#I’d want to rewatch the show- specifically season 2 and 3

[wow-an-unfunny-joke]

Bungo stray dogs. Right off the dome, I’ll give the presentation about Dazai- specifically his story, specifically the presentation will be going through his time line beat by beat

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Rewatching season 2 had me really struck by the sheer amount of time Will spends performing for other people, and how few fully authentic interactions he has. In fact, I’d say one of the biggest through lines between the first and second halves of the season is Will learning how to wear masks, and then actively deploying that for the purpose of catching Hannibal.

(And how fitting is it that the promo for season 2 had Will wearing the iconic hockey mask? Not just a franchise in-joke, but a reflection of the fact that he “becomes” Hannibal in this season, begins to symbolically merge with him, to the point in which his own goals become clouded to him.)

It's a natural extension of season 1's establishment of his empathic abilities, where he begins to more actively use his ability to read other people and discern their motivations as a tool, or weapon. Simply telling the truth about his innocence doesn’t serve him - so he adapts a façade very quickly, in his faked tears for Hannibal and Alana. All of his interactions with others while in prison - Chilton, Lounds, Matthew Brown, etc. - are very deliberately engineered, and lean into what Will knows (or thinks) each person wants to hear - all setting the stage for him doing the same thing to Hannibal. Every word, everything about his intonation, is so precise - something that specifically struck me in this stretch of episodes was when he talks to Gideon and very carefully leans forward as he’s trying to drive his point home:

(And the body language, interestingly enough, is not just persuasive, but also mirrors the way Gideon sometimes leans/dangles his arms out of the cage when talking to others - and it reminds me of Will also mirroring Hannibal’s body language during the “not now that I finally find you interesting” scene, when he bites his lip in the way Hannibal so often does.)

It really highlights how so much of how he interacts with others during this entire stretch of the plot is a very carefully crafted performance, with so many of Will’s actual feelings and motivations subsumed into his manipulations. I remember watching the DVD commentary on Su-zakana, and they talk about how Will’s visible surliness with Hannibal was meant to stem from the fact that he didn’t want to be too friendly with Hannibal right away, because it would look suspicious. And I think that gets at something that’s present with how both Will and Hannibal manipulate others - they’re not necessarily lying about their feelings, just consciously using genuine feelings or motivations as a method of influencing others. With Hannibal, he frequently does feel genuine affection for others, and his care for them stems from that, but it’s also often used to put them at ease, serve his own ends. Will, for his part, is genuinely angry with Hannibal, but actively uses those feelings to fashion an aura of standoffishness. And of course, Hannibal has a genuine pull for him, and he deliberately leans into and cultivates that enjoyment for the sake of entrapping Hannibal. …Which of course leads to a situation where he has to put on a show for Jack as well, in which he downplays how deep into it he’s getting.

So it’s entirely fitting that the opening of Mizumono features the two halves of Will’s face - the front he’s presenting to Hannibal, and the front he’s presenting to Jack - merging, mask-like, in the middle of the screen.

They’re both the real him, and they’re both masks - and he gets so subsumed into his performances for others, the modulation and accentuation and sublimation of his feelings that they require, that he gets lost to himself (and is also terribly lonely and isolated). No wonder he’s confused and unmoored in early season 3.

[ripeteeth]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, feel free to pass on to five other writers to spread the love. 💗"

Thanks, @danpuff-ao3! You’re always a treat to see on the dash and I hope you’ve been having a lovely break <3.

I’m always a bit awkward with these, both from an itching sort of discomfort with staring my own artwork in the face, and I think from a lifetime habit of denying compliments out of a feeling of guilt or fear. So! I’ve had a glass of wine (and an edible) and I’m going to try to kinder to myself. I might be in the mood to talk right now. (Honestly, that’s a good sign. One of the big elements of my recent writer’s block has been an inability to express myself in any written way, even tumblr posts and comments. Maybe this is why I hit twitter so hard.)

My five favorite fics. Not my five best fics. Not my five most popular fics. My favorites. Hmm.

5. blood, bones, and butter | MDZS/The Untamed] SongXueXiao | E, 12,443

“A relationship, deconstructed. Served three ways.”

Ah, Yi City, that deliciously painful Shakespearean tragedy echoing Wangxian’s romance. The specific notes of obsession, revenge, love, and grief that run through these three make me completely unhinged. I love the quiet service and stoic devotion of Song Lan, the otherworldliness and power of Xiao Xingchen, the unchecked brilliance and cruelty that fill up Xue Yang. The Yi City fandom is easily one of the most incredible fandoms I’ve ever been a part of, full of uniquely talented and deranged writers and artists who love to really explore the dark edges and nitty-gritty of these character and let them be their fucked-up selves. The appeal of SongXueXiao isn’t to make it better for them, it’s to see how much you can make it worse.

It’s two pretty classic tropes: a first time after meeting at a bar, and also a story told from alternating POVs. I really wanted to focus on trying to carve out distinctive interiorities, like their motivations, their assumptions, their fears, their memories, and allow the reader to draw their own conclusions without spelling these all out outright. I’d recently rewatched Rashomon, and I love how the understanding of an event can be so differently shaped by each person’s POV and I wanted to show their first night together in that way, moving the lens over the night a few times, before it gets clear. It was a really fun process to focus on and I think it’s one of my best pieces of recent writing.

4. in search of the wind | Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale | E, 27,112

After the World Doesn't End, Aziraphale is not returned to his body. Crowley tries to find a way to get to Heaven's fast-shut gates. Aziraphale tries to find his way back from the sky (and back in time).

I remember writing this almost immediately after the show aired, in that heady summer of 2019, when I feel head over sweaty heels for that charming demon and his delicious epicure of an angel. This is essentially how I saw canon going on, this is the headcanon of my soul. Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen season 2 yet? It was a pleasure to write, almost like knitting together different scenes, different pieces of history, like an extended version of the s1s3 cold open. It’s Aziraphale without a body, unmoored in time, turning up at different points along his and Crowley’s history, and realizing that his friend is in love with him. That his friend is heartrendingly in love with him. I love stories that play with structure, striking different chords each time.

I couldn’t write this kind of story again. This belongs to a very specific time.

3. White Light, White Heat | Harry Potter | Snape/Harry | E, 32,107

“In 1347, Benedictine monk and scholar Severus Snape goes to fetch a young man joining the abbey. In 1347, rumors come of a strange and unrelenting plague from the east.”

An AU set in a fourteenth-century Benedictine monastery in Britain during the period of the Black Death where the two men develop a bond through a special sort of crucible. Snape, as always, falls in love with all the grace of a cat being given a bath. As dark as the material is, this was a pleasure to write. I had so much fun describing the setting, peppering fun little facts like a Pop Up Video of Medieval History. I wrote this in a fever-fueled three weeks, absolutely obsessed with getting it down exactly as it was in my head. I loved writing the monster theme and using it as almost a leitmotif for Snape. There’s probably a literary term for that. Is there? Anyway.

2. the body as anagram | The Terror | Crozier/Fitzjames, Crozier/Ross] | E, 3090

“In the dark, it doesn't matter which James is in his bed. As long as Ross doesn't speak, the illusion holds true.”

I took the title from a passage on J.G. Ballard’s Crash by Baudrillard in Simulacra and Simulation: “Technology is never grasped except in the (automobile) accident, that is to say in the violence done to technology itself and in the violence done to the body. It is the same: any shock, any blow, any impact, all the metallurgy of the accident can be read in the semiurgy of the body — neither an anatomy nor a physiology, but a semiurgy of contusions, scars, mutilations, wounds that are so many new sexual organs opened on the body. In this way, gathering the body as labor in the order of production is opposed to the dispersion of the body as anagram in the order of mutilation.”

There’s something a bit haunting about the parallels of the two men who held the intimacy of Francis Crozier’s friendship. The name. The confidence. The bravery. The charming manner and handsome face. I love the idea of a Francis who sails out pining for one man and returns home loving another, switching between true love and placeholder. And I’m notoriously a slut for both proxyfucking and Gremlin!Francis, who just can’t stop pressing on the wound of his grief. It’s not the drink but it may as well be, for all this is good for either he or Ross, but Francis is a fool in love with a dead man and he does what he does to get by.

Something about this came together, from concept to finish, in a way I’m quite happy with. It was fun to play with concepts and free associate from them, focusing less on plot, but more on the vast empty grief in Francis’ chest. Everyone here knows this is a bad idea. No one is having a good time.

1. Revachol Calling | Disco Elysium | Karry/Kim | E, 35,321 [WIP]

“Somewhere in Jamrock, a church burns. A study in Kim Kitsuragi.”

Sometimes you just feel the next part of the story in your bones. When I first played Disco Elysium in 2021 it hit me in an incredibly familiar, emotional way. There’s something somber and hopeful about it. The writing is sardonic, dark and humorous. It’s nearly cynical but it’s cynical with a sad old smile, because cynicism is born through disappointment, and through not quite being ready to give up. I think we can all find ourselves in it, in one way or another and, like many, I’m hopelessly in love with Kim Kitsuragi, a wild creature who’s built himself within thousands of rules. I can’t play the game without craving his side of the story, his interiority, his history, so I grab at the little crystals of information, such as his secret love of Speedfreaks FM and his past with Eyes, and I try to imagine it might go. This is my sequel to the game and, more than anything, this is my love song to Revachol, a character of a city, and one that echoes vastly in all those of post-Communist country and family.

