#I'm going to go with “she fixed the biggest issues but he still has back problems” because I love to have an excuse for Bruce using a cane

[littlefankingdom]

~ Batman: Knightfall

So what's why Bruce doesn't suffer from back problems and chronic pains, because Shondra used her power to heal him... What a shortcut.

[pettrichore]

tam amber is burdock everdeen's maternal grandfather

now hear me out. all speculation of course but it has bugged me on who burdock's covey connection was and there's really only one that make sense.

lets start with the facts:

burdock is lenore dove's cousin

burdock's covey connection is on his mother's side. specifically a "distant" cousin

alright now lets go through the covey to decide who this person could be

maude iory - nope! that's lenore dove's mother

lucy gray - lmaoo yeah no lucy gray is long gone and the would have been no child to leave behind

clerk carmine - too young and too gay. besides he has one daughter and that's lenore dove

billy taupe - long gone before he had a kid

barb azure - possibly. i think the ages probably wouldn't match up super well but the biggest issue i take with this is that she is last seen with a girlfriend and i rather not think she ended up with a man

tam amber - i feel like this is the best guess.

in defense of my choice

tam amber would be around 66 during sotr. perfect grandfather age of a 15 year old

tam amber has given burdock the most gifts from what i can tell. he made him those metal tipped arrows and likely made/taught him to make a LOT of other things (tam amber is actually the one to make most things for the covey. he's seen making fishing poles, fixing the tv, and more)

finally, tam amber's name poem/ballad tells us this in a way!!

the ballad

tam amber's name song is Tam Lin

tam lin is a scottish ballad

i am going to summarize a lot but i encourage you to read/listen to the ballad yourself. i am mainly referencing the meta version from this site wow!! a site dedicated to just this ballad!!

also fun fact: tam lin has an anonymous/unknown author AND tam amber was found by the covey as a baby when he was left on the side of the road

okay so there is warning of entering Caterhaugh (a woods and farm in scottland) for fear of tam lin specifically stating that he takes objects of value (including the virginity) of young women (esp blonde ones - thought there about the town folk)

we meet our real main protagonist, janet who is sewing or decorating and wishes for flowers and wants to go to the woods for this

she travels to caterhaugh and picks some roses (hmmmn) when tam lin appears and tells janet off, basically being like "who said you could come in here and pluck flowers and be in MY woods without MY permission??"

and janet ofc is NOT having that and says that she owns the wood or is the heir to it

and tam lin Likes that "And what they did next I couldn't say, The leaves were all around"

janet comes back pregnant, she says that a fairie was the father and then leaves

tam lin asks about the kid and what she's going to do with it

janet demands to know if he's fae or human

tam lin says yeah i'm human but i was capture by the fae. and every 7 years they make sacrifices to hell (hmm... hunger games and the tributes) and he's scared he'll be one of them soon

so on halloween janet rescues him from the fae and he warns her that they will transform him into a bunch of beasts to try and scare her but it's still him under it all

okay so what does that mean??

now not ALL the covey poems are like 100% accurate to their story from what i can tell so take this with a grain of salt BUT most of them are very symbolic of their lives or kind of follow a similar story in some way or another (this is also why i think it's even more obvious that maude ivory is lenore dove's mother)

but okay so what i take from this and how i connect it to burdock is

tam amber fell in love with a girl who came into the woods (or at least meadow) to pick flowers or enjoy freedom or find something or really anything doesnt matter but she's in his territory. they probably did have a bit of a cheeky back and forth about it being "his woods" or "his meadow" or whatever

maybe she was from the town?? but this doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of thing BUT would be interesting and a parallel with burdock and asterid

this mystery girl gets pregnant, she runs from home (which would make even more sense if she's from town) and gets pregnant and they have a kid

which i believe that kid is burdock's mother

okay that's all! if you got this far with me, thank you so much for reading. let me know your thoughts. also i dont think the idea of barb azure being bi is horrible i just think i found more reason for it to be tam amber. also sure she could have adopted but i think there's a point that's made about burdock having the voice of the covey and the ear of one too and i think it would just make more sense that way tbh

[penguinlife]

Monday Blog (19 May 2025)

I am trying to work, but I am being distracted by a very persistent thought.

Luke is very much like Colin. Colin has a bit of self-doubt. No purpose in life. A little lost at times. Feeling he is not good enough. Trying to please everyone. He tries to fit in. Tries to be what everyone expects him to be instead of being who he is.

Now, what if Luke is struggling with the same issues. The more I think about this self-destructive behaviour. The more I see Colin in Luke.

You know how, in some people's presence, you are inspired to be the best parts of you. I think Nicola brings out that in him. When he is around her, he seems more confident. More chivalrous. More patient and more kind.

I keep thinking about the pap pics where he picked his nose and then the fan pic the following day. He looked frail, sick, and not the Luke we have come to love. It was a massive shock to the system. Instead of everyone being concerned about him, they had very harsh words for him.

He has recovered lately. Seen the inside of a gym. But it brings me to the day of the BAFTAs. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't like the photo shoot he did that day. He looked mad, sinister, and uncomfortable. I didn't like what he did at the British Vogue/Netflix preBAFTA party either. If it was to show an edgier Luke, I think they missed the mark. We have seen cheeky, leading man Luke before. This was not it. It reminded me so much of Colin in the beginning of S3 and the brothel scenes. In Pen's own words how Colin has lost his way.

"...I simply wanted the Colin back that I loved, not the stoic man you returned as, acting like you care for no one and need nothing. It's you: kind feeling, occasionally excitable, good-hearted man I love..."

Then we get to red carpet at the BAFTAs. He does one interview. Sprint down the carpet for one fan photo. Someone that was set up beforehand, it seems, because a few people asked him for his autograph, but he declined. It looked like he said he was in a rush. But the distance he went for that one fan photo just to rush past others seemed odd. The presence of A in that purple out of season dress was cringy. She never looks good. My biggest issue is the dumbfounded smile she has plastered on her face. Nothing grinds my gears more than when a woman presents as dumb. We have come so far that when a woman proudly embraces dumb bimbo. It's probably why she stood out like a sore thumb. She wasn't supposed to be there. No substance or talent to fall back on.

(Update) He was apparently rushing for an interview and later went back to give signatures and take photos. But it's still odd. He is walking hunched forward.

Someone mentioned that A had to wipe his face down. I looked for the clip but couldn't find anything. Please post a link to the video in the comments or DM me. I can't even spot any sweat. So I wonder what she was wiping off. Maybe just fixing his hair? More information is needed. But odd, nonetheless.

It looked like he went down to help Nic and her sister to their seats. I wouldn't expect anything less from Luke. He looked fine when they were seated. Especially during the little Lukola crumbs we got.

Sometimes, I think I see things through a wishful lens. But when I go back to give it a more objective look. I still come to the same conclusions.

Later, we get the odd parking lot kissing show post Party. This is all very odd. Even if Shondaland/Netflix is behind this PR mess. Something else is going on with Luke.

I read someone elses comment on IG that said he met an 18yo model on Raya and hooked up with her in 2023. Sure, all legal. But super sleezy. I hope this was just a rumour. Things like this come back to bite you in the ass when you least expect it.

(Update) A few people have brought up that the timeline doesn't make sense. I'm more hopeful this is just a rumour.

I feel like Luke has reached a very important crossroads in his life and career. He can continue with (whatever it is) the connection to A. Destroy, the good guy image Bridgerton/crew/costars helped develop for him. Or he can detangle from this mess. Take a public break. Get a new PR team. Work on getting some good projects/brand deals. And just be the good nice guy that we all love. The thing for me is that he needs to revamp and erase the last few months. I keep checking if he has removed that horrible open eyed cheek kiss pic from his IG grid carousel post yet. Keep hoping he has come to his senses. Decided to choose himself and his own career. But it is still there. How long is the contractual obligation to keep the pic up, I wonder?

You know how the CW used to make the same mistake with all their shows. When they did press for their 2nd season, they always described it at, edgier or darker. It never worked for them. It is never an improvement. I can't see that being seen as that would be appealing to a casting director. Having a good stable foundation of being dependable, versatile, likeable, and promotable is a better strategy.

