#Not tagging spoilers since the shot was like. In the trailers

[cartoonsbyandie]

Nakamori ginzo for the character bingo sheet? :0

Thank you for sending in my specialest guy <3

Kogoro probably should take top billing for 'my dearest blorbo' but I think I get more associated with Nakamori just because he's a more niche pick to have as a favorite character. I do think I tend to gravitate towards characters that have a lot of blank spaces I can fill in myself, while still having a personality and some background info to draw on. It's why Nakamori having a wife out of nowhere made me mad for a whole day (apologies to a certain someone for having to deal with my angry ranting) before I remembered I can just ignore canon. But y'know, that wasn't an extra step I had to take before then, eh?

Anyway he's the best. A Diet Zenigata, which is still completely unhinged by Conan-universe standards. I love whenever he's on screen, he's this serious, straight-laced, always-pissed-looking adult who goes off screaming whenever Kaitou Kid is mentioned and god knows how much police budget he spends on his KID-capture plans. He's doing his best. Someone help him. (Someone being Kogoro.)

I WILL FORGIVE EVERYTHING IF I GET A SCENE OF KOGORO VISITING NAKA IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER HE GETS SHOT

[seventh-district]

so uh. that 2.2 Special Program, huh

[rockinlibrarian]

Post-Umbrella Academy S4 Reaction Part 3: Viktory!...ish (spoilers under cut)

If you're just joining me, Part 1 was a reaction to FANDOM'S reaction; Part 2 was a snippet of fix-it that poured out of me yesterday. Now to get into the nitty-gritty.

Let's start off the show-specific commentary with something, to counteract the online vitriol, I have the most genuinely positive feelings about (though also a few definite opinions on how it could have been improved): VIKTOR. VIKTOR MY BABY whom I have written 35,584 words from the point of view of (and almost as many ABOUT him from other povs) since last we saw him. I think I've mentioned in tags or something the weird possessive feeling I got just seeing him in trailer footage-- the same thing happened when season 3 of Legion came out and I saw the Loudermilks again. There's something about spending a lot of time in a character's head that makes me weirdly emotional about them after that.

Five is my favorite character from an objective what-an-absurdly-interesting-character standpoint, but Viktor has always been the character I've connected to most emotionally. I, too, have spent my life convinced I'm Nobody but desperately longing to be SOMEBODY. And he had the tragic arc I've been morbidly obsessed with since Lester Nygaard-- the doormat who finally stands up for themselves but it all keeps going horribly wrong.

He finally speaks up, tells his story to the world-- and it only further alienates him from his already-troubled family, and the one guy he most hoped WOULD read it immediately shelved it and never touched it again. (At least, in a possible future, it became an anchor and lifeline for Five. But I'm not sure Viktor ever canonically found out about that. All Five told him was that it was "ballsy," which is better than anything anyone else ever told him about it, but not about how he carried it everywhere he went for 40-some years and used it to keep all his most important home-going equations)

He finally gains the power he always longed for, but instinctively lashes out violently with it at every reveal of betrayal from people he trusted (and only one of those people probably deserved it).

He finally gets first chair, is the most extraordinary violinist the world has ever seen, and then-- well-- he blows up the moon.

Again and again, he ends up triggering apocalypses every time he steps out, takes a stand. He saves a little kid's life, and THAT action ends up eating up the entire universe.

He can't catch a break. All he wanted was to be a hero like his siblings, and it KEEPS. GOING. WRONG.

I am OBSESSED with this. I'm obsessed with this kid who cried when his brothers stepped on ants unwittingly destroying all life as we know it over and over again. I need him to break this cycle, I need him to prove that he CAN be powerful AND have good results, I need to see it as a fellow struggling-to-get-out-of-her-self-esteem-pit doormat who only wants to do GOOD, and I ache for him when he doesn't. But in a good way. Because it's fiction and I savor the angst.

Which brings us up to Season Four, under the cut.

So, six years have passed since Viktor got off mood suppressants, tasted power, came out as trans, and got asked by the brother who used to completely ignore him and once locked him in a sound-proof cell to serve as Best Man at his wedding. He's been living a completely new life! We saw in the trailers that he's a bartender, but then you get his location establishing shot and it turns out it's HIS BAR. HIS NAME IS OVER THE DOOR.

Reader, I reacted vocally, out loud, to this reveal. HE built and runs this genuinely nice bar all by himself! Look how WELL he is doing for himself! Okay, he can't maintain a relationship for the life of him (but that's okay, it's just he hasn't realized that Five is his Soulmate SORRY I WILL PROBABLY DO IT AGAIN) (also, I'm very tickled that his last girlfriend was named Amy. I'm flattered, really), but otherwise he has built a darn nice life for himself. (It gives me the same bittersweet feeling as this one Fiktor fic--there's your warning, don't like don't read-- by @sissytobitch10seconds, "Completely Alone," in which Viktor runs off to become a farmer without telling anyone. Sure, he's isolated himself from the family he once longed to feel a part of, and that's a little sad, but he's working well and quietly, and living fully and in peace, and I love that for him!)

And from here on out, you can just see how far he's come-- the confidence in the way he talks to the siblings he used to be in awe of! The way he doesn't hesitate to share his ideas-- and the way the others actually listen to his ideas now!

And then the majority of the season for him becomes coolly (and...sometimes not so coolly-- but much more in CONTROL than he was six years ago) standing up to the father who belittled, sedated, and gaslit him (or, a variation of said father, at least), and being respected back.

It was just so SATISFYING.

One little victory-- um, viktory?-- that stood out for me was when he had the idea to infiltrate a militia of cultists by Sharpie-ing an umbrella tattoo on his wrist. The symbolism of this action that had once been a sort of pathetic and misguided attempt at fitting in, he was now reclaiming it for purposes of pretending to fit in, a more important goal forefront in his mind-- it was a little thing but it touched my heart, how he was like, "Oh *I* know what to do! I used to do this all the time!" but this time it actually helped him be a hero.

And then the biggest full-circle moment: he insisted on trying to talk Ben down, to bring him back from the edge of blowing and destroying the world-- just like Ben had done for him at the end of season 2.

If only it had worked.

Anyway, I now direct you to the Venn diagram I reblogged the other day: I liked Viktor's arc: it made me really happy, in fact. It GENERALLY made in-universe sense. It could do with some major improvements as a piece of narrative storytelling, though, and that comes back to the overarching theme of Viktor I discussed before we got to the season 4 stuff.

In the first three seasons, the concept that he WAS the apocalypse was always hanging over his arc, even as he gained control of his powers and emotions and gained confidence in his place in the family. I would not have been happy if he really WAS cursed to always bring about destruction, but I want to see him explicitly break this curse, onscreen. But a lot of his personal growth happened off screen, between seasons-- which is generally a good thing, I'm so happy he's been doing so well-- but I feel like we should have at least acknowledged that the Curse of Being the Apocalypse was still hanging over his head as the season began, and THEN SHOWN him deliberately turning that around, AND THEN HE SHOULD HAVE SUCCEEDED.

Him trying to reach Ben was a start. It was symbolic and circular. But it ultimately didn't work, so bleh. Someone on the Elliott's House Discord suggested that what SHOULD have happened was that Viktor succeeded in removing all the Marigold in the world--from Ben, from his other siblings, from everywhere-- and taking it into himself (an action his long-desired powers had been shown to be capable of) , and then sacrificed himself into the Cleanse to save everyone else. BINGO, full-circle, the Apocalypse becomes the cure, the wannabe superhero becomes the ultimate hero. It's a bummer to have a hero die, but compared to what actually happened in show, this would have been one glorious, well-built-toward death, as opposed to a lot of completely hopeless, emotionally ill-timed deaths.

That would have been narratively a lot more satisfying. I would have accepted the death of my blorbo--sadly, but with acceptance-- if it had been so perfectly heroic in this way.

But I'll discuss the way the show actually ended-- which was, for me, the only serious bummer letdown of the season-- in a separate post.

Two more things about Viktor in season 4, before I go, though:

I appreciated that they at least acknowledged his violin-playing. I could not believe that a professional musician would utterly and completely turn his back on music, and they basically let it drop entirely in seasons 2 and 3. It wasn't just a plot device, it was his vocation, dangit! So when Abigail mentions it to him, and he says it's "really more of a love/hate thing," that makes it all make a little more SENSE. Yeah, sure, he's got QUITE a bit of trauma tied up in the violin now, I guess I'll accept that as an excuse for not getting back into it. I would have made a different choice for him, but at least you gave me a REASON, show, so thanks for that.

Secondly, look, I'm not so naive and deluded to believe that my warped, pseudo-incestuous ship would ever be canon, but Viktor and Five barely said a WORD to each other all season, and I wanted just ONE good one-on-one interaction between them, like we've had every other season-- just ONE MOMENT of the childhood besties/apocalyptic foils-for-each-other being more than distant random family passing like ships in the night. They SHOULD have stuck together at the end of Season 3, to be completely honest-- I did slip in a meaningful explanation for why they didn't in that fix-it scene yesterday-- but I'd settle for just...anything at all!...when they reunited. Ah well.

I was honestly just so happy that Viktor had grown so much, that I'm willing to accept a LOT of things-I'd-rather-have-happened not happening.

And that's where I'll leave this post. I'll make a few more-- at least one whole post about the end (going from my favorite part of the season to my LEAST favorite part of the season-- but I have a lot to say about it that is not just emotional ranting!), one post about the infamous love triangle (which I am not opposed to despite it going against my own ships, and I'll have lots to say about that, too), and at least one post of miscellaneous observations, if any of those topics don't jump out at me and demand I give them their own post as well.

[forever-fixating]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged by @onthewaytosomewhere. This week I'm sharing a one-shot I've been working on. I was possessed by the demon that is Nicholas Galitzine who bombarded my poor fangirl heart with both Mary & George and The Idea of You trailer. I haven't been the same since, and I refuse to admit just how many times I've listened to that fucking song. (Spoiler alert: it's a lot.)

Anywho, I was inspired by that kiss in the trailer (Anne, Nick, I am just a simple bisexual person. You can't just DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT and expect me to have a normal response!!!) and the wonderful story Clean Slate by smc_27 on AO3 and of course, my fandom bestie @priincebutt The Story of Us to add my own popstar age-gap AU into the mix. I hope you enjoy this nonsense as much as I enjoy writing it. Should be ready soon. Toodles!

The band joined them twenty minutes later, and Alex announced, “I am starving. Are you ladies hungry?”

Henry stood as the girls giggled and nodded. They followed behind as the group headed outside to a large black SUV. The girls joined June and Nora in the middle section, and Alex grinned, “Guess you’re stuck in the back with me, Uncle Henry.”

Henry rolled his eyes as Cash opened the door for them. “Henry is fine, thanks.”

“Yes, he is.”

Henry’s heart skipped several beats as he climbed inside the SUV. Was this man hitting on him? He suddenly felt flushed and tugged off Pez’s jacket, trying to calm his racing heart and mind. He scooted against the other door for some distance, only for Alex to move to the center of the seat, their knees grazing each other. Henry, grasping for any semblance of control, called out, “Seat belts, girls!”

June and Nora turned to look at him, and June said, “They’re all buckled up. My mom drilled that into me and Alex’s brains growing up.”

