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powderblueblood · 5 months

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The level of detail and thought you've put into hai is incredible!

I have a question. I love how you've described Eddie as a rizzless loverboy (my favorrite kind) so I need to know how he managed to get with an ice queen like Nicole. Not to mention some stuff with Chrissy later and even Cass but I'm most curious about Nicole, especially since she's a former friend of lacy's and he describes her as the one person who's meaner than lacy. I need details. How did it all go down? i like to imagine that she approached him. What makes me sad is that I think she probably did it just to say she lost her virginity but I also like to think that they all find him hot but they just wont say it because he's the town freak

NONNY COME THROUGH I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!!!! hard agree on nicole approaching him because she's nasty as fuck in all the wrong era-typical ways and he's scared as hell of her (like, she really could bite and not in a cute way). but i also agree about these girls secretly being endeared to him. i mean, we saw it with chrissy-- he has a knack for making people feel safe in vulnerable little moments. but unfortunately, people (teenagers) are also diiiiiiicks

so fuck it, let's blurb it out! or

EDDIE MUNSON STAMPS NICOLE SUMMERS' V-CARD (NOT A BOARD WAXER, NOT IN MAUI)

content warning: swearing, wildly unsexy implication of sex, nicole summers sucks dude, teenagers scare the living shit out of me, me attempting to incorporate dnd terminology, GRANNY ECKER KLAXON, there's also an easter egg in this for the rest of the story if you know where to look word count: 2.6k (lol what)

part of the hellfire & ice universe (duh!)

FOREST HILLS TRAILER PARK, 1982-ISH

She's gotta be doing community service.

It's Easter, right, so this has gotta be like... a Jesus thing. But she doesn't seem like a Jesus person.

It's the only precedent that would explain what Nicole Summers, jaw jutting out in an exaggerated scowl, is doing serving Meals on Wheels to the less fortunate dwellers of Hawkins' favorite trailer park. Her red hair blazes in the sunlight, searing into his retinas--

But that could also be the weed talking.

"Ma'am, like, I don't know what to tell you, you're signed up to receive these."

"And I don't know what to tell you, little girl," Veronica Ecker Sr., affectionately and fearsomely known as Granny to him, grits from the doorway, "but I'm perfectly capable of cooking my own darn food."

Eddie's been lingering around the Ecker trailer, see, waiting for Ronnie to be freed from yet another M*A*S*H appointment with her grandmother ("Ever since she stopped going to church, it's like, all Alan Alda all the time," quoth Ronnie) and run through his latest Hellfire campaign.

"I'm not saying that you don't, I'm just saying that--"

"You're making me miss my program."

"I'll eat it." Eddie doesn't know who said that or why it sounds like his voice, until he figures out that he said it, which is why it sounds like his voice. Jesus, that shit he lifted from his dad was strong.

Granny Ecker and Nicole Summers elicit almost identical reactions of annoyance once they clock that he's there, lingering in the outfield.

"Junior, if you don't--"

"Oh my God. Ew."

Eddie plants his hands on his hips, half in the hopes that this might look authoritative, half mirroring Granny. "Well, y'know. Waste not want not."

Granny considers him, then apparently considers that this might not be such a terrible idea. Her laser focus directs back to Nicole.

"I don't give a shit. I'm not eating that tripe."

"I'm not just-- authorized to pass off meals like that. There's a system."

"Wait, you need clearance for stuff like that? In Meals on Wheels?" That'd be Ronnie's voice, head popping over her grandmother's shoulder. "Oh, hey, Eddie."

"Hey, Ron. You ready to--"

"Veronica, get back inside. I need you to hit that thing back to record when M*A*S*H comes back on. I don't want any commercials on my darn tapes."

"Oh my God, forget it!" Nicole breaks, stalking towards him with a foil-wrapped tray. She stays a safe distance away and thrusts it towards them-- something something freak cooties, some new line of bullshit that her and her dumb little clique had come up with in middle school. "Here. I don't need the whole freak council weighing in on this."

Eddie takes the tray and considers the shiny foil wrapping. His reflection is all distorted in there, a funhouse mirror but way, way worse. This makes him compelled to be unwisely honest to Nicole, who's already making tracks away from him. He jogs to catch up, foil crinkling as he moves. "Well, now I feel bad."

"Don't."

"It's like robbing from old people. Maybe you should give this to another old person. Like a super skinny one. Who might need two."

"Fuck 'em."

"Gee, Nicole, you're really buildin' that stairway to heaven, huh?"

"Ugh. What?"

"The meals-- the Meals on Wheels. It's a nice thing to... do. Fuckin'... forget it." Eddie stops dead; he might be loaded right now, but he knows which side his bread is buttered on. And he hasn't got any bread. He thinks it might be mashed potatoes, green beans and some rubbery chicken. Anyway, he turns heel-- this conversation isn't going anywhere.

"Hey, freak." The derisive nickname comes calling from Nicole's end. Ring-ring. "Are you stoned right now?"

"De-pendsssss," Eddie murmurs, the 's' sound going on for like five minutes, "Are you... a cop right now?"

Nicole busts out a giggle. It's kind of a pretty noise, if a little grating. She's kind of pretty. Eddie remembers when she had braces in middle school and whenever she'd pick on him, she'd kind of spit on him too. Gross. But still kind of pretty.

"I know how you can make it up to me."

Jump-freaking-cut and Nicole Summers is sitting with Eddie in that creepy wooded area near Forest Hills, making a miserable job of rolling a joint out of a dusting of his dad's weed and a torn-open Pall Mall. His buzz has kind of come and gone, and in its wake the knotted, deadened trees are looking extra gnarly.

"God, I suck at this."

You don't suck. You just need practice, is what Eddie would say if it were anybody else sitting with him, but all he manages is, "Eugh."

Because she does suck. And he's too nervous to further verbalize himself. He holds his hand out and she drops the comically conical attempt at a joint into it.

Deftly, Eddie re-rolls it just like that. "Practice, baby. Only way to Carnegie Hall."

"Wait, what?" Nicole murmurs, brow furrowed.

Eddie wishes he didn't phrase it like that either. "Um. Nothing. How come you're doing Meals on Wheels?"

A guttural sigh comes right from the center of her chest, which Eddie can almost see, thanks to her super low-cut tank top. Her cleavage is all freckled and hiked up, thanks to the Wonderbra that he's been painstakingly avoiding tracing the outline of with his eyes. "My fucking aunt. She's like some do-gooder Christian nutso, she runs the whole thing."

"Oh--" but Nicole's not done. She kicks a toeful of dirt up just as Eddie ignites the end of the joint and takes a harsh pull.

"I'm stuck with her this whole break because my grades were shit. I'm supposed to be in Maui, y'know."

Eddie wordlessly passes the joint on. Knew it was a Jesus thing. And like, boo-hoo, he guesses? He doesn't have any real pity for Nicole Summers right now, because overall she fucking blows. She's mean as hell, for no good reason.

Ronnie came up with a good analogy for it one time; like, put up against that chick Lacy that she hangs out with, Nicole is mean like a bad dog. She just keeps barking and barking and barking and barking and it is relentless and it's busting open your eardrums and she's snarling and you're too scared to get in her way so you just tolerate it. Even if it fucks up your whole day.

That Lacy girl, though, she's mean like a guillotine. One sharp drop and you're done. Dead. Headless horseman.

"I know which one is worse-- Nicole, obviously, because it chips away at you and it's so freakin' loud. But I know which one I'd prefer," Ronnie had said, "I feel like if Lacy comes for you, you've really earned it. Like, you possibly deserve to perish."

But ultimately, curiosity will be the death of Eddie Munson. And so will girls. And so will boring Spring break Sundays.

Nicole half-chokes on a lungful of smoke and Eddie's got to pat her on the back so he doesn't get nailed for her murder or whatever.

"God. Gross," Nicole gripes on recovery. "Ugh. My whole family is in Maui, but I'm stuck here and like-- I even told people I was going to Maui and it's like-- so fucked."

"Totally." Eddie makes pincer fingers towards the joint. "Don't bogart that."

But Nicole is holding it aloft, totally off on her own journey, and Eddie wonders if the weed has hit her that fast or if she's just completely self-involved.

"I even sent postcards to people, pretending I was in Maui. If you wanna know something really pathetic."

It takes a second for Eddie to decipher it, but it seems like she's saying that she's been sneaking around Hawkins incognito all break because she told all of her sucker friends she was in the Central Pacific.

"You completely said that sentence backwards."

He notes that down to tell Ronnie about later.

"Shuddup, freak."

"Man, it is so completely uncool of you to keep calling me a freak when you're literally smoking my weed."

"You took my Meal on Wheel."

"Meal on Wheel for a well-rolled joint does not an even trade make, Summers!"

"So why did you say okay?!" Nicole barks, and Eddie finally gets a grasp of that joint. He's up, he's off the log they were occupying. There is a buzz to be had here, a good time rolled tight up in these flammable papers and he is not about to waste it by letting Nicole Summers verbally wail on him.

"Because I am obviously a veritable moron of the highest knight's order and I had time to kill before M*A*S*H was over!"

That rhymed.

Nicole looks up at him with her green eyes narrowed, this horrible, puggy grimace wrinkling her face. And then she says something so beyond the realm of Eddie's comprehension that he's sure the weed is turning on him.

"Do you wanna, like, hook up?" Nicole says-- scratch that, Nicole snarls.

"What?!" So this level of fuckery doesn't make sense to Eddie because nobody's around. Like, if Nicole takes a shot at the freak and Hagan and Carol and Tina and Lacy and Cass aren't around to hear it, did it even happen?

"I'm serious," Nicole deadpans. "I kind of... look, so I kind of wrote to some people that I hooked up with someone on vacation and, like... I could make that not a whole lie."

"Nicole," Eddie says, in a tone about as measured as he can manage, which is not very because his balls seem to have vacuumed themselves back into his body, "Are you asking me to aid and abet your elaborate scam in which you're currently pretending you're in Maui getting, what... railed by like, a surfer?"

"Wow. That's actually kinda close to what I've been telling people."

He would later find out that she said her premiere paramour was a board waxer.

Eddie inhales a lungful of smoke so deep and so urgent that it makes him feel like Hunter S Thompson-- that is, to say, certifiably insane. Because Eddie's never been... Like, he's made out, or whatever, and grazed a boob like once, but...

In an ideal world, he would not be in the woods. In an ideal world, there might be some perfect declaration beforehand, and he might be indoors, and he might be wearing cleaner underwear. In an ideal world, it would not be Nicole Summers.

Roll Perception. Is this really how it happens? Maybe she secretly... likes me?

The D20 in his brain lands a nat one.

Yeah, maybe. But you've been wrong about that before.

Nicole gets up, and he can just about see the cogs turning in her head, trying to intimate an expression of sultriness. It's such a thin mask that he can basically see her rolling her eyes behind it.

"C'mon. You can't tell me you haven't... thought about it," she tries, dropping her voice in volume and pouting her lips.

And Christ, Eddie hates to be such a guy about it, but... you hate to look a gift horse in the formerly-braces-clad mouth.

I haven't thought about it. I think you suck. But I also think this might be my one shot at something for a long, long, long, long, long--

"God, quit thinking about it and kiss me, freak."

It's almost hot, it's like lukewarm at the very best, which is good enough for Eddie so he goes for it. Lips on lips, but Nicole apparently doesn't follow rhythm very well. There's a lot of dry macking, not a lot of... sensual action. He's almost starting to feel sorry for her.

But then-- well, let's just cut to the chase since that's the flavor du jour, then her hand is on his dick. Through the jeans, obviously, she's not a belt ninja but it's very much there. Flesh and tendons, palming at him.

In this situation, Eddie's not a hard sell. Badum-tsssss.

He uses one hand to hook around the back of her neck, tilting her head toward him-- using this opportunity to kiss her right, or what he assumes is right, while she's distracted. Nicole cannot focus on two things-bad kissing and dick handling-at once, unlike Eddie, who uses his free hand to feel her boobs.

"Siddown on the log," she breathes. Just what you want to hear in the heat of passion.

"Uh-- okay," and he does what he is told. Because she's still a pitbull, at the end of the day.

"Do you, like, have anything?"

"Like... the clap?" Eddie sorta-squeaks as Nicole positions herself over him, one knee either side of his thighs. She's got good balance. Is she in cheerleading? Or is that the other mean one?

"No, you fuckin'-- like a condom."

"Oh." His heart sinks. There's a box of Trojans that Ronnie jokingly bought him after he tried to lay a smacker on her-majorly misguided move, by the way!-but he doesn't--

Wait, shut up. They were literally having this argument the other day, he and Ronnie, about that tiny pocket on pairs of jeans. You know the one. Ronnie was trying to explain that it was for cowboys to keep their watches in, whereas Eddie was arguing that there's no way that cowboys need a watch, dude. They go by the sun in the sky. Like men, so the pocket obviously had to be for emergency prophylactics.

He'd even demonstrated, slipping a good ol' Troj into the tiny fold!

Eddie, in his over-excited state, almost knocks Nicole off the log trying to dig the rubber out. "Voilà."

"Whut," Nicole mumbles.

"Do you take Spanish?"

"No, French."

"... okay."

Here it is. This is it. He's about to get his dick out in the scary wooded part by the trailer park where he once tried to dig a hole to China. Fuck.

But all of a sudden, Nicole is fumbling. Her movements are suddenly weird and unsure and reserved and tight. Badum-- fuck off.

"Hey, y--y'alright?" Eddie murmurs, almost brushing her hair off her face. But that feels too intimate. Even considering the circumstances.

"Have you... done this before?" she says, lips pursed and small as she fiddles with his belt.

"Um." To truth, or not to truth? That is to lose any and all hope of losing one's virginity. "I--"

"I haven't."

A little moment of silence hangs between them. That's not a bark. That's a real girl in there.

Eddie swallows, despite the precipice of opportunity. He finds his throat is very dry, sandpaper going down. That feeling-- it's a distinct sensory recall. A favor someone once did him at a birthday party.

Because Nicole's a dick, but she's still a person.

Not that she'd give him the same grace.

Oh well. Building his stairway to heaven, and all that shit.

"We don't... have to." He nods, resolutely. Partially for himself. He even puts a hand over Nicole's, where it lingers on his undone fly. "Seriously."

Nicole's eyelashes flicker and she stares at him for a drawn out beat. As if she's considering him. Really considering him. Outside of the bullshit dichotomy in which they live. A crease eventually settles in her brow, looking at him like, are you serious, loser?

"No, I obviously want to."

Want to with me? he nearly chances.

"Just don't be, like... weird about this after," she instructs. "It never happened."

"I'm not gonna. It didn't." That sounds too soft, so he snorts a little at the end.

Eddie barely has time to ask her if she's okay before it's lights out for him.

The most unforgettable thirty seconds of Eddie Munson's pubescent life up to that point begins with a scoff (his) and ends in a scoff (hers).