In conclusion. I am a Luke stan. Wish the best for him. But he is making it really hard with this mess from last week. My aunt always says, "I might always love you, but I don't particularly like you at the moment. You are making it really hard."

Nicola and Jake's mess at the BAFTA party and pink carpet at Cannes was just as bad. Luckily, Jake is in Australia, and Nicola has been able to recover from the mess somewhat. Taking her sister and friends to the BAFTAs was the best decision ever. If she pops off to Australia to join Jake for her holiday, I am done.

Just a quick note on Luke not being recognised for his brilliant performance in Bridgerton. It is very rare for male actors to be recognised for playing a vulnerable, heartbroken, and yearning character. They do for being angry. Apparently that is the only emotion that counts. It is a problem in society. It has nothing to do with Nicola or that he was snubbed. I agree that we need to change that.

[howlingday]

the arc family have a unique tradition, they forge their own swords every time another of their sons reaches the age to begin training, but infuse these weapons with the spirit of said son. this creates a spirit weapon that can grow with the affore mentioned son and help them on their journey. thing is, both jaune and his sword Lucerna Intrepidus are huge dorks who have taken to wandering around vale fighting grimm to try and kick off a grand adventure so they can be heroes. with jaune's dear companion lucy growing stronger with every grimm she devours she's quickly out stripped the 12 year old in strength if only there was someplace she could go with her young partner to make them both stronger and better at fighting! summer has been retired since her run in with salem basically crippled her while her eyes remain in tact the horrors she and raven went through (mainly her since raven only showed back up at the last minute to save her) shattered her soul in ways she's only just starting to recover from. but training ruby and yang has been a fun hobby it's a shame they're going to be entering the combat school, she's got ruby for two more years and yang will still be there to train after school but it's going to be boring during the days without them. if only there was some young impressionable child she could take as an apprentice! papa arc was going to give jaune such a spanking when he found the boy, he seemed to be always just one step behind him! at least his new sword was keeping him alive after he ran off from home into the wilds to be a hero. where could he have gotten to? a story in which everyone keeps missing the plot, or rather everyone is in a different genre of story and the plot keeps switching. tldr: jaune is being trained by a retired summer and is having an action adventure. summer is going through slice of life and papa arc is handling a mystery comedy looking for his lost son who he always seems to just miss seeing only the after math of his actions and having to fix the issues spawned from it.

"Lucie~! Wait uuup~!"

Jaune Arc, a young boy off on an adventure far away from his home, followed the instinctual pull of his sword and companion, Lucierna Intrepidus! Or, as Jaune referred to her, Lucie. She was a marvelous blade, forged with the spirit of Jaune imbued into her core... located exactly on her pommel. She shone a brilliant aqua blue to match her partner's eyes.

"No way!" She called out. "We've only just started! You can't expect us to be heroes by killing just a few rats, can you?"

"N-No, but we never killed anything bigger than a rat." Jaune reasoned as he his feet were nearly dragged.

"So? This is our moment!" The sword raised itself high. "Think of it! Lucierna Intrepidus, the mighty sword held aloft by Jaune Arc, the greatest sword and swordmaster of all time~!"

"Well, maybe some day, but I'm only 12. I still need to go to school and-"

"Forget school! We need a mentor! And until we find one..." A sudden shift to the left knocked Jaune off his feet and sent him rolling down the hill. "Adventure will teach us what to do!"

"Lucie, you're being.... being..."

Not far from where Jaune landed was a Grimm. And not just any Grimm, but a Beowolf. Next to the Ursa, it was the second-biggest Grimm to wander these woods. It's blood-red eyes seemed to catch ablaze at the sight of the young hero. The young hero who was shaking in his boots.

"Uh..."

"S-See?" Lucie said, her voice also quivering. "Adventure's, uh, just ahead of us..." Steeling her nerves, if she had any, she began barking orders to Jaune. "Dueling stance! Sword up! Sword out! Ready to fight!"

Jaune, having been drilled for the past few months by both his sword and his father, snapped into position with his blade set between himself and the black beast stalking towards him with massive jaw wide open.

"Y-Yup! That's it! Now step forward!" Jaune froze. "Hey! Don't embarrass me in our first real fight!" The boy was shoved off-balance by his sword, making him stumble and fall. As he looked up, he saw the monster set upon him. He covered his head with Lucie. "JAUNE!"

--------------------------------------------------

"Kids! Suppertime~!"

Ruby, Yang, and Jaune ran as fast as they could to the dining room. Before they could be told to do so, they set their training weapons upon their respective racks, then went into the bathroom to wash their hands. The three then took their seats at the dinner table, where Taiyang was already setting down the side dishes.

"Do you want roast beef, Yang?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah~!" The blonde girl practically vibrated in her seat.

"What do you say, Yang?" Taiyang raised his brow.

"Roast! Beef! Roast! Beef~!" Yang chanted, tapping her fork and knife on the table.

"Yang!"

"Roast! Beef! Roast! Beef!" Ruby joined in, chanting with her sister and pounding her tableware in unison.

"Um, I would like roast beef, Mr. Xiao Long." Jaune said timidly. For his politeness, he was rewarded with the thickest (for a child) slab of roast beef placed squarely on his plate, earning whines from the two girls. "And may I have green beans and carrots, too?"

Summer giggled as her girls watched in astonishment as their own father chose her apprentice over them. While they stared, she prepared plates for them before making her own. Taiyang did the same for Jaune before sitting down.

"So, did you kids play anything fun today?" The huntress asked.

"We played hide and seek!" Ruby chirped.

"Jaune cheated." Yang huffed. "He used his sword to peek on us!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Alright, enough!" Taiyang barked. "There will be no fighting at this table. Now, I want you kids to sit there and eat your food quietly." If there were to be any grumblings, they quickly died when Tai gave them the ol' Blue Eye Bane, a glare so chilling that it made you behave real quick!

"Jaune, I was speaking to your mother today." Summer said after slicing her roast beef into little squares. "She's wondering if you're ready for your first day at Signal tomorrow with Ruby."

"Um... I think so..." Jaune answered, unsure if he really was.

"Oh, you will be!" Taiyang said with a smile. "After all, you've had plenty of Tai-me to get ready!" The blond man and his daughter shared a giggle while his wife and her daughter gave a groan. Jaune just looked confused.

"It's okay to be nervous, Jaune." Summer said. "Being nervous just means something is new to you and you don't know what the best way to go forward is. In the end, though, it always come down to one answer."

"Go forward?" Jaune guessed.

"Exactly!" Summer took a bite of her cutlet of roast beef. "Mm~! You've really outdone yourself tonight, dear!"

"Thanks, honey!" Taiyang smiled. "I'd say this beef is better than the roast~!"

"Tai, please..."

--------------------------------------------------

"Oh, please, be here somewhere..."

Nicholas Arc wandered into the quaint, little farming town, hoping to find some clue as to where his son ran off to this time. This was, by and far, the furthest from home Jaune had ever been. It had been almost a week since he left home on the hunt for him, doing his best to not panic at the prospect that his progeny was perforated, pulverized, or otherwise pulled apart by some predacious pests or worse, some kind of putrid pervert.

"No!" He shook his head. He had to stay focused. He had to find his son, and he could only do that with a clear head. And what better way to get a clear head than with coffee?

He entered the convenience store, a chime and a woman about his age greeting him. He greeted her back and headed to the coffee machine. Waiting for his cup to fill, he looked to the lottery tickets. Inside the glass, from and center, was a rabbit with a cute smile and a flower by their ear. The flower's petals were colored in on every other across from each other.

"Pumpkin Patty..." From the Pumpkin Pete Pumpkin Patch Pals Show that his girls loved to watch. And Jaune. In fact, Jaune was especially enamored with the girl rabbit, so much so that he drew her face with that same flower every chance he got-

"MA'AM!" The woman flinched. He pointed to the lottery box. "WHOSE RABBIT DRAWING IS THAT?!"

She looked to the drawing. "Some kid?"

"Was it a boy?!" Nicholas asked, finally pulling himself back if only just for a moment. "Was it a boy who drew that picture?!"

"Sir, I need you to calm down." She waved her hands to the counter. "He just wanted to draw on something while his teacher was waiting for the donuts."

