SQUASH TIME SQUASH TIME THATS RIGHT FOLKS ITS BUTTERNUT SQUASH TIME

HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY COOKING SHOW

I HAVE FINALLY COOKED THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND HOOOHH BOY WE’RE IN FOR A TREAT TONIGHT FOLKS

I’m sure you’ve been wondering, ‘Akia, how was that squash??’ I’m positive it’s been on your mind. I’m sure you haven’t been able to SLEEP with the suspense of my Squash Saga — so hey listen, don’t worry, I got you.

FIRST OFF: not only did I score myself a lil BUTTERNUT— but I got FOUR squashes. That’s right, FOUR WHOLE DELIGHTS of the season! Paragons of autumn! Five stars! It’s SQUASH SEASON BABEYYY!!!!!

But today,, today!?!? It’s butternut squash time.

Aight we got ourselves a lil before and after the oven and! Wow!! That color! That crispiness!! That beautiful golden hue!!Gorgeous. 🤌 Irreplaceable. 🤌 She is truly one of the gems of this mortal life.

And we cut that beautiful bb squash open and ….. WOW! She STUNS us once again. Folks, just LOOK at that beautiful cross section! Truly Delightful!! Perfection!! I’m Speechless!!

And then we get our—our beautiful squash all plated up and she just, *sniff*— she just looks so beautiful up there, all finished,. god I’m so proud of her. So proud, she’s, come so far… my squash child..

Thanks for… for watching my cooking show *wipes tears* it’s been real y’all <3

Tagging you against your will Idgaf appreciate my squash: @whumpsday @whumpshaped @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @blood-is-compulsory

Okay so I finished the pilot episode of the new Mystery Incorporated show and I have so. many. thoughts. I typed these up as I was watching so they’re probably not the most eloquent. 😅 SO MANY SPOILERS so please don’t read if you haven’t seen.

Notes:

Love that Fred plays baseball!!!. Him having his baseball bat by the bed and all his little baseball trophies is a nice touch.

Looks like Daphne is a cheerleader in this one, as well as having won a few “Miss Coolsville” pageants.

Daphne’s initial outfit is perfect. I love the preppy look and the color pallet looks amazing. The greens and purples are just the right shade that nothing clashes.

The angle of Daphne being a rich girl with a lot of pressure on her is nice. I see this show taking influences from APN and SDMI (as well as the live action movies) which makes sense as those are both based within the town itself (not so much the 2002 movie or Curse of the Lake Monster but still). I’m feeling like we’ll definitely have Daphne push back against her status/pressures. I also like that they went with the Blake’s being old money and so the name/family itself holds weight.

Shaggy’s room looks pretty good (Scooby looks AMAZING!! I love him (Thor) sm!!!). It’s artfully messy which is nice. I also like leaning into Shaggy being a little more lackadaisical, with some tardies. I feel he’s definitely the type to run a little late for things. One thing I will say is I feel like the show might be edging toward making Shaggy a little rebellious which is idk. He definitely goes against the grain but I always thought of it more as an “I’m just gonna be me/do my own thing” kinda thing and less of a “I want to break the rules/be different” but maybe my vibes are off and that’s not the intention. We’ll see.

Having Shaggy’s dad be sheriff is nice. I feel like that’s a pretty common trope across teen mystery shows for practical reasons so that’s fine with me, plus it fits with his dad being a policeman in APN.

I don’t know how necessary having Fred be bullied by a group of random jocks is but again, it’s common trope. I will say it feels a little funny to have them not only bully someone immediately after their parents died but also bully them about that??? 😂 uh??

Velma’s first outfit also looks great! Right away, I think the actress (Dayeanne Hutton) might be taking some cues from Cardellini’s portrayal (that’s just my conjecture tho). Having her mom be the owner of a bookstore is cute and will probably be plot convenient later on so. Also her having a dad who’s passed on (and a mom who’s clearly struggling with that) is a nice bit of characterization. I thought Hutton really sold the “we both miss you, dad” line so it didn’t feel super expository.

I don’t love the Riverdale-style objectification of teens. The show is only ten minutes in and already lingered pretty long on Fred being either shirtless/sweaty.

Given the school’s colors, the mascot was definitely in poor taste. Some of the posters hanging up were … yeah 😕. If they’re going to have Fred be in his letterman’s or in school colors often then they should have gone with blue, I think. They may have wanted to distinguish him from the bullies but then I think the mascot would have worked better and matched Fred’s pallet. Being the blue devils would have worked better I think. The school colors do match the Cartoon Network movies pretty close (I think they were red/yellow there while here they seems to be red/white). I’m also partial to alliteration (Coolsville Cougars just sounded so cute 🥺).

Fred’s outfit (blue plaid, white t-shirt, orange backpack) is gorgeous/genius/I love it so much!!! The outfits in this have consistently been on it. Well done wardrobe. Big kudos!! Also love the orange of his notebook and binder as well. Utilize those color pallets!! We love to see it!!

Mmm, Daphne and Fred definitely have history/attraction between them. I’m wondering if, like in SDMI, Fred will be seen as not good enough for Daphne, especially as she (aka her MOM) is very concerned with appearances.

Velma having to steel herself to talk to Fred is so cute (and I like that they’re able to connect over mutual losses). Fred remembering her from geometry is really sweet (and I love the “you’re the one who sat in the back so no one could cheat off your papers” lol). I also like Fred apologizing to her for snapping. I’m so excited to see the rest of the Gang interact because I already feel the chemistry between Fred and Velma. I want them to be friends right now!!! So bad!!!

Okay the “fascinating subject” line Velma/Hutton delivered, perfect inflection on that 10/10 sounds like Velma to a T. I don’t know exactly who Hutton’s taking her inspiration from but I can definitely hear a lot of the former actresses for Velma in her.

Fred calling her “Dinkley” I like that

“My mistress science,” definitely feels like a reference to Velma’s line in Monsters Unleashed about mysteries being her mistress.

oooooooOOOOooo Velma and Fred’s parents being killed by the same mysterious force?? The plot thickens 🤔 I also really like how Fred’s actor (Dade Elza) delivered his line about Velma not being an expert of the grief Fred is feeling.

So far all of Velma’s jinkies have felt really natural. I’m so 🥹

Okay am I crazy is is Velma’s “I panicked” literally Nicole Jaffe??

I kinda wish Velma had been the one to see the demon and not her mom…now that would have been a twist…could even stick with her being more interested in science if you wanted by having her try to convince herself it was nothing only for Fred’s matching vision to make her reconsider.

Fred’s cute little “you’re gonna put that big brain of yours to use to help me solve this thing.” I’m sold on him, very much.

Also forgot to mention that this show continued to place Coolsville in OH. I’m cool with that, at this point that’s the one state that there’s *really* precedent for (tho I’m partial to CA 😜)

Is Fred also wearing orange shoes??!! 🥺

Daphne’s crew with headbands vs Ophelia’s crew with hair clips

Jonathan Jacobo reference HELLO!!! Mmmm instead of being the “Pterodactyl Ghost” tho, he’s a witness to the “Pterodactyl Demon.” Maybe he still dressed up as the Pterodactyl Ghost tho when he went on his crime spree??

Ben Ravencroft reference. Mmmm but the demon in “his movie” is Asmodeus (the demon from Curse of the 13th Ghost).

Fred appealing to Velma in exactly the way she’ll cave to. Love how this show is demonstrating his intelligence so far (as well as possibly foreshadowing his leadership skills) and how well he’ll grow to know the Gang.

Shaggy in a white van. Assuming that will end up being the Mystery Machine!!

I was wondering how they were going to have Scooby “communicate.” Looks like so far they’re having Shaggy just be able to tell what he’s thinking. I’m okay with that (and probably prefer that to him speaking through Scooby a la Kristoff for Sven) but it’ll be interesting to see how that works with the rest of the Gang. I don’t know if I‘d like if Shaggy was the only one who could “understand” him, yk?

JOY JUICE??? As in Lotsa Luck Joy Juice. Okay references for this ep get an A+. That was pretty good.

Talking to Scooby calms Shaggy down 🥺🥺🥺

“Okay, pumpkin.” 😂 ?????

Scooby’s just a gentle little guy. I do think once Shaggy got hit, Scooby could have let out a little growl or smth.

Okay so far Daphne Shaggy and Velma have all uttered their catchphrases. :)

No, no, hold up. Why is Daphne mad about the plan because it might blow back at her? Could they not have had her be outraged that they’re planning on cheating? Or that they don’t think she can win on her own and that she needs to resort to ruining the competition?

OKAY THE BOOK HAVING THE CHEST OF DEMOMS SIGIL ON IT IS SO SICK (it’s not exact but I feel like it’s definitely in imitation of it/Asmodeus!!)

“Hey, Velm” 🥹 Already evolved from Dinkley straight to the more affectionate nicknames

Fred seeing right through Velma, acknowledging she seems afraid of the unknown. Okay, I’m listening.

“I’m beginning to come around to the idea.” Want to kiss this line of dialogue so bad the Scooby vibes are immaculate

FRED BODY SHIELDING VELMA SHUT THE HELL UP. IM !!!!

Seth’s plan is…not great

Scooby Doo is a police dog?? Ehhhhhh, idk bout that one. Also him being “retired” is interesting. I feel like it could have fit that Scooby was initially brought on to be a police dog (even tho I don’t think Great Danes are typically used) but he was too friendly/easily scared so then Sheriff Rogers brought him home to his son to be Shaggy’s companion. Maybe the backstory will end up being similar. The use of retired doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but hmmm

Ahhh, so the ghost was Miner ‘49er. Awesome!!!

13 pillars = 13 ghosts style episodic takedown of the pillars. I’m pumped🙏

I really like Thorn’s necklace and Dusk’s hair. Also LOVE that they’re performing “Hex Girl.”And Thorn’s guitar looks pretty cool.

Oof the way Fred clearly wanted to go after Daphne and had to be set straight by Velma. Damn. Guy just opened a hellmouth but he sees Daph upset and he’s about ready to drop everything else.

Fred w/a plan. ❤️💕

“ You used the name” CUTE 😂

“We’re gonna have to split up…” and BAM everyone in the episode got to say their catchphrase (expect for Scooby) even if Fred’s was just an approximation of his.

Really wish the Hex Girls had fangs 😔

Miner ‘49er does look pretty spooky, I will say, and the climax was done pretty neatly.

Shaggy making his sandwich. 👏 YES

The two posters in the scene with Velma’s mom answering the phone are a French poster for Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and the 1949 film of The Great Gatsby. Not sure if there’s significance/what the significance is but thought I’d mention it in case anyone had any ideas.

Also the subtitles list Velma’s mom as “Angie,” which is her name in SDMI. I could definitely see them taken inspiration from that version of her, given it’s the most in-depth. It also seems they might have take some inspo already, what with both SDMI Angie and this version being interested in/having past experience with the occult and running a business in which the occult is featured.

The voice of Vincent Van Ghoul!!! I’m SCREAMING. I’m actually begging them to let him be the Giles of this Scooby gang.

High Priestess Van Ghoul?? Seems like the Hex Girls are going to be allies in this but we’ll see. Glad they’re letting all of them practice a little witchcraft tho. That’s cool. Ahh and they’re keeping them in their necklaces. Also very cool.

THE BLACK KNIGHT

Really like the end credits song. It sounds great!

Okay, all the parents’ names (as they’re listed in the credits) so far are the same as they are in SDMI except Fred’s parents who were *sob* Peggy (not listed as “Peg”) and Skip. Also?? Shaggy’s dad is listed as Sheriff *Samuel* Rogers. But Daphne’s mom is listed as Nan and Velma’s mom is listed as Angie.

Other Thoughts:

I’m pleasantly surprised that this show is utilizing a lot of the rich lore Scooby Doo has surrounding the supernatural. They’re really rooting themselves in 13 Ghosts and Witch’s Ghost, etc. rather than just inventing new mythos. They’re not wasting the mythos Scooby Doo already has available. It’s really amazing and well-done so far!

