#Michael is an absolute mess when it comes to emotions

[homosexuality-and-morphine]

Yk how people say that one character fell first but the other fell harder well jack fell first Mike fell harder and Michael fell the hardest and by that I mean he literally got to the point he couldn't be in the same room with Mike or jack without basically yelling and laughing like an insane person because he cannot hide his emotions very well unless he's around strangers (when he confessed he literally yelled "I'm in love with you" and started crying because he was afraid it would ruin the friendship)

[mini-golden]

I've been mulling over the Labyrinth arc specifically the questers decision to allow Boris to come, with it being brought up again with Felix trying to adopt Boris. Little disclaimer I have not reread the Labyrinth arc so I will probably miss out on a couple details here.

A question that I really been trying to wrack my brain around is "what could they have done for Boris". I remember when the labyrinth arc was happening I was so mad at the questers for the way that they were treating Boris. Especially as a teenager myself (14-15 at the time so literally the same age as Boris). But now that I think about it I really do want to know what the questers could have done because I feel like no matter that choice Boris would have gone anyway.

At this point Boris had recently run away when he was told that he could not be apart of saving his brother, right. So he has already demonstrated that he can and will put himself and others in danger to be with Bendy. I know some people said that he should have stayed back with the circus crew and I believe the circus crew would have definitely tried their best but ultimately we have to remember that he's a street kid, he knows how to get around adults, I don't think that they could have truly stopped him from going if he wanted to. Again he has already demonstrated that he will pick bendy over everyone else no matter how close you are to him. To Boris it's truly always been him and Bendy against the world, he's already burnt bridges with the relationships he built up. He now has a rocky relationship with the adult figures that he trusted, he thinks they should despise him.

Now I want to make clear that I am absolutely not excusing the clear adultification that a lot of the characters do to Boris specifically in this arc. It still really pisses me off, he is an emotional 14 year old boy of course he did the terrible things that he did, his frontal lobe isn't developed he can't think his actions through as well as the adults around him can. Specifically looking at you Michael Bradley I know your traumatised but wtf that is a child. Kinda excluding Cuphead though, he was a real one with how he acted with this.

Coming back to Felix here. I think Felix should have really honed in on the decision that they made by bringing Boris along. Felix should have sat Boris down and really had a talk to him with how dangerous it was going to be. Obviously we know that the questers did not expect how truly dangerous it would be but Felix has already done extremely dangerous stuff before so I think he definitely could have better prepared Boris for what they were going into. With what I mentioned in the paragraph above though I think I can really see why Felix made the decision he did. He already told Boris no and it ended with him being severely hurt emotionally and being cursed physically. And we can see in Felix' POV how deeply that scared Felix. Although I really do wish that he sat Boris down and truly told him how he felt about Boris running away and how he only wants to protect Boris. Really try to make him see how much he cares for him and try and build up that trust again.

Honestly so much of this stuff that happens really they could have been resolved if these idiots would just talk to each other, the miscommunication in this series istg :').

Ultimately I don't think that there was a "right" or "correct" choice that would have ended in Boris being safe from the record. There were definitely things that characters could have handled a lot better but truly none of them could have been prepared for how messed up the Labyrinth really turned out to be. Also could the questers have even gotten the record without Boris? I feel like Boris was needed for the record I truly don't know how they would have gotten the record otherwise with how hard it was for Boris to get it.

I really wish I wrote down my opinions and feelings at the time to how I feel about the arc now that I'm an adult, because of how close in age to Boris I was so I could truly relate to some of the feelings he was feeling with the adults around them. And now as an adult I can see more why the adults around him made the decisions they made.

[dizzyduck44]

Why Hungary was so hollow

An F1 win is an amazing achievement. One of the pinnacles of a drivers career. As a fan, we remember the ones that carry real weight to them, that come with a backstory, a driver we have felt has been unfortunate in the past, a truly spectacular drive.

Most of the drivers on the current F1 grid fall into that category. Pierre’s spectacular drive at Monza, the sheer weight of emotion for Charles at Spa, the feeling of justice for Lewis in Canada, the absolutely fairytale nature of Max in Barcelona, after driving brilliantly for 3 years against the might of that Red Bull car we all felt Lando deserved that win in Miami and who can forget the spectacular last to first debut win of Checo in Sakir when he was facing the end of his career.

We cherish them because they were special, earned, deserved. It’s what makes people cry over this sport and watch it all their life.

And this is why what happened in Hungary makes me uncomfortable and goes against the nature of what makes this sport special.

Team orders are not new. Hell Valtteri is cracking jokes about them now. For me they came to the forefront in the Michael Schumacher Ferrari days. And they were not liked. They were booed on the podium and on one occasion even messed it up and had the wrong driver win on the line. However it became accepted that if you want to win a championship, you had to resort to it.

And my God did Mercedes and Red Bull resort to it!

However it was going on further down the field for constructors points. I’ve never hidden from the fact that Carlos and Lando’s first podiums for McLaren required team orders (and penalties for Hamilton). We have seen Kevin gain more penalty points than actual points this season carrying out team orders. I swear Fernando is in charge of Aston’s and previously Alpine’s team orders. Somehow it became the norm to apply team orders for any situation and that was never going to end well.

Dispute it all you want Monza 2021 was a race decided on team orders, (confirmed yet again last week by Zak Brown) and at the point maybe people should have sat up, took notice and realised this is a bit of a slippery slope we are on. But no it was 2021, the Max and Lewis show, so a lot of other things got ignored.

And so to Hungary 2024. Now this is not analysis of why McLaren pitted who when, or why they now admit it never occurred to them they might be under pressure from people behind (seriously McLaren. SERIOUSLY!!!). Or the radio messages 🤬🤬🤬 Or the fact that apparently Lando was the reason this all went tits up ?!?!?!?!? We are going to look at how team orders have now handed a driver their first win in circumstances almost impossible to justify and seemingly implying they are banking that favour for later in the season.

There are two things that are key to this. Firstly the start and then everything that happened around the second pitstops.

Oscar got the lead yes, but then Max took 7 laps to let Lando through and only when threatened with a penalty, gifting Oscar that lead.

However Oscar’s first little off road adventuring just before the second pitstop changed a lot in the race. Lando caught him up. Now that nice gap McLaren had to double stack had gone.

They called Lando in as Lewis was 9 seconds behind, in out, 2 laps later Oscar in, out. Up to now this its straight forward. Simple switcharoo, easy 1-2.

Then Oscar went off the track again. This puts him 3 seconds behind Lando and 7 seconds ahead of Lewis. He is now closer to Lewis than Lando was before the pitstops.

At this point McLaren should have gone into save the race mode, instead they were transfixed on what they thought was going to happen 5 laps ago.

And what resulted from this was embarrassing not only for McLaren but F1. Team orders resulted in a driver slowing down a nearly 7 second lead to give his team mate who admitted he couldn’t catch him, his first win. And like most people I sat there thinking, WTF!

We watch F1 for the racing, the intelligence required to predict the best way forward to win the race. The necessity of the perfect pitstop and keeping the car on the grey stuff. It cheapens it when team orders gets used so flagrantly.

I’ve seen McLaren do this before in 1997 with Mika Hakkinen) however difference being Mika was a driver that nearly died in a crash in 1995. He had been on the grid a while and when McLaren rocked up with their missile in 1997 the drivers made an agreement whoever lead into the first corner of the first race could have the win. Mika led most of the race and then misheard a garbled radio message (no digital back then) and came into the pits when he didn’t need to. Coulthard was asked to give the place back and did (and we know how that ended, see Hungarian commentary for proof). End result people felt that win for Hakkinen was deserved, earned.

Hungary didn’t have the same sense of fairness about it. It wasn’t the first or last race of the season, no championships have been decided, every point counts. Oscar yes had driven a great 2/3rds of the race. But tiny errors had put him in the position he was in. If it was merely the undercut then that would have been resolved quickly. It came down to errors and lack of pace at the end. If you can’t catch the leader, how the hell can you expect to lead?

