#GOD THE PRODUCTION IN THE TRAILER ALONE

[sea-buns]

DRAWTECTIVES SEASON 3 TRAILER LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[themanwhomadeamonster]

itsuno's actually involved in the anime production this time so i have hope it'll be half-decent... 🥲

Dante in the Devil May Cry anime announcement

[stevebabey]

Steve hates to ask this of Eddie.

Really, it’s a last resort sort of thing. Robin’s gone for the week, some trip upstate with her family. And it’s fine, they’re close but Steve’s a big boy. He can handle a week without his best friend.

But, well, it’s just unfortunate for it to creep up on Steve when Robin’s gone. It being… shit, how did Robin explain it? She was so much better at keeping track of all those things than he was, all the terms filed away nicely in her head to be recalled as needed. Steve’s much messier— in his head, in his life.

Touch aversion, that’s what she called it. A by-product of the severe lack of touch in his childhood she had said; not enough hugs, hand holding, the works and now Steve’s grown to find it too strange. Something prickles under his skin, pulls in his gut all the wrong way, when someone’s too touchy-feely with him. Robin’s said it’s normal, and he believes her.

It just makes it harder when this comes by. That completely strange backward want that carves into his chest, creating a chasm that just aches. Suddenly, Steve wants to be touched, needs to be touched — like something behind his ribs is just begging for comfort in the form of touch, any way he can have it. Like some young part of him can still remember the hunger he had for it and it comes back in full force, a tender wound between his lungs.

It doesn’t happen that often — though, it’s more frequent than ever recently — but usually, Robin’s here. She can almost always tell before Steve works up the courage to ask. Twitchy fingers give him away. He hovers closer than normal, shoulders brushing more often.

She always gives him a smile, softer than her usual snark and says, “C’mere, dingus.” and stands on her tip-toes to envelope him in a hug. Steve can’t help but sink into it, gripping her close around the waist for as long as he needs until the hole in his chest feels a step closer to patching up.

Robin also tells him he can have as many hugs as he’d like but Steve is firm with himself; he only needs one, then he’ll be back to fine.

It what’s he needs now. One really fucking good hug. Still, he hates to ask, least of all from Eddie, because, well— okay, Steve has no reason to assume Eddie wouldn’t give him a hug.

He’s seen Eddie’s hugs before. Like everything he does, Eddie puts his everything into it- he hugs Robin til she wheezes, loves to lift Nancy off the ground, and the hug he gives Dustin is sweetest of all, a hand on the back of the littler’s head while he does some strange little sway. Dustin always laughs, playfully shoving him away by the end but Steve knows he loves them, that it helps in more than one way.

Steve is glad that Dustin has someone, besides his Mom of course, who can hug him, because Steve can’t give that to him. Maybe one day, but for now, hugs from Steve are a rarity — few and far in between. Maybe, he thinks, he doesn’t want to ask Eddie specifically because of that niggling feeling that comes up around Eddie, all gooey and soft. A feeling the swings too close to a crush that Steve has no fucking clue what to do about.

So, he hates to ask. Really. On the drive over to Eddie’s, a hangout organised before Steve started to feel the lack of touch creep in, he runs through any other options. Wait til Robin gets back? Steve’s not sure he’ll make it another 4 days. When left alone, it seems to consume him and make everything harder, everything heavier to deal with.

He’s still tossing it when he climbs the steps to Eddie’s trailer. Steve decides that he’ll see how it goes, see if there’s an opening to ask…semi-naturally or something. He’s not gonna spring it on the guy.

Eddie is wonderful company as always, devilish grins and god-awful comments about the film he picked. Steve feeds off it, drinking in the infectious energy. He tries to let it be enough; their shoulders pressed together, Eddie’s knee knocking his when he laughs, the way Eddie leans into his space to whisper even though it’s just them here tonight. Steve wants it to be enough. But even then, he can see the way his hands twitch in his lap, desperate for more.

Steve closes his eyes. Curls his hands up so tightly his nails bite into the skin. He tries to use it to wane off the feeling, the ache that sings out for Eddie beside him and it nearly works. Until—

“Steve? Y’okay?” Eddie’s voice pipes up, making Steve open his eyes in an instant.

“Hm?” Steve hums, hoping that his casualness will be enough for Eddie to skip over his peculiar behaviour. He blinks, tilting his head just a bit to show he was confused why Eddie was asking.

Eddie chuckles lightly, gesturing towards Steve’s lap, where his hands sit still clenched, white knuckled with his self-restraint. “You seem a bit stiff, that’s all.” Eddie rechecks. “You good?”

Steve opens his mouth and then closes it, forcing his hands to unclench in his lap. “I-“ he begins, then stops, unsure of what he was going to say. He did say he would look for an opening tonight. The way Eddie’s regarding him, open faced with his concern, is as good as he might get.

“This might sound a bit weird,” Steve starts, defensiveness already tingeing the words, his shoulders curling in just a bit. Eddie could say no. He’s allowed to say no. Steve really doesn’t want him to. “Like, if you think it’s weird, that’s totally fine and we can just, like, forget I said anything and—”

“Steve.” Eddie cuts him off, a linger of an amused smile on his lips. “I don’t think I’m going to find anything you say weird, sweetheart. Shoot. What’s on your mind? What troubles the great mind of Steve Harrington?”

God, it’s like a whole bunch of words designed to set Steve’s head spinning. ‘The great mind of Steve Harrington’ makes him want to scoff. ‘Sweetheart’ makes him want to swoon. He can’t decide which one he wants to do more.

“Can I-” Steve stammers, the words halting automatically. It’s too much of a habit to swallow them down. Coercing them out takes more work. He stares up at the ceiling as he grits his teeth, releases a harsh sigh, pulling himself together. “Can I… have a hug?”

There a moment of silence and Steve holds his breath.

“Oh,” Eddie breathes, and Steve takes his eyes off the ceiling to see just what that Oh means. Eddie’s smiling, a soft one gracing his pretty mouth, and Steve thinks, maybe, one day he’ll have the courage to ask for a kiss as well. Relief moves sluggishly through his veins— Eddie’s smiling, this is good.

“Well, of course,” Eddie grins widely and opens his arms, inviting Steve in. Steve hesitates for only a moment before he leans in gratefully, his arms tucking around Eddie’s midriff tightly. Eddie’s arms curl around Steve’s neck, pulling him in close. It’s the easiest thing in the world, sinking into it, so much that Steve tries his best not to immediately slump against Eddie. It feels a bit too pathetic, so Steve reels himself in. He can’t make his arms relax, trying too hard to take only what he needs and not a moment more.

“C’mon, Stevie.” Eddie’s voice teases beside his ear, his breath warm. “You call that a hug?”

He squeezes Steve a little tighter, pulling him even closer and Steve can’t help the way he melts into it— he slumps, leaning against Eddie properly and burying his quiet whine of relief into the juncture between Eddie's neck and shoulder.

“There we go,” Eddie murmurs comfortingly.

Eddie takes him wholly, gives a damn good Munson hug, all warmth and comfort. He smells like, well, Eddie — a lingering scent of weed, something musky, something Eddie. His arms around Steve’s neck shuffle and Steve worries he’s trying to pull away so soon, only for one of his hands to tangle in the hair at the nape of Steve’s neck. He combs through, light fingernails scratching at Steve’s scalp and shit, Steve really can’t control the noise of contentment that slips out his throat.

“Can’t believe you got so worked up just to ask for a hug,” Eddie tsks, tone coloured in disbelief. Steve makes a noise of protest, trying for a moment to wind it all back in but, like Eddie can sense it, he’s squeezing him tighter again. He begins to rock them, a soft sway side to side that lets Steve lean on him even more. He hums a tune Steve doesn’t know, low and soft.

“M’sorry,” Steve mumbles in reply, though he’s not entirely sure what he’s apologising for. For having to ask, for taking so much, for enjoying Eddie’s arms around him just a little too much.

“What the fuck for?” Eddie laughs lightly, one of his hands beginning to drum against the divots of Steve’s spin. It feels like he’s tapping pure delirium with each fingertip, shivers that make Steve’s chest glow terribly warm. It feels good, so good to be held and honestly, Steve could stay here all night if Eddie let him. Knowing Eddie, he would, because he’s that fucking nice.

That knowledge alone forces Steve to sit himself up, extracting him limbs even though so much of him mourns the warmth, the touch, that goes with it. He wants the touch but he’s had enough. Some scorned part of him burns bitterly to think Eddie would give him more just to be nice. Steve doesn’t want that— Steve wants Eddie to touch him because he wants to.

“Sorry, man, I just, uh, get like that sometimes.” Steve feels the need to explain, bringing a hand up to rub at one of his eyes. He does it half so can hide his embarrassed expression from Eddie— who’s looking at him so gently and still so so close.

“Just, aha—“ Christ, it wasn’t this awkward telling Robin. Steve’s hand moves to rub the back of his neck. “Sometimes I realise it’s been awhile since,” He gnaws on his bottom lip, something alike to humiliation curling in his gut. “Since I’ve had some touch. Usually, Robin’s around but y’know.”

He waves a hand, huffing another awkward laugh. Eddie hasn’t moved much, just listening intently, his brows ever so slightly inching closer together. He looks outright concerned at Steve’s next words.

“It’s okay, I’ve— I’ll be good now.” Steve nods along, like the motion will help him convince himself as well as Eddie. He’ll be okay now. Usually, one hug is all it takes. He ignores the surging tidal-wave want that is still going, still aching to be held by Eddie again. It would be selfish to ask for more. Eddie didn’t invite him around to hug— it’s weird, and Steve shouldn’t- can’t ask for more.

“Sooooo,” Eddie draws out the word, an impish smile beginning to play at the corners of his lips. He opens his arms wide again. “You don’t want another hug?”

In his lap, Steve’s fingers twitch. Eddie’s eyes dart to them for a second, before fixing back on Steve. He does, he really fucking does want another hug. He can’t. He’s had enough, really, it would greedy to have more.

Steve shakes his head, forces himself to huff another laugh that accidentally comes out as a strained sigh. He smiles weakly, “No, no, I’m good, dude. It’s… I’m okay, swear.”

For a moment, Steve thinks he’s convinced him. Eddie studies his face, his mischief slipping away as he deliberates Steve’s words. His eyes narrow, arms dropping just an inch before he smiles brightly and says, “Okay, can I have a hug then?”

Which, okay, right, Steve didn’t think of that. People don’t ask him for hugs. He blinks, a bit dumbly. Eddie is waiting, face eager and for a second there’s an expression of almost smugness on his face — like he’s about to get exactly what he wants. Because he knows Steve would never be rude and say no.

“I mean,” Steve breathes, voice a bit tighter than he’s expecting. He clears his throat. “Yeah, yeah, you can have a hug.”

“Great!” Eddie replies and he wastes no time. He’s all up in Steve’s space, arms around Steve’s waist this time. The motion takes Steve by surprise, enough that because he’s not expecting it Eddie’s weight pushes him back so he’s lying on the couch.

If Eddie cares, he pays no mind, his head curling up into the crook of Steve’s neck as he hugs him closer. His hair gets in Steve’s mouth, making him splutter for a second, but Eddie just grins, wriggling closer until they’re pressed firmly against each other. Steve would go as far as to say this is closer to cuddling than a hug, with Eddie squishing him from above, his arms around Steve’s middle.

“Just so you know,” Eddie’s voice rumbles from where their chests are touching, his breath sweeping across Steve’s neck. Steve shivers without meaning to, feels Eddie’s responding grin even as he continues. “All hugs requested by me are automatically 10 minutes long. Hope you’re okay with that, sweetheart.”

Steve isn’t stupid — he knows Eddie is doing it for him, doing it because he could see right through Steve’s stupid facade, had peered his yawning hunger for touch right in the face and hadn’t blanched. Instead of feeling tricked or fooled, Steve just feels…warm. Comfortable. He works his arms around Eddie’s neck til their more comfortable and find the courage in him scrape his fingers through Eddie’s hair— like he had done to Steve. Eddie’s sighs sweetly and Steve thinks he could listen to that noise forever.

“I’m… I’m okay with that.” Steve murmurs lowly, yet he knows Eddie can hear him. Eddie noses closer, a borderline nuzzle against his neck, and further down, one his hands starts to stroke softly up and down Steve’s ribs.

