer heat, knowing nothing is ever going to be like it was once and still deciding to hold onto what you have with both hands.

I never said I ship for fluff and romance—I’m here for dynamics, and these three have amazing dynamics. (I will note for this one that it’s one that I can’t see as romantic at all. Not the least bc Julius was literally in his twenties when Yami and William were like 15, bc ~fuck that shit~)

4. William/Dorothy/Rhya

Is this a crackship? Yes!

Have these characters barely if ever interacted on screen? Yes!

Am I probably the only person who thought of this ship and wants to see content for it? Yes!

Do I give a fuck? No!

Not gonna lie, I know this is a crackship of massive proportions. But I’m here for the dynamics and the dynamics here have the potential to just be so damn cathartic, okay?

If I go on a deep tangent about this ship it’ll end up being an entire essay, so that can wait for another day, so I’ll just...give you this: these three have a lot to give each other to challenge and help each other grow. There’s a lot of potential, and tension, and catharsis here. The contrasts and dynamics between the three of them would be interesting and immensely entertaining.

I’ll also shamelessly admit that a good portion of this is also fueled by my personal head canons of William being a trans guy, Dorothy being feminine presenting nb, and Rhya just straight up being pan and attracted to strong people. What can I say? I know what I like lmao 😂

5. Yuno & Asta

I’m a sucker for good friendly rivalries. Especially ones full of so much mutual respect!!! Like, they both respect each other and care so fucking much is amazing ❤️

And don’t get me wrong, I get the people that ship them romantically and I’ll read it; but I see their relationship as more sibling rivalry/platonic than anything else.

You can’t look at Yuno being a Dramatic Bitch to get on Asta’s nerves and tell me that’s not Peak Sibling Energy, because I tell you I have done the exact same to my own brother. Let them be dorks and friends and brothers, bc it WORKS.

6. Rill/Charmy/Langris

Yes, yes this is another crackship. No, I do not care! And yes, i am aware it will very likely never be canon.

I just really like the image of Langris being reluctantly folded into the dynamic of two cinnamon rolls who could probably flatten him if they really wanted to. And Langris slowly coming to the realization that he actually really likes them and cares for them, even if he is a bit tsun-tsun about expressing it sometimes.

Plus, y’know, Rill and Charmy won’t indulge his asshole-ier behaviors, and if he pisses Charmy off he’s very likely to get his ass kicked.

I can’t really explain it more than that other than I just really really like the dynamics with this trio and I hold it very close to my heart 💕

7. Finral & Vanessa

Let them be friends!!! Let them be platonic best friends!!!! I love their dynamic, esp if you expand on it and take a look at how Finral and Vanessa can play off of each other. BEST FRIENDS.

8. David & Letoile

I know everyone likes to think of them as the chaotic one and the no-nonsense one, but consider: Letoile getting wrapped up in David’s shenanigans bc they’re just as ride or die as Magna and Luck are. Everyone thinks of her as the other holder of the Golden Dawn’s self restraint, and she sort of is, but her standards of what should be restrained is very different from Klaus’s.

9. Julius & Marx (can also be Julius/Marx, but only prior to the whole deaging thing)

Wholesome ship! It’s already obvious that they care about each other a lot in canon, so let that be expanded upon and developed more. It also adds the fun bit that the issues with Julius running away from his paperwork become even more comical with the added context. It starts to feel less like a subordinate yelling at their commandeer and more like an old married couple or something 😂

10. Leopold & Asta & Yuno & Noelle

Three competitive dumbasses and the exasperated one who makes it worse. I love them all and I think they make the best fucking quad friend group;; let them be friends, please. Please. Just the shenanigans they would get into makes me cackle with glee.

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kk095 · 4 years

Text

Last Ride

Here's my latest story! @defibresuslover247 gave me the idea and @eyesfixedanddilated gave me a few pointers along the way. I hope everyone enjoys!

****

Brooke was a 22 year old with a full, busty figure, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was a southern girl, born and raised in eastern Tennessee. She was always a bit of a tomboy and enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and riding ATV's.

The night of the incident started off normally. Brooke’s older brother Mike had received a nice tax return that year and decided to splurge a little bit by purchasing a new ATV. Since he knew his younger sister was into riding ATV's, he invited her to try it out with him.

The two siblings went out into a vacant 20 acre lot on the outskirts of town. This particular plot of land had plenty of hills and open areas, so a lot of ATV enthusiasts in the area enjoyed riding there. When the 2 of them got there, Mike parked his blue Ford F150 along a dirt path about 50 yards or so from the road. Mike got the ATV out from the small trailer attached to the back of his truck and the riding began.

For the first hour or so, the 2 siblings were having fun in the outdoors. They were zipping up and down the hills, through the dirt paths, and had a few beers along the way. But as time went on, the drinking and lack of light once the sun set took its toll. While Brooke was riding the ATV by herself, she went was riding downhill at a high rate of speed, losing track of her speed. Her chest hits the handlebars before she goes flying off the vehicle. She lands hard on the ground, striking her head and left side of her face. While tumbling down the hill, the ATV rolls violently down the hill, stomping right over Brooke’s right femur before continuing on down. Brooke screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling her right femur snap like a twig and slightly protruding through her jeans. Brooke’s wild trip down the hill came to an abrupt stop when her left arm and ribcage smashed into the side of a tree.

“Holy shit… BROOKE?!” Mike shouted from the top of the hill after watching the event unfold in horror. “Brooke?! BROOKE?! You ok?!” Mike yells as he starts to run down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, Brooke was screaming out in agonizing pain. She could see a bone fragment penetrating through her jeans on her right thigh, and her left arm was badly broken. She felt a bit dizzy, and could the stinging from open cuts and blood on the left side of her face. Her left humerus, which broke the fall into the tree at the bottom of the hill, was swollen and had some obvious deformities. Brooke tried to get up, but she obviously couldn’t. She sat on the ground squirming and crying, begging her brother to help.

When Mike got to the bottom of the hill, he was taken aback by his sister’s injuries. He stood lorna deer in headlights for a few seconds before whipping out his cell phone to call 911. The call was transcribed as the following:

911 dispatcher: 911, what is your emergency?

Mike: I need an ambulance! My sister’s hurt real bad!

911 dispatcher: Sir, please remain calm. Can you tell me the location of your emergency?

Mike: we’re on that vacant lot off of highway 501 with all the hills and paths! You gotta hurry, I think she’s hurt bad!

911 dispatcher: alright sir, police and EMS are en route. Can you tell me what happened?

Mike: She flipped off the ATV and rolled down the hill. There’s a bone sticking out of her leg!

Due to the extent of her injuries, the 911 dispatcher instructed Mike to refrain from first aid and just stay with his sister to keep her calm. Since the vacant lot was outside of town, it was going to take the ambulance at least 10-15 minutes to arrive on scene. But with the amount of pain Brooke was experiencing, those 10-15 minutes would feel like an eternity.

When EMS arrived on scene, they found Brooke screaming and crying in agony and Mike panicking, feeling semi responsible since this was all his idea. The medics instructed Mike to step away and give them space to examine Brooke.

The medics noted a few injuries immediately: open right femur fracture, left humerus fracture, facial+head lacerations, and some bumps on her head. The medics placed a c-collar since a spinal cord injury was within the realm of possibilities. The medics then removed Brooke’s socks, shoes, and snipped off her jeans so they can reset the open femur fracture. Brooke winced in pain while the 2 medics wiggled the pants off after making a few cuts with trauma shears. Next, the medics reduced the open femur fracture, which cause Brooke to scream loudly in pain for a second. Once the bone was below the skin and somewhat in its ’s normal place, the laceration from the bone protrusion was bandaged up and the area was splinted off. The next order of business was to focus on the humerus injury. There was obvious swelling and deformity, consistent with a displaced oblique fracture within the humerus. The upper left arm was also reset and splinted, causing Brooke a great deal of pain. After the arm was treated, the medics quickly bandaged up some of the head lacerations and abrasions and began setting up 2 large bore IVs. After IV access was obtained, normal saline was hung, but the medics refrained from administering pain medications since alcohol was smelled on Brooke’s breath, and there were beer cans scattered across the ground just up the hill. Brooke’s top was then cut off, sparing her black bra and matching underwear. A 5 lead ECG with a portable heart monitor was set up to obtain readings for her vital signs. On scene, Brooke’s vitals were: BP 87/49, Pulse 121, o2 saturation 94%. Brooke was placed onto a backboard and taken over to a gurney, and taken into an ambulance.

Mike begged and pleaded with EMS to ride in the ambulance with them, but they told him he couldn’t. “THAT’S MY FUCKIN SISTER! LET ME IN!” Mike shouted belligerently. One of the cops on scene offered a compromise: since he had too much to drink, they’d drive him to the hospital.

During the first part of transport, Brooke was a little short of breath, so an o2 mask with high flow oxygen was placed. The medic in the back of the ambulance lowered their stethoscope onto the girl’s chest and listened to her heart and lungs. “heart sounds good, but we’ve got diminished breath sounds on the left. Might be a tension pneumo.” The medic announced to the driver afterwards. The medic also noted that there was swelling and bruising on the side of her chest along her left ribcage, consistent with possible rib fractures or dislocation.

Over the following 10 minutes or so, Brooke’s condition changed a bit. Her GCS dropped to 10, and became a bit disoriented. Her systolic BP dropped into the upper 70s, and her heart rate was approaching the 130s. With this in mind, the medics became concerned about a potential head injury. The medics checked her pupils: right pupil was reactive, and the left pupil (injured size) had the early stages of dynamic oval pupil. Essentially, her left pupil had a slight oval, or almond shape. This is typically associated with eye trauma, optic nerve injuries, or brain bleeds originating from the back of the head. Since there wasn’t sufficient evidence of trauma to the eyes/optic nerve, it appeared a head injury was within the realm of possibilities. “Hey, what’s our ETA? GCS dropped to 10 and we’ve got a DOP in the left eye. She needs a head CT ASAP.” The medic in the back of the ambulance called out. “ETA 4 minutes. Hang in there…” the driver replied. The ambulance continued speeding down the road, sirens on full blast while Brooke continued to struggle in the back. She was squirming around and groaning in pain. “Miss, you gotta stay still for me, ok?” the medic said calmly, attempting to reason with brooke. Brooke began crying again while fidgeting around and kicking her healthy leg out. “Miss! You gotta stay calm!” the medic said more sternly, grabbing ahold of Brooke trying to hold her in place. Brooke quickly became inconsolable and demonstrated an altered mental status. “she’s definitely got a brain bleed or something…” the medic thought to themselves. Brooke needed to stay still due to her femur fracture, and because a spinal/neck injury hasn’t been ruled out. Since there was no getting through to Brooke, the medic decided to push a round of rocuronium. This medication is a strong muscle relaxer and paralytic agent, so it’s used as a chemical restraint when patients consume alcohol since alcohol doesn’t mix well with other agents commonly used.

Within 30 to 45 seconds, Brooke was knocked out by the medication. Since she was now unconscious, the medic decided to perform rapid sequence intubation on her for airway management. With a laryngoscope in 1 hand, the medic maneuvered a 7.0 ET tube into the girl’s airway. Once it was at the correct depth and place, the tube was secured with a blue tube holder, and an ambu bag was attached. For the remainder of the ambulance ride, Brooke remained hypotensive and tachycardic, and her GCS was still bouncing between 9 and 10.