I thought this episode was overall super enjoyable. It was unpolished in parts and rougher at the beginning than the end and I can see how it might go off the rails but overall it seems VERY promising and it definitely feels more Scooby Doo-like than I ever expected which is wonderful!!

I think the main actors seem like they’ve got it down. Elza and Hutton as Fred and Velma respectively really shined this episode, which makes sense as I feel they have the most to work with at this point (and the fact that they’re were the only two who were working together). It really gives me hope for how the rest of the cast might interact because you could really feel both the character and actor chemistry between Elza and Hutton. I’m so excited!!!

I really hope the rest of the gang gets involved in the hijinks soon (especially Shaggy as his story seemed the most separate). Chris Villain as Shaggy was solid. I thought he had some good physical moments (like banging his head against the locker) though I will say I didn’t feel like we saw much of Shaggy yet. It makes sense that him and Daphne were a little less themselves since I think the show will go on to highlight the Gang opening themselves up and only really dropping the masks (no pun intended) around each other so I’ll wait before casting further judgement.

It seems Daphne (played by Jessica Chancellor) will be having a pretty extensive character arc as she breaks away from her current clique and expectations to join up with the Gang (yay!).

The wardrobe for the Gang all felt really great. The effects were good. The sets were detailed and appropriate. Overall felt pretty solid for a pilot.

BIG BIG GREAT JOB TO EVERYONE INVOLVED

EDIT (after I forced my whole family to watch 😂):

My mom was saying the dealer selling Joy Juice wearing a yellow hoodie was probably a reference to Flim Flam’s classic look (can’t believe I didn’t catch ​that!!!)

I noticed that Shaggy walks between Fred&Velma in the hall way and gives Fred the flyer Velma pulls out of his notebook later. Feel so dumb I didn’t catch that the first time 😅

hi ! if it's alright, could i request a matchup? if the matchups are still open, of course!

she/her pronouns! and i really like to the fake dating trope (with a bit of frenemies to lovers! because tension) and the coffee shop/college!au.

oh, i'm an enfp, i'm shy at first; though, i'm the biggest crackhead you'll meet if we get closer. i'm an empath! i'm the mom friend of the group—albeit an idiot as well. i love cats and public speaking: i really like coffee, too. (if it helps, my biggest kins are akaashi and sugawara.)

and for the name, it would be Yttrium!

thank you! please do stay hydrated and safe. take care!! lovelots < 3

you’ve been cast !

a note from the director ! thank you for sending in you resume, i really hope you like this <33 also, i love your name sm aaaah take care as well :))

elle presents… [ play pretend : a university au ]

starring

yttrium  <3

KUNIMI akira as the main lead : you dated for a bit in high school, breaking up just before the two of you entered university. it didn’t end on good terms, but not on bad ones either. you’ve just grown apart, fallen out of love; completely normal of high school relationships. the two of you went to the same university and though you acknowledged each other when you pass by in the halls, it never went beyond that. however, one night — in a weird chain of events — he’s asking you to be his once again. well, at least pretend to be. 

HINATA shoyo as the second lead :  you met him on your very first day, on your very first class. all bright smiles and excited chuckles. there’s something unspoken between the two of you, nobody knows exactly what it is, especially not either of you. are you friends? or is there a possibility of something more? 

[ series synopsis ] yttrium thought she had left all remnants of her high school life behind her. until kunimi wanders back into her life. 

the pilot ep : kunimi misspoke. he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend, but now that he’s told an entire class of people that he does and his pride stopping him from correcting himself, he turns to the the closest person he has to that — yttrium.   the mid-season twist : hinata is undoubtably confused at the extent of his own feelings towards yttrium. he’s not alone though; kunimi’s plan is slowly beginning to backfire.  the series finale : yttrium must make a choice. should past love be given another chance, or let something completely new blossom?

a song from the ost : stay by the hails      “ take me to the home i know, take me to the home i knew ” …plays during the end credits, alternating scenes of yttrium with hinata in uni and yttrium with kunimi in high school. 

a scene from the script ; from (ep. 1 — the pilot ep : give me a reason)

INT. CAFE - LATE AT NIGHT

At ten in the evening, the only people at the University Grind are students trying to cram a paper they were due to submit before midnight strikes. Nothing but quiet jazz playing from the speakers, fingers typing away on keyboards, and coffee beans being ground up.

Hunched over a wooden table are KUNIMI and YTTRIUM. There’s a sense of awkwardness around the two as YTTRIUM refuses to meet KUNIMI’s gaze. She’s unsure why he had even asked to meet, it had been a couple of years into their breakup. Why reach out now? KUNIMI is the one to break the silence, explaining his class slip-up of accidentally saying he had a girlfriend. 

YTTRIUM (confused) Okay….but what does that have to do with me? 

KUNIMI I’ll cut to the chase then, I need you to be my girlfriend again—

YTTRIUM (cuts him off, eyes wide) What? No! Why would you even ask me that?

KUNIMI Let me finish. (sighs) It’ll only be pretend.

YTTRIUM Give me one good reason to agree and maybe I’ll think about it.

KUNIMI Out of the kindness of your heart?

YTTRIUM (scoffs)

KUNIMI We were friends before we dated, right? Don’t you at least miss hanging out? It will be like that. We don’t have to hold hands or whatever in public. Just help me out with this. 

YTTRIUM (somewhat teasing, smirk slowly spreading across her face) Did the Kunimi Akira just imply that he missed hanging out with me?

KUNIMI (completely serious) Yeah.

feel like getting cast for something too ? see if auditions are open here. 

4th of July

Everything was better in 2008. For the first time in six years, I had a younger sister — my one and only sibling. I was in second grade and I was the most obnoxious in the class. I always receive disciplinary letters from my teachers and my mom used to attend parent-teacher conferences because I was too loquacious and hyper. It was also the year I turned seven. My parents took me to a mall and bought me a Barbie doll. I still remember her appearance. She had a waist-length pony-tailed dark brown hair, blue eyes and dark pink lips, a pink jacket coated in fur sewn with a silvery tube beneath (both designed hanging like a crop top), a pair of pants that I don't know how to call (it fits the doll well from the hips to her knee and it goes baggy hanging until her mid-leg), and a pair of violet stilettos that I wished I had one in real life. I regret giving her top to my childhood friend and lending her violet shoes that my friend in Caloocan dropped in the drainage. I bring that doll with me, almost wherever I go. In the box were teeny-tiny accessories that I barely remember, her mini mirror  and the mini comb, and her pink long-sleeved dress (like the pink one in The Princess and The Pauper movie). For a young child like me, my parents bought me that box with the Barbie doll inside when we went at the Toy Kingdom at SM Fairview, because my parents love me — and so I took care of that doll well. I remember how simply that day went, but I was happy. My parents took me to an inflatable play area and I met a child around my age. I don't remember what we talked about. I can only remember the joy jumping inside the play area, the slide, the colorful small balls that you'll land on, and the plastic tree that's being inflated as well. Most importantly, I remember my mom taking video of me with her two megapixel Nokia Supernova phone. God, I wish we were able to keep the file. I was in second grade and I barely remember everything. Yet I am sure, I was definitely happier despite of being bullied almost everyday. It was the year two thousand and eight when my dad subscribed to a pirated Dream TV Cable. The package pretty much came with a hacked card, a satellite, and a tv box where you insert the card and do the settings and stuff. I remember watching Tom & Jerry and the show that scared me truly called Courage the Cowardly Dog during the weekdays after coming home from school. My parents were strict (and still are, for the record). I only got an hour to watch everyday and so I had to remind myself. The tv was situated in my room. Using my red Artline and black Pilot markers, I write on the wall of my room the time I'm supposed to turn off the tv. For example, I started watching at 2:08 pm, I had to turn the tv off at 3:08. Well, I could confidently tell I was a straightass obedient kid at a point in my life. My dad would tune into History Channel after eating dinner. Watching tv after coming home from a long exhausting day of working at Valenzuela became his routine. I remember clearly when we were watching an episode about Berlin, Germany. I asked him, "Tatay, ano 'yung Berlin Wall at bakit may mga kwarto sa ilalim?". Then he explained about the World War 2, the East and West Germany, and the escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall. Back in that year, we had no internet connection (just the computer and printer that my parents use in their business) so knowing new pieces of info from the television (that are always elaborated by my dad because I was six) always leave me with amazement.

I miss watching episodes from the Living Asia Channel with my mom. It was a channel featuring wonderful places in Asia. I thought Laos was the Capital of Myanmar because I've read "Laos, Myanmar" in one of their trailers. When we studied geography later in elementary, that's where I realized that the trailer was about Laos and Myanmar and these two are different countries. I also remember watching tv shows back in the day from this channel called Flip TV. I had watched episodes from Buddy n Sol, John en Marsha, Ready na Direk (Herbert Bautista's peak years haha), Barangay Unang Sigaw (the sitcom where I was only familar of Ruby Rodriguez from Eat Bulaga, I still remember the theme song of the show), and some of the old movies that have provinces in the Philippines in their titles.

I miss 2008. I miss my mom buying me sleeveless undershirts printed with Dora and Boots and my name on the chest part of each one. I miss borrowing my mom's phone to take selfies and play games. I miss playing the song entitled Centre of Nowhere by Ladybug Mecca, the default song saved in all the Nokia Supernova phones. I miss 8.8.8. I remember my dad who went home proudly after buying a pair of brown sneakers from a thrift shop for only eight pesos. I can still recall how happy he was. I remember how my mom that I don't know for what reason, was sent an MMS (multimedia message) that has a 26-second clip of Ogie Alcasid's Kung Sakali song. I believe it was for a ring back tone, something you'll hear when someone tries to call you. I think it's just stupid and useless, they may have had a user-recorded voice but offered the song instead. I don't know if the voice status was already a thing before. One thing I'm sure is my mom laughed at that song every time I play it, calling it "kanta yan ng tatay mo sa girlfriend niya dati". hahaha.

I can't believe I spent more than an hour writing this. Thinking of all the memories makes me feel sad and old. It has been thirteen years and I could tell I had a great childhood (minus the bullying and the corporal punishment part). If I can only turn back time just for a second, I will go back to 2008. I miss the year 2008, the year when I wasn't thinking of the past nor the future. I could only care about my family, our tv, and my classmates. I still remember my reaction when I saw my little sister for the first time. My mom was in our Toyota Tamaraw AUV beside the driver's seat after my dad fetched me from a family friend where I stayed when they were in the hospital. For the first time, I saw an infant being caressed by my mom — and it was my sister.

2008 wasn't perfect but it certainly was the year when I was awarely the happiest.

Quiet Skies (Smithson Utivich x Fem!Reader)

@owba-chan​ @war-obsessed​ @inglourious-imagines​ @tealaquinn​ @struggling-bee​ @frozenhuntress67​ @kwyloz​ @sodapop182​

Let me know if you wanna be added to the IB or OUATIH taglists! :)

___________________ May 1942 You and Smithson Utivich... Everyone saw you as two peas in a pod. You were walking down the streets together, one last time.  You had spent every single day of your lives together. You were neighbors, gone to the same school, done everything together all your lives. You'd only graduated high school, both of you were going to the same college. It was perfect... But Smitty decided to enlist. He enlisted the day after the US officially entered the war...but he didn't tell you. It was the very first time he didn't tell you something right away... It was May, now, and he was being sent to bootcamp the next day. He smirked as he looked at you. He knew you were hurt he didn't immediately tell you, even though you never breathed a word about it. He did the one thing he knew. He annoyed you. 