I used to think Esteban had the luckiest win on the F1 grid with Bottas bowling 7 cars at the start of the race. Nope this now takes that honour.

Let’s remember currently this is not for a championship (people would argue it hinders the championship). This was team orders because they can. The first time Oscar had every found himself near a win and despite the fact in any other circumstances he would have to take those mistakes as lessons learnt, McLaren gave him the win, because they think they are going to need him to return the favour later in the season. (Which means we will be going through this shitshow again).

That’s what sours the win and makes it feel hollow. Yes at some point any driver in a front running team is going to be gifted a win but not their first and not so obviously. It cheapens the credit of an F1 win period.

And I feel for those drivers who put in years of work at teams with non competitive cars. Who drove brilliantly. Who when the time came had to fight for that first win, case in point Seb or Jenson. Or had their first wins taken from them by the team’s errors, think Lando and George. There is no sense of accomplishment for Oscar.

Lando didn’t spoil that moment for Oscar. It’s hard to celebrate a win that doesn’t feel like it was earned.

The worst part of this, we all knew Oscar would win a race eventually. This didn’t need to be done at all. This for me feels like Max’s first title. Will always be questioned because of outside assistance, was it earned or was it gifted?

Hungary 2024 is not a race F1 should look back on fondly.

[dusknoir-whump]

Obey Me Whump Concepts

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Do you want some prompts for writing dark and fucked up stories surrounding the Obey Me universe, wether it be with the brothers, Solomon and the angels, Barbatos and Diavolo, or MCs? Well here's the list of prompts for you to use! Make them short stories or long. Regardless they will be heartbreaking. No angst with Luke tho just due to my personal comfort.

Content Warnings....

Disordered eating (pica), physical assault, mania, emotional turmoil, hypersexuality, murder, damnation, religious themes, guilt, death, grief, agoraphobia, nightmares/night terrors

Minors do not interact with this blog or post

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Asmodeus is the avatar of lust, of course he would be lustful, it was who he was. Then he is confronted by a very worried MC about his hypersexuality, and his self perception shattered. Wasn't he supposed to like these things? He was the avatar of lust after all, there was nothing wrong with him. He didn't have a problem, there was nothing wrong with the only thing ever making him feel like he mattered was sex. Right?

Mammon ends up in hot water with the witches he's contracted to and ends up being used to take aspects of demons in a deeply sadistic manner. When he comes back home he's a bloodied sobbing mess.

Beelzebub's eating habits are beginning to get genuinely concerning and his brothers are worried for his health and safety. It wasn't that bad initially, just small bits of inedible materials, but now it's developed into full blown pica. He can't stop himself from eating things he shouldn't, he needs it even when it hurts him and he can't understand what's wrong.

Lucifer can do no wrong, he is perfect in every way he knows it. He knows it so well that he absolutely blows up and hurts everyone around him who he cares deeply for in a way that can't be easily fixed or forgiven. When he comes out of his manic episode he realizes what he has done in the midst of his delusions, all he can do is hope to not lose everyone he loves.

After the incident with MC, Belphegor starts to have horrific night terrors. Night after night he screams and cries out on his sleep, only later awakening in a cold sweat terrified and confused. His wonderful sleep, the only thing he truly loves in life is ruined, and it seems to be by his own hand.

Satan has always had an issue with picking fights in order to satiate his wrath. One of these days his was bound to start a fight he couldn't win. He staggered home bruised and bloodied, his pride and spirit crushed as he dragged his broken body inside of The House Of Lamentation.

Leviathan has had a long history of being someone who's anxious and a homebody, so it's no surprise when he skips dinner one night and eats alone in his room instead. But something is clearly wrong when the next day goes by without him leaving his room, then the next, and the next, and the next. He doesn't leave his room for anything at all. MC goes to check on him, and he's too scared to leave his room. His agoraphobia has grown to a horrific degree.

Simeon has been doing everything right, directly by the book. He followed what he was told to by the archangel Michael, so why were his wings torn off and born anew in ashen colors? What did he do to deserve the condemnation he now faces?

Solomon has tried everything in his power to convince MC to allow him to use magic to lengthen their life span. Years go by, decades, and then nearing a century and he's falling on his knees in front of another grave, wondering to whatever gods he long sense abandoned why he can't join those he had lost over the past centuries.

Barbatos has looked through so many timelines over the course of his life all in the name of protecting Diavolo. What he never let slip was how many times he had seen his dear friend's lifeless body from timelines he failed him, how often he found the slightest of errors sending his mind racing to the horrors he had bore witness to. He knew what Diavolo would look like dead, and he needed to make sure no one else did.

Diavolo can't feel anything but deep seeded guilt. Barbatos can't do anything, another version of him already did, this timeline will never have another MC. Belphegor killed MC, a human exchange student on Diavolo's watch, a human he was meant to protect. He now has to sentence a man who he knows well, and destroy the program he worked so hard to create. His own ideas and dreams of peace have left blood on his hands.

[vacate-et-scire]

Heyo! Could I get a matchup for Blue Lock? ( ≧∀≦)ノ💙

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

MBTI: ISFP

Appearance: Long wavy brown hair, fair skin, amber eyes. 1,68 m (5,6) - Average height tend to tall (Curvy).

Personality: Optimistic realist, Nightowl, Ambiviert, friendly and polite, a go with the flow person, i'm usually pretty chill, lazy bean who is a sleepyhead, i may be nice

and be good with all kinda of people but when someone gets over my boundaries/insults my family/acts disrespectful towards me I tend to get mean and say rude words, so don't mess with me :3. I'm trustworthy, keep secrets, and keep my emotions and feelings to myself. I'm very observant and read people well, so they can't manipulate me easily. Stubborn, Chaotic. Dark and sarcastic humour is my kinda humour. I'm also extremely sarcastic towards what I care about and will call them weird, adorable nickname as a sort of love language, whether it be platonic or romantic. People often call my smile pretty and call me very adorable. I'm always a happy girl, but they don't know my inside at all. Cheerful, mysterious girl. I tease the people I like and give them nicknames. I only open up easily when I vibe with someone, but if not, I'm distant and friendly.

Likes: Music, food, books, manga, anime, mythology, history, art, astronomy, my favourite animal is the red panda, stuffed animals, cats, and seafood.

Dislikes: Spiders, bugs, people that are obnoxious, dirt, coffee, math, being interrupted.

Hobbies: Dancing, Drawing, writing, Art, Gaming, watching anime, films and shows, going to the cinema, museum, shopping, Reading and collecting my favorite characters (usually husbandos from anime/ mangas) Nendoroids, acryl figure etc. I'm lying in bed at night and scrolling through Instagram reels, reading Wikipedia articles over historical stuff (always researching stuff I don't know).

I like smart, strong, witty, and funny guys who stimulate my intellect. As well teasing, somehow it's adorable and cute when you banter around together. Someone who i can be myself, be like besties who play together but also keep me stable. Someone who has a sharp tongue and doesn't hesitate to tell how he views things/his opinion.

Take your time, and thank you for doing that. Have a lovely day/night/ afternoon

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)人(ﾟ∀ﾟ )

Your Blue Lock Matchup: Michael Kaiser

Okay, hear me out here, Michael is obnoxious, and cocky, we see it all the time, but I think it would be different with his partner. If he is to love someone he would have to love them so so deeply for him to trust and get past his walls that he's put up, and you'd kinda have to teach him how to love and be kind, but he'd be listening eagerly because he wants to make you happy, only you, he values you and everything you hold dear. When considering your layered personality, Michael Kaiser stands out as your perfect-ish match. He's charismatic and sharp, which aligns seamlessly with your need for a smart, witty partner who can match your energy in playful banter and intellectual discussions.