But that dog ceases barking for at least three weeks following. No biting in the hallway, no harassment in the parking lot. Even when Hagan sniffs around him, Nicole doesn't jeer on. She averts her eyes.

It's no declaration of love, but at least he got a free dinner out of it.

#powder room talk #Anonymous #hai brainrot #blurbs #e. munson by powder #eddie munson fic #i GENUINELY dont know what to tag this as it was so unexpected #but thank you for the ask nonny ily!!!!!!#another theory? nicole denial is a river in egypt. you and robin dykely as you so call her Are Gay #r. ecker by powder

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nalyra-dreaming · 2 days

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Something something about the sequence of "Marius de Romanus, Venitian contemporary of Tintoretto's", "The Groan" and "I serve a god" in the very same dialogue exchange + Real Rashid + Marius burning Eudoxia's acolyte Rashid + Eudoxia wanting to take TWMBK for herself + the way Children of the Millennia worshipped Akasha + Teskhamen being part of Akasha's original cult, the founder of the Talamasca and Marius' maker + the Talamasca finding Marius' painting + these paintings hanging in Dubai

I sound schizophreinc but I swear I'm not. I feel like I'm onto something that I can't fully grasp yet but something like the show merging the concept of Marius and the Talamasca together somehow??? I don't know I need to watch S2 right now😭😭😭

Alright *cracks knuckles* :)

So I am (not sure if you know but probably) firmly in the team "Marius is somewhere around and TWMBK are in the basement. And Lestat is probably there in his coma as well.".

For me (myself and I) all the hints point to that.

The painting, the comment re the prime minister, the groan, Fareed, Armand's little comment re serving a god. If the groan is Armand being annoyed or TWMBK will be something that will be interesting to see, but...

I really do not think you schizophrenic :)))

Marius has ties to the Talamasca (Raymond Galant), not only through his maker (though that is indeed a rather strong tie) but also through his contacts to it through the ages.

I absolutely believe that some of his painting will play a rather important role still in the show(s), especially since the set design emphasizes their meaning so much.

So yes. Marius' painting(s) in Dubai. I would bet anything that there are (at least a few) more in the basement. I would bet a lot that there is more than furniture in the basement, too. (In fact I think @cbrownjc might be right on the track in their fic installment, but that just as a note, this aligns to 99% with what I expect as well^^).

It's just the setup of it all. It carries meaning.

Like, Armand wouldn't hang that painting if some things haven't happened. And, as much as he loves/hates/wants Lestat... would he say Lestat is a god? Then again, him being sun-proof (and Louis not) puts us in such an interesting time frame in the books.... and that little easter-egg/hint with the "Book of Hours", too... because remember where that was mentioned?? Right, in Memnoch. By DAVID. David, who implies that they, aka the Talamasca, were tracking said Book of Hours... which had been lost in Berlin in the Second World War. (Btw, I will forever and for all time adore them if Louis just happens to lose some luggage with that darn book on his and Claudia's travels. Seriously. Please.)

Fareed and Seth... and Gregory. And Teskhamen. And Raymond. Hesketh. The Talamasca. Gregory's pharmaceutical empire and Fareed's research. (Which could easily produce special medicine for Daniel). Seth, Akasha's son. The paintings in the living room depicting "mother and daughter"... and "twins".

It's all connected.

And I mean.... knowing the last books... it's not really a far stretch that Marius is involved with the Talamasca. Leads them even, maybe :))))

The show is building up the lore in a quite incredible way, imho. I just hope they do not lose sight of all the threads, because this... if it unfolds over the next seasons as I suspect it will??? ... will be breathtaking.

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #the vampire chronicles #vc #vampire chronicles #marius de romanus #iwtv marius #talamasca #vc lore #iwtv lore

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wintertimestoryteller · 1 year

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Linked Universe x Reader Fairy Tale Collection

@luimagines . Third scene in the opening act, it will have 5 scenes in total before actual romance, not fully satisfied with it though so I might remaster it in the future, these past few weeks have been... Something, but I still wanted to move things along and post this week so hope whoever reads this enjoys ^^

Fun Fact: All folks in the theater crew's names are references to an indie series of musical operas, wonder how many people will catch each one, just thought it fitting given the setting, I wouldn't recommend getting attached though, they won't appear at all past the opening act unlike Dark's hired help, who will have a little bit of purpose on the narrative and have some scenes but won't take the spotlight, wouldn't recommend getting attached to any of them.

A few things happened in between the time Reader fell asleep, woke up and fell asleep again.

Plus, there's going to be lots of easter eggs to other fairy tales and fairy tale adjacent stories in the story plus towards Zelda in general, some obvious, others not. Might put some fun facts about them in here before each story and/or act if you're all interested, you can see who will have each story by checking out the original prompt on Luimagines' blog except for First's, Calamity's and Spirit's, I have something special in mind for them. FD only isn't in this story because I'd have to dip into mythological territory for him, but I'll probably write a solo thing for him later on to compensate. Look out for a Masterlist of this after we are done with the opening act.

Oh and uh, warning for fairy tale typical violence in the next scene (I mean, the Disney versions are technically already gruesome and the most recognizable, but other versions also go pretty darn dark) plus Zelda typical violence, so just a quick warning while I can even if it's only on the next act, though the character will technically be fine, if probably traumatized.

Opening Act, Scene III

It barely took a minute to explain the situation to Time, and not even a full hour for your little group consisting of yourself, Twilight, Cal, Time and Wild all to recall the others to the village square to explain the situation in full. The director long since left it and the oak tree looked awfully lonely for a moment against the backdrop of a darkening horizon (when had the storm clouds thickened so much? It was plenty sunny a few hours ago).

As you guessed, Time already heard from the mayor and innkeeper that the inn had been attacked, and he likely would have talked to the director had you not beaten him to it.

"50 rupees this is a trap. Come on now, show of hands for those who think so." Came the sharp, downright arsenic tone from Legend, caged and ornery like a fox (rabbit?) Who once had it's tail caught in a trap and learned the hard way to chew his limbs off to be able to flee for another day.

You can't exactly blame him for getting snappy though, the situation is pretty unsettling and you all know it. And this group had seen a lot.

Four snorted a bit, "No bet, I'm not losing money over something that obvious. I don't know about you all but I really can't believe in coincidences with the way things are lining up."

'It's definitely the work of the Shadow then.', signed Calamity, posture straight and alert. Hand on the hilt of his sword like a silent sentinel, as if expecting we'd all be jumped. A clear contrast from the quiet but polite young man from before, box up the young man, set loose the soldier, '... We're being cornered, led by the noose. We shouldn't accept.'

"It might be the only lead we will have in a while though." Grimaced Warriors, arms crossed as he leans against the oak tree, his strategic mind going a mile a minute through the possibilities. As expected of a war commander and the left hand of his Zelda, "Don't get me wrong, this is all bloody unnerving. Specially given how (Reader)'s conversation went with the director, but it might be better in the long run to risk it and get more leads once the storm passes. Who knows when we'll next find shelter? Getting sick with a storm like this coming with zero information wether or not there's a second village nearby or if any other person will let us stay for a while would just leave us more vulnerable."

"Doesn't exactly mean we have to like it.", Sighed Spirit, a hand on his hip, nervous and skittish but doing his best to contribute anyway, "It's like stepping onto the tracks when you know for a fact there's a train coming no matter how good the reason is, but Cap' is right. Me and Wind asked around, doesn't seem like there's any other villages or cities nearby where we can stop, and the terrain isn't right for caves in this Hyrule. We'd be in big trouble eventually even if we retraced our steps."

"Speaking of that, what do any of you make of this storm?", Hyrule interjects, looking at a frowning Wind, "I can't sense anything particularly magical about the town, except maybe the fortune teller and the potion makers, but..."

Wind groans, frustrated as he crosses his arms, "That's the thing, it looks like it should be unnatural. Winds like that don't blow easily in any of your Hyrule's, specially so far away from sea, it's usually just in mine. It looks wrong, but it doesn't feel wrong! The Wind Waker won't clear it either." Spirit put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy, clearly this was driving the Sailor up the wall as the Link most attuned to the flow of winds and weather, except maybe peculiarly enough Four.

"Have you tried the Song of Day?"

Time nodded to First, "We did it already with the Sailor's baton, no change." True to his word, the howling of storm winds picked up as if on cue, or maybe spite. Almost blowing Legend's hat straight off his head to match Wild's hood, you quickly snatched it as he cursed before it could get too far.

Yup, if this was a natural storm you'd eat Hyrule's cooking for a month straight at a bare minimum. "Do you think there's dark magic involved at all?", You inquire to Twilight, Warriors, Sky and Four, the one's who had the most experience with it out of the group as you finished helping Wild with putting most of your cooking supplies away. Gooseflesh crawls up your arms, it was getting chilly and you couldn't help but look over Wind and Spirit, though it seems Warriors beat you to getting their cloaks repaired at the tailors. They've ripped recently and the thread ran out so you, Legend, himself and Sky couldn't do it as usual.

"Here," he passes you your cloak from his slate, you blink as he gives you a smile, "It's about time I gave it back to you anyway." The habit of Chain members accidentally grabbing stuff from one another was legendary by now (and the fact that some items like Sky's Sailcloth, Twilight's necklace and Four's Sword were off limits, you'd have better luck getting Legend to allow you to borrow an item than getting them to part from those), you just didn't think it would extend to you.

"Thank you.", Smiling, you snuggle into the fabric, tilting your head at the headshake from Twilight as he takes the floor, "If there is, it's too faint for any of us to really notice it. Or it's just not the type we are using to deal with."

"We won't exactly know unless we're in the building most likely.", Sighed your resident captain, the smith nods along and adds in, "There definitely was some around the inn though, in the rubble. But not really anywhere else strong enough to notice, could be because of the monster presence here recently."

"Fi's been quiet too, plus that Raven fellow didn't even seem to bat an eye at her presence, unlike the Shadow would." Sky spoke thoughtfully, you had seen them pass by one another didn't they? It was likely then that he checked.

"Mhn, they act strangely but they're not possessed from what we can see either."

Legend shakes his head with a huff, "Much as I hate to admit they're right, disguised monsters usually have cracks in their facades, either it's a really good, really patient one, or just a Goddess damned weirdo with a few screws loose."

Neither alternative is good, you think and despite yourself, your gaze drifts to the theater building again. True to the stranger's word, the doors were open and the gales were picking up, you still have that niggling feeling from before, the unease that picks up the shoe before letting it drop, the feeling of being at a stalemate with a Lynel or breaths away from getting shot down by a Guardian as you look at the dim lights of the second floor of candles and lanterns likely being lit up. As much as you wanted to believe this was a rare struck of luck the Chain some times had when traveling (in meeting some times strange, but helpful individuals), something in there shook you, and laughed in your face when you couldn't figure out where the possible dagger was coming from.

The thunder roars as lightning strikes the earth, joining the once peaceful breeze turned into a furious zephyr in it's howling, screaming melody as the first drops of water begin to fall, seems the grace period you and the Chain had was up.

"Old man?" "Grandsire?" Inquired both Twilight and Sky, as you all leave the final decision to them (an inevitability really, with a group this big and diverse). Time and First trade a look, seemingly having a silent conversation, before First nods lightly, sighing, Time nods in acquiesce, "We'll accept lodging until the storm is gone and not a moment less, everyone be on your guards. And anything suspicious or sign of the Shadow you tell one of us immediately, we mean it, do not engage or go off alone, this doesn't look like a Dungeon but we can quickly be proven wrong."

And that was that.

As one, you all walk towards the theater, the director seemed to be talking with someone at the door, a young woman with curly hair close to her chin. They wave her off as she runs back inside the building, tugging excitedly on the arm of another young lady, this one tall with hair a pale shade of blonde to the seats where you can briefly spot a side door who giggles at her excitement, the director gives them both a fond grin before turning to your group with a wink, "Nothing like seeing young people have fun mhm? So, I take it you made your choice."

First nods respectfully, voice steady and even, "Indeed, thank you very much for your hospitality."

The director rolls their eyes with a chuckle, ushering you all in, "Oh stop, you'll make me blush! It's nothing really, I have more than enough space and am always eager to please and entertain."

"It's still appreciated nonetheless."

They shake their head at Time, "So very polite, no need. Now! In you all go, I'll show you all to your rooms on the second floor and the communal area backstage."

You pause, just a step behind Sky, Wild and Hyrule, who scanned the warm lobby space with open interest, Spirit barely being able to hold Wind back from just running off as the director closes the doors behind Calamity, Legend and Warriors, their Hyrule's didn't have anything similar to theaters, at least not anymore on some cases not to mention many of the Links would have had time or interest to frequent these spaces anyway, so their curiosity was warranted. A glance from Time and First quickly stop any shenanigans at the director's back, "Has the communal area always existed?" You ask.

"Not really, most of these buildings don't have those. But I wanted the best for my actors you know? Some of them have nowhere to go, and letting such talent go to waste would be a shame. Hence why I had something of a substitute for it built in and rooms up above.", Shrugged Raven, going through the open doors on their left, "Comes in handy anyway when things like this happen, we have plenty of rooms for you all individually, so don't worry about sharing. Backstage and the communal area are just beyond the main treat of this place." There's a grin on their voice as they say so, and you quickly see why as your breath is briefly taken away.

The auditorium is beautiful, open and spacious with a grand stage where most of the lightning would be focused on, but generally bright enough as there are visitors as you spot a young man with red hair helping a blonde lady light the other lanterns. The curtains open with minimum scenery on the dark wood stage and the stands go from the very beginning of the auditorium, to the sides and second floor where two stairs covered by a dark red carpet lead up to the boxes', an iron chandelier hangs from the dark wooden rafters, casting light onto wooden beams and gray walls. Simple and solemn, but elegant enough to feel comfortable and homey rather than something more opulent or rigid, at least on any other occasion.

Raven's grin widens, seemingly satisfied at your reaction and what they seem to find on the faces of the Chain from open appreciation to curious interest, they stand in the road to the stands and take a bow, "Welcome to Astoria Theater, enjoy your stay! Once you've seen one of our performances you'll never want to leave!", They straighten up, something about their movement feels... Off, but you shrug it off as they nod to the red haired young man and lady sliding down the stairs, by the stairs you spot two side doors at the corners of the stage's stairs, the salt and pepper haired playwright seems more than pleased to themselves as they nod to each one, "Communal area and kitchen to the right, bathrooms and showers to the left. Feel free to help yourselves to the pantry, our home is your home." With a quick hop and sweep of their sleeve, they call the young red haired man over, "Edgar here will lead you to your rooms and if anything feel free to ask him, Anabella, Amelia, Byron or Priscilla, there's enough space so you all shouldn't need to bunk together." The newly named Edgar nods, a black cat comes hopping and balancing on the seats to settle on the theater's owners shoulders, earning itself an ear pinch before they move on, "All I really ask is that you keep away from the quarters of the crew and my own. Not many of us around today since most have their own places now, but just enough we can probably be nice enough hosts."

