#I LOVED THE FIRST 3 EPISODES DO NOT GET IT TWISTED!!!!!

[beetleprophet]

at the risk of this being a hater-ish take i feel like they wldnt be doing this much with izzy this season if a significant percentage of fans didnt love his withered racist ass. especially considering the way the show typically deals with bigots/assholes in general is with immediate (and often violent) retribution. which isnt to say im vehemently against the Izzy Hands Apology Tour of 1718 but it does tie into a broader concern/anxiety i have about them catering to fans a little too hard going forward

[area51-escapee]

I LOVE CREEPYPASTAS SO MUCH yes even the Bad ones. Like yeah that story was written like shit I don’t mean to be an asshole but. It was. It was no literary masterpiece by any means. But it was still a very formative piece of my middle school years.

[therealcocoshady]

Hi, coco!

You could make a third part of Eminem x Young Actress Reader, where the reader accompanies him to a game in Detroit and the cameras can't stop focusing on them because Em has never been seen so smiling and affectionate with someone. For the rest you can add what you want. By the way, I love your work and I love that you write about Eminem since almost no one does.<3

Family Game

Eminem x Younger Actress Reader

Part 1 : Daddy’s Spaghetti

Part 2 : Red Carpet Appearance

AN : thank you for your request ! I hope you liked it. I added my own little twist to it 🥰

Ever since your remarked outing at the Oscars, everyone knew you and Marshall were dating, much to your delight. Sure, you would gladly do without the press coverage, but you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t a tiny bit satisfying to have everyone know that Eminem, hip hop’s most eligible bachelor was spoken for, by yours truly, no less. After all, you were not the first (nor the last) public figure to thirst over him and it felt nice to have the “competition” know that they should back off. Especially when you were in a long distance relationship : him in Detroit, you in LA. Sure, you trusted each other and often traveled to make it work but, still, it’s easy to get jealous, especially when both parties are public figures. Marshall was well aware of your status as Hollywood’s rising star and, since he had been your crush for years, you knew for a fact that he has tons of ladies throwing themselves at him. 

In spite of the distance and a couple of jealousy episodes, the two of you managed to make your relationship work, however. Marshall frequently flew out to LA to record with Dr Dre and other artists and to visit you and, whenever you weren’t shooting a movie, you joined him in Michigan. Your relationship was now in the serious state of « we’re both hope at each other’s place ». Your living room table was full of CDs and notepads and his living room was made cozy with your favorite crystals (which he always made fun of), scented candles (which he secretly loved) and fuzzy blankets (which he stole whenever you weren’t around). The whole relationship, despite trials, felt cozy and domestic. And it was made even better by the fact that Marshall had finally managed to ease up. You tended to blame it on the good critical reception after the Oscars : as soon as the two of you had been spotted together, holding hands, Marshall happily gushing about you to the press, both your fans and his had showered you with love and showed nothing but support. Whenever you were positing, fans (most of the time, respectfully) asked about him and they seemed truly overjoyed by the relationship. From what you gathered in the social media comments, they were also dying for the two of you to be spotted together again. Marshall was pretty much an hermit and not the kind to go out and about when he knew he might be spotted but, on one occasion, he had to oblige the fans. 

His beloved Detroit Lions were playing your Los Angeles Rams at Detroit’s Ford Field Stadium and there was no way in hell you would miss the occasion to attend. Knowing how protective of your relationship he could be, you made plans to attend on your own, with a couple of friends who would fly in for the occasion, but Marshall surprised you by actually requesting your presence. 

Don’t you want to go with me ? He asked. 

You mean… on a date ? You clarified. 

I mean there would be other people around, like family, friends and shit but we could be together, he said with a smile. 

You mean you would agree to being spotted with me ?! You asked jokingly. You know I wouldn’t be caught dead in Lions apparel ! 

What I mean is that I’d be proud to hold your hand, even if you’re wearing that stupid Rams hoodie, he grinned. 

Ok, you giggled. As long as I’m not forced to cheer for your team ! 

You ended up attending the event in a private suite with a lot of other people. Of course, his children were in attendance, as well as a couple of D12 friends. You had met everyone previously. A couple of months into the relationship, Marshall had organized a dinner for you to officially meet his daughters and everything had gone smoothly. You absolutely loved them, and same went for the friends he had introduced to you on different occasions. At the game, you were also joined by a couple of your friends, that you not so secretly planned on setting up with some of his. In your mind, there was no doubt that Alicia and Porter were meant to be and the Game seemed like the perfect occasion. It was joyful and everyone was really happy to be here. You were donning your favorite Rams apparel, much to Marshall’s dismay, but that didn’t prevent him from casually holding your hand. 

For how much would you wear Lions apparel ? Your friend jokingly asked. 

Nobody in this room can afford it, you replied with a grin. 

Oh really ? Marshall asked with a smirk. 

How about if you guys get married ? Porter asked. Would you be willing to support the Lions ? 

That would require a HUGE rock, you giggled. But yeah, sure, if we ever get married, I’ll wear Lions gear for all games, except the ones against the Rams. 

Your friends erupted in « oooohs » and « aaaahs ». The rivalry between your two teams was enough to fuel a dozen of conversations but, other than that, everyone around you had to agree that you were kind of the perfect couple. Your best friends always pointed out that Marshall was good at keeping you grounded and reminding you of the things that mattered - besides all the LA glitz and glamour - and Marshall’s circle seemed happy that you encouraged him to go out of his comfort zone. 

He was usually stressed out whenever there were tons of cameras around. It was unsettling to you, at first, because it was part of the job, but as your relationship progressed and he came with you to some events, he seemed to ease up. Still, he wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but you didn’t mind. You enjoyed his company nonetheless and you didn’t need him to kiss you in public or even hold your hand to be happy to be with him. In settings like football games, though, he was himself - the man you knew and loved in everyday life. He could be seen clapping, shouting, cheering… a far cry from the stoic face he arbored on red carpets and magazine covers. And you absolutely loved to see him enjoy himself and have fun. You were enamored with his smile and happy demeanor and you didn’t care too much about the 60 000 other people, you only had eyes for him. Obviously, though, as a Detroit native and global superstar, he was one of the centres of attention when Lose Yourself started playing before the game and everyone started singing/rapping along to the lyrics. Everyone in your group watched Marshall, who was definitely in a good mood. So were you, to be honest, and you couldn’t help but rap along, this song being one of your favorites ever. As the song ended, you could see Marshall sitting right next to you, trying not to laugh. 

You’re adorable, he chuckled. 

What ? You asked with a giggle. It’s the ultimate stadium song ! And my boyfriend is the one who wrote it !!! 

I love you, he simply said before cupping your face and placing a chaste kiss on your lips. 

That was the last tender moment the two of you shared before the end of the game. When your two favorite teams played each other, there was no romantic involvement anymore. It was all betting, taunting and calling each other names. For the first two quarters, the Rams seemed to dominate, which you gladly shoved in your boyfriend’s face, but when the Lions ended up winning, you knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. Despite it all, and in spite of you being a sore loser, Marshall behaved like the perfect boyfriend and pecked you on the cheek, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as you exited your suite. His team winning always put him in a celebratory mood and he was more affectionate than usual, not giving a damn what people would see or think. He even went so far as to kiss your lips. 

Of course, in the following hours, the Internet went absolutely crazy over the pictures of the two of you at the stadium. While some accounts were raving about your outfit (because you did put some effort into making that Sports apparel work !), most of them were gushing about Marshall’s display of affection and how in love the two of you looked. 

« Look at his smile 🥰 » commented one, or « Look how in love he looks when she’s rapping his song 😭❤️ » were a few of the comments you could see under the videos of the event. It was extremely cute and, in moments like these, you felt like the luckiest woman on earth. However, a swarm of other comments started to appear, focusing on… Marshall’s daughters. The three of them were sitting on the row just behind you and they could be seen laughing at your nonexistent rapping skills (all fair, really) and mocking their father’s display of affection. You didn’t take offense at all - you’d been there yourself and you knew how icky it could feel, seeing your parent being affectionate with someone in public, but the press and social media accounts seemed to turn it into a family feud. If the headlines were to be believed, neither Alaina, Stevie or Hailie approved of the relationship and thought you were too young for Marshall. They apparently despised you and saw you as the most evil and wicked stepmother who was more than likely after their Dad’s fortune. Of course, reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Whenever you were in Detroit, you spent a great deal of time with Marshall’s daughters and you considered as friends. So much so that you even made plans of your own, that did not include him. It wasn’t rare for the four of you to have dinner or go shopping. On occasion, they even visited you in California and you soon planned to go on a girls’ trip in Morocco. So, when Hailie showed you the headline on your phone, everyone burst out laughing. 

« Evil stepmother », Stevie chortled. That’s hilarious. 

Is that because of the face you made, Hailie ? When Y/N was rapping ? Alaina chimed in. 

I was making a face because they were corny ! She laughed. Look at Dad’s face on the video. He’s all cute and lovey dovey. Of course I wanted to puke ! 

Marshall rolled his eyes. He was no stranger to his kids making fun of how in love with you he was but, honestly, he didn’t care. For the first time in forever, he was happy and thriving in a relationship. A healthy one, at that. Whenever you were around, he could barely contain his joy and good mood and he often thought he would do anything to make you smile. He hated public attention but he simply loved showing you off and enjoying life with you. However, he had to admit he was a little annoyed by the comments involving your relationship with his daughters. He knew there was no truth to it whatsoever but that didn’t make it less annoying. First of all, he hated seeing his kids’ names in the media, especially if it was negative and, secondly, he hated the idea of lies involving all of you, the people he loved the most on this earth. However, the four of you were grown women and he knew better than to say something so he figured it would be best to wait for it to die down. 

Unfortunately, though, the rumors did not die down and the whole thing got blown out of proportion. It wasn’t only on social media : press and other media outlets got ahold of the story and even dug up some obscure social media posts and took them out of context. They really made it seem like there was hatred between the girls and you were a mean gold-digger who wanted to estrange Marshall from his children. Nothing could be further for the truth though, and you even celebrated the holidays together. After years spent in the public eye, you tried not to let it get to you but it was hard. Even if some of your past relationships had been publicized, this one was on a whole other level and you had a hard time dealing with the scrutiny. Especially when some people were starting to wish for the end of your career with comments like « What a b****. Hope no one casts her ever again 🙄 » or « Hope she enjoys her Oscar because she won’t last much longer in Hollywood 💀 ». You tried not to let your feelings show. Marshall was already annoyed and you didn’t want things to get worse. After all, you knew how overprotective he could get over the people he loved. 

A few weeks went by and the attention seemed to die down around the holidays. You had been with Marshall for a year and a half and it was your first time celebrating together. You would spend the days leading up to Christmas in Michigan, go back to your family in California for the holidays and then jet off to a private Island lent by a friend for some vacation time just the two of you. Marshall would even join you in LA to spend some time with your family who was definitely approving of him. They absolutely adored him and considered him a part of the family. 

In the week leading up to Christmas, you were on Christmas tree decoration duty with the girls while Marshall was letting you do your thing. Hailie had come up with some ornaments as merch for her podcast and you thought it would be cute and funny to take a selfie with one of them that said « Shady or Nice ». You posted it to your Instagram account with some cheesy caption and didn’t pay it too much attention. When you checked the comments, a day or so later, you were surprised at the reaction. What you thought would be a cute nod to your boyfriend and his daughter’s podcast ended up in a shitstorm, with people basically accusing you on sucking up to Hailie to get to Marshall. In their mind, you were a master manipulator. Of course, these were just a bunch of people commenting and the rest seemed rather supportive and happy to see you acknowledging your relationship, something you rarely did on your social media account. Still, you were a little bugged off when you went to bed. 

What’s up, babygirl ? Marshall asked as he laid next to you. 

Nothing, you shrugged. Just these mean trolls. 

What are they saying now ? 

That your daughters hate me, you summed up. And that I’m trying to suck up to them. 

That’s stupid, he scoffed. The girls love you and you know it. 

And I love them too, you know ? You replied. But I don’t know… I don’t like people getting the wrong idea. And I see people commenting about me in their posts and it breaks my heart. 

It’s not your fault, he said before kissing your forehead. Let’s not think about that, ok ? Just focus on the holidays and the great time we’re going to have. 

I’m going to miss you for Christmas, you pointed out. 

Three days, he chuckled. And then I’m joining you in California. And after that… you, me, a private island and your tiniest bikinis. 

You nuzzled his neck and enjoyed the warmth of his embrace, making you forget all of your worries. The next day, you were set to hop on the jet to go back to California and enjoy some family time with your brother and your parents. Before that, you enjoyed one last brunch at Marshall’s place, with his daughters. Hailie got everyone matching ugly Christmas sweaters and you were absolutely moved that she got one for you. You took corny pictures in front of the Christmas tree posing with your boyfriend’s daughters while he was rolling his eyes at your dumb poses. You even got Marshall to pose with you. He wasn’t big on taking pictures but he knew how important these were for you and the girls so he obliged with a smile on his face. A few hours later, you were on the jet, scrolling social media and noticed that Alaina had posted the picture of you, her and her sisters in front of the Christmas Tree with the caption : « Happy holidays from our FAMILY to yours 💕 ». You thought it was the sweetest thing ever that she considered you as family. Of course, trolls were still in the comments, but you tried to stay positive. A few hours later, Hailie updated her last podcast episode of the year, with Stevie as guest. 

So, before we begin this episode, we wanted to address something, she began. 

Family matters, Stevie specified. 

Right, Hailie nodded. You guys have been commenting a lot on last episode’s video and on my Instagram account…

All our accounts, her sister corrected.

Yes. Everyone’s account. It seems like Internet is going crazy about a certain video that was taken at the last Lions Game, so I thought… we thought we should clear things up, Hailie said. I understand that there are always going to be rumors about our family, and we can’t help it at this point, but it’s the Holidays and I don’t my mood to be ruined by negative attention and lies. So… Stevie, do you want to comment on the video ? 

Basically, we were at the game, enjoying some family time and people filmed our reaction to Y/N… our Dad’s girlfriend, rapping Lose Yourself, Stevie explained. And kissing afterwards. And what really sparked the whole thing is the face Hailie made. 

Yeah, I pretended to puke, Hailie giggled. And no, guys, it’s not because I hate Y/N or anything like that, it’s just… we’re a normal family, guys. Whenever you see your parents being cheesy and corny, you want to puke, right ? 

Right, Stevie giggled. So, let’s not dwell on this but for the record : we love Y/N and she is not what people make her to be. We see her as family, you know ? 

Yes ! It’s the Holidays, it’s a family time and we all know I love Shady stories but… nothing Shady here. It’s all love, Hailie chuckled. 

Too much love, Stevie joked. 

This warmed your heart even more. The girls absolutely didn’t have to jump to your defense but the fact that they did warmed your heart and you couldn’t wait to spend some time with them again. You sent texts to thank them and wished them happy holidays, saying you were looking forward to seeing them soon. You also texted your boyfriend, telling him how amazing his kids were and that you loved him and his family. 

MARSHALL’S POV 

Marshall was eating dinner with his daughters when he got a text from Y/N that immediately put a smile on his face. 

You girls are amazing, he said with a smile. 

No idea what you’re talking about, Alaina said with feigned innocence. 

I think you do, he replied with a grin. Seriously, you didn’t have to do that but… thank you. It means a lot to me. 

We weren’t going to let people think we hate her, Stevie said.

Not when she is actually about to become our stepmother, Hailie said with a smirk. 

Marshall immediately let his fork fall on his plate, a look of surprise on his face. 

I… erm… wanted to talk to you about it first, he said. How do you even know… ? 

I found the ring sketches in your office last time I went there, Stevie said. I was searching for one of your old CDs. 

And you had to go yapping to your sisters about that ? He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Are you really going to propose ? Hailie said with excitement. 

I mean… I’ve been thinking about it, yeah, he admitted. I wanted to make sure you girls were ok with it first but, if that’s fine with you, I’d like to propose to her over the holidays. 

The girls erupted in cheers and immediately gave their blessings, commenting on how they never thought this day would come. Of course, they quizzed him about his plans. 

Were spending a couple of days with her family before going on vacation for NYE, so I was planning on asking for her father’s blessing, he explained. 

Isn’t he like… almost your age, though ? Stevie chuckled. 

It’s a matter of respect, he shrugged. I appreciated when Matt and Evan asked for my blessing so I thought I’d do the same. Can’t hurt to have your future father-in-law on your side. 

And… as for the proposal ? Alaina asked. 

I know it’s not super original but I was thinking of doing it on the private island, over a nice dinner on the beach, at sunset or something like that, he said. 

It’s so cute ! Alaina said. I love it. 

I think my Dad’s gone corny, Hailie joked. 

You think it’s corny ? He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. 

Oh definitely. But she’s just as corny so she is going to love it ! 

One question though, Stevie said. If you guys get married, she’ll move to Detroit, right ? 

That’s sort of the plan, yeah, Marshall said. She’d move for work quite a bit, depending on where movies are shot, but she’d live with me. Why ? 

So… she’d have to turn into a Lions fan eventually, right ? 

I’m counting on it, he said with a smirk. 

Is that why you’re proposing ? Alaina joked. 

Maybe, he chuckled. I swear to God, I’m putting a ban on Rams apparel in the prenup. 

[ozzgin]

OZZGIN!

May I request an idea/imagine?

It is about yandere! mental asylum patient and psychiatrist! reader, who is very practical and strict regarding her job, takes no BS from others. But, for some reason, she has a soft spot for yandere! mental asylum patient. The reason could either be he had a hard childhood in which he had to do what he had to do, which brutally killed his father, who used to abuse his mother and sister, but when the father tried to sell the sister into prostitution to buy more alcohol, all hell break lose. Psychiatrist! reader thinks what yandere! mental asylum the patient did was OKAY, and she wants to get him out of the asylum. They love each other deeply and would do anything, so far as to kill for one another. If you can, make it as twisted as you can. I live for some dark romance!

Please ignore my request if you are not able to do it. I completely understand. Thank you in advance! <3

Oh my, this request hits somewhat close to home as I have a friend incarcerated for similar reasons. I'm pondering the logistics behind this context you've provided, since murdering someone won't necessarily land you in a psych ward unless there are other symptoms that come with it. And so I've taken the liberty to expand the character's profile if that's alright. (Conveniently enough I still have my psychopathology lecture notes)

I want to add, however, that this story in no way romanticizes mental illness! If anything, one may consider it an opportunity to reflect on the fact that so many people struggling with disorders do not receive the proper care for it, or only do so when it's too late. Furthermore a medical professional should never, ever behave like this and whatever is written here should stay in the realm of fiction!

Yandere! Patient x Psychiatrist! Reader

Featuring a patient that's pushing the boundaries of your work ethic and might even succeed.

Content/warnings: female reader, detailed mentions of mental disorder, violence, obsessive behavior, breach of professional conduct

You roll up your sleeve and check your watch. He should be here soon. Out of habit, you shuffle the papers for a quick case review, even though you already know all the details by heart. You carefully set aside the patient’s MMPI and WHODAS entry assessments, then your first interviews. Your eyes briefly rest upon the resulting report you’ve comprised: Schizophreniform Disorder (Provisional) with good prognostic features; Diagnostic criteria consisting of delusions, disorganized speech (frequent derailment with episodes of incoherence, echolalia) and comorbid catatonia. Responds well to antipsychotic (clozapine 25mg/12 h) with no imminent need for dosage increase. As it currently stands, he will be fit for proper incarceration in less than 6 months. Is it something you agree with? Not quite. You’ve presented your case many times and it has always been met with pitiful shrugs and dismissals.

The door opens and you fix your posture, sweeping the documents back into your drawer. “And? How are you feeling today?” You ask, flashing a professional, cordial smile as the assisting nurse leads the patient to his seat and prepares her leave. “My chest hurts.” The man answers in a low voice, glaring at the nurse. He taps his foot against the plush carpet, seemingly restless. “How bad would you rate it? Chest pain is a somewhat common side effect of your medication.” You retort, following the movements of the woman finally excusing herself and exiting the room. Once you’re alone, the man’s shoulders droop and he visibly relaxes. “It’s not that, you know it. When can I touch you again?” He pleads, despair twisting his features. You tense up at the words. “Behave yourself. It hasn’t been that long.”

It’s not something you’re particularly proud of. In fact, you might even call it one of your great shames in life. You’ve always been a textbook professional, perhaps even too strict according to your coworkers and most patients. Not even in your wildest dreams would you have dared to imagine you’d violate the code of ethics by falling in love with your patient. But something about his situation stirred your sense of justice. Surely one cannot be punished for protecting their loved ones. The only criminal in the equation, at least in your eyes, was that joke of a father and he had it coming. So you found yourself wrestling against a blooming protectiveness and favoritism towards the young man brought here last month.

What would have normally compelled you into action had therefore been silently swept under the rug. Or even worse, you secretly indulged in it. A patient showing signs of affection towards you would instantly be transferred to a different psychiatrist. Yet you couldn’t put away the letters written by this one. Erratic, crumpled notes of “I love you” written countless times, pencil dug so deep it tore into the sheet. Bizarre illustrations that looked almost threatening. His elaborate delusions before medication was introduced, where he’d detail in grand narratives how you were fated for each other and nothing would stop him from having you sooner or later. You do not know what forces possessed you into this addictive plunge, but you’ve come to enjoy his violent, frenzied confessions. So much, that during one of the unsupervised meetings you let yourself pushed into the sofa as his hands tugged at your body in rabid need. It was so out of character that you wondered if it truly happened, though the bite marks and scratches on your neck and chest proved otherwise.

“Are they going to send me to prison?” He changes the subject and stands up, walking towards your desk. “Most likely. What you have is the result of a traumatic event, not a lifelong condition. Sporadic episodes that can be kept under control with antipsychotics aren’t enough of a reason to keep you in the hospital.” You press your legs together nervously and glance at him. “Can’t you just say it’s no longer working?” He suggests, kneeling before you and placing a hand on your thigh. “You know I can’t lie on the report.” You really don’t like it when he manipulates you like this. “Ah, yes, because lying is worse than fucking your patient.” He scoffs, annoyed. “Don’t threaten me like that”, you say as you turn towards him, but you’re stopped by the rough grip of his hand over your cheeks. “I’m not threatening you, I’m threatening everyone else. Listen, (Y/N), I’m not fucking around. I don’t mind pretending to be crazy if I have to. Will the meds still be working if I steal a shaving razor and cut the nurse open?” You try to open your mouth, but his fingers are pressed into your skin, locking your jaw into place. “I’m not going to prison. I’m not. Then I’ll never see you again and that can’t happen. You know that.”

Eventually he releases his hold, allowing you to speak. "I understand. Then there's no choice but to arrange your escape." You sigh, defeated, and he raises his eyebrows. "Won't that get you in trouble?" You chuckle at his statement. "Either way I'll be in trouble. You said it yourself. Might as well quit before I have to stand in front of the ethics board and have my license revoked." You'd prefer to keep the last ounce of pride if possible.

He sits on the floor and you notice his trembling hands. "Nervous?" You ask. "No. Just really happy. I'm not a bad person and you were the only one here to see it. But God, (Y/N), I'd kill anyone if it was for your sake. I can't wait to hold you whenever I want." He gazes at you as a smile widens on his face.