"I heard people saying Howard was ring shopping." You crossed your arms and rolled your eyes. Howard had been your boyfriend for about a year or so, but it just wasn't working. He never quite got over it. He was mostly an annoyance, and ever since he got drafted, he wouldn't quit trying to get you to go out with him again. Probably to get a chance to propose. It seemed to bother you more than Smitty anticipated. It was a joke....kind of... Smitty had a ring, too. It wasn't a wedding ring, it was just his class ring. But, it meant just as much, if not more, if he was honest. "What's the matter?" he asked, as he closed his fist around his class ring, in his pocket. You shook your head, "I don't want to just be a face in someone's locket." "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to be a trophy, waiting around years and years for anyone to come home, and then spend the rest of my life expected to be locked in kitchen, and wait for that same ass to come home every single day. I want to do something. Be something." "Well, you are! You're going to NYU, and-" "Without you." You sounded more reproachful than you intended... He sighed, "Look...there's a million things you can do!" "Yeah, yeah..." You sighed, having seen a million advertisements for factory work, fire engine drivers, the nurse corps, war bonds... You muttered sarcastically, "The possibilities are fucking endless." "Why are you upset?" You looked at him. He was being genuine...He really didn't understand why you were hurting so much. "I can do all that while there's a war, sure...But what if...What if..." "What if what?" "What if you don't come back? What do I do then?" He smirked a little, "Find Howard?" You rolled your eyes, and Smitty chuckled, "Hey, I'm coming back, I promise." You looked at him, and knew you couldn't ask him to stay. But you wondered why you couldn't go with him. He knew just what you were thinking and said, "Y'know the world's too scared to let the girls fight. They know you'd really give 'em hell." You smiled softly, though you could feel a knot of tears in your throat. You looked away, "It's getting late, Smitty..." He nodded, "I'll walk you home, like old times." "We're fucken neighbors, Smitty," You chuckled, and he smiled, "Come on," He nudged you with his elbow as he smiled. He wasn't going to argue or ask anything. He knew you weren't ok. Who would be? You were both quiet on your walk back home. You stopped at your door, and he called out, "Goodnight!" Just as he had every day of his life. You sighed, lowering your keys, as you turned around with teary eyes, and a broken smile. "Goodnight, Smitty." He lingered for a second longer than usual, and you took a breath. You ran back down the steps and threw your arms around him. His arms wrapped around you as you both swayed side to side in your silent goodbye. You pressed your eyes shut as you rested your head on his shoulder. You could have sworn that by the time you let go, and opened your eyes, the war would have been over, years would have passed. Instead, you were still standing by the dim porch light, under the same stars. There was no skipping ahead. Every moment mattered... When it was over, he walked away quietly. He knew you hated saying goodbye, so he didn't put you through that. You slumped down on the steps to your door, and glanced to the side. As he opened his front door, he looked at you with a quiet smile. A wordless promise that you'd see him again. *January, 1943* The newly assembled team of basterds stood in a line, waiting to board a plane that would fly them from England to nazi-occupied France. Aldo chuckled, seeing some of the younger basterds' tense, worried faces. "Don't you worry now, boys. Now, I flown in this here rickety plane before," He chuckled, recognizing that cheeky nose art. "Pilot scared the shit outta me, 'n all them boys when we jumped in Italy. But Flight Officer L/N's one hell of a pilot. Best of the OSS, I'd say." Omar squinted as he looked at the side of the plane, "Are those fucking bullet holes?" Hirschberg was more worried about something else, "That a fucking burn mark under that paint?!" Aldo rolled his eyes, "Well the plane and pilot are still in one goddamn piece, and'll make sure we stay that way too." Donny crossed his arms, annoyed that the clock was ticking, and spotting a storm coming in from the distance, "Speaking of the goddamn pilot, ain't he supposed to be here right about fucken now?" "Sorry to disappoint, boys." You marched in, grinning, knowing you threw Donny off. Donny stammered as you turned to Aldo, and saluted him, "Lieutenant Raine." He grinned, though he shota glance at the rest of the basterds, reminding them that you outranked them, "Flight Officer L/N." You stood in front of your plane, and looked at the basterds, waiting. They each saluted you, including the dumb-struck staff sergeant.

The very last one to salute you, though, was none other than Smithson Utivich. His hand was shaking, his knees felt weak, and his mouth dropped. You stopped for a moment. You knew this day would come... But what else could you do? You filed each basterd into the plane. Smitty was the last one. You both waited a moment, standing outside the plane. You smiled, "I"m so proud of you, Sm-" He threw his arms around you, "Y/n, where have you....WH...What are you doing here?!" "Flying you to France?" He rolled his eyes, "I thought...I didn't know..." You chuckled, "I know...Come on, let's not keep anyone waiting." "But-" You looked back at him, "There'll be time, some day...private." You chuckled, and he couldn't really say anything. "I can't believe you fucking outrank me," he laughed as he climbed into the plane. The moment he stepped in, the rest of the basterds were straight-faced and looking right at him. "What?" Omar managed to sputter, "You know L/n?" He raised his eyebrow in confusion, and nodded, "All my life..." Donny smirked, "And you didn't introduce us because-"

"I didn't know she joined the army..." Utivich cracked a smile, and glanced back to the front of the plane. He was proud of you. The rest of the flight, he couldn't help but glance at you. He was quiet, compared to the rest of the basterds. The whole flight was relatively smooth, until you flew just over Nazi occupied France. The plane was immediately met with machine gun fury. You flipped the light, signaling the basterds' imminent jump. Aldo jumped first, saluted you with a sly grin, as he shouted over the howling winds, "See ya 'round, kid!" One by one, they each jumped. You were taking heavy fire, and knew you had to get out of there soon. You glanced back, and realized Utivich was still there. He was looking right at you, with wide, terrified eyes. You shouted just loud enough for him to hear, "I can handle this! Go!" He stopped at the exit, and looked back at you, "Y/n....give 'em hell." He was hesitating, his eyes were teary as they looked into yours. Suddenly, your plane took another hit, and one of the engines caught fire. "FUCK." You were going down. You marched over to Utivich, "Oh what the hell..." You muttered as you pulled him close to yourself, and kissed him. As you did, he slipped something into your pocket... Speechless, he looked right at you, as you shouted loud enough for him to hear, "Goodnight, Smitty." "What?!" You pushed him out of the plane, and rushed back to the controls, trying to get a hold over the plane, doing every last thing you could. He screamed as he parachuted down, getting out every ounce of anger and fear. He wasn't afraid of the nazis, the machine guns, or the fire. He was afraid of losing you So he screamed your name, watching as smoke engulfed your plane. By  the time he touched the ground, he could barely see the fiery carcass of the plane, struggling to stay in the sky. Any ounce of hope was drowned out by distant engines and gunfire. He was silent, as he kneeled in the mud, watching the lights in the skies through teary eyes. He watched until the rest of the basterds, already regrouped, and found him. Smitty never knew what exactly happened to you. He wasn't legally anything special to you, so there was no reason for the OSS to say a word to him. He wasn't even allowed to get letters from his mother... And if anything happened to you, she'd know from your mother. But he didn't get to know... So every time he saw the stars, he wondered what happened that night. He wondered where you were... Years went by and he didn't know a thing at all. But, after everything he saw during his time at war, he expected the worst. So when it was all said and done... when he finally went home, he still didn't know what had become of you. It was 1945 now... He got out of the cab, and went to his house, just at the top of the hill in the neighborhood. He walked past your house, and his heart was heavy, seeing the dim porch light was on, just as it always was. He couldn't face your parents... If you died the night you flew him over France, they probably weren't allowed to know anything about the mission. They wouldn't have known he was there. He won the war, but his eyes were heavy, and his mind was guilty thinking he'd lost you. He was tired. The medal of honor was still around his neck, and it would hold the weight of the world until he saw you again. He could barely lift his arm as he held out his keys to the front door. He didn't have to. His mother heard the keys she hadn't heard it years, and flung the doors open, and pulled him inside. For a moment, he could breathe. He slowly raised his arms and held her, his keys dropped on the ground. There would be time to pick them up later.

When the tears and hellos were done, and his family went to bed, he snuck out to the porch. A few years before, he wouldn't have gone past the hallway without being caught. But he made it to the porch, and sat on the steps. He could hear a car driving slowly down the street. It was strange... It was past midnight. You'd always lived in such a quiet neighborhood, he wondered if someone was working as a nurse or something like that now. Maybe that was all. Then he heard footsteps, but thought nothing of it. He sat quietly, looking in the quiet skies, thinking of nothing. Quiet skies....that wasn't something he didn't know he missed until that very night. For a moment, everything was quiet. There were no footsteps, no cars, no crickets. He hardly noticed. He only noticed when he heard a sound he'd heard all his life, and a voice to go along with it. "Goodnight, Smitty!" You called out from your porch, as you held your keys to the door. You were still in your uniform. You'd set a dufflebag down on the steps. He stood up immediately, though his knees were shaking. He ran over, and threw his arms around you, "You're alive!" "I promised I'd give em hell, didn't I?" You smiled as you wiped away his tears with your thumb. That didn't stop you from tearing up through your smile, as you held on to his collar, "But you ended the war, didn't you?" "I wouldn't have even made it there if you weren't there. This medal...it belongs to you." You giggled, and shook your head, "No Smitty. It's yours." You smiled softly, and held his hand. He looked down, and saw you wearing his class ring. That was what he'd slipped into your pocket before he dropped into France. He nodded, understanding, and smiled a little, though his voice was still breaking. "I know you didn't want to be a face in a locket...but you were always on my mind." He looked up at the sky, "I didn't know what happened to you that night...every time I saw the stars, I wondered....I wondered if I'd see you again..." You sighed softly, heart slightly broken. You swore you wouldn't wait around for some soldier boy to come home... It never occured to you that a soldier boy was hoping you would come home. You placed your hands on his cheeks, "I promised..." He nodded, "I know... I know you did..." He smiled softly, and looked at you. There was no more waiting. No more wondering... There was no hesitation. You kissed again. This time, under dim porchlihgt, instead of  by the hellfire of a downed engine. This time, surrounded by familiar places, instead of smoke. This time, you were under quiet skies, instead of the roaring ones you knew not so long ago. This time, as you looked into each other's eyes.... You were home.

gillian jacobs, joel mchale, and any other community cast of interest + 👥

SEND ME AN FC + 👥 TO SEE A CHARACTER I’D etc etc

gillian jacobs

I rly love the idea of her in a Pagliacci role!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like her vibes during her depressive episodes in Love really radiate that suicidal clown energy and I would def play her as a small time comedian who tells herself that she’s constantly chasing near-death situations in search for material and not in search for oblivion.

also she’s been in so many raunchy movies that i feel like she could definitely play a nymphomaniac. and this is maybe an unrelated tangent but,,,  you see a lot of promiscuous female characters in the rpc, but i’ve never seen one who’s actually interested in sex..? usually the trend is female characters who feel unloved and use sex as a fill-in or gateway to a sense of intimacy. and this isn’t any shade at, like, nina’s character zelda or yam’s character nikki (especially because i use the same trope with my character genie), but when you combine all of the muses with this characterization together, i feel like we as a community accidentally enforce the idea that women don’t get titillated and just use romance as a bargaining chip for love?? 🤪 

idk maybe it’s just my experience but i always see the love-starved harlot more than any legit horny girls so lets get more of those and lets use gillian jacobs for the roles because thinking about it now i’m pretty sure that even her character on Love has that same characterization. damn

joel mchale

I’m determined!!!!!! to use him for something!!!!! 

my first priority is gwen’s rp americana; originally i thought he would be good for The Professor bt i haven’t had any rly novel ideas to bring to the table for that skeleton yet and i wanna avoid using him in the same career as his Community character. plus i think i’d want to play him in a skeleton that compliments him being like 6′5″ and jacked. hes also rly.. aryan looking… so he could make a perfect Detective if i can get over my hang-ups and play a cop in remotely good faith. but failing that i might end up applying for The Suspect w/ him.

on the flipside, I feel like he’d be rly good for a p.i. character that’s been floating around my head for a long time but whom I haven’t rly had the chance to develop bc I’ve pretty much just been in college rps for the last half a decade. woulda considered this muse for MW if i wasn’t already planning to bring in tom/sal.

that character is a Hunter S Thompson type— tragically optimistic and repeatedly outraged every time mankind disappoints him; constantly trying to believe in the best of people in an industry where he’s dealing with the most depraved individuals. tried to unionize his private investigation firm (love the futility of trying to organize behind the back of the boss of a band of snoops) and wound up getting underhandedly fired so he had to go independent. hardened more in demeanor than heart; numbs the hell of being repeatedly let down with a rock & roll lifestyle that he should’ve outgrown in his thirties. still clinging onto a Gen X obsession with authenticity that obnoxiously makes him roll his eyes at any cashier who smiles and tells him to have a great day. comes across as crass and tactless, desensitized to vulgarity and clumsy when it comes to tenderness despite perpetually yearning for it. compulsively anti-authority to the point of impairing his judgment at times; easily manipulated by anyone who portrays themselves as an underdog. probably comes from a family without a nurturing female presence; could definitely picture him with a businessman younger sibling whom he resents because they’ve “sold out” (read: they’re flourishing financially) while he’s 48 years old and has no sheets on his bed because it’s been a week and he still hasn’t taken them out of the dryer and he keeps passing out on the couch anyway so he’s not really thinking about it.