"Also keep away from the costumes and prop rooms and the stage", chimed in the other blonde lady, either Amelia, Anabella or Priscilla you guessed, "Byron is downright feral when someone messes with his hard work."

Edgar raised an eyebrow at her, "Downright, Anabella? You'd think he was raised by a pack of Wolfos if not by seeing him with that little village herbalist."

"I HEARD THAT!" Comes the yell from backstage, as a young man with brown hair sends a scatching glare from behind the curtain, the Chain as one jumps, and you thank your lucky stars for their restraint indoors even as you have to half remind yourself not to throw your dagger either. "Costume making with you people is maddening and you know it, no thanks to your stunts! And don't you bring Lynn into this you pompous pri-"

"Alright! Settled down you two!" Raven claps sharply with a stern look, Edgar sneers at presumably Byron while the later growls, they sigh, pinching the bridge of their nose before sending your group an apologetic, tired look you've seen on Time's or First's face many, many times over the course of this adventure, "Apologies about them, things can get hectic some times. Anyway, just don't go to those places uninvited and remember your end of the bargain." Brightening up, they grin, "Nothing like meals and a show during rainy days you know? It will be a nice distraction for us all I'd wager, we'll make sure to call you lot so you can take it in the stands."

"It's alright.", First relaxed, hand that had instinctually gone to the sword at his side falling limp, Time was the second to compose himself fully with a wry sigh, "Trust me, we understand pretty well."

"Thank you so much again for your hospitality." Sky spoke up, smiling warmly, Edgar seemed to blink a few times, Anabella almost dropped a candle she had in hand, while Raven simply smiled, "Don't mention it, really."

"We mean it, it's appreciated." Nodded Warriors, with Twilight right behind him.

They shrug, waving your group off. "It's not much at all, as long as we can tell stories we are satisfied. It's in the theater's and on the lobby's sign and all."

Edgar nods briefly, "All of us fell for the theater at some point due to that. It's only inevitable."

... For some reason, that makes you pause, that prickle of unease rearing it's head. You study them closely, but the director simply shrugs, sweeping sleeves flapping about as they shoo you group off. "Now off you go! You've had a long day, take your time, unwind, and we'll have the stage set properly tomorrow."

With that, you're all lead away. To the second floor and, true to Raven's word. There was an available room for everyone, all of them standard and pretty much the same with a single bed, desk with an unlit lantern, and a simple wooden wardrobe, after showing us all to our rooms, Edgar left swiftly, muttering something about 'needing to redo the scenery'. Tiredness you've barely registered crept onto the edges of your mind, you stifle a yawn and wave to your company, "I think that's my cue, I'm going to take a nice long nap for now."

"First sign of a bed and already trading us for it?", Teased Wild, making you poke his chest and flick a pointy ear, lips pursed so you won't smile at the little twitch, "Of course, just because I travel and adore you lads doesn't mean you're not exhausting to my sanity."

"Ouch." Mock hissed Spirit, Wind from his side hmphing, "I'll have you know we are a delight, thank you very much! If anything being around us is probably better for your health!"

You chuckle, ruffling Wind's hair and patting Spirit's head beneath his hat, ignoring both the indignant squawk and light bat like an annoyed cat, "I know, I know, don't take it personally. I'm really just tired."

"We know, it's been a long day and an even longer week," Sky smiled softly, giving you a gentle push onwards, before stifling a yawn, "Honestly I might follow your example."

"We meet later on for dinner?" Chimed in Wild, shifting in place, "I kind of want to check their pantry before anything else. See what we'll be working with."

Time nodded, addressing the Chain as one, "We'll meet up in the auditorium, you all get some rest until then. It will be a long stay so we may as well get used to this place."

"Don't give any trouble to our hosts, and if any of you notice something off come fetch me or Time." Came from First, you catch the tail end of agreement from the boys as you open and close your door, breathing in deeply.

You still can't push that feeling that something about this is too easy, or that the other shoe is going to drop. But faced with a warm bed and at least somewhere semi-secure from monsters after so long on the road, you can't bring yourself to dwell too deeply on in it, you set your bag on the wardrobe and atop a pile of wooly blankets. Picking one for your own use while you can, take of your boots and set them by the night stand, dim the lantern and then fall back onto the mattress, wrapping yourself comfortably and not forgetting to place the dagger beneath your pillow.

You fall quickly into a warm and dreamless sleep, unaware of a black cat with crimson eyes watching you from above, as the shadows shift unnaturally and the lantern almost goes out, before it slinks away into the shadows, slipping away unnoticed.

_______________________________________________

Long after night fell, dinner had been had along a relaxed retelling about the adventures of a young wooden puppet who became a human and all activity had ceased from most other guests and hosts alike. The darkness and shadows of the corridors shifted oddly, flickering as if someone had set a candle by them when all light have been either dimmed or blow out, they seethed and snapped and twisted as form was given to one of their own even as they hissed at the anomaly, wanting to be set to their natural, usually still and silent state again.

Sadly, they wouldn't be able to return to sleep just yet.

First came legs, then a torso and arms, neck and a head with short chin lenght hair, shades draped upon them in a shape like a tunic's and forming boots at their feet and red, red eyes, a shade bright like rubies found in the Era of Wild, bright even in the dark. Something snapped within the darkness, visibly shifted and cracked itself into place, and the figure stepped out, while once as obsidian as the shadows he was named from, color seemed to flood into the being as the remaining shades melted away, giving way to dark purple hair held back with a black headband, sickly pale skin from being unable to stay in the sunlight, and where there once was only the shape of eyes now there was a sclera.

There in the empty lobby stood a perfect copy of The Hero of Minish, the Shadow behind the Four Sword Wielder.

Shadow stretched, cracking his neck with a relieved sigh, "Now that is much more like it." His crimson eyes surveyed the room almost critically, narrowed and wary, he clicked his tongue with a sigh, wrinkling his nose, the only sound in a theater as quiet as a mausoleum, "Sheesh, no wonder Rainbow was on edge... This place is enough to give even me the creeps." And he had worked under Vaati, yikes. Shrugging, he went forward into the darkened auditorium, footsteps silent as the building, "Let's see what we can find, shall we?"

----------------------------------------------------------

Humming, the masked figure grinned, putting quill to paper from a darkened spot in the balcony, the Director walked away from their room with a candle in hand and a case on the other heading down the stairs, a black cat with blood red eyes stared judgmentally at the masked one's glee, "There you are." They waved the cat off, it rolled it's eyes with a hiss, but melded into the shadows easily enough, the figure leaned comfortably against the balcony railing and got to writing, ink crimson and then back where the quill passed, "First thing most fairy tales and stories teach you: never wander off alone, good intentions or not."

Opening Act, Scene III End.

#linked universe x reader #lu chain #lu x reader #linked universe x reader au #short one this time #no Shadows shall be harmed in the making of next chapter #just arguably traumatized #Dark Link is questioning every single of his decisions at this point #While whoever is behind Raven is practically vibrating as much as I am to get on with the plot #Might put this on ao3 eventually #just so I won't bother Luimagines every post xD

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tlbodine · 2 years

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Horror Directors: Jordan Peele

A big part of what got us set on the "horror directors" theme for our film series was wanting to rewatch Peele's first two movies in preparation for NOPE, which was the cinematic event of the summer. So we did! Let's do a quick recap of GET OUT and US, and then I'll follow up with some thoughts on NOPE.

This post will be spoiler-free.

Jordan Peele's background is comedy, having started out on Mad TV doing sketch comedy in the early 2000s, then joining with Keegan-Michael Key to do Key & Peele on Comedy Central, and a bunch of other miscellaneous TV projects. But his directorial debut was a horror film you've undoubtedly heard about by now....

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Get Out (2017) was a critical darling, helping to usher in what at the time seemed like an inevitable golden age of horror. It was nominated for four awards, and Peele became the first Black person to win Best Original Screenplay. There was a fair bit of controversy surrounding it, too, which I think ultimately helped to propel Peele's career more than hinder it.

If you somehow managed to miss this movie, or just need a refresher: The film centers on a young Black man going to visit his white girlfriend's upper-middle-class parents for the first time. His anxieties about that meeting turn out to be more than justified when he arrives to discover some...ah...very unsettling things.

I won't spoil it in case you somehow have managed to never see it, because it's a delightful romp of a film. It's also painfully uncomfortable to watch, not just for the horror elements but because of the second-hand embarrassment of seeing people say agonizingly inappropriate things to one another.

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Us (2018) came out right on the heels of Get Out and I think everyone was very eager to see what he'd come up with next. This one was not as universally loved, and in my opinion the plot suffers a little bit from some logical problems, but it is visually stunning and genuinely terrifying.

This one's plotline, in brief: a family's summer vacation to the mom's childhood town is horrifying interrupted by the arrival of dopplegangers who perfectly mirror their family...and who might have a personal axe to grind (or scissors, as the case may be).

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Nope (2022) is Peele's third film (he didn't direct the Candyman reboot, that was Nia DeCosta). This one is about a family of horse trainers who work in the movies, and the unusual events that befall their ranch when an otherworldly visitor apparently takes an interest in them.

The less you know about this one going into it, I think, the more fun you'll have.

For my money, NOPE was a very solid film, and one I'm enjoying more the more I think back on it. I want to see it again in theaters, maybe in IMAX. I think it's the kind of movie that gets better with multiple watch-throughs.

Which, in general, I think is true for all of Peele's films.

I really do enjoy his work as a filmmaker. I think sometimes his movies can be a little ambitious and overwrought, but I deeply appreciate that he makes original work with depth and layers and themes and that he's not shy about making those themes accessible. His movies are smart, but they're not pretentious at all, and if you put in a tiny amount of work in parsing them, you'll be rewarded.

As a writer, I also have a TON of respect for how tight his storytelling is. Especially in NOPE, where everything ties together with so much more consistency than you see at first blush. And as a director, he manages to squeeze so much visual information into every scene that there are always little easter eggs to discover later.

Anyway, I love what that dude's doing with movies, and I love that somebody's out here making original, thoughtful horror that's doing something different, and that he's so gosh-darn good at it. Keep doing your think, Peele, and I'll keep chucking my money at you.

#horror movies #horror directors #nope #us #get out #Youtube

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limi-pie · 2 years

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About TTORW Min Yoongi fanfiction

Alright, this is my third attempt💀 to write this f*cking darn update post but Tumblr keeps crashing on me and my f*cking ass! 💀💀💀

Erhmm, so this is super awkward for me🤠 to write and explain myself. But my bestie called me out for my whack behavior. Anyways, so you’ve probably been wondering about what’s been going on with me or the Mafia fanfiction I’ve been writing. I’ll explain in detail what happened under the ‘keep reading’.

Let me start by saying yes, I’m the author of the mafia-au Min Yoongi fanfiction “The taste of Red Wine” aka ‘TTORW’. For those of you who may not know, she was my first ever fanfiction that I wrote. (I’m actually lowkey proud of her, ehehe.)

I believe I posted the first chapter back in the 2020 summer, I was extremely sad and unmotivated to do anything (I believe we all were due to covid and quarantine, but I also lowkey have summer sadness) so as the smart individual I am🤓 I began reading K-pop fanfictions or even watch them on Youtube at 2 or even 4 AM instead of sleeping💀 (mind you at that time I had also just received a new full-time job at a cafe lmfao I kept f*cking my sleeping schedule so hard, ahaha.🤠)

I’m sorry letter

So yeah, first of let me apologize to those who’ve been reading TTORW and been waiting patiently for part 9 or an update. I’m usually not the type to write or update anyone on social media at least about my whereabouts or hiatus, so I just usually just disappear without telling or explaining it to anyone. Sorry about that it’s a bad habit and I’m a bad person for doing so. But I owe you an explanation and I’ve finally pulled myself to get to write this long a*s post!

Where it all started

I originally posted a prologue to that story before part 1, but I deleted it. I think it was due to the many grammar errors in it or because I thought it was awful who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ So yeah back then I would regularly post each new chapter at least once a week? Even though it had like 8000+ grammar errors, no f*cking spacing, improper English, and it was awfully written too💀

I thought being a “great” fanfiction writer was to post or update frequently despite how badly structured or written it was. I thought to myself, this is sumn good sh*tz🤓 at 3 AM posting without even reading through it several times before posting it.

Also, maybe the fact the “Y/N” I created in this story is a woman of color and I thought fanfiction writing is a lot of fun. And I sorta wanted to give a unique personality or at least write her differently in contrary to the typical shy and quiet Y/N. (nothing’s wrong with that type of Y/N I just wanted something else or at least I tried to write a different Y/N.)

Another thing, since I’m a multi fan I find it very fascinating to include other idols from other groups in this mafia universe, ehehe. (I hope some of you can like see some of the small easter eggs/references🌝 I’ve placed in the chapters, ehehe.)

To be honest I actually do like writing fanfictions and I’m surprisingly very passionate about it too. I like making a plot and putting much thought into the side characters and how the dynamics affect the others too. It’s not that I stopped writing or updating on TTORW because I lost interest in fanfiction writing.

Why did you stop writing/updating on TTORW?

It’s because of several reasons I’ve listened down below.

1. I’m lowkey very insecure and often doubt myself, whenever I find myself enjoying something. I always somehow end up comparing myself to other great fanfiction writers (which you obviously shouldn’t because people are at a different level of writing and some people are obviously more experienced in writing. But I end up doing it regardless) and I end up being so harsh on myself, like saying things like “no one is going to read this or like this” or “this is extremely bad” etc. (I’m trying my best to not do that but sometimes it’s just very hard. Especially when you’re always so harsh on yourself for no reason…)

2. I’ve been super busy with work, I’m actually in the process of resigning from my old job since I’ve received a new job. This b*tch (me) keeps overworking herself because I’m a Mark Lee fan, I can’t afford to be broke and I’m planning on saving money to finally and hopefully move out or travel who knows.

3. Writing block is hitting me so hard. Sometimes I get that fire moment of just getting down and listening to my K-pop playlist and BANG! I’ve successfully written paragraphs of good Mafia/fanfiction writing. You guys don’t want to know that I have countless of long Google docs files just dedicated to NCT/BTS smut writing because I’m h*rny and can’t think about anything else than abs and f*cking… You know I might post them one day but when? I can’t answer that maybe an anon will ask me about it? Or maybe one day I will get out of my comfort zone and give in to temptation then finally I can post smut. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

4. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. Sometimes when I’ve finally released a chapter I kept going back and forth to check if there’s something wrong with it or any wording that’s terrible. (we love bad habits in this household🤠)

5. I’m a sloth, I’m so lazy🦥 sometimes that I’m not in the mood to like to write or even think about fanfiction. Sorry about that. Also, I’ve been spending too much time on Tik Tok🦥 (it’s become a bad addiction of mine at this point.)