[shanastoryteller]

Shana, your tags on this post ...I need to know more! What exactly was the plan for Supernatural season 3 if it hasn't been for the writer's strike??? And how haven't I heard about this already?? I need the deets!

i'm so glad you asked :)

the original plan for season 3 was for sam to descend into using his demon powers to get dean out of the deal, and for dean to never go to hell. then the writers strike happened, the season got cut from 22 eps to 16, with only 4 after the strike, and that wasn't enough time to establish sam's spiral and powers, so changed the ending. it's on the wiki and there are some articles around about it

this was, in my opinion, the worst fucking decision they could make

it ruined the characters in a lot of ways and really unbalanced everything in a way the show never recovered from

the thing is that this arc is so well set up!

literally at the end of season 2 we get

"You're my big brother, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care, I'm going to get you out of this. I'm going to save your ass for a change."

sam has evaded azazel's every attempt to corrupt him. his shitty home life, all the demons he's exposed sam to, killing jessica, taking away his father, putting him in a literal life or death hunger games scenario. each time sam refuses to play ball

(sam's incorruptibility is what makes him qualified to be king of hell, but that's a different post)

he's the moral compass between him and dean. always has been. there is nothing in sam's messed up, twisted life that has pushed him pass mercy

but dean could do it. there's nothing sam wouldn't do for his big brother

john told dean that he had to either save sam or kill him. except he's never needed to save sam, because it's literally always sam making the measured, compassionate, merciful call. he's the one holding dean back, not the other way around

and sam straining towards darkness for the first time, for dean, would kill him. we'll come back to this

mystery spot, as an episode, is actually pointless if the plan was for dean to go to hell. because sam's sneak peek into what his life is like after dean doesn't do anything. i love this ep, but it's narratively pointless now

however

with the og plan, mystery spot is the turning point. it not only tells sam how miserable he'll be after dean is gone, but it also establishes what he's willing to do to get him back - pretty much anything. it's not theoretical pain, it's not theoretical grief. mystery spot is the thing that pushes sam towards being hard, away from the moral sweetness he's embodied for the past two and half seasons.

the next ep, jus in bello, shows this. sam is considering doing the terrible thing. he's now capable of considering the terrible thing in a way he wasn't before mystery spot. this is when his descent starts, when sam decides he's willing to trade his humanity for his brother's life

and then the writer's strike happened

right when it's getting good, right when sam's arc is ramping up, we lose it. and instead of picking it back up, pushing dean's deal to next season and giving it the weight it deserves, they say fuck it, and send dean to hell

but this fucks it all up. we have sam's "descent" with ruby and demon blood. except not really because he's not even hurting anyone. and dean's back, but not because of sam. sam didn't save him

this fucks it all up

because deans anger and fear and desire to save sam should have been tempered with the knowledge that he did that to save dean's life. that once more someone dean loves has made a terrible sacrifice for him, which he can't stand, which he hates. he has the self esteem of a gnat and the best people he knows keep destroying themselves for his benefit

i think the og build up was sam strengthening his powers to kill lilith, doing it, and then releasing lucifer at the end of s3. sam unwittingly starting the apocolypse to save his brother (does he regret it, dean wonders. it would be easier if he did)

and now everything is shit and dean's drowning but here and his brother has turned himself into something that's not unlike the kid dean loves so much it almost killed him, but not exactly the same. and now he understands john, because this is the sam that dean has to either save or kill, except he could never kill him. he loves him (and how can he kill sam for doing this when it's dean's fault, when dean made the deal that doomed his brother when all he wanted was to save him)

this is the flip that the show has been building towards. dean having to be the moral center for his brother for once. dean being the one saved. dean finally having to face his father's words and deciding once and for all if he's john's son or sam's brother

but instead dean goes to hell. and he's no one moral's center. because he broke in hell, he tortured people and he enjoyed it. they ruined dean with this. because instead of fighting and growing from his violence, they push him into it, and then they call him a righteous man. dean was the one harming people, he's the one that descended into darkness, not sam. sam and his demon blood had still only been trying to good, and in the end did do good, far more than anything dean did in hell, or has done since. his moral outrage, his anger, his disgust towards sam isn't only wildly out of character, it's hypocritical as hell. sam remains the moral, compassionate one, even through this. it never slides to dean. neither of them are really forced to grow or change, only to become twisted into each other in ways that hurt them both

this should have been the story of what sam would do to save his brother (anything) and what dean would do to save his brother (anything)

they should have saved each other

[gotta-get-back-to-hatchetfield]

Help! I loved Nerdy Prudes Must Die and am curious about Nightmare Time but don't really have time to commit to watching it all... (a handy guide)

For those of you who don't know Nightmare Time was a series of Hatchetfield one shots that starkid wrote and recorded during lockdown, all of which are of course available for free on YouTube. They go a lot deeper into the lore than the 3 Hatchetfield musicals, including explaining and explore the characters we know and love in more detail, sometimes including shocking revelations.

They also introduce new characters to the Hatchetfield universe, including Stephanie Lauter, Grace Chasity and Pete Spankoffski, who we first met in a Nightmare Time episode.

As they were filmed in lockdown the recording quality is somewhat variable, but Season 2 has a much higher production value than Season 1, and in Season 1 Episode 1 in particular they were very clearly trying to find their feet with it. That being said the actual scripts and content of the episodes is solid throughout.

I've decided to put together this handy guide of which Nightmare Time episodes people might want to check out if they want to learn more about certain things we saw in NPMD.

1) Nibbly - Honey Queen (season 2 episode 1)

If you're curious to learn more about the Lords in Black each of them (bar Wiggly) have an episode of Nightmare Time devoted to them.

For Nibbly, Wiggly's hungriest and pinkest brother that episode is 'Honey Queen' in Season 2 Episode 1.

It explores a very entertaining rivalry between Linda Monroe (from Black Friday) and Zoey (the annoying barista from Beanie's in TGWDLM) that naturally turns very very dark. We also get to meet Linda's husband Gerald who she spends most of Black Friday on the phone to.

As a heads up Nibbly doesn't appear until, shall we say, the end of the episode (with Hatchetfield there's always a twist) and he's not in the super sexy form from NPMD but it's a very strong episode and does give a bit of background to Nibbly's deal.

2) Tinky - Time Bastard (season 1 episode 2 part 2)

If you're curious to learn more about this yellow motherfucker played by Curt then you're in luck because he's in my personal favourite episode and one with a lot of interesting lore surrounding it.

If you're curious about what he means when in NPMD he says 'I could add another Spankoffski to my set', Time Bastard is focused around Pete's brother Ted (from TGWDLM) and the dodgy dealings of CCRP.

It's an extremely clever episode, with lots of really fun twists. It's unfortunately season 1 so has slightly lower production quality, but in terms of raw scripting is just outstanding and has some really interesting reveals about people in the Hatchetfield universe who may not be who we think they are...

Also worth noting that this is in the same episode (Youtube video) as a different Nightmare Time episode 'Forever and Always'. Most episodes work like this where you have two different stories per episode, they absolutely can be watched independently but usually have some sort of thematic link (in this case it's the things we do for love and how they will inevitably be thwarted by CCRP being sketch).

3) Blinky - Watcher World (season 1 episode 1 part 2)

And if you're curious about the one who's always watching you, he's actually the first Lord in Black we meet through Nightmare Time, in the very first episode when Bill and Alice Woodward (TGWDLM) go on an ill fated trip to a spooky theme park.

Again this is from the first episode so production quality is low but it's a really solid episode and a very interesting look into these characters.

While this is our first meeting of a lord in black in Nightmare Time, I don't believe he's actually referred to as such, and the concept of the Lords in Blacks being introduced as Wiggly's brothers comes in at point 5 on this list.

4) Pokey - Yellow Jacket (season 2 episode 4)

You've already met Pokey through TGWDLM (yep that was his blue shit that destroyed the world!), but you won't truly realise how fucking scary he is until you meet his incarnation 'Otho' in Yellow Jacket.

A solid episode exploring Lex, Hannah and Ethan in a lot more detail, and in a world and lives where (at least at the start of the episode) things seem to be a lot more stable for them than in Black Friday.

And yeh as I've already mentioned Pokey is fucking s c a r y in it. Also you remember James Tolbert's character, Charles that gets a little cameo in Hatchetown? Well he's the main human antagonist of this episode!

We also learn a lot of lore about 'the gift', the thing that makes Hannah able to do magic.

5) The concept of the Lords in Black generally - The Witch in the Web (season 2 episode 3 part 2)

If you're curious about why everyone's been posting pictures of those evil teddy bears and now even more confused that you've met them all as fucked up high school students, the Witch in the Web is the episode where we're first introduced to the 'they don't care bears' as a set.

This is a really cool episode, again about Lex and Hannah, but it also exploring Uncle Wiley (from Black Friday) in a lot more detail.

We also first meet two characters called Duke and Miss Holloway who together form the ship Holloduke that if you were following any of Starkid tumblr during lockdown you will definitely have heard of. They're really cool!

Here we also meet Webby, Hannah's imaginary friend in Black Friday, who turns out to be the lord in black's sister: a queen in white. And she's dope.

6) Pete Spankoffski, Stephanie Lauter and Grace Chasity - Abstinence Camp (season 2 episode 2 part 2)

We first meet the now beloved characters of Pete and Steph and the slightly less beloved character of Grace in an evangelical abstinence only camp. The episode centers entirely around these characters and plays excellently with tropes of the horror genre.

It also has the best song in all of Nightmare Time and it's up to you to decide if I'm talking about 'oh my god it's the axe-man' or 'virginity rocks' (it's both, the answer is both).

That's pretty much it in terms of Nightmare Time episodes that cover things from NPMD, but in case you're curious here's a quick run down of what the rest are about:

The Hatchetfield Ape Man - season 1 episode 1 part 1. Hidgens makes Ted pretend to be a Tarzan style half monkey, half man thing to con Angela Giarratanna out of her inheretence.

Watcher World - season 1 episode 1 part 2. See bullet 3 above. Alice and Bill Woodward go to a theme park and shit hits the fan.

Forever and Always - season 2 episode 2 part 1. Paul and Emma get married. Things are not as they seem (there are robots). One of my personal favourites.

Time Bastard - season 2 episode 2 part 2. See bullet 2 above. Ted fucks with time travel and things end very badly for him. Best episode imo.

Jane's a Car - season 2 episode 3 part 1. Turns out the soul of Tom Houston's ex-wife Jane, who died in a car crash, transferred into the car. This somewhat complicates his budding relationship with Becky Barnes.

The Witch in the Web - season 2 episode 3 part 2. See bullet 5 above. Hannah Foster's having nightmares and somehow a witch and Uncle Wiley are involved. Luckily a good witch (Miss Holloway) is there to try and help.

Honey Queen - season 2 episode 1. See bullet 1 above. Linda Monroe and Zoey Chambers compete to win the Hatchetfield honey queen beauty pageant and things spiral wildly out of control. My personal favourite episode from season 2.

Perky's Buds - season 2 episode 2 part 1. Emma's finally achieved her dream of owning her own pot farm. Just her, her non-binary farm hand Ziggs and some very evil birds.

Abstinence Camp - season 2 episode 2 part 2. See bullet 6 above. Pete, Steph and Grace go to a retreat in the very creepy woods to learn one way or another about the perils of pre-marital sex.

Daddy - season 2 episode 3 part 1. Remember Sherman Young (Jamie's weird creepy guy from Black Friday)? Turns out there's something very weird going on with his mum. We also learn a lot about Frank Pricely (owner of toyzone from Black Friday) in this episode, who turns out to be a very interesting character.

Killer Track - season 2 episode 3 part 2. Miss Holloway must take extreme action to save a young girl and then the whole world against an evil song that kills anyone who listens to it. We learn a lot more about Holloway as a character and she is soooo cool. Another favourite episode of mine.

Yellow Jacket - season 2 episode 4. See bullet point 4. Hannah seeing her sister struggling to provide for them financially decides to find a way of using her power to earn some spare cash.

Hey Melissa - episode aired only on a livestream, type it into youtube and it'll come up. If you've ever found yourself asking 'what if Mariah's secretary character from the start of TGWDLM was really into dom pup play and Paul Matthews was her little pup bitch and she was also a horrific out of control serial killer?' then a) are you Matt Lang because if not I'm concerned? and b) by god this is the episode for you!. I personally really enjoy it I think it's super funny, but obviously heavy trigger warnings for abuse and sexual content warnings (there's a reason they didn't put this in the real series). Fucking excellent tho.

[svt-luna]

ᡴꪫ ⋆ GAME CATERERS X SVT ࣪ ! ˓ ౨ৎ ࣪˖ ─── episode 1-3.

Game Caterers x SEVENTEEN

synopsis: Episode 1-3! The games begin and the infamous character quiz is up first. With numerous delicious Korean delicacies on the line, SEVENTEEN tries their hardest to eat at least one of the dishes.

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

╰౨ৎ fan reactions ╰౨ৎ game caterers masterlist

[added captions are in brackets] ᡣ𐭩

bold dialogues are spoken in english ᡣ𐭩

The next part of the show was about to begin, and the members were called back on set, ready to dive into the games segment. The familiar space where they had filmed the intro and interviews now had a slightly different setup. Instead of the two rows of chairs they had before, the chairs were now arranged in a straight line, creating a new dynamic. Behind the chairs were several posters displaying some of their most famous quotes from ‘Going Seventeen’, adding a playful touch to the atmosphere.

[SEVENTEEN's getting ready]

The members slowly streamed into the set, choosing their seats and exchanging light banter as they did. Mingyu and Woozi were the first to sit down, speaking to PD Na about the seating arrangements. Seungkwan was busy taking pictures of the posters at the back before he later sat down next to Mingyu. The room buzzed with anticipation as they all settled in.

[SEVENTEEN swarms in]

Luna and Minghao were among the last to enter, walking slowly as they engaged in a quiet conversation.

"I’ve been taking Chinese lessons recently," Luna said, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "I’ve always loved learning new languages, and since I’m almost fluent in Japanese, I thought I’d give Chinese a try."

Minghao smiled, nodding in approval. "That’s great. Chinese is a beautiful language. How are you finding it so far?"

"It’s challenging, but I’m enjoying it," Luna replied. "The tones are tricky. I think it's more difficult than Japanese."

As they continued talking, they reached the line of chairs where the other members were already seated. Minghao took a seat on the far left, next to Dokyeom, while Luna remained standing in front of him, still engrossed in their conversation.

Jeonghan, who had taken a seat next to Dokyeom, watched Luna patiently. He placed his hand on the empty seat beside him, silently signaling for her to sit. After a few seconds, he reached out and gently grabbed her hand, pulling her attention away from Minghao.

"Nana-ya," Jeonghan crooned softly, using his nickname for her.

Luna turned to him, a small smile playing on her lips. Without protest, she allowed Jeonghan to guide her to the seat beside him, nestled between him and Dino.

[During the short break, they start chattering]

The room buzzed with chatter as the members broke off into small groups, waiting for the games to begin. The atmosphere resembled a lively classroom during recess, with overlapping conversations creating a symphony of voices that filled the space. Each group was engaged in their own world, sharing jokes, stories, and laughter that blended into the overall din of excitement.

Luna and Jeonghan, sitting close together, had their own quiet conversation amidst the noise. Luna, who had been nervously fidgeting with the rings on her fingers, caught Jeonghan's attention. He noticed the way she absentmindedly twisted the rings, a habit he had come to recognize over the years. It was something she did when she was feeling anxious.

Without a word, Jeonghan reached over and covered her hands with his, the warmth of his touch instantly calming her. His fingers gently caressed the back of her hand, grounding her in the present moment.

"Did you get your nails done?" Jeonghan asked, his tone light and casual, steering the conversation to something simple and familiar.

Luna looked down at her hands, a small smile forming on her lips as she nodded. "Yeah, I got them done yesterday. Do you like them?" She wiggled her fingers, showcasing the intricate designs painted on her nails.

Jeonghan lifted her hand slightly, examining her nails with a playful curiosity, his touch light as he traced the patterns. "They’re really pretty. You always choose the coolest designs,"

Luna chuckled softly, her nerves slowly melting away as they continued to talk. "I went for something a bit different this time, more muted tones."

Jeonghan traced the edge of one of her nails with his finger, still holding her hand in his. "It suits you. They look pretty."

His touch was gentle, almost absentminded as he played with her fingers, turning them over in his hand. Luna watched him, a sense of calm washing over her as he continued to distract her from her earlier nerves.

"It's therapeutic," Luna chuckled. "Getting your nails done."

Jeonghan hummed in agreement, still playing with her fingers. "Maybe you should paint my nails sometime," he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Luna perked up at the suggestion, her smile widening. "I would love to! I could do something simple, or we could go all out and try something bold. I have nail stickers at home. What do you think?"

Jeonghan pretended to think about it, a playful expression on his face. "Hmm, I don’t know… I’m not sure I could pull it off as well as you do, but who knows? Maybe I’ll give it a shot."

Luna giggled, knowing he was playing hard to get but also knowing he wouldn’t say no. "Come on, you know you’d look great. How about this: when we get home later, I’ll paint your nails. Deal?"

Jeonghan finally relented, a soft laugh escaping him as he nodded. "Alright. Alright."

Jeonghan, still holding Luna's hand, turned his attention to Dino, who was seated on her other side. With a playful glint in his eyes, he leaned over Luna and lightly smacked Dino’s leg.

"How have you been?" Dino asked, looking at Jeonghan with a friendly smile.

"I asked you to go to the sauna with me twice, but you never went," Jeonghan replied, feigning a pout.

"You only asked me once," Dino countered, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion.

Jeonghan shook his head, smiling slyly. "I can’t be direct. If I say, 'I’m going to the sauna,' that’s me asking you."

Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at that, finding Jeonghan’s indirect way of inviting Dino endearing. Dino, on the other hand, widened his eyes in realization. "Ahh, okay. Sorry."

From Jeonghan’s other side, Dokyeom joined the conversation with a curious expression. "How come you say it directly to me?"

Jeonghan turned to him, his grin widening. "I need someone to talk to directly. Then other people will be like, 'Can I join you?'"

Dokyeom laughed, catching on to Jeonghan’s playful banter. "Are you saying you took advantage of me?"

"He did," Luna muttered with a smirk, making Dokyeom laugh even more.

"Exactly," Jeonghan admitted with a shrug, his nonchalant response earning a round of laughter. "I know you’re going to send me a long text now."

Once Dokyeom stopped laughing, he smiled warmly at Jeonghan. "Let’s go to the sauna together."

"You can go now?" Jeonghan asked, tilting his head slightly. "I was going to go yesterday," he said, his tone light, "but then you called me."

"If I went yesterday, I might have died," he added dramatically, making Luna stifle a laugh.

[He filmed ‘My Alcohol Diary’ yesterday]

"Why didn’t you ask me to join?" Luna chimed in, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at Jeonghan and Dokyeom.

Jeonghan and Dokyeom exchanged glances before Jeonghan asked, "You want to?"

Before Luna could reply, Dokyeom, with a teasing pout, quickly linked his arm through Jeonghan’s and pulled him closer. "No, no, no," Dokyeom said, mockingly possessive. "You two are always together. Jeonghan is mine now."

Jeonghan burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he leaned into Dokyeom’s playful embrace. Luna looked at them in mock bewilderment before shaking her head with a chuckle. "Alright, I won’t third-wheel your date," she said, her voice filled with playful resignation.

Jeonghan glanced at her with a grin, still laughing at Dokyeom’s antics, while Luna’s heart warmed at the sight of their close bond.

As the group continued chatting among themselves, their conversations overlapping into a lively cacophony, PD Na and the writers observed the scene, slightly bewildered by the sheer energy of the room. The room buzzed like a classroom during recess, with every member engaged in their own small group discussions. The writers, poised and ready to start the next segment, hesitated for a moment, unsure how to gain control over the spirited group.

[This is how they look as a whole]

"Who do we talk to in this case?" one of the writers asked PD Na, glancing at the scene.

"Someone in the center," PD Na suggested, his eyes scanning the group for the best target.

One of the writers looked up and, to her surprise, saw Joshua sitting in the middle of the group. "It’s a new person," she remarked, her voice drawing the attention of the band and, most notably, Joshua, who looked back at her with wide, confused eyes.

[Surprised Bambi]

"Hoshi moved here because it was too much," Wonwoo explained from his seat, offering context with a slight grin.

"That’s why you switched?" Joshua asked, turning to Hoshi, who nodded in response.

"I don’t mind when I’m dancing, but this is too much pressure," Hoshi admitted, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

[Moved 2 seats]

"We have Joshua in the center. Center Jo," PD Na announced, making Joshua chuckle at the unexpected title.

With the attention now on him, Mingyu leaned forward and added with a grin, "Joshua, hit the slate."

[The center's role on a variety show]

[Hit the slate]

Joshua, still laughing, opened his arms in front of him as if mimicking a movie slate. "I’ll hit the slate… 1… 2… 3," he said, clapping his hands together to signal the beginning of the game portion.

As the group settled into their seats, the chatter gradually died down, and all eyes turned to PD Na, who was ready to kick off the next part of the show. "It's time for the first game," PD Na announced with a smile.

The members responded with enthusiastic clapping and cheers, the room once again buzzing with excitement.

[Shouting like high school students]

"I love games," Minghao said, his eyes bright with anticipation.

PD Na continued, "There’s nothing much to it. We play a game over food, over something else. Play a game over money. And then it’s over."

"I’d love to play over money," Jeonghan deadpanned, a small smile tugging at his lips, making a few of the members laugh at his unexpected 'enthusiasm.'

[He's never looked so enthusiastic]

"Right?" Luna chimed in, smiling at Jeonghan.

The playful banter settled as PD Na explained the stakes. "Today, you’ll be playing for your food."

[For this game] [it's not over money, but food]

The members’ excitement only grew at the mention of food. "I'm hungry," Hoshi said, leaning forward eagerly.

"Let’s eat," Minghao agreed, nodding.

"I don’t think we will be able to," Luna said, chuckling at the impending challenge.

[Food matters more than money in our universe]

"You need to eat," PD Na insisted with a grin. "Let’s play a game over food."

Jeonghan, ever the strategist, asked, "What’s the menu?"

"I’ll show you," PD Na teased, building up the anticipation.

"Is it coming in here?" S.Coups asked, already craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the food, his hands moving in a little dance of excitement. "Oh, there it is."

"It’s crazy," Jeonghan said, eyes widening as a table was wheeled in, laden with containers filled with various dishes.

"What do I do? I’m hungry," Luna exclaimed, her eyes glued to the food.

"That’s the old-school container," S.Coups noted, recognizing the style of the containers as they were placed in front of them.

[Passing by]

"LA galbi?" Vernon asked, spotting one of his favorites.

"There are grilled yellow corvinas?" Luna pointed out, her voice tinged with surprise and delight.

"Grilled yellow corvinas?" Vernon said again, gasping.

[Gasping]

As the containers were opened, the room filled with a chorus of excited comments and exclamations as they recognized different dishes. The spread was reminiscent of a school cafeteria, the familiar scents bringing back memories.

[Exclaiming]

"It reminds me of the school cafeteria. I love it," Jeonghan said a nostalgic smile on their face.

"Please don’t remove one every time," Seungkwan pleaded, knowing all too well how these games worked, anticipating the challenge that lay ahead.

[The dishes to be removed are here]

The air was thick with anticipation and hunger as the group prepared to dive into the game, their competitiveness heightened by the delicious food that awaited them.

As the room settled after the initial excitement, PD Na stepped forward, announcing with a grin, "It's the retreat course for lunch." The members erupted into cheers and applause, at the mention of lunch.

[Retreat course: 14 side dishes]

"When you go on a retreat at school, you get these dishes for lunch. S.Coups, can you introduce them?" PD Na prompted, turning to the leader.

S.Coups stood up, ready to take on the role of the food guide. He pointed at each dish as he named them, "Tomato salad, yogurt, stir-fried spicy pork, LA galbi, kimchi, grilled yellow corvinas, acorn jelly, rolled omelet, mini pork cutlets, sausages, japchae, seasoned bean sprouts." His voice was clear and confident, but there was a playful pride in his tone as if he were presenting treasures.

[There's got to be one you'd like]

"It's perfect," Jun commented, his eyes wide with admiration at the spread before them.

"That's crazy," Joshua added, echoing the awe felt by the group.

PD Na smiled, seeing the members’ appreciation. "I'm sure everyone likes different food. There are fourteen people here," he observed.

"Kimchi is my favorite," Hoshi chimed in enthusiastically, earning nods from the others. "Kimchi is a must. Wherever I go, I try kimchi first and decide whether the place is good or not. That’s how much I love kimchi."

Nods of agreement followed his statement, with some members murmuring their own love for the staple Korean dish.

"Woozi, is there anything you don't like here?" PD Na asked, curious to see if there was a dish that might not suit the tastes of the meticulous producer.

Woozi, ever thoughtful, scanned the table before replying, "Something I don't like? That would be… nothing in particular. I'm not picky."

Seungkwan, ever the observant one, couldn’t help but comment, "Your eyes are focused on the tomato salad," causing a round of laughter to ripple through the group.

Woozi immediately defended himself, "Why eat that of all other dishes?" His mock indignation only made the others laugh harder.

[Wise]

Hoshi, always quick to chime in, pointed at Wonwoo, "Wonwoo can't have seafood."

"I can't eat yellow corvinas," Wonwoo confirmed, his voice even and unbothered, though his gaze lingered on the dish.

Jeonghan, lightly patted Luna’s leg, drawing attention to her. "Jiyeonie loves seafood," he said with a knowing smile.

Luna nodded in agreement, a wide grin on her face. "I love seafood," she echoed, her eyes brightening at the mention of one of her favorite types of cuisine.

"And yellow corvinas are DK's favorite," Jeonghan added, gesturing to the member seated next to him.

"I love yellow corvinas," Dokyeom confirmed with a nod, his voice carrying a hint of excitement at the prospect of enjoying the dish.

As the conversation naturally flowed, PD Na took the opportunity to ask a question that delved deeper into their group dynamics. "If a conflict occurs in the band, how do you resolve it?" he asked, his tone both curious and serious.

Wonwoo was the first to respond, his voice steady and assured. "We go by the majority," he said, earning a confirming nod from S.Coups, the leader of the group.

[They follow the majority]

"If anyone can't eat something, then we take it into consideration," Vernon added, his explanation highlighting their thoughtfulness as a group.

PD Na, intrigued, continued to probe. "Do you always go by majority?"

Seungkwan, always quick-witted, replied with a slight grin, "No, we still listen to the minority."

"We only listen," S.Coups added with a knowing smile, causing a ripple of laughter among the members.

Luna, finding the situation amusing, chuckled before chiming in, "It's funny because it's true."

Jun nodded, adding his own lighthearted commentary, "We only listen. We don’t do it."

"Listen and go with the majority," Dokyeom added with a chuckle, his tone playful.

"They have to endure it," Seungkwan said, his voice teasing but with a hint of truth.

"But if they can persuade us…" Joshua began, his thought hanging in the air.

"…We might change," Hoshi finished, completing Joshua’s sentence with a knowing look.