Things would probably be very distant at the start, but as things settle, he will open up to you at the same pace you do. He loves a challenge, and your observant nature and strong boundaries would make him respect you deeply. Your ability to read people and stand firm when pushed would be very needed in your relationship with him, he tends to not always be completely truthful even to himself so to have a partner who might understand how he's feeling even when he's trying to push it all down it would absolutely make him melt.

Your teasing and sarcastic humour? It’s a language Kaiser speaks fluently. He likes to be... rude when talking to people but when it comes to his partner he tones it down, he loves to tease and pick small fun, it keeps the tone light and easy for him, comfortable. And while the more intimate moments are slightly uncomfortable for him since he doesn't completely understand love, yet he can't get enough of it from you.

Your artistic side and love for mythology, history, and astronomy would fascinate Kaiser. He’d love listening to you talk about your latest research rabbit hole or admiring your drawings, even if he doesn’t entirely get the nuances of art. He’d probably joke that your talent should be used to paint his portrait—but deep down, he’d be genuinely impressed and would see if you could sketch tattoo ideas for him.

Kaiser is the type who would absolutely spoil you. Whether it’s indulging your love of shopping, taking you to museums, he’d make sure you feel cherished. He's loaded, I mean the ace of his world-class team? He can afford to spoil you and really does like gift giving, although he prefers receiving since he's never gotten gifts for anyone before, but he's trying his best.

[thepondnymph]

I absolutely loved those Gerry headcannons!!! do you have any Michael ones?

OKAY SO, IDK HOW TO FORMAT THIS SO I'M JUST GOING TO MAKE A LIST AND ROLL WITH IT.

'Michael' absolutely adore birds. Especially the ones who are not able to fly. He thinks these are the ones who deserve the most love because the earth has already robbed them of what would rightfully be theirs (the sky) without them even suspecting. They're not even aware of it. 'Michael' sometimes 'cry' (as much as the things that roll out of his eyes can be called 'tears') when he sinks too deep into this thought. (You're welcome, Radium & Percy)

Michael is usually a really patient person when it comes to other people messing up tasks, or just having a hard time doing anything in general, but they can get really frustrated when the same thing happens to him and WILL need some quiet time to process his feelings when it does.

He has blood pressure issues and will faint if he get's up too quickly (projection)

He has a little spiral-sun tattoo on the back of his neck :)

As 'Michael' Distortion, it can change it's form indefinitely, but more often then not it will do it unconsciously when some very strong emotion hits it (like anger, joy, fear or embarrassment)

He really loves the sea and beach-related things. One of his hobbies before being consumed by the distortion was collecting shells that he found in the sand and giving them as jewelry to those he cared about. Gertrude has 2, Gerry has 7... until now.

Michael is a humanitarian activist and used to participate in several NGOs for various social causes and was part of the Greenpeace UK for several years.

Cried several times reading The Song of Achilles and still can't bring himself to read it again even after The Distortion got him.

[cresent971]

When people treat this man like sh!t they deserve to be called out and be shamed immediately I get tired of people disrespecting him as if he's some sort of monster one thing I will not tolerate is people disrespecting Michael Jackson and saying derogatory names at him he's a human being i am done with people on YouTube and Facebook slandering this man and making fun of him and saying Digusting things about him one thing I will not tolerate is people trying to put his name is the muddy pits of hell people should really stop already I'm not happy at all this is immature and selfish and childish and petty all together this is absolutely ridiculous people need to cut this nonsense out immediately this is not getting them anywhere in life if they continue this madness actions have consequences if they continue doing this they will suffer severe consequences for their actions on the second coming of Jesus christ himself they will be punished immediately I'm not sure what to say anymore I'll never understand why people treat michael jackson like garbage I'm not happy at all every time I see pictures of him being disrespected or anything like that I get so infuriated I end up crying with rage and anger and frustration this is not funny nor entertaining at all people should really quit messing with others this is not the first time that i had people mess with me when it comes to michael jackson and i get so enraged that i begin crying out of frustration and anger and extreme rage people don't realize how upsetting and rage inducing it is they think that nonsense is funny i hope karma comes at them in the most brutal way possible I do not find mocking michael jackson funny nor do I find it enjoyable either stuff like that angers me until I start crying out of frustration and anger and pure rage and people think it's funny to watch someone get so enraged they break down crying after that because they are overwhelmed with anger and rage and frustration and other mixed emotions I'll never understand why people think it's funny to laugh at someone who suffering or dealing with other emotions it's not funny anymore

[nightofthelivingmeme]

Started First Class, y'all

Wait but I kind of love JLaw's Raven? She's adorable

But knowing how it ends up I do not enjoy the flirting with Hank because he's everything to meeee

But nbd those feet are a little freaky it's okay because I l o v e him.

How many goddamn mutations does Emma have?

This is giving me back my Kevin Bacon boner sorry everyone.

Fucking Erik interupting this weird little romance; and also kick starting a love triangle that's going to fall apart violently?

"What an adorable lab rat you make." How flirty.

The fucking hair I'm cdfbafaf and how worried Erik is when Cerebro starts.

This fucking gathering montage is killing me. And then there's goddamn Logan <3

this stupid little team bonding is fucking wonderful and WHOOPS party time. And more importantly, what the fuck is Hank doing

that leg pat was intimacy sorry I don't make the rules. The bending of the barbed wire was a. Frightening choice

Not only am I sad that my sweet lil mutant team is being ogled but I really don't love the choice of horrific attack and murder :(

Not here to hurt you, just to completely traumatize you. Angel took no hesitation in just noping the fuck out.

Goddamn they just offed Darwin almost as fast as they found him; and he looked so SAD and I am S A D

Honestly, I'm with Dadneto on the avengersing

"The law applies to humans." Every gen of Stryker is a fucking d o u c h e b a g

I love Raven and Charles' dynamic as kids, I just-

He loves his sister so much

I have to say I am very impressed by the careful enfolding of historical events into superhero lore.

Bruh, just kiss already. Turns out I'm definitely down for Cherik lol

I fucking adore McAvoy's Charles, he really encompasses psychotically loving teacher.

Banshee's chicken squawk just gave me a coughing fit

Alex you fucking odfjsdojgsor. anpxdkfidfg Erik has such a good point and I'm really struggling don't make me like you sir and all the Hank content got me blushing like an idiot and I am officially a full Nicholas Hoult girl.

but also "Say nothing." is a mood, I too keep talking sweet McCoy.

This cast has just a really incredible capability in their emotional range and ow, my heart.

I see Shaw has replaced his plaything. and I mean I truly love Zoe Kravitz so like I kinda get it?

Wowowow okay thank you Dr. Hank "Foot, meet mouth" McCoy that was fucking mean. "You're beautiful now." Boy, you saying you don't like her in her neutral state?

The entire night before cuba is just a lover's tragedy all over this damn house, then?

I L O V E my favorite blue man, but fabulously this scene really was truy the perfection of Jekyll & Hyde.

stop making me love these two fucking hot messes goddamn; but also like yeah real Raven is hot as fuck.

I am so glad they improved beast's full design throughout this movie series because love him, this first one is a little rough.

I just want to squeeze Banshee's little cheeks.

We know that silly helmet is goofy looking; I think Kevin Bacon is by far the silliest looking in the helmet.

Even my cat paused to watch the submarine lift.

The screaming while crashing is not funny. Not at all; and yet every single time that happens in the series I start wheezing.

Wow got very invested in this conflict; but also not me shouting repeatedly "Erik the helmet is metal. Erik the helmet is METAL."

Okay, that's a way to do it.

I don't agree with blatant murder BUT I really do feel it was the only way for that man not to use his absorbed nuclear power.

And many a year ago I might have said this was a dramatization of how unkind and cruel humanity can be but I live in the fucking United States in the year 2025 and yeah, my government would absolutely attack the people who stopped a nuclear war. I hate it here.

