#I feel like there is significant comedy potential there

[troius]

The "fear" they're discussing here is As Nodt...but it's not, not really.

From the moment he adopted her, Rukia lived her life in fear of her brother. He'd elevated her to her new station in life, but from her perspective, he could take it away just as easily-- and she'd be left even worse off then before he ripped her away from her place in the academy, and her only friend in the world. And this never got any better, because Byakuya, either intentionally or because it's just his nature, kept a maximum of emotional distance from her. Until the worst of all possible fears was vindicated, and he was the arresting officer for her capital crime, facilitating her execution.

And then that changed. And as much as Byakuya rightly credits Ichigo for opening his eyes on the whole having-your-sister-killed thing, I think his feelings in Soul Society went beyond shame at having neglected his fraternal obligations. He saw in Rukia someone who bravely faced down an obviously unfair death sentence, who inspired Ichigo and Renji to fight Byakuya at his own elevated level.

And in the time since...he really has worked to be the brother that he wasn't in the past. He shared with her his most painful memories, he hosted her human friend in his home, he helped her (and his own lieutenant!) completely disobey the captain-general's orders, and he placed a priority on her safety whenever she's been in danger.

And now he asks her to defeat the enemy who last defeated him. Fear may be born from insecurity. But with Byakuya's confidence behind her...Rukia isn't insecure at all.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The girls are plottinggggg

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[thecheshirerat]

On TAZ-

Wow that sounds like I’m about to summarize some sort of discourse but I promise I’m not. I guess I’ll say that I really like this show and I will keep listening even if my worst fears come to pass, so keep that in mind!

For reference, I started listening near the end of Amnesty.

I’ve noticed, with the past few arcs- really since Ethersea- the narratives have just… not been fulfilling their promises, so to speak. They’ve been placing a lot of guns that don’t go off. What I mean by that is, the characters are great. Excellent, really. Lady Godwin? HELL YES. Emerich Dreadway? Fuck yeah! And so on! And the settings and premises have been epic- the goofiness and also horrifying nature of Engrave, the mad and thrilling world of Steeplechase- these things are COOL AS FUCK.

and then the actual narratives keep flopping?

And honestly, I notice it most in the endings, because you can really tell when an ending doesn’t land. You feel the sense of disappointment. But with vs. Dracula, for example, I could kinda see leading up to it that the ending couldn’t really BE anything special, because they lowkey didn’t set themselves up for it.

They spent the campaign fucking around in Engrave, finding clues and solving problems and not really experiencing any particularly meaningful character arcs or growth or, idk, forming relationships? So there wasn’t much to pay off, I’m not gonna lie!

Of course it doesn’t feel quite as dissatisfying when you’re in the thick of it, because they’re funny and the stuff is cool and- oh hey! Lady Godwin’s been turned into a werehorse against her will?? that’s got some real potential for a LOT of allegories and exploration of some fun character development! And then it’s kinda played as a joke. And then they do that again and again.

And they actually said that that was a move they made intentionally, in the TTAZZ. I’m not quoting them perfectly here, this is from memory, but I do remember them mentioning that they wanted lighthearted comedy without the burden of real life story stuff. And I get that, honestly, but… it’s not the choice I would’ve made. I do think you can keep a lighthearted tone while also, idk, forming relationships and wholesomely engaging with some amount of emotion. And sometimes going way too deep is funny as a tone shift!

But I digress. One thing that’s also popped out to me is the almost complete lack of any kind of romantic storyline or even references. This becomes obvious if you’re in a fandom because everyone is always dying to ship SOMEONE, and you can tell when people are really getting desperate. I don’t blame them for not wanting to roleplay romance with their family, and I do think stories lacking romance are COOL and SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED!

However if you can’t find ANYBODY to ship together… that may mean you just don’t have character bonds. The growing popularity of the PC polycule is interesting to me; I wonder if it’s partially because

a) none of the pcs have significant relationships outside of their party and

b) even within the party, there doesn’t seem to be much chemistry between any given pair of characters…? I hope I’m making my point well here- the PCs all seem equally close and have more or less the same relationship to all of their compatriots with little distinction, meaning, essentially, no shipping fodder that doesn’t involve just all of ‘em.

Either way, it makes me wonder if I can blame the “Graduation has too many NPCs!” critique. They really stopped giving the parties tag-along main NPCs after graduation, with the exception of maybe.. Urchin? Kodira? Shlabethany? Poppy? and even they get relatively little “screen” time. Steeplechase has great NPCs, I love them to death, but none of the PCs seem to ever have one on one conversations with NPCs or each other that do not explicitly focus on the plot. And I think that’s part of why the characters feel so underdeveloped despite having spent a lot of time with them- because in this character-driven genre, we get very little insight into their feelings or motivations or even their rudimentary backstories.

I started watching Fantasy High recently and it made me realize a couple things about TAZ.

1) Recently, TAZ has sooo few core NPCs, and it’s weird that the characters aren’t doing more one-on-one purely character based scenes. And that makes it really tough to develop them.

2) TAZ is- and I should have realized this before- one of many good dnd podcasts. They’re probably looking for a niche they can master.

And it sounds like they’re trying to get back to that old “Here there be Gerblins!” energy. They’ve referenced it so many times in recent TTAZZes- they wanted to be job-focused, allowing story stuff to happen organically, so they tried a more open world vibe with Ethersea. They wanted to be less afraid to kill stuff, so they tried playing criminals (and were still afraid to kill stuff). They wanted to be silly and light on character, as they tackled with taz vs dracula. Now they’re trying to bring in the silly cartoon vibe with Abnimals. I think they’re trying to make that family-friendly, funny and goofy show their niche. Something other actual plays can’t be better at them at.

And honestly it kinda makes me sad, that they keep trying to go back to Balance while ignoring everything they learned during it. Because I loved Dust. Because I loved Amnesty. Because I loved Ethersea. I loved these past arcs! But they keep doing their brilliant characters dirty for some reason!!! And i don’t know why!!!!

You know that meme about people who ask questions in movies and then the person responds “Have you ever been to a movie before? You watch them and the information is revealed.” There have been so many times in TAZ recently where information has Not been revealed and if they keep doing it the audience will stop bothering to suspend their disbelief, because the trust just isn’t there.

What is Montrose’s deal? What on earth was Carmine Denton’s whole thing? Tell me more about Zoox’s feelings, about Devo’s past, about Amber’s future. Show me how Lady Godwin feels about the body horror that is her life- like, seriously! WHY DID WE HAVE TO COMPLETELY DISMISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS GENERATIONAL TRAUMA IN MUTT’S LIFE FOR A JOKE??

Do you remember in Steeplechase where the boys were getting medical attention or something- i don’t remember, but they were all in one room and only talking about The Plot. And Poppy literally banged on the door (speaking for both Justin and me, tbh) and was like “does anyone want to share any feeeeelings??” and they were like NOPE! and they moved on!!

like. cmon. you can’t just put a character like montrose out there and then leave them severely underdeveloped to the point that what would be interesting in proper context, with audience insight, becomes confusing and chaotic.

I just wish they would take their stories as seriously as we do.

It feels to me like they don’t believe in themselves, and it makes me sad. Maybe they didn’t get the response they wanted from Ethersea and so they’ve been trying to pivot, hoping to recapture whatever it was that earned them a loyal audience.

Again, I love them. They’re so funny and I’ll keep listening until the day they stop making this show, and when it happens I’ll cry.

But i KNOW they have more in them. Remember the “we’ll grow gills” monologue from Justin in the Prologues? Remember Travis’s SOLID acting with Devo? Or his awesome choice to give Lyndon/Beef a clearly delineated work/irl identity? His excellent narration and prose? Remember when Montrose described being lonely?! Remember all those moments where Shit Got Real and you cared??? The nanofather said some dope shit! dracula and victor and sweater dracula had such a wild dynamic! Clint’s acting in Dust 2- I can’t remember the characters name right now- was ASTOUNDING, I genuinely didn’t know he had that in him and it blew me away!

I’m not referencing Balance on purpose, both because the fandom is way to hung up on it and because I want to prove that you don’t even have to look at Balance, or even Post-Balance arcs, to see this kind of good cool stuff!

GAAAAAAAGHHHH!!! I want them to have fun. But also. We’re starving out here.

[supercalifragipopculturevomit]

A GUIDE THROUGH DANIEL BRÜHL'S FILMOGRAPHY

Now that I’ve gone through most of Daniel’s works, I thought this table might help those who are about to embark on the same obsessive journey I began months ago. I have no intention of spoiling anything, I’m only hoping this will provide someone a good idea of what to expect and help them in the selection process. Like, All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent film but I wouldn’t want to watch that when I’ve had a really shitty day and I just need something light and dumb.

I do a 1 to 10 rating to make it as precise and objective as possible but know that some areas will be subject to my personal taste, factors like the mood I was in while watching it, and the oft-faulty machine that is my memory.

Before I get into the sections, let me quickly paint a picture of my personal taste. From Daniel’s works, my top 3 are Rush (2013), Goodbye Lenin! (2003), and Inglorious Basterds (2009). If we get into favorite films of all-time, it would include Parasite (2019), Before Sunrise (1995), When Harry Met Sally (1989), Atonement (2007), A Quiet Place (2018), Amélie (2001), The Dark Knight (2008), Arrival (2016), and Past Lives (2023). I’m always down for a dark comedy, an epic drama/romance, and a psychological thriller.

Now that's out of the way, onto the TABLE SECTIONS:

ROLE PROMINENCE – how much do you see of Daniel in this film? And, no, this has nothing to do with his ass—though that is always a welcome sight.

IMPORTANT – do we learn something from this movie? Are there interesting concepts being explored? Is it relevant? Does it carry a significant message, however obvious? Is it a career highlight for Daniel? These are the considerations for this category.

PAINFUL – are the themes dark and heavy? Is it stressful to watch? Is Daniel tortured into a pulp? Does it tug at your heartstrings? Is the movie deliberately cringey and embarrassing? This section covers a wide spectrum, so you must refer to the other sections to infer if it’s worth the pain. I have a high tolerance for violence and dark humor, what pains me is a plot that goes nowhere, a poor script, or a movie that wastes so much potential. How invested I am with the story and the characters also has a bearing on my rating. For instance, I feel zero empathy for Chris in Cargo because he's an idiot who had it coming.

WATCHABLE – does it hold your attention throughout? Is it enjoyable? Is it something you can watch over and over again? I have to stress that this section is sometimes influenced by my expectations of a movie and, often, by what I need in that moment.

ADDITIONAL NOTES – here I try to add factors that might have affected my viewing experience, further insight into my rating, and other vital (or not-so-vital) information.

p.s. didn't bother watching 2 Days in Paris and 2 Days in New York because I knew he only had a cameo in those.

OTHER RELATED BLOGS:

The Best of Daniel Brühl 5 Types of Daniel Brühl Characters In search of Daniel Brühl movies?

[bengiyo]

Century of Love: A Muddled, Pretty Mess

Century of Love is a somewhat difficult show for me to rate. On the whole, I have to say that the final four episodes squander a lot of the fun and potential of the earlier episodes, leaving this to be a fundamentally unsatisfying, somewhat-incomplete project. Century of Love is another show where I find myself struggling with the idea of what the show could have been beside the reality of what it actually was. Thus, despite finding the show visually pleasing and sometimes-fun, it’s honestly rather forgettable now that it’s passed.

Rating: 7, Recommended With Serious Reservations

Runtime: 10 60+ minute episodes

Country: Thailand

Network: Netflix, One 31, oneD

Availability: GagaOOlala

Century of Love is about a man named San (Daou Pittaya), who has lived for a century in search of the reincarnation of his murdered love. Accumulating wealth for his family and receiving their care, they’re anticipating the seminal moment in which San will finally find Vad (Cookie Yada) again. In this case, all measurements indicate that Vad has been reincarnated as one of the most beautiful boys ever in Vee (Offroad Kantapon), and San has to unlearn his own internalized homophobia and presumptions if he doesn’t want to suffer a painful death. He must connect with Vee, and stave off attempts to steal the magic stone that’s kept him alive for a century. 

The show blends romance, drama, action, and comedy really well in the first few weeks of viewing, but then takes a steep nosedive over its final arcs. I want to talk about some of the things I enjoyed in this show before I criticize the back half too much. User @flowerbeasblog covers the significance of this as a queer lakorn airing in a primetime slot in their post. We also know that there were serious workplace safety issues on set (@singto-prachaya), and it seems like the director has distanced himself from the project by not even posting about it.

Daou Pittaya. I loved Daou in this role. He showed real chops as an actor. I felt the entire time that he was an old man in a young body. He looked worn and tired most of the time in a way that is recognizable in elders. His training as an idol clearly helped with his ability to perform the fight choreography (limited as it was). He was also beautiful, and the costuming department was so correct to put him in shirts that shows off his collarbones in every episode. 

