#//there was too much foreshadowing for it not to be the case ig

[crispy-kitten-princess]

Some fanarts to bring attention to the long post about the books!

Yesterday i had finished the httyd books re-reading (it's been A MONTH), and today i watched the httyd movie for like the 30th time idk (i was really keen of it as a child)

Friendship with movie Hiccup ended, now Tuffnut and Ruffnut are my best friends. They are iconic. I remember book!Tuffnut being kinda sorta a background character, like somebody amongst the Hooligan tribe. And that's the move i liked about the dreamworks version, heh

Longpost and possible spoilers under the cut

Yeah, i loved movie Hiccup and associated myself with him very much... But now, after i reread the books, refreshed my memory about The Ending (and cried my eyes out), i found the movie rather.. strange? It leaves a lotta questions, like the world building, Astrid's behaviour, poor stylistic choise of making her as skinny and wimp as Hiccup, and Stoic s attitude towards his son, like.. stop??? He is an awful warrior ok but plz quit telling everyone around how much you are ashamed of him. Plus i miss Alvin as the main antagonist. He was one of a kind, never saw anyone so persistent to living and killing your distance nephew. And i miss Fishlegs No name as he was so cute and sarcastic. Movie Fishlegs is rather cliched

Weeeeell this whole post exists just bc i love book Hiccup sm AND THE WHOLE STORY AND I LOVE THE FIRST HICCUP AND THE SECOND AND I LOVE FURIOUS AND HIS STORY AND I LOVE FISHLEGS STORY AND DEADLY SHADOW AND I ADMIRE VALHALLARAMA AND CAMICAZI AND CHINHILDA AND TANTRUM and i miss them and i want to share my love for the books with everyone around... But amongst all my friends i don't have somebody who would've read the YA fantasy book about a 10-15 yo viking boy and his tiny arrogant dragon, and i would not either if i had not became a fan at my 12-13s by absolute chance. This is insane. I love my fixations (that's the whole point of fixating) but it hurts that I can't share it, and even if i try to explain to one of my friends who are ready to listen, I can't tell why exactly would i cry for half an hour about the children's book ending where OMG the dragon died, no waaay

I really wish it were a cartoon series based on books specifically, bc that way i could show them to my friends, which is waaaay easier than making them read the books (which is impossible, i tried). But ig.... It would stay a wish forever

I wanted to tell something about the books again. Why i like them so much? But i get too emotional about them and can't muster up ANYTHING. What CAN i say??? They are good. They are perfect. Cressida Cowell made a great job. The slightest gradient between the first and the last book makes the neighbour books in the series feel alike, but the first and the last are nothing like the other. The first is really a cute local story. WHILE THE LAST IS ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD AND WHOLE NATION. This is incredible

Myself, i like the first 4 or 6 books more. They are so funny! I read them just for fun. But when i do, i just cant stop. And as i proceed further, the world changes, and the Fate follows the main character with a knife of misfortune (i wish i could play with English words as i do in my native language lol) - or good luck! Who knows, when you survived so many terrible moments, are you extra lucky or the exact opposite?

The first books don't even have in them the main thought of the last - dragon slavery. Or do they? Now, when i think of it, i do recognise the abuse and unappropriate attitude towards dragons, like foreshadowing... It's hard to tell if Cressida planned it all from the beginning or expanded the world as the books went further and further. Anyway, the first book os nothing like the last. The last is insane

I hate the book series endings almost every time, but not in that case. No. No. No. This one is solid perfection. It is logical. It is mature. And most importantly, it is painfully realistic. That's what broke me. The realism of the ending, where the magical creatures have to vanish from the human world just to save themselves. It is common for books like that to end with death of all magical (like it dies when we grow up, blablabla and so on) and it is the story of maturing, but that is not all. It matches with our world, where all living things die away and vanish eventually, if they are not significant for human race survival... But in our case they will never ever return from some North fields or sea hollow. Abused animals have neither intelligence to speak for themselves nor some kind guy to save them. Theme of war and death is extremely actual rn too. And i was devastated when the peace was established and shortly after that Furious died 🤪🤪 amazing, thank you. It killed me when he said that he was dead for all these years, and lived again only after Hiccup III spoke to him and returned him to his right mind

This is a mess I'm sorry 😔

I remembered now that it supposed to be a post bout the movie I've just watched. Well. The movie's best part is that it brought my mother's attention to the book series,, i was obsessed with the movie therefore she gifted me the books, and i became so obsessed with them that she even yelled at me for rereading them so frequently, lol

I can't say anything about the movie. I have no thoughts. I guess i just re watched it too many times as a kid to feel anything anymore. It didn't work with the books though. Reading them again 6-7 years later the latest reread, as an adult, i figured out that they aged extremely well. I found inspiration in them. I'm lost in thoughts about them. I want them to be more popular and well-known. And i hate fucking live action movie btw if you even care 😘💅 not to think about all of the resources that could ve been put in use to make cartoonish HTTYD books real

Plz, if you came that far, reblog or comment with something thoughtful, it would be mush appreciated

Upd.: this one is obvious but I loveeeee the trope. When Hiccup went on the impossible journey of Training His Dragon Toothless, he learned how to deal with arrogant, whining, lazy people. He learned how to be a a leader who listens to his followers, a teacher, a mentor to all the crazy arrogant and wild viking nation, and that is why the title of the book focuses on Training your dragon

I'd looove to hear everyone's opinion about the series. Plz share yours!!! I love you fellow httyd fan

[luvergirl-866]

The much anticipated make-up sex doesn’t happen until a week later

- I would be going feral.

And that’s a great thing for them, considering they have a history of resolving arguments via orgasm,

- fine maybe needed in that case

It hurt too much. I didn’t even tell my mom.”

- oh my poor babies

That night, her phone had blown up with messages from Paige, most of them silly selfies of her pouting at the camera as she sat at her desk with schoolwork laid out in front of her.

- she’s just a silly lovesick baby

“If I don’t overthink it I’ll end up looking ugly,” Azzi says,

- so me core

And your clothes are cute. Paige is going to love you in whatever you decide to wear.”

- can guarantee she’d still wanna fuck you if you wore a plastic bag

After two weeks of no sex Azzi needs to be wanted.

- pretty sure that’s gonna happen regardless but anyways

But I thought you were trying to get laid tonight?”

- again, can guarantee two things

- A) that bra will be off pretty soon

- B) she’s gonna get laid even if she wore the ugliest bra in the world

Should I wear one she hasn’t seen before

- this is gonna be fun

She’d, of course, had Paige in mind when she’d bought it,

- obviously

Paige, of course, tries to fuck her multiple times before they even get to the restaurant.

- again, obviously

It’s a gesture that Azzi thinks is innocent until Paige kisses her neck and murmurs, “You look good, Az. Makes me wanna make us late for our reservation.”

- now why would it be innocent. She’s a woman starved

It reminds Azzi of a more mature, experienced version of the Paige she dated in high school, and it reminds her exactly why their relationship was so perfect back then

- would love to read a one shot about this, just all cute and fluff and babies working things out

Azzi also catches a hint of something demanding

- #foreshadowing?

can we go fuck in the bathroom or??

- three times before the entree is crazy p

Reminiscent of a small child, Paige crosses her arms and slumps back in her seat

- Azzi you are dating a toddler. A horny toddler? Wait no that’s so fucked up, a horny adult with the patience and behaviour of a toddler.

You don’t know what that word means

- ok miss scholar athlete

You’re really okay?” Paige asks for what seems like the millionth time. “Because if you’re even, like, a little drunk, we don’t have to—

- this is so fucking cute

finish that god-awful sentence.

- real

Good. Because I have an empty apartment tonight.”

- oh she’s plannedddddd

was under the impression they’d fuck against the front door the minute they got home.

- can’t believe Paige turned that down tbh

It’s kinda hot in here,” Paige says abruptly, and when Azzi looks at her, her cheeks flush. “Isn’t it?”

- oh she really has planned

And that’s not to mention the blushing, the weird smiling, and the need for a drink.

- what is she planning…

Back in high school, not long into their relationship, the first time they had sex.

- aw she’s nervous

Hey,” she says, wrapping her arms around Paige’s neck, “you good?

- I love how they constantly check up on each other, so healthy!

if you’re not up to it, we don’t have to.

- I think we all know they are going to but the checks are sweet

Wonders if Paige’s lotion is vanilla, too.

- every girls gotta have a signature scent, or taste ig

And, knowing she’s being expected to lead, Paige is worried about getting it wrong. Messing up, somehow.

- awwww

There’s a slight pause,

- hmmm

As soon as the thought comes to her, her hands fly to the button of Paige’s jeans, staring down to watch her hands work it open.

- so the bedroom is right there.

when she traces the letters of her own name

- oh lord

It’s then that Paige starts talking.

- longest time ever that Paige hasn’t talked

concern about hurting her girlfriend cutting through her own haze of pleasure.

- they care so much I love them

Azzi smiles softly at the absolutely fucked-out, but undeniably lovesick, look on the other girl’s face.

- I’m getting emotional at how in love they are

“I’ll send her a card and flowers for this shit.”

- lmao the team rlly instigating

nth time

- fuck you just reminded me of my calc assignment

What was it you said to me earlier? About being patient?

- oh she’s keeping tabs

Paige sure as hell isn’t about to admit that.

- of course she isn’t

You ready, baby girl?”

- appreciating these pet names because they are so fucking adorable

Sweet girl,” she murmurs, mostly to distract her, “y’look so pretty like this, mama.”

- I love them so much

Why are you tryna sleep,” Paige very nearly whines.

- Damn girl you seriously want another round??

F’real?” Paige can’t keep the excitement out of her tone at this.