“You two look cozy,” Nora said with a smirk.

Henry gave a nervous chuckle and said, “I’m just happy to be somewhere quieter. I don’t know how you all do it night after night.”

“I thrive on it,” Alex replied, leaning back into the plush leather seats. He looked at Henry through eyelashes that didn’t seem real outside of fiction. “Doesn’t matter if it’s ten people or ten thousand…being surrounded by a sea of people all there to see you. It’s out of this world.”

Henry relaxed into his seat as they pulled away from the stadium, Alex’s cologne filling his senses. It was spice, leather, and a hint of something floral—pure intoxication. The girls chattered in front, and Alex asked, turning his body toward Henry, “So what do you do when you’re not busy being the best uncle ever?”

Henry shrugged, looking down at his hands holding the leather jacket. “My life is quite dull. I volunteer at a youth shelter, help my best mate at his art gallery, and write.”

“Oh? Anything I’ve read?”

Henry hesitated. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by his work. He had it on good authority that, past the smutty allure, his fans genuinely connected with the characters of his books. But the subject matter was decidedly graphic and not something he wanted to discuss around his twelve-year-old nieces. Finally looking at Alex again, he said dismissively, “Probably not. I write for myself and a small but passionate audience.”

Alex was undeterred. “Try me. I read constantly, especially when I’m on tour. If anything, it will give me something new.”

“Fine,” Henry replied, rolling his eyes. “My most popular series is probably Dark Olympus. As a queer teen, I was obsessed with Greek mythology and-”

“Wait,” Alex said suddenly, his eyes widening, “you’re George St. James?”

It was Henry’s turn to be surprised. “Wait, are you seriously saying you read that series?”

“Dude, I’ve read everything you’ve ever written, even the straight stuff! The Beast was part of my bisexual awakening!” Alex exclaimed. He leaned forward, smacking the back of the seat, and said, “Nora, June! This guy is George St. James.”

The two women spun around, June saying, “No way! Oh my God, I just finished rereading Blood on the Tide from your Crimson Sails series. I’m obsessed! Please tell me you’re working on another book soon because I need it like yesterday.”

“Seriously,” Nora seconded, her curls bouncing as she nodded. “We’ll give you whatever you want if you give us advanced copies.”

Henry must be in a coma, and this was some bizarre dream his drug-addled mind conjured before his siblings pulled the plug. How else could he be sitting in an SUV with one of the most popular bands in the country, who are apparently fans of his books? Penelope and Grace turned their heads as well, Grace giggling, “Are you talking about Uncle Henry’s smutty books? Our mum says we aren’t allowed to read them.”

“With good reason,” Henry said sternly, looking at his bemused nieces. He returned his attention to the trio and said, baffled, “I’ll get with my agent? God, this is so bizarre. I can’t believe you’ve read my books.”

“It’s all Alé’s fault,” Nora said, winking at the singer. “When he finds something he likes, his little ADHD brain latches onto it and falls down an obsession rabbit hole.”

“Shut up, Nora,” Alex said through clenched teeth. The calm and confident veneer from earlier was shattered, and Henry marveled at how alarmingly human Alex was then. But, to Henry’s immense frustration, that made him all the more charming and attractive. He needed to get a grip. This was nothing. It wasn’t ever going to be anything. This was just three very kind young popstars sharing a meal with two fans and their awkward-as-dog’s-bullocks uncle, and that was it.

Again: Nicholas Galitzine, this is all your fault.

Cover Art because I'm a nerd and enjoy having art for my stories on here:

[amidst-wonderland]

final fantasy: rebirth {a mess of emotions, not in chronological order}

this is more story-based, so heads-up spoilers below.

“question. does that make me a dumbass?”

not aerith asking about reno

chadley nearly outing cissnei and cloud getting real confrontational about it.

cloud is so much more conversational in this, i felt in remake he was bordering on joker level’s of player-character. he’s a lot more laidback, which is understandable since he didn’t really know anyone but tifa and midgar’s only like what a week long?

the game now feels like an ensemble piece rather an a cloud simulator.

cloud not realising he’s the one loner friend

americans aren’t the best swearers - put to much emphasis on the swear itself but cloud does it so well.

he’s a prickly, backchatting bitch in this game and i love every single second of it. he’s not mopey, stubborn and grumpy. he’s ‘i’m going to actively make myself your problem if you cross me, so don’t.’

barret immitating yuffie?! or, “oh, wow. tell us more.” it’s giving abridged.

yuffie’s little naruto run!

yuffie and cloud’s growing sibling dynamic is the cutest shit. like, he should be be pissed at her but immediately protected her from the captain.

all i hear is priscilla’s dad’s irish accent from abridged when ever someone says her name or, “mr dolphin, ye daft bastard.”

rufus shinra… the man that you are.

every rude and elena scene, just, yes. her with the ice-lolly, the corneo fight, rude’s pub club?! babysitting palmer. (also, they call it the clean-shaven club when rude literally has a beard).

i genuinely thought we were gonna at least get that iconic reno and rude scene outside of gongaga (and as a long-shot a reunion with cissnei - i stand by the fact tseng absolutely knows where she is.)

that final turks training facility was a bitch to find.

don’t get me wrong, yuffie, barret, tifa and red’s trials were sad but aerith’s absolutely wrecked me. like i’ve got a stuffy nose already and i literally couldn’t breathe with the tears.

same with dyne and barret, like what you mean you want me to fight palmer?! i’m sitting here ugly crying about two men who love their daughter and have been through hell and back.

i’d love to see cissnei and leslie get involved with the wutai turk team-up

as much as i love aerti’s ‘improved over og’ friendship. it’s not passing the bechdel test anytime soon.

fuck queen’s blood.

cloud saying “down boy” sir- THE WHIMPERING!

the kids locking yuffie in with the hooded men on the cruise.

nanaki walking in the cabin on two legs fucking kills me. i also caught barret admiring himself in the mirror.

the fact the name tag is, “???” when we can hear yuffie cheering on cloti.

did they kiss?!

so, we finally see loveless and it was everything i ever wanted. genesis, i’m sorry, you were right.

“death doesn’t suit a turk”

cloud jr is too cute and i love my chocobro protagonists

speaking of, i’m in two heads about ffxv. you can see a lot of the inspiration the team got from that game but i think they left out the one thing that made ffxv perfect, which was the constant chatter during traversal

cloud turning on tifa during the gongaga reactor mission is giving the ffxv: omen trailer

i need a tonberry robot for my desk

jessie’s poster! i really thought she’d be alive with biggs

cloud calling gus a prick is when it clicked for me, like cloud’s got bite

i need esther’s red boots

cid is played by j. michael tatum?! sebastian- france- kyouya-

elena stuck in the heat yelling at rude, omg this is the turk moments i love.

as someone who is scottish, i can’t believe i witnessed cait sith tell cissnei to “wheesht”.

not the biggest fan of cissnei’s new colour scheme. would’ve gone with browns, accented gold buckles and mustard yellow personally

wished they’d’ve put in an turk easter egg in her house.

cosmo canyon’s lantern scene is so pretty.

gold-fucking-saucer. woah

sitting at the water tower with aerith felt wrong, and i know that was intentional.

omfg vincent, why he kinda dressed like gyuvin in en garde?

jesus, roche.

still not keen on seph’s voice - mainly because i don’t like tyler and also zack is better but i’m still not keen

symbiote!peter to “OMG GUYSSS HAIIII” is like fucking whiplash. two minutes ago we were crying over harry, now hotels?!

i knew that’s what marlene saw! and now zack knows! i am not okay!

was low-key waiting on elena throwing the keystone to reno to catch for a grand intro but he kinda just appears, and i loved every second of it.

the way both tifa and aerith have had to stop cloud murdering a turk.

cloud with blood by his own hand on his face is such a chilling image. it’s like seeing someone like superman with it.

avalanche versus reno and rude’s fight was giving advent children, like specifically reno and rude’s fight with loz and kazoo. (which i rewatched recently. rude’s face when reno steps on his glasses is the funniest thing in that film, also i can’t unhear fred from scooby-doo when loz speaks even though i know it’s not frank welker - it’s the dude that plays corneo).

[alittlefrenchtree]

I’M GOING TO SPOIL STUFF.

I’m also going to tag as best as I can but we never know if Tumblr is going to fuck things up and better safe than sorry so. In this post there are going to be:

Screenshots from the first dune part 2 trailer

Informations you get from the book, either in the first part or the second part.

Maybe informations from the Messiah book? Not sure.

If you’re not sure, better not read and quickly scroll. But if you don’t care and would like to see my endless rambling about the trailer, and if you haven’t read the book and would like a bit more detailed context about the Dune universe, sit down with me for a minute 💜 

I'll never never never be tired of watching the desert shot by Denis. This is so smooth, so calming, so satisfying. My soul is happy 😌

This is the first shot of the trailer that made me go ohmygod. I'm not sure what's going on exactly in this scene but I find these few seconds SO POWERFUL for some reason. I'd wish Herbert would have done more with Lady Jessica in the whole story (even if her not being really present gives more room to other very interesting characters) but I can't wait to see Lady Jessica in this part 2. The glimpses we see in this trailer are exciting (to say the least).

When the talk was all about Florence vs Anya, I thought Anya was closer to what I had physically in mind for a character like Irulan. Seeing the trailer now, I think Florence's smartness, attitude and personality might be a very good thing for Irulan. Good move, Denis, good move.

I love this shot and I love it even more because it could look like something form The Messiah. Or even the Children. Incredible. I love that Timmy's account used it for promotion.

AH. That's where all the problem start. And the spoilers. I'm not sure what will be said in the movie so, maybe I'm not spoiling much but, still. Anyway.

If you don't know, this is Feyd-Reutha. He's the Harkonnen Baron's nephew and his heir. While Paul is the Baron's grand son. In the Bene Gesserit's plans, Paul was supposed to be a girl and marry Feyd. Their kid was supposed to be the Bene Gesserit's Kwisatz Haderach. As you must now from the first movie, all of this was fucked up because Lady Jessica gave Duke Leto the boy he wanted. In the book, Feyd is supposed to look a lot like Paul, to be a charismatic figure like him and everything. I'm not sure choosing to make Austin look like what they decided all the Harkonnens should look really serve this idea? I get that it's a good idea for cinema and a movie targeting the largest audience possible that Harkonnens all look similar so everybody can quickly understand the different sides, families and who's good and who's bad. (Truth is, everybody is bad in Dune. Except the mouse. The mouse can stay.) But, I also think that nothing looks more powerful and dangerous than a bad guy looking like a good guy (in narration standards). If I remember correctly, Feyd can be read as a bit of a mirror for Paul's character and I would have like to see a bit of this physically? I don't know. I want to be convinced because I am not really right now.

I love sci-fi and fantasy universes exactly for these aesthetics. Mysterious items. It fascinates me probably because I would have no idea about how to write these kind of things myself.

I clearly remember the moment I've read how Paul's skin was supposed to look like after 3 years living in the Arrakis' desert. And I remember thinking how the hell they're going to make this happened how Timmy's skin of all people. Like the guy would probably managed to burn in Glasgow so, I was doubtful. I still am since he still looks silky smooth for most of the trailer but i like the way his skin looks here. That being said, they seem to have made some kind of arrangement with the timeline of the story. I'll have more thoughts about it after seeing the movie.

