So. There's been a lot of speculation, and a lot of hot and lukewarm and some honest and valid takes about the new trailer and the potential of what might go down next ep.

I've been thinking thoughts, and I have my own personal stance on the matter. And no, I will not be 'taking criticism', because this is the way I view things in general, and it won't change. So this isn't me opening up a debate about this, this is just me sharing my personal views, which you absolutely can agree or disagree with. (So if your views on cheating are vastly different from mine, don't come at me telling me how wrong I am, I'm not doing that at you either)

That being said, here are my thoughts and beliefs.

Kissing isn't (automatically) cheating. For me, it highly, highly depends on the accompanying circumstances. There are kisses for shits and giggles that are not cheating. There are kisses happening under heavy influence of whatever substance - something that can render you legally not responsible for a lot of things, so how does it make you responsible for a moment's poor choice? There are kisses that are done deliberately with intention and feelings/high physical attraction involved, and THAT is cheating. When we look at the Buck/Lucy kiss, I didn't see it as huge a deal as many of the fandom did. The kiss itself somewhat fell into the second category. But what made it at the very least borderline cheating was the fact that Buck made a secret of it afterwards. Had he said "Look, something happened last night. I was drunk, then Lucy kissed me, and I didn't instantly pull back, but I didn't want to kiss her again or anything. I have no feelings for her whatsoever and I will watch myself in future a whole lot more to notice any signs of flirting, which, in hindsight, there were. I'm sorry." - then I think that's still grounds for a partner to be mad, sad, disappointed, but it's not really full-on cheating. Not in my book, by my definition.

Emotional cheating is much worse than physical cheating Being in love with someone and knowing it, imagining yourself to be with that other person, THAT is much more cheating by my definition than a fleeting kiss. And sometimes, depending on the circumstances, maybe even more than a drunken fumble or one night stand, but that is a very complex question. However, emotional cheating means you're not really in it with your current partner, pining for someone else but settling for what you can have out of convenience, fear of being left behind or some other highly egoistical motivation. That really sucks. (I've seen that take expressed on my dashboard as well, though with slightly different nuance to what I feel and believe, but pretty close)

So, taking these two of my underlying beliefs as the basis, what can I see happen in the next episode that would leave me feel okay with it, or happy about it, and what would make me feel iffy about it?

Let's start with the iffy.

Buck:

If, at any point in their drunken Hangover-movie escapades Buck and Eddie kiss, full on kiss (with maybe a little bit of tongue), and that kicks something lose in Buck, I would utterly hate that. Not that I wouldn't find it plausible that a kiss like that would trigger him realizing romantic feelings for Eddie, but that it happens now.

Someone else made a long post about negative stereotypes about bisexuals, and I agree. This is the promiscuity/bisexuals can't be trusted to be faithful stereotype, and I don't want Buck to ever be seen in that light.

Also, Buck JUST (and that post mentioned that too) convinced Tommy to come with him to the wedding, that he's ready for something... only to emotionally cheat (because it's that aspect for me rather than the kiss itself) on him the very next opportunity?

"But Tommy and Buck aren't in a relationship yet," I heard someone say, and well, yes. But this isn't REAL LIFE. It's writing. Things are crafted in a certain way to form a story, and stories have a purpose. The narrative gave us an arc where Buck seemingly wasn't ready for a relationship with a man yet, where he fucked up and had to fix that, had to take a leap and take some courage to make it work.

Just purely from a narrative standpoint, it would be so inconsistent to reverse that healthy step forward just one episode later.

From what we know about the episode, it also doesn't look like he's breaking up with Tommy in that episode. A lovely, potentially dramatic moment where Buck kisses Tommy in front of everyone as a means of 'coming out' is highly implied/likely. So that would mean him being aware of some feelings towards Eddie and still going through with that. And yeah. No. I'd really, really fucking hate that.

Eddie:

If they kiss at some point and it kicks something loose in Eddie, and he then goes back to Marisol... I'd have much less of a problem with that because it could still be explained and justified with him just being in utter panic about coming out. It would match the catholic guilt arc, and all his previous attempts at conforming to heteronormativity... BUT, if the relationship just continued as is and he'd actively use her as beard that would be shitty, even for poor confused, repressed, closeted Eddie.

The Not Iffy

On with Eddie:

If that kiss brings something to the surface in Eddie and he then breaks up with Marisol one episode later I would not consider that cheating or poor morals or anything of the sort. He wasn't aware of it until that moment, and as soon as he is aware of it and has had a little bit of time to process it, he draws the right consequences from it and breaks off a relationship he's not fully in.

So this would actually be fine to me. This could be the kick starter for a potentially long and complex arc for Eddie to a) come to terms with his sexuality and b) pine for Buck from a distance, because Buck is with Tommy and c) eventually, when the time is right, for Buddie to go canon.

Buck:

The kiss itself wasn't a serious or real kiss. I'd be okay with it, if it was some silly, exaggerated "MWAH" smack of the lips kiss, prompted by someone or something around them - I dunno, maybe one of the women there saying "Aww you're such a cute couple" and they going in for it just for shits and giggles; or Buck gushing about Tommy and what a great kisser he is and Eddie drunkenly, outwardly jokingly saying "Hey, I'm a great kisser too!" and them jokingly leaning in for a smooch, again, for shits and giggles.

Buck afterwards doesn't even remember it because it meant nothing in that moment, and so he's neither seriously physically nor emotionally cheating on Tommy in the slightest.

"But Buck has deep feelings for Eddie. How can he kiss him and not realize them?"

Well, see, Buck has been around Eddie for almost 6 years now and not realized them. They are so, so far past that getting to know and falling in love phase that it makes it a bazillion times more complicated to distinguish those deep platonic feelings from deep romantic feelings (because, what it comes down to in both instances is a deep bond; the bond of love you feel after years of dating isn't that different from a deep platonic bond. Again, Eros vs. Pragma and all that).

But Buck is *in love* with Tommy, he's just entered that exciting, chemically turbulent process of falling in love with someone which, with all the newly formed neural connections and all those hormones overrides anything else that has long since been present and is only now presented with the opportunity to take on a new nuance. Of course he doesn't get it, and he likely won't get it until much, much later, when he's falling out of love with Tommy again for whatever reason, or they break up amicably for whatever reason.

And THIS again is something that could easily go into the iffy, because I would really fucking HATE the implication that Buck needs to break up with Tommy to be with his One True Love. I don't want this to be a difficult and painful choice.

IF (when) Buddie goes canon, I want them both to be ready and free for it and not accidentally pushed towards it, or struggle with a guilty conscience for it, or hurt someone else about it. (Marisol wouldn't count in that context as Eddie would have broken up with her months ago and gone on his own long self-discovery trip).

So yes, even if for slightly different reasons, and even if my views on what constitutes 'cheating' may differ from a lot of yours, I agree that any actual MUTUAL feelings realization right now, under these external circumstances, would totally tarnish the beginning of the Buddie relationship.

Which also makes me hopeful it won't happen in such a way. Up until now, the writing has been extremely solid, and Buck's coming out arc has been done with so much care. I doubt they'd do something that ruins it. (But I'm not 100% sure of it either).

174. The General, by Robert Muchamore

Owned: No, library Page count: 329 My summary: James Adams is in a lull. After returning from a mission to find that his girlfriend is cheating on him, he gladly accepts a lowkey mission to a training compound in America, to take part in a war game meant to test the US military in their responses to an insurgency. But the CHERUB crew has some tricks up their sleeves. in particular the actions of their anti-American commander. Will the CHERUBS beat the military at their own game? My rating: 3.5/5 My commentary:

Now, this was the CHERUB book I was least looking forward to. For some reason, I remember it quite well from when I was younger; perhaps because this was one my brother owned outright, rather than us having to borrow it from the library? Whatever the case, I remember not liking it when I was younger, but I actually found that my opinion of this one was a lot better than I remember it in retrospect, so that's something. What's less thrilling is the fact that, like with much of CHERUB, I still don't rate it all that highly. I know I keep saying this, but it feels more disappointing than anything - like I can see a potential to this concept and these characters that the books just don't really realise. They're not awful or anything, but they're still not the most compelling, and make for some shallow reading at times. It's disappointing, but I kind of understand why. Anyway. Onto this book specifically!

The main plot of this book is to do with a training exercise being held by the US military. The CHERUBs have been recruited to go undercover as civilians and work on the 'red team', the group simulating terrorist insurgents in the training. While the lack of any actual danger or threat might in theory lead to less tension, I found this side of the story pretty engaging. The main conflict is that Kazakov, the de-facto leader of the red team, doesn't want to play by the US military rulebook, largely because in a real war someone in his position would use whatever tactics necessary in order to win. Up to and including poisoning the American water supply with laxatives. The red team effectively win on day two, causing the US military to scrub the mission and start over with stricter rules. This is actually quite effective satire of the US military, particularly because this sort of thing actually happened - a red team in a 2002 exercise called the Millennium Challenge 2002 gained the upper hand quickly and the excercise was suspended and restarted in favour of the blue team, a situation criticised as rigging the game and invalidating the whole premise of the exercise in order to falsely show that the US military cannot be defeated. The Americans are portrayed as being bull-headed and stubborn to a fault, and while Kazakov isn't exactly the nicest guy, he's given a lot more sympathy and the audience is expected to agree with him, particularly as the CHERUBs all do. It's an interesting idea to explore in a genre such as this.

There's a subplot here about James learning about card counting in blackjack and learning how to do it - since the first book, James has been set up as a maths genius with a natural aptitude for numbers. This comes into play at the end when Kazakov, having been removed from the training exercise along with James, spends some time in a few casinos around Vegas and use the CHERUB equipment to enable James to watch Kazakov's blackjack games, count cards, and direct him from afar. All of which is, of course, horribly illegal. Because of the surveillance equipment, not the card counting - that's legal, but casinos obviously don't like you doing it. James has a token moral quandary about it initially, then wholeheartedly joins in, which ends up backfiring when they're almost caught. I get why this aspect of the book turned me off when I was a kid. At least when James and CHERUB do dodgy things on actual missions, they're at least somewhat justified as being for the greater good or being to take down someone actively trying to cause harm. Here, though? They're just taking large amounts of money for their own benefits. It feels selfish, and although the stakes of them being found are real this time, it's hampered by the fact that I feel entirely unsympathetic to James. Like, yeah, this is what happens when you use spy equipment in a Vegas casino, my guy. You're gonna get caught. Idiot.

And then there's the whole 'James' love life' subplot, which is just going from bad to worse. James' girlfriend Dana has been cheating on him, so he dumps her. But…James constantly cheats on his girlfriends, and that's been a running gag for the whole series. Dana cheats on him with one guy, and it's treated as morally reprehensible. There's a bit of a double-standard going on here, is what I'm saying. James constantly objectifies women, cheats on his girlfriends, leers at other girls even when his girlfriends are around, and he gets a free pass, but Dana cheats with one guy and she's the Devil. Aside from that, though, James' love life just isn't interesting. Every time it comes up, it's so jarring - like we've taken time out of our busy spy movie to check in on Hollyoaks, that kind of thing. It doesn't fit the tone of the book, and just takes up valuable page time that could have been spent on much-needed character development. Not who's shagging who.

Next up, witches and witch-hunters in rural Cornwall.

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/the-marvelous-mr-lasso/

The Marvelous Mr. Lasso

Among the many highly rated shows to finale this season are two of my favorites: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Ted Lasso. Both, knowing they were going into their last hurrahs, took their finales seriously but approached them in very different ways to pay off for their audiences.

As series, Lasso’s final run was actually more engaging and fun than Maisel…until the end. Maisel’s ending was much more powerful and recasts much of the series in ways that make it even more interesting. I loved both shows for very different reasons, but on a purely story craft level, Maisel ran away with the finale prize, even with its flaws. It managed to use that last episode to plug in the last piece of the puzzle rather than just quietly fade to black as Lasso does. But both were true to their styles and fair to their characters.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Maisel approached their final run with wide open eyes. Rather than giving us another chunk of Midge’s life and a final episode with a tacked on future-look at what happened next, the season more or less gives us the end and then litters the story with glimpses of how it all happens… It is a very clever way to integrate it all rather than having a tacked-on feel to the final moments of the show (“and here they are 20 years later,” like so many shows have done). The result is kaleidoscopic, with the full picture somewhat obscured till the last episode. In the end, many of the stories can only be inferred, but the final shape is where we’ve been heading since the beginning of the series…and it’s done beautifully.

One real frustration for me, however, was the depiction of the parents (both Midge and Joel’s). And the issue was the writing. It felt like Sherman-Palladino had something akin to an AI hallucination… by stretching the absurdity of the characters just a little bit more each show over the years, they ended up someplace ridiculous and unforgivably self-obsessed and mean. Each step made sense, but the end result was too far removed from reality. Despite an effort to redeem that journey, I can’t say I felt like any of them were owed my forgiveness. The final episode is deceptively simple. I found myself thinking and discussing it long after it was over as the implications and story settled in. And now I want to rewatch the whole series.

Ted Lasso

The Lasso writer’s room took a different approach. First, they realized they’d created way too many interesting characters to cover them all in their original format. Second, they realized the focus of the show, while centered around Ted, needed to shift to provide completion to his impact and journey. So they supersized both the episodes (from 30 min to 1 hour in many cases) and they added more episodes to boot. Basically, this last season is more than two full series of content. It was the only way to follow everyone and get them all to a place we could feel comfortable leaving them.

And what a journey and wrap up the writers gave them. Every show is packed with humor and emotion. Every character gets an arc. And the finale is completely earned. At least until the end, which exits about as you’d expect and want, but that somehow makes it a whimper rather than a blowout. I wasn’t disappointed, but I also wasn’t left with a sense of triumph or pondering. That was completely in reflection of our title character, but after such an amazing run, I kinda wanted a bit more. And yet I fully understand the choices and don’t feel cheated. But, I have to admit, I wasn’t thinking about the finale after it was done, even though it certainly leaves doors open for follow-on series.

Where to watch

Your au were right on a few things about the kids. Kazui being a cute kid but also felt off. I think everyone felt that just didn’t know how much. A part of me figured that he got so much of his mother’s personality (her ditz-ness, and odd hobbies, well odd food tastes) I’m still questioning where he learned to open gates of hell buts that’s another time

Ichika being 20% feral is right on the mark to I just figure she puts up a brave (and hotheaded, like her dad) front but is still a kid. If anything she might have a disposition like her uncle and mother when around people….and be like her father and teacher in a fight.

We just got to wait and see but I am glad Kubo’s health is better.