In conclusion

Now I’ve thought about it for a while I do plan to keep continuing and writing on “The taste of Red Wine”. To me personally, fanfiction writing isn’t about gaining the most likes and reblogs, I just do it because it’s a lot of fun and I want to keep trying in order to improve my writing skills too. I had a lot of exciting things for the story line and I’ve really looked forward to writing Y/N’s character development!🤠

I’ve read tons of good K-pop fanfiction lately here on Tumblr. I want to make a master list later when I’m home because I think it would be a great idea to keep all my chapters linked in one post. Thanks for reading and I guess for being patient, part 9 is on the way I’m expecting to release it soon.

Sincerely, Limi 💞

#Yoongi Fanfic: The Taste of Red Wine #Min Yoongi #Suga #BTS #I’ll try my best to keep updating and not just ghost you guys anymore🙏🏽#It do be like that sometimes #BTS Angst #Yoongi Imagine #Bangtan Sonyeondan #I forgot to mention that I still have no clue on how to tag things correctly or organize the genres and such...#Yoongi x Y/N #Yoongi x Reader #Mafia AU #K-pop #Kpop fanfic #Kpop fanfiction #Suga x Y/N

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missshezz · 3 years

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Another week and another disappointing episode of The Omega Sue show (trust me, folks, the show is all about the godling with the titular characters used just to lure us in).

I know people are trying to explain the five episodes since the first one away as slowly building the story, getting us to love the characters and all but...

It’s not building the story or focusing on the characters at all.

There is a technique to world building. Infusing tidbits here and there to create intrigue and add mystery. Build suspense and ramp up the drama. Not every episode has to be action-packed.

It does need to move the story forward. Every episode should be building towards the “end”. Sixteen episodes is not a lot when you have a 28-30 minute runtime. Every minute counts.

Sadly, the only focus of Bad Batch is on easter eggs, characters I didn’t give enough of a shit about to sit through multiple episodes of in Clone Wars and telling us how awesomely special and wonderful some ten-year-old twerp is.

Hunter has become a caricature of himself, Tech is reduced to snarky comments, Echo has been turned into a service droid and Wrecker has become a dumbed down wreck.

All to allow one female character to shine.

Here’s some notes I wrote as I watched the episode this morning:

Of course, even the scum in Cid’s cantina fawn all over Omega Sue, why wouldn’t they?

She isn’t a natural? So, we’ve forgotten she outshot Crosshair her first time using a blaster?

And Omega tags along, again, on a mission she’s unnecessary for...

“Stay here...” yeah, right, that won’t happen... (and it didn’t because the little brat was needed to get into trouble so Hunter could rush to her rescue).

Useless CW characters I didn’t care about in CW showing up because why not? We don’t want story or to see the Bad Batch as the elite force they are. Noooo, we want to see them needing rescue by a child week after week while getting random guest appearances of characters we don’t care about or want instead of, yanno, the ones we do!

Wrecker again bumps his head and we start to see his chip failing. Oh, we can’t get CROSSHAIR in any of these episodes but can hear his voice as Wrecker is laying there. Thanks for that, Dave! Cannot give us Crosshair but you can remind us he was their lookout by shoehorning your brat into his place!

Of course Hunter rushes to the Godling’s aide (gee, didn’t rip this off from another movie, either, did ya, Dave?)

And the useless characters even come to her aide and fall in love with her, too because gosh darn-it, she’s just sugar and spice and everything nice!

Ah the “unnatural” who was struggling in the beginning to even shoot the damn bow has suddenly perfected shooting the damn bow! Yup, didn’t call that, at all!

Folks, this episode would have worked a ton better without Omega in it. It was the perfect episode to showcase the Bad Batch struggling with being one man down (a vital member of their team, at that). Gave them a challenge to overcome as they tried to retrieve the tactical droid and fight the security droids because they’d realize how much of a well-oiled machine they were until the team fragmented.

The time wasted on Omega getting into trouble could have explored Wrecker’s head situation and put concern into the others about those chips and what they could cause them to do. Made them start wondering who they could turn too and ask for help.

The ending with the girls contacting whoever is another meh because it will not lead to anyone I wanna see (Rex, specifically or even Bail Organa as I initially thought it might be). It will likely lead to another guest appearance of another CW, Rebels or Mandalorian character because that’s all Dave Filoni is interested in giving us: rehashed storylines, one-dimensional Sue characters, and easter eggs that don’t deliver the show we were promised.

#the bad batch #bad batch 1x06 #bad batch spoilers #more of the lackluster same #more Omega Sue #anti omega

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raiko101 · 3 years

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Lovely Writer Episode 12 notes

- Gene.. beb.. you ok?

- I love Tum sm, you can see how worried he is about Gene

- It’s barely been any days yet and Gene already looks terrible

- Ugh stupid extended contract

- Poor Nubsib he must’ve been going through such a hard time

- Dang it I wish I could dislike Aey but I can’t

- He’s just so.. so.. y’know

- Wait what the hell is Nubsib doing?

- Damn.. that was badass

- Is Tiffy going to finally give Aey a lecture?

- Oh she’s leaving

- Damn I kinda feel bad since he’s alone now..

- Yay time for the dreaded press conference

- I hate how smiley and giggly some of the fans are

- YES they’re just brothers guys there’s nothing going on here

- omg MORK?

- Everyone looks so terrified Istg

- I’m sensing some attitude from Gene and I’m living for it

- 4 aMoNTHS LATER DIDJD)DUDUUDU

- Oh we’re starting with Hin ok ok

- I KNEW HE WOULD GET IT PUBLISHED LIKE IT FRICKING SHOULD BE

- It better be adapted into a series too hmph

- Awh Gene

- Something about the book falling when he grabbed his phone is just so.. real?

- I love Hin and Gene’s friendship sm

- Darn it I forgot my box of tissues

- Hin has some pretty good advice waw

- Oki what the hell is going on with Aey?

- Love the Y-Destiny easter egg

- The ASMR with the chocolate though

- mmm flowers

- Munch munch I guess? I should probably research about whatever the hell thay flower is

- Ooh hey Tum

- YES EXACTLY SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO CONTROL YOU LIKE THAT

- I forgot that Tum is Nubsib’s manager oops

- Plan? Hmm.. what plan?

- Yay back in the childhood house

- Damn Jap’s jacket is just.. mwah

- Oh yes.. the war flashbacks

- Gosh these kids are so adorable

- Wait a second.. Gene’s wearing a jean shirt or something

- Awh Gene don’t hug the bed like that damn

- Why do I relate to him putting his arm around himself so much?

- Shia I feel exposed and attacked

- WHAT NUBS- oh no it’s just the younger version

- A countdown is happening.. wait a second.. wai- WAIT

- *malfunctions*

- Ok I’m back from crying in the bathroom.. time to resume

- Is this.. real?

- Nubsib’s wearing denim over denim.. oh dear.. is this really real?

- I’m so confused it feels too dream-like

- No don’t let him kiss you until he’s satisfied Gene.. he’s a beast and we both know that

- I actually though this scene would be a promo thing and not an actual scene damn

- Wait a second.. talking about scenes.. where’s the scene where Nubsib beats someone up? I WAS SO HYPED

- Anyways look at these cuties just feeling each other and.. ugh I hate it here

- I love Jap sm

- Finally he gives them some privacy like omg

- Ooh what is going on now?

- What is he signing wha-? Oh is that a contract?

- I knew Tum and Tiffy would be together

- LMAOSJDJNDD WHY IS EVERYONE GETTING H-WORD

- Nubsib probably infected them all damn it

- Aww look how adorable Gene looks

- Finale ideas?

- WHY IS THERE A PRINCE CO- oh damn Nubsib looks hella good

- I do- what?

- The fourth wall breaks are killing me

- Ughh the transitions are so good too

- That Cinderella ripoff outfit is so confusing

- But Sib’s suit is gorgeous

- Woah this last one is dark

- Why is he holding a gun?

- That outfit is so good though omg

- Yes compliment how soft his lips are while he’s dying

- I’m getting some flashbacks to.. uhm.. another beloved couple.. iykyk

- Now they’re just going to make out in front of us like this?

- Why are they looking at m- THE EYEBROWS I-

- Even the ending circle has personality

- Like look at it doing it’s little bounce and all

- Ouh I thought it was over

- THEIR HAIR DIDDJD

- Omg who’s that?

- They’re so cute and their fit is amazing omg

- Fanfic?

- Gene’s looking at the camera ack

- WAIT WHAT WHAT’S GOING ON?

- Don’t tell me that this whole story is a story written by this person or something (Update: This is the author 0.0)

- this show is so confusing

- WAIT WHAJSJXJFJFJFJFJDJD SEQUEL!?

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okayto · 3 years

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Mini-Review: Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

In the year 2205, the past is threatened by the historical revisionists who seek to change it. Protecting history becomes the task of a boisterous band of swords that are brought to life, including the glamorous Kashuu Kiyomitsu and the kindly Yamatonokami Yasusada. Beyond their battles, these legendary swords from different eras lead charming daily lives.

Look, I loved this. There are currently two 12-episode seasons and I am desperately hoping for a third. But even so, this was very different than what the description led me to believe. It sounds like it’s going to have a lot of fighting, right? The concept of time-traveling history defender sounds solid. So I expected a lot of this:

I got, um, a small amount of that. But mostly what I got was:

and

Yes, the show focuses a lot on the daily life part. The time-traveling history protection is mainly there for select character development. But, like I said, I ended up loving this.

The series starts with this adorable child sword’s first day in the Citadel. See, all the characters are swords from Japan’s history, given human form by a mysterious but much beloved magical master. (Never seen by the audience, and they/them pronouns used at all times.) Since the swords live and train here when not being sent on missions, new swords get a tour and introduction to everyone. This is convenient for plot reasons, letting the audience get settled.

Hmmm, I thought, as we met the 10th character with no end in sight, I wonder if this was based on a video game? I’m getting that vibe.

Blue-guy, Yamatonokami, and Red-guy below, Kashuu, are the deuteragonists of the series, with Yama-Blue getting more focus in season 1, and Kashuu getting more in season 2. (Also, please join me in admiring Kashuu’s beautiful painted nails.)

This is really helpful, because with such a large cast, things would get lost if they tried to give everyone character development. Instead, we have these two that get more than one episode of development, a nebulous group of like, 20-ish that pop up in multiple episodes, enough that you can probably remember their names, and the rest of the cast really only pop up with lines a few times.

Oh? Didn’t I mention? There are a lot of characters. 62 swords, in fact, 40-odd of whom appear in the first season.

With so many characters, it can’t get deep. Instead, most episodes focus on a handful, whether it be “X is self-conscious about his size but helps the team on the mission by being tall” or “Kasen, who has for some reason taken on the role of Main Laundry Doer, tries to steal Yamanbagiri’s never-removed cloak for washing.” Sometimes we get familiar tropes like “two characters compete to get Position X while the regular person is gone,” or “two characters who don’t like each other are forced to work together and end up singing about it while cooking.” Or that perennial favorite, “unable to convince a loner to make friends any other way, the group puts together a host club.”

It ended up being so fun, because the show doesn’t try to overdo it. This isn’t the mess that was Miracle Train--there’s no attempt at trying to make things really dark and mysterious. This is mainly full of hijinks by a bunch of pretty dorks who live together, most of whom have personalities like “big brother” or “gym maniac” or “alcoholic” (that’s Jiroutachi, purple in the first gif) or “nice grandpa who drinks tea all day and looks 25 and can kill you” (Munechika, below) or “daddy,” who I already wrote a post about because I heard them say “SWORD DADDY” and died.

Everyone is so darn likable, even the loners and rude characters. It was pure fun--not million-laughs-a-minute comedy, but something I could sit down, know that I was going to watch characters be friendly and funny and resolve issues and get a happy ending, without getting monotonous.

Verdict

English dub? Yes, and with so many (SO MANY) voiced characters, if you’ve watched any amount of Funimation-dubbed anime you’ll probably recognize a few. Having just finished Kamisama Kiss before starting this, I was like HEY THAT’S TOMOE when one pink-haired sword starting speaking, and immediately identified Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom in season 2. This isn’t a bad thing! It’s more of an Easter egg.

That said, I loved Kashuu’s voice, which I hadn’t heard before. There was something so captivating about his light and casual voice via Garret Storms. (my ears: this voice is friend-shaped)

Most things sounded fine in English, but my favorite thing besides Kashuu’s voice was definitely the two separate episodes where characters just break out into song while cooking together. 10/10 would watch again.

Visuals: The major thing that clued me in to this originating as a game wasn’t just the amount of characters, but their designs. These are fun, pretty, colorful designs. Characters are visually distinct so even if you can’t keep track of names, it’s easy to keep personalities separate. Plus, the show as a whole is colorful and light.

Worth watching? Hi, this is a show that explains none of its magic, but includes pretty sword-boys who paint their nails and have friendly swordfights and take daytrips to the beach and occasionally kill monsters so that history won’t change. It’s so much fun.

Important note: there is a separate show called “Katsugeki Touken Ranbu,” made by a different studio, that seems to be closer to what I initially thought I was watching: more action, more serious. I haven’t watched it yet, but be aware it’s a separate thing (although based on the same mobile game).

Where to watch (USA, as of November 2020): Funimation (dub), Crunchyroll (sub), BR/DVD

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#Touken Ranbu #Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru #Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru #it's the kind of show where like I've got QUESTIONS about the 'History Retrograde Army' & why they're all explicitly-evil-looking monsters #&those questions are never answered but it doesn't ever pretend it's going to answer them so I don't really mind #(*STARES STRAIGHT AT MIRACLE TRAIN* THIS is how you do a inanimate-objects-turned-pretty-boys-doing things show)#1st episode: interesting! 2-3rd eps: why hasn't there been more fighting? 4th+ ep: nevermind FUN FUN FUN #anime #reviews #recommendation

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kyndaris · 3 years

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1110 Cool Points

Through the miracle that is often labelled as luck or fortune, I managed to acquire a PlayStation 5 near the start of May. It was Mother’s Day weekend and I was out looking for possible gifts for a woman that, when asked, had shook her head and offered me merely a secret smile in response. Since I was out in a shopping centre, I thought it would not hurt to make enquiries at the different electronic stores scattered about and see if I couldn’t put my name down on one of the wait lists that some had for the ever elusive console.

My first stop was EB Games. One of the store people approached me as I browsed the shelves and asked if I needed any help. It is a rare instance, indeed, when I turn around and say ‘yes.’ This, I did. My first question was in regards to a physical release for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in Australia. Sadly, they advised that the game would not be gracing store shelves. I turned my question then to whether or not they had a wait list for the PlayStation 5. She shook her head and apologised. Dismayed but undaunted, I thanked her for her time and headed to the JB Hi-Fi also nestled in the bowels of Castle Towers.

As my friend and I walked, we passed by Vodafone that taunted me with promises of owning the console if I were only to take them up on their NBN plan.

When we arrived, I awkwardly tried to track down a staff member in charge of the gaming section. Once we managed to attract her attention, I made my request again. Unfortunately, the list was full and I would have better luck trying the following week - preferably on a Friday when stock was usually dropped.