It might be just me but this piece of scene didn't sound very clear to me, even with memories of the book. Like, we don't know what looks like a normal worm ride so, are we supposed to understand what's going on and what's fancy? Plus what Paul's doing doesn't look fancy at all, it looks more like he's struggling sooo? It's not smooth, but not fancy either, so idk. Unless they're is a meaning of fancy that I don't know of, i'm a bit confused by this part. But this,

this is genius. Perfect midway between admiration and fear. Exactly what is needed to look at Muad'Dib.

I wonder why some parts are in black and white. Seems a bit easy for a vision and wasn't used in the first movie so it would be odd but i have no other theory.

I'm a bit upset because if it's the scene I think it is, it was very different in my head. Maybe I don't remember correctly, but for me, in this scene Paul is talking to a couple of hundreds people top and is very close to them and for me it suits the Muad'Dib effect better? It's kind of hard to explain, especially in English, but for me, Muad'Dib doesn't really scream directly to thousands of people who can't barely see him to send them to war. I see him as a figure who will talk to the couple of hundreds people he's with and be so close to them you can see his reflection in their eyes. He's a legend in the sense of a belief. It's the idea of him, his words spreading from person to people and from people to person that make Muad'Dib who he is. I guess it would have been less impressive for a film like Dune but I was impatient to see this scene, a sort of prophetic version of his speech in the King, and now I'm not sure. I hope they did good but and that he's delivering his speech in a other scenery and then going there rather than having to shoot such a powerful moment in front of nothing and with no other possibility than to yell everything.

After thought was to wonder if Timmy learned to radiate such confidence (especially in the scene of the second screenshot) for Paul or if Paul taught him to feel confident. Life as an actor must be so so weird.

Long story short, I know the movie is going to be fantastic but I have just a few interrogations about how certain things look. And last but not least, the work that the music does for this movie is PHENOMENAL, even if it's nothing that we haven't read before. Hans is a genius, I'd offer him my first child without a second thought. (i don't have kids. I don't want kids, so it's a way of saying, chill out.)

[phantomoftheorpheum]

PLL: OS (Summer School) Finale Predictions

*Spoilers for 2x01-2x07, the final 3 episodes trailer, AND SOME ONLINE BTS AND CONCEPT ART

Okay, I wanted to post my 2x08 predictions early enough in the week that I could hear your thoughts as well. So here they are-

I believe Bloody Rose is a team of minimum 3 people. My best guess is 1 mother who has lost a child (Mrs. Lansgberry, Mrs. Beasley, Dr. Sullivan), 1 film obsessed character (Wes, Christian, not actually dead Chip [though I have some reservations about that last one which I'll talk about in a minute]), 1 additional love interest (Jen, Johnny, Christian, etc.)

I've been saying most of the season that I think the BR team members may have different end goals. I believe someone is attempting to make a movie, but I also believe someone else (in this case, one of the mothers who has lost a child) fully believes their own lore and has a motivation related to their child. As for the love interests, depending on which one is on the team, I believe it would be for different reasons. If it's Christian, I think it's movie related. If it's Jen, I believe it's financially motivated. And if it's Johnny, then I think he must be related to or former friends with Chip (or possibly someone else, but Chip makes the most sense) because I don't believe we've been given any other possible motivation for him.

I think the "mother" of the BR team is attempting to resurrect her dead child. I have to shout out mr.-walkingrainbow for this one, I highly recommend going back and read this ask, because this has completely informed this part of my theory (I would tag you, but I'm about to talk about some concept art that was released in a minute, and since this is extra spoilery, I didn't want to spoil you if you don't want to know), which is based in the use of Christian imagery and the focus on resurrection. To me, this makes the most sense for it to be Mrs. Langsberry attempting to resurrect Chip, because of Tabby being the final, final girl. She has more connection to this storyline if it is Chip-centric. However, some of my lingering questions point more to Dr. Sullivan attempting to resurrect Sebastian.

I believe the BR team is setting up a fall guy for their plot. Or, more accurately, I believe whichever member of the team is making a movie is setting up a fall guy (they may intend for the other members of the team to die). At this point, it feels the most likely that if there is a fall guy, that person is Wes, but it could also be Christian or even Mrs. Beasley.

Characters most likely to die, even if they aren't villains, imo - Johnny, Greg, Shawn, and Henry. Johnny because of the shots from the trailer (though I think this is less likely since I believe an officially affiliated account posted this screen-cap, drawing attention to it, and that feels like a huge spoiler. This has me leaning towards "this is either an Imogen hallucination/nightmare, or he is wounded but not killed"). Greg because it feels like they could be setting him up to die for Faran (however, the fact that we know he's had scenes cut earlier in the season makes me feel less confident about this, since you would think if they were going to kill him off, they'd do their best to make us really care about that first), Shawn because at this point I find myself asking why they even bothered to bring him back for this season, and this could be used as a consequence for Noa's actions, particularly if Jen is a bad guy, and finally Henry because, again, why is he even here? He's had a fall from grace this season so I could see him being killed off to add to the finale body count.

Imogen will stab someone. This may happen in a nightmare or hallucination, or it may be real, but I think this is a "rule of threes" thing and she is stabbing someone in 2x08.

If a dead character is going to be revealed as alive, I think it will be Chip. I'm not convinced that we are getting a "surprise, they're alive!" reveal at all, but if there is one, it makes the most sense for this to be Chip, imo. Chip is connected to Tabby, who is the final, final girl. He is obsessed with horror movies. His mother is a member of the cult. He is the father (biologically only, it feels gross to call this man a father) of Imogen's baby. He died off screen. The actor was brought back for flashbacks and that nightmare scene with Wes, but despite 2x01 opening with all of Archie's kills, we still don't see Chip's death. And he had a great motivation to fake his death, as he was going to be forced to either stand trial or take a plea deal in his r*pe case, which the girls specifically mention not getting the closure of that in 2x01.

OKAY SERIOUSLY SOME SPOILERS FROM ONLINE, NOT THE SHOW OR THE TRAILER, PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYTHING. ---- However, I think it's more likely Chip is the dead child whose mother is attempting to resurrect him. This feeling comes from some a combo of the concept art (which I think is real because it matches the BTS footage that has been released, though I don't know where the concept art was originally posted or by whom) of the season and the promotional poster. It's been pointed out to me that there appears to be some sort of body underneath the roses that Tabby is kneeling in front of in the promotional poster. In the concept art for 2x08 that is floating around, we see what is presumably Tabby's test location, which is the altar of Kelly's church. On one side, there is a body lying on a bed of roses. There's been some speculation that this is one of Rose's other victims, but... why only one? She's killed at least 4 people that we know of, so why place only one of these on the altar alongside the throne? (The only one I could make an argument for is Pastor Malachi, since he was the pastor of this church). The bed of roses feels like a veneration of this character, which I can't imagine BR doing with any of her victims. I believe this is a loved one, probably her child.

I believe the purpose of the online BR cult and "The Reckoning" is to create big finale action sequences for the film. If someone is making a real life horror movie, you can't exactly advertise that you're looking for extras.

Some Unresolved Stuff That Really Bothers Me

There are a few things that bother me with my own predictions, elements of the story that I don't have a strong explanation for, unless Dr. Sullivan turns out to be the "mother" in my theory. I do want to mention them here, in case any of you have any ideas.

Who/What does the snake in Imogen's poster represent? All of the posters have reflected quite literally the "tests" the girls are going through, except for the snake in Imogen's. The rest of her poster accurately represents her test, so why is there a snake? It seems that this would either be representative of "The Serpent" from the Garden of Eden, possibly whispering to/influencing Imogen. If so, the character that fits this the best would be Dr. Sullivan. Or possibly the snake represents temptation, which could be Johnny. I also noticed that Imogen wears a snake ring in the scene where she threatens to cut off Rebecca's fingers.

What is the connection to Rose Waters, Angela, and Archie? While Chip and his mother would have the most relevance to Tabby specifically, I struggle to see how any of this would connect to the Waters plot. It that seems out of the remaining characters, Dr. Sullivan in the mother with the most connection here.

Who pushed Dr. Sullivan down the stairs? Another unresolved Dr. Sullivan plot point. It feels weird that they've completely dropped this.

The Bloody Rose poster - In the concept art, we see a poster with Bloody Rose and a golden figure (a mother?) above her. I'm far too tired to try to understand what this is referencing.

So, that's it for now. I think I got most of my big predictions out of the way. As always, shoot me an ask if you have any thoughts/theories that you'd like to share!

[zukoshell]

Sonic-Into the Sonic-verse!!

My thoughts on the trailer for Sonic Prime! Im not following any tags right not for fear of seeing Frontiers Spoilers as I can’t get the game right now but I am a huge Sonic fan!

Im also a little sick at the moment so sorry if my words don’t make since!

But yeah! The show looks good with a bit of a darker tone than stuff like Boom. So the plot seems to be Sonic is shot into another dimension and meets some other versions of his friends. Bro that’s like some Archie shit and I’m here for it.

I don’t know why Rouge is on team Sonic but I’m exited to see her again and I really hope she gets a spotlight role! Excited for Shadow’s appearance also. Fair enough, I assume it’s an alternate universe anyway so it’s ok for Rouge to be on team sonic and sonic and shadow to be enemies at first!

Honestly the show looks good and I will be watching it.

[readingfanficismyhobby]

I posted 32 times in 2022

That's 23 more posts than 2021!

25 posts created (78%)

7 posts reblogged (22%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@readingfanficismyhobby

@sasukelluar

@greenistheboy

@babysitterpng

@henderdads

I tagged 31 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#stranger things 4 - 22 posts

#stranger things - 20 posts

#st4 spoilers - 15 posts

#st4 vol2 - 13 posts

#steve harrington - 9 posts

#eddie munson - 8 posts

#dustin henderson - 6 posts

#st4 theory - 6 posts

#she hulk - 4 posts

#nancy wheeler - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 91 characters

#it’s just the most random fic ever and it somehow saved me from the abyss of steddie fanfic

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Anyone ever think about how in season 1 of stranger things Joyce was the only one to “sense” Will in the Upside Down, and then her and Jonathan could sense each other in the final episode?

Well I do, because in season 4 Steve was the one to sense Dustin. Which means they’re as close as a mother and child. Excuse me while I go sob in the corner.

I’m sure there’s a good mom Steve wordplay in here somewhere but I’m not articulate enough for that.

17 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#4

I just had this awesome stranger things 4 volume two theory!!! Credit goes to @.dizay on tiktok for pointing this out.

So in the tiktok the user points out that in the D&D game in the first episode Dustin couldn’t beat Vecna when he rolled an ELEVEN. This foreshadows El being unable to beat Vecna alone, just like Brenner said. But at the same time as the D&D game is being played, Lucas wins the basketball game at the last second by scoring the winning shot. Guess what number he is? EIGHT!!! THIS could foreshadow Eight, aka Kali, coming to El’s rescue near the end.

Imagine this: El has just lost against Vecna, and a majority of not all of the cast have been captured and/or killed by Vecna. Vecna is making his victory speech that we hear in the trailer, and as he’s about to finish El off, the striking blow goes THROUGH her! He, along with the audience, realizes this was an illusion and that everyone is getting away!

