#And have ideas for the Movie and Season 1

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 18: The One Where Two Roads Diverged in a Wood of GIFs and Written Words

“Lukola Crisis Hotline. How may I be of service?”

Me: Houston, we have a problem.

Dad: Do tell!

Me: You won’t believe who showed up last night! –

Dad: Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness! Whoa! I don’t know what to say! Wait – let me grab my Coke and my smokes. <waiting> Okay, I’m back. So, Misty appeared out of nowhere with Thang?! Well, this just got fun! <laughing>

For clarity’s sake, my father tends to give everyone a pet name. Some of the pet names are funny; some are quite cruel. But if they help him remember who the players are in this fandom (and in any other situation), I’m game to play along. Plus, his pet names tend to add a little comedy relief to whatever is being discussed, especially when it is not an outwardly funny subject.

In Lukola-Land, Luke is “Thang” (it’s actually “Thing” – as in the hand from The Addams Family – but my dad’s accent muddles the pronunciation into “Thang”); Nicola is “Ireland,” for obvious reasons; Antonia is “Misty,” for, umm, the Clint Eastwood movie, “Play Misty for Me;” and Jake is – well, Jake is actually just “Jake” because my father finds the USS Jakola offensive. In fact, when I was discussing the recent fandom events with him on Friday evening, my dad was genuinely shocked to learn the Jakolas still existed. His pet name for the Jakolas is “Fucking Stupid,” by the way.

Moving on to the matter at hand –

There’s been so much “noise” over the past few weeks that, when taken collectively, it is rather eye-opening. We’ve got Luke’s mother posting on Facebook about “Luke’s girlfriend…from Cyprus.” The leaked funeral video and photos (by allegedly Luke’s family). The Best in Show pap pictures of Nicola and Jake. The “just friends” interview. The disappearance of Jake (because he’s rehearsing for a play) and the sudden reemergence of Antonia.

If you’ve noticed from my recent entries on this blog, I have obviously found most of what has happened of late to be comical and not worth putting into written word. Instead, my thoughts have been dumped into GIF stories. To be honest, I was rather disappointed I couldn’t put this last part – Antonia emerging from the misty edges of the forest – entirely into a GIF story. Her reappearance was like a certain Bond villain coming back to life for the seventh time. In other words, it was total cringe. But it also altered an otherwise slow burning campfire into a motherfucking forest fire.

Me: Thoughts?

Dad: I need some time to think about this one – and a cigarette. Or two. Call me back in 15 minutes.

“Psychotic Fan Rescue Center, at your service.”

Me: You’re a dumbass.

Dad: <laughing> Well, this is insane. It makes no sense and it’s a convoluted mess. Why bring Misty back? She was killed off two seasons ago.

Me: No shit, Sherlock.

Dad: Hell, maybe this has all been a nest of vipers.

A nest of vipers? Ah, yes, the idea that we have a group of venomous snakes thrown into the same close-quartered trench – in an every-man-for-himself type situation – each taking strikes at the others whenever their backs are turned.

In Entries 1, 13, and 15 – with an emphasis on “Entry 13: The One Where the Ashes Blew Towards Us with the Salt Wind from the Sea” – I wrote about what the Lutonia narrative could look like, if real. I will not rehash in detail those entries here, but I will link them at the end of this entry if you want to read, or reread, them.

Now, the General Audience almost certainly didn’t pay a lick of attention to Antonia when she appeared alongside Luke at the Boss event held January 30 (she’s always just been a Face in the Crowd). But the sudden reappearance of Antonia stopped the Lukolas dead in their tracks because – like my dad said – she was seemingly killed off two seasons ago.

The Lukolas have suddenly found themselves at an intersection of confusion and, likely, a bit of distress. The long and winding road we’ve been traveling along has diverged into two paths – and, no, you cannot travel both.

The problem with the Lutonia narrative has always been that Luke has never formally acknowledged Antonia as his girlfriend. In fact, Luke had the perfect opportunity to do so when he posted about the Boss event on his Instagram grid – but he did not. I could rationalize the idea that Luke and Antonia wanted to keep their relationship private after the Papsmear misstep if it weren’t for the fact that Antonia has been historically loud in her social media posts. We spent the summer and fall with insinuation post after insinuation post from Antonia. Yes, all those posts that alluded to her being with Luke without any actual evidence that she was, in fact, with Luke. By the time Antonia got to “Pasta-gate” in mid-November, the Lukola fandom barely even blinked before dismissing her as, well, the antagonist from “Play Misty for Me.” And this leads to something even more problematic for the USS Lutonia – Luke has never rescued Antonia from being ridiculed and torn apart by the fandom. My dad would call – and has called – Luke a cad for this.