Yeah see the thing is, Orihime hates war and bloodshed. She tries to be strong, but she gets very distressed by it, ( Didn't want to heal ichigo in Grimm's fight, became nervous / sick when Ichigo was losing to Grimm, witnessed Ichigo die and failed to heal him, became horrified at Ichibe's resurreccion, etc... ) (and on occasion cries for the fallen) Renji and Urahara knew she was not suited for war and wanted to be straight with her. That kind of personality with Ichigo's power level just seems contradictory.

I joke about Kazui being a demon, but my version of Kazui does it on purpose because he is sociopathic. Kubo's Kazui most likely does it because he is ignorant... (or who knows, maybe he is sociopathic in canon too. Children don't always have a moral code, some of them really need to be taught it)

If he's demonic, he's only demonic because he thinks, since he's naive, that he is doing something good. He thinks by sending that plus soul to Hell, Kazui is helping him. He thinks "everyone goes to hell" since he is surrounded by powerful people. But he doesn't know that weak plus and fullbringers like his mother cannot go to Hell because A. they are good people, B. are weak enough to be reborn and not stuck in the realm unlike his father.

Kazui either doesn't notice Hell's eyes on him, or that the portal he sent that plus soul into had teeth. Though how did he know people were in Hell if he didn't go there himself? Kazui should have seen the blood shed, he should have sensed the danger.

The only reasonable explanation for how Kazui knows how to open the Gates of Hell would be from Yhwach. That's the only thing that makes sense. Again, I think Yhwach possessed him. Especially now that Kubo said high reishi concentrated souls can't die. Yhwach might be like Old Man Zangetsu now, where he is repressed in Kazui's soul. Yhwach might be whispering things to him. Might be training him in secret. Might be telling him everyone goes to Hell, and how to get there. Might be tricking him into transfering plus souls there. In that case, Kazui is in major danger.