Steve can’t help the way it makes him freeze, the breath in his lungs holding tight as he tries to relax, tries to ignore the prickly feeling under his skin. It’s a lot. A lot of touch that Steve just isn’t used to just yet, even if he desperately craves it.

“Relax,” Eddie whispers into his skin, a soft instruction paired with the motion, one soothing stroke up and down his ribs. Steve pushes the breath in his lungs out, forces the tension out of his body, trusts that Eddie wouldn’t be offering— wouldn’t tell him to relax if he wasn’t allowed to.

“That’s it.” Eddie praises, feeling the body beneath him settle and sink a little lower into the couch. “Now, watch the movie.” Eddie instructs, jutting at the still playing screen with his chin. Steve laughs a bit, but obeys, turning his head to see what part they’d gotten up to. They’d missed a big chunk in their hug. Steve nearly apologises for it, the words on the tip of his tongue, before he decides Eddie might smack him for it.

So, he doesn’t. He watches the film, let’s the gentle touch of Eddie on his skin relax him til sleepiness starts to fill each of his limbs, heavy like lead. Eddie’s hand stops moving eventually, when his breath gets heavier, lulled by Steve’s scratch in his hair. A snore starts up, loud and quite frankly, annoying, and yet, Steve finds that with Eddie’s arms around him, he has no trouble finding sleep.

It’s the first time in years Steve’s fallen asleep in someone else’s arms. And even if he doesn't know it yet, it’s certainly not the last.

now with a part two!

[kokomos]

 ✴    new habits die hard     ࣭     ๋  𖥔 ݁  ˖  ‏☽

— starring    AU!  LUKE CASTELLAN !  ♆

  ⤷     ⅱ. new habits die hard

MDNI 18+

warning : weed! suggestive themes (not explicit)

alternate universe : takes place in an au! where there are no gods, or demigods for that matter. luke lives with his mother, alone, and takes care of her full-time when he's not off doing odd jobs for the locals.

description : after moving several states away from his home in suburban connecticut, luke found himself in unfamiliar territory and in need of a new plug. lucky for him, you're the town's resident drug dealer.

tags : fem! reader, dealer! reader, loser! luke, au! luke; dom! reader if you squint, subby! luke; luke and reader are both heavy stoners, reader is high during the exchange.

how luke got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was beyond him. a girl dealer. after a year or so of nothing but egotistical and overly competitive men—luke needed this, needed you.

there he stood: in the confines of some shabby little trailer, on the outskirts of town, that you called home. his cheeks were flushed, tints of red betraying him as he tried his best to remain stoic in your presence. despite the fact that you were obviously high, luke still couldn't bring himself to meet your gaze for more than a few seconds at a time.

not that you noticed, or at least you didn't at first; you were too busy leisurely packaging his eighth. your eyes were trained on the scale as you weighed the strain of his choice out, shifting focus to neatly tuck the nugs away into a tiny, pink baggie. a heart embellished the shimmering plastic, a signature that this was from your supply. luke wondered for a moment if there was anyone in town who actually didn't prefer using you—for dealing purposes, of course.

your arm extends out towards your new (favorite) customer. “here you go,” you chirp jovially with a smile. in your hand holds the eighth, sealed and stuffed to the brim.

maybe you gave him more than he paid for, just a bit. but what further justification did you need other than the fact that he was cute, and kinda shy—you liked that in a guy.

he freezes for a moment before reaching out to procure the package, meeting your gaze momentarily before dropping his attention to your hand. a smirk graces your face, delighted, or more accurately amused, by the realization dawning on you.

once the product's out of your possession, he hastily stuffs the eighth away in the pocket of his sweatpants. luke tilts his head up to thank you, but seems to freeze yet again when he finds your eyes scanning his form.

“if you were my boyfriend,” you start abruptly and he watches your eyes slowly meet his, “i wouldn't let you walk around like that.”

his cheeks heat up exponentially, the color darkens against his skin, and he has to stop himself from crumbling entirely when he observes that teasing look you've got plastered across your face. shameless and cruel, by his regard. still, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying every second of it.

he did look pretty slutty, to be frank. a black, tight-fit shirt hugging his abs and those gray sweatpants—they looked amazing on him, but you'd argue they would look even better on the grotty floor of the trailer's one bedroom. your master suite.

following your titillating remark, he swallowed his next breath and let his eyes travel down to survey the clothes he so carelessly threw on hours before. “like… what?” he asked, seeming so nervous that it wouldn't be too far-fetched for someone to misidentify him as utterly terrified.

you chuckle lightly prior to indulging in his curiosity, “like you wanna fuck.”

his eyes instantly snap to yours and his cheeks flare an even deeper maroon. “what?” he nearly chokes on the word. “that's—not,” he stutters, “i was working out before and—”

you cut his pitiful excuse for a defense short, “you've got pretty eyes.” sincerity bleeds through the drug-fueled haze, “it's a shame you don't let me see ‘em too much.”

and without another word, or glance in his direction, you reach for the pre-roll on the table to your left and spark up. he watches intently as you take the first pull, how your plump and glossy lips wrap so delicately around the end of the joint. when your eyes flicker to him, as you exhale some of the smoke, he looks away.

“you gonna pay me or...?” you trail off, keeping a flirtatious tune in your voice. he fumbles around for what he owes in his other pocket, and hands the cash over with a ‘thank you’ and a rather bashful smile.

he leaves the encounter with an eighth in his pocket, your mellifluous voice engraved in his memory, and the feeling that this would only be the start of a new (bad) habit.

ᡣ𐭩  with love , honey

[eddiemunson-reader-shame]

Good Morning Hawkins I Have Dad!Eddie Munson Headcanons

Why are we as a society not talking about Stay At Home Dad Eddie?

I know we want our little domestic fantasies. But this man consistently says “fuck the system” every day. No forced conformity in this private domicile.

If you’ve got the drive to want to work after having the kid, he volunteers to stay home and take care of the baby.

Honestly, with his reputation it might be easier should you decide to stay in Hawkins because you’re the face of the relationship. It might actually be harder for him to find a job in town than it might be for you.

He also 100% cleans up his act, stops selling, and goes on the straight and narrow after having a kid. He doesn’t want baby reaching into cabinets and getting into things they shouldn’t get into.

He may still sell a little grass on the side, but he keeps it hidden in the van where little fingers can’t access it.

Eddie might not be the best housekeeper, but god dammit he tries. Like, he will genuinely try over and over to get things right even if it kills him. You don’t have to worry about weaponized incompetence with him.

He’ll start having favorite brands of cleaning products, favorite brands of formula and diapers, and he might get fussy if you bring the wrong ones home.

He’s a nerd. Plain and simple. He’ll be picking up Dustin in the van and taking little munchkin to the library to find any kind of book in relation to parenting, cooking, etc.

I can see Eddie actually becoming a very competent cook. He even makes the kid’s meals into fun little shapes for their lunchboxes.

Fun finger foods is his main staple when he’s not being Betty Crocker.

Literally does not care how he looks, he’ll push the most dolled up little stroller around Hawkins in broad daylight. He’ll wander out to Bradley’s in a polkadot apron and a pink baby sling. And when the kid is old enough to play salon with daddy, he’s gonna wander out in public with anything from pink scrunchies and glitter polish to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack and magic marker on his face.

I can see Eddie being a little shit and purposely buying the most girly pink items for the baby when they’re little, no matter the gender.

He likes wearing pink in public. It pisses off the conservative parents who see him and the kid coming.

The only thing is you have to have a serious talk with him about is smoking around the kid, because Eddie’s one flaw may be that he’s got the propensity to be a cigarette mom. (It’s the late 80’s, and this was reality for a lot of older Millennials.)

So throw away his Camels and pay Dustin to tail him with a fire extinguisher.

Dustin is going to be Parent Number 3 in this relationship. I’m sorry but it’s reality.

Has absolutely no idea how to take care of a baby but is willing to learn.

Eddie would probably have to reschedule D&D nights with his buddies, because money would be hella tight now that the two of you have a little gremlin and one income. So you can’t exactly pay a sitter.

But he loves to make campaigns based on the stories he tells to the baby during bedtime.

RIP to y’all but once you have that baby, Uncle Wayne’s gonna refuse to let you and Eddie move out. He’s gonna change his work schedule too so he can spend time with the baby.

It would probably take a lot of overtime and a bit of Eddie’s extra side hustle, but the single wide is eventually going to get upgraded to a two bedroom double wide.

Uncle Wayne will insist on giving you, Eddie and the baby the master bedroom. Hell, he might even try to give the kid his bedroom.

Eddie is going to fucking refuse to let his uncle sleep in the living room of the new double wide.

Eddie might also become a little codependent on the kid. School will be a nightmare, because he’ll suddenly be alone in the trailer all day and chain smoke waiting for the kiddo to come home from school.

[italiansteebie]

Eddie was always asking Steve something.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“How do you get your hair like that?”

“What did you dream about last night?”

And everytime it was about him. And that’s what had Steve confused, because why did someone so interesting like Eddie Munson want to know about boring old Steve? I mean, what you see is what you get with the guy, there’s not much to him. But Eddie seemed to be interested in it. 

Now, Steve wasn’t dumb, he could be a little airheaded but, he can tell when someone is flirting with him, and boy, was Eddie flirting with him. He didn’t mind it though, not one bit, because if he was being honest, he had a huge crush on the guy. He was super smart, and creative, and he already liked the kids that seemed to always be hanging around him, and damn. He was kind of out of his league, but Eddie was flirting with him, and Steve was in no rush to stop it. 

So when Eddie asked his questions, Steve always answered with not much of a second thought, though there was always that lingering question in the back of his mind that wondered why Eddie wanted to know these things. It’s not like he was all that interesting, but Eddie always responded with genuine interest, and well. It made Steve feel good. No one had ever taken the time to ask him questions like that, they always seemed to just… Figure it out in their own time, through passing conversations, or some other situation. 

So yeah, Steve really liked when Eddie asked him about himself, but he didn’t realize the effect it had on him. 

—

It was hellfire night, Steve offered to host, maybe it was just an excuse to talk to Eddie, but no one else had to know that. Eddie was downstairs setting up, and Steve and Robin were in the kitchen. Steve was rambling on about something he’d seen on TV about sharks, (He just thought they were cool, okay? Leave him alone), and Robin had been nodding along humming occasionally. 

Dustin came bounding around the corner, arms full of snacks he’d brought for the meeting. “Uh oh! Let's go downstairs, Steve is talking about himself again!” He sing-songed, earning a giggle from Robin, which honestly hurt. He didn’t realize people hated it so much when he talked about his interests. “Hey? What’s wrong with sharks?” He sighed, looking at Robin who only shrugged. “You just… Have a tendency to ramble and well… It’s not that interesting.” Dustin said, painfully blunt as always. Steve hid his hurt with an eye roll and a scoff, “Whatever. Get out of my kitchen, Henderson.” He said, pointing towards the basement door, where he could hear Eddie shuffling around. 

The kids and the rest of hellfire trailed down the stairs, leaving Steve and Robin alone once more. 

“Is it really that annoying when I talk about stuff?” Steve asked, tone ringing with sincerity. Robin walked over to him, worming her way into his arms, “Steve, you know I love you. And you’re a really cool person, sometimes, but. Ever since hanging out with Eddie more, you’ve started to ramble, and well. It’s just… Kinda…” She trailed. Steve backed away from her, “Oh my god! You think I’m annoying?” He scoffs, “See if I listen to any more of your rambles, Bobs.” He says, pushing her gently. 

He hoped it came off as casual but damn. If Robin thinks he’s annoying well then… 

So he pulls away a little bit. Not just from her, but from everyone, including Eddie. 

—

It comes to a head five days later, Eddie and Steve are hanging out in the trailer, watching MTV. A commercial pops up about a new hair care product that Steve’s been hearing about, and he lights up. “Hey! That’s the thing I was telling you about! The one where it- uh. Nevermind.” He said, catching the beginning of his ramble, leaning back into the couch and sighing. 

Eddie turned to him, “Why’d you stop, Stevie?” concern written all over his face. Steve sighed, shaking his head, “Nothing I just- I know it’s annoying when I talk about the stuff I like because no one else in the group likes it so I just. I’ve been trying to like. Not talk as much I guess?” He admitted, ducking his head. He felt Eddie shift suddenly, and soon enough the metal head finagled him into his lap. “Steve. I love when you talk about the stuff you like, because your face lights up and you get so into it and well. I like to learn about you, you pay so much attention to everyone else around you, I just felt like you deserved to have the favor returned.” Eddie said, placing a hand on Steve’s cheek. 