"Teacher?! What teacher?!"

"Some woman in a white robe." She shrugged.

Nicholas would recognize that description anywhere! The White Reaper! The Angel of Death! He thought she'd retired years ago! But now, there was no mistaking it! His son was abducted by...

"SUMMEEER ROOOOOOOOOOOSE!"

The woman looked outside the convenience store to the screaming man. "Sir, you need to pay for that coffee."

[littlegaybean1]

Another Life is actually driving me insane.

It's been FOUR DAYS since I watched it and every time I think about it (so like, every half an hour) I think of more things that make it such an incredible episode!!!

Firstly it's Buck in a coma. Obviously I'm going to love it. He's almost dead! He was dead, for three minutes and seventeen seconds at least. Therefore, naturally, this episode automatically became one of my favourites.

Then there's the tiny morsels of Buddie content. It's not prevalent here, which I actually like because it focuses on another relationship that I've also been waiting for for so long. However, in his approximately two minutes of screen time, Eddie does manage to give me just enough content for my ship obsessed mind to work with. I mean, come on. Responding with "Do more!" to "we'll do our best" is absolutely going to make me go slightly feral. He has about four lines and that's one of them. It could easily have been any of them, especially Bobby considering where the episode goes, but it was Eddie. No notes, chef's kiss.

Also the section with Christopher? MY HEART. He's already lost so much for someone so young, and Buck is basically family at this point. I'm also reminded of some parallels between Buck and Chris. They are very similar, but you don't really see it all that often. But if you compare young Buck to Christopher, you start to see quite a few connections. They're both unfailingly positive, but Buck's is more of a façade. They also have matching abandonment issues! In an earlier episode that I cannot recall the name of, Chris starts having nightmares and talks about how everyone leaves. Then, in this episode, Christopher is desperate to talk to Buck, to the point where they (probably illegally) sneak him into the room. And the thing that he is so desperate to say is "You have to come back". HELLO!? Did any of the writers ONCE consider that I am entitled to MONETARY COMPENSATION for all the EMOTIONAL PAIN they caused me. Ow!

I love mental construct Chimney and Hen. They're so chill with it, just like "I guess this is happening" and get on with it. They just accepted it, which honestly I think is somewhat accurate. They're definitely the most relaxed characters (with near death experiences of their loved ones notwithstanding).

Mental construct Bobby is the funniest thing, whilst also being somewhat emotionally devastating. He's off the rails. He's dead. He's a ghost. He's giving the deepest life advice ever. Buck's mind is honestly so weird and I love him for it.

Then there's the bit I hated (it was really clever and so good). Doug.

Oh my god. The reaction I had to seeing that evil creature. Honestly well done to the writers and the actor for making me immediately hate him so much after not seeing him for like four seasons. It was actually horrifying, the implications that if Daniel had lived, if their family had stayed together, Maddie would have had nowhere to run to. It's almost bittersweet, knowing that in another life the Buckley parents were caring and attentive, but with it came something so awful. I hope Doug Kendall is rotting in hell <3

And here's something I only noticed about a day after watching: the biggest negative impacts were on the people that Buck loves the most. Because this was all in his mind, designed to trap him there. Something that has been established is that Buck is, as I think Bobby(?) said, "the guy who wants to fix things". Buck could never be content somewhere that he was idle. In this life he isn't a firefighter, so he needs problems to occupy him. Therefore, the four people that he loves most are the ones that have the biggest problems.

First - Maddie.

Buck and Maddie's relationship is shown throughout the seasons, especially in Buck Begins and the build up to that. They have always been incredibly close, because they didn't have anyone else to rely on. So in the tempting, coma world, Maddie is still with Doug. She never escaped from her abusive marriage, and in this one she even has a child to add to the situation. Buck's first instinct as to what to do to get out of here is to find something to fix. The first thing he thinks of is Maddie and Doug.

Second - Eddie and Christopher.

Even though neither of them have actually said it yet (which is criminal) Buck and Eddie are very obviously best friends. Their relationship is incredibly strong, as is Buck's relationship with Christopher. He's almost like Buck's own child, or at least a nephew. I think most people can also see romantic chemistry between Buck and Eddie. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to have something go terribly wrong in the coma world. A large part of Eddie's character is his love for Christopher, and how he's trying so hard to be the best father he can be whilst balancing his dangerous job and the problems that he inherited from his parents and his broken marriage. So in this mental world, they have been separated. Buck needs to fix Eddie and Christopher, because Eddie cannot be the Eddie that Buck loves without Chris, and Christopher cannot be the kid Buck loves without his father.

Third - Bobby.

Oh my gosh. Even though I knew that it was only in Buck's mind, it still hurt so much. Bobby died without Buck there. He died!!! Without Buck there to take care of, annoy him and generally love him and be loved by him, Bobby never built the bonds he did with the 118. You can see right from the start the very paternal relationship that Bobby has with Buck, which this episode only confirms. I wouldn't say that Buck lost his parents, because you can't really lose what you never had. He never had parents (I am ignoring their redemption arc because I disagree with it. Sue me.). Bobby lost his children, but he never stopped being a father. He became someone's father again with May and Harry, but before that he became Buck's father. It makes so much sense for him to die. Because in the coma world, Buck has parents. Parents who have always loved and cared for him. So in this reality, Buck would never have needed another father. Buck can still remember his relationship with Bobby, and would never be able to replicate it in the coma world. It would be a push factor, something taunting him - there's a man out there, whom you love like a parent, who never even knew you. So Bobby dies. He's nothing but a ghost, nothing physical that can drive Buck out of this paradise reality.

Philip and Margaret Buckley. WHEN I CATCH YOU PHILIP AND MARGARET BUCKLEY.

Buck considered staying. He considered staying in the coma world, knowing that he would die. He stayed for the chance of having loving parents. All Buck ever wanted was to be part of a family that loved him. In 'reality', the 118 became this family, because his biological family was too broken to count as such. But in the coma, it isn't. His parents are loving and free with their affection, he doesn't have to nearly get himself killed for it. He has the older brother that he never knew, and still has the strong bond with his sister.

And then, we finally got it. There are two things that I have been waiting so long for. One has, unfortunately, still not occurred. But finally, in this episode, they gave us the other!!!

He admitted it!

He confirmed it!

There's no taking it back now!

I am proud to be able to say, with full canon support, that Robert Wade Nash is the adoring father of Evan Buck Buckley.

I'VE WANTED THIS FOR SO LONGGGGG

It's been so obvious from the first goddamn episode. I thank you May Grant for finally getting Bobby to admit that Buck is his son. The familial dynamics in the show might be my favourites, with the entire main cast feeling like a family. However, the most obvious of these has always been Bobby and Buck's father-son relationship. It's beautiful really, how close they are and how Bobby is finally able to admit to everyone, including himself, how deep their relationship is.

There's so much more that I could say, but this has already been so long so I'm going to try and wrap it up with one last thing. My rambles always seem to get away from me lol.

I absolutely loved the conclusion. It being the construct of Bobby to tell Buck how to get out is consistent with the focus of the episode, and shows the regard that Buck has for Bobby. Even in a prison constructed by his own mind to hold him there, Buck still has Bobby to rely on. It's one of the most heartwarming moments in the episode.

And then there's the confrontation or, as I mentally called it, the final boss fight. Daniel. The price of leaving is the loss of his brother, because Daniel only lives in the minds of his family. But that's not who the true enemy is. The enemy was just using his image, a mask to hide behind. I cannot honestly say I was surprised when he was revealed, but it was such a powerful moment when Daniel turned into Buck. Because everything happening inside the coma is Buck. It's all in his mind; the pain, the torment, the loathing. Buck's worst enemy, time and time again, is himself. His self worth issues, his abandonment issues, his self doubt. The final enemy to overcome is the voice in the back of his head, given form and prominence in his comatose state. And it almost wins. But there, on the other side, is everyone who actually loves Buck. The real love, not the kind that his mind imagined. Bobby with his rosary, Christopher sneaking in, Maddie and Chimney, Eddie, Hen, even his parents. They're all there because they love him. Because nobody, nobody at all, can defeat the voice in their mind without help.