The biggest struggle in using McHale for this character is that he’s a little too fratty and it’s hard to picture him as this chainsmoking gonzo. but i try to play fcs against type and i feel like he always gets cast as characters who are wealthy/charming/two-faced/detached/nihilistic, and this is definitely as far away from that as i can get. maybe ill do a deep dive into his filmography and find something where he wasnt playing a white collar hunk or douchebag. idk…,,we’ll see. maybe ill use a completely different fc for that character and use mchale for one of the americana skeletons instead?? idk i havent gotten that far yet but i cant stop making gifs of him i’m having so much fun i want to use him so bad idk

one last option is like… ever since those reddit stories got popular, ive always wanted to play a search-and-rescue officer for a national park? and i feel like he almost has forest ranger vibes in the later seasons of community when he has the beard. i dont know where i would play this character but to be fair i have literally no clue where i would play a private investigator either so it’s. yeah

donald glover

i played him back when i used to write in rly wild and campy/comedic supernatural/genre plots!! the original conceit of that character was a law school dropout who swindled an eldritch demon out of his almighty powers, but had such low motivation in life and such a one-track mind that he never thought to use it for any kind of world domination, and instead tried to use it to win back and impress her by giving himself a promotion to manager of the bowling alley he worked at, or make her life without him seem subconsciously bleaker by doing innocuous bullshit like making her breakfast cereal have less marshmallows in it than usual. i don’t know if i would revisit him, but if i did it might be fun to have him have a jackass genie type of relationship with another character in a 1x1, or drop the supernatural aspect entirely and reimagine him as a burnout who suddenly inherited a huge amount of money, only for it to gradually be revealed that it came from some shady means, or something. i don’t know. fucking love his tag on my blog though

alison brie

I think one of the reasons I resent Annie Edison so much is because you can tell Dan Harmon was too obsessed with her to let her be the butt of any jokes or make her look bad in any way, and so even though Alison Brie is an extremely charming and funny actress, she never got to portray any really human or interesting flaws, because all of Annie’s negative traits were just the kind of corny weaknesses you list in a job interview (she’s just too driven!!! a perfectionist to a fault!!~~) and I think that by season 3 she became the thing every viewer was worried Britta would be in the pilot (boring moral compass of a carrot dangling in front of the male protagonist to motivate his character growth). And it just feels like a waste of an actress who could easily find humor in an uglier character and make them sympathetic. So I genuinely want to do something like that with her, like make her a former activist who completely sold out her morals for a gig as a commentator on a corporate news outlet or working on softening PR for some Raytheon or Lockheed Martin type of company. I also love villains with her mousy-petite-big-blue-eyed disney-faced look who are more perniciously manipulative and unsuspecting, so I’d love to do that. 

on an unrelated note: she looks sm like natalia dyer and especially after she got really skinny circa 2016, she would be a rly good timeskip cast for the older, strung-out version of my character max? 

wld definitely gif brie in Sleeping With Other People & How to Be Single & Community s5 + s6 if sage and i ever went through with that timekip plot or if i ever found a place to play a conniving daffodil.

MCU & SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME SPOILERY REVIEW

This is my first, initial “review” of the latest MCU movie - “Spiderman. Far from Home” 

SPOILERS, BEWARE! for “SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME”

“Everywhere I go/look, I see his face/I am reminded of Tony”

The memorial video made by Peter’s HS friends. The comic cans, the online/getty pics used, the editing, the music choice “Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you” … from “The Bodyguard” by Whitney Houston” & images of Tony, Steve, Nat, Vision… Tony…

all the Ironman drawings/art on the classroom wall in Peters school (as he & Ned talk about the vacation plan)

the Ironman mural on the building wall… when Peter escapes to the roof… from the “press conference”

the film/video choices on the plane from Americas to Europe  (next to: “Nova: Einstein Rosen Bridges” &  “The Snap,” & “Finding Wakanda,” & “Hunting Hydra.”) is a 114 minute long Tony/Ironman docu/film… story

I am pretty sure there are also some pictures/posters/images on wall/screen at the airport, when they arrive in Europe... but I need to go watch it again (3rd time) to be sure. I think I saw it, but am not certain....

The murals (with flowers & lit candles) in Europe (Prague)…

Tony’s tech… everywhere

The EDITH integrated in Tony’s glasses...that are now Peter’s. He’s the next Tony Stark. He is the only one who can be trusted with the power - everyone else would just use it for their own good. The Tony glasses being basically a supporting character in the film... central in many scenes. 

Tony’s friends & “enemies” (people, who remember/mourn him & people, who are jealous of him)

Things I noticed/The little things:  

The BLIP “in memoriam” video edit made by Peter’s HS kids: The font was comic sans! The song choice was “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston from the film “The Bodyguard” (original: Dolly Parton), and the “in memoriam” part included images of Tony Stark... twice (first & last), Nat, Steve, VISION...and also others.... And biggest question here is... does this mean that Cap is considered dead? Does this mean his time travel shenanigans lead to him/the team listing him as one of the casualties... to not reveal the details of what really happened & to keep the time travel & other things... a secret? 

BOH! MJs new favorite word. I loved how Peter used it back at MJ... when he doesn’t want to reveal what’s in the bag/box. 

That “cat” in that one scene kinda looked like GOOSE, but only  a little bit, so was it a random cat, or was it a “relative” of Goose? Maybe another flerken?

I absolutely loved how happy & excited Peter got when he was told that the multiverse is real, not just a theory (anymore). I’m kinda sad that it turned out to not be true... for now. (he’d love to learn about the multiverse, just like he’s now studying Thor, who was a myth before, in his physics class)

When Peter was betrayed by someone he trusted & had no one to turn to, who did he call...from Netherlands? Happy. He was the one person, who knew, knew him & could be trusted, and could help him. I’m glad he had that option...someone to turn to. 

That tulip field in Netherlands was beautiful and all, but I was kinda sad to see that plane land there... and then hover above it..for a while... 

Speaking of the plane: The Avengers Tower was sold & is now being re-built by someone else, The Avengers Headquarters was destroyed in Endgame & since Tony is gone (and everyone else ran  away/went to hiding), I am not sure it’ll be re-built (we saw that the clan-up after the battle was happening... in the background...during the Endgame end scene where they set up the time travel platform by the lake). And now the airplane was destroyed in FFH. So lots of Tony’s tech (suit making machines & other tech) is destroyed now. And even though  the introduction of EDITH suggests that he had many other labs & tech set up, “secretly” everywhere... still... it keeps getting destroyed. and since he’s not here to create anything new, all his work will soon be destroyed/gone if this keeps happening. 

Peter stripped not once...but twice...in front of someone... a girl: first the SHIELD European agent, who made him the new (black) secret european “Night Monkey” suit (pants) & later in front of the girl he really likes... MJ (shirt). 

Mysterio’s illusions: all those scenes were visually amazing/brilliant! The Prague fire monster, the bar scene illusions after Peter leaves - the twist!, the German “safe house” illusions  that ended with the train & then the London Tower bridge illusions. 

The bar scene “turn of events” twist moment was brilliantly scary: it showed just how “crazy” Mysterio was. That, together with the “illusion rehearsal” scene, when he learns about the missing projector...and threatens his whole team... that was same level brilliantly scary. 

“Appearances can be deceiving”  hahaha Oh, how it hinted at the end credits scene reveal. It was not just Happy trying to tells “Fury” about Mysterio and his deception, but... also how Fury & Maria Hill are actually... skrulls, who work for Fury, while he (and Hill?) are elsewhere, working on other projects. 

Skrull sleeper cells... mentioned by “Fury”... a reference to Captain Marvel & comics.... 

Happy throwing a shield...at the drone... His cap moment. And his comment about how heavy it is/hard it is, and he doesn’t know how Cap does it hahaha

Michelle and the medieval weapon..that she borrows from the museum vault... 

There are many artifacts in the Tower of London museum vault - the crown jewels, all kinds of medieval tools & weapons, and also... “IRON MAN” - medieval iron knight armor!

Peter taking a selfie as he swings in NYC...in the end. He’s swinging & reading texts/texting & taking selfies... 

The text/line on the fence on the street/in front of “construction site”.... when Peter/Spiderman is swinging to MJ in the end scene..on NYC streets... (Madison Square Garden) say:   “We’re excited  to show you what comes next. And there are numbers 1, 2, 3 & a ? (instead of number 4) under the text. This has many meanings: a) the people in the MCU/FFH universe  are excited to show the citizens what they’re building there. b) the MCU creators are excited to show/tell us/viewers/fans what’s to come next...both in Spiderman films & MCU in general (Phase 4). c) Also..according to fans, who know more, it’s also a reference to the “Fantastic 4″.  

The initials B.F.P. on the suitcase he takes to Europe aka the suitcase belonged to Peters uncle Ben (May’s husband). Too bad it, too,  along many other things & places...got destroyed..in this film. 

LOL at everyone knocking on Peter & Ned’s rooms door at the hotel theyäre staying in in Venice. Interrupting “Fury” (and Peter) & Fury’s reaction... (he is so done with being interrupted...every 5 seconds)

All the “upgrades” to the class trip in Europe & all the changes in itinerary... #IfTheyOnlyKnewWhyThePlansWeereChanged

The “Peter tingle” (aka The Spidey Sense) 

“What happens in London/Europe, stays in London/Europe?” Peter, who is/has been keen to keep his identity a secret, behaved strangely & boldly in Europe & especially at the end of the big “battle” in London...where he just stands on the bridge...without his mask & talks to & kisses MJ. In the middle of the bridge, at the center of big event... Are there no video/traffic 8etc) cams in Europe/LOndon in 2023/2024 MCu? Are there no cameras/smartphones that people use to take pics & vids of every big event they see... in 2023/2024 MCU? I found that surprising... based on all the attempts he made until now & in this film..to keep his identity a secret. 

Pepper Potts signing the big (in both size & sum) check from Stark Fund to May’s charity event. But not being able to attend the event herself. Most likely cause the actress is done with MCU, but... otherwise...interesting... to mention her like that & specify that she was unable to attend in person...