THIS. ROMEO AND JULIET TRAGEDY. It's breaking my HEART.

Unrelated, the last half of this movie Michael Fassbender's accent is really coming out and it is such a satisfying sound. I am soothed by the timbre. The timbre as well that can make the name "Magneto" sound cool?

The I can't feel my legs really hurt my insides. And also the fact that he wiped Moira's mind because he's afraid for her and also fuck you mr. "No Place for a woman."

[agender-witchery]

Very good take. I really wish we had more people like you in this fandom. Andrew and Ashley are just doing their thing, no one’s yelling at their tv telling Patrick Bateman or Michael Myers to “Stop ti! That’s wrong!” And I think the same should apply here. We shouldn’t shy away from the subject matter of the game, trying to make it sound appealing to people who hate it with a passion is the wrong approach. Being open about the real essence of the game will bring more thoughtful discussions about it instead of just denying it and being flabbergasted when it becomes obvious it is about incest and the game doesn’t take a negative stance on it. Everytime there’s a new preview about the next chapter there’s a lot of people who can’t believe they’re seeing them being weird and suggestive with each other. I’m happy it has incest, that’s a good thing actually.

One thing discussions about the game highlight I think it’s that Reddit has horrible takes about everything, it’s more noticeable in this game since they can’t wrap their head around this one in the slightest but it happens with all kinds of things.

I will say there are a fair few people on reddit who are willing to actually engage with the game itself rather than the controversy around it. There are good discussions to be had on the subreddit, it's just that like 90% of the subreddit is incest porn or incest memes.

One thing that engaging in those discussions (as well as watching vods from when a vtuber I like played through the game) made me realize is that Ashley is like... written as a person? She's a character with emotions who is more than just "zany psychopath who likes cannibalism and manipulation". She genuinely cares for Andrew, but because she's abusive and the least well adjusted person alive, that manifests, uh, poorly. That's part of what makes the familial abuse feel like it has weight to it. Sometimes abuse comes from a place of genuine caring but without the ability to do it in a way that's, y'know, not abusive.

She tries to force him into the box of Andy, because she's afraid that Andrew might not need her, and if he doesn't need her, he might leave. Her manipulation and control isn't purely about exerting power over her brother, there's an actual goal there. She doesn't feel like she can live without him for one reason or another, and so she does what she feels like she has to in order to force him to stay. She blackmails him, she gaslights him, she forces him into terrible situations, and that's largely because she has no moral compass and doesn't know what else to do.

Andrew on the other hand isn't actually much better. On first glance, he seems better, but he's actually just better at hiding it. He actually has something that resembles a conscience, although that's mostly a "how do I escape the consequences of my actions" tool for him. He puts effort into appearing normal even though we see that actually being normal isn't exactly high on his priorities in the Burial route. Andrew sees right the fuck through Ashley's manipulation, but he lets it happen anyway because he doesn't have to face himself if everything is Ashley's fault.

This is why so much of the incest is more palpable when things are from Andrew's perspective, because while Ashley has the excuse that she's just doing it to get under his skin, Andrew doesn't have that excuse. He doesn't have an excuse when he admits to himself that he doesn't have nightmares nearly as often as he claims, he doesn't have an excuse for why he holds his sister like that, or why he puts his hand on her ass as if it's the most normal thing for him to do. Both of these people are absolute messes, and their relationship is described as a codependency for a reason.

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

Halfway through Staged 3 and pretty sure the reason it doesn’t “work” is the reason why Good Omens 2 does work: the natural progression of David and Michael’s and Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationships respectively is codependence. One show understands this, but the other doesn’t

tl;dr At bottom

Aziraphale and Crowley simply cannot exist without each other. They are “on their on side.” They have trauma bonded for centuries. When the external obstacles tearing apart Aziraphale and Crowley are removed, they’re left with their unaddressed trauma and can’t communicate their feelings

This internal conflict, which is long established, tears them apart. They are codependent yet can’t see eye to eye. This is a real conflict that feels natural

The big “a-ha” emotional moment at the end of Staged 2 is David and Michael realizing that (after every other character basically screams at them) they love and need each other. They are the only ones who understand each other; they are “on their own side”

When their external obstacles are removed, instead of exploring the intensity of their relationship and implied codependence, it forces conflict. Georgia messes with the room; Michael seems irrationally angry from the jump; the script relies on the meta nature of it for the humor. Everything feels “off,” and, well, “staged” for lack of a better word

The moment when Michael decides to go back into production because he’s jealous David did a role without him, there’s a bit of a throwaway line where he says “I can’t believe you’d do something without me.” It’s framed as jealousy of David working, but at face value, it’s, “How could you ever do anything without me?”

Exploring their codependence would have been more narratively sound and have a better baseline for comedy to come from it. However, this was never going to be possible, because while Staged isn’t “real,” inherently, because it’s meta, it kind of is

(Tinfoil hat time!)

This sounds sacreligious, but Michael Sheen is not convincing at all in this. He holds this resentment that seems to come from nowhere and feels hollow. The script isn’t helping much, but this is far lower quality wise than other performances he’s given. He does not want to be doing this shit again

Michael’s a (self-admitted) sensitive actor. He drowns himself in every role, especially Aziraphale, who he says “lol he’s literally me.” He cried on the last day of shooting; there’s absolutely no way the Breakup ™️ in Good Omens 2 didn’t affect him deeply, especially considering a 3rd season still isn’t confirmed

Imo he drags his feet because this entire season is the Breakup ™️ again, and he’s emotionally exhausted and doesn’t want to do it. If the script were better/had more levity/allowed for improv then maybe, but as it stands, it’s just a bummer, and everyone who watched it agrees

But I don’t think a plotline exploring David and Michael’s codependence would have ever happened anyway because, well, it would be really fucking awkward

Staged 1 is about them becoming friends, and, lo and behold, they actually did become close friends while shooting

Staged 2 is about them realizing how much they need and care about each other, and by their own accounts, they became much closer during this time as well

So, if Staged 3 were about them examining the closeness of their fake selves and the possible unhealthy aspects of it, that would force them to be incredibly vulnerable, not just as actors, but to their real relationship, because the events of Staged have mirrored how their friendship has developed

They are obviously not their characters on Staged, but there is a distinct pattern of a blur of real life and fiction. They run the risk of people falsely thinking they have a codependent dynamic and judging them accordingly, or, even worse, having to confront actually having a codependent dynamic, and in a very public way

I haven’t finished, so maybe their codependence is addressed, but right now it seems like it’s entirely avoided, which was a huge aspect of the ending of series 2. It makes the conflict feel forced and any interesting character exploration is blunted by antics

tl;dr In Good Omens 2, Crowley and Aziraphale are codependent, which is established, and creates conflict. Codependence is addressed in Staged 2, but barely acknowledged in Staged 3. A real point of conflict that could be interesting is ignored while forced situations are pushed instead, which aren’t as funny nor compelling

I believe personally that the ideas dried up for Simon, Michael was emotionally exhausted from the ending of Good Omens 2, and a plotline centered around David and Michael’s codependence in Staged was avoided because it would hit too close to home

Still haven’t finished it so it could turn around, but right now it feels like a big missed opportunity which came out of uninspired writing and avoiding self reflection

[ncisfranchise-source]

Brian Dietzen knew helping to write the “NCIS” tribute to David McCallum would be the best way to honor his longtime scene partner’s memory — that it would help him process his real-life grief was an added bonus.

The actor co-wrote the emotional hour of the CBS crime procedural alongside Scott Williams, chronicling the team’s loss of the beloved Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. The storyline echoed reality as McCallum, who played the role of Ducky since Season 1, died peacefully in his sleep on Sept. 25, 2023. He was 90.

“I’ve lost a few people in my life, but never have I sat down and written a script or a story about them in the weeks following their departure. It was very odd… but helpful in a way,” Dietzen told TheWrap in an interview ahead of the episode’s debut on Monday. “A lot of the grief of losing a friend is softened by the fact that he’s a 90-year-old man who lived so much life.”