Also Buck pulling an axe from absolutely nowhere was just peak escaping. Like yes, go get out of this coma by smashing a window with an axe that you just have because you're a firefighter. You get An Axe.

[nataliewrites]

Daddy issues

my relationship with my dad is beyond fucked up.

Don't get me wrong, he's not that harsh devil violent type of dad that you might think of when someone says "me and my dad are nowhere near a healthy relationship" no you wish, in my case it's because

me and him are a spitting image of each other.

My dad is more of quiet, serious, affectionless solitary person and growing up I've always despised that wishing that he could be more of a fun outgoing social butterfly dad just like my uncle for an example, In his defense, he's a hard worker amazing vibe and taste in music, nostalgic, more open minded than my mom is and he has shown more interest in things I love than she does but I've always pushed him. His solution was always being rugged and taking our phones away when we disobey, most of the time acting grumpy and dull till finally someone or him opens up a topic that he's well-versed in and most of the time it's gotta be about some boring work advice or something, always distances himself when getting upset or stressed, etc.

only for me to realise I've grown over the years to be the exact same image of him.

I am maybe not as serious but 100% a solitary person

I AM KNOWN for distancing myself when upset and never wanting to talk about it

I recently noticed when i couldnt socialize in church that I finally spoken when a topic that I'm well-versed in opens up and IT IS ABOUT UNI WORK hell I'm boring asf

I'm not that easy to show affection (as unbelievable as it is it's true)

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nostalgic (y2k teen girl)

I'm open minded, shows interest in what people love (I'm struggling to stop this when I'm talking to people that only care about their fucking selves)

I realised despite our tastes in music being two different genres they still feel the same

I'm not that hard working like he is but I'm trying

oh my god you should see the way we both yawn it's literally identical

ALL of this made me realize that most of my traits (the good and bad ones) are probably his traits too.

one of my biggest traits is paying attention to every detail and overthinking it, I always thought oh I inherited this from my mom, Only then did I realize today that its actually from MY DAD.

How? my family went on vacation and I stayed home to study, I called mom and my brother to check up on them and suddenly my mom texted these heart-wrenching messages.

My dad always noticed I'm distance and we had a fight days ago him begging me to spend more time with them. HE always noticed everything and I couldn't help but wonder does he overthink and end up in a never-ending cycle about stuff bothering him too? He experiences hell in his mind thinking just like me too? and the worst part is he doesn't even have friends but us to talk to about these stuff which he obviously can't

I've never felt more cruel in my life and I really need to fix this. It may be their job parenting me in a way that pulls me closer to them instead of always feeling like I'm spending my entire life trying to earn their approval, but it's also mine to be mindful of their feelings and spending time with them while it lasts, specially with my dad.

I really wanna go back to being daddy's girl one more time.

[sah1x1s-archived]

So.

Here's the situation I've been dealing with for the past year and a half, which might explain my flightiness, hopefully.

Mom admits to wanting to hurt herself.

Mom goes inpatient at a behavioral health facility.

Mom comes back as someone else and is delusional.

I fix things for Mom; therefore, I fix things with her and me.

Mom has a psychotic break during the time I get a job.

Mom attacks me, and I am the one who ends up in prison.

It's not safe at home anymore.

At the age of 28, I moved on my own through blood, literally, sweat, and tears, living by myself for the first time in forever.

I start to rely on my dad more and more.

He starts to manipulate me just as much as Mom has my entire life.

I don't see it because I'm blind as fuck, apparently.

I have multiple breakdowns.

I have stopped eating at this point and am about 86lbs.

I lose one job, gain another, lose that job, and gain the one I have currently (which is a whole other shitstorm because it's not exactly... kosher)

@lovelylostminds Jasmander comes up in May 2024 for a week.

She then proceeds to, with my encouragement and to my delight, move in with me in my tiny ass one-bedroom apartment in June 2024.

I start seeing a new therapist.

The therapist met my mom, and when we had our sessions, she explained that my mother has what is called Narcissistic Personality Disorder, meaning she manipulated me, gaslighted me, and abused me my whole life. I don't feel comfortable going into how my dad abused me growing up, but there's that.

I cut off all connection with my Mom.

Jasmander and I have our mini college 'dorm room life' experience.

I'm still battling the eating disorder and hormone, spinal, mental, and just painful issues, but what's new? xD

Through months of careful tactical moves, I managed to buy a house.

Jasmander now lives with me.

We're both going back to school in the spring.

We made the mistake of letting my brother pawn off his ex-girlfriend, who refuses to get on her medication and has Jas and myself living in MY home in fear of the safety of our 4 cats and fear that she's going to harm herself or us, she ended up being the third roommate that was just extra income.

Now, after having the ex move in and everything, things become apparent that she's using my family and that my brother tried to use me to get rid of his relationship problems without caring for my state of mind.

Jas and I told her she couldn't stay, so we were the bad guys.

The ex has until the 27th until I call the county because, at this point, she's hurt the cats and severely messed with Jas's head and my head.

I haven't been able to move much because of stress-induced pain of some sort.

We still have unpacking to do.

I've realized that my mom has etched into me that I'm not a good friend, person, writer, human...

I've been terrified of the dash because of that.

I realize that I've inadvertently been avoiding all of you, my friends, because of the voice I hear that's mom telling me evil things.

I'm currently working on fixing things.

So... yeah.

Writing has always been my escape and biggest endorphin high, the fixer of all things. I let my own mind make me believe that I've failed even though I stopped trying, but I think I'm ready to stop that now.

I'll still have my good and bad days, as you all will, but it's about time I find the joy of RPing once more.

I mean, I am free from the people who've lied to me my entire life now and have my best friend as a roommate, so who's to say I can't find peace in writing and talking to you all again?

This is a long post, so sorry. It's just a life update on the past two-ish years with an explanation and a hope of being welcomed back.

Love you all,

Sah Sah

[artisticgargoyle]

Ranting abt ships, yk long haired boys n girls and their turtles dw abt it

And I mean rant, I don't think I used a single period in the whole thing

My version of mondo is pretty quiet bc of trauma , he's still funny goofy guy but like his energy level is way down

But when he sees Mikey and he's around Mikey after they're reunited his heart starts going so fast he can hear it in his ears everytime he's around him

He loves his turtle so much

That's his best friend ever right there and he has him all to himself forever, got like permanent waggy tail and if that shit hits your leg he's gonna bust up your shin

Like a happy pitbull x 100

But then Casey's the opposite bc he's just constantly so wound up that he only relaxes around Raph, obviously crazy heart too but like leading basically the biggest town army in the US is a lot of responsibility for one man

But his life's gonna be so nice once he can go home and just collapse on Raph, he's so tense he misses being a carefree idiot too stupid to be trusted with things

Raph probably loves to mess with his hair too when they're just sitting around and probably almost always gets it tangled in some fucked up way they have to cut out

The good thing abt this au is that in the end the turtles are allowed to be unemployed lol

So Leo can just spend all day helping out Usagi and bringing him things while he works, helping fix little stuff around his home between zombie hunting excursions

Leo probably ends up helping with medical stuff in the town, ends up giving usagi nice massages and medicine for his joints

They're both gonna have fucked up joints, they'll know when a storm's coming bc instead of a sailor's knee they'll just be trapped in bed all day together just miserable

Dino can bring em soup

Also off topic but I may need to rename usagi for plot reasons and I'm procrastinating bc I don't want people to be mad abt it 💫💫💫

April's gonna take a while to trust Donnie again but he'll probably do something big to earn her trust back

He promised her he'd set up a news system for the town so that she could get to report on things like she wanted to and that was before he ran away so maybe he gives the whole town little screens and speakers so that he can broadcast her everywhere, he's got a bit of selfish jealousy about the fact that so many people are going to be looking at her but she doesn't mind his crazy as much bc she knows he's insecure and afraid of losing her

My version of Donnie did not engage in stalking activities in his teens, but he's always had jealousy issues around her even as a friend because he's ultimately scared that she doesn't see him having the same value as a human in a friendship or relationship since he's different

His anxiety is just the worst but she loves him and is willing to work past that because he's really sweet when he's not being defensive

He makes little things for her constantly and even sets up his android to take over any of her responsibilities that aren't personal or urgent so that they can have more time together

He loves her beyond his own comprehension and she can actually get him to stop working on things and relax without any protest

He feels compelled to help her with everything and being a doting partner actually helps ground him and bring him back to reality

God they're all so cute I'm gonna put em in a snowglobe n shake em

Also I'm aro but none of my characters really are bc they're filling the yearning void so I'm sorry abt the lack of representation lol

[akechis-special-case]

Ok hold your horses and just hear me out for a second!