“Really? You don’t think it’s like, annoying or anything?”

“Steve, you listen to me ramble for hours about lord of the rings and I know you have no idea what I’m going on about half the time. If you can sit through that, and listen to our hellfire sessions, then I can only do the same for you. And don’t say it’s different because it’s not. Your interests are just as special as any of ours.”

Steve sniffled, trying to hide the fact that he’d teared up at Eddie’s speech. 

“Awe, Steve are you crying? I- Did I say something wrong?” He asked gently, Steve shaking his head frantically. “No, no. Not at all, I- No one has ever wanted to get to know me like this, I’m just. Happy. Yeah,” He said tearfully, wiping his eyes. Eddie held him closer, and Steve relished in the feeling.

“Eddie?”

“Yeah, Stevie?”

“I’m falling in love with you.”

Eddie paused, and there was silence.

Steve shifted suddenly, pulling out of Eddie’s grapes and standing up. “Eddie, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have sprung that on you like that. I’m so-” Eddie cut him off, standing and grasping his waist. “Steve. The more I get to know you, the further I fall for you. I uh. I’m gonna kiss you now, okay?” He said, eyes flickering down to Steve’s lips, feeling his breath on his face. “Okay,” Steve breathed, a smile spreading on his face as they leaned in. 

They shared a sweet kiss, Eddie’s hands wrapped around Steve’s waist, Steve’s hands tangled in the metal head’s hair. They pulled away slightly, “Stop smiling so much, it makes it hard for me to kiss you,” Eddie murmured, unable to keep his own smile off his face. “I can’t help it.” Steve sighed, resting his forehead against Eddie’s. “I know, baby, me either.” Eddie said, tone close to something of bliss. They stayed in that position for who knows how long, swaying to the music that played quietly on the TV set. 

—

And the next time the kids tried to cut Steve off of his rambles, Eddie countered the attack with a “Next time we’ll just make out instead.” Which earned a groan from the kids and hellfire, and somewhat of a fond look from Robin who tried to hide it by rolling her eyes. “You guys are so gross!” She called. “We know!” Was the response she got from Eddie, who couldn’t be bothered to hear what she had to say next because he was ankle deep into a conversation with Steve, and he was so locked in to what he was saying, Steve might as well have been reciting ‘Star Wars.’ 

[rockonfishboy]

Some Quick Ramblings about the TADC episode 4 trailer

Apologies in advance for how disorganized this is going to be.

—

• LOVE the VHS training video vibe

• LET GANGLE BE A TOXIC MANAGER IT’S WHAT SHE DESERVES

• Also her new look is very cool but also feels very uncanny. I am frightened by blue-shirt Gangle

• CAINE HAS A SUGGESTION BOX!? Either he just put that in recently or he’s had it for a looonngg time and is just now getting around to reading them

• Ragatha looks so tired give this girl a BREAK

• Oh hey, the Gloink Queen is back! I wonder if that means certain other NPCs are going to make a return (<- coping). (Actually come to think of it, that could be why Pomni freaks out at the register. Hm)

• Jax lifting Ragatha into the air is so funny oh my god leave her ALONE agshagd

• Gangle’s in Zooble’s room! And hey, more rooms!! (It’s a super cute one too, I love the colours and general vibes.) It looks like Gangle maybe got her new mask from them?

• Hey, Zooble’s actually in this adventure! (Probably didn’t want to break Caine further than last time.)

• Is Kinger staying behind this time? Hmm

• POMNI JUST SKULKING ACROSS THE FLOOR

• I have a vague theory that this adventure is the product of Caine wanting to fulfill the human’s desires to go back the real world, hence the fast food setting.

• THE NARRATOR GETTING LET OUT OF THE MEAT FREEZER AGDJAHHD- what a great brick joke omg

• Idk why but the shot of Jax, Ragatha, and Pomni hovering in the doorway of Zooble’s room just makes me happy. I’m excited to see everyone interacting more outside of the adventures.

Genuinely cannot wait for the Gangle angst and focus. She can go a bit feral. As a treat.

[whoawardwinchester]

A Winchester Chronicle (c2)

Please consider liking, commenting, and reblogging. It fuels the creativity and lets me know you're enjoying my hard work.

Summary: In Chapter 2, you immerse yourself in the bustling world of "Supernatural," finding camaraderie with Jared and Jensen amidst the intricate sets and intense filming schedule. As you embody Raven, the mysterious new character, you navigate moments of nerves and excitement while bonding over shared passions and humorous exchanges. However, tensions rise when an unexpected medical emergency leaves you hospitalized, revealing both the supportive and strained dynamics with the cast, particularly with Jensen and his girlfriend Dee.

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Content Warning: (subject to change per chapter as this series is written) This chapter includes depictions of characters managing medical conditions, experiencing symptoms, and facing a physical health crisis. It also contains scenes depicting tense arguments and conflict between characters, emotional distress, and intense filming environments with supernatural elements. Additionally, there is brief reference to sensual content involving a past kiss between characters, as well as moments of characters feeling isolated or alone. Readers are advised to proceed with caution due to these themes and scenes.

Rating: 18+ for the whole series.

This is a work of fiction. There is no hate for anyone in real life.

If you want to be added to the tag list for this series, just let me know! Also be sure to tell me how I'm doing or request anything related to Jensen/Dean!

Masterlist

Chapter 2: (based partially on the episode "Are you there, God? It's me, Dean Winchester.")

You step onto the bustling set of "Supernatural" as filming for Season 4 commences. The air crackles with anticipation and the hum of activity, crew members bustling about with purpose. Actors in their elaborate costumes pass by, lost in animated conversations about their scenes. The set itself is a labyrinth of towering sets and intricate props, each corner bustling with activity and the occasional burst of laughter from crew members.

Managing your medical conditions has become a routine challenge. Adjusting your bag strap, you silently steel yourself against the familiar flutter of anxiety. Today marks a fresh start—a chance to embrace Raven's character and leave behind the lingering grief of losing your family.

Inside the production trailer, the aroma of coffee mingles with the buzz of voices. A friendly crew member hands you a stack of scripts, their pages crisp and inked with detailed stage directions and character dialogues. The trailers themselves are a study in organized chaos, with makeup artists meticulously applying finishing touches and wardrobe assistants darting in and out with last-minute adjustments.

Jared and Jensen catch your eye across the bustling room, engrossed in discussion with the director. Their easy camaraderie is evident, a testament to their years on the show. You approach them tentatively, heart racing with a mix of nerves and admiration.

"Hey, guys," you greet them with a smile, trying to hide the flutter in your voice.

Jared's grin widens. "Hey, Y/N! Ready to dive into the deep end with us?" he asks, his enthusiasm infectious.

Jensen nods thoughtfully, his gaze assessing yet kind. "Glad to have you on board," he says warmly, his voice a reassuring presence.

As the morning progresses, you find yourself drawn deeper into the Supernatural world. Scripts in hand, you absorb every detail and direction. The crew bustles around you, adjusting lights and props, preparing for the day's scenes. Each set is a marvel of craftsmanship, from the eerie corridors of haunted houses to the dusty, sunlit roads where supernatural creatures lurk.

At lunchtime, you join Jared and Jensen at a table set up just outside the trailer. The scene is bustling yet relaxed, with crew members grabbing quick bites between takes. The sun filters through the canopy overhead, casting dappled shadows on the makeshift dining area. The aroma of fresh food wafts from catering tables, mingling with the lively chatter of cast and crew.

Laughter and stories flow freely as Jared leans back in his chair, animatedly recounting a humorous mishap from a previous season. "And then, right in the middle of that intense scene, the prop started malfunctioning! It was chaos," he chuckles, shaking his head.

Jensen listens intently, occasionally nodding or interjecting with insights into Dean's character. "Yeah, but you handled it like a pro," he adds, a small smirk playing on his lips. He turns to you, genuine curiosity in his eyes. "What about you, Y/N? Any wild stories from your acting adventures?"

You chuckle nervously, feeling the warmth of their inclusion. "Nothing as crazy as that," you admit, picking at your salad. "But I did once trip over a prop during an audition. It was… memorable."

Jared laughs heartily, clapping you on the shoulder. "Welcome to the club, Y/N! Everyone's got their moments," he reassures, flashing you an encouraging smile.

The camaraderie among the cast and crew is palpable, and you begin to feel a bond forming, forged through shared passion and dedication. It's a small moment of respite amidst the busy day, reminding you why you're here and filling you with a renewed sense of purpose.

After lunch, the director gathers everyone for the first scene featuring Raven. You stand on set, adjusting Raven's dark purple hair and running your fingers over the red lace of her costume. The leather jacket fits snugly, and the sleek silver knife at your belt adds to Raven's mysterious allure. You feel a mix of nerves and excitement as cameras are positioned, and the set falls silent in anticipation of the scene.

"Action!" the director calls out.

The door slams open, and Raven strides into the dimly lit room, her dark purple hair cascading over her shoulders like a shadow. Her red lace fabrics and leather jacket exude a goth glam vibe, contrasting sharply with the supernatural elements around her. Dean, played by Jensen, turns from the table where he's examining a lore book, his eyes narrowing as he takes in the newcomer.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean demands, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon.

Raven doesn't flinch. "You can call me Raven," she replies coolly, her voice a whisper of danger. She moves closer, her stance confident yet cautious.

Dean studies her, a mixture of curiosity and wariness crossing his features. "What do you want?" he asks, his tone gruff but intrigued.

"I'm here for answers," Raven states cryptically, as she tackles Dean to the ground -stunning him into losing his weapon. "And I won't leave until I get them."

Cut!

Between takes, Jensen approaches with a nod of approval. "You're embodying Raven perfectly," he remarks, his voice low but sincere. "I can see her coming to life."

You nod gratefully, the weight of the character settling comfortably on your shoulders. As Jared joins in, playfully nudging Jensen, you catch a glimpse of Jensen's internalized admiration for your performance. His eyes hold a subtle curiosity, and you can't figure out if he is studying you or Raven in an attempt at finding more beneath the surface. It shoots a tingle down your spine.

"You've got her essence down," Jared adds with a grin. "Dean's gonna have his hands full with Raven."

Jensen chuckles, shooting you a knowing look. "That's the plan," he agrees, his tone light but supportive. "Keep pushing those boundaries, Y/N. You're doing great."

As filming resumes, you slip back into Raven's tough exterior. The makeup team reapplies where needed.

During a break in filming, you find yourself in the company of Jared and Misha, who are quick to notice your nerves despite your best efforts to conceal them.

"You know, Y/N," Jared begins with a grin, "for someone playing a tough character like Raven, you seem awfully nervous."

Misha chimes in, his tone teasing yet friendly. "Yeah, you're not planning to faint on us, are you? Because we've got a few rituals for that."

You roll your eyes playfully, crossing your arms. "Please, I've faced scarier things than a few nerves. Like Jensen's coffee order in the morning."

Jared laughs, slapping you on the back. "Good one!"

From across the set, Jensen catches wind of the banter and joins in with his trademark dry humor. "Watch out, Y/N," he calls over, a smirk playing on his lips. "Misha's got a killer squirrel impression that might just calm your nerves."

Misha grins mischievously, ready to demonstrate, but Jared interjects with a mock-serious tone. "Save it for the blooper reel, guys. We've got a scene to nail."

As the conversation shifts, you find yourself deep in discussion with Jared about music, discovering a shared passion for eclectic playlists and spontaneous dancing. His enthusiasm is infectious, and you realize how easy it is to bond over something as simple and joyful as music.

Later that day, as you're reviewing your lines, Jensen approaches with a quiet observation. "You handled yourself well out there," he remarks, his voice low but sincere. "Filming can be intense, but remember to find moments of silliness. It helps keep you grounded."

You nod gratefully, absorbing his advice. "Thanks, Jensen. I'll keep that in mind."

He smiles, a rare glimpse of warmth beneath his dry exterior. "And if you ever need to escape the fame circus, there's always a quiet corner on set."

You laugh softly, touched by his insight. "Noted. Maybe I'll join Misha for that squirrel impression after all."

