#//subtly asks for a promo//

[chirpsythismorning]

Wow... 1 year filming. We are legit screwed but at least we might get new content or leaks, idk. Like idk abt you guys but i cannot wait another 2 years.

For me the first year of hiatus flew by. Vol 1 came out already about a year ago approx.? I feel like the same is going to apply to the next year.

And by that point filming will be wrapping up and s5 promo will finally start getting more ramped up. We could have a few tiny cryptic teasers by then, some episode titles. And who knows about the set/costume leak prospects...

I talked about this already, but the months leading up to it are filled with content dropping and it grows exponentially over time.

This time around will be unmatched too bc I think fans actually have a lot to go off of, more than we ever have with previous seasons. With s2-4 we were shooting in the dark. But now with s5 there's so much from s4 unaddressed that it's guaranteed to be re-addressed and so much was foreshadowed that fans have very likely predicted at least a few of the surprises (*cough* byler *cough*).

And so imagine promo that is proving/disproving a bunch of iconic theories, and experiencing that real time. Imagine smalltown boy or like lettergate being confirmed in a mere 10 second sneak peak? Cryptic instances like that along the way are the best!

We're going to be getting a lot of validation too during this time bc the Duffers will definitely want fans to go back and rewatch to be capable of appreciating whats to come for what it truly is, despite misunderstanding up to this point. I think as we get closer, they won't outright say things for certain, however, they are most definitely going to start blatantly alluding to the fact that they are smart and everything is in fact intentional. And so if we doubted them, that's our own fault, since the answers are right in front of us. Did you see all the s2 references we put in s4? Do you really think we forgot Will's birthday? type vibes without them outright saying that though.

Technically even though it could be premiering in early 2025, it's gonna feel like it's premiering in summer/fall 2024 regardless bc promo will be so fucking hot at that point that it might as well be out already. It'll a long festivity for sure. Right now we're in early hiatus, which sucks when you're in it. What we get to hope for within the next year is hints from the writers and if we get another dna board with upwards of 100 films, we might have a lot of work on our hands anyways. These ppl are out here giving us reading assignments and we are gladly going along with it. But that's not for everyone necissarily so if some people want to bow out for a year or so, I wouldn't blame them regardless.

Late hiatus right before release is where it's at, and that's honestly a lot closer than we think! It will start getting more serious next summer, so get hyped bc that's just as exciting to look forward to as the end itself!

[autolenaphilia]

I’ve been thinking about The Coffin of Andy and Leyley again, as usual. And I’ve complained before about people whose interpretation of the Graves sibs is “Ashley is an evil manipulative bitch who is corrupting her innocent doormat brother Andrew.” And this frustrates me because of its obvious misogyny, but not because that’s interpretation isn’t based in the game itself. It’s in there for sure, but it’s Andrew mask, his false narrative of him and his relationship to his sister, that the game thoroughly deconstructs.

It is built up through the promotional material, like the “our heroes?” art on the game’s steam page And for a good part of episode 1 you can even believe it. Ashley comes across as evil and manipulative, a yandere who has a pathological, abusive, possessive and obsessive love fixation on an nonreciprocating subject, Andrew. In her possessiveness, she naturally is very jealous, and wants her brother all for herself, going so far as to sabotage his romantic relationships with other women.

And Andrew at first seems nonreciprocating. She seems utterly dependent on him, but he acts like he doesn’t need her, and he clearly feels both annoyance and resentment towards her at times.

Above all he seems normal compared to his clearly mentally ill sister. Prior to quarantine he had a life outside of her, with a girlfriend and studies at college. When they start committing crimes he seems to have an appropriate freaked out reaction to their actions while Ashley seems amoral and goads Andrew into committing them with her.

Yet all this is a mere facade. It’s subtly undermined at first during episode 1, some aspects of which comes across more clearly on a repeat playthrough. Andrew’s narrative of being an innocent manipulated into evil is like all such narratives ultimately a way to dodge responsibility. Andrew lets Ashley take the lead when doing morally dubious things, but the key words is “lets.” This is established subtly in their first interaction in the game. Ashley asks Andrew if he wants to go spy on the neighbor his response is “nope”, immediately followed by a smiling “but I’ll come along if you do.” and he hands her the balcony key. This coy “no means yes” response from Andrew establishes that Ashley’s leading role is a kind of game that they play, one that lets Andrew abdicate responsibility for any dubious actions the siblings commit.

Spying on the neighbor is fairly innocent, but then their actions escalate. And Andrew’s own actions drive that escalation. It’s he who takes the siblings from cannibalism into murder. And in the climax of episode 1, he commits probably their worst crime: the murder of the woman in room 302, at least in the now existing two episodes of the game. Their other murders like the wardens, the hitman and the parents all deserved it but I don’t think she did. And it’s all on his initiative, Ashley never tells him to kill for her, he does it all on his own. And his clearly bullshit story about his victim going for a nail gun makes his tendency to avoid taking responsibility for his own actions by spinning false narratives even clearer.

(Sidenote: Both in the aforementioned “our heroes?” promo art and the main menu art it’s Ashley who holds the bloody meat cleaver, but in the actual game, it’s Andrew’s signature weapon. He wields that cleaver all the way from chopping up the cultist to the possible end for him and Ashley in the decay path vision. I don’t think Ashley even touches it in the actual game. It’s an obvious inconsistency that I think must be deliberate. The promotional art is setting up a false narrative of who is the violent one in this relationship and the actual game subverts it.)

And the ensuing conversation I think finally collapses the narrative of poor innocent Andrew and evil manipulative abuser Ashley. Ashley sure says some nasty and manipulative things, but then Andrew snaps and puts her in a stranglehold, threatening to kill her. It’s here that Andrew’s false narrative fully collapses, and the power dynamics are fully revealed. Whatever hold Ashley might seem to have over Andrew via emotional manipulation, abuse and blackmail, it is an illusion.

Andrew ultimately goes along with what she says because he wants to. He can always say “no” and can physically enforce that, even kill her. Him choking Ashley and threatening her life is not justified revenge on his emotional abuser, because that scene reveals that he is in control here, and he probably always has been (the flashback to their childhood where he briefly wonders “if killing her would be worth it” certainly suggests that). Andrew strangling Ashley and threatening her life is in itself a far more serious act of abuse than everything Ashley has ever said to him.

She is fake-crying here, but based on everything else we see her isolation is definitely real.