The Family. I loved San’s family so much. I loved that we had members of all ages calling San great grandpa the whole time, and I loved the way they teased him across the show. Juu (Xiang Pornsroung) was a standout character, and it was obvious that War Jirawat was having a great time treating Daou’s character like an elder.

Offroad Kantapon. I thought Offroad was the best part of Our Days (2022), and I liked him in Love in Translation (2023). He’s good with Daou in this show, but seems like he struggled in scenes with others. I wanna chalk that up to the storytelling confusion later.  He has great scenes with Tuk Deuntem as the grandmother that I also feel like didn’t clear up with the themes.

Let’s get into the big issues. More than anything, this show muddled its messaging about accepting death and new life. There are clear guides to this early with Vee not remembering his prior life as Vad, and asserting that he personally would move on because there’s no way the old Vad would come back. 

The Mythology. This show really cocked up its own mythology, evinced best by the multiple episodes of hot potato they played with who got the five-colored stone. I’d have rather the show focused on the relationship with the goddess than the stone as a plot device. The show sidesteps the own question it asked about whether it matters who is reincarnated as Vad by having a doppenganger lie about what she remembers, and yet the stone responded to her, too? San choosing Vee regardless is a nice idea, but the show really let me down on not resolving its own mythology when it showed that Tao could predict exactly when San would run into Vad. Also, what the fuck was the deal with Chibi San (credit to @negrowhat)? Why does he have to rejuvenate as a kid, and then that just goes away? Finally, why was Pond Ponlawit even in this show? What purpose did Third serve in this reincarnation tale? There were hints he was going to be some kind of villain, and then it’s just dropped. 

The Villains. Speaking of villains, what was the point of Chen and nephew other than to extend the show by having people trying to steal the stone? Why did Third have no role in the reincarnation tale other than to share the face with Trai? We don’t learn anything interesting about Chen and nephew before they kill each other like an SNL sketch. 

The Themes Around Death. Early on the show set up a growth arc for San to grow beyond who he was at Vad’s death. He’s literally preserved the theater she died in until she returns. Vee is dealing with the impending death of his grandmother. The grandmother makes the choice not to continue living in pain and accept the life she has, asserting that every story must come to an end for it to have meaning. Then, San lies about his own impending death only to be saved at the last minute. I just didn’t really enjoy the way they handled this at all in the end. 

Final Thoughts. I’m really glad a lot of new people got to enjoy Daou and Offroad. I also really like the way this show handled its themes around bisexuality with Vee, and San coming to enjoy the intimate relationship he built with Vee. I thought there were a lot of really fun moments in the early part of this show, especially with them giving the audience exactly what we wanted from one scene into the next one (like Vee meeting Chibi Sun immediately). I will remember the costuming fondly, and I will remember the cast. Other than that, I will probably not return to this show, and that’s a real shame because it started off as something that felt like it could be a favorite.

Hopefully they hire Daou and Offroad for the idol romance BL that @lurkingshan has been asking for.  

[arxims]

𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐊 ᶠᴼᵁᴿ

Returning to Seoul was a decision that you finally ended up in , given that it was the place where you spent your past years. Leaving your messed up past behind, you made the conscious choice to return to Seoul in order to breathe new life into your existence. Little did you know that this decision would change your life. For the good or bad. As you reconnected with an old friend from your past, you were introduced to his younger brother, whose presence became far more significant in your life in a twisted way than you thought.

Pairing : jungkook x reader 

genre/au : a lot of angst, smut, killer!Jungkook, non idol au, violence. 

Warnings : graphic depiction of violence and gore, lots of blood, mentions of rape, smut, sexual activity, toxic Jungkook, red flag Jungkook, psychopathic behavior red flag behavior, mentally disturbed characters, suicide, murder, depictions of torture, serial killing, lots of trauma, depression, criminal behavior, murderous tenancies, possible major character death, mentions child abuse and child pornography, unprotected sex, cumming, teasing, commitment issues. 

Rating : only suitable for mature readers 

Word count : 7.5 k

MASTERLIST

<previous chapter | next chapter >

"Jungkook's not here?" 

Jungkook's absence was immediately noticed by you as you entered Taehyung's home. Taehyung, visibly exhausted from a long day at work, was lounging on the couch, engrossed in a TV show. You took a seat beside Taehyung. With a weary smile, Taehyung responded, "He's out, God knows where." Over time, you had transitioned from being just a friend to feeling like a member of Taehyung's family, allowing you the privilege of entering his home without the need to knock.

As you settled in, a weight on your mind prompted you to share your concerns with Taehyung. "There's something, Tae. Something that bothers me," you expressed, your gaze shifting to the Korean comedy show playing on the screen. Taehyung, sensing the seriousness in your tone, sat up attentively and lowered the volume to listen intently. "What is it? I'm here to talk," he reassured you, meeting your eyes with a look of genuine concern.

"It's about Jungkook," you confided softly. Taehyung's protective instincts immediately kicked in as he inquired, "What about him? Did he say something?" The thought of Jungkook potentially causing you distress stirred a protective urge within Taehyung, who regarded you as a cherished younger sister. "No," you responded, "But I don't know what I am to him, Tae. He's not even giving me an answer. He loves me, he's my boyfriend. But he's not letting me make anything official.

Taehyung raised an elegant eyebrow, his curiosity piqued by the situation unfolding before him. Observing Jungkook's behavior, he couldn't help but ponder if his brother had finally found solace in a single relationship. Jungkook's constant chatter about you, both at home and elsewhere, with your name ever-present on his lips, led Taehyung to believe that Jungkook was deeply enamored with you. The intensity of Jungkook's feelings was unmistakable, mirrored in your own actions and words.

As Taehyung mulled over the situation, a furrow creased his brow, reflecting his confusion at the lack of an official commitment between you and Jungkook. "What do you mean it isn't official?" he inquired, his expression a mix of concern and bewilderment.

In response, you poured out your heart, expressing your inner turmoil. Despite being treated well and loved by Jungkook, the absence of a formal label for your relationship left you feeling unsettled. "I know he loves me and cares for me, but he hesitates to define our relationship," you confided in Taehyung, your eyes brimming with unshed tears. The fear of losing Jungkook to another woman weighed heavily on your mind, tugging at your heartstrings.

Taehyung gazed into your eyes, his own reflecting a blend of worry and contemplation. The question lingered in the air, "What is he up to?" The complexity of emotions and unspoken desires hung palpably in the air, creating a web of uncertainty and longing.

"You asked him about making your relationship official. What was his reply?" 

"He said he doesn't wanna put a label on our relationship," you sighed, feeling a sense of desperation creeping in. Despite this, you believed it was a risk worth taking. 

"All I want is to be with him, Tae. To build a life together, start a family, and grow up in a small home. That's all I yearn for," you pleaded, knowing that only Taehyung possessed the ability to navigate this situation. He was the sole individual Jungkook would listen to.

"I asked him to meet my parents and he acted like he… HeHe only loves me for sex” you gazed at Taehyung with pleading eyes, hoping for a solution. "Please, convince him to meet my parents."

Following a moment of contemplation, a glimmer of hope flickered in your eyes as Taehyung offered, "I will try. I'll try and talk to him”

It was late, almost nine when Jungkook returned after his meeting with Yoongi. He was proud of the widespread news of Hajoon's murder and echoes his glorious name - the shadow reaper. 

He slowly closed the door of the house. As he turned back, his eyes met with the figure of Taehyung with his arms crossed. “Look, We need to Talk, Kook” Taehyung's voice sounded serious, it worried Jungkook a bit considering the fact that Taehyung was rarely serious. 

“Hyung.. Talk about what?” Jungkook's eyebrow raised. “About you, (Y/N) and your relationship with her. What are you upto?” His arms uncrossed as he raised his voice slightly. A scolding tone evident. 

“What are you saying, hyung?”

“Aren't you two together?  Then why can't you just fucking meet her parents. Poor thing only asked you to make it official and You turned that down?” Taehyung spat. He clearly despises Jungkook's actions sometimes and this was one of them. 

“Because I didn't feel like it. Did she tell you about it? She came to you whining?” Jungkook talked back. He threw his coat on the couch putting his hand in his pocket. 

“The matter is. You're making her confused. If you're her boyfriend, you should act like it. You're acting like you don't even love he-”

“Because I don't. . I'm not sure about it, hyung. But I need her”

Taehyung felt like someone hit him with a brick. His eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?”

“I. Don't. Love. Her. I'm feeling something I never felt before. And I don't know what the fuck it is” Jungkook said in a whisper. Eyes piercing Taehyung's. “But Hyung, I want her. I need her. I wanna keep her. And don't you dare break the glass palace she made in her heart. Let her believe I love her. It's better. But don't force me to just meet her parents  and all that bullshit because I'm not planning to marry anyone.”

Taehyung felt his hopes breaking into pieces. He was finally at peace when Jungkook found his girl. But he was more hurt over the fact that you've been hoping for a life with Jungkook more than anything. How are you gonna take this? Jungkook cannot lie forever. One way or another, you'll know the truth. Taehyung weakly sat on the couch “I can't believe this… You've been betraying her?” Taehyung's voice rose. “No. She needs to know.” Taehyung search for his phone on the table. But before Taehyung could reach it, Jungkook picked it and smashed it on the floor. 

“You're not telling anything to anyone, Hyung. Just remember this. The day she leaves me will be the last day I'll stay sane” Jungkook warned, leaving Taehyung in utter confusion on whether to save his friend from a lifetime heartbreak or keep his mouth shut for the sake of his brother's life. He knew Jungkook didn't make empty promises. Before storming off, he said one more thing. 

“(Y/N) is mine. She'll forever be mine and whoever steps into my way, I won't hesitate to end them.”

Though Jungkook rejected the proposal to meet your parents, he agreed to come with you to Jennie's wedding. Cause you whined a lot, of course. 

“You look perfect, baby. I'm jealous” You said, fixing his shirt as his hands rested on your waist, lips inches away from yours. 

“Are you sure we have to attend this wedding? cause you look so fuckable in that red dress baby.” He stole a kiss from your lips in the conversation. 

“No Kook. Keep your dick in your pants for once. It's important” You looked back at him. His line of sight met with your chest. “After the event baby. I'll let you have me” You just feather kissed his nose. “Don't tempt me wildcat, I might take you right there infront of the guests. Bend you over nicely. You want that?”

“As much as I want it, Kookie, we can't. I can't just ruin my cousin's wedding.”

Jungkook opened the door of your side as you stepped out of the car, at the wedding venue. Jennie loved peonies. So you were the one who designed the wedding venue decorations. And you tried your best to make it the most perfect one for her special day. 

“Baby, I'll go to the bride now. Socialize, okay?” You gripped his collar and pressed a kiss on his lips. “Uh huh” He grumbled, gripping your hips, leaning to get more kisses but you pushed him away. You turned your heals. As you took a couple of steps, you turned back and mouthed “Socialize. Love you” And you went to help Jennie.

As you mingled with the guests, ensuring everything was running smoothly for Jennie's big day, you couldn't help but steal admiring glances at Jungkook from across the room. His rugged good looks and charming demeanor never failed to make your heart flutter, even after all this time together.  

Watching him , laughing and making small talk with the other guests, you marveled at how effortlessly he seemed to fit in, his charismatic persona putting everyone at ease. No one would ever suspect the insecurities and self-doubts that he had confided in you during your most intimate moments together.

Your reverie was broken by the arrival of the dashing groom, Kai, looking every bit the perfect husband-to-be in his immaculate tuxedo. As he caught your eye and gave you a warm smile, you couldn't help but notice Jungkook's expression from across the room – his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, his jaw clenching with barely contained jealousy.

You smiled back at Kai, pushing aside the brief flicker of unease you had felt at Jungkook's reaction. This was Jennie's day, and you weren't about to let anything ruin it for your beloved cousin.

"You've really outdone yourself with the decorations," Kai said as he approached. "Jennie is going to be over the moon."

A swell of pride filled your chest. "I'm just glad I could make her day even more special."

As the ceremony began Jennie made her grand entrance, resplendent in her white gown, which was also chosen by you. As Jennie and Kai exchanged their vows, you felt delighted. You couldn't help but look up at Jungkook, who's supposed to be on the altar with you, saying vows to protect and cherish you forever. You couldn't help but imagine you and him there, you in your white gown and him in his tuxedo. Holding hands. It made your toe curl. Everything was going perfect 

The reception went really well. You really enjoyed it with your friends and your man by your side. And what made you proud is you got so many compliments. Especially on Jennie's wedding venue decorations and all.It was overwhelming.

“Thank you So much (Y/N/N). Thank you for making my day special” Jennie hugged you tightly before getting into the car with Kai. You happily waved them goodbye. 