Jensen chuckles, shaking his head. "Just don't let him teach you the dance moves."

The set pulses with tension as the crew prepares for Episode 2's climactic and final scene of the day. Sam, Dean, and Bobby Singer stand among restless spirits in a dimly lit room. You, dressed in Raven's dark attire, observe the solemn atmosphere from the sidelines. When the director calls action, the actors immerse themselves in their roles.

The spirits of Meg and Agent Henricksen materialize, their accusing voices echoing through the space. They blame Sam and Dean for their deaths and those of others they couldn't save. Bobby, visibly shaken, struggles against the ghosts of children he couldn't protect, weighed down by guilt.

Amid the chaos, Raven hesitates, unsure whether to intervene. The accusations linger, casting doubt on the hunters' resolve. Sam and Dean exchange worried glances, uncertain of Raven's capabilities.

Exhausted yet exhilarated, you retreat to a quiet corner of the set, away from the lingering tension. Leaning against the wall, you exhale deeply, reflecting on the day's intense events. It has pushed you to your limits, but you feel a renewed sense of purpose you haven't felt in a long time.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through your abdomen, a reminder of your medical conditions. You wince but quickly regain composure, determined not to let it show. Just as you prepare to move, Jensen approaches with concern etched on his face.

"Hey, Y/N. You okay?" Jensen's voice is gentle, his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

You force a smile, brushing off the pain. "Yeah, just a twinge. Nothing I can't handle."

Jensen's frown deepens slightly, sensing your reluctance to share. "You know, you can talk to me if something's bothering you."

Before you can respond, Dee strides over, her presence imposing. You feel a pang of discomfort as Dee keeps her eyes fixed on you. Sensing the tension, Jensen shifts subtly, ready to diffuse any brewing conflict.

"Hey, babe," Jensen greets Dee, his tone warm yet cautious. Dee responds by pulling Jensen into a fierce kiss, her gaze still directed at you. Sensing the atmosphere growing uncomfortable, you excuse yourself and retreat to your trailer to change out of your costume and makeup, hoping to reset after the day's intensity.

Inside the trailer, you step into the shower, seeking solace in the warm water. Outside, Jensen hesitates before knocking on your door, intending to check on you and apologize. There's no response. Worried, he pushes open the door to find you unconscious on the floor.

Panicking, Jensen rushes to your side, calling your name urgently. Dee enters the trailer silently, her expression unreadable as she observes Jensen's frantic actions. Jensen dials for an ambulance, his hands trembling with fear and concern.

Dee abruptly hangs up the phone. "This is all an act," she sneers, her voice laced with disdain. "She's just being dramatic." "She's collapsed, Dee!," he admitted loudly.

Dee's skepticism was palpable. "Collapsed? Come on, Jensen," she scoffed dismissively. "You know she thrives on drama."

Jensen's brows furrowed, his concern for Y/N conflicting with Dee's accusations. "That's not fair, Dee," he defended firmly. "Y/N wouldn't fake something like that."

Dee's eyes narrowed, her jealousy bubbling to the surface. "Oh, really?!" she retorted, her voice laced with bitterness. "And how well do you know her, Jensen? Did you also happen to see her naked outside of filming, often?!"

Jensen's eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by Dee's accusation. "It was an accident," he replied defensively, his voice tinged with frustration. "And it's not what you think."

Jensen's eyes widen in disbelief, torn between his concern for you and Dee's unsettling calmness. Dee grabs his arm firmly, hangs up the phone, pulling him away toward their car. On their way out, Jensen contacts Jared, his voice shaky as he instructs him to check on you, unable to provide further details.

_______

The car ride home was tense, the air thick with unspoken words and simmering resentment. Jensen sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window as the streetlights blurred past. Dee's refusal to let him check on Y/N gnawed at him, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest with every passing mile.

"Why did you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Dee's voice pierced through the silence, sharp and accusatory.

Jensen clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists on his lap. "Because I wanted to make sure she was okay," he replied tersely, his tone tinged with disappointment.

Dee scoffed, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "She's probably just being dramatic, Jensen. You don't even know her," she retorted, her words cutting through him like shards of glass.

"And you don't either," Jensen shot back, frustration seeping into his voice. "But if it were Jared or Misha in her place, we'd be checking on them too. Why should Y/N be any different?"

They drove in stony silence for what felt like an eternity, the weight of their argument hanging heavily between them. Eventually, Dee pulled over abruptly, the car coming to a halt by the side of the road. Without a word, Jensen opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air.

He stood there for a moment, his breath forming misty clouds in the chilly evening. The distant hum of traffic filled the silence as Jensen rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm the turmoil swirling inside him. Walking away from the car, he felt a mix of anger, guilt, and confusion.

The walk home was long and solitary, each step echoing his internal struggle. He replayed the day's events in his mind, questioning his decisions and the consequences they had wrought. His thoughts drifted to Y/N, lying unconscious in her trailer earlier, and the pang of regret gnawed at him.

As he reached his empty house, Jensen leaned against the door, staring up at the starless sky. The quiet darkness enveloped him, offering a moment of respite from the chaos of the day. Alone with his thoughts, he wrestled with the implications of Dee's actions and his own conflicted feelings, unsure of how to navigate the turbulent waters ahead.

Yet amidst the turmoil, Jensen's mind wandered back to a fleeting moment two weeks prior—the unexpected kiss with Y/N during her audition. The memory played in his mind like a reel, how Y/N's face felt heated after he embraced it. How her lips were soft and reciprocated the moment. How her brilliant blue eyes looked under the garage lights. He wanted to kiss her neck, pick her up and…. No. These thoughts were stirring emotions he hadn't fully processed. He wondered what it meant, if anything, and if he was just thinking about it because he wanted to reach out to Y/N and make sure she was ok. Maybe he shouldn't, maybe it wasn't professional.

Deep in thought, Jensen finally pushed open the door to his silent house, the weight of the day's events settling heavily on his shoulders.

________

Shortly after getting the call, Jared and Misha arrive at your trailer to find you unconscious. They swiftly call for medical assistance after covering up your naked body. Jared carefully picks you up while Misha makes sure you stay covered as they take you out of your trailer where a gurney can more easily help. They stay by your side until the ambulance arrives, making sure people keep their distance as a crowd begins to gather around from all of the commotion.

You regain consciousness in the hospital the next evening, disoriented and fearful. A nurse is tending to your IV. "Hey honey, your friends out there wouldn't go home until they knew you were awake. Would you like them to come in?" She asks you kindly. You fear repercussions after collapsing on your first day of filming, but you agree with a nod anyway. To your surprise, Jared, Misha, and Misha's wife arrive with flowers and a card signed by the cast and crew, reassuring you that everything will be okay. "What happened?" You ask as you smell the bouquet. "They said you had a cyst burst. But it should pass on it's own and you won't need surgery." Jared shared solemnly, looking at Misha and his wife for confirmation. "They said you can come back to work tomorrow, but take it easy." Misha added.

"You guys, I'm so embarrassed. This isn't an issue I share openly. It's affected me my whole life, and with the hustle of everything, I forgot the signs of it. I know better." You said, shedding a tear and turning your head away from them. Jared asked, "Can I hug you?" You nod a little. "That'd be nice." All three of them joined in and it did help you feel a little better.

However, Jensen and Dee are conspicuously absent. Your heart sinks with disappointment as you remember bits and pieces of their conversation as you were laying on the trailer floor, and you realize their absence speaks volumes. The uncertainty gnawed at you as you stared out the hospital window, the city lights flickering in the distance, leaving you with unanswered questions and a sinking feeling that things were about to get more complicated.

[niconebula]

hi! i'm interested in this other material implying that magical girl heaven doesn't exist. because i mean. i feel like it must, if rebellion is canon. because sayaka is madoka's goddess secretary and bebe is also some sort of assistant, right? madoka sent them on the mission with her to save homura. they even reference how this was a particularly hard mission (like they do it all the time.) and they talk about saving homura like its her deserved reward for all her hard work. and they seem to be descending from some sort of magical realm when homura grabs madoka. unless you think those are also false memories implanted by kyubey or this world?

(for the record i am not deep in the fandom so i'm genuniely asking these things - all my commentary is based solely off of my memories of the movie and series)

Yeah yeah no worries! There's still nothing concrete on the matter, but it seems to imply that Madoka at least spends the vast majority of her time alone, or that the heaven is nonexistent and more of a Nirvana state for the girls who pass.

In the original Concept Movie Trailer (this was an early visual inspiration / idea board for the movie we are getting soon) they have this dialogue between Madoka and Homura:

Madoka & Homura: Do you know what happiness is? Homura: It's having your name called by someone. Madoka: It's calling someone's name. Homura: It's when someone is thinking of you. Madoka & Homura: But God alone cannot have any of this

This is to be taken with a grain of salt since it's only Homura's personal beliefs that Madoka is mindlessly repeating - but I think it would be strange nonetheless to imply Madoka has no contact, then have it be revealed that she actually was chilling with Sayaka the whole time.

Then the Rebellion production note (in the top corner):

"Among the magical girls who have now become part of the gods, for those who know Homura, this operation is a major event, like a momentary awakening from a long, long dream."

And Magia Record is less canon, since Urobutchi and a lot of the production staff are not involved, but it's consistent that they portray her as entirely solitary and mentions not having a conversation with anyone in a long time.

In my mind, magical girls who ascend just exist as energy, and are only able to be temporarily awoken by Madoka for special purposes. There has always been a lot of symbolism with sleeping and dreaming in the series - for one last point, the Rebellion ED song 'Your Silver Garden' has a lyric about the 'guardian of innocent slumberers' which could refer to Goddess Madoka.

[miirshroom]

Loki as inspiration for Radagon

I have seen it many times where people are able to interpret Marika as having attributes connected to Odin - trickster, hung on a tree and stabbed with a spear, dropped an eye (scarseal) down a well - but less often do I see identified Marika/Radagon's thematic ties to other Norse gods and especially Loki.

From review of the literature Radagon alone is something of an amalgamation of many myths and stories: Loki, Illmarinen/Kullervo, Orion, Xolotl, Gollum/Smeagol, the Rebis and/or a literal interpretation of man and woman becoming "one flesh" as described in Genesis in Christian bibles (and a handful of others). All under the combined names of gods Ra and Dagon. It may even be appropriate to think of him as a mimic on a meta level, given all of these inspirations pulled together.

And of all of those inspiration one stands out as especially synergistic with a mimic character - Loki the Trickster and shapeshifter. Maybe it's a pop culture recency bias of people getting hung up on the hair colour, since the Marvel black hair version of Loki is its own thing while most scholarship on the matter has Loki as either red-haired or (more likely) blonde. But specifically the version of Loki that appears in Wagner's Ring Cycle in the mid-1800's is red haired because Loki is conflated with the fire giant 'Logi' for that production. And on the other hand it also makes some sense to associate Radagon with the explicitly red-haired Thor who wields a hammer (more on that later).

Anyways, the main point is the characteristics of Loki that apply directly and indirectly around Radagon:

Half giant heritage. Radagon hates his hair the colour of fire giants - this one is clear.

Shapeshifter who has had children in male and female form. Radagon has fathered children and Marika has been mother to children. The 8-legged horse Sleipnir does not make an appearance but perhaps a spiritual analogue does: the Royal Revenants are 8-limbed. Godfrey is described as "scion of the Golden Bough" and a scion is a limb taken from a tree, so perhaps it is meant to be that in the empty space of the narrative Marika was mother to 8 children of the Golden Lineage.

Had three children with a giantess: Hela the queen of the underworld who is half dead and half alive (Ranni), Jormungandr the World Serpent (Rykard), and Fenris Wolf who has the most convoluted mythology of the 3 but is most known for having a voracious appetite (Radahn eats corpses and howls at the sky). The twist on the classic here is that none of the three were born into these roles and instead all grew into them.

Loki wagered his head in a bet with a craftsman who forged 3 treasures: a ring for Odin that generates 8 copies of itself every 9 days, a golden boar for Freyr, and Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Again, two of the treasures have direct parallels in the Elden Ring and Marika's Hammer. The third is less obvious but there are indeed boars in the Lands Between. And now a man riding boar in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer. When he lost the bet the craftsman had planned to behead him, but Loki pointed out that he had not wagered his neck, so instead the craftsman sewed his mouth shut. My main point is that the Preceptor's Mask associated with Radagon's journey to Liurnia has the mouth "sewn shut", and Glintstone crowns in general have associations with beheading.