For some reason, this fic is extremely visual for me and usually in a Wong Kar-Wai sort of fashion. Think the saturated aquamarines of a neon diner sign. Think a studio apartment with cheap wallpaper and the yellow-orange flicker of sodium lights. It comes alive at night, when Kim is left alone with his thoughts, running out of rules to keep him safely in. I love that Disco Elysium has such a vast world to explore. It’s an endless playbox.

And this is also, in a way, a bit of an elegy to a belief I’d once held in a motherland, and do not anymore.

I’m almost done with Chapter 8, so hopefully it will be up soon <3

Tagging! @jaggededges123 @soft-october-night @wildcard47 @rcmclachlan @brawlite @zaxal @pearwaldorf @kiingbooooo @darcylindbergh @et-in-arkadia @itsevidentvery @iodhadh @iamwestiec @mia-ugly @laurashapiro-noreally @pinehutch and anyone else who wishes to!

[deer0skullz]

Does anyone else feel like Umbrella Academy, What We Do in the Shadows and Our Flag Means Death went down very similar paths or is that just me?

To preface, this is mostly based on how I felt as I watched the shows but also on some of the opinions I picked up from the fandoms.

Also, I’m not going to go back and rewatch all of these shows for the sake of a Tumblr post so I’m working from memory and if you feel like I’ve misremembered any of the plot/ characters let me know.

1. Started as well-received and highly acclaimed live-action fantasy shows with ensemble casts.

Based on my own opinions and what I remember from other fans, UA seasons 1-2 were fairly well received, as were WWDITS seasons 1-3/4 and OFMD season 1.

They’re all definitely different genres of fantasy but I’d say they still all fit under the label. And they obviously all have ensemble casts, with the Hargreeves in UA, the vampires (and Guillermo) in WWDITS and the pirates in OFMD. Even though the plots and characters can be quite different they all have similar vibes.

2. Noted for having open queer representation.

Klaus and Viktor in UA, pretty much the entire main cast of WWDITS, and multiple main characters in OFMD.

3. Tied to already established and respected creators.

UA is based on the comics written by Gerard Way who, of course, is also well known for My Chemical Romance. WWDITS is based on the film by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi, who are both executive producers of the show. Taika was also involved in OFMD as the actor for Blackbeard and as an executive producer. He has his name tied to many acclaimed films like Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor Ragnorok and Jojo Rabbit.

These are obviously not the only famous people tied to these projects but it’s just a sample of the talent involved in these shows. I feel like the fact that there was so much talent working on these shows makes my next point more interesting.

4. Experienced drops in quality and/ or introduced problematic elements that caused fans to lose interest or respect.

Again, this is opinion based and if you still liked the shows during these seasons then more power to you.

My overall feeling about all of these shows is that they lost a lot of the joy from their initial season(s) as they went on. Like, they just got significantly less fun to watch. But they also had more specific individual issues that I would like to get into.

I stopped watching UA during season 3 and don’t plan on watching season 4. I feel like a lot of people will already know what I might be referring to with this but yeah, the scene where Allison *did that* to Luther made me so sick. I feel like that season absolutely destroyed her character, and as I said, it just wasn’t anywhere near as fun as seasons 1 or 2.

WWDITS is probably the most successful of the three in my eyes but I could still apply the same argument about loss of enjoyment. The “Guillermo wants to be a vampire” plot line got very stale for me, especially with how they “resolved” (?) it. Saying “oh he’s a vampire now oh nevermind he doesn’t actually like being a vampire and also can’t be one anyway so everything’s back to normal” felt like such a waste of time for me. I know a lot of people also criticised the show for queerbaiting because of the Nandermo plot lines and teases. I wouldn’t necessarily call it queerbaiting but I would agree that the “will they, won’t they” is very played out at this point. Another big criticism I have of the later seasons is how Marwa was treated. The fact that she had no autonomy and was being forcibly changed mentally and physically to appeal to Nandor was treated as like, a running joke and I just found it kind of disturbing. Dark humour is pretty common throughout the show, but given how often her character appeared it felt a lot more, significant than throwaway jokes about drinking human blood. I feel like they could have done so much better with her character.

OFMD is probably the most egregious example of the 3. Season 2 was just not good. I’m not saying it was the worst thing I’ve ever watched but it was incredibly disappointing. The pacing was off, the characters were off, the dynamics were off. It was all just very off. The huge cliffhanger ending with Evil Blackbeard felt like it was resolved way too quickly and everything else in the season felt equally rushed. A lot of the character dynamics, but especially Ed and Stede, just felt wrong to me. From what I understand there were production issues or something so I’m not saying the writers just woke up one day and decided to be bad at their jobs but I can only really judge a show by what I saw on my screen, and what I saw was so far removed from the quality of season 1.

5. Finished on a sour note.

UA ended after 4 seasons, with the fourth being released on Netflix today. I haven’t seen anything that indicates whether this was the intended endpoint or whether it was cancelled. WWDITS will end after season 6 which comes out in October. Again, I can’t find anything indicating whether this was the intended endpoint. OFMD was cancelled just a few months after the release of season 2 in October 2023.

I can’t tell other fans how they should feel but for me I’m incredibly disappointed that 3 shows I really enjoyed saw a gradual (or not so gradual for OFMD) drop in quality that ultimately culminated in them just… ending.

Like I said, I have no interest in US season 4, but I am still somewhat hopeful for WWDITS. I would be really happy if they could bring it back to what it was.

Conclusion

I don’t know what the point of writing this was other than the fact that I’ve always associated these shows as having the same vibes and I feel like it’s interesting that they have a lot of similarities and went down similar paths. Also I just like yapping.

[bluedalahorse]

Blue’s self-absorbed YRS3 “revisions”

I’m someone who liked many parts of Young Royals season 3 and enjoyed it overall, but didn’t like other parts of it. As someone who enjoys breaking down story structure and character arcs and such, I’ve thought a lot since the season aired about what I would have done if the season had been in my hands and I’d been allowed to make revisions.

I decided to finally organize some of these ideas into a post. This post will be a bit broad, as I haven’t done a rewatch in a while, but I can see myself getting more specific after I do my annual Christmas-season rewatch of the entire series. (Soon!) So maybe that will show up later, in a future post. Or maybe it won’t and I’ll spend all my time writing fanfic.

These are, of course, solely based in my opinions, and my personal likes and dislikes as a writer. I’m sure there’s other ways the series could have gone. You might have different ideas of how to “fix” things for your own personal preferences, and that’s ok! This is a post that might appeal to some fans and have the opposite effect on others. But I figured I’d post anyway, because isn’t that what tumblr fandom is for?

Anyway, here are my unsolicited suggestions…

Part I. Return Felice to her investigatory roots

At the end of season 1, Felice got to be a detective and figured out it was August who leaked the video.

In season 2, Felice acts as Wilhelm’s sympathetic ear. (Wilhelm owes her compensation imo.)

I wonder about a version of season 3 where Felice could have been the gatherer of stories from her fellow Hillerska students. Not in a way where she’s solely doing emotional labor, but in a way where she’s trying to uncover the truth about the school and give the school inspectors the information they need to make their decision. Maybe she starts out thinking things at Hillerska aren’t too bad for most people, and her own negative experiences are a fluke. But the more Felice digs, the more she realizes the system has problems. This would integrate nicely with Felice coming to realize her friends are kinda fake, and rebuilding her relationship with Sara.

(I also would really love to see a conversation between Felice and Nils about what it’s like being two of the only students of color at the school, and in a “model minority” sort of way. Even an awkward, halting conversation. Ever since I read it in a fic snippet, I want MORE.)

I don’t love that they cut away from Felice’s interview in canon. I wish we’d actually gotten to see it, so we could feel the impact her testimony had. And maybe in a storyline where Felice is a more deliberate gatherer of stories, we can see her impact multiplied. I want her to feel like a key part of the decision to close Hillerska down!

Part II. Let Sara navigate an abortion storyline

I’m actually shocked this didn’t happen in canon. There were so many little moments that felt like foreshadowing for a plot where Sara is pregnant. On so many levels the show is about the line of succession to the monarchy, and also the question of whether or not we become our parents. What better way to make this question feel urgent and relevant than a storyline where Sara could be pregnant?

Obviously Sara’s feelings are the most important here, and I think it would encourage Sara to think about her own parents a lot and what she inherits them, the way she already is thinking about them in season 3. She’d also be processing her own shame and loneliness, and I think her potentially being pregnant might add to her reasons for self-isolating.

At the same time, this kind of plot would also add increased depth and stakes to Sara’s relationships. Sara and Simon? Both of them are becoming adults, and both experienced rather tumultuous first loves with some intense risk associated with them. Sara and Felice? Time to explore the role that women play in the class hierarchy, and how much emphasis is placed on reproduction in the Hillerska culture. Sara and August? August is still grieving his dad, so the notion of him potentially becoming a parent could throw him through an emotional loop. Pretty much all of these are grounds for rich storytelling! Again, I am shocked the writers didn’t choose this as a plot because it ties so many things together.

Of course there’s one relationship the show could choose to develop further…

Part III. Give Wilhelm and Sara a tie to one another

One of my biggest disappointments in season 3 is that Sara and Wilhelm didn’t get to build a relationship with one another in season 3. After all the time paralleling one another in seasons 1 and 2, it really felt like a letdown. They only exchanged one line!