After the wedding ceremony and reception had concluded, you excitedly approached Jungkook. Since Jungkook was showing no signs of seriousness in your relationship, you decided to take the initiative. You found him in the crowd as you dragged your steps towards him, your parents in tow. This was the perfect opportunity to finally introduce the man who had captured your heart to your family.

 “Kook” You immediately hugged him, pulling back, you turned back to your parents. 

"Jungkook, these are my parents," you beamed, gesturing between them. "Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Jungkook."

The moment the word 'boyfriend' left your lips, you noticed Jungkook's expression shift. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and a muscle in his cheek twitching - telltale signs that he was struggling to contain his rising anger.

"We've heard so much about you," your mother said warmly, seemingly oblivious to Jungkook's discomfort as she moved to embrace him.

But Jungkook deftly sidestepped her gesture, his body language becoming increasingly tense and guarded. "I'm not her boyfriend," he said through gritted teeth, shooting you a pointed glare.

You felt your cheeks flush with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. Jungkook had made it clear from the day before that he didn't want labels or anything too official, but you had hoped that after meeting your parents , he might be open to taking that next step.

"We're just...seeing each other," Jungkook continued, his voice low and clipped. "No need to make it more than it is."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as your parents exchanged a bewildered look. You opened your mouth to explain, to smooth over the awkwardness, but Jungkook cut you off.

"If you'll excuse me," he muttered, already turning on his heel and stalking away.

As you watched him go, a sick feeling twisted in the pit of your stomach. Jungkook's aversion to commitment was nothing new, but the intensity of his reaction had caught you off guard.

Deep down, you knew there was more to Jungkook's behavior than met the eye. He claimed not to want labels, but his possessiveness and need to keep you close betrayed a deeper truth - he craved your love and devotion, even if he didn't fully understand the depths of his own feelings.

Jungkook was a man at war with himself, torn between his desire to possess you completely and his fear of the vulnerability that came with truly opening his heart. And as you stood there, reeling from his outburst, you couldn't help but wonder which side of him would ultimately win out.

Little did you know, the battle raging within Jungkook was far darker and more twisted than you could ever imagine. For beneath his charming exterior lurked a monster - a creature of violence and depravity that craved your light while simultaneously yearning to extinguish it forever. king 

He drew in a shuddering breath, conflicting emotions flickering rapid-fire across his chiseled features. When he finally spoke, his voice was little more than a hoarse rasp laced with a strange melancholy.

You followed Jungkook into his car before he started it and started driving to his home. You were determined to get to the bottom of his erratic behavior back at the reception. The car ride was silent as you battled with the inner emotions you felt. The whirlwind of doubts and questions you asked yourself ‘Am I wrong?’’Does he love me?’. The car pulled up into Jungkook's apartment. He swiftly left the seat and harshly slammed the door. His anger is still evident in each of his motions. 

"Jungkook, wait!" you called out as you followed him inside the home. "You can't just dismiss me like that in front of my parents." you finally decided to speak up after a silent ride. 

He wheeled around to face you, his expression thunderous. In that moment, he was practically a stranger, the warm familiarity you'd come to know and love eclipsed by clouds of anger and irritation.

"Dismiss you?" he bit out, his tone laced with derision. "I was merely being honest for once instead of playing along with this ridiculous charade."

You recoiled as if he'd struck you, struggling to process the venom dripping from his words. "Charade? Jungkook, what are you talking about?"

He closed the distance between you in two long strides, his movements almost predatory as he crowded into your personal space. You could feel the anger rolling off him in waves, mingled with undercurrents of something that made your instincts screech with warnings to flee.

"Don't act so scandalized," he sneered, lips curling into a cruel approximation of a smile. "We both know I've never claimed to want any kind of label or commitment. So why go parading me around like some kept man, hm?"

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as hurt and confusion swirled through you in dizzying eddies. This bitter, unforgiving stranger was a far cry from the vulnerable soul you thought you knew – the tenderhearted man you'd given every piece of yourself to.

Sensing your distress, Jungkook seemed to rein himself in slightly, his expression shifting into forced neutrality as he struggled to regain control. When he spoke again, his voice was careful, almost gentle – but you could hear the tightly leashed menace lurking beneath.

"Look, baby..." he sighed, reaching out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind your ear. "You know how I feel about...attachments. About being tied down. It's not you, it's just who I am."

You flinched instinctively at his touch, and something flickered in Jungkook's eyes – a predatory light that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you're mine," he continued silkily. "Mind, body, and soul. I just can't do titles or anything too...official. You understand, don't you, sweetheart?"

As the full weight of his words settled over you like a suffocation, you realized that there was something deeply unbalanced about the dynamic between you. Something that extended far beyond his denial to labels. 

As Jungkook moved to gather you in his arms once more, his familiar scent and the memory of his gentler embraces, you wondered if you were finally getting a glimpse of the depths he had so carefully kept hidden. About what you are to him.

If so, the truth was more twisted and terrifying than you could have ever imagined. But even as dread coiled through your veins, some deep part of your heart still clung to the desperate hope that the man you loved was still in there somewhere, fighting to re-emerge from the gathering shadows.

"You know I want you, baby. All of you, forever." He reached out, calloused fingertips grazing your cheek with an odd sort of reverence. "But husband? Father?" A harsh chuckle rattled in his chest. "Those roles...they weren't made for a man like me."

Jungkook's gaze bored into yours, intensity and haunted desolation in those depths. For a beat, his guard seemed to slip completely, allowing you a glimpse at the tempest of darkness that dwelled within.

"I'm toxic, y/n," he said, each word carrying a strange shadow of self-loathing. "Poisoned to my rotten core by demons you can't even begin to comprehend. Giving me those kinds of titles, those kinds of...expectations..." He trailed off, shaking his head as he deciphered his next words. 

"It would only end up ruining your very existence."

“Isn't that what you're doing now?”You fired back, but your rear drenched lashes canceled out the intensity in it. Jungkook raised a hand, effectively silencing you with a look that mingled tender adoration with soul-deep anguish.

"I can't be what you want, no matter how much it kills me," he said simply. "The most I can offer is myself – the broken, damaged man who needs you with an intensity that terrifies me. Beyond that..." Another weary shrug, devoid of hope or expectation. "I'm not built for picket fences and babies, sweetheart. I can only ever be a wildfire, scorching everything in my path."

As he drew you into his embrace, you felt the truth of his words like injecting into your very spirit. 

Though you knew your choice had already been made long ago, every sane impulse in you urged you toward self-preservation, a voice that repeated in your mind, begging you to save yourself from the incarnation of hellfire in front of you. And you felt the need to keep yourself away from the impending insanity you're gonna drag yourself into by staying with him. You were hopelessly, inextricably bound to the tempest of his love . 

In the end, total devastation was inevitable for you. The only open question was the extent it'll reach in the aftermath.

You pulled back abruptly before Jungkook could claim your lips in that searing, desperate kiss. His forehead creased with a fleeting look of confusion that quickly gave way to resignation as you leveled him with an unwavering stare.

"What do you mean you're not made for this?" you demanded, gesturing vaguely between the two of you. "For having a real future together? Then why did you let me believe it was possible, Jungkook? Why give me that kind of hope if you knew all along it would lead nowhere?" you finally found your brain in the mayhem of thought whirling inside you and decided to speak up. 

He opened his mouth as if to respond, then seemed to think better of it, jaw ticking as he warred with himself internally. For several endless moments, he simply studied you intently, fingers flexing at his sides in wordless agitation.

"I never lied to you, (Y/N), " he said at last, voice low and tinged with a weariness that went bone-deep. "Not about the most important things. I told you from the start that I don't do commitments or pretty fairy tale endings."

 "But you..." He trailed off, seeming to struggle against the reins of his own restraint. "You burrow so deeply under my skin, baby. Make me want things I have no business craving."

You fought the urge to lean into that scorching familiarity, too raw and off-balance to surrender so easily. You have to. You can't go back to this agonizing cycle of pain you've been going through for seven months. 

"When I'm with you, it's like the broken shards inside me piece themselves back together for a few fleeting moments," he confessed, voice dropping to a hushed rasp. "Like I could actually be the man you deserve, instead of the warped, unforgivable thing I know myself to be."

He drew in an unsteady breath, agony writ large in the taut lines of his expression. "So yeah, I let myself get caught up in the fantasy sometimes. Deluded myself into believing we could make it work against all reason and logic."

“We can make it work. If you just let me. I'll make us work. I promise” Your voice seemed tired. You just wanted him to be with you. 

Stepping in closer once more, Jungkook cradled your face between his large, calloused palms, forcing you to meet the turbulent depths of his gaze head-on.

"But the truth is, I'm a fundamentally fractured thing, (Y/N)," he said, each word etched in harsh reality. "Dangerous and selfish to my core. Giving me a wedding ring, letting me put a baby in your belly...it would only end up tainting the light I love most about you. Twisting it into something as warped and wretched as the demons that ate away at my soul from the inside out years ago."

“ I don't understand. Jungkook. Did you lose your mind?” You whispered against His thumb which skirted the plush swell of your lips, his touch feather-light yet carrying the banked heat of a thousand barely leashed desires. "I lost it a long time ago. I'm not built for a forever baby. I can only ever be ashes and ruin in the end."

As the weight of Jungkook's grim self-assessment washed over you in chilling waves, you found yourself caught between two impulses - the driving need to soothe the haunted parts of him, and the screaming instinct to cut your losses before this pain of realization manage to pull you under as well, crush you under the weight of pain, suffering and agony that your dreams have been withered in breeze. 

In that moment of reckoning, you were forced to confront the truth that the man you had poured every ounce of your limitless devotion into has never wanted to spend the lifetime with you, let alone be tamed by something as precious and fragile as the dream of family you still clung to.

Jungkook was the wildfire he had always claimed to be - beautiful in his fury, yes, but ultimately destroying all in his path to  ash if allowed to burn. And you, solely, with burning heart, decided to rescue yourself from his scotching fire which could potentially set your sanity ablaze. Only if it already isn't destabilizing. 

Tears traced  down your cheeks as the full, devastating weight of Jungkook's words finally penetrated the fabric of your naive denial. This man – this beautifully destructive force of nature you had given every piece of your heart and soul to – he was never truly yours to possess or nurture into something sustainable.

"All of it was a lie," you murmured, more to yourself than him as your vision blurred and swam. "This whole time, you let me believe we could have...everything. A real future."

Jungkook made a choked, anguished sound low in his throat, reaching for you instinctively. But you stumbled back, wrenching yourself from his touch as if it was a poisoned Thorne. 

"Don't," you bit out, mustering what little remained of your fragile composure. "I can't...not again. Not after hearing the truth straight from your lips."

He froze then, every hard line of his body going rigid as you seemed to age a thousand years before his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Jungkook rasped, each word dragged from the deepest wellspring of his shattered soul. "You have to know, hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted—"

"But you did hurt me," you cut him off, voice little more than a wobbling whisper through the maelstrom. "You just admitted to living a lie, letting me pour every ounce of myself into an illusion because facing the ugliness inside was too hard. Despite my condition. You still made me…"

A solitary, broken sound escaped him. But you couldn't bring yourself to look, to let the all-consuming intensity of his presence draw you back under before you'd found the strength to break its spell once and for all.

Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, you straightened your spine and lifted your chin, channeling every last ounce of your battered self-worth and respect. 

"This...this is the only way then," you said, each word like shards of jagged glass scoring the delicate flesh of your heart and soul. "Clearly, we want different things, Jungkook. Things you can never give me, no matter how much we might try to force it. We shouldn't...we can't see each other again," you concluded, the taste of your own damnation on your tongue. "Not after laying it all bare like this."

Pivoting on your heel, you turned away from the man you loved – the demon who had consumed you, piece by precious piece – before your resolve could splinter anew. Each step struck through you like shrapnel, until you were certain there could be no greater anguish than the sensation of having your very essence unmade. You were completely broken, each step making the pain worse. 

"No," he bit out, the single syllable ringing with the weight of something Biblical, inescapable. "You don't get to just walk away from this, from us."

You barely had time to process his meaning before Jungkook was on you, crowding into your space with the fluid, predatory grace of a big cat cornering its prey. His broad frame boxed you in against the wall, palms slamming against the plaster on either side of your head as he caged you beneath the scorching brand of his body.

"I warned you, baby," he growled, the words half snarl, half plea as his gaze bored into yours with intensity. "Tried to make you understand that I'm not made for happily ever afters and diamond rings."

Unbidden tears sprang to your eyes anew, cutting blazing tracks down your flushed cheeks. You opened your mouth – to protest or surrender, you didn't know. But Jungkook sealed his lips over yours in a punishing, soul ripping kiss before you could give voice to either decisions.  