Was imprisoned for his role in tricking Hodr - the blind Norse god of darkness - into killing Baldr - Norse god of light. Parallel to the death of Godwyn. This has led as least some people to match up Ranni to Loki, which itself is not incorrect because this is an original story and not a 1:1 recreation of myth. But to the theory that Marika/Radagon orchestrated the Night of Black Knives, this is a point in favour.

Is credited in the Prose Edda with inventing the fishing net (same pattern as Radagon's rune). This also connects to an incident just before Loki was caught where he takes the form of a salmon and the gods use his own net to help catch him (Radagon's rune blocking entry to the Erdtree). However, there is another connection to Ranni here as it is said in the more reliable Poetic Edda that Loki actually borrowed the net from Rán, goddess of the sea.

Obtained from craftsmen a wig of golden hair for Sif - wife of Thor - to replace the hair he cut off for a trick by shaving her bald. This one is not explicitly invoked - aside from the tendency for demigods to be shorn of their hair and have it included in their helms. It is more an exercise of extrapolation after identifying a pattern with other Loki stories and also drawing upon that imagery of Radagon wielding Thor's hammer. Imagine Radagon divesting himself of his red hair and replacing it with golden hair as part of becoming Marika as a preferred identity. Sif also was known to wear a veil in the time before receiving new hair - and Marika wears a veil in her church statues. The statue of a bald monk appears to be symbolic of the beginning of Marika's Age of the Erdtree.

Altogether, the point is that there are many ways to understand what it means that Radagon and Marika are the same person. Mythology is one of those ways - so often in myths identities are fluid because they represent a set of stories that drifted in retellings and were later brought back and merged into a single entity by selectively choosing the new canon. The two aspects of a single god are interpreted as two different gods due to language barriers, wander apart for a bit as the stories diverge when told by different storytellers, and merge back together or get subsumed into the identity of another god entirely.

Edit: As pointed out in the reblog, scholarship speculates that Loki originated as a disguise of Odin as Trickster God. However - to nip in the bud a conclusion that could be made from this - I would not say that this indicates that Marika started as a genderswapped Odin who diverged to become a Radagon Loki. Because FromSoft has stated explicitly who most embodies Odin: Gideon Ofnir. Ófnir is a name meaning "Inciter" and attributed to Odin by Snorri. Gideon synergizes well as a Tarnished version of Radagon - representing a previous version of him from a certain point in time. If you like, consider Gideon to be a companion who joined Radagon on the campaign to Raya Lucaria - he had to make an acquaintance of Seluvis at some point after all. Gideon claims to know that Marika wishes the Tarnished to struggle forever, which places him on the same line of thought as Radagon's eternal agonized hammering of the ring (and Gideon's weapon is a type of hammer as well). Radagon has been noted to use only incantations in his fight despite having spent time learning sorcery at Raya Lucaria. These traits of combining incantations and sorcery are instead displayed by Gideon who gives payoff to the characterization of Odin as wizard.

I stick to my original assessment of what it means that "Radagon is Marika" and Radagon is both Marika's other self and yet to become her. Marika is a persona constructed by Radagon in imitation of someone else, and an identity assumed through shapeshifting. He tried to disappear completely behind the persona of Marika to cover his flaws but could not do so because she was a hollow imitation and repressing the core issues instead of confronting them only caused them to fester. It's like the theme of God of War Ragnarok (2022) as in the Detail Diatribe by Overly Sarcastic Productions: generational trauma is the Hidden Hand of Fate. When those festering doubts resurface Radagon as Loki as an offshoot of Odin tries to solve the problem like an Odin: by tortuously hanging on a tree for knowledge, plucking out eyes to drop down wells, and so on. That's the generational trauma bit - it's a cycle of pain. It's why it was important for Ranni to shed her bloodline connection to Radagon in the context of the narrative. And then slay the Hidden Hand of Fate (I.e. Manus Celes). It frees her from the cycle and from continuing the mess of complexes that was Radagon/Marika. She is the queen of the underworld that is represented by the Lands Between and she is doing it on her own terms.

[malleablemusic]

i avoided listening to radiohead based on the bad vibes I received from radiohead fans in middle+high school. my friend's partner and i were recently discussing our very opposite music tastes, and how her mother raised her on radiohead. my immigrant mother does not know radiohead even exists. this is an experiment in putting myself in to my friend catie's shoes. here's my review of ok computer:

airbag: 3/5 stars

feels like the way the ending of the breakfast club felt

"in an interstellar burst / i am back to save the universe"

pro car safety song, love it

wear your seatbelts and check your airbags

love the ending of the guitar strum tapering out

paranoid android: 3.8/5

ok rangee!! he has a beautiful voice

"ambition makes you look pretty ugly / kicking squealing, gucci little piggy" obsessed

feels like this song is multiple genres and somehow punk and funky

the guitar solo crescendo then slowing it back down then back into guitar solo again... his mind

subterranean homesick alien: 3.6/5

love how mysterious and discomfiting the guitar riffs are

encapsulates what i imagine the feeling of floating alone in space is like

a little underwhelming

exit music (for a film): 4.1/5

kind of boring intro

i like the harmonizing chorus in the background

2:49 beat drop hittttt the intro didn't have to be so long and quiet but the build up was almost worth it

3:20 oh... my god.. i am ascending

he sings "we hope that you choke" so angelically

i wish i could capture how the second half of the song made me feel into a bottle

let down: 3.2/5

i also feel crushed like a bug in the ground

him hitting the high note in "you know where you are" brought tears to my eyes

karma police: 3.3/5

this sounds like it was in skins (uk)

"her hitler hairdo is making me feel ill" crazy statement

i love the harmonizing "ahhs" in the background during the outtro

fitter happier: 4/5

very scary voice wow

terrifying background sounds

this is a masterpiece

"fitter, healthier and more productive / a pig / in a cage / on antibiotics" this is the american dream

electioneering: 4.5/5

very timely yikes

"when i go forwards you go backwards" so real! speak on it kurt!

from minute three on i felt like tearing apart my room and going on a rampage this is a call to riot

climbing up the walls: 4.2/5

very creepily romantic

if haunting adeline by h.d carlton was made into a movie this song would play in the trailer

im sensing a theme of long guitar intro and outros and honestly its growing on me

him screaming at the end was impeccable, 10/10, zero notes

no surprises: 5/5

i cant lie and say ive never heard this song, it has had a grip on me for years

heart is aching at the intro and eyes welled up uncontrollably

"a heart that's full up like a landfill / a job that slowly kills you / bruises that won't heal" stabbed me in the heart.

"you look so tired, unhappy / bring down the government / they don't, they don't speak for us" if i was a teenager when this song came out i think i would have had a very unhealthy obsession with mr cobain

had to lay on the floor for this one

a quiet life and a quiet death...no surprises. im weeping

SUCH A PRETTY HOUSE. AND SUCH A PRETTY GARDEN!

lucky: 2.4/5

who is sarah. this would have crushed me to hear as the obsessed teen i likely would have been

didn't wow me, not sure if it's because it followed a perfect song and therefore was held to a higher standard, or if it was just boring

the tourist 3/5

he is so right. i should slow down. sometimes i do get overcharged

i love love love when he belts. the control he had over his voice is so impressive

honestly, without no surprises i am not a huge fan of this album, but i definitely do understand and see the appeal. i will definitely be listening to more radiohead in the future ! overall 3.7

[jenzel]

SPOILERY PRIME THOUGHTS

Actually obsessed.

For one, I can't wait for the real premiere on Netflix because I need and want to go through it all again in high def. And for a 40 minute long episode it absolutely flew by.

My one issue was with the back-and-forth between the pre and post shatter scenes. I would have seriously loved all that characterisation up front so that we knew more about these characters before meeting their New Yolk versions (ESPECIALLY with Amy). There's a whole sequence where Sonic floats through shatterspace and we see characters saying lines that they definitely haven't said yet. However I Get It, from a production perspective, because that'd probably take a whole episode alone and I imagine a pilot episode without any shatterspace antics is a hard sell. You do you, Sonic Prime team.

Also it meant the episode ended on the single most beautiful shot of the show so far.

The animation is stunning and expressive, everyone looks fantastic, no notes. I'm a fan of what Sonic's arc is shaping up to be, I like the angle of him having to confront the fact that he often takes his friends for granted. Not only is it a great arc for Sonic, but it's great for the rest of the cast too. As an Archie/IDW comics fan I live and die on an expanded cast and this show is going to feed me.

Already, Nine reveals so much about Tails - about the kind of person he becomes when he's forced to fend for himself, without Sonic or anyone to show him unconditional friendship and support. He's still the same whip-smart kid, he's still inquisitive and determined to solve problems, but he's turned all of that energy on himself. He's shut away, he doesn't seem to be actively fighting for anything, his artificial tails literally hide his natural ones. He doesn't even fly! He's sworn off anything that could leave him vulnerable. I can see the New Yoke shatterspace being his arc as much as Sonic's.

Oh my god, does this mean that each character gets their own shatterspace to shine in?

Hear me out!

I can see the pirate space being all about Knuckles, given that he's the Captain and. Y'know. That one shot from the trailer.

I'm also calling the Jungle space for Amy. Her relationship with the environment, and animals in particular, has always been a big part of her character.

All of this is just a hunch, I guess we'll find out for sure on the 15th!

Misc Thoughts:

Rouge my beloved. You always deserved a comeback.

I wonder if Tails has a lab in every shatterspace - gimme that pirate lab.

I wonder if there are extra shatterspaces that we haven't seen yet. So far everything seems to line up with the concept art, but we might still get some surprises.

There's a quick, flashback type shot of Shadow punching Sonic in the face that isn't the same punch as the one that ends this episode. This means Shadow punches him at least twice. I love that for him.

This is the best shot I've got. It's beautiful.

[brainmaniaman]

That julianXreader fic was absolutely amazing. Please write more JulianXreader fics or headcannons. There is so little of it in the fandom 🥺

Gosh, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I feel similarly. I'm more of a Ricky guy and all I saw was one (very glorious) headcannon post. I've had this idea kind of swimming around in my head for a while but I haven't had anywhere to put it. This one's for you, bud!

Sometimes I think about a world in which Julian actually went to community college. In later seasons, I found myself disappointed with Netflix's continuation. To me, Seasons 1-7 are the only cannon ones. Though... I think my favorite seasons are about seasons 1-4ish. So let's talk about an AU where Julian went to community college

Julian at community college would be great. I think he'd be overwhelmed because he's no longer the smartest guy around. I mean, there's not much competition in the Trailer Park, aside from Bubbles, but I always thought that Julian saw Bubbles more as an equal.

I just know that Julian gets in trouble with campus police for carrying around that fucking rum and coke. They tell him he can't do that but he does it anyways. Eventually, he's just kind of known as that guy that carries around a rum and coke. Julian is nice enough so people just kind of let him do his own thing.

Maybe you meet Julian because you have a group project for Intro to Marketing and Media 101 or some shit like that? Like, the project is doing a commercial for a specific product and you're graded on the effectiveness or the product. It's a simple project you would typically find in a basic community college class.

I will say, Julian probably doesn't like you to begin with. I mean, you're probably smarter than him. Julian is the kind of guy to take people being smarter than him as a personal insult. Plus, he's used to being the smartest guy around. I think he'd be friendly, but he'd probably kind of condescend and try to take control of the entire fucking project.

You had other group members but they couldn't fucking stand Julian taking charge of the fucking project and they got the professor to let them split into another group. If you knew that was possible, you would have too - but now you and Julian are stuck together.

Julian has shit ideas, I'm sorry. They're not fun. He just wants to do a basic info-mmerical but you think that's super lazy. You wanna do something fun and pretend to sell something creative. He hates the idea and just wants an A. He's good at marketing... he's just not good at marketing the typical kind of stuff.

The two of you mostly meet on-campus because you live with your parents (to save money) and he doesn't want to bring you around the park because he's kind of embarrassed. Like yeah he loves his park family but also he'd be horrified if J-Roc asked you to star in an amateur porn film or if you had to talk to Ricky on a day where he was particularly belligerent.