Building on the idea that Sara could have started the season pregnant, I wonder what could have happened if—somehow, in episode 1 or 2–Wille walked in on Sara holding a positive pregnancy test. We’d have to somehow maneuver them into the same space, and that might be challenging, but I don’t think it’d be impossible. We can be creative!

What I was hoping for was a situation where Sara and Wille have a conversation about this, and Sara’s freaking out a bit, as she would be. And Wille actually manages to calm her down, and talks her through getting abortion pills and finds a way to stay with her on the day when she takes them. They see that day as a temporary truce between them, at first, though of course it allows them to open up to one another a little bit, and they begin texting even just a little bit, when they can. They agree to keep the abortion a secret, and promise to not even tell Simon about it. Of course, Sara opens up to the other main three over the course of the season, by her own choice.

If Wille helping Sara through an abortion storyline is too much, him helping her navigate a pregnancy scare could potentially hold similar emotional weight. I’d also like to see Wille meaningfully interact with a female character where it isn’t him and his mom in conflict, or him over-relying on Felice for emotional support without giving much in return. Like can we just have unexpected reproductive rights ally Wilhelm? As a treat?

Part IV. Give August and Simon a tie to one another

As I envisioned this Sara-Wilhelm scenario in my head, I realized it could be balanced out by a parallel storyline where Simon and August have to interact with one another in new ways. The season opens with the legal settlement between them, but it’s clear that the legal settlement doesn’t create catharsis. I actually like this decision. I wish we had gotten a chance to see Simon and August interact around their conflict, though, because the Simon-August conflict and the Wilhelm-August conflict were set up as two very different conflicts in season 1. By season 3 this had somehow become “Simon and Wilhelm together against August” which… I didn’t love. I’ve written about that before, so I won’t rehash it too much here.

So I asked myself what would happen if Simon and August were the ones who got into a fistfight in the library, instead of Wilhelm and August, and then it’s Simon and August who are thrown into mediation together with Boris. I get why Wilhelm and August were the ones fighting canonically, and it wasn’t a decision I hated. But in the universe in my head where Sara-Wilhelm interaction is happening, I like the idea of Simon-August-Boris interaction happening alongside it.

What follows is an opportunity for August to make real restitution to Simon, and for Simon to have a real chance to articulate how everything with the video on down affected him, and tell the truth to August. I’m basing this not in my own silly little thoughts, but in what I’ve read about restorative practice and how it can be used to work through these kinds of incidents. Simon and August don’t have to forgive and love one another and suddenly be besties, but it would be interesting to see them come to understand one another, especially given the things they have in common, and maybe talk more authentically. The scene where Simon notices August’s disordered eating tendencies during the sit-in would also have a lot more resonance if they’ve been in these mediation sessions together.

And then it could lead to my next idea…

Part V. Keep the Erik reveal, but change how it’s delivered

I know a lot of people didn’t like the Erik reveal. It was one of my favorite parts of the season, and built on a lot of what I imagined to be true about the characters. I cried when Malte delivered his monologue.

What if August doesn’t tell Wille it was Erik who oversaw the homophobic initiation? What if he tells Simon instead?

And then Simon is sitting on this piece of information knowing that Wille is grieving Erik, but that the truth could come out at any time, and it would hurt Wilhelm more. Simon is agonizing over whether to tell Wille the truth. Then, sometime during Wille’s birthday celebration, as the family tension escalates and Simon feels increasingly uncomfortable with the family’s verbal hagiography of Erik, he tells Wille.

Wilhelm is furious and breaks up with Simon in response. Simon leaves the palace. I feel like this would be an interesting twist on how their relationship has played out in the past—usually we have Wilhelm pursuing Simon and Simon setting boundaries, but now we have Wille shutting Simon out when Simon confronts him with something he needs to hear but doesn’t want to.

And over the next few days, Wille seeks out August and asks him, why would Simon say this? to meYou know this wasn’t true, that Erik wouldn’t do this, you were there. And August corroborates what Simon says, which leads him and Wilhelm into a difficult—but ultimately cathartic conversation—about what it means to grieve highly flawed people. Maybe there’s even a callback to their conversation from 1.4, where August talks to Wilhelm about grieving his dad. As a coda, August encourages Wilhelm to go and make an effort to win Simon back. August has lost his romance with an Eriksson sibling, so he knows how much the heartbreak hurts. He thinks Wille still has a chance with Simon, so he pushes him to do that. And thus the endgame endgames the way fandom wants it to.

In my mind this still leads to Wilhelm leaving the monarchy. It could even end in Wilhelm and August leaving behind the monarchy together, in solidarity. I’m leaving that open for now, but I like thinking about this as a storyline that could have been.

Thanks for reading if you read this far! I enjoy filling up my brain with these thoughts.

[marley-manson]

due South for the fandom ask meme, if you haven't been asked already <3

Thank you 💖

my favorite female character

I honestly can't decide between Victoria and Frannie. I loooove Victoria, I think she's a fantastic villain, very sympathetic imo, and extremely effective at highlighting Fraser's tragic flaws. And I love that she got away in the end.

I also adore Frannie and while she's less of a perfectly written character, she's in more episodes and she's so endearing and loveable. If we had to have a Fraser het ship teased in season 2 I wish it had been Fraser/Frannie rather than Fraser/Thatcher, both because I like Frannie more and would've loved to see more of her before season 3, and because I think it would've been more interesting thematically. In the episode Heaven and Earth she functionally represents Earth and Fraser's capacity to be more human and less "divine" or untouchable, and I love that.

my favorite male character

Ray Vecchio! I love him, I love the way he talks and complains and feels like everything is unfair to him and always steps up and puts his own comfort second anyway; I love his relationship with his family, from the good heartwarming stuff, to the bitchy sibling stuff, to the darker abusive father who still literally haunts him stuff; I love his fashion sense; I love his sheer loyalty to Fraser; I love that in the Pilot he sought Fraser out specifically to apologize for accidentally being insensitive about his father and invite him to dinner; I love his ridiculous love for his car and that he sacrificed it twice for Fraser... nothing I don't love tbh.

my favorite book/season/etc

Season 1, hands down. Extremely solid television right there.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show)

SO hard to choose between The Deal and Victoria's Secret, but I think Ray's episode gets the edge so let's go with The Deal.

my favorite cast member

I don't really know anything about the cast so idk.

my favorite ship

Fraser/RayV. Ship of my heart. I can read basically any ship featuring Ray, including het even, but Ray loves Fraser best therefore Ray/Fraser is the best ship.

a character I’d die defending

Ray. Thankfully the Ray Wars are over so I don't have to, but I'm ngl I can understand why the fandom was so batshit back then. I see someone casually say they can't ship F/V because they see him as too straight and Kill Bill sirens go off in my head and I have to take a deep breath lol. I would not have survived the 90s.

Also Victoria though. Fraser dug his own grave when he didn't let her go the first time, acab, obviously spending 10 years in prison would make her both a better criminal and angry that's what you fucking get for loving the system so much Fraser, and I'm on her side during the whole finale lol.

a character I just can’t sympathize with

One of Due South's biggest strengths is making just about every character sympathetic in some way. Ray's dad was a good answer to this though, got no sympathy there.

Ooh, also: Bob Fraser. The show did want me to sympathize with him at times lol, but I don't. He sucks, he's emblematic of every flaw Fraser has, he's a terrible father and a pretty shitty person, and the fact that the show wanted me to like him and often brushes all that aside makes me dislike him more than I otherwise might. He's still often entertaining and funny, but I do not have any sympathy for him. Hope Caroline divorces him in the afterlife.

a character I grew to love

Idk, most of my character opinions have been static since I first watched the show in high school...

Okay, Ian lol. The most annoying man in the world, but still somehow loveable. It did take me at least one rewatch to start to like him.

my anti otp

Sorry to the fandom lol but it is Fraser/Ray K. I got into the show specifically for them, because I wanted to read all the good fic everyone recced everywhere, and I did everything I could to try to like them including watching season 3 concurrently with season 2 so missing Ray V wouldn't colour my opinions, but it just didn't happen. They are not for me, they don't have the kind of chemistry I enjoy, I don't like the show after season 2 much in general, and my irrational love for Ray V makes me mad on his behalf to see Fraser getting together with his replacement lol.

I'm not usually that emotion driven when it comes to my fandom interests but due south is always kind of an exception there. I am at least self aware enough to find my irrational resentment funny rather than taking it seriously though. Like, I have 0 beef with F/K shippers, I respect your interests and I can definitely see why it was a fandom juggernaut back in its day. I'll just never read it.

ask meme

[drlectertho]

Hello dearest Hannibal community,

Thanks to all the peeps who are still following me after like 10ish years of more or less complete inactivity on here.

I did have a lil‘ peak now and then, looked at old posts of mine and reblogged some that didn’t feel all too cringe. Also scrolled through my feed and hannibal tags and found that actually not all too much has changed in this fandom - same humour, same love for the show, same insanity, same kind of lovely people… heck, some of you veterans from back in the day are STILL active! I very much applaud your committment! 👏🏻

I‘m actually writing this post because I thought I‘d give an update on what‘s been going on in my life in hopes that some of you also comment a wee update about themselves or make a post and tag me (and others from the community) 🫶🏻

I‘ll try and make this not too long (Spoiler: it got longer than expected):

Basically, Hannibal (@nbchannibal) fundamentally influenced the trajectory of my life.