- she’s living her dream

Oh, also, Caroline does receive a thank you letter and a bouquet of flowers in the mail a few days later. Confused, she opens the letter, to find it reads, “Thx for helping azzi pick that fit for our date. you’re a g mama carol. p.s. the sex was ridiculously good.” Caroline sends a photo of it to Azzi, wondering why she needed to know about the sex. Azzi replies with a shrugging emoji and a, “She’s not lying though

- LMAOOOOOOO

this was amazing! Please give us a one shot of them in highschool being adorable little babies

[hyukascampfire]

Contains spoilers ‼

Walls have ears, Doors have eyes, Trees have voices, Beasts tell lies, Beware the rain, Beware the snow, Beware the man You think you know

That was so good

“I was out with Yeonjun, and I heard something. It was like—” Taehyun cuts you off, his face souring. “Why weren’t you at Court? Where were you?”

Sometimes I feel like he does this cause he's jealous and not because he wants her to pay attention to her work

Yeonjun pats the flank of the horse, looping a lead around its gear and making a tree the anchor for the other end. “Faerie fruit is intoxicating to humans, yes,” he says, “but at lower doses it gives you true sight.” He looks over the little marketplace. “There’s so much of Faerie that you miss. Hidden places like this... I want to show you all of them. This is your home, too, isn’t it?”

I'm team Taehyun, but honestly, I get it, girl. I would want a man who makes me fit in with others for once and not exclude me instead of a man like Taehyun, who insists that, you know, you're a human and you'll never fit in. Like ladies, if he wanted to, he would

You peruse the stalls with only your eyes for a few moments before walking up to one. This one, you find as you approach the stall, has art for sale. Canvases slathered with paint and telling stories of betrayals and greatness are propped up on display easels, so plentiful that the shopkeeper began littering them about the ground as well. Earthenware and pottery glazed in sparkling silvers and bronzes stand tall and beautiful alongside them. You can’t help but notice that the subjects of the art pieces are all human.

Foreshadowing I just know it. One of them (probably OC, but I read an ask where someone said YJ betrayed OC, so like, hey YJ, that's your #faerie-in-human-fields moment).

Yeonjun takes the necklace from your hands. He reaches around you, clasping the ends of it at the back of your neck. He picks up the drooping pearl from where it dangles about your cleavage, observing it and spinning it in his fingers. “Maybe this necklace isn’t inlaid with magic. Maybe it doesn’t gift its wearer boundless beauty, or act as a ward against evil enchantments. But how I look at it, somebody worked hard days of their lives learning the skillset and working their fingers raw to finally be able to make a piece like this. They had no faerie magic to help them do it, and they did not have the long lifespan of a faerie, either. Their lives were short and valuable, and yet, they spent their scarce time mastering their craft until they made this. Don’t you think that is more lovely than any faerie thing?”

OC please get in line rn

Why's he so sweet omg

He says the words a bit harsher than you had hoped, but in some odd way that only Taehyun could pull off, it feels like an apology for treating you like dead weight before. You huff. “If it’s nothing, you can’t say it’s my fault that we’ve wasted time on this.”

He might be a little bitch but at least he's not dumb ig

You spin on him, hearing his unspoken words. Yeonjun, too. “And you wouldn’t?” you hiss. As you finally look at him, you notice the folded-up paper he holds in his hands. His eyes flash. “I am not one of them.”

Okay that's the closest we'll get to a love confession. Now kiss.

-🕸

i’m finally getting to answering these! i love getting live reactions like this. it fills the gap in my heart left by wattpad comments LMAO

tsfawc spoilers below the cut!

walls have ears, doors have eyes, trees have voices, beasts tell lies, beware the rain, beware the snow, beware the man you think you know

hehehe… this was 100% meant to be foreshadowing.

Sometimes I feel like he does this cause he's jealous and not because he wants her to pay attention to her work

it’s absolutely that. ofc part of it is because they have a mission, but if that was the case, he’d just get the work done by himself instead of demanding that she helps him. he’s efficient on his own!! his issue was never really with that. 😋

I'm team Taehyun, but honestly, I get it, girl. I would want a man who makes me fit in with others for once and not exclude me instead of a man like Taehyun, who insists that, you know, you're a human and you'll never fit in. Like ladies, if he wanted to, he would

no i don’t blame MC for it either 😭 yeonjun sort of represents a life that she has only seen as something totally out of reach, and then all of a sudden he’s making it reality. and then, taehyun as the realist he is, presents a harder reality. there’s an intentional difference just in the context of the scenes between the two! with yeonjun, i try to keep a whimsical air, focusing on the magic in the air and the separation from reality that he makes her feel. and then, for taehyun, scenes with him are usually bare and real. i think that it helps even the reader feel the same illusion as MC! or, i hope so, at least.

Foreshadowing I just know it. One of them (probably OC, but I read an ask where someone said YJ betrayed OC, so like, hey YJ, that's your #faerie-in-human-fields moment).

faerie-in-human-fields moment i just shed a tear i love you

Why's he so sweet omg

yeonjun & his love for the human spirit

He might be a little bitch but at least he's not dumb ig

he’s just a lil awkward >.<

Okay that's the closest we'll get to a love confession. Now kiss.

i fear that these two only speak in riddles and vibes like one of them needs to sit the other down n clarify things 😭 and it would def not be taehyun so

[bengiyo]

I Told Sunset About You Rewatch Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Continuing the rewatch for the retrospective, lets pick back up with my favorite crybaby boys. Coming back to ITSAY I'm floored again by just how fucking good the score, sound mixing, cinematography, and the editing are. This was the first Thai gay drama I watched that felt like it believed in its talent and trusted them to carry the scene. The shots are patient, and the story is so legible. It's not doing any slapstick to make sure you laugh in case you're getting bored. It makes you sit up and take notice.

They really had Bas dropping Oh-aew off at his romantic rival's house.

Once again loving the almost-Japanese approach to depth of picture with these static shots where they let the actors move about the frame. I just love seeing people act and exist relative to each other in the same space. I love having details to focus on at every level.

Teh's mom was very correct that Teh needed to not just blow off school.

Hoon may tease Teh sometimes, but he still got that boy a plane ticket. Makes me sad that Teh has so many hangups about his big brother.

Frustrates me to no end that Oh always viewed Teh impressively, and yet Teh has such an inferiority complex.

Billkin has multiple angles, and those dimples. It's not fair.

That's right, Tuty. Nothing gay better happen on your watch! Keep it up, you homophobic pup!

PP plays the shift in Oh to relax around Teh again really well this episode. He's so charming when he's not tensing. Billkin responds well by having Teh pretend he isn't a sap.

Man, this talk of boobs on the saleng is also worrisome foreshadowing.

Also, hilariously, there were so obviously on a trailer for most of that.

I just really love the shot of them running down the ramp to the pier.

Smile really was just so good as Tarn. I really liked her, and she's so lovely to watch this time too.

I feel the need to state very clearly here again that Teh did genuinely like Tarn. We know he had been flirting for two years. Even if he's brightening up and his blue is coming through loudly again because he reconnected to Oh-aew, he is still trying to be good to Tarn.

Truly the leitmotif of Skyline is unparalleled.

Oh, Teh, he doesn't even know why he's jealous of their oldest friends.

I also don't think any other show has used text chats and IG better than this show. Texting someone at the table with your friends is so real.

Teh is just so pouty with Oh. Just no effort to shield his feelings.

This boy is still being salty as shit about this at school the next day, and now is going across the damn city to sneak into their school because he doesn't feel close enough to Oh.

Absolutely incredible that he says it so plainly that he was jealous of their friends because he didn't feel like he was the BFF anymore. Teh is unreal.

Whoever was in charge of lighting for this scene where Oh and Teh talk at Oh's school? You did an incredible job. PP looks amazing.

I get so anxious every time we get to Teh trying to help Oh flirt with Bas. I think he was serious at first, but it gets complicated so quickly. Also, I remember being this age and any slight form of physical contact being so, so much.

The MoRaoYuLok chemistry workshops really paid off. They feel like dudes who've been around each other forever.

Hold fast, friends. Teh is about to do something to provoke Bas.

It's interesting that only Bas looked at Oh after Teh's admission. The rest of them focused only on Teh. Bas immediately schedules a hangout with Oh.

And now it's these two knocking knees under the table. I'm going to go insane again.

Now, PP, you did not need to drink from that coconut like that whole looking at Khunpol.

That transition from Oh's and Bas's backs to Teh's and Tarn's backs gets me every time.

PP and Khunpol have great legs.

Teh posting Tarn on IG like, "After tonight, don't leave ya girl around me. Real playa fo' real."

But on the real, we get mad about the situation in IPYTM, but Teh misuses Tarn's feelings repeatedly here and again in this show after he gets jealous of Oh.

Truly incredible performances from Billkin and Smile on this kiss. I love that they got this on one take after falling on each other the first time. Contrast that with the athleticism required for the underwater kiss later and you appreciate that Boss only asked for what was necessary from his actors.

Teh can be so mean sometimes, and often Oh has no idea why Teh is suddenly being grumpy or petty. Poor Bas can read what's happening, but also has no idea what's going on.

Excellent timing on battery death there, phone. I always love Teh doing donuts to get some power back just to angst over Oh again.

We talk about Skyline a lot, but Lost in Translation is used so well in the background of this show.

Here there go again holding the shot and letting people act again. I love how they trust Billkin to play Teh's nervousness and anticipation in extended takes. Oh-aew's return is also timed perfectly with the song.

My goodness. Oh will be begging Teh to just tell him what's bothering him for years.

They really were determined to make PP and Billkin glow this episode.

"Don't give my time to others." I'm just gonna go ahead and lay down again.