Sexual tension. Sexual tension. Sexual tension. I like to think that Julian has this nasty habit of correcting literally any grammatical mistake you make because he feels like it makes him smart. That shit drives you crazy and god you just want to shake the fuck out of him.

But I don't know, there's just something about Julian you like you can't quite place your finger on.

I kind of like the idea that you have a crazy fucking ex-boyfriend who thinks he's big and bad and follows you around? You didn't tell Julian about it because you didn't believe it was his business, it wasn't like you were even friends

But I think what really brings y'all from just being group partners to being friends is that one day your ex confronts you as you're leaving class and is just straight harassing you. Your ex is a big strong guy, nobody is stepping in to even call campus police and you feel so alone.

You may kind of piss Julian off but he really does like you and respect you, plus he hates seeing a lady getting accosted. He's a criminal but he favors himself to be a gentleman.

Julian confronts your ex and it breaks out into basically a pissing match, toe to toe. I like to think your ex threatens Julian, but Julian is kind of a crazy fuck when you think about it. I mean he did cock the gun Cyrus was holding and put it to his head, so this feels like nothing.

"You think you're a big tough guy picking on a lady, huh? I bet you feel so strong when you make her feel so scared, right? Make you feel real good? Like you're getting revenge. If you're gonna come toe-to-toe with someone, square up with someone you're own size. Come on, hit me. Hit me. I said hit me. That's right, that's what I thought, you're nothing but a fucking punk. Where I come from, we chew posers like you up and spit them out. Next time you come around her, you better think twice."

You're so grateful that Julian stood up for you but also that was kind of hot . . . I think that's where your attraction starts, but you thank him for his help.

The two of you get closer. I mean you two are on the phone fucking 24/7 late at night talking about things that aren't class related. You've got him asking shit like...

"Where are you from? Oh, I've never been there. What's it like?" "Do you know any good food places around campus?" "What's your favorite food?" "Are you a liquor gal or a wine gal?" Bubbles and Ricky definitely take the piss out of him, but he keeps you far away from the park lol.

I mean he comes over to work on the project and your family is home and he unintentionally meets your parents. Your dad isn't too keen on him but your mom is almost obsessed. He's such a nice guy and all of that. It makes him feel guilty because he really doesn't truly consider himself all that nice of a guy.

I just love the idea that he sneaks you into the park at like 2am because he knows everyone is asleep and he doesn't want anyone knowing what he's up to. He sneaks you in and out. Usually you two are extra quiet because Ricky lives in his fucking front yard, but or the most part you two are very hush-hush. He says it's because he wants to be able to work on the project without any distractions which is actually a valid excuse considering how fucking crazy his neighbors are.

Except you two definitely don't work on the project that night.

You're not a big fan of the imbalance, as you feel like you've met all of his family and you've met no-one close to him.

At some point, Ricky catches you sneaking in at the middle of the night.

"What the fuck are you doing? Are you trying to break into Julian's house? Julian! JULIAN! SOMEONE IS TRYING TO BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE." It's a fuck-fest because Ricky is fucking yelling and screaming.

Julian tries to get Ricky to shut the fuck up but by now, the entire park is out trying to see what the fuck is going on.

"Holy fuck Julian why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend? She's hot. I would've covered for you if you just would've let me know!"

I like to think that you do get some shit from idiots in the park and some uncomfortable questions, but you grow to really enjoy the people there - even Lahey, who is endearing in his own drunken way.

You end up using all of the people in the park for your little commercial and that shit is so funny. You're probably selling something insane, like tickets to see The Green Bastard or something like that. It's actually a lot of fun and really endearing, though it was a fucking hassle to make.

I don't know, I just love the idea of Julian meeting someone from community college and being fucking happy for once because that man is always fucking miserable

Bonus content: I think Julian's love-language is touch. I like to think he's subtle about it, like placing a hand on your shoulder. He's the kind of guy to hug you the moment the door closes behind you.

Julian doesn't say I love you first because of trauma and stuff, but when you tell him that you love him the dude tries to hide just how fucking ecstatic he is but definitely showers you in affectionate kisses.

I like to think that you move in with him.

Of course, there's drama surrounding his dope operation when you find out that he grows and sells on the side, it actually really upsets you, but this is a happy post and I'll save the angst for later.

Hopefully that kind of gives you a Julian fix. I love story-based AUs because I can give general ideas and people can kind of come up with their own little plot points in between.

[chibivesicle]

Trigun Stampede - Episode 4 - Stampede’s direction is clear; this is an action packed sci fi series on a desert planet.

Any resemblance to an anime or manga with an old fashioned Western setting is not the the creative direction for this.  Or as I’ve been thinking - Trigun Stampede is a sci fi series with the thin veneer of a western.  The veneer is shown at the beginning of our episode 4 with western sounding music and three random dudes grilling worm meat over a fire discussing how fresh meat is the best, though one guy wants to be all trendy and try a plant based meat product.  I think this is the writing team trying to be clever but it seems to fall flat.  The more I watch this, more of a bone I have to pick with the writers; it keeps coming off as passable but it could be much better.  This also goes into the story boarding, but we’ll get into that a little later on.

I’m also wondering how worms have muscles, but maybe we can go with alien worm biology hand waving explanation.

While enjoying their red worm meat, they spot a single individual walking alone in the desert carrying a cross, stating he’s well dressed for his own funeral and even has his own tombstone.

This is our introduction to Nicholas D. Wolfwood, the previously characterized wandering priest/clergyman who also works as a hired gun [anime] or religiously associated and trained assassin [manga].

The intro scene ends with a hot and sweaty looking Wolfwood.  I will say, they worked hard to get a nice reflection in his sunglasses and he does sport a little of his trademark stubble, but he does look a lot cleaner.

After the OP, the action returns to Meryl and Roberto listening to the news as Vash sleeps in the back of their land rover like vehicle.  Vash has been blamed for the destruction of Jeneora Rock and apparently hasn’t eaten since yesterday as Roberto offers his uneaten sandwich to Meryl.

Roberto gets to comment that only god knows why Vash is acting like Vash since young and inexperienced Meryl is expecting him both to eat more yet, struggle with sleeping due to his feelings of guilt that they are both aware of.

It really seems that Roberto is our info dump, make sure you understand our intent with our limited actions of what we decide to animate for our characters. Since the fact that Vash hasn’t eaten shows that he’s lost his motivation to live/ is feeling super depressed etc etc. has to be told to us by Roberto only with Meryl looking sadly at him.

Meryl then manages to almost drive right into Wolfwood and with Roberto’s help, she only nails him with the satellite trailer instead of hitting him head on.  This scene is very slapstick and seems oddly out of place since Stampede has been taking itself very seriously the entire time unlike the original anime or manga.

Meryl rushes to the nearest gas er - recharge station to save the strange man she just almost killed.  We see at least a nod to the original design of the plants with the light bulb station sign and a covered arch for parked vehicles.

As the group rushes in, they find the station owners shot and killed, likely looking like a station robbery.  There is a noise that allows Vash to find a child hiding in a locker who looks shocked, unable to speak.  At the same time, the injured man, seems to be quickly recovering able to add color commentary.

He takes the lead on some sort of ceremony for the remembrance of the dead, having taken a bottle of water from the station, sipping it before tossing some on the graves and attempting to do a poor ceremony.

It starts out passable but then quickly fails catching Meryl’s attention calling his possible job into question.  She asks him if he is a priest using the term 牧師 bokushi.  Interestingly, the original anime’s translation chose to use priest while the more literal translation is pastor/clergyman/reverend/minister.  Though the bus driver does call him a preacher at one point.

In this version he clearly states he’s not a priest but an undertaker.

Stampede uses the term 葬儀屋, sougi-ya, which translates to funeral home or can also describe an undertaker = funeral director.  Therefore, this is the second shift in a main character’s job in this version and will change aspects of his character by default, just like how it has changed Meryl’s in these first four episodes.

This is a good time to pause and compare Wolfwood’s introduction in Trigun and Trigun Maximum.  It will help frame how the rest of this episode plays out.

In the anime, Wolfwood doesn’t appear until episode 9, Murder Machine after Vash’s battle against Brilliant Dynamite Neon on the sandsteamer.  A glint of light catches Vash’s eye and they find a man collapsed and leaning against a cross in the desert.

After the bus driver pokes him commenting he’s a well put together dead man, he pops up and stutters that he’s been saved!  Showing that he’s got a sort of silly side.

After leaning that it was neither Milly or Meryl who saved him and introducing himself as a priest, he thanks Vash after he’d drank all of his water.  Vash is not pleased with this strange priest having consumed all of his water and this leads to the infamous giant introduction of Vash’s made up name which is blown by Milly blurting out he’s Vash the Stampede.  Once Wolfwood’s shock calms down he offers his hand to Vash and introduces himself as Wolfwood, at his service.

Of course he also can’t help but mention that if he killed Vash he’d get the $$60 billion reward and Vash would prefer he not point this out in public.

The entire introduction of Wolfwood is playful, you get the feeling that he’s a sort of prankster and has a good sense of humor though it has a dark and sarcastic undertone.

The manga is quite similar as Wolfwood introduces himself almost immediately as well.  Again, Wolfwood is shocked that this weird guy is the infamous criminal and is prevented from blurting it out to the entire bus.  I love how blunt Wolfwood is with his comment that ‘everyone’s damn dumb’.

And he again introduces himself to Vash, also offering his services as well.

Either way, both of these introductions show how playful of a character Wolfwood can be at times and how he’s portrayed as a friendly guy and very approachable - which makes sense if you are a religious official (or traveling under the guise of one).  Plus, the anime and manga both highlight that he was stranded in the desert due to his motorcycle breaking down forcing him to walk instead.  This forced him to carry his cross which is both literal and metaphorical for his character arc.

In Stampede, Vash feels a bit awkward as Meryl and the unnamed undertaker argue while the putative orphaned child looks shell shocked.  He walks over to the child and pops a lollipop in his mouth before offering another one to the kid.  This allows for him to have a small inspirational monologue to the child.

He states outright that he’s an orphan and that - No matter how heavy the cross that you carry, you still deserve to eat.  That you still deserve to laugh.

This sounds a bit like Wolfwood, a way of trying to connect with someone else.  After the kid silently looks thoughtful, he returns to give his bill to Vash for $$20,000 which causes Meryl to have another meltdown about his rip off of services.  Which with that abrupt change again makes me groan about the the awkward pacing and oddly placed slapstick style humor with his bill.

Roberto calls him out on not only his criminally high cost bill for services, but also notes that for being hit by a car he’s looking pretty good.  His reply is that he’s tough.  And that it’s his saving grace.

And with that suspicious look from Roberto, we hear a weird high pitched whine and the ground begins to rumble as the entire group is eaten by a giant sandworm, charging station and all!  The next time we get a close up on Wolfwood he’s got a crumpled cigarette instead of the pink lollipop.  This is a point were the story boarding continuity seems a bit off.  We went from him having a sucker, to likely losing it as they slid down into the worm but then the link to the cigarette is missing.  When did he pull it out?  Why now?  If they wanted to give the effect of him being level headed and cool, we would have seen him pull a cigarette out of his jacket pocket, place it in his mouth before casually lighting it.  That’s how you establish a cool smoker look.  Instead, he’s got a almost burnt down cigarette which does not look cool and collected.  He just looks annoyed.

After their fall into the depths of the belly of the giant worm where the silent child continues to act odd.  We see everyone sliding into the worm which is fine and we get to have Roberto info dump more about how worms are sort of collective organisms that have electrons to communicate with each other.

The little baby worm glows indicating that it associates with giant mama worm, hence all the little baby worms can hang out inside it unharmed.  Silent child is excited by the glowing worm and dashes off! 

Vash of course wants to save the child and with time being of the essence the nameless undertaker tells them to split up and called Vash とんがり tongari which is needle-noggin’ in the anime translation and spiky in the manga.  I always thought the anime choice of needle-noggin’ was a clutch translation decision, really getting at the teasing intent of the nickname.  With spiky hair and the fact that Vash is oblivious to things from time to time.  It is pretty early for the tongari nickname to be dropped - that’s a sort of post 2 year time skip nickname.