I went to med school because of that show and got my medical degree few years ago. Never in my life thought about becoming a medical doctor until I watched Hannibal, more specifally after watching Season 3.

I‘ve always been fascinated by sciences, human anatomy, forensics, horror, the dark and obscure. But also loved arts and creative work, and for the longest time I’d wanted to make that my profession. I was planning on studying Digital Animation right up until I finished my last year of high school. At this point, I didn‘t really have a portfolio for uni application and was doubting my creative skills/potential.

When Season 3 of Hannibal aired, I‘d watched it 2 times in a row and then rewatched Hannibal all together (since have rewatched the whole series again about 3 times). I realized that I didn’t solely love the show because of the (b)romances, its story and its goriness, but because of the psychological and medical aspects of it. Really, really loved the „sassy forensics team“ and their work (even though it was very fantastical at times and surely not the most realistic portayal of forensic medicine). Suddenly, I had the epiphany of becoming a forensic pathologist. Silly me didn‘t know that meant that I’d have to do 6 years of medical school, get a medical degree and then do another 6 years of residency in forensic medicine. But applied for medical school anyways, passed the „big“ entrance test and sure enough, I fell in love with medicine.

My dream of forensic medicine was pretty much crushed right away, since I was told that there were only few residency options in the city where lived (and wanted to continue to live) and hardly ever any open positions in this niche specialty. Also job market was rather saturated - and still is.

Did a pathology internship during uni and found it very intrigueing but couldn‘t really cope with the smells, even though seeing, touching and cutting (recently) deceased bodies was no trouble at all. I then thought, maybe forensics would‘nt have worked for me anyways and abandoned the idea completely.

Last year of medical school I did an internship in psychiatry, enjoyed it, apparently did well enough and was encourage by my attending to pursue a career in that feeld. Before that internship I had again recently rewatched Hannibal, and rather unknowingly paid closer attention to the psychiatrists and psychologists portrayed in that show. Hereby became more and more fascinated by the subject of mental health and mental disorders. I was aware, however, that most psychiatrists in Hannibal almost exclusively performed some form of psychotherapy and hardly any clinical/medical psychiatry was shown.

Ultimately, I got a job at the very same psychiatric clinic I did the internship at and am still doing my residency there. I like my specialty very much, love and care for my patients deeply, and my work definitely gives me some sense of purpose. Do I feel completely fulfilled? No. But who really is, am I right?

As of late, I‘ve been entertaining the idea of forensic medicine again and changing my current specialty. I guess, I have not been able to let it go completely after all…

Anyways, did Hannibal affect your life also in some or great way as it did mine? If so, I‘d be curious to hear your stories! :)

Thanks and best wishes to those who read the whole thing or even just a small part of it. ❤️

- M.

[tallmadgeandtea]

Turnsgiving 2023: Day 2

Least Favorites

To me, Turn is Perfect but Also Not Perfect but also The Greatest Show of All Time, so finding me dissing it only happens once in a blue moon.

Over the course of Turn and Tea, I’ve only watched seasons 3 and 4 once— I just only recently finished s3 for the second time. Not because I think they’re bad television, but because there are some moments that I don’t find as exciting to revisit.

My two nitpicks deal with Abe and Robert Rogers. In s1, Rogers was an intriguing character and watching him is fun! He’s a Scottish brute whose survival skills rival only Simcoe’s and he’s a foil for Washington, who he knew during the Seven Years War. I do wish they went into his historical dealings, specifically with the capture of Nathan Hale, but his and Ben’s face off is still a great moment in the show.

Rogers and Caleb’s scavenger hunt at the beginning of s2 was still fun, but after he leaves at the end to find the “Northwest Passage” I excepted to never see him again. And honestly? It should’ve remained that way. I avoided rewatching s3 for a couple reasons, but one of the was that I didn’t care to see Rogers and Abe fighting in a hole in the ground! If I wanted to watch men fight in dark holes, I’d go watch Poldark or a war drama! Okay… well… a different war drama!

Speaking of war and Abe Woodhull, that leads me to my next point. Private Woodhull. PRIVATE WOODHULL. What even WAS this?! Who ALLOWED THIS?! And to drag a poor Dragoon in it… Sergeant Champe I’m so sorry! You did that all on your own and they made you work with Private Tintin instead and forced me to watch it! #savethehorsegirls

But the most ridiculous part was having him to be shot at Yorktown! YORKTOWN. The most main character moment EVER. I get they wanted the gang all together but god… at what cost!!

Anyways. That’s two of my gripes with the show. I’m normal now. We all know I’m president of the Richard Woodhull Hate Club, but that’s just another day at Headquarters.

(S4 will be the next season I rewatch. Why did I only watch it once? Because I had a breakdown when I finished it but that’s digressing.)

[titsgirlbuffy]

hey sorry if you've gotten a million alerts about me liking way too many of your posts!! i'm currently rewatching Buffy and Angel for the first time in over a decade (i first watched both shows between ages 10 and 13 so this has been an eye opening rewatch) and the hyperfixation has returned big time! I've been scouring the internet for meta and all of yours that i've read resonate with me a lot.

if you ever feel like writing them out (no pressure of course!) i'd love to read some more of your gay Wesley thoughts -- i've also always read him as gay, and i have such a strange time going into his tag on tumblr because soooo much of it is Wes/Lilah content. i'm particularly curious about your thoughts on how a gay reading of Wesley impacts his storylines with Lilah, Fred, and maybe Virginia. also sorry if all this is weird from a non-Buffy-blog stranger!!

Omg Thank You for sending this! It’s been sitting in my inbox for a while cause I needed to actually think about it in words rather than just. Autistic screeching. And also cause I wanted to see more of the Wesley/Lilah relationship to make sure my first thoughts weren’t totally baseless (if anything they’re being proven further). Just watched Apocalypse Now-ish so there’s probably later stuff I’d add in if I’d seen the whole show.

I’m really surprised by how many fans read him as straight (no offense but we have different eyes). Wesley’s coded as queer pretty often – part of it’s just the queer-coding of the Buffyverse supernatural in general (see This Old Gang of Mine for a questionable but really clear-cut example), but there’s also tons where it’s him specifically (in Sanctuary where the council’s kill squad call him out on his “perverted” relationship with Angel and also call him a ponce, Wesley stopping Angel in that same episode before the fight to make sure he knows he gave up a chance to go home and be accepted by his father and culture For Angel, multiple times in season one when outsiders assume he and Angel are together, that time Angel gets possessed by an old guy who assumes Wesley is his boyfriend and tries to let him down gently but freaks out when Wesley goes to touch him… etc etc etc). Plus the way he looked up to Angel in early seasons absolutely comes across as a crush, he and Gunn were So into each other but Wesley especially was repressed about it (running theme, man radiates internalised homophobia), and all his relationships with women… well, there’s Layers going on.

So his early relationship with Cordelia was the first time (if you don’t count just. Looking at him) I solidly thought Wesley must be gay, rather than any other label. To me that’s absolutely a comphet relationship on his part. The crucial parts of the Cordelia/Wesley relationship is that 1. He sees himself as “a bad, bad man” for wanting to pursue anything with Cordelia, and as such 2. She is completely unattainable, but 3. When it’s proven that she’s Not unobtainable actually, the relationship falls apart the instant they try to do anything about it. He’s attracted to Cordelia because it’s a safely straight crush where he’s not Allowed to actually follow through on anything (and panics the moment he does anyway), and to an extent because a relationship would give him a reason to stay in California.

I headcanon Wesley as actually working out that he’s gay between seasons 1 and 2 – purely because he’s the one who introduces the group to Caritas and was visiting it between seasons, which… do I need to explain why Caritas is a gay bar? Please feel to ask me to explain that if anyone doesn’t get it, but for now, trust me, as a frequenter of gay karaoke bars, Caritas is 100% a gay karaoke bar. This is also around the time he starts dressing differently, stops wearing multi-piece fully buttoned suits year round in California. He’s getting more comfortable being himself.

Which all makes his relationship with Virginia really interesting. They met when he was mimicking Angel’s Straight Man Persona (literally in the same episode where Angel was getting therapy and being told that his manly persona is an act and that it’s hurting him. Yeah), and I’m not totally sure if she was a beard or a purposefully chosen Public Relationship. She was a billionaire socialite – again, Wesley’s internalised homophobia is off the charts, and this is a relationship that got into the papers (and would definitely get back to his family, if they made any effort to look). Sidenote, I’m genuinely certain that he was just homeless until they got together. Wesley is established as Broke™, starts dating a billionaire, and suddenly has a large swank apartment? In LA? I am simply drawing connections. So yeah, while I’m undecided about how much Virginia knew this, their relationship reads as one based on public persona and just social climbing generally.