Because when Yhwach regains strength, he can and will possess Kazui (Just as Zangetsu did to Ichigo to kill the soul king.) I don't know what Yhwach is planning through Kazui though...?

~~~

Yeah Ichika is feral. No sense of responsibility, though I can't blame her since she is a child. Thinks her dad Renji is going to the living world "to play" without her. I was pleased to see her terrified and hiding behind her father, because it showed she wasn't one dimensional unlike Kazui (at this point, at least.) And she's actually now seeing battle for real. That war is not what she thought it was. She really gets perspective upon seeing Szayel, and how weak she is. Kinda knocks her ego down a peg.

Though again, I'm worried she's going to be Kazui's morality pet or someone who just sits there. SHe's a regular shinigami child, she's only able to handle weak hollows right now at best. I can't expect her to handle a vasto lorde arrancar, especially one even her father can't beat.

(This is why I call Kazui a demon, because he is clearly not a normal child. He would probably do something strange, I kind of believe he is OP and would kill a Vasto Lorde somehow, despite having no training or battle experience.)

So these are my predictions. I seem to be somewhat right so far, so we will see if Kubo goes with my theory.

(And I'd like to reiterate: Chad and Orihime will be nonexistent in this arc. Maybe a single cameo at best, but otherwise uninvolved. Perhaps even Uryuu too. I'm placing bets on this. Orihime willingly going to hell? ...no)

Ah yeah, I don't know about Kubo. I don't think picking bLEACH back up after everything that has happened, including COVID still being afoot... I just really don't think his health is going to stay "okay". Especially starting a new arc with a company that originally canceled you.

Ok.

Let’s talk Lili.

First off we only know what stars put out about themselves or other people say about them. We are not friends with these people. We are not in their homes. We don’t usually hear what they say in unguarded conversation. What we know is what is out on social media with some highly distorted soundbites from chats or DM’s with her mother that were exposed.

We were initially presented a portrait pushed by her and her family no less of a middle class family with the standard girl next door hit it big narrative. Down to earth, relatable, somewhat quirky. Strong two parent supportive household. All that was missing were the apron and pearls.

This girl came out of the gates talking about a modernized Riverdale with two girls who would be actually close and not vying for the same redhead. Feel free to add/or correct along the way of course...especially early on when not following as closely.

We got very little in the way of insight into Cole and Lili because they were trying to keep it quiet even if there were hints together. Mostly during this period what fans were fed was that she was slightly awkward socially, maybe not the most intellectual but nice and harmless. She spoke of empowering women, independence, she constantly shut down the idea of Barchie and praised Bughead. Along through the year’s she would speak to social bullying or bullying in general. She would openly talk about struggles with mental health. She’d talk and show her cystic acne and share photos not all airbrushed in ode to body positivity. She’d talk about not having an hourglass figure, and cellulite and often go out in ratty shorts and a bun sans makeup. You see she’d talk about it then follow through by showing lived the walk or calling out photoshops done of her.

Again this is “relatable girl next door quirky Lili” we told was the REAL Lili.

She would frequently talk and post about her family and dogs at home and how much she loved and missed them...though oddly not so much her older sister.

At a certain point it became undeniable Cole and Lili were together to even the hardest deniers. Of course also the Met gala eventually made official for media.

We get have her liking posts such as Miley’s about how lucky she was to have a man who checked off all the boxes. But at times there were glimpses all wasn’t kosher. People have mentioned various cons where she’d be caught flirting somewhere else, or she’d be in a bad mood giving Cole a cold shoulder. We recently saw an old video of them walking and her basically demanding he drop the fans and attend her. We have the con were Camilla is sexually harassing Cole everywhere and Lili doesn’t shut it down until Camilla tries to grind on him. It was so bad even Mads intervened. We have the interview where she is talking over him or rolling her eyes and basically being the unprofessional brat her fans claim she is not. Even though it’s ON CAMERA. Snapping at your co worker/boyfriend and rolling your eyes during a professional interview is not deniable.

Flashforward to the trip to Italy because for me there was always something off about that. That trip was obviously planned far in advance. Clearly Lili was supposed to be there. Her fans quickly blamed Cole because Lili was working. Lili didn’t have to work. It wasn’t a career changing move to do that film. It did not do well. I’m not entirely sure what was happening around that time but I have the sense Cole was disappointed/a  little angry she prioritized it over him accepting very likely the offer AFTER the trip was planned.

Lili spirals during this time. Cole comes back to clean up mess. They are quiet on social media for a long time then slowly emerge again and eventually get the photo booth shots, the wedding and her mingling with NY friends for once. Turns out close to the end for them.

I don’t want to make this a Sprousehart post though although some relevance to bring part of it up. The point is Lili put her career over her relationship. It was a calculated decision. It was also the wrong decision. Her fans talk about her being this warm giving person but that was a cynical call and a pretty lousy thing to do to your boyfriend of several year’s. I’m all for supportive partners but there are time’s where you make sacrifices if you really care for someone and this was a special trip planned long in advance. She blew it off. If I’m the partner she does this too, I question why I’m putting in the effort if it doesn’t mean to them what it means to me. 

TBH I think the bad choices she made there is why tried to make it up by meeting with his friends, the wedding etc...

Something than clearly happened because by January they were done. Not sure we’ll ever know but it looked like they were trying to fix things given the happiness hadn’t seen on Cole’s faces in a long time in those booth pics and then...it was done. We didn’t know at the time, but this is timeline Cole gave. There was a brief attempt at reconciliation where she babysits him at a photo shoot and posts a photo of them in bed and then shortly after...Cole calls it off. 

He heads to LA, she follows him there but not without making sure to shove Casey’s face into her chest to post and rent a place close to where he is staying. She posts weepy messages about the world ending etc....and weird new photos mimicking old shoots with him so naturally people think this means whatever happened they worked through. Around same time she and hers manipulated her fans to try to cancel him earlier because she misunderstood a picture of Kaia....although flat out if he had been with Kaia he was SINGLE and it was no longer her business.

She tries to walk back the firestorm she unleashed on him by “defending” him from a lesser twitter trend after realizing misconstrued the Kaia picture, All summer she weirdly seems to be trying to avoid the topic if they are together or not despite saying once if they weren’t she’d tell people. She finally puts her foot in her mouth one two many times' and Cole confirms they broke up which she doesn’t acknowledge. Because she doesn’t want to be broken up.

As we know know it wasn’t all rainbows on the set even before all this happened as in the musical she’d launched an object at him hard enough to have the crew concerned. Lili fans keep saying Cole is abusive but the only evidence we have of abuse is her towards him. We also had her suddenly doing a 180 from past 4 year’s and excusing cheating with Archie and promoting everyone in her live recaps except Cole/Jughead.

Back to the events following Cole’s post....then we get a sudden string of interviews taking shots at Cole, doxxing him, implying he could have strayed (just to resurrect hate against him) but can’t say he actually did because she has no proof. We know this because in those chats admit it was just suspicion and paranoia and never did have any names.

We learn that Lili has been funneling news and gossip and photos to keep her mother’s hold on the fandom in check and her mother in turn has been bullying people who would stand on Cole’s side. They sought to ruin him. This is not debatable.

For year’s people had made fun and called Bree out for being an obsessive stalker unable to let a relationship go, then Lili starts doing the same. We know she has tried to copy Ari’s style, her mother made a snide comment about breast size, Lili tried to taunt Ari from on set and Ari shut her down. A girl who almost never was in the line of sight of paps suddenly is snapped everyday following break up even before the public new. That doesn’t just happen. She wanted the attention.

I’m not going to go into all of it, you all know it. Suffice to say revealing she has a bitter vindictive attitude she has submersed herself in ever since Cole made it clear no reunion. She won’t even broach the topic of Bughead/Jughead unless forced. You can spin all you like but the split screens was not an artistic choice by RD. It was spurred by need to keep them apart.

Lili last summer was doing precious little other than a post or two of Black Lives matter and then when Cole gets arrested suddenly she jumps on the me too and sets up impulsive lives. Maybe she meant well but a part of me thinks she did it to attract his attention. Notice once she got praise for it and the initial protests faded she more or less doesn’t bring it up anymore. Cole never intended to get attention, it just happened because he’s a star and got taken in to a jail cell. He never put himself on camera for notice. 

Lili also co-opts the murder of a girl to flaunt she thinks she looks good naked. Completely tone deaf. 

Lili very rarely is seen in fan photos, only usually when she’s getting flack for it online. She, a girl who talks about bullying, went on a  midnight tirade against a guy who dares to critique or poetry setting her fans on him. Then deleted it probably because publicist in her ear.

She first said poems not about Cole, than said you could read into what you wanted to sell them. Now she doesn’t want to talk poetry or sequels because it flopped and was critically panned.

There are constant rumors about Lili on sets of productions to point they even had someone on her newer movie try to downplay. Yet we see in a video the cast barely talking and looking tense on a boat. 

The girl who used to talk about body positivity now lets them airbrush abs onto her.

The girl who used to talk of therapy and mental illness now promotes OTC supplements for $ and cults.

If she mentions cellulite she uses other tik toks of people showing not her own. 

She said she would never be on tik tok, yet now has her own and post old videos that aren’t funny.

Lili once tired to attack Cole by talking about losing yourself in drugs or alcohol or sex yet we’ve seen her drug paraphernalia because she advertises. Her friends post and laugh over her being drunk. She was in an off and on relationship with Wallis that doesn’t seem to be about anything but sex.

We were told Coles friends are bad influences but Taylor is out there solicitating questionable clients and making videos slamming LILI’S COWORKER as a bad actor and his brother,

The majority of Lili’s posts no longer feature Sunny or her family/Addy. 

She insulted Vancouver, compared to a prison, and made it clear her creature comforts were of more importance than a pandemic. Not quite the attitude of an empath. Which she claims she is with intention to be a master which require sucking more gullible people into the cult.

She brags about being a “rich man” without understand the context. She went from artistic photos to modeling pinups to fuel her lack of self esteem.

She’s in her mid 20′s, claims she had grown and matured in the last year but there is no evidence of it. Still can’t work with her ex without buffers which still influences show direction though her fans deny.. Still lives off junk food and hangovers. Those glasses aren’t just for sun. Her timeline is mostly an ode to her vanity with pictures of herself and then her dog. She doesn’t seem to have any causes she’s deeply involved in on the side apart from her cult. She’s still stalking Cole as her impulsive makeup tutorial showed. She said she cut out of her life anyone who doesn’t service her. I highly doubt she is receiving quality therapy on the regular right now. She still does not seem to possess the ability to own her mistakes and apologize when warranted, rather deflects or erases when heat becomes too hot.

The content she puts out about herself post break up is very different than the bill of goods fans were sold before. She is a far cry from that quirky girl next door that stood FOR something more than vanity and shallow affirmation. So no, I don’t see what you see in her stans. Everything that once seemed to distinguish her from other spoilt princesses has long faded. 

Heyo!! You’re incredibly talented and I was wondering if I could request a Sokka x Reader using the fluff prompts number 32 and/or 23? Anyway thank you so much and I’m glad I’m not the only one who also loves Varrick

a/n: AHH THIS IS SO CUTE OMG and thank you 🥺🥺 also us varrick stans are superior hehe

fluff prompts

23: “don’t get me wrong. i like the kissing. i’m all for the kissing. more kissing, i say.”

32: “your lap is my new favorite seat.”

good old fashioned lover boy

sokka x f!reader

college aged & modern au

summary: y/n was a firm disbeliever in love, but sokka helps in changing her mind

warning: mention of a cheating & toxic relationships

masterlist

Y/N never believed much in love.

She was never lucky when it came to relationships. Her first boyfriend cheated, and her second was manipulative and toxic, but she could see through that bullshit. She escaped those relationships with a few mental scrapes and bruises, but the experience matured and hardened her. Y/N decided she didn’t really want to try to find love anymore. If it came, it came, but either way, she was content. Her main goal was to just focus on looking out for herself. But, that ephinany didn’t last forever.

Enter... Sokka.

Sokka was Y/N’s goofy friend who never failed to put a smile on her face. He was always making attempts to hang out, in which she’d decline. He even went out of his way to beg his other friends not to show up the movies so he could be alone with her. It was no secret that Sokka was highly attracted to you. He made moves. Constantly. It started with flirty texts, telling Y/N how good she looked that day. He once even made the cringey “without me? ;)” text message when she said she was going to take a shower. The texts quickly turned into in-person flirting. He would call her “pretty” or “a snack” almost every time he saw her. He would also tease her, saying rather suggestive comments, have lingering touches, or try to play footsies under the table on nights out with their shared friends.

Unknowingly to her friends, but Y/N always bit back. It wasn’t always obvious, but she found herself being just as playful and suggestive. She wouldn’t lie, she was very flattered. She enjoyed the attention he gave her and the reactions he would give when she played along. She loved seeing him try harder when she gave him that signature look when he called her pretty. Y/N would even go as far as to admitting she found Sokka attractive. But, she always told herself to not let that attraction and excitement form into anything else. But little did she know, Sokka’s behavior was all out of love, not just the excitement of the chase. That kid was completely whipped. All he wanted was Y/N. He loved when she teased him back. He loved when she whacked his shoulder, trying to a hide playful smirk that would show she enjoyed it, but failing horribly. He loved when she would keep a blank face in front of her friends, attempting to hide that she was playing footsies back with him under the table. (There was an awkward conversation or two when she accidentally started touching someone else’s foot). Sokka loved it all.

Sokka’s heart nearly imploded the first time Y/N kissed him. She had been drunk, but when they woke up in the same bed together, she wasn’t repulsed and/or regretful like he was afraid she would be. But, he was disappointed when she gathered her belongings and secretly made a walk of shame back to her dorm and never brought it up again. The same exact situation happened two more times after that. The second time, Sokka realized that Y/N would always wait until they were alone. And that every time, she was drunk. It was like that was the only time she could be somewhat vulnerable and let her guard down. And he was right.

Y/N found it hard to publicly show any form of affection towards Sokka. She wanted to lie to herself, but she couldn’t. So, she lied to those around her. It was known by her friends that she despised relationships. But, she was really confused about her feelings, and wanted to always keep that guard up as much as she possibly could. What wasn’t well known by her friends was the fact that her walls would come down when she drank. Sokka was the only one who had any idea, and that was because he knew from personal experience.

Sokka was able to chip at Y/N’s wall when she agreed to hang out alone in his dorm not long after the final drunken hook up. They watched a movie and ended up practically spooning, but when his roommate returned to the dorm, Y/N didn’t waste any time to scramble away and put some distance between Sokka before the roommate would see. It’s not that she was embarrassed of Sokka. She was embarrassed of breaking the promise she made to herself.

Y/N found herself at Sokka’s dorm yet again a few days after that incident. He had brushed it off, putting the pieces together on own as to why she didn’t want anyone knowing. She sat down on the edge of his bed. Sokka was seated at his desk chair towards the end of his bed. There was an awkward silence that drove him crazy. He noticed her bouncing her leg, and her eyes nervously shifting around the room. He sighed dramatically and stood up, making his way over to the girl. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up.

“Sokka! Stop! Put me down!” Y/N squealed in surprise. She thrashed around in his grasp. He moved over to the desk chair and sat down, sitting her on his lap, his arms remaining around her waist. Almost immediately, she stopped thrashing and calmed down, seeming rather content. Y/N turned her head to look at Sokka.

“You’re so annoying,” She said, breaking a smile. She swatted gently at his shoulder, earning a smile from him.

“You like it,” He teased her, giving her waist a squeeze.

“You’re despicable!” Y/N shouted before giggling.

“You like it,” Sokka repeated.

“You’re right,” She admitted softly, breathing out a laugh and shrugging nonchalantly.

“We’ve just had a breakthrough. You admitted to liking something about me!” He exclaimed.

“You ruined it,” She told him before gently swatting his shoulder again.

“Disappointment,” He replied, jokingly looking sad.

“Stop. What do you want me to say?” Y/N questioned, throwing her hands up. Sokka nodded smugly.

“Something you’d never admit. Like, that my lap is the best lap. My lap is your new favorite seat,” He said, smirking. “We both know it’s true.”

“Again, you’re so annoying!”

“Mhm, just what I thought.”

“Fine. Your lap is my new favorite seat,” Y/N responded, secretly meaning it. “I guess it’s a little comfy.”

“Hah! I knew it,” Sokka declared, giving her yet another squeeze. “You’re fun to squeeze.”

“You’re fun to hit,” She replied before softly hitting his shoulder and giggling.

“Well, you’re just fun to be around,” He said, closing his eyes and giving you a thin smile that read ‘Yeah. I said it. What’re you gonna do about it.’

“You’re okay, I guess,” She admitted, meaning a lot more than she said.

“Hah! Another breakthrough!” He shouted before giving ANOTHER squeeze, this one tighter than the rest.

“Oh, hush,” Y/N said, then leaning in and planting her lips on his to silence him. Sokka responded very needidly, craving it. His arms unwrapped around her waist, and his hands replaced them. Their lips started to move a little faster, but Y/N pulled away with a smug look.

“Betcha weren’t expecting that,” She said before pecking his lips again quickly.