Coconut scent got this boy telling on himself. This final scene is just so much. Many of us fake wrestled as an excuse to touch.

I gotta stop for now. I can't go immediately into episode 3, because this episode always does me in. Despite both Oh and Teh making progress with their respective love interests, so much of this episode ends up being about their forward progress with each other. Both of them are checking in or checking on with the other while basically on a date, and both are thinking about the other while with Bas or Tarn. There's just so much here about their need to affirm their importance to each other after all this time.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Thanks for answering!

My shift was definitely a hard one, I’m an ER doctor and it was a looooong one.

I hope that you’re right and something good is coming to us.

I’m new to the fandom, 2-3 months in. I’ve read multiple times that Oliver would be totally on board with buddie happening. What about Ryan? I could not find anything…

What do you think about the Lucy comeback? Oliver said Buck’s not gonna be happy about seeing her again, maybe cause Eddie or Chim get hurt and have to be evacuated??

And what About the coach metaphor? I would really like to be related to buddy in the season finale… so crossed fingers!!

Now we have the poker scene coming soon… I hope it helps with our case 🙏🏻

Sorry for the long ask and for my English, not a native!!!

B

Sorry your shift was hard darling, hope you're well rested now.

Ryan said he's on board too, in fact, he's the one who named this ship all those years ago in S2.

Fun fact: Out of the two of them, Ryan is the one who portrayed a gay character before. So both of them would be on board.

I don't know why Buck would be unhappy to see Lucy, I'm guessing that maybe one of the 118 would indeed be injured, Joaquin sedillo did post this pic on his ig story, a couple of days back.

So I'm guessing it's not Lucy showing up, so much as the reason she shows up with the air support. She was wearing a flight suit, so I'm guessing maybe smoke jumper, or med-evac.

Since this is the ambulance, and we've seen several bts vids and shots of it showing that it's the 118 ambulance, I'm guessing Chimney or Hen. Probably Chim, though. He's due, and there will be an episode called death and taxes, that I believe will be the foreshadowing for this episode.

As for that damned couch, lol, I want the one his mother got him to spontaneously catch fire and for him to finally get his act together and just pick Eddie, I mean, pick a couch with Eddie. 😉❤️

I'm really hoping the Poker game night will be a date night or a boys' night out turned date. I mean, we can dream, right? 👀🤗💜

The boys do look handsome in that picture, though, aren't they? 😍🔥

[mochinon-yah]

REVIEW (SPOILER) :

Hiii, okay, so before we start, i just wanna say good job to brynryn because you made such an amazing work and GOSH was i hooked into reading every single part of the fic from the start till the end. Wouldn't say that this is the brynn's best work, but i will say that this work's plot twist actually worked on me- like bro wth-

*cough* anyways

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I could remember that time when you uploaded a simple spoiler for this and i was wondering who will be talking to akira, but turns out, it was fischl and oz lol. Not going to lie, it was sudden, but cute 🫶 altho ig i understand why akira should be interrupted. Looking back at the start of y/n's and akira's confrontation, it would've ended bad if there was no one to interrupt them. Maybe, brynn just randomly choose fischl?

But sjskska the conversation between akira and fischl was absolutely cute! Altho yeah, akira was giving such absurd questions about his relationship with y/n in a roundabout way to fischl.

Ahhh, srsly tho, i kept thinking about the ending with the plot twist in mind and i kept just being amazed by how you executed it in such a beautiful way :')

Aaaaaa it was so good i swear

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THIS GENUINELY SURPRISED ME TOO LMAO. Well, just a plain of like "oh—OH?" kind of surprise. But i wonder tho, why did y/n acts somewhat welcoming (their arrival into teyvat) for someone who actually has a lover or just a beloved waiting for them to come home?

But thinking abt it, this one sentence is more like an explanation why y/n wouldn't want to accept akira. They already have a lover back home. Accepting akira and embracing him means breaking the trust of y/n's lover. And plus, they still love their lover. Even if they didn't (or it lessened), the efforts that went into that relationship were already enough, especially because all they needed left was a.... uhh, was it a home or smth? Sorry, i forgot hehe. I read this at nighttime because i wanted to know what's up, so i forgot some tiny little details like these.

In any case, moving on.

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I SHOULD'VE KNOWN. THIS WAS... THIS WAS FORESHADOWING AKIRA'S FREAKING DRINKS 💀💀 ngl at this part, i was like "haha did akira put cocai-" but yeah, i was just joking around.

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THIS ONE PART THO!!! The build up to the top of the conflict in this one part was absolutely insane. I love every details of it. The creepiness and the dialogues between y/n and akira were the best. This might be my favorite part from the whole story, aside from tbe plot twist ending.

I can't explain much but akira was literally like explaining that his love or devotion was THAT passionate, i suppose. Because of his passionate heart, he ended up with a pyro vision. Y/n hearing that was like "oh, is that so?" AND I AM LOVING EVERY BITS OF THEM TALKING HERE AND GOSH THE DIALOGUES AAAAA- i just lop lop it.

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BRO. PLS. I DID NOT EXPECT THIS ENDING. SUCH AN OPEN ENDING TOO????? 😭😭🫶

IT WAS SUCH A COOL ENDING UGSHWHSJKA PLS I LOP IT <33 i can't explain it that much but oh my gosh 😭😭 i lop it so muchhhh

"Akira, I'm no longer your partner."

"So is he."

AAAAA NDNSKS IT'S SUCH A GOOD DIALOGUE 🥺🫶

A Tasteless Cup [Yandere!Joker/Reader]

Prompt: After the destruction of your previous reality, you and Akira Kurusu landed in Teyvat. In an effort to stay afloat, Akira had set up a book café in Mondstadt alongside you. However, is this the true flavor of "Freedom"? [Dedicated to: Riley H. Goodheart, for the Alone Together event]

CW: yandere themes, dubious food, manipulation/controlling behavior, toxic relationship dynamic. P.S: Akira is aged up [20s] in this fic, happens after Persona 5.

To Akira, those he lets into his heart will become an intrinsic part of him. They are more than a trick of a card, more than a mask to mimic and steal for his own, more than a numbers game. Every bit of them is his soul. His relationships are the culmination of his being and, eventually, his raison d'etre. 

And Akira Kurusu had a hard time coping with losing these links. 

To others, relationships are no different from chains. The surrounding people are less a home and more like bars to a cage— a prison. And despite being somewhat of a Mr/Ms. Congeniality, you aren't as affected by the fact that neither of you can return to your respective world.

You are both empty. You have been handed a clean slate, an empty card, and an empty vision.

You are both "fools" again.      

"Bit too early in the morning to start a serious discussion…" Akira tiredly muttered, removing his glasses before rubbing his eyes.

But as long as the sun rises once more, does a rebirth truly matter?

Anyone would be remiss to disregard the sheer jadedness in his eyes and the slight breathlessness of his speech. Akira poured himself a cup. Normally served to others rather than his indulgence, you quietly noticed that his cup lacked sugar. The cafe owner drank and embraced its bitterness, unflinching. 

It's been three months since you both arrived in the world of Teyvat. Getting by as an Outlander proved difficult, and thankfully, Akira is kind towards you and a jack-of-all-trades. One might say he has "maxed out his stats." Charismatic, skilled, and bold, he has the makings for an entrepreneur with a pyro vision to boot. Unsurprisingly, he had become one of old Mond's eligible bachelors in a short time frame. 

So, by just the third week, he managed to persuade Master Ragnvindr with a solid pitch. The cafe you both sit in is a testament to your shared hard work. With his brew proficiency and your hobby of accumulating knowledge through books and art pieces, the cozy place had become a second home for individuals such as the local librarian and the Guild's investigator. 

But you'll always remember his words the night before he was invited into Duke Ragnvindr's study room.

"Akira, are you sure about this?" You muttered, tugging his sleeve. "Once you finalize it, you can't just..."

"Hmm? Why are you hesitating?" He tilted his chin up slightly, confused. "It's a good way to keep our finances afloat, right? Don't you want to keep collecting books and art supplies? I thought you said you wanted to have a small library someday."

"But, for you to work this much for it-"

"You matter to me. You are the only thing left binding me down here in Teyvat." He casually shot you down, but his light tone could not erase the heaviness of his words. "Besides..."

"Don't you like it when I make a hot cup and fresh pastries just for you?" 

That dream materialized into something called Cafe LeBlanc. Though he claims the name wasn't his but a charming, cranky old man's— you doubt anyone else can come up with that. But he sounded genuine enough. His unexplainable "silent" face can sometimes make him a hard read.

… This isn't one of those times. You know what's troubling him quite well. 

"Yeah…" you muttered. "Can't we save this conversation for the end of the day instead?"

Akira laughed. 

"Smart," he hummed humorlessly. 

"You know I get too tired to do anything at night except washing dishes and doing crosswords. It's not happening. We'll have this talk now."

Fair enough. Avoiding one's problems is a mindset you never advocated. You'd be a terrible hypocrite if you start now. "Alright, I'll hear you out."

You shifted from your seat, dragging it closer to the counter. Akira downed his cup on the other side, revealing no liquid gold in its bottom. His eyes were wide awake thanks to the caffeine, yet you couldn't even glance upward. 

"(Y/n), do you remember how I got this pyro vision?"

You blinked, unsure how he'd make the fact relevant. Still, you nodded.

A long time ago, you liked how open Akira was about himself. You can tell he had immense trust issues he had worked on fixing. Akira is a good man. Being wrongfully expelled and imprisoned at a young age must've done damages you can't quite comprehend fully. Sometimes, you wish you had the courage to be just as vulnerable, too.