Upon arrival at the ER, the medics gave the trauma team a brief rundown of Brooke’s condition as they wheeled her into an available trauma bay. Once in the room, Brooke was transferred onto the table and examination began. She was immediately started on blood transfusions- 1 unit A+ and 1 unit O- with 250 units of rhogam, 1 unit of platelets, and 1 unit of FFP. Multiple specialists were paged for consults, including: orthopedics, neurosurgery, and trauma surgery. While waiting on the specialist to arrive for their respective consultations, initial examination began. A FAST scan was performed first. The chest portion of the exam showed trace pericardial effusion, minor to moderate abdominal bruising but nothing potentially lethal, and the pelvic section came back clean. Multiple x-rays were then ordered: the x-ray of the arm confirmed displaced oblique humerus fracture, which would likely require surgical reduction with rods and pins. The chest x-ray showed 2 broken ribs and 1 dislocated rib on the left side of the thorax, along with bruising and swelling in the intercostal area. The chest x-ray also revealed a left sided tension pneumothorax with pleural effusion, which appeared to be caused from air escaping into the chest cavity, which pinched and pressed up against the lining of the lung. The next x-ray was of the femur fracture. The fracture was quite extensive, which required surgical reduction and many months of physical therapy in order to heal properly. The x-ray of Brooke’s head showed no evidence of a c-spine fracture, but there were some contusions on the skull and there didn’t appear to be any fractures; a head CT was still necessary to get a better understanding of her head injuries.

In the meantime, the trauma team decided to do what they could for her. The first order of business was to deal with the tension pneumothorax on the left side. The treatment for this was placing a chest tube in order to evacuate any air or blood. The procedure started after the area in between her ribs was sterilized. A 1 inch incision was made in the skin, followed by an additional one to cut through any fat and underlying tissue. Once a decent opening was created, a 36fr chest tube was placed into the incision area, and navigated deep into the pleural space. There was a small amount of blood drained from the tube, but a substantial amount of air exited the tube, allowing proper lung expansion once again.

Another concern arose in the coming minutes. The lower half of Brooke’s left leg was a bit discolored and cold. Her dorsalis pedis pulse was weak, so compartment syndrome was a legitimate issue here.

When orthopedics arrived, they wanted to set up pressure monitoring in the thigh to see if compartment syndrome was indeed taking place. But the orthopedic surgeon and neurosurgeon were in a bit of a disagreement. “if we don’t monitor her leg, she could lose it!” the orthopedic surgeon said. “well if we don’t get a head CT, she could die! I’d rather her lose her leg than her life!” the neurosurgeon replied smugly. The trauma surgeon offered a compromise: a fasciotomy in the emergency department. Typically, this is a procedure reserved for the operating room, but this was an emergent situation that required a quick decision. Everyone quickly got on board and the procedure was started in a moment’s notice.

Betadine was squirted on the right thigh and the bandage was removed from the splinted compound fracture. A scalpel was used to make 2 deep, long incisions in the thigh. Once the skin was incised, the underlying fat and tissue was cut out so proper bloodflow and blood drainage could take place. Her right calf and right foot immediately became a more normal complexion, and the dorsalis pedis pulse was stronger than it was just a minute or two ago. The freshly opened area was then irrigated with saline and prophylactic antibiotics to decrease the chance of infection, and the wound was somewhat closed with the shoelace suturing technique.

After the fasciotomy, Brooke’s blood pressure began to take a rapid nosedive. Vasopressors were pushed in an attempt to increase BP to a more stable level, and more blood products were hung. While trying to maintain BP, the young woman began to have a tonic-clonic seizure on the ER table. Brooke jerked and flopped erratically, biting down on the ET tube and grunting every few seconds. Her toes clenched up, wrinkling the soles of her size 8.5 feet. To combat the seizure, the trauma team acted quickly by injecting 1 dose of lorazepam intravenously in order to stop the convulsions. It was my like the tv shows where the medicine take immediate effect. In reality, it takes about 45 seconds for the meds to kick in. In those 45 seconds or so, Brooke’s twitchy, spasmodic movements slowed down incrementally until she finally settled down and stopped seizing.

After the seizure was controlled, Brooke was covered up and transported to radiology for a head CT. The GCS drop, altered mental status, DOP, and seizure were all associated with a brain bleed. Once in the CT scanner room, Brooke was transferred into the table and hooked up to a portable ventilator since nobody could be in the room with her during the scan. Prior to the scan, she was given another dose of vasopressors to keep her blood pressure semi stable since she was hypotensive. Pupil reactivity was checked before the scan as well- left pupil was sluggish and still oval shaped, and the right pupil was constricted.

The head CT took about 8 minute to complete. The results of the scan were interpreted quickly: there was a subdural hematoma in the left temporal lobe. The size of the bleed was definitely noteworthy, so the neurosurgeon wanted to drill a burr hole to alleviate the pressure in the cranium and then monitor Brooke with an intracranial pressure monitor to see if an additional surgery would be warranted.

Once the plan was made, Brooke was once again whisked away and back to the trauma bay for a quick burr hole and ICP monitor insertion. The procedure quickly commenced upon return to the ER. A portion of Brooke’s hair was shaved off on the left side and the pasty white skin was sterilized with a small amount of betadine. The neurosurgeon took a surgical drill and drilled 2 holes. The first one was made in the left temporal area to alleviate pressure and create immediate blood drainage. Thick, gooey blood oozed out of the small, circular hole in her skull after it was drilled. The coagulated blood was suctioned out, allowing proper release of the fresh blood from the active bleed. The 2nd hole was drilled in the left parietal area. The purpose of this 2nd hole was for insertion of an ICP monitor and to allow room for additional draining in the event the bleed worsened. After hole #2 was drilled, the ICP monitor was inserted and set up by the neurosurgeon, and a few small drainage tubes were inserted to help drain additional blood in an attempt to restore normal pressure within the skull. The next step of Brooke’s treatment was to take her to the OR for surgical reduction of both her femur fracture and humerus fracture.

Up in the OR, Brooke was hooked up 5o a ventilator and prepped for surgery. The anesthesiologist had some concerns about her blood pressure before surgery, so it was advised that trauma surgery would sit in on the surgery, and have neurosurgery on standby. With her BP still low, a repeat echocardiogram showed that the trace pericardial effusion had worsened in the past little while. Before the surgery started, the trauma surgeon performed an infrasternal pericardiocentesis. The quick procedure drained a decent amount of blood and slightly improved Brooke’s vitals, buying the surgical team enough time to work on the orthopedic injuries.

The orthopedic surgeon began with the humerus fracture. The original plan was to hold the bone in place with some plates and screws, but once the doctor got in there, they noticed damage to the proximal head of the humerus. When there’s damage to that portion of the bone, they have to replace it with a titanium joint that’s held in place with screws. Essentially, it’s like a hip replacement in your arm. It’s not a common situation, but it happens every so often, and the surgical team was prepared for that curveball. Part 2 of the orthopedic surgery was the femur repair. A long, thin metal rod was inserted into the femur after the medullary cavity of the bone was essentially scooped out. With the rod in place, the fractured portions of the bone were lined up and then held in place with small plates with titanium screws. Overall, the orthopedic portion of Brooke’s treatment went well, but since she was hemodynamically unstable and required monitoring for a head injury, she was sent off to the ICU for monitoring.

Brooke’s first few hours in the ICU were uneventful, but changes started to occur overnight. Around 3am, her blood pressure began to drop once again, along with an alternating QRS complex on the EKG. The ICU nurses decided to page a rapid response since the changes were concerning. When the trauma surgeon arrived, they pushed a round of vasopressors and hung 1 unit of FFP since there may be some residual bleeding and damage. The doctor’s next order was a repeat echocardiogram to monitor the progression of the pericardial effusion. The echo showed that Brooke was experiencing cardiac tamponade, so once again, an infrasternal pericardiocentesis was the way to go. The needle aspirated a combination of both clotted blood and fresh blood, but cardiovascular function slightly improved after the procedure. Brooke’s pupils were checked afterwards; they were sluggish but reactive, and the dynamic oval pupil was slowly going away. The ICP monitor was showing normalizing pressure in the skull, so it appeared the head injury was on a slow and steady course towards healing. The main concern was the chest injury at that point.

Approximately an hour later, Brooke began to struggle once again. Her blood pressure was still low and her chest tube output decreased. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that there was a blood clot lodged inside of her chest tube. Treatment for this is disconnecting the drainage portion of the chest tube and suctioning the lumen of the tube out until normal output returns. But when the tube drainage is disconnected in trauma patients (because a larger chest tube is required), you run the risk of re-aggravating the tension pneumothorax, so this has to be done rather quickly so excess air doesn’t get into the tube or the patient’s chest cavity.

With the trauma surgeon supervising, the drainage portion of the chest tube was disconnected. A suction tube was placed into the chest tube and the chunk of clotted blood about the size of a pea was slurped out, allowing normal flow and drainage to occur once again. But even after the chest tube was reconnected, Brooke’s blood pressure was still low. A 3rd echocardiogram was ordered, showing a sizable tamponade in the lateral portion of the pericardium. With this continuing to occur, and getting worse, the trauma surgeon decided to page cardiothoracic surgery and immediately take Brooke up to the OR for an exploratory thoracotomy and pericardial window.

While wheeling Brooke out of the ICU, her blood pressure suddenly became dangerously low. “shit, she’s gonna code. We need to get her up there ASAP!” the trauma surgeon blurted out with urgency. The ICU team wheeled Brooke through the corridors at full speed and into an available elevator. No more than a second after the elevator doors shut, Brooke became pulseless. The heart monitors showed pulseless electrical activity, so ACLS protocol promptly began. One nurse began pumping away at Brooke’s bare chest. The 22 year old's chest sunk deeply from the strength of each individual compression. Her chubby body and large, natural breast jiggled around a bit while another nurse injected epinephrine and atropine into one of the IV sites.

A nurse got on top of the gurney and began straddling the young woman, delivering strong, repetitive compressions. A few moments later, the elevator doors swung open and Brooke was wheeled out and into the main hallway of the OR floor. “whoa, what happened?” one of the nurses at the main nurses station asked, surprised to see an active code out in the open.

The team continued wheeling Brooke through the hall, compressions ongoing. Once in the correct operating room, the code was paused for a moment in order to transfer the woman onto the OR table. The monitors chirped loudly while Brooke’s limp body was transferred onto the table. Once on the table, CPR was restarted by one of the surgical nurses. “oh boy… what a mess. We’re gonna have to open her up ASAP. Get me a thoracotomy tray…” the head surgeon called out as they walked into the room. Since the heart monitors still showed PEA, CPR just went on. Redness and bruising started to form on the center of her chest in between both breasts due to all the hard compressions she was receiving. There was a popping sound that occurred during each individual compression since a few of her ribs became fractured or dislocated. The nurse that delivered compressions could feel Brooke’s cold, clammy skin through her gloves while everyone else in the room was scurrying around and barking orders at each other in what seemed like a moment of organized chaos.

While the surgical techs set up a thoracotomy tray, an OR nurse pushed the next round of intravenous meds since Brooke just crossed the 4 minute mark of the code. The meds didn’t have an immediate effect, but were able to convert Brooke to v-fib after approximately 45 seconds or so. With defib pads already attached to Brooke’s bare chest, they were charged to 200j and a shock was delivered. Brooke’s limp body jolted abruptly on the table in response to the quick dose of electricity. Since no change occurred, CPR resumed for several seconds until the defibrillator pads were recharged.

Seconds later, everyone backed away from the table and a 300j shock was delivered. Brooke’s back arched, forcing her chest up in the air, making her breasts bounce around. Shock #2 failed to convert Brooke from v-fib, so the surgeon took over and made the executive decision to open her chest via a left anterolateral thoracotomy.

Betadine was splashed across the left side of Brooke’s chest in a moment’s notice. With CPR ongoing just inches away, an incision was made in the 5th intercostal space. The cut began just to the left of Brooke’s sternum and extended laterally. The incision continued under her left breast, and ultimately came to a stop a few inches away from her left armpit. The next step was to separate and cut through the underlying tissue in order to create an opening for the rib spreader. This took about 15 or 20 seconds since it was done at a hurried pace. With that out of the way, the finochietto rib spreader was placed in the gaping cut, and the actual opening of the chest began. A cracking sound was heard regularly while the knobs were turned, forcing the 22 year old’s ribs apart.

The OR team was greeted by a rush of blood from the chest cavity upon cracking the chest. Suction was applied to the area and a 2nd chest tube was inserted for additional drainage. With the excess blood out of the way, a pericardiotomy was performed. A quick cut was made into the lining of the heart, which leaked a combination of fresh blood and coagulated blood. The incision in the pericardium was extended to deliver the heart more effectively, and a few small drains were placed into the incised portion of the pericardium for continuous tamponade drainage.