Shattered, I sighed melodramatically for several minutes and tried to think up ways to put my name down on the list. I even demanded that my friend assist me in my time of dire need. Perhaps seeing how desperate and inconsolable I was at missing my opportunity, the staff member happened to recall that perhaps there was a stock error with the latest shipment. Though she offered no promises, she advised that she would check the storage room out back for a possible PlayStation 5.

Knowing that my chances were slim, I waited. Five minutes passed and to my great surprise, she walked across the store carrying a brand new PlayStation 5 Disc Edition. To say that I was overjoyed at my luck would have been an understatement.

Forgetting that the trip was to buy my mother her own gift, I made the decision to purchase the PlayStation 5 and hoofed it back to my car. This white baby was as precious as could be. It was my own One Ring and I would give it up to no-one or nothing.

After setting it up, it was a long while before I managed to play the one game that came installed on it: Astro’s Playroom. As a showcase of what the console could do, as well as the DualSense controller, it was spectacular. Though I had not played the initial Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, I fell in love with the little robot that tinked around on its tiny little legs and was just so GOSH DARN ADORABLE!

The game itself is very much a 3D platformer with rote levels and gameplay. Though the narrative was simple and to the point, the game was able to pull me into its universe with the astute way it made use of the DualSense abilities. Haptic triggers can sound like a buzzword when it comes to advertising, but when one is playing and can feel the resistance when it comes to pushing down on the trigger R2 and L2 buttons, it makes all the difference and elevated the game for me. For the first time, I could see why people were excited about what the PlayStation 5 could offer.

Beyond these changes, I also loved how Astro’s Playroom was a celebration of all things PlayStation. The consoles have gone through so many iterations over the years. As someone that has owned a PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable and a PlayStation Vita, it was great to see miniature versions of these in games. All these Easter Eggs and more managed to capture my attention for a few good hours. Best of all, Astro’s Playroom never overstayed its welcome.

Short and sweet, it’s the perfect game for anyone - no matter how young or how old - to have a glimpse at what the PlayStation 5 can do.

Oh, and I did manage to get my mother something for Mother’s Day. Because I had almost no use for them, I handed over my share of the NSW Dine and Discover vouchers that had been used to fuel and revitalise the state’s economy. And honestly, who can say ‘no’ to a free $100?

#video games #astro's playroom #astro bot #playstation 5

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abloomntime · 3 years

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A Bloom In Time Ch18 R. King Arc

(This is gonna take place based off the easter egg known as R. King who leaves notes around Hat Kid's ship and you can find all the stuff he turned into gold if you looked it up on youtube. I thought it'd be a fun adventure to add to the story. Im not going to include other easter eggs or references from the game after this one because to me it's hard to keep track of them and most are references to other popular things. As is the message in the ward robe code is not cannon to the story as it's a reference to Undertale. Also since practically everyone on Snatcher's planet has some kind of magic ability Poppy has super-ish strength.)

Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG1unk-2d_4

Y'know. She suspected cleaning to be a rather easy thing to do. Sure it was hard work on it's own and she shouldn't really be complaining about anything she agreed to do in the first place, and yeah these kids could use some clean space to live and run around in, but she guess she didn't really take into account having to crawl through any small spaces today dragging all sorts of things behind her to do the job the ghost had asked of her to do. Since she thought the control room wasn't in any need to be cleaned considering Rumbi had been cleaning it nonstop for a long time as she came to know and it's not like the attic or kitchen needed to be recleaned except for the few dirty plates and forks from whatever those kids had for breakfast. But forget that. From the get go she knew this wouldn't be an easy job one being she had to drag a whole bunch of things from the attic down to the small hallway towards the storage room crawling which took about three trips since the kids and Snatcher weren't around to help. Thank goodness her wrist didn't hurt at least. At one point she could hear the distant screeching of a familiar door opening and inwardly cringed remembering the loud nail on chalk bourd sounds the ground door made. Must've been Bow going into that metro room whatever a metro was. She would've thought to do one of the other rooms first but she didn't know what were through the other doors so it was better to start somewhere she already saw. .....Which happened to be in a big mess. The storage room was still so chilly and there was snow...LITERAL. SNOW. In piles on places around the room which to be honest she didn't know what do to with, but she guessed the best thing to do was to sweep all of it into a big pile. Starting with the smaller and easier piles up by the doors leading into the potion room and the one leading back into the control room. Which honestly went over a bit smoothly if not only annoying with the big broom. Sweeping the snow and whatever dirt there was onto the lower storage room floor. The green floor like the doors looked a lot like the carpet in the control room but it didn't feel like carpet, just cold floor. Unfortunately it didn't take too long for her to get finished with such a small area and sighed as she looked towards the much bigger piles of snow in the corners almost engulfing the barrels or crates or whatever was stored down there. Oh well. She'd get it fixed, she was used to fixing her father's and Uncle's messes on the farm. Once having to fix a door the cow shot his horns through. Easier said than done, but she was sure it wouldn't be too big of a problem. It was like when she had to shovel snow in the winter. She just wished she had a coat to drape over her shoulders to keep the cold away. She had started on the biggest pole of snow in the top left corner in the room, struggling with the broom a little bit sweeping a chunk at the time trying to force as much snow away as possible with each sweeping motion. Maybe a courter through the pile she finally got company in the form of Bow bounding in through the potion room door and getting a look at the supplies Poppy had to drag along with her crawling around.

"Hey, Poppy!," She called down.

"Yes?," she shouted back without looking up from her work.

Bow pointed towards the mop and bucket. "Can I borrow this please?"

"Sure! Just bring it back!"

"OK! Thank you!," Bow called back grabbing the things she needed before rushing off back through the small door, the mop's long handle smacking against the top of the tiny doorway with a thump sound.

She was about half way through the biggest pile and was just starting to heave out a couple wooden planks stuck in the pile when she received yet another visitor in the form of a hat wearing child bounding through the control room door just as she pulled out the second plank and started leaning it against the wall. A proud smile on her face.

"I'M DONE!!," Hattie called down to her in a happy tone leaning a little over the railing.

"Already?," she asked grabbing the third and as far as she could tell the final plank and pulling it out. She heard Hattie hum a yes and she sighed pulling the plank out of the snow, man her hands were freezing! " Is your robot friend done sweeping that big room already?"

"Yeah! It was already clean anyways. Sometimes he sweeps there...OH!" She reached around behind her and pulled out a small white piece of paper out of her back pocket and held it up to look at it. "I found this behind a chair and I think it's some kind of letter, and there was another one under my tool box."

"Good, good. Uh..tell you what. Do all these halls have carpet?"

"Pretty much!"

"Why don't you start having the little robot start sweeping those then?" The final plank was placed back up against the wall and the broom regrabbed.

''Would that make me a good helper?," she asked.

"It sure would since it'd be one thing I wouldn't have to crawl around myself doing," she said going back to sweeping the snow away from the corner and towards the entrance to the bathroom a floor below them, and the green ladder that lead up towards the doorway way above her which to be honest she had no idea where it lead.

But Hattie smiled and turned off. "SURE!! I'll do that!" Shoving the notes back into her pocket she turned and began running back into the hall.

"Thanks! Your the best!"

Her. Arms. ACHED!! By the time the giant pile was all the way swept over by the ladder her arms were starting to ache a lil bit from how hard she was gripping the broom and shoving the darn snow around. But it was all worth it when that corner was cleaned out at least....One big pile down one more big one to go and unlike the other pile which only had three planks, this one had bigger things stuck in it. Which she had to literally drag one after another dragging loose snow with her over to be placed in the cleared corner and then sweeping up the loose snow. HOLY PECK WHAT WAS IN THOSE THINGS!? It felt like they weighed five giant bags of fertilizer each! But like always she did what needed to be done without a fit. But her hands were still cold so of course she took a moment every so often to stick her hands in her pockets to let them warm up. She wasn't no dummy. About Midway through shoveling out the second pile guess who showed up again? Well she momentarily stopped again to cringe at the screeching metal sound...Before shaking her head with a sigh and going back to her work. A moment later the potion room door reopened and a smiling curly haired girl walked out dragging the mop behind her.

"I'M DONE!!," Bow called out happily to her dropping the mop to the floor.

"That's great! Uh...*huff* W-Why don't you go a-and clean another room to pass the time?," she suggested still shoving the snow in the direction towards the already bigger pile.

Bow being the polite child she was grabbed the smaller mini broom with a smile. "Ok! I can sweep the potion room!"

Poppy paused for a moment and looked up at Bow past her messy hair up at the child. "Uh..I-I don't think that's a good idea! You shouldn't be around those witch's brew."

"They're not dangerous. Except for the one that turns everything to gold...But Hattie said it went missing a long time ago."

"......." She shook her head again. "Sorry sweetie. But it's best I do that one. I know." She turned her head towards the entrance way to the bathroom and Bow followed her movements seeming to understand. "Think you can go do that room? It'd be a big help."

She nodded again and set off to there dragging the long handled tools behind her. Jumping down and landing with a thud to Poppy's level and paused to glanced at the ever growing pile of snow and dirt in front of the long green ladder. Gazing in awe at the sight as Poppy just happened to push the last of the second largest pile into the ever growing hill of dirty snow, and ironically the control room door opened yet again and Hattie smiling and walking in, Rumbi beeping curiously in her hands, but she stopped dead in her tracks seeing the giant snow hill in one part of the room. Giving a 'Whoa' of surprise but both girls jumped when Poppy let the broom drop to the floor and huffed.

Placing her hands to her hips, she held her head back up towards the ceiling with a chuckle. "HOO BOY!! What a work out! Haven't moved things around this much since I built my stand in the town square!''

"Wow! That's a big pile of snow!" Hattie gaped at it in childhood wonder while Bow stuck her tongue out and wrinkled her nose at the sight of dirt.

"Yuck! And dirty!"

"Yeah?" She huffed and glanced back towards the other half of the room and the smaller piles of snow that obviously wouldn't take too long but shouldn't be left unattended anyways. And it wouldn't finish itself, and that rather large crate was in the way...Not for long tho. Stretching her arms out, she walked towards the crate at least three times her size. "Now. Let's get this annoying thing outta the way."

Hattie already turning away from the action and going over to put Rumbi in the potion room hall. The door opened with a whoosh sound and she placed rumbi down. "Ok! It's all yours!"

Rumbi happily beeped and and began to happily go down the halls towards the potion room and disappeared as the door closed behind him. With a smile she turned to go ask Poppy about those weird notes again, but paused seeing what the older woman was doing. Poppy squeezed her way past the gigantic pile of snow and Bow had already made her way into the elevator down, using the broom handle to reach the red button to lower herself down a level. Waving bye to them as she did so. Poppy was looking the giant rectangular crate up and down, with a studious look, brow raised, and hands on her hips. Silently staring at the giant thing before the woman placed her hand on the wooden side and givin' it a lil nudge. The wood creaked a lil bit as it stayed still, whatever in it was unboutfully heavy just like the crates and barrels. Like that would stop her though. Hattie watched confused as the older woman walked to one of the sides facing towards the clear corner she had previously swept out and placed either of her hands on it. Bracing her side against the giant crate and taking a breath. She pushed.

The hard wood creaked against the sudden pressure being pushed against it and it's frame tilted lightly towards where Poppy was attempting to push it towards. The older woman making a grunt of annoyance when it didn't budge. The child watching from the floor above there could only watch feeling a little bad the poor lady wasn't waking any progress on the crate's position at all. She was pretty strong herself for a child....Maybe she should offer to help-

SCCCCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!!!!!

The AGONIZING sound of a wooden chair being scooted across the floor but ten times louder and more annoying filled the whole room and the crate. FINALLY moved. Blue eyes stared in wonder at the sight while cringing and holding hands over her ears as they watched the giant wooden box be moved slowly across the room. Poppy gritted her teeth and slowly pushed along this giant thing one step after another towards the corner. THIS THING WAS MOVING WHETHER IT WANTED TO OR NOT!! Step after step she took, the sound hurting her ear drums and making her even more annoyed until she felt something solid stop it. Poppy stopped for a moment feeling the something blocking it...Pushing against it a few more times to really make sure it wasn't just stuck on something before grunting and heaving her body off it. The red head sighing and huffing some air back into her lungs as she stepped back to look at her handy work. Arm coming up to push those bangs and wipe the sweat off her brow. Now she was kinda glad the room was cool to help after that warm up, seeing she had completely pushed the pecking thing in the corner like she intended, Poppy nodded, sighed and turned back towards the other half of the room that was now more spacious since that larger crate wasn't randomly in the middle of it anymore. But paused when someone awed in astonishment.

"WHOA!! You moved that all by yourself?!," Hattie asked staring at her with wide eyes of amazement. "How'd you do that?!"

".......Oh. T-That." She chuckled and gave a slightly sheepish smile. "Well, working on a farm always working and hauling around large bags of feed and bails of hay can help build up muscle. But promise me you won't try copying me."

"That's so cool! And I don't want to be a farmer! Too boring."

Poppy snorted. "Well that's one way to describe it." She turned back to the rest of the room and sighed. "This might take a little while."

Hattie immediately lit up at that. "Need any help? I can help!"

"Uh...." She sighed stretching her aching arms out and turning her attention to the random curled up rugs lying on the floor...Making her way over to them. They didn't look as heavy as the barrels. "Well, I suppose you can go clean somewhere else?....Btw I don't think you've told me where that leads." She pointed towards the long green ladder going up towards that opening in the wall above them both.

"That's the boiler room and where the ship's water is stored. I can totally go clear it out!"

"Eh. If it isn't really too much trouble. But I don't think if it's just water in there it'll need to be cleared out." She grabbed one of the rolled up red carpets in the corner and lifted it up, as suspected it didn't weigh much at all.

"Should I get the carpets out?"

"......" Poppy looked at her. "You have carpets floating in the water in there?," she asked making sure she was hearing right.

"Only two!," the small child shouted back defensively.

.......Poppy sighed and shook her head. "It's not good to have carpets floating around in your water supply. You go better get those out and you be careful young lady!"

Hattie saluted her and made a jumped over the railing and hopping to the floor below with a thud. Poppy watched as she ran along past her and waded into the giant pile of show, giving off a soft 'brr' and causing some loose snow to tumble out of the pile as she reached the long green ladder and shimmied up it rather quickly surprisingly for a child. Sending the loose snow from her body floating down to the pile below. Shaking her head she went back to work, throwing the random rolls of rugs, three red and two blue, on top of the giant pecking crate she pushed over along with another random barrel, her sights were set on sweeping the last of the smaller piles of snow into the bigger one which just grew with the added snow and picking up the smaller random things stuck in the smaller piles. Two woven laundry baskets and pink bottles that looked like the shampoos she had seen on the bathroom shelves. Those were placed on top of the washing machine until she could put those away properly. It was a pain to get the snow out of the corner from behind the DLC elevator thing but luckily the long broom was skinny enough to reach behind there. She finished it all up in no time! Hard work really did pay off it seemed. But the strangest thing happened when she discovered something behind the washer, it was easy enough to move both giant machines away from the wall to sweep under and behind them, but when she saw the small piece of paper she paused. Blinking at it and giving nothing but a side glance to it before shrugging and absent mindedly tucking it into her apron's front pocket for safe keeping just in case it was important later-

THUMP!!