How many “vacations” has Fury taken over the MCU history? While I mostly think that this was the first... after Fury & CM were “reunited” during the Endgame events (BLIP) & the plan was formed after Tony was gone (they were both at his memorial service) & the returned Fury who had no more team on this planet, was kinda lost...) But I also kinda think he might’ve used the skrulls before to take vacations. I am pretty certain that we saw the real Fury in Captain Marvel, in Iron Man films...  and I am also pretty certain that he was himself in Infinity War/Endgame...because as he’s “dying” aka turning into dust he doesn’t turn into skrull.Though it is possible that the dusting doesn't count & the skull face is only revealed if a character actually dies. (this is why we can be certain Tony was Tony & Nat was Nat in Endgame) 

ETA

What I LOVED the most 

My absolute favourite scene(s) is the Peter & Happy at the Holland/Netherland  tulip field & on the plane, hovering above the tulip field scene(s) -  their “talk” as Happy patched up Peter’s wounds. Talking about being a superhero and making mistakes, about Tony...and more... 

That scene...to me...sums up...hopefully... what’s to come. It confirms what I thought would be the case. Tony was/is Iron Man and no one can & should replace him as Iron Man. So everyone asking Peter if he’s gonna be the next IM... everyone looking for the next mightiest protector of the earth... and looking at SM...cause everyone else seems to have disappeared... are just putting too much pressure on him. He’s not the next Iron Man. He is Peter. He is Spider Man. (though after that end twist... who knows... maybe he will put on an iron suit for a while...since he can’t be the unknown neighborhood hero anymore...now that everyone knows...) But to me it summed up peters journey in this film & sets up what’s to come. He needed some guidance & Happy provided it... he needed to realize that he’s he’s own person & his own superhero & he’s not there to replace Tony/IM or any other superhero

But yeah... I loved how Happy said it. When others pressured him & manipulated with him (Beck purposely making him feel inadequate by saying things like “if you would've done better, he might’ve not died”), the now Pilot was his best friend & the one person he could really talk superhero things with...the one person, who IMO helped him the most with his grief over Tony & all the feelings he had regarding that & the pressure he felt to be his successor. 

Peter is likely the person, who will take over Tony’s role..somewhat...with the tech and such, but he is Peter, not Tony. 

And the end scene in Endgame with Happy & Morgan..talking about cheeseburgers & now this scene in FFH with Happy & Peter talking superheroes, responsibility, Tony...and more... tells me that Happy is now the mentor-uncle to these kids now...kinda. 

...and when Peter, excitedly, yells “I love Led Zeppelin” when the iconic IM song “Back in Black” by AC/DC starts to play... haha... awesome

What I hoped would’ve been (will be explored in future films) explored/shown in more detail: 

THE BLIP & how it affected regular people. We only saw the comial bits/parts - the marching band of Peter’s school disappearing & reappearing & Aunt May reappearing in her apartment..that was no longer hers...as someone else had moved in (a family). When in reality... this film confirms my “theory/suspicion” that Avengers 3 & Avengers 4 - the Thanos snap & the Hulk (un)snap both created chaos everywhere. Both emotional, and legal..and other issues. 

The fact that the world is not in chaos... makes no sense. But then again... since NYC & several other places on Earth being battlefields during the Avengers vs Bad guys/aliens battles...in the past films...and being re-built really fast & people seemingly not panicking or having PTSD after the events... is a thing... then I guess only the main characters will remember & suffer after living through such events...everyone else seems to go on with their normal lives in a week or so... 

It did bother me a bit (even though I know this is a blockbuster film..and those don’t deal with such things...) that the very real repercussions of the snap & re-snap were not really shown or told. Just the funny Blip-video. And then the little bit we saw from the Aunt May held charity event for the homeless. That was the only real hint about the seriousness of those events in the fictional universe (even though she also made a joke about it on stage...but the cause itself is serious)

Things that bothered me

How no one seems to do any background checks in this universe. How no one seems to use any security measures. Like... no one checking up on Mysterio’s backstory (and yes, I know...his team helped create such amazing backstory & provided such great “proof”...that it fooled even “Fury” & SHIELD -- probably would not have fooled the real man, but... that’s the point...) but still... 

Also... Tony’s glasses not having any other safety measures & it being so easy to transfer over the power to someone else. And...despite Peter being vulnerable & trusting what others tell him (he probably thought Fury had checked up on Beck, but still... how & why did EDITH/the glasses not “scan” Beck...and reveal he’s a fraud? I know... that the only time when he’s looking at the illusionist when wearing the glasses is in the bar scene & they seem to be not “on”... still... why is the tech not scanning everything nonetheless? Though yeah... I know that the idea is that because of the characters emotional state they are vulnerable & easy to manipulate, and hence not thinking of checking “twice”...

MCU using the same backstory for yet another villain. Thats old. It’s done. Time to move on. I'm talking about Mysterio & how his backstory is that because he feels personally attacked by Tony Stark then that’s a reason (which justifies..in his mind, when it does not...and has not for any other past MCU villain, who thinks the same twisted way) his actions - destroying historical sights/cities & leaving behind casualties... not caring if there are innocent bystanders getting hurt. I will allow it this time, because Tony was in the center of this film, but this had to be the last time MCU uses the same “Tony hate” as the villains motivator. Also... I don’t trust Beck’s version of the story, so I would not be sure if he’s telling it as it was. He might be, but he might be not. (maybe he did come up with the idea, but perhaps his work contact stated that all creations during working for SI belong to the company, so he has no right to claim the tech as his own..no matter how much he regrets it after. Or perhaps he did (co)create it, but since his idea was weapons-based (destruction) & SI didn’t do weapons anymore, the tech was redesigned by Tony. But until MCU makes a stronger case... I’m not gonna blame Tony for “stealing” becks tech & claiming it as his ow. Also because I do not think Tony ever claimed in past films that he made the tech. He says it cost him a certain sum...though... So it’s even possible he “bought” the idea from Beck...and turned the weapon into therapy sessions... But even if mr. Beck was telling the whole truth and he was the sole creator of the tech & Tony “stole” it... none of it justifies his actions of purposely hurting innocent bystanders & destroying places. ) 

And I cannot believe how anyone can see Mysterio as the good guy, or sympathetic to Peter.  I might be wrong, but IMO all his “friendliness” in the beginning was a trick... part of the plan to earn Peter’s trust. It was part of the “illusion”, so even though I appreciate his comment “never apologize for being the smartest one in the room”, I don’t see it as anything other than fakeness. And I know I might be wrong & he might’ve really liked the kid & try to be friendly & appreciate him... up until “his team messed up & he had no other option than to get rid of all the loose threads”) 

Things I did not see coming: 

The train! I mean... at first I did not suspect that it was actually Beck, not Fury in Germany, but I became suspicious before it was revealed. And then I suspected that the illusion was not over yet, but... what I did not see coming was that train...moment. 

Also...during the London Tower bridge scene... I had a hunch that he’s pulling a double again..and the dying Mysterio on the ground was fake, but I did not see it coming that in reality he was standing right next to spidey, while pointing a gun at the kid. I had thought he was “hiding” somewhere instead. So that kinda surprised me...

What surprised/confused me

What surprised me a bit was seeing THAT character (William) from IM1 being on Team Mysterio. Yes, he was one of Tony Stark’s Stark Industries previous employees, but  it confused me a bit that he blames Tony, when he should've seen Obadiah Stane (who yelled at him for not being Tony Stark & not being able to create a miniature arc reactor, when Tony could do it in cave...with no high tech..using just a box of scraps) as the one to blame -- his anger should’ve been directed at (based on what has been shown on screen so far) at the man who yelled at him in IM1. 

But I guess there’s either a bigger story there after that that the MCU writers/directors decided to not reveal just yet (as we saw him take that thumbdrive after the download was completed at the end of FFH) or Mysterio simply was able to manipulate people so well & rallied them against their former boss, making everyone see him as the bad guy & the source of all their problems. 

THEORIES: 

WHAT IF... the NYC “fake news broadcast” was an illusion created by Mysterio/histeam? This would make it much easier for Marvel to have several other movies released in the next few years...before the next Spiderman & go easier on Spiderman? This way we would not miss a lot of time & there’d be no need to clear his name. they could just have the movie take place right after Far from Home (and prior to the coming movies events)...or they could start with a flashback to the end of this film & the  fade to “2 years later” or something. The last bit is also how they can still release the next Spidery film in a few years, while having several otehr films events happen in between... use a time jump early in the film... after a “flashback”...to the time Peter was considered a villain