After these critical first few steps, external compressions were swapped out for internal massage. One of the doctors wrapped their hands around Brooke’s heart. They pushed hard and fast in an upwards motion with both their thumbs on the left ventricle in order to force blood through the aorta and out to the body. The doctor could feel Brooke’s heart twitching in their hands as they desperately attempted to reverse the dire situation.

V-fib still persisted after a cycle of internal compressions and another dose of meds, so the internal paddles were called for. The large, spoon shaped paddles were charged to 20j and placed directly against the desperate, spasming organ. After everyone backed away, the first internal shock was delivered. A dull, wet thump was heard, followed by her torso twitching a bit. Her heart fluttered for a second from the direct jolt of electricity, but it quickly returned to its erratic spasming from before. Internal compressions were resumed while a vascular clamp was placed on the descending aorta near the diaphragm. The purpose of this is to temporarily redirect bloodflow back to the heart, brain, and lungs since those organs are most essential. After the large vessel was clamped, the internal paddles were prepped once again, and placed around each side of the young woman’s heart. Shock #2 was a but stronger at 30 joules, causing more noticeable reaction. Brooke’s torso flopped slightly and her toes curled up, wrinkling the soles of her size 7.5 feet. This shock failed to correct the deadly arrhythmia, so resuscitation efforts went on. A cycle of internal massage was performed while the internal paddles were recharged to 40j. After the paddles were good to go, the third internal shock was delivered. The same dull thump as before filled the room for a moment while Brooke’s battered body twitched on the table. The monitors began chirping again, continuing to show v-fib.

The same cycle of internal compressions, shocking and meds continued again…and again…and again, but the OR team just couldn’t get their young patient’s heart to restart. Despite a 26 minute code, Brooke passed away in the OR, with her time of death being called at 5:02am. The monitors were switched off and the ambu bag was detached. Additional equipment such as the EKG electrodes and IVs were removed in the eerily silent OR. Brooke’s naked, battered body laid on the table. Her heart sat motionless in plain sight during the basic postmortem preparations. Eventually, the chest tubes were removed, the ICP monitor was taken out, and the chest was closed up. A cover was placed over Brooke’s body, and a toe tag was placed before sending her off to the hospital morgue, bringing a sad ending to the case.

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cringeyvanillamilk · 4 years

Note

Who are your favorite top ten black clover characters and favorite ships? Talk about them. (why I feel like I've sent you this already, hmmmm)

ALRIGHT! It’s time for the last half of the question! This was hard because there aren't many ships in Black Clover that I’m passionate about, but I’ll try my best~! I’ll also keep this short!

Here are my top 10 Black Clover ships!

1. Magna x Luck

Out of all the ships that I felt the strongest emotions or most attachment towards, it would have to be Magna and Luck. I personally found the ‘bros’ or ‘best friends’ ships to be the most versatile to work with! While you can ship them platonically as the greatest best friends, there are always other romantic tropes that I absolutely love that are associated with this type of ship. Friends to lovers, mutual pining, slow burns, etc!! I really love how fun and entertaining their dynamic is in the anime! I can’t help but laugh when these two are together~!

2. Asta x Leopold

I’m telling you, when Asta called out all the nobles during that party, Leopold experienced his first bisexual awakening. I found his quick interest in Asta to be very endearing!! The fact that another royal is enchanted by Asta is hilarious to me! There’s a lot to like about this pairing! Firstly, they both radiate dumbass energy. Same vibe? Same vibe! Secondly, I also love how Asta seems like he has the most brain cells between the two. I never thought Asta having the most brain cell in a pair is possible but here we are-! Thirdly, Leopold’s obsessive rivalry with Asta is adorable!! He has to be so loud about this interest in Asta!! He practically forced his way into being Asta’s rival and that's GOLD!! This pair is just so fun and entertaining! It even checks my royal + peasant trope! I love that dynamic so much!!

3. Asta x Yuno

Okay this was my very first ship!! I always thought Asta and Yuno’s dynamic was the perfect image of what a healthy rivalry should look like! They completely subverted my expectation of what I thought their dynamic would be and I’m honestly glad! Their relationship is full of pure support and love! The way Yuno always teases Asta is also cute! You can tell he has no malice behind his words and Asta’s reactions are always hilarious to watch! I can honestly see why he’d continuously tease him-! Asta is just a cutie-! I also love their competitive attitudes and how they use each other as a motivator! This ship is just full of great vibes and I’m here for it!!

4. Zara x Julius

I bet no one saw this one coming-! This ship is where it’s at!! I like how Juilus, a noble, had so much respect towards Zara, a commoner, because he showcased true heroic traits of a magic knight! There’s so many endless possibilities for this ship, but too bad Zara is d e a d. SMH. They could’ve been Clover Kingdom’s ultimate power couple!! There’s so many things I want to see between these two! Zara possibly pranking Julius with his rainbow stink bug and Julius pranking him back with his time magic, Juilus helping Zara take care of young Zora like a second father, expose the corruption inside the purple orca together, and maybe have a family dinner together!! I’m hungry for this type of content for this ship! This ship is full of pure goodness!!

5. Yami x Charlotte

This is such a cute ship!! If I were to ship Yami with someone in the anime, it had to be Charlotte! There are just so many hilarious interactions between these two that I can’t help but root for this couple! I honestly think Charlotte mostly carries this ship. Her outbursts and overthinking really brings this ship to life!! It’s used as comedy and I enjoy it every time!! Charlotte is just so awkward with her crush on Yami and Yami’s obliviousness is not helping her situation either! This dynamic has all the entertainment one needs to be satisfied!! But what I really like about this ship is the reason behind Charlotte’s infatuation towards Yami. Yami saved her from her curse in the most frank way possible, subverting the stereotypical charming prince saving the damsel in distress trope. Yami was not charming nor romantic in his speech, which makes this moment very memorable to me! I think it’s sweet that Yami’s words captured Charlotte’s heart and in turn broke Charlotte’s curse. I just really like this ship! Yami’s unabashed personality also contrasts so much to Charlotte’s easily flustered personality. That’s hysterical! If these two were a movie genre, they’d be a romantic comedy.

6. Nebra x Zora

I would like to thank @thespiralgrimoire for this juicy ship. This ship has all that spice!! It has two bad bitches who also have a soft spot for each other. What else can you ask for? This is technically a crack pair but I don’t care!! This ship has potential and I will continue to make content between these two! This ship is not only hot, but there might be some nuance between the two with one being a classist noblewoman and the other being a vigilante commoner! So many lessons for these two to learn, especially Nebra!! This ship is a 10/10!!

7. Gauche x Grey

Bless Grey for being a potential romantic route for Gauche. This guy needs someone who’s not Marie in his life and thankfully Grey exists!! This ship is very soft to me!! Grey’s shy feelings towards Gauche are just so cute!! I like their dynamic a lot! I also like the idea of Gauche being a bit of a tsundere towards Grey because he is used to showing his softer side to only Marie. It makes this ship even more cuter!

8. Mereoleona x Gordon

Listen. I will die for this crack ship. I’m not lying when I say that there is potential behind this ship! Not only do we have the loud jock x quiet goth ship, but they could also help each other’s weaknesses! Gordon can help try to soften Mereoleona up and Mereoleona can help Gordon be more loud! It’s a win-win situation!! Also they make a wacky and cute couple!! I think they just look perfect for each other lmao.

9. Nozel x Fuegoleon

Honestly, I don’t really ship these two extremely hard, but thanks to all the hilarious content surrounding this ship, I ended up liking this ship a lot more than before! The fandom really makes this ship very entertaining and it’s all thanks to them that this ship made it on my top 10!! The dumb Fuegoleon and stressed Nozel dynamic always makes me laugh!!

10. Finral x Nozel

Shout out to my boi @dapperrokyuu for this crack ship. Thanks to her ideas, I ended up falling for this disaster duo! The quote below is what I put in the description of my comic for these two. It basically summarizes the appeal of this ship and I still stand by it lmao.“She brought out the idea of what if Nozel developed a crush on Finral, who at the time doesn’t know he’s bi. Just imagine Nozel internally suffering as Finral carry on his day with no idea that Nozel caught feelings for him. This rare pair just has comedy and spice!!”

#black clover #answered #ships #THIS WAS PRETTY HARD #I'm glad I finally finished this tho!#3/10 of these are crack ships- alsdkfja

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theheightofdishonor · 4 years

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Top 10 Battles in the Metal Saga (in no particular order)

Kyoya-Ryuga

There aren’t many battles that are just about raw power the way this one is. The whole thing is just so extra, from ruining the stadium before the battle even begins to ending with Ryuga’s possession and Kyoya passing out with a dragon’s tail going through his chest. The power-play between these two is riveting. And on top of that, it’s the closest anyone but Gingka and Nemesis ever gets to beating Ryuga. However, it does annoy me that Kyoya is the only one of Ryuga’s opponents in Battle Bladers who comes out unaffected in the long-term. After their respective battles, Hikaru retires from Beyblade, Tsubasa suffers with possession, and both experience a healthy dose of PTSD but apparently, Kyoya gets away with no signs of it? I call bullshit.

2.Da Xian - Julian

If you didn’t love Da Xiang before, you had to after this battle. It did a brilliant job of highlighting how good Dashan is at manipulating people, and doing so “coolly, and brilliantly”. Dashan sees the scene as the opportunity it is and coaxes Julian from a disheartened shell of his former self to someone who’s willing to try again without the man even knowing. Oh, and he gets Julian to appreciate the value of his friends too. And beats him in battle easily. And delivers, “You think you and I are alike? That’s an insult, ” decimating Julian’s remaining pride. Talk about being cool. (Chao Xin should definitely take pointers)

3. Gingka vs 100 (supposedly) Face Hunters

I had a hard time choosing between this and the battle earlier in the episode where Gingka first saves Kenta from Face Hunters, but I think this holds more impact and the one Kenta thinks is more notable. As a fight itself, it’s short compared to some of the other more epic battles on this list, and its placement is more about the consequences of it than the contents of the actual battle itself. It’s the moment where Kenta’s admiration for Gingka really cements, and the moment that Kyoya takes a serious interest in him, shaping his relationship with two people who will be monumental in his life. Also, Gingka looks super cool and baby Kenta is adorable.

4. Excalibur-Gan Gan Galaxy

This battle has one of my favourite scenes of ALL TIME- Masamune single-handedly cutting through Sophie and Wales’s joint special move. Let me just take a second to gush about how powerful he is and how much I love him and how he deserves so much more love and did I mention he stopped the twins in their track with ONE MOVE. Your fave could never but if I don’t stop now, i’ll be talking about Masamune all day.

The visual of Pegasus and Striker moving as one force, with the music crescendoing only for Destroyer to cut them down at the climax, is breathtaking. Seriously, I’ve watched that one scene on repeat and my breath catches.

I love to see Masamune and Gingka work together as a team, especially because it’s not their preferred dynamic and it doesn’t always come easily to them. But when they try, they’re magic together, partially because they’re so alike. This is the only battle where we get the full force of the Y-Masamune-Gingka dynamic, a god-tier trio who can only possess one brain cell when they’re together because otherwise, they’d be way too strong. Let’s be real. If these morons actually combined their intelligence, they would have crushed Excalibur to dust. We need more scenes with them tbh

As a side note, it was not at all ok for these guys to crash the festival or for Yu to ruin a culturally important arena. It’s played off way to lightheartedly for my tastes. It’s not even the only time they’re insensitive- in Fury, Yu and Kyoya damage ancient ruins and Gingka’s group explicitly disobeys orders to not step on a sacred volcano. The whole thing is kinda gross and the Metal Saga should address its serious disregard for other cultures. Sophie losing her shit on a literal 12 year old was funny though.