He traced the outline of a pyro symbol on the table with his slender finger collecting not a single dust nor stain. Despite the warmth his vision may hold, it did not detract from the cold atmosphere you both had to face. With the angle you were viewing him, you can't help but notice his eyelashes. They're prettier than yours, you thought. If only his glare wasn't so pointed.

"When I arrived in this world, I was alone and confused. But you? You weren't. I saw your face— the face of someone who had nothing to lose to begin with."

Akira's gaze softened. He was right. You adapted to this new world so suspiciously well. 

"I couldn't tell whether you saw our situation as a positive or whether you thought this whole transfer to another reality was a cruel joke. But I had a feeling you were as horrified as I was. That you couldn't bear the thought of living alone. I think that you also had friends you cared for, but now, you will never be able to hear their voices again."

He breathed in shakily, his eyes heavy. Akira may seem like a silent person, no different from Duke Ragnvindr, but the time you spent together backs up what your instincts are testifying right this second.

There's one true thought in his mind.

After all his efforts.

After all that he has gone through so that you'll stay by his side.

What was it all for?

"So, when a Lawachurl wounded you in Windrise, I stepped in. I can't help but project myself onto you. I thought about how you must also have friends waiting– family waiting– whether it's a cat or a sister— I knew I just had to. I had to risk everything, even if you were just a stranger to me then." He clenched his fists. "And you were worth it. You were absolutely worth every risk. You were worth everything. I knew I had to survive, if not for myself, but to help you."

"Even without some sort of— card– or whatever— to indicate it, I knew our relationship was progressing. That our understanding of each other has reached such high ranks. I know we had become each other's most trusted confidant, so why? Listen, I value freedom too, but—"

He slammed his cup down— you jolted as you heard it chip slightly. It wasn't his intent to scare. Akira would never wish to frighten you. But he can't stop his emotions and movements from being brash and pointed. 

"... Why did you want to quit working with me?"

There it goes.

"Is it because I haven't spent much time with you lately? You know I've been busy with trying to invest in a better flat—"

The pace of his breathing was starting to quicken.

"Kurusu, it's not that…" You need to rationalize this with him. Fast.

"I-Is it because work has been too much? I told you we could hire someone if you feel too faint for the job. I care about your health— hell— maybe even more than you do—"

"Akira, listen to me—"

His futile attempt to maintain control was like an age-weakened thread. The fibers of his composure whittled away string by string, itching to snap entirely. Akira's jaw clenched. 

The manacle may not be anchoring his feet down as it did in the Velvet Room, but there's no denying that doubt is tugging and clawing at his neck. He knew that if he should continue, only strained words would come from his coffee-bitter lips. 

He rubbed his head against his shoulder. He had to have been wiping a tear away, trying to make it unnoticeable but failing.

"But why are you LEAVING m—"

"Behold, for this fine hour, you are not only graced with the presence of soft rays— you are also blessed by myself: Fischl, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung!"

"Mein Fräulein meant to say good morning to you both, Arsene and Sholmes."

... Akira chuckled a short and strained sound that could easily be missed by a weak ear.

As though a switch had been flipped, Akira's contorted expression turned back to his customer service smile. You trembled slightly. Perhaps it's a skill he mastered during his part-time worker years in high school, but he seemed a little too good at hiding such overwhelming frustrations— almost shape-shifting.

It's… 

Eerie.

He's smiling. It's his usual smile he has that has a calm allure and a hint of cockiness.

As if nothing happened five seconds ago.

"Ah, greetings, Your Highness!"

The guests were none other than some of the regulars, Amy and her bird familiar. This blonde, eye-patched girl is the only person in Little Mond who consistently makes Akira act dramatic. 

He bowed, not missing a beat of young Amy's theatrics. After spending so many years chatting with Yusuke, he's gotten used to bouncing back conversations of this nature. Akira enjoys the young investigator's company. He saw tiny bits of his friend in her.

"What shall we, humble servants, offer you this dawn? Will it be your usual order, or does our dear royal have something else in mind entirely? We will do our best to provide you with maximum entertainment! After all, this is your castle, Mein Fräulein."

You stiffened.

We.

He's not letting you go just yet. You caught a glimpse of his dark pupils, slightly moving to meet yours. Imploring you without words to act out of his best interest.

Akira Kurusu has always been a witty man, but there is no way there's no anger beneath that mask.

"Are you alright, Sholmes?" Oz asked.

For whatever reason, Akira persuaded Amy to call you both Arsene Lupin and Herlock Sholmes. The former was likely a nod to his first persona's name. His explanation for the latter was something along the lines of "you strike me as the type who always wants to search for your truth."

You blinked.

Right. You're his version of Sherlock Holmes.

Ha.

Even here, he gets to dictate everything about you.

"... Yes, Your Highness, to what do I owe the pleasure?" you said. The blonde girl smiled and tilted her head up pompously. 

"What other brew could I possibly order but the darkest taste that leaves any normal mortal to shrivel in imagination?" Amy shrugged, her eyebrow raised as though everyone knew what she babbled on with commendable sass. Her aviator companion thankfully cleared the air— albeit a little too blunt.

"Mein Fräulein desires a cinnamon ginger affogato with more sugar than last time, please. Two spoons for the poor Mein Fräulein."

"O-Oz!?!"

It's easily one of the least bitter cups on the menu. It consists of vanilla gelato, a tablespoon of espresso powder, cinnamon sticks, hazelnut liqueur, and bits of dried sunsettia. I can't say what would make anyone fear such a thing except for those with complications. Someone else shared the same sentiment.

You and Akira laughed in unison.

Your eyes widened in astonishment. That was in sync. You immediately looked away as Akira busied himself with Amy's order. It was awkward knowing that even with your efforts to cut things off, there was still some vague commonality between you two.

"... Say, your Highness?" Akira smiled softly. "Would it be alright for me to probe some of your most revered royal musings?"

...

...

... What is his play this time?

"You have my ears, dear subject."

"Suppose there is a princess who is facing an uphill battle. Furthermore, her valiant knight aspires to rescue her. However, the princess, for unknown reasons, declines his assistance. Is that..." He shut his eyes, laughing that strained chuckle once more. "... equittable?"

"Oh, most grievous indeed! A knight, who is obligated by the code of chivalry, shall always respond to the plea of his princess when she is in peril. His solemn obligation is to protect her honor and safeguard her from any danger!"

Akira looked at you.

His eyes were cold.

"But what if the princess doesn't want to be saved? What if she believes she can handle the situation herself, or maybe she thinks having assistance would make her weak?"

"Ah, but thou dost speak in riddles!" Amy scoffed, unamused. "A princess may exhibit abundant power and courage, yet it is the responsibility of her faithful knight to guarantee her safety, especially when she questions her own necessity. For what good is a knight's valor if not to serve and protect his liege?"

"Would you say her actions essentially strip him of his purpose?"

"Why, of course!" Amy replied with full conviction. "One would not require Oz if he lacks such a necessary trait! It is the basis of our trust– our relationship! A true knight's honor lies not in the glory of battle, but in his unwavering commitment to his princess, even in the face of her refusal."

You sucked in a deep breath.

Akira, you—!

"Speak frankly. Do these inquiries pertain to me?" Amy glared at him. Akira shook his head immediately, umping up his flamboyant voice inflections.

No.

It's about you.

It's always about you when it comes to him.

"Of course not!" Akira feigned worry. "It was for a novel I'm writing— to honor one's love."

… To honor one's "love".

Love? You froze. He calls this relationship love? It hadn't been that for the past few months! Love is meant to be like coming home to a comforting home— not a cold palace with your unfeeling statue at the heart of it all.  

You were hoping that your life would be dictated by what you want it to mean this time around. You hope to create your own purpose, your own identity. You hope to reject his titles—being his partner and his "Sholmes." 

But mostly, you sincerely hoped his words were untrue and did not allude to something as sinister and self-destructive as his love.

Besides, you already have a lover waiting for you to leave this mess behind.

You and he already have everything planned out. A rented flat, food, work— everything is set. The only box to tick off was leaving itself, and then you'll be in your lover's arms.

But you swore.

You swore you just saw him smirk.

"(Y/n), could you please lend me a hand? Can you pass the cinnamon sticks from the cupboard?"

Starting your day by serving Amy leads to serving a hundred more. You can't just stand up and leave whenever someone asks for your service. It's impossible to make the shortest comment about how you no longer work for LeBlanc, even more so when people beg for book recommendations. Being friendly is part of who you are. It can't be helped.

What made matters worse was that people were ordering seconds. Apparently, Akira must've adjusted all the recipes on the menu because whatever was added to those cups made it all the more divine. You knew his skills were perfection, but to think he could even exceed that...

In the end, despite multiple delays, Akira still got you right where he wanted you.

"Thank you. Please come again!" He escorted the final customer outside and flipped the closing sign himself.

Now, it was just the two of you left.

"... You must be tired." You offered, hoping he wouldn't catch on. "It's been a long day, why don't you take a rest—"

"Nice try." 

Well, it was worth a shot.

You stiffly waited for him to say something. Anything. But instead, he took a kettle off the icebox and heated the stove with his vision. 

"Back to my story, do you remember where we left off?"

The wisest thing to have down was biting your tongue or pretending not to know what he was talking about. Unfortunately, your answer was immediate.

"Something about how you got your vision?"

"Ah, yes, that." Akira laughed. "Say, I told you about how I used to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves when I was in High School, right?"

While waiting, Akira tapped his fingers against the table but stopped when he realized you were becoming distracted. Snapping out of it, you cleared your throat.

"You were stealing hearts in the Metaverse, yes, I recall..." You mumbled. Due to the sudden need to speak, you ended up unwittingly playing by his script again. "You manifested a Persona and used that to reform the heart of rotten adults."