It was anger and adoration, tenderness and possession taken to their most primal extreme. A devouring fusion of everything you had tasted in simple sips during your time as his lover, his obsession. 

When he finally wrenched himself away, you were trembling and lightheaded, the shreds of your anger all but extinguished in the wake of his unrelenting onslaught.

"I'm a force of nature, baby," Jungkook murmured, trailing a path of searing kisses along the slender column of your throat as you fought to catch your breath. "Wildfire and in my wake. I'll only ever leave you in ashes if you tie the knot with me." 

He nipped at the juncture of your shoulder, tongue laving over the heated imprint his teeth left behind in a maddening caress. "But I'll be damned if I let you slip through my fingers without taking everything you have to give first."

His voice dropped to a rasp, resonating straight to your very core. 

"That pretty, pretty soul of yours?" A low, rasping chuckle that carried more than a hint of a threat even as he peppered your swan like neck with adoring, reverent kisses. "It was mine the moment you fell into my gravity” 

White-hot lances of your fear to lose you sanity and desperate, untamed yearning licked through your veins in equal measure at the promise blazing in his eyes. 

You were his – an ember caught in the blaze he had stoked from the moment your paths first crossed. And no matter how many times the flames licked your faith and sanity to tinder, you would keep rising from the ashes, drawn back into his searing, ruinous embrace.  

Because for better or worse, Jungkook had awoken something just as wild and merciless within you. Something that recognized its perfect other half in him, two noble, tragic souls locked in an intricate perfection.   

Just as Jungkook leaned in, his lips a hairsbreadth from claiming yours in that searing, possessive kiss, you managed to summon the tattered remnants of your willpower and pull back abruptly.

"Stop this...this bullshit," you rasped, propping yourself against the wall in a futile attempt to put much-needed space between your overwrought senses and his overwhelming presence. "I can't...I can't do this anymore, Jungkook."

Your voice broke on his name, the single syllable carrying the weight of every shredded dream, every shattered promise between you. Fisting your hands in the fabric of his shirt, you met his blazing gaze head-on, willing him to see the truth laid bare.

"Don't you understand?" The words ripped from your throat in a wounded rasp. "I'll lose it. Lose myself completely if I let you pull me back under. I'm going crazy now. I can't even think properly. Stop this before I go insane"

Jungkook's expression didn't so much as flicker, that ferocious intensity pinning you in place just as surely as his body had moments before. His eyes burned, amber and smoldering, daring you to tear yourself away from the irresistible gravity of his orbit.

"You're already lost to me, baby," he murmured at last, each word a husky brand against the heated flush of your skin. "Have been since the moment I caught your scent on the night breeze and decided to make you mine."

A tremor lanced through you at the implacable vow, the delirious hunger underlying his promise. 

"I'm not some pretty little dream you can just walk away from when the night turns bleak, (Y/N)," he growled, and you felt the words reverberate through you like an electric impulse. "I'm the shadow over your heart, cast in every color of sin you've ever tasted and a thousand more you haven't even begun to name. You think you can just leave me like that?"

Try as you might, you would never fully escape the inescapable gravity of his making.

"You don't get to cut yourself free now, not after letting me inside to fester for so long," Jungkook continued, lifting his gaze to yours in a silent demand for your surrender. "That choice was made the night you whispered yes and guided me into that secret, sacred space you'll never be able to take back."

Hot, traitorous tears spilled over the brittle confines of your lashes, scoring blazing tracks down your flushed cheeks. In that moment, you realized the unvarnished truth of his words, accepted it with every aching fiber of your being.

You were bound to this elemental creature – this wildfire made flesh. You have to turn back. Now or never. Leaving behind love, the obsession, the devotion you utterly held for him. To save yourself from the rusted cell bars of the psyche ward. You were losing it. 

You harshly shoved Jungkook away, desperate to create space between you. "Stop! Stop this, please," you sobbed, sliding down the wall until you were crumpled on the floor. 

The tears flowed freely as you shook with the force of your anguished cries. Raking trembling hands through your disheveled hair, you squeezed your eyes shut, overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions crashing over you in waves. Each shuddering breath felt like shards of glass piercing your lungs.

You couldn't do this anymore - this constant push and pull, letting Jungkook drag you to the brink of shattering over and over again. Didn't he see how he was unraveling you, stripping away every last piece of who you were until there was nothing recognizable left?

Opening your reddened eyes, you fixed Jungkook with a haunted stare, reflecting back the myriad fractures now marring your wounded spirit. "I'm breaking, Jungkook," you confessed in a tremulous whisper. "Shattering into pieces under you. If I let you sweep me back into the chaos, I may never be able to put myself back together."

His words were a darkly seductive vow as his lips hovered a hairsbreadth from yours. "Let go of the remnants of who you used to be, and rise from the ashes as you were meant to - savage, merciless, and utterly, devastatingly mine."  

 

"Burn me to ashes," you whispered in utter capitulation. "Complete your terrible work and unmake me utterly. Then you can be free to find your next victim." your body shook as you were holding onto your last string of mental control. 

"I don't want to see you again," you stated, mustering every ounce of determination as you met his smoldering gaze head-on. 

A pained frown creased Jungkook's brow, but you pushed forward before he could protest. "We should not see each other again. Ever again." you stated. 

With shaking hands, you smoothed your rumpled dress, willing your voice not to waver as you took a fortifying breath. "Ever."

The idea of walking away from Jungkook's gravitational pull, from the searing intensity you had allowed to consume you utterly, felt like carved away pieces of your very soul. He had become the obsession around which your world orbited.

But you couldn't - wouldn't - let him reduce you to ashen ruins the way others had before. Not again. The memory of that heart-rending, soul-shredding agony was still too fresh. You have to do this. For the people who actually love you. 

Jungkook seemed to sense the shift in your demeanor, the implacable walls being erected to strengthen your decision. His lips parted as if to give you commands or pleas. You didn't want to know.

But you were done being a hapless pawn in someone else's blaze. 

"Don't," you warned, holding up a hand to forestall whatever soul-scouring onslaught he prepared to unleash. "I can't...I won't survive having my heart shattered into those many pieces again. Not even by you."

For a suspended moment, the air was thick with the weight of a thousand unvoiced farewells

Then, drawing every remaining reserve of your battered strength, you turned on your heel and simply...walked away. Each step sent an agonizingly painful ripple throughout your veins. 

You didn't look back to see the expression on Jungkook's face, didn't let yourself open to the pleas and sugarcoated words you knew would come. Just pressed onward, one agonizing footfall after another, until you had created enough distance to safeguard what little remained of your tattered, grievously wounded heart.

It would be a long, horrible journey to self-reconstruction from here, you knew.  But this time, no matter how many times the phantom pyre called out, you vowed to safety in the still, small quiet that follows in the wake of even the most cataclysmic blaze.

Because for all your beautiful ruin and tragic devotion, Jungkook's love had always been a wildfire - devastating as it was brilliant. And rising like a phoenix from those particular ashes was a feat your battered soul could no longer muster.

The familiar surroundings of your childhood home provided little solace as you stepped through the doorway, your dad's worried gaze immediately finding you.

"Sweetheart?" He crossed the room, wrapping you in the comforting embrace you hadn't realized you were desperately craving until that moment. "What happened? You look..."

"Broken," you supplied hoarsely when he trailed off. "I feel broken, dad."

Your mom appeared then, features creasing with maternal concern as she took in your disheveled appearance and the sorrow etched onto your face. "Oh, honey..."

You brushed away the tears that had already begun trickling down your cheeks anew. "I...I need to tell you both something. About Jungkook."

They exchanged a weighty look, but remained silent as you guided them to the cozy living room, sinking into the overstuffed armchair that had cradled you through so many tears and triumphs over the years.

And then, like a dam finally fracturing under inexorable pressure, the entire story came pouring out in a torrential swell. You laid bare every intoxicating high and devastating low of your relationship with Jungkook - the obsessive passion, the soul-scorching connections, and the alarming moments where darkness and volatility took the helm.

By the time you finished, your parents' expressions had shifted from shock to heartbroken empathy...and something else you couldn't quite put a name to. An emotion that looked suspiciously like disappointment.

Your dad was the first to break the heavy pall of silence. "Sweetheart, I can't say I'm surprised that boy turned out to be more trouble than he's worth." He sighed, raking a hand through his graying hair. "I knew we can't trust this Jungkook guy"

You blinked owlishly, surprised by his revelation. In all the turmoil of your relationship, your parents' approval had been the last thing on your mind.

Before you could respond, your mother reached over to clasp your hands in her soft, familiar grip.” It's okay sweetie. We are here for you”

Tears stung your eyes anew at her plaintive words and the unvarnished concern on their faces. Your parents had been silently standing vigil through the entire storm, hoping against hope that you would eventually see the gathering darkness for what it was.

"We never wanted to overstep, baby girl," your dad continued gruffly “But don't be blind again. And I'm glad you realized he's not good for you”

He leveled you with an intense, soul-searching stare that bordered on paternal command. "You need to get as far away from that boy as possible, you hear me? Cut every tie until he's nothing but a memory."

Your mother squeezed your hands, nodding . "It's the only way you'll ever begin to recover, find your spark again. That man...that relationship...it's not good for you baby. And I can't lose you again."

Unconsciously, you found yourself nodding along with their grave pronouncements, accepting the heavy truth of their concerns. You had been well on your way to obliteration at Jungkook's hand. No matter how brilliant and all-consuming the heat of his love burned, it was a pyre that would inevitably reduce you to scattered embers.

"You're right," you rasped, the words tasting of ash and resignation on your tongue. "I can't...I can't keep letting him consume me like that. It'll only end in total ruin eventually."

A tremulous inhale, followed by a fragile, failed attempt at a smile you hoped looked more reassuring than it felt. "But I could use some help picking up the pieces. Becoming myself again, for the first time in...I can't even remember how long."  

You dad nodded resolutely. "Of course, (Y/N/N). Anything you need." His expression softened then, suffused with naked paternal affection.

A week passed. You never went out of your house nor let Jungkook reach out. He's been wandering in your mind as well as your premises for the week. You were sitting on the kitchen counter as your mom made breakfast. Your dark eyebags evident. He's everywhere. In your dreams, in your bathroom mirror, beside you in bed. He doesn't seem to let go of your mind. 

Your phone screen lit up in another silenced message. Then you noticed the train of 56 missed calls from none other than the destroyer himself. Control (Y/N)

"Did I ever tell you about the plans your uncle has been cooking up?" Your dad started. 

You furrowed your brow in silent question, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, you know your childhood friend Mingyu has been sweet on you for years," he said wryly. "And between you and me, his father has had dreams of officially joining our families through marriage for about just as long."

You and Mingyu had been fast friends since you were young, bonding over afternoons spent pulling pranks around his family's sprawling estate. You admit that you had an undeniable crush on him since childhood. And you once told him that you'll marry him for sure. 

But you were too broken for finding love now. No. You're done with that bullshit. Your parents will only do the best for you. You knew it might seem sudden and hard to accept. But Mingyu is a gentleman and he could potentially help you get the reminisce of Jungkook wandering in the expanse of your mind. 

"Oh honey, don't look so scandalized," your mother laughed lightly, waving off your sudden bashfulness. "We would never push you into anything remotely serious right now, not after the hell you've been through. But you can consider. They're willing to wait"

Her expression softened, turning tender and reassuring in a way only a mother could as she reached out to brush a stray tendril of hair from your face.  

"But...if you're open to it, maybe reconnecting with an old friend might be just the gentle balm your poor heart needs right now? A chance to remember what feeling cherished and adored is supposed to look like, without all the sound and fury?"

As your parents exchanged a hopeful look, you knew this newest development might catalyze the journey on the road of healing ahead. Your parents were relieved that Mingyu’s family was oblivious to your little boyfriend. Your battered spirit would require more meticulous tending and time than a simple rebound could provide.

But at the same time, something in you unclenched slightly at the idea of allowing yourself to open up to the softer, steadier affections of someone who had been woven into your life since childhood. Someone inherently safe - who could teach you how to breathe easy with the assurance of a solid, labeled relationship. 

Perhaps Mingyu could help chart the path back to the person you had been before Jungkook's wildfire had scorched away every remaining sliver of recognition. It was a lifeline, a steadying tether you realized you desperately needed in order to keep your chin above the tides of despair that threatened to drown you utterly.

So you lifted your chin, mustered the ghost of a tremulous smile, and looked into the warm, hopeful eyes of your parents as you answered the only way you could.

"Reconnecting with an old friend actually sounds...really nice. I'll consider it” 

Why do I feel like I messed this chapter up. I felt like (Y/N) Mingyu thing was too abrupt. Cause (Y/N) is heartbroken and blah blah blah. Idk. Do you feel like it was in such a rush?