5. The Legendary Bladers-Nemesis part 2

This is a pretty long battle, I linked it to where the battle begins but it doesn’t end until the end of the next episode. There’s a lot about this battle that drives me crazy- like why are you people just letting Kenta destroy himself, why are the strongest bladers in the world who were specifically chosen for this battle unable to withstand for more than two hits, etc BUT- this is when Ryuga hands over the Star Fragment which is cool and emotional enough to let everything else slide. It’s a pretty satisfying conclusion to the Kenta-Ryuga arc and rings parallel to Metal Fusion down to Ryuga pulling a Storm Pegasus and disappearing into thin air.Which talking about, I will forever be mad Storm Pegasus doesn’t ever come into play after Metal Fusion. Shogun Steel would have been such a perfect time to bring Storm Pegasus back to play and assure in a new era- such wasted potential, but I digress.

Oh, and friendly reminder that Yu’s Inferno Blast breaks through Rago’s barrier while 8 Legendary Bladers combined couldn’t leave a dent on Nemesis.

6. Kenta-Reiji

Talking about emotional, if you didn’t cry during this battle, you’re a liar- it’s painful to watch. The entire thing with Kenta using Libra’s performance tip and his insistence that he has to win for Yu- it breaks your heart. Reiji is such a great villain because he does exactly what he’s meant to do- make the audience be invested in him. He’s so unnecessarily cruel, so irredeamable, and this episode drills that into your skull. Even the spectators of the match can’t look on as Reiji tortured Kenta well after Sagittario has stopped spinning.

7. Easter Island

It would take too long to name everyone involved in this, so i’m not going to. But boy is it a ride You’ve got King starting it off with Chris for insulting/defeating/humiliating Masamune- a noble cause if there ever was one. His impassioned defense of his boyfriend is one of the best speeches/declarations in the Saga and is also 80% of the reason this battle is on the list. The guy has his priorities straight, ok. Gingka says it’s either Masamune’s feelings or the world and King chooses Masamune, no questions, no hesitations. Can’t say I blame him. Especially after seeing the heartbreak on Masamune’s face when Chris insults him. But of course, the world is actually more important so

Gingka jumps in to stop King which as Benkai mentions, you can’t stop him from battling by actually battling him, so I don’t know what Gingka was thinking. Johannes’s lackies, including Aguma and the Beylin Fist, joins the battle, prompting Zeo, Toby, etc to also join. Then Ryuga appears and starts draining Chris’s power before Kenta stops him (thus publically revealing their affiliation to the world) and the two disappear. Literally everyone is involved, Johannes tells Chris to “man up” when he dares to show pain that Ryuga is literally stealing his power away but then vanishes because he doesn’t want to face Gingka head on yet. Can you say hypocrite? And while this was all happening, Johannes somehow managed to buy Chris’s loyalties.

It’s insane and so much fun.

8.Tsubasa-Jack

I didn’t expect to put this on the list but I watched it recently and had a newfound appreciation for it so here it is. While the team battle with Excalibur was the climax of Tsubasa’s arc, this was the resolution. It is arguably Tsubasa’s best battle of the series. He made his recovery with Excalibur, had a practice run with the Garcias, and by this battle, Tsubasa is better than ever. There’s a satisfaction in watching Tsubasa beat Jack with ease. After struggling the entire season, it's very cathartic. There’s this one bit where Jack is complaining about battling Ryuga and how Tsubasa can’t possibly know the disappointment he felt and Tsubasa snaps, because how fucking dare he, who the fuck did Jack think he is. Again, very cathartic.

Irrelevant, but this episode has some of the best quotes including gems like

“What is this? A bunch of creepy pictures”;

“Oh dear Tsubasa” queue Jack asking for a battle;

“You’re really lacking in the culture department” - Jack to Madoka, “

The rest of Gan-Gan Galaxy are common, unrefined types”.

The list never ends. Do yourself a favour and watch the episode.

9. Zoe-Toby-Masamune

This is the only season where there’s no one Final Battle but instead two separate climactic moments- Ryuga and Gingka working together to stop Hades City from melting down(?) and Toby and Zeo fighting to bring Toby back to normal.

Unlike the Finales in Fusion and Fury, this one’s private, personal. Not only were Ryuga-Gingka battle and the Battle against Nemesis attended by a lot of people, they were also widely broadcasted across the world. In comparison, Toby, Zeo and Masamune (and Ziggurat at one point) are the only ones to witness the Finale in Masters. It’s a very intimate moment. Their friendship is fractured-Toby's brainwashed, Zeo was manipulated, and there’s still tension because Masamune left them in a time of need. The two of them are finally confronting just how much their friendship has strained: Masamune never imagined Zeo would resent him when he only ever wanted to fulfill Toby’s wish; he’s almost offended Zeo would think so badly of him. On the other hand, Zeo wrestles between accepting Ziggurat manipulated him but also his very valid resentment towards Masamune. They both hurt each other but get past it and forgive each other for the sake of their best friend. Bey battles are when bladers communicate through each other and in this one, these three use it to find their way back to each other.

10.

Gingka-Kyoya

Of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without a Gingka-Kyoya battle. Despite Kyoya being Gingka’s second biggest rival, they only have 3 complete battles with a clear winner. (Kyoya is disqualified in Survival Battle, and neither won in the Championships Team battle or the one in Fury). Despite there being so few options, it was still hard for me to choose because they’re all brilliant and my opinion changes every other day.

Honestly, I didn’t remember why I chose this battle, so I went back in and re-watched it- SO many thoughts. For one thing, Kyoya sounds like a cheesy bat man villain. Seriously though, the battle feels so off to me because in this episode, Kyoya is more or less just another evil villain; a pale foreshadow of what Ryuga will become in the Final Battle. I’m not even kidding. This hits almost the exact beats that the Gingka-Ryuga battle will. I didn’t like this battle when I re-watched it for this post. Gingka and Kyoya’s battles are important because of the history and bond they share and in this battle, neither of those are solidified and it’s just not as satisfying.

I will admit though that this battle was important for them, mostly Kyoya who was headed towards unhinged-Ryuga territory before Gingka saved him. It kickstarts Kyoya into being the lovable grump we know he’s capable of being and creates a debt towards Gingka which in turn develops into an actual friendship. It’s an important step of their journey and I can’t begrudge it too much ig. If you really want to watch a Gingka-Kyoya battle for non-thematic reasons, though, I recommend the World Championships or the one in Metal Fury Ep 1

#metal saga #beyblade metal saga #gingka hagane #beyblade #metal fusion #metal masters #metal fury #beyblade metal fight #metal fight #kyoya tategami #kenta yumiya #ryuga

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overthinkingkdrama · 4 years

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Jona’s 5 Worst Dramas of 2019

A couple words about this list. I’m making this for fun. If a drama you love ended up on this list, it doesn’t mean that I hate you or I think you’re stupid or have terrible taste. But these are dramas that inspired strong negative reactions in me for one reason or another, whether that be disappointment, rage or disgust.

I’ve only included dramas that finished airing in 2019 in my selection process. If you have some dramas that hated, feel free to share them in the replies or send me an ask. It’s fun to complain about things for some reason.

Also, I have included major SPOILERS in a couple of these. So read at your own peril.

Dishonorable Mention: Melting Me Softly

I sincerely tried to limit myself to only dramas that I--for whatever misguided reasons--finished in their entirety for this list. Mainly because I don’t think it’s fair to brand something as the “worst” of anything without actually giving the thing a fair shake. That’s the only reason Melting Me Softly isn’t higher on this list. But I felt that it wasn’t right to leave it off entirely, if for no other reason then out of respect for the fallen Ji Chang Wook stans out there who lost their lives trying to make it through this trash fire. Somebody needs to stand up for those brave soldiers, out their gifing trash dramas while people like me are safe and sound on our couches, watching the tag like it’s a train wreck.

I made it through only two episodes of this drama, and despite my goodwill toward the majority of the cast, they were two of the most bafflingly bad hours of television that I forced myself to sit through this year. From what I could tell while side-eyeing the drama on tumblr and twitter it didn’t improve much over the course of the run. There were a couple steamy kisses that I enjoyed in clip form, but I don’t think it would have been worth the brain cells lost to sit through any more than that.

Bottom Line: Painfully unfunny, overwhelmingly expositional with no character development, confusing pacing and sloppy editing. Two episodes was two too many.

5. When the Devil Calls Your Name

It pains me to put this on the list because it was just last year that a Jung Kyung Ho, Park Sung Woong collaboration (Life on Mars) ended up in my top 5. And giving credit where it’s due, the two male leads seem to have a great deal of fun working together and I believe that all the actors gave this drama everything they could and sincerely tried to make it work. That’s one of the things I like about Jung Kyung Ho, he picks unique, risky projects that either pay off in a big way or fall flat on their faces (like the amateurishly written and edited Missing 9) Unfortunately, this script just too messy and too bizarre to work. Ha Rip as has a deeply frustrating character arc. He’s such a self-centered jerk for the vast majority of the drama, which is fine for a Faust type story if it’s written with conviction, but every time you think he’s started to turn a corner or grown as a person he reverts back to his old ways. The writing and tone are whiplash inducing. Plus the vague “soul mates” relationship between Ha Rip and Kim Yi Kyung seemed to want to have it both ways, flipping between implied romantic potential and a father/daughter dynamic, which made me quite uncomfortable.

Bottom Line: This drama’s bizarre mythology and world building barely makes any sense at all, but at least they’re easier to follow than the character development. Attempted something unique, but couldn’t pull it off. The OST is super dope though.

4. Love in Sadness

When I watched the first teasers I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t going to be a good drama, or at best it was going to be a guilty pleasure, but at the time when I started it I was hungry for a melo and there wasn’t much airing to hold my attention so I started it on impulse. I think in this case I got what I deserved for continuing to watch something I didn’t think was very good.

The first few episodes were actually pretty gripping and intriguingly dark, but that petered of quickly and the drama became and infuriating wheel spinning exercise with barely any perceptible plot development from episode to episode. The protagonists in this are all so stupid that in the final few episodes the female lead gets kidnapped not once, but multiple times because she keeps meeting her unstable husband alone. Plus nobody in this drama seems to know how to call the police when a madman is waving around a gun. It probably wouldn’t have made me so very mad except that in the last few episodes the writer became unaccountably preoccupied with how sad the psychotic, wife-beating husband’s family life was and how lonely and pathetic his life was when he wasn’t allowed to stalk, assault, and psychologically terrorize his wife. Seriously, in the last leg of the drama the villain is the only character who gets any character development at all. The drama pulls out all the stops to try to make use feel sorry for him. It’s disgusting.

Bottom Line: When a drama about a woman trying to escape domestic violence becomes completely preoccupied with painting the abuser as tragically misunderstood, you’ve got some serious problems.

3. The Lies Within

If it wasn't for the last two episodes this drama would not be on this list, but that isn't because it was in any way an exceptional drama, or that it otherwise would have ended up on my best list. Without the last two episodes The Lies Within is a merely adequate thriller, somewhat heightened by the brutal nature of the premise. I picked this show up largely to fill the void that was left by WATCHER and it was more or less successful, plus it helped that I liked the cast. However even at the beginning this drama I felt like it had some pretty glaring tone problems. There were parts of the drama that were standard OCN dark and gritty thriller, and there were other parts that felt like a campy police sitcom. The humor, when it does crop up in this drama always feels super out of place. But then that last big twist happened and man...I can't remember the last time a drama made me that angry or cratered quite so hard with a twist.

[And this is where I spoil the HELL out of this drama...]

Before this drama decided to go all M. Night Shyamalan in it’s last two episodes, there seemed to be at least one, if not two really reasonable candidates for the kidnapper. Actually all the ground work they’d done up to that point would seem to have pointed to Young Min and if he had turned out to be the perpetrator, I would have completely bought it. Instead they decided to blow everyone’s mind by making the kidnapped husband complicit in his own kidnapping and dismemberment. Which might seem like a shocking twist until you think about it for even half a second.