Dietzen recalled feeling honored when asked to help craft the farewell installment, a tall task to properly celebrate the beloved medical examiner-turned-NCIS historian, along with a real-life Hollywood legend. The episode, titled “The Stories We Leave Behind,” opened with Jimmy (Dietzen) arriving at his friend’s home in the morning to discuss a break on a case he was working on, only to find Ducky had died in his sleep.

“That was the toughest day that I had as an actor,” Dietzen said. “It took a village to put this together. I always felt like we were all in this together. That felt like the first time during the whole process where it was just me and David. That really hit me hard, I was a blubbering mess.”

“Every idea under the sun was thrown out [for this episode.] From having every ‘NCIS’ cast member from every spin-off come together in a huge funeral theme… nothing was off the table,” Dietzen said. “Those things can be very logistically difficult obviously, but we wanted to do something special… Michael said he would absolutely love to come and reprise his role as Tony.”

Dietzen noted how none of the old clips that played during the episode featured Tony, an Easter egg of sorts for his present-day cameo. He also said that Mark Harmon had been in talks to reprise his role as Gibbs, but was ultimately not available due to a scheduling conflict.

“I think everyone would love to see Gibbs make an appearance at some point. That is such a beloved character, TV history,” he said. “I’m really happy with the way [the scene] turned out. The way that it works with Jimmy and Tony. There’s an intimacy to that and there’s a familiarity to that.”

Dietzen further explained the specific choice of revisiting Ducky’s Season 19 speech during the episode, in which he reflected on letting Gibbs go after Harmon’s exit from the series.

“[Jimmy] is mourning the team’s loss of Gibbs and before that Bishop (Emily Wickersham) and before that the death of his own wife. But Ducky comforts him by saying, ‘Our pain is a small price to pay for his peace,’” Dietzen recalled. “I wanted that to be the last thing that we hear Ducky say in this episode, so he can seemingly eulogize himself, in a way. That was one [moment] that I felt strongly about and that stayed in the whole time.”

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 101 - Rescue Sarek!

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 1 Episode 6 - Lethe

We open with Sarek and the Vulcans testing their own mission, but his mission is sabotaged, by a supposedly isolationist radical group of Vulcans that wish to withdraw from the federation. Last time a Rogue Vulcan faction showed up, they ended up being the good guys, but this group definitely aren't the pacifists that the Syrranites were, I'm curious to find out exactly what their deal is.

We then see Sylvia and Michael doing laps through Discovery's headquarters. I would have imagined these more advanced ships would have had a proper gym like the NX-01 Enterprise had, but apparently not. It definitely seems that Michael is pushing her too far out of her comfort zone,

Lorca and his buddy he picked up from the Prison, Ash Tyler, are also running some combat drills on a Holodeck. I know from cultural Osmosis that Holodecks are big part Star Trek, but this is the first time I've seen one since the MPreg Episode all the way back in Season 1 of Enterprise, so it's nice to see it here, even if it's only briefly. Apparently, he has been instantly promoted to Chief of Security, a role that I forgot recently became vacant.

In the Mess, Michael and Sylvia encounter Ash, and sit down to get to know our new Security Chief. There is some initial friction between Michael and Ash, but introductions are cut short when Michael receives a message through Sarek's Katra. Sarek gives her a flashback to before she was transferred to Star Fleet. Apparently Michael was removed from the Vulcan fleet for being too emotional, among other reasons, and I love that we're finally digging into how fucked up it is to raise someone in the Vulcan way, and seeing the younger Michael be gaslit into thinking she's the problem is heartbreaking. Sarek notices Michael's presence in the dream however, and kicks her out, back into the real world.

Michael wakes up in Sickbay. Apparently the same rogue faction of Vulcans were also responsible for the attack on the Learning Center when Michael was a child. Discovery goes on route to rescue Sarek.

Unfortunately once Discovery arrives at the relevant nebula, there is trouble. Firstly, we have no idea where in the Nebula Sarek is, and secondly, Discovery cant enter the Nebula without the gasses causing the Spore Drive the explode. Michael comes up with a plan to use the Katra to find him, and gets a shuttle team together, meanwhile Starfleet Command starts to chew out Lorca for going on this mission against orders.

Michael puts her plan into motion, and we get a really cool fist fight between Sarek and Michael in Sarek's mind. And at the same time we get a really interesting conversation between Lorca and one of the Starfleet Amirals who he's had kind of a thing with throughout, that really starts to dive into Lorca's psychology. His previous ship was mentioned last episode, but here we find out that after making that sacrifice, he changed a lot as a person. Wild traumatic events will do that to you, and I kind of want to find out how his command style differed before. Was he just as the Ends Justify the Means as he is now, or did he change in different ways? We also see him have an absolutely terrifying Trauma response when she touches one of his Scars. I want to know more about his character development, I can't wait for the show to explore whatever happened on that ship to shake him so much!

Delving deeper into Sareks backstory in the flashback scene it's mentioned that Sarek is actually Spock's dad, which wasn't something I expected to hear. Either way, it's revealed that Michael was rejected from the Vulcan fleet because Sarek was asked to choose between Michael and Spock, but in the end neither ended up in the Vulcan fleet. But, Michael manages to break through Sarek's shame and locates shocks him awake to signal out his location, and the the rescue mission is a success. Sarek's own mission is left more open ended, however. The Admiral that was visiting Lorca goes to complete it, but the whole thing was an ambush, and the admiral is taken prisoner by the Klingons, as our cliffhanger. Lorca gives the command to wait for Starfleet's orders, which either means this is him taking her advice to heart, or a petty display of "I'm right your wrong", and I love that I can't tell which it is.

This was a good episode, I am absolutely fascinated by the Characterisation of Captain Lorca, and the details on Michael's backstory and her relationship to Sarek are really interesting too.

[blackstarchanx3new]

Creations AU, But I obnoxiously over explain it PT 4

Pages 91-120

NO I WON'T SLEEP TONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT

OH OH

I WANT SOME MOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE-

Lmfao Michael I know you love your dad but does he abuse you or not? He does.

He flip flops on that it seems...

Ennard is obviously upset Michael would rather hang out with a FIIIIILLLTHY HUUUUUUUMAN.

People REALLY did not get Ennard's character on webtoon so let me go into another rant if you will:

People saw this scene, of emotional manipulation and putting someone down and went

"Ooooooo Ennard's JEEEEAALLOUUUUSSSS!~"

Bro.

What are you five? Like actually? The lack of emotional maturity and awareness about just how fucked their dynamic is genuinely ASTONISHED me.

This isn't cute or silly. Ennard is being abusive and he KNOWS he is.

Ennard DOUBLES DOWN on the verbal abuse claiming literally no one other than him will understand Michael.

This isn't from a place of understanding either. This comes from a "I want to trap you with me" place.

This isn't a "Even if nobody else does, I will always have your back."

This is "Nobody other than me likes your stupid ass don't leave me or you'll have no one"

Ya know. Abuse.

Also no I'm not addressing the obvious.

I had to sit through SO MANY PEOPLE not noticing the obvious...Yall gotta sit through me being cheeky about the obvious thing going on here. :)

Alright fine.

I'll mention it fuck.

Michael has beautiful very normal eyes- UwU

Coming from THAT scene, we jump into one where Bonnie and Michael are hanging out. Because we've established they are friends too.

Haha Bonnie why are you blushing?

BONNIE.

BONNIE WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING.

They're a little zesty that's all-

Is it one sided? Are they fucking boyfriends? Who knows...

Look the straight people have comics where the entire cast is straight.

Every single one of my comics the entire casts are queer that's just how it is-

Gayness aside: Michael seems comfortable around Bonnie:

We can deduce this from MANY THINGS:

He shared his interest of plushies, something he immediately hid from Mike out of shame, WITH BONNIE.