[If minority is still persuasive, they'd do it]

[That's direct democracy]

Seungkwan, taking the conversation in a slightly different direction, remarked, "If the whole group gets to go on a show like ‘The Game Caterers’, everyone must agree."

"Even if one person says no, we can't do it," Jeonghan added, his tone serious yet relaxed.

Seungkwan then pointed out, "All fourteen of us agreed to go to ‘The Game Caterers’, which is why we're all here." His words carried a sense of pride, a reflection of their collective decision-making process.

[Fortunately, they all approved]

PD Na and the writers, appreciating the sentiment, bowed their heads slightly in gratitude. "Thank you," they said, their voices sincere.

"So let us eat," Seungkwan added with a grin, breaking the moment of seriousness and earning laughter from the group.

[That was from the bottom of his heart]

PD Na, sensing the anticipation in the room, addressed the members with a wry smile. "I'll give you rice and soup," he said, his tone slightly playful. "Normally, I don't. But in case CARATs get mad at me, I'll give you rice and soup."

[We prepared luxurious beef radish soup]

A wave of grateful murmurs and nods spread through the group, with a few members visibly relieved at the news. "Thank you," several of them echoed, their appreciation genuine.

"But," PD Na continued, his voice taking on a more serious edge, "the rest of the dishes depend on how well you do in the game."

[That's right]

The tension in the room shifted, excitement mingling with a hint of nervousness as the stakes were laid out. Everyone knew that this wouldn't be easy; their ability to enjoy the meal in front of them depended entirely on their performance.

"The first game is a revenge match," PD Na announced, pausing to let the words sink in. "The Character Quiz."

At the mention of the game, a collective sound of acknowledgment filled the room, a chorus of "Ooohhs" and nods of understanding. This wasn’t just any game— it was a rematch of the quiz they had played during the ‘HYBE’ Special, a challenge that had left several of them hungry and slightly humiliated.

"Okay," Minghao said, his expression serious yet excited.

Seungkwan, Jun, Hoshi, Mingyu, Minghao, Joshua, and Dino exchanged knowing looks, scoffing out laughs tinged with the bitterness of past defeat.

[Their hearts ache already]

PD Na, ever the observant host, pointed out with a grin, "I just noticed. There are seven people here who played the Character Quiz before." His eyes swept across the room, landing on Mingyu, Seungkwan, Dino, Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Joshua.

[The seven who lost]

"Why don't you give advice to the people who haven't played before?" PD Na suggested, inviting the veterans to share their wisdom.

"Give us advice," Woozi chimed in, leaning forward slightly, genuinely curious.

[But they don't have much to say]

But before any of the seven could respond, Luna deadpanned, "Didn't they lose?" Her tone was dry, the subtle jab laced with humor. The room erupted into laughter, with Joshua especially amused by her quick wit, and S.Coups nodding in agreement.

"They didn't get anything. They got everything wrong," S.Coups added, his voice dripping with mock disappointment, his smile betraying his amusement.

Jun shrugged, not willing to argue against the truth. "We don’t exactly have the experience," he admitted, eliciting another round of chuckles.

Dino, always quick on his feet, gestured with a sly grin. "Just remember. My eyes are watching front, but my ears are listening to the people next to me." His hands moved to his ears, making his intentions clear— he was ready to cheat.

"Right," Jeonghan agreed without missing a beat, the room responding with laughter at the unsurprising agreement by the notorious game cheater.

Wonwoo chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"If you're going to swindle, do it quietly," Mingyu scolded, a playful edge to his voice as he pointed at Dino.

"That’s what you call cheating," PD Na interjected, though his tone held no real reprimand— he was simply amused by the group’s antics.

"They were asking me for advice," Dino defended himself, feigning innocence.

"Cut us some slack," Jeonghan chimed in, his voice carrying a touch of mock sincerity. The room erupted again when one of the producers, caught off guard, exclaimed, "What?" Her high-pitched voice slicing through the laughter.

[We were surprised]

Jeonghan, still laughing, clutched Luna's thigh for support, his amusement clear in the way his shoulders shook.

"He's being serious," Luna informed the producers and writers, her own smile betraying her amusement.

"He's shameless," Seungkwan added, pointing at Jeonghan, his voice filled with playful exasperation.

[Yoon the surprise: He'll surprise Producer Na a lot today]

"Nice," S.Coups clapped his hands, laughing as he pointed at Jeonghan, who was still recovering from his bout of laughter.

"This is really fun," Mingyu commented as he fixed his jacket.

S.Coups turned to PD Na with a puzzled expression. "Is this going to be one way?" he asked, using hand gestures to illustrate his question. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization. "Both ways?" he added, his tone tinged with incredulity.

PD Na, ever the master of mind games, smirked. "When it comes to the Character Quiz, going one way is a servile choice. That's not who you are, right?"

"He’s brainwashing us," Mingyu quipped, making PD Na laugh along with the others.

[Busted]

Mingyu quickly followed up with a more serious tone, trying to calculate the logistics of the game. "A band of seven people going both ways is us going one way. If we go back and forth, that’s twenty-seven."

"It’s twenty-eight," Jun corrected, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Isn’t it twenty-seven? One person plays once and the rest play twice," Mingyu insisted, explaining his logic.

"You’re right," Hoshi confirmed, nodding in agreement.

"Mingyu is smart," Seungkwan commented, adding to the consensus.

"Give him applause," Hoshi said, prompting the members to clap for Mingyu without hesitation.

[We thought it was over]

The debate, however, wasn’t over. "No, it’s twenty-eight," S.Coups nudged Mingyu, determined to get to the bottom of it. "I have to play twice," he reasoned, starting to count the members aloud along with Seungkwan.

"We go all the way there and come back," Mingyu insisted, using hand gestures to further illustrate his point.

Luna, clearly growing exasperated with the pointless argument, let out an exaggerated sigh. "Why does it matter? We won’t be able to eat anyway. Let’s just do it," she said, her tone laced with mock resignation. Her comment earned a hearty laugh from PD Na, who seemed to appreciate her pragmatic approach.

[Bunny is over it]

Jeonghan, amused by Luna’s ‘over-it’ expression, chuckled softly. He reached out, his knuckles gently brushing against her cheek in a comforting gesture before placing his hand back down on his lap.

"Let’s just do it," Seungkwan echoed, mimicking an expression of exhaustion that perfectly captured the group's collective sentiment.

Minghao, ever the calm voice of reason, chimed in with a simple, "We just have to do it."

"Right, as long as we do well," Seungkwan agreed, nodding in determination.

[You have to get used to it. This band loves chattering]

PD Na, sensing an opportunity to rally the group, leaned into his usual dramatic flair. "When there were a lot of people, there were seven. The maximum number I tried was eight. But if fourteen people succeed, then in the history of variety shows…" He trailed off, letting the implication of their potential legendary status hang in the air.

[Producer Na is scamming them]

The members caught between skepticism and amusement, nodded along, some chuckling at PD Na's clear attempt to hype them up.

"It’ll be legend," Dokyeom chimed in, playing along with a playful grin.

"Let’s try," S.Coups encouraged, the leader’s competitive spirit shining through.

"It’ll leave a mark in the history of variety shows," PD Na continued, his voice full of mock seriousness, earning more laughter from the group.

[Be history]

As PD Na kept going on about how legendary their success would be, the members couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

[If you succeed, we'll have you fixed on the main page of ‘Channel Fullmoon’]

[The future variety shows will remember you]

"He’s good at fabricating it," Woozi commented dryly, a small smirk on his face.

"He can persuade us," Joshua agreed, clearly enjoying the banter.

"He’s good at it," Dokyeom nodded, his tone filled with reluctant admiration.

PD Na pointed toward the direction of the order, setting the stage for the challenge. “Start with S.Coups, all the way to Jun, and then come back,” he instructed, his voice filled with a mix of authority and anticipation.

Mingyu, ever the strategist, leaned forward with a glint in his eye, pointing directly at Jun. “Shall we start with Jun first?” he suggested his tone light but his mind clearly working through potential advantages.

S.Coups shook his head, already dismissing the idea. “No, he plays only once,” he clarified, his gaze sweeping over the group as he asserted his position.

“That might be better,” Dokyeom said, jumping in with a thoughtful expression.

But Jeonghan had other ideas, gesturing toward their side with a casual wave of his hand. “Isn’t it better to pass here first?” he argued, his voice smooth and persuasive.

Minghao, ever the observant one, smiled as he offered his analysis. “Because the first question tends to be the easiest,” he said, his tone light yet insightful, earning a round of laughter from PD Na and the crew.

[They analyzed his question style]

“Good job,” Luna praised, her smile soft as she looked at Minghao, clearly appreciating his attention to detail, and perhaps finding him a bit adorable.

S.Coups, however, wasn’t entirely convinced, his face a mix of resignation and resolve as he stood up. “I have a feeling it’ll never reach me,” he argued, his eyes scanning the group for support.

“It really won’t,” Luna replied without even looking up, her attention seemingly more focused on her nails than the impending game.

[Has no faith at all]

“If we get it wrong, it’ll never get there,” Minghao agreed, nodding along with Luna, his voice calm yet certain.

[It's something they must overcome]

“Let’s try first,” S.Coups insisted, his determination clear as he tried to rally the group.

“Let’s give it a try,” Jun added, his voice steady, ready to dive in.

“If we get it, it’s great. If not, just eat rice and soup,” Minghao offered, his tone practical and reassuring as he addressed S.Coups.

S.Coups pouted, his desire for more than just the basics evident. “I want yellow corvinas,” he said, his voice soft with longing.

Minghao, ever the considerate friend, responded quickly, “I’ll buy them for you,” his tone was kind and supportive.

“Let’s play first,” S.Coups reiterated, trying to keep everyone focused on the task at hand.

But before they could start, Seungkwan raised his hand, his expression serious as he said, “Wait. Let me tell you something. Don’t get it wrong on purpose to be funny.”

The group immediately chorused back, their voices overlapping in playful accusation, “That’s you,” or “No one does that except you.”

“Sorry,” Seungkwan pouted playfully, his attempt at seriousness quickly dissolving into a cheeky grin.

Luna giggled from her seat, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she quipped, “It’s funny how we keep saying ‘let’s try,’ ‘let’s do it’ over and over again but we’ve done nothing but complain… I love you guys, really.” Her tone was laced with mock irony, making the members burst into laughter at her spot-on observation.

“Let’s start,” PD Na announced, his voice cutting through the playful banter and drawing everyone’s attention to the game.

[Round 1]

The room fell into a sudden hush, the lighthearted atmosphere replaced with focused tension. Some of the members leaned forward in their seats, eyes locked on PD Na as they prepared for the first round. Everyone was fully concentrated, their excitement palpable.

“Let’s start. It sounds so hard,” Minghao murmured, his excitement laced with nerves.

“We can do it,” Joshua said, offering encouragement to the group.

“Are we starting with Jun?” PD Na asked, confirming the order.

“Yes,” the members chorused in unison, their voices firm and in agreement.

“Play sincerely,” Woozi added, his tone serious, urging Jun to give it his best shot.

“Fighting,” Luna said softly, her voice a gentle encouragement aimed directly at Jun. She knew how nerve-wracking it could be to go first, and her words were meant to bolster his confidence.

“It’s okay to get it wrong. Just be confident,” Seungkwan chimed in from the other side, offering some last-minute reassurance.

PD Na flipped the first picture around, revealing it to Jun. “1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted down, and without missing a beat, Jun blurted out, “Jay Park.”

The room erupted in applause and cheers, the members voicing their excitement as Jun nailed the first answer.

[The first obstacle passed]

Wasting no time, PD Na showed the next picture to Minghao, who was up next. “1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted again.

[The next obstacle]

“Chung Ha,” Minghao answered on time, his voice steady.

[They overcame the obstacles]

The members clapped even louder, their praise growing with each correct answer. Dino jumped up in excitement, unable to contain himself.

[They did better than expected]

“They were good at it,” Wonwoo commented, clapping along with the others.

[Producer Na's getting nervous]

[Next is DK]

[His first Character Quiz in his life]

The game moved on swiftly to Dokyeom. PD Na revealed the next picture. “1, 2, 3,” he counted down.

“Captain America,” Dokyeom answered, earning even more cheers from the group.

“You got it,” Luna praised him with a bright smile.

But as the game progressed, the tension started to build. Jeonghan, who was up next, looked a bit alarmed as the reality of the game set in. “Wait, are there foreigners too?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

[That's what Character Quiz is about]

PD Na nodded, confirming Jeonghan’s suspicion. The atmosphere tensed up further as the members braced themselves.

PD Na then showed the picture to Jeonghan. “1, 2, 3,” he counted down.

“Han Ji Min,” Jeonghan answered, his response slower than the previous ones.

“He got it right! He got it right!” Luna exclaimed, her voice full of relief and excitement as she pointed at Jeonghan, making sure PD Na acknowledged the correct answer.

PD Na, however, wasn’t as forgiving. “It’s a warning,” he said, pointing at Jeonghan, his tone firm. Jeonghan had answered a bit too slowly for comfort.

“Calm down,” Mingyu advised the rest of the group, sensing the rising tension.

Next up was Luna, who leaned forward, her heart pounding in her chest. PD Na turned the picture to face her. “1, 2, 3,” he counted.

“V!” Luna blurted out, her voice clear and on time.

The room erupted in applause and praises once again, the excitement growing as they celebrated another correct answer. Some of the members were now on their feet, pacing back and forth in nervous energy.

“Let’s calm down,” Mingyu reminded everyone, trying to keep the group grounded.

“It’s Dino’s turn,” PD Na announced, moving on to the next member. He showed Dino the picture, “1, 2, 3,” he counted.

“Mi Joo,” Dino answered, his voice a bit hesitant.

“You got it right,” PD Na said, but quickly followed with, “It’s a warning,” indicating that Dino had been too slow as well. The group clapped for Dino’s correct answer but the tension was palpable.

[Woozi's next]

Finally, it was Woozi’s turn. PD Na turned the picture toward him. “1, 2, 3…” he counted, but no answer came from Woozi’s mouth.

“Wrong!” PD Na declared, the first slip-up in the game.

[Passionate]

Seungkwan’s expression was a mix of frustration and disbelief as he stood up, exclaiming, “Lee Chan Won!” The disappointment was evident in his voice, and the other members quickly rallied around him, determined to reason their way to a redo.

[Excuse me?] [Producer Na, hold on]

Like clockwork, they began voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the picture had been presented. S.Coups stood up, making a hand gesture to PD Na, indicating that the picture needed to be straightened. “You need to straighten the face,” he insisted, his tone half-serious, half-joking.

Jun, eager to support his leader, leaned forward to physically adjust the picture in PD Na’s hands. “You need to straighten the face,” he repeated as if this small detail had thrown off Woozi’s guess.

[They complain the photo was curved]

“I thought that was Chan because it was curved,” Mingyu added, his voice carrying a note of mock indignation that quickly spread through the group. They were slandering PD Na’s method of showing the picture as the reason for the mishap.

[Slandering]

“I get what you mean because it’s curved,” Woozi chimed in, backing up Mingyu’s point. He was now fully committed to the narrative.

“So? Is that why you didn’t know?” Jeonghan pressed, his voice teasing but with a hint of support for Woozi.

“I had no idea for that reason,” Woozi answered, his tone carrying a tinge of exasperation but mostly amusement.

Luna, sitting quietly and observing the chaotic exchange, couldn’t help but giggle at the audacity of the group. Their relentless reasoning, though absurd, was hilariously on brand for them. She decided to stay out of it, letting the boys have their moment.

PD Na looked shocked, not quite believing what he was hearing. “Are you sure you know now?” he asked Woozi, trying to gauge the seriousness of their claims.

“Of course,” Woozi replied confidently.

“We all went to get his autograph before.” Wonwoo, ever the supportive member added.

"He was on ‘Mr. Trot,’” Woozi added as if this solidified his knowledge of the celebrity in question.

S.Coups, seeing the opportunity to save face for Woozi, clapped his hands together, declaring, “Okay. That was a practice.”

“So, that’s all for the practice round,” Jun followed up, clearly attempting to lighten the mood and reset the game.

But PD Na wasn’t buying it. The playful atmosphere quickly turned as he made it clear that there would be no redo. Now, the members had to decide which dish to remove from their meal.

[Let's remove one dish]

[Time to make a decision]

The members of SEVENTEEN found themselves in a heated debate over which dish to remove, the tension mixed with a playful sense of urgency as they weighed their options.

Dino, in his innocence, was the first to make a suggestion. “Should we remove the acorn jelly?” His words hung in the air for a split second before they were met with immediate and resounding disapproval from every direction.

[Everyone yells]

“No!” Vernon shook his hand firmly, his voice laced with disbelief.

“No!” S.Coups echoed at the same time, his tone bordering on alarm.

Joshua leaned forward, his expression appaled as he addressed Dino. “We can never miss the acorn jelly.”

The most vocal reaction came from Seungkwan, who stood up abruptly, pointing an accusatory finger at Dino. “Acorn jelly is the best. What are you talking about?” His outburst left Dino momentarily stunned, his eyes wide as he sat back in his seat, shocked at the intensity of Seungkwan’s reaction.

[All he said was acorn jelly]

Dino tried to justify his choice, albeit hesitantly. “Because of the cucumber…” he trailed off, his voice mixed with chuckling.

Luna, seated next to Dino, patted his thigh gently, chuckling at the situation. “Our Dino doesn’t like cucumbers,” she explained with a soft smile, her tone lightening the mood.

Jun, always pragmatic, offered another option. “How about bean sprouts?” he suggested, his voice calm as he tried to steer the discussion in a different direction. “Bean sprouts,” he repeated as if to solidify his choice.

But before anyone could reply, Seungkwan had already made up his mind. He grabbed the container of salad, ready to remove it from the table.

“He can’t eat tomatoes,” S.Coups stood up and explained, gesturing toward Seungkwan as if to defend his action.

“He’s removing what he can’t eat,” Dokyeom noted, pouting slightly as he eyed Seungkwan up and down. S.Coups couldn’t help but chuckle, pointing at Dokyeom with a playful grin.

Minghao, ever observant, pointed out another detail. “Jun wants only the salad,” he said, turning the focus back to Jun’s preference.

“Ah, really?” Vernon exclaimed, his tone one of genuine surprise.

Jun nodded, his expression earnest. “Because I’m working on detoxing,” he explained, his voice calm as always.

Seungkwan took the opportunity to clarify to PD Na, “Some of us are detoxing. We’ll remove bean sprouts.”

But before the decision could be finalized, Vernon, now on his feet, pointed to another potential sacrifice. “Or what about sausages?” he suggested, his voice filled with the same playful uncertainty that had been present throughout their discussions.

“No, never sausages,” S.Coups replied immediately, his tone firm as he shut down the suggestion.

Dokyeom, feeling the need to contribute, stood up and pointed to another dish. “Let’s remove japchae,” he suggested, his voice confident.

“What?” S.Coups responded in shock, his reaction mirroring that of several other members.

Amidst the ongoing debate, PD Na just sat there, watching with a mixture of amusement and amazement as the members continued to discuss, their voices overlapping in a chaotic but somehow harmonious argument.

The debate among SEVENTEEN over which dish to remove escalated into a full-blown discussion, each member passionately defending their preferences.

Wonwoo, who had been quietly observing the chaos, finally chimed in with a suggestion. “I thought we follow the majority,” he said, his calm voice cutting through the noise.

S.Coups, the only one still standing, began pacing back and forth in front of the group. His frustration was evident as he tried to steer the conversation toward a decision. “Ya, what do you want to remove?” he asked, his voice laced with a hint of impatience.

[The general leader is exhausted]

Dino, sensing an opportunity to bring order, proposed, “Let’s go by majority. Who wants to remove the salad?” He raised his hand as an example, hoping others would follow suit.

Only S.Coups and Seungkwan raised their hands in agreement, their expressions determined. The lack of support from the rest of the group, however, left the salad firmly on the table.

[They're democratic, but it takes a long time and Jun wants it]

Hoshi, always one to throw in a curveball, casually suggested, “Just remove the yellow corvinas.”

[In favor of yellow corvinas]

This suggestion sparked immediate reactions, especially from Luna, who leaned forward to look at Hoshi. “What are you talking about?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at him.

[Bunny no. 1 wants yellow corvinas]

Minghao echoed her shock, turning to Hoshi with a confused expression. “Why? That’s the best,” he asked, genuinely baffled.

Seungkwan, who had been watching the exchange with growing frustration, finally exploded. “Are you all stupid? Remove bean sprouts,” he exclaimed, his eyes wide as he looked around at the group, unable to believe the conversation was still going.

Eventually, they agreed on removing the bean sprouts, and Dino reached out to remove them from the table, his expression a mix of relief and resignation.

[They agree on bean sprouts]

[Bean sprouts are out]

“So that’s how SEVENTEEN resolves conflicts,” PD Na commented, observing the group with an amused smile.

“It’s quite noisy,” Jun admitted, his tone light as he glanced around at his fellow members.

“We were just talking over each other,” Luna added, a hint of laughter in her voice as she reflected on the chaotic discussion.

“We’re all talking at the same time. What do we do?” Mingyu said, shaking his head with a grin.

“It’s so noisy,” Wonwoo chuckled, covering his ears in mock despair.

[SEVENTEEN never holds back from talking. They're noisy]

PD Na and the writers couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, thoroughly entertained by SEVENTEEN’s dynamic.

As the laughter died down, Seungkwan took the opportunity to remind Dino of his earlier blunder. “Dino, acorn jelly was a wrong choice,” he said, a teasing tone in his voice.

“Not the acorn jelly,” Vernon added, shaking his head.

“Don’t you mess with acorn jelly,” S.Coups warned, pointing at Dino with a playful glare.

Luna, unable to resist, added her own prediction with a grin. “It will be gone soon. Watch.”

Dokyeom giggled at the exchange. “This is funny.”

Jeonghan, who had been watching the whole thing with an amused smile, turned to S.Coups. “You never eat it,” he pointed out, his tone teasing.

[They were sensitive about removing it]

"Honestly, you could remove sausages,” Vernon voiced out, throwing in another suggestion.

“What?” Mingyu exclaimed from beside him, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Really?” Vernon asked him, slightly taken aback by the strong reaction.

“Aren’t sausages good?” Mingyu asked, still trying to process the suggestion.

[They start the debate on sausages]

PD Na, who had been observing the entire exchange with growing amusement, finally interjected with a wry smile. “I guess the conflict never resolves completely,” he remarked, shaking his head.

[No]

The members, realizing how long the discussion had gone on, began shaking their heads and voicing their agreement. “We keep complaining,” S.Coups said, mimicking a mouth with his hand as if to demonstrate how they couldn’t stop talking.

“It lasts long,” Joshua added with a chuckle.

“I won’t be surprised if we’ll be talking about this till we get home,” Luna said, leaning back in her seat with a sigh as if already resigning herself to the inevitability.

“We’re sensitive about food,” Dokyeom explained to PD Na, his tone a mix of sincerity and amusement.

“It turned into a mess many times before,” Seungkwan added, nodding in agreement.

“We’re good with everything else,” Dokyeom added as if to clarify that food was the one area where they just couldn’t seem to find peace.

“The decision is made, but people never stop talking,” PD Na noted, clearly fascinated by the group’s dynamic.

“That’s why they come to me,” Jeonghan added, his tone light but with a hint of truth.

"DK was getting serious." Seungkwan said, pointing at Dokyeom with a playful grin, mimicked him from earlier, saying, "'He's removing what he can't eat.'"

[Portraying DK]

This caused Dokyeom to burst into laughter, joining in by imitating his own actions as well.

[No need for counseling]

[Round 2]

As Round 2 commenced, the atmosphere in the room grew serious. The members were more focused than before. This time, S.Coups would start, which meant Jun would only play once.

[This time, S.Coups will go first]

"Then Jun will play only once," PD Na confirmed, nodding towards the group. "Then the problem is The8."

Minghao waved his hand dismissively, "The8 isn't the problem," he said with a small smile, his confidence unshaken.

"Why not?" PD Na asked, chuckling at Minghao’s laid-back attitude.

"Just make the question easy," Minghao replied innocently, earning a round of laughter from the members and crew.

[Producer Na is the problem]

[Problematic Director]

[The8 is not the problem]

"I'll choose the question carefully," PD Na assured them, the laughter still lingering in the air. "Let's start with S.Coups," he announced as the leader leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, fully concentrated.

[The leader of SEVENTEEN, S.Coups]

PD Na pulled out the first picture and began the countdown, "1, 2, 3…"

S.Coups hesitated, the pressure was evident in his eyes. He stood up suddenly, blurting out, "Hwang Jung Min."

[Park Bo Gum]

"Wrong!" PD Na exclaimed, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

The room fell silent for a moment before it broke into chaos. Not only had S.Coups hesitated, but his answer was also completely off the mark. The question was the easiest one so far, shocking not just the members but also the writers who were present. All eyes turned to their leader, who now paced behind the seats, back and forth, before dramatically holding onto the wall as if in despair.

[SEVENTEEN is shocked]

"Ya!" Joshua pointed at him, his voice filled with both disbelief and amusement. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Dokyeom echoed, clearly flabbergasted.