What it winds up doing on a narrative level it makes everything the characters have done to investigate this series of crimes up to this point feel pointless, resulting in a huge anticlimax. It makes the ambiguous figure of Seo Hui’s husband not only hopelessly stupid, but also cruel and unsympathetic. Because he thought somehow simply sharing the information with her would put her in more danger than threatening and psychologically terrorizing her into investigating the very people he was theoretically trying to protect her from. The explanation that he was already terminally ill doesn’t to anything to mitigate the stupidity of his plan for me. Seriously, you couldn’t think of any solution aside from cutting bits off yourself and sending them to your wife in the mail? I could rant about this ending at length, but I’m going to try to stop here.

Bottom Line: As far as I’m concerned, if you choose to sacrifice the emotional and narrative coherence of your story for a cheap and dirty twist to surprise the audience, you deserve every ranty review you get.

2. Love Affairs in the Afternoon

I’m really not sure what possessed me to watch this drama to begin with. That I continued to watch it is on me. The fact that I watched it despite hating the shallow characters, the thin story and the abortive message at the core of the drama is simply a lapse of judgement for which I shouldn’t be forgiven. Why did I do it despite not having a single nice thing to say about this show? Well, there are two reasons. I was curious to see if they would do anything compelling with one or two of the characters, (specifically the serial adulteress housewife an the broody artist) and I was surreptitiously watching this drama at work and it was really easy to follow the plot while only actually keeping my eyes on the screen about half the time. I watched the last episode before the subs were available and had no trouble understanding what was going. Which could be a sign that my Korean is improving, but is more likely a sign that the writing was so predictable and simplistic that you could follow it if you didn’t speak the language at all.

[Spoilers beyond this point.]

It’s my understanding that in the Jdrama that this is based on all of the characters basically wreck their lives and end up miserable, pointing toward the emptiness of the lives of these people who try to find fulfillment through extra-marital affairs. If that’s how this drama had ended, I still wouldn’t have enjoyed the execution but I could have respected the intent. But in this watered down Kdrama-fied version all the couples’ issues are resolved in the whitewash of a last episode time skip that makes the suffering and bullshit that led up to it feel completely pointless.

Bottom Line: Maybe this level of trashy, uninspired tripe would be somewhat justified if the chemistry between the leads had been better, but somehow they even managed to screw that up. The leads are just bad, vacuous people, a fact which is rendered all the more unforgivable by them being utterly bland. Everybody needed to divorce, nobody deserved to end up happy. Please be wiser than me and avoid this one.

1. Memories of the Alhambra

Initially, I was on the fence about even producing a “Worst List” this year, because in the past few years I’ve tried to be better about dropping dramas the moment they start to disappoint me, rather than hanging on to them and winding up burning myself out. I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough material to write this list, or at least not enough material to make it worth reading. Then I remembered that Memories of the Alhambra finished airing in January of this year (2019 was impossibly long, wasn’t it?) and I thought, “Aha, I can make this work.” I knew at once this drama was going to be the shitty tinfoil star atop my Christmas tree of suck.

I’ve already written a full review of this drama, where I got about as mean as I felt I could reasonably be. You can go read that if you like, I’m not going to retread all my many complaints here. What I will say is that Memories of the Alhambra took my mixed-to-favorable opinion of the writer, Song Jae Jung, and turned it to a negative one. She’s someone who clearly has a lot of interesting high concept ideas, but the execution is just not there. You can hook an audience with a concept, but you have to keep them with craft and structure.

Maybe the industry can be blamed for that. Maybe she just has a hard time ending her stories, or maybe writing on a deadline doesn’t agree with her. Whatever the reason, I can no longer trust her to deliver a satisfying story. And that’s deeply saddening to me, because Queen In Hyun’s Man is in my top 10 favorite dramas.

To be front-to-back terrible is one thing. The joke’s at least half on me for bothering. But to have potential, to have an interesting hook, a budget, a cast, but then to be either unwilling or unable to live up to that potential feels like a con. That’s how I felt about his drama, like I had been willfully deceived by special effects and flashy editing, all orchestrated to disguise a narratively bankrupt, unsatisfying drama.

Bottom Line: Is Memories of the Alhambra objectively the worst drama on this list? No, it’s not. Is it the most disappointing? Absolutely, it is. And that’s the more heinous crime, in my opinion. And that’s why it’s my worst drama of 2019.

#kdrama reviews #worst list #kdramas 2019 #jona spoils #exit review

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nah-man-ily · 2 years

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🌸 FLOWER-THEMED F/O ASKS 🌸 with Glamrock Freddy! (template by @blushxblush )

rose - how many brain cells would you estimate there are between you and your f/o?

Honestly? He is 9 of the 10 branicells we share

anemone - in ten words or less, describe the dynamic between you and your f/o.

Himbo dad-bear and artistic golden retriever

dahlia - what song and/or song lyric do you most associate with your f/o?

Dark red - steve lacy

tulip - go to your f/o's wiki page and quote your favorite part of it.

"OCCUPATION Gregory's guide and protector"

buttercup - give an incorrect quote of you and your f/o.

Freddy: everything's going to be fine! It's just a crush-

S/I: hey Freddy.

Freddy: I love you.

marigold - what is your favorite picture, video, and/or moment of your f/o?

My fav moments are when he waves at Gregory😭😭 he's so cute man, I can't with him

orchid - is your f/o also your favorite character from their respective media, or is it someone else?

Actually, no! My fave is glamrock chica, I like her design and what they did to her character compared to her other versions (also, that solo she plays at the begging of the game is amazing)

sunflower - do you make fun of or tease your f/o a lot, or can you not bring yourself to be lovingly mean to them?

Depends, only when it is about something I am sure he is not going to be upset after, he is a big softie and is a lot insecure, I would never do anything to make him feel bad even on accident

zinnia - how often do you think about your f/o? do they live in your head rent free or do you not think about them for months on end before suddenly hyperfixating on them nonstop for a week?

Well, the hyperfixating thing happens to every f/o of mine, but for now he is the hyperfixation of the moment. He lives rent free on my head, specially when I'm listening to music and daydreaming

lily - what would you say is the color scheme of you and your f/o?

Blue, yellow, black and purple

hydrangea - list your full playlist for your f/o.

Shallow - lady gaga , my funny valentine -chet baker, dark red - steve lacy, hopelessly devoted to you - olivia newton-john , apocalypse - cigarettes after sex, gingerbread man - melanie martinez, good old fashioned lover boy - queen, cloud 9 - beach bunny, make you mine - PUBLIC, bohemia rhaspsody - queen, heartache - toby fox , and a lot more but im too lazy to put it all here.

iris - does your self insert for your f/os source material have a detailed and complex story and character arc, or are they just kinda vibing?

Both I think , bc I didn't had the time to really insert them into the plot (bc I didn't even finished the gameplay yet lol) but, okay fuck this, im going to talk ab my self insert.

His name is Max, he is a animatronic golden retriever and is from the original glamrock formation (when bonnie was still part of the band) . he plays the drumms and sometimes back vocals. When gregory appears into the pizza plex , him and Freddy take care of Gregory so he won't be catch.

Like, I didn't put too much effort on him yet, but when I finish the gameplay I will work on it.

peony - how many images, gifs, and videos of your f/o do you have saved to your gallery?

Based on the quantity of images I save to send my friend and gush, I think there might be at least 50/60.

Ty for reading until here! again, credits to (@blushxblush )

#I was meaning to do this for so long man #self ship #self insert #self ship community #gushing ab your f/os is therapy