Having Kali come back would be EPIC! I’ve always wondered what else the Duffer brothers were going to do with her, especially because she appeared only in season two and was never mentioned again. They’ve proven with clock noises throughout the series that there has been a plan this whole time, so I don’t think they’d introduce Kali just to further El’s arc in season two. I think they WANTED us to forget about her, so when she comes in and saves the day it’s even more amazing! This theory is supported by the fact that Kali was referred to briefly by Vecna during El’s time at the lab, and I don’t think she’s ever been mentioned before this outside of season 2.

Even if this theory is totally wrong, I still believe Kali will be back! Lucas getting the winning shot could be foreshadowing Kali’s triumphant return next season instead of this season. Who knows honestly, this show is so good at getting you thinking you know what’s up and then it turns out you actually don’t. Can’t wait for volume 2!!!

19 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

#3

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone talk about this, but has anyone seen that one clip of Eddie and Dustin together back to back?

I was rewatching the vol 2 sneak peak and I realized that Eddie is holding Steve’s nail bat!! This is so cute, I bet there was this whole scene where Steve is telling Eddie to protect Dustin for him, since he’ll be doing something else. And Steve gives Eddie the bat like a good luck charm.

Ugh I’m just so excited to see them again.

23 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#2

Major spoilers for st4 vol 2!!!!

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Okay, so I know it’s a little early for this but I have some predictions about season 5:

- In the last Dustin has always been very insistent about solving mysteries related to the upside down. However Dustin’s face when he saw the upside down particles leads me to believe the trauma from Eddie’s death will affect his confidence. He looked absolutely terrified when he noticed the particles. This is foreshadowed by Steve and Eddie’s comments about “getting his ego in check”, which will happen but not in the way anyone would want it to. So in season 5 Dustin will have an arc that revolves around Eddie’s death and regaining his confidence.

- Max’s almost-death in vol 2 felt absolutely BRUTAL. But I don’t think the Duffers would have left her alive if they didn’t intend on bringing her back somehow. We heard from Brenner that when Vecna kills, he takes everything that a person is and absorbs it. This makes me believe that the reason Max isn’t waking up and El couldn’t find her is because her soul and memories are will Vecna. I think there will be an arc next season about rescuing Max, but I don’t know how.

- at the end of season 5 there was a very dramatic scene where you can see a HUGE gate to the upside down. It’s kind of hard to ignore, so I think maybe the rest of the world will find out about the alternate dimension.

- The supposed timeskip is the most confusing part of season 5. The Duffer brothers confirmed that there will be a timeskip of 2-3 years between seasons 4 and 5, but I’m not entirely sure how that will work. I think that maybe Hawkins will be ground zero for a war between humans and Vecna with his monsters. Nancy described him having an army, so this would line up.

I’m ready to be completely proven wrong when season 5 info starts releasing, but I just had to get these thoughts out.

24 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Honestly I think episode 8 of she hulk was just amazing, even without daredevils appearance. The suspense building from the moment Matt left Jen’s house was palpable. There was a drastic tonal shift from that point to the end of the episode that I think was amazingly executed especially considering the genre of the show is comedy.

I wasn’t expecting for the video to be released as revenge porn, but honestly I’m so here for it. It’s an issue that many women unfortunately have to face. The idea of having a video like that recorded without your knowledge or consent is jarring enough, let alone it being released in front of your colleagues, family, and friends at an event you were supposed to get an award for. And then of course Jen is viewed as the “bad guy” for reacting strongly at the release of this video. But its nice to see that this very real issue is being directly confronted. I’m excited to see how the show ends, and I look forward to Jen being even more badass.

(And while I’m on the subject, the talks about getting Jen’s blood for something was a brilliant misdirect. The blood will probably still play a factor in the finale but it successfully distracted me from a plot twist.)

This show has been amazing to watch as a whole, not just this episode, because it’s explicitly stated and shown the issues women face every day from episode 1 in the very first scene (where Jen had to deal with that asshole who thought he knew better). In fact, it even called out the types of misogynistic men who exist today during the brief social media scene in episode 2 I think. Here’s to hoping future marvel projects show similar traits!

33 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[erule]

I'm not sure if your box is request open rn but if it is, can you write a one shot based on that one scene in dr:mom where stephens getting ready and right after he uses magic to fix his tie, the reader walks in and asks "do you need help with your tie?" because the reader always does his tie for him since his hands are y'know funkied up

Stephen was about to say no but then saw the dress the reader was wearing for the wedding and shuts himself up. He literally pulls down his tie and then asks for help with this stupid smile on his face. The reader didn't pay attention and of course helps him with the tie. During that time, stephen just stares at her, his hands holding onto her waist or smthg and asks about what the reader thinks about getting married.

Sorry if i wrote too much info, i needed to get out as much scenario's in my head cause my exams are in a couple weeks. the perks of being a woman in stem. Plus the lack of doctor strange fics is driving me up the wall :D

Your reflection | s.s.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x fem!Avenger!reader

Summary: Christine’s getting married and you’re going to the wedding with your boyfriend, Stephen Strange, aka her ex. Is he still in love with her or does he want to marry you? Maybe it’s time for you to find that out.

Warnings: fluff, some angst if you squeeze, one suggestive joke at the end, established relationship, spoilers from the MOM trailer I guess

Word count: 1K

A/N: hi! I had so much fun while writing this request!! I love some good old fluff. If you wanna be tagged in my fics or if you have any request, just write them into my inbox. Feedback is always appreciated by a writer! Hope y’all like it. Enjoy! x

Tags: thanks to @mochamori for the request, hope you like it!

Stephen looked into the mirror only to see his tired reflection exchange a glance with him. He shouldn’t have accepted the invitation, but you insisted. So now he had to participate to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding with his current one. That was insane. Absolutely insane. At first, Star-Lord suggested him that it was a plan of yours to discover if he was still in love with Christine. Stephen didn’t agree with that, but he didn’t think that you wanted to come either, so he got confused. Then Wanda came with another idea: you were just being kind to her, because you wanted to study her face on the altar, in order to understand if she was still in love with Stephen. And well, Stephen was definitely upset after that. Turned out, that you just wanted to go to their buffet and you were also friends with Christine. That explanation seemed to convince Stephen, but not entirely, since you weren’t a nurse but an Avenger and there was no way in the world – no, in the universe – that you could have met Christine by chance. You had probably become friends with the enemy some time ago using your smart skills. This is why Stephen had so much trouble into fixing his tie (and also because his hands were trembling), so he decided to use some magic on it. 

That was when you came along. You knocked at the door, gently, then you entered into the room with a calm smile on your face. He saw your reflection in the mirror, by his side and he thought that you were stunning. An intense sense of warmth expanded into his chest: you were perfect, the person he had always dreamt of to be with. The girl of his dreams.

“Do you need help with your tie?” You asked, kindly. “Oh, wait…”

Stephen untied it immediately, showing you a childish grin on his face. You chuckled.

“Apparently, yes,” he answered.

So you began to fix his tie again, while his hands were slowly sliding onto your waist. You were wearing a fabulous dress, something that made you appear like you were the one getting married, maybe on the beach, with him, that’s why he asked you for some help to fix the tie. You were adjusting it, your fingertips moving so slow, he thought that he wanted them to caress his cheeks and not a stupid piece of clothing. Maybe he would have liked you to do that for the rest of his life. No, he wanted that.

“What do you think about Christine getting married?” He asked, abruptly.

“Well, it’s cute. She’s gonna wear a beautiful dress and the church is pretty nice, I helped her to arrange everything as you know. I didn’t meet the guy, but she always says that she’s happy, so…”

“No, I mean, what do you think about getting married?” He interrupted you.

You furrowed your brows, your tongue between your teeth, while you were focused on the tie. 

“I don’t know Stephen, I never thought about that,” you said.

He observed you and something in your eyes was off. Your hands had even began to shake, when they were always still and firm. 

“You’re lying,” he replied, tilting his head.

“What do you mean? I don’t lie”.

“You lie all the time to Wanda, when you steal her stupid yogurt from the fridge. Now tell me what’s going on,” he said, holding your hand, leaving the tie almost fixed.

You swallowed, remaining quiet. Stephen knew that you wanted to get married, because why the hell would you help anybody to prepare a wedding with so much dedication, if you don’t even like the idea of it? You were the kind of person that did things because you wanted to do them, not because you were forced to. Something was bothering you and he wanted to know what it was.

“We’ve been together for how long, uh? It seems a lot of time to me, but time seems to shrink when I’m with you. Once I thought that I was just a replacement because you couldn’t have Christine and I was okay with it,” you said, then he tried to interrupt you, but you kept going. “I was okay with it. But then, something switched and now I can’t think straight when we’re together. Getting married means everything to me, because I thought about it for all my childhood. It would be an honor to me to have somebody like you by my side, no, to have you by my side, whether it’s in a church or on the beach, I don’t care. We could even just live together forever in this apartment and I would be okay with it, as long as we remain in love. But here’s the question: are you really in love with me?” You say. He had stared at your eyes for long enough to see them being filled up with tears. His heart ached for you. “Because I can sacrifice the wedding of my dreams for you, but I can’t stay with somebody who wants another woman by their side,” you added. 

Then, he squeezed your hands and you finally looked into his eyes, while some tears were sliding on your face. 

“It would be my honor, to marry you, Y/N,” Stephen said and you gave him a brief smile. “There wouldn’t be anything better to me than spend my life with my best friend, a beautiful woman that happens to be patient enough to bear with me,” he said and you chuckled. “And don’t ever try to think again that I don’t feel something for you, because you would underestimate yourself and I don’t want you to do that”.

You nodded.

“Will do,” you said, then you fixed his tie for good. “Now you’re ready”.

“Thank you. Oh, this dress? It would look better on the floor,” Stephen said and you blushed. 

“Stephen!”

He laughed, then he thought about his friends and he realized it: Star-Lord was right. Well, too bad he would have never knew that.

[oyedeng]

Loki 1x04 Spoilers

Preface: I don't even really go here for shipping, and I have no strong feelings one way or another, but y'all are being really horrible right now, and it's impossible to go into the tag for a character I really enjoy and just have content for that character, or talk to people about plot developments, character revelations, *anything*, because everyone's just vomiting their shit into those tags... So I'm gonna piss a lot of you off right now, but I need to get this off my chest, and you're always welcome to block and/or unfollow...

Biphobia: By and large, most of y'all are just biphobic as fuck. And I know this because I've seen the posts going 'What was the point of making Loki bisexual if you don't give him a male love interest' and 'If they don't give him a male love interest, they should just not give him any love interest'. You're transparent, you're gross. This is unrelated to Sylvie/Loki, because the complaint here isn't related or limited to Sylvie, but purely about a male vs female love interest regardless of other factors. Note how no one cares about Sylvie, or shipping her with anyone, it's purely about Loki. I've been in fandoms long enough to know that most of y'all don't care about actual representation - you care whether or not your white fave kisses another (white) boy. None of you give a shit about the fact that we'll get an actual gay ship in The Eternals (but that's between two poc men, so I bet many of y'all will ignore it in favour of shipping the white GoT actors together, because you're transparent af). You're pressed because the first canon on-screen representation doesn't happen on your terms in the exact conditions you've set. Let me be clear: Bisexuals do not owe the gay or lesbian community same-sex relationships in order to be valid, and it's so insanely, stupidly hurtful to be reminded once again that we'll never be queer enough for queer spaces. A bisexual person dating anyone regardless of gender or sexual identity, is in a queer relationship. Full stop.