Luna, still seated but with wide eyes, couldn’t hold back her surprise. "What just happened? That was the easiest one."

The members began to voice their shock and disappointment, the room now buzzing with incredulous energy.

[Park Bo Gum: As the former host of ‘Music Bank’]

[he probably said hi to SEVENTEEN]

[He probably introduced their new song too]

"Just go home," Seungkwan suggested, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

[Outraged]

Mingyu turned to PD Na, mock seriousness in his voice. "Can we remove one member at a time instead of the food?"

[Shocked]

"Give him up," Minghao chimed in, his voice completely deadpan.

"Let's just kick him out," Hoshi added, his own brand of humor causing the others to laugh despite the situation.

"He doesn't know how to play games at all," Dino pointed at S.Coups, shaking his head as if in disbelief, while the leader continued to stand at the back, feigning defeat.

Luna, unable to resist joining in on the teasing, deadpanned with a straight face, "You never know, that might be Hwang Jung Min in another universe," she joked, pointing at the picture as if she were seriously considering the possibility.

[Someone help S.Coups]

The room burst into laughter, the tension from S.Coups' earlier mistake evaporating instantly. Even S.Coups, still leaning against the wall in mock despair, couldn’t help but crack a smile at Luna’s witty remark, grateful for her ability to lighten the mood.

Jeonghan, ever the strategist, took charge of the situation. "We need to remove one," he declared, pointing decisively at the array of food options before them. His eyes scanned the dishes before settling on a decision. "Let’s remove them in order," he suggested, trying to instill some semblance of logic in the chaotic process.

However, Vernon quickly chimed in with his own idea. "No, let's remove the sausages," he proposed, his voice steady.

[Cool]

Luna nodded in agreement, and Jeonghan wasted no time. He pointed directly at the container of sausages, his tone firm, "Remove it."

Seungkwan and Dino, who were already on their feet, sprang into action. Dino grabbed the container with a sense of purpose as if removing the sausages was a mission of utmost importance. "Sure, the processed meat. Sodium nitrite," Seungkwan commented, shaking his head with mock seriousness. "It's not healthy."

[Sausages are out]

PD Na, observing their theatrics, couldn’t help but chuckle. "You worry about your health," he remarked, amused by the group's sudden concern for nutrition.

"Yes!" they chorused in unison, as if the entire group had just had a collective epiphany about healthy eating.

From across the line, Mingyu turned to S.Coups, curiosity etched on his face. "What were you doing earlier?" he asked, referring to S.Coups’ earlier flub.

S.Coups shook his head, still looking somewhat bewildered. "I couldn’t remember," he admitted, his tone sheepish.

"That’s what happens," Mingyu said, nodding sympathetically.

"It happens," Minghao added with a sage nod of his own, as if imparting some deep wisdom.

S.Coups, still nursing his pride, glanced at PD Na and confessed, "I yelled at them when I watched it," referring to the infamous ‘HYBE’ special where they got everything wrong.

PD Na gave him a knowing look, understanding the pressure. "S.Coups, I understand," Jeonghan interjected, his voice gentle, offering his friend some comfort.

Wonwoo, who had been relatively quiet until now, suddenly spoke up, his voice tinged with nervousness. "Why am I getting so nervous?" he asked, almost to himself.

PD Na, ever the problem solver, suggested, "I think you should move S.Coups to the center."

S.Coups, eager to shake off the earlier mishap, quickly stood up. "Can I sit in the middle?" he asked, looking for approval.

Without missing a beat, Mingyu moved to his seat, making him the first in line, while S.Coups settled into Seungkwan’s spot.

[Mingyu moves to the 1st seat]

Seungkwan, still in good spirits despite the chaos, looked at Mingyu and teased, "Mingyu, you weren’t that good last year," reminding him of the infamous ‘HYBE’ special with a playful grin.

[Round 3]

"Let's start," PD Na announced, the energy shifting as everyone prepared for the next challenge.

Mingyu, now in the hot seat as the first in line, tried to steady his nerves. Leaning forward slightly, he murmured to himself, "Who's there these days?" His focus sharpened as PD Na positioned himself in front of him, ready to reveal the next image.

"1, 2, 3," PD Na counted down, pulling the picture out. Without missing a beat, Mingyu confidently answered, "Jang Sung Kyu."

The room erupted in a mix of surprise and admiration. "He's good," S.Coups remarked, genuinely impressed.

"No wonder he's experienced," Woozi added. A few shook their heads, chuckling.

"I wouldn't have got it," Jeonghan admitted, acknowledging Mingyu’s sharpness.

[It requires concentration]

Next up was Vernon. PD Na moved in front of him, the atmosphere slightly more relaxed after Mingyu’s success. "1, 2, 3…" PD Na prompted, revealing the picture. But instead of a quick answer, there was silence. Vernon’s mouth hung open slightly, but no words came out.

"Wrong!" PD Na declared, breaking the silence with a hint of playful disappointment.

From somewhere in the background, Seungkwan, always quick to react, yelled out, "Kim Yeon Koung!" His voice rang out just as Mingyu, feeling victorious, stepped back to let the next player take his place.

S.Coups, however, couldn't resist the opportunity to tease. Standing up, he pointed directly at Vernon. "You can never yell at me," he declared with a triumphant grin.

"Kim Yeon Koung, who led Korea to the semifinal!" Seungkwan added, still slightly in disbelief that Vernon had missed such a well-known figure.

S.Coups wasn't about to let it go. "Admit it. You’re in no place to blame me," he said, a teasing tone in his voice as he looked at Vernon.

Vernon, still processing his mistake, nodded and shook his head. "We’re the same," he admitted with a resigned smile.

Mingyu, always one to keep the energy light, grabbed one of the large posters from the back. On it was one of their famous quotes, and with a mischievous grin, he raised it behind Vernon’s head. The sign read, 'ARE YOU OKAY?' The moment everyone saw it, laughter erupted around the room.

[Greetings]

"For real?" Mingyu asked Vernon, his voice still laced with amusement, making the atmosphere light once more despite the round’s pressure.

The debate over which dish to remove from the table heated up as Jeonghan sprang to his feet, determined to take charge of the situation. He reached for the container of rolled omelets, ready to make the decision himself. At the same time, Minghao, feeling equally decisive, grabbed the japchae container and announced, "Let's remove japchae."

However, not everyone agreed with this sudden move. A chorus of dissent rose from a few members, and before they could follow through, Wonwoo quickly extended his arm, signaling for them to pause. "Wait," he said, his voice steady but firm. S.Coups, already on his way over, echoed the sentiment with a pout, "Wait, not the japchae."

Jeonghan, sensing the resistance, raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. "What do you want to remove then?" he asked, a playful tone of exasperation creeping into his voice as he looked around at his indecisive teammates.

[Choose one already]

Seungkwan, however, had already made up his mind. He walked forward, confidently grabbing the container of japchae from Minghao's grasp. "No. Japchae raises your blood sugar level," he declared, his tone leaving little room for argument.

"That's high in carbs," Dokyeom agreed, nodding as they both returned to their seats, the japchae now out of the table.

[Japchae is out]

As the lively debate over the food continued to unfold, PD Na, with a playful grin, turned his attention to Vernon. "Vernon, you need to apologize," he teased, referring to Vernon’s earlier mistake during the game.

Vernon, feeling the weight of his error, offered a shy smile before bowing slightly in apology. "Are you going to be okay?" PD Na asked, still playfully asking him.

Wonwoo, sensing the need to comfort his friend, chimed in, "You know her, right?" His tone was reassuring, as if to remind Vernon that his slip-up was no big deal.

"Do you remember now?" PD Na followed up, clearly enjoying the banter.

Vernon nodded, his expression a mix of embarrassment and amusement. "I know her, but I couldn't recall her name," he explained, a hint of frustration in his voice at his lapse in memory.

S.Coups, always quick to empathize, added, "See? You get stuck," acknowledging how easy it was to draw a blank under pressure.

Mingyu then seized the moment to ask. "Wonwoo, do you want to come here? Anyone who hasn’t played yet want to go first? We won’t be able to eat anyway," he quipped, earning a hearty laugh from PD Na.

[It turns into an experiential learning]

"Right. We’ll end up eating rice and soup only," Jeonghan agreed, joining in on the humor as the group prepared for the next round, the tension from the game gradually melting into shared laughter.

As they prepared for the fourth round, some of the members began to shuffle their seats, creating a fresh dynamic. Vernon switched places with Dino and found himself sitting next to Luna, who greeted him with a warm smile.

[Vernon moves to the back]

[Dino who tried it before moves to the front]

Mingyu, feeling confident after his recent success, couldn’t resist making a bold statement. "I feel like I've become the ace," he declared, puffing up slightly with mock arrogance, eliciting chuckles from the group.

PD Na, ever curious about their mindset, asked, "Before playing the game, were you confident?"

S.Coups, recalling his earlier blunder, responded first. "When I watched the video, I thought I'd be good at it," he admitted, his initial confidence now tempered with humility. He shook his head in playful defeat. "Wow," he added, the disbelief still lingering in his voice, making PD Na laugh.

[People who are watching right now probably agree with you]

Seungkwan, who was seated next to S.Coups, deadpanned, "Getting Park Bo Gum wrong was a terrible mistake," bringing up the mishap with a seriousness that made the others smirk. The reminder made S.Coups smile in defeat, his expression one of resigned acceptance.

"I know. It was so easy," Jeonghan chimed in, adding to the gentle ribbing.

Seungkwan, always quick with details, pointed out, "He was the ‘Music Bank’ host when we debuted."

Hoshi, joining in from S.Coups’ other side, added, "He even performed 'Pretty U' at his fan meet," his tone both teasing and nostalgic.

Jeonghan, ever the contrarian in a playful way, added, "I still understand," though his words carried a hint of teasing contradiction, causing Luna to giggle from her seat next to him.

"I understand," Hoshi echoed, patting S.Coups on the back with exaggerated sympathy.

"It's okay," Seungkwan added, as they all took turns playfully comforting their leader, who stared blankly ahead with a sarcastic, pained chuckle, his expression making PD Na and the writers laugh heartily.

[If you've seen S.Coups' soul, please call ‘HYBE’]

"Let's go," Hoshi said, ready for the next round and eager to change the subject.

"I'm getting dizzy," S.Coups joked, his dramatic delivery causing more laughter to ripple through the group.

"They're so funny," PD Na remarked to the writers, his amusement evident as he watched the lively group banter.

[SEVENTEEN became a genre]

[Round 4]

As silence fell over the group, the atmosphere grew tense with anticipation. All eyes were on PD Na as he carefully shuffled the pictures in front of him, his movements deliberate and teasing. The members leaned forward slightly, eager to see what challenge lay ahead for Mingyu, who was first in line.

PD Na revealed the picture, holding it up for just a moment before he began his countdown. "1, 2, 3," he intoned, his voice calm yet commanding.

"Hwang Jung Min," Mingyu answered confidently, not missing a beat.

The room erupted in cheers, with the members expressing their excitement and relief. "Mingyu is the ace!" Hoshi exclaimed, springing to his feet to give Mingyu a high five. "Good job!" The energy in the room was infectious, with everyone feeding off the victory.

Mingyu, basking in the praise, mockingly puffed up his chest, wearing a smug grin that only made the others laugh harder.

[His shoulders are rising]

S.Coups, Hoshi, and Joshua exchanged a glance before pointing at him in unison, "Right now, it's sixty centimeters," they quipped, referencing the width of his shoulders— now a running joke among them because of the earlier interview.

[His shoulders are 60cm in width]

"Your shoulders got wider than Wonwoo," PD Na added with a chuckle, playing along with the banter.

On the other side, Luna couldn't hold back a snicker. She leaned toward Jeonghan, who immediately sensed her movement and bent down slightly to catch what she was about to say. "Is it not Park Bo Gum?" Luna whispered, her voice laced with playful sarcasm, referencing S.Coups’ earlier mistake of confusing Park Bo Gum with Hwang Jung Min.

[Someone help S.Coups again]

Jeonghan chuckled at the joke, clearly amused by her quick wit. “In another universe, maybe,” he said, referring to her joke earlier making her laugh. In response, he gave her a gentle poke in the waist, eliciting a surprised squeal from Luna as they both waited for their turn in the game.

[Next is Dino who played before]

As Dino's turn approached, the room's energy shifted slightly, with the focus now on the youngest member. Sitting next to Mingyu, Dino leaned forward, his eyes wide with concentration, clearly determined to give his best shot. The members around him began to cheer him on, their voices a mix of encouragement and playful pressure.

"Dino," they chanted softly, creating a supportive atmosphere. "You know them all," Seungkwan added from Dino’s side, his tone reassuring as he tried to bolster Dino’s confidence.

PD Na, ready to continue, held up the next picture, pausing momentarily before beginning his countdown. "1, 2, 3…" he called out, his voice crisp and clear.

Dino stared at the picture, his brow furrowed in thought. After a moment, he hesitated and said, "He's cool," not entirely sure who he was looking at. The uncertainty in his voice was evident.

[A cool guy]

"Wrong!" PD Na exclaimed, breaking the tension and sending the room into a burst of laughter. Some of the members stood up, clapping and cheering, while others playfully scolded Dino for his guess.

Dino shrugged, offering a sheepish smile as he excused himself, "I'm not good at it."

"It's okay," Luna chimed in, her voice comforting.

[Note: It is only okay for bunny no. 1 if it's someone adorable]

"The Korean Zombie," Wonwoo announced, revealing the correct answer.

Jeonghan turned to Vernon, shaking his head as he pointed out, "You shouldn’t have switched," he teased, knowing Vernon would have recognized the UFC fighter.

"From UFC," Vernon clarified for Dino, his tone understanding.

Luna, sitting next to Vernon, added with a knowing smile, "Dino doesn’t watch UFC."

"I don't watch UFC," Dino repeated, echoing her words as if to solidify his reasoning for missing the answer.

As the game moved on, the next challenge was deciding which dish to remove from their table, an ongoing debate that had already caused plenty of drama. Minghao, with his usual calm demeanor, stood up and confidently headed toward the front table, where all the dishes were displayed. He pointed at one with determination, announcing, "We should remove this."

His suggestion, however, was met with a chorus of loud disagreements. "Why LA galbi?" Joshua's voice rang out, filled with disbelief.

[He's from LA]

"Why? LA galbi is expensive," Luna added, her tone equally appalled.

"Don't mess with galbi," S.Coups warned, his voice carrying the weight of a leader defending a treasured dish.

[Galbi is like family]

Despite Minghao's attempt to remove the LA galbi, the team quickly overruled him, and after much discussion, they unanimously agreed to remove the salad instead. Jun, who had been eyeing the salad only, gladly allowed it to be removed. "Remove it," he agreed with a nod, happy to see it go.

[Salad is out]

[It was a big decision for Jun who was going to eat only the salad]

As the salad was being taken away, S.Coups spoke up again, "Why aren't we removing yogurt?"

Seungkwan looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?" he exclaimed.

"We need yogurt," Vernon insisted from his spot, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Seungkwan, always quick with a playful jab, patted S.Coups on the back. "You should be grateful we didn't remove you," he teased.

S.Coups laughed in defeat, knowing he had lost this round of the debate. "Thanks," he chuckled, the humor of the situation not lost on him.

As the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, PD Na raised a hand to gather everyone’s attention. "Who should go first?" he asked, ready to kick off the next round of their game.

"People who haven't played yet should," Mingyu suggested, his voice clear and confident.

[Those of you who haven't gone on the ride yet, come to the front]

At this prompt, a flurry of movement erupted around the room as the members began to switch seats, eager to shuffle into new spots. The commotion was lively and chaotic, with laughter and chatter echoing as fourteen members jockeyed for position. Jeonghan, who had been gripping Luna's pinky finger this entire time found himself separated from her as they were swept along with the crowd that is SEVENTEEN.

In the end, Jeonghan settled into a spot next to S.Coups in the middle of the group, while Luna ended up sitting on the right front side, nestled between Mingyu and Dino. The seat changes brought a new dynamic, and as everyone settled into their places, Hoshi commented from the first chair on the left side, "We'll be going nonstop from now on. You better get ready over there."

“I don’t think I’ll get it,” came a voice from next to Hoshi. It was Wonwoo, second in line, his expression revealing a hint of excitement and uncertainty.

"Wonwoo. Did you answer all the questions until now?" PD Na asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No," Wonwoo replied shyly with a chuckle.

Minghao chimed in, "Wonwoo isn't good at it," his tone light-hearted yet teasing.

"Do you want to switch just in case?" Hoshi suggested, turning to Joshua with an encouraging nod.

"I'm not good at it either," Joshua admitted as they switched seats, with Joshua moving to Wonwoo's original spot.

"Wonwoo tends to play the villain," Seungkwan remarked, a grin spreading across his face.

"I don’t watch TV," Wonwoo explained, his tone earnest as he tried to justify his lack of knowledge.

"Who doesn’t know these days just because they don’t watch TV?" Mingyu asked incredulously, shaking his head in mock of disbelief.

"All he watches is the game," S.Coups added, nodding knowingly at Wonwoo, who merely shrugged in response.

Jeonghan then turned to PD Na with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “You should just show him his own picture.”

“I want to be good at it. I’m getting nervous,” Joshua confided to Hoshi, his nerves evident as he adjusted in his seat. “I’m nervous to be here."

“It’s okay,” Luna softly chuckled at Joshua’s plight, her English accent coming through as she reassured him in English.

[Round 5]

As the fifth round began, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. The members were laser-focused, knowing the stakes were high with each dish removed from the table. PD Na shuffled through his stack of pictures, finally settling on one to show Hoshi, who was first in line.

“1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted down.

“Baekho,” Hoshi answered confidently, earning a round of claps and praise from the other members. His quick response and accuracy brought a wave of relief, as they successfully passed the first hurdle of the round.

[If he got it wrong, he would've spent 3 awkward years]

Next up was Joshua, his face a mix of concentration and nerves as PD Na presented the picture to him.

“1, 2, 3…”

“Lee Bo Young,” Joshua answered, his voice steady. For a moment, there was silence. Then, the room erupted— not in cheers, but in confusion.

[No?]

Hoshi, unaware that Joshua’s answer was wrong, started clapping enthusiastically, his usual bright smile on his face. But before he could get too carried away, Joshua’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

“Park Bo Young!” Joshua quickly corrected himself, but the damage was already done.

“Lee Bo Young is Ji Sung’s wife,” Seungkwan exclaimed, standing up with a look of disbelief.

“Park Bo Young?” Joshua asked again, this time with an innocent smile, as if trying to win them over with charm.

“From ‘Agency.’ You should’ve only said Bo Young,” Hoshi said, still somewhat clueless about the error but offering his advice nonetheless.

“You still got Bo Young,” Wonwoo reassured Joshua, trying to salvage the situation and boost morale.

Jeonghan, ever the quick thinker and skilled in mischief and cheating, leaned toward Joshua. “Did you say Lee Bo Young as in that person is Bo Young?” he asked, implying that the mistake was merely a slip in pronunciation.

Luna chuckled at Jeonghan’s cleverness before chiming in, “That’s right.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Joshua said, as if the realization had just dawned on him. “That’s it. Of course, I know Park Bo Young.”

[I can't be wrong]

“Lee as in 'this'?” PD Na asked, playing along with the humorous twist Jeonghan had introduced.

[Acting]

Joshua and Jeonghan immediately seized the moment, pointing at the picture as they both said in sync, “This is… Bo Young.”

Hoshi joined in on the fun, pointing out, “He’s American,” referencing Joshua’s background to justify the mix-up, trying to keep the mood light despite the mistake.

[It's got nothing to do with being American]

[Once you get bitten by SEVENTEEN, you have to get your act together]

[Or you end up getting persuaded]

“This is Bo Young,” Joshua repeated in English, trying to sell the cleverly made excuse.

Mingyu, always quick with a quip, couldn’t resist adding, “It’s so embarrassing. Don’t be so miserable,” which drew a laugh from Luna, her smile softening the moment.

Eventually, the laughter subsided, and the reality of the mistake settled in. Wonwoo, seeing that they needed to move forward, took the initiative. “So, what do we remove?” he asked, his tone practical, ready to accept their loss.

“Mini pork cutlet?” Joshua suggested, standing up to remove the dish himself. He knew they had to sacrifice something, and the mini pork cutlet seemed the most acceptable option.

“Let’s remove them in order except for kimchi,” Jeonghan agreed, always the one to find a way to maintain some semblance of fairness.

“Sorry,” Joshua said sincerely as he walked to the table, lifting the dish of mini pork cutlets with a resigned smile.

“Let’s leave kimchi for last,” S.Coups added, his voice carrying a tone of finality as the round came to a close. They all knew that kimchi was non-negotiable, a staple that no one wanted to part with.

[Mini pork cutlets are out]

As the fifth round drew to a close and the group prepared for the next challenge, Wonwoo looked around, suddenly realizing something.

"Am I the only one who hasn't played yet?" he asked, standing up from his seat. The others watched as he moved to the front of the line, swapping seats with Hoshi.

Seungkwan, ever quick with a playful jab, couldn’t resist, “You won’t even last for three seconds,” he teased, causing PD Na and the writers to burst into laughter.

[They're supposed to answer in 3 seconds]

From the other side of the room, Luna’s voice chimed in, gentle yet confident. “No, Wonwoo can do it. He’s smart,” she said, her tone soft but filled with belief. “I believe in you, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo, who was usually calm and composed, blushed slightly at the encouragement. “I’m sorry, but don’t get your hopes up,” he responded shyly, clearly touched by Luna’s words but trying to keep expectations realistic.

“Wonwoo, you can do it,” Jeonghan added, his voice warm with support. A chorus of agreements followed from the other members.

“You can do it.”

“A picture of a SEVENTEEN member might pop up,” Jeonghan continued with a playful smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

[Pressure]

“It’ll be funny if we miss it,” Dokyeom chuckled, imagining the scenario.

PD Na, amused by the situation, looked at Wonwoo and said, “No one thinks you’ll succeed,” his tone light and teasing.

“Right. We’re just doing this for experience,” S.Coups chimed in, trying to manage expectations while keeping the atmosphere light.

“We can all be on TV,” Minghao added with a grin.

“When will we get to be here again?” Jeonghan mused his tone a mix of understanding and calmness.

“When will we get to play this?” S.Coups echoed, clearly enjoying the moment with his friends.

“We can always come back here later,” Mingyu said, looking around at the others with a confident smile.

“We should come back,” Minghao agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

“But you never know. It might keep going,” Hoshi added, trying to keep the momentum up.

“We might keep going,” Joshua agreed, his eyes glinting with determination.

“I believe in Wonwoo,” Luna reiterated, shaking her head with a small pout, her belief in him unwavering. Wonwoo, feeling the warmth of her support, couldn’t help but smile— a small, gentle smile that showed how much her words meant to him.

[Round 6]

Round six kicked off with a wave of anticipation. The members, still buzzing from the previous rounds, were eager to see how Wonwoo would fare.

"Come on, Wonwoo!" Jeonghan cheered, his voice full of encouragement, his eyes locked on Wonwoo, who was now in the hot seat.

PD Na shuffled through the pictures in front of him, finally picking one. He looked at Wonwoo and, with a steady tone, counted down, “1, 2, 3.”

“Key,” Wonwoo responded confidently, just as Dino, sitting across the room, muttered the same name under his breath, “Key,” in a subtle attempt to help him out.

The room erupted into cheers and claps. “Good job!” Luna called out, her face lighting up with a proud smile.

[Look at these people]

PD Na, however, had caught the quiet muttering from Dino. “I thought I just heard something,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he gestured toward Dino, who quickly pretended to cough.

“I was coughing,” Dino said, raising his hand as if to cover his mouth, trying to play it off casually. “I should’ve covered my mouth. Sorry.”

[The climate problem is very serious, isn't it?]

PD Na shook his head with a playful grin. “It’s a warning,” he announced, more amused than serious.

“Okay,” the group responded in unison, agreeing to the light-hearted reprimand.

[Next is Hoshi]

Next up was Hoshi. The energy in the room was palpable as PD Na held up the next picture. “1, 2, 3—”

“BamBam,” Hoshi answered without hesitation, prompting another round of cheers.

[He got a colleague for twice in a row]

“Hoshi’s good,” S.Coups noted, nodding in approval.

“The first question is always easy,” Woozi remarked, analyzing the trend.

“I want something like that too,” Vernon added nervously, watching as Hoshi basked in the praise.

[Joshua is next]

Then it was Joshua’s turn. He stood up, taking a deep breath, and as he prepared himself, he suddenly called out, “Wait.”

“Joshua, don’t say the last name,” Dino offered from his seat, trying to guide him.

[No last name]

“Add the last name at the end. Say, Bo Young Park,” Mingyu added, motioning with his hand as Joshua nodded, his hand on his chest, mentally preparing himself.

[Character Quiz World Version]

"Here we go," PD Na announced, setting the stage for Joshua’s turn. The room grew quiet as he began to count down, “1, 2, 3,” and then revealed the picture to Joshua.

Joshua’s reaction was immediate and priceless. “Urgh,” he groaned, his hands shooting up to clutch his neck in shock.

[What was that?]