Jumping to the other side of this misshapen triangle, we have Nicola and her Assassin (my dad’s pet name for JVN). Assuming Lutonia is real, the only logical answer for Nicola’s behavior is that she has spent months trolling Luke, Antonia, and <gasp> the fandom. Nicola herself has admitted to being chronically online and, at a minimum, being aware of fan edits – so much so that during the London premiere she commented that she and Luke “can’t do anything” without the fandom reacting to it. Therefore, I will call “foul” on anyone who tries to persuade me that Nicola was unaware of, at a minimum, how the Lukola fandom had reacted to the Claddagh ring, Chaos Week, and the October airplane posts. JVN openly mocking Antonia on social media with, for example, their Slick Back Bun routine only added fuel to this fire.

For shits and giggles – and so I can get to the bend in this road – we will roll with my dad’s “Nest of Vipers” theory for a moment. We will concede that Lutonia is real, which, in my opinion, makes Luke the absolute worst boyfriend in London and Antonia a woman who doesn’t mind being treated like roadkill. It also, unfortunately, makes Nicola and Fan Favorite JVN come off like online bullies – with the only plausible reasoning for the bullying being that Luke and Nicola are at odds with each other. No, I take that back – they’re not at odds with each other – they’re seemingly at war with each other. I’ll even amp this up a bit and throw in the suggestion that, assuming Lutonia is real, Netflix & Co. is aware of the strife between its two Polin actors and are protecting their asset with blurred Polin-Lukola posts to pacify the fandom. Dun-Dun-DUNN! And yes! That was a sly nod to Jake.

Me: Thanks for that. You just made Luke into an absolute prick and gave Antonia’s starring role in “Play Misty for Me” to Nicola.

Dad: Hey, I’m not the one who dug up Misty! That was all Thang!

Me: Then why does everyone say Luke is the nicest person? Nicola, his co-stars –  

Dad: All lies.

Me: Would you STOP?!

Dad: But I’m serious! Thang could be a complete pig behind closed doors and Ireland could be on the verge of a psychotic meltdown because, uhh, maybe she’s obsessed with Thang and pissed he chose Misty.

The unfortunate thing about this Nest of Vipers theory is that I could almost certainly make a convincing argument that it was legit. I’ve always joked with my Inner Circle of Lukolas that no one wants to see me go rogue, especially not – I’ll bite my tongue on that one. But I will emphasize the importance of keeping an open mind when you’re reviewing information. Always consider both sides of the coin. That said, it’s hard to ignore the evidence that was presented to us through the World Tour interviews and behind-the-scenes footage; therefore –

Me: I’m having a hard time believing Luke is someone who wouldn’t protect his girlfriend. He seems to support Nicola online quite a bit. Why wouldn’t he do the same for Antonia?

Dad: <laughing> Fine. Antonia isn’t his girlfriend. Maybe it’s all just a bunch of fuckery like I’ve always said.

“Fuckery” is my dad’s pet name for PR bullshit. If you didn’t pick up on it in previous entries, I am not fond of PR theories. But I also cannot ignore that PR relationships do exist and have for decades (hell, we could go back centuries and find examples of PR relationships across multiple noble and royal families – think about that, naysayers). It was my dad who first sold me on the possibility of Antonia being PR. So, I will consider this road to PR-ville in the same manner as I did the Nest of Vipers theory – with this PR theory having perhaps the better claim.

I mentioned earlier that the General Audience almost certainly paid little attention to Antonia’s existence at the Boss event. Although some people may find what I’m about to say a bit unkind, it doesn’t make it any less valid (and I’m not saying it to be cruel): Antonia, in the overall scheme of things, is of very little importance to the General Audience. She has less than 15 thousand followers on Instagram, even after being connected to a man who has almost three million. However, oddly enough, that didn’t prevent the Daily Mail from dropping a story which predominantly focused on Antonia within the same timeframe that images from the Boss event were being dropped on the Internet. It also didn’t prevent video footage of Luke and Antonia at the Boss event from being leaked online almost immediately – even when there were undoubtedly more famous celebrities attending the event. I’ll be realistic with this next comment, too: Luke may be relevant to the Bridgerton fandom, but that does not mean he is significant to, say, People Magazine’s average reader. So, why the sudden burst of publicity at this event?