Ashley is ultimately a subversion of all the yandere evil manipulative bitch stereotypes she initially seems to embody. She is a surprisingly complex and well-written character where her “evil” traits are seen as originating in abuse and isolation. The reason she is so dependent on Andrew for all human affection is simple: it’s because he is literally the only one who has given her that affection. Her own parents never gave her that, and her peers disliked her because she is as she herself puts it “loud, weird and annoying.” The reason she doesn’t have any empathy or care for other people (besides Andrew) is because they never cared about her. Andrew is the one exception, and that’s also why she is so fiercely possessive and controlling of him. If he abandoned her, she would be all alone in the world. And why shouldn’t he abandon her? Everyone else already has. So she must have some hold over him, so he can never leave her. It all makes sense for her traumatized brain.

And Andrew? Far from being the non-reciprocating subject of Ashley’s affections, he is as obsessively in love with and dependent on her as she is on him. The difference is that Andrew hides it. He wants to be normal, so he pretends to be. But he isn’t normal, and is more like his sister than he cares to admit.

The deepest dive within Andrew’s psyche is his dream sequence in episode 2. It actually thoroughly deconstructs his mask of normalcy. For example, his very revealing flashback of his relationship with Julia. That relationship is a major part of his claim to normalcy, that he is not like his sister, totally emotionally dependent on the other sibling. And that relationship is shown to be a lie.

In the flashback Julia is angry with Andrew because whenever she and Andrew spend time together, Ashley tells Andrew to spend time with her instead, and Andrew obeys her. And this is obviously Ashley sabotaging the Andrew/Julia relationship, but the thing is, Andrew is very much a willing co-saboteur. When the choice is between spending time with Julia or Ashley, he always chooses Ashley.

We get more detail on why he does this in the same dream sequence. You can listen to what is ostensibly the harassing voicemails sent by Ashley to Julia. And they reveal more what is going on there. That Ashley did harass Julia that way is real, she admits to it in the waking world. But if the contents of the voicemail in the dream is what Ashley actually said is unlikely. There is no plausible way Andrew could know what Ashley said in them. Neither Julia or Ashley are likely to have shared them with Andrew. They are not real the same way the flashback probably is. So the dream sequence voicemails are probably the products of Andrew’s mind rather than Ashley’s. And as such, they are very revealing.

And to summarize the point the voicemails are making in less… colorful terms: Andrew doesn’t care about Julia on an emotional level, he just uses her for sex. The woman he actually cares about, is emotionally intimate with on every level except the purely sexual, is Ashley. She is, “the only one” and “everything” to him. It isn’t sexual for obvious incest taboo reasons, so Andrew has his “floozies” he uses as sexual outlets.

I think this description of Andrew’s relationship with Ashley and other women is overall true and very revealing of how he actually feels beneath the mask. That’s why he always chooses Ashley over Julia, there is a deeper emotional connection there that is absent with Julia.

The dream voicemails are just circumspect about one thing: Andrew does want to fuck his sister. He represses it because of the incest taboo, but he really wants to. This is obvious throughout the game and repeatedly hinted at. Andrew’s incestous attraction keeps on boiling over the lid of repression he put on it. He freaks out when their mother suggests it and at the incest vision, but that’s because he is repressing hard.

There are so many moments. My favorite is him casually touching her ass in their parent’s kitchen in episode 2. There is an optional dialogue when they are breaking in earlier which suggests he has done it before. The end of his dream sequence is him dreaming about Ashley’s cleavage. He lies about having nightmares and needing comfort so he has an excuse to cuddle with Ashley and sleep in her bed every night.

It’s clearly there in his possessive jealous rage he gets into whenever Ashley even jokes about having sex with men who are not him. Andrew threatening to slap Ashley for jokingly suggesting doing sex work is frankly far worse than whatever Ashley does to sabotage Andrew’s relationship with Julia.

Speaking of Julia, the flashback with her and Andrew ends with him asking Julia to tie up her hair for him. To wear her hair like Ashley does. This suggests Julia was just an Ashley substitute all along.

Andrew’s relationship with Julia was part of the mask. Julia is the sweet girl-next-door type, the type of woman he should be into if he was normal. Julia/Andrew is meant to be the model heterosexual couple, except it’s a lie. In the end Julia became an outlet for Andrew’s repressed incestous sexual feelings, with her acting as a substitute for his forbidden attraction to Ashley. It’s not a coincidence that Julia looks like she could be the third Graves sibling.

His final thoughts on Julia are telling in themselves. “You’ll never see her again. And the fact that it doesn’t really bother you, bothers you.” That’s Andrew Graves in a nutshell. He knows that he should have loved Julia, that he should miss her, want to fuck her instead of his sister, that he should be normal. But he isn’t normal, and that haunts him.

The fact that he is haunted, that the incest taboo matters enough to him to repress his attraction, might seem to hint that Andrew has some redeeming sense of morality. But it doesn’t really. All his morality boils down to is a fear of consequences. His freak-outs about his and Ashley’s crimes is just a fear of getting caught. That’s why he so compulsively blames Ashley, if he is not really responsible for what his actions he can’t be punished for them. It’s most telling when in his dream he reflects on his murder of the lady in room 302. He monologues for awhile about his fears of getting caught for murdering her, but ends it all with a blunt “other than that, it doesn’t bother you.” He is just as callous and amoral as Ashley, he just hides it better.

Ultimately Andrew mirrors Ashley. He is not a poor manipulated innocent soft boi, beset by his crazy sister. He is just as dependent on and all-consumingly in love with her as she is with him, if not more so. I don’t see much if any evidence for Ashley’s feelings for Andrew being sexual/incestous, but his feelings for her very obviously are. He is just able to disguise his violent incestous nature better with a mask of normalcy, but ultimately he is similar to Ashley. She is not a monster and he is not an angel, those are just the masks you are meant to deconstruct.

Of course people fail at doing so despite the game being fairly explicit about it, because of poor media analysis and the kind of misogynistic bias where we blame women for what men do.