He runs up to hug Bonnie, William had to force a hug out of Michael so maybe Michael doesn't hug everyone?

He's shared his past with Bonnie

He ONLY met with Mike because of Bonnie's nudging so he trusts Bonnie's judgment.

Micheal jests here but it's obvious this shit comes from a place of genuine concern considering how Ennard is lmfao.

Bonnie continues to be an absolute chad because if you haven't noticed he IS my favorite character in the FNAF 1 arc. He is a devine entity with no flaws.

No we're not talking about his smoking, he is perfect. He's being enabled leave him be- Also he's a robot who gets no ill affects from it lmao

Also yes the screens are showing LOZ and animal crossing stuff hah. I liked LOZ even back when I made these pages. We had no idea what that'd evolve into....

Bonnie also references the other Freddy from Circus Rentals again, who we saw a glimpse of earlier.

Also him and Freddy ARE good friends. Okay.

From this interaction we can gauge a lot about why Bonnie and Michael are close:

Bonnie isn't controlling or possessive, he cares about Michael's interests and helps him indulge in them.

He's the opposite of Ennard.

Bonnie, is a pretty good friend.

Michael's wording here is very interesting.

Bonnie's the absolute best friend. He can tell when the vibes are off. He's upfront about shit. He knows Mike HAS some kind of alter motive and doesn't really hide that from Michael. But also acknowledges Mike's kinda just fucked up right now and probably needs some support.

Also people were confused as fuck why the claw machine/Bonnie is sparking

He's skipping using tokens or smth on the machine by messing with it's power. I thought that was obvious as hell but what do I know.

Because Bonnie's a bad boy.

It is also amusing Ennard is Michael's designated daddy therapist and Bonnie is Michael's Ennard therapist. Though who's to say if Bonnie doesn't know about William's shit considering there's a LOT we don't know about Michael and Bonnie's relationship at the moment.

If you're FNAF savvy you'll recognize a lot of characters in the claw hah.

anyways Bonnie again tells SOME stuff about other people without telling their stories for them. What Bonnie left out of Michael's story will be very apparent as we go on.

Something cool I just like about Bonnie: Bro just wants both of them to be happy. He considers both of them his friends and thinks them being friends could help each other out.

Bonnie's just a bro. True to his word he's nice to just about everyone. Even someone he started off on rocky footing with.

Despite Mike's weird behavior Michael is determined to actually be a real friend to him.

So Mike's rambling but the shit on the walls is 100xs more interesting than anything he has to say rn.

Specifically the FNAF rap lyrics being on the wall. X'D

Also a bunch of Freddy doodles are seemingly mocking him.

My favorite just might be "MEOW! YOU'RE A LITTLE MEOW MEOW!"

Anyways what Mike is talking about:

William with blood on his hands is humorous because his own faults led to his kids dying.

The Bonnie panel is pretty self explanatory.

Bonnie's possessed by someone, presumably the "Jeremy" he specifically asked about earlier on.

Something to note: he asked if Bonnie knew anything about Jeremy's death. As if Jeremy's death isn't CONFORMED.

This leads to the conclusion: Jeremy's body was never found.

So Mike's mission here is becoming more clear: Find out who's putting people in robots and why, find Jeremy.

This is smth Webtoon struggled to comprehend: This series does NOT spell stuff out for you. You gotta build an understanding by paying attention. You can figure a LOT out just by reading what the characters say closely.

Hehehe...That might not be true...You are the guy who carries around a giant kitchen knife at all times aren't ya? ;)

Or maybe he just means innocent people...

This isn't the first time Mike's been an unreliable narrator/protagonist and he only continues to be as the series goes on. Something people also STRUGGLE to comprehend:

Protagonists aren't always "Good people"

Mike is a morally grey person. As are MOST of my protagonists.

Mike bribes Bonnie with his vices and manipulates people. But he's not exactly a BAD person per say. He isn't TRYING to hurt Bonnie or Michael. He doesn't have ill will towards most people.

Something HAS made itself very clear though: Mike has nothing to lose.

Mike is acting the way he does because he presumably: Has nothing and no one.

And he's in a very dark place mentally. The man has seemingly no support system when it comes to keeping him from NOT trying to off himself at a place he has AWFUL history with. So there's that.

Even further: Freddy's is established to be DANGEROUS. Mike acting the way he does makes a lot of sense considering he is basically a lamb being thrown into a lion's den of "you can't trust anyone". The way he acts keeping people at arms distance and not being too genuine with anyone makes a lot of sense considering ya know: The owner is most likely murdering people for his sick robot fantasies and he for sure could be next.

Having said all that he does bring up a good point: What WOULD be the goal of putting people in robots be?

If you've been paying close attention you probably already know the answer to this or are coming to your own conclusions. I will avoid saying for now tho. ;)

Considering Mike's words...It's WAAAY more than just this "Jeremy" person who's gone missing though.

The "You" he's talking about here is clearly Jeremy.

PARANOIA PARANOIA PARANOIA EVERYBODY'S COMING TO GET MEEEEEE-

WELCOME TO THE MIND FUCK-

Alright enough joking. Shit's going down for the second time and we know the one behind it. Mr. Funny yellow bear in the cyan jacket aka "Fredbear"?

Shit never seems to go right with him around.

The goofy doodles continue to mock Mike as he comes to this realization, the drawings becoming more sinister and oozing blood.

This is a reference to one of the scenes in the Silver eyes book/graphic novel by the way because I love referencing FNAF shit in my doofy FNAF comic.

Ya see this shit is what I meant by "I like horror in my comics"

The writings continue to mock him because they're awful.

The lyrics from the FNAF fan song "Run run" are amusing to me. XD

"Lmao you tripped" and "watch your step" - GF

are also funny.

These show that despite this being a tense scene for MIKE, the one behind this is laughing their ass off at his terror.

Also a poster of the Golden Bear trips him. Because reality is a joke.

Weirdly this bear is not wearing the same get up as the one we saw stalking Mike earlier in the comic...

Weird.

Guys gals and pals.

This is buildup. :D

The fucking boarders of the comic are oozing, SOMETHING IS COMING. Mike's so scared he just sits there and cowers for a moment, he's terrified to turn around.

I woulda shat my pants so ya know. Kudos to Mike for not doing that.

The giant bloody head is just disturbing but there's some oddities with this that we'll get into later~

I really wanted this horrific mouth to show how fresh and sticky that blood be.

Like ew.

Mike's trauma really just on full display here.

The repeating "Remember to smile" will be familiar to those who have heard the FNAF 2 phone calls (I think it's from FNAF 2 it's hard to remember. X'D)

"Remember to smile, you are the new face of Freddy Fazbear's pizza"

Easter eggs: The poster of Freddy tearing his own head off is the poster you can see while trying to spawn Golden Freddy in FNAF 1.

This bear walking is warping he floor to look like Fredbear's family dinner.

Also uh, he's a headless figure...

But is the floating head...HIS HEAD?

Also the poster mocking Mike while he cries is so hilarious to me I'm sorry I'm mean to my characters.

Mike was apparently coping with his trauma well before coming here, assumably so much so he decided he COULD come here.

Seems Mike had to mentally prepare himself to come back to this place after seeing the bite, but also Jeremy's disappearance here.

Huh, normal hallway.

Must be all good now! :D

You know you're screwed when a poster is laughing at you.

The giant head is just lurking...

Mike just resigns to asking for this nightmare to stop.

This situation is like, straight terrifying though:

You're trapped, can't leave just walking aimlessly down a looping hallway with the symbol of one of your worst memories just behind you at all times. It's not outright attacking you, just lingering making sure you're aware of it's presence.

It's like an actual nightmare.

Yeah singing a little song will help buddy.

Oh hey, Cyan jacket Yellow bear is there amongst all the others...Funny.