Fred’s the most complicated of his relationships with women. The rivalry with Gunn is probably a part of it, but actually I think a bigger part is Billy. As in, Billy, the guy who made any guy who touched him (or his blood, sorry Wes) become violently misogynistic. Side eyeing the writers for that one, but still, it Really fucked Wesley up. Fred was fine, she doesn’t blame him, but after the spell wore off Wesley literally hid in his room for a week then told her “I don’t know what kind of man I am anymore” then Cut His Hair Short Again. Some sort of closeness to Fred had been alluded to before this (protecting her in This Old Gang Of Mine despite her very much being able to protect herself, suddenly being given an interest in science despite being a linguist), but that was really the turning point for this being a textual Attraction. Even then, similar to the Cordelia thing, Wesley never makes a move (assuring everyone who asked that he would when he was ready. Okay), and when he talks about it, it’s an attraction to a Fred that literally doesn’t exist.

Fred doesn’t need anyone making a shovel talk on her behalf – she can and will just kill them herself (at the point I’m at, she and Gunn might break up because He killed someone when she’d wanted to do it on her own). There was a great moment when Lilah dressed up as “Fred”, complete with schoolgirl outfit and glasses, and the shot cut to Fred, hair down, glasses free, ready to hunt a ghost with Gunn. The irony is that the Fred who actually Does exist has way more in common with Wesley (it’s honestly just the gender that’s the issue here), but in a combo of self hatred and need to redeem himself post-Billy, Wesley’s created this sweet innocent young scientist who he needs to Protect™. Is that love? Well, he didn’t make a move when he thought it was.

I can see why people like his relationship with Lilah. They’re awful. Literally the first time they slept together it was because Wesley was So depressed and was hoping he wouldn’t regret it until the morning (didn’t work. Regretted it instantly). He doesn’t have a job, and Lilah’s trying to recruit him to W&H. I said, the second time we saw them on screen, that he was prostituting himself. I was joking! But uh. Canon jokes about how “giving” Lilah is. Expensive bribes (“gifts”, Lilah insists) Wesley could never afford. He makes a bet with her for ONE DOLLAR, loses, she MAKES HIM SIGN THE DOLLAR, and then LEAVES IT WITH HIM. They’re in bed for this. I just. I was joking. I wasn’t expecting an actual scene of them in bed with a dollar bill between them. What the fuck. Anyway, that aside, he really does just hate himself right now, tangibly depressed post-baby-theft, and Lilah is There. Caritas doesn’t exist any more and there’s no plausible deniability in a non-demon gay bar.

Thanks again for reading my stuff @lostupst8 <3 never apologise for spamming me, I crave attention

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, May 29

BUFFY: I'm going to the crime scene to see what I can find out. (she stands) You guys research the Polgara demon. I want to know where it is. When I find it, I'm going to make him pay for taking that kid's life, I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine... that probably would have sounded more commanding if I wasn't wearing my yummy sushi pajamas.

~~BtVS 4x14 “Goodbye Iowa”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Unwelcome (Buffy, Joyce, Pat, PG) by badly_knitted

MedWhump May 2024 Day 28: Head Injury (Rupert/Maggie Walsh, G) by MadeInGold

i apologize if it’s a little too much just a little too soon (Willow/Tara, G) by howtowords

In the night (Fred/Spike, E) by Kittenwritings

Blondes prefer nobodies (Fanged Four, M) by MsRosaliehaleswife

Second Rule of Book Club (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Girlytek

Buffy's Journey Back From Hell (Buffy, not rated) by ILLYRIAN

[Chaptered Fiction]

Scrambled, Chapters 1-3/? (The Trio, Ensemble, M) by mabus101

Twin Verse, Chapters 1-4/4 COMPLETE! (Xander, OC, multiple xover, M) by JadeWine

Where goes the Heart?, Chapter 2/? (Ensemble, multiple Marvel xover, T) by skhwriter

The Slayer Key, Chapter 3/? (Spike, Dawn, ensemble, OC, T) by magicalenergykey

[Ukrainian language] Forward to Time Past//Вперед у час минулий, Chapter 44/67 (Buffy/Spike, E) translation by Uraniya

Infinitely, Chapter 54/? (Willow/Tara, M) by Laragh

Ever After After The Fall, Chapter 15/30 (Buffy/Angel, M) by aboutafox

[French language] Recommencer, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Faith, M) by Friday Queen

[French language] Do as Romans do, Chapter 30 (Dawn/Spike, T) by OldGirl-NoraArlani

Willow's are a symbol of rebirth, Chapter 4 (Willow/Spike, M) by Letmeguessit'sbeentaken

A Ripple In Time, Chapter 40 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Deliverance From Destiny, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Love Bites But So Do I, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Early One Morning, Chapter 49 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by all choseny

Love Lives Here, Chapter 69 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Secret Obsession, Chapter 30 COMPLETE! (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Dawn Rising, Chapter 65 (Buffy, LOTR xover, T) by Luna

Stomping on butterflies, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

To All We Guard, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by simmony

Dear Journal , Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Desicat

Early One Morning, Chapter 49 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by all choseny

Love Lives Here, Chapter 69 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Secret Obsession, Chapters 27-30 COMPLETE! (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset: faith lehane + red (worksafe) by sonnywithachanceofrollins

Artwork: My favourite Buffy characters (in no specific order) (worksafe) by awinterrosesstuff

Video: buffy summers | i can do it with a broken heart (Buffy/Angel) by lostlcve

Manip: Skin Clean Thoughts Obscene (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Claire

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: HELLMOUTH HOMOS: New Moon Rising by Fear Queers

PODCAST: Episode 58: In The Dark by Gym Was Cancelled

PODCAST: Episode 120: All The Way by MythTaken

[Recs & In Search Of]

[Seasonal Spuffy] Rec Post: thenewbuzwuzz recced by the_wiggins

[Fandom Discussions]

People wonder why Angel would continue using the name after getting his soul back by ripperrupertgiles

buffy’s graduating class looks really small. I’d love to know how large it was their freshman year by ssaalexblake

just finished the season 2 finale. xander pissing me the f* off by girlboydotjpg

i’m thinking about daniel “oz” osbourne of buffy the vampire slayer fame and the tragedy of his werewolf narrative by joe-spookyy

I used to hate season 4 of BTVS [...] but on my millionth rewatch I think this is one of the funniest seasons by theprophecy-girl

It still bugs me that the show treats Cordelia as in the wrong for her being angry at Xander by furyxiv

am thinking abt the body swap episode of btvs where eliza dushku and sarah michelle gellar play pitch perfect versions of each other’s characters by pelorsdyke

[ask by coraniaid] Kendra for the reverse unpopular opinions ask game? by finalgirl1984

What If: Willow did know Buffy was in Heaven? by nightshade, multiple posters

Why everyone hates this season [S4] continued by Mott1

Buffy vs angel theme song by No-Cicada5474

For the “Sunnydale makes no sense” discussions by Few_Solid4040

How do you think the other characters would have handled the crucial impulsive decision Wesley made by AsiaRoots

Anyone else love Lorne?! by AsiaRoots

S4 roommate situation by ZitRemedy11

“If they hurt Willow, I’ll kill you” by clickyr

All jokes aside, who would actaully win. Astronauts or cavemen? by melaniemoth13

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[dollwritesarchive]

Since we’re asking top 5’s and you’re writing for anime rn -

Top 5 anime you’ve watched so far!!

OOOH okay so I have to do like recently watched BECAUSE I have some that are my all time faves like aot, death note, naruto, etc etc

1. JJBA

I cannot thank @stellarmagu and @allthefandomstogether ENOUGH for getting me into this show IT IS PROBABLY MY 2nd FAVE EVER NOW. I still have to finish stone ocean because I KNOW I’m behind BUT I’m taking my time because I don’t want it to end :(((

2. DEMON SLAYER

It has made me sob until my eyes were puffy and the lump in my throat literally ACHED it handles grief and emotional trauma extremely well. Plus, all the demons are hot

3. DIABOLIK LOVERS

I don’t think I have to explain this one. it was curated specifically for me, I feel.

4. JUJUTSU KAISEN

I have my reasons why this is not higher on the list, it’s difficult for me to rewatch the eps over and over because I feel like there was a lot of filler I really didn’t care that much about BUT I’m very excited to become reobsessed when the next season comes out !!!

5. HUNTER X HUNTER ( the one I am currently watching )

I REALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS A KIDS SHOW AT FIRST LMFAOOOO @chxrrysangel really sent me spiraling into this black hole and I cannot get out. Killua is my son and I am carrying him in my backpack ❤️❤️❤️

CAN I PUT SOME HONORABLE MENTIONS ( I am anyways )

GANGSTA

could’ve been #1, but it cuts off too soon 😭😭😭

GINTAMA

i usually don’t like comedies, this is an exception ( but I can’t marathon it because I get annoyed )

FIRE FORCE

ITS GREAT IT REALLY IS but I feel like I’d love it more if I cared about soul eater

KAMIGAMI NO ASOBI

UNDERRATTTEEEDDD

DURARARA!!

i feel like it was made for big brains and alas I am a dumbass so I never finished it BUT I would highly recommend it for the smart people

[nerdgatehobbit]

Here are the recent highlights of my Pokémon Masters pulls. Thankfully I have limited interest in any of the upcoming January pairs, as it taking multiple pulls to get Ingo & Diantha means I’m running a bit low on my free gem stash. Full disclosure: I got the other three pairs from the Poké War Games storyline before Diantha, but she was the one I was aiming for.

At this point, I doubt there’ll be a Warden Ingo sync pair in February. However, that month will bring a new Pokémon Presents which will hopefully bring Pokémon Legends Z-A news.