You flinched slightly when his tea was starting to release thin smokes. It smelled too much like rust. Maybe he exhausted it too much today. The customers you had were double the amount. You had to commend his willpower for still managing exceed his usual sleep schedule.

"Isn't the kettle burning?"

"Trust me, it's not," he answered nonchalantly. I remember when I told my story to you, you were mostly understanding of our actions. You didn't judge us. Rather, you told me that humanity is selfish and destructive."

"But back to how I got my vision," he finally turned the stove off. "I genuinely thought my most distinct trait was my appreciation for Freedom."

"Yet you got a pyro vision." You joked lightly.

He didn't laugh. Instead, he nodded.

"Strange, isn't it?" Akira tilted his head to look at you for a bit, before back at the hot cup he was pouring. It's the same liquid he's been adding the entire day. This must be the last of those ten pints. "Here, try it."

You slowly took it. It's still a bit too warm, so you continued talking.

"I thought about it, too. If we go by theories, it will make more sense if Barbatos blessed me instead. But with you here..." Akira laughed. "Pyro is definitely my element. I'm seeing a pattern with vision-wielders like me. Based on what I've seen so far, pyro users are often the most passionate. And passion can put a leash on freedom when need be."

You took a sip.

He put an elbow on the table and propped his chin on his palm.

"How is it?"

"It's... tasteless?" You blinked. 

You thought he must've added something grand to the cups today. Was it all just one big placebo effect?

"Makes it no different than regular water, huh?"

"Well, yeah, I guess?"

"I've actually been disposing of this the entire day, that's why the coffees looked darker. Diluting the original sample is hard work but worth it. Enough as a substitute for normal water in case we run out. Who knew you could empty 10 pints so quickly in a day..." 

"You. In case you run out." You sighed, finally addressing it. "Akira, I'm no longer your partner."

"So is he."

You both paused.

He returned the kettle to the ice box before unmasking its contents.

"You were near-fatally wounded once before. You tasted it in your mouth when I defended you from that Lawachurl-

"You should know by now that blood isn't supposed to be tasteless."

Riley H. Goodheart can now message Akira Kurusu

[raiiju]

The spoilers.......... of the recent chapter.......... just kill me. 

[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

i don't really know how to articulate what i want to talk about in this post

Which is the weird feeling i have , about "kh4". I have no real basis, for this feeling, it's literally just, a guess, not a hunch. Just. An opinion, basically.

That, i always get. When i hear this line of thought of like. That kh4, will, resolve some major plot point. That like, the next major arc will all come to a head, in that game. Bc if it did, i feel like. It'd feel rushed. Maybe that's what all the mobile games are for, but . Still.

And i, that's why it feels so weird, odd, to me that the next "main/major" kh game coming out is kingdom hearts 4. Like. Idk? Like i said, idk what exactly im tryna say. So if im just repeating myself, then.

Idk, it just felt to me (whatever that means) that, the next game focusing on either sora and/or riku, would be more of an in-between game? A set-up game? A foreshadowing game? Maybe I'm just too , im probably definitely tunnel-visioning, and framing my thoughts like CoM too much? Lol bc , obsessed. But.

I, basically. Like, Kh4. Does not have to be defined by its "number status". I guess. Given the "side games" can also be main installments that follow and progress the main storyline. Maybe it could be the other way around as well. Where, if com and ddd can be direct direct sequels to numbered titles, then numbered games could also serve to set up future major plot points without resolving them in the same game. If that makes any sense.

I guess now that ive typed shit out, what im trying to say is that i am reminded of this sometimes whenever i see, like i said, whenever i see/hear kh4 being talked about as a game that will resolve a major plot point regarding the main story aka sora and riku's story.

I would imagine the "best" way to continue from 3, is to focus on sora (which, going by the one trailer, seems to be what would be the case). But a good example of what i mean regarding the issue of "resolving" sora and riku's stories, would be to have two separate segments. I don't necessarily mean within the same game, tho it could, ig, depending on whatever length/depth the devs want to go for. Point is, shared game or not, I personally feel like sora and riku both need a dedicated, route. For people to go through.

I dont mean like, sora and riku both need a set-up game/segment each, and then a separate game would resolve what would eventually be their (shared) plotline. If anything, i feel like it could work out if we played through sora's stuff in 4, and then riku's route (again, whether it's within the same game or in a separate one) could serve as the resolution game.

Im not making sense but, i just wanted to overthink and overexplain about the feeling i have. Regarding "everything will climax in kh4!" I just dont feel like it should, ig is what im saying.

And again, im not saying that "bc kh4 is a numbered game, the current arc will be forced to resolve in that game". I like seriously doubt that would be the case. Bc, duh, the last arc just ended in 3. And i also know the phrasing of "x plot point will be addressed and resolved in 4" is literally just the best/only framework we have right now. We cant rly predict what game will come out when, and what would happen in each one. But if we treat this phrase literally for just a moment—

[dindjarindiaries]

The metaphorical aspects of Din Djarin’s physical armor and his ship are extremely brilliant and so fascinating when it comes to his character.

DISCLAIMER: This topic gets discussed often in this fandom. If this is a topic you’re sick of hearing about, I suggest you stop reading here!

I won’t go too much into the metaphor of the Razor Crest because I recently saw an analysis going around here (which was brilliantly done, though I forget whose it was!) and I don’t want to be redundant. If I had to add one thing to that, though, it would be using this quote from the junior novelization: “Where others might look at the [Razor Crest] and see a simple means of transportation or escape, the Mandalorian knew the Crest as his haven, almost an extension of the armor and helmet that protected him” (Schreiber). Essentially, then, the Crest was another layer that kept Din hidden away from things he didn’t want to face: the pains of his past, the growing attachments within his heart, etc. Thus, whenever the Crest undergoes stress, Din is also undergoing a stress. In Chapter 2, it’s when he starts to get attached to Grogu, even if it’s happening unknowingly (hence Din’s denial at being able to fix it; he’s in denial that the same thing’s happening to him with Grogu). In Chapter 10, it’s Din deep attachment to Grogu and his ability to start trusting and having to care for others. In Chapter 11, it’s his shattering idea of his Creed, thanks to the Nite Owls. We see it get fixed in Chapter 12 after he spends time with friends he knows he can trust, which makes him feel safe again, but then in Chapter 14 everything gets shattered—thus foreshadowing what’s going to happen to his character in the following two episodes.

Now, for his true armor: the beskar and his helmet. When we first see Din’s armor, it’s colored a deep red, which is actually very reminiscent of the robes his people in Aq Vetina used to wear. According to Wookiepedia, when a Mandalorian’s armor is red, it can mean they’re honoring a parent. In this case, then, it makes sense that Din wears red: to honor his fallen parents. This armor gets badly broken in the fight against the mudhorn, just before the event that changes Din’s heart forever: being rescued by Grogu. We see him being protected by nothing, fully exposed for the first time in a long time—not just physically, but also mentally/emotionally—and then he’s still protected, but this time by something aside from his armor. That’s a beautiful parallel between the destruction of his physical armor and the destruction of his emotional armor, both occurring when he’s starting to question his attachment to Grogu. Then, we see Din exchange his red for silver with the reward he gets for turning in Grogu. According to the Mandalorian Guild’s wiki, silver armor signifies someone who’s seeking redemption. This also makes sense for Din, as he starts trying to right what he’s wronged with Grogu from the moment he gets his new silver armor. It holds strong until it’s put to the ultimate test: the explosion in Chapter 8. The armor couldn’t save Din from what happened to him in that explosion. But, what did happen was that Din lost his right cuisse, the only remaining armor from his old set. That shows the significance of his willingness to sacrifice himself for Grogu: he completed his redemption in the “Warrior’s Death” sequence. That’s why, in season two, we see that his new cuisse is silver, fully signifying his successful redemption in saving Grogu.

Then, there’s the helmet. This is something we mostly see the significance of in season two. It was, of course, mentioned often in season one, with people asking if Din really couldn’t take it off or what the consequences of that would be—plus, being willing to die to uphold his Creed in Chapter 8 until IG-11 finds the necessary loophole—but season two took it to a whole new level with Chapters 11, 15, and 16. The helmet is perhaps the most significant layer of protection for Din. It keeps people from seeing his eyes, a feature known as the “window to the soul,” and he can also be more guarded about disguising how he feels when his facial expressions don’t give it away. In Chapter 11, he’s floored by the idea that there could possibly be Mandalorians who don’t practice the same way, as if he refuses to believe that there’s a world where he might have to live without the protection of his helmet. Then, in Chapter 15, we see Din sacrificing this very thing—the thing that’s protected him the most—in order to save his son. I think the fact that Mayfeld uses “Brown Eyes” to refer to him, and Valin Hess also does as a result, is extremely significant in regards to my earlier point: eyes are by far one of the most vulnerable features we have in communicating the things we feel. Up until that point in Chapter 15, we can see Din holding his own without the rest of his beskar armor, but once that helmet comes off, he is vulnerable. This is at the same time Din’s coming to terms with the fact that he can’t live in a galaxy where he’s lost Grogu. Din would rather lose all layers of protection than lose this attachment he now has to his son, and the removal/loss of his armor is such a profound way of showing that.

I’ll close with Chapter 16′s helmet removal. This is significant because it was completely by choice. Chapter 15 was something Din had to do. This wasn’t. Din took off his helmet, his finest layer of protection, because Grogu has finally made him feel safe enough to be able to show who he really is—just as Din has helped Grogu to feel safe enough to use his powers again.

The parallels of Din’s physical armor to his emotional armor are so brilliant, as Pedro Pascal, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and many others have commented on before. Diving into that and truly looking at it just makes it all so much wonderful.