[We just heard a weird sound]

The sudden, exaggerated movement caught everyone off guard, and the room erupted into laughter. Some of the members stood up, clapping in amusement, while others collapsed to the floor, overcome by laughter.

[Let's laugh for a second]

Dino and Mingyu, who were seated on either side of Luna, found themselves laughing so hard that they fell off their chairs, each grabbing one of Luna’s arms as they went down. The unexpected tug almost pulled Luna down with them, but she managed to stay upright, laughing at the hilarity of the situation.

“Wrong!” PD Na laughed, confirming Joshua’s failure, but the teasing was far from over. The members continued to laugh at Joshua’s dramatic display, some still on the floor, others doubled over on the other side of the room. Joshua, ever the performer, pretended to have a neck cramp, using it as a playful excuse for his blunder.

[Wriggling in agony]

“Wait! He suddenly got a cramp,” Hoshi called out, alerting everyone to Joshua’s antics. He played along, his voice full of mock concern as Joshua writhed in fake agony, his hand still on his neck.

A few members took the joke further, rushing toward Joshua with exaggerated worry. “Are you okay?” Seungkwan asked his voice a mix of laughter and pretend concern as he crouched beside Joshua.

[They're worried about his condition]

“Shua is amazing,” Luna said between laughs, wiping the tears from her eyes. Mingyu, still on the floor, pointed at her, laughing even harder at the sight of her struggling to compose herself.

[The game that makes you cry]

[They all burst into laughter]

PD Na and the writers couldn’t contain their amusement, laughing at the shameless display unfolding before them. Joshua, fully committed to the bit, slowly lay down on the floor, feigning pain and defeat.

[He shouldn't be okay]

[So he lies down on the floor]

Hoshi, always quick to join in on the fun, pointed at the picture again, his tone mockingly serious. “Who’s that?” he asked, drawing everyone’s attention back to the game.

[You must say the answer for this situation to be over]

“Oh, Uhm Jung Hwa!” Joshua suddenly exclaimed, sitting up as if the answer had just come to him. His enthusiasm earned another round of laughter and applause, everyone playing along with the excuse, reveling in the chaos of the moment.

[It seems that's how they film ‘Going Seventeen’]

As the laughter finally began to die down, Jeonghan turned to Joshua, still grinning from ear to ear. “Don’t be nervous,” he advised gently, his voice soothing in its sincerity.

Joshua nodded in agreement, his expression sheepish yet amused. “I was too nervous,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as if still feeling the phantom cramp.

[He suddenly got a cramp]

Hoshi, never one to miss an opportunity to add a playful twist, chimed in, “His blood sugar level suddenly went up. Even his hair turned red.” This earned another round of chuckles as the group slowly started to settle back into their seats.

[Joshua is healthy]

In the midst of their playful banter, they noticed Vernon walking past them, dragging another chair behind him. Seungkwan, ever observant, asked, “Vernon, what’s wrong with your chair?”

[The chair broke when they made a fuss]

PD Na, clearly amused by the chaotic scene, explained with a laugh, “While one passed out, Vernon’s fixing the chair in the back. You’re all busy on your own.” The camera panned to Vernon, who smiled sheepishly as he adjusted the new chair, his old one having broken during the earlier commotion.

“You got it,” Minghao reminded Joshua of their earlier ruse, referring to the playful way they had tried to twist the rules in their favor.

“Yes, I did,” Joshua responded, puffing up with pride at his small victory, even if it was short-lived.

PD Na, always quick to bring them back to reality, quipped, “You took twenty-three seconds,” which made everyone laugh in defeat at the absurdity of it all.

[What a bummer]

“You’re accurate,” Jun noted, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

“We were on ‘Immortal Songs’— Uhm Jung Hwa special,” Wonwoo added, drawing out an enthusiastic chorus of agreement from the group, all of them nodding as the memory came back to them.

“How can you not get it?” PD Na asked Joshua, who responded with a deep bow of apology, his face a perfect picture of exaggerated regret.

[Sorry]

Before another lengthy debate about which dish to remove could begin, Jeonghan swiftly stood up, his expression decisive. Without a word, he grabbed the container of rolled omelets and removed it from the table, ending the discussion before it even started.

[Say goodbye to rolled omelets]

He returned to his seat with a satisfied grin, earning a few raised eyebrows and stifled laughs from the others, who were grateful to avoid another round of indecisive bickering.

[Rolled omelets are out]

Suddenly Mingyu, proposed with a light-hearted grin, “Shall we have people who appeared on ‘The Game Caterers’ last time sit together? Let’s sit together.”

The suggestion hovered in the air, eliciting a brief, almost uncomfortable silence. The camera captured the stillness as if it were holding its breath, waiting for the next cue. Luna, sitting beside Mingyu with an air of casual confidence, deadpanned in her most matter-of-fact tone, “Do you really think the seven of you who lost last time should all sit together in a row?”

Her words cut through the silence with a sharp clarity. The reaction was immediate and animated. The camera panned to PD Na and the show’s writers, who burst into laughter, their amusement evident as they pointed at Luna. The members, caught off guard by her bluntness, joined in, their laughter blending into the chaotic symphony of the studio. Mingyu, on the other hand, could only stare at the side of Luna’s face, his expression a mix of surprise and a mock resignation as she playfully winked at him after.

“It’s no use,” Jun chimed in, nodding in agreement with Luna’s assessment.

Seungkwan, ever the skeptic, pointed at the array of food laid out on the table and asked, “Do you really think we can eat this?” His tone was laced with incredulity, mirroring the shared skepticism of the group.

Dino, with his trademark optimism, countered with a hopeful smile, “I think we have hope.” His comment was an attempt to inject some positivity into the conversation, despite the prevailing doubts.

“We have to go both ways?” Hoshi inquired, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Yes,” Luna confirmed, nodding.

“It’s impossible,” Minghao interjected, his voice tinged with resignation.

“Can you make it one way?” Jeonghan proposed, turning to negotiate with PD Na. His plea was a bid to simplify the task, showing his willingness to find a compromise.

“All right. It’s time to make a decision. We’re not here to fight,” PD Na began, his voice cutting through the chatter. The members nodded in agreement, their collective attention now focused on the resolution of the issue.

[We want peace]

“In this situation, it should be one way,” PD Na decreed, offering a pragmatic solution. The members, relieved by the compromise, clapped in appreciation. Their gratitude was palpable, a collective sigh of relief that was evident in their cheers.

“He cut it to half,” Seungkwan remarked, his tone reflecting the relief shared by everyone present.

“Thank you,” Luna said, her voice sincere as she expressed her thanks to PD Na.

“Let’s do this,” S.Coups declared, his voice brimming with resolve as he rallied the group.

“Yet, there are more people than other teams,” PD Na pointed out, referencing the discrepancy in team sizes. The members nodded, acknowledging the fairness of the observation.

[Yet you made us go both ways?]

The studio buzzed with a mixture of anticipation and playful banter as PD Na readied the group for the next round of the quiz game.

“Who’s going first?” PD Na asked, looking around at the eager faces.

“Mingyu keeps scoring,” Hoshi announced with a grin, nodding toward the tall figure next to him. “He’s good.”

Luna, who had been listening intently, added her agreement with a nod. “He’s good.” Her gaze shifted to Mingyu, who was seated right next to her. Starting with Mingyu would indeed mean that Luna would be second in line for the quiz— a strategic position she was content with.

“Luna is good too,” PD Na said, acknowledging her skill with a knowing smile.

“You saw the questions. Been practicing?” PD Na asked Dino.

“Yes, I got them all,” Dino answered confidently, giving a nod. His assurance was a source of added confidence for the team.

[Dino was very close]

“I bet Seungkwan knows everyone,” PD Na remarked, turning to the enthusiastic member next to Dino. Seungkwan nodded a sparkle of pride in his eyes.

“S.Coups, what about you?” PD Na inquired, shifting the spotlight to the leader who had yet to score a point.

“Half and half,” S.Coups replied with a shrug, his tone a mix of casual defeat and humor. His track record wasn’t stellar, but he took it all in stride.

“Take it easy. Don’t let it pressure you,” Mingyu advised, leaning back in his seat with a relaxed demeanor. His casual posture was a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

“Okay. I’ll sit like you too,” S.Coups said, mimicking Mingyu’s laid-back position with a playful smirk.

“Sit arrogant like me,” Mingyu said confidently. “Take it easy. You know these people.” His words were meant to reassure but came across with his signature blend of confidence and humor.

“If you reach Wonwoo, you win,” PD Na reminded them, referencing the ultimate goal of the game. Wonwoo, who was sitting quietly and watching the proceedings with an amused expression, was the benchmark they were all aiming for.

Seungkwan, who, catching the infectious enthusiasm in the room, declared with a confident grin, “Let’s do this.”

“We can do it,” Dokyeom added, his voice brimming with encouragement.

“We can do it,” Minghao echoed, his tone matching Dokyeom’s optimism. The repetition of the sentiment helped solidify the group's collective resolve.

“There are still five dishes,” Hoshi pointed out, his statement a reminder of the prize.

With the final pep talk and the remainder of the remaining dishes, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. The scene was set for the next phase of their comedic and unpredictable variety game show adventure, leaving viewers eagerly awaiting to see how the competition would unfold.

[To be continued in Clip 1-4]

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[sparrowlucero]

Hello sorry I am being shy and anon but do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into Doctor Who again after briefly dabbling (and enjoying it very much) in like the early, early 2010s? I know this is mostly your art blog but you were the only person I could think of to ask you're like the Doctor Who authority of blogs I follow

Oh yeah of course! People can be really confusing about this so I'll try not to be.

So first, the majority of doctor who episodes are self contained stories that you could just watch and understand perfectly without any further context. even when there is some overarching context it's usually written in a way that's either pretty easy to glean and/or just doesn't impact your understanding of the story. 99% of the episodes don't even care if you know the premise and are just like "what if some people were on a spaceship and the devil was there? wouldn't that be fucked up or what??". Don't feel like you have to binge a 60 years long show to watch it. Some standalone episodes I think are fun if you (or anyone else) just want to check out one or two:

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (A supposed-to-be-dead boy in a gas mask haunts a young woman in world war 2)

Blink (A woman gets wrapped up in a mystery involving statues that make people disappear. This one is especially good if you flat out know nothing about the show. Has some really great time travel stuff.)

A Christmas Carol (A christmas carol pastiche (of course) where the doctor tries to rewrite the past of a cruel man who's going to let a lot of people die. very sad and sweet. I love the "wintery planet with sky fish" setting of this one)

Vincent and the Doctor (The famous Vincent Van Gogh Episode™)

The Rings of Akhatan (A pretty lowkey little adventure story about an alien festival. has supreme autumn vibes)

Flatline (A species from a 2 dimensional world tries to break into our 3 dimensional one. really fun special effects)

Midnight (A tour bus breaks down on a diamond planet where nothing can survive. Something knocks at the door.)

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (The Doctor and friend go to a library that covers an entire planet and finds that everyone has disappeared. Has a lot of really great, interesting concepts baked into it that I won't spoil)

It Takes You Away (A girl is left alone in a cabin in the woods when her dad disappears through the mirror. Has a famously goofy ending that I really love)

73 Yards (A character is steps on a fairy circle and is followed by an old woman who always stands exactly 73 yards away)

The Devil's Chord (This doesn't really have, you know, a plot, but it does have jinkx monsoon as an evil music god)

Boom (The doctor steps on a landmine on an alien planet and cannot move)

Wild Blue Yonder (A two hander where the Doctor and co are trapped on a dilapidated spaceship at the edge of the universe. really atmospheric with some fun/strange visuals.)

That being said, it does add a lot to watch it in order; there's a lot of plot twists, character dynamics, and general payoff you get if you marathon it. I would personally recommend starting with either the first episode of the 2005 show ("Rose") or the first episode of the 2010 season ("The Eleventh Hour") and just watching in order from there. I think you could also start with "The Snowmen", "The Pilot", or "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" if you wanted, but the first two (especially rose) are the better jumping on points.

some other little notes of advice I don't often see people mention:

it's stupid sometimes just roll with it

once in a while the show sort of "reboots" with different writers, actors, directors, and a new tone. it's much more like watching several small shows than one long show, so don't be too put off by the length!

IMPORTANT: pretty much all streaming services will separate holiday/anniversary specials from the show proper and you have to deliberately search them up on the same service to find them. It's really necessary to be aware of this because many of these specials are the first or last episodes for characters/whole eras of the show and are genuinely unskippable. I strongly recommend looking up a list of the episodes and checking it after finales just to make sure you don't skip anything on accident.

there's two spin offs (Torchwood, a more adult (read: gay sex) show about a mysterious agency that solves sci fi crimes, and the Sarah Jane Adventures, a pretty good monster of the week kids show) that ran concurrently with season 1-4. You don't have to watch them to understand anything happening in doctor who, but sometimes they cross over with the show in fun ways, Ex. the first season finale of Torchwood continues directly into season 3 of Doctor Who. My friend and I got a kick out of watching them at the same time so maybe you will too. (either way I recommend watching "Children of Earth", the torchwood miniseries, if you want to see a weird dark sci fi show about the government making contact with aliens. It's a bit like arrival (2016) if it was way nastier.)

alternatively, you can inject fast acting brain poison into yourself with this

anyways I hope this all reads as, you know, more approachable than the way dudes on quora recommend this show:

[ennn]

Guys, Agatha and Rio fighting because of Billy is OKAY

Because it’s not really about Billy. It’s about them. Billy’s just the immediate problem, the catalyst for a fight that’s been brewing since the first episode.

Now I know there’s been more focus on Billy lately, the same way Wandavision at times focused on Monica and her hero origin story – but Billy's story is here because of what it tells us about Agatha – who's projecting hard on the boy (see my other meta post on their relationship).

And this development isn't a twist. The situation between two has always been tense (in ways good and bad). And it looks like these two messy bitches are basically making their relationship problems everyone’s problem.

Let’s look at what the text’s been telling us, shall we?

GIF credit to michaun

There’s animosity between Agatha and Rio that’s unresolved

As sexy their fight in episode one was (and boy was it), there’s certainly anger and resentment between the two, or at least the easily combustible grounds for it. Now we have an idea of why Agatha is mad at Rio (Nicky) although we're less clear about what Agatha did to piss Rio off: was it just Agatha running away or was it something specific she did?

Regardless I don't think Rio is kidding when making threats of bodily harm.

GIF credit: sersi

And neither does Agatha. But she knows all too well how quickly Rio caves to her pouty flirting (and let’s be honest Rio knows too), and basically manages to get a reprieve from her exe’s retribution in episode 1.

GIF credit: marril96

The agreement: They’ll continue fighting it out once Agatha gets her powers back.

We know this is a serious threat on the backburner because you can hear Agatha muttering about how "she's unstoppable" at the start of episode 2 while planning to flee.

More obviously, Agatha touches on it again in episode 4, asking for Rio to hold off on her violence until she finishes the Road, and they can hang out like old times: “Maybe the Road is like Switzerland…”

GIF credit daisjohnson

I absolutely get how it can be confusing because these two clearly still care for each other and are still attracted to each other, with lots of yearning looks across episode 4 and 5. As Schaeffer puts it, the muscle memory of that love is still there, feelings are still there. They were in love and there is still love between them.

But they never worked through what tore them apart in the first place.

And you can see this when Rio gently and firmly reminds Agatha that Billy isn't her son – that Nicky is really gone, and Rio still did the thing that Agatha hates her for.

Agatha closes herself off and runs, and Rio feels her scar tear open again.

Notably, Rio isn't sorry for doing her job. Her heartfelt confession – possibly the most emotionally vulnerable she can be – isn't an apology. She didn't want to hurt Agatha, but she couldn't do what Agatha wanted either. There's a disconnect there.

Chaotic vs Lawful: Billy is basically the new Nicky

Now we know Nicky was the reason they first separated. And it’s still a theory but I think there's a good chance of Rio wanting Billy dead because he probably should be. Billy Maximoff, born from The Hex, "broke the rules" to survive and some piece of Billy Kaplan still lives on despite a fatal car crash.

And that's partly why Agatha is hardcore-projecting on Billy, Agatha "I did not break the rules, they simply bent to my power" Harkness has always been a rule-breaker. That's what started her path to become the infamous witch-killer.

Not to mention Agatha is a shameless survivor. She'll certainly cheat or take shortcuts if she can get away with it. See episode 3:

GIF credit: daisjohnsons

Rio, by contrast, follows certain rules – which Agatha taunts her for — "You can't kill me, it's not allowed" – and she has a job she has to do, even if she doesn't want to. There’s a clash here of value systems as well.

To be fair, at this point Rio's motivations aren't entirely clear. It's possible Rio just wants more dead witches, or she gets impatient and angry and decides to go at that emotional vulnerability as a way of hurting her (“You’re vulnerable.” “Only physically.”)

Either way, Rio taking away a boy that Agatha now considers hers (even if only with a massive amount of projecting) after Agatha’s freshly reliving and processing the absolute devastation of Nicky's death. That is sure to bring things to an open conflict.

And these two (in their own way) are so dramatic.

Change and Growth

There are other factors as well, in terms of Agatha’s character arc and journey, which I’ve talked about in my other meta post on these two being star-crossed lovers.

It's a tragic, complicated story with these two. It’s about them, it’s about more than them.

[samwinchesterism]

in re: “cas knows dean better than sam”

“cas sees dean as a whole person and sam just sees dean’s façade as his big brother slash parent” but like how and where. outside of your fanfiction. season and episode. scene and line. if it’s so obvious and apparent you should have at least 3-5 concrete examples right? “sam doesn’t know dean carried him out of the burning house” yeah but did cas? outside of a footnote in the angelic manila folder they gave him between seasons 3 and 4 so he could better manipulate him and sam into doing heaven’s bidding? like if you’re going to say “cas knows dean better than sam” than you need to show how cas succeeds where you perceive sam to be failing at the very least. but even your perceptions of how sam doesn’t measure up are so warped, blinkered, and moronic that it wouldn’t even be worth much if you could provide the textual evidence, but at least you’d have a semblance of a point. like say anything without going “as an eldest daughter…” “well my relationship with my sibling isn’t…” please say anything without fucking projecting your own self-pitying crybaby bullshit onto your little woobie dean and using the actual canon text of the show. I’m literally begging you.

like the thing of it all is and always has been that you’re so hell-bent on twisting the sam and dean relationship to fit into this narrow and almost entirely inaccurate mold which is the basis upon which you build the entire Destiel Mythos that you literally lose all sense of media literacy. you don’t even miss the forest for the trees, you miss the trees for like, the pretend invisible things you’re seeing in between the trees, the forest is a whole long way away from your current level of perception. because the Destiel Mythos is based entirely on the fact that dean is Not Seen and Not Appreciated and Not Loved and Cannot Be Himself until cas comes along, and that Family (read: sam) Is Only A Burden on Him That He Must Be Freed From In Order to Flourish, so you keep trying to warp the sam relationship into something that is only one dimension of it – and keep ignoring the ways in which dean is seen, loved and understood within it, because you need to keep lying to yourselves that there is a narrative need to emancipate dean from something that he has never wanted emancipation from because it is ultimately a net good for dean in the particular circumstances of their lives. it’s also profoundly unhealthy, codependent, evil and toxic etc. (a lot more dean’s fault than sam’s but I will nawt be getting into all that right now) but that doesn’t change the fact that sam and dean both know and understand and feel deeply that they are each other’s person – that they know the best and love the most in the world. but that – which IS true canon fact – is incompatible with the Destiel Mythos so it must be ignored and all good sense must be thrown out the window in order to do it.

anyway i digress there are two main categories of Bad Thinking that i will be addressing below

childhood/ “parent/child” / blah blah blah

every single thing people are saying in favour of the deeply stupid thesis in the title of this post is proof positive of the very silly form of ‘analysis’ I just described. a few things:

“wah sam didn’t know that dean carried him out of the burning house :( this means that dean withholds things from sam to protect him because he is a PARENT and sam can only know things about him in the context of him being a PARENT to him” – what the fuck are you on about genuinely. first of all reducing the sam/dean relationship exclusively to parent/child is in itself foolishness for so many reasons that I don’t have time for right now. but also, it’s clear that this is just something that happened when sam was a baby that just never came up. in the scene (1.09) where this is brought up, dean is mildly surprised that he or john never mentioned that detail and then states that sam knows the rest of the story (i.e. the actual traumatic stuff) just as well as dean does – which is true, demonstrably whenever they talk about it.

obviously there are some things that happened to dean in their childhood that sam doesn’t know about (or didn’t know about, until told in whatever episode they come up in). equally, there are things dean doesn’t know about sam’s childhood, e.g. the fact that he was so lonely he needed a zanna (11.08). or how dean didn’t remember that sam was friends with barry cook until he mentions it when they go back to their old school (4.13). or about the nature of sam’s relationship with amy pond (7.03). these don’t mean that ‘sam withheld these things to protect dean out of parental love’ lol, it’s just that there are details and events in each of their lives that the other happens to not have been told about.

similarly “sam didn’t even know dean wanted to be a firefighter L” girl did dean know sam wanted to be a lawyer? in 1.01 he’s pretty surprised that sam has a law school interview. the point here isn’t “neither sam nor dean know each other well,” these are minutiae that aren’t relevant to how well you know someone as a whole, and very poorly demonstrate the bad and inaccurate point that dean withholds things from sam the way a parent does a child (on a constant or regular basis). obviously the way they were raised, sam was deemed too young to know about certain things until he got older and dean had to keep that secret, but as shown in 3.08 flashbacks, most if not all of this is eventually revealed throughout their childhood when sam is still fairly young.

or possibly the dumbest one is that “wah sam doesn’t even know that dean reads books L” whenever that was he was also obviously joking because in more serious moments (e.g. 8.14) he admits that dean is smart/a better researcher than he is, literally remembers dean reading to him as a kid (8.21) so like. clam down  

one of the extra annoying variants of this type of ‘proof’ covers things that are very clearly novel pieces of information about dean that dean, sam, and the audience are learning about dean in real time. like if you’re actually watching the show to comprehend it as it was intended to be comprehended, instead of funnelling everything through the Destiel Machine until it’s unrecognizable slop that fits neatly into your pre-ordained molds that Make Destiel Necessary In the Narrative (when it actually isn’t, at all) it’s abundantly clear. the top two worst offenders:

“sam didn’t even know that dean is good with kids :( he doesn’t even realize that dean raised him :(” first of all you people need to understand that parentification does not literally create a parent-child dynamic between siblings but I digress – this doesn’t make any sense bro. in 1.03 dean admits he doesn’t know any kids as an adult. dean being good with his own kid brother when they were both kids is to any reasonable person not necessarily linked with him being good with other random kids when he’s an adult. in 1.03 it’s clear that dean himself is a bit surprised that he’s able to connect w/ lucas so well because he’s clearly not dealt with a lot of kids since sam grew up. the whole point of this is that dean, sam, and the audience are all sort of seeing a new side of dean. who again is just 26. after this very early episode, there’s no question from sam that dean is able to connect w kids. sam being a bit surprised by this also has absolutely zero connection with him not understanding or realizing that dean looked out for him when they were both kids – sam is standing there at 22 years of age talking about adult dean and children – of fucking course he doesn’t mean himself are you stupid.

from the very first season, sam is very clearly aware of everything dean ~did for him~ when they were kids, see e.g. 1.21: “Dean...ah...I wanna thank you. […] For everything. You've always had my back you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone I could always count on you. And I don't know, I just wanted to let you know, just in case.”

and 1.06: DEAN: Well, I’m a freak, too. I’m right there with ya, all the way. (SAM laughs.) SAM: Yeah, I know you are.

and then possibly even more stupidly, the one where it’s like “wah sam doesn’t even know dean can cook :( he doesn’t even know that DEAN was the one making him food as a babe in arms :(” – when sam is surprised that dean made something fairly gourmet and from scratch literally the first time they have ever had a permanent living space with a functional kitchen. in this VERY scene (8.14), dean himself points out that they haven’t had a kitchen before and when sam remarks on the irregularity of him doing serious cooking, he says “I’m nesting”, clearly showing that this is a novel development because they now have a kitchen, and that it’s irregular relative to past behaviour – both of them acknowledge this. because real proper in-depth cooking and making box mac and cheese for sam until he was like 11 and old enough to be left alone are two different things, which sam understands because he’s smart, unlike whoever chooses to make this point. dean never showed significant signs of liking to cook before this, which is what the exchange is about, but he did have to prepare food for them both when sam was too young – of course sam knows he had to, there are childhood memories referred to (e.g. 14.11) where sam is mentioned to literally help dean do the cooking as kids lol (and yes, genius, sam says ‘I didn’t know you knew what a kitchen was’ or something to that effect, but if you think he’s being 100% literal there I have an oceanfront property in Kansas to sell you)

again, obviously there are pieces that sam doesn’t know about dean, e.g. when he’s talking about his response to mary dying in 1.03. but again, Sam is 22, dean is 26, the last time they were in regular contact was when sam was 18-20, these are things that happen when people grow up, they’re able to reflect and share on childhood experiences if they’re close with their siblings as adults. it’s clearly not something that 26 y/o dean wanted to hide from 22 y/o sam. yes sam didn’t know everything about how dean felt when they were young, but that’s equally true in the other direction, and it’s such an irrelevant point in this discussion when, crucially, sam does learn these things about dean mostly fairly early on in the series (i.e. when they’re really not that deep into adulthood yet). cas was also not magically blessed w/ knowledge about dean, he also had to learn whatever it is that he knows, but somehow sam has to know everything about dean from age 7 or it doesn’t count when it’s sam lol.