Sokka was at a loss for words. He was surprised his heart hadn’t leapt right out of his chest. Not only was this kiss amazing, but she DID shock him. This was the first kiss they shared sober. The wall she had built had been successfully dented.

“Jeez, if it’s that bad, you just say so,” Y/N said, closing his slightly gaped mouth by pressing a finger under his chin. “Guess that’ll have to be the last from me.”

Sokka cleared his throat.

“I’m just shocked you were the one to kiss me. Especially while sober,” Sokka explained.

Y/N shrugged. “Again, if it was that bad, just say so!”

“No! Don’t get me wrong. I like the kissing. I’m all for the kissing. More kissing, I say,” He started, leaning in and kissing the girl again for a moment. “I just don’t know what changed?”

“I don’t know, Sokka. I just trust you, I guess,” She informed, shrugging again.

“Y/N, I’m crazy about you,” He suddenly blurted out quickly. He wanted to facepalm himself for saying that out loud. This wasn’t going to be good. He knew it. The silence was deafening. Y/N was now the one at a loss for words.

“Please say something,” Sokka eventually muttered anxiously. She paused.

“I don’t know... I-I like you, too,” Y/N admitted just above a whisper, eyes darting around as if to make sure they were alone.

Sokka swore his heart stopped for a second. Was this really happening? Was the girl he’d been so infatuated with since the moment he met her really saying she liked him back? The girl who said she didn’t believe in love? The girl who said on more than one occasion that she’d be more than happy to be single for the rest of her life?

“Now you please saying something!” Y/N hollered, whacking his shoulder. Sokka had no words. No words could express how long he’d been wanting to hear those words come out of mouth. Hell, a text message would’ve been good enough for him! A passenger pigeon! Anything!

He placed lips on Y/N’s, kissing her passionately. She responded back to the kiss quickly with just as much passion, and even deepened it. Sokka moved his hands down to her hips. They stayed there like that for a while, taking in the moment that meant the world to both of them. Y/N had secretly been wanting this like Sokka had. They eventually separated, both breathing deeply.

“Would you want to go on a date with me sometime?” Sokka asked nervously. “Like, a real one. I take you to a movie and then we go out to eat and hold hands and stuff?”

“Yes, Sokka. Eventually. Give me some time to take all this in, okay?” Y/N responded, pecking his cheek gently. “I surprised myself here today, too, y’know.”

Sokka quickly nodded, grinning. He’ll take that.

“Another breakthrough!”

-

taglist: @missmorosis

I CANNOT handle how they reacting towards Felicia. Everybody in this family got issues, but she has to be the bullseye for their anger, because while BEING HIGHLY NEGLECTED, she trusted the wrong man? I'm so upset right now. I'm shaking. This ain't fair.

AND THEY FUCKING LEFT HER ALONE??? AT A TIME LIKE THIS??? HAS NOOOOOOOBODY EVEN READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT ADDICTION? I'M SO ANGERY.

I agree. The latest episode was very hard to watch and it was incredibly frustrating to see how the whole family turned against Felicia. I can somewhat understand their anger, though. It can't be easy to have your name publicly slandered and have the truth twisted to make you look like a terrible person.

They shouldn't have directed their anger toward Felicia but it's understandable why they would when they're all freaking out over the rumors spreading, knowing that they could lose everything.

It did annoy me how Felicia's drug abuse was swept under the rug. Leila asked her about it and said they needed to figure it out (along with the alleged "abuse" from Ludde), but then she just backtracks and decides to leave Felicia all alone when she finds out Felicia knew about this potentially happening.

Yes, Felicia should've told her family all this a year ago, but does that really matter now when you know your daughter is caught up in drug abuse, had an abortion with entirely no support, and might be a victim of domestic violence? Yes, we as the audience know the part about Ludde isn't true, but it's concerning that Leila didn't dig further into that. She's Felicia's mother and she should've expressed more concern. She didn't even bring up the abortion and how the article mentioned that Ludde had abused her and forced her to abort.

This is a little off-topic as well, but I don't understand why the public turned on Felicia so harshly. And Leila too, for that matter. The way Jack told the story about how these two women had things done to them should indicate that they're not the ones to be blamed.

If I read this article and found out an 18-year-old girl got pregnant by a "violent criminal" who forced her to abort and then abused her I would not be angry with the girl. I would be angry that she was physically abused and also outed on her sexuality for being bi.

If I read this article and found out Leila had been cheated on by her husband repeatedly with her best friends, I wouldn't be angry at her. I would not agree with the decision to turn to alcohol (same as Felicia turning to drugs), but I wouldn't blame them. And I feel like a lot of people should've been on Leila's side after finding out the reason why they divorced.

I don't understand why people are saying they're disappointed in Felicia and calling her fake when she's been through so much trauma in her life. I feel like if this actually happened in real life, all the blame would be shifted to the men because they're the ones who—in this story—are painted as the bad guys (with the exception of Jack, considering he was anonymous).

Deceitful (Spencer Reid x Reader) Part 1/2

SUMMARY: Spencer helps Amanda (a recovering victim of domestic violence rescued by the BAU) by spending time with her, which makes Y/N mad because he barely had time to spend with her originally because of his job. Now, argument after argument, Y/N has suspicions Spencer’s intentions may not be so pure after all.

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

WARNINGS: N/A

NOTE: This is my first time ever posting any of my writing so please bear with me!! I also have to thank @moonlit-martyr​ for giving me the motivation to start writing again!!

***Feedback is always welcome for future improvement!

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“Hey, Emily long time no see,” you smile, walking through the entry of the BAU, hands full with Spencer’s lunch which he had left at home early this morning.

“Hey, Y/N it’s been so long, what are you doing here?” she asks, grabbing stacks and stacks of what I assume are new case files, once again reminding me of their hectic and highly dangerous job.

“I just came to drop off Spencer’s lunch; he left it at home again this morning. Do you know where he is?” You ask curiously. Emily’s face drops slightly, but enough for me to notice her change in demeanour. She looks as if she’s struggling to come up with an answer. Being in the FBI, you’d think she would be a better liar, or at least look more convincing.

“Oh, uh – he’s, um – actually already gone out for lunch… with Amanda. They left about 25 minutes ago,” She says, looking down to the floor. My stomach twisted in nervous knots, feeling both disappointment and uneasiness.

“T-they?” You’re afraid to ask. This was the third time this week Spencer has gone out for lunch with Amanda, and while you usually wouldn’t be concerned about Spencer making new friends, in fact, you would encourage it, this time something felt… different. Amanda was a victim they rescued from a life-threatening domestic violence dispute four weeks ago. According to Spencer, she didn’t have any family or friends left due to her then abusive husband pushing her away from everyone she knew and loved. She has no one.

You let out a heavy sigh, placing Spencer’s lunch on his desk and looking back at Emily, who looks sympathetic. “I know what you’re thinking, Y/N, but this is Spencer we’re talking about. I don’t think you have anything to worry about - he adores you… you know that” She tells you reassuringly. You believe Emily’s words of comfort because deep down, you know she’s right. From the moment you and Spencer met at the college you attend when he was teaching a class, it was a match made in heaven. The two of you hit it off so quickly, getting to know each other and already planning a second meeting before even finishing your first one.

“I know I know, and I understand she doesn’t have anyone right now and I think it’s very considerate of Spencer to help her get back on her feet but… and I may sound horrible for saying this, but… I-I just hope she doesn’t try to take advantage of his kindness and mistake it for something else.”

“Remember he loves you and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise that, Amanda just needs a little bit of guidance right now, I’m sure you can try to understand that. Being isolated from every person you love for so long by someone who is meant to be your husband, then all of a sudden have everything taken away from you. Not to mention all the physical and psychological pain she must have been feeling.” Emily explains. Maybe I sound paranoid.

You smile at Emily, grateful for her advice.

“Thanks, Emily. I’m just being paranoid. I’m sure everything is fine.” However, at this point, I don’t know who I am trying to convince more - myself or Emily.

“Do you want to come and see the others? I’m sure they would all love to see you again,” Emily encourages, trying to get my mind off of Spencer and Amanda.

Giving her an enthusiastic nod, she leads me to the group, who are smiling and laughing while awaiting another case. As Penelope’s sees me walking closer, she has a huge grin on her face and her arms already out on either side of her for a bone-crushing hug.

It’s been a considerable number of hours since I left the BAU, getting on with household chores before Spencer is due to arrive home. Putting the finishing touches on dinner, I hear the front door open and in walks Spencer in his black suit. He drops his briefcase and bag by the door, walking into the kitchen with a lazy smile written on his face. His long arms stretched out; he makes his way towards me.

“Hey babe, sorry I’m home so late. I got caught up with some last-minute case reports.” He murmurs, wrapping his arms around my waist, placing a delicate kiss on my cheek. At this point, it just feels wrong to accept his loving gestures. Did they still mean the same things from when we first met? Placing the two plates on the dining table, I sit opposite Spencer, not sure how to even talk to him. Do I bring up my concerns? He looks quite tired from work. Maybe I shouldn’t push it on him tonight? Or should I? Do I mention it at all?!

Dinner was awkward, tense and quiet all at once. Only the sounds of metal utensils and glass plates being heard in the room and soft mumbles of delight from Spencer for the food. Spencer sits back and lets out a deep sigh.

“Do you mind clearing up? I still have heaps of work to get done before I go in tomorrow.” He asks, however, I get the sense that it doesn’t matter whether I say yes or no, I will still end up doing it.

“Sure, you go do what you need to.” I get up, grabbing both plates and begin cleaning up for the night. A half-hour later I make my way upstairs to get ready for bed and as always, I pass Spencer’s office. Except this time, I stop in my tracks and take a look inside and once again my stomach is filled with nerves and butterflies, but not the good kind. It’s funny how Spencer has ‘heaps’ of work to get done, yet he’s finding time to message back and forth with whoever he was talking to, and of course, it only took me a second to realise who it most likely was. Smiling and chuckling at his screen was a clear indication it was most definitely not someone from the team, but Amanda.

I desperately want to ask him about her, but I’m not ready to hear the answer. Spencer is the only serious relationship I have ever had, the only person I’ve ever loved. But this isn’t what love is meant to feel like. Feeling constantly on edge, anxious and paranoid. At this point, I’m not certain its paranoia anymore, but my gut feeling. I don’t want to believe that Spencer may be cheating on me. I can’t. I can’t stand this anymore. I make my way over to our bathroom and get ready for bed, leaving room for Spencer when he eventually comes to bed.

I suddenly feel a nudge on my arm. Slowly opening my eyes, I see Spencer’s face hovering over mine in the darkness. 2:25 am.

“What are you doing up still? I thought you would’ve come to bed hours ago.” I groggily ask, trying to make out his features in the lack of light. But I don’t need any light to notice how unconvincing his next words are, and once again, it sends my heart beating profusely.

“I just got called into work, but I should only be gone a couple of hours this time, I promise.” Promise. The word promise is used a lot by him and yet lately, he never fails to disappoint me. I promise I’ll be home early. I promise we’ll get to spend more time together. I promise we can make this work - I promise, I promise, I promise.

Having nothing to say to him, I simply roll over and try to get back to sleep. I hear him let out a sigh.

“I love you” He whispers. That alone threatens tears to brim my eyes. As much as I am hurting right now, I couldn't not say it back.

“I love you too, be safe.” I barely whisper, loud enough for him to hear. In a way, him hearing me say those words makes me hope he feels somewhat guilty if he isn’t actually going to work, but another woman’s house. Her house. But no, of course not. Instead, I hear him pick up his bag, walk downstairs and lock the door.

Sitting up in bed, my thoughts are running a million miles an hour. Where did we go wrong? Did I do something? Does he not love me anymore despite him saying he does? It takes me hours before I am able to go back to sleep, considering waiting up for Spencer to return home but deciding against it.

Opening my heavy eyes, I check to see the time is now 8:30 am. I also notice Spencer’s side of the bed remains untouched. A couple of hours, huh? Around 45 minutes later, I’m sat on the couch engrossed in a book, when Spencer walks in the door - clothes dishevelled and tired eyes. “Hi babe” He yells, walking up the stairs to our bedroom before I am even able to reply.

When he comes downstairs, he sits next to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, enveloping me in a warm hug and a kiss on the corner of my mouth. Fuck, I miss this. I hum in delight, taking whatever I can get, which sounds as pathetic as it actually is.

“You said you would only be a couple of hours, not over 6 hours.” You murmur in his chest.

“I know, I’m sorry I just got caught up with the others. Next time I’ll let you know if I run over time.” He assures me. Looking up at him, I can tell he is tired, small bags forming under his eyes. He gives me a lazy smile, pecking me on the forehead before heading upstairs.

“I thought we were going to hang out today? We’ve barely had any alone time together this week or last week,” I asked, turning around on the couch to look at him. He’s only made it halfway up the stairs as he looks at me, groans and looks up at the ceiling.

“Y/N, I’m tired. We can hang out tonight or tomorrow.” He huffs, continuing his way up the stairs.

“Will we though? Because that’s what you said a few days ago, and numerous times last week.” You blurt. It’s not my intention to start an argument today, but if it means I can finally get something out of him instead of endless false hope, then so be it.

Spencer’s face contorts in an annoyed expression, a slight glare in his eyes draining into mine.“Y/N, don’t argue with me. I’m tired and I want to sleep. We’ll hang out later.” He says more firmly. But to me, that isn’t good enough.

“It’s always ‘later’ with you isn’t it?” I push.

“For fuck sakes Y/N we can hang out later!” He yells, his arms flailing up in annoyance. I flinch slightly, taken aback by his sudden change in mood. For however long we’ve been together I don’t think he has ever really raised his voice at me before like he had just now. Sinking into the couch, I succumb to his angry and irritated mood.

“I- okay, sorry.” He didn’t look the least bit apologetic, trudging back up the stairs and into our bedroom. Hot tears slide down my cheeks, my throat tightens as I try to hold down my sobs. I don’t know whether I’m meant to stay here or leave. But where would I go? Deciding on staying on the couch for the time being, I curl up into a ball and shut my eyes, trying to sleep the day away and avoid any more drama.

B-Squared’s Top 10 Games of 2020

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that having something to distract me from the genuine horrors unleashed during 2020 was vital to staying alive, and for me that means a lot of video games! I played…a lot of games last year, but I spent a lot of time playing older games, so I didn’t get a chance to check out a lot of high-profile games that launched this year. Still, I do want to shine a light on the games that managed to resonate with me even a little bit, that somehow managed to launch this year. So let’s get to it!

#10 – No Straight Roads

Rarely have I been struck by a single trailer for a game like I was for No Straight Roads. Produced by industry veterans under a new studio, this is a rare game that’s not quite an indie game from a studio full of newbies, but it’s also not produced with the same kind of budget and resources of a Triple-A project. What do we call this? A Double-A game? Single-A? Regardless, I have to give the team at Metronomik some props for delivering a super stylish game in the midst of a very challenging year. No Straight Roads is a rhythm-based action game where two up-and-coming musicians fight to bring back Rock and Roll to the people of Vinyl City. I absolutely adore this game’s presentation, with each major boss being visually unique and having their own feel that compliments the music they bring to battle. There’s some real energy in these animations with character designs that ooze personality, and being a game about music the soundtrack is great! All that being said though, I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the gameplay when all was said and done. It leans way more on the rhythm side of the equation than I was hoping for, and the action felt very shallow. The fixed camera made some phases of some fights a real problem, and the Switch verison, which I played, is plagued with a lot of issues that really brought the game down for me. If the game interests you at all, give it a shot on PC or PS4; I hear those versions are a lot better. Still, I liked the potential I saw in this game and in this studio, so I can only hope they did well enough to continue on. This definitely feels like the kind of passion project that deserves more recognition.

#9 – Streets of Rage 4

OK, so full disclosure: I didn’t grow up with 2D beat-em-ups. I missed out on all of the greats of the genre back in the day. No Final Fight, no River City Ransom, no Double Dragon, and definitely no Streets of Rage. In more recent years I have tried to dip my toe in the genre, as I did in 2019 with River City Girls. However, I came away from that game a bit disappointed by the overall gameplay and wondered if 2D beat-em-ups were for me. Seeing so much praise heaped onto Streets of Rage 4 had me curious, so I knew I had to try it, if only to broaden my experience in the genre. In many ways, this game is the perfect sequel to a franchise that hasn’t seen any signs of new life in years. It retains what made the series beloved with satisfying combat and challenge, but with a modern touch. The overall art style of the game and music work out pretty well, and I found the act of comboing enemies to be really satisfying. It really doesn’t overstay its welcome either, which is very appreciated in an age of endless timesinks. I also struggled a fair bit with the game, even on Normal, and well after some patches that seemed designed for more casual fans like me. Had this game not had online co-op as an option, I don’t know if I could have beaten the final levels. So my time with this game was pretty rough but despite that I can still see this was a game made with care, and if this game DOES do something for you, there’s plenty of reasons to keep playing on higher difficulties, unlocking more characters and even playing online with friends. Let me put it this way; I’m not all that sure I like the genre and I still liked this game, so I think that counts for something!

#8 – The Wonderful 101: Remastered