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hailey-halstead · 7 years

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Clown Apocalypse

hi guys!!! i finally finished this fic! i haven't updated it in about a week and a half but today i did the finishing touches so here you go! i don't own anything 😊 ——————— The caramel apples in the display case of a local bakery caught her attention as she was walking to Antonio's apartment. Since she was staying the night, she decided to be environmentally friendly and walk a few blocks from her place. He, of course, complained about her walking alone, but knew he wasn't going to have her budge. After all, it was the middle of the afternoon. Sylvie was pretty confident that she was going to be fine. Back to the apples. There was an impressive assortment of the delicious treats, ranging from simple sprinkles to birthday cake, s'mores, and ew, Sylvie wrinkled her nose in disgust, was that cheese?! It seemed like it was destiny that she came across these sticky delights, as today was the day Diego was getting his braces off. Actually, he had gotten them off a few hours ago. Antonio had sent her a beaming toothy smile selfie of his teenage son. 'I think he's pretty excited' the caption read. "This would be perfect," Sylvie said to herself, stepping inside the cute bakery. To her surprise, besides a few people who were already sitting down, there was no line. A bakery like this seemed to be the type with endless costumers. At least this fact made her feel better about buying from here. A teenage girl stood behind the counter, typing away on her cell phone. The bedazzled device was quickly shoved away though when she noticed Sylvie approaching. She was pretty flustered by the time Sylvie got to the counter. Personally she found nothing wrong with checking your phone when you had days like these. But other people didn't think this way, so this girl probably felt relieved when Sylvie gave her a smile instead of a look of disapproval. "Slow day?" She asked, putting her purse up on the counter, shuffling through to find her credit card. Her apartment organization was immaculate. The same couldn't be said about her purse. "Yeah." The girl nodded, the tension in her shoulders completely gone from just a few seconds ago. "It isn't usually like this, so I'm trying to enjoy it." "Me too. I don't have to wait in a line and get to have a friendly conversation to boot." Sylvie quipped, getting a bashful smile from the teen. Customer service can be a bitch with ungrateful, rude people, so she tried specifically to be as nice as possible to those who worked in the field. "Aha!" She declared triumphantly as she finally found her credit card and yanked it out of her bag. "Would have been trouble if I didn't find this." "What can I get for you?" The girl asked. Sylvie looked down. Penelope was the girl's name. The lamented rectangle had a sharpie drawn smiley face right after the last 'e'. With both Diego getting his braces off today and interacting with Penelope, Sylvie was being brought back to her adolescent years in her small town back in Indiana. It both felt like just yesterday and forever ago. She was pretty much a whole different person then. Pre-Chicago Sylvie. "What can I get you?" She repeated. It was actually the hand on Sylvie's wrist that brought her back to reality, which went away when her eyes met Penelope's again. "Sorry, I got a little distracted." She apologized, but immediately began to order once she heard the ding of the bell that signaled when a person departed or entered the bakery. In this case, someone had came in. Dilly dallying wasn't an option anymore. Feeling pressure from making others wait, she decided to pick a peanut butter chocolate, s'mores, sprinkles, and one covered with nuts. If worse came to worse, they could cut the apples up and share instead of everyone having an individual apple. Sylvie handed over her credit card after Penelope rang up each dessert. The bag filled with the apples was placed next to her, since she was busy signing the receipt. "Thanks, Penelope," Sylvie grinned at her cashier, who blinked dumbly in surprise at being referred to by her actual name. Before Sylvie was out the door, she heard a 'have a nice day!' called out from behind her. Ignoring how long it had taken her to find her credit card, just a few minutes ago, she threw it in her bag. Well, she put it in her wallet, but with no regard of any order. Next time she opened it, she would probably have an outrageously outdated gift card in the front and have no clue where her license or credit card would be. But that was a worry for another day. With her bag of caramel apples in one hand and her purse in the other, Sylvie continued on her walk to Antonio's apartment. She increased her walking pace, the Chicago heat was not being kind today. She didn't want to show up with melted desserts. They would still taste delicious, she bet, but everyone knows caramel apples are better when slightly cold. She arrived at Antonio's apartment slightly out of breath. This was more due to the fact of the heat than her amount of exercise. Either way she still feels gross she thought as she wiped the back of her hand over her sweaty forehead. At least blaming the weather didn't make her feel guilty like not exercising would. After pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she dug the house key Antonio had given her weeks prior out of her back pocket. She still felt slightly weird about it, for a second she was about to knock instead, but she couldn't deny that it didn't give her butterfly feelings every time she used it. Once unlocked, she pushed herself through, letting out a sigh of relief at the immediate presence of air conditioning. Neither Antonio or the kids were in direct sight, so Sylvie made her way through the apartment. Sounds were coming from the kitchen. Knowing these three, they were probably all gorging themselves with food. She decided to follow, her suspicions proving to be correct when she walked in and saw the three Dawsons at the table eating BLT sandwiches. "Starting without me?" She joked, placing the bag of apples, she had already put down her purse in the living room, on the kitchen counter. Mumbled hellos and hand waves were given from Eva and Diego, who had food in their mouths, while Antonio actually got out of his chair to greet Sylvie. "We just started," He leaned down to kiss her cheek. This specific display of affection was common between them, but Sylvie still couldn't help close her eyes and smile. "Everything's all out, dig in." He gestured to the display of lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon on the island. By the time she put the bread in the toaster, Diego and Eva were free to talk. Sylvie rested her elbows on the counter while Diego eagerly showed off his straight teeth. "You look so much older, Diego." She complimented him. He beamed back at her, always a fan of any mention of being older than his actual 14 years. "I think he still looks like a dweeb." Eva said with a smirk, leaning over to condescendingly rub her hand on Diego's hair. She wasn't being mean exactly, just being a typical older sister. He stuck his tongue out at her in response. The toast popped up. Sylvie quickly grabbed both pieces out of the toaster, flinging them onto her plate. She grabbed the jar of mayonnaise and the knife next to it, listening to Antonio join in the conversation as she spread the mayo over her toast. "What, are you two 4 and 9?" He said, deaging them both by a decade. "I'm pretty sure you two just mirrored an exact conversation you had back then. Thought you would learn more material by now." "You want me to use new material?" Eva challenged her father, with a raised eyebrow. She had a good point. Who knows what she had learned from high school, and now college. Sylvie was sure Antonio wouldn't want to hear certain words out of his daughter's mouth. "No." He conceded, taking a bite of his BLT. "Please continue calling your brother a dweeb." Now layering the bacon, lettuce, and tomato, Sylvie couldn't hold back a snicker. Antonio, Eva, and Diego had an hilarious dynamic. At first, she was apprehensive about entering a relationship with someone who had kids (even though she was the one who pursued him first, a fact that Antonio would never let her forget) but imagining her relationship without the addition of Eva and Diego seemed so boring. If someone asked past Sylvie if she would ever get in a relationship with a man who was divorced, had kids, and a crazy ex to top it all off, she wouldn't have believed them for a second. Look at her now, though. She's living it and loving every second. "What are you laughing at?" Diego asked, his face scrunched up with confusion. She sat across from him and Eva, right next to Antonio, who curled his left hand over her thigh. A welcomed, yet unsurprising gesture. Whenever they were near each other, her boyfriend was always instigating some kind of physical contact. "You." Sylvie said to the boy, then turning towards Eva. "And you," Finally, she turned to Antonio. With him, she couldn't resist tapping his nose in an attempt to increase her teasing. As she did this, she couldn't ignore the brief thought passing through her brain, pointing out how she couldn't keep her hands off of him just as much. "Are very amusing." She doesn't go into an explanation, opting to take a bite out of her sandwich instead. Her tastebuds sang with joy, she didn't realize how hungry she was until then. She was only going in for a second taste when Eva decided to bring up a memory that, at least to them, was a fond one. "As amusing as when you hid in a fair porter potty for 20 minutes, refusing to get out because of a clown?" While Eva wasn't bothering to hide her smile, next to her Diego bit on his lip, clearly holding back his emotions. And of course Antonio had the same expression on his face as his daughter. The dreaded Chicago fair last summer. When Antonio brought the event up, she had been excited, remembering the fun trips she had to the fair as a child in Indiana. But to her horror, when she arrived, there were millions of clowns. (Antonio and the kids argue that at most there were eight clowns, but to Sylvie, it felt like they were in the middle of a clown apocalypse.) "I thought we agreed to never talk about that!" Sylvie couldn't wait until she was done chewing, only holding her hand over her mouth to show some manners. She couldn't handle painful long seconds doing nothing while three pairs of eyes stared at her. "Also, it wasn't just a clown. He was on stilts! Stilts!" She repeated more forcefully when her mouth was completely empty. "The one after that wasn't on stilts though." Diego apparently wasn't keeping himself subtle anymore, going for a cheeky reply. Before she could attempt to defend herself further, the plastic bag containing the goodies she just bought caught her eye. Bingo. A perfect distraction to take the attention off of her (valid and common) fear of clowns. "I guess I'll take my caramel apples and leave then...." She couldn't resist letting out a long, dramatic sigh, beginning to get up out of the chair. Though her butt hadn't left the chair before Diego demanded more of an explanation. Also, Antonio's casual hand over her thigh tightened its grip, which would had stopped her if she had really wanted to leave. "What are you talking about?" Sylvie's embarrassing story was forgotten as he leaned forward with badly disguised anticipation. Anyone could clearly see the excitement in his eyes. Loving chess was the first thing she learned about the boy, but his love for sweets was definitely second. So much that when Diego was with Antonio, his sweet intake was minimal and strict. But when Sylvie sneaked a peek at the man next to her, he didn't seemed bothered at all by her purchase. Which was a relief, as she rarely did anything for Eva and Diego without asking his permission first. He had recently told her that she didn't need to do this anymore, he trusts her, but she still felt cautious. "You got caramel apples?" "I got caramel apples for people who don't make fun of my fear of clowns." She corrected, but couldn't hold up the annoyed persona for long. Seconds later, she was pointing out the bag right behind him. Eagerness must had gotten to him, because he reached out and pulled on the bag a little too hard, resulting in one of the apples tumbling out onto the floor. It was the s'mores one. Despite the fall, the small marshmallows, chocolate, and graham cracker pieces didn't budge off of the fruit. A groan came from Antonio. "That's why you don't rush." He said. Instead of immediately jumping down to grab the s'mores apple off of the floor, Diego took his time. Sylvie kept her curiosity to herself, but Eva had no problem expressing her thoughts. "Don't you know the three second rule?" She said with disgust, as they watched him finally lift the caramel apple off of the kitchen floor. To Sylvie's astonishment, he put the food right up to his mouth and took a big bite. With his mouth filled with food, he replies. "The three seconds rule doesn’t apply to sticky foods." Food particles can clearly be seen coming out of his mouth. The teenager didn't seem fazed at all by his lack of manners, going in for another bite. Eva shuddered, his explanation not changing her repulsive view. Unlike her brother, she stood up and calmly brought the bag over, setting it down at the middle of the table. Rather than take an immediate bite out of the apple she had chosen, the peanut one, she got up to go to one of the kitchen drawers. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. She came back with an apple cutter, slicing her apples into perfect equal shapes. "I think I'll need to do that." Sylvie commented, reaching for both the device and the bag. Before grabbing for the one she preferred, peanut butter chocolate, she glanced over at Antonio, wanting to give him the first choice. He wasn't paying her any attention, watching his kids devour their food instead. If a delicious apple wasn't in front of her begging to be eaten, she would have let him be. This wasn't the case, however. She gave him a few more seconds of peace, dividing both of the remaining apples with the cutter Eva had gotten out. Actually, she realized, they could equally share the different types of apples. Antonio must have been thinking the same thing, because he reached out to grab a random apple piece, taking no mind about the flavor. Before she could pop a slice into her mouth, a set of lips press against the side of her forehead. The stickiness of the apple was on them, which easily transferred onto her skin. Plus the smell was distinct. Really the only thing missing of experiencing the apple her boyfriend ate was actually tasting it. "Thanks, babe." He said as he retreated his head back. "Perfect end to this celebration." Sylvie nodded in agreement. She had shoved one of the slices in her mouth after the surprise of Antonio's affection faded away. The chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, and apple went perfectly together. Her mouth was currently in heaven. She was chewing nice and slow to enjoy and savor the flavors. "Never can go wrong with dessert." She quipped after she finally swallowed. "But technically," Diego butted in, eyes glittering with mischief. "Everyday with me is a celebration. Sooo.....what are we getting tomorrow?" Eva threw a nut at her brother in response, which made Sylvie snicker and Antonio give a half-hearted scolding to his daughter. But Sylvie knew he was just as amused as she was.

#clown apocalypse #brettonio #brettonio fic #brettonio fanfic #my post #sylvie #antonio #diego #eva

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jaredthegreek · 7 years

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Review - Secret Empire, July Part 2

Two issues of the main title in a row... this was quite the effort. On the good side one more month, just one more month....

PART 2:

Secret Empire 6: Another issue where we have a competent art staff, it is a nice change and makes the experience far more tolerable. This time we get a bit more from the weird world of shadows as Red Skull and “Herr Rogers” talk a bit. Meanwhile, the Mount is attacked by Hydra and the Hulk. There are some good moments in this issue, but there are also endlessly long speeches by Captain American and Tony Stark that just come off insincere. The ‘traitor’ is resolved really quick and has little pay off, but the battles with Cap and the Hulk have some intense moments. Overall, this is one of the better issues in the main series and it does set the stage for act three, but it isn’t that enjoyable of a read and knowing that there are still three more issues left means this will be a long third act.

Secret Empire #7: Never hold out hope for this book. The god awful art returns making this an almost unreadable comic. The story is mostly focused upon the Red Room team attempting to assassinate Captain America. The rest of the comic has scenes from the strange place with Red Skull and Rogers and the other Avengers reacting to the news of the attack. The writing is annoyingly filled with long drawn out internal monologues and exposition dumps, but is hurt even more by the art because half the time it is difficult to tell who is even talking. Not only that, but the fight scenes are impossible to decipher due to the monochrome and messy art. I even showed the fights to a third party who could barely figure out what was going on. Andrea Sorrentino’s art makes Rob Liefeld’s art look like a Van Gogh level masterpiece. Many people want Nick Spencer fired (and desirably so), but they really need to add Andrea Sorrentino’s name to that list because there are so many better artists out there who don’t get a chance, but she can do subpar work for a major crossover event. Marvel deserves better and hopefully they will do some house cleaning when this event ends.

bBrave New World 4: The first story is a Misty Knight tale showing her transport an Inhuman while being chased by Hydra. The story is great at subverting expectations and has a funny ending making it one of the best side stories in this series. The art looks a little odd for the characters, but it does work with the ending reveals so it gets a pass. The second story focused upon Emma Frost and doesn’t add much to the X-Men side of things. It isn’t a bad story, just nothing spectacular especially when compared to the previous story. However, the art is great and this is an above average story in this series. The last story continues the Invaders arc as the execution of Namora draws near and Namor begins to question himself. The art is still great in this story and the plot twists keep coming, though these twists aren’t all that surprising. Overall, this is becoming an enjoyable series as the bad stories are few and far in between. If you are reading the series, but avoiding most tie-in books this might be one to consider picking up as it is much more enjoyable than most others.

X-Men Gold #8: The finale to this tie-in features Kitty Pryde going ninja on the serial killer and the consequences of trying to help people in the Darkforce Dome. Overall, this was a great side story, but it added nothing to the event at all. The art looks great, but has a slightly 90s feel to it. This is one of the rare books that makes me want to read X-Men again. However, if you are hunting down every tie-in book this is a skip due to not really tying in at all.

X-Men Blue 9: This was a significantly better issue than the previous one. This time Jean and Jimmy attempt a rescue of the rest of their team. Meanwhile, we check in with Magneto and the capture X-Men who are planning their own escape. The writing feels less rushed this time around and we get a slight explanation for the behavior of some of the other mutants. There is still one issue left in this story and it’s likely going to be an action packed ride. The art is still good and the detailing in some scenes is top notch. Overall, this has gotten better by a wide margin and hopefully the quality can keep up for the end of this tie-in story.

Doctor Strange 23: Why does this comic feel like there are dialogue balloons missing? This might have the worst dialogue of any tie-in book and perhaps any current Marvel title. Despite that, there are some fun ideas with the various magical artifacts introduced in this issue. The story has Strange and his group looking over artifacts to stop Baron Mordo, but get sidetracked by a sidequest. Meanwhile, Mordo is attacking random heroes and spouting terrible dialogue. The art is messy, but kind of works for darkforce Manhattan. Characters look fine and there is emotion on their faces, but the art doesn’t overcome the writing. While this is one of the few stories about the battles in the darkforce dome it is still not worth reading due to the poor quality of the book.