12/23/24

Back in November, I did rewatch The Court Jester because it’s a fun film. With a sibling, I watched A Biltmore Christmas which was frothy fun as long as I didn’t think too hard about the time travel situation. To be fair, the ending had Jack coming to the future rather than the stereotypical Hallmark ending of the woman staying where she met the man. It just didn’t really clarify what would happen next besides a ‘yay they’re together’ ending.

At the start of the month I did watch & enjoy Hallmark’s Sense & Sensibility, which probably was unneeded to say given the several screencap posts I made about it but that’s the point of these update posts. It’s a toss-up which movie I will watch next- Chess in Concert, the 25th POTO special, The Slipper and the Rose, or Excalibur. I’m leaning towards The Slipper and the Rose, honestly.

On its second anniversary, I rewatched BATB 2022 because I adore it. On a similar note, I did watch the new Josh Groban holiday special, which was a little saccharine but I went in expecting that. Via the library, I saw the 80th Rodgers & Hammerstein special, which was nice. I recently finished the two seasons of Star Trek Prodigy, which was all right.

Three episodes into Static Shock’s 2nd season, it’s been fun watching so far. I’d be more dismayed by the lack of fanfic crossovers of Static Shock & Batman, but there are 3 reasons I’m not. One, it’s entirely possible I’m looking into the wrong spots, especially given how Y2K Static Shock is. Two, I somewhat suspect the ‘Black meta powered teen’ slot is generally filled by Duke Thomas to the point it wouldn’t surprise me if Virgil was an influence on Duke’s creation. Three, Robert Hawkins likely would be written badly or out to get Virgil to Gotham, which I wouldn’t want to read in the first place.

I’m still greatly enjoying Leverage and I’m getting closer to the end of The Librarians. Neither show is perfect, but generally good enough I can cut some slack. I’ve touched on this before, but the issue of the Librarians being ethically murky about the secrecy is something more inherent to the genre than an issue with the team specifically. With Leverage, there is the occasional issue in the sorts of visual shorthand they use (Hardison’s ‘wild’ hair as a conspiracy theorist or Sophie posing as another ethnicity) but on a Watsonian level it can viewed as the team reinforcing the mark’s worldview to make them not question things. Also, the copious amounts of mind games probably would be a bigger problem in the real world.

On a Doylist level, I can acknowledge things were different even a decade and a half ago, and that in some respects things haven’t gotten better. Even I, a total scaredy cat, heard about Nicole Beharie’s mistreatment on Sleepy Hollow’s set. I’ve heard about Candice Patton taking years to have even one episode with naturally curly hair on The Flash, as I dropped the show partway through season 3. Not to mention how infamously the Star Wars sequels ended up centered on Adam Driver’s character over Daisy Ridley’s & John Boyega’s, when the latter 2 were initially the co-protagonists. And I know that’s just a small fraction of issues- I’ve gathered that Richie gained a larger role in later seasons of Static Shock in part to keep the show airing.

Yet I’m a tad hesitant to call out seemingly obvious cases of favoritism, because I’m sure to outsiders, hearing that blondish David Yost’s Power Rangers character Billy Cranston got several one-off love interests and how he stayed until well into the 4th season would seem like it, especially adding in his central role to the 30th anniversary special and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury. However, it was revealed in the early 2010s that Yost experienced homophobic bullying from the crew during the 1990s, which puts his continued presence in the franchise in a new light of not letting the bullies win (as they didn’t think a gay person should play a superhero). It definitely makes it seem like those love interest episodes were more of the crew trying to stress heteronormativity; not that it 100% means those episode writers/directors were among the bullies, but it does now come off as one of the symptoms of the offscreen issues.

Which were far from limited to Yost- I think Amy Jo Johnson was the only one of the first 11 Rangers to manage a graceful mutually previously agreed on departure. In other words, Yost’s cast mates most likely were too busy metaphorically keeping on their own oxygen masks on to help him, especially as by all accounts Yost did get along well enough with most of them. There is an Entertainment Weekly article from this past May where Yost & Johnson reminisce at a panel about Thuy Trang & Jason David Frank. So those two at least are still on decent enough terms to share a panel over three decades after meeting. Under these specific circumstances, it's relieving to know the onscreen Billy & Kimberly friendship wasn't just onscreen.

In other words: well over a decade after Yost’s departure from the show, it was revealed that apparent favoritism was very much not.

And this isn’t even getting into ‘fair for its day’ situations regarding media in general or the other kinds of issues regarding various forms of representation (and lack thereof) that I didn't bring up in this specific post. Like, for instance, me appreciating the representation regarding The Storm Runner's protagonist having a leg length discrepancy even though the book had its issues elsewhere.

This post got more serious than I initially intended, but I do want to make it clear that I am trying to stay aware of the flaws in media I’m consuming as well as keeping in mind what was going on when media was being made and not just current-day perspectives. Basically, I know things are complicated as just slotting media as wholly good or bad is not exactly viable long term behavior but also it's important to acknowledge problems in media. As I said: it is and should be complicated.

[writebackatya]

DuckTales Team Ideas:

You know what love about DuckTales?! A lot of things. But more specifically the found family aspect of the show and all of its characters!! I love that within this found family are groups/teams built up from this group of badass adventurers. You got your Team Science, Webby and her friends, the Duck Boys, the Original Three, etc. But you know what? We can make even more teams out of these fun characters! So here’s a list of team up ideas that I think would be fun! Post-canon stuff up ahead so beware of spoilers:

Rules for teams:

1. Must consist of at least three people, cause Disney loves their trios

2. Must have a team name

3. A third rule, cause trios

The Moon Crew: Della, Selene, and Penumbra

I made a post about this team up before but I’ll post it again. We need Della to go on adventure with her badass Amazon girlfriends. It’d be fun. Personally I think the adventure should be a fish out of water story in Duckburg. I mean think about it, one’s a goddess, one’s a moon lander, and the final member hasn’t been on earth for an entire decade. Imagine the shenanigans! Well I can, I’m working on a story about that. Well not about that particularly but it’s an aspect of the story. Anyway moving on

Team Webby: Dewey, Lena, and Violet

Do you know what I’d like to see? Webby’s best friends (yeah I don’t care what Scrooge said, Dewey can be Webby’s family and best friend) team-up to save Webby from Magica. I think it’d make for a fun adventure.

(Also at one point Dewey needs to say Bippity Boppity Dew! Like at the moment the group stops Magica and her evil plan)

SEA-Nior Junior Woodchucks: Fethry, Huey, and Violet (Also Launchpad and BOYD, but I’m picking main threes here cause trios)

Who doesn’t love these three? Jerks! That’s who! We need more Fethry! Huey is great! Violet is underrated! They’re all Junior Woodchucks! And they need to go on a sea related adventure! Also they’re all…

Bad Bit Rebel Squad: Gandra, Gosalyn, and Lena

Stop me if you heard this one before: a good natured loving hero gets paired up with a snarky street smart loner. Anyway. What if we put all that sass together in one killer trio? No villain would be able to stand up to that much sass

Bad Bitches would be a group that consists of Della, Gandra, Gosalyn, Lena, Penumbra, and Goldie. And you know what? Throw Louie in there as well

Spy Team: Dewey, Gandra, and Webby

So…anybody else think it would’ve been so great to see these three team-up? They all have a spy background! Webby’s granny is a spy, Gandra is a spy, Dewey dew-geared Double O Duck with Launchpad*. It would be cool to see Webby and Gandra fight on the same side. Plus I think Dewey and Gandra has great comedic potential [shameful fanfic plug] Also you Beakley and Launchpad could also be a part of that team. Now the question is: Would the Beakley and Gandra dynamic be more Beakley and Lena 2.0 or Beakley and Della 2.0? Only you can decide!

The Yahoo Community: Della, Gyro, Huey, and Manny

Larry, all these actors were on DuckTales and Season 6 of Community

SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE!

Clone McDucks: May, June, and Webby

Yeah, we needed to see these three get in their own adventure together. It would’ve been great. I think they’d embrace the fact that they’re clones but they’re own person. Also Clone McDuck sounds similar to Clan McDuck. I thought it was cute. Also I really just want to drive the point home that they’re clones just to irk those reading this who didn’t care for the final twist. I mean I thought it was cool and I loved rewatching the entire series a second time while knowing the twist. It gave me a whole new perspective on the series and they really foreshadowed in parts I didn’t notice on my first watch through but hey everyone is entitled to their own opinion

The Justice Ducks: Darkwing Duck, Gizmoduck, Storkules, Penumbra

Any fan of the original Darkwing Duck should be familiar with the Justice Ducks. Well I always thought if that team were to ever be brought into the DuckTales 2017 universe that both Storkules and Penumbra would fit in perfectly with that group. Both Penumbra and Storkules are warriors that fought for their people and have struggled to fit in with the world, so why not have a job that involves doing what they do best? Fighting for those they care about

The Tremendous Triplets: Huey, Dewey, June, Louie, May, and Webby

It’s twice the amount of triplets! The six of them would be unstoppable!! This show needed more than three seasons damn it!!!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this rambling! If you have any team ideas please share them! They don’t all have to be trios and if you can come up with a name too, that would be great! Also if you come up with a better name for any of the groups I made up, please share them! I know The Tremendous Trios isn’t that great. I just love alliteration and thought it would be cool if their name had 3 T’s cause…trios.