…this one is kind of cheating, I’ll admit! I had a lot of trouble thinking up ten games that really stood out to me this year, honestly. That said, I’ll definitely use loopholes to plug one of my favorite games from years ago. Seven years ago, PlatinumGames launched The Wonderful 101 on the ill-fated Wii U, where it bombed harder than just about anything on the system. For those that gave the game a shot, however, they were quick to discover a deep, complex, and charming action game that plays like nothing else out there. Controlling a team of 100 heroes at once, players form weapons out of the various Wonderful One’s bodies, smacking around giant robots and aliens far larger than them with the power of teamwork! How could you not love that, right?! Now, years later, PlatinumGames is aiming to become more independent and their first act was launching a Kickstarter as a way to get this game on newer platforms. While we may never know why Nintendo gave Platinum their blessing to release this game on non-Nintendo platforms (being as this is still, as far as I know, a Nintendo-owned IP), I’m just glad more people can have access to one of the most unique action games I’ve ever touched.

To sell it another way, this game combines the overall aesthetic of Viewtiful Joe with the shape-drawing action of Okami but with a bit of Bayonetta flair on the side. Basically, this is the culmination of everything director Hideki Kamiya has ever worked on. The Remastered version fixes some issues present from the game’s original release, and while I do think they could have gone a bit further with some changes, it is likely the best way to play the game for many. All those sections that made heavy use of the Wii U GamePad are a tad awkward though, but that held true even back on the Wii U anyway…d-don’t worry so much about that, though! I’d still recommend this game to anyone looking for the type of over-the-top action that only Platinum (and occasionally Capcom) can provide! So please consider joining the Wonderful Ones and Unite Up!

#7 – Paper Mario: The Origami King

Discourse around the Paper Mario series is…more than a little rough, honestly! Many fans have been quite vocal about not liking the direction the series has been heading with the last few games, but I went into The Origami King with an open mind and ended up really enjoying the game for the most part! What the game lacked in a developed storyline, it made up for with some really strong character moments and memorable setpieces. Bobby and Olivia are among my favorite partners in ANY of the Mario RPGs, easily, and the entirety of the Great Sea section of the game was a really fun adventure. I love the highly-detailed paper-crafted enemies and locales, and the soundtrack really didn’t have to go as hard as it did. While the battles against common enemies didn’t quite click with me, the boss battles throughout the game constantly surprised me with interesting twists on the ring-based combat and are a real highlight for me. I know this game is pretty divisive amongst Paper Mario fans, but I think the franchise has a pretty bright future ahead of it!

#6 – DOOM Eternal

Fair warning here, but I haven’t quite managed to beat DOOM Eternal at the time of writing this, but what I’ve played so far tells me it definitely belongs here. I think Eternal is hands-down the most intense game I’ve played in a long time. It gets my blood pumping as I dash about, shooting and slicing through demons that are extremely eager to rip and tear me to pieces. I don’t play many shooters in general, so I knew I was going to be in for a rough time, but DOOM Eternal brings it to another level right away. In some respects, I don’t quite agree with various aspects of the core game design that makes the game harder than I think it needs to be at times. The scarcity of ammo, and thus the constant need to use the Chainsaw weapon in order to gain more ammo gets tiring, though that somewhat levels off as more weapons are acquired and players learn of more efficient ways to take out the hordes of Hell. The game’s fantastic soundtrack by Mick Gordon definitely elevates the experience, so it is a huge bummer knowing that he and ID Software had a falling out and he won’t be coming back. I really dig the game’s expansive levels and more focus being put on exploring every nook and cranny for secrets, and certain old-school touches like finding extra lives or cheat codes definitely makes the game feel like it was ripped out of a bygone era and given a modern paintjob at times. Doom is eternal, and with it, so is pulse-pounding shooting action!

#5 – Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Compared to the other re-release of an old game on this list, I think this particular title had a lot more time and care put into it…and it also happens to enhance one of my favorite games on Wii as a bonus! Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii was a game that almost passed me by but even years later, I still adored the characters and world it introduced, and I’ve been happy to see what started as game that was almost stuck in Japan eventually grow into a full franchise. I consider the first game to the best in the series, though it was held back by a few issues later games would iron out. Chief among the problems was the visuals, particularly the character models and…wow does ten years make a world of difference. The Definitive Edition does more than just clean up everyone’s faces, it also cleaned up the game’s cluttered UI, made it easier to track quests and materials for said quests, and added some fun optional challenge missions for veterans to tackle. The bow that adorns the top of this package, however, is the epilogue story Future Connected that serves to tie up some loose ends and gives a particular character some great closure. If you love massive worlds to explore, a compelling, at times over-the-top story, and a deep, rewarding combat system, I can’t recommend THIS version of THIS game enough. If you’re going to give the Xenoblade series a try, there’s no better place to start.

#4 – Ghost of Tsushima

When Ghost of Tsushima was first unveiled years ago, I didn’t exactly have a high opinion of it. It seemed like a game that put more emphasis on visuals over gameplay, and I was almost certain it would launch as a PS5 exclusive so why bother getting excited when I probably wasn’t going to be an early adopter of the system? To my great surprise, not only was this game confirmed for PS4, it wound up being one of the prettiest games on the platform and well-optimized to boot, even on my old slim PS4. Playing as lone samurai Jin Sakai, players try to repel the Mongel invasion of Japan, but are forced to adopt less-than-honorable tactics to take on this ruthless enemy. Usually when I play stealth games, I find myself frustrated. I feel weak, or limited, and often the games feel overly harsh. If you get caught once, game over and there’s little salvaging being seen. In Ghost of Tsushima however, there’s a great deal more care put into stealth, and at times I’d argue it’s almost too fun to pass up over the sword play. Very few missions in the game force you to go completely unseen, so stealth just because yet another tool rather than a limitation imposed on you.

Swordplay felt a bit less engaging against common enemies (typically just being Simon Says, switching to the appropriate stance for a given enemy), but the one-on-one duels throughout the game were fantastic and I almost wish the game was all about them instead. I can’t overstate how gorgeous this game is either, with a world that feels like it is breathing, as the wind whips through the tall grass, the moon penetrates fog overtaking a creepy forest, or seeing the smoke from an enemy camp wafting over the distance. Hands-down one of the best-looking games on the PS4, and I’m particularly happy that developer Sucker Punch managed to land a hit with a new IP, as those generally feel more risky as times go on. While I’d argue that Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t really redefine how open-world games should be designed, it is an extremely polished experience and manages to do it well, with plenty of opportunities to grow in a potential sequel.

#3 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons

If there’s any one game that people absolutely needed in 2020, it was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While there are other games of this type, like Stardew Valley or the Harvest Moon (and later, Story of Seasons games), Animal Crossing is one of the few games that gets mainstream attention while simultaneously running counter to most mainstream gaming trends. No conflict, no combat, no overarching story really…just a game that lets you live your live, day by day on your own terms. I tried getting into the series before with New Leaf but just didn’t stick with it, but New Horizons launched at the perfect time in an imperfect world. Being able to escape the uncertainty and dread that enveloped the world as the pandemic spread for even a little while was a necessity, and thankfully New Horizons had plenty to do to keep idle hands busy. Changes like item crafting and eventually limited terraforming of your island paradise give players so much more agency in decorating their homes and building up something they can be proud of.

We all start as nothing but a small tent on a mostly-empty island, but seeing what people were able to do even in the first few weeks or so was nothing short of amazing. We need more unflinchingly wholesome games in the world, and I’m thankful for Animal Crossing for being there when we needed it, and considering how well it sold and how much post-launch content is expected to be added with time, it remains a sanctuary to return to even now. Just…please let us craft in bulk? Pretty please, Nintendo?

#2 – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Last year, Nintendo released Astral Chain, a game that no one knew about before release, which was revealed and released with very little gaps between them. It was a game I didn’t know I wanted until it was presented to me, and that trend continues this year with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The first Hyrule Warriors was a fun, surprising spin-off of the main Legend of Zelda series, and Breath of the Wild was a fantastic game that shook up the core of the Zelda franchise, so in hindsight it really does seem like a no-brainer to combine the two into one package. Age of Calamity, for my tastes at least, cuts down on the repetition and overall stressful atmosphere of the first Hyrule Warriors and instead focused on fleshing out it’s core combat and crafting more creative main storyline missions. It helps that the game reimagines iconic locales from Breath of the Wild from before their destruction, and really makes you feel like you’re fighting through actual places rather than just a collection of random keeps that most Warriors games use.

Bringing in aspects like the Sheikiah Slate and Elemental Rods allows players to control the flow of combat more directly on top of letting them be more creative. Freeze enemies standing over water with the Cryonis rune or burn some grass with the Fire Rod to distract certain enemies, among many other things. Each playable character is also very distinct, even in cases where I could have forgiven the developers for reusing some attacks or traits. For one, Link has different movesets for his Sword and Shield, Spear, and Two-Handed weapons, but none of his attack overlap with the other Champions who use similar weapons. Some people might be put off with certain aspects of this game’s story and ultimately not everyone likes the overall structure of the Warriors spinoffs anyway, but for my part, Age of Calamity was one of the best surprises of the year, unveiled right at the end of the year in the nick of time. Of course, there was one game this year that surprised me more than any other.

#1 – Hades

I’ve known of Supergiant Games for quite a while and very recently began looking through their catalogue of games. They’re known for well-crafted narratives and satisfying combat, and yet when I first saw Hades when it was released in Early Access I was tepid on it. It didn’t look bad or anything, but it didn’t exactly blow me away and even now, I think a random screenshot or quick clip of the game might not do the game justice in explaining the appeal. I already wrote about the game at-length (as my only real non-retrospective blog post of the year, oops!), which you can read here if you want more in-depth praise, but to summarize…Hades is the total package for me.

Playing as Prince Zagreus your end-goal is to escape the puts of Hell, and more specifically get away from your overbearing father, Hades. It’s a rogue-lite, meaning you’re expected to finish the game in one shot and if you die you lose any upgrades you picked up along the way and have to start from scratch…to a point. Hades does allow you to keep a fair amount of items you pick up which can towards small, permanent upgrades or even gifts for various NPCs that can deepen your bond with them. Unlike most other games of this type too, the story constantly moves forward, even after death. The game is about dying over and over and then dusting yourself off to try again, all the while other characters remark on your progress or lack thereof. I grew to really enjoy this cast of characters, a fun spin on the Greek pantheon, paired with excellent voice acting for the entire cast. From the imposing, if somewhat sultry Megaera, to the nervous wreck that is the maid, Dusa, to the pompous ass Theseus, I looked forward to each new run just to learn more about this world and those within it. For once, death wasn’t really a punishment, but a reward, and just part of the process.

Of course, incredibly satisfying combat is ALSO part of the process and it just gets…addicting; muttering “one more run” over and over as you try out different weapons and boons, discovering what works well together and what doesn’t. While at first beating the game felt like it would never happen, I grew from my failures, adapted and eventually overcame. Multiple times. If you want the “full” Hades experience, this game can really demand a lot of time out of you but at the same time it stays fresh, so I can’t really complain. With new gameplay mechanics unlocking as time goes on, to the Pacts of Punishment players can trigger if they want a bit more challenge (or a lot more), Hades is that rare game that just keeps giving and giving. Before I knew it, I had dumped well over 50 hours into it, and I STILL need to get back to the game if I want that epilogue.

Compared to every other game that came out this year, Hades is the one game that grabbed me from moment one and would not let go until I hit credits. When I wasn’t playing this game, I was counting down the minutes until I could play it again, and let me tell you that is rare for me these days. At this point, Hades is clearly the breakthrough hit for Supergiant and I couldn’t be happier. The fact that this game got to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with industry titans at The Game Awards is kind of surreal, but I can’t think of many who deserve that recognition more. It helps that Supergiant is a studio that actually takes care of its employees, which is way rarer than it should be. I don’t mean to hype this game up like it’s the cure for COVID or anything, but I mean it with all my heart that this was the best game I played this year, and I’d recommend it in a heartbeat. I couldn’t stop talking about it for months after playing it, just ask my friends! So yeah, it’s pretty OK I guess.

CONCLUSION

I’m sure my Top 10 List looks a lot different from most out there, but that’s what’s great about games! So much variety and so much quality no matter where you look! Every year, without fail, there’s always at least a small handful of games that come out that I don’t get to, and try as I might I’ll never trim that backlog down. I want to keep playing games for as long as I can, trying out so many different experiences and seeing what this wonderful pastime can offer. For a good chunk of 2020 I was more than a little down, not just because of…you know, but a lot of games that were coming out weren’t appealing to me. That said, seeing as this was the year of shadow drops and announcing things at the last minute, I ended up loving a bunch of games I hadn’t already spend months hyping myself up for, which definitely helped to lift me up this year. Already, 2021 has a lot of titles I’m anticipating though, so it’s sure to be an exciting year.

Happy Gaming.

-B

QUESTION OF THE DAY #6: Send me your most unpopular theatre opinion. Something that might make someone want to fight you. Please don’t be offensive (racist, misogynistic, etc.), but other than that…go as hard as you want. Spill all the tea.

MY ANSWERS: 1) The Pretty Woman score fucking slaps idek, 2) Come From Away (or even Bandstand...) should’ve won the 2017 Best Musical Tony, 3) I prefer the West End Heathers cast album to Off Broadway, 4) Shows shouldn’t sweep the Tonys just because they’re Best Musical worthy...shows that aren’t too critically acclaimed but have really impressive elements should get recognition too.

SUMMARY: Out of 37 responses: 5 were about Dear Evan Hansen, 3 were about Hamilton specifically, 2 were about: Rent, ALW, Wicked, In The Heights, Be More Chill, etc. etc....if your favorite musical is one of these and you get easily offended i wouldn’t read these.

NOTE: I agree with some of these, I highly disagree with others. I do not endorse any of the things that were said, I am simply sharing them with you all. These were what was sent to me. I’m going to number them so if you want to complain about or agree with one you can send me an ask with the number you’re referring to. 

1. howmuchchildrens said: unpopular opinion: i really liked the 2012 version of les mis. i liked russel crowe as javert.

2. Anonymous said: Unpopular opinion: Bootlegs harm to local theatre communities, though I do not believe anyone intends for that to be the case. While it's possible to bootleg responsibly (and I might even say it's beneficial to do so), those who may not know the intricacies of theatrical copyright law or who haven't heard the horror stories from a theatre that's been hit with legal action DUE to a bootleg may record or watch a show irresponsibly, which can greatly harm other routes of theatre accessibility.

3. Anonymous said: Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are mostly terrible. He only got and stayed popular because a lot of other musical creators and taste makers died in the AIDS epidemic

4. Anonymous said: Almost all musicals using the songs of one artist are cash grabs with no plot or point.

5. Anonymous said: If your musical only has 1 woman OR the women only get sad/romantic songs you need to do something else with your life.

6. nerdshrimp said: Unpopular opinion: Next To Normal does a better job of portraying the effects of mental illness than Dear Evan Hansen does. N2N also doesn't romanticise mental illness & excuse shitty behavior like DEH tries to

7. Anonymous said: Hadestown is a lesser show on Broadway. I fell in love with the live album, and I was so excited for it to come to Broadway. I was so disappointed to see the changes they made. Orpheus and Eurydice's relationship is less interesting and more generic. The changed lyrics are often sloppy and not as good as the original. They fucking wrecked Epic III. Also, no hate to R/ee/ve, but he's just not a good enough singer to convince me that he could soften the heart of Hades. His high notes are awful.

8. Anonymous said: opinion: we are the tigers deserves a broadway run or at least a proshot

9. bimystique said: e/c is NOT A GOOD FUCKING SHIP. the ENTIRE PLOT OF PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is christine trying to escape erik's abuse. WHAT FUCKING PART OF THAT IS ROMANTIC TO YOU PEOPLE.

10. Anonymous said: unpopular theatre opinion(s): Dear Evan Hansen is Very Bad for its handling of mental illness, Hamilton is overrated and praised too much, and high school/college musical theatre programs can be just as good as Broadway. (also, musical movies would be better if they hired broadway actors, but that's not an unpopular opinion)

11. Anonymous said: I don’t like Lin Manuel Miranda and Hamilton is overrated

12. Anonymous said: I don’t like dear Evan Hansen..... at all. I think it’s kind of boring and really overhyped.

13. Anonymous said: unpopular opinion: in the heights is far better than Hamilton. both are good but ith hits different yknow

14. Anonymous said: The bring it on and legally blonde musicals are BAD! The movies are 100 times better

15. Anonymous said: unpopular opinion? wicked is the epitome of white feminism. it's preached as super great for representation but we literally got the first black glinda in 2019?!?!?!? and before that woc could only play elphaba who's villainized and deemed evil by the whole city

16. Anonymous said: Not so much an opinion as a reaction, but of all Lin's works (ITH, Bring it On, 21 Chump Street, Hamilton), 21 Chump Street gets the biggest emotional reaction of all the cast recordings. The second Justin is like "I don't want your money" (And then later on with the "...what the heck did you.... dooooo", I am a complete goner. Worse than Abuela Claudia and Philip Hamilton's deaths combined