USAvengers 8: The issue begins with a flashback to Toni Ho’s childhood and the death of her father. This takes us back to the present where he is trapped in a cell with a dying Roberto da Costa. Meanwhile we follow part of the team in France and discover the fate of Cannonball in space. As one would expect from this series things do get crazy, but the focus on Toni Ho is great as it allows the read to know her better and empathize with her struggle. Needless to say, the writing is great with a mix of humor and drama that makes you want to read more. The art is also superior with great emotional facial expressions and detailed backgrounds. This is a wonderful series and I highly recommend it because this is what escapist adventure comics are supposed to be.

Occupy Avengers #9: The series comes to an end with no real surprises. This issue reminds me of the final issues of Howling Commandos of SHIELD during Standoff. It’s a rushed conclusion with one of those not a real ending endings. The story follows the team as they gather together various refugees and prepare to battle Hydra. The dialogue is still very juvenile and the characters aren’t very interesting, but it isn’t a painful read. The art has a slightly more cartoonish style, which kind of works with this type of series. Overall, this wasn’t bad, but it adds nothing to the event and there is no real reason to read this series at all.

Steve Rogers, Captain America 19: This is the follow up issue to the event of Secret Empire #7 and for the most part it is Captain America being emo about his losses, but there are a couple good moments. The discussion with Odinson about the Hammer and the old days brought some energy to this mostly dry comic. Then the last scene with Sharon Carter was a strong emotional moment that had more bit to it then any of Steve’s moping this issue. The artwork is fine and the characters look good, but backgrounds are a little bland. This was a good issue and a great tie-in book despite all the flaws. It doesn’t do much for the plot of the event, but it does explore Steve’s feelings and the discontent of those he trusts making this one of the rare good Nick Spencer works.

Sam Wilson, Captain America 24: If you like internal monologue and lots of platitudes then this might be the book for you. The ‘story’ followgs Sam as he reflects on giving up the Shield and how that impacted the people in his life including everyone new favorite Mary Sue Patriot. Then we get Sam to stop being a downer just long enough to pick up the Shield again as he did during the ending of Secret Empire #7. This is a nothing issue like many books in this series. On the good side the art is nice and expressive despite nothing actually happening in the book. While some of the Sam Wilson issues have been great tie-in stories this is not one of them. Give it a pass unless you have to read every side story.

Deadpool 34: It is a surprise that this has been the most consistently good tie-in book of this event. This time Deadpool starts putting together a plan to take down Hydra as we flashback to the consequences of his assassination of Agent Coulson. There is some action, but most of this book is dialogue and very dark humor. The good writing is teamed up with really good, but sometimes grotesque, art that pushes the dark humor even more. There is only one issue. left in this tie-in and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out

The Mighty Captain Marvel 7: The battle continues with the cadets working with Carol to attempting to survive. Once the battle is over the team divides with part of it trying to figure out a way to connect with Earth through the shield. The second team pulls a preemptive attack on the Chituari. Things go from bad to worse as we move toward the final issue of this arc. The writing get a little confusing at times since the pronoun game pops up or some things aren’t clearly explained. Still, it is a well written story with some nice moments. The art is very good, with characters looking tired or worn out from the endless battles. This is a great series and while this was a build up issue it is was a fast and fun read.

Champions 10: This is a fun side story featuring the team trying to liberate an internment camp. The dynamics of the team make this a very fun adventure as well as the team using both brains and brawn to solve problems. Mark Waid does a great job with the writing with some fun banter and nice twists. The art has a cartoony look that works well with the young team and the action segments look good, but aren’t anything special. This was a nice book and a fun read, but you don’t really need to read it to have the full story for this event. That being said, this looks to be a fun series that might be worth the read for those who enjoy teenage hero adventures.

#marvel #comic #review #secret empire #never ends #captain america #sam wilson #steve rogers #champions #brave newworld #new world #x-men #event fatigue #reviews #comic book #comic book review #secret empire review #bad comics #marvel comics

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oliverpdaniel · 3 years

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Advent of Code 2020: Reflection on Days 8-14

A really exciting week, with a good variety of challenges and relative difficulties. Something tells me that this year, being one where people are waking up later and staying at home all day, the problems have been specifically adapted to be more engaging and interesting to those of us working from home. Now that we've run the gamut of traditional AoC/competitve-programming challenges, I'm excited to see what the last 10 days have in store!

First things first, I have started posting my solutions to GitHub. I hope you find them useful, or at least not too nauseating to look at.

Day 8: To me, this is the quintessential AoC problem: you have a sequence of code-like instructions, along with some metadata the programmer has to keep track of, and there's some minor snit with the (usually non-deterministic) execution you have to identify. Some people in the subreddit feared this problem, thinking it a harbinger of Intcode 2.0. (Just look at that first line... somebody wasn't happy.)

Effectively, I got my struggles with this kind of problem out of the way several years ago: the first couple days of Intcode were my How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The While Loop, so this problem was a breeze. It also helps that I've been living and breathing assembly instructions these past few weeks, owing to a course project. I truly must learn, though, to start these problems after I finish my morning coffee, lest I wonder why my code was never executing the "jump" instruction...

Luckily, from here on out, there will be no more coffee-free mornings for me! Part of my partner's Christmas present this year was a proper coffee setup, so as to liberate them from the clutches of instant coffee. I'm not a coffee snob – or, at least, that's what I tell myself – but I was one more half-undrinkable cup of instant coffee away from madness.

Day 9: Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and full of fresh-ground and French-pressed coffee, I tackled today's problem on the sofa, between bites of a toasted homemade bagel.

This is a competitive programmer's problem. Or, at least, it would have been, if the dataset was a few orders of magnitude bigger. As of writing, every problem thus far has had even the most naïve solution, so long as it did not contain some massive bottleneck to performance, run in under a second. At first, I complained about this to my roommate, as I felt that the problem setters were being too lenient to solutions without any significant forethought or insight. But, after some thinking, I've changed my tune. Not everything in competitive programming[1] has to be punitive of imperfections in order to be enjoyable. The challenges so far have been fun and interesting, and getting the right answer is just as satisfying if you get it first try or fiftieth.

First off, if I really find myself languishing from boring data, I can always try to make the day more challenging by trying it in an unfamiliar language, or by microprofiling my code and trying to make it as efficient as possible. For example, I'm interested in finding a deterministic, graph theory-based solution to Day 7, such that I don't just search every kind of bag to see which kind leads to the target (i.e., brute-forcing). Maybe I'll give it a shot on the weekend, once MIPS and MARS is just a distant memory. A distant, horrible memory.

Second, even I – a grizzled, if not decorated, competitive and professional programming veteran – have been learning new concepts and facts about my own languages from these easy days. For example, did you know that set membership requests run in O(1) time in Python? That's crazy fast! And here I was, making dictionaries with values like {'a': True} just to check for visitation.

Part 1 was pretty pish-posh. Sure, in worst-case it ran in O(n^2), but when you have a constant search factor of 25 (and not, say, 10^25), that's really not a big deal.

Part 2 is what made me think that today's problem was made for competitive programmers. Whenever a problem mentions sums of contiguous subsets, my brain goes straight for the prefix sum array. They're dead simple to implement: I don't think I've so much as thought about PSAs in years, and I was able to throw mine together without blinking. I did have to use Google to jog my memory as to how to query for non-head values (i.e., looking at running sums not starting from index 0), but the fact that I knew that they could be queried that way at all probably saved me a lot of dev time. Overall complexity was O(nlogn) or thereabouts, and I'm sure that I could have done some strange dynamic programming limbo to determine the answer while I was constructing the PSA, but this is fine. I get the satisfaction of knowing to use a purpose-built data structure (the PSA), and of knowing that my solution probably runs a bit faster than the ultra-naive O(n^3)-type solutions that novice programmers might have come up with, even if both would dispatch the input quickly.

Faffing around on the AoC subreddit between classes, I found a lovely image that I think is going to occupy space in my head for a while. It's certainly easy to get stuck in the mindset of the first diagram, and it's important to centre myself and realize that the second is closer to reality.

Day 10: FML. Path-like problems like this are my bread and butter. Part 1 was easy enough: I found the key insight, that the values had to monotonically increase and thus the list ought to be sorted, pretty quickly, and the only implementation trick was keeping track of the different deltas.

Part 2, on the other hand, finally caught me on my Day 9 hubris: the naïve DFS, after ten minutes and chewing through all of my early-2014 MacBook's RAM, I still didn't have an answer. I tried being creative with optimizing call times; I considered using an adjacency matrix instead of a dictionary-based lookup; and I even considered switching to a recursion-first language like Haskell to boost performance. Ultimately, I stumbled onto the path of

spoilermemoization using `@functools.cache`

which frankly should have been my first bet. After some stupid typo problems (like, ahem, commenting out the function decorator), I was slightly embarrassed by just how instantly things ran after that.

As we enter the double-digits, my faith in the problem-setters has been duly restored: just a measly 108-line input was enough to trigger a Heat Death of the Universe execution time without some intelligent intervention. Well done, team!

Day 11: Good ol' Game of Life-style state transition problem. As per usual, I've sweated this type of problem out before, so for the actual implementation, I decided to go for Good Code as the real challenge. I ended up developing – and then refactoring – a single, pure state-transition function, which took in a current state, a neighbour-counting function, and a tolerance for the one element that changes between Parts 1 and 2 (you'll see for yourself), then outputting a tuple of the grid, and whether or not it had changed in the transition. As a result, my method code for Parts 1 and 2 ended up being identical, save for replacing some of the inputs to that state function.

Despite my roommate's protestations, I'm quite proud of my neighbour-counting functions. Sure, one of them uses a next(filter()) shorthand[2] – and both make heavy (ab)use of Python's new walrus operator, but they do a pretty good job making it obvious exactly what conditions they're looking for, while also taking full advantage of logical short-circuiting for conciseness.

Part 2 spoilers My Part 2 neighbour counter was largely inspired by my summertime fascination with constraint-satisfaction problems such as the [N-Queens problem](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/29795516/solving-n-queens-using-python-constraint-resolver). Since I realized that "looking for a seat" in the 8 semi-orthogonal directions was effectively equivalent to a queen's move, I knew that what I was really looking for was a delta value – how far in some [Manhattan-distance](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Taxicab_geometry) direction I had to travel to find a non-aisle cell. If such a number didn't exist, I knew not to bother looking in that direction.

My simulations, whether due to poor algorithmic design or just on account of it being Python, ran a tad slowly. On the full input, Part 1 runs in about 4 seconds, and Part 2 takes a whopping 17 seconds to run fully. I'll be sure to check the subreddit in the coming hours for the beautiful, linear-algebraic or something-or-other solution that runs in constant time. A programmer I have been for many years; a computer scientist I have yet to become.

Day 12: Not terribly much to say on this one. Only that, if you're going to solve problems, it may be beneficial to read the instructions, lest

spoilers You cause your ship to turn clockwise by 90º... 90 times.

The second part was a fresh take on a relatively tired instruction-sequence problem. The worst part was the feeling of dread I felt while solving, knowing that my roommate – who consistently solves the problems at midnight, whereas I solve them in the morning – was going to awaken another Eldritch beast of Numpy and linear algebra for at least Part 2. Eugh.