I waited to write this entry to see what Luke did with the exposure from the Boss event. Would he finally put Antonia on his Instagram grid? Would he put her in his Instagram stories? Would Antonia post pictures from the event on her Instagram grid or stories? Would Luke unambiguously acknowledge a relationship with Antonia?

Although Luke posted to his Instagram grid and stories about the event, he did not include Antonia – at least not directly. The closest he came to including Antonia was via an Instagram story – on which he did not tag her – of a black screen with a link to a Boss TikTok that included images of Luke and Antonia from the event. The TikTok did not tag Antonia either. Luke did not post Antonia’s image to his grid or his stories.

And Antonia didn’t post about the event at all.

I wasn’t sold on a PR narrative when I started writing this entry, but my eyebrows raised when I saw Luke’s “black screen” Instagram story. This was either Luke attempting to circumvent the Lutonia narrative while throwing Antonia a bone, or it was Luke being an absolute douche of a human being. And, if it’s the latter, Mr. Newton needs to check himself into Assholes Anonymous.

I will concede that a couple of mutuals put up a few stories about the event (which disappeared after 24 hours) and Boss included (and tagged) Luke and Antonia in an Instagram and TikTok reel – without formally identifying Antonia as Luke’s girlfriend. On a side note, Luke could have reposted either of these reels – which tagged Antonia – but he did not. Luke also did not like this Boss Instagram reel with Antonia in it (and he does not have a public TikTok account), but Luke did like a separate Boss post of him and David Beckham (without Antonia). The only news outlets that called Antonia Luke’s “girlfriend” were rag-mags like the Daily Mail and Hello, both of which put an emphasis on Antonia. Digital Spy noted that Luke and Antonia “have yet to officially confirm their relationship.” So outside of some tagged reels (that weren’t reposted or acknowledged by Luke) and rag-mag speculation, what did Antonia get from this?

Dad: Publicity.

A single word but one that resonates throughout an otherwise silent wood.

But to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced this was for publicity. I’m not saying I believe Antonia is Luke’s girlfriend either – that’s a whole cauldron of contradictions on its own. I’m simply intrigued that Antonia has her Instagram tags turned off and she has not yet allowed any Boss event tags to appear on her page. So, outside of some junky rag-mag callouts and a few TikToks, what benefit did Antonia receive? And, if Antonia didn’t truly benefit from this appearance (or, at least she doesn’t appear to be reaping the rewards from a girlfriend or PR standpoint), who did benefit?

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that a series of events had happened one after the other over a relatively short two-week period: (1) Luke’s mum mentioning “Luke’s girlfriend…from Cyprus” in a Facebook response; (2) leaked video and photos of Luke from a funeral; (3) those utterly ridiculous pap pictures of Nicola and Jake; (4) Nicola stating she and Luke were “just friends” in an interview; and (5) the sudden summoning of Antonia after exactly six months of being MIA.

As I sat here writing out the events of the past two weeks – and considering the reappearance of Antonia – I couldn’t help but speculate as to whether each of these events was meant to have a specific purpose that didn’t get its desired result.

The comment by Luke’s mother was so far out in left field, most Lukolas chucked it up to being suspicious and dismissed it as such. The funeral pictures and video released by one of Luke’s family members was quickly scrubbed from social media; therefore, just as quickly ignored. The pap pictures of Nicola and Jake were openly mocked across social media as being staged. The “just friends” comment – after almost a year of, particularly, Nicola dodging that phrase – didn’t seem to send many Lukolas overboard. Is it possible that the fandom’s mild reaction to all these events wasn’t anticipated? Which leads me to wonder if Luke and Nicola wanted a reaction and realized the only way they were going to get it was to play the only card they had left – Antonia.  

When you look at the above referenced events individually and collectively, they appear to indicate a push to shut down the Lukola narrative. Why?

They could have shut down the Lukolas before the World Tour even took off. They could have shut down the Lukolas during the World Tour. They could have shut down the Lukolas after Papsmear. Why wait almost a full year to draw the line in the sand? Especially after every devoted Lukola would argue that (mostly) Nicola has left a trail of Swiftie-like clues to insinuate Lukola is real, and that Luke has made a visible effort to remove Antonia from his narrative.

Whatever the reasoning may be, we must admit Antonia’s reappearance had a purpose – and one that we need to respect. I have a hard time believing Luke would voluntarily step in the same pile of dog shit he stepped in back in June without a valid and significant reason for doing so.

And this is where I will draw the line.