Finally a long chapter. I'll take a mini break. Probably for a week or two, if I feel like it. I like writing but I was lacking confidence in my writing, which made me not publish my stories for so long. But yeah. I do have some cringe story drafts. Long way. Talking about moonstruck. It'll be only traumatizing as it progresses. Some um expected moments and, idk. I don't wanna spoil it. I have a shitload of ideas in my head and most of the events in Moonstruck now weren't even planned when I first planned out the plot. Still, the important parts are yet to come… see ya in the next part. Feel free to let me know your thoughts. Honestly I love when readers comment I'm living for this. Love yall 

- Mars

ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ : @looneybleus @ttanniett @jjk174

[fu66sun]

telepath; 이동혁; love

heartbreak is an enigma that never unfolds in a specific moment. it isn't a linear journey either. rather, you realize you've been heartbroken after a period of living through that emotional turmoil.

love, on the other hand, takes on numerous forms and arrives in various ways. you might not even notice you've been in love until it either slips through your fingers or you fully acknowledge its presence.

for y/n, love had always been somewhat of a mystery. most of her life was characterized by unrequited love, leaving her with the sense that love was a foreign concept. this realization had always carried an undercurrent of insecurity for her, and it was her biggest secret. in comparison to her friends like renjun and haechan, she often felt like she was lagging behind in the realm of love and relationships. her heart guarded by layers of caution and self-doubt. she had grown up on a steady diet of romance novels and romantic comedies, each one intensifying her longing for a love that had thus far eluded her. her closest brush with a real relationship had been with doyoung, a guy she met on tinder a couple of years ago. they had chatted for an entire year before finally meeting in person, and y/n had felt like it was her chance to experience all the romantic adventures she'd missed out on.

however, that potential romance was cut short when doyoung uttered the dreaded words, "i'm not ready for a relationship." after leading her on for a month, he made it clear that he didn't want anything more, leaving y/n feeling like she was once again left in the lurch. it was as if she had regressed into the realm of loneliness, her romantic inexperience a constant source of frustration.

and she was back to, a lonely virgin, again.

renjun… he had a girlfriend and was deeply committed to her. as he often mentioned, he was rarely single and had navigated the world of relationships with relative ease. with his easy charm and charisma, renjun seemed to find love effortlessly, a fact that often left y/n in awe and admiration.

haechan, on the other hand, was a different story. while he had never officially had a girlfriend, he was the epitome of a "fuckboy." he would regularly skip classes to meet up with girls, boasting about the number of girls he'd kissed, and touting his sexual conquests as if they were his greatest achievements. it was easy to label him as the typical bad boy who was allergic to commitment, but there was more to haechan than met the eye.

there was a time when haechan wasn't always like that. according to the stories he shared with renjun, there was a significant chapter in his life involving a family friend named winter. the way he talked about her suggested a deeper connection. winter wasn't ready for a serious relationship at the time, and neither was haechan, initially.

however, something shifted for him, and he wanted more. unfortunately, winter didn't reciprocate his feelings. this disconnect led to clashes and ultimately drove them apart. winter's rejection left haechan deeply affected, and he gradually adopted the persona of a traumatized "fuckboy-wannabe." even as he pursued numerous other girls, haechan couldn't help but reflect on the impact winter had on him and how their complex relationship had left a lasting mark on his approach to love and relationships.

all while also trying to get with every girl in sight. which would eventually also include you.

haechan's transformation to someone who wore the mask of indifference intrigued y/n. she often wondered about the untold moments and heartaches that led to this drastic change. could she learn something from his story, or would it simply reinforce her belief that love was a complicated and elusive entity?

taglist yayy: @sunflowerhae @sundamariis @yesohhsehun @hcheach @lhcread if i forgot anyone pls send me an ask !!!<3<3<3<3

a/n: i wanted to give the characters a bit more depth, rather than just fighting or eventually just fucking. lmao. i have such a special spot for the three of them. i can't wait for you to continue reading and getting to know them a bit better. whatever questions you have about them, feel free to ask:)

i also wont be uploading a new chapter until tuesday or the days after, my midterms are right around the corner, so, yeah.

have a nice weekend.

love, yuu

[rejectedfables]

People overlook the significance of Helluva Boss being structured with a set number of seasons and episodes. It means that the creators have a very specific story they want to tell and that's how long it's going to take them to tell it. Which means this is NOT just a workplace comedy in hell that has stumbled into having a plot sometimes, and it's NOT a sprawling soap opera; it's got a long form slowly building plot, with structure and direction. And the seeds for that plot have already been and are already being planted.

When the show ends, rewatching the whole show will reveal foreshadowing of the overarching plot in early episodes.

Foreshadowing such as the start of episode 2, wherein a half asleep Stolas tries to sing his daughter a lullaby, and (I suspect) accidentally channels an apocalypse prophesy without realizing it. "When the seven rings collapse--" refers to the seven rings of hell. The song implies that Octavia will survive whatever is coming, and perhaps play an important part in it.

Foreshadowing such as the show introducing us to two Sins per season, and giving us casual background references to them throughout, slowly building up to a more comprehensive view of the seven rings and the overarching power structures at play that will all become relevant in season 4.

Foreshadowing like Mammon threatening Ozzie (and visa versa), Andrealphus specifically coveting Stolas' control over "legions", the D.H.O.R.K.S. building an army and creating a portal into Hell, the involvement of (ex) members of C.H.E.R.U.B, humans (Emberlynn) having access to extremely effective protection from demons, plus tensions within the rings, between the rings, as well as with earth and with heaven, all of which could potentially build into a threat of war against or within hell ("the seven rings collapse--").

We've already seem minor examples of this, like Moxie saying in episode 1 that he'd understand killing a MOB family but takes issue with killing a MOTHER, and then in season 2 his backstory explains exactly why that's his perspective. Like all the little bits dropped about how Blitz feels about Fizz and (separately) the Fizzbots. Like Blitz's relationship with Verosika being set up like the foundation of jokes, but on a rewatch all the depth was already there. Like Blitz's pendant being his mother's.

Other things I think are important bits of foreshadowing, or at least details that will get explored later?

Why don't Blitz and M&M have human disguises (especially since people around them have repeatedly been surprised that they don't have human disguises, implying this is not typical, and/or that they wouldn't usually be difficult to acquire)?

Why can Loona (and possibly, out of I.M.P., ONLY Loona) use the book when Stolas hasn't even taught Octavia how to yet?

What's the deal with the forehead symbol on members of the circus, and why is Barbie's crossed out in the way that it is?

What other "Royal" does Blitz associate with treating imps like playthings?

What is the significance of the ooze/sludge that appears in both of Blitz's hallucinations? What does it symbolize or what memory is it referencing?

Is Blitz's access to the human world now being connected to Ozzie going to have consequences?

Are Stolas' MANY siblings ("Which son is this one? There are so fucking many,") going to come into play at some point?

Why did the Goetia family require Stolas to have a "precautionary heir" and what does "precautionary heir" even actually mean?

Why did Blitz stop working at Loo Loo Land?

What did Blitz do to end up in jail?

Why don't I.M.P. take hits on people IN hell anymore?

What is Wally Wackford's deal?

Since Blitz and Barbie seem to have worked together after the fire (and rehashing the same misunderstanding with Barbie as he did with Fizz seems redundant), what ultimately happened to cause THEIR falling out?

This show, as an independent production, is not tied to the strict production standards we're used to seeing. The structure the creators have chosen for the show serves only THEIR plans for the show, and not some studio exec's demands for marketability or pacing. The creators have been very clear that the story they are interested in telling is one cohesive story, which (by nature of being an animated show from an independent production company) is already planned out, written, and even sometimes recorded YEARS in advance.

It is a mistake to assume this show is meandering aimlessly or figuring it out as it goes along-- we have ample proof that that is not true. The more invested in the show I've gotten, the more pay-off for that investment I have found.

---

NOTE: this post was made in 11/2024, after Ghostfuckers and before Mastermind

[hephaestuscrew]

Thoughts on the patterns of who speaks the episode title phrases in Wolf 359

This analysis is based on the data I gathered in this spreadsheet and summarised with graphs in this post. Basically I've been looking at which character first says the episode title phrase (i.e. the exact words which form the name of that particular episode) in every episode of Wolf 359. Go and look at the spreadsheet if you want more context.

I think we can view the episode title phrases as often expressing the key problem or question of that episode. (I might talk about this in relation to individual examples another time.) Through this lens, the consideration of who speaks the title phrase is about which character gets to frame the key issue of the episode for the listener. This doesn't necessarily mean we are meant to share that character's view of the issue, but it's why I think there is some potentially significant analysis to be done on this topic. (See below the cut...)

The proportion of title phrases said by Eiffel reduces with each season. 69.2% of the Season 1 title phrases are (first) spoken by Eiffel, compared to 46.6% in Season 2, 22.2% in Season 3, and 20% in Season 4.

This is perhaps unsurprising. Eiffel is very much the main perspective character and the primary narrative voice at the start of the series. And, as someone with unusual speech patterns, he is excellent at coining a good memorable title phrase. However, while I'd argue that he never stops being the main protagonist, over the course of the series, the narrative focus broadens away from a singular emphasis on Eiffel's perspective. This perspective shift is reflected in episode titles being spoken by a greater range of characters.

I think the decreasing proportion of Eiffel title phrases also reflects the podcast's shift towards a generally more dramatic rather than comedic tone. While Eiffel is capable of being serious at times, I'd argue that his mode of speech is particularly well suited to generating amusing unusual turns of phrase that work well within a more comedic context (e.g. Succulent Rat-Killing Tar, What's Up Doc?, Bach to the Future). As the stakes become higher and the tone becomes less humorous, characters other than Eiffel, who are more often inclined to take things very seriously, are more likely to speak the title phrases.

There's also just the fact that as we get more characters involved in the action on the Hephaestus, the opportunity to speak the title phrase is spread between more characters.

Although Eiffel is by far and away the most common speaker of title phrases in Season 1, in the first three episodes of the whole show, we get all the characters of that season represented in the title phrases. Minkowski speaks the title phrase in the second episode and Hera does in the third episode - but probably quoting a phrase from Hilbert. This gives us a good early indication that, while Eiffel may be the focal point particularly in this season, this is going to be an ensemble show and all of these characters are going to be significant.

Hilbert's only title phrase is in Ep12 Deep Breaths, in the first stage of his mutiny, arguably the only point in the show where he appears to clearly have the upper hand while acting alone.

After the SI-5 are introduced at the beginning of Season 3, we get five Kepler or Jacobi title phrases in a row, which solidifies the SI-5's presence in the show. It also highlights the fact that the SI-5 have taken over the Hephaestus and are now (at least ostensibly) the ones determining the aims of the Hephaestus mission.

In addition, these patterns might be seen to reflect the shift in the show towards a more conflict-focused tone (related but not identical to the movement away from comedy). While Wolf 359 has always been a show full of conflict, the balance of this conflict shifts with the arrival of the SI-5. For the first time, our protagonists are facing a unified team of antagonists. The potential for violence feels higher, as do the stakes. This might explain why, while we only had one antagonist-spoken title phrase across Seasons 1 and 2 (Hilbert in Ep12 - Lovelace doesn't get a title phrase while she's serving as an antagonist), 44.4% of our Season 3 title phrases are first spoken by antagonists.

The only title phrase spoken by Maxwell is spoken by her in a recording that we hear after her death. This isn't even the only posthumous title phrase spoken from the past in Season 4 - we've got one from Commander Zhang of the Tiamat as well. It's an interesting kind of legacy, an interesting way to emphasize the questions characters leave behind after death, recalling similar themes to those explored in Ep46 Boléro.

[rose-l-20]

Hello, how are you? I loved your headcanons about Night at the Museum, several of them have become canon in my mind as a fan. I don't know if you're taking requests, but could you do headcanons like you did for the other characters, but this time for Amelia Earhart? I feel like she needs more love from the fandom, and besides, she's one of my favorite characters in the franchise.

GENERAL HEADCANONS - AMELIA EARHART

Hey! I am wonderful now that my business diploma has finally ended, so I can get through the small handful of requests i have, and my own personal ideas! How are you you my love? Which headcanons did you like, I would love to know!

If you would like to request more characters, please refer to my NATM MASTERLIST for the characters, and send you requests.

SUMMARY: See request above!

WARNINGS: nothing too different from the first list I did, and again my opinions!😱 I am basing these headcanons on the movie character, not the actual Amelia Earhart as I am not 100% knowledgeable on her history and don't want to offend the dead. I genuinely found this hard even though I've seen the movie 10 billion times!.

Amelia had long hair growing up that people would compliment and gush over. One day she got sick of it, so she grabbed the closest pair of scissors and cut her hair to her collarbone.