Oh he's pissed now.

Nothing is working. Coping mechanisms ain't working here.

Ngl the "WHAT" panel makes me laugh.

It's so absurd.

Mike is still under the impression this thing is haunting him because of his in-action.

Hehe wait-

Those teeth aren't like the one from befoooooooore...

Mike's so fed up with this.

Also the titular "It's me" line from FNAF 1 and, everywhere in the series. I had to include it.

Mike's just exhausted.

Bro is beyond exhausted at this point.

Also notice how he mentions "The dark"

you afraid of the dark Mike?

Bro's having mood swings like crazy. Not that I'd blame him I'd be pissed off if this ghost was just taunting me like this too.

Seriously tho- Mike you cracked that door with that punch is your hand okay????

Also we can note something about Mike: he's apparently right handed, or at least leans on using his right hand.

Yes that's relevant. X'D

Oh hey, Cyan jacket bear is back.

How long has Mike been putting up with seeing this bear ghost?

Huh. So even Mike notices the difference...

Mike I wouldn't touch that thing-

Mike. You stopped going to therapy!?

Apparently in the past he couldn't feel this bear. So he HAS seen it before in an alerted mental state.

And oh no it's got him-

Big ol bear hug! :D

OH. LORE.

Stuff we know but conformed for sure.

Bear is listening.

Oh. HELLO THERE. HE CAN LAUGH.

Mike's confession is real funny apparently.

Considering ALL the notes/drawings on the wall, this character is kind of a sadistic ass so this reaction makes sense.

So: They share a birthday how cute.

Oh.

That terrible day was on Mike's birthday lmfao. Ouch.

Mr. Cody bear does this to people A LOT. Often enough he knows how they usually REACT anyway.

Also there's a typo ignore that i'm not gonna fix it lmao

Aaaand the "Mike is a freak" gag comes back once again. XD

Meaning he's been watching Bonnie and Mike talk to each other...

Stalker.

He's been stalking Mike in general since he entered the damn building.

Creepy.

Oh my. Oh dear.

Lore.

Why does everyone pat Mike's pretty head????

So Cody wasn't tormenting Mike because of a vendetta: He's just an ass.

He also doesn't want an apology showing he's got SOME emotional maturity to know it wasn't Mike's fault. This kind of maturity shows off even though he might have DIED as a child, he is not STILL a child. This is in stark contrast to a character like Ennard who keeps a childish mentality towards others.

Josh Afton was the one wearing the "Foxy mask" and inadvertently killed his own brother.

WOOPS. IT WAS JUST A PRANK BRO.

Seems Cody isn't over that...Getting pissed Mike even brings up his brother. Possibly angry Mike even KNOWS that much about him?

Cody just leaves.

Mike is terrified to be left alone, he'd rather hug the bear who's been tormenting him than be alone.

They take a peek back into the room and it's darkness is OMINOUS.

Cody's eyes also flash red when he's angry or annoyed, hold onto that detail.

And with that, THE IMAGE LIMIT FOR ONE POST HAS BEEN HIT.

Hope ya enjoyed the show so far we'll pick up again when I finish my blabbing.

[star-going-supernova]

If you're still continuing Price to Pay, maybe Michael asking about the near murder? He looks like he suspected a certain someone was out and about.

We’re down to the last handful of this round’s tumblr generated prompts! Here’s number 5! This is a continuation, as you can see, of Price to Pay. It takes place later in the day after they all meet for the first time. 

Small World

Vanessa wasn’t sure what she expected when Michael pulled her away from the table. The three kids barely noticed them leaving—if anything, they were happy to have the spin dip to themselves. It was a beautiful evening, and the restaurant they’d gone to after their midday meetup went so well had an outdoor seating area and garden attached. It was to the privacy of the garden that Michael guided her. 

She raised an eyebrow as he paced in a flowering alcove, but she didn’t push. Her patience was rewarded. 

“Okay, okay, look,” Michael started, “I don’t want there to be big secrets between us, and I don’t want to lie to you. Or make things harder for you. You’re our only family left, and I’m not going to do something stupid to mess that up.” 

She nodded slowly. “Good communication is important,” she agreed, not without caution. 

He made a very pained face. “Yes, absolutely. This is, well—ha. I won’t lie, this is pretty, pretty bad.” 

“I promise not to react on any initial emotional impulse?” she offered. 

Michael didn’t look wholly comforted by that, but he continued nonetheless. “Thanks. Yeah. Listen, when you said that Gregory found you after he got away from his kidnapper… was that because you’re a night security guard at the mall it all happened in?”

Reeling twice over—that was not the topic of conversation she thought he’d be broaching—she eyed him. “…Yeah. I was. I quit after that, though. How’d you…?” 

Running his hands through his hair, Michael asked, “Was it at East Creek Mall? Over in Little Rock?” 

Vanessa crossed her arms. She wasn’t sure if she should be angry or not at the questions. “How the hell do you know that? They said it was all being kept quiet.” 

After letting out a shaky breath, Michael plopped down on the alcove’s bench and said, “I know because the police gave us some details when they were questioning us. And they were questioning us because our monster of a father kidnapped and tried to kill a kid at East Creek.” 

With his head in his hands, he couldn’t see Vanessa’s reaction. That was probably for the better, considering the contortions she felt her expression go through. 

“What,” was all she could say. Her brain was reduced to static. 

“I think my dad tried to kill your kid. Before he was even your kid and before we even knew each other.” 

“Small world,” she said, dazed. And then, in realization, “You looked nauseous. When I mentioned it—you got all pale.” 

He nodded, looking quite miserable. They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Vanessa decided quickly that she wasn’t going to take out any lingering feelings of rage at the perp—their father, what the hell—on her cousins. She’d never even found out the kidnapper’s name, largely because she had been focused on getting custody of Gregory, who wanted nothing more to do with the man. 

Less easily, she decided not to tell Gregory. Not yet, at least. He still had panic attacks and nightmares sometimes, and no good could come from this new information. 

“I appreciate you telling me,” Vanessa said. “I mean it. And I know you’re wondering if I’m… okay with it, I guess, but—are you?” 

“He was an awful man,” Michael said, which was answer enough. “I’d thank you guys for getting him locked up, but there’s no way to phrase that without it sounding bad.”

“Congratulations on finding the way that doesn’t sound too bad, though.” They exchanged weak smiles. “Do your siblings know?”

“We’ve kept the details away from Evan, and I don’t think Elizabeth made the connection—or is likely to make the connection. She kinda… mentally disowned our dad and just doesn’t think about him anymore.” He slumped back into the bench. “I’m glad it doesn’t haunt her. I just wish I could do the same. I take it you don’t want Gregory to know?” 

“Not anytime soon. Maybe in a few years, or if I think it’s possible he could find out from elsewhere.” She sighed, suddenly tired. “We should head back. Make sure they haven’t ordered all the desserts.” 

Michael chuckled and stood. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.” 

“I only made that mistake once.”

“Might be twice now.” 

She cursed under her breath and hustled into the restaurant. The kids were as they’d left them, if exuding a suspicious amount of innocence. Vanessa groaned as she dropped into her chair. “We haven’t even eaten, you menace,” she complained to Gregory. 

“I am innocent until proven guilty,” he said. 

“That right there, that admission itself is proof of guilt.” 

Gregory grinned, and Elizabeth snickered, hiding behind the menu—no, scratch that, the dessert menu. As she bonked her kid over the head with her own laminated menu, she pretended not to catch the brief conversation between Michael and Evan. 

Her youngest cousin must have asked if something was wrong because Michael said quietly, “Everything’s just fine, promise. I wanted to ask Vanessa’s opinion on sleepovers. Would you like that, you think?” 

“Oh.” Evan wiggled happily in his seat. “Yes, please.” 

“Then we’ll make it happen.” Michael leaned a little closer to his brother and whispered, “I’m glad you made a friend, Evan.” 