I will not speculate further about why Antonia suddenly rose from the ashes of Manderley – and I will not tell you which road to take from here. That’s something you need to do on your own but, be warned that regardless of which road you choose – the one where you conclude Luke and Antonia are a couple, or the one where you decide Antonia is playing the role of PR distraction – the Lukolas are currently fighting a losing battle.

The Lukolas have become collateral damage. They’ve either been caught in the crossfire of an online war between Luke and Nicola (and their respective sidekicks) over, presumably, Antonia; or they’re the unwitting victims of some messy PR bullshit that has resulted in Lukolas being bullied across every social media platform by rabid Jakolas and Anti-Lukes.

Amazingly, though, many Lukolas remain resilient.

When the going gets tough…

But sometimes the tough don’t get going.

Yesterday, someone wrote to me, “Why are we still here? Just when we think something good is finally going to happen we get pushed back down. I’m tired of the dumb games.”

I rarely answer “Asks,” but my response to this comment is:

“Two roads diverged in a wood…”

Two roads.

One road is quite disheartening and the other is shrouded in underbrush.

But what you've overlooked is that there is an alternate path – a third road – the one that brought you to this point.

Turn around.

That road takes you back home – and, if you’re ready to go home, go home. It’s okay. It takes an unbelievable amount of courage to admit you’ve had enough. Remember that saying – “A wise woman once said, ‘fuck this shit,’ and she lived happily ever after.”

Take your time and decide what makes the most sense to you.

Dad: What are you thinking?

Me: Of a poem.

Dad: Oh, which one today?

Me: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by…”

Dad: Which road is that…?

P.S. Just for a bit of comic relief at the end of an otherwise somber post (not even Dad could make it lighthearted), I just wanted to say:

I love eating grapes.

IYKYK.

Those links I promised:

[mach-talk]

JRWI fans, tell me if this is something that makes sense to you: I think Dakota Cole is the first superhero in a VERY long time to feel like an actual superhero.

⚠️Spoilers ahead for both seasons of Prime Defenders, if you haven’t finished it already, what are you doing here?! Go watch it!!⚠️

I think Grizzly did a phenomenal job in his research of superhero media before making Dakota, and that research really paid off for how real Dakota feels as not just a hero, but as a person. Season 1 made me fall in love with the characters and the story, but as an avid Marvel skeptic, season 2 made me believe in the superhero genre again.

I’ve talked about my disdain for modern superhero movies before, but to condense it, I feel like they don’t really feel like HEROES as much as “the lesser of two evils in a fight that’s destroying a city.” A lot of modern heroes feel too gritty and gloomy, not the symbols of hope they’re meant to be, but only focusing on the reluctance of their position.

Dakota Cole’s story is different to me: we’re able to see all sides of it, the good and the bad, and spend enough time in those moments to feel what he feels. His story feels so perfect to the Hero’s Journey, both in what we start out with and what we learn along the way.

First and foremost, I’m grateful to see heroes that WANT to be heroes again, not just to save one person or some moral obligation, but for the sake of wanting to do good and help others. Prime Defenders as a whole is such a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre for its message, and it gets to the heart of what makes superhero movies good. It feels, for lack of a better word, colorful. In a world of low light and gritty heroes making hard decisions, we get moments like the fight for New Haven where the heroes came together with the sword to defeat the planet, or the showdown with Powerhouse, while we get silly moments like the Wasp Vs Bee debate or the chaos portal in the Winnebago. That doesn’t mean we don’t get dark or gritty scenes, of course- I’m still deeply impacted by Ashe’s sacrifice to save everyone, William’s spiral with his brother, and (most relevant to this rant) Dakota’s surgery. But because we got to see the whimsy and the heart behind the heroes, it just made all of those moments so much more impactful.

Dakota Cole, though, feels to me like the result of dissecting the superhero genre and finding what makes it so appealing and meaningful to people. He is, upon first glance, hopeful and confident, optimistic perhaps to a fault, and wants to see the best in people and bring out that goodness. He starts with a very rigid view of what good and evil is, but as his mindset shifts, we see him open up to other ideas of what goodness means to him.

You’d think this would immediately fall apart when he goes through the heartbreak and disillusionment of losing someone to a villain, and that’s what we see with Ashe’s loss in season 1. He is clearly devastated by the loss, but is the first to believe that they can bring him back. He even says it as some of his last words to Ashe before he becomes The Trickster- “Don’t forget that you have somewhere to come back to.” After the loss, though, he’s only more motivated to save his friend. He goes to train and get stronger, and is the one to suggest getting him back. Throughout season 2, as well, we see the backstory that had been set up throughout season 1 come back to the front, and how it impacts him not only as a hero, but as a regular person. His love for his aunt, his attitude towards others, his willingness to sacrifice…

The first thing that he did for himself, in my opinion, was the heart surgery to keep himself alive, and even that wasn’t all for him; it was largely to help William rather than just staying alive. But he was so desperate to help others that he found the thing he needed to learn most in order to be the hero the world needed: patience. His heart surgery and subsequent training with Master Cole taught him the patience he needed to put his abilities to use.