“sam doesn’t know the One True Dean / doesn’t see through his facades”

the next branch of defending this flawed thesis is invariably that sam has little idea of the fronts and facades that dean puts up and is content to just believe them, whereas cas digs deep and sees the One True Dean that stupid sam always misses. there is nothing in the text that demonstrates this is true. multiple times, we see sam being very knowing of the fact that dean puts up fronts and facades. sam is also knowledgeable of the way dean perceives himself, and – demonstrated in multiple episodes before such sam lines were very poorly recycled and regurgitated into cas’s dialogue in 15.18, but keep acting like that was the first time anyone ever showed that they knew the One True Dean.

Obviously there are times where sam teases dean when he’s being more touchy-feely than usual, but 9.99 times out of 10 (as a conservative estimate in case there's something i'm forgetting otherwise i would say every time) that’s very clearly coming from a place of knowing the real dean vs. the façade he puts up because that’s the whole joke. and it’s allowed to be a joke because they’re siblings and that’s what siblings do lol. esp since sam and dean have touchy feely moments at the end of like every episode.

examples of all of the above off the top of my head (there are more than these, but these are the ones I can think of):

2.02 (about John’s death)

Sam: “I mean this ‘strong silent’ thing of yours, it's crap. […] I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man.”

Dean: “You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to.”

Sam: “No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay.”

2.03 (Sam to Dean, also about John’s death): “You know, you slap on this big fake smile but I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory.”

Note that Dean essentially admits that Sam is right in these two instances in 2.04 bc I know yall have stupid shit to say about john too that has nothing to do with how anyone actually felt about him in canon

3.07 (about Dean’s demon deal – also proven true in later episodes)

SAM: Dude, drop the attitude, Dean. Quit turning everything into a punch line. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you're not afraid.

DEAN: I'm not!

SAM: You're lying. And you may as well drop it 'cause I can see right through you.

DEAN: You got no idea what you're talking about.

SAM: Yeah, I do. You're scared, Dean. You're scared because your year is running out, and you're still going to Hell, and you're freaked.

DEAN: And how do you know that?

SAM: Because I know you! […] Yeah, I've been following you around my entire life! I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was four, Dean. Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world. And this is exactly how you act when you're terrified. And, I mean, I can't blame you. It's just […] I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. 'Cause... (can't find words; tears in his eyes) just 'cause.

5.18 [Sam figures out what Dean is doing re: his plan to let Michael possess him, tracks him down, and eventually is the catalyst for Dean ‘making the right call’, which he predicts] – e.g.:

SAM: No, you won’t. When push shoves, you’ll make the right call

DEAN: You know, if tables were turned…I’d let you rot in here. Hell, I have let you rot in here.

SAM: Yeah, well…I guess I’m not that smart.

DEAN: I—I don’t get it. Sam, why are you doing this?

SAM: Because… you’re still my big brother.

8.14 (basically the o.g. version of whatever went on in 15.18 + sam intrinsically understanding the trials are a death wish for dean): “I'm closing the gates. It's a suicide mission for you. I want to slam hell shut, too, okay? But I want to survive it. I want to live, and so should you. You have friends up here, family. I mean, hell, you even got your own room now. You were right, okay? I see light at the end of this tunnel. And I'm sorry you don't – I am. But it's there. And if you come with me, I can take you to it. […] I AM smart, and so are you. You're not a grunt, Dean. You're a genius – when it comes to lore, to – you're the best damn hunter I have ever seen – better than me, better than dad. I believe in you, Dean. So, please – please believe in me, too.”

10.22 (understanding how much dean has ~done for him~)

SAM: I'm saving my brother.

CASTIEL: You told Dean—

SAM: —I know what I told Dean. Cas, look. I've been the one out there, messed up and scared. And alone. And Dean—

CASTIEL: He did whatever he could to save you.

SAM: Yes. I mean, it's become his thing. I owe him this. I owe him everything.

10.23 (basically the o.g. version of whatever went on in 15.18, x2 – from Sam to Dean): “You were also willing to summon death to make sure you could never do any more harm. You summoned me because you knew I would do anything to protect you. That's not evil, Dean. That's not an evil man. That is a good man crying to be heard, searching for... some other way. […] You will never, ever hear me say that you -- the real you -- is anything but good.”

11.13 (Sam understanding exactly how Dean feels about Amara being his ‘deepest desire’, and confirming that it doesn’t make him a bad person)

Dean: Why? Because if she is that means that I’m…

Sam: Means you’re what? Complicit? Weak? Evil?

Dean: For starters, yeah.

Sam: Dean. Do you honestly think you ever had a choice in the matter? She’s the sister of God, and for some reason she picked you and that sucks, but if you think I’m gonna blame you or judge you…I’m not.

Dean: You know that I want her ass dead.

Sam: Yes. Of course. And I know you’ve also probably beaten yourself up a hundred times over it, but where has that gotten us? (Long silence) Just how bad is it?

13.02 (Sam perfectly explaining Dean’s psyche to Jack)

JACK: Is that why Dean hates me?

SAM: Dean doesn’t hate you. It… Look, sometimes the wires in Dean’s head get crossed and—and he gets frustrated, and then he mixes frustration with anger, and—and fear.

JACK: Why would he be afraid?

SAM: Because Dean feels like it’s his job to protect everyone. And right now, we need to protect you. But we may also need to protect people from you.

14.03 [Sam assesses Dean’s psychological/emotional response to the Michael possession; end of episode, Dean confirms that Sam’s assessment was fully accurate]

14.10 [Sam is the only one able to snap Dean out of his weird Michael mind loop by using their code word]

14.11 [Sam figuring out that something is troubling Dean just based on the fact that Dean hugs him]

15.17 (self explanatory at this point)

DEAN: Chuck has to die. He has to! Otherwise he'll keep us tap dancing forever, and I can't live like that, man! I can't live like that! I won't!

SAM: I know you feel like that right now, okay. I know you do. But you gotta trust me. My entire life, you've protected me— from Dad, from Lucifer, from everything. I didn't always like it, you know, but... it's the one thing in the whole world that I could always count on. It's the only thing I've ever known that was true. So please... put the gun away. Just put it away, and we'll figure it out, Dean, we'll find another way, you and me. We always do.

like maybe there are some cas moments w dean along these lines too. i don't know, i don't remember what the guy says or does anymore it's been too many years and he is not memorable. but the point is where and in what capacity and based on what metric other than the amount of bad fanfic you've read does cas exceed sam in these respects.

so basically just. genuinely, what are you people literally ever talking about. go watch the show instead of saying stupid wrong stuff about sam on the hellsites all day. or watch another show (please for the love of god watch any other show this one is absolutely lost on you and it’s such a stupid one too i'm embarrassed for you)

[maxwell-grant]

The Penguin: Episode 1 Breakdown

(Episode 2) (Episode 3) (Episode 4) (Episode 5) (Episode 6) (Episode 7) (Episode 8)

Thank you Lauren LeFranc, Mike Marino, Colin Farrell and Matt Reeves, we owe you the world for this, good God. It's finally here everyone and I've decided I'm gonna give each episode it's own post/breakdown of thoughts, because hahaha holy shit you guys this is beyond what I even dreamed of, and we're gonna be covering this for a while I think. I've worked out enough madness about this out of my system by talking with friends and I can't seem to be able to work on anything else till I get this done, so let's do it.

Bottom line: This isn't even just a must-watch if you like the Penguin or if you like The Batman, this is something I'd recommend to just about anyone in a heartbeat, something I can point to when people ask "why do you like The Penguin so much" and, instead of the elaborate nerd ramble that usually turns them off, I can just tell them to watch this. A friend of mine (who already loves Batman and digs the Penguin quite a bit) even told me as much, that he's starting to get why I love the character so much, and truly, is there a better feeling than this? Well, there is, and it's watching the show. Let's dig into this first episode:

Right upfront I'm gonna say that this doesn't really seem to be the Sopranos rip-off that people have been calling it before release, although there are definitely Sopranos comparisons to make here. I've spent the past months finally watching The Sopranos in order to get the comparison and definitely want to talk about those comparisons after I finish it (and this show ends). This thing aims to stand on it's own legs as a crime show and it's smashing out of the gate with an extremely promising first episode.

So this just casually opens with the reveal that all along, there was a second rich Gotham the whole time that was completely unaffected by everything we saw in the movie, already throwing a great twist on the events of that movie, and further reinforcing how fucking full of shit The Riddler was. All we saw Batman and the others deal with in the movie was just affecting the poorer parts of the city. All Eddie did was drown rats, and make life worse for the people already in the bottom, while never even getting close to targeting the systemic rot that ruined his life. He retains ideological worshippers in subways obsessed with the corruption of the city without doing anything to actually improve it, and because of him, the streets of Gotham are waterlogged shitholes while the rich Falcone suburbs are doing just fine, peachy even.

I said a while back that, in spite of having about 6 scenes/10 minutes of Penguin runtime, The Batman managed to squeeze impeccably controlled Penguin Trademark Scenes, and this show opens with the last one they didn't get to then: Penguin killing someone for making fun of him. In the movie, he tries doing that with Falcone and is beaten to the punch, so here he gets to actually do it to disastrous consequences.

Fucking adore that the inciting incident of the show is based on the fallout of Oswald killing someone for making fun of him. He pours his heart about the dream he lives his life for, his new boss makes fun of him for being an embarassment to their profession and then he does the most typical Penguin thing by killing him for it and laughing afterwards. And then he realizes how badly he fucked up, and then we get a fucking perfect titledrop with his musical theme, the exact moment we finish The Batman and enter The Penguin.

God it is so fucking cool how the make-up/lighting, the scar across his face, makes it look like he's got a genuine beak from certain angles, how they're able to achieve that effect without giving him a more literal beak for a nose. Everytime they talk about the character, Reeves and Farrell always emphasize how integral the make-up was to them figuring out what to do with Oz, how little they knew what to make of his six scenes until Marino created their monster and suddenly everything fell into place. Mike Marino fully deserves co-credit for the creation of Oz.

Pretty amusing that Victor, as designed to be Penguin's Robin, has exactly the same origin as Jason Todd, a poor street kid trying to steal the hubcaps off the Penguinmobile (I'm sure this bodes very well for his odds at survival), as is the way in which Oz goes on about his recruitment. He press-gangs this kid at gunpoint to help him bury a body arguing with himself and eventually the kid why shouldn't he just kill him to be safe, while trying to impress the kid with his car and air freshener and later that bullshit about "What, you think I hire any schmuck off the street?". From the tile drop onwards, he's doing everything on the fly while also spinning long-term plans set in motion as soon as he's on screen, he's taking this kid in out of sympathy and because he enjoys a power dynamic over someone weaker than him and because he very much needs someone to help him get stuff done. I'm extremely interested in exploring Penguin having a mentorship dynamic and I'm beyond curious as to what happens with Victor from this point onwards, but that poor kid is in for a terrible fucking time.

Found it very funny how much he half-asses the murder threat to Victor. Like it's his first time actually doing it and he's trying to be serious, but not too scary because he's already seeing himself in the poor kid with a stutter and wants the kid to think he's also a cool guy like he wants everyone to think he's a cool guy. I also think having Victor as the POV helps to sell moments like these, because it's still terrifying to him. Even as we follow their stories, these power players of Gotham are still big scary monsters to people caught in the dregs and Victor helps to reinforce that.

I enjoy Oz being friends with sex workers and drag queens off the street as much as I enjoy Oz being depicted as the kind of guy who deludes himself into thinking the prostitute he's with actually likes him, Lauren and Farrell launched into a bit about in on the podcast and I'm curious to see what's going on with him and Eve here.

Lots of perfect funny little character moments across the whole thing. Oz insulted by the idea of taking extra pickles off a poor kid's dirty mouth, but with zero hesitation whatsoever for picking jewelry off his boss' corpse. Dude is governed by principles even as he actively has to break them to survive.

"Technically it's plum." "He is the - or was the - new kingpin", "He's got nurse-like qualities." The show is not overtly trying to get you to find Penguin likeable as much as it wants you to find him engaging - making you think he's likeable is Colin Farrell's job and he's masterful at it, definitely a lot more matured within the character compared to the movie.

If there's anything in particular I'm thankful for regarding Gotham (well okay Gotham led directly to Telltale Penguin which was the basis for this one, so really I do have a lot more to be thankful with Gotham), it's the decision to give him a legit waddle via the broken foot, but the way they incorporate it here with the club foot does so much for him, so much as a modern day reinvention of The Penguin. Adds so much to why he's never been a serious candidate for mob leadership, why he kinda had to spend all his time in the Lounge, why he actually needs someone to help him run affairs, why he has such a gaping ego wound and is so murderously angry at people making fun of him / calling him a goddamn penguin, adds so much validation and so much darkness and nuance to Oswald's overwhelming anger and bitterness over how the world treats him (and so much power should he opt to reclaim it, in turn). It's the kind of thing that frankly feels like it should have always been part of the character, like what all the previous versions were itching closer to or trying to get at. Of course this is a guy gets called a penguin and he hates it badly enough to murder people over it, of course.

This gets to really highlight how differently Oz acts depending on who he's with. Traditionally, one of my favorite things about The Penguin, and one of the things that puts him above the other villains, is that, due to his position, he has to interact with a lot more people than the other Bat-villains. He has to manage a lot more relationships and dynamics, he has to play peacekeeper and puppetmaster. he's the only one in the United Underworld who's regularly interacting with and recruiting other villains to do business with. He's the guy who you pin stuff on like the Gangland Guardians, Team Penguin, doing betting pools with the Rogues taking cover in his Lounge while Joker War is happening, having to rig games to keep good standing with Maxie Zeus and Frenchy Blake in Batman Audio Adventures, and so on. So I greatly enjoy this beat here of him talking about how makes himself smaller before the Falcones, and that moment of him adjusting his outfit and practicing expressions in the mirror before meeting with them. How he contorts himself is present in all of his relationships, and retroactively adds to the way he carries himself in The Batman.

It seems that Oz is functionally regarded as the Paulie Walnuts of the Falcones: useful muscle, loyal for the most part and amusing to keep around, but largely an unstable self-serving dumb asskisser kept where he belongs, a liability if not kept on a short leash. I think the show does a good job of highlighting all the reasons why Oz has never been seriously regarded as a viable option for a boss, even putting aside his disability. He is a fundamentally embarassing person for these serious respectable criminals to be around and of course, the joke is ultimately on them..

Of course, there is only two people in the show who actually know what he's capable of, Francis Cobb and Sofia Falcone, said to be the central relationships defining the show moving forward. Both of them also a defining commonality with Oswald, being people who are looked down on and dehumanized, and characters who are underestimated until it's time to bear their fangs.

Extremely invested in where they're going with Sofia Falcone, Cristine Milioti's been killing it, and will in fact not stop killing it. What a perfect villain for Penguin they've set up with her, someone who has his Kryptonite: she does not underestimate him. Although we know in advance that Oz is going to live and be in the next movie, the question here isn't even so much who's going to win the gang war, and rather how much damage these two freaks will do to the city until Batman gets back. In many ways, Sofia represents the shape of things to come just as much as he does.

She is this embodiment of both the pristine unfathomable wealth and privilege and power that he both detests and strives for, as well as this brutal new breed of madness and violence attacking the streets that he has to survive against and make deals with (and is himself very much a part of, however he denies it). She is Falcone's legacy in every way that matters, both a Kingpin of Gotham whose existence creates the oppressive conditions under which a Batman or a Riddler are created, as well as the Arkham Rogue, the larger-than-life sadist with a tragic origin and a signature torture-murder method and an embarassing name for the papers.

Even the fact that she is The Hangman, and Carmine was defined around his penchant for brutally strangling women - regardless of whether or not she did the crimes that got her in Arkham, she's become this larger-than-life themed expression of a violent obsession in a way that sets her up as every bit the Batman villain that The Penguin is. The two champions of the two Gothams, duking it out in this new world The Batman and The Riddler made, The Penguin vs The Hangman.

I am so glad Lauren LeFranc made the call for binning Alberto in the first five minutes so the rest of the show can focus on Sofia and make a real character out of her in a way nobody's ever really done before, every step of the way so far LeFranc has been perfectly on the ball about where to take these characters and their conflict. And speaking of those,

I feel very confident in saying that this is the first time anyone's ever really had something worth doing with Oswald's mother as a character in her own right and not just a source of anguish for Penguin (Gotham was almost onto something with Gertrude, but not nearly enough). When it comes to Penguin origin stories, my favorite's always been the Pre-Crisis one, where he's poor and bullied but happy with his mom and birds until she dies and the government seizes everything he has, which doesn't necessarily involve her much. But here? Francine Cobb is a real character in what little time we get to know her, and what a character she is. We quickly understand the role she's playing in Oz's life, not just as his mom and person he loves and strives to protect, but the person who's sculpting him into the man he's going to become.

She is vulnerable and she does need meds and she's not quite all there, and Penguin's need to care for her is visible in other actions of his. But then they turn it around by showing how strong and demanding she is, how she is fiercely ambitious and pushing him to be something he would otherwise not be, how much she loves him and sees greatness in him. She knows he's a people pleaser, she knows how to push his buttons, and she wants him to be more, so of course he's going to be more, because he lives to please his mom.

Related to this is this absolute bullseye of a summation of The Penguin, that Lauren LeFranc delivered in the podcast: "Perhaps his greatest fear is that love is transactional. And that yet, everything he does, every decision he makes, is as if that's true. As if "love is transactional" is a truth he abides by". Oswald's conception of power is being loved and revered like Rex Calabrese, and the love he wants most in all the world is the one from his mother. So in turn this, and all extensions of it, drive him to greater and darker lengths.

He doesn't have that ambition quite down yet, it's his mom that does. She who's pushing him to take over the city and not just be a guy scraping by for survival. He's smart and ambitious and extremely good at slipping out of trouble, but she's pushing him to be the guy who will be taking the city by the horns because that's what he has to be for their sake. Her legacy to her son is nurturing him having that dog in him that will make him the supervillain who picks fights with Vengeance. She is the force that's turning Oswald into The Goddamn Penguin and I can't wait to see how she's developed.

Of course he reprimands Victor in that scene for lacking ambition, who do you think he gets it from?

Really love what they've done with Sal Maroni in here so far. I like adaptations that take these throwaway Batman backstory gangsters and make something out of them, in this case, with Clancy Brown lending his power and voice and reputation as The Grand Boss of Villainy to play the last Respectable Gangster of Gotham, this intimidating principled old tiger who's inversely proportional to how much of a petty and scummy piece of shit Carmine Falcone was. Extremely a guy I'd want to see playing a hand in the creation of Two-Face. Just as crucial is the fact that he is the one who gets the most effortlessly outplayed by Oz here, because this is The Penguin Show: no room for traditional or respectable gangsters anymore, their purpose is to be crapped all over by our wacko birdman.

There's a lot about this that re-contextualizes his behavior in The Batman and the one I'm gonna point out is: even though he can't be sure his plan didn't completely go to shit, he is still keeping his wits and not being terribly scared about being beaten up and tortured and staring down the scariest Falcone with a gun shoved in his throat. But he craps his pants at the sight of the Batmobile. He gets pain, he gets indignity, but he doesn't get Vengeance, what kind of sick freak would come up with the stuff that guy does. A gun in his mouth and Falcone torture is just Tuesday, but a car that wants to eat his soul is some psycho shit he's just not ready to deal with.

It is the delicious tasty fucking irony that Oswald thinks Vengeance is this weird freak who doesn't play or bend to any rules and is here to fuck up everything, just like the madman who flooded the city, and thinks of himself in turn as a justifiable guy standing for the respectable old-fashioned empathetic way of doing things, instead of the exact same thing that Riddler and Batman are. Only Sofia gets what he really is, the same thing as her, and that's why she is the arch-enemy / the biggest thing he's gotta defeat in life for now.

God, how fucking PERFECT it is that he gets caught and tortured because he, after stabbing out a man's eye and causing him to get run over by a schoolbus, stops to wave at the kids in that schoolbus while covered in blood. Just the Rex Calabrese of it all, the self-image, this guy who's both a mean nasty son of a bitch and also a real bleeding heart softie and in ways that ruin his life and allow him to slip and wriggle his way out of shit he has no right to, as demonstrated by the finale.

Thinking about Sofia chastizing Oz saying he thinks she is a toy to play with, while rattling off the ways in which she owns him and everything he has, all the ridiculous little accessories her daddy let him play him, and he in turn is a ridiculous little accessory for the family she is twisting until it breaks. Perfect fucking villain for him. Can't wait to see how badly these two are gonna burn Gotham.

I knew deep in my heart that all I wanted out of a Penguin show, the thing that I simply needed to have in it, was Penguin pulling a heist set-up in advance, and it fucking delivered. He doesn't even complain at Victor for being late, because if anything, getting captured and tortured while the car crashed was even better for him. No, he complains at Victor for not being sufficiently gruesome with the body. See, unlike other cowardly anti-hero reinventions of Bat-villains, the show never wants you to forget that Oz is a weird freak and a disgusting piece of shit, even if he is a very likeable and even aspirational one. Only by the most random stroke of fate it wasn't Victor that he fed to the wolves at that moment, that he sees himself in the kid isn't exactly ensuring that he's gonna make out of this in one piece.

Mr. Vengeance gets Nirvana, and Mr. Boniface gets Dolly Parton, perfect credits.

In conclusion: Out of everything they could have done following the thunderous success of The Batman and it's ensuing influence over the DCU, out of all the offers Reeves must have gotten to helm their new universe after delivering a megahit reinvention of their breadwinner blockbuster character, Matt Reeves went "Nah, I listened to my crew, and what we really want to do is 8 hours of television about the waddling freak who's in my movie for 10 minutes", and he and his crew deserve the world for that. I dreamed as a kid of getting to make a big Penguin story or show, a wild impossible idea that would never actually happen, and now it's here and it's better than anything I'd ever imagined.

I'm fit to burst with joy and riding a high of no longer having to hunt for scraps and washing away decades of put-downs for the character and enjoying a Penguin renaissance like one I never imagined happening. I am extremely not an unbiased reviewer here, this show rules and I've waited for it since I was a kid and it's here, drink it the fuck in cause it's only the beginning.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - We In A Slump, but help might be coming from a very strange source

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Sept 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 3 of 12 - I don’t have a lot to say except that the plot is somewhat predictable but the show is still very engaging. War is fantastic. I’m enjoying it a hell of a lot.

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) ep 10 of 12 - The second leads are getting better in this one. I understand where they are coming from, which makes their conflict so much more understandably painful, and honest to a friends2lovers trope. The main couple is kinda standard college relationship drama, but they are cuties.  

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - How is Ohm so damn gorgeous? Meanwhile, babies’ first argument. And it’s sponge bath time. Q has got to be wondering if Min is as meticulous with all kinds of care and attention to detail all......the......time. Somebody here in the hellhole said something about this being "the most BL to ever BL." And I think they’re right. At least right now. Although, watch out, we got us a new contender from the east.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - I do love the continuation of the perversion, in a good way, of the punishment trope from last week's episode. Oh, has the show finally remembered its title? NO SINGING. 

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 7 of 10 - More kidnapping and an attack and now there’s a girl involved and somebody’s going to China and I don’t understand anything! And I don’t really care. Is this how the actual book originally went? Because it’s wild. Also TOO MANY of flashbacks. I guess they got a bit of a boyfriend era, and the claiming during the water fight was cute, but otherwise...... meh

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 15 - One shouldn’t make comparisons, of course, but all I can think about is how amazing Captain was as Noh in the original series. Thus this show is mostly just making me want to rewatch the original. It’d be an interesting twist to have Aim be queer instead of a damaged cool girl slut. Was the helmet hand letting go a foreshadow of the iconic bookstore hands letting go? Also, I gotta say for the second episode of a series there are already too many flashbacks. Why are they using filler when they have so much content crammed into so few (comparable) episodes for a series? It’s annoying. Stop it.

Live in Love (Sun Gaga) ep 4 of 5 - This show has some interesting, if heavy handed, things to say about shipping and trolling, but also predatory/proprietary female behavior. It’s fascinating to see it tackled head on, if handled in a profoundly clumsy manner. I’m not sure how I feel about it. That said, most of this episode was actually an advertisement for a resort in Phuket. 