17. Anonymous said: Whenever Je.ssie Mu.eller hits certain notes, she sounds like Tommy Pickles from Rugrats.

18. Anonymous said: aotd6: not everyone knows what im talking about, but the cats 2016 broadway revival choreography was WAYYYY better than the original. the original had a lot of creepy uncomfortable moments and the new one looks way cleaner and up to date

19. Anonymous said: raoul is better than the phantom in every conceivable way

20. Anonymous said: I hate Anastasia so much. it's such a boring show and the music is uninteresting. I wanted to like it so bad but GOD is it boring.

21. Anonymous said: In the Heights.... Overrated.

22. Anonymous said: I do not know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but here is my opinion: Musicals that are entirely or nearly entirely songs (Hamilton, Hadestown, In The Heights, etc) are the most valid bc I can understand the plot without using wikipedia (I'm looking at you, Jagged Little Pill, I love you but what is your plot????)

23. Anonymous said: I'd rather have a bad film adaptation than no film adaptation

24. Anonymous said: Rent sucks and while it was a stepping stone for more ""controversial"" topics to appear on Broadway it's actually biphobic and features several generally terrible people doing generally terrible things and doesn't actually address the real crisis at all; it's all performative wokeness. The only real good it did was cast a bunch of "nobodies" for the time and make theater somewhat more accessible.

25. stardust-and-seas said: Dear Evan Hansen doesn't properly address mental health despite being about mental health and resolves nobodies character arcs satisfactorily. It's another show that reaches its hands around the throats of marginalized teenagers saying "look I'm relatable!!" The songs taken out of context are significantly more powerful than when placed in the context of the show, which gives us exactly zero evidence of Evan's work to improve and also never resolves Evan's u healthy goals in the first place.

26. stardust-and-seas said: Be More Chill is a raging dumpster fire and the only decent song from it, Michael in the Bathroom, reads as a whiny rich white boy whose potential social anxiety and depression is left ambiguous, which is exactly what it is. When taken out of context it better exemplifies the othering that happens to marginalized groups but lets be real here: bullying/cliques don't happen to "just anyone"; it's the marginalized groups that are othered and abandoned for not being "normal"

27. stardust-and-seas said: There's a difference between shows that don't take themselves seriously because they're meant to be fun and light and shows that pretend not to take themselves too seriously but want to be taken seriously by the audience and the latter always ends up mediocre at best

28. redueka said: i think that dear evan hansen handles every issue it presents badly. i also think that beetlejuice was badly directed

29. Anonymous said: Well I don’t EVER condone cheating, I’m team Jamie in the last five years. He tried so hard to make their relationship and life good, and Cathy gave him nothing in return

30. youcanlolyoucansayohwell said: The answer of the day- I don't get the BMC hype. I'm out of the age bracket it's meant for that might it be. I enjoy it but I don't think it's the greatest thing in the world like some theatre fans do.

31. Anonymous said: i like the rent 2005 recording better than the obcr

32. Anonymous said: unpopular opinion ? : the music of wicked just like isn’t that good. like it’s good but it’s not like, Good, yknow. it’s pretty standard it doesn’t stand out to me. kinda boring

33. Anonymous said: mari.ah r.ose fa.ith is not a good regina george. everything she says sounds monotonous and while i understand she's trying to play off the ""whatever"" teenager (she does this a lot with her teenage characters), 90% of the time she sounds and looks like she doesn't want to be there; her voice is great but most songs feel unnatural and forced and she changes them too much. she's just not selling regina to me as a believable character (this is all from a technical point of view)

34. Anonymous said: Unpopular Opinion: as much as i like musicals based on movies (like waitress), i think not every movie needs to be a musical.

35. Anonymous said: Unpopular opinion (?) the emojiland musical Kinda Slaps

36. Anonymous said: as one of my high school tech theatre teachers once said: "Andrew Lloyd Webber is overrated"

37. Anonymous said: sorry to whoever likes it but Seussical is an absolutely nonsense crackpot plot disguised with okay-to-good music, like I don't even know where to start. I was in the show and didn't even know there was an entire secondary plot line featuring sending children to war until we were halfway through rehearsals

Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Funniest Guest Cast Characters

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Warning: contains Brooklyn Nine-Nine spoilers.

Brooklyn Nine Nine is one of the funniest sitcoms around thanks to its fantastic ensemble cast and just-broad-enough humour blended with almost-realistic cop show elements. But that great regular cast are supported by an equally brilliant array of recurring characters and guest stars. In this list, we’re celebrating the funniest of the show’s less often-seen characters, those guest appearances who’ve turned up once or twice to inject a fresh burst of comic energy into the show.

Note that we’re not counting regular recurring characters like Adrian Pimento, Madeline Wuntch, or Kevin Cozner, aka Mr Raymond Holt. If they turn up more than once a year, or in more than three episodes in one season, they’re off the list.

12. Adam Sandler, played by himself in Operation: Broken Feather, Season 1, Episode 15

Adam Sandler’s appearance as himself in Season One is beautifully self-deprecating as well as funny. His deadpan delivery of “I’m a serious person” is hilarious in just the right way – of course the real Sandler is, presumably, as serious and as complex as anyone else, but he knows his own public persona and just how to play on it in the right way to raise a different kind of laugh. The interest in antiquities, the planned film about the Russian Revolution, it’s all funny – and somewhat undercut, even more amusingly, by his taunting of Jake straight afterwards. The whole scene did help to flush out a criminal though, so it wasn’t a total loss for Jake.

Funniest moment: Admitting his “serious” Russian Revolution film features Kevin James as Trotsky, and a wife who doesn’t wear a bra through the whole film.

11. Geoffrey Hoytsman, played by Chris Parnell in two episodes in Season 2

When Jake’s lawyer girlfriend Sophia uses her boss as a transparent excuse to break up with him (by going on ‘pause’), Jake wilfully misunderstands and decides that the boss is the key problem, so he sets off to make the man like him. It all goes horribly wrong when Jake finds Hoytsman snorting cocaine in the bathroom, which Hoytsman claims he was doing accidentally while screaming loudly that Jake is arresting him to the whole room of lawyers. Sophia somehow still ends up blaming Jake – probably because she simply wanted to break up with him in the first place – and Hoytsman ends up returning to take Jake hostage and quite seriously threaten his life later in the season. Parnell’s over-the-top performance as a character who is, of course, high for much of the time, is what really sells the character.

Funniest moment: Sniffing cocaine off his collar in the middle of the police precinct.

10. Jessica Day, played by Zooey Deschanel in The Night Shift, Season 4, Episode 4

Back in 2016, both New Girl and Brooklyn Nine Nine were active Fox sitcoms, so the network decided to do a crossover event in which the New Girl characters travelled to New York City and ran into the 99. Most of the crossover scenes actually ended up in the New Girl episode, but Zooey Deschanel’s character Jess Day did make a brief appearance in the otherwise stand-alone Brooklyn Nine Nine half of the crossover. While the New Girl episode provided a lot more context for Jess’s feelings about New York and her stress level surrounding Schmidt’s mom’s car and the soup she’s carrying, her appearance as an apparently slightly nutty woman who resists Jake’s attempts to commandeer the car is an entertaining interlude during the half hour.  

Funniest moment: Insisting that Jake’s oath to serve and protect applies to her soup.

9. Philip Davidson, played by Sterling K. Brown in The Box, Season 5, Episode 14

If this were a list of the show’s ‘best’ guest characters, rather than ‘funniest’, the top ranked would surely be Philip Davidson, played by Sterling K. Brown. ‘The Box’ is a tight, taught bottle episode that takes full advantage of Brooklyn Nine Nine’s hybrid status as both sitcom and cop show, and Brown’s Davidson forms a strong third of a triangle in this three-header with Holt and Peralta. It’s a really strong performance, but given that he’s playing a tough-to-crack murder suspect, not really the funniest, exactly. Still, he gets a good few laughs when appropriate over the course of a really engaging half hour of comedy/cop show crossover.

Funniest moment: When Davidson finally cracks, he cracks hard – his confession is equal parts triumphant, cathartic, and hilarious.

8. Karen Haas, played by Maya Rudolph in Coral Palms Parts 1&2, Season 4, Episodes 1&2

Maya Rudolph has a good line going in slightly weary authority figures (see also: The Good Place). Handling Holt and Peralta while they’re in witness protection is not an easy job and her exasperation at Jake’s refusal to accept his situation is well played. Haas is really funny, though, when she starts bringing her own issues into her official duties, clearly trying to get permission to cheat on her husband from someone, anyone – and Holt is happy to oblige.

Funniest moment: Whoever it is she wants to sleep with is “really young” – something that clearly shouldn’t be funny, but the face Rudolph pulls as she says it is what sells it.

7. Lin-Manuel Miranda as David Santiago in The Golden Child, Season 6, Episode 9

Miranda is marvellously smarmy as Amy’s too-perfect brother, her demanding parents’ favourite, who snubs popular culture and shows off by saving people’s lives (including Amy’s own husband). Amy’s delighted reaction when he’s arrested for cocaine possession and deep disappointment when he turns out to be innocent are highlights, but the funniest scene by far is the dance-off between David and Amy, in which both comprehensively demonstrate that dancing is not among the Santiago family’s many strengths.

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Funniest moment: David thinks elbows should form a bigger part of a dance routine than they really should.

6. Frederick, played by Nick Offerman in Ava, Season 3, Episode 8

Any time we meet Captain Holt’s friends and family, many of whom share his stoic, Vulcan-like demeanour, it’s always hilarious. JK Simmons as his old friend Dillman very nearly made the list, but he was just pipped to the post by Ron Swanson – sorry, Nick Offerman – as Holt’s ex-boyfriend. There’s a lot of crossover between Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine Nine among the cast and crew and Offerman isn’t even the only Parks & Rec alumnus to appear on this list, but he’s probably the one whose appearance most quickly calls to mind his earlier character. The idea that Holt’s ex-boyfriend is Ron F-ing Swanson is just genius. OK, Frederick lacks Swanson’s magnificent moustache (though he has a glorious beard) and he’s even more brusque and stand-off-ish, but he’s a perfect match for Holt, even more in their post-break-up mutual antagonism than we imagine they were in their relationship.

Funniest moment: His straight-faced insistence at the door that they have a “wooden-duck situation”.

5. Mark Devereaux, played by Nathan Fillion in Serve & Protect, Season 4, Episode 14

It’s always funny any time police characters in a cop show visit the set of a TV cop show, and for added meta humour, in this case the actor playing the fictional detective is played by an actor who works on a cop show (albeit as a non-cop character). Phew! That’s a lot of layers of meta. Nathan Fillion’s pompous star who apparently thinks playing a detective makes him a detective is very funny, and it gets better when it turns out that was a ruse to cover up his own petty criminal activity before he folds like wet paper. It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see more of him.

Funniest moment: Devereaux tries turning on the angry detective act from his show to cover up his own crime, only to be confronted with quite a lot more than a “shred” of evidence and fold immediately.

4. Eleanor Horstweil, played by Kathryn Hahn in Hostage Situation, Season 3, Episode 11

We heard a lot about Boyle’s ex-wife over the first couple of seasons, partly because Boyle was still living in her basement, hanging out with her new husband Hercules. We knew what sort of person Eleanor was when Boyle explained that he gets the beach house from December to February. When we finally meet her in the flesh, Kathryn Hahn does not disappoint – Eleanor is surely one of the most purely horrible characters we’ve seen on the show (and yes, we’re including all the murderers). She hits a 90-year-old priest with her car and then destroys Boyle’s frozen sperm, all with no apparent sense of guilt, and she largely gets away with it, too. But she does it all with a perfectly deadpan expression and carefree attitude, each horrifying act funnier that the last.

Funniest moment: She goes further than Jake ever thought she would when she “shoots a hostage” – i.e., throws some of Boyle’s sperm down the drain.

3. Seth Dozerman, played by Bill Hader in New Captain, Season 3, Episode 1

Bill Hader’s screentime on the show is relatively brief, but he is hilarious from start to finish, attacking the squad with every shouted command like he’s firing metaphorical bullets at them. It might actually have been really cool to see the squad try to deal with him as their Captain for more than one episode, with his extremely demanding requirements and very highly strung personality, but on the other hand, perhaps this is a joke that works better in small quantities. Any character whose dying words are “Tell my wife I love her work ethic” is probably a character better enjoyed for a shorter period of time. 

Funniest moment: Both heart attacks are very funny, but the first (non-fatal) one just pips it for the sheer suddenness of it.

2. Caleb, played by Tim Meadows in three episodes in Seasons 5 and 6

Jake is shocked to discover his only friend in maximum security prison is a cannibal (though he would prefer to be identified as a wood-worker), having assumed everyone in protective custody was a wrongly accused police officer. Caleb is surely Brooklyn Nine Nine’s best streak of really, really dark humour – not only did he murder and eat nine and a half people, they were small children too. Every reference he makes to his “nightmare” past is sickly hilarious, and gets worse and worse every time, including a reference to his “skin suit”. But he really does care for Jake, even if he still kind of wants to eat him. The sheer audacity of the black humour surrounding this character is fantastic and always funny.

Funniest moment: Caleb shows that he has a softer side when he saves Jake’s life – but he immediately deeply regrets it and would not do it again.

1. Doug Judy, played by Craig Robinson in multiple episodes (one episode or two-parter per year)

Yes, we carefully defined a recurring character as someone who is either in more than three episodes or who appears more than once a year specifically so that we could include Craig Robinson‘s Doug Judy. It’s our list and we make the rules. There’s something twistedly beautiful about Jake and Doug Judy’s tender but tense friendship, even in the early years when Judy is constantly double-crossing poor Jake. The two of them have perfect comic chemistry, and each running gag in their friendship, especially their fondness for swaggering out in a new outfit or disguise, just gets funnier and funnier. Long may Doug Judy continue to turn up roughly once every twelve months to harass his long suffering best friend.

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Funniest moment: Having escaped yet again, Doug Judy leaves Jake a pre-recorded message in a karaoke booth – complete with a full hour of pre-recorded singing for Jake to duet with.

The post Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Funniest Guest Cast Characters appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3kZOKSD

∎ PURCHASE │ │ ∎ REVIEW

❝ So this will go one of two ways. You tell me where that piece of shit is, and I kill you. Or you tell me where that piece of shit is, and I kill you. The choice is yours.❞

❝ I hate to disappoint you, but if you’re looking for a story with a hero, then you best turn back now. This is the point of no return.❞

… and there sure isn't! Aleksei is a known villain and as any villain would do, he will do everything in his power to get his crown back. Lie. Steal. Cheat. Murder. Leading readers to be blessed with the many twists and turns, action, suspense, redemption, oozing tension and everything else in between that the author is known for. That also includes her ability to successfully introduce characters and provide insight on their back stories which includes the lead heroine. For reasons that are later explained, Sister Arabella is gradually introduced when seeking refuge in the orphanage, moving the King in ways he cannot describe. The somewhat meek, shy heroine who transferred from America to aid the Sisters in raising the children left a lasting impression and I would deem as the perfect example of not to judge a book by its cover. As the story progresses, her solemn vow and commitment to the Lord, Arabella becomes conflicted by her sinful thoughts and feelings towards Alek and after their brief introduction, the fallen King has found his purpose. Kill his half brother, make the city his again and establish a new kingdom fit for a Queen, his epitome of a femme fatale. And ensure there is only one God Sister Arabella will worship before on her knees. Him.

❝ The devil lay dormant for a while , humoring me because he knew we were cut from the same cloth, and sooner or later, I would need to feed the darkness inside me.❞

This compelling read was a game changer and it's evident the author’s writing style has improved drastically since ATPT. There's more depth to her characters, development, and solid storyline that easily absorbs the reader to dive right into the captivating romance. Yet as much as I rant and rave about this, I will admit it wasn't perfect. There were particular scenes that were predictable and specific characters motives that were pretty obvious and straightforward. Unfortunately I can't dive too much into it without spoiling key components that made this story possible but overall I am glad to say it did not diminish my phenomenal reading experience. In closing, I would consider ‘The Devil’s Crown’ Monica James best work yet. It was far more than difficult not to be invested and consumed with Alec’s journey in reclaiming his throne while fighting the sinful temptation known as Sister Arabella. With the sequel in tow, I seriously seriously can't wait to see what the author has in store for us.

Diving Further In

So just going deeper into this SVSSS rabbit hole. Still in earlier chapters because I work, but just poking around online again because again I really just like looking at Shen Qingqiu’s face and also Liu Qingge’s look isn’t so bad either.

But like I came across some stuff that’s spoilers for me and it said that they are a popular ship together? But like also a lot of people question if Qingge is straight which the author said and I found curious that a lot of people seem to dispute that? So then I looked more and it seems people are citing an extra story where the two of them go to fight some succubi in a cave. I read the story, and I don’t really see it myself? Like I can see how some people could read that it implies that he is actually interested in Shen Qingqiu and maybe a little jealous, but also I can also see how it doesn’t necessarily and also aligns with the author saying that he is straight. This isn’t to say that I want to kill anyone’s ship or anything, but just want to point out how what MXTX is saying isn’t exactly crazy either.

I’m not really sure, but I think it might be because I’m asexual myself so even my own experience going through life there’s a lot of things that maybe other people who aren’t ace interpret as more romantic that I don’t think so at all and it’s gotten me in trouble sometimes where I feel like I’m just having pleasant conversation with people but people think I’m flirting? I’m just being nice and talking? I don’t understand?