Alright so I am probably being sideeyed heavily but just stay with me here, ok? Somewhat of a rant because I need more people to know as well that some parts of Persona 4's writing aged like milk and will need to be addressed in a remake (or I wish for them to be addressed). I don't say change the story, I say change some scenes (which are not consequential for the plot) because some characters just look way worse than they are. The biggest offenders are Yosuke and Teddie.

I will mainly talk about Yosuke here but Teddie is in a very similar boat I won't lie. Ahem...

I really hate how Persona 4 aged like milk in some aspects because it makes Yosuke look like the insufferable perverted best friend character. They lean too much into the perverted angel and it is just weird to look at nowadays. Some actions are just straight out too far, though back when they wrote the story it was very common in ecchi anime (at least the ones I watched years ago).

I'm not saying that they can't make him a bit perverted. Stuff like commenting that a girl is cute and being a bit over the top is fine. But some comments and actions are just flatout uncomfortable to watch. And this is not something I fault to the character but to the writing because I read that in later games that they fix this behavior. So it is a product of its time. Thus they brush it off as not so bad sometimes, even though it is worse. To clarify, it is not just a Yosuke thing, Teddie has the same issue. I give Teddie a bit more leeway because you can excuse that he doesn't know better. He has never been outside the TV World so he may pick up on some things he shouldn’t. But what the writers make Teddie say goes too far as well – Hence why I call it a writing issue and not a character issue.

I still dislike it because it overshadows the positive qualities of Yosuke, or rather who he really is. He isn't a half bad guy at all, definitely a buddy type. Also a decent older brother figure for Teddie and I enjoy their dynamic as brothers – Teasing another but also looking out for another. Mostly Yosuke looking out for Teddie as he is the older one. I mean it when I say that he is not a bad guy deep down, the writers just thought that turning his perverted side up to 1000 was a good idea for ‘comic relief’. It's not, obviously. Before you ask yes Teddie can have the same issue, overshadowing his character arc of finding himself with this too far bullshit.

Yosuke’s development in his Social Link, going from disliking Inaba to enjoying his time is also intriguing. He knows that he is unpopular so he puts up a front at first. Most sideeye him because he’s from the city and blame him too for Junes ‘destroying the local shopping district by taking away customers’. He has nothing to do with it though, his father got transferred to the location. But no one cares, he’s the kid from the city. He's guilty by association.

At the same time people just keep walking all over him though and use him, solely for being the son of the manager of the Junes in Inaba. They will ask him for favors and expect him to help. He usually does but he is fed up with it. He also shows care for others, like when the girls badmouth Saki in front of him. I believe that Yosuke didn't care if Saki didn't like him, he just couldn't stand hearing these things, especially since she is dead and can't defend herself anymore (and yes I am of the firm belief that he would do this for anyone who didn't deserve it). As for him being pushy with Kanji in regards to Naoto, I think Yosuke just wants to encourage Kanji in some way (even if it’s teasing). He is going from having no friends to an actual friend group where he can be himself, people he can trust (one rank implies that he didn't have friends in the city either).

That is the actual Yosuke and I think the Yosuke the writers wanted to portray. A guy who struggles at first yet once finding his place and having a bit of a push to not letting people push him around he finds his ground and he really isn't a bad guy.

Is he flawed? Yeah, sure. Being a bit of a perv, clumsy and sometimes saying something without thinking is part of his character. He has no ill intentions yet may say some things without thinking sometimes. But he's still someone who cares for others, especially those close to him.

But when it gets to the comic relief enough scenes take it too far. He’s not like this.

[all-pacas]

some more retcon sister headcanons because it's retcon sister week:

aka danielle maria chase, retcon sister of my dreams

the most important fact about this oc is that her name is not danielle, it's 100% daniela, chase just got it wrong as a kid and has stuck with the mistake for 20 years.

no one but her brother calls her danielle, but she's absolutely fine with it from him (no one else tho). she doesn't love going by daniela either but has dabbled in just about every other nickname you can get from the name -- ellie and ella are the most common ones -- most people know her as ellie -- and she's also tried out danny, dana, etc.

…she's quite big on "reinventing" herself. it's partially a very genuine attempt to turn over new leaves and change and leave her mistakes behind her, it's partially just… fun. she tries out new hairstyles, has dyed her hair every color under the sun, she tries out new identities left and right.

she gets manic as hell, which ties into her drug use/alcoholism, both in terms of danielle trying to self medicate and trying to keep herself up and "fun" and it's a mess. she's never been to a psychiatrist (her father Did Not Believe in them), but tbh she could use it!

chase is absolutely the Responsible Big Brother around her. it's one of the reasons they do way better on low contact, even though deep down they do both love one another and share a deep fucked up childhood bond. but when they're together they both immediately fall into old bad habits: he infantilizes her and lectures her and burns himself out with stress, she gets rebellious and resentful and has never really forgiven him for moving to the States when she was still a teenager.

she really doesn't remember her mother much, which is another thing that's difficult between her and chase: danielle was 5-6 when she died, and danielle really has no memories of her functional or sober and kind of… blocked out/willfully forgot the rest. so it's easy for danielle to think of her mother as a glamorous and exciting person, and chase cannot deal with this.

she doesn't hate her father. part of it is that same idealization-to-cope (he's just so cool and smart and that's why he doesn't talk to her), but also… it's kind of the same deal as her mom, danielle doesn't know shit about rowan, he's a neutral figure to her. chase is old enough to remember having parents but danielle's only parent was her brother. rowan did take her in after her mother died, though. she has more of a relationship with rowan's second wife, although they don't get along.

she really does not like herself!! welcome to the chase family danielle!! she has a lot of the same abandonment issues as her brother: no one wants her, she's an idiot, no one cares about her. she's not educated, she's not a doctor, so she idealizes her family as a way of like… look how cool and fancy they are, i'm related to them, i'm like that too. i'm not a fuckup. i'm not a failure. (and then she gets depressed and she gets high.)

when the show starts — 2004 — she's 18 or so, 26/27 by the time of Chase MD. i think she does get her shit together by the time she and chase are back in touch, but it isn't easy, and it relies on her having to move on from her family a bit, mentally estrange herself instead of clinging to this ideal of them.

she does get pregnant and decides to keep the baby (around 2010/11), which causes her and chase's biggest falling out (he spirals whenever she's concerned, he 100% had a nightmare vision of him somehow having to raise this baby). she really does try her fucking best for her son, though. she only really starts to understand how bad her parents were after he's born, you know?

i like to imagine she works with animals. maybe she becomes a horse girl. :))) just does something outdoorsy and a little athletic and it's nothing well-paying or fancy but it's hers and it keeps her busy and active and clean.

she and chase also slowly fix their relationship, although living on opposite ends of the world does help a lot lmao. they just. do better that way. but they keep in better touch, and chase eventually meets his nephew. a lukewarm ending but a happy one.