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I'm getting What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? vibes from this show. Only this is WAY more bullying. It’s very old-fashioned 90’s billionaire romance novel only gay. It’s never a good sign when I’m watching two boys kiss and I really want one of them to just bite the other ones lip off instead.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 9 of 12 - No ep this week. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 8 of 10 - Gosh it’s so frikin adorable. Baby got sick. He has SUCH A CRUSH. And such a courageous little confession! Yay! Can’t wait for next week. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YouTube) ep 1 - sure, yes this is, in fact, just Ba Vinh doing his thing with pretty boys again. And yet...... There is a REASON this leapt into the standings guns blazing. So it’s high school set but it's stepbrothers trope. (My, aren’t we popular this year?) I know, but I NEVER get tired of this trope. We got us Bach (BV's sullen tsundere) and Dat (babygirl meets bully). It’s GREAT how the brothers' dynamic is entirely different at school than when they're at home. My ear isn’t trained for Vietnamese, but I think Dat is using different pronouns depending on his location (his personality entirely shifts when he’s at school). I’m not sold on the Bach character, although I always trust BV to serve in the end (at least we know the kisses will be good), but Dat is utterly in love, a touch spicy, and reasonably complex. The surrounding cast is good too, my favorite pretty boy is there playing top dog (woof), and one of the besties is out gay (YAY!). The plot of the show is...... well...... absent. Nothing happened. But if we are aiming for Love Sick slice of life style BL, I'm game. Subs are appropriately terrible and confusing. But I like it A FUCK TON so far, so I’m gonna keep it in rotation. Nice to have Vietnam back in play. What a shocker.

2024 has been a year of upsets.

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 3 of 10 eps - I weirdly enjoyed the farcical music and the utter absurdity of the court case. I also liked how it highlighted what a good team these two are. Frankly I don’t mind a bit of an antihero sleazy lawyer + conman, it's engaging. I’m getting wholesome out of Thailand. I don’t really need it from Japan at the moment. Also I don’t believe for one second our conman actually is serious about the relationship. Conmen gonna con. I'm reminded of the scorpion and the frog fable.

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - I love Orca so much. I do not love the autotuned version of Orca, but I knew what I was in for with this particular show, it's in the title after all. I did laugh a whole lot when Laing used kha. Hon, I don't think that word means what you think it means......

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 11-12fin - I never thought I’d say this, but the pacing was off in the penultimate episode. Taiwan, and its chronic misuse of flashbacks strikes again. That said we eventually got a "lock in" trope and Wang being the biggest little flirt shit in the cafe OMG!!! Of course, you shouldn’t use a girl to torment your bf, but it was so well done, I can’t really complain. Meanwhile, teacher kisses. And now I understand exactly why they’re present in this narrative. Clever. Bummer of a burden on that ending though. I cannot see how they’ll manage to stick this landing. [That was ep 11]

AND NOW EP 12 - doomey doomey doom

Not the water bottle trope! Argh the teenage lust of it all. Just stop it. Wang is so smart he knows exactly how bad he has to be to leave the class. And his bf certainly knows that too. And......

......

So that was not an ending and I’m not happy about it and no one is surprised. Even I’m not surprised. I’m just disappointed. Even tho I suspected this was where we were headed I'm disappointed. That’s it. That’s all I got. How do I review something that was such a crushing let down?

Conclusion:

Based on a Mou Mou novel + the Your Name Engraved Herein team, this is old-school coming of age BL and it was bloody fantastic. Tsundere seme to beat all tsundere (smartest + tallest + bestest at everything but people) meets socially-ept cutie smart-ass uke. They're living together by end of ep 1 and start kissing by end of ep 2. A stellar tense slow burn stepbrothers trope that ate my life and than just belly-flopped the finale. What I'm left with is epic levels of disappointment and well...... at least nobody died? My standard "fatally flawed" rating for any BL is 4/10 so I guess that’s what I’m giving it. 

Before you ask me for the stats: Taiwan does not have a history of second seasons. I went ahead and ran the numbers and the odds are certainly not in our favor. I put the chances at 2%.

Yes, I contemplated a revenge rating of 2/10 but even I'm not that mean.

It's airing but...

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger). A man is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai being converted into a café. He sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, falls in love with one of them. Was substantially recast. I loved IFYLITA except the ending so I think I'll let this one run it's course you can tell me if it's work tracking down... if they managed to land it. I have my doubts.

In Case You Missed It

Falling For My Boss is vertical format (nash) short from Korean BL about a happy-go-unlucky man who keeps losing his flower shop business because of romantically misbehaving employees (apparently it's a thing). When his best employee brings in a new boy he's worried she's falling for him, but it turns out it's his own heart on the line. He a clueless softy and The Boy is a lost broken sweetheart, making this a gentle little snippet of a show. There's a baby linguistic negotiation, some hung slinging, awkward handholds, and everyone is very pretty. For me the absence of kisses and the vertical format were more annoying than the length, which felt fine but many viewers will find too short. I enjoyed the 30 minutes of cute. All of which makes this a solid 7/10 from me. It was originally only available on this one ap in very short form with ads so I wasn't gonna bother. Then some kind soul cut it together without ads and stuck it up for download. Say thank you.

Oddball recommendation next: This podcast episode touches on some stuff we see in Thai BL so I think it's worth listening to. Journalist Dominic Faulder on the Complex History Between Thailand & Myanmar

Happy of the End (Japan Gaga) - Completed its run. A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL and it's exactly as expected. I do not like it at all and DNFed. Gossip round the hellhole is that was a solid decision.

Marriage Equality Law has officially been enacted in Thailand...

Yes the actual law. Goes into effect Jan 22, 2025

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Coming Oct 2024:

10/3 Fourever You (Thai iQIYI?) 16 eps - New directs Earth (UWMA, 12%) + Pond (Century of Love, 180 Degrees), Bas (Gen Y, 2 Moons) + Maxky (Why You… Y Me?) and other familiar faces like Bever. Sampler pack university BL from Wabi Sabi that looks like it's trying to be a gay Boys Over Flowers (4 older med students hot boys) and I'm not mad about it. Trailer Not sure who's distributing this but my guess is iQIYI since they had the last few from this house.

10/7 Every You Every Me (Thai Gaga) 10 eps - Jade and Chin have lived over a thousand lifetimes. In each one they somehow manage to fall in love with each other. (This pair, TopMick was piloted in a My Universe ep, that was one of the only ones I liked.)

10/10 Eccentric Romance (Korea ????) 12 eps - Silkwood’s 2nd Thai/Korean colab, that has been in production since 2022 which is a LONG time in the BL world. I'm worried but I like the concept: friends of 10 years who’ve been hiding feelings for each other enter the same university. Plus MURDER.

10/10 Gangster and His Boyfriend (Korea ????) 8 eps? - Kim Dong Bin (famous trainee & idol reality competitor, yeah that happens) stars as a fallen idol who unexpectedly becomes entangled in a gangster family. Discovers that his friend’s father is responsible for the murder of his entire family years ago. I don't know much about this one, neither does anyone else and I'm not sure where I got that release date so……

10/21 Love in the Big City (Korea ????) 8 eps - Adaptation of Booker-nominated famous coming of age novel of the same title by Park Sang-Young. Cynical yet fun loving student writer Young pinballs from home, to class, to Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female besie and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their worries about life, love, and money with soju. As time passes Jaehee settles down and leaves Young to face his problems on his own. Young finding comfort in the arms of the series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness and another who might be the great love of his life. Not really BL. Stars Kim Go-eun (The King: Eternal Monarch), Noh Sang-hyun, and Nam Yoon Su (The King’s Affection). This already released as a movie and isn't very well regarded, this date is supposedly an international release as a series. I'm wary of it being BL.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I got nothing, The On1y One drove me into a funk.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many at-ings.

[thebestandrealestever]

~NOT YOU TOO!~

miles1610/hobie brown x black fem! reader

sum: miles cheats on reader w gwen, reader gets even 🤷🏽‍♀️

warnings : slang, the n word, cursing, cheating . emotional cheating. READER BEING PETTY unedited and not proofread

genre: angst, a lil of comfort?

a/n:i rly hope it don’t disappoint, part 2 w miles and reader make up eventually, cause i can’t stand writing miles as a dickhead. JUST A STORY, I DONT CONDONE CHEATING, DONT THIS TO PEOPLE.

- - - - - - - - - <\3 - - - - - - - - - -

first time in a long time.

hurting deeply inside .

there it was. the confirmation you so desperately needed to blow off on miles. you’d suspected he was messing with gwen for a little while now, him leaving you too go on missions with her that ONLY they knew about, being on facetime with her while he was at YOUR house, his highlight on instagram for her, not to mention the countless drawings of her around his room that he hid horribly, just a bunch of weird shit. you had conversations about it before but he always reassured you and gaslit you until you shook of the accusations. but now, now you knew he was cheating. miles was in the shower he left his phone on the nightstand, you looked long and hard at it. debating whether if it was a invasion of privacy, as you thought about it you get more and more upset. if gwen could be an invasion of your relationship then this didn’t really matter. you pick up the phone and put the password it, it’s his birthday (narcissist 🙄.) you go to gwen’s message thread, the blue heart next to it made you infuriated. your stomach twist and your eyes leak with tears that you don’t even try to wipe not wanting to miss anything. all of the “i love you’s” and the “im with her right now’s” made your fingers tremble as you scrolled farther into their text. why did he waste his time with you if he loved her? why would he do that to you? when did he fall out of love? what did you do? your thoughts quickly interrupted by the sound of the shower turning off you jumped up turned the phone off and put it in the same downward facing position wiping your face speed walking back to the bed pretending to watch tv.

“what’s going on now , ma?“ he asked referring to the episode you were watching. your face turned as you came up with a lie. “uh nothing really they just found out she was pregnant” you huffed, you’ve never been a good liar and miles could read your emotions like they were his own, you had no idea how you were going to go the rest of the night with him, so you didn’t. getting up from the bed you acted like your mom texted you to come home, frowning looking at the fake text. miles squinted at your pout, walking closer to you he said,

“you okay?” “my mom said i had to come home, she’s going out tonight and wants me to watch my sister, she’s sick” miles fake frowned “you want me to come with you?” he suggested walking to his drawers to get some clothes. you shook your head no “i don’t want you to get sick, it’s fine i’ll just facetime you okay?” you said as you picked up your purse and put on your shoes. “okay at least lemme drive you home. can’t have my baby walking alone in the dark.” he joked as he put on his own shoes and jacket too. you internally cringed at his sentence reminded of who he also called his “baby”.

trust, trust who?

watching my back even when i’m in the booth.

ohh, trust who?

you’re in the passenger seat of his car, seeing the blue hair tie in the cup holder that wasn’t yours. you stared at it for a bit rethinking your entire relationship. he glanced at you, then the hair tye. he spoke up rubbing your thigh trying to get your mind off of it. “u wanna go to the mall tomorrow? we can get froyo.” he suggested knowing that you liked the froyo place in the mall, you knew he was trying to make you happy so you wouldn’t question the hair tye you just went along with it.

“yea okay.” you smiled warmly at miles not meaning it at all. his phone buzzed and you both looked down at it, the speed of which he grabbed it in was almost inhumane. you side eyed him closely as he swiped the opened the message then turned his phone off placing it into the cup holder facing away from you. as you pulled up to your house he leaned forward to peck your cheek, you couldn’t stand the feeling of his lips on your skin right you. “bye mami, facetime me later okay?” he whispered as he looked into your eyes with that same look on his face that made you swoon once before. “okay, i will” you said knowing you weren’t. as soon as you got into your room you cried, searching in your mind for a clue on why he was doing this to you. you’d tears interrupted once again as your phone buzzed, who was calling you and why couldn’t they go away ?? you checked it as a small smile speared on your face it was margo. margo kess had been your best friend since before you met miles, she worked at the same spidey agency he did , or whatever the fuck it was called. you answered wiping your tears. she was eating unti she saw your expression. “what happened??? why you crying boo?” she frowned at you through the screen “miles is cheating on me with gwen, i checked his phone” you chuckled through sniffles as her jaw dropped “what the fuck?? u exposed him his ass right ??” she shouted and you shook your head “i was in denial i guess, i still can’t believe this shit” “you know what you gotta do right?” she said and your face turned into a confused expression “what i gotta do?” she rolled her eyes “get even duhhhhh!! you way to pretty to let this nigga cheat on you with a big back ass bitch you know that.” you snorted at her compliment “ion know mar, maybe gwen didn’t know we was dating” you said trying to express grace to gwen.

“bitch how?? all that nigga do is talk about you, not to mention youre his lock screen.” you tilted your head in agreement, she spoke up again “and you been told his ass all that shit he did with gwen was weird and he didn’t stop it? if he wanna act nonchalant you can act notchabitch” margo smiled as she her attempt to cheer you up worked. “speak of the damn devil, guess who texted me.” you smirked as margo raised her eyebrow “don’t tell me you talm bout hobie.” you tried to fight the smile on your face as you clicked on his message

“hey, wyd rn?” the text read. margo sighed as she saw the smile on your face “HOBIE. HOBART BROWN?? really (name)? well i mean the way he looks at you is crazy, and i been saying y’all would be mad cute .” she shrugged as she resolved up her own feelings, you nodded as you thought about it . was this really what you wanted to do? hurt miles? nonono if he didn’t care about hurting you he can’t say shit when you do it back. you texted hobie back “nun rn, wby?” and he replied almost instantly “im bored, lemme come over?” you almost laughed at how you realized that hobie has never cared about your relationship with miles . you told him yes and you said your goodbyes to margo as you got ready for him to come over, eyes burning as you saw the multiple hoodies that miles owned .

“hey love.” hobie said as he walked into your room from the window, you always noticed hoboes accent but you never noticed how attractive it was until now. “hey hobie.” you said as he lifted your chin up with index and thumb. “you’ve been crying? what happened ?” he said trying to read your face. “um nothing just stuff with miles” he almost winced at the mention of miles, he would offen tell you that he wasn’t good for you, guess he was right. “what did he do now. something when gwen again i bet” you sighed deeply remember the messages in his phone again. “yea, he’s cheating i just found out.” hobie eyebrows furrow as you say this, if he didn’t like the way miles was treating you before, he definitely hated him now.

“i was just joking but, really? what the fuck? after everything you’ve done for him? i’m gonna murder him i swear to g-“ “hobie no, no don’t say anything. i’m fine i’m gonna deal with it myself.” you say pushing him back with your fingers. “at least let me make you feel better.” he said giving you a tight hug. he smirked as he said “you know i’d never make you feel like that.” you snorted into his chest pulling away, hobie grabbed your face with both hands and kissed your forehead. “you don’t deserve this ,(name) you deserve the entire world” he muttered , looking down at you with so much care. stand on your tipe toes to kiss hobie, he doesn’t kiss back for a while in shock but then he reciprocates it and you know you shouldn’t do this, that’s the exact reason why you did it anyway . you pull away looking up into his deep brown eyes, you needed this, comfort from someone that wasn’t hurting you. someone that wasn’t him. he kissed you again more aggressively this time. he pulls away this time only to catch his breath. he pecks your lips once , then twice. he smiles at you then walks to the bed and turns on the tv, you thought it was weird but you also didn’t want to talk about it, and definitely didn’t wanna do anything further. after watching tv with him at a uncomfortable distance you decide to address the elephant in the room.

“so, we not gon talk about that?” you turn off the tv before turning your head to look at him and he does the same “we don’t have to, you know i like you. but i don’t think you need that tonight, i think you just need me here.” he said and honestly, he was right. even though he had you all the way fucked up onna tuesday, you still loved him. you just nod at hobie and he kisses your cheek wrapping his arms around you so he’s spooning you, the way hobie is holding makes you think that he’s the only boy in the world. he falls asleep and you lie awake looking at the ceiling, you decide to go on instagram looking at people’s story until you see gwen’s story, it was a picture of her and miles in his car her feet up on the dashboard, the same car you were just in, the same car you had your first kiss in. that’s not even the half of it, the picture had a “besties” caption on it but you could tell from 20 miles away they were far from that. you take a picture of hobie asleep and post it, tagging him too copying the same caption as gwen had. after maybe 20 minutes miles replies to it “wtf? why are you letting hobie touch you like that? and i thought u had to watch your sister” “and i thought you and gwen were besties?” you reply back sending him the screenshots you send to your phone if gwen and miles text he starts blowing u up like crazy but you put your phone down and snuggle closer into hobie, maybe you could get even.

doing my own thing,

i’m down to come clean,

not like you.

lmk wat u think 😭.

[blues824]

Scared to ask this one lmfaoo!... Let's have the reaction of all of Diasomnia dorm! <3 Uuhhhh but can I get a Biological Teen Mother of Sliver!Mc... like she had him at a young age? Currently she could be in her late 20s going into her early thirties! And maybe they could be from a different or even from Twisted wonderland ( that's up to you! ^w^) but Biological father of Sliver, very bad man, evil king- And Mama Sliver/Mama Mc is very protective and got in contact with Malificent for help! I was thinking of a kind of Sleeping Beauty Syndrome for Mc! Which is an extremely rare condition that causes intermittent episodes where you sleep for long periods of time, which prevents you from staying awake during the day (hypersomnia). This would explain why Sliver is always sleepy, and also what Lilia could not find a cure for it! Mama loves her baby Sliver, but understands if he wants nothing to do with her at all even if she does want to be in his life again...

Female reader, obviously. Low-key made this a Lilia x reader fic lol.

It all started with an arranged marriage when you were 18. Your rich family from the Queendom of Roses were somehow in-touch with a noble family in Briar Valley, and they set up a marriage between you and their son. Upon meeting for the first time, the two of you did not get along. To put it simply, he was rather rude to you despite you both being human. Your family was forcing you into it because, and I quote, “How would you find a husband if you keep sleeping the day away?” You had sleeping spells that left you unable to do much, and your family shamed you for it.

At the wedding, you saw your now-husband slip away quietly, and when you followed him, you saw him with another woman… or three. It didn’t bother you all that much. It’s not like you loved him at all. What did bother you was that you were going to have to sleep with that STD-ridden flea bag in order to produce a child, and then you could escape this loveless marriage. However, that requires being in bed with him.

The first time you had lain with your husband, you felt absolutely disgusted. You were angry; at him, at your family for forcing you to be with him, and at the world for predestining you for this. But, you had gotten what you wanted out of it. You were pregnant, which meant you never had to sleep with that deadbeat husband of yours ever again.

Upon learning that you were with child, you contacted Queen Maleficia for help. You explained to her about your situation, and she was more than happy to help. She already had someone that the baby could go to, actually. You were basically a surrogate now. Her Royal Majesty understood that it would be no good environment for the baby if you were to stay with your husband, so she made arrangements for you to stay within the castle up until your labor and the recovery process.

Lilia was the one to hold your hand while you gave birth, actually. The Queen was making the preparations outside of the room. A nursery had been set up for the baby, and maids and servants were rushing in and out of the delivery room.

When the baby was finally born, you held him for a few moments. It was as though the world had gone quiet, because he was not crying. You weren’t crying either. Baby Silver was sleeping in your arms, and you realized that your child had inherited your condition. You trusted, however, that Lilia would not shame him for the condition as he had not shamed you. You could see the good future that Silver would have, but it would be without you.

One last kiss was placed on Baby Silver’s brow before you, with tears in your eyes and a heavy heart, handed him over to Lilia. 

“I’m sorry, my baby. It’s better off this way. Just know, I will reunite with you soon.”

That started the recovery process, where Silver would remain asleep until your departure. When you left, you left to gain the help of the Queen of the Queendom of Roses. After all, you needed the help of both queens if you were going to get out of this marriage and gain the rights of your child.

~~~~~~~~

When he was just a young boy, Silver couldn’t help but wonder where he came from. He knew that Lilia was not his biological father. After all, if he were, he would at least be half-fae, and their ears would be similar. No, he was fully human. The knight-in-training was very observant. Plus, there was his condition to consider. The man who he came to call his ‘father’ did not have it, and from what he had read it was a genetic condition.

The only thing he has from his mother or father is a letter containing just three words. It isn’t signed, but he knows it’s from one of his biological parents:

“My dearest Silver.”

He had many questions about his parents: Were they kind? Did they know how to cook? Where were they? What did they do? Why did they give him up? 

That last question wasn’t one out of sadness or spite. He genuinely wanted to know. He is sure they had a good reason. From what Lilia had told him, which was very little and very vague, you gave him up because you wanted him to have a better life. A better life compared to what alternative?

“When you’re older, Silver, I will tell you everything. Just know that your mother loves you very much,” Is what Lilia often told him. This answer frustrated him, and he wanted to know more. But, the former General would just brush his questions away.

~~~~~~~~

“Is everyone ready?” Here we are, a few years later. Silver was a second year at NRC, and the Briar Valley crew was going to head back home for Winter Break. He made sure that he had everything he needed, and he made sure to say farewell to Yuu and Grim before going through the mirror. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t go home to visit, but maybe they could enjoy their stay at NRC?

Anyways, everything was just as Silver had left it. His room looked exactly the same. The days were exactly the same. The training post was exactly the same.

…So why did something feel different?

The air was more sombre than he remembered. Typically, there were festivals held in Briar Valley, or there was something happening in the palace. However, the maids and servants were whispering amongst themselves as he made his way to the prince’s chambers. Gossip did tend to spread, so he wondered what the latest piece of gossip was.

“Silver, follow me. Your presence is required in the throne room.” Malleus met him in the hallway, surprising the knight. His tone was serious, and he nodded before trailing after the dragon fae.

~~~~~~~~

“I apologize for taking so long, Your Majesty, General Lilia. A marriage of this sort hasn’t really happened within the Queendom of Roses.”

“It’s quite alright, Y/N. I am just happy that you are out of that dreadful marriage. I apologize that you had to go through something like that anyway!” Queen Maleficia exclaimed.

“I’m sure you would have been here if you could, Y/N,” Lilia smiled as he said it to you.

A knock on the large door to the throne room echoed, making you jump a bit. It had been 17 years since you have been in the Briar Valley Palace, and for that you regretted every second of it. You have kept yourself away from your son just so you could get a divorce, but you missed all of his firsts: his first word, his first step, his first real food, his first day of school, etc.

The door opened, and a guard was followed by Prince Malleus and Silver. You could recognize that hair and those eyes from anywhere. They were your baby’s. You let out a gasp, and your eyes immediately started to tear up.

“Your Royal Highness, Malleus Draconia, accompanied by Sir Silver,” The guard announced, as though you needed an introduction. You quickly stood up and walked over to the pair, hands shaking as you reached out to touch your son’s face.

“Silver,” Queen Maleficia started to say, “Malleus, this is Silver’s mother.”

Tears made their way from both yours and Silver’s eyes. Your hands met the sides of his face, and his hands immediately went to cover yours. This is what the both of you have been wanting for years now.

“My dearest Silver…” Upon hearing those words, Silver broke down in a full sob as he wrapped his arms around your frame. You returned the favor, holding your son close to you. It has been too long, truly.

“My dearest mother.” Were the first words he uttered to you, and you couldn’t be happier in your entire lifetime.

If time could stop, it would have stopped right there. However, he pulled away after a few moments before turning to Lilia, who had walked up to the two of you. He was in his army-day getup, dressed as a former General would be.

“This isn’t some cruel prank, is it, father?” He asked, wondering if he was going through another one of his sleeping spells. 

“I assure you that it is not, my dear boy.” Lilia pulled the knight into an equally affectionate hug. The three of you were crying, and you turned to give the bat fae a hug as well in gratitude.

~~~~~~~~

You and Silver decided that, in order to bond a little, it would be best if the two of you went on a walk with one another. So, you were taking your time in going through the palace gardens.

The 17-year-old knight had so many questions to ask you, and you were very happy to answer any that he had. The first was about his condition.

“Mother, do you have the sleeping condition that I have? Are you where I get it from?”

“Yes, you inherited it from me. Your grandparents from my side in the Queendom of Roses did not like that I had it.”

“What were my grandparents like?”

“Well, from my side, they forced me into a marriage with your father. However, from your father’s side, they were very kind to me. They actually helped with the divorce process.”

“Why did you and my father get a divorce?”

“That is a story for another time. Just know that it was why I kept myself from seeing you because I knew that it was not a good environment for you to grow up in.”

“Is he why you gave me away?” You stopped in your tracks to look at your son, and his eyes held both anger and sadness. You reached your hands up once again to cup his face, your face straight but emotional.

“I did not give you away. I never wanted you to think that, Silver. I wanted to give you your best chance, and that was not with me by your father’s side. Because he hailed from Briar Valley and I hailed from the Queendom, the process got complicated and I had no choice. If I left anybody intentionally, it was him and not you.

“Lilia raised you to be a good man and a good knight to the prince, and he did not judge you for our sleeping spells. You made it to Night Raven College with him guiding you. Your father would have tried to prevent you from reaching success just as he did with me. I was in college myself, studying to become a doctor and maybe find a cure for my… our condition.”

Silver was in deep thought, and you couldn’t read his face. Then he nodded before continuing to walk. 

“What was my father like?”

“I don’t really know how to describe him. He valued his work and he did not value family as much as he should have. He was the son of one of the very few human noble families within the Briar Valley. I’m trying to think of a way that doesn’t impact you negatively, if I’m being honest.”

“I would rather have your honest opinion. I am nearly an adult, and I am a knight now. I should be able to handle it.”

“Well, on our wedding day, I saw him in bed with a few other women, so that was not a very good impression at all. I hadn’t met him before that day, actually. Now, he is where you get your silver hair and auroral eyes. However, from the letters Lilia has sent me throughout the years, you seem to have gotten my personality as well as the Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.”

Silver nodded, looking forward before starting to speak again.

“I waited for as long as I could remember for some other form of communication. I don’t even have any last name. Not yours, not my father��s, not even Lilia’s. Why didn’t you ever send me another letter? Why didn’t you address the one I had received?”