[silverhallow]

I have a vague memory of seeing something here on Tumblr about Mrs. Cowper's first name being Araminta. So (if that's true), do you think we'll be seeing a glimpse of Sophie in season 2? Or do you think we'll only get some easter eggs?

You've probably already answered this before but it's always fun to speculate, but in case of only easter eggs, what do you think or hope those will be in season 2?

So Lady Cowper’s first name is Araminta. The actress confirmed it on her IG… but as per my previous post o really hope it’s just a coincidence.

Penelope and Cressida’s arc is just incredible and I don’t wanna see it cheapened by them using the Cowper’s as the Gunningworth’s.

I think we will not see Sophie this season I really don’t. We might see bits of the masquerade maybe but I don’t think we will see her just yet.

I think a bit like we saw with Anthony we will get little Easter eggs, little foreshadowings like we had in S1…

I really wanna see them do justice to the Kanthony story that is my main hope, anything else is a bonus, I do wanna see Benedict’s whole number 2 start as we didn’t see too much of it in the first season.

I want them to build that but I really wanna see Benedict and Kate as friends. I wanna see more Benedict and Anthony moments. And I wanna see more of Benedict just frustrated with the ton.

I am excited for season 2. Kanthony is my joint second favourite ship and I am SO stoked for their season!!

[torresandbishop]

I just looked at the synopsis for 16x10 and it talks about one of the team members taking an unexpected step after a dogfighting case. Now this lead time to think about Nick’s line last episode about living alone and barely feeding himself. They have to be related right. Nick is 100% getting a dog. It all makes too much sense with how they have been setting things up for him to change, open up, and put down roots.

I would love if they foreshadowed appropriately with Nick’s talk of barely being able to take care of himself leading to him getting a dog (or a pet fish- where the heck does that fish/bowl we saw on IG a while back come into play 👀).

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Codas, Spoilers, and Music Videos

Okay, so once again I have a ton of little things to post that have come to my attention this past week. Just lots of bits and pieces that are quietly being posted. I’ll try to mention all of them over the next few days.

Here are the first few.

After-Credits-Codas

First, well, this isn’t something that was posted. Just something my peeps and I have been discussing. Even non-TD reviewers of episode 10x16 are really confused. GN’s comment about the last five minutes being jaw-dropping is really confusing everyone. If you’ve read spoilers, you know there’s nothing jaw-dropping in this episode. So I’ve seen reviewers trying to justify it. Like, “well, maybe if you haven’t read the comic books then…it might be…kind…”

No, just no. Based on what they’ve seen, there’s just nothing to justify the “jaw-dropping” comment.

And that’s frustrating for us (because no Beth) but it’s also frustrating and confusing for non-TDers in the fandom who just can’t figure out what he was talking about.

So that made me start wonder if maybe, just maybe, there might be something extra that the screeners didn’t see. You know, a coda, after the credits, kind of like Morgan showing up in 5x01.

And remember, the gray ninja who’s with Maggie has a mask REALLY similar to the one we saw Morgan wearing. And Morgan’s mask is something I really think we ought to talk about more. He wore it for all of 2 seconds in an after-the-credits coda in 5x01. And he never wore it again. Like, NEVER. We never saw, it, got any explanation for why he was wearing it in 100-degree Georgia heat in the first place. Nothing. And why have him wear the mask at all if he was just going to remove it first thing and show us his face? There really wasn’t any functional reason for it.

So I feel like it had to have been some kind of hint or foreshadow or something.

My point is, I guess the last hope we’re holding onto for seeing Beth in 10x16 is the idea that maybe there’s something the screeners didn’t see.

And really guys, it’s kind of a long shot. Chances are this is just another example of tptb over-hyping the show. If that’s the case, as I’ve said before, I’ll be disappointed in Nicotero. Because others, like Gimple, have overhyped the show before, but it doesn’t seem like Nictoero usually does. But, there’s a first time for everything. So please understand this is just kind of a hope on our part, and nothing with any concrete evidence.

However, to this end, @wdway asked me if the 5x01 coda with Lenny James was leaked beforehand. I honestly couldn’t say. I wasn’t part of the online fandom (following, posting, reading spoilers, etc.) until after Coda happened, so I have no idea if Morgan’s appearance was spoiled or not.

I do remember Lenny James telling a story on TTD about how his coming was kept a secret. He stayed in a basement apartment of some locals (who I think often host actors and guest actors on the show) and they weren’t even told who it was who was coming to stay with them. But they had to sign dictionary-sized non-disclosure agreements. Then, when the woman saw him, she obviously recognized him (being a fan of the show) and went, “Oh. It’s you. That’s why.”

So obviously he was sneaked around and everything was kept very hush-hush. At the very least, I doubt any cameras saw him before the episode aired.

I’ve asked around to others who I know were online back then, and no one really remembers for certain. It was a long time ago. Not to mention, technology and even the way spoilers are handled was very different back then.

But the general consensus seems to be that it was not spoiled. Everyone was super-shocked to see Morgan at the end of that episode because no one had figured out he would show up in it.

So, that’s just to say that it’s possible there might be something more.

But once again, I wouldn’t necessarily count on it. It’s better for all our emotional health to not hope too much for that. But I just wanted to throw it out there and say that, especially where the ninja is concerned, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Morgan/Ninja parallels and what they might be pointing to.

Which segues nicely into my next point.

Spoilers

Everyone remember the spoilers that came out not long after 10x16 was officially cancelled/pushed back? They said the ninja was a new female character named Melody. Now spoilers are saying it’s a man and that we won’t learn his name or see his face in 10x16.

I’m going to assume these second set of spoilers are true, because we’ve heard them from people who have already screened the episode.

But I’m really side-eying those early spoilers. What are the chances that we’re told someone who is a actually a man is a woman, and one who has a music-centric name (Melody). And even more, that they wear a mask similar to one Morgan wore when he first appeared?

I don’t know where those spoilers came from other than really general things (Reddit) but I almost feel like they might have been put out by tptb to mislead us. And, you know, why would they do that?

I don’t have specific theory, but it’s definitely suspicious to me.

Music Video

Okay, last thing I’ll talk about for today. If you haven’t seen the Marilyn Manson music video Norman is in, go watch it. So, remember when I posted his IG story a few weeks ago, saying it was suspicious but he and MM are friends so he might just be promoting his friend? Yeah, I didn’t realize back then that Norman was going to be in the music video. So he was hyping his friend, but it was his project, too.

The song is called Don’t Chase the Dead. (Which by itself could be a TD theme.) If you look at the lyrics, it has lots of TWD themes in it (tomorrow, ice cream truck, etc.) which may be why Norman agreed to do it. But I’ve gotten half a dozen messages this past week from people saying it’s giving them Beth vibes, and I agree. I just want you to notice a couple of things as you watch.

At the beginning, they cut some kind of canvas out of a frame. So the back drop is art theft. You could see the canvas they steal as sort of a “treasure” or “jewels” theme. And where do they put this treasure that was valuable enough to break in and steal?

In the trunk. At the end, the woman walks around to the back of the car, opens the trunk, takes out the canvas and walks away with it.

And then there’s the much more obvious tie, which is that someone (in this case, Norman’s character) is shot in the head and left in a car.

So yeah. Check that out. It’s definitely making my TD senses tingle.

Lyrics:

Angels in exile Here lies the dead An ice cream truck in your inferno

Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you

If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow No tomorrow

I got my tickets to Hell I know you so well And I know you wanna be there too

If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow No tomorrow

Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you

If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow If tonight lasts forever It won't matter if there's no tomorrow

Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you Don't chase the dead Or they'll end up chasing you

[maybequinnidk]

2x04

fratboy of the universe sounds right

"wanna see a dead body?" great pick up line

kara for sure wondering if humans have telepathic abilities too

at least now he's giving her a chance and advice

i like them a lot

it's a nice storyline for j'onn

kara talking to alura about her life. precious

he should not be walking around unaccompanied

the dresses are cute

alex's brain going like "she thinks im pretty" and "handholding?? what kind of mission is this"

roulette? veronica sinclair? no, i think you mean pretty tattoo lady

kara swears counter: higher than any other character so far

"your friend, m'gann" they met twice

"stronger than kara?" "HA. no" 💀

"i know what you're doing and i will fall for it" winn probably

very unsanitary. was he really hired by the woman who said kara's best quality is that she never gets sick?