Poppy jumped and turned around feeling the chilling feeling of snowflakes falling on her back and blinked at the pile of snow behind her. To her mild surprise there was a rolled up, obviously soaking wet, red carpet sitting on top of the snow pile- With another thump and spray of her, Poppy slammed her eyes shut at the spray of snowflakes coming towards her. Blinking them back open to just slam them shut again as a second wave of snowflakes waved over her face with a blur of blue and she kept her head down..........When she was sure she wasn't about to get sprayed with anymore snowflakes, she opened her eyes to the snow pile. There was two more carpet rolls and a red pillow in the pile as she sighed. Looking up the green ladder at where they dropped from and shaking her head.

A few moment's later the small hatted girl appeared in the small entrance above her, a smile on her face and teddy bear clutched in her arms similar to the one Poppy found in the attic, looking down she spotted said red head stuffing the wet sky diving rugs into the dryer. "POPPY!!" When the lady looked up she waved down at her and jumped. She heard a yell as she fell fast and landed in the pile of snow with a thump splashing snow everywhere and giggling like a maniac. "I'm done!"

"What did I tell you guys about doing that?!," Poppy stared at her with a worried expression and groaned leaning back. "*sigh* You know...Fine just PLEASE don't do that again. It freaks me out."

"Whatcha doing?" She asked crawling out of the pile and giving a little shake to expell the extra snow off her.

"Throwing these into this high tech drying device," Poppy said turning back to her duty and shoving those carpets in. Thank goodness all the buttons had labels telling her how this thing worked. "Can't leave them soaking wet and have 'em grow moldy now. Not healthy at all. The real question is what am I going to do with all that snow."

She mumbled the last bit to herself but the child was quick to get another one of her crazy ideas hopping to the floor and unknownst to Poppy about to change into a completely different hat. "I know how to make that snow get lost! Can I help?"

She shrugged trying to figure out which one of these buttons to press exactly. "If you have an idea be my guest. "...before just pressing start button. A small beeping noise hummed from inside the device before a small red dot popped up and it started moving all over by itself. Slowly she took her hands off it and sighed. "Well...It seems to be workin'. Now what idea did you ha-"

BOOM!!

It was as if a canon went off directly behind her. The loud explosion like sound combined with the vibrations going through the ground was enough to make Poppy yelp loudly and fall to the ground, scrambling back on her bottom away from the source of the noise but only found the small girl there smiling, clutching that toy, and .....wearing a pink witch hat?? She smiled and pointed in the direction of the once giant snow pile. Now literally nothing from......Whatever she had done completely gotten rid of the pile of dirty snow and reduce the space in inhabited to nothing but clear air........Slowly rising to her knees, Poppy stared at the small smiling girl in front of her. Placed her hands on her shoulders gently. And in as calm tone as she could muster said.

"Please. Don't EVER do that again without warning me."

Well, despite that one scare, things were running along actually pretty smoothly and hopefully they would all be finished before the day was out. She wasn't exactly sure how much of the ship was really left since she technically hadn't see all of it but not too long after that Bow had returned with that broom she oh so needed and when asked again to help, Poppy just sent Hattie to get Rumbi and go do one of the other rooms her own way. Whatever the lil alien did spooked her and she wasn't too excited to have it happen again, But Bow was another story. She insisted to come along with her to the potion room too and not having the energy to argue agreed but insisted Bow would NOT be going anywhere near those dangerous looking potions. The young girl happily agreed and skipped behind her on the way there. The potion room though didn't seem as troublesome as she originally thought. To keep Bow away from trouble she gave her the job of sweeping the floor CAREFULLY and as she watched, as she would be the one to wipe down these tables. Safe to say things went really smooth and Bow was such a kind helper quickly working sweeping up the metal flooring. Poppy had to admit she was enjoying this too. Wiping up the small sticking spills under whatever was in these bottles, some were a blue sparkly liquid. A couple were red. And other random colors from pink to yellow, blue, green, orange a one or two purple. And they all smelt of burnt rubbage! Yeah. She was so glad she was the one handling this part of the cleaning. Every few moments Poppy would look over at Bow and smile at the little girl sweeping away at the other side of the room. Bow was a natural at this it seemed. At one point Poppy was carefully scooting over what looked like a weird looking television set with a permanent green screen and paused. Another small shopping list? Without reading it again she deposited the small paper with the other she found behind the washer in her breast pocket without so much as another thought. She'd ask Hattie about it later just in case it was an important alien document. By the end of all their efforts, the storage room was still quite cold but without so much snow piled up(never mind how snow could end up in a space ship in out space of all places) and pretty neat looking. By the time Poppy crawled her way out of the potion room, admiring the work it must've been to weave the realistic blue gear patterns in the carpet looking a slightly brighter blue after Rumbi got done with it, the drying machine had already stopped. Which meant that whatever was inside was dry right? Well that just meant she better get down there and see to it they were taken care if. Bow was nice enough to start dragging all the brooms and other cleaning things back to the kitchen closet and cabinets she originally found them all in while Poppy was putting these rugs back up there with others. And like the usual pattern she'd figure out, out came the hatted child from the door to the control room.

"Hey! I'm all done!...Well, Rumbi's not done, but I don't have to do anything else. Right?," she asked leaning over the railing to watch poppy pick up the rolled up now dry carpets and carry them to throw them up on top on the big crate with the others.

Poppy smiled up at her. "Really? Already? Wow. You're a fast worker. I guess this ship ain't as big as I thought it was," she mumbled as she just tossed the three rugs on top there with the others. With that finished any work she had down here in these sections of rooms thanks to the help of these two lovlies.

"Can I ask you something now?"

"Sure! What is it?," Poppy asked turning back around and walking towards the small ladder to climb back up to the doors.

"Do you know who R. King is?"

"Our King? Hm. Well I wouldn't have the faintest idea who's ruling in this time period, maybe that Snatcher fella knows." Her red head peeked over the ladder as she climbed up. "Have ya tried askin' him?"

"Not 'our' king! R. KING!!," the child insisted before taking off her hat. She stuck her hand into it and a moment later pulled out two wrinkled small pieces of paper, holding them out to her. "I found these in my room."

Poppy gazed at the small notes confused but reached out and took them from her. They were wrinkled from being handled by the little girl who plopped her hat back on her head as Poppy rose a brow and read the notes. They were both written in black pencil and had similar hand writing. "Check Under red box. Signed R. King?" She read over the note confused before turning her head to the other one. "I. O. U....One half cookie?? Check kitchen. Signed R. King." Confused she looked back to the little girl before holding the notes back to her which she took. "Exactly where did you find these?"

"In my room. Rumbi was sweeping under this chair and the note got stuck in his filters. And then when I was cleaning my desk to prove I could be cleaner I found another one under my tool box." She stuck the notes back into her hat. "But I couldn't find anymore."

"Do you know anyone called R. King?"

"No. That's why I asked you. ...Maybe Snatcher's playing a prank again."

"I wouldn't even know where to start. I've only known ya'll for a few days now." She paused.....getting a thoughtful expression and humming. "But funny how it mentioned the kitchen. I think I found a note behind the trash can in there."

Her eyes widened. "REALLY?!"

"Uh huh. I noticed there was some green goop, so I moved the trashcan to mop it up and found it. I placed it on that refridgarator in case it was importa- HEY! Where are you going?"

Hattie didn't say anything but instead turned and belined it out the control room door and leaving Poppy. The woman stood there for a moment before huffing and shaking her head. Looks like she'd have to go after her, she was heading that way anyways. Fast forward one crawl later and she popped back into the control room stretching out her back, thankful for the warmer air hitting her body instead of the cold air back down there. But she didn't get much of a break before Hattie came back running towards her waving a small piece of paper to her. Poppy stared at it for a moment before taking it from her and reading it out loud for the child.

"I. O. U....Pencil?? Enjoy the cookie. Check Basement? Signed R. King. " There was both a smiling face and frowning face on the paper and she rose a brow looking over at her. "You have a basement?"

Hattie shrugged and reached back up indicating she wanted the note back and Poppy handed it back, watching as the small child looked over it curiously in her hands. "What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure exactly." A flashed of recognition came across her face and in a flash she reached back into her breast pocket and pulled out the two notes she found while cleaning back in the rooms down that way. "Could these be useful to our little mystery?"

Hattie blinked at them and asked, "I don't know. What do they say?"

Poppy looked down to the papers in her hands and read, "I. O. U. Vial. Sorry to keep borrowing your stuff. Check lab. Signed R. King." There was a frowning face on this one too as she turned to the second one she found in the potion room. "I found these in the potion room and behind the washer while cleanin'. This was says I. O. U. Nu-clear rod?? The peck is that? Check machine room. Also signed by our Mr. R. King." The second one had some strange lines on it as she looked to the child reaching her arms out for those too which she was glad to hand over. "What do you suppose that means now?"

She hummed an 'I don't know' and looked over the papers in her hands before turning her head towards the doorway at the far wall. It was red with some kind of strange symbol she didn't recognize and pointed. "Maybe they mean the engine room!"

"Engine room?" Poppy turned to where Hattie pointed and after a moment she followed the little girl.

The door opened with a whoosh sound and immediately when she got close enough she heard the strangest noise. The best way she could describe it was if a whole bunch of men were repeatedly hammering away at something metal but that wasn't exactly what it was. Curiously she bent down to peer inside the hall and she noticed this hallway was different from the others. It was red and what looked like ....train tracks?? Boy. These aliens keep getting weirder and weider don't they? The loud grinding sounds got louder as she got further into the hallway crawling after her and when she got to the other si-...OH. MY. PECK!! WHAT DID SHE JUST STEP INTO?! GIANT gears lined the entirety of all the walls and ceiling when she stood up to gawk around at everything. The grinding gears made the noise she had been hearing and there was red wood lining the walls matching the copper n silvery gears everywhere and in the middle was another ramp Rumbi was currently happily sweeping away on. It too had a few gears on it, a telescope, and some kind of closet thing connected by large metal wires going up and into the ceiling. Gawking and staring at the entire thing, Poppy took a few steps in and turning around in circles here and there. Paying no attention to the little girl running around moving things and looking for anymore of those small pieces of paper from R. King. Stopping only to give a look over at the staring woman.

"HEY!!" Poppy jumped and blinked at the little girl looking between books on the bookshelf. "Come help me!"

........She blinked. "Uh...R-Right." She walked towards the little girl and couldn't help but notice the other mini little control panels and other things as Hattie soon got impatient with the books as any child would and shoved whatever books she had in her hands back and went to the crate next to said bookshelf. Curiously looking behind it, a wrench and tool box on top of it. "Uh....So t-thing is your ship's..engine?"

"Half of it. The other half is in the boiler room....Hey! I found one!" The crate was shoved forwards a few inches enough for her to squeeze behind it and a moment later her smile reappeared and she held her arm up. In her hand was another small piece of paper. "HERE!"

Poppy blinked and slowly leaned down to read it as she held it. Looking at it as Hattie squeezed out from behind the crate. " I. O. U. Gear. See you soon. Check my castle in the attic?? From R. King again.....What does I. O. U. even stand for?"

She shrugged excitedly. "I dunno. But let's go check the attic! I didn't know there was a castle!"

She ran towards the door and Poppy blinked after her....Slowly going after her while taking a look around at the strange room one last time before following the child out and back to the control room. Back in the control room Bow was happily munching on an apple but paused as Hattie excitedly ran past her without a word and ran towards the lift to the attic and a moment later Poppy followed closely behind groaning from all the unexpected working out she'd been doing all day. When she looked up to Bow and saw her eating- She gave a sheepish look as a rumble came from her stomach and to save face, stood to stretch out. She needed a lunch break. Wasn't a ghost's employee entitled to that?

"What's all that about?," Bow mumbled through another bite.

Poppy sighed and glanced up towards the ramp noticing the other little girl riding the platform up towards the attic. "Trying to solve a mystery. We found these strange notes everywhere and she's trying to find a 'castle in the attic."' She started walking slowly to the ramp to go up there too and Bow followed right behind her.

"Can I come?"

"Sure. But I don't think we'll be finding any castles up there. Didn't see any when I cleaned it out." The two made their way up and as soon as their heads poked up the top of the platform, they could see Hattie's form over near the wall opening the drawers and looking inside for any castles or notes as the other two ladies came in and Poppy crossed her arms as she stepped into the attic floor. "You're a quick little searcher aren't ya?"

"Help me find it!," She yelled excitedly back slamming the drawer closed and quickly opening another one which turned out to also be empty.

"I didn't find any castles when I cleaned up here, Kid. But I get the feeling if I don't help you won't stop."

"You're not wrong!"

Poppy chuckled and walked calmly towards the ward robe. "Alright. But then we get back to our wor-'' Her stomach rumbled again and she stopped for a moment. "Correction. Food and then back to work."

Bow stood there munching on the apple in her hands as she watched the two go about. Hattie digging through the dresser like a rabbit, and Poppy just opening the ward robe and moving over the two dresses that were in there gazing at the inside of it. Neither noticed Bow just casually walking along the orange carpet up towards the stairs leading up towards the windows and the stars of outer space twinkled at them from outside. The curly haired gal kept munching away as she walked past the part of the carpet that formed into a giant circle and kept walking towards the stairs, but instead of walking up the stairs she walked towards the right side of the stair case and looked up and down the wooden side of the stairs. After a moment of her eyes scanning over the side slowly going down to the about the middle, something twinkled between two planks of wood to which she blinked and leaned closer to look at. After a moment of peeking between the two square shaped bourds, she quickly bit down into the apple to keep her hands free and managed to get her hands into the gap between the bourds and pulled. The creaking of the wood caught the attention of the older woman who turned with a confused brow and froze at the sight of Bow on the other side of the large room pulling at what seemed to be a very large wooden bourd. She quickly went to yell at her to stop but it was too late. A giant snap like sound sounded out finally making Hattie snap her head up and Bow fell back onto her behind. The wooden plank fallen a foot to her left.

"BOW!!" Poppy quickly ran towards the little girl who did nothing much but shake her head and stand back up. Dusting her dress off before reaching back up to take another bite of the apple and hold it. She looked up to Poppy who dropped to her knees and grabbed her shoulders worriedly. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! WHAT IN TARNATION WERE YOU THINKING!? YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN HURT!!"

Bow looked at the worried look on Poppy face and giving an apologetic look. ''I'm sorry. I was watching Moony Penguin and he found a secret passage way under the stairs."

"Sweetie. I understand that, but you don't do that kind of stuff!" She scowled lightly and pointed at her. "Now you promise me ya'll NEVER do somethin' like that again."