When it comes to how she talks, Amelia went to a play with friends as a teenager, and a character spoke in this unique way. She used the voice when making jokes, then it just became her daily voice.

I don't usually like sexuality based headcanons to characters based on history (excluding Jed and Octavius😂), but as a young teen I took one look at her and went "oh that's a badass Bisexual woman".

Amelia knew from a young age that "house wife" wasn't going to happen. She knew she was worth more than that. This doesn't mean that she didn't want to experience love and the warmth of a significant other. so when meeting potential (male) partners, the first thing she would say is "If you're looking for someone to cook and clean for you, then don't waste your time sugar".

In her twenties, she saw a plane fly across the sky, and knew from the sound of the engine, that she was going to become the best pilot the world had ever seen!

Amelia had a short time of being alive from the tablet, meaning she didn't get to see how her life changed the world for women. if given the chance, I feel like she would've had a moment of emotional silence. Feeling proud of herself, proud of all the women who fought to get to this point in history.

Again, she was only alive for a night. but she, and the original exhibits got along within no time, which created the best comradery.

From a basic google search, She loved creating coinvent and stylish fashion, so I just know she altered her coat to have as many pockets as it could fit. You could say it is the retro version of Yelena Bulova from marvel's utility vest!

If she had enough time to see movies, hear music, and taste food from our era she would LOVE movies based on flying (obviously), but I also think she would love comedy.

Amelia can surprisingly handle high levels of spicy foods, with little to no reaction. If she were to try a true traditional Indian curry, she would be asking for 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths!

her music taste would 100% be female empowerment artists, with a hint of metal. basically anything that would be fantastic for a badass battle scene.

She is soooooooooooOOOOooooo stubborn, which we can see in the movie. It is her way or the highway sometimes, which she tries her hardest to not be that way but it's like second nature.

again from light research, she was a nurse at a point in her life. with this, and also how tender she was with Larry and the rest of the exhibits she gets joy from being nurturing to those around her.

---------

DONE! I am not 100% happy with these, but truly there wasn't much to go off of. I hope you're happy with them MARVELFOREVER352.

Have a good Friday and a relaxing weekend!

[moistvonlipwig]

so how many of these little hearts am i allowed to send you :D (maybe we can start with 💖)

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

I'll assume you are asking about Supergirl. ;) I kind of have 3 that I couldn't pick between and I have a Lot to say about all 3, so this is going under a cut for anyone who doesn't want to see me kvetching about one of the worst-written CW superhero shows for *checks word count* 3681 words.

Opinion number one is that I like Lena/James as a ship. I think they had good chemistry and the thorny history between them makes for an interesting launching point for a relationship. I prefer them as a ship to Kara/James (which is fine and cute, but it doesn't compel me -- plus it's much more in the vein of modern rom-com romances vs. Lena/James which is written more like a screwball comedy romance which I infinitely prefer) and to any non-Supercorp Lena ships. While I admit the build-up in 3A isn't particularly well-done and the implosion of the relationship in S4 didn't do it any favors, I think they're really good in 3B and there's a lot of potential there for a super interesting relationship. (And, I mean, when it comes to Supergirl, which is Very Bad at romance and honestly not even particularly good at friendship, I think 'they have good chemistry, some great scenes, and there is solid potential for them to have an interesting relationship' is kind of the best you're gonna get. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

And to turn this into more of a kvetching session: I truly don't begrudge people for not liking them as a ship -- as I said, there are some serious writing problems afflicting their relationship. But I will say that, even putting aside the more egregiously and blatantly racist strains of the fandom and how they talk about the ship, I get frustrated with the way a lot of fans (even nominally pro-James ones) tend to dismiss the relationship (and Lena's feelings for James in particular) out of hand.

A lot of fans love to talk about Lena "not caring" that James was Guardian, but, like, she did care? She didn't get mad at him because she had no actual reason to. She and Guardian had no beef! He did not maintain two separate relationships with her as both himself and his alter ego Countess Boochie Flagrante! Wild how NOT doing that can greatly improve an alter ego reveal, lol. And the scene with James telling Lena he's Guardian ends with Lena opening up to him in turn about the fact that she herself manufactured the kryptonite. And then they kiss about it and they have sex. That, uh. That is not the reaction of a woman who does not care what her boyfriend just told her, that is the reaction of a woman who is deeply touched that he trusts her (which, it's both sad and telling that that kind of trust is not something she just Expects from a significant other) and who wants to share part of herself with him in return.

And a lot of fans also love to talk about Lena breaking up with James as if it were something she did on a whim because he ethically disagreed with one of her projects. But, um. She explicitly did not break up with him because of that. She told him that was why they were breaking up, but several episodes later she explicitly tells Lex (and thus the audience) that she actually broke up with him because she was scared of him breaking up with her once he found out she was helping cure Lex. Again, this is both a sad and telling moment about her character, that she would rather not give someone the chance to respond to her with grace because she so greatly fears that they will fail to do so, to the point that she would rather sabotage a relationship she treasures with her own hands, so that at least she will be in control of the loss she suffers. And it's a character beat that you miss entirely if you are dead-set on pretending that Lena didn't really care about James.

What's, shall we say, interesting is I don't really see this kind of casual, pervasive dismissal of Kara's relationship with Mon-El, which was much more of a trainwreck on all fronts. Even people who hate that relationship generally take Kara's feelings about it seriously. They don't deny that Kara felt strongly about Mon-El (whether they take the position that she was actually in love with him or that she just convinced herself she was). Why the difference in approach, when if anything, Lena's feelings about James are made more blatantly clear by the text than Kara's often extremely contradictory feelings about Mon-El are? ...Well. I can certainly think of one reason.

Opinion number two is that I don't care about the Danvers sisters relationship. I think there is a potentially interesting set-up to their relationship, where Alex was essentially parentified as a teenager and forced to rearrange her whole life around keeping Kara safe. The inevitable consequences of this -- that Alex has neglected her own happiness and devoted her life unhealthily to protecting her sister, and harbors some unspoken resentment over this fact, and similarly that Kara has had to contend with her older sister trying to manage her life and control her choices well into adulthood, and harbors some unspoken resentment of her own over that fact -- are touched on somewhat in S1 and S2 and then summarily dropped by the show. As the show went on it became clear that the Danvers sisters relationship was one in which no consequences existed: they could do anything and say anything to each other and by the end of the episode they would have a feel-good Danvers Sisters Couch Scene.

There are flaws in how the Kara & Lena friendship was written but one thing I will praise about it is that every interaction they had mattered and had tangible consequences to their relationship. Kara's massive fuckup re: the kryptonite debacle mattered two seasons later in a show that sometimes struggled to remember what happened in the previous episode. I might object -- strenuously, in fact -- to how their conflict was resolved and framed in S5 but at the very least they didn't outright ignore the things that happened between them. When one of them did something that hurt the other, that impacted the relationship. This is in sharp contrast to how the Danvers sisters relationship is written from around S3 onwards.

Two story beats in particular really stand out to me here. Firstly, there's the S4 plotline in which Alex forgets that Kara is Supergirl -- which is an actually rather clever storyline with some great emotional beats...while it lasts. Then Alex gets her memories back and it's like nothing ever happened. People complain a lot about the writing of Once Upon a Time, and rightly so, but at least on that show, when characters had their core memories magically erased/replaced with other memories, and then had their original memories returned to them a season or half a season later, it actually affected their characters. They had to grapple with who they were with their fake memories, and who they were with their real ones, and which self they liked better, and which aspects of their selves they wanted to embody going forward. Not so with Alex Danvers. If you watched S5 without having seen S4 you would not know she spent the last half season not knowing that Kara was Supergirl.

Secondly, and even more egregiously to me, is the events of 5.08 "The Wrath of Rama Khan" and the emotional aftermath, which is to say, the complete lack of an emotional aftermath. Not only does Alex spend a good chunk of 5.08 wanting/trying to nuke Kara's best friend -- which is significantly worse than anything Lena does to any of Kara's friends, and you can imagine that if Lena had indeed done anything on that level then the show never would've had Kara let it pass without comment -- but she manipulates Kara in the process, and specifically in a way that echoes one of Kara's fundamental traumas from her backstory. By using Kara's genuine attempt to reach out to Lena as a Trojan horse to lower Lena's shields (so, again, she can point a nuke at her), she not only thoroughly sabotages any possibility of trust and reconciliation between Kara and Lena for the foreseeable future, she also uses Kara in the same way that Alura used Kara to capture Astra, which Kara was rightfully furious and heartbroken about when she found out about it.

In the hands of better writers, this could've been a stroke of storytelling genius, the catalyst for the long-awaited collapse of the Danvers sisters relationship that was so desperately needed so that they could build it back up again from a better foundation. But you've seen the show, you know what happened: Kara barely blinked. Alex might as well have just eaten the last hot pocket instead of, you know, betrayed Kara like her mother did in order to nuke her best friend, for all that Kara reacted to it. To me, that was the ultimate death knell for the Danvers sisters relationship, the moment that cemented once and for all that this was not a relationship in which actions had consequences or in which anything the characters said or did to each other mattered in any way. So...why should I care?

And thirdly and finally, my hydrogen bomb of an unpopular opinion: I don't like Cat Grant. Which is nuts, because I SHOULD like her on paper. Her character archetype is usually my FAVORITE character in a line-up. Cordelia Chase, the self-proclaimed "nastiest girl in Sunnydale history," is and has always been, from Episode 1 of Buffy, my favorite Buffyverse character. (And my second favorite female Buffyverse character is Lilah Morgan, who is basically just "Cordelia but an evil lawyer".) Regina George is an indisputable legend no matter what bizarre format they turn Mean Girls into next, and I always root for her and am kinda sad when Cady successfully sabotages her. Regina Mills of Once Upon a Time fame is even more of an indisputable legend, a badass mass-murdering HBIC who took no bullshit and coddled no bitches. Miranda Priestly, on whom Cat Grant is clearly based, is an amazing, iconic film character -- and despite what Supergirl 5.01 "Event Horizon" would have you believe, she was not the '''villain''' of The Devil Wears Prada. Discworld's Granny Weatherwax is one of the greatest characters ever written and is also, like, my idol. I love me a good bad bitch. So...why don't I like Cat Grant?

Part of it is that I don't find her as purely entertaining as a lot of the other characters on this list -- I just don't think the Supergirl writers were skilled enough to craft a character who is mean in a way that delights and amuses me as opposed to rubbing me the wrong way. I think she is frequently cruel in a way that I just personally struggle to find humorous or iconic, particularly given her status as Kara's boss, and it doesn't help that Kara often seems so affected by Cat and invested in what she thinks of her. I think if Kara were written in a way that gave her more power in their interactions, where she didn't truly need or care about her job at CatCo and thus, while she might not snark back at Cat in the workplace, she was also unaffected by Cat's barbs, I wouldn't mind their interactions so much. (This is why I enjoy Andrea and Kara's back-and-forth much more -- they seem to genuinely be on equal footing.) But the way Kara and Cat's dynamic is written, Cat really does have all the power, and the fact that she often uses it to emotionally terrorize Kara grates on me.

One of my biggest gripes with Cat is how so much of the '''humor''' around her character is her deliberately mispronouncing people's names. And, uh, as someone with a non-Anglo name, I don't think that's fucking funny! (And once Cat realizes Kara is Supergirl, I actually think it becomes extra ghoulish to do this, since she must then surely also realize that "Kara" is a name given to her by her dead family from her near-extinct culture. Like I know this is just a case of the writers not thinking the implications through, we're not meant to look so deeply into it, but the implications are really bad.)

Consequently, I don't think it's '''sweet''' when Cat finally deigns to call Kara by her actual fucking name at the end of S1. That moment honestly reminds me so much of that time in S1 of "The Good Place" (aka back when I liked "The Good Place" lol) when Eleanor repeatedly mispronounces "Senegal"/can't bother to remember that's where Chidi grew up, and then at the end of the episode she's like, "I have a present for you: Senegal." And Chidi is like, "Um, that's not a present, that's basic human decency." Like...exactly!!! Cat pronouncing Kara's name correctly is the bare minimum, it is not something that Kara should have had to earn, and it is extremely grating to me that the show itself seems to think otherwise.

Which ties back to one of my fundamental problems with Cat Grant, which is the framing of her character. All the other characters I listed above are framed as very complicated characters (Granny Weatherwax, Regina Mills, Miranda Priestly, Cordelia Chase eventually) or as outright antagonists (Regina George, Cordelia Chase in S1 of Buffy, Lilah Morgan, Regina Mills as well because she contains multitudes). Their status as difficult, proud, not-very-nice women is part of their complexity and/or antagonism, and as a defender of women who are not very nice, I gravitate to them in all their messiness. To quote phoukanamedpookie, one of my favorite meta writers, in this excellent post: "I genuinely find ['difficult' female characters] likable, often specifically because the narrative doesn’t tell me that I’m supposed to like them." (Emphasis mine.)