Sylvie/Loki: It's not incest, y'all. I understand not shipping it, not vibing with it, etc etc, but it's not incest, and I'm gonna need you to stop pretend that it's gross when it's not. It's not even really purely selfcest. They're not the same person. Variants are not all necessarily the same person from different points in time, like skinny Steve vs Serum Steve or Infinity War Loki vs D+ Show Loki would be. Sylvie and Loki are more like Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker vs Tom Holland's Peter Parker - different people who occupy the same role in the narrative of the universe, not all of whom make the cut. For all we know, Sylvie's Frigga, Odin and Thor are different, too. The Loki Variants in the post-credits and in the trailer shots prove that further - we have other female presenting Lokis there, two black Lokis, at least one east asian Loki... they're not all the same person. That's why the question is "What makes a Loki a Loki" and not "What makes us us/What makes you you?". They occupied the same role up until their nexus event, that's all.

Let me break this down for you: Thor + Hela = Incest Thor + Loki = Not Incest by blood, but they grew up thinking themselves siblings so YMMV on the levels of incestuous here (it squicks me out personally, but there's no blood relation.) IW Loki + D+ Loki = Selfcest, since they're the same person from different points in time. Selfcest isn't Incest - it's a fictional concept. Sylvie + Loki = None of the above. They're different people who play the same role in the universe. And even if you do consider it Selfcest - see above. It's still not Incest.

Also hello MCU fandom, Comics Bucky had a Threesome involving a version of himself, Deadpool is all about that stuff, the mythology Loki is based on has weirder shit. Please sit down and take a breath.

I fully understand not liking the ship for any reason including if it reads platonic to you instead of romantic, but stop trying to make purity discourse happen when the ship isn't incestuous.

Learn to tag your shit: Oh my god this is my biggest pet peeve right now. I just wanted to go into the Sylvie tag to find people talking about what we learned about her character, I wanted to find out what people make of her and Loki (regardless of whether you find them platonic or romantic), if anyone ships her with B15 like I do, to find gifs etc. I did not need to see all of you fail to grasp what incest is in her character tag, and I did not need to see you crying about Lokius in the Sylvia tag either. I'm sorry that your ship didn't go canon this episode, and I wanna tell you not to worry, we don't know if he's dead, it could still happen, and even if it doesn't, you can still ship it, but I've lost all patience because it's not about shipping wars, it's about being unable to engage with any show related content right now without being flooded with bad takes, rampant biphobia, discourse and drama. Screw this fandom. I just wanted to enjoy the bonkers story and awesome new characters.

Learn to curate your experience: And finally, if you don't like it, don't go there. Block the ship tag, it's as easy as that. Stop posting your salt into main tags. Let people enjoy what they enjoy. None of this is harmful, none of this is what you're trying to cry into existence,

[the1northlanderprincess]

No Way Home review!

I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home, and OH. MY. GOSH. SO GOOD. EPIC. Best MCU movie since Endgame. It had everything you want in a Marvel movie; it was fun, action-packed, awesome visual effects, and humorous. But, what really sets this movie apart from others is that it is character-driven and has a lot of heart. The MCU Spider-Man movies have always been good like that, yet it’s this one that drives it home (no title pun intended).

With that said, I can’t contain my feels enough to give a spoiler-free review, so I am going to put it under the cut.

Okay, the fallout from Beck’s video went by really quick. The timeline was really confusing, when it went from crowds outside school to the three friends opening their letters in a quiet restaurant.

I was not expecting Matt Murdock to show up. I was legit surprised, and that was really cool.

Dr. Strange’s intro felt a little discombobulated; it didn’t flow right. It was only one of the few scenes like that, so it was fine.

The scene with Peter and Stephen when Stephen cast the spell was awesome. Tom and Benedict really played off one another well. Heck, all of their scenes were incredible. And may I just say, that I LOVED seeing more of Dr. Strange and how he was given more depth, which I will get into later.

Holy crap, the fight between Peter and Stephen was spectacular! It was so awesome to see the Mirror Dimension.

The Villain Roundup was so much fun, and it was hilarious, too. I just loved their reactions to Peter, and all the witty banter exchanged between them. 

Gimme ALL the easter eggs!

Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe are treasures, slipping back into their roles like they never left them. 

Doc Ock was the first one to be redeemed! Honestly, I didn’t know that they were going to take this route, but I liked it. Besides sticking to Tom’s Spider-Man altruistic nature, it was a way for the audience to get some closure with the previous franchises. Anyway, doesn’t surprise me with Doc Ock. He was never really a bad guy.

The scene with Peter discovering Norman wasn’t Norman? Brilliant. The whole sequence with his sly remark about Peter’s spider sense and May sneaking to get the cure was something out of a suspense. It was a really neat and different feel for a MCU movie. 

Everything goes to crap. Poor Peter. It made sense for Green Goblin to be the main villain, but wow.

I was accidentally spoiled with May’s death when searching for the leaked Dr. Strange trailer. Why it was in that tag is beyond me, but there it was. So it didn’t shock me as much as it would had I not seen it. However, it was the manner. I admit, I had hoped it was just someone speculating when I saw that she got up after the blast. Then she says The Line, one of the best deliveries of it that I’ve heard. I thought Gobby was going to come back and strike the killing blow. But the way it happened was so much more tragic. The acting was incredible, and it was all around a hauntingly beautiful shot.

The two other Peters coming through the portals was awesome. Like, it wasn’t as epic as the Endgame scene, but still pretty sweet. There weren’t any loud cheers in my theater. What I get for not going on opening night. There were a few excited gasps for Andrew and some “woo”s for Tobey.

The Peter rooftop meeting was so nice. That’s all I can really say about it.

What I really like about all the Peters being together was how you can tell they were different from one another. There’s Tobey!Peter, who is the mature, sensible one. Then there’s Andrew!Peter, who is like a nervous bundle of energy. And of course there’s Tom!Peter, a glass half full kind of guy.

The final battle was cool. It felt like the one from Spider-Man 3, only a million times better.

Andrew!Peter saving MJ was just.....ahhh. Hit me right in the feels. It was one of the times I got close to crying during the movie. That utter sadness on his face was truly heart-wrenching. On a side note, Andrew and Zendaya have some chemistry, y’all. I’d like them to star opposite one another again in similar hero/love interest roles.

The moment where Tobey!Peter stops Tom!Peter from killing Norman was powerful stuff, man. Tom is really growing into an awesome young actor.

The “reunion” with Doc Ock and his Peter was phenomenal and warmed my ice cold heart, especially when Doc happily says, “you’re all grown up”. Wow, talk about a nostalgia trip. All the feels.

I liked the little nod to Miles Morales, and I’m a little surprised we didn’t get a cameo.

The Peter hug....oh gosh. Another warm, fuzzy moment. Those three actors have natural chemistry. Like, it’s as if they’ve been in another Spider-Man movie together.

The memory spell being done was really something else. It was another powerful scene, whether it was the exchange between Peter and Stephen or the Three Musketeers. 

The ending was so bittersweet. Peter is all alone, has moved into a rundown apartment, and has to make a new costume. But it seems very hopeful at the same time when he goes out the window. It’s a new beginning.

I don’t like the new costume. I’m sorry. I just don’t.

Technical notes

The score: understated, but pronounced at the right moments. I loved hearing the Danny Elfman Spider-Man score.

Cinematography was A.MAZ.ING. Like, seriously.

Dr. Strange

Okay, so I absolutely loved seeing more dynamics out of Stephen Strange in this movie. We got to see him be more emotionally inclined, which hasn’t been seen since, really, his introduction. He knew what Peter was going through in sacrificing happiness and a personal life. I can tell that will have a significant role in Multiverse of Madness. He also looked upset when Peter finally agreed to do the original spell.  Well done, Ben.

I’m really hoping that Christine will play a bigger part in MoM than just that wedding scene and being a short spot of Stephen’s man-pain. However, going by the trailer scene with him looking at the watch she gave him, it’s safe to assume she will be important. I think Stephen has done a lot of self-ruminating about his choices and thinking more about having a personal life.

Overall, what an awesome, awesome film....It is easily in my top 3 for Marvel movies. I definitely want to watch it again in theaters.

[weirdlyfitting]

late to the party eh? :(

Weeks ago : Aight it's finally here!!!

Not only some teaser images but a GOSHDARN TRAILER OMGGGG

Edit, weeks later : *sigh sorryy I'm too late to post this but eh it's better than never right? Also THE HELL IT'S BEEN A WEEK SINCE THE TRAILER LAUNCHED?!?!?!? THIS MEANS S4 ARRIVE IN 1 FRICKIN WEEK WHATSKAJSKF-

And few hours ago I saw a bit thumbnail in youtube that had a title of new clip promos for cc but I won’t go discussing or even trying to watch them because WELL watching them made me feel like I’ve watched spoilers lol. So maybe won’t be active in cc’s tag until s4 came out, sorry y’all :(

Aight JUST get into it!

OH THEY'RE FINALLY USE THE MOSA! (tb to what Ben said in s2 lmao). Also THESE POOR KIDS GIVE EM' A BREAK 😭

I noticed when the Mosa jumped there's an island in the back, meaning they weren't THAT far from Isla Nublar. BRUH THEY'RE JUST GONE THROUGH ALL THE STUFF IN S3 AND THIS IS WHAT THEY GET?! 😭

Also kinda get on my nerves that the kids didn't really show a bit bleeding here. I mean the ship got split in pieces HOW THE HELL THEY SURVIVED THAT- (too explicit I get it but I guess getting traumatized made it up)

Ah so glad that Brooklynn didn’t get sucked to a town and lost her identity caused by a- oh wait wrong show (I was refering to wandavision lol). Anyway WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS PLACE????

Their reaction nooooo :(((( poor kiddos aweee

It’s really interesting on how Ben showed fear in here, I mean after he snapped and became wild he’s kinda fearless yk? the only time he showed genuine fear was when E750 appeared but the rest isn’t cause he already know how to live with the environments (from what I remember)

And saber-what-tiger??? is that from an ice age time? I don’t know much abt jurassic/cretaceous creatures but I think yeah they exist in the same time

AYO WHAT THE HELL- is Darius trying to seal the hole in the boat?

OK HOW MANY TIMES DID I SAY “POOR KIDS” WITH A FROWN??? HOW MANY TIMES DO THEY HAVE TO RUN AWAY AND DIDN’T FEEL SAFE I-

Also I saw someone pointed out that the thing that made the gang ran away was E750 from a sneak peak AND I WISH IT’S WRONG CAUSE GOD ANOTHER TRAUMA FUEL?!?!?! CAN THAT BITCH DIED ALREADY PLEASEEE 😭😭

WAIT THE T-REX HAD SO MANY SCARS AWE POOR DINO :( But I get that back then was still a start but TOOK EM LONG ENOUGH! (Rexy didn’t have her battle scar got me dissapointed k 😔)

anotha notes :

-The drones are so annoying just leave it alone will y’all?????