[object-show-analysis]

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO BUILT ROBOT BOW PLS I NEED TO KNOW IM SO CONFUSED AND EXCITED

I do! I have a solid theory that I’m pretty confident in and I’d love to share it.

Who Built Robot Bow

“Who built robot bow” seems to be the biggest question circling the ii community currently. And it’s a perfectly valid question! Especially considering the history that this series has regarding robots. But before we answer who Could be responsible, let’s talk about who’s definitely Not responsible.

I’ve seen many people suggest that villains such as Steve Cobs or Taco are somehow linked to the creation of Robot Bow. As interesting as that would be, we know this couldn’t be true, because the creators have outright confirmed that season 3 will not be linked to any major plot development in season 2, and that it’s meant to be a more lighthearted season. Taco specifically has been confirmed to not be making an appearance in season 3, as she won the popularity vote to get in, but she isn’t part of the cast because she still has things to do in season 2.

I’ve also seen some theories linking it to be either Walkie Talkie or MePhone. Which very well could be possible, but given MePhone’s surprise when Bow first showed up, in addition to the fact that until episode 3 of season 3 he didn’t want her around, I’m inclined to believe it’s not him. Walkie Talkie could supposedly be responsible, but there’s really no evidence to suggest that they are. So until anything else comes up, there’s really no room to speculate.

Personally I believe there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that TestTube is responsible for the existence of Robot Bow.

We know that TestTube is capable of making a robot such as this. She’s certainly made more complex projects in the past. But what really made things obvious for me was her reaction to Bow glitching out at the mention of chairs in the most recent episode

TestTube doesn’t seem concerned or confused for Bow at all. When Cabby notices that there’s something wrong with Bow, TestTube looks concerned at Cabby, and immediately interrupts her, grabbing her attention away. It’s very clear in this scene that she’s making an effort to keep Cabby from taking notes on Bow.

(TestTube later gives paintbrush the same worried expression when they notice something is up, but without the other evidence, this could just be read as concern for Bow)

We see no signs of TestTube’s own curious nature when Bow begins to glitch. It seems obvious to me that she knows something in this scene that no one else knows. She drags Bow away and tells her to “cool off” (interesting choice of wording) and it’s only after this that she really seems to want to get Cabby off of the show.

Obviously I cannot describe the full moment word for word but I do encourage others to rewatch the scene with the mindset that TestTube is displaying suspicious behavior.

It wasn’t just this episode that made me think that TestTube was somehow related to Bow’s reappearance. What really got me suspicious of TestTube was Fan’s elimination, in which he seems to whisper the words “you have to tell her”

(Lip reading was done by me)

The clip cuts to Cabby. But we know the “her” couldn’t have been referring to Cabby, because she’s no longer in the game. Her story is over (unless she rejoins, but there’s no guarantee of that) Therefore it makes the most sense for this to be in reference to Bow, the one who Cabby was studying earlier that episode.

I think that’s more than enough evidence to say TestTube is most likely involved, but I have seen some other people point out that we saw a Bow related machine built by TestTube back in season 2. Perhaps this also has some relation to Bow’s reappearance?

I definitely believe it was TestTube who is responsible for the creation of Robot Bow. Out of all the theories I’ve seen, it has the most evidence to stand on.

I’ve got a lot of thoughts on Robot Bow, and I can’t wait to share them in future posts (soon to be posted!)

[rwgroup]

2022 Send-Off Challenge

Hey everyone! @serenalunera​ here. It’s been a while. Not sure how many of you still lurk on here, but I thought I'd ask just in case. Since the show is ending this Sunday, I was thinking we could do a little something to celebrate the end of a long road.

I have to admit I kinda fell out of love with the show for a while there (also life happened and we all know how that goes), but I spent these past few months rewatching everything from the start in preparation for this final ark. And even if it's not the same as it was a few years ago when the fandom was active and the RWG was booming, I find myself feeling very nostalgic about Rickyl, and about what we had here at the RWG. I figured I'm probably not the only one, so here's my question: would anyone be interested in a little old-school RWG challenge as a send-off for the show?

I know we're all busy so I'll keep things simple. The idea would be to produce fanworks (fic, art, music, etc.) based on one (or more) of these prompts:

Prompt 1: Days Gone Bye Look to the past for inspiration: your favorite scene, episode, season, or even a specific fic or type of fic you used to love. Take that as inspiration to write something new!

Prompt 2: What Comes After Look toward the future and imagine a life for Rick, Daryl, or any of the characters. Whether it be canon-compliant, canon-divergent, or completely AU, as long as it takes place in the future, the world is your oyster!

Prompt 3: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life You're not satisfied with the ending or you don't like the direction the show went in at some point? Rewrite it! Erase that character, remove that death, change that relationship... You do you. It's your story now!

I realize some of us don't exactly have a lot of time on our hands these days, so feel free to write however many words you want/can if you do decide to write something. As for the deadline, I was thinking the 31st of December to end the year on a bright note but I can always push it back if you need more time. This is open to everyone, RWG member or not. If you plan on posting on AO3, don't forget to add the tag RWG Send-off Challenge 2022 so I can add your work to the collection (or post your work directly to the collection here).

If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask here or @serenalunera, and I’ll answer you to the best of my ability!

[inverts]

Sam watched Tiger & Bunny 2 and HAS GOT SOME THOUGHTS

so! the latter half of Tiger & Bunny 2 released yesterday, so of course I spent every free moment i could watching it instantly. i’m going to put my thoughts behind a cut, but i am at least going to preface it with: i had a really fun time with this season! if you’re worried about watching it b/c you think it might not be good b/c many times, let’s be real, sequels suck, i want to say that it was enjoyable and i think really maintains the spirit of the first show.

there are, of course, more specific positives and negatives of this season, but that’s SPOILERS CITY so you gotta click the read more for that shit.

these are all my initial takes--i may come back feeling differently after rewatches, or discussion with other ppl who’ve watched! i would LOVE some discussion but just please use cuts to spare ppl from seeing spoilers, this shit came out like less than 48 hours ago and not everyone is as feral as i am for it.

SO i think this season, far more than season 1, was an ensemble piece. this is neither bad NOR without precedence--the movie The Rising, for example, is basically Tiger & Bunny & Fire Emblem, almost even more than it’s Tiger & Bunny & Ryan, lmfao. and the first half of season 1 had a lot of focus episodes to give many of the heroes a chance to shine on their own--even a couple eps of the second half of s1 did this as well. so it’s certainly fitting for the second season to also give the secondary characters a lot of chances to shine.

the negative of this, i think, is simply that our titular characters have less _time_ to shine. that’s ok--in some ways they don’t need it. they’ve got a balanced relationship, they understand each other. they still are flawed individuals and they still trip each other up, but their bond is truly unshakeable and there are several times where this gets a nice spotlight.

however, i’m not going to lie--i think the biggest downside of kotetsu and barnaby being benched so much is that the ending feels flat. i almost wanted to give it another episode to really dig into kotetsu and barnaby’s feelings. they’re really the two whose arcs somehow _don’t_ feel resolved at the end. is this because sunrise is angling for a THIRD season? it would honestly make more sense with the lack of emotional closure we get with kotetsu and barnaby in the final episode. as an act 2 out of 3, it feels sensible. as a finale, it feels... anticlimactic.

the positive, however, is that a lot of other characters give us SO much good development. i took particular joy in everything with blue rose and ryan. Karina’s character development made me scream, squeal, and cheer. Her growth and maturity is phenomenal. She’s still the young woman in love with Kotetsu, but she’s aware of herself, she understands her emotions and desires, and it’s EXACTLY the development of a natural crush on an older, unattainable figure that many young people go through. She really comes into her own and i LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! also, Ryan’s steady descent into falling completely head over heels for her is so fucking good. the balance between these two! the dynamic! THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD, SUNRISE!

likewise, origami and rock bison, sky high and fire emblem... seeing their relationships grow, struggle, and become stronger was a delight every time. Dragon Kid and Magical Cat were also personal favourites of mine. I could write about every beat of their story I loved, but I’d just be summarizing every beat of their story. They’re really good!

Sadly I didn’t really care much for He Is Thomas or Mr. Black... I don’t even remember their civilian names. I can see why Sunrise decided to add them, but truthfully, I wish that some parts of the story had been pared down and they’d been cut in order to give Kotetsu and Barnaby more time. But I can also see how that would have had quite a ripple effect on other parts of the story... still, I think they were sadly the weakest part of season 2.