But you ARE supposed to like Cat Grant. And Cat Grant is not actually portrayed as particularly complex -- she is instead framed as an aspirational feminist role model for Kara. I wouldn't go so far as to say that her meanness is not portrayed as a flaw at all, but I think it's telling that every time the show allows Kara to actually get mad at her for her cruelty, the episode ends with Cat giving some speech about how women have it harder than men and Kara realizes that actually Cat, by being mean to her, was being a great feminist girlboss mentor the whole time. Which, like. What. And there's a scene where Cat talks about the double standards between men and women and she complains that Perry White can get away with throwing chairs at his employees but people call her a bitch or whatever. And, like, double standards are real, I'm with you there girlie, but, you verbally abuse and disrespect your employees on the daily, often to the point of tears, and you still have your high-powered influential well-paying job -- what more do you want?

There's a great line in the Mean Girls musical -- which is weird to type out, because it is not on the whole a very well-written musical -- where at the end, Regina tells Cady, "I know I was harsh. And people say I’m a bitch. But you know what they would call me if I was a boy?” And Cady enthusiastically chimes in with, "Strong." And Regina says, "Reginald." That line is so stellar precisely because it acknowledges the double standards while also poking fun at the obviously false idea that Regina was actually some kind of amazing feminist this whole time. That sense of humor about her status as a 'mean girl' is what I think was missing from the framing of Cat Grant -- we're meant to really take her seriously as a character who is legitimately a good mentor and feminist, whose critics truly are just sexist.

Which leads me to another major issue I have with Cat's character. Supergirl as a whole is very much in line with, like, 2012-era pop White Feminism™. It never really stops being like this; even when it tries to pivot to discussing other issues, it never goes beyond mainstream understandings of those issues to make any serious structural critiques, even when it doesn't get mired down in allegories that don't quite work and trip over its own feet in the process -- presumably because said structural critiques would call into question the fundamental assumptions upon which the show is built. (Much love to Azie and the effort she and J. Holtham put into 6.12 "Blind Spots", which was easily the show's best attempt at tackling any social issue, but by nature of only being one episode, it could not result in meaningful structural changes to how the Superfriends operate beyond "thinking about racism more", and the episode ends with a promotion of Robin DiAngelo's insufferable pop anti-racism self-help book White Fragility aka my villain origin story.)

That being said -- I think S1 and S2 are kind of the worst offenders when it comes to Supergirl's pop white feminism, not necessarily because the show gets any better about it later (although it was surely an improvement when they actually started incorporating women of color into the main cast starting with Sam Arias in S3), but because S1 and S2 are really fucking obnoxious about it, especially S1. And Cat Grant is THE mouthpiece for Supergirl's shallow, grating, capitalistic, overwhelmingly white understanding of feminism. While the single most cringey pseudo-feminist one-liner in the show is probably Alex's "No touching without consent!" from the series finale, most of the others come from Cat.

Just as an example, there's the bizarre monologue about how Kara is wrong to be offended by the obviously infantilizing name "Supergirl" (in contrast to "Superman"), because Cat is a girl, and girls are cool, and are you saying you don't think girls are cool? If you think it's wrong to call women "girls," you're the real sexist! Or, again, all her speeches about the double standards she's faced in her career -- and yet no interrogation of how Cat herself makes things so much harder for the women working for her (and, largely due to Supergirl's cast line-up at the time, absolutely no lip service given to the fact that women of color have it even harder). Or the egregious line about how Barry, Kara, Winn, and James look like the "attractive but nonthreatening cast of a racially diverse CW show" -- which isn't about feminism but does speak to the show's total lack of self-awareness about its racial makeup. And you could say these are structural problems with the show, not just with Cat, and you'd be right -- but given that Cat is so often situated as the mouthpiece for what the show thinks feminism is, and that we are meant to see her as a wise, progressive mentor, it becomes very difficult to separate her character from those structural problems.

And speaking of having trouble separating my feelings about her character from the structural problems with how the show uses her character...let's talk about Andrea Rojas, and how S6 thoroughly demonizes her with the end-goal of propping Cat Grant up. Andrea Rojas/Acrata is a Mexican hero in the comics; in Supergirl, they randomly make her Argentinian and they introduce her in S5 as more of a grey hat. Then in S6, the demonization begins.

The show (even in S5) emphasizes over and over how obsessed Andrea is with "clicks" and yellow journalism, which the show (and fandom) insists isn't what CatCo Should be about. Except...that was also Cat Grant's vision for CatCo! She also ran the magazine based on celebrity gossip and sensationalized reporting! It was James and Lena who took the magazine in a more serious direction. Andrea is shown to engage in increasingly unethical business practices throughout S6, culminating of course in William's narratively pointless death due in part to her actions, and Cat taking over CatCo again in the last episode is seen as a righting of this wrong (because, you see, Cat cares about turtles now, for some reason). This is despite the fact that Andrea is consistently shown to be a better and kinder boss than Cat was; not only does she actually call people by their real names, but when Nia falls asleep in front of her, Andrea very nicely tells her to take a mental health day. Cat would not have done that! So we have this bizarre storyline where we are meant to see Andrea as essentially this unethical interloper into Cat's rightful position -- even as they have literally the same goals, and even as Andrea is objectively a much better person to work for.

And look, I don't know how Julie Gonzalo identifies racially -- I know enough Argentinians to know that many of them who look like Julie do actually ID as white -- but even if she doesn't identify as a woman of color, the Latina identity is still a deeply racialized one in the United States. And it just does not sit right with me that one of Supergirl's only Latina characters -- and the one who is most consistently and strongly identified with her Latina heritage, and is based on one of DC's few Latina heroes -- gets demonized and 'put in her place' to prop up a blonde white Anglo woman as the one who should 'actually' be in power, even with her history of abusing that power at every turn.

Fandom doesn't help in this regard -- many (NOT all, fandoms are not monoliths) Cat and Supercat fans, and even a significant chunk of Supercorp fans, do NOT like Andrea and consider her much like the show does, as a usurper of the rightful throne of CatCo. I try not to let fandom affect how I view characters if I can help it, but when it's a narrative the show itself falls into, it gets a bit harder. Again, this isn't Cat's fault in-universe, but it is very difficult for me to extricate my feelings about how the storyline played out with my feelings about Cat -- especially since I'm already disinclined to be favorable towards her character. If I already liked her, I'm sure I'd be more forgiving, but, well, I've never claimed to not be a filthy hypocrite.

So yeah. I don't like Cat. Whoops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[nanomooselet]

Episode Seven: Wolfwood

It's a lovely evening in No Man's Land, and you are a horrible cultist.

The more I think about the idea that Legato wasn't ordered to do this, the more sense it makes to me. Let's do a count of assets this craziness puts into peril. We have the Punisher, highly chemically compatible and on an assignment already, who really doesn't need to be under more stress. We have the Doublefang, who's even better than the Punisher since he heals without the drugs, and through him Wolfwood learns that the Eye of Michael can't be trusted to keep its word.

We have the Plant aboard the steamer, as Zazie points out, and I'm not sure Legato is as concerned about it as he claims to be. We have the steamer itself, a relic of the spacefaring age with plenty of still-functional technology on board even if the humans can't do much with it. (And isn't that interesting? They seem to have just stuck a steam engine in there and closed off the rest. Cool worldbuilding details.) It travels to and from July - I suspect it carries at least some cargo and personnel for the cult. Speaking of, we have Hopeland Orphanage and its stock of potential subjects, which we know for a fact the Eye has its stamp on.

Finally we have Vash, who's one of the cult's figures of worship. He's the only living thing that Legato's "beautiful angel" truly cares about. Even if Legato's plan is a success, is achieving Wolfwood's perfect loyalty worth losing any one of the rest, let alone Vash? I really have to wonder how Legato planned to explain any of this.

Of course, he does explain, doesn't he? You must give up on your little brother and face reality. I must take everything you love from you so that you can fulfil your noble purpose as a weapon. What we're seeing is Legato's first demonstration of his character to come, building sadistic traps to force painful choices upon his target, but also a glimpse of what awaits Vash at the end of his journey. Where could Legato have learned his definition of love? And let's not forget that he refers to his feelings as love in the first place.

He's such a drama queen. Can't wait to see him ruining everything next season.

So much in this two-parter is amazing, but I think a somewhat underrated moment is Vash preventing Wolfwood from killing Livio with that insane trick shot. My boy frees Wolfwood from a horrific mental trap because no one should have to choose between the things that they love, the things that keep them alive. Best of boys. Precious darling. He wants so, so badly for there to be a way out for him.

I'm hesitant to discuss Livio that much, because we, uh, really don't learn that much about him? We see the sad little boy in Nick's memories - which I have reason to suspect are not entirely the objective truth - and we have the stumbling puppet who boards the steamer. He isn't in a position to make his thoughts known, except once, and, well… it’s a decisive demonstration. But one that precludes any further participation. I have read the manga, yes, and I know what he's like there, but my feeling is that's more what he'll become than what he is now. There seems to be one fairly significant change, however: Razlo, and Livio's attitude toward him.

Razlo's there. I'm sure he's there. But is he always there in the same way? Is Livio so out of it because he's under the mask's control, or is it Razlo the mask keeps supressed? And when it becomes damaged, why does what Livio see in the mirror so horrify him? Does Livio even know who else is in his mind?

(We get our first glimpse of Chapel, too.)

(Somehow I feel like I'm not going to be a fan of this guy.)

They didn't save Livio, but he got to make a choice. Even if it was a choice they wish he hadn't made.

Speaking of choices!

Meryl and Roberto continue to be the show's main source of comedy - the dub work for the Bad Lads Gang is so funny. Poor Meryl's teary little face when they bring up the Worms. Them being all excited about getting on the cover of an outlaw magazine, whatever that is. Roberto just being all welp, this might as well happen when he learns the faltering steamer has a space age cannon stuck to the top and that still works.

Not enough booze in the world.

And then Meryl makes a choice. Roberto's right, on some level - they're not soldiers. They're not fighters. By any sane standard this is not their fucking job. But there is no one else who can do it. Regardless of ability, there's simply no one else who's been given the choice between standing there, taking the risk, or fleeing with the knowledge you could have done something and didn't. So Meryl makes her stand... and I realised that Roberto does too, because he faces the same choice. They all do! There's something they all want to protect more than anything else. Such different people with such vastly different skills and life experiences all have something in common, and they work together to realise their purpose. It's the second time in the series this has happened and disaster's been averted with their efforts. I just!

Of course then things get even crazier and we move into what might be among my favourite action sequences in the entire series? It's admittedly hard to narrow it down. This has been extensively dissected elsewhere, but it really might have the most beautiful cinematography (especially in the Plant room - ethereal, and then the hard cut comparison to the steel and scorching flesh of Wolfwood's efforts and I'm reduced to helpless arm-waving). But I think there's one detail I want to emphasise?

Cool watery blue and burning fiery orange-red, yes. Gorgeous contrast. But both also have just a dash of the opposing colours. The two aren't so far apart, each holding part of the other - fundamentally connected, in spite of all the ways they're different.

[coffeeteaitsallfine]

Can anyone who’s watched a significant amount of the new show English Teacher tell me if I should bother watching it… I really wanted to like it but every scene I’ve been able to watch makes me less inclined to watch the whole thing. I realize it’s a comedy so it’s supposed to be a heightened version of reality for laughs.

BUT it feels to me more like a heightened version of what outsiders think teaching high school is like. Ive seen a couple reviews from teachers who liked it that just left me like….huh? I don’t recognize any aspect of my day to day life as a high school teacher. Even down to the little things. Like why are we still putting “teenage students” in rows? Where are the cell phones? Where are the million snacks and water bottles? Why do they all look so awake? Like who are these kids?

From the promotional material I’ve been able to find there’s a lot of emphasis on the hot button controversial topics that make the news but are rarely in conversation most days if ever.

Abbott elementary is so much more relatable to me and I don’t even teach elementary. It still feels like a show made for teachers that happens to be universally funny/relatable.

It’s just sad to me cause a high school setting from a teacher pov does have potential for a darker humor than Abbott can offer. There are so many teacher comedians out there that are hilarious and real so my standards are clearly quite high…

[fatalism-and-villainy]

top five Hannibal episodes, maybe?