-Somehow a beautiful shot. Darius, Sammy, and Kenji are looking small compared to the environments there, meaning like it’s a new place and they’re really had no experience so just analyzing things that happened to the creatures that lived.

OH SO THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE VOL.4 COVER!!! Is that a quicksand tho? I gotta speed down the gif cause it was so fast lol

SHOOT DARIUS IS GOING TO GET LOST WITH THE OTHERS NOOOO😭

YOOOOOOO!!!!

Aside from how happy I am that JP 3′s Spino made a comeback, these shots are still terrifying holy shit! I love how in the second gif of this scene the shot is in low angle so it made it wayy bigger and terrifying haha

And uh I think I’ve seen a post abt Brooklynn had her jacket off but as I rewatch the trailer I didn’t see that. Prob in other article but I missed that. STILL FINALLY SHE DID IT!

SNOWY LAND INSIDE THE DESSERT????

DOG ROBO DON’T YOU DARE REPLACE BUMPY’S PLACE. DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE >:(

God it’s such a good shot omggg! but also I felt so sorry for Sammy she’s through this once with Rexy :(

WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DID TO THESE DINOS- or was it just a dino thing to roar at each other lol. Still can the drones just go away? :/

AYE HELL YEAH THEY’RE GOING TO RESCUE DARIUS!! Kenji better fix his friendship with Darius cause gosh that s3 ending left a hole in my chest :(

and again WHAT THE HECK IS THIS PLACE??? SNOWY LAND, DESSERT AND JUNGLE ALL IN 1 ISLAND???

OK finally done with it and some final notes

Yikes this is a really long post so I bordered it, and it’s nice to know that I can upload 10+ gifs & photos if I use my laptop/pc. What I don’t like was how I couldn’t get the gifs & photos to be side by side :(

and do I think s4 will be good? well idk, if I’m not mistaken some crews left after s3 and even that I hope it’s good. If this season will be a lighthearted one then it’s def ok. If it’ll be darker than s3 OH MAN I’M NOT PREPARED-

I think that’s all for now, thank you for reading and se y’all after s4 came out!

[arsenicpanda]

Bughead Appreciation Day 1 Except It’s Day 2

So I spent yesterday nice and cozy in bed and put this off (good choice, tbh, I was very snug as a bug), but now, now comes the time for me to gush about some people in the fandom!  This is definitely not a comprehensive list, I have absolutely left some people out because I am very forgetful, but, in no particular order and under a cut because I’m a wordy bitch:

@tory-b: A delight and a dear, leading writer of monsterfucker!Betty, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, a legend and a friend, we have no choice but to stan.  Her stuff is so good and varied and just *chef’s kiss* a delight, two favorites of mine are Fangs/com/Match (Betty/dragon!Jughead meet via monsterfucker Tinder, has some great friendship moments with Kevin and Veronica and is v sexy and funny, features the horniest Betty) and Sticky Sweet Serenade ((past)-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers bughead, mixes up some statuses in Riverdale, excellent mystery, I remember reading it and going, “holy shit, a believable take on Northside!Jughead”).  I’ve also gotta mention Whats in a Name? (Betty and Jughead meet on tumblr, Betty writes poetry and Jughead is a shitposter, they slowly connect, it’s great) and To Balance the Scales (scientist!Betty/mermaid!Jughead, currently a slow build, I cannot wait for you guys to see the excellent worldbuilding she’s done).  I could keep going, or you could binge all her fics today, an excellent use of your Saturday, I assure you, because I’ve left a lot out.

@stillhidden: Always good for some great thoughts on the show, one of the best reasons for my your thoughts on Riverdale please show them to me tag, I get psyched every time I see a Riverdale text post or ask answer because I know I’m in for a good time.  Thoughtful and funny and nice, what a combo!

@satelliteinasupernova: So talented!  Author, artist, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, funny, haver of good thoughts on Riverdale is there anything she can’t do?  No, there is not.  Every time I see her art I’m like !!!, the colors! how well-drawn the hands are! the accuracy of their hair! the backgrounds! the way I can see the love in their eyes! I cannot even, there are no words.  Also!  Her fics!  So original!  One of my earliest memories in the fandom is reading The town called Riverdale (a sort of mystery about the meta fuckery going down in Riverdale, explores time loops, stories that control lives, the roles the Archie characters are “supposed” to have, a mash-up with concepts in Princess Tutu that requires zero knowledge of Princess Tutu) and going !!! is this a Princess Tutu mash-up?  Have I been #blessed enough to see a mash up between Riverdale, a story that fucks with archetypes, and Princess Tutu, one of the shows about fucking with archetypes and the way stories ontrol lives?  I was and I am and I raved to my non-fandom but Princess Tutu liker friend about it.  Has also wonderfully tackled eldritch horror in return to Eldervair and gothic horror/romance in The Lady of the Manor, does fluff, does angst, does it all, so go check her out!

@go-ldy: An angst and time skip queen, tbh, and always has some great thoughts on Riverdale, another reason I’m glad I have that tag.  Every time she answers an ask, I’m like, “Yesss, incoming Good Thoughts, I am HERE for this”.  But do not sleep on her as an author!  Into the Deep is some delightful dark!bughead, and I’ll walk with you in the shadows is such good time skip angst and a mystery and there’s a certain surprise I love but is a spoiler but you simply must read this, you must.  The Time after Time series is giving us that good angst bughead content that season 5 is not going to, and I’m so glad it exists and just thrilled that she trusted me to beta it.  I’m leaving a lot of stuff out though, so you should go check her out!

@milajovovich: One of the best gif makers in the fandom, I will fight you on this.  Makes absolute miracles with footage, the way she makes season 4 webrips look like they’re actual blurayrips is godly, they’re so crisp and so smooth and the coloring is always great.  And like, jesus, the way the bluray footage looks?  Fucking outstanding, the talent is off the charts.  Go marvel at their gifs, go, go.

@imreallyloveleee: A prolific, talented author and funny to boot!  loveleee is one of the people who has been here since the beginning, a mainstay in the fandom, and we are so, so lucky she hasn’t left.  How do I even begin to rec you some of her stuff?  She can write smut with fics like burn, baby (a 3x16 missing moment of bughead fucking in the car as the trailer burns, what a gift to the fandom, I can’t even), is queen of pining with fics like boy problems (season 1 post 1x05 canon divergence, a bughead get together but with that quality pining) and her i’m just a shot away series (two fics, one from Jughead’s POV and one from Betty’s, that are fully of pining and sexual tension and miscommunication and major teenage vibes, you gotta read them), and writer of one of the funniest fics in the fandom and one of my favorite, like spirits in the night (the core four + Kevin perform a seance to contact Jason Blossom and yes, it is just as funny as it sounds, perhaps even funnier).  And there are countless others, so settle in and go check her out because she does it all, fluff and angst too, I just don’t have time to rec them all.

@meditationonbaaal: Absolutely one of my all-time favorite fic authors, like across fandoms, the talent, I cannot even properly describe it, like the quality of the prose, amazing, iconic.  the devil’s daughter (a season 2 rewrite with some differences in season 1, jumps back and forth through time in the best way, has the best and creepiest dark!Jughead, has some great smut that includes dom!Betty and dom!Jughead can you believe we are so blessed, such a good rewrite of season 2, and you know how I love season 2, so that is some high praise, let me tell you) is easily in my top 10 all-time favorite fics across the many, many fandoms I’ve read many, many fics of, and you simply must check it out, you will not be disappointed.  develop, stop, fix just blew me away as a kink week fic of bughead playing with bdsm in a dark room, the layers, the smut, the trust, the feelings, I cannot even.  And doll parts!  doll parts is so good, just such an amazing take on drop dead gorgeous, a fabulous Jughead and Betty as per usual, dare I say even better than an already fantastic movie.  I am behind on loose lips sink ships, but I can already tell it’s going to be a great exploration of the Stonies and a great take on season 4.  Keep an eye on her stuff here and here, do not miss out!

@dieqohargreeves:  An icon and legend in gif making, just makes the most beautiful and intricate and creative gifs.  The coloring is amazing, the techniques are amazing, that shit is Art, I will fight you on this.  You gotta check ‘em out, you just gotta, I can’t do their work justice.

@sullypants:  The wit!  The humor!  The observational skills!  The talent, my god!  Sully is the genius behind @bettycooperoutfitwatch and @riverdalearthistory as well as a fabulous writer of both meta and fic, yet another excellent reason for me to keep up with others’ thoughts on Riverdale.  Her a comic miniverse series is so funny and sweet and such a great take on the Archie Comics version of bughead, and the after-party series (Betty and Jughead attend a, well, prom after party, and the events that happen, and I am not doing it justice, but it is v good, I promise) has such a great vibe and such great characterization.  And young adult friction (librarian!Jughead is in a kind of competition with librarian!Betty, it’s so funny and so great) is such a delight, and we do not have time to get into everything great she’s written, but go check it out here.

@lilibug--xx: The queen of bughead smut, can you believe she has graced us with her stuff?  It is steamy and it is in character and it is amazing.  Dark Cherry Chutney is still a fandom favorite of mine, just some great dark!bughead who are unaware of each other’s darkness (but oh, they find out!) as well as some excellent smut.  And Pressed for Time (Betty teasing Jughead with her skirts in an effort to get him to fuck her and he is barely holding on until he isn’t, alternating POVs in the best way) is sexy af but makes you work for it, it’s a delight.  And give you mine (Betty and Jughead fuck at work and it is so hot, I can’t even) is so goddamn good, just some of the best dom!Jughead out there.  Has also written monsterfucker!Betty, which you know I’m a fan of, in once upon a midnight (werewolf-hunter!Betty/werewolf!Jughead with sex pollen where she does not shy away from some wolfy-ness and it is hot af) and has written monsterfucker!Jughead, a rarity but always a delight, with reap what you sow (witch!Jughead/undine!Betty and Betty is so delightfully otherworldly and it is so sexy but also sweet), and there are countless other smut fics, we would be here all day if I went through them all, so you gotta check her out here.  One more thing though: she can also write fluff with Lemon Drops and Chocolate Chips, a sweet fic of Betty and Jughead as neighbors that you should definitely check out.

@thatiranianphantom:  Funny and thoughtful and talented and has correct opinions on musicals!  Writes such good explorations of post-4x17 (and post-4x17 adjacent) scenarios.  Like, the we are a masterpiece series is v good and so interesting, and no one else is singing my song is such great angst as a post-4x17 fic and a great use of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs.  I am forgetting a lot of stuff, I know I am, and I think I might be behind like a fool, so let’s go check out all her stuff together here, yes?  Yes.  Also?  Great for Riverdale speculation, especially about the season 5 musical episode.