"Ok. I'm sorry, Poppy."

Hattie had ran over when Poppy had but when she realized Bow was ok, her head turned to the hole in the wall and INSTANTLY her jaw dropped. Her eyes went wide. And shiny gold reflected in her eyes.

Poppy sighed and patted her head. "It's alright. But please don't scare me like that."

"WHOA!!" Hattie went up to the hole in the wall and peeked her head inside...Which was gently pulled back when Poppy grabbed her cape and gently pulled her back away from it.

"Hattie. Now you also know better that to do that!" She glanced at the hole. "Now I gotta fix-....HOLY MOTHER OF MOON PENGUINS!!"

IT! WAS! GOLD!!! LITERALLY REAL GOLD!!! Shiny gold objects shined from inside the hole in the wall and all three ladies gazed inside unmoving. Just staring at the wonderous things inside...Until Poppy seemed to snap out of it blinking and moving both girls beside her before shuffling on her knees and leaning into the hole looking in....Before reaching her hand in and pulling out the gold items. The first thing to be pulled out was a golden trophy, Poppy looked at it for a moment. Reading the bottom it said 'Doka DW King 1st to 111'. She had no idea what that meant but when she looked inside it she blinked and pulled her face away a little bit. After a few seconds her hand reached into the top of said trophy and pulled out a PURE GOLD SKULL. The girls awed wide eyed at the sight. What was this? Did this mean they found a pirate's treaure!? Was this buried treasure going to make them rich?! Poppy set both of them to the side to which the excited kids quickly took them for themselves to hold and look at in wonder, and she reached back into the whole pulling out even MORE gold goodies. A cheese wheel with a missing slice and then said missing slice of cheese with the letters BT carved into it. She heard of yellow cheese but gold cheese? A small gold statue of a mafia man. A literal gold cookie. A gold pencil. A gold gear! All of which the girls grabbed and took turns smiling and staring in amazement. But Hattie pointed at the pure gold potion she pulled out next.

"HEY!! The gold potion." She grabbed it from Poppy and held it up to her face. ".....The potion turned itself to gold too! WOW!! ....Hey! My nuclear rod's stuck in it!" She scowled at her reflection in the now useless potion.

"Gold potion?"

"Uh huh. It can turn anything into gold!...Well it used to!"

"What was it doing under the stairs?"

Hattie shrugged. "Beats me. Is there more gold?!"

"Uh..." Poppy looked back inside. "Yeah actually." Reaching back in Poppy pulled out a golden candle with a golden flame still looking like it was on fire and both girls gawked at it, Bow grabbing it from the older woman as she pulled out something much larger than everything else. "Hang on a second?" She pulled out a square looking sculpture turning it over a bit..before smiling and holding it up to them. "Hey. What does this look like?" Her smile widened as Hattie gasped again.

"THE CASTLE!!" Dropping the gold gold potion that landed on the floor with a thud, she quickly held her hands out for it in a silent plea and Poppy happily gave it two the girls. Hattie's eyes shined with happiness and wonder at finding this giant gold castle and Bow leaned next to her to look at the small golden castle sculpture with her.

......Until Bow giggled and pointed at their reflections in the gold. "Look! We're making funny faces."

Both girls giggled at the images the reflections caused making Poppy smile even more at them. They were so happy!

"Is there anything else?"

"Uh...Y-Yeah. Hang on a sec. I don't think it's gold tho."

"Not gold?"

Both girls watched silently as Poppy reached back inside....and a moment later pulled out three things, two pieces of paper that weren't gold and a small golden insect statue wearing a tiny crown. Her blue eyes gazing at the papers curious like. "I wonder what this is all about." She went to place the gold insect statue down but Hattie reached out a free hand and took from her not that she noticed looking at the letters. "It looks like they're letters."

"What do they say?"

"...I had all the gold in the Roach World and yet I was unhappy. I learned that gold tarnishes and turns dull, but a mind filled with gold is safe from tarnish, and can hold limitless wealth. You have a heart of gold, Hat Kid." Hattie blinked in surprise at the mention of her name in the letter. "I have evolved. Sorry we didn't get to meet. Signed R. King." Poppy paused for a moment staring at the letter before turning her eyes to the tiny bug statue Hattie was holding. "R. King and all the gold in the roach world...I think we found Mr. Roach King."

"What does the letter mean?," Bow asked as Hattie looked at the statue in her hand.

"Roach King?"

"It means he's saying that Hattie has a good heart." She smiled. "And a good heart is better than gold. Like what you two have."

"Your heart is gold too, Poppy," Bow insisted making Bow giggle at the cute insistance from the child.

"THAT'S SO COOL!! What does the other one say?"

"Huh? OH! Yeah! Other one." She looked back to the other letter in her hands and skimmed over it before pausing. "....Huh...It looks like this one is talking to Bow too."

"Me?"

"It has been a long journey. Watching you all grow up into young adults was a pleasure. But soon this story must end. Life moves on and new moments await you. We will meet again someday. I look forward to that day. Farewell. Signed...R. King." She smiled and looked over to the two confused looking children as they looked to each other then to her as if in question. "It means...He was probably expecting you to find his treasure and finally meet him even if he 'evolved' into this gold statue. ...And you three finally met like he wanted I reckon."

Both children looked back down to the small statue in Hattie's hand and gave him a neutral look...before Hattie put down the castle and pointed to the letters in her hands. "Can we keep those?"

"Of course you can. These are adressed to you two after all." She held them out and after Bow bit into her food to have a free hand again, they reached out and each took a letter from her looking at them and seemingly happily beaming at the exciting adventure's rewards they had. Making Poppy chuckle and smile more before she looked over at the wall behind her with a sigh. "Well, I reckon I oughtta fix that hole and then finish up the job for that ghost friend of yours."

Her stomach rumbled making all three look at her stomach.

".......But first a lunch break."

#ABloomInTime #florist x snatcher #snatcher x florist #Snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #a hat in time florist #Florist #The Florist #A hat in time the florist #flowercrown

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Superman & Lois Episode 3 Review: The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower

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This Superman & Lois review contains spoilers.

Superman and Lois Episode 3

“Morrissey’s a xenophobic has-been.”

This one line, delivered with deadpan perfection by Alex Garfin’s Jordan Kent pretty much sums up why Superman & Lois episode 3 is so good. Wait, really? Yes, stay with me for a minute…

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I loved the first two episodes of Superman & Lois. There’s no question about that. But there was a very slight nagging feeling in the back of my mind, that maybe this show was going to be a little too serious for its own good. That maybe in the process of making Jonathan and Jordan Kent as believable as possible, and as “relatable” (god, I hate that word) to young audiences as they needed to be, that the show would end up trying just a little too hard, get a little more wrapped up in its “family drama, but with Superman” high concept than it strictly needed to, and maybe forget to lighten up every now and then. I could excuse it in those first two episodes, which play like one feature length pilot when watched together, and which had a lot of work to do to get us to buy this very different take on the Man of Steel, but I wasn’t sure if the tone would sustain over a longer stretch of episodes.

And then along comes “The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower” to put those fears at ease. To be absolutely clear, this is absolutely not a drastic change in tone from what has come before. But now that we’ve gotten to know the Kents and their neighbors and classmates, and that the Smallville setting feels very much like the natural setting of the show, there’s a little more fun to be had. No, this isn’t suddenly The Flash and STAR Labs with a team of folks cracking wise at every opportunity, and it’s certainly not my beloved Legends of Tomorrow, but the humor is here, it’s subtle, and it works at every opportunity.

The opening scene with the family trying to paint the old Kent home is a charmer, a moment broken by Clark hearing a bridge collapsing in China which he speeds off to save. It’s another near-cinematic action sequence for this show, but the special effects aren’t really what sell this scene, it’s the moment of terror to relief to pure joy of a single fisherman as he realizes he’s witnessing Superman hold up a bridge…and Superman’s wordless interaction with him is equally joyful. This is something that simply hasn’t been done in live action interpretations of Superman since the Christopher Reeve years, and I honestly rank those few seconds with Supes and the fisherman as one of the best screen moments in the character’s history.

This episode is full of moments like that, even though Tyler Hoechlin once again spends most of his screentime as Clark rather than Superman. But even there, this is certainly Hoechlin’s finest performance as the character so far, bouncing effortlessly between Man of Steel to “Clark the superpowered dad dealing with problems new even to him” to “Clark who has to act like there’s nothing special about him.”

I worry slightly that Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane still doesn’t quite have enough to do as they build her Morgan Edge investigation through the Smallville Gazette. In every other aspect, moving the family to Smallville has worked, particular in regards to exploring completely new facets of the Clark/Superman dynamic, but Lois so far feels a little out of place. On the other hand, I should probably be thankful that they aren’t trying to “do a journalism” the way it’s so often been portrayed on Supergirl or The Flash, and maybe the slow burn is the more prudent move here. Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that Tulloch is a delight in every scene, and she is quickly becoming the definitive screen Lois for me.

But the real highlights for this episode come in the form of Jonathan and Jordan, the two characters I was most skeptical about going into this show. I’ll confess, despite some terrific comics by the likes of Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Dan Jurgens, Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis, and others in recent years, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the “Superman as dad” concept. I tend to like my Superman stories a little more unencumbered (or some might say traditional, but whatever). But Jordan Elsass’ Jonathan and Alex Garfin’s Jordan are just so darn likeable, and the story being written for them so compelling, that I can’t really complain.

The idea that Jordan would try out for the football team despite his burgeoning powers seems a ridiculous one, and I honestly thought that sequence was going to be revealed as a daydream (similar to Clark’s in the first episode of Smallville). But it’s real, and it doesn’t go quite where I thought it would. Jordan excels at football…as it turns out, he’s a bit more powered up than Jor-El suspected last episode. You’d naturally expect this to lead to friction with Jonathan, who has yet to get the hang of his new team, and for a brief period it does, but then the show does something unexpected.

This isn’t about football going to Jordan’s head or even about him “getting even” with the guys who have been bullying him. Instead, it’s the first time he’s felt part of something. After absolutely leveling Sarah Cushing’s boyfriend (well…ex-boyfriend now) on the field, he offers his hand and apologizes for that awkward kiss at the Shuster Mines. Jonathan, meanwhile, sees the good the team is doing for his brother and advocates for him with a Clark who is understandably annoyed that his son is using his powers to gain an advantage on the football field.

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Do Not Resuscitate

By Nicole Hill

Superman & Lois: Behind the Scenes of The New DC TV Show

By Mike Cecchini

I know, I know, this all sounds far weightier than the Morrissey joke I quoted at the start of this, but it all unfolds with a little charm, and some surprisingly light touches here and there. Jonathan and Jordan reacting to an incredibly awkward moment with Sarah and Lana, Clark overdoing his “dorky, eager dad” routine, and other little touches just make this feel like the show is settling into a rhythm with these characters and getting more comfortable being playful.

It’s perhaps a little worrisome that Wolé Parks’ mysterious Captain Luthor is nowhere to be seen this episode, with the only superhuman punch-up coming in the form of guest star Daniel Cudmore’s mysterious, nameless goon who makes the mistake of trying to take out Lois during her investigation. That leads to a really sharp (but quick) punch-up between him and Superman, with a terrific sequence where Superman freezes him with super-breath before delivering a perfect uppercut that would look right at home in a comic panel. If this show continues to work out creative ways to use Superman’s powers the way they have with Barry on The Flash, I think we’re gonna have some real fun in the coming episodes.

But then there’s that ending. As Lois asks, why DOES Morgan Edge have someone with super powers working for him? More than one, apparently, as Cudmore’s mysterious baddie is vaporized by a woman with heat vision named…Larr. So far, the formula for Superman & Lois seems to be to give us a family drama heavy episode, punctuated by moments of cinematic action, and then to close with a mind-bendingly cool reveal. Well, if they insist, who am I to argue?

Metropolis Mailbag

There’s not a ton of DC or Superman Easter eggs this episode, so I don’t think it’s necessarily worth its own post. But, here’s what I’ve got…

The bridge collapse scene does faintly call to mind Superman saving the Golden Gate Bridge during the earthquake in Superman: The Movie.

Jonathan telling Clark that “if you’re not actually allowed to be special” etc feels like a subtle nod to teenage Clark telling Jonathan Kent in Superman: The Movie that he could excel on the football field if he wanted to, which Jonathan forbids, saying that Clark isn’t here to “show off.” But that Clark’s answer was a philosophical “is a bird showing off when he flies?”

Cudmore’s nameless character is apparently “Subjekt-11” a designation which calls to mind “Subjekt-17” an alien raised by the Soviets to make Superman’s life miserable in Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco’s incredibly underrated run on the Superman comics.

Sharon Powell may not be a character from the comics, but the folks at Kryptonsite used their X-Ray vision to point out that the actress who plays her, Jill Teed, was known for portraying Maggie Sawyer on Smallville!

Tyler Hoechlin finally gets to talk a little baseball on this show. Before going into acting, he was a baseball prodigy.

It seems that’s Morgan Edge’s right hand woman, “Leslie Larr” vaporizing our mysterious baddie. The closest I can find to her is a “Lesla Larr” who was an obscure Supergirl villain. THAT version of Larr hailed from Kandor (post shrinking) and she made Supergirl’s life miserable from time to time. I don’t expect this version of the character to have too much in common with her comics counterpart, but it seems like “evil Kryptonians” are definitely gonna be a thing on this show going forward.

The post Superman & Lois Episode 3 Review: The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower appeared first on Den of Geek.

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years

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What I thought about Adventure Time: Distant Lands-”BMO”

Salutations random people of the internet who probably won't read this. I am an Ordinary Shmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. And today, I'm going to do one-fourth of what I do best by reviewing "BMO": The first hour-long special of Adventure Time: Distant Lands. Seeing how it's been a week since the special premiered, and that most fans saw it by now, I thought I'd share my thoughts on BMO. Keep in mind, if you haven't seen the special yet, you're final warning against spoilers stops here. Because I'll be spoiling the heck out of this special, by listings everything I like, and don't like. Things like characters, plot elements, and little touches that I thought were worth mentioning. Without further ado, let's start this review off by listing-

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation Quality: You know how Steven Universe: The Movie had animation quality that was ten percent better than the original series? That's basically what the animation in “BMO” is like. It's not the smoothest I've ever seen, and probably not the best Adventure Time has ever looked, but it's still pretty good. There's definitely more attention to detail, shading, and lighting to help make “BMO” look more cinematic than the series. There is one issue I have with the animation, though. But I'll get into that with the dislikes. For now, it's safe to say that the animation is still pretty darn good.

BMO (The Character, not the special): What can I say about this little rascal that hasn't been said already? BMO is still his adorable little self, and more so. There are times when his naivety can be kind of annoying, at least to me, but I'm sure BMO fans will love how he's presented in the special. Especially given the fact that this is the most active BMO has been in the entire series. Throughout most of Adventure Time, BMO has primarily been a source for comedy as well as a tool for characters to use. Even in episodes when BMO does save the day, it's either by accident or by him not understanding the situation. In "BMO," the little robot purposefully solves many problems, and fully understands the situation. The special still manages to keep his naivety by having BMO just not completely understanding how serious the problem is. Weirdly the writers found a perfect way to make BMO a more active role while not giving him a different personality. And personally speaking, the writers executed that idea well.