This is an ever-fluctuating list, but:

Mizumono - best episode of the show, point blank, in my opinion. It's so full of suspense but doesn't feel rushed or like it's cramming too much in. Everything has time to breathe and let you feel its weight. Things like Alana's feeling of violation from Hannibal's deception aren't just remarked upon, we stop and watch her get slowly submerged in black water, her nightmare come to life. Will's struggle with himself is fully internal, but so perfectly conveyed through visual storytelling - the parallel conversations with Jack and Hannibal, each representing one side of him, and then the two halves of Will's face coming together as if they're both a mask, with no one, least of all Will himself, knowing which one is "real." Will being visited by GJH, the spectre of his own darkness, right before the destruction of the family that Hannibal stole from Hobbs. The callbacks in the visual motifs in the final sequence to the first episode, but this time Hannibal isn't helping Will keep Abigail alive. The way their confrontation isn't really a fight, it's just emotionally raw and desperate, with Will's veneer of detached confidence cracking for the first time in this arc. The most perfect encapsulation of how gentle all the violence between them is. Its only structural flaw is that the Abigail reveal isn't well handled, but I'd chalk that up to structural problems with the whole season. The rest of it is perfectly set up by the rest of the arc, like meat falling off the bone.

Coquilles - the first season 1 episode that's really, really good. All the moving parts seem to come together, with the case of the week smoothly establishing resonances with Will's issues and Bella's. Aesthetically, the murders capture the true essence of the show - grotesque yet sacred, committed with complete and utter earnestness on the part of the killer. The vigilantism and obsession with salvation for his victims has significant parallels to how I imagine Will might function post-canon, and it's telling that this is the first time we get foreshadowing for his potential transformation. And I love the inexplicable magic realism of killer's visions of his victims heads' on fire, and how that strangeness gets folded in on itself even more with the symbolism of Will's head on fire, within his own hallucination. Wonderful bizarro arthouse feel with beautifully human performances from Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres to ground the whole thing.

Su-zakana - One of the best episodes for balancing complete absurdity with pure poetry. The woman inside a horse with a live bird inside her chest, as a symbolic rebirth, is totally insane and yet! It works! It's beautiful! It's macabre humour married to sweeping romanticism! It's Will's love for Hannibal that can't die no matter how much it's buried! Peter and the social worker act out an absurd, deliberately-credulity-straining pantomime of Will and Hannibal's dynamic - completely with the absolutely ludicrous, fantastic imagery of the social worker crawling out of that horse - and yet in its absurdity it paints such an effective contrast, really shows that Hannibal cares for Will, in his own twisted beautiful way, in a way that Ingram never cared about Peter. "I envy you your hate" hits so hard. Also it introduces Margot and features heavy-handed fishing metaphors, which is fun. Only downside is we have to watch Hannibal and Alana have sex, which is not my idea of fun.

Yakimono - I'm so attached to this one, despite not being the biggest 2A fan. Really the centerpiece of this one is the framing of Chilton, which yields some of the most superb black comedy of the entire show. The OTT shock and horror on Chilton’s face when he looks up and sees Hannibal standing over him all murder-suited up. Hannibal saying “one moment, please” to the federal officers knocking on the door while he is chloroforming Chilton unconscious. The whole hilarious sequence of Chilton wandering around the carnage in his house with that pitch-perfect music. The chase at the end with him running ineffectively from Jack. Absolute masterful comedy work from Raúl Esparza. Also throw in that gorgeous flower tree tableau empathy sequence with Will carrying the heart to the sculpture and making it beat and Miriam Lass’ weirdly kinky summation of her time in captivity… it’s just so high up on my list for enjoyment.

Antipasto - I’m not sure whether this is strictly top 5 for me BUT I do feel like I need some 3A representation on this list given how much I love that arc as a whole, especially episodes 1-3, and how much space it takes up in my imagination. Of those first three episodes, this is really the best one, imo - I love the way it captures a dreamlike, fantasy version of Italy, with all these dark fairytale undertones (especially with scenes like Bedelia in the bath - the sense of getting pulled into this fantasy as frightening and yet compelling, like being on the edge of the sublime). I love its subtlety in engaging with Will’s absence - it’s not over-the-top in establishing Hannibal’s loneliness, and Will’s absence is only mentioned once, in flashback at that, but it so neatly ties together all the subtextual threads woven through most of the episode that his usual shenanigans aren’t satisfying anymore without an equal partner, and that Bedelia isn’t filling that role. And the final shots of Hannibal folding origami on the train are soooo good.

[evelhak]

Akashi for the ships tier list ? :D I thought about asking for Kuroko but i assumed you only ship him with Kagami

I'm going to give you both. : D I know my shipping capabilities are probably annoyingly limited, but it's like... Yes, I don't really truly ship Kuroko or Akashi with more than one person because I have a story brain, like one-linear-chain-of-events brain, and yes, I could expand, and yes I've tried, but I'm just the happiest this way, it's the most natural way for me, so even though it's frowned upon by fandom generally, it's just me and that's how it is. It's not satisfying for me to simultaneously entertain multiple possible storylines, I just need to be on one track until the end.

So in that chain of events in my head both Akashi and Kuroko are in a commited monogamous relationship. So basically the only way I ship more than one ship is if characters break up and have another relationship during the course of my head story, or if they are polyamorous, which neither Kuroko nor Akashi have been at least so far.

But also that doesn't mean there's nothing else going on besides who they date. People's feelings are hardly ever black and white, and I do give space to complexity and general human nature, that's kind of the whole point.

I realise this intro was probably not necessary, I just wanted to express myself better about the "only ships KagaKuro" thing, because it's like... Yes, but also not really? Because do I see them having another significant other for the rest of their life? No. Do I actually root for and actively want to see them with other characters? No. But do I think their feelings and relationships with other characters are also complex and have multiple layers and phases through time? Absolutely.

Also, I felt really self-conscious about this, debating whether I should include my OC in this, because it still feels obnoxious to me, no matter how much I try to express love for OCs. But there's no denying that my only long-term ship for Akashi is my (and my ex's) OC Azumi, so the list would be kind of meh without her.

So, here we go. I felt like getting creative with the tiers to express my thoughts.

Akashi

*So, yeah... I ship Akashi with an OC. She's a collaboration of several years of exchanging elaborate headcanons with my ex about what kind of person we saw for Akashi. This is the only time I've actually created an original character for the purpose of being with a canon character, and it happened almost by accident because it wasn't my thing at first, it was for my girlfriend who loved Akashi. Not in the way that she would have wanted to date him herself, it's more that she related to him in some ways, and just wanted to imagine him with someone who was good for him and would grow with him and be a positive force in his life, and so we kept developing this relationship over the course of a long time, and I merged it into my headcanon about the rest of the story. A lot of the inspiration was also what we didn't like seeing in Akashi fics, such as sadistic Akashi and a meek poor girlfriend. We wanted someone who could be an actual power couple with him, and most of all, someone who could give him security, and the feeling that he doesn't need to be in control of everything and take care of everyone.

*I don't see long-term potential in AkaFuri but it's too funny to ignore completely. The idea of Akashi being Furi's bi awakening was too juicy for me to ignore, it makes for good comedy and sweet and heartwarming growth on Furi's part when he struggles with his feelings. It's all been one-sided in my headcanon so far and Akashi has no clue. Whether or not their paths actually cross later much at all remains to be seen but I have some ideas how that might be relevant and, well, cathartic.

*Azumi slightly resembles Aomine in some ways, which lead to a comedic dream Akashi had about Aomine in my head... Also I don't really see Midorima and Akashi being attracted to each other, but I bet they have wondered.

*The last row just looks aesthetically cute with Akashi but I don't really see anything there. Their relationships mean more to me as platonic friendships.

Kuroko

*Yeah... you know my feelings about KagaKuro. It's the truest love ever.

*There's something deliciously tragic about an almost, isn't there? The person who you probably would have ended up with, had things gone another way? I wanted to explore that concept in my fics, so, there was Ogiwara.

*I think Kuroko enjoys Kise's attention more than he admits and Kise probably thinks all his friends are hot, but he's not actually interested in a relationship with any of them. But I do think when Kise manages to pull the right string to get Kuroko out of his shell and Kuroko manages to pull the right string to get Kise comfortable exploring the deeper meaning of life, they may sometimes get excitement out of it that isn't strictly platonic. It's just not strong enough to act on.

*I would be lying if I said I didn't see at all where people are coming from when they say Aomine and Kuroko have bitter exes energy. I don't think they were together, but that kind of makes it the more satisfying to explore. They definitely have grey-area feelings for each other. They would be terrible in a relationship, and they know it. All of that causes friction which feels awfully lot like chemistry, especially as long as none of this is ever voiced. But would they make out if someone smashed their faces together? Absolutely. Would they enjoy it? In a twisted way, probably at least a little. Would they regret it immediately and wish it had never happened? Definitely.

*Again, the last row means more to me if they are friends/found family. I totally get what you said about Kuroko and Momoi having that pastel aesthetic. I even have a scene in my fic where Kuroko's dad tells him he should date Momoi (instead of Kagami) because they look so good together, like a pastel coloured painting.

I hope that wasn't too long. I am actually very into exploring the different flavours of all kinds of relationships, so it's not always as easy as do I ship it. I hope you didn't get bored. 🙈

[kismetconstellations]

🔥 + anything Zac Efron related, please & thank you :)

(You can ignore the first one. I should really read instructions all the way through before sending in asks)

No worries. You are totally fine. ^//^

Let's hope this doesn't get too inflammatory.

I'm not a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a variety of reasons, and would prefer Zac never be a part of it.

I think Zac's indie dramas are infinitely more fascinating than his mainstream comedies (they also come with the added bonus of not humiliating and disrespecting him while also objectifying him at every turn), and hope that he continues to do more of them.

Honestly, anything that keeps him out of Hollywood and away from the toxicity of the industry is all right with me.

Seeing his malnourished Baywatch physique continually held up as some sort of "ideal" upsets me to my core. All the more so, knowing just how negatively the whole experience affected him, contributing to his depression and insomnia and causing him to tear up on-camera when he was finally able to eat carbs, again.

This will come as absolutely no shock to anyone who has been following me since 2016, when the world was treated to, as I like to call them, High School Musical Shitstorm: Parts Un and Deux, but I strongly feel that Zac doesn't owe the collective High School Musical fandom any reprisals of his role as the heart and soul of the franchise. Especially when so many people who consider themselves a part of that fanbase are all too keen to minimize or outright ignore Zac and Troy's significance to the original trilogy's success, mock and deride both of them as "boring" or worse, and leave nasty comments like this--

-- on social media posts of members of the cast reuniting. (Please do not seek out or bother any of the people in the above screenshot, by the way. I don't believe that you or any of my other followers would, but it's still a necessary precaution, just in case. Please be kind, everyone. Even when others are not.) I know it's immature and petty on my end, but I don't see why people who behave this way and treat Zac's professional attempts to distance himself from this franchise with scorn and further mockery, even though his past reputation as a "tween heartthrob" still colors directors' perceptions of him, resulting in him needing to prove himself worthy nearly twenty years on, should be rewarded. I feel for the fans who crave a High School Musical reunion because it would take them back to a simpler, happier time in their lives, but the films are right there and always will be there to be revisited at any time. The past is the past for a reason, and Zac, just like anyone else, should be allowed to move on.

Zac was perfectly cast as Phillip Carlyle. There is no one else who could have brought Phillip to life as immaculately, and no actor more deserving of the career revitalization The Greatest Showman delivered tenfold. My sympathies go out to Jeremy Jordan if he legitimately did have to sing live demos of "all of Hugh's songs", as well as Phillip's, before the studio executives while recovering from a nasty bout of laryngitis. That does not, however, make him entitled to a role he never so much as considered auditioning for.

Zac, on the other hand, had already been involved with the production for four years, alluding to a potential upcoming role in a movie musical as early as 2015, and contacting studios on director Michael Gracey's behalf to assist him, Hugh, and the rest of the crew in getting the green light.

Thus, you can imagine how thoroughly it rankles me to see fans of Mr. Jordan insinuating that Zac, a legitimate triple threat, was an inferior choice made to secure the support of Zac's larger fanbase, or- even more deluded- to placate the "ego" of show business veteran Hugh Jackman, who was supposedly "threatened" by Mr. Jordan's vocal prowess.

The Greatest Showman Cast is superior to the High School Musical Cast; in terms of talent, camaraderie, and maturity. You don't see any of them making backhanded comments years later about Zac being their "worst on-screen kiss", or their "favorite scene" with Zac being one where his character was "so dumb". (Even though Troy was very obviously emotionally manipulated into believing that something was going on with Ryan and Gabriella, by Gabriella. That's such a low, douchebaggy thing to say, and my already minimal respect for Lucas Grabeel has dropped to near non-existent because of it.)

---

And, I think that's about it. Thank you so very much for asking, and I sincerely apologize a million times over for it taking me so long to post this response! I've been quite busy babysitting my niece and tending to personal affairs, and haven't had the energy to properly run this blog. But, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things, and put more lovely things onto my followers' dashboards.

I appreciate your patience, and I hope that these answers prove to be worth the wait. ❤