(also danielle liked cameron and did not understand what cameron saw in her brother. like. chase is so bossy and he's so annoying and uptight and cameron was just like he's w h a t)

[prismatoxic]

one day I hope kui releases a mini comic that finalizes chilchucks and his wifes separation (ie like she did with shuro/falin whole marriage thing) cause honestly they're better off apart but still amicable. and plus like 4-years is a long time and people change, I feel the opportunity to 'fix' things has been long shut. so leave that woman alone and let HER be at the club!

honestly like... my biggest issue with the ship (and this is not a moral issue, nor me saying people cannot ship it) is i feel it goes against the themes of the story

dungeon meshi is often about being changed in ways you cannot revert, and learning to live your new life rather than fight to go back to how you once were

i do think chilchuck talks to her. i think he takes marcille's advice to heart. but i also think it's too late, and she's moved on, and he will too. maybe it's more for closure than anything. "i'm sorry i hurt you; i hope life finds you well."

laios can't interact with the monsters he so loves anymore, but with all he's learned from the situation, he can build a nation where people never go hungry. senshi can never change what happened to his friends, but he did eventually stumble into new ones who helped to heal what ailed him most about the loss. izutsumi cannot ever separate her merged souls, but she's learned how to be the person she is now. marcille will never again desire to care for her hair the way she once did, but her loved ones have stepped in to do it for her. falin will never be fully human again, but honestly, she seems pretty stoked about the changes. mithrun will never regain the desires he used to have, but he will learn how to form new ones. kabru cannot retroactively save utaya, but he now helps rule a kingdom built on the ashes of what destroyed utaya.

so, following that thread down to chilchuck... chilchuck can't ever regain the life he had with his wife, but he can build a new life with his friends and his daughters.

genuinely, people can interpret the text however they want and ship whatever they want, but to me... chilchuck not being able to return to how his life was before is part of what makes dungeon meshi the story that it is.

so... yeah actually some canon confirmation would be cool, but i'm also content with it never being addressed, at this point.

[atopvisenyashill]

What if Corlys had married Dallas?

NOW WE’RE COOKING

FIRST THE DAELLA/CORLYS MARRIAGE

I think Corlys is a smart man who can read what other people need from him well. Which is a nice way of saying that I think he would take the kind of approach to her that Daemon takes to Rhaenyra in HOTD but without that level of psychosexual obsession - he wants her to open up, ~be herself~ and be free, but of course, the definition of be free includes a freedom that would benefit him in some way.

If Corlys marries Daella, it's because Jaehaerys or Alysanne suggested him as a potential match and Daella picked him out. I don't know that Corlys would be particularly gung ho about it initially the way he is with Rhaenys - after all, Rhaenys was a dragon rider and heir presumptive while Daella is not only wayyy down the line of succession, she's "simple" aka likely autistic or developmentally disabled in some way which means she's going to need care taking in a way Rhaenys doesn't. I do think that may lead to some sort of resentment especially during times of great political stress.

BUT. I think there's a non zero chance he encourages her to get close to/claim a dragon - even if its one she doesn't regularly ride - and that might give her some confidence. I mean, just because someone has a disability doesn't mean that with the right environment, they can't be capable of a whole lot! And for Daella, you have that concept that is talked about in that viral video going around with the girl with down's - if you assume she can't, then she won't, and Jaehaerys and Alysanne have assumed Daella can't for a long time, so she doesn't. But if Corlys believes she can - well, maybe she will! The biggest thing here is Corlys has to be careful about her pregnancies. I think he would wait to get her pregnant largely because Alysanne is clearly feeling Some Type Of Way about Daella marrying, but even if he doesn't, the thing about Corlys is he's a Nice Guy. Yeah he'll cheat on his wife, yeah he'll marry a 16 year old but he doesn't physically or emotionally abuse them (...besides the grooming). If Daella is six months pregnant and tells him she's terrified and wants her mother, I think Corlys would just write to Alysanne and ask her to visit (assuming he even left the capital, and I don't think he would anyway) instead of berate Daella or call on his relatives to berate her. I think she's likely to get better care with Corlys looking over her because he needs an heir and wants dragon riding Velaryons and he can't get that if she dies.

Not only that, but Corlys wants to be involved in politics - and I think it's noteworthy that neither Rodrik nor his heir seemed particularly welcome at King's Landing after this incident and it took Daemon making a mess of his marriage with Rhea for the Iron Throne to go "alright let's call it even" before the Arryns really come back onto the political scene. Corlys is not stupid enough to risk something like that which means even IF Daella dies - and I'm not confident in saying she would. I know she's young but 16 year olds do often live through birth, the issue is the baby not living because it's a preemie, and again, proper care and cleanliness fixes a lot of the issues associated with birth - you can guarantee her death is going to be when she's a few years older, like Alyssa, and therefore not something Alysanne can directly attribute to him.

It does ripple out to mean the First Quarrel might not last as long but the trauma of losing Alyssa and Viserra as well as the constant comments about Saera being a whore is more than enough to piss Alysanne off, and once Rhaenys is cut out, Alysanne is definitely leaving Jae's ass again.

THE RHAENYS MARRIAGE

So who does Rhaenys marry in this scenario, if not Corlys? Well.......oof.

For one thing, even with Aemma out of the picture, it doesn't guarantee Viserys/Rhaenys because, well, Corlys may still have a daughter he can marry back into the royal family! If Corlys has a son with Daella, he probably tries to marry him to Rhaenys, and if he has a daughter, he goes for Viserys. Yes, that's right, I do think it's not unlikely Rhaenys marries Corlys' son lmaooooo. If he doesn't have a son, Rhaenys (and Alysanne, and probably Jocelyn, maybe Aemon as well) will still want her to make a big, important match that will help with her claim. So if Corlys doesn't have a son, and Viserys isn't available, she might go for her cousin Borros. Corlys does also have Vaemond and the Velaryon cousins - Daemion, Daeron, a bunch of others - that could also be helpful here (though not nearly as much because they're cousins and not the main line). Without a clear match - if Borros or Viserys doesn't work out, or Corlys doesn't have a son - I think Alysanne might look to the North. The Manderly match fell through and we know the Manderlys were real shitty about that, and that there's a plethora of Starks and Manderlys hopping around right now. Or maybe Alysanne decides she doesn't need to win the North for Rhaenys (she already has the North for Rhaenys, they sided with Rhaenys in the original) so maybe she tries for a match to support her - like a Tyrell or Hightower. Wouldn't it be hysterical if she married like, Otto?

Anyways so I think the marriages for Rhaenys are probably

Corlys' Son (hahahahahaha)

Borros

Viserys

A Manderly

Otto Hightower (hahahahahahahahaha)

A Stark

A Velaryon Cousin

Literally anyone else

A Celitgar

[horizon-verizon]

I liked the fight itself, but I was like: girly what’s the plan tho?????

Jace is politically astute and a great diplomat but he’s still a teenager, Rhaenys is going to die...The funny thing is even after saying that she cannot trust him he’s still going to raise an army and take Harrenhal for her. Has she forgotten he was going to stay in Pentos forever until she BEGGED him to stay because she needed him to fight a war for her ?

In F&B, Daemon kills Vhagar and eliminates the Green’s blockage in the Riverlands. The Winter Wolves and the knights of the Vale came down to aid the Blacks in the Riverlands. Reaching King’s Landing, making the Greens panic, poison their own king, and crown Rhaenyra’s son. Daemon’s efforts might not have saved Rhanerya in time but they did aid their son and his daughters’ safety.

I believe the sort of "trust" Sara Hess was trying to define and reveal in this scene is the faith that Daemon would not use his proximity and relationship to her to do stuff that she cannot fix or direct the effect on herself. But she makes it focus more on Daemon trying to rule through her and not him deciding things on his own/perhaps failing to do as he actually wishes which is to protect his family....as was canon and already hashed out even in this show's universe/writing.

Rhaenyra's reasoning is being put to question--for how she'd think to allow Daemon to be around her first 3 kids if she actually didn't trust his ambitions comes into question, and no Rhaenyra was not utterly stupid in canon. She marries the man knowing that he would support her and only her claim as well as be non-murderous or threatening to her and their eventual kids. The true story is that Daemon is a principal element to how Rhaenyra was able to garner support and in good time in critical spots of the realm--he was a good political partner as well and she espied that. So them being together at all or why she chose him (as the character she is now) is also called into question, just as Rhaenys and Corlys do not make sense together in the show.

The other issue is that even with Jaehaerys being a child, this isn't a world/society that will consider a child's death as reason enough for them to pull back support, or it's not an unconditional deal breaker. They may have some personal qualms, but many would see this as "blood for blood" for the death of Lucerys AND/OR keeping their oaths to Rhaenyra/Viserys. And especially what voluntary designation of heirs vs traditions over their ability to name an heir and that heir being able to keep their seats they way those lords intended. As rhaenin-time pointed out once, it's pretty dangerous to set the precedent that anyone could just accuse the heir of things and then carve out their way towards the seat not assigned to them. All this would rather motivate the lords over a child's death, esp when Aegon has another son to be his heir. Does that make them cruel and amoral, duh. But Hess and Condal are not actually being that true to the story/setting we got. They're acting like everyone is in this tightly interconnected, very tiny bubble of a community where the relationships between houses across the entire realm are very very personal and that their ethic system is similarly human-prioritized based as we try to make our own and it disrupts the logic of the story.