But I think what his training arc taught him best outside of patience- the lesson that stuck with me the most- was that it is okay to ask for help. In fact, one of the quotes that still sticks with me is the quote from Master Cole: “Sometimes, we can’t carry the weight of the world alone.” He spent two seasons up until this point trying to carry every burden on his own, but this was a turning point for him. He realized that he has a team for a reason, and that he doesn’t have to protect them, and that allowing them to help him will make everyone stronger.

In my opinion, Dakota had the most personal growth out of the Prime Defenders from S1E1 to S2E40. He lost a lot of the innocence and pure optimism he had before, but the wisdom and patience he gained from it turned his passion for saving people and his genuine desire to do good into a more productive and successful energy that could save more lives than before. Sure, he had his silly moments- the consistent Fortnite jokes during his training arc, the goofiness of creating The Purps, etc. But his humor served to deepen his character, and the balance of genuine care and compassion for others with the humor and the struggles he faced (and still faces) just make him such a deep character.

He’s a silly goofy guy and he is one of the best written characters in modern hero stories.

[gaykarstaagforever]

I just watched TOS "Mudd's Women".

This is Season 1 so there are some quirks, as compared to the later seasons. Like Uhura is wearing the gold uniform.

No Chekov yet. Just some guy who looks like a partially-deflated Conan O'Brien.

Spock keeps doing this little grin the whole time, like he is barely concealing his amusement at how goofy and horny everyone else is. I guess they eventually wear him down into Stoic Spock.

Mudd calls Spock a "half-Vulcanian." Which is more technically correct as the name for someone from Vulcan, like a Vulcan would be from the planet Vulk. But I guess writers kept misspelling it or something, so

I like Harry Mudd's accent. Like an Irish pirate cowboy, who is also obviously faking it. Fits the character.

The ship runs on "lithium crystals" instead of "dilithium," I guess because no one thought yet about lithium being a real thing that has real properties they'd need to take into account at some point. A shame. I like the idea that the Enterprise runs on banks of EV batteries. Explains all the explosions.

Kirk pushes the Enterprise too hard and we hear all the lithium crystals pop in sequence. They sound like someone breaking Kit Kats off screen. Scotty AND Sulu warn Kirk not to let that happen, and he absolutely does it anyway, then acts like it's everyone else's fault the ship is dead in the water and running out of air. Which, yeah, that's our Kirk.

Also when they go to get new crystals from a mining planet, Kirk beams the miners up to discuss payment. I guess they didn't have the whole "Communist space future" thing worked out yet.

Both Scotty and Kirk call Mudd a "jackass." I didn't know you could say ass on 60s TV. I suppose it was as part of a metaphor that used it to mean donkey. But they still said "ass." Twice.

This is only one of two times TOS shows them using the computer during a hearing as a lie detector. This would have been useful technology like...400 more times, over the next all of the shows and movies, forever. But "she" also points out, unprompted, how everyone is horny during the hearing. And I can't imagine Picard finding that as funny as Kirk does.

McCoy's horny face. (Also I think his patch is on crooked.)

...Has he always had a pinkie ring??

Round playing cards! Round playing cards, in SPACE!

Mudd is a wanted criminal with diagnosed mental problems who is flying a spaceship he probably murdered a guy for, so he can sell women he supplies drugs to to space miners. That's what this episode is about.

When they all go down to the lithium mining planet, Kirk teaches the incel miners that having *real* women as co-equal human companions is better than having twee anime babes who only like them because the women are drugged. This is unrealistic.

This might be the first time it is relevant to a Star Trek plot that Kirk can't fall in love because he wants to fuck the ship. The same ship that earlier proves it can tell when he's horny. ...This is why normal people bully us for watching this show.

[kaythefloppa]

New Wild Kratts Special

Season 7 of Wild Kratts continues on into 2025. According to the Kratt Brothers, 6 new episodes are currently in development, including an hour-long TV movie. Although Martin Kratt said that the 200th episode would air this season, several other sources report that the season will end with 20 episodes. Which indicates that we're halfway finished with Season 7. And given how the modern seasons take 2 years to finish, the final 9 episodes of the season will most likely be released this year.