He proceeds to assign nicknames to everyone else as well, Meryl is little missy and Roberto is uncle downer.  Vash is surprised by the nickname - though I am too Vash! As he’s not as spiky with his more ruffled hair.  Meryl is upset and just wants a man to call her by her name and Roberto doesn’t even argue with his.  Meryl you are 100% valid, no one on the planet wants to respect you.

Though in the original he does always have nicknames for others but more of calling the insurance little sisters and variants of that instead which sort of works . . . but he isn’t particularly rude about it in the originals.

We finally see that Roberto is indeed armed with a small pistol that he loads before the split up.  Keeping with Meryl’s book smarts slowly becoming more street smarts, she’s the one who points out this entire plan is a terrible idea and they should have stuck together for safety.

She’s absolutely right and finds the missing child but clearly is attacked by something.  Eventually, the three men all end up meeting at the same location.  Is it there they started?  Or did they exit the four worm tunnels?  It looks a little unclear with the vague background but I’m reading that they returned to the start where Wolfwood is chain smoking away.  Likely, he never even went into the tunnel with all the cigarette butts around his feet.

Vash indicates that they can save both of them while the undertaker mocks him for his self-sacrifice and need to rescue them, calling him odd.  He then grabs one of the glowing baby worms and bites into it, eating it almost whole spitting out only a small part of it.  WTF is this supposed to mean? It just seems odd - I know the set up is that worms are a good source of protein, but did he need to eat one raw?  What does this do for his character establishment?  Will eat anyone to survive?

Due to him eating the worm, it causes Roberto to both tell Vash that this undertaker might be one of the people who can control worms to kill others. Roberto approaches him with his small derringer wanting to know what is the deal with the giant cross. He knows it isn’t what it appears and wants an answer from the suspicious man with them.

Of course the undertaker deflects this comment stating if he’d want to kill him, he wouldn’t be trapped there with them.  The conversation also allows for Roberto to info dump that there are people who can control worms but his theory is off since it seems that the suspicious undertaker is trapped with them.

This doesn’t allow Roberto to relax and he is clear that the statement ‘could kill with smile’ but of course Vash denies this based on his eyes.  We only get a vague line of ‘You really mess with me.’ which would have been a line intended for Milly in the anime; in this case for Vash and Vash uses this as his rationale that he won’t hurt them. Vash’s own behavior messes with the mystery man - he won’t hurt them!!  There seems to be some sort of emotional ‘something’ to go along with the statement of Vash ‘really messing with him’ but it doesn’t linger for long because Roberto is now missing.

The duo proceed to wander around lost and Vash maintains hope while his downer companion tries everything to get him to give up, they were already eaten and digested, they are lost, they should save themselves.  They proceed to be sneezed out of the worm (these sandworms apparently have animal based biology with nostrils) which has another slapstick moment of them being flung back out into the desert.  Vash tells Wolfwood to run who argues that they should both run, but both get re-eaten.  Since Vash doesn’t run and neither does Wolfwood.

They find the child who runs to Vash and hugs them as he reassures them it will be okay.  But he’s called out for being careless and let someone out of his sight all the time.  Of course Vash replies that he hasn’t been shot by the morbid man.  Yeah, that’s a great rationale there Vash for trusting a man who still hasn’t told you his name!

The kid then runs away and Vash figures out that they are the one controlling the worms with a high pitched sound leading us to the reveal of our next Gung-ho Gun.  The inside of the worm then becomes digestive/active with saliva/liquid and Vash just yells for Meryl and Roberto to be given back.  Dude!  You have a gun.  We know you are a pacifist but you can still use your gun!  Where is your brain?  Is it on vacation?  Did you leave it in Jeneora Rock?  In Vash’s moment of whatever, he begins to get sucked into the stomach of the worm and just stands there. 

It takes Wolfwood doing the big reveal of his large Punisher in what I’d say is an overly long, drawn out sequence to reveal it - is a giant gun!  Wow.  Even if you’d never seen Trigun before, you could guess it is some sort of giant weapon.   Was that really necessary Studio Orange?  No, but you think it looks cool.  You gotta animate it in all the angles.

He’s able to shoot around Vash’s feet allowing him to move and then blows a hole in the side of the worm.  Our worm whisperer escapes out the side of the worm and wishes them good luck on surviving.

Now, I’ve already made it clear that I liked the slow style storytelling of the original anime and even in the manga - Wolfwood will not show what his Punisher can do - until Trigun Maximum after the 2 year time skip.  Even though he’s revealed to be a Gung-ho Gun early on, he doesn’t show what his Punisher is capable of - just uses it as a blunt object.  We also learn that Wolfwood’s actions are those of a trapped man and not his choice, but something he can’t get out of.  The Punisher is how he’s recognized as ‘Chapel’ by Legato though Wolfwood never verbally confirms this at the Jeneora Rock Church. But with Stampede, we don’t need any of that delay - we are going to show you how badass his Punisher is now, which can apparently create a laser beam cannon that literally slices the entire worm open and blood? haemolynth? explodes out into the desert.  Wolfwood clearly has leveled up in his weapons.

We jump to a scene of the three random dudes along a campfire with them eating some of the fresh worm meat.  Wolfwood teases Meryl trying to get her to eat the worm meat while Roberto points out that a man with a giant cross machine gun is pretty damn suspicious and Vash is like ‘he’s fine, he hasn’t hurt us, he helped us.’ 

When Vash approaches, Meryl and Wolfwood are still arguing with each other about the worm meat.

Finally, around the campfire, Vash sits down and eats some worm meat, quoting Wolfwood that he still has a right to survive and eat.  Wow, deep - and Meryl is excited that sad boi is eating - he’s not going to be depressed all the time!  This is also finally when Nicholas D. Wolfwood introduces himself to Vash the Stampede and they shake hands.  It took the entire episode for him to introduce himself!

Wolfwood then invites himself into their crew telling them that they should get going - to where exactly sir undertaker?  He continues to tease Meryl and get do get a good side profile and finally one of his cheesy smiles.

Then they all go to sleep, with Vash on top of the car to show Wolfwood chain smoking on the roof of the charging station.  It then reveals that he was working with Zazie the Beast who tells him that killing his ‘friends’ is his skill and that he couldn’t care less about human lives. 

He only glances slightly oddly for a moment before replying he does the job that he has to do.  So, even though we have a fast reveal of Wolfwood as a Gung-ho Gun like in the manga, we don’t get his additional monologue that none of this is by choice.

The last scene returns to the place where Knives is collecting the plants and the Doctor is mentioning how Vash is the most human individual, which is why he can’t reach his full gate potential and this is why he’s not able to do whatever Knives wants him to.

Grey the Ninelines is still in the background along with the small blonde girl - not Zazie.  Is the small girl also a plant?  Tessla? Are they on Knives’ ark ship?

Thus the episode ends with a sort of plot from Knives to push Vash into an extreme corner.

Main points and themes from this episode

1.) Story boarding and flow are still weak.  It is still difficult to follow things at this point.  Actions and transitions aren’t quite fluid and transitions are choppy.  I already highlighted how Wolfwood goes from a lollipop, to falling and then having a cigarette already in his mouth but we never see it happen.  There are too many blink and you miss it moments and orientation is perhaps supposed to be frantic.  Based on the current pacing if we are to get more of the Gung-ho Guns including Livio, are we looking at a 12-13 episode complete series?  Maybe - it would explain the action non-stop pacing.

Along with this point is the writing continuing to be average at best.  This is a sci fi story where all the characters are checking particular boxes.  I was almost expecting Wolfwood to ask Vash ‘Whose side are you on?’ but we didn’t get that, just him being a morbid, rude, jerk.  I think the male character default in Stampede is unless you are Vash, you are a jerk. Roberto is now slightly less of jerk, so Wolfwood is the new jerk.

Does the CGI look pretty?  Yes, yes, it does.  As my meta nerd friend Merdopseudo put it:

In fact, "Trigun Stampede", more than an adaptation of a manga in anime, it is a demo to promote Studio Orange and its 3D.

And thus spoke the Merdo!  Is this a snazzy series with generic character to get as many eyeballs as possible?  Looks like it.  Is it really sourcing the original material - eh, not the characterization, nor the original themes.  We like to invent all sorts of terms and we’ve decided that this is an example of ‘mainstreamification’ taking a series that was modestly successful in Japan and more of a cult hit outside due to its quirky nature.  Meryl is now your cute little waifu instead of being an experience insurance adjuster with her junior partner Milly.

This then leads into our characters . . .

2.) Current status of the main cast, now fully assembled per the promotional poster!

i.) Vash - Was pretty lame in this episode, his sad boi trend continues as he is so depressed from Knives most recent actions he won’t eat a sandwich and tries to sleep in the back of the car.  He is considerate of Zazie when he thinks she’s a victim of a robbery while Meryl and Wolfwood argue, but puts a lot of faith and trust in a man who is suspicious as all hell based on what he sees in his eyes - through his sunglasses?  Which just like Vash, Wolfwood wears his glasses all the time.

Additionally, Vash is rather useless the entire episode, again chooses to plead with Zazie to release his friends, get sucked into the stomach of the worm, unable to move and all this stuff happens and he never even thinks to draw his gun?  Look, he may be a technical pacifist, but Vash knows if he shoots the worm with a bullet or two release his feet, the worm is not gonna die.  Yet, he never uses his gun at all.

Are we to interpret this as Vash being ‘frozen’ and unable to act?  Is this why he needs Wolfwood to do all the work for him?  Where is his creative brain coming up with solutions?  Why is he so helpless?  Does this mean that Wolfwood inspired him to regain his confidence that he lost in episode 3 when he quotes Wolfwood’s words to Zazie?  By eating?

Crisis averted - Vash has decided to live by Wolfwood’s deep words (which I’ll get to in a bit). ii.) Meryl - or Can I just get some respect on this planet? Meryl continues to struggle in a male dominated group and has bickered with Roberto, then Vash and now, Wolfwood throughout the episode.  She still has to be assisted/rescued etc but at least realized that Wolfwood’s plan was reckless and dangerous - but told no one but herself crawling through the wormtube.  She’s intelligent but lacks agency and authority.

She also gets a lot of scenes bickering with Wolfwood and he gets a bit friendly with her trying to force feed her the worm steak? flank?  She doesn’t look thrilled and they continue to argue until Vash sits down and eats and she is happy that Vash isn’t refusing to eat.

Without Milly Thompson as a potential romantic interest like in the original anime, are we to see Meryl x Wolfwood as a possibility?  It would explain why they keep getting into each other’s faces.

If this is the case, I’m not so keen on it, though Wolfwood in this episode is rather rude and morbid making him not very friendly or attractive.  Please don’t go this direction Studio Orange if you are thinking about it.

iii.) Roberto -  Our old man info dump.  Yep, now with a derringer to match the promotional poster.  You need to know more information about this planet and organizations - he’s got it.  You need to know how to read a scene or interpret something?  He’ll tell you. 

I’m sorry Roberto but you are not Milly and we shouldn’t hold that against you.  But really, you don’t add much to the plot.  At least you didn’t take a single drink all episode, but still haven’t fixed your shirt these past few days.

He doesn’t trust anyone, or organization but he’s just chillin’.  Why?  What’s your deal man?  Or are you just there to have four people in the main cast?

iv.) Wolfwood - Studio Orange what have you done to my man?  I gotta be dramatic when it comes to Wolfwood.  This is a case where a very nuanced character has been simplified to a rude guy who has no friends and will do his ‘job’.

I don’t even want to dwell too much on his now generic Tokyo hipster design, they shrank his nose and made him have a fair skin tone.  Also, why does he also have an untucked dress shirt? 

I have more of an issue with who and what he does based on this episode.  First, is the change in his occupation when he is traveling around meeting others.  In Stampede, Meryl asks him if he’s a priest and he says he’s an undertaker.  This is a change from the anime and manga where he originally said boukushi = priest/clergyman but always translated as priest in both; while he’s now, a sougiya or undertaker/funeral director.  Hahaha, so funny Studio Orange, a hired gun is an undertaker because he makes people dead.  lols. The change from priest makes a huge shift in how he acts.  In this episode alone, Wolfwood gives Vash shit for being ‘self-sacrificing’ and mocks him about it while they are in the worm trying to rescue others.

Stampede Wolfwood is not a nice person nor willing to help others because it is the right thing to do.