*EDIT* [7/13/24] This is not to say that child killing is wrong, I'm trying to point out that in the context of political support and Rhaenyra's ability to gather her own loyal vassals, that this wouldn't be the biggest turning factor for her to lose followers and potential ones, so the argument had to be about something else, which is was. *EDIT END*

It also contradicts how Ned rationalizes his treatment towards Cersei ("honor" over actual safety of vulnerable people) in the canon world, and don't get me started on how we make a double standard, as a fandom and reader, in how we praise Ned for how he tries to follow the line of honor or save his family by what he intended to allow to happen with Cersei--or risk happen--but suddenly Rhaenyra can't be the type of protagonist who marries Daemon for her own interests, love, to protect her family, etc.

Them and the rest do not really understand Daemon's character in relation to Rhaenyra nor the weight of all those social elements I described bc they didn't really bother to ponder over all these rules implications...they didn't even bother to really consider the effect of Aemond's kinslaying and the taboo around that (or some are just making this as immediately understandable to a 2024 audience, idk). Sure the court may not shame Aemond but there's the factor of them being in close proximity and immediate danger. And it still is in the back of their minds that this dude is too "crazy" to really follow sincerely....at least some of them. Which could affect the entire greens' standing and image.

Thus, while I do think that there's always a chance bk!Rhaenyra didn't trust Daemon to not mess up her own image in his own impulsivity (having some internal conflict of her own bc I don't think she'd be angry at the act to get blood for blood and still resent him for the outcome), show!Rhaenyra questions his hold on his ambitions instead of what he desires. We already went over his ambitions back in season 1 and he already proved that he wasn't with her or made a family with her to rule anything through her (so yes, his scene with Rhaenys in the first epi didn't make sense esp with how dumb it is to make him try to go to KL to kill Aemond...there's a reason why he sends B&C in canon instead!!!). The show should have really made Rhaenyra question his present desires and not past ambitions. Which is what Branwynwith of Twitter speaks to in their review of the episode.

But now, the team didn't think about how this would look to multiple different groups of people, thus, you know.

*7/14/24* I forgot to include that Daemon actually leaving for Harrenhal before getting their particulars and priorities in order, making any sort of plan as to how he's going to "make it up" or fulfill...not even him yelling out something along the lines of "watch me" concerning Harrenhal and his intent is insane even for him, this version. Again, does the show expect me to think Rhaenyra often has to plan around these events he causes whenever they fight and he crashes out?

[theflyindutchwoman]

Just a preemptive apology for spewing this all in your inbox lol 😅

I agree that this felt like the beginning of the larger conversation about uc. I feel like a lot of this storyline requires patience and that's why some people arent the biggest fans of it lol. It took this long just for Tim to get out of denial about his feelings. It's a pretty big issue so I feel like it would be unsatisfying and boring if all it took was one scene and one conversation to fix it.

Plus from Lucy's perspective, uc is something she's been working towards since she was a rookie (except for in season 4 cause I think the writers forgot lol). So I can imagine it would take a lot for her to drop it completely. Especially with her story before the show being her trying to find a career, it would make sense she would cling to something she likes and is good at. I mean she can still be a detective but detective and uc are probably so intertwined in her mind at this point.

I don't know I just don't think the whole thing is as cut and dry as some people think. I'm excited to see where they go with it in the rest of this season. Especially with all the bts pictures we've gotten and how they may fit into this 👀

To be fair, there's patience and there's "waiting for 3 seasons for this storyline to move forward", if you know what I mean ;) Jokes aside, I feel like I'm one of the few who actually enjoy this arc so, in my case, I'm really glad that we are finally digging into this. It has felt stagnant for quite some time, and for good reasons.

Like you said, it apparently has taken this long for Tim to realise how much in denial he has been… And my guess is, he's not the only one here. I appreciate that this is used as a way by the writers to explain why this conversation has been postponed for so long : after all, Lucy has never made a secret that this was the career she wanted and Tim has encouraged her all along (minus the hiccups at the beginning). He knew that when he said they were worth the risk. So they needed to come up with a valid reason as to why it would be a problem. One that wouldn't invalidate Tim's feelings or decision. And now that this is out in the open, we can hopefully focus on Lucy's side of the story. On whether she is in denial too. On her fears - because I refuse to believe she doesn't have any. I do believe that she loves undercover. But like she admitted herself, she has only done short ops. Ops that sometimes went wrong but without any lasting consequences. So while she probably missed her friends and all during those missions, it's entirely different from missing out on a whole year. I'm not sure she has allowed herself to be entirely honest with herself on the subject.

And that's another thing. Her life has changed quite a lot since she decided to pursue an undercover career. Back then, she was pretty much on her own. But now, she has a family. And she lost her closest friend. Things that tend to make you think differently. I don't mean that she can't have the career that she wants, just that these types of events usually makes one reconsider their plans. In a way, this dream of being a UC has been her constant through all of this. And as someone who struggled for close to a decade to find her dream job, I can understand why she doesn't really question it. Not to mention that time and time again, we have seen how Lucy needs to talk things out in order to process them… And she hasn't been able to do that here. Like when she was offered the spot at the UC Academy. She went to see Nyla but it didn't do much. She needed Tim but with all the baggage between them at the time, she barely got to open up about her feelings. He is her sounding board but in this situation, it makes things more complicated. Her feelings for UC and for Tim are so intertwined that she doesn't know how to unravel this whole web. It is so convoluted together. She always shows some concerns about how it will affect their relationship. But not how it will affect HER. Like in 5.20 when she brushed away Tim's question. That's why I like that Tim's feelings might be out of the way first, so we can dig deeper into Lucy's. She has been so focused on Tim that she has neglected herself in the process. And that's also why I loved Chastity's comment. Because it was thrown casually by someone who is on the outside, and far more objective than the team could ever be. And hopefully, this is what starts an introspection from Lucy.

I don't think the writers necessarily forgot about her wanting to do undercover in s4 : she was at the beginning of her P2 career so it made sense for her to focus on that first. But she was still behind two UC ops. The second one being the catalyst for both her relationship with Tim and her career in UC moving forward. It's also no coincidence that Tim has always been involved in her UC ops. Either on the lookout (3.06 and 5.07), as her case officer (5.21), as the one going undercover under her supervision (4.07 and 4.22) or with her (5.01). The only time he wasn't involved from the get-go was during her first solo op (3.14) and even then, he managed to convince Nyla to keep him in the loop. It gave them a sense of safety. So it would be good to see an undercover mission where they can't keep in touch at all. And IF he is really going undercover for a couple of episodes as we have speculated, it would be interesting to see how it would affect them both to be on the other side of the equation. It would offer them a perspective of what the other would go through. That said, I still hope Lucy get to experience herself what it's like to do a long-ish op before making any decision. This has been her storyline above all. But in any case, I can't wait to see where this is going. (And I'm sorry, I feel like I went off on a tangent here and hijacked your reply lol).