But just the same like even for me if someone says something that could possibly suggest that I’m involved in something or that I like someone even if I don’t, I still get flustered and blush because people are talking about my private life even if I don’t actually like the person. And then they become convinced that that’s the person I like because I’m blushing as we are having a conversation about if I like someone.

Like truthfully, in the 4th grade I had an interaction with a classmate that I had that I thought I had an amicable friendship with. During the first week or so of school a bee came into the classroom and landed on my desk and my classmate killed it for me and I was scared and eternally grateful, so at a later date later I gave him like a small gift or something as a thank you. My classmates thought it meant I liked him or something and I was VERY CONFUSED. I was literally just grateful for the help with the bee and he’s always been kind and helpful to me in class so I didn’t really think anything of it, and just simply you do nice things for people who are nice to you right? It’s a very simple and pure thought, but I learned from that experience and misunderstanding that normally people don’t do that for people who are just your friends. I think they also thought I did because apparently I was staring at him a lot when we were on a field trip, but like during the field trip he was also goofing around and jumping on the bus and stuff. How do you not look at someone making a ruckus?

So basically, in reading the succubus story, I kind of thought about something like that for Qingge. Like if I were him, I would be a little surprised also that the description sounded a bit like me and like I’m sure just as Shen Qingqiu is going through all the women he knows, Qingge is also running through all the people who knows that Qingqiu hangs out with and realizes that he is with him an awful lot. I’m somewhat serious as well, and even though I’m focused on getting the job done, it’s not like I’m not trying to look out for my friends and their interests so I’d want to still listen too to learn more about them as a friend and even to find out how I can be a better friend to them or like encourage them in the future. Plus like nothing else was happening in the cave, so you just get bored and listen to what's happening. Same as me on the field trip. Space out staring out the window or turn in the direction of the commotion on the bus.

I also think that part of Qingge’s alarm is that the succubus mentions that the person is his junior, and I think most people would normally exclude anyone who was a student or disciple of theirs. He probably didn’t even consider someone who was from a younger generation as he was running through the list of people in his mind, and the description does sound like him and to me it reads like because he is straight and doesn’t think of his friend in that way exactly, he’s having a kind of panic attack and questioning himself internally trying to discern if it is him and his own feelings. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to say any more or explain himself because its not like he wants to be mean to his friend either. 

Like I’ve had times like that too where people apparently maybe liked me, but I just didn’t like them that way or I was emotionally unavailable because I liked someone else. And then when you’re in grade school you do those fortune telling games where you write the names of different boys in your class and stuff and it’s not serious, but sometimes you don’t want to be mean if like the fortune tells you it matched you to one person or another. Like even if you’re friends and it’s just that you don’t feel them that way, if you played that game and got matched with them and then shouted, “Eww! Gross!” Isn’t that awful? So like, I think he thought that the succubus was talking about him, so he said it was inaccurate, but also just like got really flustered because it’s a private topic like I would, but at the same time tried to keep his eye on the ball and complete the mission while also balancing trying to not to be a dick to his friend. Like even asking the other questions to me sounds like panicking and trying to find out more info to check if it is him, because he isn’t aware of Binghe’s future either. It’s kind of a mess of emotions and trying to balance everything he’s taking in his actual personal feelings and trying not to offend his friend. All that together I think would make me embarrassed and give me a stormy look too.

So I dunno, I kind of feel like if I was in his place I would react much the same even if I didn’t have feelings for Qingqiu. The idea of Qingge being straight sounds totally reasonable to me, and Qingge is like the traditionally virtuous macho guy of Chinese lit. Incredible martial skill and stoic and very work-oriented. Like I like looking at Qingqiu’s face a lot, but when I was young a stoic and work-oriented guy like Qingge was my ideal man because I thought they would never cheat on me because they would have the self-control to keep it in their pants. As I got older I started to realize that such a person was not actually realistic and I became disappointed as I came into middle school and realized my ideal was most likely a Buddhist monk who could not get married to my utter disappointment. A lot of other characters I like in my fandom often have the same trait where they canonically don’t seem to show any kind of attraction to almost anyone really because of my fear. Guys who chase skirts all the time are the least appealing to me.

But like also, Qingge being the stereotypical manly man kind of character leads me to remember other stuff about Chinese culture as well that maybe blur the lines that perhaps other readers don’t pick up on because it’s not part of their culture? Like Chinese culture is very heavily influenced by Confucianism and even more classic lit that has a history that actually pre-dates Confucianism is written to have a Confucianism bent because it was a popular thing by the time it was actually written down to paper. It was already so pervasive in society by that time so there’s a lot of stories where we don’t know their “original form” but the Confucian ideas in it are highly influential and if that story is particularly notable or influential in itself, it trickles and affects the thoughts and ideas of the entire culture and all of our stories. Like Journey to the West is probably one of the most influential of the classics in all of East Asia, and while it’s mostly a Buddhist allegory, it does have bits and pieces of Confucianism in it and upholds the cardinal relationships. All this is to say, that this philosophy is pervasive and needs to be taken into consideration if we’re looking at how people behave in a Chinese story. Sometimes character actions can be affected by it, and sometimes they’re not. Binghe being a stallion novel protagonist with a traumatic past that involves demons is probably way beyond the scope of Confucius’ ideas, but Qingge being the traditional man’s man so to speak, absolutely falls within it. He is that kind of character because he follows those ideals and mannerisms.

That is important because Confucianism highlights very strongly loyalty. It comes in the form of filial piety and so on and so forth, but being loyal to your community, your ruler/boss, your family, and so on was really important. Spousal loyalty you can throw a side eye at and question because it’s mostly only one way if we wanna be real, but even though it was one way there was a prescribed way to behave still. So then some people kind of criticized Qingge’s sexuality because he dedicated himself for so long to doing something for Qingqiu. But that like doesn’t necessarily mean anything either because of loyalty to help your friends or someone who specifically helped you or even to your clan/sect/family especially which Qingqiu falls into. You do that for people you have obligations to. Bear in mind, I also gave an actual gift to a boy who just saved me from a bee landing on my desk and had all of my classmates completely misunderstand that, so Qingge’s meta situation is a mood for me.

The other thing is, what is considered to be acceptable male behavior is probably a lot wider traditionally in Chinese society also because of Confucianism. Specifically because Confucius was very, VERY, misogynistic. There’s a lot of merit to think about into the things he thought about for some bases of the cardinal relationships, but any time he delved into anything regarding gender relations he was pretty much full of shit. Like in principle, a ruler is the head and the ministers under the ruler are like the body making the ideas from the head happen. That sounds like a pretty sound metaphor to how to run a country or a company even. Like maybe if you’re the CEO as the head of the company you don’t do something that benefits your head only and spites your workers equivalent to like cutting off your own feet (like making them work if they have coronavirus). That sounds like a horrible way to keep your company going, right? How would a "body" last and succeed without feet? (It should be noted that this metaphor also works for why Binghe's punishment of the original Qingqiu via human stick was super appropriate for his mistreatment because disciple Binghe was a subordinate and should have been treated better according to the rights). So Confucius’ ideas in things like that seemed pretty reasonable. His ideas on women, however, were not.

As a base, we should probably start with Taoism which is the source of all the cultivation lore in this book anyway. But the very simplest and most well-known symbol from Taoism is the yin-yang symbol. Yang is a positive male energy and yin is a negative female energy. Positive and negative are not actually good vs evil in terms of contrast, but are more like photons and electrons. Just two kinds of energies that coexist in the world and create a balance and cannot fully stand on their own without the other, and there’s a little bit of each in each one. Black is not pure black, but has a little white. White is not pure white, but has a bit of white, so basically nothing is perfect. This alone could be misogynistic too, but not necessarily. Depends on how much a person runs with that.

Confucius really ran with it though. He really thought and it was popularized that women were “inherently evil” because of their genitalia. Absolutely full of shit, but I think he was trying to point out how a lot of men act the fool over trying to chase skirts and get laid. It’s really shitty that he blames women for just inherently being temptresses just because they have that genitalia and it spreads to their overall oppression and lack of rights, but at the same time he does to an extent tell men to be accountable for falling into the temptation. Dalliance with women was only necessary to continue the family line and otherwise was thought should be avoided because our ladies are just too tempting and distracting. He warns men to stay away and control themselves, but unhappily for the wrong reasons. With that backdrop, he even went as far as to say that sex between men was better than with a woman because well, you’re not messing with that “evil”. In that respect, he heavily, HEAVILY encouraged relationships with other men and boys clubs including ones where people get drunk and make paintings and poetry with each other. So some level of intimate closeness between even straight men was normal too, so you have to kind of alter your perspective to look at this and find "signals".

These kinds of teachings were thought of to an extent in China, but didn’t really affect the LGBT scene of ancient China because the filial piety part of ensuring the next generation was top priority. Homosexuality as a word even didn’t exist in the Chinese language until more modern times as an import from Japan because the above teachings we just discussed *really* took off in Japan where I guess filial piety was less important. A huge amount of pre-modern same-sex lit came out of Japan including lover suicide themes because damn, I love you so much but we can’t be together because one of us isn’t a woman and we have obligations. Let’s drown ourselves in the river and hope in the next life we can be reincarnated together as a couple that can actually consummate our love. This was a thing in Japan. Onnagata in Kabuki were also to an extent another level and extension of this. In China, it wasn’t like same-sex relationships didn’t happen, but it wasn’t openly discussed because of filial piety. Generally everyone just got married and basically had a cover family and after you had a child to pass on the family legacy, people could not care less what you did privately. If you can imagine it, there were likely some shady dealings here and there with how to deal with this problem too because I can’t imagine that everyone was really down with forcing themselves to be intimate with someone no matter how much they wanted to get their parents off their back, but that kind of family secret was probably deeply buried. It’s also not like people didn’t talk at all about relations with the same sex because people looked at temples with a bunch of men together all practicing Buddhism and thought surely something must be happening, but obviously none of that would be officially recorded or openly discussed. The whole scene was just under the surface and not talked about because it was important to keep appearances and the appearance was that you had an actual family and fulfilled your filial duty. It’s only been recently where the idea of homosexuality as an orientation and  being talked about openly as something beyond a secret you do after fulfilling your family obligations, and that’s why the word had to be imported in in modern times.

So with all that in mind, actual bromances that aren’t even actually romantic at all between straight men totally seems normal in the context of this culture. Relationships with other men were very highly valued, and if Qingge is a basically traditionally perfect Chinese man he would basically follow this ideal and would likely have some behavioral traits that seem questionable to a modern audience.

I would also think Confucius would have a problem with romantic relationships between a master and disciple. It's thought to usually be similar to a surrogate parent-child situation, so awkward. But original Qingqiu had some designs on Yingying and while that's kind of a violation-ish too, Yingying is also female and you're expected to obey your father, husband, and son so eh.... not that weird because they aren't actually family. The specifics of two men though is a different matter not commonly discussed obviously. Generally you sought a master to better yourself and grow virtue, but if you start a romantic relationship with them it equalizes your dynamic and they become more of a peer than someone you learn from, so in Qingge's mind because he is traditionally virtuous Binghe was likely not on the radar at all because why would anyone mess with that mentor-student relationship? It has to be from among the other leaders in their sect that the succubus is talking about to his mind.

This is probably circular, but I’ve been writing this up for over an hour late at night. XD

Sources: life, heritage, reading classic lit books, and at least 3 courses discussing gender representation in East Asia at UCI (arguably almost all my coursework covered these ideas to a degree)

At present, Summer Pockets it the latest visual novel from Key/Visual Arts. It's highly likely that you're familiar with their works. Everyone knows about Clannad and Angel Beats, but they have plenty of other good stories like Little Busters, Kanon, and Rewrite. They are a visual novel studio that and their work often gets adapted into anime and even manga. Some of which I watch the anime adaptation first. Currently, Summer Pockets does not have an adaptation. Since I already liked their older works, both their anime and visual novels, I figured I would check this out. The main character of Summer Pockets is Haira Takahara who had recently been suspended from school. He ended up going to an island after an invitation from his aunt Kyouko to go through his deceased grandmother's belongings. Another relative, Umi was invited over and it's not specified how she's related to the main character. At least, not right away. To his surprise, his aunt doesn't have him help right away and tells him to go explore the island. Most days, Kyouko just ends up doing the work herself, continuing to tell Hairi to just to whatever he wants. After the first few days, where he meets everyone, the player will have to choose where they'd like to go on the island. A character is displayed in the locations where you can interact with them. There are only four characters that have routes: Shiroha Naruse, Ao Sorakado, Tsumugi Wenders, and Kamome Kushime. Hairi and Shiroha start off on the wrong foot. It really doesn't help that they met at a pool at night while she was in her underwear. Then there's Ao, who happens to be really perverted and will read into anything that anyone says. Then there's the two innocent characters Tsumugi and Kamome. Tsumugi is a calm and honest girl who is searching for something she wants to do and Kamome is a mysterious girl always dragging a suitcase around with her. There are a couple other girls that cannot be dated: Shizuku Mizuori and Miki Nomura, Nomiki for short. Shizuku is always hanging around Tsumugi and she has some weird obsession with boobs. Nomiki is one of the island's Public Order Executives, protecting the island's morals daily. She dislikes seeing anyone in public shirtless. There does happen to be a guy on the island who likes to not wear a shirt: Ryouichi Mitani. He likes to take it off regardless of where he is. The other main male character is Tenzen Kanou, who has an unhealthy obsession with Table Tennis. While there are four main routes, there are some extras. When you're first introduced to Tenzen, you have the option of playing Table Tennis with him. You can choose to play more of it when you get further in the visual novel. There's also a Pokemon parody where you find monsters around the island and have them battle each other. Just some nice extra distractions. Overall, it's an okay amount of content right here, but you really only have to do the four main routes to unlock the true route. Key's other visual novels took me a lot longer so I don't feel like the game's current price tag is entirely justified. In a lot of their visual novels, once you complete the main routes, you unlock some kind of "after story" which functions as the game's true route which leads to the real ending. Their first visual novel, Kanon didn't have that. This only really became the norm when they released Clannad. It seems that they've continued to do so. This game has not one, but two true routes. You unlock the alka route when you complete the scenarios for Shiroha, Ao, Tsumugi, and Kamome. It shouldn't really be a spoiler to say that Shiroha is the true/canon ship since Key's visual novels usually make it clear which one is. As you go through this route, certain things start to become more clear, like why the game is called Summer Pockets and what some of the characters have been hiding from everyone. When you get to the true routes, the game turns into a kinetic visual novel. In other words, your choices don't matter. I'm not the biggest fan of those visual novels, but here I'm fine with it since the true routes are rewards for completing the main game. The alka route has choices to make, but the second true route, the pockets route doesn't have any choices at all. When it comes to Key's visual novels, they usually start off with a normal concept but as you get far enough, you'll find plenty of supernatural elements. Most of their visual novels have a route or two without from what I've seen. However, pretty much all of them have something supernatural about them. Then in the true route, there's usually some big secret, always something not possible in our world. So much happened in these routes and then this visual novel managed to do something that none of their others had done before. A lot of people that are familiar with their works know them to be sad, but I managed to make it through most of them without crying, I shed more than a few tears on the true routes in Summer Pockets. I try not to think about what happened because I don't want to start back up again. Even with all the sad endings, there's usually some kind of happy ending. However, Key isn't always the best at these. There's usually something that isn't clear or just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. In the case of Summer Pockets, it was just way too abrupt. I would've preferred that it keep going a bit longer and have a bit more detail on what happened with the characters at the end. Overall, it was a good story, even if it did steal elements from a lot of their past works: moving in with aunt like in Kanon, the family themes from Clannad, the setting from Air, the "this girl was in a coma the whole time" thing that BOTH Clannad and Kanon have done, etc. Even if they did steal from themselves, it still was a solid story and one of their saddest so far. It wasn't perfect though. While it did have plenty of well-written moments full of comedy or sadness, there were plenty of awkward moments as well. The story may have been good, but I do feel a bit cheated. I felt like Summer Pockets had less to offer in comparison to their other visual novels like Clannad and Little Busters. It wouldn't bother me so much if the game's price tag wasn't as high as it is so I'm glad I got it while it was on sale. I was a little disappointed that there were only four datable characters. Even their first visual novel, Kanon had more than that. It turns out there's an expansion that adds four more routes, so you can spend more time with Shizuku, Nomiki, an all new girl, and Umi. I expect Umi's to not be a romance route for more than one reason. The expansion was announced one year after the original came out in Japan... while the original was in the middle of getting localized. I really hope we can get the new stuff as DLC instead of having to buy it separately, but we're just not going to know until it comes out. It HAS been confirmed that Key plans on bringing that version to Steam though and considering most of their stuff on Steam has been released in English, we can probably expect the expansion to be in English as well. Despite feeling it was somewhat lacking in content (to be honest, the price tag is to blame for that), I enjoyed my time quite a bit with this visual novel. Now that I've completed the main story, I feel pretty sad that it's over. I do have the extra content to take care of, so I could get on that. I also look forward to whenever the expansion gets released in the west. There are plenty of things I liked about this visual novel: the sprite work was great and some of the girls were pretty adorable. The soundtrack has some of their most memorable songs, so lately I'm often hearing them in my head. There was some nice attention to detail too. Whenever you complete a girl's route, she disappears from the title screen. In the end, Summer Pockets was a great read and I'm hoping that this will get an anime adaptation at some point. After reading through, I can tell it would be a challenge to adapt but considering Little Busters happened, I wouldn't say it's impossible. If you're a fan of Key's stuff or love visual novels, I highly recommend checking this out, but you should probably wait for a price drop or get the expansion when and if that gets localized.