Nick 28/100 “I was born and raised in Santa Monica.” Did you go to SaMo [Santa Monica High School]? “Yeah. I went to Grant Elementary, John Adams Middle School, and Santa Monica High School. The full Malibu Unified School District curriculum.” Isn't SaMo known for celebrities attending their high school? “Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen. When we went there Mel Gibson’s twin kids went there for like half a semester and the rumor was that they were sent there as punishment. They’re like, ‘Here’s some public school for ya.’ I didn’t even know they were there when it happened. Actually Santa Monica is one of the largest populated high schools. I think there’s like two thousand students on campus at all time, which is unheard of, you know. Venice High was like the second, like 1,500, and then there’s like Palisades and Malibu High. Those were the Northsiders,” chuckles Nick. What was it like growing up in Santa Monica? “Santa Monica, you know you hear like, quiet, friendly beach town, it is not friendly or quiet by any means. It is such a small city that has like, I mean like, gangs. There like five gangs in a five mile radius. Your Graveyard Crips, which are right across the street from Santa Monica College, your SM 13, basic Santa Monica thirteen gangbangers, Venice Shortline Crips, you know those three gangs, it was crazy. There was like murders all the time, and by senior year homies were gettin’ shot and like dyin’ and like holding services for these fools. Our football team, we never had a good football team because we were all a bunch of gangsters and we could never finish practice on time, and we never showed up, and you know when we did show up to play they wouldn’t play us ‘cause we’re a bunch of assholes. So it’s crazy, like Santa Monica was such a diverse group of just like beach kids and thugs, and just everything you can think of, it’s crazy.” So where in Santa Monica did you grow up? “Twenty-third and Ocean Park. Man I remembered my mom payed about $650 a month in rent for a single standing unit house, you know a two bedroom, one bathroom, it was awesome, and I was looking recently in the neighborhood, it’s a twenty-seven ($2,700) and over month place,” says Nick laughing. $650 a month in Santa Monica? “Yeah. Yeah it was unbelievable. It was the best, and Santa Monica is cool, lot of side streets and then alleyways everywhere so we can always just get to anywhere we needed to get then through an alleyway.” So where was a go to spot in high school? What did you do for fun? “Well, there were go to spots, like I was riding the bus in like fourth grade, that’s when I started riding the bus, it was fifty cents to ride the bus, so the Santa Monica bus line took us everywhere. So there was always 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier. The 3rd Street Promenade was like the spot throughout middle school and high school, and you know they’re broken up in those blocks before they did all those renovations. The third block was called the ‘Promenade Rats,’ that’s where all the Promenade Rats would hang out, literally because the kids would have rats hanging on their shoulders. We wanted to be like those kids so we’d go hang out with them and smoke, and sneak into theaters and shit.” I thought they would be called Promenade Rats because they were rocking a rat tail [hairstyle], like back in the 90’s. “Oh, yeah the rat tail!” laughs Nick. “No, it’s because they had an actual rat tail hangin’ off their shoulder from a rat.” Was the 3rd Street Promenade as built up as it is now? “No, no. They put in those statues of the dinosaurs and stuff, and the fountains, so that brought a lot of attention so people would crowd around the fountains, so it wasn’t like really cool to hang out there and be a punk anymore. The Santa Monica Pier they had torn down all the old shit that we loved and put in a rollercoaster and a huge ferris wheel, so that kinda killed that. We stopped going there. The beach man, it was tough ‘cause you get on the bus in West LA because everyone was using their grandparents address so they can go to SaMo High with the rest of their friends, so we were one of those families that would use my grandma’s address, livin’ in West LA, taking the bus there, and man it was so hard to get off the bus when you can just sit on for two more stops and be at the beach and just chill at the ocean all day, you know. It was the best place. So it was tough, you know you’d be like, ‘We’ll go back second period. Ah, crap. We’ll go back third period. Oh, well, no point of going back now.’ That was always tricky.” How do you feel when you go to Santa Monica now? “It’s changed,” laughs Nick. “It’s all changed. Even in the last like, when I was working in Santa Monica like ten years ago, it changed so much just from then, you know. They put in that new Gold Line train, so just every couple intersections, just massive train construction for a bridge or stairway to get to the bridge.” Do you feel it has changed for the better or worse? “Umm. It’s hard to say, you know. It’s not the old Santa Monica, Old Santa Monica was chill. I guess in the sense that no one can afford to live there anymore, that’s not for the better.” Los Angeles is known for many things, one of which is the Entertainment Industry, and it is a well know fact that many individuals in the industry are not originally from Los Angeles, and is somewhat rare to find someone that is a Los Angeles native. What’s a big misconception or stereotype that many people have about Los Angeles or Angelenos? “The stereotypical thing would be something you see on Saturday Night Live. How people talk about how many highways it takes to get around the corner here and there, and we’re all laid back. I took a cross country trip with my buddies when I was seventeen, and it’s a whole different universe in between LA and New York, you know, and that’s what runs this country. And so I would say it’s easy to feel like once you’re here, born and raised here [Los Angeles] you feel like, ‘Well this is how it is everywhere.’ You can’t help but think like, ‘This must be how it is everywhere else,’ and that trip really taught me that, no it’s not. That we are a collection of the world’s top entrepreneurs, you know everyone comes here for a reason and that’s to get a great gig. There’s definitely opportunity out here and so I don’t blame people for flooding, but to answer your question, ‘A misconception?’ Yeah we’re not all laid back surfers that are doing yoga, or like hang gliding from the mountain tops, it’s a struggle out here. It’s not easy-going, never is, never has been.” So what did you do after you graduated high school? “I was wrapping up my pilot license. I got into flying real young, that was something my grandparents thought would be like a really good umm, school wasn’t my biggest thing, you know I stuck it out and finished it, but there was a little college money set aside and we kinda pow wowed and thought flight school could really hone some skills and put to use, and maybe become a private pilot or a commercial airline pilot. So I did that at the same time through high school and I think I got started too young, I got tired of just flying around by myself, or when I did have my private just the idea of flying one person to the next place, I just became a chauffeur to the skies.” What were you flying, a Cessna? “Yeah, Cessna, and later I moved onto multi-engine and got a little practice in the turbine engines and stuff and that’s when I realized this really isn’t what I want to do. We spent like fifteen grand in college fund to get there, and then the big kick in the pants was they had changed the rules to where you had to have a BA (Bachelor’s degree) to be a commercial pilot and that was the whole point was you didn’t need that. You needed a high school education and you needed a pilot license, and then hours, and so that changed. I could have been an instructor you know it’s just more of the same. Logging hours while someone is paying you to fly the plane. You know that tanked and I started working, making good money working. I graduated early, I graduated in February as opposed to June. I discovered summer school and college credits and everything to just graduate as soon as possible and start working. I moved out when I was seventeen with my buddies, you know we got a killer place together, threw the best parties, everyone worked, we just had to choke together like $1,200 dollars a month rent between the three of us. So that kept going for, you know we moved from that place to another place to Hermosa Beach, and that place was insane!” Nick lets out a laugh. “That was party central. We would bring the whole pier back to the house with us.” What season of your life are you in? “I think I feel like I’m definitely learning a lesson. I’m growing and learning from mishandling a lot of funds over the past ten years. Definitely that’s bitin’ me in the ass, so I’m like, you know kinda just like...I’m adjusting. Like to quote Eminem in 8 mile, ‘You know when you gotta stop tryin’ to live up here and start livin’ down here?’” Nick laughs. “You know things like that. I think, umm, desperation creates innovation and here I am with the Flick Nelix, and realizing this is something within my means that I can fully wrap my mind around from the beginning to end and make it happen. So that’s where I’m at. I’m starting to realize that I gotta get my shit together soon ‘cause or else it’s tough livin’ out here. West of the 405 is not for the weak.” Did you always have a passion for bikes? “Yeah, growing up that was, man, until I discovered chicks and pot it was all about just anything action sports related. Just cycling, skating, snowboarding, surfing, volleyball, just everything, so I’m tryin’ to dial back to those roots ‘cause it’s tough sometimes to find a passion and for me it’s being creative. Any opportunity to be creative, let alone get paid to be creative is the dream. So if I can sit around and conceptualize a bike and take it from a vision to a physical being, it’s very gratifying, and I get really pumped and excited about it, and not a lot does that these days.” So why vintage bikes? “Because I know that there’s a growing market in it and everything comes around full circle every so decades and I caught wind of this 70’s wave of old racing bikes, English road bikes, and it all started when I started restoring my uncle’s bike just for fun, just to get back into a hobby and then just going through the process and learning more about that process, and about that era of bicycling and it just ramped up from there. I saw how much potential there was and how little people were doing. Any opportunity to be creative is the direction I’m heading.” How did you start Flick Nelix? “Aside from tryin’ to open up my passion for cycling, I’ve recently learned how avid a road cyclist my uncle was, and I remember him showin’ up to the house to family events, and he’d ridden his bike from God knows where and he’d show up all broken and bruised and bleeding ‘cause some asshole ran him off the road, or you know he took a spill, or he was with a pot of bikes and got wrapped up, and I started remembering these things and I was just like, ‘Man, we owe it to him.’ He had passed away back in like 2002, 2003, so his bike had been sitting around in storage for that long [fourteen years] and I just remembered seeing this relic of a bicycle, and obviously I’ve been watching some shows on restoration and stuff like that and I figured ‘I love this, this is fascinating, I wish I had something to restore.’ Sure enough, there it is, it’s been waiting for me the whole time, so I gave it a go. I look into the best way to restore an old 70’s English road bike, and the way to go is you’re gonna paint it, you gotta powder coat it so it will never rust again, find the original decals, the original components, make sure everything is polished nice and bright and clean, and once I got to that point I realized that when it’s finished and it’s beautiful, it’s gettin’ tons of compliments, I was takin’ pictures of it, gettin’ a good response online, and I started to realize that there was money in this to be made. It’s not a whole lot of money but you know if I can make a couple hundred bucks here and there, a couple thousand bucks at the end of the month, it makes sense to me.” What was the story behind the name, Flick Nelix? “My name is Nick Felix and an old co-worker buddy of mine out of sheer boredom started calling me Flick Nelix, which is just a simple twist of the lettering of the name. I guess it stuck with me and then years later, you know I’m just shootin’ the shit, havin’ drinks, good friends and thinkin’ about, you know, ‘It’d be cool to get a cycling company going, maybe sponsor some riders, or start machining custom parts for bikes,’ and I asked my buddy, ‘What do you think about Flick Nelix?’ and he’s like, ‘It sounds like a trick, like a skateboard trick, like a double helix, a Flick Nelix.’ And we just got hyped on it and it stuck with me ever since, and when I did that restoration I kinda thought how I can brand it, you know. I’m not just flippin’ bikes like a Craigslist bike flipper, you know I’m restoring them to their former glory. The bike is worthy of a restoration process. Yeah, that’s how the name came about.” If you could go back in time ten, fifteen years, what is the single greatest piece of advice would you give yourself? “Dude, it’s so not exciting at all. It’d be, ‘Save for taxes.’” Nick laughs and adds, “But that was a unique situation that I was in that just fell on me like a pile of bricks, you know. Let see. I wouldn’t change any life decisions, I wouldn’t change any of my friendships, you know, I would…” Nick takes a moment of reflection. “You know it’s not fun stuff, it’s depressing, it be like maybe go back and help someone who wasn’t doing as well that didn’t make it as long as I did. Someone that may have taken their life, you know stuff like that I could have maybe have helped, things like that. Nothing really cool, like ‘Ah, man, I wished I never hooked up with that one crazy chick or something. I’ve got an answer that I would change. I would tell myself to never stress. Never ever stress. Especially over something you can’t fix or change on the spot, never stress. That’s what I would tell myself. Don’t worry, be happy, everything is going to be okay, you know.” What do you want to do before you die? “Getting in more traveling, as much traveling as possible. It’s all about traveling for me. This will always be home and it’s never going anywhere, so it’s okay to bail out of your hometown for a couple of years if you have to.” What do you like about traveling? “I guess the new experiences. I like just getting lost without ever having to worry about getting lost. I learn that when I drive, you know my worst is when I’m driving and I get like rage and then I start getting mixed up on directions and where I’m going, but when you’re on a road trip and you’re just tryin’ to get from, say like from here to New York, you can’t mess up as long as you’re just going one direction, you cannot go wrong. I remember that feeling on that trip I took when I was seventeen, I remember that feeling, never worrying about where we ended up or how much time is left in the day or whatever because it didn’t matter, and that’s what it’s like when you’re traveling.” What is your best friend going to say at your funeral? “I hear it to this day man, just fun to be around, and ahh, I don’t know, and I get that from my parents, I get that from my grandparents. We’re all just fun, happy going people. We rather laugh than bicker, you know, that’s just the way it is. In my family it was easier to be a friend than a parent figure, a grandfather figure, a grandma figure, let’s all just have fun together and not take things too serious.” 72 stories to go.

Namekian Fanfic: Past Is Past

Author’s Note:- This is a Katas and Nameless Namekian fic I’ve been thinking about for a few months now; I keep thinking of little scenes and ideas for it… I was always in two minds about writing it, because I wasn’t sure if I’d have the time and I didn’t know how well it would be received. So… I guess you could say this chapter is like a pilot. If it gets good feedback I may continue the story, but that will depend on how much free time I have and how popular this chapter is. Anyway, I hope this is a good pilot either way :) Also, please excuse the bad names, I struggled to think of anything good. I may change them at a later date if the fic becomes official. Enjoy!

The soft patting of light shoes upon slim feet echoed down the corridor. They were practically skipping, their owner almost dancing with excitement as they opened the door to Katas’s lab. “Hello!” They greeted him brightly, their eyes immediately locking on the dragon clan Namekian that sat at his desk, hunched over a computer screen, with a mountain of paperwork in front of him. “Hey…” Katas half-heartedly greeted him, typing into his computer with one hand while the other tugged at his own antennae in frustration. “… Fuck!” He barked, infuriated as the computer offered him a loud beep, rejecting the formula he was convinced would work. Shit… “Sounds like you need a break.” His companion greeted him, coming up behind Katas. He set his bags down, and placed his hands on Katas’s shoulders. “Don’t…” Katas groaned. “Sneil… I have to get this done.” “I’m not stopping you.” The other Namekian replied, massaging Katas’s stiff shoulders with a smirk upon his lips. “Carry on.” “I can’t.” Katas sulked. “I’m distracted now.” “Oh…” Sneil sighed, moving his hands down to wrap them around Katas’s front. He leaned his cheek against his lover’s head, and planted a kiss at the base of Katas’s antennae. “Sorry… should I go?” “… No.” Katas smirked back. “Just help me solve this.” “Pff! I’d better go.” Sneil scoffed, causing Katas to laugh. “I can’t do rocket science.” “Right…” Katas sighed. “Why are primary school teachers so dumb?” “Shut up!” Sneil barked, smacking him. “Do you want your son to stay in detention for the rest of the term? Because if it wasn’t for me, he would!” “Wha – you said you’d stop covering for him!” Katas protested, his face turning serious as he looked up at Sneil. “Sneil – if he does something wrong, punish him! Don’t turn a blind eye just because you’re screwing his father!” “Well I would punish him…” Sneil began. “But if I did that every time he did something wrong, I’d never get any of my own work done – and I do have a lot of work!” He shot Katas a stern glare, before Katas could make some snippy remark. Katas sniggered a little, his cheeks darkening as he realised how predictable he was. “Does he really misbehave that much?” Katas asked.