[lemotmo]

Hulu comment. Let's all spiral with glee 😀

Q. We see you fan girling, Hulu! We see you!!

A. Haha, okay I received a ton of asks about this but I'm only going to post the one because you all get the gist of what the questions were like. Technically the Hulu account moderators, much like the 911 moderators, are employees of Disney, but usually moderators are given pretty free reign to post, comment, and 'like' as they please. As long as they're not being problematic or inappropriate. So I would caution that the comment doesn't necessarily mean anything. I will however say that the fact they felt comfortable enough to publicly comment on a video that is in direct contrast to the current canon probably doesn't bode well for said current canon. Because at minimum it's confirmation that there are no regulations in place for them to push the current canon. Which is probably not a good sign as far as anything long term goes. They would need to push it fairly hard to try and move the needle from an audience perspective so they would absolutely discourage Buddie encouragement. And that's clearly not a directive anyone has been given, so far anyway. We will probably get a clearer picture in the coming week or so. Embargos have to be close to being lifted, if they haven't already, which means we'll start to see more and more engagement from the media that covers the show.

I want to take a moment in this post to address several asks I received raging about how Buddie fans were the reason the show didn't release a full trailer. You all continue to prove you haven't been here longer than 80 something days. This is how the show always does things. They always start with a teaser. Last season was a hand on a ship rail, I believe. The season before that was the blimp. This has always been the way they do things. I know show history is irrelevant to you all but you should at least maybe Google something before jumping into blogs and raging.

Thank you so much Nonny!

Yep, I agree. Last season the show was heavily promoting Buddie. And it seems they have subtly began doing that again, while completely ignoring the canon relationship. But we do have to see if they will keep it up. I expect they will though.

This Hulu intern might just be a Buddie fan, but in the end they still commented using the Hulu account. They would have known it would be noticed and shared, but they still didn't delete it, which means that it was posted deliberately. They didn't just forgot to sign out of their professional account.

The comment talked about Buck deserving to be happy. Which basically implies that he isn't there yet right now. He still hasn't found his true happiness.

I realise that this is just a small thing and it might not mean anything, but to me it's definitely a subtle nod to signal that something has shifted.

And yeah, the promo always starts with a small teaser that has none of the characters. It has always been like this.

I do think that last year it was a hand on the round window of a ship, instead of on the railing. Do correct me if I'm wrong though. 😋

This has me excited though! I wonder what else they have in store for us this month. I'm looking forward to it! 😁

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[leorawright]

Hiii!! I did a prompt a while ago about how the junkers would react with a s/o who scratches their arms raw when nervous!! I was wondering if you could fo the same promo with the mercs!! (Specifically sniper, scout, and medic!!) Thank leora!! I hope your doing good ttoday!! Ily!-Star anon☆

Got you! I'm doing pretty well actually!

Mercs with s/o who scratches their arms raw

Scout

When he first noticed your arms he thought somebody else had done that to you

But when you explained that it was you he honestly got more concerned

He didn't like seeing you in pain and knowing you caused it doesn't help him

So whenever he notices you scratching your arms nervously he'll pull you into a hug or let you fiddle with his hands so you have something else to do to help

Medic

You probably came to him because the scratches were bad and that's when he found out about them

He was quite appalled by the scratches and have you some numbing cream to help

When you told him how the scratches started he's even more appalled

He really doesn't want you to hurt yourself so he'll offer you some possible solutions so hopefully you'll stop

Sniper

He picks up on your bad habit pretty quick and subtly tries to help you

Whenever you start scratching your arms he'll ask to hold your hand, ask if you'll help him with something, etc.

When he notices your arms are particularly red he'll offer you some ice to help with the pain

[arowyn-m]

Mo, that's what I mean, the things he is recording has to be for promotional material, there is no way they are still doing voice work this late into the game. Even "touch ups" could take weeks, and they still had to ship overseas for dub

So,

What are they recording?

Ehhh I definitely see the possibility of actors still recording touch-ups to finalized lines. If the actual written lines are tied down and all that’s left is editing and recording new ways (tonal changes, emphasis, etc) of saying the same lines then there’s no reason to send off new lines to dubbing studios or anything—the other dubbing studios figure out their own emphasis and tones to better fit around the characters’ lip movements. The English version could still be recording their own touch-ups without having to even contact the dubs about it.

In Bridging the Rift there’s a sequence in either the last episode or second-to-last where Christian Linke is critiquing Finn’s finalized voiceline “profits have been plummeting” in post. The actual voiceline doesn’t change, but the actor records new audio even over the mostly polished footage. I should go back and watch that episode given the news lol

But assuming you’re right and Reed’s just recording for promo, I can’t imagine what he would be recording at the moment. I would say faux voicelines but why? The only trailer we have left is the final trailer, and that drops days before release, so what’s the point? Maybe he would be recording voicelines for one of the games but if that’s the case why the shot of S2 in that one studio photo?

Speaking of which, that studio photo is old. The still on the screen is dated December ‘23…there’s no way they’re still using an unfinished version from 8 months ago to record voicelines, so why even post the photo if it’s that old?

Unless they’ve been keeping it solely to try to hint towards something bigger without actually showing anything current.

The marketing team knows Arcane’s audience is insane when it comes to dissecting content lmao—I could absolutely see them asking Reed to post a photo they took a while ago just to subtly hint at a big reveal for Thursday, given his reputation within the fandom.

I could also just be on crack.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Ghosts of Geonosis"

Packaging this two-parter as one big episode because shut up, you're not the boss of me.

I could have sworn I had a live reaction version of this already, but I can't for the life of me find it. Oh well.

This cue here sounds like it comes from TCW, maybe Saw's theme if he had one, anyone wanna confirm that for me?

This whole opening interaction between Ezra and Sabine is cute, she watches him as he plops down into her seat, gives a long-suffering eye roll, and dope slaps him across the back of his head for asking a stupid question and aside from a silently-mouthed "ow" he doesn't object to any of it lol.

Sign of the tightly-written continuity, we are returning to Geonosis to check out the missing populace and also pick up a Saw Guerrera guest appearance post his prominent role in Rogue One. (Out of text-wise that is.)

Empire cleaned up their mess pretty well.

Early establishing of the plot complications of the underground tunnels blocking comm signals, which features throughout the episode as a major element. The GFFA equivalent of establishing "no cell service", essentially.

The sandstorm also obscures things, visually and sensor-wise. And provides us with much humor as Sabine complains about it frequently.

Ho man, I remember how much I loved the banter and dialogue this episode, it was so much fun. Felt like a return to the early days of the show.

This episode was another really great one for subtly showing off Kanan's blindness. He mentions the stillness of the air, his hearing picks up on Klik-Klack before anyone else does, Saw has to let him know to watch his step...