"one drink" famous last words

J'ONN WHAT THE FUCK

i like that they have different perspectives on how they deal with their losses

kara looked actually disgusted. that's hard to do

hungover guilty winn is hilarious

"all it takes is one alien to ruin it for the rest of us" and i hate that that's the case

"did you use your inside voice" she learned that from cat

"you look like crap" "thank you" siblings. also she could have said shit

"i promise i will do as im told from now on" yeah right

from m'gann's pov j'onn is kind of a stalker rn

JESS 🚨🚨🚨

in my mind jess and vasquez are girlfriends

also suddenly Lcorp

"she's so fast" jess my beloved

i can't get over lena letting all of her walls down for some random woman she basically just met

lena knowing roulette from boarding school isn't fanon??? i thought fic writers had made that up

Katie

all those aliens could easily kill her

badass kara

"going soft on me, danvers" "in your dreams" i miss toh

alex's soul just left her body

if this was a more realistic show (which it's not, i know what im in for) kara would have gotten in so much trouble once snapper or the public found out that her source is herself for most of what she writes.

she could have had alex as her source for this one (but they're sisters so that's also iffy ig), or j'onn, maggie. she rarely works alone, has a whole government agency she works with.

she could have said it was an anonymous source too

also how does one verify other's sources? what if she was lying?

but anyway good for her, got snapper's approval

ain't no way he just said that. ain't no way he just said "who would've thought, a boy from daxam and a girl from krypton working together". he didn't. i hallucinated here for a second. he didn't say that

oh he knocked this time

i wished they didn't show us that she's a white martian. not in that scene, at least. just by herself on her apartment? it's sudden and doesn't make sense for her to shift back to her original form. i think maybe in the fight club after she's announced as miss martian would have been a better time. but the best would be if we found out with the main characters.

same thing with the president. especially cause that's only gonna come back towards the finale but we already know she's not human... just kills the suspense and mystery and possible theories people could create. foreshadowing instead of spoiling would have helped a lot

rewatching and commenting SG because it's leaving netflix soon, s2

season 1 was satisfying overall, not that frustrating

lots of lena

2x01

why another location? whatever, it's fine. i like the old place too, alex

I 100% believe that kara thought the online quiz would be accurate, just like she thought the dating app in 1x01 would be, bc the algorithm cant possibly be wrong right? bc that's how it was on krypton

"kiera danvers"

eve !!!! i love her so much

"MISS TESSMACHER" counter: 1 (lex stole that from ms grant)

the striped one looked better

i just wanted kara to be a space nerd. is that too much to ask??? "yes", the cw responds

thank god cat and lena weren't there

oh look it's him. so inoffensive

super cousins save the day together counter: 1

new and upgraded title card

in s1 j'onn didn't seem to have beef with clark when they mentioned him that one time

her skirt has pockets. i want it

ok so crushing on kryptonians give badass CEOs prosopagnosia, got it

LENAAAAA 🚨🚨🚨 KATIEEEE

"and who are you exactly?" does she not recognize her gf?

a fic where cat and lena are friends and talk about their crushes on clark and kara to each other and the other is like "you do know that their are a super, right?" and the other is like "pfft nah"

"mr. kent" she says as if she doesn't know who he is. as if he wasn't lex's best friend once upon a time. as if they're complete strangers. but after everything they might as well be

kara's unwavering belief in lena counter: ∞

they should stop talking about super stuff in the middle of a croud

another partnership ruined bc of kryptonite

another batman reference. they said gotham this time. improvements

"i was thinking italian, I could fly there" not gonna say it, not gonna say it. there's four seasons to go still

her dress also has pockets?? amazing

"MISS TESSMACHER" counter: 2

im gonna miss her

"who would want lena luthor dead?" j'onn. my man. who doesn't want her dead? have you met her family? they hate her! and the luthor-haters also hate her

kaznia mentioned

you know what? her face does look different with glasses and her hair up

not them casually talking like they didn't just meet today

alex's fight scenes are so good

lena with a gun counter: 1

Kara's brain turning into mush when lena talks to her. mood

cat is already proud of her protege

she's leaving

"miss tessmacher" counter: 1

she really said "something has changed within me, something is not the same. im through with playing by the rules of someone else's game"

winn rambling is cute

cousin banter. cute too

i wish kal-el had been more present in kara's life for her sake. but for my sake, im glad he is not so present in the show

ugh lillian

[ninjagoat]

Supergirl 3x14 Speculation Post

As some of you may have heard, episode 14 of this current season of Supergirl will feature Academy Award Nominee Laurie Metcalf as Winn's mother, Mary, who abandoned him as a child after his father committed mass murder.

We know that she's been out on location with Ms. Benoist, possibly with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Wood. So far, it doesn't seem much like the kind of reunion we've seen in 3x03 with Maggie and her dad, or the "I'm dying and I want to make amends" type a la Iris and her mother we've seen on The Flash. The episode title, 'Schott The The Heart' is a play on the Bon Jovi classic 'You Give Love A Bad Name', and that would suggest heavy Mon-El or, indeed, Imra involvement.

Ms. Metcalf is great. She's been great for DECADES. And, as the ever-so-slightly angry people at the Winn end of the fandom will attest, Mr. Jordan brings it pretty much every single week (which is why he gets the Jeremy Jordan Award For Doing So Much With So Little time and time again). Their scenes together will be great.

This post is not about their scenes.

This post is about the *other* big scene: who does Winn confide in? Who does he tell his sob story to?

Because that's the actual story. 'Childish Things' is not the story of the Winslows Schott, but the story of Winn and Kara. Whoever gets told that backstory is the focal point of Winn's arc for the episode and - let's not kid ourselves here, because he's not likely to get another one - the season.

So let's look at the options.

Kara

Kara seems like an obvious choice. Not only does it rhyme with 'Childish Things', but Kara's been... distant from him recently, from him more than others. She's said some questionable things about their friendship. This would be a chance for her to reconnect with him, and by extension, with Kara Danvers.

Kara will absolutely tell him he needs to give Mary a chance. When she says compassion for all, she means it. But Winn might not go for it. After all, why should it be his job to forgive the woman who convinced him, intentionally or not, that he would only ever be his father's son?

Lena

It's not going to be Lena. But I really want it to be.

It would be my absolute dream for this show if Winn showed up at CatCo after the initial encounter with Mary, looking to talk to Kara or James, he can only find Lena; and, in one of her moments where she believes she's good with people (she is, but it's an individual, case-by-case basis thing), she takes him into James office, expecting much ado about nothing.

And Winn dumps *everything* on her. His mother, his father, his time in foster care, everything. And she realises she's totally out of her depth.

Yes, Winn and Lena have paralleling backstories. But Lena's experience happened largely in isolation, both from other people and from the consequences of her family's actions: Winn's dad kills six people, he lost everything; Lena's brother tries to nuke California, and her immense wealth and privilege carries on as normal.

Winn, on the other hand, went into foster care. He'll have met ten, maybe twenty other kids while he was there. He'll have heard their stories, or at least parts of them. He probably doesn't even consider his story to be *that bad*, compared to others.

This would cause Lena to rethink her own history, and her attitude toward it. It would also put an end to the endless "Am I Evil?" stories, because if Winn can make it... she's got no excuse.

She should probably tell Winn that he should stand his ground against whatever Mary wants; but, more likely, will tell him he really needs the advice of someone else, because she is nowhere near qualified to handle this.

J'onn

Most of Winn's scenes this season have involved J'onn. Winn is also has a significant functioning relationship with J'onn's father, M'yrnn (or Mr J). J'onn's story this year is basically built around 'fathers and sons'.

You can see where I'm going with this.

J'onn being a father to Winn in this scene would be the final link between everyone being Winn's friends and people he works for to actually being his family. Plus, J'onn having lost his own mother, and known the joy of being reunited with his father, he is in a unique position to offer advice.

Mon-El

Mon-El has been, hard as it will be for some to believe, Winn's most consistent friend. He has always respected Winn: promises to let Winn make his superhero suit (even though he had no intention of being a hero when he did - I'll get to that later); congratulates Winn when he learns about Lyra, and asks Winn for relationship advice when he needs it; supports Winn when Lyra gets kidnapped; and, my personal favorite, his aphorism "Hope for the best, have Winn Schott plan for the worst".

He *also* knows which of Winn's buttons to press to get him to do things he doesn't want to do, or rather, says he doesn't want to do. This is a quality you want in a good wingman.

And, of course there's his *own* issues with his parents, which gives he and Winn a shared perspective. The most likely advice he would give about Mary would be that which mirrored Winn's previous advice to him; i.e, listen to her, but tempered with his new found leadership skills, he could emphasise that Winn doesn't have to give her what she wants, and he should stand up for himself.

ALEX

Dipping into speculation on the Winn/Mary side of the episode for the moment:

- Winn's supposed to be moving into some sort of leadership role this season (this may have just been the cross-over, or that might be foreshadowing for this arc)

- Mr. Brooks's IG pic shows him, Ms. Benoist and Mr. Wood in kind of a golf-cart, in the middle of nowhere. This feels a lot like a corporate 'team-building' exercise.

- The pic of Ms. Metcalf with Ms. Benoist appears to be at the same location, and her hair/costume choices seem... very Alex.

So, a theory. A decision is made: in order to beat Reign, Supergirl and Guardian and Mon-El will have to work as a team - kind of like National City's very own Trinity - with Winn as... not Overwatch, exactly, but in a similar leadership role as Iris currently has on The Flash; and so, in order to get them all working together, J'onn sends them all off with Alex to DEO boot-camp, where they'll get training from a legendary instructor.

Everyone's excited, but Winn's nervous too. He's never done anything like this, and he's got a huge responsibility here.

And it only gets worse when he finds out the instructor is Mary.

Now, to me, this would be very cool - which is why it's pretty much guaranteed not to be what happens - but the thing about it is that this moves the focus away from 'will he forgive her?' to 'will he win her approval?', while still being part of the main story arc.

So how does Alex fit into this?

Mary is Alex's possible future; a future where she can't balance her current life as a DEO agent with that of her desired life as a mother. Alex is going to see a woman who abandoned her child at a time when he needed her most - the kind of mother she has no interest in being - and she's going to hate her breathing guts.

And then she's going to tell Winn to kick Mary's ass at whatever challenge she's thrown at him, because that woman can go to hell. He doesn't need her approval. He can do this *his* way.

Those are the most likely candidates (and Lena). Here's my thoughts on the others:

JAMES

Please no. I can't sit through James giving his patented generic-but-somehow-uniquely-unhelpful advice on a subject he can't possibly understand (given that he never seems to go home to see his own mother at all). This is a bad idea.

(It's going to happen, isn't it?)

IMRA

An interesting idea, given that Imra's supposed to be a telepath, and particularly given the vague motions toward SaturnNerd in 3x07 and 3x09. She could put his muddled thoughts into order for him, help reconcile what he's saying with what he's thinking. But she'd need to develop a personality very quickly for that to work, because she sure doesn't have one now.