Innocent or Guilty

Tagged by @kittinkanin​, with thanks! I have already done Margot in a previous outing, so this time I’m going to try one of my other OCs from the Margotverse! Today I’ve picked the future Mrs. Maxson... I regret the lack of screenshots as I haven’t made her in-game, but imagine a smaller, geeky, adorable version of her cousin, Sarah Lyons.

Scribe Gwendolyn “Gwen” Harper

Asked someone to marry you? - Innocent - although she volunteered for marriage when word got out that Arthur Maxson, as a single man in possession of a large fortune - and an entire faction - must be in want of a wife.

Kissed one of your friends? - Innocent, but only just. She developed a crush on Knight Oliver Lowden, one of the men assigned to protect her when she was sent to the Citadel to be schooled in diplomacy, manners and all the other things a future Elder’s wife needs to know. There may or may not have been a near-miss.

Danced on a table in a bar or tavern? - Innocent. Until her departure for the Citadel, she had spent her entire life in the Brotherhood’s bunker in Lost Hills and had never even seen the surface. She was also only nineteen at the time of arriving on the Prydwen, so she’s not really had much experience in the drinking department.

Ever told a lie? - Guilty, but probably only small ones.

Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have? - Guilty... she was starting to fall pretty hard for her own bodyguard, but had already resigned herself to the fact that she’d volunteered for an arranged marriage. She was also somewhat disappointed to note that, while rather sad that she was leaving, the guy she was crushing on didn’t seem too keen on asking her to stay either. All in all, she decided that it just wasn’t meant to be. Besides, destiny awaits her and Shakespeare-quoting Arthur Maxson is kind of cute now that she’s getting to know him...

Ever kissed someone of the opposite sex? - Guilty. She has already surprised Arthur with an unexpected kiss. More to follow without a doubt.

Ever kissed someone of the same sex? - Innocent.

Kissed a picture? - Innocent.

Slept in until 5pm? - Innocent except in cases of illness. Staying in bed late in the Lost Hills bunker was not encouraged when everyone had an assigned role to play, and so sleeping in was a very rare occurrence.

Fallen asleep at work or school? - Guilty. She had a habit of daydreaming frequently as a much younger member of the Brotherhood, and occasionally even fell asleep in classes or training after staying up much late to read. She loves Pre-War books, especially fairytales and similar stories, and simply had to find out whether the fair maiden and the handsome prince ever found the happily-ever-after they were looking for!

Held a snake? - Innocent. Exposure to the wildlife of the New California Republic was heavily discouraged even among the rank and file, and as a member of a prominent Brotherhood bloodline, she wasn’t allowed outside the confines of Lost Hills.

Been suspended from school? - Innocent. Her only real faults were a tendency to daydream or doze in class... although as an Apprentice Knight, she failed her second round of combat training after accidentally shooting her commanding officer in the backside. She was hastily recommended for the Scribe caste instead and so she joined the Order of the Quill, where her love of burying herself in old books was strongly encouraged.

Stolen something? - Guilty, but only if we’re talking about Elder Maxson’s heart.

Done something you regret? - Guilty. She was rather intimidated by Arthur Maxson on their first meeting, and started to doubt whether she had made the right choice in volunteering to be his wife. He seemed very formal and grumpy, and she began questioning whether she was really cut out for being an essential part of the Brotherhood’s command structure. However, she found an unlikely - and initially reluctant - ally in the form of Paladin Margot de Havilland, who encouraged her to give the young Elder a chance. After slowly getting to know her future husband better, she’s now quite glad she stayed.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? - Innocent. She grew up in a bunker beneath the California desert, and has only ever read about snow in old books. She has only the vaguest idea of what it is and would be quite surprised to see it in real life!

Laughed until liquid came out of your nose? - Innocent.

Kissed in the rain? - Innocent, so far.

Sat on a roof top? - Guilty. She went up to the Citadel’s rooftops a few times with a telescope so she could watch the stars at night, or observe the ruins of Washington D.C.’s skyline. She also began assisting the Scribes in her temporary home by taking weather station readings to help with their meteorological research, and has volunteered to do the same on the Prydwen too.

Kissed someone you shouldn’t? - Innocent, although she occasionally considered kissing Knight Lowden. The only person she’s actually kissed is the one she’s supposed to, so things are going well in that department.

Sang in the shower? - Guilty.

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? - Innocent. Again, she’s never really seen much of the outside world, and as a Brotherhood VIP and future Elder’s wife, she was closely guarded even when she finally emerged from the Lost Hills bunker. She was never allowed outside the Citadel, even with an escort, until it was time to leave for the Prydwen, and so has never had the opportunity to see a pool, much less learn how to swim!

Shaved your head? - Innocent. She spends a lot of time trying to curl her hair correctly, like the pictures of beautiful Pre-War movie stars she’s seen in old books and magazines. She’d cry for hours if she ever had to shave her head.

Slept naked? - Innocent. Brotherhood personnel are expected to be up and alert at a moment’s notice in an emergency, and so it’s not a very practical option for her.

Made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? - Innocent. The only boyfriend she’s ever had is her now-fiancé, and after all the things he’s seen and dealt with as leader of the East Coast chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, it would take something really quite devastating to make Arthur Maxson cry.

Donated blood? - Guilty. She has an unusual family trait which makes her a highly-desirable blood donor, and being the kind soul that she is, she’s always happy to volunteer if it means assisting a brother or sister in need.

Eaten alligator meat? - Innocent.

Eaten cheesecake? - Innocent, although she’s heard rumors that there are vending machines with some sort of preserved Pre-War cake in them, and she’s curious to try one for herself.

Still loved someone you shouldn’t? - Perhaps a little guilty. She still thinks about Knight Lowden sometimes, with a touch of regret over what might have been. Still, she has bigger and better things to look forward to, so she isn’t terrible sad about it.

Have/had a tattoo? - Innocent. She doesn’t much like the idea. What if you change your mind later and decide you don’t like it?

Liked someone, but will never tell who? - Innocent. She’s disclosed her previous crush to Paladin de Havilland, although she doesn’t want to make that public knowledge and make life difficult for her former bodyguard.

Been too honest? - Guilty. She’s a very earnest and conscientious sort, but sometimes a little too open for her own good.

Ruined a surprise? - Innocent.

Eaten so much that you can’t walk after? - Innocent.

Dressed in a man’s clothes? - Guilty. She wears a distinctive Pre-War military issue coat which once belonged to a commanding officer in Mariposa, the late Colonel Spindel. It was offered first to Captain Roger Maxson, but he declined and allowed his friend and fellow officer, Lieutenant Simon Harper, to keep it instead. It was passed down the generations of Brotherhood Harpers as a family heirloom, father to son, and was eventually given to Gwen as a parting gift by her father, Scott Harper, who had no other living children.

Dressed in a woman’s clothes? - Surprisingly, innocent. She’s worn only Brotherhood-issue uniforms or Scribe robes her whole life. However, she’s dearly looking forward to her first opportunity to wear a Pre-War dress at her wedding, and can’t wait to see what it is.

Joined a pageant? - Innocent.

Still have communication with your ex? - Innocent. She’s never had a previous relationship to speak of. She might write a letter to her former bodyguard to let him know that she’s well, safe and happy, and that she sends her regards, but that’s about it.

Been told that you’re beautiful by someone who meant it? - Guilty. Although initially a little startled by her resemblance to her late cousin, Sarah, Arthur Maxson thinks she’s quite beautiful entirely in her own right.

Cheated on someone? -  Innocent. Much as she liked the romantic notion of falling in love with her own bodyguard, she was never willing to cross the line and be somehow derelict in her duty as a future Elder’s wife. She often reminds herself that she volunteered for this role, and even in occasional moments of doubt, she isn’t prepared to run away from the responsibilities she’s chosen to assume... and the more time she spends with her betrothed, the more unthinkable it becomes for her to ever want to leave the Brotherhood.

Gotten totally drunk and missed an exam? -  Innocent.

A total stranger treated you by paying your fare? -  Innocent.  

Got so angry that you cried? - Guilty on a couple of occasions, whenever she’s seen someone be cruel or unjust to another.

Tried to stay away from someone for their own good? - Innocent.  

Thought about suicide? - Innocent.

Thought about murder? - Innocent. She’s never been that angry with someone and finds violence on the whole quite shocking.

Actually murdered someone? - Innocent. She would be willing to kill in self-defense or to protect others, but hopes it never comes to that!

Thought about mass murder? - Innocent.

Actually committed a mass murder? - Innocent. As a research Scribe, she’s never killed anyone and never even been in a real battle. She’s only ever wielded weapons in training exercises.

Rode in a stranger’s vehicle? - Innocent. She knows every Vertibird pilot she’s ever flown with, to at least some degree or other.

Stalked someone? - Innocent.

Had a girlfriend? - Innocent.

Had a boyfriend? - Guilty, but she was officially assigned one in the form of Elder Maxson, so does that really count?

Gotten totally drunk during a holiday? - Innocent.

Tagging: @pchberrytea, @miss-rivia, @electriicfleur, @randomfallout4posts, and @ladynyxeris!

Silver Lining

chapter 55

Young-Do knew that his irritable mood bled over everything this afternoon. Father would laugh at him and tell him the problems with this hotel were Young-Do’s fault because he neglected it. He decided after his third attempt to tie his tie and argue with the phantom of Father that he couldn’t wear the slip of cloth around his neck.

He hoped Eun-Sang didn’t mind. He didn’t want to explain...why he didn’t like ties. There was only so many times he could handle her horror and promise he wasn’t going to be like his Father before she stopped believing him.

“Young-Do?” Eun-Sang called him out of his thoughts. “Can you come zip me up? I can’t reach it.”

After how close they’d come to having sex this afternoon, Young-Do wondered if they were going to make it to dinner when he went into the bathroom to zip her up. He glanced at the dress and shook his head.

“Rachel dresses you like she’s your lover and wants to put you on display.”

“At least you can’t see my nipples this time.”

“I don’t mind your nipples. I just mind everyone else looking at your nipples.” He simply zipped her up and smiled at the interesting cut of her dress. The neckline was asymmetrical over one shoulder and the hemline cut in a forty-five-degree angle from her hip, down to her knee, in the opposite direction. The dress was a bold orange, with a wide, pale yellow belt, that...matched the necklace he gave her. “That explains why I am wearing a tan suit and red shirt. I thought she surprised you.”

“I asked her what color so I could wake up early and match you to me. It feels coupley but not tacky. You didn’t like the tie?” She looked a little disappointed and he hated disappointing her.

“I kind of hate ties.”

“That’s fair. I hate heels and these are definitely four centimeters after Rachel promised me flats.” Young-Do tried not to stare at her. He’d never stated something so honestly to have it unquestioned and tactically supported. Eun-Sang wrinkled her nose and looked over her shoulder. “Does it make that big of a difference lifting my ass? I mean, are you less likely to have sex with me after dinner if I don’t wear the heels?”

Young-Do put his hands on her hips and curled the smooth fabric of her dress into his fingers. He very slowly, so he could maintain eye contact with her in the mirror, lifted it up so he could slide his hand underneath it as he kissed her neck. He enjoyed her little whimper as he stroked her. He tried not to be too surprised that she wasn’t wearing any underwear when he touched her but it was nice to know she was wet and just as frustrated as he.

“Eun-Sang, I would have sex with you, right here, right now, without the bed. You’ve been teasing me all afternoon. Wear what makes you comfortable.”

She groaned when he pulled his hand away and let her dress drop back to her knees before he stepped back and went to go wash his hands. He pretended he didn’t see her annoyed blush as he smirked to himself.

At least they were back to normal here.

Eun-Sang looked ready to say something when his phone rang. Young-Do pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He smiled and walked out of the bathroom while he answered. “Noona. I was getting worried when I hadn’t heard from you.”

“You would’ve sent a car anyway to convince me. I wanted to tell you that I accept and I’ll be at the meeting with you and President Cha tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you. I’d hoped the challenge would interest you.”

“I always find your challenges interesting,” she teased. Young-Do automatically ducked his head in an attempt to hide a blush she couldn’t see. “I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He hung up and Eun-Sang came out of the bathroom. As far as he could tell, she was finished getting ready, but frowning slightly.

“Who was that?”

“Jeon Hyun-Joo. She’ll be here tomorrow to give her presentation with her ideas and her formatting solutions for starting the new subsidiary. She just signed the preliminary contract I had Hyun-Shik put together.”

“She has your personal phone number?” Eun-Sang didn’t meet his eyes as she put on her shoes. They were strappy gold sandals with a short heel. He thought, after their conversation, she’d go with something more comfortable. Young-Do blinked and was a little surprised at the sharpness to her tone.

“I’ve known her since college. It was a personal recommendation.”

Eun-Sang looked away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I saw her resume. She is highly qualified. I’m turning into one of those women who doesn’t trust other women around her husband. I’m sorry.”

He just didn’t know why she snapped at him and it made him anxious. He had done his best to hide the personal nature of his past relationship with Hyun-Joo. He’d made such a big deal about having the integrity to not cheat on her that he never wanted it to become a betrayal in her mind. He just wished he could figure out what he did so he could avoid it in the future. He couldn’t change the fact that he slept with Hyun-Joo in college. All he could control was what happened next.

Hyun-Joo may have been a mistress but it was to a man who wanted a mistress. Young-Do didn’t. He wanted Eun-Sang. He didn’t know what to say, so he offered his hand once she finished putting her shoes on. “Let’s go see how long it takes the valet to get my car.”

It took nearly ten minutes until they were on the road.

“I’m amazed,” Eun-Sang said. “You are a smooth driver even when you’re about to explode.”

“You’re not. You are a well of patience. Nothing says I’m used to everything being ready when I want it the way my stomach is twisting now.” He had to admit, if only to himself, that it calmed him somewhat, whenever she put her hand on his leg when they drove.

“I’m annoyed because I know what our stay at that hotel costs. An average person, splurging to come out to this area, go for a hike, see the weekend market, and go to nice restaurants during their hard-earned vacation, is paying a lot of money to have things ready on their whim. We aren’t getting what we’re paying for and that is upsetting. That kind of thing can kill a hotel on a review app. I’m amazed it hasn’t happened yet.” She paused and looked down at her hand in her other lap. “I’m used to keeping my emotion off my face. My parents are not bad parents but...there are complications that come when marriage is a business arrangement.”

“Do you think we can avoid them?” He didn’t know if offering to love her was the solution to her fears. Care and love were not the same thing. He knew the difference now. He also knew, that whatever his love was, it wasn’t like Hyo-Shin’s, and could never be good enough for her.

She already told him that she got one great love of her life. She didn’t want another.

“We are kinder to each other than my parents are. I think, if we can avoid fighting over little things, we will do just fine.”

Young-Do didn’t know how true it could be. Yoon Chan-Young and Lee Bo-Na loved each other deeply and still their important fights were ripping up their daughters. He wanted to be better than that. Maybe love wasn’t the solution.

He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and smiled when he heard live music coming from the building. “There might be dancing,” Eun-Sang said. Her expression was soft and a little sultry again. “I hope you don’t mind. It was in your profile. I thought it might be fun foreplay before we try out the bed. Or the backseat of your car.”