The second half of Season 7 will premiere in April of 2025. The one-hour special is the only episode on TV listings that has a title and synopsis, so we will focus on it here.

Wild Kratts: Activate Kid Power - Parts 1 & 2 - Airing Monday, April 7th, 2025

When the Wild Kratts receive an overload of calls for creature rescues, their creature power capacity fails. The team is left helpless, but soon learn that by the working with Wild Kratts Kids that Kid Power is perhaps the most amazing and effective creature power of all!

Pre-Episode Thoughts + Predictions:

Back in August, the Kratt Brothers had a Creature Heroes Foundation event in which people could send videos or pictures of them helping out animals which could potentially be used in a new special (my lazy ass didn't find the time to do this FUCK). This is definitely that special they were building up to. It's very meta, but also incredibly sweet.

Ok but I have literally been in love with this episode's concept. I always thought the idea of the Wild Kratts working with the Wild Kratts Kids would have the perfect formula for a series finale where they retire and pass on the torch to those who have learned from them over the years, and it would've been a great plot for the movie. Even though this episode isn't the series finale, it's still great that the series proper is utilizing it. Once again, Season 7 is trying a lot of interesting ideas, especially character-driven ones that feel the most appropriate.

Chris and Martin teased at grizzly bears and sea turtles appearing in the special. Initially I wasn't excited because we've seen those animals before, but knowing the main synopsis of the episode I'm now excited. It could be in similar vein to No Name Dream where we see familiar animals, but they are largely the backdrop to character-plots. Again, really nice.

Whilst I'm glad that we're getting an episode on the Wild Kratts Kids, I can't help but still feel sad. Because again, most of the WK Kids from the earlier seasons (Gavin, Ronan, Aiden, Nolan, Ellie, ect.) wouldn't be able to return with speaking noises because their actors are all grown up. So will the show age them up so that we can see them as secondary characters again? Or will they recast them with younger actors? Or will they once again be be relagated to cameos? I'm hoping that it's the first option, because it would be a really bold move for the show to do, especially in a season that they are hyping up so much.

I'm 99% positive that Paisley Paver will appear in this special. Again, I don't mind the fact that she's not a series regular after her redemption (in fact, I'm glad because it would be really distracting). But still, Our Blue and Green World was the biggest episode of the season and solely because of her redemption. And the writers have admitted to committing to this change for the rest of the series. To not follow up on it, with so much of her character to explore, and especially when we're nearing the end of the season is a crime. For this episode's plot specifically, I hope we get scenes of her helping the Wild Kratts Kids/receiving their help, and attempting to earn their trust after previously threatening their animal friends. Seeing as we've never seen the Kids interacting with/reporting Paisley ever since her introduction, it would be so interesting.

As an add-on to that last point, since pretty much all of the one-hour specials nowadays have villains in them, that means that Zach, Donita, and Gourmand will appear here right? Initially I wanted the specials this season to not have villains, but with how the direction of the show has gone in regards to Paisley's character, I'm actually hoping that they do appear and face off against Paisley. Maybe the Wild Kratts Kids come to her rescue, or better yet, the villains go after the kids, but Paisley is able to hold them off long enough for them to get somewhere safe. And maybe we could finally get our long-awaited Rex-demption arc. I don't think this could happen because it would be too much to cram into a 47 minute episode, but it seems like the perfect place to wrap up that storyline.

Will the Wild Kratts Kids get their own Creature Power Suits? I feel as though "Kid Power" will be more metaphorical than literal, but I really hope that is the case. Even though I like the idea of the WK Kids having their own Creature Power Suits, it would cheapen the lesson given that anyone in their own backyard can make a difference for the Creature World. Plus, I feel like any supporting character like say, Gavin or Paisley activating a Creature Power before Jimmy just feels wrong (once again, hoping that he activates a CPS before the end of the season).

Finally... I really hope there's not a musical number in this special. With the exception of the Blue/Green special, every single one of the musical numbers in the one-hour holiday specials have been complete ass because the actors do not have a good singing range, nor are they directed to do so, and the only one of them who is a known singer (Zachary Bennett) is somehow never called in for a professional villains' song.

Those are all of my thoughts for now. Expect the promos to arrive either at the end of this month or the start of next month.

[halfglovepunch]

did any creeksonas have episodes planned/pitched that didnt get done

I handled most of the creeksonas when I was working on the series (Season 1-4.5) - I think most got made... I often always made one when a crew member or intern left the show.