And Evan smiled, tentative and bashful. “Me too.” 

[light-wayland]

It is really tempting to say that the Clave simply doesn't have anything in place to deal with orphaned children (or children at all) but that is clearly not entirely true either so it's probably just a case of inconsistent writing. Regardless, it irks me somewhat because I have to make sense of this mess in order to write anything.

We know for a fact that orphaned children in Con/Enclaves are raised in the Institute (probably the largest one in the region?). So that's presumably half of the Nephilim society covered. Things get weird when we get into Idris proper.

We've already discussed the Luke and Amatis situation not really making any sense. Valentine was orphaned as a teenager and we know nothing about what happened to him after but surely it would be mentioned if he was in a foster home of any kind (seeing as it would very broadly mirror the broad strokes of Jace's situation). We don't have enough information about this era to make definitive statements but seeing how the characters narrate their past and how they behave, we can assume they've not seen a great deal of support from the Clave.

Then there is the whole deal of Céline being abused and the Verlacs not believing her or simply not caring. You can absolutely frame leaving Robert with that first mark fever as a kind of torture/abuse. I don't know how old Max Trueblood was when he was stripped off his marks but given how the narrative frames it he can't have been that much older than Maryse who was at the Academy at the time - which would make him not even out of teenage years or just over twenty. Now we don't know how it feels to be stripped of the Marks but given that they're burning them into their skins, I don't imagine it's pleasant. Not to mention the mental and emotional toll of it. Hodge, on the other hand, comes across as a rather neglected child. We're not going to open the can of worms that is the rampart bullying at the academy (again, Robert for the mark and Maryse after her brother was deruned) but it seems awfully close to not only being ignored but condoned by the adults - seeing as the adults in general probably shared the kids' opinion on Robert.

Then some ~10 years later "Michael Wayland" dies and leaves an orphaned son. The Clave informs his parabatai and they cart the kid off to New York to be raised by a pair of exiled criminals because of a bond that, at this point, has been broken for years. On top of that, here he is tutored, along with the Lightwood children, by another criminal. This is, frankly, a baffling decision.

A few years later, Clary appears. Now, it's been a while since I've read the books but at no point do I ever remember the Clave...doing anything useful? She comes out of nowhere, basically joins the New York Institute and then.... stays there. Robert and Maryse must have done a hell of a lot paperwork in the background to account for this.

When the Blackthorn parents die, Julian is the one to take care of his siblings. Now, I know the situation is a lot more complex than that but still, it remains a fact that the siblings' emotional needs are largely being fulfilled by another child.

All of this reads as a society that doesn't much care for child welfare. It is, I suppose, quite reasonable worldbuilding when the whole premise stands on training your children to fight their entire lives.

But then again, we don't know that the Clave does nothing at all for children in general, we only know it does basically nothing for the main characters because this is a YA series and the adults need to be useless for it to work.

when i see the word "clave" being thrown around what comes to my mind right away is: who?

by definition, the clave is the collective of every adult shadowhunter with political rights (valentine and hodge are adult shadowhunters but aren't part of the clave, they don't have political rights). every shadowhunter at age 18 is sworn as a member of the clave.

céline's parents, hodge's parents, robert's parents, they were all clave members. a decision taken by the clave is a decision voted by every adult shadowhunter that made themselves present for the discussion.

another weird concept is the council. there is supposed to be one council member per enclave, but it seems that anyone from anywhere can be a council member. helen being a council member at age 18 was just hilarious to me.

we know having marks strippen off is very painful because edmund herondale goes through that in the bane chronicles for the same reason max trueblood did.

robert's situation was very complicated because there was nothing that could be done without causing him harm is some way. what happened to him was some sort of magical equivalent of a illness or disability, and with those things it's often impossible to avoid some sort of harm or trauma. to me their later behavior was what made them monstrous, not their decision regarding his mark per see. it is funny that supposedly the whole thing became a political intrigue while robert spent a whole month on the verge of death. i guess those things do happen, but it's explained with too much vagueness for us to make sense of it

on your last observation: i would say this is a problem in this series in special. in stories made for a teenage audience the protagonists being teenagers never means that all important and appealing characters must be. tsc seems to be a franchise where the teenagers (or teenage-looking immortals) must be the only attractive and charismatic ones, with the unique exception being valentine, who for once remained super handsome and amazing even after growing up, and that doesn’t make sense in a society where the characters' knowledge and skills can only grow with time. many adult characters are often popular and well fleshed out in stories with teenage protagonists. this cringy teenage-supremacy thing is a tsc thing. (teenagers also being the in-universe standard of how "hot" people look is also hilariously unrealistic)

the clave this. the clave that. the clave being the collective of every adult shadowhunter, you can just replace "the clave" with "the adults" and it's ridiculously hilarious

[astardanced-underthatwasiborn]

No but this is absolute genius and I hope it’s right.

One thing I love about Michael Sheen’s acting is that you can see EVERY tiny emotion that his characters feel. Aziraphale especially. He doesn’t do it as Crowley in Aziraphale’s body. Like Crowley is more guarded and while he makes big gestures and smiles a lot to mimic the Angel, those little micro feelings aren’t there.

And when the metatron says “second coming”. There’s a lot of very quick plan making- that is something the Crowley would do before schooling his face.

During the first watch, I was so angry at Zira because he wasn’t emotional. He’s *always* emotional but it just seemed like he didn’t care.

I hoped it was because he was making plans to thwart heaven. But swapping makes more sense.

I also think David’s a little more stiff when he’s playing Aziraphale. Crowley is very comfortable with himself and at ease. But Zira is trying to be cool and less expressive. He’s not slouching at all after the kiss.

And why the whole bees vs murder hornets and showing us that Crowley can open files in heaven? Because he’s going to play Aziraphale for awhile and no one will notice!!

As for the theatrics (one they’re both ridiculous and love drama) But also someone ran his mouth about the last swap so they had to be more convincing this time.

Everything seemed really genuine up until the nightingale comment. I wonder if it was a signal to Aziraphale that he really screwed up in accepting the offer. Now Crowley has to fix his mess. Crowley would still be hurt by what was said and that’s why he was emotional after the swap/ kiss.

And he forgives him for getting them into this mess by trusting heaven again. Aziraphale says “don’t bother” because he’s not forgivable this time.

I’m going to hold on to this being true for the next few years. Because it doesn’t fully let Aziraphale off the hook. He still bought into heaven being the end goal and trusting the metatron. He still hurt Crowley and needs to atone for that. But when it mattered he just followed Crowley’s lead and chose HIM.

I need that to be true

Okay, so!!!! This post will have spoilers for the very end of Good Omens season 2, but I have a theory about that ending and I'll explain--

Something was bothering me, so I just went back and watched the ending like actually 30 times and I am fully 99.999999% certain they switched places

As they're pulling away after the kiss, they lock eyes and Aziraphale's expression shifts in the teeniest tiniest way, like a confirmation glance, before they shift back (and Michael Sheen is a master, so no chance it's not on purpose)

(Like really, go back and watch how Aziraphale's expression shifts literally *a second* before "I forgive you" cuz the change is SO minute, but entirely different emotionally.)

Aziraphale's hands -stay by his sides- after that, he doesn't clasp them at all, and it's particularly noticeable while he's walking to the elevator with Metatron.

The Bentley only ever plays other music for Aziraphale, but also Crowley drives away slowly, but ALSO Crowley's collar is fully turned down but you -can- see bits of the red underside in several scenes (particularly before he changes in heaven), but you don't see it -at all- after the kiss

And Aziraphale's face IS weird in the elevator like everyone says, BUT. after going back and watching both, I'm pretty darn sure that's cuz it's Michael Sheen's Crowley, it's the SAME as during Aziraphale's trial in season 1.

This also explains why they're on opposite sides than they're usually shown while the end credits roll.