BRAINIAC 5

It'd be hilarious, but no.

CAT GRANT

There's no way. There is absolutely no way that this is happening.

BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE? :-D

So, there's my thoughts. Feel free to kick my ass/leave thoughtful comments.

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 4X6 Yellow Fever

wait I think I’ve heard of this one?

so we open with Dean running from dogs, ok excellent 

ah so now I get the fear of dogs I get it now

oof hell rly fucked him up 

ooo yay consequence

well this coroner’s just Great

he just...dropped dead

wow what a delightful autopsy scene, just lovely

...wait...wait I recognize the cop

IS THIS WHO DEAN FLIRTS WITH

Extremely Germaphobic

Ah wait if the thing is Extreme Anxiety AH GERMAPHOBIC HE’S GETTING SCARED OHH

good foreshadowing if you don’t check the descriptors heh

wITHIN 48 HOURS

Dean is Suspicious of Teens

Tyler and Perry....just like Aerosmith ahahaha they were found out

does it go for naturally anxious people? are they more susceptible?

because Dean is Scared of a Lot cuz of Hell

aha, so Dean being Unsettled by snakes and scratching his arm

OH THE SUSPICIOUS OF TEENAGERS

damn the “tracing back the foreshadowing” is so much fun

20 is the speed limit ahahaha

HE WON’T MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN

wait let me check something

AHAHA SORRY DEAN

THE EYE OF THE TIGER IN THE CAR IS SO FUNNY

ah so he’s panicking

“I don’t even know what that is” AHAH

shockingly, NOT a bedlund episode damn

PERSONALITY TYPE

“fear as a weapon”

the writers want to say THAT was the point, the whole interplay going on with fear, and not that Dean is a dick...which like he is but also not ig

Find out in episode 10!

yeah I’m sure the research is really helping

“you’re dying again, loser” is...oh GOD

He’s doing REMARKABLY well hiding his emotions, I’ll give him that

this motherfucker is just panicking SO HARD I’M CACKLING

“I’ll man the flashlight” AHFPIASDHA

OO and their EMF gets busted because Dean makes them go nuts neat neat

*cat screech* AHHHHHHHHHHH

this is HILARIOUS

ohh the wood chips and Frank’s wife oop

Sam’s little Jump was cool compared to Dean’s Freeze trauma response

they probably did mean for this to be a play on yellow belly huh

...Dean...Flirt with...deputy...when close to death...what mean...what...what mean

oh god this is HORRIFYING(sheriff)

what did he do did he kill the wife

boy how much Fear Tamp Down does this guy(Dean) do on the regular

it’s like he’s doing everything for the first time as a terrified Kid that has to SUCK

aight yeh so Sam is like Traditionally Better with getting answers I’ll give him that

AW KITTY KITTY

hey Dean’s getting a lighting treatment like the monsters last episode is that on purpose

“a lot of people failed Luther, and I was one of them” ah Yikes why did that one hit me

this feels Vaguely of Mice and Men-y, with Luther being Big and Scary but with Cat

Hey Luther(and Lenny) both die in the end. 

Although granted, the ghost thing doesn't happen in of mice and men

“Life’s too short for hate” feels important for these two fuckers to internalize

it’s nice that he mentions his expertise though, that’s neat

“you know who does that? crazy people! We’re insane!”

he just...has a list of insecurities he has with himself

this poor motherfucker flip flopped SO hard oh no that sounds kinda like Conflict

oh MY GOD HE’S GOING TO HELL THAT’S WHAT HE’S SCARED OF 

along with his brother abandoning him oh joy there's just a List my god

tries for Escapism in movies, fails Ouch

BOBBY AND JAPANESE

also it’s nice to have Sam run point for a bit, he’s fucking GOOD at it

and nice to see him interact with Bobby

Bobby, all the time, every single day: this is a TERRIBLE IDEA

also Bobby: the idiot children can’t be left alone, they’ll get even more stupid shit happen to them 

I love bobby singer so much

~hound dogs snarling at your fee-

ah he hid Frank’s killing of Luther

yes go anger the ghost whee

oh good Lilith

oof he really doesn’t wanna go back

40 years oh gOD

they have to kill him again? seems rather cruel

jeez that cut really close

“I’m fine”

Bobby: I call bullshit

god I love Bobby

“Aw he’s adorable” I FUCKING- BOBBY SINGER I LOVE YOU

oooo scenery

thE FUCKING LIL GLINT OF AZAZEL’S EYES AHHH

aw that’s a cute after credit scene

Jensen ackles just....vibing

god dammit this is great

YOU CAN HEAR THEM LAUGHING AHAHA

This is fantastic

HE USED HIS LEG AS A GUITAR AHAHA

ok uh wrap up:

1. So kripke said ~wait till episode ten for big reveal~(which I have guesses on), but it’s not cuz Dean’s a dick, it’s because he tries to repress his fear as much as humanly possible. Also repressing other things, which is my theory for the scene with the deputy, no I’m not taking any comments.

2. It’s nice to see Sam just working the case, it’s nice to see him interact with Bobby. I like his character in theory a lot, and when they put it into practice, it’s GREAT! this was FUN! Also the little glints of Azazel(hallucinations though they were) were interesting, I wanna see it as foreshadowing. 

3. Dean flip flopping between “mission from God”(previous) and “THIS IS INSANE WHAT THE FUCK IS OUR LIFE”(current) kinda shows off his conflict thing, he’s not sure what to think. Or more likely, He’s coming to terms with the fact that this life sucks and he doesn’t want it, but he’s trying to go an play the soldier to God(a father figure) 

4. I love Bobby Singer.

5. I’m sticking with the “of mice and men” reference. It’s probably not real, but I’m having fun vaguely reading into it, just revamped a lil.

[morphogenetic]

oh yeah im gonna uhhh copy these from what I said on twitter bc i want people here to have a chance to read these but: very long dr2 thoughts incoming. these were originally disparate threads but im too lazy to combine them coherently so this is what you get. under a readmore bc its very long and annoying lol

1. im gonna talk about this more when im further in and also when its not 5 am, but theres Something about the way that dr does its plot twists that feels kind of insulting to the intelligence of its audience. like. yeah a good plot twist is well-foreshadowed but at a certain point if you have an amnesiac protag and a traitor that gets mentioned from the very beginning............ik that there Is a reveal about this at some point already but its like. Really. R.

(honestly this was more of an issue with dr1 telegraphing its twists miles ahead but like. when you add like 6 blatant red herrings to try to confuse the player its just. Not good)

2. anyway minor nitpick that has nothing to do with the actual game and is a localization thing: who the fuck decided that "theater bonus prize" had to be the right order for that in English. that is super fucking unclear. you could justify "bonus theater prize" just as well.

honestly I've noticed a bunch of typos in the localization that really make me question it. this clearly isn't an original game issue but its not just forgetting a word or smthn, its forgetting the first letter of a word in a minigame. forgetting punctuation quite often. its..idk. its baffling to me bc dr isn't even a super old game? the official loc is WAY recent and I didn't even notice it being this bad in dr1 so idk what the hell is up

actually wait im thinking abt this more and dr2 having SO MANY translation errors is annoying when like. its a popular as fuck franchise (for some reason) and yet the quality of your translation is worse than obscure shit like rloop? what is wrong with you. ive already heard some tales about how gonta and (the one girl in v3 idk her name) got localized and ???? what the actual fuck happened there

3. honestly half of my problems w dr are literally just Plot Structure Things and I dont think v3 is gonna change those much. wow there are 5 islands! and there's obviously going to be a conclusion chapter! i Wonder how many people are going to die if two people die (ish) per chapter! wuoh!!!!!

4. i would like to criticize the 3rd case in dr2 specifically bc of it doing a hangman, a logic dive, and then another fucking hangman. who on EARTH thought that was okay. you do the first hangman and then instantly figure out The Case's Major Twist like. you didn't need those other two

5. honestly i might be going harder on dr2 than I would be otherwise purely because my last two games were fucking rloop and 13s which have absolutely MAGNIFICENT mysteries that feel properly foreshadowed the whole time. if you play two absolutely wonderful games In A Row then a completely average game is gonna feel like a mess lol

6. oh this is a dr structure complaint and not exactly something I know how to fix but once you get past the halfway point the murder mystery aspect starts getting way more boring for me bc you just have fewer and fewer people who could actually commit the crime.

like at this point in dr2 im like

-hinata is the protag

-komaeda seems way too plot important

-chiaki wouldn't kill anyone

-akane is gonna die probably but she's not cunning enough to kill

-nidai . is a robot

which leaves literally three fucking people (excluding fuyuhiko bc i don't think they'd put him through more pain). Please

7. ig dr's structure (in general, i cant see this Not applying to v3 and it applied to 1) would work better for me if it did something like rloop or yt//td. i know that's basically turning it into a different game but if you make your entire cast Potential Willing Murderers...hm.

its really hard to do death games generally but they generally feel less interesting to me if its just like "heres a motive, now Kill" like. idk. the motives never really have felt strong enough for me to believe they'd actually kill people. except the second case of 2 bc yeah that one actually tracks for me, but otherwise I'm like. the locked room mystery of 1 actively makes me angry bc the motive is stupid as fuck. Things Like That

8. idk man obviously im gonna finish dr as a series bc a) I already own it b) it's too influential in the cosplay community for me to not, but it is genuinely kind of baffling to me how THIS is the spikechun game that got popular. its not bc of the M rating bc 999 is RIGHT there. at least the music slaps but it keeps feeling like a slog, and when I finished the last two games I played - both of which are 40+ hour games - in A WEEK because of how engaging they were...it feels a little more painful than it would otherwise