Season two's overall treatment of Caleb, and the last minute addition of how much he covets honesty, makes me wonder what an actual antagonist/villain Caleb would play out like.
Because an honest antagonist sounds like such a fun deviation from the norm. You very rarely see a villain who doesn't have to lie/cheat/manipulate their way through their respective plots, so having a guy who's so dead set on honouring his moral code to the point that it's detrimental to his relationships (and also potentially his place in the competition) would be a fun alley of thought to go down.
At the end of the day, the only thing that differentiates a total drama 'antagonist' from any other competitor is their ability to generate conflict and have others eliminated. Caleb's already shown a penchant for conflict generation through his poor communication skills (Priyaleb miscommunication plot, pretty much every interaction he has in s2e11) and tendency to prioritise his place in the competition (the deal he makes with Julia in s2e10), so it wouldn't be too hard for him to turn the tables on someone and have them eliminated.
I'm thinking something along the lines of him sparking a rivalry between himself and someone like Julia, then having them wager their votes/safety on a challenge or bet, which ultimately leads to the other being voted out without Caleb having to do anything dishonest or underhanded. Sticking by his deep-rooted morality whilst also tilting the game in his favour.
Because I think an antagonist who's threatening just by value of being good at the game is a lot scarier than someone who succeeds through trickery and subterfuge. He's playing by the rules, he's just playing better.
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Yup, the match-making system of had definitely lost a lot of its marbles, hadn't it?
Before the face of the third candidate could appear, I summoned up all my courage and shouted out. "No, hang on a minute! I don't have any thoughts of marriage yet!"
The Judge lowered his head as if he wanted to apologise and backed off. [If the esteemed Prince isn't ready yet, then the introduction of the next candidate can be delayed until the next time…]
[Hmm… I wonder who'll be able to tame this stubborn Prince of ours.]
*SCREAMING*
We all agree on who was about to show up as the third option, right? We all know who it was gonna be? Right?
Oh man, I just about fell out of my chair and rolled around on the floor when the Candidates started to appear. I know everyone in the entire Star Stream seems to love their shipping, Uriel and Persephone in particular, but I WAS NOT PREPARED.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Okay, I was maybe a little prepared for some teasing since Persephone loves to tease him about his (so far nonexistent) love life but this whole little matchmaking presentation from a Judge of the Underworld was more than I could have ever imagined. The Judge literally saying that maybe Sangah is out of Dokja's league adakjfldjfskfs.
And let's not forget, we're literally right in the middle of a massive battle that's about to go sideways due to the meddling of a certain archangel. But, you know, priorities.
I swear...what even is this novel? How am I ever gonna explain any of this to anyone?
Oh man, and then after teasing him all this time about Sangah and Joonghyuk (…and then Joonghyuk again…) Persephone just casually drops Bihyung into the conversation.
Bihyung.
Which… not a ship I’ve ever considered... even if they do have a baby together. (Wow, this story is weird isn’t it?)
But, you know what? You do you, Dokja! I support your strange but unique life choices!
(Dokja does not want this. Dokja does not want any of this.)
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just discovered that the lead bartender at my bar (who I'm learning from and is training me)'s previous job was lead bartender at a place on Condé Nast's "50 Best Bars In The World 2023" list (think Michelin stars for bars, that's THE thing) and I just,,,,,, how the hell did I just flop my way into an opportunity to learn from someone like that. how unreal and how like, 'opportunity of a lifetime' as far as this field is concerned. wtf.
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saw my favorite bylers talk about the relationship between Mike and Joyce again and now i just can't stop thinking about it
not just if she saw the airport fiasco but what if she saw the conflict between willelmike
or after they're all finally in hawkins again maybe she saw there's something going on and asked Jonathan and he told her some things he knew he could let her know
and then she comes to Mike and he expects it. he expects her to be angry to start criticising him cause he fucked up and hurts everyone and he knew this was coming but god does it hurt. this is the woman that feels like a second mother to him the woman that sometimes feels more like a mother to him then his actual mom and he knows being criticised by her is going to be the last straw and a part of him is dreading this but a part of him also thinks he deserves this. of course he does he fucked up he's the bad guy he hurt people he hurt her children she loves more than anything of course he deserves this
so he can take it. it will hurt. it will be like a punch in the face but he can take it it's what happens after that's the real question
but Joyce just smiles at him so gently and asks if he's doing okay. if everything is alright if something is going on. she tells him she cares about him and she knows he's been through a lot but if he needs her she's here for him. if he needs to talk she will listen if he just needs someone to be there for him she will be and she's just so caring and gentle and loving to Mike and Mike just. fucking. breaks.