As we already know, abandoned helmet = they 100% dead. The showrunners would use this visual shorthand very effectively in the promo image they did for "Heroes of Mandalore", with a whole pile of empty Mando helmets littered across a scorched landscape.

Kanan plays the voice of caution here, almost like he's the genre-savvy one in a horror movie, lol. Fitting, some aspects of the episode are played up like one. (We got the "Monster POV" shots, we got the cryptic remains left behind, we got no cell service, we got a storm.)

Badass boys shot. <3

Unlike Kalani's decrepit troops, these B1s and Destroyers have been better maintained and repaired, and give the group a bit more of a hassle until Saw shows up.

There's excellent teamwork between all the hero parties involved, Kanan and Ezra work smoothly as oil to slice up the Destroyer once its shield is gone, recalling Obi-Wan and Anakin from TCW.

Something I loved about this season was that characters would offhand mention, "Oh, we don't have this." or "The Rebellion really needs this." and then a couple episodes later they would manage to either acquire them or have them come into play.

Some examples: Proton bombs, this shield generator, spacesuits...

Ooof, was I the only one who caught the similarity between Saw urging them forward to satiate his obsession, Ezra agreeing, and Kanan choosing to trust him and, well... [gestures vaguely to the whole Malachor thing with Maul].

The tension this episode is great, the communication problems lend a sense of urgency and anxiety during both groups' separation and you get a feeling like the messages are coming almost too late to save them.

The Zeb and Sabine banter. <3

Kanan asking Ezra to look for him. <3

There he go, lol.

Kanan is really impressive, Force-wise, this episode, tossing Ezra aaaaaall the way across that chasm, separating and levitating that bridge for Saw and Rex to cross, and still somehow having enough energy and stamina to leap across himself.

And the Force theme that accompanies said above is lovely. <3

Ezra's pretty cool himself, using Force sense to find Klik-Klak when it seems like the bug has given them the slip. His theme is even excerpted a bit.

(Possibly he actually forms a connection, because he's very empathetic towards Klik-Klak after this and defends him from Saw repeatedly.)

Already having some Concerns about Saw's methods lol.

I love how this show depicts Ezra's compassion as one of his major strengths. It's natural for most Jedi and combined with Ezra's natural affinity for connection it's practically a superpower. Ezra's really sweet with Klik-Klak. :)

DEATH STAR-SHADOWING. Oh man the Dramatic Irony was painful, like any time TCW alluded to or called forward to Order 66 and a mental scream rings in your head and you want to yell at the characters and shake them as if that can somehow help them avoid the inevitable doom. Same feeling.

Saw, those binders do NOT have a tracker in them, don't lie.

Obligatory "Stab the TCW fans in the heart" moment.

Ezra seeing shades of himself in Saw's grudge against the Separatists, god his face this whole scene.

Once again touching on those Star Wars archthemes about breaking the cycle of revenge, about not turning your internal pain outwards on the rest of the world, no matter how righteous your cause, about not becoming a monster in your efforts to slay the dragon, about showing compassion to everyone, even your enemies. Saw is representative of the Well-Intentioned Extremist, and even though his ultimate goal is noble--destroying the Empire, exposing their secret superweapon so that the galaxy will finally wake up and deal with the tyranny they've come to complacently accept--Saw loses parts of his humanity in the process, emotionally and ultimately physically. He becomes almost like Vader in the bitter end, for his efforts. (And he's also a shadow of Thrawn.)

Brunsen! I love her.

Saw's personal grudge against the Separatists in general for killing his sister and his squad is blinding him. Ezra points out that Klik-Klak is basically the only survivor of a planet-wide massacre and is understandably a little defensive about invaders, trying to live up to his name again and "bridge" the differences between the two factions, only it doesn't work this time because Saw is too fanatic.

"Saw, we had this argument back at Command." Oh DID YOU now, Rex? Really could have forewarned the team that Saw might get a little deranged in his quest for truth.

I love Saw, he's the best example of an actually Morally Gray character in Star Wars. Unlike Thrawn, his "greater good" reason for going to such extremes, doing whatever it takes to achieve the goal, is actually directed outwards towards the whole of the galaxy, he doesn't selfishly focus inwards on his own interests. Part of it is of course that Saw has already lost his people and planet, so there's nothing left for him except to prevent it from happening to other people. We're encouraged to sympathize with his pain and sense of loss, but not necessarily be comfortable with his actions.

The narrative both condemns his extremism and, ultimately, vindicates him in regards to the Death Star. There's the same sense of futility about him in that neither he nor the Senate and Jedi before Order 66 could uncover the plot quick enough to avoid their fate.

Back to the action, though. Love how the Ghost is so infamous now that their capture/destruction leads to big promotions lol.

This music cue sounds full of adventure, I like it. :)

Klik-Klak trusting Ezra because Ezra was nice to him aww.

"Neither have yours." Saw has a reputation, oof.

It's cute how Klik-Klak keeps tugging on Ezra's wrist.

Yeeeeeeeah I don't think we're supposed to sympathize with Saw in this moment. It's very deliberate, they even have him throw Ezra across the room.

"Your methods are soft, Jedi." Shades of Tarkin much, Saw? I know this annoys people to hear but even if you're fighting fascists, there are lines you don't cross. Saw points a blaster at a baby for heaven's sake. You do not become like your enemy in order to destroy them, because then you're just taking their place, exchanging one kind of cruelty and violence for a different one, for your particular flavor of one.

War is hell but you don't have to become a demon.

Saw's long hesitation after Ezra uses the word "family", Ezra got to him a bit I think, lol. Rex reinforces that tactic, ha ha.

My only minor nitpick this episode, the show once again using the Empire as a Diobulus Ex Machina to make Saw play nice with the others. One more Persuasion Check would have done it I think.

Cue a very excellent action setpiece.

IIIIII think I heard this cue before, back in "Imperial Supercommandos" when Rau ambushed Ezra and Sabine in the shuttle. Interesting choice.

A nice little badass moment for Ezra. :)

And a hero shot for Sabine as we prepare to show off her new jetpack.

He adores her.

Kanan's the only one who can't see how awesome she is. :(

Her little "That's cute." shoulder pat when Ezra says he wants a jetpack too. <3

Love how this Imperial's hat gets sent askew slightly from Brunsen's slap.