In contrast both the manga and anime have Wolfwood introduce himself as a priest and later we see him trying to strike a deal with the bus driver as he’s short the full bus fare.  He states if he gives up any more money, he’ll starve and the man allows for him to ride for $$80 instead of $$100 (which to be fair, he picked him up midway).  This then gives Vash a reason to ask him how he makes money as a priest and why he needs money to help support orphans associated with his church.  All of this makes sense, most people who take religious vows/occupations are not flush with cash and Wolfwood is no exception.  But what happens next is how Wolfwood demonstrates self-sacrifice towards others.

In the manga young children beg him for assistance and he of course gives all he can dividing it between himself and the children equally, even though he’s an adult.  We know he’s not lying, we just saw him haggling with the bus driver.

In the anime, we have a similar scene where he offers two of his three meal blocks to hungry children as well.

Their mother thanks him and the children understand the importance of their gifts even stating they will not waste a crumb. They respect his sacrifice for them.  These two scenes show us that Wolfwood very much cares for humanity and innocents who need help from adults.  Does he also understand that there is evil in the world? Yes, but it doesn’t make him isolate himself from others and helps in anyway he can. 

Afterwards, he walks back to see Vash beaming with a soft genuine smile, which prompts him to state that he was worried that Vash couldn’t smile - you know really smile - not fake cover the empty pain sort of smile.  These scenes alone make sense why Wolfwood makes sense to be traveling as a priest/hired gun as in the anime or a religious assassin in the manga.  In both cases, we know that despite his failings, he has the underpinnings of religious beliefs and actions.  His faith guides his morals and drives the conflict inside himself which eats at him even though he eventually finds peace and acceptance in both versions.

In the anime episode 9-11 allows for ample Wolfwood character development with the rest of the group as he reveals his precision shooting skills to Vash despite lying in Murder Machine - but Vash also states that Wolfwood’s prayer worked and God saved them.  Episode 10 Quick Draw has him twisting Vash’s arm into a contest to help out a woman and her son but also gets into the mix, revealing that he’s got multiple guns in addition to his fine marksmanship.  Lastly, 11 Escape from Pain has him getting into a philosophical argument with Julius, Milly, and Vash before departing the group.  The scene where pulls out his pistol and holds it to his temple to test Julius and Moore.

Murder Machine was an episode where an unarmed Wolfwood jumped into action with Vash to save a single child!  This is a man who understands self-sacrifice.  We also get his entire uncool dodging of laser beams here:

If we turn back to episode 4 of Stampede - Hungry we can’t even take his interaction with Zazie seriously nor compare it to what he offered previously unknown children.  He eats a lollipop for himself and offers the other to Zazie because she might be hungry?  We know he gave Vash and Meryl a crazy invoice but nothing says he’s on a budget, nor is giving up a single piece of candy self-sacrificing.  Did you get the point Studio Orange?  No, because you decided that he’s not that type of character anymore. 

Who is this character in Stampede? Not one I recognize from the anime or manga that’s for certain. He’s rude, has his gun Punisher which is now vastly more powerful than previously and is not friendly at all!  We know he’s got a job to do for Knives but he’s not really selling himself as a great traveling companion or friend for Vash.

I think that Wolfwood is such a popular character due to his humanity that he displayed in the original series; how he has an internal conflict struggling to navigate life on a shit planet either as a gun for hire in the anime or trained assassin in the manga.  He drinks, gambles, smokes and is willing to kill others if they will hurt innocents.  Yet, he strives to do his best as indicated by his inner thoughts while playing chess against the random guy in episode 11.  He realized it was dumb to bet his entire fare on this chess game and thinks about head butting the man and making a run for it - only to correct himself by reminding him to think of his profession as a priest.

He is also a jackpot character for fans - he’s a priest and a gunman who has principles yet also sins - what’s not to love about that set up?  As Merdo put it, even as an atheist, you can’t help but love a character like him.  Why Studio Orange passed on this aspect of his character and the leverage of such a trope baffles both of us.

Come on, you missed this golden line when the bus driver and two other guys toss his ‘luggage’ down to him.  The bus driver remarks that the damn thing is heavy and to what Wolfwood replies:

Which is the best clever joke that it is full of mercy, if you ever met it, you will have a swift and merciful death.

Or lastly, his words of blessing when he departs from the group which is totally in line with him being religiously affiliated.

3.) Themes for this week.  I really don’t have anything obvious.  Eat to live?  Life sucks sometimes but if you don’t eat you die?  Not very motivational all in all.  With Wolfwood no longer a priest (or under the guise of being one), the line of a heavy cross to bear rings hollow.  BTW, Knives is still really evil. 

[ijusthavesomanyblorbos]

rotb

hi guys. so i saw rotb. unfortunately i fucking hated it. lemme talk about why. (spoilers, obviously. be warned this is very long.)

first of all, lemme preface this by saying two things. number one being i did not have high expectations for this movie in the first place. because lets be honest, this is the transformers fandom, and hollywood has almost never done us justice. also, the trailers and teasers weren't exactly encouraging. number two being i am a huge fucking movie nerd. okay. i love movies. so just keep that in mind.

i think it's worth pointing out that my number one critic of this movie is that for almost the entire runtime, it's something worse than bad: it's boring.

i mean, how do you make giant robots boring??? how is that even possible? let's unpack that.

first of all, it has the most generic, cookie cutter action movie plot ever. we have to get the.... thing! you know, the thing! and we have to do it before the.... other guys! who are working for the BIG guy! and if we don't... the world will end! wahhh!

how is anyone supposed to be invested in that. there are no stakes. there's no tension. there's nothing. we've literally seen this exact plot played out one million times. THERE'S NOTHING NEW!!!

furthermore, the characterization of literally everyone is dogshit. the villians are bland, and have absolutely no motivation behind "darkness and evil." that's NOT INTERESTING!! there's no backstory! i literally could not even tell you the NAMES of the three main antagonists that are on the screen for half the movies runtime. that's how unimportant they are.

and god, the autobots are even worse. first of all, optimus prime and mirage are the only actual characters. i can't remember a single line any other robot says. not one.

but optimus is so under-hyped. they claim he's some big warrior (optimus primal even goes "i'm named after you") but we don't get ANY backstory. we don't know anything about cybertron, or the war, or even what the hell they're doing on earth. we know they "crash landed 7 years ago, and haven't been able to get off since". and they "have to get back, or cybertron will be destroyed!" do they ever tell us WHY cybertron might be destroyed? NOPE!

now we, as an informed audience, can reasonably assume it's because of the war.

but.... what??? friends, the decepticons are never even MENTIONED.

lemme repeat that. the decepticons are never. even mentioned. SO WHY WOULD ANY AUDIENCE BE INVESTED IN THEM RETURNING TO CYBERTRON? THERE'S NO STAKES!!!

back to the autobots though. also mirage is just annoying. he's literally just a"POP CULTURE REFRENCE" machine. that's it. that's all he does.

i... i can't even address what happens between him and the human guy (literally can't even be bother to remember his name) in the finale. i can't. i need to leave that alone or we'll be here all day.

god, i have so many things to say about this movie i need to speedrun a couple okay let's go

humans. boring. why are these movies about giant robots so determined to shove human characters in our faces they DON'T COMPARE EVER!!! the two humans are? fine? but the dude is literally just hero fantasy and the girl is. unimportant. nothing in this movie is important. you could cut any of them.

the action. mediocre. impossible to enjoy when "GENERIC ACTION ONE LINER!" is being crammed down your throat literally every five seconds.

why did the movie market so heavily with arcee wheeljack and bumblebee. they literally have like 15 total lines of dialogue. i can't express to you how much they don't matter.

and you know what. all of that could have even been forgivable. if they had just bothered to put some classic characters in there, with classic character designs, and make a product that actual fans could at least appreciate in aesthetic/homage, if not writing!

but they didn't. they used random ass characters who NOBODY cares about and gave them all SHIT designs too!

and it's so tragic when you consider all the amazing source material that they have to offer. i mean, i have been begging for YEARs for a movie set on prewar cybertron following megatron. the political conflicts and class wars! the origin of megatron is literally the MOST INTERESTING PART OF HIS CHARACTER! BUT IT HAS NEVER A SINGLE TIME BEEN ADDRESSED! HE GETS REDUCED DOWN TO BIG MUSCLE SCARY GUY WHICH IS LITERALLY!!!!!!!!!!!! THE VERY THING HE REBELLED AGAINST!!!!!!!!!! ITS THE WHOLE FUCKING REASON FOR THE WAR AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

can you tell i have a lot of feelings about this. wow. okay this is so long. i'm sure nobody's acutally read this far. alright. what's left.

what'll i'll say is this.

there is literally no appeal to this movie. NONE. it isn't watchable as a fun, transformers piece come to life. it's not watchable as a quality action movie. hell, it isn't even worth a hate watch!!!!!

and somehow. some fucking how. it is still the second best transformers movie. OUT. OF. SEVEN.

friends. how is this possible. how could this have happened.

to all the fan creators making fan art and writing of this movie. you guys are fucking heros, alright. you are taking this incomprehensible garbage, and making actual art. you guys make this franchise worth staying in. thank you, and i wish someone put you guys in charge instead of MICHEAL. FUCKING. BAY.

in conclusion. fuck hollywood. someone give money to the people who actually care about this franchise. or i'll die.

thank you and goodnight.

[bonetrousled]

I'm a little late to the OC questions, but may I know a bit about Quizmaster? Big fan of characters that are barely feigning being hinged for the sake of the public. Love your work!

FUUACK entirely forgot to answer this apologies. idk if this is meaning Backstory wise or fun facts so you get BOTH!!!! under a cut bc he has a lot going on. warnings for unreality/manipulation, christianity, and Gratuitous Murder

ok so BACKSTORY wise. this is as condensed as i can get it bc he has SO much occuring w him

he was a 80s podunk wisconsin farmboy named carter winsall who grew up in a Suffocatingly traditional christian household w like 12 siblings. he wasn't a complete outcast in high school, but with no real athletic ability or any stand out qualities, along w being looked over in the family by his mother he definitely felt Unseen

he LOVED television, though. movies and tv were a prime form of escapism to him and he dreamed of being center-stage on a show one day. a host of his own program where, even if there were others being interviewed or playing for prizes, he'd be the star. when his family found out that he was planning to go to film school after graduating, they were furious, and the event ended in him leaving home at 19 to live in a trailer he found in the woods that he modified into a shitty little studio.

armed with nothing more than a camera and some poorly thrown together props, he attempted to film his own pilots for a game show he named "quizmasters", using volunteer peers from high school as contestants. all the while, the woods around him felt strange- almost holy ground, like this was his rebirth. he was eventually approached by an "angel" -

(sidebar. "angel" in question in actuality a separate oc of mine named malice. they're a cosmically-powerful 6th grader who picks up some of my characters to try and Help Them and usually ends up ruining their lives and plays w them like barbie dolls. additionally they feed off of negative energy and do NOT realize it which usually results in more disaster)

-who offered guidance, reassurance, and advice, telling him that he could become WILDLY famous if they listened to him.

following this meeting, he became more and more irritable and on-edge, always looking and sounding completely drained, seeming paranoid when his crew asked him what his plans were for filming, frequently running off set to god-knows-where to convene with his "helper". but the pressure was mounting.

his crew hated the production, and some of them had even begun to walk off. the headaches, the feeling that he was trapped there, in that trailer, in those woods, the pressure to BE something, to DO something with himself- it was all mounting. malice recognized this, and decided to try and be helpful.

he really liked god, right? what if they told a little white lie, helped him do this in the name of "god", or something, and he tried just a little harder? maybe they could even pull some strings, subconsciously, and help him that way. it couldn't hurt, could it? he just needed a little shove, was all. so, shove they did. and that shove broke him.

carter louise winsall killed all eight members of his crew over the course of a week, filmed it all like he was running his game show, and was found headless in his trailer, sitting in the bathtub. the body was taken in for examination, but there was never any concrete proof as to what killed him. after another week, the body vanished, and the trailer burned. no suspects were ever found, and the case went completely cold.

seeing what had happened, malice decided to help just a LITTLE bit more, giving the failed icon who never got a break a second chance. with a little bit of tape, some hope, and good intent, a new star was born.

even though the trailer is gone, if you're in the forest, alone and tired, you'll find a television studio. completely empty, untouched, and unlocked- but the lights are on. if you go inside?

you'd better pray you know enough trivia to save your life.