[fishingjelly]

gonna be a debby downer but i did not like this ep.. especially if it's the actual final. i was trying to keep myself hopeful that vivimeng might fix some narrative issues people had with wiege with karma—and they did to an extent—but i hate the way hyuna's character has been handle in the end.

in no way was i expecting a happy ending for a second, but dude. i understand mizis pain and grief which is why i'm not necessarily mad at her for blowing up the stage w the rocket. but that's in a fictional sense. writing wise? terrible decision bc hyuna's death has been for naught. luka's still just a pawn n the system and hers (+ jacobs) rocket plan blew up like literally. and while this is happening mizi is spitting on her ideology w this nihilistic speech and im just like ???

hyuna probably died thinking she at least achieved some part of her legacy w the rocket plan but instead she just gets burnt to a crisp on the very same stage she escaped. maybe im just reaching bc im upset one of my fav has died in such a way but ehhhhh it is really weird how she was treated in the end. i love till to death and i'm happy asf he's alive but if he lived hyuna could of definitely lived as well. plus the 7 years time skip.. just it was a lot in such a short time. i guess this is one of the biggest cons of doing such a complex narrative in such a short time frame when it comes to ep lenghts.

at least mizisua is still peak yuri i loved the urg references and the KISS!! ive been waiting for YEARS. also isaac is better than me i would of killed myself lowkey if i went through all he's been through 😭

also idk if 🐑 emoji is taken for anons but if it isnt could i be sheep anon. this is like my 3rd time writing a speech in ur inbox LMFAO

sheep anon don’t even worry i already posted I didn’t like the episode, ur not alone 🙏

according to rubyeye this would be the final episode which further soured what I already had going 😭 I really… wish things were handled better. i clutched my pearls when they said hyuna died a meaningless death but the way things ended (assuming that the luka billboard is indeed our luka and not a clone) … it was rendered meaningless. was death not a kinder choice than remaining in the same system that crushed all those around you and tore you limb from limb since you were brought into the world? fuck, almost 40 years of being under alien ownership. it really weighed down on me that, for all the suffering Luka went through, he just… got thrown back into it? there’s no escaping his situation? really? what does that tell us?

the rocket blowing up did crush my heart I won’t lie. It’s likely the reason they were even there in the first place (because as we already know it wasn’t to save till)

hyuna wanted luka to live for himself and learn the weight of his mistakes, and as we see Hyunwoo haunting luka, he had some sort of guilt already; but they still threw him back? I’m truly hoping luka died in the fire and the luka on the billboard is a clone because the idea of him remaining in that same cycle really fucked me up. he doesn’t know what life is like outside of it.

honestly the only thing i could comfort myself with was that hyuna died free; tangled up in her past but she died on her own terms. should she have died? never have i ever thought that. but i did hold out faith; i just didn’t expect the result of ‘live with love’ being luka forced back onto the stage.

Mizi was also talking crazy 😭 I didn’t know what to make of it because so much was going on. as for till…

i wanted to be happy for his fans but damn, i was very bitter 😭 there was so much mystique around his death, i thought surely if till can make it so can hyuna, she’d just begun to live for herself. she was just beginning to face the music; i still don’t feel quite right with it in all honesty. if they were aiming for a bleak ending, which i have to assume so considering the previous generation is decimated and the new generation made up of their genes forcibly (although their very existence is horrifying) the fact they remain in that system just like the rest drained me 😭

i think during wiege i was even telling a friend, the glimpses of humans persevering despite the odds, the happy children even in cages trying to play with each other, the rebels living their lives to the full extent they could, the small happy moments amongst it all gave me some hope amongst the horrors. shoot me! i think the sudden turn into ‘no one really won’ and the unknown of everything, leading into the moment we see there’s the next gen in captivity seven years later.

fuck, i mean, I wasn’t expecting a Disney ending but seven years and we’re seemingly in the same place we started in?

a lot of people were like oh there’s progress, look at the human stamp!

the humans rights group existed before the events of round 1, the artbook touches on it a bit that alnst has protests because of rising concerns with human treatment. looks like they’re still fighting, but… not very successful in getting things shut down at least for the death games.

I enjoyed the mizisua kiss! but damn, the bits about Mizi observing Sua preparing to die? I was honestly a bit thrown off 😭 for all the amount of craziness crashout, i genuinely believed Mizi had no idea what alien stage entailed and that why she was so caught off guard and lost her mind. but if you’d grown up knowing the end of the round one of you died, watched your gf rehearse getting shot for you, watched her give you more lines so you’d score higher, etc … idk I would not have expected the level of shock, but perhaps the fact it actually happened made her snap. it does make me feel very sad though 😭 Sua … AUGH… ontop of that the doll stuff and the recent comic, jesus man… and with her crazy ass sister, Sua has been through some shit man. but that all does explain why she felt so insanely guilty, I thought just yeah survivors guilt but it’s that coupled with kinda being a bystander in your gfs attempts at perfecting her suicide, and pretending not to see.

Isaac is definitely better than me 😭 my brother died then the girl who reminded me of him most and became family to me died too. not to mention the pink girl you took in shot you in the leg and fucked up your dead brothers rocket 😬 he truly was the goat. taking in Dewey and attempting to take in ivan, aughhh…. There’s honestly a lot I could say but I’ll settle down for a nap now

ALSO YES HI SHEEP ANON ILL GOBE U A TAG

[deke-rivers-1957]

I was rewatching Elvis 2022 and I thought this was an interesting line; when the Colonel's describing Elvis's movie career, he says "He was as good as Brando...but you (the audience) didn't want to see him in movies where he didn't sing."

It makes me wonder what might've happened had Elvis's more dramatic roles gotten better attention; maybe he wouldn't have been forced into those formulaic musicals over and over again.

Prepare for a long post anon lol.

1958 has Elvis play Danny Fisher in King Creole which is definitely a dramatic role. The only reason why that went nowhere is obviously because of his Army stint. A sample size of one isn't enough to determine anything but for an Elvis movie it still made over $2.6 million in North America that year. When you consider the other movies that came out at the time that were in general more appealing to general audiences, you can't blame the fans here. Elvis while popular was still niche and counterculture so we can consider this to be an outlier. Elvis was still finding his footing as an actor and wasn't taken seriously by Hollywood yet.

Time skip to 1960 where you have GI Blues. Elvis did think it was a step back but like.... you know it had to happen. It was just the perfect marketing strategy. Where the Colonel went wrong was also signing with Fox so Elvis could do Flaming Star.

Flaming Star started filming in August 1960. It came out in December 1960. Only a couple weeks after GI Blues. The problem wasn't the serious tone, the problem was that you had an Elvis movie come out while another Elvis movie that was his first movie coming back from the Army was still in theaters.

Regardless of how good Flaming Star was, you weren't going to get the same turnout as GI Blues. Flaming Star had almost no time to even market itself by the time it was released. It was doomed to fail since even if fans wanted to see both, we need to keep in mind the demographic here. If the demographic was still teenagers, they are not going to have all this disposable income to see two Elvis films over the span of one month. So that right there nullifies Colonel's argument that it was on the fans.

Six months later in June 1961 you have Wild in the Country. That's a serious role. The biggest problem was that the movie was plagued by production issues which lead to it being terrible. I know preview audiences hated the original ending with Irene offing herself, but keeping that in wouldn't have magically fixed the movie from being bad. The original writer Clifford Odets was signed on to write the screenplay in August of 1960. Filming was supposed to start in November but Odets was fired two weeks before filming started with only about 50% of the screenplay done.

The director himself had to finish the screenplay and outright said that he did not want to do this. It was only out of obligation that the screenplay was finished at all. Now say all of this never happened. That production went exactly as planned. What would you get? You would get a movie that would still appeal more towards older women who would see themselves in Irene's shoes as opposed to teenagers.

Let's break down how King Creole and Flaming Star can work if let perfectly untouched:

Danny is 19 in the movie. There's an audience surrogate in Nellie as she is representing a "good girl". Based on the society at the time, that was still the majority of teenaged girls. Having Danny be the troubled youth yet still be with Nellie appeals to the fantasy of "I can fix him. I can make him give up this life of crime".

Pacer is a young man with absolutely no love interest. By focusing on his isolation in society and his emotional vulnerability, you appeal to the fantasy of "I will love him. I'm not like other girls who will shun him".

Here in Wild in the Country, Irene is framed as an older woman and gets more focus than Noreen and Betty Lee. Betty Lee for this demographic should've been the focus since you can apply both fantasies to Glenn. Noreen, while also a young woman, is a "bad girl" which wouldn't have been relatable. Yes the desire of sex would have been there, but the point of already having a child would've been very unlikely.

Irene had already lost a husband and has a well established career. To a teenager that would make her sympathetic, but I genuinely don't think they could look at her and say "I can see myself in her shoes giving Glenn this type of emotional support with all the life experience I have".

So what's the tl;dr? The tl;dr is that Colonel in the movie is outright deflecting blame onto the fans when in reality there were other factors at play that were bigger contributors to each of those three movies not doing "well". It was a self induced problem that could've been avoided.