HHHHHNNNNNN ONCE AGAIN THE DRAMATIC IRONY IS MENTALLY SCREAMING IN MY HEAD, NO NO THAT'S NOT WHAT HE MEANS.

Saw listens to Ezra this time, next time we see him he's even more apathetic towards the beings in front of him who need help now.

HOW AWESOME WAS IT FOR HERA SLICING THROUGH THIS LIGHT CRUISER? Eh? Eh?

You get such a sense of the speed here.

Ugh, the pictures of the canisters aren't enough, ow, that feels like some kind of Politically Relevant commentary.

And as I said before, the narrative lets Saw get off (this time) with some stern looks from the others, but it's still not completely approving of his actions. He's not the Empire, yet, but he'll come closer and closer to their tactics and methods.

This two-parter episode is almost perfectly paced and it's really well-written. Everything about it works so well.

Solid Rebels content. <3

[alilyamongroses]

Which is the earliest time Jame Seymour should have been introduced in "The Tudors"? Since Jame had scored a place in Katherine of Aragon's court in 1529, she should have been introduced sometime during the last couple of episodes of s1, along with Edward and their father John.

After a recent rewatch, during the scene at the s1 finale where a nameless girl rebukes Anne Boleyn after her wishing that all Spaniards would be put under the sea speech, I thought that that part should have gone to Jane Seymour. That rebuke could have been one of Jane's first lines in the series.

You’re right, Jane should’ve been introduced earlier. The earliest Jane could’ve been at court was 1527, or more likely 1528, to my understanding. Katherine of Aragon made her speech at Blackfriars in 1529, and The Tudors leaned into the idea of Jane as connected to Katherine - the scene where Mary gives Jane Katherine's cross to help her through labor comes to mind. As for Anne, there were an assortment of... nameless, jittery blonde women swirling around her during the early seasons. The creators could've slotted Jane into one of their places. Maybe they meant to? I know there was some kerfuffle about her casting.

If the comparison scene between Jane & Anne before the latter's murder is anything to go off of, the creators wanted to set Jane up as ideologically opposed to Anne, to some extent. It would've been nice if Jane was given a more self-actualized role in that opposition, rather than being shown as this silly, flighty girl who stumbled into a position for which we're obviously supposed to judge her. I just know she and Katherine Howard are sharing tea cakes in hell.

Sir John's offscreen death in Season 3, and the casually callous way Edward communicated it to Jane, also would've landed much better if they'd introduced Jane earlier. Her and Edward's sibling dynamic is one of my favorites in the show, communicated subtly through shared looks, close ups and such. In Season 2, Jane follows Edward's lead, allowing him to influence her decision making something like a surrogate father. Jane is certainly the passive member of their relationship, but that wasn't used to cast her as stupid, or lesser than the other wives, which I appreciated. Edward asking Jane if she'd like to be Queen once he and his father start planning for it speaks to this dynamic that's sort of childish, in a sweet way - Edward leads and Jane follows, but willingly, not slavishly.

In Season 3, when Henry starts controlling Jane more overtly, Edward remains a man in her life who she's allowed to criticize and chastise, even as he's demonstrated to be brutally unscrupulous in his own right (see: that awful sexualized torture scene.) His wife Anne Stanhope is shown putting horns on him, but Edward barely notices, never mind getting mad at her for it. Compare that to how savagely Henry reacted to the vaguest whiff of infidelity in his Anne. The first one, that is.

It's almost like The Tudors' Henry is a decent public figure, but a monstrous domestic one, while The Tudors' Edward is a monstrous public figure, but a decent domestic one. And Jane is the woman who connects the two of them, binding their families into one, however temporarily. As Jane lays dying, Henry compares her to his late mother, and Jane is introduced to Henry by her own father, himself depicted as this jolly old fat country lord. Sir John's characterization in The Tudors was sparse, but maybe that's a blessing, considering the shaft Thomas Boleyn got.

Which leads me to another comparison. Thomas and George Boleyn's posthumous reputations both took a massive hit with this show. George is rendered not just abusive but sexually violent, the shadow of early 2000s homophobia hanging over The Tudors' portrayal like a pall. His father's depiction is more unfair than offensive, but that's not much of an improvement. This promo pic of him just makes you feel dirty, as Olga Hughes pointed out, lmao. We the audience can assume that Pádraic Delaney's George Boleyn got his cruelty from his father, while Anne (and Mary) are the family's more kindhearted diamonds-in-the-rough, a position that is reinforced by George's atypical protectiveness over Anne, which is ultimately used against him. Jane and Edward's relationship isn't as emotionally intimate as George and Anne's, but Edward and George's duel positions as men who are capable of being both negligent & violent and paternal & attentive sets them up as interesting examinations of the kind of man who takes root in an environment like this, much like Charles Brandon, Eustace Chapuys, Francis Bryan, etc.

The missing piece in the equation is Jane. Henry's fatherhood is well explored, Anne's sisterhood is the most overtly sympathetic part of her characterization, Mary I's conflict as a daughter is what drives her through the whole series. Jane is a sister, daughter, mother and wife, and there are a few shining moments where she really titillates: inquiring about her family's plans, selling the necklace Henry gave her, chiding Edward for mishandling her father's death, protecting Mary no matter the cost, things like that. But her most well-developed relationship is the one she has with Henry, and that one says more about him as a man than it does her as a woman.

How did Jane feel about Sir John that encouraged her to lean on Edward, even though he was easily identifiable as a worse man than his father? How did Jane feel transitioning from Katherine's household to Anne's, especially with regards to her catholicism? What did she think about the dissolution of the monasteries when it first started? Did she want to get married and have children, or did she just know she'd have to one day? What were her prospects before Henry? What does she like in a man anyways?

Unfortunately, we don't know, because The Tudors doesn't bother to tell us. Wish it had been different, to say the least.

[deatheless]

@stvrsold sent: this place brings out the worst in all of us. / accepting.