There is ONE idea I had, but didn't think it'd fly after the Hyde and Zeke episode... Secret Keeper was always around/available to listen... and he turns out to have an identical twin (my twin brother worked on the Craig movie and Jessica series). It never happened, so I made the movie appearance of the Secret Keeper but put him in an outfit he'd wear as a kid!

Though, it's usually the board artists that place them in the episode and out of our control as as character designer. I updated the list of Creeksonas - I didn't work on any of the ones on the last two rows.

[ask-the-sagents]

Decided to look up and compile some newlywed game questions in case anyone needs some ideas! You don't have to use these, and they can be used for all of them or a specific couple 🩷

Who has the worst handwriting?

Who is most likely to steal food from your plate?

How many kids do you want?

If your partner was a character from Mario Kart, who would they be?

Who takes the longest showers?

What is their least favorite food?

What is their favorite food?

Who is more likely to get lost?

Who is the best kisser?

What is their favorite drink?

Who is the first to apologize after an argument?

How did you and your partner meet?

Who spends the most time getting ready?

What is their hidden talent?

Who said "I love you" first?

What is your partner's dream date?

Who is the first to fall asleep at night?

What is their biggest fear?

What is their pet name for you?

Who is better with kids?

What is their biggest pet peeve?

What is their favorite season of the year?

Who is the most stubborn?

What is your partner's zodiac sign?

Who is the messiest?

What is their favorite food?

Who is the best at taking beautiful pictures?

Who is the best cook?

Who is the most outgoing?

What side of the bed do they sleep on?

What are three pizza toppings they love?

What’s your partner’s go-to comfort food?

What’s the first thing your partner does when they wake up?

What was the moment you knew they were ‘the one'?

What’s your partner’s biggest fear?

What bizarre superpower would your partner want if they could choose?”

What’s the weirdest thing your partner has ever eaten?

What’s the worst attempt at cooking your partner has ever made?

What unusual talent does your partner have that few people know about?

Who is more likely to be running late?

What's something that always makes your partner laugh?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the very first meal your partner ever cooked for you?

What was your partner wearing the first time you met them?

Who of their friends is your partner most similar to?

What is your partner's favorite junk food?

What is their favorite drink?

Which one of you is the biggest procrastinator?

Does your partner prefer juice, coffee, soda or something else with their breakfast?

Who is more likely to be arrested?

What is your partner's favorite movie genre? Least favorite?

It's finally February!!! (Thank god) Idk about anyone else, but Janruary felt like it lasted 17 years.

For Valentines I've decided to do a little ask event with all of the couples! Due to Piper's birthday at the end of this month, this event will end on the 14th no matter what. The askbox is open for this event now, though! 🩷

[john-does-whimpering]

every time i see someone who has just started malevolent on my recommended i giggle and giggle because oh brother you have no idea what's coming LMFAOOO

[nexus-nebulae]

every day i wish that Rats SMP was a cartoon bc it would make the greatest show ever i think

[feline-evil]

Dick or no dick confirmation Pickles was always going to be trans to me anyways; if he's swingin' somethin that's phallo babes, if he's not then his t-dick fat. What's not to get.

[alistair-blackwood]

i need to stop reblogging jjk art. what if it makes someone want to watch jjk

[nyxofdemons]

four years for this show...

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[girlhorrror]

i need to go back into the vampire show it looks like it’s going crazy in there again

[mell0bee]

have had a very specific & extremely cheesy post canon toh fic idea for like a month now & after the finale it’s defs canon compliant & the idea Will Not Leave My Brain. the problem is that it’s gonna be like 20k-30k words and bestie i simply do not have the time to write that many words

[paintingpuff]

So with the terrible Minecraft movie trailer dropping,

I've seen a lot of people bringing up better stories in the world of Minecraft, like Story Mode or the books or the SMPs, but may I add another option that would be a way better use of your time and money than the Minecraft movie (esp cuz its free)?

Animation Vs. Minecraft

(Note: contains out of context spoilers for this series to give you a sneak peek of what's waiting for you)

There's a good chance you've seen the first video, since it's one of the most watched minecraft videos on youtube, made by the same guy who did Animation vs Animator.

But did you know that the stick figures pick the game back up and continue the series?

There are now three completed seasons packed with fun episodic content that naturally blossoms into a larger, engrossing story that amounts to /several hours of animated content/. It's got fun characters, gorgeous fight scenes, and even musical numbers, all told with next to no dialogue!

The whole thing is a love letter to Minecraft, with way more passion and knowledge of the game than WBS.