Sneil sighed, and moved to sit on Katas’s lap. “Kind of…” He mumbled. “He’s been acting out recently – I think the water crisis is scaring him. I try to talk to him, but… you know what he’s like. He’s got that brave side to him.” He looked at Katas, his face softening. “But he’s worried. I can tell – and it’s affecting his behaviour. Sometimes it’s like he’s two different kids, he’ll be the perfect student one minute, and the next he’s arguing with everything the teachers say. You need to talk to him.” “I tried…” Katas mumbled, trailing his hand down Sneil’s back as he helplessly thought about what to do. His child had always been strong-willed, and had even been known to throw the odd tantrum here and there when he was younger, but now… even Katas had noticed a difference. His bad side was beginning to surface more and more. Katas didn’t know how to stop it. “But he won’t speak to me.” “Well you need to try harder.” Sneil said, and then his eyes lit up as a wicked smirk travelled across his face. “Speaking of hard…” He placed his hands on Katas’s belt, and started to loosen it. “You know I didn’t actually come here to help you with math. Or talk about your bratty kid.” “Sneil…” Katas uttered weakly, smiling slightly as Sneil began kissing his neck. “Come on…” Sneil purred, his hand crawling under Katas’s belt. “You can go back to boring stuff afterwards, I promise.” “I don’t have time!” Katas protested. “I have to pick him up in –” He was suddenly cut off by Sneil’s lips on his, and he made little effort to end the kiss. Katas had to admit, he had a weakness for doing it at work… or anywhere that was forbidden. Misbehaving had always been a favourite hobby of his… he’d tried to tone it down since having his child, and ninety-nine per cent of the time he was well-behaved and a perfect role model, but sometimes… sometimes he remembered how much fun he used to have when he didn’t give a crap about responsibility.

Buzz. In perfect timing, Katas’s phone started ringing. “Don’t answer it.” Sneil said. Katas thought about not answering. He glanced at the phone, just to make sure it was nothing important… Fuck. “It’s my kid.” Katas spoke in disappointment, and Sneil let out a sigh. “Don’t say anything.” Katas ordered sternly. Sneil simply pulled his fingers across his lips, as if fastening them. He looked annoyed, though. As much as Katas liked sneaking around like this, Sneil hated it. Nobody knew about their unofficial relationship, and sometimes Sneil made it painfully obvious that he wanted this to be more than just a fling. Katas… didn’t like to go there. “Hello, Little One…” Katas greeted his child, ignoring the sulky look on Sneil’s face. “Do you need me to come now?” “Actually… can I stay here?” His child replied. “Me and Escar are in the middle of something important.” “Stay over?” Katas frowned. “Did his parents say it was okay?” “Yes.” The child replied. “So put them on.” Katas ordered, not trusting him. “They said it was fine!” “They didn’t say anything to me.” Katas argued. “Put them on.”

He smirked slightly at the sound of his child sighing, and a distant young voice saying ‘he wants to talk to you’. “Hi Katas.” The parent of his child’s school friend came on the phone. “Hi… listen – is it really okay for him to stay over?” Katas asked. “That’s three times this week.” “No, it’s fine – I’ll never hear the end of it if he doesn’t. They’re playing some video game… if they don’t get to the next level today the whole world will end.” “Oh, right.” Katas sniggered slightly. “I’ll drop them both off at school tomorrow morning – is that okay?” “Yes. If you’re alright with it…” Katas replied. “Thanks.” “No problem. See you tomorrow.” “See you.”

Katas hung up the phone, and looked at the excited, brightly lit face of his companion. So he’d heard that, then? “Looks like I’m not in such a rush anymore.” Katas purred, putting his arms around Sneil. “Want to stay at mine tonight?” “Yes!” Sneil squealed, and went back to seducing his lover.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, over at the home of the child Escar, one of Escar’s parents came off the phone and looked down at the two children who were staring up at him with wide eyes, keenly awaiting his permission to finish their game. “Okay. He can stay over.” He said. “Yes!” The children exclaimed, and they immediately bolted into Escar’s room. “But don’t be on that thing all night!” The adult called after them. “Just another hour, then do your homework!” “Okay!” The children called back, not really listening.

They ran into Escar’s room, and threw themselves in front of a paused video game. Katas’s child picked up the controller, and started playing. “Yeah!” Escar grinned, staring at the screen in excitement. “You’re doing it.” “Of course I’m doing it.” Katas’s child replied arrogantly. “This part’s easy, I can’t believe you haven’t got past it.” He spoke the words casually, putting little thought into them, but he immediately began to feel regret when he sensed that Escar’s feelings were hurt. Dammit… “Why do you have to be so mean?” The kinder part of his being spoke up, glaring sternly at its not-so-good counterpart. Katas’s child was generally a good-natured one, but every so often… a darkness in him came out. It caused him to misbehave, or say cruel things… all of which were regretted as soon as the goodness in him came to surface. It never took long for that to happen. The goodness, ‘Lighter’ was the more dominant of the two sides, after all… The ‘bad’ side of him, Darker, only came out when it was needed. Although… recently, that had been happening more and more. Lighter couldn’t deny it… he was the coward side. Darker was brave; he had the strength to fight away all their worries and fears, and the water crisis on Namek was making Lighter afraid. Earlier in the year a meteor had hit the planet, wiping out over half its inhabitants. Then there had been a dramatic change in climate, rapidly turning what had once been a beautiful meadow of a planet into a barren wasteland. There was no water. There were dust clouds in the air; a lot of the older people were getting sick. The adults were rationing out the planet’s water… they tried to pretend like everything was okay, but the children weren’t idiots. They knew something was seriously wrong. “Well… it’s true.” Darker answered stubbornly. He looked at Escar, and sighed at the hurt expression on his face. “… You’d better talk to him.” He mumbled. “I suck at that stuff.” He closed his eyes, and retreated back into his host’s subconscious.

Katas’s child, Lighter and Darker’s host, looked at Escar, and an apologetic expression steadily appeared on his softened face. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled. “This part is pretty hard… I think I just practice more than you.” “You never do your homework.” Escar sniped. “That’s why.” “Gonna tell on me?” Host smirked, a flicker of appearing Darker in his eyes as he teased Escar. “… No.” Escar smirked back. “I guess if you do it before class, you still do it.” He laughed. “I don’t know how you do that, you know… it takes me so long.” He looked at Host, and sheepishly smiled. “You’re smarter than me.” “Well…” Host mumbled shyly, his cheeks turning violet. “… you’re prettier than me.” “… You wanna try it again?” Escar asked. “Okay.”

Host hesitated, his heart beating rapidly. He was nervous… “Jeez! Just do it, already!” Darker cried. “He wants you to!” “What if I screw it up…?” Lighter timidly answered. “I screwed up last time.” “And he didn’t dump us.” Darker frowned. “Just do it. Or step aside and let me do it.” “Okay.” Lighter nodded eagerly, keen for his braver side to take over.

In just a moment the nerves vanished from Host’s face, and he moved closer to Escar. “Okay…” He mumbled, as Escar patiently awaited his move. Host took a breath, and placed his lips against Escar’s, wrapping their antennae together. The antennae was the part he screwed up last time… He was kind of clumsy… They children held that position for a few seconds, and then they broke away.

Host looked away, a small blush forming on his hardened face. “Uh… was that okay?” He asked. “Better.” Escar smiled. “It was fun.” He kissed Host’s cheek, and moved his eyes back to the video game. “Just do this level for me, then let me take over.” “Okay…” Host mumbled, and went back to playing the video game, as if nothing had happened. “Hey…” Escar uttered. “After this, can you help me with my homework?” “Sure.” Host shrugged. “You have to write it though, they’ll know if it’s my writing.” “Yeah – I know that!” Escar snapped, seemingly insulted. “I’m not an idiot!” “Sorry…”

XXXXX

Beep beep beep beep. “Nn…” Sneil groaned, burying his face into the depths of Katas’s bed. It was the following morning, and he found himself waking to the whiny sound of Katas’s alarm clock. “Turn it off…” “Hm…?” Katas replied sleepily, waking up himself. He opened his eyes, and frowned slightly at the image of Sneil lying beside him. “… What are you doing here?” “Fuck you!” Sneil growled, suddenly wake awake. He sat up in anger, and glared down at Katas. “I’m not an object! If you’re going to treat me like that then –” “I mean…” Katas sighed, yawning. “This is my alarm.” “So?” Sneil growled. “… I start work an hour after you.” Katas mumbled. “… Fuck!”

Sneil leapt out of bed, his eyes widening in panic as he noticed the time. “I’m gonna be late – shit!” He bolted into the bathroom, as Katas casually closed his eyes and stretched. “Katas – where do you keep your dry soap?” “In the –” “It’s okay, I found it!” Sneil’s voice cut Katas off before he could reply. He’d been here before; he knew where Katas kept everything. He was just too flustered to think. “Ugh. I hate this – I’m fucking disgusting! When are you guys going to fix the water crisis? I want a shower!” “Fixing it isn’t my department…” Katas answered half-heartedly, and yawned again. “I build rockets.” “Is it really going to come to that?” “Do you want to have that conversation now…?” Katas replied. “No!” Sneil screamed. “I’m late!” He came flying out of the bathroom, furiously scrubbing himself with dry soap. The shortage of water on Namek had made using water for anything other than drinking illegal; these days everyone had to clean themselves with a dry, waterless compound. Sneil didn’t like it much… nor did Katas. You could have so much more fun in a shower… “Why didn’t you wake me?” “You told me not to set an alarm for you!” Katas protested, sitting up. “Remember? You always wake up early.” He looked at Sneil, painfully reminding him of what he’d said last night. Not setting an alarm was Sneil’s idea. “Yeah well – I do always wake up early!” Sneil cried, and pointed at Katas accusingly. “This is your fault!” “How is it my fault?” Katas demanded. “I overslept because I was exhausted!” Sneil hissed, shooting him a glare. Katas started sniggering, blushing a little. “Well… you said you wanted to be the pusher.” He lay down on his side, half covered by the bed sheets, and he smirked at Sneil. “It’s not my fault if I’m hard to please.” “Shut up…” Sneil growled. He stood in front of Katas’s mirror, and watched himself as he used his powers to make fresh clothes appear on his body. Yesterday’s clothes were… stained. A little torn, as well… “What do you think?” “Cute.” Katas remarked, admiring Sneil’s new clothing. He’d put himself in a long-sleeved blue robe with a white belt. It was okay for school, but… hm. kind of boring.

Zap. Sneil’s eyes widened slightly, and he turned to look at Katas. “Did you just put me in a thong?” He growled. “You want me to take it off for you?” Katas smirked. The corners of Sneil’s mouth twitched slightly, and he thought about it for a moment. Katas did look good naked… … No! “I’m late!” Sneil huffed. “I have to go!” “Okay. Wait.” Katas said, climbing out of bed. Sneil waited, and frowned when Katas started routing through his drawers. “Katas!” He hissed. “I don’t have time! What –” He stopped when Katas approached him, carrying a bottle of water. “You look exhausted.” Katas commented, and held the bottle to Sneil. “Drink.” “… No!” Sneil frowned, pushing the bottle away. “It’s your rations –” “I get extra.” Katas said. “Yeah – for your child!” Sneil barked. “Don’t be ridiculous –” “It’s not his!” Katas growled. “I wouldn’t give his water to anyone! This is mine. I get extra, from work.” “Work?” Sneil frowned. “Yeah… I’m in one of those necessary jobs. The elders think my work is important, so I get extra rations.” Katas explained. “Wha – what about me!” Sneil protested. “I’m a school teacher!” “Exactly.” Katas smirked. “Primary. Anybody can do your job, you aren’t a necessity.” “Shut up!” Sneil snarled, hitting him. “Jackass!” “Haha.” Katas sniggered, and caught Sneil’s hand. “I’m kidding. Here.” He tucked the water bottle into Sneil’s belt, and smiled at him. “Just take it. It’s my fault you’re exhausted anyway, right?” “… Yes.” Sneil replied, forcing back a smirk as he shyly looked away.