❛ yeah, you can fuckin' say that again. if someone tries to subtly promo their shit to me again, i might just start screaming. ❜ she's in an uncharacteristically bad mood. or, more accurately, she's uncharacteristically letting her bad mood show, when normally any and all negative sentiments are usually locked up tight. especially in public, which this party ( a birthday, she thinks — for some big-shot who'd asked her and charlie to make a appearance that they definitely couldn't say no to ) certainly counts as. on a normal night, she'd have that big smile plastered on as she makes her way from conversation to conversation, unphased by the shining lights and shinier facades, but the brightest she can manage so far was offering the bartender a look of relief and an extra fifty when she'd filled her glass a little higher than expected.

she's just so tired.

they're fresh off of a five show run, which came only two days after a three show run, which came after ... well, you get the gist. while she's no stranger to a touring schedule, that doesn't make it any less exhausting. add in a party she doesn't want to go to full of celebrities they hardly even know, and you've got a recipe for a very grumpy girl.

she takes another sip of her drink, dark eyes flashing across the room, before she turns her attention back towards charlie. her expression turns teasingly pleading, though there's probably more than a little sincerity in it. ❛ you think we've been here long enough to justify leaving already? the hotel bed is calling my name, charlie.  ❜

[jdeowrites]

Life Doesn’t Change After You’re Published, and other kinda-truths

It’s been one entire year since my debut novel, TJ POWAR HAS SOMETHING TO PROVE, was published on June 7, 2022. My little YA contemporary about a girl and her body hair, but also about so much else. 

It sometimes feels like no time has passed at all—like just last week I was on my way to my little local book launch with friends. I remember that day so clearly. I got my hair (on my head, ha) and nails done for funsies, and my brother came to town for the launch. On our drive to the bookstore I was happy and excited, but also had jitters in my stomach because I wore a dress that ended just above my knees—with my very hairy legs exposed. Yes, this was despite not having removed my leg hair in years, and despite having worn shorts so many times in the interim without any discomfort. I knew why, of course: It was because now I was wearing an outfit typically very strongly associated with femininity (a dress) and somehow it felt like the two things couldn’t go together. I mused that here was further evidence that unlearning harmful things society had taught me was going to be a lifelong venture. Which was an interesting, amusing, and somewhat fitting realization to have on release day. 

I still force myself into that discomfort often. In some ways, as I said to my audiobook narrator last year (Mayuri Bhandari, she’s amazing), I even feel some responsibility to do so. Whenever wonderful, open-minded readers say to me, “I didn’t even know brown girls grew that much hair,” I think to myself, well, then it’s even more important that I show them.

To not feel, as an artist, completely divorced from my own work once it was public was one of the many surprises of having a book out. People always say that life doesn’t drastically change once you have a book published; and that, I was prepared for. Frankly I was more than happy with that idea--I’d spent so much time on promo in the lead up that I was exhausted, and looked forward to a quiet post-release. I missed my writing. 

But although there’s no magical life-changing switch, I’ve found that things have changed. Just slowly, and subtly, as satisfying and long-lasting change often is.

I’ve talked at length about how the content of the book changed me. But in a general sense, I can think of many things in my day-to-day life that have changed since being published. For example, having friends in real life snapping pics of my book at stores across the continent; having people in real life ask me about my writing (a bit of a horror really); being tagged in blog posts and Twitter threads where people talk about their favourite books; getting DMs from people gushing about the book; talking to teens as a published author about books; having readers stand in front of me and excitedly tell me all the things they loved about my book while I smile silently thinking is this real? Is this real?; the opportunities I’ve had to sit down with other authors and laugh and compare notes and realize hey, we’re all going through the same weird-ass publishing machine; being asked to blurb other authors’ books; walking into random bookstores and seeing a copy on the shelf; being invited for lit festivals and interviews and to give talks and such as an established author. But most of all, it’s in the simple joy of knowing, every day, I am a published author. That has changed me. It’s a new piece of my identity. Once upon a time, it was my wildest dream. It’s a special privilege to be able to say I’m now dreaming of new things.

So, if you’re one of the people who’ve read TJ POWAR HAS SOMETHING TO PROVE, thank you so much for giving my little book a chance. It’s been amazing to see its impact over this past year, and I can only hope it will reach even more readers as time goes on. And for everyone who’s asked me what’s next... I can’t wait to share. Eventually. ;)

[thatseventiesbitch]

That ‘90s Show scenes - my version

Just for funsies 😄 

Here are a few of my predictions wishes before That ‘90s Show airs in 2 days!

My Guess:

Leia is supposed to spend the rest of her summer at Space Camp, but after meeting her new friends at Red and Kitty’s, she asks Eric and Donna if she can stay in Point Place for the rest of the summer instead.

Eric and Donna come out to the Vista Cruiser driveway to discuss it. Eric is apprehensive, but Donna is all for it - Leia goes to Space Camp every summer, and Donna thinks it’ll be good for her to try something new and broaden her horizons. She’s been subtly trying to talk Leia out of camp all summer, Eric slowly realizes. He wonders if they can get their money back and Donna says they can... because she never sent the check (cue the head pushing moment). Donna helps Eric realize that Leia’s ready to break out of their sheltered little bubble for her and have some adventures, like they did when they were kids (cue some cute reminiscing). He reluctantly agrees she can stay for the summer (he’s having a hard time with Leia growing up).

My Guess:

At the end of the summer, Donna picks Leia up from Red and Kitty’s to take her home. School starts again on Monday. Donna comes up to Leia’s room (is that Eric’s old bedroom?) while she’s finishing packing up her things, and asks her how her summer went. At first Leia plays it coy, but Donna starts teasing her and in a sing-song voice says, “Did you kiss a boy this summer?” Leia groans and knows the jig is up - Kitty told Donna everything - and admits she dated Jay this summer. Donna’s surprised but happy for her, although she warns her that the Kelso family is kind of infamous in Point Place (Donna even dated Jay’s uncle Casey once when she and her dad were going through a rough patch). Leia says Jay’s nothing like his family. Donna can tell she’s smitten and says okay. She lifts Leia’s suitcase and as they walk out of the room she says, “Maybe you can come back and see him again next summer.”

My Guess:

It’s Leia’s 15th birthday (or at least the day of her birthday party at Red and Kitty’s). Grandpa Bob has flown in from Florida for the special occasion. No longer neighbors but in-laws, (and co-grandparents 🤣) Bob and Red fall back into their old, good-natured rivalry. This time the contest is vying for granddaughter Leia’s affections. Red and Bob try to “out-grandpa” one another all episode. One of Leia’s new friends plays guitar, so Kitty’s suggested a “talent show”. Bob eagerly throws his hat into the ring with some karaoke, but Red’s talent is less of a hit with the teens. Bob still has a lot of money somehow, even in retirement, and is able to buy Leia an extravagant present. But at the end of the night Red wheels out the old Vista Cruiser, revealing he’s kept it in running condition somewhere, all these years. He lets Leia and her friends take it out for a joy ride, “winning” the contest.