Day 13: This was not my problem. I'm going to wrap my entire discussion of the day in spoilers, since I heavily recommend you try to at least stare at this problem for a while before looking at solutions.

spoilers The first part was... fine. The only real trick was figuring out how to represent the concept of "the bus arrives at a certain time" (i.e., modulo), and just compare that to some offset relative to your input departure time. Simulation works perfectly fine as a lazy solution, since your smallest input value is likely to be something like 13 (and thus your simulation time is bounded). The second part? Not so much. I knew that I was cutting corners on the first solution, since this problem was just *screaming* to look more mathy than code-y. And, turns out I was right: the problem could be solved on pen-and-paper if you were so inclined. If you look around on the subreddit and other comparable programmer spaces, you'll see everyone and their mother crying for the [Chinese Remainder Theorem](https://www.dave4math.com/mathematics/chinese-remainder-theorem/) and, since I have to establish boundaries around my time and energy lest I nerd-snipe myself into academic probation, I had to "give up" relatively quickly and learn how to use the algorithm. My roommate was able to come up with a solution on his lonesome, which actually relies on a fact I was also able to come up with before giving in. If you use a simple for-loop search to find numbers which satisfy any **two** of the modulo requirements, you'll quickly realize that the gap between any two succesive numbers is always equal to the product of those two numbers. (Well, technically, their LCM, but the bus routes are prime for a reason.) So, you can pretty quickly conclude that by the end of it, you'll be searching over the naturals with a step of ∏(buses), and the only trick left is to figure out what starting point you need. I think my roommate was at a bit of an advantage, though, owing to his confidence. He's definitely a lot better at math that I am, so he could dive into hunches headlong with a confidence that I lack. I found myself unable to follow hunches due to worry that I was either a) completely missing the point, or b) would accidentally make some critical arithmetic mistake early on that throws off all of my findings. In hindsight, I absolutely *should* have figured out that final Giant Step (hue), and then worked it backwards from the given answer to see what starting points made reasonable sense. But, again, I balked a bit at the sheer enormity of how much I didn't know about this kind of algebra, so I ended up needing a little more Google than brainpower. I'm chalking this problem up as a learning experience, as I truly had never heard of the CRT. I'm sure "linear systems of residue classes" will pop up again in a similar problem, and it's certainly a hell of a lot faster to compute than using sieves or similar algorithms. Also, I learned that Python 3.8 programmers had a distinct advantage over lesser-versioned Pythonistas, owing to the new functionality that was recently added to the `pow` builtin. In short, `pow` can now solve modular inverses, which is a massive timesave over implementing it yourself. I didn't know about this builtin at all, so I've continued to accomplish my goal of better understanding the standard library.

Day 14: The last day of this week! I really enjoyed today's challenge: it was tough, yet accessible from multiple approaches if you weren't a well-learned expert on bitwise masking.

Part 1 was just getting you acquainted with the world of bitmasking and the general workflow of the problem: number in, pass through mask, number out, store in memory. As usual, the formatted text made my Regex Lobe go off, and for once I gave in: it actually made extracting those integers a little easier, as I realized the addresses were of very variable length.

Part 2 was a perfect level of challenge for a Monday morning, methinks. It served me a proper punishment for not reading the updated challenge text appropriately, and I had to think about some clever modifications to my code from Part 1 to make Part 2 work effectively. My final solution wasn't all too efficient, but both parts run in a little under two seconds.

Part 2 spoilers I'm quite proud of my usage of `'0'` to denote a "soft" zero (i.e., the mask does nothing to this bit) and `'Z'` to denote a "hard" zero (i.e., the mask sets this bit to zero). I suppose I could have also inverted the entire mask – setting all `0`s to `X`s and all `X`s to `0`s – to make the old parse function work normally, but this worked just as well and didn't require completely rejigging the masks to make them work a particular way.

[1]: I keep having to stop myself from using the acronym with which I'm familiar, lest I get in trouble with Tumblr's new puritan filters. I wonder if the similar acronym for dynamic programming would be of issue.

[2] If you're unfamiliar, this is a common competitive-programming idiom in Python for "the first element that satisfies..." JavaScript, unfortunately, takes the cake here, as it has a native Array#find method that works much better.

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meditationklaus · 7 years

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I’m Jess Rose, And This Is How I Yoga

Jess Rose is a world-traveling, adventure-seeking yogi who teaches alignment-based vinyasa flow at international workshops and retreats, and teaches online to thousands of students with her 30 Days of Yoga Challenge and other programs on DOYOUYOGA.

Currently dividing her time between Mexico, the U.S., and Germany, Jess loves to travel the world to teach, write, and find inspiration in both the outer and inner worlds she finds herself in.

Name: Jess Rose Occupation: Explorer, Sloth, International Yoga Teacher Location: Anywhere and everywhere Favorite yoga style: Alignment-based vinyasa flow and hatha Favorite yoga pose: Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Yoga is… fun, and challenging, and confrontational, and therapeutic. It has the power to bring about the deepest feelings of peace in me, or spark my passion and drive…it just depends on the day and the practice. No matter what, yoga is a direct portal to a deep relationship with the self, learning to observe and transform how we react to challenges, finding the peacefulness at the very pit out our beings, and tapping into who we really are under all the layers of how we present ourselves.

Credit: Dagan Beach

What Do You Love Most About Yoga?

I love how versatile yoga can be, so that I can change up my practice everyday to fit exactly what my body or heart is asking for. It doesn’t take on the weight of being a chore, like something you force yourself to do and is exactly the same everyday. You can mix and match and get creative with your practice—you can just lie on the floor in sweatpants and breathe mindfully, you can chant OM 108 times under your breath in the line at the bank, read the Gita, or you can listen to a yoga podcast with your legs up the wall.

Yoga is so all-encompassing when you think of it as an amalgamation of physical practice, breath work, meditation, thousands of years of philosophy, and a path to a better, happier life. There is always some aspect of yoga that I am excited to explore any given day, and yoga and I have had a very long, interesting evolution together without the flame ever going out.

How Has Yoga Changed Your Life, Personality And Physique?

Yoga has had huge effects on my life…where to start? A couple things happened that made me realize just how much yoga was seeping into my veins while I was still pretty new to it. The first was being in a plane that got struck by lightning and the power going out.

When it happened, I had my mala beads in my hand and was using them to meditate. The plane went dark and we were cruising without power, people were screaming…it was pure chaos. I made the decision to keep meditating and not to freak out. I had no control over anything anyway, so I wanted to die peacefully.

I know that sounds really intense, but I felt a huge swell of tranquility wash over me—it was surprising. Ever since then, I try to always choose surrender and peace over fear-based action or panic.

The second thing I noticed, is that I will always skip going out and partying with my friends when there is a yoga class the next morning that I absolutely don’t want to miss. My social life has suffered immeasurably since becoming a yogi! But I’m much happier and healthier this way, so no regrets at all. And, I’ve made a whole new group of like-minded friends who also think that going to bed at 9:30 to be fit for yoga in the morning is the cool thing to do, haha!

Physically, I’m a lot stronger than I used to be, which has helped me in the ways of carrying my luggage or pushing cars that are stuck in the sand, for example. But, more seriously, yoga has taught me how to move better. I feel more graceful, much more aware of my body in space, and totally comfortable with my body in all of its beauty and perfect imperfections.

Credit: Chris Hannant

What Everyday Things Did You Get Better At Because Of Yoga?

I’m very proud of the fact that I can now sit still for over an hour without freaking out. I don’t know if it’s because the flexibility let me be more physically comfortable, or if mentally, I can accept stillness and being present and content with where I’m at and what I’m doing.

So now I can also peacefully sit through movies, which was never an option before, or enjoy a long meal without feeling compelled to get up and rush to the next thing. It’s slowed down my life and allowed me to be present and really appreciate what I’m doing in every single moment, and that is incredibly life-changing.

How Do You Keep Your Yoga Practice Interesting And Challenging?

On days when I’m not in the mood for a strong physical practice, I study philosophy or biomechanics or practice pranayama, and find the other limbs of yoga just as interesting and challenging as asana. But as far as my physical practice, there are always poses that scare me in a good way and teach me new things about my mental flexibility much more than my physical abilities.

Certain inversions still intimidate me, and I love to throw them in just to see how I react. Being a yogi who frequently does asana on camera has also upped my game and made it possible for me to explore poses I wouldn’t otherwise have had the drive to try on my own. This is why, when I meet students who have done beautiful inversions with me, alone in their home with no external forces cheering them on, I am so absolutely amazed and inspired.

What Book, Website Or Person Inspires You?

I’m really inspired by Buddhist philosophy, in particular Alan Watts and Pema Chödrön, for their graspable ways of bringing mindfulness and understanding to my frenzied and confused human existence.

I seem to repeatedly find myself in some sort of mental or emotional exhaustion revolving around love, work, or an existential crisis of some kind, so the ideas of impermanence and non-attachment always help me get myself back on track. I also love bringing a philosophical or psychological perspective into my yoga classes from time to time, and the Buddhist ideas on fear, power, surrender, change, and non-attachment seem to resonate powerfully with me and my students as well.

Which Yoga Pose Challenges You the Most?

Hands down, standing split. I really, really struggle with this one! I think it’s because I consider myself to be pretty flexible and pretty strong, but in this case, the parts do not equal the whole. I can do the splits on the ground, but there’s something about that deep forward fold, and the glute and hamstring power to lift the top leg, that my body has not been able to unravel.

So even after years of practice and many, many attempts, I often feel like a chunk of rigid concrete block with a very stern-looking human head on one end and a wobbly twig of a leg aimlessly drifting in space on the other end.

Credit: Chris Hannant

What are Your Go-To Yoga Poses When You’re Stressed or In Need of an Energy Boost?

When I’m stressed, Supta Baddha Konasana is my best remedy. Something about opening the hips softens my mental state, and if I prop my heart up on a block or a bolster, my chest can really expand to allow my breath to deepen and slow down.

For energy, inversions are the way to go. If I’m really low on energy, then headstand is great, but if I can muster the strength, a long handstand at the wall gets my blood pumping, sends fresh oxygen to tired cells, and gives me a little jolt of adrenaline to get me buzzed and reinvigorated.

What Do You Listen To When You Practice Yoga?

For more dynamic flow practices, I really like to move to Nu, Nicolas Jaar, D.Lissvik, and Earthrise Sound System. I like eastern-inspired instrumentation with a slow, pulsing beat in the background to give a bit of a mystical sensuality to my practice.

For yin or restorative practices, I really love to put on Masood Ali Khan, Jane Winther, and Steve Ross. I have pretty eclectic musical tastes when it comes to my yoga playlists, but most important for me, is no vocals. Or, if there are vocals, they are either so reverb-y that they are just dreamy and incomprehensible, or in Sanskrit or a language that neither I nor my students speak.

I’ve been annoyed by lyrics and pop songs too many times in yoga classes—even singer/songwriter music made by yogis is too much for me on the mat. I love having my yoga practice be a time to focus on my breath and my body, not hear some dude whining about his lovelife, or talk about how we are all made of stars and fairy-dust or something like that, while I’m trying to guide myself into a standing split!

What’s The Best Advice You’ve Ever Received?

I got this advice from a friend when I was living in France, and it has stuck with me for over a decade: “Reculer pour mieux sauter.” It roughly translates to, ‘step back, in order to better jump forward’. It’s been a personal mantra of mine ever since it was told to me.

I have the very reptilian-brain tendency to go into fast-acting fight mode when I feel threatened or uncomfortable, and this saying reminds me to give myself some space before I make a move. I also apply this advice to my yoga practice by doing plenty of yin and restorative sessions in between strong vinyasa days. This stepping back and slowing down to let my body unwind and re-pattern actually helps it to bounce back stronger and wiser than before.

What’s Your #1 Piece of Advice for Those Just Starting Their Yoga Practice?

Find your teacher! I have been incredibly lucky with my teachers over the years, but I’ve also been to a few classes where I felt totally uninspired (and even been injured!) by an inexperienced teacher. It doesn’t matter whether they’re online or in-person, shop around until you find someone you relate to, who makes you feel not just safe and supported, but also, motivated and empowered.

Without my teachers, I might have dropped my yoga practice years ago and never looked back. It’s all about keeping your focus, being constantly inspired, and being encouraged to keep learning and evolving, and the best teachers are the ones who meet all of these criteria for you.

Website: jessrose.yoga Facebook: JessRoseYoga Instagram: @jessroseyoga Twitter: jessroseyoga

The post I’m Jess Rose, And This Is How I Yoga appeared first on DOYOUYOGA.COM.

#Yoga #doyouyoga.com #Health

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