he doesn't even remember when was the last time someone treated him this way like his feelings matter like he matters and he just can't help it. someone finally sees more than his snarkiness. someone finally sees more than him being a jerk. someone finally sees there's something more going on. someone finally sees the pain behind it and cares enough to actually ask him of he's okay and so he just lets himself cry in front of someone for the first time in years
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A Shidou + Dance drabble for anon, thank you for the request! It still has genuine headcanons/characterization, but I definitely went a slightly sillier route (kinda channeling minigram vibes at points...)
“I am not doing that.”
Shidou was always very polite, very calm in the face of any high-energy circumstances, whether it was a medical emergency or a raving party. The situation wasn’t quite either of those, but still he maintained his composure as the prisoners beckoned him forward.
Yuno had cleared away some of the common room tables so she could teach Haruka a dance she’d seen online. His performance had attracted Muu, and their giggles had tempted Mahiru, whose dedication in her wheelchair involved Mikoto, whose teasing had recruited Fuuta, whose yelling had dragged in Kazui, and their spectacle had created an audience of the others.
“Aw, it’s easy,” Yuno was telling him, “just a few simple moves. I’m not asking you to pirouette or anything.”
Through his polite smile, he internally cursed Kazui for joining in; now he couldn’t use the excuse that he was too old for such nonsense.
Not that dancing itself was the issue. Shidou prided himself in being very good at the art: he knew several steps and moves, and had never been known to pinch his partner’s toes. He and his wife had received much praise for their dancing at their wedding. Before his work kept him out through the nights, she had talked him into a few midnight waltzes in their kitchen. He’d help his daughter twirl when she was feeling like a ballerina, and would sway with his son to the same music.
But this amalgamation of hand gestures and hip swaying wasn’t quite the same to him.
He opened his mouth to decline, but a small stare in the corner gave him pause. Amane was watching the scene with feigned disinterest. She watched Shidou for his answer. All week he’d been encouraging her to involve herself with others more, telling her of all the benefits to her mental health. If he wanted even the slightest chance of her taking him seriously, he only had one choice.
“I… will do my best.”
“Great!”
Before he had a moment to second guess the decision, Yuno grabbed his arms and yanked him into the circle. His eyes flashed around the group, quickly calculating the moves in order to follow along. Swing your arms this way, wag your finger that way, raise both hands, turn your body around, and so on. It was fairly repetitive. He had it down in no time.
Or so he thought. Mikoto snickered at him.
“What?”
“You look stiffer than a board. You’re supposed to loosen up, man.”
“I am loose,” he said, his limbs perfectly rigid as he moved them with the music.
Mikoto did the little turn, putting a bunch of extra movement into it. It was uplifting to see him enjoying himself. Ever since he’d left the smoking group, Shidou had been worried about his state of mind. “Not even close. You’re doing even worse than Fuuta, somehow.”
“Hey!”
Mahiru swung her arms to the music. “I think he’s doing very well!”
Yuno was dancing circles around them -- literally and figuratively -- and she seemed to agree with Mikoto.
“Come on, you can relax here! Warden isn’t even around.” She swung her hips in fluid motions. “Let me see some rhythm!”
Shidou joined them for claps in sync with the beat, which he thought demonstrated his rhythm perfectly fine, but she kept prodding.
Finally, he set his jaw. He wasn’t the type of man to get embarrassed. He could care less for appearances. Even if he was that type of person, he’d have reason to agree -- Kazui was completely showing him up.
Though his movements were certainly ridiculous and clumsy compared to the others’, he tried to shift his shoulders and legs in similar motions. It earned him some celebration and some laughs from the others. He bent his knees, trying to put his whole body into the silly steps.
He followed Yuno’s example, letting out a chuckle as he danced more ridiculously than he believed he ever had.
The song picked up, and Shidou turned triumphantly to where Amane sat in the corner. This would be a big step, showing her he was willing to put himself out there for the group. Maybe it would even convince her to come and join the dancers, now that she saw --
Her chair was empty. She had left.
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