My Guess:

At the very end of the first episode, once Eric and Donna have departed, Leia runs into the kitchen and asks Red and Kitty if she can go spend the weekend at her new friend Jay’s lake house. Red and Kitty say sure, but they need to meet his parents first and exchange contact information. Cue - Jackie and Kelso walk in with Jay, and Red and Kitty are shocked. Leia says, “You know them?”

I’m not really sure what happens next, or what the actual story will be with Jackie and Kelso. Although I am pretty sure that the alleged “leak” of the pilot script was wrong, because (1) Netflix described Jackie as Kelso’s wife in promo materials, not his bride-to-be or still-on-again-off-again girl or something, and (2) She’s not wearing a wedding dress. They look successful/wealthy, though also like much of their old dynamic is still at play in other pictures of them from the scene. I expect at least one, “Well damn, Jackie!”

[9w1ft]

ever since the jaylor break up, i've been seeing a lot of swifties become receptive to gaylorism subtly — for instance, they're more willing to accept when songs radiate queer vibes and they're hopping on the "boyfriend taylor" trend even though that's kind of our joke 🤣 as much as it annoys me a little to see swifties act like they're the pioneers of something us gaylors, kaylors, and related sub communities have come up for years now, i would hate to gatekeep it as that'd create an obstacle in their path to actual gaylorism, you know?

oh dear im sorry anon i went on a free-form tangent that i’m pretty sure isn’t aligned with your ask but i’m gonna keep it anyway because i wrote a lot 😆

i know what you mean about the attitudes and i do agree that sometimes it can feel annoying to see people lift things from tumblr, for example, and then these people get credited for the idea by their peers and they don’t correct or cite sources, which can be awkward

and sometimes i will see people reinvent the wheel when the answers are already available and written better here by all of us.. and i want to be like! come here!! there are some incredible things for you to find here!! you know? i know these feelings can often come off as gatekeeping, and, because i don’t really have any big issue with things spreading like folklore because that can become a haze to hide in, i do agree with you that it’s best not to try to micromanage things in general.

here’s the tangent… your ask made me think about how there were similar patterns to this in spring-early summer 2019, as lover promo was rolling out and it (the promo) was markedly optically gayer than rep. i remember seeing an incredible heel turn from some otherwise notoriously hostile swifties, where suddenly they were like yeah maybe taylor is bi, etc. i also remember there being a whole new generation of wide eyed gaylors on tumblr at the time—because taylor was still here—and so many were in my inbox and my friends inboxes asking and researching and it was all good and fun for the most part..

so i will say this from the perspective of someone that has experienced mass onboarding in the past and has seen how it can and cannot work

contemporarily speaking, kaylors can’t really gatekeep gaylorism. because we’re kinda already gatekept from gaylorism by Gaylorism tastemakers. lowercase g gaylorism exists in concept but i think that as it currently stands, it’s actually a pretty on-rails ride that is curated by some that would seek to influence their own worldview onto gaylorism subtly, that positions an onboarding to their benefit. and i don’t think it’s something always done with strategic intentions.. humans tend to want to tell and guide others to what they believe is right, and strive for an environment that works for them as opposed to against them, it’s human nature in a way.. still, Gaylorism presents gaylorism as something objective but, it’s actually done pretty subjectively, imo.

and i haven’t minded standing on the periphery as a kaylor because, one, i think that it’s better in some cases to gatekeep (or keep niche) parts of kaylor because, given it is true, taylor and karlie probably don’t want it going full-on mainstream. at least not right now. so i might see rumors or theories that make up stuff or use incorrect dates or just in general takes that feel so wrong and needing correction but i try to accept it existing as a way for lots of otherwise clever people to be distracted from seeing what kaylors see.

and also, i think it’s best for people interested in kaylor to come to conclusions on the basis of their own research, and at times be incorrect, yes, but for it to be first and foremost something people come to believe of their own volition. because if it’s directed under one tent pole then weird interpersonal dynamics can happen, as is the nature of fandom.. id rather a thousand people have all different slightly incorrect understandings of kaylor but an understanding that is unified by and grounded in love for taylor and karlie, than a thousand people have the same understanding of kaylor but for people’s feelings to be defined by one single source.

and separately, i worry about trying to make kaylor too approachable or to not gatekeep (maybe the word isn’t “not gatekeep” maybe the word is “overshare”) certain ideas because of the sensitivity of the subject matter. if kaylor gets too mainstream then you get a huge wave of people and statistically some of them will inevitably be people that are into kaylor not for the girls but because its the trendy thing to do. that can lead to a disconnect wherein people engage with kaylor as an endeavor for us to analyze and not an idea that is grounded in the lives of real people. and that disconnect can produce frenzied behavior…

sorry i don’t have a good way to tie these feelings together into one conclusion but basically, i don’t think we as kaylors can really gatekeep gaylorism but i think that’s fine and i also think that at times kaylor might benefit from holding back a little and maybe that difference is because of what each thing has as an end game, maybe. if that makes sense.. yeah.

i think what i mean to point out is, i think there has been an influx in people who see gaylorism as a concept without orchestrators, for better or for worse. the word gaylorism didn’t exist even three years ago, and nobody new seems to know why or think about it. for better or for worse.

[twelvedaysinaugust]

The idea that Harry would do it out of anger over the Sofie situation doesn't make sense to me. /

I agree, this has never really rung true to me. I will say, what's slightly more plausible to me is the idea that it's more meant to subtly reassure fans. I don't tend to think Harry or Louis are intentionally communicating with larries ... pretty much at all, but I think if they were going to it would be very occasional and very subtle (not like, here's a secret message countdown to our coming out, more like, wink nod we're still going strong, iykyk). And there are enough instances of Harry doing just... slightly odd things in that category to me (top of mind - I Will Survive at Coachella, picking up those Louis pride flags, even Harryween) that I think it's plausible. I don't think it's necessarily the most likely reality (like, maybe Harry and his band just made a bet and the winner got to pick the new song on the set list), but I do think it's a plausible reality.

Sorry it took me forever to answer this. I wanted to come up with a good response.