@heartunsettledsoul:  So talented, queen of canon missing moments, and funny to boot!  I love reading her liveblogging of the episodes, and I cannot recommend her stuff enough.  Her Forgotten Moments series of canon missing moments is iconic, you must go read all of it, especially there’s witchcraft in your hips, a post-2x13 fic of Betty and Jughead being such teenagers and Jughead being a dweeb about his cheerleader girlfriend and I am not doing it justice but you gotta go read it, man, you gotta.  But the series is full of gems from the beginning with Midnight Silence (Betty and Jughead talk post-1x04 about the Grundy debacle and it’s such a delight) and going all the way through to the most recent it might’ve been a nightmare (a 4x12 through 4x16 fic that gives me a wide range of emotions and is fantastic) and your eyes look like coming home (Betty’s diary entries throughout season 1, simply inspired).  But she’s also so good at AUs!  a dark world aches (for a splash of the sun) is already looking so good as a bughead mystery with some varchie fun on the side, just some quality core four content, and won’t be the same (if you’re not here with me) is a favorite of fake dating, Christmas, and there was only one bed, just the best tropefest.  And there are so, so many more, so you must check her out here.

@lovedinapastlife: She writes such a variety of AUs, I am just in awe of them all!  The talent, I am amazed.  The dark!bughead in The Society is peak dark!bughead with a simply iconic yandere!Betty, and you are seriously missing out if you have not read it yet.  Oh, and there’s some more dark!Jughead with a side of dark!Betty in the key to harm(ony) that you must check out because it’s such a great ride and is sexy, what more could you want?  Every movie AU she does really takes the source material and makes it her own from works You Drive Me Crazy (but I'm gonna keep on loving you), based on Drive Me Crazy and definitely better than the movie, to the most recent to all the boys (but especially you), based on To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and just so sweet.  But also can write otherworldly fics like Heart’s Desire with genie!Betty and The Second Coming with fae!Jughead, as well as regular aus like Detention (Betty and Jughead in detention and it gets a little sexy but also quite cute), and pure porn like Eye of the Beholder (Betty and Jughead as sorcerers who hook up over sorcerer Tinder and it is sexy but also sweet), as well as some of the best ABO in fandom with her A/B/O Mine series (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty in high school and holy shit is it hot as hell).  I am only just skimming the surface here, so definitely go check her out!

@kyloren aka @jughead-jones:  Mila is so talented at making gifs, like goddamn, and also so funny, but I bet you didn’t know that she also has written some damn good fic!  She hides it, but it is out there and it is very good, my favorite being let me hang my hook on your splendor, a fandom fave of a Scooby-Doo au that is so much more thoughtful and clever with its casting, and also very amusing, you must check out the rest of her stuff here.

@elizabethbettscooper: A delightful person and a delightful writer who is largely retired from the bughead fandom but still such a talent, like seriously.  Her Twin Peaks Riverdale AU The Past Dictates the Future is so good, you simply must check it out, like you must.  And yours was the first face i saw is such a fun AU of “what if Betty’s crush on Archie was a front for her crush on Jughead”, you must go read it.  And holy shit, her i may be bad (but i’m perfectly good at it) series is peak dom!Jughead/sub!Betty taking place when they’re in college and fucking in so many varied ways, like if you are into that, you must go read these fics, you must, you will have a great and sexy, sexy time.  And there’s so much more good stuff, you gotta go read it all here.

@bettycreeper: She does so much for the fandom and she makes such gorgeous gifs!  Like, the coordination she does on the @bugheadfamily server and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and probably elsewhere cannot be understated, she is such a valuable presence in the fandom.  And have you seen her gifs?  Gorgeous quality, just gorgeous, and her movie poster gifs for fics are simply inspired.  Also?  She’s an amazing beta, just outstanding.

@stillscape: A very thoughtful person and excellent writer who I can’t seem to tag.  Dianthus Caryophyllus is still one of my favorite fics in the fandom, a high school bughead fic with some amazing pining from Jughead with an oblivious Betty, I can feel it, it’s so good.  And of course there’s Ninia, an amazing take on the soulmates trope, just so good, I cannot do it justice, you must check it out.  The for the life of me series is also such a good AU for Betty and Jughead getting together pre-Riverdale at a summer internship, I have such fond memories of it.  And la peste (the plague)!  So good, I cannot even.  We don’t have time for everything, except you should make time and go check all of it out here.

@theheavycrown:  God, where would we be without Sarah?  She does so much work for the @bugheadfamily and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and @riverdalecentral and I’m probably forgetting some, tbh.  And so sweet and talented!  Her gifs are fantastic and so are her fics.  Like, Rain Comes Down (Betty and Jughead fucking in the car on the side of the road while cars drive by)?  Iconic, some amazing exhibitionism.  you had me howling(Betty in heat in the woods and then Jughead finds her and fucking ensues)? Fantastic ABO, so horny, so desperate.  Beneath the Silver Moon Rising?  Excellent dom!Jughead, excellent sexy times.  You must go check out all of her stuff here, you must.

@50shades-of-bughead:  Just some of the absolute cutest art that you must check out, especially their series of dark!bughead that is just fantastic.

@thepointoftheneedle: The variety of work here is phenomenal, the talent, I cannot.  Took my ridiculous double fake marriage/draft-dodging concept and turned it into an excellent, thoughtful period piece with phenomenal characterization and a great mystery with Never No Locomotive, I cannot recommend it enough.  And Ghosts and Clouds and Nameless Things (ghost!Jughead/grieving-dead-Jughead!Betty with a side of mystery) gave me so many emotions, I think I almost cried, and I am not a crier, I assure you.  Hey Pixie Dream Girl, I’m Coming for Your Man! (Betty in her bookstore saves Jughead from his date with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl) is so delightfully funny, and Sunflowers (Betty and Jughead share a working space and fall in love) is so goddamn cute.  I have actually found myself behind on her work, which is a crime, it all looks so amazing and I know it will be, and you must check all of it out with me here.

@hellodinoflower:  Such an amazing presence in the fandom, such a delight, so clever and funny.  She ran @bugheaddrabblechallenge this past summer and gave us all so much joy in the process, and, while her fics are deleted now (as is her right), I promise you that they were amazing, you all missed out if you slept on her.  She’s such a great follow, you gotta follow her.

@bluevelvetvideo:  A delighful soul, great character insight, great writing.  Like, her smut is fantastic, have you read Arsenal (a double feature of Betty and Jughead fooling around in public and then having some sexytimes back in private with some quality dom!Jughead, let me tell you, v steamy)?  Because you should.  Christmas Lights (Jughead ties Betty up with their Christmas lights, it’s fantastically sexy) is a delight, and you can’t blame gravity (for falling in love) is a very fun take on soulmates and soulmarks, and you simply must go read it.  She is a master of smut, let me tell you, and you must check out all her stuff here.  Also?  An excellent beta, 10/10, I’m so lucky to have her.

@a-true-janian-reply:  Very funny, has excellent thoughts on Riverdale!  Like, truly, every time I see an original text post or a reblog from her, I am PSYCHED because it’s always going to be SO GOOD.

@writeradamanteve:  Such great talent across genres, really impressive.  Drive (illegal drag racing Betty and college student but former-ish Serpent Jughead, just fantastic) is one of my earliest fandom favorites, I remember excitedly telling my non-fandom friend about it because I thought it was so clever, and we all know how good Daemon Bound is, yes?  Yes, I’m sure we do.  Let’s go make sure we’ve read all her stuff here.

@thugheadjones:  Has some great insights, some great responses to dumb anons, and some fantastic art, like holy shit, I cannot even.

@bugggghead:  A delightful soul, so nice, so talented.  Writes some amazing smut, like, have you read intimately acquainted (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty, meeting up on an app to help Betty with her heat in a heat retreat, four chapters of excellent smut)?  Because you should if you’re even kind of interested in ABO.  And en pointe is the bughead knifeplay fic of dreams, you gotta check it out.  And there are so many other ones, we do not have time to cover them all.  She also does cute fics, btw, and Message Me (fanfic-author-who-is-actually-the -real-author!Jughead/gif-maker-and-fangirl!Betty meet on tumblr and fall in love and it’s great) is such a delight, definitely go check it out.  In fact, go check out all her stuff here.  Also a fantastic beta, I really owe her for that.

@heavy-lies-the-crown:  A talented soul who has written so much high quality fic, from the hilarious red ribbon winner (a Christmas fic comedy that I cannot describe well but I assure you is both hilarious and sweet) to the emotional and moving road to me (Betty and Jughead break up, find themselves, and come back together and it’s perfection) to the heart-ripping angst of apizza (a semi post-4x17-speculation fic of bughead together but apart at Yale and the way they will come back together and it is so good and so angsty) to many, many more.  You gotta go check it all out here.

@lurker-no-more:  Yet another funny person, we as a fandom are so blessed, you must check them out, you just must.

@iconic-ponytail:  Another excellent writer!  a revelation in the light of day is SUCH a great slowburn and  SUCH a great take on both FBI!Betty and Sheriff!Jughead and the two of them falling in love as adults.  Also, the side varchie is fantastic, and the mystery is amazing.  I have not yet checked out the nighthawks, but I already know it’s going to be good, I can tell, you can trust this author to be quality, so go check all of her stuff out here.

@soyforramen:  Funny!  Very funny!  Also?  Writes some great ficlets that are, I think, exclusive to tumblr, which is a tragedy, tbh, but as is their right.  But I do have the link to this genius fic about bughead and a platypus in honor of the platypus anon that was going around this summer.  Definitely go check them out!

And now I am very tired, I have used up my energy, and I am so sorry if I forgot anyone!

[oceanera12]

Gotham Knights: Story

“In breaking news, we’ve received reports of an explosion somewhere north of the city.” “We’re still waiting for the police to confirm if there are any victims.” “This story is evolving rapidly, please bear with us.” “We hear this really loud, ‘boom’... there was smoke everywhere.” “Emergency services have confirmed that they have discovered a body buried in the wreckage. We’re still waiting for further details.” “Many emergency vehicles are on sight!” “It appears that a large portion of the building has actually collapsed!” “In International news, an explosion rocked Gotham City earlier today.” “We’re now able to confirm that billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne is--”

This game is kicking it off with a “BANG” worthy of the Joker’s attention. Bruce flipping “Batman” Wayne is allegedly killed in some kind of explosion and it’s up to our rag tag team of “Gotham Knights” to keep Gotham safe.

Yes, I said “allegedly”. This may be jumping the gun a little and nothing in the trailer hints at it, but I do believe that Batman is still alive. I think he thought he was going to die, but ended up getting kidnapped by the Court for some kind of plan-- but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Breaking it Down

Here’s what we know about the story so far from the trailer and game play demo:

Bruce is “dead” (Nothing short of a body, tested and proved to not be a clone, duplicate, or just a decoy will convince me otherwise), as the result of some kind of explosion that literally rocked the city.

He’s left Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin the Belfry as a place of operations

He has also asked them to protect Gotham for him

For some reason, Bruce was alone when he died. It is unclear if he was in his “Batman” get up at the time of his death, or if he was “Brucie”.

Jim Gordon is dead and has been for some time. The result of his death is the GCPD doesn’t trust the Bats anymore.

Alfred is alive (Thank Gotham for that) and helping the Batfam

Mr. Freeze is involved in the game as a villain, most likely not the main villain but part of the main campaign. His plan involves freezing Gotham for reasons unknown.

The Court of Owls is the main bads of the game and may or may not have killed/kidnapped Bruce.