Y-5: This special may be about BMO, but Y-5 is the real star here. Y-5's personality, design, and overall arc as a character was so much fun and downright adorable to see. It was so surprising because I did not expect to like any new character introduced in Distant Lands. I just assumed that any newcomer would divert attention from the main character that the special would focus on. And while Y-5 does do that, I'm ok with it for three reasons. First, BMO is not a good character to work on his own. He actually needs characters that fully know what's going on for the plot to progress. Second, while Y-5 can hijack the story, sometimes, there are still segments that make it clear that "BMO" is about BMO. Third, Y-5 is already an incredible character, so I'm not going to waste time complaining about her inclusion. She plays the perfect straight man to BMO's antics, and it was so endearing to see her grow as a more confident character. So much so, that I actually consider Y-5 as one of my personal favorite characters. Not just in the special, but in the series overall. Also, I’m sure that there’s some symbolism behind her wanting to be called Y-5, but I’m not touching it. Mostly because I have no idea what I’m talking about in that regard.

The Comedy: There's not much to say here. The jokes are all worth a good chuckle but were never funnier than anything in the series as a whole. Except for that hard-cut to the elf looking angry as he drifts off into space. That was pretty hilarious.

The Drift: I love everything about the Drift. From its design to the background characters, and even the backgrounds themselves. Everything about the Drift just screams hard work and dedication from the cast and crew. It's almost as if everyone involved knew this would be the last time they would work on Adventure Time, so they just poured their hearts and souls into it. And given the fact that they worked so hard on the first special, makes me even more excited for the other three.

Martin returns...sort of: Let's be clear: It is understood by everyone that Mr. M is Martin Mertens. He has the same voice actor, the same mannerisms, and even the same body type. However, what I like isn't the fact that Martin returns. What I love is the fact that "BMO" never reveals that it's Martin. I'm sure some fans might be upset about not getting an official reveal, but I personally don't think it matters. Mostly because it doesn't matter to BMO. BMO doesn't know who Martin is, and has very little connection to the scumbag. So making a big reveal that Mr. M is Martin would just be unnecessary. Overall, I'm ok with the fact that the writers had Martin return to be nothing more than a glorified easter egg. Because honestly, it's what he deserved.

Hugo’s backstory: Again, there's nothing much to say here. It's yet another twist reveal about how a character who seems nice turns out to be quite the twat. There are two things worth mention, though. One, Hugo's personality stays the same. Look back at all Disney twist villains who become vastly different characters before and after the big twist. Compared to Hugo, he seems like a twist villain done right. Once you figured out that Mr. M is Martin, it should be pretty clear that Hugo's not a saint to be partnered up with the guy. Plus, when it's revealed Hugo really is, he still keeps up this charming persona that he uses around people...up until he ditches them like a twit. Another thing worth mentioning is the animation used for the flashback. Dedicated fans might remember that it was the same style used for "Water Park Prank," which might be the worst episode of the series. So it's nice to see the art style used for something good rather than something...not as good.

The solution to “save” the Drift: Most people use the special as an allegory for climate change. Which is why I put "save" in air-quotes because the citizens didn't really save anything. Similar to how we all play our part to save our planet. What the citizens do, though, is come up with solutions that might work as long as they have hope. And I. Freaking. LOVE that! The lesson that "BMO" is trying to teach is incredibly important, both to children and especially to adults. It's so easy to assume that the best solution is to abandon once it gets too hard and take the easy way out. Same as how some people believe it's better to just abandon this planet we call home, rather than put in the work to save it. And to those people: Let me ask you a question. Do you really think that you'll shoot off into space with the people planning to colonize another planet? Or do you think that those people are going to be like Hugo, who will only take along close friends and the rich? Personally, I think it's more likely going to be the latter. Which is why I adore the lesson being taught in "BMO." It might be hard to save the planet at this point, but it's still worth doing. And I can hope everyone else will come to agree with that conclusion.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Olive: I feel bad for saying I don't like Olive because the truth is that I'm more indifferent to them. To me, Olive feels less like a character and more like a plot device. This is because Olive has little to no personality, and all they do nothing but be something that furthers the plot. Although, I do like how Olive can stretch, as well as how they are overprotective over BMO. Other than that, there's not much to work off of.

Inconsistency with Character Designs: This was the problem I had with the animation. At times, characters are pretty inconsistent with how they're drawn. Some scenes, Y-5's eyes are large and cute, and other times they're normal-sized. There also times when BMO's height and width can be pretty inconsistent with what scene he's in. Now to be fair, this is nothing new to Adventure Time. It's a problem that the show has had for quite some time, and fans have come to accept it. However, just because you accept a problem doesn't make it any less of a problem. If anything, it makes it worse because the showrunners still refuse to fix it.

KS-2: Is it weird that the best character in "BMO" is the daughter of the worst character? Because to me, I don't understand how someone as amazing as Y-5 came from someone so rotten as KS-2. To be fair, I get what the writers were going for. They wanted to make a mother who was just another adult that "just doesn't understand." I can see that, but the problem is that the writers went too far with the idea. The way that KS-2 just constantly berates Y-5, as well as refusing to listen, comes off as too cruel. And the fact that the father pointed out how KS-2 never said the words "Y-5 was right," does nothing more than add fuel to the fire. But what's tricky is for all I know, this could have been the intention. And if it's true that the writers wanted to make KS-2 so unlikeable, then they more than succeeded. Although, I will give the crew credit for subverting gender norms by making KS-2 buff and the dad scrawny. I just wish that good intention was put into a good character.

The first chase scene in the Jungle Pod: This is mostly a nitpick, but it's still something that bothers me. Because having BMO getting chased away from his radio, to then have him end back where he originally was, felt like padding to me. Because why else would you have BMO go through all of that danger, only to have him end up at square one. Maybe the writers included the scene to build tension, but even if that's true, there could have been a better way to do it. Like while BMO's being chased, he somehow gets closer to his goal, rather than end up in a loop. And if the scene really was just for padding, then pad that time with literally anything else. Like maybe use the time to show KS-2's gentle side, or doing more to tease Hugo's true self. I know it would only be a few minutes, but actually make those minutes count for something.

It’s a Prequel?: After my initial viewing, my reaction to the ending was, "Oh, BMO found Finn and Jake's descendants." Then when actual smart people pointed out that "BMO" was a prequel, my reaction became "Oh, that makes way more sense." But then I started thinking about the fact that the special was a prequel, and the more I thought about it, the more holes I found. Or, at least, two holes that I found. First off, why does BMO have a heroic nature in this special? At first, I thought that maybe the years living with Finn and Jake taught BMO how to be a hero, but BMO hasn't met Finn yet. So I guess BMO felt like a heroic personality the entire time? Even though he never acted like this before in the series, unless he thought he was playing a game? Another thing I noticed is Martin's line about kids calling out their deadbeat parents. Why would he say that? Martin hasn't met Finn yet, either. Therefore Martin doesn't have the experience of being called a deadbeat parent. So does this mean that Martin has other children in the universe who calls him out on his crap? Or is it most likely that the writers wanted to give another clue that Mr. M was Martin, but briefly forgot the series timeline? I think it's most likely the latter, even though the former sounds way more interesting. And before people want to kill me because they actually love the story being a prequel, I want to point out, this is another nitpick. The fact that "BMO" is a prequel doesn't bother me too much, but I still can't help but feel confused when thinking about it.

As a whole, I give “BMO” an A-. BMO is as adorable as ever, Y-5 is an astounding character, I love the moral that the special is trying to teach, and the entire thing just screams effort. Is it perfect? No. Does it have problems? Yes, but not anything that makes me think the special was unwatchable. I enjoyed it, and something tells me that if you're an Adventure Time fan, you enjoy it too. "BMO" was a great introduction to Distant Lands, and here's hoping the other specials will be even better.

(And here’s also hoping that “Obsidian” will deliver that sweet, sweet Bubbline goodness that fans have been demanding for years.)

#adventure time distant lands #bmo #y-5 #adventure time distant lands spoilers #what i thought about

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venus-says · 4 years

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Kamen Rider OOO Episodes 17-32

I'm really holding myself to not make a joke with a Katy Perry song.

Yes, I'm late. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I was taking care of that for the past three days so I didn't finish writing this post on time, I'M SORRY. But here I am now so let's get to the juice.

You know, looking from the point we left in the last post I expected things to go downhill and I was prepared to have another W's mid-season experience. Aaaaand I was wrong! And thank god for it.

The complaints I had from the first part are still present here, but they picked on the good points already present and expanded so much on them that when you put things on paper the positives more than compensate for the bad ones. As I mentioned before, arcs introducing a new "ranger" in the middle of the season are for the most part very hard to me, I usually don't like those, and the way they introduce Birth sure was rough in some edges. But despite the elements I dislike still being there, I've grown to like Akira/Birth and I think their inclusion to the cast played a big role in making this second part as solid as it was.

The come and go of the medals is still confusing and hard to keep up with, the antagonists are still kind of a mess, some of the MOTW plots are weak, but each one of these negatives come with a positive. Yes, is hard to keep track of the medals, but the new combo forms Os got in these episodes were amazing both in visuals and in powers. Yes, there are still many "factions" acting as antagonists, but each one of them had something added to them so they don't look just like a bunch of pawns trying to act like a king and just looking like a bunch of ants who broke formation coming back to their colony. While some MOTW didn't have a very engaging story, each one of them had at least one quirk that made them interesting.

If there are things I'd consider fatal flaws in this particular block of episodes I'd say they are: how they didn't know how to manage the GREED, Gotou's storyline, and those horrible episodes celebrating the 1000th episode.

Regarding the GREED, this is a problem I had in the first part as well, they're completely underused. First, they quickly ditched two generals (the ones with most personality) at once, so I thought we would see Uva and Kazari as two different forces going against each other, but no Uva was pushed to the side for the most of it and we only saw Kazari doing his things. Then there's the matter of Ankh's body who's sitting on a very thin line and sometimes it's pending more to the interesting side and in other times is just sitting in the "really, queen?" side of things. Now not everything is bad, adding a new GREED that wasn't one of the original 5 and having this GREED be merging with both Eiji and Dr, Maki is very interesting and I'm quite curious to see how it'll develop, I feel like they're building up for Maki be the final boss and I'm kinda thorned about it since I really like Kougami and I wish he was the final antagonist, but episodes 29 and 30 shed a new light on Dr. Maki and I started liking him a little more so I think I'm okay if that's the path they'll take.

Gotou is a mixed bag of feelings for me. I really started disliking him around episode 12, and I disliked him more when they started to hint him as being the next Rider to join, and I still think he's a very weak character and he's definitely not in my favorites' list. But I started to get more sympathetic towards him and a huge part of that is because of his interactions with Akira, I'm still not interested on seeing him becoming Birth but thanks to this period he spent with Akira I think when the change happens I'll be more open-minded for it. I also can't deny that he had a great part in on of my favorite stories of the season (Episodes 21 and 22) that made me soften my heart for him, seeing his internal conflict about his own sense of justice was very cool, the conclusion he came to wasn't what I wanted but it was still great nonetheless.

The 1000th episode arc was... just boring and embarrassing, I'm sorry. I know I don't have the knowledge of this franchise to catch all the easter eggs and such, but with easter eggs or no is a very weak plot and I wasn't interested in anything. Again, I'm sorry.

But now let's talk about the good stuff. First of all, I wanna take a moment to talk about the power-ups, Os got two new combos in these episodes and they're both great. Seeing that I'm a sucker for water powers I thought ShaUTa would be my favorite, and while it looks pretty good and the fight underwater we got as cool as heck my favorite form is TaJaDor, I love the design of the suit, I love the design of the wings, I love that attack with the peacock feathers, I love when he goes to the sky and start looking like a phoenix, that power-up is *chef's kiss* perfecto! I don't know if PuToTyranno is considered a power-up, but the form is also pretty darn good, I think the ptera wings are a bit weird and attacking with a tail is a bit too much for me (especially with that CGI), but I love the ax/gun weapon he got, and I can't wait to see more. (also PuToTyranno is a very fun name to me because "puto" is not a family-friendly word in Portuguese and I just can't help but crack every time I think of it XD)

Talking about characters, Eiji is as great as ever, his smartness continues being on point, he has great comedy moments, and the delivery on the emotional moments is very well done. What I liked the most about him in these episodes was seeing how he could gave some very strong speeches about justice and helping other people and said speeches didn't sound generic or fake like in the many other shows with a young male target audience. They were a bit idealistic while staying very grounded in reality which I loved. We also got to see the full scope of his backstory too, I don't necessarily love the part about he coming from a wealthy family, but I can see that this also adds a lot on his shoulders so I'm okay with it, is still a very strong character point. I thought it would take long to another Rider to dethrone Shotaro as my favorite, but Eiji is coming very close to it, let's see how the show will handle his character in this final third.

Ankh... is still Ankh. I thought they were building a narrative of him betraying Eiji, and I thought that could be a very nice point to make him grow as a character but that didn't come true so, I'm still kinda meh about him. Hina is still boring, but this time I'll blame all on the actress/direction they gave to her because there are good moments for her here but the delivery is very lackluster. Chiyoko is still a very nice side character, I really liked her participation in episodes 29 and 30 with her interactions with Maki, I hope we can see more of this in the future.

The things in Kougami foundation are still a high point for me, Kougami himself seems to be becoming more crazy and obsessive as time passes and I just love it. Erika is by far the best support character, and I love that badass action scene they gave her in episode 20! I wish the booty shots didn't have camera angles that weren't so IN YOUR FACE, but I guess is a fair trade considering the many closeups on Eiji while he's on his underwear so...

I already talked a bit about Akira but I feel like I need to highlight him again. I wasn't expecting to like him this much, especially seeing how he crashed this party without previous notice, but I really enjoy him. He's so upbeat and straightforward, yet he's not just an easygoing character, we can see his dept and whenever he goes serious it doesn't seem like a very drastic change. It's kinda impossible to dislike this guy. I'm a bit afraid for him, because the signs that he's going to die are all here, and I don't wanna see him go because I like him so much, I hope that if they do it it'll be on a nice way and it'll make him justice, BUT I'LL TRY TO STAY POSITIVE TILL THE LAST MINUTE AND I'LL BELIEVE THAT HE'S NOT GONNA DIE (pls OOO, don't crush my heart).

I believe this is all I had to say, I can't believe I'm already so close to the end of this wonderful series, I really hope they won't drop the ball in this final stretch. How yall feel about the middle portion of OOO, anything you agree or disagree with? Let me know in the comments. See you, folks. o/

#Kamen Rider OOO #kamen rider

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