And another character who really got a big spotlight that many fans of season 1 were surely hoping to see....... LUNATIC MY GUY

I’m gonna talk about my negative impressions of Lunatic’s arc and then work my way into my positive impressions. The biggest negative is that the moment he hallucinated that resolution with his father, I knew the story was going to kill him off. Rather than put in the effort of him attempting to atone for his various murders, or deal with guilt or shame at the fact that perhaps he DIDN’T handle things in the best way, I knew the show was going to simply ... not get into that any further. I was sad to be proven right. It’s true that the Next who possesses him says that his body is fuckin done for right when she abandons ship, so it’s possible that he might have died even if he hadn’t tossed himself off a million foot high overpass. But the story still wrote him choosing suicide rather than face his actions. Is it consistent with his character? In many ways, yes. It can’t be understated how he’s still grieving for his mother--more on that in a bit. Also, he now sees himself as an unjust murderer, and must deal with himself accordingly. But it also feels contradictory to the ways in which he’s learning and changing--the fact that he sees his actions as unjust, but is now going to continue those actions against himself.... Of course, emotions often contradict logic, so I guess this is fair as well. In the end, this is simply a trope I hate--the “villain” experiences regret, or determines that they were wrong after all, and then dies.

another place where i feel that the character actions and story direction are giving mixed messages is when Yuri confronts kotetsu with the knowledge that kotetsu’s hero Mr Legend beat his wife and child behind closed doors. kotetsu at least has the wherewithal to realize that what he’s said to yuri at the end there was fucked up and uncalled for. however kotetsu says ‘because it would piss him off,’ essentially. but kotetsu he’s pissed off b/c u literally said “rip to ur dad but i’m different” LIKE WHAT THE FUCK MAN. “i’m sure ur dad wouldn’t have beat ur wife if he’d just had a friend like i do” KOTETSU STOP. PLEASE STOP.

--but on the other hand, like, it’s true that having any kind of support network could have helped legend. kotetsu’s depression when he started to lose his powers in season 1 is largely helped b/c he has people around him who care and who know it sometimes happens to ppl, that kotetsu isn’t the first person it’s happened to, and also kotetsu isn’t the single great hero that everyone is looking up to. there are others to share the burden. additionally, ur wife should not be ur therapist--i’m sure yuri’s mom tried to support legend when things were going down, but it was 1) not her job to shoulder ALL his baggage and 2) she’s not like a trained therapist? frankly all the portrayals of yuri’s family when yuri is a child feel like toxic nuclear 1950s family dynamics, wholesome on screen, vile behind closed doors. if this is a purposeful critique--and it may well be--then it’s frankly muddied by kotetsu’s hero worship. i also think that considering the ham fisted nature of some of the other storytelling in this show, it would be okay to hammer messages like this a little harder, too. it’s ok to say legend was a victim of circumstance but it’s not ok to say it in a way that absolves him of responsibility for abusing his family, if that makes sense.

i don’t think yuri hallucinating a resolution from his dad muddies the message or story in any way--tho unfortunately it’s set up as prompted by Kotetsu’s shitty words. but of COURSE yuri wants approval from his dad. i’m not going to get too deep into this but it’s entirely consistent and makes a lot of sense to me that he’d crave that kind of validation, acknowledgement, and forgiveness--ESPECIALLY because he can’t get it from his mother.

Speaking of! the portrayal of his and his mother’s relationship really hit me. It’s clear across both seasons that he wants to protect his mom--he’s always wanted to protect her--but he also winds up hurting her when he does this. He is angered by her delusions and her selective memory of their mutual abuser. Hiring a caretaker for her--specifically one that the show demonstrates is an actual kind, gentle person who is good at their job--is a good solution. It gives Yuri the distance so he can allow her to have her delusions (which IIRC is really the best way to deal with someone who has dementia anyway, rather than arguing with their perceptions) as well as knowing she’s as safe and cared for as she can be.... at least until she’s not.

I find this family dynamic to be portrayed really well, at least in my experience. There are sometimes families who hurt each other despite their best intentions, and constantly return to each other for more of the same. It’s rather understated, but Yuri’s decision to hire a caretaker and allow his mother her delusions breaks that cycle and allows a fragile peace. It’s clear he’s still not wholly content with it--perhaps what he really wants is for his mother to hate his father as he does--to validate and justify how Yuri accidentally killed Legend. It’s clear it still hurts him, but he’s choosing to take that hurt to allow his mom peace in her final years. And how he grieves in the kitchen that he hasn’t yet been able to clean up after her murder--fuck, man, everything about this just personally hit me really hard. I still don’t like how it all ended but I’m really, really glad that Lunatic got this spotlight, and personally I found it to be really well handled. YMMV i guess but that’s my initial take.

hey that was a lot about lunatic. let’s talk about some other characters, lol

KAEDE! i loved kaede and kotetsu’s relationship, especially in the first half of the series. they’re getting closer although she is still not letting him off the hook for a lot of the shit he did when she was younger--and honestly GOOD FOR HER, he deserves to be held accountable more! The final episodes tho felt like a little bit of a let down with Kaede--almost like they were setting her up to take SOME action, but then ran out of time? Add “Kaede gets to do things” to the list of stuff I wish had happened instead of Mr Black and Thomas, lmao.

also let’s talk about Agnes. I was holding off commenting on this in the first half of the season, but I love that they had Agnes gain weight. I feel like her body type is one i see RARELY in anime--she’s got proportions I see regularly, every day, and I think that she’s drawn very well (barring some shots where the animators didn’t quite keep her on model, but that happens to everyone in the cast at various points). The reason I didn’t want to say anything in the first half of the season is that the narration has multiple characters comment on her weight gain, and I was afraid that the series wanted to point it out so that later there would be a reveal that she was an impostor or something, and surprise, skinny agnes would show back up. But no! This is Agnes all the time, she’s EXACTLY the same person, she’s beautiful and desirable and she gets shit done, she has feelings for Kotetsu, meanwhile Antonio has a crush on her, it’s GREAT. she just happens to have more body fat now and it changes _nothing_. (also, iirc the people who comment on her weight are Ryan, who would have been out of town and wouldn’t have noticed a gradual change, and Saito, who likewise doesn’t often interact with Agnes as he’s often in the R&D department while Agnes is in the Hero TV van, so it’s actually pretty logical for both of those characters to be like, “huh?” Having them comment on her weight may have simply been sunrise’s way of telling the viewers, no, youre not misremembering what she looked like before, but we changed it and it was on purpose, now get on with the show.)

i was also very glad that Mattia and Little Aurora 1) weren’t evil and 2) didn’t die, lol. in the case of Mattia, it’s so rare that Barnaby gets to have ppl he cares about who DON’T die or turn evil, so i was very glad mattia got to live, lmfao. with Aurora i actually at one point hypothesized that she was the head of ouroboros, but i was wrong! that was neat.

overall i feel like s2 does a good job carrying on the spirit and feelings of s1. both halves of s2 are even structured very similarly to both halves of s1, with the first half being mainly focus episodes for 8 or so eps, and then 4 or so eps of a bigger storyline that concludes foreshadowing put down in the first 8. and then the second half becomes one very big storyarc. around ep 17 or 19 i was like “this is really good, i’m having a lot of fun, but i don’t know if anything can really compete with the emotional intensity of everyone forgetting about kotetsu and he goes on the run from them, etc.” and then i ate those words! i think the final arc was really exciting! now, emotionally, i think i do still prefer the final arc of s1, because let’s face it, i love when kotetsu suffers a little bit. i love him. but i think in terms of raising the stakes and interest and rising action, s2 is an entirely fair entry to the series, i loved watching it, and i think i will love rewatching it with friends.

but the ending.....

the ending really feels like they want a season 3. and personally, i kind of wanted to just end things at season 2, because i don’t want to wait another eleven years for a third season. unless we get season 3 next year.... 2023 will, after all, be the year of the rabbit once more.

but that scene when all the heroes are standing together, agreeing to have dinner togehter, and then they just... part ways? and then barnaby’s like “so my leg didn’t fall off so i’m going to keep being a hero” like SIR you still don’t know what’s WRONG WITH IT!!!! that fistbump between kotetsu and barnaby just feels so, so lackluster after everything! so lukewarm!

“sam did you just want them to kiss”

I don’t think that’s it? i mean not gonna lie, i would have LOVED it--the show has multiple canon queer characters, like of course there’s Fire Emblem who basically got a whole movie to flaunt being the best okama ever, but there was also the one lesbian NEXT who was sad that her hot butch girlfriend had dumped her, and then Ruby has two dads if I parsed that correctly, and then there’s Pao-Lin and Lara--

but no i don’t think that’s it. it’s just. these two are so important to each other, whether it’s romantic or not. and their partnership is ending. and that’s just. that’s that? that’s it? no scene of bunny out there heroing on his own while kotetsu and kaede fondly watch? they even set the stage for bunny to take over the wild tiger mantle and then did NOTHING with it. (though props to one friend for being like “hell yeah barnaby was inside tiger” fuck yes)

(ALSO FUCK YES KOTETSU GOT TO PRINCESS CARRY BUNNY FOR LIKE 5 SECONDS??? and their relationship is so solid that neither of them even comment on it???? I LOVE THEM)

so while there’s that last little clip with the image of tiger and barnaby in the hero museum, emotionally it just feels like the real ending was chopped off. like the studio is holding something back. and certainly there’s more of ouroboros we could explore. but where do we even go from here? kotetsu has NO MORE POWERS (which, btw, ballsy move on sunrise’s part, i’m genuinely impressed, but i’m also scared of what they’ll do in s3 because a lot of anime haaate actually committing to taking powers away from their characters and will then bend over backwards to return their powers or equivalent to them. please do NOT let mattia develop a drug that gives kotetsu his power back, do NOT, i don’t want that. make kotetsu deal with his body taking its course dammit!)

so like, idk. i really enjoyed this second season a lot, and while i don’t think they fucked up the ending, i don’t think i can confidently say they stuck it, either. :(

but that’s only if this is meant to be the conclusion to the series. if they _are_ gunning for a third season....

well i hope they fuckin get it then and i hope they do a damn good job and i hope kotetsu and barnaby fuckin KISS! FUCK!