A few random minor points (with pictures!): 

Jason has most likely been killed by the Joker and brought back with the Lazarus pit (as seen from the white in his hair and where that scar on his face most likely came from). 

Barbara has most likely been shot and paralyzed by the Joker, but has since recovered as seen by the wheelchair in the foreground of the Clock Tower. 

“Robin” is most likely Timothy Drake due to the science stuff surrounding him in his hideout/Titan room(?), the fact that he HACKED THE WATCHTOWER, and the cup of coffee on his desk (Honestly, the last point is the one that backs this claim up the most).

Story may or may not play out differently depending on which Batfamily member you are playing as (Robin is not seen in any of the cut scenes with Batgirl during the game demo. This could be something they are adding in/was not ready for the demo, but I highly doubt it)

Speculations/Spit-balling Some Stuff

Bruce may have blown up the cave with him in it based on his comment about “this message was sent out when I destroyed the cave and it’s contents”. This is unclear as we do not know what blew up only knowing it was north of the city. Why he would do such a thing is beyond me, but these are the people who did Arkham Knight so who knows.

This may be some kind of “Found Family” story with the four batkids coming together with Alfred to bring justice for their Batdad. If so, I am all for it and am crossing all my fingers and toes.

I am severely concerned that the Court of Owls not only “killed” Bruce but is also responsible for Jim Gordon’s death. And for good reason because HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THE FLIPPING OWL ON JIM’S BADGE? NO? JUST ME? OKAY! (I’ll build on this in a separate post)

Other villains who may show up/I hope show up include but are not limited too: Deathstroke, a very SHORT cameo of sort from the Joker (hopefully in a flashback that helps build a character. eg. Jason or Barbra), Penguin, Ras Al Gaul (mostly because I want confirmation for a Damian Wayne DLC-- I want to see all my Bat Boys, dang it), Catwoman (as some kind of mentor character for one of the batkids, maybe?), Blockbuster, Black Mask, Dick’s evil Talon Grandfather, random members of the Court, you get the idea. Give us some of the more obscure villains mixed in with a FEW popular ones if you have too.

Calling it: Freeze’s plan is either based on a hopeful attempt to save with wife (the Court has that creepy reanimation of the Talons so maybe there’s some kind of cure he can make out of it???), or they are going to completely forget about his wife and just make him the villain for the sake of it. Please be the first thing.

At some point in the game there shall be a moment where Jason is question/confronted/kicks himself out because of the whole “gun” thing. Heck, it may start that way with Jason having to prove to his siblings that he can be trusted.

I’m hoping each character gets their own separate development/different story line and that we actually get them going through the separate stages of grief. Heck, each kid could be stuck on a specific stage (Tim on denial, Jason on anger, Dick on grief, Barbra on acceptance because she’s gone through this before very recently) Give us emotional batfamily, you cowards.

Building on that, I am hoping for separate campaigns/story lines for specific characters, which can serve as side missions or go to the main story, depending on the mission. (eg. Dick vs Blockbuster could be an optional side mission. Dick vs evil Talon grandfather would be essential to the main story)

Part of me wants Barbra and Dick to be “dating” or have had a past relationship. The other part of me just wants them to be friends/siblings so we’ll just have to see how the characters interact.

Give me an Alfred who kicks butt with his shotgun when the Talon’s invade the Belfry (“when”, NOT “if”)

If the Talon’s have Bruce, then I want an evil Batman vs the Batkids. And I don’t mean for one fight, I want him showing up half-way through the game and the kids have to fight to get him back. Give me a brainwashed Bruce that’s only snapped out of it because of his kids!

I want to see Tim transition from Robin to Red Robin or “Drake” if you have too.

A fight for the cowl between the kids before someone (most likely Alfred) steps in and tells them to be themselves, it’s what Bruce would have wanted.

Timothy Drake vs Ras Al Gaul

Jason Todd vs Black Mask

Barbra Gordon vs whoever killed Jim Gordon/is responsible for his death

Dick Grayson vs Deathstroke

Justice League references (mention Superman, Wonder Woman, the Green Lanterns, etc)

Please make this story stretch over MULTIPLE NIGHTS. Preferably longer than one month but I’ll take a week-- heck, I’ll take three days if you can’t make it longer. Change up the character for ever “night”, change the mission types (stealth, fight, info gathering, etc), do SOMETHING.

If DLC is a thing, I want to see Bruce Wayne “Batman” , Damian Wayne “Robin”, Duke Thomas “The Signal”, and either Stephanie Drake “Spoiler” or Cassandra Cain as “Black Bat” or “Orphan”. And add some story for all of them, pretty please?

Also: THEY CHANGED THE COURT NURSERY RHYME AND I HATE IT.

[kagemajaya]

So much to watch, not enough time in the week - What does Fall 2020 look like?

A list of what looks interesting in the next season and silly reasons as to why

I’m not the sort of person who likes finding out too many (in some cases even a smidgen of) details about anime I’m going to watch, so this will be a spoiler free preview of the season. Here is a list of anime I will try and you can expect to hear about on Kagemajaya.  

Click on the show names to be taken to their MAL pages for more detail.

Hype

Taisou Zamurai

A male cast gymnastics anime from MAPPA (the studio of Yuri!!! on Ice.) Enough said.

Watch the trailer here.

Chuan Shu Zijiu Zhinan

This one’s a bit of a cheat as we’ve already seen 2 episodes of it (3 for those who have VIP accounts on weTV.) However, I was indeed hype for it before it started. Based on a BL novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, the author of Mo Dao Zu Shi, this one promises a lot to people who enjoy transmigration, cultivation and a bit of gay. It is also a quite funny isekai parody. The only downside is that it doesn’t share the same visual quality as MDZS, and is entirely 3D. It’s a good thing I’m not much of a stickler for hot visuals.

Watch it here on its official stream. 

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Another donghua based on a BL novel, well-known among the danmei fans also by its English name of Heaven Official’s Blessing. Also written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (boy, are they busy.) And a big plus: it’s not 3D, so really looking forward to watching handsome men cultivate together in pseudo-historic China. Beautiful setting, beautiful boys. Now one can only hope for an interesting plot too and we are set.

Watch the trailer here.

Cautiously Expectant

Yuukoku no Moriarty

I saw manga adverts for this one all around Akihabara and Ikebukuro last year when I went on a little trip to Japan. The bishie Professor Moriarty was an immediate pull, and as a Holmes fan, I feel attracted to most of its adaptations, despite almost always being let down. The one thing that makes me cautious about this one is that it is published by a shounen magazine that is not GFantasy, so I’m not sure if the bishie designs and the male cast actually mean what I want it to mean. Fingers crossed.

Watch the trailer here. 

Giving It a Shot

Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii

A cute looking comedy short about a dog and a cat.

Jujutsu Kaisen

A mostly male cast Shounen Jump affair. Spring 2020’s Kakushigoto also implied that it has a fujoshi fanbase - let’s see what that’s all about.

Maesetsu!

A female cast gag comedy sol created by Lucky Star’s Yoshimizu Kagami. I watched Lucky Star fairly recently and found it quite entertaining with many sweet/funny characters. I suppose we will see if Yoshimizu still has it. Fingers crossed.

Adachi to Shimamura

I try to watch all queer anime as they come, and this comes in from the shoujo ai quota. Looks like a pretty straightforward romance. Hopefully it will have heart.

Kaeru no Pickles: Kimochi no Iro

All I know about this one is that it has a chill looking poster and has a slice of life tag on MAL. I’m not entirely sure whether we’ll get this subbed, but if we do, I’ll give it a shot. 

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko

Fell for the slice of life tag once again. This one is an isekai with a soft looking MC. Not entirely sure it’ll be up my alley, but no harm in trying it, maybe for a pleasant surprise.

Sore dake ga Neck

This one seems to have the cool setting of a convenience store. I did initially think this was going to be a sol as well, but seems like that might not be the case. Either way, cool setting.

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima

Another anime whose source project I saw plastered all around Tokyo. I’m not a huge fan of idol shows but the rapping bit makes me a bit curious.

Noblesse

A manhwa massively popular among female fans which has also received one off adaptations before, it’s finally getting its turn for a full cour among the hype the industry seems to have for Korean webtoons these days (Kami no Tou, God of High School, etc.) I did watch one of the OVA’s years ago, and wasn’t entirely impressed but then again I can’t judge a whole work based on one arc adapted into a single episode. Male cast action stuff. We shall see and judge.

Magatsu Wahrheit: Zuerst

This was chosen entirely on my shallow criteria as usual: visuals with two dudes on them. Now we’ll see whether the German name is a cringe factor or it’s actually interesting.

Sequels

Osomatsu-san 3rd Season

Osomatsu-san has been a consistently high quality production for me since the beginning. The humor is definitely my cup of tea, though as with any episodic gag comedy, some sketches do miss. It is more often than not a hit. The seiyuu cast is a huge huge pull, as this is not them only acting out an already written character but you can actually hear them having fun as the sextuplets. It is also one of the rarer shows where I, as a person who isn’t great at focusing on visuals, appreciate the impeccable quality of animation. So hype for another season of this majorly fun series and to welcome Matsuno’s back home - coziness, here I come.

Quanzhi Gaoshou 2

I watched the first season of Quanzhi Gaoshou (or King’s Avatar) because it was made by the studio of MDZS, and it was the first time I had seen a good looking Chinese animation production. And it didn’t disappoint. Production quality was similar and more importantly, it had a very engaging plot - pro MMORPG players playing MMORPG,  their personal dramas and the actual (surprisingly fun for me) gameplay and action. Its most important quality is still its charming cast for me, a successful ensemble cast, where with the exception of the antagonists, everyone and their relationships are lovely. Mostly a male cast show, it does also have nice ladies. Looking forward to going back to them. My only personal issue (definitely not a flaw on the show’s part but my attention span) is that it has so many teams and characters that I forgot most of who was who. Fingers crossed it’ll be easy to get back into. 

Haikyuu!!: To the Top 2nd Season

Haikyuu is back again, to finish off the “To the Top” arc. The first cour of this season was probably the season that took me out of the Haikyuu hypnosis state where I assumed everything that came out with the name attached to it was great. It was still enjoyable in its second half but I do feel like the magic has worn off now. I hope I’m wrong and the tournament hype will bring it back again. Haikyuu is at its best when it’s tense in-match and funny with character interactions, so fingers crossed for that.

Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 4

The Chinese comedy short is back! As mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, gag comedies are always hit or miss with their sketches, and this one is also mostly a hit for me, though definitely not at the level of Osomatsu-san. The pull of this show is the cute boys and their dumbassery. Looking forward to its easy fun and more Kai Xin. 

Also continuing...

Mo Dao Zu Shi Q, Great Pretender

Have been enjoying both these shows greatly so far. 2 more cours of MDZS Q to go with their cute chibi fun, and Great Pretender’s last case (9 eps) is already released on Japanese Netflix so now we wait for Laurent and the gang to reach us. Really looking forward to the emotional drama of Laurent and hopefully some proper addressal of his feelings for Edamame. Either way, it’ll look gorgeous and will be heaps of fun if the first three cases are anything to go by.

I might pick up other shows and most likely drop some of these throughout the season but here’s hoping it will be enjoyable overall despite the small number of shows I’ll start with. What are you guys planning to watch?