Katas leaned forward, and kissed Sneil’s cheek, tickling his antennae with his own. “Make sure my child behaves.” He said. “… Katas.” Sneil looked at him, his face turning serious. “… When are we going to tell him?” “About…?” Katas mumbled, dreading what was coming next. He knew where Sneil was going… He didn’t want to talk about this. He never wanted to talk about this. “Us.” Sneil huffed. “We can’t sneak around forever – and he’s not an idiot! If he doesn’t already know he’ll find out.” “He doesn’t already know.” Katas said sternly. “And he won’t find out.” He looked at Sneil, almost glaring at him. “How many times do I have to say it? I don’t want a relationship. He doesn’t need two parents.” “I’m not saying –” “And I don’t need anything serious.” Katas growled. “I don’t do commitment. Or official. I just do fun. Do you seriously want more?” “… Wouldn’t matter if I did, would it?” Sneil sniped. “I’m late.” “Sneil –” “I’ll see you later!” Sneil growled. “Go and do math, you big nerd!” He stormed out of the house, leaving Katas with plenty to think about. Or, so he’d hoped… Katas simply sighed, and flopped back onto his bed. He was already thinking about work instead.

XXXXX

“Okay, class! Sorry I’m late – I had so much marking to do, I was very impressed with yesterday’s essays…” Sneil announced, bursting into his classroom with as much false enthusiasm as he could manage. He looked apologetically at the teacher that had been covering for him, and received a glare back. They knew he was lying. One or two of the teachers had strong suspicions about Sneil and Katas, even if the children didn’t, and this one seemed pretty convinced that Sneil wasn’t late because he’d been busy marking. “Thank you Slugg, for getting everything started…” He looked sheepish as the other teacher, Slugg approached him, and as Slugg walked past he whispered into Sneil’s ear. “Your antennae’s bent.” “… Thanks.” Sneil mumbled, his cheeks turning violet. Fuck! He hadn’t even noticed. He grabbed hold of his antennae, and desperately tried to sweep it back into position as he smiled at the class, as if nothing was wrong. Ow! Dammit, that hurt… last night had gotten a little rough. It always got a little rough… But from what Sneil had heard, Katas had a lot of experience with dating… and it showed! “Anyway! Guys, we’re going to continue on from yesterday. Please turn to page five of your textbooks…” “Hey.”

At the back of the class, Host whispered to Escar as the children sat next to each other. “Don’t say anything, but I think Teacher is dating my father…” “What!” Escar gasped. “No way!” “Ssh!” Host whispered fiercely, the stern side of him coming out. “Not so loud!” “Sorry!” Escar clasped his hands over his mouth, but it was too late. “Hey!” Sneil snapped, glaring at the children. “You two – no talking!” “Sorry.” The children replied.

Lighter frowned at Darker. “I knew it was a bad idea.” He scolded. “Sneil hears everything! Now you’ll get Escar into trouble!” “I didn’t mean to!” Darker agued. “How do you know?” Escar whispered to Host, when Sneil resumed the class. “Just little things… Katas thinks I don’t notice.” Host replied. “But he always leaves the room to make phone calls, or he doesn’t answer…” “That could just be to do with work. Like a secret project or something.” Escar shrugged. “He never used to get work calls.” Host replied. “And whenever I stay at yours, he always looks tired the next day. Like he stayed up late.” “Oh – hey, that makes sense actually!” Escar gasped. “Because – when we’re together, we stay up later than usual.” He smirked slightly, thinking about how his parents didn’t know that he and his secret boyfriend stayed up playing video games after they were told to go to sleep. “Exactly.” Host smirked. “It’s so obvious.” “… Hey.” Escar looked at him. “You don’t think he knows… about us, do you?” “He hasn’t said anything…” Host mumbled. “… But he likes you. It’s your parents that would have something to say.” He looked at Escar, somewhat sadly. “They think I’m bad news, don’t they?” “No!” Escar insisted, as convincingly as he could. It was still painfully obvious that he was lying. “They… they wouldn’t mind if we dated.” “Tch. Yeah, right.” Host snorted. “Guys!” Sneil barked, glaring at them. “Silence! This is your final warning!” “Sorry…”

The children remained quiet for a moment, paying attention to class, until Host became distracted. He looked at Escar, and smiled slightly. “Don’t do it.” Lighter said. “You heard Teacher. We’ll get detention! Father will flip!” “Not if we don’t get caught.” Darker replied. “We’ll just be quiet.” “No!” Lighter insisted. “It’s a bad idea!” “If you think so, then don’t listen to me.” Darker shrugged.

Host looked at Escar, a darkly confident grin upon his face. “After school, do you want to try kissing again?” He asked. “Sure.” Escar nodded, blushing slightly. “You know, I was thinking… when we’re older, do you want to do it?” “Uh…” Host’s cheeks darkened. “S-Sure, but… I don’t know how. Do you?” “No…” Escar mumbled. “Don’t you just automatically learn when you’re older?” “I’m not sure.” Host admitted. “I’ll look it up.” “K.” Escar replied, semi-listening as he drew a picture of last night’s video game in his workbook. He liked this character… he always drew it. Host looked over at the picture, and grinned. “You’re really good at drawing, you know.” “Thanks…” Escar smiled. “Can you draw one for me –” “That’s it!” Sneil screamed, finally losing his temper. He pointed at Host, and gave him a stern glare. “You! Detention!” “See!” Lighter hissed, glaring at Darker. “I told you we should stay quiet!” “Yeah…” Darker mumbled. “But… it was fun to talk to him. Totally worth it.” “Hm.” Lighter sighed, reluctant to admit that Darker was right.

do all the voltron asks!!

holy moly thanks pal i’ll answer them under the cut bc i anticipate it’ll be Longe since idk how to shut the fuck up

keith: how edgy/emo do u consider yourself to be?

tbh i don’t think i’m that bad like trust me i used to be way worse but overall on the inside i am Soft on the outside i still look hella edgy bc all my clothes are black and it’s just ,, how i look

shiro: are you a good leader and can you handle responsibility?

no and no i am So Bad at being in charge cause i don’t like telling people what to do and i’m a stressed out pushover who avoids anything like group projects at all costs

lance: what’s your type of humor and what’s your favorite meme?

whatever the hell this blog consists of is my humor it’s legit just a shitpost collection. nd my fav meme would probs be the whole cryptid meme trend ? idk if it counts as a meme itself but i lob posts that are like ‘i saw mothman in a overly air conditioned chili’s at 5:47 pm and he bought me a soda’

pidge: are you good w/ technology?

i’d say i’m average for someone my age like i’m a teenager in 2017 so i can operate simple stuff like computers and phones, find how to fix small problems but i’m not a #hacker though i did go to wikihow once to try and learn then gave up after a solid 30 seconds bc it was too hard

hunk: how kind and loyal do you consider yourself?

i’d say i’m pretty kind like i can be rude to a handful of ppl but only cause they’re bad ppl so it evens out. idk bout loyal cause ig it means to stick by your friendos and support them which ofc i do but i can’t say that i like stay by someone’s side thru everything bc sometimes things become Too Much or stuff goes down and u just gotta blast

allura: do you feel underestimated sometimes? and should you totally be the black paladin?

i feel like it’s more overestimated? lots of ppl expect great things from me that i don’t think i can achieve so it’s p stressful. also black paladin allura 4 life

coran: what’s your fav show other than voltron?

i have so many so i’m just gonna name a few; over the garden wall, star vs, gravity falls, stranger things, steven universe, etc.

zarkon: would you consider universe domination for your lost cat/pet

i,, don’t think so ? i mean idk what this question is rly implying like did someone steal my pet and now i gotta take over the world ? or did it die and the only way to like avenge it or whatever is world domination bc probably no to both which sounds heartless since i lob my dog but like everythings gotta die someday and i’m not gonna take over the world to reverse/stop smthn thats inevitable

kaltenecker: do you look good in sunglasses?

not sure i never wear then since i have glasses and rarely go to a beach-like setting but i probably do

slav: are you a perfectionist? do you believe in alternate universes?

i’d say i’m in the middle of perfectionist and absolute walking tornado like i’m so fucking messy and i’ll let stuff pile up until i’m basically living in a dump and i’ll hate it sm but i’m so lazy cause Depression then one day i’ll just do a massive clean up and make everything PERFECT. also yes i like to think theres alternate universes/realities it’s a cool concept to think abt cause it doesn’t exactly affect me it’s not an existential thing like pondering if god exists its more like “i wonder if i’m a duck in another reality”

thace: would you go against the authority if it was the right thing to do?

ofc fuck the authority

haggar: who is your fav character in voltron?

i’d have to say lance i lob my sweet son

matt: what are some things you like abt watching voltron?

i have to admit i’m more into filler episodes rather than fight scenes every few minutes so probably just like all the humor and team bonding it warms my emotionless heart

commander holt: do you like peas?

ya

voltron: are you a team player? do you prefer to work alone?

i rather work alone bc then i get to use all my ideas instead of make a compromise with someone else cause i can never find the voice to speak up for what i want so i just end up watching ppl do stuff i don’t like when there’s stuff i think would be better

blue lion: how trusting and loyal do you think you are?

i already mentioned the loyal thing but for trusting i think i trust too easily? ill just spill beans to ppl i’ve barely known for a long time i wish i was more mysterious but whatevs

red lion: how impulsive and/or decisive are you?

i have 0 impulse control for example i have problems with picking at my skin and i’ll just see a piece kinda tore away and before i know it my fingers are all bloody and i’m like owo what’s this. but when i actually put thought into a decision i am very indecisive because i always wanna make youre i’m making the right choice w/ smthn like choosing classes or buying a certain thing

green lion: how curious are you and what subjects are you interested in?

while being impulsive i’m also quite curious so if i wanna go sneak and see smthn there’s not hesitation. i like english/writing and psychology stuff.

yellow lion: do you consider yourself strong and reliable?

i don’t think i’m either i mean i’ll always be there for ppl if they need me but i don’t really think i’m the best person to lift ppl up even if i wanna

black lion: what are some things you want in season 3?

def more lance and hunk character development, some gay shit (cough klance cough) more team bonding in general, and allura piloting black lion ofc

rover: what’s one fact abt a pet you have/had?

once i had a dog and i can’t recall his breed but he looked just like toto from the wizard of oz and we had him for a few months but he pissed everywhere and on everything so we ended up selling him to some ppl. fast forward to a few months later maybe a year the couple had auditioned him to play toto in the school’s wizard of oz play and he got the part so that was cool

shay: do you love hunk? how do you feel abt the enviroment?

i lob hunk with all my heart he is a sweet bean + i care abt the enviorment a lot i think that with trump as president it’s really gonna go to shit more than it already is bc obv it’s been a dilemma for years now but with the goverment denying climate change and all that i rly fear for our planet

lotor: how concerned are you abt your looks?

i think i’m generally good looking but that’s not to say i’m not concerned with my looks bc i kinda am like ill see myself as cute or smthn but then as soon as acne starts popping up or my hair is bad i kinda just spend the next few days doing whatever i can to fix it so i stay nice hnngh it’s a work in progress

alfor: when faced with conflict, would you rather fight or flee?

i suppose it depends on the type of conflict but i’m most likely to fight until it gets too stressful and then leave

ulaz: would you sacrifice yourself for a cause?

we were asked a similar question in history regarding the dude who discovered gravity or smthn like that idk and it went against the churches beliefs so there was a trial and it was either death or admit he was wrong which is a pretty big thing i guess and we can all say we’d die for what we believed but if it actually came down to it the answer is kinda blurry. i had said i’d say i was wrong then continue to spread my info. underground or just flee but unlucky 4 him he was on house arrest for the rest of his life so choose wisely kiddos

i think i’m gonna sleeb now so bye