I agree that Harry and Louis both play around with Larry to this day. I don't think it's anywhere near as much as some people think. And even discounting the marketing/promo stuff that would involve teams of people (which is a whole other can of worms), I still think they do it. And maybe it's not "for fans" per se, but it still happens very publicly in front of fans. And it is something that does kind of... bug me. In the sense that, if Harry and Louis are going to say a lot of the Larry stuff bothers them (fair and also same) or that it has negative repercussions for the people close to them (also fair)... why do it at all?

I still lean towards it being self-expression. But to put it another way, I think it's a pretty common human experience to want to keep something private but also make it known at the same time. Like, there is something rewarding about sharing experiences and parts of yourself with others - it feels validating and reaffirming - but sometimes you don't want to share all of it.

There are a lot of morbid examples running through my mind, like making a joke about a serious topic that isn't actually a joke. But perhaps a better example is when you like someone and you kind of hint at it. But if they were to ask you point blank, you'd deny it. Or when you're really excited about a birthday present you got for a friend and you can't help but say, "I got you the best birthday gift. I can't wait for you to open it." But then you don't actually tell them what it is. I don't know if I'm making any sense but I wanted to write this out because it helped me make sense of things. Anyways, I can think of a million examples from my own life when I felt compelled to hint at something or joke about it - like, I just couldn't help myself because I wanted to share it, just not all of it. And if someone was to push for more information, I probably wouldn't give it. And when we do those things, I think it's usually for ourselves and less about sending any kind of message.

[redactedlove]

I guess it’s promo time, sooo…

Welcome to my personal Nowhere. I hope you enjoy your stay!

I’m Vera/Moonlight/Oddity, I go by they/them pronouns (though she/her is also okay!) and prefer gender-neutral terms. I speak 🇬🇧 and 🇷🇺 fluently!

I am a minor! I am generally okay with adults interacting, but no 18+ only blogs for self-explanatory reasons and I ask any and all pr0shippers to kindly stay away from this blog, thank you.

I selfship to cope with stress and to sprinkle a little wholesomeness into my life! You will find all of my f/o content here. This blog exists so I can show appreciation to the funny video game people in my head that have helped my mental health improve so much.

They call me a ‘friend of the Strange and Otherworldly’, and you’re about to find out why. (Most of my f/os are either subtly or not-so-subtly nonhuman!)

I draw and write sometimes, and I will interact from my main blog, which is @otherworldlyoddities

There may be horrors beyond our comprehension in our worlds, but there will always be wonders beyond our comprehension also, otherworldly beauty beyond measure that we may one day discover. Is that not reason enough to fall madly in love with the Universe?

[zot3-flopped]

Niall again to no one's surprise was embarassing and became a beggar man on his new TikTok live.

There was only 6k people joined in when he came in and like the narcissist he is he didn't like that and waited for more to join in. Finally the number after while rose to 15k and obviously he didn't like that either and said "c'mon everybody come join" as if anyone outside his fans cares what he does.

He then went to explain how the album process and started off by blaming the lockdown for cancelling his tour *duh* and bragged about HBW going #1 in the UK. He then said he sent a song he worked on with Jamie Scott to one of the producers who worked on Taylor's Lover album and that he had a good feeling that it is going to smash *eye roll* and then he subtly name dropped about 10 songwriters who worked on the album lol. He then continue to talk about how he planned the album cover and the aesthetic for a whole year. 🤣 *yet it came out so ugly*.

And then the begging started. He asked everyone to pre save the single, the album, go to his store and pre order the CDs, the album, get all the vinyls, the merch and the packages and that he is ready to do all the radio and tv promo and shows.... and said in his condescending tone that "it is going to be one hell of a ride my people" 🤮

And some dummy asked if he will go to the 2024 Grammy's and he said if he in invited and nominated he would and that it is his dream.

He said the album is a good combination of Flicker and HBW, but more like progressive Flicker.

The cringiest bit was where he said "I've been away for so long, wanna just make a big splash and that I know you will help me with it." And basically admitted that he is a people pleaser and made an album that he can feed his fans cause it is filled with songs he thinks they like cause he doesn't want to lose the fans.

And then he begged some more and told the fans to stream and pre save and pre order everything and promised to do more lives and went.

In conclusion I 🤮🤮🤮🤮.

Wow, thanks for this detailed report! Shocked that only 6k people were waiting and the numbers peaked at an embarrassing 15k! He must be disappointed. Sounds like he had no concept or thought behind the album and is just going after hits.

[travelingtwentysomething]

Rabid Speculation: Joseph Quinn was getting mentions at the pre screening, overshadowing Paul, who is supposed to be having his big moment as the *star* of the movie, and so Joe was taken out of promo with Paul and Pedro, and Pedro is subtly nodding to this, by saying "I'm sorry it has to be said" as if he's been told to talk up Paul for his part, and don't mention Joe, because it's Paul's moment. And Paul looks so uncomfortable with this. Like he actually didn't ask for this and is very uncomfortable with it. Or flip side maybe he's uncomfortable with him having had a problem with someone else stealing the scene, stealing the attention, and his diva attitude getting someone else sidelined for his sake, and Pedro, friend of Joe, is the one who is stuck in the middle of this dumb drama and has to act like this is okay but maybe feels for Paul too and is mediating a tough situation.

#Pedro 😭

[castlebyersafterdark]

I love that the poster for st on Netflix is just byler like!? is that not crazy and the background being California with the whole like blue and yellow meet in the west thing. I feel like it’s making it super obvious byler is endgame and they’re subtly trying to put it in the general audiences mind that maybe just maybe their character arcs are going to be intertwined and super important in s5

Hmmm I wonder where you are still seeing this? Could the branding have changed in the day since I received this ask? I know exactly, the one you are talking about and I feel like it was the Will/Mike yellow-ish graphic for a long time, but I checked our Netflix account and different searches, on laptop and TV, and under different VPN locations and everything shows me this one or a solo poster of Steve:

It's interesting though that it was Will and Mike for the longest time and how there wasn't really much Mike and El stuff at all. I know that the storyline in 4 was pretty much Mike and Will and El solo... but for the longest time, I can't even remember a Joyce and Hopper poster or a Max and Lucas poster being the big promo thing, unless I missed it. I associate the current banner with Mike and Will - this one:

For the longest time, right?? Confirm if that's true. It's like they want viewers to continuously associate them together in their minds. They could have done ANYTHING in a graphic with Mike and El and chose not to for season 4. But they didn't. Cannot wait to see how they market season 5. So nervous, too, but excited.