New episodes would show off the latest updates, like when the main characters explored the ancient cities and lush caves before they were officially released.

There are even homages to the Minecraft animation community, such as the episode featuring Monster School (my favorite part of this is the way they purposefully imitate the old janky animation in Herobrine's movements)

Not a fan of piglins always being villains? While there's certainly some bad piglins in this series (though I'd argue they're under duress), the main cast also befriends some, include this adorable piglin child.

Still not over Reuben's death from MSM? Well they've also got a pig (named Reuben by the community), and it both doesn't die, and occasionally does some badassery himself!

Speaking of the action, this series doesn't just reference minecraft's world and creatures: it expands on the mechanics and worldbuilding, creating avenues for some truly incredible action that can only be achieved within minecraft. It takes full advantage of the medium and world.

My personal favorite example of this is the team's expansion on the Lucky Blocks mod, exploring the idea of a "randomizer" power to its fullest extent.

The action scenes are the kind where you have to watch them five times over because each character is doing something completely unique and fun.

Here is all the episodes of season 1 compiled in one video to get you started, though there are also playlists out there:

All in all, this series is funny, gripping, and adorable, and is worth your attention far better than some corporate schlock.

[ahsokaismyqueen]

Steve Harrington x HendersonSister!Reader Masterlist

Welcome to the Steve x HendersonSister! Universe! I have so many ideas for these two, and will probably never go through them all, but I wanted to keep them in one place! They will not be posted in chronological order, but I will list them here that way. Hope you enjoy!

Idiotic Decisions - Working on a project with douchebag Steve Harrington was not something you were looking forward to doing. However, you’re surprised to find that maybe he’s just a little less of a jerk than you thought. (Season 1)

Disappointed Revelations - After working on a school project together, you had actually started to believe that there was more to Steve Harrington than meets the eye. All of that changes after an interaction with Jonathan Byers. (Season 1)

The Evolution of Friendship - After Steve is attacked by Billy Hargrove, you’re shocked to find the guy still attempting to protect you as you two go into the hub to try and buy Eleven some more time. It makes you wonder. Are you and Steve Harrington actually … friends? (Season 2)

Hold Me Tight - Ever since Prom, Steve and you had been growing closer to crossing that line from friendship to something more. During a hot summer day, a little more of that line gets crossed. (Before Season 3)

Conversations On Top of an Elevator - Well, your brother has gotten you and Steve into another mess, this time on top of a Russian elevator. While Steve stresses out, you reassure him that you’ve gotten out of this shit before, you can do it again. (Season 3)

Saving Steve - Steve Harrington has already saved your life, so it’s time to return the favor. Little did you know that would feel a little less like an action movie and more like taking care of rowdy toddlers. (Season 3)

You Feel the Same? - The tension that’s been rising between you and Steve all summer has finally been set to boiling after spending time trapped in Russian elevators together and overhearing his confession to Robin about the new girl he likes who sounds suspiciously like you. After everything, you don’t care if it ends up burning you anymore. You just know you can’t waste another second not being with him. (Season 3)

Those Three Little Words - 18+ ONLY. Steve gets upset when he finds a letter on your table from Indiana University, and it forces the two of you to confess something you’ve been trying to say for a while now. (Before Season 4)

Reunions and Future Plans - For the first time in a long time, you and Steve haven’t seen each other in three weeks since you started college. So he decides to surprise you. (Before Season 4)

Holding You to That - Steve Request. You go to get your boyfriend Steve from Family Video when Robin tells you you’re a distraction, and of course you’re not! Okay, maybe a little. (Before Season 4)

A Not So Good Day - It’s Spring Break in Hawkins, and you can already tell that it’s going to be a great, relaxing time. Well, until you find out that your best friend might be dead and the gate to the Upside Down might not be as closed as you thought. (Season 4)

Finding Eddie - After a long day of trying to find Eddie, you, Steve, your brother, Robin and Max all find your way to Reefer Rick’s house where the time finally comes to tell the truth to your ex-best friend. (Season 4)

Watergate - Dustin has a theory that there’s a new gate, and Nancy has a suspicion of where it might be. The best swimmer needs to go to the bottom of Lover’s Lake and check it out. Unfortunately, much to Steve’s displeasure, that happens to be you. (Season 4)

Travelin' Man - Well, you didn’t love Eddie’s plan, but you also didn’t see many other options. (Season 4)

Saving the World or Not - Steve’s gone off to fight Vecna while you’ve stayed behind to distract the bats. What could possibly go wrong? (Season 4)