“I didn’t want you looking for me. You don’t have your father’s name because I didn’t want you looking for him either. I do not know why Lilia didn’t give you his last name. You might have to ask him.”

“All my life I have asked the old man many questions about my parents, but he didn’t give me any information aside from that you were beautiful, that you loved me very much, and that you let me go to give me the best chance I could have.”

“I don’t know about the first one, but the other two were correct,” you giggled. Lilia had always been a bit of a flirt towards you, especially during your pregnancy. Even through the letters he had sent, there was always a bit of a flirtatious attitude. “I do love you very much, Silver.”

“I love you too, mother. And for the record, you are very beautiful. All of what Lilia has told me would be correct.” You turned to look at him and he also had a smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~

“Wait… so, what you’re informing me, Waka-sama, is that after 17 years, Silver’s mother finally appeared. How do we know she is his true mother?” 

Sebek could not believe this. He has known Silver his entire life, and only now does any of his parents reach out. He sat with Lilia and Malleus in front of him in one of the many rooms of the palace. He placed himself on the chair at a table within the room, holding his head in his hands as he tried to retrace everything that the two had told him.

“Because, silly, I have met her before. One would say that I’ve even loved her before,” Lilia was still in his mature form when he said this. The former general was there from the beginning. He was at your wedding because the family had history in the military of Briar Valley. That was when he found himself entranced by you.

The reputation of the man you were wed to was less than desirable, and his family was mostly just desperate to get him married to somebody. They opted for someone who didn’t know about the guy, so they decided to choose a family of high standing from another realm.

He remembers the day you came to the palace, a slight bump visible under your gown. You had a cloak on to conceal your identity, and he was the one who answered the palace gate. Tears were running down your face, and Lilia immediately took you inside to get you warmed up.

Malleus remembers that day as well. He was also at your wedding, and while he didn’t talk with you much because you were very quiet, he could tell that you were very nice. He was still awake at the time you had entered the castle, and he listened along with his grandmother about your issues. He also saw the almost murderous amount of anger in Lilia’s eyes.

Anyway, back to the present, Sebek was having a hard time grasping everything that was happening. Then, he stood up.

“Would it be appropriate if I were to go see her?” He asked.

“I have no doubt that it would be very appropriate. I expect her to drop by your domicile later because she is well acquainted with your father. As humans hailing from Briar Valley, they connected, and I believe your father was her dentist when she resided here,” Malleus explained.

Suddenly, the crocodile was overcome with even more shock; His father knew you?? How come he had never informed him or Silver of anything about you?

“Your mother knew her too. The two were actually quite good friends, if I remember correctly…” Lilia trailed off in thought, trying to remember if what he said was actually true.

Then, Sebek passed out from the overwhelming feeling of this bombshell that was dropped on him.

~~~~~~~~

When you had returned from your walk with your son, you were met with Lilia extending his arm to you. You looked towards Silver and he nodded his head at his father figure before walking off. So, you accepted the fae’s arm and began walking with him.

“How was your conversation?”

“It went exceedingly well, Lord Vanrouge. He had so many questions, and I answered each one he had.”

“That is good to hear, darling. I’ve missed you very much, as you’ve probably guessed by now,” Lilia stopped in his tracks as he slipped his arm from yours to bring your hand to his lips and place a kiss upon your knuckles.

You couldn’t help but feel a tad flustered, but a smile graced your lips as you leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek.

“I’ve missed you too, Lilia.” Said fae smiled in return as he once again extended his arm for you to take, and you began walking again.

“By the way, Lady Y/N, young Sebek would like to see you. He’s Dr. Zigvolt’s youngest son, 16 years old. A meeting has been arranged at their abode.”

“That sounds lovely! It’s been a while since I’ve visited the Zigvolt’s. From what I remember, I have only met their older son and daughter.”

~~~~~~~~

It was in the evening when the gathering was, and you, Lilia, and Silver knocked on the door to the Zigvolt’s house. The door was answered by the matriarch of the house.

“Y/N! It’s so good to see you!” She gave you a very tight hug, letting a few tears run down her face at knowing that you were alright.

Everyone went inside, and the table was set for supper. The older Zigvolt children walked up and gave you hugs as well. You remember seeing them when they were barely old enough to speak, but the memory of a half-fae is not to be underestimated under any circumstances.

“LADY Y/N! IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU AT LAST!” You turned towards the shouting voice to see a young man bowed at a perfect 90° angle. “MY NAME IS SEBEK ZIG-”

“SHUT UP! SHE PROBABLY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE!” His older sister shouted at him, bonking him on the head to try to get him to quiet down.

“Thank you for introducing yourself, Sebek,” you were trying your hardest not to laugh at the family dynamic. “It is very nice to meet you! Silver has told me many wonderful things about you, and your dedication is the first thing I see within you.”

The guy was very close to tears at your words, his heart feeling warm.

“Y/N, is that you?” You turned to see the patriarch of the household, and you greeted him with a warm hug of his own.

~~~~~~~~

Walking back to the palace, Lilia lingered behind you and your son so that you two could continue talking with one another. After all, you had only one question for him.

“Silver, I know I have not been present in your life, and I hope you can come to understand the reasoning behind it. However, I am finished with my education and I will be working alongside Dr. Zigvolt as a doctor in Briar Valley. I wanted to ask you something, if you wouldn’t mind.” Your nerves were at an all-time high, not sure how you should phrase your question.

“What is it, mother?”

“Would you still want me in your life? I know you’re almost an adult, and I missed every single milestone of your life. I will understand if you don’t want me to-”

“Yes, please.”

“...What?”

“I said yes, please. I would love to have you in my life. But, how will Lilia take it?”

“He knows, honey. That’s why he’s behind us. I believe there is a way where it could work out…” and suddenly, you were being hoisted up into the fae’s arms in a bridal carry. You let out a squeal as Silver smiled at the shenanigans of his parental figures.

Yeah, he knew that Lilia had been smitten with you for a while now. Throughout his childhood, he has had the pleasure of hearing a story be told and retold, and he understands that it was a metaphor for Lilia’s love for you.

“There once was a princess, as beautiful and as kind as could be. Her voice would draw in fauna of all kinds. However, she was afflicted with a curse. She couldn’t stay awake.

“Her family was horrible to her, calling her names because of her curse. All she ever wanted to do was help people like her, but the family wanted to continue their bloodline. So, they married her off to a noble from a distant land.

“The wedding was a party to remember, but in the audience was a soldier, smitten with the princess. From that point on, he swore to himself that he would protect her until the world ends. Even then, his dying breaths would be used to serve her instead of himself.

“She eventually fell pregnant with a child, and she went to the castle to seek the aid of the Queen of this distant land. There, her unborn child received a blessing, and the soldier took care of her for the nine months following. He was at her beck and call; whatever she wanted, he took it upon himself to acquire it for her.

“It was in her 6th month where the two shared their first kiss. She had been working hard to try and separate herself from her husband, as she never loved him. Instead, she found herself in love with the soldier. His kindness and the stories he had to share of camaraderie and bravery on the battlefield entranced her. She found herself being lulled to sleep each night by his voice.

“However, sleep kept them apart. Her condition extended itself because of the child taking a toll on her energy. There were days where she would sleep for days on-end. However, the soldier would not leave her side. Instead, he would keep bringing her cups of tea in case she were to wake up. Each evening, he would place a kiss upon her forehead and speak to her as though she were awake.

“The night she gave birth to her child, she was accompanied by the soldier. He held her hand, and when the baby was born, the midwife cleaned the infant and handed him to the soldier. At that moment, the soldier swore to protect both the princess and the baby with his life.”

[ladykailitha]

A Love Connection Part 4

Thank you to everyone who reached out to me about the drop in numbers. I appreciate you and will try to be patient as everyone seems to be really going through shit right now. Honestly if I wasn't a SAHM I probably would be one of those people.

In this we have Steve resigning himself to doing the game show, more of the kids, and we get to the actual game show! ka-shonk, I know!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

~

“Meow!” Odie cried at the indignity of being shoved in someone’s face.

Steve carefully wrapped his little feet so Odie would feel more supported. He stritched under his chin and Odie began to purr.

Chrissy inched forward until she was close to Steve. “Steve, he’s adorable. Where did you get him?”

“I found him in a cardboard box out by the dumpsters,” he explained, never taking his eyes off the kitten. “It was starting to snow and I just couldn’t leave him there. He was wet, and cold, and alone.”

Robin’s shoulders sagged. “Of course you can keep him, dingus. I wouldn’t have said no even without the Sword of Damocles in the form of the game show hanging over my head. He’s adorable.”

Chrissy tickled his little toes and then looked up at Steve. “Why Odie? For the name?”

Steve blushed, grateful his head was already down so they couldn’t see his blush. “A couple of reasons I guess. To honor Garfield the goldfish, for one. But also because of the coloring the cream body and brown ears is so much like Odie’s.” Just then Odie twisted and tried to leap out his arms. “And there’s the fact he very likely has only one brain cell,” he deadpanned as quickly caught the kitten before he hurt himself.

Robin snorted. “So I see.”

Steve handed him to Chrissy and he allowed himself to be subjected to her neck scratches.

“So are we forgiven?” Robin asked, shyly. “We really didn’t think anything would have come of it. Though we were really building you up, talking about how you really deserved to find love and how your luck had run to catastrophic with those you dated. We made sure be really sweet about you.”

“I think that’s another reason why they picked you, Steve,” Chrissy said, walking over to sofa to cuddle with the new kitten. “You would be a perfect opener if not season finale. All you have to do is fill out the questionnaire and then they’ll tell you when filming is.”

“You’ll need about a week off,” Robin explained on her way to the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge. “It takes two days to film the first half of the episode and a day each for the dates in the second half. Then a whole day filming the choosing ceremony or whatever the hell they call it. They just want you there two days before for interviews and legal stuff.”

Steve sighed and ripped into the bag of gummy worms. “All right, you fill it in while I dictate.”

Chrissy and Robin cheered. Chrissy opened up her phone with the email and started asking the questions.

“Why would they even need to know my measurements?” Steve huffed about half way through. He had migrated to floor where he was using a gummy worm that had fallen to said floor to tease Odie with.

“Probably for costuming,” Robin said sagely. “They just can’t let you wear anything to their show.”

Steve wrinkled his nose, but allowed them to continue. Once it was all filled out most of the bag of gummy bears were gone and he was a little exhausted by it all.

He buried his head in his hands. “Fuck me. What even is my life right now?”

Chrissy and Robin shared a glance and then slid down to the floor where he had Odie curled up on his lap. They wrapped their arms around him and just held him.

He let himself be comforted by their support.

~

New Year’s brought new challenges, especially when he learned he would have to get a sub for his class the last week in March. They couldn’t have waited a week so that he would have it off for Spring Break? Which meant he had to tell Mrs. Byers why he needed the week off. Which meant Will found out. Which of course meant the rest of the little buttheads found out about it, too.

“Do you get to decide the questions?” Mike asked, one day while they were hanging out in the AV room, Mr. Jenner finally having been fired and Steve forced to take over for the rest of the school year.

He had come to class after the winter break, drunk off his ass, stoned out of his mind, and completely trashed his classroom. Thankfully the equipment had been locked up and not subjected to his rampage.

Otherwise the school would have had to have him arrested to recoup their lost.

Mike had actually started to warm up to him after it was revealed he was going on some dating show. Steve wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he decided to count it as a blessing and move on.

“Some of them,” Steve confirmed. “The first question of what is your ideal date is standard, and is part of the game show setup, but mostly they want me to be able to answer the questions myself, and if I can’t there’s really no point in having the suitors answer them either.”

“Suitors is a stupid name,” Max huffed from the corner. She was forced to join the AV because it was the only after school program that ran on Fridays and her mom started to have to work late on those days.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah and what would call them?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Contestants or something.”

“Eh, eh!” he said sounding like a buzzer on an old game show. “Boring!”

She cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, whatever, Mr. Catch.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “I’m not sure what the would replace it with consider a lot of the other options are copyrighted due to other similar shows, but yeah. It sounds like I’m a fox and they’re the hounds.”

“What about Hitch?” Lucas suggested. “It plays on the Love Connection theme.”

Steve shook his head. “There’s an old movie called ‘Hitch’ and he’s a matchmaker. So I’m betting they didn’t go that route for that reason. Especially since this show is on its thirteenth fucking season.”

“Mr. Harrington!” Dustin scandalized. “You aren’t supposed to swear at school.”

“It’s after hours and we’re literally outside the school waiting for your parents,” Steve huffed. “Anyone here gonna rat on me?”

He looked around at the bright faces and knew that not a one of them were snitches.

When no one answered, he said, “Here, I’ll tell you what. Each of you come up with a question for me to ask my suitors and bring them by next week.”

All the kids cheered.

~

After Steve got in his questions from the kids, he sent them into the game show and most of the questions were approved. Some were simple Star Wars or Star Trek, others were fun questions like ‘what is your favorite sports team?’ to in depth questions like ‘do you consider yourself to be a good person?’ That last one was from Max. He loved that girl fiercely and only wanted good things for her.

He packed up his things and made sure that Robin would take good care of Odie. He was going to miss the little furball.

He was flown out to LA where the show was filmed. He was shown to a fancy hotel where he would be spending the week. He was told that the suitors were in other hotels are around the city so that they didn’t meet accidentally before the taping.

Steve’s first day was with legal and how much money he would be making for his appearance on the show. It was roughly three thousand dollars to make up for the fact he had to take time off from work. Other than that it was all about them footing bill for all his meals and lodging during his stay.

He wouldn’t get the money until it aired, which he thought was bullshit, but it was whatever.

Robin had been right about the measurements as they gave him a lot of clothes to chose from. Then whatever he picked would be doubled so that he could look the same on both filming days. Then he would have special date night outfits that would be picked based on where they were going for the date.

All in all not a bad gig. Steve definitely preferred teaching though.

Then they did all the pre-show interview stuff the next day. He got to talk about his school and the kids he taught. He got to talk about Robin and Chrissy and his adorable new kitten Odie. That part wasn’t so bad.

Then it was time for the first day of taping.

He got dressed in a cream colored suit with a light blue button up shirt. The shoes and belt were nice leather, too. He briefly wondered if he got to keep the clothes. He couldn’t imagine they needed to keep them.

He wasn’t told anything about the suitors before hand, but they knew a lot about him. Which felt a little creepy if he was honest.

He sat in the ridiculous little booth he would be in so he couldn’t see the contestants. This was because they didn’t want him to judge their answers based on their looks.

The host was Bob Newby. He was one of the best parts of the show, Steve thought. He was sweet and friendly and everything wanted out a dating game style host. He was in a dark grey suit and white shirt with a red tie. A tie he was currently stroking nervously.

Steve smiled at him and Bob blushed.

“I’ve done over a hundred of these things,” Bob admitted, “and I still get nervous.”

“Well that makes me feel better about throwing up breakfast this morning.”

Bob laughed. “So this is how it will go, we will film more than questions required so we can get a good bunch of questions and answers. We will be filming out of order. The rapid fire questions first. Then half of the questions for round one today to round out filming. Then the second half of the round one questions with all of the round three questions.”

“That’s a little weird,” Steve huffed. “But it’s your show, man.”

“Trust me,” Bob said, “this way is easier to film.”

Steve just shrugged.

“You ready?” Bob asked. When Steve nodded, Bob pointed at the camera and counted down from three with his fingers.

“Hey, everyone!” Bob said. “Welcome to a brand new season of ‘Love Connection’ where we help lonely people make that special connection. This season we will be focusing on getting all those fancy letters LGBTQ+ a chance at love. We have your gays, your lesbians, your non-binary folks, your trans people, and one very special ace lady just looking for love.”

The audience politely clapped.

“I’m your host Bob Newby and today we have one very lucky catch. Steve Harrington from Hawkins, IN. He’s a middle school teacher who recently became a cat dad, to the adorable Odie.” A picture of Odie sleeping on Steve’s chest under his chin is shown on the screen behind them. “He coaches basketball and the swim team. And yes he does look hot in a Speedo!” A picture of Steve in a blue Speedo and wearing a white jacket and his whistle.

Steve decided he was going to murder Robin and/or Chrissy for that photo alone. Especially when the crowd goes wild, complete with wolf whistles.

“He enjoys watching sports, swimming, and reading in his spare time,” Bob continued. “He has tried everything to get a partner in this hellscape we call modern life, apps, bars, clubs and not just the ones with a dance floor and sick beats. So he came to us, so let’s see if we can match him to any of our suitors.”

The audience clapped again.

“Suitor number one,” Bob said, “why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself.”

“Hi, I’m Billy,” the first voice said, “I’m a professional surfer with a ton of sponsors. I’m the most decorated surfer both nationally and internationally. I like sex, sex, and more sex. Just kidding. I like other things too. I’m a big car guy and a bit of a foodie, too.”

Steve was grateful that they can’t see him because Bob and he shared an exasperated glance.

“Suitor number two,” Bob said. “Tell us about yourself.”

“Hey, I’m Tommy,” the second voice said, “I’m an investment banker at a prestigious company. I like sports, traveling, and deep sea fishing.”

Steve tilted his head and nodded. Not bad. He wasn’t sure about the whole investment banker thing, but the rest sounded good.

“And last but not least, Suitor number three,” Bob said, “tell us about you.”

“Hello!” the third voice said brightly, and Steve could almost picture a dorky little wave to go with it. “I’m Eddie. I’m a music producer with my own studio. I like heavy metal, all things nerdy, and camping.”

Steve smiled fondly. He sounded a lot like Dustin. He could only hope this didn’t have the ego to match.

“All right, everyone!” Bob said with a winning smile. “Let’s begin the Love Connection!”

~

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: CLOSED

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @dreamercec @wheneverfeasible @themoonagainstmers @garden-of-gay @little-birch-boy

[alwaysakin]

The Vampire Diaries Universe Fic Recs

Once again putting my unhealthy amount of fanfic knowledge to good use. Here's my list (non-exhaustive) of the best vampire diaries & originals fanfics. Includes Klaroline, Bamon, Kolvina, and more.

Bamon Fics

Before I Take My Flesh Away by Orig1n - the fic where Bonnie and Damon are comically bonded, and she hops around in his timeline pre (and during) the series. Tragically unfinished, but completely incredible! Kudos for developing Stefan and Damon as brothers and making me not hate Lily Salvatore. Also love the Arthurian lore.

if you love me (don't let go) by sarcastic_fina - this is a heartbreaking deconstruction of Bonnie and her victim mentality, and shows the strength of not only her romantic relationship with Damon, but her friendships with Caroline, Matt, and Tyler. So sad, but so good!

Bloodstone by cactusfinch - Bonnie time travels to 1864 (with all the problems entailed). Her relationship with Damon is done well here, and her friendship (sort of!) with Katherine is fun as hell.

rest for the wicked (hope for the weary) by castelia - Damon and Bonnie go on a road trip together after the prison word. I am a sucker for mutual pining, and this fic does it so well!

Fifty-Five Years by turningofflights - written from Elena's perspective, after she reads Bonnie's diary entries and learns how Bonnie and Damon fell in love. A bittersweet, believable love story for Bonnie and Damon.

Other Bonnie Bennett Ship Fics

The Edge of Night by Szajnie - a crossover between season 3 of the Originals and season 7 of the Vampire Diaries, where Bonnie goes to New Orleans. She's absolutely in her element here as the most powerful New Orleans witch, takes the supernatural world by storm, and everyone has a happier ending because of it (including her!). Absolutely love her friendships with Davina, Vincent, and Freya, and shout-out for being the only fic to make me care about Cami! Truly, this is great. The NOLA gang is the family Bonnie deserves, and the Bonnie/Klaus is so believable.

Kai Parket Screwed Us (Until Bonnie Bennett Screwed Him) by hysteriaww - exactly what it sounds like. Bonnie shows up to help Josie and Lizzie deal with the prison world and her and Kai's insane relationship weirds everyone out. Deals with the Gemini Coven in a really interesting way. Hilarious, and with mild Damon and Alaric bashing. BonKai.

Season One, Epsidoes One-Three by BorgiaBabe - a rewrite of the first three episodes of TVD with Bonnie as a proper main character. Her love interest is a softer Kai, and it's great! Bonnie really deserves better.

the night light hits off, turning kisses to bites by donutworry - an insane, dark, twisted Bonnie and Kai romance, where they're the only ones in the prison world from the start. I absolutely love the Gemini Coven lore in this fic.

Klaroline Fics

Make them bow by for_darkness_shows_the_stars - Klaus appears in season 1 of the vampire diaries. it's Klaroline, but still super gen, and all the characters get their own compelling arcs in it. Especially love the way Elena and Stefan are written.

One of A Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers by Phandancee74 - Caroline is an ancient nymph who was erased from memory by Malivore. She still helps the Mystic Falls gang out (and her relationship with Bonnie is great)! The Klaus/Caroline is angsty and lovely.

Calling on a Friend by Phandancee74 - 5 year old Josie gets Klaus's number. Shenanigans ensue. Short and cute as hell.

Sanctuary in their Hearts by thatsanotherlovestory - Caroline leaves before the season 8 wedding, and heads to New Orleans with Klaus. A fun story, but still so sad Bonnie didn't get her happy ending in it. The twins are so cute in this.

Let's do the Time Loop again! by kcatdino - on the night of the sacrifice, both Klaus and Caroline get stuck in a time loop. It's so funny to watch them get more and more deranged.

sweet present of the present by VintageLilac - it's Caroline, not Rebekah, who raises Hope while New Orleans is at war. I absolutely love Katherine in this fic, and though Hayley gets the short end of the stick it's written quite well.

The Wolf by Yokan - a witch version of Caroline is the one pregnant with Klaus's baby in the originals. And while season 1 doesn't change a lot because of it, the later one's definitely do! I love the Klaus and Caroline relationship, and Caroline & Elijah friendship.

Elena Gilbert-Centric Fic

The stars were brightly shining by adlyb - a fic where Elena is pregnant with Klaus's baby. It's so hard to describe! A little twisted, a little sweet, and a thorough depiction of Elena's mental state.

The Forgotten by MissNMikaelson - Elena time travels and gets dropped in the middle of Klaus and Kol's war in New Orleans, circa 1914. The flashback scenes in the fic are great! Eventual Kol/Elena.

blame it on the stardust by allwritenow - the fic that looks into if Elena's doppelganger nature affected her more. And a truly beautiful Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena friendship.

Off by a Single Degree by Tarroko - when Elena's phone dies, Damon walks her home and never compels away her memories, and her parents never die. This softer, sweeter Elena is so believable, and I love the way canon immediately shifts. Amazing development of her parents, Anna, and Enzo. Delena.

Katherine Pierce Centric Fic

afflictions eclipsed by glory by passionesque - in 1864, right after the fire in Mystic Falls, Elijah finds Katherine. They team up together against Klaus. This deals with Katherine's trauma and cunning so well! A slow build to Elijah/Katherine, involving him acknowledging his faults.

General Mystic Falls Gang Fics

in another life (i would let you go) by sarcastic_fina - Elena wakes up in a world where she isn't the doppelganger and no one knows her. An interesting deconstruction of the affects she's had on her friends.. Manages to be both Elena-bashing and sympathetic at the same time. Minor Steroline and Bamon.

Originals Family Feels

It All Comes Crumbling Down by AlwaysAkin - can I do a self-rec? I'm doing a self-rec. Hope is born a century earlier, and grows up in New Orleans with the Mikaelsons. I'm particularly proud of my Hope-Marcel bond and young!Hope voice in this one.

A Twist Through Time by fandom_lover_101 - Hope is sent back in time to the Vampire Diaries season 3. She messes everything up. Absolutely love the slow Hope & Klaus relationship built here, and her friendship with Elena is cute too. Minor Klaroline, Delena, and Handon.

Always & Tomorrow by Viretta - another tragically unfinished fic. Set after Hope jumps into Malivore in Legacies, it involves the dead Mikaelsons being resurrected, and the kids from the Salvatore School travelling to New Orleans (with a newly activated tribrid Hope). This is a Mikaelson family story in the bloodiest, best way. Has Handon and Klaroline in addition to the canon originals couples.

if no one in the entire world cared about you (did you really exist at all?) by nevermore_evermore - Elijah is erased from the minds of everyone he loves. Kol is (eventually) there to help him through it. An interesting take on Elijah's place in the family.

A Million Mistakes by mon-amour-eternel - a fic where Caroline is also an original, and her and Klaus are Marcel's parents. Sadly unfinished, especially considering the rarity of Marcel-centric fic!

But Stand Brave, Life-Liver by crownjrose - A Hayley-centric fic! Her foster parents come to New Orleans and see the way her life turned out. Interesting closure for Hayley, and a sweet Klaus/Hayley relationship.

Kolvina Fic

(finally) you and me are the lucky ones by yorkes - a long one-shot where Kol and Davina are soulmates. It's cute as hell! And Kol and Davina really grow into each other in this one.

The Vixen and the Fox by BlueBooThalassophile - be warned, this read is long as hell. But it's also great. Davina time travels to the Vampire Diaries season 4, gets involved in the fight against Silas, and everything goes sideways immediately. Love Davina's friendship with Hayley and bond with Marcel in this one. Every character in both shows appears in this one.